Pumpkin's Video Game Diary!

[Pumpkin]

So I had so much fun writing reviews for my top games list that I am going to do a video game diary!

How it will work:

• When I complete a game, I'll write up a review on it and post it here
• Reviews will be linked in this first post
• I will also write reviews of games I have played and completed before, but if I play it again, I won't post the same review twice.
  
  • Meaning: I'm replaying Final Fantasy XII, which I have played before, so when I complete it, I'll post a review in here. However, if I play it again after posting a review in this thread, I won't post another one
  
  
• Because I love characters so much, I'm going to do a big character session where I talk about each important character
• These reviews will focus less on why I like the game (or didn't like) and more on just general information, in case someone is ever interested in playing. There will be a paragraph at the end with how I would rate it
• There will also be a verdict. Possible verdicts (in order of best to worst): Loved it, Liked it a lot, liked it, it was okay, meh, didn't like it, hated it
• I will spoiler spoilers so there won't be any just floating around

Feel free to participate, or just read the games that interest you! This should be fun!

March to August 2015
Style Savvy Trendsetters
Atelier Shallie
Atelier Ayesha
Tears to Tiara II
Long Live the Queen
Kitty Powers' Matchmaker
Hyperdimension Neptunia PP
The Guided Fate Paradox
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club
Arcana Heart 3 Love Max!!!!!
Fading Hearts
Atelier Rorona Plus
Tales of Hearts R
fault milestone one
Persona 3 Portable
Virtua Fighter 4
Hyperdevotion Noire
Futurama
Tales of Graces f
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round
Scribblenauts Unlimited
BlazBlue Chronophantasma
Persona 4 Golden
King of Fighters XIII
The Simpsons: Road Rage
Suikoden IV
Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven
Umineko No Naku Koro Ni: Episodes 1-4
Tokyo School Life
Suikoden V
Doodle God
Dragon Quest IV
Ys: Memories of Celceta
Suikoden
September to February 2015/16
AquaPazza
Test Drive Unlimited 2 (Guest Review)
Doki Doki Universe
Illusion of Gaia
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
Suikoden II
Mass Effect 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Super Mario Bros. 3
Final Fantasy IX
Tales of Zestiria
Eternal Sonata
Tales of Vesperia
Conception II
Omega Quintet
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Civilization Revolution
Until Dawn
Mortal Kombat
Battle Arena Toshinden
CLANNAD
Life is Strange
March to August 2016
Bloody Roar 3
Threads of Fate
Dengeki Buno: Fighting Climax
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Super Mario Galaxy
Dragon Age: Origins
XCOM: Enemy Within
eden*
Emily is Away
Grandia II
To The Moon
Tomb Raider
If My Heart Had Wings
Time and Eternity
Little Big Planet
Senran Kagura: Estival Versus
Saints Row: The Third
Atelier Sophie
Virtue's Last Reward
Flower
Monster Loves You
HuniePop
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright
Undertale
planetarian
Tales of Xillia 2
Ar Tonelico Qoga
Always Sometimes Monsters
Heavy Rain
Bravely Second
Tomoyo After
The Sad Story of Emmeline Burns
Message Quest
The Walking Dead: Season 1
Muramasa Rebirth
A Link Between Worlds

Read Only Memories
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Eternal Senia
Golden Sun

Upcoming:
Dragon Age II
Mana Khemia
Pokemon X
Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion
The Fruit of Grisaia
The Legend of Dragoon
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II

[Pumpkin]

Style Savvy Trendsetters (Nintendo 3DS)
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In this game, your character becomes the owner of a fashion boutique. You make your character and name her whatever you want, and choose how she looks. You can unlock more and more clothing and hair styles as the game progresses, and can also change your characters makeup and bedroom.

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There are two main elements to the game: running the store and fashion contests. When running the store, you will select from the available list of customers, who will then make a request. Requests vary widely from one customer to another. For example, one may as for a girly skirt. One may ask for a whole luxury outfit. Some customers will just ask for something that suits their style, which you have to guess based on their clothing. There is a handy search function, allowing you to search clothing by brand, style, colour, budget, type, and some other things. Once you've selected something for the customer, you can either encourage them to try it on right away, leading to more happiness points, or suggest it to them, giving you up to 3 chances to select a different item if they don't like it. So encouraging them to try it on right away should be used when you're sure they'll like it, whereas suggesting should be used if you're unsure.

