J!-ENT
Asian Entertainment News and Pop Culture

GAME: Dragoneer’s Aria

CONSOLE: Sony PSP

Developer: Nippon Ichi/Hitmaker

Publisher: NIS America

When I first wrote my first impressions of “Dragoneer’s Aria”, I have to be truthful that I was not feeling it.

After reading article, after article from Japanese online video game sites, I was very excited due to the character designs by Jun Jeong (of “Lineage” fame) but upon playing the first hour, I was surprised by the lack of any major cut scenes and how difficult the game seemed to be.

But I persevered and I started to really enjoy the gameplay and it seemed that things were coming together for the storyline and having beaten the game after putting possibly around 40 hours, here is how I felt about the game.

STORYLINE:

“Dragoneer’s Aria” is a story about a young Dragoon named Valen who is graduating from his school and preparing to embark in his career to defend the dragons in the world. As Valen prepares for his graduation, the black dragon Nidhogg attacks the city of Grandis and you learn that the black dragon is the legendary evil dragon that is aimed at destroying all the current dragons. Teaming up with an empath named Euphe, both she and Valen go on an adventure to protect the dragons from the evil black dragon.

GRAPHICS:

Compared to the current Japanese RPG’s that have been released for the PSP such as “Jeanne D’Arc” and “Brave Story” which have beautiful graphics, I was a bit surprised by the look of the game. On the Japanese sites, I thought the character designs were stylish and figured the game was stylish. There were no great looking cut scenes in this game, pretty much the main graphics of the game serves as the same graphics for the cut scenes in the game.

Fortunately the game has a bit of humor and an interesting storyline to help keep you interested in the game.

GAMEPLAY:

“Dragoneer’s Aria” is a turn-based RPG game where each character has the ability to use a dragon orb (Fire, Water, Thunder, Frost and Earth) which gives them two dragon attacks. One powerful single attack and one mass attack. Each dragon attack grows in level with each use.

Throughout the game you discover “lusces” which are items such as heal, resurrect, purify, etc. that grow each time you use it.

When attacking (normal attack) or guarding an attack, your character builds “mana” which is indicated by a bar on your top left. Mana is what allows your character to use dragon attacks, lusces or special moves.

As for guarding, guarding features a roulette style of play where you see gray crystals and within those crystals are five red crystals. By stopping the roulette marker on all red crystals makes the opponents attack miss, but whether you mess up or do well, your guarding builds up and the roulette becomes a bit easier.

As mentioned, the game is “turn-based” but not like “Final Fantasy” or other RPG games that when your group attacks, then it’s the other enemies turn. In “Dragoneer’s Aria”, although turn-based, the enemies can make their turn of attack anytime after or before your character makes their move which adds a bit of a challenge to the game.

CRAFTING:

A Nippon Ichi game would not be complete without some kind of fusing, alchemy or crafting of a weapon. In “Dragoneer’s Aria”, the items you get from beating an enemy and opening a chest combined with a weapon or armor can be fused with an item(s) and create an even stronger weapon or defensive gear. The only caveat is to use the higher level weapons and gear is to be at that level and that typically will mean fighting random battles to build your character to that level.

RANDOM ATTACKS OR CAN YOU WALK AROUND THE ENEMIES:

In “Dragoneer’s Aria”, you can walk around the enemy but if your level is weak, the monsters will chase after you.

There is no random battles but truthfully, you will spend time going in random battles because the enemies are tough and you want to build your level and your offensive attacks or defensive moves.

To help your movement in different areas, each character has a field skill. By selecting a character who you will control during the walk through an area of the game, you can activate their field skill. For example, if you have mana, a field skill can allow a character like Valen build up speed and run from the monsters quickly. For Euphe, she can heal the whole party while the field skill is activated. Mary can block monsters from a distance and like a shield, prevents them from coming close. Ruslan sets a transportation field and if a monster goes in it, they are transported somewhere far from you.

STRATEGY:

In “Dragoneer’s Aria”, the battles against certain bosses are long. Possibly the longest battles I have ever had for an RPG on the PSP. Strategy is literally going on random battles to build your character’s dragon attacks, heal/resurrect moves, Mary’s “mana boost” (builds your mana level if a selected character that you select, connects with their normal attack against the enemy) and Ruslan’s “cleanse” (which eliminates status effects).

