#please please please more people play this game and suikoden 2

[cloud-kitsune]

Regarding Nintendo Switch Collection Ports

I love Collection packs of games, as its an easy way to bring old games back from the dead and onto a new console for new players to give the games a go that might of missed out, due to not growing up with the older consoles they’re on, and being too expensive to get both original console and game physically. Getting a single port of a game is good, too, but something about a collection just makes it all the more worth your while, as you’re getting a series all in one package deal.

I love the Mana Collection, Megaman and X Collections, and older packs from Square where they’d give you older games in their series in a disk collection. But there are a few I really hope to see get released for Nintendo Switch.

1. Mother 1-3 It would be AMAZING if we could get this trilogy of games ported to the Switch, as it Earthbound 0-1 did very well on the Wii U and 3DS, but we never got the exclusive Mother 3 that was offered on Wii U only(which I always found odd, as 3 was originally a handheld game, and yet never got ported to a handheld console like the 3DS).

2. Paper Mario Trilogy Another amazing set of games I’d love to get my hands on, as I’ve only ever been able to play the first Paper Mario game, plus the awful Sticker Star on the 3DS that I couldn’t even bring myself to beat and got rid of not long after I bought it. I’ve watched people play The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario, and both look super fun. I’d be perfectly happy if they released a trilogy with the first three Paper Mario games in one pack, but if we could just get The Thousand Year Door... I’d be just as happy.

3. Chrono Trigger & Chrono Cross To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Chrono Trigger, despite owning the game on PS1, DS, and Wii Virtual Console. I’ve always had a soft spot for Chrono Cross, as I always find it more enjoyable to play--and has a MUCH better soundtrack to listen to while playing. Sadly, its not as beloved as Trigger, getting bashed on by fans a lot of the original when I was younger. Now its just not as talked about, but... If we could get a port of Chrono Cross on the Switch, I would die happy. If we could get a Chrono Collection with both games in one pack, I’d happily pay for it. If we only get Chrono Trigger... I’ll be honest, I am not interested in buying it by itself. But that’s just my bitter fanboy heart weeping at the loss for Cross.

4. Suikoden Collection Moreso for Suikoden 1-2, but if we could get a collection of all 5 games, I’d be super happy! And if they included the Tactics series, even more!!! But if we could only have a small amount, 1-2 would probably be the go-to, as Suikoden 2 is one of the best of the series.

5. Rune Factory Collection This one is more of a biased desire to play all the Rune Factory games on the go, not just 1-4, but also Tides of Destiny and Frontier. The console versions of Rune Factory don’t get as much attention, despite how much work was put into them. I’d really love to replay them outside of the Wii with a more comfortable setup then having to mess around with the wii-remote.

6. Harvest Moon Collection Like the Rune Factory one, this is more of a desire for a collection of the Harvest Moon series on consoles. A(nother) Wonderful Life, Save the Homeland, Magical Melody, Tree of Tranquility, Animal Parade... I would just die if we could get those all ported together! I don’t think we would, though, as they’d probably be more likely to give us the games separately then as a one package deal, but if I could play at least Save the Homeland, Animal Parade, and Magical Melody on the Switch... Take my money, Nintendo!!!

7. Danganronpa 1-3 Honestly, I’m more surprised we haven’t gotten this collection yet, as it would fit so perfectly on the Switch. We know its a good handheld game, as it was on the PSVita before being ported to the PS4, and it would probably sale better on the Switch then the Sony’s handheld system over here...

8. Persona Series I would be so happy if we could get a port of Persona 4 on the Switch, but it would make a lot more sense if they released a collection for 3-5. 1-2 would be neat, but 3-4 are the more popular of the series and 5 is highly desired to be ported onto the Switch in general. A collection for 1-5 might be pushing it, but would truly be the best collection out there for any up and coming Persona fan to just... well, pick up and play!

