Video Games

Atelier and the Art of Time Limits and Time Management

July 19, 2014 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

Ever since I regained my interest in Japanese Role Playing games back in 2012, besides the Tales of games (so far, I played some of Graces f and finished Hearts), I decided to give some of the Atelier games a try. When I started playing it, it differed from other Japanese RPGs not because it focuses less on combat, but rather more on the time management aspect. After playing five games from the franchise, I wonder what lessons I learned along the way in order to use the in-game time efficiently.
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Category: Atelier Escha and Logy, EditorialsTag: analysis, personal experience, Video Games

Backlogging Video Games and Visual Novels – Why do we keep buying them without completing?

June 28, 2014 by Chikorita157 5 Comments

Last year, I have shared my thoughts about my Anime Backlog. While I haven’t backlogged many shows in the past year, I admit that it’s a bad habit. Besides Anime, this habit also extends to video games since many people like myself want to play the latest games, particularly Japanese RPGs despite not beating a game at least once. This makes me wonder, why do people continue to build up a big backlog of video games by buying new ones despite not making an attempt to finish them?
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Category: EditorialsTag: backlogging, fandom, personal experiences, Video Games, visual novels

No Game No Life and the Art of Gaming

June 21, 2014 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

After watching the first episode of No Game No Life, it intrigued me because I play a lot of video games. Sure, I enjoy the various references they make to Anime and Video Games along with the characters. What interested me more is how Blank manages to win every game despite coming close to losing. While the games are not necessarily deep, there are many aspects in gaming that contribute to their victory, which is not noticeable by most viewers. (Image Source)
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Category: Editorials, No Game No LifeTag: analysis, gaming, opinion, Video Games

No Game No Life – Episode 11 – Using the Power of Calculus to Defeat Izuna in a Shooting Game

June 19, 2014 by Chikorita157 3 Comments

As always, Sora shows his love for his little sister.

Finally, we get to see what Izuna is capable of.
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Category: No Game No LifeTag: comedy, fanservice, fantasy, Madhouse Studios, Video Games

The Idolm@ster One for All – Final Review

June 17, 2014 by Chikorita157 1 Comment

It has been a while since I have done anything with the Idolmaster franchise. When I discovered that Bandai Namco released a 2^nd idol producing game under the 2^nd vision series of games called The Idolmaster One for All. Since this game is not story oriented compared to the previous games and is more akin to a slice of life, I will be giving my final impressions of the gameplay. (Image Source)
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Category: Reviews, The iDOLM@STERTag: final impression, idol, music, Namco, Playstation 3, Video Games

Atelier Ayesha Plus – First Impressions

May 31, 2014 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Back in 2012 when I regained my interest in Japanese RPGs, I eventually discovered the Atelier games, which focuses more on item crafting rather than saving the world. While I have played all the games from the Arland trilogyand enjoyed them, Ayesha is the first game in the Dusk trilogy, which overhauled the synthesizing and battling systems while giving a slightly darker story. I choose not to play this game at first for the fact that Tecmo-Koei thought it was a good idea to remove the Japanese voices from the localized release.

At first, I thought of getting a Japanese copy. However, they eventually announced a Vita version several months later. Therefore, I waited to get that instead. With that, here are my initial thoughts of the game after playing for 30 hours. (Image Source)
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Category: Atelier Escha and Logy, Video Game First ImpressionsTag: first impressions, Gust, moe, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth2 Sister’s Generation – First Impressions

April 9, 2014 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Just a few months ago, I shared my final impressions of the first Rebirth game and I thought Compile Heart and Felistelia did a great job fixing all of the flaws from the original game such as having all the goddesses join throughout the story, using battle system from Victory and having improved graphics.

Just a few weeks ago, Neptune Rebirth 2 Sister’s Generation got released, which is a remake of Mk2. This is odd considering that the second game wasn’t nearly as flawed compared to the first. Despite this, since I played 14 hours, it’s time to share my initial thoughts of the game. (Image Source)
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game Neptune, ReviewsTag: first impressions, Playstation Vita, Video Games

Newcomer’s Guide to Importing and Using Japanese Games as Practice (Updated!)

