“Another rehash of a handheld. Guess what? I bought it.”

So yeah, I bought a DSi a few days ago. I was slightly dubious about the financial aspect of buying one but eventually caved when I received an unexpected and stupidly generous amount when I traded some games in down at Game. If videogames are my drug then Game is definitely my dealer. They always drag me back, kicking and screaming, with the promise of more gaming pleasure – the equivalent of a shady figure promising me one more hit. Like a fool I can’t resist!!
Anyway, with this extra cash from the Xbox 360 games that I traded in I decided to add a little extra money and get myself a DSi.


The new DSi!! Notice the little lens? It's a camera. Nothing more.

Firstly lets get this out of the way – it’s a great machine, a nice piece of hardware but I very much doubt that you’ll find you need it if you already own a DS. There are some nice little additions but nothing to really entice current owners to part with their cash. Obviously you could trade your old machine in but even then you’re going to be looking at fronting up the other £80 cash difference. That said though, if you’re made of money, don’t currently own a DS or you’re insane you should definitely purchase one.
Reading that last paragraph it seems I’m being a little harsh on the DSi but that’s not my intention at all. I just think there’s not that much innovation in it, certainly not enough to warrant the cost anyway. Like the PSP I always have a slightly bitter taste in my mouth when I purchase one in the full knowledge that I basically already own one and that in a few months time the one I’m in the process of purchasing will be obsolete again.

Okay so now onto the positives and despite my previous gripes these are numerous. Nintendo have very wisely made both dual screens larger and while this is only by an inch it’s remarkable how much of a difference it makes. Initially I didn’t really see the difference but after comparing it to my girlfriends DS I was shocked. It’s not something you instantly notice but, oddly, if you try and go back to a normal DS you’ll feel short-changed by the pokey nature of the screens.


The Japanese advert for the DSi. Unlike me they use theirs for taking pictures of toy dogs.

Also, and I’m not sure if this is a case of the Emperors new clothes, but I’m sure the sound is much improved. Currently, as I type this, I have no internet connection and thus no method of checking if the speakers have improved – if they haven’t then maybe I was just over excited when I first unwrapped my shiny, new DSi. Actually, that brings about another point quite nicely – in that it’s not shiny. It’s matte. Which looks nice, really nice if I’m honest. I wasn’t sure at first but I think it certainly looks cooler and I prefer what Nintendo have done with the shoulder buttons and the volume control now. Also, with the matte finish, you no longer get your DS covered in sticky finger prints when small children grab it off you.

Altogether it’s a much tidier and, dare I say it, a much more “adult” design.
Nintendo have also incorporated a menu reminiscent of that of the Wii. Mine is currently empty bar the default apps that come with it (curse you internet) but there are numerous empty boxes that can be filled to your hearts content by accessing the Nintendo shop and downloading new games, demos etc. This is a neat addition but Nintendo are a little late off the mark considering that downloading from a market has become common place now. That said though, the idea of being able to download and play the likes of Secret of Mana appeals greatly to me and if Nintendo can provide more support than the PSN for the PSP (which shouldn’t be difficult) then they’ll definitely be onto a winner.

The main pull of the DSi, and the reason that many will convert is that the day of the GBA slot is over. Now put out to pasture Nintendo have replaced it with an SD memory slot. This means that data is now interchangeable between your PC and your DSi, be it pictures or MP3s, and while I’m not sure of what file types the DSi supports this is still a nice feature. Possibly unnecessary but nice nonetheless. Using the built in camera and microphone it’s now possible to take your own photos and record your own sound clips and using the DSi software you can mess around with them – adding distortion to the sounds and using art tools to manipulate the images. Again, this is cool and something of a distraction but if you have an MP3 player and a reasonable digital camera the DSi equivalents become relegated to the status of novelty and not much more.