Part of the problem of “Dragoneer’s Aria” is that because certain chests can be opened if your “lusce” attacks (or magic attacks) are up to a certain level. But the truth is that the “lusce” attacks are really ineffective and you spend hours building something that you will probably not be using all that much.

Also, because the enemies attack at certain moments despite being a turn-based RPG game, you will need to plan how to use mana effectively and what moves your characters uses.

The best strategy to give is spend hours on random battles to build your level and your offensive and defensive moves.

J!-ENT FACTOR:

Well, one of the coolest factors of the game being published by NIS America is that you get the English and Japanese voice acting. So, the option to select the audio is very cool!

One of the things that surprised me is the bishonen factor which many of the male characters look very female. The main character Valen looks very much like a woman in the character designs and is even made fun of and called a “pansy” by one of the characters.

Let me just say that “Dragoneer’s Aria” is a very fun game that I enjoyed playing from beginning to end.

I was a bit surprised of how much leveling up I had to do to build my character to levels that would last against a powerful monster(s) or a major boss or entity. I highly dislike random battles but in this case, you will seek certain monsters and keep attacking and building your level of your character and their attacks.

After beating the game, the thoughts going through my mind is mainly disappointment in the storyline.

“Dragoneer’s Aria” stays true of heroes to the rescue but the game suffers from uneven pacing in the storyline. The storyline of “Dragoneer’s Aria” is fun and lighthearted and also humorous at times but the ending really puts a damper on the game.

There is a relationship factor that draws you in between the two characters Valen and Euphe but at the finale, the build up of the relationship goes nowhere. Instead, the relationship of Valen turns toward his friendship with his best friend.

The build up of relationships disappear and you get storylines that just literally reeks of bad pacing.

Another factor that I didn’t like is how people in the game stay in the same area day and night, saying nearly the same thing over and over and you could only wish that they gave movement to the characters of the game and not have them standing day and night in the same place.

But all in all, “Dragoneer’s Aria” is an enjoyable game. I loved the game mechanics and also enjoyed the challenge of the difficult enemies and holding my own to beat them.

Is it a great game? No. It has its problems when it comes to storyline pacing and the battles are long and for beginning RPG gamers, this game might be too difficult.

Also, when it comes to the use of magic, unfortunately, there is no reason to build your magic after the first few hours of the game (because some chests require you to be at a certain level to open them) and the lusces become obsolete (with the exception of the heal and resurrect lusces) that you mainly focus on building your dragon attacks, your character level or skills.

Unfortunately, with awesome Japanese RPG’s released for the PSP within the past two months, “Dragoneer’s Aria” may get lost in the shuffle but if you do give it a try, the game may be to your liking.

Tags: Dragoneer's Aria, Sony PSP

“May seem uninteresting but actually is a very fun game/simultor.”

Densha de Go! Pocket (Yamanote Line/Yamanote-Sen Hen) is the first Tokyo train game and the first “Densha de GO!” game from Taito for the PSP.

One of the highlights of the game is the ability to be a driver or a conductor as you drive passengers (and pick up passengers) to various destinations in the Kanto region such as Shibuya, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, Akihabara and around 30 stations.

I know many of you may be wondering why? Why a train game/simulator. I know, it’s hard to fathom of why even purchase a game about train simulations. But believe me, it’s fun (especially if you miss Japan and miss riding on the train to go to certain stops in Tokyo - I know…it sounds rather Japanophile geeky).

But with enjoyable gameplay, it may not be for everyone but if you give it a try, it will attract those who are interested in trying something that is very Japanese culture-based but at the same time, enjoyable to play or a person who is missing the riding of trains in Tokyo (like I do).

There are several modes in this game:

DRIVER’S WORK: Your role is to drive the train to each destination in the given time and taking care of your passengers (ie. not braking too fast and have your passengers falling on each other).

CONDUCTOR’S WORK: Your role is to make sure the train goes to the right destination and you signal the correct time for the announcement. More or less a way to watch the train drive to destination from outside of the train in different camera modes.

