• 24Aug 11

  Thoughts on Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World + Turn-Based Games

  Greetings everyone.
  
  A few weeks ago, I bought two games on Steam called Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World for $3 together (that's right,2 games for only 3 bucks ).Recently, I've completed them and wanted to share what I thought about the games with you guys. First thing I'll say straight up is that I had a lot of fun with both of these games and getting both of them combined for $3 is a total steal.
  
  The games are RPGs that are both tributes to the jRPG genre and parodies of the cliches and common themes found withing the typical jRPG. As such, if you've ever liked any jRPG games then you'll have a lot of fun with these games. The story and plot progression are absolutely crazy and hilarious (or at the very least amusing). Breath of Death VII has you taking control of an undead protagonist, one who roams a land completely devoid of humans who destroyed themselves in a war long ago. He then goes on a random adventure, picking up companions on the way. Cthulhu Saves the World has you taking control of the titular Cthulhu who must reclaim his lost powers in order to destroy the world (because that's just what Cthulhu does).
  
  Littered throughout the entire games are references and parodies of many video games out there. While the main focus is the jRPG genre, you'll also find the game making small nods to games like Fallout, Megaman, and Zelda. More obvious references include nods to the Dragon Quest and Suikoden series. What I liked most about this game however is that despite all the humour that it has and the way it pokes fun at games, there's an actual good game there as it's foundation. The gameplay system works as a proper jRPG with well-balanced difficulty and a fast-paced turn-based battle system. There are branching stat and skill paths that you can take when leveling up which reminded me much of Xenosaga Episode III, except this game has more liberties as to which upgrades you can pick which makes you really think about what option you should take since it's possible to mess up a character (people who have played Breath of
  Death VII will know who this is) which is actually a good thing since it makes you strategize and think about what would be best for your character. What I liked most about these games is that they also fix a lot of problems that some modern jRPGs still seem to have. Like I said earlier, the combat system is fast and doesn't drag on. Shops let you compare currently equipped items to the items they sell. The game uses a reasonable system that limits the amount of random encounters you can get in a certain area (if you want) and provides a good suggestion as to how much experience you should be getting before moving on.
  
  It's clear that not only did the developers have fun with creating this game but they actually did work hard in order to create it. It's got good music, gameplay, and a story that doesn't take itself too seriously. I wholeheartedly recommend these games, especially since they're being sold for $3 together. To anyone who has played the game, feel free to share your thoughts or comments about it!
  
  _________________________________________
  
  On a side note, I've been reading some rather annoying comments online about how some people won't even touch the game because it's turn-based. It got me wondering, since when was turn-based gaming considered "bad" by a certain amount of people? I know that there are a LOT of people who are totally fine with turn-based gaming (the majority) but I've started wondering about how it started being a bad thing to some mainstream gamers. Why do they make such a big deal about it being "slow"?
  
  While looking up answers to this, I found a rather enlightening blog post about the same exact topic.
  
  I quote:
  
  

  Keith Burgun wrote:

  They think it's slow because... well, in most modern games, it tends to be rather slow. This is, however, not because it's turn based, but rather because it's turn based and it has to have somewhat "realistic" animations. First let's look at turn based board games - are they slow? No, they are not... a player is always playing, or considering his next move. They achieve this by having no animations or cutscenes or anything at all in the way of pure gameplay. If you play Advance Wars on the default game settings (combat animations on, normal map movement speed), a mission takes about three to four times as long as it does when I play with as much of that stuff "off" as possible. Final Fantasy Tactics is a great game, but if you play it a lot it does tend to drag way more than it needs to. I get to play so much more Fantasy General with all animations turned off. I think it's a very good thing for a game developer to ask this question:
  
  "What percentage of the time your game is running is your player playing, and what percentage are they watching something un-dynamic happen?"

  
  
  and I can't help but agree. I think that one of the main contributors to this new idea that turn-based gaming is slow is the moment the ridiculously famous Final Fantasy series made its transition to 3D. Every time you summon one of those summon monsters, it's usually accompanied by a long animation that is usually (if not always) the same each time. Here are some good examples:
  
  Knights of the Round - FF7 (this animation is around 1 minute long, imagine seeing it over and over and over...)
  All FFVIII Summons (mashing the button gets rid of the monotony a bit I guess but it's not exactly something that keeps you thinking and engaged)
  Bahamut - FFIX
  Magus Sisters Overdrive - FFX
  
  and so on. Now I have nothing against these animations, and I'm sure many of us will admit that they do look pretty kickass, but do we really have to be shown the exact same thing each time? Most turn-based games should have the option to either skip animations or turn them off because they do eventually get redundant. Luckily, there are games that manage to work around this in their combat systems.
  
