Review of The Turing Test

I recently finished playing The Turing Test. I have to say that it was a thought provoking experience that also managed to have stimulating and engaging game play. Although I thoroughly inspected each area, visited the secret rooms, listened to the audio logs and paid as close attention as I could to the dialogue throughout the game, I found myself still full of questions. After my review of the game, I'm going to post the game's events as I understood them in another post. Then, in another blog post, I'm going to address all of my burning questions. I really have a lot to say about the game, so splitting it up into three parts may make it easier for users to read. 

What is The Turing Test? 

The Turing Test is a first person puzzle game. It has puzzle solving aspects similar to Portal and The Talos Principle. There are 7 chapters, each with 10 puzzles per level. In each chapter, there is also a bonus challenge puzzle. When a new room is entered, a snippet of dialogue will feed the player the story in small increments. When the end of a chapter is reached, a non-puzzle room (I like to call them "story rooms") can be explored for audio logs and areas to inspect to get more of the game's story. Puzzles will scale up in difficulty as the game progresses, and each new chapter will introduce a new mechanic. The character we control is a woman named Ava Turing. With the aide of an AI named T.O.M, we progress through the game, solving puzzles and learning as much as we can about the situation we find ourselves in. This is the best overview I can give without giving away any spoilers, at the very least!

My Thoughts

Here is where I should probably talk about my experience playing before I go off on a conspiracy theory ramble on all the game's plot devices! I'm going to discuss pros, cons, and what I managed to piece together about the plot, before discussing any other possibilities further. While the overview didn't have any spoilers, I cannot guarantee that the next few sections won't. 

Pros

1. Very stimulating. The puzzles really hit the sweet spot on difficulty. There are certainly a few throughout that make you think for a bit longer than you normally would. But, for the most part, it scales up in difficulty beautifully and never leaves you feeling stuck for too long. For those new to the puzzle genre or are worried about anything too difficult - don't fear. The Turing Test never leaves you stranded in difficult puzzles that seem impossible to solve.

2. Atmosphere and design. The lack of music in this game fits in perfectly. It's in a space setting, and everything feels very white and 'sterile', but it retains a futuristic look. It's all very believable. Nothing is flashy, but it all manages to look polished. Simplicity is sometimes better. They don't do anything too crazy or go overboard with the aesthetic, but simplicity is sometimes the way to go. Here, it all ties in nicely and it just works.  

3. Interaction between characters. I think that the VA work for both Tom and Ava are done well. There aren't that many words spoken when you consider the length of the game. But, all interactions serve a purpose. Most of the conversation is about a computer's way of thinking versus a human's. Ava and Tom have polarizing opinions about most of what goes on as the story progresses. Tom can only think of what is most logical (as he is a computer), whereas Ava factors in emotions and ethics. In their own respects, both have very good arguments at varying parts of the game. There are times when I found myself siding with Ava, and times when I understood what Tom was trying to say as well. Because the two cannot agree but are forced to work together, there is a lot of great back and forth that allows the player to better embrace both characters and their points of view.

4. Great progression saving. The game saves at the beginning and end of every puzzle. Because each individual puzzle doesn't demand a great deal of time, you can play the game how you want without having to worry about losing data. If you're feeling burnt out after one particularly difficult puzzle, you can simply quit before starting a new one and go back to it later. The 'continue' option right from the main menu will very literally continue you right from where you left off. If you're sure that you've made an error in a puzzle and what to restart, you can simply choose to restart the puzzle you're currently working on right from the start. This is a great system that allows the player trial and error without punishment. If you've missed something and want to replay, you can use the 'chapter select' feature. This will not only allow you to play the previous chapters, but you can individually load which puzzle in the chapter you'd like to start from. I was so happy when I saw this after missing one secret room. I knew the general whereabouts of where it was, which was pretty late into the chapter. Luckily for me I could position myself right where the secret room was without having to replay the entire chapter. 

Cons

1. It begins to feel tedious the longer the game is played. At first, ten puzzles per chapter doesn't feel like a lot and you are able to breeze through them pretty quickly. But as the story picks up in the later chapters, I find myself really wanting to rush through the puzzles so that I can focus on the story instead. The puzzles introduce more mechanics and become more time consuming, so rushing through isn't much of a possibility. Although I appreciate the predictable formula that stays true to itself, it makes it difficult to appreciate the puzzles in later chapters. The game shifts drastically to the plot, but the game doesn't do much in the way of game play to help draw focus away from the core puzzle solving mechanics.

2. No subtitles for audio logs. Even with subtitles turned on, there are no subtitles available for the audio logs that you can hear throughout the game. Sometimes it can be hard to hear and the voice clarity isn't very good. The only option is to repeat each audio log until you can get a full understanding of what's being said. This feels inconvenient, especially to those trying to get the most out of the story.  

3. No way to zoom in on any readable text or documents. All of the text for things that Ava can find such as email correspondence, labels/writing and documents is all very small. I also didn't find a way to rotate items that can be picked up in all directions, making reading things on a slant or an angle even more difficult when interacting with certain items. I found myself having to squint trying to read things. Some of the documents that Ava comes across are quite important and help to piece together the overall picture. I found this to be a major oversight that once again felt very inconvenient..

4. An underwhelming ending. The game has a few different possibilities for endings, but they are so similar that it almost doesn't matter. I didn't feel very satisfied with the conclusion at all. They really amp the story up in the later half of the game, but it comes crashing down with an ending that feels rushed or incomplete. I got the impression that I would get much more closure than what the game presented. The final choice in the game doesn't exactly feel like much of a choice, since you are never shown the ramifications of your actions regardless of what you do. It almost makes giving a choice pointless. I believe that giving the player a choice is more symbolic than anything else. One of the game's themes is free will. By giving the player the free will to do what they want at the last moments of the game, it reinforces the thought of free will and the consequences of our actions. Up to the point before the ending, we haven't been given much choice and are more or less just following orders. It also forces us to think about whether we agree with Tom or whether we identify more with Ava. Despite this, the choice still felt shallow and unsatisfactory. 

