Corpse Party Series

Man it's been so long since I've written on this blog! It's got to be like what, almost three years or more since I've last written. I've been so busy trying to finish college, begin my career, begin life as an adult. For this post I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of reviewing one game I'm going to review a series. I've been playing/looking at a particular visual novel/adventure interactive series for almost a year ever since I bought a copy of the series' games last October. My first exposure to the series I'm going to review was from watching an anime adaptation of the game and later a "Let's Play" of the first game by a YouTube gamer named Markiplier. After watching these and learning it's a game I bought the first game in the series, played it, and greatly enjoyed it. Corpse Party.


Without further adieu I'll begin diving into my review of the haunting, frightening, and tragic tale of

Spoilers alert but I'll try to not go into details so you can see for yourself if you ever play the games.

Satoshi Mochida: Somewhat un-elected leader of the group. Can be scared easily but is mature and able to face whatever comes his way.

Naomi Nakashima: The voice of reason of the group and also somewhat close with Satoshi at times.

Ayumi Shinozaki: The class representative and occult authority of the group. Insecure about herself and cares more about others than herself at times.

Yoshiki Kishinuma: A somewhat brash and headstrong boy. Despite his tough background he has a soft side and feelings for Ayumi.

Yuka Mochida: Satoshi's little sister. She looks up to her big brother.

There are others but I'll leave it up to you guys to know and learn who they are.

Gameplay: How you play it is very simple as there's a "bird's eye," view of your character with a 16-bit design. You move your character in which direction and navigate through a school building and the like. You can examine objects, writings, etc,. You also have the option to make choices which either add more dialogue or give you a good or bad ending. The good ending progresses the story while the bad endings describe your character's graphic and/or brutal death. In the later games they have a "point and click," style and revert back to the original "bird's eye," view but with 3D models instead of 16-bit models.

Story:

Corpse Party:

The five characters mentioned above-along with a few other students and a teacher-perform a supposedly harmless charm. The charm was introduced by Ayumi and was used to make the bond of friendship strong with her and company. Unfortunately the charm backfires and sends everyone to an alternate dimension where a half destroyed elementary school stands. This school-Heavenly Host Elementary School- was originally destroyed but somehow exists in this alternate dimension. Vengeful spirits, the curse of insanity, traps, and other horrors lurk in the halls of the school. Looking for a means of escape these students try to solve the mystery of what happened, why the school exists, who is responsible and why. In the end- the five characters I mentioned-learn grisly murders on children and a nurse occurred decades ago. The spirits of the deceased created the school in the alternate dimension and won't pass on until they're appeased. The five successfully solve the mystery, escape with their lives, and become traumatized from their experiences and losses.

Corpse Party Book of Shadows:

(A large chunk of this game has a lot of excess what-if scenarios that deviate from the main story. For the sake of the main story I won't go into them.)
It's been one week after the events of Corpse Party. Traumatized and grief stricken, Naomi and Ayumi learn that there's a chance to resurrect their deceased friends. The two need to locate the Book of Shadows and perform the "Resurrection Spell," to successfully resurrect their dead friends. Unfortunately the spell backfires resulting in Naomi and Ayumi almost being killed by the spell. Ayumi's older sister stops the spell, saves Ayumi, and dies instead of Ayumi and Naomi.

Corpse Party Blood Drive:

It's been two months after Ayumi and Naomi failed to perform the spell from the Book of Shadows. Ayumi fell into despair, guilt, and shock after losing her sister on top of her friends. Ayumi later receives tips from an intelligence agent and a member of a secret society about Heavenly Host not being destroyed, the Book of Shadows still existing, and another chance at resurrecting her deceased comrades. Ayumi takes it upon herself to fix everything with or without her friends but this leads to a cruel path of fate. Ayumi learns that the dimension housing elementary host was created from the Book of Shadows and that same dimension can bring about the end of the world. The only way to stop that dimension is to seal it away back in the book or seal it inside herself. Feeling she had no choice but to protect every one she seals the dimension inside herself but at the cost of her own existence. In the ending she is nothing more than a lifeless husk since she's locking the dimension inside herself at the cost of her existence. Yoshiki on the other hand-fueled by his love for Ayumi-has taken it upon himself to care for Ayumi no matter what.


