Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII ~ Revisited

This is the first proper JRPG I ever played (back in 2008) -- and LOVED it ... even though it was in Japanese (the English version wasn't released yet). While I managed to get through a good part of the story/ game, I didn't finish it cos neither did I understand the ins and outs of RPGs then (doh!), nor what was really going on, well, not enough knowledge of the language to complete the game (I don't think I was strong enough to tackle either Genesis or Sephiroth).

Fast forward to present day; I'm quite an expert in the genre (having played so many since then) and -- hurrah -- the English version of the game has been out for years. I was actually given a copy but for some stupid reason, I sold it (after I gave my old PSP, Dissidia special edition, for the first generation Vita). I've always wanted to replay Crisis Core but it'd have meant getting myself and old PSP, which I didn't wan to do...

Until I saw an (unused) Crisis Core special/limited 10th anniversary bundled edition on sale on eBay (like, I had an OMG moment) and for around US$350 including shipment/postage ... which, seriously, is a bargain. Another seller offered the same thing for US$750 (!) but I noticed that has now been sold too. These editions are hard to come buy (even on eBay) so I ordered it straightaway ... I think it makes more sense to get a special edition than, say, get an ordinary (old) PSP and the game separately. Anyway, it wasn't all smooth sailing. When the game arrived - sure, it's spanking new as promised - but the battery had already expired (it was bloated, in fact) and after I bought a new battery for it, the screen kinda quickly died. Thankfully, this city being, well, this city, I could get that fixed pretty quickly (and hour!) so have been playing the game for a couple of days. The beauty of it wall is that I actually started playing the game some weeks ago, after a friend lent it to me, and I successfully transferred the (digital) save onto my new machine. So a happy ending!  

Now that I know how to play the game properly, I can beat that horrible axe-wielding Vajradhara monster quite quickly (boy, did that thing used to give me much grief!!!) by dodging and spamming Blizzaga *LOL*  I have also completed as many side missions (300+ in total) as poss. at this stage (Chapter 5, half way through the game) and got my Zack to Level 29. That's the thing, levelling in this game is all a bit random but I hope I'm just slightly over-levelled, while my "DMW" (digital mind wave) is in "sky high" at the moment, good to get back into story mode (to meet Cloud ~ yeah!) Doing the missions can be quite tedious, especially when you stumble into those random battles all the time >< but some of the items are quite worth it. But over all, I think I missed playing such a fun Final Fantasy game!!! I mean, FF X-2 was fun with the dressphere and stuff but I think by the time I unlocked all the mascots, I started to lose interest in the gameplay ... and the game is so full of missables that I just got tired following the YouTube playthrough. And it's in Japanese.

With Crisis Core, I like the randomness of that DMW wheel and its challenging battle system (non turn-based). Oh, this is Hajime Tabata's first PSP title and I've since played his Third Birthday as well as FF Type-0 ... I think he's quite a genius, always introducing something fun in his games. The story of Crisis Core is also excellent - great characters such as The Turks - so I'm really looking forward to completing the game this time round. And I think I'll just play this game on the special edition... it deserves to be special!!!  

Ao no Kiseki (Part 6)

Yes, truly incredible that I'm still playing this. There are some hidden Phantom Beasts hidden in the last chapter (second playthrough only) so I'll have to trudge through the entire game just to unlock them. Crazy. The completist in me just wouldn't let that go! Meanwhile, I'm also slowly making my way through Super Robot Wars Z3 Tengoku-hen, which is a great turn-based tactic/ strategy game but since everything is in Japanese I need to find out which robot does what best, through trial-and-error. And that is a laborious process. A friend will lend me his PSP and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII so this time I wanna finish that game (like, I really know how to play a RPG!)

[EDIT:]

Anyway, back to Ao, I just got the rarest fish in the game but it matters little now since I don't need that to exchange for any rare accessories... I have so much mira (dosh) now I can just buy it outright. And my team is pretty OP now. Lloyd has evasion close to 90 per cent, while Randy is another tank. Tio replaces Wazy as the mage and Ellie (now my fav) is the healer with many time tricks up her sleeves. The thing is it's getting quite tedious to speed skip all the dialogues I think I will take a break. Nightmare more in second playthrough is totally manageable...

Elsewhere, Have bought the Danger Hiptop Side id on eBay. I actually wanted to get this ages ago but wasn't sure it would work here since it's a dual band (850/1900 MHz) US phone. But I think my service provider actually offers 1900 so we'll see. It costs next to nothing now... and am surprised I could find it still on eBay! 

