Classics Unleashed - Batman & Return of the Joker (NES)

Boxes unpacked. Games shelves. Entertainment center.....up and running. ;)

Moving day is over. Now's let's have some fun with an old familiar friend.

Batman review



Enjoy!

(Batman and Return of the Joker are property of Sunsoft.)

First Impressions - Trauma Team

If there's one game to truly represent the innovative motion technology of the modern generation of gaming, Trauma Center fits the bill very perfectly. Producing 1-to-1 coordination before Nintendo's Motion Plus, Atlus' new rising star is a exhilarating experience I'm afraid most players (new and old) haven't had the chance to try out yet. With challenges that pushes your hand-to-eye skills to the test and I'm serious. No other game has given me the thrilling rush these unique set of games offers and I got so ecstatic when I got my hands on the fifth installment of the series, Trauma Team.

Trauma Center's Sonic Adventure?
Atlus seems to be taking a page from Sega on this one. Many things were cut out but plenty of cooler stuff put in. A psychedelically stylized reimaging of the body organs and symptoms. (i.e. Blood pools = red jello, tumors = rock candy etc.). Utilizing a comic motif to tell an engaging and interconnected story in the game. The biggest jump is the Trauma Team's six different heroes exploring six different fields with their six different and unique ways for players to enjoy the game. So yeah, it's Sonic Adventure....'cept you won't be pulling your hair trying to fish for that f*@kin' tailed frog!

So let's delve into six layered sandwich starting with.....

Surgery (a.k.a. CR-501) (Yes that's the guy's name v_v)
TC veterans should know the routine by now. Treat what ails the patient before they go up to that big Florida condo in the sky. If their vitals flat-line to zero, then it's game over. Every surgeon needs the right tools for the rights job including their trusty scalpel, syringe, sutures, laser, ultrasound, forceps, drain, and their all purpose antibiotic gel plus whatever special equipment necessary to overcome an situation.

If you've played previous TC games, then this one's no different except for visual cues, a nice touch for beginner to understand better, plus the removal of the time limit takes more pressure off the nerve-raking sessions between battle the disease and keeping your patient's life up. Though the absence of the Healing Touch is a strange one seeing as Atlus' supernatural touch gives TC its charm yet it's not sadly missed as I've hardly found myself in a difficult situation so far. Still, why no Healing Touch? Maybe it'll be addressed later in the story, who knows. Moving on....

First Response (a.k.a. Maria Torres)
Consider it the Tails' version of surgery with a simplified selection of forceps, syringe, tape, and your trusty all-purpose antibiotic gel at your disposal as well as whatever procedures (i.e. blood transfusions, setting broken bones, or talking to the patient, etc.) are necessary to stabilize patients. The twist here you must tend to more than one patient at a time constantly juggling between mending burns and keeping their vital high adds that addictively frustrating charm. Failing one doesn't immediately end the game but for let too many slip through the cracks or you're done.

Orthopedics (a.k.a. Hank Freebird)
This one's a no-brainer (even for Big). It's very straight-forward. Just follow the guidelines and directions kinda like staying within the lines of a coloring book. Only difference is you're judged by mistakes, make too many and we'll be seeing you in court. Nothing else besides that.

Endoscopy (a.k.a. Tomoe Tachibana)
Phew! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! I'm sorry! I'm sorry. When a ninja girl says her "path of honor" includes violat...shoving a plastic tube up their John exit as far as they can always seems to get a good chuckle out of me once in a while. If I were Ryu Hayabusa and she wanted me involved in her "path of honor", I'd jump in the nearest black hole as fast as I can. LOL!

Anyways, Tomoe's take a bit of getting used to especially for experience players like myself. "Steering" the rod via analog stick. Mixing selection and usage of tools with the c and z buttons and progressing the rod forward by holding the A + B buttons and pushing...the Wii....mote. *snicker* (see Rejected Wii Idea: Wife Satisifaction). *snicker* *snicker* *snicker*

Okay okay okay, I think I got it *hehehe* under control. So, it's similar to surgery except jabbing into the wall causes damage, so mind how much......force you'll use. *snicker* That's it. I'm moving to the next one before I bust a gut.

Diagnostic (a.k.a. Gabe Cunningham)
Those who kill for a House video game, here your chance. Find the symptoms and discover what ails the patient with Spike and his trusty robot. Yeah, he's NOT the Cowboy Bebop Spike but the resemblance is too uncanny. See!


Gameplay-wise...it's very strict in a Phoenix Wright sense that you can't guess your way to a win. Pressing them on the answers relevant to the case. Observing diagnostic irregularities in the patient's charts. Find abnormalities in their body scans. Basically get all the "symptoms" and match it to the disease that fits best. Press on the wrong things or mismatch symptoms, you get a strike, House rushes into your room and calls you an idiot, then helps himself to the frig. Get 5 strikes, turn your stethoscope and say goodbye to R2D2.

