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Slow Reviews Games: A NinSheetMusic Column

Started by SlowPokemon, November 13, 2012, 06:24:20 PM

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Maelstrom

The thing is, I'd definitely want the actual system.  :P Maybe sometime before I go to college.

SlowPokemon

It's worth noting though that if Danganronpa sounds appealing at all, you should definitely 100% no questions asked check out the Zero Escape series from the same company:

Zero Escape Volume 1: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999) for Nintendo DS
Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward for Nintendo 3DS

Ask anyone here or look at reviews around the web, they're absolute masterpieces and since I know from your enjoyment of Ace Attorney that you don't mind a lot of text, I can't recommend these two highly enough. No game has kept me up playing into the night like they have.
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

Maelstrom

I know. But...... My mom......
I'd get them when I go to college, but I'm afraid the'd interfere with my schoolwork

SlowPokemon

Ohhhh that's right, no M games. I forgot we'd been through this haha.

I mean Danganronpa is super rated M too fyi xD so you probably couldn't play either.
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

Yugi

but the blood is pink it shouldn't be a problem

K-NiGhT

Quote from: Yugi on January 09, 2015, 08:47:06 PMbut the blood is pink it shouldn't be a problem
wait that's blood? I thought it was strawberry juice
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on April 28, 2015, 06:48:06 PM
what are you doing stop making nsm a better place by spreading happiness

SlowPokemon

Game Review & Analysis: Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
System: Nintendo 3DS
ESRB: T (Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence, Use of Alcohol)

Note: This is a review of the game, but also serves as a plot analysis, meaning that there will be spoilers where marked. Don't read the entire review if you don't wish to be spoiled.

Professor Hershel Layton is a reserved, gentlemanly scholar of archaeology whose favorite activities include relaxing with a cup of tea and solving puzzles. Phoenix Wright is a determined defense lawyer who slams the bench in passion and shouts "Take that!" at the prosecution using his outdoor voice. Although these two characters are the heroes of their own series of adventure games, the style of play for each is drastically different, so the fact that this crossover even exists undoubtedly pays testament to the patience, perseverance, and dedication of developers Level-5 and Capcom.

The Professor Layton series, for the uninitiated, is a series of mystery games in which Layton, his young apprentice Luke Triton, and occasionally his spunky assistant Emmy Altava explore a town or series of towns in order to discover the truth behind strange occurrences. The gameplay mainly consists of a point-and-click style exploration, with the player poking and prodding everything in the professor's environment to reveal the protagonists' thoughts or speaking with characters to gain new information. Of course, information always comes at a price, and in the good professor's games, that price is almost always the solution to a puzzle. Puzzles are found everywhere in his adventures: even the smallest of Professor Layton games, which would be the first, contains 135 puzzles scattered throughout the story. The appeal in Layton is its casual pace--though the game occasionally sets a roadblock and requires the player to complete X amount of puzzles to progress, only a handful of puzzles are specifically required to progress, with the player being allowed to pick and choose which ones are to their liking. This allows for a breezy gameplay experience during which the player can take in the story at their own pace, enjoy the atmosphere (which, because it's Level-5, is absolutely gorgeous in each of the six entries), and just generally investigate the charming world Level-5 has created.

The Ace Attorney series is a series of traditional adventure games in which a rookie defense lawyer (for the first few games, Phoenix plays this role) takes on several cases and works to prove their client's innocence. It sounds a little more straightforward and ordinary than Layton's adventures, but in ways, the Ace Attorney universe is even more surreal. The legal system in these games heavily favor the prosecution, meaning that even when witnesses go on the stand and blatantly lie (which they do--a lot) the player is only a few badly-placed objections away from a guilty verdict. The bombastic, anime-style dialogue and animations make the series exciting and often quite funny, with legitimate character development and drama giving the player a rounded, compelling experience.

Rather than make any attempt to mix these radically different styles of gameplay, Level-5 and Capcom simply alternate between them, which makes for an experience that pleases some fans and irritates others.

Professor Layton doesn't get any new mechanics this time around, and in fact his sequences are arguably the weaker ones in the game. This is largely due to the puzzle selection, which is not only small (70 in the main game, with 12 available for download) but also easy to the point of being boring. In my recent replay of this game, I did not use a single hint coin or look up a single answer, and still solved all of the puzzles with no problem. Level-5's previous and following entries (Miracle Mask and Azran Legacy) both displayed impeccable puzzle design, so the only thing I can think of is that the experience was "dumbed down" for the Ace Attorney fans who were deterred by the difficult puzzles of the Layton series and weren't used to the type of thinking most of them require. Unfortunately, this results in puzzles so easy that I don't even feel satisfied on finishing them.

Phoenix gets a few new mechanics, all relating to the game's medieval setting of Labyrinthia. These are witch trials, and as such the kangaroo court shenanigans are off the charts, with Phoenix referring to the Grand Grimoire (a magic spellbook) for evidence and cross-examining multiple witnesses at the same time. While initially a little confusing, this actually is the source of most of the game's comedy--witnesses change their stories mid-testimony to match what the others are saying, huddle up in groups to conspire against Phoenix, and go off on unrelated tangents provoked by something the others will say. Though the game does inexplicably return to the first game's incredibly flawed "five strike" system, the courtroom sequences are otherwise straight out of any other Ace Attorney game.

