A Whale Of A Tail

Game Mechanics - 2/2

Story-line - 2/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 8.5/10

Well I must admit I have been a bit lazy of late with all the IRL (in real life) stuff that I been having to deal with at work and stuff so I had overlooked this title. Might have to schedule some vacation time soon so I don't burn out and such but we will see how that works out. With that being said shout outs to The Elder for putting me on to this game so I could see what I was missing. With that being said lets start our review of Dust: An Elysian Tail...

Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action role-playing video game developed by independent designer Dean Dodrill and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on the Xbox Live Arcade on August 15, 2012, and it was subsequently released for Microsoft Windows on Steam on May 24, 2013. Dust takes place in the fictional world of Falana, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. Gameplay is presented on a 2D side-scrolling plane. The player controls the titular main character, Dust, as he tries to remember his past. Dust wields a sentient sword, the Blade of Ahrah, as his main weapon. Fidget, the sword's guardian, acts as a companion for Dust and can use magical attacks. As the player travels the world, they can acquire power-ups that permanently alter gameplay, such as the ability to double jump or climb to previously unreachable areas. Incorporating elements of role-playing games, Dust can gain experience points by defeating enemies, and in turn may level up. These can be used to raise various attributes, such as health, strength, defense or magic. Non-playable characters can be interacted with throughout the game's world to sell items or receive quests.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics - There is just so much content and expansiveness and depth to the inventory system and the combat system. Throw in a custom leveling system along with materials and crafting and you got yourself one hell of an RPG gaming experience.

Story-line - Keeps you guessing and interested as our unsung hero Dust struggles along on his adventures trying to regain his memory. Certainly a try experience generally but with his talking sword and companion Fidget they keep you engaged with information and witty banter as the game progresses.

Replay Value - Lots of replay value to go around as always since varying builds and approaches to game-play are possible. You can build a strength based character or alternatively a defense based one. The choice lies with the player and this helps give more freedom to customize your game-play experience as you see fit.

What’s Bad:

Soundtrack - Not necessarily bad but lacking somewhat in its entirety as it isn't really that memorable..

What Should Have Been Added:

Maybe a co-op mode where someone controls Fidget as you travel together or perhaps a different choice in weapon besides just a sword.

Final Thoughts:

Great game and guaranteed to give you a lot of gaming hours and is definitely worth your time and money. Listening to the banter between Fidget and Dust is entertaining on every level so go ahead and enjoy the game. You can find it for sale on Steam until July 22nd for $10.04 or just enjoy our game-play with commentary.

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Oh Sweet Glorious RPG Why Do I Love Thee So?

Game Mechanics - 2/2

Story-line - 2/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 9/10

Hey doods and doodettes; hows it hanging? We are gathered here today to witness yet again the union of awesome game and awesome console in gaming matrimony. Today we are looking at the epic story of Mao and his quest to seek out revenge on his father and make him pay for his grave crimes against him. Let it be known this game was released as a free bonus game to PlayStation Plus members and I must say it has been worth every second of play thus far. I was skeptic at first about reviewing it since typically most Role Playing Game's require a lot of time invested and level grinding to ensure your party is in tip top shape but I eventually caved in and here we are.

Disgaea 3 is a tactical RPG; most of the game involves battles on isometric maps upon which the player controls a group of characters. Maps often feature "geo blocks" with statistical effects on the battlefield, that, unlike in previous games, can be stacked or stood upon. Many objects in the environment, including these blocks, and characters themselves, can be lifted, thrown, or destroyed. Certain classes can create boxes or barrels to create stepping stones. Characters can form stacks, allowing them to reach higher areas or perform "tower attacks".  With the newly introduced "magichange" feature, monsters are able to transform into specific weapons in which a partner can use to execute a strong technical attack. To do this they must be assigned to the same club as the ally, and the change is temporary. After two turns the monster disappears from battle, unless in the magintology club which increases it to 3 turns. Characters now have certain weapons that they are proficient with. Weapon skills are now unlocked by purchasing them with mana collected from defeating enemies. One can incorporate a maximum of two special augmentation abilities, known as "evilities", to improve a character's performance in battle. One skill is standard for each class, the second skill can be customized.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics: For an RPG this aspect is of utmost important, without a solid game mechanic framework you quickly lose interest and become frustrated. Disgaea 3: Absence Of Detention excels splendidly in this area and so much more. This game sports a robust battle system that provides unlimited variation and combinations for the player to formulate strategies. Couple that with an amazing item and inventory system that also can be leveled and strengthened to ridiculous proportions. This game has all its staple points covered for an RPG and I would go as far as to say you wont find currently a more robust and proper RPG experience on the PSVITA.

