Stella Glow (Review)

Stella Glow (Overview)

Good day everyone. I welcome my fellow heroes (that's you the readers if you couldn't tell) to another game review. Today I have a beloved gem that not many know about. This here is Stella Glow for the Nintendo 3DS. A beautiful rough gem of a game that was glossed over during its time. A real shame since it was developed by Atlus. They have an amazing track record when it comes to games (especially RPGs). Well, I won't let this gem go undiscovered. Allow me to explain why you should go to your local game store and try to find this forgotten treasure.

Story and Characters

The story is very well done. The world is mute of song, and the only ones capable of singing are Witches- whose very singing is so magical that it can harness the very elements. The Witch of Destruction uses her power of song to encase people into a crystal, and she and her Harbingers have been battling the kingdom and it's people ever since. You play as Alto, a young villager from a secluded town in the forest. He lived a quiet life with his adopted family, but this all changed when the Witch of Destruction attacks and encases his village in crystal. Luckily, Lisette (Alto's closest family member) summons a dormant power hidden within her. Using this newfound power, Alto and Lisette manage to hold them off long enough for the Regneat Knights to arrive.

The knights, led by commander Klaus brings Alto and Lisette after explaining to them that Lisette's power is that of the Water Witch. This power can change the tide against the Witch of Destruction's rampage against the kingdom. Alto also volunteers to join the knights. Soon after, Alto and the knights are told that they can change the people who've been turned into crystal back to normal if they combine the songs of the four elemental witches that roam the lands. With a newfound purpose, Alto, Lisette, and the Knights travel across the land in search of the other three witches while they battle the Harbringers and recruit new allies to the cause.

The story is very fun, and each of the characters you meet is all very unique and diverse. There are twists you'll never expect and character dynamic that makes the story feel engaging and alive. Besides the main story, there are also free time stories that dive further into each of your party members individual lives and personalities. This, in turn, means hours of creative storytelling. Plus it's all fully voice acted. So that's a nice touch.

Gameplay and Features

(Gameplay trailer provided by Ludophiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBrGscxo6Tk)

Gameplay that of your classic grid-based combat system similar to games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Luminous Arc. If you've never played a game like this. You basically control units on the grid. You and the enemy take turns, controlling units, and activating skills. Combat is challenging and strategic, and it feels good when you pull of tactics and gambits from your tactical brilliance.

What's awesome about this game is that skills are accompanied by fully animated scenes that are very cool to watch (if you find them annoying after a while, your more then welcome to turn them off in the settings). Then there's the conducting system. Without going into spoilers, you'll later have the power to unleash the witches full potential by conducting them. While conducting them, they are able to sing and bring powerful effects to you and your allies or cause havoc on the enemies (all while singing amazing songs).

I mentioned before about Free Time stories. These actually serve a purpose. In between missions of the main story, you'll have periods of free time that you can use to spend time with your allies. Doing so will strengthen your bonds with them. The stronger the bond, the more powerful they become. Be careful though. You only have so much free time, so pick who you want to bond with carefully. Lastly, if you manage to max a bond with someone you are able to view their character ending once you beat the game.

Art and Music

(Stella Glow OST- To the Sea. Provided by Aeryn Zael https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6hKHt5yWtk&list=PLDKM1xIAJEeUDNRqhFHZRtq3qNnQ6WYXN)

The music is perhaps one of the best parts of the game next to its characters. It ain't your run of the mill music. No sir (or ma'am) each song is a beautiful symphony of melodies that are perfect for each of the situations they play in. Each witch also has its own song that fits the character. The fire witch, for example, has an upbeat song that matches her temperament while Lisette's song is a beautiful song that is a perfect description of the sea.

The art is also very good. It's cute, bright, and very vivid. Gameplay sprites are all chibi though, but some monsters actually look kind of cool despite that (endgame, in particular, has some interesting designed foes). Battle scenes and animations are also very well done. Each is awesome and entertaining to look that. (Rusty is my favorite. He has so many moves involving his knives, and it all looks very badass) That being said, you won't find any dark and gritty art here. It's just not the style of this game. 

