Sakura Wars: So Long my Love

I own several never-been-played games. It's a terrible habit. I also have a subscription to Gamefly. Before I impulsively download a new game or run out to Toys 'r' Us to see if there are any good deals, I have to stop and think about what I already have, and what hasn't been played yet. Gamefly sent me Sakura Wars: So Long my Love...10 weeks ago. I finally decided to pick it up and am about 8.5 hours into it.

I started to get into all things "geeky" when I was in 6th-7th grade. The first Sakura Taisen game came out around that time. If I played this game when I was 12, it would have been the best game ever. It took 14 years for this series to reach North America, and I had to spend the first couple hours of the game cringing at the portrayals of a steam-powered New York and its citizens. This game is very story heavy. Unfortunately, the plot of this story is also very thin. It's probably because this is a dating simulation. I'm going to list them to you. Maybe you'll think I have zero imagination, but maybe you'll think you're getting too old for this shit. I'll start with 19-year-old Taiga Shinjiro.


He's scrawny and short. He looks nothing like his much more attractive uncle (or whatever) that owns a shop in Mid-Town. If you're into boys that look like girls and are completely and utterly non-threatening, this is the guy for you...and apparently all the women of Sakura Wars. Speaking of the women of Sakura Wars...


This is Gemini Sunrise. She's from Texas. Can't you tell? She lives in her studio apartment with her horse, Larry. She also seems to have a samurai fetish because Texan girls knew everything about Samurai back in 1928.


This is Cherion. She used to be a part of a gang that was made up of non-white people. Now, she is a lawyer. Only 8 years after women earned the right to vote, this minority woman from the ghetto managed to become a lawyer. Amazing!


This is Speedy Gonzales. Um, I mean Rosita. She loves shooting guns. Maybe that got her kicked out of Mexico, but here in the States, she rocks the Second Amendment.

That's the weasel that she keeps as a secondary food supply. His name is Niccolo, but I like to call him Nico Bellic.



This is Diana Caprice. She is a doctor, needs a wheelchair, hangs around Central Park feeding birds all day, and is a vegetarian...LOL Japan.


This is Subaru. Every time she shows up, I think of SUVs. Now, I'm going to go into some actual Asian-American history here. In Victorian times, it was considered taboo to have sex with Asian women because some Americans thought they all looked the same. As in, the girls looked just like the boys. So, when something becomes a sexual taboo, it will no doubt become hot to someone. Well then I must say, Subaru is totally hot.


Ah, Ratchet Altair. You kind of remind me of another character from a ridiculous game. This is also a great illustration, to show you who Ratchet is exactly.



This is Cherry Cocker. I think Shinjiro must have seen her in All Anal on the Western Front via a steam powered DVD Player once.


Anri is hapa; Asian American, if you will. She came all the way from Seattle...in 1928. I bet it took her like, 6 months to get to New York. For some reason, she wants to wear kimono all the time, while the other Japanese characters don't.

What Could be Missing
There is something in me that made me think that I loved dating sims, and I was sad they were rarely brought here. All I had were the Harvest Moon games, Thousand Arms, and Bible Black. None of which, by the way, are anything like each other at all. Especially Bible Black. In case you couldn't tell from the way I described these characters, I think my suspension of disbelief is not what it used to be.

Though, after a lot of dialogue and a couple of battles, I found myself wanting to play more. I'm not asking for an H game here, but it would help if Taiga could actually get laid in the game. You know, get it on with Gemini Sunrise while Larry watches from his hay pile. The game is so ridiculous, you'd think it'll happen, but it doesn't. You don't even have to show anything, NIS! Then again, he is pretty pathetic. He maybe surrounded by chicks, but I don't think he's getting any even if that option was available in the game. I suppose he gets one in the end, though.

LIPS System
Anyway, as I've mentioned in this blog before, I've been playing Dragon Quest IX. I've put about 40 hours into it, and I'm at level 39, 39, and 38. I don't play for the story. I just play for old school RPG goodness. In other words, grinding. Fight after fight after fight. Sakura Wars has this pace of two different systems. There is something called the Live & Interactive Picture System (LIPS). There three kinds. Normal LIPS is when you are given a multiple choice question. Each answer will give you good or bad points with the character you're talking to. Analog LIPS is when you can raise a gauge up or down, determining the amount of umpf in your action....ahahahah it'd be amazing if you could do something dirty to a character and then be given analog LIPS. Okay, anyway the third is Stick LIPS. That's when you are directed which way to use the analog stick to raise a gauge. Half of the game is using this LIPS system.

