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We all have those games that we just find ourselves coming back to one way or another, whether it be playing it long after you're -done- with it, or whether you just find yourself mentally comparing it to other games when you start playing it, or however it's done.  For Chance, it's Dragon's Crown.  For plenty of others out there, I'm sure it's Persona 4: The Golden.  Or perhaps it's Sorcery Saga: The Curse of the Great Curry God, Ys: Memories of Celceta, Ragnarok Odyssey (perhaps the Ace version), Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars, Demon Gaze, Atelier Meruru or Totori Plus, Toukiden: The Age of Demons or any other number of games that offer long, engrossing experiences on the Vita.

For me, it's always been Soul Sacrifice.

With the introduction of Soul Sacrifice Delta to the Playstation Store (it's digital-only, it seems) and the stars aligning to deliver unto me my 64 gig memory card for my Vita far before the May 30th - June 20th window I was offered (likely because who knows with Customs), it was time.  Time to go back to the game I've said a hundred times that I'd rather be playing, or that I just -want- to be playing it.  So as I've been filling up my 64 Gig stick with games, I've turned to it and have been playing it again.

I'm not sure just what it is about the game that I love, but I'm inexorably drawn to it.  I want to conquer all that it has to offer (except the Forgotten Pacts, fuuuuuck thaaaaaaat) and then do it all over again in Delta, which, from what I've heard, greatly expands the universe and the setting of the game, which is exactly what I wanted.  It's not quite a world I can explore just yet, but it's bigger thematically and that counts for something.  I'm not going to know just by how much until I start it, and I've still got a grip of content to wrangle with on the vanilla game, but it's definitely something to look forward to.

In all honesty, though, I wish I could have people enjoy the game as I do.  I wish I could quantify just what about it makes me grin, what gets me pumped up and excited, what makes me feel like I'm bending the game over my knee without cheesing or breaking it.  I say it's dodge-rolling out of the way of a charge attack, turning around and unloading three volleys of arrows into my foe before he gets up.  I say it's sitting back and launching an egg bomb right in the cursed part of an archfiend and breaking it to expose it to some massive damage for the next five or so seconds.  I say it's throwing on armor and not even getting hit while I mercilessly slaughter a tier of monster that, at one point, was nigh-impossible for me to kill.  I say all of these things and I just get blank stares or "Well, it's good that you liked it" or something of that sort.

I wish everyone else played the same game that I did, I guess, because the lack of love for the series really, really bums me out.  Not that it's reviled, but rather that I think it's -big-, that it's a big deal game, a fantastic experience and it's something that I would suggest to anyone with a Vita.  This is not universally agreed upon like Gravity Rush or Uncharted: Golden Abyss (for the most part) or Persona 4 Golden are.  To me, it should be, because I've gotten so much fun out of this goddamn game, it's incredible.

But, well, that's just how it goes, I suppose.

also bastardizing Metal Gear Solid "You live on....THROUGH THIS ARM!" makes me giggle and okay, I'm sorry

Mighty No. 9 is Mega Man, Funded, Awesome

It's simultaneously easy and incredibly difficult to believe that you have not heard of Mighty No. 9 at this point - on the one hand, it's been a busy weekend in North America at least, and that does sort of make it difficult to find out about Kickstarter news unless you're looking for it, but on the other hand, it feels like everybody already knows about Mighty No. 9.  So for those of you who don't know what the game it, it is basically Mega Man.  It looks like Mega Man, it has the same general concept as Mega Man, the same general playstyle as Mega Man and the same original creator as Mega Man.  Yes, Keiji Inafune, with his company Comcept USA, took to Kickstarter to get funding for the game known as Mighty No. 9 and did so in quite a swift amount of time - just around two days.  For a $900,000 goal on a busy weekend as it has been (PAX and Labor Day), it's rather impressive and it still has a run of 28 days before it closes down and locks in the exact final amount which, thanks to stretch goals, will more or less decide just how much Mighty No. 9 we're going to get.

The base game....well, why don't I let one of the Kickstarter Bullet Points explain that, yes?

• You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (or more, via stretch goals) you can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!

Blatant Mega Man comparisons aside (emphasis theirs, by the way, not mine), it says right there that the original goal is for six stages, but that seven and eight can be added through  the Stretch Goals and is specifically the first one at $1,200,000.  At this point in time, it's -almost- there even, being at $1,141,413 as I'm writing this (and updating constantly as I continue writing, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's fully to that goal by the time I'm finished).  It's not broken apart or anything - that stretch goal is the one that will add the stages for Mighty No. 7 and 8 and thus more or less make it even closer to the Mega Man games we all already know and love.  The other Stretch Goals include Mac and Linux versions (btw, base game is set only for PC, however...), New Game Plus and "Turbo Mode", a Making-Of Documentary and, of course, PS3/360/Wii U versions.  There are also two Stretch Goals which are....mysteries?  I guess?  Perhaps surprises along the way to spice things up or something.