Story-line: The story line in this game is without a doubt filled with twists and turns guaranteed to keep your interest piqued. From the weird schooling system to the reasons behind why Mao wants to defeat his father to the deep rooted aspirations he holds to become the number one demon honor student. The character development and interaction is superb and accompanied by great voice acting whether you decide to play the game with English or Japanese audio.

Replay Value: With both a new game plus mode and an extended mission mode for the hard core gamer with super high level party members the creators of this game ensured that gamer's would not want to put this game down anytime soon. Add onto that the wide variety of weapon classes and character types and you quickly realize that this is no ordinary RPG game.

What’s Bad:

My only complaint is with the camera not auto centering once you have completed setting up your party members to attack as sometimes its annoying viewing the action take place behind a wall because you forgot to manually readjust the camera view. Its not really a big deal but i had to at least try to find some fault to gripe about since its not a perfect game. ^_^

What Should Have Been Added:

I recently became aware of a game mechanic found in the game Fire Emblem: The Awakening and for some reason I feel like it should exist in all RPG games in some form. Basically in Fire Emblem party members that grow and interact with each other form bonds and relationships as such that help to strengthen them and the overall party. This would have made a nice addition to this game.

Final Thoughts:

Sorry to disappoint you guys but I didn't have a chance to record me doing any game-play footage because i spent most of my time grinding levels to gain exp to level up all my party members. so I thought it would be a bit boring. I couldn't just leave y'all without any footage of the game in action however so I went and got some from another YouTube game reviewer.

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One Child Can Make A Difference

Gameplay - 10/10

Storyline - 10/10

Graphics - 9/10

Game Score : 29/30

Those of you who saw my top ten list of must play games for 2011 should recognize this title. Today we will be diving into the world of Bastion; shout-outs to my loyal blog fan who donated a copy of this game to me on Steam so I could give it the review it deserves complete with introductory play-through footage. By the time you finish reading this review you will know why this game deserves the accolade of being a must play game of 2011.

Bastion is an action role-playing video game produced by independent developer Supergiant Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In the game, the player controls "the Kid" as he moves through floating, fantasy-themed environments and fights enemies of various types. It features a dynamic voiceover from a narrator, and is presented as a two-dimensional game with an isometric camera and a hand-painted, colorful art style. Bastion's story follows the Kid as he collects special shards of rock to power a structure, the Bastion, in the wake of an apocalyptic Calamity. As you progress through the game you really find yourself connecting with the main character "the Kid". You go from feeling sorry that he is all alone in this world to realizing just how determined and resilient he can be. This game even though made by an independent studio did an unbelievably good job on this game as their debut game for their company. My only gripe is that when I tried starting up the game for the first time it crashed whenever I would try to adjust certain graphical settings. Oh and they kept dropping me on my face; so not cool.

The world of Bastion is large and far reaching and holds many secrets for you to discover as you traverse its perilous landscape. The player character, "the Kid", moves through floating, fantasy-themed environments that form paths as the player approaches the edge. Levels consist of a single plane, and are viewed isometrically. They are filled with enemies of various types, which attempt to harm the Kid. The Kid carries two weapons, which may be selected from the choices available to the player at specific locations called arsenals. The Kid also has the ability to perform a special attack. Weapons and special attacks must be acquired before they can be used. There are a limited number of special attacks that the player can perform at any time, represented by "black tonics" that can be found in the levels or dropped from enemies. The Kid's health is represented by a health bar, which can be replenished with "health tonics". Like black tonics, the Kid can only carry a certain number of health potions at a time, and can replenish them by finding more in the levels. There are many other noteworthy intricacies and nuances about the game but I don't want to spoil them here. I would rather you see them in action for yourself whether via my play-through or playing the game yourself.

With all the inherently good things in this game it almost seems easier to just name the faults and be done with this review but screw that shit. From the stellar sound track, that will have you humming and singing along; to the varied combat system and enemies that provide a customization filled experience suited to your play-style. Not to mention the beautifully done landscape and level design of the game that immerses you into the tale of Bastion. Culminating in a truly wonderful story that keeps you guessing and interested in each characters development that you come across. Bastion is truly a marvelous game and deserves every gamers time and effort without a doubt, you will most certainly not be disappointed. Feel free to try out the demo on Steam if you have an account, if not the demo for this game is also available on the Chrome Web Store, so take the chance to experience the awesomeness. For those of you not video game inclined feel free to check out my introductory play-through of the game if you like to watch instead of playing...IN GLORIOUS HD LIKE A BOSS!!!!!

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