Tag: Japan

First Impression: PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (Switch) ~ Playing Around With Curses

Nintendo.com microsite – Square Enix microsite

How far will you go to revive somebody from the death? Do you believe in the paranormal, or are those just story mechanics for a great campfire story? Those are some questions you have to ask yourself while playing this game. A horror visual novel that got released in March 2023, developed and published by Square Enix. Currently, you can play this game on the Nintendo Switch and Steam. But, you can also play it on your mobile phone. But wait a minute, that might be a worrying sign. If this game is also playable on phones, it might be filled with microtransactions or might not have too much depth. Now, I have already played a bunch of this game so, I’ll tell you if you should play or skip this game in this spoiler free review/first impression of this game. So, let’s dive right into it while I invite you to leave a comment in the comment section with your thoughts and/or opinions on the game and/or the content of this article.

Editorial note: this game is rated 16+ and covers some subjects that might be sensitive for some people. Digression is advised.

Playing Around With Curses

I have quite the weak spot for adventure visual novels. Games that take you through a tense and thrilling story with a lot of twists and turns. Games like the Zero Escape trilogy, Danganronpa, Trace Memory and Death Mark are just a few examples that come to mind. So, when I read in the flavor text in the Nintendo eShop that this game takes you on a journey to discover the truth behind seven folk tale mysteries… Oh man, I purchased the game right away.

And let me tell you, the flavor text isn’t lying in the eShop. The story of this game really delivers. The story is indeed about how far would somebody go to bring somebody back from the death. There is no voice acting in this game, but the pacing of the text and the sound effects really add to the atmosphere.

In this game, you also play as different characters. You’ll experience the story from their perspective. Slowly, but surely, you get more pieces of the puzzle before everything falls into place. The story is the strongest point in this game, and it took some fascinating twists. It left me puzzled several times, and it hooked me into playing the next chapter or trying to look for a solution when I got stuck.

That’s something that can happen. You can get stuck in a chapter because you need to finish something else in another chapter. Thankfully, we have a helper. The storyteller is there to help you when you reach a game over or a dead end. When you reach that dead end or game over several times, the storyteller gives some small hint to nudge you into the right direction to progress in the game. It’s an amazing system, since you don’t get the solution right away, but you don’t get frustrated because you are stuck or don’t directly understand what you need to do differently.

It’s more than a painting

You might have noticed from the screenshots, but visually, this game looks like a dark version of Okami. Everything in this game is hand drawn in a sort of manga/comic book style. And not only that, the environments are drawn with the help of the Tourism Division, the local museum, local community and the tourist association of Sumida, Tokyo. So, we are exploring places that are based or extremely close to how they look in real life.

Visually, the game looks gorgeous. Something that surprised me even more is that even with the few animations this game has during dialogues and gameplay segments, this game is still quite immersive. Together with great use of sound effects, camera angles and filters… the well paced dialogue really comes to live. Sometimes I really felt that I was standing next to the characters.

While I can totally understand that some people would want a bit more expression and visual stuff happening in their games, I think they found the right balance in this game. The only thing that sometimes looks a bit weird are the mouth movements of some characters. I felt like the mouth opened a bit too wide. But then again, I don’t speak any Japanese, so who I’m to judge?

In various places, you can look around in 360°. And sometimes that hides secrets. There are 20 hidden stickers of Mocking Birds in this game. And let me tell you, they are hidden quite well. You have to really investigate the area’s really well to find them all. In your overview of the stickers you have or haven’t collected, you can see a little hint on the ones you haven’t collected. And let me tell you, these hints are extremely vague. One hint even says: “Jackpot”.

Now, this brings me to the UI. Let’s first talk about the menu’s before we talk about the gameplay. The main menu of this game is extremely simple. You have a resume button, a button for the options menu and a button for the credits. Now, in game, the pause/inventory menu is opened by pressing “X”. Now, you can control this menu two ways. You can either use the left joystick as a sort of mouse pointer and the “A” button to click. Or, you can navigate it almost all the other buttons. It took a little bit of getting used to, but as soon as I got the hang of it… It was quite easy.

