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Post by Gaia on Jun 3, 2015 11:46:33 GMT -6
Reviewing games young and old since 2011. I decided instead of having multiple threads that I'd just have one big thread for all my reviews. To kick things off here's my monthly schedule:
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Post by Gaia on Jun 3, 2015 11:59:58 GMT -6
Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Two years ago I reviewed the first installment of the series “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.” Hard to believe it's been two years since I played a Phoenix Wright game.
Believe it or not, Phoenix Wright was the sole reason I bought a Nintendo DS. After being introduced to it through a YouTube Let's Play, though I remember seeing something about it in Nintendo Power and wanting it then, I just had to have it. So, I went out, bought a DS, and then got the first game and it was worth every penny.
I plan to continue my journey with Phoenix Wright, but I'm not alone. Today I have a very special guest. A fellow critic who specializes in Visual Novels: Karifean!
Take it away, Karifean!
Karifean: Justice For All is the second game in the Ace Attorney series. Like its predecessor, it follows the story of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney, as he defends his clients in courts from being wrongly convicted.
Opposing him are self-centered prosecutors that would go to any lengths to get a “Guilty” verdict. It's up to you to investigate crime scenes and question witnesses to ultimately bring the truth to light and expose the real criminal. This guy must have gotten caught in one of the riots. Too soon? Karifean: In terms of gameplay not much has changed from the first game; it follows the same standard formula but brings some new concepts to the table. Namely, during the second case of the game you get the ability to see people's lies being manifested as locks, so-called “Psyche Locks,” which you can break using evidence to reveal whatever that person may be hiding.
I found them to be quite a good addition to the usual investigating since they work as kind of an inference phase where you recall all the testimony and evidence you've found and put together all the pieces of the puzzle to see just what you've actually learned.
ToriJ: While I appreciate their use, I can't help but groan every time a Psyche Lock reels its ugly... lock... Come on, I'm just asking a simple question. STOP HAVING SO MANY FUCKING SECRETS AND ANSWER!
But this is less an actual criticism of the Psyche Locks and more a compliment to the game's ability to immerse you into the story. I felt as Phoenix did, being hit by road block, after road block and being exhausted by the end of it all.
Another addition to the game is the utilization of character profiles as evidence. Instead of just looking at them through the Court Records like before you can choose to present them while talking to witnesses and use them in court to further prove your case. A small change, but still provides a new dimension to a simple formula. No, I'm talking to the other lawyer in a blue suit with spiky hair. Karifean: The game is mostly linear, albeit with the player being given free reign during the investigation phases. There are no branching storyline paths, although there is one bad ending. The exclamation marks from the first game that represent how many times you can screw up are replaced by a life bar, which allows for more variable penalties. Justice For All also reduces the amount of days for a trial to two instead of the original's three, which I consider a welcome change as it fixed some pacing issues I had with the first game.
ToriJ: I thought I remembered something about trials being three days. I was taken aback at first when there were only two, not that I'm complaining. I can't believe I used to go through three separate court scenes. I must have blocked it out in my trauma or something. You'd think it'd be because the victim had a broken neck, but nope! Karifean: As for the overall story, Justice For All is a bit unfortunately sandwiched between the first and third games which both had incredibly engaging plots, but the story is still quite good. It expands upon plot threads introduced in the first game such as the Fey family's channeling powers, and it certainly lives up to the series' standard of having an absolutely amazing final case.
On the mystery side, the game is pretty good about having its reveals be deductible ahead of time; at least by the start of the second trial day there are enough clues to put the rest of the puzzle pieces together yourself, if you like doing that. Even if you don't, it's just as enjoyable to wait and see everything fall into place all on its own.
ToriJ: The game's cases follow a similar pattern to the first, the first case is about lovers; the second has Maya as the accused; the third is centered around a bizarre bunch of characters; and the fourth is an “All or nothing” battle where you can't afford to make the tiniest mistake.
