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Todd, is there any similarities between Lost planet 2 and Monster Hunter ? Besides that capcom obviously made both.

I, for some strange reason, have been wanting to play Alan Wake. For a few years now. Bout time it came out.

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Get Excited If: You watched the Blue Dragon anime to its end and read Blue Dragon: Ral Grad for reasons other than the artwork.

Does being insane enough to get 1000/1000 GS in the original game count? Wink

Though I agree that it's best described as 'Dragon Quest without the charm', there's still something oddly appealing about the series, enough for me to pick them up from the bargain bin at least.

Yay for Metal Slug XX, but booooo for the pricepoint. 1200 MSP is just too much for a seemingly simple port, especially since it seems that SNK intends to bleed us with DLC too. Going to wait for a 'Deal of the Week' on this one.

Yeah I don't know about Alan Wake. If the story is good it might be worth paying and I've heard it is. Then again, I heard that about Heavy Rain's story and it was an absolute train wreck. This is where I'm not sure I like serious story heavy games. I mean it's fine if it's actually well done like Mass Effect or...well that's the only one that comes to mind actually. If not though then you're better off to just keep the plot largely out of the way or at least go the generally unrealistic game-ish route that a lot of JRPGs go.

ikillchicken wrote:

Yeah I don't know about Alan Wake. If the story is good it might be worth paying and I've heard it is. Then again, I heard that about Heavy Rain's story and it was an absolute train wreck. This is where I'm not sure I like serious story heavy games. I mean it's fine if it's actually well done like Mass Effect or...well that's the only one that comes to mind actually. If not though then you're better off to just keep the plot largely out of the way or at least go the generally unrealistic game-ish route that a lot of JRPGs go.

I personally loved Heavy Rain. The fight sequences were really intense. And once my backlog of new games to play lightens up some, I plan to go back to it and try for the platinum trophy by finding all the different endings. If Alan Wake has even half the intriguing story that Heavy Rain has, then I'll enjoy it. I've got the SE paid for and will be attending the midnight release.

Now I am off to play 3D Dot Game Heroes.

I absolutely LOVE Threads of Fate (a.k.a. Dewprism). It's great to see an older, over-looked title get a second chance. Even if it is just in Japan. For now.

Even though I own the original PSOne game I still hope it gets a North American release. So many people missed out on such a good game! It really was overshadowed when it came out. The humor is downright great! Mint and Prima Doll's interactions are priceless! Rue is so sweet, I love the twist in his story's ending.

Thanks for bringing this news to everyone's attention, Todd!

I second the excitement regarding Threads of Fate. One of my all time favorite games, without a doubt. It's very good looking for a PS1 game, and the characters and story are incredibly charming. If it comes out for NA PSN, I'll be one of the first people lined up to buy a digital copy, even though I've had the (working) disc since it came out in America. My ultimate, incredibly naive hope is that if it sells well enough Squeenix might remember it exists and think about a sequel (it was one of the top 20 voted "Games That Never Got Sequels that Really Should Have Sequels" in Japan a year or so back). My more realistic hope is that if it sells well enough it might remind Squeenix that simple action RPGs are still fun, and that not everything needs to be a bazillion hours and have four hundred characters (all of whom have tragic pasts) and a battle system nobody understands unless they study it for hours.

Anyway, I really recommend that if you like action RPGs (and Threads of Fate joins non-JP PSN), you make the investment. The game isn't perfect by any stretch (the jumping controls can be floaty and the lack of buyable healing items can be a mother if you're in an area with no fodder monsters, and there's one unskippable mini-game segment that will make you tear your hair out), but it's an underrated game that never really got a chance to shine in the Western market, and the overall package hearkens back to a time when game companies weren't afraid to take some chances or write stories that weren't angstier than a dozen Clouds.

Also, there's a character named Duke who wears a giant star outfit in one level, and really, that alone is worth the price of admission.

Another Threads of Fate fan here! Like others, I still have my PS1 disc, but would still love to see Threads come out on the NA PSN. I've replayed it more than any other video game. It's short, fun, and there's a bonus ending to be gotten (I can't remember if it comes after playing through both characters once or twice).

