This site will now redirect to my new blog at http://jaded-perspectives.com. In the next few days, I will be taking all the relevant posts from this blog and migrating them to the new URL. Thanks!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
SYTYWTMAVN - Video Playthrough
This is a full video playthrough of SYTYWTMAVN. If you wish to download the actual visual novel, visit the game's download/description page instead: http://rd2k2-games.blogspot.com/2011/07/sytywtmavn-teacup-visual-novel-festival.html
Monday, December 26, 2011
Jaded Perspectives
Check out my new blog, "Jaded Perspectives." The tagline says it all: a cynical EVN creator's ramblings on niche gaming, anime, life and everything in-between. This is basically a fresh start on the doujin game blogging legacy that this site has strayed away from.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Suguri - Horizontal Shooter
By request, here's my review of Suguri.Suguri is a fairly popular doujin shooter with some unusual elements. You control the game's titular character
The background music is amazing. Technically, I'd say the tracks are on the same level as ZUN's music for the Tohou games, but I'm no music major so don't take my word for it. I just know that I love the BGM for stage 1. Graphics are excellent.
The graphics are excellent for an indy title. Suguri is a 2D sprite but the enemies, projectile effects and backgrounds are rendered in 3D.
The gameplay looks simplistic at a glance. All you do is shoot and avoid enemies and projectiles. There's a lifebar (shield, actually), so you can take more than one hit. However, when you actually sit down and play this game, it can take some getting used to. First of all, Suguri can take two different weapons with her into battle. You can change your weapons from the options menu. Each weapon has its own characteristics. The machine gun is the only reliable weapon for me so far (I've had this game for years, but never really played it much.) The beam laser is powerful, but there's a recoil time that stops your movement for a fraction of a second. Since the enemies and projectiles are always coming, this means you have to time your shots carefully to avoid taking damage yourself. Then, there's a power level gauge, which when filled, allows Suguri to perform a super shot based on the primary weapon you've chosen.
You unlock more weapons by beating stages. Suguri doesn't shoot straight forward like in standard horizontal shooters, she locks on to enemies when they enter a certain range and shoots straight at them (about mid-range based on the screen). This adds an extra level of challenge to the game, if you already don't have your hands full dodging the bullet-spamming enemies. Also, sometimes the bullets just fill the entire screen before you can kill the enemies. To equalize, buton 3 (or keyboard "C" by default) boosts Suguri forward or you can control the direction she accelerates at by using the directional keys. This allows for quick dodges and lesser damage in case you get grazed by a bullet.
There are end-level bosses with visible on-screen lifebars. The bosses are humanoid sprites just like Suguri. (Actually, they're characters from the game's fighter sequel, Acceleration of Suguri) Over-all, this game is a bit on the hard side and the controls are a bit of a challenge, but it's a nice refreshing change from the usual japanese shmup formula.
Publisher: Orange Juice Circle
Demo: http://indygamer.blogspot.com/2006/02/suguri.html
Buy the game here: http://www.rockinandroid.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=91
Note: I'm not affiliated with any of the websites I've linked here.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Miku Rasher - 2D Nes Style Game
Got a small doujin game to review today. It's Miku Rasher based on the vocaloid character and internet icon, Hatsune Miku. I'd recommend the Hatsune Miku psp game too, but that's just me drooling all over Miku after seeing her booty-shakin action in "World is Mine." Back to Miku Rasher; It's free, cute, and fun. Unfortunately, it's so simple that there's not much to review, but, let's break it down.
The music and sound effects are really old school. It has that famicom feel. 8 bit background music featuring Levan Polkka and familiar famicom blip-blips. The creators obviously wanted to make things look and feel like a famicom/nes game and they've succeeded in this aspect.
The graphics, just like the music. The graphics are really reminiscent of simple NES/Famicom titles like Pipeline, Joust and Battle City. Nothing to mince words on, really. Check out the screenshots, they tell everything. The animations are just what you'd expect of famicom titles. Very limited animation but with smooth sprite movement.
Now let's take a look at the gameplay. Sorry if I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but once again, the game feels like something right out of the nes/famicom era. Even the level of difficulty.
The first otion is the A mode game. It starts easy enough but gets impossibly hard in the later stages and just like a typical famicom game; THE CONTINUE IS A LIE! That said, I like it. It's like a variation of Balloon Fight. There are only two buttons plus the arrow keys for the controls. Holding down Z or pressing it repeatedly boosts Miku up so she can fly. YOu can control her flight with the left and right arrow keys. Pressing X fires some kind of short-range projectile (is that her trademark leek?) that engulfs the enemy in a bubble. YOu have to literally burst their bubble after trapping them in it by bumping into them. Coming into contact with an "unbubbled" enemy means instant death. Enemies engulfed in bubbles escape after some time depending on the type of enemy and they get faster and harder to avoid/hit every time they escape. The objective of each level is to kill all the enemies. This pretty much sums up the gameplay. I'm not sure if there's a bonus level or boss fights. Haven't played this game to death... yet.
B mode game is almost the same as A mode except that you can fall into holes for instant death as well and the enemies are more aggressive. Tutorial mode just shows you the game in action with a graphical representation of the controls in order to demonstrate the functions of each button.
Over-all, I'd say not bad, not bad at all. This is the type of game I'd recommend to old school gamers - specifically, those who like the more simplistic games from the era of nintendo 8-bit dominance. It has a limited lifespan, but paraphrasing Dracula from Castelevania SOTN: "The same could be said of all NES era games." Well, maybe not all of them, but there were lots of similar arcadey games for the NES. Of course, if you like Hatsune Miku, I don't need to tell you to get this game. Download it now. (It's only 1.3 MB) The screenshots used here are from the game's official homepage.
Publisher: Yoshiba Works
Publisher's homepage: http://www.yoshibaworks.com/mcrasher/
The music and sound effects are really old school. It has that famicom feel. 8 bit background music featuring Levan Polkka and familiar famicom blip-blips. The creators obviously wanted to make things look and feel like a famicom/nes game and they've succeeded in this aspect.
The graphics, just like the music. The graphics are really reminiscent of simple NES/Famicom titles like Pipeline, Joust and Battle City. Nothing to mince words on, really. Check out the screenshots, they tell everything. The animations are just what you'd expect of famicom titles. Very limited animation but with smooth sprite movement.
Now let's take a look at the gameplay. Sorry if I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but once again, the game feels like something right out of the nes/famicom era. Even the level of difficulty.
The first otion is the A mode game. It starts easy enough but gets impossibly hard in the later stages and just like a typical famicom game; THE CONTINUE IS A LIE! That said, I like it. It's like a variation of Balloon Fight. There are only two buttons plus the arrow keys for the controls. Holding down Z or pressing it repeatedly boosts Miku up so she can fly. YOu can control her flight with the left and right arrow keys. Pressing X fires some kind of short-range projectile (is that her trademark leek?) that engulfs the enemy in a bubble. YOu have to literally burst their bubble after trapping them in it by bumping into them. Coming into contact with an "unbubbled" enemy means instant death. Enemies engulfed in bubbles escape after some time depending on the type of enemy and they get faster and harder to avoid/hit every time they escape. The objective of each level is to kill all the enemies. This pretty much sums up the gameplay. I'm not sure if there's a bonus level or boss fights. Haven't played this game to death... yet.