Ultimately I’d thoroughly recommend the DSI but only for those of you who don’t already own the original. The machine itself offers untapped potential in terms of downloading old titles and god knows that Nintendo certainly excel in that department. The new design is sleeker and trendier than the original for sure and it makes the DSi look less like a child’s toy and more like a must have gadget.
With so many five star titles available on the DS to date you’d be a fool not to get one, it’s just debatable whether you need a DSi. Unless you intend to download games and apps it would probably be best to stick with an original DS for now, especially as their price has now fallen. If you’re buying for a child then it would definitely be best to stick with the older model, if you’re buying for yourself it may be frugal to wait a while and see what online support Nintendo intend to pull out of the bag.

A growing addiction.

I’ve noticed lately how counter- productive my gaming has become. With the end of term fast approaching, and having racked up an impressive amount of money that I now owe the loans agency, you’d think I’d be beavering away desperately trying to finish up the string of assignments that I’ve partially neglected over the last few months. Not so!!

No, every time I think to crack on with a different assignment my finger accidentally slips and pushes the power button on the PS3, I then find myself decapitating zombies or creeping around spaceships breaking people’s necks, far from the grim reality of the ever impending end of term. In case you were wondering that was Resident Evil 5 and Chronicles of Riddick I was referring to, respectively.
It’s testament to my girlfriend’s infinite patience that she doesn’t punch me in the face sometimes. Often she can have full conversations with me and I’m almost totally oblivious, the worst culprit for distracting me at the moment is Suikoden on the DSi. Now about 55hrs into it I’m thoroughly immersed although it does tend to eat away at my observational skills to the point where I probably appear rude which is not the case. Well, not intentionally away.

Psychologists would probably tell me that I use games as a form of escapism but I’m okay with that as I most definitely do. For me there’s nothing better after a heavy day at college or a crap day at work to come home and stick on a video game. The only disadvantage to playing games so much is that it almost becomes sub conscious, as if I’m only going through the motions and only half there. I could probably play most driving and FPS games without even really concentrating, at least in single player mode. Multi player tends to be harder as you’re playing against actual people who have their own thought processes and can be unpredictable.
I’m going to use every ounce of my willpower to ignore my consoles and crack on with my college work – my chief motivation is that when I’m a well paid journalist (hahaha) I can have a games room where I retire at the end of the day with a cigar, a glass of port and a multi player session of Killzone 2. Except without the port or the cigar.
Here begins my pledge of commitment!! For the next month assignments and revision will be my thrill, screw Metal Gear Solid!! It’s Public Affairs all the way for me.

Aaaaaaaand again.....

I keep breaking these blogs up because i'm constantly being evicted from various rooms, currently i'm in the library but it's a dodgy rope that i walk and i may get removed from here at any moment as well. We'll see how it goes.

Now then, i hope you're sitting comfortably? Then i'll begin.



Number 3, and the final in my trilogy, is ShadowHearts. This series was massively overlooked at the time it was released for two main reasons. Firstly, it was a huuuge marketing f*ck up on the part of Midway who chose to release it in the UK mere weeks away from Square (at that time) releasing Final Fantasy 10. Obviously the Final Fantasy series is massive and so people simply overlooked Shadow Hearts and sought to wait for their Final Fantasy fix instead to sate their RPG thirst.


The cover art did little to sell Shadow Hearts and the fact that the game itself was pretty damn weird didn't help much either.

The second reason that Shadow Hearts failed to fly off the shelves was that it was just too weird. RPG fans had grown accustomed to typical J-RPG storylines and values and so when this title came along it rightly confused a few players. The main character Yuri is a Harmonixer who can transform into various different beasts or demons that are locked within his psyche and he embarks on a quest to save a girl called Alice who wears not much, is an Exorcist and can use healing magic.
Initially the game begins with Yuri being a selfish wanderer but eventually he finds solace in Alices demure and caring nature and eventually his love for her is what keeps the demons inside him in check.
Granted, it all sounds very prosaic and predictable but Sacnoth, the developers, make sure that just the right amount of elements go into the mix from heart break to off the wall comedy. I was genuinely addicted to Shadow Hearts from the second i started it and i think i empathised and grew attached to the charcters more in this game than any other.