Strategic Warfare
The other half of the game is epic, tactical, turn-based, giant robot chess. You have a set number of turns/moves, and it represented by a gauge. You can use this guage up by moving, attacking, joint attacking, or healing. You can also use SuperMoves, but those require SP, which you earn by taking damage or using up turns to earn SP. The long cinematics that come with some of the attacks can be a nuisance, but I find the basic battle system enjoyable.

Conclusion
The game is separated into chapters. There are not a lot of save points. It's annoying because I've actually had to turn off the PS3 in between save points, and then redo whatever I went through when I start up again. I'm about halfway through the game. Even though the game seems silly, I still want to answer all the questions right and beat other giant robots taking over New York City.

It makes me unhappy when I hear that something like Ponyo or Spirited Away was not successful because it was "too Japanese." I love my Gloomy Bear slippers. I was devastated to hear of Satoshi Kon's death. The first anime I ever loved was Ranma. I'm not really sure what happened to me when I first started this game, feeling irritated by Tenchi-Muyo-esque situations. I've probably seen it too much. Though, recently, I've played a lot of Monday Night Combat and Left 4 Dead 2, and I feel it is best for me to have a wide variety of games to enjoy.

PAX Prime 2010 (Game Impressions)

This post will cover the (few) games I played this past weekend at Penny Arcade Expo. There is a more personal account of the convention in my LiveJournal. That entry includes accounts of other activities I did in Seattle, photos, a fun story about Gabe saying I didn't have to wear pants, and brief descriptions of the four panels I attended.

NBA Jam
At PAX, demos of both the HD version and Wii version were available for play. It's difficult to play anything at PAX without having to stand around and wait your turn. Some games, of course, you will wait much longer for than others. A group of people walked away from an NBA Jam kiosk, and I was matched with three others to play a single basketball game. I chose my home team, (six-time Champions) the Bulls. The guys I played against chose the Lakers, which was perfect because I hate the Lakers.



The original NBA Jam came out when I was nine. I didn't have an SNES or a Genesis then. So, I only have vague memories of playing it at a family friend's house. Back then, sports games were different. The unrealistic arcade-gameplay are the only sports games I've ever experienced. The new NBA Jam has two modes. The classic mode, and remix mode. We were playing the classic mode, and it was a blast. We were a bunch of strangers yelling, laughing, and taunting each other. I should have had a room party and invited them for some Mario Kart DS or something.

Anyway, the sprites of the players in this game are great. They are updated, but still have an old feel with their pasted on heads that get flipped whenever they look this way or that. The controls are simple. You used the analog stick on the nunchuck to move your guy (I was Derrick Rose). Fling the Wiimote up to dunk or block, press B to steal or grab a rebound, and A to pass. I later found out you can just use the Wiimote without the nunchuck (NES style), or the Wii classic controller (which is what I prefer). I don't know how to do it, but you can shove people too. You'll also hear classic commentary like, "BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA!" Or new ones like, "No hoop for you!" (For video of gameplay, watch the trailer here.)

I would call this title pretty much a Wii exclusive, despite it being available on the PS3 and the 360. The Wii version is its own game being released on October 5th for $49.99. A smaller version of the game will be available for the 360 and the PS3 in HD...if you are buying NBA Elite 11 (which will cost $59.99). Pretty sneaky, huh?

The original publisher of NBA Jam was Chicago's very own Midway Games. They were known for making great arcade sports games. Later on, Sega had the 2K series, which were also great arcade-style sports games. I think EA made a good choice, here. Sure, realistic sports games sell. I am not an anti-sports fan. Baseball is one of my passions, and I'm excited to see the Bulls have a lot of potential. Though, I don't want Madden or MLB: The Show. I want Blitz and Power Pros. I will buy NBA Jam. I think I might have a party too.



Epic Mickey
After seeing some of the initial concept art for this game, I knew it was going to be a lot about the visuals. Disney Interactive rented out three large spaces in the exhibition hall. Two of the three of them were for Epic Mickey. One of them had cinematics from the game running, and some interviews, but no gameplay footage. There were also two artists who would draw Mickey pictures for attendees. The other space was where you played the game. I saw someone walk away from a kiosk, and I jumped on it.



A friendly developer named Clay spotted us and started to go through the game with me. I don't remember what the controls were exactly, but there was a button that made you paint the color blue, and another that made you paint green. Blue added surfaces you could walk on, and green took them away. What I found odd and unnecessary was this first person mode you could go into when painting. It was a little disorienting. (Though, that first person mode is optional; the game appears to be all in third person.) With this adding surfaces and taking them away, I could see how this game is a bit of a puzzle platformer. I do really enjoy that type of game, and there aren't too many out there.

