Have at you!!

Yup, I ended up picking that game.

It's not as bad as some people are saying it is, but at the same time it's not exactly a 9/10 either. I'm having a lot of fun gaining levels, experimenting with Innocent Devils (Familiars, basically), forging new weapons, and slaying armies of dead people. Now for a list of things Konami should consider doing to improve their next Castlevania dungeon crawler:

- Spice up the maps. For example, add more stuff to destroy (aside from torches), have the upper and lower floors intersect more often, add some traps, etc.

- Backtracking would be less painful if there were more warp rooms.

- Give the player a choice between a "click" and
"hold" lock-on setup.

- Hire some new artists.

I think I'll write a review for CoD after I finish the game.

I want to purchase a new title for my PS2 after I get my power back. (Hurricane Wilma tore up South Florida's power lines.) I'm having a tough time deciding because most of the games I have in mind have received mixed reviews from different people. Here are the candidates (Note: I'm in an action/RPGish mood):

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness - I don't know why, but I've suddenly developed an interest in this game. The fact that they brought back the level gaining elements that were absent in Lament of Innonence is intruiging. I've also heard that the combat system is fun and that you actually explore areas that are outside of Dracula's Castle.

Everyone is saying that the level design is still bland and that enemies are recycled, but I don't really mind. I think some critics said the same thing about Shinobi. Still, a second opinion on this one would be nice. I don't trust GameSpot because they rated LoI higher than CoD, even though the reviewer made it sound like Curse was an improvement over Lament. (I'll never understand these "pro-reviewers.") I don't trust Play's 9/10 score either.

Shining Force Neo - I wasn't enthusiastic about Neo when it was first announced because I felt that Sega's use of the Force name was innappropriate. All the cool kids are saying it's good, though. I've also heard a lot of folks saying it's not as bad as Shining Tears. Maybe I should swallow my pride and give this one a chance...

Dragon Quest VIII - Played the demo and it was actually pretty sweet. The World Map is breathtaking, and the new interface is so much nicer than the NES dreck that the previous seven entries had. On the flip side, the atrociously high enemy encounter rate takes the joy out of exploring the huge World Map, and I'm not sure if the turn-based combat will be able to maintain my interest what with being stuck with the same four team members all the time.

Any suggestions?

As mega doubleplus awesome as Shinobi and Nightshade are, I guess it would kind of get boring if they were the only games I blogged about. So today I'm going write about a different game for a change.

Today, I shall blog my impressions of Lost in Blue. To sum it up: it's kind of cool. For those who don't know, LiB is a survival-adventure game where you take on the role of a young Japanese guy who's stranded on a remote island. The goal of the game is pretty much to live day-by-day until you find a way out.

I made it up to my third day, and I like the game so far. In a way, it's like Animal Crossing because you spend a lot of time walking around and picking stuff up. You gather coconuts, mushrooms, twigs, tree branches, stones, potatos, and other things of note. If you tap the touchscreen you can "investigate" the ground around you, which is cool. For example, if you're on the beach you can use the touch pen to move sand around and uncover a clam or something.

Lost in Blue is no walk in the park, though. Death is always present in the top screen, where you slowly watch your vital statistics depelete. You can try and hide it by switching the top view to the map using the R-button, but it's still there. So far I've gotten by on clams and coconuts, but I'll soon need to find other means of getting a meal. I'm not that far yet, though.

I'm far enough into the game that I've met the other character, Skye. She pretty much hangs around in the cave you sleep in and cooks stuff or crafts items. She's also near-sighted to an extreme, so she can't move too far without you holding her hand. I've only spent one day with her, so I have yet to sample all her goods... did that sound dirty?

I beat Super Mode in Shinobi the other day in one sitting! The confrontation with Super Hiruko was not quite as dramatic as the one I had in Hard Mode, but it was still pretty damn intense. I also unlocked Joe Musashi and the EX Stages. Right now I am treading through normal as Joe. Once that is done, I will take on the EX levels.

Also, my sister bought Phoenix Wright and Lost in Blue the other day. I gave Lost in Blue a spin and it is pretty cool. More on that later.

BTW, if you are having problems beating Shinobi on the PS2, I just submitted a little cheat to its Honest Gamers page that you might find useful.

Today, on Friday the 21st of October, I, Joseph Emmanuel Valencia II, defeated Hiruko on the hard difficulty level of the Playstation2™ Video Computer Game Shinobi™.

The final blow was delivered to Hiruko at precisely 8:09PM EST, followed by this exclamation from the winning party: "YES!! BOOYAH! TAKE THAT YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!"

For accomplishing this feat most awesome, I bestow upon myself the title of Space World Shinobi Master Esquire of the Icarus Order.

I failed after two hours of trying. :*-(

I think I'll write up that Kirby review as a means of getting over this humiliating defeat.

Still playing 'nobi in hard mode, and now I just made to the big 8-B. All that stands between me and unlocking Moritsune is an Oboro Coin and one nasty boss, and boy is he nasty. But I've had more experience since our last encounter. I shall be victorious!!!

Also, I intended to write a Kirby: Canvas Curse review today but I didn't get around to it. I'll see if I can get to it either tommorow or during the weekend. Hopefully, Hurricane Wilma won't knock out South Florida's power... -_-