The Next Level

When I think of Level 5 I don't think of Professor Layton or Ni No Kuni like most do. I think of Jeanne D'Arc, the game that got me started on the world of tactical RPG.

I played some RPG prior to Jeanne but always have a lukewarm feeling about the genre. What is it that gamers like so much about RPG? The sappy storyline or fantasy setting were always a big bore for me.

I credit Jeanne D'Arc for starting me on this genre and showing me there are other RPG that interests me. This game and  the PSP system basically turned me into a RPG gamer. It paved the way for me to indulge in other RPG series like Fire Emblem and Valkyria Chronicles.

Sometimes, a special game is good enough to get a gamer started on a new genre. The first Resident Evil was one of those games that introduced many gamers to the survival horror genre. Jeanne D'Arc introduced me to the RPG genre as well as the Level-5 company.

Since competing Jeanne D'Arc, I have feverishly searched for the next Level 5 game that would give me the same feeling. There was one that came close (Rogue Galaxy) while the other is nothing like this (Attack of the Friday Monsters). But I reckon Jeanne D'Arc will always have a special place in my collection.

Portable Warfare

Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best IP to come out from last generation. It has everything I loved in a video game : cel-shaded graphics, strategy RPG gameplay and women with big guns. While I have yet to finish the first game on the PS3, it's only because I have too many PS3 games to clear. The recent HDD woes on my PS3 system certainly didn't helped matters.

VC3 was a great experience and to be honest, I enjoyed this type of game more on a portable than a console. Since my PSP has been sitting idle for a while, I decided to play VC2 in the mean time. Now I'm really playing the series in reverse order and hopefully that won't be an issue as the 3 games are loosely connected. It does mess up the timeline quite a bit though.

Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3 is like the big-budget brother to the PSP siblings. In VC1, every dialogue was voiced and the character models were used even in the non-animated cutscenes. VC3 made some small compromises but the strong character design and artwork made up for the loss.

VC2 seems to be using a different art director compared with VC1 and VC3. The new style of character design is hard to get into after being so used to the original artist. The new characters pale in comparisons to the cast of VC1 and VC3. To top it off, their personality isn't great either. The lead character is supposed to be some underdog slacker but it's pretty hard to root for him.

As for the gameplay, in VC1 and VC3 you get to view your enemy's action as it unfolds during their turn. It may be boring for some players but I tend to use the time to put down the controller and take a quick break. It's always a nice surprise if you come back to find half your squad wiped off because of some poor decisions (lol). In VC2, you don't get to see your opponent turn at all as everything is simulated on the battle map (it doesn't zoom in on the characters). This speeds things up considerably but it's hard to improve and learn from mistakes when you don't get to see how the AI plays.

It's clear even from this point that VC2 isn't the best in the series. In fact it could have very well torpedo the series potential if it wasn't for VC3 righting the ship.

Diary of an Ex-Handheld Gamer

Ever watch the WWE season weekly or overseas tour as opposed to the monthly pay-per-view events? As interesting as the storyline and matches are, almost nothing significant ever happens in terms of title change even if there is a title match with the title on the line.

In some ways a handheld game spin off from a famous franchise is kind of the same thing, no matter how good the game is, it will never be as significant as it's bigger brother. This is the diary of an ex-handheld gamer back when a handheld system was all i had. It's the user base? I digress as the most popular handheld system usually have a bigger user base than its console sibling when it's all said and done. The inferior graphics? I can't really say for sure but as I observed even with the current handheld system, the trend is still happening now.

That's the fate of a solely-handheld gamer I suppose if you don't get caught up with all the hype and big franchise then it probably won't bother you at the end of the day. If not you will never be content no matter how great Final Fantasy VII : Crisis Core and Metal Gear : Peace Walker were. Which brings to the next question is it wise to pay console-price for a handheld system like Nintendo 3DS?

The Great Escape

I have finished Peace Walker more than six months ago but still kept the game on my Sony PSP till this day. After the final credits have rolled, a final chapter has been revealed hinting that maybe the story isn't quite finished yet. There are still extra ops missions available but every now and again Miller will appear telling you that Zadornov has escaped from cell.

You can search and capture him again in a new mission listed under story mode and after that, nothing else happens. You spent some time building up your army nation of Militaires Sans Frontieres (Millitary Without Borders) then not long after that, Zadornov escapes from your compound again! This apparently goes on for about six times before it's all over so Zadornov must be a great escape artist or big boss really needs to invest in more security for his Militaires Sans Frontieres because Military Without Borders is starting to take a whole new different meaning now.

