If the game was as good as the trailer: Prince of Persia (2008)

(tags game, Xbox 360, video)

I downloaded some sample videos from the Tokyo Game Show 2008 via the Xbox Live Dashboard. By far the best one that I keep playing over and over again is Prince of Persia. A search for "prince of persia tgs 2008 video" turns up downloadable versions. This game will come out 2008-12-18 for the Japan region. There's not much about the gameplay, but I love the scrolling backgrounds and cinematic camera. Plus the song "Breathe me" which probably has nothing to do with the soundtrack, just sets a great atmosphere.

Perhaps this is like Ace Combat 6's trailer vs gameplay.

WTB Macross Ace Frontier PSP

(tags game, PlayStation Portable, Macross, shooting, flight)

Acutally I want to buy that Macross Ace Frontier game for the PSP, but I'm waiting for two things. One is that I want to buy a new PSP so I can still keep my crackable PSP. However, all the PSP-2000s are gone, in preparation for the PSP-3000. Another thing is I'm waiting for a trusted online friend who like mecha more than moe to review it. I'm not sure if he finally got a PSP though.

I see that the infamous Famitsu cross review give it 8, 9, 9, 7 (issue 1035, 2008/10/17). No wonder Gamers Kobe had no stock left on a Friday night.

bye bye DS Lite accessories

(tags game, hardware, Dual Screen)

My reaction: I don't want the Nintendo DSi, yet. Wake me up when there's a Pokemon version.

So when this thing comes out in a little less than a month from now (in the Japan region), probably all the DS Lite accessories will be gone. It's like trying to find a USB-based power charging cable for the GBA Micro. Impossible. I had to use Yahoo Auctions JP for that.

I am going to hoard the screen protectors and faceplates and cases (edit: and connector cap replacements).

720p Hype: Mirror's Edge

(tags game, Mirror's Edge, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

I learned from the latest Famitsu's ad that Mirror's Edge will be arriving to Japanese shores on 2008-12-11, for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. I know the Xbox 360 version will be good and will be one I want to purchase, but I want to see this on the PlayStation 3 as well.

But, the US will be getting it on 2008-11-11. Ugh I can't wait.

Ah, the official Japanese site has been up for a week already.

And recently there was another Story Trailer video released. Kinda reminds me of the Animatrix. However the news post linked to downloadable high-definition video trailers, including a 1GB biggie that shows a whole lot more in-game footage. I got it from AOL's Big Download page.

I keep on watching and re-watching these trailers. Sweet. Except that I have some nits to pick. The solar panels are not facing the sun. They are angled for good jumping, I suppose. The ladders are unusable for normal people, only suitable for people who take flying leaps... No mirror image of your persona in a window.

I see the pre-ordering across the ocean comes with a designer carrier bag, for a total of USD 140.00. I would go for that. Of course I would use the bag. What is the sense of buying it without using it? What, it has a rendered woman's face on it? :-)

Banner it up! Kumatanchi

(tags game, Dual Screen, Kumatanchi)

  

  

Kawaii overload... Banner it up!

Where's Duke Nukem 3D?

(tags game, Xbox, Xbox Live, FPS, DLC, failure)

I was anticipating at least playing the demo of Duke Nukem 3D for the Xbox Live Arcade. But it's not available from a Japan-based account? Argh? Anyway I don't have this game, but I played it at a friend's house oh so long ago.

Two days ago I tried out (again) Doom for the Xbox Live Arcade (JP version). Um, I have this game on PC somewhere. I swear I even have the GameBoy Advance version too. Come on, not worth the (oh it's on sale?) 400 points.

Dual Wield Dual Screen Duel: Pokemon Pikachu DS and games

(tags hardware, game, Dual Screen, Pikachu, Princess Maker, Ketsui, Chrono Trigger, telephone card, television)

The other reason I was in shop today was to pick a screen protector film for my Pokemon Pikachu DS. Yes I haven't opened it until now and I've really been meaning to do it. The film made by Suncrest and called "magic film", claims to "self-heal any scratches". Sure. I only tried it out because it's about the same price as the other films. Anyway, slap that puppy on. I'm pretty happy with how I positioned the film. Usually I'm pretty sloppy. Unfortunately air bubbles and dust never seem to leave me alone.

So I recommissioned the DS (lite) I have been using, my pink Love and Berry DS, as my permanent One-Seg TV in my rack. I can't keep it on twenty-four seven: there seems to be a hot-spot that whitens the center of the screen after a day or two. Don't worry, it seems to disappear after I power off for a couple of hours.

Anyways, in a couple of days, I will have two DS games in the "training" catagory. (How else do you translate "育成"?). One is Princess Maker 4, of course I cannot pass up the ero-kawaii Naoto Tenhiro telephone cards. The other is the Kumatan-chi (くまたんち). I only liked it for the 2D static graphics, then I saw a gameplay/official trailer video and I was completely (re-) sold. The animation is so fluid and so cute. Plus the telephone cards FTW.

And Japanese shopkeepers never remind you to preorder. That's just too pushy. Instead, they have a wall where you can anonymously gawk and slack. I took a ganderand there was Ketsui DS coming around on 2008-10-23. Shmup action on the DS, bring it! Also Chrono Trigger DS as dated as 2008-11-27. I am not missing this one either, in both senses of the word. (Still need to dig out Chrono Cross, ugh) Neither of them have telephone card type omake, but they come with soundtrack CDs, I think. Perhaps Ketsui has a "superplay" video disc?