Additional Content

There isn't any DLC to speak of, so that's good (or bad depending on how you look at it). There is a new game plus mode. Playing in new game plus allows more free time. Meaning you can max bond with everyone in your party. I do have one complaint though. When you beat the game, you're only allowed to view one party members personal ending (this is the same for new game plus). Meaning if you want to see other character's ending, you'll have to play through the game again or at least beat the final boss again.

This is rather annoying, especially if you want to see everyone's character ending. It makes max bonding with multiple allies almost pointless to a certain degree if it wasn't for the fact they get stronger for doing so. I wis there was an easier to do this other playing through the game again and challenging a rather difficult boss fight.

Conclusion

Stella Glow has a lot of good things that fans of the genre shouldn't miss out. It's a simple game that doesn't try anything complex to be unique. It's hard to pinpoint the flaws without going into nitpicking. I guess combat can be a bit stale at times? It doesn't really do much to spice up the gameplay, so you may find yourself doing the same tedious methods of battles multiple times. To avoid this, I recommend playing at harder difficulties should you want the challenge.

Regardless, this game shouldn't be skipped. It's a beautiful work of art that deserves attention and be played for its story and music alone. If you have 3DS, I recommend giving the game a shot. You won't be disappointed. That brings my review to an end. Please tell me what you think of the game in the comments below, and tell me what I should review next. I'll see you later!

(All images, music, and gameplay shown here are all owned by Atlus. Please support the official release)

The Last Remnant (Review)

The Last Remnant (Overview)

Salutations fellow gamers of the world! (or the few that manage to find this blog. I'm not complaining either way. Happy to see anyone). I'm here with another exciting game review. Today's game is "The Last Remnant", and this game was originally released for the Xbox 360 back in 2008 and then for PC soon after. It was an underrated gem that not many (and an awesome game that was part of my childhood). The game had a unique and memorable combat system and a pretty cool story. Folks who played the game however either didn't understand the story or just didn't like the story because the game was met with mediocre reviews when it first released. So it surprises me that Square Enix decided to remaster and release the game for PS4 and quite recently, the Nintendo Switch. I'm very much happy with this, and I want to give this game the attention it deserves.

Story and Characters

This game has probably one of the best introductions I've seen because it doesn't miss a beat to show you what you're getting into. You play as Rush Sykes, a warrior from a small island. You're in search of your sister when you are suddenly caught in a war between nations. Thing's get out of hand pretty fast, and Rush unknowingly uses a latent power hidden within him. One thing leads to another, and Rush finds himself in the eyes of David Nassau- the ruler of the nation of Athlum. David offers to help Rush find his sister, and the story plays out from there.

Pretty cool right? The rest of the story is also pretty interesting and features unique characters and species. You have the four generals of Athlum for example who are all creative in their own right. Like British speaking Emma Honeywell, or the loyal four-armed cat man Torgal. There are also many other side characters you can recruit that have their own personalities and skills they add to combat.

The story does miss a beat in some sections, and Rush is debatably a generic protagonist that doesn't offer much in personality so I imagined that it won't resonate with everyone. Still, the story is subjective so I leave you to be the judge of that.

Gameplay and Features

(Gameplay Guide by PlayStation)

Typically I would go over the gameplay which is the bread and butter of the game. It's a bit hard to explain, however, but PlayStation was very kind to offer an awesome gameplay guide for newcomers so I included it here to give it a watch.

I'll instead talk about how this combat system is like to play which admittedly is a bit tricky to get into at first. Once you get the hang of it though. It's just...awesome. Commanding units, utilizing formations, raising morale, battling armies and monsters with an army of your own and using cool looking combat skills. It makes combat so much fun, and way different from any other RPG game and this game should be played just for the gameplay alone.

