Fuaaaah?
Life's going pretty smoothly nowadays, so nothing on that front besides going to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and possibly Anime USA.
I have a whole ton of PS3 games to play (SO4, Resonance of Fate, finishing FFXIII), but I've mostly been preoccupied with portable games and Sakura Wars V, with a splash of SOs 2 and 3. Also, somewhat embarrassingly, Touhou. Turns out I like danmaku games sometimes, too. O_O
Tenkaichi Sengoku Lovers is actually pretty decent so far storywise (dear heaven Kanetsugu is adorkable), but man oh man do Rocket show their inexperience in making visual novels. One save slot, automatic overwrites, no immediate chime or any other indication of whether a choice made was a good or bad one (just vague ratings at the end of each chapter), and you have to play each storyline over in its entirety to get the other endings. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. VNs are not terribly sophisticated technologically! Just take common loving features from others! The game itself even seems to chug at times, making text-skipping more of a chore than it should be. Either that or the interface is choppy. :/ Haven't played much, so yeah. Hoping it gets a PSP rerelease with interface problems smoothed out, though I doubt it. *shrugs*
I've been playing a TON of SMT: Strange Journey. It's probably the only "main" SMT game I will ever complete, and I'm not going to lie: a good deal of my motivation has been "OMG YOU CAN SIDE WITH ANGRY CHAOS MOTHER-GODDESSES HELLS YES." The other part is mostly dungeon exploration, because as it turns out I really do like first-person dungeon crawls. I do wish they'd used some of the VERY BASIC innovations of Atlus' own Etrian Odyssey series (like the ability to write notes on the map; for the love of God, Atlus), but the game itself is very different from the Persona series, and in fact is most reminiscent of the original SNES SMT games. (Dunno about just plain ol' Megami Tensei.) It's also excellent.
Upcoming games:
F*ck Yes
11/25/10 Kanuchi: Futatsu no Tsubasa (PSP) - You're a wannabe blacksmith with a floofy pet and you're possessed by the spirit of a supremely awesome ancient warrior-queen who will teach you the ways of the smith. You make weapons and gather materials. How can this NOT be awesome!? Oh, wait, it's by Otomate, the company whose "spinoff" studio thought an otome Metroidvania clone should feature a guy as the actual dungeon-crawling PC with the "viewpoint" character a useless-ass homebody? ...JAPAN! *shakes fist* Seriously, though, I've heard really good things about this duology: the MCs aren't weak and/or annoying, the romance level is fairly low and there's actual gameplay.
11/25/10 Miyako (PSP) - Another otome game set in the Heian Era, with Abe no Seimei as a capturable character. The MC is a shikigami summoned by said onmyouji and there's a kinda-sorta fighting system where you quell ayakashi. Everybody has badass "battle costumes." The art is lovely, with a very distinct style and a few, ah, proportion missteps. And it has Inoue Kazuhiko as the soft-spoken tea-loving monk with scary powerful eyes. Should be an interesting ride.
12/22/10 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Aizouban (PSP) - Probably won't get this one immediately, but it's still on my list because the artwork is stunning, it has actual gameplay and the heroine is said to be pretty tough. Neoromance also seems to actually put work into their storylines as well, and with the extra material in the PSP version, it should have a fairly robust story. So while I don't have a reason to preord-wait, it does have a demo of HaruToki 5. Hmmm...
Q4 '10/Q1 '11 Ghost Trick (DS) - You're a dead guy. You possess various household items. Together, YOU FIGHT CRIME.
??/??/11 Dissidia 012 (PSP) - Oh come on, Lightning, Kain and Tifa are PCs now? How can I say no?
??/??/11 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 (PSP) - Even though it's set in the Bakumatsu like EVERY OTHER OTOME GAME EVER, HaruToki 5's bound to be better than all the others on account of it having actual gameplay, as well as art, designs and a setting that run much more to my tastes. I'm really looking forward to this one. Hopefully the heroine will act like badass MCs Nozomi/Chihiro even though she looks a hell of a lot like Akane. The story looks like it'll require Yuki to be very determined and stand by her choices, so I've a lotta hope for her. (I'm wondering if there are going to be any timestream issues. The other games all took place in an alternate fantasy dimension, meaning that you didn't change anything in the future by, say, saving Minamoto no Yoshitsune, but if the heroine in this game has to choose between her world and the alternate/past world disappearing, then... Maybe we'll have to summon the Doctor instead of mystical beasts?) I adore Mizuno's art for this game, and actually do like the heroine's design and color palette despite the bubblegum hair. Given that HaruToki 4 PSP has a demo of it, I assume KOEI are well on their way to finishing the game, which hopefully means a release early next year. Unless they delay it. Which would suck. :/
Maybe?