Japanese fan art of Yuri and Alice. Screw you Tidus and Yuna. Screw you.

Aiding Yuri in his quest for salvation is ZhuZhen:a Yin Yang master, Margarette:a spy who uses a mobile phone to call in attacks, Keith:a centuries old vampire who joins you because he's bored and finally Halley:an orphan boy who uses ESP to control things.

The various locations, situations and enemies they come up against are very surreal and almost LoveCraftian at times - alot of the time you are in Yuri's mind, fighting for his sanity and trying to unlock different abilities by coming to terms with his past.

The combat, too, was a departure from normal RPG's as it employed something the developers dubbed the Judgement Ring. While battles are still turn based the amount of damage you do or the success of your combo's is reflected on how skillful you are in hitting the key parts of the Judgement Ring as the pendulum swings around. Oddly, anyone who has played most golf sims will be right at home here.

Rarely does a sequel outshine the original but in the case of Shadow Hearts: Covenant it most certainly did with developers Nautilus at the reigns. Yuri returns again after slightly depressing circumstances at the end of the first game (i won't ruin it) and meets up with Karen. In this version she's the hot one who wears nothing and isn't shy of flashing her pants during a fight.
This game sees an even more bizzare roster assemble to save the world. This time Yuri is joined by a doll maker, a wolf, a pro-wrestling vampire, an extrememly well endowed fortune teller, a Russian photographer and a samurai who can demon-morph.


Lucia from Shadow Hearts Covenant. In the game it's pretty much implied that she has tourettes.

This game brought attention to the world of Shadow Hearts and was met with much more popularity, especially in the US which is good as often Europe swiftly follows suit.
Offering much more character development this time, and coming on 2 discs, Covenant promised a more involving and lengthy experience and delivered in spades. In my opinion this is easily the best of the three Shadow Hearts games.

Finally, unfortunately, is Shadow Hearts: From the New World. I remember this being delayed quite alot and heard speculation that no-one would distribute it in this country which just goes to show the tragic nature of the gaming industry - but that's another post.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing this version of the game but found that without Yuri anymore it was lacking something as he was such a great main character. The story was captivating enough but not quite as dark as the previous two and it was that aspect which pulled me in the most. Overall, the weaker of the 3 titles, it kind of felt a little forced and was instantly relegated to the budget domain although this all may have something to do with the dwindling interest in the PS2 at the time as the next gens had just started hitting the shelves.



In short, if you want quality, DIFFERENT (not FF) and emotive RPG's look no further than Shadow Hearts. They're a criminally ignored and under-rated series that many would love if they simply gave them a chance. Awesome.

A continuation of the blog below...

I had to break up the blog because it was starting to become an overwhelming amount of information. That and the fact that where i was writing it was suddenly invaded by F.E students who started throwing food around and trying to copulate with each other on the tables so i had to leave before i became embroiled in the debauchary.

Anyway, on to number two!

2) Castlevania: I first played the Castlevania series on the NES although it didn't really win me over. Not because it was rubbish or because the game design was poor, more just because i found it difficult to be impressed with a side scrolling adventure game, no matter how many vampires were in it or how good it was.


The cover of the original. What you see is pretty much what you get. A bloke with a whip. And a vampire in a castle.

It wasn't until the release of Symphony of the Night on the PS1 that my love of Castlevania grew. Everything about that game was genius, so much so that it later became available as an unlockable on Dracula X on the PSP and is still available for download today on the Xbox Marketplace and the PS3 PSN, i downloaded it when it first became available and it's as enjoyable now as it was when it was first released. As the games main character, Alucard is an excellent protagonist although somewhat dubiously voice acted. The anime designs are excellent as well and only serve to impress on the player the amount of work that has gone into the game.


An anime montage of the Symphony of the Night cast. This picture excludes Death and the Succubus which is a shame. Simply that.

