October 29, 2003 -

Master Biscuit

Whoo. When I said this week would be long, I didn't know the half of it. Two tests down, and now the big midterm on Thursday. As such, I haven't had an instant of gaming, and I'm going through serious withdraw. Teachers speak, and I desperately mash the start button in the hope that they stop talking. Neither A nor B is launching my missiles. I'm going crazy.

... In lighter, more sane news, I found a nice and cheap copy of Soul Reaver 2 for the PS2 on eBay the other night, and frivolously purchased it for my delight -- just in time for Halloween! Anyone who has heard of the Blood Omen or the Soul Reaver series (originating on the PS1, moving to PS2 and PC) knows that they all fly the same banner: The Legacy of Kain. These games are wonderfully gothic with rendered environments that are simply breathtaking. And yes, they've made a new one: Legacy of Kain: Defiance. The link is for the PS2 version, but Crystal Dynamics will be offering this title (possibly the final chapter in the Legacy of Kain series) for the X-Box, as well. If you've never played these games before, you're seriously missing out. I don't, from my experience, really think you need to play the Blood Omen portion of the saga to really get the whole story -- it's only really good if you want to take on the role and feel of the villainous Vampire, Kain. It's better (all around graphics, story, combat) to stick with Soul Reaver 1 & 2. Legacy of Kain: Defiance comes out on November 11.

IGN supposedly has a portion of their website dedicated to Final Fantasy XI, but I couldn't get it to load. Maybe too much traffic.

Another IGN flop today is their feature of Dragon Warrior V, arriving soon for the PS2 (I say flop only because all their pages linking the game don't work, currently). The first role-playing game I ever had my hands on was on the original Nintendo, quaintly titled Dragon Warrior. There's this princess held by a dragon, you save her, and then you have to go kill the dreaded DRAGON LORD! MWAHAHAHA.... yeah. The game was pretty simple to figure out (with the classic option of JUST TWO BUTTONS -- hope I didn't frighten any of you), but had its own little complexities that made it a very enjoyable game, especially for its time. I'd be interested to see what the fifth installment looks like. I'll hop on over to Gamespot or Gamespy later to check it out.

Time to tackle this midterm. Catcha later.