Thoughts on Yooka-Laylee

I finally finished the main story of Yooka-Laylee after about 16 hours of play time. I've been dying to put my thoughts about the game as a whole down in writing. I'm going to be listing the pros and cons about my experience playing this game. 

Keep in mind that I was not a Kickstarter backer. I was aware of this project when it was announced, but after it so quickly raised $1 million dollars, backing it hardly seemed necessary. I was excited at the funds raised though, and hoped that Playtonic would follow through with their plans on delivering a collect-a-thon title that reminded us of the "Rare" era of games from the Nintendo 64 (Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie). 

Things I liked..

1. It was true and genuine on what it said would be delivered. 

I was pleasantly surprised when Yooka-Laylee really did feel like playing a new Banjo-Kazooie game, simply replacing the bear and bird with a chameleon and a bat. Yooka is identical to Banjo in personality, and Laylee's personality mirrors Kazooie's. It didn't feel like a lazy "clone" type design choice on the part of the devs. It still managed to feel fresh and fun, was designed well, and the dynamic between the two really is a highlight. The game features inanimate objects, animals and other creatures (like BK/BT did) that all speak using sounds as opposed to words (and googly eyes are back!) This is one again a classic throw back to the Rare games and it instantly brings a wave of nostalgia along with it. 

The funny sense of humor and puns are also back. The controls are much more refined, although I did feel like the camera still needed some work at times. Players advance very similarly as they did in older Rare games - by collecting items, learning moves, completing challenges/puzzles, and exploring new areas. The collect-a-thon is back in full swing, and all of the collectibles all still happily dance! ♪ A snake named Trowzer (I see what you did there) now serves as your guide on learning moves in the different worlds. You will need to learn all of the moves in order to make progress, and back tracking to previous levels is also present. They've even brought back the quizzes!

2. Appealing visuals and audio. 

This game just puts you in a good mood. The art style fits the feel of the game perfectly. It's bright, it's colorful, and it has great sound effects and music. It never felt "too cartoony", and really brought back nostalgia of graphics from the Nintendo 64 era. They get an A+ for presentation.

3. Varying difficulty for players of varying skill level. 

Since there are 25 pages to collect in each world, there is a good chance that you will be able to collect a great deal of pages without having to go that extra mile. They've thrown in a variety of different challenges to obtain a 100% completion rating in each world. However, they are very generous in not halting further progress if you'd like to move on to another world and try again later. For those of you out there who like to try and get everything, you'll certainly be met with some challenges while trying to get a few select pages. For those of you who simply want to play the casually, it won't be taxing or stressful to get enough pages so that you'll be able to progress. 

4. Expanding each world is satisfying. 

It's always fun to see something grow right before your very eyes. In Yooka-Laylee, you use your pages to expand each of the five worlds. Rather than go to many different levels, they instead chose to make the five that they have as expansive as possible. It's really amazing to see just how big each world can get, and it really makes you eager to explore every last inch. 

This is also a good way to keep the player from feeling overwhelmed. It's much easier to track your progress by slowly expanding the world, rather than being presented a large world right away. You can explore an area, and once you're sure you've done everything, you can move on to the next area. Each time the world is expanded, it presents different challenges and gives the world a new look.

5. Not overly demanding or time consuming.

This is a very easy game to just pick up and play. It has auto saves, and if you quit, it will automatically save your progress. When you load, it will load you next to the world that you were last in, so it's easy to find where you left off. There are status screens for each level to let you know just how much left you have to complete. My play through took me roughly 16 hours (blind). I was very slow and took my time, but even still, this isn't a lot of time for somebody who only has a free moment here and there to pick up games for an hour or two at a time. 

What I didn't like...

1. Repetition

I'm not saying that other Rare games (or games in general) don't have repetition, because they do. But it's enjoyable repetition. Yooka-Laylee just doesn't have enjoyable repetition if you're not giving yourself enough time in between play sessions. There are several tasks in Yooka-Laylee that I wished I was able to avoid altogether, but unfortunately, it was present in every single level. The "Kartos Mine Challenges" were the worst. These stages are a direct throw back to Donkey Kong mine cart stages.. although it's a nice throw back, I found them challenging and frustrating. Finishing Kartos' challenge in each level is required for a Pagie. In Stage 4, you MUST complete his challenge in order to fight the boss for yet another pagie. 

Rex's arcade games are another example.  You will be able to win two pagies from Rex in every world: one for completing his games, and one for beating the high score. While the mini-games themselves aren't bad, having to play them more than once is awfully repetitive. Rex is another character who appears in every single world, with the same objectives in every world. With Rex and Kartos combined, that's already three pagies in every world guaranteed that I'm already dreading have to attempt.

There are also a lot of timed "go through rings" challenges and timed challenges. The game needed much more variety in puzzles and challenges than what was presented.

2. The Transformations

The transformations are by far the biggest disappointment in this game by a long shot. There's not a single one that I thought was very useful or fun. The pirate ship in Galleon Galaxy is about the only one that I felt had a decent amount of use and was utilized in a creative way. 

 In Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, transformations were all used in very inventive and fun ways. From playing mini-games, to solving puzzles, to getting jiggles and unlocking doors. Each transformation gets a decent amount of mileage in the game and feel very helpful. Plus, they are all themed to each world and were very creative. Yooka-Laylee falls short in all of these aspects. Each transformation is good for a few collectibles (if that) and will maybe help you get 1 or 2 of the 25 pagies in a world. Sad. 