9. Nintendo Collections, PLEASE If we’re not getting a Virtual Console for the Switch, and if we’re not getting an Online app for later consoles outside of the NES or future SNES lineup, I seriously want a Nintendo Collection for their games. I want to see a Zelda Collection with Zelda 1 to Majora’s Mask, or a Mario collection that actually allows us to play Super Mario 64 on the go. A Kirby Collection like on the Wii where it had all the games of the time offered on one disk. Just give us something outside of retro~!

But that’s just a few games I’d love to see on the Switch, packaged together in one collection. I doubt we’ll get a Kingdom Hearts Collection on the Switch, nor a .hack// collection, as we never even got one for the first game on the PS4, when they skipped ahead and released .hack//G.U. instead. (Missed opportunity, for sure!)

I can only hope we get something for Dark Cloud and the Digimon World games. We missed out on the Digimon World for the 3DS, anniversary game that was Japan exclusive, and then also barely even got a port for the PS4. I just hope the Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth collection does well enough that we get more Digimon games then just the up and coming Survive. (Which I am hella hyped for, fyi!!!)

[retphienix]

Game Recommendations

It's my birthday today and I thought I'd make something of the day and share some games I think some of you might like to give a shot.

Most of these are games I've played on the blog.

Without wasting more time on 'my special day' here's some games I love or like a heck of a lot and think more people should check out.

Final Fantasy Tactics

Yeah, I'm sorry.

I know plenty of you have heard me gush enough, from my character analysis, to one of my first playthroughs on this blog that was done in a terrible quality, to my more recent dive into FFTA in which I constantly complained and referenced FFT.

But I couldn't honestly make a recommendation list without it.

FFT is the best, bar none, tactical/strategy RPG I've ever played.

The job system lets you do so much that it has lead me to be disappointed with so many other games that claim they offer the same plethora of options because frankly, they rarely do.

Seeing as I've gushed plenty on this title already, I'll just say my piece.

If you like RPGs, or job systems, or the Fire Emblem series, or Final Fantasy, or just think it sounds fun to experiment with different party makeups while playing through the best FF story (full stop), this game is worth picking up in any way you can.

I've always been partial to the original version on PS which you can pick up in a couple forms digitally, but I have to say my taste between the original and remake flips back and forth all the time because holy cow that remake is good.

The original has a translation job that I enjoy more and a few key moments in the story are presented much more intensely in the original due to that translation, the remake adds two new job classes, a new more uniform translation, a few new unique characters, and AWESOME AS CAN BE CUTSCENES.

The remake originally came out on the PSP and can be picked up on iOS as well.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

I've been posting a lot of little things about this game lately and I figure it's about time I explain why. I also feel like I should because I’ve honestly annoyed the heck out of my cousin trying to drag him into the title for weeks now.

I heard about the Xenoverse games through ProJared's videos and figured I'd pick up the newest since I'm a ridiculously huge DB fan and I haven't really enjoyed the games too much since almost all of them are fighting games.

(A genre I wish I had the patience for but every time I try I just find myself bored knowing how much research I need on each character or annoyed at how precise some of the controls can be when I haven't even decided the game was worth the dedication needed to learn those controls, but I digress)

The only DB game I've enjoyed before this was one of the Legacy of Goku titles for GBA, though I always thought the Budokai games looked really cool I just never owned them.

BUT THIS GAME.

Holy cow this game.

I got it for Christmas nearly eight months ago and told myself I'd play it once I had some free time. Eight months later I finally throw it in the console for more than 30 minutes (I had made a few characters when I got the game but didn't do a single thing) and I honestly struggled to stop playing.

It's the kind of game I wish DB went for more often. It's fighting, yeah, but it's freeform with simple controls and combos that feel more like Dynasty Warriors in simplicity while giving you SO MANY OPTIONS.

Sure you have basic combos, but you can interrupt them at any point and those combos chain into each other for unique elongated combos AND THAT'S BEFORE CONSIDERING ALL YOUR SUPERS AND ULTRAS.

Every possible move from the dragon ball series seems to be included and you can pepper them in however you please.

A video or two would do better than this truncated description, but this is the game that fulfilled years of wanting to play a good dragon ball game for me.

