[General Discussion] Recent Game Purchases, or what I bought instead of fourteen new dildos this weekend

Ah, you picked up some good Tales games (Rebirth and Destiny 2, not the Symphonia port). That Tales of Destiny 2 you picked up is the real Tales of Destiny 2, which ties into the first. Speaking on which, you should try to pick up the Tales of Destiny remake. It won't be as cheap, but it should've dropped in price by now.

The Suikogaidens are boring as hell, but you might get a kick out of them. AND BERWICK MOTHERFUCKING SAGA. Excellent choice.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Most recent purchase:



Picked up Geometry Wars: Galaxies the other night, mainly because I had a little money left on a gift card I wanted to burn, and I didn't want to break a 100-dollar bill on Umbrella Chronicles or Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. I'd heard good things about it, too.

It's an absolutely fantastic arcade-shooter with surprisingly solid Wiimote controls, so I'm very pleased with the purchase so far. The graphics are simple enough, but the use of colors and the game's few 3D effects is nothing short of... psychedelic. Seriously, I imagine this game would look awesome if one were to be under the influence of LSD or some shit. The game also lets you download Retro Evolved onto your DS, so that's a pretty nifty bonus/covert advertisement for the DS version of Galaxies. It actually shows how brilliant an idea it was to add a Drone ally to the formula.

Great buy, though I wish online multiplayer was on option (only online leaderboards are available). Ranked 150th on the first planet, haha.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I never played the original Retro Evolved, but the DS Download Play version of it is exactly like the version of it found in Galaxies on the Wii (which is supposed to be the same Retro Evolved on Live Arcade). So, yeah, it's the full game.

The catch is that you'll have to download the game again once your shut your DS off. You can mostly get around this by putting the DS into sleep mode instead, but it means you can't play anything else.

Still, it's a pretty badass bonus.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Went out and bought a few things yesterday.



The Classic Controller was one. I had wanted one for some time, but I never felt like the purchase would be warranted. However, since I've become enamored with Geometry Wars: Galaxies lately, I wanted to give the traditional control scheme a whirl. Wiimote controls are actually pretty fun, but I was getting my ass handed to me when things got really hectic, in part because I was unable to see my guiding laser as well as I needed to.

The controller is far from Nintendo's best design, but it's still pretty good. The buttons feel perfect when they're depressed (not too loose or too clicky), and it's good to see a big d-pad with Nintendo's traditional/patented "plus" design. Having trouble getting used to the lack of analog buttons, but the sticks themselves are fine. The octagon shape for the analog borders (whatever they're called) are a mixed bag. They help you move or fire precisely in any of those eight directions, but are a bit imprecise outside of them. Still, the controller makes it much easier for me to play A Link to the Past. Works good with Galaxies too, of course.



Contact for the DS, my second purchase. I bought this game used back in February or so, but quickly returned it when I felt the game didn't justify the price I paid for it. Now that the game is under $20 at Gamestop, I happily snatched it up and added it back into my collection again.

The game's choice in art and music direction made for a pretty bizarre atmosphere, but I was very pleased with it. Combat leaves a bit to be desired, mostly because it's like a slightly inferior form of Final Fantasy XII's, but also lacking in other party members to control. Still, the choice to have statistics level up independently of one another was brilliant, and it's like a lighthearted Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in that regard. Very pleased to have it back and give it the time it deserves.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Alright, been a while since we've been able to access this thread, so I have a fair amount of stuff. Chronological order sounds best!


First up was the obvious pick-up for me and a lot of others here, Days of Ruin. I'm about the biggest damn fan of the series on the planet, so I didn't even care if CO Powers were hugely nerfed. This was silly of me.

The design of the game is top notch. The sprites look great, and the battle animations have a really... pulpy look to them. The cast, while nothing stellar, is interesting and has a few people who really stand out (Lin). The story sometimes gets too caught up in lightening the mood and usually ruins the post-apocalyptic atmosphere they initially set up.

