Case Closed Vol. 67 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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And a one.

Worldly Weekend: Final Fantasy II (NES/Famicom)

Not even one game later, and we've already arrived at Final Fantasy's infamous identity crisis. The game we are reviewing today is not the Final Fantasy II hailed as a SNES classic, but the Famicom's Final Fantasy II that released in 1988, never left Japan's shores, and is often cited as one of those experimental black sheep sequels that plagued the NES. For the moment, let us put aside the fact Western fans wouldn't experience the same frustration bestowed by Zelda II and Castlevania II until roughly a decade's time, and hone in on a more well-known source of frustration -- that, of course, being the name discrepancies exchanged among the first six Final Fantasys. With three Final Fantasy games -- Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, and Final Fantasy V -- skipped over at release, Square had no choice but to dub their Western localizations of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI as Final Fantasy II and III, respectively.

Needless to say, what resulted was an endless source of confusion regarding Square's retconning as they made their Western debuts via PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and DS incarnations, be they altered ports or elaborate remakes. And yet, in the case of Final Fantasy II, I cannot help but feel this was the correct decision: whereas Final Fantasy IV is a series masterpiece, II is certainly its retro nadir, filled with antagonistic design decisions that smother any goodwill it sought to bring. While hardly the worst JRPG, said decisions render it a slog of mediocrity as opposed to the prestigious, glorified adventure established from the very first game.

Super Mario Bros. 2

And now, to reiterate gaming's most famous switcheroo: what we know as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Western territories is not the actual Super Mario Bros. 2, which was deemed too difficult and too similar for foreign audiences. The solution: take an unrelated platformer (Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, a Fuji TV collaboration that originally featured an Arabian cast), repackage it with Mario characters, get Shigeru Miyamoto and co. to polish up the gameplay, and voila -- you have gaming's greatest magic trick. It wouldn't be until five years later with the remake collection that was Super Mario All-Stars that rumors and urban legends whispered about Western audiences, with internet inertia finally dawning what would place among Nintendo's most historic fun facts.

In other words, this is why Mario and the gang are suddenly throwing vegetables at bad guys rather than stomping them. Without this knowledge, it becomes all too easy to label Super Mario Bros. 2 as one of the many infamous "black sheep sequel" so dreaded on NES -- sequels in the vein of Zelda II: Adventure of Link, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest or even the Japan-only Final Fantasy II, all which were being divisive experiments that messed with their predecessor's formulas a tad too much -- but even knowing that, is it really the game's fault it doesn't live up to the Super Mario name? Adding to the confusion is how despite the Japanese version being called "Super Mario USA," Nintendo has been all too quick to brush Super Mario Bros. 2 under the rug and not only inducting this localized version into series canon, but has since referred to this game as the real Super Mario Bros. 2 (as recently as being heavily referenced in Super Mario 3D World, in fact).

Astra Lost in Space Vol. 3 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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 This time, it was plain ol'l forgetfulness that delayed this archival post, LOL

Anyway, despite the additional delays in game reviews from last month, we're back on track with that for now, so expect some gaming goodness soon!

The Promised Neverland Vol. 4 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Annnnd The Promised Neverland.

I wanted to have Astra Lost in Space up by yesterday/tonight, but various difficulties (not the least of which is major writer's block) have prevented that goal from materializing. Unfortunately, this means I won't be getting to Vinland Saga in time -- bummer!

Still, you can expect it sometime this weekend, and we'll be back to our regularly-scheduled program. 

My Hero Academia Vol. 13 Review (Hey Poor Player)

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MY GOD I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!! Between an exhausting new position at my job and an out-of-my-control delay for the manga reviews, I hadn't time for the blog; heck, even this archival post is a few days late!

Consequently, I really don't know if that E3 post is gonna come up or not, sorry! I may put up a "Best Of" picture list to make up for it.

E3 2018 Preview Hub

After numerous delays in everything from flight delays to LA traffic, I've finally begun writing my E3 2018 previews! These will last through Monday, and we'll be covering up to nine or ten games total. Each game will be divided into the days they're published, so review accordingly.

Friday, June 15th

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)

Saturday, June 16th

Kingdom Hearts III (PlayStation 4)
Jump Force (PlayStation 4)

Sunday, June 17th

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (PlayStation 4)

Monday, June 18th

GunGrave VR (PlayStation 4)
Ninjala (Switch)
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (PlayStation 4)

And that's it! I'll follow up with a retrospective epilogue for this post within the week.

I'm at E3!!!

It's...it's actually real. I even got to step inside just before the show tomorrow. It was only to pick up my badge, and it was only the calm before the storm, but it was still breathtaking.

Has everything I've done lead to this moment? I've always been a believer in fate, so it must be true. Tomorrow, I'll be in the same event I've been following for nineteen years, doing the same job as the journalists I've followed for just as long, live the experience I've been dreaming for so long, and be in the very same building as my lifelong heroes. It's too much to be true.

As I mentioned before, I'll be doing previews over the next week for Hey Poor Player, so I'm thinking I'll provide a "hub" post to document them all. You can look forward to seeing it updated throughout the week, so keep an eye out that.

For Smash Bros. and whatever else may come my way tomorrow...here I come!!!

Unforeseen Incidents Review (Hey Poor Player)

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This was another one I wasn't happy to give a relatively low score with, but I did what I must.

Anyway...that "SUPER EXCITING NEWS" I was talking about  regarding E3 the other day? Sadly, it didn't go through, but due to confidentiality, I can't quite talk about it -- let's just say I missed the cut to play a certain game behind closed doors. Just goes to show I shouldn't tease things not set in stone, heh.

Still, given the meetings and tours lined up, there should be plenty of exciting content to look forward to next week!

Worldly Weekend: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Note: Merely discussing the content of this game -- or even just looking at the below cover -- paves way for some early spoilers regarding Kingdom Hearts II. If you're planning on going into the series blind, you'd best skip ahead.

And so begins not just Kingdom Hearts further wedging itself into the realm of indecipherable names, but spawning what remains its biggest folly: an endless line of "bridge" games consisting of side-stories, prequels, and pseudo-sequels, all for the purpose of either divulging a particular interim  between certain games or setting the stage for Kingdom Hearts III. Be it the fault of a developer (Square-Enix) caring only to capitalize upon a successful brand or the burgeoning over-ambition of a short-sighted director (Tetsuya Nomura), it's vital to discuss why, exactly, this direction was problematic, beginning with the most obvious reason: it's been eleven years since the first three spin-off games (358/2 Days, Birth by Sleep, and Re:coded) were announced, and we're only just getting Kingdom Hearts III this year. Whoops.

This past decade's worth of wasted time and frustration is more than enough for fans to jump ship, especially when factoring in cost: over the next six years, engaging in the full Kingdom Hearts experience required the purchase of a Sony PlayStation 2, a Nintendo DS, a Sony PSP and a Nintendo 3DS. Being an episodic series, this is not like Final Fantasy's individualized entries where one can simply pass, say, Final Fantasy IX on PlayStation and pick up Final Fantasy X on PlayStation 2 without missing any context; nay, you must at the very least engage in Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance to make any sense of the series hereafter, and for the most dedicated of Kingdom Hearts fans, that potentially means shelling out cash for systems you don't particularly want (or, in my example, you're lucky enough to know someone at college who's willing to let you borrow their PSP and copy of Birth by Sleep).