PoP Impressions

There's just something about Fridays that makes me want to blog....

Anyway, I got PoP the other day and have been playing around with it a bit. So far, one thing stands out above all the other things in the game; and that would be the graphics.

This game is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. I haven't played a game with this much art style since Okami, 2 years ago. Playing Prince of Persia is truly like a living painting. The transition from Corrupted lands to lush Healed lands is always an awe inspiring experience, that is very reminiscent of Okami. In fact, the more that I think about it, PoP is a lot like Okami in more then one way.

The game is not without it's flaws though. For starters, the combat. I, personally, hate the combat system. I find myself loathing each battle, and the cinematic direction they tried to take with it just isn't doing anything for me. It feels clumsy, weak and I just plain don't like it. Like most things in PoP, it looks good, but it just doesn't feel right. The Prince feels weak when in combat, and the fact that there is no health bar and you can't die just seems to add to the equation, even though you'd think that would be a good thing. Also, I find the whole "arena" system a bit annoying. For those that don't know; Basically there is a defined cell, or area in which combat can take place. There are invisible walls, and if you aren't fighting a boss and you reach these walls, you'll throw your enemy off the edge of whatever platform you were battling on. If you are fighting a boss, he/she will make some cheap move to escape certain death. (Usually in the form of teleporting behind you.) I guess I shouldn't call it cheap, since we're the ones cheating death throughout the whole game.

Having these defined and restricted combat zones is another flaw, in my opinion. I can see why, from a development standpoint, they exist. But from a player's view, they are just annoying and unnesecarry.

I haven't played a whole lot, so I'm not that deep into the story. But so far, it's just...meh. Nothing spectacular, but also nothing terrible either. A lot of people don't like the new prince, but I personally do. He is pretty funny and he has a lot of character. His background, so far, is totally unknown to me. All I know about him is that he was possibly a thief, but he prefers call himself an adventurer. "Stealing gold from the dead is a lot easier then taking it from the living." I'm eager to learn more about him, though. And I suppose that is a good thing.

Elika on the other hand....well...I don't love her and I don't hate her. I don't really feel like I need her, and I do find myself getting annoyed with her sometimes. Right now I'm at the begining of the game still, so I don't know a whole lot about her; Certainly more then the Prince. I'm hoping she will grow on me, but as I said, I kind of feel neutral about her right now. For example, I wouldn't care in the slightest if she were to fall down a pit and never come back due to misgauging a jump. Or perhaps "slipping" off the Prince's back while climbing some vines. I remember reading an interview with the producer of PoP, and he said something that I find myself repeating throughout my time playing. You may have read this before. He said,

"It doesn't really matter to us if you love her. It doesn't really matter to us if you like her. You just can't hate her. You can't hate her. The second you hate Elika, the second you're frustrated with Elika, the whole experience comes tumbling down."

This is an intersting quote, because sometimes I find myself saying "Oh, I'm not allowed to hate her." Even though I might be just a tad bit frustrated with her at the time. For the most part though, I don't mind her so much. I don't love her, that's for sure. I don't hate her either. I'm not sure if I even like her. But, like I said, I'm still early in the game, maybe my opinion will change the more I get to know her / the more time I spend with her.



So, there you have it. Those are my thoughts on PoP so far. I'll probably do a full review after I finish the game. One thing I forgot to mention though was the music. I'll keep it short and sweet: It's good. It's very "Sands of Time" feeling, which is definitely a good thing. PoP:SoT was my first and favorite PoP game, and it had suberb music. Even though the composer, Inon Zur, didn't do Sands of Time, he did do Warrior Within. He also did the music for Fallout 3, which is great. I guess I've been listening to a lot of Inon Zur lately.

Recently Completed 3

It's been a while since I've done one of these...

I actually finished Halo 3 a long time ago...like when it came out, but I'm just now getting around to writing about it.


Halo 3 (360) - 6.5/10 "Decent"

Pros

• Lots of multi-player options
  
• Good Music
  
• It's pretty fun driving the Warthog
  

Cons

• Story is weak
  
• Tons of idiots online
  
• Not much to offer for those who don't like multi-player
  

Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3) - 9/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Great graphics
  
• Good story
  
• Liberty City really feels alive
  

Cons

• Radio shows are too short
  
• No Rhino
  
• Car handling takes a little getting used to

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) - 8.5/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Great graphics and animation
  
• Great story
  
• Lot of unlockables and extras
  

Cons

• Weakest story out of all the MGS games
  
• Essentially the same boss battle mechanics from previous games
  
• Story is complex, even for Metal Gear veterans
  

Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - 9.5/10 "Superb"

Pros

• Terrific story
  
• Amazing Graphics, Animation and Music
  
• Boss battles are extremely fun and feel very cinematic
  

Cons

• Too easy
  
• It eventually ends...
  
