Video Game Tag

I was tagged on Youtube by a friend, GeneralJReviews, who did a video entitled "Video Game Tag Questions". I was tagged in this video to answer a few video game related questions, so I thought that I would answer them here instead of in video format. 

Q: What is your favorite video game of all time?

A: Tales of Symphonia.

I love it so much in fact that when I first started my blog, I did an entire post about it here. So if you want me to explain in more detail, feel free to read about it there. It has been my favorite game for many years now for a multitude of reasons. It holds very fond memories for me, as well as being a kick-ass game in general that I have spent hours and hours replaying. It also introduced me to the JRPG genre, which has become one of my favorite genres over the past few years. I could gas on and on about it, but plain and simply, yes, this is my favorite game.

Q: What is your favorite video game genre?

A: RPG/JRPG's

It's very difficult for me to choose a favorite, as there are so many different types of games over an array of genres that I love. I would have to say though that RPG and JRPG's are in my realm of comfort, skills/abilities, and also provides me with what I look for in a game. I'm very much a grinding, completionist, 40+ hours of gameplay type person, so I've become quite accustomed to the genre. I don't always find it necessary to really immerse myself into a game's "world" so to speak, but most of the time I do, and that's what I love most about RPG's. 

Q: Earliest game that you remember?

A: Banjo-Kazooie

The N64 was my first ever console. I remember unwrapping it for Christmas one year alongside Banjo-Kazooie. I begged my grandparents to help me set it up and after that, there was no turning back. They had this massive TV from the 90's that must have weighed 50+ pounds. The brightness was so incredibly low that I could barely see anything, but it was still one of the highlights of my childhood as I sat there glued to the TV.. loving it all the same. From there, my N64 collection grew and it became one of my most played, most memorable and most loved consoles.

Q: What game are you most looking forward to?

A: Resident Evil Remastered

A lot of great games that I was looking forward to came out in the last year, including: Dead Rising 3, Wolfenstein and The Evil Within. When I caught news of Resident Evil being remastered I couldn't contain my excitement. Not only was I extremely impressed by what screenshots (some shown above) that have come out, but I was also excited at the prospect of playing an already great classical game with what will hopefully be better features. Hopefully the controls are a little bit better and the "fear factor" will be cranked up a bit with some better graphics. I absolutely cannot wait.

Q. Least favorite video game character?

A: Ashley Graham from Resident Evil 4 and Roy Earle from LA Noire

This was a tough question to answer because I couldn't really think of many characters who stood out in my mind. Many game villains are very well done and interesting. I sort of 'love to hate them'. There are other characters that stick out in my mind, sure I don't like them, but I don't really hate them. 

However, Ashley Graham will forever be one of the most infamous "terrible escort mission" type of characters that will be forever ingrained in my memory. I've disliked her the moment I laid eyes on her when I first played Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube back in 2005 and my feelings haven't changed much since. She exists only to make your job a pain in the ass. She is absolutely useless in any sort of situation, can't jump off of buildings or ledges on her own, has no awesome moments or amazing one liners, has no combat abilities whatsoever and is constantly getting in the way. Her only mode of defense is to hide in garbage cans, and frankly, that's where she should stay.

-----

While I hate Ashley purely for the fact that she's annoying, she's never really done anything to make me as the player hate her for any other reason. I had to put Roy Earle from LA Noire on this list too though, because I dislike him for a whole set of other reasons.

I mean.. just look at this guy. You can tell he's an absolute sleazeball the moment you lay eyes on him, and he doesn't fail to deliver in that regard. Although I only played LA Noire recently this year, Roy Earle still sticks out to me as somebody that I just have a burning dislike for. 

Rockstar did a good job in making an antagonistic type character who is so unlike the main protagonist in comparison. I can only try and describe it as "You fuck with the character that I'm controlling, you fuck with me." Is that weird? Like his actions against the main protagonist are something that I seemingly take personally, even though it's playing out for me and they're only characters in a fictional piece. It's a hard feeling to explain, and one that I don't think I've ever had for any other character to date that I can at least think of at the top of my head.

Q: Who is your favorite video game character?

