A man with a golden eye told me to right this post

The title of this post is a reference to the first survivor you save in our next game. If this game can't get a sequel, at least give us a port to Xbox Live arcade!


Name: Zombie Revenge
Genre: Beat'em up
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Release Year: 2000
Systems: Dreamcast, Arcade

It has been a awhile since I have played this one, but I remember that it was a whole lotta fun and pretty hard.

Story
there are zombies to kill.....that is enough story for me!

The time is the present. A city has been suddenly filled with the souls of the dead. A GOVERNMENT TOP SECRET PLAN U.D.S., Undead Soldier. It was a top-secret plan to utilize the dead for military purposes. Just before it was ready for operation all was thrown into darkness by someone unknown. A year later the city had become the home of the dead. Three of the best AMS agents were sent in, Stick Breitling, Linda Rotta and Rikiya Busujima. They have now been sent out to eliminate the enemy and track down the mysterious leader of this attack, known only as "Zed".

At least the town wasn't full of undead heroes from Guardian heroes! There would be no town left if they ever got angry and exploded all at once......

Gameplay
Bullets....and more Bullets!

The cool thing about this game is that it is a spin-off of house of the dead. It would be nice if more company's made spin-off''s of there light gun games and turned them into brawlers! Now in a light gun game, of course you would be shooting zombies to kill them, but in a brawler you should be punching and kicking their lights out, right? Not 100% true this time.

One of the big reasons this game sticks out from other brawlers is the use of guns as if it was a one of your normal attacks. As you kill enemies and break crates you can find BULLETS! Though the gun is a main part of this game, that doesn't mean that it has infinite ammo. You aren't just getting bullets for your hand gun, you are also picking up bigger, more fun guns to play with. Like shotguns, machine guns, you know the drill.

In any zombie game, whether it be a light gun game, first person shooter or third person action game, the one truth this pretty much always stays true is head shots! Always a great way to put what is already dead back into the ground! Well head shots remain true in this game as well. As you aim at the enemy, you have a very house of the dead like cursor appear on them. The longer you hold it, the more it changes from a green to a red color. Red color means critical head shot time! They take big damage or just plain die(again!).

Also, no zombie game would be complete without survivors! You save them and they give you items to continue your adventure! Like the title of this post, they also come with great cheesy lines as well.

Next thing to talk about is the stages, no brawler is good without good music(this game has a very house of the dead vibe) and stages. It starts off in a city, pretty straight forward. but you got your requisite sewer areas and the like. Then there are some unique stages like being surrounded by a fire while you shoot zombies waiting to grab on to your incoming chopper's ladder. The best stage of all is the Curien Mansion. The actual factual House of the Dead! It is a stage I don't remember getting past much but I would like to try again with the knowlegde and skill I have now.

Last but not least, there are 3 playable characters in this game. You have Stick Breitling, Linda Rotta and Rikiya Busujima. You main hero type that is an all around fighter, your quick agile female and your Japanese speaking guy with an afro and cybernectics that specializes in hand to hand combat?(thats not normal!). even though there is three characters, this game is only 2 players.

Now for our gameplay video, where you can see the interesting gameplay mechanics and the wonderfully cheesy voice acting!



Look at the computer screen in the beginning and you can see an icon that say "G" under it. G is from house of the dead for the people who don't know.

Final Thoughts
gotta say it one last time.....BULLETS!

A cast of characters I remember, a light gun game changed to a beat'em, Curien Mansion and awesome cheesy voice acting is why I think this game at least deserves a port to Xbox Live Arcade(or other download service).

Preview
Lan Di must pay.....COME ON SEGA!

Shenmue 2.......that is all.....

Arcadia of My Youth

You just gotta love pirates, plain and simple. The ones in our next game are some of the coolest pirates on land and in the air(yes, the air and not the sea)!

US Dreamcast Box Art

US Gamecube Box Art

Name: Skies of Arcadia
Genre: Rpg
Developer: Overworks
Publisher: Sega
Designer: Rieko Kodama
Release Year: 2000
Systems: Dreamcast, Gamecube

Since I promised Dreamcast games only in the next few articles, this post will mostly be about the Dreamcast version of Skies of Arcadia. I didn't feel right totally leaving out the GC one though.

