Aaru's Awakening "Impressions" (PS4)

While I was waiting on 'Omega Quintet' to download I figured I'd give 'Aaru's Awakening' a sample, and post my impressions of the findings for you guys. For those of you who are unaware of it this indie exclusive was released for free download to PS+ subscribers on Tuesday of this week. Lumenox Studio, for some reason decided to release it in a similar way as Roll7 did for the new OlliOlli2 game. I figure it has something to do with them getting paid upfront by Sony for each download instead of relying on PSN customers to actually pay for the game. While that's a sad way to go about it I know that not many gamers are willing to take a chance on indies, especially at a higher marked price. In that sense it may very well have been a smart business decision by Lumenox. As far as the game goes you'll find that the graphic art style, and the competitive speed run based gameplay is this title's shining features. Outside of that the story intro which was told by a child voice actor/actress did little to get me hyped for the experience ahead. Their monotonous tone throughout the narrative, made the story being told forgettable, and dull.

What Nintendo's Next Console Needs

After watching ReviewTechUSA's take on the reasons behind the WiiU's failure I felt inspired to discuss what I think the next Nintendo console needs in order to triumph, and regain a viable place amongst new-gen offerings. This will be an opinion piece, but a well thought out opinion piece nonetheless. Feel free to agree, or disagree if you like. That is your right ... First, and foremost I want to stress the fact that graphics matter. They've always mattered, and have been a relevant part to the progression of the at home, or on-the-go gaming experience. Gaming is about innovation, and as such you have to adapt, and evolve to the current industry offerings while moving forward with what your development team has to offer. This includes everything from the before mentioned graphics to the game library, and even the console hardware. I think in these past two generations Nintendo has stumbled quite a bit in those departments ...

Easter Weekend Blog Log (Apr. 2015)

Normally I like to keep this blog strictly about gaming reviews, and game related news. It keeps out the personal clutter, and makes the blog the gaming, and hobby focal point that I aim for it to be. This Saturday, the Saturday before Easter though I figured I'd get on a more personal level with you guys, and gals. It'll probably be a lot of incoherent rambling, but I figure it's not going to hurt anything. So ... first off I want to talk about the interview between Angry Joe, and Ed Boon. It was by far one of the most revealing MKX interviews yet, because Joe dared to ask questions that others really hadn't touched base on. Some of the answers to those said questions sounded cool while others fell into a more concerning category. If you've stayed tuned to this blog you'll know I've had some concerns of my own about MKX, and hearing some of what Ed had to say only pushed those worries further.

Rack N Ruin (PS4)

Demonic underlings always seem to catch flak from their demon lord bosses, and they never really amount to anything no matter how hard they try to please their master. Prime examples of this evil doer hierarchy can be found in NISA's Disgaea series, and in the "Legend" movie which featured a younger Tom Cruise. In a similar fashion as those examples we find yet another demon underling named 'Rack' within the recent release of LifeSpark's "Rack N Ruin". A demon underling who just can't seem to do what he's told. He turns planets into asteroid fields on routine outings, and in doing so doesn't spread the universal darkness that the demon lord, 'Ruin' is aiming for. As a punishment for his disobedience Rack is sent to Galia in a supposed last chance opportunity to prove his worth, and is ordered to give the people of the planet a proper taste of the dark side lest he come to know true punishment by his otherworldly boss. Upon the arrival of his destination Rack finds a former slain demon underling named 'Nihil' who tries to warn him that he was setup to die. After hearing the disturbing news from the spirited demon Rack decides reluctantly to join his newly found ally if only for argument's sake. The unlikely team of Rack, and Nihil journey together through Galia wreaking havoc, and inflicting chaos upon the inhabitants of the planet as they join the ranks of other fallen demon underlings in order to turn the tide, and best their boss.

Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (PS VITA)

Take everything you know about anime mechs, throw in some shmup shooting, and hack & slash arcade style action along with some impressive customization options, and you have yourself "Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo". At the core this simple yet rich experience which is basically an action RPG offers the gamer a unique story that makes it's own place amongst other anime inspired video games. Of course it is it's own game in plot, and delivery, but one can't help to recall anime like 'Gundam', or 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' as they play through the game's entirety. As far as said plot goes you'll find an organization known as Freya doing their best to fight off an invasion of living mechs called the 'Rage'. These giant monstrosities which were originally manned machines called GEARS have taken on a life of their own, and destructively so. As Irony would have it, you, the game's protagonist will be piloting a GEAR mech against these living, unmanned Rages.

Through some supportive military manufacturers the faction known as Freya is able to supply their small army of pilots with their very own customizable war machines, and enable them to wage war against the insurmountable odds ahead. This is of course where you, the main protagonist come into the picture. As an up, and coming GEAR pilot (with a name of your choosing) you are put through some training missions against some very real threats in order to test your skills. Once you've proven your worth on the training grounds you are put to good use immediately by the heads of the department, and are sent out as mankind's last hope.Your duties as one of humanity's few surviving saviors comes in the form of making transport runs, clearing cities of the Rage infestations, and other tasks that involve both the confrontation of your enemy, and the evasion of said enemies. You'll even find yourself participating in arena events that pit you up against fellow GEARS pilots for the sake of keeping citizens distracted from their unforgiving reality. Mission by mission, and fight by fight it is up to you, and your brothers/sisters in arms to combat the Rage, and prevent the extinction of the human race.

Destiny of Spirits Shutting Down In June 2015

This morning I turned on my PS Vita to get my daily dose of "Destiny of Spirits", and found some disheartening news regarding it's service. It seems that the game in it's entirety will be shutting down, and will be no longer accessible come a scheduled day in June of this year. I have personally invested a sh*t ton of hours into the game, and have currently amassed a collection of 153 spirits mostly comprised of SR's and R's. Hearing the bad news really put a damper on things, and has unfortunately turned me away from playing the game any longer. I feel rather let down that the game did not last all that long, and that the hours, weeks, days, and months I've invested in it will be for naught. I feel pity on those who bought spirit orb DLC as their monetary investment will also be snuffed out.

As far as the game itself goes I've been addicted to it since launch, and have played it rather religiously. I've always thought that it was the prime example of what a free-to-play game should be. Instead of forcing the gamer to pay up for DLC to get the more rare spirits for the in-game lottery Japan Studios made it so that there were easy ways around it if the player were only to log in daily. I suppose the distraction of other games, and the loss of dedicated players may have played a role in the game's demise. The developers may also have hit a brick wall in the way of providing new content, or may not be able to afford to keep the servers and maintenance running. Whatever the case may be I will definitely miss this PS Vita gem. I just hope that Japan Studios, and it's co-producers don't give up on their free-to-play vision, and that perhaps they bring a more permanent version of the game to gamers who have invested their time and money into it. If not maybe they can up the ante, and make an all new experience that is as captivating as this one. One can only hope.