This week, I purchased one of the most unique games that I have played so far this year: Murdered: Soul Suspect. Set in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, Murdered has players assume the role of Ronan O’Connor. Ronan is a detective working for the Salem Police Department. At the start of the game, he is killed attempting to apprehend the “Bell Killer”, a mysterious serial killer who marks his victims with the symbol of a bell. Unfortunately, our hero is unable to move on to the next world without settling all of his unfinished business in this one. Therefore, the quest is on to solve the mystery of the Bell Killer. Because the game just came out and the mystery is a big part of the game, this article will be spoiler free.

It is pretty simple to understand the basic premises of the story. The game poses a mystery and asks the player to join the main character in solving it. Honestly, the case of the Bell Killer is pretty easy to solve. I figured out most of it by the end of my first hour into the game. Honestly, I expect most players with even a passing familiarity either with mystery tropes or the history of Salem to figure out what is going on. Having said that, I acknowledge that it could have been really easy to throw this in the other direction. It would be trivial to hide the whole case behind some last minute reveal or piece of evidence that no person could be reasonably expect to see coming, like a typical CSI episode. Out of those two choices, I would rather the approach taken in this game. It is a hard balance between these two extremes to maintain. While the writers did not fully succeed, I must applaud the effort.

Despite having many of the trappings of a classic noir story like a gruff detective with a bizarre case falling on their lap, the game is nothing like that. Ronan seems a little gruff, but he does not go overboard in these traits. This extends to most of the cast as well. Every character feels believable. None of them are incredible near-superhero people with amazing abilities. While Ronan’s partner is a medium, she behaves in a way one might expect a fifteen year old girl who can see/talk to ghosts to act. Overall, I actually related fairly well to the cast. This was partially the reason why I stuck with it well after figuring most of the case out myself. By the time I solved the case, I felt a strong enough connection to the cast that I wanted to see how they resolved everything.

In terms of gameplay, it is tempting to believe that Murdered: Soul Suspectis just another “story game” along the lines of some of David Cage’s work. This is again not the case. In actuality, Murdered feels more at home with games along the lines of LA Noire or Monkey Island. By that, I mean that it is very much a point-and-click adventure. When it is embracing this style, the game is very good. In a given investigation area, the game will pose to a question to the player like (as an example) “What was the killer doing here?”. With this question in mind, players have to look around the area for clues that could help them answer this question. The game helpfully says how many clues are in a given area and points out when the player has left an investigation zone, so it is unlikely for players to get lost. Further, all the clues and story information gathered are conveniently stored in a menu to view at any time. Once the player feels like enough clues have been collected, they can use them to answer the question and discover their next lead in the investigation.

Unfortunately, the game, like most point-and-click adventures, tend to suffer from problems inherit to the genre. That is, instead of using what seems to be perfectly logical, the player is forced to think about what the designer considers to be logical. To demonstrate this point, after following a lead, Ronan heads to a church. One of the clues in this area prompts him to ask “What clue that I picked up lead me to the church?”. Rather than selecting the clue that lead to the deduction, the player must instead choose Ronan’s revelation than he needed to go to the church (because story information and deductions are treated like any other clue). Luckily, this did not come up too often for me in the later segments of the game. However, this presents an unnecessary learning curve for players that might not otherwise exist. Still, this is clearly where the game is at its strongest and most comfortable.

The other half of the main gameplay loop is noticeably weaker. The spiritual world that Ronan inhabits is a sort of limbo that is overlaid on top of the real world. In this realm, other ghosts who have their own baggage dwell. Some of these spirits have given in to their intense negative emotions and become demons. These demons have lost any form of humanity, believing that they can regain it by absorbing other human souls. Ronan cannot fight these demons head-on. What he has to do is hide, either in a human’s body or in the ecoplasmic remains of another spirit. When the opening presents itself, the player can sneak behind the demon and exorcise it. Through triggering TVs and radios poltergeist-style, it is also possible to create these opening by distracting the demons.

These sections of the game are not particularly offensive. However, I found that I died to them a lot, often for stupid reasons. They proved to be easily the worst and most frustrating element of the entire game. Worse, they do not seem to have a real purpose in the game beyond serving as an arbitrary obstacle. Considering the game can already be beaten in an afternoon, it feels weird to call it out for needless padding. However, that is how I would describe the ghosts. In fact, the game might be stronger by removing quite a few of their sections out.

Overall, Murdered: Soul Suspect is one of the most unique games I played this year. I am really glad that I bought it. While I do have gripes about the game, I cannot deny that it has the kind of charm that comes from a really good B-movie. I am not entirely sure that it is worth the $50 asking price, I would easily recommend this to anyone with even a vague interest in the point-and-click genre. It works in a ways that many other games do not. Moreover, it is a nice breath of fresh air. I am saddened because despite how much I like the game, I do not expect it to do well. I expect it to inherit the same space Alpha Protocol does for me, where only a small cult following will buy the game. Considering that the people who made it, while far from perfect, were definitely on to something, that is truly a shame.

As many of you are no doubt aware, Watch_Dogs has finally been released by Ubisoft. I purchased my copy on release day, spending most of my free time since its release playing the game. Having finished it, my thoughts and opinions are still fresh in my mind. After investing so much of my energy into the game, one thing keeps entering my mind: Protagonist Aiden Pearce is an asshole. I am not the first person to say that. Several well-known gaming critics have also made that charge. However, I wish to articulate to you, the audience, exactly why I think that Aiden Pearce is a complete, unrepentant asshole. Because this article is coming out so quickly after the release of the game, all spoilers will be marked for the benefit of the reader.

One of the biggest reasons I think Mr. Pearce is an asshole comes from the way he handles the randomly generated “Potential Crime” missions in Watch_Dogs. To the unaware, a major conceit in Watch_Dogs is that the whole city of Chicago is connected through a system called ctOS, which Aiden can hack into using his phone. With this technology, the player, as Aiden Pearce, can monitor the system and use its algorithms to track potential crimes that might occur in the area. When one such tip is received and the player arrives at that location, the phone’s Profiler can be used to identify either the likely criminal or victim.

This is where the asshole part comes in. In order for a potential crime event to count as a success, the player mist wait for the criminal to commit the crime. Then, they must either knock him out or kill him. Should the criminal see Aiden coming, he will be scared off, and the event will count as a failure. Let me repeat that for emphasis: Preventing the crime from happening at all results in a complete failure. Apparently, it is not enough for Aiden Pearce to stop criminals in their tracks. No, he will not be satisfied until his lust for violence is satiated. Even if the victim dies, the mission still counts as a success. Clearly, Mr. Pearce must not care too much about the people, so long as the criminal gets a whack in the face.

Another thing that causes me to think Aiden is an asshole comes from the game’s hacking mechanic. As the player crosses the paths of passers-by in the world, they can use their phone to hack in and steal bank account data. Using that information, our protagonist can then hack into ATMs to steal all the money from those accounts and add it to his own cash total. There is no criteria with regards to who the game allows the player to steal from (and make no mistake, it is stealing). A random woman is suffering from terminal cancer? Who cares? Let us take all $1200 from her account. No punishment or consequence will be delivered to the player no matter what kind of person is stolen from. Further, Aiden will never take anything less than the full value of these accounts. Not a single penny is left untaken. In order to continue living the way he does, our protagonist is happy to plunder the life savings of all civilians unlucky enough to be anywhere near him on the streets. This kind of behavior is present in only one kind of individual: an asshole.