It's not all perfect, however. Due to the way the battle is structured, grinding can either be a chore or a nightmare. Some bosses become very hard to beat unless you're leveled accordingly. I should mention that one of the draws of the game is the ever expansive roster. You can recruit over a dozen different characters for your party either from the guild or from sidequests. Like I mentioned before, each character is very unique and even come with their own voice lines. However, this isn't a game where you can be creative. You can get by doing what you want for the most part, but there'll be some bosses where you'll be forced to min-max and play at top performance. I for one used Emma and Torgal for most of my playthrough because they were just better to use than other units.

Art and Music

(Last Remanet-OST Sword Sparks. Uploaded by Sefirosu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQXIhUhIg1U)

This being a Square Enix game and composed and drawn by the same folks who worked on games like Final Fantasy and Brave Fencer- Expect the soundtrack and art to be rocking. Which it certainly does. Especially in combat. You simply feel invigorated while in battle. It feels like you can do anything. Outside of battle, the score is also nice and very suitable for exploration.

Graphics wise, the remastered edition looks way better then it did years ago. Did it age well? That depends on how you look at it, but it certainly looks better. Especially the PS4 version. The Switch version runs surprisingly smooth, but graphics take a slight downhaul but that is to to be expected sometimes. There are some weird texture pop-ins from time to time, but not nearly as much as it was way back in the day.

Additional Content

Once upon a time, there was DLC for this game but now it's all included in the base version of the game which is a very nice addition. 

If you're looking for an additional challenge. The Last Remnant offers a new game plus mode which features a new dungeon, and the true final boss.

Does the remastered edition offer anything new? Unfortunately, it doesn't, but the game still has a lot to offer either way.

Conclusion

This game isn't for everyone, I admit. There are a few things holding it back. That doesn't mean this game should be skipped. The Last Remnant has a style that very few RPGs have these days and it should be commended for that. It ain't perfect, but it's still pretty fun if you can ignore its flaws. I urge everyone to at least it gives it a try. Sitting at a sweet 20$ in the Nintendo e-shop and PSN store. There's no reason to at least check it out.

This here concludes my review on the Last Remnant. Comment on what you think of the game and what else I should review next. I'll see you guys in the coming days. Ciao!

(All images, music, and gameplay are owned by Square Enix. I don't own anything in this review other than the words on the screen. Please support the official release)

Guitar Hero 3 (Review)

Guitar Hero 3 (Overview)

Welcome ladies and gents to another game review. Today we have a rather old game, but it was requested by a friend of mine. I want to test my writing prowess and get outside my comfort home, so I figured why not. This is Guitar Hero 3 for the PS2, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. I've only touched the Wii version, but the other ports aren't that bad. Guitar Hero 3 was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision- Guitar Hero 3 is one of the best classic best selling rhythm games of all time back in 2007 (at least in the west. Japan has some pretty good rhythm games too, but we're not talking about those today). I know Guitar Hero is obsolete these days. Especially with games like Beat Saber basically becoming the staple rhythm game these days. I still would like to talk about this classic in hopes that we get that experience of couch co-op rhythm games with plastic instruments again. It was nostalgic, to say the least, and there was something about it that is kind of hard to explain. Ah well, allow me to give this game justice.

Story and Characters

Needless to say. Guitar Hero 3 had an unexpected story mode. It's called career mode. This mode is in other games, but this is the first game that features a full-length story mode which is portrayed by animated cartoon scenes. It's simple, but fitting. You play as a small-time neighborhood band that tries to make it big. Eventually, they find themselves in the eyes of a gruff looking music producer, and from there, things happen. All tropes of being a band happen here: they make it big, the band brakes up at one point, people think they washed out, the devil is involved at one point. You know, stuff like that. The story sounds small, and that's because it is. It isn't the main focus here, but it was a very nice addition that fans remember fondly.

As for character design, each character has a unique design that just screams rock and roll (which is the idea). Characters from past entries make a return too such as Axel Steel, and Judy Nails. Each version of the game comes with their own exclusive characters like the Wii coming with metalhead while the PS3 version has the Grim Reaper and so forth. These characters are memorable in their own right and very cool to play as in-game.