At the end of the level, there was this little guy I could save...or a treasure chest full of coins. There was a way to get both the guy saved and the coins, but it was tricky. Of course, I messed it up and only got the coins. Clay explained to me a morality system, where throughout the game you'd be given options like this. He said, "You can be good Mickey or you can be bad Mickey." Well, after I chose the treasure chest, I was scolded in the game, "What kind of hero are you?!"

I have only heard of Epic Mickey, but before PAX, I had not seen cinematics (which were impressive) or gameplay. I heard the game was supposed to be dark. They were definitely trying to give that vibe with the colors and the content, but you know, I'm still playing a Mickey game. While playing it, I pointed at a lot of things and went, "How cute!" I got the impression (from the concept art) the game was going to be very visual. I used to think a game could not be beautiful on the Wii until I played Muramasa. While the cinematics in Epic Mickey were impressive, the game is in 3D. So, I still really wanted to see this on the PS3.



I think this game has been way over-hyped for me. Though, I also think this game could be really fun, but I don't feel the need to pick it up immediately. With Guilty Party just out and Epic Mickey coming soon, maybe Disney Interactive is onto something.

Sonic Colors
Passing by the Sega booth, I saw two things I wanted to play. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Sonic Colors. After a slew of mediocre Sonic titles that appeared after the Sonic Adventure games, I sort of just rolled my eyes at any new Sonic title. Though, I had a complete blast with Sonic and Sega All-Star racing. It was my last day in the expo hall, and I didn't want to waste too much time in line. I decided to pick Sonic Colors over Sonic 4 because it looked like something I had not played before. Fristle watched the gameplay for Sonic and said, "Now, this is what a Sonic game today should look like." I completely agree, and I thought similarly when I saw the trailer for Sonic Colors a short while back.



I didn't play this game for long. Not because I was in a hurry or pulled off the kiosk early. I played through a couple of stages in "Tropical Resort" and they just went fast. So fast, I could barely control where I was going. The game actually looked really good, but I barely saw anything because I think technology might have caught up with Sonic's true speed. (I feel like a little old lady describing this game.) The game essentially felt like and original Sonic game, but not in the 2D platformer view. It was in third person and reminded me a lot of a racing game. I didn't play long enough to actually have any kind of adjustment to the game, but I'd like to try again. It did kind of make me want to go back to the simpler, slower demo of Sonic the Hedgehog 4. ^^;

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
When I first heard about this game, I ignored it. As much as I love (certain) Final Fantasy games, I can't stand how Squeenix milks their franchises. I feel like they should be put more effort into making new original games (like The World Ends With You). I've been playing a lot of Dragon Quest IX lately. In fact, I'm pretty close to beating it. When I came to that realization, a panic came over me. What am I supposed to play next that will suck me in for hours upon hours? Well, this game could be the answer.

I only played it for a few minutes, but it didn't take long to notice a simple no-frills battle system, basic character classes, and random battles. It felt like Dragon Quest, except no one was going Super Saiyan on me. Although I was just in single player mode, I found out there is also a cooperative multiplayer one too. I have only played a few hours into Final Fantasy XIII and have little interest in it. The 4 Heroes of Light was the Final Fantasy I was asking for from Squeenix. I don't want a 20 hour tutorial; I just want to play.



Marvel vs. Capcom 3
I don't have a whole lot to say about this game because I only played it for a few minutes. The trailers for this game did not show very much at all. I was under the impression it would look like Street Fighter IV. It was still the 3D game with 2D gameplay, but had more of a comic-book look to it. I am a big Capcom fighting game fan. I own Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Dreamcast...and I wasn't very fond of it. I bought it out of obligation to my love for Capcom. (There were other Capcom fighting games I enjoyed significantly more on the Dreamcast like Project Justice and Power Stone.) In MVC3, the characters take up more of the screen and the moves feel more fluid. Gameplay was said to be more like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, which is a game that I love, but only really play in the arcades. I think I will eventually pick up this game for the 360. I'd prefer to have it for the PS3, but I have more friends on LIVE and own a Hori Ex 2.

Arcade

Monday Night Combat
The first time I got to try this game was at PAX East. Just from playing a few rounds (and finding out it was an Arcade game), I knew I was going to pick it up. It looked like Team Fortress 2. You are either on the blue team or the orange team, and you can choose from several classes (assault, tank, support, gunner, assassin, or sniper). There is much more than meets the eye, though. Monday Night Combat is more like an action-based tower defense game.

