Review: Little King's Story for the Wii

LIVING IN AMERICA
Reviews of games released in the U.S.

Little King lets you entertain your delusions of grandeur in quirky fashion

LITTLE KING’S STORY
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Real-time strategy (well, sort of)
From: XSEED
Price: $49.99

I’m a big fan of unique and quirky video games. Not only do they add a fresh twist to the gaming landscape, they also showcase creativity in what often can be a me-too, copycat industry. Which brings us to the latest quirky game to catch my fancy: Little King’s Story for the Nintendo Wii. A cross between Pikmin and the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Little King chronicles the adventures of a young boy who stumbles upon a magic crown that gives him the power to command people. Oh, the things I’d do with a power like that. Like ordering Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann into the same locked room with one of those one-way observation mirrors. That should be fun.

Anywho, using the loyalty of your initially unemployed subjects — combined with the strategy of your Don Quixote-like, power-hungry advisor Howser — your goal in Little King is to expand your run-down, rat-infested shack of a kingdom by conquering neighboring territories. You do this by turning your slacking subjects into hard-working citizens such as farmers, soldiers, carpenters and lumberjacks. Once you turn your peeps into more productive members of society, you can take them out to the field and have them follow every order your little kingly heart desires. This can range from digging treasure and harvesting produce for funding your conquests to ganging up on monsters and enemy targets that impede your kingdom’s expansion. This is the heart of Little King as having a good mix of subjects and skills is the key to not just defeating big bosses but finding hidden stuff and unlocking areas so you can progress further.

Commands are done using a real-time system; you move a cursor toward your intended target, then let loose your loyal subjects like lemming-piranhas. Seeing your cute little henchmen clumsily amble toward their target or hastily retreat to your side never gets old for yours truly — and yes, I’m that easily amused. After all, I’m the same guy who thinks that naming my king “Burger” is a stroke of comedy genius. (Hearing my character called King Burger never gets old, either. Ah, the pleasures of being easily pleased.) Let’s just say that if the sight of little guys climbing and clinging desperately to big bosses while smacking the big lugs around is something that amuses you, then you’ll be thoroughly amused by this game.

As you progress through the game, not only do you enlarge your territory, you also expand the type of subjects you can have. You can unlock a host of new job types — including a class that allows you to, um, recycle chickens in the field (PETA would be so not pleased). You can also upgrade older classes into more powerful or efficient versions of themselves. In addition to natural growth through expansion, you can increase your population by targeting subjects who have fallen in love and using your trusty targeting cursor to send them to church. This allows them to get married and bear a child to add to your list of obedient subjects. It’s certainly the little touches like this, including the mannerisms of your tiny king and his followers, that help make Little King’s story shine. Little King is also chockful of hilarious moments, including funny comments from the game's characters. You’ll be called a slacker, a midget and the ruler of a poor excuse for a kingdom — and those are just from your own subjects. (You may be able to command them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can force them to like you, especially in the beginning of the game.) With subjects like these...



The game is without its drawbacks. One of the gripes I have about this game is the missed opportunity to use the Wiimote for more accurate targeting. Oftentimes, Wii games end up tacking imprecise waggle controls to a game as their way of adding Wiimote support. This not only makes the game less fun to play, it’s also one of the quickest ways for flailing gamers to pull a freaking muscle. Little King, thankfully, doesn’t resort to waggle but its decision to use traditional controls for aiming makes it a pain to move your cursor sometimes. An option to aim with the Wiimote pointer would’ve been much better. Filing your troops up stairs can also be a pain at times because some have a tendency to fall off and get stuck at the lower levels. It’s like herding cats. Gathering and selecting troops can be an annoying exercise as well, as is having to backtrack repeatedly — especially as your territory gets bigger. Admittedly, a lot of these issues get resolved as you progress through the game and gain access to certain contraptions and abilities.

Overall, whatever gripes I have are minor and don’t significantly detract from what is an excellent and well-polished game. Little King is one of those rare releases that has a lot of heart, something that’s also enhanced by a classic art style that harkens back anyone’s childhood. Don’t let the classic kiddie art style and easygoing pace fool you, though. The ending for this Teen-rated game might be a bit too heavy for the kiddies. The existential climax actually gave me flashbacks of my psychology classes in college and broke my heart, to be honest. But it’s to Little King’s credit that it actually made me care that much to have my heart broken in the first place. It truly is a bittersweet pleasure. I command you to play it. SHINGENMOCHI

FINAL VERDICT: Highly recommended.

