Games to Look Forward to

Makai Kingdom

Despite having a name I cannot pronounce (garnering me some snickers from both my wife and an Electronics Boutique employee), I am still highly anticipating what looks to the be the closest game to Disgaea that could possibly be conceived. Disgaea, with the possible exception of Final Fantasy Tactics, could very well be my favorite strategy RPG of all time. Despite two follow-ups (La Pucelle and Phantom Brave) that were excellent games in their own right, I have yet to discover a game as enthralling as Disgaea.

It would appear I am not alone. I have heard ramblings up and down this wide Internet of ours that Makai Kingdom is the spiritual successor to Disgaea plenty of us have been waiting for. Despite our tight budget as of late, what with moving into our new house in a couple of months, I am still picking up this game no matter what the cost.

Sigma Star Saga

I will admit, this one caught me somewhat out of left field. I first discovered this game in an issue of Nintendo Power (which I got for free, apparently they redesigned the mag and are giving away 3 free issues!) and decided to do some research on it.

What I found is that it is being published by Namco (!) and looks to combine action RPG with space shooter (!!). Now, I am all about genre cross-overs and this is admittedly one that I have never really seen.

Despite its relatively niche status, I may just find myself checking this one out. That makes two games for the GBA I am quite stoked to play (the other being Riviera, of course).

Final Fantasy XII

Yes, yes, I realize everyone on the face of this planet is highly anticipating this game, but the more screenshots I see, the more promotional scans I view, the more I watch my wife play Final Fantasy X; damnit, I want a new Final Fantasy!

I don't even think I really need to elaborate on this much. Hurry up Square Enix, we are waiting on you!

Comments (7) | Permalink | Lee Babin | 7.24.2005

Revisiting Final Fantasy X

Let's face it, it has been a very long time since a new Final Fantasy game has been released. What's that you say? Final Fantasy Tactics Advance this? Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles that? FFX-2 Girls Gone Wild addition? Online addiction? Don't even get me started. I am talking about a true Final Fantasy sequel, FFXII!

I didn't quite realize how badly I was jonesing for a new FF until my wife fired up Final Fantasy X on the weekend. I am currently playing Xenosaga II and was amazed to find that Final Fantasy X looks better, plays better, is more in depth and is over 4 years older!

I have to give it up to Square Enix (Squeenix?), they really pushed the limits of the system when they released FFX. Never before had I seen such detailed animations and cinemas that made use of one of the most impressive in-game engines I have yet to see.

So much depth was put into every aspect of this game. The story is cool, the graphics are, in the words of my wife, "impressive", the music is catchy and fitting and the voice acting? Well, ummm, the graphics are nifty!

I need another Final Fantasy game that truly pushes the envelope. Say what you will about Chronicles (too gimmicky), Tactics Advance (too watered down), FFXI (too online) but I miss the days when each subsequent release of the series would blow your mind.

FFVI (III in North America) raised the bar for what was possible using sprites by creating a sprawling, epic quest the likes of which had never been seen on Nintendo's work horse. FFVII opened up RPGs to the mainstream by providing a stunning graphical performance and subsequently launching RPGs into the next generation. FFVIII, which contained a few annoying aspects, was none the less a graphical behemoth that tryed out several new concepts and pushed the Playstation to it's maximum potential. FFIX, well, it copied from some very venerable sources.

All in all, I am truly enjoying going through FFX again, this time from a viewer's perspective. I can't believe I am actually finding myself missing the misadventures of Tidus and crew. Now I need something new to once again make me believe in the series. Come on Square Enix, enough delays, I want my FFXII!

Comments (1) | Permalink | Lee Babin | 7.4.2005

The Moon that is Harvesting

One of my rituals, when visiting such massive purchasing venues (IE: shopping centers) as WalMart or Superstore, and which garners me a fair number of unapproving glances from the wife, is the rooting through of the electronics section in search of a shiny, bargin bin deal. This weekend, whilst browsing for camping gear at WalMart, was no different.

I arrived just in time to find random, disgruntled Walmart employee #2021 distributing a shiny new bunch of bargain bin games. I began rifling through the pile with glee, hungry for a deal. Thankfully, after parsing through a wide variety of Star Wars games and Army shooters, I came across the gems of the batch, brand new copies of Harvest Moon - Save the Homeland and Harvest Moon - Friends of Mineral Town for a paltry $18 (CDN) each.

Despite my absolute love of all games RPG, I have never managed to play through a Harvest Moon game. I have come exceedingly close in the past, but always something has prevented me the purchase. Now that I have the games in my possession I am quite excited to begin my foray into the farming simulation genre.

What is the point of this story? Basically that bargain bins of all kinds are to receive copious amounts of love from gamers searching for obscure media and also that something that combines farming with dating and tops it off with an RPG interface HAS to be good.

Random Meanderings

For anyone interested, I have successfully completed the final revision of all chapers for my book without burning out. There were times during the process that I thought I was not going to make it; working a full time job while writing a book on a strict deadline is not something I would want to do again. That being said, I am proud of myself for finishing and feel that the whole experience has been a positive one with an end result I can call a true accomplishment.

In any case, since I have been doing nothing but working as of late, I have been really slacking for the last couple of days. Having a few beers, spending time with the family/wife/friends that I have been neglecting due to overwork. The end result is a minor recouping session in which I may or may not get much work done. My apologies to those affected by my slacking (as in those who read my blog, or those that I do contract work for), but I truly need a brief vacation.

Thankfully, an opportunity to go someplace both warm and full of partying has presented itself to me and I am set to head off to Vegas in mid-July. I have been to Vegas once before, but not since I turned of age. That being said, I am looking forward to a couple of days of lazing in the sun and taking in the sites that can only be found in Sin City.

New Pics

Thanks to my new "gallery" enabled photo gallery, I have been adding pictures to it like crazy. Have a peek if you like to see what me and my friends/family get up to in our spare (haha) time.

• Jake's BDay in Edmonton
• Grandpa's 80th Bday
• Derek's 25th Bday

There should be quite a few more pics added after this weekend as tomorrow is my birthday (26, holy crap!) and we are all heading out to Trevor's cabin for a total gong show. Should be fun!!

Comments (2) | Permalink | Lee Babin | 6.22.2005

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