Heaven n Hell ;;|Video Game Reviews 'n' Ramblings

MOAR nostalgia. :3 I absolutely love 8-bit sprites and games because they take me back to a time when life was simple and I didn’t give a care in the world as a child.

[ ...Age of the dinosaurs to you youngins? Yeah, I suppose so. :P ]

Anyway.

The Zelda franchise is certainly no exception. While I never played this game as a kid (we didn’t have a GBC), playing it now makes me see that I missed out on a lot. The story is nicely crafted, and the challenges range from simple, to those that make you think.

[ I suppose that to any person well-schooled in this game it'd be nothing. I've played FFIV so many times I know it like the back of my hand. I guess repetition and nostalgia make it fun. ]

And the dungeons… Wow. :) I died so many times I lost count. To anyone, that’d be frustrating, but to me, I enjoyed every little minute of it.

Why?

Because of the nostalgia it brought back.

…

I know. I’m weird. Haha.

Needless to say, I’m still plowing through this game. Hurray for the memories! <3

So, yeah. Am I the only one excited for MGS3: Snake Eater making a port to the 3DS?

… Probably so.

I can’t believe its been nearly 7 years since the game came out on the PS2. Takes me back, though mostly to numerous curses from my husband, as he tried to finish the game (he did, of course), plus ramen, soda, and other assorted junk food as we struggled on forward.

( It also reminds me that my six-year anniversary with my job is coming up. Eep. )

I downloaded the demo from the eShop on the 3DS, but have yet to play it. Still struggling with SMB, as stated in a previous post.

Two more days, though it’ll probably be a good month or two before I actually buy it. I’m still having fun creating various characters in Soul Calibur 5.

Ahhh… MEMORIES. :3 I first encountered Super Mario Bros. when I was… damn, I don’t even know. x_o; Three or four? Yeah, sounds about right. My parents bought a bundle pack with a NES, Light Gun, and Power Pad, and thus began my gaming journey.

But enough about that. :P

If there’s one thing I like about the 3DS, it’s the ability to purchase classic games from the Virtual Console. I literally “SQUEE”-d when I saw SMB, and had to get it.

It’s… a bit frustrating. o.x; The button presses aren’t very responsive (at least to me anyway), and the overall layout feels a bit weird. It’s really easy to die in the game, which often turns me off from playing. The ability to save your progress keeps me going, though. The only thing that’d make it better would be an actual NES controller. :3

But, hey. If you’re a sucker for nostalgia, or a person whose never experienced the original Mario Bros. before, get it.

Just my two cents. :3

Ah, yes. Super Mario Kart. I first played it back in 1992, sometime after my sister was born. Needless to say, I had a LOT of fun with it, mostly ’cause Peach (then called “Princess” or “Princess Toadstool,” to all you youngins) was a selectable driver.

The game itself is simple as hell, when you compare it to that of Mario Kart Wii, or its predecessors. There is one standard kart, and it ranges from either 50cc or 100cc (when selecting the Mario Kart GP, anyhow); it seems the only thing different are the characters. Back in the early ’90′s, it was the greatest thing since the release of the NES (which, I admit, I BARELY remember. I was only 3 or 4 years old when my parents bought one). My best friends, cousins, and myself would spend hours on end playing until our parents chased us outside (which would then turn into a game of “Final Fantasy II” [or IV, as we all know it now], and hunting for the crystals).

But I digress.

The game is currently available on Club Nintendo’s exclusive WiiWare downloadables, for the low price of 100 coins. If you’re a member, and have a Wii, I suggest getting it, especially if you’ve never played before. :3

Dear Final Fantasy Fans,

When you go on to say how much you want VII, VIII, and IX to look like IV’s Complete Collection, and call the CGing of the former games “ugly” and “stupid,” I gotta wonder how much you favor graphics over gameplay.

Was the CGing THAT bad that you’d want sprites…?