  Here are some games that I think did turn-based combat right:
  
  Chess - Not exactly a video game but the strongest example. It's stood the test of time and is still played today, yet it has no visual flair whatsoever. I myself actually didn't understand the appeal of chess until I played it with a little kid during a family-friend gathering who was really into it (I lost that match ). I realized was that I was engaged and actually having fun. I believe that the reason for this is that there's always some thinking and strategizing involved. There's rarely a dull moment. You've got to think about where to move your pieces, where your enemy might move his piece (even after your turn is done), and keep track of many different things. Now, if you inserted a long animation of a knight running through a battlefield and slaying an opponent when you remove an enemy piece, the game would drag on and get boring everytime that happens (unless the animation was dynamic/constantly changing).
  BoDVII and CSTW Double Pack - Battle animations are short, battles are fast paced, and the enemies actually running out eventually (if you choose so) really encourages you to keep going and gives a sense of progress.
  Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - Battles are fast-paced which means that there's always interaction going on. Animations are, for the most part, quick. Furthermore, it helps that this game is HARD so you'll always be strategizing and doing your best not to die. A focus on exploiting enemy weaknesses and summoning and dismissing different types of demons during battle also adds a lot to the battle system.
  Final Fantasy X-2 - This game doesn't use the turn-based system in its traditional sense but instead uses the Active Time Battle system where you have to wait for your characters' gauges to fill up during battle before acting (same for your enemy, except you can't actually see their gauge). Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX also used this and definitely benefitted from it a bit (very long unskippable animations still persisted and slowed things down though) but Final Fantasy X-2 used it the best in my opinion. During the battles in this game, something is almost always going on because of how fast-paced it is. Throughout battles, you'll be switching jobs, dishing out damage, taking damage, and continuously interacting with the game instead of just watching. Here's a video to give you an idea (skip to 3:54). That video might not be the best example but it gives an idea of how much can be happening.
  
  Where do I stand on the whole situation? Personally, I think turn-based gaming is a lot of fun (but that doesn't mean real-time games aren't fun either, they're both fun given the quality of the game). I think that this whole "turn-based games is a bad thing" attitude that cropped up recently is because when technology progresses, video game developers are trying too had to keep up and impress people by focusing on crazy visuals while offering barely any innovation to gameplay. Better technology + better visuals = higher price point (the latest big-budget games these days usually cost no less than $50). This usually leads to gamers paying for good visuals and multiplayer (more gaming time) in order to maximize the money they spend , not necessarily the gameplay. Of course, the best way to show off graphics is by making an FPS which is, IMHO, an oversaturated genre these days, with only Bioshock and a select few other games changing things up by being very interesting. If you're making a turn-based game, visuals are obviously not going to be the main focus, but it's more supplementary (which gives the developers more time to make the turn-based gameplay more complex and elaborate). Unfortunately, developers are not willing to take this risk, and as a result consumers and devlopers go for the most visual game instead of the most interesting ones, which gives turn-based games, particularly jRPGs, a bad rep (Final Fantasy XIII being the best example).
  
  So, what opinions do you guys have on this matter? Feel free to share your thoughts! (as long as they're reasonable of course )

  • Posted Aug 24, 2011 2:42 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 19Aug 11

  Thoughts on Planescape: Torment

  Greetings, everyone.
  
  For those of you who read my previous blog, you'll know that I recently downloaded (from GOG.com), played, and finished Planescape: Torment and I'd like to share my thoughts on it (as I would like to do so eventually with many other games). I'm thinking of replacing my reviews with these blogs. I don't think I'll have enough time to do full reviews now that I'm busier and I would rather just share whatever thoughts and feelings about the game come to my mind.
  

  
  What can change the nature of a man?

  Planescape: Torment is one of those old-school computer RPGs. If you've played games like Baldur's Gate (or its sequel), Icewind Dale, and the like then you'll have an idea of what the gameplay system of the game is like. If you've only played Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect then be prepared to take a trip back in time.
  
  The story of the game involves an immortal man called The Nameless One (who obviously can't remember his name) waking up in a Mortuary in a place he has no knowledge of. He is quickly joined by a talking floating skull called Morte who serves as his companion and provides a tiny bit of exposition and they go off on crazy adventures to find out the truth about The Nameless One.
  
