Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk Review

Atelier Ayesha:  The Alchemist of Dusk is a new entry in the long running Atelier series.  It's plot is separate from the Arland trilogy (Rorona, Totori, and Meruru - try saying those 3 times fast!).  Does it stay true to the formula long time fans have come to love?

It's not a secret to everyone, but I really like the anime art style in general.  This game is a 3D modeled, anime style game, so, naturally, I like it.  There are occasional event still pictures that look really nice, and can thankfully be viewed again once you complete the game.  The whole game is very pastel colored, so it stands out from the usual bright colored JRPGs and the gray and brown WRPGs.  The only thing that bothers me is some of the text issues.  There's a few instances of overlapped text, and there's even more examples of text that doesn't quite fit in the box.  It might not bother everyone, but it was my job to notice this stuff for three and a half years, and that's a skill that sticks with you.

The music is usually some nice cheery RPG music.  There's also an occasional vocal track that reminds me of the Ar Tonelico games.  It's pretty good if not particularly memorable.  The game is dubbed, which is surprising considering the last few Tecmo Koei games.  Much to the chagrin of "purists", there is no sub option.  As unpopular as it might be, I would rather games be dubbed (except Chaos Wars...*shudder*), than subbed, for my own personal reasons.  The option for both would have been nice, but the dub actors are fine, and the file size is huge enough without having double the audio.

The basic premise of the game is you play as Ayesha, an apothocary that wants to find her missing sister.  Early on you meet jerkbag Keithgriff, the bipolar alchemist who tells Ayesha that she is actually an alchemist, not an apothocary, and attempts to help set her on the road to find her younger sibling.  Did I mention he's a jerk?  Anyway, off she goes with 3 years to figure out how to do it.

If you've played any of the other Atelier main series games (ie: not the Iris ones), you will know this time limit well.  All the ones I've played have it, and so does Ayesha.  It always feels a bit arbitrary to me.  It's very possible (and not too hard if you concentrate) to do what you need to do in the game in that time limit, but I don't like feeling rushed.  It's not as bad as it was in Rorona, but the time limit keeps me from diving into the synthesis and actually getting good at it.  In the Iris and Mana Khemia games, I really felt like I could experiment and fully understand the alchemy process.  Not so in the main Atelier games.  There is a tutorial that teaches you the basics, but I really felt that there was so much information that wasn't really communicated.  Most of it is actually in the "help" section in the Library menu, which I didn't discover until late in the game.

What else didn't I like about the time limit?  I didn't want to wander too much, sometimes avoided battles and gathering ingredients, all in an effort to maximize my time.  Is it a deal breaker?  No, but I always felt pressured to cut corners so I was sure to finish within the 3 years.  I'm a completionist, not a speed runner, if that helps you understand where I'm coming from.  I would have loved to gather lots of ingredients so I could play around with the alchemy system and make really good quality stuff, and lots of it.  Instead, I tended to use whatever I had the most of, just to fill the townspeople's requests.

You will want to do those requests, since that is the main way to make money in the game.  Battles yield little and items don't sell for much.  Each request has another time limit, but most of them were doable.  The few that weren't do stick out to me, but there were only three or four of them.  I never felt like I had too little money though, so just make sure to do the requests when you can.  There wasn't much spare time to try and make super equipment either, since you can't make your own equipment, but have to instead enhance things you find.  Again, I was held back by the time limit.

In it's defense, the time limit is more lax here than the other Atelier games.  There's no real intervals, you just have 3 years to complete the main story.  In previous entries, you had six month milestones to reach to get the good ending.  Thankfully, not here.  Sure, there are contests to enter every six months, but they aren't necessary.  So if you want to break into the Atelier series of games, this is a great start.  You get the basic gist of the 3 year limit but freedom within it, which makes the imposing time limit tolerable.

Battles are turn based and fun.  Characters get several skills, which take either MP, AC meter or the super meter.  It's almost too much, but I like having options as to what skills to use when I need them.  Although, some AC (action command) skills need specific positioning, which isn't conveyed in its description.    Positioning effects more than that though, since you do more damage attacking an enemy from behind, but can do useful "pursuit" attacks when next to your party members.  So there is more to the battles than normal turn-based combat, but it's not likely to change anyone's mind if they don't like turn-based fights.  The harder battles can be pretty dynamic and flashy.  It would be nice if enemy levels were displayed on the map when selecting an area, so you would know to avoid it instead of running in and hoping for the best.  Losing a fight returns you to the world map and you only lose a day, but again, that is just more time eaten up.