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The fashion contests give you a theme. From there you select a model and try to pick an outfit for her based on the theme. Then you also pick her hair and makeup. There are four contests: Beginner, Premier, Elite, and International, each being harder than the last. There are 10 different themes and prizes for each. Once you've completed all 10 themes, you can redo the contests for prize money.

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The game takes place during the month you're playing. So for example, if your 3DS clock says March, the game will be played in March and will change to April in April. This affects the fashions you can buy as well as requests. For example, in February, a lot of customers will not purchase an outfit if it doesn't come with a winter coat or other seasonally appropriate attire. But the game does have an in game time clock as well. The day will progress depending on your actions, with each day lasting about 10-30 minutes. There are four time frames, morning, day, night, and late night. The time affects what is available as far as outside activities. For example, the contests are only open at night.

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The store also has some other aspects to it. You can choose an interior decor, a window decor, and you can dress male and female mannequins, displaying one at a time. A customer can choose to buy an entire outfit from a mannequin. Another important aspect is the buyer's center. This center is where you purchase the clothing you'll sell in your store. The center has a number of different stores, each specializing in a certain fashion. More becomes unlocked as you proceed. You can only hold up to 1000 unique fashions at a time per gender when all of your storage is unlocked. You also get a copy of everything you buy added to your personal wardrobe. When you successfully sell to a customer, interact with someone, compete in a contest, shop, or do something for yourself, you gain happiness points, which unlocks new things.

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Aside from the main running the store, there are a few other things you can do. You can dress your own character as often as you like, get your hair and makeup done, get your picture taken, decorate your bedroom, go to the park or cafe or a few other areas, and have extra scenes with customers. There are hundreds of customers in this game, and sometimes they'll invite you to dinner or an event, which will be added to your schedule.

Characters of note (other than the avatar):

M9AfJ1v.jpgMichaela: She is your boss in the beginning of the game and the owner of the boutique
nh5V0aB.jpgEmmylou: Starts off as your coworker and becomes a competing stylist
KxKS4Ug.jpgAvery: A former fashion model who meets you at the contest hall
Tyfhl1x.jpgCeleste: The town hairdresser
gnCVC6o.jpgIngrid: Makeup artist for the town
QLyeQ2S.jpgDaphne: The greeter at the fashion center (and my personal favourite non-customer or avatar character)
EFNkvOi.jpgHarris: Owner of the furniture shop
i682DpA.jpgMC Mode: Contest host

Overall I love this game and it's a huge improvement from the original Style Savvy, although with a few things I missed. Really good if you like fashion games. If not, probably not for you!

Verdict:
LOVED IT

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This looks pretty similar to what my character looked like

[Pumpkin]

Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea (PlayStation 3)
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Story:
This is the third game in the Atelier Dusk series, following Atelier Ayesha and Atelier Escha & Logy. Atelier Shallie is about two young alchemists, both nicknamed Shallie. After the prologue, the player will get to choose which Shallie to play. Shallistera is a young woman from a small village that is suffering from a drought, due to the "Dusk", an event which is causing the world to basically rot. She travels to Stellard, the oasis city, in search of help. Shallotte is a young alchemist who isn't quite sure what she wants to do with herself yet, other than strike it rich and make a name for herself, although others don't always take her seriously. Through the game, you'll be uncovering secrets of the drought and the dusk and working to help others.

The game takes place over 10 chapters. The two character stories meet and combine around chapter 4-5, where you'll gain access to both alchemists to use. From there, the stories are more or less the same with only a few scene differences. The first 4 chapters are almost completely separate however. After clearing the game, you can go back and play as the other alchemist while keeping weapons, equipment, search items, and money. I recommend playing both to get a more complete story.

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Gameplay:
There are some new things in this game and some more familiar things for fans of the series. As usual, alchemy plays a large roll. You gather ingredients and mix them together to make items. Items range from healing to attacking to just making more ingredients to synthesize more stuff. Shallie also allows you to add attributes to the ingredients to make stronger items. A certain character, named Miruca, can imbue weapons and armor for you, which will allow you to synthesize stronger equipment and add certain qualities and attributes to them. So for example, with the right alchemy skills and ingredients, you can make a weapon that inflicts poison when attacking.

