Code: Realize-Guardian of Rebirth(Vita): So this is a visual novel, and an otome game to boot. Am I interested in otome games? Not that much, but I can always enjoy a good story doubled with a great art style. Code: Realize has the latter in spades; whether it also boasts the former remains to be seen and will determine whether I purchase this game or not.
Corpse Party: Blood Drive(Vita): I'm usually not too fond of survival horror and the like, but this is published by Marvelous, and well... I like Marvelous. They never disappointed me so far, and I want to keep supporting them as much as I can. And who knows, maybe I will lap it up and discover myself a new favourite gaming genre.
Norn9: Var Commons(Vita): Another otome game with a great art style that will have to boast a rock-solid story to gain admittance in my precious collection. I already know that the game contains a record number of endings, namely 24, which means a lot of replay value; and replay value is good, yes precious.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song(Vita): The first game in the series was never released in the West, the second was released digitally, and this third entry will benefit from a full-blown physical release. Now that's what I call progress! Anyway, this is an Action-RPG, which is enough to grant it a place of choice in my collection without even the shadow of a second thought. Next!
Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library and the Monster Seal(Vita): Finding data about this one is a trifle hard: apart from the fact that it is a dungeon crawler, a spin-off to an obscure series and that it seems to sport an enormous amount of fan-service, there is really not much to work with. Oh yes, and it's a Sting offering! I love Sting so far, so that makes it an absolute must-by.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steal(Vita): Gee, what a great name! It sounds so evocative, so heroic—the kind of name that promises an epic adventure of massive proportions. Whether it will be the case or not remains to be seen, and reservations can be emitted. Although I loved the little I've played from Nihon Falcom, I've read enough negative opinions about the "Legend of Heroes" subseries to make me think that said subseries is very much an acquired taste. I will thus approach it carefully and brace myself for the worse—while hoping for the best.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes(3ds): This one looks suspiciously like a rip-off of the FF Crystal Chronicles games, with its emphasis on complementary abilities and teamwork to solve puzzles and progress through dungeons. That's fine with me, because I rather like this concept. I just fervently hope that the AI of your allies is not as abysmal as in Ring of Fates and that these cute little Link-alikes won't die on me by running head first into holes, standing under enemy fire or who knows what other display of stupidity.
Return to Popolocrois: Story of Seasons Fairytale(3ds): A crossover between Popolocrois and Story of Seasons, formerly known as Harvest Moon? Sure, why not? Weirder unions have happened in the world of videogaming. I really loved Popolocrois and I'd be glad to revisit that world again, even though I'm a little bit bummed that the developers didn't emulate the exquisite art style of the PSP version of Popolocrois and stuck to run-of-the-mill 3D instead. Oh, well.
Moco Moco Friends(3ds): I first read about this game on YvoCaro's blog, and I was glad I did, because it would have most certainly passed me by otherwise. I would probably have dismissed it as child's fare, and missed a colourful dungeon crawler with a Pokemon-lite flavour in the process. And since the game is aimed at children, it will probably sport a mellow and forgiving gameplay, which is just fine by me. I love playing easy-going dungeon crawlers once in a while.
That's nine games, folks! More than I can play in a single autumn, but that doesn't matter. I'm so glad to see that the release pace is getting brisker than ever, both for the Vita and the 3ds—even though, let's face it, this is a surefire sign that both systems are heading towards the end of their tenure. I wouldn't be surprised if early 2017 saw the pair bow out after a final glorious year of releases—because indeed, 2016 promises to be just as packed with exciting games as 2015. Time will tell, and in the meantime, There Will Be Games! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!
What a wishlist !!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to have your feedbacks on these news babies, if you buy them all ;)
When it comes to wishlists, the bigger the better! ;)
DeleteI can't wait myself to play these littles darlings and write about them! =D
"Sword Art Online: Lost Song(Vita): The first game in the series was never released in the West, the second was released digitally, and this third entry will benefit from a full-blown physical release."
ReplyDeleteActually, the Vita game that got released digitally is just an updated port of the "first" game. They just added more content. Also, if you want a physical copy with english text (engrish I mean, although not better than the version we got) you can import the chinese/english version.
Also, I recommend you do give a chance at Dungeon Travelers 2. I played the PSP version and the game is superb in its dungeon crawling and RPG elements. Its very heavy in fanservice though.
By the way, the game it's a spin-off of an RPG spin-off of a 18+ Visual Novel. "To Heart 2" is the original title of the VN.
Oh, and a reminder that Corpse Party is full blown horror/gore. Even if the game seems somewhat simplistic with its sprites and colorful mugshots, get ready for some seriously creepy stuff.
