Actually I did it instinctively. Thats how I killed the Dragon in the first game. and I noticed there was a reticule on his tail as well as his main body (which the drake in the first game didn't have, but then again in the first game, the easiest way to kill him is to stand in one spot and shoot tons of arrows, about 230-240, every time he reaches the top of his climb while flying around.) A lot of situations are pretty similar like the fight with the gargoyles in dark souls is basically the same fight as the one with the chimera between the two towers in demons souls.

But yea, I went into Dark Souls completely blind, I didn't do that with Demons Souls tho, I got the SE that came with the guide. Most of the tricks I use to make Dark souls easier was stuff I learned playing Demons souls and Kings Field.

its kinda funny, people just kind of assume that the only way to find cheats/easter eggs these days is the internet, but sometimes you just stumble across stuff, or you try something you learned in an old game. Like everytime I get a new fighting game I always test to see if my old bread and butters still work.

I mean yea its not like "HEY LOOK ITSA SWOOOOORD!" but nothing in the game ever does quite do that. I meant more if you knew what to look for you'd be able to find it pretty easily, like seeing that first rat on your way through the mountain. If you don't know what he drops you might not realize he's a goldmine. (i kill just about everything 5-10 times to see if it drops anything good)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr7gVTPbMSk[/youtube]

^ I went for Smough first cause I felt I could handle him better. I'm a Pyromancer you see, and levelled up my pyromancy flame quite a lot so it took quite a lot of health to just cast fireballs anytime he did his butt stomp attack. Also I had Quelaag's Furysword at that point and it deals extra fire damage which I think Smough is susceptible to. Make sure whatever shield you are using blocks physical attacks completely. It was only going through Anor Londo that I caught on about the importance of using the appropriate gear wherever you are in Dark Souls. Having said that I don't think it does a lot of help in this. Stick with it though, it's notoriously the hardest battle of the game, when you get past it you get a brilliant reward for it too.

When did they start caring about what fans want?

I got this for Christmas from my fiance. I had told her on the phone one day that I was about to order something on ebay, and she asked what it was. When I told her, she said "DON'T BUY IT!" in a scary demon voice, and I ended up finding this on my doorstep a few days later. :lol:
It was the last game I needed to complete my Time Crisis collection (I've been trying to get every one in their big box "plus Guncon" releases), and this one was actually completely new in its original wrapper. Feels good opening a new PS1 game after all these years.
Whatta gal.

http://oi46.tinypic.com/288ppc1.jpg

I also got the Arkham City: Game of the Year Edition, Dishonored, and Sniper Elite V2 for Christmas from the folks. Nice little haul this year. :D

Just beat it last night.
Gwyn was intimidating as hell the first few tries, but then I started using the same tactic I did against electric-Smough: using the environment to impede his movement. I got by the little grouping of rocks near the entrance and just started strafing around it, keeping them between me and Gwyn. Some of his hits would connect with my shield, but most would miss since he presses himself up against the rocks so hard. Then, when he inevitably tries his grab me at some point (the only time he ever really slows down) I'd lay a single good smack on him with my weapon (a fully-upgraded Dragon Tooth, so it takes some pretty good health out of him). Rinse and repeat.
Seemed almost impossible for me to beat without that tactic. Looked up strategies on gamefaqs after I beat him, and no one seemed to mention the same thing. As accomplished as I felt after beating him to begin with, the fact that I used a strategy that no one else was mentioning made me feel even more accomplished. :D
I do have to say though, the ending was pretty disappointing. I was expecting at least a little more. A flythrough of Lordran to show what happens to it afterward would have been nice. Something like that. But no, it just... ends.
Still pretty excited to play Demon's Souls though. And to see what comes of Dark Souls 2.
This game really took me by surprise. I didn't expect to love it so much. And even further, it actually invigorated an interest in medieval fantasy for me. Previously I was never really all that interested in the standard dragons, swords, & sorcery stuff. Nothing against it, I just never felt very compelled by it. Dark Souls pretty much single-handedly changed that.

