Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 151

Nintendo’s Strange E3 Plans

I’ve been ambivalent toward Nintendo’s unusual E3 decisions over the past few years.

When they first replaced their stage presence with a Nintendo Direct, it didn’t impress me. In 2014, though, Nintendo’s digital show was fantastic, and the Nintendo Treehouse segments kept me watching long after I would have otherwise stopped.

Last year, the Treehouse stuff was still fun, but the digital show was not.

And this year… I’m not entirely sure what they’re doing.

Today, Nintendo made some major announcements. The NX will launch in March 2017, and the Wii U’s Legend of Zelda game has been delayed to release simultaneously for the Wii U and NX.

However, the NX won’t be shown at E3.

Zelda will, though. The new Zelda game will be playable at E3. It will be the only Nintendo game playable at E3.

Wait… what?

I’m not upset about the delay or dual launch for Zelda, because I wasn’t interested enough in it in the first place. And I can sort of understand using E3 to focus on other news to give the NX its own dedicated reveal later in the year. But bringing only a single playable game to E3 feels… alarming.

Supposedly this is to “provide attendees a complete immersion.” That’s… good for Zelda fans, I guess, but it doesn’t do much for attendees who love other Nintendo games.

Why not include Tokyo Mirage Sessions, to help people who still don’t understand what it is? Why not bring Color Splash and prove us naysayers wrong? What about one of the Dragon Quest remakes?

As much as I love Nintendo, this news baffles me. What about you?

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Top 5 Games I Wish I Loved

Sometimes you hear great things about a game, everything points toward it as being a game you’ll love, and so you start it up… and it doesn’t click with you.

Today, I’d like to talk about a few of those games. Not games I consider bad, not games I have no interest in, but games I really wanted to love and just couldn’t get into.

5. Inazuma Eleven

When I heard Inazuma Eleven was finally coming to the 3DS eShop, I was thrilled. I bought it right away. After all, it’s an RPG from Level-5, a company whose games I love.

But Inazuma Eleven is also about soccer. Since it’s crazy anime soccer, I thought it would overcome my dislike of sports games.

Unfortunately, while I liked the premise and characters, I didn’t enjoy the soccer games. And since soccer matches are Inazuma Eleven’s version of RPG battles, I finally put it down.

4. Real-Time Strategy

That’s right, an entire genre fits on this list. From Age of Empires, which I wanted to like because my best friends loved it, to StarCraft, which I found on sale and thought sounded really cool, many RTS games passed through my backlog before I finally said, “Huh. Maybe I just don’t like real-time strategy.”

Now if I want to know the story of an RTS game, I watch someone else play.

3. Half-Life

Most people consider Half-Life and Half-Life 2 great games. I wanted to be one of those people. I tried the originally and kept plugging away at it until I finally asked myself why I was playing a game if I wasn’t having fun.

Then I tried Half-Life 2 and again found myself not enjoying it. I kept going until I reached Ravenholm, which was awesome and exciting… and as soon as I left Ravenholm and returned to the rest of the game, I went back to not having fun.

2. Radiant Historia

The previous three can be explained. I don’t like sports games, RTS isn’t my genre, maybe there’s a reason I only play a handful of shooters.

But this?

Radiant Historia is a turn-based RPG, one of my favorite genres. It’s frequently mentioned alongside other games I love. Fans describe it as a must-play JRPG. Friends highly recommended it to me.

I played it and played it, and I want to love it. I like the idea of switching to a different timeline so you can learn things to overcome a problem in the first timeline. The combat seems interesting.

And yet… I feel nothing for the characters. I rarely think about the story. When I get into battles, I mainly want to just get them over with.

I put it on hold when Yo-Kai Watch came out, and I recently tried to return to it. Once again, I found myself wanting to play other games instead.

I’ve played about 17 hours of Radiant Historia, but it looks like that’s as far as I’ll go.

1. Okami

More than any other game on this list, Okami is one I wanted to love the most.

It’s filled with Japanese mythology, it plays similarly to a Zelda game, and it was developed by Capcom’s now-dissolved Clover Studio that went on to form PlatinumGames.

Every time I played it at first, I enjoyed the general gameplay, but I never found myself wanting to play more. Overall, I think I would have liked it more if it was shorter.