However, as far as gameplay goes, the CO Powers and new CO Zones are not particularly enjoyable to me. You spend far too much time trying to meticulously prepare a safe entrance of your CO onto the battlefield and not enough time trying to kill the enemy. Anything that distracts me from my goal in such a way tends to kill the enjoyment. Fantastic for people who play multiplayer and online a fair amount, but not so much for sad, lonely people like me. I ended up trading it in, and instead purchased...

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

Gooooooons in the sky!

...Dual Strike. I had played this game a fair amount back when it was released, but I never had owned a copy. I changed that with the credit I got from Days of Ruin, and I ended up coming out much more pleased. As a person who tends not to play Advance Wars with a friend, I have absolutely no qualms about the game's balance. Zany Super/CO-Power-Tag-Break-Dual-Strike bullshit flying around everywhere, and I love it. So damn much. <3


No More Heroes! This was actually purchased before Dual Strike, but I wanted a clean transition from Days of Ruin to the next game. I'd been waiting for the game for ages, and I had convinced myself that the game would only be a so-so one, getting mostly 6s and 7s from US reviewers. To my delight, the game turned out to be much more of a critical and commercial success than I had anticipated, and it really is an enjoyable game-- I found it strangely entertaining to go out and kick dumpsters for new shirts. Easily up there for best third-party game on the Wii, although its competition is a little lacking.


Next up is Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power. Or, as it's better known to fans, "the game Koei took four years to publish in North America." The game's from 2004, and its age does indeed show in both its graphics and its execution. Some strategy elements that have been in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series for several entries are shockingly missing from Nobunaga's Ambition, and it kind of leaves you scratching your head. However, there are some elements that have always been exclusive to this series that make things interesting (like the ability to choose a profession for your created character), so it has some things going for it. I just don't know why Koei didn't bring over a more recent entry into the series.


Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut came out a couple weeks ago, and I decided to give it a spin. It's all still totally fanservice for all the Leonfags out there, but the A-LMBS (aerial linear motion battle system) or whatever the hell it's called is still an enjoyable and fast-paced way to fight. I just don't think it's worth the money if you purchased the normal edition of this game.


Ah, Lost Odyssey. About everyone and their mom has been talking about this one, and I decided to pick it up for a friend. It's... traditional, that's for damn sure. It's 1999 all over again, playing all those Playstation, turn-based RPGs that were a dime a dozen back then. The story has been painfully predictable thus far, but the short stories about Kaim's memories are well-written and typically enjoyable to read. The problem is that they take about five to ten minutes to read, and a lot of times it's jarring to go from running around in a dungeon area and suddenly reading page after page of text. I'll reserve judgment on this one.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Don't mind Skills, Icy. Aside from the horrible ending, Valkyrie Profile 2 is a great game.

Let's see... not much purchased recently (this Pokemon tournament has kept me really busy). Etrian Odyssey II and Final Fantasy Tactics A2 are on the upcoming list, but they're not here yet.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Picked up a few things lately, all of which have been pretty good.

First up was Orcs & Elves; that cell phone RPG by id that was ported over to the DS by EA.



The game is basically a really simplistic, first-person rougelike. You move tile by tile, and enemies don't move without you moving first. You can tell the game is definitely from cell phones, but it's still a fun little time-killer. I'm not sure if magic is in the game or not (with a talking wand as a sidekick, I hope so), but so far the game has been giving me a lot of weapon and item options.

The entire game is a trek down into a dwarven mountain overrun by an orc/dark elf coalition. It's very light on story, but there are some Tolkien spoofs every so often (like the note There and Never Back Again). The top of the mountain is home to a greedy dragon that will trade you weapons and armor in exchange for gold and any rare treasures you find in the dungeons. And with all of the sprites having just a touch of Doom in them, you almost feel a bit of nostalgia when you first start playing. If you can get it for cheap, I say buy it. Otherwise, it might be a bit too short and simple for most people.

Next is Age of Empires: Age of Kings for the DS.



I knew the game was turn-based rather than real-time, but I had absolutely no idea how well that would translate. Turns out it did very well, and the game has a distinct Age of Kings feel (probably the sound effects) without being a port. I like how each hero represents a certain difficulty, but it stinks of you wanted to, say, okay the Joan of Arc campaign on a harder difficulty.

