DAY 334 / GAME 334
R-Type
If I ever come across a classic arcade museum, as they appear here and there, there are two games I'm looking to play. Missile Command, and R-Type. I've always enjoyed a good shooter that puts you in control of a spaceship. Since videogames first started to become popular in-home, more than anything I just wanted to fly a spaceship. I had grown up with Star Wars, Star Trek, Flight of the Navigator, Aliens and more sci-fi films and tv shows. I even had a subscription for a while to some NASA magazine for kids. Space really was it. So, naturally R-Type and games like it were just naturally attractive to me and R-Type was especially well designed for a shoot-em-up at the time.
Over the years I've had the opportunity to re-discover R-Type, which absolutely stands the test of time and has thankfully seen a number of sequels and ports over the years, conserving it's history in new and inventive ways. This includes both the R-Type Command tactical game and R-Type Final which features the classic gameplay with new and better graphics.
This also includes a fantastic re-release I have on my Xbox 360 called R-Type Dimensions. This includes both R-Type 1 and 2 in their original glory, plus the option to switch between the original and some redesigned graphics as well as blends of both.
R-Type featured some basic but unique shmup gameplay. Your craft, the R-6 features a basic rapid-fire gun on the front. You can also charge that gun for a giant release which does a lot more damage and can wipe out multiple enemies at once. A key element to R-Type is the Force you can pick up. A weapons created using enemy technology which can either float alongside your ship, firing when you fire, or can be attached to the front or rear of your ship, firing forward or backward. This extra bit of strategy can really save your butt depending on the situation. Be in the level layout or the boss fight you happen to be in.
R-Type, even considering it's age and graphical limitations featured some designs that still stand strong today. Though the Bydo tend to resemble Ridley Scott's Alien a whole awful lot, it still looks great on screen and so do most of it's variations and other Bydo enemy forces. The R-6 and other ship designs are all well known and cult classics amongst gamers, including a long line of model kits for each of the hundred or so variations. (Though very difficult to find over here in North America.)
R-Type is just one of those games. A classic game that isn't lost to the ages due to it's technical limitations graphically or in terms of gameplay and controls. It's simply one of those games that demands my time and quarters if I happen to stumble upon it in those hard to find places that actually house the cabinets. I'm looking forward to playing some at the Classic Arcade Museum for sure when we hit PAX East this upcoming year.
DAY 333 / GAME 333
DuckTales: Remastered
Never having owned an 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System, I never have played the popular title based on the Disney cartoon DuckTales. Though, I was always hearing about it, even up until recently before they decided to remaster it for the current generation of consoles. I've always figured it must have been one heck of a game for it to be so well known outside of the realm of the usual classics like Megaman and Castlevania. Still, until the remaster, I had put it aside as a classic I would have never played.
As it were however, Disney and Capcom decided the 8-bit DuckTales game deserved a remaster. And at a time where so many older 8 and 16-bit titles have seen ports and releases on emulators running on consoles like the Nintendo Wii, to see a company completely rebuild an older game is much more rare. When I say they rebuilt this game, I mean they started ground-up and produced a game that is outstanding even for today's standards. Commonly regarded as one of the best game remasters since Capcom's Resident Evil on the GameCube.
I didn't wait long to buy this. It was on sale half-price (from only $15) last holiday season and I was eager to purchase new games for my new Wii-U system. It's always a joy purchasing a game that once cost upwards of sixty dollars for about seven-fifty. The game plays incredible and the animation brings back memories of classic Disney titles that were cel-animated and scanned. All this and they managed to get as many of the original (surviving) voice cast on board to record the dialog that was once text only. Bringing a new refreshing element to a very old title.
I'm pretty sure anyone that knew and loved this game has already played and enjoyed this remaster. I can honestly say though, for those who have never tried it in the past and enjoy a great classic 2D side-scrolling platformer, this is well worth whatever price you find it at. Which is usually good because it's often on sale.