The Sea Will Claim Everything (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/fc1Ts.jpg
This is an adventure game where you travel in a fixed perspective from screen to screen. Right at the start you're made aware that you, the character, aren't part of this world (the Land of Dreams) but instead get to see it through a screen. Therefore, the player-character doesn't have a personality, as you never ask questions directly, but choose answers from a list of topics as you talk to the dozens upon dozens of characters. The art-style, like in Kiratzkes earlier works is all hand-made drawings. It may not be to everyone's liking, but the sheer oddity and distinctiveness of it all, the bold use of colours you seldom get to see in games, make it a really original experience.
As for the gameplay, one can say it revolves almost, if not entirely around fetchquests. Of course you still have to think where you might find, or whom you might ask for certain items, and some of them will take a bit of time and skill to decipher. Later on there's also potion-crafting. The game is never hard as even though you rack up a really big number of things to do, they're all noted down on your journal so you don't forget it.
The big thing about the game though, is the sheer quantity of text you can go through, as every character (and there are really dozens of them) has a lot to say, painting you a very vivid picture of the world you're looking at. While talking to so many, and visiting so many places (later on you get a boat and get to go to various islands, all of them unique), the one trouble is sometimes remembering the names of the characters or what they wanted, but that ends up being a smaller detail.
The writing per se, is also surprisingly good, considering this is an indie game with a very short staff. In the hundreds of pages of text the game probably has I did not note any sort of grammatical mistake or miswording. Furthermore the game is peppered with little nods to literature, current events and (of course) Monty Python, but all in the subtlest of manners.
Finally, the music combines greatly with the settings. Even though it's basically the same in every area, it never feels grating (because there are a lot of different areas, and because hearing a new song is a big part of the feeling of discovery when you reach a new area).
The story is revealed gradually but its merits lie in the fact that, while the environment and characters are so otherwordly, the story isn't. In fact, it's the most current story I've read this year, and ends with a very positive message, which games seldom do.
It's also a very decent length for an independent adventure, and one who's going for $5 at that...
A demo is avaiable here: http://landsofdream.net/games/the-sea-will-claim-everything/demo/


The Shivah (2006)
http://i.imgur.com/L0t3w.gif
I had got this game ages ago, but troubleshooting games from Adventure Game Studio is always a pain, so I only sat to beat it now.
The main draw of the game, of course, is that you play a rabbi, Rabbi Stone, who somehow sees himself in the middle of a murdercase.
The gameplay is classic Lucas Arts style, although there's no interaction with objects. You mainly conduct your investigations through questioning (and there are a couple of instances that can cause you to get a "game over"), which almost always includes a "rabbinical response". spoiler: Later on, in good old fashioned Monkey Island/Full Throttle style, there's even a bout of fisticuffs for the sharp tongues.
The puzzles themselves are often done through logging in a computer and searching for what you need (being that you need to figure out specific passwords, etc). The game boasts very few locations and characters so you can get stuck if suddenly you can't ask anything new or can't figure out what you need to do. On the other hand the game is very short, and can be finished in an hour (and much less with a walkthrough).
The soundtrack is quite good, with jazzy and jewish songs (israeli noir would probably be the apt description), but the voiceacting is the worst part. Thankfully the Rabbi himself, whom you'll hear the most, is the best one.
All in all, a very decent Lucas Arts-style game, with an interesting premise that emcompasses all the rabbinical honour code in its story. Being so short, the story ends up a little disappointing, but it presents some very interesting and certainly unique issues.
A demo is avaiable here: http://www.wadjeteyegames.com/the-shivah.html


A Grain of Truth (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/OGwLa.jpg
For a free browser game, this one reeks professionalism. Being the labour of two brothers, it really feels at home with the so called "modern adventure game" crowd. It presents a very dreamlike world, in a japanese style, dealing with floating stones, cloud gatherers and the like. Its puzzles mainly concern finding specific items hidden away, which would be a bit of bore were it not for a button that displays, for about 2 seconds, all the "clickable" spots.
Sadly, while the world is beautiful and soothing, there's something amiss. The characters you interact with are mainly dull and unremarkable. The puzzles, too classic and unoriginal. Its main original gameplay comes from the ability to learn words so you can use them later in a "fill-the-blanks" conversation. Problem is if you miss one you have to search frantically for what you're missing, all over the world.
The story in itself isn't anything to write home about, although midly enjoyable. The cast of characters is very small and just don't reveal enough of themselves for it to be worthwhile.
Overall, while the production values and graphical and stylistic detail is incredible for a free game, what lies beneath is a very undistinguished game. Still, it's free.
http://www.zamolski.com/agot/


