Note: I know it has been quite too long since my last post. Nothing more to say there in this. Instead, we'll discuss a movie. I'll try to make it a Monday thing, but of course today's the exception.
4th Man Out
It came out earlier this year, Netflix exclusive possibly? Well, the reason I discovered it was through the interesting library of gay movies that are on there. I've got quite a list to watch, so I had the time to give this a chance. I won't always write about movies like this, but since it is still fresh in my mind, I figure I might as well breathe life back into this with this subject.
The star of the show is Adam. We start the movie off with the first incident, that being Adam wants to tell his friends that he's gay. It's a bit difficult for him when everyone seems to believe he's straight. He works up the nerve to do so when he believes his best friend, Chris, is mostly drunk. However, all three friends seem to be sober to hear enough. After the initial shock, all three of them realize how it doesn't change Adam as being their friend and want to do what they can to help him in the romance department.
I won't go into greater details over the premise of the movie, but it is definitely quite an interesting movie. The bro-mance between Adam and Chris is shaken up between subtle hints, but the prime focus is on Adam's attempts at love. It's easily relatable to anything that people go through in that situation. I did enjoy the way the movie ended, even if it is the traditional happy ending set-up. But only if you like that sort of thing should you give it a try.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Catching Up, September 17
So, this was initially started as a game blog to discuss and share my interests in gaming, but I do venture off into other fields every now and then. As you can see from the list below, my interest is primarily over video games, but this isn't to say that I don't find interest in other things, such as watching movies or television shows or in reading completed works by other people. Often, I don't see the ability to share what I think of the subject as fitting more than a paragraph or two, and that would make this seem like Tumblr or something else if I just did that repeatedly.
Games:
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Mixed-Up Mother Goose
Citizens of Earth
Laura Bow: The Colonel's Bequest
Chibi-Robo!
Lost Odyssey
Child of Light
Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon Ra
Tales of Monkey Island, episodes 1 through 4
Dead Rising
Infinite Undiscovery
Broken Age
.hack
.hack//G.U.
The Blackwell Legacy
Blackwell Unbound
Blackwell Convergence
Blackwell Deception
Blackwell Epiphany
The Guided Fate Paradox
Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
One Piece: Pirate Warriors (series)
Rule of Rose
Movies:
Big Hero 6
Writing:
The Demon Tower
Hanna's Departure
This list isn't actually something to brag about, because I've got plenty of games that I've yet to cover and I want to try and make the information a bit more diverse. That being said, it is rather hard to think of different things to venture into some times. This is more of an update than anything else, but I will at least make sure I keep back up on my idea of making this more frequent. I might need to flag that there will be spoilers somewhere in the common part of the page so I don't have to worry about writing it later.
Games:
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Mixed-Up Mother Goose
Citizens of Earth
Laura Bow: The Colonel's Bequest
Chibi-Robo!
Lost Odyssey
Child of Light
Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon Ra
Tales of Monkey Island, episodes 1 through 4
Dead Rising
Infinite Undiscovery
Broken Age
.hack
.hack//G.U.
The Blackwell Legacy
Blackwell Unbound
Blackwell Convergence
Blackwell Deception
Blackwell Epiphany
The Guided Fate Paradox
Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
One Piece: Pirate Warriors (series)
Rule of Rose
Movies:
Big Hero 6
Writing:
The Demon Tower
Hanna's Departure
This list isn't actually something to brag about, because I've got plenty of games that I've yet to cover and I want to try and make the information a bit more diverse. That being said, it is rather hard to think of different things to venture into some times. This is more of an update than anything else, but I will at least make sure I keep back up on my idea of making this more frequent. I might need to flag that there will be spoilers somewhere in the common part of the page so I don't have to worry about writing it later.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Turn the Page: Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey, one of the exclusive games for the XBox 360, had this nifty little side feature called the Thousand Years of Dreams. I did a review for it for April 9th (see here), but I think this deserves a bit of a mention on its own.
Title: He Who Journeys Eternity: Lost Odyssey
Author: Kiyoshi Shigematsu
Let me just start by saying that many of these will tug at your heart, should you have one and can find the depth in the words. The stories were initially written in Japanese for the original release of the game, so Jay Rubin handled translating it for the localized release here in North America. I cannot speak of the quality of the original version, but there is emotion detailed in each of the stories, a moral to many in similar ways to Aesop's Fables. In fact, I think you would do well to read/hear the first: Hanna's Departure.
Video: https://youtu.be/ArPH1YGhV1g
Transcript:
~~
The family members have tears in their eyes when they welcome Kaim back to the inn from his long journey.
"Thank you so much for coming."
He understands the situation immediately.
The time for departure is drawing near.
Too soon, too soon.
But still, he knows, this day would have come sometime, and not in the distant future.
"I might never see you again," she said to him with a sad smile when he left on this journey, her smiling face almost transparent in its whiteness, so fragile—and therefore indescribably beautiful—as she lay in bed.
"May I see Hanna now?" he asks.
The innkeeper gives him a tiny nod and says, "I don't think she'll know who you are, though."
"She hasn't opened her eyes since last night," he warns Kaim. You can tell from the slight movement of her chest that she is clinging to a frail thread of life, but it could snap at any moment.
"It's such a shame. I know you made a special point to come here for her..."
Another tear glides down the wife's cheek.
"Never mind, it's fine." Kaim says.
He has been present at innumerable deaths, and his experience has taught him much.
Death takes away the power of speech first of all. Then the ability to see.
What remains alive to the very end, however, is the power to hear. Even though the person has lost consciousness, it is by no means unusual for the voices of the family to bring forth smiles or tears.
Kaim puts his arm around the woman's shoulder and says, "I have lots of travel stories to tell her. I've been looking forward to this my whole time on the road."
Instead of smiling, the woman releases another large tear and nods to Kaim, "And Hanna was so looking forward to hear your stories."
Her sobs almost drown out her words.
The innkeeper says, "I wish I could urge you to rest up from your travels before you see her, but..."
Kaim interrupts his apologies, "Of course I'll see her right away."
There is very little time left.
Hanna, the only daughter of the innkeeper and his wife, will probably breathe her last before the sun comes up.
Kaim lowers his pack to the floor and quietly opens the door to Hanna's room.
Hanna was frail from birth. Far from enjoying the opportunity to travel, she rarely left the town or even the neighborhood in which she was born and raised.
This child will probably not live to adulthood, the doctor told her parents.
This tiny girl, with extraordinarily beautiful doll-like features, the gods had dealt an all-too-sad destiny.
That they had allowed her to be born the only daughter of the keepers of a small inn by the highway was perhaps one small act of atonement for such iniquity.
Hanna was unable to go anywhere, but the guests who stayed at her parent’s inn would tell her stories of the countries and towns and landscapes and people that she would never know.
Whenever new guests arrived at the inn, Hanna would ask them,
"Where are you from?" "Where are you going?"
"Can you tell me a story?"
She would sit and listen to their stories with sparkling eyes, urging them on to new episodes with "And then? And then?" When they left the inn, she would beg them, "Please come back, and tell me lots and lots of stories about faraway countries!"
She would stand there waving until the person disappeared far down the highway, give one lonely sigh, and go back to bed.
Hanna is sound asleep.
No one else is in the room, perhaps an indication that she has long since passed the stage when the doctors can do anything for her.
Kaim sits down in the chair next to the bed and says with a smile.
"Hello, Hanna, I’m back."
She does not respond. Her little chest, still without the swelling of a grown woman, rises and falls almost imperceptibly.
"I went far across the ocean this time," he tells her. "The ocean on the side where the sun comes up. I took a boat from the harbor way way way far beyond the mountains you can see from this window, and I was on the sea from the time the moon was perfectly round till it got smaller and smaller then bigger and bigger until it was full again. There was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see. Just the sea and the sky. Can you imagine it, Hanna? You’ve never seen the ocean, but I’m sure people have told you about it. It’s like a huge, big endless puddle."