The brazen amount of damage Aiden Pearce inflicts on the world is also immense evidence of his being an asshole. During the course of the game, there will be numerous occasions where our “hero” will be chased down by another group, usually the police. In order to shake his pursuers, Mr. Pearce will often hack the city infrastructure, taking down the opposition. Blockers and road spikes can be triggered, bridges can be raised, traffic lights can be manipulated to cause pileups, and steam pipes can be exploded. Pay close attention to those last two options. Aiden can hack a 4-way intersection to make all lights on it turn green at the same time. Though the ensuing accident can incapacitate his foes, our protagonist is endangering the lives of all the people at that intersection with his action. And once again, there are no consequences for it. Blowing up steam pipes can also endanger lives and damage property in much the same way.

Continuing this line of thought, these types of chases frequently spill off road. As a result, it is entirely possible, even likely, to run over civilians in the middle of a chase. City infrastructure like power lines, fences, signs, etc. can also be rammed over. One anecdote of this I can recall comes from an optional mission. At the start of the mission, Mr. Pearce states that he detects that a group of mobsters is about to perform a drive-by shooting. In response, he traces their path and decides to take them out before they arrive at their destination. I had failed to completely head them off, and there were stragglers left. As a result, they needed to be chased down. During this chase, I must have run into and destroyed several thousands of dollars worth of property, along with several people. Sarcastically, I remember saying to myself “It’s okay because I am a ‘HERO’.” At the same time, I noted that it might have actually been more worthwhile to let the drive-by happen, because the net damage from the drive-by would have been less than the damage I inflicted trying to stop it. Combining all the damages from these actions, Aiden Pearce is exhibiting signs of reckless abandonment in his pursuit of “justice”.

With regards the story, I will attempt to speak in broad strokes to avoid spoiling any one specific event. What I can say is that Aiden rarely acts with kindness, even towards those he considers an ally. Some of it can be explained by the (admittedly justified) paranoia that comes from being a vigilante. However, most of the time he comes off as unnecessarily cold and calculating: The markings of a textbook sociopath. He is unpleasant and almost disdainful of most of the characters in the game, even when an non-asshole approach is would clearly be more efficient in achieving his objectives. Also, whenever our protagonist has an enemy at his mercy during a story cutscene, he has a frankly disturbing tendency to gloat. One scene in particular is absolutely chilling. In this scene (SPOILERS), Mr. Pearce is walking circles around a mob boss that he just shot in the leg. To get the boss to talk, he opens up his phone and starts to ask about the man’s family and how he balances his double life as a mob boss and family man. This is to subtly imply that if the man does not talk, his family could be put in danger. Considering that the guy cannot run and is at Mr. Pearce’s mercy, this seems completely unnecessary and almost evil (/SPOILERS). Quite frankly, only an asshole could engage in this kind of behavior.

All the evidence is in. Given Aiden Pearce’s lust for violence when fighting crime, theft from innocent people, reckless abandonment, knack for property damage, and unlikable demeanor, the conclusion is inescapable. The protagonist of Watch_Dogs must be a complete, unrepentant asshole. This is all despite the game’s attempt to portray him as a sympathetic, yet flawed character. If anything, this shows how silly it can be to write such a serious, grim story over such an open playground for users to do as they please. It always results in this kind of dissonance that simply cannot be explain away. I think the game might have been better had they opted for a more lighter fare in terms of storytelling. As it stands, the character we see is a jerkass, borderline sociopath.

SuperGiant Games has, up until now, only been known for two things: Bastion, and the soundtrack to Bastion. However, that one game on their track record is easily one of the best and most beloved indie games since the initial surge of indies. When the studio announced that they were creating a brand new game, I was completely on board. Fast forward to the present day, and that title has finally been released. Having just completed my first playthrough of this new piece, Transistor, it is still fresh in my mind. As a result, I have much to say about the game. Note: Since the game has only recently come out, this article will be spoiler free for the benefit of those who have yet to play it.

But before that, a brief primer on Transistor. The player of the game assumes the role of Red, a famous singer in the city of Cloudbank. She is attacked during one of her performances, and escapes with her voice stolen and her bodyguard/boyfriend trapped in the mysterious, titular Transistor. Armed with this new weapon, Red goes after the her would-be assassins while being accosted by a mysterious force called “the Process.” Without spoiling anything, the story is a bit hit-and-miss. Personally, I enjoyed the events of the plot. However, some of the people I have talked to found that it simply did not engage them at all, even if they could not point to a specific reason for why that was. With that said, the ending was very beautiful and wrapped up the game quite nicely, so I walked away content.

Despite this, one of things that somewhat disappointed me is that while the game seems to have Computer Science/Programming theme, it does not seem to do much of anything with it. The games finishes the names of all its moves with “()”, like a function in a computer program. As experience is gained, players raise their “User Level” for the Transistor, granting access to new functions and upgrades. The main antagonistic force is referred to as “the Process.” Despite what one might believe, this does not seem to have much overall bearing on the main story. It merely seems like an aesthetic choice. The decision is not an invalid one, but I felt a bit slighted by it as someone studying Computer Science.

Another problem I have with the game is that it leaves too much left unexplained. Details with regards to how the Process, the city of Cloudbank, and the society at large work are left unexplained. This raises an uncomfortable wall between the player and the protagonist. Red and her boyfriend clearly know how this world works, and some of it can be gleamed by their “conversations.” Other details can by gleamed the side content found along the way. The world appears to work in a consistent and cohesive way that makes sense, the problem is I just do not know enough to be sure of that.

(SPOILERS) Speaking of Red’s boyfriend, the game seems to go out of its way to obfuscate his personal information for no reason. All we really know about him is that he and Red are in a relationship and he took a mortal blow meant for her, leaving him trapped in the Transistor. Aside from that, everything about him is left unknown. Even his unlockable file in the Transistor does not say much beyond that it is corrupted somehow. Further, all pictures of him leave his face obscured. If there was some grand reveal regarding who he was at the end, that would make sense. However, there no such reveal exists. (/SPOILERS) Like the world, it feels like details were left unexplained. I hesistate to call it an inconsistency or a plot hole, because it seems to be more like a series of omissions. Unfortunately, their gestalt make the overall story difficult to understand. There is a lot going on, and it needs explaining.

The gameplay is the most interesting aspect of the game. SuperGiant’s previous work, Bastion, experimented with light RPG elements. Transistor doubles down on them, making it feel a lot more like an action RPG. Players have access to up to four functions, which serve as their move list throughout the game, to use in battle. These functions can be modified by equipped other functions to them as upgrades, granting them new properties. Other functions can be equipped as passive functions, which grant the player extra bonuses depending on which ones are equipped. However, each function, no matter how they are equipped, will take up a certain amount of memory in the Transistor. The total sum of their costs cannot exceed the maximum memory of the weapon. Although, extra memory and upgrade slots can be acquired through gaining experience in battle and upgrading Red’s “User Level”.

