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.