Written Reviews: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Part 2

Hey, here's a question for you all. Who cares about a story in a game? Is it the most important part? Or is it just something to make you continue playing and feel like you're part of it?

Well in the case of Dragon Quest, and moreso as the series as a whole, it's more of the latter.

Is a story in a game really important?

Written Review: Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

Now, I'm gonna let you guys know something RIGHT NOW. I've only played two games in this series. I never heard of the series when it first came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES if you will, but that is only because I wasn't born when it came out ( '89 I believe).With this backstory intact, I now bring you to the game I'm reviewing. As the newest installment in the venerable series, I bring you Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.

Hey Folks! I'm Still Alive!

Hey internet people! If some of you were wondering, I'm still here. I'm just having to deal with college, is all. I STILL plan to write up posts and come on here on a regular basis. It's just gonna be tough dealing with an ENGINEERING major, F.Y.I.

So, don't feel like it's only one or two people doing this by themselves. I'm still here but just not as frequent. But juuuuuust to tide you over, here's a list of some of the games I do plan to talk about, be it a review or an underrated game.

Quick Update For All

Hey people! I know it's been a while since I did my last post (which was in the beginning of last month) but it was only because I was trying to finish a VEEEEEERY MASSIVE game that is on the most unlikely console. It's basically in the family of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, but it's a game series that I think beats out both of these notorious franchises. It made from Square Enix like the other two, but it's their longest running RPG series to date. That game is Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies.

I will likely have a review for you guys soon, but I have two things to do before that:
1. Finish up the last part of my DJ:FFNY post, and
2. Stop playing this AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWESOME GAME!

Once I'm done both of these I will have a review of it. Wish me luck and bare with me, cause it WILL be a while...just kidding! I'll have it as soon as possible people!

Written Reviews: Alan Wake - The Signal DLC

The Signal Dlc for Remedy’s psychological, fight the darkness with light, thriller, extends the deep, intriguing story of Alan Wake. Yours truly has played it, but is it worth the time or the possible $7 you have to spend on it? Read on to find out.

Written Reviews: All Points Bulletin, Part Four: Technical Difficulties

By: Mike-san

I suppose this is the part of the review where you expect me to get real blatant about the game, summarizing the best and worst of what I’ve discussed in the past three parts of the review. Luckily, I’m the conventional type of critic and will appeal the masses. Especially in the case of All Points Bulletin, which I admit I’ve spent more time trying to get back into despite this review. In either case, I can honestly say that there are a lot more positive things about this game that made this review worth the eight plus Microsoft Word pages that I’ve typed for this. So, let’s buckle down and get into this wonderful process of breaking down the best and the worst of All Points Bulletin.

Written Reviews: All Points Bulletin Part 3: Missions, Reputation and Turf Wars Oh My!

By: Mike-san

If you’re thinking about buying property in San Paro, you should already know that you’ll need insurance up the ass. Clearly, the fact of the matter is that Enforcers and Criminals will raise your property damages through the roof with their Obeya and N-TEC crossfire exchanges, and if the graffiti-styled antics of the criminals, or the door-busting warrants of the enforcers hasn’t already caught your attention then you may be intrigued by the lack of parking on the city streets. Of course, life in San Paro can’t be all that menacing, can it? After all, the Enforcers are protectorates of all that is just, and considering that they pretty much own the city, the criminals wouldn’t be damn well smart enough to start working along the G-Kings and the Bloodroses in an all-out war for the city, right? Despite the overpopulation, the city is always under constant threat. In fact, both sides are the threat. In case you ever did wonder why the parking meters are empty and the parking garages are overflowing with pedestrians, the many battles of the city streets should be the greatest indication of that. Indeed, if Real Time Worlds does get anything right, it’s the ability to immerse the players in the War for San Paro. The War for San Paro was declared long ago when the game first appeared during E3, and has since hit the streets quicker than the piles of corpses lined up across the sidewalks and balconies of the inner city’s Waterfront and Financial Districts.

Written Reviews: All Points Bulletin, Part Two: The Plea for a Better Gun

By: Mike-san

Let me be as frank as I possibly can: I haven’t once touched Crackdown. Real Time Worlds, I admit it. I never once glanced over your cash crop as a means of entertainment. Crackdown 2 may have the attention that Mass Effect 2 basked in when the masses lined up for their copies of the first Mass Effect. Hell, the same effect seems to have taken off with Crackdown, which I can honestly say is dropping off the shelves in droves. So it seems, Real Time Worlds that you have one of the more prominent games in your lineup so far. Though I haven’t checked out the demo for the second Crackdown, enough positive comments on the game reveal nothing less than high expectations from the fans.

Written Reviews: All Points Bulletin, Part One: Generally Speaking, you're a GTA MMO.

By: Mike-san

If there’s anything that APB isn’t, it’s your standard Massive Multiplayer Online. Then again, I’m entirely sure the creative team at Real Time Worlds wasn't aiming to replicate another World of Warcraft clone for the criminally-inclined. Perhaps the idea of jumping right into the chaotic world of All Points Bulletin seems a tad bit frightening for those of us who still cling to the old-world mythology of ‘level progression’ and ‘tiers’ with their equipment and armor. Thankfully the developers were able to distinguish that this is a computer game, and not an MMO. Mind you, I’d love to see if APB makes it to consoles, but I might be asking too much of Real Time Worlds.