Proteus (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/11xaE.jpg
Less of a game than an experience, Proteus is a delight to indulge in.
Without further explanation, you open your eyes in the middle of the ocean, with an island barely visible in the distance. Without nothing else around, you decide to reach for its shores. And thus, slowly but surely, silence grows into music. Thus you realise that as you explore this island your auditory senses get assaulted with little rhythms and musical lines - a veritable light synthesizer. While just going around a very decent-sized island as you hear the different voicings that come from rocks, trees or castles would be good enough, you start to realise the sun is setting, and in the night things change. You see fireflies, then perhaps some clouds will gather and rain will trickle down. And in the morning, rabbits (or frogs?) will hop around for you to follow, and you've been there for half an hour, creating a symphony, just by walking and exploring.
The only action you can take is actually sitting down and enjoying the world around you and, when you've had enough, you just close your eyes back again. It's a wonderful experience, and a wonderful musical toy.
http://www.visitproteus.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NFAiGF73_U

Holy mother of fucking fucks, I finally beat the Expert Pool AI at Eight-ball in Yakuza 3, only took about 4-5 hours worth of just playing the one game to do. About 100 games probably. So Pool is done and its considered one of the hardest things to do in the game. And I got all the Darts done, another hard thing to do. Bowling is easy so its been done awhile. Still have mofo'ing golf left and the rest but I'm happy to have pool and darts out of the way now.

Yeah, I'd been thinking about the Witcher before. One that I always figured I'd get to eventually, but I'm still not sure if I'm exacty in the mood for it yet.
And yeah, Baroque looks ace. Almost strikes me as if Shin Megami Tensei were a dungeon crawler. Definitely interested in that at some point.
And I'd actually been eyeing Zill O'll kind of recently. I think there's a demo on PSN, right? May have to try that out.

Thinking harder on it now though, I think one of the things I'm also looking for is that similar sense of "quiet" that the Souls games offer. It's kind of a hard sensation to nail down in simple terms. It kind of entails a lot of vagueness to the narrative. Not so much that you don't know what's going on, but enough that things aren't being forced in your face. It also seems to require a slight sense of loneliness as well, but not so much that it feels like Silent Hill or anything.
Probably kind of an odd thing to be looking for in a game, but I have found that From Software are practically experts at it. Almost any other game I've played by them has that similar vibe; the Echo Night games have it, the Otogi games have it, Kuon has it, and most of the Armored Core games have it (despite being more sci-fi than supernatural). I mentioned Vagrant Story before because I feel that it sort of has it as well, despite being a bit more direct than From's games generally are.
I might just indulge in more of From's previous works in light of all that. Looks like Shadow Tower and Eternal Right are available at my local game store, so I may snatch those up.

And staying on-topic, Demon's Souls definitely feels more difficult than Dark Souls now. I just came up against a few enemies that broke my shield in only a few hits. Never had that happen in Dark Souls. Equipment seems to be a bit more brittle in this one, so it's just one more thing to be worried about the whole time. :lol:

"It wasn't cheap the first time either, but since you lost all that money you can't afford to replace it yourself dear. It's OK, I didn't need that vacation anyway, there's always next year. You deserve to have the wallet after what you've been through."

For Christmas my nan got me a wallet and to be honest I really didn't like it. I couldn't go back to using my old one or I would seem like a dick. So coming home from work one day I decided to pretend that I had got mugged. I said the muggers let me keep my cards and license so the only thing they took was some cash and the wallet itself as I didn't want the hassle of having to get a new drivers license.

The problem is that now my family want me to call the police. Should I just say I don't want to bother them or lie to the police as well?