As for combat itself. Red has to use the Transistor’s functions to defeat the Process’s forces in real time. Once a Process is defeated, it releases a cell. If the cell is not picked up in the allotted time, the process will respawn and Red will need to kill it again. Aside from her functions, Red also has access to a special technique called Turn(). When in Turn(), time stands still. The player has a bar which can be consumed by queuing up movements and functions. After planning out their moves, they can immediately execute them by exiting Turn(). Afterward, a brief recharge period will be necessary where all functions aside from Jaunt() (or any functions upgraded with Jaunt()) will be disabled and Turn() cannot be used. This inspires the user to think more tactically and consider the options available to them.

One of the major conceits of the story is that the Transistor gains new functions from either coming into contact with people or “integrating” their souls into itself. As a result, every function comes with it a file on the person it came from. Players can unlock these files by using the functions associated with these files in various different capacities. This gives the player a sense of the world and its inhabitants. Further, it is a really interesting way to use lore to encourage players to experiment with different functions and function combinations.

The health system also helps encourage this experimentation. When Red’s health reaches zero, it does not necessarily mean she will die. One of two things will happen. If Turn() is fully charged and ready for use, it will automatically be activated before the final blow defeats Red. This gives her a second chance to retaliate and turn around a bad situation. Otherwise, a function equipped to the Transistor will overheat, saving the player from defeat at the cost of needing to find two access points (which are used to customize the function layout and save the game) before the overheated function can be used again. Should all equipped functions overheat, it is Game Over. In this way, players are forced to figure out new loadouts and tactics that do not involve the overheated function(s). Combined with the lore unlocking I mentioned earlier, the game clearly wants the user to continually think about how they can best combine their assets to make powerful combinations.

While the combat and the experimentation definitely held my interest through the entire game, some of the UI elements left a lot to be desired. In particular, the menu where Red can change her equipped functions controls fairly poorly, at least on the PC. What should be a simple click-and-drag interface is marred by a case of having to go through too many menus to complete an otherwise simple task. For example, if I want to change a function’s upgrade from one function to another, I have to first go into the menu to remove the originally equipped upgrade. Then, I have to go back to get the upgrade function I want and equip it. The reason for this is that the “remove function” button in the insert menu will remove the function and its upgrade, rather than let the player specify which one they want.

Another UI issue in this menu is that when the player goes to inspect a function’s file and back out into the main function menu, the cursor returns to the last function equipped and not the one the player just inspected. This frequently resulted in my removing functions I did not intend to, spending excess time rebinding them to my setup. The menu serves its purpose, but can lead to some unnecessary frustration.

Lastly, it would be criminal to talk about this game without mentioning the soundtrack. As one might expect from the developers of Bastion, the soundtrack is absolutely top notch. The music by Darren Korb and its vocal accompaniment by Ashley Barret is beautiful. There is even a button to make Red hum to the background music. Fans of the Bastion soundtrack should be sure to listen to the music of Transistor, because it is comparable in quality.

Overall, Transistor is an excellent game in its own right, even if it does not reach the level of its predecessor. Though I expect the game to be a bit more divisive than Bastion was, there is no denying that I enjoyed my time with it and plan to play through it again in Recursion Mode, aka New Game+. Anyone who loved Bastion will also enjoy their time with this game. Even if you did not like Bastion, it is still worth checking out because Transistor is a beautiful, powerful game that on its own.

I am a person who likes RPGs of many sorts. As a result, I see many different implementations of the same ideas by multiple companies. One such concept many RPGs utilize is a faction system, where multiple groups of opposing ideals go against one another, usually having fairly drastic effects on either the main plot or the world at large. I tell you this because I am about to make a bold, controversial assertion: Final Fantasy X-2 uses the concept of opposing factions significantly more effectively than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I know that will come across as absurd to many of you, because Skyrim is very well loved and Final Fantasy X-2is… not. However, I do have my reasons for thinking this.

My first reason for saying this is that the factions in Final Fantasy X-2are a lot more relatable. In Skyrim, the game does a very good job at explaining the negative sides of each faction. However, the positive aspects of each faction are a lot more hidden from view. At the beginning of the game, a captain of a group of soldiers belonging to the Imperial Legion attempts to execute the player for the crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This tells the player that the bureaucracy of the Legion can often lead to corruption and overlooking simple mistakes, without much of a need for exposition.

The Stormcloak introduction does not fair much better. When arriving at Windhelm, the Stormcloak capital city, players find that Stormcloak soldiers are mocking and oppressing the Dark Elf and Argonian populations of the city. Through this interaction, the game informs the player that the Stormcloak faction discriminates against other, non-Nord races. When it comes to the good sides of these factions, we do not have similar scenes. All of it is gleamed through exposition told to the player by characters who are in those factions. The player is not shown these strengths, they are told. This makes in that much more difficult to envision these strengths. So, when it comes to time to select a faction, players choose between the lesser of two evils rather than which one harbors beliefs more in line with either their philosophy (or that of their character’s).

This is not the case with Final Fantasy X-2. In that game, both of its major factions are presented in more positive spotlights. When players first make contact with each faction, characters from that faction come up to talk about their group and what they believe in. There are friends, both new and from Final Fantasy X, who are on each side. This gives players, especially ones who played Final Fantasy X, legitimate reason to invest their time with each faction and getting to know them. Reaching the Youth League headquarters in rewarded with a discussion on channeling youthful energy towards progress and building a better future. On the other hand, the New Yevon members talk about how apprehensive they are towards the accelerated pace of change, and their wish to take things more slowly. In this way, players are left to ponder which faction they support based on what beliefs each group holds rather than which one is the lesser evil. Although both factions have scenes where they are shown in more “villainous” lights, those are few and far in-between when compared to Skyrim’s factions.

Which brings me to my second point: The faction-based choices players make in Final Fantasy X-2 have significantly greater impact than similar choices made in Skyrim. When participating in Skyrim’s Civil War questline, players are forced to choose between one of the two major factions and side with them in the war. However, regardless of the decision, most players will end up performing the exact same tasks for each faction. Forts will need to be taken over, cities will need to be captured, crowns will need to be obtained, and enemy faction leaders will need to be eliminated no matter which side is selected. Further, there are no real changes on the world when players finish the questline for either side. A few guards might comment on it when running around in the city, but the world at large does not seem care about the outcome. Players might see more/less Imperial/Stormcloak troops in certain areas, but they will look and act the same as any city guard would. Nothing happens and nothing changes in Skyrim’s static world.

But in Final Fantasy X-2, players actually see the consequences and effects of choosing to throw their support behind one of the two factions. After getting about 1/5 through the game, the game forces the party to decide which group is worth their time. This choice is actually a very crucial one. Side-quests open and close depending on which group the player sides with. For example, the Youth League has a quest where players can assist them in fighting off fiends if they decide to align with that group. Characters in the story will comment on the choice the party makes. Certain aspects of the game’s main story will even change to reflect this one decision. In the finale of Chapter 2, the group is required to infiltrate the New Yevon headquarters. If they sided with New Yevon, then they just stroll passed the guards. Otherwise, they will need to fight their way through. It feels like that one choice has a big impact. Compared to how Skyrim mostly ignores the choice of faction, this is a huge step up.

