I've got a giftcard, and I want at least part of the purchase to be a video game. Thanks to my adventure gaming roots with Sierra, I always try to keep at least one game going on each system that focuses on story. And since I recently beat FFX (hey, I didn't say it had to be a GREAT story), I'm going to need something to take its place. Of course, gameplay is an issue. If just getting into the game's very mechanics are a chore, I tend to forget about it, let it collect dust, and hope I don't have to acknowledge that I own it, lest I feel guilty about throwing $50 down the drain. I'm lookin' at you, REmake.
I've narrowed it down to a few finalists:
Shadow Hearts & Shadow Hearts: Covenant:
It's been a quirk of mine ever since I kicked off the Space Quest series with the third damned game: If I buy a game that's a sequel, I have this ridiculous need to play the previous installments first. Obviously this never applied to anthologies, like Phantasmagoria or, more recently, Final Fantasy. But here it does. I like that the reviews seem to indicate that it doesn't get too bogged down in gameplay nuances, (e.g., the sphere grid in FFX, spending more time modifying weapons than using them). I listed it first because it doesn't have what appears to be any of the usual JRPG staples running amok in the narrative, also because it starts with "Sha," and I'm a freakin' stickler for alphabetical order.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne:
I saw this come up in the Nichies thread a few times, so that piqued my interest. I seem to have an affinity towards games that don't really cut it in the mainstream. I swear by the likes of Katamari, Rez, Outrun 2, and Ico. Further research revealed an RPG that used good, old-fashioned Hellspawn for its monsters, and as long as Todd McFarlane isn't involved, I'm down for that shit. But I also treat this with a bit of caution, because the last time I ventured into what I thought was novel ground for an RPG, I wound up with Xenogears. To this day I can't fathom how anyone plays something that seems to throw more text at players than every Zork game combined.
Star Ocean: 'Till The End of Time:
More Square Enix. With S/E, you kind of know what you're getting into, and I have to respect that. I know it got kind of a mixed reaction from the GAF RPG squad, but it's an RPG that (kind of) takes place in space, and I think that's pretty nifty. It's also real-time combat, which addresses the singular issue I've always had with most RPGs. Kind of like the "How come every alien Kirk bumps into speaks English," conundrum, I was never entirely clear on how enemies so vicious, so hell-bent on destroying you and your party, so intent on doing No Matter What to get you out of the way, will simply wait their turn while you take ten minutes to decide which level of fire attack to use.
Xenosaga:
Just kidding.
Nine hours later...
And the winner is:
Marisa Tom---wait, wrong envelope.
(See post on page 2 for further details, comments, useless optimism.)
I've narrowed it down to a few finalists:
Shadow Hearts & Shadow Hearts: Covenant:
It's been a quirk of mine ever since I kicked off the Space Quest series with the third damned game: If I buy a game that's a sequel, I have this ridiculous need to play the previous installments first. Obviously this never applied to anthologies, like Phantasmagoria or, more recently, Final Fantasy. But here it does. I like that the reviews seem to indicate that it doesn't get too bogged down in gameplay nuances, (e.g., the sphere grid in FFX, spending more time modifying weapons than using them). I listed it first because it doesn't have what appears to be any of the usual JRPG staples running amok in the narrative, also because it starts with "Sha," and I'm a freakin' stickler for alphabetical order.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne:
I saw this come up in the Nichies thread a few times, so that piqued my interest. I seem to have an affinity towards games that don't really cut it in the mainstream. I swear by the likes of Katamari, Rez, Outrun 2, and Ico. Further research revealed an RPG that used good, old-fashioned Hellspawn for its monsters, and as long as Todd McFarlane isn't involved, I'm down for that shit. But I also treat this with a bit of caution, because the last time I ventured into what I thought was novel ground for an RPG, I wound up with Xenogears. To this day I can't fathom how anyone plays something that seems to throw more text at players than every Zork game combined.
Star Ocean: 'Till The End of Time:
More Square Enix. With S/E, you kind of know what you're getting into, and I have to respect that. I know it got kind of a mixed reaction from the GAF RPG squad, but it's an RPG that (kind of) takes place in space, and I think that's pretty nifty. It's also real-time combat, which addresses the singular issue I've always had with most RPGs. Kind of like the "How come every alien Kirk bumps into speaks English," conundrum, I was never entirely clear on how enemies so vicious, so hell-bent on destroying you and your party, so intent on doing No Matter What to get you out of the way, will simply wait their turn while you take ten minutes to decide which level of fire attack to use.
Xenosaga:
Just kidding.
Nine hours later...
And the winner is:
Marisa Tom---wait, wrong envelope.
(See post on page 2 for further details, comments, useless optimism.)