DRIVER’S ROOM: Your stats

BUSINESS CARD EXCHANGE: This will allow you to trade business cards (think of it as a trading card) with others who own the game to play different trains they have accessed via wireless.

MUSEUM: Train Introduction and videos that you have unlocked

OPTIONS: Sound, Display and Controller settings

Starting off as a driver, your goal is to maintain the speed of the train (a indicator on the bottom right screen tells you of upcoming speeds (KMPH) that your train will need to be and also utilizing the brakes. The goal is to make it to your destination (the next stop) and stop exactly where the indicator says you have to stop. Go passed it or way before the stop area and you will receive negative points. Brake to hard and do something crazy and you will injure your passengers.

You start off with figures that represent your passengers (a total of 10) and you have to make sure you don’t lose them all. By missing a stop or by braking too quickly, you will lose passengers and when you lose them all, your game ends. Fortunately, you can continue and start over.

You start off with three levels. The first is a tutorial, the second is where you need to complete around 8 stops and the next is where you need to complete around 4 stops. With each level, you get to operate different trains, in different weather conditions.

By successfully completing your stops and beating a stage, you earn money which can be used to buy new levels in the game. Otherwise, you replay the stages you played to earn the money needed to access the next level.

Also, by doing well, you will be able to access several bonuses and videos.

As conductor, it is very different. It’s actually quite easy. The main goal of the conductor is making sure you announce the right stops. This may be difficult for non-Japanese readers or those not familiar with the Japan because you are told where to go, then given a map, you will need to select the area where you are going. Fortunately, the instruction booklet has the translation of the city stops (or you can select via direction pad and guesstimate the cities quickly). Otherwise, the main reason for this mode is to watch the train from the outside (overhead or sideways) as it is driving towards a destination.

GRAPHICS:

The graphics are very well done. I played the original PlayStation version and the PSP version is such a big leap in terms of graphics. How they captured the buildings, trees and local areas around the station while riding the train is beautiful. Only in Conductor’s Work Mode, will you see something which I didn’t like which was the people at the station. They are photo cutouts of people waiting. I wished that Taito would add possibly several 3D characters waiting or moving around the station like real life than just photo cutouts of people that are just standing there.

SOUND:

The audio in this game makes the game very much appealing. Hearing the music of the station before boarding to the female voice explaining about procedures for people to leave the train and much more. Also, the conductor talking about upcoming stops and much more. Just like riding a real train around Tokyo.

CONTROLS:

In Driver’s Work: Controls are actual very simple. Directional pad up and down to control speed and square button to break and X button to release breaks. That’s pretty much it. In Conductor’s Work, direction pad selects the stops you are announcing and the shoulder buttons will be used to play the audio needed when riding the train.

USER FRIENDLINESS TO NON-JAPANESE READERS:

The game is actually very user-friendly for Driver’s Work mode. Although the tutorial is an animated character explaining the game, diagrams and arrows telling you to press a button to break or to speed up is pretty self-explanatory. For Conductor’s Work mode, it may seem unnerving at first if you have to select a city when the map comes on. Fortunately, you have seconds (enough time) to quickly guesstimate the stop that you are going to next by selecting stops on the map as quickly as possible.

“Densha de Go! Pocket – Yamanote Line” is a very enjoyable game for the PSP. It’s really hard to promote a game like this for American video gamers and will appeal to those who enjoy trains and want a simulator or those like myself who reminisce about being in Japan and riiding the JR trains everyday to get to destinations.

In terms of gameplay, Driver’s Work mode sounds easy because the controls are simple but in actuality, it takes some patience and additional play to learn where to calculate your breaking as you try to stop in an exact area at the station without having your passengers rock around and fall (an indicator of people falling shows if you have done that). At times, I felt that I would receive a fantastic rating by landing in the exact spot to find that I went over the stop area by just a wee inch and that can be a bit unnerving.

For Conductor’s Work mode, it’s very simple; you only have a few things to do. With only a few clicks of a button for the right stop and at the right time and the beginning and of arrival or departure, that’s it. The main purpose of this mode is to watch the train travel from overhead or sideways and watch as it reaches the station.