DAY 332 / GAME 332
Ecco: The Tides of Time
I enjoyed the original Ecco the Dolphin game on the Sega Genesis a whole lot. For such a difficult game I came very close to completing it. Or maybe I finally did, I actually don't remember. But I do remember that I finished it's sequel, The Tides of Time, which I was very excited to purchase after how much I loved the first one.
Like the first game, Ecco really was an unexpected story based on what it presented. You'd think, 'hey, this is a game about a dolphin, swimming about helping sea friends' but you'd be wrong. Ecco, and it's sequel, feature a heavy sci-fi narrative where you fight to defeat an alien force which has been 'harvesting' the earth of it's life on a regular cycle of a few centuries or so. With the aid of the Asterite Ecco travels through time using the power of Atlantis to gain the lost power of the Asterite to finally defeat the Vortex.
In the sequel, Ecco finds that he did no truly defeat the Vortex and has to quest once again across time in order to slay it for certain. This brings him through two possible futures, one where dolphins have evolved as the top form of life on Earth, and one where the Vortex has destroyed it, leaving it a machine husk of it's former self. Travelling through tubes of water amongst other sad life.
Ecco: The Tides of Time felt a little bit easier than the first one, which is why I remember for certain beating it. Though, it's epilogue level leaves the story hanging, with a third installment having originally being intended. It's really too bad because between the art, the non-violent puzzle platforming action and cool sci-fi story, it could have really used a third, final game to close up the trilogy. There was a Dreamcast game released later, but it's story was unconnected and to be honest, as fantastic a game as it was, I never did play more than 15 minutes of it. I really should pick it up and play it some more one day.
DAY 331 / GAME 331
Perfect Dark Zero
Perfect Dark, a Nintendo only game at it's launch on the Nintendo 64 was developer Rare's answer to a title that would succeed their very popular 007 Goldeneye game. A sequel, Perfect Dark Zero was originally designed for the Nintendo Gamecube. At the time, Rare was a second-party developer, working exclusively for Nintendo. During the creation of this sequel however, Microsoft bought up Rare and Perfect Dark Zero was now being developed for the Xbox instead. Rare was happy because it initially pushed for online multiplayer, but the Gamecube wasn't natively designed for it where the Xbox was. During it's 5 year development cycle, Perfect Dark Zero ended up overlapping the 6th and 7th generation of console releases and became a launch title for the new Xbox 360. This allowed Rare to push the game beyond their original hopes and any development problems were cured with this new more powerful system.
Though, even with it's long time in development, Perfect Dark Zero wasn't quite the inventive game it's predecessor was. I hadn't heard anything great about it and I wasn't even aware when it was released that it was a Rare title. It sure looked good, visually at least. It had a really realistic appearance to the lighting and the weapons, which I wasn't expecting from Rare's design standpoint. It was definitely a great looking game to showcase the new Xbox 360.
Eventually, I grabbed Perfect Dark Zero used from Blockbuster (when it was still around). As I usually discovered, never to listen to most anyone about games. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit and although it was missing something, I don't know what, some feeling about the original Perfect Dark, overall it was a great new shooter title that was unique and fun to play. I only wish I had bought it earlier while it was still one of the more impressive game on the system. Though even now, it is a good looking game, which I find is the case with a lot of the 7th generation titles. Even the ones that are getting on almost 10 years old now.
I'm not sure what ever became of Rare. From being one of the top developers for original and solid titles to now working on some forgettable Kinect software, I'd really like to see them make a comeback and bring back the Perfect Dark series. It was a smart little set of games that had places to go, and still can.
DAY 330 / GAME 330
Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six wasn't always the action-squad shooter it is today. Rainbow Six started out as a very strategic and unique, somewhat slow, tactical shooter. Unlike the newer R6 games, you don't necessarily have to directly control any one character; instead, you map out what your team will do, their weapon and gear loadouts and their timing. Set them into action and hope for the best. You can hop into any of your teammates and 'help out' in a First Person mode.