(This is as simple as I can get without revealing too many details. Maybe this will encourage you to look into the games yourself.)


Future Direction of the series:

A sequel known as Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient, is in the works. It was first released on PC in Japan in 2013 while Book of Shadows and Blood Drive were released. There was underground work done and someone posted a fan English translation of Chapter 1 online. As far as development goes the game was overhauled until a new game engine could be used to address the glitches, technical errors, etc. So far that has happened and the game is being re-released this July. More details will become available as time progresses. There's also word of the game being released internationally once it's completed.

From my standpoint my head is reeling with several questions after hearing about Dead Patient. What direction can the story go?
What happened to the original characters and will they make a comeback?

Is there more information in Dead Patient that relates to Blood Drive?
Does Ayumi and Yoshiki have a part to play in Dead Patient? If yes, why and what will happen to those two?

My overall review of the series would have to be a solid four out of five stars. The story is definitely interesting and worth experiencing. The game play you will either hate or enjoy. Also it really depends on if you enjoy visual novel and/or adventure interactive games a lot. There were some technical errors with Blood Drive that affected gameplay but not so much the story thus leading to some negative reviews. Really the story is all that matters in this series and not so much as gameplay.

I don't own any images used and they were found on Google Images.
Comments and questions are appreciated!

Update #2

After watching RWBY Volume 2 I learned a little bit more about my favorite character Yang. In the coming weeks or whenever I get the chance I'll update my Yang character analysis. I will be making a new post but I'll be building off from what I stated from my already published analysis. Again for those who haven't seen Volume 2 or the entire series, SPOILER ALERT. Lastly I do not own RWBY and my analysis is my opinion on the subject. The true interpretation is left to the creators of the show. All of my posts are for educational and informational purposes only. HAPPY READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Image is from deviant art/google images. I did not make this!)

RWBY Volume 2

After waiting weeks and weeks I finally got to see RWBY Volume 2! No I didn't see the premiere RTX and I may never get to go to RTX ever based on my busy schedule. Anyway I watched Volume 2 from beginning to end and saw some improvements and lacking traits. In the end I felt a little disappointed and wish it would have turned out better. For those checking in and unfamiliar with what I'm discussing I suggest you read my earlier post about RWBY Volume 1.

I have to say that on a positive note I did see that the episode length has dramatically increased. The episodes are released in chapters and are about 12 minutes long on average. A lot more material was presented in this length. Just like Volume 1 I'm begging for more despite all the material they've managed to fit in these longer episodes. Another point I mentioned that they needed to fix was character development. I must admit though that the creators are constantly adding more and more characters which I hope will slow down. Nevertheless I saw some great character development in Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. We also get to see a little more development in other characters such Ozpin, Juane, Roman, and several others. Lastly there's still a ton of action and a decent soundtrack which is also noticeable in Volume 1. Despite noticing these changes, I hate to admit it; but the truth is that this volume falls a little short compared to the first volume.

The biggest issue I had was the plot's pacing and that I didn't feel I was getting anywhere. When I first heard the show's new introduction, my first impression was that this volume would deliver a darker tone and critical plot development. Unfortunately I only saw it for about half of the volume. Episodes 1-5 showed that something big was going to happen but then when it got to Episodes 6-9 it slowed down heavily. Episodes 10-12 did pick up but unfortunately it felt too late for there to be critical plot development. I also feel that the creators haven't really gotten anywhere with what the villains' motives are and that there are still plot holes left to fill. Such plot holes include Penny's story, the new faces in the ring of villains, the villains' effects on the school, and the rest you'll have to see on your own. Another issue that I previously mentioned is that too many characters are being added. They may be important at least try to add a detail or too about them earlier in the volume. I noticed that at least three to six new characters have been added and it's really dragging the story down a bit. The only other complaint I have is continually begging the question, "What's going to happen next?" I know this is pretty much a major question in most shows but for this particular series I truly feel that question should have been answered. If not all the way answered at least to a point where it's understandable.

