My Most Anticipated Games of 2018

There are plenty of great JRPGs, WRPGs and adventure games slated to come out this year. I'm going to list off the ones I'm personally anticipating the most, and why.

Zwei: The Arges Adventure (Steam & GOG)


Hnnngh, so close to release! No pre-order XSEED? Y tho? Day One purchase for me, though, given my love for its sequel, Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection. The graphical style looks even MORE charming, the characters look even funnier, and XSEED are really going the extra mile to integrate and in some cases even improve on the little mini games and apps within the game. Buy this. Do eet.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Steam)

Yes, I know, NISA dun goofed with this, particularly when it comes to the PC release, but even they can't ruin what looks like another grand action RPG from Falcom - right? I loved Ys VII and what I played of Ys Origin, so NISA's fuckery hasn't killed my hype for this game just yet.

The Wolf Among Us: Season 2 (PC?)

I don't know much about this, but what I DO know is that I absolutely adored the first season of The Wolf Among Us (and not only because Mr Bigby Wolf is pretty hawt). The first season brilliantly adapted the characters of Fabletown and replicated the vibe of the half fairytale, half urbanised city in game form pretty much perfectly,while giving alternately tragic and hilarious backstory to Bigby and Snow White, amongst many other characters.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (Nintendo 3DS)

This was pretty much my jumping off point into the darkly weird and wonderful SMT franchise when it originally released for the Nintendo DS, and goodness what a jumping point! Sure, the integration of the alignment system into the battle system was kind of wacky (and a smidge unfair), and the difficulty was often cheap, but the story was a provocative look into the worst excesses of the human psyche, manifested as various surreal dungeons, and filled with the shocking,often gory moments that have become a hallmark of the SMT games. It is unfortunate, not to mention absurd, that Atlus has refused to provide an English dub for a game with characters of all nationalities and ethnicities, but it is hardly a deal breaker, and the extras - touched up graphics, a new route, a new character, a new dungeon, and new difficulties - make this pretty much an irresistible proposition for a JRPG whore such as myself.

Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition (Steam)

As controversial as the original release of this game was, Hajime Tabata and his team at Square-Enix do deserve credit for striving to expand on both the narrative and the game mechanics. The game also has some top-tier husbando material in the form of Ignis and Gladiolus, what can I say? I'm looking forward to experiencing this in glorious HD, remastered lighting and effects and all - no 4K for me thanks, 100 GB is going to be killer on both my HDD and internet connection, never mind 155 GB! Whether it is ultimately deemed as an abject failure or a legendary opus magnum by critical and popular consensus, one thing still remains true - a mainline Final Fantasy game is not to be ignored.

Comment with Facebook

Games of 2017 That Deserve More Love

During the course of 2017, I played many games (mainly RPGs) that were excellent in their own right, but perhaps have not received the attention that they deserve. I'm going to list off a few, in no particular order, and why they deserve more love.

Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection

An action RPG from Falcom that oozes charm from every pore, particularly in the visual and audio departments, aided greatly by XSEED's sterling localisation. The characters and environments are styled in vibrant anime fashion, and the music ranges from earworm town tunes to atmospheric and sometimes even moving ballads. The visuals and sound effects that accompany every blow the main characters (Ragna Valentine and Alwen du Moonbria) strike make combat particularly satisfying, even if it isn't particularly complicated, and the food system that is used to level up the MCs is inventive and flexible. Zwei: II can be bought from GOG or Steam.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd

A follow-up to The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC and SC, this instalment stars a new protagonist, Kevin Graham, who is working for the Septian Church as a Dominion, recovering dangerous sacred artifacts from the likes of Ouroboros, and punishing heretics on behalf of the Church. It can technically be enjoyed on its own but is mainly aimed at fans of the previous two games, as it follows up on the stories of the main and side protagonists from those games, as well as fleshing out the background of some characters. At turns heartbreaking and achingly beautiful in both narrative and music, this is a deep delve into Kevin's psyche as he strives to escape the realm of Phantasma together with Ries Argent, a colleague of his, and uncover the mysteries behind Phantasma's creation and who trapped them there. Yet another excellent JRPG from Falcom, with a wonderful localisation from XSEED, this gem can be bought from GOG or Steam.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

A visual novel cum murder mystery set in a deadly killing game that takes place at a school that has been taken over by the psychotic bear Monokuma and his Monokubs, this is an incredibly stylish and darkly disturbing game from Spike Chunsoft, developers of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and localised with proficiency by NIS America, although certain parts of the localisation, such as Gonta's dialogue, could be better. Nonetheless, Danganronpa V3 delivers a wild ride, with a very controversial but also thought-provoking and challenging ending. It can be bought on Steam, PS Vita or PS4.

