The Good:
Meaty demo that gives you a good taste of the final game. Once I understood how to use it effectively, the "One More Fight" mechanic is great. It's free and you can easily play it for 8 hours+!
The Bad:
The second to last boss fight is brutally hard. Even harder than the final boss of the demo on the hard setting. Ugh, such bad memories.
The SaHD:
I'm glad that there are bonuses to transfer over to the full version, but some of them are really tedious, like filling out the beastiary. You have to fight each non-boss monster something like 100 times. Yuck. The bonuses are nice, but not worth seeking out in the demo, unless you are killing time until you can get the full version.
(Bravely Second [Demo] was obtained as a free download from the Nintendo E-shop)
Showing posts with label demo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label demo. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Project X Zone 2 [Demo] (3DS): the Good, the Bad and the SaHD
The Good:
The demo showcases the combat, which I still really enjoy. Plus, you get a bonus in the real game for completing the demo. UP TO 10 TIMES! That's crazy (crazy cool), and I want more demos to do things like that.
The Bad:
Skipping all the talking is a chore. The start button will skip a small section, but you still end up having to mash it to get through it all. This isn't a problem the first time through, but it sucks after the second time.
The SaHD:
The game tells you the enemies get harder if you go through again, but it does so each time you go through, which I didn't know. The enemies were actually a threat during my 9th and 10th cycle.
I'm really looking forward to the full version, since I loved the first game. I didn't get a review code, so I'll have to buy it at some point. This kind of works out, since I prefer to have any Nintendo software in physical format (their digital system sucks).
(Project X Zone 2 Demo was obtained as a free download from the 3DS E-shop)
The demo showcases the combat, which I still really enjoy. Plus, you get a bonus in the real game for completing the demo. UP TO 10 TIMES! That's crazy (crazy cool), and I want more demos to do things like that.
The Bad:
Skipping all the talking is a chore. The start button will skip a small section, but you still end up having to mash it to get through it all. This isn't a problem the first time through, but it sucks after the second time.
The SaHD:
The game tells you the enemies get harder if you go through again, but it does so each time you go through, which I didn't know. The enemies were actually a threat during my 9th and 10th cycle.
I'm really looking forward to the full version, since I loved the first game. I didn't get a review code, so I'll have to buy it at some point. This kind of works out, since I prefer to have any Nintendo software in physical format (their digital system sucks).
(Project X Zone 2 Demo was obtained as a free download from the 3DS E-shop)
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Bravely Default Demo Impressions
The demo for anticipated RPG Bravely Default hit the 3DS e-shop recently. The graphics are very similar to Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light, and it's supposed to be. The characters are super-deformed 3D models, and they look pretty good. The 3D effect in the game is what you would expect. It works fine, but not amazing. The music, however, is good. I especially like the boss music, but it's all good and fits the areas well.
The battle system takes normal, turned-based RPG combat, but adds a twist. The 'default' function is basically the guard, as you will take less damage, however, it also will save the point you get that turn for use in a later turn, so in effect, you can stack your turns by defending. The 'brave' function will use those turns to unleash several actions in one turn. Now you know where the title comes from. Also, you can use brave without using default beforehand, but you will put off your turn until your points equal zero (you get 1 point per turn). It adds some strategy to the mix, since you can try to save your turns until the enemy is open, or send yourself into the negative to end things early.
Borrowing from the best Final Fantasy games, the job system is also in place in Bravely Default. You pick one class to be, and you can choose the action abilities (magic, etc.) from one other unlocked class. You can also equip a few passive abilities that you have learned. Each passive costs a certain amount of points, and your characters have a max of 4 points. There are some really good ones, like 'multitask', which sometimes allows you a second attack if you choose 'attack' that turn. This was amazing on the ninja job, since it can dual wield without penalty, and each hand attacks separately. So, you could have four attacks in one turn, just by picking attack. Combining it with brave... well, that is some good damage. Another useful skill was 'buff up', which increases your attack and defense by 5% per turn, and it stacks up to 50%. This was really useful for boss encounters, since those last enough turns to make the skill worth it.
The demo is basically a series of quests that are taken one at a time. I found that after each one, I needed to grind for a bit to raise my level and afford some better equipment before being able to tackle the next. It reminded me of old-school RPGs, for better or worse. At first, I didn't like that I could only take one quest at a time, but there's less than 10 in the demo, so I understand why. However, the fairy on the menu screen (I didn't catch her name if she gave it) would tell you what the quest is, so you don't have to look it up on a sub menu if you forget. You could complete all of the quests in about 7-8 hours, and I put 9 into it to max out the level (20) and all the job classes for all the characters. That's really substantial for a demo.
The final thing thrown into the demo is a sample of the town building aspect. You get a villager, and they can clear away debris for space to build facilities in your town or build/upgrade a facility. It takes time (during play or sleep mode) to clear it and build the shops, and each villager shortens the time needed. To get more villagers, you have to use street pass. I was able to clear it all and fully upgrade each shop without any other villagers, it just took a few days of sleep mode. I'd much prefer to actually get some more villagers, since they will directly carry over to the full game when it releases.