So "Hollow Song" is not a true sequel, but rather an enhanced port of "Infinity Song"? Well, I'm kinda relieved; at least, I won't feel like I missed one game in the series! Still, I wish game developpers and publishers would stop this practice; not only is it confusing, but it is also self-servicing and underhand, especially when the enhanced port is given a new title like in this particular case. I stopped myself just in time from purchasing "Toukiden: Kiwami" and "Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess"; I thought they were true sequels, but they are actually enhanced ports of two games that I already own. A lot of money saved, phew! As for "Hollow Song", I purchased the digital version already, but I'll keep the Chinese version in mind for collecting purposes. If I really love the game, chances are high that I will want it physical!
DeleteI'm quite pumped about Dungeon Travelers 2, to be honest! I mean... Sting!!!! And when it comes to fan-service, I'm rather fond of the "all-or-nothing" approach: I'd rather have a game that is straightforward and unashamed about its heavy fan-servicy content than a game that is trying to present a clean picture yet sneaks in fan-servicy elements. (Case in point: Lord of Magna) I find the latter more uncomfortable, to be honest.
If "Corpse Party" is really that gory, maybe I will abstain... Oh well, we'll see! I will watch a gameplay video before purchasing it to assess whether or not I can stomach it.
Ups, you're messing up the names! Vita's "Hollow Fragment" contains the PSP game "Infinity Moment" and the new "Lost Song" for Vita/PS3/PS4 is the sort-of sequel.
DeleteEither way, Hollow Fragment (from what I played in the PSP version) is pretty much an offline MMO. Ton of things to do but the gameplay can be quite repetitive. Also, expect a terrible translation. A literal "translation machine to the game" translation.
Did you watch the anime though? You get to understand the story/characters a little more before the game.
You'll have a good time with Dungeon Travelers 2 then. The game is really good. And if you don't mind the fanservice, even better! It's also pretty hard by the way.
Oh, and I'l make you a game suggestion: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines for the Vita. It's a really good dungeon crawler, released digitally only outside of Japan. Well, it was released awhile back but I never saw you mention it so I thought you missed it.
Oh, crap! That's what happen when you write too fast. Well, I'm sure you understood me well enough. :)
DeleteI didn't watch the anime, and I'm certainly not planning to do so... I'll get a summary before playing, if this is really that important. Although to be honest, I'll be in first and foremost for the gameplay! I'm perfectly content with inconsistent stories and wafer-thin characters if the gameplay is solid enough. :)
If DT2 is hard, that's even better! A good challenge is always appreciated.
I bought Oreshika this summer, during a great wave of discounts! A really good deal, I must say. As for playing it, well... It's always the same issue: so many games to play, so little time to play them! ;)
I understood you perfectly fine, don't worry.
DeleteNah, the anime is not essential in any way. I like the setting and premise but the story itself is passable. You'll won't miss much.
The gameplay is fun, a bit repetitive though but can be a huge time sink if it clicks with you.
So, you bought Oreshika! Yeah, I thought it was strange you'd miss such a gem.
I hope it will click with me! Since you seem to be a fan of the series, have you read the original light novels? I wanted to give them a try since I'm an avid reader, but I'm afraid of being disappointed. An informed opinion would be most welcome! :)
DeleteI'm not exactly a fan, but I do love the premises in both the original Sword Art Online and Bullet Gale Online (this one wasn't adapted to a game yet). The characters are also all very likable but the whole story falls apart because of one single thing: the main character.
DeleteI haven't read the LNs though, just watched the anime and read the manga (which came out last and only loosely adapts the original plot/characters).
Honestly speaking, with a similar premise (trapped in a game) you have Log Horizon, which does everything better than SAO. The difference, however, is that SAO's focus is the characters while Log Horizon's focus is the game's world and the political and social consequences of living in a virtual world.
So, to sum up: if you like SAO's characters you're going to like the LNs.
Then I'll wait to play the games before deciding to give a try or not to the VN. However, your descriptions makes me think that Log Horizon would please me more. I've long grown blasé about the cliché relationships that manga and anime continually churn out, and a wider focus would definitely be a refreshing change!
DeleteI found Log Horizon to be extremely interesting in that regard, yes. How much humans are affected by living in a virtual world and how much the virtual world changes if "non video game laws" were to be applied to it.
DeleteIt does have its fair share of tropes of course, but nothing extreme or overdone like in SAO. Both series have their positive points though.
Honestly, I've also grown tired of "serious" anime. I'd rather see some comic/parody anime and simply kick back and laugh. There are still some very interesting and deep anime with a worthwhile story, but those are fewer nowadays.
