Persona 4 Arena

The Short

Pros
- Excellently crafted fighting game from the creators of Guilty Gear and Blazblue
- Accessible combos and moves make this Arc System's most "noob friendly" game yet
- Game is gorgeous and follows a similar art/aesthetic style to Persona 3 and 4
- Story mode does a decent job connecting the characters from Persona 3 and 4 while adding some entertaining foils
- Voice acting is spot on, as it usually is with these games, and the localization team still rocks
- Music is excellent, featuring a mix of P3 and P4 tracks that have been remixed, as well as some original songs
- Works surprisingly well in the Persona universe, despite my immense doubts as to how it would fit
- We finally figure out what the heck Elizabeth has been doing since the end of P3 in greater detail. Which is awesome.

Cons
- Limited roster of characters, and most are from P4 (13, with two being new)
- The presentation of the visual-novel style story mode is completely at odds with the dialogue-based character development presented in the series Persona games
- The protagonist from P4 has both a voice, name, and inner monologue. I don't think I like it.
- They changed Chie's voice actor so she doesn't sound like a 30-year-old women. Yes, this is a con.
- I still hate how homophobic Atlas is when it comes to everything involving Kanji. Seriously...it isn't funny.

Welcome to the Velvet Room.

The Long

My eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling in raised...ness when Atlas and Arc Systems announced Persona 4 Arena. I mean...did anybody's not? Taking one of the most popular (and possibly best) JRPGs crafted in recent memory and turning into a fighting game...well...that didn't make a lot of sense. Especially considering the main focus of the games was heavy on story, dialogue, and character interaction, there really isn't much for that in a fighting game (the only "character interaction" is them beating the crap out of each other). 

However, as the development cycle went on (and I got fully exposed to the rest of Arc Systems games, and they are arguably my favorite fighting game company to date) I began to have hope that this game would work out. Especially after Atlas pointed out that 1. This game is canon (?!) 2. It would have Persona 3 characters and 3. It would have a heavy emphasis on a story that fused (hur hur, Persona puns) together; I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and allow Persona 4 Arena a shot at life.

So, as a hardcore Persona fan, Arc Systems fan, and writer, what is my opinion of Persona 4 Arena? Well, it has a whole lot of good, and a decent amount of mediocre. Read on and I'll explain.

If you like text, this game has got you covered. 

Let's go over what I'll probably talk the most about: Persona 4 Arena's absolutely colossal story mode. Considering this was what most fans considered the most sacrilegious part of the game (and the one with the biggest chance to screw everything up), I figured it deserves more than a brief mention.

The game allows you to play as every single character through the story mode, starting with the "core" Persona 4 characters (Yosuke, Yu [Aka the Protag], Chie, and Yukiko. After beating one of theirs you unlock Teddie and Kanji (who had a different path), and then the Persona 3 characters Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Aigis, as well as the last P4 straggler, Naoto. There's one final new character who you play last (Labrys), and after beating her mission you can replay all other stories from the "cliffhanger" ending to see the different ways the story plays out with your chosen character as the center of attention. Finally, after getting the "true" endings from the P4 and then P3 cast, you unlock Elizabeth's story, which is arguably the biggest fan-servicy one of them all as it seems to mostly focus more on resolving parts of Persona 3's story rather than Persona 4's. 

Point being: there's a butt-load of story here, and you are going to be spending tons of hours burning through it all if you are a Persona fan (I did). So since I spent all this time beating every character to 100% and seeing every ending, that means I loved the story mode right? Right?

Um...ok, let's talk about that.

Teddy is still a lovable idiot, and his story is one of the best (if only because of his moronic monologue)

So I'll get this out of the way first: I don't really dig the "visual novel" style of some Japanese games. Don't get me wrong, it can work (Phoenix Wright is a sterling example of this) but in most cases they become exposition heavy, monologue riddled messes that spend far too much time "thinking" rather than actually moving the plot forward. They're designed to bare everything through pages and pages of text, which can be good for some people, but for me I prefer a level of subtlety in writing. On the "show, don't tell" spectrum, they tend to be heavily lodged in the "tell" section, and it irks me.

Persona 4 Arena's story mode is super exposition heavy, and nearly drowns in its monologues. I kid you not when I say there's probably 7-8 paragraphs of monologue for every spoken line in this game, and that might actually be a low estimate. As you'd expect, you spend more time in character's heads than they do actually participating in the tournament, and that makes the story's pace drag to an un-bear-able crawl (see that pun? Teddy would be proud).

This is especially noticeable (in a bad way) for the main character, Yu's, story arch. In the games he was a silent protagonist, allowing the player to project themselves onto him. Since they couldn't do that in this game he has both a voice and pages of internal dialogue with himself, most of which is boring and generic. Not to be "that guy," but my Bob (which is what I named him in P4) wouldn't be nearly as big a toolbox as Yu is in this game. Not to mention that, since he didn't really have a personality  they can only draw on things P4 forced on his character, like his relation to Nanako. This makes him seem a hollow shell of the deep character I developed (in my own head, admittedly) during Persona 4, and makes his entire scenario really awkward to experience.

