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

Episode 8: Breath of Fire—Of Swords, Speedos, and S Ptn

Breath of Fire

Platform: SNES (there is also a slightly souped-up version on the Gameboy Advance)

Japanese Release Date: April 3, 1993

US Release Date: August 10, 1994

Difficulty: Easy

Amazon Prices: starting at $18.99 used, $649.99 for a new cartridge (if you have some money to blow)

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

 Lightning's Review

 Is this a travelling circus, or the Breath of Fire cast? Probably both.

The Good

• If you’re looking for retro RPGs, this game offers solid turn-based combat, interesting character abilities, and a decent alternative to Squaresoft titles, which were ubiquitous and dominated the RPG market at the time.
• This is the first game in the Breath of Fire series! If you have played any of the other games and are interested in the continuity of the series, this title is directly tied with the second and third installments (with the fourth game also potentially providing a link).
• Where ELSE are you going to have to fight an army of roaches to help some mice get their cheese? I mean, really.

The Bad

• Useless party members. Mogu, anyone?
• A bland translation that provides little to no character development. I know this wasn’t all that common in 1993, but titles such as Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy III/VI have deeper, more meaningful stories that can more easily engage the player.
• Sometimes the gameplay is downright tedious and boring, especially in the early part of the game.

The Ugly

• Mogu’s Dream World. ‘Nuff said.
• Ox’s fetching outfit:

• Jade and his many-colored tumors. I, uh, didn’t realize he actually had eyes until I saw this picture.

The Lowdown

I definitely have retro goggles on while playing this game, since I played it when I was a kid. That being said, there are far better SNES retro titles for you to play first, such as Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy III/VI. Don’t try this unless you’re already interested in the Breath of Fire series or want to get as many RPGs under your belt as possible. There’s also the issue with availability: this is not on the Virtual Console or PSN. You will either have to emulate it or buy a cartridge. If you go the cartridge route, please note that many SNES cartridges do not have back-up batteries that last longer than ten years. Every time you save, there will be a gamble as to whether or not you can pick your game up again. In that case, you’ll either need to learn how to replace the battery or find someone who can (there are also how-to’s on the web). 

Music Credits:

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

Breath of Fire Soundtrack

RPG Roundup Joins Twitter!

We just set up a Twitter account so that our listeners can be updated on announcements about the podcast and be entertained by our ranty video game moments. Because we play the games first, sometimes we get off schedule and don’t want anyone to think we abandoned the podcast/got kidnapped by pirates/went on drunken video game rampages after getting killed in Soul Nomad. To all five of you, please follow us!

We can be found here. If the link isn't working, search for Terra and Lightning on Twitter and there we are!  :)

~Lightning

Episode 7: Final Fantasy—Wash Your Damn Face! (NES)

Final Fantasy

Platform: NES. NES version also available on the Wii Virtual Console (for this review, anyway)

Japanese Release Date: December 17, 1987

North American Release Date: July 12, 1990

Difficulty: Moderate

Amazon Price: $85 for a new NES cartridge

Wii Virtual Console: About $5

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

One podcast episode, two reviews!

Terra's Review of the Playstation Version

Lightning's Review

 

When a fountain tells you to wash your #%#%#@% face, then you’d better damn well do it.

The Good

• This is the real deal! This version reviewed is THE 8 bit original Final Fantasy that started it all. For you retro gamers out there, this is a treat that holds up well despite being over 20 years old.
• The 8 bit beep beep boop booping of the soundtrack and the colorful sprites will bring tears of nostalgia to your eyes.
• A solid (if simple) combat and class system that allows for high replay value.

The Bad

• You want a good RPG story? Well, you won’t find it here. This is as bare bones as they come.
• A targeting system that will make you bellow in rage when your characters hit dead air when you’ve misjudged how long it will take to kill an enemy. It may add some strategic value to the game, but more often than not it will just add frustration.

The Ugly

• Realizing that there is NO WAY to warp out of a dungeon after your white mage dies.
• The Ogre Corridor of Doom. You have been warned.
• Viewing red mage cosplay pictures on the net.  

That pretty much sums it up.

The Lowdown: Despite being almost as old as I am, this game has aged well. I would in fact recommend playing this version over the PlayStation port to get the original experience (that is, if you have an NES or Wii readily available). Don’t let the primitive graphics and soundtrack fool you – this game has high replay value, provides a decent challenge, and gives you a firsthand view of how Final Fantasy developed into the blockbuster franchise that it is today. The only instance in which I wouldn’t recommend playing is if you aren’t interested in games that are for the most part dungeon crawlers – players craving a complex story may be disappointed.

Music Credits:

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

Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack

Final Fantasy Playstation Soundtrack