Like Phoenix Wright, it's time-consuming. Each case will take you a good hour to complete especially the later ones. Luckily, you have to a save feature to fall back on, if you need a break or screw up one too many times.

Autopsy (a.k.a. Naomi Kimishima)
From House to CSI, autopsy is the Sherlock Holmes half of the Phoenix Wright formula. Solve the crimes and discover the truth....with clue cards and quizzes. Logic plays a big role here. Unlike Diagnostics, this one's a bit more lax allowing more trial-and-error connecting bits and pieces. As long as you've payed close attention to the story and don't get hosed on the multiple choice, should be a piece of cake. Like Diagnostics, it's take a good hour or two to finish but progressive is savable. So, take that break if you need too and grab a sandwich with House. ;)

Trauma Team, so far....it's good. The variety make it the oddball of the bunch but that's part of its charm. The sorta downgrade surgery got does bother me a bit yet the other departments make up for in spades. It hasn't disappointed me yet, so I hope to get a lot of mileage out of this baby.

Classics Unleashed - Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth (N64)

After reviewing one awesome series what do I do next? Review a more awesome game courtesy of the guys whose trademark represent what these forgotten classics are.....Treasure!


Sin & Punishment Review

Enjoy!

(Sin & Punishment is the property of Treasure and Nintendo.)

First Impressions - Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

2010 is shaping up more and more for the Wii with Fragile Dreams continuing the strong line-up of great games coming down for the Big N's innovative money maker. Though I doubt Fragile is the next break-out hit, it's off to great start for best sleeper hit for this year.

Beautifully-stunning and bone-chilling are two words rarely seen in the sentence, let alone confide themselves to the same thing, but this game manages to pull it off exquisitely. Imagine Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Parasite Eve taken apart to the smallest unbreakable part and reconstructed together piece by piece by Hayao Miyazaki himself. Fragile Dreams is as close as it gets, taking in RE's item management, SH's strangeness and eerie atmosphere, PE's RPG-elements, and Miyazaki's heartfelt imagination.

At face value, Fragile Dreams is an RPG but at its soul, it is an immersive ghost tale like no other. Plunging into a post-apocalyptic world nearly void of human life....or maybe none at all. Nonetheless, you venture the darkened ruins in the hopes for human survivors however an aura of unease and unrest lurks about like an eerie shadow. Strange fellows and listening to lingering memories of the old world around the campfire keeps one's mind at ease. But the moans, cries, and shrieks of malicious, twisted spirits reminds one of the lingering dangers haunting a born-again world.

Woven by the creators, tri-Crescendo, Fragile Dreams embarks the horror survival genre into an unusual direction, drawing upon two powers of the Wii's "wand". The first is the flashlight. No different than the one in Ju-On, just point and the light will follow. A special flashlight allows one to see the messages hidden from the naked eye. Besides that, all flashlights have a purpose in battle revealing invisible enemies by shining the light on them, turning them visible.

The other is the voice in the Wii-"wand". It'll release eerie sound whenever you venture close to an enemy hot spot not unlike Parasite Eve and become louder the closer you get. It's adds to the overall chilling effect the game provides. On top of that, its act as a sonar for hidden ghost and give hints by placing it near your ear.

Seto, Crow, and a cast of strange fellow, all elegantly done and beautifully rendered even the enemy model give the HD lords a run for their money, having a surreal Shin Megami style and the childlike magic of Miyazaki. A weird combination indeed but plays into the tango of grace and desolation so well.

The loose thread is this tapestry is item management. Think RE4 meet Tetris arranging to fit as much as you can in the little box. Mystery items are a thorn in my side cause they take up unnecessary space and can't be scrapped til you find a bonfire. You kinda redo process over and over as there's little space to work on. One key note: weapons tend to wear and break, so you easily have to carry 2 or 3 at a time and that takes up space, so pick your weapons wisely.

I've played Fragile Dreams for 9 hours and so far I'm a happy camper. Though the bosses are pathetically easy, it's an interesting take that some RPG fan may like. Wonderful and very elegant. I'd say give a good 5 hours.

Classics Unleashed - Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim (PS2, PSP)

Damn it! Another month without update I really need to kick my ass into high gear. In the meantime, enjoy the conclusion of this Ys retrospective venturing to new frontiers for the Ark of Napishtim.


Ys VI Review

Enjoy!

P.S.: It's my birthday today.

Classics Unleashed - Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Turbo Grafx CD, SNES, Genesis)

Wow...one month since I posted something new on here. Going to change that. Until then, here's something that'll put your mind at "Ys". ;)

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys review



Enjoy!

Classics Unleashed - Ys Book I & II (Turbo Grafx CD)

First video review of the year. So, let's shine some light on one of the best forgotten RPGs to grace the 16-bit era.



Ys Book I & II Review

Enjoy!