Maybe this growing dislike of serious anime is partly related to age... When I was a teenager, I could totally relate to the shy average guy or to the tsundere girl because I was somehow acting like them; now, I just roll my eyes and think "jeez, just admit your feelings already and spit it out!" Parodies and comedies, on the other hand, become more and more enticing to me. And parodic characters can still be loveable, like the amazing crew in Danganronpa!
DeleteMaybe it's related to age or maybe is due to the way anime now hammers non-stop tropes just because. Even if you can't relate to a(some) character(s) there's always a way of making them interesting or likable. Most writers however just simply use the tropes because it's the norm.
DeleteSo you like comedy anime too, then? If I ever need some suggestion I'll be sure to ask you for some!
Danganronpa is an excellent example of how even if all the characters are literal walking tropes, they're still a bunch of lovable characters with substance.
"If I ever need some suggestion I'll be sure to ask you for some": oh dear, please don't! =D I've not been watching anime for YEARS. If anything, it should be the other way around! ;)
DeleteAhah, ok then, so be it! I haven't been watching anime recently neither though. Too much stuff to do and games to play right now!
Delete"Too much stuff to do and games to play right now": tell me about it! =D
DeleteNice hardwood floor!
ReplyDelete7th Dragon III and Stella Glow are my must-haves and Legend of Legacy and Summon Night 5 are my would-be-nices. 2015 has been a very good year for RPG releases.
Haha, thank you!^^
DeleteI didn't know about 7th Dragon III! I hope it will get localized.
Indeed, 2015 was ripe with RPG releases! Hopefully 2016 will be just as glorious. I already have a couple of games on my radar, and I hope more will come!
"I wouldn't be surprised if early 2017 saw the pair bow out after a final glorious year of releases"
ReplyDeleteWell, if the PS3 is any example, we'll still be getting a lot of games years after the new system has come out. It was the same with the PSP in Japan, and even now we get some releases in the west. Plus, after the "disaster" the Vita was to Sony, I don't see them betting too much money on making a vastly improved new system, so we'll probably get a lot of cross-over tittles like we do now with the PS3 and PS4.
Nintendo is a whole other case though, since they seem to change their game from console to console so much. I'd bet at least one or two more years of support after the new system comes out, then a complete abandonment of the 3DS.
I certainly hope that Sony keeps the Vita alive as long as possible! They may indeed decide to retire from the portable system business after the resounding failure of the Vita, which saddens me a bit. I like the PSP and the Vita is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite systems of all time, so I would have loved to see more portable endeavours from Sony. Oh, well.
DeleteAs for the 3ds, I certainly won't shed a tear when Nintendo drops it out. Although it has a great game library, this sytem has generated more hassle than pleasure as far as I'm concerned, between the cursed region-locking, the shortages of all sorts and the endless stream of different versions of the system that made collecting a royal pain in the butt. I just hope that whatever new system they release will not feature that dreaded region-locking, or I may well abstain from purchasing it altogether!
Ugh, I completely agree with your distaste for region locking. It's the reason why I waited for long to get one, I only did it once SMTIV and Rune Factory IV were given official release dates in the EU. And then lo and behold, they announce the New 3DS immediately after. Thanks Nintendo.
DeleteThe system does have many wonderful games, but to me it's an overall inferior system. I dislike the 3D and I feel that the rest of the hardware is not up to par (that resolution on the original models, eek). And unlike the Vita, which due to the lack of western support is getting a lot of Japanese games brought over, the 3DS has so many RPGs that will never get brought over. So both systems have about the same number of games I like overall, despite the Vita being such a commercial failure. The 3DS has great Nintendo support, but the only franchises I like from them are Pokemon and Fire Emblem.
I'm hoping Sony will not drop out of the handheld market and I'm guessing they won't. Giving all that market to Nintendo exclusively doesn't sound like something the gaming market would do and Microsoft is more likely to come out with a gaming tablet. I do see them wanting to focus on getting the PS4 in a very established state before even thinking about a new portable system, so we might get a longer console circle than we're used to. Which is a good thing, the Vita market seems to just be getting started (at least with Japan), and I don't feel that developers have pushed the system to its limits yet.
As for Nintendo, I'm wondering what their new gimmick will be. And I will definitely not buy another locked system, but given their trend with the 3DS and Wii U, it seems likely that they will do it again....
Right, I forgot that gimmicky, headachy 3D... Probably because I literally never use it. I could also mention the pitiful battery life of the original model, which was so ridiculously small that it defeated the very purpose of playing on a portable system. Good thing they improved that on subsequent models.
DeleteYou're painting a very interesting picture for Sony, and I hope things will indeed unfold that way! I would love nothing more than to indulge in new and exciting Vita games for the five years to come, especially if Nintendo's new system turns out to be another gimmicky, region-locked disappointment. Let's wait and see!