While many people would scoff at the idea of Final Fantasy X-2 being superior to Skyrim, even if only in a single aspect. However, a close look at the details behind these games reveals that my assertion at the beginning of this article holds merit. Though many people are right to enjoy the intricacies of Skyrim, the game has its flaws and this is one of them. Not to say that Final Fantasy X-2 is a perfect game either. No one in their right mind would say that. This is just one thing that the game gets right. Factions are a great way to quickly establish conflicts, plot, and gameplay elements. Done well, they can add to a world and player interactions with it. Done poorly, they cannot accomplish much of anything. Those of you interested in game design would do well to keep that in mind.

Of course, after playing Final Fantasy X, I just had to jump into the other game in the HD collection. Final Fantasy X-2 presents an interesting time in the history of the Final Fantasy series. This game was the very first in the main franchise to be a “true” sequel. Up until its release, each main installment of the Final Fantasy series took place in an entirely different world with an brand new cast of characters. Final Fantasy X-2 changed that by taking place in the world of Spira two after years of Final Fantasy X, and even had one of the game’s two leading characters reprise her role as protagonist. For better or worse, this is the game that helped pave the way for the Final Fantasy XIII sub-franchise. Having played through more than half of the game at this point, I have quite a bit to say about it.

One of the things I love most about Final Fantasy X-2, and was preserved in the HD release, was the revival of the ATB system from prior games. Though FFX’s turn-based combat was still very solid even by modern standards, I vastly prefer the combat in Final Fantasy X-2. I have said, and will always say, that Final Fantasy X-2 represents the pinnacle of the ATB combat system. The ATB allows combat to have the strategy of a turn-based game, but with the real-time mechanics. Enemies and allies make move in real-time, with various gauges representing when they can make their moves. This gives the overall impression of more of a brawl between two parties than a tightly structured, “line-up” battle, which really adds to the game’s verisimilitude.

While the ATB system was good, it is not the reason I like X-2 as much as I do. No, that reason is the Dressphere system. One of the main conceits in Final Fantasy X-2 is that the three party members have devices called Garment Grids that allow them to utilize special spheres called “Dresspheres” to change classes. Though this is similar to previous Job Class systems like in Final Fantasy III, V, and Tactics, it is fundamentally different. In previous games, players had to select classes before battle. FFX-2 allowed the three characters to class change in the middle of combat. Players can choose to assign different Garment Grids to the character and the positions of the Dresspheres in the grid. At any time, the girls can change to a Dressphere that is adjacent to their current one on the grid. The character will immediately switch classes in a Sailor Moon-inspired transformation sequence. This allows players to react to changing situations on the fly by switching to a Dressphere that is more advantageous to the current situation. The sheer freedom this system offers in combat feels a lot cooler than the turn-based combat of the previous game.

Character advancement also works in ways similar to older Job Class systems. Though the main party levels up as they would in a typical RPG, they do not learn abilities in the same way. As they use skills and dispatch enemies in battle, they gain AP which is used to learn skills for the currently equipped Dressphere. (The game presents a list of skills a given Dressphere can learn, and players can choose, within limits, which one to allocate future AP to.) This gives players the ability to truly customize their battle tactics and have each player character specialize in Dresspheres of their choice. Combined with the ability to change Dressphere’s mid-battle and the revamped ATB system, Final Fantasy X-2 was a delight to play because it truly gave players freedom to do as they pleased.

This new-found focus on player freedom seems to have affected the storyline in Final Fantasy X-2 as well. Though the story will generally follow a similar course and reach the same final boss no matter what the player does, players are encouraged to explore the world at their own pace. The game expressly marks which areas in the game absolutely needed to be completed to advance the plot, but players are encouraged from the get go to put them off for a bit to explore and look for side-content. Further, some scenarios and situations will play out very differently depending on the things players choose both to do and not to do. It is a very reactive game at its core, both in the way players choose to develop their characters and in the way it gives players options.

One of the more contentious points of Final Fantasy X-2 is the overall tone of the story. Compared to its predecessor, the tone of this game is much more lighthearted. The female lead from FFX, Yuna, takes center stage as the protagonist along with her cousin Rikku, who also in the original party with her. Joining them is a new character named Paine. The fact that all three characters are female gives the game a distinct “Charlie’s Angels” feel. Some people may be put off by the games “cutesy”-er nature compared to other Final Fantasy games, but those who are not can find plenty to enjoy here, despite a fairly mediocre overall plot. It is fairly campy and does not take itself all too seriously, which in my opinion improved the experience. I can see where people has a problem with it, but I personally did not mind.

As with the HD version of Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 brings the extra content from the International version with it. However, unlike the case with its predecessor’s Expert Sphere Grid, the content does not change the game in a very fundamental way. The game adds a few new dresspheres, the Festivalist and the Psychic. These both add some new and interesting skills to the overall skillset, but they are hardly game-changing and could be safely ignored by most players. Nothing particularly ground-breaking, but still a nice addition.

The other new feature brought into the game is the new Monster Capture mechanic. By completing certain main story events and participating in Monster Arena tournaments, players can earn “Monster Pods”, which can be use to capture monsters and event some human NPCs to use in combat. Once a pod has been obtained, the player can lay them down in specific areas to catch monsters. S-size pods capture small monsters, while M- and L-sized pods capture medium and large monsters respectively. Once captured, monsters can be swapped into the party in the place of one or more of the three main characters. A small monster only needs to replace one member, a medium will replace two and a large will replace all three. Players do not have direct control over a monsters action, but they can control a monster’s moral. High moral will make them act more aggressively and low morale will cause them to be more defensive.

Monsters will level up just as a normal party member would, but only if they participate in battle. They can be further developed by feeding accessories to them to boost stats and learn abilities. Abilities can also be learned by monsters Blue Magic-style, where getting hit by certain abilities will teach them their own variant of it if they have one. Because of these limitations, it is highly unlikely that most players will even take notice of or use this feature. When a party member is replaced by a monster in battle, they do not gain experience or AP towards their equipped dressphere. This gives the player little incentive to utilize monsters. After all, every battle that a monster fights is one that a party member is not gaining anything from. Since the dresspheres offer enough variety in the way party growth/development can occur, there are almost no reasons for players to even think about using creatures. There is a “Monster Arena” that players are told can be used to test their creatures’ abilities. However, since the main three protagonists can fight in there as well, monsters will still get neglected. It is extremely bizarre because I honestly cannot think of much of a reason why anyone would use them.

Lastly, it would be criminal to talk about an HD release without touching on the updated graphics. The HD update seems to be even worse here than in the HD release of Final Fantasy X. It is truly bizarre to see such low-resolution models and movements of many of the NPCs juxtaposed on this otherwise higher-res environment. The main character models fair a bit better since they have more detailed models that were easier to up-res. However, since most characters in the game are minor characters, it is easy to notice the lower resolution compared to Final Fantasy X HD. I am normally not a graphics snob, it would have been nice to do more of a touch up here because of how obvious and jarring the problem is.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy X-2 is a hard game to recommend. While I would say that it certainly plays better than most games in the franchise, the story is divisive. Further, it requires some knowledge of the previous game to truly understand the significance of many of the events of the game. People who dislike the new, extremely lighthearted tone of the plot might also have trouble getting into the game. Still, there is a lot in the game for people who do like Final Fantasy, or at least did during the PS2-era. The value here is extremely subjective, but I would say it is worth trying out at least.

