[Dark Age Iron Savior]

Last night, I got around to some Nox and some Mysterious Dungeon w/Torneko (the original).

In the latter, I finally managed to net the 8000G needed for the next upgrade, netting my family a two-story house. It's really nice to talk to all the shoppers whenever you upgrade, and see how their individual stories are evolving without any interference on your part. I kind of wish there had been more of that in Shiren. I hope it's still in the PSX Torneko game.

Next upgrade is......50000G, I think. I can't even begin to imagine what is left to build/expand upon, but I'll go ahead and get the money for it before I take the deep dive for the Box of Happiness. I really don't want this game to end. It's too friendly.

As for Nox.....well, I could say quite a lot about Diablo-this or interface-that or Gauntlet-whatever, but I think I'll leave that for another time. My brief time with it was pleasant, but I had a bit of a "problem moment"....

You see, I was already kind of dismayed/confused by the opening movie, which alternated between self-aware cheese and awkward attempts at mood-setting (maybe I'll see if there's way to get it on youtube). But it was a big deal. I also felt kind of relaxed about how the tutorial area (abandoned, crumbling mines) had sign posts that said stuff like "Drink red potions to restore health", and a few of these were even outside the village where the story proper was apparently to start.

The village....well, I had been told by the man who brought me near it/the mines that the village might be distrustful of me, and in order to get an audience with an important character, I'd have to earn their confidence and become known to the townspeople. I expected this meant some kind of social interaction and so on.

When I actually got in the village proper, and before I could talk to any of the people there, I was stopped in my tracks (for a cutscene) while an evil minion summoned a giant spider to terrorize the townspeople. The spider chase a woman offscreen while a man with a sword chased after the evil minion. When my control resumed, the first two townspeople I saw were the ones who those two, who had quickly returned (sans spider and minion).

Both of them seemed none the worse for wear after the chase, instead being preoccupied by the fact that the mayor's house was now full of giant spiders. And the mayor hates spiders. If only someone could get rid of them...

At that point it became all a little too transparent for me.

Oh well. I'll try some more tonight - the basic game mechanics seem sound enough.
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[RecessRapist]

[Leau]

Finally got around to playing through Jet Set Radio Future for the XBOX. It's...so-so. I loved playing the original 7 years ago, but the changes for this sequel make the whole thing feel bloated. As opposed to short and punchy with a time limit, the levels feel long and sepentine, some taking over an hour to complete. And cops no longer chase you in relation to mayhem ala GTA. They show up in...random encounters. And they stick around untill you beat them. lame. Soundtrack is still great though. Perhaps even superior to the first if only because it isn't mucked up with Americans like Rob Zombie.

Obviously I'm about 5 years late to any discussion on JSRF, but did anybody like it?
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[raveneyesnola]

I've been playing Torneko 3 on psx and finally getting around to playing Dragon Quest VII.


is it suppose to take two hours or so in DQVII before you get in your first fight?

~b

ps:Leau I loved JSRF until the first time I went back and played JSR again. if you have any hopes of beating the game, don't go get hooked on the org.

[Pijaibros]

[Clueless Gamer]

I bought Kuru Kuru Kururin, and I'm having a very good time with it. It's a very cute game, but hard, very hard. I scream "nooooooooooooo!" each two minute while playing it, damnit.

Also, a friend lend me Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, so I'm playing it a bit. I don't know what to thing about it, sometimes I got some fun playing a battle, but other times the games feel boring. It start slow, introducing characters and all that, and after that, it's only map, menu and battles. I played only three hours or so, and the other clan members never say nothing. It feel strange, when you remember the beginning of the game. I'll play some more, though, because I hope it gets better. And because noblesse obligue.
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[Rud31]

[Moogs]

Got a copy of Qwak for the GBA. Really fun game, not to mention surprisingly... intense.

[Broco]

[raveneyesnola]

[SplashBeats]

[dementia]

I played SSBM with my younger cousins. It was refreshing being the best player in the room for the first time ever. Like a total dick I beat the crap out of their 10-and-under asses without remorse.

Also, I played some Front Mission 3 on PSP.

[Swimmy]

[Pijaibros]

[RecessRapist]

I finally beat Godhand. I spent about 2 hours against the last boss. One of the longest boss battles I've ever been in.

And ironically the fucker dodged my double Shaolin blasts TWICE. And in every fight that I lost I was barely able to launch two blasts but i had about five in the winning fight.

