What I want out of 2015-Resolutions and the like

While of course I have a whole bunch of resolutions (go back to school, find a better job-both which I am currently working on). I always write a resolution for things that I like to do for the year. Goals in my fandom that I can work on. So here are my 2015 Otaku resolutions.

Stop buying so much on Amiami
This one is the hardest for me since Amiami makes it so easy to just load up your cart with preorders. To the point where it was getting pretty bad for me. Honestly even without another hobby major money sink hobby, I was spending on the average 40,000 yen a month (with shipping) on orders since after Sakuracon, and that honestly needs to stop, since I'm back in school and saving so I don't have to take out loans

I started to limit myself and look over my priorities already. I put a cap on myself that limits to no more than 20,000 yen a month which means only a few things each month can be purchased, and I have to choose wisely. So far I am doing great though, I have a few preorders for a few months, but a lot of the months are actually empty since I'm just not willy-nilly just shoving stuff into the cart.

Buy a fightstick
This is something I've been wanting for a long time but have never actually gotten around to purchasing for whatever reason.

Eightarc Ivory Fightstick

I love fighting games, but arcades aren't really a thing in the US anymore due to online play and everything. I've been playing fighters steadily since Street Fighter 2 and long for play with a balltop joystick. But man... These things are expensive. Even cheap ones will put you back a bit, but you still want something good though, or at least with parts that are good.

I'm honestly thinking about a prebuilt Qanba with Sanwa parts in them, since I like the feel of those buttons more than Seimitsu. Whenever I went to an arcade with Seimitsu parts it always felt like I had to beat down on the button in comparison to rather light taps with Sanwa.

Make sure to update with more Otaku and game content more
Though I actually did much better than I thought I would with blogging last year, I surely could do better and I will hopefully this year. I plan to update at least once a week with a substantial blog post that includes;game review, analysis or even coverage from conventions/events that I go to.

Overall I feel like I just need to blog more and make more content related to it that I and others will enjoy. I have a lot of fun blogging and telling people about stuff that goes on, and I hope it does come out in my writing.

Hope that 2015 goes great for everyone~

Year End Review-Steam

Well the biggest change in my life when it actually has come to gaming is that I quite enjoy PC gaming now thanks to Steam. Before I would have never thought about the PC honestly being a valid console anymore for games, but Steam has opened my eyes to it and I am quite enjoying it.

While I only have about 26 games, a great majority of them were purchased this year and on the steam sales. I enjoy indie games but they ended up being all sorts of titles from Dust an Elysian tale to Cook, Serve, Delicious.

My first perfect day in Cook, Serve, Delicious

I'm not really one for first person shooters or anything that can be bought on a console. But for sure there is tons of stuff out there that I enjoy that wouldn't feel right if it wasn't on a computer. And to be honest, that's ok.

I'm excited for the new Street Fighter game that will be coming out on PC and PS4. But I'm also really excited for what 2015 holds for PC gaming. Hopefully though in the new year, maybe I will have built a better PC to play those games.

Year End Review-Visual Novels

Visual novels have always been a part of my life for a very long time,but oddly enough it seemed like this year was the year that I bought a ton of them, and oddly enough almost all of them were translated into English.

I initially just preordered Steins;Gate the limited edition because JAST USA made it sound like the only people who were going to get a physical copy of the game (at the time when this was in golden master) were the people who jumped in and bought limited editions. So of course I went ahead and preordered a copy of the limited edition, though now there is Steins;Gate coming out for almost everything and that a standard edition of the game exists as well. Though I don't regret getting the limited edition, it looks really nice and everything. I wish that they made more of them like this, I really like the way the box looks.

Honestly though, if you haven't picked up Steins;Gate for the PC yet, or if you don't want to play VNs on your PC, there is going to be a few releases next year of the game on IOS, PS Vita, and PS3. So in 2015 no one will have an excuse to not have played a piece of otaku history.

When I was at Sakuracon in the spring I ended up buying Kara no Shoujo for the PC as well. It only happened by chance because I was just walking through the dealers hall at the convention and ended up finding the Mangagamer booth. The only thing I was kind of interested in was Kara no Shoujo so I picked it up for $50 for the limited edition of it as well. Though it was a limited edition, it's not as good looking as the Steins;Gate one. And to be honest, it was much of an impulse buy than anything else because I want more VNs to come to the US and international, I knew enough about it that it's an eroge but nothing else.

