Whyfor must these games tease me with their existence while I have no money to buy?! AIEE. I ended up working up this list of something like 12 DS games Jon and I may eventually want. Fortunately, over half of those haven't come out yet.
The two I want the most, by far, though, are Heroes of Mana (touted as a real-time strategy game for the DS, set in the world of Mana -- I've read REALLY good things about it so far, and want it so bad!) and Hoshigami Remix. HOSHIGAMI FOR THE DS, WTF. And this isn't just a port, this is a full-on remake! As difficult Hoshigami for the Playstation 1 has been to play (I have never finished it, keep getting my arse handed to me), and despite the HORRIBLE and repetitive music score, I like the gameplay system enough that I keep coming back for more punishment (aka, picking it up and playing again!) So a remake only means that there's a chance the things that made Hoshigami bad will disappear, only for the things that made it GOOD to be enhanced!
Another I have my eye on is Etrian Odyssey, a first-person RPG for the DS... being released by Atlus, of course, our heroes of niche games that might never make it to localization witout them. When it comes to buying DS games, I vastly prefer ones that make good use of the stylus -- cause if they don't, it might as well be a GBA game, then! -- and the main use of it in Etrian Odyssey seems to be that you draw your own maps. o.o In the game, you explore a forest labyrinth, so you have to draw your map and mark landmarks so you don't get lost. Also, you can apparently make chars from up to 9 different classes, and store up to 20. Not really sure how battles are supposed to work, but it looks like there's strategy elements to them, which is fine in my book!
Ahh, and while I'm on the topic of the DS, Jon went and bought one too with some of the money he set aside. It's surprising how many games for the DS are really suited for him. Games that are all investigative and analytical in nature are really his cup of tea! ^^;;; The Ace Attorney games are a good example... now he bought Hotel Dusk after some earlier recommendations (we started it earlier tonight, and I'm already impressed by the ambiance of the game, like an interactive graphic mystery novel!) and has his eye on Trauma Center and Trace Memory, too.
I could go on about DS games we have our eyes on (Castlevania, Megaman, Lunar Knights, this hacker/codebreaker type game we found out about called "Project Hacker"... mrrr, there's even FFTA2 in the works, and MySims DS!!! *_*) but there are still PS2 games I desperately want to buy, too. This is a much smaller list, as I've become pretty selective about what I buy for PS2 as the system slooowly winds down towards being obsolete. In fact right now, the list is only 2 games -- MAYBE 3 -- and I'm already guaranteed to get the first two.
Mostly because it's Jon's fault. He shouldn't spoil me! ;.; And I told him not to do it... but it's hard to say no when I really do want the games, and he's buying with tax return money anyway. I just have to tell myself I don't suck for not saving enough... x.x
The first game is Atelier Iris 3. It's finally coming out, at the end of this month! :O :O When we went to EB, a demo box was sitting there up on the top shelf of the PS2 games, and I squealed with good ol' fangirl joy! Because I am a big Atelier Iris fan... it's one of my favorite PS2 RPG series, and a very underappreciated one, I think. I'm seriously the only person I know that plays these games. :/ But they are so good! Sure, there's some cliche characters and events, and the cutesy look doesn't go down well with some people -- but I really LIKE the characterization, the beautiful art and music, the item collecting / synthesizing, and the feeling of a persistent world, where all 3 games are connected through time and legend.
So anyway, I've been anticipating this game for some time now... it's pretty much a given that I'd want it eventually. But Jon went and preordered it for me (despite my protesting, I tell you!) He knows as well as me that Atelier Iris games are not exactly the easiest games to get a hold of where we live. He told me that it's because Atlus never provides French translated manuals with their games, so they don't really get as much popularity here in Quebec. So he preordered to ensure that I could get a copy without running around.
Eeee... I just pumped myself up for this game after looking at the Atelier Iris 3 website... looked at the trailer and was just wowed! Everything looks like an improvement on the previous games... bigger enemies, more dynamic battle system, lots of places (alterworlds, I think?) to explore, and the music in the trailer really blew me away! ARGH, and that reminds me -- I want Atelier Iris soundtracks! Maybe I should just be a pirate and get them online... hey, I give more than enough money to NIS America and Atlus already!
The second PS2 game I really really really have my heart set on owning is Ar tonelico. I mean really. So really that Jon just ordered it for me on Amazon along with his Ace Attorney 1. ;.; *feels guilty again* But he looked just as interested in the game as I did when I was looking through it. Damn, Nippon Ichi! Stop making such cool and interesting games that I can't help but latch onto! I mean... I just couldn't resist a game that has sound magic linked to a technology that destroyed an age. How could I? I mean I don't even care about the rampant anime cliches that tend to pop up in Nippon Ichi titles, I just... want this game. Want.
Nor do I care if part of the game system (though by no means ALL of it, as there's battle systems, crafting systems and other fun!) is vaguely like a dating sim. At some point the main character can dive into the inner worlds of one of the two main female chars (who are both people who can manipulate sound into magic, or Reyvateils) and try to get their heart to open up to him. Doing so improves their ability as a Reyvateil, apparently, and also! You can get new outfits to dress your Reyvateil in! :D YAY! OUTFITS! See, how can I resist that? :o I mean, even if I would have referred playing a female main char than yet another guy with a sword that's awkward around women! Still want the game.
I think the main draw for me with Ar tonelico is the detail of the world it's set in, the history, the art and of course, the music. I very, very rarely get to express my love of music to people I know, because most people I know aren't really fond of the music I like. In particular, music with vocals, because I myself am a singer. That's part of why the Dark Siren is a Siren (besides the whole Tactics Ogre story, which I've gone over before.) She sings! The power of a Siren stems from the ability of music, in her case music evoked through voice, to affect the emotions of those who hear it. So I can't help but be drawn to a game or any other story that links sound as having the power to heal or destroy. It's part what made RahXephon so interesting to me, too. ^^;
Ahhhh... Nippon Ichi really got me with this one. I guess I will see whether what I read about the game is really worth the cost of buying it, but you know what... I really doubt I will be disappointed. ^^ If I could've played Thousand Arms, and finished it, I can surely enjoy this game! :P
The third PS2 game I was thinking of buying, and really only vaguely at this point, is Shining Force EXA. I don't want it nearly as much as Atelier Iris 3 or Ar tonelico, so it's likely I'll wait and wait and... wait! until it drops in price or someone sells it and I can get it used. I wish Sega would return Shining Force to its tactical RPG roots. ;.; After Shining Force 3, we've gotten Shining Soul 1 and 2, Shining Tears and Shining Force Neo. ALL of them are Action RPG type games which, while fun and definitely give a feel of the Shining world, are not all that innovative as games! And I'm not sure whether EXA just falls into the "yet another Action RPG" category, so as much as I am a Shining fan, I have to hold up on buying it. Especially if it doesn't spark this instant "NEED TO HAVE!" feeling the way Atelier Iris games do. :O
Nrrrh, sometimes I wonder why I want so many games, when I often don't even have the time to play them. Eventually I DO get to them! But it takes time. I guess I just like to have the leisure to play the games I want when I want them. The thing about DS games, at least, is that I can play them wherever -- even in bed just before sleep, or waiting for crazy load times on PC games -- and they're good for passing the time when I'm stuck outside waiting for something.
Games are also great inspiration for creative endeavors, sometimes... Atelier Iris 1 inspired probably the one thing I actually liked that came out of B&B, for example. Also, Iris, she REALLY reminds me of Ryshy sometimes. I think that's one of the other reasons I like that series so much. ^^;
Most of all, though, I'm just a gamer at heart... I like to watch a story unfold, but even better if it's interactive! That's what makes games and RP so great! Now if only I could be talented and productive, so I could write (and publish? or conceptualize for a project?) good stories too, rather than just playing someone else's. :/
