lost in games

Last Saturday morning I woke up at around 08:30-09:00, made myself some hot coffee and surfed the internet for around an hour or so.

Then I went over to the living room and disconnected my PSP from the charger, took a comfortable horizontal position on my sofa and switched it on. The familiar music was once again ringing in my ears while I was accessing my saved games. The final boss battle was about to begin.

The above ritual has been taking place for the last 2 weeks or so now. Ever since Jeanne D’Arc, by Level 5, came into my life and brought the PSP back from the abyss with it. I had never played a strategy RPG before Jeanne ‘Arc and was a bit worried that I would be over my head. In the first 2-3 stages that was in fact the case. I kept losing while I was still trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. But after that things started clicking. Admittedly the game is somewhat easy, although you do need to think about some sort of strategy. But Jeanne D’Arc manages to keep things simple all the way through. It’s a very user friendly game.

The game is at no time frustrating (unless you really hate 2 stage bosses) and keeps your interest until the very end. When a game manages to keep you hooked and loyal for as long as Jeanne D’Arc does, some considerable credit is due.

It has an interesting story to tell, with unexpected twists, and together with some great characters it always makes you anxious to find out what will happen next. The cut scenes, although not enough of them in the game, are fantastic as well.

A minor issue I had was with the layout of the stages where you can not know whether or not you completed a free or bonus stage until you actually get into that area.

One last thing about the game. It will not released in Europe so you will need to get a US copy. I got mine on Ebay for CYP15 only. I highly recommend Jeanne D’Arc not just to anyone interested in RPGs but to any PSP owner out there. It is the kind of game which gives you a nice, warm feeling inside.

To get an idea of what the game is all about, here is Gametrailers’ review of the game (8.4/10)

The Wii’s popularity and commercial success cannot be disputed. It is almost one year since the console’s launch but Nintendo still can not meet the demand for it. However what is yet to be seen is how these motion sensing controls will change gameplay. So far almost all the games on the Wii are simply ports from other consoles and most of these badly ported at that. There are some great games like Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime: Corruption and Table Tennis. But even these have or could have easily been developed on another console without motion sensing controls.

Then there is Zack & Wiki developed by Capcom. I have been following this game closely and has finally been released in the US. This is a game which Destructoid’s reviewer claims that it is the first to actually

“use the Wii’s controls in a natural, efficient, and utterly exhilirating way”

The reviewer goes on to say this,

“Where the Wii’s library has thus far been filled with gimmicky, soulless minigame collections or crappy first-person shooters, Zack and Wiki succeeds at integrating motion control into its puzzle-solving gameplay, rather than hamhandedly forcing Wiimote gestures where they don’t belong or building dozens of boring, ostentatious flail-a-thon minigames just for the sake of it. As stated above, it’s the best game on the Wii right now”.

You can read the full Destructoid review here.

In a holiday season filled with Halos, CODs, Super Mario, FIFA and Pro some truly great and unique games may go unnoticed. One of the purposes of this blog is to give exposure to games like Zack & Wiki and give them a chance to be enjoyed. I will be giving you a few more updates on this game until its release in Europe in December. For the time being Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure remains one of my most anticipated games this holiday season.

“Don’t let this become a cult classic, never to be sequelized. We desperately need more games like Zack and Wiki on the Wii.

Buy it. Right now.”