Schmid Game Log 2007

So, what have I done since the 20th of September? Not much besides playing R-Type Tactics. I just completed the Earth campaign, 30 missions.

I will not hesitate to say that R-Type Tactics has been the best ever tactics game experience for me. So, what's to say about R-Type Tactics? Well first and foremost, read my Wikipedia article about the game. Of course, when you read this, it may not be mine anymore :).

Playing this game was a wonderful experience, even though it posed an initial problems: as of yet, it has only been released in Japan. Well, it didn't stop me, and much trial and error led my to deduce most of the japanese menus. Luckily, all the missions in the game can be completed by totally annihilating the opponent. That was what I did, and it worked :). Now I have two sheets of notes filled with characters that may look japanese, but which might very well be totally illegible by any person from japan.

So, what kind of game is this? I really liked Battle Isle back in the day, and I do prefer hexagonal to rectangular grids. R-Type Tactics is similar to Battle Isle in certain respects, but it is also an R-Type game, which makes it quite different in other respects.

The graphics is really the best of its kind. The 2D view is very clear and nicely drawn, and has 3D backdrops of floating objects in space, creating a nice ambient atmosphere. Whenever units battle each other, beautiful 3D animations are shown. The animations are a bit more abstract than you are used to in this genre. Slow-moving and brightly coloured laser beams move in intricate geometric patterns, and lends the game a more artistic feel that is usual for the tactics genre. The models and lighting are nothing short of perfect. By the way, R-Type Final for the PS2 has similar graphic qualities, and it is also highly recommended.

The gameplay of R-Type Tactics has a great flow. The rules are what has come to be expected from a modern tactics game, and the balance is great, even though the Earth campaign might be a bit too easy for the hardcore tactics gamer. Then again, the high number of levels in the game (60 in all, I suspect), and the fact that it takes several hours to complete some of the larger levels, even with 3D animation disabled and fast movement speed, completing the game is quite a task. The side-scrolling view together with the strong adherence to the rules of the strange R-Type universe, makes the game quite unique. The side-scrolling view can also be annoying in 3 or so levels, when you have to travel backwards, and your ships cannot turn around to make their wave cannons come into play. The game would be better without these levels, but they do not deduct anything from the overall experience.

Even though many of the R-Type fighters are similar, the overall abilities of the units are varied enough to enable very different styles of play. The basic strategy of any tactics game is to keep clear of the enemy's firing range and always attack first. This is even more important in R-Type Tactics, as you R-Type units lose their wave cannon charges if they are hit. One of my favourite tactics uses the UHFC-007 (carrier) in conjunction with 3 R-Type attack craft and their Forces. When the wave cannons of all the R-Type units are fully charged, the R-Types are loaded into the UHFC-007. The UHFC-007 moves fast and can take a lot of punishment. When enemies are close, the R-Types are launched and fire their wave cannons. If the Rwf-13A/B are used, they may even return to the carrier in the same turn if there is additional danger. The Rwf-13A/B are really the stars of the show, as their speed and ability to move after firing makes them absolutely essential. In my opinion, the Rwf-9D(H) has the best wave cannon, as it fires straight forward which is easier to control than some of the more esoteric wave cannons, and it has a range of 6 grid cells. Also, for scouting, the Rwf-9Ac is unsurpassed with its great range and ability to hide in subspace. You can actually hide it inside a rock and stay there without using fuel and spy on the enemy. If the enemy does come too close, the movement of the enemy will be interrupted. Very nice.

The Earth campaign was easy enough to complete; only a single level of the 30 was not completed in the first attempt, and it was one of the stupid underwater levels, where my units moved way too slow.

I have now unlocked the ability to play a campaign as the evil aliens, the Bydo.

Update 23 Nov 2007: Completed Bydo campaign - somewhat harder than Earth Campaign, had to retry some missions a few times, especially the ones where the objective wasn't obvious. Of course the objectives were probably perfectly adequately described in the mission description, but my Japanese skills still leave a lot to be desired. :) The final boss was not interesting in any way, just another big battleship.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is completed, and I must say that it was a bit of a disappointment. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was a stylish and entertaining game, and this sequel has many of the same qualities, but have some new problems, that deduct a lot from the quality of the experience.

The graphics are great, great atmosphere, attention to detail, and a design that is every bit as great as the first game. Like the predecessor, the frame rate is low, but it is steady, and you forget it after playing for a few minutes.

The combat controls are fluid and intuitive, however, blocking is hard to get the hang of, compared to e.g. Ninja Gaiden. And since blocking is absolutely critical for completing the game, it is very annoying. The freeform fighting system is great, you have a great variety of moves, and the ability to throw secondary weapons at enemies far away. The fight sequences are a bit reminiscent of God of War, but just not as good.

However, the combat is not the strong point of the game. As in the other games, the Prince spends most of his time climbing on narrow ledges, swinging from poles and ropes, traversing the most impossible of paths. It is a pleasure to play as well as to watch, and this part of the game is just as good as in the first game. The camera is always placed so that you have no doubt as where to go. However, on the larger scale, finding your way requires learning the level design of the whole game by heart, as the in-game "map" is completely useless. This was a bit of a problem for me, and I had to consult FAQs many times to find out where to go.

The atmospheric music is great, sinister and with a distinct persian feel. However, quite surprisingly, whenever an enemy is within range, the soundtrack changes to bad-ass heavy metal. The music is actually quite good (if you like that sorta thing :), but it certainly seems a bit out of place in the atmosphere of this game. The atmospheric sounds, howling wind, machinery, etc., are great, but sounds during the action sequences suffer from disabilitating problems.