What attracted me to SOTN was the application of an RPG-lite system built into the game which added significantly to the longevity and depth. This game dynamic then continued throughout the more recent releases on the DS which were also excellent games. To the casual gamer they may seem little more than pedestrian adventure titles lasting a mere 10 hours at best but if you are a completist, like me and my brother, then you can spend hours plumbing the hidden depths of these games. Most have myriad hidden areas and items to find, often rare ones which take ages, and some even end the game prematurely if certain requirements aren't met such as SOTN when you cannot enter the upside-down castle or Order of Ecclesia when you never get to enter Draculas castle.


Order of Ecclesia is the latest Castlevania title to be released and is excellent as always but a little hard for some. Note: I'm not counting Castlevania Judgement on the Wii because it's pretty dire.

One thing that still grates to this day is that when i bought my PS2 i stupidly traded in my mint collectors edition of SOTN, with orchestral score and manga comic, for a mere £15 and now it's incredibly hard to find and worth a mint. My own stupid fault but still very annoying. Curse you Game.

Ultimately, if you're after immersive adventure games with a very rich and detailed story look no further than the Castlevania games. I personally recommend SOTN on the 360 or PS3, Aria of Sorrow on the GBA and Curse of Darkness on the PS2. The latter was an amazing game - it was more like a cross between Castlevania and Devil May Cry but it worked very well and the demons that you could summon and upgrade were a very clever addition to the genre.

For an interesting and informative history of Castlevania click on the video below, again compliments of YouTube:

A blog on my favourite game series'....sssss.

I was contemplating last night what my favourite game franchise is and i came up with a few. The problem with a lot of gaming series' is that they become lost over time, diluted and often clutching at straws - sometimes games companies will release a steaming pile of a game under the guise that it's part of say, the Resident Evil series, and so people flock to buy it.

That said, i believe for the most part that Capcom have always delivered with the Resi series...with the possible exception of Resi 3 "Nemesis" and Survivor. Nemesis because it's just a preference (or lack of) and Survivor because...well, it sucked. Sorry. But it did. Although it must've been popular because it spawned a sequel and i heard on the grapevine that they're releasing another one on the Wii.


A screenshot from Survivor. Kind of a poor mans House of the Dead, it was lapped up by lightgun fans but not so much Resi fans.

So yeah, for the most part i enjoy the Resi series but as always there are a few duffers *cough* Resi 5. But apart from that there are a few other games that when they come out i'm queuing outside Game with a 2 man tent and a thermos of coffee.

1) Phantasy Star: Ever since playing Phantasy Star III on my MegaDrive i've been addicted to this series. The second the PSIII title screen appeared and i heard the haunting music (which is in my head right now) i knew this game was going to keep my attention. Of all the games i've played this one probably invokes my most vivid memories of gaming - the first time i wandered into the woods outside the first town and met a lonely (hot) female cyborg named Mieu i instantly became hooked on the potential that PSIII offered me. I think of my favourite two characters in RPG's Mieu and Wren (the two cyborgs) are up there with the best of them - i mean, Wren could transform into two different vehicles and fit the entire team inside for christs sake!!


Mieu was something of a precursor to Lara Croft, probably the first hot female game character, she was more in proportion and had pink hair.

I thoroughly enjoyed PSIV as well although i found it to be a little on the short side but nothing could have prepared me for the enjoyment of Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast. What a game!!
Even though it was essentially a dungeon crawler the emphasis (and the hook) was definately on levelling up your character. I spent HOURS trawling dungeons looking for S-class weapons and equipment to make my character look the business and then i took him (a FORCE character) online which at that point was pure witchcraft.
This was back in the day when headsets weren't available so all the interaction was done using a pop-up QWERTY keyboard which you had to hastily type with before an enemy hit you. Good times.


The cover art to Phantasy Star on the Dreamcast. This is the US art but i remember the UK version being similar. Note the character in the jaunty hat in the background? That was me.


