Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love Premium Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Sakura Wars is part of a long running series that, from what I have recently learned, was pretty prominent on the dreamcast and on into the PS2 era due to hybridizing dating sim elements (relationship building, player choosing responses to text prompts similar to KOTOR, and rewards/detriments for not building some kind of relationship with the other players) with solid srpg gameplay.That was a long sentence.Anyway, this is the latest installment of this game.I am not a fan of the series by any means-the previous games are all in Japanese, and I don't plan to learn that any time soon.So why did I pick this one up, and rate it so highly?

Two reasons-PS2 releases are getting more and more scarce monthly (and I love my black box), and the sheer novelty of the game.I have been at this game for a number of hours and so far, I don't regret the purchase in the slightest.

The graphics are solid (with still shots that change to reflect facial expressions and changes in situation), the voice acting is entertaining (and, if you get the premium pack, you get the full Japanese voice as well as the American on two separate game disks-that's right-YOU GET TWO COPIES OF THE GAME), the amount of engagement during conversations varies from button mashing, keeping meters up trying to be convincing, and other controller-based mini games (so you really can't get too bored with it), the transitions between fmv, conversation screens, and in game activity are really well handled, and the combat is awesome.The first fight took me nearly an hour, starting as a ground-based assault and moving to a space battle above the statue of liberty.This is where the relationship part of the game pays off, as my strong relationship with one of the other characters let us pull of a wicked group attack.Pretty ambitious stuff here.

One last note on the combat-I have to be honest here.One thing I hate about SRPGs in general is the grid-based movement and attack system.People don't move in plus signs.SW lets you move free-form, spending points for movement in any organic shape you want, in any direction you want.In the ground battle I was talking about, I had one of my party slip around the enemy up some stairs and attack from the side while the rest of the group used long range attacks.Very satisfying feature and added a lot to my sense of engagement with the game.Your space battles are done very similarly as well, though limited somewhat by dimensional space.

My only real gripe with the game is how long it takes at times to get to the action.But the setup work you are doing beforehand with party interaction makes sense, so this complaint is minimal at best.

Like I said earlier, the field is getting pretty empty in terms of PS2 games, with original releases being even more scarce.I figure if enough people buy this one Sony will get the idea of continuing this sort of thing for its loyal fan base.BUY IT-I am loving seeing this one at the top of so many best seller lists right now (even if I know the reason behind it).

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Product Description:
Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is a single player strategy role-playing game (SRPG) and the first game in the popular Japanese Sakura Wars franchise to be released in North America. The game features both an exciting and fast-paced mech/air battle system and a unique, sim-based storyline. This in-depth storyline allows for character interaction that plays a major role in the progression of game action as the players interactions with various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome. In addition, the PlayStation 2 Premium Edition contains several extras, including an artbook, poster and limited edition packaging.

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Saiyuki: Journey West Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this game today because I like Tactics games. Overall, it's a pretty good game with no really noticable problems. It's got everything a good tactics game should have, Interesting characters, good story, fun gameplay and a pretty good class system.
At the begining of a new game, Saiyuki lets the player choose if they want to be a boy or a girl. I'm assuming this leads to multiple endings, but since I haven't beaten the game yet, i'm not sure. Anyway, the game puts whoever you choose in charge as your main protagonist. The story starts out with the player seeing a vision from a goddess, who tells him/her that they must travel from their home in China to a temple in India. I'm not going to reveal any more of the story since I don't want to give anything away.
The battles are standard ones in any normal tactics game. You are put in control of about 5 - 10 guys on a 3D battlefield, and you must complete objectives such as "kill all enimies" or "get to this point". This is a fun and challenging aspect that some people will enjoy, and some will be bored by.
In all, Saiyuki is a fun game that will appeal to anyone who likes tactics games. However, if you don't like tactics games, this won't change your mind.

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Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness Review

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(More customer reviews)A fairly direct port of the popular PS2 game "Disgaea: Hour of Darkness", "Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness" mostly keeps things the same, though a few new features are added.

The game should be familiar to anyone who has played the original Disgaea, but as a refresher for those who haven't: Disgaea is a turn-based tactical role playing game. Using a grid system, characters move, attack, and use special abilities. The RPG element comes in as characters improve through battling, compared to the disposable soldiers of many RTS games. There are, furthermore, many classes to choose from, including warriors, mages, and thieves. This is a system seen in games like Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and many others.

For its part, Disgaea brings a lot of elements that are unique to it and its sequel. For example, the RPG system includes not only the effects on the character's leveling up, but also a teacher/student system that grants abilities to other characters. Geo Symbols, another feature of Disgaea's combat, are colored pyramids that, when put on certain location types, can give off various effects to connected areas. The ability to lift and throw characters, either as an offensive attack or to give allies a boost in a certain direction, is also present. Units with similar types can use team-up attacks that boost their power when they're near each other.