A: Link

It's a big world of gaming out there, but there are certain characters for each and every one of us that really stick out. For me, that character is Link from the Legend of Zelda series. He is the unsung hero, bound by fate to save the world. He is the single shining example of actions speaking a thousand words. The silent protagonist who never has to utter a single word in order to make an impact. The blonde boy in the green tunic who is always stumbling out of bed to start a new adventure. He is simple, modest, honest and a true hero the people of Hyrule.

He has been by my side throughout my entire gaming life and I have nothing but the upmost respect for him. 

-----

Those were the six questions included in the video game questions tag. A big thank you to GeneralJReviews for tagging me for this. I tag anybody who wants to take part and answer these questions for themselves! 

5 Pink Haired Ladies

Pink is my least favorite color. Ever. However, there are beautiful piles of pixels in games who deserve to be spotlighted for how they pull off the color pink. Some deadly, some cute, and some just plain stunning.. here are five ladies of the gaming world who can wear pink at any time they damn well please! These are in no particular order.


-----

1. Lightning & Serah - Final Fantasy XIII

I totally understand why Snow was so hellbent on saving Serah. Girl is HOT. All jokes aside though, Serah is also sweet, and the more helpless of the two sisters. She's the one being saved, rather then doing the saving. The few cut scenes you do get of her in the game really made me wish there was more of her, and a part of me just really likes her. I find her to be absolutely adorable, and she compliments Lightning's personality perfectly, being everything that Lightning is not.

Lightning on the other hand, is quite the opposite of her sister, but equally as hot. Lightning is one of the main protagonists of FFXIII, and you get a lot of character development on her throughout the game. She kicks ass, and looks good doing it. Her moves in battle are quick, sexy, and everybody loves a girl who can take care of herself right? Lightning will need no saving, as she's tough in both battle and in mind. Lightning may seem bitter, and hardened, but her dedication to her mission and friends is something that makes her all the more desirable. 

2. Myuria Tionysus - Star Ocean: The Last Hope

I'm surprised that the enemies aren't dazed and intoxicated by her beautiful flowing hair, among other things. Myuria is so much more then that however, and she's one of my favorite characters from Star Ocean. Not only beautiful, she's an irreplaceable part of your party, as her magical abilities and summoning is incredible useful... and deadly. 

Like a lot of beautiful women in video games, Myuria seems mysterious, flirty, but also a tough character to open up to. Fear not though, as Myuria is a very well rounded character with very human like characteristics and a very heartbreaking back story. Oh, I've always had a thing for elves, so add more points for those sexy ears too! 

3. Presea Combatir - Tales of Symphonia 

Ah, Presea. Although 12 in terms of appearance, there is much more to Presea that meets the eye, but I won't spoil that for those of you who have never played Tales of Symphonia. ;) Being that Tales of Symphonia is my favorite game of all time, I'm a little biased when I say that I absolutely love Presea. 

Presea's story is a complicated one, and absolutely breaks my heart. I love Presea more for her incredibly complex story and how she plays into the game more then I do her looks, but that doesn't change the fact that she rocks the pink hair! A tiny 12 year old child wielding a gigantic axe is badass, wouldn't you agree? Also, the custom outfits you can get in the game for her are all flippin' adorable and make you go, "awwww!" 

4. Estellise Sidos Heurassein - Tales of Vesperia

Try saying her full name 5 times fast! 

Estellise (or Estelle for short) is decked out head to toe in pink, but I love her for it! 

Estelle is a young noblewomen, a Princess in fact, who has never seen the outside world before she sets out on an adventure with the main protagonist, Yuri. As you can imagine, this makes for hilarious dialogue on her part, and her innocence makes you shake your head, but laugh at the same time.  

Estelle is reserved, compassionate, caring, and her unique sense of humor and words of wisdom makes me really love Estelle as a character. Not to mention that her place in your party is vital, as she's your white mage and one of the main players in the game. A damsel in distress at some points, a great friend and party member at others, Estelle makes this list, easily. 

