When I write about games, I like to do so with my own personal evaluation. While I've read reviews prior to games that I later talked about myself, I always keep it in mind to keep my own thoughts and feelings separate from those I've read. The journalists that I admire are the ones who write without objectivism; and their neglect to be persuaded by other journalists is something I admire.
That said, and what is the reason for this blog, is that I can't help but compare my thoughts about Tearaway to that of other journalists. Or rather, I have no idea how my thoughts towards Tearaway are so seemingly alone. The summary, before I expand below, is that I have absolutely no idea how Tearaway earned such high marks because the game that I played sported one of the most frustrating and unrewarding game designs around, one that I've spotted in some other relatively recent titles also (Thomas Was Alone, and Rain), and that, if it was me writing a review, I'd have given this game something alike 'Below Average.'
And so what is this flaw? It is the flaw of utterly meaningless game-content.
Recently it was announced that Compile Heart's Monster Monpiece (Monmon), a card-game for the Playstation Vita, is coming to both American and European shores. It was a shocking announcement because, as was recently the case with the localization of Senran Kagura for the 3DS, Monmon is a title drenched in suggestive and sexual imagery as each card is a mythological monster personified as a young and sexy girl with little to zero clothing (naughty bits are not shown though).
This is an announcement that would normally inspire calamitous cheers from the growing otaku and Japanese-game aficionado crowd, although the celebration quit as soon as it had begun. Following the localization announcement, Idea Factory, the western publisher for Monmon, stated that several of the game's cards, particularly those which reflect younger women, had to be removed for the localized edition, an announcement that immediately severed Monmon's already limited western audience.
There are those who are "just happy that the game is getting localized," and those who find the censorship "total bullsh*t, and I'm not buying this gimped product." Each side has valid arguments, but what is most important here is what this censorship proves about the western videogame market, and how it exemplifies the secondary tier videogames still remain in as both an entertainment media, and artistic expression.
In regards to gaming, and its many inner arguments of "graphics significance" or "console domination," I've shifted position inside these debates countless times over the years, and usually in repeated contradictions. But the one view that I haven't changed from is when I migrated from "Story Over Gameplay," to "Gameplay Over Everything."
This change for me represents the hypocritical nature of myself as a gamer, because how this came about was from my searching for stories more relating to my own interests, which is to say (pop-culture) Japanese interests. Be it the hyper-infused kawaii of moe-blend titles like Monster Monpiece, or the awesome mech and alien sci-fi of E.X. Troopers, my original reasoning for delving into import gaming, and learning Japanese, was because I believed that the stories in games exclusive to eastern nations were the stories that I was looking for, and this was something that I was ready to put both the money and time down for to experience--- except this about-faced on me not too long after.
Eventually, by playing dozens of games in a language I don't understand, I came to the point where I don't care to judge a game on anything other than gameplay anymore, and in relation to stories I've not only nullified my attention towards them but also my consideration, having established for myself a belief that, when in search of a story, the novel is the best place (which I don't mean in a snooty way, but rather that I am an English major after all).
But what inspires this blog is a recent gaming experience which re-opened that doubt between gameplay and story-telling in regards to a maximum gaming experience. Ys: Celceta, for the PS Vita, is that game, and the experience has left me with as much doubt as it did satisfaction, which is to say a lot.
A popular rebuttal to any criticism toward Nintendo is that they "March to the beat of their own drum." When Nintendo states that they will not support online play so that they can keep local co-op a priority, and that they will not allow the 'Binding of Issac' on 3DS because of its content, and that when they finally release 'Earthbound' on Virtual Console they omit it from the Wii's VC, gamers who've learned better than to expect anything good for the consumer or modern from Nintendo simply shrug their shoulders and get to mentioning that metaphorical drum again.
But what I can't understand is how Nintendo, the company who are self-entitled paragons of family-entertainment, and who allegedly are all about keeping entertainment and social values present in videogames, can get away with making so many of us, gamers and prospective consumers, feel like total shit all of the time.
My Grandma is Dead, and My Friends Don't Play Videogames Neither
Nintendo's focus on keeping local co-op a standard in videogames is one I'm all about. Playing a game with a group of friends is always a terrific time, and anytime I reflect on those moments it was always a Nintendo title that we were playing, whether Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, or Goldeneye.
Thing is though, those reflections are from more than a decade ago, and while they're still warm and inspire me to recreate them it's a borderline impossibility at this point. As a mid-twenties guy with mid-twenties friends, we're all at the point in our lives where we're either finishing up the last and hardest years of college, working full-time jobs, or have simply grown out of videogames. And yes, my grandma is dead, and even if she wasn't I don't think she could be bothered learning what a videogame is now anymore than when she was alive. Let alone me being interested in playing a videogame with her.
Nintendo's aversion to online in favor of its traditionalist values is not as damaging as it is for a game to ignore local play for online; it's worse.While I recognize that I'm not a kid, and that it is children who are the ones most able to put local gaming to good use, I can't help but think of that reality as a gigantic middle finger. Kid's aren't the ones opening their wallets for these games; I, and fellow persons of working age, are. No matter that videogames once were a hobby deemed exclusive to children that is simply not the case anymore; adults play videogames and they aren't being chastised about it any longer (well, in terms of social-etiquette at least). And as it's adults who are the ones paying for these games the thought of crippling one's actual buyer's product-satisfaction for that of a conservative ideal of the past is not only ridiculous but self-destructive as well. Adults live complicated and stressful lives, and most of the time having anyone over the house is pretty much a chore anyway. Playing online serves the need of not only protecting your genuine consumer's interests but allowing them the space that they clearly want. If this generation has proved anything it's that online-gaming is a beloved addition, if not an endeared standard.
While it be nice to get the best of both worlds, a game retaining both local and online co-op, for whatever reason that's something far too rare anymore. But facing subjection of either one or the other, online holds 100% the more reasonable and satisfying inclusion. But Nintendo instead chooses to remind me how much it sucks being an adult.
Stop Acting Like My Dad, Nintendo: You're Just an Entertainment Provider
This one doesn't even need explanation, but for the short-minded here's two examples of why banning products for the sake of image is total bullshit.
James Joyce's Ulysses was widely banned for its controversial content (toilet humor and sex): it is now one of the most favored and well-regarded pieces of literature of all time.
Cannibal Corpse, the film, was banned for being extremely realistic looking: it is now of the most sought-after horror films for its honest conveyor of true terror and instigator of sincere emotion.
And on and on and on. And even when the banned product turns out to be a real stinker, the only thing that matters here is that the product does not represent anything about the person viewing it. Looking back at any historical time of severe censorship, the modern consensus widely goes, "Well this censored item isn't so bad," or that "It's a very intriguing piece."
No matter that violent or criminal images may inspire someone to commit a crime or doubt their ideology, there is no blame to be placed on the product: individuals are responsible for themselves and what they allow influence themselves.
And in the case of children, which is what Nintendo's banning of Binding of Issac is clearly motivated from--- did they forget how their own handhelds work? It has Parental Lock on it, which means that no matter how crushing Issac is towards the Christian religion (which it absolutely is not, at all, in any way, shape or form) it doesn't matter because the product is only available to those with access to it. Parent's are responsible for monitoring their kids: not Nintendo, a faceless provider of electronic entertainment.
And again, like the above argument, the banning of titles for that of adult, complex, or R-rated content is a total "F' You!" to their adult consumers, the people that these adult-rated titles are exclusively available to anyway. And if this generation has proved anything, it's that mature and complicated themes are greatly admired and sought for in modern videogames: Nintendo choosing to not only neglect but censor such content--- I mean, is any further explanation needed?
Nintendo Doesn't Have to Imitate, but That Doesn't Make Them Less Dickish
I'm always a little bit shocked at the comment sections on gaming
websites. Whether it's a Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo article there erupts somewhere in the comments
this rash, idiotic war-repertoire of corporation-fanboys who seemingly
believe with all their heart that these multi-billion-dollar
companies genuinely care about them and their preferential entertainment
habits.
They don't. They only care that somewhere in your spending habits a chunk is going towards their products, and that is the full extent of their interest in you.
But
it's nice to pretend they care about the consumer, and while these
companies really don't the various policies and interactions they make
towards the consumer can go a long way in at least kindling that
delusional belief that your Playstation has a face and gives you high-fives when you unlock more trophies. Sometimes it's really not that great a meeting-ground, such as Microsoft's lackluster Games With Gold in comparison to that of Playstation Plus, but othertimes it's one hell of a response in the form of Microsoft fully accepting consumer responses to the original policies of the Xbox One and their nixing most every policy that consumers disagreed with.
But Nintendo really hasn't done anything to interact with their consumers, and the rabid devotion that Nintendo fans exhibit is an appreciation thoroughly void of reasoning. With region-locking on all of their modern systems despite constant criticism, shoddy online implementation, and constant moves of consumer-betraying nature as in the form of excluding Earthbound from the Wii VC in hopes it will inspire Wii owners to buy a Wii U (which is not going to happen when your dickishness is blatantly obvious, Nintendo), whatever it is that Nintendo fans are injecting themselves with to retain their loyalty is something I suspect they get from a sketchy guy beneath a bridge, because if they're not hallucinating then they're being plain foolish.
Videogames are a disgustingly costly affair, and being suspect to consumer demands the only way for videogames to go is towards greater and greater cost with more expensive systems, standards, and just about everything. All of this is marking a bottle-neck effect, and for every gamer lost to another system there is a very real negative applied to the losing companies. Sony and Microsoft recognize that they need to work with their customers and to offer what they can to retain them, and while it's a business ploy I still don't hear anyone complaining about receiving free games. And while getting things free isn't necessarily expected from Nintendo, what I really want to know is what the heck Nintendo has done for a single one of their customers ever? Far as I remember that's a flat nothing, and in this market where companies are willing to work with their customers and strive to maintain healthy relations between one-another, Nintendo's absence indicates not their own independence and self-worth, but their utter ridiculous and out-of-date view of their market.
Splatterhouse, which released in 2010 for the PS3/360, arrived beside some critically negative press. As a game with lengthy load times, repeated animations and sounds, various technical glitches, and a lackluster ending that does not conclude anything the player has done, Splatterhouse genuinely earned it's Metacritic score of 59/100, and is, objectively speaking, a truly mediocre title.
But that doesn't take into account the fact that Splatterhouse is simply solid entertainment, and is a straight delight to actually play. Most refreshing about Splatterhouse is that it isn't trying to be anything other than its core content: it's a game based on gore, and never loses sight that gameplay involving gore is what is most important here. Furthermore, for all of those things Splatterhouse gets wrong it makes up for with well-crafted upgrades and unlockables that expand the overall content in meaningful ways.
Splatterhouse would have benefited by some additional efforts in technical polish and animation/voice variety, but for what it is Splatterhouse is still a lot of fun.
The strongest portion of Splatterhouse is that the focus is 100% on gameplay. Game-pausing cinematics are few and far between, and story is told through dialogue and gramophones that do not interrupt the gameplay. Splatterhouse is interested only in keeping the player active, and while this may seem an obvious inclusion the amount of games that have ignored that this generation far out-number those that have heeded it.
Most important to understanding how Splatterhouse is successful is cutting out the idea of it being an Action game, because it's not. Splatterhouse is a Brawler that is about pound-for-pound carnage while painting everything and anything in blood and body parts. There are combos and a small requirement for strategy, but mostly Splatterhouse is all about punching demons into pulp while building up Necro (special-attack cost) and then unleashing either super-powered attacks or transforming into a super-powered hulk. The end result is always the same though: everyone but you (but sometimes you also) is shredded into bits, the floor is ankle-deep with blood, and you move on to kill some more.
It's simple, but it doesn't become repetitive. Splatterhouse works with very little; basic brawler mechanics, macabre art-direction, and a heavy-metal soundtrack. But with that minimalism Splatterhouse becomes a game that, while not innovative, maximizes upon its included elements and delivers a fluent, active title that has just the right incline of difficulty alongside an addictive upgrade system to keep you satisfied.
Also in Splatterhouse's favor is that despite its brevity in both complexity and length (campaign is about 5 hours on normal) the additional elements all expand upon the game in addictive and rewarding ways. Character upgrades, which include new combos, abilities, and stat boosters, all exemplify a growth in your character. While not all upgrades have a significant use-factor, once obtaining the upgrade you can still notice the overall enhancement, and your masochistic, murdering avatar becomes just a little bit more of a psychopathic hero. Because most upgrades are also very affordable via Blood (the in-game currency you amass by the bucket-load) they quickly become addictive in a "Collect 'Em All" style.
A relevant criticism to Splatterhouse is that the game's ending is downright terrible in that it doesn't wrap anything up. This is unfortunately true, but at the same time the story prior to its clumsy ending is one investing and enjoyable. Again, though, Splatterhouse keeps its grindhouse roots front-and-center, and while the story is well told it is also very simple, existing as an addition and not a priority. Without spoiling anything the story has two focus': a college couple and their relationship, and a mad scientist with apocalyptic pursuits. Surprisingly, by the end of Splatterhouse I was genuinely invested in the overall histories and motivations of both stories, and both of the games two collectibles (photographs of the girlfriend, and pages from the mad scientist's journal) addition to the stories with fully-voiced, well-written dialogues and memories. If the story is not your thing than the collectibles will be just that, but I think it's more fair to attribute that the team behind Splatterhouse recognized that having players collect things without there being any reason to beyond trophies/achievements was meaningless, and seeing that extra effort put out to expand the game in a divisive, significant manner is one deserving of kudos.
The unfortunate reality of Splatterhouse is that it released at a time that both journalists and gamers were fully enveloped in a new style of gaming antithetical to simple and solid entertainment as found in Splatterhouse. 2010 was a year of very involved, expensive, and emotive gaming experiences such as Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2, Heavy Rain, and Bioshock 2, and with the surging rise of valuing games as an "artistic expression," something that is still completely and totally undefined, something like Splatterhouse, a game that thrives on exploitative entertainment-values and is interested solely in gameplay, was a title that everybody viewed as a "backwards step," a videogame that was too much of a videogame.
It's really a shame, because in my eyes Splatterhouse delivers just about everything I could ever want from a videogame. Enjoyable, approachable gameplay with addictive qualities and yes, gory violence and fantastical creativity. While Splatterhouse is not necessarily a quality videogame because of the faults mentioned at the beginning of this review, that isn't to say that Splatterhouse isn't a fun videogame, which it thoroughly is. And, in my opinion, that's the most important thing in any videogame, and so despite its fault Splatterhouse is a title I'd wholly recommend to anyone looking for what it is that makes videogames, well, videogames: solid, enjoyable gameplay and a creative art-direction that inspires one's own imagination. You'll find just that here in Splatterhouse, and you won't be disappointed when you do.
Gamefreak's Latest is an Odd Combination
Gamefreak, the company behind the Pokemon games, have an interestingly limited history in regards to games outside of the Catch 'Em All franchise, although it's a history mostly solid. Whether it's Genesis' Pulseman, a fast-paced, stylish action-platformer, or GBA's Drill Dozer, a numbingly charming puzzle-platformer ingeniously simple and rewarding, Gamefreak's select offerings beyond Pokemon are approachable titles that retain focus on applying mostly to a younger audience in complexity, but are able to hold adults' attention as well.
Which is why Soliti Horse, a Japanese E-Shop exclusive for the 3DS, is such a bizarre title to see release by Gamefreak. With a focus on iconographic gambling, its core features being horse-track racing and playing-cards, the fact that Gamefreak went ahead and published this one on their own, and not from big-dog Nintendo, is no surprise. Even with the usual body-slam adorableness that models every of their titles, images of real-life horse-racing, with the crack of a whip across the tender side of a horse, broken men crying as they've gambled the last of their family's savings, and bookies chintzing dirty fingers, surface immediately. It's not too far-fetched to think Gamefreak may be asking a bit much in terms of suspension-of-disbelief here.
Strange as the whole package is though, the only thing that matters is whether or not the game is any fun. And fortunately it is, but it is also bizarrely complex to the point that I have an extreme little to actually say.
The first thing that confused me with Soliti Horse is the amount of tutorial, explanation, and dialogue there is. This is no exaggeration; the first four races have a degree of text parallel to the most critical plot sequence in a Final Fantasy title. It's borderline endless, and before getting to play the game on your own you're stuck dealing with upwards of a 20 minute tutorial spread throughout some four or five races. After this every race concludes with a dialogue between the jockey (you) and the trainer, which I'm sure adds some nice incentive to keep playing (although heck if I know).
But once that's done you're good to go--- except I, of course, was absolutely not. Not understanding Japanese, following the lengthy tutorial I was left only with my shattered preconceptions concerning Soliti Horse, which was that it involves playing solitaire and steering a horse. Which actually is true, and is the foundation of the game, but there are just so many variables within the overall design that there's much more actually going on.
I'll say it now; if you don't know Japanese, then stay away. While it's totally possible to "play" the game, missing the several variables and rules really kills the experience.
I'm not going to try to kid anyone here, so I'll just say what little I am certain of. At it's core, Soliti Horse is solitaire and steering your horse. Essentially the game plays out in two ways; before manging your horse on the track, steering him and picking up abilities/boosters along the track via stylus control, you play a round of solitaire. Using the stylus is nice, and although it is just solitaire the sounds and colors of the cards are delightful to play with, and Solitaire is as fun now as when you slack off at your job/computer class. Depending on how you do affects at least the amount of distance you can run in the following segment, as well as the overall "mood" of your horse which I think affects speed.
---and that's about all I'm certain of, and while that is the core of everything the variables outside of this are simply extravagant to the point I'm not even going to bother hypothesizing over them.
***
Sorry for this awful write-up, readers, but really this is one of those games that I just cannot wrap my head around no matter how much I try.
An additional thing to note, and the reason why I am stuck writing this garbage blog, is that Soliti Horse strangely does not support furigana script, and so those hundreds of kanji explaining everything are just one great big mystery. If you've got your kanji radicals down than who knows; maybe you'll be able to decipher the inner-workings of Soliti Horse eventually. But I don't, and this is one title that I'd really like to keep playing, but honestly cannot.
Fingers crossed for a localization, but after experiencing all of that text Gamefreak might seriously need to hire someone like Xseed or Atlus to handle this game, which seems highly unlikely for a $5 downloadable title.
A not-too-long ago post I did was Import Impossible, which was a hasty write-up about a couple of import exclusives that I'd played but never wrote about. In that blog the reason why was because the Language-Barrier defeated me; when you can only play the first hour or so of a game there's very little to say meaningfully or fairly about a game, and so I never did.
But that isn't always the case, and while recently failing to write about a title (which is #1 on this list) I remembered that there were many more imports I had played completely through but never wrote about. As it is, I'm going to throw them into this Speed Round because either A) I played through the game a long time ago and have since sold it off, or B) I just really don't care to play through them again so that I can write a more adequate review. For the most part, every game within this speed round is 100% playable without knowing Japanese (#4 is available in English, mind you), but whether or not they're worth your time is where the writing comes in.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (PS3/360)
This is the title that inspired me to catch up with all these titles. Originally I begun writing what I called a "Not-So-Review," but in the end I just couldn't muster writing anymore. The issue is that Jojo, while a 100% playable Japanese Import and a downright excellent game, is also a very "special" game. While only the 3rd portion of the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga has been localized in English (Stardust Creators), there is readily apparent in All-Star Battle a supremely affectionate and careful recreation of the more than thousand-chapter manga that is the commercial powerhouse Jojo. Each of the many characters are immediately unique from one another, from cosmetic to their in-game animations/atmosphere, and there's so much variety in the form of stage gimmicks, special-moves, taunts, recreation moments, and unlockables that All-Star Battle exists not solely as a downright awesome game, but as a refresher and introduction of the Jojo series as a whole.
The largest reason I couldn't write about this game is that it reminded me a lot of when Dragonball Z: Budokai released. As a kid Dragonball Z was my Jojo, and I remember playing Budokai for months not as a fighting game, but as a way to recreate all my favorite moments from the show. It was a very special game to me, and one that was special because I was able to experience everything it had to offer.
While Jojo is not as recognizable as a Dragonball in the west, All-Star Battle is looking to change that. As far as the game goes, I think All-Star Battle has absolutely earned that directive, and that anybody looking to experience this game truly should wait for the version that supports their native language releases. There's so much good stuff here, from the surplus of unlockables through its over-the-top, flamboyant, utterly fascinating cast, and I believe that All-Star Battle is going to do for many as it did for me, which was inspire me to get involved with this long-running series. Without knowing the language it's a bit of a hassle though, and because of that I say wait for the English release. There's plenty of story sequences and unlockable chapter/character bios, and, again, All-Star Battle exists as much as an introduction of the series as it does a love-letter.
Just wait. The game is amazing, but it'll be even stronger when understood.
Gal*Gun (PS3/360)
I didn't really play all of Gal*Gun, although I could have. Reason I didn't though is because I just didn't find the game to be any fun, and a big portion of why is because I don't know Japanese.
Gal*Gun looks like an On-Rails Shooter, but really that's only half of it. The other side of Gal*Gun is that it's a dating-simulator, and a pretty invasive one at that. Most missions both begin and conclude with your partaking in a lengthy conversation with either your intended love (which you've four girls to choose from), or the Cupid that is the catalyst for the entire game (she accidentally lights you up with love arrows; that's why every girl at school wants your bod). There are also four various stats that indicate what your personality is currently like, which ultimately reflects your conclusion with your intended love.
Obviously I couldn't comprehend any of that, and so I can solely critique the On-Rails segment--- which is awful. You mash one button, occasionally trigger a lengthy Bomb sequence that involves you performing a close-up with a girl, blasting her ticklish parts and watching her blush/shy and other ecchi stuff like that, and--- well, that's it. You mash one button, shoot the same ten types of girls over and over, and eventually the level ends. It just wasn't any fun, and without knowing Japanese and being an appreciator of dating-simulators there is genuinely very little game here. While Gal*Gun is a cosmetically fascinating game, it's ultimately a hybrid take on Dating-Simulation; whether or not the simulator segment is worthwhile I don't know, but if you're getting into this game for the Rail-Shooter then you're going to be severely disappointed.
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus (Vita)
Senran Kagura is a series about girl's stripping each other and the player being able to molest the big-breasted characters in a locker room. Allegedly there's a story involving rival ninja schools, but it's pretty weak. If plot is your goal then hopefully that means tits and ass; otherwise, you'll be disappointed. For that matter, the same applies to gameplay also; unless you dig sexy virtual girls, there's very little to experience here.
Shinovi Versus (Shinovi), the 3rd entry in the Senran Kagura series, is a "Musou" game (Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, etc), a genre that has remained niche in the west following its initial debut. A common critique of this genre is that combat is ultimately shallow, there is mind-numbing repetition throughout, and reward is little. All of that is apparent here in Shinovi, and to a greater degree as well. With little more than, if not less than, 10 combos per character (with the strongest being mashing Square for all of them anyway), only a handful of levels that lack any sort of interactivity, and an abrupt brevity that is welcomed solely for it ending the repetitive trudge, Shinovi embodies just about everything wrong with the musou formula. If you've played a game like Dynasty Warriors and found it tiresome and dull, then that's certain to be the case here.
That said, I'd be lying to say I didn't have some fun with Shinovi. While the game is extremely basic and repetitive, the 20 available characters are its saving grace. Each of the well-endowed, moe-infused, hyper-ecchi girls are independent from one another, and no matter each obliging the same combo routines they all perform them differently. Technically it's all the same, but cosmetically they vary significantly from one another, and experiencing each character's animations and special-moves is a real treat. And of course, blasting a sexy teenager into jiggling nudity is, however shameful, a powerful motivation to keep playing.
Shinovi is not a good game, but it's an interesting one. I'd suggest it for fans of anime, hentai, or musou games, but otherwise you're truthfully not missing out on much.
Inazuma Eleven Strikers (Wii) *European/English Import*
Ask anyone who has played the Inazuma Eleven DS titles (also a European/English exclusive) and they're almost sure to tell you that it's one of the strongest series available for the platform. With phenomenal writing, meaningful characters, and a radical touch-based gameplay system expertly crafted, Inazuma Eleven is yet another model series from company Level-5, and as of this blog the series has crossed over a dozen titles and multiple animes in Japan with a bright future still ahead.
All that said, Inazuma Eleven Strikers, the series debut console entry, is an extremely poor entry for so rich a series. Essentially, Strikers strips everything the series succeeds by, eliminates even the remotest similarity to realistic football, and offers a gameplay system far too typical of other anime sports titles equally as dull for their obscurity. Strikers reminded me of Eyeshield 21 in all of its worst ways, and in the end only a slightly greater involvement of the player separates Strikers for the mildly better.
The most shocking thing about Strikers is how minimal it is. No matter that the core of Inazuma titles has been interacting with your team on a more intimate scale, in Strikers you solely use them. There's no dialogue, no cutscenes, no involvement; it's just a football game, and while that maybe could have been acceptable Strikers nullifies that quickly. A'la most anime titles, Strikers is fixated on Special Moves to the point that you're not actually playing anything but a game where you perform Special Moves (which makes them significantly less special, you see). In Strikers, a football game, you can't score unless it's a special move, and not only that but it's a broken system as well. A special move can be used from anywhere on the map and it has an equal chance of going in. The only way a special can be disrupted is in the off-chance a defender has a special for defending, but of the dozen teams I only spotted one that had such defenders. What this means is that you can idle all the way back with your keeper until your special meter charges, use a special shot from across the entire field, score, and then repeat.
It's not broken, because you don't have to play like that, and can instead focus on trying to imitate real soccer as best you can--- but that's your fantasy. Strikers isn't a realistic football game, but is instead yet another anime title a little too caught up in trying to hit the Thrill-buttons of its kid audience with flashy special moves while minimizing its source to something arbitrary and dull. It's a bad game all around, and why Level-5 decided it was passable with their brilliant history of games is beyond me. Just stick with the DS titles; they are far superior.
Rebuild of Evangelion: 3nd Impact (PSP)
This was a weird title for me, particularly because I know nothing about Evangelion and have never watched a single of its episodes or films (I'm aware this needs to change though). But one week I was really into Grasshopper videogames and so--- expensive import because of thoughtless spending habits.
Rebuild of Evangelion: 3nd Impact is a conservative rhythm game that has some interesting cosmetics and ideas but ultimately is a much too brief and shallow experience. With 30 levels of often repeated tracks, 3nd Impact differs from other rhythm games in that it has four different gameplay styles within. None of them come near to being above the grade or genuinely unique though, and oftentimes I found them downright bad.
Quite simply there was nothing within 3nd Impact's offerings that "did" anything for me, and while this could be because I'm unfamiliar with the Evangelion series that still does not excuse the game being exclusive to those who are, although even then I question whether die-hards would enjoy it.
It just isn't any fun. For the few songs that support background videos they are impossible to witness due to the middle-of-screen gameplay design, and the music is, while thoughtfully composed, not the type of music that is really too engaging for a rhythm title. When a level actually has real music to it it tends to be moody, sad orchestra music--- perhaps its just me, but 30-second tracks of that isn't how I'd like to pass the time enjoyably speaking.
For fans of Evangelion I'd suggest researching some gameplay videos before jumping; just remember that this is a very limited game that was seemingly built to apologetically rip the money out of Evangelion fans hands before they wise up enough to look at a review. For those who aren't familiar with Evangelion, keep walking. There's truly nothing but a license-game cash-in here.