Since this game was released last Wednesday, it's taken up a few of my evenings. After last night, I think I finally got the hang of it. For the first time, I had more kills than deaths. ^^; I've spent a good amount of time with every class (with the exception of the sniper). Even though they are slow, I prefer being the tank and the gunner.

I find it significantly more enjoyable (like most games) to be playing with friends. They are on my level, and we actually try to have balanced teams. It's pretty annoying to go online and have to go against teams that are all assassins or all gunners. I'm not a big fan of $15 being the standard for Arcade games, but I think Monday Night Combat is well worth it.

Last night, while playing someone made the comment, "Oh great, I'm on the girls' team." Another friend of mine (on the opposing team) taunted, "Haha! You're gonna lose!" Well, I was on that girls' team and we won that match (though, only half of us were girls). I thought the gals of Sugar Gamers might appreciate that story. ^^

Tank! Tank! Tank!
The past couple of weekends, I've made a trip out to Gameworks to hang out with some friends. One friend showed us a game called Tank! Tank! Tank!. My friend Sherwin had a time card, and kept feeding credits into the machine. So, we kept playing. This simple little game is fun and addictive. The sound is loud, the screen is long and tall, you hold on to this wheel, and you are jerked backward and forward whenever you shoot. There are pedals you press down on to move forward or backward, you use the wheel to steer your tank, and you press buttons on the wheel to shoot.


Speakers are built into the seats


The buttons used to shoot on the steering wheel glow

There are three different modes. You can be on a team and shoot at each other, be an individual tank and shoot at each other, or be on a team that shoots at giant robot bees and robot sea creatures. Well, shooting at giant robot bees and octopi was definitely the more popular option. Though, after playing that whole evening we had yet to figure out how to play against or with each other.

Another thing we had an absolute blast with is the camera. You choose a fun frame and a picture is snapped of you. This is used to represent you throughout the game (much like Mario Kart Arcade).


Me!


My friend Lindsay


Is that Rex?


TF feels pretty

Photos courtesy of my friend, Mark T. ^^

Game Break

May was for Anime Central, June was preparing for Anime Expo, July was for Otakon, and now that it's August? It's time to prep for PAX Prime! Though...*yawn*...I'm feeling pretty exhausted from the past three cons. -_- Makes me want to play games I shouldn't be playing, and you know, blog when I should be working.

Dragon Quest IX
Shortly after Dragon Quest IX was released, I went to Best Buy and picked it up. I am not to far in the game (only at level 16) and I've spent most of the clock canvassing for guests. For those of you who don't have Dragon Quest IX or haven't gotten around to this option yet, you can set your wi-fi signal on your DS to search for other Dragon Quest IX players. While sitting at my artist alley table at Otakon, I was able to just keep my DS on and search for others. Unfortunately, the maximum amount you can search for at a time is three guests. I just kept my DS open and every time I saw it reach three (which was frequent), I had to empty them into lounge. It's fun to see other people's characters, since they are so customizable. I also like how everyone can put in their own little greeting. (I wrote redstarcostumes.com as mine, a little shameless self promotion there.)

As far as the actual gameplay goes, it is a solid, basic JRPG. I dislike that you can't just explore anywhere (passages are blocked off until you get past a certain point in the game). I also miss traveling with actual characters with little stories and personalities. Now everyone in your party is "hero." Though, I realize this was to enable multi-player and that makes Dragon Quest IX a great activity with friends and loved ones. It is difficult to enjoy a single player game with multiple people (though, I try anyway). Level 5 was successful in making the basic JRPG into more of a social experience. Standard battle was kept, and we don't have to pass the controller around. I am enjoying it. Even though it completely drawn me in yet, I play almost every night before bed.

Final Fantasy XIII
I pre-ordered Final Fantasy XIII. After it was delivered, I played it for an hour, wasn't interested and didn't pick it up again until a few days ago. I went to the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds concert at Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia. It made me feel nostalgic and I wanted to play a Final Fantasy. I played the Limbo demo. It was great, and right when I was about to "unlock the full game" I realized there were a slew of games I bought recently, but haven't' opened or barely touched. (Current stack includes: Pokemon HeartGold, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, Dragon Quest IX, Final Fantasy XII, and GameFly sent over Sakura Wars.) Before I went nuts and added to my pile of games I recently obtained, I gave FFXIII another shot.

