fire emblem

D&D, Tekken, Snake Pass, and Thumper | Ep.70

June 29, 2017 The Lifecast Podcast, The Lifecast

This week, we get into games we’ve been playing, games we’ve been meaning to get around to, and stuff that was just on sale.

Next week, we give you Episode 69.

Recorded live on June 26, 2017.

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We accept questions for the podcast constantly on our site, through Discord, and if you email questions@thelifecast.net.

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Persona 5, Shadows of Valentia, Revelations, and Candies | Ep.65

June 1, 2017 The Lifecast Podcast, The Lifecast

Greg and Adam continue their trudge through Persona 5— and Adam finishes it. Sydney and Greg keep playing through Fire Emblem games: Shadows of Valentia for Greg and Revelations for Sydney. And Deanna, despite running a video game podcast, didn’t play any new games. We also decide what candies we’d be. Some of us have an easier time of it than others.

Our E3 predictions will be the topic of next week’s podcast. E3 coverage will start at 3PM EST on June 13, after Nintendo’s Special Direct. It’s going to be an all-afternoon stream picking apart what we liked and what we didn’t about each conference. Our full streaming schedule can be found on Twitter and Facebook, and is also the offline image on our Twitch channel.

 

Recorded live on May 30, 2017.

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When DLC isn’t Enough: On Shadows of Valentia and Content Distribution

May 24, 2017 Kennedy Articles, Blog

It’s always a good day when a new Fire Emblem game comes out. Bright-eyed and hopeful, I went to GameStop last Friday for Shadows of Valentia with that mentality. In fact, I was even considering getting the amiibo pack (and I might have if they weren’t sold out by the time I arrived). I brought the game up to the register and the otherwise indifferent employee’s voice dropped a few octaves and she raised an eyebrow as she asked me if I wanted the season pass for the game. Knowing that the season pass costs more than the game itself (albeit by $5, but still more than the base game nonetheless) I said no, but followed it up by asking if anyone else had got it yet. She laughed and said no.

It’s no longer news that the Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia season pass costs more than the game itself. On top of this, the trailer and information revealed about it haven’t been particularly inspiring, and with its price tag, leaves much to be desired. Even now, many fans are still resentful about it–including myself. If there’s one thing we Fire Emblem fans know anything about, it’s over paying for Fire Emblem. Unfortunately, even when the game is new, not a 3 part game, not a rare collectible, or a lovable money hole of a mobile game, Intelligent Systems apparently wants to uphold that tradition in Shadows of Valentia through DLC and the amiibos.

Worst part is, this is the average price.

What frustrates me about this are 2 things: First and foremost, no season pass should cost more than the base game itself. Period. Season passes that cost more than their base games are indicative of one of 2 things: Either the DLC itself is over priced or there’s so much content that the developers should’ve either left a fraction of it in the base game or, if it’s story/mini-game content, then they should’ve made it a separate game entirely (but, just to reiterate, that’s only if it’s making it more expensive than the base game).

Second, even if you do decide to buy the season pass, you still don’t have all the content that this game has to offer. For the cherry on top of your content sundae, you need to buy the Shadows of Valentia amiibo 2 pack. It grants 2 more dungeons (one for each amiibo) and illusory heroes of Celica and Alm. In other words, for 100% of the content Shadows of Valentia has to offer, you’re paying a staggering $110 (or $130 if you got the special edition). That’s essentially triple (or more than, if you got the special edition) the price of the base game. That’s absolutely absurd.

 

via rpgsite.net

“For 100% of the content Shadows of Valentia has to offer, you’re paying a staggering $110.”

 

I will give Intelligent Systems points where they’re due, though: They are allowing players to either buy the DLC in packs or, as the site is currently leading us to believe, singularly. In other words, if you’re just interested in the prequel story in the DLC, you can buy those maps in a pack. Or, if you just want one or two extra maps, the official site lists individual prices on them so it’s reasonable to believe that they’ll be able to be purchased singularly. This doesn’t excuse them for this whole debacle, but admittedly, it does alleviate the issue since it shows that they’re at least somewhat aware that asking the players to pay $45 for the season pass of a $40 game is not only risky, but PR suicide.

The decision to make such an expensive season pass is surprising–not just because extra maps in Awakening were so reasonably priced, but because this game is coming through Nintendo–a company that’s only recently stepped into the realm of DLC and has been otherwise fair about pricing it and finding a good balance of how much to leave out for DLC. Part of me therefore wants to believe that perhaps this is their or Intelligent System’s way of experimenting with how much fans are willing to pay for DLC and what their attitudes are toward it. Unfortunately for them, if that is indeed the case, they likely won’t be seeing the results they were hoping for.

Numbers as of 5/23/2017

The only other reasonable explanation for the prices I could think of is Intelligent System’s trying to hold to the 28-map-tradition that’s in nearly every Fire Emblem game. By making DLC maps, they’re effectively keeping to tradition (a wise idea, since this is, after all, a remake) while offering the fans additional content. The addition of dungeons and exclusive classes might just be their way of putting icing on the cake, if this is the case. This might have been a better idea if the lackluster map designs weren’t perhaps the lowest common denominator among reviews for Shadows of Valentia.

Regardless of the reason, the bottom line is, Intelligent Systems made a frustrating decision by dividing up the additional content for Shadows of Valentia so poorly. What I think would’ve worked better for them is utilizing the amiibos more–perhaps adding a pack of the DLC currently in the season pass on each amiibo–therefore allowing the season pass to be about half its current price, and perhaps just being the prequel story with an extra dungeon or two. As for the exclusive classes, those should’ve been left in the main game. Extra maps and a little extra story is one thing, but classes for characters shouldn’t be exclusive to players who throw extra money into the game. It’s not just a scummy thing to do, but also downright unfair.

Issues with its pricing and content distribution aside, I truly am having fun with Shadows of Valentia so far–which only makes it more of a shame that these aforementioned problems are so prevalent. Although alleviated by the fact that they can all be purchased separately or singularly, it’s still no excuse for the fact that 100% of the game’s content is triple the price of the base game. I sincerely hope that Intelligent Systems and Nintendo learn from this–especially if Binding Blade really does end up getting remade next. I love Fire Emblem, I really do, but I don’t relish the idea of paying more than a hundred dollars on a single, complete game (unless it’s .hack//Quarantine, apparently, but that’s a whole other story).

via brcde.vg

Fire Emblem and Persona 5 | Ep.60

April 27, 2017 The Lifecast Podcast

This week, we tackle Persona 5 and Fire Emblem.

Deanna, despite writing this description, doesn’t actually know what happened. She wasn’t there.

Thank you to everyone who sent in questions!

