This month we have 9 multi-platform releases, 2 Playstation 3 releases, 1 Xbox 360 release (plus one in japan as well), 2 Wii releases, 4 PSP releases and 2 DS releases. Of course, this only includes noteworthy releases.
The multiplatform releases indicate what systems they’re coming to, and if a release is Japan-only it’s properly marked as such.
Read on and see if May has anything that might interest you!
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Game of the Year Edition) 5/11 (PS3, 360)
Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the winners in our Games of the Year awards, in the Multiplatform Games category. It was definitely a really good game. The GotY edition will include the DLC, and 3D compatibility(not sure what type of 3D it will be using though) and… I don’t know what else. But if you missed it last year, don’t pass it up again, it’s well worth playing.
Lost Planet 2 5/11 (PS3, 360)
I found the single-player demo to be pretty bad… But it was probably just an early demo, so it might not be representative of the full version. And I haven’t played the first game. So I don’t really know what to expect for this… nor am I interested.
Skate 3 5/11 (PS3, 360)
Maybe it’s because I’m used to the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, but I wasn’t able to get accustomed to the more “realistic” controls and gameplay of the Skate franchise when I played it. I think it’s just that I prefer the more arcadey gameplay in the first few games in the THPS series. But the Skate series has a good fanbase and is admittedly not bad, so this one should be good. I tried the demo and I didn’t like it much, but I can see the appeal, and it’s probably much more enjoyable when you get used to the controls.
Rocket Knight 5/12 on Xbox 360, 5/18 on Playstation 3 (PS3, 360)
Rocket Knight Adventures was an AWESOME game on the Sega Genesis, and it’s getting a badass-looking sequel. I cannot wait to try it out. Hopefully it retains the super fun gameplay from the original.
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands 5/18 (PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, DS)
A new Prince of Persia game, back with the Sands of Time trilogy’s Prince and the gameplay of the Sands of Time trilogy. The story takes place between Sands of Time and Warrior Within. So this could be pretty good, or at least more interesting than the boring Prince of Persia “reboot” we got 2 years back. This is getting a version on every current system, though I don’t know what the DS and PSP versions will be like.
Red Dead Redemption 5/18 (PS3, 360)
Well from what I’ve seen it looks sort of similar to GTA, but in the Wild West. I can’t say that it doesn’t look interesting. The shooting mechanics look good, there’s a bunch of historically accurate weapons, seemingly tons of stuff to do… I definitely want to try this one out.
Split/Second 5/18 (PS3, 360, PC)
This looks like a very interesting racing game. As you do stunts and drifts and such, you fill up a meter that you can use to blow up various explosives strewn across the courses in the game, trapping enemies in explosions, or altering the course completely. This definitely looks like loads of fun to play.
UFC Undisputed 2010 5/25 (PS3, 360)
I… didn’t like the UFC Undisputed that came out last year. It felt rather cheap. The hits didn’t look like they had any impact and the ground game SUCKED (moreso than watching it on TV)… But once I get a hold of the demo for this one, we’ll see if it might be better… But I don’t have high hopes for this.
Blur 5/25 (PS3, 360, PC)
With Split/Second coming not too long before, I’m not too sure what to think of this one. It looks okay, but it seems to lack the utter chaos and fun Split/Second has. I might try it out, but I’m not hyped for it.
Green Day: Rock Band 5/31 (PS3, 360, Wii) (Wii version comes out a bit later)
I really hope I can just rent it and export the tracks. I also really hope that I can choose which tracks I want to export, since more than half the game is made up of terrible music. I mean, it’s missing 1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, Kerplunk, it has almost none of the good songs in Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning… At least it has all of Dookie. But fans of the 2 latest (crappy) albums will definitely want to buy this since it has them in their entirity (other than 6 songs that are currently DLC). There’s also a “Plus” version coming out a few weeks after with the (crappy) DLC included and a different case… lame.
PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
3D Dot Game Heroes 5/11
Ah yes, the most exciting game of the year is finally coming. Not just inspired by the original Legend of Zelda, but also some elements of Link to the Past, and it’s not scared of saying it’s a rip-off (and it jokes about both in-game and in trailers). And it has lots of interesting unique elements to it too, so it’s not JUST ripping off Zelda. The 8-bit inspired 3D graphics using cubes instead of pixels looks incredibly awesome, and the gameplay looks great. And to top it off, it’s only 40$ new. Definitely worth checking out.
ModNation Racers 5/25
The beta was pretty good, but it didn’t convince me to buy it. My problem with it was that the cars all drove the same, no matter how you customized them, so that kinda removed any variety from the game. But I’ll still rent this and see if any features (customizing-wise) weren’t in the beta and just in the final version. I’m still pretty excited to rent it.
XBOX 360 RELEASES
Alan Wake 5/18
Alan Wake has been delayed a lot, it’s been cancelled from a PC release… And I have next to no idea what it’s about. It’s probably because it’s a survival horror-type game, which I’m not too fond of myself. But nonetheless this will probably be a very good game, and one of the few Xbox 360 exclusives this year to be any good.
DeathSmiles IIX (JAPANESE RELEASE) 5/27
A new game in the series is coming to Japan. You can once again soar through the skies as Gothic Lolita anime girls to shoot the crap out of monsters. Fun. But while this is a Japan-only release, I want to at least note that the first game in the series is coming to the US in June. Yay!
WII RELEASES
Trauma Team 5/18
Ah, a new Trauma Center game. This one looks really interesting, since it has various new types of operations, as well as diagnostics and forensics. Hopefully the controls are just a tad bit more precise than Trauma Center Second Opinion.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 5/23
This will surely be fun. The first Super Mario Galaxy was really great, both visually and gameplay-wise, and is still to this day one of the best Wii games out there. This one seems to be just about as good. And it includes Yoshi! Yeah, I’m pretty excited for this one.
PLAYSTATION PORTABLE (PSP) RELEASES
Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake 5/04
I haven’t played Fat Princess on the PS3, but from what I understand this is the same game as the PS3 version, with a few more maps and game modes, but inferior graphics (not that it matters). And also lesser online capabilities. Fans of the PS3 version will probably like it.
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 5/04
Oh I loved the first game in this series. It was actually one of the winners in our Games of the Year award, of course in the PSP category. It was a really fun arcade style strategy/management game, with lots of really interesting gameplay mechanics (despite only having one “move” at your disposal). It was simple, but had tons of depth. This one seems to improve in quite a few aspects, and with more of a narative structure than the first one. Can’t wait to buy this one. Too bad they had to remove the “Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!” part of the title… Some people are just too sensitive.
Hexyz Force 5/25
Not sure about this one, it seems like a pretty standard JRPG. But those are hard to get excited for unless you learn about the gameplay and leveling mechanics beforehand, which I haven’t. But it should be worth checking out.
ModNation Racers PSP 5/25
Well, I’m not too sure about this. I mean, shouldn’t they try to maximize sales with the PS3 version before releasing the PSP version? It feels kinda strange on a marketing standpoint… But anyways… I have no idea what the differences will be between this and the PS3 version, but it’s probably gonna be pretty fun, just like the PS3 version.
DS RELEASES
Dementium II 4/20
The first game was a horror FPS that… I haven’t played. But it looked quite interesting. This one seems quite similar, with slightly better graphics, and just as creepy and gory (at least according to images I’ve seen of both games). Could be worth checking out.
Blue Dragon: Awakened Shadow 5/18
I haven’t played the first Blue Dragon game on the DS, and the Xbox 360 Blue Dragon game kinda bored me after 4-5 hours in (though I might give it another chance later). I never completed the anime either, it became boring rather fast. So I have no idea what this one will be like.