Capcom had final say on the character design and most of the script (thanks to Takumi being given total control over the story by Akihiro Hino, the president of Level-5 who is a self-confessed Ace Attorney fan), while Level-5 was in charge of most of the design, and this balance is quite clear. While some elements mix well to the point that it's ambiguous as to which company handled them--for instance, Tomohito Nishiura's lovely music for the Layton sections meshes almost alarmingly well with Yasamusa Kitagawa's trial scores, and the characters are appropriately halfway between the whimsical, cartoonish Layton stylization and the realistic anime designs of Ace Attorney--it's definitely clear that Level-5 was in charge of the scenery and graphic design. This is a compliment to the game, of course. Its visual style is as aesthetically pleasing as the other 3DS titles in the Layton series, and the miniature dioramas presented for each scene, while fewer in number, are as high quality as we've grown to expect from the company.

The game's story is something of a mixed bag for most players, and though I loved it the first time, the replay experience made some of its faults rather more obvious to me. The first thing is the game's length. Layton vs Wright is LONG. If you set out for a complete experience with the game, letting the text scroll by without skipping through it and solving all the puzzles, you'll find that 30 hours have clocked in by the time the credits roll. Even a minimalist playthrough will take a solid 20-25 hours, and while too long is a better problem than too short, writer Shu Takumi (creator of the Ace Attorney series and writer of the first three games) reminds us that we can have too much of a good thing with his drawn-out storytelling and tendency to add as much dialogue as he can without trimming any of the fat. The second trial (in Chapter 2) was incredibly enjoyable from an Ace Attorney player's standpoint, but I remember thinking that players only familiar with Professor Layton would find the long stretches of slow-moving text insufferable. I have to imagine that a lot of players just got bored and gave up during this sequence, as it's the first time we really see Ace Attorney gameplay in all its literary glory.

In my opinion, the game's main problem is its incredibly slow start, with an intriguing Layton prologue soon falling into a Phoenix prologue that feels irrelevant and unnecessary. You'll have played 2 hours by the time you reach Chapter 1, and though there are many moments of excitement and comedy in the first few chapters, you'll most likely hit the 12-15 hour mark before the plot really goes anywhere.

***WARNING: SPOILERS DISCUSSING THE GAME'S PLOT BEGIN HERE***

Spoiler
Chapters 1 and 3, both investigation sequences, are especially slow-moving, each lasting 2-3 hours and barely advancing the plot at all--besides the first hour of Chapter 1, when Layton and Luke meet Phoenix and Maya, who are oddly out-of-place bakers. This makes for one of the funniest and ridiculous moments in the entire game, considering that players are likely expecting a dramatic, finger-pointing meeting to unite the two. Aside from this, though, Chapter 1 is bogged down by a tedious trip to the library to gain information, with Chapter 3 faring only slightly better due to the introduction of the Storyteller. Even Layton's signature animated cutscenes, still beautifully drawn and rendered in 3D, do little to relieve the tedious nature of these chapters.

Still, though, that leaves Chapter 2 to keep the player's interest, which it does spectacularly. Espella's second turn as the accused feels a bit irrelevant, and the case details are far from shocking or clever, but Takumi really shows off his knack for comedy for the first time here. It's impossible not to get sucked into the drama of things and just laugh at the craziness when Inquisitor Barnham enters, a brass march blaring and the crowd chanting "Barnham! Barnham!" (sounding suspiciously like "Burn 'em! Burn 'em!"), and if there's anyone who didn't die laughing at Phoenix's proud (and hilariously voiced) declaration "I'm Phoenix Wright, ace baker!" I'd be seriously surprised. The first half of the trial is fraught with small laughs, such as when each of the four witnesses "breaks down" in a row, culminating with the dotty Wordsmith inexplicably deflating like a balloon and flying off screen, which is never acknowledged or referenced by any of the other characters (which almost makes it funnier). Of course the case's comedic climax hits when the forgotten "fifth witness" bursts in at the halfway point, the game literally listing his name in the text box as "Some Guy." Said witness (whose name turns out to be Emeer) forces his way onto the stand, swaggering and slurring his speech. Not only is he clearly intoxicated, he's drinking alcohol from a mug throughout his testimony, and we get some huge laughs in a sequence where Mary and Kira have a discussion about how no self-respecting woman would ever be interested in someone like Emeer--right over Emeer's head. This entire chapter sets the tone for the witch trials magnificently, and completely quelled the fears of inadequate writing that the subpar prologue trial had set in my mind.