• Some of the Time Trials are a bit strict
  

ICO (PS2) - 8/10 " Recommended"

Pros

• Great Story
  
• Some interesting puzzles
  
• The ending theme song ;)
  

Cons

• Too short
  
• No replay value...(The NTSC version is stripped of any extras)
  
• No progressive or widescreen support
  

I actually finished Halo 3 a long time ago...like when it came out, but I'm just now getting around to writing about it.

Also, I wrote a full review of MGS4 a while ago, which you can read here.

Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games of all time....so I can't say enough good things about it.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Review

**Fair warning: This is both long and contains spoilers.**

Well, my time with MGS4 has come to a close. I won't say it was a bad experience; it's far from that. It was more of a....necessary experience. Allow me to elaborate:

Metal Gear Solid 4 is the last in the epic Metal Gear series. As such, the story that started over 18 years ago finally comes to a close. In terms of game play, nothing stands out in Metal Gear Solid 4 over it's previous iterations. In terms of story, MGS4 really lags behind the others. However, the story, and the game as a whole, are necessary.

• Necessary to close the story.
• Necessary to end the Metal Gear Series.
  
• Necessary to get Hideo Kojima paid.
• Necessary so said developer can work on other games.

Let's talk about the previous Metal Gear games for a brief moment.

MGS1, Metal Gear Solid / (Twin Snakes) is the original (modern) Metal Gear. It's the first introduction for all the major characters, and the boss battles were some of the best ever created at the time. The Psycho Mantis battle is still one of my favorites in video game history. It had incredible depth in both story and with the codec system. It's only folly is it's age. (although it's been remade for GCN)

MGS2, Sons of Liberty is one of my favorite games of all time. It was also my first experience with the Metal Gear Series. The boss battles weren't as good as Snake Eater's, but the story was superb. I was also quite fond of the setting. And I don't care what anyone else says, playing as Raiden was cool. The music is also my favorite in the series, and it's one of only two games that ever made me cry. Not outright balling like a baby, mind you, but shed a few tears. A testament to the power of the story.

MGS3, Snake Eater was an excellent addition to the Metal Gear series in terms of letting us learn more about the characters and really helps you to understand the story as a whole. The setting was also unique and who can forget all the great boss battles. The battle with the End is truly a moment in gaming history. The sheer amount of boss battles also make it great. Snake Eater is a Prologue to the events of all the other Metal Gears. A lot of people don't realize this, and think they are playing as Solid Snake. This could lead to a lot of confusion in understanding Guns of the Patriot's story.

And now we come back to:

MGS4, Guns of the Patriots. The boss battles are decent, but nowhere near Snake Eater's or Sons of Liberty's. In fact, almost all are copies of battles from the previous games. The Metal Gear battle was kick ass though. (It kicks even more ass with rumble.) Of course the graphics are superb, and it seems like that is all reviewers are looking at these days. MGO makes the whole package of MGS4 a bit more appealing, which probably explains it's high score despite it being the weakest in the series.

You really need to play the previous games in order to understand MGS4. Even then, it is a complex and winding story. (Perhaps even a bit too complex for its own good.) It's also the shortest of them all. I feel MGS4 is really only suited to two people:

• Existing fans of the Metal Gear series / Metal Gear veterans
• Those only interested in MGO.

MGS4 has it's high points, which for me, would be it's boss battles and the trip back to Shadow Moses Island. Let me break down the boss battles:

Laughing Octopus

• Battle: 7/10
• Character Background: 6/10
• Difficulty: 3/10
  

Laughing Octopus is the first boss you will encounter, and is the first of the BBs. (Beauty and the Beast) This is probably my second or third favorite boss battle. Each of the BBs has an emotion that they are tormented by and some sort of animal that their battle suit personifies. Her battle suit features 8 mechanical "tentacles" that can shock you, grab you and throw you around and other various things. The thing that makes this battle so good are the environment in which it is fought and her method of fighting. As she has the traits Octopus, she has the ability to camouflage herself and which point she will spew off taunts at you until you find her. She is almost impossible to see until you are right in front of her, but you can hear her and track her easily using the Solid Eye's NV mode. Once you do some damage to her, she will spew ink at you, which blinds you if you don't move, then move to a different location to assault you from.