Most of the characters are unlikeable and I have no attachment to them. Hope is the biggest emo pussy I have ever seen in a Final Fantasy (also, he has a girl's name). Vanille is your standard cute girl. Don't know much about Sazh, but that baby chocobo makes me squeal every time I see it. I cannot stand Snow; he has got to be the biggest douchebag. If Ed Hardy existed in the FF universe, he would be wearing his t-shirts. Oh and Lightning? (Who, by the way, has my namesake). She is totally bad ass. Bad-ass women don't exist in games. Usually, they are sex objects who can kick ass. Lightning is pretty, but she is definitely a rare character in games.

I am still early in the game (only about three hours), and I am already tired of the tutorials. It feels like Square picked up X and XII's gameplay, combined them and somehow made it significantly inferior. The Crystariumis like the Sphere Grid in X and choosing the character's AI via roles (magic or physical attacks) and behaviour (offensive or defensive) reminds me of the gambit system. It sort of looked like they had given XIII a basic battle system (which would have been great), but decided it wasn't fancy or complicated enough. So, they had to throw in this extra bullshit that is making me go through tutorials that apparently last up to twenty hours into the game.

Being not so attached to the characters in a mediocre story line also makes surf the internet while cut scenes occur. Yet, I am still playing it. I want to give it a chance, but I think I may tire of it soon and just buy that copy of Limbo.

PAX Prime
PAX East: It just started, so it doesn't have everything together just yet. It is moving venues, so it will definitely not have everything together. It's in a cold place. It is not before the major release season. It is closer to me than Seattle is, but I think it might be a while until I start going to PAX East instead of PAX Prime. I've got my 3-day badge, my plane ticket to Seattle, and a hotel reservation. This is the best con out there, and I am very much looking forward to it.

Post-PAX East, Pre- PAX Prime

The above video is Sunday's report, all four videos (each about 2.5 minutes long) can be found on my YouTube channel.

After experiencing the plenty of space and organization of PAX 2009, PAX East had its disappointments. Despite this, I still had a great time meeting people and spending time with friends. I used to think there was nothing I could do for our business at PAX, that it was merely a vacation, but attending PAX East made me realize there's actually a few things I could be doing. Meeting certain people, cosplaying (Momohime gallery here), and being acutely aware of what all the attendees were wearing gave me some ideas. This and my disappointment with PAX East as a convention, made me long for attending PAX Prime, but I am still not sure if I can justify the cost. Oh, not to mention that PAX is my favourite convention out of the 6-7 I attend in a year.

Less than a week after PAX East, pre-registration for PAX Prime went live. It will sell out, and I found myself needing to make a decision significantly faster than I was expecting. I most likely will end up buying a badge, whether I know I'm going or not. There is a special place in my heart for PAX. I love Seattle, I like ending my summer with a bang, I love just being able to talk to anyone, and I have many fond memories of PAX. What to do, what to do...

Pre-PAX East

The schedule for PAX East was actually up back in February. I follow them on twitter, so I immediately read through it and figured out what panels and events I would like to attend.

Friday
Organizing a Child's Play Fundraiser, 5:00pm
Friday Night Concerts!, 8:30pm
Movie: The Dungeon Masters, 11:00pm

Saturday
Greetings from a Dead-Tree Dinosaur Cartoonist v1.1, 10:00am

Chiptune 5: Live Free or Chip Hard, 11:00am
Kotaku and Croal: In Search Of The Best Games Ever, 11:30am
Memes, Microcultures, and 2D Chicks: Our Future in the Otaku Gamer, 1:30pm

Sunday
Penny Arcade Panel #2, 1:00pm

I figured my list is too ambitious. I do like spending a lot of time in the exhibition hall trying out games and collecting free items. Though, with no holiday season near, I really wonder what exactly is going to be in the exhibition hall. I also will be in costume on Saturday, and I know that will probably take up a good amount of time too.

Every time I come back from PAX, I make a little write about all the games I played (here are reports from 2008 and 2009), the panels I attended, and the activities I did in the city. While writing both these reports up, I thought, "Why did I not write down the games I was playing and my impressions?" (In 2009, I was able to keep track a bit more thanks to Twitter.) This time around, I still will probably use Twitter to help, but I want to remember to carry around my little notebook so I can write more than 140 characters. Fristle also recently gave me a MinoHD camcorder. I am hoping to use that to document the con too.

I've never been to Boston, and today, I printed out directions to several different places I would like to eat. Maybe I won't be able to see all the sights, but being from Chicago, I feel like food can really define a place. Here is a list of places I am interested in: Myers and Chang, Betty's Wok and Noodle, Mike's Pastry, and The Atlantic Fish Company. I'm sure my friends will also make good suggestions too. There is also a handful of PAX parties going on at some bars/restaurants around the convention center. Kotaku, IGN, 2old2play.com, and Joystiq are all holding parties too. Maybe I'll check one of those out.

