eriph's GameLog

Magical Starsign (DS) - Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:23:10

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:23:10 CDT

I love Brownie Brown. They're the developer of Magical Starsign. I love Brownie Brown because they're made up of former Square employees who worked on the Seiken Densetsu/Mana series, most in particular Legend of Mana. Which I adore. I love their character design, their game design, everything. I got so excited when I first heard about Magical Vacation for the GBA...but it never came out in the US. (I'm still crossing my fingers that they'll decide to release it someday.) When it was announced that Magical Starsign was going to come to the States, I was ecstatic. I've been looking forward to this game for months. I got it for Christmas and now I've finally got the time to start playing it. I played for about an hour, but a good portion of that was mainly tutorials and storyline setup. It was helpful, though. Magical Starsign mixes up the battle system a little, so it's good to know what to expect that's different from normal RPGs. It seems heavily magic-based, which is a change for me and likely other gamers. Magic is usually important, but it tends to take a secondary importance to physical attacks. (Unless you're a mage in a PC RPG or something.) I initially thought the whole thing about the starsigns and the planets was going to be complicated or annoying, but it turns out it's rather simple and will probably be an interesting addition instead of an annoyance. I think this is the first RPG I've played on the DS that actually makes really great use of the DS's capabilities (those being dual screens + stylus). Almost everything is stylus controlled, which can be handy and fun, but sometimes you get tired holding your honkin' DS (nooo, I don't have a Lite) up with one hand all the time. But hey, it's fun to see something actually use the stylus for once! They also use the dual screens well by making super tall scenes that split across the screens, or by having (actually helpful!) maps on the top screen while you explore on the touch screen. It feels really well-integrated and natural for the system, instead of just being a game that happens to be on a handheld that happens to have two screens. I love 2D RPGs to death, and it looks like this one is done well. I'm really excited about playing this game more.

Mario Party (N64) - Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:44:43

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:44:43 CDT

Considering our first play of Mario Party went kind of so-so, I was a little surprised when tonight my roommate rather enthusiastically said, "Can we play Mario Party? Let's play Mario Party!" But I was more than happy to. This time went considerably better and was more fun than the first. We played the Yoshi's Tropical Island board for 35 turns (since 20 seemed too short last time). By the way, although playing was fun, that board SUCKS. The "?" green spaces make Toad and Bowser switch spaces, which happened ALL THE TIME. You'd be just one turn away from getting to Toad, and then someone would land on a "?" spot and you'd cry because then you'd have to run into Bowser. I hate seeing the roulette for the minigames, since it's like, "LOL look at the games you're NOT going to get to play!" There were always ones up there that I'd get excited about, but it would never land on those. Roommate didn't know what the game Face Lift was, but liked the sound of it, so she got obsessed with it for the whole time we played. Every time the minigame roulette showed up she'd shout, "FACE LIFT!" (even if it wasn't there). Roommate (whose name is Darcy, so I can stop calling her "roommate" all the time) got much better at the minigames this time around. But our skill levels were still way different, and I had a tendency to win...a lot. It made me feel kind of bad when I kept winning all the minigames. Just in general, I like the minigames where everyone collects coins or the players have to work together rather than the minigames where there is just one winner. I wonder if it made her frustrated. I know I can get kind of annoyed if I play games with someone who is much better than me. At least, if it's a competitive game. But when it's cooperative, I don't mind at all. We tend play somewhat cooperatively in Mario Party. It's sort of an agreement that we don't steal stars or coins from each other when given the chance. Which is how I like playing. I really enjoy playing cooperatively in video games. I'm no good with competition, and playing cooperatively just...I dunno, makes it more fun for me. Teamwork! Though, I suppose if you had four human players, you couldn't really do that, play cooperatively all around. I have a feeling that if Darcy and I were playing against other people, we'd just team up together and gang up against them. Haha. Y'know, after playing the original with Darcy and having so much fun with it now, I think I want to buy Mario Party 8 when it comes out for the Wii. (She said, "Yes! Do it.") I'm sure they've made a lot of improvements on the Mario Party formula since 1999, so I bet it'll be pretty fun, and since I actually know people I can play with now, it'd be worth it.