April 5, 2014 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Last year, I shared my experiences on how I use video games as a supplement to practice my Japanese skills. When I was looking at Overlord-G’s guide on Yuri and it got me thinking, it’s probably a good idea to make a Newcomer’s guide on how to use Japanese language video games to practice Japanese. I have wanted to write a more detailed guide for a while. Since importing games got easier in the past years, why not?

This guide is more suited for people who are at an Intermediate or Advanced Japanese level. For people who are beginning to learn the language, you should probably hold off until you know both polite and casual speech.

Guide Last Updated: February 18, 2019
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Category: Japanese Self-Study ProgressTag: guide, japanese language, nintendo, sony, Video Games

New Atelier Rorona – Origin Story – Final Review

March 15, 2014 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

As mentioned a while back when I wrote my first impressions of the remake, Atelier Rorona was the weakest out of the Arland trilogy mostly for the fact that the graphics was the weakest aspect of the game. I didn’t play the original mostly because there was a good possibility that Gust would be remade it and I was right.

New Atelier Rorona pretty much took all the good aspects of Atelier Meruru (and some aspects from Atelier Escha and Logy) in terms of gameplay and graphics while adding cross-play compatibly with the PS3 and the Vita and combined them together with the original story. Since I have finished most of the game, it’s time to take an overall look at the game.

Note: Like with all the Arland games, the Plus versions were rereleased on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as DX on September 20, 2018. As with the Plus version, the review will cover the DX versions as well.
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Category: ReviewsTag: final impressions, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Video Games

My Unpopular Anime and Gaming Opinions

March 8, 2014 by Chikorita157 9 Comments

A few weeks back, Yumeka shared her unpopular Anime opinions which got me thinking, what are my unpopular opinions? Since I don’t necessarily have 10 unpopular Anime opinions to share, I will also cover some video game related stuff too. (Image Source)
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Category: AKB0048, Editorials, Free!, Kyoukai no Kanata, Tamako Market, The iDOLM@STERTag: fandom, kyoani, opinion, Video Games

Gamers and Otakus – Should Hobbies get tied to a Label?

February 22, 2014 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

After I shared my thoughts about Miyazaki’s remarks on otakus and the Anime Industry’s focus on that demographic, one of the comments caught my attention to write about this topic: Should you call yourself an otaku or even a gamer? (Image Source)
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Category: Editorials, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, Ore No ImoutoTag: fandom, labels, opinion, Video Games

New Atelier Rorona – Origin Story – First Impressions

January 25, 2014 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Back in 2009, Gust finally transitioned from the Playstation 2 to the Playstation 3 when they released Atelier Rorona. While the gameplay went back to the premise of the original games and focused more on item crafting and such, the graphics were pretty lackluster. While Totori and Meruru had better graphics and gameplay, it seems that first game in the Arland trilogy felt really out-of-place in comparison. I can’t really blame them since the Playstation 3 had a rough start when it comes to role-playing games.

Four years later, Gust finally made a full remake of the original game for the Playstation 3 and the Vita complete with a full graphics overhaul. How well does it stack up with the original? Let’s find out! (Image Source)
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Category: ReviewsTag: first impressions, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth1 – Final Review

January 18, 2014 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

Back in 2010, Compile Heart and Idea Factory made a game personifying video game consoles as cute girls with the plot based on the console wars. While it was an interesting idea for a story, the first game unfortunately had a lot of problems ranging from game-breaking bugs to mediocre graphics.

Just little over three years later after the franchise got two well received games, Compile Heart decided to make a complete remake and reboot of the first game for the Playstation Vita, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth1.
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game Neptune, ReviewsTag: final impressions, Playstation Vita, Video Games

The Best and Disappointing Japanese Video Games of 2013

December 28, 2013 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

As we approach the end of 2013, I want to focus on the top 5 best games that released this year, which I got to play. As always, this list will only have games that are made by Japanese companies. (Image Source)
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Category: ReviewsTag: opinion, reflection, Video Games, year end

Tales of Hearts R – Final Review

November 30, 2013 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

To me, I felt that 2013 is the year of remakes in Japan since Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth1, New Atelier Rorona, and Tales of Hearts R got released this year for the Playstation Vita. With that, I decided to pick up my first Tales game that never made it out of Japan, which received a remake. That game is Tales of Hearts R. (Image Source)
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Category: ReviewsTag: final impressions, Playstation Vita, Tales of, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;birth1 – First Impressions