I can hop online and knock around all my favorite villains and heroes with my custom character utilizing all the coolest moves whenever I want, and it's awesome.

If you like DB or think creating a character with tons of potential move combinations in this style of gameplay sounds fun, GO FOR IT. (I’m playing on PS4 if you want to play together :D, it’s my birthday so I’m going to use smilies so take that attempts at uniform post quality!)

Suikoden

Thankfully, after having to stop myself from gushing for a few pages about DB Xenoverse 2, I don't have to say much about this title as I did a full playthrough on this blog already.

This is a quality RPG with fast paced combat, fun quirks to said combat to keep it interesting, oh, and ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT recruitable characters.

I love this game, and I recommend this one over it's sequel (which was unbelievably good and the starting point I had for the series) purely because what this title lacks compared to the second, it makes up for with MUCH better intermission sequences.

If you have an RPG itch and like games with unique characters in your party then there is no question as to whether you should or shouldn't play this.

Pick it up in any way you possibly can.

Faxanadu

I was short in my post about this game but, honestly, I don't have much to say about it other than it's really fun and interesting.

A great NES rpg-ish game that you can (especially if you're garbage like me and use save states for boss fights in the late game, yes I did that, yes I should be ashamed) beat in a single day on the weekend.

Oh, and it’s wonderfully somber with great monster design and all of this comes on the NES.

Star Wars Republic Commando

Since I went and recommended four games that have already been on this blog before, here's one that hasn't been beaten to death here.

Republic Commando goes down as my favorite star wars game, even higher on the list than KOTOR.

It's the only SW game that focuses entirely on those in the universe that aren't god-level force wielding Jedi/Sith or top level smugglers/bounty hunters.

You're the leader of a commando squad for the Republic. A "key" role in some respects, but overall you're just another pair of boots on the ground.

The missions are all believable military practices you'd expect the Republic to be undertaking, primarily sabotaging the droid menace whenever possible.

This game excels everywhere I didn't expect it to. Extremely enjoyable characters (who are CLONES written to fall into ARCHTYPE CLICHES and yet they are LIKABLE AS HECK), interesting squad controls that are simple yet expertly crafted, Foley that got me interested in Foley in the first place, a story that’s interests because it’s the backroom of what matters in the movies or other games (ground war).

I don't know what to say aside from pointing out that this is a fantastic shooter with an amazing take on the star wars universe, primarily because it focuses on the gritty war going on rather than the glitz and glamour of the high tier force powered individuals.

Oh, and the squad controls are really fun.

There are plenty of games I wish would come back from their graves, and Republic Commando goes right on that shelf next to Chromehounds as franchises left to rot for not fitting the stereotypes well enough.

Chrome is a slow mech game and RC is a star wars game without lightsabers.

You're apparently just not allowed to do those things.

There's five for the day.

I hope you all have a good day, I'm going to try and sleep right through the rest of mine. ~R

[morshtalon]

My Top 5 Video Game Intros

Since I haven't posted in a while and since I don't have any ideas for full-fledged reviews, let's do something different today and talk about my 5 favorite intros to video games I enjoyed in the past. Please note that this is a very personal, opinionated list; I have somewhat deliberately avoided really obvious picks (consider Metal Gear Solid 3's and Final Fantasy VI's openings, among others, to be hovering around in spirit somewhere around here). Furthermore, I'm not limiting myself exclusively to that very first, usually pre-rendered opening scene of a game (like, the attract mode before you even press start), because most of the time those are kind of devoid of any meaning and without context, I'd just be judging them by coolness or whatever, which isn't very interesting or inducive to commentary. Anyway, without further ado, here are my top 5 video game intros:

#5: Wild Arms 3's evolving opening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvoueEiVyWE

At first, Wild Arms 3's opening is just a standard anime thing. It's fairly animated and stuff, and that's fine as far as that goes, but there are two things I find quite special with this opening; one that was always there from the start and one that was a product of the localization. First off, there are actually four versions of the opening. You see, the game is separated into 4 chapters, each with a different main villain which is somewhat related to the last, with varying levels of directness. In that way, as has been said before, it feels like seasons of an anime, and I think the game struck a good balance of making itself both a cohesive experience and a sort of episodic narrative simultaneously. To reflect that, the opening "evolves" as you progress through the game, changing key scenes to reflect the current "season" villain. I find that to be pretty awesome and an idea I haven't really seen repeated anymore; I believe mostly due to the fact that WA3 has this sort of unique story direction that lent itself to the evolving intro. Still, more games should adopt this style. They might have, I dunno, this is the coolest example out of the games I've played anyway. The second thing that impresses me is how well the localization performer fared singing the english version of the opening theme, Advanced Wind. I think it's actually better than the original. There's a certain sweetness and determination in her voice that is so fitting with the game's main character, I could almost trick myself into thinking it was actually Virginia hollering those lyrics. Pretty good opening, not higher on the list because it -is- just a pre-title opening I guess, but still. Also, Wild Arms 3 itself is alright, check it out if you're a fan of this kind of stuff.

#4: Cave Story's first taste of gameplay

What makes Cave Story's introduction interesting is that it... sort of doesn't exist. You're just dropped straight into the action with no real clue what's going on besides a brief interaction between two characters that makes completely no sense at that point. Every plot detail is up to you to find out in an immersive manner that doesn't barrage the player with endless backstories and setups and information you don't really need. Even Dark Souls, one of my favorite games and the one I perceive to be closest to the ideal of gameplay and story integration, feels the need to weigh down your mind with stuff before you start. Don't get me wrong, I understand why Dark Souls and many other games need it, but the fact that Cave Story -doesn't- is rather admirable, in my opinion. I love games where you start out without knowing what's going on, solving challenges just based on the fact you're playing a game and need to go forward, to only then start piecing together the great scheme of things from in-game data collection. What's even better about Cave Story is that there's no limitation at the start: you're dropped into full gameplay conditions, without bumbling around a peaceful area while the backstory is exposed to you by an NPC or anything "cinematic" like that. You're just left to figure everything out on your own. Pretty cool.

#3: Dragon Warrior II's extended prologue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OlHofpQ7LA

Dragon Quest 2's original Famicom version started out pretty shitty. It was basically only a slight alteration to the previous installment's intro: you're in a throne room (this time you're actually the prince, sitting on the queen's throne for some reason), some guard from the faraway kingdom of Moonbrooke comes along and warns the king of impending doom before collapsing from his wounds, the king gives you some brief words of encouragement and sets you off on an adventure with minimal financial backup and a crap sword (admittedly, a better deal than in DQ1). For the international version, by some divine intervention causing a brief miracle shining in the face of Nintendo's then-oppressive censorship, an extensive prologue scene was added depicting the events that befell Moonbrooke prior to that guard setting off on his journey. What makes this scene special, however, is how brilliantly it expands on the tropes established by the localization of the previous title. Dragon Warrior 1 had this faux-Elizabethan translation for some reason, which was pretty charming but otherwise just a strange quirk they added for the overseas release. The extended prologue added here actually runs with that theme and frames the story as some kind of fairy tale; a narrator intercepts the dialog message boxes to preface each character's next line, there is some opening text that feels as if some elderly gent from Shakespeare times was weaving a tale in front of his audience's eyes, and it even goes somewhat into detail pretty much leaving no room for the player to doubt that the people of Moonbrooke flat out died. Also, the guard that makes the voyage to your kingdom is given a tiny little bit of characterization, just enough to wrap up the scene pretty much as best as they could have. Overall, this makes Dragon Warrior II have the most engaging start of the original trilogy; it was something they didn't have to do at all, but they did it and actually made the game better for it. At least until you get to Rhone and it starts its genocide of the player's happiness, soul, and reasons to live.