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Fire Emblem Heroes: An Addictive, Economic Mess

February 26, 2017 Kennedy Reviews

“[Making mobile games] is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo.” –Satoru Iwata, 2011

This time 5 years ago, Nintendo was vehement in its stance of never wanting to make a mobile game. Today, however, is a different story: Nintendo has released Miitomo, Super Mario Run, and now Fire Emblem Heroes. Released earlier this month, Fire Emblem Heroes made more than $2.9 million within 24 hours of its release–giving it the third highest gross revenue for a mobile game on release (only behind Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run). With an average of ~$50,000 in daily income and ~8,000 daily installments, Fire Emblem Heroes seems to be doing pretty well for itself a month later, making more in a day than most mobile games make in a year. As incredible as these numbers must sound, however, they don’t necessarily speak on behalf of the quality of the game. Let us not forget, for instance, that despite being the best selling mobile game of all-time (currently), Pokemon Go is still constantly accused of being a buggy mess–and although it’s constantly being patched, new glitches always seem to come up in place of the ones that were just fixed. I’m not saying that these glitches make the app bad by default, just that–despite its overwhelming revenue–it’s far from perfect. Fire Emblem Heroes, of course, is the same way.

Let me start this review off by saying that I really enjoy this game: In the past few weeks I’ve been a Fire Emblem fiend. Nintendo really seems to try to be pushing making 2017 the year of Fire Emblem and they’re already off to a wonderful start through this game. Fire Emblem Heroes takes the bare bones mechanics of a typical Fire Emblem game and combines them with a heap of sweet, sweet fan service. Not the trashy kind of fan service we’re all used to in anime games, but fan service in showing us older characters that many of us haven’t seen in years–for some of us (especially considering that 6 Fire Emblem games were never officially released in English) at all.

via mic.com

“Fire Emblem Heroes takes the bare bones mechanics of a typical Fire Emblem game and combines them with a heap of sweet, sweet fan service.”

But nostalgia and love of a given character shouldn’t blind anyone from the faults in this game, of which there are plenty. Whether or not they’re so bad that they weigh the game down I’ll address shortly, but what I would like to make clear beforehand is that although this game is definitely designed so that non-fans of the Fire Emblem franchise can play it, too, it’s definitely pandered heavily toward fans of Fire Emblem. Although this isn’t necessarily a problem, it is something worth keeping in mind for now.

 

 

Gameplay

If you’ve ever played any Fire Emblem game then you know how to play Fire Emblem Heroes. And if you haven’t played a Fire Emblem game, then it’s a fairly simple–with a few in-depth aspects (though they’re hardly present in Heroes)–strategy RPG: Making teams, moving them across various fields, and using strategy to kill the enemy. Fire Emblem’s simple gameplay transfers very well on mobile: It’s easy to learn, hard to fully master.

via rankedboost.com

Gameplay is where Heroes, like the rest of the Fire Emblem franchise, shines. The game offers many modes of combat (EX: Story mode, training, arena, etc.) to give the player a well-rounded experience and has a good variety of difficulty settings for all, giving players of all skill levels a way to have fun. Combined with the team building aspect, this can make for some quick, fun battles–which is perfect for the mobile platform.

The gameplay is very simple and straightforward–which for a mobile game, is ideal. Strategize, move your character(s), attack. Even though fans of Fire Emblem can jump into this game easily, it’s still designed so that non-fans–even of the strategy RPG genre–can still grasp it quickly and easily. Although it’s definitely a watered down version of the Fire Emblem gameplay (as it lacks classing up, a variety of attacks, etc.) it’s watered down in a way that’s ideal for a quick, yet enjoyable game: Something heavily emphasized in mobile games, making for an addictive experience.

 

 

Sound and Visuals

For a mobile game, Fire Emblem Heroes looks and sounds pretty sleek overall. It has an all-star voice acting cast (all of whom do an excellent job–despite the large cast, there’s not a bad actor in the group), a traditional “Fire Emblem-y” soundtrack, and the visuals are all solid. The only thing off putting about either of these things is the differing styles of art. Most of the characters are done in the very modern anime style seen in Awakening and Fates have, or something similar to it. Yet a lot of these styles have small nuances that make them look incredibly different when characters are put next to each other. More over, characters with radically different art styles like Arthur and Gunter look horrendously out of place. Although this alternate artwork isn’t bad (in fact, they’re all very well drawn) and, as an artist, I can sympathize that asking one single artist do do illustrations for the entire roster is a very tall order, I wish that they at least would’ve kept it more cohesive and avoided making some characters look like they’re in the wrong game entirely. Without knowing anything about the game, would you believe that these are all characters as the way they appear in the same game?

 

Story and Writing

Although I’ve not played the entire Fire Emblem series, I’ve still yet to play a Fire Emblem game with a notably interesting story–and Heroes is no exception. But due to the generally casual nature of mobile games (like Heroes) a super in-depth story isn’t necessary. The game gives you incentive to beat enemies and summon heroes and that’s it–but under these circumstances, that’s all it needs to do. Although it would’ve been nice to see something more clever than, “WOW we’re traveling across the different universes WOW look at all these characters from different worlds” (read: Kingdom Hearts) it gets the job done in this case. It’s not clever, but it doesn’t need to be clever. And given how needlessly complex the stories have been in some Fire Emblem games, having one that’s simply unoriginal is better than having one that’s trying too hard. On the story vs gameplay spectrum, Fire Emblem has always more heavily gravitated toward focusing on gameplay. Therefore–especially in a more casual setting like a mobile game–a clever or interesting story, while always a good touch, isn’t necessary. Fire Emblem Heroes neither falls nor succeeds in this department.

 

Exchange Rates

This is, without a doubt, where Heroes fails the most. Microtransactions are what keeps the mobile gaming market afloat: As such, as a game developer, it’s important that you make your audience want to buy them. Ideally, the microtransactions help the fun value of the game, but aren’t a necessity. When you emphasize the microtransactions too much, they make the game feel like a pay-to-win game, which your playerbase will catch on to fast and likely pander it for that reason as they grow increasingly sick of it. On the other hand, if you don’t emphasize them enough then nobody will buy them and your game won’t make a profit. It’s a very fine line. Sadly, however, Fire Emblem Heroes seems to lean heavily toward the free-to-play, pay-to-win model.

