Now Playing: Battle Arena Toshinden 3

 Yes, another fighting game. Sue me.

 Color me surprised, I expected Toshinden 3 to be terrible, and it kinda isn't! I mean, it's clunky, it's wonky, it's rather stiff... but it's kinda good. I managed to pull some badass looking combos which actually surprised me a bit, it seems like... it seems like it plays better than Toshinden Subaru(4)!

 Basically, as stiff and lame as the game is, it can be kinda fun. Some animations look really good, others don't, some characters are kinda cool, others are terrible... It's a mixed bag. Everything in the game is a mixed bag leaning towards fun. And I'm definitely reusing that line in the review.

 And that's all I've to say up to this point. It has some good things, some bad things and there're a dozen other better fighting games you can get on the PS1... but it's still worth a look for fighting game aficionados.

Review #364: Tobal No.1

 Not gonna be number 1 any time soon...

 Tobal No.1 is yet another original idea from Squaresoft back when they were at their prime. I'm pretty sure it was their first fighting game, and while flawed, it would set up the foundation for the superior Tobal No.2 as well as some elements which were borrowed by Ergheiz.

 The game offers a Tournament Mode, which is actually the game's Arcade Ladder, a VS Player mode, as well as a Practice mode hidden underneath the Options menu. There's another mode, Quest Mode, which you must tackle in order to unlock the 4 bonus fighters. This mode... is not good. It's played in third person while retain the same control from the main fighting mode, which means that it controls like garbage. Turning around is clunky and tedious, the platforming is all kinds of annoying and moving around is imprecise and very, very wonky. It makes for a very vexing time. Bonus points for at least trying, but don't feel too bad, Square would get it right with Tobal No.2 and Ergheiz.

 But fighting is where it's at, and man is it swell! You've a low attack, mid attack and high attack as well as dedicated jump and block buttons. Mixing different directions, as well as the jump or block buttons with the attack buttons will result in all manners of different attacks and combo strings. I felt like there's not much potential for combos, but the movesets are deceptively extensive and every character has his or her own moves. While tearing down the enemy's life bar will KO them, you must also watch out for ring outs, as you can fall off the stage.

 The in-game camera is a bit of an oddity... it doesn't always try to give you a side view of both characters, as sometimes the camera will trail behind for a sort of back camera, or will lean too far to a side. It's not unplayable and it probably won't mess up your moves, but it's certainly weird for a fighting game.

 Props for Akira Toriyama's character designs. These are the most unique characters he has ever designed, and not only are characters different from each other as far as moves go, but also visually. There's a ton of variety, from a chicken man, to a big woman wrestler, to more grounded and generic characters like martial artists Chuji and Gren. It's a very colorful cast, and not something we see nowadays. Animations are also exquisitely smooth, it's quite a treat watching all these characters in action.

 Tobal No. 1 is a more than decent fighting game, but it's a bit lacking. It lacks modes, it could've used a couple more characters, and it's most ambitious mode, Quest Mode, is an annoyance. That said, when it comes down to the fighting mechanics, they are solid if a bit limited, so it's not the best fighter to play competitively. If you can get Tobal No.2 go for it, as it fixes Tobal 1's shortcomings and polishes what already worked well.

 7.5 out of 10

Now Playing: Tobal No.1

 Another fighting game!? Another fighting game.

 Tobal, baby! I used to own the second one, but since it was never released in USA this'll have to do. I don't really care about the two newcomers or the dungeon baddies, so it's alright.

 That said, the game looks surprisingly bad. I mean, it's not a bad looking game, not by any means, but the second one looked like a Nintendo 64 game!... Which I realize doesn't mean much in this day and age, but it's the PS1 we're talking about!

 I've already beaten Arcade Mode with 7/12 characters, and it' pretty good. There's not a whole lot of combo potential, but movesets are deceptively extensive. I also like the character roster, most characters are pretty weird and unique.

 Bottom line is I'm liking Tobal a lot. Now onwards to quest mode!

Review #363: Bushido Blade

 The wind is blowing. A pair of Blades clash once and again. A single body falls. Sometimes both of them.

  I've always been familiar with Bushido Blade 2, since I thought being a fighting game sequel it would be the superior game, but last year I found out that both games are quite different, so I had to give Bushido Blade 1 a try.

