Journey POP UP Parade The Traveler

 From one of the best selling PS3 game, Journey; Good Smile Company made a POP UP Parade figure for the enigmatic main character, The Traveler! Priced at 3800 Yen like other figures in the lineup, POP Up Parade Traveler will be scheduled for January 2021 release date. Journey was one of a kind experience game that left a lasting impression to me. The game dev of Journey, Thatgamecompany are renowned for their abstract gameplay that offer immersive experience. While Flower is my personal favorite, Journey is definitely the game that made the devs left a lasting legacy on Video Game Industry. There is a certain kind of charm of having the player traveled on Desolate landscapes on the journey of death and rebirth and this game manage to make it a meaningful one. Merchandise aside, Journey is easily a must play game if you enjoy artistic value in video game.

Dragon's Crown

 Another game that i get to access from PS3 and Dragon's Crown is certainly the spiritual Successor of Shadow Over Mystara whether i like it or not. A Vanillaware game created by George Kamitani, Dragon's Crown is a Fantasy Beat em Up featuring Six different heroes. This game is probably most well known for its over the top Art design in particular Witch and the Amazon. Aside from the Controversy, the core gameplay of Dragon Crown is quite good actually if repetitive and the 2D Graphic is top notch as expected from Vanillaware. For now i have finished my first lap with Warrior and would have been more motivated if i got companion to play with because that's the core of the fun. What I see with Dragon's Crown is that it is not tapped to its Full Potential yet and if Vanillaware ever decided to make a 1.5 version of it, i think it will sell well.

Valkyria Chronicle

 Truly a legendary game among PS3 titles and no doubt one of the best that ever hailed the system. It took me 10 years to touch Valkyria Chronicle and it doesn't even seem aging to this day. A tactical RPG with WW2 settings that combines with melodramatic story making an unlikely winning combination. Being a spiritual successor of Sakura Taisen, Valkyria Chronicle able to pull its own weight without relying the former with a high quality production value. The most memorable thing about Valkyria Chronicle is obviously Selvaria being the finest piece of booty gracing Video Game who unfortunately get unworthy pair. To be honest the first VC is probably remains the best as the sequels doesn't hold water compared to it even though they are fun to play. I am almost completing VC2 and will move one VC3 before i touched the recent Valkyria Chronicle 3. If you had access to Valkyria Chronicle, play this game immediately because this one of the finest title among SEGA library.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

 One of the game that i have been wanting to play since it got released on PS2 and Vanillaware no doubt delivers with their gateway title! Taking a Spin on Norse myth with lots of Classic Fable elements weaved in, Odin Sphere is a great Fantasy RPG classic which no doubts established Vanillaware as reputable game developer. I might have started from Muramasa but as expected, Odin Sphere is also a Beautifully drawn 2D Action game with great self-contained storyline. In this game you get to play 5 Different heroes who wield Magical weapons called Psyphers and each of the heroes story build up a plot around impending doom based on ancient Prophecy. Odin Sphere is easily my preferred choice over Muramasa because it is a solid Fantasy RPG game with proper end. My favorite character would be Oswald because his storyline pairing with Gwendolyn is simply Perfect Match. But Gameplay wise, Cornelius is the most fun to use as his combo juggles are more exciting to pull off. The only weakness of Odin Sphere is its repetitive stage which is worse than Muramasa but it can't be helped because it aint easy to make a well drawn 2D game like this. I think i will be getting Parform Gwendolyn soon but i hope Oswald is getting one someday considering Mercedes did make it.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

