Trails in the Sky shine so Bright!!

In amongst the fans of the Japanese video games, Xseed as made quite a name for itself by localizing and publishing niche Japanese titles in the American market, which otherwise would had been ignored by bigger publishing companies. Xseed’s resume is indeed an impressive one with some good solid games published on multiple gaming platforms from the likes of Wild Arms 5 (PS2), Lunar Silver Star Harmony (PSP) or Fragile Dreams (Wii). Xseed has also partnered Marvelous Entertainment USA to co-publish a few more titles with Rune Factory Frontier (Wii) as the main attraction of the said partnership. The creation of the company is one of the better legacies of the last gaming generation which is still relevant in the HD era.

As impressive as all this may sound Xseed needed a proper AAA title to stamp its authority on the localizing market. Enter Nihon Falcom and their flagship game series on the PC, Legend of Heroes. Nihon Falcom has a knack of creating very robust RPGs with fleshed out battle systems and intriguing settings. Legend of Heroes: Sora No Kiseki was a PC game trilogy which was a big hit in Japan when it was released in 2004, while the ensuing sequels have also garnered massive following. It was a logical move when a port of the game series appeared on the PSP (Japan only) that the series truly hit cult status. For the non Japanese speaking public they could only watch at the sidelines, hoping against hope that some company would translate the game and release it outside Japan. It was really out of the blue when in 2010 Xseed announced a partnership with Falcom which would see release of not only 3 Y’s games in the space of 3 months but also the first chapter of the Sora No Kiseki series in 2011. Dubbed Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, was to become the most exhaustive undertaking by the company as the game had a staggering amount of text to be translated: 1.5 million Japanese characters to be precise! But when the game came out rest assured the efforts of the localizing team at Xseed had out done themselves as the translated script was full of witty and hilarious dialogue and characterization which went swimmingly with a fascinating story along with some solid RPG action. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is the company's best work to date and easily one of the top PSP games.

So at first I wasn't all that impressed with the game as the first 1-2 hours lurched at a snail’s pace, the graphics weren't exactly great and the lack of voice acting soured the deal for me, but I stuck with it. And the more I played, the more I started to realize how the much game reminded me of some of the top RPGS of the PS1 era. Games like Grandia, Breath of Fire or Thousand Arms came to mind as I delved deeper into Trails of the Sky and that fact alone made it stand out among its peers. Characterization and dialogue were uniformly awesome with great banter among the characters, the sense of adventure and wonderment is prevalent throughout while the game play mechanics were slick and polished. If the game would had come out back in the day it would had been hailed as one of the greatest but even as it stand right now its still an awesome game for the PSP.

As for the general plot, that too adheres to the blue print of the 32 bit RPGS of the PS1. Basically the plot revolves around our two protagonists Estelle Bright and her adopted sibling Joshua Bright as they make ways around the Liberal Kingdom training to become Bracers; an organization that helps the people in need: be it killing monsters, upholding the law or doing things for the well being of the people. And through their training they meet and befriend new people as they slowly get embroiled in a huge conspiracy against the crown. It’s not as cliché as it sounds because the writing and pacing is excellent (something bigger companies can re-learn from this title), introducing new plot twists in each of its first 3 chapters, culminating in everything coming together in the final chapter. The ending does a great job in tying up loose ends, while opening up a whole new can of worms for the sequels. I really enjoyed the plot and the characters of Trails in the Sky and can’t wait to get to the conclusion of this inspired trilogy.

Legend of Heroes: Trails of the Sky is a turn based game but Falcom has added a few new wrinkles to the system which makes it a fresh entry. The fast pace of battles and the tactical nuances made the system deep yet rewarding, almost as good as the perfect turn based systems found in Persona 3 and Persona 4. More often than not I would actively be going out of my way to fight beasts and monsters as I trekked along the countryside or deep, dank dungeons. Another cool aspect was how slowly my characters leveled up as the final levels of my characters stood at 36 which made all the unnecessary level grinding a chore of the past. I also really enjoyed how the side quests were handled as well and due to their bite sized nature side questing didn't feel senseless or boring. It made balancing story progression and side-questing an enjoyable ride.