Mario Party (N64) - Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:54:52

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:54:52 CDT

Ahaha, I actually own this game. Out of all the Mario Parties (8!), the only one I own is on the classics list. Which makes sense, obviously, because it was the first. But still! I bought this game ages ago and never really bothered to buy any others in the series. I imagine the later-on games were much better. I wanted to say, "I didn't play this game that much!" Except when I turned it on, I was sort of surprised to realize I had 80-something stars and owned all the items possible (though nowhere close for the minigames). The sad thing about Mario Party was that I think I was usually playing it by myself because back in grade school I was friends with a grand total of about 2 people who played video games. It sucked being a girl gamer in the old days. And, of course, Mario Party is really best when you're playing it with other people. But! Now I have lots of college friends who play video games, and a roommate especially! My roommate is of the PC gamer persuasion, and until she became my roommate, had virtually no experience with console games. Which means that she's awkward with a controller and never knows which button is which on an SNES, N64, or PS2 controller. But she's learning! And I'm getting her to play all kinds of console games now. We played Mario Party together first a few days ago. Since it was our first game, I tried to make it quick and simple. So it was for 20 turns, with the CPU players both on Easy, and we played the Peach's Cake board. I'm not sure if we were really unlucky or what, but that game went horribly. Roommate and I only had two stars between us by the end. CPU Luigi was so obnoxious. He kept getting all the stars and landing on all the good spaces, and ended up winning in the end. It was sad. Like I said before, roommate is a little controller-challenged, so it took her a while to get the hang of the minigames, especially since some have different controls. So I had a bit of an advantage over her because I was controller-experienced, I knew the rules/goals of all the minigames already, more or less pretty experienced with the minigames. But the controls were fairly simple, so it wasn't too long before roommate managed to ~~stop sucking~~ get the hang of things. Although, Mario Party is much more luck than skill or anything else. It only takes one really good or really bad turn to make the entire game change. Especially the "!" spaces, which make players change coins or stars with each other. I HATE that space. It always causes me a lot of anxiety whenever someone lands on it.

E.V.O.: Search for Eden (SNES) - Sat, 10 Feb 2007 03:36:13

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 03:36:13 CDT

Ohhhhh yeah. I beat EVO tonight. I wasn't exactly expecting or intending to, but I just kinda rushed the last two chapters and there it was. First time you evolve into a mammal, you're a totally useless rat. But eventually I turned my guy into a crazy multi-horned rhino beastly thing. At least mammal evolutions were fun because you got different animal-like parts ("dog-like jaw," "moose horns," "rabbit-like body"). The cat jaw made your character's face supercute. It cracked me up when it was on a really tough body. I sort of missed being an avian creature though, because flying was fun. Every time I got a green crystal (which lets you turns into a previously obtained evolution for a limited amount of time), I always chose the dragon form because it rocked hard. I gotta admit, I've been playing this game emulator-style. And I'm a total obsessive save whore, so I'm doing save states CONSTANTLY. Especially during boss battles. Because seriously, some of these boss battles are difficult/annoying/frustrating as all get-out. I can't imagine actually playing this game on the SNES and having to restart levels and boss battles over all the time. I would cry. Even when you're as evolved as you possibly can be, a boss can still hit you once and it'll take away 1/3 of your HP. I'm pretty sure I would have given up on this game a long time ago if I had to play it without cheat-saving. Not just the thing about bosses, either. Some enemies, you'll run into them and they'll hit you like 5 times in a row before you can even get a chance to bite at them. Really, really frustrating. I really loved the mermaid evolution. It was cute (her bite motion looked like she was giving kisses, and she even made a kind of "chu!" sound), powerful, and super fast. I'm sad you only got to have it for one level. I knew there was the option of evolving into a human, and I tried it for a little while. You kinda expected the human to be the best evolution. But eh. Man wasn't really where it was at. I liked my hornedrhinolongneckasus better. Final boss was WEIRD. It took place in this weird tissue-y cell-y cave and was against a giant amoeba that was like, "I'M GONNA BE GAIA'S BOYFRIEND." Very surreal. I always find it interesting when games pull out something super crazy and bizarre at the end. I mean, this game was a little weird to begin with, but this was icing.

E.V.O.: Search for Eden (SNES) - Fri, 09 Feb 2007 22:14:00

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 22:14:00 CDT

Man, this game is weird. For those of you that don't know, EVO is a game of evolution. You start out as a crappy fish, you eat other crappy fish to gain Evolution Points, and then you can evolve/upgrade parts of your crappy fish (body, tail, jaws, etc.) and become a not-so-crappy fish. There are different chapters (The Age of Fish, Age of Amphibians, Age of Dinosaurs, Age of Mammals, and Age of Eden) which correspond to stages of evolution and determine what kind of creature your little evolving guy will be for that time period. I started playing this game completely randomly a few years ago. It's one of those on-and-off type games. I'd get stuck at a point, forget about it for a while, then start playing it again a few months or a year later. Tonight was one of those times. I last left off at Chapter 3, Age of the Dinosaurs, apparently. But it was somewhere near the beginning, so my dinosaur still sucked. One issue I have with this game is that it can be SO repetitive and time consuming/boring at times. Just like leveling up your party in an RPG, you have so spend excessive amounts of time eating other animals in EVO just to get enough EP to give your little guy decent body parts. Which I did. I spent a good amount of time making sure my dino had really powerful jaws. And then a few levels later I went and turned into a bird, which meant all of my sweet dino evolutions disappeared. Boo. Eventually I evolved my bird like crazy, and went to the last area and oh no, asteroids! It's time for the Ice Age. The asteroids falling to Earth to kill the dinosaurs scene was a little...weird, for being part of a Super Nintendo game. It was kind of depressing and a little disturbing and even seemed a bit violent for the time. I dunno, it was more emotional than I would have expected from a game like this. Which I like. I like it when games get me to feel something. So, onto the Ice Age. Apparently I'll get to evolve into a mammal here. I hope it's something sweet.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64) - Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:54:09