The end of Chapter 3 is what really triggers the game's main plot--Layton has been turned into a golden statue, apparently at the hands of Maya of all people. Honestly, though, it's a Phoenix Wright game--wouldn't you be disappointed if Maya wasn't put on trial? Getting rid of the top-billed protagonist for almost a full two chapters was gutsy, and completely unexpected. Props to the developers for actually going through with this line of plot. Chapter 4's trial proves to be just as funny as the previous one, mostly thanks to Emeer once again. I think my personal favorite moment is when Barnham and Phoenix contemplate where the professor's golden arm might have gone--cue camera panning over to Emeer, looking incredibly guilty and covered in flashy, expensive jewels. Miss Primstone, an underused character, provides a few laughs with her lessons, such as "friends lead to nothing but trouble." The hilarious Birdly, whose annoying, high-pitched mandolin strumming interrupts even the cross-examination music, provides a few laughs with his songs about Emeer, whom he seems to admire, and completely turns the tables in the middle of the trial, giving Phoenix an excuse to cross-examine a parrot for the second time in his strange career. This nod to the series' wacky history is particularly amusing, especially as Cracker's testimony consists mostly of sound effects spoken aloud. Chapter 4 is most notable, however, for giving us the first real emotional stirrings of the game. Luke's frightened lashing out at Maya is simply heartbreaking, while Jean Greyerl begins as an opponent yet finishes as a tragic character that we want to root for. It's Maya's apparent death that most shocks us, though--remember, they've killed off two of the main characters at this point!--and this I feel is where the meat of the game's plot finally sets in motion.

Chapter 5, appropriately titled "A Taste of Despair," begins with one of the most powerful scenes in the entire game--Phoenix, shaking with anger and grief, confronts Barnham about Maya's death. Even in Phoenix's games, we never get this level of outrage and raw emotion from him. Though Phoenix's relationship with Maya is often quite strained or silly, he cares for her on such a deep level that even Luke's grief over the professor seems mild in comparison. This is the game's most "despairing" chapter indeed, with Phoenix and Luke the only remaining heroes to work with for the first half. Still, this combination fares very well, with Phoenix's resolve to be strong for Luke and Espella striking me as particularly heartwarming. Rouge is one of my personal favorite characters in the game as well, standing out in a game that's mostly male-dominated (the eternal struggle of Layton games--even after Emmy's introduction, the other women in the series tend to fall short of feminist standards). The harsh but necessary speech she gives Phoenix--on the importance of being strong in the face of despair--hit home for me. Of course, halfway through, the particularly relieving revelation that Layton and Maya are in fact still alive comes halfway through this chapter, and the second half, largely made up of those two exploring the Eldwitch Woods, is one of the highlights of the game. This is due to the refreshing atmosphere of the forest, which feels distinctly different from Labyrinthia in its creepy claustrophobia (in comparison to the sunny, pleasant streets of the town), as well as another unusual pairing that results in some big laughs--if you didn't examine everything for Layton and Maya's commentary here, you missed out big time. The story takes a seemingly grisly turn when they enter the scene of the Great Witch's disappearance, with the red liquid splattered on the walls looking horrifically similar to blood...but of course it's explained away quickly as this is a Layton game. This is in an interesting scene because of Barnham's unexpected appearance, revealing that he perhaps knows more than he's letting on--which isn't accurate, as it turns out--as well as the introduction of our protagonists, plus Espella, to the Underground Ruins, where they will finally reunite. As a side note (and this might be obvious to everyone else, but I didn't realize it until I went back to it since it's never mentioned specifically in-game), I can only assume that what the Shades were mixing in the workshop was the ink used in the Historia Labyrinthia--Layton and Maya both comment that it "smells familiar."

Chapter 6 is brief but satisfying, containing a really quite touching reunion of our heroes (never has Maya's "YOOOOOO NICK" been so funny or so heartwarming) before breaking out what turns out to be the most enjoyable series of puzzles in the game, especially "Turnabout Puzzle" which features everyone offering their input in order to open a locked door. Chapter 7 is the one that sets up the lengthy finale, and at this point Espella has been acting so out of sorts that we're not even really surprised when she's the one showing up to murder the Storyteller. Layton and Luke prepare to enter the Storyteller's Tower (another great nod to the series' lore--it seems that those two are always climbing towers) while Phoenix and Maya, who will amusingly be disguised in Barnham's helmet for the trial, investigate the crime scene and prepare their defense. In this chapter, we get a very disappointing development, as Barnham speaks a little too recklessly to Darklaw and is sent away for the rest of the game because of it. However, I personally was fairly excited about the prospect of going up against Darklaw for the finale, since at that point we still knew next to nothing about her. Her appearance in the prologue has yet to be explained, and it's evident by this point that she was the Great Witch that's shown up several times (if that wasn't evident as soon as she came on screen). I must say, while it was pretty obvious that she was important, her motives were a complete mystery throughout and she was probably the most intriguing character to me.