At first it feels like they're recycling, but the deeper you dig the better it gets. By the second case the game really picks up steams and never fails to impress. The third case in particular stands out to me because there is no clear “bad guy” in all of it. Everyone from the guilty down to the victim all seem like good people and you genuinely feel bad for them. If your heart doesn't melt for this girl, THEN YOU ARE MADE OF STONE! Karifean: The characters are just as great as before. Maya reprises her role as Phoenix's assistant and Gumshoe returns as the main detective. New to the series are Maya's younger cousin Pearl as well as Manfred von Karma's daughter, Franziska, an 18-year-old prosecutor prodigy who ends up being the main opposing prosecutor in this game.
And of course, every case has its own little cast of colorful characters you get to interact with for a good 5-10 hours. Pretty much all of those side characters are well-written and serve their purpose well. There are a few single characters I didn't care for, but apart from those I have no complaints. A good case lives and dies with its cast and Ace Attorney manages to keep it strong at all times.
ToriJ: Although, if Franziska was a real prosecutor she would've been hauled off to jail for assaulting a judge, and a detective, and a lawyer, and several different witnesses! That's not even including the tracking device she planted on a member of LAW ENFORCEMENT! Really, why hasn't this woman been charged yet? I can count at least eight different cases of assault with a deadly weapon! But damn if she doesn't come through for you in the end.
I agree that all the side characters are written well, and I love the main cast. Maya is my favorite character for being so upbeat and Pearl is just the cutest thing I've ever saw! Detective Gumshoe is always a treat to be around and he also comes through for you big time in the end. And don't worry Edgeworth fans, you'll see him in his usual role before the end. At the end of the day this game actually managed to make me like lawyers. Nothing will ever beat that sound. Karifean: Justice For All replaces the OST from the first game with an all-new soundtrack. As someone who loved the previous soundtrack this change was a bit unwelcome to me, but several of the new tracks are really good and it undeniably still fits the series very well. And on the off occasion that one of the original tracks does make a return, the nostalgic feeling that accompanies it is overwhelming.
ToriJ: So much time has passed since I played the first game, that I didn't even notice the change. Obviously I know there are several new soundtracks that I agree fit the series, and I recognize several tracks from the first game. Mainly in places like the office and the courtroom. The song that plays when you cry out “OBJECTION!” is still by far my favorite track. Don't say it, Maya! Karifean: Overall, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All is certainly a worthy successor to the original. Everything lovable from the first game makes a return and while it doesn't have the kind of overarching storyline the other games in the series all have, its individual cases are very strong, and the final case is definitely one of the most thrilling cases in the series.
The Psyche Locks went on to become series staples, featuring in every mainline Ace Attorney game from there on, and the lore established through Maya's hometown and extended family also runs deep through the entire franchise. And while it may not be quite as amazing as the first or third games, it's a game to be appreciated regardless and a very important chapter in Phoenix's story.
ToriJ: Wait, you're telling me that these become series staples? I'm going to have to deal with MORE of them down the road? REVIEWER TORIJ CHOOSES DEATH!
On second thought, death sucks. Reviewer ToriJ chooses life.
Well, I haven't played the third game yet, but I agree that Justice for All is an enjoyable game possessing a good moral story for why lawyers and prosecutors do what they do. The fourth and final case alone is worth playing through the game for just to experience it. By the ending I actually had a smile on my face.
Karifean: Get it ToriJ: Get it
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Post by Lori on Jun 3, 2015 14:28:46 GMT -6
Looks cute. I might have to give it a go. I'm guessing it's wise to play these in order?
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Post by Wolverine on Jun 3, 2015 14:38:54 GMT -6
You haven't played Trials and Tribulations yet? Get on it. Best game in the series. Lori Yes.
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Post by Gaia on Jun 3, 2015 14:49:41 GMT -6
Looks cute. I might have to give it a go. I'm guessing it's wise to play these in order? It helps.
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Post by Norman Osborn on Jun 3, 2015 15:08:36 GMT -6
I like that the last case dealt with the dilemma of defending a guilty client. Up to that point all the clients have been innocent despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary and it was refreshing to see them put this spin on it. All of Phoenix tactics can be use to get a guilty man off scot-free.