Of course after that I bought another Hakuoki game, this time for the PS3 just for the fact that I love this game series even though we end up getting the same game over and over with just added content.

I'll buy it because not only do I like the story of it being taken a part in an alternate history in Japan. There's freaking Oni and pseudo-oni people in it. And if that wasn't enough fun, then I don't know what is. But to be honest it is an Otome game and there aren't many of those existing in general; even in Japan. So I feel like I got to buy this game to boost up the numbers. But it actually is a good story, so it's a win-win situation.

Though with how niche the PS Vita is, I don't see why AKSYS hasn't gotten the copyright to release an English version of the Sweet School Life version of Hakuoki. Because who doesn't like an alternate reality where everyone in the Shinsengumi is in high school, or teaches in high school. Are you kidding that would print instant money. Seriously, every fangirl would get to live out their dream of being surrounded with cute boys doing stuff.

The last thing I have bought this year in regards to VNs was another impulse buy it was Littlewitch Romanesque released by JAST USA released on the 23rd of December. The only reason why I think I bought it was because I was on JAST USA's page and saw it was getting released this month. And to my honest surprise it was. I have the game downloaded right now on my computer but I am still waiting for my physical copy, though I just looked it up on J-list itself and saw they have addressed the problem. I don't know when I will be getting the physical one but I hope it is soon, because I want to see how the case is and I hope it is akin to the one they did for Steins;Gate.

I did get past the intro to actually save the game and I came across this cute little thing.

I really have no idea what it is, but doesn't it kind of look like a Moomin? A Moomin that looks like he's made out of chocolate...

From what I've seen so far, I like how the story is shown, with it going more for a living manga style where speech bubbles appear than just a box with text. And the voices are great so far. I am especially glad that the main male lead has a voice, as that is the number one deal breaker for me. If I play a game and the main male has no voice... It just stops me in my tracks and then makes me want to mute all the characters. Because if I hear someone talking and the response to it is just a wall of text that I am suppose to read, and then goes back to voices. It just breaks immersion. There is an all-ages version though coming to Steam via their Greenlight system, so if you're interested in the story without the eroge contents there's that for you.

I am excited for 2015 since there will be a lot more VNs on their way, including Clannad from Sekai project, and not to mention (hopefully) the release of Hanachirasu from JAST USA. Also more Steins;Gate which is good too. But most of all I am excited to see what will get the potential go from either kickstarter or from independent small groups making their own VNs.  It seems as if VNs have found their way into the hearts of people outside of Japan. And I'd like for it to keep growing years down the line.

Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney:Review and my feelings about this crossover

Well it took the US and its territories long enough, but we got it. We finally got Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney.These are two very different franchises, but yet come together for one game, and I will say the game on its own is pretty good for what it is. There have been many complaints that the game is so easy but you have to realize that the game was meant to breathe new life into both series. So if you've played only one series or the other, it's meant to make you see the other side and make you want to play the other... And for me, it certainly did that.

 I've been playing Phoenix Wright games since the first one came out, it was the one game I wanted for my 3DS and I was happy to play it. The story was so fun. And the Japanese best version of the game; Gyakuten Saiban, well it came with not only the Japanese version but the English as well. So when a new game came out with my favorite defense attorney, I went to get it as soon as I could.

U.S. Cover of the game featuring the main four heroes

 I am trying to keep this review spoiler free so I'm sorry if there are things in here that you didn't want to read, since I tried to keep it to the content and want you to experience the game itself.

So as it comes to reviews, I will be reviewing it based on these criteria in order:
-Story and setting
-Characters
-Voices/Music
-Gameplay
-Cohesiveness

Story and Setting
The story itself starts off in London, England featuring Professor Layton and his assistant, Luke recieving a request from a previous student of the Professor. While at the same time Phoenix and Maya are going to a conference in England. In a weird twist of fate both groups of people then get thrown into Labyrinthia, the city of walls.

Concept Art for the game

In Labyrinthia everything is decided and foretold by the Storyteller, and what he writes is an absolute to the point where if he goes out into the street people create parades for him, and revere him; for his power is absolute.

But where you play a part in it; well it depends on who you are currently playing as. If you're playing as Layton and Luke, your main point is to figure out the secrets of Labyrinthia and what lies beyond the veil that control the regular people whose days go by in relative peace.

