Comments on: Editorial: Self Discovery

By: Andrew 'Mel' Melcon

Andrew 'Mel' Melcon — Mon, 19 May 2014 18:55:39 +0000

Thanks!

I came close to getting Valkyrie Profile, but it never happened. I don’t think it’s on the PSN, but I’ll keep a look out.

And I think Resonance of Fate is a criminally under discussed title. It’s great looking, offers a good challenge, isn’t so dower or afraid to make fun of itself, and has a truly unique battle system that still maintains a sense of structure that I think is important for an RPG. Without that turn-based structure it would have been an action RPG with partial AI control or some shit. No thanks. Gimme them turns.

By: Jahan 'The Legendary Zoltan' Honma

Jahan 'The Legendary Zoltan' Honma — Mon, 19 May 2014 09:56:04 +0000

Thanks for the editorial, Mel. It seems that you and I like all the same games. I had some prior knowledge of Dragon Quest VIII but it far exceeded my expectations. Knowing about it before-hand didn’t stop my sense of wonder as I combed every meter of the overworld three times. Yes I actually did it three times. Hahaha. I gladly spent 150 hours to beat the game.

I have to second Mel’s recommendation of Resonance of Fate. That game’s battle system is so interesting. It never really changes throughout the game but the weapon customization kept me addicted all the way to the end. There are tons of games where you can attach a scope onto a gun for better aim but there aren’t any that let you attach 3 scopes right on top of each other and get triple the aim! Or put a longer barrel on the gun’s HANDLE to make the bullets fly straighter. It’s amazing. I should make a video review of that game.

I have a self discovery story. I went to Software Etc. and browsed the games at least once a week for about three months. Two games that I didn’t know anything about always caught my eye; Valkyrie Profile for the PS1 and Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast. I looked at the back of the packages and toiled non-stop about which one I thought looked better. I eventually decided upon Valkyrie Profile and was completely blown away by what I had bought. I also had no idea what I was doing with seal level and einherjar and such, but that was a journey filled with wonder. In the end I went back and bought Skies of Arcadia as well and it, too was a pleasant surprise. Judging games by their cover can be really fun if you don’t get burned.

By: Andrew 'Mel' Melcon

Andrew 'Mel' Melcon — Thu, 15 May 2014 23:08:50 +0000

Yeah, DQ8 was a really nice surprise. I wonder if I would have been as smitten with it if I had known all about it before playing. The description of the game isn’t super appealing.

And you should definitely set some time aside for Resonance of Fate. It’s a unique JRPG that doesn’t take itself seriously almost ever, looks amazing thanks to the weird environment (essentially everyone lives in a giant mechanical tower that thematically resembles a wind up watch… for some reason), and it offers a good challenge throughout. Just don’t go in looking for an engaging plot. It’s mostly absent.

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Thu, 15 May 2014 21:51:10 +0000

I discovered Dragon Quest VIII quite by accident as well. It became my Springtime darling. I liked the XII demo, however, and it became my Autumn affair, and subsequently lead to a subscription to National Geographic’s Traveler. No surprise that XII was intended to invoke the feelings of an exotic vacation.
The last surprise game I stumbled upon was Dark Souls. I didn’t play Demon’s Souls, having heard about it’s ungodly difficulty, which was not a selling point. But Dark Souls caught my eye somehow, and it remains my title of the generation.
Resonance of Fate is something I’ve heard about here or there, but honestly have no real knowledge of outside of word of mouth. I’ll look into it.
Great article Mel.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Thu, 15 May 2014 18:27:45 +0000

I *knew* that Skies of Arcadia would be mentioned.