Versions, Prints, and Editions

  I've been thinking about different versions of video games a lot lately. In this stage of gaming we are no strangers to re-releases, HD improvements, package deals, DLC, and of course patches. It is a fact of life at this point but I've been thinking about it especially hard. A friend of mine collects books and one thing in particular he tries to do is collect every print of a book. He finds it interesting to see the different forewords, translations, and cover art on each edition.

I took this concept and applied it games. I now believe it is a bigger rabbit hole in games than books. At first I applied the logic to a single game. Let's say Final Fantasy V. Originally made in Japanese and produced for the Super-Famicom system, this game has seen several iterations for multiple consoles. It has been ported to the Playstation (with two new full motion vidoes) in Japan, Ported to the Playstation in English (which received changes like accents for characters and different names), Ported to the GameBoy Advance (new Jobs, graphics, and a new boss) and released on iOS. 

All of that is just counting definite hard differences, changes in the code. None of this discusses differences in hardware like sound output or the feel of an Super-Famicom controller over a Playstation.

For something we don't think about often it runs very deep. I'm trying to write a more in depth piece on it, mostly for fun and because I like to contribute to the community, but it is not a frequently discussed topic. I don't really have a thesis or topic yet besides this generic idea, I'm just gathering information for now. If anyone has thoughts, ideas, particular games I should look into, or links talking about this kind of thing I would appreciate it.

Review: .Hack//Infection

Today's date is February 17, 2014. Had this been 10 years ago, I would have a much different number for .Hack//Infection. I like history, I have a very high respect for where the world has been and where we have come from. As much as I hate to think that age impacts things negatively, some things just don't age well. This game is one of them.

Right from your first log in to "The World" the game starts to show its age. An early PS2 game does not hold

Not very easy on the eyes.

up well graphically in this day and age. Models are all polygonal and jagged while the textures are muddy and dark. The graphics are ugly but perfectly serviceable though. You are capable of seeing everything you need to see, so this is merely a cosmetic issue. Be aware that you if go down this road you  are playing an old game and this is how it will look.

Unfortunately, the menus handle as poorly as they look. Equipping party members requires at least 3 menus, more if you want to see the stats of their items before you swap them out. You have to do this a lot too. For an active combat RPG you will be spending a very large portion of your time in menus. Attacks are selected through menus, group tactics are selected through menus, if it needs done, it has a menu. This interface is ridiculous to have when most of the buttons on the controller aren't really mapped to anything. Clunky and boring are not a good combination for a game going for fast paced combat.

I'm sleuthing

The concept of the game should be praised for its uniqueness. Playing a character who is playing an MMO to solve the mystery of his comatose friend makes for an amusing story. Over the course of .Hack you will be using email and forum boards to discover your next clue, make friends by questing, and trade with players in HUB towns just like a real MMO. Combat takes place in "fields" that you create by entering three random code words. Each word provides it's own attributes to the field so you can mix and match to your content. This randomly generated world has a field area where you start and a single dungeon that you enter and explore. Every dungeon ends with a treasure chest that gives you loot better than what you would normally see. This style of play is fun for a little bit, but you quickly find out that going through basically the same dungeons re-skinned is not the most fun.

There is not much of a sense of character progression as skills are tied to your equipment and not your character's level. Often you will be choosing between having helpful skills or have better stats. The same goes for your party members that you keep equipped as you play. At most it's a lot to consider, at least it is a nuisance to see your most used skill lost to progression.

You can always sell your extra items which you will be doing a lot of since that is the primary monster drop. This money doesn't really have a use besides buying healing items in the game. You will need a lot of money to keep your party stocked up with these since everyone in your party can carry up to 99 of each. You need to personally trade these items to your NPC party members too and good luck trying to figure out how many each of them already have.

To the game's credit the story is engrossing. The characters you play with seem real and you will be bringing people into your group just to continue their email dialog. For a series that spans four discs you can tell that this game is merely building the foundation of the game world but it even does that in an interesting way. I went the whole way through the game for the purpose of seeing the story to the end. It is a powerful goal and you will feel accomplished for getting through the 25 hour game.

I love these guys.

.Hack//Infection has been left in the dust by video game evolution. It is an interesting game with a genuine concept but the execution was I suspect mediocre in its time and even worse now. If you are a true fan of the series or JRPGs it may be worth going back for. Otherwise do not come back for this one. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

-Chemystery

Finally Default

I have sitting next to me, Bravely Default, resting in my 3DSXL as minutes casually tick by. Although I am typing this now, I am gaining levels in the game, and it feels good.

Bravely Default at it's core is a solid RPG. It has the staples that you want and have come to expect from the genre. You control four charming characters as they tramp about the world trying to save it. I don't want to go too deep into the story as it is still new, but it is interesting and well pieced together. The game has voice acting, AR integration, and an in game encyclopedia to keep you up on all of your lore. It crafts a beautiful world that you will be happy to spend your time in.

She REALLY doesn't want to involve anyone else.

Your characters gain levels and job levels as you play so meters are always being filled. I haven't unlocked all of the jobs yet but there are plenty to choose from and they each level up to level 14. Each job level gives you a new type of ability to use so every number feels important.  Experience points are gained through your standard turn based combat. Bravely Default begins forging it's own path here as the combat comes with a twist. Your characters have a set number of turn points that you can spend or save. You can have one character take four turns immediately if you want to spend their points but then they have to wait a few turns until they get their points back to the starting 0 point. Defaulting defends your character and lets them store up an extra point to use later. 

The real gem is the use of social aspects in the game. Over the course of the game you are rebuilding a village that will give you access to certain items depending on what you have built in it. You start off with one citizen building a store and that chore takes an hour, but with 2 people it takes half and hour and so on. You increase citizens by street passing other players which gives you a bunch of other things to do with streetpasses as well. People you pass can be summoned into your game and you can use abilities they have as well. It actually makes me want to carry my 3DS with me so I can get more done faster. Brilliant use of the features if you ask me.

This is what you are rebuilding

There is a slightly seedier part to the game though. You can buy these "Sleep Points" that let you take turns in between enemy turns. These points can be purchased or you can leave your DS on sleep mode for 8 hours to get one point. This feature doesn't seem particularly useful to me so I think it will be a part of the game that I ignore. I mention it just because I worry what sort of thing Square Enix will get itself into if it keeps following ideas like that.

Before I acquired Bravely Default I was still playing FF XIV pretty hard. I just hit level 15 and did I pretty large quest line. Pretty soon I'll be able to start doing dungeons. I already read up on the first one so I know how to heal through it. It seems really easy though. My big worry is that playing with the controller will make going through the dungeons harder. I wish I had the money to build a proper gaming computer. 

Despite my shortcomings that game awesome. In fact I'm going to go play right now!

Games, Games, Games,

Chemystery 

Backlogs

Everybody has tasks they want to do that they never got around to the first time. Chores to complete, movies to see, books to read, and games to play. These undone tasks pile up fast and they form a monstrous beast known as the backlog. One of the hardest backlogs to tackle is the one of a gamer.

Almost every gamer has a backlog made of games they own and need to beat and/or games they don't own but want to play. Every steam sale, Black Friday door buster, flea market, and Humble Bundle, adds to the pile a little more. As games proliferate life more and more video games are becoming easier and easier to acquire. It is so out of hand that having games you will never play on Steam is an ongoing joke. If you were to add up the average time it takes to complete the games in my current backlog it would be thousands of hours, easily. It still keeps growing.

The worst part is that the completionist in me craves the history of games. I can't just play Splinter Cell: Blacklist. I want to see the whole series, so that's another four games to play. It is not just modern consoles either, I have NES cartridges sitting on my shelf taunting me. "Do you really understand video games if you've never beat the original Mario?" they whisper in the night. These games don't have saves either, If I want to beat these old timers I really need to hone my skills. Or I can cheat and use the save states on the virtual console. Then that leads to the whole mess of how many copies do I need of these games? This one has an expansion pack for it, this one is HD, this one is on the handheld, but there is something to say about playing the original format. If you appreciate where games have come from and want to see it with your own eyes, prepare for the list of games you will "need" to play. It still keeps growing.

At the end of the day though I think backlogs are amazing. It says something very personal about you and your hobby. What you like, what you want to experience and how you play, it is all contained in that nice list of games you may never play. Whether you play them or not, it is a piece of your collection or what you want to be your collection. I'm excited to work through my game collection and beat as many games as I can. Before you start that new game, check your backlog for a moment and see if there is something you'd like to do first. Never forget. It still keeps growing.

Happy Weekend,
-Chemystery