As for Wright, he does what he does best, and that is pull miracles in the courtroom. Since the trails that happen in Labyrinthia are witch trials, Wright has to learn the new ins and outs of the courtroom including a new mob mechanic.

The story that happens within Labyrinthia itself is brimmed with an intriguing storyline, but the problem with it is its pacing, especially towards the end of the game itself.

Characters
Layton, Luke, Phoenix and Maya are all developed quite nicely and interact great. Personally I love how Luke and Maya interact together the most, mainly because both characters have somewhat child-like whimsy around both of them. Though all four main characters act like how you think they would be. But it isn't just about them but the characters that surround them.

The citizens of Labyrinthia all have unique personalities and likes. Labrythinthia's citizens are all about puzzles though, so a lot of your interactions will contain puzzles with them. But when you're in court, this is when character development shines the most. Most characters seem one dimensional, but during the witch trials, these seemingly one dimension characters aren't so one dimensional anymore.

Though I felt the greatest love for your opponent, who for the most part in the trials is Inquisitor Barnham.

Inquisitor Barnham's first appearance in court

Inquisitor Barnham's a knight, but at the same time, he is beloved by the citizens for his personality though he may seem like a bad guy at first glance, you realize through court cases that, well that isn't the case with him. As he only desires one thing; truth. At first Phoenix was able to trip him up, as a knight he is quick on his feet and can adapt fast in court. He is a good counter to Phoenix in the courtroom and can keep him on his toes, which made court battles between the two very fun to watch and read. Really good character dynamics between the two.

But though the regular citizens and Barnham are great; a lot of the other main characters are rather insufferable, Espella in particular just really irritates me. Her personality is just so infuriating at times, she tries to keep self sacrificing herself but it seems so half-assed that I can't believe it to be true sometimes. I simply cannot empathize with her and that's a huge problem seeing as she is one of the main characters that interacts constantly with Wright and Layton. It's just lazy writing and development, which held the game back since this game is extremely story driven.

Voices/Music
I've got to admit the voices for this game are top notch, even though there's no Japanese track the English voices were such a delight to listen to. All the British characters all had accents and Maya and Phoenix sounded great. Though it was weird hearing Phoenix's inner thoughts in the same exact pitch that he was speaking normally. That just didn't translate well when voiced parts happened. If there was some sort of indicator that he's talking to himself in his head it would have made everything better.

The music though, I simply loved it. Music greatly added to the charm of the game and was appropriate for what ever happened. The music that plays during most puzzles was extremely soft yet the constant beat was just enough that I didn't mind whenever I failed a puzzle or had to take some time to think about what I was doing. Though the song I enjoyed most was Layton's theme. It's just soothing for the ears, a great arrangement that suits the Professor.

Gameplay
Gameplay is divided into two main parts based on whichever character you're playing. Layton's puzzles are rather straightforward along with the investigation. It just is a whole bunch of different types of puzzles based on either the place or the current person you are interacting with.

Layton explains to Phoenix and Maya about puzzles

The puzzles themselves I've heard from other people are quite easy for a Layton game, but as my first time playing this sort of thing, a lot of puzzles kind of kicked my butt. Though later on I realized that using the memo function and trying to figure it out. Then everything became a little bit easier, but sometimes I thought puzzles worked one way, when the exact opposite was true. But the puzzles were fun for a person who had never played anything Layton before.

As for Phoenix's side it at first seems like a standard court case in Labyrinthia, but you have to remember that these are witch trials. The witch trials have introduced a new mechanic called the mob trial. Now to explain the mob trial I need to show a picture of it first.

Mob Trial-exclusive to this game

The mob trial has you interviewing and questioning all these characters, all at once. Bits and pieces come from each character in the cross examination. The main gripe of this type of trial is the way that the game mechanic works.

So when you're cross examining a person and you press for more information and you'll hear a sort of ping sound and then if you go over there are ellipses that are over the characters head who you can question for even more information on. It makes the game more straightforward, which for most peoples main gripe is that it makes the game easier. But most people don't understand that Ace Attorney is a type of visual novel (adventure game in Japan) so I can see how if need be it can have mechanics to make things more straightforward, especially to make it more accessible to a bigger group of people. But I will admit the main gripe does still stand, it doesn't require as much thought as the original Ace Attorney series, which is a bit sad, because court cases in the Ace Attorney series is so fun, and is usually a huge climax in each case; a nonstop fun climax.

