Sometimes, Overthinking Isn’t Good For Gaming. On The Other Hand…

Posted on April 16, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm….

So, Xenoblade Chronicles’ main character can see into the future AND the game allows players to advance or dial back the game clock at will (well, outside of combat) in order to make some quest solving easier and battle different monsters at different times of the day.

That’s fantastic, but there’s a problem here. Somehow, Monolith Soft didn’t blend these two points together so that the time winding actually affected the story at all (even though it should). This bugs me quite a bit, as the game is indeed excellent. However, by not using the time element in a better fashion, it just makes for a clumsy gimmick that’s only used to save time in finding wandering NPC’s or monsters. Oops.

Up For Air: A Xenoblade Chronicles Progress Report…

Posted on April 11, 2012 by geelw

Well, so far, Xenoblade is… pretty good. Like any game this big, careful poking around reveals it’s flawed, but quite impressive nonetheless. Of course, I’ve played far too many RPGs from all over the world (and too many JRPGs) since the late 80’s to throw down any absolutes about how it stacks up against my favorites, but it’s quite well done. I do have a few issues with some things I’ll go over in more detail in my review, but it’s nothing too dramatic.

OK, stop turning blue in the face – I’ll spill a few gripes here. Stuff like not being able to enter too many buildings, the hard to find quest givers that you need to get items back to, a tiny bit of unsympathetic writing after a major incident and a few other quibbles that won’t really affect my overall score. That said, if you’re a Wii owner and/or a JRPG fan looking for a fine game to eat away the hours as it pulls you into its story, you can’t go wrong with Monolith’s best game to date. A proper review is incoming, most likely this weekend…

Xenoblade Arrives… Off To The Diving Board, I Go!

Posted on April 10, 2012 by geelw

Nice, GameStop actually delivered! I’m still quite surprised that Nintendo hadn’t figured out that having a Premium RPG line for the Wii might actually have been a good thing for their PR among JRPG fans if as many of the games they craved were being released without the need for online petitions and the usual bean-counter hand-wringing about whether or not these game will sell at all. Anyway, no changing things now, right? The art book is lovely, but how is the game, you ask? Well, give me time folks, give me time. off to crack that shrink wrap and get to it. Back in a bit with some impressions.

“Back” In The Swing Of Things, Thanks To A Few Upcoming Games…

Posted on March 29, 2012 by geelw

(mild ouch): Well, I’m up for about an hour already and my back is a bit better (whee!). Going out to see a new game (in this case Sniper Elite V2) always helps ease the pain when it strikes. I’d also forgotten that Xenoblade Chronicles ships out next week for the Wii, so I ended up putting in a pre-order just now, Thank goodness I came into a little money out of the blue (Whee!), so at least one of the last important Wii titles will be winging my way shortly… OK, enough gloating and preening (moderate ouch!), off to be productive. Back in a bit, ladies and gents…

Nintendo Irks Me Again (And Few Other Folks As Well)…

Posted on August 15, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/h6FH_4guK5A?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

Yes, yes, we know you want Wii U to succeed and you're slowly but surely winding down the number of key first-party Wii releases so gamers can make a smooth, quick transition whenever the new console is launched. However, seemingly PASSING on a US localization of Xenoblade when it's getting a PAL release (with multiple language options as Xenoblade Chronicles) is too much for me to ignore. Here's another game that shows the Wii can indeed to high-quality graphics and sound while also scoring quite high in Famitsu (36/40) AND garnering a nicely sized fan base here in the states and you decide to skip over it? For what? Sure, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be a mega-hit and sell like hotcakes, but the Wii NEEDS more than ONE high quality (and long in development) Adventure/RPG worth lining up for. Remember, you even showed this one at E3 2009 (as Monado: Beginning of the World), so even thinking of depriving North America of yet another promised title will win you no love even amongst certain loyal fans who've stood by you through thick and thin…Read more »