B mode game is almost the same as A mode except that you can fall into holes for instant death as well and the enemies are more aggressive. Tutorial mode just shows you the game in action with a graphical representation of the controls in order to demonstrate the functions of each button.
Over-all, I'd say not bad, not bad at all. This is the type of game I'd recommend to old school gamers - specifically, those who like the more simplistic games from the era of nintendo 8-bit dominance. It has a limited lifespan, but paraphrasing Dracula from Castelevania SOTN: "The same could be said of all NES era games." Well, maybe not all of them, but there were lots of similar arcadey games for the NES. Of course, if you like Hatsune Miku, I don't need to tell you to get this game. Download it now. (It's only 1.3 MB) The screenshots used here are from the game's official homepage.
Publisher: Yoshiba Works
Publisher's homepage: http://www.yoshibaworks.com/mcrasher/
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Recommend a Doujin/ Freeware Game To Review
Yup, yup. I've got quite a few games on my backlog, but I'd like someone to recommend me a good doujin game to review.
I'll play any game as long as it's good. (Real clear standards, huh?) For the record, I prefer fighters, 2D shooters or classics like breakout style games and tetris. (Tetrinet? Nah, I suck at it. I get about 60 PPM max)
Please don't recommend something like Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. Yes, it's an awesome game, I know, but everyone's heard of it anyway. I prefer obscure but fun titles... Hmm... I guess I could try that Marimite mouse-controlled game for my next review. La Seour de etc... ahaha! Hmm... or Suguri, even. (Hard! Game is hard!)
Anyway, please list your recommended games on the comments here.
I'll play any game as long as it's good. (Real clear standards, huh?) For the record, I prefer fighters, 2D shooters or classics like breakout style games and tetris. (Tetrinet? Nah, I suck at it. I get about 60 PPM max)
Please don't recommend something like Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. Yes, it's an awesome game, I know, but everyone's heard of it anyway. I prefer obscure but fun titles... Hmm... I guess I could try that Marimite mouse-controlled game for my next review. La Seour de etc... ahaha! Hmm... or Suguri, even. (Hard! Game is hard!)
Anyway, please list your recommended games on the comments here.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Umihara Kawase - Snes Platformer
Today, I feel like reviewing another non-doujin game, the cult-hit platformer, Umihara Kawase. I'll be reviewing the SNES version. Just in case you've never heard of it, it's a series of platform games starring a cute little schoolgirl called... well, Umihara Kawase (real imaginative, huh?) but what's in a name? It's all about the game and Umihara Kawase certainly delivers in that aspect. Let's break it down.
The graphics are solid just like any other snes platformer from the mid-nineties era; cutesy, colorful anime stylings and smooth animations that don't suffer from the stop-motion syndrome seen in some japanese games. Umihawra-chan and her fishing line move seamlessly through the various interconnected levels using semi-realistic physics.
Which brings us to the meat and potatoes of this game, the gameplay. You control our appropriately named female protagonist. and basically make your way through the various multi-platform levels using nothing but your fishing line and a the good old jump button. The goal is always to make your way to the level's exit door while avoiding falling into the water or getting hit by enemies, which is no small feat since one hit is fatal. However, what makes this game unique is the maneuverability and versatility of the fishing line. It can clamp on to any anything it touches (acts as an attack against enemies, which stuns them and you can them reel them in and Umihara will store them in her backpack for points) and you can control its length via the d-pad and even swing around to a certain extent. It's a lot like Bionic Commando's arm, but the fishing line is surprisingly (and not) more versatile in the fluid and intuitive way it responds. After a few minutes of immersion, using the line to hook onto nearby platforms will feel like second nature. Of course, Umihara herself is a lot harder to maneuver through the levels without having a good grasp of the fishing line's physics. Her jump just isn't high enough to get her across most gaps. It's a great platformer in that there are various ways to tackle any level (and I'm sure there are some daredevils out there who can pull off innovative ways of using the fishing line to breeze through some levels)
The music is cute, catchy and very Japanese in feel. Anime/Jrpg fans will feel right at home with the bgm for this game. It kinda reminds me of the music for Lunar and Falcom games like Legend of Heroes and the Ys series.Over-all, this is an excellent platformer for gamers of any level - from the hardcore types to the casual players. It's quite a challenge going through the multi-platform levels and many of them require quite a bit of creativity and some luck to pass through unharmed. There are no continues and a limited number of lives available. Lucky for us, there are emulators and savestates nowadays ;). Also, this game was never released outside of Japan, but some fans have released an unofficial translation patch for the game (for what minimal text there is).
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, August 8, 2008
Haven't had time to blog... have a comic!
Haven't had much time to blog recently. Sorry about that...
Here, have a one-page comic to make up for it. I can't make
any promises right now, but I do plan to start reviewing
regularly sometime soon.
Here, have a one-page comic to make up for it. I can't make
any promises right now, but I do plan to start reviewing
regularly sometime soon.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Bulletgba - Free Danmaku Trainer for the GBA
Overview
Bullegba is a free, downloadable danmaku trainer for the gba. (psp in my case thanks to emulators) Unlike other bullet-dodging trainers, this game simulates one long boss fight for each level. Think of an extended version of the Tohou bosses on normal and you'll get a pretty good picture of what I mean. I'd recommend playing the game on a real GBA, a DS, or a PSP if you can for maximum enjoyment.
Game Modes
The game features multiple modes of play. There are five "shooting levels" with different bullet patterns and increasing difficulty; there's a 'BulletsMorph' mode where you cannot shoot back and are forced to dodge random bullet patterns, but wherein you can't die either. "Select Barrage" allows you to practice on bullet patterns from various danmaku style games including, but not limited to Noiz2sa, Progear, Storm Caliber, Strikers and the cult-favorite, Tohou. You can also view and save replays for the bragging rights :3
Graphics
The graphics are very basic and it feels like the creators just put them there as representations and nothing more. That said, they do their job well and do not affect the gameplay one bit. You control an orange '@' symbol and get constantly assaulted with the different shaped green bullet sprites with a constantly scrolling black and gray screen background.
Sounds
The usual blip blips you'd expect from a modern 2D shooter; nothing really fancy, but they do their job just like the graphics. The music is a mix of techno and old school 8-bit nes style. The tracks are very upbeat and fit the fast-paced action of the game very well.
Homepage: http://www.pqrs.org/tekezo/gba/bulletgba/
Bullegba is a free, downloadable danmaku trainer for the gba. (psp in my case thanks to emulators) Unlike other bullet-dodging trainers, this game simulates one long boss fight for each level. Think of an extended version of the Tohou bosses on normal and you'll get a pretty good picture of what I mean. I'd recommend playing the game on a real GBA, a DS, or a PSP if you can for maximum enjoyment.