 I am glad that i am able to get into Lost Planet! at first i thought this is your run of the mill shooting game but as expected from a japanese game, it is a Third Person with heavy dose of Mecha Actions. No Wonder /m/ did recommend this game for PS3. The story of Lost Planet is your typical Alien Sci-fi trope which i won't bother but the action bits are actually quite well made. For me the Mechas from this series called Vital Suits are the main selling point and the designs are surprisingly cool. PTX-40 Hardballer is probably the fan favorite considering it is the Posterboy, but GAB-25 is my personal favorite because Crab Legged Robot that can transform into Tank with Drill are big win in my book! While the mecha action in Lost Planet are realistic most of the time, the Final Boss Parts feels so much like Zone of Ender. I think Lost Planet is what prompts Square Enix to try their luck with Front Mission Evolved but unfortunately it didnt nail the balance that Lost Planet had for the Gunfighting and Mecha Action. What lacks for me in the first Game is probably the absence of the RPG element which could spice up the game but i will see if the Sequel will incorporate any of it. If i had Wii i will definitely give Tatsunoko vs Capcom a try because PTX-40 happen to show up in that game too.

Front Mission Evolved

 Tried this Black Sheep of Front Mission series to figure out why it is badly panned and it turns out as expected. To put it simply, Front Mission Evolved only nailed down the gameplay while leaving everything else a lot to be desired. The Original SRPG Front Mission had good gameplay, but it is most known for its Gritty Sci-Fi yet Realistic Geopolitics and Evolve is nowhere close to its Predecessor. I do like the gameplay even if it is short since it had the potential but a Front Mission action game should have more tactical element on it instead of being a run and gun Mecha Game. My main gripe with the series are the customization system and mandatory loadout levels which are easily the worst aspect of Front Mission Evolved. I dont actually mind the FPS sequence but it not anything solid either. I suppose with the departure of the original Devs, it is hard for Evolve to deserve a place among its predecessors as it lacks the Soul and Vision that the previous games had. To be honest if Square Enix put more effort to polish this game, Front Mission Evolved could have been something though i doubt this will be the end of the series. I still had 4-5 more titles to go with this series and definitely looked forward to it and I am still waiting Square Enix to release the Play Arts Kai for Front Mission which they had shown the prototype a while ago.

Persona 5 First Playthrough Complete!

 Ever since i own PS3 a while ago, Persona 5 has been one of the game in my bucket list to play as i followed the Persona series since the 3rd Game. After clocking around 70 Hours, i managed to complete my first playthrough for this game. Persona 5 is definitely a worthy successor of the series even though it feels that contents pruned off here and there in order to keep the game Polished. Overall the story of Persona 5 is darker than the previous games as it touch on uncomfortable subject that Japanese Society had. In terms of gameplay Persona 5 no doubt surpass its Predecessors and managed to raise the bar yet again with its very stylish presentation. But when it comes to storyline, it isstill up for debate. Persona 5 is a Great Game for sure but i find its setting too Depressing and Tokyo simply is not charming compared to Tatsumi Port Island or Inaba. For me, i find the game's theme of rebellion against establishment are slightly edgy and over the top for my taste. In the end Persona 3 still wins with its end game story while Persona 4 have better character synergy when compared to Persona 5. Nevertheless there are still plenty of opportunity of additional improvement that this game can get considering it lacks almost two months worth of content.

SRW OG: The Moon Dwellers

 Have been expecting J Originals popping out to OG Saga soon or later since i played SRW J years ago and just now the upcoming SRW OG title just did that. As the 25th Anniversary of SRW series Banpresto announced new SRW OG game for PS3 and PS4 called The Moon Dwellers which you would expect plenty of J Originals in Action. Not much has been revealed so far but Granteed shows as the representative of SRW J accompanied by SRW GC Original as the new entries for the OG timeline and D Originals made it back as well. For now we haven't seen Calvina and Festenia yet but probably they will show up later. In my opinion i think The Moon Dwellers will probably serve as some sort of OG2 Gaiden as i doubt OG timeline will be concluded with The Moon Dwellers. While i won't be able to play the Game i will be looking forward to Raftclans reappearance and wonder if Cobray will pop up at all in this game?

