The Games that Time Forgot Vol. 3: Shadow Hearts

Shadow Hearts is a reasonably little-known RPG published by Aruze (Midway for everybody outside of Japan) and released for the PS2 in 2001 (as quoted from my "What's Your Favourite Game?" post). In its series technically the second as it is the spiritual successor of the PS1 disappointment Koudelka and is succeeded by Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Shadow Hearts: From the New World. I remember when my dad took me to the local game store, Virtual Games, and he picked this up for himself. As a kid, I loved watching my dad play games -especially ones I was too scared to play myself - so I duly sat and watched as he pressed that blue wedged button and the PS2 obediently opened that noisy-ass disc tray.
And from the moment he started I was hooked.

Left - Right: Koudelka (2000), Shadow Hearts (2001), Shadow Hearts: Covenant (2005), Shadow Hearts: From the New World (2007)

The series for me is a bit hit-and-miss; I loathed Koudelka, loved Shadow Hearts, loathed SH: C and loved SH:FtNW. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the first and third games, they just don't tick the right boxes for me and I can't quite put my finger on it. To be honest, they are all worth a look-in, I just feel that these two games are a bit more "marmite" than the second and fourth titles. Anyway, on to the review.

Shadow Hearts

Rating: 10/10

What a difference a year can make in the gaming world. Everything about Shadow Hearts is better than the first title in the series (although it does have the advantage of being on a 'new' console). The main points I'll be looking at in this review are the battle system, mainly because it is my favourite feature of the game, and the story.

Yuri and Alice (This picture is actually from Covenant,
but I couldn't find a decent one from the original game that wasn't
the cover image on the packaging)

The story essentially follows the template boy (Yuri Hyuga) meets girl (Alice Elliot)l, boy falls in love with girl, boy falls in love with girl and protects her until the end. But it has fantastic twists and turns along the way, and despite this story being the main one, there are plenty of other stories in the game to follow that are just as in-depth as the main plot. Sacnoth - the company who developed the game - really did fantastically with the amount of story content in this game. Even the minor supporting characters have a detailed plot and they all link into the story so seamlessly. The game is set in the early 20th century in Europe and Asia, and is historically accurate in most places to my knowledge. The game also features a couple of cutscenes which are narratives performed by relevant characters which are optional but really enhance the context of the game. The amount of story in this game is definitely reflected in the amount of content - there are countless hours of things to do if you choose to follow sidequests. And even if you don't, there is still at least 30+ hours including the level grinding. The only issue I have with the sidequests is that most of them you have to look for them to find them. The game is split in to two halves, and once you progress, you cannot go back. If you want 100% completion, you will need a walkthrough.

Without giving away the plot, I will mention that Yuri is a harmonixer. That is, he can fuse with the souls of demons to become an awesome demon-human thing. There are many of these to unlock in the game (some are part of side-quests) and the final one is as cool as anything. There are 5 other controllable characters; Alice, the Adept Li Zhuzhen, the spy Margarete G. Zelle (who is named after a real accused spy, Gertrud Margarete Zelle), the woken vampire Keith Valentine (whose story is continued in the more recent games) and Hally Branckett (whose story is continued from Koudelka). Each of these characters has an element with a related special moveset, and each of them also has their own strand of sidequests, an ultimate weapon, armor and accessory, and a unique introduction into the story. They are also well-supported by the minor characters and it is just amazing seeing all these strands come together so perfectly. I can't say much more without giving parts of the story away, but I will say that this story is one that will put your feels through their paces, and then some.

The dialogue in the game is extensive - easily skipped for those who don't want to see it as it has no voiceover - and well translated and localised for the most part. There are a few errors in spelling and grammar here and there which do bug me to high heaven, but I'm willing to overlook them for the rhetoric quality. It is intelligent, emotive and satirical as well as being more obviously funny at times. Each character has a clear speech style and I think they have done really well to make sure you can tell the individual characters apart through their dialogue. The humour in this is broad enough to appeal to many audiences by being tongue-in-cheek, satirical, subtle, sarcastic, and shocking all in perfect moderation. Entertaining in every sense of the word.

