Monday, June 15, 2015

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy - review


Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy, a dungeon crawler RPG game from the team that brought you Demon Gaze, a dungeon crawler that was released in 2014. They say Demon Gaze is a glorious and niche game that is greatly nighttime evident. As a result, dungeon crawlers are popular on the handheld consoles, including the Etrian Odyssey series. Just because dungeon crawlers are hard doesn't mean they are bad. If you don't want to get a dungeon crawler, then you may not get one, unless you're confident perhaps. Now let's read the review about the cool dungeon crawler.

The Story:

Operation Abyss' story is about the group of people in Tokyo who are investigating a crime scene that rocked the whole city of Hinowa. The group of people is known as the Xth Squad, the advanced police force who are salvaging as they can from the crimes of Hinowa, as well as a paranormal phenomena that rocked Tokyo.

The Gameplay:


The gameplay to Operation Abyss is different than the other dungeon crawlers because the gameplay is more robust and you can have a group of 6 members. As you start a new game, members will attend at one time, as default. If this the group you don't want, then you can go to CPA Headquarters, which is located inside the academy.

In each labyrinth, there are Codes that are found from defeating enemies and in certain spots. Some of them have traps, which can be examined and disarmed and some don't have any traps. Inside of each code are unidentified items.

There's a gauge located on the upper left corner of the screen. The gauge is called the Drop and Rise gauge. The gauge fills up when winning each battle against Variants, enemies in the labyrinth. When the gauge reaches a certain level, Variant difficulty will increase. When it reaches max level, the threat becomes very difficult, so be careful. However, you can decrease the encounter gauge, by escaping until the gauge reaches to a fine level or to zero. 

Now, when you accumulate enough EXP, the red square will flash below the "Lv." symbol. It means you're ready to level up, by resting in the medical lab.

The Power of Unity:


Unity is a term of people grouping together to fight enemies at the same time. The blue Unity gauge is located on the bottom left corner of the screen. To consume the Unity gauge, use the Unity skills, which can be displayed by pressing the right or left directional pad. When you use a Unity skill a certain number of times, the maximum Unity will increase, their Unity rating will increase and Unity Skills will be learned. You can increase the Unity gauge by fighting, clearing missions or making the right decision.

Creating Your Character:


Like other dungeon crawlers, you can create your characters. The first step for example is to choose the look of character, like the Lancer, who is capable of wielding long weapons. Second step is give him/her info, including giving himher a name and a trait. Third step is choose what type is the character. Fourth is to give him/her a voice. Finally, you give the character a Blood Code.

Missions:


In headquarters, you can advance the story, by clearing key missions. As the story advances, new dungeons will be accessible, and they can be found on various places other than headquarters. Missions are optional and there also the repeat one, which can scan for Variant levels. This is also where you can create characters in Member Application. The headquarters can check for situations that are dire, yet consequent. When you disband your team, GP will be sent to the storage and you will not get to the mission until you form a team.


At the Medical Office, you need GP (Growth Points) to do the various things, such as the Growth Surgery, which can allow you to set how much GP you can convert to EXP. The Rest menu allows your character to recover HP, MP and exaustion. Depending on the level, the price of growth points will rise. Like I said before, resting after accumulating enough EXP will level up your Blood Code. Whoever in your team died will be reported to the ICU, and you can treat him/her, by going to Status Recovery so he/she can be incorporated to the team. The GP price to doing that increases depending on the level.


Here in the Development Lab, you need GP to do sorts of things, like the Issue menu, which can allow you to buy stuff. With GP, you can craft, strip, affix and remove glitches on the items. The Deliver menu, which allows you to sell unneeded items to earn GP. There's the Identify menu that can identify items to see what they are specifically. Depending on the value, GP cost gets higher. Here, you can also store GP that you don't need.

The Blood Code:



The "Blood Code" is a special attribute that has various effects. Each Blood Code has a level. You can choose a different Blood Code in headquarters under Member Application. When a Blood Code reaches a certain level, it will learn a new skill. However, each Blood Code has a level cap, which can be extended by advancing the story.

The Conclusion:

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is a serviceable dungeon crawler for Demon Gaze fans and mature audiences to enjoy. I will say it was an awesome dungeon crawler. Blood Codes are the interesting ways of powering my team up. And I'll call it perfect because I had fun with it.

Pros:

+Great successor to Demon Gaze
+Great music quality

Cons:

There are no cons.