Surely now I can restart my Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer stuff again?

Region this: Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

(tags game, Xbox 1, Unreal Tournament, GTA, Xbox 360)

On a whim I bought Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict. Oh that was last year.

On a whim I bought Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict today at Sofmap for 780 yens. Yes this is my second copy, and no I didn't forget about the first. It's just more convenient to get this one that digging through my cave. (!)

This software was marked as "overseas version" (duh), and I was under the impression that "overseas" Xbox 1 games are not playable on Xbox 360 JP. But I bet with my money and came away a winner. Yes I will accept the update to this game.

I played the single player campaign for about 45 minutes. The controls fit the Xbox 360 perfectly, but aiming is still like painting a Seurat with bricks. I like how the first levels bots sound just like those breathy heavy armor robots from UT2004. Graphics aren't too bad, but the screen is all letter-boxed, which skews the ratios.

Oh, and today I also bought Grand Theft Auto 4 for 4000 yen new. I might as well get this English version while there is still some stock sitting on the shelves and there is a lull in interest.

No longer a game PC: Touhou Chireiden

(tags game, Windows, shmup, Touhou, failure)

So I got my copy of the latest Zun / Shanghai Alice "Touhou" series shmup, 東方地霊殿　～ Subterranean Animism (Touhou Chireiden: Subterranean Animism). A fresh store copy, not a copy from Comic Market 74 a month ago. Install and play. Or try to and fail, because my pad does not work. I try a bunch of stuff, including downloading the latest DirectX, but I finally fix it by making the pad the preferred device "for use with older programs". Oh.

I get my ass handed to me on level 2, normal. No stick control. I'm a gonna turn in.

No fancying Phantasy Star Universe

(tags game, Xbox 360, RPG, Phantasy Star)

Phantasy Star Universe for the Xbox 360 is ugly and repetitive and slow. Well I did get it for about 980 yen so maybe that makes up for it. I'm only two hours into it, though. The songs are in English, oh so laughable. About the only thing that makes up for this is the zettai ryouiki, but I'm already grasping straws if it comes to that.

gimme sum'in teh shoot: PDZ and Uncharted

(tags game, Xbox 360, FPS, Perfect Dark Zero, PS3, Uncharted)

I only played the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo last weekend at a store's PS3 demo unit. It plays nice. I wanna shoot something.

And at the same shop I finally succumbed to buying Perfect Dark Zero. Only 1500 yens, used of course. I was in the mood for some FPS so that's what I'm playing right now. Hey the graphics look pretty good and the sound effects sound like something from Halo 3. I like the English voice cast, but the lines are pretty sucky. Cover takes too long to get into, though. Who thought of those little delays?

Give me something to buy: Xbox 360 DLC, iD super pack

(tags game, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, DLC, Soul Calibur)

I can't remember the last time Microsoft had a sale on DLC, but here's one lasting till the end of October. It's called Extended Play Download Days, and applies to Beautiful Katamari, Oblivion, Forza Motorsport 2, Lost Odyssey, and Mass Effect. Also Guitar Hero 3, but I mention it seperately because I don't have that game (yet?). There's nothing I really need, but I think I'll go for the Katamari stuff first. (Thanks Kotaku)

Soul Calibur 4 and (Japanese?) schoolgirl costumes. It's not yet done, Bandai-Namco, (hint hint Idolm@ster) but yer getting there.

Also, Steam discounted the "iD Super Pack" showcasing past seminal FPS titles including Quake and Doom. I blogged about this desireable last year, and now at this price I am reconsidering a purchase. At the very least, I recommended this to a friend who just bought a top-end video card.

Only 180 seconds worth of bullets: Geometry Wars 2 Deadline

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, Geometry Wars)

Progress is progress, however miniscule. I passed 25 million in Geometry Wars 2 "Deadline", yea me. I think I died once, so there has to be some way to squeeze out some more points.

(extracted 2008-08-31T11:16Z)

Live version again:

Only 180 seconds worth of bullets, really. Don't waste them on the wall.

Devs hate/like Xbox 360: FFXIII, Death Smiles

(tags game, Xbox 360, Final Fantasy, shmup)

Okay, so I know Square Enix likes the Xbox 360 because it has some games on it, some of them even exclusive (for now). But how about that the recent Final Fantasy XIII in Japan (anti-)confirmation published in an interview with FFXII director Motomu Toriyama by Dengeki Playstation magazine: "Absolutely No Final Fantasy Xbox 360 For Japan (says director/writer Toriyama)" (日本でのXbox 360版「FF XIII」の発売は絶対ありません（鳥山氏）) (thanks Kotaku).

By golly it makes me irritated, but then again, I only bought FF XII when it was used and cheap. Anyways, why should a director say the game is not coming out for a system? This is bad PR for Square Enix, because this kills anticipation. However this is good from a business point of view for SE, to force those Japanese gamers on the fence to commit to purchasing the PlayStation 3 version which is presumably on schedule. I bet he is saying, "Do not be confused, loyal Japanese gamers. The first version of FF XIII available will not be delayed (because the 360 version is a not yet created port) so that our financials won't be impacted."