A screenshot from the game - the sense of comraderie was unparalleled as the Hunters steamed in with swords and the Rangers picked off stragglers with sniper rifles. This game was sweet.

Having recently just purchased Phantasy Star portable on the PSP i'm equally excited to start it but i have to wait until i've finished playing FF:Crisis Core. The fact that they made it Ad-Hoc only mode is a controverisal one but i can't imagine playing it with anyone but friends anyway so it's not the end of the world.

Also Phantasy Star Zero is due for DS release soon which i'll be all over - for anyone interested the new trailer is below, courtesy of YouTube:

Sony PSP - a dying giant of potential

On the lead up to buying my PSP i had major reservations, not only did it seem like a floundering platform to me but i just couldn't see myself using one the same as i did my girlfriends DS for example. I would always worry when i walked into a game shop and looked for any PSP games of potential interest only to find them relegated to a dark and dingy corner - a sad chart composed of the last 6 months scant releases and nothing more. Eventually, however, i broke and i'm pleased to say that although Sony still annoy me immensely i haven't regretted it for a second.


The PSP3000, one of the many different versions that have been released and named in the style of Terminator.

I've counted 15 games to date that i'd love to play on the PSP and most of which i now own. That, for me, is enough to justify the purchase of a machine and then some. Yes there are still problems with the machine itself, many in fact, but these can be overlooked in light of the machines capabilities - no matter how neglected.
Granted the battery life is very low, especially for what is supposed to be a hand held machine but i think that for anyone considering buying one they should bare in mind that it isn't really a portable gaming platform. Yes it's handheld but it could be argued as to whether it's genuinely portable due to its feeble battery life and overly bulky size.

Also of major annoyance is the fact that Sony have now announced (or will at E3) that they're releasing another revamped PSP model. This one will be dubbed the PSP2, instead of a PSP 4000 which is taking it beyond the realm of ridiculousness. The PSP2 (catchy) is speculated to be doing away with the costly UMD drive which is a sound business move (as most companies have dropped it anyway) but something of a kick in the teeth for people like myself who have imported rare games from abroad. The press are hoping that Sony will try and stay on the fans good side by releasing a UMD to flash memory add on although Sony have never really worried before about annoying people so i wouldn't hold your breath. An excellent example of alienating your audience is when they removed the Emotion Engine from the PS3, removing the backward compatability function while still, geniusly, leaving all the functions on the dashboard of the PS3 batch that couldn't play PS2 and PS1 games. Bravo.

Anyway, like a mug i'll no doubt be purchasing the PSP2 especially considering the new functions that they've promised - despite the worrying fact that everything lately seems to be turning into an IPhone without even meaning to. For anyone as gullible as me who has yet to own a PSP these are the games, in no particular order, that you should buy with it - for the most part they blow anything on the DS out of the water, although i'm still a massive fan of the DS as a format for playing RPG's on.

1) Jeanne D'Arc

Amazing game. I was blown away by the anime intro, worth the purchase of the PSP alone.

2) Brave Story
3) Valkyrie Profile
4) FF:Crisis Core
5) Yggdra Union

Another quality title although you won't see it on these shores. No sir. Thanks again Sony.

6) Phantasy Star Portable
7) Wild Arms EX

There are many others but those will be enough to get you started. The biggest bone that i have to pick with Sony is their pathetic support for the European market. Yes the PSP is universal (thank god) but for the most past the US and Japan enjoy huge amounts of software over there that we will simply never see over here. This major annoyance started with the PS2 for me and has now grown increasingly worse with the lacklustre PSP software support in Europe.
The moral of this story is that if you want decent releases pay a little more and go and visit EBay, all of the above titles will be there and they're amazing examples of RPG's. While you're at it go to the link below to find out how to access the US PSN and download a wealth of decent games and films that we miss out on because we're geographically unfortunate:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=33700

Why Sony, unlike Apple, can't embrace the fact that people want to use different apps and have access to content that is not usually available is beyond me.