Recommended if you like: Pikmin

*** This review originally appeared in the Reno Gazette-Journal, where it was selected as a Quick Pick in the Friday Calendar's A-List section. (I'm posting it on my personal site as backup.)

Translation: Katekyou Hitman Reborn DS: Mafia Daishuugou Vongola Festival Vol. 1

TURNING JAPANESE

Turning Japanese video games into English, well sort of...

Katekyou Hitman Reborn DS: Mafia Daishuugou Vongola Festival

Volume 1: Opening

Tsuna: Boy, I'm stuffed!
Yamamoto: Today's meal was delicious as usual.
Kyoko: Whew, that's a relief. We did it, Haru-chan!
Haru: Yes, we did! Today's dish was my specialty, after all. I can cook it everyday just especially for you, Tsuna-san.
Tsuna: What the heck are you talking about?!
Lambo: Hey, Tsuna. Come play with Lambo-san.
Kyoko: Now, now, Lambo. Tsuna and the boys are pretty tired from all that training.
Lambo: No way! Lambo wants to play!
(The base suddenly shakes)
Lambo: Yikes!
Tsuna: W-what's going on?
Gokudera: Tenth! This might be an enemy attack! Let's get to the Command Room!

COMMAND ROOM

Reborn: Well, that was quick. Anyway, I know this is a bit sudden, but the Vongola Festival has just started.
Tsuna: What are you babbling about all of a sudden?
Reborn: The Millefiore Family have already made their preparations.
(Byakuran shows up on the screen)
Byakuran: Yes, that’s right.
Tsuna: Huh? Millefiore?
Byakuran: A pleasure to meet you Sawada Tsunayoshi. I wonder if you know who I am. I may not look like it, but I am actually the head of the Millefiore family.
Tsuna: (Looks like we just got one serious big shot show up all of a sudden. He said “head of the family” so does that mean he’s Byakuran?)
Reborn: Anyway, let me go over the Festival rules. You’ll need to open the hatches of the combined bases underground. Inside each hatch, there are certain conditions that you will need to fulfill
Gokudera: Combined bases? So that’s why we felt all that shaking earlier.
Yamamoto: What are we supposed to do about these conditions?
Reborn: I can’t really say just yet, but I will say that you'll need to pay a toll if you want to advance. Anyway, you’ll need to do so several times so make sure you give it your best effort.
Tsuna: Are you telling me that we need to pay a toll inside our own base?

(Irie pops up on screen)

Irie: We’re all done with the preparations on our side.
Byakuran: That’s Sho-can for you. You sure work fast.
Tsuna: I-Irie Shoichi!
Irie: Well, since we’re doing this anyway, there’s no way that I’ll fall behind the Vongola.
Tsuna: (He’s really into this for some reason!)
Yamamoto: Ha, ha, ha. This sure is interesting.
Gokudera: Let’s show them, Tenth!
Ral: The Vongola Festival is quite diverse.
Bianchi: Let’s do our best … for love.
Gokudera: S-Sis! Since when did you…
Futa: Oh no! Are you alright, Hayato?
Tsuna: Why is everyone getting so pumped up about this?
Reborn: Don’t be such a party-pooper, Tsuna.
Tsuna: But Reborn!
Reborn: Well then, let me tell you something good. Whoever wins the festival gets any wish they have granted.
Tsuna: Any wish?
Kyoko: That’s great, Tsuna! This means we can all return to the past!
Tsuna: Now even Kyoko’s really excited about this. Guess I’ve got no choice but to go through with this.
Reborn: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now act like a boss and address everybody.
(Shoots Tsuna, who enters hyper dying will mode)
Hyper Dying Will Tsuna: Death won’t be good enough if you don’t win this festival.
Gokudera: Whoa! That’s the Tenth for you.
Yamamoto: Alright, count me in!
Reborn: Now then, give it your all everyone.

TURNING JAPANESE: Shingenmochi's Video Game Translations

I REALLY THINK SO: Welcome to the Tabiasobi Blog's "TURNING JAPANESE" section.