One more thing I have to mention before we start the story.....I LOVE OVERWORKS!

Story
Take an adventure with the Blue Rogues!

The story opens with a young Silvite woman named Fina sailing through the night skies in her tiny Silver airship. Not far behind her, Valuan Admiral Alfonso is in hot pursuit under orders from Lord Galcian to capture her. Alfonso opens fire on and disables Fina's ship long enough to capture her before it plummets into Deep Sky, but just as she is being brought onboard his warship, a Blue Rogue vessel arrives with the intent of robbing the Valuan vessel. Vyse and Aika of the Blue Rogues jump from the Albatross onto Alfonso's flagship and fight their way to the rear cargo hold, prompting Alfonso to flee on a lifeboat while leaving Fina behind along with the war beast Antonio, who is quickly defeated by the Rogues. Vyse and Aika bring Fina back to their clan's ship, which Vyse pilots back to their secret hideout, Pirate Island (disguised as Windmill Island).

While watching the sunset, Vyse and Aika see a Moonstone fall from the skies onto nearby Shrine Island. The next day they travel to Shrine Island to retrieve the Moonstone, a concentrated form of airship fuel, leaving Fina behind in the care of their clan. The Moonstone in hand, Vyse and Aika return to Pirate Island to find it obliterated by the Valuan Armada. Fina and many Blue Rogues have been captured by the Armada and taken to the capital city, and here the game proper begins. What starts as a simple rescue mission becomes a struggle for survival amid a looming world war.

This story sounds like it promises one awesome adventure! Trust me, it definitely delivers!

Gameplay
CUTLASS FURY!

A line that is said by our Hero Vyse that I have always been very fond of. I just simply love the special attacks in this game, but more on in just a sec. First lets cover the basics of the battle system.

Skies battle system is a turn based battle system that rpg players are used to. What makes it different is the use of the spirit point system. These points accumulate from attacking and getting hit as well as using your focus command. Spirit points are vital for using Special attacks and magic in this game.

Before you go unleashing your awesome "Cutlass Fury!", there is one more thing that helps you do even more damage. Aside from your buff spells, you also have different elements in the game. What makes Skies of Arcadia nice is that you don't just have a "Flame tongue" that you have to use on an enemy that is weak to fire. You can switch elements on the fly with the push of a button. The game makes it especially easy to see what element you have by switch the color of the weapon you are holding! So when you get a new sword, you don't have to worry about going back to the old outta date elemental weapon, cause all of you weapons can use any element!

Not only do your 6 playable Characters(Vyse,Aika,Fina,Gilder,Drachma and Enrique) have their own special attacks, you also have a team up attack with your characters and you can also call out the crew of your ship to attack in a sweet montage! This attack is hilarious and really shows off the personality of your NPC crew members.

Speaking of crew members, that is another great part of Skies of Arcadia, recruiting new crew members! While not on the same scale as Suikoden(108 stars of Destiny!), there are quite a few awesome characters to recruit in this game to be on your crew! Whats else do the crew members do you ask? Well, they help you in ship to ship battles! yep, Skies of Arcadia has another type of battle system that I am going to talk about now!

Ah, airship battles.......gotta love em. The airship battles are similar to normal battles as far as attack, guard(well, evade in this case), special commands and having a spirit points bar but here is what makes it different! Ship battles are grid based. It would take awhile to get into the depth of the ship combat, so I'll just scratch the surface. Each person in your party can be set an action. All 4 actions(if you have a full party) are played out in one round. So attacking, evading, focus and special can all be used in one round, so planning ahead is crucial!

Crew members have multiple was of helping you in ship to ship combat! While some have passive skills like increasing your ships defense, some crew members have active skills that increase your ships crit chance!

Not only do you have a great crew to help you out, you can also customize your ship to your liking! With main cannons, secondary cannons, torpedoes and your special weapon, there is alot to choose from. Every ship needs a special weapon, and nothing is better then firing your Harpoon gun in this game! Ok, now that we talked about the battle system, lets take a look at the rest of what makes this game so wonderful and totally different then the norm!