Some of the best moments of the game were undoubtedly the 4 main cities which the characters visit. Each of the cities has its own vibe from the sleepy town of Rolent to the industrial hub Zeiss. Talking to NPCs of these cities would always yield some interesting tidbit about the events that are taking place or stuff about the city they inhabit.

But perhaps the most awesome features of Trails in the Sky are the main characters. Although they do conform to the anime clichés but they still come off as refreshing and full of personality. Be it Estelle’s over exuberance, Joshua’s grounded sensibilities or Oliver's egotistic behavior, they all come off as quite endearing. It all helps with the stellar localization done by Xseed which sees such eccentricities come to life and how!.

Most people who will cast their eyes on the visuals of Trails of the Sky will NOT like them one bit. The game does not look that hot, even for a PSP game, but as a wise man once said ‘beauty is only skin deep’. The same can be said about this game too as once you get past the retro 32 bit look of the game, you will notice good amount of details in the environments. The towns are filled to the brim with small neat touches, the in game cut-scenes have loads of diversity and the battle visuals are quite easy on the eyes. Then again the game will NOT win any beauty pagents but that does not mean the game is awful looking, I would call the visuals.….charming!

Ok time to wrap this up: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is a great PSP game and a really neat JRPG in its own right. The games does not reinvent the wheel but rather adheres to the typical JRPG mantra, but is presented in such a way that it makes for solid gaming. The story doesn’t takes itself seriously for most the game, the characters and relationships are both funny and touching, the game play mechanics add little nuances to the turn based system which keeps the system fresh and fun, and the huge world to travel and explore is downright addictive. PSP is really on its last legs but it still is chugging along willfully as Trails in the Sky still has 2 more sequels to come out to finish the trilogy. So hear me now Xseed: You better not pull a fast one on the PSP owners and the fans of this awesome game by not bringing out part 2 and 3. We want these games NOW!!!

My play through was 47 hours, 14 minutes and 28 seconds (47:14:28) while my rating is a solid 9!

Pakistan Zindabad!!!!

64 years ago a nation was created which aimed to become the bastion for Muslims around the world as well as safeguarding people from any religion while following the methods prescribed by the Holy Quran and the Prophet of Allah (P.B.U.H). Yes the country has faltered and now stands at the brink but we Pakistanis (regardless of race or religion) must unite and for once work for the the betterment of the country. May Allah grant all Pakistanis deliverance from a corrupt Government and May Allah smite all the enemies of Pakistan. May Allah bless Pakistan and every Pakistani with His Ultimate blessings and make Pakistan a great nation in the future. Happy Independence Day. Pakistan Zindabad!

Finished Mass Effect 2.....

Mass Effect 2 is quite easily one of the best games I have ever played. The breath of it’s epic scale, the magnificent sci-fi motif which rivals some of the best sci-fi works seen in movies, the huge cast made up of humans and aliens, each one with a story to tell, and of course the hybrid shooter and RPG mechanics all made for one awesome game which I would had not played if Mass Effect 2 had adhered to some of the Western RPG (WRPGs) clichés which I have come to hate. But thankfully Mass Effect 2 is an awesome beast of a game that will easily go down in my all time favourites list (a list which mostly comprises of JRPGS).

To say that I’ve had a sordid relationship with WRPGs is a bit of an understatement as every time I have taken the plunge to engross myself in a block buster game I have been bitterly disappointed. Throughout the last decade I have tried to play and ‘hopefully’ enjoy a game of this genre but it has always resulted in varying degrees of disappointment: be it the 90’s juggernaut Diablo 2, BioWare’s own Baldur’s Gate 2 or the fans favourite Planescape: Torment. It all came to a melting point in 2004 with the release of Fable for the Xbox as it became my most hated game of the last generation and I am still confused at why Fable has received 2 sequels and a lot of good press. For 4 years WRPGs became a no go zone for me as I was (still am) happy with RPGs of the Japanese kind, but when the first trailer of Mass Effect started to appear on the net I became genuinely intrigued. Here was a WRPG which was not set in a medieval fantasy setting and nor did the game play resemble anything like any other game of the genre. And by the time I finished Mass Effect I had become a huge fan of BioWare and as well as breaking my WRPG ‘fast’. But I did not imagine that the sequel would be so good that I would end up buying BioWare’s other WRPG franchise as a result.

