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-

Greatest Games of All Time: Phantasy Star I - IV

I'd like to start things off with a recurring feature I'm going to call 'Greatest Games of All Time'. In this feature I'm going to profile some of the most excellent console games ever released! Exciting, right? So without any further ado I present to you my very first entry; the venerable Phantasy Star series.

Phantasy Star 1

The original Phantasy Star was a pioneer in the RPG genre. Released in 1988 for the 8-bit Sega Master System, the game follows the exploits of the (female) protagonist Alis as she sets out to avenge the death of her older brother at the hands of the tyrant Lassic. Set in a futuristic fantasy world where magic and technology coexist, the player must guide Alis as she gathers her comrades and makes her way across the three planets of the Algol Star System before the final showdown with Lassic. Hands down one of the best games to be released for the underrated Master System, it holds up surprisingly well even today. Highlights included: a colorful cast of characters (one of whom was a talking cat!), gorgeous 8-bit graphics and music, pseudo 3-D dungeons, a lengthy and challenging quest, and a satisfying story. Fans of the 8-bit era (and RPG fans in particular) should find a way to play this game if they haven't already, for it is a true classic!

Phantasy Star 2

The first sequel appeared two years later and was aptly titled Phantasy Star 2. Although it was released for the 16-bit Sega Genesis system, it came out early in that system's life cycle and thus it shows relatively subtle upgrades in the graphics and music department. This is not meant as an indictment against the designers, but rather a tip of the cap to the folks who worked on the original game. This installment, set 1000 years after the events of the original game, follows the adventures of Rolf, a government agent. He is accompanied in his quest by seven additional player characters. Each of these additional characters has their own unique set of special skills and abilities, and players must swap them in and out of the four member active party as the situation merits. The doctor, for example, has loads of healing spells, the thief can steal valuable goods from the shops, and the hunter can handle heavy guns with ease. The game departs from its predecessor by dropping the faux 3-D dungeons, but more than makes up for it in sheer length (nearly twice the size of the original), an enduring storyline, and, in my humble opinion, the finest soundtrack of the series.

The third game in the series was similar to its predecessors in terms of gameplay, but it showed a radical departure in terms of presentation. Rather than taking place in a hybrid sci-fi/fantasy world, the setting for this installment had more of a traditional medieval vibe. Diligent play revealed a connection to the series' overall story arc, but it is not set in the Algol System and in many ways it feels a lot less like a Phantasy Star game than any other in the series. Though it may be the black sheep of the family, PS 3 featured an interesting mechanic that allowed the story to span several 'generations'. About a third of the way through the game, the player is asked to choose whom the protagonist will marry. After choosing, the journey continues on with the player now taking control of the son of the original hero, his stats, skills, and appearance being affected by the player's choice of bride. This mechanic crops up one again toward the end of the game, making the character that confronts the final boss the grandson of the original hero. Cool, right?

Phantasy Star 3

At last we have Phantasy Star 4, the final (as of this writing) numbered game to appear in the series. Turning up on American shores in 1995, this game truly brought all of the best features of the series together for one last victory lap. Returning once again to the Algol System and the series' futuristic sci-fi/fantasy roots, the story plays out in richer detail thanks to the newly introduced cutscenes.

References to the earlier games abound in every aspect of this fan favorite, but the game continues to innovate by adding side quests and combo attacks. This installment does an incredible job of capping off not only an amazing series, but the 16-bit era as well.

It should be noted that there have been other, more recent console games to bear the Phantasy Star name. Phantasy Star Online, released for the Sega Saturn in 2000, was one of the first console MMORPGs and was itself given several sequels across multiple platforms. Fine games they may be, they differ from the original series in many key ways. The storyline of the Online series has little to do with the original, for example, and combat is more action oriented as opposed to turn based.

Finally, I'd like to give you some context and recommendations should you decide to give one (or two, or three) of these games a try. The first thing to know is that they are relatively easy to come by. All four games are available through Wii Virtual Console as well as on 'Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection' available for PS3 and XBOX360. Parts 2, 3, and 4 are available on 'Sega Genesis Collection' for PSP. If you are a fan of 8-bit gaming, you really owe it to yourself to play the original Phantasy Star. It's really quite good. If you were only going to play one of the games from the 16-bit era, I'd have to suggest you go with the fourth game for its overall quality and polish, though the second game is quite a jewel of its era. The third game in the series is solid as RPGs go, but its loose connection to the larger series makes it ultimately skipable. Also keep in mind that all of these games are grindfests. Each one is a good-old-fashioned-random-battle-turn-based-money-hoarding-level-gaining-old-school-RPG, thank you very much! The genre has evolved quite a bit since the 16-bit era and these games do show their age in regard to some of the design elements and gameplay mechanics. Still, for fans of the old school aesthetic, and RPG fans in particular, the Phantasy Star series is one for the ages.