3. Confusing Over World

Although the game only has 5 levels, it has a massive over world. This is in part because the game doesn't want you to miss any of the moves that you can learn. It's often the case that you can't advance without learning a new move. The secondary reason is that there are also pagies spread throughout the over world, and they needed to give enough space in order to place them around. Although I understand this, it took me a long time to be able to navigate around Hivory Towers. 

There are shortcuts around, but they don't seem to help all that much. I actually had to memorize which shortcuts led to where, it wasn't something that felt automatic or like common sense. 

4. Few Levels

I know that I put expanding the worlds as a positive, but it's a double edged sword. It was a neat new concept to make each world bigger, but I prefer the old formula that was used: smaller worlds that vary. This makes the game feel longer, showcases the creativity of the game designers and breaks up the monotony of playing each stage for a long period of time. With more collectibles in each level, you end up feeling burnt out faster if you're forced to spend more time in a level you don't like.

One of the things I liked about the older Rare games was having choice. If there was a particular level I was stuck on or didn't like, I was able to spend a minimal amount of time in it before moving on to the next level. With how the game was designed, I would (in all likelihood) be able to finish the game without having to return to that particular level. With only 5 (main) levels in Yooka-Laylee, there isn't much that you are able to skip, and you're still expected to spend a decent amount of time in each level. In my case, the world I was looking forward to was actually the worst level in the game. I couldn't simply ignore it. 

Overall...

I would give this game a solid 7 out of 10. It has many enjoyable aspects to it. I would still recommend this game whether or not you have played the older Rare titles. Fans of N64 era Rare games will be able to relive some of their nostalgia through this game. For those of you who have never played the older titles, you do not have any expectations to compare this game to and you might be pleased with how this game performs as a stand-alone. There are flaws, but no game is without them. I feel as if this was a game that held true to its values and was made with love and care.

Yooka-Laylee is available on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. 

Reviewing: Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is the newest installment in the Resident Evil franchise. After seeing Resident Evil head into the "action" direction for the last little while, have they changed their formula? Does this new release go back to the basics of what Resident Evil fans want to see?

Resident Evil Revelations 2 was released on February 24th, 2015 in North America. The game was initially an episode based release, meaning that one episode would be released per week following the first episode. The game's last episode was released on March 17th, 2015. coming to a final total of four complete episodes.

It features a full campaign, raid mode, offline local split screen co op and two bonus episodes. The formula for the release and Raid Mode were taken from the first Resident Evil Revelations.

-----

Synopsis: 

Members of the anti-terrorist group Terrasave find themselves kidnapped and dumped on an unknown island. Among the members are Claire Redfield and Moira Burton.. These two find themselves being watched by a mysterious woman calling herself the "Overseer." The Overseer communicates to them by means of a bracelet that monitors their fear. Claire and Moira must team up and try and find the Overseer as well as a way off of the island.

Independant from these two, we get the return of Barry Burton, who has come to the island on a rogue mission in search of his daughter, Moira, after learning of her kidnapping. Barry teams up with a mysterious young girl who has a special set of powers in the hopes of finding his daughter.

-----

Pros:

+ Better environment, level and enemy design that bring us back to the "survival horror" genre.

What a relief it was when I encountered my first monster to see that it wasn't some gun toting soldier or pitchfork wielding villager. I feel that games like Resident Evil 5 and 6 really steered away from the traditional zombies in favor of a more action and high paced gaming experience. Resident Evil is supposed to be about horror, is it not? Although I can't exactly say that the enemy designs are scary, they are a step in the right direction... and they do provide some pretty good jump scares too, I will admit. 

There are a variety of different enemies all with different designs, attack patterns and weaknesses that make you utilize each character's unique abilities and to take advantage of the situation that you're in. Playing the first Revelations, the two games do feel very similar in terms of monsters. But.. it's a good feeling.  

There are a variety of different areas in the game all with a great overall feel and environment with none feeling as if they're too out of place. Nothing will ever bring me back to the scary feeling of the Spencer Mansion or the sewers crawling with giant spiders.. but it's a vast improvement from the environments of 5 and 6. 

+ Great character line up, character interaction and unique abilities.. both in single player and in co op. 

Ah, the triumphant return of both Barry Burton and Claire Redfield! As much as I love Leon and Chris, it's nice that they've benched them for a little while to give other characters a bit of the limelight. 

Claire and Barry are both great, providing much of the game's comedic relief with their great one liners and jokes from other Resident Evil games such as the "Jill Sandwich" and "Master of Unlocking." Moira and Natalia work great as side characters who need that little bit of extra guidance from the more experienced in the field. Both teams have great chemistry, compliment one another and work well together.

The partner switching aspect of this game is refreshing. It is also very well implemented. While playing alone, your partner's AI is fairly intelligent and helpful. It also gives you a choice of what play style you prefer. Play as Claire if you prefer guns, or use Moira if you're more of a "up close and personal" melee user. Using Natalia to scout ahead will allow you to more easily stealth a section using Barry. This adds a new dynamic of play to the game that keeps it feeling unique and playable. Moira and Natalia may not be as powerful, but, they do serve an important role in puzzles, opening special treasure chests and finding hidden items.

While playing cooperatively, each person has a set role and must utilize their unique abilities to work together. This is truly a test of what working in a team means. Because both characters are not equal in power, it doesn't allow you to just breeze through a section no problem or to leave your partner stranded while you go on ahead. You have to actively communicate with one another in order to be successful. With all of these aspects in mind, it makes the game fun to play solo or with a partner. 

+ Weapon customization, item creation and a more classic and realistic inventory.

The return of the weapon bench! I loved this addition in Revelations, and I'm glad they brought it back here. Rather than being a one man army with an arsenal of 20 guns, they give you a few guns that you can customize. This way, you don't have to worry about switching out your various guns depending on what you need it to do and it just makes everything a lot simpler. 