(promo screen from FF XIII, reported by Gamespot Japan 2008-08-04)

I suppose it means I won't be meeting this lovely creature puppet any time soon. There's always the screenshot gallery, ha ha.

On the other hand, arcade shmup developer Cave's game Death Smiles (デススマイルズ) is being ported to the Xbox 360. No other platform is mentioned for now. (Thanks Famitsu) This is nice, except I never played this game and I'm not that much of a Cave fanboy. Still gothic lolita (though it doesn't matter in-game) and purple enemy bullets grab me more that that touch-screen/pad gimmick that is Otomedius.

I can almost taste it: Geometry Wars 2 Deadline

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, Geometry Wars)

My actual performance is very random, but once again after probably a hundred games I updated my score in Geometry Wars 2 "Deadline". 24.6 million, back in the top 500 after quickly snubbing out after only 5 days.

(extracted 2008-08-29T18:27Z)

I can almost see 25 million, w00t. Live version again:

I started culling my bad games. If I die 1 time in the first minute (of three), I start over. If I die 2 times in the first two minutes, I start over.

I also figured out that the first black hole shows up based on my performance. If it appears within the first 25 seconds, I'm on track for a high score. If not, well I must be slow on the points or the geom collecting.

Oh yeah, I memorized the stage music too. The music subtlety changes every 30 seconds, but I still look at the clock.

I really need to rest my right hand though. Frequent breaks, there's a pause button on the controller, dummy.

Gal Game for Xbox Achievement Points, it is inevitable (Clannad)

(tags game, Xbox 360, gal-ge, Clannad, telephone card)

I often wondered why the Xbox 360 doesn't have as many gal-ge games as the Xbox 1. I mean come on, no Bistro Cupid sequel or followup for that strange metal-girl game? Hahah.

Today Clannad for the Xbox 360 came out. This is a visual novel game from famed software developer Key. The original PC game came out eons ago (whoa 2004!). There's also a PS2 and PSP version I think. I was going to buy this version because (1) it's easy Xbox Achievement Points for a read-em-up and (2) this lovely telephone card:

Flowers, kawaii.

However, my local Sofmap did not have this special telephone card for the walk-in purchase. Pre-orders got it though, and I had ample time to pre-order. Anyways, I jetted over to Gamers to check if there was a similar (but different design) telephone card offer but there was none. So I skipped buying the game today. I'm keeping an eye on the auctions right now, though. Perhaps stealing one of those auction's scans (as shown above) will diminish my TC-lust. I think its working. :-)

Here are two other exclusive designs, both from Kantou-based shops Media Land and Messe Sanoh respectively. I think only the latter allows mail ordering.

Thanks to those auctioners who aren't scrupulous enough to watermark their photos. :-)

I checked the opinions of two friends who played the game. On the PC version, one of them said it was long and I got the feeling that he wasn't very satisfied in comparison to the other Key games like Air and Kanon. The other played it on the console, but I forget which one, and he was also not very forthcoming with his evaluation. So is it junk? It's probably long convoluted junk. I didn't bother watching the 2008 tv anime adaptation, either. Hm.

edit: added those two other telephone card designs for throughness

Is that DS ejecting a cart in your pocket? Shiren

(tags game, RPG, Dual Screen, Shiren)

To tell you the truth, I haven't been playing Shiren since last Friday. On that day, I decided to chance an epic adventure through many floors I haven't seen. Unknown floors, unknown danger! And I got past them with luck and skill on my side, even while escorting a NPC. I think it was floor 16 or something, where I got to the third town. I felt really satisfied with Shiren, despite the constant fear of losing my progress while on my concentration-breaking commute.

Anyways, I had to put away the DS for a moment, so I closed the cover while the power was on and stuffed it in my bag. The next time I checked up on it, though, the cart was sticking out. Oh no! Yes, I lost my progress, because "this save game is corrupt so resetting your save to level 1". Argh! I don't carry epic swords any more, but to think that all that time levelling up gone made me... not turn on the DS for a week. Haahhaha. :-/

Castle Crashers, is it any good?

(tags game, Xbox 360, arcade, side scroll, beat-em-up)

I didn't really understand the hype for this "delayed" XBLA game, Castle Crashers. The hype did motivate me to make sure to download the demo, though. So I play through the demo once and yes it felt like Final Fight, with upgrade elements. Actually only the hint of upgrades, because the demo timed out on the boss encounter. Stick and run, stick and run, over and over again. At least this game isn't designed to bleed you of your quarters. Eventually I decided it's not worth the 1200 XBLP, for now.

It reminds me that I still want to get that XBLA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game only available in the US (well at least not in Japan).

Geometry Wars 2 keep on boasting

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, Geometry Wars)

I don't know why I hesitated buying Geometry Wars 2. This is definately a meaty game totally worth the 800 XBLA (1000 yen) I put into it. "Summer of Arcade"? Hah. "Summer of GW".

I again updated one of my personal high scores in Geometry Wars 2. w00t. Ranked globally under 500 in "Deadline" with 23+ million points, at least for a little while.

(extracted 2008-08-24T17:15Z)

Comparing my results to "Evolved", I suppose I lack concentration skills. I really can't seem to go the distance in the latter mode.

