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| Downtown Vancouver skyline at the end of November of 2006 |
I'm still slowly playing Persona 4 again. That's not surprising since it's one of my favorite video games. I'll briefly mention that the game has many clever details. For example, on September 6, you can speak to Teddie in your classroom. This is odd because he isn't a student at your school. He says, "I'm busier than most of you, so I can't come every morning. I mean, I have to eat breakfast, go back to bed, eat lunch, watch some TV... And that's not even counting time for snacks! You might not think so, but coming here is pretty tough to fit into my schedule." Another funny dialogue occurs at school on April 12, when Mr. Morooka says, "Awright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow! Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places..." In fact, there's plenty of interesting dialogue in the game. It's often worth it to just listen to unimportant characters at school or elsewhere in the town. The director, Katsura Hashino, even said that there's so much dialogue in the game that some of it had to be cut in order to fit the game on a disc. Much of the dialogue can be found at https://lparchive.org/Persona-4-Golden/. In addition, you can find and speak to some characters around town that are later revealed to be of much importance to the story. One example is Taro Namatame, who can be found in the Shopping District or on Samegawa Flood Plain. Moreover, when he's there, the weather is usually sunny, there's no music playing, and you can hear the sound of birds and crickets.
I recently finished reading the April 2008 issue of Play magazine, which existed from 2002 to 2010. This U.S.-based magazine focused on video games, manga, anime, and other media such as film and television, comics, and music. The two cover stories in this issue are about the ports of Death Jr. II: Root of Evil (2006) and Okami (2006) for the Nintendo Wii. The inclusion of the article about Okami is probably why I downloaded this issue from https://archive.org/ several years ago. At the beginning, there's a paragraph about the announcement of Gears of War 2, which was released at the end of 2008. I had a mild desire to play Gears of War (2006) and its sequels for a long time, since it's an "over-the-shoulder" third-person action game, like Resident Evil 4 (2005). I had a fantastic time playing Resident Evil 4 on my Slim PlayStation 2 and the Dead Space trilogy on my PlayStation 3 Super Slim. Now I can claim that I've completed two of the Gears of War games, on my Xbox 360. It's too bad that these games aren't available for PC, but I'm not clamoring for a release of these games for PC because when a game is ported to another platform, it's usually as some kind of remaster nowadays, and I just hate remasters. Are the Gears of War games as good as the other great "over-the-shoulder" shooter games? No, they're not. But I still had a very good time playing them, and they deserve to be listed among the greatest video games of all time. The gameplay is very simple. Because of this, it can be played and enjoyed by any meathead. And the story is about human meatheads that shoot at alien meatheads. Resident Evil 4, the video game that revolutionized shooters and had a massive impact on the video game industry, was directed by Shinji Mikami. I think that Mikami, like many other great video game designers, is autistic. Gears of War didn't really revolutionize anything, but it does have its own style of gameplay, which separates it from other shooters in a minor way. This gameplay involves a cover system. That is, you don't just stand and fire your guns in Gears of War. You, playing as Marcus Fenix, have to frequently take cover in order to recover health and to avoid enemy fire. This style of gameplay is actually quite entertaining once you get used to it. The graphics and the designs are generally excellent. I must admit that, like in the Dead Space games, I spent a lot of time simply standing and looking around at the scenery in the Gears of War games, though there are fewer good-looking and interesting things to look at than in the Dead Space games. The surroundings in the Gears of War games are usually ruined buildings, but they still have a certain charm because of the detailed designs and use of light. Perhaps the only real downside in the Gears of War games is that the story and the characters aren't very interesting. The story is definitely not the main draw in these games. It is interesting from time to time. But, hey, in Gears of War 2, you get to kill a "giant worm" from the inside. That's kind of cliche, but still "cool". Anyway, the first cover story in the magazine is on page 10, and it's about Death Jr. II: Root of Evil, which is a game that I haven't played. Ten pages are dedicated to this game. I can't really comment on this game since I haven't played it, but it got a high recommendation from Play magazine, with the statement "If you have a Wii you need this game." I did, however, play Death Jr. (2005) for the PlayStation Portable, which turned out to be an average shooter with an almost non-existent story, though I suppose that this game still has a