I hate LJ cuts.
Day 1 - Very first video game. -
Oh sweet Jebus. I was probably like, four or five ish when I started playing. But if I recall correctly it should be this:
My sis and I had a really hard time to actually, you know, beat the game. So most of the time we'd just look at the pretty graphics and run around. And get scared shitless by the enemies. I think we also played my uncle's SNES, among them being Donkey Kong Country and Yoshi's Island.
Day 2 - Your favorite character. -
Oh seriously? I have to PICK? Ugh. Fine then.
It's probably this love muffin:
I have no idea why, but as soon as I played the first Devil May Cry, I fell INSTANTLY in love. Then I played DMC4, and fell in love with Nero, then Dante again. Then I played DMC3 and just...squee. Also, I may have this thing for the "bad boiz" in fiction. I have no idea why, but they make me feel all happy.
Other contenders are: Yuri Hyuga (Shadow Hearts), Link(The Legend of Zelda), Mario(WHAAAAT?), Nathan Drake(Uncharted)
Day 3 - A game that is underrated.
Oh jebus. I have a tendency to play really hard-to-find, unrated games. Most of them are really obscure RPGs on the PS2. But one of my favorite "underrated" classics would be the Baten Kaitos series.
The series itself was probably a good turning point when it came to my writing and art. It introduced me to a story in games that kept me wanting more till the end. I think when I first played this game, and got to the first plot twist, after recovering from total shock, I wanted to write something like that. Marionette Unbound was that creation, although the story is currently in the re-works.
(...Maybe I should play the first one again and use that as an example)
(Also, Odin Sphere and Beyond the Beyond and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete)
Day 4 - Your guilty pleasure game.
This.
(And Harvest Moon.)
Day 5 - Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
You know, I never really considered it. But I always tried to look for the strong female characters to look to in ever the case I felt weak or something.
Probably Samus would be one of them. With Other M, she appears a bit more fragile, but that's what makes her feel more human and able to feel for her a bit more. I mean, at first she had no personality. We simply thought that she was this enigmatic badass, but with Other M, we are shown a different side of her that was completely foreign to us. Team Ninja managed to give her a voice and tell us her story, from her actual perspective.
Okay, she wouldn't shut up, but still.
Day 6 - Most annoying character.
Will Sue from Grandia ever shut her trap?
TUNE IN NEXT TIME.
Day 7 - Favorite game couple
SAGI AND MILLY. SAGI AND MILLY. SAGI AND MILLY. (Baten Kaitos Origins)
Other contenders: Yuri and Alice(Shadow Hearts), Link and Zelda(...yeah)
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Day 8 - Best soundtrack.
...Oh man. I...don't know. There are many soundtracks that are absolutely adore and just have this fangasm when I listen to it in-game. Among the most loveliest I have ever heard would probably be:
Baten Kaitos/Eternal Sonata(Motoi Sakuraba)
Click to viewShadow of the Colossus/ICO (I have no idea who the composers are for the two game. They're both different, but I'm counting them for the same thing)
Other Contenders: Castlevania series(One of the recent composers: Michiru Yamane. Any track in particular? Either A Toccata into Blood Soaked Darkness or Dances of Pales), Legend of Zelda series(Koji Kondo, goddamn the Spirit Tracks soundtrack is oh so fine), Shadow Hearts series( Yoshitaka Hirota, Yasunori Mitsuda. Among the songs you should really listen: ALICE, Imbroglio, ICARO Again~Advertise II, Old Smudged Map~Map of Europe, Lady Tears II, Dead Fingers Talk), and Lost Odyssey(Nobuo Uematsu; Neverending Journey being my personal fav), Uncharted(Greg Edmunson; Among Thieves, Nate's Theme, Marco Polo, Reunion, The Monastery)
Day 9 - Saddest game scene.
Jebus. There are a lot of contenders that made me sob like a baby. Most of them endings actually. I think one of the biggest contender was Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. No, it's not when Xelha dies, no it's not the grand epic of the islands returning to the land, but when the spirit leaves. By the credits, I was probably sobbing into a pillow. Origins isn't innocent either. For some reason, I have impeccable timing with the song that plays when Guillo does its heroic sacrifice and the climax of the songs plays RIGHT WHEN THE DOOR SHUTS. That's where I honestly lost it.
