The odyssey begins, a Ragnarok Odyssey unboxing!

It's so secret I've been looking forward to this title. My incessant blabbering is probably bordering on unprofessional considering I'm reviewing the game, but welp, I don't care. I did pick up my personal copy of this game yesterday, the swanky Mercenary Edition no less.

Ooooh shiny! Let's have a look see at what's inside shall we?

First off here is the actual game. Less shiny but hey, it'll look good in my current collection of Vita games.

Next we have the game's soundtrack. There is 32 songs on it, all composed by Kumi Tanioka. I mentioned before she also composed many songs for Final Fantasy XI, which I played for nearly 9 years. I still do occasionally, but that's beside the point.

Now we have the mercenary guide. This this is actually pretty beefy at 96 pages. You could really consider it an "essentials" strategy guide. It has the 6 character classes with their combos detailed, a boss bestiary, a card catalog, area maps, and a great section on the combat and various elements to gameplay. It's nice and filled with a lot of pretty pictures as well so yay :)

And last but certainly not we have the cards! I would be lying through crooked teeth if I said the fact this game came with cards didn't influence my decision to buy this. There are 56 in total, each a replica of the cards you get in game to customize your equipment. There is even some info on the monster and what they drop on the back. You get 10 random ones in the Merc. Edition and I really have no idea on how to get more, but I sure as hell want to!

Well here is one last look at the whole shebang, hope you enjoyed!

Fenris Howls! Ragnarok Odyssey First Impressions

Giants and giants and giants, oh my!

So I've had the luck to be able to get a review copy of XSEED's Ragnarok Odyssey. You may remember me talking about this before, and even though I've already preordered the Mercenary Edition in full, I jumped at the chance to get my greedy hands on an advance copy of this game. First off I just want to say I'm actually really happy I did get my Mercenary Edition now, if nothing else for the soundtrack it will come it. The soundtrack is great and it reminds me so much of a lot of the music in Final Fantasy XI. That is probably because the composer actually did compose about 1/3 of the music for Final Fantasy XI. Yup, the game comes with a meaty soundtrack composed by Kumi Tanioka. That's such a win for me.

So anyways, there's no embargo date on this which is fancy lingo for I can talk about this all I want without getting in trouble, hurray! Because of that, you all get to read my first impressions. This game is an action adventure game, with a strange sense of RPG elements. You never "Level up" but your stats do increase whenever you've finished all of the missions in a chapter. Aside from that, any and all stat customizations are done by equipping weapons and cards. Fans of previous Ragnarok games will be familiar with the concept of cards, but for those of you that aren't its not difficult to explain. Cards literally represent the physical remnants of the soul of a monster you kill. When you attach this card to your armor it will lend attributes to you based on the monster. There are several cards that can drop for a particular monster species, some better than others. Basically, they're all essential to customizing the best character you possibly can.

Once you're satisfied with your weapon and equip you head to the quest counter and pick up a mission. This is where the game feels very much like Monster Hunter. Combat however, feels way more like .hack//G.U. (for the record I LOVE .hack). The attack animations are very over the top and indicative of the Japanese anime style that the graphics are based on as well. You can launch foes and preform combos on them in the air, without the risk of falling until you are done. You have several combos you can use made up of the two attack buttons and powered-up charge attacks as well. The game is very action packed and the combat looks and feels great. Considering there are only two attack buttons you will be totally surprised at all the various combos you can actually pull off both on the ground and in the air. There is further variety to combat as well depending on what class you choose. I wont get into too much detail, but there are six different classes to play: Sword Warrior, Hammersmith, Mage, Cleric, Assassin, and Hunter. So far I've tried Hammersmith, Assassin, and Hunter; Hunter being my favorite so far.

His name isn't William in case you couldn't Tell

While on missions I have noticed that the enemy AI seems noticeably dumb. I'll have attacked a monster as it's walking on occasion only to see it continue walking to the same path as if didn't just get shanked for a critical 130 points of damage. It doesn't seem limited to any particular enemy type, though I notice it happens with orcs more often then anything else. It's not a deal breaker by any means as it will more often than not help you kill monsters without taking damage, preserving your precious HP for larger battles. It doesn't even really happen that often but when it does you'll notice. Another downside is the occasionally unbalanced difficulty level. Right now the game has fairly difficult moments even in the single player. The dang Orc King boss at the end of the first chapter was finally bested on my fourth try (as Assassin). I haven't attempted the same fight yet with my Hunter or Hammersmith, but I can estimate the strategy I'll have to use will be different. As tough as this fight, and the first extra mission were, they certainly weren't impossible. Perhaps they seem harder only because you can't simply level up before fighting the boss if you fail the first time.

