Spirit Rez

I haven't forgotten about my beautiful blog, I have just been enjoying some Q4 releases. Picked up Wrath of The Lich King midnight release style, Death Knights are overpowered and awesome, Northrend is pretty. In true Kuni fasion rather than experience the new content while it is fresh I have instead rerolled for like the 200th time. This time I'm playing a Troll Priest on Detheroc named Kunimon, I feel a strong call to healing what else can I say.

Also amazing is Little Big Planet, it's more fun than I have had with a platformer in years. Just awe-inspiring.

The blog lives, it just has to wait out the rez sickness.

Silent Hill: Homecoming

Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: Konami
Ending: good ending

It's... over?

That pretty much sums up my thoughts and feelings while watching the end credits. While still an amazing game in every respect, I feel it had greater potential. It did a fantastic job of leaving you guessing until the very end but then when it hits you want more of it. I was just slightly disappointed that after a single play through I knew exactly what had happened. Maybe it was because the game was developed by an American group rather than a Japanese one. Also it seemed to be fashioned after the film, both stylistically and plot-wise which again is not terrible it just could have done more.

I briefly want to mention the appearance of Pyramid Head. This is not a spoiler if you wait to press start and watch the intro cinematic. In Silent Hill 2 Pyramid Head was symbolic for Jame's individual story. In this game and the film, he's just kind of there. God damn it, give Pyramid Head a richer back story. He's like the mascot for fucks sake! Sorry, I'm done now.

Overall a great game and a worthy addition to the Silent Hill series I just feel like I ate Flaming Wok and it's an hour later and I want to eat more Flaming Wok. Don't spill all the beans in the first play through, stupid American developers...

Secret Cult of Kuni rating: 3/5

Metal Gear Solid 3

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Konami
Completion Time: 23 hours 52 minutes
Completion Title: Shark

I'll type about this later, right now I am really tired.

Metal Gear Solid 4

Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: Konami
Approximate Completion Time: 22 hours
Completion Title: Eagle

Metal Gear!?

Somehow MGS4 manages to make sense of one of the most "wtf?" inducing storylines in gaming history. It also does so with unbelievable style and grace even for Hideo Kojima. My mouth was literally open the entire ending sequence which is a very long time. When it comes to cinematic action, MGS4 is easily on par with the best films of the genre such as The Matrix Trilogy. MGS4 is actually about 3/5 film and 2/5 game in my opinion, but it works.

The gameplay is solid and satisfying if a bit sparse. I played on Solid Normal difficulty which gave me little to no trouble. At some point I would like to attempt another playthrough on a harder difficulty and be more stealthy. Unlike the MGS games I have played previously you can actually run and gun your way through this one a lot more. The wide variety of weapons and available customizations is very awesome.

The amount of flashbacks and nostalgia from previous titles oozes from the very start and kicks major ass. There is so much fanservice in this iteration for fans of the series that it's almost over the top at times. Again however, it works.

I wouldn't know what else to say really other than play this game or you are crazy. Even if you have never touched Metal Gear Solid before in your life, this game is worth playing.

La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo Kuni rating: 5/5

Grand Theft Auto 4

Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: Rockstar
Completion percentage and time: 63.25% at 43 hours and 57 minutes

Not much to say about this game really, it deserves all of the perfect scores it has been given. If you want to play a masterpiece, check this game out. Now I am ultra excited for Metal Gear Solid 4.

Very criminal Kuni rating: 5/5

Silent Hill: Origins

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Konami
Approximate Completion Time: 9 hours 30 minutes

Just a quick word for now as I'm very ill and exhausted. SH:O is a direct prequel to the original Silent Hill, surprisingly released first for the PSP but thankfully ported to PS2. It isn't the prettiest game in the series, but the story and setting are as good as they come. This is the first Silent Hill game I have played through and completed with no help whatsoever from Gamefaqs or a guide. To quote from the holy film Labyrinth "I could never do it before! I think I'm getting smarter!". I also managed to get the good ending but after reading about the various endings and accolades you can obtain, realized it was the default ending. Oh well, still a righteous video game victory in my eyes. I enjoyed this offering as much or more than the true console titles of the series and I'm very grateful I had the means to purchase it immediately upon release. Now I am very eager for Silent Hill 5 on the Playstation 3, which in addition to my wild dreams of Final Fantasy 7 being remade was one of my main selling points for the system. Stay tuned until next time as I continue to plow through my backlog of unfinished console games like a energy drink driven juggernaut!