Mass Effect 2 literally makes a mockery of the original!! If I compare both the games, Mass Effect feels like a broken, glitch ridden and clunky game: Mass Effect 2 is THAT good. Sequels are always better than original games, but Mass Effect 2 just takes this notion to another level. It seems that BioWare took everything that was good in Mass Effect and just cranked it up in terms of improving on those bits: the meandering plot narrative is replaced by a rollicking adventure saddled with a sense of urgency and desperation, and while Mass Effect 2 is the second part of the trilogy, its plot was still amazing and acts as a catalyst for the events in the final game of the series. The characters have added depth, complex personalities and twisted past and getting to know them and their past makes for some very interesting conversations and plot points. Return of some of the old members made the whole experience a bit more…. personal. The massive amounts of tweaking in the shooting mechanics made the cumbersome action sequences from the original a forgotten anomaly and made Mass Effect 2 game play more fun and tactically rewarding.

Combining action and RPG genres have been done before with games like Deus Ex or System Shock 2, but BioWare’s effort in Mass Effect 2 deserves special praise as the game has totally perfected the hybrid genre and raised the bar for other developers. The shooting segments were fun as well as having all the strapping of an action game like for example the cover system which was much easier to use, or the bevy of weapons which could be researched and upgraded. The new tactical commands, (which personally I didn’t use much), was also a neat addition. But the major complaint I have with Mass Effect 2 was the stripped down (nay dumb downed) RPG mechanics, and as an action RPG this was a bit of a moot point for me. There were very character customization options to choose from, there were no options of customizing weaponry or armour. I am hoping that if BioWare can address this issue in Mass Effect 3 it will be awesome!

Mass Effect 2 production values are staggering esp. the audio aspects. The visuals are really good considering that I never regarded the Unreal Engine to be capable of producing beautiful and detailed graphics. Some of the planets were downright magnificent as were some of the indoor environments. Facial animations were off the charts as every emotion was captured with insane detail while the general animation is also really good even though sometimes they would be a little wooden and stiff. There were quite a few instance were the visuals were not that good for example there were few occasions when the textures loaded a little slow, nowhere as bad as in the original but there were quite noticeable. Some of the characters supported the ‘vacant stare’ syndrome which was really creepy and kind of distracted me. But still the graphics are really solid which makes for a fine looking game.

The voice acting is really top of the line. Every voice actor has done a tremendous job in ensuring that the characters all sound natural and convincing. The cast members have some of the big names of the voice acting industry which includes the like of Ali Hillis, Steve Blum and Jennifer Hale as well as stars from movies and television like Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Tricia Helfer and Ynvonne Strahovski and their performances dispel the theory that big stars make the worst voice actors. Martin Sheen is one fine example as his performance as the mysterious Illusive Man was excellent. But one thing is for certain though that WRPGs uniformly have some of the best voice acting, far excelling ones found in 60% of JRPGs, and Mass Effect 2 is no different.

Ok so now to THE most important question: which one of the fine ladies in Command Shepherd harem did I explore the romantic angle of? At first Miranda Lawson (modelled on the lovely Ynvonne Strahovski) was the most obvious choice and I was doing everything as prescribed on online guide sites to further the relationship between Miranda and Shepherd. But half through the game that focus started to waver with the introduction of the biotic Samara, the calm and wise yet deadly Asari Justicar. Too bad that the game didn’t let me (i.e. Shepherd) go after her but the seed of doubt was sown. When Tali Zorah van Neema (member of the original game as well) was brought in the fold it really make made me forget about the buxom temptress and go for the ‘alien next door’ type!