Rainbow Six is not a game for the impatient. R6 is a thinking man's game, like chess, it requires a player to think strategically about the level set before them and what impact the placement of each team member will make once everything is set into play.
I never owned a copy of Rainbow Six myself, but my uncle sure seemed to love it. I gave it a go a few times on his computer back when it came out, but I think I was only able to complete the first mission. And at that I lost all but maybe one team member. The most fun I ever had was customizing my team members.
Rainbow Six may be a game I never spent a ton of time on, and certainly not a game I'd go back and play again. (Well, maybe I would.) But it certainly started something great. I really did love the idea set forth and the games spawned from this. I kinda wonder if anyone else other than hardcore military buffs spent any time in this game.
Sorry for copping out on this short post. But it's a post nonetheless!
DAY 329 / GAME 329
Mortal Kombat
As I've said before, I'm not that big on fighters. With the exception of Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive 2, I've just never been that good at them. I've tried quite a few over time and some like BlazBlue and King of Fighters feature such incredible 2D animation that I only wish I was better at them so I could enjoy them more. In the past, I never did play the very popular Street Fighter, though I had played a bit of Clayfighter and Killer Instinct; my fighter of choice on the 16-bit consoles was Mortal Kombat.
I played so far as Mortal Kombat 3, which my brother purchased for his Super Nintendo and consistently destroyed me at. Our first copy however, was the Sega CD version of Mortal Kombat 1, which of course, featured the CD audio soundtrack; a big deal at the time. As with most fighting games, I was never particularly great at this one. I have no skill for memorizing button combos and getting beat over and over again by computer or human opponents can only draw you so thin. But at least with MK, you can 'button mash' your way to victory every once in a while and bask in the glory of having won with no skill.
Mortal Kombat always caught my eye everytime I saw an arcade cabinet that featured it. At the time, the graphics looked extremely realistic. Of course, in a sense they were. Unlike the vast majority of the 16-bit games at the time, Mortal Kombat filmed actors and used the footage to create the frames of animation within the game. Though the result may not be as timeless as the more stylized sprites of say, Street Fighter, at the time I couldn't believe anyone would want to play any fighter but Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat also arrived on the scene at a time when games like this didn't get much more violent. Internally, I always felt bad for wanting to play this at the arcade and yet something about it just seemed so awesome. I guess that's just media violence in a nutshell, guilty pleasure.
DAY 328 / GAME 328
The Evil Within
Today is an exciting day. Today is the day I get to write about The Evil Within because last night I finally completed the game. On easy mind you, but I did complete it. The Evil Within was, one of the few games that delivered well within my expectations. From the footage I had seen beforehand and from the news I read, I had not formed an idea of a game in my mind that was too dissimilar from the end product; which is something that can have a habit of happening when so much media is pushed forward preceding the release of a big new game.
What I was expecting, or hoping for, was a game with a whole new story and characters, modern game design, but the love of Shinji Mikami; the creator of the original Resident Evil series. That is certainly what we all got with The Evil Within. This game takes the best of Resident Evil 4 and brings it into the modern gaming world. It does away with so many things people were complaining about in the modern Resident Evil games and brings the horror and survival elements back. Even on casual difficulty, which I only chose ahead of time because I had heard this was a very tough game, you are very limited on your ammunition. In classic Resident Evil style, if you don't burn the bodies of your enemies, they're a chance they will rise again to attack and there are a number of scenarios where some enemies will kill you in one blow.
I heard that this game was horrifying and scary, and truth be told it has some real Silent Hill elements to it that drive that. But I can honestly say that after coming off of Alien: Isolation, this game was nearly Mario 64. Which was nice at the same time because I could appreciate the gloriously designed horror elements without also being white-knuckle terrified. And, like Resident Evil, the game features some absolutely incredible designs that are practically unhindered by any lack of computing power on the PS4. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the designs in The Evil Within are more creative and possibly more unrestricted than anything seen in any of the Resident Evil games to date. The designers absolutely play with all the most incredible elements of people's fears and put them on screen.
