Nearly two months ago, I made mention of another game project that I’d like to get started at some point, a project involving a PSP game. A number of you commented on that first post, and for that you have my thanks, because looking at the many lists of great (and not so great) exclusive titles for the handheld had my head spinning. From those comments came seven suggestions. I’ve had a chance to give them each a trial and wanted to offer up a few first impressions in “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” form, which I shall now do forthwith. Henceforth. Ad Nasuem. Quid Pro Quo. E Pluribus Unum. And may God have mercy on us all.
Ys: The Oath of Felghana
Such a pretty action JRPG! I’ve not gotten very far into it, but the story seems interesting, and the combat is pretty engrossing.
Holy hell, the localization is terrible. I cannot stand the voice of Dogi. It’s too meathead-ish. Even if that’s the essence of his character, it’s still pretty awful.
Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins
So this is where the character of Arthur is from in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3?! Did I know that? I don’t think I did. (Don’t get out much – never played the original Ghosts ‘n Goblins.) But I love it! What a fun platformer, and it looks fantastic. This definitely a game I can get behind.
Nothing bad so far. Only thing is, it’s a little difficult to play using the on-screen controls on my tablet, so I’d probably have to use a controller.
Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice
This one I can’t properly judge yet as I’ve yet to find an emulation of it that will actually play on my sad little Nexus 7. The closest I got was with one file that had great graphics but badly stuttering audio — a no go.
Metal Gear Ac!d
This is the one suggestion that I find most intriguing. And this is coming from the standpoint of me never having played a metal Gear game before. The game looks good and plays well. I think I could get into it with enough patience.
As a stealth/card game — completely new territory for me — the learning curve is a bit steep. That’s why I mentioned the need for patience. Also, very long cutscenes explaining every last little detail. And you can’t skip them when replaying a level. 😦 (But I think that’s just a Metal Gear thing, no?)
Crush
A highly enjoyable 2D/3D puzzler! This one I like quite a lot so far — it’s fun and a little quirky, and not like any puzzle game I’ve played before. And I’m totally down with the different and somewhat familiar art styles (M. C. Escher, anyone?) that pervade some of the levels.
Nothing terrible of note yet. But as it’s a relatively simple game, I’ve a feeling that I could get through very quickly. Maybe. Or not. I’m not very good at gaming, sometimes.
Half-Minute Hero
If Crush is new to me as a puzzler, then Half-Minute Hero is new to me as an RPG! It’s a brilliant concept — save the world in 30 seconds. And it combines several elements, from shmup to real-time strategy. I’m not quite over just how novel and fresh the game feels.
This might be another one that requires a controller. Could be that I downloaded a poor emulation, but the on-screen controls don’t work very well, especially when I’m playing anyone other than the “Hero.”
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Unfortunately, this is another one I can’t properly judge. I’ve tried three different emulations, and none of them work on my tablet. 😦 (I’m beginning to think that I should get a new tablet…) I understand this is a pretty great series, so I’ll have to do some more work to see if I can get a version, any version, of it to play.
It’s quite a selection of games, and it’s going to be difficult choosing only one. But I hope to have one in place by Labor Day, or at least by the time summer winds down. In the oft-quoted and immortal words of Robin of Locksley: “We have much to do and less time to do it in!” And boy oh boy, if that doesn’t mean gaming right now, I don’t know what does.
Great to hear you’re enjoying Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins! The series is famous (more like infamous) for being extremely difficult, but they’re top notch platformers with a unique style.
I also played the demo of Half-Minute Hero a while ago, really cool and interesting game. It is hard to imagine how you would do that game in this series though, it’s so fast paced! I’m not sure how you’d narrate what is going on!
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I’ve heard that about Ghosts n’ Goblins–that it’s very challenging. Maybe I’m too early in the game to notice; though…I have died quite a bit, so perhaps it’s only going to get worse, haha. 🙂
If I get Half-Minute Hero working with a controller, it could be interesting to narrate several run-throughs with the different characters. Each month could offer up something new! We’ll see.
Not to give anything away, but I have become very anamored with Metal Gear Ac!d…
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I’d highly recommend putting more time into ‘Half-Minute Hero’. That game is so charming and plays around with all these different JRPG tropes. Its a blast! If you are struggling with it on the PSP I believe theres a more up to date version on Steam. Worth checking out ^__^
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Oh, I certainly plan to play it some more! It’s nothing like I’ve ever played before. Just not sure yet if I’ll do it for this particular project. Thanks for the Steam tip – that may be the way to go. I’ve tried another emulation, and it doesn’t work so great either. It requires some fine-tune movement that the on-screen controls don’t really allow.
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