So yes, I know I have not made a meaningful update here in a while. Mostly it is because my gaming experiences for the past month or so have been mostly minor, not really necessitating their own update. But, the minor updates have been piling up, so I thought I'd pack them all into one, hopefully not entirely horrible to read, post.
So here goes:
Tales of Vesperia update
Tales has been coming along quite well. The story has remained quite interesting, even verging on compelling and intelligent. There was one major plot point I had expected to go its usual cliched way, but it seems the characters in Vesperia are a but more intelligent than normal RPG fare.
The thing that has surprised me the most about Vesperia is its continuing evolution of the battle system. Most games like to dump every convoluted aspect of the battle system on you right at the start, and it is up to you to figure it out and gradually learn its ins and outs. Most of the time, this is ok since battle systems in most RPGs aren't all that complicated. However, it is usually a bad idea when they are either incredibly complicated or confusing (see: Inifinite Undiscovery). In Tales, the game gives you the basic system to start out with in order to sink your teeth into a sizable chunk. Once you are comfortable with the basic system, it gives you the "Overdrive" meter, which is comparable to a Limit Break in the later Final Fantasy games, but instead of pulling off a predetermined super move that you just sit back andv watch, Overdrive mode lets you pull off all of your normal combos, but now they are super-powered and much faster. If used wisely, they can really help you rip through a tough boss, especially when used multiple times in a fight.
Ok, so now you have Overdrive to use. Not really game changing, but you can unleash hell on your enemies every so often. So you continue on with the game, and then are met with the One Shot Kill moves. One Shot Kill moves become available once you have used enough Artes (special atttacks/spells) of the same type on an enemy. now your Artes are classified into three types, which you didn't know before, and you are trying to continually beat on tough enemies with same color/type of Arte in order to do a cool One Shot Kill.
So there's that. Then you are faced with Burst Artes. Then they add Limit Duo. You get the picture. The battle system keeps become more and more complex, but they way they space out each addition is perfectly executed. You start to feel comfortable with the battle system, maybe even bored, then they give you something else to consider. I know this is seen in a lot of games, but it is pulled off so well in Vesperia that it is really worth mentioning since it is pulled off so well, and usually RPGs aren't as good at executing this progression as action or platform games. Kudos to the Tales Team.
Final Fantasy VI
More RPG love! So, I never really played Final Fantasy VI. Blasphemy to some, I know. I have started it a couple of time before, as I own the Final Fantasy Anthology collection of V and VI for PSX. But other games always kept getting in the way, and PSX had so many good RPGs I was always busy with new games. But now, I have put FFVI on my PSP, and I have given it a true go.
Immediately I see why this is such a fan favorite. I love the characters so far. I love how Kefka, the main villian, is seen right from the start. None of this 'the true foe only reveals himself at the final hour' BS seen in some games. Kefka is there being evil (and really fucking goofy) right from minute one. I also really like the ability to pick different character paths as you go along. I love having multiple storylines to jump in and out of (oh how I miss you SaGa Frontier....). I really wish they would do this in more FF games. (There are rumors that FFXIII might do this, but I am doubtful...). At the start you have all of these characters from completely different backgrounds coming together, and it really works well here. Sometimes its corny, but that is really some of the charm. And also, it has the "built-in" class system as seen in FFIV, FFIX and FFXII, where the classes are there, but you can't change any of the character's classes. I love the class system in any form, and even though it isn't a true class system, I'll settle for the built-in. I might have to play FFV after this one in order to get a class fix. Anyway, I hope to continue to rectify this gaping hole in my gaming resume over the new few months.
The end of WoW
Yep, it has happened (again). I have canceled my WoW account. I am done (again). The game is just getting old. Not necessarily in an "aged" sort of way, but old in a repetitive sense. The last two expansions have been the same deal. Get to the new max level, grind instances, grind heroic versions of the same instances, grind rep with various factions, get into a raiding guild to start raiding, etc. It is a lot of grinding. Yes, I know that is a large part of MMOs, but adding new bosses and locations doesn't keep things fresh for me. I need some compelling part of the game, and PvP is just a mess now. Wintergrasp is a giant buggy clusterfuck at all times, and the Arena has always been built around having the "perfect" group. That and the fact that the Enhancement Shaman that I have loved through the best and worst of times is completely worthless in PvP, and barely relevant in PvE. I always feel like the retarded step child, and having to always be pumping DPS as hard as possible just to compete wears on a player. Death Knights are so stupid... I support adding new classes, but this is the wrong way to do it. Ugg. I'm done before I get too bitchy about DKs.
Anyway, WoW has gotten too boring for me, and this time I realy don't think I'm going back. Now that I raided again and saw what it was like in the "new" WoW, I;ve gotten my fix, and I'm going to move on.
Dark Age of Camelot
And by "move on" I mean go back to playing Dark Age of Camelot. Oh Cammy, how I love thee. I don't think i will ever get over DAoC. Everytime I go back it is just like yea, this feels right. The game mechanics just work so well for me. This was before WoW came along and mandated MMOs have to run as smooth as an adventure game. In DAoC, it feels like I'm an actual person running around a large world. Casters feel vulnerable. I know if that mob or player hits me, I need to do everything in my power to get away from it. None of this 'oh if the mob hits me its fine, my cast bar goes down'. No, if someone is stabbing you in the face, you can't very well cast a spell. Tanks have a lot of defense, but not a whole lot of offense. Melee combat can feel like a chess game at times. You are waiting for that block or parry to really put a hurting on the mob. I think they really nailed the combat machanics in this game, and while they probably don't agree with the first-person shooter/action game crowd, I think it is for the better.
Not much has changed since my last brief foray into DAoC. Now they have just made things easier for players. Gear isn't as hard to get, leveling is a breeze, and you get a lot more money now. RvR is still as fun, though we haven't gotten into it much yet, still leveling up now that we have actually figured out where we are going to play. nothing is more satisfying than rolling over a group of Hibs :).
So there you have it, that's what I have been up to this month. I know it has been boring around here, but I am going to try and post more in the coming months. I am going to try to block out a part of the day to devote to blogging, so stay tuned!
