Gokujou Parodius

 
 During my childhood, I got my share of exposure of Shmup games and of all many Shmup games, Parodius is one of the most influential to me. Parodius series is the most responsible to shape my matter personal taste for Shmup games which are either Full Mecha Scifi or colorful fantasy. My personal favorite game for Parodius series also happen to be my gateway which is Gokujou Parodius which was released in Arcade back in 1994.

Parodius is a spin off version of Konami Horizontal shooter games essentially Parody version of the game. Parodius features assorted comical character as playable shooters ranging from classic Gradius Vic Viper to human doodle on paper plane or even an Angelic pig. In this game I used Twinbee and Penguin character as my mainstay adventuring through very colorful stages which really will lighten up anyone's childhood and fought bosses like Panda Ballerina or Mermaid princess with ship hat. Other later Parodius series are awesome as well but I always find my way back to Gokujou due to its strong attachment with my childhood.

Personally I think best means to access Gokujou Parodius apart from the MAME emulator is through PSP port of the Parodius Portable which feature one stop for complete Parodius experience and the high value of the second copy of the PSP UMD really reflect the merit of this compiled series. Apparently Gokujou Parodius also received SNES port back then which I might give a visit in near future.

Lufia I: The Fortress of Doom

 As I have completed my pilgrimage to Lufia main series which had the final stop at Lufia 1: Fortress of Doom, to wrap things up, I will be dedicating full article for this game just like what I did with Lufia II. Lufia I is possibly the oldest JRPG game that I have touched so far through out my journey in this genre which I still believe peaked at PSX era. Lufia I is not exactly an enjoyable ride for me because it is too old school even for me but I still got what I seek from this series regardless. At its core, Lufia I had some good potentials which had been partially realized through later sequels before it took a nosedive due to lack of clear vision by Neverland. 

The primary goal of this particular article is to provide a glimpse of the Crux that this First title of Lufia series could offer for modern gamers audience without having to directly play the game. Because trust me Lufia I ages really badly by modern standard compared to its later sequels and most people won't have pleasant time playing this game.

Actraiser

  Before I continue my journey to the rest of Quintet Trilogy after done with Soul Blazer, I paid my homage to the Trilogy spiritual predecessor known as Actraiser. When I was a kid, I did play some Java game on Ericsson phone with the same name and similar vibe, but the actual SNES game really meets more than the eye! In its original incarnation, Actraiser is a hybrid sidescrolling game that is way ahead of its time yet for some reason the Dev never interested to capitalize on it. Hopefully this article could help people to get into this SNES Gem or even the remaster which is known as Actraiser Renaissance.

Soul Blazer

 After completing my pilgrimage for Lufia SNES title, I am sticking around on SNES platform to search any 16-bit RPG game that are worth visiting. As a result, my endeavor leads to Action RPG series called Quintet Trilogy which are series of Top Down action game with RPG element made by the Actraiser Dev consisting of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. Since I am doing the playthrough for this Trilogy in Chronological order, obviously Soul Blazer become my first destination.

For a game that is already over 30 Years old, Soul Blazer still able to hold its candle and surprisingly got plenty to offer which is why I am writing an article for this series.

Lufia & The Fortress of Doom Clear

 Ever since my exposure from Lufia III: the Legend Returns intros that shown a glimpse of Lufia series storyline from early 2000s, I have promised myself that I will pay a visit to Lufia I&II at some point. Around last week. My pilgrimage toward my beloved JRPG series from 2 Decades ago has finally come to an end with the first Lufia Game, The Fortress of Doom concluded its run. 

 Motivated to fill the void left from finishing Lufia II, I soon gobble up Lufia I in rather fast pace even if this game ages even worse compared to Lufia II. As expected the insane random encounter rate of Lufia I & The Fortress of Doom really lives up to its reputation easily being the worst part of this game. However after bracing through one of the worst experience from JRPG that I played, I do actually find what I seek from the first game of Lufia series in the end.

At its core, Lufia I is a well made Boy meets Girl story encapsulated in JRPG format which could have elevated this particular series toward greater heights. Despite Lufia I overall does not stand up to the test of time, the romance between Maxim's Descendant and the titular Heroine, Lufia still shines brightly up until now and that's the only thing that matters as the fans of this series.  

To be honest I would say, Lufia I would be a great success if it ever gets HD2D treatment on top of proper total revamp of the RPG mechanics. While it will take more effort compared to other HD2D games, I would say Square Enix would get their ROI if they handled Lufia Remaster properly. Lastly just like Lufia II, Lufia I will get a full fledged article in near future. Think of it as the repayment of the pleasant Memories that I obtained from Lufia the Legend Returns.