Elizabeth is on the moon. Don't ask why. 

This sense of awkwardness carried over to nearly all the Persona 4 characters I played, especially considering Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko have literally the exact same character arc for their stories. And that arc is identical to their Shadow trial in Persona 4, which makes it seem double lazy. I understand playing it safe, but come on! Not to mention their internal monologues, which I'm certain were meant to make the characters more three-dimensional, actually focuses more on their two-dimensional character attributes, making them flatter than 2D Teddy. The Persona games always conveyed incredible character depth through dialogue only, since the only thoughts you could perceive were the protagonist's (and you usually directed them). It made you feel like you really knew these people without getting into their heads, and as such make the relationships feel more...real. I mean, you don't know the exact thoughts of your best friends, right? Unless you are some sort of freaky mind reader. 

Persona 4 Arena botches this when it comes to its storytelling. By going the "easy" way out and making it a visual novel method of storytelling, it loses the depth and personality found in the Persona games and just makes it a long, droning look inside the heads of people I really didn't want to see the thoughts of. I knew them well enough before, thanks.

If I'm sounding a bit too hard on the story, that might actually be the case, because despite my complaints I really enjoyed the plot at hand. Whenever dialogue did emerge it was usually excellent, and there was some fantastic character banter (again, why I play these games) in each story (except Yu's. His was dull). And the "get inside their heads" actually worked very well for Kanji, Teddie, Aigis, Elizabeth, and Labrys' story arcs (mostly because all save the latter were quite funny). The story itself is also fairly decent, and seeing it unfold from different views (as the angle gets wider and wider as you back into Persona 3 character territory and finally see what's actually going on with Labrys' story) is genuinely clever. It's just too bad you have to sift through tons of useless fluff in order to actually get to the good stuff. 

General Teddie knows how to dress. 

At the risk of running long in the tooth here, let me end this briefly: Persona 4 Arena's story does an adequate job connecting the worlds of P3 and P4, is chock full of some fantastic fan-service, has a decent plot (once you actually get to it), the voice acting is excellent, and it made me genuinely excited to see where this series will go in Persona 5. It also works the whole "fighting game" mechanics into the world in a way that is surprisingly not lame, so the idea of these characters fighting each other actually makes sense, so that's a credit. While the method of administering the story was arguably the worst way they could have chosen, it's still worth looking into if you are a P3 or P4 fan.

Oh, last thing: you'll have to have played both Persona 3 and 4 to really understand and get the story here, and you'll even have to have beaten the optional velvet room bosses from both games to really get the story here (or Elizabeth's, at least). I'm serious, both games. While it does a decent job expositioning the crap out of you in case you missed one of the two games, it isn't sufficient enough if you are going in completely dry. So play the story after beating both games, alright? There, I'm done.

On to what really matters. 

Ok, so story beats out of the way (and see how I avoided spoilers? You'll thank me later), let's talk about what actually matters in terms of gameplay: the fighting itself. For those who have played previous Arc Systems games, you'll know they're big on lots of half rolls and multiple button mashes and loads of counters and crazy combos. And, for those who like their other games like BlazBlue or Guilty Gear, you'll be pleased to know Persona 4 Arena is absolutely an Arc Systems game. In fact, it might be their best one in terms of control.

The gamepad is very simply laid out. You have two buttons that are your character's physical attacks (light and heavy) and two that are their Persona attacks (also light and heavy). Most major specials require use of Personas, which can be banished if the Personas themselves are hit four times during a match (they'll return after a brief recharge). Across the board, most characters have all the exact same sets of moves (forward half-roll + physical attack, forward half roll + Persona attack, two forward half rolls + persona for an SP special) which means you can easily pick up any character and start figuring out how they work without worry about what unique controls you have to manuiver. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this (Aigis' different modes, and Elizabeth's absolutely insane self-damaging/self-healing sets of abilities), but as a whole this is the most accessible fighting game I've probably ever played. It's very easy to pick up and do moves, though figuring out how to best use each character's unique arsenal is the "hard to master" part of this discussion.

Robot battles.

There's also a lot of Persona-themed flavor to be had here, too. Moves are named after spells, so if you know your "Zio" from your "Bufu," you're in for a treat. You gain "SP" at the bottom which is used for the more powerful specials (which are all magic taken from the series), and there are even status ailments that you can inflict on your enemies to mess 'em up (as well as All Out Attacks, though those aren't particularly useful). Characters execute their own personal signature moves from their respective games, including their common phrases used in battle. While it certainly looks and feels like an Arc Systems fighting game, the Persona flavor is still very much there, and as such adds a sense of weird style that isn't found in many other fighting games. It's a weird mix, to be sure, but I was greatly surprised at how seamlessly it blended.