Game Modes
The game features multiple modes of play. There are five "shooting levels" with different bullet patterns and increasing difficulty; there's a 'BulletsMorph' mode where you cannot shoot back and are forced to dodge random bullet patterns, but wherein you can't die either. "Select Barrage" allows you to practice on bullet patterns from various danmaku style games including, but not limited to Noiz2sa, Progear, Storm Caliber, Strikers and the cult-favorite, Tohou. You can also view and save replays for the bragging rights :3
Graphics
The graphics are very basic and it feels like the creators just put them there as representations and nothing more. That said, they do their job well and do not affect the gameplay one bit. You control an orange '@' symbol and get constantly assaulted with the different shaped green bullet sprites with a constantly scrolling black and gray screen background.
Sounds
The usual blip blips you'd expect from a modern 2D shooter; nothing really fancy, but they do their job just like the graphics. The music is a mix of techno and old school 8-bit nes style. The tracks are very upbeat and fit the fast-paced action of the game very well.
Homepage: http://www.pqrs.org/tekezo/gba/bulletgba/
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wings II Promotional Video
Monday, June 23, 2008
Typhoon Fengshen/Frank!
Ehehe! Sorry, my reintroduction to doujin game blogging/reviewing got delayed a bit. A huge typhoon hit my area, Iloilo City, Philippines. A dam broke and three major bridges collapsed causing massive flooding in many areas. At least 40,000 were stranded on rooftops, thousands missing and hundreds dead at this point.
Luckily, we didn't get hit that badly and all we suffered in my part of the city was one uprooted tree in our front lawn. Pics from the badly damaged parts of the city attached.
Luckily, we didn't get hit that badly and all we suffered in my part of the city was one uprooted tree in our front lawn. Pics from the badly damaged parts of the city attached.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wings II
Man, that was long hiatus, eh? It's been months since my last update. Construed broadly, this little project of mine should qualify as a doujin game even though I'm not Japanese. Please read with all your heart.
http://wings.animerd2k2.net
Also, I'll be blogging about the english visual novel community a lot more from this point on, along with the usual doujin gaming reviews.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Hey Look!
Courtesy of M12 I've been featured in a dlsite interview along with some of my fellow OELVN creators from the lemmasoft forums. Check out lordcloudx interview on dlsite here. Thanks again dlsite and M12.
Warning: In case you haven't noticed. That's a dlsite link and that means, Absolutely Not Safe For Work! That is all.
On the doujin gaming review side of things, I've been a bit busy playing.... gba titles on my psp lately, but don't worry, I plan to add more reviews real soon. (or at least one review before the end of this month)
Also, check out my new gallery of my freeware character and music contributions for the 5th anniversary of lemmasoft.
Warning: In case you haven't noticed. That's a dlsite link and that means, Absolutely Not Safe For Work! That is all.
On the doujin gaming review side of things, I've been a bit busy playing.... gba titles on my psp lately, but don't worry, I plan to add more reviews real soon. (or at least one review before the end of this month)
Also, check out my new gallery of my freeware character and music contributions for the 5th anniversary of lemmasoft.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Brave Story: New Traveler - PSP Rpg
Just started playing Brave Story: New Traveler for the PSP. I believe this one game is based on the movie by GONZO and a series of Japanese novels or was it one novel? Aww... who cares! It's nice to see a standard Lions for the system. Ok, on to the review, I'll do this one like a gamefaqs review.
Graphics
I'll start with the graphics. Everything is rendered in 3D from the characters, to the towns,
dungeons and overworld map. While not being particularly impressive, the graphics do
look nice enough (especially considering that this is a handheld) and looks almost as good as FFX
for the PS2. So far, I've seen quite a few palette swapped sprites of the main characters
themselves which I think was a bad idea because it takes a lot out of their individuality.
dungeons and overworld map. While not being particularly impressive, the graphics do
look nice enough (especially considering that this is a handheld) and looks almost as good as FFX
for the PS2. So far, I've seen quite a few palette swapped sprites of the main characters
themselves which I think was a bad idea because it takes a lot out of their individuality.
Gameplay/Story (I find it hard to separate the gameplay from the story in this game)
For the gameplay, this is the part that veteran console rpg'ers will absolutely eat-up. Why? RPG
Clichés galore!
Clichés galore!
You start the game as a normal boy named Tatsuya (or whatever you named him) who is (by no
coincidence) totally engrossed in playing with his psp, much to the dismay of his female friend
Miki whom he has promised to accompany whilst walking her dog (Aww! Ain't that sweet?)
coincidence) totally engrossed in playing with his psp, much to the dismay of his female friend
Miki whom he has promised to accompany whilst walking her dog (Aww! Ain't that sweet?)
Ok, let's fast-forward a bit. Hero-kid's little Miki falls into a coma of some kind and by some
twist of fate, he is sucked into the world of Vision where all travelers may have one wish upon
meeting with the goddess; but in order to meet said goddess, the traveler must embark on a
journey all over the rpg-tastic world of Vision exploring towns and dungeons, searching for some
kinda gems because the goddess dropped her precious jewelry all over Vision (ok, I made some of
that up, but you get the general idea.)
twist of fate, he is sucked into the world of Vision where all travelers may have one wish upon
meeting with the goddess; but in order to meet said goddess, the traveler must embark on a
journey all over the rpg-tastic world of Vision exploring towns and dungeons, searching for some
kinda gems because the goddess dropped her precious jewelry all over Vision (ok, I made some of
that up, but you get the general idea.)
Beep! Beep! "#3. Thinking With The Wrong Head (Hiro Rule)" Check! Hero sees helpless loli-neko-girl
armed with a bow being ganged up on by a group of wolves. Naturally, he jumps in despite never having held a real sword before.
Beep1! Beep! "#14 Garrett's Principle" Check! You are actually encouraged to barge into every open household and search the premises for any jars that might contain treasure. Yuno (aka loli catgirl) even has a treasure sensor ability that detects how many treasures you still haven't taken from a particular village or dungeon.
Well, I guess I'll stop there with the clichés here lest this review gets too spoilery. Let's talk about the gameplay a bit. There are random battles galore in this game, I'd say about the same frequency as FFIX for the psone. The battle system is nothing any gamer hasn't seen before. Turn-based with HP/BP indicators for each of the three characters in your party. BP (not blood pressure) is like the MP of this game which allows you to perform special moves and the kinda innovative (if you haven't seen this in Suikoden before) unity attacks which are team techniques which can be performed by two or more team members with varying effects like stat boosting or just doing massive damage to the enemy. The good thing is that you can recover BP by simply using normal physical attacks so that means you'll hardly find yourself in a game-over situation with no BP, no item while deep inside a high-level dungeon.
Almost all enemies have this "crazed" form where they transform into an uber version of themselves which can be triggered in different ways depending on the type of enemy.
On the field, there's this crafting system which is basically allows you to make accessories as long as you have the "diagram" and the raw materials required by that diagram (ho! hum! been there seen that.) Oh yah, some diagrams are only available through sidequests. Right now, I'm only up to chapter six but there are already multiple sidequests available this early in the game.