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Post by Gaia on Jun 10, 2015 13:43:13 GMT -6
Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. As many of you know there have been a lot of Final Fantasy releases over the years. A lot. Originally, this was because there were a lot of FF games that haven't made it over here yet. Among them was Final Fantasy V which was packaged with VI in Final Fantasy Anthology. The game stars a young adventurer named Bartz, who was just minding his own business when all of a sudden a meteor crashed into the Earth! How did Sephiroth make it into this game? Bartz goes to investigate this running into Reina, Princess of Tycoon, and an older gentleman named Galuf who is suffering from... Can you guess it? Amnesia! What, does it pass around like the flu? Add one purple-haired pirate and you have an epic adventure, so let's dive right into Final Fantasy V! Stuck between a rock and an airship. FFV plays as your typical classic 2D Final Fantasy game with the added feature of a run button. More like “The Flash” button. This has you moving so fast you'll be bumping into things left and right! What's the point of adding it in in the first place if you're just going to be hitting walls?! Bartz is the only character you can name in the game. You don't even get a default name either, you just have to fill in the blank yourself. They improved upon the rather complicated switch row system from FFIV by simply having it where you can click on their sprite in the menu screen and move them up or down. Don't know why it was ever made so complicated to begin with. Oh, and if you want a lesbian moment in your game, just switch to Reina as your party leader when you find the inn with the dancers, and sit back and enjoy. I have no shame. Always a fucking dragon! Final Fantasy V brings back the Job System that was introduced in Final Fantasy III and sets it up to where you can assign your character a specific class to learn the abilities of that class before moving on to the next one. This is actually pretty cool. Instead of being limited to just one class you can modify your characters as you see fit. The game is also responsible for introducing classes such as the Blue Mage, Time Mage, and Mime into the series. With the Blue Mage in particular going on to be featured in several different Final Fantasy games after this one. There are twenty-two jobs in the game overall. Apart from that, the battles plays more or less the same as Final Fantasy IV. While I'm not the biggest fan of random encounters with how disruptive they can be to the gameplay, I found myself strangely relaxed whenever a fight occurred in this game. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the music. The music is very relaxing as well as the whole battling experience. Until I'm losing, that is. I'm going to go riding off by myself with no reinforcements. I'm sure there will be no negative repercussions. The story is fairly straightforward, the four elemental crystals are in danger, thus threatening to destroy the earth along with them, and it's up to our heroes to save them. This is a nice throwback to the original Final Fantasy which had a similar story. Final Fantasy V possesses a lightheartedness about it that was common to the older entries, but I think it's even more apparent in this game when you compare it to IV and VI. While the game does have some serious moments it doesn't take itself too seriously. Straight down to its characters the game is just having fun with itself and it takes you along for the ride. Speaking of the characters, they're all pretty likeable and we have an even ratio of males and females in your party. Something that unfortunately even future titles wouldn't get right. Out of the four main party members, I find Galuf and Faris stands out the most. Galuf can be found making a joke or two and Faris is just all around entertaining. Every time she opens her mouth I can't help but hear Barbossa's voice. I keep waiting for her to say, “We have an accord!” Then there's the translation. How can I put this delicately... The translation blows! The dialog, with the exception of the aforementioned pirate speak, is just so plain and dull that it doesn't suck you into the story at all. I'm well aware that I'm playing a game here. Not that's that always a bad thing, I'm just saying it hurts the narrative. On the subject of the translation, I don't mind the name change with Reina. The pronunciations of the two names are close enough, doesn't bother me. That's the least of the translation's worries. I've been told time and time again that the GBA version has the best translation, so I guess when in doubt seek out that one. I never played it so I can't really compare them. GODZILLA! And that's Final Fantasy V. There really isn't much more to say. It's a fairly straightforward game. Probably the most straightforward Final Fantasy I've ever experienced. Not meaning this to sound like a criticism it's really easy to just pick up and play. Especially if you're familiar with any of the other classic Final Fantasy games. This game was the end of an era, saying goodbye to the old team and introducing a new one that would go on to make Final Fantasy VI. If the PlayStation version is the only one you can get your hands on, it's only five bucks on PlayStation Network, you're not losing much even with the poor translation, well worth the price. Try it
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Post by Count Dracula on Jun 10, 2015 14:04:45 GMT -6
Not surprised. Final Fantasy V is an average game at best.
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Post by Kragen on Jun 10, 2015 16:57:49 GMT -6
Square doesn't have much luck with translations in general, do they?
