A couple weeks ago I read about a new game that came out called Demon’s Souls. The game is for the PS3 and is developed by Atlus, one of my favorite RPG developers. The game is receiving amazing reviews with most being either a 90 or a 100, but some people are still complaining about it. Why are they complaining about it? Because it’s too hard. The game is making headlines throughout the internet because of it’s brutally hard difficulty. Before I get to that though, the premise of the game…Basically you play a guy who died and you’re trying to get back to the world of the living. It’s a hack and slash type game where you pick up loot, defeat monsters, level up, etc. Each level culminates into a big boss battle that is supposed to be pretty damn epic. Sounds awesome, right? Well, how do you feel about death traps? Traps set up to insta-kill you the moment you step near them like the spikes in old Mega Man games? What about no save points, save for one at the beginning of each level…no where else though? How about enemies that jump you at importune moments with a bunch of their buddies leaving you unable to do anything but die miserably? How about losing all your currency whenever you die, and then given the option to go back to you body to retrieve it, but if you die a second time, it’s gone forever. These are the things that Demon’s Souls is being applauded for and also chastised. In my opinion, I find it refreshing.
  
 
  We, as a society of gamers, have sort of de-evolved. Games nowadays are just way too easy to beat. Recharging hitpoints, save sports around each corner, you name it, we got it nowadays . I’m going to go back to the Mega Man series of my childhood because that was a game that caused me to break a couple different sets of NES controllers. Mega Man was a badass, but he could only take one “bullet” and he was destroyed. Knowing this made you calculate each jump, each shot, and each forward motion with t he utmost care to make sure you wouldn’t be replaying the exact same level 30 times. Sure, we had anger issues, but we were damn go od at video games. Somewhere around the time when the PS1 came out, this all went away. We traded hard games with feelings of accomplishment for safe games that we could finish in a weekend. The RPG genre continued down the same path as games before instead removing the hard factor and replacing it with the time investment factor. Recently though, even RPGs can be beaten in a weekend or so.

So, who do we blame for this or do we blame anyone at all? I think it’s due to the general surge in video game popularity that games are becoming so “mild.” Developers know that if they make a game so hard, people won’t play it. Honestly, I’m probably guilty of that too. I work 50 hours a week and in my time off, I don’t want to spend it tirelessly chipping away at a game. I want something fun that I can jump into, get about 2 hours of playtime in, and then jump out. On the weekends, I might have a 5 hour gaming marathon from time to time, but not always. Home duties, family, and other things always seem to poke their nose in and remove any semblance of free time I may have. So, that’s me, what about others though? What’s their excuse? Kids nowadays think FPS games are hard. Honestly, FPS games like Call of Duty and Killzone are probably one of the easiest. Sure, they are amazing fun to play, but your health recharges and you get enough firepower to take out a third world country. That’s not hard. Jumping from ledges as a little blue man in a metal suit while dodging balls of light flying at your damn face is hard. Don’t believe me? Go download that new Mega Man demo on XBLA or PSN. You’ll see.  
 
  Going back to the Demon’s Souls game, I’m honestly thinking about picking it up when it drops in price. Why would I do that when I just said I don’t have time to spend on hard games? Call it nostalgia. I miss tough games. I miss spending time on games. Most of all though, I miss the feeling of accomplishment you get from finishing a really hard level. I don’t subscribe to the theory that achievements and trophies are hard. Sure, some of them are, but most require only time (multiple playthroughs) and luck (kill 5 enemies at the same time with this weapon, etc.). That’s not hard. Clearing a dungeon full of skeletons that block, dodge, and regroup all while avoiding insta-death pits with no save spots is hard.

So, what do you guys think? I think they should bring back more of these games. Maybe have a resurgence of hard games. As the scores on metacritic show, people (well, game reviewers at least) like the hard games. Put out a few more and see how the people react to them. If the game you make is well designed and flawlessly executed, you’ll sell a shit ton of games regardless of how hard it is.

When I first heard about Mass Effect, it was a year before it's release.  I was cruising around on the video game blogs out there and stumbled across a new game being developed by the minds behind KOTOR.  KOTOR, up until the day Mass Effect came out, was my all time favorite video game.  When Mass Effect finally came out though, that all changed.  I found a game world that I truly got lost in.  It had everything I love in video games, a great story, third person shooting, morality, choices, unlockables, love relationships, etc.  This game was everything I had hoped for.  There's something about making a character and living in the world.  Mass Effect placed you directly into the world and threw species, technology, and diverse relationships amongst crew members right at you, one after another...and I loved ever minute of it.  As soon as I finished Mass Effect, I went back to the main screen and started up a new game without hesitation.  I can't say that about many games.