And yes, Duke's "I'M A STAAAAAAR!" is priceless.

For the record, there's also a Strike Witches game on PS2 (ADV/novel-type) and on DS (SRPG/wargame).

Last edited by belvadeer on Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

Threads of Fate: This game, oh my god, was the absolute best! I have replayed it so many times, I can beat either story in under 3 hours. The story was so rich with characters and humor that it was hard to quit. I'm so very sad that it never got the sequel it so richly deserved (and I do not count the short-lived doujin game).

Monster Hunter Tri: I still don't see the appeal here.

Awakened Shadow: Wow, so now Blue Dragon too delves into the idea of creating your own character who meets the series NPCs? Well I guess when in doubt, imitate Tales of the World! Wish I could finish the first TV series already and move on to the second one. I am still interested in the Blue Dragon universe.

I can't believe Alan Wake actually came out. I remember hearing about it back when I was still smarting over how bad Silent Hill 4 was.

Sadly, judging from what I've heard from reviews(Even those that aren't picking it to pieces)) and people who somehow have the game already it's not nearly as good as it should be. It sounds uncomfortably close to the abysmal Alone in the Dark remake from a couple of years back in a lot of ways, and the gameplay sounds borderline tedious in the early goings. I'm a tad worried this is not going to turn out great when I get my copy later in the week.

Interesting that you're using Heavy Rain as some sort of comparison for some reason here though, when the two games seem to have nothing in common beyond heavy narrative focus. Did you even cover Heavy Rain on here at all when it came out come to that?

ikillchicken wrote:

Yeah I don't know about Alan Wake. If the story is good it might be worth paying and I've heard it is. Then again, I heard that about Heavy Rain's story and it was an absolute train wreck. This is where I'm not sure I like serious story heavy games. I mean it's fine if it's actually well done like Mass Effect or...well that's the only one that comes to mind actually. If not though then you're better off to just keep the plot largely out of the way or at least go the generally unrealistic game-ish route that a lot of JRPGs go.

My problem with Heavy Rain was it's failure at points to maintain a realistic setting. I'd find myself playing the game really getting into the moment there would be something out of place that would take me out of it. spoiler[One of the biggest issues I had with it was the fact that the main male lead had gotten custody of his son even though it seemed painfully obvious he was having a hard time coping with the divorce/death of his other son. I don't know how many men get custody in the best of times in America. Live chickens in a grocery store. The (at times) painful voice acting.] The game also had some pretty big plot holes (I'm not sure if they get resolved with a different ending though.)

What you might want to check out Heavy Rain for is the innovative game play and the actual moral decisions the game provides for you (unlike those in Fallout 3 and Fable some of these decisions are extremely difficult to make).

I'm actually interested in the Strike Witches game. I love side scrolling shooters and it looks like Strike Witches is going to do something interesting with it. There is just not enough of this game genre making it out over here in the U.S.

I can't wait to go and pick up my copy of Monter Hunter Tri (Gamestop sold my copy so I get to wait a little while longer).

Cosplaybunny wrote:

My problem with Heavy Rain was it's failure at points to maintain a realistic setting. I'd find myself playing the game really getting into the moment there would be something out of place that would take me out of it. spoiler[One of the biggest issues I had with it was the fact that the main male lead had gotten custody of his son even though it seemed painfully obvious he was having a hard time coping with the divorce/death of his other son. I don't know how many men get custody in the best of times in America. Live chickens in a grocery store. The (at times) painful voice acting.] The game also had some pretty big plot holes (I'm not sure if they get resolved with a different ending though.)

What you might want to check out Heavy Rain for is the innovative game play and the actual moral decisions the game provides for you (unlike those in Fallout 3 and Fable some of these decisions are extremely difficult to make).