Well I took a while to actually play this game. But I definitely had to check it out no matter what, because it’s a remake of “Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals” on the SNES. Lufia 2 is probably my favorite RPG ever. So of course I wanted to see what they had in store for a remake.
Sure, it’s in Japanese, and I can barely read what’s being said (I can read most of it, except for most Kanji, but I don’t know what half the words mean), so I’m not getting the full experience, but I can still follow a lot of what is going on nonetheless.
Since it’s an import, I can’t actually review it, but I’ll say as much as I can despite the game being Japanese.
So let’s go right away and talk about this thing! Read on!
Story
I’m not too far in the game, about 5 hours in, so I haven’t seen the whole story.
The game follows pretty much the same story as the original Lufia 2. It features the same characters, the same events take place, lots of scenes are taken from the original, and overall it’s not much different story-wise from before. But there are changes. While most of the same events take place, they basically never take place in the same places as the original games, the world’s geography seems sort of different from before, and a lot of areas that exist in the original don’t appear here.
So many events happen in Parcelyte that happened in like 4 other cities before it in the original. Something gets stolen that you have to recover from bandits, you have to save the glassworker, you meet Guy, Guy’s sister gets kidnapped, you get told to find the treasure sword, Gades destroys Parcelyte… all those events, other than getting told to find the Treasure Sword, happened in different cities during the original, but here they all happen in Parcelyte. Not a bad thing, but it’s a bit strange for all those things to happen in the same place.
Other changes includes characters staying in your party (seemingly throughout the game) despite them leaving in the original for various reasons. Tia wasn’t a permanent part of your party, neither was Deckard. Also, Lexis doesn’t join your party, but instead follows you around all the time, and Maxim knows him from the beginning of the game. Another change character-wise is that Iris also follows you around everywhere. In the original she was a cool character because she was mysterious, and she always appeared out of nowhere. This time she’s just always there for some reason… weird and definitely less interesting than before. And Gades not only has his normal human form, but he has various other forms as some kind of monster (the thing you fight at the very beginning), and a giant golem-like monster.
So while the story/characters has some minor changes, it’s still ensentially the same thing… from what I’ve seen. The story was good in the SNES version, and it’s seemingly just as good here. Kinda hard to tell when I can’t actually read most of the dialogues (and there’s a lot of them too)…
Graphics
Obviously a big upgrade. Going from the really nice-looking 2D environments and sprites, to almost as good-looking 3D environments and newly designed characters. Very nice things there, for sure. The areas look great, and the graphic quality is quite good for the DS. Sure, you don’t see the characters’ faces from far away, but that’s because the DS is so limited graphic-wise.
The character design changed is quite big. In the original, all the characters basically had the same “frame”, while here they all look unique. Maxim is basically the same as before with a different suit. Serena (known as Selan in the US) has different hair color/style and looks very different from her SNES incarnation. Guy is like twice the size as before (so much muscles) and he carries around a big hammer. Tia is now red-haired, cuter, and she’s a bit more tomboy-ish looking, which is a huge difference, and she acts differently too. Deckard now has pink hair and looks like the average bishonen… which is weird (at least he’s still stupid). Lexis is older and he looks crazier(he doesn’t join your party this time)… Haven’t seen Artea yet. And Gades looks pretty cool, despite looking like a Ganondorf clone. Haven’t seen any of the other Sinistrals yet.
Fighting
That was one aspect of the game that worried me a bit. The original was a turn-based RPG, and this went for a real-time system? I really wanted to play this just to see what they were planning on doing with the fighting system.
It’s actually quite straight-forward. There’s no seperate screen for battles, so enemies spawn directly on the field. Pressing B jumps. Y does a normal attack, X does a special attack. Pressing A dodges in the desired direction. Holding the R button charges your attack. While charging, pressing A uses your weapon’s super attack (each character has a variety of those super attacks, which are determined by the weapon they have equipped), and pressing X uses your character’s super attack. Some weapons have multiple super attacks, which you can switch between with the L button.
In battle, you control one of the characters in your party. You can switch between any one of them on the fly. Pressing the Y button multiple times links different normal attacks. Any other attacks, using X or charging with R, use up the character’s IP meter. The IP meter fills up automatically overtime, and it fills up quite fast, so unless you spam special attacks you should be fine. The fighting is fast-paced and quite fun, and very self-explanatory. I’m happy they didn’t screw it up.
Leveling
The leveling, in its basics, is quite simple. Kill enemies, get experience, level up. The character you control gets the full amount of experience points, the ones in the side-line get less, thus level up slower. Leveling up fully heals their HP and IP, and of course boosting your character’s stats. Yeah, pretty standard.
This adds a special system, where you put gems on a grid to boost stats. The stat boosts only work if the gem you put on the grid is connected to one of the 4 “entrances” (which lights up the gem to say it’s “active”), or connected to an “active” gem. The grid is actually sort of shared between each character. Rather than having seperate grids, you have 1 grid with sections for each character. The gems you put in the grid will be at least 2 spaces long, vertically or horizontally, so you can have a gem partly in one character’s section and partly in another’s, giving them both the stat boost offered by the gem. Later you can also fuse gems togheter to make more powerful gems, which is cool.
Otherwise the other way to boost characters is with equipment. Nothing different from the usual JRPG here.
Puzzle
One of the most interesting elements in the original Lufia 2 was the fact that every dungeon had some really interesting puzzles. That element is actually not lost in the game’s conversion to 3D. Each character has attacks that can be used to clear obstacles (Tia’s grappling hook, Serena’s remote-controlled blade, Guy’s hammer), or traverse gaps and such, there’s some platforming (falling down a hole takes away some of your HP), and there’s puzzles to solve too. Blocks to place on certain switches and such, keys to open doors… everything here is quite fun. I find that the puzzles are a lot easier than in Lufia 2 (which became sadistic near the end), but there’s still some nice puzzles here.
Game Flow
The game flows in a linear fashion, but you can go back to old areas whenever you want. Rather than an actual world map, you have menus when you’re out of towns or dungeons.
The menu has 5 options, respectively: the first (2 kanji I can’t read) brings you to the area selection so you can choose to which town or dungeon you want to go, the next (meniyu-) brings to the menu, the third one (again, 2 kanji I can’t read) lets you talk to Lexis where he tells you where to go next, the fourth (ro-do) lets you load your game and the final one (se-bu) let’s you save your game. Not too hard to figure out.
The game flow here is pretty simple: go to a town, talk to people, get a task given to you, go to the dungeon, get to the end and fight a boss, rinse and repeat. Since the game is in japanese (as of the writing of this article), figuring out where to go can be a bit tough, but there’s some ways of figuring out where to go, like talking to Lexis, or going everywhere until you find an area that starts a short cutscene just before.
One thing that might annoy me a bit, but not much, is that you revisit various areas in the game multiple times. I visited the Soma Temple (where you fight Gades) 4 times in the time I’ve played. Though that’s not such a big problem since, most of the time you revisit a dungeon, you actually go to different parts of said dungeon, which subsequently makes the world map menu a lot easier to navigate since there’s fewer places to check out.
Also, the Ancient Cave from the original is back. I didn’t get to the end yet (though I plan to), but I’m guessing there’s 100 floors. Each time you go in the floors are randomly generated, though they’re a bit more straighforward than in the original. Each room (other than corridors) have monsters and treasure chests. Getting to the floor’s teleporter brings you to the next floor. Occasionally, you’ll come across a blue chest. This gives you a blue item, which you can subsequently bring back to the dungeon when you revisit it (you can also find blue items in the normal games which you can bring to the Ancient Cave). Some rooms in some floors also require you to clear out all the enemies before moving on to the next. Oh, and when you enter the dungeon you go back to level 1, and don’t keep any of the gained levels when you get out. When you get out, you return to the level you were before entering the cave. The Ancient Cave, just like in the original, is a good way to find great equipment.
