All Sorts of Excited for Tearaway

How long have I been waiting for Tearaway?  Well, only since August of 2012 when it was announced with a reveal trailer that I saw and could only wonder at just how magical and charming it looked.  And here on the night before the game comes out, I can only think about how true that still rings, and just how desperately I need that right now.  Not only in a general sense, because whimsy and magic is always appreciated and I -can- get that from LittleBigPlanet Vita and I intend to again someday, I'm just worried about my save file getting corrupt.  Again.  But also in the specific sense in that this week has been absolutely trying and miserable on all counts and all I want to do is play something that makes me genuinely smile and feel a little flutter in my heart.  Tearaway seems like it's the perfect game to do just that.

What's especially lucky about the situation is that I seem well within my rights to be excited for the game, as it's receiving very positive reviews across the board for the most part - with only Game Revolution, "Hardcore Gamer Magazine" whatever that is, and Joystiq (who can safely be ignored) giving the game reviews I could call 'tepid', with Joystiq's at the lowest at 3 out of 5 stars or a 60 out of 100.  As we know, however, 60 or 6 for short-hand -is- one of the forbidden numbers as it's not 10, so when a game gets something that is not a 10, people assume bad things.  However, on a proper scale, 6 out of 10 is still good!  It means above average.  If we could trust Joystiq to be a proper review-site, then it would still be okay!  But we don't, so the whole thing is moot; the other two 'middling' reviews were solid 70s or 7s which is acceptable even for those of you who believe 8 is the lowest number acceptable for a score.

While it's a shame that the game just so happened to come out on the exact same day as The Legend of Zelda:  A Link Between Worlds and a little niche product called the XBox One, I still have a feeling that it's going to grow a pair of legs for itself.  I know I'll likely be singing its praises from the highest mountaintops, and I won't be the only one to do so.  With the PS4 out and making the Vita all that more tempting to pick up with Remote Play, since it apparently works fantastically, it's almost a no-brainer to pick one up and a game that everyone says is great.  In the case of the Vita, there are actually quite a few titles that can claim that honor - Persona 4 Golden, Gravity Rush and Muramasa Rebirth among them - which might surprise a few people.  Still, adding one more title to that pile helps, and I'm certainly glad that Media Molecule looks to have another critical hit on their hands.  They certainly deserve it.

it's going to be so much fuuuuuun you guys

DO NOT TOY WITH MY EMOTIONS, SQUEENIX

Look.

You guys know that I'm not one to post the most insignificant piece of something and run around screaming and flailing my arms in a comical fashion because I think it's true or anything like that.  I don't like to cling to the faintest hope of something that could be, that has proper time -to- be, because more often than not, that never amounts to anything and it just crushes everyone involved emotionally.  Getting hopes raised up and getting them smashed always hurts and sometimes it just hurts a ridiculous amount.  Which is why I don't do it.  I don't like doing it.  I don't want to do it.

But goddamnit, this is Drakengard 3 we're talking about here.

Basically the story is that some of those internet sleuths out there noticed a new website registration from Squeenix titled "DrakengardGame.com".  It says in very plain detail on the whois site there that Squeenix owns the domain now, but of course if you go to DrakengardGame.com, there is absolutely nothing there.  I am pretty sure that it is legit because I can't see any reason for it to not be legit beyond my pure, unadulterated hope.

It's a weird thing to think about, really.  Trademarking "Drakengard 3" would have been a flag, of course, but companies trademark shit they don't intend to use all the time, so it wouldn't have been a definitive sign.  Website squatting isn't too terrible of a problem though, I don't think, so I don't see the point in registering the website unless you are going to use it.  That does bring up the point that it says "DrakengardGame" instead of "Drakengard 3", however.  But companies do that shit all the time too, have weird ass websites for their normal-named games and whatnot, so that's even more a point in its favor.  Especially because the series has always only been Drakengard over on these shores.  Drakengard has only ever been used specifically for -this series-.  Drakengard is therefore not ambiguous.