If you want those precious gun parts, you've gotta work for them! And once you find them, guess what? They take up an inventory slot! We're going back to the days where key items took up slots in your already very limited inventory. Even though there are upgrades available, I still think that the inventory isn't too big considering all of the delicious goodies that can be found through searching for items. Some people may complain about this feature, but I like it. You can't have it all! Again, it makes it feel a little bit more like something you'd see in an older Resident Evil game. 

Finally, the ability to create and use subweapons just adds a whole other dimension of enjoyable gameplay. This works to your advantage against certain enemies, can give you an upper hand when trying to escape an enemy or attempt a stealth attack and also makes Moira and Natalia that much more useful. The best thing about it is that you're not forced to use them. The game does provide you with a hefty amount of crafting supplies, but it doesn't make the game more difficult if you choose not to use them. Again, it's left up to the player's individual play style. 

A lot of these mechanics come from The Last of Us and the first Revelations game, but they're good mechanics, especially if done right.

+ A variety of different game modes.

Aside from just playing the campaign on different difficulties, they've added the "Countdown" and "Invisible" modes to the game. These add a challenge to the game for those who want something a little bit extra.. You're given a determined set of equipment so that you're not insanely overpowered as you try to beat the episode as fast as you can or while you struggle with your attempts to fight invisible monsters. This tests your skills and memorization abilities and is a great way to provide an extra challenge without making the entire game more difficult for those who are more comfortable and prefer to play in the regular campaign mode.

Oh, and Raid Mode. Raid Mode kicks ass!  

-----

Cons:

- Mediocre story and predictable plot twists. 

Most people who have played Resident Evil will tell you that the story isn't exactly the highlight of the whole thing. Most of the time, the storylines are generally pretty silly and don't take themselves too seriously, so I've tried to keep that in mind here. The exception here was that the game set itself up (at least in my mind) to have this epic story that was going to be told through episode based storytelling. In the end, everything just felt rushed and came crashing down pretty quickly.

Every major twist in the game was utterly predictable. It's a mixed feeling, because it's always nice to be right about something.. but at the same time, I want to be surprised. The first Revelations did the episodic storytelling justice, the game had a great story and everything tied together nicely in a nice finale. I'm not sure why this game felt different. Something felt off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

- No online co op.

We have split screen co-op here, and that's still better than nothing. I was hugely disappointed when I played the first Revelations, only to find out that there was no co-op to be found at all (Raid Mode doesn't count). I have fond memories of playing both Resident Evil 5 and 6 online with friends, and its helped me really enjoy those games a lot more. This game is somewhere in the middle, but with how popular online gaming is nowadays, it would have been nice. I feel like both 5 and 6 had good online play and I think they would have been able to be successful here as well.

I guess the positive point with no online co op is that we don't get any of those terrible online achievements, so that's a bit of a relief. 

- Overly eager attempt at making dialogue funny and "hip".

A lot of games nowadays will add memes and trending phrases into the game's dialogue. I get that its a marketing ploy to target a certain audience, but it feels inappropriate in a lot of cases. Not to mention, picking this game up 10 years later, nobody is going to remember what YOLO means.

This issue is mostly in Moira's dialogue. She's the young tough girl with the mouth of a sailor. I think that they attempted to tried to come up with a more creative and colorful way for Moira to swear, but it comes off as childish. When fraught with danger, asking "what in the moist barrel of fucks is this" takes away from the mood that the game is trying to set. I'm not against swearing, but I think that it's a bit oversaturated here.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Moira as a character. She's got a decent enough personality and good chemistry with Claire that you can overlook her colorful language.. but its hard to. I prefer the cheesy one liners to brighten the mood (and that actually give me a chuckle) rather than trying to express your feelings in a way that will be cool for the kiddies.

- Terrible PC Port.

I own (and have played) the game on both PS3 and Steam. I have to say that the PS3 runs this game much better, which is a shame, especially with the large customer base of PC gamers. The game versions are no different from console to PC, so this isn't an issue with the game itself. They have recently fixed most of the issues that were present when the game was released. But, why release a game with issues from day one, especially when they didn't need to patch the console versions? This is a desperate attempt to cash in on a new game's release without any sort of quality control. Even though they've patched the game and continue to work on it, the damage is done. They've set the standard for what people may be able to expect when buying a PC port from this company in the future. Plus, there still seem to be quite a few bugs that continue to plague some players. 

Some of the issues include: 

• If playing with a controller, you weren't able to get rid of the mouse overlay in game during gameplay or during cutscenes. This has been fixed, but only during cutscenes. The mouse is still present during regular play.
• Massive frame drop and slow down, even with players who have a decent gaming computer and graphics card. Playing with slow down is awful, especially in a game where you're rarely free from enemies. They have released a patch for optimization so it does support higher settings, although some resolutions are still not supported.
• There was promise of split screen co op during pre-order sales, even though Capcom never intended to include this with the full game. They misled people with false advertising to buy the game, only to have those same customers realize it only after the game was released (when it's too late for a refund). Needless to say, there was an uproar about it, and a bit of a petition in the Steam community to include split screen. Capcom listened and they released a patch which now has the co op functionality, although still in Beta. This function worked right from the game's release on console, again proving that the console version is superior.  

-----

While I feel that the first Revelations game really hit the nail on the head at capturing the old school Resident Evil feel and is the better of these two titles, this game is still worth trying. This game, despite some flaws is a step in the right direction back into what it is that we grew to love about Resident Evil. It balances the action with stealth, ammo conservation and inventory management are back in full swing and they have tried to bring us back to the fact that Resident Evil is supposed to be about horror. The positives outweigh the negatives and I would highly recommend this, especially if you liked Revelations. 