Import-friendlyness
This is not really import-friendly. The combat is self explanatory, and advancing through the game is not too hard if you screw around a lot (going to every place, talking to everyone, talking to Lexis in the menu). But really you’re missing out on the story if you don’t know japanese, and that kinda sucks, and the lack of japanese knowledge will make this really easy to get stuck in.
Overall
I really hope this gets an english release. Sure, I can progress through the game relatively easily without being able to read everything (going to the next part of the game is really quite simple even if you can’t read japanese), but I think I’m missing a good part of the experience.
The fighting is actually pretty fun and fast paced, I’m really happy they actually didn’t screw that part up. Each character plays quite differently, which is really cool. And the new leveling system is kind of interesting. It kinda sucks that you can’t get Capsule Monsters anymore though, they’ve been completely removed.
The changes made to the story (at least from what I’ve seen) aren’t anything major. Some characters may have different powers or something, other characters who left the party in the original stay in the party here, some events take place in different areas, but in the end you’re basically going through the same story.
Overall, this is a very fun game. Sure, I’d rather just have the updated graphics and leaving the rest like the original, maybe with new areas, puzzles, capsule monsters and gameplay elements, but this is still quite good. Fans of the series will like revisiting the best game in the series, and newcomers will discover a really fun new story and might really be drawn in by the new fighting style.
It doesn’t surpass the original for me, but it stands on its own very nicely. Good to see the original developer (Neverland) doing something new with their older game.
]]>But I wasn’t expecting such a low number of note-worthy releases. PS3, Xbox 360, PSP and PC get no interesting exclusive releases, so we’re left with just a few interesting multi-platform releases, 3 DS releases(including 1 japanese release), and 2 Wii releases. A very slow month indeed.
It might be a small month, but still, come and check what are the interesting games coming in April 2010!
As usual, Multiplatform releases first, ordered by date, and if the game is a japanese release it is marked accordingly.
Read on!
*EDIT: Monster Rancher DS was removed from the list due to it being delayed to July 2010, After Burner Climax was added*
*ANOTHER EDIT: Trauma Team delayed to May*
*YET ANOTHER EDIT: Dementium 2 delayed to May*
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction 4/13 Xbox 360, PC
To be totally honest, I never played a Splinter Cell game before, so I have no idea what to expect from this. But the gameplay videos I’ve seen of this one look really cool. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for it.
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse — Episode 1: The Penal Zone 4/18 PC, PS3, MAC
And it’s time for more Sam & Max! I sadly missed on season 2, but this one still seems quite interesting, having the trademark weird humor the series is known for. Definitely an interesting release, and this time PS3 owners are part of the fun too, with the game being available on PSN in addition to the PC and MAC releases.
After Burner Climax 4/21 on Xbox 360, 4/22 on Playstation 3
It’s After Burner!! Yeah, the classic shooter from Sega got a revival in 2006 at the arcades, and now the arcade version is FINALLY coming over to consoles. The game looks great, and really fast-paced. Definitely can’t wait to play it!
Super Street Fighter IV 4/27 PS3, Xbox 360
It’s Street Fighter, so of course it gets a new version. This will surely be good… since it was good last year! There’s some pretty good upgrades though. Some characters get new moves, there’s some rebalancing, there’s a bunch of new additions to the roster, Makoto is there… Should be worth checking out for big fans of SFIV, or people who skipped on SFIV the first time, since it’s gonna be cheaper than a new game (a bit less than 40$ on Amazon).
Record of Agarest War 4/27 PS3, Xbox 360
Okay… from what I understand it’s an RPG, with an SRPG battle system, utilizing 2D sprites in a 3D environment… But when I search around for info, ALL I find is pictures like the one above… like this, or this. It looks kinda interesting from the little gameplay I’ve seen, and it seems to have cool battle animations and such, but I really don’t know much about it… I’ll give it a rental.
NIER 4/27 PS3, Xbox 360
I have no idea what this is. I’ve heard about it a bit, but not much. Then I heard something about the 360 and PS3 getting different versions(Replicant on PS3 and Gestalt on the 360), then I hear that the US gets the same version(Gestalt) on both systems… I’m not really sure what’s going on… It’s an action game, I don’t know if it has RPG elements… It’s published by Square Enix. And it’s developed by those guys who made the Resident Evil on-rail shooters for wii, that piece of shit Drakengard on PS2 and the pretty good Fate/Stay fighting game on PSP… Really not sure about this.
Final Fight: Double Impact 4/30 PS3, Xbox 360
Ah, Final Fight. One of the veterans of the Beat ‘em Up genre, and also one of the better representations of the genre. It’s coming to XBLA and PSN, with various visual options, some new filters and such. The title is Double Impact, so it’s not alone. It’s accompanied by Magic Sword, a lesser known but still very good arcade classic by Capcom. A nice little compilation, though hopefully the price isn’t too high.
No More Heroes: Eiyuutachi no Rakuen 4/15 Xbox 360, PS3 (JAPANESE RELEASE)
Currently not announced for an American release. No More Heroes was a fairly good game on the Wii. Not incredible, and it had some huge flaws, but the really good parts (AKA the boss battles) were definitely something to behold. Now people can experience it on the more powerful consoles… in Japan at least.
WII RELEASES
Monster Hunter Tri 4/20
I don’t really like Monster Hunter. I think it was the slow combat style that didn’t feel too good to me. This one seems very similar to the ones I’ve played. But its a hugely popular series, so if you’re curious it’s definitely worth checking out. And it comes with a Classic Controller Pro which is pretty cool.
DS RELEASES
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 4/28 (JAPANESE RELEASE)
The first Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker was pretty good. I’d say not exactly as good as the original Dragon Quest Monsters, but still really fun. I actually haven’t heard about this one until… just now. This should be good, and it’s sure to sell a shitload just because its Dragon Quest. Not exactly an import-friendly game, but an interesting release nonetheless.
So sit tight and see the few noteworthy titles in the month of Christmas!
Read on and be sure to comment if I actually forgot anything.
MULTI-PLATFORM RELEASES
Guitar Hero: Van Halen (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) 12/22
It’s Guitar Hero… With Van Halen songs. Anything more I need to say here?If you like Guitar Hero, this could be interesting.
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360) 12/01
I know nothing about the game, the movie looks lame, but whatever, it’s hyped so it’s on the list!
The Saboteur (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) 12/08
Haven’t seen much about this game after E3, mostly because I’m not interested. The visual style looks good despite just being rehased from… just about every “artsy” game or movie in the last 10 years. Can’t say much about the gameplay though. I expect another “Velvet Assassin” from this.
Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD (PC, Xbox 360) 12/31 (360 release date, unsure if the PC version is coming at the same time)
I actually never played previous Serious Sam games but they looked pretty fun. Now a new one is coming with updated graphics, should be not too bad.
SONY PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
Final Fantasy XIII (JAPANESE RELEASE) 12/17
It’s Final Fantasy XIII. Nothing I can really add to that. It looks awesome, and if you know Japanese there’s little reason NOT to import it. Otherwise the english version is actually not far off. Let’s just keep away from spoilers a bit until then.
NINTENDO WII RELEASES
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories 12/08
Not sure what this is exactly. From what I understand it’s a remake of the first game. OH, and they removed the combat element, forcing you to run from enemies instead of fighting them. I’m not a big SH fan though the series’ concept does interest me, but I’m not gonna touch this one.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers 12/26
I don’t know what to think of this. The first Crystal Chronicles game was pretty bad, while the follow-ups on the DS were actually pretty entertaining. I’ll reserve judgment until I actually play it.
NINTENDO DS RELEASES
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes 12/01
This is the third time it’s on a release list, is it ACTUALLY coming out someday? I wasn’t hyped for it from the start but still, how much can they delay a DS puzzle game?