There is something about Tali, even though she wears a full body suit and a mask, which has made her a cult figure amongst Mass Effect fans: Is it her personality, or her independent pilgrimage or her voice, I sometimes wonder. Even in Mass Effect I always enjoyed conversations Tali and Shepherd would have and now with the romancing option available I was more than curious to explore that path (to be little disappointed by how the whole thing ended..Let’s just say it was…tasteless). So yeah, Tali is also my favourite character followed by Samara, hell the entire cast was a country mile better than Mass Effect 1 and I cannot wait to see what new characters are introduced in the final game.

I take my RPGs very seriously, so I was taken aback at the pure awesomeness of Mass Effect 2. As I mentioned earlier I consider Japanese RPGs to be the ultimate representation of the genre and I still am on the fence about the typical Western RPG (with BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origin I am more than willing to try though), but Mass Effect 2 is just too good to be ignored. Every aspect of the game show cased BioWare’s high calibre as a celebrated game developing company. It is very easy to see that this game was a labour of love where everything made sense from the battle mechanics to the awesome story. Mass Effect 2 is a genius of a game that will go down as one of the best RPG ever made and anybody who knows me and my fanatic support of JRPGs; this may be one hell of a comment! My playtime: 36 hours 2 mins and my rating: 9.4.

Operation Rainfall

I am more than a little surprised at Nintendo of America (NOA) stance of not bringing 3 original Wii games in the US. Xenoblade Chronicles, Pandora's Tower and The Last Story are the games in focus of an aggressive online petition where the fans (including me) have been raising our voices in an effort to make NOA bring these games in the US. Operation Rainfall got my attention a couple of days ago on Siliconera and was intrigued at the epic scale of this petition. Unlike a normal online petition the fans have taken steps of pestering NOA on their Facebook and Twitter pages and pre-ordering huge copies of Xenoblade Chronicles on Amazon (still named Monado: Beginning of the World on the site). This prompted a rapid response by Nintendo on Facebook promising the fans an update soon much to the delights of fans and instigators of Operation Rainfall. Now I don't live in the US myself, but I want these 3 games to come out in North America so that I too can have a chance to import these games.

Today NOA gave the update which wnet like this:

"Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so here it is. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!"

I am still perplexed at response. Sure this looks like a normal PR reply, but for us fans it feels like a blow to the gut. What is really bugging me is why is Nintendo being so stingy about Wii RPGs, considering that Nintendo's own DS has been a RPG haven, both niche and mainstream. Yet when the fans are clamoring for 3 of the finest games on the system (in Japan these games have been pretty big), they are showing the cold shoulder. The kicker is that at least one game can actually make it to the US. Xenoblade Chronicles has a solid September release date for EU territories i.e. the game script is already translated in the English and yet NOA is acting like it doesn't care about the hard core fans. It's beyond logic!

But rather being angry, I am still hopeful. While browsing GameFaqs I read a wonderful reaction by a user named ignasia7, whereby he said that getting a positive reply so early into the operation is asking for too much and that the fans need to step up efforts while being cordial as the fact remains that this operation has made NOA get up and take notice. After reading this I can't help be a little optimistic but still think that one last push may be required to make NOA yeild. And if they do yield then this act will be considered as rebuilding bridges for the hardcore audience who felt betrayed by the Wii casaul angle and while also helping Nintendo in the long run with the Wii U on the horizon.

Till then I can only hope that these games do end up getting an American release, while in the worst scenario I can always import the game from the UK!