Kaim chuckles to himself, and it seems to him that Hanna’s pale white cheek moves slightly.
She can hear him. Even if she cannot speak or see, her ears are still alive.
Believing and hoping this to be true, Kaim continues with the story of his travels.
He speaks no words of parting.
As always with Hanna, Kaim smiles with a special gentleness he has never shown to anyone else, and he goes on telling his tales with a bright voice, sometimes even accompanying his story with exaggerated gestures.
He tells her about the blue ocean.
He tells her about the blue sky.
He says nothing about the violent sea battle that stained the ocean red.
He never tells her about those things.
Hanna was still a tiny girl when Kaim first visited the inn.
When she asked him "Where are you from?" and "Will you tell me some stories?" with her childish pronunciation and innocent smile, Kaim felt soft glow in his chest.
At the time, he was returning from a battle.
More precisely, he had ended one battle and was on his way to the next.
His life consisted of traveling from one battlefield to another, and nothing about that has changed to this day.
He has taken the lives of countless enemy troops, and witnessed the deaths of countless comrades on the battlefield. Moreover, the only thing separating enemies from comrades is the slightest stroke of fortune. Had the gears of destiny turned in a slightly different way, his enemies would have been comrades and his comrades enemies, This is the fate of the mercenary.
He was spiritually worn down back then and feeling unbearably lonely. As a possessor of eternal life, Kaim had no fear of death, which was precisely why each of the soldier’s faces distorted in fear, and why each face of a man who died in agony was burned permanently into his brain.
Ordinarily, he would spend nights on the road drinking. Immersing himself in an alcoholic stupor—or pretending to. He was trying to make himself forget the unforgettable.
When, however, he saw Hanna’s smile and begged him for stories about his long journey, he felt a far warmer and deeper comfort then he could even obtain from liquor.
He told her many things...
About the beautiful flower he discovered on the battlefield.
About the bewitching beauty of the mist filling the forest the night before the final battle.
About the marvelous taste of the spring water in a ravine where he and his men had fled after losing the battle.
About a vast, bottomless blue sky he saw after battle.
He never told her anything sad. He kept his mouth shut about the human ugliness and stupidity he witnessed endlessly on the battlefield. He concealed his position as a mercenary for her, kept silent regarding his reasons for traveling constantly, and spoke only of things that were beautiful and sweet and lovely. He sees now that he told Hanna only beautiful stories of the road like this not so much out of concern for her purity, but for his own sake.
Staying in the inn where Hanna waited to see him turned out to be one of Kaim’s small pleasures in life. Telling her about the memories he brought back from his journeys, he felt some degree of salvation, however slight. Five years, ten years, his friendship with the girl continued. Little by little, she neared adulthood, which meant that, as the doctors had predicted, each day brought her that much closer to death.
And now, Kaim ends the last travel story he will share with her.
He can never see her again, can never tell her stories again.
Before dawn, when the darkness of night is at its deepest, long pauses enter into Hanna’s breathing.
The frail thread of her life is about to snap as Kaim and her parents watch over her.
The tiny light that has lodged in Kaim’s breast will be extinguished.
His lonely travels will begin again tomorrow—his long, long travels without end.
"You’ll be leaving on travels of your own soon, Hanna." Kaim tells her gently.
"You’ll be leaving for a world that no one knows, a world that has never entered into any of the stories you have heard so far. Finally, you will be able to leave your bed and walk anywhere you want to go. You’ll be free."
He wants her to know that death is not sorrow but a joy mixed with tears.
"It’s your turn now. Be sure and tell everyone about the memories of your journey."
Her parents will make that same journey someday. And someday Hanna will be able to meet all the guests she has known at the inn, far beyond the sky.
I, however, can never go there.
I can never escape this world.
I can never see you again.
"This is not goodbye. It’s just the start of your journey."
He speaks his final words to her.
"We’ll meet again."
His final lie to her.
Hanna makes her departure.
Her face is transfused with a tranquil smile as if she has just said,
"See you soon."
Her eyes will never open again. A single tear glides slowly down her cheek.
End
~~
Title: He Who Journeys Eternity: Lost Odyssey
Author: Kiyoshi Shigematsu
Let me just start by saying that many of these will tug at your heart, should you have one and can find the depth in the words. The stories were initially written in Japanese for the original release of the game, so Jay Rubin handled translating it for the localized release here in North America. I cannot speak of the quality of the original version, but there is emotion detailed in each of the stories, a moral to many in similar ways to Aesop's Fables. In fact, I think you would do well to read/hear the first: Hanna's Departure.
Video: https://youtu.be/ArPH1YGhV1g
Transcript:
~~
The family members have tears in their eyes when they welcome Kaim back to the inn from his long journey.
"Thank you so much for coming."
He understands the situation immediately.
The time for departure is drawing near.
Too soon, too soon.
But still, he knows, this day would have come sometime, and not in the distant future.
"I might never see you again," she said to him with a sad smile when he left on this journey, her smiling face almost transparent in its whiteness, so fragile—and therefore indescribably beautiful—as she lay in bed.
"May I see Hanna now?" he asks.
The innkeeper gives him a tiny nod and says, "I don't think she'll know who you are, though."
"She hasn't opened her eyes since last night," he warns Kaim. You can tell from the slight movement of her chest that she is clinging to a frail thread of life, but it could snap at any moment.
"It's such a shame. I know you made a special point to come here for her..."
Another tear glides down the wife's cheek.
"Never mind, it's fine." Kaim says.
He has been present at innumerable deaths, and his experience has taught him much.
Death takes away the power of speech first of all. Then the ability to see.
What remains alive to the very end, however, is the power to hear. Even though the person has lost consciousness, it is by no means unusual for the voices of the family to bring forth smiles or tears.
Kaim puts his arm around the woman's shoulder and says, "I have lots of travel stories to tell her. I've been looking forward to this my whole time on the road."
Instead of smiling, the woman releases another large tear and nods to Kaim, "And Hanna was so looking forward to hear your stories."
Her sobs almost drown out her words.
The innkeeper says, "I wish I could urge you to rest up from your travels before you see her, but..."
Kaim interrupts his apologies, "Of course I'll see her right away."
There is very little time left.
Hanna, the only daughter of the innkeeper and his wife, will probably breathe her last before the sun comes up.
Kaim lowers his pack to the floor and quietly opens the door to Hanna's room.
Hanna was frail from birth. Far from enjoying the opportunity to travel, she rarely left the town or even the neighborhood in which she was born and raised.
This child will probably not live to adulthood, the doctor told her parents.
This tiny girl, with extraordinarily beautiful doll-like features, the gods had dealt an all-too-sad destiny.
That they had allowed her to be born the only daughter of the keepers of a small inn by the highway was perhaps one small act of atonement for such iniquity.
Hanna was unable to go anywhere, but the guests who stayed at her parent’s inn would tell her stories of the countries and towns and landscapes and people that she would never know.
Whenever new guests arrived at the inn, Hanna would ask them,
"Where are you from?" "Where are you going?"
"Can you tell me a story?"
She would sit and listen to their stories with sparkling eyes, urging them on to new episodes with "And then? And then?" When they left the inn, she would beg them, "Please come back, and tell me lots and lots of stories about faraway countries!"
She would stand there waving until the person disappeared far down the highway, give one lonely sigh, and go back to bed.
Hanna is sound asleep.
No one else is in the room, perhaps an indication that she has long since passed the stage when the doctors can do anything for her.
Kaim sits down in the chair next to the bed and says with a smile.