Brothers of War

Kratos is the alpha male dog, there is possibly no other character as manly as him in the realm of video games. So it's only natural that Kratos gets to show another side of his man-liness by engaging in a little male-bonding in the new PSP chapter, Ghost of Sparta.

It's so weird to see Kratos searching for his lost brother Deimos and being all apologetic with him as the man is usually angry at everyone he meets. Strangely enough he still talk with his guff angry voice even when reunited with his brother Deimos. Male bonding may be as cliche as old love songs but some things just never go out of style.

Quick Torture Event

While I take good care of my games I don't normally go overboard with my controllers like most. I believe restraining yourself with the controller will ultimately just hinder your enjoyment of the game after all these controllers are made to take the abuse. Despite my penchant for fast-paced hard-hitting action games I only had to replace my controller once on any of my past consoles so there is surely some truth to this.

Things are a little different with handhelds after all you can't just replace the faulty controls you have to replace the entire system so I'm not sure how I should restrain myself with these handheld games. Thankfully most developers don't expect you to button-mash like a madman in front of public eye so handheld games aren't really made that way.

Except Peace Walker isn't like any other handheld game and Hideo Kojima isn't any ordinary developer either. I have read fans lament about the now-infamous torture sequences that live on in every Metal Gear games fearing the worst for what's to come in Peace Walker. Tonight I survived the ordeal and my PSP lived to tell the tale but the build-up to that very moment was agonizing to say the least. I was about 25 hours into the game with no idea of when the torture sequence would pop up and what to expect save the unfavourable feedback from online fans. Then Snake gets captured in my last mission and I knew it was just around the corner but somehow I messed up the quick-time event leading up to the scene. So being the paranoid android that I am I decided to replay the last mission to get the quick time event scene right before playing the torture sequence. I'm not sure if it helped or not but I had an easier time getting Snake out of the prison cell then if I have failed the scene. I certainly don't want to replay that torture sequence again though the game itself is pretty addictive. If there is one thing I know about lady luck is you should never push her too hard.

Monster Good TIme

Not long after splashing out on an expensive japanese import like Fatal Frame IV, the hole in the my pocket gets bigger with yet another big third-party Wii exclusive on the horizons. That's right Monster Hunter Tri is almost upon us and if you are a big fan of Capcom games and Wii exclusive like myself then you have to get this game, nevermind the fact you know almost next to nothing about the world of Monster Hunter.

Part of the problem with Monster Hunter is if you don't have a band of hunters to hunt with, you stand almost no chance against some of the latter monster you will meet in the game. Fortunately there is an active community of gamers willing to commit time and effort to this game so i'm less fearful of this problem. The bigger problem is the world of Monster Hunter can seems so daunting to newcomers, this is truly a game for the hardcore gamers and expects a big commitment from the gamer in order to get the most out of it. This is probably also my last chance to get acquainted with the Monster Hunter series having missed the first two installment on the PS2 and PSP. Being a Capcom fanboy, I felt like I had to be a fan of the Monster Hunter series with it rising rapidly among ranks of Capcom other franchise.

Different look, different voice

The first time i finished Shadow of Destiny, Eike gets run down by a bunch of drunk kids leaving me confused and unsure what the whole game was all about. Naturally i never played the game again after being disgusted by the ending i got until the game was recently ported to the PSP. I can't remember what i did differently this time but i got a much more satisfying ending where Eike loses his memory after defeating Homunculus and is trapped in the past. The special trailers which you unlocked after finishing the game appears to have been removed, perhaps Konami doesn't want unsuspecting gamers to know that this is a port of an old playstation2 game?

Come to think of it, i didn't see any of the staff involved with the PSP port listed on the ending credits either but i did read that this port contains all-new voicework and artwork. The artwork accompanying the opening menu does look new but i have to dust off my old playstation2 version to see if there is any truth regarding the new voiceovers.

Best of Times, Worst of Times

Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the Sony PSP and my close to four year relationship with the system since coming to own one back in middle of 2006. Up until my trip to Hong Kong that year, i didn't even know i was going to be getting a Sony PSP as it was all a spur in the moment thing. I never did any homework on the system before getting one and paid dearly for that. Not counting the games i get to play for free on custom firmware i probably spent more than your average gamer did for the same handheld. An example of how ignorant i was about the system and its games was the very first game i got on my Sony PSP, i ended up paying close to price of a brand new console game ($55!). That's what the Sony PSP will do to you, it will punish and scare the hell out of you if you don't know anything but it would also reward you greatly if you take the time to get to learn the system inside outside. Even now i'm still learning how to get the most out of the system after my recent renewed interest in the Sony PSP. It's probably the only system i regret not spending enough time on to warrant its purchase as its limited success may have deter my interest earlier.