It's worth pointing out, however, that if you plan on playing this online, the Xbox 360 online community seems to be pretty much dead. The netcode wasn't that great on that system to begin with, so I suppose it was inevitable (plus 360 owners tend to play more first person shooters than super Japanese fighting games based on super Japanese RPGs about monster collecting and dating...), but I've heard the PS3 version still has a decent community. There's plenty of options for couch combat if that's your thing (that's how we usually play), and as stated the story and arcade modes are pretty robust, but if online's your thing...note it.

If there's anything I can agree with, it's Chie beating up Naoto.

Here's a question: what happens when you fuse the uber-detailed, HD animated sprites from BlazeBlue with the super stylish, super flashy design of Persona 4? If you answered "something awesome," you'd be totally right. 

Persona 4 Arena looks downright incredible. From the awesome yellow theme in the menues (mixed a bit with the heavy "blue" theme from Persona 3) to the gorgeous characters and their respective Personas, Persona 4 Arena is glorious on an HD TV. Characters look very accurate to their Persona 4 counterparts, though I did notice they tended to lean a bit towards the "Arc Systems" style of art rather than their Atlas inspirations, but not enough that it bothered me. As stated previously, the effects are super flashy and look fantastic, while the menues are stylized and striking. It's a great looking game that is loyal to its source material.

Same goes for the voice acting. All the voice actors are pulled over from the original games, except Chie and Teddie. And here's where I'll make a special note. I don't mind Teddie's new voice actor (I honestly can't really tell the difference) but new Chie really irks me. A friend of mine pointed out she sounds like a 30-year-old woman in the PS2 Persona 4, but there was something about her voice that grew on you in that game. Plus, she was my favorite character in P4, so having a completely different voice was really jarring. Not enough to piss me off or anything, just...weird. I hear it's the same VA that's in P4Golden on the Vita, so there's consistency there, but it still is weird. 

Music is, as expected, fantastic, featuring killer remixes (and originals) of songs from both Persona 3 and 4. That stupid battle song from P4 is still the catchiest thing ever, and you'll probably be humming most of the tunes long after the game is turned off.

Plus, the used the final boss song from P3 for Elizabeth, which is the dopest song in the game. So there's that. 

A year later, and Kanji still is a big chicken.

I will say I was very surprised by Persona 4 Arena, in both a good and a bad way. Good because they were very loyal to the source games, the fighting is fantastic, and I love the connection between P3 and P4. Bad because the story presentation is absolutely unfitting to the series it's presenting, it has some horrible pacing, and Chie's voice actor is different. Yes, I'm still harping on that.

All that aside, however, I have to commend Atlas for this. They made a game that crossed two genres that most people don't play both of (lengthy JRPGs fused with fighting games) and managed to create a game that would appeal to both. By having it be both accessible yet competent, and paired with the charming and memorable characters from both games, Persona 4 Arena is an anomaly of gaming that shouldn't work but somehow totally does. If you enjoy either Arc Systems fighting games or the Persona series, you should check it out. Plus, it's like $20, and if you plan on playing Persona 5 I'm pretty sure some stuff in this game will be referenced. It is canon, you know.

If they'd just presented the story better, this would probably earn a perfect score. But for now, it still gets a glowing four out of five stars.

And remember: every day's great at your Junes

Rayman: Jungle Run

The Short

Pros
- Fun twist on the "runner" genre
- Livid Dead levels are a fun, difficult challenge
- Graphics look gorgeous on a retina screen or high-res android display
- Game does a good balance of rewarding powerups to improve difficulty
- Great "pick up 'n play" game
- Has free DLC
- Not hampered by microtransactions
- Only $2

Cons
- Could have used more levels
- Simplistic platforming might irritate some

I was runnin...

The Long

It's no secret I'm a big fan of iOS and Android games. Short, usually simple experiences that sate your video game fix on the go for a hefty discount. Games like 10,000,000 and Game Dev Story can be content rich (and, at times, complex) while still being loads of fun and budget priced.

Something I'm sick of, however, is the "runner" style games on the iOS store. There's plenty of these out there, some more popular ones being Canabalt, Jetpack Joyride, Monster Run, and I Must Run! Basically you endlessly run to the right, dodging obstacles forever until you run into something and die. It's a score chase, it's mindless, and there's too many of them.

So when I heard they were making a Rayman game that was a "run" game, I was a bit turned off. Yeah, I loved the crap out of Rayman Origins, but I didn't want fond memories of that game tarnished by a weak knock-off. However, after hearing a few good reviews and seeing how downright pretty this game is, I dived in.

And guess what? Rayman Jungle Run is a superb platformer in every respect, that certainly goes above the concept of both a "runner" game and an iOS platformer.