Fina's weapon is a living creature and is powered up by finding food for it called chams. These are found all over the dungeons and towns. The way you locate these chams is by VMU!(or beeping in the GC version) Cupil(her animal) will pop up on the VMU, alerting you of nearby food for it. After hitting a certain number of chams, it's attack in battle would change, going from alittle puffball Fina threw at enemies to a sword that would slice at said enemies.

Not only was the VMU used for Cupil, it also had a unique game that you could play on it, and earn money and items on the go! Ah, the VMU.....so much fun!

Last thing to talk about in this game is discoveries! Adding to the already amazing sense of adventure this game already oozes are places and monuments that you have to seek out and discover(hence, the name discoveries!). As if finding a discovery and being known for it isn't enough, you also get paid money to find them! This is done by reporting into the guild.

Ok, I could go on about how great this game is......but i don't wanna type for ever!(and I am sure you don't want to read forever either!) So lets go onto the Game play video, before I think of something else that is great in this game!

Quick note: While I normally don't do this, for this game I have to use 2 gameplay videos! One of the first boss fight(IT HAS CUTLASS FURY!) and one of the first ship battle. You just have to witness both battle types!

The First Boss

The Ship Battle

One thing alot of games need to do more, battle music that changes depending on the state of the battle. NOTHING was better then hearing that close to victory music that plays after a hard fought boss battle.

Final Thoughts
Our voyage comes to an end

Great characters, battle systems, recruiting crew members, cool battle theme and a close to victory theme are just the tip of the ice berg of why this game should get a sequel. The sense of adventure you get outta this game is top notch. Following the Blue Rogues is a roller coaster ride all the way to the end. With Cameo's in Valkryia Chronicles game and Anime, someone is thinking of the Blue Rogues, now lets go one step further and get a sequel!

Preview
Bullets! Bullets! Bullets!

We all need more brawlers! Join us next time as we take a look at Zombie Revenge! They come for brains, we'll give them bullets!(Thanks House of the Dead Overkill!)

HAPPY TENTH DREAMCAST!

I had to make a post on it's 10th anniversary. So this is just a quick post to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREAMCAST! As stated in the Guardian Heroes post, the next few games are gonna all be Dreamcast games! So Tune in next time as we take a look at Skies Of Arcadia!

Treasure made by Treasure!

This is a first, The American and the Japanese cover, I think I'll start doing this for games I can find the images for. I am glad this game is the first cause it is just that great! Our next game needs a sequel(or a another sequel in this case) AND a Remake for Xbox Live Arcade!

American Cover

Japanese Cover

Name: Guardian Heroes
Genre: Beat'em up with RPG elements

Developer: Treasure
Publisher: Sega
Designer: Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
Release Year: 1996
Systems: Saturn

Man, this game is one of the best games I have ever played! Lets head directly into the story so I can start talking about this wonderful game!

Story
Time to shed some "LIGHT!" on this story

Long before the beginning of the game, a supreme being created the universe, an eternal battlefield, to find ultimate warriors to hire as its personal soldiers. During the early periods of this, humans merely existed, cowering in fear as a vicious battle was waged between the Sky Spirits and Earth Spirits. Eventually, the Sky Spirits decided to bestow incredible powers unto the humans, effectively making powerful wizards out of many of them. With their new-found powers, the human wizards joined the effort against the Earth Spirits, banishing them into the darkness. However, soon after this was accomplished, the Sky Spirits grew fearful and jealous of the human wizards, and banished them all into the very same darkness along with the Earth Spirits. After this, mankind instead opted for a more physical approach to life, and the Time of the Sword began.