After the first false ending, I played some more, got tired of it, and took a break. When I returned, I was determined to complete it even though I was increasingly playing it just to get it done. At last, I pressed forward to the end of the game… and got stuck, at which point a walkthrough alerted me that no, I wasn’t at the end of the game.

I stopped then, probably forever. Okami is the #1 game I wish I loved.

All of these games stand out as ones I expected to love and just couldn’t get into. What games have you felt that way toward? Let me know in the comments… and if you think I need to give one of these games another chance, go ahead and make your case!

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The Zombie Mishap is Available Now

Today’s the day!

The Zombie Mishap is available now.

Once, this comedy novella was published under the title The Accidental Zombie. For various reasons, I opted not to renew its contract with the publisher, and the story temporarily disappeared.

Now it’s back and better than ever before!

The Zombie Mishap is a newly-revised and edited edition of the story, with an all-new cover, available now from Griffin Publishers.

What would you do if you accidentally created a zombie? That’s what Dr. Nathan Harrison and Dr. George Davidson must decide when their dead test subject walks out of the lab.

It’s a zombie story, but not a scary one. The Zombie Mishap is a comedy, and I even poke a little fun at the sillier side of my beloved survival horror games.

You can buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or add it on Goodreads.

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The Ace Attorney Anime is Off to a Good Start

I don’t watch a lot of anime, but once the Ace Attorney anime began, I had to give it a try.

I’ve watched the first two episodes, and so far I’m pretty pleased with it. It’s staying pretty true to the game, with some new scenes and conversations added, and it hasn’t lost Ace Attorney’s crazy, over-the-top nature.

The first episode covers the entire tutorial case, but the rest has slower pacing. Some people have said episode three still feels a little rushed, but I haven’t seen it yet to judge. However, I do think including every bit of game dialogue and testimony could be odd in an anime.

I’ve already noticed a few hints of foreshadowing for later events, so it should be enjoyable to watch the story unfold.

I’m especially excited for the third episode, since it will be the first trial of the second case… meaning we’ll get to see anime Edgeworth in action!

From what people have said, Redd White is also much funnier than I remember him in the games, which should be interesting… and much preferable to his other adaptation.

(Seriously, what were the people in charge of the movie thinking??)

The Ace Attorney anime is available on Crunchyroll. Paying members can watch episodes one hour after they air. If you watch for free, like me, you have to wait one week (which is why I haven’t seen Episode 3 yet).

Subtitles are available, including an alternate English track that uses the localized names. Right-click the video player to select that option.

Right now, the Ace Attorney anime seems like it will be a great way to experience the story. And apparently people who tried the anime on Crunchyroll liked it enough to try the games, so the fanbase is growing! Enough for a physical release of Ace Attorney 6?

Enough for Investigations 2 and Dai Gyakuten Saiban localization?

I’ll never lose hope. And for the time being, I’ll look forward to each new episode of the anime.

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Ratchet & Clank: Back to the Original

When it comes to Ratchet & Clank, everyone is excited for the newly-released remake. So of course, that’s not the one I played.

As I mentioned when I discussed the remake as one of several new 3D platformers, I had no familiarity with the Ratchet & Clank series.

Since I had the Ratchet & Clank Collection, I decided it was a good time to finally check out the original.

Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platformer from Insomniac Games, the company that made the original Spyro games. Unlike Spyro, however, Ratchet & Clank’s gameplay involves the use of weapons and gadgets alongside its platforming. And instead of a hub world, you travel from planet to planet in your spaceship.

In addition to the required objectives, there are optional tasks you can complete as well to get new weapons and gadgets. I loved the sense of exploration, especially whenever I found a secret area or an infobot with information about a new planet. And there’s just something satisfying about smashing some boxes to collect bolts (which are used as currency).

There were also parts I didn’t love. You can assign weapons and gadgets to a Quick Select wheel so you don’t have to enter the menu when you want to equip something new, but its limited space made it occasionally tedious. When you die, you return to a checkpoint… but although the enemies respawn, any ammo you used is gone. (Bolts and crates also remain gone.)