Besides that, the units follow a rock-paper-scissors system for deciding a unit type's strengths and weaknesses. You know, cavalry defeat infantry types and whatnot. It's a little simplistic, but it gets the job done. What's unfortunate is that, while the town-building aspect is still present and very enjoyable, there was no easy way to translate the "lower villager hp = slower building rate" formula. So, even if a villager has 1 HP, it can still build whatever it wants in a single day.

Lastly is the Glory of Heracles: Proof of the Spirit.



This is game is pretty hard to describe. It's a very traditional RPG with some touch-screen capabilities thrown in to power up magic spells. The graphics are a very nice, with cel-shaded 2D sprites giving the characters a very... unique and colorful appearance.



I like the Greek atmosphere to the game, but it's about as Greek as Valkyrie Profile is Norse. Battles can take several minutes in many cases which makes the game feel pretty damn slow, but the battle music is good. Helps pass the time in those long fights.

FELIPE NO

Oh, was it $20? I thought it was $30 when it came out, and I got it for $15 the other day.

In that case, yes, it's very much a good deal.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

And now, the culmination of my spending spree with GameStop's "buy two, get one free" deal.



1 - Fallout 3 Official Game Guide: Collector's Edition
More of a game-related purchase, but I felt like showing it. Mostly refraining from looking at it until I pick up the game tomorrow, but it's definitely got a lot of information in it. Map's flippin' huge.

2 - Dynasty Tactics 2
Part chess, part Suikoden war battles. I like the lack of Dynasty Warriors cheese since it brings it slightly closer in line with the respectable Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, but all the focus on Lu Bu is annoying. For fuck's sake, he's not that important in the story, Koei. He gets jealous and kills Dong Zhuo, dicks around for a little while, then dies pleading for his life. That's it.

3 - Gamecube Microphone
Bought solely for Odama.

4 - Wild ARMs 3
A little outdated in terms of RPG standards, but still a solid story and pretty enjoyable gameplay mechanics. Virginia's a good female protagonist for not being too contemplative or too spunky. It's also nice to go back and play the old Wild ARMs where you just charge madly in a single direction until hitting a wall.

5 - Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Yeah yeah, it pisses all over Fallout continuity and such. Blah blah. Shit story aside, it's fun to run around as what is essentially a zombie and punch giant scorpions in the face. A decent Baldur's Gate clone.

6 - Wario World
Treasure's attempt at a fairly normal platformer, which actually made Wario World into a pretty decent brawler. It's fun to grab hold of anything you can and piledrive it into the ground! Archaic "packrat" collection system as far as game progression goes, but still an enjoyable romp.

7 - Resident Evil Zero
Haven't gotten around to this yet, but I've heard good things. After going through Resident Evil 4 a couple times, it should be interesting to see how well I readjust to the old movement scheme.

8 - 360 Messenger Kit
Keyboard to make typing much more convenient. Skills can fire off messages pretty quick, but it'd take me five minutes to write two or three sentences. This already has made things so much simpler for me.

9 - Call of Duty 2
Fun stuff from the 360 launch. Wanted it for a long time, but was eventually forgotten. At $9.99 though, it's a steal. The controls are fine, the atmosphere is... acceptable, and the missions are varied enough to be interesting. Playing through the Brit scenario still.

10 - Odama
I was incredibly hyped for this game way back when, but got the flu and because disgusted with the game concept for some odd reason. Saw it for 10 bucks and pounced on it. The voice commands go through almost every time (a little surprising), but it's a damn hard game. Precision with the pinball/Odama is absolutely imperative.

11 - Baldur's Gate
Was the framerate always this choppy, or is the Gamecube port slightly inferior? Played this pretty extensively on the PS2 back in the day, decided to grab this version since it was there. The game is pretty much obsolete with newer clones out doing so much more, but it's still a great experience.

12 - Mega Man X: Command Mission
Completing the pictured set of cheap games is the Mega Man RPG. Cheese dialogue, bad story, odd gameplay choices. Sounds like the usual Mega Man crap! The combat is acceptable though, and the game is from the guys who brought us Dragon Quarter. Sold me on it day one.