At this point we reach the adventure's endgame stage, which I feel is definitely the strongest part of the whole experience. Chapter 8 takes a little while to get going, spending some unnecessary time on Espella's testimony, but just when things seem to be calming down for Phoenix, Boistrum intervenes on behalf of the Vigilantes, demanding to testify, and here is where one of the most enjoyable scenes of the game begins: Not just Boistrum, but all ten of the Vigilantes take the stand. I remember just grinning in sheer enjoyment as the camera pans over from Boistrum to reveal one knight after another, and this cross-examination gets some of the funniest lines in the game as well. It seemed odd to me that this game got a T rating, as Layton has always had a very family-friendly design, but the edginess of Phoenix's adventures comes in here with the character of Foxy, a female knight who constantly flashes the player her underwear in a Basic Instinct-style leg shift, and her two admirers, who have a fetish for being stepped on by her stilettos. I couldn't breathe from laughing in both shock and amusement as one of them turned around to proudly display the imprint her shoe left on his back earlier, and the laughs from this dysfunctional group just keep coming: Dzibilchaltunchunchucmil, whose name is completely unpronounceable by Phoenix but not by Maya (of course), becomes a running gag as characters constantly rattle off the name in reference to the act of being trapped or locked inside something ("Look! She's gone and Dzibilchaltunchunchucmilled herself!"), and Wordsmith, who inexplicably pretends not to be Wordsmith, gets possibly the biggest laugh of the trial when he asserts that he clearly heard a cry of "Ignaize," the spell that hasn't been relevant since the first witch trial.  All this humor is undoubtedly to ease the player in to the distinctly serious tone that settles in the Vigilantes' dust, beginning with Layton and Luke's exploration of the Storyteller's Tower and continuing until Layton's unexpected appearance as an inquisitor.

What is there to say about what follows? The plot twists concerning the truth of Labyrinthia that are revealed at the beginning of the Epilogue by the Storyteller are par for the course in Layton's book, as little sense as they might make to Phoenix (or players new to the Layton series). I expected the drama to wrap up shortly after these twists were revealed, which wouldn't be unusual for the professor's adventures. But ah, Takumi knows best, and if nothing else, he can certainly write a compelling conclusion to a case from several years back--again, I would have been disappointed if an Ace Attorney game didn't have that particular element. The second half of the epilogue, in which those present uncover the truth behind the so-called "Legendary Fire" that ravaged Labyrinthia, is undoubtedly the most satisfying portion of the game. And honestly, I don't know why I ever doubted the ending would be satisfying. Darklaw and Espella both get the character development they deserve, with Cantabella's revelations about the late Belduke proving particularly interesting. I don't know if I've ever felt such a sense of genuine horror in a Layton game as when it suddenly hit me that the two little girls caused an entire village to burn down, and not every Ace Attorney game can make my stomach sink like that, either. Though the outlandish elements of mass hypnotism and a substance that somehow makes those who ingest it fall unconscious at the sound of silver undoubtedly diminished some players' enjoyment of everything that came after, it's my opinion that Takumi makes these crazy elements so important to the story and uses them so cleverly with the scenario he wants to create that they shouldn't be belittled or criticized.

If there's any complaint I have about the ending, it's that poor Luke gets nothing to do, after basically a whole game of getting nothing to do. Seriously, Luke was not only useless throughout most of the adventure, but he felt hardly present. Layton seemed to snub him more than usual and apart from a cute stint with Maya in Chapter 3, he never really gets a moment in the limelight. It's kind of a bummer.

Other than that, though, the ending sat very well with me both times I viewed it. Watching the preliminary credits roll over pictures of a reformed Labyrinthia is already heartwarming, but the second, complete staff roll that plays over images from the game and is underscored by a wonderful arrangement of many pieces from the Layton and Ace Attorney soundtracks is one of my favorite moments in any video game I've ever played. It feels like the long journey has paid off, and all has been taken care of. Well, I would hope so, after 30+ hours.

The fun doesn't end there, though: if you haven't downloaded and played through the 12 free special episodes (still scripted by Shu Takumi himself), you've missed out on a lot of humor, gratuitous fourth wall-breaking, and even a bit of backstory for some characters. Some highlights include an episode starring Edgeworth, another where the townsfolk of Labyrinthia contemplate their silly names, and a truly hilarious one that finds Darklaw writing a Story about starring in her own video game due to her success in this one, which she estimates has sold five million copies. I think my personal favorite, though, is the episode that isn't humorous and actually almost brought me to tears, which details how Barnham met Constantine. In fact, over the three or four episodes he appears in, Barnham is given some development and depth that he wasn't granted in the main game, making up for his absence in the finale. If you enjoyed the game, I really recommend you play through the special episodes.
[close]

***STORY SPOILERS END HERE***

Considering that fanservice is the main reason that Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney even exists, it's interesting to note how fans reacted to it. I found that players who approached it as fans of one series but not the other generally walked away dissatisfied. Honestly, I think you have to be familiar with and enjoy both of the series to get anything out of this crossover. It's not a good introduction to the Layton games, as it is quite a lot wordier than the average Layton, the world is quite small compared to the usual Layton worlds, and the puzzles are too easy and too few. It's not a good introduction to the Ace Attorney games, as the subject of witchcraft and other absurd elements common to Layton are not found in that one, and the trials are notably simpler than usual. It's best for people like me, who love both series a LOT, and can appreciate what they've done. It's a love letter to people like me, and maybe that's why I find it so appealing. I know that not everyone feels that way, and that taken as two separate halves, it's the weakest Layton and the weakest Ace Attorney. But something about the combination of the two turns it into something special for me.

Graphics: 10/10
The beautiful locales we've grown to expect from Level-5? Check. The charmingly animated 3D models of Layton? Check. The strange and wonderful character designs of Ace Attorney? Check, check, check.