I'm arriving in Boston around 3 this Thursday, and I've got some time to kill. I was excited to find out there is a Johnny Cupcakes store nearby! In fact, there is a whole shopping area not too far from the con center. I will definitely be checking that out.

I am really excited, but have a lot to do before I leave. Momohime still needs to be finished, and I need to do laundry and pack. I was hoping to purchase some spring clothes before I leave, but I'm not sure if I'll have any time. In about 48 hours, I will be at the airport, sitting at my gate!

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

I sort of chuckled to myself when I found out there was going to be a sonic racing game. Do you remember Sonic Shuffle? If you don't, it was Sega's answer to Mario Party, and oh MAN, did it suck. There hasn't been a good Sonic game in about 10 years. On top of all this, Fristle pointed out to me the game was developed by Foundation 9, which is a collective of nameless developers who created such hits like Clifford Phonics for the PC and Race Driver 2006 for the PSP. He also pointed out the game was released for: 360, Wii, DS, PS3, PC and mobile phones. Surely, these are all signs of ultimate game failure. What was I supposed to expect from Sega's answer to Mario Kart? Well, I came across some reviews, and it turned out they weren't anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be.

My fellow gamer friend, Pernell, had the game. It's XBL compatible, so I decided to rent it from Gamefly. I have two new games sitting at home. One is Final Fantasy XIII, and the other is Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. While I did pick up FFXIII briefly and started to get the hang of its battle system, I've been more in the mood for Sega Racing. I wanted to earn those miles so I could buy the characters I wanted to play, and I wanted to unlock all 24 tracks.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a post that briefly mentioned Mario Kart Wii. Despite "playing the hell out of it," I felt it was "not that great" because I feel like I've been playing the same game forever (or maybe it was that terrible piece of plastic in the shape of a wheel). I don't dislike the Mario Kart series. I love it, actually. I was just disappointed with both the Wii and arcade versions of the game. Though, I still play them from time to time, along with the DS version.

I've been playing Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing quite a bit, and it is, essentially, Mario Kart. It's like I'm playing Mario Kart, but I can play it in LIVE party with more tracks and more characters. This was the refreshing kart-racing experience I was looking for. While I find it incredibly lame a third of the characters are from Sonic games, the amount of extraordinarily random Sega characters in the game balance it out. They are so random, even my favourite adorable zombie couple, Zobio and Zobiko, are playable characters. Zobio and Zobiko are from House of the Dead EX, an extremely fun and cute arcade game that wasn't even released here in the States. Then there is Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone. What the hell is Fantasy Zone? I don't know, but I'm sure someone is happy to see it.

Like I mentioned above, this is practically Mario Kart, so most of the attack items in the game have their Mario Kart equivalent. Green boxing gloves are green shells. Red missiles are red shells. Orange cones are banana peels. Though, each character has their special item specific to that character alone (like in Double Dash). These are called "All-Star" items/attacks, and they are easily the most amusing part of the game. Chuchus transform into that giant, evil, orange cat and wreak havoc. B.D. Joe get someone to hop in his cab, and then he drives super fast. Beat gets on his roller blades and starts zooming past everyone.

Unfortunately, the tracks only come from a few different places: Sonic, Curian Mansion, Jet Set Radio Future, Super Monkey Ball and Samba de Amigo. I think they could have pulled tracks from even more places with all the different characters they had. Though, I really do love the Japanese streets from JSRF and Curien Mansion.

All of this made me think, what if Mario Kart opened up to all Nintendo games, like Super Smash Brothers does? They could pull characters and tracks from an endless array of games. We could be racing on Earthbound, Animal Crossing, Metal Gear, Pokemon, and Metroid themed tracks. Everyone would jizz in their pants and then maybe I could love Nintendo again.

Wii Hope

At this point in my life, I do not pledge 100% allegiance to any one particular console. I am not a fan of Microsoft, but because of how well-implemented their LIVE system is and their large library of games, I use my 360 the most. I had really high hopes for the PS3, and feel it is the most capable, but their online system leaves a lot to be desired. (Well, at least it's free.) Admittedly, I don't think anything makes me cringe more than the Wii. I want to love it. I really do, but Nintendo keeps pissing me off. It's the only system you can get Scene it? Twilight and The Bachelor and Bachelorette game is exclusive to Nintendo.

