Rrrgh… Tales of Hearts…[okay, dropped]

tales of hearts cg editionI can’t decide whether to drop it or not. I’m 29 hours in so I should be done in 7 hours but rrrghh… I don’t know if I want to put that time into Tales of Hearts any more. It’s been going up and down in quality from the start, but now it’s just, rrrggh… Do please go on, this is most interesting

Coded Soul: Uketsugareshi Idea – Introduction

coded soul coverForgive me. For once I’m just going to steal the story summary from Wikipedia:

An army has been conducting research into Monolith Gate, the door to the world of ‘Idea’. That door is controlled by Gail, a young boy who gives Jay, a soldier, special power to travel to the other side to save his girlfriend, May [note: she’s not Jay’s girlfriend. Or Gail’s either.]. The special power grants [Jay] the ability to control monsters by sucking up their souls. Once you’ve defeated a foe, you can make them into your ally for use during future battles. You can take up to two monsters with you on your treks into Idea, selecting from eventually over 100 beasts.
Do please go on, this is most interesting

Adventure Bar Story (2)

adventure bar story full mapMy progress has slowed considerably on Adventure Bar Story, but I’m still playing it on and off. Awkward touchscreen controls mean I’d much rather be playing with my DS or PSP most of the time, so I only play ABS once in a long while when it’s like “Oh yeah, whatever happened to that game?” Last I checked I was 19 hours in and just unlocked the desert dungeon. I’d probably be finished by now if I were using a FAQ, but I stubbornly refuse to do so, so I’ve got to take the breaks where I can. Do please go on, this is most interesting

Storm Lover Kai!! – I don’t like the guys

storm lover kaiActually I suspect D3 Publisher intentionally made them not-so-likeable because of the kind of game this is. Unlike most otome games, Storm Lover offers a lot of flexible (or should I say ‘loose’) dating options so you can date guys without actually being locked into a route until the game ends.

You can date Kyosuke for a month, dump him for Yuto, flirt with other guys until Yuto leaves you for another girl, win Yuto back, woo Kyosuke again on the side then leave Yuto for him, date Kyosuke for another month then ditch him for Tatsumi/Mio/Rikka/anyone else once and for all. You do have to get your final guy early enough to see his story events or risk breaking up after the ending (as I found out when I left Kyosuke for Mio in February) but otherwise you can get a perfectly good ending with the last guy not matter how many guys you’ve dated that year. Do please go on, this is most interesting

Tales of Hearts, 20 hours in

tales of hearts start screenI’ve snuck into some facility with my crew to rescue Kohaku, who has been kidnapped. The traitor in my party has betrayed me and has been easily forgiven. I’m beginning to think easily-forgiven traitors are a staple of Tales games, since every game I’ve played or read about seems to have at least one. I imagine fans must have a good time playing “Spot the Traitor” as soon as the first characters are announced.

Anyway, that’s just by the way. After 20 hours my feelings for Tales of Hearts still fluctuate by the hour. Sometimes I really like it, most times it’s just okay and sometimes I wonder why I’m still playing. That happens to me a lot at late points in games, when I realize I could just watch the rest on Youtube and be done with it. Especially when I’m in a dungeon I’m not enjoying at all, as in the case of this Niberg facility thingy we’ve snuck into. I want to do another Spiria dungeon! I never thought I’d say that, but Spiria dungeons are more fun than regular ones because there are fewer monsters roaming around and no puzzles to solve. More importantly I just want this game to be over soon.

I did a little googling to find out how long it takes to beat Tales of Hearts. 36 hours on average? 16 more hours? I don’t think I’m going to make it. I can stomach maybe ONE more dungeon after this one, 2 if they’re really short and if the monsters drop lots of Soma Build items because soma building is FUN. Maybe it will be over sooner because I’m on Easy Mode. Either I finish this game in the next 5 hours or I drop it and Let’s Play the rest. I have spoken.

I want to play Entaku no Seito again…