Final Teams: FFIV

So I just played (or replayed) Final Fantasy IV (or II as i remember it, but I'll call it IV to not confuse myself.) on the DS. Although I got to Zeromus and got wiped out by one move, I'd say it was a fun playthrough that brought back a lot of memories (although I don't remember the game being as difficult as they made it).

It also made me think about all the characters I've ever come across in RPGs. In most games nowadays, you can pretty much customize your characters and pick and choose which ones you want in your party. In Final Fantasy IV, characters are switched in and out depending on storyline, and your final lineup is fixed.

So what would my final lineups be?

If you plan on playing these games (or have not played but wish to play), there will be spoilers. Just a warning. 

FINAL FANTASY IV

Cecil was the character you had throughout the whole game, and considering his transformation, you can't help but feel a little attached to having him in the party. He got along with everyone he met, and he actually had a conscience on right and wrong (which I guess makes him a natural protagonist/leader). On top of that, he's a beast of a tank. Well actually, he's one of the only characters that can seem to take any damage at all. A solid choice as an off-support to cast that Protect and Shield when not casted by...

Tellah. You thought I'd say Rosa? Honestly, I can do without the whole girlfriend/damsel in distress thing (she gets deathly sick AND kidnapped? Too much hassle). Instead, I'd rather take a respected old coot who wants to take revenge in his own hands. When you first get him in the party, he is a welcomed addition with his powerful white AND black magic (and osmose early game. Nice). Now, I know in the game, he's capped at 90 MP (unless you use Soma Drops in the DS version), but the only spell that needs more than that is Meteo, and I don't see a need to cast it because it takes much longer to cast than other spells while not doing substantially more damage. And let's assume that he does get more MP in the game. That would make him a very, very strong choice as a mage for the team. Either way, casting attack spells would be secondary to the white magic for him, because that job belongs to...

Rydia. I think she's a natural choice. When you first get her as a little kid, she's weak as heck. If you didn't put her in the back row, she was a pain to try to level up, as an imp could one shot her. Thennnnn she gets eaten by Leviathan (or so they make you think). But when she appears out of nowhere as you're about to get killed by Golbez (which I'm still kinda confused about how she found us), she has an arsenal of summons to call, and advanced black magic as she learns while leveling up. Just to be able to summon Bahamut makes her a winner in my book. And if the situation called for healing, she had Asura or Sylph to heal up the party. She's also not your typical black mage in Final Fantasy games, with no pointy hat and blue robe. (Up to this point in final fantasy history, girls have been designated the "white mage"). She's also got green hair! And I think Rosa in one of the menu screen speech bubbles in DS stated "Everyone that meets Rydia adores her". Especially...

Edge. When I first played the game when I was 5, I thought he was the coolest character. With the introduction of voice acting, he was kinda annoying and appeared irresponsible to his kingdom. On top of that, he was quick-tempered and kinda hot headed. However, his coolness factor is just too much to overcome, and his anger is kinda legitimate (he just lost his parents, thrusting him into kingship post-game. Also lovestruck post-game). He's got an assortment of ninjutsu to cast (albeit, they're kinda weak), he can throw all your useless weapons for damage (or shirukens that can be bought. Or a spoon for 9999 damage) and he's the only character in the game that can steal. He also gets bonus points for having the coolest sprite in the SNES game because he's a flippin ninja! He's one of two characters in the game that can dual-wield. The other who is....

Yang. The Grandmaster of Fabul gets the last nod. When you first get him, there are several things to note. He has a lot more HP than other characters you've played as so far, he attacks with both his fists, and he can KICK THE ENTIRE ENEMY TEAM. He also stopped a death-ray cannon from firing by presumably kung-fuing it to destruction (and pretty much sacrificing his life). You can also throw in his wife to add to the cool factor. After finding him unconscious, she gives you a frying pan to hit him in the head. Imagine what kinda damage that'd do to Zeromus..

Honorable Mention

FuSoYa. Being able to cast white and black magic, he's somewhat of a Tellah clone, but unlike Tellah, he didn't have much backstory to get much attachment. Yes, he's from the moon. Yes he volunteered to stay behind to watch for Zemus, but he's somewhat of an afterthought of a character (oh yeah. He happened). On a side note he also [hilariously] looks like a mop when he gets KO'd. But because he did happened, he gets an honorable mention.

Why Not....

I left out two of the final 5. I already kinda mentioned why I didn't like Rosa. The only special thing she had was Aim, which I never really used.

But I spose the more surprising choice is Kain. In the beginning, it's debating who was cooler; him or Cecil. But as the story progresses, he leaves your team a couple times because his brain was controlled, and even gives the last crystal to Golbez. To make things worse, you find out that he was easily brainwashed because he was lovestruck. Sure he can jump for a lot of damage, but most of the time, it's like he's ditching the team, then attacking when it's convenient. And when he does get hit, he's too busy jumping to get healed correctly. Outside of jumping, he can't really do much. Then in the ending, he doesn't even attend Cecil and Rosa's wedding/coronation because he wants "to become a better dragoon", when the real reason is probably avoiding the hurt due to jealousy.

