Secret of Mana (SNES)

It is very difficult for me to write this review.  In fact, I will make this short.  I cannot be objective about this game because it is my favorite game of all time.  The battle system, the story, the characters, and everything about this game are perfect.  I may be blinded by nostalgia but I simply cannot find fault with this game.  It is just so awesome that I could go on and on about this game for several pages.  But I won't.  Not like anybody reads this.

If you haven't played this game, give it a try.  This is a great game.  It is what inspired me to continue gaming.  I want to make a game like this at some point in my life.  This game influenced my childhood so much, I just can't let it go.

Luminous Arc (NDS)

Witches everywhere and they are evil.  But really they aren't.  Some are?  I don't know.  This game has a plot that is quite silly at times, often makes no sense, but ends up being decent.  It doesn't make up for the clunky battle system and the strange glitches that show up.

First off, I love Strategy RPGs.  This game was hard for me to get through for one reason though, it was paced very poorly.  At one point you are fighting enemies that are giving you little to no experience and then you jump into battle with things that will just eat you alive.  It made grinding a chore and a necessity.  Luckily, using any ability gives EXP to a character so you can spam healing or buff spells to level up.

The glitches do really detract from the fun though.  From characters that take forever to path find to their destination to characters disappearing after using a buff on them.  Only for them to return but with the sprite looking like it is in debuff state.  It makes the game seem really weird.  The voices cut in and out as well.  It is very jarring.

This was a good start to a series that we never got the end of.  I never got the next game in the series but I would hope someday I could.  This wasn't a terrible game.  It had some good ideas and the story ended up being quite nice.  It just needed a little more time for some polish.

Final Fantasy X (PS2)

It is very lucky that the randomizer I use to pick my games to review picked this game.  The date of this review is the same day the HD remakes of X and X-2 came out.  I haven't played X-2 so this will only cover X.

I have always been a fan of Final Fantasy because it blended wonderful battle systems and great stories. This game is now the exception.  The combat system in this game is very simple and very good.  Being able to switch out characters without being punished is great.  It gives the player a lot more choices in combat and can lead into some interesting setups.

The other good things about this game is the Sphere Grid.  It lets you grow the characters however you want.  Especially Kimahri who is almost a blank slate with Blue magic.  Not happy that Tidus is a terrible character and can't do that much damage?  Have him go through Auron's grid.  Wish that somebody other than Rikku could steal?  Put them through her grid.  It leads to some wonderful mixes.

Now where this game falls flat, the story.  Many, many people tout this game as having the last best story in the Final Fantasy series (I disagree cause FFXII has a wonderful story).  I won't disagree that it is a story that is framed well but it also has some really grating moments.  The major story plot twist is predictable, in fact, I picked up on it quite early.  Secondly, the characters (minus Auron and Rikku) are bland and uninteresting.  This is one of the few games that I actually wanted to see the main characters lose.

While this is a good game in it's own right, this is not the best Final Fantasy game ever. I know I will gather some hate from this (although only like 3 people will see this) but I stick by it.  By the end of the game, I was just glad to see it end.  Although, I do wish they would have done more with Auron.  Auron was a great character.

Kirby's Dreamland (GB)

Kirby has always been my favorite simple platformer series.  This game is no exception.  Despite not having the ability system that the series is now known for, this game is awesome.  If you haven't ever played a Kirby game before, this is a good one to start with.

What is Kirby?  Simply put, Kirby is a simplistic platformer game that rarely challenges the player but is fun nonetheless.  In this series, you play as Kirby.  You have on goal, defeat King Dedede and get the snacks back to Dreamland.  You will run, fly, jump, and swim through various worlds.  The bosses are all fairly unique and fun.

One thing that I love about the series is the soundtrack.  Everything is upbeat and cheery.  Boss battle themes are intense but at the same time never make you feel dreadful.  This game is just a series about having fun and being carefree.  You never feel rushed in this game but every level builds on what you have learned in the past.  In all, this game is just a big, fun, happy adventure.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (NDS)

A deep, dark castle.  Very thin lighting.  Walking through a hallway, the eyes of the portraits following me.  It isn't a trick of the mind, they are actually following.  A crash of thunder and a flash of lightning.  All these things are what come to mind when I remember playing this game.

Castlevania is one of those series that I can get immersed in and really feel like I am in the castle itself.  This game is no different.  I enjoy the setup of this one quite a bit.  Taking place in a time where having Dracula around is not only convenient, it borderlines on destruction is great.  The characters are good and it fits into the timeline nicely.

Having essentially two characters to play as really does add to the puzzle solving that is a staple of the series.  It also introduces some interesting aspects to combat.  There are some frustrating fights, especially what you have to do to get the best ending but the switching gimmick and the two different combat styles are great all around.

This is a fun game and I wish that more games like it would come out.  From what I've seen with what Konami has done with the Castlevania series, I'm not too happy.  I don't mind them trying to expand their horizons but the Lords of Shadow series don't really appeal to me.  Give me more games like this and I would be happy.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)

As one of the first Castlevania games I played on the Gameboy Advance, I was a little surprised.  This game wasn't terrible but compared to the high point of Symphony of the Night, it is hard not to be hard on this game.  For one, it is incredibly dark.  Like the contrast between character and some of the backgrounds is not different to the point that you lose where your character is.

The other thing that was annoying was the card system was not explained in the game.  I bought this game without the booklet so I had no idea how to use the cards until I looked them up later.  This game was great though.  As the first GBA Castlevania's it set up the groundwork for later titles.  It opened the door and I have to say, despite my complaints it was a decent game with it's moments.  If you get the chance, find this game.  It is worth a playthrough for any fan of the series.

Chrono Trigger (NDS)

A grand adventure should start small and build up into something that ends up being memorable but ends in an ultimate conclusion.  What I just said is exactly how this game goes.  You start at a simple point with a simple goal.  It quickly snowballs into a story that has lots of depth.

Let's start off by saying, don't get the Playstation 1 version of this game.  The load times absolutely kill this game.  You want to have the smooth transitions to battles to experience the game greatly.  Battles are great.  You sometimes don't have to even do them and they are great to miss.  It never feels like you need to grind and if you are smart you don't have to.

The part of this game that I enjoy the most is the character development.  Each playable character starts off with a secret or a quirk.  Learning what makes them tick is part of the great part of the game.  I have to commend Square Enix for the character Frog.  He is my favorite character in any RPG so far and I feel has inspired a lot of the ideas I've had for my own game.

I still enjoy the sequel to this game more and I am in the minority in this feeling.  This is still a very solid title and a classic that should be played by everybody.  It is a great game that shows how to pace a game and properly frame a story.

Star Wars Rogue Squadron (N64)

PEWPEWPEW!  I don't remember anything about this game.  I remember it being kind of fun but I am terrible at things like this.  Star Wars is one of those things you usually have fun with but this one has issues.  The controls are not as responsive as they could be.  It does look good for an N64 game.  I could probably revisit this game at some point but I am just bad at twitch shooters at this.  I don't think this is actually a twitch shooter.

Dead Nation (PS3)

The premise behind this game is pretty simple.  Zombies are everywhere, kill them.  Keep killing them until they are all dead...well dead again cause they were already dead.  

I typically don't really like shooters like this because I am terrible at them.  Even on the easiest modes, I have a hard time.  This game was fun to play but there are other issues with it that make it not as fun.  For one, it is too dark.  I understand that making the game dark is what makes it challenging but it was simply too dark to do much with on my old TV.

Some of the scenarios and side things are frustrating or just downright silly.  I never really felt like doing them and I didn't really have to.  The story is okay but nothing to write home about.  The controls are solid though and there is some substance to the little things in this game.  It isn't a terrible game but if you have played a zombie game, this doesn't break any new ground.

Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (GCN)

Four swords!  This game should be better right?  I doubt it.  This game has issues.  If it weren't for all the collection stuffs, it would be a decent game but throwing the player back cause they are literally missing 10 pieces of things is kind of rude.  In fact, it is frustrating.  Nintendo should have looked at making the game less a collect-a-thon and more of a fun romp through the Zelda universe.  The items are okay but this game is really marred by the fact that you can fail so easily to lose a level.

As for the story, it is passable.  Sure this was the first time that Nintendo tried to use the Four Sword in full game.  It is okay but really the Minish Cap is the best game in this little storyline.  Vaati is a decent villain but this game just feels like a way to sell the GBA cable.

All in all, I can't really recommend this game that much.  It had some fun ideas but the whole thing is kind of flat and simple.  Tie that in with the frustration of having to collect an arbitrary amount of triangles just to win, it gets repetitive way to easily.  Worth playing if you are a fan.