 Bushido Blade is not your average fighting game. There're no life bars or energy gauges, and just one hit is enough to finish a match. You pick from 6 characters and 8 different weapons: A katana, a nodachi, a warhammer, a naginata, a saber, a long sword, a broad sword and a rapier. Quite a few of these weapons are actually missing from the sequel, and characters have never really been all that unique among each other, so in a way, this game actually has more variety.

 Control aren't as streamlined as in 2, you've three attack buttons: High, mid and low, as well as a defense button that must be timed alongside the enemy's attack. R1 raises your positions while R2 lowers it, which translates into changing into the three different positions each weapon allows, plus, R1 can be used to climb walls, R2 and then R1 allows you to jump and R2+attack buttons will produce special attacks. It sounds like a handful, and compared to Bushido Blade 2's simplicity it kinda is, but it's easy to get the hang of it. What you will notice is that gameplay is much slower, les flashy and more deliberate in this game. It's not better or worse, it simply is different, you could mash buttons in the previous game and produce some tense blade clashes, here when your blade clashes with another doesn't allow you to immediately attempt another attack, so you must be more careful.

 In the sequel, body blows didn't matter too much unless you were hit on an arm. In this game, unnecessary damage is an actual hindrance, which is awesome. Being hit on your legs will decrease your running speed or sometimes even reduce you to a crawl, which limits your stances and movement. Getting hit on an arm will limit the stances you can switch to. Getting hit anywhere will make your attacks slower. You really don't want to get hit in Bushido Blade 1, because if you survive the hit it will hamper your efficacy.

 Sadly the game is a bit lacking in modes. There's a VS mode, against player only, Slash Mode which pits you against 100 enemies(And lets you unlock a 7th character... if you are good enough), training against a CPU and, finally, Story Mode. There's two endings in Story Mode, the good one is a bit of a secret how to get it, but it involves running. Breaking the code of Bushido(attacking a downed enemy, hitting the on their backs) will cut your run short however.

 Bushido Blade 1 isn't better or worse than Bushido Blade 2, it's just different. While I prefer BB 2's faster paced combat, the importance of body damage in this game makes it a much more interesting affair. And while BB 2 might have more characters, I'd rather have more weapons! All in all, this is an interesting case, as I would suggest getting both as each game offers something different. But for what it's worth, Bushido Blade 2 definitely has more longevity: More modes, more characters and more stages.
 8.5 out of 10

Archile's Grab Bag: 2017 Edition

  New year means new packages which means new games which, apparently, also means a new pair of legs.

 Tobal No. 1: I'm actually familiar with the game's sequel, Tobal No. 2, but seeing how that one wasn't released in USA it would be a bit of a hassle getting it to work. Plus, I didn't really care about the bonus 'Dungeon' fighters or the new default characters. That said, the graphics seem a bit blockier, but oh well, as long as the gameplay is as smooth as it was on the sequel I'll be a happy camper.

 Battle Arena Toshinden 3: I played Toshinden Subaru(4) and it was crap. I also tried one of the PC Toshinden games and it was also crap. But seeing how Toshinden is supposed to be a Playstation classic, I'll try to give it another shot. Not too hopeful about it though.

  Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam: The Tony Hawk game nobody talks about, originally released on the Wii, I opted for traditional PS2 controls. It seemed decent, from what little footage I've seen.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground: I wasn't wowed by Project 8, but maybe, just maybe, they managed to get Tony Hawk back on track with Proving Ground. I actually liked the new 'punching bystanders' mechanics I saw, so I'm slightly optimistic about it. Slightly.

 Sonic Heroes: I remember being kinda excited about Sonic Heroes back before it was released, since I had grown up as a Nintendo Kid, but jumped ship to the PS2, I hadn't had a chance to play Sonic, which made this my first Sonic game. I think I kinda liked it, although its reception was rather lukewarm and the PS2 version got the most flak!

 Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: The only Star Wars prequel that was actually good! This game looks very, very promising, to say that I'm very optimistic about it is selling it shortly. I can't wait to give this one a try!

 Metal Slug - Anthology: I'm a bit of a NEO-GEO lover, so of course I'm amiliar with the Metal Slug franchise! This anthology looks to be every Metal Slug fan's wet dream.


 I also got Bushido Blade I but didn't take a picture, regardless, I've already played it for a bit, and it's really good. In some ways, its better than the sequel, in others... not so much.

Review #362: Blazblue - CentralFiction

 The end of Blazblue.... as if!