Spooky scary Kuni rating: 5/5

Castlevania: Symphony of The Night - Revisited

Platform: Playstation
Developer: Konami
Completion Time: 6 hours 8 minutes 36 seconds
Percentage: 80.3%

This is absolutely one of my favorite games of all time. It belongs at least in my top 10 if not the top 5, it is just lovingly crafted to total perfection. I saw it on the Playstation store on my PS3 and had to score it for a steal of a deal at $10! I wanted a really quick playthrough before I tackled anything else, so I only did the first castle/Richter ending. I'll play this gem many times however, I am certain of that.

Final Fantasy 12

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Square Enix
Completion Time: Around 75 hours

Final Fantasy 12, hereafter referred to as FF12 is a MSORPG or massively single-player offline roleplaying game. It bears a strong resemblance to the Star Wars saga as observed by my heterosexual life partner and myself. In it, androgynous heroes combat the forces of politics in a dramatic tale full of Shakespearian dialogue. An explanation of what FF12 is probably doesn't serve as a blog however, I would be surprised if you weren't familiar with the game or at least the franchise. Let me rant a bit about the quality of the game rather than its identity.

I really like FF12, I really do. The only reason I'm just finishing it after over a year of being released is mainly due to the dread juggernaut World of Warcraft which I am hopeful I have rid myself of, but can never be sure. FF12 is a masterpiece of a console RPG at the very least. I would go as far as to say it is a masterpiece of gaming in general, worthy of a spot in the Valhalla of sweet electronic entertainment.
FF12 and I have a long history, at least I think we do. It is entirely possible I am hallucinating, but for some reason I'm inclined to believe I remember seeing early screenshots of FF12 before I even had a Playstation 2. Back then all I could give the game credit for was "those moogles look pretty sweet". Well, the moogles ended up looking and being extremely sweet as well as the rest of the game. If you've played multiple Final Fantasy games in the past then you probably have come to realize each game changes the formula a bit but the core feel of the series persists. The same is true here even despite the vast departure from turn-based combat. So you've got some stuff to kill and you don't want to push x,x every few seconds then sit back to watch your dudes and dudettes take a swing then repeat until you need to heal or whatever or the stuff is dead. What do you do? Well in FF12 you basically program your characters to act based on certain parameters like who is almost dead, who is poisoned and so on just as a couple of crude examples. At first I had a hard time adapting to the new system but after a slightly longer learning curve I grew to enjoy it.

For character development FF12 managed to innovate an entirely new system which is not easy when you have 10 direct predecessors all with varying systems. You earn license points from killing enemies and then you spend them on a grid for "Licenses" which allow you to equip gear, use spells and abilities, and enhance your party with passive abilities. This was a nicely implemented system and I enjoyed it as much or more than the Materia system from FF7 and the "equip stuff and have its abilities then earn points so you can keep the abilities and switch gear" system from FF9... at least that's what I call it.

The world map was also done differently in this incarnation and more closely resembled Final Fantasy Tactics in the fact that you have a flat representation of the map that looks like an atlas and little icons for the destinations. You can travel either by foot from area to area, teleport via crystals using an item from your inventory, or eventually you get access to your own airship to choose almost any destination for instant travel. It wouldn't be Final Fantasy if you didn't end up with an airship, oh and there's Cid too :)

Overall FF12 was an epic experience that spanned many months for me, it all came together beautifully in the end and I wouldn't change a thing. There is a lot more to be seen and done in FF12 and I may return to it in the future, the gameplay is enticing enough, I'd just like to finish more games first. I have a proper list now for me to refer to, and a strict edict that I must finish 2 games per every 1 that I purchase. It helps that I have been abstaining from World of Warcraft, I hope I can remain vigilant in that regard.