"Hello, Hanna, I’m back."
She does not respond. Her little chest, still without the swelling of a grown woman, rises and falls almost imperceptibly.
"I went far across the ocean this time," he tells her. "The ocean on the side where the sun comes up. I took a boat from the harbor way way way far beyond the mountains you can see from this window, and I was on the sea from the time the moon was perfectly round till it got smaller and smaller then bigger and bigger until it was full again. There was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see. Just the sea and the sky. Can you imagine it, Hanna? You’ve never seen the ocean, but I’m sure people have told you about it. It’s like a huge, big endless puddle."
Kaim chuckles to himself, and it seems to him that Hanna’s pale white cheek moves slightly.
She can hear him. Even if she cannot speak or see, her ears are still alive.
Believing and hoping this to be true, Kaim continues with the story of his travels.
He speaks no words of parting.
As always with Hanna, Kaim smiles with a special gentleness he has never shown to anyone else, and he goes on telling his tales with a bright voice, sometimes even accompanying his story with exaggerated gestures.
He tells her about the blue ocean.
He tells her about the blue sky.
He says nothing about the violent sea battle that stained the ocean red.
He never tells her about those things.
Hanna was still a tiny girl when Kaim first visited the inn.
When she asked him "Where are you from?" and "Will you tell me some stories?" with her childish pronunciation and innocent smile, Kaim felt soft glow in his chest.
At the time, he was returning from a battle.
More precisely, he had ended one battle and was on his way to the next.
His life consisted of traveling from one battlefield to another, and nothing about that has changed to this day.
He has taken the lives of countless enemy troops, and witnessed the deaths of countless comrades on the battlefield. Moreover, the only thing separating enemies from comrades is the slightest stroke of fortune. Had the gears of destiny turned in a slightly different way, his enemies would have been comrades and his comrades enemies, This is the fate of the mercenary.
He was spiritually worn down back then and feeling unbearably lonely. As a possessor of eternal life, Kaim had no fear of death, which was precisely why each of the soldier’s faces distorted in fear, and why each face of a man who died in agony was burned permanently into his brain.
Ordinarily, he would spend nights on the road drinking. Immersing himself in an alcoholic stupor—or pretending to. He was trying to make himself forget the unforgettable.
When, however, he saw Hanna’s smile and begged him for stories about his long journey, he felt a far warmer and deeper comfort then he could even obtain from liquor.
He told her many things...
About the beautiful flower he discovered on the battlefield.
About the bewitching beauty of the mist filling the forest the night before the final battle.
About the marvelous taste of the spring water in a ravine where he and his men had fled after losing the battle.
About a vast, bottomless blue sky he saw after battle.
He never told her anything sad. He kept his mouth shut about the human ugliness and stupidity he witnessed endlessly on the battlefield. He concealed his position as a mercenary for her, kept silent regarding his reasons for traveling constantly, and spoke only of things that were beautiful and sweet and lovely. He sees now that he told Hanna only beautiful stories of the road like this not so much out of concern for her purity, but for his own sake.
Staying in the inn where Hanna waited to see him turned out to be one of Kaim’s small pleasures in life. Telling her about the memories he brought back from his journeys, he felt some degree of salvation, however slight. Five years, ten years, his friendship with the girl continued. Little by little, she neared adulthood, which meant that, as the doctors had predicted, each day brought her that much closer to death.
And now, Kaim ends the last travel story he will share with her.
He can never see her again, can never tell her stories again.
Before dawn, when the darkness of night is at its deepest, long pauses enter into Hanna’s breathing.
The frail thread of her life is about to snap as Kaim and her parents watch over her.
The tiny light that has lodged in Kaim’s breast will be extinguished.
His lonely travels will begin again tomorrow—his long, long travels without end.
"You’ll be leaving on travels of your own soon, Hanna." Kaim tells her gently.
"You’ll be leaving for a world that no one knows, a world that has never entered into any of the stories you have heard so far. Finally, you will be able to leave your bed and walk anywhere you want to go. You’ll be free."
He wants her to know that death is not sorrow but a joy mixed with tears.
"It’s your turn now. Be sure and tell everyone about the memories of your journey."
Her parents will make that same journey someday. And someday Hanna will be able to meet all the guests she has known at the inn, far beyond the sky.
I, however, can never go there.
I can never escape this world.
I can never see you again.
"This is not goodbye. It’s just the start of your journey."
He speaks his final words to her.
"We’ll meet again."
His final lie to her.
Hanna makes her departure.
Her face is transfused with a tranquil smile as if she has just said,
"See you soon."
Her eyes will never open again. A single tear glides slowly down her cheek.
End
~~
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Press Start: September 2nd, 2015
Title: Rule of Rose
Released: 2006 (January 19th)
https://youtu.be/okABK7DS2aY
So, from the opening video, what would you say this game is about? Young love? A game about orphans trying to make do with what's around them to have a good time? What if I was to tell you that this game is about a girl's descent into a tragic time in her life, filled with nightmarish creatures that bark and lunge at you out for blood, and that who you think should be your friends are your worst enemies in all of this? That is, my friend, what Rule of Rose boils down to.
Story: Jennifer is a young adult traveling by bus at night to some unknown destination. Dozing off in the back, she is approached by a young boy asking her to read a story to her. The story seems incomplete, and when she looks back up for the boy, he's already dashed off the bus that has stopped. In chasing after the boy, she comes across an orphanage that seems empty and is left to investigate as her only ride has driven off without her. But there's more to the orphanage than cobwebs and shadows on this dark night, and Jennifer soon comes to realize this after meeting the building's denizens, masked with paper bags and holding strange ceremonies. They're just kids, but their intentions are far more sinister than you might think as they force Jennifer into a coffin and transport her away from the orphanage.
When she awakens, she finds herself in a zeppelin and finds a comrade in a dog she names Brown. The two of them have to stick together to fend off the pale imps that appear to stalk her through the halls and rooms of the zeppelin, all while adhering to the rules of the "Red Crayon Aristocracy" and uncovering tidbits of Jennifer's past. The game tries its hardest not to give you straight answers to anything that is going on, but Jennifer once dwelt within the walls of the orphanage with these same girls, being treated the exact same way, and it all comes down to her former interactions with the Princess of the Red Rose.
Gameplay: This game came out after Haunting Ground, so you might see some similarities to it in terms of gameplay. One thing that sets the two apart is that Jennifer, unlike Fiona, can equip weapons that she might find throughout the airship to protect herself against the hordes of imps that will come at her. These pale, sickly children with distorted facial features (or sometimes even animal qualities) will stop at hardly nothing to make sure Jennifer succumbs to despair, so sometimes it might be better to run through them. There's no real interface to obscure your view of the game, so you're left to wander in the shadows with Brown, searching for items using the dog's sense of smell. The game is stretched out through requiring the use of Brown to actually do anything in regards to story progression at times, such as finding one item to lead you to another.
Music: One of the haunting features of the game lies in the music. The song that plays during the opening, "A Love Suicide", is one such example trying to capture the time period while still lightly hinting at the story's idea. You won't get to hear much in regards to music while playing, though, other than when you come across a story event (such as fighting some of the special imps that come up), so don't get too used to the atmosphere brought out by the songs and listen more closely to any imps yelling out at you in the distance. You'll be making your home out of the airship, so you best learn as much as you can of the surroundings.
Overall: This game is one of the lesser known gems of the Playstation 2 era. If you like Silent Hill or other survival horror games, you would've done well to have checked this game out. It plays similar to Haunting Ground, as I stated before, but you have less to worry about the stalkers and more about surviving the implings that hop about and cling to you like little kids. If you successfully survive your stay within the airship and back on land in the orphanage, you're treated with a little closure, depending on the ending you get of course.