I'm giving Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy a perfect 10, and I might be looking forward to the sequel. One of the awesome games I love.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Joe's Thoughts - Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Basically, this blog was supposed to have articles that pertain RPG gaming information, but I'll make this an exception because there's something exciting I had to share. If you're a big fan of Skullgirls, then you should know about Skullgirls 2nd Encore, an upgraded version of the original Skullgirls Encore, that takes place at an "extraordinary" Dark Deco world with 14 hand-drawn characters with their unique movesets, including the characters that are first featured in Skullgirls Encore. The game is perfect for Skullgirls fans because the story to the Skullgirls is now deeper, feels a lot like BlazBlue because of the "!!" and "!?" symbols and solo match wise, you can witness more in-depth and advanced nightmare fuels of the Skullgirls universe and has the features below.

Survival Mode - Win as many matches as you can without losing. Your health will heal after each battle.

Challenge Mode - Complete a whole variety of challenges, like winning a match without jumping, for example.

Trial Mode - Take on various missions for each character that allow you to learn about each character's strategies.

Cross-Play of the PlayStation Family - The community will no longer fragment because online is extended to cross-play with the PS3, PS4 and PSVita systems. This means you can play with even more people across the globe!

Fully Voiced Story Mode - Thanks to fan demand, Story Mode has been fully voiced! Because of anime's BlazBlue inspired feature that brought the Skullgirls story to life, the story becomes deeper and more in-depth and advanced nightmare fuels will be witnessed!

Full Platinum Trophy Set - The game will have 42 trophies, including the ones on the original Skullgirls that are returning.

An Opportunity to Use Dualshock 3 Controllers on the PS4 System - Thanks to many records, you can use PS3 controllers on the PS4 system. They have to be synced first. Because of this feature, NetherRealm Studios just licensed it on Mortal Kombat X for the PS4.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore will release this summer. Be sure to pre-order to get the theme that comes with various items. If you have, then you will be able to get the Vita version for free and vice-versa! I can't wait!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Review Change of Plans

Everyone, I have some bad news to share. It looks like I won't be writing a review about Etrian Mystery Dungeon as planned, because I have realized that it was a flat out chore to play. Sorry, guys. But, the good news is, there will be the initial review coming up next. So hold on tight, and you'll see what will the next review will be!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

PS3 Memories - Patented Games

Okay, so you heard that the PS3 has pantented games, right? So I can give you information about patented games. The games for the PS3 are patented because there's a label saying that you don't make illegal copies. Patented games were trademarked by law, which results trademarking the games in the US. In some games at the beginning, the copyright screen shows. In fact, those are my favorite parts of the games. Yes, indeed. But regardless, the PS3 isn't the only console has patented games. Other systems does, as well as copyright screens.

Now that concludes this second memory. The third memory will be a mystery.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

PS3 Memories - When First Released

It's a bit sad for me, and I had to share with you. Let's kick it off with when the PS3 was first released. Now, you know when the PS3 was first released, right? It was released in 2006, with the old logo. In 2010, the new look was produced as clean. They say the PS3 is better than the Xbox 360 because of the following below.

-Free online gaming
-More memory
-Can charge the controller with the USB cord
-Better graphics

After the release of the PS4, we still get more PS3 games, but this time with the PS4 releases, and as well as Vita games. This was only the first day of the special. Day two will be covering the next.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Joe's Thoughts - Farewell, PS3, and Will See You Again!

It has been awhile since my brother moved to his new home, and I had to let him borrow the PS3 because he don't have any cable. I had some sad news to share with you. I won't be renting PS3 games for a while because I let my older brother borrow it since he don't have cable in his new home. I have a lot of memories to give you. When the PS3 releases in 2006, I've been playing on it for the 15 years until now, I let my older brother borrow it just for a while, and he told me that he'll buy me a game!

As you know, the PS3 was first released in 2006, After a while, RPG games were announced that time. Since the PS4 releases, the industry developed games that are for the PS3, PS4 and other systems, or have the industry do the traditional things. A few of the JRPGs for the PS3 are going to be released. That also includes Lost Dimension, which is also for the PSVita. So I think I'll pick up the Vita version first. The PS3 is great. You don't need PS Plus to play online on it, but on the PS4, you do. Hope I can see the PS3 again, so I can continue renting PS3 games and do other unspeakable acts.

I had to keep the PS4 since it was an upgrade. But, there's not a reason to be sad because there will be more JRPGs to be released this year for the PS4. This year, we are going to see Kingdom Hearts III, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force, Dragon Quest Heroes, Persona 5, and other blockbusters we will see!

Starting tomorrow, I'll be writing memories about the games that are exclusively for the PS3. Just hold on tight and you'll experience the magic!