There's also a goldfinch brawling mini-game which has multiplayer functions that I haven't tried yet. Goldfinches are the mascot characters of Brave Story. They're small, cute and fat birds of varying colors that you can catch in habitats scattered througout the game. You can then pit your goldfinches against that of the goldfinch brawlers within the dungeons of Vision in order to get a "goldfinch feather" ... unfortunately, I seem to be in the early parts of the game so I'm not sure what good collecting goldfinch feathers are.
armed with a bow being ganged up on by a group of wolves. Naturally, he jumps in despite never having held a real sword before.
Beep1! Beep! "#14 Garrett's Principle" Check! You are actually encouraged to barge into every open household and search the premises for any jars that might contain treasure. Yuno (aka loli catgirl) even has a treasure sensor ability that detects how many treasures you still haven't taken from a particular village or dungeon.
Well, I guess I'll stop there with the clichés here lest this review gets too spoilery. Let's talk about the gameplay a bit. There are random battles galore in this game, I'd say about the same frequency as FFIX for the psone. The battle system is nothing any gamer hasn't seen before. Turn-based with HP/BP indicators for each of the three characters in your party. BP (not blood pressure) is like the MP of this game which allows you to perform special moves and the kinda innovative (if you haven't seen this in Suikoden before) unity attacks which are team techniques which can be performed by two or more team members with varying effects like stat boosting or just doing massive damage to the enemy. The good thing is that you can recover BP by simply using normal physical attacks so that means you'll hardly find yourself in a game-over situation with no BP, no item while deep inside a high-level dungeon.
Almost all enemies have this "crazed" form where they transform into an uber version of themselves which can be triggered in different ways depending on the type of enemy.
On the field, there's this crafting system which is basically allows you to make accessories as long as you have the "diagram" and the raw materials required by that diagram (ho! hum! been there seen that.) Oh yah, some diagrams are only available through sidequests. Right now, I'm only up to chapter six but there are already multiple sidequests available this early in the game.
There's also a goldfinch brawling mini-game which has multiplayer functions that I haven't tried yet. Goldfinches are the mascot characters of Brave Story. They're small, cute and fat birds of varying colors that you can catch in habitats scattered througout the game. You can then pit your goldfinches against that of the goldfinch brawlers within the dungeons of Vision in order to get a "goldfinch feather" ... unfortunately, I seem to be in the early parts of the game so I'm not sure what good collecting goldfinch feathers are.
Sound
Pretty good actually. The bgm are nice and catchy, though not too flashy nor memorable (kinda reminds me of Wild Arms... same publisher maybe? Too lazy to check.) There's voice-acting in some special cutscenes and of course, in battle. You can even choose between the Japanese or English voice-overs.
Minor Complaints
-The difficulty level is a bit on the easy side
-Colors are a bit washed out
-Animations are good but could be smoother (I'm spoiled by FF VII: Crisis Core)
-Too many random battles
-Palette Swapped Main characters is a nono!
-Colors are a bit washed out
-Animations are good but could be smoother (I'm spoiled by FF VII: Crisis Core)
-Too many random battles
-Palette Swapped Main characters is a nono!
Over-all
Brave Story certainly isn't the best rpg of its kind, but it is a good, solid console-style rpg that uses old-school rpg elements with an easy to moderate difficulty level and charming, though kinda trite story. This one is an excellent must-have title and perhaps the first true console rpg(numerous ports aside) for PSP owners.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Mai Room!
I thought I'd show my readers a few pics of my room in response to m12's post
Below are my collection of english manga.
This was my first gaming system ever. The Sega Game Gear. The thing still works even though it's about 11 years old now.
My latest gaming system. My family could've gotten me the slim version for a little bit more cash... but the clerk said something about the fat one having more "features." ^_^
My second gaming system, the PS1. It still works too.
Some ps2 games. Notice the logo is DVD game 2. I wonder why? :)
Some dvds I use for backing up my anime/doujin games collection
A pic of misuzu on my wall
Some of my anime collection. One dvd in the background is NSFW. Luckily, it's too blurred out to be noticeable.
Some of my sketchbooks.
Recognize this one lemmasoft people? One sketch in the pic above is NSFW, but again, it's too blurred to be recognizable.
It is delicious kona-chan. I must sketch it.
And... this is why people who argue with me have been mysteriously dying of sudden, violent heart-attacks.
Below are my collection of english manga.
This was my first gaming system ever. The Sega Game Gear. The thing still works even though it's about 11 years old now.
My latest gaming system. My family could've gotten me the slim version for a little bit more cash... but the clerk said something about the fat one having more "features." ^_^
My second gaming system, the PS1. It still works too.
Some ps2 games. Notice the logo is DVD game 2. I wonder why? :)
Some dvds I use for backing up my anime/doujin games collection
A pic of misuzu on my wall
Some of my anime collection. One dvd in the background is NSFW. Luckily, it's too blurred out to be noticeable.
Some of my sketchbooks.
Recognize this one lemmasoft people? One sketch in the pic above is NSFW, but again, it's too blurred to be recognizable.
It is delicious kona-chan. I must sketch it.
And... this is why people who argue with me have been mysteriously dying of sudden, violent heart-attacks.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Gundeadligne
This time, I'm going for another slightly older doujin title, "Gundeadligne." If you're familiar with Progear no Arashi for the arcade, you should feel right at home with this game. Gundeadligne is basically a horizontal scrolling 2D shooter. The kind where bullets swarm in on you from all directions. Being more used (though not that good at all) to vertical shooters, it took me a while to adjust to the gameplay.
The game features high quality character artwork, smooth-scrolling graphics and snes-style sprites coupled with 3D effects. What is most noticeable about this game is the amount of depth (or potential depth) it has for hardcore gamers. I have yet to even figure out half of what the bars and numbers on the gameplay screen stand for. Fortunately, it's easy to pick up and play for casual gamers as well. The game features an auto-bomb system which automatically detonates any bombs you might have whenever you're in a pinch. The collision detection is very forgiving and you can actually do some very risky dodges without getting hit, unlike the hair trigger collision of most other 2D shooters.
The levels seem to rely more on memory rather than fancy dodging, especially the bosses whose bullets can trap you into a corner if you don't know what to expect. The action is extremely fast-paced even though enemy bullets travel relatively slowly. Thankfully, colliding with enemy sprites doesn't seem to do any damage to your character. Controls seem to be the standard Z,X,C. Holding down Z makes your character focus-fire for more damage (probably at the expense of your score). There are intitially three characters to choose from. The first two control normally while the third one, Nagi has one of the wierdest control schemes I've ever seen. Her line of fire rotates in reverse correlation to where you move her (ehehe! It's kinda hard to explain. It's best if you try it yourself.) I suppose this character is able to hit enemies who move in behind her more easily, though I'm not sure how to control her line of fire. Two players can play the game simultaneously.