You can also see a dialogue log in this pause menu, which is sometimes very handy when you clicked something away too fast or just want to read up on something. There is also quite the extensive file system. There is a lot of information stored in there that also gets updated the further you get into the game. You always get a notification if something gets added or updated, and you can see the updated or added files easily in the “New” tab. The only thing I’m missing from these files is a sort of search feature. Since, sometimes I have to dig a bit too much… But then again, that’s half the fun of the game, too.

This game has an amazing autosave feature. When you exit the game and restart it, you almost always pick up right from where you left off. There is also a save and load system. You get five save slots, but you can load these from the main menu. If you want to use these save slots to share the game with somebody else… Be wary of the autosave, since it overwrites quite quickly. So, with a bit of using the manual save/load system you can have different profiles, but that isn’t built in.

Choose your words wisely.

In this game, you have to be on your toes. You really need to be careful how you approach each interaction, since one wrong move can mean the end.

Thankfully, this game isn’t a kinetic novel. There is some gameplay in this game. First, you have to look around for clues to progress into the story. Sometimes you can’t even progress in a dialogue when you haven’t found the right clues in the area.

Second, you have to choose the right dialogue options. Like I said earlier, be careful that you choose the right option.

Third, there are some puzzles. The biggest hint I can give you in these puzzles is that you really need to take note of what you learn. Sometimes, the answer to a previous puzzle or another chapter can give you a hint to solve the new puzzle.

Now, something that might put people off from this game is that this game is on the light side in terms of gameplay. I feel that this game could have benefitted from a bit more puzzles, different from choosing the correct path in a dialogue tree. While the game and story is still fun and a blast to go through, I feel like some chapters are more used as exposition dumps than as gameplay. But then again, if you’d ask me to give an example, I’d draw a blank. Maybe more puzzles would ruin the pacing? It’s something on which I’m on the fence about.

If I really have to critique something in this game, then it’s lack of a sensitivity slider for the mouse cursor in the options menu. The speed is perfectly fine in handheld mode, but if you play this game on a bigger TV, it’s a bit too slow. Another complaint I have read about this game is how you have to enter the dialogue tree after you finish a conversation, that might be annoying for some people, but I didn’t find that too big of a deal.

Something I can’t complain about is the music in this game. The music in this game is already a part of my playlist of amazing video game music. It really adds to the atmosphere of the game, and it’s a joy to listen too. It’s also used in very effective ways to make scenes more tense or scary when they need too. If I’d have to describe the soundtrack of this game, I’d say that it’s something like AI: The Somnium Files. I can’t really put a genre on it for the life of me.

Now, this game is only 20 euros on the eShop. For that, you get a 12 to 14 hour game. I have to say, that it’s quite impressive that we get a full game like for that price. It has no silly DLC or microtransactions. So, that’s another bonus for this game.

Just like how you have different control options in this game. You can play this game without your Joycons at all. Well, only in handheld mode that is. Granted, the point-and-click interface might be a bit slow on big TV’s with a controller and the menu UI needs a bit of getting used too, but those are the only complaints I have about the controls.

In general, if you enjoy games like I said in the introduction… This game is a no-brainer recommendation. It’s one of the better visual novel games that I have played recently and apart from a few slower moments, I have barely anything negative to say about this game that doesn’t go in the nitpicky category. Now, if you don’t like reading too much in your games or want more action in your adventure games… I can almost assure you that this game isn’t for you. But, it might be worth it to check out a let’s play online, since this story is really something. It really throws you for a loop sometimes and really takes you on a ride.

In any case, that’s everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I want to thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

First Impression: Persona 5 Strikers (Switch) ~ Let’s Steal Hearts

Persona5StrikersWikipedia’s entry – Nintendo.com microsite

I have heard so much about the Persona series, I got so hyped when a new game was coming to the Nintendo Switch. While I know that it’s a spin-off game compared to the mainline series, I honestly found the spin on the gameplay rather interesting. This game is a cross between a Warrior’s game and a Persona game. Now, I have played a little of Persona 3 Golden last year and that made my hype levels for this game even bigger. So, now that I have beaten the first section of the game, I think it’s high time for me to talk about this game and give you my opinions on the game. While I do that, I invite you to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and opinions on the game and/or the content of this article. 

