My Month In Games: July 2013

Guacamelee - PSN

What a delightful game this is!  A Metroid-Vania style side scrolling beat-'em-up with a luchador theme?  HELL to the YES!  Beautiful graphics, tight controls, great combat mechanics, loads of secret areas to locate and explore, and tons of references to video games and internet memes.  If any of this sounds remotely interesting to you then do yourself a favor and download this game, sucka!  The only real drawback for me was that it was just a tad short, but I understand that some DLC is forthcoming and at a base cost of just $15 you can't miss with this one.

The Grumpy Cat meme is just one of many video game and internet culture references sprinkled throughout the game.

Grade: A

Phantasy Star II - Sega Genesis

My very first post for this blog was about the original Phantasy Star series as they are still some of my all time favorite games.  I am particularly fond of this installment and I usually play it through to completion once every couple of years.  As it turned out 2013 just so happened to be one of those years!  There's more than a little nostalgia at play when it comes to my devotion to this game, but I still consider it my favorite game in the series.  I mean, they're all my babies (except for PSIII...because seriously, fuck that game) but this one is still my jam.  I don't have a lot of new observations (after what is probably my 20th playthrough) but here are a few thoughts:

1. This game has an incredible soundtrack.  Again, nostalgia has a powerful hold on me when it comes to this title, but I find that nearly every single track fits perfectly in context.  Even after all this time I'm still amazed at how effective these simple tunes are at evoking the proper mood.  My favorite tracks are Secret Ways, Silent Zone, and Under.

2. The localization is pretty crappy overall, but such was often the case back in those days.  I give the translators a lot of credit for generally making sense of the story and mostly getting things right.  With that in mind, here are a few things that still bug me:

• The English translation gives the WORST explanation for why you can't revive Nei after she is killed by Neifirst.  Actually, they don't give much of an explanation at all.  Since permanent character death was almost unheard of back then, it strikes me that the translators really dropped the ball during something of a "historical" gaming moment.
• The character limits for the names of spells, equipment, and enemy names make for some pretty lame abbreviations for things.  I get that TRUTHSLVS = Truth Sleeves (how'd you like a pair of those to drape around an unsuspecting friend or loved one?), but what kind of enemy is an IMAGIOMG? Don't write in, I know it's an Imagio Mage, but it still bugs me that they had to do it this way.

3. Of the seven playable characters, only four of them are really useful throughout the game.  Kain, Hugh, and Shir can come in handy for limited periods of time, but they all just have too many weaknesses to make them viable for the long haul.  Sure, you can go crazy and grind them up to higher levels, but I still maintain that their weaknesses outweigh their strengths.  Kinda defeats the purpose of having multiple playable characters.

4. There's no way to recover your Technique (magic) Points other than by visiting a hospital.  It was this way in the original Phantasy Star, and it does make the game more of a challenge, but sheesh!  The game is already a grind without this inconvenience!

5. Dark Force is still one of the most terrifying bosses I have ever encountered!  Its character design is frightening enough, but on top of that it can turn your characters EVIL!  Damn, son.

Friggin' nightmare, right?

Jet Set Radio - PSN

Much like NiGHTS, Jet Set Radio is another quirky, latter-day cult hit released by Sega.  I have only dim memories of briefly playing this game during its Dreamcast-era heyday, so it's fair to say that this is my first real exposure to it.  I like it on a conceptual level (it's sort of like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater meets Crazy Taxi) but the execution feels clunky and the controls are antiquated and frustrating.  It strikes me as one of those games that you had to come across around the time it was released.  Since I have no nostalgic feelings for it I didn't really see the need to suffer through it for more than a few hours.  It has a nice look and some of the tunes are cool, but I just couldn't get a feel for it.  Meh.

Grade: C-