If there's absolutely anything to be disappointed in at looking at Mighty No. 9, it's simply that the Console Versions are the very last Stretch Goal, set in at the $2,500,000 mark, and that there's no 3DS or Vita love, nor Next-Gen love aside from the Wii U.  Of course, Kickstarters are malleable by nature and the feedback on their official Twitter has stated that versions for all the consoles left out are possible, depending on funding and feedback.  The official statement re: PS4/XBone versions is that they're not planning on them due to lack of knowledge about the consoles which....is understandable since they're not even out yet, buy by the time Mighty No. 9 comes out, they will have been and for...a little while.  Obviously, I am that guy, always saying how I want everything on my Vita so this is certainly no exception, but mostly because it's a damn good fit.  Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X (which was free through Plus a while back) played wonderfully on the PSP (and the Vita as well) so Vita/3DS versions of the game just make sense, so long as they can work them properly.

Otherwise, I just haven't looked into it all that much because I don't really....need to.  It's a new, improved version of Mega Man with fun, new little twists and such, but is so much built on a foundation that I already know very well.  Conveniently, that means that I know it's going to be good with some level of certainty, which is nice to have.  However, as much as I like looking at Kickstarter projects - I prefer the ability to actually buy them when they're available or, in some cases, while they're on their way to being released, not when they're mere theories and concepts on paper and computer documents and files.  But I'm old-fashioned like that, it seems, especially when I consider that notion to be a silly one, since there are people who will un-ironically agree with my assertion that I'm old-fashioned because of that.  But that sort of stuff just makes my head hurt anymore.

Anyways, Mega M- Mighty No. 9.  It's going to be a thing and it's likely going to be fantastic.  Let's just see where all it ends up landing and how the Kickstarter plays out.  Certainly going to be interesting if nothing else.

I personally just love how tongue-in-cheek against Capcom the whole thing is

I Want Soul Sacrifice 2

I am almost 'finished' with Soul Sacrifice in that I only have the end-all be-all fight with Magusaur left to carry out as far as the Story portion of the game goes.  That isn't spoiling anything, of course - the game explicitly tells you in the opening that you are the prisoner of Magusaur and the entire mechanic of reliving memories through your strange journal to gain the ability to wield a Sorcerer's power is so you can take the fight to him, not only for your life, but for the world.  It lends that one fight a...mystique, if you will, an indelible amount of power and significance, that will ultimately create a finality to the game itself.  It's a simple setup, really, but it's executed flawlessly.

It is one of the main reasons why I think doing a sequel will be difficult.  You cannot just re-use that set-up.  You cannot switch out everything but that "End Boss is always available" fight and have it be the same, have that fight have the same sheen to it.  That whole layout, that idea, is ineffably Soul Sacrifice 1 now and simply repeating that will not be anywhere near enough.  Luckily, I'm not in a position where I have to create a sequel to this game, one that will satisfy new-comers and veterans alike.  I can just sit here and demand a sequel and not produce anything constructive to the process.  Not divulge any thought into just how something could be established.  Just clamor from the highest rooftop that I want it and take to any announcement the fact that it's not Soul Sacrifice 2, which is definitely a thing that's going to happen regardless.

But I think we know that's not my style.

The wondrous thing of Soul Sacrifice is that it has so much lore established in just the confines of what it has.  It has created a world, a fleshed out one, even if you don't get to traverse it as some thought you might be able to.  There are any number of places and ways you could actually set another game in the world, and it's not even all that difficult to throw a dart at one to pick if you were so inclined.  If the actual world traversal were a bit more robust in the sequel, that would lend itself all the more towards making just about anything possible.  Not that I'm saying I need that, because I don't - I'd be fine with another Arena game - but I do think it could be seen as the 'evolution' from one game to the next, and it would certainly draw in a few more purchases from folks who found themselves turned off to the 'constrained' (to them) nature of the game.

The most basic setup I could think of would be that you're just a Sorcerer entering Avalon (the ruling body of Sorcerers) to become a full-fledged member.  It's an underwhelming concept, sure, when faced with the one that came before it, but it could be a game based more around the subtleties rather than the direct notion of the world-ending monster that is Magusaur.  Play up the partner aspect just as this first game did, and run far with that angle, or even do something a little different with it.  Perhaps an asychronous mutliplayer system like Dragon's Dogma's Pawn system that lets you pick one of your friends characters to be your friend.  Set your appearance, two or three sets of Offering load-outs and synch it with the network so that it transfers over to whomever is deciding to use your character in their game.  Of course, this will be set aside to the story-important partner as well.

