Yeah, yeah – I’ll get back to updates after the election is final. I still don’t know why this stupid country can’t postpone it for a short while so people who’ve been displaced by the crazy weather can go vote and come home to a place with lights and food, but ah well. Anyway, a few other things are going down around here, but we’ll see where they lead, bot good, not so hot, and interesting. Back in a bit. If Deadpool wins, I’ll probably jump out a window or something. But probably not – I’ve got WAY too many games to catch up on!
Even though the RPG Maker software has evolved over time, many XP, VX and VX Ace games I play leave me cold when it comes to the stock RTP visuals. Sure, the character line art and sprites are much more slick and detailed than the ones found in RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, but there’s often a really generic, SUPER clean look to these games that makes me want to skip them in favor of something a bit more… classic. On the other hand, a bit of custom fiddling and good writing has made many XP and above games truly wonderful, memorable games to play (Garden, Aetherion, Manifest, Exit Fate, Last Scenario and so forth and so on), which brings me to The Cartographer. Here’s a game that works wonderfully thanks to blending a great story, excellent use of music and some fine mapping work by developer Avedan that altogether make for a short but sweet RPG worth your time.
The game tells the tale of a young innkeeper named Rueben who finds himself thrust into the role of hero as he takes on his late father’s former position as Dragon Slayer. Toss in a Alina, a beautiful black mage (introduced in a musically flawless manner) Rueben falls head over heels for and Arcturus, an adventurer who needs the assistance of a Dragon Slayer (not an innkeeper) to complete a certain task, and it’s off to the races. While the game can be beaten in about five or so hours, it’s definitely something you’ll remember and probably go back to for the scriptwriting, humor and very likable characters. As for the mapping here, if you play a lot of RPG Maker games, you know that straight RTP maps tend to look very much alike game to game. Avedan has literally done some corner-cutting here, making maps that are far less blocky and almost organic in some spots. Of course, new players won’t notice this at all, but folks who play or make games using the software will find a lot to like here.
One cool thing about the game is all the work can be taken apart to see how it was done, enabling other users of VX to perhaps make maps just like (or better than) the ones here. Anyway, go check this one out and get ready to do a lot of smiling as soon as you start playing as there’s a lot here to love. There’s supposed to be a sequel in the works, but I’ll report more on that in the future once I get through the pile of games I have here…
With all the big games hitting this month for other consoles, it’s actually going to be Nintendo’s big Wii U launch that will probably be key to a huge part of this year’s holiday sales successes or failures. The system has a number of solid-looking launch titles from first and third parties with more on the way in enough different genres that almost all bases are covered. Granted, there are a few things that could spoil Nintendo’s financial fun from idiot speculators dooming the console prematurely to families simply not having more money to spend of a new system this holiday season in favor of buying cheaper Wii games or even another console. I know for a fact that NO ONE with half a brain will be buying a tablet or other device OVER a console, despite the fever dreams of those in the mobile industry sitting on the cheap games bubble about to burst and take a lot of them down to reality sooner than later. People want dedicated consoles because they want to play games that aren’t all short bits of pay to play addiction or clear clones of other successful casual games. That and hell, Mario isn’t coming to iOS or Android any time soon and Nintendo has him and a few other classic characters you won’t see anywhere else but on a Nintendo system (which is how fans prefer it). As always, we shall see what’s what soon enough – I think the console will indeed do well, but Nintendo needs to get people used to paying a premium for a replacement controller (the one thing that will make some rethink a Wii U purchase down the road)…
Bah. What with all this MAJOR bandwidth chugginess from everyone in the area basically hogging more time online thanks to all sorts of Sandy-related issues (hell, at least we have power up here!), updates are going to be a bit slow (well, slower than usual) in coming on some stuff. That’s good news in that I can take time to complete a few more games I’d started, but bad news for my post count, Which I wanted to keep going daily with a certain number of posts per day.
