Episode 11: Soul Nomad and the World Eaters – Hotpod Hoedown

Episode 11:  Soul Nomad and the World Eaters – Hotpod Hoedown

Platform: Playstation 2

Release Date: 

  Japan: Feb 15, 2007

  USA:  Sept 25, 2007

  Europe: Jun 20, 2008

Difficulty: Moderate

Pricing:  $57.41 on Amazon

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra's Review

His power or...something else?

The Good

• Soul Nomad has a unique game play experience. It emphasizes pre-battle planning and gives players the ability to view the battlefield and the forces the characters will face before the actual battle, something that is pretty rare in RPGs. How you prepare for a battle is as important as the strength of your characters. In fact, sometimes how you prepare is even more important than pure strength and high stats.
• Though melodramatic and sometimes confusing, the storyline events kept me engaged and wanting to know what happened next.  
• Odie will kill everything and is pathetically entertaining.

 

The Bad

• Although Soul Nomad is marketed as a game where the player’s choices will shape events and you can be good or evil, there aren’t actually many options or choices to make. This is especially true on the first play through, when you don’t have access to the Demon path and a darker storyline.
• There’s a high learning curve in terms of figuring out the gameplay mechanics and changing rooms and re-arranging squads can get tedious.
• Revya dies=Game Over, which means having to avoid using one of the best characters during the most challenging battles.

The Ugly

• Odie’s cheap Halloween dinosaur mask.
• Endorph.
• Tricia’s adoptive father loves her a little too much.

It’s too dangerous because that hairpin is so damned ugly.

The Lowdown:  Soul Nomad is definitely a game for the hardcore Nippon Ichi and tactical gaming fans. The gameplay had its faults, but it was a nice change of pace from action RPGs or tactical games with a setup more like Disgaea’s. 

Music Credits:

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

Soul Nomad OST

Episode 4: La Pucelle Tactics – Behold Our Kitty and Crossbones Flag and Despair!

La Pucelle Tactics
Platform: PS2, ported to PS3
Japanese Release Date:  January 31, 2002
U.S. Release Date: May 4, 2004
Difficulty: Easy aside from sudden level spikes
Current Amazon Price: $31.99
Current Playstation Network Price: $9.99

 Podcast: Download,  iTunes,  Listen on PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Behold Our Kitty and Crossbones flag and despair. MEOW

The Good:

• A story that’s more complex and in depth than “Go, characters! Wander the world on your way to defeating the big boss."

• Humor that underlies the series and keeps even the darkest moments on the storyline from getting too serious and depressing.

• All of the main characters have well-defined personalities and they all get development and their time to shine during the game.

• Getting to see the roots of the battle system and slightly twisted sense of humor that the Disgaea series builds on and continues to fine tune.

The Bad:

•   Dull level grinding without much choice or variety in maps and battles.

•   Slightly too convenient pairing off of the main characters.

•   Minimal healing items.

 The Ugly:

•  
  

You don’t want to know what’s on the other side of that wall

The Lowdown: La Pucelle is a solid game with a storyline that moves briskly and characters that will keep players engaged and entertained.

   Podcast Credits:

        J. Arthur Keenes Band --"Videogame Theme." Creative Commons.
La Pucelle Arranged Soundtrack