Revenge Complete... God of War 3

Finally, I have recently finished God of War 3. Yes I know, this is not a new game title. Forgive my tardiness.

So after finishing God of War 1 and 2 on PS2, how does the third installment on PS3 stack up?

This installment begins with the Titans scaling Mt Olympus, trying to squash Zeus and his buddies. From the get go, this does not give any sense of possible victory on the part of the Titans. They are just slow, lumbering, giants trying to bite off more than they can chew.

One really cool feature is that the Titans themselves become your battle arena, not just your opponents/allies. You can run along their arms or bodies fighting off smaller sized enemies. With the camera view zooming in and out to show you the scale of your environment, it's truly a technological marvel to see the Santa Monica Studios team achieve this very seamlessly.

Itsy bitsy Kratos on Cronos' arm

Another game mechanic that blew me away was the flights up the massive Icarus vents throughout the gameplay. Coupled with the exciting soundtrack, the flights are amazing to watch, frustrating to get a hang off, immensely satisfying when overcome. You've got to play it to believe it.

The violence in this game has also been upped several notches. Not only can you beat the daylights out of your foes, you can have your victim's eye view of the beating! That's sick. And cool at the same time.

Kratos! You've got something stuck in your teeth! So stop beating me up and clean it!

You can also rip out various body parts for your pleasure. One of your opponents is Helios, God of the Sun. I had to laugh out loud during this sequence, because after ripping out his head, you can use it as a torchlight. That's cruel. That's sick. And cool.

Kratos Massage Service... Guaranteed to relieve all headaches

Besides fighting the Gods of Olympus, you get to boogie with Hercules too. After settling issues with Herc (i.e. beating him up) you get a really cool looking pair of boxing gloves. This is my 2nd favourite weapon after the default Blades. They are slower that the other weapons but pack a heavier punch. Plus they are in animal motifs!

Meet Simba and Mufasa... say hello to my pretty babies

Gameplay was far easier than what I recall for God of War 1 and 2. That disappointed me somewhat. The ending plot was also kind of weird, because Kratos harakiri-ed himself, releasing hope to the destroyed world. They do not show Kratos' corpse at the end of the tale, and there are still other Gods roaming around (e.g. Aphrodite and Anthena). If Athena is anything to go by, this means all the murdered Gods can still make an impact to the story.

Still highly enjoyable, but short of being a masterpiece in my view.

Rating:

Old Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4

Acquired a PS3 console this year. So far, quite enjoyed the games on this console. Then again, the games are really pricey (RM150 and above), so I have to buy sparingly!

One of the ones which I really enjoyed from PS2 was Metal Gear Solid 3. So how does MGS4 stack up?

In this final installment of the metal gear series, you control Old Snake. Nanomachines have gone awry and aged this super soldier dramatically. Nothing an occasional bottle of Regain (not to be confused with hair growth serums!) and some Boss smokes won't cure in an instant.

Perk me up baby...

All the elements of stealth players have come to love return. A great improvement is the OctoCamo suit that auto changes the camouflage for you. In MGS3, this had to be micro managed quite often, so with this improvement this task is no longer a hassle.

You also get a handy remote controlled robot to fool around with. You can use it to pick up mines, go scouting, electrocute enemies and make distracting noises. Very handy indeed.

There are a lot more mecha enemies this time in MGS4. But there are a lot more interesting allies as well. At times, the storyline is too emo for my liking, but it's a small price to pay for a very intricate and detailed plot. One of the most emo good guys is Jack @ Raiden. No guns for this hero, just a sword will do. He's all about protecting Snake with no regard for his own safety. Later on he loses both his arms, but still battles with his sword in his mouth. He does get replacement arms at the end though, so I guess it all worked out.

I am the Lightning in the Rain... I am Raiden

Part of the mecha enemies in the game are the Beauty and the Beasts. Young girls who have been mentally scarred by war are placed into high tech battle suits to help your enemies make your life difficult. Defeating them usually rewards you with a full HD video cutscene of the girls doing... well, it's difficult to describe. Go YouTube if you'd like to see some of the action.

They really do look like this in the game. Really.

Of course, there is also some genius humour in MGS. You can now hold up an enemy and search him for goodies. Hit the button combos in the right time, and you can knock him out with a strike to the family jewels.

Oh my!

There is also this hilarious scene with Psycho Mantis at the end involving memory cards and vibrations. I won't spoil it for you... go play the game yourself.