In addition, I like VI and think it has unlimited potential, as IV did, for a sequel. Let’s just hope Tokita isn’t behind the reins for that one. orz

- Aa-chan

[ To see what I'm muttering about, look here. ]

Final Fantasy IV was the first game I enjoyed/loved/beat without the help of my parents on the SNES as Final Fantasy II (US). As a child, I mildly enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the whole theme with the crystals. It kept me enraptured for hours on end, and there was many a time I didn’t want to go to school, or I’d come rushing home to take Cecil and co. on their next adventure through the Lunarian moon or the vast Blue Planet.

As an adult, that love still stands firm with Square-Enix’s latest rendition to the game: Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.

I dunno what draws me to this version of FFIV. Maybe it’s the nostalgia from childhood, or the awesome sprites? Perhaps it’s the same old love story experienced all over again; the many thrills I get when I put the UMD into the PSP, and know I’m going to enter a world of fantasy? It’s a mystery, and one that won’t be solved anytime soon.

The game itself is flawless, in my opinion — no problems with the controls, and the way the sprites are styled brings a fresh, new look to the classic gameplay.

As for this port of The After Years… I can honestly say I’m relieved. :P It was hell trying to persuade my husband to buy Wii Point cards so I could purchase each character’s segment on the WiiWare (he’s afraid of credit card fraud/the network being attacked, and our data taken, ala the Great PSN Crash). To think of it, the only stories I finished were Ceodore’s Tale, Edward’s Tale, and Porom’s Tale, because I got so damn frustrated… x_x; I know, to any fan of the game, and the “ultimate FFIV fan,” that would’ve been “stupid” in their eyes, but I don’t give a damn. :/

The After Years itself brings about a mediocre sequel. A lot of FFIV fans were disappointed, mostly because of the changes to the beloved characters, such as Porom having pink hair, and dressing in a manner that seemed inappropriate to her demeanor, and the “countless sues and stus” in supporting characters, like Harley, Leonora, and Ceodore.

I admit, I was a bit disappointed myself. When I was about eight years old, and my mom completed the game, I was so anxious for a sequel. Little did my stupid self know that Takashi Tokita would take over the franchise, and unleash doom on the game itself.

[ I still stand firm in my tl;dr post about people laying off the hate, though, as contradictory as I sound. :P You CAN be disappointed, and still think that people bash the game too much, in my opinion. >_>; ]

But as far as the gameplay goes… It’s…. interesting. :] I don’t like the whole “phases of the moon” ordeal, but I guess that’s what brings about the game’s charm. The sprites were in nice, updated order, and the difficulty of the game is about the same as from its WiiWare port.

Now, if I could only find time to complete the game in its entirety. x_x; I keep going back to FFIV.

The End?

If there’s one game I love more than ANYTHING in the world including sex it’s Final Fantasy IV. I own all copies of said game — save for the Japanese releases — and have a shitton of stuff, such as doujinshi, Japanese guides, and posters from Gamestop/Toys R Us/ect. The only thing I’m missing, really, are the statues, but those are super-rare liek whoa.

Anyway, the point is not to brag about how much crap I have…

What I honestly don’t get is the fanbase.

Final Fantasy IV has gone through countless revisions throughout the years, starting from the Super NES version, which was undermined by Hironobu Sakaguchi. Versions for the PS came out, followed by the Wonderswan and GBA, and those were good (with some minor gripes about the extended Lunarian dungeons, which I personally loved).

Then Takashi Tokita took the reins, and it all went to hell.

First, it was FFIV DS. Fans were not happy with the dubbing, and subtle changes, such as Anna’s red/pink hair being brown, Twincast being used by people other than family members, KluYa having a blue beard, Golbez’s name being Theodor, and the stupid mini-games.

Then, it was the sequel: Tsuki no Kikan. Porom dressed like a “hobag” and had pink hair.

People that grew up playing the SNES version could understandably hate the changes Tokita did to this beloved classic.

Generation Y – playing FFIV DS – doesn’t seem to care, or, as they say, don’t “know any better.”

Then, you have people like me who couldn’t give two shits less, and simply love it because it is Final Fantasy IV.

Does that make me a mindless zombie? Probably.