Sometimes I loathe hopping online for a moment, only to discover a large swath of people venting their dislike for this game. (Or any game.) Fans have been asking to bring Resident Evil back to part 4 for the longest time and now the creator has and people complain that it's 'too hard' or who knows what else. I've also heard that unsatisfactory sales means no sequel. Considering how perfectly everything turned out in this title, I can only shake my head and realize this is 'why we can't have nice things'.
But I'm not here to rant about that. All I can say is that if you enjoyed Resident Evil, you'll love this game. Everything about it is so perfect and polished, as a real AAA title should be. I highly recommend it. And if you don't ever want to play it, go ahead and take a look at these spoiler full images I've captured over my playthrough. It simply looks fantastic.
DAY 327 / GAME 327
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
I absolutely adored the first Force Unleashed Star Wars title on the PS3, it was a wonder why I waited so long to purchase the second one. I guess, as is usually the case lately it was more or less an issue of not wanting to purchased yet another game while my unplayed-game-pile was still growing. Soon enough it's price had dropped to a regular $20. Twenty dollars is pretty much the sweet spot for me. If it's a physical disc, there's a good chance it's not getting any cheaper during it's print run and so if I was ever planing on getting it, that would be the time. I look at my shelf at times and realize I do own a lot of games. Over 100 Xbox 360 titles alone. But then I remember than the vast majority of those I purchased when they did that $20 mark, even if sometimes I felt like I should have bought them sooner.
Normally you'd hear me say that this was the case with the current game I'm talking about. Especially considering how much I loved Force Unleashed 2. Unfortunately, as much as it was very successful in my mind, I also found it to be very short. And while I'm usually happy to play a shorter title, so that I can enjoy the full story and move onto another one of my many games in queue, this game was what I would even consider 'too short'. Short enough that I was glad for once that I didn't pay a full $60.
Now, with that said, I still consider this to be an incredible game. At moments better than the first, and easily one of the most fantastic Star Wars games ever released since Jedi Knight and Shadows of the Empire. It simply captures everything that I loved about Star Wars in gaming since I was young. Moody levels and designs that bring out memories of first watching the films without simply duplicating them. A well-acted and well written story with characters that are new to the universe but feel like they belong. And of course, exciting, well designed gameplay.
And of course rain. There's something about a game with a rainy level, from Streets of Rage to Resident Evil to Bladerunner to Silent Hill: Downpour; rain brings life to a setting and games just keep going it better and better. It's something personal, something that just hits me in the right spot when I'm playing a game and they bring out that one fantastic rainy level. And Force Unleashed does it right from the first level. It's perfect.
Short or not I really did enjoy the Force Unleashed 2. I'm actually surprised I didn't pre-order it. I came very close, if only the special edition included some slightly better incentives. Main reason being, the amazing quality teaser trailers they made for this game were above top-notch. Just absolutely incredible.
Teaser 1
Teaser 2
DAY 326 / GAME 326
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Three years after the release of the original and unique FPS detective horror shooter game Condemned: Criminal Origins I finally saw the release of a much anticipated sequel. I've been thinking a lot about Condemned lately since I've been playing through The Evil Within and there are a lot of similarities. Enough that I had to read up and see if there was any crossover in staffing, companies or designers overall. Condemned, and especially Condemned 2 deal with a detective who discovers something that is psychologically twisting the city around him, creating a nightmare that is both gritty and beautiful for the player. Not to mention disturbing and a bit frightening to play.
In fact, both Condemned and Evil Within share a ton of similarities. A lot of the visuals push for the same goal, there's a huge focus on psychic power and it's ability to skew the player's world into a mess. Both have a feeling of a game that's trying to do something viscerally scarier with survivor horror, but not with 'jump scares', rather with the environments and the situations you're thrown into.
Condemned 2 takes everything that was great about the first game and cleaned it up a bit. Added an online multiplayer feature, which I hear was great but I never did try. And generally twisted the story a little bit more on the super-natural side of things. Condemned 1 tried to be more grounded, but in 2, Ethan Thomas has become a wreck after past events and the game certainly reflects that. A mysterious device that caused mass psychotic episodes across the city has only gotten worse and the entire plot makes the first game seem like a simple case.