I wasn't able to check out the online co-op due to there being only review copies out at the moment, but I did familiarize myself with the menus, and they seem very easy to use. You can create an online lobby via the tavern and set the game to PSN friends only or anyone and even set a password if you feel so inclined. Any mission you have available to you can be selected. I don't know if you will or will not be able to enter a mission you don't yet have available to you, but I guess we'll see what the deal is there when the full game releases.

All in all I am having such a blast with this game. The graphics are great, the textures especially detailed, and the amount of character customization is another great point of interest. I've already been able to make my Hammersmith look like Freddie Mercury, and my Assassin look similar to Bayonetta (minus the hair monsters, of course). You can even dye or armor or headgear to further customize your character, though only four paint schemes exist for each piece. Not a serious drawback, but I did appreciate the ability to dye my clothing with more than four colors in games like Fable III and Assassin's Creed II. Hopefully this is something that may be included in a sequel, right GungHo?

Prince of the universe... and hammers-drills.

Either way I've been having a blast and I cannot wait for retail to hit to be able to start a new character and play online with friends. the Review is incoming, but I do want to get a good feel for that online before finishing as I feel like it is a huge component to the game. Well kids, that concludes my first impressions. If you feel like picking this up, you may even see me on; my PSN ID is WildCardCorsair!

What I'm playing this week! Oct 15 - Oct 21

Well it's that time again, I delayed this a bit because I wanted to cover a game that was embargoed. Now it isn't. If you're reading my blog you probably already know what it is...

Anyways, without further ado, here's what I'm playing!

Got paid and decided to pick up Retro City Rampage for PS3/Vita. It's sort of a combo pack, pay $15 and get both. What you need to know about this game is that it is the video game version of Not Another Teen Movie/Scary Movie/Kung Pow, etc. It's bursting at the seams with video game parody. Everything from classic games like Duck Hunt and Metal Gear is sent before the firing squad for your pleasure. It even has tons of movie and generally geeky references like the game's first mission and it's striking similarities to the opening heist scene from The Dark Knight. I hear the phrase "love letter to gaming culture" a lot but I HATE that phrase so instead I'm going to say: if you enjoy the older GTA games (1&2, London, etc), were born in the late seventies/early eighties, and played video games on NES, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Sega Master System, or MS Dos, you will get a riot out of this game. You'll probably laugh your ass off every few seconds. Now, if you said no to those critera above this game will make little sense, many of the (purposely) poor design choices will feel like glaring flaws. It's a total niche title, but I fall very proudly into that niche so I'm having myself a ruddy good time so far.

I was lucky enough to begin a review for the Vita version of Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward from Aksys Games and Chunsoft on Wednesday. It's always awesome to be able to play a game before it comes out and I simply love reviewing so it's the ultimate win-win situation. The game itself is not unique, but rare. There aren't many visual novel/puzzle games that exist outside of Japan (where they are all the rage). This one is a sequel to 999: 9 Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS. I can't imagine it is a direct sequel, but two of the characters from the first one appear in this as well. As far as gameplay goes its split up into "novel" and "escape" portions. Novels are just where all the talking happens and yes, there is quite a bit of reading. Escape is there you have to figure out how best to escape your current confines. Escape does have several challenges and if you go above and beyond you can wind up with additional gold files in addition to simply escaping. The story itself is downright shocking at times and it really keeps you on edge as the fate of these character literally depends on your choices. There is of course multiple endings, 24 in fact, and there are some terrible ones and some good ones... I'll not spoil any of them for you. Just know what this game really does visual novels proud. It adds new features that I hope will become the standard, no, that should become the standard for these games in the future.

Because I wasn't always able to play VLR (and because Jet Set Radio for Vita was delayed) I bought and played Tales From Space: About A Blob. It's from Drinkbox Studios so I was pretty sure I'd love it, and I do. It's similar to its Vita sequel Mutant Blobs Attack!!! but different at the same time. Since this one is on PS3, it feels differently in a few ways. The first and most obvious difference is you have to hold one of the L buttons down to eat things. This was automatic in MBA!!! and it isn't bad but requires more button inputs. One of the crowning achievements in MBA!!! was its simplicity of controls which emphasized execution. Here in About A Blob that feeling is minimized somewhat. Also different is the blob's ability to "regurgitate" things he's absorbed. I haven't come across puzzles yet that require its use, but I feel safe assuming that this ability was dropped in MBA!!! because of the ability to manipulate puzzles via the touchscreen. It feels the same in that the same humorous approach is seen here as well. I laugh all the time playing this game, and I'm not even that far in!

