Eternal Sonata initial impressions

The only thing that could excite me after the holy sacrament of scrumptiousness that was BioShock was a good solid RPG. I was expecting something a little more utilitarian as RPGs have not broken the mold much lately, so it was a great surprise to play Eternal Sonata at E3 and find not only an exquisitely beautiful title, but one that seemed to have a truly unique storyline as well. I raced to the store today and snatched up the last copy, eager to dive headfirst into the game.

As shallow as it is, I have to say it: For a dying guy, Chopin is SMOKIN HAWT. I think it's his voice actor making it so, as I want to melt his voice into sweet cream butter and rub it all over my nubile flesh. Now that we've gotten my kinky bits out of the way, I don't have to keep making unintelligible references throughout this article. Eternal Sonata is ten times as beautiful in actual play as it is in screenshots and clips -- for some reason, they can't seem to do justice to this title. Playing the first few minutes literally feels as if you've submerged into a completely different universe, which is something RPGs have been failing at a lot lately. Of course, atmosphere can only go so far.

The first half hour of play is as story heavy as you might expect. While the demo may lead you to believe the game will be very simplistic, there is a rich story concept at the heart here. I expected nothing left from a game that is about the dreams of a dying composer, but it's nice to see the story unfolding well even at this early stage. Players annoyed by cut scenes may be bothered and want to get to the gameplay, but luckily these scenes can be skipped if you like. They add a lot to the story though, so be warned you may miss some great details if you do.

So far the fighting is good, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it great. I like the free range movement and the way the attacks feel while landing, but the initial few areas have you meet the same creature through the level over and over, and the battles get a bit repetitive. I'm hoping as music becomes more involved, it will help with this. Turn based fighting can kill a game in the modern player's eyes, so it needs something to keep it interesting (demonstrated beautifully in the old PS1 title The Legend of Dragoon.)

Bottom line: If you love RPGs, pick it up. It's beautiful, the story is interesting and so far the play is comfortable. I'm fascinated with the use of music and can't wait to learn how to use it. Frankly, regardless of whatever the games' weaknesses may be (listed here or not), it beats the hell out of fighting poop monsters in Blue Dragon. Whose idea was an enemy made of poop, anyway?

Eternal Sonata demo impressions

Pretty! Pretty! Pretty!

No.....really. This demo is gorgeous like I can't even begin to explain to you. The art style is triumphant, the details are perfect, it moves fluidly, the music is gorgeous. More importantly, even though there isn't any story revealed in the demo, it doesn't suffer from that feeling of hollowness that many current RPGs seem to. While playing, I had an echo of the way I felt while playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time, which I can only think of as a good thing.

I haven't enjoyed an RPG battle system as much as Eternal Sonata's in a long time. While Final Fantasy 12 seemed to master the art of free movement and flow for battles, there is something about the way this system works that I find very satisfying to play. You have a bar of time, which does not begin until you move, to use in any way you like. You can get in a few attacks, heal and even cast a special attack all in one turn. It's basically the indecisive player's dream come true.

For me, Eternal Sonata also nails a difficult middle ground in that it is cute without being completely nauseating. Sometimes the little phrases before or after a battle literally make a game distasteful for me; I feel as the writers chose to speak down to me as the player when the character personalities are too dumbed down(Blue Dragon was a perfect example). While I prefer no catchphrasing at all, the title seems to balance out it's tone well, and I don't want to throw any of the characters out the window yet, which is always a good thing.

My only negative point about the demo is that I wanted to see more of the musical aspect of the game, as I have been fascinated with that concept since it was announced. You can speak to someone in a town about it, but there's no ability to experiment. My hopes are high for how this will work into gameplay and storyline. The title is already a pleasure to play, even without this additional feature.

Eternal Sonata's impact on 360 may dictate the possibility of more RPGs for the system, which is something I would really like to see. It's been the only thing that held me back from buying it when so many other gamers were already enjoying theirs. I enjoy it for what it is, but no matter how advanced a console is, it's useless to me without a selection of games I enjoy. If Microsoft keeps expanding their horizons, 360 truly could end up as king for some time -- especially if Sony keeps struggling. Regardless, after playing this demo, I look forward to the release more than ever. This one looks like a winner.