I found myself playing till 2am sometimes, just so eager to get to the next scene or chapter. That's always a sign of a winning game. Cutscenes are detailed and aplenty, and only after you complete your mission. Almost all characters are complex and pull you in to the story. A lot of oldies make an appearance too, so that adds to the game's nostalgia greatly. I spent many a time restarting or redoing part of my mission to see if there were other ways to get past certain obstacles. I did resort to some FAQ help sometimes, but hey, that's also the mark of a winning game. Who would want something so straight forward right?

I am sad that this series has come to an end. I had a lot of enjoyable hours with Snake and will miss this dearly. We should all give this soldier a rest I guess and move on to look for some new 'classics'.

Snake, I wish you all the best and give the cigarettes a rest!

Overall rating:

Persona 3: FES... Momento Mori

Alright, I finally finished one round of Persona 3: FES. I had actually played Persona 4 first. But since Persona 3 is fresh in my mind, I think it's best to pen down what I have just experienced.


The setting for this RPG is in a Japanese highschool. Ain't it interesting to note that all the cool stuff happens in Japan high schools? hehehe

Basically, special student were born with a gift to control a power called Persona. The English translations in the game say this is a latent psyche ability within an individual. But to awaken the power, the students use a device called an Evoker: a tool shaped like a gun. So guns are used for shooting things, and to use the Evoker, you are supposed to shoot your head.

That's right folks... blow your brains out.

Bang! Bang!

The hero has the ability to control many different Persona, setting him apart from others. You can combine Personas to create new ones, fuse them into weapons and of course, use them to kill monsters. Yes, Japan always has many monsters and no matter how many heroes are born to vanquish them, monsters always come back... so that we can continue making use of them for new RPG stories.

Any key concept is that your Personas get stronger as you develop your social links with friends. Better relationships yield better rewards. Of course some of your friends are girls, so this means... you should start as many girlfriend relationships as you can. Oh... but if you are in the serious level of your relationship with more than one girl... and if the other girl catches you with said girl, all your girlfriends will turn sour. Realistic huh?

Girl 1: "He loves me"

Girl 2: "No, he loves me"

Girl 3: "The boy is mine"

You also have a smart canine companion as part of your team. And this little fella doesn't need to shoot himself to use his powers. Guess the dog is more capable than the human team mates?

Woof woof! No silly guns for me thank you...

There is a running time and calendar concept in this game. Certain events require the calendar date to be triggered. Sundays are non school days. There are even holidays, school trips, etc.

As you fight monsters, you get tired. This affects your accuracy and agility. There will be times your attacks (or adversely, your enemies attacks) take advantage of your inherent weakness, or is just plain lucky strong. These times you get knocked down. Any damage sustained is higher than normal. If you are able to knock down all your enemies, your team can perform All-Out Attacks. They rush in as a group and open a can of whoop ass on your foes.

Yes, the can of whoop ass is like an Adam West Batman rerun

Despite the very low level graphics, the story line is engaging enough. There is almighty supreme evil boss for the final show down... which is later explained to be not really evil. The hero will do a courageous deed in protecting his friend in the end. No spoilers from me though... go play it yourself!

This is one game where FAQs are highly recommended. I didn't realise there are long school holidays in January, and developed my social links poorly. Only 2 girlfriends! There are 3 more girls I could've dated! Also, there are special armor equipment in the game that are in the form of lady swimsuits. There are also stuff like toilet brushes, spiked bras and other eye opening things to discover and play with.

Voice acting is really top notch, and more than compensates the low level graphics. Actually the anime style graphics might charm some of you out there. Dark and slightly ghostly... it suits the heavy atmosphere of the game.

All in all, the final boss is a piece of cake. The tough parts are all the optional goodies in the games. If you'd like the badass equipment, you have to do some farming. If you want perfect relationships, you have to do some reading in the FAQs, as there some subtleties that you won't figure out yourselves because it is REALLY not obvious.

Persona 3 is actually a standalone game, but the Persona 3: FES is an extended edition that has a playable section for the story that happens after the events of the original Persona 3. If you intend to use FAQs, one strong word of advice...

If you are playing Persona 3... read Persona 3 FAQs. If you are playing Persona 3 FES, read Persona 3 FES FAQs. I thought since the front portion is the same, I could use any FAQ. Boy was I wrong, and the mistake is very costly. Ok, ok... you may think I'm dumb and a fool for making the mistake in the first place and I can agree with you.