As someone whose Japanese saw its first big improvement while playing Sakura Taisen, I'm a big proponent of using video games for language practice. There's just something about doing something interesting that makes my brain retain stuff better. Anywho, after being out of practice since passing Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, I decided to add video games again to my list of activities to help ensure that my bad Japanese doesn't turn into horribly bad Japanese. The fruits of my labors are below.

Be warned that I tend to jump from one game to another and then back as I tend to lose interest if I stick with the same game too long. Also be warned that my Japanese is good ... enough to get me in trouble. So the translations are not going to be perfect, capice? Now that we've got that out of the way, onward to the translations. SHINGENMOCHI

- Katekyou Hitman Reborn DS: Mafia Daishuugou Vongola Festival
- Monster Hunter 3 (Tri)

Review: We Ski & Snowboard

LIVING IN AMERICA
Reviews of games released in the U.S.

'Boarders enter the fray in sequel to family-friendly skiing game

***

Note: This game review originally ran in the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper and Web site, and I am posting it here on my personal site as backup.

We Ski & Snowboard
System: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Namco Bandai
Price: $39.99

Duuude.

Snowboarders get to join the snowy action this time around in We Ski & Snowboard, the sequel to last year’s family friendly We Ski on the Nintendo Wii.

For the uninitiated, We Ski featured an open sandbox-type atmosphere that allowed players to navigate a virtual ski resort with Japanese-style cutesy characters or even their own virtual Mii lookalikes. Up to four players can also ski simultaneously via split screen, with each player free to wander off to any part of the resort regardless of where the other players may be.

Now as someone with certain young relatives who love cute stuff and also love seeing their Miis in action, let’s just say I sank a ton of time on We Ski. A LOT of time. We did all the racing events; found all the missing or hidden items, animals and people; found a certain hidden abominable creature -- we even did all the food deliveries for virtual skiers who can’t be bothered to pick up their own virtual food. Fortunately, being able to dress my character in such haute couture fashion as a penguin suit and that yellow Bruce Lee outfit from “Game of Death” made it all worth it.

Which brings us to We Ski & Snowboard -- which I shall now shorten to WSS to save my sanity, not to mention my wrist from carpal tunnel syndrome.

The biggest change in WSS happens to be the most obvious one: the addition of snowboards. Having been quite used to the skiing controls from the first game, I was a bit concerned about having to learn a new skill set. But the snowboarding controls are just as intuitive, so it didn’t take that long to pick them up. Once again, you can use the Wii Fit’s Balance Board to control your board or skis. But just like the first game, use of the Balance Board is still limited to one player so all other players will just have to make do with the Wiimote and Nunchuck combo.

Besides adding variety and a certain touch of rebel cool to the game, the biggest plus with the addition of snowboards is added replayability. One common complaint about the first game is that it’s easy to lose interest once you’ve finished all the events and unlocked all the costumes (then again, after playing any game that long, it’s easy to lose interest in just about anything). But the addition of a trick park with rails, boxes and half-pipes really helps to hold interest in the game, especially once you learn to pull off the commands needed for some snowy trickeration. In fact, I had one young cousin keep visiting the trick park over and over ... and over some more during an extended playing session without really touching the other courses. He didn't even switch to using skis once.

The ability to do replays of your runs on the slopes -- including as a group -- is also a fun feature. And if you're smiling after reading that, well, I don't mean those kinds of runs (those are never fun, even as a group). The game still supports four players and allows everyone to go their separate ways (speaking of separate ways, check out this music video featuring Steve Perry and the boys of Journey. With the exception of the virtual instruments at the beginning, this video has nothing to do with this game or the Wii. But it sure is as funny as heck.)

The ability to independently go off is also great if you're playing with one of those folks with a limited attention span who just likes to wander off. You know, the kind of person who makes you look like an idiot in the mall because you're talking to them and it turns out they wandered off somewhere so now people think you're talking loudly to yourself? Wanna go to the trick park but your friend wants to find out-of-bounds trails? Well, you can both do your own thing, so there's no need for drama. Do keep in mind that everyone still has to stop if one player talks to an event character and also have to magically assemble together if an event is triggered. That could certainly be annoying to others if done without warning.