In Disgaea, you take the role of Laharl, the Prince of the Underworld. After being awoken from a 2-year nap, Laharl finds that his father, the King, has passed away, and in his absence the underworld has been rife with conflict over who the next overlord will be. With his faithful vassal Etna in tow, Laharl seeks to regain control of his empire. The story and dialogue are rife with comedy - unusually clumsy assassins, parodies of the Power Rangers and Flash Gordon, and the general apathy that Laharl's underlings display toward him. The writing is excellent, and the PSP edition allows you to use both the English and Japanese voice acting.

The graphics have been well maintained in the transition to the small screen. They actually seem to fit better on the PSP, without as many obvious pixels and edges. Both the graphics and the sound are unchanged from the PS2 version, the only new features being the aforementioned dual language audio choice and a new music changing option.

As a whole, Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a good port of a solid game. It doesn't change much, but there wasn't much that needed to be changed. If you've played the game before, though, it's not exactly worth buying again.

8/10.

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Product Description:
A deep strategy RPG experience with an exceptional story, a fantastic script, and a host of loveable characters and settings. Upgraded graphics and art for the high resolution widescreen PSP Display. Geo Cubes add special effects in the battlefield, completely shifting the balance in the blink of an eye. The first time for multiplayer in the Disgaea series.

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Jeanne d'Arc Review

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(More customer reviews)With so many great looking RPG titles coming to my favorite handheld (the PSP) these past few months I have certainly had my hands full trying to play and complete them all (Hope I don't get fired from my day job).Catching my attention this time is a "Level 5" PSP exclusive title by the name of "Jeanne D'Arc."This game is everything a Strategy RPG (SRPG) should be and more.Outstanding graphics, an intriguing story and an unbelievably easy pick up and play control scheme.So let get in to the particulars of this wonderful title...

Story: 8.0
The story, which is based very loosely on the story of Joan of Arc, because it is so loosely based on the real story, it is very entertaining.Jeanne D'Arcs' story blends history and fantasy beautifully, it starts with a Young King Henry getting possessed by some demonic power.His father who possesses one of the five armlets that were created to defeat these demons centuries ago, tries to save him but is too late as the demon consumes King Henry.Then enter Jeanne a girl who witnesses her village being attacked by demons, comes across one of these armlets and also believes she hears a call from God instructing her to kill the demons that rampage her village.This ancient armlet is said to be able to transform it's wearer into a great armored warrior.The story progresses mainly with three characters, Jeanne and her two friends Lianne and Roger.Many other characters throughout their journey are introduced and play apart in the main plot, but the majority of the time they are expendable at best.It is the three main characters and their interesting personalities; however that keep the story very interesting.

Graphics: 8.5
Jeanne D' Arcs' graphics are in a word, amazing.The 2D cel-shaded graphics used to bring the colorful and vibrant characters to life are absolutely gorgeous.The developers really impress by creating a product that can really show what the PSP is capable of.To start the adventure and throughout players are treated to some very beautiful anime cut-scenes, which are worthy of praise by any anime fanboy alive.This coupled with gorgeous backgrounds, magic spells, and Jeanne's' armlet transformations are enough to satisfy anyone craving some PSP eye candy. You honestly have to see this game in action to truly appreciate it; online screenshots do not do it any justice.

Sound:7.5
Every thing as far as background music and battle sounds like arrows whipping and other attack sounds were great. If I was a little disappointed about anything though, it would have to be the voice acting or the lack there of.It would have been nice to here them shout out some of their battle cries as opposed to having to read them in a little bubble. This is a VERY minor complaint though; it just would have been nice to hear seeing as how the voice acting in the anime cut-scenes were so great.It is also a little unfortunate that the anime cut-scenes don't include subtitles, because you'll miss a lot of the story if you play with the sound off.

Gameplay: 10
This area is where Jeanne D'Arc shows that it belongs amongst the handheld Strategy RPG greats.I could not find any flaws in the gameplay, I repeat no flaws in the gameplay what so ever.This game competes with other Strategy RPGs, by using what has always worked.You'll have at your disposable by mid game a small army, but in most cases you will only be able to take 6 in to battle.In some cases you may have less to choose because some characters are default depending on the battle.This of course adds to the tactical experience as to what members you want on the field and where to place them so you are victorious.Thankfully though the game allows you to re-visit some of the places you fought battles to make sure you can get to level up everyone in your party.

Like in any good SRPG these battles take place on a grid, and players are limited to a number of spaces they can move with an attack or use of an item/spell ends that characters turn. As players begin to find different characters with different weapons and abilities, the tactics will continue to change. Lancers, for example, can hit two spaces ahead of them, instead of one and Archers can attack from long distances causing more damage from above.