After you defeat her, she sheds her battle suit and you are treated to a scene of her being tormented by her specific emotion. After this, she will start walking towards you slowly. (trying to grab you and do something unpleasant I'm sure...I don't know, as I've never let it happen.) You then have the option of either killing her, or knocking her out with the tranquilizer gun. I chose to knock her out, as you get a special face camo if you do. After knocking her out / killing her, you will get a call from Drebin explaining her story. Laughing Octopus had one of the best stories, and I'll let you play the game to hear it.

All of the battles with the BBs play out like this. The only difference with them are the Beauties themselves, and the location that you are fighting in. You always have the option to kill them or knock them out at the end. You will receive each BB's face camo if you chose the non-lethal route.

Raging Raven

• Battle: 5/10
• Character Background: 4/10
• Difficulty: 5/10

Raging Raven is the second boss battle, and was one of my least favorite. She was generally uninteresting, and somewhat annoying to fight. As her name suggest, she is angry and she flies around like a bird. You fight her in a multi story tower which she flies around and crashes through the walls periodically. Outside of the tower there are several other Ravens which look identical to her and they will shoot rockets at you.

Following the same method as the other BBs, once you defeat her she sheds her battle suit, you kill / knock her out then Drebin calls you and tells you her story. Blah, blah, blah. Three more left...

Crying Wolf

• Battle: 7/10
• Character Background: 5/10
• Difficulty: 2/10

Did you play Snake Eater? Remember the battle with The End? Well, the battle with Crying Wolf is basically the same. She doesn't have a sniper rifle, but rather a rail gun. This battle was very easy...In fact, the only damage I ever took was from the soldiers around the area and once by her when she ran over me. Her battle suit is one of the best looking and is well designed. Imagine a giant, black mechanical wolf.

There is almost no visibility in the area, due to a blizzard, so most of this battle is fought with the Solid Eye in NV mode. Basically, you track her down by either following her footprints or the sound of her crying. Then you snipe her a few times and she'll run away. Rinse and repeat until she leaves her battle suit and starts walking towards you. You know the drill by now; Kill her or knock her out then you'll get a call from Drebin telling you her story. I didn't find her story to be all that interesting, and it was similar to the other BB's.

Vamp

• Battle: 7/10
• Character Background: 8/10
• Difficulty: 4/10

Yes, Vamp. You'll learn much earlier that he didn't die in MGS2. The battle with Vamp is pretty fun in terms of the way you have to defeat him. He is immortal (somewhat) so every time you bring his health or psyche to 0, he will just resurrect. In order to beat him you must beat him down by the normal means described then grab and inject him with a special syringe.

He isn't that hard, but he is fast. He will throw blades at you and jump at you and try to slash you with his knife. All of his attacks are easy to dodge, and he is pretty easy to shoot. Overall a good battle, albeit an easy one.

Metal Gear RAY

• Battle: 8/10
• Character Background: 5/10
• Difficulty: 7/10

This is one of the best battles in MGS4, all because you get to pilot a Metal Gear! You fight RAY using a beaten up REX without it's rail gun. Just because REX is old doesn't mean he can't kick some serious ass. It has three weapons to choose from; Homing Missiles, a Laser Gun and a Gatling Gun. It can also do a melee attack at close range.

RAY was designed to defeat REX, so your on the losing side from the start. From what I saw, RAY has 2 attacks; A water cutting attack and an attack where he leaps on top of you. Each attack is pretty easy to avoid, but if you get hit by one they will do quite a bit of damage. The best way to defeat RAY is to wear him down using the Gatling Gun, then after dodging a water cut attack either charge up the Laser or Lock on as many missiles as possible and fire away. You only have a limited amount of missiles, but they do the most damage. Two complete lock on attacks on Solid Normal will take off over half his health.

The best part about this battle is the fact that you get to control a Metal Gear. They are very well animated and it feels very satisfying to fire it's weaponry and destroy the nearby buildings simple by walking into them. Overall a very fun battle.

Screaming Mantis

• Battle: 7/10
• Character Background: 6/10
• Difficulty: 4/10

The battle with the last of the BB's, Screaming Mantis is pretty much what one would expect after what you had been told of her. She is a puppeteer, and as such uses others to fight for her. At the beginning of the battle, you are in her control and unable to do any damage to her or the soldiers she animated without breaking free. After you figure out how to do this, your next step should be either killing or knocking out the soldiers she is controlling. Once you have done this you are free to attack her, which does nothing. Instead you need to attack one of her two dolls she uses to control people that are floating around her. After a few rounds of this she will eventually drop one of them and you need to pick it up.