Live version again:

I am also totally digging "Sequence" mode. Learning how to play this mode is helping in the other modes. I find that I shoot down baddies faster now.

I bet if I play "Waves", my peripheral vision skills will level up. I hate those fast amber ships.

And lately I have been feeling that other video games don't or won't give me the same satisfaction as GW2. I was at a used game shop today, which reminded me of all the other games I have laying around in my room. But I don't want to play them because time-to-satisfaction isn't within 15 minutes. I wonder when I'll be at the point where Carrie Fisher wrote, "Instant gratification takes too long."

Hit me with your best demo: Guitar Hero III

(tags game, Xbox 360, music, Guitar Hero)

I played the "localized" version of Guitar Hero III at two seperate stores last weekend. It was my first time to try out the game and the controller, so I don't know the keys. The only beginning song that I wanted to play was Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", and I did that in Slowest playback mode. The volume was set higher than ambient so I felt a little self conscious.

I would like to buy it but I don't like or know most of the songs.

Yet another great "localization" by Microsoft. This game has no Japanese what so ever. Or maybe they set the locale to English on the demo station. Naw that doesn't make any sense.

Galaga fails, more GeomWars2

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, Galaga, Geometry Wars)

Um no, Galaga Legions on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade does not play like a shmup. It is heavy memorization-based, which I don't like in my gaming. Hm, and the demo seems to cut me off just when it gets exciting. No thanks.

My disappointment caused me to update one of my personal high scores in Geometry Wars 2. w00t. I am approaching the top 1000 in "Deadline".

(extracted 2008-08-21T16:13Z)

Live version again:

I want to get into the top 1000, and get 20 million.

It's a Monster House!

(tags game, RPG, Dual Screen, Shiren)

In Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer, I recently playing through the same floor 8 over and over again. I found that the usual room corridor room layout was replaced with one huge room filled with baddies. This configuration is called a "Monster House" in game. I got away from one Monster House through luck, and the second time around, though I was totally surrounded by Spike Bombs, I got through one using some skill. Yay me. Then again it's only floor 8.

I am getting impatient because I don't know if I have enough progress (XP and/or items) to handle the next unknown floor. And the next unknown floor will definately kill me, since I play like I'm in Zelda and not a Rogue-alike. Pretty much when I die, I suspend exploration to re-level up my character, which is pretty much lost time.

I am reminded of the Slashdot thread "Have Modern Gamers Lost the Patience For Puzzles?" Perhaps my Final Fantasy gaming has caused me to first consider overpowering any game tactic with brute force. Then again I still like Sudoku (even though I am never going to play it again) and Rubik's Cube.

Unfortunately I keep on bouncing between floors 1 through 10. I only get the rank of "Baby Adventurer" so I must be missing out on a lot of the game. I need more gold to build better weapons, or I need more weapons so I can get rid of or get pass enemies, but this game doesn't drop enough stuff.

I am not looking at a Gamefaq, though. No matter how many times that thought comes to mind I am not going to give in. I will either quit the game or keep trying.

Soul Calibur pantsu

(tags game, Xbox 360, DLC, Soul Calibur)

Namco-Bandai brought out that Soul Calibur 4 Costume Pack 2 "Maid wear" last Wednesday for 200 points, at least for the Japan region. According to the foreign hubbub, these are the costumes availalbe in the limited edition version of the game (not released in Japan). I can't seem to find descriptions for these DLC packs, so I link to this guy who describes them. With NSFW pictures of pantsu, um. He claims that this new pack adds nothing extra in comparison to the regular maid costumes already in the game

DLC from Namco-Bandai is not done until there is Idolm@ster stuff available. We are waiting. Normal people are probably waiting for Darth Vader DLC.

Geometry Wars 2 boasting on the Internet

(tags game, Geometry Wars, Xbox 360, Xbox live)

Except for Pacifism mode, what is there to boast about?

(extracted 2008-08-17T01:15Z)

There's this non-Microsoft site called MyGamerCard.net that taps the APIs to produce a graphical scorecard for the Xbox 360 Arcade game Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. The live version of my GW2 scorecard is the following:

Great stuff for those like me who are obsessed with scores.

Thanks MyGamerCard.net and Xbox 360 Fanboy.

Three in a day: fight, shmup, tile rpg

(tags game, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Dual Screen, Soul Calibur, Geometry Wars, Shiren)

I started off the day realizing that I can't be moving forward in Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren The Wanderer without scraping the earlier levels for experience. Or at least that's the rationalization after losing my +8 sword of brilliance from a merely innocuous foray into the next area. To think that I hate games that lose more than 15 minutes of my progress, and here I am trying to play this game more. The DS needed battery charging so I let it sit out a day.

Geometry Wars 2 on the brain. Pacifism mode is the total bomb, worth the 800 XBLP alone. I have stick control, if only before my hand tremors set in. Yesterday, I scored my personal best, 140+ million. I really love "sticking a fork in it", which I describe the technique of "popping the dumbbell" when embedded in the blue diamond blob. This is totally risky play, of course. Geoms are the "crack" I can't stop picking up, and slipping through the gaps of incoming blue blobs is pure delight. The other modes are shoot shoot shoot which is nice, but my dissatisfaction with the tighter spray in comparison to GW1 irritates me. Then again in GW1, I always liked the tighter mode instead of the spray because the former was faster. Today, I have trouble breaking 70+ million so I let it slide after probably an hour of effort. Erratic performance.