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This game is a turn-based RPG. Battles are fast paced and exciting. You can bring six characters with you with three in the frontlines. In battle, the 3 front characters can be switched out by any of the back 3 characters either by selecting swap under battle commands or by using support attacks or defense in battle. Your supporting 3 characters have a meter that builds up every turn, and when it's full, they can defend a character against an attack, bringing them in to that spot to attack, or they can add a second (or third or fourth) attack, also switching them in to the frontline spot. During battle, a burst gauge will fill up. When filled, attacks become stronger, and you can have all of your backrow characters add to a support attack if their meters are full, which will lead to special attacks. You can only do a single support attack when not in burst. As the game progresses, you also gain access to ultimate skills, which can be used when the skill bar fills up for the party. The Shallie's are the only characters who can use items in battle. Because of the support system, you essentially get to use 6 characters in battle, all of whom get swapped out regularly, and it makes the battle system engaging and fun.

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Requests can be accepted for extra money. These range from bringing certain items to battling certain foes. You can also shop for ingredients (or go gather them yourself) and buy synthesis books to gain more synthesis recipes.

The game has two main sections to progress. The first is the story section. During this time, you'll be given one or two specific tasks to complete before the game progresses. Afterwards is sort of a "free time". During the free time, there are two main things to do. The first is to check your goal menu (press select) and complete the various tasks for extra battle exp and other bonuses. These range from jumping a certain amount of times, fighting in certain areas, gathering certain things, synthesizing certain items, and many many more. The second are story goals. Once you complete enough of the story goals, the game will prompt you to move on to the next chapter when you return to your Atelier. The time limit of the previous PS3 entries in the series are gone, allowing you to progress the game and your own pace.

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World:
The game does a good job of making an interesting area with some beautiful locations, while also getting across the point that the world is going through the Dusk and this area is facing a drought. Travel is handled on a map, where you select a location and go to it. Some areas have only one screen and some have several.

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Characters:
Ordered from my favourite to least favourite:
l8HIqsY.pngMiruca: Younger sister of Jurie. Has an imbedding shop where she makes weapons and armor. In battle uses a sort of drill gun. She has both attack and support skills and can also heal. She's very shy, but also very blunt in her thoughts, although she doesn't always have the easiest time expressing her feelings.
zDVLceU.pngShallistera: One of the protagonists, she's a young alchemist trying to find a way to save her village from the drought. In battle she uses a bell and items. She has access to several unique attack items. She's the daughter of her village chief, and a bit naive. She feels like a fish out of water in the big city and isn't sure how to act.
iiU7eUk.pngWilbell: A returning character, she's a magician/witch traveling to gain the power of the spirits and work on her magic. She gets roped in to being Shallotte's "master". She attacks using a magic ring, and is one of the best support characters to help from the back lines. She can also heal. She's more mature than she was before, but still isn't the most serious person.
bTOPVNe.pngHomura: He is a homunculus treasure hunter. In battle, he acts as a samurai of sorts, and has a number of attack skills and status buffs. He has a pretty straightforward and simple approach to life and is very friendly.
DPhZlmb.pngShallotte: One of the main protagonists, she's not sure what to do with her life and is trying to save up some money and make a name for herself. In battle she attacks with a broom and can use items. She's outgoing and friendly, but people don't always take her seriously.
ogv5Qop.pngJurie: Miruca's older sister and an adventurer. In battle she uses daggers and has a lot of attack skills, as well as some that allow her to steal from the enemy. She has an interest and knowledge of many things, and she cares deeply about her younger sister. She's very outgoing.
SuFH9uN.pngKortes: A village member of Shallie's who cares greatly about her. He doesn't feel at home in the small village community. He fights with a spear and has a number of attack skills. He's very protective of Shallie, but wishes their village was more advanced than it is.
mwSwyjW.pngKeithgriff: An older gentleman alchemist searching for the truth about the Dusk. In battle, he uses magic attacks and has some strong magic skills. He's short and impatient and only cares about learning the truth of the world.

Overall:
So far my second favourite Atelier game. I was happy to see the timelimit gone, giving me more time to progress the game at my own speed. There's also a difficulty setting. The game is on the shorter side, which is okay considering there are two stories to play. It did get a bit repetitive towards the end, but overall it was fun and I really enjoyed it. A downside would be that certain things were not clearly explained, leaving me to figure them out on my own. Alchemy was made more involving and the battle system was excellent for keeping my attention and keeping me engaged.

Verdict:
LOVED IT

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[Pumpkin]

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk (PlayStation 3)
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Story:
This is the first game in the Atelier Dusk series. It follows a young apothecary named Ayesha, who's sister was "spirited away" a while before the start of the game. Going to gather ingredients one day, her sister appears before her momentarily before disappearing again. A mysterious man, named Keithgriff, instructs her to use alchemy to find her sister, who he says has about 3 years to live in her current state. Ayesha then goes on journey to find her sister and bring her back.