Scenario: You’re playing the story mode on Heroes. You’re horribly stuck, but you notice that one of your units of a different weapon class is doing much better than your other units in this map. You decide that you’ll add another 1 or 2 of that class to your team to help you win the chapter–but you notice that you don’t seem to have any other units of that class. So you decide to do a full summon (which is 20 orbs) with hopes that you’ll get a unit of that kind. But unfortunately, RNGesus didn’t smile on you today, and you don’t get one.

via rankedboost.com

Since you’re stuck in the story mode and unable to progress, if you don’t have any more paralogues left or the occasional quest that offers an orb, then sadly, you’re screwed unless you’re patient enough to horde your sign in bonus of 2 orbs each day for 10 days and hope that next time you’ll get one. But odds are you’re not. So you decide to buy orbs. Knowing that a full summon costs 20 orbs, to pay for a full summon would cost you $13 each time. Or if you know that you’re going to want to do a few of them, the “best” deal you can get them at (in terms of cost per orb) is 140 orbs for $75. The catch is that you have to spend $75–something very few people would be willing or able to do. But even if you are willing and able to do that, there’s still no guarantee you’ll get what you need since the summons are all RNG-based. Most famously, there was a player who dumped $1000 into the game and still wasn’t able to summon Hector.

Bottom line: Orbs are imperative to the game, and obtaining them can be a slow process. You can easily go days–maybe even a week–without being able to summon anything, which could drastically affect the rate at which you play then game. Worse than the rate at which you get orbs, however, is the rate at which you get feathers: 20,000 of which are required to rank a hero up. At the most, you can get feathers in the arena–usually 1,000. More typical than that, however, are interactions with characters that usually get you about 5. Not 50, not 500, 5. I shouldn’t even have to explain how ridiculous that is. Surprisingly, there’s no way to purchase feathers. What you can purchase, however, is stamina potions which you’ll desperately need if you want to be able to grind for feathers long enough to get 20,000.

The stamina in and of itself is also a major exchange rate issue, as there’s no way to upgrade it and many parts of the game require upwards of 10 stamina to even attempt once–keep in mind that the stamina is capped at 50, and currently there’s no way to upgrade that. With the wait time to restore stamina being as long as it is if you want to restore a significant amount, it makes grinding for anything a major hassle.

via rankedboost.com

It’s not surprising that the exchange rates in this game are so awful as I’m sure it’s done in part to make up for Super Mario Run. Unfortunately for Nintendo though, like they did in Super Mario Run, they’re making it incredibly obvious that they still don’t know how to price things fairly in a mobile game–both microtransactions and in-game-currency transactions.

With the in-game power these major factors, they slow the game down exponentially, making the game much more frustrating than it needs to be. Unless you get really lucky, this game makes it really difficult to be good at it as you progress–making purchases feel necessary. In other words, the free-to-play, pay-to-win model. The solution to this problem is simple: Either reduce the number orbs necessary for a summon, the number of feathers necessary for an upgrade, and the cost for stamina, or simply lower the prices of orbs, increase the number of feathers you win in arena/by talking with characters, and make it so that players can upgrade their stamina.

 

Fan Service

For years now Fire Emblem fans have wanted a crossover game to see their favorite characters fight alongside each other and create their dream teams: And, albeit watered down, this game delivers. You can play with a team of characters all from different Fire Emblem games if you want to. The Fantasy Fire Emblem team possibilities are insane. As the roster is now, there are representatives from every Fire Emblem game except for Path of Radiance, Radiant Down, Gaiden (soon to be known as Shadows of Valentia), and Thracia 776. Although that may seem like a lot of games–and certainly the surprising absence of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn is felt–when you remember that’s only 4/14 games suddenly that doesn’t seem so bad, right?

via rankedboost.com

The only notable problem to be seen in the characters present is the heavy focus in characters from Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light, Awakening, and Fates. Although these are without a doubt the biggest 3 games it still feels cheap that they make up the overwhelming majority of the roster. To be more precise, they account for 72/108 playable characters in the game–that’s about 2/3 of the roster all from the same 3 games, leaving the other 7 games to divide that last third. Fates boasts the highest number of characters from it with 30 whereas the game outside of “The Big 3” with the most characters from it is Binding Blade with 19. The game with the fewest characters from it (without having none) is currently tied between Sacred Stones and Genealogy of the Holy War, which each have 2 . A big part of the fun of this game is seeing characters from the games you’ve beaten fight again–much moreso for the fans of the older games that haven’t had much love or attention. Although it’s understandable why there would be a focus in the newer Fire Emblem games, it still feels cheap that they account for a majority so overwhelming that it’s 2/3 of the roster.

Arguably a bigger problem than the heavy saturation of the roster is the absence of characters from Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn–particularly Ike who not only won the popularity poll held before this game by a landslide victory, but appeared twice in the top 5 due to being in both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. In total, Ike had 51,555 votes–almost double the next most popular male character (Roy, 28,982) and a few more thousand than the most popular female vote (Lyn, 49,917) making him the most requested character for Heroes. There were 3 other Radiant Dawn/Path of Radiance characters who appeared in the poll results (Micaiah, Mia, and Nephenee). Although Nintendo is almost certainly holding them for an event–probably for whenever the game starts to lose speed and the daily users starts its inevitable plunge–they chose a very unfortunate group to hold. By holding the most requested character, Nintendo has effectively angered several fans and made them feel like their votes in the poll never mattered, which is awful PR.

Despite the roster’s shortcomings, it’s still very satisfying seeing them acknowledge some of the older games and characters that otherwise never got much attention. Many fans can finally build the dream teams from across franchises that they’ve always wanted to–that is, if their teams were almost exclusively characters from Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light, Awakening, and Fates (which in light of their overwhelming popularity, isn’t a difficult request). Hopefully Nintendo and Intelligent Systems will continue, like in the most recent event (Family Ties) to release characters from older games to break up the heavy saturation in the current roster.

 

Where this Game Succeeds

via forbes.com

Heroes’ strengths lie mostly in gameplay and fan service: This game is fun to play, point blank. If you enjoy strategy RPGs, regardless of whether or not you’re a Fire Emblem fan, you’ll enjoy Heroes. The gameplay is simple enough without feeling too easy, and yet still offers a good transition into difficulty as you progress–to the point where many chapters are notably difficult regardless of the difficulty setting you’re on. Even if you just want to jump into a higher difficulty the game will allow you to do that as well, no problem. Heroes accounts for players of all skill levels.

If you’re a fan of Fire Emblem–even if you’ve only played one title–it’s really satisfying when you get a character that you know of or want. This is even more true for fans of the older games who can finally see some of their favorite characters get some attention, love, and new art. It’s also a great gateway into getting newer Fire Emblem fans into older games in the series–something Nintendo will probably be emphasizing more when they add characters from the second Fire Emblem game to it since it’s being remade in May as Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia, but is being overshadowed by the fact that currently more than half the roster is from Awakening or Fates.