As a Final Fantasy fan, it would be against the law for me not to buy the HD remake of Final Fantasy X and X-2. Final Fantasy X in particular holds great significance to me. It was the game the introduced me to the RPG genre way back when it was released in 2001. Sure, I had played demos of other RPGs before on those old PS1 demo discs, but this was the game that cemented what would grow into a great love for the genre. With that in mind, I was eager to see both what additions the International release brought on, since that content was added to the HD version. Also, I was curious as to how the game holds up in the context of modern game design.

One of the most striking changes the International version of the game added was the new Expert Sphere Grid. As most people know, in all versions of Final Fantasy X, character development is handled by the Sphere Grid. Characters gain “Sphere Levels” by participating in battles and acquiring AP. With Sphere Levels, they can advance along the grid, spending Spheres in order to increase stats and acquire new abilities. The Sphere Grid that most Final Fantasy X players are familiar with in the “Standard” Sphere Grid that came with the North American release. While that grid is still in the International (and, by extension, the HD) release, the option exists to switch to a new “Expert” Sphere Grid at the start of the game. This grid allows for significantly more customization of the cast.

A problem with the Standard Sphere Grid everyone is familiar with is that it basically partitions the grid evenly between all the character, dividing them into very distinct character archetypes. It was less of a grid and more like a series of corridors, where each character had their own to traverse. Though it was technically possible for characters to go into other characters’ sections of the grid, that would be rare and mostly occur towards the end of the game when players had high level Key Spheres to break the locks separating them. Each character would mostly stick to their defined roles.

While the cast still have their own classes in the Expert Sphere Grid, there are gray areas where some paths along the grid intersect. As an example, Lulu’s and Yuna’s paths in the Expert Sphere Grid frequently have points where the ladies can encroach on each others sections. This means that Yuna can gain a bit of Black Magic and Lulu can gain a bit of White Magic while they both still generally stay on their main paths. (In my current playthrough, Yuna currently has all first and second level elemental spells.) The physical fighters also have similar intersections along their grid paths, which leads to them all being able to visit and borrow from each other as much as the player wants/needs.

I personally like this a lot better as this seems to really utilize the full potential of the concept of the Sphere Grid. While the Standard Sphere Grid might as well have been a standard leveling system for all of the customization it allowed players, the Expert version delivers on the promise of using a grid to let players more strongly control how characters develop. However, it exacerbates the problem in vanilla Final Fantasy X where Kimahri was the most useless character by far. In the Standard Sphere Grid, Kimarhi’s section is the center of the grid. His gimmick is that the starting points for all other characters Sphere Grids are right next to his and blocked by low-level locks. Therefore, he can gain the skills and assume the role of another character. However, in a game where every character is a specialist against a specific enemy type, this is not all the useful. With the extra customizability found in the Expert Sphere Grid, Kimahri’s gimmick is even more useless.

Another minor addition was the addition of new “Distill” abilities. Like the “Distiller” items in vanilla Final Fantasy X, these skills force an enemy hit with them to drop a specific type of sphere. (For example, “Distill Power” forces an enemy to drop Power Spheres.) These skill cost 1MP, so they are inexpensive to use. New weapons found in the game are also imbued the the property to inflict Distill statuses on the enemy. This helps players better control the spheres that are dropped by enemies. This does not help much in the late game, since spheres of all types are very common. However, this is a great help in the early game, where specific sphere drops can be more/less scarce depending on how far the player is in the game.

Surprisingly enough, Final Fantasy X holds up surprisingly well, despite some clearly dated game design principals. I think part of the reason for this may be that while modern Final Fantasy games seem to be aiming for a more action-oriented, cinematic style of combat, this one is purely a turn-based game. I do not mean to imply that real-time combat systems are intrinsically bad. (I will defend the battle systems for Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2, and Lightning Returns.) Rather, that a purely turn-based game in the context of modern RPGs is a refreshing change of pace.

One of the things that was best about Final Fantasy X was that players can switch between members of the party at any time, even during battle. This means that if the player finds that another party member would be better suited to a particular enemy, they can swap them in to better fight them. Thanks to the way combat works, this is necessary. With the exception of Kimarhi, every character has a set of foes that they are uniquely suited to fighting: Tidus can handle agile enemies. Wakka can take down flying enemies with his magic soccer ball. Lulu can dispatch elementals and flans. Yuna’s summons can take on large, tough foes. Auron excels against armored monsters. And lastly, Rikku can easily disable machines. The fact that every character has specializes in taking down specific enemies helps to sell that every party member is necessary in order to complete the journey to Zanarkand. It is a nice, small touch that adds to the game.

However, there are negatives aspects of the game as well. One of the biggest complaints that I have regarding Final Fantasy X are the Cloisters of Trials. In the world of Spira, summoners acquire new summons, or Aeons as they are called in game, by praying to the fayth, souls trapped in stone. There is a temple for every fayth. In order to reach the fayth of a temple, the summoner must attempt the Cloister of Trials to get to their chamber. (These are mostly mandatory and required by the story.) Each Cloister takes the form of an annoying puzzle that both halts the flow of the game and wastes a large portion of the players time. Usually, the puzzles are pretty easy to solve. Unfortunately, they are usually so slow to solve because of the number of steps involved in the solution. Virtually every one of these puzzles feel unnecessary and halts the flow of the game.

As for the HD graphical upgrade, it is interesting to behold. Although it is certainly pretty, it seems incomplete in a way. Though the major characters have very nice models, the secondary case and the town NPCs all still use fairly low-resolution models. Since the environments have also received a nice upgrade, this makes all the minor characters stand out for the wrong reason. There are also some interesting results obtained from the HD upgrade. As an example, Yuna’s model in particular makes her look surprised at everything, thanks to the wideness of her eyes. Also despite the new visuals, the game makes it clear that it is a PS2 game at its core because of the way the characters move on screen. This is not surprising, given that it is just a visual update. Overall, the game looks really good.

As of the time of writing, I have not yet finished the pilgrimage to Zanarkand. Because of this, I have not yet fought many of the new bosses like Penance or the Dark Aeons. Perhaps when I have finished a more through playthrough of Final Fantasy X HD, I will write an addendum piece to this describing any further thoughts I might have on new content. However, I do not hold me to that as I might change my mind. Based on what I have seen though, there is enough here for both old fans of Final Fantasy X and JRPG fans who never played the original game to give it a shot.

Continuing my impressions series, this week I will talk about another game that has been on my mind since I finished playing it. Recently, I used my Bioshock: Infinite season pass to get Burial at Sea: Episode 2. Partly to see the conclusion of Burial at Sea, and partly to see how the new stealth-based gameplay altered the overall experience, I braved Rapture one last time.

One of the things that surprised me the most was how competent the stealth mechanics of the game were. Enemies have decent cones of vision, so players need to be fairly aware of enemy positions and the environment in order to avoid detection. Further, the game does a decent job of giving players the tools to sneak around. Lockpicks can be found all around, and sleep darts can incapacitate enemies non-lethally. Groups can be handled with knockout gas darts and noisemakers can be used to lure enemies away from their usual patrols. There are also hazards like shattered glass that will create lots of noise and attract enemies to the player’s position if they are stepped on. The Hand Cannon and Shotgun also make their return, but I cannot comment on them as I played in 1998 Mode and did not have access to them.