Bravely Default was a really good demo that let you play the game, but not actually a part from the full version. It lets you experience the town building, battles, quests and some of the job classes. You can put several hours into it, which is great for a demo, and certain milestones (bosses defeated) will unlock items for the full version. If you like job classes in RPGs, or old-school turn based RPGs at all, give the demo a try and have some fun!
The battle system takes normal, turned-based RPG combat, but adds a twist. The 'default' function is basically the guard, as you will take less damage, however, it also will save the point you get that turn for use in a later turn, so in effect, you can stack your turns by defending. The 'brave' function will use those turns to unleash several actions in one turn. Now you know where the title comes from. Also, you can use brave without using default beforehand, but you will put off your turn until your points equal zero (you get 1 point per turn). It adds some strategy to the mix, since you can try to save your turns until the enemy is open, or send yourself into the negative to end things early.
Borrowing from the best Final Fantasy games, the job system is also in place in Bravely Default. You pick one class to be, and you can choose the action abilities (magic, etc.) from one other unlocked class. You can also equip a few passive abilities that you have learned. Each passive costs a certain amount of points, and your characters have a max of 4 points. There are some really good ones, like 'multitask', which sometimes allows you a second attack if you choose 'attack' that turn. This was amazing on the ninja job, since it can dual wield without penalty, and each hand attacks separately. So, you could have four attacks in one turn, just by picking attack. Combining it with brave... well, that is some good damage. Another useful skill was 'buff up', which increases your attack and defense by 5% per turn, and it stacks up to 50%. This was really useful for boss encounters, since those last enough turns to make the skill worth it.
The demo is basically a series of quests that are taken one at a time. I found that after each one, I needed to grind for a bit to raise my level and afford some better equipment before being able to tackle the next. It reminded me of old-school RPGs, for better or worse. At first, I didn't like that I could only take one quest at a time, but there's less than 10 in the demo, so I understand why. However, the fairy on the menu screen (I didn't catch her name if she gave it) would tell you what the quest is, so you don't have to look it up on a sub menu if you forget. You could complete all of the quests in about 7-8 hours, and I put 9 into it to max out the level (20) and all the job classes for all the characters. That's really substantial for a demo.
The final thing thrown into the demo is a sample of the town building aspect. You get a villager, and they can clear away debris for space to build facilities in your town or build/upgrade a facility. It takes time (during play or sleep mode) to clear it and build the shops, and each villager shortens the time needed. To get more villagers, you have to use street pass. I was able to clear it all and fully upgrade each shop without any other villagers, it just took a few days of sleep mode. I'd much prefer to actually get some more villagers, since they will directly carry over to the full game when it releases.
Bravely Default was a really good demo that let you play the game, but not actually a part from the full version. It lets you experience the town building, battles, quests and some of the job classes. You can put several hours into it, which is great for a demo, and certain milestones (bosses defeated) will unlock items for the full version. If you like job classes in RPGs, or old-school turn based RPGs at all, give the demo a try and have some fun!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Project X Zone Demo Impressions
The long awaited demo for Project X Zone dropped onto the Nintendo E-Shop the other day. I'm looking forward to the main game, so I had to give the demo a whirl. The first thing I noticed (and other people did too) was that you have a max of 5 uses for the demo. Wow. I thought the 30 for a few other demos was pushing it. I don't play a demo more than a few times, so I don't understand why they even limit it in the first place. Five seems way too small, even if I don't play it more than twice. That might sound silly, but so is limited the number of times someone can try the demo they downloaded.
I love the graphics in the game. At first I thought the cut in scenes (when using a super, or cross assault) would be 3D themselves, but they are just on the front plane. They still look great. The 3D is pretty good too, and I can actually have it on while playing and it doesn't make it harder to play. Hearing the songs I recognized from the respective IPs was simply cool (yay Sakura Wars!), so the music was spot on, even if it can be weird that it changes every time your character's turn comes up. The voices are Japanese, which I already expected since they said they weren't going to dub the game. While I would prefer it dubbed, I'm willing to do without since it means the game is coming out here.
If you have played Namco X Capcom, you will be right at home with combat in Project X Zone. Basically, the field map is a grid-based strategy RPG, or SRPG. When your turn comes up, you can move anywhere in a set movement grid. You can attack an enemy within a few panels of your character, and if next to friendly units, they can jump into your battle for an attack. You can also use items and skills before you attack an enemy. I like that you can use multiple, so you can heal multiple units before starting a fight, as only selecting end turn or attacking will end your turn.
Combat is a very pretty combo-fest. You control a team of two characters that can do multiple attacks, and each one has a lengthy animation that hits multiple times. The idea is to time your various combos and juggle the enemy (the Tekken characters should have an advantage there, hahaha.) without letting them hit the ground. This is essential on the armored or strong enemies, as you have to break their guard to do damage. If you do all the different combo attacks during your turn, you are rewarded with another attack. It didn't take long to figure out when to start the various attacks to maximize the juggle time and damage. Adding more characters did make it much more difficult.