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Gameplay:
Atelier Ayesha is a mixture of RPG and time management game. The game is very time dependent, with most actions taking a certain amount of time to complete. Travel will take days, as will alchemy, and doing things like gathering and fighting will take portions of a day. While in towns, talking, shopping, and events will not consume time. The game has a time limit of 3 years to accomplish the goal of finding Ayesha's sister. If you succeed before that time, the rest of the time is left free to do character quests or whatever else the player chooses. Requests can be completed, allowing the player to earn extra money and "memory points" which are used to gain bonuses at certain points in the game. There are also bazaar's every month, allowing the player additional places to shop. Twice a year there will be a contest where the player will try to present a rare item for prizes.

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Alchemy is a large part of the game. With alchemy, the player can make everything from attack items, healing items, accessories, or even more ingredients to synthesize better items. Recipes for alchemy can be found and bought. Ingredients for synthesis can be made through alchemy, bought, or gathered in different areas. Synthesis will consume a number of days, depending on the item and how much is made.

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Battles are turn based RPG. There are a total of 7 playable characters, some missable, and 3 can be used in battle at a time. To use a character you must speak with them in town to add them to your party. In battle, there is a bar to indicate who's turn is next. When a character has a turn, they can attack, perform skills, move to another area of the battlefield, or attempt to flee. Being an alchemist, Ayesha can also use items in battle. She is the only character who can do so. Characters can also support each other in battle, either by attacking or defending against an attack aimed at a different character. Once a character reaches level 30, they can also begin to perform special skills once their bar is full. The bar for special skills and for supporting are filled by acting or being attacked.

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World:
Travel is done on a map, where you will select a location to go before entering the location. It will also give you the number of days that will pass while traveling to the location. You can also see characters on the map, and if you move to their location you can speak to them and might trigger certain scenes. In fields and dungeons, the player can gather materials and fight battles. In towns, the player can shop, save, synthesize, and other things. The world itself is diverse enough, with some bright areas, and some desolate and lonely areas.

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Characters:
Ordered from my favourite to least favourite:
ci0xGSJ.jpgLinca: A swordswoman with a mysterious past. She knows only battle and is taken care of by a woman named Marion. She means well, but is a bit clueless about everyday life. She joins as a bodyguard for Ayesha. She fights with a large sword and is a heavy hitter.
ho5Ck91.jpgWilbell: A young witch in training. She's quick to excite, she doesn't think things through, and she wants to become rich in a flash. She's also spunky and fun to be around. She fights with a broom and has a lot of magical attacks.
wwC73mT.jpgAyesha: An apothecary turned alchemist on a quest to save her sister. She's naive but caring and charming. She never wants to be in the way and she likes helping her friends. She's the protagonist and can synthesize and use items in battle.
4vwkhhd.jpgRegina: The tomboy of the group who works as a prospector, fighting off monsters and exploring ruins. She's pretty responsible overall.
dm7fnlT.jpgNio: Ayesha's sister who went missing. She loves flowers and really looks up to her older sister.
Vfta2wL.jpgJuris: A man who is very quiet, straightforward, and protects his sister with his life. He doesn't take well to people, but he has a good heart.
LoZ42ec.jpgKeithgriff: A man with a passion for alchemy and the study of ancient times. He's investigating why the world is in decay. He knows how to rescue Ayesha's sister, but wants her to figure it out on her own merits. Standoffish and cold.

Overall:
This game has so far been my least of the PS3 games, and I only have Rorona left to play. That isn't to say it's not a good game. The opening is amazing, the world and story are interesting, our heroine is likeable and has the cutest outfit ever. The time limit was a bit less strict than in the games before it, but much more strict than the games after it. It's easy to feel the pressure as the days press forward and you're not sure where to go or what to do. The characters were memorable and likeable, and the story itself was very sweet. There are multiple endings based on what you've accomplished, as well as which characters you've built up your relationships with, adding to replayability. I plan to play it again, but not without a walkthrough next time.

Verdict:
LIKED IT

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[CimminyCricket]

DISGAEA?!?!?!?!?!

