Blue is cookie, red is die.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3: Well, I waited an awfully long time for this one and to be sure I wasn't disappointed, but I find that after playing it through and experiencing everything the game has to offer...I am a little disappointed. I know that for the most part the series has always featured high school kids and their struggle against some big bad thing despite their youth. That much I understand - it's written all over Innocent Sin. But I adored Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and I was really hoping to see more of it in P3 than there was. I miss a lot of what made the earlier Persona games so fun - rumormongers, unlocking city districts that are as big as Port City itself, and psychological horror that's really the staple of any Megaten game. I really found none of that in Persona 3, and although I enjoyed the game immensely for what it was, I came away from it thinking "this is by no stretch of the imagination an actual Persona game. It's barely a Megaten game."
Tales of Legendia: Wow. I'd been wanting to play this for some time, but had never been able to score a copy. Recently it fell into my lap during an out of town shopping trip, and I have to say I'm incredibly satisfied by this game. Anyone can see that this is a Tales game made for the older Tales gamer - it hearkens back to classics like Phantasia, Eternia, and Destiny while still holding true to a lot of the newer features in Symphonia and Abyss that make the series so much more fun. I don't mind the Linear Motion battle system - in fact, it keeps the challenge intact whereas Flex Motion took some of it out. This installment in the series has some of the most memorable characters in any RPG I've ever played, and that opinion is only strengthened by the Character Quest side of the game. The breaking up of the story into two "seasons" is brilliant and engaging, and each character's individual story is so emotionally entrancing that it's hard to stop playing. I think this is possibly the best twenty bucks I will EVER have spent.
Wild ARMs 5: Now this is the money right here. Wild ARMs 4 left us all more than a little jaded toward the quality and direction of one of our favorite franchises, but this game turns that all around and shoves it down our throats without apology. Basically, Media Vision pulled out all the stops for the series' tenth anniversary and combined all the best elements of every WA game that's ever been with a new story, compelling characters, and what could be the best soundtrack to come out of an RPG in nearly eight years. WA4 wasn't a bad game; it was just way too short and preachy as hell about its symbolism. WA5 drops all that in favor of what made WA1-3 some of the best games ever - a solid narrative, believable characters and world, and a battle system that keeps you mashing buttons until your fingernails fall off. I love it.
Etrian Odyssey: An old skooler like me finds that a lot of the newer generations of RPGs are simply too easy and hand-holdey to give us a lot of satisfaction. Sure, stories and characters are great, but sometimes we want the monsters to win. Sometimes seeing that Game Over screen is the only thing that will endear a game to us completely. Etrian Odyssey has reminded me that this part of myself is still alive and kickin', and it never lets up in putting the player in their place. It isn't a story-heavy game, nor does it do anything differently from those of its kinds (think Wizardry and Might & Magic), but its style and flair and the immeasurable amount of fun a player has in exploring and mapping out their own dungeons makes up for all that. Add to this a deep and engaging character development system and an artistic presentation that feels as good as it looks and Etrian Odyssey is a winner. Now if only they'd make a sequel so I can use that password feature!
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits: I'd always wanted to play an AtL game, but whenever I had the opportunity to buy one there was always something more pressing (like Xenosaga!). But Josh found this old fogey used for five bucks and thought why not, and now I'm enjoying it. Arc the Lad 4 is classic RPGs at their finest, sporting a hybrid battle system and well-thought out characters who utilize a unique magic and skill system to mete out the punishment during their quest. I haven't finished it yet, nor have I gotten all that far, but I can say that I now understand the Arc the Lad phenom in Japan. It's a shame the next game in the series ruined that completely >_>;;
So yeah, I've been busy. Whenever I have the time to do it, I think Legendia is going to be my next Underdog. It really deserves the honor.
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