 Calamity Trigger, Continuum Shift, Continuum Shift II, Continuum Shift Extend, ChronoPhantasma, ChronoPhantasma Extend and now... CentralFiction. It sure's been a long ride filled with nonsensical titles, but we've finally arrived to the last chapter of Ragna's Story.... yeah, right....

 So, the story mode... it's as bad as it's always been. It's long, boring, derivative, filled with anime cliches, moments and characters you've already seen before and seen execute better. There're mandatory boob jokes, because it is an anime game and animu girls are never content with their breasts. The first four chapters are a an unbearable remix of Calamity Trigger, but, for what it's worth, for the very first time in Blazblue's history.... it did have some interesting plot points. Chapter 10 did get sorta interesting, even if Ragna's decision was very animu in nature. Now then, a lot of characters die or... evolve during the course of the story... but this is a Fighting game, we know that they will find a roundabout way to bring everyone back for the next installment, so don't worry too much about the fate of your favorite character. Plus, there's no way that this is the last Blazblue game, taking nto account how many unresolved plot threads were left hanging.

 Once you are done wasting your time with the generic, senseless and convoluted Story Mode, you've Arcade Mode waiting for you, and now there're up to three different 'Arcade Routes' per character, although not every character gets three of them. There're both online and offline VS modes, Grim of the Abyss(Think Survival with some customization elements), Score Attack(10-opponent gauntlets where you aim to score high), Speedstar(You don't lose health, you only lose time! It's a rather novel idea!), training, the obligatory combo challenges for every character and a tutorial. The tutorial, as per usual for the Blazblue franchise, is pretty good, and this time it offers pointers on every specific character and how they should be played, which is pretty neat. It's a very meaty offering of modes, more than what you get in your average Fighting game, plus, thirty characters from the get go.... it does feel like you are getting your money's worth out of the game... even if ArcSys scummy DLC practices are present here, because ArcSys is that kind of company. You can either finish the story or pay to unlock Susanoo(If you offer a paid alternative, you are basically admitting that your story mode is a waste of time), and during the story mode you actually get to fight Es a bunch of time, a DLC character, and then there's Mai, the second DLC character. At least these latter two don't make an appearance on the game's cover or the character selection screen, so we're making some progress.

 There're 5 new characters, and if you skipped Extend, like me, you are getting Celica and the returning Lambda as well, and since I didn't even buy ChronoPhantasma's DLC, this is also my first time with Terumi and Kokonoe, so, potentially, you are getting a lot of new characters. Hibiki is my favorite of the bunch, being a speedy rushdown character who can create clones with his drive, Nine is another personal favorite, she can pull off magic attacks with her normals, which the stock, and mix, for her Drive. Naoto is based around a chargeable Drive attack, but unlike Makoto there's no timing involved, regardless, he works better without using his drive! Izanami gets some projectiles at the cost of her guard while under her Drive and lastly there's Susanoo, who is built around unlock and powering up his special moves. I liked all the new characters, even if Izanami and Nine couldn't escape the obligatory Japenese panty shots during some of their attacks.

 Mechanic-wise the game hasn't seen many changes or additions, which I guess is a good thing, since the entry level barrier, if you want to go competitive, is rather high. Being an animu fighter, the game is already relatively friendly for casual matches, since you can just mash buttons and watch flashy stuff happen, but they've revised Stylish Mode to work more like it does in Guilty Gear Xrd. Mashing buttons will result in different combos(I tried it with only three characters, but it seemed like Naoto only had a single normal combo? But Jin had many more alternative combos) and there's a new fifth button that can be used to pull of special attacks by pressing it alongside a single direction on the digital pad or analog stick. There's also the new Active Flow, by playing aggressively you are rewarded with higher damage and the energy bar will fill faster, and a new Exceed Accel, a unique special move for every character usable only while in Overdrive Mode. Very simple mechanics to use and grasp, but in a game as deep and complex as Blazblue they turn into good additions.

 I haven't been able to enjoy Blazblue as much as a I did with Continuum Shift for a while now. The story is presumptuous drivel, character designs are too much animu, fanservicey and pandering for my tastes and ArcSys scummy DLC practices keep trying to make me feel as if they haven't had enough money. But CentralFiction was different. We've so many different characters already, so many different ways to play the game and some of the newest additions are so much fun to play as well as original. The game has accumulated so many mechanics already that there're dozens of ways to play the game, and doing flashy stuff is so easy even if you don't intent to play competitively or succumb to Stylish Mode. What I mean to say is that I feel like CentralFiction injects new blood into Blazblue, it might simply be 'more of the same', but the quality of the additions is very high.
 8.5 out of 10

Review #361: Disgaea 2 - Cursed Memories

 New characters, more mechanics, same old Disgaea, more tedium!