Not pictured:

F-Zero GX
Gift.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Easily the best RPG on the Gamecube (of the three of them, ololol). Good, lighthearted humor, enjoyable timing-based battle system, ghosts of ambiguous gender. The usual stuff. Never beat the Pit of 100 Trials, which I'll have to do this time around. So much easier in Super Paper Mario, let me tell you.

Blue Dragon
Heard it was pretty much shit, but I needed another game around the $19.99 price range. There it was, sitting at $17.99. I liked Lost Odyssey, so we'll see how it goes.

.hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminiscence
CHEESE DIALOGUE. Jesus fucking Christ, I completely forgot about this.

Phew, that should do it!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I did a bit of Christmas splurging for myself, and since game-related purchases seem okay now, I'll mention them. Got a 46'' W-Series Bravia (Sony KDL-46W4100) through a work-related site for 800 bucks after shipping, specifically for gaming and such. Pretty good, since the cheapest I've seen it anywhere is for around 1500 bucks. Also got an 800-series Monster HDMI cable for my 360 and wow does shit on my TV look good.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Haven't bought much recently since Last Remnant and Prince of Persia (which were a while back now), so instead I bought a few games for my new cell phone (an LG Decoy)-- those being Soul of Darkness and Doom RPG.



As you might be able to tell, the game is essentially a Castlevania clone. However, the game uses a few mechanics that I think make it superior to Castlevania in some regards.

Rather than a simple leveling system, Soul of Darkness goes the Onimusha/Devil May Cry route by having enemies and items release orbs that can be used to strengthen various attributes for your weapons. You can even lengthen the attack chain of your weapon, which is something I think Castlevania sorely needs. All in all it's not bad, but the number pad on my phone is too constricted for the harder platforming aspects, and the joystick on the face of the phone is too hard to use.

Next up is Doom RPG, which is my second id Software RPG after the phenomenal Orcs & Elves.





It's slightly more primitive than Orcs & Elves, which makes sense since Doom RPG is older and Orcs & Elves got various improvements in the port to the DS. However, it's the same basic, first-person Roguelike, mini-RPG experience that I loved, so it's been seeing a lot of use. Now I need to find a way to play the two remaining id RPGs: Orcs & Elves II and Wolfenstein RPG.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Did a bit more bargain hunting.


Most of the covers are clearly visible, but I went ahead and labeled them all anyway.

1 - Onimusha 2
What I considered the apex of the Onimusha series, the game gave you more weapons to wield, several partners you could team up with during boss fights, a town to use as a base camp, and it kept the detailed, pre-rendered backgrounds and slightly wonky Resident Evil-style movement system that I enjoyed in Onimusha. Only $5.99 which is totally worth it even if you preferred other entries.

2. Shining Tears
I may have mentioned this and Nocturne earlier, but I can't recall. It's a so-so Action-RPG, but the music was entertaining and the leveling system was similar to western RPGs, which I can appreciate. This was a little steeper at 12.99, however.

3 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII
I'm a bit of a Three Kingdoms buff, so I collect Romance of the Three Kingdoms games whenever I see them. VII and VIII were in the same place, so I got both at once. I tried playing it, but it's too archaic. I didn't expect it to come close to X (which I consider the best entry in series), but it's just too bare-bones when compared to VIII, which was a huge leap forward in both substance and style. Something like $5.99 used.

4 - Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII
Like I said, both were there. This game is a big step up from VII and probably even a little better than IX and XI, but still below X. The music is varied and entertaining (I love Ba Shu's regional theme), and it's probably an entry I actually bother playing. It cost something like $7.99 used.

5 - Front Mission 4
Wow, has Front Mission always been this enjoyable? I was underwhelmed with Front Mission DS when I finally decided to give the series a try, but this was staring at me for $4.99 and I'm pretty happy with the purchase. Elsa's cheesy french accent is a bit cringe-worthy, but I'm enjoying running through the simulator missions and buying up skills. I was a little annoyed to switch over to Darril though, since I had put a ton of effort into grinding with Elsa's team and was mighty fine watching Durandal's conspiracy sleuthing. Great buy.