Several decades before the game begins, one of the human wizards, Kanon, managed to escape his imprisonment with the Earth Spirits, and came back to the surface so that he might eventually get his revenge on the Sky Spirits. There, he brought his case up with the existing khans; since they did not trust him, he destroyed them and replaced their kingdom with a wizard kingdom, with puppet khans to do his will. Things were not entirely rosy for Kanon, however; the former king prophesied, prior to his death, that should his reign and the Time of the Sword be brought to such an abrupt end, then eventually the sword would again resurface and in turn bring an end to Kanon's reign. As a precaution, Kanon banished most every existing sword in his new kingdom, but he overlooked one particular sword, belonging to a fierce, anonymous warrior who fought especially valiantly to the death during Kanon's takeover. Also, the former princess, Serena, survived the ordeal, and joined the band of knights to try and bring about Kanon's end from the inside.

At the game's start, four warriors - Han, Randy (with his pet rabbit, Nando), Nicole and Ginjirou - find the sword of the valiant warrior. Just as they decide to begin relaxing for the remainder of the night, Serena bursts in, hastily warning them that the knights have learned of their possession of such a powerful sword, and are coming to take it back, no matter the costs. The four flee their home as it bursts up in flames during the invasion, then escape the town via their separate ways, rendezvousing at the graveyard nearby.

Upon reaching there, they discover the leader of the Black Knights, Valgar, awaiting them, and accompanied by a very powerful robotic warrior. The five do battle with it, but fail to do a large amount of damage to it. Finally, as Han resolves to use the new sword against the robot, the sword is struck by lightning, electrocuting Han and causing him to lose his grip on it. The sword, now seemingly with a life of its own, floats over to a large mound nearby, where a zombified warrior in golden armor arises from the dead - the same warrior who valiantly fought to the death so many years ago - and claims the sword as his own. Enraged, he easily obliterates Valgar's robot, and begins to attack Serena. Nicole, uncertain of what to do, politely asks the warrior to stop attacking them - to the five's surprise, he does so. Quickly realizing that the warrior is willing to act on any command that they give him, they resolve that, with this new ally, the time to begin an attack on Kanon's new kingdom is at hand.

That obvious "LIGHT!" in the subtitle is a reference to the wizard Kanon. That is what it sounds like he says when he summons lightning.

Music
So many good tracks!

I am not even sure where to begin with this games spectacular soundtrack. From an awesome jazzy track to slow more peaceful tracks to wonderful guitar tracks, this game has it all! Some specific ones of note are the arena, forest, village, Valgar's theme and I think the music that is played when you first get to the Earth Spirits realm(which is where that awesome jazz track plays.)

I just had to mention the music before I got into the gameplay. I remember these tracks like I just played this game yesterday!

Gameplay
You'll never escape ICE STUPA!

Ok, lets start with the wonderfulness that is story mode! The first few paragraphs of the story section mentions how the first 2 stages are played out. As mentioned this game is a beat'em up with rpg elements.

Lets start with the battle system. The amount of options you have to dispatch your foes is pretty vast. Of course you have your basic multi hit combo that is standard in beat'em ups. This game also features command moves like pushing down down twice and then attack(I think that is correct) would make Randy do a multi hit uppercut with his staff. Each character has plenty of command moves for different effects!

The amount of options you have for normal attacks is already enough to make this game better then some beat'em ups, but wait, there is more! Not only do you has a vast array of normal attacks, you also have magic! These magic moves also have commands that you can use or if you can use pick one with the rotating spell menu and set it to the magic button. Now magic in this game was pure awesome! Everyone can use magic(even Hans, your melee fighter of the group), but of course your magic users, who in this case are Nicole and Randy, have more spells and higher levels of these spells. But don't think that Hans magic is useless, I can't tell you how many times his homing fireballs have been useful! Though if we are talking spells, Randy and Nicole are the ones we should focus on right now.

Randy's spells are just downright great. to list a few, he could summon an ice field that would freeze and do tick damage on the enemy, Summon a huge(well, it gets real big at higher levels) tornado around his body trapping and damaging all enemies around him and I have to mention his Dragonball style HUGE beam attack.

Lets also take a look at Nicole's spells. She was your healer of the party, making healing fields much like Randy's ice field. That doesn't mean she doesn't have attacks though! Her "Smileys" have a random chance to either rain down as many small smileys or one or more bigger smileys. She also has what could be one of the most annoying(in the arena mode, more on that later) but awesome defensive spells in the game. Her barrier keeps all enemies outside of it and anyone who touches it will take damage and bounce off. Whats makes this attack cool is that if said enemy is in a corner, they have no where to bounce which adds up to big damage!