Cohesiveness
Overall the game plays great. The story is really engaging and the characters overall are fun and delightful... But the pacing is rather the worst part of this game and just breaks things up into chunks instead of seamless play.

As you progress through the story, you'll notice that at times it's as if the characters are playing tag with one another. As soon as you get to a really good part; bam, switches you to another point of view and what they're doing, practically just killing the hype that the game has just built up for you. This is especially true when you're playing as Layton and it switches to Phoenix. And the only reason why it feels like that is the most crucial development when it comes to the whole overarching story has you playing as Layton. But then even in game, you're kept from information for the sake of breaking up the current story to have it go somewhere else. Which is dumb.

Afterthoughts 
Would I recommend this game to people? Of course I would! The reason being both the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series are introduced in such a way that makes it so interesting for anyone to get interested in. And not only that, puzzle games and visual novels/adventure games aren't what I would call the mainstream and these series show how fun and intuitive these genres are.

While there are pacing issues with the story it doesn't detract so much overall when you play the game. Honestly with the way that the game has it, you feel like you're doing a lot of stuff within the game. You feel like you're making great progress. If you like either of the series, I suggest that you pick it up but even if you don't look up some images or the preview if it looks interesting, you may find yourself liking a new genre. I know I did. I am obsessed with Layton right now and want all the games.

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi, A story, and a review

Now I am not a person new to the whole doujin soft/VN scene. I have been playing these games since about when Melty Blood came out in fact I just recently found my copy of it in my room. But that is not what this is all about.

Toshizo Hijikata and his fury form on the front cover

When Hakuoki:Stories of the Shinsengumi came out my friends were ecstatic for it, since not many Otome games get published for probably one of two reasons 1.Otome games are an even bigger niche in a niche market or 2. Too damn cliche for anyone's taste (seriously why is every man an extreme tsundere or yandere in womens works?)

Well for whatever reason Aksys released it for the PS3 even though the game has been released on the 3DS and the PSP before, each game with slightly more material or options which means for a VN collector, you're going to get all of them for the material not found in the other games.

Well going back to my friends, one has sort of experience playing these before but she's an odd typical fujoshi as every VN she's ever played has been a BL/yaoi game and the other has never had played these games before. This second friend, talks to me and asks how to get Souji Okita's ending because she keeps having trouble as she only gets either the bad ending with Okita or the regular ending where you just follow around Kazama. The first question I asked her was she saving or quick saving at every flag and she just looks at me blank...

My reaction to her expression

...I then realized how much my love of VNs are that what seemed like common sense to me just didn't make sense to her. After explaining what flags were in a VN context, I then began to ask her if she tried different combinations of options, even though I knew it was the last flag that pretty much determined if you were going to get a good ending or not. I just didn't want to straight out tell her.

Eventually I just gave up and gave her a guide on what to do to get Okita's ending. Oddly or rather typical friend that she is...She hasn't looked at the guide or finished it yet, instead just complains about the endings she did get.

As for the review...

It's a Otome game so you have a lot of men that you can fall in love with, and as with everything you should find the guy that makes you heart bump and try to please him. For me that was Hijikata.

Commander of the Shinsengumi

Yeah he does look like that typical tsun-pretty boy that all the girls clamour for but I actually enjoy his depth a lot and how you see that cold side melt or rather gradually fall apart. Also Hijikata's route is the longest out of all the routes since he's actually our "main male" as far as Otomate is concerned.

There isn't much to the gameplay as it's just a VN and it's a little bit interesting playing them on the PS3 but I can see why this is a good way to market the game to a bigger audience than just a computer, where even less of a female market is there.

Story wise, Hakuoki is expanded on again in this version with the Stories of the Shinsengumi added in with also the fandisk SSL stuff (Sweet School Life). For me these little bit of extras were the main reason for me to purchase the PS3 version of the game even though I have the PSP version (which was the first one to come out in the US).

I can honestly say this isn't for everyone, but if you like VNs Hakuoki's story isn't a bad one on its own, without the romance, and the actual romance itself paces at a realistic rate (as far as anime things go) and more supplemental information is added with the Stories of the Shinsengumi extras which leads to even more realistic feelings of the male characters and the lead female as well.

It's an interesting story that is vastly superior in VN form than its anime counterpart. If you're going to chose one or the other, I suggest the VN if anything.