He's a Woman, She's a Man

If there ever was a most accidental prone award in video games then it would have to be Eike from Shadow of Destiny, an obscure playstation2 game by konami that was recently revived on the Sony PSP. I remember playing the game on my playstation2 a long time ago, it was one of the very first game i played and if it wasn't for the horrible ending i got i would have probably played it a few more times again.

The game looks pretty good on the Sony PSP with bold but simple character models despite the bland environment in fact if you never played the original you probably couldn't tell it was a ps2 port. The death scenes which Eike must avoid looks laughable now but i will give the game the benefit of the doubt in order to see it through to the big picture at the end. Hopefully this time i will get an explanation as to why Eike is so prone to accidents but i'm willing to wager that the most memorable thing about this game is still the sexually-ambiguous time traveling sorcerer who aides Eike. Not even Koji Igarashi name listed as producer can top that as i feel like an Austin Powers moment coming up trying to figure out his/her gender.

is that a man or a woman?

Maximum Thrill

After finally updating my Sony PSP, I hit upon a great way of playing the new Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Yes i will attempt to play the game on both the Sony PSP and Playstation2 at the same time like i earlier envisioned how i would for Okami.

Well maybe not simultaneously since i have yet to clear enough space on my ps2 memory card in order to play the game but close enough as i'm nearly finished with fatal frame 3. That way since the game storyline and character changes depending on the player's behaviour, i will be able to live out two contrasting characters and see how the story ends for both. While ideally i should be playing this on my Wii, i still have a handful of games to finish on that platform before i really consider getting anymore.

Well at least until Fragile ships anyway.

Re-light My Fire

I have a bit of a hot and cold relationship when it comes to my Sony PSP, after finishing almost ten games in 2008 i left it to cool and could barely finish one game in 2009. Things are looking for the the Sony PSP in 2010 and that has gotten me interested to rekindle the flame with the old portable again.

I spent almost the entire afternoon today updating my custom firmware and much to my surprise it was easier than i would imagine. I suspect a lot of the hard part was already taken care of during the earlier update so this time around it was just a matter to plugging in the patch and running it. Having an old PSP-1000 model also helps of course, as the process was a lot simpler compared with the latter models. As with all Sony products of late, it pays to buy the early models especially with a product that has seen so many hardware revisions like the Sony PSP.

Boy Cried Wolf

Being a metal gear fan who have lost interest in the series after MGS4, i haven't been keeping up to date with the development of Peace Walker the folllow-up to Portable Ops that's set to be release on PSP this May. Now with the release just months away, i'm only beginning to catch up with what's the game all about since i do have a Sony PSP gathering dust at one corner.

The marketing advert are proclaiming this to be the first true Hideo Kojima game on the PSP and while they are pretty accurate with the statement, this actually isn't the first time they have said such a thing. Portable Ops was also hailed as the first Hideo Kojima Game on the PSP when it came out which most fans knew wasn't entirely true as kojima only wrote and produced that game. This was because the earlier two Metal Gear Acid! game were not part of the Metal Gear canon and had little to no involvement from kojima though it isn't to say that they were terrible games. While i understand that Hideo Kojima name is a big sell among Sony gamers, you kinda get the feeling of boy cried wolf here and maybe, just maybe kojima fans has left the dire portable in search of other thrills. Let's hope there is still enough of an audience on the platform to meet the expectations.

Wait a Minute(Man)

I just recently purchased Watchmen The Motion Comic blu-ray which is a bit out of the norm for me because

a) it's published by rival company DC comics

b) purists like me prefer to read the actual comic books

One of the things i was really excited about it was the digital copy of the movie included as i was planning to use it on my psp. So i popped the disc onto my computer to hopefully extract it onto my psp only to discovered that it required me to update my window media player before i could view it. Being curious why this would involved my media player, i logged onto Warner Bros website to read the troubleshoot and it seems that the digital copy is only playable on window media player. What's the point of a digital copy of the movie if you can't even extract it onto your portables like a Sony PSP?

Resident Evil No Go

The reality of yesterday's great announcements are finally starting to sink in today, Resident Evil designed specifically for the new Sony PSPGo? Does that mean it won't come in UMD since the new PSPGo doesn't have a UMD drive? This is not going to bode very well with my treasured collection seeing i won't be able to secure a hard copy and on top of that, i have never been very fond of digital download.

As for the game itself, i'm not too fond of the title Resident Evil Portable, it gives a vibe that you will get a severally compromised game compared with its console brethens. It has been something that has always plagued game franchises making the jump to handheld and made me approach these games with great scepticism. It's uncertain at this stage just what kind of a game Resident Evil Portable will be but seeing that Capcom stop making RE games that aren't considered canon or have at least some familiar characters, it would probably be something worth checking out.