Even the plasmid selection has been changed to favor more indirect approaches. The one I ended up using the most, Peeping Tom, has the dual effect of cloaking Elizabeth and allowing her to see enemies through walls. Possession also returns, except the upgraded version knocks-out enemies when it runs out instead of killing them like in the previous episode. Old Man Winter makes an appearance, allowing players to freeze enemies in place. Lastly, Ironsides is a new plasmid that makes its debut in Burial At Sea: Episode 2. That plasmid can be used to catch projectiles in mid-air and add them to the player’s own ammo pool.

However, while all the stealth mechanics are there and fully functional, the game itself still falls victim to the AI of the original Bioshock: Infinite. What I mean by this is that when players do get detected, the AI does not seem to know exactly how to handle that. Enemies do fire weapons and launch melee attacks when players are noticed, and they do a good job of quickly alerting the entire room to your presence. However, I never found getting away from them to be too difficult. Vents and grappling hooks seemed to be everywhere, allowing for easy escape since foes had no way of inspecting these areas. Also, no matter how tough the enemy was, a simple sleep dart would almost always knock them out. It was trivial to incapacitate the foe that detected me before they alerted everyone else. Most of the time, I could even reclaim the sleep dart that I used off their corpse for late reuse.

In later half of the DLC, the gameplay became even easier once I obtained upgrades to the Peeping Tom plasmid that negated its otherwise massive Eve cost when standing still. The enemies knew I was there and they knew I was cloaked, but proceeded to march forward anyway because they did not have an exact line-of-sight. This left them wide-open to a sneak attack, especially since when cloaked, a sneak attack from the front is a viable option. Even with the extremely limited health and offensive options inherit to 1998 Mode, it became extremely easy to knock out entire rooms of guards without breaking a sweat. I would cloak, knock a guard out, cloak, watch his friend come to inspect the body, knock HIM out, and then rinse and repeat.

On the positive side, the focus on stealth and avoidance actually encourages exploration in order to look for resources and supplies, especially in the early game. Money is extremely rare, and even large stashes of it will rarely have more than 10 coins. Players can also only hold a maximum of 4 sleep darts and 2 gas darts on their person as well, so poor aim will be punished severely. Health kits can be carried on hand (up to a maximum of 5), instead of being use immediately on pickup. Since, especially on higher difficulties, Elizabeth takes a lot of damage on hit, this is almost necessary.

Eve cannot be carried around in the same way, so that resource ends up being much more precious. All the Plasmids take up a great amount of Eve, so they need to be used conservatively. Instead of being something players rely on, they are really designed to be used in order to turn otherwise terrible situations around at the last minute. While it is overall not as good as Thief or some other high-profile stealth games, it is pretty surprisingly well done on the whole.

As for the story, it leaves me with a weird feeling overall. It feels like many elements to the game’s story feel like they specifically put in to address criticisms towards some aspects to both the vanilla campaign of Bioshock: Infinite and Burial at Sea: Episode 1. Did you think Daisy Fitzroy’s actions in the later half of Bioshock: Infinite made no sense? Burial at Sea explains exactly why she did what she did (and the explanation is honestly pretty bad). Did you cry foul at the fact that the plasmids in Burial at Sea: Episode 1 were of the drinkable variety seen in Columbia? There is an explanation for that too. Other, more spoiler-y elements explain other inconsistencies in the DLC make it come across as, to quote certain others, very “fix-fic-y”.

At the same time, Burial at Sea: Episode 2 does a lot of things right with it’s story and world. For example, whenever Elizabeth picks a lock or plans out her next move in the plot, the game changes the visuals to look more like the pages of a book. This helps players better enter Elizabeth’s mind and understand how and where she obtains all of her knowledge. There are also numerous instances where Elizabeth finds codes and ciphers. As she cracks the code for their hidden messages, the cipher is decoded into plain English in real time before the player’s eyes. When combined with the tone and feel of general gameplay, this really helps sell sell Elizabeth as a more thoughtful character than Booker.

Another thing that is done well is the character-focused nature of the plot. Although the game is set in Rapture and ultimately leads into the original Bioshock, the story itself is clearly one about and centering around Elizabeth and her thoughts and actions. Story events early in the game rid Elizabeth of her powers. However, the nature of what it is like to be all-seeing and all-knowing thanks to having the combined knowledge of every possible incarnation of yourself is explored. Characters from the original Bioshock, like Atlus, Suchong and Andrew Ryan also play large parts in the narrative. Others from Columbia, like Fink, also make appearances. One of the more interesting subplots involves a bit of a trans-dimensional partnership and idea stealing between the two as they continue to one up each other in their fields of study. On the whole, these characters really add to the game and tie up both the original Bioshock and its Columbian successor quite nicely. Though the ending can be seen coming from a mile away, it is satisfying in its own way, especially to fans of the first Bioshock.

Overall, fans of the Bioshock franchise are bound to get a kick out of Burial at Sea: Episode 2. Stealth game enthusiasts might find what they are looking for here. Although better implementations of these systems exist, the underlying mechanics are solid enough to derive enjoyment from. Odds are by the time this comes out, those who were going to buy it already have and those who were not have already definitely decided to skip out on it, but it is still worth it to think about how this DLC came together. It gets some things wrong as most games do, but it gets so much right that it is hard to think badly about it.

So, it has been far too long since I have written anything about video games. In order to remedy this, I am going to stop holding myself to the standard long-form Press Start to Discuss articles you have all come to expect from me. I still hope to produce those on occasion, but in order to make sure something gets produced at some point in time I will start trying to post articles discussing game-related things that are on my mind. These articles will not need to be tied into a specific overall theme, presented in a more “stream of consciousness” style. With that said….

Lately, I have spent an inordinate amount of time playing Persona 4 Golden, the Vita remake of the original Persona 4, released on the PS2. This new version of the game added a lot of new features and almost totally changes that game. I decided to spent this article detailing the biggest of those changes and how they affect the overall experience of the player.

One of the biggest new additions to the game come in the form of changes to the Persona Fusion system, a mainstay of the franchise. In vanilla Persona 4, when players fused personae together to create new ones, the resulting persona would inherit skills from its “parents” based on an algorithm that took the skill list of the parents’ and the child’s affinity for different skill types into account, with a degree of randomness thrown in. The Golden version changes this in a very fundamental way. Instead of an algorithm determining what skills get inherited, the player gets to make the choice directly. When the player selects personae to fuse together, the result will be displayed as always. Based on the affinities of the “child” persona, a list of possible skills to inherit is created, and the player selects from the list what skills will be passed on.

The end result of this change is alleviating many of the frustration that were built into the original system of fusing personae. Before, it was quite common for players to spend literally hours of time canceling and reselecting fusions in order to ensure that the child persona received, if not an ideal, than a decent set of skills from its parents. This would cause undue frustration on the player’s part because often the algorithm would favor skills that players had no use for, like status ailment skills. Even worse was when a lot time would be spent to get the right skills, but a fusion accident resulted in a different persona than intended. Many hours of time could be wasted thanks to scenarios like the ones listed above. Now that inheritance is a choice made by the player, these problems are no longer an issue.