Torment: Tides of Numenera

Perhaps not quite the spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment that it was claimed or expected to be, this western RPG from inXile Entertainment is nevertheless a worthwhile journey that asks, "What does one life matter?" and answers it in insightful, sometimes surprising ways. The production values aren't stellar and the characters could have done with more depth and development, but the environments that I encountered along the way, such as the Maw (basically an organic, gigantic sentient being that devours souls and has people living in it) are mostly artfully constructed and full of side quests and nooks and crannies. The "Effort" mechanic that involves deciding how much effort (represented by points) you want your main character to put into any activity, whether it is in combat or dialogue, adds an interesting twist, even if it doesn't always make a noticeable difference to the outcome of events. Keep your expectations in check (this is a Kickstarter game after all), and you might find yourself enjoying this little RPG with a lot of heart. It can be bought on Steam or GOG.

Honourable Mentions

Miitopia

A thoroughly weird and often amusing JRPG from Nintendo starring the Miis, the virtual avatars that used to be the stars of the Wii, Wii U and 3DS. You get to create Miis or choose from your own or others' Mii collections to star as playable characters in your party and as NPCs, leading to some downright outlandish results, especially if you opt to let the game randomly choose the Miis. The dungeon crawling is very basic and pretty much on-rails, other than allowing you to choose which path to take your party down. Random events and traps spice up the dungeons though, providing humorous moments which sometimes affect your party or their relationships. Your party's relationships are also a big part of the game, leading to various gameplay bonuses as their relationship levels increase, depending on who you pair them up with. It all wears a little thin towards the end of the game as events start repeating and the relationships all follow the same track, other than the occasional quarrel. I still found it to be a relaxing and charming experience, with some pretty great tunes to accompany it. It can be bought for Nintendo 3DS.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome Amiibo

Why, oh why, did I not get this game earlier? Yes, I know, it wasn't released in 2017, but that's when I bought it, and it's an honourable mention, so shush mmkay? Anyway, this chilled and expansive life sim from Nintendo starring a human (played by you) in a village full of animals is an experience that has brought me new experiences and surprises pretty much every time I fire it up, from an oceanic encounter with an otter whose hippie-ish catchphrase "Maaan" cracks me up a little when I read it, to the pleasures of sipping and serving coffee at The Roost with Brewster the pigeon. The Welcome Amiibo update added quite a chunk of content, including the camp-ground, which is run by a hippie dog called Harvey, and brings in many new interesting faces and items. The only pity is that the DLC is no longer in circulation, but this instalment of the cult AC franchise is still quite possibly the best yet, and well worth getting on Nintendo 3DS.

Comment with Facebook

Shin Megami Tensei IV Doesn't Do Much With Its Titular Character

Shin Megami Tensei IV is a dark, intense and atmospheric Japanese role-playing game set in two realms in a post-apocalyptic Japan (I won't spoil their names, just know that they are quite different). The occasionally fierce battles that can be waged with demons, and the tense exploration of ruined areas and surreal dungeons, reinforce the atmosphere expertly, along with the catchy yet sometimes disturbing background music.

However, the game's story fails to give the player a valid narrative reason to be doing what they are told to do in certain areas, by undermining the plot points and objectives it presents with a lack of characterization and by contradicting its earlier themes and messages.

MILD SPOILER WARNING: From here on in, this post contains opinions and information that may spoil the events of Shin Megami Tensei IV for new players or players that have not played certain routes.

Interview with Zero no Kiseki Fan Translators

I was lucky enough to secure an interview with the very passionate and talented people who are unofficially translating Zero no Kiseki, aka Trails to Zero (not confirmed to be the final translated name).

1. Have you guys brought this fan translation up with Falcom? And if so, what is Falcom's stance on the matter?
Zerker: I don't think we have?

Gu4n: Nope, we haven’t. There isn’t really any reason to.

Zerker: Either way, Falcom has been fine with fan translation projects in the past, so I'm sure this is no different.

2. Any challenges unique to this translating this game?
JoseJL: Getting Aerial to run at a proper framerate.

Gu4n: (laughs) How long did that take again?

JoseJL: 3 weeks. Sure, not full time, but still 3 weeks...

Zerker: There are always a few barriers to get over. For example, the format of the spreadsheet we use to edit can be confusing at times. Occasionally, conversations will jump around the sheet and you have to figure out what piece of dialogue connects with what.

Gu4n: Yup. For example, dialogues that are part of the story are in the bottom half of each sheet. And within that half, the dialogues are chronologically sorted from the last chapter down to the first. It might seem counter-productive, but it’s actually more helpful to start at the bottom of a sheet and work our way up than the other way around.

Zerker: As for the game itself, the scope of the project was a little daunting at first. There's so many different NPCs walking around Crossbell City and we have to try to flesh out every one. But hey, that's a huge reason why so many people love this series. Another challenge, for me personally, is sometimes editing the younger characters. Getting that kiddy way of speaking is a bit challenging to get down-pat for some of them.

Gu4n: We each have our own forte. Zerker, for example, nails the enthusiasm of Crossbell News Service reporter Grace Lynn or the bonding moments between Lloyd and Elie. I prefer Randy’s quips or Tio’s deadpan jokes. Sergei, their chief, has this laissez-faire attitude I can also appreciate. Oh, and I love working on ace detective Dudley as well.

