Kingdom Hearts 358/2 and Scribblenauts

October 11, 2009

Wow.  That’s all I can say about KH 358/2.  After beating the game in a week and a half, which is a record time for me, I can honestly say that it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.  If it weren’t for Fire Emblem 7, it would be the best.

KH 358/2 follows the storyline of Roxas from when he’s created, through his time at the Organization, and finally ending where KH2 starts.  The two things I love most about 358/2 are the gameplay and the storyline.  I really liked the emphasis on exploration, which is an aspect absent from many games I’ve played.  The storyline was also fantastic; I really felt myself bonding with the three main characters (Axel/Roxas/Xion) to the point where I cried at the end (stop laughing it was a good ending).  In addition, I enjoyed how there was always something to work towards, which in this case were new panels which would enhance Roxas’s character and his keyblade (I was always antsy to get a better gear).  Plus, I really like how you can continue playing the game after it ends.  Right now I’m redoing a bunch of missions that I haven’t gotten 100% for yet, and with my new Zero Gear Keyblade, most of them are ridiculously easy.  It’s always fun to go back through the game with pwnsome equipment XD.

Did I mention the graphics for cutscenes are remarkable?

If there’s one thing I would complain about in 358/2, it’s the pacing.  The game is set up in days, with each mission you complete finishing off a day.  The first …10-20 days were all tutorials, and while they were nice so that a player could thoroughly understand the controls, they got a little boring after awhile.  Also, it seemed like the beginning was stretched out too much.  I spent a ridiculous amount of time in the first two worlds – Twilight Town and Agrabah – and then it seemed like I was going to new worlds every 30 days.  The end also seemed to rush by extremely fast, with the plot truly picking up around day 300, and everything seemed to speed by after that point.  Also, it seemed like the last boss fights – the ones against Xion and Riku – were ridiculously easy compared to other bosses (and I was on standard mode), but that’s just a minor trifle.  Ok I lied, there’s one more thing I didn’t like: some storylines of the worlds were never resolved.  The one in Beast’s Castle was left on a cliffhanger (that annoyed me a lot), and the a plot that was started in Wonderland (the queen hunting for four things), was never really explained.  However, all the good parts of the game made up for those small complaints I had for it.

Overall, I loved KH 358/2.  I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is/isn’t a KH fan.

Oh yea: don’t ask me to play co-op.  I use an emulator, so I kind of can’t, haha.

Moving on to Scribblenauts.  I’ve been highly anticipating Scribblenauts ever since word of it appeared in Nintendo Power, and I can say that it’s lived up to all my hopes.  I love exploring different interactions with objects on the environment, which makes Scribblenauts a truly unique puzzle game.  Basically, to play the game, you have to write words, which will then appear in object form in the game, and use them to get through levels and collect “starites.”  It’s a really interesting twist on the classic puzzle game, so I would also highly recommend Scribblenauts to anyone, puzzle fan/gamer fan/not.  It may look kind of kiddy-like, but the gameplay is well worth it.

That’s all for now in my gaming life.  Last note: Golden Sun DS is also coming out soon!  Yes!!


The Gaming Geek Post

July 25, 2009

One of my long time dreams is to go to a video game conference.  However, when I can’t, Nintendo Power does the work for me and puts out a list of upcoming games from E3 that made my inner geek drool, so here’s a post on what I’m really, really looking forward from what NP covered.

1. GOLDEN SUN DS!!! Oh man, I LOVE Golden Sun so much.  I never really had the game myself, but I borrowed GS2 from a friend and played it so many times that I eventually had the dungeons memorized and the characters up to some ridiculous level.  Then my sister bought me GS1 from China, and well …the game didn’t save if I saved it and turned my GBSP off (figures, it was from China, no offense), so I kept my GBSP on for a few days to finish the game.  I didn’t play GS1 as thoroughly as GS2, but I think you get the point that I am a big fan of Golden Sun.  Hearing that a new game (finally!) is coming out for the DS makes me pretty ecstatic.  Please get a Japanese ROM with english pack out soon?  Pretty please?

2. Scribblenauts – the concept just makes the game sound great.  Write a noun and have it materialize in game?  Add words together to make interesting things happen?  It all sounds pretty sweet.  I’ve actually been looking forward to Scribblenauts ever since it was first mentioned in NP (which was last month I think?  I can’t really remember).

3. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days just looks freaking awesome, not to mention I’m a big KH fan.  It’s actually been awhile since I’ve played KH…I should probably go back and touch on Chain of Memories.  However, I’m still really looking forward to 358/2 for the storyline and the gameplay.

4. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers – I’ll put it out there that I’m not the biggest Final Fantasy fan with the exception of Tactics Advance (particularly the first one; A2 never really appealed to me).  I guess I don’t really have the patience for turn-based RPG (yes, blasphemy I know).  However, there’s just something about NP’s description of Crystal Bearers that makes it sound like a Final Fantasy game I would enjoy.

5. And of course the oh so enigmatic new Legend of Zelda game.  Not Spirit Tracks, the big one for the Wii.  There’s something about its poster in NP that automatically attracted me.  Waaah suspense ;_;

Those are the games from NP’s “Best of E3″ article that caught my eye.  Of course everything looks good, and if I could I would try to play through every single game that was previewed, but I’ll limit myself to a select few.

…GOLDEN SUN DS PLEASE COME OUT FASTER!!

/endgeek