If you don’t care about the exchange rates–if you’re just playing this game to battle and get a team that you’re satisfied with early on–then this game is fantastic. The Fire Emblem battle system translates very well on mobile. Sure enough, this does feel like a Fire Emblem game. Although this is clearly catered toward people who are already fans of Fire Emblem, the slightly watered-down version of the Fire Emblem gameplay would also make for a good way of introducing potential new fans into the franchise–although I could imagine them also finding it frustrating not knowing who any of the characters are, that also might help them make a decision in which main series Fire Emblem series they’d want to start with if they like the gameplay enough to want to try the fleshed out version of it.

 

Where this Game Fails

via primagames.com

When Super Mario Run hit the mobile market, the main object of criticism with it was its exchange rates: That game itself was fine, but that it was the nuances of being a mobile game that hurt it, most notably its exchange rates which ultimately hurt it not just critically, but financially as well. Unfortunately, these problems were even more apparent in Fire Emblem Heroes. Like most mobile games, this game is designed to encourage purchases, but it crosses the line from the purchases helping to the purchases being necessary in many aspects. It becomes free to play, pay to win unless you have really good RNG luck. Although it’s definitely possible to play this game without making a purchase, it’s also significantly more difficult–and therefore, significantly more frustrating. This problem could easily be remedied by either bringing down the prices of the microtransactions or bringing down the cost of feathers/orbs/stamina potions necessary to do things, but until those are done this remains a glaring problem.

Aside from the exchange rates, this game is horribly disorganized. UIs are unwieldy, notifications that the player has already read will always come up on startup, and explanations are either too lengthy or simply not present. From a technical standpoint, this game is a mess relying heavily on the Fire Emblem logo to look cleaner.

 

Summary

All in all, this feels like a demo for the Fire Emblem franchise. Although it’s not the complete experience and certainly lacking in some areas, it does give you a basic idea of what the franchise is in a nutshell. You can tell it’s not done, but the potential is plain to see. It’s just a matter of seeing whether or not Nintendo or Intelligent Systems will fully realize that potential. As the game is now, it’s decent–but it has the potential to be great, and with very little effort on Nintendo or Intelligent System’s part.

via samurai-gamers.com

 

“[Heroes] feels like a demo for the Fire Emblem franchise. Although it’s not the complete experience and certainly lacking in some areas, it does give you a basic idea of what the franchise is in a nutshell.”

 

 

 

 

As they enter the mobile arena, Nintendo’s made it very clear that they still don’t know 100% what they’re doing. And although they are getting some things exactly right, they (unsurprisingly) seem to fail when it comes to handling the hallmarks of making a mobile game work like exchange rates, not relying too heavily on fan service, and organization. Yet by the same token, what they have done in Fire Emblem Heroes they’ve done well: They’ve chosen an ideal IP to bring to mobile (as it was already very portable), they’ve made it so that it’s not necessary to be a Fire Emblem fan to enjoy this game (even if it’s exponentially better if you are), and they’ve made a very easy-to-digest version of the Fire Emblem gameplay without making it too difficult. In fact, they’ve added difficulty settings to it to cater to players of all skill levels, making the game feel neither too easy, nor too challenging (unless of course it’s a matter of needing different units on your team, which I already addressed, falls into them needing to improve their exchange rates and therefore, making it less of a hassle to summon new heroes).

Fire Emblem Heroes is an enjoyable game, and as a fan of the Fire Emblem franchise (most notably some of the older games) I really like seeing a crossover game like this with several of Fire Emblem’s most well loved characters. (But of course, if it were up to me, Owain, Inigo, Lute, Lucius, and Artur would be in this game, too, but that’s neither here nor there.) On top of that, it has a very addictive quality to it thanks to the gameplay. Although a very watered down Fire Emblem game, it still feels very much like a Fire Emblem game, albeit riddled with exchange rate holes. If not for the exchange rates, this game could be wonderful. They are, however, so imperative that they weigh the game down with it.

 

This game has the potential to be wonderful, but until Nintendo or Intelligent Systems fixes it, it’s simply okay.

via lparchive.org

Overwatch Technicalities & Fire Emblem: Heroes | Ep.49

February 9, 2017 The Lifecast Podcast, The Lifecast

“I can’t wait for some asshole to drill a hole in the biodome.”

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Let It Die, Pokemon, Nier, and Question Time | Ep.45

December 29, 2016 The Lifecast Podcast

“Some would call it a food coma, I call it a vision.”

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Games that Especially Deserve a Digital Re-release

August 21, 2016 Kennedy Blog

I recently managed to finally get a game called Shadow Hearts on the PS2. I’ve been wanting to play this game for a while, but it’s been pretty difficult because it’s considered a rare game on the PS2 due to its limited release, and unlike several other games in this day and age, isn’t available on the PSN or any other digital game distributor. After years of hoping I’d find it–and if I did, that I’d find it at a decent price–it finally made its way into a favorite local game store of mine that I happened to have a gift card for. Due to its rarity and price though, I would’ve much rather have bought this game on a digital game distribution network like PSN or Steam, play it there, and then buy a physical copy if I ended up really liking it. Shadow Hearts is very much a hidden gem, and like many other underrated games, has managed to go under the radar of PSN and Steam for years. If its quality wasn’t enough to warrant putting it on a digital distribution network, then its rarity should. It’s very hard for new fans like myself to get into the franchise without emulation because the games are so hard to find–and because of their rarity, they’re usually pretty overpriced, too. Shadow Hearts is far from the only case of this happening to a game, though. There are many games right now that deserve to be put on PSN, Steam, Nintendo E-Shop, etc., especially as the modern market seems to heavily lean toward digital releases in the future. For some reason though, they simply aren’t there yet. Here are some other games such as Shadow Hearts that especially deserve to be made more accessible by being put on a digital distributor sooner rather than later.

 

The entire .hack franchise

thegeekclinic.wordpress.com

thegeekclinic.wordpress.com

I will sing the praises of .hack until the end of time. The .hack franchise–particularly the .hack//G.U. trilogy–is one of my favorite game series of all-time. This is why it breaks my heart all the more because this is such a difficult franchise for people to get into. There are two main series for .hack: The Infection quadrilogy and the G.U. trilogy. All of them are on the PS2. Each series had a pretty limited release, and the short of it is, they’re very expensive games. The first 3 games in the Infection series will cost you $20-$40 each depending on the condition, and then the final game, .hack//Quarantine, is worth about $150 if its in decent condition. Each game in the G.U. trilogy is worth between $60-$80 each depending on their condition. In total, you’d be spending at least $200 on the Infection series and $180 on the G.U. trilogy–$380 if you wanted them all. These games are amazing, but that’s just ridiculous. These games have a rather vocal cult following who all vehemently ask for an HD collection or digital re-release or some legal way of making these games more accessible. If nothing else, the G.U. trilogy turns 10 this year. What better way to celebrate than by breathing new life into an amazing franchise by bringing countless amounts of new fans into it?