#2: Suikoden II - Reminiscence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WLyjRex0ac

Suikoden II's emotional storyline and comparatively grounded narrative offer a nice contrast to the PSX's library of jRPGs concerned with elevating their epicness to ridiculous degrees. The game really cements this approach on the introductory flashback scene that functions as the opening credits. To me, the reminiscence scene is pivotal, serving a variety of functions that cause ripple effects lasting even beyond one's playthrough of the game. The setup is simple: The main character and his best friend run afoul of a ploy to abruptly terminate a cease-fire between two nations; they are pursued by some knights and cornered at a cliff above a river. You and your friend, then, etch a marking on a spot in the cliff wall and jump into the river below, planning to return to the etched spot should he and you get separated. While you are being carried by the currents, the scene itself begins. It's simply a flashback montage showcasing glimpses of the life you and your friend led leading up to your enrollments in the army and departure for the sabotaged expedition, accompanied by a relatively simple piano piece. However, it's a scene that is central to the themes of the entire game. It provides, first and foremost, a contrast between a perceived bright future with an everlasting bond of friendship and the tragedies that will soon occur in these characters' lives. It's a window into the will and emotions of the main character himself in his comfort zone; the life that he will so clamor to return to as the game progresses and things get increasingly more unwieldy for everyone. It sets up everything you need to know about the relationship between you, your best friend, and your sister on a 2-minute scene with no dialog; conveying all it needs only on its fantastic sprite work and score. It lets you know that this is, first and foremost, a game about feelings and about interpersonal relationships, using the war that you expect to happen from having played Suikoden 1 more as a backdrop to explore introspective consequences and how it affects people's visions. Most importantly, however, is that it serves as a reminder of what it was like for you, the player, when you come back from having completed the game. I literally cannot watch this scene anymore without shedding a tear or two. It happens every time. I actually prefer the normal version with the sepia filter, but I couldn't find it on its own like that, so here's the full-color version of it that you get from doing some ludicrous stunt before you jump into the river or whatever. Either one's fine, really. By the way, get the bad ending. The good one completely ruins the message and weight of the entire story, almost making the game meaningless.

#1: Vagrant Story - Climax of the Graylands Incident https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4m42OmAczo

Vagrant Story is an odd game in many aspects. Its gameplay is a crossbreed of roguelikes and rhythm games, it has yet another strange Shakespearean localization, the characters are dressed all weird and BDSM-y and showing a lot of skin... Anyway, one of the game's odd quirks is that it has tons of stuff that you can miss by pressing start at an inopportune moment. One of them is the simply amazing opening; an epic 11-minute in-engine "cutscene" (with occasional gameplay sections that transition very smoothly because it's all done with in-game models and graphics) jampacked with plot detailing the events leading up to the game's start, with even the music trying its best to synchronize itself with the cutscene's many shifts in mood and intensity. You can easily miss all this because it starts with a long wall of text that most players would read faster than the time it takes for it to disappear and press "start" because they think they're done with it and there's nothing left to see. A shame, really, because to me this one part of the game almost manages to outshine the entire rest of it. There's just such a density of things happening here; this urban gray rainy moody setting is more fitting to the localization's flowery prose than the things that happen in Léa Monde, and it's all just done so well with the PSX's limitations. While pretty much every other game ever opts for FMVs or an otherwise pre-rendered solution for its openings and important moments, Vagrant Story does it all with the same exact rules (well... excluding the vapid meaningless pre-opening that happens before the title screen shows up but just forget about that one), and the result is that everything feels like it has much more weight to it. Also, as I said, there is the advantage of transitioning smoothly into gameplay, which the game -does- go on to use a few times later on for short "boss appearing at the boss arena"-type cutscenes, but those all lack the juice and meat of this glorious opening scene. It's just a meticulously created, awesome example of Video Game craftsmanship, outside of just being really awesome to watch as well. I absolutely love it.

Here are some runners-up: Wild Arms 2's Disc 2 cinematic (US version); Fire Emblem: Thracia 776's opening (before title screen); That part in Actraiser when you descend into Fillmore stage 1 and go into the statue and that kickass track starts playing; The brief scroll down on the dark forest scene in Tales of Phantasia (Super Famicom) before the title screen shows up (really fascinated me as a kid); Lufia: The Legend Returns (odd pick but it has a pretty charming intro with some nice artwork for the GBC); Probably many others that I'm forgetting right now.