Let’s steal hearts

p5strikers3

In this game, you pick up the role of the protagonist of Persona 5 again. The events of this game take place 4 months after the events in Persona 5. The Phantom Thieves are having a reunion together when a campaigning trip is planning. Of course, since this is a video game, it doesn’t take long before the plot reveals itself and trouble arrives. 

Strange things happen around a famous fashion model and pop star Alice and then our lovely Phantom Thieves discover something that is quite close to the “Palaces” they know so well. Yet, this time it’s called a jail. In this jail, the desires are stolen from the people which make them fall a “little more than” head over heels with Alice. But, that’s not the only thing that happens. Our lovely Phantom Thieves also discover this strange girl called Sophia who is an AI who forgot all her memories and wants to be human’s best companion. 

That’s the hook of the first episode of this game. In terms of story, this game doesn’t disappoint at all. Especially, because I haven’t played Persona 5, the writing and pacing of the story explains who is who so easily, it’s a breeze to pick this game up without having to play through Persona 5 first.

I also have to say that the outstanding voice acting does help here too. It really sucks me into the game, the atmosphere and breathes so much life in the characters. To the point that when I come to a part that isn’t voice acted, I actually read it with a poor imitation of the character’s voice in my head. A quick sidenote about the voice acting during gameplay, the various repeating lines add so much to the game. I thought I might get tired of them after a few repeats, but that is far from the case, just like it was for me in a game like Fire Emblem Warriors. 

I can’t pinpoint exactly why but the story really clicks with me. Like, I really like how you explore the trauma of one character, and before they move on, it gets fully resolved. The writing is excellent, the story has a lot of charm and character. It has it’s funny and more serious moments and I totally understand why so many people fell in love with the Persona franchise. After playing this game and Persona 3 Golden, I think I might become a fan of the franchise myself as well. One of the things that makes me want to continue the game is the story. I want to steal and heal hearts to help people overcome trauma’s and explore subjects that don’t always get the right attention. 

RPG or Warriors?

p5strikers2

The gameplay of this game is in my opinion the perfect mix between a turn based RPG and a Warrior’s game. 

Since the first city in this game doesn’t have any side quests, I’ll only focus on the gameplay in the jail for this article. So, in the jails you can freely explore the area while enemies roam around. When you ambush an enemy or get spotted, you enter a sort of small Warrior-style battle. Where a lot of enemies spawn, and you have to hack and slash your way through. 

If you ambush them (attack them without being seen), you get the advantage. If you get spotted and the enemies attack you first, you get dizzy at the start of the battle, so the enemies can get some free shots in. So, this game has a type system that you can compare quite roughly to Pokémon in a way. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s up to you to choose the correct allies in a battle to fight the enemies ahead. 

The game also has hacking sections where the game plays more like a Warrior’s game than an RPG. In these sections you have to defend The Oracle while she is hacking into the system. Meanwhile, a swarm of enemies attack and their only focus is to destroy the Oracle. 

So far, this is the 3rd Warrior’s spin off I have played. Actually, the 4th depending on how you count. I have played Hyrule Warriors (and like I said, depending on how you count: Hyrule Warriors – Age of Calamity), Fire Emblem Warriors and now Persona 5 Strikers. And out of these games, I have to say that I feel that Persona 5 Strikers has the best balance between both game styles. 

This game still feels like a “normal” Persona game but with the big exception that the whole battle system is replaced by Warrior style gameplay.  And it works remarkably well. I found it a blast trying to find the best strategies to dodge enemy attacks while I tried to attack them back. The risk and reward system of using your special powers compared the environment items is amazing. 

Each character has their own unique playstyle where their character and personality shines through. The game might be a bit overwhelming at first since there are a lot of things you have to keep track of. From leveling up your characters and their persona’s, to weapons and armor, to finding enough treasures and things to have enough healing items and even a bond system where you can level up unique perks that’ll make each playthrough somewhat different from each other. 

It didn’t take long before I got used to all the mechanics and found myself extremely hooked on the game. Depending on the difficulty you choose to play this game in, this game provides the right amount of challenge in my opinion. A few times, I got quite frustrated at a battle and when I put the game down and picked it up back later, I was able to beat that section. 