A third character is equipped to each group, save the Sakura Wars team (in the demo), which can be summoned for more damage. It took a time or two to figure out when to best summon them for max damage. As mentioned earlier, another group can also jump in your battle for crazy amounts of damage and attacks flying around the screen. It looks awesome and I really like it, but it makes it harder to time the attacks for the best damage. You will want every point of damage you can get for the boss in the demo. She's tough, but you can easily overcome her if you rush her with all your characters when she appears. I wanted to clear out all the enemies, which cost me 2 of my units. I should have taken her more seriously.
Just for reference, the characters you are given are: Soma and Alisa from Gods Eater Burst, Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, Kite and Blackrose from .Hack, Riela and Kurt from Valkyria Chronicles (2 or 3, I have only played the first for a bit), Gemini and Erica from Sakura Wars (the latest one on the Wii and PS2), and later Sakura and Oogami from the old school Sakura Wars. The 'solo' characters (the third that you can equip to a group) are Imca from Valkyria Chronicles, Devilot from Cyberbots, Lindow from Gods Eater Burst, and Ulala from Space Channel 5. The enemies I recognized were from Space Channel 5 and Gods Eater Burst. Geez, that's a lot of name dropping.
There's only 1 stage (set in the Sakura Wars universe) which can be completed in 30 mins or so. It's just enough to give you a taste of the combat, which was what I really wanted. I had fun playing the demo of Project X Zone, so I'm still looking forward to the full release later this month. I almost wish it were on a console so others could watch the flashy battles on the big screen. Europe is getting a second demo (their first is the same as ours), and it would be nice if that one hit our E-Shop before the game is released too.
I love the graphics in the game. At first I thought the cut in scenes (when using a super, or cross assault) would be 3D themselves, but they are just on the front plane. They still look great. The 3D is pretty good too, and I can actually have it on while playing and it doesn't make it harder to play. Hearing the songs I recognized from the respective IPs was simply cool (yay Sakura Wars!), so the music was spot on, even if it can be weird that it changes every time your character's turn comes up. The voices are Japanese, which I already expected since they said they weren't going to dub the game. While I would prefer it dubbed, I'm willing to do without since it means the game is coming out here.
If you have played Namco X Capcom, you will be right at home with combat in Project X Zone. Basically, the field map is a grid-based strategy RPG, or SRPG. When your turn comes up, you can move anywhere in a set movement grid. You can attack an enemy within a few panels of your character, and if next to friendly units, they can jump into your battle for an attack. You can also use items and skills before you attack an enemy. I like that you can use multiple, so you can heal multiple units before starting a fight, as only selecting end turn or attacking will end your turn.
Combat is a very pretty combo-fest. You control a team of two characters that can do multiple attacks, and each one has a lengthy animation that hits multiple times. The idea is to time your various combos and juggle the enemy (the Tekken characters should have an advantage there, hahaha.) without letting them hit the ground. This is essential on the armored or strong enemies, as you have to break their guard to do damage. If you do all the different combo attacks during your turn, you are rewarded with another attack. It didn't take long to figure out when to start the various attacks to maximize the juggle time and damage. Adding more characters did make it much more difficult.
A third character is equipped to each group, save the Sakura Wars team (in the demo), which can be summoned for more damage. It took a time or two to figure out when to best summon them for max damage. As mentioned earlier, another group can also jump in your battle for crazy amounts of damage and attacks flying around the screen. It looks awesome and I really like it, but it makes it harder to time the attacks for the best damage. You will want every point of damage you can get for the boss in the demo. She's tough, but you can easily overcome her if you rush her with all your characters when she appears. I wanted to clear out all the enemies, which cost me 2 of my units. I should have taken her more seriously.
Just for reference, the characters you are given are: Soma and Alisa from Gods Eater Burst, Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, Kite and Blackrose from .Hack, Riela and Kurt from Valkyria Chronicles (2 or 3, I have only played the first for a bit), Gemini and Erica from Sakura Wars (the latest one on the Wii and PS2), and later Sakura and Oogami from the old school Sakura Wars. The 'solo' characters (the third that you can equip to a group) are Imca from Valkyria Chronicles, Devilot from Cyberbots, Lindow from Gods Eater Burst, and Ulala from Space Channel 5. The enemies I recognized were from Space Channel 5 and Gods Eater Burst. Geez, that's a lot of name dropping.
There's only 1 stage (set in the Sakura Wars universe) which can be completed in 30 mins or so. It's just enough to give you a taste of the combat, which was what I really wanted. I had fun playing the demo of Project X Zone, so I'm still looking forward to the full release later this month. I almost wish it were on a console so others could watch the flashy battles on the big screen. Europe is getting a second demo (their first is the same as ours), and it would be nice if that one hit our E-Shop before the game is released too.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Fuse (PS3) Demo Impressions
The demo for Fuse from Insomniac and EA hit PSN and Xbox recently, so I figured I would check it out. It's a four person co-op third person shooter (try saying that three times fast). There are four playable characters to try, experience to earn and many guys to kill.