My most anticipated RPGs of 2011: Day 9

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten – PS3 – 6^th September (NA), Q3 2011 (EU):

Nippon Ichi was always a peculiar game company which has made a name for it self by developing and publishing quirky and niche game titles without ever having a break out hit, a game which would put the company on the gaming map. 2003 was year when the company truly announced that they had arrived when they released Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PS2, and the thing which stood out the most that the game was still was a niche game! Disgaea was a SRPG through and through with the grid based mechanics, literally more than a hundred levels to gain, micromanaging the party with unhealthy amount of customization options and hours and hours of game play, all set in a weird and totally off the wall setting of the Netherworld. The game was not moody or twisted but was riotously hilarious with superb zany characters from the main protagonist the egoistic Laharl, or his mischievously evil vassal Etna to the bumbling angel Flonne or the super hero with a massive, ironically, hero complex. Many of the cut-scenes were really funny with pop culture references, raunchy under tones and generally wackiness, all done with top notch voice acting. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was, as aptly put in GameSpot’s editor Greg Kasavin words, ‘consider Disgaea one great big thank-you card’ as the game is bursting at its seams with SRPG goodness and the game ushered a deluge of SRPG games for the PS2 which bloated the system library of RPGs to dizzying quantity.

Henceforth Disgaea became the brand name which Nippon Ichi wanted. The inevitable sequel and the handheld iterations gave the brand good credentials and became the grind fest for that serious RPG nut! But with the HD generation in full bloom fans expected Nippon Ichi to atleast update the look of this now venerable series and this is where the company faltered as the PS3 entry of the series looked EXACTLY the same as its PS2 predecessors with the same flat 2D sprites and uninspiring drab background art . For me Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice was a huge let down as the game really looked bad so much so that I didn’t even bothered buying the game!! Even some of the review stated this fact, and although visuals don’t make a game awesome, as the classic Disgaea fare was present, but the look of the game just killed it for me. I guess Nippon Ichi took the disappointment of the fans to heart as when they announced Disgaea 4 for the PS3; they went about in providing what the fans wanted.

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is set to become the first game in the series with crisp HD visuals. The whimsical look of the series is still intact with but now every sprite, background and the visual novel sections boast clean and detailed graphics. This is the look which Disgaea 3 should have had but it’s heartening to see that Nippon Ichi does have the ability to create HD graphics and its apparent that this time around they not left any stone unturned in their pursuit of giving a HD Disgaea game.

The plot also has all the strapping for a laugh a minute roller coaster ride. Like previous Disgaea games, this game too takes place in the chaotic Netherworld and tells the travails of Valvatorez and his struggles to usurp the throne of Overlord with the help of his werewolf servant Fenrich and Fuka, girl with anger management issues and a wannabe Prinny (the exploding penguin mascots of the Disgaea world). You can just tell from the outset that the plot will be rife with comedy and over the top situations, exactly how we Disgaea fans like it!!

But that’s not all, the developers have added loads more to the game play fodder with more crazy skills to perform, the whole throwing mechanics and tower attack system has become really insane (and silly), a new Punishment system (take it how ever you please!!), new character classes, a monster union mechanic, a map creator, an online mode, loads of DLCs (whew) which will make more a deep yet out of this world experience for the PS3.

Sony machines have historically been RPG power houses, but the PS3 has been lacking in that department, but with system now finally firing in all cylinders, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is the perfect sort of RPG to woo back those who had become disenchanted with PS3’s lack of quality RPGs. And if NIS America (Nippon Ichi North American arm) takes full advantage of the space afforded by the blue ray format and ensure that the whole game is fully voiced, has dual audio options and gives a sparkling and comedic localization, it will only bode well for the game. So after a couple of tumultuous years for Nippon Ichi in the financial circle and still seeing the end of the tunnel, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten will elevate the company back in to the lime light and bring its awesome series back in to form for the HD generation.

Finished Valkyria Chronicles 2....

I bought Valkyria Chronicles 2 a week after its release. Being a huge fan of the original, when the news that a new Valkyria Chronicles was coming I was ecstatic. Initially I was kinda bummed out the game would be coming on the PSP and not the PS3, but once good reviews started rolling in and when I watched the video review on GameTrailers all my anxiety vanished. And once I fired up the game and started playing, I instantly knew I was playing a pretty special game.