Atelier Ayesha First Thoughts

When I heard that Gust was coming out with another Atelier game, I knew I had to have it. My addiction to the previous three games on the Playstation 3 had me wanting more. I pre-ordered the newest game titled Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk and eagerly waited for the day that it would be released. I had high hopes for the game based on how the previous games played, and I immediately started to play on midnight of the release date (March 5th, 2013)

Since the release, I've been playing the game for a few hours a night and have made some pretty good progress. I'm nearly into the fourth year of the game, and I have to say that so far.. I'm feeling a little empty inside. Disappointed isn't the right word since the game is still a lot of fun to play, but something about this title just doesn't quite sit right with me.

The more that I play, the less that I enjoy  it. It definitely lacks that desire to play over and over again like Atelier Totori and Atelier Meruru did for me. However, it may not be fair to judge the game in it's entirety until it's finished, and so I am going to see it through until the end. I hope that it will grow on me and I can learn to appreciate it more as time goes on, although I don't think it can ever replace some of Gust's other games in my mind.

I'm no professional reviewer and I don't have the right to write a "professional" review, because I haven't even finished the game yet. However, I really want to voice my opinion on what I've liked and haven't liked so far. Because the game is fairly new to countries outside of Japan, this may give people a chance to weigh for themselves on whether or not they will be purchasing this title. Here are a few pros and cons on the game thus far. This will contain spoilers.

Pros

1.Synthesizing items has a bit of a new spin to it, but the mechanic is very much the same as the previous games. It's fun and easy to do, and is presented in a whole new interface. Items now have elements and you can customize your item by putting the ingredients in your own order when synthesizing. This makes it easier to create a more powerful item, or to obtain a certain element or trait. This is a very useful way to do things and was very well implemented.

2. All of the environments are all very well done. They are very breathtaking and interesting, and no area feels like it's simply been copy and pasted. It makes you want to uncover new areas, and the developers had absolutely no problem making each area look amazing,  I think that this game has done environments best out of the Playstation 3 franchise of games thus far.  A lot of the areas follow the 'nature' theme that the game has, which has allowed for a lot of creativity. You additionally get your traditional levels like a desert, caves, mines, factories, etc.

3. All of the music in the game is amazing. All of it. I have yet to listen to a song or theme that I haven't liked. Great job to the composer(s), and well done on the placement of each song to the area in the game that best suited it. The battle music has once again been done very well. 

4. Requests are much easier to fulfill. They have crazy long deadlines that allow you to bring the items that are needed without having to worry about travelling. Timelines vary from 300 days to 800 days on average, and the rewards you get are fair for the item that you are delivering. You also get 30 memory points for each request that you do, and they pile up quickly, making it easier to fill entries into Ayesha's journal.

5. Money is easily accessible and easy to obtain (in my opinion anyways), and so that made the game feel a lot less restricting. The shop system is pretty well implemented as well. I spent a lot less time gathering because I could buy a lot of what I needed. I could also register my items at any store I wanted from the get go, which was very helpful. There are many stores that you can visit on the world map, and so stores are not just restricted to cities this time around. 

6. The new battle system is quite enjoyable. Although they stuck with the traditional turn based style, the player can now choose to do a back attack for more damage, or move around the field to gain an advantage. This allows the group members to work in better unison and makes it feel a bit more realistic. It's easier to form a good strategy and to make use of many different techniques. This also keeps the battle system feeling more engaging to the player.

Cons

1. Battling has got to be the most tedious and boring thing in the game, mainly because of the monsters. The battle SYSTEM is good, but that's about it. There are only a handful (maybe less) of unique enemy designs (so far), and the rest are re colored. What an absolute disappointing bore. Some areas have upwards of 10 enemy mobs, and to gain memory points, the game expects you to defeat every single mob in each area. May I remind you too that each mob may contain 4 or 5 different monsters in each battle, which equates to a sickening amount of monster fighting.  This gets insanely boring insanely fast. This seems to take up a lot of your time, when you could be doing something more exciting. You don't always have to do this if you think you don't need the points, but in some areas, it's necessary to clear enemies to gain a new path. The lack of excitement in fighting the same boring battles over and over again  just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Oh, and did I mention that there is not a SINGLE unique boss so far? And that "boss" battles are a pitiful joke?

2. The character development is poor. Within my first two years, I've seen nearly every "friendship" event with most of the characters, and it's ridiculously easy to get your friendship level up to 100. Most events are unvoiced and very brief. Once you learn a little bit about each character, that's about all you get. Characters who join your party seem to do so with little to no reason (in relation to your quest), and heck, Ayesha doesn't even seem to every really mention a whole lot about her sister to most of her party members. Although I like most of the character's personalities, it's hard to like them as a character entirely because I don't know a single thing about them. There's no deep story involved with each character, which makes it difficult to become deeply invested in them or their story.

3. What about the game's story? It starts out strong, but takes a hard plummet from there. What exactly is Ayesha doing anyways? Doing requests, synthesizing and gathering most likely.. because the spacing of the story is.. eh. Ayesha is supposed to be looking for clues about her sister, but that seems to take a life time. When you finally do find something out, it feels unrewarding because of how insignificant the game makes it out to be, and because the game made it so easy for you to achieve it once you got the clue. The execution of the game's story was sloppily done in my opinion, which is unfortunate, because that's one of the main reasons I bought it. I find a clue about Nio and I tell myself, "Oh yeah, Nio. Time to go waste another 4 months doing something completely unrelated."