And Soul Calibur 4. An online friend got all of the Achievement Points before me, which makes me irritated. Online is something I give up, but I can't figure out how he got through the Survival mode (I can only get to 5) and Mission mode (I can only get to 20). Or how he got all the goods. There must be some gold laundering scheme in the online, that's got to be it. In any case, I am continuing to unlock the swords and costumes in single player. At the same time I'm trying to set the Style level for each character to max. This is work, not fun. And I do it for the Achievement Points.

Nothing special: Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer

(tags game, Dual Screen, Shiren)

Another import game from the recent shipment was the Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer for the Dual Screen. On my blogroll, Insert Credit IRC fellow and I POST ALL CAPS blog titles "Sub" posted a pwnage review of this game recently, and I decided to get the game in English. Just 45 minutes and I've already been killed 3 times, got 80% of my gold stolen, reset hard and fast. But this is intriguing. I'm not yet frustrated! I'm still one of those coddle gamers, though. Losing special items kinda hurts, but I let it go, because they are not special, right?

I am reminded of the recent in store display of Shiren across various consoles at a used game store. The Dreamcast version of Shiren was going for a pricey 6800 yens, while other versions were at a pretty low price, relatively. Plus, I learned just recently that the Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon games were also made by Chun Soft. I wonder if these are relatively easy Rogue-alikes?

Before I sleep, I'm going to try to make it to the next village. Again.

Soul Calibur cheaping

(tags game, Xbox 360, Soul Calibur, cheat)

After a while of playing Geometry Wars (I wish I knew how many hours), I'm back into playing Soul Calibur.

I see that there is another DLC character costume pack full of "maids" but at 200 XBLP instead of 100 like the first pack. I will get that soon. Probably I'll also get the 1200 XBLP soundtrack because I'm tired of hearing this music. Perhaps I should just use my own music via TVersity?!?

Actually I'm into mopping up the rest of the relatively easy Achievement Points. Since I'm now in my impatient mood, I turned to a Gamefaq to point me in the right direction.

SPOILERS in ROT-13 till the end of this post.

Vg fnlf gung vg jvyy gnxr 3 zvyyvba tbyq gb pbyyrpg rirelguvat. Zl orfg tbyq qvttvat engr, juvpu vf Fgbel zbqr Uneq qvssvphygl F enax, argf zr 24000 tbyq ng 15 zvahgrf. V unir nobhg 1.66 zvyyvba tbyq, fb V arrq 1.34 zvyyvba zber be nabgure 13 ubhef bs zvaq ahzovat cynl. Yrg'f qb vg.

Geometry Wars (1) Parting Shot

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, arena, Geometry Wars, Xbox Live)

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved for the Xbox 360 was fun. Though I'm tops on my Friends list (I need more Friends though), I'm ranked 25000+ for top score. My best is about 1.4 million, at the point when things are just getting started.

Don't get too greedy. Geometry Wars
(screen shot from Steam/Windows XP version)

I was ranting and raving about Echoes about a year ago, and GW has this same feel of blasting till I can't avoid no more. I get into that state where my mind wanders while my eyes and hands frantically try to retain control, like in Parsec 47. I love that feeling.

If there's one thing I hate, it is that once my game is over and I restart from the beginning, it takes time to get back into the tempo. I gasp my final breath, hit the A button to start again, but this climb to 10,000 to get a better shot, and 100,000 to get overwhelming enemies takes too long (in actuality it takes about 2 minutes). While I'm on hating... The enemies I hate: The pink homing ones that break into 3. The C shaped homing ones that have a forward shield. The worms. I hate the worms, make me all claustrophobic and crap. The others I don't really like. I just hate them less.

This is my "parting shot" because I already bought Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 yesterday. I found my favorite mode, "Pacifism". Though the game plays somewhat different because of the new enemies and the shot spray. So GW1 still has that good feel.

Actually I just received my import game shipment, which includes Geometry Wars Galaxies for the DS. Heh. I recently (re-) considered buying it on Steam for my PC, as well. Ha Ha.

too human demo (after)

(tags game, Xbox 360, demo)

The demo kicked me out as soon as it was over. Talk about unfriendly.

I felt like I was playing a World of Warcraft or Diablo. Actually I've never played those games for longer that 15 minutes, but it felt like that... guns are ineffective, so hack and slash in a remote hands off style. Click the mouse button faster! It doesn't feel anything like a Dynasty Warriors. Perhaps it's only because I mastered the right stick slashing only at the end of the demo. The way Baldur skated around while slashing made me think this game was totally easy. And I actually felt guilty when my support party was dying off, but my party was continually refreshed when going to the next room. Oh.

Cybernetic hacking formulated as a natural world? "We, the three witches" who are actually AIs or cybernetic faces of the same overgoddess? Hm.

Bleh? This game doesn't feel so fun.

Whoops I'm playing it again. I see that there is an equipment treadmill now, oh yeah give me my next Armor of 0.2% Level Raising. And hidden rooms full of timed baddies. Wow. WoW.