What impressed me the most throughout my playtime is how polished and deep the battle system had become from the original with its varied missions and the customization options. The core battle mechanics (called the BLITZ) are the same as before and so were the different classes, but this time around new classes have been added, and that turned the whole experience on it head. I now had control over elites and specialized units such as the Gunners, the Fencer unit or the support unit in the Anthem Corps. Every class can be outfitted with modern day weaponry according to their respective class so the shock trooper can equip machine guns, scouts can equip rifles and lancer can use rocket launchers. Due to the increase in classes the level of tactics change dynamically in every battle which paved a way for exciting scenarios and strategies. So maybe for the next Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3, the fleshed out system used in VC 2 can be adopted, which will definitely equate to some awesome game play.

On the presentation front, VC 2 gets the job done and in style. The graphics doesn’t strain the PSP hardware in any way, but the game still looks really solid. The character designs, animations, background art and the manga style cut-scenes shine quite nicely on the PSP screen and makes for some good eye candy. A handful of anime cut-scenes are also present and they are rendered quite well. All on all Valkyria Chronicles 2 makes a strong showing in the graphical department.

The game has a lot of voice acting as all the important cut-scenes are voiced, but the game is not fully voiced as many of the expositions are text based supported by voice clips; hearing Avan Hardins dumb laughs got really grating at times. But still the quality of the voice work is commendable and unlike normal JRPGs many of the voice actors have done a great job in sounding convincing and natural. Sure there are a few performances which were spotty but Avan Hardins (Jason Spisak) and Zeri (Crispin Freeman) were the real standouts.

Another strong aspect of the game are the characters. Don’t get me wrong as many of the characters are your run of the mill anime clichés, but there are more than a handful of well developed characters in the main characters roster as well as the supporting cast. Avan Hardins and Zeri were easily the best ones and here’s how: Avan Hardins quality as the leader of the pack and his undying determination against unnerving odds gave the character real depth. Although on first impression Avan’s character came off as callous, but as the game progressed I got swept up in his enthusiasm and the trust he had in his comrades. Zeri is the no nonsense and strong headed Darcsen (a minority and a discriminated race), but his struggle to bring good name to his reviled race was quite inspiring and I could not help but root on his character, coupled with a few awesome moments in the game made Zeri a very good main character. But on the other spectrum some of the main characters were not as impressive especially the character of Cosette Coalhearth, the demure damsel in distress archetype. Oh and talking about characters a welcome addition to VC 2 are the Classmate missions, small bite sized mission which help unlock new skills as well as conclude some personal bits for the characters, this made my get really close to many of the team members.

Anyways now to the some of the things I didn’t like in the game: First off was the story which was just decent and no where on the level or scale of the original. The saga of a rebellion after the Europan War had a lot of potential while the whole concept of genocide against the Darcens was also quite intriguing but in the end it kind off petered. Valkyria Chronicles had a great plot with some truly outstanding twists and turns and the non-preachy anti-war approach, the plot was tightly woven and had some amazing heart wrenching moments as well as the satisfying ending. In comparison VC 2 plot came off as pretty weak, although the story revolved around a rebellion and the ensuing civil war, it wasn’t as bold and hard hitting as the original. And while I didn’t mind the whole high school/military cadet college setting of the game, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something more edgy would had been much more appreciated.


In my opinion the biggest criticism I had with VC 2 was the plot narrative. In the original every battle, every skirmish, every cut-scene had some weight to it, where the epic scale of war was felt in every action I took. The narrative was told through a book show casing the struggles of Squad 7. In VC 2 the story is told via small snippets of random class banter along with story related segments which muddled the story telling process. Even in the mission structure I would have to play through 3-4 meaningless missions to get to the next story mission which just didn’t go down well with me. I mean I couldn’t feel connected to Class G’s aspirations and because of that I was more than a little annoyed at VC 2’s approach

Another aspect of VC 2 which I did not agree to was the change of the graphical style from the original. Valkyria Chronicles’s water colour like aesthetics were quite incredible and such visual splendour still has not been replicated. At first I would think that due to the hardware limitations such aesthetics would be nigh impossible for the sequel, but as Valkyria Chronicles 3 for the PSP shares the water colour look of the original, I cant help but be disappointed by the graphical style of VC 2. Although there is nothing wrong with the anime aesthetics of game, but if your compare it with original it just looks very jarring.