Don’t forget to save

p5strikersNow, most of my time with the first chapter has been spent inside the jail of Alice. There is some time you can spend in the overworld to buy items, weapons, and armor. With the extremely responsive and smooth controls, I always felt in control and only rarely felt that the game did something unfair. 

If you have read some of my previous articles, you might know that I find good UI design extremely important and this game delivers that in spades. The menus are extremely well crafted and somewhat fun to use since you see small interactions between the Phantom Thieves that flesh them out so much more. 

This brings me to the striking visual presentation of this game. The visuals look amazing. The charm and character that is put into the visuals is outstanding. This game’s style is a combination of a Saturday morning anime and a manga/superhero comic. It’s also quite bold and not afraid to use the style to its full potential. Nothing feels out of place in my opinion. 

When it comes to the animations, these are good as well. Well, maybe this might be on me but I feel that some animations don’t give enough feedback to the player. For example, I found it quite tricky to know where my character was on the battlefield since the combat animations can throw you all over the battlefield. 

Something that might be either a sound effect problem and/or a visual problem is the lack of feedback in combat sometimes. The reaction of an effective and a non-effective attack is so similar to me, it was tricky to separate them in combat. Thankfully, the characters repeat multiple times which type of attack you need to use and when you need to be careful when your HP/SP is running low or when a status is inflicted. This is a nice middle ground to solve an issue to avoid making this game too complex or lose too much of its visual style. 

So, let’s talk about the music and sound effects shall we? Let’s start with the sound effects in this game. In my opinion, this game is walking a fine line between too much and too little sound effects. Overall, the sound effects and the sound mixing is quite good, but sometimes this game has a lot of visual information to process and the sound effects can get a tiny bit distracting. All the while, like I explained in the previous paragraph, they are quite helpful when a character shouts at you to be careful or use a certain attack to defeat an enemy. 

I wish I knew more about music, so I was able to describe the amazing soundtrack to you. Even before I started playing the Persona games, I fell in love with the unique uplifting soundtrack of these games. There are tracks with and without vocals and the Japanese and English versions are so amazing to listen to. So, really great stuff. 

One of the things I really needed to get used to was the fact that there is no “auto save” in this game. If you want to avoid loosing too much progress, keep in mind to save often at save points, or before you enter a dungeon since otherwise you might regret it. You only get a game over when all 4 party members faint. Otherwise, you can continue on playing. But, don’t forget to save since it needs to happen manually. 

And with that said, I have said almost everything I wanted to say about this game. There are a few things I’ll go more in depth about if I ever finish this game and write a review about this game, but the most important things are already said. I think this game is excellent and if you enjoy (Persona) RPG’s, Warrior spin-off games, adventure games and/or action games… You owe it to yourself to check this game out. To be honest, apart from the manual saving, I barely find any flaws with this game or things I really didn’t like. 

So, thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

(12+) Waifu Fight: Dango Style (PC) ~ Featuring Priom

waifu-fight-logo.png

Official website

Some time ago, the developers from Waifu Fight Dango Style asked me to take a look at their game. So, today we are going to take a look at it. But, I wanted to do something special. I asked my friend Priom to also take a look at this game. He wrote his review over at Arpegi forum. I advise you to read his review first before you continue to read my article. So, in my article, I’m going to quote his opinion and then write mine. So, we are having a “fight” of our own. Before I try to force out a joke too much, let’s get right into the review of this game. Note, that I have put “12+” in the title. Since some visual elements aren’t for younger audiences. But, hey. Enough stalling. Let’s go reviewing. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of the article. One thing, I have to stress that this review isn’t a paid review!

Note: This game is still under development. So, the things said in this review might have been changed if an update gets released. We both played Alpha v2.18 for this review. 

Do you want to meet the developers of this game? They are going to be attending these cons: Corpus Christi Comic Con in Texas on 22nd – 23th July and San Japan X in Texas on 1st, 2nd and 3rd September.

Continue reading “(12+) Waifu Fight: Dango Style (PC) ~ Featuring Priom” →

First Impression: Fantasy Life (3DS) ~ Strangely Fun.

Fantasy_Life_box_artNintendo.com entry

I was very surprised that Level5 published a game like this. While I was silently hoping to a sequel of Professor Layton, or a spin-off, they published a game with similar graphical vibe. But don’t let it fool you, the fantasy and the life is quite different in this game. After playing 3-ish hours of it, it’s time to write an article about it, since I’m quite enjoying myself. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and or the content of this article. 