Pros:

• Improvements such as increased episode length and development of main characters
• Same awesome fight scenes
• Still awesome soundtrack

Cons:

• Slow paced plot
• Too many additional characters
• Unanswered plot holes
• "What is going to happen next?"

I have to rate this season at least 3 to 3.5 out of five stars. Yes I did enjoy the volume but I had higher hopes for it. Maybe Volume 3 will be better and have what I'm expecting to see, I don't know. I may have a change of heart when I watch the DVD/Blu-Ray with audio commentary. Maybe the commentary will give me extra insight or confirm my views mentioned here. I still recommend you check the show out for yourself and judge it on your own terms. Other than that I'll just have to see what Volume 3 will present!

Thanks goes to Roosterteeth and Google images. I do not own any material and this is for educational purposes only.

Valkyria Chronicles

I have to again give thanks to Project X Zone. I've immersed myself in several games this past summer due to the variety of characters from that game in particular. I've gotten my hands on several different RPGs and a hack/slash/adventure game series. I'll write reviews on those games once I finish them or get the chance to review the ones I already finished. Today's post is about a game I've played almost two months ago and enjoyed overall. This game is a strategy/tactical game loosely based on World War 2 in Europe called Valkyria Chronicles.

Gameplay: You are in charge of a squad of about twenty people and two tanks. One of the tanks is your commander, once lost, you lose the game. Moving your units is pretty straight forward, just pick one and move him or her to whatever location. You do have a limit on the distance you can travel which will decrease if you move the same unit again. Action wise you can only do one action per pick such as
heal, use a grenade, fire rifle, etc. If you want to do another action you have to pick the same unit again. The object of the missions is to capture the enemy base camp and/or complete mission specific tasks such as eliminate all enemies, activate a switch, evacuate people, defend a gate, etc. These missions are turn based where you move first and your opponent moves after. Once you use all your command points- currency to use units: one to use a foot soldier, two for tanks, and one-two for using special orders- or end turn the enemy moves and vice-verse. The orders are used to help either strengthen, heal, or raise stats of your units. Speaking of strengthening you can upgrade your units/tanks by upgrading weapons, leveling them up with experience, and replaying missions to earn extra money and experience. The gameplay can become quite challenging if you don't take time to build up your squad. By all means do it whenever you have a lot of money and experience.

Story: Set during 1930's Europa, two superpowers the Eastern Imperial Alliance and Atlantic Federation start a war against each other. The small nation of Gallia, situated between these two factions, get involved once the Imperials attack them for Gallia's abundance in a fuel source called ragnite. The Imperials also have a special weapon aside from their technologically superior army, a descendant of Valkyria. An ancient race with powers strong enough to wipe out a civilization. As leader of Squad 7 of the Gallian Militia, your task is to lead your troops, push back the enemy, and defend your homeland.

Lieutenant Welkin Gunther: Son of a famous general and leader of Squad 7.

Alicia Melchiott:  Your subordinate and love interest who supports your efforts.

Isara: Adopted sister and engineer of your tank, "The Edelweiss."

Maximilian: Commander-in-chief of Imperial Alliance and suffers from an ego complex.

General Selvaria Bles: Descendant of Valkyria and one of three Imperial generals.

Review: Again it was thanks to Project X Zone that led me to this game. I had a broad idea of what to expect but I got pulled in with the lovable characters, gameplay, and interesting story. The gameplay was also fun. I never really played a strategy/tactical RPG in that kind of manner. I really enjoyed the characters and story which left me wanting to possibly look into the sequels. I would get into it but I don't want to spoil it for everyone. You'll have to try the game yourself.

The only downside is that you have to play constantly if you want to get some of the best stuff and leveling your squad to its maximum potential. The gameplay can get boring if you replay missions over and over again. Unfortunately that's what happens when you play the same game again and again.

Pros:

• Great Story
• Lovable Characters
• Fun gameplay

Cons:

• Repetitive gameplay can get boring.