Finally, it might have been my imagination, but I noticed an odd difficulty spike. For most of the game, the enemies were moderately challenging and the checkpoints were fair. Just when the strongest enemies appeared, however, it felt like the game became stingy with checkpoints.

But even though I was frustrated near the end of Ratchet & Clank, I enjoyed it overall.

The story was entertaining (as simple as it was, it surprised me a couple of times), the characters were endearing, and it had a great sense of humor. I didn’t realize it was a funny game, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I love 3D platformers, and I’m glad I finally played Ratchet & Clank. It had its frustrating aspects, but I look forward to finishing the Ratchet & Clank Collection, playing the other sequels, and finally checking out the remake.

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Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan is Out Now

Remember Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan?

It’s the 2D action RPG we talked about a while ago, back when it was on Kickstarter.

Aurion’s Kickstarter campaign was successful, and it’s available now on Steam! (When it comes to my experience with crowd-funded games, here’s another success for the list.)

Back when Aurion was on Kickstarter, I played through the first half of the demo to get a feel for it. Even though I was using the somewhat-awkward keyboard controls, it was a lot of fun.

And now, thanks to Tales of Zestiria (see, good things have come from it), I have a controller I can use when I’m ready for my full Aurion playthrough!

It’s great to see a game I supported come to life, and don’t forget that Aurion’s combat style is both reminiscent of fighting games and inspired by the classic 2D Tales games… which I also still need to play. One thing at a time!

What do you think of Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan? Are you planning to play it?

In unrelated news, if you never got to read my comedy novella The Accidental Zombie, you can now pre-order the new and improved version, The Zombie Mishap.

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New Berseria Trailer and a Familiar Name

Tales of Berseria will be out on August 18 in Japan, and its cover has been revealed.

Personally, I love how this looks and hope the English box art is similar. The close-up reminds me of Tales of Destiny, which I still need to play.

Berseria will have three pre-order bonuses, at least for its Japanese release. One is a behind-the-scenes look at the game involving the voice actors, and we don’t know the other two yet. (Maybe it will have tiered bonuses like Zestiria did on PC?)

First print copies will also come with a code to download “Special Dramatic Chat: Melon Gumi Chapter,” which sounds like it’s a special bonus skit.

Limited and special editions of Berseria were also announced for Japan.

To go with all this information, we’ve got a new trailer to watch, too! It shares many elements of the previous trailer, but is much longer. That one made me hope Berseria will patch up the problems with Zestiria’s lore, and now I have more reason than ever to believe that.

Let’s take a look.

It might also interest some fans to know that Hideo Baba is not the producer of Tales of Berseria, although he’s still credited as the IP General Producer and the IP Supervisor.

I don’t know if Baba is really to blame for why many fans feel the series has lost something, but it’ll be interesting to see if Berseria feels different without him.

Anyway, there are a few new faces in this trailer, including one who was recently revealed as a party member.

He’s a 1000-year-old Malak, a pirate who serves as deputy to Aifread, and he’s known as the “God of Death.” Oh, and his name is Eizen.

Yes. That Eizen.

If you’ve played Tales of Zestiria, you already know a bit about Eizen and probably have suspicions about what will happen. This should be interesting… and it’s another sign Berseria may repair Zestiria’s holes.

See, most of my issues with Zestiria involved the story feeling rushed: character motivations, plot points, and backstory details left unexplained.

Between Artorius and Eizen, we should at least get a few answers. It seems like Zaveid will put in an appearance, perhaps to resolve his loose ends, as well.

And if Eizen is a Malak known as the “God of Death,” could we even get expanded lore on the “angel of death” concept Zestiria never bothered to detail?

It makes me wonder if the writers cannibalized Zestiria’s story to save bits for Berseria… but either way, I’m feeling hopeful Berseria will fix Zestiria’s mistakes. We’ll have a better idea in August, once it’s out in Japan.

What do you think?

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Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is Addicting

When I talked about Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ last Wednesday, I said I’d “take a quick peek” when it came out.

And I did.

Or you know, maybe I played it for seven hours.

There is something very addicting about Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ, even if the story so far has slowly meandered through Disney worlds without much else.

It doesn’t bog you down with complicated mechanics like a lot of mobile RPGs do. Gameplay is simple, but fun.