[Pumpkin]

Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord (PlayStation 3)
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Story:
I want to start by saying that this game and it's story was nothing like I expected it to be. The art style is typical anime, they have adorable battle sprites, the environments are overall bright, and it has a silly sense of humour. So I was surprised to find that the story itself is actually pretty serious and heavy. It deals with a lot of mature themes, such as death, cannibalism, revenge, blood lust, corruption, the darker side of organized religion, forced slavery, kidnapping, betrayal, torture, genocide, and literal brainwashing. The story does have it's more lighthearted scenes, but overall it is a serious story. I should also note that there are some translation issues, but you should still be able to understand conversations based on context.

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Tears to Tiara II is a political fantasy based on the Punic wars. As such, it explores a lot of history, a lot of it Roman and Catholic. It is a sequel to a visual novel, although you don't need to have played the first to play this one. The story starts with our hero, Hamil, playing the fool to avoid being used in a rebellion against the evil empire, who is mistreating the people. But one day, a woman claiming to be the Goddess of Ba'al, Astarte, descends and presents herself to Hamil. When she is kidnapped by the empire and threatened with death, Hamil has had enough of the violence and humiliation and takes a stand. He forms a pact with the blood thirsty God of War, Melquart, in exchange for the power to save his people. From there he plans a rebellion against the evil Empire and the Divine Order controlling it.

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Gameplay:
This game is a combination visual novel and strategy RPG. This means you will be watching many scenes, taking a break only to buy new stuff or to fight in strategy battles. Unlike a lot of visual novels, however, you can't save at any time during scenes, only when the scenes are over, in between or during battles, or at certain prompted times.

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Battles take place on a grid and each battle has a certain objective. These range from "annihilate enemy forces" to "survive x amount of turns" to "reach the destination". They'll also have different defeat conditions and bonus conditions, which if fulfilled, will give you bonuses after the battle is won. You choose which of your characters to use in battle, although some battles have mandatory characters, and different battles have different character limits. Meaning in one fight you might only get to use 8 characters while in the next fight you get to use 12. On your turn you move your characters and select actions for them to do, such as attacking the enemy or using magic. There is also an elemental wheel, showing you which magics are effective against which. There's a wide range of playable characters so you can choose which you enjoy using more. Grinding is also possible as you can revisit maps you've previously cleared for extra points and money. You can buy items and equipment and synthesize equipment as well. After battle you'll receive a grade for the battle, which increases your winnings. There are three difficulty settings for different play styles.

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World:
Being the type of game it is, the world is not fully explorable. Instead, you'll only see it through scenes or in battles. With that being said, the battle maps are often diverse and interesting, providing you with different challenges through the game. The world map, where you pick your destination, bears a striking resemblance to a certain area...

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Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite
a37YKnd.pngCharis: A little girl and priestess to Tarte and Hamil. She's very cheery and positive. She serves mostly as a healer in battle, although she can charm enemies and ride certain beasts.
378DYDN.pngDaphnis: Servant to Elissa, he dresses as a woman to be able to follow her better. He's intelligent and loyal, but a bit modest and shy. He's an archer.
4HLTzEi.pngKleito: Kleito's true form is a dragon of the Dragon Tribe, and she serves as the guardian for the main fortress of our heroes. She's very mischievous and playful, but serious when she needs to be. She uses a lot of offensive magics.
ISa5LBA.pngEnneads: Sarcastic and casual, but the brains behind a lot of the operations. In battle he uses offensive and healing magics.
MZXwLs1.pngTarte: Claiming to be the Goddess Astarte of Ba'al, she is devoted to Hamil and his cause of overthrowing the evil Empire. She fights with a large sword and can transform in to the Goddess Tanit in battle.
HnfGFfM.pngElissa: A noblewoman of a trade city, she's very passionate and cares deeply about others. In battle she uses a giant hammer to deal massive damage.
KkxWtrJ.pngHamil: Of the famous Barca family, he is fighting against the evil Empire and it's injustices. He formed a pact with the blood thirsty Melquart and can transform in to him in battle.
z4GpKxd.pngSaul: Patrols the border and maintains relations with the tribes people. He's been in many battles and seen many things he wishes he never saw. He uses a heavy sword for heavy damage in battle.
hzi4dWo.pngArtio: The daughter of the Chief Tribesman, she's got a fighting spirit and a stand out attitude. She's very mobile and agile in battle.
BKk00tu.pngAemilia: A technocrat from the empire. Very arrogant and prideful and thinks of herself as a genius. She uses daggers in battle for long range attacks.
3Blq7aZ.pngMonomachus: A battle hardened warrior and a soldier to his core. He is gruff and always wanting to take action. He uses a spear in battle.
vrN7GzU.pngIzabel: Previous adviser to Hamil's father, she betrayed him and was given a lot of power in the empire. Manipulative and psychotic. She uses a spear and magic in battle.
lbiV2NL.pngLaelius: Izabel's lapdog and very loyal to the empire. He believes strongly in honour. He fights with a sword.
Vw2uztl.pngDion: A young, cowardly womanizer who wants to one day become a great sage so he can get all the babes. He uses a bow in battle and can use a number of status buffs.
yW7QqyX.pngGolyat: A former companion of Saul's, he is always itching for a battle and is a very strong opponent. He uses a large hammer in battle.