Overall I'm giving this game a rating of 4 to 5 stars. I personally enjoyed it but I'm sure there are fans of Advanced Wars and other such tactical RPG games that could be a little better. I may look into the sequels but they're available only on the playstation portable. Who knows but for now I'll probably review the games I haven't yet.

Sakura Wars So Long My Love

As a gamer I've never really gotten into the RPG genre. Sure I played RPG games such as Kingdom Hearts or Mass Effect, I just never got into it. I never really liked that your choices could affect gameplay or the amount of time required to play. Over the past few months my opinions on RPGs have changed quite drastically. I've gotten my hands on a few different games such as Project X Zone and Fire Emblem Awakening. I have completed those and I'll probably review them at some point, for now I want to focus on a different game. This game was a Playstation 2 game released in 2010 and it was the only North American release out of a "Japanese Only" series. That game was known as Sakura Wars: So Long My Love.

Gameplay: The game is a strategy RPG and involves cut scenes, choices, limited free roam, and a battle segment. For the most part you just watch these cut scenes, make certain responses, and watch the effects. The whole idea is that the choices you make build up or degrade your relationships with your friends. As for the free roam you mainly have a task but you can do whatever you want as long as you accomplish it. The battle sequence is turn-based and the object is to either eliminate all enemies or accomplish a certain task.

Story: Set in 1928, your player Shinjiro Taiga, a young Navy Lieutenant, is transferred to the New York Combat Revue Stars Division. A group of people who perform musicals, plays, and dances while fighting evil behind the scenes. Upon arriving your overall task is to lead your fellow comrades, which are five girls, and fight evil that's threatening the city and your team. Your tasks will involve interactions with your teammates and whoever is behind the rising evil.

Shinjiro Taiga: Your hero and supposed leader of the Stars Division. Although he's a prodigy in Japan he has to prove himself in America.

Gemini Sunrise: A clumsy cowgirl from Texas and is interested in Japanese culture.

Chieron Archer: Lawyer and somewhat aggressive and/or hard on others.

Rosita Aries: A young bounty hunter with a craving for food.

Diana Caprice: A doctor in trainer and shows compassion to those around her.

Subaru Kujo: A quiet and mysterious women. She does show a lot of intelligence but her quiet nature makes it difficult to interact with her.

Ratchet: Your boss and she sometimes provides support along the way.

Mr. Sunnyside: Commander of the Stars Division. He sometimes is a little crazy but his motives are good in the end.

Review: There's honestly not a lot to review because the game is pretty straightforward. Just deal with whatever task comes your way. The story itself is very interesting but I don't want to spoil it for you. I really enjoy the cut scenes and found some of them hilarious if not ridiculous. I also enjoyed the interactions between the various characters. It felt like I was actually interacting with real people except that they're girls. I truly love that whatever you do proceeds the story in various ways which increases the replay value to see what all the interactions do. One of the best parts is the importance of relationships and how they are important to our everyday life.

On the down side though, the game itself felt like a movie most of the time. Yes there are parts where you free roam and fight, but a majority of the game is cut scenes. Other than that I really have nothing to gripe about because I can't stop enjoying it!



Pros:

• Interesting story
• Enjoyable cut scenes and dialogue
• Interactions between characters progress story differently
• Great moral on relationships

Cons:

• Feels a little more like a movie

Overall: I have to give this game between four to five stars. Honestly it's meant to stand out on it's own and be different from other RPGs. I personally enjoyed it including Gemini Sunrise's character. If you have nothing better to play and want to try something new, this is probably the game for you.




Here's the opening for the game in case you wanted to get a better idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLV4HDkpKIU

Yang Xiao Long

Obviously the show RWBY itself needs no introduction for those who've read my review on the first volume. This time I want to talk about one of my favorite characters from the show so far, Yang. She was first introduced in the Yellow Trailer in June 2013. A seventeen-year-old girl who sports shotgun gauntlets, rage/super saiyan attack mode, and a flaming heart symbol. She's seen as a party girl and having a little spunk to her personality. Yang's voice actress, Barbara Dunkleman, describes Yang as, "the kind of person who will teach someone how to swim by pushing them in the water." (2013) This is seen at various points in the first volume but let's look at the story we have so far.