Gameplay and Features

If you never play a rhythm game before. You can't go wrong with Guitar Hero 3. It was one of the classic pioneers of the genre, and one of the easiest to learn and pick up.

Using your controller peripheral. It's a simple matter of pressing the right buttons at the right time the prompt appears on the screen. Occasionally you'll perform more unique button presses like two-to-four button prompts. That's pretty much it. The goal of the game is to achieve a high score in each track you play. There are also moments in a song where you can activate Star Power which can be achieved by building up the Star Power while getting star notes. While Star Power, notes you get right is doubled on the score multiplier. Sounds easy right? That's the beauty of rhythm games. Low skill floor, but a very high skill ceiling. Songs get harder on the more difficult modes, and pressing the right beat at the time becomes a matter of skill and truly tests how good you are at the game.

The next question your probably asking is "Do I need a guitar controller?". The short answer is no, you can play using a regular controller. The preferred way is to play using the guitar, and it's quite arguably the definitive best way to play the game. I, however, understand that these aren't easy to get anymore depending on where you are.

There's also a very competitive multiplayer mode and a local co-op mode that adds so much fun to the game. There's nothing like being side by side with a friend, rocking out together or competing against one another. I can't imagine these types of games without them.

Lastly, this being an old game. It's not succumbing to the stupidity of microtransactions. Songs and characters can be unlocked through the game. There are additional soundtracks you can download and purchase, but most are free and not all are necessary unless you really like the song. All in all, it's just nice to see and a breathe of fresh air compared to the modern era of gaming. The only thing I have complaints about is exclusive soundtracks. There were a couple only exclusive to the 360 version. All this exclusivity is very annoying, to say the least. It just isn't fair to people who can't afford multiple consoles. Ah well, this is an older game so I can't complain much.

Song Selection

Normally I play a sample of the music, but that isn't necessary here. The songs found here are rather popular, at least for those that are fans of the rock genre. Their songs by famous bands such as the Sex Pistols and Tenacious D. If you count the number of tracks offered in-game (including bonus tracks) there are almost 100 tracks. Song variety is very important to rhythm games, and the choices here are both memorable and perfect for this game.

There's even a modding community to add custom songs on the PC version should you decide to give it a look see.

Conclusion

I know this review was rather short compared to my other ones, but there isn't a whole lot to talk about here. The game is simply a masterpiece and there's no wonder that arcade machines can still be found with this game across the world. It's a shame that the series fell so hard with the future entries, eventually being part of its inevitable downfall. Shame too. It isn't all bleak, however. The rhythm game genre is still going strong with games like Beat Saber or Persona Dancing All Night. Perhaps Guitar Hero will revive one day and become the rock legend it was meant to be.

Still, this was the arguably the best game in the series. It was everything the series was about. Style, humor, awesome music. It was a cult classic that everyone should try. Since it's an old game. It isn't too hard to pick up if you're able, or simply give it a shot at your local arcade if you haven't yet (god knows they need the business).

All that being said, I hope you enjoyed today's review. Be sure to comment on what you think of the game and tell me what I should review next. Ciao my fellow peeps!

(I don't own any images in the review. All rights go to Activision and Neversoft. Please support the official release).

Future Card BuddyFight (Card Game Review)

Future Card Buddyfight! (Overview)

Welcome one and all to another grand review on Hope for Gaming! Enjoying the summer so far? Today I'll be doing something a little different. Instead of covering a video game, I'll be covering a trading card game called Future Card BuddyFight! (I know it says Ace, but I'll get it into that later). BuddyFight is a Japanese collectible card game created by Bushiroad who also owns other franchises like Cardifgth Vanguard, Weiss Schrawz, and Love Live! BuddyFight also has manga and an anime I recommend checking out as the story isn't half bad. I will be diving into the story of BuddyFight a little bit but this review isn't about that. This review will be covering the card game, the mechanics, and the metagame. Perhaps I'll cover the anime and manga another time. With that being said, let's get started!