Long time no see.....

Agh it's been days since i blogged - a partial mixture of blame lays with having to attend court, having to work to eat and living in a backward house that doesn't provide internet access. In the good old days it was the done thing that we robbed broadband off the the Aquarium below us but someone with a vague knowledge of computers started working there and they've since locked us out of their connection. I had a few stabs at the WEP key but guessing a massive multi digit number is something that they can only do on Hollywood blockbusters.

Regardless of the reasons for my absence i'm now back and with an added gusto. Due to the fact that i haven't been at home for long periods i've been playing alot of handhelds which leads nicely on to this blog and the next.

Suikoden Tierkreis:DS

Imagine how chuffed i was when i discovered that Konami (that bastion of random gaming) had decided in their infinite wisdom to release a new Suikoden game for the DS? Go on, imagine it. You can't can you. Needless to say i was almost as excited when i discovered that with a bit of tinkering i could furnish myself with a copy of Suikoden 1+2 from the US PSN. Essentially i was over the moon because the Suikoden series is one of my favourite of my gaming life.

So what's it about i hear you cry from your gaping mouths. If you hold on then i'll tell you.
Suikoden games have always worked around the premise of war - usually the games protaganist is a young boy who gets inadvertently embroilled in a conflict that is out of his hands. Along the way he enlists a rag tag band of warriors to help him, usually they span different races and factions but ultimately they overlook their differences and unite in the face of a common adversary.
Sound dull and generic? I suppose it could be percieved that way but to fans (such as myself) it's quite the opposite.


The original cover art for Suikoden - they obviously couldn't cram 108 characters into such a small space but i think they could've tried a little harder.

Always revolving around the same basic story, the character (that's you) travels the world recruiting members to your growing army and gradually building an impressive HQ in which to hatch plans for battles and to cook things and other random skills that all your recruits possess as well as being able to fight. The real pull to this game is a Pokemon-esque urge to collect 'em all - with 108 "stars of destiny" (thats characters to you and I) it's often up to you to win battles, look in obscure places and meet certain criteria before certain characters will join you.
Once they do, however, they bolster your ranks and make battles all that much more easier - battles are turn based, obviously, as the majority of older RPG's always were.


A typically tense battle against some mosquitos - animals are far more dangerous in RPG's than they are in real life. Often you get attacked by raccoons, squirrels, fish - you name it.

Missing from this version (again because of the handheld limitations) is the seperate battles that your army could engage in. Playing out like a sortie of sorts (ha), the previous versions of the game allowed you to take your characters onto a battlefield and actually fight pitched battles againt your foe using magic users, archers and infantry in a vague nod to rock, paper, scissors. I, for one, used to really enjoy these parts and feel that the game has suffered slightly with their omission.

Suikoden Tierkries was obviously scaled down slightly due to the development restrictions and as a result is still an incredible game but probably my least favourite in the series. Konami have done away with the 2D look of the originals and made the game 3D which, while obviously a natural progression, doesn't work as well as i'd like it to. Often it reminded me of a slightly grainier Final Fantasy 7 - no bad thing and necessary because of the handheld format but i'm firmly entrenched in the old school camp and would rather they made a flashier 2D version.


The new version - your friend Jale is the one in the beret, lucky he's hard as nails as well.

To be fair to Konami i can hardly complain about any new addition of Suikoden that they choose to bring out - yeah ok the graphics aren't exactly my cup of tea and they've removed a few of the better nuances of the originals but considering that they had a few cut backs to make it could've been so much worse. As it stands they've given us another solid addition to the franchise which fans will warm to after a few slight adjustments. In this case the few cons are far outweighed by the many pros and all come together to make a charming story and an innovative cast of characters.
Note to anyone playing this: If you want to collect all 108 stars you will need a guide, i find it impossible to believe that anyone could find them all without one as many characters only join under the most specific of circumstances!!

My verdict: 8.5/10