4. The game is much too easy. It really does hold your hand, which has it's pros and it's cons. Although the game is rated T, I'm sure a younger child playing the game could figure it out very easily.  It's very good about telling you what to do and where to go, but it does it in a way so that you really don't have to use your head at all to figure things out.  I have yet to see a challenging or unique boss battle to this date and I'm almost level 40 (which is sad). It's very easy to level up both alchemy and your fighting level. Enemy levels scale up very slowly, and so it feels impossible to get a real challenge from the game. It's virtually impossible to fail a synthesis, because the game won't even allow you to attempt the item until you are the appropriate level. I have yet to die (or come close to) dying in the game so far.

Reviewing: Final Fantasy: The Crystal Chronicles

My play through of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles was done in the summer of 2011. Although a year old, the videos provide a walk through for the game. It can be watched by clicking here.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a game released to North America in 2004 for the GCN. It is not apart of the main Final Fantasy series, and was considered a spin-off. It features a real time combat system, and multi player with up to four characters when connecting to a Gameboy Advance system. This alone sets it apart from others with the same name. It was the first game to be released in the "Crystal Chronicle" series, and five games in the series later followed. 

-----

Synopsis:

The world you live in is surrounded by a powerful and evil force - miasma. Miasma is like a plague that threatens humanity. It is responsible for the presence of monsters, and is extremely toxic and dangerous to humans. The player must travel across the world searching for myrrh - the only force powerful enough to oppose the threat of miasma. In each town throughout the world, there is a crystal, filled with the power of myrrh, to drive away miasma's affect on humans. It is the player's responsibility to collect the myrrh for their town's crystal. If myrrh is not collected, the town's crystal will lose it's brightness, and it will fade, allowing miasma to engulf the town.

-----

Pros:

1. You're able to customize your main character, and are able to keep up to 8 save files. 

Unlike the main Final Fantasy series, you are able to choose, customize and change your main character. With 32 different character models divided into four different clans, there's a great range of choice that will cater to each player's specific preferences for aesthetic value and skills. Although each clan has specific strengths/weaknesses, they are not limited. When you pick a "class" (such as a mage), you are generally hindered in physical strength, but excel in magic. If you pick a clan that has higher base stats in Crystal Chronicles, you are not limited by that throughout the course of the game. The player is given many opportunities to increase any stats that they choose throughout the course of the game, allowing you to create a fully balanced character, or one that heavily excels in one skill.   

The game allows you to have 8 characters, which gives the game replay value, allows multiple players to use the same system/memory card, and creates choice when playing in multi player mode. Each file has it's own save file attached to it, so you can have up to 8 characters that can be in 8 different places in the story. Additionally, each character that you create will have a changeable name and family profession. Each clan has their own individual crest and weapon set, making each clan unique in their own ways.

2. Exploration and the "open world" aspect that the game is based upon.

To successfully advance on in the game's story, the player must complete three levels per year in order to return home and fill their chalice with myrrh. The player has more and more choice on what levels they would like to complete and where in the world they would like to travel as the game progresses. Because the game is technically "never ending" (if the player chooses), this gives a world of choices, and allows the player to replay levels they favor and to avoid ones that they dislike. This also allows the player to "grind" for stat boosts, items, and weapons without the game play getting stale. This also optimizes single and multi player mode, as some levels are difficult without a partner. 

The possibilities are endless, and it really makes you as the player feel like you are in complete control. Crystal Chronicles features many unique levels, towns, and an over world that is great to explore over and over again. It's a great feeling knowing that you are able to explore every nook and cranny of that world without somebody nagging at you to get back on track. Keep in mind of course that this is not always true, as there are obstacles to complete and requirements to be met to reach certain worlds when the game begins. But, I personally found it very rewarding to have a lot of "down time" in between when I was done with the main story and when it was that I wanted to fight the final boss. I had choice in when I wanted to fight the boss, and until then, I was able to take my time to prepare, and I had a lot of choice in where and how I was going to do so. 

Additionally, while on the road, the game had a series of cut scenes, events and side quests that will randomly happen while travelling. Some side quests and events progress as time goes on, and it gives more insight to the world around you. You also keep a diary with worlds that you've visited, people you've met and important details.

3. The game's unique battle system.

Final Fantasy is better known for a turn based battle system, but because Crystal Chronicles is a spin off, they tried a different battle system with the game that turned out to be one of the most interactive and exciting battle system type that I've played to date. I will admit that the system is a bit clunky at first, but when you get used to the controls, it's easy to handle. 

• You are able to toggle between items, spells, and attack/defend commands in mere seconds, which is great with the fast active time system. This eliminates having to go through menus to find an item/spell, and allows for easy switching quickly. Additionally, you can store life restoring items which is extremely useful if your character has been downed in battle.
• There is a barrier created by the chalice that the player carries. You are unable to travel outside of this circle or you will be exposed to miasma and will get damaged. This creates environmental threat, and it is one more thing that the player must take into consideration when playing. In multi player, it forces the players to work together as a team and to take time carrying the chalice. In single player, your moogle will carry it for you, which leaves you at his mercy if he slows down or becomes stuck. 
• There is a battle condition that is randomized in each level when you enter. In the right circumstances, you can generate points at the end of the level for meeting the condition, which allows the player to get rare artifacts. This also works in reverse if the conditions were not met. 
• There are other benefits to the battle system, such as creating powerful spells with a partner (called spell fusion). Spell fusion allows you to take down difficult foes with a partner, or by finding multiple magical orbs. Spell fusion also allows you to unlock chests and other special things in certain levels.

-----

Cons:

1. The game is optimized for multi-player.

Back before the days of wifi, playing with friends was somewhat of an inconvenience. For those of us without working equipment, multi player was a non-existent feature. Being that Crystal Chronicles wasn't a common game back in the day and nobody I knew had it, I was stuck saving the world on my own. While the game is fantastic and still fun to play on your own, the game itself was optimized to be played with two or more people. 