Ao no Kiseki (Part 5)

Wow, I finally beat the game last night. I kinda put it down for a few weeks (no matter how much I love it) cos I thought the final boss (notorious for being extremely difficult, even on Easy mode) was impossible to beat. Then I've been watching all these YouTube videos and reading different posts on forums (doing my homework and research!) and realised it could be done ... just needs to be patient and a little planning.

Mariabell of Crossbell

So, first up in the final battle is the alchemist (witch?) Mariabell Crois, who actually isn't that difficult to beat; then it's that egg/cocoon thing (a morphed KeA!!) that has two forms. The first form looks tricky but isn't too bad once you realise you need to kill off his minions first ... otherwise the thing just keeps spawning and healing itself ... horrible. The final form is what most players had difficulties with. I defeated it with luck ~ like I happen to have Zero Field (protection) on at a really crucial moment and enough burst orbs to spam S-Crafts to kill the thing. But it take awhile (maybe an hour?) to wrap the game.

Now I'm on second playthrough ... and nightmare mode. Looking forward to a second run as I really like this game and its battle mechanics ... so will keep playing it until Sen no Kiseki III comes out ~ whenever that is!!! 

More The Legend of Heroes ...

To be honest, I really miss the cast in Ao no Kiseki so it's great that Lloyd and Rixia are back and playable in Sen no Kiseki II, in the last dungeon called the "Cloister of Reveries". I really am stretching these games out so I have something to play while waiting for Sen no Kiseki III. Well, both Trails of the Sky and Trails of the Sky SC are downloadable but do I really wanna play through these earlier Legend of Heroes titles? There is also The Third Evo but the English version won't be out until next year (boo-hoo). And after Ao, I don't really fancy playing such a long game in Japanese, even though a special box set is now available!

So, with a party of seven, I've decided to turn Rean and Fie into Lloyd and Rixia, using the mirror of reveries. Gaius and either Millium or Jusis will make up the team while Emma and Alisa are in reserve. Since all the bosses have to be tackled by Class VII so no point bringing the grown-ups or the two girls from another school. Besides, all I wanna play are the pair from Ao!

A Pain in the Neck

Yes ... to celebrate the announcement of the release date of Final Fantasy XV (in September), I dug up 1) Final Fantasy Type-0 and 2) The 3rd Birthday (sadly not Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII cos I very stupidly sold it years ago), all of which by director Hajime Tabata (of Square Enix) who is now in charge of the FFXV project. I love these games and thought I'd just, well, play them. 

Those who've been following this blog (me) will remember The 3rd Birthday was the game that gave me some serious health issues ... well, a numbed thumb and pitched-nerve-neck to be precise. The shooter game is really, really, really fun but pretty intense. Anyway, a couple of nights ago decided to replay the first two chapters (my old saves were erased by the recent ransomware attack - boo-hoo!) and, Wow, my thumb became numbed and my neck totally stiffened up! This game is So Good, yet So Bad for me!!!

So, now I am playing Digimon World (I know...) which is a more relaxing game LOL

Uncharted

Unfortunately the new A Thief's End is only available on PS4 and not PSVita ... the graphics is amazing, as is the animation. And Nathan Drake is back! Yeah! My introduction to this franchise is actually through a spin-off, a card game called Fight for Fortune, which received so-so reviews when it was released some years ago but I think is actually one of the best card games on the Vita (not that there are many!) I played it for awhile then put it down (there are all these bonuses you get if you'd played Golden Abyss, which I didn't, and I thought I'd never be able to beat the game ...) well, actually, that's not true cos I still managed to beat the first and second campaign and am now on the last one and am really enjoying it ...

Well, when the AI is NOT cheating!!! I got really angry several times (#RAGEQUIT!) cos the AI was getting all the best cards while I drew all the ********* shite ones ... it was infuriating! So I had to rage quit a few times (the box under my desk got kicked so violently ...) but there were times when the AI was so, like, dumba** and I beat it no problem. 

Anyway, back to Uncharted... I really like its big cast - heroes, villains and mercenaries - and they really should make a movie out of this title (oh, I think they have) and Jennifer Aniston should play Elena Fisher! But who should play Nate?

    

Anna Netrebko

What a stunningly beautiful singer!!!