Overall:
This game is not what I expected it to be, and at first I was rather meh about it because of that. But the story picked up the further in I got and not to long in, I started to love it. The characters have depth, the story has depth, and I even learned some history from it. It also provides some good lessons to think about, and I always like when a game makes me think. I had the game and easy and even that started to get too hard by the end, so the harder difficulties might be quite a challenge. It's fun to play, it's got a good story, and some awesome characters. What's not to like?

Verdict:
LOVED IT

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[Ayen]

Welcome to the world of video game critique. Fun, isn't it? Nice rating system.

[Pumpkin]

Long Live the Queen (Steam)
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In Long Live the Queen, you play as fourteen year old Princess Elodie, shortly after the death of her mother. She needs to prepare to become Queen by studying hard, impressing the right people, and not dying in one way or another.

This game has a few elements to it. It goes by week. Every week you will pick two things for Elodie to study. They can be the same two things in a row. Elodie will then gain points towards that particular skill depending on her mood. By checking the Skills menu, you can see what skills Elodie has and at what rate she will learn the skill for that week. If the skill has a +0.00 next to it, she will gain 10 points towards it that week. If it has a higher number she will gain more points and if it has a lower number, such as -0.02, you could be wasting your time. Skills will affect how the game plays out and what options become available to you, so it's important to choose wisely and make use of your bonuses.

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You can check Elodie's mood for the week on the Mood menu. Mood's will affect which skills get bonuses and penalties. Moods can be changed in a few ways. Some are through story events, some are through decisions you make. The main way to have control over your moods is through weekend activities. Each activity will show a certain mood, such as Lonely +1 or Cheerful +1, which will affect her mood for the following week. Moods work in kind of a tug of war. For example, Cheerful and Depressed work in opposition to each other. So the more Cheerful Elodie is, the less Depressed she is. Afraid and Angry work in the same way, etc. So you can boost your Cheerful by selecting an activity of Cheerful +1 OR by selecting an activity with Depressed -1.

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As the weeks go on you will face certain story events and be given selections. These will affect the outcome of the game. As the story plays on, you'll have skill checks which will also affect the game. So for example, a scene might test you for archery and if you fail, you could be killed. If you pass, you'll live to continue. Some skill checks are much less important. Because of this, you can replay the game many times focusing on different skills and getting different outcomes to the events. If you have certain skills high enough, you might also gain new options to select when prompted that will lead to story that you otherwise wouldn't have seen.

As you learn more skills, you can also unlock different outfits. The outfits will give you a large boost to your skills, not just when learning, but also when a skill check comes up. These can be a life saver when you're short on a certain skill. But don't worry about always saving your life, this game rewards you for all the different possible deaths by giving you various different trophies, adding to the replay value of seeing how many ways you can get yourself killed.

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The game is successfully completed once you've survived your coronation, which depends on a variety of factors. There's many different ways to reach this end goal, so if you prefer magic stories or military ones, there's more than one way to become the Queen. It's also fun to try and see how many different ways you can get to the end goal.

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Overall this was a fun game, but it can get a bit repetitive trying to figure out when you need which skills. With that being said, a full playthrough doesn't take very long at all, like an hour from start to finish, so it doesn't take up too much time to figure everything out.

Verdict:
LIKED IT

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[Fox]

Aaaah, Long Live The Queen! Quite possibly my favourite Unfortunate Princess Demise simulator to date. Shame about the messy interface, it was a chore to decipher at times. Worth it for all the chibi death drawings alone though.

[Pumpkin]

Quite possibly my favourite Unfortunate Princess Demise simulator

Is.... is this a genre?

[Ayen]

I got this game in one of the charity bundles online that was giving money to help women become game developers. I still haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Was saving it for a Women's Month or whenever I felt like playing it.