Nevertheless, this game does what the game is intended to do. Operating major trains throughout Tokyo and stopping around 30 stations while maintaining happy passengers and getting them to their destinations in time. For me, it’s more of a nostalgic feeling of riding a train to various locations and Tokyo (minus the large crowds) and thus making it enjoyable.

PROS:

+ A train simulator going through major stops through Tokyo and with nice graphics and sound, it’s like riding in the train.
+ You can play the driver or the conductor
+ Ability to open up new routes and bonuses
+ Business cards allow trading of trains with people who have the game
+ Driver’s Work mode is pretty user-friendly for non-Japanese readers
+ Quick load up time
+ Experiencing the ride through Shibuya and busy areas without having to experience the crowdedness in real life.

CONS:
- Although the control scheme is simple, maintaining happy passengers and breaking exactly in the stop areas of the station is a challenge.
- Wireless trading is great but chances of finding people living outside of Japan owning the game may be a bit rare.
- Conductor’s Work mode maybe a challenge for non-Japanese readers or people familiar with the stops.
- In Conductor’s Work mode, I wish there are people moving around instead of photo cutouts of people in line waiting for the train.
- For people who want negligence in the forms of bad accidents, you are not going to find it in this game. This is not Burnout Legends.
- BEING NITPICKY: Taito’s opening theme sounds and looks like it came from a Japan Railways training video.

Tags: Densha de GO! POCKET - Yamanote Line, Sony PSP

Oh my! What is up with the flood of Japanese RPG’s for the PSP all within the last month? “Tales of the World”, “Riviera”, “Brave Story”, “Jeanne D’ Arc” and “Dragoneer’s Aria”?

For the Japanese RPG junkie that I am, ughh…this is too much goodness and with “Persona 3″ on my current play on my PS2, “Etrian Odyssey” and “Luminous Arc” on my DS, which game should I try first for the PSP?

So, with the other games receiving great reviews, I decided to play “Dragoneer’s Aria” because frankly Dengeki Online and Famitsu has been promoting this game and I’m a fan of Nippon Ichi games, so that being said, let’s start off with a few first impressions of the game.

FIRST GLANCE:

“Dragoneer’s Aria” is Nippon Ichi’s entry to 3D RPG’s. Teaming up with Hit Maker again (they worked together for “Blade Dancer” for the PSP), the story is about Valen Kessler, a graduate of the Lagoon Academy and preparing for his graduation ceremony. Dragoon’s are there to protect the dragons and all of a sudden, the evil Black Dragon thought to be incarcerated is wreaking havoc and destroys part of the city of Granadis.

Forget the graduation ceremony, Black Dragon wants to off all the dragons and Valen is ordered to go on his first mission to search and protect the red dragon. Along with a empath (or elf-like character) named Euphe, both go on their first mission.

At first glance, the graphics reminded me of “Final Fantasy VIII” quality (that is if you were to put that disc in and watch it on your PS2). Also, the cut scenes were not animated pre-rendered. As you walk around Granadis, you see people who are staying the same position every day, saying the same things over and over again. For me, I dislike that.

Needless to say that at first glance, I was disappointed because with all the artwork for “Dragoneer’s Aria”, I wanted to love this game.

But fortunately, once playing the game for hours, I started to enjoy it.

Similar to other Nippon Ichi games which involve alchemy of some kind, “Dragoneer’s Aria” uses recipes to build weapons, items, orbs, etc. Sure, you can buy weapons and items but you can make them too. But to use a certain weapon, you have to be at a certain level.

As for the battles, there are no random encounters. You walk and see the enemies and you can bypass them or touch them to initiate the battle. As with all RPG games, I will spend a good amount of time just fighting to build my characters levels. In this case, I spent three or so hours trying to get each person at level 10.

But surprisingly, I learned that some chests could only be opened if you use a magic item enough times to build its level, then the chests would open.

So, during battle, you have a standard attack. Each regular attack or guard (block) builds mana (a bar on top indicates your mana level).

When you have enough mana, then you can utilize special attacks or magic.

Then there is “lusce”. A lusce is an item you find that you can equip on a characters accessory. So, if you obtain a lusce that deals with fire, water, healing, these are added to your magic skills. You can equip up to 3 or more lusche but when you use these magic skills, they build up overtime.