As for her attacks, she uses the soldiers to shoot at you but if you kill them all / knock them all out she will either use Meryl to shoot at you or teleport to your location and do a few quick knife attacks from the air. They are easy to avoid, and the soldiers move slowly and are generally pretty inaccurate.

After you pick up both of her dolls, you use one of them to gain control of her. You then shake the controller and she will die. As with the other BB's, she sheds her Mantis suit and begins walking towards you. Kill or knock her out and you will receive a call from Drebin telling you her story....but wait! There's a surprise visit by our good friend Psycho Mantis before this, and he is there to do some magic tricks. It's a pretty funny scene actually. He attempts to do the things he did in MGS1, which were "read your past" (reading your memory card) and "move the controller by sheer force of will." (making it rumble) Since we don't use memory cards and most PS3 controls don't have rumble, his little magic show fails. He then fades off in the distance never to be seen again.

Overall a very fun battle, and probably the best in MGS4. Even if it was expected.

Liquid / Ocelot

• Battle: 8/10
• Character Background: 8/10
• Difficulty: 8/10

The final battle, and it's a tough one. It all takes place on the top of a ship, and for some reason you can fall off but you can't push him off. This battle is all done with CQC using a special control layout made specifically for the event. It's a very cinematic battle, and it is full of special cutscenes. Liquid / Ocelot will go through three different forms throughout the fight. Each one progressively harder. Oh, one more thing, he can also regenerate health by taunting you. (You can regenerate health too, but only at the same time he does)

It's a bit of a cheap fight. But it is still a good one due to it's cinematic nature and all the elements leading up to it. Once you beat him, grab some popcorn or make a sandwich because the game is over but you still have over half an hour of cutscenes to watch.




So theres the layout on the boss battles, the best part of MGS4. After all the scenes you will receive your emblems, something else I wanted to mention. Emblems are rewarded based on what you did during your play through. For example, a Hawk Emblem for over 150 headshots or a Lobster Emblem for spending over 1 hour crouched. Some Emblems will net you special rewards, and these emblems are generally the hardest to get. I like the Emblem system though, it's a good way to add replay value to the single player story.

All and all MGS4 is definitely the weakest of them all in story, and not that much higher in game play. But, as I've said before, the game is really meant to close the story and intended for existing Metal Gear Fans. Add in MGO and you have a solid package. The single player campaign would only net about 7/10, but including MGO we have:

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Thoughts on MGS4.

So, MGS4 is pretty good so far. I'm almost done with it. I'll probably be done tomorrow.

It got a 10.0 at Gamespot....I don't really agree with this. I thought Sons of Liberty was better. Don't get me wrong though, it's a great game. Sons of Liberty set the bar pretty high though. It's the standard at which all Metal Gear games are judged by...for me at least. I might even say Snake Eater was better then MGS4...but I'll reserve that comment until I see the ending of the story.

One thing that I don't like about MGS4 is that you can't go back to watch the cutscenes....but then again, you never have with any of the Metal Gear games, which I've always hated. Also, why the Japanese are so perverted is a mystery to me....I mean, sure I like boobs as much as the next guy. But, I don't really need to see cleavage on every single female character in the game. (Including the old ladies....) Also, whats up with their fascination with making characters with glasses push them up every five seconds? Is it supposed to make them look cool? Is it supposed to add drama to the scene? I don't wear glasses, but I'm pretty sure if you're having to push them up so frequently they probably don't fit and need to be adjusted.


The boss battles have been great though. I won't spoil anything, but veterans of the Metal Gear series will have a lot to look forward to and have plenty of nostalgic moments throughout MGS4.

One thing that I haven't decided is cool or not, is that after each Act you have to go through an installation of more game data. It only takes about 5 minutes after the first act then progressively less after the remaining acts. The initial game installation only took about 8 minutes...I guess this is due to the fact that it wasn't installing everything.

I kind of like this idea though. It might be cool for PC games.

Let's talk about 10's for a minute....

The good folks (lol) over at Gamespot have given MGS4 a perfect 10, the second game to receive this (at one time...) coveted score.