Graphically Layton?

HNI_0029

Maybe it’s only me, but this game gave me a Professor Layton feeling. At least, on the surface. Possibly the used some assets from the Layton game. But hey, let’s not think about the biggest series this developer created, in this article we are talking about Fantasy Life.

This game must have been a nightmare to develop. Since all the different classes play differently. I’m quite curious if the overall story stays the same in the different classes. Also, the fact that you can change your class in mid-game, is just mind-blowing and quite a risky move of Level5. I hope the game stays challenging and doesn’t make the mistake that The Legend of Zelda – A Link Between Worlds made. That game was also more free than other games, yet the difficulty curve was off.

While the story has some plot twists, I was able to see some coming. But I’m quite sure that to a child or a casual gamer, the plot twists might come more as a surprise. Overall, the writing is excellent. The characters can be a tad bit generic in some cases, but they are written so well that I had a few moments that made me smile, not only as a critic but also as a writer.

Quests

112518_3DS_FL_Character_UK_01

I was on the fence for buying this game. I actually had it pre-ordered but cancelled my pre-order since I lost interest in the game. But now that I gave it a chance, I was quite surprised. The gameplay is nothing what I expected. If you aren’t doing a story quest, you can roam around freely and solve people’s daily needs.

The quest system, while quite fun, isn’t 100% perfect. Sometimes quite important information isn’t in the quest log, the quest log is out of order, and you can’t have a map where all the accepted quests are located. The quest logging could have been done better, in my opinion. While I’m beating it, I’ll surely try out all features of the quest log. Maybe I’m overlooking some things and bashing it, while it’s not needed at all.

You have three sorts of quests. Each give you a different reward. From dosh (currency) to stars (allow you to grow in your class) and bliss (expand the game.). The different quests yield so many different yet satisfying rewards that I explore the world in quite more depth than I usually would. Then my coin dropped. (Dutch expression for releasing something.) This was totally the designers’ intention to help you explore the world. It’s quite deep, honestly. Apart from some aspects, that is.

At the moment of writing, I’m in the magic class. They actually passed on a great opportunity for the magic combat. When you use fire attacks on forest mobs, they don’t increase the damage. Also, your mana replenishes so slow, it’s painful. And the quite expensive potions only give you 10 mana back. Yup, only 10 mana. And the free water bottles you pick up, give 5. That’s so not enough!

So, the magician is long ranged combat. What I love about this game is that the target system works so nicely. I can easily circle around my enemy while trying to defeat it. If only there was an easier way to switch weapons. It would have been less of a pain when I would have been able to quickly switch to my dagger if my mana ran out.

Game systems

02_b8sw

In the last section of this article, I want to talk about the overall game. I can’t judge on the box and such, since I own this game thanks to the eShop.

The game controls quite fine. While I sometimes have the impression that they switched some buttons around from similar games, I can easily adjust.

Graphically, this game is just amazing. This game gave my impressions of Professor Layton, while it’s really nothing similar. The look, the animation, color pallet and level design is just really well done. Maybe they should have planned out the shops a bit better. Like the furniture shop closer to the wallpaper and flooring shop. Also, why can’t I sell furniture?  I bought by accident two items when I needed one. -sigh-

Something I would have done differently is the icons on the touch screen. They take up quite a bit of space on the map. While it’s not a big deal, I honestly don’t like various icons on my map. I would have made a bar at the bottom of the touch screen with the buttons on it. That would have been way easier to organize. Speaking about the map mode, it’s quite handy. I can safely say that it helped me out of some tricky situations. It’s clear, and you can’t get lost thanks to it. If only you were able to have an overview map. Since if you tap on the map button, you get an overview of the map of the whole game. Thankfully, there are buttons for quick travel.

Anyway, I’m nearing my usual article limit. So, it’s time to wrap this article up. I still have quite a lot to talk about, but I will keep that for my review if I beat this game. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Furthermore, I can honestly recommend this game to you. Also, feel free to drop by on a later date! I try to publish an article each week. So, maybe until next week.

First Impression: Okami (Wii) ~ Drawn.