Zerker: Last challenge that comes to mind is trying to keep it consistent with XSeed's writing style. It's mainly grammatical issues, but it's also how they write certain words, like "y'know" and "heehee", just to give a few examples. I've been keeping my eye out for how things are written while replaying Trails of Cold Steel on PC actually!

Gu4n: Second that. Whenever I’m working on the script, I always have XSEED’s scripts open as well to ensure consistency between the games. Since they have consistenly localised Müller as Mueller, we’re following suit with Sonya Baelz (Bälz) and Joachim Guenter (Günter), for example.

3. Do you believe this game will ever see an official localisation, and why/why not?
Gu4n: Pretty much everything gets localised these days, so I’m sure this will be brought over sooner or later as well.

Zerker: Honestly, I have no idea if it will or not. I hope it does (after we finish our project, of course), but I don't see it happening before Sen no Kiseki III is localized. Sen III seems, to me, like the most important game that people will want to localize first.

JoseJL: I think so, too.

4. Finally, sorry but I'm morally obligated to ask this (😉): any release date, even a tentative one?
Gu4n: Nope. 😊

Zerker: I won't make any promises, but I hope that we'll be able to release the final version of the project before Sen no Kiseki III drops in English. Well, that's the goal, at least.

To check out the progress of the fan translation for Zero no Kiseki, check out The Geofront, which posts occasional progress reports.

Comment with Facebook

Thursday's Child Has Far to Go: Character Development in Games

Today, for all you Thursday's Children out there, I will take a look at how "far to go" characters in certain games have, in other words, their character development.

1. Kanji from Persona 4 - At first glance, Kanji might seem like a stereotypical thug with an attitude problem. However, the game explores his insecurities that mainly revolve around his hobbies, such as sewing, which are generally perceived as feminine, as well as his attraction to Naoto before he even discovers that "he" is a "she". He slowly but surely learns to come to terms with who he is and who is he attracted to, and realises that it doesn't matter what your hobbies are or who you're attracted to, as long as you're happy and not hurting anyone. Therefore, even though Kanji is never explicitly stated to be bi or gay, he still serves a great message to LGBT people everywhere, which is, quite simply: "Be yourself - no shame, no fear."
2. Geralt from The Witcher 3 - Geralt comes across as very gruff and even cynical at first, but as the game progresses, you get to define how he develops as a character - within the limits of how he was written of course! You get to choose if you want "harsh, tough Geralt", "kind, good Geralt", or "somewhere-in-between Geralt". The best part? The game dishes out consequences for almost every single action or sentence performed on Geralt's behalf, but it never ever judges you with any kind of hackneyed morality system. This makes choice vs consequences framework feel truly organic, unlike, say, BioWare's games.
3. Estelle from The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC & SC - Estelle starts off as a pretty obnoxious "genki" (energetic) girl stereotype, but gradually matures into a compassionate, wise and determined young Bracer, while never treading into "Mary Sue" territory. All of her growth and accomplishments feel earned, and all of her relationships with the main cast are interesting, or at least enjoyable. Her relationship with Joshua in particular is very bittersweet at first, but they do finally get their "happily ever after" by the end of SC. You can buy the first Trails in the Sky right here.

Comment with Facebook

Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe: Depictions of Suffering in Games

I am a "Wednesday's Child". I have endured depression for the better part of my life, and therefore I am drawn to depictions of suffering.

Depicting suffering that arises from misfortune or the deaths of loved ones is a common theme in videogames. In this article I will go into four games that I feel depict suffering in sensitive and deeply moving ways.

1. To The Moon - This game is about two doctors' attempts to fulfil the last wish of a dying old man. The gorgeous piano-heavy music and the simple but evocative visuals transform an already moving story into something transcendent. I delve deeper into the game's mechanics and themes in this article. You can buy To The Moon here.
2. Persona 3 Portable - One of my favourite Persona games of all time (link contains a fairly minor late-game spoiler), mostly due to its moody, ominous atmosphere and the in-depth tackling of themes like terminal illness, family matters, suicide and apathy. You can buy Persona 3 Portable here.
3. Unrest - An unusual indie game that explores what it means to be a young girl in a society where arranged marriages are the norm, and how trying to fight against that norm can often lead to suffering many forms, e.g. social ostracisation and sexual harassment. The game also explores political upheaval and questions of faith, sometimes a little heavy-handedly, but mostly intelligently. You can buy Unrest here.
4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Last but not least, a game I recently reviewed, that covers  suffering so comprehensively that it sets a new bar for other games wishing to tackle it. I mean, what aspect of suffering ISN'T covered in this game? Let me count the ways: guilt, abandonment, sexual abuse, torture, implied child prostitution, military experimentation (even on minors!), trauma - the list goes on and on. However, none of these themes EVER feel forced - they all arise naturally from the characters' backstories and they are all explored with a deep, deep sense of compassion and humanity. I applaud Falcom for daring to tread where few others would dare to, and I applaud XSEED for their absolutely brilliant localisation of what will surely be viewed as a classic, must-play Japanese role-playing game. If you loved Trails in the Sky FC and SC, do yourself the favour of buying Trails in the Sky the 3rd here. You will NOT regret it.

Comment with Facebook