The addition of Skill Cards, which were present in Persona 3 Portable on the PSP, also adds to this streamlining of persona creation. Each skill card has a specific skill imbued on it. Using a Skill Card on a persona will give that persona the ability associated with it. Taken with the above addition of inheritance choice, persona creation seems to be moving away from the random chance in favor of player choice and consequence. If a fused persona ends up being useless in the new system, then it is the player’s fault for making poor choices, not the fault of the random number gods.

Going on with this theme of reducing the random chance element in the game, another big change is the new Shuffle Time. In both versions of Persona 4, when players do particularly well in a battle, the game awards them with Shuffle Time. Vanilla P4 presents persona cards, blank cards, and penalty cards to the player, and then makes them pick one via a mini-game. These mini-games can take the form of picking a card as they are moving, face down, in a circular pattern, a type of concentration-esque game where players keep the first matching pair they find, and a slot machine. Picking a persona card would let players keep it for use in combat or fusion. A penalty card would take away all the rewards from the battle, and a blank card does nothing.

Golden replaces this with an entirely new system. During Shuffle Time, the game creates a hand of cards for players to select from, each with their own reward like extra money/experience, healing, a skill card, or a new persona among other effects. Once they select their card, shuffle time comes to an end and they win the rewards obtained during the selection. However, there are also penalty cards that would encourage players to forfeit certain rewards in exchange for being able to pick more cards. (For example, picking “The Tower” will reduce the money earned in a battle to 0 in exchange for allowing the player to pick 3 more cards from the hand.) Drawing all the cards in a hand will guarantee that the next battle will result in a Shuffle Time, and allows players to select 3 cards from the next Shuffle Time instead of only 1.

This new Shuffle Time encourages players to make choices instead on using their reflexes to get the best results. It is now important to consider the options available during Shuffle Time to try to maximize the potential gains. Players have to look at the trade-offs and think about whether taking certain penalties in exchange for multiple benefits and/or more chances to draw from the next Shuffle Time hand. There is a degree of randomness involved, as the hand generated might not always be beneficial to the player, but it is an interesting way to force players to make bigger considerations during an otherwise small element of the game.

Another guiding philosophy that presents itself in Persona 4 Golden is online social integration with other players. This is not the usual kind of social interaction like pointless Facebook integration and other social networking features common in big name games. Rather, the game use the internet for two new features that allow users to passively interact with each other in new, interesting ways. The first of these features is the “Vox Populi”. When players are exploring the town on their in-game off days, they can access the Vox Populi, which will show the 5 most popular uses of that in-game period of time, on that particular day. Once a player finishes their day, and they are in Online Mode, their activities are added to the Vox Populi for that day. This forms a sort of guide that new players can use when they are confused about how to use their time in-game, letting them see the options they may have available. Later in the game, this is less useful because other players may have different social links unlocked, but it is very handy in the early game.

The other new social feature in the Emergency SOS system. When players are online and exploring dungeons, they are able to use this system to send a request for aid from other players. Every player that responds to this request before the start of the next battle will restore 5% of every party members HP and SP once the battle actually begins. Sending and responding to requests costs nothing in-game, so there is no reason not to constantly request and give out aid to other players. Having played with this system a lot before my own HP/SP restoration became too high to bother with it, this system creates a Journey-esque mutual cooperation where players are not directly communicating with each other with words. However, they are aware of each other’s presences and work together to build up enough HP/SP to climb higher in the dungeons than any one of them could by themselves. Though both of these features are completely optional, they add a new layer of depth to the game never seen before.

Overall, it seems like Persona 4 Golden is a sign that even now, ATLUS is continuing to refine their craft despite being masters at it. None create JRPGs in quite the same way they do, and despite that they still do their best to improve the design of their games. I look forward to seeing if these changes will be reflected in Persona 5 when it gets released. It is fascinating to think about how only a couple of changes can dramatically affect the overall experience. And these are only a few of the many things added to the Vita version. Despite this, while it is clear that Persona 4 Golden is the definitive version of the game for fans and newbies alike, it may not be enough to justify the purchase of a PlayStation Vita by itself. Still, it goes a long way, especially for series fans.

One of my favorite JRPG franchises has to be the Persona sub-franchise in the Shin Megami Tensei series. Although I have played through all of the games in the franchise, Persona 3 and 4 are the ones that really captured my heart. I was talking with a friend about the two games, and we disagreed on which of them had a better cast of characters. They preferred the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) that made up the main cast of the third entry in the series. However, I connected more with the Investigation Team of the fourth game. This lead me to think a bit more about why I have this preference, which will be the subject of this post.

One of the biggest reasons I think for my preference is the difference in scope between the two stories. In the third entry of the series, the stakes are raised fairly quickly. In the first half of the game, players are introduced to monsters called shadows, which cause havoc during this extra hour in the day in which normal, non-Persona-users are sleeping in coffins. Both the player and the main characters are told that unless the shadows are stopped, they will destroy the world. Although the plot and its twists and turns stop this from becoming another standard save-the-world story, it is hard for audiences to really comprehend the stakes for which they play. When players are out participating in story events, it is very difficult to fully understand that if they fail, then X amount of nameless, faceless people will suffer for it. Not to say that players are stupid, but rather that the human mind is not really equipped to process such high risks, when so many people are on the line (doubly so when it is a work of fiction, and not a real event).

This is in fairly stark contrast with Persona 4, where the risks involved with failure are much easier to understand. The plot to that game is not a tale about saving the world. Rather, it is a story about a serial killer in a small town. Despite the supernatural elements to the plot (since it is a Persona game and players will need to use personae to fight in some capacity), the story is actually very grounded and on a much smaller scale than its predecessor’s. Every victim and potential victim of the serial murders has a face, name, and personality which players are introduced to before they become the next target. It is much easier for me to comprehend that “If I fail, my classmate Yukiko will die” then “If I fail, innocent people will die.” This is not to say that larger scope stories are invalid, but rather that the smaller scale of Persona 4 let me really understand why my characters were out doing the things they do. That difference in understanding helped me relate a lot more to that cast as a result, especially since the majority of the cast joined the team because I saved them.

Another reason that the cast of Persona 4 appeals to me more is that the personal issues that each of the cast members are dealing with are much more relatable to me than those of Persona 3’s cast. In the third game, most of the main characters have very dark personal histories. Out of all nine of them, six of them are dealing with trauma related to the death of a loved one as major parts to their story arc. Two of the other three are dealing with major issues involving their parents and the last one is a robot who is coming to grips with her growing sense of humanity. Again, all of these are valid and worthwhile backstories to explore, but the sheer darkness of it all makes it very, very hard for me to personally relate to them. These are issues that people do deal with, but not so much so that it becomes a dominating force in the way they live their lives like the cast of Persona 3. It often feels like there is a barrier between me and the cast as a result.

