Weekend Blog Log (April 11, 2015)

I awoke this bright, and sunny Saturday morning more sleepy than I was the night before. I attribute this growing tiredness to the relentless nightmares, and tossing and turning that goes on each, and every night. I can't remember the last time I slept well. In fact the only time I can really get any rest is if I take a nap during the day, but I usually do not do that, because there's so much I want to get done. I am a zombie folks, but I sojourn on ... Once I forced myself out of bed I opted to go about my usual morning routine by visiting Youtube to see what my subscriptions had in store. Sadly, the only interesting video I found (if you can call it that) was from the 'New Sensations' porn channel that showcased a group of cliche Californian porn actresses (Blown up lips, botox, fakeness to the extreme ...) that were all hyped about getting screwed by a BBC. If you don't know what a BBC is you're gonna have to look that up on your own time. This is a gaming blog, after all ...

Other than the effed up video I just mentioned Youtube did not have that much to offer this morning. I will say that Maximilian's (Miles923) Hisako "Week of" finale was alright though. I like Max's videos, and he's been amazing with Killer Instinct's new Grudge Girl, Hisako. If the game wasn't so shite online I would probably pony up the dough for Hisako, but the game is crap. I personally think Max is playing against people he knows in a lobby he has setup. There's no way in hell he's getting all those lag free, troll free ranked matches otherwise. I call BS. Sorry Max, just being honest.

Something else I wanted to talk about is what I'm discovering in my playthrough of 'Omega Quintet'. I'm loving the game's lighthearted, fun loving, and somewhat perverted nature. The story has actually drawn me in quite well, and is definitely a different adventure than what Neptunia, and Hyperdevotion had to offer. The characters, and their teenage/old age drama is hilarious at times, and you can't help but sympathize with the one male character, Takt who is forced into the team by his childhood friend, Otoha who wants to prove her worth as a Verse Maiden. Takt is definitely a funny guy, and to be able to use him in-game along with the main Verse Maidens is a treat. So far I'm at chapter three (I think?), and everything has been interesting enough to recommend so far. My only complaints if any are that the level terrains are a bit oldschool, and that instead of making the game more of a solid experience it is divided up by chapters kind of like 'Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters', and the 'Disgaea' games.

Some things you may not be aware of in regards to 'Omega Quintet' is that it has a bit of 'Senran Kagura', or 'Akiba's Trip' thrown in. By that I mean the Verse Maidens' clothes will tear apart as they take damage in battle. It's an interesting addition to the combat, and definitely takes the game in a more mature direction. As far as battle goes it is still turn based. The difference though is that there are a few new key features that spice things up. The core combat is now governed by a distance system instead of the usual radius based action combat. By this I mean that the enemies are placed on what looks like a color coded music scale in which the Verse Maidens' range of attack matters. An enemy standing on a green, or blue line are ideal to attack as the damage output will be greater. Enemies on the yellow, or red lines will take less damage respectively.

The neat thing about this ranged arrangement is that each Verse Maiden can specialize in all types of weapons, and skills. This includes melee weapons like swords, and ranged weapons like the rifle, and lance. In addition to these new mechanics comes the assist mechanics that relate to using the male character, Takt. If you pair Takt up with a Verse Maiden he will be able to add attacks to the combo in a QTE sort of way. The catch is that each Verse Maiden, and Takt has a set number of moves per turn that can only be added to through continued combat. Once those moves are used up both the Verse Maiden, and Takt's turn, and effectiveness will be over. In some instances Takt can use his skills beyond the one Verse Maiden pairing, and can also defend multiple party members from taking a full force hit. Strategy is definitely the key to winning in this game. The added fact that in the turn based bubble section you'll find modifiers that can enhance your damage output, and afflict enemies with status ailments amongst other things deepens the strategy aspect of battle even further.

Lastly 'Omega Quintet' houses a side feature that allows the player to orchestrate, and conduct a Verse Maiden pop idol performance the way that they like. Special effects, camera angles, and song/lyric manipulation are at your disposal.

I will continue my playthrough of 'Omega Quintet' this weekend, and will try to complete the game before release, so I can get a sound review out to you guys. There's definitely a lot to share about the game including the usual factoids, and opinions. So far the game has been fun though.

I think I'll close on that note. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend, and that you invest at least some of your time wisely. Time is a precious thing.

Your Last Samurai,
Brad C. (OtakuDante)