The Release List 01.20.09
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 01.20.2009
A game that requires you to dive into women, a Star Ocean remake, a simulator that lets you step into Obama's shoes, and a DS schmup that'll have you seeing fireworks.
I count at least five releases this week that will eventually make their way into my collection. Thankfully, NIS America was nice enough to provide me with a preview build for Ar tonelico II, so I can save some money for the time being. I've played about ten hours so far, and I have to say that I've been enjoying it a lot. It'll probably be lost in the shuffle because, well... it's a PS2 game, which is too bad.
This week's highlights
Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
Despite having the preview build for over a month, I never bothered to check it out until this past Sunday. I had planned on only playing a few hours of it just to get the gist of how the game played, but then I ended up spending the whole day on it. That must mean something, right? Here are my impressions:
The story -
So far, the story involves missing people, political intrigue, religious division, unexplained diseases, love triangles, and war. While some of it was predictable in the beginning, I am starting to find myself surprised by where the story is going.
Now, while a good chunk of the story is provided through cut scenes and conversations as is typical in most RPGs, some of the more important elements are revealed in dives. In Ar tonelico II, diving is the act of entering the mind of another. The cool thing about diving is that the minds you visit have levels, and each level contains its own separate story. For example, in one of Cloche's levels, she appears as a cook who is afraid of stepping outside of her perceived boundaries. To get her to assert herself more, Croix has to get some fairies to cause the sun to rise so that the Eggy G could appear. That special egg can then be used to create one of the best omelets ever, which in turn will allow Cloche to win a "winner leaves town" contest, thus helping her to convince her boss that his old ways are not always the best. Weird, I know, but the dives have been pretty entertaining so far, and they do a good job of showing what's going on in the characters' minds.
The combat -
Encounters consist of two phases - attack and defense. In both phases you have the opportunity to fill up the Burst Guage which, when full, allows the Reyvateils (women who can emit various super powers by singing) in the group to unleash powerful magic attacks. In the attack phase, the gauge fills up quickly when the appropriate attack is selected or when the Reyvateil is supported at the right time. You'll know when to do what by paying attention to the Reyvateil's feelings which are revealed through an indicator at the bottom of the screen. In the defense phase, guages next to your characters tell you when the enemy is about to attack. If you defend at the right time, you will protect the Reyvateil and fill the Burst Guage quickly. If you miss, the Reyvateil loses her concentration, which in turn reduces the guage. I really like how defense is implemented here as, unlike in other RPGs, you have a more active role in what is going on.
The small things -
From item synthesis, to taking baths, to gathering members for a fan club, there are many things that you can do to strengthen your party. The outcome of the activities you partake in is dependent on which songstress you take along with you, so you have good reason to experiment a little. One more thing - the sexual innuendo that the first game was notorious for? It's in here. Some may think that that is Ar tonelico II's main selling point, but I assure you that the game would still be good without it.
Overall, the better-than-average story, unique battle system, and all the little things that you can do in the game help to make this a worthy purchase for those of you who like JRPGs and do not mind buying PS2 games this late in the system's life.
The Ar tonelico II trailer
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP)
This is a remake of the PlayStation RPG classic, Star Ocean: The Second Story, which is considered by many to be the best in the series. You play as Claude, a young man who has been transported to a medieval world where advanced technology does not exist. Upon arrival, Caulde finds a girl being attacked by a monster and uses his energy gun to take it out. Seeing Claude use a "sword of light" to defeat her attacker, the girl, Rena, comes to believe that Claude is the legendary "Hero of Light" who has been prophesized to save her world. We follow the two as they investigate the source of recent monster outbreaks, explore Rena's past, and try to figure out how to get Claude back to his world.
My only experience with the series is in watching the Anime (Star Ocean EX) that was based on The Second Story. The 2001 show was enjoyable, and that consequently made me want to play through the game in order to see how the story is supposed to end. Thankfully, this update will allow me to do so without having to hunt down a copy of the original. As far as changes go, you can expect new playable characters, updated artwork, cut scenes, and voice work, as well as new dialog.
Battle gameplay
Commander in Chief (PC)
One of the things that I loved about Sim City was that the game allowed you to completely destroy a nice and bustling city through bad decision-making and by ignoring warning signs. It's fun to create, destroy, and repair in those types of games. In Commander in Chief, you can do all that and more, only on a much larger scale.
As someone who is responsible for the well-being of your country, you must contend with, among other things, the economy, social issues, the military, government agencies, foreign and domestic policies, ecology, culture, diplomacy, energy, and national security. While I am apprehensive about juggling so many issues at once, I was sold on the idea that I can "determine the course of world events by invading a neutral country, toppling an unfriendly regime, or plotting assassinations" and then face the "economic, political, and military consequences." If the developers were able to implement such a feature in a way that's fun and engaging, I'd be all over it. In fact, if Eversim was able to implement even half of what its press release describes properly, this could be one of the year's best sleeper hits, at least amongst those who are not intellectually challenged.