The missions are short, too, so short it’s easy to keep saying “Just one more…”

And it also avoids the forced waiting many mobile games love so much.

Like those games, Unchained χ has energy (AP) you spend to play levels, and it recharges over time. Unlike those games, which often make earning energy a pain to encourage you to spend money, Unchained χ is extremely friendly about it.

Early missions don’t cost much AP. Your AP refills when you level up, which is often. You also increase your maximum AP through use of the Avatar Coins earned from missions, which makes it easier to do more missions… and to celebrate the game’s English release, missions cost half the normal amount of AP.

The result? So far the only time I worried about AP was when I tried special event missions early on. Otherwise, Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ has been more than happy for me to keep playing and playing…

Just in case it remembers it’s part of a larger story I don’t even hints of spoilers for, I’ll stop soon.

Soon.

Really.

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Resident Evil 2 Remake Wants to “Recapture the Spirit” of RE2

I haven’t blogged about Resident Evil in a while. There hasn’t been a lot to say.

But it’s time to talk about the Resident Evil 2 remake again.

In an interview with VideoGamer, Resident Evil 2 remake producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi says his team hopes to “recapture the spirit” of Resident Evil 2.

He worked on the first game’s remake, and the recent HD remaster helped them see what makes REmake the beloved survival horror game it is.

All of this sounds really good! To me, REmake is the ideal model for how a remake should be handled, and the HD remasters of it and Resident Evil 0 should have shown Capcom there’s still a market for traditional survival horror.

Now, Hirabayashi also said fan feedback to Resident Evil 6 is being taken into account. Hopefully this means they’ve seen what not to do, and not that RE2make is getting a dose of action.

What do you think? Will the remake of Resident Evil 2 truly capture the spirit of the original release? Will it be the REmake of Resident Evil 2?

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Tales of Link Out Now, Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ Tomorrow

A new Tales game has been localized! No, it isn’t the much-awaited Innocence R (as much as we try), but the mobile spin-off Tales of Link.

Tales of Link brings together characters from all across the series in a new quest to deal with the “seeds of ruin” and fight monsters threatening the world. The player is considered “the Savior,” the person with the power needed to defeat this evil.

It has turn-based combat that requires you to link characters together on a grid to attack. As you defeat enemies and complete quests, you’ll earn experience and other stuff needed to upgrade the heroes. For example, you need to spend “LP” to level up your characters.

The system of finding heroes, upgrading them, and using the rare Hero Stones to Summon even stronger heroes (and oh boy do I want Kratos from the current limited time Summon event) is similar to other mobile RPGs I’ve seen. Still, it’s entertaining. I haven’t seen enough of the story yet to judge it, but the gameplay seems enjoyable enough.

And you know what else is happening? Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ is finally getting a North American release!

Tomorrow!

Ever since Square Enix’s E3 2015 press conference, I’ve been asking, “Where is Unchained χ?” Back then, I’d played like 5 minutes of the first Kingdom Hearts game, but I already wanted χ.

(And as you might guess since I’m calling it “Unchained χ” instead of “Unchained X,” I understand now why it’s pronounced the way it is. Leave it to Kingdom Hearts to put a Greek letter in one of its game title’s.)

More and more time passed without them saying anything, until I worried they changed their minds… and then out of nowhere, they announced an imminent release!

Like Tales of Link, Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ has a turn-based combat system. I’ve heard it compared to Chain of Memories, and despite my issues with that game, I think I would have liked it with turn-based combat.

Let’s look back at that E3 trailer to see what we have to look forward to!

As excited as I am, I might not be entirely ready to play Unchained χ yet. After all, I just finished Kingdom Hearts II, and while people who played the Japanese version say it doesn’t really spoil anything in the series yet, it might become pretty important later on.

Still… I might still take a quick peek at it tomorrow.

You know, although I played games like the original Dragon Quest on iOS, I’m not a big mobile gamer. I generally use my iPad to check email, write when I’m away from my computer, and other little tasks like that. Most of my mobile games get ignored.

But first Miitomo, now Tales of Link, and Unchained χ? And don’t forget about Justice Monsters Five, which was announced during the Final Fantasy XV event.

I better charge my iPad.

In the meantime, share your own thoughts on Tales of Link and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ in the comments!

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