The sounds during action sequences are extremely important, as the give you instant feedback to the result of an action, e.g. did your attack succeed, did you block your opponent correctly, etc. This feedback may also be provided by the graphics, by colour changes and blood, but during a 3D fight, some of the graphical feedback may be obscured. So sounds should always indicate status during a fight. This simply does not work in POP:WW. A lot of the crucial sounds are missing, such as explosions and hitting feedback sounds.

Apart from the sound issue, the game is so full of crippling glitches, that it seems the game was released way too early. The odd "sliding through the floor" glitch is very common in this type of game, and of course also appears in POP:WW. Also, the levels have a few invisible ledges and that sort of problems. More seriously, though, the game freezes at random times, and you just have to remember to save to avoid losing too much work when it happens (it happened three times during my playing the game). Also, I have read that the time portals in the game have some horrible problems, including one where you have to start the game over when you've reached the end.

The game has an uneven difficulty, many fights are way too easy, and when a real challenge comes along, like the end boss, you are not equipped to handle it and may die quite a few times.

By the way, if you should not heed my warnings and still play the game, be sure to check out the concept art in the extras menu. It is absolutely stunning.

This third 3D Metal Gear Solid game takes place during the Cold War, and our hero, Snake, is dropped in the Soviet Union to stop the deployment of the Shagohod, the first Metal Gear mecha. Snake starts the game with a knife and nothing much besides. He must survive in the forest and defeat enemy forces using stealth. And not just stealth like in the other Metal Gear Solid games, but he has to match his camouflage and face paint to match his surroundings, he must subsist on the animals he can kill. The stealth mechanics of this game are absolutely awesome. You can lie in the grass a few metres from an unsuspecting guard, wait for him to pass you, sneak up on him and slice his throat, or alternatively, shoot him with a tranquilizer dart. The graphics is beautiful and the overall forest illusion is most convincing. Also, the Cold War technology works very well, you feel having cutting-edge technology, while still feeling a bit nostalgic about it. The controls are hard to master without being annoying, and when you become good, you are rewarded with excellent control over Snake.

Overall, the game is almost perfect and very entertaining, and I will recommend this game wholeheartedly to anyone who likes stealth games.

The final battle with 'The Boss' was the only one to give a bit of trouble, it took me a few tries to figure out how to use the CQC counter-attack: to press and hold ○ right after the ! mark appears above snake's head (when The Boss grabs his arm). Also, peaking up when in hiding is very useful. You do this by pressing L2+R2 when in first-person mode (R1).

After completing the game, you inherit The Patriot, a assault pistol, with a ∞-shaped magazine :). Oh what fun it is to storm the first level again with this monstrous weapon. DIE!

Thanks to Yngve for lending me this game.

This is the third game in the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver universe I have completed. All the games have been an absolutely wonderful experience in almost every way. When you play the games, a great saga unfolds before you. The story is very well-thought out and the voice acting is worthy of a theatric play. The graphics is absolutely wonderful; the eerie atmosphere in The Underworld is even more sinister in this third installment, as the voices of tormented souls cry out, and the eyes of the omnipresent Elder God watches you. The Vampire Citadel is grand and desolate, but is dwarfed by the gothic beauty of the mansion of the ancient vampire Vorador. The Avernus Cathedral has a grand beauty which in the course of the story gives way to the horrors below it. The attention to detail in the graphics is very impressive, even the glyphs that decorate doorways and sigils have a hidden meaning, as explained in greater detail in 'Encyclopædia Nosgothica'. The game is as entertaining as any of the series, as you alternate between controlling Kain and Raziel, each with (slightly) different abilities. The enemies are varied and terrifying, even though a cut-scene introducing each type would contribute much to their presence in the game. The only drawbacks in this game are minor collision detection bugs, a slightly annoying camera that tend to make you miss your mark when jumping, and the sound. Though the music and voice-acting is near perfect, the game just lacks sound effects in crucial scenes, and the sounds that are present are often distorted and unconvincing.

The Typing of the Dead is a typing tutor game where you kill zombies and is thus probably the most entertaining educational game ever! The game is fast-paced and it sort of reminds me of Time Crisis for the PlayStation, with the rail-running gameplay and the crappy voice acting. Actually, the voice acting is hilariously bad, and it is obviously bad on purpose, which becomes evident at the end of the game. The credit listing is accompanied by dancing zombies reminiscent of Michael Jackson's Thriller-video, and of course you can type the names of the developers if you want to. Anyway, the game is crappy in all respects except for the simple fact that it is so entertaining. Here's my score sheet. I can't wait until the sequel comes out...

You gotta love this one! It may be a bit on the short side, but it is just so much fun all the way through. Nonsensical humor and fast-paced action is what Alien Hominid is all about. That and collecting hats. I won't be playing the PDA games, though, because I think they're a bit crappy.

''Phew! This game was hard. It is similar to the also great God of War, albeit much harder. I recommend this game to everyone who has access to an Xbox, it is an instant classic. A few tips:''
 * Use Shuriken for bats.
 * Use The Art of the Fire Wheels for ghost fish, and if you are low on mana, use Vigoorian Flail.
 * If you like using counterattacks against smaller enemies, use the Dabilahro - a single counterattack is enough to decapitate most of them.
 * Flying Swallow attack is effective against most bosses.
 * Use The Art of the Inferno against the big angel-demon-thing (second to last level) - you are invincible when using it, and it takes about 1/6th of her HP for each attack.
 * The skull demon boss: use bow when it is wandering around, use Vigoorian Flail when skulls are attacking and dodge the main head when it attacks.

Thanks to Jeppe for lending me his Xbox.