Sound: 10/10
Everything in this game was designed to sound appealing. Tomohito Nishiura's new score pieces are wonderful, yes, but he seems to be in maximum remix mode, arranging a ton of pieces from earlier Layton games in a fresh way to make the player smile. Even Kitagawa gets in on the fun, recreating the original Phoenix Wright game's court suite with relish while composing new trial music with medieval flair. Outside of the realm of music, all interjections are voiced (even the most insignificant "Hold it!" is heard), and some lovely soul decided that Layton and Luke's text boxes make the distinctive popping sound of their game, while the rest of the cast gets the beeping of Ace Attorney. No objections here.

Gameplay: 7.5/10
Though not much has changed from either game's main series entries, it somehow feels less natural here, especially in the Layton sequences, which are a bit tedious and full of meager puzzles. Even Wright has gone back to his positively primeval system before the health bar was introduced, and Hint Coins are so plentiful that even cutting the number in the game in half would have been acceptable.

Plot: 9.0/10
I'll probably get some backlash for this score, but it's not easy to successfully merge two series as distinct as these two. This story that exists is, I feel, the best possible version of it that could. While the choice to place our heroes in an unfamiliar setting with no familiar characters is odd (and I dearly hope that any potential sequel would seize on the chance to let the two games interact in their natural settings), it pays off in the end, creating a story that's entirely distinct from any game in either of the two series--not even critics can deny that this game feels completely new in terms of plot, regardless of whether they like that or not. Unfortunately, the plot does get a bit of a deduction due to its incredibly slow opening. While the ending is ultimately worth it, the setup tends to drag on more than necessary.

Overall: 9.0/10

You'll like: The uniting of two characters who now seem like a natural choice to put together. Layton vs Wright 2, anyone?
You'll dislike: The slow, slow pacing at the beginning of the game. It's not boring, exactly, but the story doesn't really go anywhere until you're several hours in.
You'll love: The presentation. Can Level-5 be in charge of every game's presentation? Please?
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

Maelstrom

No one else has commented yet?
It's still not my favorite game ever, but you reminded me how often I laughed during some of those trials.
I agree with you on most points. I always felt more at home during the trial portions, probably because I haven't played any Layton games. I just found most of the Layton portions to just be a boring slog in between the trials, with the exception of the events between the 2nd and 3rd witch trial. On an additional note, hint coins have no place in a courtroom. Ever.

Again, I agree that the music and overall sound design was excellent.

As for the overall story, I felt that it was hit and miss. It's one of those stories that makes perfect sense and feels great when playing, but when you step back afterward, it just feels empty and completely improbable. It felt solid until the end, where the reveals made sense, but felt .... for lack of a better word, lacking. It may have been par for the course for Layton, but, as someone who's just played AA games, it just didn't sit right with me. In fact, it made me a little unsure of trying some other Layton games.

My final gripe: Partial voice acting. Am I the only one who is driven absolutely insane by this? Like in Fire Emblem Awakening. I can't really explain why it bothers me so much, but it does. I always find my self turning voice acting off altogether or changing the language if possible to avoid it.

SlowPokemon

Feature: Top Ten Pokémon Ending Themes

Today, I'm writing a special feature about the ending themes of the Pokémon series. The ending credits of any game is always a very special moment for the player, as it gives a chance to reflect on the time spent working toward the end. After a grueling final showdown, the player is given a chance to relax, view the end of the story, and reminisce about the journey, sometimes accented by unique features in the credits themselves and always accompanied by an appropriate musical track. Here are ten of my favorites.

10. Ending Theme (Pokémon Colosseum) - composed and arranged by Tsukasa Tawada

Listen to it here (ignore the 60 seconds of silence after the track).

Starting off this list is the ending theme for a popular Pokémon spinoff for the Nintendo Gamecube, Pokémon Colosseum. Tawada's score is outstanding throughout, mixing beautiful timbres and a good smattering of dark jazz with a triumphant main theme that serves as the heart of this piece. It's the main theme that ultimately wins out as the standout of the score, and in this rendition it opens and closes the credits majestically, briefly abating in the middle section to reprise "Relic Forest" from the main score, absolutely lovely in its pastoral tones and sense of purity. A brief but wonderful piece.

9. Ending Theme (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness) - composed and arranged by Arata Iiyoshi, Hideki Sakamoto, Keisuke Ito, Ken-ichi Saito & Yoshihiro Maeda

Listen to it here.

The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon spinoff series has quite a distinctive main theme, its plucky 6/8 meter conveying a sense of adventure and courage that is vital to the atmosphere of each game. The invigorating spirit that's inherent in the melody shines especially well thanks to the bombastic arrangement, making it a piece worth coming back to over and over. I especially love when it slows down to concentrate on a string movement, providing the symbolism of an adventure that's come to a close.

8. Ending Theme (Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen) - composed by Jun'ichi Masuda / arranged by Go Ichinose

Listen to it here.