Multiplayer fun also doesn't extend to online so if you want to play with someone, they better be right next to you. That's fine for folks with real friends but not so great for those who only have MySpace friends. Otherwise, you can have the computer control a virtual buddy who can ski/snowboard with you if you're, sniff, feeling lonely. Folks who just love to subject themselves to Nintendo's "Friend Code" system can still do so by trying to send their WSS photos to friends. And yes, they have to be real friends.

With WSS having two mountains compared to just one from the first game, there’s a lot more to explore this time around. WSS offers one traditional mountain park via the Jamboree Snow Resort coupled with the Howard Beale of slopes known as Mount Angrio. All I can say is watch out for steep drops and avalanches with the latter. Players also still have the option of hitting the slopes during the day or night for some added variety.

Because the game retains the open sandbox structure of the first, all courses are accessible from the get-go and can be explored to your heart’s content. Some out-of-bounds courses are hidden but don’t need to be unlocked -- just found. If you feel your life is meaningless without any goals, the game still allows you to unlock gear by completing events such as races, people searches, and, yes, good old food delivery. As in the previous game, your food still can’t survive you tripping on your face but mysteriously makes it in one piece after a perfectly done corkscrew or Rodeo 540. Then again, I can’t snowboard worth a lick in real life but I’m the bomb in this game so methinks reality is vastly overrated. One fun game that's new to WSS and should be fun for both the young and young at heart is tag. Just make sure to tell the kiddies that chasing down folks down a snowy mountain by bumping into them is a no-no in real life. Hopefully, that'll get the lawyers off my back.

One noticeable change with events is that most of the characters you need to talk to to trigger them are now huddled in one place. That means the need to scour the mountainside to find them has now been thankfully reduced.

Speaking of events, WSS obviously tries to strike the same balance its predecessor did between making it accessible to young players while not making it so easy that more seasoned players won’t find it a challenge. But as with any compromise, you always end up with something that falls somewhere in between. Some events in WSS will be too be too hard for younger players. Veteran gamers, on the other hand, may still find the events too easy overall.

Although the stages are new, the character sprites and some of the gear also appear recycled from the previous game. Given that WSS is priced more like a regular game than its predecesor, one would expect a completely new offering as opposed to an expansion. On the plus side, costumes now don’t have to be unlocked for each character and are available to everyone once unlocked by one character.

Bottom line: Overall, WSS is a nice addition to the Wii library. Self-described “hardcore” gamers who thumb their noses at cutesy graphics and more “casual” fare may want to look elsewhere. But for more well-rounded folks who want a fun slope sim that offers enough challenges while also being fun for the whole family, We Ski & Snowboard delivers. If you fall into the latter category, then I give WSS two skis up -- or is that two snowboards up? SHINGENMOCHI

Final verdict: RECOMMENDED

Resident Evil 5: The final autopsy, er, review

 

LIVING IN AMERICA
Reviews of games released in the U.S.

Note: This game review originally ran in the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper and Web site, and I am posting it here as backup. Resident Evil 5 was also picked as part of our Friday A-List recommendations.

Resident Evil 5
System: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developer: Capcom
Price: $59.99, $89.99 for Collector’s Edition
* Also available as a pack-in game for the Xbox 360 Resident Evil 5 Elite Limited Edition ($399)

Evil’s afoot for a fifth time as the latest incarnation of the Resident Evil survival/horror franchise takes its bloody act to Africa by way of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

As the first true Resident Evil game to hit this current console generation’s “beefier” systems (at least as far as technical specs go ) Resident Evil 5 has been much anticipated. The fact that Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube was widely lauded, particularly for the way it rebooted the series’ control system, only stoked the anticipation for RE5 even more. Then there was the whole online debate about whether the game had potential racist overtones or not, which just kicked up this game’s profile to a whole new level. There certainly was no way that RE5 was going to sneak up zombie-like on anybody.

So the question now is: Was RE5 worth the wait? Let’s try to dissect this beast and see what we’ve got.

THE SETUP

Resident Evil 5 has players taking control of one of the series’ original heroes, Chris Redfield, as he finds himself knee-deep yet again in the latest mess to arise from the mutation-inducing viruses pioneered by the former Umbrella Corp. For the uninitiated, bans on stem cell research were definitely not a concern for these guys.