The novels were pretty good reads, but it's not the same as a Mass Effect 2.  I don't think anybody thought there wouldn't be a Mass Effect 2, it was just a matter of when.  Well, the wait is over and it looks like Mass Effect 2 will be coming out...eventually.  Little is known about the sequel to my game of my lifetime, but one thing is fairly certain...Shepard is dead?  That can't be.  How could I die?  I saved the entire Citadel, nay, the entire universe against the fate of the Reapers.  I don't die...I thrive under these conditions.  That's why I think this is just one of those game marketing ploys to get people hyped about a sequel.  Most likely, the story will pick up with Shepard in dire straits and in need of an evac.  Something went down, that was bloody to say the least, and Shepard is definitely down on his luck.  I can't see them killing of this character after the two of you have been through so much.  My guess?  You'll pick up with him as the main character.  I hope I am right.

Over the next few months, I'm going to be watching the video game blogs around the net very closely for more information on this game.  Hopfully my theory will be correct and the fate of the universe will once again rest on the shoulders of Scott Shepard...yeah, I'm that vain, I named him after me. 

I'm an avid FPS fan.  I think the only genre that matches my love of FPS is a good Western RPG (with the occasional JRPG thrown in).  So, it's easy to see why I picked up Killzone 2 on the first day it was available.  I was pretty excited about it, but didn't buy into the big hype train that has been rolling through internet land for some time now.  So, after playing the game for a good 6-7 hours, there are a couple things I love and a few things I'm not too thrilled about.  They are below.

Graphics: Wow.  Just, wow.  I knew the game was going to look good, but this game looks amazing.  It's not evident at first either.  When you see the characters talking, you think, "Yeah, they look good, but they aren't THAT good."  It's not until you get into a firefight in the middle of a refinery type place and see buildings soaring overhead with flags barely visibly blowing in the distance.  With bullets whizzing by, you notice the wall chip off where impact was made.  This game scores an A+ in ambiance visuals.  You can really get lost in this world.

Controls: I'm not too crazy about the controls.  They aren't bad, you can definitely make due with them, but they aren't that great.  I haven't put my finger on why either.  Some people are saying it has to do with the reaction time the game takes to notice you pushed the analog stick.  I don't know...but whatever it is, it needs to be looked into (which Guerrilla are currently doing).  Don't let this hamper your enjoyment of the game though.  You can definitely get through the game with the controls a little off.  If you are a CoD FPS player, or a Left 4 Dead shooter fan, the change may be rough, as it was with me.  Online is a little tough too.  Plus, you may need to change the default control scheme.  On default, L1 is melee and R3 is down the scope.  I changed this so that they switched and it was more like a COD type setup.  This is just personal preference though.  With this change though, the one thing that is lacking now is cover.  L2 is cover and L1 is scope now, so it makes for an awkward learning curve.  But, you get over it.  Also, there is a configuration to make it so you can either stay in down the scope mode until you hit a button, or until you release the button.  That was helpful.

Gameplay:  The gameplay is solid.  Shooting the gun feels awesome and some guns are even fun to fire.  You almost feel like you are really shooting a gun.  When you shoot an enemy in the leg, they hobble, chest, they brace themselves back, the head, they die.  It's very believable.  Guerrilla made one hell of a believable game.  The only thing they forgot to put in was memorable characters and a decent story.  Like all the reviews are saying though, this is forgivable since everything else is so top notch.  Also, why is my guy so damn short.  When I see him in cutscenes, he's a big brute of a man like everyone else.  Yet, when I am standing next to people, I could headbutt their chest.  Not sure why that was done, but, like everything else, you get over it.

Audio: I know it's a warzone, but tone down the gratuitous cussing.  Wow, that's a lot of F-Bombs.

Multiplayer:  This is where Killzone is going to shine.  I put in about an hour and a half with the multiplayer and so far it's great.  Starting out, you can only pick one class and that's the basic grunt.  You get either the scoped rifle or the Hellghast rifle but as you accumulate experience, you unlock other classes with the medic being the first class.  The medic can revive downed teammates to being with.  But, as you play with the medic, eventually you will unlock another badge that lets you toss out ammo packs.  Same goes with all classes.  Their primary badge is given to you at the start, but you can unlock something else of theirs and become that much more powerful.  The engineer class looks like it might be my favorite as I love making turrets.  As for the matches themselves, you join a game and then play.  The match leader picks what games get played (deathmatch, search and destroy types, etc.) and you begin the first in the list.  When the match is over, you aren't taken back to a lobby, instead, you continue walking around for a couple seconds until the next match begins...with you in the same spot you ended up in with the previous game.  This is a brilliant method to multiplayer and I'm at a loss why this hasn't been done before (if it has, I didn't play that game).  Overall though, multiplayer is going to be very strong with this game and people will be playing this for years.  Easily.