Like Condemned 1, I highly recommend this game if you want something honestly different in the space of a FPS game. It's a great survival horror with unique detective elements that require gadgetry and forensics. Plus, you get to beat the pulp out of bad-guys with whatever you can find, from pipes on the wall to a board with a nail in it.
DAY 325 / GAME 325
Granada
.jpg)
Yet another title in the slew of imported Sega Genesis titles I got the chance to play on my uncle's machine, Granada was a tank-shooter where the goal was to roam the map, eliminating every target at which point you would then face a boss.
Granada was pretty straightforward, it was an overhead view with a small map in the corner, showing enemy unit locations. The maps were pretty cool, starting from what looked like a military base and even expanding to one where you are on top of a flying fortress, shooting down enemies as the ground whips past you below.
I guess there's not too much to say about Granada, not nearly as much as must of the other games I post about. But it is one of those childhood games I loved to play, I just loved the idea of rolling around in a tank and it always feels like there aren't enough shoot-em-ups like that out there.
-2.jpg)
Granada is also one of those games that I always find hard to remember the title. Since Granada is a city, I keep thinking the title must have been something else. Looking it up isn't much easier because of course a game is the last thing a search engine will find when keying in 'Granada' but also because the cover art makes it a bit ambiguous and apparently some people thought it was titled Granada X or xGranadax.
Like with a lot shoot-em-ups, there isn't much to say. They are enjoyable at the most fundamental level and come from a place where videogames were first though up. I grabbed this recently on an emulator to give it a go again and it was as much fun as it was the first time around. And just as difficult. This was definitely one I was never going to finish on my own.
DAY 324 / GAME 324
Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram
The Dreamcast really did bring out some of the best in Sega's library. To this day I find it hard to believe it didn't thrive within the market. One of the best things they did was push some of the finest games from their Arcade library onto the Dreamcast with respectful ports. Usually selling the best versions, or at least ones that matched the quality of their arcade machines. Arguably one of the best cross-platform Sega titles was Cyber Troopers: Virtual-On Oratorio Tangram.
Virtual-On is, at it's most basic sense, Robot Jox, Real Steel or maybe even Rock-em Sock-em Robots. It's a fighting game where players control giant mechs, each with varying powers that include both ranged and melee weapons. Unlike your usual fighter, the game is played in 3D from behind the mech, rather than on a 2D plane. The arcade also uses 'tank' controls, using dual joysticks to move around providing quality strafing and attacking controls while in an arena setting. Sega even released a console version of these controls, making it an even finer port than expected.
Virtual-On is like no other game and has been an arcade classic since it's release in '99. Sega recently published a port of the most recent Arcade update on the Xbox 360, which is apparently very good, but I've yet to try it. The added bonus of online gameplay simply made this game that much more perfect, since the arcade always featured two side-by-side machines and the Dreamcast could only feature a split-screen scenario.
The only reason I never played Virtual-On more than I did was that I simply had noone else to play with that was as interested in it as I was. Which always seemed odd to me, because, who doesn't love the idea of giant mech fights?
Virtual-On featured some solid graphics, tight controls and some incredible mecha designs. One of the most fantastic parts of V-O was simply that it had a wide range of unique, likeable mechs with tons of personality. And like any other fighter out there, when there isn't much else going on in the game, the player characters have to be the big draw for the title.
Virtual-On was yet another amazing title that reminds me how great it was to have owned a Sega Dreamcast during it's release. That console some of the finest unique titles that we are only starting to see recently re-arriving due to digital distribution. In fact, a large majority of the Dreamcast titles have made their way onto newer platforms at one point or another.