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks 12/07
This I’m quite excited for. Phantom Hourglass was actually really good, and this one adds some potentially interesting gameplay elements. Not sure if it takes place after Phantom Hourglass or if it’s completely unrelated, but whatever. It looks fun, and that’s all that matters.
Now november is coming with a few big guns as well, but seemingly a less fun experience in general. Also, no noteworthy 360 exclusive releases. Let’s see what November has for us!
Read on for the list! And be sure to comment if I forgot anything.
MULTI-PLATFORM RELEASES
Rabbids Go Home (DS, Wii) 11/01
This will most likely suck. I hate those fucking Rabbids, and how they (partly) ruined the roster in the last TMNT game. I have no expectations for this and won’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. But I know it’s gonna sell and that’s why it’s on this list.
Need for Speed: Nitro (DS, Wii) 11/02
After the really good Need for Speed Shift, they bring us another NFS game. It looks a lot more arcadey than Shift, so it goes back to older style NFS. Might be good, but I reserve judgment until i actually play it.
Lego Rock Band (DS, 360, PS3, Wii) 11/03
I want someone to honestly come at me and tell me this doesn’t sound like a super stupid idea. The setlist is really short and doesn’t have anything great either… and couldn’t they choose ANY other Queen song? Seriously? Not that “We are the champions” and “We will rock you” aren’t good but… there are so many other/better choices. Anyway… no hype for this at all.
Dragon Age: Origins (PC, 360, PS3) 11/03
I’ll be frank and say I’m not a huge Bioware fan(not that I think their games are bad, of course, I know they’re good, but just not my style), and I will not be getting this game. But I also know it’s going to be a really good RPG and fans of the genre/company should definitely check this out.
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (DS, PSP) 11/03
The only Battlefront game I played is the second one on PSP, and I frankly got no enjoyment out of it. But there’s lots of fans of this particular SW game series, so it’s on the list. Expect the DS version to suck compared to the PSP version
Band Hero (PC, 360, PS3, Wii, DS) 11/10
I guess they’re making this to “counter” Lego Rock Band… They might as well call it “Pop Hero”, since the soundtrack is mostly comprised of crappy pop music. There’s ZERO great songs on this, maybe a few that will be okay… lame.
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (PS3, 360) 11/10
Well, the graphics and animations look good, but otherwise it just looks like the Budokai Tenkaichi games. And half the roster is probably different versions of Goku anyways. I’ll rent that one.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC, 360, PS3) 11/10
Do I really need to say anything about this? Oh, I do? okay then… Sequel to one of the most popular generic FPS games of the generation. And it’s just gonna be another generic FPS. A really good one, of course, but it won’t ACTUALLY be anything special. It will no doubt be great, but it won’t be any different from just about any FPS released in the last 5 years.
Left 4 Dead 2 (360, PC) 11/17
It’s Left 4 Dead. Again. New campaigns and such, should be as good as before.
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (PC, 360, PS3, PSP, DS) 11/17
People are super hyped for this. I’m not. Meh.
Tony Hawk Ride (360, PS3) 11/17
I really want to see how well this works. But that’s about it for me. To me, the Tony Hawk series stopped being fun after 3.
Assassin’s Creed II (360, PS3) 11/19
It does look a bit better than the first, but again I’ll reserve judgment until I actually play it/if I’m convinced they corrected all the problems from the first.
Playstation 3 RELEASES
3D Dot Game Heroes (Japanese release) 11/05
This looks awesome. A tribute to old-school Zelda games with badass swords. Can’t wait for an American release.
Record of Agarest War 11/09
That’s the “Soul Breeding” game they talked about on Kotaku quite a few times. Not exactly sure what it’s like, but it’s getting a lot of suggestive art attached to it… Ill rent it since I have no idea what it’s about really.
God of War Collection 11/17
I hate God of War. Button-mashing and QTE fest of suck. It started many annoying gameplay elements that games just can’t stop using anymore. Mashing buttons to open doors, adding stupid QTE segments in boss battles when they don’t need them, and just overall not being very good. But the series is incredibly popular anyways, and this is a noteworthy release for sure(being the first PS2 titles enhanced for the PS3), so it’s on the list.
Nintendo Wii RELEASES
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex 11/10
COD4 with tacked-on wii controls. Yay?
New Super Mario Bros. Wii 11/15
This looks really fun. The platforming itself looks interesting, and new power-ups might be fun, but playing with 4 people at the same time looks like it might be REALLY cool. And even people who suck at games can enjoy this with the Super Guide feature which can help them through the tougher levels. It just sucks that there’s 2 Toads, there’s no way Nintendo couldn’t think of something else for a fourth character.
Nintendo DS RELEASES
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans 11/10
And RPG based on DBZ. Probably won’t be anything great.
Phantasy Star Zero 11/10
I actually haven’t checked anything about this. An interesting release nonetheless.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized 11/10
I dunno. I have no expectations for this.
Spectral Force Genesis 11/10
Might be an interesting RPG…
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes 11/17
I had this on the list last month but it ended up getting delayed. So it’s back here.
Sony PSP RELEASES
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier 11/03
AIt’s Jak and Daxter. I’m not very familiar with the series, but it shouldn’t be too bad.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tag Force 4 11/10
Hopefully this one doesn’t have crappy motorcycle segments… But it’s based on 5D’s, so it probably will.
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble 11/10
A beat ‘em up. There’s a little hype surrounding the game.
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines 11/17
To tie in with Assassin’s Creed 2… this one seems based on the first game though.
LittleBigPlanet 11/17
It’s LBP, on PSP… Should be pretty good.
But October… oh man, there’s tons of great stuff coming. Both on the multi-platform side and for system exclusives, there’s tons of potentially great releases. Even the PSP has some interesting releases.
Check it out and make your list of games you’ll be getting!
As usual, the game title is in bold, the release date is italicized, and for multi-platform games the systems they are coming for are between parenthesis. Only 1 game on the list this month is a japanese release so I’ve marked it appropriately.
And If I missed something, don’t hesitate to comment and tell me.
MULTI-PLATFORM RELEASES
Saw 10/06 (360,PS3,PC) (10/31 for PC)
The Saw movies have sucked after the first one. So I don’t have lots of expectations for the game. But if handled properly it might end up being not too bad. This is a rental at most.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 10/13 (DS, Wii)
If you’re in for a mini-game fest that probably won’t be very good…. why not? DS version will probably a lot weaker than the Wii version.
Brutal Legend 10/13 (PS3, 360)
Heavy metal is awesome. And this game is an embodiment of the awesomeness of metal. The graphic style looks like metal album covers and the main character, played by Jack Black, has an intense love for metal. So… I’m waiting to be able to play the demo, and until then I’m staying skeptical about the game, but it definitely LOOKS fun, and the soundtrack, from what i’ve heard until now, seems quite good, and I might buy the game just because of that.
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition 10/13 (PC, PS3, 360)
The game+all the DLC. Coming on all 3 platforms, making it the best pack for anyone who wants the game.
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter 10/16 (DS, Wii)
I actually haven’t played the first one, so I have no idea what to expect. And I probably won’t end up playing it either.
Borderlands 10/20 (PC, PS3, 360)
First person shooter RPG set in a wasteland… Wait, is this Fallout 3? Okay, the gameplay looks completely different, and it takes almost a Diablo approach, with different classes with different skills. Definitely a game to look out for.
Alpha Protocol 10/27 (PS3, 360, PC)
(what a crappy box art…)
I have no idea what this is, but I know it’s relatively highly anticipated. So I’ve put it on here.