And that's it! VLR cut such a huge swath of time from my gaming this week as I really worked to get the review up by release day. While that's true it's also because I just freakin loved playing that game. I'm moving on to reviewing Orgarhythm from XSEED Games this week, so alas my VLR time will be cut down, but I plan to put more man hours into this game than the.. uh.. you know... that project from Pretty Woman with all the man hours.

I'm just going to stop talking (typing) now.

That nineth lion must have some serious heartburn!

Another day, another review. This time the lucky game is none other than the eclectic Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward. Yes, this is a visual novel which is a sort of sequel to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for the DS. This one, is a total improvement all around which I love. It's totally engrossing just like the first, but with way more user friendly additions. It also looks spectacular on the Vita. Plus the 24 different endings are... mind boggling. Each playthrough is almost like this is an entirely different game, it's rather crazy. The Vita is finally starting to build up its library in earnest and I could not be happier that this title is part of that. It's pretty much a must for any fan of visual novels, but even if you aren't you should still give this a try. Anyone who loves a crazy story, murder mystery, or just the site of a constantly topless wannabe Egyptian queen is sure to hit it big here.

Anyways here it is. 8bitfix Review: Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward

Oh and if you wanted a taste... well here, have a taste:

"As you can imagine, logical thinking and problem solving are huge components of this game, but nothing is ever thrown at you unexpectedly. Compared to other visual novel/puzzle games this game is all inclusive. Whereas frustration had set in during my experiences with Layton games and their constant need for me to be a scholarly mathematician, this game does a great job of explaining anything you might need to know. This is definitely appreciated and oddly overlooked by other games in similar genres."

The Real World is really starting to cast funny nowadays.

Code of scantly clad women?

convenient logo placement...

Well it is done, Code of Princess review is nice and live. I felt I almost tripped over myself on this one. Let it be know, that I, WildCardCorsair may have rushed through this one a little. After a little quiet contemplation and otherwise general tomfoolery I was finally able to score this game. So that's why this took so long. Not that you guys were keeping track... were you? Anyways what we have here is a side scrolling brawl fest ala Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, etc but with a heavy RPG element to it. I'll explain it all in the review but for now just know that this is really a niche title. I mean you really have to think you'll like it or else you won't stand a chance.

Anyways here is the review: 8bitfix Review: Code of Princess

And if you wanted it... here's a tiny snippet:

"The story in Code of Princess is pretty laughable. It’s there, and time was spent on it, but it's cliché at best, and full of holes at worst. So many increasingly important facts are thrown at you out of left field, leaving you to wonder if the team at Agatsuma even expected people to pay attention. Even the characters are painfully clichéd, such as the scantily clad yet pious princess, the thief with the heart of gold, the soft spoken samurai looking for love, and the strong silent bruiser with a soft spot for cure animals. Yup you've seen everything here before but what makes this pill easier to swallow is that the game never takes itself too seriously. The characters and situations are tongue-in-cheek 4th-wall-breaking comedy gold at times. So if you were looking for some kind of deep introspective tale of epic proportions you won't find it here. If you don't mind humor in your Action-RPG/Brawler then you won't have any problems here."

not a zombie!!

The best shapes are Sound Shapes.

These trophies are tough D:

I am so damn impressed with Sound Shapes right now. Not only does the game allow for LittleBig Planet or Minecraft levels of customization, with so many uber talented people creating levels with amazing results, but the online community is excellent. I think I talked about Sound Shapes awhile ago in the way that it is half musically expressive, half challenging platformer something along the lines of an easier Super Meat Boy. All you do is collect coins that add notes to the music and run, jump, and stick to various surfaces. The Death Mode levels are ridiculous hard, and many of the user generated ones tend to be as well. The user generated ones... oh man. I have literally gone from seeing cool levels that pay homage to other games or songs to eventually these vastly intricate levels. Masterpieces  Jaw-dropping creativity. I played one recently that was a retelling of the story of little red riding hood, complete with comic book style panels. One look and you couldn't help but wonder, how the hell did a guy do this with stock level design tools? The song as you crawled your way to the end was not half bad either. It was amazing. Now the dudes at Queasy just dropped some sick knowledge on me. Not only can you browse user uploaded levels on their community site, if you log in with your PSN ID, you can queue them and play them later as well.