There are four characters to choose from, each with different abilities. Dalton's gun has a shield that absorbs bullets, and it can launch them at a nearby target. This ability is really nice, since you will be shot at a lot. The vulnerability after using it might be dangerous on higher difficulties, though. Dalton's alt fire sets a stationary shield for a time. Jacob has what essentially looks like a bowcaster. It fires powerful single shots, and the alt fire will light someone on fire that has recently been hit. Naya has a rapid fire rifle that will create a wormhole in any target she kills, which will damage nearby enemies. Killing an enemy with the explosion will create another, so you can easily chain kill weak targets. Her alt fire has her turn invisible. Yeah, I like that a lot. The last character, Isabelle (Izzy), has a rapid fire weapon that will encase a target in crystal, making them easy to shatter. Her alt fire is a med beacon.
I tried all four characters, and I liked Naya and Izzy the best. I'm sure if I used Dalton, I'll get killed while trying to be Superman with his ability. Jacob makes a good sniper, so I know which of my friends will pick him. I really like Naya's invinsibility, and can definitely see myself using that often. Izzy had my favorite weapon (the rapid fire crystallization gun), and the med beacon will be really useful when playing with my friends, since the group I will likely run with loves to play on the hardest difficulty. Getting a level up gives points to buy character skills, allowing you to fine tune your character. It's not as advanced as Borderlands, but I'm all for some RPG elements in my games. Characters also can equip a team perk that everyone will benefit from. I didn't get to try these in the demo, but there were some good choices in there.
Most of the controls are pretty standard. You can fire your weapon, aim down the sights, throw grenades, take cover, roll and sprint. I kept accidentally hitting the roll button when trying to take cover, since I'm still playing Gears of War 3 with my friends every week (my fault, I know). This will have you vault over the cover, which can be useful (just not when you accidentally do it, haha). There's also a melee attack, but I didn't have any use for it in the demo. I really like that the select (or back) button will pull up the squad members, so you can switch who you are controlling on the fly. I imagine this won't work in four player co-op though. You also get a stealth kill, which I will want to use a lot, since I always enjoy a good assassination.
The environment you start in is pretty cool, you have to climb up some pipes and cliffs in on a snowy mountainside. You quickly make your way to a base nearby, and have to kill lots of guards before making your way further inside. It was pretty fun to fight the soldiers, but it felt like there were too many in any given area. They seemed to come out of nowhere, so in a small courtyard, I fought at least twenty soldiers. If every encounter is like this, I imagine they would run out of soldiers in an hour.
There is online and split screen co-op, but I didn't get a chance to try those out yet. The game was pretty fun solo, and I'm hoping to try the full version. I'm betting the co-op is even more fun, so I want to try that with some friends.
There are four characters to choose from, each with different abilities. Dalton's gun has a shield that absorbs bullets, and it can launch them at a nearby target. This ability is really nice, since you will be shot at a lot. The vulnerability after using it might be dangerous on higher difficulties, though. Dalton's alt fire sets a stationary shield for a time. Jacob has what essentially looks like a bowcaster. It fires powerful single shots, and the alt fire will light someone on fire that has recently been hit. Naya has a rapid fire rifle that will create a wormhole in any target she kills, which will damage nearby enemies. Killing an enemy with the explosion will create another, so you can easily chain kill weak targets. Her alt fire has her turn invisible. Yeah, I like that a lot. The last character, Isabelle (Izzy), has a rapid fire weapon that will encase a target in crystal, making them easy to shatter. Her alt fire is a med beacon.
I tried all four characters, and I liked Naya and Izzy the best. I'm sure if I used Dalton, I'll get killed while trying to be Superman with his ability. Jacob makes a good sniper, so I know which of my friends will pick him. I really like Naya's invinsibility, and can definitely see myself using that often. Izzy had my favorite weapon (the rapid fire crystallization gun), and the med beacon will be really useful when playing with my friends, since the group I will likely run with loves to play on the hardest difficulty. Getting a level up gives points to buy character skills, allowing you to fine tune your character. It's not as advanced as Borderlands, but I'm all for some RPG elements in my games. Characters also can equip a team perk that everyone will benefit from. I didn't get to try these in the demo, but there were some good choices in there.
Most of the controls are pretty standard. You can fire your weapon, aim down the sights, throw grenades, take cover, roll and sprint. I kept accidentally hitting the roll button when trying to take cover, since I'm still playing Gears of War 3 with my friends every week (my fault, I know). This will have you vault over the cover, which can be useful (just not when you accidentally do it, haha). There's also a melee attack, but I didn't have any use for it in the demo. I really like that the select (or back) button will pull up the squad members, so you can switch who you are controlling on the fly. I imagine this won't work in four player co-op though. You also get a stealth kill, which I will want to use a lot, since I always enjoy a good assassination.
The environment you start in is pretty cool, you have to climb up some pipes and cliffs in on a snowy mountainside. You quickly make your way to a base nearby, and have to kill lots of guards before making your way further inside. It was pretty fun to fight the soldiers, but it felt like there were too many in any given area. They seemed to come out of nowhere, so in a small courtyard, I fought at least twenty soldiers. If every encounter is like this, I imagine they would run out of soldiers in an hour.
There is online and split screen co-op, but I didn't get a chance to try those out yet. The game was pretty fun solo, and I'm hoping to try the full version. I'm betting the co-op is even more fun, so I want to try that with some friends.