Arkedo Studio's first foray into DS territory came in the form of Nervous Brickdown, a game that offered some nice twists to the Arkanoid/Breakout formula. This time around, the three (or is it four now?) person team has created a shmup for everyone's favorite handheld. What's unique about this game is that Arkedo was able to create a shooter that uses only stylus controls, something that I didn't think was possible without resorting to an autofire feature. Obviously, maneuvering around enemy fire, debris, or anything else that's moving about is done with the stylus. To keep the controls completely on the touch screen, the game requires you to flick the stylus toward the top screen to launch attacks. Making it through the game requires you to figure out when to attack and when to move your ship to safety. Overall, the schmup fan in me is digging what I'm seeing. Thankfully, the budget price makes the purchase easier to swallow.
The Excitement of Haruhi Suzumiya is based on a series of novels that center around a girl who is obsessed with all things supernatural. Her weird tastes are problematic thanks to the fact that she unknowingly has the power to change the world with her thoughts; her wish for the existence of non-human entities like aliens, beings from the future, and espers causes such things to exist. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, the Anime that sprang from the novels, became pretty popular a few years back. While I thought that the show was enjoyable, I'd say that a large part of its popularity had to do with the caffeine-induced dancing sequence that viewers were treated to at the conclusion of each episode. So, when I heard about this game a few months ago, I knew that a lot of dancing would be involved.
The main game plays simply enough - all you have to do is watch the bar at the bottom of the screen and wave the Wii remote as instructed. There are also a few mini-games, including ones that involve hitting a baseball, dressing up your characters, and playing rock, paper, scissors.
Random thoughts - When I saw the gameplay footage down below, the first thing I thought was that this could be how Sega does a Space Channel 5 sequel on the Wii, at least as far as controls go. The thought is a little scary as SC5 requires precise input, something that I have yet to see in any game that requires motion control.
Diabetes-inducing gameplay footage
Ultimate Shooting Collection (Wii)
I was under the impression that Amazon and EBGames had their release dates in order, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Proof: The fact that both had this game pegged as being released two weeks ago. Now I'm told that the game is coming out this week. Must I contact each company to verify release dates now?
After numerous delays, UFO Interactive finally releases this MileStone shmup collection. Despite its shovelware-looking cover and shovelware-sounding name, the three games that are included might actually be worth more than the shovelware-price, at least if you are a shmup fan. Here's what you get -
Chaos Field
According to what I've read, this game throws you into one boss battle after another. Each level contains three bosses, and there are five levels that you have to work your way through. You have one life per game, but you can have up to five shields. Your ship is equipped with a sword that can be used to swipe away enemy fire (you can see that mechanic in action in the video down below). There is also a way to switch between two different "fields" which affect the damage you can deal, the number of bullets your enemies lob at you, and how quickly you can collect items that charge up your special attack meters. Getting a higher score requires you to figure out when to switch between the two fields.
Chaos Field gameplay footage
Radio Allergy (Radirgy)
The only things that I remember about Radirgy are that it is a cell-shaded shmup and that it has a cool looking cover. From the looks of things, Radirgy also has the sword-swipe attack seen in Chaos Field. I'm sensing a pattern.
Radio Allergy GameCube trailer
Karous
AKA, the last game to be released for the Dreamcast. I've been told that this is basically Radirgy 1.5...
Karous Dreamcast trailer
The other US releases Inkheart (DS) Jumble Madness (DS) PDC Championship Darts 2008 (360, PSP, PS2, Wii) SimAnimals (DS, Wii) Skate 2 (PS3, Xbox 360) Wonder World Amusement Park (DS)
The Import Scene Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo Hokuto no Ken: Raoh Gaiden - Ten no Haoh (PSP) Inukana no Ichizoku (DS) Mirakuru! Mimika DS Monster * Racer (DS) New Chuugaku Eitango Target 1800 DS Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! G.P. Gakuen Princess (PS2) Teikuauto! DS Series 1 Tetsudou Data File (DS) Tetsudou Seminar: Oote Shitetsuhen (DS) Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida Or 2 (PSP ) Zill O'll Infinite Plus (PSP) Zubo (DS)
Second Evolution is a game that will tide me over for a few months. The game is LONG; unfortunately, they killed some of the challenge. Indalecio (SANS Limiter) remains the longest boss battle I've ever experience in an JRPG (over an hour).
When I replay the game, it may force me to actually finish First Departure. Here is to SO: SE. I may consider buying the fourth game in the series for the 360. That is, if it turns out to be a good one. :-)
Posted By: David (Guest) on January 20, 2009 at 05:12 AM
Woo. Ar Tonelico 2, Star Ocean, and the Shooter collection for me. I actually got lucky and found Ar Tonelico 1 used last week at Gamestop along with Suikoden 3, both appeared to have never been played. Have tried it yet though, but with Atlas releases its always better to buy it when it comes out, lest you want to pay inflated prices in a few months.
BTW Tommy, I still haven't picked up that Neopets Puzzle game yet, but saw that it was also released for the DS. Any major differences between the two?
Great article as usual!
Posted By: Deathpool (Registered) on January 20, 2009 at 07:17 PM
Deathpool - I'm not sure about the differences, but I do know that the Wii version has a lot of frame rate and load time issues. Plus, it's getting way lower scores than the DS version. So, if I had to pick, I'd get the DS version.
Posted By: Tommy Coloma (Registered) on January 21, 2009 at 02:56 PM