With the latest nasty virus getting in the hands of terrorists, Redfield is sent to Africa by the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance to find out what’s going on. For this mission, Redfield must work with a new partner, an African woman named Sheva Alomar, to unravel the mystery behind this case. At the same time, Redfield also has to work out some lingering personal issues, which I won’t be touching on here as I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun for those who have yet to play the game. Let’s just say it’s not a problem that can be solved by buying a Bowflex.

OOH, SHINY

Looks aren’t everything. But if they were, then this game is definitely a keeper. RE5 serves up the best-looking game in the series to date, featuring crisp details and textures that hold up even when viewed on a 63-inch high-definition TV.

There are some noticeable stylistic differences from the game’s predecessors. For one, this game seems a lot more, um, shiny. It’s not quite Tekken shiny (or for you movie buffs, “Nacho Libre” Ramses shiny). If I were to use a photography analogy, I’d say RE 4 had a more subdued, matte finish to it while RE5 has a high-contrast, glossy paper look, with the daylight scenes also featuring bumped-up saturation. The inclusion of settings with harsh daylight seems like a departure from the traditional visual formula of RE. But the high contrast and saturation adds a gritty look to daylight scenes that I think goes well with the RE theme.

Use of sound was also quite good and retains the general feel of the series. You know you’re playing RE the first time you hear an infected human call attention to your location and the music changes. That’s when you start looking at windows, doors and what-have-you because you know those monsters are gonna be barging in soon.

Voice acting is a bit of a mixed bag, though, ranging from excellent to comical, or maybe cartoonish would be more accurate. Rat fink character Irving, for example, sounds overly rat-finkish. It's seriously hard to keep a serious face during what should be serious scenes when the bad guy sounds like Curly from the Three Stooges. Seriously.

A MATTER OF CONTROL
One of the key additions to RE5 is the addition of a second player to help hold your hand — in this case, Redfield’s partner Sheva. Your partner is always with you and is controlled either by the computer or a human player. On one side, it makes RE5 less of a lonely affair, which can be either good or bad, depending on what you want to experience from the game. On the other side, having a second human player helping you out certainly makes the game more fun, provided that your human partner is not, for the lack of a better word, an idiot. The computer AI also does surprisingly well when controlling Sheva. I’ve played my share of games where you have a computer controlled partner who’s AI is more artificial than intelligent, which is never fun. But Sheva holds her own pretty well and doesn’t need to too much babysitting.

Having someone watch your back especially helps when it comes to the biggest problem with the game — it’s cumbersome control system. Accurately targeting an enemy can take way too much time, especially for those used to playing the Wii version of RE4, which allowed you to target by aiming the Wiimote. Also, unless you’re already facing the direction you want to run toward, dodging enemies is like watching your character — who’s in physically great shape, mind you — having a brain fart-induced seizure. That’s because faced with the threat of impending death literally inches right in front of you, your only choices are to either sloooowly back away a la Slowpoke Rodriguez or to turn and THEN run away. The inability to just quickly dodge or do a quick side roll pretty much means massive damage or instant death if you ever find one of the monsters directly in your face. In fact, the great majority of my dates with the “You Are Dead” screen in this game happened after I ended up around kissing distance with an enemy for some reason or another (e.g. reloading, trying to save my surrounded partner, my own stupidity...) and couldn’t turn and run in time. Lord knows how many times I would’ve pulled my hair because of this if I wasn’t so worried about losing my valuable locks when I get old.

IN THE MOOD

Mood is a key part of any Resident Evil game and the same holds true for RE5, albeit somewhat differently. Although the older Resident Evil games actually scared me via both surprises and my own active imagination, I noticed that I did not feel the same kind of dread when playing RE5. Maybe it’s the added daylight in some stages. Perhaps I’ve just gotten used to the genre. Needless to say, I could play this game at night with the room darkened with no problems whatsoever. Oddly enough, the only exception didn't even involve monsters. Instead, it was the stage that required me to guide my character through waters that were infested by alligators (well, that or crocodiles). As someone with a very active imagination, knowing there’s something out there but not knowing exactly where that something is always scares the living you-know-what out of me. Other than that, no problems with my bladder whatsoever.

