Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP)

THERE is something peculiarly appealing about old school games which transcends state-of-the-art graphics, booming sounds, well-thought-out gameplay and deeply engaging storylines. It’s probably the sentimental value which pulls us back to them.

Just like the ’80s R&B and retro music or P. Ramlee movies which never bore us even after having memorised the lyrics and dialogue, these classics were so simple and without frills that there is nothing to distract us from enjoying the essence of it all.

Game developers are banking on our sentimentalities with resurrected titles such as Final Fantasy 7, Metal Slug, the Konami Collection to take us down memory lane.

Square-Enix, the same people who brought us the Final Fantasy series, has relaunched Star Ocean, a fantasy sci-fi title from over a decade ago, and has given it a new coat of paint, improved sounds and a few tweaks to its gameplay.

The best thing about this game is how it merges fantasy and space travel. It tells how a couple of kampung folks who are used to magic, fairytale and swordplay are suddenly thrust into a world of warp speed, lasers, robots and transport beams.

First Departure tells of three Fellpool youths — Roddick, Millie and Dorne — who are trying to pass the time as sentries for a small village near the woods, and suddenly discovers that a mysterious plague is turning people into stone.

So these adventure-hungry friends set out to a nearby mountain to look for herbs as a cure.

But what they found are space travellers Ronyx and Ilia, members of a Terran Alliance reconnaissance team who explained that the plague is actually a biological weapon unleashed by an alien race.

Next thing you know, the three are whisked aboard a space vessel and are discussing ways to save the people of Roak from this mysterious catastrophe.

By now, you might be thinking “Oh no, not another turn-based RPG like Final Fantasy”, but it looks like the people at Square-Enix have upgraded the battle system to real-time.

Thus, when the party enters into battle with the enemy, the view shifts over to a pseudo-3D isometric view.

The player takes control of the party leader, with free reign to run around the battlefield with the thumbstick. The player automatically targets the closest enemy, executing standard attacks and combos by hitting the X button. Special abilities, once equipped, are assigned to either the left or right shoulder buttons.

The only time the combat stops is when the player switches control from one character to another or when opening up the battle menu to do things like using items, casting spells or changing one’s allies’ battle tactics on the fly.

The game’s background environments are also very eye-catching and nicely detailed. Instead of using rendered CG cut-scenes, much like Final Fantasy remakes, Square Enix has enlisted the help of animation studio Production I.G. to create high-quality hand-drawn cel animations to advance key story points.

This is by far not the most perfect game on the PSP, but if you are a hardcore RPG fan and loves fantasy and sci-fi, Star Ocean: First Departure is a sensible choice to reminisce the good ’ol days when games were much simpler then.

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Yakuza 3 Game Review

GAME developer Sega is still making quality games for the PS2 at a time when other companies are focusing on next-generation consoles. Two years ago, gamers were introduced to Kiryu Kazuma. A former rising star in the Yakuza who is rebuilding his Yakuza 3 Game Review

life after serving a 10-year prison term for murder, Kazuma suddenly finds himself entangled with the underworld, a mysterious girl known as Haruka and US$100 million (RM345 million) that has gone missing. Kazuma must use his fists and his wits to stay alive as he takes on the notorious Yakuza.

The original game begins in the 1980s with a detective witnessing the murder of a Korean mob boss whose dying words were "even if you kill me, our organisation will live on". The victim also mentions that his child is in danger. The murderer happens to be Kazuma's foster father, Fuma Shintaro, who runs off after the deed is done.

The detective chases after him, only to stumble upon a woman and her baby trapped in a building on fire. The woman is actually trying to commit suicide but the detective manages to talk her out of it. Then this sequel returns to the present with the detective still wondering about what had happened a year earlier.

Also, the Tojo-guchi underworld family is falling apart and on the brink of war against the Omi-rengo, an Osaka-based gang backing Nishiki in the first game. With their backs to the wall, the Tojo-guchi gang requests Kazuma, their former leader, for help. Kazuma is now living a peaceful life and while visiting the graves of Yumi, Nishiki and Shintaro, the appointed Kumi-chou, Terada Yukio, a former member of the Omi-rengo, asks for Kazuma's help. However, the Omi-rengo assassinates their former family member Yukio in front of Kazuma, and this prompts our hero to go to Osaka to prevent an all-out Japanese gang war from erupting.

While in Osaka, he meets his Kansai equivalent and new rival, Koda Ryuuji, the son of the head of the Omi-rengou, Koda Jin. Ryuuji has a nickname that he hates — "The Kansai Dragon" — because he doesn't want to be the "Dragon of all of Japan" (which is what the term means). And yet Ryuuji is convinced that he'll be the "true dragon" once he eliminates Kazuma!