Okami-wiiHD remake site

So, this game has been remade into a HD remake. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite Wii games. It’s also one of my favorite games ever made. Now, it’s a big shame that I never wrote about this game. In addition to that, I haven’t been writing about Wii games as much as I like. The console is pretty close to my heart. Since it’s the first console I owned AND I got it for finishing my studies at high school. This game originally came out for the PS2. I was really amazed that the PS2 could handle this kind of games. But I learned that later, since I felt like this game was made for the Wii. The motion controls truly blow the PS2 version out of the water. But, is this game as good as I’m claiming? Or am I blinded by nostalgia here? Well, let’s take a look to this game. Feel free to leave a comment on the game and or my article. But anyways, let’s start. 

Game of legends

24077_Okami-53

The story in this game is something special. The opening scene gives you a feel that the story is going to be one you have experienced already before with other characters.

But trust me, the opening of this game doesn’t show at all what this story has in store for you.

I nearly had beaten the game, but then a friend of mine saved over my save file by accident. So, I lost all my progress. I was really bummed out since this is a rather lengthy game. I peeked at the walkthrough, and while I was nearing the end… I had put around 40 hours into this game.

At it’s core, you can compare Okami a bit with the Zelda series. While that series focuses more on saving Zelda with a twist, Okami gives you something truly different. As good as everything in the game is based on Japanese lore. I’m not kidding you. At the end of this game, you have seen a lot of Japanese myths and stories, without even knowing it.

For this reason, I won’t go every in-depth with the story. It’s too beautifully crafted to have something spoiled for you. The only thing I will tell you is that you play a wolf god who travels with a bug-sized warrior-artist.

The writing can be funny at some times and I had times where the story nearly made me emotional. This story is one that takes your attention and doesn’t give it back until you have beaten the game.

HD graphics? No need for that!

okami wii fire

I use this game as an example to defend Nintendo when people are bashing them for not having a console that can render HD graphics. Now they do with the Wii U.

But this game in general proves a point. You don’t need amazing realistic graphics to have an eye-candy game. The art style truly looks amazing. You get the feeling that every character, scenery, animation… is drawn by hand. Well, not just drawn, water painted. Which is a lot more difficult then just drawing. Because when you mess up with paint, you can’t easily erase it.

The game looks stunning. You can truly feel the love and devotion the team put into this game. And every single place is memorable in it’s own right. Because this is an adventure (action) game, there is backtracking. But in this game, that’s not a bad thing. Since almost in each area, there are parts you can only access with certain powers you obtain later in the game. So, you can discover new things and find treasures even after the main story has already happened on that place.

I can honestly talk about the visual aspect of this game for a long time, but sadly, I have to mention a negative here. There is a rare bug that I experienced several times. There is this weapon you can use to attack enemies with. It’s a yellow magenta kind of thing; While it’s one of my favorite weapons to use, the graphics can go glitch out. You know that you’re affected by this when you don’t see the heads of the characters anymore, since they are stretched out. And I have even worse news, you will have to skip cutscenes then. Since they all glitch out. The glitch can only be fixed by running to a save portal and saving the game. When you restart then, the graphics are thankfully fixed.

Playing this game

okami-wii-ps2-screenshot-wiLong time readers of my blog know the drill by now, this segment is actually the part where I close off the first impression. But I have only talked about how beautiful this game is and how strong the story is.

Now, I can’t fit the gameplay, music, difficulty, controls and such in this final segment. It wouldn’t do the game justice.

Surely, I will talk about those things more in depth in  the review, if I ever write it, so don’t worry. You will hear my opinion on it.

Honestly, I truly think that you should play this game for yourself. This game is a game that benefits more playing blindly then reading up about it before you play it. A great tip that I give you is that you have a tablet or a laptop close to look up the actual myths and lore behind the game. Since you will find amazing stories.

To close off this article, let me get one thing clear. Is this game a clone of the Zelda formula? Well, yes and no. There are a lot of similar elements to the Zelda formula but it has it’s own unique elements that make it a very different game then Zelda. But, what I can tell you for sure is that this game is a blast to play for every Zelda fan! You would be a fool to let this game go under your radar and never play it.

Anyways, I think I’ll leave it here. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I couldn’t stop myself writing about this game. Hopefully I see you another time!