Yeah, I don't regret playing it. The gameplay is certainly innovative and the action scenes are very intense. It's novel enough that it's at least worth experiencing once. Definitely though, the story is a mess. I'm not sure about spoiler[the custody thing you mentioned. I didn't get the impression he necessarily had full time custody. As you said though, the plot holes were staggering. They basically lead you to believe that Ethan is the killer through some pretty damning evidence and then just abandon all that and never address it again as soon as another suspect appears. The whole series of tests too is just so over the top. Scott being the killer makes very little sense and openly contradicts earlier scenes. Also, they never even address the other killer. Scott finds out it was the rich guy's son and then they never follow up on it at all.] Again, this is where I'm not crazy about serious story heavy games. I mean, that is some truly painfully bad writing there. At the same time it's not really surprising. Game designers are not really writers and it shows.

Those interested in Monster Hunter wrote:

Monster Hunter is a straight action game. The story is: You live in a pre-industrial hunter-gatherer civilization. Your job is hunter, and everyone depends upon you for the raw materials needed to live. Food, shelter, tools, weapons, they all come from the monsters you hunt. Go do your job. End of story.

The battle system is deep. Movement, aim, and camera control are all 100% MANUAL. This is necessary to attack each monster's unique weak points in real-time. Your attacks go exactly where *you* place them and it's possible to be very precise, but it is not a game you pick up, play, beat, and forget.

Monster Hunter is a game of skill. Not just motor skill, but learning the monsters, their habits, their capabilities, their timings. They are unstoppable forces. Just as you can't hope to stop an oncoming truck by punching it in the grill, you cannot expect to stop an oncoming train-car-sized monster with the flick of a sword. When you begin to play, expect to lose. Expect to lose until you *think* about how to win.

You need to be smart. You need to know your own abilities with each weapon. You need to use the other tools at your disposal wisely. Snares, explosives, tracking aids, medicines, and more; they'll all help you, but only when used at the right time, often in the brief instants you'll begin to recognize as being out of harm's way.

And the payoff? Your victories and losses are entirely your own. Monster Hunter is one of the most fair games that exists, and one of very few games where it's possible to realize YOUR skill has "leveled up". You also get to keep parts of the monsters you defeat and use them to make new gear. What do you do with it? Aside from look cool, defeat bigger, badder monsters of course!

Monster Hunter is also a game of teamwork. Go online and share your victories and defeats. Even a hunter with no armor and nothing but a half-decent supply of bowgun ammo can turn a raging demon into a paralyzed, whimpering mess, but it takes at least two to truly make the most of such opportunities. You can hunt in parties up to four at a time. Make the best of it. Make friends. Fight together, fight as one.

That is Monster Hunter.

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I'm soon glad for the game's WiiSpeak option. Typing out conversations on a virtual keypad gets tedious, and it, unfortunately, makes a WiiSpeak accessory all but essential if you want to get the most out of the game's online play.

Most people use a USB keyboard. The general consensus is that WiiSpeak sucks on MH. First, you must be friends with the person for them to hear you meaning no conversations with strangers. The reception sucks so you can't hear well let alone have a decent conversation. Granted that it doesn't always mess up but it sounds horrible most of the time. As a substitution, many players have been using other programs like Skype, Ventrillo, Teamspeak or even going as far as using XBL or PSN which further shows how crappy WiiSpeak is in the game.

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Looking back on the week, I may understand why Monster Hunter isn't yet huge in North America: traditional online RPG players want a game where they're guaranteed progress just by gaining levels, and the Devil May Cry crowd wants backflips, aerial gunplay, and other nonsense that Monster Hunter can't deliver.

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Unfortunately, neither control option presents a lock-on system, something sorely needed when tangling with animals that often run away or circle behind you.

Although this may be a bit harsh, complaints from new players to the MH series are always the same. New players often criticize there being no lock-on, not showing the enemy's health bar, bad camera work and the attacks not going where they want them to. They act as if the game is to be handed to them on a silver platter with no difficulty whatsoever. The fact is that you will die. Monster Hunter isn't just another hack and slash game but largely depends upon one person's skill. Its a game where you can actually tell you've "leveled up" in real time.

Count me as another fan of Threads of Fate. I played it back in the day and got a huge kick out of Mint. I hope it makes it to PSN.

I wouldn't use Strike Witches as an example of what's wrong with modern anime, I see nothing wrong with it, but that's is not here nor there. The game looks like it could be fun to play but it's a shame that it is not coming out in the United States.

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