Even though this is absolutely horrible thing to do, had the thought ever come to your mind to say you just lost it? I mean play your storyline in your head:

Mugger: Give me your wallet!
Riku: No my nana gave it to me for xmas.
Mugger: Give it to me now!!!
Riku: How about we compromise on this?
Mugger: Ok let's sit down and have a discussion about our confrontation.
Riku: Ok, truth be told I really don't like this wallet that much. How about I give you the wallet and the money in it, but I will remove my credit cards and drivers license because you know how much of a pain it is to have to cancel them and even worse have to apply for a new driver's license.
Mugger: Oh I so agree, it is such a hassle to wait in line to get a new one. i certaintly wouldn't want that to happen to you sir.
Riku: Ok, so we agree, you get the wallet and the money and I keep the remaining items?
Mugger: Sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Riku: Ok then let me get this stuff out of there....oh darnnit, it's so hard to get the license out of this pouch....
Mugger: Oh here, let me help you with that.
Riku: Why thank you sir, I wish there were more muggers out there like you.
Mugger: Oh stop, your making me blush! OK here you go.
Riku: Thank you, enjoy the wallet and the money!
Mugger: Oh I will sir! I'm going to drink and snort the night away on coke! We should do this again sometime.
Riku: Oh I so agree! You can find me on twitter!

And that''s your logic.

genuinely looking forward to his nan buying him the same wallet again as a replacement

Riku Rose wrote:
My boss was actually mugged and they let him keep the stuff in his wallet which is what gave me the idea.

He probably just needed an excuse to ditch his wallet.

Just beat Demon's Souls. What a wild ride that was. The King Alant fight at the end of the Boletarian Palace stage was the bitch to end all bitches. Unlike the boss of Dark Souls, it just takes place in a big, empty room, so there was nowhere that I could get behind to act as "cover". Had to get really good at dodging, and had to completely change my usual equipment load so that I'd be light enough to roll properly.
The ending to the game was much, much better than in Dark Souls though. I actually understood what was going on. Kind of an important factor. And the Old One was just surreal enough to creep me the hell out.

Having played them both, I think I like Dark Souls more, but both games had their obvious advantages.
Demon's Souls had, in my eyes, the better implementation of a story and a slightly better personality to it (which counts for a lot ). And that King Alant fight was a definite highlight for me (best one-on-one, human vs. human fight in the series so far, for my money)
Dark Souls had the better visual design and music, though, and made all the right tweaks to the areas of leveling up and equipment modifying.
Dark Souls 2 can't come out soon enough. I haven't felt this satisfied with pure RPG character development in a long time.

We helped Ryo to beat Miku in the All-Stars race. Now let's have him topple John Cena as the most requested Make-A-Wish personality.

lol at "coby"

I love both, but Dark is, in my opinion, the far superior game in nearly every respect. If you play Demon's, in the first few seconds of Dark you will notice how much nicer everything is... the menus, the character creation, the atmosphere, the open world, etc. Basically, it boils down to whether you'd prefer to be an ethereal spirit or a rotting corpse after you die. But also, Dark has absolutely fantastic creatures and world, whereas Demon's is a bit claustrophobic with fewer "Wow!" moments. Analogy: Demon's is to Dark as Shenmue is to Shenmue 2. Naturally, therefore, (since this world is the place where the good must be destroyed) the doinks making Dark Souls 2 (the original mastermind has left the building, sadly) are taking a giant leap backwards by making the game linear, thereby murdering what was most awe-inspiring about Dark Souls.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm very proud of my Dark Souls character, not only statistically, but aesthetically, as I am a character creation perfectionist. Let's post pictures! I'll do so later.

Certainly, all that matters is unique beauty. Thus, I have the dark purple hair and eyes of a near-extinct race, combined, of course, with the face of a far eastern traveler... the most perfect combination!

The mansion where you meet Emil in Nier. Pretty much the whole thing at the mansion, I will never forget the hall where the paintings change after you return to it and they have evil looks on their faces when you return.

Top 3 Nintendo DS games whose Japan-only status still bothers the hell out of me :

#3 .) Sakura Note

This always looked like it would appeal to me in a huge way, from the graphical style, to the small-town setting, to the obvious presence of sentimentality. It just looked like a fun, attractive, unpretentious little game with a lot of charm going for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoYAklTGRXQ

#2 .) Nanashi no Game

Atmospheric horror on the DS. The kind that doesn't just involve a bunch of blood and gore (Dementium always looked kind of... "eh" to me).
And the concept of an old, haunted videogame cartridge... how can you not love that?
Square localizes stuff like Theatrhythm, but passed this one up. Insanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bFyk6Cl-gY

#1 .) Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness

The fact that this was essentially just more Front Mission 1st (which was the game that convinced me to get a DS in the first place) makes it a guaranteed buy from me. Prequel to the entire series? Awesome.
I've always had a soft spot for the original Front Mission's style of presentation. Think about it: this was a new release, made using all of the old resources from the 1994 game (or at least emulating the original game in an incredibly accurate way). We don't get that kind of thing often enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t67WX_zVko

I like these two, how they first show the throne room in its "heyday" so to speak, in proper condition while the king still rules, while the second shows it in a ruinous state, as a knight (the player character) goes about exploring. Pretty cool representation of the games themselves.

http://oi49.tinypic.com/2qmj3h4.jpg http://oi46.tinypic.com/2sb4k0p.jpg

Yep. July 9,2003. Just 13 years old.

The Dojo was a big part of my teenage years.

http://www.destructoid.com/project-x-zone-getting-localized-coming-to-north-america-242789.phtml

:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgA_K0KjpM

The game is developed by Monolith oft. It combines characters from Namco,Capcom,SEGA. Spiritual Successor to Namco X Capcom. And now we get it! For the old school Dante fans the real dante is in here.

Oh man, but if we get Time Travelers, EX Troopers and Bravely Default all released in US and EU too. \:D/

Absolutely. The demo for EX Troopers was great on PS3.
But I'm even more excited over Time Travelers. That one looked like it'd have a really great story. And the cinematic presentation of it is fantastic. I was so sure we wouldn't be getting it, but it'd be great to be wrong.

Believe it or not Time Travelers has the best shot of being localized of the three.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nowUbao1Pc[/youtube]

The 3DS could be an RPG paradise. DQ7, DQ:Terry's Wonderland and Bravely Default joining SMT4, Soul Hackers, Overclocked, Project X Zone, Unchained Blades, Crimson shroud, Tales of the Abyss, Fire Emblem, Mystery dungeon, Etrian odyssey 4, Monster Hunter 3 and 4, Kingdom hearts 3d, and pokemon x/y

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me1jvpfOdPM[/youtube]

Unmanned (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/0MDWuaa.png
Unmanned is the latest interactive piece by Molleindustria (of Every Day the Same Dream fame). Written by Jim Munroe ( Guilded Youth ), you play a father, husband and drone pilot. Gameplay consists of different episodes: one has you shaving your face, another playing FPS games with your son, and just choosing answers through the various conversations. After each episode you'll be awarded with badges depending on your performance. As with all of Molleindustria's games, though, what you get is a very intimate experience regarding what choices (by gameplay) you make. There is definitely something of the provocative here, and it certainly won't leave anyone unaffected.
A single game might turn out for just 5 to 10 minutes, but repeated playthroughs are needed to see everything. The game is well made with a distinctive art-style (something out of the Frederick Raynal book) and presentation. Hard not to recommend as a very intriguing and thought provoking experience.
http://i.imgur.com/vD9fNy3.jpg
Avaiable for play online or download here: http://unmanned.molleindustria.org/

Process (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/5HuMXHL.jpg
This is a first-person horror point & click made in Russia. You see yourself on a moving train and must uncover its secrets before the inevitability of a countdown dwindles down. While there are no easy frights, there's a great deal of atmosphere due to a successful use of lighting and sound. Even though the game is mostly static (although you can swirl around 360º, while rooted to the same spot), there is a sense of urgency brought about by the countdown. The gameplay itself, while not exactly being a "pixel"-hunter, is simple but, due to the dark atmosphere, makes some objects difficult to see. Even though, to be fair, that's probably the point, it does make you pretty much click everywhere in a panic to see what works and otherwise not fully appreciate the environment.
The game has very few locations and takes at most 20 minutes to beat in a single playthrough (any more and the game is over). There really isn't much text and what is there communicates well, which is seldom true in eastern europe-developed games. The game also exhudes a very clean, polished, feel which is quite surprising in a free game. In all, a well made short experience that should appeal to adventure and horror enthusiasts.
http://i.imgur.com/EJO4v95.jpg
Get it free at: http://www.indiedb.com/games/process/downloads/process-english (Desura)

subAtomic (2012)
http://i.imgur.com/lgIMzbG.png
subAtomic is a game made in 72 hours for a Ludum Dare competition. As such it's quite short and simple, yet full of charm. Most of this comes from its brilliantly anarchic writing, resembling something like a crazy brainstorm of ideas that somehow gets made into a game.
There aren't really any puzzles, and interactions are kept to a minimum. While the backgrounds are quite simplistic, the characters are reasonably well animated.
Definitely an inspirational and entertaining piece, well worth playing.
http://i.imgur.com/zFtrmCL.png
Get it free here: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?uid=7835

Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortal (PC, 2008)
http://i.imgur.com/asohGaa.jpg
This is a first person point & click adventure, where you advance through static screens, although you can rotate the camera in 360º. Despite this ancient structure the games does attempt to do a few things different. The game is divided through sort of episodes, relating to areas. These can feel quite confined and disjointed, and are a bit of a hindrance regarding the "megapolis" backdrop where the story is set. The main character is a rebel of sorts against the futuristic dictatorship cliché. There is, however a weird subplot as a mysterious pyramid hovers over Paris (where the game is set) and you discover that your father who you thought had died, lives. All through this, you'll meet egyptian gods who are a bit of the "Stargate" variety. As this description shows, the story is a mess and the script doesn't aid one bit. Alcide Nikopol, the main character, has no distinguishing features to speak of and barely meets other characters directly. The thought of a futuristic game set in Paris is promising, but here, with the very limited locales, and all in-doors, it's a dead miss. The game is an adaptation of renowned French comic book writer Enki Bilal's Nikopol trilogy, which I haven't read so I can't say how faithful it is. The graphic novel heritage is mostly displayed during the cutscenes that link the episodes of gameplay together, but otherwise it's hard to see.
The gameplay, while classic, does present some clever and enjoyable puzzles (although at times illogical), also including some more action-oriented sequences that work quite well, and add a novel sense of urgency and adrenaline that one seldom gets in an adventure game, like stealth-y sequences, sniping, etc.
In all, it's an interesting experience that does just about different to warrant interest. I certainly was expecting something worse, so I am quite happy with it.
http://i.imgur.com/MhvY9x4.jpg

oh and I would like to add that serbia isn't even a part of the EU

^^Brilliant. Could add a complexity to the character; loves gaming, but ain't a fan of most others who are into it.
Shine a different light on everything, that we're not all Big Bang Theory or Grandma's Boy fuckwits.

Completely separate note: I keep seeing this damn ad when I upload a picture.
Website content aside (I'm not trying to incite any anti-religious talk), why the fuck are they trying to advertise a dating site by showing what's apparently a half-shaven forest rodent?
Is that what guys are in to now?

http://oi50.tinypic.com/35d48xd.jpg

But yeah, she's fucking weird-looking.

Riku Rose wrote: People would be really pissed if they knew how I got the money to buy them...

So you pawned the wallet then?

black belt jones. kinda run-of-the-mill blaxploitation film, but really fun to watch, some amusing moments. black dynamite references it quite a bit too

Wude!

Admittedly the community has been quite tame as of late and has seemed to come into it's own once again. Despite that, having a team that works collectively is key. Due to some previous drops from months ago and time zone differences, we've discussed adding a couple of new moderators.

With that said, we're confident Wude will do a great job. There are more potential additions on the horizon, no eta as of yet though.

Thanks a lot guys,i'll do my best

^
Yes sir. It's actually the only Fire Emblem I've played. Hell, all this talk about it is making me want to play it again.

Which other Fire Emblems should I take a gander at? I'll probably get Sacred Stones at the same time I get Radiant Dawn (whenever that may be).

Almost all the games have a good translations these days.

In terms of games you can just go and buy theres Fire Emblem(7), Sacred Stones(8), Radiant Dawn(10), and Shadow Dragon which is a remake of 1. If you really liked PoR then you'll find a game thats wholly upgraded in Radiant Dawn. Sacred Stones is one of the easier games in the series but its a lot of fun, especially with its branching path and map system. It has alot in common with the new game coming out Awakening. I'd really recommend plain ole Fire Emblem which is really called rekka no ken or Blazing Sword. It might be alittle harder to go back to after all the freedom that Sacred Stones and Awakening give you.

