July 15, 2008
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about a week or so ago i got another graduation card from my family, and like most of the rest it had money inside. so i cashed the check and went down to GameStop. i looked around for a while, and spotted .hack//G.U. Volume 2 and Eternal Sonata. nabbed them both along with reserving Gears of War 2.
G.U. is the same as it always has been…unfair bosses and a lot of grinding. BUT i don’t mind because pi is outrageously hot and the game as a solid storyline. i started up Eternal Sonata a few days back, and so far i’m enjoying it. the graphics are pretty, the music is amazing, the story is engaging and the combat is a fair mixture of turn-based and real time. my only gripe so far is the Blocking combat mechanic. enemies and players can block attacks, and if done at the right time the damage is severely reduced. however much of the time the window to successfully block requires lightning reflexes or anticipation, and if you mistime it you leave yourself open. as well, you can’t block attacks from behind, so a lot of the strategy goes out the window as it becomes a race to hit everyone’s backs. however, the game also gains a few points by implementing a progressively-harder battle system. in the beginning, the battle system is pretty simple: you have 5 seconds to act per turn, and time only goes down when you move around. as long as you stay still, time freezes. as you play, the battle level goes up, and the game throws more restrictions at you while at the same time increasing rewards (more items, more gold, battle mechanic changes, etc). so it’s difficult to fall into a niche and get tired of combat, as it adds a level of strategy beyond what was taken away by the blocking system.
another nitpick is the way the characters stand. several of the characters stand not with their arms parallel to their body, but at near-45 degree angles. it’s nothing that would prevent you from buying the game, but it makes your arms tired just looking at them, and during most of the cinema scenes i kept wondering why they all didn’t have huge muscley arms. but since the main character is voiced by Aya Hirano, the game is awesome by default.
in other gaming news, i have finally come to my senses and started Persona 3. i will talk about it tomorrow since i need to go to bed now.