The Judgement Ring

The other feature I said I would discuss is the battle system. The system is turn-based, but not in the typical sense of the term such as in the Final Fantasy series. The outcome of your action is determined by your success on the "Judgement Ring". It's quite simple, but it really adds another dimension to turn-based gaming without having to incorporate a grid. You can choose to turn this feature off, but that removes the chance of a critical hit. It works by an indicator line sweeping around the ring which you have to aim to hit in the zones. There is the hit zone in orange and the strike zone in red which will offer you a higher chance of a critical hit. The ring can be modified with the help of Meiyuan, the (implied) homosexual acupuncturist. For melee attacks, missing a zone will simply remove one hit from your attack sequence, but in special attacks, missing a zone will completely negate the attack. For me, this feature is a total deal-maker. You feel totally in control of your actions. This feature is also used for the in-game lottery as well as some other situations like door-unlocking. It is like no other system I have come across before or since, and I think it is really well-implemented.

The level design in this game is striking, most notably in the dungeons which are both sprawling and plentiful. Graphically it isn't the best I must say, but it's a small price to pay for what you get from this game. One other thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack. Composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and Yasunori Mitsuda, it is an epic 2CD 70-song masterpiece. It is so atmospheric and very very well done. My personal favourites are ALICE and Vitamin Metropolis (both of which I have embedded at the bottom), but the whole thing is perfectly tailored to the game's environment. I really cannot speak highly enough of it. This game one was a life-changer for me and I have played it well over 10 times.

You can pick up a copy for around £30 which is quite a lot for a PS2 game, but given how rare it is nowadays it is worth getting if you can. I personally have 2 copies should one break. It is a must-play. In spite of its minor and sparse imperfections, I rate this game a perfect 10 and I believe everybody should play it at least once. Complete and total game-changer, and for me it set the bar for every RPG I have played since.

ALICE - Alice's theme song

Vitamin Metropolis - London location theme song

"What's your favourite game?"

First off, sorry for not having posted for a few days. I've been uber busy with work and stuff and haven't had much time for myself. Also yesterday was my boyfriend's birthday and our 3 year anniversary, so Happy Birthday and Congratulations to him/us =D.

tl;dr - I've been busy.
Moving on.

One of the questions people ask me most often when they find out I'm a gamer is "What's your favourite game?". I thought I'd answer it on this blog as it's quite a long answer, given that there are so many platforms and then there's genres and sub-genres and peripherals which enhance gameplay (Time Crisis, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout) and blah and blah blah blah.

Normally I ask them to specify a platform, because I like different platforms for different reasons and it would be unfair to give one game advantage over another because of its platform. I love playing online, but that's not going to make me say I prefer CoD over Time Crisis just because of the online capability, that's just not fair. The PS3 didn't exist back then. And then there's some games like Grand Theft Auto which I love for the Playstation but hate for the PC, or The Sims which I love for the PC but hate for the Playstation. Etc. You get the point. In spite of my question being perfectly reasonable, I'm inevitably told "Oh, I dunno, any?".

Deadlock.

I have a favourite for every platform. Do I list them all? Do I pick one at random? Or do I think really deeply and decide that I probably do have a favourite overall game?

After deep consideration, I have narrowed the deadlock down to three: Pokémon Blue (Gameboy), Shadow Hearts (PS2) and Red Dead Redemption (PS3).
These are quite simply the three games which I will never get bored of.

Pokémon Blue needs no explanation. It is a game of legend. Its imperfections are what made it perfect; the bugs and glitches make it so enigmatic. There is a lot to do, even if it does mean grinding for endless hours, and the storyline is fun, although not as detailed as it could've been. I still enjoy those run-ins with Oak's grandson, particularly when I've given him a rude name.
And to this day, Lavender Town shakes me to the core.

Shadow Hearts is a resonably little-known game published by Aruze and released for the PS2 in 2001. Keep your eyes open for more posts about this game, it is truly one to play. It has a battle system like no other game I have ever played, brilliant (and more importantly, original) storyline which incorporates real historical events and  satire throughout. Plus an awesome-cool protagonist named Yuri who is a harmonixer. I have played this game in excess of 30 times and for a while I was helping out a lot around the wiki as well. One time I attempted to write a walkthrough, although when I had a look at Johnathan Sawyer's  I gave up immediately.

