This week really felt like it slipped right through my fingers. I only picked up two games and played them? Really? I had a day off but I didn’t really do much more than touch Mario & Luigi. Devil Summoner squeezed in some rounds as well. I talked about both games this week so I have nothing major to say. M&L is still pretty damn much a joy to play and Devil Survivor has started having more difficult fights with stricter conditions. Still having fun with both, though.
Just really hope I’ll be able to focus more on gaming this week.
I’ve been listening to a few CDs of Mother music today. I’ve never really been a big fan of listening to game music, as I get enough of it in the games I play, but I have been getting more and more into it as of late as I have been wanting for something a little more instrumental for my studying time. What I found really amazing about this music is that it seems to be able to transport me back into the exact moment that I was playing the game.
Not the moment of the game itself. That I remember in many games. But with the case of the music from the Mother games I can remember where I was as a person in my history of life. How old I was. The time of the year. I remember the exact room I was sitting in and how the TV was angled. For all three games even though they were at different stages of my life and different parts of the world.
I never really experienced anything like this before and it’s quite amazing, honestly. I have played so many games but these are the only ones that left this sort of impact on me. Even though I didn’t like Mother 3 as much as the other two it’s hard pressing for me to ignore that it was able to do the exact same thing as the other two.
That is an amazing power.
I really wish we would get a Mother 4.
Published on
Friday, February 13, 2009 in
Musings.
Today at work, the principal of the school started chatting with me and asked if I liked shopping at Tsutaya Way, which is a chain store nearest of which is about a ten minute drive from my house. I was confused at first but then he explained that he had recently saw me near the store. I was confused, as I had not been there in a few weeks.
Then a light went on in my head.
See last Sunday I was coming back from hanging out with Nayan and some of his buddies in Takarazuka the night prior. It has been my first night drinking in a month and I hit the bottle hard and woke up late. I got on the train and started getting my ass home. What I did not know was that the JR line near Gojo would be stopped a while on Sunday due to some construction. When I got to Hashimoto, my only transfer before getting home, I discovered that trains wouldn’t be running for another 4 hours.
I called some of my few car-owning friends but no one was answering, so instead of taking a ¥3500 taxi, I set off home by foot. I stopped at a conbini and picked up a cheese-curry man and a litre of vitamin water to keep me company on my journey home.
I’m not sure how far I walked, but I know after walking a while I saw a sign that said “Gojo 7km” and I also know that what counts as entering Gojo is not exactly close to my house. I walked for an hour and forty five minutes down the road, which means I walked right past the aforementioned Tsutaya Way.
So once I realized what happened, I told my story to the principal and some of the other teachers. I was met with gasps of disbelief and much sympathy. Then, my chuckling principal said “Oh, I saw you! I thought you were out exercising since you said you were on a diet and you looked so happy! Otherwise I would have offered a ride!”
Published on
Thursday, February 12, 2009 in
Gaming.
Been playing Devil Summoner Survivor and I have noticed that these kids really like to talk. I mean really, really talk. There is so much dialogue that it makes my head spin. This isn’t a bad thing because I am not picky with my reading. I have one standard: entertainment. And since I’m reading a lot of Japanese and learning a lot of new words, anything is pretty entertaining at this point. But still, these kids are yappy.
Continue reading ‘They don’t shut up!’
Published on
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 in
Gaming.
So with Mario & Luigi 3!!! released today, I figured that I should get going on the series. I popped in my copy of the original game and started it up via the Gamecube’s Gameboy player. I’m having fun.
I don’t know why the decision to make the RPG versions of Mario’s adventures very light hearted and goofy came up, but I do not mind this decision. Even in Japanese, where my understanding of jokes is minimal at best, I get hearty chuckles while playing. The treatment of Luigi as a second class citizen probably has some history that I’m not to sure of, or a simple explanation that I can’t think of, but it still works to make the game a riot.
The battle system is also very neat. Unlike a lot of modern RPGs, you do very little damage and have very little hit points. Scoring a perfectly timed hit, that is pressing the button again before your attack hits, is very much a requirement to speeding up battles and taking minimal damage. Being able to avoid most attacks is also helpful in going with this pattern. Items are still readily available so no real danger is often felt, but being able to go through battles quickly and without taking damage brings a particular enjoyment.
I’ve run into two mini games so far, and I’d rather I don’t run into any more. I know they go with the game’s themes of “Roleplaying and …” but I tend to be awful at these bonus games and sometimes my progression is hindered by them. Yes, I am blaming the game for my sucking, but hell, just like how I didn’t buy Halo 3 to fucking race, I didn’t buy Mario & Luigi to jump in mine-carts.
Still, I’m having a grand ol’ time.
Published on
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 in
Gaming.
Finally finished Phantasy Star 4 last week. And while I would not mind seeing a new entry in the traditional RPG Phantasy Star series, after playing the four games I find it hardly surprising that there hasn’t been a Phantasy Star 5. The games are very Sega in all the good ways and bad. I’m not sure if i can aptly describe what makes a game to have the qualities to let have it be labeled as a “Sega” game. I guess if I had to go with something simple it’s that it does so many of the little things right but some of the big things are just off.
Continue reading ‘Phinished Phantasy Star’
Published on
Monday, February 9, 2009 in
Musings.
Man, I am tired.
Been trying to do too many things, I think. I was out most of the weekend and I’m sitting here trying to get some studying done but I’m finding the time closing in on 11 pm before I’d like it to. I never really did get the hang of time manipulation.
Have Wednesday off for a national holiday, and I could go see a performance of Phoenix Wright as done by a Takarazuka group in Takarazuka. All female troupe and they are supposed to be outstanding.
I could go, but this assumes tickets can be found. This is potentially an event of the like that I may not have another chance at. But I am so tired I just wanted to spend the day at home doing nothing.
I’m sure it will work itself out.
Will fix this later. Played Phantasy Star 4, Lost Odyssey, Devil Survivor, Dissidia and Star Ocean First Contact this past week. Yup. Finished two games. Good progress.
Published on
Saturday, February 7, 2009 in
Translating.
Finally found a copy of the game that I will be soon starting to translate. I had to hit up about five stores before I found one and it wasn’t even boxed! Annoying but at least it isn’t rare.
Walking through Osaka as I write this so I am going to keep it short. Don’t mean to be mysterious (or do I?) but don’t want to say too much before I make good progress.
Published on
Friday, February 6, 2009 in
Gaming.
Gonna be spending the night playing Secret of Mana multiplayer. It has been years since I have done something like this, but we got a good supply of junk food and the characters have been named Sausage, Sauce and the Japanese word for hermaphrodite, Futanari.
I expect this to be an amazing evening.