Released: 2006 (January 19th)
https://youtu.be/okABK7DS2aY
So, from the opening video, what would you say this game is about? Young love? A game about orphans trying to make do with what's around them to have a good time? What if I was to tell you that this game is about a girl's descent into a tragic time in her life, filled with nightmarish creatures that bark and lunge at you out for blood, and that who you think should be your friends are your worst enemies in all of this? That is, my friend, what Rule of Rose boils down to.
Story: Jennifer is a young adult traveling by bus at night to some unknown destination. Dozing off in the back, she is approached by a young boy asking her to read a story to her. The story seems incomplete, and when she looks back up for the boy, he's already dashed off the bus that has stopped. In chasing after the boy, she comes across an orphanage that seems empty and is left to investigate as her only ride has driven off without her. But there's more to the orphanage than cobwebs and shadows on this dark night, and Jennifer soon comes to realize this after meeting the building's denizens, masked with paper bags and holding strange ceremonies. They're just kids, but their intentions are far more sinister than you might think as they force Jennifer into a coffin and transport her away from the orphanage.
When she awakens, she finds herself in a zeppelin and finds a comrade in a dog she names Brown. The two of them have to stick together to fend off the pale imps that appear to stalk her through the halls and rooms of the zeppelin, all while adhering to the rules of the "Red Crayon Aristocracy" and uncovering tidbits of Jennifer's past. The game tries its hardest not to give you straight answers to anything that is going on, but Jennifer once dwelt within the walls of the orphanage with these same girls, being treated the exact same way, and it all comes down to her former interactions with the Princess of the Red Rose.
Gameplay: This game came out after Haunting Ground, so you might see some similarities to it in terms of gameplay. One thing that sets the two apart is that Jennifer, unlike Fiona, can equip weapons that she might find throughout the airship to protect herself against the hordes of imps that will come at her. These pale, sickly children with distorted facial features (or sometimes even animal qualities) will stop at hardly nothing to make sure Jennifer succumbs to despair, so sometimes it might be better to run through them. There's no real interface to obscure your view of the game, so you're left to wander in the shadows with Brown, searching for items using the dog's sense of smell. The game is stretched out through requiring the use of Brown to actually do anything in regards to story progression at times, such as finding one item to lead you to another.
Music: One of the haunting features of the game lies in the music. The song that plays during the opening, "A Love Suicide", is one such example trying to capture the time period while still lightly hinting at the story's idea. You won't get to hear much in regards to music while playing, though, other than when you come across a story event (such as fighting some of the special imps that come up), so don't get too used to the atmosphere brought out by the songs and listen more closely to any imps yelling out at you in the distance. You'll be making your home out of the airship, so you best learn as much as you can of the surroundings.
Overall: This game is one of the lesser known gems of the Playstation 2 era. If you like Silent Hill or other survival horror games, you would've done well to have checked this game out. It plays similar to Haunting Ground, as I stated before, but you have less to worry about the stalkers and more about surviving the implings that hop about and cling to you like little kids. If you successfully survive your stay within the airship and back on land in the orphanage, you're treated with a little closure, depending on the ending you get of course.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Press Start: August 26th, 2015
Title: One Piece: Pirate Warriors (series includes: the titular One Piece: Pirate Warriors, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2, and the most recently released One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3)
Released: 2012, 2013, 2015 (respectively)
I'm going to try and find an element that's good and one that's bad for each of the three primary fields so this isn't entirely based on my good thoughts of the game.
(1) Here we have the first entry into the franchise. If you like Dynasty Warriors games by the Koei/Tecmo and Omega-Force team, and/or if you like One Piece, then this game may very well be for you. The first of the series ends up playing off of some of the story itself, leading from the very beginning of Luffy setting out on his journey to become the Pirate King up to Marineford and Sabaody. Of course, by the time you finish the game, you might already have the events ingrained into your mind for having to play them several times for each character's Main Log. It doesn't provide much in terms of replay value once you've completed the Main Log, however you must repeat this process of running through the logs for some of the trophies.
(2) This is where it starts to get all shades of f'd up. Instead of following along with the prime material, this game introduces it as a Dream Scenario. All of the characters you may come to know through the main setting of the anime and manga are thrown out of order. While their roles may still be the same, such as Eneru being the Logia god of Skypiea, or Gecko Moria being the ruler of Thriller Bark, we throw in a dash of craziness when some dials found in a military facility changes things up for Luffy, thrusting him into a power struggle between the Pirates, the Warlords, and the Marines that encompasses familiar stages to the previous game such as Orange Town and Marineford and throws in a few new places such as Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, and Skypiea.
The story does have a bit of flaws to it as you can't necessarily take it at face value as being something random. If anything, it is on a random flight from the Marines that the Straw Hats are then thrust into visiting Skypiea once more and starts them down this spiral into darkness. I'm a bit lost, personally, as to how this would even fit into the actual timeline, other than knowing that it would be somewhere past the time skip at Sabaody Archipelago because of the character differences. I do enjoy the different choices of stages this time around, but it does sometime seem a bit overwhelming to have so much to do in one stage early on that you might miss out on some of the conversations when having to stop an officer or two from killing an objective officer of your own.
(3) At the time of writing this, I haven't had much time to play this entry. It just came out yesterday, after all, for the English audience. However, I must say, everything that was slightly problematic about the previous versions are refined and added on to in this entry. Sure, it starts out following the main scenario given from the anime/manga, but it extends it to encompass the entire stage with the epic battles. I've played through the Prologue and Chapter One of the Main Log and I am definitely enjoying the effort they've put in to this game, with the increase in enemies surrounding you, the objectives and "treasure events" in each stage, and getting to beat familiar foes like Buggy and including new old faces like Kuro, Axe-hand Morgan, and Alvida.
That being said, the coin interface for upgrading your character stats does seem a bit misleading and unfortunate. Compared to the previous games, the coin listing for this game is very short. Due to this, you acquire several numbers of coins during a single stage and must spend them by socketing them into the character's stat sheet. Once all of the coins being requested for one stat has been satisfied, you get the desired increase and a new set is given to you. To me, it is taking the primary setting from OP:PW1, complicating it a little, and then giving it the guise of the coin set-up from PW2, where you had to chain coins together to get an increase in the main stats (attack, defense, and life). In this one, you actually have to spend the coins to unlock special gauge, limit break, and skill slots, which does make it a lot more tedious than I first expected.
(1) (2) (3) Meanwhile, the music stays consist and rather mis-matching to the One Piece franchise, yet makes perfect sense in the theme of Dynasty Warriors using rock themes. That's not saying that it isn't catchy, but it definitely doesn't match what you would normally expect for the One Piece anime/manga (especially when you compare it TO the anime music). I'd have to say that the series as a whole definitely does a good job of keeping me personally entertained. As a whole, you can at least play as some of your favorite OP characters and whop on a few others, Dynasty Warriors style, and enjoy yourself. Just don't burn yourself out too much, as is possible when you get around to playing it repeatedly for some of the more elusive trophies. If you don't play for trophies, then you have nothing to worry about!
Released: 2012, 2013, 2015 (respectively)
I'm going to try and find an element that's good and one that's bad for each of the three primary fields so this isn't entirely based on my good thoughts of the game.
(1) Here we have the first entry into the franchise. If you like Dynasty Warriors games by the Koei/Tecmo and Omega-Force team, and/or if you like One Piece, then this game may very well be for you. The first of the series ends up playing off of some of the story itself, leading from the very beginning of Luffy setting out on his journey to become the Pirate King up to Marineford and Sabaody. Of course, by the time you finish the game, you might already have the events ingrained into your mind for having to play them several times for each character's Main Log. It doesn't provide much in terms of replay value once you've completed the Main Log, however you must repeat this process of running through the logs for some of the trophies.