If you own a PS3, get this game.  It doesn't matter if you are a 360 fanboy, wii fan (sorry for you... ;), or otherwise...this game is good.  I can't wait to see how Guerrilla plans to support the game over DLC.  So, go pick this one up, kill some Hellghast, and I'll see you in the Warzone!

Having never played a Star Ocean game before, I was a little iffy about picking this one up.  I didn't know if it would be another Final Fantasy clone or really stand out amongst the masses of JRPG games that have been hitting the 360 lately.  After checking out some pretty decent reviews, I decided to take the leap and pick up the game on a whim.

From the start of the game, I got the feeling that the combat would be a lot like Tales of Vesperia.  This is a good thing, as I loved every minute of Tales and for a game to bring up memories of a favorite is definitely a plus.  The combat is similar, but not exactly the same.  Where Tales used a lot of one button (maybe 2 button) presses to take down most enemies, Star Ocean at least involves a little more strategy.  You can wip yourself around bad guys when they least expect it (blindside move) and attack from their rear, issue orders, etc.  There's a lot going on in combat, but it's not hard to manage.  There are a lot of tools at your disposal, how (or if) you use them, are completely up to you.  The combat through the first couple hours of the game remained fresh and exciting, and I actually looked forward to getting new skills and abilities.  Where other games kind of throw them at you, I got the feeling SO eases you into them and gives them out a lot less often.

The story in this game is different that most RPGs I have played (remember, I never played the other Star Ocean games).  The world suffered after World War 3 and sent explorers into the heavens to find a new home for Earthlings.  You play Edge Maverick, one of the chosen explorers on the maiden voyage.  That's about all you need to know to get started in the game.  Like all games though, something has to go horribly wrong and it does, thus throwing you right into the action (if after a pretty long cutscene).  There is a support character, named Reimi, who is your childhood bestfriend.  The relationship between the two is definitely going to make for some interesting story elements.  While they aren't "in love", they do have a very deep bond between the two of them.  As time goes on, it looks like a love interest could form between the two given the right circumstances.  And by circumstances, I mean user inputted actions.  I didn't realize this was something the series does, but you control the feelings of people towards you (to a degree).  For instance, in the first level, you stumble upon a flower patch.  Reimi looks at the flowers and says they are beautiful.  You are given 3 options to respond... "They are beautiful", "You are beautiful", "You are both beautiful".  Obviously, being a chick, she want's to hear number 2 and if you choose that, you are going to increase the affinity between you and Reimi.  If you chose the flowers are beautiful, Reimi may be insulted and the affinity between the two of you will decrease.  With increased affinity comes increased cut scenes and pivitol moments between the characters (this doesn't just happen with Reimi, you can form bonds with all characters).  When an affinity reaches a high enough level, guys and girls can share a room together...leaving the rest up to the imagination.

Graphics are a big thing for me.  I love the direction current genre games are taking graphics.  Tales of Vesperia was a great looking game, but I'm not too big into the anime scene.  Last Remnant was a decent looking game, that had trouble performing/loading.  Star Ocean on the other hand, looks great.  It's nothing to write home about (a la Gears, MGS, or Killzone 2) but it's a very good looking game!  Although the characters do show some anima sides to them (namely the eyes), it's easy to look past because they have normal sized features.  But, anime might be your thing so that comment is just opinion.  The worlds are varied and the colors are really pretty in some areas.  You may not have many stop and smell the roses moments, but you will enjoy the ambiance.

Overall, I'm loving Star Ocean: The Last Hope.  It's the perfect RPG to hold us fans over until FF13 comes out this year (or next).  If you love collecting things, there's a ton of things for you to do.  From enemy data, to battle trophies, room items, ship data, spells, it's all there.  It's a collector's dream.  Finishing this game is said to take around 40-60 hours, but if you want to complete it in it's entirety (all endings, all collectables, etc.), chalk on another 30-40.

If you are a fan of games such as Tales of Vesperia, Last Remnant, and other JRPGs, you're going to love this game.  If you are more of a western RPG fan (Mass Effect, Fallout 3) like myself, give this one a try.  It's got the sci-fi thing going for it and the combat is very fresh.  Battles are in real time and fun.  Who knows, maybe it will reawaken your love for JRPGs.