First Impression: Pokémon Black & White (DS) ~ Late to the party.

Pokemon_Black_Box_Artwork

Official website

Before start this blog, I want to apologize for not posting for a while. I have been quite busy with my personal life. Follow me on my twitter if you need to know more. Anyways, I realize too that I am extremely late starting to play this entry in the Pokémon series. But I have distracted by other games. Yeah, that excuse will convince you. I hope. Anyways, I’m playing it now and as long time Pokémon fan I feel mixed about this entry. And I shall explain why in this first impression. Remember that these is what I think when first playing the game. Anyways, I’m going to play the sequel after this and I will probably buy the next installment on the 3DS. Anyways, let me know in the comments what you think of my opinion and what you thought yourself when you first started to play this game. Oh, and I place the Pokémon Black box-art here since that’s the version I’m playing through.

Updated yet step back.

516677-pokemon-black-version-nintendo-ds-screenshot-title-screenThis game has a few flaws. And I want to direct here. This game feels like how Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Gates To Infinity cuts a lot of things. It’s a great game in many ways but I dislike many things. One major example is the unhandy menu.

Seriously, who thought of the menu? It’s such a neat idea for having some items like the drowsing machine on the bottom screen but the menu is also displayed on that bottom screen. So what happens is that you have to switch if you want to take something from your bag. This could easily have been avoided or solved if they used tabs in this game to easily switch between your items.

What I feel is a downfall in this game is that the creativity in the Pokémon design is a bit lacking. Some Pokémon don’t look as original as all the previous generations. I keep asking myself, why don’t they stop creating new Pokémon and just use the overflow of Pokémon they have? The legendary Pokémon don’t feel as legendary anymore either.

Also, they removed the ability of a Pokémon running behind you. A feature I extremely liked in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. It does make those games more unique and it gives them a reason to replay them yet the PokéWalker was doing that for Nintendo already.

And what I also find disappointing as well is the fact you can’t name your friends. This which such a nice feature in every previous game. Now they just have names already. Awn, no fun Game Freak.

More 3D

imagesVisually this game is extremely well done. In presentation of the world, it’s a great job. The seasons are such an amazing idea and the Pokémon that fly by, it pulled me into the game without a doubt. Yet, I wished that the seasons where set with the calender instead of somewhat random. Since it confuses me that it’s autumn in the game while it’s summer here for me.

Apart from some not so creative Pokémon, this game brings a lot of features I like to the table. A feature where you can quickly access often used features is such a great addition. I said earlier that the drowsing machine has gotten an amazing upgrade. The trainer card is what it’s supposed to be now. You can make a greeting, put your mood and your trainer style! Great work.

I love running through the new world. The camera is such a nice thing. In certain area’s it shows you the area’s from the side or from other directions. Something I felt that was missing from the series for a long time.

The battles, while not perfect, have gotten a major step in the right direction. The battle screen is more animated and the camera moves more with the attacks instead of standing still. The animation is one of the better I have seen in the Pokémon games and it really sets the bar high for the next games.

Nods to the older games

large

This game does feel more realistic. But I doubt if this will make the game timeless. But that’s something that we will need to see in the future. But the game’s story is one that caught my attention. It’s different and it’s really fine from what I read now.

But the game has also nods to the older games. It like starting your journey at a young age or the guys of GameFreak putting themselves in the game. Nice easter egg guys.

The music is enjoyable but doesn’t have the magic that older music has. It’s probably the nostalgia factor for me but it’s not bad. The sound effects are what you are used to of Pokémon.

The game has a lot to offer. It seems that this game is extremely long too. And finally, there is now a good reason to choose between the two versions. Pokémon Black and White have a location that is exclusive to that game. The difference isn’t simply some Pokémon and the legendary one anymore. Thank the lords.

In conclusion, this game does a lot to pull you in. There are a lot of features I haven’t yet seen in the game. Like wild battles with two Pokémon instead of one, I haven’t messed around with that enough to give my full opinion. It’s clear to me already that this game is a good game but it’s far from perfect. It’s a step in the right direction for the series. So, another game I will have to review when I finally finished it. Oh dear, I better get back to playing so I can post my final thoughts on it. Take care and thanks for reading!