Lufia II: Rise of Sinistrals

  As a Lufia fans who started from the tail end of the main series, I have always been fascinated with Lufia II which have been the most highly regarded series from Lufia Titles. While it took me almost 2 Decades to get into Lufia II and being JRPG from 16-Bit era doesn't have make things easier either, I am surprised that Rise of Sinistrals still have plenty to give for a 30 years old Game and quite pleased with the overall experience. Lufia II definitely worth more exposure it deserves as any self-respecting diehard JRPG fans will be going to pay a visit to this series at some point.

Just as promised, I will be writing a full fledged article for Lufia II: Rise of Sinistrals because being the most important piece of Lufia series do deserve such treatment. Trust me this one will be a very lengthy article compared to your typical Realm of Darkness post. I haven't made this sort of long winded articles for a long time and considering that Lufia II is getting one, It just shows how I highly regard Lufia series even though The Legend Returns is still my personal favorite to this date. Compared to plenty of Lufia II reviews from other sources, this one will be a commentary from a diehard Lufia III fanboy who held the Gameboy Color Lufia in highest regard. Considering the spoiler nature of this article, it is recommended to read this one if you only have finished Lufia II.

Lufia II: Rise of Sinistrals playthrough complete!

 While I got into Lufia series through the Gameboy Color title; Lufia The Legend Returns, I have always heard that Lufia 2: Rise of Sinistrals are held in high regards. Long story short I am only able to pay my pilgrimage for this Hidden JRPG Gem of SNES after more than 20 years since I got into Lufia series for the first time through its GBC title. Overall Lufia 2 is a Hidden Gem of SNES JRPG which have some glaring flaws but at the same time possess many strengths that allows it to leave a mark upon the JRPG Legacy as a whole.  

Front Mission 1st

 Sometimes a great series starts with a humble beginning and Front Mission happens to be one of them. While the series is not a mainstream one and not all of the titles managed to reach the western shore, it is one of the best Original mecha game series that graced upon gaming world aside Armored Core and others. The Main Appeal of Front Mission is always about their delivery of complex storyline with the icing of solid gameplay. Years ago i used to play the first game on NDS but never actually finished the game and then recently picked up Front Mission 3 again on my vita and halfway decided might as well finish the first game.

 As expected from 16 Bit era gaming, Front Mission 1 is rather brutal as enemies easily wreck your units with one wrong move which can put off people sometimes. In this game your stats matters alot as you won't do any significant damage on opponent's wanzer if your weapon stats too low but once your stats maxed up you will start murdering things here and there. In Front Mission 1 Melee is not really viable at all as you get murdered by those missiles and guns before you are able to land a punch, on the other hand Missiles reigns supreme in this game as it is the safest and powerful method of choice of attack. In terms of mecha design, Front Mission 1 aesthetics still feels like something from generic mecha series but i guess by the time of the Front Mission 2 and 3, the Wanzers finally have their own distinct features. Surprisingly for a series that is famed for its complex stories, Front Mission 1 begins rather minimalistic and self contained but nevertheless lays the important foundation that its sequel follows. I wished i had followed the series when it was still alive but at least i still can appreciate the legacy that this great series left behind. But definitely i will see this series until its end which officially conclude by Front Mission V: Scars of Wars.

From this point on i would like to briefly discuss what sets Front Mission series apart from other mecha series in particular from the point of storytelling which will be spoilerific in nature so tread on your own risk.

Assault Suit Valken

Played this on my Android Phone and finished it a while ago. Assault suit Valken probably represents my favorite genre for niche Mecha game which is not much either. Valken is the 2nd Assault Suit series that i finished which is quite fun but not as good as Leynos 2. The gameplay is somewhat similar with Metal Slug but with Robots instead and the difficulty of the game is quite challenging considering it is rather old game. The Plot of the game is pretty simple but you can expect something else in the gameplay which is rather intense. The game spans around 7 stages which starts from space then slowly descend to earth along the game, you will get powerups which you need couple of them to upgrade your weapon up to 3rd level. my suggestion is to Max your Vulcan first then try to max out Laser once you get it which is really deadly weapon against both Grunts and bosses. If you haven't played this game yet better do because Assault Suit series is well known in mecha world despite being unheard in gaming world. Since i played it on my phone, i can't give much screenshot but at least i will show you my final score.