Episode 17: Xenogears Part One—Total S in the Gas Chamber

Episode 17: Xenogears Part 1—Total S in the Gas Chamber

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra's Review:

A very long game means a very long episode! To avoid subjecting our listeners to a four hour episode, Xenogears has been broken up into two parts. Part two and a full review will be online in a few weeks. For now, here’s some advice for other people planning to marathon Xenogears:

1. Everything will take at least twice as long as you planned. If you want to get through this game in one four day weekend, you may need to give up on sleeping, bathing, and going to the bathroom.
2. Enjoy the first 15 hours of the game while you can—Hammer is coming and it’s all downhill from there. Bro.
3. Mistrust any stuffed animal that the characters describe as “lukewarm.”
4. Soylent Green is people! Wells were people! Your Gear is made of out of people! Assume that EVERYTHING in this game is people. Your console is people. Your controller is people. YOU’RE PEOPLE.
5. You can’t go wrong with Shotgunnova’s Walkthrough. Come for the dungeon maps, stay for observations such as Hammer being ”a pince-nez-wearin' crossbreed between Splinter from TMNT and Joe Camel.”
6. Know that Xenogears will never pass up an opportunity to traumatize the party members. Or the player.
7. Take a moment to appreciate the times when all the party members are together and you can choose which of them you want in a fight. These are rarer than you think.
8. Take advantage of these when you can: 
   
   They get rarer the farther into the game you get.
9. Remember that Citan is an asshole.
10. Have fun! And a lot of booze.
    

Shotgunnova’s description is accurate. Bro.

Msuic Credits:

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

Xenogears OST

Episode 16: Tales of Xillia Part Two – Bazonga Bonanza!

Episode 16: Tales of Xillia Part Two – Bazonga Bonanza!

Platform: PS3

Release Date:   

     Japan: Sept 8, 2011. 

     North America: Aug 6, 2013. 

     Europe & Australia Aug 9, 2013.

Difficulty: Easy

Pricing: $27.46 on Amazon, $39.99 to download from PSN

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Who’s high on cocaine? This guy!

The Good

• The storyline was complex and well plotted without being confusing. Even with side events such as quests and character skits, the game’s pacing never felt bogged down or like a grind. Characters’ actions and personalities helped to drive the plot, rather than the plot forcing character actions. The final boss made sense with what had come before in the game and was set up as an antagonist, but not a mustache twirling villain, which was refreshing.
• Character development. So much character development. While the game largely focuses on Jude and Millia, each party member has sections of the storyline devoted to them as well as optional subevents and skits that shed more light on their backgrounds and futures. With only six party members, the game was really able to focus and make sure that they all had a role to play in the plot.
• Costume changes. Tired of seeing Jude in the same outfit over and over again? Wanting revenge on a certain character because he keeps backstabbing the party? You can do something about that! Completing certain quests in the game will result in full costumes or costume accessories (such as hats, sunglasses, and a snot bubble that constantly hangs from the character’s nose). For a few dollars, you can also buy new costumes for the characters as DLC. These range from themed outfits such “beach” and “school” to outfits based on the costumes of prior Tales games characters. Some of them also come with different battle music.

The Bad

• Even with setting the game on the highest difficulty level, the fights were still a little too easy (except for certain boss fights, where the difficulty level spiked dramatically). Xillia could have relabeled Hard mode Moderate and taken the difficulty up a notch for Hard.
• The battle system involved too damn many buttons. It’s like the developers sat around examining the PS3 controller and trying to figure out how many of its buttons they could use and how many combinations they could come with. There were features we never used because it was too much to remember in the heat of battle.
• The downside to DLC: If you have some extra money lying around in your bank account, you can buy increased levels and gald through the PSN store. Correction—If you have extra money and no shame. Spend your money on costumes instead. Earn your levels and money like the rest of us.

The Ugly

• TEACH ME ABOUT BAZONGAS!
• The biggest downside to DLC: Rowen in his bathing suit.

Just gonna let that picture speak for itself.

The lowdown:  I love this game and it has easily made its way onto my list of favorites. Everyone should play it and I can’t wait for Xilia-2.

Music Credits:

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

Tales of Xillia OST

Episode 15: Star Ocean: The Second Story—Four Score and Seven Hundred Million Years Ago

Episode 15: Star Ocean: The Second Story—Four Score and Seven Hundred Million Years Ago

Platform: Original: PlayStation. Remake: PSP.

Release Date: 

Original: Japan 7/30/1998, NA 5/31/1999, EU 4/12/2000.

PSP: Japan 4/2/2009, NA 1/19/2009, AU 2/12/2009, EU 2/13/2009.

Difficulty: Easy the first play through, adjustable on any new playthroughs.

Pricing: $29.99 on Amazon (PSP)

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Allen, why do you want to marry someone who looks like she’s twelve?

The Good

• Good character development for Claude and Rena, with Claude figuring out what he wants to do with his life and Rena searching for the truth about her background and why she’s different from everyone else on Expel. The development for the other party members can be hit or miss—especially for the characters you get later in the game—but some of them, such as Celine, Ashton, and Dias, have side stories of their own.
• High replay value: You get the option of having Claude or Rena as your player character and there are eleven other characters that you can pick and choose from to make up the rest of your party. While the main storyline doesn’t change, choosing Claude or Rena gives you more insight into their character arcs and different combinations of party members will mean different private actions and scenes in towns.
• Gameplay mechanics include a solid action based battle system and the crafting abilities that the Star Ocean games are known for.