Then again, being less scary isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although the mood in RE5 certainly retains certain aspects of the series, it also has its own atmosphere, which makes it stand out in its own way. As someone who has seen shanty towns and even commuted through one daily while studying overseas, the first chapter in the game struck me on a personal level. The details in the first few stages of the game even reminded me of experiences I’ve forgotten through the years and made me think hard about social issues that may be uncomfortable but really have to be thought about nonetheless. These issues include poverty, human rights and the tendency of some in power to either ignore, exploit or marginalize those in the lower part of society’s ladder. In that regard, any game that makes you think should be commended, provided that’s the true goal as opposed to exploiting a powerful scene for some cheap thrill.

Since we’re here, I might as well offer my two cents on the racism question as well. Based on my experience with this game and its predecessor, which had the hero fighting mutated humans in Spain, I don’t think RE5 is racist. Granted, I’ve seen my fair share of games by, say, Japanese developers that abound with racial stereotypes and sexist overtones. In fact, you could make a case for characters in another popular Capcom game, Street Fighter 2, being predominantly based on racial and ethnic stereotypes.

In the case of RE5, the notion of having a main character who is white shooting up mutated citizens who are predominantly black may sound potentially problematic. But having actually played the game and viewed it in the proper context — it is set in Africa, after all — I don’t think the game is racist in that sense.

Not that the game doesn’t have its issues. In fact, if anything made me raise my eyebrows, it was the sprinkling of some Caucasian zombies in the shanty town, which was apparently done after the racism debate came to the fore. Yes, Africa has white people as well. But some of the additions seemed forced, especially one shanty town resident you try to save who also happens to be a hot, blonde woman in a sexy dress (she eventually turns into a monster so you end up having to do the exact opposite of saving someone as far as she’s concerned). And since no context was given, I have no idea where that all came from, much less what the developers were thinking when they came up with the idea of plopping that character in that particular scene. I guess someone thought sexy blonde women have a monopoly on the damsel-in-distress role in video games or something.

In one more housekeeping note, I also noticed some loooong loading issues with the game while trying to load a save file. Since I got this game with one of the brand-spanking new, Jasper chip-equipped, blood-red Resident Evil Xbox 360 Elites, I assume it isn’t because I have a dying system on its last legs. So I looked it up on the Interwebs and lo and behold, other people were having loading and disc reading issues as well. Fortunately, I had more than enough memory to install the game to my hard disk, which fixed the problem. I haven’t played the game on the PS3, though, so I’m not sure if that version has loading issues as well.

THIS BODY AIN’T QUITE DEAD YET

After conducting my own checkup on RE5, I have concluded that despite some health issues, the latest entry into the series is in good shape overall.

Yes, certain parts show signs of aging and the control system also has signs of nerve damage. But the game is still in good condition for its age and can still outperform some of the young upstarts out there. On production values alone, it's safe to say that the newest RE5 still knows hot to put on a good show.

Fans of the series will find something soothingly familiar in RE5, along with a few new tricks that spice up this old dog, so to speak. I also think most newcomers will find RE5 a worthwhile and satisfying gaming experience. Just don’t expect to be able to duck and roll your way out of trouble. And keep your hands off your hair when things get ugly. It’s a valuable and irreplaceable resource, after all. SHINGENMOCHI

FINAL VERDICT: Recommended

Review: Eternal Sonata for the PS3

LIVING IN AMERICA
Reviews of games released in the U.S.

Fans looking for a solid Japanese-style RPG will find Eternal Sonata to be music to their ears

***

Note: This game review originally ran in the Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper and Web site, and I am posting it here on my personal site as backup. Since I picked Eternal Sonata as part of our Friday A-List recommendations for the paper, I am also including the short A-List review below, followed by the full review.

A-LIST REVIEW: Things are even better the second time around with the release of Eternal Sonata on the Playstation 3. Folks who missed the Japanese-style RPG on the Xbox 360 get another chance to enjoy this wonderfully crafted game, which features a unique storyline revolving around a dream by Frederic Chopin. Yes, that Chopin. Who would’ve thought the piano virtuoso could lay the smack down on monsters and an assortment of evildoers?

Eye candy lovers who want to justify their high-definition TV’s will appreciate the game’s tack-sharp, HD visuals. The music is also excellent as to be expected from a game influenced by Chopin’s works.