(Shadow Hearts: Covenant is another contender. Jebus, that good ending? Yuri dies. YURI. DIES. I managed not to spoil the ending for myself when I first played it, so when it arrived, it was an immense shock and the waterworks just came naturally.)
(Other contender is the ending of Shadows of the Colossus. Sweet bajeebus, I still have Wander screaming for Mono at the ending imprinted in my brain. Heart wrenching)
Day 10 - Best gameplay
I think one of the most wonderful gameplay experiences might be between...oh jeez. I'm not exactly sure for that one. Perhaps for it's beautiful realism, yet somehow feeling quite right with the controls, Uncharted 2 may be one of my favorites. But Bayonetta has to be one of my TOPS in gameplay. Hideki Kamiya is a genius when it comes to smooth, flowing controls.
Let me just but Bayonetta in a nutshell in terms of gameplay: It's Devil May Cry, but with a dodge button.
Nothing makes me happier.
(Resonance of Fate wins a special award for the simple fact that it is absolutely amazing how it can be a total change in the RPG formula and somehow work, while bringing back some difficulty to the genre. It is awesome)
Day 11 - Gaming system of choice.
I think the two consoles that I have given the most love would be the PS2 and the Wii(AAHH MY GOD KIRBY EPIC YARN IS COMING OUT SOOON). The PS2 has been with me for almost ten years and it's given me lots of awesome gaming memories. Right now it's sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to put the TV on the desk and play it.
It's calling to meee.
Day 12 - A game everyone should play.
There are two. If you have never played a Zelda game before, I am wondering what the hell is wrong with you and will kidnap you and force you to play at least Ocarina of Time with me.
Or, if you want an absolute artistic experience, Shadow of the Colossus or Okami.
Day 13 - A game you’ve played more than five times.
Ocarina of Time, with little surprise. And...well...the next one on the list of most played through would be Baten Kaitos: EWatLO.
Obsessed much, yes?
Day 14 - Current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.
I...
I
. http://fav.me/d1vl9w9
Day 15 - Post a screenshot from the game you’re playing right now.
Correction: Three screenshots:
(THESE WERE HONESTLY THE BEST I COULD FIND D:)
Why yes, that is a guitar used as a rocket launcher.
Day 17 - Favorite antagonist.
Oh by bejeebus. I'm not actually...sure...about...that one.Maybe:
This little fucker.
The game, the scripting, the story will go out of its way just to make sure you hate the jerk's ass and will be completely satisfied when you see him get completely decimated by the third act of the series. In the second game and early third, you will want to wring his neck.
Did I mention that he's a twelve year old that's gone completely mad with power? And that he's voiced by CRISPIN FREEMAN (gone nuts)? Oh yes.
Ooooh yes.
(I'd also like to make a special mention to Lady and Killer from the third Shadow Hearts, since they are one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful villain couples and I am going to cry my eyes out by the end. I know I am)
Day 18 - Favorite protagonist.
Yuri "Bite Me" Hyuga from Shadow Hearts. He is...a jerk. But he still has his weak points. The first game made me fall in love with him, but the second game pretty much solidified how much I adore him. In the second disc, he basically breaks down once he's confronted by his past. In the first disc, there are some moments where he tries to brush things off, but you can tell he's barely holding things together.
Just. <3
(Other contender is Link, of course.
...And Cecil from FFIV)
Day 19 - Picture of a game setting you wish you lived in.
Hmm.
It's a really hard pick, but I'll get back to you on that one. Kay?
Day 20 - Favorite genre.
Oh like that's a hard question. I originally grew up with platformers and action-adventure games, so obviously they've been one of my area of expertise when it comes to gaming. However, ever since I played Beyond the Beyond and Final Fantasy VIII, one of my greatest loves has been for RPGs--eastern, western, and action alike. Right now I've been dying to play Dragon Age: Origins.
Along with those genres, I have a small soft spot for the occasional fighting game. Ever since Scamco has betrayed me with the Soul series, I've turned to Tekken for comfort--eventually, totally getting Street Fighter x Tekken. (Am so also getting MvC3)
Day 21 - Game with the best story.
It always varies to me from time to time, but there are several games where the story can be considered my favorite. Although there are many things I love in a story, I can honestly say that games such as Baten Kaitos, Uncharted, Shadow Hearts, and Psychonauts, are where I find that they thrive the most.