There are certain levels with puzzles that are nearly impossible in single mode, but simple and easy with two or more people. A computerized moogle that only listens half of the time and has half of the abilities of a human player is much harder to deal with then just having some good ol' fashioned team work. Additionally, some skills are only available in multi-player, such as spell fusion, which by the way, is one of the most useful skills to have in the game. In single player, you need to combine different magic (which you might not even find in a level), or get your moogle to help you (and he'll only do certain spells if he's painted a certain way). Frustrating. I never minded playing in single player much until I played multi player later in my life as a group of three. I then felt like my experience of the game wasn't full for all the years I played it, and I felt a bit robbed. It would have been nice if the game creators weren't so biased for those who didn't have the privilege of being able to play in multi-player. 

2. The lack of weapons and armor.

For a game with so much customization in character design, character skills and a diverse map with many chests in each world, there was a serious lack of different weapons and armor for each class. There was only a handful of weapons/armor for each clan, and the strongest weapons were always difficult (at least for me) to craft. Items and crafting materials were supposed to change with each year, but being that items were completely random, there wasn't a strong chance that you'd be able to fully optimize a character. 

Additionally, a lot of equipment went to waste if you so happened to pick up something that was created for another clan. The game programmed it this way so you could give it to a partner in multi-player, but even then, what if you were all the same clan? It always seemed like a waste to me, especially in single player. That being said, you could always use artifacts to improve strength or defense, but that makes the amount of time you have to play longer. Not a huge flaw overall, but I love having a variety with weapons and armor, as it gives more choice and makes the game more fun. It would have been nice to have an opportunity to mix weapons and armor as well, and not keep them clan specific, but that's just my personal opinion.

3. The game may feel repetitive after a few years.

After 5 or 6 years in game, you should have done the "main" story part of the game. At this point, no new worlds will come into play, and you'll have your pick of where you want to go, but each area will be somewhere that you've already visited. Each world gets more difficult in each cycle, and enemies and chests change each year, but the maps themselves and bosses don't change. Some people may find this boring and be discouraged to quit. If you're not a dungeon crawling grinding type, then it may be hard to see the game all the way through. For me it's not necessarily a con, but for others I can see it being a problem.

-----

With more pros than cons, I encourage others to really give this game a shot if you haven't already. With multiple choices, a game that changes each coming year, a great multi-player system and the non-linear game play, Crystal Chronicles caters to many players. Spin off games are not necessarily a terrible thing, and this game is one of the many exceptions, and is, in my opinion a very successful spin off (even if others don't think so!)

First Impressions: Silent Hill Downpour

It took me 9 hours, but I finally finished Silent Hill: Downpour a couple of weeks ago.  Being that I am a hardcore fan of the Silent Hill series (if you've read my mile long post of previous Silent Hill games), I thought I'd share my thoughts and opinions on the game after finishing it for my first time.

Being that I played the game blind the first time, I played on easy monster difficulty as well as easy puzzle difficulty. It was somewhat of a casual play through, and I missed a lot of collectibles, easter eggs and side quests. I plan on doing a second (at the very least) play through in the future. I managed to get the "Truth and Justice" ending my first time through, which isn't too bad, all things considered.

Alright, enough rambling.. on to the review/thoughts/opinions thing!

Pros

1. Murphy was a great protagonist.

Although Murphy seems to have received a lot of criticism, something about his character made me love the guy. He has a very unique demeanor, and his story and attitude seem to differ from other protagonists in the series. It was a refreshing change from Travis Grady and Alex Shepard, both of whom I'm not too big a fan of.

Murphy, in a lot of ways reminds me of Harry Mason (<3). While Murphy does technically commit a major sin (in all endings except for the A ending), his actions may seem justifiable by some. Murphy is somewhat of a small time criminal, only getting imprisoned after stealing a car and evading police. Besides that, he has a clean record, and seems to be somewhat of an upstanding guy. Murphy's time in Silent Hill (like Harry Mason) seems somewhat unfair, as he can be seen more or less as "innocent" (in comparison to some of the previous protagonists in the series). Murphy feels "real", and he displays such emotion in game that I really do believe that he does feel immense amounts of guilt, and that he is truly confused and afraid.

The symbolism of Murphy being a prisoner "trapped" in his own mind works perfectly, and this reflects on his character even before the events of Silent Hill. Some may find it strange that Murphy is one of the only protagonists who shows true fear, but I absolutely love it. It shows terror in a horror situation, adds a touch of realism, and gives the player a sense of panic. It creates a tense atmosphere, and shows that Murphy isn't an "invisible hero" and that he's just a regular joe. 'Nuff said. Love him. Moving on.

2. References to past Silent Hill games.

Yes, yes, yes! I love references! There were some some very well executed references from past Silent Hill games. Here are some examples:

• An EXACT replica of Henry Townshend's apartment that you're even able to visit, located right in the town of Silent Hill. Unfortunately I didn't get to go to Room 302 during my play through, phooey. :(
• There were a couple of references to Alessa Gillespie, including the presence of wheelchairs throughout Silent Hill, as well as having to chase a young girl as the main character. There is also a portrait of her in the Centennial Building.
• Murphy can examine a photograph and will mention that this "must be somebody's special place." This is a reference to Silent Hill 2.
• There's a large truck that's stopped on the side of the road near the bridge area. This may or may not be a reference to Travis Grady, the main protagonist in Silent Hill: Origins. He was a truck driver who made the mistake of taking a shortcut through Silent Hill.  
• There are many pictures of areas around the town of Shepard's Glen from Silent Hill: Homecoming. There is also a side quest that becomes available on your second play through called "Digging Up The Past." This may also reference Homecoming, as one of the children were buried alive, and his watch can later be found in a casket.  

