Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

Grandia II My adventure into turn-based RPGs continues. I've already played Super Mario RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Chrono Trigger, and Evolution 1 & 2. Of those, Chrono Trigger is the best by a massive margin and the only one I'd even replay. The others are decent, but none of them turned me into a believer of turn-based combat. Grandia II, on the other hand, did exactly that. I would even go as far as saying that the combat in Grandia II is superior to Chrono Trigger's. It loses in every other area, but it wins in that one matter. I didn't know what to expect from Grandia II, but for the most part, it surpassed my expectations. There's one glaring flaw that makes me hesitant to replay it in the future, but aside from that, it's a very fun game that I can easily recommend, especially if you're into the genre. Exquisite Combat The combat system is very well thought out. I've praised Chrono Trigger...

Visions of Mana I adored both Secret of Mana and Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 2 and Seiken Densetsu 3, respectively). They're not quite at the top of gaming mountain for me, but they're both enjoyable experiences worthy of multiple playthroughs. I haven't revisited them in years, but the first Secret of Mana remains my favorite by a small margin, largely because of its brighter color palette and catchier soundtrack. Visions of Mana is a welcome addition to the franchise and, while I wouldn't rank it above those classics, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable adventure in its own right. Gorgeous Visuals Let me start off by mentioning how spectacular the visuals are. This is exactly how I envisioned a 3D Mana game to be. It's bright, colorful, and the cartoon style is an absolute slam dunk. The environments are lush and bursting with color. Each area has a distinct identity. The vibrant green grass and tree ...

Fable As young Xbox teen, I was among many that where hyped about this game. The creators of Fable promised the moon on a stick and certainly did not deliver. Initially, we where a bit dissapointed. Ultimately though, we had quite a lot of fun playing it. Overall, we where quite pleased with Fable, even if it didn'y quite live up to the expectations. Playing it back then was a pleasant experience. I recently replayed it and I still had a pleasant experience with it. However, it is showing signs of age. After the Hype Back in the day when I first obtained this game (I still refuse to believe it's been over 20 years ago), I was already deeply enamored with Morrowind. That's another game that's showing its age, but it's an obvious point of comparison before playing Fable. To my teenage brain, Morrowind was a sprawling world with numerous loc...

Witcher 3 It's difficult to believe this game was released over a decade ago. I left graduate school just a year prior and had just taken up teaching part-time at a community college. I had also taken up teaching full time at a high school that was populated by at-risk youth. Teaching college was my favorite job ever. Teaching high school was dreadful. There's no money in teaching, so dropping high school teaching was an easy decision. I did continue teaching college part-time. Unfortunately, there's very little money in it. Count me as one of those that was promised a high-paying job but didn't attain one after college. It wasn't exactly the best time in my life. My escape from feeling down on myself was of course PC gaming. That year, 2015, delivered two super fun games I escaped to: Fallout 4 and Witcher 3. Both are great, but Witcher 3 was on a whole new level. It cleaned up all the awards that year and is now regularly prais...

Super Nintendo Masterpiece I played this game after I played Terranigma; by several years, in fact. I first played Terranigma in the early 2010s and was instantly enamored by it. After many years, I played Chrono Trigger and was also instantly enamored. The reason why I hesitated for so long to play Chrono Trigger is because it's turn-based. I never liked turn-based combat and still don't. I will discuss this game's combat later. The Highest Praise Throughout high school and throughout college, everyone on the internet and in real-life heaped the absolute highest possible praise upon Chrono Trigger. It almost always appeared at the top of best-of lists. Some of my acquantances even opined that it was the greatest game of all time. I still didn't budge. It wasn't until I encountered a loose cartridge at a local retro game store for ninety dollars that I bought it and played it. I guess all the hype throughou...

Another Average RPG I reviewed Evolution: The World Sacred Device is a charming but average RPG. The sequel, Evolution 2: Far Off Promise, can described in exacty the same light. It's got pretty much the same set of characters with only a few additions. The story is different and, frankly, less interesting. The combat is almost identical. The only difference is that the enemy grid now has a fourth column. So, it's 4x3 instead of 3x3. The biggest change is that the dungeons themselves are no longer randomly generated. All except the practice tower contain fixed floor plans. That's it. Less Personality There is really not much to talk about. Only the story and setting is different. It takes place after the events of the first. Mag is traveling with the same friends from before. The addition of the pirate adds a little bit of extra charm as he turns over a new leaf once you face and defeat him in his hide out and becomes a...

Video Game Perfection I make it no secret that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is my favorite video game console ever. I really only enjoyed four consoles growing up: the SNES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Dreamcast, and the original Xbox. I was going to get an Xbox 360, but I became a guitar player just before it was released and blew whatever money I saved on super sweet Jackson Warrior along with a 100 watt amp. The SNES is easily my favorite console and Terranigma is my favorite game on that console. So, Terranigma is my favorite game of all time. Yes, I'm putting it ahead of Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid. I'm even putting it ahead of my child and teenagehood favorites such as Contra III, Donkey Kong Country, Perfect Dark, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Morrowind, Half-Life 2, and Jet Set Radio. It's even better than latter day exploits such as Fallout: New Vegas and Witcher III. Every game I mentioned previous...