Could This Year Get Any Better?

So, I'm slightly behind on posting. I apologize for that,(I'm sure you were all broken up) as I honestly want to keep my blog updated. There sure isn't a shortage of post topics this year, even with us currently in the typical gaming season 'drought,' which hasn't exactly hit this year. While new releases that I actually want to play are generally sparse throughout the first quarter each year, I'm glad to say I don't even have the cash for everything I'd like to get my hands on. Realistically, I'd also like to point out that at this point I don't really need new releases. I want them, yes, but the list of last-gen games I still want to play is rather large.

If anyone has actually checked my sidebar they would've noticed that I picked up a copy of Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance for the Gamecube. My GC library isn't exactly huge, but it's composed of some of my favorite games. Even so, my GC sees a lot of use, and I needed something new to play. With that in mind I set out in search of something fresh. After considering my options it came down to either FE or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When I got the chance to stop in at EB a few days later they didn't have PM, but they did have a new copy of FE for just $15, so my decision was easy.

Since then FE:PoR has taken up quite a bit of my time. In just under two weeks I've put in around 24 hours, which isn't bad considering it isn't the only game I've been playing. Also, those familiar with the FE system will know that when one of your party members dies in battle, that's it. Phoenix Down? Yeah, right. Not here. Therefore, I've had to restart numerous battles, and the time spent doing that isn't included in my above playtime. I thought I might get frustrated with this system, but I've honestly been all right with it so far. Permanent death really causes you to think out your moves more, and it makes winning a battle that much more satisfying.

Also, FE is built on a system that requires no grinding at all. The game is based on chapters, each one containing one fight(or four, in one amazingly long chapter). Once you finish that fight you move onto the next chapter. There isn't even an option for you to grind. Now, that does take away the chance that you'll ever be over-leveled and able to pound your opponent into pulp, but I've strangely all right with that. This system gives each battle great significance in terms of gameplay and story. Every chapter features story segments both before and after a fight, so the player always has something to look forward to. The sheer amount of dialogue included in these segments is quite impressive. Voice acting would've been nice, but it's easy to see why they stuck with text. With all that said, here's to hoping that the difficulty doesn't ramp to a frustrating level in the last eight(of 28) chapters. I don't consider myself to be very good at SRPGs,(my experience with them is extremely limited) so I was geeked to see the easy difficulty option.

So, what does that have to do with this year, you ask? Well....not a whole lot, actually. So long as the rest of the FE experience goes well I'm going to pick up the sequel when it drops this summer. The Wii doesn't exactly have a great summer line-up yet, either, and that could be a huge saving grace.

This brings me to the original cause for my post. Atlus USA recently announced the acquisition of the publishing rights for Vanillaware's Odin Sphere, a sort of spiritual successor to Princess Crown. Don't worry, I hadn't heard of it until now, either. It did grace the Sega Saturn, after all. Why am I extremely excited, then?







That's why. It easily contains some of the most stunning 2D art I've ever seen included in any game, and in combination with some beautiful music I'm pretty much sold, even though knowledge of the gameplay is fairly limited, though it looks cool enough You can check out the trailer here.

I made sure to post the pictures first, as the YouTube'd trailer doesn't do the art proper justice. Atlus is really pushing this one, and I couldn't be happier. They already have the english site opened, and anyone familiar with Atlus knows they don't do that until their games are fairly close to release. Slated with a late spring release for both Japan and the US, it won't be all that long until I get my hands on it, then promptly drool all over my Dualshock. Hopefully this post gets the word out to someone who wasn't familiar with the game before, as titles like this really need all the support they can get. So many people are quick to shrug off 2D titles because....well, they're idiots, and I don't want to see Atlus stop localizing projects like these.

Now I'm looking forward to both Odin Sphere and Fire Emblem: Goddess Of Dawn, two games I wasn't even considering at the time of my games of '07 post. Really, how many more games can I handle? The DS is going to rape as well, as the announcement for the follow-up to Osu! Tatakae! Ouedan was just made last week. While I expect '07 DS announcements in the coming months, I wasn't exactly expecting to suddenly be looking forward to two more console titles so soon.

Vanillaware is also partially responsible for Grimgrimoire, an upcoming sidescrolling RPG/RTS they co-developed with Nippon Ichi. The gameplay looks crazy, and the art is amazing. I don't feel like uploading any more pictures, so you can just head over to the site and check it out. Here's to hoping someone decides to localize it. Because, you know, there isn't going to be anything to play this year.