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Post by Garrus Vakarian on Jun 10, 2015 17:02:54 GMT -6
Square doesn't have much luck with translations in general, do they? Back then no. But they've gotten better with them in recent years. They've gotten better with a lot of things.
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Post by Gaia on Jun 17, 2015 13:39:51 GMT -6
Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone is a tactical role-playing game by Atlus that was originally published on the Game Boy Advance, and then later ported to the PSP. The game stars Princess Yggdra who assembles a Royal Army to battle the evil Bronquian Empire. No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace! We start off with some images and a text scroll explaining the plot before being led to our title character escaping from Imperial forces. She takes refugee in a thieves hideout, so the Imperials do the only rational thing and burn it to the ground. When their leader, Milanor, comes back, he decides he doesn't like that one bit and the battle is on, but first a tutorial, and another tutorial, and another tutorial, AND ANOTHER TUTORIAL! My god, there are more tutorials than game modes, just get to the point! Roll the dice, play your cards, break the rules that's who you are, whoever said play it safe never played the game. Yggdra plays a lot like a board game. You can move each character a certain number of spaces that's allowed on the card you chose, and engage in battles with enemies when you're close to them. Steps are counted for every character instead of individually so choose your movement wisely. The game takes into account stats, and what weapon you're equipped with to improve your chances in a fight. Morale is another thing you have to watch out for in this game. Your morale goes down if you lose a fight and if it reaches zero the game is over. The enemies have morale too and you need to take that down to zero in order to defeat them. The PSP version is a little more forgiving with morale boosts since you're gain some back upon leveling up. You can find items to aid you on your quest by exploring the maps of each stage, but you have to land on the space the item is on. You can also visit villages and get advice or assistance from the villagers you interact with, so it's worth it to explore a bit despite how linear it can all feel. Saves happen in-between stages, and there are checkpoints in longer stages which reset your cards so you can use them again, but heaven forbid you have to shut the game off for any reason during the checkpoints because then you have to start all over. I was so exhausted during stage three because it just went on, and on, and on! Can't counter!? I call hax! Engaging an enemy takes you to a separate screen where the two armies battle it out for supremacy. Whoever the attacking army is is the one who gets the first charge, and then the defending army gets a chance to counter-attack. Needless to say, the army who gets the first strike has the advantage. There isn't exactly a whole lot you can do on this screen. You can toggle between passive or aggressive, but for the most part you just watch the two armies fight with your fingers crossed. If you hate repetitiveness in your games, you're not going to have much fun here. At the very least, you can speed up the fighting so it's over with quickly. Cardcaptors, a mystic adventure! Cardcaptors, a quest for all time! Cards make up the basis of your entire party. Run out of cards and the game is over. The further you get into the game, the more cards you find and can equip before a battle. Power determines how much damage the enemy takes in a fight, while the Ace is what weapon the Union leader requires for the card to be any good. Each card has its own skill that is useful in battle. A few examples of this include restore allies, kill all enemies, change the field, and invincibility. The power level of the card determines how much damage your enemy takes, and the Ace matches what kind of weapon the Union Leader needs in order for it to be of any use. Sulu. You can call me Mr. Sulu. The characters are all interesting enough and the voice acting is solid. I swear Yggdra sounds so much like the voice actress for Rebecca in the first Resident Evil game, but I checked and it's not her. Actually, nobody seems to know who Yggdra's English Voice Actress is. Or any of the English voice actors for that matter. Yggdra has a certain innocence about her, but when it comes time to start cutting bitches, she rises to the challenge considerably. Milanor is your laid back thief who's a little bit of a ladies man, and then you have characters like Durant who is honorable, loyal, and performs his duty well. I like his spear. You can never go wrong with a good spear. Unless the other people have axes. I like the animation of the characters. Every character that talks has their own animation you can see on the left side of the screen while they're talking that's pretty well done, and a sprite on the right that's charming to look at and provides other expressions for the characters in certain scenes. Kind of a sweet subtitle when you think about it. Bottom line? Yggdra Union edges on the boring and repetitive side. The characters are all interesting enough, but it just doesn't balances out how lackluster the gameplay is. On the bright side, it's one of those games where you know right away whether you'll like it or not. The things seen above with the board and battle screen? That's basically the whole game. If you get past that you may enjoy it. If not then you're gonna have a bad time. Try it
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Post by Shadowcat on Jun 18, 2015 21:36:56 GMT -6
I think these are the first handheld games I've seen you review.