As far as the voice actors are concerned, they seem to have some mainstream headliners here, according to the official page. There are plenty of voice snippets here. I'm sitting at the startup screen listening to the announcer, who sounds really familiar. Baldur, our main tough guy, is voiced by top tier (voiceover) actor Rikiya Koyama (小山力也) who did the main character for the TV series 24 and also Neo in The Matrix. There's sexy voice Atsuko Tanaka (田中敦子) and Takako Honda (本田貴子), who both star in some anime and movies I know about.

And I do like how they put some emphasis on the facial expressions during the cut scenes. That soldier's gaze conveys hesitance and that receptionist type was probably thinking about a double cross.

I'll ask my Xbox friend who was looking forward to this game about his opinion of the demo. This one is not worth a buy just yet.

Braid and no 1942 joint strike

(tags game, Xbox 360, platformer, shmup)

Two online mainstream reviewers gave the recent 1200 XBLP (over?) priced game Braid the "best game" hype, so I at least gave the trial demo a shot. I love the background graphics. The music is grand. The puzzles are intriguing to say the least (somewhat "blow your mind"). But I'll save this platformer for another day.

And while trawling the XBLA for something interesting, I discovered that the already released 1942: Joint Strike was not available in the Japan region. Oh bummer.

Geometry Wars boxes me in

(tags game, Xbox 360, shmup, arena, Xbox Live, Geometry Wars)

After playing Geometry Wars 1 Trial over the last week, then playing the Geometry Wars 2 Trial "Deadline" only mode for the last couple of days, I finally bought GW1. I must admit it feels pretty crunky compared to GW2, but I must enjoy this classic. Ahem, I must enjoy this classic's Achievement Points as well, muhahah.

For the first 80 seconds, GW1 is a total bore, then the difficulty starts to pick up, to terrifying levels. Why is that.

I surprised myself by getting close to the top of my Friend's list in points on the first day of ownership. My aim is to get at least a million points.

In other GW news, I will purchase GW2 when September rolls around. And, I am interesting in importing GW: Galaxies for the DS. It's only 2600 yen now at Play-Asia. Order, done.

Soul Calibur IV at 30 hours

(tags game, Soul Calibur, Xbox 360)

I was pumped up to play Soul Calibur IV some days ago, but that feeling is totally gone now. The single player modes like Tower ("hidden" mission mode and survival) are totally pwn my scrawny (well ok +50 physique) characters even with 200% health and stuff. I can't even get past level 24 and dungeon 5 respectively. Does it hurt that I use the Mitsurugi fighting style twice? I've done Story mode to death and it really is a cheap way to get Gold, despite all the time input.

I think the drop in Achievement Points rate unlocking is a big factor in my sudden diminishing returns feeling. Lame, I know.

Anyways, the in-game clock says I'm around the 30 hour mark. Some of the lingering Honors (Xbox Achievements) seem doable if I keep on hacking on it. I recently got the "Distance will not Betray" Achievement which is "10000 meters in total movement distance in battle". 30 hours == 10000 meters. Strange and wacky. One other Achievement, the 450_000 points in Arcade Mode, seems too hard. I probably have to win all the fights up to stage 8 with no losses, because there is a doubling bonus that rewards consecutive wins. 1000, 2000, 4000, ... etc. The Stage 7 Apprentice is hard though.

As far as the rest of the character weapon unlocking, I have, on the women's side, only Ivy to complete. Then its on to the guys' wear. Then, weapons. I have yet to unlock the Apprentice, though.

Make money fast through player customization: Soul Calibur IV

(tags game, Soul Calibur)

The Soul Calibur IV in-game clock says that I've been at it for at least 18 hours, so I must like this game. Then again, I've been doing the same repetitive offline stuff, like unlocking clothes parts and weapons. I am not going to join online, if ever.

My main stay now is the Mitsurugi-style. I like entering into the Relic and Mist stances as much as possible, since they combo into other moves fast enough. Poor Xianghua is not as powerful for my tastes. I say -style because of course all my characters are the female version. Who wants to play as guys?

Actually I think the female clothing unlocking has something to do with the style level of each of the characters. So after finishing all of the story modes (but there's no Achievement or Honor for that, grr), I'm back again trying to level up each of the fighting styles associated with the women characters.

And yes, I've already seen the no-clothing version of each of the characters (they are not nekkid), and played with the Physique/Musculature knobs. +50/-10, rawr (always 99 years old, here).

But after all is said and done, I have two groups of custom characters, a style group because the clothing matches (ooh a joker clothing set, rawr), and a play group for stats and horrific fashion sense. The latter is important because when doing the Story mode over and over again, it is important to have 200% health. This in turn jacks up my Story mode score so that I can get S ranks, which then translates into more Gold. Which means I can get the clothes and weapons faster. Eh he. ;-)

I've already purchased all the weapons for Xianghua (of course), Seong Yun, Amy, and Talim (there's one more but I forgot who). I'm going to concentrate back on the clothes again, but I already unlocked the "350 items collected" Achievement/Honor.

I am looking forward to playing more of this tomorrow.

A tale of overpriced DLC, eternally retold

(tags game, Soul Calibur)

The first game I wanted to play from yesterday's buying spree is Soul Calibur 4.