The game certainly looks like Rayman

Jungle Run takes the basic ideas from Rayman Origins, strips them down, and leaves a game that is both easy to learn and difficult to master. It plays somewhat similarly to runner games in that Rayman will always automatically run to the right, but what differentiates this game is that there's actual level design here. It isn't an endless runner like many might think; instead, it's got similar platforming to Origins, just axing the manual directional control that would normally be handled by the D-pad. As such, you are left with three very simple options: jump, hover, and attack. And the game has worlds devoted entirely around these mechanics, just to be sure you'll learn them. Oh, and the wall run move. Can't forget that.

Because this game has actual levels, it feels more like an actual platformer than many other iOS platformers that offer full control. To be honest, removing directional controls (a finicky thing on a touch screen) was probably the best idea for this touch-only game, as they obviously designed the levels around the "always running" mechanic. This leaves a bunch of levels that are both challenging and fun, while still being easy and not having touch-controls trying to bottleneck you at every turn. It was a smart design choice, and it pays off in spades. 

Lums are still the goal of the game. 

While the levels are usually not too challenging to get through in terms of traversal, the real goal is to collect all the Lums (those little golden dudes) on every stage. That is where the game's challenge comes in. If you can get all 100 Lums, you earn a tooth for Death. Get enough teeth in a world, and you unlock that world's Land of the Livid Dead stage, a super challenging gauntlet that can often feel more like rote memorization rather than actual skill. Still, these uber-difficult unlocks are appreciated, as they feel like a good capstone to the skill you learned in each world. They also add a lot of replayability, as each level is usually under a minute long, so replaying it over and over to try and get all the Lums quickly becomes priority.

There were originally four worlds (five now, with DLC), each with ten levels if you count the bonus Livid Dead levels. That's a total of fifty levels for $2, which is certainly not a bad deal, but I wouldn't have minded more considering how easy the first world is. Still, it's easy to pick up, hopelessly addicting, and controls great. You can't ask for a more perfect iOS experience.

Good luck with that coin. 

This game also looks downright gorgeous on an iOS screen. The fact it looks nearly identical to Rayman Origins is a credit to the developers considering the downgrade in hardware, and the bright colors pop out vividly on the retena display. It looks great on an iPhone, but on an iPad it's downright spectacular, easily being one of the best looking iOS games artistically.

Music is also good, with a few select tunes from Origins, though it doesn't quite reach the awesome level that Origins' music provided. Still, I play most iOS games with the sound off, and the game plays fine silent as well. So that's a plus too.

I have very little bad to say about this game. 

Jungle Run isn't Origins. It's stripped down, to be sure, to accommodate for the touch screen and mobile status of a phone. But despite that, Ubisoft has created one of the best iOS platformers I've ever experienced. By removing what is often a developer's biggest hang up for these types of games (analog directional control on a touch screen) and focusing instead on building levels around the running mechanic, they've created a game that's fun, a good challenge, addicting, and excellently controlled. My only gripe is I wish there was more of it, something they seem to be fixing with free DLC.

If you have any affinity for these types of games, on console or otherwise, you should do yourself a favor and grab Jungle Run. I mean...come on. It's $2. You can't even buy lunch with that. 

Four out of five stars. 

Fire is still bad, though. Just...in case you forgot. 

Favorite Games Played in 2012

Hello all! And welcome back to Nathan vs Video Games...the blog. Yeah, there's been some serious radio silence on this end for a while, mostly because of life issues, but my New Years goal is to provide you with one review or article on this blog daily, so re-bookmark and re-subscribe or whatever, because content is coming full force!

You may note I said "Article" in addition to Reviews. While I still plan on continuing the epic quest to review every game I've ever played, I also am no longer pigeonholing this site to just reviews. Expect lists, articles, and more on here as part of the daily content update for 2013. It's gonna be good stuff! And all video game related, so you know you'll love it!

In addition, there will be a hefty amount of new video content once I figure out how Adobe Premiere works. For those who missed it, I built a sweet gaming PC over Christmas, and now have switched to Windows for video editing. So those who subscribed to the YouTube channel and are sad because of lack of updates...don't be! Stuff is in the pipeline. Stuff big.

But for now, let's do a very quick list of my favorite games I played in 2012. Now, here's the catch: these games don't have to be released in 2012 to count. I know, right? This list is, in fact, for games I played for the first time in 2012. I'll be referencing games released in 2012, but there are a few I played the first time this year worth mentioning.

Also, these aren't in any particular order, so there's that too. Ready? GO!


Mega Man X

I can't believe I never played this game before now. I had played all the Mega Man NES games, all the Mega Man Zero games, but for some reason never touched the X series. Well, I fixed that in 2012, and good damn, this game is fantastic. As stated in my glowing review, Mega Man X is probably one of the best action platformers ever created. The controls are perfect, tight, and the game has excellent game feel. The power-ups are useful and cool, the stages have tons of secrets to be discovered, and the final area is a serious challenge. It's an unmatched game, to be sure, usurping even the NES Mega Man games in terms of quality. If you haven't played it, you really should. Really. Do it.