My disdain for Gamespot is somewhat well known. Last year they fired their best reviewer for giving a game a bad score. (aka doing his job) This enraged many of the other members of the editorial staff, as well as countless individuals who frequent the site. As a result, all but one of the editors quit and/or were fired. Gamespot was left in shambles, and they have yet to replenish their staff. They have, and have been for a while, been using their editors from overseas. Those who still bother to visit the site don't care for this. We once used to love the editors, and trusted their opinions and could relate to them. Now, they have all been replaced by people we know nothing about (or care about...?) and really have no reason to trust their reviews. Many of the new editors don't even have profile pages set up, so if we did want to get to know them, it would be impossible.


Anyways, my point is...

1. Gamespot sucks, and it has for a while. and
   
2. MGS4 is not a 10.0 game. (Neither was GTA4)
3. The new editors at GS are making a mockery of their rating system by throwing out all these 10.0 scores like they are nothing.

The 10.0 score was once a coveted score, reserved for games that were perfect, or as close to perfect as possible in all aspects at the time it was released. Up until now, there were only four games that received this score, and I agreed with every single one of them. They were:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
3. Chrono Cross
4. Soul Calibur

Ocarina of Time is a no brainer. It's a timeless masterpiece. You aren't a gamer if you haven't played this game.

For THPS 3, you have to take into account the time that it was released. At this point, this was the absolute best skateboarding game ever created. The THPS series was fairly new and this game was the best it had. And it, in my opinion, is the best created so far. (After playing skate. though, the THPS series is pointless to me now.)

Chrono Cross is another timeless game. All the FF7 fanboys hate this game, and with good reason: It absolutely destroys FF7 in all aspects. It's a shame that the CC series isn't as popular as the garbage that continues to be released under the FF brand.

Soul Calibur is perfection defined. The graphics, at that time, were astounding. It's only problem was that it was released on a doomed system. (even though I love my Dreamcast, and I still play it.) It was, however, a system seller. Even though people knew the Dreamcast was going to fail, they still bought it just for a chance to play SC in their houses.

It's a shame that Gamespot has become a mockery of what it once was in terms of review quality. I've always felt that ultimately, the only person who can decide if a game is worth playing is yourself. But it helps to be guided to the right games by honest reviews made by people you like, trust and can relate to. Not reviews made by sellouts just to please the media and game companies.

That's all I have to say on this subject.

Update this thing already!

Ok.....It has been a while since I last updated this thing....

Whats going on with me? Well, the usual stuff. Just had surgery about 4 weeks ago...still recovering from that....I got some new games, lost some old ones and I upgraded my (over 2 year old) computer. Also got some art supplies...another hobby that I haven't talked much about here.

You want specifics? Sure.

Games obtained:

• Age of Conan (The reason for the computer upgrade)
• Grand Theft Auto IV

I also misplaced my Sims 2 disc....oops.

I had GTA 4 pre-ordered for the PS3 and I went to pick it up on the 29th of April, launch day. I played it feverishly until May 13th, which was my surgery date. I completed it May 12th. It may or may not be a well known fact that it received a 10.0 at Gamespot. While I agree this is by far the best in the series so far, it isn't quite a 10 in my book. I won't go into details here, but I'll probably write a full review elsewhere at some point.

Age of Conan is good so far. It killed my old computer, and forced me to face the fact that my 2 year old machine just wasn't cutting it anymore. I had used that machine longer then any other before upgrading. I used to do full overhauls every 6 months, at least. It was kind of comforting to not have to worry about that sort of thing for a full 2 years. The main reason I didn't want to upgrade for so long, was that I didn't want to make the jump to Vista. I still haven't, actually. I don't really see much point in upgrading to Vista right now. Not a whole lot games require DX10, and even less utilize it. Also, a lot of people see a performance decrease using Vista instead of XP.

The game looks great running on max settings with my new machine though. I'm still making a bunch of alts and just trying stuff out at the moment. I hear a lot about how "this and that are way OP" and "so and so is totally weak." I don't pay it much attention though. I just play what I like and think is cool, which right now happens to be the Necromancer. I've always been a fan of Necromancers. (See my EQ2 characters.) I'll say one thing though: There are a lot of whiners in AoC right now. People don't seem to understand that this is a new game, and there are bound to be bugs.

I'm also continuing to play WAR beta. It's really shaping up into a nice game. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and can't wait for launch.



Some people may want to know what my computer upgrade contains. Well, here it is:

Old System

• Intel E6400 Core 2 Duo
  
• eVGA Nvidia 7900GTX
• 2GB Corsair XMS

New System

• Intel Q6600 Quad Core @ 3.0GHz
• MSI Nvidia 8800GTS
• 2GB Corsair XMS

I also had to get a new motherboard and PSU. They are ASUS P5B and Rosewill RX750-D (750 Watt) respectively. Apparently, the 8800GTS is equal to the 9800GTX in speeds and performance, but uses twice the power. (400w) It was half the price of the 9800GTX, so I just decided to get it instead and use the money I saved on the PSU.