During battles, players can attack, use skills or cast magic spells. These skills can be added by collecting skill stones which players get when they defeat an enemy.Your characters can only carry six of these stones at any one time once again adding to your decision process before going in to battle, because there are more than a hundred of these stones in the game.With these stones you can choose different skills and put the on each of the characters before each battle.These skills can range from making stronger regular attacks, alter stats, or attack a number of enemies at once.Some stones can only be used by specific character types, so choose carefully.

Later in the game you will come across a character that will allow you to combine these stones. By combining two skill stones, a new one is created which will give you even more powerful abilities.This is the main reason I loved this game the customization is so deep, but yet so simple to use.Some of the new abilities created will allow players to counter enemies before they attack you, run longer distances, instill massive damage, and more.

There are also two neat and innovative features in this game that have not been seen in others.These effects are called the "Burning Aura Hotspot" and "Joint Defense".

With the "Burning Aura Hotspot" a hotspot will appear behind any enemy that is attacked and any party member who stands in that will get an attacking boost. If the "Burning Aura" falls on a character already occupying the space, the Aura will move with the character, giving them the ability to use the damage bonus elsewhere.

The other feature is "Joint Defense", which when characters are no more than one space apart, they will combine their defensive abilities reducing the damage caused by enemies significantly.This feature is especially useful when fighting a tough boss.

Bottom Line:

With Jeanne D'Arc's simple, and easy to understand battle system it is amazing how much depth there is here.Anyone with half a brain cell can pick this game up and start playing with out any frustrating with menus, customization, gameplay.I am betting most SRPG fans are probably awaiting the two other great SRPG's on the horizon for the PSP in the way of Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea for PSP.Both are due out this year and are sure to be better than excellent. But, Jeanne D' Arc is a new and original title no one has seen before on any system and should not be missed by any PSP owner.Lastly let me say that after having tried almost all the SRPG's available for the PSP I was left disappointed after every one.So what do I have to say about "Level 5"s latest addition to the PSP Library?Just two words to them...Thank YOU!!

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Jeanne D'Arc PSP

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Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance Review

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(More customer reviews)On the field of battle, there are ultimately two outcomes: victory and death.Despite the fantastical setting, no series understands this better than Fire Emblem, where your slain comrades are beyond the power of any salve or spell to save.When you lose a loyal soldier-and you will-there won't be anyone to blame but yourself.

Besides the inevitable (but disappointing) transition to 3D, there are two minor tweaks to formula: the ability to push lighter units out of harm's way and the ability to earn bonus experience by completing a chapter quickly (eliminating the tedium of dispatching every enemy to level up).

Aside from some anime-styled cutscenes, the story is primarily handled through nearly immobile talking heads and huge amounts of text.To summarize: as the blue-haired mercenary leader Ike, you're charged with defending the sole surviving princess of a wrongly invaded nation.Soon enough you encounter the half-beast laguz, capable of becoming fearsome beasts in combat.(As in any good fantasy, real-world issues such as racism are treated within the context of the setting.)I found the concept of several diverse cultures uniting together out of necessity to be deeply redolent of the Suikoden series, which is high praise coming from me.

Still, any SRPG ultimately stands or falls based on the gameplay, an area in which Path of Radiance remains strong. This Emblem is one you'd be proud to wear.

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Product Description:
Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance leads you into the life of a young soldier who'll become a hero, in a world filled with political unrest and class struggle. Ike is inexperienced and untested, but he'll rise to the challenges he faces while the country of Daein invades the nation of Crimea. To make things more difficult, a new race called the laguz are aiding you in battle -- but humans and laguz don't trust each other, even though they fight together. It's a difficult time, filled with obstacles and dangers. Lead your mercenaries to victory and bring them back alive, in this challenging strategy epic. Work to form a bond with other units - talk with them after each battle to gain supportUse the laguz to transform into animal forms and dole out fierce attacks

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Valkyria Chronicles Review

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(More customer reviews)Over the years, my interest in RPG's had started to wane to the point where I ignored some of them simply due to the time investment. While they're great games and all, they take so long to finish and with a busy gaming schedule this year, it's hard to sink another 40 hours into one game when you could've beat 3 others and had a raucously good time on their multiplayers. However with Valkyria Chronicles, not only did it look stunning but it had a unique way of fighting and seemed to have that certain "something" where you probably don't really know what you're getting into but you want it anyway. But we warned, this isn't an RPG to be taken lightly but like a lot of things, the more you put into it then the sweeter the rewards.