 Remember Disgaea? That quirky, crazy convoluted, ridiculous SRPG  that made itself a spot in many a gamer's heart? It's back! A lot has remained the same, but a lot has changed as well.

 While you might spot Etna in the game's cover, and she does indeed become a playable character in the latter chapters, Disgaea 2's story centers around Adell and Rozalin. Adell wants to defeat overlord Zennon and end his curse on humans, which turned them into demons. A summoning ritual gone wrong later and Rozalin, Zennon's daughter, is summoned in his stead. Now Adell will escort Rozalin back to his father.... and then defeat him! The game is peppered with generic animu feel-good scenes about friendship yadda yadda, but it did manage to get a couple of laughs out of me. There's also a few surprising, smart plot twists. All that said, if you ask me, I preferred Disgaea 1 and 3's story and characters over Disgaea 2's. Adell, Rozalin and co. just aren't as interesting as characters, and I didn't see myself laughing as much as I did with previous iterations.

 Explaining how Disgaea works is no small undertaking. It's a turn based strategy RPG. During each battle, both you and the enemies get turns in which to move every unit. You can take up to 10 units out of your base panel(You can even return them back, and swap them for other units! As long as your units don't die, you can keep swapping them), and every turn you get you can move every unit and produce various kinds of strategies. One of the most interesting aspects about Disgaea is how much stuff you can do during your turn, since your turn doesn't end until you end it. You can shuffle the same unit around in order to avoid AoE from friendly allies, or you can move said unit around in order to have it partake in multiple combo attacks! As long as a unit doesn't do anything else besides moving, you can move it as far as its range allows during your turn.

 And there's a lot you can do. Besides attacking, using items or defending, units can also use special attacks tied to whichever weapon they are equipped with. Being in adjacent tiles to up to three other friendly units allows you to use hilarious combo attacks. Then there's Disgaea's trademark mechanic: Lifting. You can lift allies or enemies and throw them around, you can even make towers with many units lifting other units! And then attack with said tower! There's a lot to wrap your head around, and I've only covered the surface. There're also Geo Panels, pyramids that can be place on colored panels and thus imbue all the same-colored panels with its attribute, like, maybe 'Heal 20%' every turn, or even 'Enemy Boost x50'!! There truly is a lot to take in with Disgaea, and you will need to learn everything if you aim to reach level 9999 and fight the bonus bosses!

 I'll try to go over some of the most important things you can do while outside battle, namely, the Senate and the Item world. While in your hub you can opt to enter the Senate, this is where you can have your character create new units or go into a vote in order to allow for more expensive items in stores, unlock bonus maps or other niceties. The Senate may not always vie your way, in which case you can opt to try to fight them or bribe them. Honestly, it was kinda cute in the first game, but in this one... it felt like a bit of a chore, particularly having to go to the Senate over and over again in order to allow me to buy new weapons at the store, since equipment grow outdated very fast.

 .... Or you can try to min-max its stats by going into the Item World. Talking to another NPC will let you enter an Item's item world, a random 100-floor dungeon of increasing difficulty, the deeper you go, the stronger your weapon will get, and defeating certain, special enemies will raise particular stats of the item. In case you haven't noticed already, if you really want to get most of the game... get ready, because it's gonna be a huge time sink. And it can get pretty tedious.

 The game's 13 chapters don't escalate very well as far as enemy levels are concerned, so you will probably need to grind for levels on previous maps at least a couple of times. They changed the way unlocking classes work, for the worst, as well. It's no longer enough to just take a Warrior to level 100 in order to unlock the best version of the class, now you must create(Or reincarnate your unit) one unit of every 'rank' and raise him 10 levels over the previous landmark in order to unlock the next rank. Basically, take your Rank 1 Warrior to level 10 to unlock Rank 2, then reincarnate your Rank 1 into a Rank 2 or create a new Rank 2 Warrior and get him to level 20, and so on. Honestly, it's really boring, and it only serves to waste your time, particularly the first time through the game, when you simply want to get to the end and not have to go back to grind for levels.

 Disgaea 2 - Cursed Memories is not a bad game by any means, but even simply getting through the story mode required more repetition and time that I wanted to sink in the game. But if you are into convoluted games, with a ton of post game content, Disgaea 2 is right up your alley.
 7.5 out of 10