Anyway, from this list you can sort of tell what games I like to play so I can excuse myself from writing a dreaded positive review of something for a while. Also, I noticed that things that are done with the in-game engine tend to impress me more than things that aren't, even though it's technically actually more work to do an anime FMV thing I guess? Well, whatever, I'm a hypocrite and stupid so make sure to share your own opinions too if you want I guess I dunno.

[ladystylestores]

The RetroBeat: Dragon Quest XI finally turns me into a fan

I love Japanese role-playing games like the Final Fantasy and Persona series, but I just never got into Dragon Quest. But I’ve finally corrected this oversight.

I had a few false starts with the classic franchise. When a remake of Dragon Quest IV came out for the Nintendo DS in 2008, I picked it up. This was right around the time I was marathoning my way through Final Fantasy, playing the first 10 games in the franchise in 6 months. After so much Final Fantasy, I thought I’d enjoy checking out the other major JRPG institution. But I barely got anywhere with Dragon Quest IV. I don’t have a great reason; the game just didn’t grab me. If there was one big thing, I just couldn’t get into the first-person battles. Not seeing my party members on the battlefield just felt jarring.

Not long after that, Dragon Quest IX came out for the DS in 2010. This time, Square Enix made a Dragon Quest for the DS from scratch. And I actually played this one for a few hours. This time, I could actually see my characters in battle, swinging their little swords and casting their spells. But Dragon Quest IX was a more open, less narrative-focused RPG. That was a pretty big jump for me, especially after playing all of those story and character-heavy Final Fantasy games.

Fast-forward to 10 years later, and my JRPG experience has extended beyond the confines of Final Fantasy. I have now played games like Suikoden 2, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, and Phantasy Star IV. My appreciation for the genre extends beyond comparisons to Final Fantasy.

So when everyone started raving about Dragon Quest XI, I became curious. But it still took me awhile to jump in. After my past experience with the franchise, I had convinced myself that I just wasn’t a “Dragon Quest guy.” But when Dragon Quest XI came to Switch, and I finally had some free time after the rush holiday and early year game reviews, I decided to finally give it a go.

Above: Gotta kill slimes in a Dragon Quest.

Image Credit: Square Enix

Questing for glory

I’m so glad that I did. About 75 hours later, Dragon Quest XI is now one of my favorite RPGs of all time. It was everything that people said it was: charming, beautiful, and delightfully old-school with a modern approach. But Dragon Quest XI was also many things I wasn’t expecting. It has the best voice acting I’ve ever heard in a JRPG, avoiding the obnoxious anime tropes that so many other games of this kind go for. And while Dragon Quest XI uses a simple, traditional turn-based battle system, it still has a lot of depth. Every fight feels meaningful. You can grind your way through many JRPGs by just smashing a single button, telling every party member to use a basic attack every turn. Dragon Quest XI had me using a much wider set of abilities and spells than a normal JRPG.

Now, I’m not here to review Dragon Quest XI (managing editor Jason Wilson already has, and you should read it). Suffice it say that it’s a fantastic JRPG and you need to play it if you have any affinity for the genre.

But aside from the tremendous experience of playing that one game, I finally feel ready to dive into the rest of this franchise. Already, I’m eyeing the recent Switch port of Dragon Quest III, which it looks like many people think is the best of the NES-era games in the series. I’m also excited to try some of the games that I’m hearing are among the best in the franchise, like Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest VIII.

It feels like a whole new JRPG world is open to me. I’m not sure that I’m going to go back and play every Dragon Quest game, like I once did for Final Fantasy. But after beating Dragon Quest XI, all I want to do is get deeper into the franchise.

I am now a Dragon Quest guy.

The RetroBeat is a weekly column that looks at gaming’s past, diving into classics, new retro titles, or looking at how old favorites — and their design techniques — inspire today’s market and experiences. If you have any retro-themed projects or scoops you’d like to send my way, please contact me.

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