10/28/10 Lucian Bee's: Resurrection Supernova and/or Evil Violet (PSP) - The latter is a fandisc. Not really interested so much in the premise (basically, you're a superspy of sorts who gives some hilariously weird guys makeovers) as the voice acting and humor potential. It's rather reminiscent of Vitamin, another otome series I should probably try, as the character designer and weird Japanese sense of humor (and maybe the director?) are the same.
11/25/10 (yes, seriously) Ishin Renka: Ryouma Gaiden (PSP) - I've heard the Renka series is pretty good. I may have to try one of the games someday. Since I have HaruToki 5 to anticipate with sweaty palms and slavering jaw, this probably won't be the one.
12/17/10 Tsubasa no Tsukasa no Himeou (Windows; not sure about the furigana for this game) - Welp, it's an R-18 game with Victorian-era clothing and butlers, so I'm probably not going to buy it. That said, it looks like one of maybe two R-18 josei-muke games with a strong heroine, and the magical aspects of the setting sound interesting.
??/??/11 Musketeer (PSP) - Another offering from Otomate taking inspiration from The Three Musketeers (which, admittedly, I haven't read). D'Artagnan is now a lady, which may mean she's not a pushover MC and may even hit things with a sword. The art, as per Otomate standards, is very nice and much more to my tastes than that of many of their other games. It's still Otomate. We shall see how this unfolds.
??/??/?? Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 (PSP) - Okay, look, I know I'm not a huge Tales fan (because frankly, if I want action-JRPGS with cliches up the yin-yang, I'll take tri-Ace's complex and distinctly varied offerings over Tales any day), but I do like the battle system and hopefully Namdai'll actually change some features a bit instead of just throwing other characters in.
??/??/?? Akai Suna Ochiru Tsuki (Windows; I have no idea what the furigana are for this one either) - I like the art and setting a lot so far, but it's in development hell right now (much as Sangokuren Senki was), so who knows when it'll be released. It also has almost no info on the main site besides character profiles. :/
??/??/?? Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright and AA: Investigations 2 - Really Capcom? Really now? Why are you being awesome stop it now what is wrong with you.
So yeah, uh, that's a ton of imports. O_O Any games actually being released in the US I should look out for? Anyone played that new Castlevania?
EDIT: Three more HaruToki 5 things I noticed: the MC looks like she has a rapier, and even though Kazuhiko Inoue and the rest of the old cast are gone (boo), TAKEMOTO Edgey EIJI is Chi no Byakko this time (yaaaaay)! In addition, the promotional video seems to imply that HaruToki 5 comes out sometime next spring!
I have a whole ton of PS3 games to play (SO4, Resonance of Fate, finishing FFXIII), but I've mostly been preoccupied with portable games and Sakura Wars V, with a splash of SOs 2 and 3. Also, somewhat embarrassingly, Touhou. Turns out I like danmaku games sometimes, too. O_O
Tenkaichi Sengoku Lovers is actually pretty decent so far storywise (dear heaven Kanetsugu is adorkable), but man oh man do Rocket show their inexperience in making visual novels. One save slot, automatic overwrites, no immediate chime or any other indication of whether a choice made was a good or bad one (just vague ratings at the end of each chapter), and you have to play each storyline over in its entirety to get the other endings. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. VNs are not terribly sophisticated technologically! Just take common loving features from others! The game itself even seems to chug at times, making text-skipping more of a chore than it should be. Either that or the interface is choppy. :/ Haven't played much, so yeah. Hoping it gets a PSP rerelease with interface problems smoothed out, though I doubt it. *shrugs*
I've been playing a TON of SMT: Strange Journey. It's probably the only "main" SMT game I will ever complete, and I'm not going to lie: a good deal of my motivation has been "OMG YOU CAN SIDE WITH ANGRY CHAOS MOTHER-GODDESSES HELLS YES." The other part is mostly dungeon exploration, because as it turns out I really do like first-person dungeon crawls. I do wish they'd used some of the VERY BASIC innovations of Atlus' own Etrian Odyssey series (like the ability to write notes on the map; for the love of God, Atlus), but the game itself is very different from the Persona series, and in fact is most reminiscent of the original SNES SMT games. (Dunno about just plain ol' Megami Tensei.) It's also excellent.
Upcoming games:
F*ck Yes
11/25/10 Kanuchi: Futatsu no Tsubasa (PSP) - You're a wannabe blacksmith with a floofy pet and you're possessed by the spirit of a supremely awesome ancient warrior-queen who will teach you the ways of the smith. You make weapons and gather materials. How can this NOT be awesome!? Oh, wait, it's by Otomate, the company whose "spinoff" studio thought an otome Metroidvania clone should feature a guy as the actual dungeon-crawling PC with the "viewpoint" character a useless-ass homebody? ...JAPAN! *shakes fist* Seriously, though, I've heard really good things about this duology: the MCs aren't weak and/or annoying, the romance level is fairly low and there's actual gameplay.
