Star Ocean Retrospective Pt. 2 (3)

 

    Starting off from where we left off last time, Star Ocean 3, or as I like to call it "Side Kick 3," was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 in Japan, and in 2004 in North America and Europe. The latter technically being a port of the Japanese director's cut. Unlike its predecessors, it has yet to receive a port of any kind since. Meaning that the PS2 is the only legit place to experience this game. 

    Before we start diving into the meat of things in terms of systems, gameplay, and story, I want to preface this discussion by saying that my feelings on this entry are very mixed. Its music, composed by Motoi Sukuraba, who composed the music for all past and future entries in the series as well as most Tales of games, knocks it out of the park again. I love all the battle music in this series. It's a great mix of high-energy instruments ranging from traditional orchestral sounds to rock-esque guitars, and electronic elements to boot. I forgot to mention it last time but if you have not heard the Lotus Juice Remix of the Star Ocean 2 battle music that was made as a part of the Persona 5 Royal collab with Star Ocean Anamnesis, you need to. While it can be hard to find some of the series's music due to Square Enix being the way it is with its music copyright, these OSTs are worth tracking down.

Star Ocean Retrospective Pt. 1 (1-2)

 

   

    Now, everyone knows that I am a huge fan of the Tales of series. So it was only natural that I would eventually end up playing the Star Ocean series as well. Both games boast a similar action RPG style which is a nice change of pace from the traditional turn-based gameplay that RPGs were known for. 

    Debuting in 1996 (Tales of Phantasia came out in 1995,) the first Star Ocean was published by Enix and developed by tri-Ace for the Super Famicom. Since then, there have been a total of 6 mainline games and two mobile games released under the Star Ocean name. And while the mobile games Star Ocean: Material Trader and Star Ocean: Anamnesis are no longer in service, the console games remain a treasure trove of colorful characters and intense action. However, what is it that makes this series stand out compared to other games of the same genre? Well, I am going to take a look at each game in the series and describe the gameplay and how it changed over time.

What Have I Been Up To? Oct 2022

     

    Well, another month has passed. And you know what that means? I am that much closer to feeding my computer to a gaggle of chipmunks. I swear to god, if someone else picks my character, I am going to cease to exist. Just poof; I'm gone. Right there in the queue.

    If that intro was not enough to clue you in, then yes, I can confirm that I have tried Overwatch 2. What did I think of it? Well, it's like Gundam Evolution but without movement options, varied and interesting maps, fun game modes, or long-term strategy. Oh, but it does feature the ability to not make whatever team comp you want. In all seriousness, though, the things that are actually fun about Overwatch are as follows: healing teammates keeps them alive. Yeah, that's all I got. When I play hero shooters, I usually like to play support because I have bad aim since I did not grow up playing shooters. Going back to the Gundam comparison, the only reason I would play Overwatch 2 is if I am in the mood to play a support character. Sorry Methuss, you just ain't as fun as you could be. Unfortunately, though, the only character I like in Overwatch is Kiriko, and apparently, so does everyone else because it's become increasingly difficult to queue up as that character before someone else takes her. If only there was some sort of system that let me favorite a character and auto queue as them. Oh wait, there is a game that does allow me to do just that.

What Have I Been Up To? Sep 2022

 

 

    This month we are doing something a little different for this blog. Instead of one big game review, I am instead going to discuss what games I have been playing in general. Personally, there is no real single-player game I am currently invested in ever since I beat Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Instead, I have been spending most of my time multiplayer-centered games. This is a common pattern for me when I am in college, so I thought it would be neat just to let you know what games currently have my attention.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: A Review From Someone Who Has Actually Finished it

 

    Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released just over a month ago, on July 29, 2022. Just like its predecessors, it is an action RPG developed by Monolithsoft. And also, just like the games that came before, it is a damn good video game.

    Just to summarize my feeling about the previous entries, I'll say that the series consistently gets better with every entry. The first Xenoblade is a game I had never heard of until its protagonist Shulk came to Super Smash Bros. This piqued my curiosity enough to pick up the game when it came out on New Nintendo 3DS. Long story short, I had fun with it. However, towards the end of the game, I began to get really frustrated with the combat system. The difficulty seemed to spike with every optional area gatekept by a super boss. This annoyed me because it felt as if I could not fight beyond the number of my characters' stats. The combat felt very automated, and I thought it had little in the ways of player/skill influence. Looking back now, I am willing to admit I probably just didn't understand some of the nuances of the system. Combining this with what I thought was a mediocre story and a bland protagonist, I would always take long breaks between playing the game. This came to a head when I reached what I could only assume was very close to the end of the game. Some new side quests had become available to customize Shulk's sword, but the materials were all held by different super bosses. Being a completionist, I refused to continue the story before clearing these quests, but the amount of grinding I would have had to do to stand a chance against those enemies was more than I wanted to endure. Therefore, to this day, I have not finished the game. This is not to say I will never go back, though, as the quality of life improvements in the Switch remake look appealing; however, I am not willing to pay full price for it, and the reason for that is a little ironic.

Some Themes and Cultural Influences in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

  

 

          Released on February 19, 2013, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (which I will from now on be referring to as simply Revengeance) is a character-action game developed by Platinum Games and published by Konami Digital Entertainment. A spin-off of the critically acclaimed action-stealth series Metal Gear, Revengeance takes place in a fictional depiction of 2018. In its world, military technology has advanced to the point that nearly every soldier is outfitted with cybernetic enhancements. The protagonist, Raiden (real name Jack), is one such cyborg. A formal child-soldier, Raiden was trained from birth to be a killer. Growing up, he received VR training based on the exploits of the legendary soldier Solid Snake. Raiden has earned his fair share of nicknames over the years, but the most infamous one is Jack the Ripper. He earned this due to his reputation as a successful soldier who kills when ordered to and enjoys it. As much as he tries to hide it, Raiden can only really feel alive on the battlefield, face-to-face with death.

YS IX: Monstrum Nox and its Themes of Imprisonment

 

    Ys (pronounced as /ˈiːs/) is a series of action RPGs developed by Nihon Falcom. The franchise started in 1987 when the first Ys title was released for Japanese PCs as Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. Since then, there have been numerous sequels, prequels, and spinoffs, the latest of which being Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. These games center around their main protagonist Adol Christin, and the many journeys he experiences as he travels the world searching for adventure. Adol values adventure above all else and loves to travel to new lands and learn all he can about them. It just so happens he repeatedly has to save these lands from whatever crisis is happening at the time, and he may or may not have to fight some gods on his way.