If awesome attack options and magic still isn't enough for you, you also have your Undead Hero! The way he works is that he is a npc character that you tell commands to. like follow, wait, attack and defend. But the most fun command to make him use is his berserk mode! The Undead Hero would let out a totally sweet roar, and start using his fiery sword wave attack. After he did this for a short while, he would roar again and would literally BLOW UP THE WHOLE SCREEN! Imagine the sequence in Dragonball Z where Goku is on Namek while it is exploding screaming "OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and the whole screen goes white.......yeah it's kinda like that.

Another quick note about the battle system. This game also has a plane shift system. a top, bottom and middle plane.

Now that you know how awesome the battle system is, lets take a quick look at the rpg elements of the game. After you beat a level, you get points for your stats. The stats are Strength, Intelligence, Vitality, Mentality(faster mp regen), Agility and Luck(modifies damage the player give and receive, in addition to improving Nicole's selection of spells.). You get to make your character anyway you want to! Battle mages, high attack ninjas, or a speedy melee fighter, you can do it all!

The last thing I will talk about in story mode is one of the biggest things about Guardian Heroes! Multiple paths through the game and Multiple endings! That is what makes this game so great! Not only do you fight in different areas, you also fight different enemies on the paths through the game. Also the characters you beat, you get to use in arena mode!

Speaking of arena mode, this is the second part that makes Guardian Heroes that makes it so great! It is a multiplayer arena brawl. You can play as our 4 main heroes, Serena and Undead Hero, but that is not all! What fun would an arena brawl be with only 6 characters? Well, we don't have to worry about that in this game. Every boss, enemy, ally AND Civilian is playable. That is ALOT of characters. There are about 6-7 stages each with a different track from the game.

The most fun thing about arena mode is the customization you can do. You can set you levels and stats for each charatcer to you play. The max level is 255 I think, and you can over level your stats past the max! This mode is just crazy fun full of many good memories!

Ok, I have yapped alot about this game, but I can't help it, it is pretty much one of my favorite games I played when i was younger. Lets head into the game play video portion of this post!



Wow, I forgot to mention my favorite thing about this game! The story mode has co-op!

Final Thoughts
For people who didn't read all that stuff.....I don't blame ya if you didn't!

Ok, Summary......THIS GAME IS ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER MADE! Plain and simple. I know this game has a sequel on Game boy advance. I liked it's gameboy sequel, but I would like the next one to be on a console. This game also needs to be put on Xbox Live Arcade(Also Hope Wii gets Saturn on VC).

Gameplay, Soundtrack, Character Design, Character personality and all of the above is the reason this game needs another sequel AND a Remake!(Or atleast port on XBL Arcade!)

Preview
HAPPY 10th DREAMCAST!

I think The subtitle says it all, the next few post are gonna be of Dreamcast games that need sequels! Tune in next time as I make a small tribute post to the Dreamcast!

The safest way to free fall!(for you atleast)

While you are not in danger, the character in our next game sure is if you mess up while she is falling outta the sky!

Name: Kya: Dark Lineage
Genre: Action Adventure Platformer(with an awesome brawler like battle system!)
Developer: Eden Games
Publisher: Atari
Release Year: 2003
Systems: PS2

Check out what I wrote beside the genre section and you will see the one of the biggest reasons why I think this game should get a sequel. On to the Story!

Story
Insert big bad wolf joke here

Kya: Dark Lineage begins with the protagonist Kya and her half-brother Frank home alone. In her upstairs bedroom, Kya hears a suspicious noise and follows it downstairs to finds Frank in a previously unknown room in the basement. While speaking about Kya's father, Frank unwittingly finishes a mysterious puzzle on a table, opening a portal which sucks in both Kya and Frank. Kya awakens with three Nativs (animal-like creatures) looking down on her. They are then ambushed and chased through a jungle by feral werewolves called the Wolfen/Wolfun. All but one of the Nativs were captured during the chase. Kya and Aton eventually reach a strange village, called Nativ City, and meets the village leader Atea.

