Strategy Session – Competitive Pokemon VI
This week we’ll be taking a look at a popular but largely underutilized Pokemon, Altaria. Perhaps the weakest of the Dragon-types and yet still very viable when used intelligently, Altaria has the movepool, if not the stats, to cause some trouble in its chosen field of play.
Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Competitive Pokemon VI’ »
Mass Media 06/19/09 – Part 1!
Stay tuned, ’cause there’s more where this came from. In today’s update: Valhalla Knights Eldar Saga, Final Fantasy XIII, Inazuma Eleven 2, and Dragon Age: Origins. Not pictured: me trying to enrage all of Tamriel and make a mad dash for the Shivering Isles portal set to “Push it to the Limit.” Because I didn’t actually do that, I just read about some dude that did. Was pretty epic, though. I ramble. Behold the screens:
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/19/09 – Part 1!’ »
Dragon Age Specs Revealed: +2 HD or Greater Required
Y’know, back in the day a Bioware RPG meant you wouldn’t have to break the bank building a machine for it. Those were simpler times, times where men were men and women were women, until they stumbled onto the cursed girdle of gender-swapping and foolishly decided to try it on before identifying it. And that jerk assassin at the Friendly Arm Inn still recognized you. Sigh.
Where was I? Oh, right. Bioware just released the specs for the upcoming Dragon Age: Origins. Details here:
Continue reading ‘Dragon Age Specs Revealed: +2 HD or Greater Required’ »
NISA Gives Cross Edge Players Free Stuff
Those who are playing Cross Edge may be interested in three free downloadable packs that just hit the PlayStation Store. The Departure Pack has free basic healing items, the Wanderer Pack has free stronger healing items, and the Power-up Pack has free ability-enhancing items. Any of these should give players the edge they need in combat. Did we mention that all of these are free?
Mr. Bubbles, Hero of Cyrodiil Become Best Buddies
Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games recently joined hands in friendship and announced that they are releasing Bioshock and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as a bundle on July 7. The Xbox 360 version has a price tag of $39.99, and the PC version sells for a bit less at $29.99.
Mass Media 06/17/09
Just a couple quick ones for y’all, some Blood of Bahamut screens and a few snippets of Tales media. Apparently they’re making an anime out of Abyss, and there’s some other Tales Supergroup game in the works. Oh, and a shot of a character from the upcoming Tales of Graces. What I’m trying to say is they’re still not making my dream game where it’s just a cast of reasonably charming characters going on wacky adventures without some overarching plot involving racism.
And all of the female characters are voiced by Jennifer Hale. Let me have my dreams!
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/17/09’ »
Game Changers: Volume 11 – Pokemon Red and Blue
When Pokémon Red and Blue first came over to the States in September of 1998, the popularity explosion came as quite a shock to those unfamiliar with the series. They cried, “What was this game, and why does it keep our children up nights?” Mario never did that — well, not on this scale, anyway.
Continue reading ‘Game Changers: Volume 11 – Pokemon Red and Blue’ »
Valhalla Knights 2 Asks for Second Chance, Promises the Band is Gonna Make It
Hoping that this next gig will make things all better, Marvelous Interactive has promised a plethora of changes in the upcoming makeover of Valhalla Knights 2, branded as Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance. These changes were recently outlined in a lengthy feature in Famitsu.
Continue reading ‘Valhalla Knights 2 Asks for Second Chance, Promises the Band is Gonna Make It’ »
Tales of Graces Introduces New Faces
Famitsu has revealed the identities of the lead characters for the next addition to the Tales series. The hero is a young man named Asbel, and the heroine is a nice, quiet girl named Sophie. Even though her name refers to the Greek word for “knowledge,” Sophie is an amnesiac. Such are the perils of plot devices. The game’s story will focus on the themes of love and honor.
Tales of Graces will be out in Japan this winter for the Nintendo Wii.
Source: Famitsu
Translation: Adrienne Beck
Strategy Session – Devil Summoner 2, Part I
In Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abbadon, you’ll be spending a fair amount of time in the Gouma-Den’s basement, fusing demons with Victor. The process itself is pretty simple, but there are a lot of things you’ll need to know about in order to make the most of the fusion system. So join us as we take an in-depth look at the arcane process of Demon Fusion, and unravel the secrets of Victor’s obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Continue reading ‘Strategy Session – Devil Summoner 2, Part I’ »
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon – Staff Review
When Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army was released in the winter of 2006, it seemed to be a bit of a black sheep for the Shin Megami Tensei series. The game was much more about the alternate history detective story at the core of its plot than it was about the more traditional mythological influences of the series, and although the combat system still focused rather strongly on exploiting elemental weaknesses, the fact that it was action-based rather than turn-based made the game feel quite different from the normal SMT title. Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon brings the Devil Summoner sub-series a bit more into line with the overarching feel of the SMT series, but still retains most of what made the first game interesting. In short, Devil Summoner 2 is a solid improvement on the series.