What BuddyFight is about and Basic Gameplay

(A game mat playing field of BuddyFIght)

So let me get into the story of BuddyFight before I start throwing terms around. The world of BuddyFight is rather interesting. In the story, our world is shared with those of others. These other worlds make up the realms of monsters, dragons, legends, fairies, heroes, etc. These monsters enter our world through cards, and we use these cards to challenge each other in duels through the game of BuddyFight. Having these cards isn't enough, however. To truly make yourself a true BuddyFighter, you need to have a Buddy which are your partner, and the main monster of your deck. Buddies actually play a role in the real card game as well albeit in a small way but it's a very nice touch none the less. That's basically the gist of it. The story is very good in my opinion and is perhaps one of the best card game animes to watch. I highly recommend watching the series on Youtube as the official BuddyFIght channel has all the episodes.

(Tutorial Video from the official BuddyFIght youtube channel. Please support the official release here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZExuO3JZDO8)

I was going to talk about how to play the game, but the guys at Bushiroad actually made a very good tutorial video that does a way better job explaining the rules of the game than me typing it. So give it a watch.

Ah! And here's a link to a website that tells you about the worlds you can play. Each world is unique and offers their own playstyle. I guarantee you'll find a world that fits you (https://en.fc-buddyfight.com/special/world-intro/)

Artsyle

The art style is very diverse and unique. Each card stands out very well on their own, and each world has its own unique style that defines them. Hero World's cards look like they came from either a comic book or a space anime while Star Dragon World has this metallic style that gives them that "future" look. It's pretty outstanding. It's not all anime either. Some cards look like cartoons while others look like they belong Magic the Gathering. It's pretty cool.

Gamestate and Meta

This game does very well in Japan (pretty much every Bushiroad game does...maybe except for Dragonbourne. I hardly hear anything about that game). There's also a wide audience in America and other countries as well. Bushiroad also hosts regional and world tournament events year-round, so there's always a competitive circuit for you to play in. The game is not in danger of dying anytime soon, however, the meta is...debatable. Right now we're in the Ace era. The Ace decks are decks that belong to the current season of the show which is Buddyfight Ace. These Ace decks are the most updated for the current state of the game. This means deck before the Ace era lacks the tools to deal with the current meta. Some decks have gotten recent updates, a couple could probably do well on their own from time to time, but for the most part- these decks are subpar and aren't advised if your planning to play them competitively. There are plans to update pre-Ace era decks in the future, so it isn't all that bad.

As for the meta itself, like I said before, it's questionable. I'll try to put it simply, but it's more balanced then it was before. The era before this was mostly just two decks and that was Thunder Empire or CHAOS. It wasn't really fun (unless you were playing these decks then I guess it was fun). The Ace era is more diverse, and every world is a "viable" option. There are many generic cards that help all worlds deal with the meta decks, but you wouldn't need these generic cards if games didn't end so quickly. Games end fast simply because the current meta pushes so much damage and games end in like two-four turns if you don't have the right cards to deal with the situation. The problem isn't within the decks. Sure, our meta focuses too much on card advantage and the game likes to draw cards...like a lot of cards. If your deck isn't drawing 5 cards per turn then you've already lost. This, however, promotes a lot of card interaction, and games go back forth a lot as each turn a player has the chance to change the tides if they play their cards right. So what's the problem? Remember when I said every deck is a "viable" option? If it was the deck itself, then this wouldn't be an issue. The problem is that players aren't paying the deck as intended. In fact, players are using their decks to play into this...

