Episode 10: Tales of Xillia Part One – No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service!

Episode 10: Tales of Xillia Part One – No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service!

Platform: PlayStation 3

Japanese Release Date: September 8, 2011

U.S. Release Date: August 6, 2013

Europe & Australia: August 9, 2013

Difficulty: Easy on default difficulty level

Current Amazon Price: $39.96 (game only)

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Lightning's Review 

Jude fears Alvin’s BO! (Also note the snot bubble hanging from Alvin’s nose, which is usually much more prominent.)

We are doing the episode in two parts and haven’t finished the game yet. So instead of a full review we will tell you all about –

THINGS WE’VE LEARNED FROM PLAYING TALES OF XILLIA

• How something meant for fan service can go horribly, horribly wrong (see above picture).
• The horrors of crack lung (somehow this ended up in the episode).
• There is such a thing as TOO MANY BUTTONS!
• Anyone (or anything) that reminds you of the movie Encino Man is never a good thing…TEEPO!
• Without an instruction manual, we are absolutely clueless.
• More RPGs should have co-op! 

Just think…for a mere 50 bucks YOU can buy a Teepo plushie on Amazon! I can feel your excitement already.

Lightning’s impressions thus far: a solid JRPG, though gamers seeking more of a challenge should definitely set the difficulty level up to Hard (we subsequently did this, and we actually have an incentive to learn all the controls now). The story is interesting so far, and the combat system, with features such as linked artes and optional co-op, also has some good ideas. Sure, we might complain about the controls, but it shouldn’t impinge on your enjoyment of game. Play co-op if you can! 

Music Credits:

RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Tales of Xillia Soundtrack

Episode 9: Shining Force: Here, Have A Jogurt Ring

Episode 9:  Shining Force—Here, Have A Jogurt Ring

Platform: Sega Genesis

Release Date: 

  Japan: March 20, 1992

  USA & Europe: July 1993

Difficulty: Moderate

Pricing:  

  Steam, $2.99. 

  Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection,  $14.96 (PS3), $16.49 (Xbox). 

  Cartridge $18.95 used.

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Put on some pants, Max.

The Good

• Tao, Anri, and Domingo: The mages kick ass in this game and will burn/freeze/electrocute everything in sight.
• Tactical gameplay that is simple enough to be able to figure out quickly, but challenging enough to keep the game interesting. You also get a variety of characters with different types of attacks and movement and can build a party based on the enemies you’re fighting and the type of terrain.
• The game has a sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously, with scenes such as Max getting turned into a chicken, a King running his town’s shops, and shopkeepers who are a little too happy to buy items from you—“It’s mine, all mine!”
• Although there’s basically no character development, all the party members have names and are distinctive from each other in some way.

The Bad

• Clunky, clunky menus: You can only buy one item at a time, characters can only hold a max of four items—including their weapon and any accessories, and figuring who can be equipped with what can be a guessing game.
• Fighting the same battle multiple times is the only way to level up.
• If Max dies, it’s Game Over and back to the last town to fight that battle all over again. Which means being very cautious about using one of the most powerful characters in the game, especially in boss battles.

The Ugly

• Jogurt.
• Max’s lack of pants.
• Kane’s floppy boner.

Behold the beauty of the floppy boner.

The lowdown:  This game was a lot of fun to play, even if some of that fun came from mocking Max’s lack of pants. Even though the storyline is thin and the characters barely have personalities, the game is still engaging and the battles are challenging enough to keep things interesting.  If you’re looking for something light, not too involved/complicated, and fairly quick to finish, Shining Force is the game for you.

Music Credits:

RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.

Shining Force Soundtrack