So, I got a Playstation 3 shortly after launch. Not via the overpriced Ebay way, or the dubious camping out and hoping way, but via the "wife wonders into Best Buy" way. Just got lucky really. At that time I had grabbed a few launch titles, just to have something to play on it, and included in those were Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.

Now, I had seen the reviews, and knew it wasn't the next coming of Diablo or anything like that, but it had seemed interesting, and I had never played the Playstation Portable version of the game. Sadly enough though, I must report that other than a five minute try out the first day I had my PS3, and about an hour of multiplayer with a friend of mine in late December of last year, I hadn't really tried it out for any extended amount of time until yesterday. Yes, it is true.

While it isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, and only marginally "next-gen", it is a very serviceable, linear hack n' slash RPG, and I have been having more fun with it than I expected. I've actually gotten further in the game than I have in my sad previous attempts, so that might have something to do with it. Either way, I think I will be playing it through to the end, given enough spare time.

Also, for the Playstation 2 owners in the audience, if you haven't picked up Odin Sphere yet, do yourself a favor and grab a copy. It has some technical issues, but don't let that stop you from acquiring this beautiful and enjoyable game.

captainzoli

Tags: Playstation 2, playstation 3, ps2, ps3, psp, odin sphere, Untold Legends dark kingdom, gaming, video game, fun, review, games, rpg, hack n slash, action rpg

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Posted by the Captain at 8:58 AM CDT

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Yep, I'm still playing Test Drive Unlimited on the X-Box 360. Almost exclusively, this past weekend. Almost. I also fit in a bit of Lunar: Dragon Song on the Nintendo DS and High Seize on my N-Gage. Actually, I play a bit of High Seize almost everyday.

As for TDU, I now have forty cars and nine houses (at least I think it is nine houses now, could be eight or ten). Also, I've past the eighty percent mark for driving all the roads on the island, and hope to be finished with that achievement by this coming weekend. I have a few more cars I definitely want to pick up, and have a great many missions and races to finish, so I have a lot left to do in this game, despite the time I have already put into it. Then there is word that more content is to be coming down the pipe on X-Box Live Marketplace, so that should be great as well. This game has most of the makings of a great game, sadly the lack of polish really holds it back and makes it just a good game for everyone but the dedicated race gamer, but we dedicated race gamers have already picked it up anyway. Now Atari would just get the damn market place working so I can buy and sell cars, and fix the club bug so I can race with my friends...

Lunar: Dragon Song is decent so far, despite some unusual (and dubious, to say the least) choices. I don't understand the point of running causing my Hit Points to decrease. It just slows down my travel time, and pisses me off. There really isn't any purpose in it that I can see. The next issue I have with the game is the reward system. Again I must ask why? Why can I only earn experience points or items for winning a battle and not both? It isn't the greatest idea or game mechanic and I don't have a clue what could have possessed the developer to think that it was a good idea. These items are clear indicators that different isn't always better. Despite these shortcomings, I have been able to enjoy the game so far, but I am an admitted Lunar fan from the day.

As for High Seize, it is a great game. Buy and N-Gage and play High Seize as soon as possible. You won't regret it.

captainzoli

Tags: 360, Microsoft, x-box, Xbox, Nintendo, ds, lunar, dragon song, test drive unlimited, tdu, high seize, n-gage, nokia, console, gaming, portable, review

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Posted by the Captain at 12:28 PM CDT

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The title of this one pretty much says it all. I played Test Drive Unlimited all weekend, at least all of the parts of the weekend in which I gamed, that is. Actually, that isn't entirely true. I also spend an hour or two playing Lego Star Wars II, for the 360, with the wife. It has become one of my all time favorite racing games, despite its nagging technical issues (frame rate hits, pop up, club issues, etc.). Percentage wise, I'm a bit over half way through the game. I currently have six houses and twenty four cars, so I'm not doing too bad. I still need to get back to Enchanted Arms and finish that one up. I will probably work on that this next weekend.

