Gaming off the Beaten Path

I don't want to say I've been dreading this post...but I've been dreading this post. Because now, I'm going to have to attempt to explain how Vagrant Story works. Before we get started, I am going to make it clear that I'm going to explain the game's mechanics on a fairly basic level. Some of the systems run very deep here and I would be lying if I said I had much more than a surface level of understading of how they work. I will say, it's actually not too bad once you  figure it out, but  Vagrant Story has the reputation it does for a reason. There is a lot going on here, especially for a console RPG and it's going to take some time to really lay out how it all works. But we also have to address the elephant in the room here: is the complexity on offer good or bad? Do all these detailed stats and equipment combinations improve the game or make it worse? Well, that depends who you ask. But with so much to unpack here, we best get started. While it has ...

Of all the games that I thought would make go back on something I said, I never thought it would be this one. It's time to talk about yet another golden era PS1 RPG, one that certainly divides opinion amongst the RPG fanbase. But before we do that, I want to go back and revisit a topic I covered regarding how I talk about games in general. A few years ago, I talked at length about the words "overrated" and "underrated" in the general gaming discourse and how much I disliked them. I discussed at length how these terms were used as a crutch for overly simplistic and shallow criticism, often serving as vehichle for the myriad half-baked edgelord hot takes that permeate gaming discussion. That said, I even admitted that the two terms were somewhat difficult to replace and that while I would actively try to avoid them, there would be instances where I wouldn't be able to do so. And that brings us to this week, where, after years of not using either of those word...

Last time out, we started our look into XBox 360 action RPG Infinite Undiscovery, covering its story and characters. You should go back and take a look at part 1, whether its on the blog or the pod. But to summarize, IU was, to put it nicely, not great in those categories. Did the gameplay fair any better? Well, I guess I would answer that question with an emphatic "kind of." It may have had a nonsense story with lame characters, but IU definitely has a few bright spots in the gameplay department. A lot more of the experimentation hit here, though there were still plenty of mechanics that could have stood to be cut. Interestingly enough, many IU's gameplay pitfalls were caused by the same mindset as the story's problem. If I could use two words to describe the narrative, they would be "nonsensical" and "bloated." Fortunately, only the latter applied to the gameplay. But before I talk about the bad, I will give IU credit for a few things it did well...

  I hope I got my point across in part one. But if I didn't, I'll reiterate here: Nier: Automata set the new standard in video game storytelling. Not necessarily the story itself, but how the story is told. That's all well and good, but now it's time to talk about the gameplay. Because unlike other media formats, you can have the absolutely best storytelling of all time ever and still have it ruined because of awful controls or game breaking glitches. Fortunately, Nier: Automata doesn't have either of those things. But it does come from a series known for less-than-optimal gameplay. Full disclosure, I have never actually played the original Nier or any of the Drakengard games, so I can't really comment on it personally. Any time I see someone call the controls in an old game "wonky" it arouses suspicion, that's in the same category as "aged poorly" for me. What does "wonky" even mean? Sure, if you back it up with details that...

  Let's start with a question. Why are you reading this review? You are just wasting your time. Why am I writing it? In fact, why either of us playing video games at all? None of it means anything. In fact, forget video games. Nothing means anything. Nothing at all. Why bother with life, you may as well just...yeah, I think I need to stop there. Saying that would get me in trouble and besides, who decides what means what anyway? I am going to keep the modern game train running, because I finally got a chance to play yet another one of the internet's favorite games. I have read a lot, like, a lot, about how amazing Nier: Automata was, how it was on a different level in terms of storytelling from just about every game that's ever existed. I've heard it called "the most profound video game ever" and "a truly classic humanist fable." There are countless articles, videos, podcasts, whatever covering just how deep and philosophical the game is. Stop me if ...

  The way things stand, yours is a world where wishes can't come true anymore. It goes without saying, but certain combinations just work. Sometimes, those combinations are obvious while other times, they aren't. It's weird, because Super Mario RPG always kind of fit both categories. On one hand, how could a joint effort from Nintendo and Square (still Squaresoft at the time) go wrong? Both of these companies were riding high, especially in the mid-90's when it felt like neither of these juggernauts could do any wrong. Yet at the same time, the thought of platforming icon Mario starring in a turn-based RPG felt a little...off. How was anyone going to take a plumber who jumps on turtles in linear levels and turn him into a full-fledged  RPG hero? Would this experiment  work out? Or would it crash and burn? I think we all know the answer to that, but I don't think a lot of people really look at why this game was so successful , why it was so revered and why it receive...