I am a bit disappointed with it though. The static graphics look stunning, but when things move, it feels a bit sluggish. I keep questioning if this game is the 60fps or the 30fps. Well, when I mean 60fps, I mean does it feel like Soul Calibur 1? Of course in a fighting game like this, limbs move too fast to track, and swords gleam like midnight racing taillights. Plus my fetish with eyes makes me dissatisfied with Xianghua. She looks totally uncanny.

I also checked the voice actress. Ryoko Shintani. Ugh. Shintani is no substitute for Aya Hisakawa. Actually, at first, everything was in English again, but Xianghua's lines sounded so laughable that I switched it to Japanese, thus encountering Shintani. Besides, I like the voices in Japanese anyway. Mitsurugi's taunts carry weight, and more importantly, I can tell what moves are going to be executed.

Other things that seemed strange. There was an update for the game already. I got 5 Achievement Points just for boot up the game. I've been unlocking some strange Achievements, like "Numeric God: The last two numbers of total play time and remaining time in a victorious battle were the same." That was worth 20 points. Call it beginners luck.

I also get points for customizing an existing character and creating a new character. Yes I was busy mixing and matching clothing, and though I am hot for the zettai ryouiki, I've been covering up more skin than I expected. I found it disconcerting that knocking off my "Princess Dress" on Xianghua had her covorting with just her two-piece underwear, so now she goes out with chainmail undies. I thought I wasn't a prude.

I forgot how fighting games deprecate moves. Soul Calibur only reminds me that I can't use the moves from SC1 in SC4. Ugh.

Well I want to get back into it, so let me get to the point of this post. There is some DLC already. There are 17 tracks of music, 80 XBLP each or at a discount of 1200 XBLP for all. The other thing is some customize parts (pack 1) for 100 XBLP. Music as DLC, I did not anticipate. Is this good or bad in comparison to the DLC furor over Beautiful Katamari where at-cost new levels were about 400KB downloads?

A million dollars? Two games at the same time

(tags game, Xbox 360, Dual Screen, Soul Calibur, Rhythm Tengoku)

I finally have the desire to buy new games. Is this progress or a setback? :-]

Today I'm going to pickup Rhythm Tengoku Gold for the DS and Soul Calibur 4 for the Xbox 360. Actually I'm still waffling over SC4, since over the last couple of days I have newly played Beautiful Katamari and Geometry Wars 1 and 2 (demos only). There goes my nights and the weekend.

Beautiful Katamari and considering DLC

(tags game, Xbox 360, Katamari)

I never did finish the Katamari second outing on the PS2, but here I am playing Beautiful Katamari for Xbox 360 because the game was cheep used. Um, I only played it for about 4 hours and I've completed the story mode once. Now I have to go back and mine the same levels for more fun and Achievement Points.

First off, though this is the JP version of the game, every single piece of overlay text is in English because of my locale setting. Of course the textures on the objects in the games are all in Japanese. Also the songs are Japanese, and they are the whimsical J-pop and anime genre I like so its not so bad. Graphically, I like it, though it feels only a marginal step up from the PS2 version. I like the art because its nice and vibrant, but have this feeling that the designers are conveying a totally new art design that I still can't get used to.

And now I'm considering getting the DLC for it. Obviously as a Achievement Point dilettante, I have to get the new levels. That's 250 AP there. I also want to get the gamer icons, but there doesn't seem to be an icon for the katamari itself. The accessories are waste of time and the Themes are still in that art design that I don't understand. In total, 5210 XBLP (JPY 7413), and considering the above, 4160 XBLP (JPY 5919). Namco Bandai, you are the master of overpriced DLC, but you support Xbox 360 nicely.

In the mood for Geometry Wars

(tags game, Xbox Live, shmup, arena, Geometry Wars)

I was going to buy Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 1 for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade last night, but since the sequel, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, will be coming out soon, I held off. I was wondering if GW1 will discounted after GW2 is released. Then again, its only 400 XBLP (500 yen). I've spent more (much more) on Idolm@ster virtual clothing.

Three finger sparkle

(tags game, Soul Calibur)

I am playing Soul Calibur still. I get my kicks (or get kicked) with Ultra Hard Difficulty, Level 4. The CPU blocks and attacks pretty much at the most inconvenient times.

What I really want to know is what happens when I press A B and K at the same time. I sparkle. Do I also do more damage?

Just get another console: Xbox 360 hard drive game install

(tags game, Xbox 360)

One feature that piqued my interest for the coming Xbox 360 firmware update was the hard drive game install. This should make playing Idolm@ster faster.

However, I don't have any free space on my HDD to install even one game. Let's see, "20 GB HDD", comes with 13 GB free, but most of it is taken up by Idolm@ster purchased stuff (oh come on, just 1.5 GB, right?), demo movies I like, like that Halo 3 and Ace Combat 6 "Even after the darkest nights, morning always comes.", and sizable demo downloads. I am down to 3.7 GB.

That 120 GB HDD upgrade is still 2_0000 yen. Perhaps it would be better to get a new Xbox 360 console with 120 GB installed, in order stave off (or hopefully avoid) the inevitable RROD.

Fanboy Square-Enix, Hate

(tags game, Final Fantasy, failure, Xbox 360, Japan)

The big gaming news this week for me was Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII coming to the Xbox 360. What a coup! As a gamer who doesn't have a PlayStation 3 yet, I feel pretty happy about spending tens of hours leveling up on my Xbox (with Achievements mmmh).