It's tiny.  It's a very, very small thing, a kernel of almost miniscule size.  But it's something.  I want to believe that I'll be able to buy a copy of Drakengard 3 from GameStop with the biggest smile on my face and all the wonder of the world in my eyes sometime late next year or so.  I want to believe that Squeenix is going to localize -this- game because they know the very weird niche audience that it has over here that will eat this shit up.  I want to take anything and everything as evidence at face value to point towards the logical conclusion of this goal happening. 

If it does happen?  You better buy the fucking game.  I don't care who you are, I don't care what you want.  If you're looking for a pure action game, I can tell you that this won't be it.  But what it will be is a very particular type of game that has grown amazing over a long-running series.  A particular type of amazing game that I will make you buy.  If you buy the game, that will be the end of it.  I will not look for you, I will not pursue you.  But if you don't, I will look for you.  I will find you.  And I will slam your head against your keyboard until Amazon has ordered a copy for you.

(I won't.  Please just buy the game.)

it's a Taken quote, but you know that already because you're a smart person

Rune Factory 4 is So Close, You Guys

Despite the Release Date for Rune Factory 4 being officially set as October 1st, it seems that that might not have made its way into GameStop's computers, meaning it's sort of up in the air as to whether or not it will actually be purchasable tomorrow.  This is a problem since if I'm going to need the sweet, sweet embrace of Rune Factory 4 ever, it's likely going to be tomorrow due to work problems that are problems I don't want to get into because ugh.  Still, even if it's not, deliveries seem to be around Wednesday so it shouldn't be -too much- of a wait one way or another, but my point is that I really really want Rune Factory 4 ASAP.  In fact, I want it so much that I read a list of improvements that it has over Rune Factory 3 and I...kind of wish that I hadn't because it is not making this wait any easier.  So allow me to share the list with you.

• Ability to select a male or female protagonist right at the beginning of the game.
• Use the Prince Points system to arrange or cancel festivals, bring in merchants and peddlers, crafting licenses, farm and castle expansions, wake up calls from certain characters, new shop services in order to attract tourists and many, many more. Reach for the top prince or princess title!
• Return of the traditional farming format in 2x2 squares. More farm land will be available through prince point orders, assuming the player has enough wood and bricks.
• Explorable RF1 style overworld outside of Selfia but waaaay larger than the first installment. Multitudes of dungeons and explorable areas.
• Up to two party members can be taken into combat. Battle AI has improved greatly.
• A lively and memorable cast with a variety of personalities, very rich with character interaction and development. No groups or cliques like the last RF games.
• Multitude and improvement in the request system, no longer tied to the plot. 
• Marriage is independent from the plot.
• Engaging plot that consists of 3 story arcs/parts.
• Variety and improvement in the crafting system.
• Players may now run their own store through the use of a Prince Points order where NPCs, candidates and villagers alike may find something that catches their fancy.
• The baths are now accessible more than once a day but the price is raised each time if the player chooses to bathe more than once in a day. A Nationalization of the Baths Prince Points order is later made accessible, making the baths free of charge.
• 30 Town Sub events, 19 Mini Sub Events, 12 Main Romance Sub Events (one per candidate), 7 Post Marriage Sub Events (5 of them being with offspring), filled with character interaction and tons of depth. 
• Newly improved lovers system, with long, depth and development filled RFF style sub events for each marriage candidate. Over 7 date locations and intimacy options during dates increase the higher LP gets. A player can have multiple lovers but after marriage, the rest go back to being friends. 
• Players can now "plant" dungeons via rare seeds. Fruit trees can now be planted through the use of special seeds. Aside bearing fruit, they can be used for lumber.
• Players can now have access to purchasing multiple articles of various necessities (bookshelves, weapons stand, farm tools stand, wells for farming, storage boxes, ect) providing they have enough wood and bricks (made from hammering stone pieces).
• Furniture feature from RF3 makes a return but this time, they can be placed anywhere in town, similarly to forges, stoves, bookshelves, ect. 
• Sharance Maze makes a return as a Prince Point order after Plot 2 is cleared.