I also did some overclocking on this machine, which I haven't done in years. The CPU was running at 17c, so it was asking for it. I easily got it to 3.0GHz and it's running at a stable 20-25c idle. This thing is a monster though....I've never seen it go over 40c on any load amount.


Lets see....what else is going on....I have Beyond Good and Evil rented from Gamefly. I received it a few days before BG&E2 was announced. Coincidence? I think not. I've been wanting to play it for a while, but never got around to it. It's sitting in my PS3 now, waiting to be played.

I also have Okami for the Wii rented. My love for Okami knows no bounds. I played the original PS2 version when it first came out and fell in love with it and everything about it. I own the Okami Artbook, which I got from Amazon Japan (well worth the yen.) as well as the Official Soundtrack, a Piano Arrangement soundtrack (beautifully done.) and a Retro Arrangement soundtrack. The music for Okami is one of it's main assets. I've yet to begin playing through the Wii version, but I will get around to it. I hear the controls are a bit lackluster.

Despite my love for Okami, I've never actually finished it. I started playing it, as I said, when it came out which was a point in my life where things were going a bit crazy. I was near the end of the game when I discovered my cancer had returned and I never had time to finish it. I will some day though! So, even though the game brings up some bad memories of times when things weren't going so well, I still love it. I always look at hardships as oppourtunities to grow and improve oneself. What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger; and I've been through a lot, so I'm pretty damn strong. ;)


What else was I going to say...? Oh yeah, art supplies. I got some stuff. A few sets of Prismacolor markers, colored pencils, various types of papers, some China Markers, a few Sakura Pigma Micron Pens and a few other various things. Those markers have a bit of a learning curve that I'm still getting over....also, they smell. The colored pencils and creamy and gooey and yummy, I like them a lot. I'm also experimenting with different types of paper. I got some Bristol Board (Smooth finish) which is my current favorite; A lighter and larger sketchbook; And some marker paper which kind of sucks. It says it won't bleed, but it does. The paper is thin as parchment paper, I don't see how it wouldn't bleed. Ironically, the colored pencils look really good on this paper though.

I spent over $250 on these things. Wouldn't you know it, but I forgot to get some stuff. I'll order it later.... I also had to due a bit of re-arranging and furniture ordering for my room. I got a new TV stand, which is real nice. (Much nicer then the old worn out desk it was setting on.) I also got the remaining pieces for my desk. It was an "L" shaped desk unit, which I originally only bought the main piece for, but I needed more surface area to work with so I got the other pieces. It's a great desk.


One last thing, as if I haven't wrote enough already. I ordered Yotsuba Vol. 6 over two months ago from Amazon and have yet to receive it. I started doing some investigation, and it turns out the publisher, ADV Manga is notorious for this type of thing. It seems things aren't going so well for their Manga department, so they decided to shift all their focus to the Anime department. Even though Yotsuba is their best seller......It seems that the verdict is that Yotsuba Vol. 6 is on indefinite hold. (however, if you are so inclined a quick search will net you a translated scan of both volumes 6 and 7....It doesn't compare to having the actual book in your hands, but if you're desperate enough....)


Well, you wanted an update, so there it is. I've been meaning to post some pictures of my gaming setup and whatnot. I'll try to get those done at some point.

PSP

What's up? Been a while.


I recently got a PSP, and figured I'd do a write up about my thoughts on it so far. I got the Piano Black PSP Core System, 5 games, 2.0G Memory Card, and a USB cable. The games I got are:

• Patapon
• God of War: Chains of Olympus
• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Jeanne D'Arc

After opening the PSP. my first task was to setup the Wi-Fi connections for use with my router. This proved to take longer then expected, but in the end it was all my fault. I was entering the wrong password for the past hour. :/ Once it was all setup, I updated the Firmware to 3.80 and did some browsing on the Internet to see how well the browser functioned. A bit of a side note: I have a PS3, so the browser and XMB are familiar to me. Here are a few things one should note about the browser:

• The system used for typing is sort of like a phone, and it can be frustrating and time consuming.
• Most pages don't display well, if at all. Even with the various resizing features.
• The Wi-Fi operates on 802.11b. So if your router doesn't support that, take note.
• As it operates on 802.11b, speeds are quite slow.
• The only real use for the browser is preforming searches or checking email. There is not much else to do with it.

