Persona 2: Innocent Sin coming to the PSP

Atlas has announced that they plan on releasing an enhanced port of Persona 2: Innocent Sin to the PSP in Japan in early 2011. For fans unfamiliar with the title, Innocent Sin was one part of a dual sequel that took place in the same world as Persona 2:Eternal Punishment that was released in June of 1999. Gamers in North America might be unfamiliar with the title because it was only released in Japan. However, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was released in North America in November of 2000.

Although Eternal Punishment picks up a few months after Innocent Sin, it takes place in a parallel world where the events of Innocent Sin did not occur. All the same characters are the in the game, however they do not know one another.

It wasn't stated whether or not Innocent Sin would make it overseas, but based on the recent release of Persona 3: Portable fans shouldn't lose hope that an enhanced port will eventually make its way to North America. P3P garnered such rave reviews, a Metacritic score of 91, that it seems unlikely Atlas will pass up the opportunity to bring the game outside of Japan.

Stay tuned until more updates are available. Until then check out the opening cinema to Innocent Sin.

Lunar Silver Star Story: Final Thoughts

 

So I finally put some time in this weekend and finished this game. To be honest before I picked it up this weekend I was dreading it. I knew what I had to do next in the game: I had to back track and fight a ton of unnecessary random battles. Nothing frustrates me more in an RPG. I understand having to go back to old cities, but in great games it's streamlined  so it doesn't seem like a chore. So after getting past that part oh boy was I in for a surprise. The 2nd act of the game seemed to drag and frustrated me a bit. But I'm glad I trudged through it because the final act kicked you in the face and didn't apologize! It was one of the more memorable and  unique endings to any RPG I've ever played. So here are my thoughts on the game overall.

Gameplay:

Lunar presents some interesting features in this RPG adventure. There's no unique puzzle dynamic or world exploration means however. Outside of just walking from city to city there isn't much of world map at all. You get an airship but never control it (which is annoying -_-). Stores are standard: buy weapons, items, and armor. No custom upgrades or anything. Although at the end it's pretty cool because your old friend owns a store and lets you take anything you want for free. So before your final assault you can just stockpile!

The battle system is pretty unique. It is turn based, but it's based on how close you are to your enemy. You have to be close enough for melee, Area of Effect attacks, etc. So in that aspect it's kind of unique. Also, each character has a pretty specific role in battle (meleee, caster, healer) so you don't have to worry too much about what each person is going to do each round. It's also nice midway through the game because Alex gets an ability to wipe out an entire group of monsters in one attack so random battles aren't such a nuisance. Overall the game-play is solid and enjoyable

Sound: 

The sound effects are pretty cool. There's some memorable sounds from sword slashes, spells, etc. They did a good job to match the style and graphics. Now as for the soundtrack, it's pretty great. There are quite a few memorable tunes; including the battle theme, Meribia, Luna and Alex's song, as well as the song Wind's Nocturne sung by Jenny Stigile Magallanes in the boat cut scene (from what I gather is pretty beloved in the Lunar series).

Now I did play the PSP version so I don't know how the original soundtrack sounded in comparison. They do repeat tunes quite a bit, but they match the tone of the game so it works. What I really love is near the end they remix a lot of songs. They either  make it sound more powerful/ inspiration or emotional. I especially love all the music in the finally cinema. I now know why the PS1 complete version came with the soundtrack: It's pretty good!

Graphics:

                                                        

So above you'll see a comparison of the opening scene graphics from the Sega Saturn/ PS1 version and the PSP version. I'll have to say the PSP ones are just more appealing to me and I don't know if the PS1 graphics' charm would be enough for me. Anyways, the PSP graphics were a nice upgrade and worked really well. I enjoyed how they looked and they added a lot of character to the game. What i particularly love about Game Arts games is that the text boxes have hand-drawn versions of the characters to show emotion. It adds a lot to dialog and helps you better understand the feeling the writers were trying to get across. 