Faram.

Very important fractional Kuni rating: 5/5

Seriously?

So I purchased a Playstation 3, just to be different. I actually love it a lot, somewhat surprisingly. I'm playing quite a bit of Oblivion which is extremely rad. I also downloaded demos for Resistance, Devil May Cry 4 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma all of which are rad in their own respects. The real crown jewel of this purchase so far though? Castlevania: Symphony of The Night for $9.99!!! Now what is radder than that folks? Not a lot, that's what.

Silent Hill - Revisited

Platform: Playstation
Developer: Konami
Difficulty: Normal
Completion Time: 6 Hours 49 Minutes 33 Seconds
Ending: Bad
Ranking: 6 stars

Silent Hill 4: The Room

Platform: Playstation 2
Developer: Konami
Completion Time: 9 hours, 46 minutes

This is not a comfortable game to play, a lot of the difficulty comes from how frightened the game's atmosphere makes you while playing. I have honestly never had a horror experience as frightening as this game. I don't know how the developers of the Silent Hill series continue to come up with new material and make it exceedingly disturbing each time, but I love them for it. This now completes my collection of the currently released games, and I am proud of that fact. Silent Hill 5 and the hope of a Final Fantasy 7 remake are two reasons I might be crazy enough to purchase a PS Triple out of the three current generation consoles... maybe I need to increase the dosage on my meds. Either way, let me share a bit about this exercise in absolute terror.


Silent Hill 4 is uniquely themed about a boy and his mother, I won't spoil any more of the plot than that. The gameplay introduced a few new mechanics to the classic formula including an item box system borrowed from Resident Evil. This managed to be fairly tolerable considering you are constantly returning to your "base" to switch out items, save progress and uncover more of the masterfully crafted story. The room segments also take place in first person, another first for the series. You then travel through various locations and settings via holes in walls that portal you from one freaky scenario to the next. In true Silent Hill fashion, everything you witness and partake in has some semblance in the great scheme of the story. I found this round to be much more satisfying than 3 surprisingly, despite hearing mixed opinions prior to actually playing the game.

The only thing that annoyed me about the gameplay in 4 is the addition of ghost enemies and hauntings in your apartment towards the later portion of the game. In my survival horror games I can appreciate the need to run from enemies, but when the enemies follow you from screen to screen and can't be killed(only "pinned" with an item in limited supply) that sucks. You are constantly tense and on the run for most of the games areas, ok fine, but then you reach a point in the game where your apartment has hauntings and you're no longer safe there either!? Get out of town! There has to be some semblance of a sanctuary to ease your nerves while dealing with all of the messed up stuff the game throws at you. After the hauntings started I felt an urgency to rush through the rest of the game just so I could finally relax.


Don't get the wrong idea, I cherish Silent Hill 4 and its predecessors, there aren't even close to enough games this good. Just, I doubt I'm going to be able to sleep right for the next week. I ended up with the bad ending of the bunch, according to a FAQ. I guess it was important to get rid of the hauntings in your apartment instead of run past them quickly, and also important to better protect your stupid AI escort partner rather than use her as a meat shield. My bad! I still rather enjoyed the bad ending, even though it closed things on a depressing note.

The puzzles seemed much easier for me to solve in this one, things just clicked. I don't know if this is because they were less cryptic, or because my brain function has increased after nearly half a month of sobriety. I'll take whatever I can get, running up and down stairs to check Gamefaqs when you're scared out of your mind is a little intense for old Kuni.

I'd like to think I'll maybe play the Silent Hill series again, and probably will. Not for some time however, have to let the nightmares subside. Thanks again Konami for probing the dark recesses of the human psyche and making a fun game out of it!

Spooky scary Kuni rating: 5/5