As the credits music that started it all, the "Ending Theme" of Pokémon Red & Pokémon Blue has been used in the game's anime adaptation series countless times, making it one of the most-known themes of the franchise besides that iconic main theme (which is similar in style). In Go Ichinose's arrangement for Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen, he provides a lovely interlude with rearrangements of tracks from the score, such as a wickedly fun take on "Team Rocket Hideout" and a moving, relaxing rendition of "Pewter City." This track gives me a warm, lovely feeling every time I hear it.

7. KISEKI (Pokémon X & Pokémon Y) - composed and arranged by Shota Kageyama

Listen to it here.

The second of two credits themes of Pokémon X & Pokémon Y, "KISEKI" is a casual, heartfelt little song that, during the game, is complemented by lyrics in several different languages scrolling across the touch screen. It's adorable and really quite moving, as it makes me imagine people all over the world singing along and joining hands--a cheesy image, but one that makes this reviewer smile. The simple, cute melody is easy to follow and sounds sing-songy even without the lyrics, and makes for a fun, listenable piece, especially when the electric guitar takes over in the second verse.

6. Ending Theme (Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver) - composed by Go Ichinose / arranged by Hitomi Sato

Listen to it here.

Pokémon Gold & Pokémon Silver are widely considered to be the height of Pokémon's original popularity, and the remakes seemed to acknowledge and respect this by and large. A hugely noticeable feature of the remakes was the music--that is, the new tracks were arranged in ways that were sometimes vastly, radically different from the originals (compare the new "Goldenrod City" or "Route 29" to their original tracks to hear the results). However, Game Freak slipped in a secret "GB Sounds" item to the post game, allowing players who found it to switch between the new tracks and their 8-bit counterparts. For the "Ending Theme," however, Hitomi Sato went for a largely similar arrangement, even allowing 8-bit synth to sing the melody at some points, making for a nostalgic, fun retread of the upbeat and cheerful tune. It's cute, catchy, and utterly charming, to the point where I can't hear it without thinking of the color pink. This piece seems like a natural fit for Hitomi Sato, whose own music is consistently bubbly and scattered.

5. I'll Go With You (Pokémon X & Pokémon Y) - composed and arranged by Shota Kageyama

Listen to it here.

The first credits theme of Pokémon X & Pokémon Y feels more in line with the adventure that's just been completed than "KISEKI." The title, "I'll Go With You," evokes strong emotions from this reviewer, and the warm, brass-led melody seems to tell not of a long journey behind the player, but of one that's still yet to come. I think "I'll Go With You" could be referring to individual Pokémon's tendencies to stand by their Trainers through thick and thin, whether it be the starter Pokémon that accompanied the player throughout Kalos, a Pokémon that's been transferred all the from the Game Boy Advance generations thirteen years ago, or even AZ's Floette that returns to him after a thousand years in the infamously tear-jerking ending. It feels like an appropriate ending, and the raw emotion present in the music gives way quite nicely to comfortable cheerfulness with the arrival of the second credits theme.

4. Staff Credits (Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2) - composed by Go Ichinose / arranged by Go Ichinose & Hitomi Sato

Listen to it here.

Strangely titled "Staff Credits" rather than "Ending Theme" as nearly all of the others are, the credits music for Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2 is a relaxed adventure with, to me, more of a sense of the journey being over than any of the others. Rather than celebrate what the player's done, the music seems to suggest taking it easy for a while, the simple melody performed by strings and electric guitar, underscored by jazzy piano and catchy rhythms for the majority of the piece. The images accompanying the credits are of the protagonist running through Unova, but oddly not the usual route--starting from the end of the game, the player is shown running the opposite direction in stills, for some unknown reason--until the end of the sequence arrives, with the player arriving back home and meeting their mom outside their house, going back home after such a long adventure while strains of "Aspertia City" echo in the final seconds of the track. What a heartwarming image.

3. Ending Theme (Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl) - composed and arranged by Go Ichinose

Listen to it here.

Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl are, in my opinion, two of the most beautiful Pokémon games to date, not because they're particularly high-quality in graphics or sound (the fifth generation of games would go on to outclass them in both departments), but because something about the game's graphics and sound makes them absolutely perfect for the game they're attached to. The soundfont is clean and appealing to the ears, in part because it doesn't make much attempt to sound realistic like later games would--it exists in a not-quite-synthetic, not-quite-realistic gray area that few other games do, and it's maybe this bias I have toward the sound that's causing me to list Diamond & Pearl's thoughtful, sweetly-layered "Ending Theme" track above some others that have more melodic appeal. The intro for this one is nostalgic almost by default, the melody invoking memories of youth and a peaceful time that maybe never even existed, before the fast-paced middle section (including a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to "Route 225") livens things up. I especially like the way the track just sort of fades away with a bit of cool jazz improvisation, in contrast to the grandiose conclusions to most of the other ending themes.

2. Ending "Onward to Our Own Futures" (Pokémon Black & Pokémon White) - composed and arranged by Shota Kageyama

Listen to it here.