 

Rule of Rose

via neogaf.com

via neogaf.com

If you thought $150 for a single .hack game sounded insane then strap in your seat belt because this game is undoubtedly the most expensive game on the PS2. Prices for Rule of Rose tend to run between $170-$350 depending on its condition. Why is it so expensive? First of all, it’s an Atlus game. Atlus games–especially at the time this came out (2006)–were pretty notorious for having low print runs despite generally being good games. Second, and there’s no way to sugar coat this so I’ll be plain about it, this game contains violent and sexual depictions of children akin to Lord of the Flies. Thankfully the sexual depictions are never explicit, but the implications are all there. It was banned in Italy and the UK,  made European politicians want a re-evaluation of the PEGI rating system, and even got mentioned at the French National Assembly because of the moral controversy it caused. It even appeared in The Times.

via hardcoregaming101.net

via hardcoregaming101.net

It’s pretty easy to see why it almost wasn’t released in the States. After almost a year of court battles, it received a very limited English release–even by Atlus standards. On top of that, despite all its controversy it didn’t sell particularly well and received only lukewarm reception. It’s pretty easy to see now why it’s so expensive, right? I completely understand why Atlus probably wants to forget about this game and not start more controversy, but it’s because it’s such a controversial game is why I wish it were more accessible. Just as Lord of the Flies received lots of controversy at its time, so has Rule of Rose–yet despite this, that’s why a lot of people read it: To see what was so controversial about it. Rule of Rose is no different. After all, it’s not every day politicians try to ban a game as hard as they did Rule of Rose. With a price tag as hefty as Rule of Rose’s, it’s out of the question for almost anyone to play it without emulation, and I’m sure there are plenty of willing players out there who would pay the standard $10-$15 on PSN to add it to their library and see what all the fuss was about.

 

Any Fire Emblem game before Awakening

via youtube.com

via youtube.com

Many fans agree that Fire Emblem Awakening breathed new life into the Fire Emblem franchise once it released. A previously niche franchise with few fans in the States, the Fire Emblem games that came out prior to Awakening spiked in price once the popularity of Awakening started catching on in 2012–even more so when Super Smash Bro’s on the Wii U came out in 2014 featuring several Fire Emblem characters. Ever since, more and more fans have been clamoring for more accessible, budget-friendly ways to play the Fire Emblem games that were released before Awakening–and even ones that weren’t released in the States. This isn’t the first time Nintendo has ignored the cries of the devoted fan base of one of their beloved but outrageously expensive franchises, and it certainly won’t be the last. Nintendo seems to be adding a lot of notable games to the Virtual Console lately, so why not show some love to one of its older franchises that goes largely underappreciated by them? Between Awakening, Smash, and Fates, Fire Emblem is enjoying a well-earned streak of popularity right now: Strike the iron while it’s hot, Nintendo.

 

Skies of Arcadia

via heypoorplayer.com

via heypoorplayer.com

Oftentimes called one of the best JRPGs on the Dreamcast and Gamecube, it’s hard to believe that this game isn’t more available as it is. Whether it’s the original Dreamcast version or the enhanced Gamecube port, Skies of Arcadia is definitely one of the rarer games on both systems–but it’s far from forgotten, both by fans and by Sega. In fact, Sega gave cameos to the main characters of Skies of Arcadia in Valkyria Chronicles. Moreover, this game has a very devoted fan base keeping this game still frequently talked about to this day. Yet somehow, Sega still continues to bank on the shaky odds of success in producing new Sonic games rather than re-releasing one of their other most well-loved games that’s otherwise pretty difficult–not to mention pricey–to obtain. If Shenmue can get a sequel after all these years, then surely there must be hope for another wonderful Sega franchise that’s been forcibly overshadowed by Sonic.

 

Obviously, these aren’t the only games out there in desperate need of a digital re-release: Feel more than free to comment with other games that you think especially deserve a digital re-release and why. The common thread in the games I think most deserve to be made more accessible are that they’re hard to obtain physical copies of: They’re all rare, expensive, and generally at least 10 years old. If you have any other major reasons you’d like to see a certain game or a group of certain games getting  re-released for, be sure and let us know.

5 Great Strategy RPGs (that aren’t Fire Emblem)

August 7, 2016 Kennedy Blog

I’ve been getting really into Fire Emblem this past year–and although (most of) the Fire Emblem games I’ve played so far have been fantastic, it’s got me looking back on many of the other wonderful strategy RPGs I’ve played. The genre is a bit niche in the sense that in the last few years, there simply haven’t been very many strategy RPGs released in the West–let alone great ones. The mobile market, however, seems to have been getting a steady release of strategy RPG games in the last few years–and I’ll talk about that more in this list. When people who don’t play many strategy RPGs think of strategy RPGs, however, Fire Emblem is the obvious choice. After all, it’s a Nintendo title that’s enjoying a Smash Bro’s (and Awakening) induced burst of popularity, and like I said–in the last few years, we haven’t got many big strategy RPG releases outside of Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates. It’s a shame, too, because (as I’m about to show you) there are plenty of great ones to play! Without further ado, here’s a list of some of the best strategy RPGs you can play that aren’t Fire Emblem.

 

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

via moarpowah.com

Yes, there’s a first Devil Survivor game that’s also good. No, you don’t need to play Devil Survivor 1 to play Devil Survivor 2. Yes, there’s an enhanced port called Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker on the 3DS that’s also great. Yes, this game has an anime adaptation but it didn’t go so well and doesn’t serve even remotely as a summary of the game. Anyways, Devil Survivor 2 is one of my favorite games on the DS. It takes all the familiar themes from the first Devil Survivor game (You, your friends, and a VERY large amount of the Japanese population have been put on lock-down. Figure out why you’ve been put on lock down, make choices that could lead to a myriad of different endings, and ultimately, free everyone.) but, in the typical Shin Megami Tensei fashion, the sequel gets the gameplay and story better. The first game, although great, suffered a lot of balance and grinding issues–all of which are gone in Devil Survivor 2, leaving you more able to actually enjoy the battles in this game, not to mention the incredibly unique (and ultimately, very dark) story. The choices are more heavily emphasized in this game than the first one as well, and it really tests the player’s morals more than most other games. It’s an incredible, thought-provoking game that shouldn’t be looked over.