In the game's instruction manual, there are explanations of the deeper gameplay aspects like reload time, flip turn, and slow mode (unfortunately, I have no idea what they're talking about and I'm to lazy to try translating it.)
Each character also seems to have a story (written in ZOMG mostly kanji).
Lastly, the bgm tracks are fantastic. They sound like modern remixes of old-school nes shooter themes.
homepage: http://www.murasame.com/
Friday, December 7, 2007
New URL
Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been busy setting up this blog as a subdomain on animerd2k2.net. (and playing around with php news management scripts) The new blog url is http://doujin.animerd2k2.net
I'll start reviewing doujin games regularly again by tomorrow.
I'll start reviewing doujin games regularly again by tomorrow.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Final Fantasy VII: A Fanboy's Confession
We all cried when Aeris died... yes! yes! I know, that line is as old as the internets. Fortunately, I'm not going to talk about that here. This article was written quite a few years ago, but I felt that it could use a little more exposure. The character descriptions are based on my own speculations and I do not claim them to be completely accurate.
I can still recall it quite vividly. 5 years ago, I stood before a glass counter gawking at the beautiful cover artwork of various playstation titles that sold for 60 pesos per CD. Pirated CDs abound in the Philippines and they were once sold out in the open in shopping malls, but 60 pesos was still a lot of money for me. My mind was already made up, I had 300 pesos in my wallet and I would spend a portion of it to buy the 3d beat-em-up game "fighting force," which was the "in" game at that time. However, I noticed someone playing another game on the store's tv set. It was a quaint game with colorful characters with large heads that I mistook for a kid's game, but there was something about it that caught my attention. The same something that told me this would be the most unforgettable game I would ever play.
Thus, I bought my very first console rpg "Final Fantasy VII" for 175 pesos (about one dollar and fifty cents) and this initiated my journey into the wonderful world of rpgs. I spent hours on the game, reading the dialogues of all the characters, even the villagers, line by line and saving my data whenever I could. I wasn't familiar with the level-up system, the buying from towns, the money, in short, I was a total greenhorn to rpgs. Perhaps this can attribute to my deep-seated fascination and attachment to the game. Spurred on by FF7, I quickly became an rpg fanatic, I scoured the local stores for any and all psx rpgs I could buy. I spent all my free time on rpgs like Lunar, Lunar II, Grandia, Legend of Legaia, Star Ocean 2 and others I failed to mention. Those days before I became interested in the world wide web, were perhaps the apex of my enjoyment of rpgs.
The internet didn't become popular in the Philippines until sometime in 1999, thus, my rpg gaming was never hampered by the influence of the world wide web. It was only about a year ago, when I first read the unbelievable number of posts in the FF7 board on gamefaqs.com or learned about using and writing walkthroughs.
Reading through the various posts in the FF7 board, made me think twice about my own addiction with FF7. The words of the other fans hurt me deeply, though I could never admit it until now. Thus, I was introduced to such derogatory and discriminatory terms like " FF7 fanboy," or "square fanboy." (would you call a female FF7 fanatic a fanboy too then?) They gave these terms an assortment of meanings such as "someone who thinks FF7 is the best rpg only because they've never even heard of rpgs before." Or even worse, "someone who hasn't truly played the game." I was totally lost, caught in a crossfire between those who considered themselves the FF7 elite and the FF7 fanboys. FF7 was reduced to a competition to see who had the best materia, the best character stats, the best anything. I spent many sleepless nights pondering questions like "FF7 was my first rpg and I still think it's the best rpg, so does that make me a fanboy?" and even "I haven't even completed half of what those guys have done, and they don't think FF7 is the best rpg. Maybe I should reconsider?"
Though this experience was mildly traumatic to me, I looked back on my roots. Even before I became interested in rpgs, I was already into anime, thus I looked to the daily anime marathon on AXN, hoping that my troubled soul might find comfort in the catharsis brought about by watching (as one person from a certain forum puts it.) drawings of people with huge eyes. Then, like St. Augustine's awakening brought about by reading Romans 13:13 in the bible. I was awestruck by the words of the corrupt monk Genjo Sanzo reciting his famous lines with the very uplifting song "Open Up Your Mind" playing in the background. "Vanity of Vanities. Kill the Father as you meet him. Kill Buddha as you meet him. Neither fascinated nor bound by anyone. Just live your life in the way you are."
(Though some may find my next few lines amusing and may actually be laughing at me right now in anticipation, I want to emphasize that I am pouring my heartfelt emotions into this article.) Sanzo's words resounded in my head, not literally of course, but it was his words that opened my eyes to how I should deal with my new experiences with rpg fans. I was now clear on my stand on the subject of fans and fanboys and perhaps any other events I may encounter in my life.
I liked FF7 because it was my first rpg. It's true, I also liked it because the graphics were excellent for its time. Yet, I also liked it for a reason much deeper than that, because beyond the graphics, beyond the music, beyond the rants of elite fans, FF7 is an excellent game. It doesn't matter if people start calling me a fanboy, because even if they did, I would still be an rpg gamer and the derogatory label of "fanboy," would sound like a praiseworthy title as long as I could still play rpgs. I realized that there is nothing wrong with being a fanboy, because no matter what your roots, old school, new school, whatever!, it will not change the fact that you are an rpg gamer.
Almost seven years, after its making, (I must be getting old ^_^) it is an opportune time to look back, reflect, and pay tribute to the game that rekindled the dying flames of the rpg revolution, Final Fantasy Seven.
Atmosphere
This is one of the few things I look for in a good rpg. It may not apply to all types of gamers, especially the light of mind. In itself, the atmosphere that I'm referring to here is ultimately indefinable (So you can tell I'm not referring to that invisible thing up there that we learned about once upon a science class.) I could say that it is the culmination of all the parts of the game including music, graphics, setting, but then, I would be telling a lie. Because like it or not, some games have it and some games don't. To name one, the famous gba rpg "Golden Sun" did not evoke any kind of atmosphere, but it still has excellent graphics, gameplay elements etc. On the other hand, any version of Lunar or Breath of Fire has that unique ambiance that really puts you into the game.
Final Fantasy VII's atmosphere gives you the feeling of being inside a world between science fiction and fantasy. During the first few parts of the game inside Midgar, I thought that this was going to be a futuristic "Star Wars" type of game. The mood of the game is generally somber and mournful and this is beautifully manifested in the divine musical scores. Of course, FF7 also has its lighthearted moments, that is quite prevalent in the game's amusement park "The Gold Saucer" but if you look deeper, you will see that beneath the world's largest amusement park, there is also the world's largest prison. Also, the people who live on the ground near the Gold Saucer suffer greatly from destitution. This portrayal of abundance above and scarcity below is subject to different interpretations, none of which are 100% accurate, yet all of them are quite valid. There are many other symbolisms within the game, that sadly, only a handful of gamers will ever come to appreciate.
The bottom line is, unless the rpg can capture my imagination with this key element, the atmosphere, I don't even bother playing it past the first day of purchase and this is why I can replay FF7 for more than a dozen times consecutively and still not get tired of it.