Unfortunately, the current word is that only North America and Europe will be getting it. WTF. For Japan, FF XIII will be PS3 only. WTF WTF. If there's an Asian version (usually Chinese market), I'm going to buy it with the quickness. But probably this one game will be region locked hard. A friend of mine speculated it will be brought over as an "International Version". Sounds likely, but aren't those versions released 1 year later after the original installment?

This is why I hate... who to hate? Square Enix, who's hands are probably tied behind their back because of a Sony contract?? Well I want to hate on Sony, but SE is the one that has to deal with Sony, so its their fault as well. Who cares, the Xbox 360 version has probably just started development. I bet you it will be released late 2009.

As an aside, I have no idea how the game is supposed to play, but if there's no Gambit "programming" system, I'm not going to jump on it on opening day.

Let cruft go: XBLA cleaning start

(tags game, Xbox 360)

No I'm not talking about Microsoft's proposal to de-list Xbox 360 games. I'm talking about actually trying out the demos and delisting the ones I won't ever play again because they're not fun to me. So far, out of the 51 XBLA trials (some have been purchased/gifted... 5?), I got rid of 5. Not so efficient. Well I don't have a time limit.

I threw away Schizoid, though. Sure it's pretty. It does remind me of Ikaruga, just like that madman controlling two ships at one time ("doubleplay"), but there's no shooting or polarity changes. It's kinda like chipping away at a chalkboard with two erasers. Sure Schizoid is novel in its own way with its own game mechanic.

I was hoping to delist the trial games that are mistakenly listed in my Achievement list. It's annoying.

But the soul still burns: Soul Calibur 1 XBLA

(tags game, Xbox 360, fighting, Soul Calibur)

Okay, I succumbed. I purchased Soul Calibur 1 for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade for 800 cred. I just wanna post this picture:

It just too much fun to play this game. 60 FPS, sparkly crisp graphics and movement, and now no loading times. Aya Hisakawa voice for "Xianghua" is still the greatest. 「正義は勝つ！なっんちゃって」 "Justice will prevail! Just kidding!" Perhaps the state of the art has improved but this still looks and feels good to me. Still there's that uncanny green glow to the polygons.

I checked my past blog posts on the Soul Calibur series. Oh my. "Jigoku e iku no wa, omae ga saki da!!" (2003-03-30) 5 years ago (!) I was play SC2 with a joystick on the GameCube. I don't even remember when I played SC1, though. I know I have a guide book on SC1 for the Dreamcast somewhere around here, where is it.

I've only seriously played with Xianghua on this port. I surprised myself by getting 37 wins in Survival mode, not that that's all great but still that gets me ranked on the global leaderboard (which is Xianghua only Survival which no one will look at). And I got 50 Break for doing Guard Repel/Parry practice (when you only need 15 for an Achievement), but I only only lucked out because Sophitia is totally predictable.

I guess I'm going to spend some time on this one because some of the Achievements are doable.

This makes me seriously consider Soul Calibur IV coming out this month. Moves that knock off clothes?!? Yeehaw! But seriously, the demo movies show the in-game play at what feels like 30 fps. Ugh?! I'm going wait for an interactive demo.

Update: (09:32AM) I played until 3 in the morning. Xiangha vs Sophitia, Practice mode with Freestyle "Vs CPU @ Medium stage 6 difficulty". Tricky but fun.

Xbox freebies keep me happy

(tags game, Xbox 360)

I just found out that the Top Spin 3 demo was available so I tried it out. Totally hard to get into, but it seems pretty meaty. I can't even pass the advanced training session. I really like the exhibition gallery where they show you the moves in detail. I can't wait to get this game, well actually I can. The Asia region comes out 2008-07-11, but I'll probably pick this up in 6 months.

And I was perusing the Dashboard for stuff to try out. Free (or has it always been?) DLC for Bullet Witch. Ace Combat 6's movie always gets me right there (I saw that Naussica version via Kotaku recently, I think). Call of Duty 4 video looks pretty killer. I finally watched one of the finished Devil May Cry 4 video. It makes me want to play it, ha.

I also looked at the recent JPRG demo videos from Namco and Square. They sure do make good videos. Also Dragonball Z: Burst Limit and Mobile Suits Gundam demo was out. I tried the latter but its a online only affair so I quit it.

Then I tried out Soul Calibur XBLA version. OMG, all that fighting goodness! I wanna buy it now! Mitsurugi FTW. My fingers just know what to press. I feel so guilty because I got other fighting games I need to finish, though. I'll have to let this one go for now.

Just a reminder to blog about gaming: Space Invaders Extreme, etc

(tags failure, game, Xbox 360, Dual Screen, Wii)

Just a reminder to myself:

Write about finding a pink paddle controller for playing Space Invaders Extreme, and explain how SIE rocks as soon as I get used to the paddle.

Write about Happy Dance Collection for the Wii and how I finally have a reason to buy it. Oh wait, I collected my third Wii game, Elebits, for el cheapo yesterday.

Write about my giving up on Monster Hunter 2nd when I couldn't complete a training mission.

Write about my Shin Sangoku Musou level up-ing with just the female character and giving that up when it doesn't unlock the other hidden female characters.