[username]

Finally beat Jumping Jack Flash on Sweatin (3 stars) in Elite Beat Agents, and I had to perfect the song to do it. Now to try 4 stars and unlock the final bonus song...
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http://www.audioatrocities.com/games/castlevania-sotn/clip1.mp3

[BalbanesBeoulve]

Mother fuck. I just died in Radiata Stories. I was at the beginning, i barely got to the dwarf town, but it took about 2 hours to do because I was still getting the hang of things and fighting every single enemy i came across. Once there I didn't find any save spots, and even after getting through the fights you get into for kicking people and pissing them off, i died when I opened a chest that had rats inside it. I was at 13 hp from my last fight, and being in a town, i expected to be able to just use an inn or something. But no, i fucking died, and i'm back to level 1 from about level 6. Fuck this game. God damn you, Tri Ace.

[Toto]

Dude after Star Ocean 3...

[Mikey]

Assorted Xbox Live Arcade titles have been occupying most of my time - Wik, Geometry Wars, Lumines, Hexic, SF II HF.

I've had Yoshi's Island DS since Xmas and have only played halfway through the first world. For some reason I just can't bring myself to want to play it.

Soon, Lost Planet will own my life.

[Moogs]

Gunpey feels so cold and impersonal on the PSP. I like the DS version a lot more.

[Koji]

Gunpey DS left *me* pretty cold. It was kind of boring, the gameplay never clicked with me at all. I haven't played the PSP version, though.

Today I played Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts GBA. It's a superb port, dammit. It's surprising, since the game doesn't suffer from the lost screen real-estate; the stages are, admittedly, mostly horizontal, and the GBA screen suffers the most with vertical space. So it's fully playable, just like on the SNES, with no changes up until where I've gotten to. Darned fun. Happy to own it.

[RecessRapist]

[Tezcat]

Nope, I think Yoshi's Island DS really has some of the scantest music I've heard. It doesn't kill the game... but it does make it feel endlessly repetitive.

I've been playing the English option for Phoenix Wright 2, and it's actually getting me to laugh:
Little references (Fresh Prince of Bel Air?)
Choice of words (metrosexual?)
and then all the little typos?

I knew this was a translation made in Japan... but in spite of the typos they've really managed to keep it perfectly fresh.

[Lurky]

dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU

[EU03]

I finally went back to God Hand. I got better some how after not playing for 3 months and cleared past the second Shannon fight with some difficultly.
I also stole my roommate's FFV Advance. I am surprised at how well the localization has been done (especially for Galuf). Dash + Thief is nice, too.
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[Moogs]

I'm pretty sure I bought both versions of Gunpey out of sheer pity for a dead man.

I should have just bought Every Extend Extra.

[option]

I played Lumines Live a little today.

I enjoy playing the game but I find its more of a meditation than a gameplay experience. It takes about 40 minutes to get to a point in the game where you actually have to think about where blocks fall, and I rarely play it that long anyway. When I play it I think about most everything *except* Lumines.

Not a good game to play when people are over... everyone just kinda zones out and wastes a perfectly good social gathering.

EDIT: I really want to try Every Extend Extra

[gooktime]

Against my resolution to buy less games, I got Lost Planet and Wario Ware: Smooth moves today right off the new releases shelf :(

Not had time to play Lost Planet, but WW:SM is hot so far. One 'microgame' where a screaming girl is falling off a roof and you have to extend your arm out to save her is particularly lol.

[dementia]

[Moogs]

I should also point out that I think I'm starting to hate video games (or, at least, what video games have become), so should I still play Every Extend Extra?

[Lurky]

[Koji]

Kind of. The DS version is the one I've played, and that one does have western characters. That also have guitars. And the title music is westerny, but in truth the game is more about different genres of music according to the location the character's from, and to his personality.

[Brock]

I played some more Final Fantasy VII today, trying to get some more Limit Breaks before doing the whole boat segment.

I keep leveling up Aeris despite knowing better. I don't know why I do this.

[Swimmy]

[option]

[haze]

Dear Journal

today I played FFXII. last week I had been stuck at a tough boss. I thought I could take out his underlings and then finish the job with Quickenings but it never seemed to kill him fast enough. then my sister told me she beat him simply by spamming Quickenings the very second the battle began. Then swap the characters out and do it again.

I tried it and it worked! The first try!

God damn I'm becoming more convinced that this game's design is so damn broken. Screw the gameplay, it's no different than all the FFs that came before it.

[Felix]

[Moogs]

[SplashBeats]

[EU03]

I am playing some RIDGE RACERS 2. Though the rip I downloaded had the music cut, making the game 50% less enjoyable. I am downloading the full rip to replace the bin file right now..

I played Lumines on the PSP after over a year (sans the limited time I spent on the 360 version). It felt good. I'm back down to about 70 deletions per minute, though. I will buy Lumines II later.

Also, I sat down and tried EEE. The hit detection feels slightly off, or the timing on the explosions is different compared to the original. I haven't gone past the second boss yet; though I do feel that I have yet to reach the 'groove' of the game.

And I need to mod the PSP D-Pad. Will white glue work?
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[Mikey]

Lost Planet, mostly. I might download the advance challenge pack for Lumines Live soon.