Unique Characters
Cloud Strife
This guy is the main character of the game. At first, he claimed to be an Ex-SOLDIER. SOLDIERS are human beings infused with the substance known as mako energy to become elite weapons of war. It was considered an honor to become a SOLDIER. However, later on, Cloud realizes that he never became a SOLDIER because he was physically weak and the mako infusion process left him physically impaired. This, combined with the trauma of watching his friend Zack gunned to death before him led him to take on Zack's persona.
Although he doesn't remember it until later, he once fought and won against the great war hero turned murderer Sephiroth to fulfill his promise to protect Tifa. Cloud is cocky and arrogant and always seemingly sure of himself, though in truth, he harbors many insecurities. His hair is reminiscent of animes like Dragon Ball Z.
Cloud's die-hard supporters may not admit it, but throughout the course of the game, he is a victim of fate and his decisions are usually influenced by foreshadowing events that he was never even aware of.
Aerith/Aeris Gainsborough
One of the most controversial characters in the game, her early death gives Cloud an extra motive for wanting to pursue Sephiroth.
Aerith is a flower girl from the slums of the city of Midgar. Many people consider her to be one of the sweetest and most innocent video game characters ever made, which is far from accurate. Although her looks say she is sweet and innocent, Aerith is actually a coquettish type of girl, who likes to act sickeningly cute and gets away with it most of the time because of the way she looks. However, she has a kind nature and an undeniable charm. Unlike many fanfics like to portray, she doesn't hate Tifa and never even gave the slightest hint of this during the game. Aerith is the last of the Ancients, a race of beings who could use magic without materia.
Tifa Lockhart
Undoubtedly the most popular FF girl of all time. Why? C'mon you don't need me to tell you that. If you're a guy and can't judge just by looking at her, I doubt you have enough brains to understand most of what I've typed up here.
Tifa is the owner of the bar "Tifa's Seventh Heaven" in Midgar. As Cloud's childhood friend, she soon develops deeper feelings for him when they meet again as adults. She is the kind of person who can get along with anyone and wants everyone to get along as well. This is shown in various scenes in the game, one example is her pacifying Cloud and Barret before they could start a fight. She is also very strong-willed and is not afraid to get personal with her fists.
Barret Wallace
Although he looks and speaks like a hulking moron, Barret is really a very determined and responsible man, who feels the need to take justice into his own hands. He formed the group of radicals known as Avalanche, but all of the members were killed by Shinra except for himself, Tifa and Cloud whom he hired as a mercenary. However, that event can also be viewed as a retribution for their terrorist bombing of one of Midgar's generators that took a lot of innocent lives. A consequence of their actions that they failed to anticipate.
Barret replaced one of his arms with a gun after it was shot by Scarlet of Shinra. He took it upon himself to raise Marlene, the daughter of his best friend Dyne whom he believed to be dead.
Cid Highwind
Like Barret, Cid has a heart of gold hidden beneath a cranky, foul-mouthed exterior. Although this is a blind side of his personality, Cid blames himself for the many failures he has experienced in his life. This includes the failed launching of the Shinra rocket in his town, due to his own negligence and it is manifested in his short-tempered attitude towards his subordinates.
Cid has the ability to become a great leader. His personality commands respect from his men. Perhaps his greatest triumph, was in choosing to join Cloud's party. Since this gave him another chance at his aviation career.
Yuffie Kisaragi
Although acquiring her is optional, Yuffie is one of the more popular FF7 characters. Many people have come to hate her because she steals all your materia in her sidequest and acts like a total brat about it, pulling all kinds of dirty tricks on your party until you can finally catch her.
Yuffie is energetic and fun-loving. Her presence lightens the mood of the game compared to the more mature members of the party. Some FF7 fans speculate that she acts childish because she craves the attention, which she never got from her father.
Vincent Valentine
How many times have we seen this stereotype in anime? Vincent is the cool, quiet and collected guy who can display incredible power when upset. He is also an optional character, but unlike Yuffie, he forms an integral part of the story because of his relationship in the past with Shinra and Sephiroth.
Vincent has a very troubled past and his only reason for joining Cloud's party is to find Sephiroth.
Red XIII
Yep, a cross between a dog and a lion, with a fiery tail and the ability to talk is definitely a cool idea. Red XIII is also known as Nanaki and like Aerith, he is the last of his kind.
Just as his looks would tell, Red XIII's personality is sort of a cross between Cloud and Vincent. He can be wise and cold-hearted, but he can also be cocky and arrogant. Red XIII loves his mother but despises his father for being a coward when the GI tribe attacked his village Cosmo Canyon when he was still a child.
Later on, he learns that his father Seto gave up his life fighting against the GI tribe even after their poisoned arrows had begun to petrify his body. This scene where Red XIII meets the stoned figure of his father is one of the most touching moments of the game.
Cait Sith
Not much can be said about this stuffed toy riding robot cat. His alter ego is a high-ranking official called Reeve from Shinra. Many times in the game he is torn between his loyalties to the FF7 party and Shinra.
Sometime in the game, it is implied that his stuffed toy form, actually has a personality and feelings of its own, separate from Reeve. This view of Cait Sith is more suited to asian gamers who have the cultural and religious background to believe in the spiritual attributes of certain things. If you are not, you may not see where this can be found in the game, or you may not acknowledge it.
Sephiroth
The perfect example of a psychotic antagonist. Sephiroth gained knowledge beyond normal human beings when he fell into the lifestream after fighting Cloud. Some people speculate that the Sephiroth in the game is not even Sephiroth, but a clone created by the cells of Jenova. Sephiroth is almost identical to Kenshin Hemura of Rurouni Kenshin, a calm, composed and cold-hearted killer. Of course, unlike Kenshin, Sephiroth has negative views of human nature, which is why he wanted to destroy everyone by calling down meteor.
So how evil was Sephiroth? My answer is that he wasn't even evil to begin with. Sephiroth's malice was driven by a principle. Though it was a twisted principle by society's standards, to Sephiroth, it was the only way to redeem mankind. If it's a question of morality, Sephiroth's only sin was his method of implementing his plans for the world, which included murder.
This collection of characters, though somewhat incomplete should be enough to prove my point. FF7s characters are excellent and dynamic, but they're not the best rpg characters ever made. I admit that there are other rpgs with better and more well-developed characters. What should be taken into account however, is the intermingling of the characters with the plot. To some, square/square-enix's storylines are convoluted and hard to follow, but it's actually a matter of perspective. To me, the story is like a puzzle, which you have to piece together in order to appreciate. Take note, that you do not need to fully understand all the aspects of the story (characters birthday, character's name, name of place, etc.) in order to appreciate its beauty. Like a piece of classic literature, FF7's story is not only meant to be taken at face value. Once you have replayed the game, you can unearth the many layers of interpretation underneath all the eye-candy.