[Pumpkin]

Kitty Powers' Matchmaker (Steam)
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Kitty Powers' Matchmaker is a silly little matchmaking game, not at all meant to be taken seriously. It's filled with sometimes groan worthy jokes and puns, but overall it has a nice sense of humour and it's easy to get a chuckle out of.

In this game, you play a matchmaker. You create your own avatar and give them a personality profile, which can be used by other random people playing the game to try to match you with some people (if you want). Likewise, some clients will be other people's avatars as well. As you match more people successfully, you will gain levels, which will give you more stuff. You gain money to unlock several things, such as more restaurants, a place to change your client's appearance, and more pages in your matchbook so you have more options for your client. As you level up, you will also be able to do things like kick out a trouble customer, advertise in different areas to get different client types, unlock different personality traits, and get more difficult customers to try and match up.

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The first thing you do is pick a client. You'll have at least one person in line, but can have up to three. Once you've selected your client, they will give you some information about themselves. The information starts with their occupation, astrological sign (some customers care about this, others don't), sexual orientation (there are gay and bisexual clients), what colour eyes and hair they like, and 3 interests. Kitty will then give them a type, such as 'geeky' or 'hippy' or 'glam' or whatever. As you level up, you'll learn more about their personalities, such as if they're introverted or extroverted, traditional or modern, spicy or sweet, etc. Then you will refer to your list of people, browse their profile and decide a match. From there, you will go on a date. If you've unlocked the salon, you can change their appearance to make them more appealing to their match.

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After that, you'll choose a restaurant for them to go to. You unlock more restaurants as you level up and purchase them, and each has a difficulty rating of easy, medium, or hard. These will affect the difficulty of the date challenges. To choose a restaurant, they will each be shown and then "hidden" in an envelope, and swapped around. You then pick an envelope and see which restaurant you've ended up with. Some clients will only be pleased with more upscale restaurants. If your client is going on a second or third date with a match, make sure they don't go to the same restaurant twice! The game also has a cheat option for almost every activity to help you out, if you can afford it. There are a total of 12 restaurants and each restaurant you unlock will add a new date challenge.

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The date has three sections to it, each with two activities. The first activity is pulling the love handle to find a subject for your pair to discuss. When you pull the love handle, three options will come up, and you pick from one of them for the pair to talk about. Try to pick something they'll both enjoy. Sometimes when you pull the love handle, the same subject will come up more than once. Don't talk about the same thing more than once, and you can cheat by moving the roll up or down to discuss something different.

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The second activity is a random challenge you will receive, and there are a good variety of challenges. They range from your date going to the bathroom and changing something about their appearance, and you having to pinpoint what they changed, to figuring it out how much to tip the waiter. A few other challenges are: dealing with an ex showing up, playing a rock-paper-scissors flirting game, and playing the memory game, among many others. The date is complete once you've done 3 challenges and discussed 3 things from the love handle. You'll also have to order for your date at the beginning of the meal. If you choose a discussion that doesn't fit well with the pair, or you fail a challenge, you'll receive a strike. Three strikes and the date is over. At the end of the date, your client will tell you if they want to make the couple official, ask for another date, or just stay friends. The end goal is for them to become a couple, but you have to make sure the match is in to them to, or your client will end up being rejected, which will lower your reputation.

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Once you've successfully matched a pair, you'll get some good points, and later on they will send you a letter telling you how they've been. They could end up splitting, staying together, getting engaged, moving in together, getting married, or having kids. When you get this letter it will either raise or lower your reputation, and sometimes you'll receive a gift. So get out there and match up these cooky people and see how it goes!

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Overall this game is some lighthearted and silly fun and it's good for unwinding. It can get a bit repetitive if played straight for a while, but doing a few dates here and there has been a good mood booster for me, because it's actually really funny in an absurd way. I even played it with my boyfriend who also enjoys it and it had us both laughing with the sillyness of the whole thing. It's not a very serious game, but it is a lot of fun. My main complaint is how difficult some customers can be and you'll spend a lot of money trying to make the date go smoothly.

Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT

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[Ayen]

This woman has an exceptionally skilled dog.

[Pumpkin]

Hyperdimension Neptunia PP (Producing Perfection) (PS Vita)
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This game is a short little game that takes place in the Hyperdimension Neptunia universe. It isn't serious or story driven and more serves as a sim for people who enjoy the series to get to know the characters better and get to play a mini game. As such, I wouldn't recommend it to those who aren't familiar with the series, unless you're looking for something casual, silly, short, and lighthearted.