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:54:09 CDT

Mad Monster Mansion ho! I actually remembered this level being more...I don't know, annoying or complicated or something. But it was quite enjoyable this time. Pumpkin transformation? Yes yes yes. So cute. Bouncing along. Only annoying thing about all the transformations is that you can't attack, except for the crocodile. ...And the washing machine. I think. I should turn into the washing machine. The triumphant "YOU FOUND AN EGG!" fanfare music still plays every time I enter the area where an SNS item once was. It's kind of sad, because I get all excited and there's nothing there. Looks like Rare never bothered to program in that the music should turn off if there's nothing there. My roommate has been watching me play every now and then over the past week. She says, "I like your game. It has funny sound effects and good music." She was imiating Kazooie's noises while I played. I also set up everything I need to make it to Rusty Bucket Bay. (And that level I know I don't like.) Which was annoying in of itself. I couldn't remember what I had to do or where to go, so I ran around Grunty's Lair for a stupid amount of time. Of course, I can't help compare B-K to Mario 64, since both were really amazing and somewhat similar N64 platformers. I hated in Mario 64 that you could only go after one star at a time, because after you got one, you were expelled from the level. At least in Banjo-Kazooie you can go after everything in the level in one shot. But I really dislike the fact that the notes you get in a level only count for that life or that run through the level. I don't like having to re-collect them all if I die or decide to stop playing. I played Rusty Bucket Bay for about five minutes and I accidentally fell into a bottomless abyss. When Banjo and Kazooie respawned at the exit pad, Bottles announced, "Wow! Your high score for this level is 5 notes!" Bottles, don't be a smartass.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64) - Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:50:29

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 21:50:29 CDT

Done since last post: Clanker's Cavern, Freezeezy Peak, and Gobi's Valley. Only three worlds left now! I'm excited about Click Clock Wood. At least, I remember it being an interesting world. I like the way the music in an overall area changes depending on where you go. Like in Gruntilda's Lair, the background music is essentially the same, but it sounds more "swampy" when you're near Bubblegloop Swamp's area, or "wintery" when you're in the room for Freezeezy Peak. Or in Gobi's Valley, the music is different in the start area of the level than when you're by the pyramids. I can't really think of any other games where that happens...but maybe I'm just forgetting. It just seems particularly prominent in Banjo-Kazooie. I can't think of anything particularly intelligent to say this time around. I'm still having a lot of fun, though the challenges are certainly getting more difficult in the later levels. I'm getting more of those heart-beating anxiety fits you tend to have when you're trying really hard to do well in a game and the challenge is hard so you might mess up. Video games can be more stressful than you think! I would especially get worked up over games when I was younger. By the way, a little something for anyone interested: http://www.rarewitchproject.com/ These are the guys that originally hacked Banjo-Kazooie and found the Stop N Swop codes. They have a lot of interesting things from BK and other Rare games. I love reading about game hacks, since it shows some of the ideas programmers were originally playing with (or that they were just playing around in general), and what kinds of things just get left in a game. Mysterious!~ Okay. I'm a dork. In conclusion, I can't wait to turn into a pumpkin. Best transformation ever.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64) - Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:03:49