You can look at my previous coverage of SRW J here or my FAF Bellzelute review here 

SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

 After 3 years of long wait finally we get a new G-Generation gundam game! more importantly for the newer generation platform too which have been long anticipated! Nothing much have been revealed so far since the Youtube trailer is basically nothing but so far from what i know the game will be released around middle of next year and the rosters will be likely Universal Century era only covering up to Gundam Unicorn. So just like G Generation Spirits in PS2 i guess the game will serve as a change of pace since the last 3 G-Gen games which covered AU timeline.

I really don't mind the game will focus on UC timeline since it allows the game focus on MSV series that previously didn't get much attention. However i will tolerate the game only if they don't put the same campaign map all over again which they loved to do for 0079 and Zeta. I also prefer if they don't put too much spotlight on Gundam Unicorn because personally i find the series to be unbearable with its autistic characters. But seeing the trend of Bandai in the recent years, there's a good chance they will do these things and if it turns out to be true while they slack on content, probably i will stick with G-Generation Overworld or the upcoming Extreme VS. I also hope one of these days Bandai could make a new version of Gihren's Greed eventually since the series deserve one too.

Flower

There have been some debates for years already whether game is capable to become an art form and in my opinion, a handful of them can be considered to be an art but indeed majority of games can't be considered as one. One of those game that i considered to be artistic is Flower, a simple title yet offers immersive even though short experience and powerful message. The gameplay is very straightforward, you control a flower petal and try to bloom other flowers in the stage and getting bigger in the process. Throughout the game, Flower try to deliver message about the relationship between human and nature and i feel the wish that this game contains is that someday the relationship between human and nature would be more harmonius than the present which is not that ideal. Flower is quite similar with Journey which is another game developed by the same company as they share the common theme which i believe to be Life, Death and Rebirth though Flower heavily emphasized on the Life part where as Journey focus on the latter aspects.
 
For me an art is a crystallization of human expression manifested in physical form which contain a strong emotion or a wish and Flower fits very well in this description which is why i consider it as a work of art. For a game to be an art it can only rely with its visual and audio to deliver the message which is abit tricky and that's why most of the games are just merely entertainment. If you only like intense action game you probably will not like Flower but if you look to unwind yourself and seek tranquility in game i think you will appreciate this game. I still feel 6 stage is abit short for Flower since i feel alot more can be explored with this game as the medium for instance an oriental stage with interactions of the water ripple with the contrast between past and present would be interesting to see. If you like Flower you may try Zen Bound which got different gameplay but works wonder!

SRW OG Infinite Battle

I have been hoping a Gundam vs Gundam game with OG cast for years already and appears my dreams come sooner than expected! On November 28th this year, a new SRW game called SRW OG: Infinite Battles will be released for PS3. From the trailer that has been shown, there are 8 characters shown already and supposedly there will be 40 Playable units so most likely we will get to see all the units shown in the Ads cover. From what i see in the trailer, the game looks less promising since the gameplay appear to be sluggish especially the melee part but hope the game will be better than that. Since i don't have PS3 i won't be able to get a copy of the game but if it is ever coming to Vita, i will give my best to support the SRW series. I wonder how they will balance Super Robot units with the Real Robot one considering the Super Robots are 50m on average and some of them are capable to chop anything in two and will be any special team attacks with special unit? If you are ever going to play the game which unit that you wish to show up and will be maining? I would main Wildwurger with no doubt!

New SRW OG for PS3?

Got the scans from /m/ but so far i am not sure yet whether this scan is legit or not. However andriasang do confirm that there will be new OG series released for PS3 in near future. From the scans SRW D and MX will be joining in the game with some other minor original characters from other SRW appear as well. Kusuha and Ibis got their units from Alpha 2 and probably start their Alpha 2 plot as well. It is still unconfirmed whether the new OG title will be OG3 or the remake of previous OG series but probably it is the former one since i don't think a remake would be a good strategy for great series to land on PS3 for first time.

Some of new mech shown in the scans are:
-Cerberus
-Flickerei Geist(looks like AlteisenxWeissritter offspring)
-Jinrai(4th DGG?)
-Exbein Boxer
-New Gespenst Variants for Octosquad
-Ryujinki
-Altairlion