The lazy presentation of the game announcement also bothered me, of what is clearly a mock-up of what the title screen would look like. Capcom twitter says the game is designed specifically for the PSPGo, why couldn't they use the PSPGo for the mock-up? I don't really know who's to blame for this one between Capcom and Sony, i assume the PSPGo has been in the works for sometime now before the official announcement couldn't Sony at the very least provide mock-up of what the system would look like for Capcom to use?

3 Cheers for Capcom

With the E3 promising to be bigger and better this year, plenty of surprises were in-store for gamers of all platforms to ensure that the media and everyone else were paying attention.

Capcom finally unveiled their other secret E3 game, Resident Evil Portable for the Sony PSP satisfying the long cry for Capcom to bring one of their famous franchise to Sony portable machine. While it isn't groundbreaking news, it's certainly a good move aimed at pleasing the fans as with their other E3 game, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom coming stateside against all odds after no one believe it would even have a chance of leaving its native home. Among the other big Capcom news revealed at E3 is for PS3 users as Capcom confirmed that Lost Planet 2 will indeed be made available on the platform.

Predictable? A little i guess but in a way it's all good because all the games announced happened to be coming to platform near me. Selfish yes but isn't that's what being a fanboy is all about?

Silent Hill Origins Second Playthrough

Total enemies killed using melee weapons : 238
Total enemies killed using firearms: 25
Total enemies killed using fists: 39
Total items collected : 341
Number of map views : 204
Number of times saved: 26
Distance walked : 34.81 km
Total game time : 6:57:58
Total flashlight use time: 2:42:27
Number of game completions: 2
% of enemies killed with melee weapons : 79
% of enemies killed with firearms : 13
% of enemies killed with fists : 8

You Enjoy All The Killing, That's Why

In your first playthrough Silent Hill Origins you will end up with the default good ending no matter what you do. Getting the other bad ending in your subsequent playthrough however requires a bit more work. It doesn't really makes sense why the good ending is the default ending especially for a series that have traditionally favours bad ending, perhaps it's because the good ending ties into the canon whereby the ending sort of leads to the events of the first game.

Anyways in order to achieve the bad ending you have to kill more than 200 enemies to re-discover travis's inner demons which have been kept hidden away all these years. It's no small task even more which the game only reveals to you how many you have killed once you have finished the game so there is no way of really telling if you are close to your target when playing the game. Thankfully you unlock the moon gaunlets after finishing the game once which should be more than enough to mow down every monster in sight. Even so i grew weary of running around looking for things to kill, i'm afraid i may have over done again as usual so it would be interesting to see how many i have killed once i finished the game.

Going Downhill

I have been playing a lot of Silent Hill recently, re-discovering my love for the series which sort of went downhill since the fourth installment. I never really talk about i came to the series mainly because it wasn't nearly half as dramatic as my introduction to Resident Evil , i was introduced to the series by a fellow close friend not having own a PSone yet so somehow it was difficult to form your own opinion with someone constantly telling you how good this is.

Anyway over the years i remained supportive of the series even more so than my friend, to the point where i was being criticised of being biased. I suppose i am to some degree but isn't that what being fanboys are all about? I went back to playing Silent Hill Origins over the long weekend after finishing the first Silent Hill, i'm amazed by how good the game looks when you switched the noise filter off though it isn't to the level i would expect from a Wii game. Speaking of which, where is the trailer for Shattered Memories? So far we have only been treated to a bunch of screen captures and developer interviews, surely they must have put together enough for a trailer by now right? Well the May issue of Nintendo Power should probably have arrived at my local newstands by now so i should start looking for it really soon, seeing that there is a coverage on Darkside Chronicles in there too.

Unwelcomed Appearance

Silent Hill made its way onto PSN for Europe a while back before mysteriously disappearing without any reason given. It's the sort of thing you have come to expect from the series, something that probably made more sense if it happened in game than in real life. Since most users who downloaded it during the short two week window reported no bugs, it probably had nothing to do with the compatibility of the game with ps3 and psp system.

It probably had more to do with the Konami announcement of the re-make of the original currently on its way to the Wii in the form of shattered memories by Climax studios. By removing the game, konami avoids saturating the market with the original since they also revealed that the original hard copy is no longer in production (duh!). It made some sense but not entirely since the game is also scheduled to be appearing on ps2 and psp system, and current ps3 do not support ps2 games anymore. I suppose the series needs all the help it can get and spreading it across three systems seems to be the way to go right now. Any factor that might deter the potential sale like the appearance of its original is certainly unwelcomed at this stage.