Why you no play more handhelds?
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Post by Sailor Saturn on Jun 18, 2015 21:39:02 GMT -6
Did you just make a Cardcaptor Sakura reference? That's kind of awesome.
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Post by Gaia on Jun 24, 2015 15:42:20 GMT -6
Hello and welcome to ToriJ's Video Game Reviews. Over the years superheroes have undergone a lot of retellings and reimaginings. One such example that stands out even today is Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson taking on a much darker side of the Dark Knight that comic book writer, Frank Miller made popular again. With the popularity of the movie it only made sense to create a video game tie-in to profit even more off the success of the movie. This gave us video game adaptions on the NES, Sega Genesis, and the Game Boy, but today I'll be doing a Compare & Contrast of the NES and Genesis versions of the game to decide which one is the best. So, hang onto your seats because we're going to Gotham! I'm Purpleman! Gameplay wise both are pretty straightforward. The NES version has a button for jumping and attacking while allowing you to toggle between different weapons you pick up along the way. The Genesis version starts you off with batarangs right away and makes use of the C button to throw them. While you don't get as many batarangs as the NES version, I fail to see how that's a bad thing. Nintendo gives you so many batarangs you'd have to go out of your way to run out of them, whereas the Genesis forces you to use them more sparingly to make each batarang count. It's more realistic in the long run as Batman doesn't just have a million of them to pull out of his ass any time he wants. Chances are you're going to be punching a lot regardless of which game you play. On Genesis you'll be punching air because if you get too close to a bad guy he'll hurt you. But on the NES? You're going to be punching like a madman just to get at the enemy before they come charging at you and even then you'll still miss on occasion. They may as well call the game Batman Punch Out! Another thing you're going to be doing a lot of is wall jumping. It's like the developers were playing Ninja Gaiden while making this. You need to get the jumping down precisely by level two if you want to get anywhere in this game. Some times you have to fall off a platform and then quickly jump off it to avoid danger. At least the Genesis version gives you a grappling hook! The Genesis version requires a lot less jumping. You can't even go to the museum in this town without being shot at! Both games are loosely based off the movie, but the Genesis version is closer to being a faithful adaption in level design. You get stages based around the chemical plant where the Joker is made, and the art museum the Joker and his men attacks. You even get to ride in the Batmobile and the Batplane. In the NES version the stages are barely recognizable due to the limitations of the Nintendo and the enemies make no sense! You're fighting ninjas and robots. Since when in the hell did the Batman movie have robots? Is that supposed to be Firefly at the first boss stage? I'm fighting Firefly! Actually, that's kind of cool. Another point in the Genesis version is there are a couple more stages and challenging boss fights in it. Even if you're doing a speed through of the game you get ten more minutes of game time than you would in the NES version. What the hell is that green thing supposed to be? An alien? A robot? A demon from the lowest depths of hell? When it comes to graphics, it isn't a fair comparison. The Genesis wins hands down. Better all around console and they just rendered everything with more detail. Batman looks like he does in the film, the backdrops are clearer to what they represent, and when they do show clips the images look like they were ripped right out of the movie. I realize that the Genesis version doesn't have as many cut-scenes as the NES, but what the NES has isn't that great to begin with. We get some animation of the Batmobile and them overusing the “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight” line, and that's mostly it. The Genesis version cuts to the chase and the few cut-scenes you do get are a lot more enjoyable. Case in point, you get to knock the Joker in some chemicals. What more could you ask for? At the end of the day, Batman is one of the few video game adaptions of a movie that's actually good. Batman looks great, the stages are all inspired by the movie, and you get a kick ass final boss fight with the Joker. If you really want to experience Tim Burton's Batman movie in video game form, then you can't go wrong with the game on Sega Genesis! NES Batman: Skip itGEN Batman: Get it
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Post by Bane on Jun 30, 2015 17:52:35 GMT -6
Skip it? NES Batman was awesome. I still have the Batman action figure they made for the game. Not everyday you get a purple and blue Batman.
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