While at times the time limit feels oppressive, the game actually takes a good long while to complete.  Depending on what you actually do in that time limit, it can easily take over 20 hours for a playthrough.  My wife clocked in at just over 24 hours until the credits and I was even over that!  Unless you have some planning or understanding of how to spend your time, you may want multiple playthroughs to get all the events, endings and trophies.  Unfortunately, all of the trophies are secret, so it's harder to know what to shoot for unless you have played another Atelier game and know what they look for.

New game plus is present and gives you a few advantages from your previous save, but more would have been appreciated.  You keep your current equipment and the money you had, so sell all of your stuff before the end of the third year.  Also, you can't skip any cutscenes, just make the dialog go faster, so going through multiple times can be a chore.  You can skip to the first major town when starting again, which is nice.  I'd prefer to keep a lot more of what you earned, but what you get does help give you a leg up on another run through the game.

Did I have fun while playing?  Yes, I did.  I don't know if I will go back to get the other endings or trophies, though.  While I'm not a fan of the time limit, this is the best it's been in the Atelier games I've played.  I like the look of the game and battles were fun.  I could also play it in front of my kids with no issues (well, except for the hot springs scene) and my wife enjoyed it as much as I did.  If you want to jump into the main Atelier games, Atelier Ayesha is a good point to start.  The time limit is more lax than the others and you don't need to know any back story to enjoy the plot.  Oh, and...

Barrel!

Starscream: Fall of Cybertron Transformer Toy Review

When I first saw Starscream in the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game a few years ago, I loved the design.  I'm not a fan of the character of Starscream, but loved the way this incarnation looked and wanted to get a toy of him.  They only had four molds in the toy line for the game (one was a recolor), which is almost insulting considering how good the character designs were.  Thankfully, they had more toys for the Fall of Cybertron line, and Starscream is one of them.

Holding it and underslung

As I've said probably four times by now, I really like this look for Starscream.  I'm not too crazy about his face (in both the game and the toy), but the head is excellent.  He's pretty game-accurate, and is sturdy, too. He holds together really well and can stand without much effort.  His head can turn, the elbows bend and the hands rotate.  His shoulders and hips both rotate and swivel.  The knees bend and his ankles tilt.  He's not perfect though.  There is a gap between his chest and back, but it's pretty hidden.  Also the top of the jet is his back, so the tail is pretty obvious if viewed from behind.  It's not really a problem for me, but I know there are people that aren't going to like that.

Starscream's alt mode (the Cybertronian jet) looks faithful to the game.  Well, it's close to what I remember it looking like in the game at least.  He's a little thick for a plane, but that's what I remember him looking like in the game, so it's fine.  He still looks fairly streamlined.  The wings, while small, fit with the compact design of the Cybertronian jet.  There are peg holes on the wings and the legs (near the wing holes), so there are a few places to attach his guns, or other weapons from other figures.  It's also a sturdy transformation, so he holds together really well.

Now for the weapon.  Conceptually, Starscream's weapon is the Neutron Assault Rifle from the game.  Basically, there are two guns, each with a rotatable triple barreled gun.  Each also has two different pegs, so they can be attached in multiple ways.  They can be held, underslung or attached as arm guns.  They can also be put together to make a gun that looks more like the one from the game.  Since there are gears around the barrels, spinning one will spin the other in the opposite direction.  It's a small touch, but really adds that little bit extra cool.  Even though two posts are close, the gun can be held in one hand when combined.  I'm a fan of versatile weapons, so I'm a fan of this one.  It's really easy to use it with other Transformer figures, which makes it even better.

Overall, it's a great figure.  The only problem is it's availability.  I managed to snag one off of Amazon for cost, since I couldn't find one in stores.  If you like the design of Fall of Cybertron Starscream, this figure should be on your shelf.  It's pretty faithful to both modes from the game, he has nice articulation, and the weapon is lots of fun.

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.

Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires (PS3) Review

As a fan of Dynasty Warriors 7, I was very eager to dive into the new Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires.  Instead of just hacking and slashing, the Empires line of games have a lot more strategy involved.  As a ruler, you must decide to research weapons, train troops, making alliances and other details to make your kingdom strong enough to unite China.  If you are a vassal, you must do what your lord commands, or even attempt to overthrow him or her.  It's definitely a fun diversion from the normal story modes from the main Dynasty Warriors games.

The graphics are pretty good, but do suffer from some odd physics, clipping and pop in with enemy soldiers.  The physics issues were also present in Ken's Rage 2, so if they didn't bother you there, they probably won't here.  The clipping is fine for me, since a chunk of it is from the created costumes.  The pop in is the most problematic, but hasn't actually hurt the gameplay at all.