The battle system features a nice blend of turn-based and live-action controls that keeps players involved and also levels up as you progress through the game. Unlock the final battle system level and get ready to unload a day’s worth of stress by chaining your characters’ super attacks on hapless enemies as you entertain delusions of grandeur.

Notable options include multi-player battling and using the original Japanese dialogue. PS3 extras include bonus characters, dungeons, quests and outfits.

Eternal Sonata’s world isn’t as expansive as say, a Final Fantasy, but the intimate feel works quite well. Although the story serves up some RPG clichés such as friendship and war, it also does a good job in tackling serious themes such as discrimination and the fragility of human mortality. It’ll make you wanna hug the person right next to you. In short, I highly recommend this game.

AND NOW, ON TO THE FULL REVIEW...

You've got to hand it to Japanese game developers. I admit, the Japanese role-playing game genre has done its fair share of recycling the same old formulas. But they also have a knack of coming up with some pretty crazy concepts. Case in point: Who would have ever thought of creating an RPG centered around famed pianist Frederic Chopin?

The thought of a piano virtuoso battling all sorts of monsters while smacking them with his conductor's baton sounds cooky to say the least. But somehow, some way, Eternal Sonata makes it work. And work well it does.

I never had the chance to play the original Xbox 360 version that first came out last year. I've always meant to. But then Namco Bandai announced they were releasing a Playstation 3 version with extra features so I decided to wait instead.

The good news is that Eternal Sonata holds up very well even today. Graphically, the game looks clean and crisp even on my 63-inch high-definition TV, which has a knack of exposing the graphical warts and deficiencies of games due to its ginormous size. Eternal Sonata definitely takes full advantage of the widescreen display, particulary in the design of open areas that feature expansive views and deep chasms. Extra details like floating dandelions in half bloom at a lush meadow also give the game that added touch that shows how much effort designers put in the environments. Coupled with its excellent production values, the game looks like a dream, which is quite fitting because it's based on, well, Chopin's dream. And the music is top notch, as to be expected from a game inspired by Chopin's works.

The battle system is also quite entertaining, offering a mix of turn-based and real-time action. Characters still wait their turn like traditional RPGs. But once their turn is up, you control them in real time. When attacking, you have the option of using regular attacks and more powerful super attacks depending on how much time you have left on an action bar. You also can use super attacks right off the bat but it's generally better to preceed them with normal combos in order to deal the most damage. To make things more interesting, your battle level also "levels up" as you progress through the game. It starts out pretty simple but eventually allows you to chain attacks between characters once you reach Battle Level 5 at the end of the game. Unlock Battle Level 6 via a secret dungeon and you'll find yourself linking up to six super attacks or Harmony Chains, which helps signficantly against the more beefy enemies and bosses. You also have the option of blocking attacks and doing counters in real time -- the former being quite important if you don't want the games tougher and speedier bosses to wipe the floor with you. At the very least, the live action component keeps players involved -- generally a good thing since RPG battle systems tend to be repetitive in nature as well designed as they may be. The addition of Light and Dark properties for enemies and your characters' own attacks during battle also adds an extra bit of "strategery" to the game. Some heavy-hitting enemies, for example, turn into soft wimps when lured into dark areas and vice-versa. Your characters supers also change depending on whether theyr'e in light or shadow -- chiaroscuro as my art teacher used to say. Then there's the ability to have two human players join in the action, a good way to pass the time when you've got extra bodies around.

Speaking of battles, I applaud the fact that the game doesn't feature random encounters. Instead, the game features visible enemies and you have the option of avoiding them if you so choose (I wouldn't do that too much, though, lest you don't gather enough experience). The best thing about no random encounters is that it encourages exploration, making it more enjoyable to hunt for item chests and what have you as opposed to turning it into a major chore. I do wish that the game added an option to save anywhere. I understand that save points can help with pacing but they seem like an archaic concept at this point.

Of course, a large part of any Japanese-style RPG's success lies in its characters and story. Creating original and compelling characters is always tough since pretty much every type of character has already been done. The game's got your balanced swordsman, your bow-and-arrow warrior, healer, hand-to-hand expert, speedy characters, lumbering characters, etc. (though the Chopin character can certainly be considered unique). Then again, some folks play RPGs because they want to see your lumbering swordsman and your bowman (or bowgirl in this case), so that's not necessarily a bad thing. Character personalities also run the gamut of Japanese anime-style personalities so don't expect anything revolutionary on that end. Still, I found the characters quite likeable and I grew an affinity for the cast as I kept playing. The fact that the playable cast has a whopping 12 total members(theoriginal 10 plus two bonus ones) also helps keeps things fresh. I give Namco Bandai bonus points as well for including the option to play with the original Japanese voices on, which is always appreciated ~ "da be".