DJ Hero 10/27 (PS3, 360, Wii)
After actually learning how the controller works, it definitely looks fun to play. But the song list is a big piece of crap, barely saved by Daft Punk and Gorillaz. Though if you like this type of music it’s definitely gonna be interesting for you. If someone I know gets it, I’ll try it out, otherwise I’ll wait until the game drops to 20$ (including the controller).
Tekken 6 10/27 (PS3, 360)
I’m not a big Tekken fan. I’m more for 2D fighters, as opposed to 3D ones that concentrate on juggling. So I have no hype for this, but I know this is a huge release and I’ll try to rent it and take time to play it a bit at least.
Bayonetta 10/29 (JAPAN) (PS3, 360)
Sadly only in japan for now. It’s not gonna be region free on the 360, but it’s probably going to be region free on the PS3. Might be worth importing.
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment 10/31 (PS3, 360)
Not sure about this either, but I know Vandal Hearts has a fairly big following after the PS1 title.
NINTENDO DS
A Witch’s Tale 10/06
A NISA release(developed by both HitMaker and Nippon Ichi Software), of course I’ll check it out. The game was supposed to come around this time last year, but the GENRE was changed(from Action RPG to traditional RPG) before release and it took an extra year to develop…. Weird. But now it’s coming and I’m hyped for it.
Spore Hero Arena 10/06
It’s a Spore exploration/fighting game. I’m expecting it to suck frankly, but you never know.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky 10/12
I hate this series. The first game was incredibly boring, amongst the worst dungeon-crawlers of this type I’ve played. Not even gonna try this one.
Space Invaders Extreme 2 10/19
The first Space Invaders Extreme was really fun, giving a fun twist to the original. Definitely looking forward to this one.
Nostalgia 10/20
A 3D RPG with a turn-based battle system. Looks interesting enough.
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island 10/27
(Special set that comes with 2 figures)
Another NISA release in October, this time it’s Gust’s Atelier series. I’m not incredibly familiar with Atelier, though I did play the third Atelier Iris game, and finished Mana Khemia 1. I enjoyed those, so I’m hyped for this one. And for collector’s, there’s a special edition with 2 mini-figurines. Fun.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes 10/27
A Might and Magic Puzzle/RPG game. Looks really weird. Might be worth checking out.
PLAYSTATION PORTABLE
Gran Turismo 10/01
Wasn’t this announced at the same time as the PSP? Well, it’s finally coming out. Yay! Not sure exactly what to expect from this one, and I’ll probably just rent it.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 10/20
If you haven’t played the DS version, it’s back with better graphics and with the touch-screen elements removed. The DS version was fun and a throwback to when GTA was good. If you don’t have a DS it’s worth checking out.
Half-Minute Hero 10/20
A quirky concept aided by fun fast-paced gameplay. Getting both a PSN and UMD release… I think.
NINTENDO WII
Wii Fit Plus 10/01
Yeah, I know……. but it’s noteworthy enough to be in this list. Nothing to say about this.
A Boy and His Blob 10/06
Really? Yeah, it’s coming(after being teased on a few consoles after the NES…), and it has awesome graphics. Hopefully the gameplay will be interesting enough.
Spore Hero 10/06
Lame fighting engine+Exploration+Spore… I’m not even gonna try this, but I’m putting it out here anyways.
PLAYSTATION 3
Fallout 3: DLC Starting 10/01
Yeah, 360/PC exclusive my ass, everyone knew from the start it was coming to the PS3 as well. And for people who already have the PS3 version, they can just get the DLC on its own. Otherwise there’s the disc version that will have all the packs on it as well.
Demon’s Souls 10/06
People keep telling me the game plays like Monster Hunter, which reduces my hype a lot, but it might still be an interesting game. I’ll rent it.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 10/13
How could I not mention this? The first game was really good, despite just being a normal third-person shooter. It featured a good story and fun characters. The second one LOOKS very good, and the gameplay is looking…. not too different from the first, butstill really good. And there’s an expansive multiplayer mode added to this. Anyone with a PS3 should check this out, for sure.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time 10/27
It’s coming in October? Huh… kinda got overshadowed…. But it’s a fairly big series, it should be well worth playing.
XBOX 360
South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! 10/07
Looks lame.
Magna Carta 2 10/13
(wonder who they’re marketing this to *coughcough*)
Magna Carta on the PS2 was horrible. Not sure about the story and characters, but the gameplay was just BAD. Navigating dungeons sucked because of the “keeping your sword out reduces your range of vision, but sheating your sword will make you get attacked first in battle” element… And the fighting system was very lame. Not sure if I’ll even bother thinking about this one.
Forza Motorsport 3 10/27
Taking a stand before Gran Turismo 5, Forza 3 is coming to rock peoples’ socks off once again. I actually never played the first 2 Forza games, but I’m willing to give this one a try.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony 10/29
(sorry for the lame image, didn’t want to risk finding other stuff on google…)
I hate GTAIV. Somewhere between the horrible characters, bad physics(I still don’t understand why my car was sent flying a few hundred feet high after touching a wall) and lame controls, I can’t really say what the worst element of the game is. But it was, nonetheless, a huge hit. This is the second DLC package for the game on the 360 and…. I have no idea what more to say. I’m obviously expecting it to suck ass, but fans of the game should like it.
COMPUTER GAMES
League of Legends: Clash of Fates 10/06
Just check Dave’s impressions of the Beta. CLICK HERE.
Windows 7 10/22
Yeah, I know, it’s not a game. But it’s a noteworthy release and will most likely affect the gaming of any PC gamer stuck on Vista. It runs a LOT better than Vista, and it actually runs a lot better than XP as well, running a lot less crap in the background (freeing lots of memory). Anyone who feels like updating their OS should check this out. Well anyone with Vista should be obligated to upgrade…. and heck, gamers still on XP should as well. A worthy upgrade for any higher-end PC.
Painkiller: Resurrection 10/27
(no box art for this one, i’ll add it if i find it later)
Played a bit of Painkiller, it was pretty fun. Not sure if this is a remake or a sequel or what, but it should be just as fun if they don’t screw up the simple formula.
So, is it really the end of the summer drought, or do we have to wait a bit more? Read on to see what’s coming out!
And don’t hesitate to comment and tell me if I missed something in my list!
Multi-platform releases
Guitar Hero 5 9/01 (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)
Another new Guitar Hero game(like the millionth one this year)! With an unimpressive Set List! Yay! Okay, there’s a few songs I’d like to play, but only very few.
Mini Ninjas 9/08 (PC, DS, Wii, PS3, 360)
There’s not much hype for this one, but the little info I’ve seen for it made it seem potentially interesting. There’s a demo coming soon so we’ll see.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 9/15 (DS, PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)
A bunch of Marvel superheroes in an action-rpg title with co-op play, like the previous game. I haven’t checked any info on this one, but it’s a notable release nonetheless. (and it has pretty much the same cover art as the first as well! now THAT’S originality)
The Beatles: Rock Band 9/09 (PS3, 360, Wii)
The first Rock Band release this year that isn’t a track pack. A bunch of Beatles songs, with multi-microphone gameplay for back vocals. Beatles fans will really have some interest for this, but otherwise it’s skippable.
Wet 9/15 (PS3, 360)
Despite the name of the game, it’s not porn! You’re a girl kicking ass with a katana. Might be good, might not. I’ll surely give it a rental.
NHL 10 9/15 (PS3, 360)
I have no interest in this, but being Canadian I know lots of people around here will pick it up. It’s almost as big as Madden over here.
Need for Speed: Shift 9/15 (PC, PSP, PS3, 360)
A new Need for Speed. I actually know nothing about that one. But NFS has a sizable fan-base and I’m sure there’s quite a bit of interest for this game.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up 9/22 (Wii, PS2)
A game similar to the Super Smash Bros series, but featuring the most awesome turtles ever. It could definitely be interesting.