Personally, FF7 has left me with many great memories and encounters with unique and memorable characters. It has left an indelible mark on my being as a genuine rpg gamer. It has broadened my perspective of the world, rather than close it down as the conservatives might believe. I see this game as a reflection of my own life and my own adventures in the unforgiving jungle of society. And someday, when perhaps, I might leave the world of rpgs, I can rest assured with the knowledge that I was also a part of the world of Final Fantasy Seven. I would like to conclude by saying, just as "Middle-Earth" existed even without Tolkien, FF7s world already existed even without Square or Hironobu Sakaguchi, and who knows, one of us "fanboys" could have produced it if they didn't.
I can still recall it quite vividly. 5 years ago, I stood before a glass counter gawking at the beautiful cover artwork of various playstation titles that sold for 60 pesos per CD. Pirated CDs abound in the Philippines and they were once sold out in the open in shopping malls, but 60 pesos was still a lot of money for me. My mind was already made up, I had 300 pesos in my wallet and I would spend a portion of it to buy the 3d beat-em-up game "fighting force," which was the "in" game at that time. However, I noticed someone playing another game on the store's tv set. It was a quaint game with colorful characters with large heads that I mistook for a kid's game, but there was something about it that caught my attention. The same something that told me this would be the most unforgettable game I would ever play.
Thus, I bought my very first console rpg "Final Fantasy VII" for 175 pesos (about one dollar and fifty cents) and this initiated my journey into the wonderful world of rpgs. I spent hours on the game, reading the dialogues of all the characters, even the villagers, line by line and saving my data whenever I could. I wasn't familiar with the level-up system, the buying from towns, the money, in short, I was a total greenhorn to rpgs. Perhaps this can attribute to my deep-seated fascination and attachment to the game. Spurred on by FF7, I quickly became an rpg fanatic, I scoured the local stores for any and all psx rpgs I could buy. I spent all my free time on rpgs like Lunar, Lunar II, Grandia, Legend of Legaia, Star Ocean 2 and others I failed to mention. Those days before I became interested in the world wide web, were perhaps the apex of my enjoyment of rpgs.
The internet didn't become popular in the Philippines until sometime in 1999, thus, my rpg gaming was never hampered by the influence of the world wide web. It was only about a year ago, when I first read the unbelievable number of posts in the FF7 board on gamefaqs.com or learned about using and writing walkthroughs.
Reading through the various posts in the FF7 board, made me think twice about my own addiction with FF7. The words of the other fans hurt me deeply, though I could never admit it until now. Thus, I was introduced to such derogatory and discriminatory terms like " FF7 fanboy," or "square fanboy." (would you call a female FF7 fanatic a fanboy too then?) They gave these terms an assortment of meanings such as "someone who thinks FF7 is the best rpg only because they've never even heard of rpgs before." Or even worse, "someone who hasn't truly played the game." I was totally lost, caught in a crossfire between those who considered themselves the FF7 elite and the FF7 fanboys. FF7 was reduced to a competition to see who had the best materia, the best character stats, the best anything. I spent many sleepless nights pondering questions like "FF7 was my first rpg and I still think it's the best rpg, so does that make me a fanboy?" and even "I haven't even completed half of what those guys have done, and they don't think FF7 is the best rpg. Maybe I should reconsider?"
Though this experience was mildly traumatic to me, I looked back on my roots. Even before I became interested in rpgs, I was already into anime, thus I looked to the daily anime marathon on AXN, hoping that my troubled soul might find comfort in the catharsis brought about by watching (as one person from a certain forum puts it.) drawings of people with huge eyes. Then, like St. Augustine's awakening brought about by reading Romans 13:13 in the bible. I was awestruck by the words of the corrupt monk Genjo Sanzo reciting his famous lines with the very uplifting song "Open Up Your Mind" playing in the background. "Vanity of Vanities. Kill the Father as you meet him. Kill Buddha as you meet him. Neither fascinated nor bound by anyone. Just live your life in the way you are."
(Though some may find my next few lines amusing and may actually be laughing at me right now in anticipation, I want to emphasize that I am pouring my heartfelt emotions into this article.) Sanzo's words resounded in my head, not literally of course, but it was his words that opened my eyes to how I should deal with my new experiences with rpg fans. I was now clear on my stand on the subject of fans and fanboys and perhaps any other events I may encounter in my life.
I liked FF7 because it was my first rpg. It's true, I also liked it because the graphics were excellent for its time. Yet, I also liked it for a reason much deeper than that, because beyond the graphics, beyond the music, beyond the rants of elite fans, FF7 is an excellent game. It doesn't matter if people start calling me a fanboy, because even if they did, I would still be an rpg gamer and the derogatory label of "fanboy," would sound like a praiseworthy title as long as I could still play rpgs. I realized that there is nothing wrong with being a fanboy, because no matter what your roots, old school, new school, whatever!, it will not change the fact that you are an rpg gamer.
Almost seven years, after its making, (I must be getting old ^_^) it is an opportune time to look back, reflect, and pay tribute to the game that rekindled the dying flames of the rpg revolution, Final Fantasy Seven.
Atmosphere
This is one of the few things I look for in a good rpg. It may not apply to all types of gamers, especially the light of mind. In itself, the atmosphere that I'm referring to here is ultimately indefinable (So you can tell I'm not referring to that invisible thing up there that we learned about once upon a science class.) I could say that it is the culmination of all the parts of the game including music, graphics, setting, but then, I would be telling a lie. Because like it or not, some games have it and some games don't. To name one, the famous gba rpg "Golden Sun" did not evoke any kind of atmosphere, but it still has excellent graphics, gameplay elements etc. On the other hand, any version of Lunar or Breath of Fire has that unique ambiance that really puts you into the game.
Final Fantasy VII's atmosphere gives you the feeling of being inside a world between science fiction and fantasy. During the first few parts of the game inside Midgar, I thought that this was going to be a futuristic "Star Wars" type of game. The mood of the game is generally somber and mournful and this is beautifully manifested in the divine musical scores. Of course, FF7 also has its lighthearted moments, that is quite prevalent in the game's amusement park "The Gold Saucer" but if you look deeper, you will see that beneath the world's largest amusement park, there is also the world's largest prison. Also, the people who live on the ground near the Gold Saucer suffer greatly from destitution. This portrayal of abundance above and scarcity below is subject to different interpretations, none of which are 100% accurate, yet all of them are quite valid. There are many other symbolisms within the game, that sadly, only a handful of gamers will ever come to appreciate.
The bottom line is, unless the rpg can capture my imagination with this key element, the atmosphere, I don't even bother playing it past the first day of purchase and this is why I can replay FF7 for more than a dozen times consecutively and still not get tired of it.
Unique Characters
Cloud Strife
This guy is the main character of the game. At first, he claimed to be an Ex-SOLDIER. SOLDIERS are human beings infused with the substance known as mako energy to become elite weapons of war. It was considered an honor to become a SOLDIER. However, later on, Cloud realizes that he never became a SOLDIER because he was physically weak and the mako infusion process left him physically impaired. This, combined with the trauma of watching his friend Zack gunned to death before him led him to take on Zack's persona.