Red Dead Redemption.. what can I say? I don't know many people who haven't played it, but for anybody that hasn't, think Grand Theft Auto with cowboys. I think this game is Rockstar's finest work. When I first played it, I remember looking at the horse's tail and the graphics just blew my mind. The only reason this game isn't my absolute tip-top favourite is because of the human rights violations made by Rockstar in the run-up to its release concerning overworking their staff. Totally worth it though. I am surprised I like this game so much given that I wasn't a big fan of Red Dead Revolver, it's predecessor, but this game is just wow. I have well over 100 hours of gameplay on my main save file which was spent getting the platinum trophy (my proudest trophy - it took blood sweat and tears). There is just so much to do! The world is expansive beyond belief, with three huge areas to explore. The soundtrack is unique in that it is made up as it goes along (see this video for awesome behind the scenes footage) and is supplemented with great songs by Ashtar Command and José Gonzales. My only issue with this game, and it is a minor one, is that the missions in the beginning are a bit samey. This doesn't bother me that much, but it bothers me when people won't play through the rest of the game because of it. They are missing out on so much.

So this is a semi-in-depth look at my favourite games. Stay tuned for more on the Shadow Hearts series, and again, apologies for not posting for a few days. Have a good Friday =D

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The Games That Time Forgot Vol. 2: Jak and Daxter

It's 2AM and I'm jacked on caffeine. That can only mean one thing.
The games that time forgot!

Okay, so time didn't really forget this game because this year it was re-released as an HD collection for the PS3, but I'm really basing this series of reviews around the games which shaped my childhood and my early gaming experiences. And this is definitely one of them.

JAK and DAXTER: the PRECURSOR LEGACY
Rating: 5/5

One morning I went out to the local game store with my Dad to trade in some old games and get a shiny new one, and I saw Jak and Daxter: Precursor Legacy on the shelf. My Dad told me we could get it but he was sure it would suck. One week on and he was as hooked as I was, and despite the fact that we're now 20 and 44 years old, we enjoyed a recent playthrough together. Just like when I was a youngster.

What makes this game so special though?
There's no easy way to answer this, because this game really holds a special place in my heart. It's right there in the core along with Pokémon Red/Blue and Shadow Hearts (more on these later). For starters, I think this is one of the first 3D games I played, so the freedom of being able to move not only left and right, but forwards and backwards, side to side, up and down and any other which way you can imagine was so new to me. Nowadays that doesn't mean so much, but back when there were "3D" games like Crash Bandicoot where it was actually extremely difficult to judge the depth properly, this was a whole new world. I believe this was published in 2001, and the graphics were impeccable on the original version. Even to this day they are still very good, very eye-catching and very fun. Colourful but not annoyingly so. There's nothing worse than boring graphics in a game.

Ignoring this though, what makes this game still stand out in 2012? The humour is broad enough to keep kids and adults alike entertained, it's just the right difficulty for casual gameplay, the plot is pretty unique, Jak looks totally badass and there is quite a lot to do in terms of collectibles and sidequests. Essentially, it has everything you would expect from a modern day game, minus online capability and a bit of length.

For those interested, the HD re-release comes on a disc with the original game, Jak II: Renegade and Jak 3. It's 3D TV compatible (I wish I could experience that for myself) and for the original Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy game it has 39 trophies including the platinum. When I got it it was retailing at around £30 but I think that's dropped now.

Without giving too much of the plot away for those who haven't played it, when Jak and Daxter travel to Misty Island, Daxter is attacked by a 'lurker' and falls into a vat of Dark Eco, which causes him to turn into the ferret-like creature you see above. He is actually an Ottsel, an otter-weasel hybrid, but I like ferrets better.

Green Eco Vent

Eco is an energy used in the game, and comes in different forms:

• Dark Eco - Dangerous. Stay Away.
• Green Eco - Replenishes Health
• Blue Eco - Used to trigger switches, draw in items and increase speed
• Red Eco - Increases attack power
• Yellow Eco - Pew Pew. Fires energy balls as a weapon.