Monday, March 18, 2013
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 (JP) Demo Impressions
(A.k.a.: Who the hell are these people?)
Now, let me start with what little knowledge I have of One Piece. Oh, and fair warning: I'm not going to look up anyone's names until after I write this, so it's all based on memory. Sorry if you are a huge One Piece fan, you'll likely want to strangle me. Anyway, I read the manga back when I had a subscription to Shonen Jump, which was many years ago. I remember reading past when he got the cook (Sanji, I think) and was in the middle of getting the shapeshifting reindeer (whose name escaped me).
I'm going to guess that this game takes place waaaaaaay beyond what little I know. I see Usopp (or who I assume is Usopp), and he went all Carrot Top on me. He has a 'fro ponytail and guns (I don't mean rifles). I remember him being a scaredy-cat and now he can apparently bench the rest of the crew. Zolo (I still remember when they called him Zoro in the manga) is all "17th century samurai" now? I guess the do-rag wasn't cutting it. And Nami...well, she must have saved all that money to buy implants, jeez.
Now...who the heck are the rest of these people? There was a woman (named Robin, I think) that summons arms and legs out of the ground. I don't know what devil fruit she ate, but it is creepy. Then there's the guy with the long katana and can create bubbles...he says "room" a lot. Rounding out what I assume is Luffy's crew is some guy with robot arms and Jack Skelington. Yeah...I'm going to have to look into who these people are, since I'm not sure there will be a story mode like the Bleach musou-wannabe or Ken's Rage 2 that explains the rag-tag band of pirates.
Well, enough ignorance, so let's get to the gameplay. It was really fun. You can play as both Luffy and..."Room" guy (I'll look up his name later). They play a bit different from each other, but you can really see the Dynasty Warriors roots here. Most of the attacks they had hit lots of guys and were satisfying to pull off. There were also lots of enemies on screen at once, something I really miss from the older DW games. When you fill up the Style meter (I think), you will temporarily switch to your partner and can play as them for a few seconds. It was pretty fun to do so, since it allows you to try Usopp and Zolo, who you cannot select in the demo. Also the "musou" attack (circle button) can be charge to do more damage and take multiple bars. It was a strong attack and they were cool animations, to boot. I had to experiment a bit to figure how both of these functions worked, but they were fun to use.
I've heard the game is supposed to come out in the summer here, so I'm betting it will be subbed and download only. So far it seems like it will be one I want to check out. I'll have to see if I should try the first one, or if this one is just a huge improvement over it. Oh, and find out who all these people are...
Now, let me start with what little knowledge I have of One Piece. Oh, and fair warning: I'm not going to look up anyone's names until after I write this, so it's all based on memory. Sorry if you are a huge One Piece fan, you'll likely want to strangle me. Anyway, I read the manga back when I had a subscription to Shonen Jump, which was many years ago. I remember reading past when he got the cook (Sanji, I think) and was in the middle of getting the shapeshifting reindeer (whose name escaped me).
I'm going to guess that this game takes place waaaaaaay beyond what little I know. I see Usopp (or who I assume is Usopp), and he went all Carrot Top on me. He has a 'fro ponytail and guns (I don't mean rifles). I remember him being a scaredy-cat and now he can apparently bench the rest of the crew. Zolo (I still remember when they called him Zoro in the manga) is all "17th century samurai" now? I guess the do-rag wasn't cutting it. And Nami...well, she must have saved all that money to buy implants, jeez.
Now...who the heck are the rest of these people? There was a woman (named Robin, I think) that summons arms and legs out of the ground. I don't know what devil fruit she ate, but it is creepy. Then there's the guy with the long katana and can create bubbles...he says "room" a lot. Rounding out what I assume is Luffy's crew is some guy with robot arms and Jack Skelington. Yeah...I'm going to have to look into who these people are, since I'm not sure there will be a story mode like the Bleach musou-wannabe or Ken's Rage 2 that explains the rag-tag band of pirates.
Well, enough ignorance, so let's get to the gameplay. It was really fun. You can play as both Luffy and..."Room" guy (I'll look up his name later). They play a bit different from each other, but you can really see the Dynasty Warriors roots here. Most of the attacks they had hit lots of guys and were satisfying to pull off. There were also lots of enemies on screen at once, something I really miss from the older DW games. When you fill up the Style meter (I think), you will temporarily switch to your partner and can play as them for a few seconds. It was pretty fun to do so, since it allows you to try Usopp and Zolo, who you cannot select in the demo. Also the "musou" attack (circle button) can be charge to do more damage and take multiple bars. It was a strong attack and they were cool animations, to boot. I had to experiment a bit to figure how both of these functions worked, but they were fun to use.
I've heard the game is supposed to come out in the summer here, so I'm betting it will be subbed and download only. So far it seems like it will be one I want to check out. I'll have to see if I should try the first one, or if this one is just a huge improvement over it. Oh, and find out who all these people are...
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo Impressions
The demos for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate have been up for a week or so, and I've had the chance to check them out. I had to try the Wii U version at my friend's house, but I at least got to try it.
