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• Whatcha Playing: Tales of Phantasia (PSX)

  I've just sent my unfinished copy of Tales of Vesperia back to that big GameFly distribution center in the sky (or possibly Pittsburgh), which makes it the fourth Tales of title since Symphonia that I've been completely bored with--the others (in chronological order) were Legendia, The Abyss, and Dawn of the New World. As much as I wanted Vesperia to grab me, it was loaded down with the same problems that make me feel like a jackass for still showing interest in the JRPG genre; hell, even I can't tell you what keeps me coming back. Around the same time I started playing through Vesperia, I picked up my first laptop, which unexpectedly became a portable Playstation--through completely legal means, I assure you. And since I'd been holding onto the new-ish translation of the PSX Tales of Phantasia remake (unreleased here), I figured I'd give it a spin to see if my interest in the franchise was always so ill-fated. Would you be surprised if I told you I ended up sinking more time into Phantasia than its much younger sibling? No, I guess you wouldn't. Read More... Posted Feb 11 2009, 04:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with no comments Filed under: tales of vesperia, jrpg, bob mackey, tales of, tales of games, tales of phantasia

• Bad Games With Good Music: Tales of Legendia

  No one really expected Tales of Legendia to have any redeeming qualities; from the beginning, it was clear this game was going to be a low budget exercise in filling Namco-Bandai's money vault until the next real Tales of game could be released. And Legendia certainly did revel in its lack of budget; not only was the first part of game roughly 25 hours, this installment in the beloved series also featured a second quest that involved replaying most of the game in a new context just to learn more about the characters--who were far from compelling. Even the battle system, the one saving grace of the Tales series, was marred by the constant "Hoo! Hah! Take that!" of the main character, which persisted even after turning off character voices. But even with all of these problems, Legendia can't be completely written off--and its amazing soundtrack by composer Go Shiina is more than proof of that. You may be familiar with Shiina's work on the amazing Mr. Driller Drill Land soundtrack, which is undoubtedly the best music ever produced for a puzzle game. His work on Legendia is a little more "RPGish," but Shiina carries a sense of eclecticism to the music that's distinctly his. And once you listen to a few samples, you'll agree that his name really needs to be up there with Mitsuda and Uematsu in the Video Game Composers Hall of Fame that someone has yet to build. Kickin' tunes after the cut. Read More... Posted Jan 12 2009, 12:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: ost, music, bob mackey, tales of games, go shiina, tales of legendia

• Chiptune Friday: Shut Up and Jam!

  Ah, December. Winter is settling across the land, it’s getting mighty cold out, and everyone is in that holiday spirit, which is to say, they are filled with spirits. You know it and I know it, everyone: the only thing that says December more than a fat man in a red suit is Charles Barkley. Sir Charles is well known for spreading cheer across the land, as a baller, a caller, and a guy who can, like Santa and King Ghidora, beat the ever loving crap out of Godzilla. Barkley also has a rich videogame history, starring in a number of his own titles. Barkley Shut Up and Jam, a vintage piece of multiplatform goodness from 1994, may seem like a crappy NBA Jam clone, but NBA Jam could never compete with Shut Up and Jam on one court: the court of jams. Read More... Posted Dec 12 2008, 07:30 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, sega, chiptune friday, genesis, tales of games, charles barkley, shup and jam gaiden, Barkley shut up and jam