The Bad

• Some of the time frames in this game are ridiculous, even for a JRPG. I’m pretty good at suspending my disbelief—I have played Star Ocean: Till the End of Time—but the backstory given for Energy Nede stretches belief to the breaking point. 700 million years? 3.7 billion years? Really? And the Nedian civilization has apparently barely changed in that time period? Those are nonsense numbers.
• Just like in the remake of Star Ocean: First Depature, spell animations take forever in battle and there’s nothing you can do but sit there and watch.

The Ugly

• The bonus dungeon. It’s full of some mean, mean creatures.
• Celine’s floating shower curtain cape thing.

You may have killed me a million times, but at least I can say “Star Flare!” without lisping!

The lowdown:  A solid entry in the Star Ocean series and well worth playing if you’ve enjoyed the other games. The main storyline can stretch belief to the breaking point, but the characters make the game worth playing.

Music Credits

RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.
Star Ocean Second Departure Arranged Soundtrack 

Episode 14: Secret of Mana: Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!

Episode 14: Secret of Mana: Help, I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!

Platform: Super NES

Japanese Release Date: August 6, 1993

U.S. Release Date: October 3, 1993

PAL Release Date: November 24, 1994

Difficulty: Easy

Current Amazon Price: $2,000 new (start saving), $51.65 used

Also available on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console (I bought mine on the Wii for about $7 or $8)  

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Lightning's Review

…Apparently, this game is set in the future. 

The Good

• A perfect starter retro game…or for any retro gamer, for that matter. A variety of weapons, items, and spells always manage to keep this action RPG interesting. You also have the choice as to whether or not you want to control a fighter type, a healer, or an offensive magic user, making this game accessible for all player types.
• The multiplayer facet of this game is fun – up to three players can control a character, making an otherwise ho-hum dungeon suddenly a lot more interesting.

The Bad

• Poor, unpredictable AI should you play solo or with two people. Will your AI attack? Will it stand there and do nothing? Will it get stuck running against the other side of a bed when you’re trying to leave an inn? You’ll never know.
• A hurried translation that left a lot out and left a lot to be imagined. Even Ted Woolsey (the translator) admits he cut a lot out due to time constraints. The story is bare-bones and at times can be hard to follow as a result.
• A weapon and magic leveling system that can make you want to tear your hair out should you want to max out every weapon and every spell. Ever wanted to cast Remedy on someone who doesn’t need it…100 times? Then bring out your inner masochist!

The Ugly

• Some of the monsters in this game. Like the giant blue heads that gave birth to other monsters. Or the vicious bunny monsters. OR THE BAT THAT REFUSES TO WEAR PANTS.

Magical flying dragons in Mode 7 – it doesn’t get any more delicious than this.

The Lowdown: A solid retro title, despite the cons outlined above. If you are just getting into retro gaming, or want to suggest an old school JRPG to a friend, then perhaps give this one a shot. This game isn’t for everyone (especially if you have little patience for grinding and poor AI), but the art style is endearing, the action RPG element of the game is fun, and the multiplayer option was an excellent addition to the game. I definitely have retro goggles on when it comes to this game – but darnit, I like them. 

Music Credits:
RPG Roundup Theme Song: "Video Game Theme," J. Arthur Keenes Band. Creative Commons Attribution License.
Secret of Mana OST

Episode 13: Wild Arms—For a Few Gella More

Episode 13: Wild Arms—For a Few Gella More

Platform: Playstation

Release Date: 

  Japan: December 20, 1996

  North America: April 30, 1997

  Europe: October 1998

Difficulty: Easy

Pricing: PSN $4.99, Amazon $80 (for a new disc, geez)

Podcast: Download, iTunes, PodOmatic

Terra’s Review

Unlike Alice’s White Rabbit, this bunny will never be late.

The Good

• With a party of only three characters, each character gets a significant chunk of the storyline dedicated to them, their backstories, and their development. I wouldn’t mind if more modern games tried this approach instead of going with 6-8 party members.

• The storyline has its twists and turns, but also is also fairly logical and easy to follow—especially for a JRPG. I especially enjoyed the fact that even the villains had their own competing motivations that sometimes led to them helping the party and working against each other.

• The soundtrack has a professional whistler. A PROFESSIONAL WHISTLER. 

The Bad

• Fairly basic turn-based battle system without much variety.

• Repetitive monsters, especially by the time you’re in the final dungeon.

• The setting doesn’t quite gel. It’s not quite a typical medieval-ish fantasyland, but it’s not particularly Western either, despite the desert, use of guns, and soundtrack with lots of whistling. And then there’s the space teleportation devices.

• Rudy as a silent protagonist doesn’t quite work. Cecelia seems to drive the story more, and since you can decide who you’re playing as, there’s no silent-protagonist-as-player-substitute. The storyline would have worked better if Rudy had talked just as much (or even half as much) as Cecelia and Jack. 

The Ugly

• So many polygons in the battle screens. So many.

• Captain Bartholomew, who doesn’t like girls over the age of 18 and has a ship named “Sweet Candy.”

 

Saving the best for last.

The lowdown:  For me, interest in the storyline and the characters outweighed the so-so battle system and the early 3D graphics. The puzzles added interest to what had the potential to become dull dungeon crawling—especially given that the monsters became less and less varied as the game went on. If you’re a fan of retro games or the Wild Arms series, give this one a try. If you’ve been eyeing the Wild Arms games but haven’t played any of them yet, you may want to start with this one. From what Lightning’s told me, the games are somewhat interconnected and this first installment might suffer in comparison to the later ones, which built on this first one and made improvements. Also, the game has a screensaver. A screensaver and a professional whistler. What more could you want?

Special Bonus: EverQuest novels. I was not hallucinating them when I was a kid.

This man appears to have no pants.

Music Credits:

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

Wild Arms OST.