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In the Hyperdimension Neptunia universe, some of our favourite gaming systems have been turned in to anime looking attractive ladies. In this game, the ladies find themselves to be losing shares and powers because people are too busy obsessing over j-pop music group, MOB48. The ladies summon a producer, the player, to direct them in to becoming pop music idols and getting their shares back!

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This game has two main elements to it. The player will choose which of the four main characters to direct in to becoming a pop music icon. They then have up to 180 days to make them number one and get the most shares. The first aspect is a sim type situation, where the player will choose a variety of things to do during the day. The second is producing concerts.

The sim version is what will be played most. The player will choose an action for the character to do. A day will pass after an option is selected. Note that there are some days reserved for story events and those will pass without the player doing anything. There are a few main categories to choose from when deciding what to do for the day. The first is 'Work'. Work allows the character to promote themselves in some way, gaining more fans. Later in the game, you'll also be given an option to form a group with 1 or 2 other characters. The next is 'Lesson'. Lesson allows the character to improve their stats. The third is 'Relax'. This option allows the character to lower their stress (which can be raised by doing lessons or putting on concerts), interact with the player, or interact with other characters, which will raise friendship and affection levels. The player can also choose to 'Move' to another area and help another character, and at certain points, you'll be able to put on a 'Concert'.

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The concert version has a few steps to it. The first thing you will do is pick a stage to perform on, which song to perform, and which effects you would like to be able to use during concerts. Effects are set to Triangle, Square, or X. Effects will increase your performance, especially if used when the fans start cheering. They take time to recharge though. Afterwards, you can decide where on the stage to place the character, and decide their outfit and overall look. Afterwards, the player will watch them perform their concert while working the camera angles. The camera angles work with the d-pad. It has two sections to it. By pressing the left arrow, for example, the player will focus on the characters face. If they press the down arrow afterwards, it will zoom out of the face. If they press up, it will zoom in on the face. The player then has to press O to put the camera angle in to effect. Using different camera angles and switching them up often is crucial to a good performance.

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The game is won when the character chosen holds the most shares. They will receive a huge stat boost, and you can then start a new game. Stats and affection carry over in to the next playthrough. The game will also keep track of options you've chosen during conversations and highlight them in green, so you can choose to select different options afterwards.

Aside from the main story mode, called 'Producer Mode', the player also has a mode to put on concerts using things unlocked from Producer Mode. There is also a viewer mode where you can view the characters and their different outfits.

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Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite
lL0jhX2.pngVert: Vert represents the Xbox and is one of the characters the player can choose from. She is a mixture of proper lady in the way she speaks and presents herself, and neckbeard gamer, being obsessed with video games and playing them at every possible opportunity. She can be conceited.
WgUSjX8.pngNeptune: Neptune represents the Sega and one of the characters the player can choose from. She's very upbeat and playful, but also very lazy. She uses a lot of outdated slang and breaks the fourth wall quite often.
WVpu1Us.jpgRom: One of the little sisters of Blanc and twin sister of Ram. She is not playable. She's the quieter of the sisters.
sH9JdE6.jpgNepgear: Little sister of Neptune. Not playable. She loves spending time with her sister and can be quite naive. Very sweet.
JbHb0dF.jpgUni: Little sister of Noire. Not playable. Really looks up to her sister and cares about her, but can be very aggressive and rude.
3u2IFPg.jpgNoire: Noire represents the PlayStation and is one of the characters the player can choose from. She's very hard working and dedicated, but she hides her feelings under arrogance and bossiness.
8AZqOsO.pngBlanc: Represents the Nintendo and is one of the characters the player can choose from. She is usually very calm and quiet, but she has a short temper and will begin swearing and yelling very easily.
TBfIhAQ.pngRam: One of the little sisters of Blanc and Rom's twin sister. She is the more mischievous of the two and loves causing trouble.

Overall I quite enjoyed this game because I enjoy the characters in the series and I got to know them on a bit of a more casual level. It is very short and can easily be played through in a few hours, and if you enjoy it you can move on to the other characters. A negative would be that it has an unfortunate amount of fanservice, although that's not unexpected from the series. It has some cute humour and it's a fun casual game to play. It definitely isn't for everyone though, but if you enjoy those types of games, it's pretty fun.

Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT

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[Pumpkin]

Also!

I have now added an upcoming section in the first post. If they say soon next to them, those are the ones you can expect the soonest. The others are still a ways off :3