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:03:49 CDT

This game makes me feel happy inside. After watching it played during lecture, I felt a sudden rush of nostalgia and knew I had to play it from the beginning rightnowyes. It's almost definitely my favorite N64 platformer. I played it to DEATH way back when. I even got all of the Stop N Swop items when the codes were first released--six eggs and the ice key. Oh, Rare. You used to make the best games. Please stop being owned by Microsoft. Sidenote: Did you know that if you have the Stop N Swop items in one save file on your cartridge, they show up in all the others? When I got to Treasure Trove Cove in my brand new game, Sharkfood Island was already risen and there was nothing inside. I checked the totals menu and sure enough, all the Stop N Swop items were in the menu. Odd, and slightly disappointing. I had wanted to get them all over again. I love all the moves you get to use in the game. Especially because it makes use of the two characters so well. Bird + bear = fun. Punching and rolling as Banjo bear, using Kazooie's Talon Trot to walk faster, making Kazooie flap her wings to give you extra leverage on jumps. Not even Mario could do that. (Sorry, Mario. I still love you.) I love how they put eyes on EVERYTHING in the game. I love faces on things. It's like making every leaky bucket, carrot, book, orange, and pumpkin a character. It's...I dunno, different. I like different. Everything should be a character, why not? The way the characters "talk" is also rather clever and endearing. I prefer games without voice acting most times anyway, so I'm glad that N64 cartridges didn't have enough space for that. My roommate likes it too, she though it was hilarious the first time she heard the characters "conversing." So, I managed to clean out both Mumbo's Mountain and Treasure Trove Cove pretty quickly. I moved on to Bubblegloop Swamp, where I first started getting some trouble. I got everything there eventually except for the Jiggy with Mr. Vile. I'll wait until I've got my running shoes. Then I decided to go through Clanker's Cavern, which I was putting off. Because I hate water levels. They always end up causing so much anxiety and my character is going to run out of air noooooo. I like it when you don't have an air limit in a game. It makes water levels much less stressful. But anyway, this I swear to you, true story--I get through the level, all 10 Jiggys, all 6 Jinjos, both honeycomb pieces, and 99 notes. I have no idea where the last lone note is, but I'm looking around for it when one of my kittens decides to climb on top of my N64 and hits the reset button with her foot. I screamed out loud. My roommate said, "You'd been doing that level for a long time." I stopped playing for the evening. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Sun, 04 Feb 2007 04:05:57.)

The Legend of Zelda (NES) - Sun, 04 Feb 2007 02:52:57

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 02:52:57 CDT

Thanks to talking to someone who had played the game before and knew everything about it, I managed to find some hidden heart containers. I can only ask: how would you have found them otherwise? So secret! I also upgraded my sword and shield, which is pretty nice. Randomly came across what I assume was supposed to be the second dungeon. They don't really tell you at all. Is it possible to go in the dungeons out of order? I'm only coming across them by chance, so I have no idea. DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE. And is killed in one bomb hit. That boss was easy. I got the "Magic" Boomerang in the second dungeon, but I never even got a chance to use the normal one I got from the first dungeon. What's even the difference between the two of them, and why did the first one get replaced so quick? They don't even say what purpose it serves in this game. LoZ, you baffle me with your lack of explanation for ANYTHING. I was trying to save up 250 rupees for the blue ring (which takes forever because you can only get rupees in increments of 1 or 5 from enemies, and they don't even drop that often), when I came across LET'S PLAY MONEY MAKING GAME. I already had 100 rupees, but I wanted this stuff quicker. So I played money making game. And that damn bearded old guy cheated me out of all my rupees until I had 13 left. So I cried and stopped playing. That old guy can suck it.

The Legend of Zelda (NES) - Thu, 01 Feb 2007 04:48:18

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 04:48:18 CDT

I'd watched my brother play the first Zelda way back when, but a good portion of the series I had my first introduction to were on the Super Nintendo. So, my first Zelda game was Link to the Past, and I'd never really given the first one a shot. But when I saw it on the Wii's virtual console, I felt I couldn't pass that up. I think I saw this more or less said by someone else in different words, but it's still true: NES Hyrule is a lonely pixelated land with creepy men hiding in caves who shout single sentences at you in bad English. Also, your hero is a mute. ...And where are the towns? I just see a lot of caves. I thought this was supposed to be a kingdom. Hylian royal family needs to get it together. I tried playing this when I first downloaded it through the virtual console...and died a lot. I mean, a LOT. I had no clue where to go. I was like, "I can't believe I just wasted $5 on this. What." But after the demo in class, I was at least aware of the general area the first dungeon was in. So I put that knowledge to use and was able to get a little bit into the game. It's a little annoying to realize that the only way you can accomplish anything in the first few minutes of the game is if: 1) you've played it before, 2) you've watched someone else play it before, 3) you looked it up online. Good god, what did people do in the days before friends and internet? I'm surprised more people didn't give up on this game. It was frustrating at first, because three hearts is not enough to start a game with, when a hit from the many many enemies roaming about takes away at least half a heart. I know in other Zelda games you always start with 3 hearts, but somehow it was made way more bearable in the other games. But after I got some other heart containers it wasn't quite as bad. The game keeps track of how many times you die. I hate it when games do that! If it were a different game, I would probably be starting over a thousand times just so it wouldn't show my sad sad death count on my save file. I know I did that with Ocarina of Time. I'm so OCD with games. I have to get all of the items, do all the sidequests, have everyone leveled up/learn everything/whatever. When your save file says "YOU DIED 12 TIMES LOL," by the time you beat the game, it drives me crazy. Tell me I'm not the only gamer like that. I'm not even sure why I'm not letting it bother me for this game. Probably because I'd rather just play the game than worry about doing everything "proper" for it.