(2) This is where it starts to get all shades of f'd up. Instead of following along with the prime material, this game introduces it as a Dream Scenario. All of the characters you may come to know through the main setting of the anime and manga are thrown out of order. While their roles may still be the same, such as Eneru being the Logia god of Skypiea, or Gecko Moria being the ruler of Thriller Bark, we throw in a dash of craziness when some dials found in a military facility changes things up for Luffy, thrusting him into a power struggle between the Pirates, the Warlords, and the Marines that encompasses familiar stages to the previous game such as Orange Town and Marineford and throws in a few new places such as Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, and Skypiea.
The story does have a bit of flaws to it as you can't necessarily take it at face value as being something random. If anything, it is on a random flight from the Marines that the Straw Hats are then thrust into visiting Skypiea once more and starts them down this spiral into darkness. I'm a bit lost, personally, as to how this would even fit into the actual timeline, other than knowing that it would be somewhere past the time skip at Sabaody Archipelago because of the character differences. I do enjoy the different choices of stages this time around, but it does sometime seem a bit overwhelming to have so much to do in one stage early on that you might miss out on some of the conversations when having to stop an officer or two from killing an objective officer of your own.
(3) At the time of writing this, I haven't had much time to play this entry. It just came out yesterday, after all, for the English audience. However, I must say, everything that was slightly problematic about the previous versions are refined and added on to in this entry. Sure, it starts out following the main scenario given from the anime/manga, but it extends it to encompass the entire stage with the epic battles. I've played through the Prologue and Chapter One of the Main Log and I am definitely enjoying the effort they've put in to this game, with the increase in enemies surrounding you, the objectives and "treasure events" in each stage, and getting to beat familiar foes like Buggy and including new old faces like Kuro, Axe-hand Morgan, and Alvida.
That being said, the coin interface for upgrading your character stats does seem a bit misleading and unfortunate. Compared to the previous games, the coin listing for this game is very short. Due to this, you acquire several numbers of coins during a single stage and must spend them by socketing them into the character's stat sheet. Once all of the coins being requested for one stat has been satisfied, you get the desired increase and a new set is given to you. To me, it is taking the primary setting from OP:PW1, complicating it a little, and then giving it the guise of the coin set-up from PW2, where you had to chain coins together to get an increase in the main stats (attack, defense, and life). In this one, you actually have to spend the coins to unlock special gauge, limit break, and skill slots, which does make it a lot more tedious than I first expected.
(1) (2) (3) Meanwhile, the music stays consist and rather mis-matching to the One Piece franchise, yet makes perfect sense in the theme of Dynasty Warriors using rock themes. That's not saying that it isn't catchy, but it definitely doesn't match what you would normally expect for the One Piece anime/manga (especially when you compare it TO the anime music). I'd have to say that the series as a whole definitely does a good job of keeping me personally entertained. As a whole, you can at least play as some of your favorite OP characters and whop on a few others, Dynasty Warriors style, and enjoy yourself. Just don't burn yourself out too much, as is possible when you get around to playing it repeatedly for some of the more elusive trophies. If you don't play for trophies, then you have nothing to worry about!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Press Start: August 19th, 2015
Title: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
Released: 2011
Let me start by saying this was one of the primary reasons for getting a Playstation 3, for me. This and Ni no Kuni were exclusive to the Sony console, and given my interest in them well before they were completed, I had to get them. I am not disappointed one bit by the choice, either!
Story: Sol Cluster is the home of the third tower, the Tower of Tyria, and is under constant control of the Clustanian Army, an all-Reyvateil force that feels themselves superior to the humans and exerts their ideals on them. Aoto, a young man, rescues a girl named Saki from the Clustanian forces and finds himself embroiled within the war not solely over the two factions, but for the world itself. The sub-title "Knell of Ar Ciel" alludes to the final vestiges of life for the planet below the three towers of this world and that this is the conclusion of the trilogy. The Reyvateil Saki is also joined in their group with another by the name of Finnel, and throughout Aoto's journey, he comes to find that there are other Reyvateils working in the shadows to aid and, equally, impede him.
As with the previous games, there are gap points where your actions can either stop the story abruptly or let you continue through all four phases, which is where the real story lies. Through the phases, we come to see Aoto overcome the hardships placed before him and his comrades and make all of the Sol Cluster better for Reyvateils and humans alike, all while facing the antibody/virus threat from the world beneath the Sea of Death.
Gameplay: This is the first in the trilogy for the PS3, and also the first in a 3D style. As such, the battle system has been reworked into something similar to the roaming arena style that you'd find in a Star Ocean game (definitely much more similar to the PS2 entry Till the End of Time, as reference). Despite this, the combat is still rather lax, and you will spend more of your time mashing the square button for basic attacks than anything else. The magic in the battle lies in the Reyvateils and their Song Magic, which you can amplify through your strikes to synchronize her heart beat. The beauty of this is that, in order to increase the potency of the song and add additional effects, you must Purge her clothing in three different layers. Yeah, I know, it's weird to read that bit, but when you take into account that this is also a dating simulation game as well as an RPG, it makes a bit more sense (not a whole lot, but a bit). When they are ready to Purge, you hold one of the four shoulder buttons and then give the Six-Axis controller a shake.
Grathmelding (crafting) and Cosmosphere Dives (dating sim stories) return as staples to the series. Instead of installing Grathnode crystals into the Reyvateils to power up their abilities, you are only allowed to install Hyumas (the little Song Magic chibis from the previous games) based on the Install level you've gotten each Reyvateil up to. In this way, you can install higher level Hyuma to them, increasing their capabilities when you Purge that specific element.
Music: One thing that really makes this series stand out even further in the RPG library is the use of songs in the story. Reyvateils are what I would classify as modified female humans, and while the story goes more in-depth for the Reyvateils in the Sol Cluster to state that they're bred and incubated in tubes, the fact remains that they are modified to be able to share their feelings through physical form by singing. The magic that they unleash through their songs convey their feelings as well as exhibit such a strong destructive force that they shouldn't be taken lightly. Examples of the power of emotion can be heard in the following songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPO1rXQcZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSUaKHRz44
Overall: It is a fitting end to the trilogy, but it still feels like there are some parts that they could've at least done a bit differently. For one, Grathmelding is still a nuisance as ever, but I think that's also if you understand that this is coming from the same concept as the Atelier serial, where alchemy is the primary focus and everything else secondary. I did like the characters, and only after watching Madoka Magica and then resuming the game with three-quarters of it complete did I realize that they used one of the voice actresses for both Kyubey in MM and Harvestasha for this game. That was definitely a surprise to me, but I should be used to this with the common voices in the English dub community. Now, to re-play it for the remaining endings and trophies before I move on to the prequel game, Ar nosurge: Ode to a Newborn Star (also for the PS3).
Released: 2011
Let me start by saying this was one of the primary reasons for getting a Playstation 3, for me. This and Ni no Kuni were exclusive to the Sony console, and given my interest in them well before they were completed, I had to get them. I am not disappointed one bit by the choice, either!
Story: Sol Cluster is the home of the third tower, the Tower of Tyria, and is under constant control of the Clustanian Army, an all-Reyvateil force that feels themselves superior to the humans and exerts their ideals on them. Aoto, a young man, rescues a girl named Saki from the Clustanian forces and finds himself embroiled within the war not solely over the two factions, but for the world itself. The sub-title "Knell of Ar Ciel" alludes to the final vestiges of life for the planet below the three towers of this world and that this is the conclusion of the trilogy. The Reyvateil Saki is also joined in their group with another by the name of Finnel, and throughout Aoto's journey, he comes to find that there are other Reyvateils working in the shadows to aid and, equally, impede him.