Thus to make things a little more complicated to the game, when attacking an enemy and if you do have strong mana levels, Valen for instance can use one of his killer dragon attacks and build that, build his rush attack or use a magic spell and build that.

The problem is that these enemies are not all easy (especially if you did not build your characters to a high level). Your first thought is to use Valen’s dragoon attack because it takes so much HP out of an enemy. But then you realize that you can’t open certain chests because your magic doesn’t have enough luminesce (ie. you aren’t using the magic enough). So, I spent the next hour fighting enemies but only using magic, so I can get them high enough to be on level 2. My impression is if you use the level 1 magic around 10-14 times in a battle, you will then get the magic to level 2. To make matters worse, while your dragoon attack or regular attack can shave off hundreds of HP from an enemy. Using your magic at level 1 shaves off less than a hundred HP.

Every attack that you do in a game, builds that attack. But when it comes to magic, certain chests can be opened only if you use it many times.

For many Japanese RPG games, that is something you don’t have to worry about. You equip a magic or special move, you’re set to go.

Not for “Dragoneer’s Aria”. You have to think wisely of what attacks you are going to do and what you thought was great because there are no random battles, you end up searching for enemies so you can build the level for that attack or magic.

And then there is guarding. Early on in the game, your character is going to get attacked (paralyzed and poisoned) and beaten to the point that you wish you spent money on healing potions. Fortunately, you can guard and depending on the buttons you press, you can minimize the damage from a large attack against you.

CONTROLS:

X is the main button you will be using. Square utilizes a characters field skill. For example, if you hit square with Valen, he runs at a fast speed and builds field skill. If you switch Euphe to be the leader, then she will build the teams HP when you hit square. Of course, the field skill only lasts for a short time. And basic controls for the character via the nub or direction pad.

J!-ENT FACTOR:

I love NIS America when they give you the chance to choose from English or Japanese dialogue. I will say that the Japanese translation to English for subtitling, translators decided to not translate certain parts that a character says and no subtitle is shown. Possibly done for pacing and storyline comprehension, not sure.

As for the characters, this game does go through the extreme of making men more bishonen (men with female characteristics) the extreme. Character designs were from Ju-no Jeong (Lineage). The main character Valen, in the beginning I thought he was a she. Long blonde hair, beautiful eyes and pouty lips and then when the character talked… needless to say, was surprised that the character was a “he”. And interesting enough, one of the other dragoons (Lucien) call him a “pretty boy”, although Lucien also is quite bishonen.

FIRST GLANCE JUDGMENT:

I’m several hours into the game and passed the fire dragon level and now in the snow level. I enjoy the game because it is different and challenging at the same time. Although there are no random battles, because you need to build your characters attacks, you end up searching for battles.

The storyline is fun and at first glance, I was a bit disappointed but the more I played, I realized how much I enjoyed the game because of its little intricacies. Also, this is not for beginning RPG players. This is a game that you want to build and level up your characters because there are some enemies (non-bosses) that are quite powerful.

The thing is NIS America released games are not cheap and at $39.99, you probably may find yourself asking if you want “Tales of the World”, “Riviera”, “Brave Story” or “Jeanne D’ Arc” which received great reviews and can be found a bit cheaper at $29.99.

But truth be told, the character designs that I saw earlier hooked me at first glance and the game, I’m actually quite digging it.

But there is still a lot of the game to play and when completed, will give you the final judgment.

No tag for this post.

Ahh…another import fighting game for the PSP and it’s a “BLEACH” game based on the popular anime and manga series, my only hope that with all the new characters introduced in the series, that this one will not disappoint.

Before I go on, I have not watched all of the series, to tell you the truth, where the American series on Cartoon Network is on right now is where I last watched from the fan subbed copies I watched. I love the series and I’m a big fan of both the PSP and DS games. “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″ is focused on the manga storyline.

“BLEACH HEAT THE SOUL” is literally a fighting game which features the characters cel shaded and in a 3D environment. The first game sucked because there were only six characters. The second game was an improvement with a total of eleven characters and a cool mini game and I missed out on the third and figured that I didn’t want to purchase the same game over and over again but did like that it had 27 playable characters.

Fortunately, the 4th version features way more characters and better gameplay.