The different Ecos can really enhance the gameplay, although the locations are quite limited at times. Some Ecos are necessary for minigames and also for normal progression, but you can find vents around the world to charge you up, though they're mostly placed in a supply-demand sort of way. That said, it's super fun to charge up with Yellow Eco and just blow some random stuff up.

The pair seek help to turn Daxter back into the human he once was, but are told by Samos, the sage of Green Eco, that only person who can help is Gol, the sage of Dark Eco. And so their quest begins. In order to reach Gol, they must pass through the regions of various sages, collecting 'Power Cells' along the way to fuel their equipment. When you eventually reach Gol there's a big boss fight and such, but I won't ruin the ending. I'll just say that in spite of being theoretically simple, that boss fight is pretty hard. The whole game is littered with humour too - this isn't one to be taken dead seriously.
Then there are the collectible 'precursor orbs'; 2000 in the entire game. On my recent playthrough I had just one left to find and it drove me crazy, but I eventually found it and got my platinum. Just a word of advice, if you see an orb, don't save it for later.

Left-Right: Jak, Daxter and Keira (The romantic interest)

As in pretty much any game, there is also a love story but it doesn't amount to much. I think this might be because Jak doesn't say a word throughout the whole game. I like a silent protagonist though, I think it makes him more enigmatic.

This was one of the greatest games released on the PS2 in my opinion, and I really think anybody who hasn't already played it should play it - PS2 or PS3. It really is very entertaining, and the rest of the game series isn't bad either, though it does get a lot darker.

The Games that Time Forgot: Vol. 1 - Klonoa

Happy Thursday!
Over the next however-long-it-takes I'll be doing a series of reviews of the games which shaped my childhood. If you haven't played these already then you really should. Or most of them at least. Some of them are just good for a laugh or to occupy you for twenty minutes.
First on the agenda - The Klonoa series: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil.
I have also just discovered that Klonoa: DtP is available on the PS Store, so bear with me one moment.
*Purchases*
Okay. Let's get started.

KLONOA: DOOR to PHANTOMILE
Rating: 4/5

The first PS game I bought with my own money. I feel that I had good taste as a 5 year old.

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a cutesy platformer following a fluffy non-human thingy (named Klonoa, unsurprisingly) and his ring spirit Huepow. I'm not sure why, but as a kid this game seemed like it was endless. Following a recent replay, I realise now that it is in fact only about 45 minutes if you know what you're doing. Nonetheless, it is still a fun game to play and not only because of the nostalgia. It essentially follows the same template as mostly every other game - you rescue somebody and save the day. But what makes this game special to me is the enemies. The Moos.

GAHHH THEY'RE ADORABLE.

These little critters are also your main enemy. You zap them with your ring spirit and they inflate into ballooney type things which you then throw around in order to complete puzzles and destroy enemies.

I don't remember too much more about the original Klonoa game, other than that the storyline is quite interesting. It's about a place named Phantomile, which is fuelled by people's dreams. This causes everybody to forget their dreams. But I won't say too much more about the storyline. For the time period, the graphics are quite nice too. It's really worth a look in. And if you enjoy this, then wait until you see..

KLONOA 2: LUNATEA'S VEIL

Rating: 4.5/5

Again, a cutesy platformer following the same unidentifiable human-animal Klonoa as he attempts to help the Priestess Lolo and her dog-thingy Popka. What I like about this is that it breaks away from being just another platformer by way of the inclusion of annoyingly fun and addictive mini-games. Also the Moos return in this title to my great joy. Graphically, Lunatea's Veil greatly improves upon the graphics of its predecessor although both graphically and narratively it has a bit more edge. Still cutesy, but more "Aww" than "SQUEEE".

The games are both very short, so I think if I say a whole lot more I will give away the plot. And a game without a plot is like a chocolate fireman. Useless.
So please, if you ever get the chance, do check these games out. They were pretty underrated and I think they deserve a little more credit because they hold a special place in the platformer folder in my heart.