Although he doesn't remember it until later, he once fought and won against the great war hero turned murderer Sephiroth to fulfill his promise to protect Tifa. Cloud is cocky and arrogant and always seemingly sure of himself, though in truth, he harbors many insecurities. His hair is reminiscent of animes like Dragon Ball Z.
Cloud's die-hard supporters may not admit it, but throughout the course of the game, he is a victim of fate and his decisions are usually influenced by foreshadowing events that he was never even aware of.
Aerith/Aeris Gainsborough
One of the most controversial characters in the game, her early death gives Cloud an extra motive for wanting to pursue Sephiroth.
Aerith is a flower girl from the slums of the city of Midgar. Many people consider her to be one of the sweetest and most innocent video game characters ever made, which is far from accurate. Although her looks say she is sweet and innocent, Aerith is actually a coquettish type of girl, who likes to act sickeningly cute and gets away with it most of the time because of the way she looks. However, she has a kind nature and an undeniable charm. Unlike many fanfics like to portray, she doesn't hate Tifa and never even gave the slightest hint of this during the game. Aerith is the last of the Ancients, a race of beings who could use magic without materia.
Tifa Lockhart
Undoubtedly the most popular FF girl of all time. Why? C'mon you don't need me to tell you that. If you're a guy and can't judge just by looking at her, I doubt you have enough brains to understand most of what I've typed up here.
Tifa is the owner of the bar "Tifa's Seventh Heaven" in Midgar. As Cloud's childhood friend, she soon develops deeper feelings for him when they meet again as adults. She is the kind of person who can get along with anyone and wants everyone to get along as well. This is shown in various scenes in the game, one example is her pacifying Cloud and Barret before they could start a fight. She is also very strong-willed and is not afraid to get personal with her fists.
Barret Wallace
Although he looks and speaks like a hulking moron, Barret is really a very determined and responsible man, who feels the need to take justice into his own hands. He formed the group of radicals known as Avalanche, but all of the members were killed by Shinra except for himself, Tifa and Cloud whom he hired as a mercenary. However, that event can also be viewed as a retribution for their terrorist bombing of one of Midgar's generators that took a lot of innocent lives. A consequence of their actions that they failed to anticipate.
Barret replaced one of his arms with a gun after it was shot by Scarlet of Shinra. He took it upon himself to raise Marlene, the daughter of his best friend Dyne whom he believed to be dead.
Cid Highwind
Like Barret, Cid has a heart of gold hidden beneath a cranky, foul-mouthed exterior. Although this is a blind side of his personality, Cid blames himself for the many failures he has experienced in his life. This includes the failed launching of the Shinra rocket in his town, due to his own negligence and it is manifested in his short-tempered attitude towards his subordinates.
Cid has the ability to become a great leader. His personality commands respect from his men. Perhaps his greatest triumph, was in choosing to join Cloud's party. Since this gave him another chance at his aviation career.
Yuffie Kisaragi
Although acquiring her is optional, Yuffie is one of the more popular FF7 characters. Many people have come to hate her because she steals all your materia in her sidequest and acts like a total brat about it, pulling all kinds of dirty tricks on your party until you can finally catch her.
Yuffie is energetic and fun-loving. Her presence lightens the mood of the game compared to the more mature members of the party. Some FF7 fans speculate that she acts childish because she craves the attention, which she never got from her father.
Vincent Valentine
How many times have we seen this stereotype in anime? Vincent is the cool, quiet and collected guy who can display incredible power when upset. He is also an optional character, but unlike Yuffie, he forms an integral part of the story because of his relationship in the past with Shinra and Sephiroth.
Vincent has a very troubled past and his only reason for joining Cloud's party is to find Sephiroth.
Red XIII
Yep, a cross between a dog and a lion, with a fiery tail and the ability to talk is definitely a cool idea. Red XIII is also known as Nanaki and like Aerith, he is the last of his kind.
Just as his looks would tell, Red XIII's personality is sort of a cross between Cloud and Vincent. He can be wise and cold-hearted, but he can also be cocky and arrogant. Red XIII loves his mother but despises his father for being a coward when the GI tribe attacked his village Cosmo Canyon when he was still a child.
Later on, he learns that his father Seto gave up his life fighting against the GI tribe even after their poisoned arrows had begun to petrify his body. This scene where Red XIII meets the stoned figure of his father is one of the most touching moments of the game.
Cait Sith
Not much can be said about this stuffed toy riding robot cat. His alter ego is a high-ranking official called Reeve from Shinra. Many times in the game he is torn between his loyalties to the FF7 party and Shinra.
Sometime in the game, it is implied that his stuffed toy form, actually has a personality and feelings of its own, separate from Reeve. This view of Cait Sith is more suited to asian gamers who have the cultural and religious background to believe in the spiritual attributes of certain things. If you are not, you may not see where this can be found in the game, or you may not acknowledge it.
Sephiroth
The perfect example of a psychotic antagonist. Sephiroth gained knowledge beyond normal human beings when he fell into the lifestream after fighting Cloud. Some people speculate that the Sephiroth in the game is not even Sephiroth, but a clone created by the cells of Jenova. Sephiroth is almost identical to Kenshin Hemura of Rurouni Kenshin, a calm, composed and cold-hearted killer. Of course, unlike Kenshin, Sephiroth has negative views of human nature, which is why he wanted to destroy everyone by calling down meteor.
So how evil was Sephiroth? My answer is that he wasn't even evil to begin with. Sephiroth's malice was driven by a principle. Though it was a twisted principle by society's standards, to Sephiroth, it was the only way to redeem mankind. If it's a question of morality, Sephiroth's only sin was his method of implementing his plans for the world, which included murder.
This collection of characters, though somewhat incomplete should be enough to prove my point. FF7s characters are excellent and dynamic, but they're not the best rpg characters ever made. I admit that there are other rpgs with better and more well-developed characters. What should be taken into account however, is the intermingling of the characters with the plot. To some, square/square-enix's storylines are convoluted and hard to follow, but it's actually a matter of perspective. To me, the story is like a puzzle, which you have to piece together in order to appreciate. Take note, that you do not need to fully understand all the aspects of the story (characters birthday, character's name, name of place, etc.) in order to appreciate its beauty. Like a piece of classic literature, FF7's story is not only meant to be taken at face value. Once you have replayed the game, you can unearth the many layers of interpretation underneath all the eye-candy.
Personally, FF7 has left me with many great memories and encounters with unique and memorable characters. It has left an indelible mark on my being as a genuine rpg gamer. It has broadened my perspective of the world, rather than close it down as the conservatives might believe. I see this game as a reflection of my own life and my own adventures in the unforgiving jungle of society. And someday, when perhaps, I might leave the world of rpgs, I can rest assured with the knowledge that I was also a part of the world of Final Fantasy Seven. I would like to conclude by saying, just as "Middle-Earth" existed even without Tolkien, FF7s world already existed even without Square or Hironobu Sakaguchi, and who knows, one of us "fanboys" could have produced it if they didn't.
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