  Unlike Baldur's Gate where there was focus on combat and story, Planescape: Torment REALLY leans towards narrative. I'm talking about maybe 85% dialogue and character interaction and maybe 15% combat. I know that this already seems like a turn-off to some people but the thing is, I still found VERY enjoyable and I'd recommend that you at least give the game a chance.

  One of the notable things I found about this game is that it's very weird and strange. Just look at the character lineup so far: A man who is, by general definition, undead and a floating skull. The rest of the party members that you'll eventually gather aren't any more normal than them either. The setting of the game was also a huge change from what I was used to. I've never played the Planescape tabletop RPG campaign so this game is my introduction to the Planescape world but learning about the world is really fascinating just because of how different it is. Anyone who's played the game will know what I'm talking about. Discard your thoughts of elves, dwarves, orcs, and typical fantasy settings because you aren't going to find any of that here. Planescape works on completely different rules compared to those settings and our world. These factors make the game both alienating (at first anyways) and compelling at the same time.

  
  
  What's most impressive is that with such an alien setting like this, the developers were still able to provide an incredible story that was able to affect me emotionally. Some of the dialogue, the characters, the moments will definitely stick with me for quite a while.
  
  To make the most out of an experience like Planescape: Torment though, you need to come prepared with the right mindset. Like I said, earlier this is a game that has a huge focus on narrative. Planescape: Torment is almost like an adventure game with a few RPG elements added in. Combat, for the most part, can be avoided. If you're not willing to read then I recommend just staying away from this altogether. The game was designed to be a story that uses the video game medium as a way to tell it, not the other way around. The game uses its platform's visual and audio capabilities to supplement the story but not completely take over it.
  
  I realize that some might wonder what the point of making a game like Planescape: Torment is when it's so dialogue heavy. I mean, why not just make a book or a movie right? But I think the main reason for it is that much of the appeal in Planescape: Torment is making choices. I tended to be a do-gooder but there are many sadistic, witty, or just plain evil choices that I could've chosen in the dialogue box I don't think a movie could've implemented all the branching story paths of the game and having a visual basis and voice acting was really nice, something that a book couldn't have necessarily provided so I support the developer's decision to use a cRPG to tell this story.
  
  ...Yeah, I think I'm going on a tangent here but that's why I'm writing blogs instead of making reviews this time
  
  In the end, I'll just say that if you have time to invest and don't mind reading then I highly recommend this game. I realize that a lot of people don't exactly fit into that category since some of you may have jobs or kids and don't have time to immerse yourself in Planescape: Torment and I really don't think the typical mainstream gamer in this generation would find a text-heavy cRPG very appealing but if you do give this game a chance and come in with the right mindset, you will be rewarded since I can't stress enough how interesting the world, story, and characters (mainly party members) are and how the game might even change the way you think regarding certain philosophical ideas.
  
  If you decide to play this game in the end, here are some helpful links!:
  
  Planescape: Torment mod guide (I recommend installing all of these mods before even starting your first game)
  Beginner's Guide by Orion79 (basic help for first-time players, try not to use a full walkthrough because going through the game on your own helps you get more immersed into the game world and puts more weight to the story compared to following some steps)
  Unofficial Planescape: Torment Trailer by xtremeunitx (cool fanmade trailer!)

  Also, if anyone has played the game and wants to share their thoughts with me or ask me questions then feel free to do so in the comments!

  • Posted Aug 19, 2011 8:26 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 17Aug 11

  Returning

  Greetings, everyone.
  
  After a run-in with 6h05tly and jwallace on Twitter, I've decided to return to Gamespot. I've been gone from the site for a long time because of many reasons (school, offline social life, volunteering...all of which led to me barely getting to play any games). It was only lately that I used Twitter (for the first time in many months) and met my two aforementioned GS friends which made me remember about Gamespot and I've decided to start writing blogs again.
  
  I know you're probably thinking that I'll just leave again but I think I'll find it easier to stay and have stuff to write about because of these two services:
  
  Steam
  GOG.com
  
  The time I've spent playing console games has decreased greatly over the last school year. However, by having access to lots of indie games and old games at a very affordable price, I've started to play games more often lately. More often than not, I have many thoughts on these games after finishing them so I thought I might share them with you guys through my blogs. Don't expect me to write about big-budget games very often though The last major game purchase I made is The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
  
  As for what to expect in the coming weeks, I've recently finished playing Planescape: Torment so expect a blog about that. I've also finished the Zeboyd Games Double Pack (which includes Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World) so expect a write-up on that too. Plus, a lot of other cheap games I've been able to find.

  So I'll see you guys around!

  • Posted Aug 17, 2011 8:57 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »