Splatoon: Fun Before Criticism

There's something about the gaming world that repeatedly absorbs me into the muddy aspects that I don't like about gaming, and yet no matter how much awareness I have towards these ailing areas I still find myself taking part in them, however temporarily, regardless. Some of them I've managed to conquer and leave behind, like preferential manias ("system wars," say) and blind statistics (do we really know how many copies the Metroid Prime series sold? Does it really matter?), but there are some corners that still stick out, pierce my ribs, and then swing me over into an all-too familiar shit hole that I immediately know I should get out of--- but still stick around, just for a while, because of some deranged, self-harming addictive element, like a fly swimming in dog crap.
In this blog, what I'm specifically referring to is skewed "criticism," or synthetic complaining, about games that you are having a terrific experience with and yet are compelled to be judgmental and negative about whenever you publicize your opinion concerning, which any thoughtful investigation of a forum discussion will prove true. I assume this phenomenon of judgment comes from the fact that the videogame Review, and the reactionary impulse to loudly applaud or loudly disagree with each one, remains the most impacting form of journalism for gaming, rather than varied discussion and personal interpretation.
This is a ridiculous environment. There is nothing that needs a bullet-point list so to be discussed, and this is especially true when you're discussing in a personal matter. The strive for objectivity in gaming journalism is important, but there needs to be drawn a line between journalistic writing, and personal. At least for me it does.
And so--- Splatoon.

I have some complaints with Splatoon, and if I were writing a review of Splatoon I'd cast hard judgment for this new and inventive title from Nintendo. The literal couple of game-modes play too chaotically, Turf Wars being meaningless until the last 30 seconds, and the lack of player-communication support disables Splatoon from becoming a thoroughly competitive game, which it certainly could be. This is also another videogame that launched with promises of updates, and there is something greatly problematic with this trend because the game is full-price, and in no way does Splatoon feel like a full game. It promises to become one, but then why even bother with this thin, if not skeletal, form now? Updates are in no way guaranteed, and this should never be overlooked with games like Splatoon. Updates are a method to keep a game selling if it succeeds prior. But if the game were to fail or drop off the radar, then those updates, which are just promises and not contractual agreement with the consumer, will also fall through.
And I won't humor Splatoon's campaign; it's short, it's obscenely easy, and it's position is as something to do while the Internet is down in your home or when you've gone on a frustrating losing streak in multiplayer. It's significantly limited in what it offers, and grossly elementary with what it does. And so, when the multiplayer goes dead in Splatoon, whether that is five years or six months from now, Splatoon will become a rather useless game to own, multiplayer updates or not, and this isn't something that I would say is acceptable, or at least not yet (and hopefully ever), with full price games.
So I have some serious problems with Splatoon. I question the entire game-design, and the way Splatoon's multiplayer focus indifferently views the individual consumer while still charging full-price inspires some conservative philosophy that I feel is relevant in judging Splatoon. If this were a review, which I like to write with the intention of being a consumer report rather than artistic criticism, my final opinion would be that there is a serious lapse in the total realization of Splatoon as a game in its current form, and that the cons within Splatoon's total design far outweigh the positives of its ingenuity and smooth gameplay. This would be my objective opinion.

All of that said, I'm not writing a review here. What I want to talk about here, and what I always mean to talk about on forums, is my own personal experiences with the game, which have been immensely satisfying. Splatoon has fast become a beloved addition to my Wii U library, and in the five days the game has been out I've put more than fifteen hours into it and not a one has been without excitement and enjoyment.
I've been excited for Splatoon for reasons that are indifferent to my Review criticisms. When Splatoon was revealed at E3 2014 I was eager to get my hands on it because it didn't look like it would be an intensively competitive shooter, which would be a great change of pace in my gaming world. It had this great art-style and original gameplay ideas and it looked like silly, simple, and easy-going fun. I never expected Splatoon to make me want to start a clan and start bickering with teammates about position and strategy; I expected it to be highly casual and accessible, and all of these desires and expectations came out to be true.
I really don't care that the Aerospray is easily the best weapon for Turf Wars, and I don't care that there are only six maps available now. I also don't care that I can't talk to my teammates (who are almost always Japanese it seems, and my 日本語 skills are rather poor anyway). None of this stuff, whether competitive play or ultra-balanced gameplay, matters to my personal expectations and desires from Splatoon. My big hope from Splatoon was that it would be a shooter that I could play without giving a damn about winning or losing, about being able to just have fun and explore this strange little world of boneless squid-kids, and that's exactly what Splatoon delivered. And it's awesome.

There is a time and a place for criticism, or praise. The two are not always linked together; criticism has its obvious value, but so too does praise. There's more to be gained from socializing about gaming than just frustration and the investigation of error. There's fun in gaming discussion, and being able to explore that fun, to put into words what exactly made an experience so uniquely and positively your own, is as important a public display for others as criticism is.
The problems with a game do not necessarily outweigh its successes, and this is important to understand. With Splatoon, the only way to criticize it is as a multiplayer shooter, and the staples and consistencies within that genre do prevent Splatoon from earning anything other than a very lightly positive review. But that doesn't mean that the actual experience of Splatoon is lacking. The oddly colorful Japanese designs, the quirky construct of amalgamating squids, and even the single player story, which has charming collectibles that humorously tell the history of the war between inklings and octolings, is inspiring and delightfully creative, and I would say it's completely untrue if someone were to state that Splatoon is not worth experiencing because of its objective issues.
This blog is almost an apology, because the reason I'm writing this is because I made the error of resuming the character of the bitter gamer when Splatoon released. My review criticisms I portrayed as my personal opinion, and this was completely unfair and dishonest. Splatoon has been an excellent experience, and I am consistently surprised by the imaginative qualities that are the true structure of this game. It's a world of its own, from gameplay, art, sound, and really everything, and there's something that needs to be celebrated with this. The degree of individuality in Splatoon is what I'd argue most significantly in its favor: Splatoon is downright amazing and sensationally brilliant, and deserves to be experienced.

Gaist Crusher (3DS) - Review

More than a year ago I wrote up my impressions from the demo of Gaist Crusher, and in that writing I expressed a positive energy towards Gaist Crusher because of what I'd thought would be added to the final product, and not so much what I'd actually experienced. There wasn't much to the Gaist Crusher demo, but because I did like what was offered on a basic level I took the optimist route and wrote rather glowing impressions anyway---

Well you live and learn, because not only did none of my vapid assumptions come true, my initial feelings on Gaist Crusher, which I'd buried underneath positivity, have come to be my final opinion as well. While Gaist Crusher does have a slick presentation and solid gameplay, there is nowhere near even the most minimal of variety to hide what is an excessively dull experience. Gaist Crusher is a serious offender of mindless repetition and blatant limitation, and no matter how well built the gameplay is it cannot camouflage how unrewarding, and seriously boring, the game actually is.

Hands On: New Nintendo 3DS (Japan Import)

Having spent about 20 hours total with the New Nintendo 3DS now, I'm excited to post my impressions of the new device. With this blog I'll focus on what I myself found important while using the New Nintendo 3DS, rather than doing yet another comprehensive overview of features you already know about.

Is Hatred the Most Important Videogame of the 21st Century?

This weekend a trailer released for that of an upcoming PC game titled Hatred, and the splash it has made from its trailer alone has pressured the entirety of the gaming community, from developers down through gamers, to question the whole of the contemporary gaming world, from that of the unending question of what constitutes art in gaming through that of what responsibility developers have in their creative projects. As always, the debate is wide, the splits between arguments both broad and narrow, and any agreed-upon conclusion is far from being reached.

These passionate debates are wonderful and necessary for the increasingly defined sphere of the gaming medium, but already the greater scope of direction these debates have taken (especially when folks begin trying to describe what 'art' is for the umpteenth time) have greatly skewed the discussion away from its initial propulsion; Hatred as a game. And there's much that still needs to be stated about Hatred prior to enlisting debate and bias about the overarching theoretic of artistic products, particularly because the brief demonstration of the title showcases what may very well be the most influential modernist construct in a videogame so far this century. And the reason why is not because Hatred proposes something edgy or topical; in fact, all Hatred has brought to the table is the every plateau of equality that the gaming world has come to both grow and agree upon so far, and what is most important here, and what makes Hatred so significant a title, is this consolidation and reminder of all that the gaming world has struggled to achieve so far.

Azure Striker Gunvolt, and the Gaming Media: A Prime Example of Guised Criticism

Originally I'd intended to write a review of Azure Striker Gunvolt that was to be glowing. I've recently finished up my 20th hour with this downloadable title and, while at first I found myself a bit disappointed, eventually came to understand and learn what it is that Gunvolt offers uniquely, and how exciting the title is once understood.

But I ran into an issue, and the issue was that every time I tried to write about Gunvolt I felt myself repeatedly drawn to recognizing the assumed position of the Megaman series in regards to Gunvolt. The two games look very much alike, and with Gunvolt there's quite a lot that takes both openly and admiringly from Megaman, which includes not only gameplay but art-direction, storytelling, some secondary functions, and last but not least Keiji Inafune (the creator of Megaman) himself serving as Executive Producer.

The largest issue with this is that I kept feeling the need to spend this great amount of time discussing Megaman, and the reason why is because of how much not alike Gunvolt is to Megaman. In truth, Gunvolt is an utter bore if it's played as though it were Megaman, and what is essential to experiencing Gunvolt, particularly for gamers alike me that are very familiar with not only Megaman but most 2D Platformers since, is being able to dissect our expectations and familiarities and objectively witness the individual product that is before us. To be open toward what is truly an almost entirely original game design.

But I didn't give up writing my review immediately. Instead, I jacked in to the Net and researched reviews for Gunvolt by other gaming media. What I discovered was rushed gaming journalism that once again proves a sizable inferiority to other established mediums, this time in the form of the "review" that is actually a biased criticism. And there's something sincerely wrong about this, because Gunvolt is certainly not the first title this has happened to, and definitely not the last.

Why Shouldn't Gaming Franchises Age With Us?

A survey conducted by Rocket News asked Japanese children why they loved Level-5's Yokai Watch so much, which is the latest of Level-5's multi-media projects that has recently bloomed into national reverence. Interestingly, and what certainly caught me off guard, was that the large response was, "Yo-kai Watch doesn't have annoying adult fans like Pokemon does."

Ouch.

But it's certainly reasonable. Kids like to be separate from adults in interests and culture, reveling in the modern while rolling eyes at the aged fads that adults have a bit more trouble (or less interest in) letting go of.
Creating a brand that meets the interests of young people is a delicate business, one that is limited to the elementary education of its intended audience, and also the more optimistic tone that children respond to, but still different enough from that which has existed prior to allow for that generation separation in identity from that which modeled its adults, an essential facet in growing up for all children regardless gender, nationality, etc:. Essentially it's all the same thing (bright colors, cool animations, and some sort of collectibles merchandise that bleeds mum and daddy's bank-account); but it's not the thematic similarities that matter, but instead the exclusive separations between them. And often, it is those differences which baffle the increasingly planted-minds of adults but make perfect sense for children that are most important to a youth franchise succeeding or not.

Utakumi 575 (Vita) - Review

Videogame demos have rarely been a detriment for me. Most often the carefully chosen segment of a demo is enough to sell me on a game despite concerns for the overall package, and even when the demo is a bit lackluster I won't lose interest in the game's elements that drew me to try it out in the first place, braving the front-lines of a day-one purchase regardless.

But Utakumi 575 is a game that I'd really wished I'd listened to myself after playing the demo, and it's something I can summarize this review with also. For anyone interested in Utakumi I highly suggest downloading the free JPN demo off of PSN before purchasing, because however you feel after playing the demo is exactly how you'll feel for the full game also.

For me, I was pretty disappointed with the demo, and had that suspicion that the full-game would be too similar to that same disappointment. Unfortunately, that came out to be the very case.

I Don't Buy What Happened to Lily Bergamo

It's not common, but sometimes when games are announced at E3 they're just not that interesting. What's even more uncommon is when a game is announced at E3 and it completely sucks.

I'm talking about Let It Die, an upcoming title headed by Suda 51 from Grasshopper Manufacture. As was revealed shortly after the announcement, Suda let known that Let It Die is actually Lily Bergamo, and that the uninspired snoozefest of the Let It Die trailer is the direction that the game is taking from here on out. No more ultra stylish anime game; bring on the next dully serious, dark-tonality murder simulator! ---*crickets*

2014 is the Year of the--- PSP?!

On the unofficial side of gaming, at least.

The PSP died a few years back in the U.S., and it died with a rather significant chunk of downright desirable titles locked far, far away in that distant place called Japan. Despite this, gamers have been petitioning, emailing, and forum-shouting at several companies to bring these import-exclusives over, but alas--- very few have answered these cries.

But fans haven't given up these games, and more importantly is that fans with programming skills and translation capabilities haven't. There have been quite a few fan-translations for the PSP in the past, such as Way of the Samurai Portable and the Project Diva games, but for whatever reason 2014 has simply been loaded with excellent fan-translations of much desired titles, and there's plenty more planned for the future.

So which have been released so far this year, and has it been worth the wait? Scroll on down for links and my own 2-cents on these sincerely appreciated fan-translations.

Should I Be Masturbating?

Recently there was announced a new title for the Playstation Vita, called Bullet Girls. Put simply, this is a game that is about young and pretty girls attacking one another, and when damaged lose pieces of their clothing (clothes-degradation). There's also implementation of the Vita's touch-feature, which will be used in "Interrogation" sequences where you, presumably, extract information from captured girls by any means necessary. As seen in the photo below, stripping her down to her underwear and then getting your touchscreen on is fair game.
For those of you reading this and are shocked this is releasing anywhere other than PC, I can assure you that there's nothing 'new' about this, especially in terms of the Vita's Japanese (and soon Western) library. From Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, a game also with clothes-degradation and a locker room where you can molest the girl's buxom parts via touch-screen, through Criminal Girls Invitation, a game where you must train your all-girl squad by "punishing" them with gags, whips, and tazers (the girl's making erotic sounds and pleas throughout), and onwards through Genkai Totsuki Monster Monpiece, a card game where you evolve your all-girl cards by stroking your Vita up and down and are rewarded with the evolved card that has the girl wearing less clothing, there's clearly a trend going on here.
I'm not insulting or high-horsing these games (I own all three), but what I'm wondering is exactly what I'm supposed to 'do' with these types of games (silly question, I'm beginning to see). Despite the fact that I've played many of these sexualized titles I've never looked at them as tools of eroticism, but only as interesting import games. Embarrassed and amazed, I giggle and grow wide-eyed at the scandalous moments. But I've never masturbated to them, and what I'm asking myself now is, 'Why not?'

Magazine Scan from the Upcoming Vita Title, Bullet Girl

Tearaway, and the Praise for Bad Game Design

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.

What Monster Monpiece's Censorship Says About the Global Videogame Market

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.

Where Storytelling Damages Videogames

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.

Stop Slapping Me, Nintendo! (Metaphorically Speaking)

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 (PS3/360) - Review: Objectively Mediocre, but Really It's Pretty Awesome

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.

Soliti Horse (3DS) - Impressions

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.

Import Reviews - Speed Round Vol.1

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.

Persona 5 in Winter 2014, and More Persona than You Can Handle

This weekend Atlus confirmed the long-awaited Persona 5, with a release date of Winter 2014 for the PS3. Atlus weren't okay with watching fans scream their gleeful heads off with that news alone though, and announced a slew of additional Persona-related projects as well.

Persona 5 - Trailer
Winter 2014, PS3

The big announcement that needs no explanation, Persona 5 is finally announced. For better or worse, the trailer shows neither gameplay nor characters, and so how closely Persona 5 is going to uphold the series' consistencies as in a teenage/highschool setting and demon fusions is yet to be seen.

Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold - Trailer
Summer 2014, PS3

Sequel to the critically praised Persona 4: Arena, The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold continues the cross-generation story that involves both the P4 and P3 rosters further. Beyond adding Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba (both from P3) to the playable character list, as well as an unspecified amount of "Shadow" versions of characters, there is little known about how different Ultimax will be from P4:Arena, nor what the overall story revolves around.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night - Trailer
Autumn 2014, Vita

If I learned one thing from the fresh styles incorporated into Persona 4: The Golden, it's that the cast of Persona 4 really love to dance apparently. And what better way to exemplify that than with an idol-dancing-center-stage Rhythm game!
As seen from the bits of gameplay revealed in the trailer, there seems to be a great likeness to the overall game-design of Project Diva here, which is no surprise seeing as Dingo, developers for Diva, are co-developing P4:D. Although beats don't shoot across the screen they do uphold the overall enclosing-circle style that indicates when to press their corresponding inputs, which is also in the Project Diva games. No matter how similar P4:D may end up being to Project Diva, at least it isn't afraid to say exactly where its inspirations may come from.
Still though, there is an extreme little shown in that trailer, and exactly how P4:D plays out, as well as what overall content it carries, is still yet to be seen.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Trailer
June 5th, 2014, 3DS

Arguably the most enticing of the announcements, Persona Q seems to be inserting Persona and its subsequent elements into the Etrian Oddysey mold, a much overlooked, super-hardcore RPG series from Atlus that begun on the Nintendo DS. While the trailer neglects to attribute whether or not the game will be 1st-person, the overall cutesy art-style and animation designs have been used so frequently with fellow (3)DS hardcore RPGs that it seems only reasonable that P:Q be of a like breed.

Fingers crossed these titles make it to the western shores not long after their Japanese releases. And while all of these may seem like an obvious shoe-in as Atlus is amongst the utmost respected kings of localization, there must be remembered that following the collapse of Atlus' prior parent company, Index inc., SEGA bought Atlus. Sega, responsible for not localizing the 7th Dragon series, Phantasy Star Online 2, and of course Valkyria Chronicles 3, make this entirely awesome announcement somewhat doubtful and worrisome.
If you're like me and want these titles, it's already time to start flooding the official SEGA forums with localization requests. If this gen of gaming has showed anything it's that publishers are more than willing to step off the toes of consumers if they are reacting negatively to their habits and plans. So let them know, people! Persona rocks, Atlus rocks, and every single one of these titles look downright dynamite; don't allow SEGA even a second to consider crippling the downright excellent Atlus studios!


***Opinion on "Persona 4" Focus***
While Persona 4 is either the face of, or at least a critical portion of, all of the additional titles, to say any of these titles look like cash-cows a'la Gree's Persona 4: The Card Game seems unwarranted, as each of these games certainly appear to be much more than a temporary mobile application. And while I'm of the crew that does feel the cast of P4 is a bit worn out, the overall weirdness of these titles appear focused not so much on riding the coattails of P4's success, but utilizing it in a way to exemplify some unique, refreshing game-design from P-Studio. Far as I see, 2011's Catherine and Radiant Historia express more than adamantly that the P-Studio hold some incredibly rich and original ideas in both game-design and content, and that they've no issue creating equally superb content entirely separate from the formulas found in the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei titles. If they still aren't finished working with the world of Persona 4, or have utilized Persona 4 as a way to justify making these eclectic titles, I don't think it really matters; in the end it will depend on the gameplay of these titles, and that's something that I truly believe no one has to worry about when it comes to P-Studio.

Megpoid the Music# (PSP) - Review

The Hipster's Alternative for Japanese Rhythm Games
A pet-peeve of mine is when I come across a review that compares one game to another. Oftentimes games are compared to another solely because they share the same genre, and no matter their individual styles and offerings being different the review ultimately depends upon drawing a better/worse-than conclusion. It's unfair, if not offensive, to the game being reviewed---
Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way I can avoid doing just that with Megpoid the Music# (Megpoid), the first game from studio ParaPhray, and Sega's Project Diva series. There is no other way to look at Megpoid other than it being a clone of the Project Diva games, as just about everything in Megpoid is unashamedly modeled to an exact after the content found in Diva titles. From the visual focus on an Idol performing, through that of the in-game shop and it's various offerings, all the way through having a "Room" where the player can interact with the game character on a more social scale, there is nothing that separates Megpoid from Project Diva outside of variously small differences.
The summary of those small differences though is that everything that separates Megpoid from Diva is ultimately for the worse.

Bite-Sized, from Platform through Content
Megpoid has a sizable music selection; boasting 30 songs, the expectation would be that Megpoid delivers in form of content. But it's a trick; of those songs, there are few any longer than a minute, and even then just barely. And while I'm not familiar with these songs and did not research all of them, the few I did all turned out to be longer, fully-fleshed songs.
Megpoid's soundtrack is a sampler, and while what is applicable in-game is mostly fast-paced, exciting and enjoyable pop-music, it is ultimately shallow, lacking the impact of music as an expression because what is offered is only a blatant commercial slice from the most thrilling moment in a song. It's sort-of like a kid being told he's off to the toy store, but then arriving after the store has already closed; the emotion and vision were there for a moment, but in the end there's only a cold, shallow hollowness.
Outside of the music there is, as mentioned above, other staples from the Project Diva games. Outside of the room where you can interact with Gumi (the main character), there's also a shop where you can buy costumes and ornaments/toys for the room as well as a ranking system to keep you coming back (another painfully obvious rip, using English words like "Excellent" and "Wonderful"). Unique to Megpoid is that it supports up to four-players at the same time, but exactly how this plays out or whether or not it accentuates the experience is outside of my knowledge (New Jersey is not a prime location for finding Megpoid players).
Mostly, Megpoid is strictly a rhythm game, one that wants the player to boogie with its fast-paced selection and chow down incrementally with what is offered. This is fine, except Megpoid's uninspired gameplay design provides little more than bore and even hurt.

Right-to-Left, and Again and Again and Again
Megpoid separates itself from Diva in gameplay design, but it's certainly inefficient in comparison. In Megpoid beats scroll from right to left, and oblige a neat little four-stack attributable to the D-Pad/Face-Buttons. On the two basic difficulties the gameplay works well enough, as there are only two variables and you can manage to peek ahead to see what beats are coming without messing up. But once you tackle a higher difficulty it's here that Megpoid reminds why the right-to-left set-up has only worked once.
There are two other Japanese PSP rhythm games that utilize the right-to-left; the Taiko no Tatsujin series, and a licensed anime game called K-On! Houkago Live!!, the former representing it done right and the latter wrong. In Taiko, there is only one bar, and everything inside of that bar is very large, crisp, colorful, and clear; your eyes can notice what they need to without straining, and as the series is still active to this day it's clearly a proven formula. But in K-On!, as well as in Megpoid, the fact that the games try to stack upwards of four variables inside of the tiny PSP screen just doesn't work. The beats become too small, and scanning from right to left on the more intense difficulties proves to be downright painful on the eyes. Even with Megpoid using the entire screen (in K-On! only the bottom was used) there is still too much obscurity in the notes, and attaching a need to squint alongside racing your eyes from right-to-left again and again there really doesn't take long before a genuine need to shut the game off becomes apparent.
Another issue with the right-to-left is that it absolutely gets in the way of the background videos, although in Megpoid you're not missing much anyway. Instead of the videos telling a story or expressing something unique, in Megpoid there is solely Gumi dancing away. Not only are dance-moves frequently reused, but so also are the stages, and it doesn't help that the game is under-par graphically as well.

Boogie on Out of Here
As an entry title from studio ParaPhray, Megpoid isn't that awful of a game, and truthfully if this released around the time of the first Project Diva back in '09 it very well may have been more warmly received. But as it is, Megpoid is clearly a poser of the well beloved Diva games, and like anything too attached to its inspiration it ultimately fails to achieve alike its source, instead slipping as it chases and dirtying itself  before getting where it needs to. Having limited content would have been excusable if the music had been more than a sampler, and for a game so chameleonic why Megpoid uses a gameplay-design that has already shown itself not to work, and not instead use the same one as found in its clear-cut idol is simply beyond me. Megpoid wants to be Project Diva, but everywhere it divides itself there appears empty, dull game design. In the end, you can't help but think that not only is Megpoid a bad videogame, but a completely unnecessary one as well.

Language Barrier
Megpoid is 90% playable without knowing any Japanese. Alike Project Diva, the only place that someone may face trouble is in the room and shop segment. For the room grasping the tools and interaction requires only some brief trial-and-error, and for the shop one can look at their blind purchases of Room items as exploratory rather than frustrating.
But other than those two trivial segments, actually playing Megpoid is a 1-2-3 affair, and requires zero language skill to perform.