6 - Romancing SaGa
Talk of the SaGa 2 remake got me all nostalgic, so I went down and picked up Romancing SaGa, which I had never purchased for myself. The character models are a tad frightening to look at, but the atmosphere is great and the music is top-notch. It's appropriately random and weird-in-that-SaGa-way, so it's a good deal at $9.99.

7 - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Really, it's the only platformer that rivals the best Mario entries. You just... have to not puke at the nauseatingly cute voices and the dreaded Wahoo Stomp. I owned it once before, but returned it since it was too expensive for not having the manual or cover. Found it complete at some store the other day, so I happily pounced on it for $7.99. If you like platformers, there's no reason not to own it.

8 - Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
I originally got sick of playing this when it first came out, but gradually got over this as time went on. Found it at some store a couple weeks ago and, knowing how hard it is to find despite a brief reprint, picked it up while I had the chance. Came at a comparatively steep $39.99.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Nice, Perfect Dark.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Aw yeah.

Spoiler:

The store by me had about five copies, none of which were on preorder. Interesting note-- the back of the box has a production number on it. I guess they were serious when they were saying it was supposed to be a limited deal.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Found this guy today. Apparently it was part of a shipment of crap from a store that closed down, so I snatched it up. 20 bucks new.



I was at first thinking of keeping him in the packaging, but a) the box was in terrible shape, and b) I remembered the existence of a Metal Slime controller, which would likely stunt any sort of growth in value this might have.

I'm just facing him away from my bed so I can sleep:

Also picked up Romance of the Three Kingdoms X for the PS2. I traded it in for RotTK XI back in the day, assuming it would be better. Pfft.

FELIPE NO

Are you sure you're not thinking of Samurai Legend Musashi, Skills? Brave Fencer is the first one.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Did a bit of shopping since the last time I posted in my thread.


Starting from the top-left, going clockwise:

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Charming and very funny. However, I'm also on the sentiment that the game has too many characters who have speaking quirks. You'd think one or two toads or something would speak normal goddamn english.

Phantom Brave: We Meet Again
Phantom Brave is definitely showing its age, both with graphics (looks like ass on my tv) and gameplay (still pales in comparison to Makai Kingdom). I like the tropical setting, however, and I still haven't beaten it.

Rygar: Battle of Argus
Just a slightly-enhanced port of the Rygar on PS2. That itself was a pretty good action title, but I have no idea why they decided to "update" Rygar's appearance. It looks like utter garbage.

Baten Kaitos Origins
I didn't have any patience for card-type games in the past, but, feeling that I had a more open mind about them now, I picked up Origins. It's a prequel, so it felt like I could play this for a better understanding of the original.

Brutal Legend
The demo is soooo misleading. I was under the impression that it was an action game, but then it suddenly changed into an RTS. Certainly not a bad thing, just unexpected.

Borderlands
If Fallout 3 was 70% RPG and 30% action, this is 30% RPG and 70% action. Just got into the Dahl Headlands and finished off Skagzilla. Great, so far.

Left 4 Dead 2
Bought it at the behest of my Gamestop manager friend, I've spent most of my time playing it with her or Colonel Skills and his usual suspects. Some great times to be had, I must admit.

"C'mon, we're at 8 [of 13]. Only two left."
"....Yyyeah, I wish I could count like that."

The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Extremely endearing and even a bit heartwarming. I think the character interaction, while minimal, was handled very well. Good stuff, even if it's a bit too straightforward.

Not pictured:
Disgaea 3
Dragon Age: Origins
Gyromancer (due to it being a download)

How ya doing, buddy?

Alpha Protocol, Mice Heist (which was given to me by the developers for saying it should be called "Mouse Porno"), 3D Dot Game Heroes,and Killzone 2. I will add a screen at some point.

Alpha Protocol is not Mass Effect, but I think it's getting slammed a bit too much. It's a decent game.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm just playing on easy with Rookie. Saving the real challenge for Veteran mode, where I'm going to be the biggest douchebag on the planet.

How ya doing, buddy?

I thought it only seemed easier because they removed the cap on how many leaders you can have in battle. By the end of the console version, it's stupidly annoying how ineffective your generic units are (when compared to your beastly unit leaders).

If your computer can run it, it's better to get the Last Remnant on PC.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?