I could had played this game a lot longer as after the game ends, new missions open up to gain extra mileage, but I didn't even bother as once I finish the story mode of any game I lose incentive to keep on playing.


In conclusion despite a few misgivings I found Valkyria Chronicles 2 a really addictive game, and in that essence a quintessential game for the PSP. The deep battle mechanics, variety of mission structure, good graphics makes Valkyria Chronicles 2 is fine achievement for the PSP and fans of the series will really dig the game. My play time: 50 hours, 2 minutes and 26 secs. My rating: 8.8.

My most anticipated RPGs of 2011: Day 8

Solatorobo: The Red Hunter – DS – July 1^st (EU), August 2011 (NA):

In most things in life, time has the ability to change everything. This notion is also true for the video game industry. Staples which were considered as irreplaceable and being the norm of the industry have either been reworked or cast away out right. One of these norms were games which had anthropomorphic characters as their main leads which in itself gave birth to some of the most iconic characters in the industry. From the likes of Sonic and Crash to the modern day Banjo and Sly Cooper, these characters (or lovingly known as ‘furries’) were dime a dozen from the SNES days right down to the PS2 era, at times there seemed no stopping such characters from sprouting up in most games. That all changed when the current generation was ushered in late 2005, as the furries were put on hold and game developers started focusing there energies in created sophisticated, true to life graphics and believable worlds. Although I still have mixed feeling about this trend, but the fact remains that with the evolution of technology, such a change was all but inevitable. So where does that put the furries? Sure a few developers are still interested in creating games with furries, but not as many as before. So hence the game which is featured in this post comes as a pleasant surprise, and like cherry on top it’s a RPG. Match made in heaven if you ask me!

Solatarobo: The Red Hunter for the DS is the spiritual successor to an old PS1 cult hit, Tail Concerto. Both these games take place on spectacularly fantastical worlds which are inhabited by furry humanoid characters. One of the main features shared by both games is Mechs, elaborate robots used for travelling, warfare and every day use (something very similar in those anime with huge mechanical robots). Tail Concerto came out late 1999, developed by Cyber2Connect and published by Atlus, and while it did not win any awards, players were hooked on to the play mechanics and the quirky setting of the game world, and since then fans have to clamouring a sequel to the charming title. In early 2010 Namco Bandai announced Solatorbo for the Nintendo DS, and Cyber2Connect were behind the development, and that unlike the original this game would be an action RPG. Although it has taken the usually localizing shy Namco Bandai a while to announce an English version, the game is finally prepped for a summer release. For a small number of loyal fans this is great news, and for people like myself who didn’t play the original this will be a good way to check out why Tail Concerto gained a loyal following, although both games are very different in nature.

The game takes place on the floating islands of Shepherd Republic where the inhabitants are made up of dog and cat like creature. The story picks up when the protagonist, Red Savarin, a hunter by trader, is commissioned to retrieve an important document from some ruins. The plot is not the most original but it seems to get the work done, while the characters conform to the anime aesthetics. Personally I was intrigued the moment I watched the long trailer from last year’s Tokyo Game Show, as the game looked quite spiffy, with incredible 2D back ground art and solid 3D graphics (something which DS struggles with), while the game mechanics seemed interesting with the meshing of platforming, adventuring and RPG mechanics which come in the form of customizing the aforementioned mechs. The game visuals are a treat in my opinion, and will even call it the best looking DS game yet. The levels of detail in some of the backgrounds are astounding and I can’t wait to see more of this beautiful world. The cut-scenes look quite amazing as well presented like a graphic novel, and it all looks really polished.

The game not only looked amazing, but what really attracted me was the comeback of the furries and the crazy world which the game takes place in. As I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago how the industry has moved away from this trend and are more interested in creating amazing graphics, so in that regard Solatorobo: The Red Hunter represents a return of innocence, and that is why this game became a part of this list. And with just 10 days to its release, the anticipation is growing steadily.