3DS
As it is with most action games on the 3DS, the 3D looks nice but isn't practical at all. If you can keep your hands 100% steady while dodging and smashing the monster, more power to you. For the rest of us, I recommend turning it off during the fights. The game does look pretty though.
Honestly, I don't like the touch screen camera control d-pad. Most buttons I go based on tactile feedback, so I always had to look at the screen to make sure I would touch the correct part. It definitely makes me want a circle pad pro, but too bad Nyko cancelled their awesome one (it was also a shell and extra battery). According to the demo, the circle pad pro isn't compatible with it, so you would have to wait for the full version to try it.
Other than that, the game was great. I wasn't sure how to get the lock on button to work though. Since, my good buddy that you may know as "Mark" from MH Tri told me how to use it. Anyway, it was fun and controlled really well, the camera notwithstanding. So far, it transitioned to the small(er) screen really well.
Wii U
The first thing that was really throwing me was how little I knew the Wii U controller. The second stick is above the buttons, not below, as I'm used to, so I kept missing the face buttons. After a few minutes, I had adjusted and it felt good. The controller is a bit big, but didn't hinder me after putting some time into it. I didn't use the touch screen at all, since I am used to playing Tri, where there is no touch screen. It might be more helpful to use it, but I don't know yet.
The game looked so good, though. I really like the HD in Monster Hunter. Maybe I've just been playing it on my blurry capture unit, but it really did look a lot better than Tri. The time limit on the monsters is not fun, though. I imagine for new players, it's even worse. I had the Plesioth limping, but then ran out of time. Yeah, there were a few swear words, I'll admit it. At least I know he's not as bad as he was on the PSP games, so that in and of itself is comforting. Although, I don't think they should have put it on the demo. I think just about any other monster would have been a better choice, given how much players hate the Plesioth.
All in all, the demos were a good way to hold me over until the game(s) release later this month. I am really, really hoping to snag a review copy so I can bring first had impressions of the actual game. Now to just get a Wii U of my own...somehow.
[Update]
I just tried out the lock on feature and I really like it. It's like Phantasy Star Online, so I adjusted to it pretty quickly and it was a lot better for me than the touch screen d-pad. I think I'll use that if I don't get a circle pad pro by the time I get the game.
3DS
As it is with most action games on the 3DS, the 3D looks nice but isn't practical at all. If you can keep your hands 100% steady while dodging and smashing the monster, more power to you. For the rest of us, I recommend turning it off during the fights. The game does look pretty though.
Honestly, I don't like the touch screen camera control d-pad. Most buttons I go based on tactile feedback, so I always had to look at the screen to make sure I would touch the correct part. It definitely makes me want a circle pad pro, but too bad Nyko cancelled their awesome one (it was also a shell and extra battery). According to the demo, the circle pad pro isn't compatible with it, so you would have to wait for the full version to try it.
Other than that, the game was great. I wasn't sure how to get the lock on button to work though. Since, my good buddy that you may know as "Mark" from MH Tri told me how to use it. Anyway, it was fun and controlled really well, the camera notwithstanding. So far, it transitioned to the small(er) screen really well.
Wii U
The first thing that was really throwing me was how little I knew the Wii U controller. The second stick is above the buttons, not below, as I'm used to, so I kept missing the face buttons. After a few minutes, I had adjusted and it felt good. The controller is a bit big, but didn't hinder me after putting some time into it. I didn't use the touch screen at all, since I am used to playing Tri, where there is no touch screen. It might be more helpful to use it, but I don't know yet.
The game looked so good, though. I really like the HD in Monster Hunter. Maybe I've just been playing it on my blurry capture unit, but it really did look a lot better than Tri. The time limit on the monsters is not fun, though. I imagine for new players, it's even worse. I had the Plesioth limping, but then ran out of time. Yeah, there were a few swear words, I'll admit it. At least I know he's not as bad as he was on the PSP games, so that in and of itself is comforting. Although, I don't think they should have put it on the demo. I think just about any other monster would have been a better choice, given how much players hate the Plesioth.
All in all, the demos were a good way to hold me over until the game(s) release later this month. I am really, really hoping to snag a review copy so I can bring first had impressions of the actual game. Now to just get a Wii U of my own...somehow.
[Update]
I just tried out the lock on feature and I really like it. It's like Phantasy Star Online, so I adjusted to it pretty quickly and it was a lot better for me than the touch screen d-pad. I think I'll use that if I don't get a circle pad pro by the time I get the game.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires (Japanese Demo Impressions)
Being a big fan of Koei's -Warriors games, you had to know I would be looking forward to trying this. I was hoping that it wouldn't be too hard to figure out, since it isn't in English (yet?). I can read enough Japanese to muddle through most of the menus, but some of them were way beyond me. It took me a bit to figure out English is written on the back of the menu icons, so that should help people with even less skill at the Japanese language than myself.
