nate1222 has a love/hate relationship with games.

• 23Nov 09

  Western And Japanese RPGs: The Wall Must Collapse!

  Dear GS Cronies,

  I know, I know, I know... 2 blogs in a single day AND about RPGs. Some of y'all are probably annoyed to even read this. Bear with me, though. It's relavent.

  Like many of you, I'm a fan of both Western and Japanese RPGs. I love my Fallouts and Elder Scrolls'. I also love my Final Fantasies and SMTs. I've also grown to love -not hate- the cultural and aesthetic differences in their approaches.It's often argued that Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) are "always turn-based". To this I point to the Zelda franchise, the Y's franchise and more recently Devil Summoner and Lunar Knights.

  Of course, Western RPGs have been mocked for their often tolkien-esque settings. The recent boom of MMORPGs has been both a blessing and a curse. Online play can be quite fun. But the barrage of fees, lack of a single-player campaign and foul mouthed 12 year olds can be a bit grating. Enter the offerings from Bethesda and Bio Ware, which weed out such issues.

  What I'd really like to see is an RPG in which the player could play off-line in a great story, but can also jump online with the aquired skills, items, weapons, armor, etc... If it could also offer a moreStar Wars-ish setting - allowing swords, guns, magic and technology -that'd be cool too.Surprisingly, there are titles which do alot of this, minus the online component, as we speak. Rogue Galaxy (PS2) and KotOR (XBox/PC) perfectly balance turn-based with action-based combat. They also blend misticism with technology and are hugely customizable. If they only allowed the players to take it online and use these aquired attributes to play with/aganst eachother - it could really seal the East/West gap.

  But, I'm just a lowly geek. What would I know.

  • Posted Nov 23, 2009 2:39 pm GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 23Nov 09

  Falling In Love With Shin Megami Tensei.

  Dear GS Cronies,

  As most of you know, I've gone almost entirely Retro and Niche in my Gaming tastes of late. Aside from Oblivion and Fallout 3, UT2004 and Morrowind are the mainstays on my PC. I'd ditched my Wii almost 2 months ago. And my PS2, DS and SNES have been my gaming devices of choice.

  Since this decision, I've racked up plenty PS2 goodies on the cheap. Some are replacements of games I'd foolishly parted with over the years. Others are games I'd been interested in, but never took a shot at. Among the latter are: Onimusha 2, Onimusha3, Jak 2 and Martian Gothic (PS1). Then, there's a collective of games baring a name I've grown to love: Shin Megami Tensei.

  The Shin Megami Tensei series has 3 franchises and 9 known games under its banner. On PS2 there's: Nocturne, Persona 3&4 (never heard of Persona 1 nor 2, however, must be Japanese exclusives), Digital Devil Saga1&2 and Devil Summoner 1&2. On the DS there's Devil Survivor. I've played all of them and they rock pretty damn hard. I actually own Persona 3&4 and Devil Survivor. I definately plan to accumulate the remaining games, as well.

  The SMT series games are completely unrelated in terms of story, combat systems and visual aesthetics. The recurring themes are: Demons (good & evil), demon fusing, cultural alienation and the relevance of death in relation to life. Most of the battle systems are turn-based, with the exception of Devil Summoner1&2. The stories alone blow most of Hollywood's bs out of the water. SMT is like Final Fantasy...ON CRACK. Which is precisely why I love it!

  Well, if y'all get the chance to check out the SMT games, by all means do so. You won't be disappointed.

  • Posted Nov 23, 2009 7:27 am GMT
  • Category: Games
  • 4 Comments
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• 10Oct 09

  Officially Unplugged. It Was Bound To Happen.

  Dear GS Cronies,

  It was bound to happen. I've officially unplugged from the current gen. I traded my Wii in at EB towards some DS games and chump change. I've replaced my PS2 (silver slim). But I acknowledge that Sony will discontinue it just to force PS3 on us. It won't make me buy. I'll be sending my Wii games to my nieces, in SC, soon. It's just ye ol' SNES, PS2 and DS now. I'm actually quite relieved. When I own something I no longer want, it just feels like dead weight.

  Wii's smorgasborg of gimmick games-with good ones taking forever to come out and flop when they arrive -has simply worn itself too thin to tolerate. And don't get me started on $ony and Micro$oft. I don't need to go into detail about what's put them on my **** list. In a couple of years, PS2 will no longer be supported and PS3 has NO BC.

  At least the old 8-Bit/16-Bit consoles have retro/bootleg hardware coming out regularly enough to justify the investment in software. When it conks-out, I can replace it and keep my old library relavent. The FC3 Plus plays NES, SNES and Genisis cartridges and goes for $60. I may invest in one, considering I'd like to replace my Genisis.

  As much as I champion gaming as an entertainment medium, I also acknowledge that the world DOES NOT NEED IT. The major console makers don't seem to acknowledge that. They think people will starve, go to war or fall over and die without them. If a long-time gamer, like myself, will get tired of their bs and ditch it... Then, your average cassie or Joe-on-the-street will do it even quicker. And current sales charts are revealing that negative sentiment. Big 3, y'all have blown it.

  -nate1222

  • Posted Oct 10, 2009 2:17 pm GMT
  • Category: Games
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