Storywise, Eternal Sonata starts out quite powerfully with its theme of discrimination and also death. The discrimination issue certainly remains a key theme in these times, given some of the labeling and fear-mongering you still see in the world today. And the question of what someone should do when they don't have much time to live will always strike a chord with anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Admittedly, the game falls back into typical RPG themes like good vs. evil, a kind ruler vs. a megalomaniac, etc. along the way. But I also give it extra originality points for weaving in Chopin's story and details about the composer's life as well. Compared to the more ambitious and grand "Wagner-like" worlds of say, a Final Fantasy, Eternal Sonata has a more intimate feel, kind of like Chopin's piano compositions. And you know what? That's not a bad thing either. If you're looking for a quality Japanese-style RPG, I encourage you to give Eternal Sonata a play. SHINGENMOCHI

FINAL VERDICT: Highly recommended

Game tie-in leads to devilishly good ramen

ONLY IN JAPAN

10th anniversary of "Tokyo Majin Gakuen" game series commemorated with special ramen

Tokyo's Harajuku district is typically known for the unique fashion sense of its so-called Harajuku girls (just ask singer and Harajuku fan Gwen Stefani). But for the next month or so, Harajuku will also be laying claim to a strange, edible concoction known as Majin Ramen, which translates to "Devil or Demon Noodles." Mmmmm.

The devilishly intruiging ramen is part of a promotion by video game developer Marvelous Entertainment, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Tokyo Majin Gakuen (i.e. Tokyo Demon School) series of games. As part of the celebration, Harajuku ramen shop Kanshin (at least I hope that's how you read 韓辛, which sounds like a play on the Japanese word for admiration but uses the characters for "Korea" and "spice" instead) will be serving up the unique Demon Noodles from July 19 all the way to August 21 for about $9.25. Apparently, the director of the games is a bonafide ramen nut. Diners will also be served with a special Tokyo Majin Gakuen placemat as they say their prayers before their meal. No word on whether the dish will come with a tall, cool glass of holy water.

In a testament of just how insanely dedicated some Japanese devotees can be, 20 fans were lined up before the store opened on the first day that the Demon Noodles were offered. Some even came from as far as Shizuoka (about 90 miles away) and Nagoya (about 160 miles away), according to a writer for Japanese gaming site Impress Game Watch (the devil made them do it!). A whiteboard is also displayed on the store so fans can share their thoughts, I guess, about what could possibly possess them to journey for miles upon miles and line up for Demon Noodles.

According to the same aforementioned writer, the Majin Ramen sports a mild miso flavor despite its spicy appearance and should be well-received by the ladies (just in case you want to scare one up with your otaku devotion). The dish is also topped with a piece of chashu pork that's branded with one of the game's characters, Horaiji Kyoichi. The branding apparently isn't just for appearance as the burned mark also gives the ramen an oh-so appetizing scent.

Anywho, if you're gonna be in Tokyo sometime between now and Aug. 21 and really want to try out these special noodles, you can find hell, er, Kanshin inside the food court at the second floor of SoLaDo Harajuku. Can't make it until after Aug. 21? Then you can console yourself by getting a copy of the DS version of Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho, which will be released on, hey, Aug. 21! At current exchange rates, the normal version of the game will cost about $48.50 while the limited edition will burn a hole in your wallet to the tune of about $72. And no, I've never played any games from this series so my knowledge of the game is just like the ramen scene in the city I live in -- that is, non-existent (much to my dismay). But I am posting screenshot from Game Watch below.


UPDATE: Upon further digging around, I can now confidently say that the ramen shop is indeed named Kanshin. It also turns out that the restaurant serves not just ramen but also bibimbab, which makes looking at the fried egg and rice right here on my work desk make me feel anything but "kanshin" right now. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Restaurant stalkers can also call Kanshin at 03-3403-2939.