We first see our heroine enter a bar trying to get information on some girl from a guy named Junior. She tries interrogating him in a very surprising fashion. I recommend watching the Yellow Trailer to see why. When the interrogation goes downhill she finds herself in a fist fight with Junior's goons, twin henchwomen, and Junior himself. Yang wins in the end and runs into her younger sister, Ruby Rose. Fast forward or backwards-it's unknown at this point- to the beginning of Volume 1 where are story begins.


Yang is excited to that Ruby is attending Beacon Academy and encourages Ruby to try meeting new people. They split off temporarily and meet up during roll call where Yang asks about Ruby's day. Ruby starts whining about an incident between her and another girl named Weiss Schnee but Yang stays optimistic. That night Yang continues to encourage Ruby to meet new people and goes out the way to get Ruby to meet Blake Belladona at the other side of the room. The meeting went off well and Yang showed great appreciation that Ruby finally met a new person.

Before initiation Yang still encourages Ruby to make new friends but Ruby still has desires to be with Yang. When the initiation starts Ruby and Yang are separated in the emerald forest. Yang and Blake find each other, during a fight with bear-like creatures, and they become partners. The pair soon reach the site where the artifacts are hidden which are used for assigning teams. As soon as Blake and Yang pick out their artifacts, the rest of the cast- Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Nora, Lie, Pyrrha- arrive at the site by various means.  The group is attacked by various creatures causing them to split off into four and fight the creatures. After the battle, the teams RWBY- Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang- and JNPR-Jaune, Pyrhha, Lie, and Nora- are formed.

The final part of volume 1 basically includes the start of school life for the girls. They have classes to attend and/or study for, events to attend, and maintaining their relationships. Everything was going great until the team learned about Blake's faunus heritage/White Fang membership which that society looks down on. Gripped with fear Blake goes into hiding and the team tries to find her. Ruby and Yang show concern for Blake's well-being while Weiss's feelings remain unknown. Blake was found and amends were made between Blake and Weiss. Ruby is excited to see that the team is back together and the four push on towards the unknown future.

Yang has a personality of being bright, energetic, and confident in her actions. When she interrogated Junior she did it in a way that one wouldn't expect a teenage girl to do. Also she played him towards the end as the stereotypical "little woman," but she fooled him again. She said, "Oh Junior, I was only playing with you! Don't be so sensitive! Let's kiss and make up alright?"(Yellow Trailer) Junior did take the bait and before his lips could reach hers, she punched him square in the face. Let alone the way I got to see her fight and take out Junior's henchmen was pretty amazing. She also has an "adrenaline rush," that makes her more powerful than normal whenever she gets angry or a piece of her hair is cut. Just seeing her be, "more than meets the eyes," makes her character stand out.

She also cares for those around her especially her sister Ruby. Yang has a kind of "motherly," attitude toward Ruby which Ruby is on and off about. Ruby mentioned that Yang used to read to her at bedtime in Episode 3. Yang also encourages Ruby to try to make friends, "You've got friends all around you, you just haven't met them yet."(Episode 3) Yang was there when Ruby tried meeting Blake which caused Yang feel proud of Ruby. Another caring moment was when Ruby was almost killed by a creature during the intiation event in Episode 8. Weiss saved Ruby and Yang embraced Ruby expressing her feelings that Ruby was safe. Yang also showed joy to Ruby when Ruby became the leader of team RWBY. All of this just shows how much of a mother Yang is to Ruby.

In regards to others, Yang tries to be nice to everyone around her even if she doesn't agree with them. The best example is when the team finds out about Blake's faunus heritage. Weiss is up and arms about it but Yang doesn't care whatsoever about Blake being a faunus. Yang did mention before this situation, "it must be tough being a faunus." (Episode 11) Yang sees Blake as a person and doesn't care about Blake's heritage. Yang also never approved of Weiss's snotty/rude behavior every since they became Team RWBY. The worst of it was when Ruby and Weiss first met and Weiss criticized Ruby to death. Yang did try to bring peace between Ruby and Weiss but there's still tension going on. Yang's current view is that Weiss needs to stop mistreating Ruby and not be so cruel to others.

