Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Still haven't gotten around to the first Dragon Age: New Releases for the Week of 03-06-11


(Sony PSP) Port of Nippon Ichi's 2004 strategy RPG for the PlayStation 2. This version will include all of the additional content added for the Nintendo Wii port released in 2009, as well as some new stuff specific to this version. I'm not sure what the “Hermuda Triangle" subtitle is all about; I guess whoever oversaw the localization at Nippon Ichi Software America thought the essence of the game was best captured by something that sounds like a really unimaginative name for a nautically-themed porno movie.

It's in the same vein as other Nippon Ichi games like Disgaea with lots of huge optional random dungeons, secret bosses powerful enough to swat the final boss of the main storyline like a fly, and the ability to level up both your characters and their equipment until they're all inflicting octovigenuple-digit  damage every turn, though this one is the oddball of that group in some ways. (At one point back when I was playing it, one of the most powerful weapons wielded by any of my characters was a flower pot.  That could fire lasers, for some reason.)

I had a lot of fun with Phantom Brave way back when, so if you like strategy RPGs and missed it the first time around I'd recommend checking it out.


I know very little about Pokémon, so it wasn't until I read up on these games that I discovered how they work. Like Sith, they always come in pairs- that much I already knew. What I didn't know is that they're basically the same game, except that each has a few items, battles,  Pokémon- or Pokémons or Pokémen or Pokémonim or whatever the plural form is- and maybe a bonus area  not present in its counterpart.

Thus, in order to catch 'em all- which I understand is encouraged in Pokémon circles- you have to either know someone who also owns a Gameboy/Gameboy Advance/DS and the complementary version of your own game in order to trade via the multiplayer feature, or buy what is essentially the same game twice. I take my hat off to whichever diabolical marketing genius came up with this; it's not often I find myself switching back and forth so rapidly from being impressed and being appalled.

(There are things I could say about the unfortunate implications of an installment in the Pokémon game franchise in which some of the Pokémon are restricted to the Black or White version of the game instead of being allowed to freely intermingle, but it's probably better for the blog to gradually work its way up towards “jokes about systemic racism” levels of offensiveness instead of just rushing there headlong.)


Stumble Upon Toolbar

No comments: