I'm glad and even surprised you like it, OL.

As for Thief's request, I don't think you can go wrong with Red Seeds Profile/Deadly Premonition ( http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39098&p=888093&hilit=red+seeds+profile#p888093 ), but if you want something a bit different, why not try two of Tale of Tales' pieces:

The Path: http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/index.html

or Bientôt l'Été: http://tale-of-tales.com/bientotlete/index.html

Can't get more interesting and immersive than that, imo, even if I understand it might not be what you're looking for. Still, nowt wrong in giving it a try.

I only just played through Journey yesterday, but the hype is completely warranted.
It's short. Very short. And the "story" is so simple that it's almost ( almost ) nonexistent.
But it truly is, as I'm sure has been expressed by others, the kind of game that makes you feel something. It's not the kind of thing that can really be explained in plain words; it looks great, sounds great, and functions well, but there's more to it than that.
The main thing you take away from it is how much it makes you feel uplifted, excited, or even worried within its short two-hour run, all without a single word being uttered. And the experience is even more incredible if you happen to be signed into your PSN account, as the game will drop other players into your game at random.
Now, initially this might sound like a bad idea. Why would you want some dumb, random kid dropping into your game and effing up your experience?
But it just doesn't happen that way. There's nothing they can really do to mess things up. They show up, and it's like they're just taking this journey along with you; you happen to be kindred spirits following the same path. That sounds cheesy, I know, but it's hard to describe it any other way. You help eachother, activate the game's puzzles together, and even, during the game's final stretch, keep eachother "warm" while traversing the game's frigid snow level (seriously, it's a gameplay mechanic). Truly the best use of online play I've ever seen, and it's so incredibly simple and innocent. You stumble across them and immediately bond without using words.
And the game's "ending" really is the kind of thing that will affect everyone a little differently.

It may be stylized, but it's immersive as hell, and it certainly will make you feel something. Don't judge it by the demo up on PSN; the full game has to be experienced to really "get" it.

Fragile
Farewell Ruins to the Moon. My god what a touching game. So much character. The story is not to write home about but the stories little stories you collect and read at the campfire are so touching. The setting is great. The despair and hope is all there. The characters are all great. I did a big review on it a while back. Combat is it's major weak point but it's worth it to wade through.

My only warning for me it's one of those games that is so wonderful but so hopeless I can never play again as it just too emotional for me personally. One of my fave games this gen


http://i.imgur.com/xE5x6.jpg


I said this a little in another topic but here it goes. For years gamers usually got a long story from the RPG genre. In recent times in the west that was abandoned by many. More in favor of a FPS or something that seemed like a lifetime movie from a rejected wanna be film director into a series of QTE's or something very dark and gritty.
Maybe they should recheck the RPG genre. Don't look at those spiky haired group of teens going to save the world with swords so large it almost seems like it's trying to compensate for something RPGs. Take a look at Fragile Dreams for the Wii developed by Tri Cresendo. You may know them from more recent works as Eternal Sonata or Co developed Baten Kaitos on Nintendo Gamecube.

This is a game with no Phoenix Downs or Magic spells and long winded CG cutscenes.

Story
The game starts out as you play Seto a young boy who an old man he lived with he called his grandfather passes away. Seto is now truly alone in this post-apocalyptic earth. He sets out to find another human to be with. As he sets out he spots a silver haired girl singing in the moonlight he startles her making her fall. As he approaches she runs away. From her on he sets out to find her.
Along the way he finds out past souls of this world are confused upset and angry and linger everywhere. (these are mostly enemies but more on that in a bit) he encounters a talking mobile navigator until it's batt died. Then he encounters crow an odd looking human but plays around a bit with Seto but become friends. As he sets off alone once more he finds a kind and cheerful spirit of a dead teenage girl in a hotel and she tags along with him on his quest to find the silvered hair girl. Each point you hit a critical part in the story you get a very nice animated narrated cutscene. No not anime but with silhouettes. You will meet many more characters along the way and each has a personal story of tragedy.
Plus learn what it means to be alone and friendship and loss of ones you care for. Now why is this taking place after the end of the world. Well you have to play to find out.

http://i.imgur.com/TW1Qs.jpg
Sai one of the few you will meet and befriend along your journey

Gameplay
This one is a little tricky for me to get into but here it goes.
You will use the Wii remote as a pointer for the flashlight and works really well. A button is for using your weapon.
Weapons are normal everyday things for the most part. (apart from the occasional Bow & Katana) most weapons and healing items like Vitamins or water you get from save points which are bonfires from the merchant wearing a giant chicken head.(seems odd at first but later in the game you hear his story) now the only gripe in this game is the combat.
No other way to put it. It's clunky. So whatever weapon you use like stick or tennis racket or a pipe or whatever. Eventually after so much use they all break and must re equip a new one. There is no aiming so sometimes hit nothing and esp hard for flying enemies if you don't have a bow or slingshot. It's not frustrating to the point of tossing the controller but more of a minor annoyance. As you explore sometimes you will get lost and may have to be patient or to find someone or a certain task you don't know what to do. Be patient or if worse comes to worse always YouTube (last resort but don't think you need it to much). As you go along your journey from local to local whether just finding it or after defeating an enemy you get trinkets. This is one of the best parts of the game. At save points you get a narrative from the person who once owned it and get each and everyone's individual stories attached to the trinket. It can be a simple nice memory to a dramatic one. This is so rewarding when exploring each area. From amusement parks to malls to a Dam and more. Just be careful as in these places that are decaying some floors are not to stable so must be careful.
Just so fun to explore.

http://i.imgur.com/Pgz0v.jpg
A small idea of combat.


Visuals
No the Wii is no powerhouse but still very capable in it's own right.
The aesthetics are great and full of personality and the environments and characters are crisp and clean.
As a sample.
http://i.imgur.com/9PI2N.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/e0tbB.jpg

Music
I wish I could post it all as it's all so pretty. Composer Riei Saitō did a wonderful job of the music conveying the story the setting and the mood throughout the game.
I will only post two of my faves from the game. The Title screen music and the intro song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vttph9W11-M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pPsJd6bPOM

Last Thoughts
This is a game that will get you emotional all the way though. A true experience. If you can forgive getting lost a couple times and a combat that was under worked but want a great experience with a moving story that defies what an RPG or story driven game should be then this is for you. If I had one complaint other than the things I said it's the Silver haired girl herself. No not the character. Her clothes. This may sound a bit odd and maybe on the pervish side. She is like 15 and wears a bit to revealing outfit. This almost can play on a pedo side in all of us and can make anime nerds squel with joy at Cosplay. I mean look. http://i.imgur.com/XGpb3.jpg
Yeah. Maybe I'm just a total perv. In any case a wonderful game with nothing like it.

I recently played To The Moon, a short, inexpensive PC game with little in the way of gameplay but one of the most touching stories I've ever encountered. I'd recommend it in the strongest possible terms if you're looking for something that'll stick with you.

In a less profound way, one of my favorite game stories/settings was Omikron: The Nomad Soul on PC and Dreamcast. The terrific atmosphere and background detail made up for some iffy (yet ambitious for the time) gameplay. It became one of those gaming worlds that would be interesting to visit in real life.

check out terranigma, an enix snes game, it was only available in japan and europe, but this game is the better a link to the past, not good known out of europe and japan i guess, for me it is the best snes game i've played, the complete game is a masterpiece. story, music, gameplay and graphics are just insanely good


here check out the intro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8tWG_atrTE

](*,) All these GOTY for best RPG of the year are all going to a TPS. ME3. No it's not an RPG. 1 was a bit of one 2 was less of one and 3 was basically just a pure TPS. It's hardly an RPG. Sonic racing has RPG elements but does not makes it an RPG. Just sad.

No, it's just not a JRPG. Leveling up, tactical squad building, free roam environments, sub-quests, conversation system influenced by player decisions, upgrades, karma mechanic, character creation screen... but real-time shooting sections in place of countless turn-based battles makes it a pure TPS. Nice logic, bro!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMw2x8xS-q8[/youtube]

Like 3 days ago, i started to play Chrono trigger in my snes. All i have to say is, Woow!!!

Looking at my games it seems I've only played and beaten 9 games from this year. I did beat Catherine and Yakuza Dead Souls but since they came out in 2011 in Japan I don't really class them as 2012.

3. Max Payne 3

http://media.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/files/2012/01/Max-Payne-3-delayed-610x343.jpg

It's rare that a third person shooter doesn't make you feel like a God that can take down an entire army without taking cover. Even if your in a room with one person you feel like you're in danger simply down to how easy you can take damage. I loved the tension in some scenes where you just had to take a chance and come out in bulletime and hope that you survive.

Another way you aren't made to feel like a God is the fact that Max is a loser. He tells you this quite a lot through the game. His just a simple guy from New York who's had a lot of shit happen in his life which has almost never worked out for him. Max isn't Master Chief or Marcus Fenix and you feel it in the gameplay as well as the story.

It was missing some of the charm that the first two had and I think that was mainly Sam Lake's writing. Other then that this game was still fantastic despite the fact I wasn't looking to forward to it. I'd be more then happy for Rockstar to make another Max Payne game and the fact they don't really milk their franchises is a bonus.

2. Journey

http://thatgamecompany.com/wp-content/themes/thatgamecompany/_include/img/journey/journey-game-screenshot-7.jpg

It left me feeling the way only a handful of games do. It's something I shouldn't explain and you should just experience.

1. Mass Effect 3

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n524/Bitmob/1%20Bitmob%20Games/Mass%20Effect%203/1302294840masseffect3.jpg

This has to be my favorite franchise of the generation. People bitch and moan about the last two hours but I felt the entire game was the ending for the series and a great one at that. It's hard to just make Mass Effect 3 my number one game of the year because the experience I had with the first two games influences why I love this so much.

OL once asked why people love Mass Effect so much. I really don't think anyone can tell him because at the end we all get a different experience. I don't know if I will ever play these games again because my story has been told. Even if I played it in a totally different way in 5 or 10 years time nothing will compare to how I felt having to make them choices for the first time even if it did have an outcome I wasn't happy with.


Other games from 2012 I played:

Kingdom Hearts 3D
Assassins Creed 3
Alan Wake: AN
Fifa 13
Binary Domain
Uncharted: GA


2012 Games I want to play:
Paper Mario 3D
Walking Dead
Gravity Rush
Halo 4

I'd be interested in hearing about some good comics that you've read that aren't based around super heroes. You mentioned Batman but I've never been too big of a fan of Batman, not that I wouldn't be willing to give it a try. What would you recommend to someone who's new to comics? One comic that I've heard praise from quite a bit is the Sandman series. I actually own The Dream Hunters which is apparently part of the Sandman Series (I actually bought this because Yoshitaka Amano did the artwork for the book) but that's not a comic.

Like I said, I haven't actually got round to readin em. FYI though, Sandman, like many others, may not be a superhero comic, but is still set in the same "universe" as the likes of Batman, The Flash, The Demon, etc. That said though, any "outside influences" are typically kept to a minimum, and the series is predominantly self-contained. One series I'm lookin forward to in particular is Lucifer, which is a spin-off from Vertigo's Sandman. Much like Hellblazer (the John Constantine comics) though, it sits on my hard drive unread, a trend it has followed for four years now.

Batman's always a great place to start though. What's made the character and comics so popular over the years is the sheer flexibility of Gotham and it's supporting cast. Not to mention the fact he's been written and drawn by a who's who of the industry's elite (and yes, that includes Marvel Mogul and good friend of Bob Kane, Stan Lee) If there's a specific type of story you want to read, it's almost guaranteed that it's in the Batcave's archives.

That said though, it's usually best to start with a Frank Miller book (be it Year One or The Dark Knight Returns), before going through the early chronological motions with The Man Who Laughs, The Long Halloween, and finishing up with the brilliantly handled Dark Victory. Then it's a case of cherry-picking classics like Matt Wagner's Dark Moon Rising & Trinity, or the overrated but absolute must-reads The Killing Joke & Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth, written by legends Alan Moore ( Watchmen , League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , Swamp Thing ) and Grant Morrison ( Batman RIP , Final Crisis , Animal Man ), respectively.

From there you can either read through important stories collected from the ongoings (monthly comic books) or cheat yourself out of good reading and look on Wikipedia. Either way, your ultimate goal should be to have a decent enough grasp on Batman lore in comics before taking on Grant Morrison's "six-years-and-counting" epic Batman masterpiece, beginning with 2006's Batman & Son (which has one of the greatest openings ever seen or read) I will warn you though, there has recently been a reboot at DC that retcons certain aspects of character's histories and sometimes entire stories (expect to hear of this more often than usual if you're looking to get into comics) Thankfully though DC have handled this one much better this time around, and if all isn't explained in the first issue/story, then the specially-made Zero issues will fulfill this purpose.

Anyway, I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend some non-superhero comics, but I ain't the type of guy who does that unless I've actually read it myself. Of the small collection I've built though, the titles Nightmare Factory and God Save the Queen come to mind. Like I said though, I still haven't read them. I'll be sure to link you to some guddens when I manage to get round to it.

If you put in Ecco, you should put in Kolibri, since they're made by the same team.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTPk4iO47RQ[/youtube]

You can find it in the pine arcade (golden qtr).

A Burning Rangers sig.


Anyone know how well Night HD has done? Because the creator said if it did well they might allow a BR HD game.
I know the 360 version has sold at least 8,125 copies from looking at the Spring Vally Leaderboard.

So I decided to get involved with Meetup groups starting this year. I took the train into Manhattan today to the American Museum of Natural History with other 20-30 year olds from Long Island like me. We were passing some agricultural section and saw this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/Jeff1020/photo3_zpse5ff6461.jpg

I was like...wait a minute. I looked closer....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/Jeff1020/photo2-1_zps5ecedc80.jpg

Do these figurines remind you of some guys?......


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/610tmXNvIHL._SL500_SS500_.jpg

The Ren figurine is even wearing a bandanna!

What have you played on the system, it'll be easier to tell you stuff based on that.

Practically nothing. I've played a few two-player games at friends' houses over the years but I'm basically a stranger to the system.

Try gettin a hold of that Mizzurna Falls or whatever it was called. .
Will do.

@Thief
I already own the Chrono Trigger DS port. I'll check out all the links and the games you mentioned. Also, when did you revert back to Thief from LAMEWAD?

after he stole the bow

Just burn a PAL and an NSTC copy of S2 disc one n check like that. Personally though I'd skip the DC version and get the Xbox version. No continued save file, but English dub > Japanese w/subtitles.

thank you , I may try to burn them
conserning the save file does it only matter if it is NTSC or Pal?does it not make a difference if it is NTSC U or NTSC J?
so if I played a USA S1 will the Japan NTSC recognise it's save file?

and I could get the XBOX version and play it on my 360 but my first toughts were to play the original,
even if I'll miss the english dub which I really liked in S1


As for testing your game, grab a copy of Dream Explorer to view the region of your save.
http://bswirl.kitsunet.org/vmutool/release/about/
thank you for the response
how can I check the region of the file with that tool?

Hi guys!

I got the package in the mail and I was so overjoyed, I want to say thanks to everyone who voted for me, and especially to Thief for sending me this awesome package!!

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

Ryo has much (much much much much much) less character hearing his Japanese voice actor. I know Corey gets a lot of shit for his acting skills, but he made Ryo who he is. His voice is synonymous with the character. Just small lines like "I'll break your arm!" would've had much less impact hearing it in Japanese. As a predominantly English-speaking community, we can't personally translate emotion from a foreign language with a distinctly different culture. They put different types of emphasis on different words. It just doesn't have the same effect as when hearing it in your own language. All we're really doing is reading lines with no hint of emphasis (as opposed to comic books and some novels which specifically point it out through use of italics) Thus, the characters' emotions are slightly too open to interpretation to be deemed in any way "better" than the English dub by those of us who don't know Japanese beyond "konichiwa" and "sayonara".

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of poor acting throughout the series' English dub, but as people say, that is part of the charm. Besides, most of the poor acting comes from non-essential characters. And do you really want to play most of the game having to look at the bottom of the screen? Shenmue I & II are beautifully crafted games. You don't want to try enjoying the detailed environment and camera angles during a cut-scene only for text to flash for a second then think "shit, I missed that!"