As with the previous games, there are gap points where your actions can either stop the story abruptly or let you continue through all four phases, which is where the real story lies. Through the phases, we come to see Aoto overcome the hardships placed before him and his comrades and make all of the Sol Cluster better for Reyvateils and humans alike, all while facing the antibody/virus threat from the world beneath the Sea of Death.
Gameplay: This is the first in the trilogy for the PS3, and also the first in a 3D style. As such, the battle system has been reworked into something similar to the roaming arena style that you'd find in a Star Ocean game (definitely much more similar to the PS2 entry Till the End of Time, as reference). Despite this, the combat is still rather lax, and you will spend more of your time mashing the square button for basic attacks than anything else. The magic in the battle lies in the Reyvateils and their Song Magic, which you can amplify through your strikes to synchronize her heart beat. The beauty of this is that, in order to increase the potency of the song and add additional effects, you must Purge her clothing in three different layers. Yeah, I know, it's weird to read that bit, but when you take into account that this is also a dating simulation game as well as an RPG, it makes a bit more sense (not a whole lot, but a bit). When they are ready to Purge, you hold one of the four shoulder buttons and then give the Six-Axis controller a shake.
Grathmelding (crafting) and Cosmosphere Dives (dating sim stories) return as staples to the series. Instead of installing Grathnode crystals into the Reyvateils to power up their abilities, you are only allowed to install Hyumas (the little Song Magic chibis from the previous games) based on the Install level you've gotten each Reyvateil up to. In this way, you can install higher level Hyuma to them, increasing their capabilities when you Purge that specific element.
Music: One thing that really makes this series stand out even further in the RPG library is the use of songs in the story. Reyvateils are what I would classify as modified female humans, and while the story goes more in-depth for the Reyvateils in the Sol Cluster to state that they're bred and incubated in tubes, the fact remains that they are modified to be able to share their feelings through physical form by singing. The magic that they unleash through their songs convey their feelings as well as exhibit such a strong destructive force that they shouldn't be taken lightly. Examples of the power of emotion can be heard in the following songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPO1rXQcZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSUaKHRz44
Overall: It is a fitting end to the trilogy, but it still feels like there are some parts that they could've at least done a bit differently. For one, Grathmelding is still a nuisance as ever, but I think that's also if you understand that this is coming from the same concept as the Atelier serial, where alchemy is the primary focus and everything else secondary. I did like the characters, and only after watching Madoka Magica and then resuming the game with three-quarters of it complete did I realize that they used one of the voice actresses for both Kyubey in MM and Harvestasha for this game. That was definitely a surprise to me, but I should be used to this with the common voices in the English dub community. Now, to re-play it for the remaining endings and trophies before I move on to the prequel game, Ar nosurge: Ode to a Newborn Star (also for the PS3).
Press Start: August 12th, 2015
Summer is drawing to a close for me, but hopefully I shan't neglect my gaming. That's my hope, but who is to really say such a thing until I find out how brutal my classes will be. For now, let's focus on the games, though!
Title: The Guided Fate Paradox
Released: 2013
Story: Renya is an unlucky high school student. He's never won anything in his life and is known for unfortunate things happening to him. This all changed one day when, thanks to a lottery, he won the ultimate prize: to be God. Kidnapped by the angel posing at the lottery attendant, Renya is whisked away to Celestia and given the task of regulating the Fate Revolution Circuit (FRC), a massive machine made by a previous angel to help God handle the numerous wishes and prayers sent to the heavens.
Wow. Just wow. Right off the bat, the main character is given an immense burden, despite how it may seem. We are introduced to the other angels besides the primary assistant, Lilliel; there is Galtion, Rakiel, Kuroiel, Cheriel, Lanael, and the recluse Neliel. Renya's job is to dive into the FRC into the Copy World, a data version of the real world (or Original World) surrounding the person he's granting the wish of. In this way, Renya can defeat enemies in a strategy rpg combat system (similar to a dungeon crawling game like Digimon World 3 or Chocobo's Dungeon) and alter the fate of the believer in the Original World.
Graphics: There's not much of a change between this and other Nippon Ichi games in terms fo character designs. Traditional anime-style characters act as the cast, and while every Copy World is unique, the amount of times you have to dive into one for the Lessons (the game is divided into these much like most of the other games are, like the different maps in Disgaea) can lessen the unique look each world has. The maps of each floor are randomly generated and put together, loaded with items, traps, and monsters and retain the imagery of the Original World's theme.
What I do like is that, in the cutscenes where conversations take place, the portraits of the characters talking gradually change to convey the body language when they're speaking their specific lines. This is something that I usually see with an entirely different image being placed up instead, but this game goes about actually having the character change their pose visually before starting their lines.
Music: While most of the game does have decent music, the one song that really starts to grate on my nerves would be the music you hear when handling the shopkeepers. As with most strategy games handled by NIS, you have the chance to change music, but this only alters what songs are playing while you are in the home base. The main theme, God and the Illusory Garden, which is shown in the beginning video was very nice to listen to, though, so I'll let the other bit slip.
Overall: As you can expect with Nippon Ichi, the game is very underrated by the majority of the American market due to low advertising. But this isn't necessarily something that NIS suffers under: instead, it makes itself known as a niche game developer over here and those who enjoy RPGs or have previously enjoyed other NIS games can be comforted with the fact that it combines mechanics of its previous games while making each stand out. I'm unfortunately only up to the sixth lesson, and it's starting to whip my butt. I was never that great at Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii because of it resetting everything, so guess I'll see how well I can do when I venture back into it. I do like that the dungeons each have their own theme AND a thematic danger to them. The world of the first lesson is straightforward, and then when you get to the second, it takes on a different approach to the scenery and its mechanics. When you move to the third, the entire map gets a different layout, and this pattern repeats. This definitely makes each map memorable.
Title: The Guided Fate Paradox
Released: 2013
Story: Renya is an unlucky high school student. He's never won anything in his life and is known for unfortunate things happening to him. This all changed one day when, thanks to a lottery, he won the ultimate prize: to be God. Kidnapped by the angel posing at the lottery attendant, Renya is whisked away to Celestia and given the task of regulating the Fate Revolution Circuit (FRC), a massive machine made by a previous angel to help God handle the numerous wishes and prayers sent to the heavens.
Wow. Just wow. Right off the bat, the main character is given an immense burden, despite how it may seem. We are introduced to the other angels besides the primary assistant, Lilliel; there is Galtion, Rakiel, Kuroiel, Cheriel, Lanael, and the recluse Neliel. Renya's job is to dive into the FRC into the Copy World, a data version of the real world (or Original World) surrounding the person he's granting the wish of. In this way, Renya can defeat enemies in a strategy rpg combat system (similar to a dungeon crawling game like Digimon World 3 or Chocobo's Dungeon) and alter the fate of the believer in the Original World.
Graphics: There's not much of a change between this and other Nippon Ichi games in terms fo character designs. Traditional anime-style characters act as the cast, and while every Copy World is unique, the amount of times you have to dive into one for the Lessons (the game is divided into these much like most of the other games are, like the different maps in Disgaea) can lessen the unique look each world has. The maps of each floor are randomly generated and put together, loaded with items, traps, and monsters and retain the imagery of the Original World's theme.
What I do like is that, in the cutscenes where conversations take place, the portraits of the characters talking gradually change to convey the body language when they're speaking their specific lines. This is something that I usually see with an entirely different image being placed up instead, but this game goes about actually having the character change their pose visually before starting their lines.
Music: While most of the game does have decent music, the one song that really starts to grate on my nerves would be the music you hear when handling the shopkeepers. As with most strategy games handled by NIS, you have the chance to change music, but this only alters what songs are playing while you are in the home base. The main theme, God and the Illusory Garden, which is shown in the beginning video was very nice to listen to, though, so I'll let the other bit slip.