5. Leslie Ferrarti - Arc Rise Fantasia

Leslie is one of the only characters on this list who is only here strictly for her mannerisms and looks, as everything else about her is painfully average. Leslie is the typical flirty and seductive type. She know she is good looking, and she uses that to her advantage, seducing men all the like. It suits her character perfectly, and I can't imagine Leslie covering up, as she just wouldn't be Leslie! As for what else she brings to the table, she's a character that frustrates me, but in a tragically good way. Because of Leslie's mission, she is constantly torn between sides, and after betraying you, she'll turn around and try to make it up to you. 

Part of me is constantly frustrated that she won't pick a side, but another part of me misses her meddling when she's not around! Leslie is talented with her hands (as one can imagine) and wields her gun in a deadly, fast, and sexy fashion. Her flirtatious ways with your male party members can also be comical, and deep down she is determined, despite her exterior.

-----

There you have it! Five ladies from games that I have quite enjoyed. As I said, completely random, and there are definitely more ladies out there who deserve some credit! I want to do more lists like these, so please leave suggestions in the comments! I hope that you have enjoyed this list. 

My Favorite Game!

TALES OF SYMPHONIA

Yes, Tales of Symphonia! My favorite game on my favorite system. Tales of Symphonia came out on July 13th, 2004 for the Gamecube (and is also available on the PS2). It has a high rating by readers, raters, and players alike. A jam packed RPG containing two disks, I would recommend this to anybody who loves a classic RPG. I'm going to tell you a few things I love about this game.

Now mind you, I don`t know EXACTLY what it is about this game that I adore to pieces. I have played so many RPG`s in my time.. but there is nothing that can even stand up to the godliness that is Tales of Symphonia. Maybe I`m a bit of a fan girl for the game and never tried to understand it, but really, when you love something, how easy is it to ever explain?

This is in no way, shape, or form a REVIEW. I don't like to think of myself as a review person.. because I'm honestly not good at it. (I'm never stern enough to review good and bad parts of a game..) I am just going to be sharing with everybody why it is that I love the game (because generally people want to know what it is that makes the game your favorite), and it might just inspire you to pick up and play this magnificent work of art. 

-----

5 Things I Love:

1.  Battle System: The battle system in the third person, in real time. Turn based systems are good for the strategic type, and I have played multiple RPG's with different battle systems. I can say for certain that real time combat is my favorite. Being in third person you not only feel like you get to watch the whole thing happen before your eyes, but you're also the one controlling it. It's fast, it's fun, and there's nothing better then beating the snot out of monsters without having to wait your turn! Hell, who has time to think? I actually WANTED to grind and run into every single enemy because the battle system wasn't unbearable for me.

2. Characters: CHARACTERS, OH MY GOD.. YES CHARACTERS. Seriously. Don't even get me started. Maybe I freak out a bit too much over the characters.. but oh man.. Sure, you have some of the "typical/stereotypical" characters you find in many games. But even if that is the case, you can relate to them in some way or another. If you can't relate to them, you can at least empathize with them and say to yourself, "Yeah, I can see why you would act/feel that way." There is not one main character in this game that had me saying, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, I hate you sooooo much." With most games (or maybe that's just me), you generally have at least ONE character that's like that. But not this one! Every character has something to bring to the table, and they all compliment each other beautifully. The developers also did a phenomenal job linking some of the characters together (when you find out things later on in the story line). All of the characters are all very well rounded, and very developed. Hell, you know, even the bad guys aren't so bad. The main characters are the best by far, but really, the game didn't do such a bad job on the baddies either. Most of them are much more complex then they seem at first. 