 

GrimGrimoire

via escapistmagazine.com

Funny story: I saw ads for this game in Newtype USA years ago, when it was about to be a new release, and I thought the game’s art looked gorgeous (after all: This is the first game that Vanillaware made as Vanillaware) and therefore, I wanted it. It came out shortly before my birthday, so I asked for it for my birthday, and lo and behold, I got it. The ads didn’t mention what kind of a game it was–it just had the image on the cover and a short blurb about the story, so going into the game, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn’t played a strategy RPG before then, so it took me a really long time to get the hang of this game. That never stopped it from being a fun ride, though. Usually very overshadowed by the outstanding success of other Vanillaware games like Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown, GrimGrimoire is absolutely a hidden gem. You play as Lillet Blan–a new student in a Hogwarts-esque wizarding school. However, strange things are going on, and in a Groundhog Day fashion, her first week keeps resetting and she has no idea why–and she’s the only one who realizes it, too. So the whole story is you trying to find out what’s going on. Using different kinds of magic (EX: Glamor, necromancy, alchemy, etc.) you’ll summon different familiars to stop your enemies. Needless to say, if you’re into mythology, this game is a must play solely because of how much mythology is present in the game.

 

Valkyria Chronicles

via gamespot.com

There’s an unspoken law in gaming that you can’t talk about great strategy RPGs and not bring up Valkyria Chronicles. War has erupted between the Gallians and the Imperial Alliance. You play as Welkin, the son of a very successful General, who is thrown right into it. He commands a militia squad, Squad 7, and through this, he tries to end the war one battle at a time so he can return to his peaceful life of studying nature. Admittedly, the story in this game is nothing too memorable. It’s the gameplay that makes this game so great. Valkyria Chronicles is a grade-A example of what difficulty should be in a game: Yes, this game is hard–but it’s nothing the player can’t handle. The gameplay is so simple and tight in this game that any mistakes made are 100% on the player. If you die, it’s because you messed up. Grinding, although it can’t hurt, will never be the reason you win or lose a battle. How the game play works is that you decide what troops you want to bring into battle (fun fact: 3 of the troops are characters from Skies of Arcadia) based on their classes and what kind of a strategy you want to use and who, therefore, will be the most useful. For example, if you’re in a battle with several tanks, you’ll bring extra lancers. If it’s a battle with a huge area, you’ll need extra scouts to survey the land. From there, you engage the enemy troops and fulfill your goal–which is usually something along the lines of taking over an enemy camp or defeating an enemy in a specific way. This game is on the PS3 and can usually be found at a really good price–there’s no reason not to give it a try. It’s incredibly addicting from start to finish.

 

Banner Saga

via bannersaga.gamepedia.com

The most recent game on this list, Banner Saga is a critically-acclaimed gem of a strategy RPG. Set in the Viking Age, you play as both Vognir and Rook–two heroes whose stories will, based on your decisions, eventually collide. Decisions are something heavily emphasized in this game, as there are many to make that can heavily change your game based on your choices. One of the best parts about the game play are the many classes and races you can have at your control–some of which come from Viking mythology such as the Varl and the Dredge. This game is available on just about any platform you can imagine–Steam, X-Box One, PS4, PSVita, iOs, and Android. As I mentioned in the intro, the mobile market seems to be a rapidly growing place for strategy RPGs, and Banner Saga is one of the reasons why–with its many features, engaging story, gorgeous art, and wonderful game play, it’s not hard to see why this game is so loved.

 

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

via Square-Enix.com

Another reason that the mobile strategy RPG market is doing so well right now, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a gem on the PSP, and now that it’s available on mobile devices, is enjoying a new wave of fans who simply didn’t have a PSP when it came out. (Or were like me and were too busy playing the same 2 games on their PSP to care about many of the others.) This game is, at its core, an updated version of the original Final Fantasy Tactics which was released on the PS1 in 1997. You play as Ramza, a mercenary who finds himself caught in the midst of a civil war that could affect the fate of the world. Like Banner Saga, this game is very well loved by critics and receives consistently good scores. And of course, it’s not a Final Fantasy Tactics game without a few cameos: Including Cloud Strife (FF7), Luso Clemens (FFT A2), and Balthier (FF12.) This is a game I’d recommend not just to fans of strategy RPGs, but Final Fantasy fans looking to get into strategy RPGs as well.

 

 

Honorable Mentions: Ogre Battle 64, Jeanne d’Arc, and the Disgaea series

5 Japanese Games that would make Excellent Anime

July 31, 2016 Kennedy Blog

Ask anyone what some of their favorite 2016 anime have been so far and I promise that almost everyone who’s watching it will include the Ace Attorney anime on their list. Whether they’re new fans who used the anime as a gateway into the franchise or longtime fans who want to relive the fun of the first two Ace Attorney games, several people–including myself–can’t get enough of the Ace Attorney anime. This really shouldn’t be a surprise not just because they’re excellent games, but because they’re so dialogue-based, it’s natural that they would transition well into an anime. Last week I wrote a list of Japanese games that likely wouldn’t make good anime–this week, I bring you a list of 5 Japanese games that I think would have good anime adaptations. Like the previous list, however, there are rules:

  • This is NOT a list of my favorite Japanese games. If you’re really dying to know my favorite games, look at the author description at the bottom. I have them listed.

  • All the games on this list are Japanese, but they’re not all JRPGs
  • All these are games have not received an anime adaption of any kind
  • I’m not saying that these would 100% definitely make great anime–nor am I implying that they ever will get anime. I have no way of knowing if any of these will ever get an anime, nor would I have any way of knowing if they were good unless I’ve watched them. These are just educated guesses–games that I think would have a significantly higher chance at having a good anime regardless of circumstances.
  • When I say “anime” I mean anime–not an OVA, not a movie, not a special. I mean a full-blown anime with at least 12 episodes, though almost certainly more. The fact that most anime from the last decade are 12, 24-26, or 52 episodes should be kept in mind, though.
  • I’m assuming the anime would be an adaptation of the games (EX: Persona 4, Ace Attorney) NOT a continuation, re-imagining, or separate story of any kind (EX: any of the .hack// anime, Advent Children)

On that note…

 

No More Heroes

via newgamernation.com

There are very few games that are practically begging to become an anime as badly as No More Heroes. First of all, this action-adventure, hack-and-slash is home of some incredibly unique characters–most well-known being the over-the-top, nerdy protagonist, Travis Touchdown. These characters alongside the already anime plot (Travis wants to be the top ranked assassin in the world) would let the episodes practically write themselves: Just animate some explosive fights and adapt the writing from there. It could be a fantastic action/comedy that would help new fans fall in love with the incredible world of this underappreciated gem, and would allow older fans to relive this incredible game.