The menu starts on character edit, which is perfect since that's what I wanted to try first. There are lots of options to make a character, but I still wanted more. If more are purchasable/ unlockable in game, I would be very happy. If more were released as DLC...I'd be less happy, but I might still bite on them. I ended up making my character look like Miles Edgeworth from the Phoenix Wright games, and named him "Edgey". You can change the character input to the English alphabet, so I actually named him that, not just an approximation. I also tried to give him posh-looking robes to match his personality, since I couldn't get 'the ruffles' his suit is so famous for.
I fiddled with the stats, but wasn't sure what I set the growth type as. At least it seemed like the growth type, but since it's a demo, it's not as important. Next was picking a primary weapon type. After looking through them all, I decided to try new ones, since I know what most of the others are like. First up was the rapier with a dagger on a wire attached. It was ok, I just seemed to drop the combos a lot. Next up was a giant ring blade (which my buddy DTJAAAAM informs me is Ding Feng's new weapon) and it was ok, but didn't seem that good compared to the numerous others offered. Third was a pool cue...which I think I tried in Warriors Orochi 3, I can't remember. It was gimmicky since you could get multiple balls and it would make the attacks stronger/better. It's ok, but not one I would be itching to use. Last one I tried was....a canoe. Seriously, it was a canoe. My friend tells me it's Huang Gai's new weapon...and surprisingly, it rocks. Several charge moves throw out a big wave and then ride it, meaning big areas of damage. It was also stronger than I thought it would be, and hit big groups, so it's really good. It looks ridiculous, but I'm probably going to put it on a character I make. Seriously.
The hardest part of the demo was figuring out how to actually enter a battle. When on the edit character select screen, press the Square Button and you can do the mock battle to try them out. Sadly, I failed this mission the first time, since I wasn't paying attention to the time limit. Good musous will help you kill the officers, but you have to know lots of kanji to figure out what each is without using it. I just randomly assigned two each time. When the NA version releases in a month or so, it will be much easier. It's harder for me to play those games with Japanese dialogue, but I'll easily live with it if it means we get the game. I'm hoping to review it too, so here's hoping Koei helps me out!
The menu starts on character edit, which is perfect since that's what I wanted to try first. There are lots of options to make a character, but I still wanted more. If more are purchasable/ unlockable in game, I would be very happy. If more were released as DLC...I'd be less happy, but I might still bite on them. I ended up making my character look like Miles Edgeworth from the Phoenix Wright games, and named him "Edgey". You can change the character input to the English alphabet, so I actually named him that, not just an approximation. I also tried to give him posh-looking robes to match his personality, since I couldn't get 'the ruffles' his suit is so famous for.
I fiddled with the stats, but wasn't sure what I set the growth type as. At least it seemed like the growth type, but since it's a demo, it's not as important. Next was picking a primary weapon type. After looking through them all, I decided to try new ones, since I know what most of the others are like. First up was the rapier with a dagger on a wire attached. It was ok, I just seemed to drop the combos a lot. Next up was a giant ring blade (which my buddy DTJAAAAM informs me is Ding Feng's new weapon) and it was ok, but didn't seem that good compared to the numerous others offered. Third was a pool cue...which I think I tried in Warriors Orochi 3, I can't remember. It was gimmicky since you could get multiple balls and it would make the attacks stronger/better. It's ok, but not one I would be itching to use. Last one I tried was....a canoe. Seriously, it was a canoe. My friend tells me it's Huang Gai's new weapon...and surprisingly, it rocks. Several charge moves throw out a big wave and then ride it, meaning big areas of damage. It was also stronger than I thought it would be, and hit big groups, so it's really good. It looks ridiculous, but I'm probably going to put it on a character I make. Seriously.
The hardest part of the demo was figuring out how to actually enter a battle. When on the edit character select screen, press the Square Button and you can do the mock battle to try them out. Sadly, I failed this mission the first time, since I wasn't paying attention to the time limit. Good musous will help you kill the officers, but you have to know lots of kanji to figure out what each is without using it. I just randomly assigned two each time. When the NA version releases in a month or so, it will be much easier. It's harder for me to play those games with Japanese dialogue, but I'll easily live with it if it means we get the game. I'm hoping to review it too, so here's hoping Koei helps me out!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
EX Troopers (Japanese Demo Impressions)
This game is basically the manga version of a Lost Planet game. Sadly, it isn't coming to this country, since it was pretty fun. As much as I liked the demo for Lost Planet 3, I don't like that we get that instead of EX Troopers. This is a much more colorful game, and would have been a great Lost Planet 2 instead of the Lost Planet 2 that we did get.
I did think LP2 was ok, but this game seems much better. I really like the manga style the game has, and the characters look cool. It seems a lot more action packed than the first, but keeps some of the multiplayer component of the second. It makes the playable people characters, though, so they aren't just some faceless mercenaries. Plus you can wear Rathalos armor, which is always cool. Sure, you could do that in Lost Planet 2, but only for the PS3, and unfortunately, that was not the version I had.
The controls are somewhat similar to the first two, but the jump button is now a dodge button. This was fine for most parts of the demo, but on the boss the jump was sorely missed. The boss is someone in one of the LP mechs, so it was pretty crazy fighting that on foot. I hope the player gets a chance to pilot some of them, since they were lots of fun to ride in the first two games. You can also jack the pilot out of the mech, which was pretty fun. I'd like to play the full game, but it's not coming here. Thankfully the PS3 is import-friendly, so I'm hoping to snag a cheap copy on ebay or something.