On the other hand, the kind of issues the members of the Investigation Team in Persona 4 go through are more resonate to me. Every single member of the group has something about themselves that they do not like and refuse to admit. In order to save them, players have to defeat their shadow selves and convince each cast member to accept whatever baggage is dragging them down. Many of these issues are much smaller ones that most people can understand and empathize with. One person secretly resents moving from the city to a small town with comparatively less to do. Two best friends have to confront that deep down, they are jealous of each other. Another party member is insecure about his favorite hobby because, to others, it is not very “manly.” These are all issues that people deal with on a day-to-day basis. I can understand these kinds of pains because I personally feel them more often than I would care to admit. Although I have only had loved ones die a small number of times in my life, these other issues are some that I and most people confront regularly. This creates much more empathy and understanding of the cast of Persona 4 than it does for Persona 3.

Lastly, I suspect that a contributing factor to the popularity of the Investigation Team over that of SEES is that Persona 4 was a lot easier to play than Persona 3 was. Transitioning from Persona 3 to 4, Atlus added two major additions to the combat system. The first was the “Guard” command, which replaced passing turns from Persona 3 and allowed players to reduce that damage from powerful skills that bosses used. The second was “Direct Command”, which allowed players to take control of other party members, besides the protagonist, in battle instead of leaving it to the AI. While I am sure this was a contributing factor for many people in increasing the likeability of the Investigation Team, this was not the case for me. When I played Persona 3, I played the PSP version of the game, which brought in the above improvements from Persona 4. Despite not playing a major part in affecting my enjoyment of both groups, I am sure it was a contributing factor for many others, so I opted to mention it here for completion’s sake.

When it comes down to it, Persona 3 and 4 are actually quite different games in terms of tone, scope, and style of writing, despite being nearly identical in the gameplay aspects. This makes them useful for a case study in how writing can affect the overall takeaway of the player from a game. Of course, I have to stress that this is extremely subjective and I fully expect people to disagree with my preferences. Further, both games are solid and worth playing if you are a fan of JRPGs. I might have been a little critical of Persona 3’s storytelling, but it is a very well-written and fun to play game. And who knows? You might be like my friend and prefer SEES to the Investigation Team. Regardless, make sure to reflect on how the differences between the two games make you feel differently about them, despite them being very similar.

Like many people out there in the gaming space, I like to try to play games to completion. Though I do that with fewer and fewer games as I grow older, those games that particularly interest me still fuel that urge to do everything I can before moving on. Because of this, I am all too familiar with some of the frustrations that come from such a playstyle. Open-world RPGs can be either great or horrible for people like myself. On one hand, we always have something to do, because those kinds of games will almost always have a quest or two hidden away for players to find. However, completions like me are never able to completely move on from them, because those kinds of games will almost always have a quest or two hidden away for players to find. Despite this problem, this genre can be implemented in ways that can either exacerbate this feeling or lessen it in people.

Two open-world RPGs in particular are the subjects of this weeks article: Kingdoms of Amalur, which I recently got finished playing, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the most successful games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. I want to talk about these two games in particular for a very special reason. Both games have tons of content. So much so that players could spend hundreds of hours playing either game and still never be able to complete it all. However, when I think of trying to do everything in Kingdoms of Amalur, I can’t help but be intimidated by the thought. Not because any one piece of content is particularly overwhelming, but because I feel that it will take so much time, become so boring, and progress will be so slow that I just lose any desire to keep playing the game. At the same time, the thought of exploring the land of Skyrim, despite all the criticisms I have levied at that game over its lifespan, fills me with delight. Just writing about it now makes me want to go back, reload my save, and keep exploring the land to look for all the things I undoubtedly missed. At this realization, I sat down and thought for a bit as to why that might be.

The first explanation I came to for this is that Kingdoms of Amalur makes the sheer wealth of content available much more obvious than Skyrim does. When traveling through a given area in Kingdoms of Amalur, players will often come across bright yellow question marks on the map. Each of those symbols represents a quest which the players can stop to complete. This means that a player can gauge exactly how many quests are in given area by just filling out the map and counting how many yellow question marks show up. This is in fairly stark contrast to Skyrim. In the latest installment to the Elder Scrolls series, players are not explicitly told where or how to find quests. Players need to talk with people in towns or settlements in order to obtain quests. While sometimes NPCs in the game world will come up and petition the player character for assistance, the player themselves will generally be the one who has to begin interactions in order to discover new content.

Though these two systems lead to the same end, in which the player discovers quests and content to do, they accomplish different things in the mind of the player. In the case of Kingdoms of Amalur, all the content is made readily apparent to the player. In Skyrim, the exact amount of content is obfuscated. So when I go into an new area in Kingdoms of Amalur, I think to myself that this could be a potential 6-7 hours sitting right here just doing missions completely unrelated to anything else in the game. Entering a new town in Skryim, I can complete whatever errands I need to run and talk to a few villagers to find some quests I need to do. Without the constant reminder that there is a new thing to do in the city, it is easier for me to trick myself into thinking that I have “completed” all the quests in town, when in truth I have barely scratched the surface. Nonetheless, I walk away with a feeling like I accomplished much. In Kingdoms of Amalur, when I finish a quest, I feel like it is just a drop in bucket because I can see another 3-4 quests just in this one grassy plane. It is a subtle shift in the way it makes players think, but a key one that affects the perception of the whole game.

Another contributing factor to the difference in feeling of intimidation in one of these games, but not the other is that contrast in how combat works in each of them. In Kingdoms of Amalur, the combat is very visceral. There is a surprising amount of depth to it. Players need to stay aware of their surroundings in order to dodge enemy attacks, while trying to create an opening to stagger the enemy. If they are not careful, then they themselves will be knocked down and on the defensive. Each weapon type has its own combo chain, with strength and speed unique to that type of weapon. Though not difficult, timing and planning are quite important, and even enemies of equal level can wear down the unprepared (especially when there are mages in the enemy formation). On the flip side, Skyrim’s combat is quite bare bones. It is quite trivial to button mash one’s way through most encounters the game will throw at the player. Magic and stealth characters can use spells and backstab to change things up, but the mechanics are fairly simple and do not need much knowledge to fully grasp.

Let me preface my next statement by saying that I enjoy the combat in Kingdoms of Amalur. In fact, the combat was one of the most enjoyable parts of the game. However, that kind of combat against dozens and dozens of encounters has a way of gradually draining the player’s mental stamina and enthusiasm for playing. As fun and fairly easy as it is, the sheer number of enemies the game throws at the player are not quite compatible with the type of combat. Also, the foes in Kingdoms of Amalur are quite durable, so taking them down can be fairly time consuming. While Skyrim also tends to have a lot of enemies come the player’s way, the simpler mechanics lend themselves to that more readily. Enemies tend to fall fast and easy. It is not as mentally draining to play through waves of enemies in Skyrim than it in Kingdoms of Amalur, so playing through it is more bearable, despite its combat being worse overall. As a result, it is much easier to play hours and hours of Skyrim than in is to do the same in Kingdoms of Amalur. I can also play the latter for an hour or two before I feel the need to save and shut it off.

I find it interesting to compare and contrast similar games, because there is much to learn from such analysis. Both games are likely in many ways, but the way they implement their systems can leave completely different impressions of the audience. What is even more interesting is that I know there will be people who disagree for many different reasons. I am sad that Kingdoms of Amalur did not do so well, because I think they could do so much better if given a second chance. Hopefully, people will be able to learn from what went wrong with the game in time. Until then, there will be guys like me out there to over-analyze games like it in the vain hopes that others will listen.