November 23, 2013 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

Back in 2010, Compile Heart created a roleplaying game based on the console wars with video game consoles personified as cute girls in a game called Hyperdimension Neptunia (超次元ゲイムネプチューヌ). While it was an interesting concept, Idea Factory managed to mess it up. The first game shows this with obvious gamebreaking bugs, poor graphics for a PS3 game, difficulties trying to heal your characters among other things. They eventually realized how unfinished the first game was, so they remade it for the Vita. Since I received the game three weeks ago, I want to share my first impressions. (Image Source)
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game Neptune, ReviewsTag: first impressions, Playstation Vita, Video Games

Pokemon Y – Final Review

October 29, 2013 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

It’s have been a long time since I reviewed a Pokémon Game. When I got a Japanese version of Pokémon Black 2 back in June of last year, although I enjoyed it, I felt that it didn’t add much in terms of gameplay besides finishing what the prequels started. Not only that, even though I spent 380+ in the Generation V games, I didn’t like the fact that none of my favorites (e.g. Eevee) was in the first game and that it took power creep to another level. Generation V was a pretty big mess, especially considering permanent Sunny Day or Rain Dance. This is why I hardly did any wifi battles. With that, perhaps Game Freak finally realized the monster they just created and decided to fix that with Pokémon X and Y with its transition to full 3D. (Image Source)
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Category: ReviewsTag: final impressions, opinion, pokemon, Video Games

Anime and Video Games – Finding the Balance

October 23, 2013 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

Back in 2012, I shared my thoughts on how I manage to use my free time to do other things besides studying. While graduate years proved to be a bit more time-consuming compared to before, I never touch upon how much attention I put into watching Anime along with other hobbies such as video games. A certain post written by Yumeka from Anime Yume sparked my interest in writing this and expand my thoughts beyond the time management post. (Image Source)
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Category: EditorialsTag: fandom, opinion, personal experiences, Video Games

Pokémon X and Y – First Impressions

October 15, 2013 by Chikorita157 8 Comments

Last Saturday, Pokémon X and Y has finally released everywhere. While I didn’t look at most of the press releases on some of the new features in this game, I was certainly excited. After playing the game for 24 hours, I would like to share my first impressions on the things I liked and disliked.(Image Source)
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Category: ReviewsTag: first impressions, pokemon, Video Games

Reminiscing About the Pokémon Franchise

October 8, 2013 by Chikorita157 7 Comments

As the 6^th Generation of Pokémon Games finally releases this weekend, I felt the need to share some thoughts about the Pokémon franchise as it shaped my interests in gaming and of course, Anime. (Image Source)
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Category: EditorialsTag: opinion, personal experiences, pokemon, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation – Final Review

October 2, 2013 by Chikorita157 4 Comments

Back in the 80s and 90s, there was a heated console war between Sega and Nintendo with Sony and eventually Microsoft joining in the fray. In 2009, Compile Heart decided a game called Hyperdimension Neptunia (超次元ゲームネプチューヌ) that personified each console (Sega Neptune, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360) as cute girls. When they announced an Anime from the two games, I decided to take a look.
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game Neptune, ReviewsTag: final impressions, moe, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation – Episode 12 (END) – Final Showdown and the Power of Friendship

September 29, 2013 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

From the looks of it, Rei is plain insane to attack the innocent bystanders.

Will Rei get her way and destroy the entire world? Nope.
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game NeptuneTag: final impressions, moe, Video Games

The Art of Making Anime from Video Games

September 28, 2013 by Chikorita157 2 Comments

In a post that Kai as posted this week about how video game is adapted into a show. While I have shared my thoughts about anime adaptations and challenges involved with it, video game adaptations are a different story as the experience is not static. As adaptations of video games (excluding visual novels) become more popular as seen adaptations of The Idolmaster, Persona 4 and Neptunia, how do they achieve this while making it enjoyable? (Image Source)
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game Neptune, Editorials, Shining Hearts ~Shiawase no Pan~, The iDOLM@STERTag: analysis, essay, Video Games

Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation – Episode 11 – Rei’s Revenge

September 22, 2013 by Chikorita157 Leave a Comment

It's time for Abnes to do the dirty work! — It’s time for Abnes to do the dirty work!

It seems that Rei has a nasty surprise waiting for Neptune.
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Category: Chou-Jigen Game NeptuneTag: moe, Video Games

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