Speaking of hand drawn characters, the part I might love more than anything about the graphics are the cut scenes. They aren't like most RPGs where they make it 3-D, rather there are Anime style hand-drawn animations. It's super appealing and goes well with the style of the game. I almost prefer it to almost any other CG cut scene I've scene. Something about it seems more authentic. The facial expressions are just more believable and you can get more attached to whats going on in the scene as opposed to just watching it for the sake of following the story. The graphics and cut scenes have that certain charm that I can't put my finger on, but are like nothing I've come across before either. I really enjoyed them overall.

Story: 

From top to bottom this story is solid as can be. There is a wide cast of characters that all have depth, a nice back story, and great character development. You can really connect with all of them. It moves at a nice pace but does seem predictable at times. Which is okay with me as long as it is engaging. I really enjoyed following Alex and Luna and wanted to know what would happen in the end. There is a heavy emphasis on the power of love which can be seen as cheesy but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The middle act drags a bit, but oh my God does the end of the game kick ass. 

All kinds of loose ends are tied up, there's a few "surprises", plenty of story arcs, new music remixes, and maybe the most unique way to end the game I've ever seen. Normally RPG endings go something like this: Defeat the final boss, final cinema, credits, THE END. But with Lunar you're allowed to walk around and see how the minor characters stories are tied up. It's a welcome change to a pretty standard way to end games. I don't wanna give away too much in case you're planing on playing it but it is awesome overall. I can't help but think it has a hint of Christianity though with the Goddess becoming a human story line. 

Final Thoughts: Play It

Overall this game is good and solid. It's definitely above average, but I don't know if it can really compete with the Final Fantasies of the RPG world. It's not supposed to though. It's a charming love story with a unique way to do an RPG with its hand draw animation and fun cast of characters. I will say the ending part of the game is by far the best. The whole story wraps up so beautifully and makes the whole experience worth it. If you enjoy RPGs at all you should pick it up. I clocked in at around 27-28 hours on the game clock, but I cant be sure how much I really played because I left my PSP on over night one time haha. So you're probably looking at a little over 20 hours if you don't dilly dally around. 

As for my next game....I'm pretty much limited to the PS1 classics library on the PlayStation Network. So right now I'm thinking either Suikoden (A grand scale war-style RPG) or Wild Arms (More action-oriented with a wild west theme).  I'm leaning towards Wild Arms, but what do you think? Let me know! Thanks for taking the time to read this all and continuing to check out the blog. Later Gamers!

                                         

Lunar Harmony Update

So I've finally been able to put some serious time into Lunar the last few days. It's been getting pretty exciting. The plot's moving at a good, pace, new characters are being introduced, and I'm loving every minute of it! Funny story....

So last night (2:30am)I'm playing a boss fight at a semi-critical point in the game it seems. So I wake up and the boss fight is complete and my PSP is still on. I was so confused. Did I beat the fight, because I don't remember doing that haha. The game has an AI feature, maybe it beat itself? I dunno either way I added an 6 or so hours to the game that never happened,lol.

So one thing I've noticed so far is that Lunar is better than Grandia, in pretty much every area. Now this is interesting because Lunar came out before Grandia on the Sega Saturn(although I'm playing the PSP remake) and Grandia came out on the PlayStation. You would think that it was the other way around that Grandia came first, they saw what needed to be fixed, and then made Lunar. I guess they may have been experimenting with Grandia. There are quite a few things different, but a lot of the same as well. Maybe they just couldn't top their original masterpiece? Not too sure.

One thing I've also noticed is there is quite a heavy emphasis on music in the story. Luna heals people with her magical songs, Alex plays the Ocarina, and another character in the game named Ghaleon plays what I assume is a Lute. Looking back when I first saw this game at a friends house I thought it was weird that there was a four disk special addition that you could buy with all kinds of extras. But there a lot of songs sung in the game that are memorable and I guess it would be nice to get a sound track with loads of extras.

I'm still enjoying everything about this game from the graphics, hand drawn style animated cut scenes, the story, and the battle system. I will say that I really get sick of fighting enemies in dungeons. It's fun to kill things for a bit, the after awhile it gets tedious because if you back track the enemies respawn. The enemies are actually seen on the map and you run into them to initiate a battle. I wouldn't mind it for a bit, but it makes the dungeons more of a chore at times and I'm just begging to get to whatever is at the end. 

