Blog, Blog, Bloq

 With the release of modern Action games like The First Berserker: Khazan and Lies of P, it is becoming clearer to me that the direction of the genre is skewing hard. Only a handful of titles like Soulstice or Valkyrie Elysium seem to be leaning toward that Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden-esque style anymore. And why would you? The FromSoftware formula has been working like a charm. Elden Ring is one of the most popular games, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is being used as the blueprint despite the foundations being laid down by Team Ninja with Nioh and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Obviously, this should also include PlatinumGames's Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as well.  But I think at the end of the day, the big culprit is Dark Souls itself. This is funny to think about because Demon's Souls was just two years prior, yet it wasn't the buzzword game that its successor would be lionized as. So fourteen years later, the modern Action game has almost homogenized into the...

 Recently, I found myself wanting to press buttons. And so, I was feeling like I should play some more Bayonetta. But then I thought, that I should actually give an honest shot at the Ninja Gaiden games. I have owned the three reboot titles: Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden II, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for years. However, I never really got into the groove with NGB. The game is not only very difficult, but it has intense AI that punishes you at every turn. So, this high ceiling made me fear the blade. I didn't think that I could match the intensity and precision needed to succeed in these games. But I learned, and then I conquered all three games on my initial playthroughs. So now, I am going to give my thoughts on them, along with some focus on the storytelling in the games.  What better way to start then with Ninja Gaiden Black. The most difficult game in the trilogy without question. Well designed enemy patterns  and bad camera angles made for a ...

 We are once again back on our Fatal Frame bullshit. But this time we are brought into the world of Fatal Frame III: The Tormented. I would put this title on par with Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly in terms of combat. However, I think that Fatal Frame III succeeds the most with the main character's arc. Rei Kurosawa is easily my favorite of the protagonists thus far. It's the little details that set her apart from the likes of Miku or Mio. One of those reasons for me is that Rei does not feel like she could be replaced by another character. The game is about her for the most part and not about chasing a sibling into a ghost house or town like a darker Luigi's Mansion. Rei is the Tormented. The game opens with Rei Kurosawa involved in a car accident that killed her fiancé, Yuu Asou. This event is the main catalyst for the game as Rei tries to figure out how to live without Yuu. The story to me was just as engaging as the previous titles. But seeing a character deal with t...

 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly handles it's narrative in a way that makes me reflect on the characters in this game that is reminiscent of the original Fatal Frame. All God's Village is stuck in a loop caused by a calamity much like Fatal Frame's Himuro Mansion. A tragedy caused by the malicious traditions of elders sacrificing the younger people and children to appease malevolent forces. There is a big difference that separates All God's Village from the Himuro Mansion group.  This distinction involves the utilization of Twins born in the village. The idea being that they are one soul split between two people. And having one of the Twins kill the other would combine them and appease the Hellish Abyss. This tradition persisted until Sae Kurosawa and the Kusabi (Rope Man) returned from the Hellish Abyss and enacted the Repentance. Wiping the village off the map and causing the events of the game to be set into motion.  You play as Mio Amakura, a young girl who has wa...

 Recently, I played through the first Fatal Frame game, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The game is written well and the atmosphere and gameplay segments are good most of the time, with only a minimal amount of annoyances in combat and enemy placement. There weren't many times where I had to look up a guide to figure out the next step. The design for the most part pushes the player in the proper directions. Now, I am going to be going into more detail on the game with light spoilers on the story. In Fatal Frame, the game starts with Mafuyu arriving at the Himuro Mansion in order to look Junsei Takamine. A writer and folklorist who had gone missing along with his assistant, Tomoe Hirasaka, and editor, Koji Ogata. With Takamine wanting to do location research for his next book, the decision to come to the Himuro Mansion would prove fatal. But Mafuyu doesn't know that, He just becomes aware of the disappearance and decides to investigate. After Mafuyu himself goes missing, his sister...