Oh, and on the topic of the Lego Star Wars II game, that was a great time playing multi player with the wife. Actually, the game is fun single player as well, it is just mind boggling that they chose to not include co-op, or any kind of multi-player option, over X-Box Live. I would have thought that would have been a no-brainer standard feature in games for the 360 by now, especially games like Lego Star Wars II, but apparently the developer and publisher didn't get that memo. It also has frame rate issues. For those interested in the games, I wouldn't go out of my way to get the 360 version. I haven't seen anything in it that justifies the more expensive price tag, especially if you played through the first one on one of the current gen consoles. A save from the first game will open up playable characters in the second. 360 owners get the privilege of paying more for the game, then we get to buy the extra characters. For the price tag, they should have included the characters in the 360 version for free instead of trying to gouge us 360 owners a bit more.

captainzoli

Tags: multi-player, multiplayer, video game, game, review, xbox, 360, xbl, live, star wars, lego, gaming, test drive, unlimited, tdu, weekend, fun, gamer, ps2, playstation, gamecube, gc

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Posted by the Captain at 9:45 AM CDT

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Ok, so it wasn't an enchanting test drive, per say, but I did play Enchanted Arms and Test Drive Unlimited this past weekend, as busy as it was. So far, both games have been great and I have enjoyed playing them immensely. Hopefully, this will continue.

I am now at 56% in Enchanted Arms, according to the game's completion meter. It has taken me close to thirty hours to get there, although some of that time was spent with the console on, but me doing other things, like playing with the beautiful daughter. Anyway, I'm not sure how much longer the game will take, but it has been an enjoyable experience so far. The combat system makes all the random battles, that usually become so tedious in this type of game, much more tolerable, and dare I say it, almost fun. Really though, the combat system is great. Instead of just sitting there and punching buttons, it is important to maneuver you characters into the best position possible for their unique attacks. This game looks great most of the time, but it is far more than just a pretty face. I'll have more to say about the story after I finish the game.

As for Test Drive Unlimited, I now have reached "Pro" level and have acquired four cars and two houses, not to mention founding a driving club. I would say I have gotten my money's worth for this game, and have just scratched the surface of all that it has to offer. Looking forward to spending more time with this one in the future, as well as trying some of its XBL multi-player action.

captainzoli

Tags: test drive unlimited, test drive, review, enchanted arms, tdu, ea, rpg, role playing, game, video, fun, playing, xbox, 360, x-box, ms, microsoft, atari, ubisoft, jrpg

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Posted by the Captain at 10:45 AM CDT

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Ah, the joys of the long Labor Day weekend, the parties, the barbecue, the football and the gaming. I was able to fit most of these things into my three day weekend, but mostly football and gaming. But as far as this blog goes, the only thing that matters is gaming, and there was quite a bit, although it was pretty much concentrated on a single game: Enchanted Arms.

Now it has come to my attention over the past week that Enchanted Arms has been subjected to some less than flattering reviews by various online review sites of various (and somewhat dubious) reputation, that has led many an unwitting patron of such web-sites to believe that this RPG has nothing to offer 360 owners. I would say that this is not the case at all, and a great disservice by the game reviewing "intelligentsia". Enchanted Arms is, in fact, a fine example of the genre it represents, replete with a few minor enhancements to the standard formula. Yes, it is true. Enchanted Arms is definitely worth a purchase for fans of the Japanese, linear RPG and all of its conventions.

It seems that many reviewers have decided to base their reviews upon some fantasy ideal that they have created and that exists solely in their own minds instead of doing their jobs and reviewing the game upon its own merits and what is expected of games in their respective genres and by the expectations of gamers that enjoy playing games in those respective genres. Not every game has to redefine a genre. The fact that a game does not make some great leap that is imagined to be necessary by today's game "journalists" doesn't make the game average or deserving of poor reviews. Enchanted Arms is not for everyone, but then again, neither is whatever flavor of the month game that video game publications and web-sites would push onto the unsuspecting public either. Truth is, no game is for everyone.

What I would suggest to game reviewers is that they attempt to strive for some sort of impartiality, that is at least paid lip service to in the mainstream media, and try to stop doing such a disservice to gamers that might not know better than to believe whatever biased, advertising money driven crap that they spew forth in their print and online publications. Attempt to review games for the genre in which the game purports to be, and don't complain that it doesn't redefine said genre. Games should be fun and interesting to the market for which they are released first, and foremost, and if they happen to be the greatest, most creative, genre breaking piece of work since Pong, then that's an added bonus. Get over Grand Theft Auto and Half-Life 2. Those games were good, but not every game is a third person action game (and that is what Grand Theft Auto is, not some imagined new genre) or a first person shooter, and not every game needs to be.

captainzoli

Tags: review, video, game, games, enchanted arms, rpg, Japanese, Japan, X-Box, 360, xbox, journalist, half-life 2, grand theft auto, HL2, GTA, fun, gaming, editorial

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Posted by the Captain at 10:25 AM CDT

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