Spec Ops: The Line

I literally finished this game two days ago, so expect a review up shortly (as well as a spoiler-filled article on why this game is fantastic) but in terms of games released in 2012 that I actually finished, Spec Ops: The Line is my absolute favorite. Not because it's a good game (the controls are clunky, the shooting never changes, and the gameplay is wholly generic), but because of what it does. Without digging too deep, this is a game based on Heart of Darkness, a critique on the horrors of war and what it does to people. Only Spec Ops: The Line takes it one step further. That generic box art that looks like Call of Duty or Battlefield? A trap. The generic intro and hour-start that sets the trappings of just another "hoo-rah," shoot the foreigners, war-glorifying shooter? A ruse.

This game knows its audience, and as such lures you in before completely pulling the rug out from under you. And not just that, it points its target of criticism not just on its psychologically damaged characters, but on you as a player, in some incredibly well done "meta" ways. I won't say more for risk of spoiling it, but you should really play Spec Ops: The Line. Just...don't read anything more about it until you do, ok? Spoiling this game will ruin the experience. It's unbelievable to me this game got greenlighted based on the underlying meaning it pushes.


Shatterhand

Here's an NES gem that was overlooked by too many people. Shatterhand is, simply, an action platformer with an emphasis on punching. It's sort of a hybrid between Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, and...God Hand, maybe? Ok, not really, but both games have a lot of punching.

The thing that makes Shatterhand so great is the controls. It's one of the best feeling games I've played (right up there with Mega Man X), combined with a cool powerup and healing system (where you can pay for heals with the coins you acquire, mid-stage) and well designed levels that are an absolute blast to traverse. It's a difficult game, to be sure, but an awesome one.

Also, the graphics are gorgeous and the music is kick-ass. Seriously, good stuff.


The Walking Dead

Confession: I haven't beaten the season yet, but I can tell already that this game was made for me. Dynamic character choices, exceptional voice acting, a cool story that isn't cliche, and some genuinely tough decisions make this a game I had difficulties pushing down. Well, until my computer died and ate my progress, meaning I'll have to burn through two episodes to get back to where I was. Either way, there's a reason people won't shut up about this game. It's awesome. And I won't way any more for fear of spoilers or just lack of knowledge.


FTL (Faster Than Light)

I love Indie games, if only because they often do things that wouldn't fly from big publishers. Such is the case of FTL, a Kickstarted game that turned out amazing. FTL is basically The Oregon Trail in space. You start with a small ship that you stock, man, and arm and set it out into space. You then travel to different (randomly generated) locations, doing battle, saving aliens, and embarking on adventures as you try to avoid getting caught by the big baddies that want you dead. Death is permanent, the game is very hard, and the battles are unbelievably cool. If you ever wanted to be the commander of the Enterprise but none of the Star Trek games were doing it for you, this is a game you need to play. With all its unlockable ships, events, and the fact that you can do a run in under a half hour (or less if you really suck), it's a great game in short bursts.

If you can ever put it down. Good luck with that.

Mark of the Ninja

I love stealth games. Let me correct myself, there: I love the concept of stealth games. Sneaking around, offing dudes secretly, and feeling like a badass is great. The problem is, most games do stealth completely wrong, or only get part of it right. For as much as I love Metal Gear Solid, those games always felt routine and clunky to me. As much as I love Batman: Arkham Asylum, there was still a bit of trial and error that irked me. Where's that awesome stealth game I want? I'd also like to be a ninja in it, please.

Oh hey, Mark of the Ninja.

These are the guys who made the not-so-great Shank, and holy cow this game is so much better than that one. Mark of the Ninja is everything I want in a stealth game. It's empowering. It gives you tons of tools and options to work with, with dozens of optional paths for every single enemy. Or you can just never kill anybody; the game gives you the tools for that too (a true badass). Paired with excellent UI and HUD abilities, tight controls, and a killer art style, and Mark of the Ninja cuts a bloody path through the competition. Grab it on XBLA or Steam, seriously. It's incredible.

Theatrythm Final Fantasy

This is a game that SquareEnix made just for me. Yeah, I'll share it with all you guys, but they obviously made it just for me. Seriously. They couldn't not have.

A rhythm game using the touch screen? Awesome. Featuring Final Fantasy music?! Amazing! And a leveling up system?! What?! And absurdly difficult segments, unlocks, and secrets? Ok, you're giving me too much here!

My only complaint about Theatrythm is the DLC. It isn't badly priced ($1 a song isn't awful), but the fact that they put songs out on the iOS version that aren't on the 3DS really ticks me off. Also, nobody likes the soundtracks after Final Fantasy X, Square, so stop releasing them as DLC. And you released a song from the vaporware Final Fantasy XIII Verses and not Final Fantasy Tactics? For shame!

(Put Chrono Trigger and Xenogears songs on there and I'll love you forever, Square <3).