3. Storyline: Storyline.... is what I live and breath for. I have a hard time playing a game without storyline, which is why games like Minecraft are uninteresting to me. Storyline is for me, what makes a game a true masterpiece. I think it's because everything has been done before.. and gamers are constantly looking for something unique and captivating. I'm not going to give any spoilers about the storyline itself, but I'll tell you what it is that I love about the idea around the storyline. It starts with a simple idea.. one that's easy to follow. It slowly adds on (keeping you entertained at the same time mind you), and then BAM you get hit with HUGE twists and turns. Now, generally, I get lost at the twists and turns trying to piece everything together. But.. the thing I admire most about the storyline is that it adds on throughout the whole game, but it never confuses you. You get character development, storyline development, twists and turns.. and all of that good stuff, but it's all very well explained and executed. The best thing? It never stops with the storyline development... and it never stops keeping you guessing, or theorizing. HUGE plus for me. There is nothing more that I hate then when a video game just... stops with the story line and only focuses on game play for the next little while making you wonder when it is you're going to get more development. Sure, they do go a little quickly for some.. but I think its perfect. The storyline is one of my favorites in any game in the face of the earth, and they made it easy for my dumb ass to understand. The two go hand in hand.

4. Artwork/Design: This game... is beautiful. Sure, it's not the most "graphically" beautiful thing compared to today's standards.. but you still have to appreciate it. The bright colors are what do it for me (did I mention I like bright colors?) Just like with the Wind Waker.. I'm a sucker for the beautiful, bold, bright colors. The colors really do set the mood, because they stand out so much. I think it adds emotion to what's going on in the story. You're listening to what's going on.. but you're also seeing it. I'm not much of an artsy person, and so this section  may not be described as technically or as clearly as it maybe should be. it's hard to put into words what I'm trying to express... but do you know what I mean? The design of this game is great too. All of the areas you visit are all vastly different from the last, and each place leaves you with some what of a memorable picture of the area. The world is creative, bright, and diverse. There are no towns or dungeons that are really a gigantic eye sore, and I think the creators and designers worked very hard to make the artwork and colors flow nicely with what's going on in the story. Does this make sense? I don't know. JUST KNOW I THINK THIS GAME IS NICE LOOKING, OKAY?!

5. Music: Now.. I know a lot of video games have nice music. So I guess this one is tough to say that I love it over all video games. Nonetheless, I think it deserves mention. I think the thing that catches my attention most about the music is that it's always so suiting. The music always feels so.. natural. Like it belongs. It's not overdone dramatically to make you pay attention to it... you just take note of it naturally, you know? There's not a lot of "recycling" (putting the same track into a bunch of areas) which I appreciate. It makes each area unique and special, and the tunes just add emotion. It makes an area more dramatic, more devastating, or cheerier. I think good music really adds to a game, and I very much enjoyed the music that were incorporated into this game. Again, I'm not a huge music "expert", but just know that again, this game has some very fitting music.

-----

There it is guys.. I know it seems like I just wrote a damn essay, but I could easily go on. I have spent over 800 hours of my life time playing this game (although arguably, I think it was paused for a good chunk of that time), and I never get any less tired of the game each time I pick up that controller. Every time I pick that controller up.. and I see the game come up on my TV.. I smile all over. Maybe this is a creepy fascination with the game I have, or maybe I'm simply crazy. All I know is that, as a gamer there are games that you like.. and games that you dislike. Then... there are games that you love. Games that make you want to play the next game, and the ten more to follow. The games that you love.. inspire you to keep going. To find the next game to make it in to your "I love this game so much" list. Tales of Symphonia made me fall head over heels in love with the RPG genre. It has touched me in ways I never thought possible, and there will never be enough words to describe how much I love it. I will keep searching to find my new "Tales of Symphonia" - a new game that makes it right up there on the list of things that are more to me then just a video game. It's like reading a good book.. or watching a really inspiring movie. Sure, it's just a book.. just a movie.. or just a video game, but there are connections that you make that nobody could rob from you.

I don't know if I'd ever do a Let's Play of this game.. because I hold it so sacred. I feel that I could never do the game justice, and that my work would never be good enough. I think that when you love something..  you tend to critique yourself harder then you normally would because you want to give back to something that gave you so much. I'm still in a toss up about it.. maybe in the future when I am 100% comfortable with my abilities as a Let's Player. Either way, I've wasted enough of your valuable time. I know this was incredibly long, but thank you so much to anybody who bothered to read this whole thing! Kudos to you!

Leave something in the comments telling me what your favorite game of all time is and what it means to you! Am I the only one who has a crazy obsession with a game like this? Probably. But if not, I'll feel a little better about myself! Thanks everybody.