DAY 323 / GAME 323
Sonic Generations
After Sonic Adventure for the Sega Dreamcast, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has always had a pretty spotty run. Even Sonic Adventure had it's downfalls where as beautiful as it looked, it really proved how important it is that Sonic remains a 2D side-scroller. Sonic has always been about speed; levels that are designed to allow you to fly through them at an unreal pace with a set of beautiful backgrounds scroll by.
After a number of Sonic the Hedgehog released that were OK at best Sega and Sonic Team almost hit the nail on the head. In this case, with Sonic Generations.
Sonic Generations seemed as if it came about because Sega finally realized fans wanted the original Sonic back; and yet they still couldn't let go of the 3D style they've developed. The game plays between two modes, retro levels in 2.5D (controlled on a 2D plane but using a 3D camera and graphics) and 3D levels controlled from behind a-la Sonic Adventure. They justify this story-wise by having two timelines intersect and having it actually follow two sets of the Sonic series' characters including a younger Sonic with the older design and an older Sonic with the newer design.
The story itself isn't half bad, but Sonic was never about the plot. Like Mario, all it ever needed was the basic reasoning behind powering forward for each level. To rescue animals, or save the planet. In fact, like many of the new games, forcing a story into the game almost ends up being a drawback. Just like forcing the 3D levels as well. I really would have been VERY happy if this game was simply the 2D levels strung together in a row just as in the original games.
Now, that being said, the combination of 2D and 3D worlds has been built quite nicely. In this case, each world set includes a couple levels with both 2D and 3D variations. So you get to basically try out the level from two different perspectives, which really is the bee's knees. Each of the levels are beautifully designed and rendered, Sonic Generations really is a treat for Sonic fans from most perspectives.
Sonic Generations is getting on in terms of age, so it's inexpensive and a great buy for anyone who is an old Sonic fan. My only real complaints are that the controls feels every so slightly lagged, though maybe that's a PS3 only issue and simply that you can't just power through all the levels like you could in the old-school games. You have to play through variations within the worlds to collect components to unlock the next world. Sure, it's a more modern style of game that offers a more fleshed out experience, but that's not the experience I'm looking for.
DAY 322 / GAME 322
Metropolis Street Racer
Let's talk more about racers! Leading up to the launch of the Sega Dreamcast console there were a number of games shown off to promote the upcoming new system. Crazy Taxi, Sonic Adventure, Chu Chu Rocket and one of the most exciting ones for me -Metropolis Street Racer.
MSR, from developer Bizarre Creations, was the basis of the Project Gotham Racing series that went on to feature 4 titles across a number of platforms. Little changed from the original concept, Metropolis Street Racer was an attempt at creating a car racing game that didn't simply rely on rewarding who came in first, but who completed the race with the most style.
Using a Kudos point system, the player gains points during a race for drifting, cutting close corners, drafting and so on. Depending on the race type selected, you could come in last place so far as your lap time goes, but still win simply for completing the circuit with the most points. Most race types combine this, so coming in 3rd place within the pack but doing so with the most style may actually place you first. Though it seems a little ambiguous, it's actually very fun and rewarding.
Metropolis Street Racer was, and still is a fairly unique racing title. Graphically it looked fantastic at the time and featured a slew of camera view options including some very close-to-the-ground super-wide angles that seemed added more for fun than any good reason, but looked amazing. It also featured a real-time day-night cycle based on the system clock and also based on the track location. So, playing during the day in a UK track may mean playing at night, or vise-versa. MSR also featured a similar radio system for the music as you'd find in Grand Theft Auto with a series of radio stations that feature anything from classical to rock and even a BBC1 megamix complete with DJs.
Metropolis Street Racer was one of my favorite racers on the Dreamcast. Which says a lot considering my copy was broken. For some reason, it was bugged so it wouldn't save your progress. I even exchanged it for a new copy and had the same issue. I've never been able to progress all that far for that simple reason. Though I did once leave my Dreamcast on for a week straight while playing this to see how far I could get. All this Dreamcast talk lately has really been making me want to hook mine up.
Maybe I'll do that tonight..