Atea explains that the Wolfen/Wolfun are merely Nativs mutated by Brazul. Kya resolves to save Frank and is introduced to Akasa, who teaches her how to fight using mystical bracelets which greatly enhance her strength. Kya is blessed with a power which allows her to exorcize unconscious Wolfen/Wolfun and transform them back into Nativs.

In return for freeing the exorcized Nativs, Atea agrees to help Kya find her half-brother.

A nice turn around, instead of the man saving the woman, it is the woman saving the man. I have no problem with strong female protagonists.

Gameplay
My,what big teeth you have....let me break'em for you!

It is no fun going though an adventure and staying the same way you were before you started. Here is where Kya's hub comes in. In the town of the Nativs you can shop and learn new moves for Kya. At the shop you can buy explosive and electrifying bombs which are used to damage enemies and if I recall correctly, they were also needed for some puzzles.

Akasa is the Nativ that teaches you Combat Techniques. Here is where the fun really begins! The battle system in this game as stated above, has a very good brawler like feel to it. You actually learn different combos though out your adventure. Not just punches and kicks either, Kya also has throws! Her throws changes depending on the size of the wolfen and which angle she grabs the enemy aswell. This is probably the most fun I have had in a game of this type. The attacks varied enough to make you wanna use more then just one static combo.

After beating a Wolfen, you had to exorcize them. The bigger and tougher the wolfen, the more mana spheres it took to exorcize. Another very brawler feeling aspect about this game is knocking enemies off edges. While this kinda makes a problem for exorcizing them(if you did knock an enemy into a pit, you can always come back later and fight them again), it was something I enjoyed doing!

Now say you knocked a wolfen off an edge and forgot what stage you did it in. This is not a problem, when you warp to a stage from your hub, there is a count of how many wolfen are left in the stage, making it easy to keep track. There are also some wolfen you can get only after you get certain abilites, so you have to back track some anyway.

Accompanying Kya's awesome battle skills was her trusty Boomy(boomerang)! Not only was it useful for knocking wolfen in the head, it could also be used to hit switches. It also could be powered up in the Nativ's town. Allowing for things like First person throwing.

Another very big thing about Kya was the ability to free fall. Wind was a very important aspect to free falling. Helping you control Kya so she would land safely and avoid hitting objects in her way. If free falling isn't enough to get you adreneline pumping, Kya could also use a magical board to slide down vines and mountains.

It's trailer time! This trailer is pretty good at showing off all of the different things the wonderful game has to offer.



I like to talk about music alot in these games, so I have to mention that I hum the battle theme(or danger theme) in this game a lot. Also you gotta love the way the game slows down when you land the final hit on a wolfen.

Final Thoughts
big bad wolf? Man you ain't bad, you ain't nothin!

The feeling I got when I played this game for the first time was(THIS GIRL IS CRAZY!) a good one indeed. The free falling made this game feel more epic! Put that in with the great battle system and a Strong Female lead and you got the reasons why this game needs a sequel. Plus, I almost forgot.......THIS GAME ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER! Try this game out and free all the wolfen and see what I mean. Also the ending credits are a fun thing to watch!

Preview
I need more 2-d!

The last few games have been in 3-d, so lets go back to the awesomeness that is 2-d games! Tune in next time as we take a look at Guardian Heroes!

I still NEED MOAR POWER!

So no one feels outta the loop, the title for this post is pretty much the victory line said by one of your playable characters in our next game!

Name: MegaMan X: Command Missions
Genre: RPG
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 3
Publisher: Capcom
Game Design: Yoshinori Takenaka
Composers: Shinya Okada, Yuko Komiyama, Seiko Kobuchi
Release Year: 2004
Systems: Gamecube(yay, this is the one I played), PS2

Story
Mavericks and Reploids

In 22XX AD, a new substance known as Force Metal was extracted from the debris of a small meteorite. Technology based on the metal revolutionized the field of Reploid Engineering.