I did think LP2 was ok, but this game seems much better. I really like the manga style the game has, and the characters look cool. It seems a lot more action packed than the first, but keeps some of the multiplayer component of the second. It makes the playable people characters, though, so they aren't just some faceless mercenaries. Plus you can wear Rathalos armor, which is always cool. Sure, you could do that in Lost Planet 2, but only for the PS3, and unfortunately, that was not the version I had.
The controls are somewhat similar to the first two, but the jump button is now a dodge button. This was fine for most parts of the demo, but on the boss the jump was sorely missed. The boss is someone in one of the LP mechs, so it was pretty crazy fighting that on foot. I hope the player gets a chance to pilot some of them, since they were lots of fun to ride in the first two games. You can also jack the pilot out of the mech, which was pretty fun. I'd like to play the full game, but it's not coming here. Thankfully the PS3 is import-friendly, so I'm hoping to snag a cheap copy on ebay or something.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 (Japanese Demo Impressions)
I've had some time since downloading the Japanese demo of Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 (I believe it's Shin Hokuto Musou in Japanese). So let's take a look at it and how it compares to the first one.
Off the bat, the game looks really similar. The biggest difference is the new manga-like cut scenes, which are pretty neat. I wish more of the cut scenes used it, though. Any cut scenes in mid-level will just be regular cut scenes, which doesn't look as nice. Granted, the manga ones look strange since they don't move, but it fits the origin of Fist of the North Star, so I'd like it most of the scenes were in the manga style.
If you've played the first Fist of the North Star or any of the Warriors games, you know how this will play. Thankfully, they have made this one play more like the Warriors games and less like the first FotNS. Yes, they are similar, but Ken's Rage 1 was a lot slower and most characters were good at 1 on 1 fighting, so fighting groups took way to long. Kenshiro, who I felt was one of the worst characters in the first game is now really good. His combos have been changed to have him hit larger groups of enemies. Also, the game just plays faster and the musou attacks, which have sadly lost the kanji and name of the move at the end of the animation, are also faster, leading to a more action friendly game experience. I can't wait to try the rest of the characters.
As mentioned before, the musou attacks have lost the kanji at the end, which was very Fist of the North Star. It does make the fights faster, which is good, and they are still present at the end of the level, when it really matters (because it looks cool). Also at the end of the level, the button sequence is now gone. The only QTE is a single button press at the end. I'm kind of glad they are gone, because it added stress to some of the harder fights.
There's a few other minor changes, such as you now open food and drink boxes instead of smashing them. Characters cannot jump anymore, you get a dodge move that is hopefully better than the one in the first game. The level up screen is different, but being in all Japanese, I'm not sure what I'm doing, so I'll have to wait until the domestic release. Lastly, you only get one musou attack in the demo, so I don't know if you can still equip up to 4 of them, which was really nice. I hope that stays.
As a fan of the Warriors games, I'm very much looking forward to Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 being released next month. I enjoyed the first, but not as much as most of the rest of Koei's games. Just seeing how they changed Kenshiro makes me excited to play the finished product.
Off the bat, the game looks really similar. The biggest difference is the new manga-like cut scenes, which are pretty neat. I wish more of the cut scenes used it, though. Any cut scenes in mid-level will just be regular cut scenes, which doesn't look as nice. Granted, the manga ones look strange since they don't move, but it fits the origin of Fist of the North Star, so I'd like it most of the scenes were in the manga style.
If you've played the first Fist of the North Star or any of the Warriors games, you know how this will play. Thankfully, they have made this one play more like the Warriors games and less like the first FotNS. Yes, they are similar, but Ken's Rage 1 was a lot slower and most characters were good at 1 on 1 fighting, so fighting groups took way to long. Kenshiro, who I felt was one of the worst characters in the first game is now really good. His combos have been changed to have him hit larger groups of enemies. Also, the game just plays faster and the musou attacks, which have sadly lost the kanji and name of the move at the end of the animation, are also faster, leading to a more action friendly game experience. I can't wait to try the rest of the characters.
As mentioned before, the musou attacks have lost the kanji at the end, which was very Fist of the North Star. It does make the fights faster, which is good, and they are still present at the end of the level, when it really matters (because it looks cool). Also at the end of the level, the button sequence is now gone. The only QTE is a single button press at the end. I'm kind of glad they are gone, because it added stress to some of the harder fights.
There's a few other minor changes, such as you now open food and drink boxes instead of smashing them. Characters cannot jump anymore, you get a dodge move that is hopefully better than the one in the first game. The level up screen is different, but being in all Japanese, I'm not sure what I'm doing, so I'll have to wait until the domestic release. Lastly, you only get one musou attack in the demo, so I don't know if you can still equip up to 4 of them, which was really nice. I hope that stays.
As a fan of the Warriors games, I'm very much looking forward to Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 being released next month. I enjoyed the first, but not as much as most of the rest of Koei's games. Just seeing how they changed Kenshiro makes me excited to play the finished product.
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