MMO's and more

Some incredible games have been released since... the last time I bloggered.

Phantasy Star Online 2 was released in Japan on July 4th and it continues the tradition of sci-fi action roleplaying that PSO started on the Dreamcast over 10 years ago.

Here's the opening trailer:


I downloaded the game shortly after release with some Japanese help from some friendly folks on the internet. The game looks great and running around the worlds and killing stuff is pretty easy to get into. I've started to play on Ship #7 which has a large group of English players that have been playing the game since launch.

The game itself is similar to other action rpgs coming out of Japan these days (Monster Hunter, Gods Eater Burst, PSP2, etc) where you get quests from a quest counter and then board your ship to go to not so distant worlds to accomplish tasks. Along the way you'll group with other players to take down some pretty huge beasts and monsters. I wonder where this idea of a quest "hub" came from, because it is creeping into a lot of games.

My overall impression of the game is that it is pretty awesome for a free to play rpg style game. The game itself looks great, the graphics are up to par with other MMO's and it plays well despite my weak internet connection (most of the computing is handled on my end, not on the server itself). It really feels like a console rpg, much like the predecessor PSO on the Dreamcast, and I think that once SEGA rolls out PSO2 on iOS and PSVita the game will open up even further.

For now the game is only playable in Japanese. The US version of the game is slated for 2013 release. A demo at PAX Prime 2012 in a couple of weeks will show everyone what SEGA has planned for localization. As of this blog there are possible plans to restrict the current game to Japan ISPs due to hacking and cheating exploits. Supposedly this is already in effect, but I can still log on. Overall, my limited Japanese is whats keeping me from really enjoying this game... there are a ton of menus and dialog. I think I'll like the game better next year, but until then, I'll level up and see how it goes this fall. I like what I've played so far, and its FREE.

I've talked about this a lot over the past few months. Dragon Quest X was finally released in Japan to eager fans who have waited for this title for what? Over four years? An MMO released on the Nintendo Wii has some people scratching their heads. It makes sense for Japan, but many people, myself included, believe that the West won't see a Wii release. The game quadrupled Wii sales in Japan leading up to the release, and with the Wii U coming out shortly, it looks like Nintendo will squeeze out some life out of it's the old console yet still. The launch was relatively flawless according to some, and after loading your discs onto the 16GB usb plugged into the Wii (75 minutes later), the game is pretty straightforward.

Since I can't play the game (yet) I've relied on some Let's Play videos and podcasts to fill in the gaps about this game. From what people have said, and what I have seen, the game is less MMO and more Co-Op online version of a Dragon Quest game. There are social interactions within the game, but there are some things that separate it from other online games, and make it feel more like a traditional console rpg.

Wii DQX Super bundle

Character creation seems limited, but players have said that there's no problem regarding players looking like each other. Fighting enemies in the game seems exactly like Dragon Quest games: turn based. When you encounter an enemy, you instance yourself with it until combat ends, which is different from other MMO's where other random players can help you. If you aren't grouped with that player you can cheer them on as they battle. Interesting. I haven't looked into the story much, but the world itself is large and players have already put in more than 100 hours into the game by now.

I'm wondering how this game will develop as the years go by. One of the blaring things is the graphics and how they will obviously improve as the game gets released to the Wii U. The graphics look as good or better than Dragon Quest 8, and that's a problem for some, but others are willing to overlook that because they hunger for more DQ. The Wii's graphic limitations are suitable for the cell shaded cartoon style of the game but it will look better on different hardware. Expansions will probably make the game really big... and those still playing on the Wii will probably have to get larger thumb drives.

I've wanted to play this game for a long time. But rumors of a PC version made me wait (and I don't have a PS3 currently) for this version which includes more content, additional features, and more death.


Dark Souls was both praised and condemned for it's unforgiving difficulty. Dying over and over is commonplace in this game. It has been compared to 8-bit games of old for it's difficulty, which is something that is gone from modern video games. I'm hoping all that time playing Monster Hunter will pay off and help me avoid getting killed to death over and over. Who knows. This game looks good, and

The Last Story was release yesterday. I'll look into that soon!

Import soda

Blarg.

There's a promotion with Pepsi going on in Japan, that includes Dragon Quest X Figures.

No such luck of that ever happening here in America.. Wish I could import it somehow... Amazon Japan?

DQX special edition box art with included USB stick.

More news about the game have been released in the last few weeks with pages from Famitsu, and players of the beta. Perks like in game outfits and "free kid-time" have also been mentioned on the internets. Still don't know when or if this game will come to the US. Sqaure Enix has this and Final Fantasy XIV that they're betting to become MMO hits. That's a pretty big gamble. cranking out two MMO versions of their top franchises... at the same time. Interesting. 

As E3 wrapped up last week, more news about Nintendo's upcoming Wii U has people either salivating for more information about games, third party development s and technical specifications, or just confused. The Wii U looks like another interesting gamble for Nintendo, and as long as they can keep third party support, it should have no problem selling units around Christmas time. I'm not worried about Nintendo as some people are.

Quickie

I'm going to finish a game this week. That's a promise. No more distractions.

But in other big news:

SEGA's MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to the PlayStation Vita.

The sequel looks amazing, with its combination of sci-fi and fantasy that's made Phantasy Star an original series from the start. What makes this better is the fact that you can play the game both on PC and Vita. I've been wondering when someone would tackle the first real portable MMORPG. I like to play rpg's, but I would like the option to play them on portable system. Even when I played World of Warcraft, the closest thing to portable for that were crude tablet computers or netbooks. If the video confirms how seamless playing Phantasy Star Online 2 is on the Vita and PC... I might be sold. If Sony would confirm a Monster Hunter or Dark Souls, that would seal the deal. 

I havent' really played any of the Phantasy Star games, but since I got a Dreamcast not too long ago, I've been wanting to play the first Phantasy Star Online game (though now it involves a complicated process). It was a cutting edge game, that had interesting features that allowed you to play with players all across the globe (this was back in 2001). There was a universal translator to communicate with other players in Japan for crying out loud. Official servers went dark a few years ago, but there's a private server or two for folks that want to play the original game.