Anyways, after all this I decided to play a game. I first played GTA: Liberty City Stores. One thing that became apparent very quickly for me was the difficulty I had using the analog control stick. Luckily, GTA: LCS has the option to switch do D-pad controls. This helped, but I know that not all games support this and I need to get used to using the analog control. Another thing I noticed was that when driving in a car, my eyes started to hurt. The fast moving picture didn't bode well with my eyes. I think it may have something to do with the FPS decrease when driving. Moving the screen further away helped, but didn't completely fix the situation.

After about an hour of play, my thumbs started to hurt. I was expecting this to happen. The PSP is a well designed system. It was designed to maximize screen resolution and fit everything in a neat and tidy package. If you have large hands, you know that portable systems are going to feel odd. (Except maybe the DS, with it's pen system.) The only remedy for this is to play in short sessions; about an hour to an hour and a half. Carpal tunnel syndrome is definitely something you want to avoid. I've played a bit more GTA over the past few days, and have come to the following conclusions:

• It's a good game. Especially if you liked GTA 3. (Who didn't?)
• If you're used to playing GTA, you won't have much trouble knowing what to do. However, if you are new to the PSP and aren't used to it's controls, you are going to have some trouble.
• Aiming, Driving (especially drive-bys) and Combat are difficult with the PSP's control scheme.
• It's still a good game.

After resting my hands a bit, I decided to play Patapon. This is a great game. It's essentially a rhythm game, but it also has RPG elements. Here is a rundown:

• It's awesome.
• The art style is great.
• The music is equally great.
• The music can get on your nerves after a while. (Especially since you have to play the same beat over and over to move your army, make them attack, defend and so on)
• If you're into RPGs and gear collecting then you will really appreciate those elements.
• No multiplayer.
  

Elaborating on the last point, I'm not a big fan of multiplayer. (outside of MMOs) Normally, I could care less if a game includes it. However, I feel this game would really benefit from it. It would be a lot of fun raising a huge army and pitting it against another player. It's a shame they didn't include any MP, it really would have added some replay value and another excuse to keep playing after you've completed the story to gear up your army.


The next day, I played Jeanne D'Arc. Now, let me first state that I LOVE Level 5. Everything they make is pure gold. (Except Dragon Quest VIII. I didn't care for it....) So my opinion may be a bit biased. This game is awesome though. The first thing I really loved was the art style. Sure, the Anime cutscenes are great, but the in-game art is equally well done. Here are a few points to take note of:

• Go buy it now.
• It rocks.
• The Anime cutscenes really help tell the story, and add an extra dimension to the characters and world.
  
• The battle system may seem like a traditional RPG's turn based system, but Jeanne's transformation ability makes it unique.
• The voice acting is...ok. They are going for a French accent here, I know. But...I don't know. Maybe actual French actors would have been better.
• It's a real time thief. I've caught myself playing for hours on end without even noticing.
  

So far, these are the only games I've had time to play. Between GTA, Jeanne D'Arc, Patapon and WoW, time is limited. I look forward to playing the other games, especially God Of War, as I've heard good things about it. But until there are more hours added to the day, or I finish one of the other games they will have to wait. I also have Field Commander, Monster Hunter Freedom and Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions rented from GameFly. So....yeah....I have a lot of games to play.

Chains of Olympus

***Update***

I've completed the game....Yeah....already. While it was a great experience from start to finish, I wasn't expecting it to be this short. I believe my total played time was just under 4 hours. Totally a rental, IMO.


One word: WOW

This game is amazing. I had some time to play it this morning (stupid insomnia) and was blown away by the quality of many aspects. First thing you're going to notice are the graphics. They are PS2 quality, or better; and considering that this is running on the PSP, this is an amazing feat. I've played God Of War 1 before, and it was pretty good. I was never totally astounded by it, but I did like it. I never got around to playing GoW 2, but rest assured I'll be trying it after I finish Chains of Olympus.

God of War games are unique in that they start you off sprinting and you never slow down. They throw you right into the action from the moment you put the disk in. All in all, God of War games are very cinematic. Not to be read "they have a lot of cinematics." Rather, the story progression and the way it is told throughout the game is a cinematic experience.

Keeping with this cinematic experience, the music is fitting as well. It sounds like it was taken out of a blockbuster movie, and the musical direction is superb. Battle music is invigorating and exciting, and depending on your locale the ambient music is always a fit.