While in Osaka, Kazuma meets a new love interest, a Yakuza-hunting female detective and fellow orphan, Sayama Kaoru. She may have lost her parents to the Tojo-guchi like Kazuma and Yumi. Kaoru is ordered to place Kazuma in her custody to prevent him from being killed by the Omi-rengou. Besides the engrossing story, this game has realistic combats, the sub-plots are entertaining and Kazuma is one interesting character — a former Yakuza gang member with a soft heart.

Yakuza 2 has a lot of similarities with Grand Theft Auto (GTA), although they have left out the carjacking bit, which means you'll move around on foot. But with all the stores, arcades, clubs, bars or restaurants around, strolling along is the best way to go. There are so many things to do in the city that you could lose yourself tasting the different drinks at various bars and wooing the numerous hostesses there. Now that's interactive gaming!

Combat is where the game really differentiates itself from other sandbox-style games. GTA had always preferred weapons for combat, so your hand-to-hand experience was limited to punch-punch-kick and that's it. Kazuma initially is limited to punching, kicking, throwing and blocking, but as the game progresses, you are able to level up abilities, incorporating special throws, better attacks and the all important Heat finisher.

By fighting or completing tasks around the city, you earn experience which you can use to level up in three categories: Mind, Body and Skill. Upgrading these early and often is an important strategy. You'll find some of the defensive tactics you learn by levelling up Body can make boss battles much more manageable. Finishers, or Heat moves, are really cool attacks you earn by building up a meter in combat.

Pretty much everything in your environment is interactive (think hot spots in The Punisher game), so when you have enough "heat" built up, you're able to grab a guy and smash his face into pretty much anything you want.

If you happen to have a baseball bat, kendo stick, or some other type of weapon, there's a different finisher for all of these as well. It's really up to you how to finish a guy off. The moves are all pretty brutal, and help remind you of just how brutal Kazuma can be. The lengthy cut-scenes might turn some people off but the story is so well-written, you might be looking forward to them. Even though the game takes place exactly one year after the first, those who missed out on the first game will be brought up to speed. Aside from a wonderful soundtrack, the ambience of every corner of every street is given much realism. Yakuza 2 is captivating enough to keep me occupied until Yakuza 3 comes out on the PS3.

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Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Game Review

IF you ever want to hire a mercenary, never double-cross him or her! This is one advice which is emphasized in Pandemic Studios and EA’s Mercenaries 2: World In Flames, where you can basically do anything you want except break that rule. Think of the game as Grand Theft Auto in a war-torn country where the hijacking of tanks, helicopters, gun-toting boats and the like replace the more mundane cars, bikes and trucks.

But don’t get me wrong, these mundane vehicles are still available for hijacking, it’s just that once you have the choice of controlling either a tank or a car, would you choose the latter? Don’t think so.

World In Flames is aptly named because the game allows you to blow up almost anything and there are times when you are required to do so. This third-person perspective sandbox game puts you in the shoes of a mercenary who is hired by Solano, who is at the center of a power struggle in Venezuela.

You start off by choosing one of three characters — Mattias Nilsson, Jennifer Mui or Chris Jacobs — who has their own unique traits to best suit your style. Mattias is a mohawk-sporting Swede whose health regeneration rate is higher than the others, Jennifer is a more agile soldier while Chris can carry more ammo.

Once you have chosen your character, the game opens up with Solano hiring you to rescue a general. As a merc, you are only thinking about the cash and not of political alliances. So you take on the contract only to be double crossed and you end up getting a bullet in your posterior. So you embark on a mission to bring down Solano, the general and Blanco, your betraying “agent”. Of course, revenge is on top of your to-do list but why not make money along the way, right?

The game has a very loose linear course where you’ll need to do “favors” from the various factions to gain information on your targets’ whereabouts. By completing these missions, you will accrue money, ammo, vehicles, air support and other perks.

Like in GTA, the best part of the game is your ability to hijack military vehicles and take control of a hovering helicopter. The game’s sound is solid, with decent voice acting, the expected sound of weapons discharging, explosions and a score that is appropriately supportive without overwhelming.

The game’s graphics does not challenge the PS3 although on the PS2 it looks right at home, but these are easily overlooked. The explosions, however, are extremely well done. World In Flames might not be original or inventive but get yourself a tank and cruise around the city blowing things up, and you’ll find yourself levelling the country before you know it.

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