Total 180 for the 360

Rewind back to the golden days of November 2001. After repeated delays, Microsoft finally reveals their contribution to the gaming world with a console known as the Xbox. The first system to boast a hard disk drive under its hood, Xbox seemed to be trying to approach the market from a more advanced angle, which was welcomed by many gamers. As with all new consoles, I was anxious to try it out.

Hands on, Xbox was a little uncomfortable right off the bat for me, and I don't think I have to tell you why: controllers the size of the Hulk's fists are not generally comfortable for the normal female hand size. The console itself also weighed in at a whopping 8.8 pounds, larger than the average newborn. Size fixations, anyone? Regardless, it's the games that make a system, not the housing, so I chose to ignore the big black daddy attack and focus on the offerings yet to come.

Of course I played Halo, which ran flawlessly and I could see the reason why so many gamers were addicted. But as I went through the launch titles available, something started to slowly come into the clear: every title for the Xbox was masculine in nature. I wasn't looking for Barbie's Pony Adventures here, but I think the average gamer girl tends to avoid titles like Brutus' Mega Mutilation Spree of Testicular Glory. Still, being the patient lass I am, I was willing to watch the release schedule and give it another shot when the titles came out that sparked my interest.

The clock ticked. The releases came out. NFL Fever 2002. Project Gotham Racing. Moto GP. Mech Assault. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. Halo 2. A slew of fine titles, looking their best thanks to the Xbox's advanced graphical capability. Most notable to this gamer, however: no RPGs, no platformers, few strategy titles, and absolutely NOTHING cutesy. Xbox was a console for a real man. Welcome to the birth of my resentment towards Microsoft. I don't give a shit about being a female in the gaming universe; it's mostly an irreverent detail. But the alienation of any minority by a console maker seemed an ugly snub to me. If Xbox had been the only console to have when I was a 9 year old, I wouldn't have become a gamer. Thank God for Nintendo.

I turned my attention to the other consoles on the market and ended up spending the majority of my money and time on Sony's Playstation 2, which covered all genres of play and did a fine job establishing itself as one of the strongest consoles of all time. When Xbox discussions happened, they sailed over my radar. I had lost respect for Microsoft completely. When the 360 was released, I expected a prettier version of the same Xbox, and seeing it in the beginning of its lifespan, I still found myself unable to care.

Soon after, something great happened. It became public knowledge that the sales of the 360 in Japan were really poor. After all, the Japanese are responsible for a huge chunk of the game buying community. What do the Japanese like to play? RPGs and quirky titles. Just what Microsoft wasn't offering. So in the long run, they got the ultimate kick in the pants -- shitty sales figures. How's that for motivation, guys? Blue Dragon was their answer to the quandry, and as of January 2007, it holds the award as the best selling title in that territory. Dag, maybe those role players are important after all.

XBLA was already gaining steam by the time this took place, and the weekly releases were starting to make me perk my head up again. TMNT Arcade? Alien Hominid? They were blowing the Virtual Console's wilted selections right out of the water. Most of my friends were raving about the fun of online play, and titles like Dead Rising were starting to look damned yummy to me. By the time I got 10 minutes with the smooth interface of XBLA, I was hooked. Upcoming titles like Bioshock and Assassin's Creed are giving me major happy pants, and with Final Fantasy being discussed as a possibility to no longer be a Sony exclusive title, it seems I am right on the edge of finding the new perfect console. Who've ever thought it?

I'd like to delude myself by thinking that Microsoft decided to rethink their decisions about this console because they realized they were alienating a lot of gamers with the original Xbox. I know better though. It all came down to the almighty dollar, and since this is still a business last time I checked, I do understand why. Regardless, I'm happy to see a console I once felt I couldn't interact with at all become the best the market has to offer. Perhaps PS3 can become a competitor for this title later in its lifespan, but for now, the 360's got it going on, and I'm pleased to have been converted. Keep the RPGs coming!