Overall: As you can expect with Nippon Ichi, the game is very underrated by the majority of the American market due to low advertising. But this isn't necessarily something that NIS suffers under: instead, it makes itself known as a niche game developer over here and those who enjoy RPGs or have previously enjoyed other NIS games can be comforted with the fact that it combines mechanics of its previous games while making each stand out. I'm unfortunately only up to the sixth lesson, and it's starting to whip my butt. I was never that great at Chocobo's Dungeon for the Wii because of it resetting everything, so guess I'll see how well I can do when I venture back into it. I do like that the dungeons each have their own theme AND a thematic danger to them. The world of the first lesson is straightforward, and then when you get to the second, it takes on a different approach to the scenery and its mechanics. When you move to the third, the entire map gets a different layout, and this pattern repeats. This definitely makes each map memorable.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Turn the Page: August 5th, 2015
So, time for a new type of blog posting, of sorts. I mean, I have wanted to write something like this for a time, but I've just not had the time to sit down and actually write it for this platform. This, of course, is about writing, whether it be in a graphical form (manga, visual novels) or just a pure text format (whether it's an actual book, a short story on a website, or anything else that might fit this). I might not have a whole lot to say, but I want to at least put down my thoughts before I forget them!
Title: The Demon Tower
Author: Gaelin Kyle Adkins
Ok, so this is a bit of a bragging post with the inaugural post, but who cares? So, I'll start with a bit of introduction behind the story. The prologue starts off introducing the town of Nazris in the middle of the night. Five individuals are introduced lightly, each going through their own things that are keeping them up. A strange occurrence envelopes the town, and by the following morning, the entire town is noted as "missing".
The story itself revolves around the location where Nazris once stood and the efforts of a group of adventurers, calling themselves Etude, as they attempt to stop whatever dark magic is being used at the spot. So far, I've only released the prologue and the first three chapters, but I have more planned and I have quite the inspirational drive to see it finished.
The idea behind the story came from a friend's work on a game, by himself, using RPGMaker VX Ace. The game is/was called "Tower of 1000 Floors", but it really didn't have much of a story to it. I asked him why and he couldn't really give me much of a reason other than not having the need for one. The game itself worked off of you exploring each floor, gathering gold and items, to better yourself before facing off the big bad boss on the top floor (the end of the game). The game offered the chance to just jump right up to the last floor, since apparently the more floors you conquer, the harder the boss gets. I told him I wanted to do a fan-fiction of sorts for the game and just went along with using everything given to me to make it the best I could. I haven't got much feedback from him so far, so I'm hoping it turns out well enough to be enjoyed by the initial inspiration.
I've asked for express permission to use his intellectual property as I see fit in the story, but the only real items of that field would pertain to the final boss and the tower itself. Everything else is separate from that and, so, I am writing it with that in mind and it is keeping my interest strong. I'm currently (I'd say) about halfway with the fifth chapter, and it should start rolling down-hill (progressively) in interest from there as I start to fill in the characters as they appear. So far, the likes of Etude have only just started to scratch the lower floors of the tower!
It'd be classified as a work of fantasy fiction with fan-fiction slightly added in there (I mean, technically, it is fan-fiction but so long as the game is never released, it would still be a work of fantasy more-so). It's being released on Tablo when the chapters are completed, so if you want to give it a look and read some of it, by all means, please do so:
https://tablo.io/ktkarona/the-demon-tower
You may find that I have some other works on there as well, not to mention the fact that it is a writing site in general so you might find other things of interest there to read instead or afterwards. Either way, I think I'm done gushing about this. Thanks for reading, until next time! (Turn the page. >)
Title: The Demon Tower
Author: Gaelin Kyle Adkins
Ok, so this is a bit of a bragging post with the inaugural post, but who cares? So, I'll start with a bit of introduction behind the story. The prologue starts off introducing the town of Nazris in the middle of the night. Five individuals are introduced lightly, each going through their own things that are keeping them up. A strange occurrence envelopes the town, and by the following morning, the entire town is noted as "missing".
The story itself revolves around the location where Nazris once stood and the efforts of a group of adventurers, calling themselves Etude, as they attempt to stop whatever dark magic is being used at the spot. So far, I've only released the prologue and the first three chapters, but I have more planned and I have quite the inspirational drive to see it finished.
The idea behind the story came from a friend's work on a game, by himself, using RPGMaker VX Ace. The game is/was called "Tower of 1000 Floors", but it really didn't have much of a story to it. I asked him why and he couldn't really give me much of a reason other than not having the need for one. The game itself worked off of you exploring each floor, gathering gold and items, to better yourself before facing off the big bad boss on the top floor (the end of the game). The game offered the chance to just jump right up to the last floor, since apparently the more floors you conquer, the harder the boss gets. I told him I wanted to do a fan-fiction of sorts for the game and just went along with using everything given to me to make it the best I could. I haven't got much feedback from him so far, so I'm hoping it turns out well enough to be enjoyed by the initial inspiration.
I've asked for express permission to use his intellectual property as I see fit in the story, but the only real items of that field would pertain to the final boss and the tower itself. Everything else is separate from that and, so, I am writing it with that in mind and it is keeping my interest strong. I'm currently (I'd say) about halfway with the fifth chapter, and it should start rolling down-hill (progressively) in interest from there as I start to fill in the characters as they appear. So far, the likes of Etude have only just started to scratch the lower floors of the tower!
It'd be classified as a work of fantasy fiction with fan-fiction slightly added in there (I mean, technically, it is fan-fiction but so long as the game is never released, it would still be a work of fantasy more-so). It's being released on Tablo when the chapters are completed, so if you want to give it a look and read some of it, by all means, please do so:
https://tablo.io/ktkarona/the-demon-tower
You may find that I have some other works on there as well, not to mention the fact that it is a writing site in general so you might find other things of interest there to read instead or afterwards. Either way, I think I'm done gushing about this. Thanks for reading, until next time! (Turn the page. >)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Press Start: July 29th, 2015
Title: Blackwell Epiphany
Released: 2014
Story: The final game of the series, and by far the longest. It takes place a very short time after the previous and we see Rosa's involvement with the police extending after meeting Detective Durkin in Blackwell Deception. What appears to be a normal job of freeing a lost soul winds up with someone getting shot right before Rosa's eyes, and the soul right after that being torn apart. This leads the Bestower, Rosa, and her spirit guide Joey on a chase to find out more before the same happens to others. The conclusion is heart-breaking and definitely seems to be a cop out, but at the same time, it is also a fitting end for the series as a whole.
Included with this is also a look into the past, as we finally uncover more about Joey's early moments in the afterlife and more about the Countess and Madeline, two characters introduced partially in the middle games and expanded upon, one game after the other. The Countess was actually a human well before she lost her mind, but we also see how madness befell her and the earlier Blackwell women.
One thing that I fail to see more of in this is the involvement of Police Chief Alex Silva, who was actually a vocal member at the end of the last game, but her involvement now is non-existent aside from a photo in the police station. There is also the inclusion of the Epiphany Experiment, which is only revealed to be named such at the end but spoken of throughout the entire game. One of the final ghosts that we interact with mentions this, but the reason behind it and the information of his prior life seems... like there could have been more there, but they decided against it over this other story. I do wish Dave Gilbert would have made the overall series a bit longer until the end, but there's nothing that can be done about it now.
Graphics: Everything's black, gray, and white in New York during the first month of 2014. Rosa has taken to bundling up for this blizzard weather, and while the character sprites haven't changed, the portraits have once more gone through a shift, though not as drastic as the change from the third (Convergence) and the fourth (Deception). There's not much to say about the differences overall, as it looks as best as it can for it being a retro pixel art form (think Laura Bow: Dagger of Amon-Ra).