Pokémon Black & Pokémon White are likely my favorite entries in the series--something about the completely fresh character and Pokémon designs, the ambitious plot (a first and, as it currently stands, last for the series), and beautifully realized environments with each town completely distinct from the last just completely captivated me from the first moment I started up the game. Though its blocky 3D textures and pixelly animated sprites were made obsolete just a scant two years later with the release of Pokémon X & Pokémon Y, leaving the fifth generation largely forgotten, it holds a special place in my heart. The ending theme for these games is fast-paced and strangely dark compared to the other games--I definitely get more of a sense of "black" than "white"--and complements the quickly-scrolling credits, abruptly placed after the downfall of Team Plasma rather than the defeat of the Champion (another unique attribute of these games). It incorporates a lot of elements of "N's Castle," and Kageyama seems to notice the similarities, arranging elements of this ending theme into the "N's Castle Medley" found in the newest Super Smash Bros. Either way, this theme really gets my heart beating.

1. Ending Theme (Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire) - composed and arranged by Go Ichinose

Listen to the original here.
Listen to Shota Kageyama's arrangement in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire here.

The "Ending Theme" of Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard, from a video game otherwise. Its tender melody, so memorably heard here on piano and complemented by a nostalgic montage of all the Pokémon caught by the player throughout the adventure and a simple, beautiful animation of the protagonist riding a bike, fills my heart and puts a lump in my throat everytime I hear it. Though Shota Kageyama's arrangement in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire is fuller and richer due to the sound, it gets an honorable mention to the original, which is superior due to the lack of other material; the new arrangement incorporates elements of several themes heard around Hoenn, which is nice on the ears but tends to completely overshadow the more poignant, lovely "Ending Theme" music that only appears to bookend the track. Still, it gets second place. Please listen to them both if you haven't heard them before.

There you go! Hope you enjoyed reading this! Comment if you want, it's always appreciated!
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

K-NiGhT

I pretty well agree with this list. I do think that numbers 9 and 6 could be a little higher, but that's just my opinion. Good list!
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on April 28, 2015, 06:48:06 PM
what are you doing stop making nsm a better place by spreading happiness

SlowPokemon

Thanks!! Yeah it was difficult to rank them!
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

SlowPokemon

Game Review: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
System: PlayStation Vita / PlayStation TV
ESRB: M (Blood, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence)

The Danganronpa franchise is known for its particularly unsettling tactic of mixing its cruel violence and emotional punches with a sense of wicked comedy and stylish visuals. This is taken up to eleven in the latest entry, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls which lives up to its odd but appealing title. Not quite a straight sequel, Ultra Despair Girls serves as a sort of spinoff title that takes place between the other two entries, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Rather than a visual novel format like those other two games have, this one takes a different direction by making its gameplay that of a third-person shooter, offset by frequent sequences of visual novel-form story and animated cutscenes (both 2D and 3D). Initially I was rather skeptical of this format, since at its core Danganronpa is all about its narrative, but it ended up working surprisingly well, especially for someone like me who likes his games more reading than playing.

I'd like to start out by saying that the game's plot, which might be mistaken for throwaway or unnecessary by someone hearing about the game, is basically up to series par and weaves a tale that actually ends up filling in the gaps between the other two games very well. In fact, after experiencing this title, I can't imagine the Danganronpa canon without it. The only downside is that although it takes place between the first and second games, it's definitely meant to be experienced after those other two--since extreme spoilers from the first game and mild spoilers from the second game are essential to the plot, it works best as a retroactive viewing. It's got plenty of knowing winks and fanservice, and honestly, the way it blatantly spoils the events of the first game can be rather jarring. That being said, it's nice to know that Spike Chunsoft wants to appeal to its existing audience first and foremost, rather than making the game accessible for everyone. Newcomers will probably get through the game and enjoy it easily, but won't appreciate the story nearly as much.

The player will take the role of Komaru Naegi, the younger sister of Trigger Happy Havoc's protagonist, and attempt to escape Towa City, which has been overrun by the Ultimate Despair group and exists in utter chaos. Whereas in the other two games, the setting is a very closed environment with limited knowledge of the outside world, here we finally get a sense of just how affected the world is. And it doesn't disappoint: truly, this is a world that has fallen prey to "the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history," and the game doesn't want you to forget it. Ultra Despair Girls is at its core even more disturbing than the prior entries, since the antagonists are children. Led by the so-called Warriors of Hope, five particularly nasty little boys and girls whose aim is to cleanse the world by ridding it of all adults, the town's children have all donned Monokuma masks and are on a mission to kill anyone who isn't a kid, aided by thousands and thousands of giant Monokuma robots. The prologue alone shows adults lying defenseless on the street being ripped to shreds by giant Monokumas, and it's honestly pretty jarring to immediately follow that with a news broadcast during which the Warriors of Hope murder an anchorman on live television and use his body like a puppet, all while giggling and having fun. The fact that all adults not important to the story are represented by featureless, purple-and-blue silhouettes does little to ease the shock of seeing their bodies strung up in strange positions or being poked at with sticks by kids--all just in the background during normal gameplay.

That said, the story is incredibly well-written, as we've come to expect, and the Warriors of Hope turn out to be very interesting characters with very clear motives for their actions. Implications (and later, outright statements) of parental abuse of all forms are handled with appropriate seriousness and sickening realism, so much so that if any players are easily bothered or made uncomfortable by discussions of child abuse--and especially child sexual abuse--I can't really recommend this game, as it doesn't pull any punches.