DS
Pocket Monsters SoulSilver  and  HeartGold(JAPANESE RELEASE) 9/12
Remakes of the second generation of Pokemon games. And it includes a fun little accessory to carry pokemon around and level them up as you walk in real life. Definitely an interesting release, as Silver/Gold are some of the most beloved games in the series.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story 9/14
A new Mario RPG game, but an interesting concept in this one as you traverse Bowser’s insides and you also get to control him/affect his actions(from what I can understand). This is a release to look out for, for sure.
Nostalgia 9/15
I know nothing about this title, but I’ve been told it was a fun turn-based RPG. I also saw some people comparing it to Skies of Arcadia. So this could be an interesting game to check out. (couldn’t find a proper image of the boxart)
Scribblenauts 9/15
This looks really interesting. Any word you can think of can be written and the object will appear in the game… Okay, not EVERYTHING, but there’s a lot of objects in there. And you have to use your imagination to solve various puzzles. The gameplay looks very promising. Â It might be one of the must-have DS games of the year.
SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu – Goddess of Destiny(JAPANESE RELEASE) 09/17
A remake of Final Fantasy Legend 2 on the Game Boy? A bit random, but potentially interesting. I’ve never played that FFL game in particular, so I have no idea if it’s gonna be good or not.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days 9/29
A new Action-RPG Kingdom Hearts game, which looks and plays just like the PS2 games. It’s a title I can’t wait to try out for sure. My little gameplay with the japanese version was short, but promising.
PS3
Tales of Vesperia(JAPANESE RELEASE) 9/17
The previously “Xbox 360″ exclusive is coming out on the PS3 in japan. No confirmation for an english release, but I’m not doubting it. PS3 owners finally get to play one of the really fun RPGs on the 360. Good stuff.
Afrika 9/22
This… looks insanely boring. Like a current-gen version of Pokemon Snap, but without the fun. But lots of people are hyped for it, so I’m at least including it on the list.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 9/29
So basically a port of the 360 version of Ninja Gaiden 2, but with minor graphical changes, less blood, and added content. Great release for any Ninja Gaiden fan who don’t have a 360.
Xbox 360
Raiden IV 09/08
The latest of a great Shmup series, I’m quite anticipating this and am hoping to rent it when it comes out.
Halo 3: ODST 9/22
Meh. Halo 3 expansion. Excitement for me is at ZERO here, but hey, it’s one of the big releases that will sell millions this holiday season.
Wii
Muramasa: The Demon Blade 9/08
Definitely an interesting looking game. If the combat is fun it could be a really good game. The art style is interesting, and the gameplay looks solid, but I’m a bit skeptical about it, so I’ll have to play it.
Spyborgs 9/22
Not sure about this one. I’ve read some things about it on blogs and such, and it looks interesting enough.
Dead Space Extraction 9/29
An on-rail shooter, prequel to the PS3/360 games. Might be interesting.
PSP
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny 9/01
Had it on the list for August as a japanese release, not knowing it came out in America in September. But it’s coming. And it has that lame Kratos dude from the boring God of War games. Yay?
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days 9/08
Ah, Disgaea. Even more addictive when it’s in portable form. A must for Disgaea/NIS fans, and with added content it could be fun to replay. And if you get addicted there’s tons of things to do here.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 9/22
This is getting 2 releases on the same day. A UMD release and a PSN release. Both are the same price. Yet the UMD release comes with more stuff (a soundtrack CD). A bit of a weird choice, but hey, the game looks interesting.
MotorStorm Arctic Edge 9/29
MotorStorm is making it to the Sony Handheld now! The first game failed to impress me, but I know there’s a fan-base for this, so it’s on the list!
The Bleach DS series is a weird one. The first 2 games were straight up fighting games. Really well done too. And made by Treasure. There were some balancing issues, of course, but overall they were quite good. The third game in the series was a Strategy RPG, and made by Sega. And now this new one is a Beat ‘em up. 1 series, 3 genres. Really strange.
So, is it a good beat ‘em up, or is it just a lame cash-in on the Bleach name? Read on!
Keep in mind, this is a Japanese game, and I have no Japanese knowledge, so there are certain things I can’t explain/know. (and this is a pretty shot review too)
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Date of Release: August 6th 2009
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Beat ‘em up
Players: 1
Looks and sounds
The characters look really good, they’re completely recognizable from the series and their animations and attacks look quite good. But one thing to note here is that the sprites are mostly just recycled from the previous leach DS games, or just mildly changed from them. The enemy design is lame at best. There’s just a few enemy types and some are just upgraded versions of older ones, either bigger or with different colors. The environments range from random areas in Karakura village, some random areas in Soul Society and… randomness! Nothing inventive and not much that really has to do with the series.
Sound-wise… It’s nothing great. The voice-acting is fine, using the same actors from the show. The music is very forgettable, and the sound effects are either completely normal “hit” or sword sounds. Don’t expect anything ground-breaking, of course.
Gameplay
It’s a platforming Beat ‘em up. It doesn’t get much simpler than this. Y attacks, pressing different directions change what attack you do. B jumps. X does you special attack, and if you press X and Up at the same time you do a bigger special that takes more SP. A uses your currently-equipped assist character. Holding R pauses the action and let’s you change assist character if you have multiple in your deck. L let’s you stand in the air. It’s useless(or at least i never really found a use for it) and takes up SP. Double tapping a direction makes you dash, and pressing an attack button during the dash, no matter the direction, makes you do a special dash attack.
So the basic flow of the game is ” Select a level, See a conversation, Go to the end of the level, Get a Rank up to S depending on various variables, Repeat”. It gets repetitive after 2 worlds, and there’s 8 worlds in total. Levels play out in a simple “kill everything that gets in your way” manner. Heck, you can skip most enemies. There are some sections in stages where you have to kill everything that comes at you, but the rest can be skipped. At the end of each level, you get one of 2 things: a boss battle, or a “bonus stage” where you have to attack some… flying ball with tentacles, which gives you money for the shop.
The difficulty level is pathetically low. There’s only one level, based on platforming, which was able to kill me. The rest of the levels, even the tougher bosses, are really easy to beat. The only “difficulty” is finding everything. Each levels have 1 collectible to find: Hell butterflies. They’re hidden through the levels (1 per level), and they give you a boost to your SR meter. Also, getting S ranks everywhere might offer just a little bit of challenge (though I never got under an A rank so it’s really not that tough either).
A different element here is the Support Deck. Using cards you either find in stages, or buy in Urahara’s shop, you set a deck of sorts, in a grid. Each card takes either 1, 2 or 4 spaces in the grid (and you can get extra grids for different kinds of decks, i guess). Â From what I understand, the ones that take 1 or 2 spaces are stat boosts of sorts. And the 4 space cards are assist characters (which I explained earlier, they all have different effects like healing, protection, or attacks).
Oh, and the character list is a bit lame. Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Renji, Hitsugaya, Yoruichi, Byakuya, Young Byakuya… Why is Byakuya in there twice? Aren’t there enough Bleach characters not to have to use the same one a second time, but younger? Not a big problem, but it’s a bit strange.
One thing I have no idea about is the SR stat (under SP), and I have no idea what Oversoul is (when the SR meter goes at 100% or above). I know higher SR gives you more points in the end of a level(which makes it easier to get a high rank), and if you get hit by an attack that knocks you down your SR goes down to 50, or lopwer if you’re at 50% or below.
Overall, the gameplay isn’t bad. But it’s awfully simple. And there’s little to no difficulty.
Import-friendlyness
Can you press buttons? If so, you can play this game. The basic gameplay is really simple, and just randomly fumbling around the menus you should be able to shop and build support decks without much trouble. There’s not much of a big community for this title, but you can surely find places on the web where people can help you out here. It is Bleach after all.