Music: The theme this time makes a repeating process through all of the dramatic parts of the game. With the several areas to comb through, you can actually find that some of the music does convey the idea of the location quite well this time around. The emotions are released when it comes to the music for the final moments of the game, though.
Overall: I'd love to talk about the ending, but it's not necessarily something I'd prefer to do and spoil the experience of the game. Dave Gilbert and the rest of those involved completed the series acceptably within their powers without extending it over another game, and the experiences they learned from while making the previous games definitely shows off in this one. We see the conclusions of so many stories coming together, and at the same time, the way it ends also leaves it open should they ever decide to revisit it and make a new series off of it. In some way, I do hope they decide on this, as Abe Goldfarb (the voice of Joey Mallone) definitely made the game a pleasant experience throughout.
Released: 2014
Story: The final game of the series, and by far the longest. It takes place a very short time after the previous and we see Rosa's involvement with the police extending after meeting Detective Durkin in Blackwell Deception. What appears to be a normal job of freeing a lost soul winds up with someone getting shot right before Rosa's eyes, and the soul right after that being torn apart. This leads the Bestower, Rosa, and her spirit guide Joey on a chase to find out more before the same happens to others. The conclusion is heart-breaking and definitely seems to be a cop out, but at the same time, it is also a fitting end for the series as a whole.
Included with this is also a look into the past, as we finally uncover more about Joey's early moments in the afterlife and more about the Countess and Madeline, two characters introduced partially in the middle games and expanded upon, one game after the other. The Countess was actually a human well before she lost her mind, but we also see how madness befell her and the earlier Blackwell women.
One thing that I fail to see more of in this is the involvement of Police Chief Alex Silva, who was actually a vocal member at the end of the last game, but her involvement now is non-existent aside from a photo in the police station. There is also the inclusion of the Epiphany Experiment, which is only revealed to be named such at the end but spoken of throughout the entire game. One of the final ghosts that we interact with mentions this, but the reason behind it and the information of his prior life seems... like there could have been more there, but they decided against it over this other story. I do wish Dave Gilbert would have made the overall series a bit longer until the end, but there's nothing that can be done about it now.
Graphics: Everything's black, gray, and white in New York during the first month of 2014. Rosa has taken to bundling up for this blizzard weather, and while the character sprites haven't changed, the portraits have once more gone through a shift, though not as drastic as the change from the third (Convergence) and the fourth (Deception). There's not much to say about the differences overall, as it looks as best as it can for it being a retro pixel art form (think Laura Bow: Dagger of Amon-Ra).
Music: The theme this time makes a repeating process through all of the dramatic parts of the game. With the several areas to comb through, you can actually find that some of the music does convey the idea of the location quite well this time around. The emotions are released when it comes to the music for the final moments of the game, though.
Overall: I'd love to talk about the ending, but it's not necessarily something I'd prefer to do and spoil the experience of the game. Dave Gilbert and the rest of those involved completed the series acceptably within their powers without extending it over another game, and the experiences they learned from while making the previous games definitely shows off in this one. We see the conclusions of so many stories coming together, and at the same time, the way it ends also leaves it open should they ever decide to revisit it and make a new series off of it. In some way, I do hope they decide on this, as Abe Goldfarb (the voice of Joey Mallone) definitely made the game a pleasant experience throughout.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Press Start: July 22nd, 2015
Title: Blackwell Deception
Released: 2011
Story: Continuing with the present team of Rosa and Joey, we start knee-deep in one of their cases. It is introduced through a letter asking for Rosa's help to investigate a yacht supposedly possessed. While the introduction doesn't serve any real purpose for the later part of the story. When you get past the credits and Rosa gets a phone call from a former colleague of hers, a reporter by the name of Jeremy Sams, this is when we actually get into the focus of the game. Jeremy asks for her assistance in a story he's working on, and it is through this line of work that Rosa starts to uncover something much deeper than she initially thought, involving her abilities as the medium connected to Joey.
Honestly, while the story of the previous two games were nice, I do wish they would've touched more on this topic back then as well. In a way, I guess they did, as you start to understand what happened to the Countess to make her the way she was, but it isn't properly noticed until you get to the end of this game. In this game, we also see some story starting to develop about Joey's background, but again, it's only hinted at lightly and doesn't satisfy entirely.
Graphics: Another game, another change in sprites and character portraits. Rosangela has resorted to a smart phone now, which seems interesting enough, but when you come to realize that it's nothing more than her computer and notepad in one, it does lose some novelty. She does acquire some numbers to call, but their use is very limited. More than anything, the change in character portraits really threw me off, as you continue to see this as a trend with the games, not in a positive way either. The features previously displayed for the characters get modified or twisted about, making it seem less like it was a proper sequel developed by the same people.
Music: One thing that the Blackwell series does is try to make the music memorable. For some instances, this is true, as there is one song in particular that does stand out to me, the theme that now stands out more. There is a dance club within the game, Munray's, that turns this theme into a techno dance song, and that's when it really started to stand out for me. Other areas, such as visiting Jamie's room at Columbia U really had a strange "suspicious" theme playing despite it not necessarily needing such. Some of the choices of music were questionable, but not too bad.
Overall: Coming close to the end is indeed not something I want, but at the same time I'm excited for. At the time of writing this, I have only started Blackwell Epiphany, but it is coming out to be quite gripping and is definitely expanding the story quite a bit from what the previous games have set up. More than anything, this is setting up the story for Epiphany and is establishing reasons for what happened before, while setting something new up.
Released: 2011
Story: Continuing with the present team of Rosa and Joey, we start knee-deep in one of their cases. It is introduced through a letter asking for Rosa's help to investigate a yacht supposedly possessed. While the introduction doesn't serve any real purpose for the later part of the story. When you get past the credits and Rosa gets a phone call from a former colleague of hers, a reporter by the name of Jeremy Sams, this is when we actually get into the focus of the game. Jeremy asks for her assistance in a story he's working on, and it is through this line of work that Rosa starts to uncover something much deeper than she initially thought, involving her abilities as the medium connected to Joey.
Honestly, while the story of the previous two games were nice, I do wish they would've touched more on this topic back then as well. In a way, I guess they did, as you start to understand what happened to the Countess to make her the way she was, but it isn't properly noticed until you get to the end of this game. In this game, we also see some story starting to develop about Joey's background, but again, it's only hinted at lightly and doesn't satisfy entirely.
Graphics: Another game, another change in sprites and character portraits. Rosangela has resorted to a smart phone now, which seems interesting enough, but when you come to realize that it's nothing more than her computer and notepad in one, it does lose some novelty. She does acquire some numbers to call, but their use is very limited. More than anything, the change in character portraits really threw me off, as you continue to see this as a trend with the games, not in a positive way either. The features previously displayed for the characters get modified or twisted about, making it seem less like it was a proper sequel developed by the same people.
Music: One thing that the Blackwell series does is try to make the music memorable. For some instances, this is true, as there is one song in particular that does stand out to me, the theme that now stands out more. There is a dance club within the game, Munray's, that turns this theme into a techno dance song, and that's when it really started to stand out for me. Other areas, such as visiting Jamie's room at Columbia U really had a strange "suspicious" theme playing despite it not necessarily needing such. Some of the choices of music were questionable, but not too bad.
Overall: Coming close to the end is indeed not something I want, but at the same time I'm excited for. At the time of writing this, I have only started Blackwell Epiphany, but it is coming out to be quite gripping and is definitely expanding the story quite a bit from what the previous games have set up. More than anything, this is setting up the story for Epiphany and is establishing reasons for what happened before, while setting something new up.
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