Now when we're talking games you've got to patch, you're better off skipping the first and 3rd games since Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first, and theres a DS remake of the 3rd that has a good translation faq (and I think they're doing a patch too). 2 is hard, and an NES game, and not particularly terrific, but if you want to see where Sacred Stones and Awakening started conceptually thats it. 4, aka seisen no keifu aka geneology of the holy war is HARD and LONG. Innuendo aside eahch chapter is like 5 chapters in 1 but its the darkest grittiest and one of the best written in the series. Theres incest, rape, demonology. It and its sequel Thracia 776 justify a crossover with SMT. Finally we have 6, known as fuuin no tsurugi or Sealed Sword. Its the game that has rot in it, and if you ever get curious about what happens after "Fire Emblem" on gba it continues that story.

in terms of personal preference I rank the series
Awakening->
Thracia 776->
Radiant Dawn->
Sealed Sword->
Genealogy of the Holy War->
Blazing Sword->
Path of Radiance->
New Mystery->
Shadow Dragon->
Sacred Stones->
Gaiden

I replay them alot so the list changes all the time but Thraciaa 776 is always my favorite and Gaiden is always my least favorite, any game in great.

Lost Odyssey


UK Amiga (and DOS) classic.

I love the FSR remixes of classic tunes. This has always been a favorite Debussy tune for me, and this little "music box" version is just great.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4xFdQnjCm4[/youtube]

DmC.

Yep, it really comes as no surprise. If I had been bitching about every little update about this game, ruling it out as a piece of crap not worthy of the name Devil May Cry, I would've been feeling so stupid coming in this game. Personally, I only give things the condescending "In Name Only" title to things that not only stray too far from an established formula but have absolutely no business sharing the same title from the series prior to it.

I really don't think it's the case here. There are obvious differences and a few gripes, but I came out really enjoying it for the most part. The new Dante is cool, face it. He's nowhere near the potty mouthed scene kid that was advertised, which probably only served to show how different this interpretation was going to be. He's every bit as likable as a character should be. He's got cool one liners (that are not "Fuck You" a million times over as previous assumed) and definitive traits that a hero should have all the way down to the end. When his obnoxiousness comes in, it doesn't hurt to see it in motion...cause IN CONTEXT IT WORKS!!

Other things I thought I would have a problem with, like the Fox News satire that I thought had no business in a DMC game, all fit just fine. Again, IN CONTEXT it's perfectly alright. If anything, despite all the flash it showcased, I was a little disappointed how vanilla certain stages and boss fights were. They were fun, sure, but i'm too spoiled with today's age of over the top battle action set pieces. Even thought I liked the final battle, it felt more expected than surprising.

The gripes I had were generally the story's direction towards the end. It started out very cool, and it has alot of great action cutscenes and interactive moments. But then at some point it goes into "auto pilot". All the plot twists (except for maybe the final one) and story directions were typical. The exposition was really clumsy and tacked on too. We come to find out more about this Dante and Virgil but in a way where it felt too paint by numbers. I don't remember DMC having a great storyline anyway, but the original from what I remember had a wave of mysteriousness surrounding it that made it more interesting. But then again that time traveling T-Rex Virgil turned into turned out to be the biggest load of crap ever to--oh wait, that never happened . My mistake. Moving on.

As much as I like this new Dante, the voice still doesn't work for me. It's passable but there were times where it sounded like a guy reading from a script. And the main villians...I dunno, didn't work for me. But they're going with the whole evil business tycoon as opposed to ancient demon thing that was in the original. I know it's different, but somehow it could've been more. Plus the whole thing with Dante wearing the white wig and throwing it down saying "not in a milion years":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDeXYKibH3o

I thought that was in poor taste. Ninja Theory was being no different from the fanboys in terms of being childish.

As far as the actual gameplay goes, it's fine the way it is. Sure, it was too easy to get a SSS rank (as I was getting them practically every stage) but that's the only flaw I can think of. It progressively gets more difficult each stage but nothing you can get over in a few tries. While the bosses are not nearly close to being punishingly difficult as the ones from the original game, it was a joy to juggle enemies and smash them to bits. If all you care about is challenge and nothing else, then you're going to be in for a disappointment. Unless you care to beat the game and play it in Hard.

Funny how a game I was originally planning on ignoring turned into an enjoyable way to pass time. Now I'm putting it on my "To Buy" list and gonna it next to the DMC Collection I plan on getting. This never would've happened if there wasn't such a prolonged hissy fit going on for MONTHS.

I guess it's too late to add "stroke of genius" to my post. I finished prematurely.