Im anxious to see what happens next in the story because there is so many questions to be answered! I'd give the plot away but I don't wanna ruin it for those who haven't played it. Thanks for reading. Later gamers!

Final Fantasy 7:Either Remake it or Don't!

So I want to start off by saying thanks to Shana for reading the blog and RSSing it! Good to know that I'm writing something worth while! It's all for fun but you know!

So there have been rumors flying around for years that Final Fantasy 7 might be remade on the PlayStation 3. I blame all this hype and ridiculousness on two parties: 1.) Sony. Yeah that's right I'm giving a lot of blame to Sony, why? Well it's for a very simple reason...they could have chosen any other game to show off the graphics. A new racing game coming out, an FPS anything but a graphic face lift for arguably the most popular title Sony has released yet. I know they were thinking "Hey why not make a tech demo for our new system with our most popular game?" But they had to know there would be an outcry for a remake. It looked so good and rabid fan boys went crazy after seeing an updated version of the opening scene of one of the most beloved games ever. And more of the blame gets thrown on to to my second party: EGM(Electronic Gaming Monthly).

They basically took this PS3 tech demo and automatically assumed it was a trailer for a remake even though it clearly said on the video "Technical demo for the PlayStation 3". They couldn't rush to release a comment in their May 2006 issue fast enough that said it was a remake. I'm sure at this point they feel like idiots, but this mistake caused so much hype it was unreal. People were all excited, contemplating what new features would be part of the game, etc.And then to further the hype even more, what did Square Enix do? They released a slew of Final Fantasy 7 spin-offs that included: Before Crisis(A Mobile Phone Game), Dirge of Cerberus(A 3rd Person shooter staring FF7's Vincent Valentine), Crisis Core(An action RPG for the PSP staring Zach Fair from FF7), Last Order: Final Fantasy VII(A short anime-style film retelling the events of Zach and Cloud before the game FF7), and lastly Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children(A feature length film that takes place 2 years after the events of the game.)

So the hype surrounding this game was astronomical. With all these spin-offs of the game, the tech demo, and the hype building surely there would be some sort of announcement of a remake right? No. Unless the developers are living under a rock, which to be fair they might, they have to know that fans want a remake and would be down right ignorant to think that not only would it sell well but also would increase PS3 hardware sales as well. Hell, I know I'd be the first to go out and buy a PS3 if this game ever came to fruition. So why don't they cut the bull crap and make the damn game? Well FF7 Director Yoshinori Kitase said, "We'd have to hire 300 people and it would take about 5 years." Fair enough...but I think that investment would be worth it. Final Fantasy 7 is the franchises top selling game (nearly 10 Mil. units sold) and has a large fan following. Wanna know what makes the hype even worse? Square Enix refuses to deny nor confirm the remake.

 I realize maybe they are thinking about it and that there are many factors involved in remaking this game, but throw us a bone, anything! As recently as March 22 of this year Square Enix continues to play with the idea and CEO Yoichi Wada has said,
"Right now we don't have a clear direction, but many fans have requested we remake Final Fantasy VII...We're going to explore the possibility - whether or not we're going to do it, if we're going to do it, and the platform." 

The Platform? Oh God I hope he's referring to the PS4,Im sure it'll come someday, and not the PSP. Also, last month Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase said: 

"If it were possible that we had all the right facilities and the right environment to be able to make and prepare a Final Fantasy VII remake within a year, we'd very much like a go at it!"


Thanks for yankin' our chains SE...so either until this game gets made or the world ends fans will continue to demand a remake. It's personally my favorite RPG and game of all time. I haven't made it through all the RPGs yet so that may change. But for now it stands as the biggest title demanding a remake,and a definitive response from the RPG juggernaut would be nice too :). Until then I'll leave with you with a fan made interpretation of what the FF7 remake's intro and start menu might look like. Later gamers!