Continue reading ‘Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abbadon – Staff Review’ »
Mass Media 06/13/09
Y’know what the hardest thing about getting back into Oblivion is? Other than downloading more in mods than the size of the actual game, or getting the stupid things to work right? Planning your character, man. You gotta throw out everything you know about conventional RPG grinding to max out your stats in Oblivion. It’s dumb and wrong and yet when you figure it out it feels so… well, okay, actually it still feels dumb and wrong, but it’s all worth it to crush some poor schmuck’s weapon arm in one go, take the weapon he was using, and use it to dismember him. But I digress.
In today’s media update: Crimson Gem Saga, Dragon Quest IX, Dragon Quest Wars, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Persona PSP, Phantom Brave Wii, and Super Robot Wars NEO.
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/13/09’ »
Crimson Gem Saga Hits Retail
PSP owners looking for an JRPG fix need look no further than Crimson Gem Saga, the newest release from Atlus. The game features hand-drawn visuals and turn-based combat. It is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $29.99
League of Legends Impression 2
On my last evening at E3, the gang and I got our hands on League of Legends: Clash of Fates, Riot Games’ upcoming online SRPG. Whatever else can be said about the good folks behind this game, they are nothing if not gracious hosts. The game demo was a private party at a nearby bar, with food and drinks on the house. As for the game itself, it’s based on Defense of the Ancients, a popular mod for Warcraft III where players select hero units and square off amidst a larger ongoing battle. We were set up in a LAN group of about ten people, and once we all chose our heroes we were divided into two teams and dropped into the beta map.
If you cannot reach the victory when to playing League of Legends, you can visit boostingboss.com they have pro players that will help your desired rank in a day or two.
Continue reading ‘League of Legends Impression 2’ »
League of Legends Adds More Champions
Riot Games has just announced two new additions to League of Legends: Clash of Fates, its session-based multiplayer strategy RPG, bringing the total number of known characters up to 21. One is an undead creature called Sion, a melee combatant who focuses on life-stealing and damage reduction abilities. The other, Evelynn, is a stealthy assassin who gains attack bonuses from the deaths of enemy champions, regardless of whether she is the killer. Screenshots and detailed profiles are available on the game’s website, along with a new gameplay trailer showing three of the other champions in action.
Mass Media 06/10/09
This update brought to you in part by boat waiting times and death by lamiaea. Lamias? Whatever the plural term is for angry vaguely-female snake things. I ramble. In this update: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord, Ys Online: Call of Solum, Mega Man Star Force 3, and Lunar: Harmony of the Silver Star.
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/10/09’ »
Dragon Age: Origins and the Curious Marketing Strategy
By now, anybody who cares has seen the trailers for Bioware’s upcoming fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins. We laughed, we cried, we wondered how in the world they thought adding Marilyn Manson to scenes of mass violence and armored dudes sneering at each other would help it sell. At E3, the gang and I got a closer look at the actual game, and while there was little to sway people one way or another, I did get the impression that there is cause for hope yet. Allow me to elaborate.
Continue reading ‘Dragon Age: Origins and the Curious Marketing Strategy’ »
Fallout 3: Point Lookout Impression 2
After receiving a radio transmission and heading through a swamp, the hero finds him or herself inside a rather large mansion and face to face with a friendly Ghoul in a rather bad situation. Raider-like enemies will be invading at any moment, and despite a healthy supply of video cameras that give him a small command post of sorts, the mansion is in a very sorry state and these foes have no problem busting down the rotten walls in order to accomplish their goals. Of course, this isn’t a typical Ghoul. He has turrets, attack dogs, and a fair bit of extra firepower too, but he could still use a hand. The player is thus conscripted and charged with various tasks that range from fending off hoards of enemies as they bust their way in to igniting explosives in order to seal up holes.
Continue reading ‘Fallout 3: Point Lookout Impression 2’ »