11/25/10 Miyako (PSP) - Another otome game set in the Heian Era, with Abe no Seimei as a capturable character. The MC is a shikigami summoned by said onmyouji and there's a kinda-sorta fighting system where you quell ayakashi. Everybody has badass "battle costumes." The art is lovely, with a very distinct style and a few, ah, proportion missteps. And it has Inoue Kazuhiko as the soft-spoken tea-loving monk with scary powerful eyes. Should be an interesting ride.
12/22/10 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 Aizouban (PSP) - Probably won't get this one immediately, but it's still on my list because the artwork is stunning, it has actual gameplay and the heroine is said to be pretty tough. Neoromance also seems to actually put work into their storylines as well, and with the extra material in the PSP version, it should have a fairly robust story. So while I don't have a reason to preord-wait, it does have a demo of HaruToki 5. Hmmm...
Q4 '10/Q1 '11 Ghost Trick (DS) - You're a dead guy. You possess various household items. Together, YOU FIGHT CRIME.
??/??/11 Dissidia 012 (PSP) - Oh come on, Lightning, Kain and Tifa are PCs now? How can I say no?
??/??/11 Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 (PSP) - Even though it's set in the Bakumatsu like EVERY OTHER OTOME GAME EVER, HaruToki 5's bound to be better than all the others on account of it having actual gameplay, as well as art, designs and a setting that run much more to my tastes. I'm really looking forward to this one. Hopefully the heroine will act like badass MCs Nozomi/Chihiro even though she looks a hell of a lot like Akane. The story looks like it'll require Yuki to be very determined and stand by her choices, so I've a lotta hope for her. (I'm wondering if there are going to be any timestream issues. The other games all took place in an alternate fantasy dimension, meaning that you didn't change anything in the future by, say, saving Minamoto no Yoshitsune, but if the heroine in this game has to choose between her world and the alternate/past world disappearing, then... Maybe we'll have to summon the Doctor instead of mystical beasts?) I adore Mizuno's art for this game, and actually do like the heroine's design and color palette despite the bubblegum hair. Given that HaruToki 4 PSP has a demo of it, I assume KOEI are well on their way to finishing the game, which hopefully means a release early next year. Unless they delay it. Which would suck. :/
Maybe?
10/28/10 Lucian Bee's: Resurrection Supernova and/or Evil Violet (PSP) - The latter is a fandisc. Not really interested so much in the premise (basically, you're a superspy of sorts who gives some hilariously weird guys makeovers) as the voice acting and humor potential. It's rather reminiscent of Vitamin, another otome series I should probably try, as the character designer and weird Japanese sense of humor (and maybe the director?) are the same.
11/25/10 (yes, seriously) Ishin Renka: Ryouma Gaiden (PSP) - I've heard the Renka series is pretty good. I may have to try one of the games someday. Since I have HaruToki 5 to anticipate with sweaty palms and slavering jaw, this probably won't be the one.
12/17/10 Tsubasa no Tsukasa no Himeou (Windows; not sure about the furigana for this game) - Welp, it's an R-18 game with Victorian-era clothing and butlers, so I'm probably not going to buy it. That said, it looks like one of maybe two R-18 josei-muke games with a strong heroine, and the magical aspects of the setting sound interesting.
??/??/11 Musketeer (PSP) - Another offering from Otomate taking inspiration from The Three Musketeers (which, admittedly, I haven't read). D'Artagnan is now a lady, which may mean she's not a pushover MC and may even hit things with a sword. The art, as per Otomate standards, is very nice and much more to my tastes than that of many of their other games. It's still Otomate. We shall see how this unfolds.
??/??/?? Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 (PSP) - Okay, look, I know I'm not a huge Tales fan (because frankly, if I want action-JRPGS with cliches up the yin-yang, I'll take tri-Ace's complex and distinctly varied offerings over Tales any day), but I do like the battle system and hopefully Namdai'll actually change some features a bit instead of just throwing other characters in.
??/??/?? Akai Suna Ochiru Tsuki (Windows; I have no idea what the furigana are for this one either) - I like the art and setting a lot so far, but it's in development hell right now (much as Sangokuren Senki was), so who knows when it'll be released. It also has almost no info on the main site besides character profiles. :/
??/??/?? Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright and AA: Investigations 2 - Really Capcom? Really now? Why are you being awesome stop it now what is wrong with you.
So yeah, uh, that's a ton of imports. O_O Any games actually being released in the US I should look out for? Anyone played that new Castlevania?
EDIT: Three more HaruToki 5 things I noticed: the MC looks like she has a rapier, and even though Kazuhiko Inoue and the rest of the old cast are gone (boo), TAKEMOTO Edgey EIJI is Chi no Byakko this time (yaaaaay)! In addition, the promotional video seems to imply that HaruToki 5 comes out sometime next spring!