Wow, has it really been more than two decades since the first Fire
Emblem game came out? I’m kinda-sorta starting to feel, well, old.
The
latest entry in the beloved RPG franchise, Fire Emblem: Awakening for
the Nintendo 3DS brings its familiar tactical chops into the third
dimension while also adding some new wrinkles to help freshen things up.
How well does this new flavor of Fire Emblem work out? Well, let’s give
it the old taste test, shall we?
In Awakening, you start out as
either a male or female tactician who ends up joining Prince Chrom and
his merry band of Shepherds. No they don’t actually herd sheep but then
again, you don’t see people complaining about Band of Horses not
actually having any horses so I guess that’s OK. Instead these warriors
are shepherds of the metaphorical kind who protect the citizens of
Ylisse against all the typical threats that rear their threatening head
in RPGs — you know, brigands, thieves, creepy undead-looking humanoids —
that kind of stuff. And building up your stable of fighters is where a
great part of the fun in Fire Emblem lies.
Unlike Tales of the
Abyss, this JRPG is a game of the more tactical kind, having more in
common with titles such as Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention or even XCOM:
Enemy Unknown. The game serves up a wide range of classes to choose
from, each with their own set of specialties. Clerics can’t attack but
keep your characters in fighting shape while Knights boast a high
defense and are excellent at soaking physical damage. Then you have
special classes that include shape shifters and dancers. You can also
switch your warriors from compatible Base classes to Advanced classes
for improved abilities and an extra dose of cool.
The game also
maintains a rock-paper-scissors mechanic that gives each weapon and unit
both advantages and disadvantages against other weapons and units.
Lances work well against swords but not as well against axes, which in
turn have a disadvantage against swords. Pegasus Knights meanwhile do
well against magic but struggle against arrows. Using a certain weapon a
lot also allows you to increase a character’s expertise for it.
Strategy-wise, fighting alongside your allies can boost your fighting
prowess and improves their relationships with each other. Better
relationships means better boosts when having those characters side by
side in battle. They also impact your success in playing cupid with them
later on so you’ll want to keep that in mind if you want to become the
Barry White of nerd-vana later on.
More casual players will
appreciate the addition of a less hardcore mode that gives you more
generous save opportunities and prevents your characters from suffering
permadeath. For traditionalists, the permadeath option is still
available as well as harder difficulties if you want to humor your inner
King Leonidas. Enemies also aren’t dumb as a brick and mercilessly go
after your more vulnerable units — at least in Hard mode, which is what I
started at. Graphically, the game is one of the best-looking 3DS
games I’ve seen to date. The battle scenes look good, especially in 3D
and the production values are top notch. Although some hardcore fans of
the series may decry the changes made to make Awakening more accessible
to casual fans, I think the game pushes all the right buttons for
tactical RPG lovers overall. The fighting system is addictingly deep
while the emphasis on relationships — and even permadeath if you opt to
keep it on — will make you care about the characters. If you like
tactical RPGs, Fire Emblem: Awakening is a worthy addition to your
collection.
Like video did to
radio, 3D killed the 2D star. As someone who inflicted blisters on top
of blisters on my thumbs while playing games like “Gunstar Heroes” and
“Double Dragon” in my youth, I lamented the passing of this beloved
gaming medium. Once in a while, though, a game comes along that
resurrects my love for old-school fare. The latest is “Code of
Princess,” a 3DS game first released in American shores last October and
now just recently became available for download on the Nintendo eShop.
In
this game’s campaign, you start out as the brave and somewhat airheaded
Solange, a powerful and brave warrior princess with heavily armored,
uh, hands. Along the way, she’s joined by one of the biggest collections
of anime-inspired misfits, including a lovestruck samurai, a
musclebound animal lover and a warrior nun whose philosophy is more in
line with “two eyes for an eye.” These misfits are only topped by the
ensemble of enemy goofballs that populate the Distron army’s ranks --
made even more interesting by the excellent localization job for the
English version. It's "deus ex magnifica," if I say so myself.
Now
some folks have made the mistake of looking at this as an RPG with
beat-em-up mechanics, which could potentially lead to disappointment.
Instead, it’s actually the other way around -- Code of Princess is
primarily a combo-heavy beat-em-up with RPG mechanics, just like
Guardian Heroes. And as a beat-em-up, this game is actually quite good.
In fact, I consider this a more worthy followup to Guardian Heroes than
the latter’s sequel Advance Guardian Heroes, particularly in terms of
the fun factor. Like Guardian Heroes, you can jump in between the
foreground and background. Even Solange’s diving fire sword move looks
like a straight-out tribute to Han from the original Guardian Heroes.
Speaking of moves, this game heavily relies on combos as well, allowing
players to chain regular moves and specials. Eventually, you’ll be able
to deftly launch and juggle enemies, then launch them again. A lock on
and burst mechanic also allows you to deal even more damage when stacked
together, though it likely won’t compare to the damage you’ll do to
your thumbs once you get your combos down pat.