That is why, for us at least, English dub should be deemed as a, dare I say it, superior way of playing the game than to playing it with Japanese voice w/English subtitles.

If you're interested Riku posted the beta application a lil while back, everyone says its like a totally different game

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/news/arti ... atest_open

Could/should be back on here a bit more regularly from tomorrow. Secured an apartment in Sydney, with free wifi. Not to mention its also got a Gamecube, swimming pool, jaquzzi, sauna and gym. All i need now is a job and i am well on a roll!

You know there more to pokemon the catching stuff. If this is pokemon with ghosts SMT is pokemon with Demons.

I'd want to try it and see how it works hands on.

At this point? Who really cares? Series has jumped the shark anyway.

Personally, I'm going to play the game with the mindset that it's like the AC!D series (non-canon but takes pieces from the original canon into the storyline). More excited for this than I am for the next "proper" Metal Gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oSwMx9xiEI

I'm kind of torn on that video...
I mean, from a gameplay standpoint I'm now completely sold . It all looks fantastic.
But -- and maybe this just comes from the fact that I haven't been religiously following all the hype and whatnot for it -- what the hell is up with Raiden's characterization? The voiceover sounds like Quinton Flynn is trying to do David Hayter's Solid Snake "gravel," while the writing is making Raiden out to be a total psychopath.
I wouldn't be bothered by it if it were anything else; give me something with a completely new character who just happens to be a slicing and dicing psycho, and I'd be game.
But this is Raiden . An established character with established fans, who's never acted like that before. Hearing him, specifically, talk about "getting off" on cutting people up actually kind of bothers me.

So is there any kind of explanation so far for this complete change in character, or am I the only one seeing that this is just as bad as (if not worse than) new Dante's constant "fuck you's"?

The last few trailers have made me put the breaks on buying it.

on the plus side, whether this does well or not, we still have Ground Zeroes.

Will we be sipping tea and knitting mittens as well?

You son of a bitch.
I've been wanting a Front Mission poster for freakin' ever now, and you pop up with probably a couple of the coolest ones possible.

EDIT: Thanks to you posting those, I looked up Front Mission posters on Ebay and managed to find a couple of excellent ones anyway.
Might not have looked if not for you, so thank you good sir. :)

EDIT2: May as well...
These were the pics on the listing.

http://oi48.tinypic.com/10wsaz4.jpg http://oi46.tinypic.com/8vr95g.jpg

Yours are still cooler.

Why would you buy the game before the console? If you wait, the game will be cheaper and you'll actually be able to play it...
Because I want to show support for games like this. Even before I had a PS3 I had ni no kuni pre ordered and that was long before the Wizards edition was announced. I rather show support for RPG's truly showing the way rather than crap like XIII. Too many games that don;t get the support they deserve and too many times people support something because of a brand and not the quality and we are often left with a stagnating franchise.
Not always Japanese games either. I did it for Darksiders II in multiple ways. OST,Strat guides art books CE. Whenever I can I want to show full support for a title new IP sequel or whatever I feel needs it. X falls in that. You know the meme "still a better love story than twilight". Well in 8 minutes UP showed a better story with no dialogue than twilight did in 500,000 words. Well to me in 60 seconds I saw more polish and care than every XIII game thus far including LR.

I got off the phone with NAMCO as I called the number on the credit card charge. Got a hold of a rep who said whoever gave me that info was wrong. Transferred me to the company that is shipping them. He told me as the rep said that whoever gave me that info was wrong and my order is being processed and should ship within a few days,when it does I will get a email. So since last night I was the victim of some idiot and the website giving conflicting messages.

I don't think Metal Slimes were very useful in the earlier games. I remember that Dragon Quest 1's formula was go to location, buy armour, level up... repeat. I don't remember ever really encountering metal slimes. The entire game was pretty much built around the idea of grinding.

gotta sniff em out, which is harder in 1-3 but in 5-9 they're easier to find and devour if you know what skills to use.

I don't think things like linear and grind are ad words, now fuck, thats a bad word. In any case I just don't think people know how to get around grinding and tend to hate on a game since they don't necessarily know the flow to it.

Finally got a job as a waiter in La Palka restaurant in Sydney. Even better when Lisle Wilkerson wishes you congrats on Facebook.