So congrats to Atlus for making another winner. Reception of this game was really good in Japan, and around the globe. Not hard to see why. There's a lot of charm in the game. Not too much excessive randomness, lots of humour, and if you plan your strategy you are rewarded.

Two thumbs up! Can't wait to get into the FES portion of the game.

Gameplay: *****
Sound and Music: ****
Graphics: ***

Persona 3: Frustrations

Argh!!! I am towards the ending for the game. And there are so many holidays! My remaining undeveloped social links are all my school girl friends! Argh!!! I will never get my 3rd girlfriend at this rate. Why didn't the FAQs recommend you to work on school friendships first! Why why why! I'm wasting so many days!

ARGH...

Grandia III

Another RPG that I had the chance to play some time ago is Grandia III.

Again, although quite a few of the games I've played are long established series, I regret to say I have not played the predecessors. Grandia III is a Square Enix effort, the masterminds behind the phenomenally successful Final Fantasy series, which I love to bits.

Grandia III follows the exploits of young pilot, Yuki. Kinda sounds feminine, but I am no expert in names. In this picture, Yuki tries to 'touch the sky'...


The environments are beautifully drawn, as expected from Square. Some environments look really cool... you can even see hints of northern lights from this snowy landscape area.


On to battle mechanics... RPGs are all about fighting lots of baddies, right? One cool feature in the game is the ability to knock enemies into the air. Then, once they are freefalling back to the ground, you can do some extra moves that are more damaging and look cooler than your normal ones.

4.6 metres high... a new personal best!

The other nice part is the way magic is contolled. Anyone can do any kind of magic. Some are better suited to the job, but to have anyone to be able to do the super insane magic attacks gives you a lot of flexibility. You can even 'hatch' new magic by combining special items called Mana Eggs in a little machine that looks like a robotic chicken with 2 heads. You have to play the game to find out what I mean...



As usual too, all the characters have special moves that have lots of coloured lights and are real flashy. Also, you have to practice these moves to make them more powerful and also to learn new moves. However, the fights are rarely very challenging. Maybe because it gets quite easy to churn out special move after special move towards the end.

One of the key things I was hoping for was an engaging story line. All Final Fantasy games have such gripping story lines, so how did Grandia III fare?

To me, this game had some hits and misses. They reused the tried and true formula of a young upstart male hero protecting the fragile heroine. That's fine... it is a tried and true formula. The dream about Yuki striving to become a top notch pilot is believable. The plot development to bring all the main fighters together was also quite good and flowed naturally.

The final climax fight that leads you to meet the big bad boss was kinda boring. The struggle between Alfina and her brother, which is like the 2nd level big bad boss was also kinda boring. I guess there was not enough plot about character attachment or loss, so it felt like a let down. I guess not every story fantastic.

Also, not too many secrets or in game activities to delve into, and feels too straight forward at times.

I enjoyed the journey getting to the finale more than the finale itself for this game.

Still it is an okay game to while away the hours.

Snake Eaterrrrrr!

I give my life Not for honor, but for you (snake eater) In my time there'll be no one else Crime, it's the way i fly to you (snake eater) I'm still in a dream, snake eater

lyrics to MGS3 title song, Snake Eater

Another lovely game I have managed to play and finish is the very cool Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, or MGS3 for short.

I've not tried the Metal Gear series before... I have my reservations. My gaming TV is a tiny 14" CRT with only 1 sound speaker. Yes I finished MGS3 in a mono sound environment with a tiny TV! Thinking back, I am astonished I managed to pull it off.

MGS3 reprises the series' hero, a stealth agent named Snake. Much of the games focus is on sneaking and springing the element of surprise. You can go around like a doofus and try to do away with your enemies with brute force, but there's no fun in that. Close Quarters Combat (CQC) is the main arsenal in this game. With a revolver or knife, you can do so many things to put the hurt on your opponent. Knock him out, choke him, use him as a meat shield, interrogate him...


Another major arsenal is the tranquilizer gun. A lot of times, this is the preferrable weapon. If an enemy is brought down using tranquilizers, they are knocked out quietly and do not raise alerts to their comrades. You can also use this special gun to hunt for food. Animals captured in this way can be stored in cages, which means they will still be alive and kicking when you devour them. If not, the "food" can rot, and if eaten later, will lose its efficacy and cause you a tummy upset.