Stat allocation
via level up also adds another, uh, level of strategy and fun to the
game. Throw in the fact that you can unlock more than 50 characters and
its quite possible to get plenty of replay value from Code of Princess.
Admittedly, the game can get repetitive even with all the different
characters -- an issue pretty much for classic beat-em-up games in
general. Like those titles of old, maintaining interest in this game is
all about experimenting and pulling off tough combos as well as playing
with other people either via online or co-op. This brings up another
issue -- the fact that the online lobbies seem to be dead at this
point. You’ll basically have to rustle up some non-imaginary friends if
you want to play co-op or versus modes.
Even with its issues,
however, Code of Princess is a great representation of a classic genre
that has fallen by the wayside with the advent of 3D action games and
first-person shooters. I remember chuckling when I finally started
feeling that long-lost yet familiar sensation of blisters forming on my
thumbs as I made my way to the final boss fight after playing the game
all the way through from the very first stage. All of a sudden, memories
of Double Dragon, Streets of Rage and Gunstar Heroes started flooding
in my head. That’s when I knew I that I was taking part in some
old-school fun. This game certainly isn’t for everyone but if you like
classic action games, then you’ll want to give this a look.
All-star
collaborations aren’t always a sure thing. Case in point: Check out the
unpalatable, sub-500 sausage being churned out by the “all-star” cast
of my beloved Los Angeles Lakers. Yuck. Once
in a while, though, the meeting of talented forces produces something
that does justice to the sum of its parts. This certainly holds true for
“Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch” -- the wonderful, lovable
offspring sired by Japanese RPG heavyweight Level 5 with Japanese
animation giant Studio Ghibli. Featuring a tale centered on young wizard
Oliver, Ni No Kuni takes all the wonderful flavors from both its
creators and melds them into a perfectly blended seasoning. There’s the
same charming and inspired art and story style seen in memorable Studio
Ghibli works such as “Spirited Away.” Then there’s Level 5’s
well-designed RPG mechanics and solid game design. This game essentially
melds real-time action with JRPG menus while also throwing in a
Pokemon-style mechanic that allows players to capture and use monsters
in the field.
Add a presentation that feels like you’re playing a Studio
Ghibli cartoon -- as well as the option to use the original Japanese
dialogue -- and the result is easily one of the best JRPGs released to
date. The fact that lead hero Oliver isn’t an “emo” JRPG jerk is an
added plus. If you loved Dragon Quest VIII, the Tales series or just
JRPGs in general, you owe it to yourself to check this gem out.
It’s been said
that it’s better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you
don’t. Apparently, it’s a saying that carries a lot of weight for fans
of the “Devil May Cry” series.
Following Capcom’s announcement
that it was handing off the reins to U.K. developer Ninja Theory for the
latest entry in its beloved franchise, many unhappy fans took to the
Interwebs to prove that humans may cry, too. The fact that main
character Dante in “DMC: Devil May Cry” looked more like a young
Morrissey than his traditional, white-haired self made this particular
half-devil even more like a stranger to the aforementioned upset fans. Despite
its different look, however, it doesn’t take long to realize that this
game, spiritually, is cut from the same cloth as its predecessors. It’s a
realization that becomes obvious the moment you first try racking up
style points by chaining ground- and air-based combos with your sword
and dual guns.
Yep, this sure feels like the same devil that I
know. The game even pays homage to the series’ irreverent humor right
off the bat, courtesy of an “interesting” slow-mo wardrobe equip and
misplaced wig. Stylish, baby! Ninja Theory does try its hand on a
more fleshed-out story, which likely will be hit-or-miss based on one’s
fan preferences. Given its nice graphic style, solid combat — including
use of demonic or angelic triggers — and good challenge, however, this
is one devilish game worth signing a pact with for action fans.
Experts agree that too much cheese is bad for you. If only cheese didn’t …
taste … so … good. Mmmm.
Speaking of cheesy dairy goodness, that’s exactly what you’re going to get
when playing “Earth Defense Force 2017” for the PlayStation Vita. A re-release
of the original home console game in portable form, EDF 2017 displays all the
camp and lack of polish of a typical B-movie in videogame form. Cheesy voice
acting? Check. Production values that ooze classic Godzilla quality? Check. A
story that’s just about as deep as a mountain peak? Checkity-check-check. And
yet, while you might have to work up the urge to play this game, it’s hard to
put the darn thing down once you start. Maybe it’s the fast-paced, run-and-gun
gameplay and overabundance of loot. Perhaps it’s the oh-so-bad-it’s-good
dialogue. Maybe it’s the hilarity of how buildings crumble like sandcastles
while your character shoots rockets in a goofy, pretzel-like posture while
running sideways. Regardless, explaining the appeal of this game is like
explaining why you like listening to “Ice, Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice.
Granted, the game has plenty of issues. Monsters and items can get stuck in
solid objects. Gameplay also can be mind-numbingly repetitive. Then, there’s the
$40 price tag. Get a local or online co-op session going, though, and watch the
time go by. The addition of the Pale Wing soldier also helps freshen things up.
Like durian, this one’s definitely an acquired taste that pays off for its
target demographic.