Super Mario 3D Land

Yeah, I got a 3DS this year, can you tell? Anyway, Super Mario 3D Land caught me by surprise. I thought it would be another stupid Mario game like all the New Super Mario Bros games are, just regurgitating the same formula over and over. To my surprise, this game is completely different. It's like a weird fusion between the 2D Mario and 3D Mario games into this totally strange hybrid. And it works. It doesn't just work, it excels! Super Mario 3D Land is one of my favorite Mario games to date, if only because of how totally unique it is. While I am a bit sad it isn't a sequel to the weird-as-balls Super Mario Land, it's enough removed from all other Mario games anyway that I guess I'll take it.

Also, the graphics are gorgeous and the 3D is killer. This is probably the best game on the 3DS (even if Theatrythm is my favorite 3DS game).

A Bunch of Other Games I Haven't Played Enough But Seem Cool Anyway I Guess?

Journey - Aka the quest for the Super Scarf
XCom: Enemy Unknown - I played for like an hour and had to quit because I knew I'd never do anything else again for the rest of my life. I'll be back.
Far Cry 3 - It doesn't do anything particularly spectacular (besides the awesome intro and pretty graphics on PC), but I can't stop freaking playing it
Zelda: Four Swords (GC) - Yeah I actually have played this game before, but my wife and I found new love for playing it together. It's quite crazy-awesome!
Borderlands 2 - The Mechromancer is the way to play this game, because it takes all your intuitive conventions of shooters and ruins them. Playing as other classes is ok (minus the absurdly slow start to this game), but I really enjoyed the game with the Mechromancer. Also the guns are better.
Nier - Game of the year, every year.


Well, my brain is fried, so that's it from me for now. Future articles will actually have graphics and stuff, but I'm too sick today to be bothered. Hope you enjoyed it, and see you tomorrow!

ARPGamer

So...where the heck have all the reviews been? It's been nearly a month with no updates.
To that I offer you an apology. Life has showed up and is quickly stealing all my time away. But without getting this too deep into my personal life, let's just point out what matters to this blog:

- I built a new gaming rig, which means LOTS more PC game reviews in the future
- It is also super-powerful for video editing, which means I'll be switching from Final Cut Pro X to Premiere. Which will be a big learning curve and jump, but I plan on resuming the videos in 2013.
- I am a lead writer in the online action RPG blog/review/news/etc. site, ARPGamer.com. If you even remotely enjoy what I've been doing here, you really should go hit up and bookmark their site. It's worth pointing out: I only do reviews on this site, not articles. For ARPGamer, I will be doing articles as well as news and other information. So you should probably go have a look-see.
- I will be resuming reviews tomorrow, 12/10, or bust. I have written 257 reviews so far this year (starting at the end of January). If I somehow wrote over 100 in the next three weeks, I'd have a review a day. IT'S JUST CRAZY ENOUGH TO WORK?! But no promises.
- That's it.

But seriously, go check out ARPGamer, because I write for them quite frequently. And again, reviews are coming back in a big way, baby. Expect some goodness very soon!

Altered Beast

Video Review

Text Review

  The Short

Pros
- Original pack-in game with the Sega Genesis
- Can be played two-player
- Faithful to the original arcade game
- You can turn into a variety of beasts, which is cool I guess

Cons
- Clunky and dull
- Only has five levels
- Stages are short and bosses are dull
- Ugly graphics and music
- No continues
- Ultimately, does not stand the test of time

"Welcome to your doom!"

The Long

Ah, 1989. The new Sega Genesis hit the market, ready to punch the NES in the face with its 16-bit graphics and hip new attitude. It was the spark of the console war most gamers will remember best, the face-off between Nintendo and Sega as they tried to gain control of the rapidly growing video game market. So, when you are releasing a system to compete against the all-powerful, game-packed NES, what game do you promote to show off your system's advanced graphics? Sega originally picked Altered Beast, though luckily they quickly saw the light and switched it to the much superior Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sega loves to pack this game into any compilation collection they release (and boy, do they release a lot), and as a bonus also throw it onto modern download services like XBLA, PSN, and Steam. So...after almost twenty-five years, is Altered Beast still as much a classic as other titles?

No. It isn't. I'll just get that out of the way right now.

Nothing like a dude throwing his face at you over and over. 

Altered Beast is an incredibly simple and slow arcade beat-em-up. Essentially, Zeus has resurrected you to kill Neff, who kidnapped his daughter. For unexplained reasons when you gather glowing orbs (that look more like a sci-fi item than a fantasy ones) your guy gets buffer and buffer, before finally turning into a BEAST. Get it? You are altered into a beast. That's clever title writing, that.

Beasts vary depending on levels, from a wolf that can sprint and punch fireballs to a flying gremlin thingy that has electricity to a bear and tiger and...then a wolf again. Yeah, the game has only five levels, and can be beaten in under ten minutes. So don't get too excited thinking you'll be busting through level after level as a bear; it ain't gonna happen.