What I really look for in a story is something that is simple, yet complex at the same time. In terms of simplicity in story, the old Final Fantasy games seem to shine the most, although FFVI had the most complex out of the "simple" ones. Later on, they developed a plot that was too complicated and took too much in order for one to enjoy it. If you're left confused at the beginning, and still are at the middle, I hardly think that's a good story.
But when a story keeps it central point, but the twist and turns keeps it from getting stale--most likely giving the story a brand new meaning without changing the overall focus--that's when I think it shines the most. Yes, the goals will be different, at best, but there it's nothing that boggles the mind.
I find Baten Kaitos to be one of my favorite stories is that, despite all the betrayals, despite all that happens, the end result will be what they were aiming for at the beginning. The goal itself was to stop Malpercio is some way and it remained so. Obstacles were obviously in the way, thanks to what happened, but after a few hours of veering towards the wrong path, they returned to what the central focus of the plot is, without confusing the bejeebus out of us.
Uncharted excelled for me thanks to its brilliant script writing and interesting characters. Nathan Drake felt like a regular Joe-shmoe for me, but what thrust into a situation and managed to have some decent human-like reactions to it. The script itself flowed nicely to me and had...really...good...cinematics.
Shadow Hearts was mostly about the setting and plot. Again, I will use my arguments for Baten Kaitos, but repeating them would be torture to type again. The setting, however, was something I hardly expected out of a game--using fantasy elements in the mid-1910's to the late 1920's. Along with using dark visuals equal to those of Silent Hill.
Day 22 - A game sequel which disappointed you.
Don't play Clock Tower 3, for the love that is good and holy. It's not as awesome as the original SNES one.
Day 23 - Game you think had the best graphics or art style.
I'm very...fickle about graphics. I have this sole belief that when realism is used in games, they will eventually age horribly. However, when a more "artsy" or maybe "carton" style is used, the game doesn't really age that bad.
However, my favorite contenders for more visually gorgeous games would be a tossup between Okami for the PS2 or Super Mario Galaxy (1/2) for the Wii. Both have equally amazing visual style, always providing something absolutely unique.
Okami would mostly likely win it for me, though. Hideki Kamiya always has this thing of providing something unique for me. This game uses the visual of a Japanese watercolor painting and it is just...
Okay. Look for yourself:
">www.youtube.com/v/k0SA9B_s2pU
Also, how about that soundtrack? Hoooo man. <3
:
Day 24 - Favorite classic game.
You'll find out as soon as I figure out how to add a hyperlink.
Day 25 - A game you plan on playing.
I have a list: Kirby Epic Yarn (Wii), Dragon Age: Origins (PS3), Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song (PS2), Castlevania: Lord of Shadows(PS3), Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)
Day 26 - Best voice acting.
UNCHARTED 2. UNCHARTED 2. UNCHARTED 2. I'd also like to casually add that Baten Kaitos Origins and Eternal Sonata have equally amazing acting for an RPG.
And Resonance of Fate too, I guess.
(Edit: I forgot that Valkyria Chronicles has absolutely phenomenal voice acting and Dave Wittenburg's voice acting was absolutely amazing as Welkin and totally rocked when he proposed to her and aaaaaahhh. <3)
Day 27 - Most epic scene ever.
Day 28 - Favorite game developer.
Ubisoft Montreal is among my favorites, especially for developing the recent Prince of Persia games as well as the Assassin's Creed games. They have rather amazing production qualities and remind me of my love for platforming and action adventure. In terms for RPGs, I would honestly admit that Mistwalker takes what is good about Final Fantasy in the golden years, and gives it a graphical uplift and cleanses my soul.
Day 29 - A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Rogue Galaxy. I started playing with all the bad impressions about it, and even a ton of snark later, I still find some kind of excuse to go back to it and play it through. It's a short game, but with the Level-5 touch, it makes for an absolutely intriguing experience.
I'll give the summary in a nutshell: It's Skies of Arcadia without the pirating part IN SPAAAAAAACE.
Day 30 - Your favorite game of all time.
(And Ocarina of Time, and Drakengard 2, and Shadow Hearts: Covenant, and Uncharted 2, and Psychonauts, and Shadow of the Colossus, and *keeps on going*)