 

The World Ends With You

via TechnoBuffalo.com

Confusing writing aside, The World Ends with You could make a wonderful anime. First of all, there’s the art style of the game–who wouldn’t love to see a TV anime (I say TV anime specifically because of the Redline movie) done in this style? Second, this game is home to a fantastic soundtrack that could be reused in an anime adaptation. Most importantly, I think that the writing in this game would be well-suited for an anime. It’s very easy to see in the game which conversations are important and which are more unnecessary, so it would be pretty easy to trim the fat from this game if it were to be adapted. There’s a large enough cast of characters to make an anime version of it hold the interest of the viewer through the characters in addition to the plot, but without overwhelming them since each character is so unique. Finally, because all the excessiveness of the writing in the game would be gone, it would be much easier to appreciate the character development in this game, alongside understanding the story which, admittedly, gets incredibly confusing at the end. This game will be 10 years old next year, and though we’ve seen some of the main characters appear in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, we’ve never had a sequel to this game. Tetsuya Nomura has gone on the record saying that a sequel is still a possibility, and what better way to get people excited and jog their memories of this game than with an anime adaptation?

 

Final Fantasy VI

via DualShockers

My main reasons for wanting a Final Fantasy 6 anime are the same reasons that I would also love a remake of this game, as I explained in my list of very unlikely games that I’d like to see announced at E3 that I posted in June. To quote the article, “I want to see Kefka’s face twist and writhe as he laughs maniacally, I want to see a more animated transformation for Terra, I want to see the opera scene as cinematically as possible—and I know I’m not the only one, as Final Fantasy VI is generally considered to be arguably the best 2D Final Fantasy game.” Final Fantasy 6 is a fantastic game, which is why I’d like to relive the whole thing, but more visually this time. The graphics were good for their time, but I think it’s time for an upgrade–be it a 3D remake or an anime. The writing for Final Fantasy 6 is incredible, and it contains arguably the best villain in Final Fantasy as well as some of the most memorable characters overall in Final Fantasy history. My only worry for a Final Fantasy 6 anime is condensing it, because it’s a pretty long game, so picking it apart and condensing it could potentially cause trouble, but I’m sure it’s still doable.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

via forbes

Seeing this game on the list probably won’t come as a surprise to most people who read the previous list of Japanese games that I think wouldn’t make good anime. For anyone who didn’t read it, suffice to say, I mentioned that Ocarina of Time wouldn’t make a good anime because it focuses more on the freedom of an open world and game play than it does the story–and in an anime, because you lose the game play and the freedom, it would rely heavily on the story–something Ocarina of Time simply doesn’t have as much of as other Zelda titles. Perhaps no Legend of Zelda game embodies great storytelling as well as Majora’s Mask, which is why I think it would make an excellent anime. It would also be really interesting to see what the production company would do to show the 3-day mechanic, but again, this is a wonderful tool for storytelling. Like Final Fantasy 6, the only foreseeable issue that could arrive is condensing it down, but due to the length of this game versus Final Fantasy 6, I’m sure it would be an easier feat for Majora’s Mask.

 

Any Fire Emblem Game

via Nintendo.co.uk

I think Awakening in particular would make the best Fire Emblem anime, but any given Fire Emblem game would likely be at least a good anime. First of all, there’s the linearity constant throughout the entire franchise: Each game is pretty straightforward in its story and what it wants you to do. This would translate well into an anime because it gives the whole thing an overarching plot–a goal to obtain–and thus helps the viewer stay focused in the writing. Secondly, Fire Emblem games are generally well-known for having very memorable characters–particularly Awakening, which is the first of 3 reasons I have for thinking it would make the best anime of any Fire Emblem game. Having good characters are a staple for having a good anime because they make the viewer care more because they care about the characters and they want to see what they do next. The only major problem with that and Fire Emblem is that, due to the perma-death these games are so famous for, there are dozens of  important characters in each game. It would definitely become a task trying to figure out who’s more important that who, and thus, who warrants more screen time, if any characters should be cut out entirely, etc. Although it would definitely be the biggest obstacle in making a good Fire Emblem anime, I think that would be the only notable one because once you figure out who’s important enough for screen-time, the writing would be easily adapted by the in-game dialogue, and could likely be used word-for-word because of the aforementioned linearity. The other major reasons I think Awakening in particular would make the best Fire Emblem anime is 1. It’s generally called the best entry point into the series. Granted those are for game play reasons, I think it would still hold true in an anime since the characters of Awakening have proved their importance in the future of the franchise as we can see from Fates. 2. Frankly, Awakening has the best story of any of the Fire Emblem games I’ve played. Combo that with the most memorable characters and it’ll be a great experience for the viewer.

 

Like I said in the previous article, I’d like to encourage leaving comments with your thoughts: What are some games you like that you think would make good anime? Why? Do you disagree with any of the games on this list? Did I leave anything out? Again, in the pursuit of knowledge, I’d like to heavily encourage feedback.

Rare Games that Don’t Suck: GameCube Edition

June 4, 2016 dan Articles

Many things can make a game rare, but it’s usually something along the lines of limited quantities, exclusivity, a specific print of a game, or simply being so well-loved that anytime one comes on the market, there’s a few dozen people who want to own a physical copy of one of their favorite games. Despite that, reasons like limited quantities and exclusivity tend to be the bigger things that make a game rare, and because of that, a lot of rare games don’t tend to not actually be too good for their price. The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak on NES, for instance, isn’t anything special. In fact, for the time it came out, it’s painfully average. And yet, because it was just such an exclusively released game, it’s slipped through the grasps of many collectors, and is now worth around $1000 if it’s in good enough condition. This game, though, is only one of many examples of games all across systems that are just not worth the price their rarity is asking for. This got me to thinking about which games are actually worth that rare price that people might actually enjoy as a game rather than just as a collector’s item. Today, we’re going to be talking about the games on one of my personal favorite systems of all time, the Nintendo GameCube.

The first game we’re gonna’ be talking about is the fantastic Skies of Arcadia: Legends, a remake of Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast. Chances are you’ve heard of this one, because it’s received very high critical acclaim all around the board (32/40 from Famitsu, 9.2/10 from GameSpot, 9/10 from GameInformer), and consistently mentioned when people talk about the GameCube. Skies of Arcadia: Legends is a simple story about a group of sky pirates. Yes, sky pirates, and it’s just as awesome as you think it is. Sadly, neither the original Dreamcast version nor the Gamecube version sold well, and have become very hard to find because of it. I lucked out and found mine for $15 at a Gamestop, only to find out a few years later that this game is going for $75 on average for a good copy.

