2011-10-10, 12:16 AM
It looks like most people have covered what I would say.
FFXIII was a serious low for the series but if you go into it knowing what to expect and pace yourself it can be somewhat enjoyable. Also muting whenever Vanille talks helps a lot. It's not the worst game I've ever played but it's really slow and linear. Some story battles can be blindingly frustrating and the equipment upgrading system is more annoyance than it's worth. Just... yeah, pace yourself. XIII-2 should be better, so if you find your eyes melting, persevere and keep in mind that you get goodies in 2 for having finished 1.
The Ratchet and Clank series is great, if you're not already familiar with them. Future is a trilogy on the PS3 with one game available only on the PSN for like $5 (it's about 5 hours long) and requires no previous knowledge of the series, though it's more enjoyable if you have some. Also, All-4-One comes out on the 18th and is a 4-player (can be solo'd) addition to the series, it should be good. I will be blogging about it once it's in my grasp.
If you like Infamous then I'd definitely recommend getting 2, though I personally found it difficult to play through twice for both endings just because of the fact that very little changes regardless of which path you take. Festival of Blood, a stand alone addition to the series will be available on the PSN this month (presumably next Tuesday); it's Vampire themed for Halloween.
Folklore is one of my personal favourites. It's cheap as pomegranate and you can find it in pretty much any bargain bin at this point but considering it is an extremely early PS3 exclusive it is very impressive both graphically and in using the system's features like the six-axis. The story is superb (it's a fantasy murder mystery) and the gameplay is absolutely addictive. Biggest problem I have with it is that you go through each area twice as each character and ideally you'll be swapping back and forth with them to see the story sequentially so it gets a little repetitive in spite of some changes made to prevent their chapters from being identical.
If you like Tales games then check out Eternal Sonata. It's a beautiful (graphically) RPG about Chopin's fevered dreams (a little tasteless). I have some qualms with the game but overall it's a pretty solid RPG and this generation is lacking them so it's worth a look at the very least. There's a demo on the PSN.
White Knight Chronicles... I have a difficult time really recommending this. I personally like it; I tolerated the first one in spite of its short-comings and WKC2 came and fixed them all up while adding dozens more hours of gameplay. I've put 70+ hours in 2 in the last month and am really only scratching the surface of its content. Unfortunately, it's not a game for everyone. Even with the fixes, it still feels a little sluggish and the problem only gets worse as you go. The dungeons are way too big and can only be navigated by running through them where you will be mercilessly attacked on a regular basis, The story for either game is mediocre at best with the first focusing on a save the princess plot and the second mainly being about retracing your steps while war rages the land. And the second one is HARD. Like really, really hard.
Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 4 if you're into those sorts of games. You know what to expect. One has horses and the other has cars.
I'll write more later.
FFXIII was a serious low for the series but if you go into it knowing what to expect and pace yourself it can be somewhat enjoyable. Also muting whenever Vanille talks helps a lot. It's not the worst game I've ever played but it's really slow and linear. Some story battles can be blindingly frustrating and the equipment upgrading system is more annoyance than it's worth. Just... yeah, pace yourself. XIII-2 should be better, so if you find your eyes melting, persevere and keep in mind that you get goodies in 2 for having finished 1.
The Ratchet and Clank series is great, if you're not already familiar with them. Future is a trilogy on the PS3 with one game available only on the PSN for like $5 (it's about 5 hours long) and requires no previous knowledge of the series, though it's more enjoyable if you have some. Also, All-4-One comes out on the 18th and is a 4-player (can be solo'd) addition to the series, it should be good. I will be blogging about it once it's in my grasp.
If you like Infamous then I'd definitely recommend getting 2, though I personally found it difficult to play through twice for both endings just because of the fact that very little changes regardless of which path you take. Festival of Blood, a stand alone addition to the series will be available on the PSN this month (presumably next Tuesday); it's Vampire themed for Halloween.
Folklore is one of my personal favourites. It's cheap as pomegranate and you can find it in pretty much any bargain bin at this point but considering it is an extremely early PS3 exclusive it is very impressive both graphically and in using the system's features like the six-axis. The story is superb (it's a fantasy murder mystery) and the gameplay is absolutely addictive. Biggest problem I have with it is that you go through each area twice as each character and ideally you'll be swapping back and forth with them to see the story sequentially so it gets a little repetitive in spite of some changes made to prevent their chapters from being identical.
If you like Tales games then check out Eternal Sonata. It's a beautiful (graphically) RPG about Chopin's fevered dreams (a little tasteless). I have some qualms with the game but overall it's a pretty solid RPG and this generation is lacking them so it's worth a look at the very least. There's a demo on the PSN.
White Knight Chronicles... I have a difficult time really recommending this. I personally like it; I tolerated the first one in spite of its short-comings and WKC2 came and fixed them all up while adding dozens more hours of gameplay. I've put 70+ hours in 2 in the last month and am really only scratching the surface of its content. Unfortunately, it's not a game for everyone. Even with the fixes, it still feels a little sluggish and the problem only gets worse as you go. The dungeons are way too big and can only be navigated by running through them where you will be mercilessly attacked on a regular basis, The story for either game is mediocre at best with the first focusing on a save the princess plot and the second mainly being about retracing your steps while war rages the land. And the second one is HARD. Like really, really hard.
Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 4 if you're into those sorts of games. You know what to expect. One has horses and the other has cars.
I'll write more later.