So far this is all we have seen of Yang's character. Hopefully in Volume 2 we'll see Yang's character develop a bit more. Based on seeing the mother role Yang is playing I think tension may increase between her and Ruby. Ruby could one day be like, "Stop trying to be like Mom," and the two will despise each other temporarily. I also could see that Yang may be trying to do something that she thinks will help Ruby but cause more harm than good. I can only speculate based on the Yellow Trailer and Volume 1. I will add more content or make a part 2 to this analysis. All I can say now is that I'm pumped up for Volume 2 and I can't wait to see how the story progresses!

Links/References

All of RWBY Volume 1

http://rwby.wikia.com/wiki/Yang_Xiao_Long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCw_aAS7vWI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJzEb7qH28

Images from deviant art, google images, and pixiv.

Thanks to Roosterteeth and all the fans of the hit-show RWBY.
I don't own any of this content and I thank the sources mentioned. This material is used for educational purposes only.

Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2

A castle protruding through the night sky, werewolves hiding in the bushes, skeleton soldiers, lurking in the halls, Medusa heads flying in arcs, and all you have to fight with is your trusted whip known as the "vampire killer." Your task is to explore the castle and destroy its owner, Count Dracula. If you already guessed that this is the setting for the Castlevania series you should give yourself a pat on the back. Now, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 is the final installment in the Lords of Shadow saga and a sequel to Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Mirror of Fate. After playing the two previous titles I had some high hopes for the final installment but I was only partially satisfied.

Gameplay: If you're already familiar with the previous games the control/actions are pretty similar. You have a direct/area attacks with your whip, magic that steals health/causes more damage, and various side items that suit whatever needs you desire. There are also skills that you can purchase and upgrade from experience points earned after defeating enemies. The only new mechanics is that you can change into a rat and be stealthy/access small places. I heard mixed reviews about it but I think the idea was to demonstrate Dracula's power. In the original story Dracula he can control various creatures including the rat. He has other powers including launching bats, becoming mist, becoming a dragon with supercharged attacks, etc. Overall the gameplay is similar to previous games with a few added actions and all of the attacks relate to Dracula in a way.

*Story: Dracula awakens from a strange sleep in the present world weak, amnesiac, and without his powers. He's welcomed back by his former ally/traitor Zobek who warns Dracula that Satan is returning. Dracula accepts Zobek's request to stop him but at the cost that Zobek will help Dracula break from his immortal bonds. Dracula travels throughout his castle, which is now a city, regaining his powers and putting the pieces of his broken memory back together. In the end he regains his powers, has his memory restored, and defeats Satan along with the evil that was unleashed on the city. (The story takes place in both the medieval and modern world. The medieval world serves as Dracula regaining his memories while he's regaining his powers in the present.)

Critique: The gameplay is nothing special aside from changing the actions to fit Dracula's style/actions. There are added elements including stealth, third person camera, and open world format. The story itself is a little dull but definitely interesting. I did say I was partially satisfied only because I truthfully didn't think the creators had anymore ideas of where to go in the story. The ending is satisfactory but I think it could have been done a little bit better.

Pros:

• Gameplay similar to previous titles with a few changes
• Same actions but suited to Dracula including a few new elements 

Cons:

• Story is a little dull
• Really nothing new except for a few changes.

Verdict: My feelings are mixed towards this game so I have to give it a range of about 2.5 to 3 stars out of 5 stars. This game is technically the last contribution to the Castlevania series and although it was a decent exit it could have been better. I did have some high hopes but I really shouldn't expect much from a game that really has nowhere else to go. I'm probably better off playing the original Castlevania on NES, and Bram Stoker's Dracula on Sega Genesis.


*(There's story DLC slated to be released in the next few weeks which I'll check out and add to this review.)