Image courtesy of GameTBD

Image courtesy of GameTDB

The story is fairly simple, but not in a bad way. It’s the standard “evil group of people are trying to collect magic items to rule the world and our heroes must stop them” storyline, but what it lacks in how unique its concept is, it makes up for with good, engaging writing, characters who are loveable from the moment you meet them, and just the right amount of self-awareness. It has a lot of fun with itself and it encourages the player to have just as much fun as its having, if that makes any sense. You’re going to get your standard RPG gameplay here with random encounters, shops everywhere, elemental alignments, and all of that good stuff. While none of it brings anything new to the table mechanically, it’s done incredibly well. What it does bring that’s super cool, though, are airship battles. Keep in mind when I say airship, I mean that they are literally pirate ships that are flying instead of on water. You can build up your ship’s weaponry to fight other ships in a style that has you plan out your actions before hand, and then watch them happen. It leaves the standard RPG formula for these battles and instead goes into some weird turn-based strategy game. And these breaks from regular gameplay aren’t jarring in the least; they fit very well in the game. On top of this, you have a lot of sidequests, the bounty system, and new discoveries, most of which is not found in the Dreamcast version. Couple this with great graphics for its time and a pretty good soundtrack, and you’ve got yourself a game that shows that you don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary to be impressive. It doesn’t try to be unique, it takes what it has and makes it the best it can be.

Up next, we have Gotcha Force, from none other than Capcom themselves. This game is rare for a similar reason to Skies of Arcadia: Legends, but with one thing making it even more rare and expensive. See, instead of being a critically acclaimed game that didn’t sell well, Gotcha Force is a game that got a lot of mixed reviews that sold pretty badly, but retains a devoted cult following, one of them being me (though again, I lucked out and found this for like $30 at a Gamestop). The average reviews for this game were between 5-7/10, but when asking its following, they’ll say it’s one of the best games on the GameCube. For a complete used copy of Gotcha Force, you’re looking at a staggering $150 – $170 price tag.

Image courtesy of GameTBD

Image courtesy of GameTDB

Gotcha Force is an action game focused around collecting toys to do battle. You’re put into an arena, which is normally just a regular park or a kid’s room, to fight other small toys with swords and laser beams in a style somewhat similar to the Armored Core games. You can compose a team of toys, called Gotcha Borgs. The Gotcha Borgs are pretty much if the Transformers in the show were the size of their real-life toys. Gotcha Borgs are separated into different types, and each have different stats, and having good team synergy is key to beating this game, because it’s hard. Very hard. Half because of its awful camera, half because of the actual difficulty. Content wise, this game is pretty long, with a story that will last around 10 hours, probably more of you’re as bad as I am, and if you want to complete everything in this game, you’re gonna need to dump in at least twice that. There are so many Gotcha Borgs to collect that just trying to find them all is going to run you a few more hours, and you may have to look for more just to complete the story if you see yourself getting beaten by a particular enemy a lot. It’s got some of the most fun multiplayer you’ll ever play, just because of how fast-paced and crazy the screen gets with four people going all over the place trying to kill each other. This game is great for parties. You know, if you don’t mind leaving your $150 game out for people to constantly play. Graphically, it’s a pretty nice-looking game. The Gotcha Borgs are well designed, and for a game with so many, they do a really good job at making sure they look unique from one another. Musically… Ehhhh. Not good, not bad. Gotcha Force is a game that’s really good if you just want to sit down for a few hours and have some fun, fast-paced shooting action while still looking at cute things and cool robots.

Now, we’re going to talk about the rarest and most expensive game on here, and one that has a very fun story to go with it as well: Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest. Cubivore was originally released in Japan as Animal Leader, and upon receiving mixed reception and bad sales, Nintendo decided to not bring it over to the west. Then, after hearing that, Atlus came along and decided to give it a North American release. A very limited North American release. Combine that with the fact that even in comparison to the limited release, this game didn’t sell very well over here and still had mixed reception, and you’ve got a recipe for a rarity. A complete used copy of Cubivore will run you between $175 – $220 depending on the condition. Yes, you read that right. $175 – $220. For a game about cubes eating each other.

Image courtesy of GameTDB

Image courtesy of GameTDB

Funny story about how I got my copy of Cubivore. Back when I was in middle school, my friend needed to sell some games for some money, and just didn’t know what he had. Granted, I didn’t either because I was like 12, but point is, I bought this $175 game for $10 because neither of us knew about it.

Either way, Cubivore is… Weird. Is it an adventure game? Survival? RPG? You can’t really tell. You’re a cube who eats other cubes to evolve into a bigger and stronger cube in order to eventually become the biggest, baddest cube in all the land. You’re trying to become this better cube not just live better and longer, but to overthrow the Killer Cubivore, who reigns over the top of the food chain and who has eaten the essence of the land along with his allies, causing the land to dry up. If you can overthrow the Killer Cubivore and become king, you can restore the land to what it once was. You evolve by literally eating other cubes and absorbing their forms. But not in a cute Kirby kind of way where he sucks ’em up and then poof, new form. No, this is actually quite violent. You bite into the other cube, shake them around, and then literally rip their limbs off with your teeth. You then get a new limb, or a different limb. Each set of bodies/limbs functions differently, which means you have to change your approach when hunting. You progress by eating enemies and bugs, which bring color back to the land. And, well, yeah. That’s it. The main story takes about 12 hours to complete, but the game takes a lot of getting used to, since it’s so weird. So it’ll probably take you a bit longer. Cubivore is slow, but pretty fun. And it’s definitely one of the most unique experiences on the gamecube. All for the low, low price of $175. Oh, and one more thing. This game was developed by Intelligent Systems. You know, the team behind every Fire Emblem game.

SPEAKING OF FIRE EMBLEM!

Image courtesy of GameTDB

Image courtesy of GameTDB

I’m not going to go into too much detail on this one, because so many people already know how great it is and how rare it is, but it’s something that has to be talked about. Path of Radiance is the other fan-favorite Fire Emblem game after Awakening, and it goes for around $100 used. Its incredible story (that is continued in Radiant Dawn which is an equally rare and expensive game on the Wii) and loveable characters make its more-dialogue-than-gameplay style very enjoyable, and the gameplay itself is very good. Path of Radiance is one of the harder Fire Emblem games, and it shows. It forces you to be very tactful in your decisions, and is not a game that you can brute force your way through. Great looks, great soundtrack, great everything, really. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is a strategy game that you’re gonna want to pay the money to play.

Just remember, if you have some extra cash, don’t do the smart thing and buy something that will help you in the long run, spend it on a stupidly expensive video game, because that’s what money is for.