Giga City, an artificial island in the middle of an ocean, was built purposely for the mining and smelting of Force Metal. Everything seemed to go well until a band of Reploids armed themselves and launched a rebellion on the island.

Its leader, Epsilon, was branded a Maverick by the Government, and dispatched a Maverick Hunter team to Giga City to liberate Giga City from Epsilon's grasp.

As X, Zero, and a Hunter named Shadow, who is sent with them because of his familiarity with the island, travel to the ruins, a collapsed pillar separates them. X must then fight his way to a place where he and Zero are reunited. Upon reaching Epsilon's destination, Shadow betrays the team, Epsilon's Cadre appears and knocks Zero away. X has no choice but to escape and gather a resistance team to assist in defeating the minions of the Liberion army.

That was a mouth full. I always liked X's Universe. It would love to make a post about MegaMan X9, though that is way more then a sequel or trilogy!

Characters

Can't do the final strike alone!

X,Zero and Axel(who is pretty new himself) are joined by some fresh faces only seen in this game. I liked these new characters and would love to see them used again in a sequel. Cinnamon, Marino, Massimo and Spider are the other members that make up your party. Each with their own unique skills that make each of them worth playing.

Cinnamon is the healer in the party, chances are she will be used a lot. Marino is your quick thief/ninja who you would use to steal useful items from enemies. Massimo is your big guy tank, who took and gave good damage. Spider is your Setzer(from final fantasy 6) type. Using playing cards as his weapon. Now off to the game play section, where we will take a look at each characters unique abilities.

Gameplay
it's not a platformer?!?

This time around, X plays by the rules of a rpg. The battle system is turn based, sounds pretty normal right? Well here is what makes Command missions different from you average turn based battle system.

Lets start with each characters unique abilities called" Action Triggers".

Cinnamon's is called "Angelic Aide". It is done by rotating your analog stick multiple times to make hearts on the screen grow. The bigger the hearts, the better the healing. This was kinda hard to do. I had to use the palm of my hand to get all hearts of screen!

Marino's is called "Emotional Reel". It was a slot machine game where you had to match up three of the same picture to do an attack or steal. Once you got use to the patterns of each picture, it was pretty easy to choose which attack you wanted. Not to mention, the higher your WE bar is(you bar for using action triggers) the slower the movement of the slot machine.

Massimo's is called "Berserk Charge". Buttons unlocked depending on how much damage this move did. For example, to unlock the third button, you would have to deal 3k damage with this move. Each button has to be mashed enough to fill up a bar. The first bar is a damage modifier. The second bar is for status affects. The third bar is for a critical hit chance and the last bar mad this move hit more times.

Spider's is called "Fortune Card". It is pretty much poker. The different hands you make have different effects, like 2 pair or flush.

X's is called "Charge Shot". Just like X does in a his video game's, he charges his shot up to do more damage. The interesting thing is that X's changes depending on which hyper mode form he is in(more on the in a second).

Zero's is called "Command Arts". If you have played Final Fantasy 6(yes, another reference from this great game) then you have done this action trigger. It is similar to Sabin's Blitz technique. You have to put in controller motions(like fireball motion or dragon punch motion) to do multiple attacks. You can put in as many as you can before time runs out. Zero also had some changes in his different Hyper modes.

last but not least, Axel's is called "DNA Change". There is a huge map of all the bosses you killed. You have to use each button to create a DNA string of the boss you want to use so Axel can turn into him. For example, this is the DNA string for a boss called Wild Jango: AXAABYBA. Each button represents a Gamecube controller button.

Lets touch a bit more on the other options you have in battle.

Everyone has a hyper mode. Some people have more then one like X. It is just like X to have multiple armors in one game, heh. Pretty much it is a boost to damage or gives invulnurablities to your player character.

Aside from just normal attacks, you can use sub weapons. Some may be extra damage and some are used to steal items(this was a % chance, unlike Marino. She has a 100% chance to steal) or cause status effects. Using sub weapons takes energy from your WE bar(the same one you use for action triggers).