Story: It's a period meant to feel like Europe in the 1930 though with a couple changes. Europe's divided in 2, The Federation and the Eastern European Imperial Alliance or just simply Empire, the latter of whom tries to do anything and everything to get what they want. What they want is ragnite, a valuable and incredibly useful resource and where it's abundant is the small country in the middle, Gallia, who has ties to neither side. But when the Empire invades and with a strange, powerful race thought only to exist in legend for a weapon, it's up to Welkin Gunther, Alicia Melchiott and several others to bring down the powerful Empire.

Graphics: The team behind this game worked on the highly-praised Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast and while the art style and character designs are similar, Valkyria is really in a class of its own. Using Sega's Canvas engine, they decide to create a different approach to the visuals and while Okami was made to resemble a painting, Valkyria looks more like a drawing that's being animated at lightning speed and it's gorgeous. Kind of reminds me of the cutscenes for the Final Fantasy Tactics port for the PSP only more colorful. The 3D fighting visuals are also welcome and the "boom" and "ratta" visuals showing up when you explode something or fire your weapon has a great charm to it. It's not going for realism so don't compare it to tech-heavy games but what it lacks in realistic lighting and photo-realistic characters, it makes up for in style and art.

Sound/Music: Ditto for the music which was done by Hitoshi Sakimoto who did the Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story and Odin Sphere soundtracks though he's probably best known (positively or negatively depending on how you see it) as the composer for Final Fantasy XII. The soundtrack here is pleasing and there's some good themes but it doesn't really have any tracks that can stand outside the game but when it's on in the game, it's welcome. Using an option to change the language to Japanese or English and either or, the voice acting is quite well-done though some roles are either overacted or lacking in emotion but I didn't mind either tracks.

Gameplay: One can make a case that Valkyria's combat is a 3D version of a chess match, with soldiers and tanks replacing the rooks and queens but essentially here's how it works: a map reveals your position of your characters as well as known enemy positions. You then select who you want to control (which uses up CP, a certain amount of "moves" you can make your characters do with tanks taking up 2 of them), game switches to a 3D view and you can run where you want to go which drains an AP gauge and if you run out, you stop permanently till the next turn. Found in the stages are places that could make good cover such as sandbags. When you've found your spot, you can press R1 which brings up your targeting where you can aim where you want to shoot, throw your grenade or to use a first aid on members with low health and after your turn it's best to crouch and end your turn right away to minimize enemies firing back (which is unfair because they counterattack your attack in addition to when your attack is over so they're really getting 2 shots at you so it's best to end your turn quickly).

Here's where it gets fun: you basically have 5 classes from standard scouts with decent weaponry to long-range snipers (Marina is my preferred one due to her cute and deadly bad***ness), shocktroopers with assault rifles, lancers who are perfect for nailing tanks and engineers who can either replenish your ammo, fix/build places for cover or provide tank maintenance though they're more susceptible to damage. Knowing who to use and where to use them is key. Should a character lose all their health, they're knocked out but here's the kicker: they'll be gone forever unless you get a member of your team over, a cutscene will show a medic rushing in and that member is taking off the field, still able to be used later but gone for the rest of the battle. While you get many reserves anyway, it's probably best to keep your entire team alive.

Speaking of your team, you get 20 people to use in a battle unless stated otherwise in the battle so that can make levelling up tedious right? Wrong. Using the headquarter tab (the whole narrative is played out like a book with pictures on the page being your cutscenes/battles), you can level up your characters in an amusing drill instructor way but should you say level up your snipers, every single one of your snipers levels up as well and not just whoever you use the most. Your equipment can be upgraded for better accuracy, health and whatnot and your tank can be fitted with spare treads should the enemy blast yours off leaving you immobile or strengtening the range of your fire. But don't think this game is immune to grinding as it's best to click the Skirmishes tab and take on the battles which can be fought as many times as you want and it's not just recommended, it's almost necessary since enemies after a certain amount of time will positively own your *** so why not fight fire with fire and make your guys just as tough.

I know this fall and winter has been a particularly crowded season, especially those who own all 3 consoles and the 2 handhelds (like me) but I implore you not to miss Valkyria Chronicles. It doesn't have the advertising of Gears of War 2 or the recognition of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII but this game is well worth tracking down.

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Product Description:
Valkyria Chronicles is set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of 1930s, Europe divided in two and ruled by the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading a small neutral country called Gallia, which is situated in the middle of the two great empires. The game follows a hero named Welkin and his fellow soldiers of the Federation-s 7th Platoon that are fighting against the Empire, who is intent on unifying the continent under its power. The Federation discovers that the Empire possesses a secret weapon, known as the -Valkyria-- an ancient race with special powers thought to exist only in legends. With this new discovery, the fate of the Federation-s ability to win the war and a hope for a better future hangs in the balance.

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