Another big part of the game is staying healthy. You got to eat right, else you get tired and can't aim your gun properly. You got to treat serious wounds, else you cannot recover to maximum strength. Realism can get stretchy here... I mean, there is one point in the game, that Snake sustains several broken bones and cuts, but is still able to perform stitches and surgery on himself. That's the escapism of games right? Don't be so cynical, Jack. By the way, Snake's real name is Jack! All the cool characters are always named Jack.... yes, yes they are.


Camoflauge can be obtained by defeating enemies, or picking them up whilst in the mission field. Heck, not every camoflauge is actually meant to be worn as clothes. You can even use cardboard boxes to give your enemies to slip! This was really hillarious, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud when trying this out.



A lot of times, enemy bosses can be dealt with in 2 ways: Drain their life with attacks that wound them, or drain their stamina by shooting tranquilizers at them. If you take the time to drain their stamina, you will usually be rewarded with some amazing camoflauge items. Some make you totally invisible, some restore stamina, some make you soundless...

Oh yeah, the other cute feature of this game is that during the cut scenes, you actually are able to take control of the camera view to a certain extent. So there's this one scene with a female agent, Eva, and she's by a campfire, and she's crawling towards Snake, and she's...

Go play the game and find out yourself.

Some dislikes.... Ocelot. Oh man, after the second time watching him twirl his guns, I wanted to smack his head. It just looks too flashy and showy to be stomached.

I am the Ocelot, king of pistols, watch me twirl and twirl and twirl and twirl and twirl and twirl them!



The other major sticking point with me is that, the First Person View (FPV) requires you to remain stationary. You can imagine how much tougher this makes precision shooting during boss fights. Is this part of the challenge mechanism? All I know was this was such a major pain during the final fight with Snake's mentor, The Boss. Not only is her speed more than double of Snake, her CQC skills are higher too. If you do manage to knock her off her feet, you want to capitalise on her down time and pump some lead or tranquilisers into her. A lot of the time, you may not be able to see her due to your viewing angle. Plus you can't take your sweet time... the fight with The Boss is five minutes tops. Else Soviet MIGs will bomb you to kingdom come.

How's that feel Jack? Pain lets you know you're alive baby....

Of course, do take into account my frustration is probably highly due to the small TV and mono sound that I am playing the game with.

Other than the above, I'll say I had a great time with this game.


Verdict:

Gameplay: *****
Music: ****
Graphics: *****

Odin Sphere

Another significant portion of my life is my Playstation (PS) 2. So it's only right that I blog about some games I've finished playing on my trusty unit.


I still remember the generosity of my friend Kah Jun who lent me his PS1 whilst we were back in secondary school to play Final Fantasy VII and VIII. I am forever in your debt my friend! That got me really hooked. The one fine day, I decided to get a PS2 unit for myself.


So in no particular order, here is my 2¢ on Odin Sphere, a beautifully crafted Action RPG from Atlus. I should mention I have a soft spot for fantasy genre RPGs.

It's been a long time since I touched an RPG with a side scrolling platform feel. I thought it may feel dated and obsolete. Odin Sphere overcomes this with some of the most gorgeous 2D artwork I've ever seen. Every environment is lovingly detailed, sometimes I just walk through the maps slowly to take a look at it all.

You take control of several heroes in the game, all of which give you a gameplay of the same storyline from different points of view. There will be times you co-operate and also battle against the other heroes. Another cool feature is the game has a in-game video timeline tool which allows you to play back all the videos you've seen in the game. So Hero B Event 1 may occur just after Hero A's Event 2. And after you've finished playing all heroes, you can watch the events occur in proper time sequence.

Another big part of this game is alchemy. You'll be finding lots of ingredients around the Odin Sphere world. Some popup from the ground (no kidding!), some can be ground, and if you mix the correct combination of ingredients, you can create new ones. This include useful potions, and food. In fact, there are kitchens and cafes in the game you can visit.

You can find little recipe scrolls throughout the game, and if you bring the chef the ingredients, they can make lovely food for you. Food is great to restore your health and gain exeperience. That's right, eating steak tartare and roasted lamb can give you experience points.

I love the ending battles of the games too. It has a grand finality feeling to it. Although a lot of it felt really tragic, in the end... a lot of the complex RPG storylines are like that. It's not all doom and gloom though... there are some happy moments too.

The music can get a little cutesy at times, especially during meal times. The voice acting is quite decent though.

Everyone should give Odin Sphere a try. I enjoyed it immensely and believe that if you're willing to give it a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised and richly rewarded.

Verdict:

Gameplay: ****
Music: *****
Graphics: *****