New Post

So, it's been a couple days since I posted last, and until now I had nothing worthwhile to actually say. But, now that I have a couple new games, it's time for a new post!

First up comes Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. Recently released for the 3DS, Soul Hackers was originally a Sega Saturn game and a Playstation release, but before this release it had never received an English release. It follows a group of hackers known as the Spookies as they delve into the secret underworld within Amami City.

 
Basic plot out of the way, gameplay hearkens back to old school first-person dungeon crawlers, while also giving you a lot of story through visual novel type segments. In combat, you control a total of 6 party members in combat against demons. You are given the option to fight the demons or negotiate with them - your character becomes a summoner, and you can choose to try and get stuff from the demons you end up fighting. It's an interesting system, one that is very easy to figure out. By fighting, you get more experience and magnetite (the element that allows you to summon demons). By negotiating, you can get smaller amounts of magnetite and experience, or even items and new demons. Figuring out a balance between the two is part of the major challenge in the series
 
The game is brilliant, though I haven't gotten too far into it. Still, I love the premise of every game in the series, so I'm expecting an amazing game.
 
Anyway, next comes Age of WuShu. I mentioned this last update, and gave it a try. What I found was an interesting game with too much uncertainty.
 
Graphics-wise, it's gorgeous. Even on the middle settings, I'm amazed at how pretty the landscape is. On higher settings, it's magnificent - turned it up to see what it looked like. The art is phenomenal.
 
Unfortunately, that seems to be what the budget was spent on. Aside from an autopathing engine (which removes much of the surprise of discovery from MMOs), the game bored me. The quests don't give you directions past 'Go see Gao Shun' so you're forced to rely on the autopathing engine to get from place to place. Couple that with the fact that you don't know what's really going on in the game as a first-time player, you have a lot of handholding in the game, which makes it even less interesting.
 
The game appears to be based primarily around PvP and Guilds, so if that's your cup of tea, the game is for you - once you figure out what you're actually doing, which could take hours. However, I wasn't impressed with the system past the gorgeous graphics. Combat is pretty, but just as boring - you end up monitoring a rage mechanic while also using a bunch of skills.
 
So, with that, my post is done. Final verditcts for those who decided to skim the entire post:

• Devil Summoner Soul Hackers: If you love JRPGs and First-Person Dungeon Crawlers, this game is for you.
• Age of WuShu: Only for those hardcore enough to sit through an hours long tutorial.