There's more great examples found throughout the game, so go have a look around. :)

3. They executed the sidequests well, there was a ton of collectibles, and Murphy's diary was interesting. 

When I first heard that there were sidequests in a Silent Hill game I was a little bit iffy on the idea. Silent Hill has always had collecting, but never really doing a lot of mundane quests for the "residents" of Silent Hill. As I played, I really grew to love this feature, as it adds to the "completion" nature of gaming, and it allows you to fully explore the town. You also get some stories, artifacts, and diary entries from it. If you played the game blind your first time like me and are clueless on what it is to do, don't worry! The game allows a "free roam" period before the game's final area, and you're able to back track to several areas of Silent Hill. There's also shortcuts through the town's underground subway to make the back tracking easier and quicker. If the game puts in the feature for side questing, I'm glad that the game catered to the idea of back tracking.

I have no idea how Murphy managed to get a diary (video game logic), but I enjoyed this feature as well. I loved getting the entries scattered through out Silent Hill, and putting the pieces together. I l enjoy back story, as well as character development and information on the town of Silent Hill. I felt that sub character development was severly lacking in the game, and diary entries were one way of making up for it. That is, assuming that you can find the diary entries. It was also convenient that objectives and the map were all kept in the same place. 

Cons

1. The so called "monsters"

Konami, I am disappoint. Please give the original Team Silent a call, because they need to give the developers of Downpour a lesson in scare tactics. The enemy designs were awful for this game. The lack of thought and design, as well as lack of variety was extremely disappointing. Not to mention that there are next to no boss battles, and the regular enemies can be easily skipped, or incapacitated. The final boss was 'meh', and was, in my opinion, very boring. 

Does this look even slightly menacing to any of you?

I miss the scare factor of enemies flying at you, looking incredibly menacing, making you run for your life. These enemies were scattered haphazardly, and were not menacing in the least bit! Murphy wasn't exactly on a field trip, but the Void was the most menacing thing in this game. The enemies also feel out of place, as most have no real symbolism to Murphy's past life in Silent Hill. The ones that do, well.. they used the SAME character design for two enemies. Dafuq?

I played on an easy difficulty, but I do know that on a higher difficulty enemy health is increased. Enemy encounters are not increased, and you would just have to deal with these stupid enemies with the even stupider combat system. Rage. The enemies in this game are a slight annoyance and a nuisance at most, but nothing scary. I'm an incredibly jumpy person, and even I was wondering when it was that I'd be jumping out of my chair. The moment never came. -gonk-

2. The crapfest ending of the game. 

I felt that Downpour was pretty fluid all the way through, and I was really looking forward to the ending of the game. Downpour was a little more "quiet" with lack of great supporting characters, few "Otherworld" sections, and pathetic monsters, but it was still enjoyable to play. I was hoping that the mediocre aspects of the game would be made up with a great ending. A great boss battle, SOMETHING. Throw me a bone here Silent Hill. There's a huge lead up to the final part of the game....

and then there's nothing. 

Although I enjoyed the final "Otherworld" section, the winding down of the game into it's final moments was nearly enough to make me shut the game off in frustration. First of, the game hands out first aid kits, guns, and ammo like it's candy. Secondly, they give you a fucking gauntlet of enemies near the end. What the hell? What's more fun then defeating hoards of the weakest enemies in the game (yes, they put the weakest enemy in the final area of the game -_-) with a shotgun that the game practically begs you to take? Anything. Really.

The ending felt incredibly rushed, and that the developers just got plain lazy. It was developed with next to no thought, no difficulty, and nothing new from the rest of the game. I realize that I don't have much of a right to criticize, as making a game is no easy feat. But in comparison to other games in the series, this ending makes me shed angry fan girl tears. The ending had so much potential, and it was wasted. I wish it at least felt that there was some effort put in, but it feels as if no fucks could be given on the day that they developed the game's ending. I was left feeling almost robbed at the end of the game and was asking myself, "I solved all of those puzzles and went through Silent Hill for this?"

3. The supporting characters. 

I mentioned before that I loved Murphy, and it's incredibly disappointing that no other character in this game reaches a level of being likable like Murphy was.I feel that the character design was sloppy. There was no real focus on supporting roles, and the scarce amount of characters is also a shame. 

*sigh*

Characters that Murphy does run into only make an appearance once or twice, and offer little to no help. They speak in riddles, and all seem to know what's going on.. which is odd. The game has a lazy way of "killing" off characters, and some mysteriously disappear with no real explanation at all. The positive side to this is that it puts more focus on Murphy, and it gives a more "helpless" sort of feeling to the atmosphere. Every Silent Hill game has at least one memorable supporting character or antagonist.. but this game stands out from that, which is a shame, as characters are a large part of what makes Silent Hill so great. Just like the ending, there was potential, and it was flat out wasted. 

Even the main antagonists of the game weren't focused on all that much. While you get the general idea behind the antagonists and the role that they played in Murphy's life, they are not elaborated on much. No awesome boss battles, not a lot of confrontation, next to no focus, and most don't even get much screen time in the game. Silent Hill antagonists are famous for being evil, complex, sick, twisted human beings. They're even characters that you love to hate, and a part of you looks forward to their role in the story. Unfortunately, Downpour fails to meet this standard. 

Overall...

If the original Team Silent had been working on Downpour, I think that this would have turned great. It ranks nowhere in the tier of SH1, 2, or 3, but I still preferred it over Origins and Homecoming.

Although my criticisms seemed rather harsh, I feel that the game is still worth playing (at least once), and it does still include many of the "Silent Hill" aspects. If this is your first Silent Hill game, you may find it more enjoyable then I did, as I compared it to the rest of the games in the series as a whole. 

There is a LOT of room for improvement with this game, which is my main problem. The parts that they did well, they did really well. However, the same can be said about the game's negative parts. 

Feel free to let me in on your thoughts and opinions on the game, and I hope you all enjoyed this rather lengthy post.