You can play two-player, if you want to get bored together.

The main issue with the game is how incredibly slow and clunky it plays. You have essentially two attacks: a high punch and a low kick. High punches for tall enemies, low kicks for the low ones, and a jump/duck attack for...whenever. Your character walks extremely slowly and the screen is constantly panning to the right, meaning you have to keep up. Enemies spawn from both sides for your kicking and punching pleasure, and then you fight a boss after about 20-30 seconds of this slow scrolling.

The first thing you'll notice is the relatively low number of enemies. Considering most go down in one or two hits, there really isn't a whole lot of challenge here. Next, you'll see they are just as slow as you are, taking their dear sweet time jumping or walking across the screen. It's monotonous to just watch.

Two bad dudes. 

The game picks up very slightly after getting three power-ups and turning into a "beast," but that just takes the game and makes it a cakewalk. And since enemy location never changes, anyone who has played this game more than twice probably has all the enemies completely memorized. There's no variation, no increased challenge, and no real sense of progression. It's just five bland levels punching and kicking weak stuff until the end. All while moving like you are fording a quagmire of molasses.

You can play two-player co-op which makes the game a little better (plus enemies drop twice as many power-ups), but let's be honest: who really would want to play this game through with a friend, when there are so many better two-player games out there?

Punch a dragon-rattlesnake.

While this might have looked impressive back in 1989, Altered Beast looks downright dull this day and age. Though, thinking back, I honestly can't say this game looked very good then either. It lacks the multicolored punch future Genesis games like Sonic the Hedgehog would have, and despite having more colors I'd say Altered Beast looks substantiallyworse than an NES game like Castlevania, which was on the "weaker" system. The pixel art is boring to look at and the backdrops, especially, seem to blend together into a horrid mesh of colors. While it isn't the ugliest game I've seen, it certainly isn't pleasing to look at now.

Music is the same: unimpressive. While the tunes certainly hold a slight level of nostalgia for me, they are weak when compared to anything else on the system. Everybody knows the "WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE" voice clip that starts the game off, which sounds particularly bad (and it's weird, seeing as Bases Loaded on the NES was fully voiced and soundsgreat).

This game has been a beast to review. Get it? "Beast?" I'm a writer. 

While this game might have been impressive back when it released with the Genesis, looking back on it now it's just a relic that should remain forgotten. It baffles me how often this game gets re-released and re-packaged; you'd think Sega would want to just forget this boring sludge even existed. I am not proud that I own an original cartridge of this game on the Genesis (and a second copy on the 6-Pak), as even the collector in me is ashamed. I highly suggest playing just about any other game on the Genesis before booting this one back up. While it isn't broken, it is completely boring, which in this day and age is almost as bad.

One out of five stars. 

Yeah, good luck with that, Sega. 

ARPGamer Kickstarter

Hey ya'll, Nathan here. Do you enjoy this blog? I should hope so if you are reading this! Are you enjoying free game reviews of every game I've ever played? Do you enjoy my writing style? Do you like RPGs? Action ones? Yes? No? Whaddya mean, "No?!"

Anyway, I'm going to be writing in an up-and-coming gaming magazine, ARPGamer! Yeah, it's gonna be awesome! We're gonna have updated news, articles, and much more about the awesome genre that is Action RPGs. Because they are pretty rad.

Point being, we're running a Kickstarter to try and get everything up and running. For just a $1 donation you can get the first issue (usually $3) for a killer deal! Save money! Read awesome stuff! Here me rant about retro RPGs! Who wouldn't want that? Answer: Nobody.

So if you are a fan of the blog who has been mooching off my free entertainment for the past year (I love you guys, don't worry :D), then please consider contributing at least $1 to this awesome upcoming magazine. It's gonna rock, guys.

And don't worry: reviews will still keep popping up here, as will videos on my youtube channel. This is just another outlet where you can get gooey Nathan video game goodness.

See you there!

God of War: Origins Collection

The Short

Pros
- Excellent ports of the PSP God of War games
- Includes one awesome game and one...ok one
- Ghost of Sparta looks quite good in HD. Chains of Olympus...looks ok
- Has 3D support but...um...does anybody care about that?
- Controls have been modified for the Duelshock, meaning right stick rolls! Hooray!
- Runs at a consistently smooth 60 fps
- Trophy support for both games is a great addition
- All in all, this is the best version of these two games

Cons
- Chains of Olympus, while looking great on the PSP, shows its technical limitations in HD
- It also feels much shorter when you play it on an console, which isn't a plus
- I downloaded it off PSN. Don't ever download big files off PSN
- Cutscenes (mostly in Chains of Olympus; Ghost of Sparta does them in-engine) are not upscaled, so they look...really bad. PSP quality bad

Chains of Olympus shows its hardware limitations in HD

The Long

As I did in my God of War Collection review, this is not a review of the individual games included in this package (as I've already reviewed Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta previously). Instead, I'll be going quickly over how these games ported up to HD, and whether or not this collection is worth your time.