So there you have it. My choice for the final 5 in Final Fantasy IV.

Rune Factory 3: Harvest Moon with a Plot!

So with all the traveling I've done these past few weeks (and being locked in because of a hurricane), I found myself replaying an old game that I absolutely fell in love with; Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon.

If you like Harvest Moon and action RPGs, this game is for you. 

At first glance (or even from the screenshot), one could be turned off by the rather pastel-ish art, but man. You would miss a true gem of a game.

The game follows an amnesiac monster/human who finds himself in a town of some quirky characters. You then live in the Sharance Tree, where you learn to farm, cook, forge, and even fish. You then make your way to befriending the entire town by giving them gifts or doing some minor quests, all while making a profitable farm and watching your assets grow.

What made this game so addicting was the action RPG elements added alongside the traditional Harvest Moon games.

Many many skills to level up, which contribute to your overall level.

You can travel outside of town, where you will find monsters and beasts that you can kill and loot, or whom you can also befriend if you'd like. There's even a natural storyline, where you'll be put up against bosses.

Building up my relationship with a potential wife ;

The thing I like about this game is that there's not a set way to play the game. While yes, some methods are more efficient and profitable than others, you don't necessarily need to farm to make money. Or you don't need to only fight monsters to level up. But the game also gives you the option if you'd like to. This eliminates the repetitive nature of the traditional harvest moon games, where you can choose to farm one day, then just to do something different, spend the entire next day fishing. While there still is a repetitive element to the game, you don't feel as rushed as other games, where you feel like you are required to partake in a schedule (where the first 2 hours of the day is lost to farming). For the most part, this game is pretty laid back and relaxed.

The surprisingly therapeutic (and profitable) fishing

Also, while there is and ending to the plot of the story, there is no real ending to the game itself. There's even a kinda meta-game dungeon that you can delve into for better loot, or just for fun purposes.

Hacking and slashing at an aggressive pineapple. Yes, a pineapple.

I remember the first time I played this game, I started on a car ride from Gainesville to Miami (six hours) and I couldn't put it down for the entire time. Then when i rediscovered this game a few weeks ago, the same thing happened. This game is just that addictive and fun.

Kongregate Day: Jacksmith

Every so often, I'll find myself on Kongregate.com. Apparently, I'm an achievement addict.
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Today, I will be playing Jacksmith, tagged as a "Time Management, Fantasy, Business" game.

Here's the given description of the game:

Man the forge and craft your best weapons for your warriors in Jacksmith! You’re a donkey on a mission that takes you across the land, but the trails are blocked by a variety of monsters — time to call in the local warrior clans for help! You’ll design swords, bows, shields, and other weapons in a completely hands-on blacksmith shop. When all of your soldiers are equipped, it’s off to battle to fight your way further down the path! While the warriors fight, you’ll need to gather loot and help out with your trusty cannon. Collect better ores and parts to make even better weapons, and keep making progress across the land towards the evil wizard Dudley!


http://www.kongregate.com/games/FliplineStudios/jacksmith?tab=achievements
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Quite different from the normal kongregate games I'm use to playing. Rather than the one doing the hacking and slashing, you are the one who are providing the weapons for the hacking and slashing.

So essentially there are two phases to the game; one when you set up shop, making weapons in a Cooking Mama fashion based on the demand of your warrior customers, and two is when the warriors take the weapons you make and bring them to battle against foes who seem to bleed gems and materials.

Making a sword. In almost a Cooking Mama way

 Making the weapons is pretty simple. The game provides in game tutorials for each weapon the first time you make it, and depending on what parts you use to put it together, you can make "epic" weapons, which boost the stats of your party.

As the game progresses, you get access more base weapons to forge, and more epic recipes to create.

Epic weapons boost your team's stats dramatically.

I know this game calls itself a time management game, but there isn't the same kind of rush that you get from a Diner Dash-type game. The faster you complete it, the more gems you get, but it really isn't a dramatic amount. Also, the customer's don't get angry at you if you take a long time, so there isn't a real penalty for taking your time. While time management enthusiasts won't get the same rush from similar games, I prefer the casual, laid back style that Jacksmith offers.

Taking multiple orders while customers wait patiently.

Ah. A happy customer who understands a blacksmith can't be perfect every time!

 There's not much to do in the combat phase. Depending on the grade of your weapon, the mercenaries will either steamroll the mobs, or your weapons will break and you'll watch your valiant heroes run away. As you level up, you gain skills to help them while in combat, like a cannonball to launch at your foes.

Gems and ores seem to bleed out of mobs

Fat loots at the end.

Overall, Jacksmith is an entertaining game that will definitely fill in some time. It offers simple gameplay and entertaining cinematics for the casual gamer, as well as a ton of loot and recipes to unlock for those who really enjoy the game.

Level 100. Huzzah!

I finally hit level 100 today on War of the Immortals. I think this is the second time I hit triple digits in any game (the other being Atlantica).