Like most recent Tecmo Koei games, the only spoken language is Japanese.  It doesn't bother me as much it used to.  I don't know if it's because I got used to it, or because most battles are short so I don't need to listen to much talking.  It's likely somewhere between the two, but I don't mind the Japanese voices.  I will miss gems like Lu Meng's death scene though.  I like the music in the game, but it's pretty much the same music that has been used in the games for as long as I can remember.

The fights are also what you would expect from a Dynasty Warriors game.  You have your normal and charge attack, which changes the end of the combo.  There are basically two different types of battles in the game.  Skirmishes are quick fights that "weaken" an opposing force.  You can't pick who fights in them, other than your main character.  You don't capture bases and can't use special "strategem" cards.  Invasion fights are large scale battles to take over (or defend) one of the territories of ancient China.  Officers can be captured, "strategem" cards can alter the battlefield or give you quick advantages, and you can pick several officers to accompany you into the fray.  Although, in the Empires games, you won't enter battle as much as you normally would, since you do have a kingdom to run.

Well, if you are a ruler, that is.  If you are a vassal, your lord will give your objectives that he or she would like completed.  When you run the show, you decide how to spend your resources, from seeking out officers to hire, getting better weapons, training troops or forging alliances.  It's a fun alternative to battle, and I really liked building up resources so I could level up various parts of my character and kingdom.  I'd recommend reading the various tutorial messages that pop up, since they do help.  Also, read the instruction manual (press the home button while in the game and it's just under "quit game"), as it has lots of helpful info that isn't in the tutorials.  Making my way through the actual running of the kingdom wasn't too hard, but I felt like I wasn't taking advantage of everything offered.  There were lots of options to pick that I didn't end up using, and it took me a bit to understand what picking your fame type actually affected.  It's a nice system with lots of options, and I haven't touched a chunk of them...yet.

There's six different scenarios you can complete, each in a different time frame and containing some different characters.  These scenarios can take a long time to complete, depending on how aggressive the enemy is, or how much you want to build up your lands before unifying the country.  They also have good replay value, since after the initial set up, who fights who and which kingdoms crumble is random.  Plus, once you've completed a scenario, you can replay it with different bonuses (in exchange for bonus points) and even allow officers to die.  I'm not even taking into account the player made officers that can show up...

Which brings me to the best part of the game: create a warrior.  It's no secret that I love to create characters in games (main reason I love the WWE games and City of Heroes/Villains [rest in peace]), and it's a lot of fun here.  There's a fair amount of starting costumes, and a whole lot more you can purchase with bonus points that you get after battles.  The last time I played an Empires game, there were limited costume pieces, but thankfully not in Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires.  Besides being able to make many, many different looks for the character, you can choose their weapon, EX attack (if that weapon has multiple) and both Musou attacks.  I was very pumped for that one, so I wouldn't be stuck with a Musou attack I didn't want, and could make a "greatest hits" character.  Characters you make can be uploaded so others can download them or have them show up in their scenarios.  It's really fun to run across a random Samurai Warriors, Final Fantasy or anime character.  Unfortunately, the ability in the demo to use your created character in a sample battle to test them out is gone, so it takes longer to try out new weapons and musou attacks to find the right fit for your characters.

The trophies in the game don't seem particularly hard, save "complete an entire scenario on chaos difficulty". Most of them are from using the different fame types and their abilities.  You can also get one for getting a sworn sibling (good ol' Peach Garden Oath!) or marrying someone.  Wait, so when I married a woman for the trophy...does that make her a trophy wife?  It's funny that you can marry anyone of the opposite gender, even Lu Bu!  That's what my wife did, and she looked at me funny when I questioned her standards for marrying a big, angry, destructive monster.  Go figure.

There are some online amenities in Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires.  You can upload and download created warriors and they can show up when you play each scenario, as was mentioned previously.  You can also play battles online with 2 players, which is a nice, standard, addition.  You can also do 2 players locally, but in both circumstances, the game isn't built for 2 players, which is my biggest complaint.  Player 2 has to just sit around while not in battle, and they can't even play in skirmishes, only invasion fights.  Also make sure to set the character they want to play as as the second entrant in the fight, and they have to push start to join every time.  I'd really like it if there was either a proper 2 player mode, where they can pick a character that is in every fight, or a free mode where you could just do battles.

Despite the lackluster 2 player mode, the game is lots of fun.  The empire building sections are a nice diversion from the normal hacking and slashing, and it was made even better by running across other players' created warriors while playing.  Each scenario can be long or short, depending on your actions, and the random nature of them can make for some good replayability.  An added plus was my wife enjoyed playing it.  Well, it was an added plus for the game.  She was hogging it when I wasn't playing.  I highly recommend the game for fans of Dynasty Warriors, and if you see a daikatana wielding warrior named Goken...you're welcome.