This collection, as you've probably guessed already, is an HD port of the two PSP games. This, in my opinion, was an absolutely fantastic idea. As someone who has no interest in owning a PSP (had to borrow one whenever I wanted to play a PSP game), getting two of the best games on the system in a heavily discounted HD PS3 package is like Christmas, especially considering how much I love the God of War franchise. But, as one might guess, porting PSP games up to the PS3 is a little different than PS2 ones were in the original God of War Collection. How does the Origins collection hold up?

Ghost of Sparta fares much better with the upgrade

I enjoyed both of these games, but I can say that after playing them on the HD collection that Chains of Olympus isn't really well suited for a console experience. It's still a fun little romp, mind you, but it really shows it's short length and dated graphics when being slapped up on my 37" HDTV. While I will still say it's probably on par with the first God of War in terms of character sprites, the backgrounds look muddy and the effects (blood, etc.) look pretty bland. It's still worth playing, just be aware that it's a short game and won't exactly dazzle your eyes.

Ghost of Sparta, however, turned out much better, probably because the art direction was significantly improved in the original PSP version. Since it takes you to much more memorable locations (a volcano, Atlantis, the realm of Death), it gives a chance for the HD visual to shine. The meticulous effects look even better in HD, as do the sprites. Kratos in particular looks really good, probably the best he has before God of War III. 

Both games have a much cleaner look and are far less grainy, but in Chains of Olympus' case it just shows the low poly-count more. Ghost of Sparta benefits most from this upgrade, looking downright incredible.

This is one pretty game

For a brief recap on my opinion of these two PSP games as, well, games, I enjoyed Chains of Olympus for being a God of War Lite, and love love loved Ghost of Sparta's excellent story, strong pacing, and fantastic combat. Both games still feel a bit stripped down when compared to their console brethren  but honestly this didn't bother me much. Chains of Olympus is kind of lame, but Ghost of Sparta feels more refined, if anything. In either case, both game play better on the PS3 because you can use the right stick to dodge instead of being stuck pressing L1+R1 to roll. So this is absolutely the ideal way to play these games, assuming you didn't want to play them on the toilet.

And if you do, just move your TV into the bathroom! What? Is that weird or something?

In addition to the upgraded visuals and controls, you also get full trophy support, as well as 3D support if you one one of those "passing fad" 3D TVs. I don't have a 3D TV so I can't attest, but I'm guessing it probably washes out the colors for a very moderate 3D effect. Yeah, my opinion of 3D tvs isn't that high, I'll admit. But it is nice to have trophies.

You also get much better control. The PSP versions of these games required you to press L+R and the left "stick" of the PSP for rolling (a core move in the God of War franchise). With this collection, it's mapped like it is on the console versions: to the right stick. It's a great improvement and easily makes these versions of the games the best to control.

The last thing I'll mention is the upgraded (or not upgraded) pre-rendered cutscenes. This was extra annoying in God of War Collection, which uses a trillion of these things. Chains of Olympus also suffers, but Ghost of Sparta was smart and did most of their cutscenes in-engine. As such, that game looks extra good because it isn't full of crappy SD video causing visual dissonance.

Flame on. 

God of War: Origins Collection is a must-buy for fans of the series. While Chains of Olympus is a pretty weak entry, Ghost of Sparta more than makes up for it. While many will consider these inferior spinoffs of the original games, I think this HD collection confirms they should rightly be placed next to the main series, and the main games could especially learn a bit about storytelling and character growth from Ghost of Sparta.

A word of warning, however: the God of War Saga Collection (ever game in the series up to this point) does not include a disc of Origins. Rather, it has two download codes to redeem on PSN. As someone who owns both an Xbox 360 and a PS3, I'm certain anyone can agree with me in saying PSN's bottlenecked download times are horrendous. This is a 12 GB+ download (which I unfortunately bought off PSN), which (unless you do some trick router configurations and give your PS3 a static IP) could mean long, long hours of downloading. If you are a physical media guy, your best bet is to ignore the collection and buy it's parts separately at the slightly-increased cost. 

That aside, God of War: Origins Collection is certainly worth purchasing, especially if you are a fan of the series and do not own a PSP. Choosing them over the original games is really the preference of mobility, but I for one like the improved Ghost of Sparta graphics far more than their fuzzy portable counterparts.

Fans, eat your hearts out. Four out of five stars.

BUY THIS GAME RAAAR.

Bonus:

Considering this is my last God of War review (until Ascension comes out), I figured I'd give you my personal ranking of the games in the God of War series.

1. God of War: Ghost of Sparta

2. God of War

3. God of War II

4. God of War: Chains of Olympus

5. God of War III

6. God of War: Betrayal (the cell-phone game which I will not be reviewing...maybe)