The gameplay, unlike the story, is something of a mixed bag. The shooter sections are serviceable and they work properly, and I really couldn't have asked for anything more from a visual novel series, but players more familiar with the genre will be disappointed and bored by the long stretches of dialogue and cutscenes between (and during) gameplay sequences, as well as the too-easy and hint-plenty design. The game offers you the chance to use the serial killer Genocide Jack when things get tough (even offering unlimited use of the character in the easiest game mode), but honestly it wouldn't be that difficult to just use Komaru to shoot her way through all of the Monokuma bots. There are collectibles and extra items that trigger bonus conversations scattered everywhere, and it's worth going out of your way to find them (not just because they're not difficult to find in the first place). I even ended up really enjoying the gameplay sections and was pleased to find that they didn't overshadow the main plot of the game; in fact, I rather enjoyed the opportunity to fully explore the stylish environments of the Danganronpa universe for the first time. Jagged structures, jabs of bright pink blood splattered in various places, and increasingly nightmarish Monokuma designs (I'm looking at you, Junk Monokuma) make for a very distinctive, aesthetically-pleasing experience. It's worth noting, though, that I ended up playing the majority of the game on my PlayStation TV. This game does not play very well on the Vita, with the controls feeling very awkward and clunky.

And the sound? It's maybe the best we've heard yet from the masterful Masafumi Takada, who arranges old tracks with impressive flair while relying on new themes to set an audio stage completely unique to this game. My personal favorite is his "Wonderful Dead" theme that's arranged no less than five ways throughout Ultra Despair Girls, its groovy melody and smooth, jazzy vocals fitting in with the previous "Beautiful Death" and "Beautiful Ruin"

An iffy sequence that's sexual in nature aside, Danganronpa ultimately (pun very much intended) lives up to fans' expectations and delivers a lengthy (about 20-25 hours) adventure ripe with interesting and well-developed characters, very black comedy, and indeed two fantastic leading girls surrounded by ultra despair. It's not quite as good as either of the previous entries, and I'm definitely looking forward to Danganronpa 3 which has been confirmed as a return to the visual novel format, but Spike Chunsoft has really impressed me here and shown that they really can make any kind of game work for this series. There's another novel available after the game is completed, titled Ultra Despair Hagakure, that provides more insight into the Danganronpa canon, so all told this game will last you at least 25 hours of solid gaming experience before throwing in any New Game Plus activities. It's very much worth its price. Ultra Despair Girls is the rare spinoff that doesn't feel like a spinoff, and the only thing you'll be despairing for at the end is the next entry.

Graphics: 7.0/10
The hand-drawn character portraits are as beautifully jagged as ever, keeping with Danganronpa's distinctive art style, but the 3D textures and models don't have nearly as much charm. The quirky "2.5-D" look of the other games is also gone, making for a more typical presentation.

Sound: 10/10
A wonderful soundtrack, with plenty of new and old tracks alike. Voice acting is at a high point for the series, and though the Japanese voice track is strangely not present, it's apparently going to be released as free DLC at some point, so there's no real problem there.

Gameplay: 7.5/10
The third-person shooter segments are serviceable and actually pretty enjoyable, but the real reason the game works is because the gameplay knows when to stay out of the way of the madcap, superior story segments.

Plot: 8.5/10
The weakest Danganronpa narrative, but that's not really such a bad thing. It's got a group of lovely, well-written and well-developed characters, the standouts being the two leads, whose relationship really gets a lot of attention throughout the experience.

Overall: 8.0/10

You'll like: The stylish look and sound of the Danganronpa universe and the insane, wickedly enjoyable narrative.
You'll dislike: The gameplay segments' tendencies to be too easy (this game is rated M, and I'm pretty sure even children would find the difficulty patronizing) and the occasionally slow pace.
You'll love: Shooting Monokuma in his smug little red eye. Even after killing hundreds and hundreds of these guys, it doesn't get old.
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

blueflower999

Would you say you were disappointed in this game when compared to previous entries?
Bulbear! Blueflower999

mikey

so what I'm reading is that fans DIDN'T want a sex scene
unmotivated

SlowPokemon

Quote from: blueflower999 on September 12, 2015, 02:23:48 PMWould you say you were disappointed in this game when compared to previous entries?

I wouldn't say disappointed because it was actually better than I expected. I was expecting a spinoff that didn't have much to do with the main games, and what I got could be compared to the Investigations games--removed from the Ace Attorney main games but still part of the canon and unmistakably an Ace Attorney game. The differences that make that comparison not perfect is that this game was somewhere between as good as the first and second Investigations games; a lot of the returning characters were really prominent, important ones, and the information it had about the Danganronpa canon actually related pretty heavily to the main games. But still, I guess I'm trying to get across that it was advertised as a spinoff but actually fits in well with the main series. (That was way too long, I'm sorry)

Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on September 12, 2015, 02:28:16 PMso what I'm reading is that fans DIDN'T want a sex scene

When it's nonconsensual and involves a child, yeahhh it's not exactly erotic
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.