DAY 321 / GAME 321
Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2
I've talked at length before about how much I love racing games of all sorts. I've also talked about how much I enjoyed the zen-like simplicity of Tokyo Xtreme Racer for the Dreamcast. So of course, when a sequel was released less than a year later, you can be assured that I purchased it without question and you can also rest assured that I played it like one might eat and breathe.
To sum it up again, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is unlike any other racing game out there. Once you enter the 'track', which is highway loop in Japan, you don't stop driving until you feel like turning off the game. And even when you do, you can drive until you find a highway exit and take the off ramp.
The only exception is when you enter the menu to change cars, purchase new ones, or upgrade your existing ride. And even then, the car is rendered rolling on the highway only stopping if you pause the action to view your rims, or the like. Racing is done between you and your rivals, amongst traffic, on the highway. You power along the highway loop at night (a few kilometers worth) until you find another racer. If you feel that you can take him or her on in a race, you flash your high-beams at that car and it initiates the race. The race itself is all about who can keep the lead the longest. Each car starts with a 'life bar' or time bar, the longer you stay in front of the opposing car, the more his car's time bar goes down. The further the distance between the two of you, the faster it goes down. All the time you are weaving in and out of nighttime traffic (which isn't too much) and enjoying the calm sights of the streetlights and lit buildings that fly by.
Racing is one thing, collecting cars and upgrading them to your liking is another. Being able to change out certain components simply for looks and others for handling and speed is a real enjoyable part of this game. The car list is also fantastic. Though not having any real licensed vehicles, it's obvious what the 'Type-NA1' or '3000GTS' is supposed to be and the game features a wide range of delicious Japanese automobiles.
The other fantastic part of this game, as I've mentioned before, is of course, the zen-like enjoyment I get from simply driving around on the highway at night. It's calming and if you can manage to pull off some high-speed driving around the circuit, all the time avoiding traffic, it's internally rewarding. I could do it for hours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Tokyo Xtreme Racer deserves a new sequel. Though it's hard to justify, since there are so many new open-world racers like Need For Speed: Most Wanted that also allow you to simply drive around, none of them have the calming feel of TXR.
I just want my TXR back.
DAY 320 / GAME 320
La Pucelle: Tactics
Back when I owned a PlayStation 2, I came across art for a title called Disgaea. I wanted this game so badly, for the art alone. At the time, getting a hold of rare import titles or titles that had a small release was not nearly as easy as it is now. Not only because there are more methods of distribution and more stores that sell physical games, but also because the interest in niche Japanese games wasn't as noticed by distributors as it is now. After a while of turning up nothing in the way of Disgaea, a new game also developed by Japanese developer Nippon Ichi Software was released featuring similar designs. Similar enough that I figured the two games were related and so I jumped on it without any research as to what the game was actually about.
La Pucelle: Tactics turned out to be a Tactical RPG. Of course. And here I am, barely able to make my way through a Japanese RPG and especially horrible at tactical RPGs. So I slogged my way through this game, trying to keep up with the tutorials, but really just hoping that I can get by on a hope and a prayer. As I expected, the characters were super Japanese but funny and charming at points. The art was great and the overall game was pretty fun when I could grasp it. I dug through it as far as I could until I simply could not get any further. I ran out of talent. I eventually came to a fight where I could not tactically accomplish defeating the enemy.
All said and done though, I quite enjoyed the game. The characters were super fun, if I remember correctly you could capture, or acquire new characters to use in battle as you come across them. Characters like Tiny Bats, Flame Balls and mysterious Boxes who's monstrous contents were unknown. It was a enough of a taste of that game style that I knew both that I could not really attempt another Tactical RPG and it sadly put me off the idea of searching for Disgaea, regardless of how different a game it may have turned out to be.
Which is interesting enough because sooner or later Nippon Ichi Software and Atlas decided to continue the Disgaea series into a number of titles that were much more widely available throughout North America. I've considered jumping on a newer Disgaea title and down the road I still may, but for now my experience rests with this, La Pucelle.