Boss battles are fun and challenging, and lets not forget the gore. You can't have a God of War game without tons of blood and brutal executions. I mean, at your very first boss encounter you take out a giant Basilisk's eye by smashing it with a battering ram, dropped by an ogre who was bitten in half by the Basilisk. Later on in the level you finish him off by pulling two stone towers on to his head, then jump on his head and break his jaw. All of this is in the first level.


I've progressed the story a bit further and am now tasked with returning Helios, the Sun God back to the skies. I look forward to continuing to play, and highly recommend you check this game out.

Recently Completed 2

In continuation of the previous post, here are some more games I've completed recently with 3 pros and 3 cons:


Professor Layton and the Curios Village (DS) - 7.5/10 "Good"

Pros

• Great Art style
  
• Plenty of Puzzles
  
• New puzzles every week
  

Cons

• Some puzzles are very difficult
  
• Story is kind of lame
  
• Weekly puzzles are easy (so far....)
  

Call of Duty 4 (PS3) - 7/10 "Good"

Pros

• Great graphics
  
• Good story
  
• Great Multiplayer
  

Cons

• Short single player campaign
  
• Pretty much the same as other CoD games, just in modern times
  
• Getting equipment and ranks in multiplayer is time consuming
  

Assassin's Creed (PS3) - 8.5/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Superb Story
  
• Amazing Graphics, Animation and Sound
  
• Vast world to explore
  

Cons

• Pretty easy
  
• You're pretty much doing the same tasks in every mission
  
• Kind of short
  

Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) - 8/10 " Recommended"

Pros

• Top notch Graphics and Animation
  
• Combat and boss battles are exciting
  
• Mission mode adds replay value
  

Cons

• Essentially the same as Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black
  
• The new parts with Rachael aren't as good as the rest of the game
  
• You have to beat the game once to unlock Mission Mode
  

Heavenly Sword (PS3) - 7.5/10 "Good"

Pros

• Great graphics
• Voice acting is great, and the facial animations are the absolute best in any game so far
  
• Good story
  

Cons

• Far too short....there's only about 6-8 hours of game play here
  
• Fairly easy
  
• 59.99 price tag doesn't justify what you're getting out of it

The Orange Box (PC) - 9.5/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Great value (5 games in one box, and the price of one)
  
• Great variety in the games
  
• Portal
  

Cons

• The Half Life 2 games fall short in comparison with the others
  
• I can't think of two other cons
  
• See above
  

If you couldn't tell, I got a PS3 for X-Mas.

Recently Completed

Here is a list of games I've recently completed, along with a rating I will give them as well as a list of 3 pros and 3 cons.

Bioshock (Xbox 360) - 9/10 "Must play"

Pros

• Great Story and Atmosphere
  
• Good Music
  
• Excellent Graphics and Visual Effects

Cons

• Too easy (Even on the hardest difficulty setting)
  
• Ending is a bit abrupt
  
• Not much replay value

Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360) - 8.5/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Same addictive gameplay as the previous versions
• Terrific sense of humor
• Superb Music
  

Cons

• Far too short (Much shorter then previous iterations.)
  
• Some music is recycled from the other games in the series
• Galactic-size rolling isn't as satisfying as one might expect

skate. (Xbox 360) - 8.5/10 "Highly Recommended"

Pros

• Excellent original control scheme
  
• Pretty realistic
  
• Great replay value
  

Cons

• Very short
  
• Controls don't work as well for some more advanced tricks
  
• You'll never want to play a Tony Hawk game again
  

Kingdom Hearts (PS2) - 9.5/10 " Must play"

Pros

• Superb Story
• Lively cast of characters and locations
• Excellent voice acting

Cons

• Too easy
• Combat can get dull after a while
• Bad camera

DiRT (Xbox 360) - 7.5/10 "Good"

Pros

• Great graphics
• Very satisfying crash mechanics
• Just plain fun
  

Cons

• Terminal Damage can suck sometimes
• Certain Rally races are far too long
• Gets boring after a few long races
  

Well, there is the list. These are just games which have been completed within the past month or two.

Reviews

• Recently Completed 3
• (7/9/08)
  
• 
  
• Metal Gear Solid 4
  
• (6/19/08)
• 
  
• Recently Completed 2
  
• (2/1/08)
  
• 
  
• Recently Completed
  
• (10/20/07)
• 
  
• PSP System & Games
  
• (4/15/08)
  
• 
  
• God of War: Chains of Olympus
  
• (4/15/08)
  
• 
  
• Misc Games / All Posts
  
• (????)