GAMEPLAY:

This time around you can play 51 characters (some are different versions of a character ala Ichigo, Rukia, Sado, etc.) and 19 support characters.

The modes are:

Character Master: This one is where you just pick a character, select two supporting characters and fight five battles. You earn points as you fight and these points will accumulate and open more characters in the game. The fighting is not free battle as there are conditions such as not using a certain button during battle or by performing a certain move.

Mission Mode: This is where you can play a character in an RPG style of way but relating to the series storyline. Another way of obtaining points to open things up for the game. If you are familiar with the manga or anime series, then this will make sense. Otherwise, if you have not watched or read the series, you’ll find yourself skipping the dialogue.

vs. CPU:

Your typical Time Attack, Survival Mode and Survive against 100 opponents.

Soul Vs.: Well, if you have a group of friends to play with wireless, then it’s all good but because you probably imported this game, chances are finding someone remotely close and owning the game is and playing against them will be rare.

CONTROLS:

For “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″, the controls are easy. Direction buttons and then triangle to jump, square to charge your Reiatsu meter, X to attack without weapon and circle to attack with weapon. With square and triangle, you can execute a soul blaze move which unleashes a fury of multiple attacks and you also have a special move (Reiatsu Ougi).

CHARACTER SELECTION:

As mentioned before, there are several versions of the character that you can play. For example, for Ichigo you can play his shinigami, shikai, bankai, hollow form. For other characters, you can play their normal character or EX form. EX is from the “Soul Society: Rescue Arc” (the third storyline arc) which many people are currently watching on Cartoon Network at this time (the storyline to save Rukia). Currently in Japan, the series is now on its sixth story arc known as Arrancar.

When selecting a character, you then have a choice ala Shinigami Soul, Vizard Soul and Arrancar Soul. Shinigami gives you a middle size reiatsu bar and the ability to use two support characters. Vizard gives you a short reiatsu bar, one support character and several attack and defensive options. Arrancar gives you no support character but a longer reiatsu bar and ability to steal reiatsu.

My personal feelings on fighting games with a lot of characters are positive if the characters have different moves and are different rather than just a different look and similar moves. “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″ features so many characters with each their different moves, that before I would say PSP or DS version, I would recommend the DS version. Now, because the enormous amount of characters from the series and the varied moves and fighting styles, the fourth PSP game has a good solid gameplay and replay value, I’m actually enjoying this 4th PSP game than the 2nd DS game (and I enjoy the DS game a lot!).

HOW DOES THIS GAME DIFFER FROM TEKKEN?

Well, Tekken is a game that I fell is great for competitive fighting and both the PS2 and PSP games are great to own. “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″ is a cool fighting game on the PSP. Let’s face it, not many anime games get respect from reviewers in the US because too many of them suck. “Dragon Ball Z” which was an awesome game to import way back then has now become the title that keeps churning each year with game after game for 15 years. From “Yu Yu Hashuko”, “Ranma 1/2″ to “Sailor Moon”, “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″ just is a better game and the sheer amount of characters and the new modes make this a game worth owning for the PSP.

“Tekken” was a cool game on the PSP but this latest iteration of “BLEACH” is definitely a cool game to own.

Now, there is a difference with the DS version. It’s like apples and oranges.

GREAT FOR BUSY GAMERS?

Totally. Matches are short and you don’t have to go through long cycles of battles on character mode. Now mission mode, there are quite a number of battles but then you can always put your PSP on sleep mode.

JUDGEMENT:

“BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″ is a very cool fighting game for the PSP, it sucks that the American market will not get this for some quite time since the American series is still quite behind from the Japanese series. But there is so much packed with this game that you can’t help but be happy about the sheer number of characters, the different modes and replay value.

The different soul options also gives the player a chance to learn how to play their character in a variety of ways. For those who enjoyed “Street Fighter Alpha 3″ and other fighting games for various fighting modes will dig this.

Now is it worth getting over the 2nd DS game? I actually recommend both. Both are two different types of games and both are awesome in their own right. But if you want a fighting game that is easy to understand, easy to get into, then I highly recommend “BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4″. You can’t go wrong!

Tags: BLEACH: HEAT THE SOUL 4, Sony PSP