Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days finally arrives

This is a belated post on the game's arrival, which actually came sometime mid-last week, but what with all the Uncharted 2 coverage, it got left behind. But Kingdom Hearts: 358/3 Days is finally in my possession, and in an exclusive and spiffy plastic jacket, thanks to Amazon.com.

Initially when I pre-ordered this, I didn't think too much about the plastic sleeve. But when the game came in, the plastic sleeve was frosted, and bore a pleasant watermark-like design all over the background, covering all but Roxas, the main character, and the game logo. Here's a better shot of the contrast.

If you look closely, the watermark design is the same as the one on the special-edition DSi released in Japan a while back:

One of the more impressive game packagings I've seen this year. Here's hoping this game and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep will end all the stories-within-the-story, and that we'll get a true sequel in the future.

Retro Game Challenge arrives

Having a spare gift card can sometimes be a burden, especially when there's no immediate purchases in mind. But while strolling in a Best Buy last week, I saw what I wanted, nay HAD to purchase - Retro Game Challenge for the DS.

I've played the import game in the past through certain means, but have always stalled on getting my own domestic copy. However, with all the recent reports of small sales not matching the humongous praise this game's been getting, I had to show my support and purchase the game.

If you're a retro gamer at heart, you really owe it to yourself to get this title. The nostalgia and simplicity of these fake retro games take me back to a more innocent time when graphics weren't all about realism, the only thing to achieve was high scores, and genres were in their early defining stages.

Sure, thanks to piracy, the game's getting all the attention and none of the sales...which is a terrible, terrible shame. I'd be a hypocrite if I said I've never dabbled in rom downloads myself. Despite that, I'm a firm believer of spending my money on quality products to show my support. You have to respect that, in the end, the game industry is still a business, and no amount of praise for a game is worth anything unless people actually go out and purchase the game as well. And as much as anyone would LOVE to bring over these quirky titles from the Land of the Rising Sun to the States, there are little people who would do it for next to nothing.

It is because of this that I've decided to make this game-purchase post a little different, a little more significant. To anyone who has already purchased the game, thank you for supporting XSEED and their quest to bringing obscure titles to the States.

Send To Phone

The Tome of Lost Souls, obtained.

It's good to note that whenever you pre-order a game from GameStop for the extra pre-order goodies, it's best to pick it up ASAP. The whole "while supplies last" gets overlooked too often, causing unnecessary surprise when you realize too late that you're...well, late in picking up the goods. Such was the case when I picked up my copy of Knights in the Nightmare for DS, only to realize I never got my free artbook 2 days later.

In hopes that the artbook was innocently forgotten, I make my GameStop call, only to be reminded that it was "while supplies lasted." Well THAT sucks. (I found out later from an inside source that if the game's paid in full, employees are required to hold pre-order bonuses to your copy - which, unfortunately, wasn't the case for me) It's obvious to note that I picked up this game late (picked it up June 13th, when the game was released June 2nd), but I had my reasons; a family emergency, E3, being 400 miles away from the GameStop I reserved it at.

Turns out, I wasn't the only person boned at getting the free artbook. Seems that Atlus short-supplied artbooks throughout most GameStops, with some even getting too many. In any case, I figured that there may possibly be an untapped store in which the artbook was still available, left behind by another neglectful gamer. Ready to make my round of calls, fortune smiled on me quick when the first store I called up had one more left! After explaining my situation, the GS employee was happy to fulfill my pre-order just from showing my receipt. I still brought my game in for good measure, but soon I was finally bestowed my free artbook.

Mind you, it's free - that doesn't mean that it's in perfect condition. Never before did I remind myself so many times that something was free; the edges were tattered and torn (clearly from constant flipping-through), the spine bent (probably sat on), and the back cover is crinkled (holding the book limply with one hand). In the end, however, all 96 pages of illustrations are intact. Good, at least no one tried to wipe their ass with it.

So, here it is. The Tome of Lost Souls artbook. (Cue lone trumpet's struggling victory fanfare)

Send To Phone

Knights in the Nightmare arrives.

During my E3 attendance, Knights in the Nightmare was released. And it took me this long to finally pick up my reservation. Which shouldn't be any indication on what I think of the game. I mean, it's Atlus after all.

That, and the gameplay is strikingly unique and original. Combining a SHMUP and an RPG? Sign me up!

Rhythm Heaven...finished!

After much tapping on the screen, I've completed through all possible mini-games in Rhythm Heaven, and gotten a good amount of gold medals to pound a "finished" stamp on this title.

While there are a couple of mini-games that had me pulling my hair a number of times, the game as a whole is still a worthwhile experience, and one that shouldn't be missed by any music gamer.

And don't let all those nay-sayers dissuade you from a purchase because of the English localization in the songs. It's only for a handful of games, and, while one or two are a pain to hear, the music is still tap-rific. Plus, most of the other mini-games retained their Japanese audio tracks anyways.

A must-tap title that will garner much replay value long after you finish the game, Rhythm Heaven is an awesome game-on-the-go!

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia...finished!

And so ends another chapter in the popular Konami franchise as I bring Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia to its end yesterday. There are no Belmonts this time to fight Dracula, but you get this hot chick that absorbs glyths that can be used in battle.

Even though I finished the game (rather anti-climatically, since my character was terribly over-buffed), I'm still playing through to increase my completion rate. I don't think I've ever been this absorbed into full completion in the past two Castlevania DS games, but I'm so close that I might as well keep going. There are still a few games that I don't mind grinding through to collect every single item, and now I can add Ecclesia to the list.

Overall, this is still an excellent Castlevania game, and one that you'll regret if you don't play.

Man, it's been a while since I finished a game. Time to play catch-up!