Yesterday, I was picking up craft foam for my Momohime costume. (Which is ironically a character from a Wii game I absolutely love.) I decided to look through the spring and summer pattern catalogs when I came across this, a sewing pattern called "workout accessories." It includes: a case for your Wiimotes and balance board, a headband and slippers. I'm not entirely sure who works out wearing slippers and a polo shirt, and I doubt many people travel with their balance board and Wiimotes. Looks like The Simplicity Creative Group was trying capitalize of the Wii Fit's success. (This sort of reminds me of when Obama became president and the most ridiculous merchandise came out; from commemorative plates to dildos.)

The fact this pattern exists tells me the same people looking through pattern catalog books for dog clothes and prom dresses are buying the Nintendo Wii. That's why the Wii makes me (and every other gamer who owns one) cry inside. I keep insisting it's going to get better. I don't have this $200 white box sitting under my TV for nothing. These are the reasons I insist:

Fragile Dreams - An adventure game developed by Namco where you play a boy wandering around a macabre world of ghosts and demons.

Monster Hunter Tri - It's been explained to me as "an adult's Pokemon." I was always interested in it, and now it's being localized for a system I have.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - The first game was named Game of the Year by IGN. Now there's no longer a secret code on the cover saying U R gay, let's see what this one has in store for us.

Metroid: Other M - Team Ninja.

Guilty Party - I think it's great to see a Disney game that is not based off any of their movies. I look forward to checking out what's been called a cross between Zack and Wiki and Clue.

Epic Mickey - Warren Spector.

Wii Ware:

Max and the Magic Marker - A challenging 2D platformer that uses cute looks and real geometry.

Cave Story - Missed this one-man made game on the PC? Well, here it is on your Wii!

Fristle is a fellow gamer (who also happens to be my boyfriend). Last November, I made an extended visit to his house on the East Coast and I brought my Wii with me. I wanted to show him it was a good console to have. I brought most of my games, and I feel like I failed in trying to prove the Wii's worth. Though, with all these upcoming games, maybe I can bring it back next November and show that it is worth it.

Spotted game logos in short film, "Logorama"

Logorama is a short, animated film about an epic chase of wanted criminal, Ronald McDonald. It is nominated for a 2010 Oscar. The movie is made up of an infinite amount of logos, and includes a few game ones! Below are a few screenshots I took.

Nintendo logo on the doors of a bus

Ronald McDonald riding a Grease bike while passing an EA logo

Ronald sliding in front of a Nintendo logo

An XBOX hole in the ground

Rockstar

More Nintendo

It's hard to catch all the logos in this movie in only one sitting. Even watching it twice, I don't think I caught everything. It's a fun 16-minute film and you can watch it in full here (NSFW).

Final Fantasy XIII Pre-Order Bitterness

After putting great thought into this decision, I begrudgingly pre-ordered Final Fantasy XIII for the 360. A $25 Amazon gift card from my favourite cousin and a $10 game credit made it slightly less painful.

I'm tired of Tetsuya Nomura's character designs. I loved them in Final Fantasy X, the first Kingdom Hearts, and the World Ends with You. Though, I can only take so many spiky haired androgynous people wearing 32 belts. I can't stand the blindly devoted fans. It is also irritating to see two different numbers or a subtitle after "Final Fantasy." It will undoubtedly sell whether it is good or bad. This will cause them to make money off these titles, and stay with them, while something new, better, and creative (like The World Ends with You) gets ignored.

My brother has a PS3 he shares with me. He keeps it in the living room so that we may both play it. I have a 360. He is primarily a PC gamer, so I keep this system in my room. I prefer my quiet time playing a game on my 360 then having to worry about others using the communal entertainment system. Though, I do watch Blu-rays and own a few PS3 titles. I had to choose which version I wanted. Well, what I really wanted the PS3 version. I prefer the PS3 controller to the 360 controller. (Also, click here and here to see why.) And three discs and almost 20 GB?! This is going to sound sort of stupid, but I want to play video on my futon in my underwear without anyone bothering me.

I've heard the mixed reviews, and the screen shots don't impress me.

Before Final Fantasy XII was released, EGM published a picture of rainbows and unicorns. The caption was "new artwork from Final Fantasy XII." It turned out to be a joke, but I believed it. It genuinely looked like it was from the game, especially after seeing the character artwork of Vaan. I was incredibly turned off by this. Yet, I found out Squeenix chose Akihiko Yoshida as their character designer and the game took place in Ivalice, the beloved world of Final Fantasy Tactics. In fact, it turned out to be my favourite Final Fantasy (keep in mind, I have only played through three of them). To me, that game was all about the combat, and not much about the story. The story was far from original, but I still managed to become attached to several of the characters. I'm more interested in unique combat systems and enjoyable gameplay. Although I love to get to know characters in game, at this point, I feel like I've seen all the stories in a JRPG.