Compared to other games, it seemed rather quick. Although it literally takes 5 hours to get to level 60, the rest of the levels took a couple months, which 90-100 taking a week per level. According to the game, I've been logged in for 15,480 minutes, which translates to about 258 hours.

Honestly, it feels like such an empty accomplishment currently. The next gear upgrades are at levels 103, 105, and 107. So while I get a new Instance to explore, I actually don't get any stronger. So...that kinda stinks....

Anyhoo. Level 100!

Jetpack Joyride: Everything's Better with a Jetpack. And upgrades.

I'm sure the idea of this game isn't new. I'm pretty sure I played the heck out of that Helicopter java/flash game during my Typing 101 class in high school.

But Jetpack Joyride injects new blood into this genre, throwing in lasers, rockets, upgrades, missions, slots, and vehicles.

One of the may vehicles: A bird car/plane thingy

Banking on the slots

The gameplay is quite simple. Press down to fly up, let go to fall down. Dodge the income rockets, the spinning electric beams, the floating lasers, and pick up coins to get as far as you can.

Spend coins on upgrades or clothes to change your avatar, or buy different upgrades to help you during your escape from the lab. 

Missions!

Enough customization to last a while

The missions add to the depth of the game. So rather than just trying to get as far as you can, there are other goals that you can try to accomplish during that process. 

Each vehicle is spawned randomly from the magical rainbowy box, and each vehicle has a different function. They also act as an extra life, as the vehicle gets destroyed, but you still keep on running.

One of the cool gameplay things that sets it apart from other similar games is the fact that you don't die when you hit the ground or if you're head mashes the ceiling. You just continue running (or flying) as normal. I guess the devs realized there was enough to worry about with lasers and missles to be worrying about altitude.

Overall, this is a highly addicting game. Especially if you're into unlocking everything. The fact that you can jump right in from the loadscreen makes this one of the best casual, pick up and just play titles that I've seen on the Droid so far.

Connect the Dots: Flow Free

Another Droid app game review...

How do you play this game? You connect colors to their corresponding other half while trying to fill up the board. No overlapping of different colors.

Literally. Just connect the dots.

Sounds as fun as your elementary school days with a sheet of paper and a crayon, connecting the dots?

Now what if you had other kids around you trying to do it faster than you?

Honestly, flow free isn't my cup of tea. Yeah, the difficulty gets more difficult as you get a larger board and more colors. But as a quick play puzzle game, I enjoy it more in spurts.

The normal puzzle game.

So throw in a little competition, and this game is right up my alley. So my friends and I started to compare time trial scores. On a 5x5 board. In 30 seconds.

And little did we know, the seemingly basic game got somewhat addicting.

So far, my best in 30 seconds is 7 completed boards. The highest amongst my friends is 8.

My high scores on a 5x5 board. 4 minutes is a long time...

Anyone out there hit double digits yet?

Beastie Bay: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started Playing

So I just recently got a smartphone, and like most people who first get a new toy, I looked for games. I've sifted through a ton, only played a few for longer than 15 minutes.

Then I came across Beastie Bay, developed by Kairosoft (apparently it's like, their millionth game they've released).

Beastie Bay is a mix of like..Pokemon/Dragon Quest/Sim City. You start off on a deserted island, explore unknown territories, befriend random animals (and robots?) by throwing bait at them, build a self-sufficient economy of food and wood, then build an attractive town to lure tourists from other islands to generate funds.

Dragon Quest-esque Battling System

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So. Here are a few things that I wish I knew before I started playing. This sure isn't everything, but I hope this can help someone. 

Tourists can't make it past the first part of my island because I blocked off EVERYTHING. Smart city layouts..

 1. Build Close to the dock: You might not start near it, so you don't know what I'm talking about. But when you make your way to the dock, you want to build closer to there. Why? So tourists can visit your shops and buildings for you to get money, and you don't have to invest so much on roads.

2. Efficient with House/Pasture/Building Placement: When someone inhabits a house, they're able to harvest from the 8 squares surrounding them. With that said, you can (and should) space out your homes a bit to maximize efficiency of what your islanders can gather. The bottom picture is a terrible example of what you should do. 

3. Wood is more Important than Food: When I first started the game, I got scared that when my food count went low, I'd die. Or something. Like normal humans. And creatures. But in this game, there's no penalty for hitting 0 food. With that said, go ahead and research Forestry as much as you can once your food kinda stabilizes. You need tons of wood for research. Which brings me to...

Wood. Research. Huzzah

4. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH: You should always be researching something. If anything, you should be researching as much as you can at one time (you can research multiples). This will make the the game much smoother and more fast pace once you get certain upgrades. Researching takes a heckload of wood though, so make sure you have enough trees to chop down.

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Clearly, I'm not super far into the game, but already I have some hindsight regret, wishing I had done certain things differently. I'm sure there's more to expand on this post later!

But for now, if you're a fan of RPGs and building sims, I highly recommend this free game.