Hmm. Well, I guess THIS counts as one of those posts, huh? Oh well. Off to take a nap, as I just cam back from the airport a little while ago and am WIPED out. I’ll probably dream of some games I need to finish, most likely…
As the kids say, “Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!” – or something like that. While this super new update to Valve’s stellar first-person physics puzzler may LOOK the same at first, the changes made to get the game PlayStation Move compatible will add new challenges to the familiar while also proving how well motion control can be done when you have a team that can do it correctly. Sixense just may have a lot of people who’ve played this one to death doing it all over again. I’d be one of those people if this wasn’t DLC only, but I guess I’ll have to hold out hope that Sony’s console gets an Orange Box version of Portal (or even better ALL the Left 4 Dead games!) that has this on it. Ah well… PSN users will be pleased, that’s for sure.
Another key Vita game hitting stores and PSN at a prime point in a pretty busy year, Ragnarok Odyssey is one of the better JRPGs on the handheld thanks to addictive, fast-paced gameplay, plenty of tough enemies in offline single and online multiplayer modes and lots of lovely visuals and sound to groove on as you play. The game clicks in just about every area and fans of Ragnarok Online and the under-appreciated Ragnarok DS will be pleased to know that the game has enough familiar elements that it feels like a natural extension of those games that can be enjoyed on its own merits. The game is so good that the only major flaws here are some lock-on issues and the lack of a PlayStation 3 version or the ability for Cross Play functionality. The PS3 could use a decent new MMO/Action RPG experience and this would have been superb had GungHo Online and developer Game Arts seen fit to bring the game to that console.
Sony’s version of Ten Little Indians (minus two) meets SAW and a few other things is looking pretty nifty and yes, it also gets a nice Halloween trailer to ogle. I’m hoping the game is great, as it’s tough to do a good horror game these days because no matter how amazing it is, there’s going to be some jaded jackanape who starts griping that the game either isn’t scary enough, or is too familiar to something they think they know all about, or has someone cursing in it (hey, it’s a M-rated game, silly – what are you supposed to say when there’s a crazy man coming at you from out of nowhere with a knife?). I want to see this succeed because the Move works well enough (and hell, a LOT better than Kinect in terms of a 1:1 gameplay experience) and could use a many new titles that take advantage of the peripheral as possible. OK, I think that may be the last post for the day, as the connection here is crappy and I still need to get a few reviews done and posted later, PLUS, get around to changing the banner to November on the blogs. Back later… or sooner if I can find time for a quickie post.
Meh, I’m still busy working on some reviews and such, so here’s a fun Halloween trailer for Puppeteer, Sony’s upcoming PS3 platformer. The game is still in progress, but as you can see here, it’s progressing nicely (even if this is just footage done up just for the “holiday”). Anyway, it’s another one headed to my want list, one of many PS3 games coming that should keep the console doing well into 2013.
You have to love that Capcom has a great sense of humor and can poke fun at both themselves and Ubisoft in the same video*. Sure, everyone will run out and snap up Assassin’s Creed III (the most pre-ordered game to date thanks in no small part to a year-plus long pre-sell campaign), but Capcom knows what’s good for you instead – another hero in while with some deft skills you’ll grow to love equally (even if you’ve played the original game to death). That and hey, some people think wolves are cooler automatically. I don’t count myself among that number – I just love Okami because it’s a damn good game. So yeah, BUY IT, I say!
*Eh, for some reason, Capcom posted a neat parody video called “Okami’s Creed” a few hours ago, but now it’s private, so my post makes no sense. Feh – I’ll leave it as is and hope that video is restored, as it’s quite funny stuff. Anyway, go buy Okami HD on PSN – you don’t need a funny video to let you know this classic still holds up today.
Combining a cool storybook visual style and a compelling mix of puzzle, platforming and combat elements, Dokuro comes to PS Vita owners at a crucial time for Sony’s handheld. The Vita absolutely needs some key titles to prop it up as it finds its user base and GungHo Online Entertainment’s first of two games for the system (both from veteran Japanese developer Game Arts) ends up as a must-by for fans of old-school gameplay (and new school game delivery systems). This PSN game manages to be compelling right from the start thanks to the likable (and very dead, but cute) “hero”, the solid controls and how the surprisingly emotional story unfolds as you play.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 