Lost World (This is a bit of rant but this is important)

This right here is quite arguably is what is ruining the game right now. Lost World is a special mechanic that allows you to play with two different decks. You start off with your original deck that hs two lost world flag cards. If you draw a lost world flag, you may choose to play it at the end of one of your opponents turns at the small cost of two gauges. From here, you switch to your Lost World deck and play with that for the rest of the game. This concept is actually pretty cool, but the execution...oh the execution. The problem- Lost World is broken. Every card is a free draw, free destruction, and free defense. Monsters deal ridiculous amounts of damage (most monsters have can deal 9-10 damage if they connect. YOU START OUT WITH 10 LIFE! While other monsters can clear entire boards without any effort. Oh! And they have no size limit. Meaning you can as many broken monsters as you want with your only boundary being you can only summon three at them. Three is all you need really). They also have cards that deal 10 damage (did I mention you start out with 10 life?). Lost World can be played in any deck. Meaning all worlds have access to this thing. That's why I said every deck is a "viable" option. It doesn't really matter what you play. Once you get into this. Your all set. Because of this, players focus on turbo into this thing as fast as possible using whatever means necessary. Once it's out, it's almost impossible to deal with.

Now people are going to say "it isn't all that bad". They mostly say "just kill them before they get into lost world" or "it isn't that broken if you have the right cards". First of all, killing them is easier said then done when decks these days draw their entire deck and can get this thing in like two turn (especially if you're playing Dimension Dragons which is basically the main turbo lost world). This is worst if their stall deck. I would like to kill them before they get into this thing, but most decks have the options to stop you....a lot of options surprisingly. Second. saying that you deal with them if you have the right cards in hand is like saying you can stop a tank if you're equipped with a rocket launcher. Yes, they're beatable. Yes, you can get lucky sometimes. They're not impossible to deal with. It isn't easy, however, and not every deck is built to do so.

At the very top level of the competitive circuit, games mostly play out like this. "Who's going to hit lost world first?". Yes, there are decks that don't use a lost world. There isn't many. If you look at all the top winning decks. Almost 90% of the meta is all lost world users. It's true that you don't actually have to use lost world, but your basically screwed if the other player decides to. Because of this focus on Lost World, the market has also grown more...toxic as of late. This brings me to my next point.

Market

Just guess how much this card is? If you guessed 50-100$ Then you are a psychic. This card is also pretty much core if you want a good lost world deck (you also need four of them so..you know). This card alone has won way too many games in the competitive circuit which is why it's so expensive. The market is quite frankly awful. The problem isn't with Bushiroad (kind of). It's the community. I never understood these ridiculous prices. Top meta decks are like 150-300$ and if your adding lost world to the mix, tag another 200-300$. I think the problem is that Bushiroad tends to short print cards which cause sellers to upmarket these things. A simple solution is just to print more cards. That way meta decks are afforable and more people can play the game. Yugioh does this all the time 100$ dollar cards turn into 10$ cards the next day. Sure you can argue you can get by with cheaper options, and that's fine if your playing for fun. Do what you want in that case. But competitive wise, this game is expensive, and not very budget friendly. Some cards are just key, and those cards can cost anywhere between 10-50$ (50-100$ if your Vanity)

Other

I thought I mention this, but Bushiroad is collaborating with properties to release cards starring animes. The first of these is Detective Conan with Bang Dream Girls! possibly coming to America soon. This is actually a pretty good promotion, and Japan already has these cards and according to the gameplay; these decks are awesome and fun to play with. With the continued support of the game. There's no telling what Bushiroad might release next, and it's quite exciting to anticipate what's next.

Conclusion

Despite all the negative things I've said about the game. I still recommend you play it or at least give it a try. Buddyfight offers simple yet diverse gameplay that a lot of fun once you get down to it. The worlds, the monsters, and the decks are all so unique and wild and add so much flair to the game. The only thing stopping this game in its tracks right now is Lost World and the secondary market. Thankfully, Lost World has calmed down a bit with the upcoming news of the Thunder Empire support and Detivce Conan playsets. There are also plans to support pre Ace era decks in the future. This is a fine line, however, and the while the player base is doing fine for now. This may change in the future depending on how future sets turns out. Let's hope Bushiroad knows what they're doing.

That's it for my review on Buddyfight. Let me know what you think of the game in the comments and what I should review next. Check out my other reviews too. Until next time.

(Buddyfight is owned by Bushiroad and all rights go to them. Please support the official release)