I doubted XII, but ended up loving it. Maybe my doubt for XIII could end the same way? Also, Jeremy Parish's preview made me feel more secure about what I was buying.

"Because players are presented with multiple different situations on the field, in a lot of senses FFXIII is more like an FPS than an RPG," says director Motomu Toriyama. And it's true: The game consists almost entirely of dungeons, with enemies placed about the field to force players to consider their options as they attempt to advance along the path the game presents them with. Towns and villages are waypoints rather than destinations. And while battles still cut to a separate screen in the traditional RPG style, both the layout of the quest and the way players interact with enemies on the field give FFXIII a hybrid feel, as if Final Fantasy had collided with a modern action game like God of War or Bayonetta.

Nevertheless, I really shouldn't be saying anything until I've played it. :p

You kids and your not-so-memorable games

For as long as I can remember, I remember video games being in my life. I was 4, maybe 5 when the very first console entered our home. It was, of course, an NES. I remember the majority of the games we had clearly. So clearly, I can remember the game's names, can hum some of their music, imitate sound effects, and picture going from screen to screen in my head. Considering I can't really remember anything else from when I was 5, those must've been some games. I remember having: 1942, Bases Loaded, Contra, Metal Gear, Mega Man, Rad Racer, Super Mario Brothers, and The Legend of Zelda. I also remember playing other ones at friends' and family's homes like Dr. Mario or Yoshi's Cookie.

Of course, sometimes, I remember things I loved as a child, come back to them as an adult and then realize it wasn't as great as I thought it was. I have not come back to the majority of the games I listed, though I have stuck with some of their franchises. I'm not saying the NES had nothing but totally awesome games, but they were so memorable, I don't remember anything else from that time.

My nephew is now 5. He will be 6 in May. His name is Tony. My sister bought him a Wii this past Christmas. I know most of scoff at the Wii, but the titles are improving...slowly. I keep mine for a reason. Tony loves Super Mario Brothers Wii, which I have yet to play. (I find multi-payer without online is no longer a selling point to me.) Then he has complete garbage like Nascar Kart Racing? I actually picked up and played this with him for a bit. It was...uninspired. There was nothing creative about it. The controls with the Wiimote and nunchuck were wonky, and I don't know anything about Nascar. So, the little super deformed versions of the drivers didn't appeal to me. It made me wonder how many of the games he is playing now he will remember in twenty years. I'm a firm believer in, "Don't knock it 'til you try it," but I really don't want to try any of Ubisoft's Imagine games.

I don't want this to be a "remember the good old days" post saying things like talking about how games (for kids, or a general audience) just aren't what they used to be. Maybe it was better because I had never seen it before. When my sister asked what games to buy for Tony, I suggested Mario Kart. I own this game, and if I think about it, it's not that great. It is worlds better than Nascar Kart Racing, and I played the hell out of it, but...it's just not that great. On the SNES? The N64? It was awesome. On the Wii? Well, not much has changed. You'd think that would be a good thing, but I've seen this game for almost 20 years now. They say Final Fantasy XIII is receiving mixed Western reviews. We've seen so many linear RPGs. Maybe, as adult gamers, we just want a change in our gaming experience.

First Sugar Gamers Post

According to the ESA, the male to female ratio is 60/40. I am a female gamer. This is mind boggling to me. I tried see if I maybe I could figure out my male to female friend ratio, as all of my friends are gamers. Well, I have a dinner party coming up, and invited 27 local friends who I have known for years. Three of them are female.

In 2008 and 2009, I attended Penny Arcade Expo where the population was alarmingly male. Definitely not this 60/40 nonsense the ESA is trying to tell me. A while back, I received an invitation on Facebook from Keisha to join Sugar Gamers. I thought a community of local female gamers was a fantastic idea because as you can see, I know very few female gamers. So, I really appreciate that this group exists and am glad to be a part of it!

I am not only a gamer, but I am also an anime fan. I find it pretty often the two can go hand in hand (like the Bleach game developed by Treasure). I also happen to be a hardcore cosplayer. I co-own a small online costume commission business called RedStar Costumes & Clothing. I attend anywhere between four and seven conventions a year. Currently, the costume I am working on for myself is Momohime from Muramasa, which is the only game I really play on the Wii. When it is finished I will definitely link some pictures.