DAMN.

*Head explodes*

What I'm playing this week! Oct 7 - Oct 14

Welp, that's another week. Time to start talking about gaming! This last week was probably my most diverse yet as my anxiety after finishing three reviews sunk in and all I wanted to do was game for fun.



I started off with a couple titles on PlayStation Mobile. Since the Vita is compatible I run them off there. The huge plus is that they're super cheap and actually pretty good. This time around I'm messing with a the two PSM launch titles from Futurlab. The first is Beats Slider. First off I should mention I am horrible at slider puzzles. Seriously. I am damn #%&@ing horrible. What you have is a slider puzzle to music. When you put a square where it goes you get to hear it add to the music. The only problem is getting it there. You know, because I suck. THANKFULLY they added a sort of cheat function which is similar to the way I used to pop the squares out and put them back in order :/ The music is pretty cool though, so I keep playing it. Plus it was only 79 cents :D



Ok, so the other game is Fuel Tiracas, which may be obvious since I posted a link to my review. It's a pretty damn addicting game that is based around the idea of tapping buttons as they light up. It gets more complicated, and faster in the later levels, but this game is awesome. First off it's only 49 cents. Secondly it's so fun to blast through. Other bonuses are the music is great to hear and the game is totally smooth. In short: get it!



After PSM of course Pokemon Black Version 2 came out sunday which I picked it up. I'm like 12 or so hours in which is nothing, but I have mixed feelings. On one hand if you look at the game in terms of "third version" this game is better. It has an all new story and a new main character. There's also this whole "where are they now" factor that is pretty endearing. If you look at the game as a sequel though you can't ignore the fact it's the same region (with a couple new cities) and the same pokemon. Not counting Genesect, there are no new pokemon this time around.... what? So yeah, how you look at this game will have EVERYTHING to do with how you feel about it. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for anything that might turn this around into a wholly positive experience for me, because so far I'm just "meh".



Next on the list is Code of Princess. This is another game I have mixed feelings about. There is very little here to dislike. It's a fun side scrolling brawler with RPG elements, great character design, music, and local and online multiplayer. The only real downsides are the cliche plot and lag/slowdown when you have a lot of enemies on the screen. It can get pretty bad in the multiplayer but nothing that will ruin the game for you. For some odd reason though I can't help but feel so-so about the game. There's no real reason why I shouldn't love this game... but I don't. It's not bad at all and I don't feel like I wasted my money. Perhaps I just didn't want to play that game right now. Of course I did, to review it. Now I have a completed review for the game but no assigned score because I'm trying to figure out how to score it fairly in my funk. Oh well :/



So the weekend rolled around and I finished two reviews and really just wanted to play something for me. The first stop on my train to fun town was inFAMOUS 2. Also this may be obvious since I posted earlier in triumph as I completed the Platinum Trophy. I absolutely adore this game. As a super hero game it is so high up there for me. Second only to Arkham City in fact. Cole's powers are so cool, and the story is tip-top. I did already know these things but they become even more evident each time you play the game. When you beat the game on both evil and good you even get to use all powers your characters. This is a huge win! Sucker Punch, you guys are magic!



Lastly, I ended up playing something "new" after I was done with inFAMOUS 2. That's in quotations because the game is actually pretty old. The game is Killzone 3. As far as PlayStation goes, its first party brands are usually pretty strong but Resistance kind of turned me off. So Gusto being the amazing dude he is gave me an extra Helgast edition he had lying around. So now I have a creepy Helgast head hanging out in my sons room and a game I've never really played until yesterday. So far I really like this game. It kinda makes you wonder why anyone plays the Resistance games with this one on the scene. The only reason I can think of is Killzone 1 is on the PS2, so maybe PS3 buyers didn't want to jump into a story mid-way. Otherwise this game pretty much beats it out in every way. I still think other games are more solid, like Halo: Reach or Battlefield 3, but I consider this game to really be up there in terms of first person shooters. Of course I have no idea what's going on ever and the cover system is a little janky, but the hitboxes are spot on and there are some very cool weapons to choose from. Good job Guerilla Games!

Well that's it for this week. I'm sure I'll have more keen stories in my adventures in gaming for you next weekend kiddos. Take care!