Oh, and for modes, Ichigo (and i guess you can change the character) tells you what each option in the main menu is, so the menus are simple enough to navigate.
And you’ll miss the story, but you can fast-forward through the conversations so it’s not a burden to the gameplay.
Overall
It’s a competent enough Beat ‘em up. It’s incredibly easy, but it works. But if you’re not a Bleach fan, skip on it. Heck, even if you ARE a Bleach fan there isn’t much of a reason to get this. If you can read japanese, the story is just random filler junk so you’re not missing much here. It’s pretty much a cash-in on the Bleach name, nothing more.
Pros/Cons
Pros
- Nice Graphics
- Simple gameplay
- Import Friendly
Cons
- Way too easy
- Could use a bit more character variety, the only character that plays different from the others is Uryu
- Get repetitive FAST, there’s no gameplay variety at all
The Save Factor
With a starting price of $48.90 on Play-Asia, the Save Factor for Bleach DS 4th: Flame Bringer is:
$10 (only for big Bleach fans)
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This is a game we basically knew nothing about before it came out. SE had a countdown site, people were confused at the reveal, and then trailers started  appearing, and people were confused with them since the trailers didn’t explain much about the game. Now the game is out and it all became clear.
So, is it fun to play? Is it as confusing as the trailers made it seem? Is it worth the 60 USD it costs to import? Read on and see!
Keep in mind, this is a japanese game, and I can’t read japanese, so I played the game as well as I could considering that “handicap”, and I might forget/not know about some details.
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Date of Release: August 6th 2009
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action RPG
Players: from 1 to 4, no online
Looks and sounds
The character sprites are 2D. Not incredibly high-quality 2D, but they look fine. One problem is the point of view. The environments (if you can call them that…) are in 3D and the camera constantly moves around as you traverse the stages, yet you always see you character from one of 4 sides, but not depending on the camera angle. Otherwise they look fine. The normal monsters are also 2D sprites. There’s a few basic enemy designs, and color palette switches for stronger versions. Nothing very original, but they look okay.
The show stealer here are the giant monster designs. They’re big 3D renditions of Square Enix summons/various other monsters/characters. And they look quite good. It’s obvious that they suffer from the DS’ lower power and the texture’s look quite bad when the giants are too close, but they’re really quite well done despite all this. Their animations are mostly really smooth and natural, and they’re huge compared to everything else in the game. So considering how strong the DS is, this is very well done graphically.
The sound design is standard. The sound effects are fine, the giants’ voices (they mostly just scream and stuff) sound fine, and the music is okay . Not a very memorable soundtrack, but it works great with the game.
Gameplay
The game is all controlled on the touch screen. You can either move around with the stylus by dragging it around, or use the D-pad (this is highly suggested). You can do a teleporting dash by scribbling randomly with the stylus, or pressing the L button (also highly suggested). Attacking is done by tapping the touch screen where you want to attack. If you tap on a normal enemy, you’ll walk towards it to hit it (unless you use a ranged character). That can be annoying since, if you’re in a big group of enemies, you character can have trouble getting to the right one. If you want to attack the giant, it’s the same thing. Tap the area of the giant that you want to attack, and you’ll attack. If you’re too far, you’ll do some kind of range attack, Â while if you’re close to the edge of one of the platforms that are closer to the giant(and if he’s close enough) you’ll do a normal attack (some characters can combo by tapping multiple times, others just attack from a range normally). How a normal sword slash can hit a monster that’s a mile away I’ll never know, but that’s how it works.
So how the game basically works is that you’re on big floating platforms with areas that are at different heights and stairs to get to different parts of the platform. There’s also warp points which, during certain missions (mostly the free missions), warp you to different platforms. There’s 5 platforms in the stages. One is a bit further from the rest and is usually used in certain missions that mostly make you fight normal enemies. The rest surround the area where the giant usually is (though some giants can get out of that square to get in front of the further one).
The game is set-up with a bunch of missions. When you’re done with a mission, you get to the main menu and have a bunch of things you can do, and you go to the next mission whenever you want. The main goal of every mission is to destroy one of the current giants’ core, or something protectiong one of their cores. Cores are differently-colored areas on the giant which has less defense than the rest of his body. Armor protecting cores also gets more damage than the body itself. If you do about 6 damage by hitting the giant randomly, hitting the cores will do at least over 20. Other missions  require running to a portal, fighting normal enemies on the way, or surviving for a short amount of time.
Each giant has a set of 5 missions to go through. The last mission is always to finish off the giant. When that’s done, you get a series of free missions related ot that giant, which give you different objectives than the main missions, sometimes asking to remove certain body parts from the giant, or destroying a stronger version.
There are also multiple characters you can use, six in total. Each character is a bit different. Some have magic, some use guns, some are slow, some are fast, some only use range attacks, others use close-range. Each character has a different basic element as well. You can train any character you want, whether you train just one and concentrate on that one, or train them all to use them for different situations.
Fighting is fairly simple. As explained above, tap a target, either a normal enemy, the giant’s body, or one of the giant’s core, or armor piece that is hiding/protecting a core. The giants all have a variety of attacks. Learning the timing of the attacks is crucial, as you’ll need to use the dash/teleport to get out of  the way most of the time. All giants have some kind of attack where they’ll rest their arms/heads/weapons on the floating platform, and you can get on them to get closer to cores to deal more damage. Some cores even require doing so. Another thing to memorize is the giant’s pattern. Each of  them will act differently depending on a variety of things. Attacking them in certain ways can cause them to do certain attacks, and some attacks they will only do if you’re on a certain platform at the right height. And they all have some kind of elemental resistance/weakness. There’s lots of things to figure out here.
Another big part of the gameplay here is the normal enemies. Enemies are set in certain areas of each platform and platform area. You fighting them the same way you fight the giants, except they have no cores, they’re just small 2D sprites like you. Hitting them a few times kills them. But the catch here is that all the giants have some way of re-spwaning them. And they are actually more of a threat than the giants, since they constantly get in your way when you try evading the giants’ attacks, or sometimes you’ll try tapping on the giant and your character will attack them instead. But they sometimes drop healing balls and orange balls. The healing ones heal you, obviously, but I have no idea what the orange ones do.
You also have access to skills. In the menu, the menu item to the left of the bottom-right menu item brings you to the skill menu. Here you can learn new skills, or upgrade current skills, and set up to 3 skills to use in battle. All of this require to use gems, which you can find at the end of battles. You’re told how much you need for each skill too learn/upgrade it, and the top screen tells you the required MP and damage/effects. In battle, the skills are on the bottom of the touch screen, next to your HP/MP. Some require tapping them twice, others require tapping once, then tapping the monster you want to use it on. There’s a large variety of skills to use, and each character has different skill sets and effects.
The last important part of the gameplay is buying new equipment. Each giant has a set of materials it can give, which are unique to each of them. Each mission you complete, you get a list of all the dropped material for the mission. Also, each core you destroy on each giant has a chance of giving you certain materials. The grinding requires you to go through certain missions(you can replay any previous mission), or free missions, to destroy certain cores which will give you the materials you need. In-between missions, you can go to the shop(the middle option in the main menu). The first option in the shop enables you to buy equipment. Here you’ll see every category of items you can buy, and the characters(displayed on the top of the touch screen) will move if they can equip the items in the category you’re hovering over. When you select a category, you’ll see the items and their cost in gold. By selecting them, you’ll see what materials you need to collect. If the item name is greyed out you can’t purchase it, and if it’s white you can. Check the color of the materials you are missing to know what giant you must fight to get it(I’ll list them in the “import-friendly” section). Also, when an item is selected you have different tabs with different info, inculding stats and the stat changes on your character. There’s consumable items you can buy too. Basically they give you some sort of stat boost for 1 mission only, but they’re not too expensive to make. Also, you get no money from completing missions, so you must use the third option in the shop menu and sell old equipment or excess materials to get money. The second option in the shop menu is a lottery which has yet to give me anything worth it.