That list is from a forumer on Penny Arcade who cites Fogu as the source, but doesn't actually link it.  Still, it doesn't seem like there's any point in faking the list or anything like that, so I'm taking it at face value if only because there are some ridiculously awesome things upon it.  Specifically the bit about marriage being independent of the plot (the one main flaw with Rune Factory 3, I feel) and the "Player can run their own store" thing which is kind of a theme with me lately, it seems.  With Hometown Story apparently releasing towards the middle of this month, I'm not going to have a shortage of Store-Building elements and games and I am very fine with that.  Still, the complete overhaul that Marriage and Dating has seen seems absolutely amazing, and it may very well inject a brand-new life into the game as a whole. 

I really don't have much else to say beyond that list has a bunch of awesome things on it and I cannot wait to have the game in my hands to see if it's actually true.  Because that will make me -so happy- and that's something I really need right about now.

really curious about this Prince/Princess Point system, though

Okay, I'm Suddenly Hyped for Grand Theft Auto V

I'm not going to say that before tonight I wasn't looking forward to Grand Theft Auto V, but I can say with certainty that before tonight, I was not exactly excited for the game.  That has been remedied with the latest video straight from Rockstar, showing some gameplay of the game while also explaining many of its new features and the like.  In all honesty, I only saw it because of Chance's post that included it, so credit where it's due, but I'm very glad that I decided to watch it after finding myself completely without something to write about tonight.  News doesn't like to happen when I'm content playing games that I've already brought up on this blog and talked about at length, it seems, which is something of a problem, but that's neither here nor there, because this is just all about GTA V.

It's hard to even pick where to start because it's all just...so good.  It's all just visual confirmation of things we've already known about the game for some time, but that confirmation and seeing it in gameplay (relax, Rockstar, looking at the video, we don't have any doubt that it was made using in-game footage) is just...better than it was on paper, really.  It's just something wholly different than reading that it's going to do this thing and it's going to be awesome even if you can see it in your head, versus actually seeing it and being able to really deem it awesome for yourself.  Though it's true - everything that I read about and felt a little skepticism about has been shown off in the video and put my fears more or less to rest about it, even if it sort of just worked out like I expected.

I guess I should start with the obvious before anything else, though.  The game certainly looks like a Grand Theft Auto game, which sort of seems to have its own....style, now.  They're flashy enough without trying for a photo-realistic look and shiny enough while still reminding you that it's a video game, and not a video game trying to look like real life.  That suits GTA quite well, I should say, especially with all the scandals it finds itself in - hard to say, but I imagine there'd be far more fuel on the fire if it looked as good as, say, The Last of Us.  But that would require some wizardry that Rockstar generally places elsewhere.  I'm not...sure where that is, because it's certainly not animations either, but that doesn't matter.  Maybe it's just in the amount of fun you can have not doing anything impactful, since good lord, GTA games offer quite an experience outside of missions that some other open-world games just can't.

Anyway, I can't think of a way to actually just....write about the game, so I'll just sort of list things off that make me giddy with glee:

• Character switching seems easy and quick, not to mention serving a purpose in the overall game
• The game world looks -huge-
• I'm not sure I'm going to -want- to drop in to a character running from a 5-star wanted level, but man....that you can is pretty cool
• Customization in both Cars and weapons is rather encouraging
• Lots of character clothing options is a plus for the crazy person in me who likes playing dress-up
• Diving could be cool.
• Hunting!  Seems to be the thing to add in games these days.
• Humor!  From characters!
• Is that a fucking weapon wheel?  Oh my god it was a weapon wheel
• So I've seen golfing, bike riding, swimming, tennis, parachuting...there isn't going to be a lack of things to do
• Please tell me destructible environments is a thing, don't tease me with that tow truck
• Customized approaches to missions?  Mmmmm
• Stock market?  Hmm.
• Yessss, property purchasing, please make them places we can go in and such (I think it's a given that you can, though)
• Grand Theft Online....looks like there's actually a bunch of people in it.  Interesting!

There's a -lot- in that five minute video and I urge you to watch it if you haven't already.  It sent me from 0 to 60 on the hype meter, and I'm certainly going to make sure I have a pre-order on it next time I'm in GameStop because of this.  I sure didn't see that coming.

I literally went "Eeeee!" the first time I saw the weapon wheel, thank god