certain charm. The article about Death Jr. II: Root of Evil is then followed by several articles about upcoming video games. The games mentioned are Iron Man, Lego Batman: The Videogame, Ninja Gaiden II, Fable II, Damnation, Disgaea 3, Castle Crashers, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Grand Theft Auto IV, Hail to the Chimp, and The Incredible Hulk. Then comes a review of Okami for the Wii, the first real review in the issue. This article was easily the biggest draw of the issue for me, and I must say that almost nothing else in the issue interested me or grabbed me, though I generally agreed with what the editors had to say. I included a short review of Okami in an earlier post of mine, after I completed the game for the first time. This is easily one of the best games for the PS2, and it's one of my favorite video games. I haven't played Okami for the Wii. Therefore, I can't comment on how it compares to the original game for the PS2. Play magazine gave it a rating of 9.5 out of 10, stating the following. "Okami, to me, is one of the most important games of the past 15 years. Not because it features an elegant mythological story told through a tree spirit and a bug (sorry Issun), nor because it features a mute four-legged wolf god as a savior - although both points are worthy of a moment of silence for Clover Studios. What makes Okami so timeless is an art style that transcends technology. It looks as new today as it did in 2006. And it will look as new in 2010 as it does in 2008. In rare circumstances art can actually triumph over technology. Never has that rung so true as with Okami. But that's only the beginning of this game's towering achievement. It also set new standards in interaction via the celestial brush used in both the real-time battles and the practical world where the player wields the brush like a god, bearing sunlight, fruit and safe passage. How is it then that Okami became the final nail in Clover Studios' coffin? After reinventing side-scrolling action with Viewtiful Joe and adventure with Okami, they were thanked with dismal sales. The face of the matter is that high-concept avant-garde games appeal to a relatively small (yet oh-so-appreciative) audience. It isn't until later that the rest of the world catches up. It's the Blade Runner effect all over again. The greatest science fiction movie ever created tanked out of the gate, but over time became a legend in filmmaking." The review of Okami is followed by reviews of Universe at War: Earth Assault (8.5 out of 10), Condemned 2: Bloodshot (9.5 out of 10), Army of Two (8 out of 10), Viking: Battle for Asgard (9.5 out of 10), SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (9 out of 10), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (10 out of 10), Castle of Shikigami III (7 out of 10), WWII Aces (2 out of 10), FIFA Street 3 (6.5 out of 10), Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (7 out of 10), The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (7 out of 10), Obscure: The Aftermath (7.5 out of 10), Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (5 out of 10), PixelJunk Monsters (9 out of 10), Sega Superstars Tennis (8.5 out of 10), Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (9 out of 10), God of War: Chains of Olympus (9 out of 10), Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (9.5 out of 10), Rondo of Swords (8 out of 10), and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (8 out of 10). I suppose that the editors of Play can be commended for reviewing a number of games for every console every month. The only game out of the ones mentioned that I've played and completed is God of War: Chains of Olympus. This happened recently, and I found the game to be enjoyable. Play wrote, "Had God of War: Chains of Olympus not begun to lose focus at the end and rely too much on recycled ideas, this unrivaled PSP game would be a contender to one-up last year's awesome God of War 2. Confidently passed on to Daxter-developer Ready at Dawn while original series creator Sony Santa Monica stick to console, the God of War template is firmly intact, but it's the subtle sensibilities of these fresh creators that make Chains of Olympus an even more rounded success. It's not like that much has really changed fundamentally - a few added magic attacks are nifty but insubstantial - but there are enough stylistic flourishes and design choices that mark the game as something uniquely transformative for a Kratos adventure. God of War has gracefully pushed the PS2 to its limit in the past, so anything less on PSP is asking for trouble in the most obnoxious of gaming circles. No trouble here. There is not a moment in the presentation of Chains of Olympus that disappoints, there is maybe no better tech on the PSP. Add to the benchmark coding job an impressive level of artistry behind the Greek-mythology inspirations and you get a landscape both gorgeous and highly spirited. Credit a sweeping musical score for further layering on the thick mood." When it comes to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Play wrote, "Last month, Nick Des Barres gave Play a thrilling preview of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. Calling this game "console-quality gaming in the palm of your hand," he promised that it would be the best part yet of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Well kids, I come here today to confirm what Mr. Des Barres has set forth. Crisis Core is a full, complete, dignified game. It's one of the few times in my life that I have played a portable title and lost touch with its material presence in my hands. Wrapped up in the presentation, engaged by the story, and startled by the music, I found myself playing a big game that just happened to be on a tiny screen. It's so good that I wanted to get a PSP Slim just to be able to plug the bugger into my television at home - to anchor myself on my couch for a more robust experience. Crisis Core has been a system-seller in Japan. I hope it works the same way here." The next article is about The World Ends with You (2007) for the Nintendo DS. It seems that this article was included only to praise the game and not to review it because the game was released almost a year before the issue came out and because no rating is given to the game in the issue. This isn't a problem for me because The World Ends with You is one of the games that I'd like to play and because it's a highly regarded NDS game. Play wrote, "If I was asked to cite one game that defines the NDS experience it would be The World Ends with You. No way this game gets made on console, and what a shame it would be if the spirit of true innovation was quelled during this vital turning point in gaming culture. Developed by the Kingdom Hearts team and Jupiter with character designs by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi (applause sign flashes), inspired by the aesthetics of Shibuya youth culture, it doesn't get any more avant-garde, J-pop-vogue than this." The next article includes thoughts and hopes about the upcoming Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo DS. Then there's a long article about a revival of fighting games in 2008 and about the video games that were featured at the AOU 2008 trade show. The games mentioned and commented on are Street Fighter IV, Akatsuki Blitzkampf, Arcana Heart 2, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Fate/unlimited codes, Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match, The King of Fighters XII, Melty Blood Actress Again, Monster Ancient Cline, Samurai Shodown Sen, Sengoku Basara X, Tekken 6, and Virtua Fighter 5 R. After the article about Okami, this is my favorite article in the issue because it's about a somewhat interesting event in the video game industry and because it features information that I didn't know about before. Play wrote, "I've had a few months now to process the fact that we're getting a Street Fighter IV. Initial media had me cautiously optimistic, and as much as I would have appreciated a high-definition, hand-drawn 2-D revival, my adult self knows that such a thing would not be appropriate for the Street Fighter brand in 2008. All that really matters is how it plays, and after having spent a combined four hours in line to play a total of two matches of SFIV, I can tell you that it is perfectly and quintessentially Street Fighter." Then there are short articles about Tales of Destiny Director's Cut, Warrior Epic, Blood Bowl, and Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Then there's an article about computer hardware and software. The issue came out when Windows Vista was still being used and when solid-state drives had yet to replace hard disk drives. I remember those days with some fondness now because at that time companies still tried to make electronic devices and laptops that looked distinct. Nowadays, almost all laptops, phones, and television sets look pretty much the same. And many great video games were still being released. Although I didn't play video games at that time, let's not forget that 2008 was the year of Braid, Burnout Paradise, Dead Space, Fable II, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet, Persona 4, Rock Band 2, Spelunky, Street Fighter IV, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Valkyria Chronicles. Moreover, the economic crisis that began in 2008 had yet to reveal itself in full. Therefore, things weren't yet as bad or as depressing as they are now. It was a time when Vancouver wasn't being called a sh*thole by many people. At that time, if I had known that my favorite cinemas and stores would disappear in only a few years, I would have gone to those places more often. People don't really miss something until it's gone or until it becomes a rarity. Finally, at the end of the issue, there are several reviews of new films and television shows. The only reviews that interested me are of Appleseed Ex Machina and No Country for Old Men. It took a long time for me to finish reading this issue of Play magazine because I read it slowly. Although 2008 was a great year for video games, so far I've played only a few of the games that are mentioned in the issue, and almost nothing else interested me in the issue. Therefore, the issue can get only a mild recommendation from me, even if reading the issue was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me.
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