Is it import-friendly?
Yes and no, but mostly yes. The basic gameplay is easy enough to learn. Shopping is quite easy as well since you see what character can equip each category of equipment. As for material gathering, the material’s icon color tells you which monster drops it. If it’s gray, Fenrir drops it, brown means Gigant drops it, orange means Ifrit drops it, purple means Gilgamesh drops it, blue means Shiva drops it, black for Bahamut, gold for Gration, a lighter purple for Vanargand, green for Beelzebub, red for Durga and white for Shin Bahamut. So if you need a certain material for a piece of equipment, just check the color, and destroy the monster/certain body parts to get the drop you need.
The one thing that might be problematic is the mission objectives, since you start up with no idea what to do. Thankfully there’s guides on the web. Here’s the one I use (thanks A7thSteve from Gamefaqs and everyone who contributed to the guide). That’ll help you know what to do in both the main missions and the free missions. There’s probably a few communities of fans of the game that  can help you out somewhere, until an english release happens at least.
Overall it’s import-friendly enough, since the menus are quite easy to navigate, but a guide is a must.
Overall
It’s a pretty fun game. It’s frequently compared to Monster Hunter, and sometimes compared to Shadow of the Colossus. Â I say it’s a mix of the two, but with a lot of differences. You fight giant creatures, but the way you beat them is a lot different from Shadow of the Colossus. And like in Monster Hunter, you have quests to do and materials to collect to get more equipment.
The fighting is pretty fun, though I don’t really like that the normal enemies pose a more dangerous threat than the giants. Sure, in the end it’s normally the giants who end up killing you, but it’s usually because normal enemies are preventing you from avoiding the attack or something.
The lack of online multiplayer is a bit of a bummer. I doubt I’ll ever get 4 people with DSs and the game together at the same time. It’s a bit weird not to have online considering the game is quite obviously built for a multiplayer experience.
It’s a good choice if you want a good Action RPG on the DS, or if you want something that’s kinda similar to Monster Hunter. There’s definitely a lot of gameplay to be had here.
Pros/Cons
Pros
- Good looking giants
- Fun gameplay
- Grinding isn’t as tedious than in other games
- Finding how to fight each giant and how to destroy each of their cores is a game in and of itself
- Lots of content
- Relatively import-friendly
Cons
- Touch screen controls sometimes unresponsive/inaccurate
- The grinding may not be as tedious as in other games, but there can still be a lot of it, especially if you don’t know exactly what materials you’re looking for
- Lacks online multiplayer, which would be useful considering getting 4 people with a DS AND the game together might not be really easy
The Save Factor
With a starting price of $60 on Play-asia, the Save Factor for Blood of Bahamut is:
$35 (wait for a domestic release, and probably a price drop)
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Dragon Quest is a legendary series in videogames. While it lacks the popularity of Final Fantasy in the West, it is unparralleled in Japan. Anyone who recalls that infamous law in Japan can attest to the incredible fanbase the series has. But the question that has been on everyone’s lips ever since the announcement of Dragon Quest IX being a handheld game, the question of whether or not Dragon Quest can still be Dragon Quest on the DS… Well over three million people have bought the game so far – do you want to know the answer?
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Square Enix
Date of Release: July 11th, 2009
Platform: DS
Genre: Roleplaying
Players: 1~4 (local multiplayer)
The opening plot of Dragon Quest IX is a strange one – you’re a Guardian Angel, charged with the duty of fixing up the every day lives of people in a small village. By protecting them, or performing tasks to cheer them up, you receive a special item from them that must be given to the tree high atop the City of Angels. The plot moves along very nicely, albeit nothing happens that would surprise anyone who has been playing RPGs for the last decade or two. Thankfully, the charming graphics and the unique opening story make for a refreshing change in the world of RPGs. Things only get better from then on, as well. You’ll end up meeting a great variety of characters along the way, with guest characters joining you to battle through certain areas. The only real downside is that the fairy that follows you around, called Sandy, has an annoying way of speaking that has caused many players of the game to be turned off. But if you don’t understand Japanese very well, you won’t notice.
A look at the character creation screen.
Graphically speaking, the game is remarkably impressive. Important characters are all beautifully rendered in the same style of Akira Toriyama, One thing easily noticed, however, is that all NPCs are drawn with 2D sprites. That feels a little cheap, considering how beautiful and 3D the rest of the game is. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the sprites are very detailed – to the point where you won’t even notice they’re 2D unless you hold down B – but it’s somewhat safe to say that it’s a bit of a let down. Considering that this workaround evidently allows for much more detail in other areas, however, it really isn’t much of a problem. The cutscenes that litter the game offer beautiful scenery normally unavailable and they break up the normal camera angles very nicely. The graphics in battle are quite different to those normally found within Dragon Quest games. While you select actions in a purely first person perspective, the actions are then carried out with sweeping camera angles and whatnot that animate the battle in a much more enjoyable way.
The new-look battle screens of the game.
One of the areas wherein Dragon Quest IX shines is in the sub- and side-quests. The sidequests are generally very basic in nature, such as defeating a certain amount of enemies in a certain way or place, but they can be quite rewarding in their diversity and the treasure given for completion. As there are well over a hundred of these sidequests, you can generally find a new batch to complete every time you enter a new town or city. The other subquests, however, have far more depth. These crop up every time you grab a new treasure map – affording you a randomly generated, multi-levelled dungeon to conquer. They always have powerful bosses at the end of the dungeon and the treasure for defeating them is always very valuable. In the unlikely situation that you don’t get treasure, however, you’ll be given the treasure map to an even longer dungeon to explore – at the end of which is treasure far more valuable than existing anywhere else. A word of warning, however… The bosses within these randomly generated dungeons are significantly harder to defeat than the bosses within the storyline. One of the most touted things about these treasure maps is that they’re tradeable with other players of the game, meaning you and your friends can explore each other’s hidden dungeons as many times as you like.
X marks the spot, as they say.
Customisation of characters is pretty interesting and very deep. There is a sizeable variety of skills available for mastery, and each Skill Set is quite different. Each class has access to five different Skill Sets, generally four weapon types and the classes own Skill Set. These come with a variety of power-ups, whether in the form of new attacks, boosts to existing attacks or boost to actual stats themselves. Thankfully, even when changing class, you retain all your currently completed Skill Sets – so you’re more than welcome to experiment with various Jobs. In short, you’ll find there is a lot of variety available for people… Offering much appreciated replay value beyond the first playthrough. If customising the skills and abilities of your team isn’t enough for you, however, one of the most obvious and prolific things of Dragon Quest IX is the ability to change the appearance of your characters. Any clothing or armour they wear will show on their person both in the world map and in battle. If you’re anything like me, you’ll soon forsake functionality for appearance and end up fighting bosses in style rather than the armour.
What you equip shows up, so do try to look smart.
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This game, however, is not import friendly. Many non-Japanese speakers will find the first half an hour remarkably long winded as they attempt to progress purely through trial and error. Thankfully, for those with a little patience, there are various quick translation guides on various forums – such as one on GBATemp that fully translates the game’s menus and a bulletpoint guide on Ameblo.jp that tells you where you need to go – that cover basically everything outside of the storyline itself.
The Save Factor – This game is well worth anyone’s money. The freeform approach to playing the game, while limiting you to a single save slot, allows for a lot of replayability. If that wasn’t enough, the world map is very sizeable and character customisation is equally large. There’s very little reason to not find a lot to do in this game. All in all, it’s well worth $70 of anyone’s money.
(special thanks to Adriasang for the pictures)
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