( …Though After Years does frustrate me because of the whole moon change thing. x_x; Blah. )

I’ll probably lose a lot of friends after this, but…

Fans, lay the fuck off the hate. :| If the younger generation is being fed bullcrap about Tokita’s shithole of a game, so be it. You had those memories first; embrace them, share them.

Just my two cents… <3

Two friggin’ posts, and I haven’t properly introduced the blog. -_-;

This is Heaven ‘n’ Hell, a video game rambling blog, greatly inspired by Varen of iris-noire.org. There’s a LOT I wanna ramble about, concerning video games, and Astrological Mishap isn’t the place to do so (though, I guess it could be…). I have too many art projects going on with that, and I really wanna segregrate the two…

I’m currently playing “Darkstalkers Chronicle” and replaying “Final Fantasy IV” on my PSP. I’m trying to work up the courage to play The After Years segment. I already completed Interlude, which was a serious letdown, even for a huge FFIV fan like me. :/

So yeah. Welcome, and mind the dust, as this is still under construction.

Ah, NPCs. I love them muchly. They’re an integral part of any game, and are about as important as the protagonists.

A long time ago, I was into RP (role-play)-ing on AOL. I came across other people that enjoyed Final Fantasy IV as much as I did, and a FFIV RP group was formed. We had Palom, Porom, Kain, Rosa, Rydia, Cecil, Edge, Edward, and even Anna. We’ve been disbanded for years now (read: we grew up and graduated high school/college, and got jobs/life in the ‘real world.’), but those memories will always stay with me.

Who did I play?

Porom and Anna. :3 Couldn’t ya guess?

It was mildly interesting to play a woman that had been killed off in her respective game. Little was known about her, other than how she hated to be told what to do, and how to do it, thought irrationally, and had a temper, so the remainder of her personality had to be made up on the fly.

My idea for her was basic: Red Mage (Sage, like Tellah), with a bad temper. She held herself in high regard, but was also a bit of a troublemaker. As a child, she was like Palom: constantly into mischief, and always getting scolded. She’s a fun, outgoing, overly dynamic person, but not someone you wanna be around when shit hits the fan. :3

Oh, and she LOOOVES Edward. She loves/adores him so much it makes me wanna puke. XP

In this RP, she was also the mother of Palom and Porom. How that logic worked to this day, I’ll never know.

Fun. Very fun.

[ Mind you, this was all before Takashi Tokita took the reigns of development for FFIV/The After Years. Her hair was pink in the previous versions, but, suddenly, brown in the DS? O_o; WTF kinda sense did that make? ._.; ]

With all of that, I -had- to wonder…

Do other people play Anna?

And the result is a resounding : yes.

There are a lot of differences in the style of other people. One player I came across played her almost -exactly- as I did: cross temper, constant arguments with Tellah, troublemaker… The only difference was she played her as a Black Mage.

Another person played her as the sweetest girl EVAR. She was so sugary, I had to wonder if this was actually Anna. This person played her as a White Mage, which I never would’ve guessed…

Yet another person played her in the middle. Calm, laid-back, ready to breed Antlions… I don’t know if she was a mage speciality or not, but she was a good player all around.

—

It’s amazing how people interpret an NPC. :] I suppose they’re so easy to mold, that a character such as Anna can be ‘custom fitted’ to anyone’s taste.

…

THis has been a tl;dr presentation. XP

So, yeah. The game I’ve been playing the most is Darkstalkers Chronicle, for the PSP. At $6.29 for the game (at GameStop), I figured it wouldn’t be too bad.

Ehh…. :/

Well, to be honest, it’s… Not a bad game. Just wonky as hell.

The controls are… bleh.

1) You can’t use the joystick-button thing.
Sucks, because that’s what I usually use when playing. Capcom, you suck for that.

2) The d-pad sometimes won’t register.
Whenever I use a Fireball motion, or Dragon Punch, it doesn’t do anything. At first, I thought it was just me, but my husband (who is a fighting-game veteran) tried, and it did the same to him as well.

This doesn’t turn me off to the game, however. The characters are awesome, which makes up for the lag in controls.

My mains?

BBHood and Lilith. :]

Lilith plays like Morrigan, but with subtle differences.

BBHood is cute, and deadly. :3