Something that would be, perhaps, a little more dynamic would be to use one of the origin stories for an Archfiend, a new breed, to set things off.  Your character is just someone who happens to get in the crossfire, or is the target of the new fiend, yet survives.  Set it up as a personal last boss, rather than a superbly dangerous and immaculate one, really.  And from that sort of set-up you could go any number of places with it.  Perhaps the character simply seeks tutelage from Avalon to hone a Sorcerer's talent in vengeance on the beast.  Perhaps the town plays host to one of the Anti-Avalon groups and have their own brands of Sorcerers.  Or any of several other possibilities.  Hell, give us the options and let you build your character through that.  Soul Sacrifice 1 played at letting you be an existing Sorcerer molded to your vision.  Let Soul Sacrifice 2 allow you to make your Sorcerer.

There is a literal world of possibilities left open for a sequel thanks to Soul Sacrifice's basis.  That speaks as a strength not only to the game itself, but its potential as one of the Vita's big series that pushes the system itself.  There is a -lot- that can yet be done with the franchise and I'm personally invested in seeing it through, that's for sure.  Not only because Soul Sacrifice is really, really damn good in the story department, but because it's just so damn -fun- as I've stated in the past.  There's a grind to be had, for sure, but it's one that I don't mind because every battle I fight is one for supremacy and it's enjoyable because of that.  Even if I face something that seems insurmountable, well, that's just the next short-term goal on the road to taking down Magusaur for good.  And that victory will be the sweetest of them all.

seriously, I don't know how many times I need to say BUY SOUL SACRIFICE

Sacrifice All of the Things!

I've been playing a lot of things that are decidedly not Soul Sacrifice lately and I thought that today was the perfect day to remedy that error in judgement.  As it turns out, for once, I was completely right. 

As I mentioned previously, Soul Sacrifice is a game that a lot of people expected to be a lot of things and some walked away a little disappointed because of that.  Myself, I had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to make sense with what the others were saying, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got it.  When I learned that it was an arena fighter game, basically, I admit I was a bit worried - after all, that just sounds like other games that I'm just not all that enamored with.  Still, a demo was promised for it, and I was dead-set on at least trying that before I decided the fate of my purchase.  And, as you might remember, I quite enjoyed it.  Which has not changed even slightly from the demo to the full game itself, thankfully.

I still haven't quite determined just what it is that I like about Soul Sacrifice, that makes it so enjoyable that I sank my entire day into it and still wasn't sated (in that I really just want to be playing it right this moment), but I do have a few ideas.  And they are all just dependent on the actual chords that Soul Sacrifice plays on which, combined, are a powerful draw it seems.  Though, really, I could be wrong because it's just hard to really quantify the fun that I've been having in any fashion.  Other than assuring you several times that I have been having fun, which I know sounds less and less true with every restatement of it, but I'm sure you can all also understand the difficulty to shape fun into coherent words and descriptors.

I think one of the things that the game really pushes on is the inherent desire to collect and create, since this is ever-present with the Offerings.  Not only is there benefit in getting several copies of a single offering to combine them (and combine their combinations, etc.) over and over again to boost the spell in question, giving you more base castings of it, but you can also collect offerings to fuse them together.  Where boosting requires two of the same Offering, Fusion takes two or more different Offerings and combines them into something else.  That you can then make multiple copies of to combine and boost them.  Both of these together means that you'll be spending a lot of time replaying quests for offerings to make/boost more offerings.  Over and over.  Which seems like it might get repetitive, but so far it hasn't.

Another thing is that it plays off of High Score Compulsion.  You're rewarded with points for doing certain things in a battle like attacking an elemental vulnerability or countering an attack (which you should do anyway since it deals massive damage) and at the end of a quest, you're given a rank based on your points.  Not only is there a trophy tied to getting a certain rank enough times, but the higher-tier ranks sometimes offer extra bonuses as well in the forms of bonus offerings.  For instance, your first fight with a Jack-o'-Lantern might just yield you an offering that will, I believe, allow you to temporarily become a Jack-o'-Lantern for the purpose of doing the flaming roll tackle that it possesses.  This might just be with Archfiends, but still, it's definitely something to shoot for for various reasons.

Those meta-goals aside, I really think what manages to keep Soul Sacrifice fresh as you play it over and over again for offerings is sort of a combination of both of those ideals.  I hardly switch out my Offerings unless I get one that is clearly better than what I have currently in all facets, or if I'm loading up on a particular element to take advantage of a particular archfiend's weakness, but I know that at some point, I will know the game inside and out enough that I will be able to pick out different configurations to rush the level as professionally as possible.  I'll know the strategies for countering at the right moment for this enemy and that.  I'll find the area of expertise that affords me a little wiggle-room for finesse, which I'm already taking, though perhaps at the expense of my score for now.  And that's all just because Soul Sacrifice is, at its basest level, just plain fun.  I'm not sure how it happened, but it did, and I couldn't be happier for that.

the funny text at the bottom here tells you to buy Soul Sacrifice