Now the last thing I would like to talk about is FINAL STRIKE! This happens when you do enough damage to an enemy, but you don't kill him. There is a bar you have to break(Kinda like breaking through their defense) and after you break it, your chance for final strike appears. It is pretty much an all out attack where you gain bonus FME(it stands for Force metal energy, which is used to refine force metals). A quick note, force metals are pretty much equipables with effects like adding extra hps and what not.

Ok, now for our requisite video! Minor Spoilers ahead! This video shows one of Zero's special hyper modes. So if you don't wanna see it, skip the video.



Zero looks cool like that. Another reason why this game should have a sequel is the art gallery(this game has a lot of unlockables like art, music and cinematics). There are a lot of cool designs for X that he could use as hyper modes in the sequel.

Final STIRKE!
I mean....thought...final thoughts

I have always liked Mega Man growing up and I still do now. It was nice getting to play him in something other then a platformer for once. I ended up enjoying him in a different atmosphere.

Game play, cool characters, awesome designs in the gallery, and the victory music after battle(I also like other tracks in the game as well, but oddly enough, the victory music wasn't in that video...) is why I think this game should get a sequel!

Preview
Wolves that won't blow your house down

Tune in next time as we go sky diving into the world that is Kya: Dark Lineage.

Do you understand the Concept of LOVE!?!?!?!

The coolest game series on skates I have ever played. I am sure plenty of people agree that this game needs a sequel!

Name: Jet Set Radio Future
Genre: Graffiti Platforming Adventure!(or something like that)
Developer: Smile Bit
Publisher: Sega
Release Year: 2002
System: Xbox

The reason I think this game should get a sequel is because of it's art style, totally original game play, music choice and I would like to be welcomed back to this games funky universe.

Story
after story, grind to the next section!

In 2024 Japan, a group of teenage skaters (Groups collectively referred to as Rudies) called the GGs vie for control of the many districts of Tokyo against many rival groups. A mega corporate enterprise (the Rokkaku Group) has taken over the many districts of the city and their leader is now the mayor of Tokyo. It is oppressing the people, taking away freedom of speech and expression, and is forcing other gang members to give up their territory using the corrupt police force of Tokyo.

Quite a cool story. It sounds heavier then it actually is. Like it is a brawler story or something, heh.

Music
Clean up on aisle 10!

The subtitle reference refers to the Scape Goat Wax song "Aisle 10". One of the many great tracks in this games extensive library! I usually like music in a game I play made directly for it but since this isn't just normal licensed music, it stands out. Smile Bit got underground, non mainstream(thank goodness) music for this game. All the tracks are wonderful and each hold their own. The music had to be good in this game, the casts style and attitude exude rhythm!

Gameplay
Tag! You're it!

One of the big differences in Jet Set radio Future compared to it's former entry is the tagging system. Before you had to match arrow commands shown on screen with your analog stick. Not just up and down but half circles and what not. This was interesting and I did enjoy it in the previous entry but the way it is JSRF(Jet Set Radio Future, this is how I will refer to it from now on.) is much quicker. Now you just fly by pushing the tag button. It keeps the fast hectic game play........FAST! It also allows for bigger tags to be in more varying places.

The way you reached out of the way tags was usually by grinding to awesome heights and making crazy jumps! Even if it is not a dedicated sports game, I found grinding and tricks to be uber fun in this game. Probably my favorite of any game. Some of the tags were in hard to reach places, and you could get frustrated trying to reach em but it just makes it more sweet when you do.

But there was more then just tagging and grinding in JSRF, there are also enemies. From the simple ones like the cops who's backs you have to tag, to tough ones like the rival gang members. You have to chase them down and tag them for a good amount of time, dropping their hp bar. I have some great times chasing them down all across the stage.

Speaking of stages, the game has a huge amount of very different stages. From the sewers to the very pretty bright Tokyo night life. Each place houses a different gang.

This game has 12 playable characters. Each with their own unique style. Not only that, there are also 12 MORE unlockable characters in the game. Most are characters from rival gangs, but a few extra surprising ones in there which I will not mention.

Last but not least, a trailer for JSRF!



gotta love that art style! cel-shaded graphics was pretty much started by Jet grind radio. They made it look even nicer in JSRF!

Final Thoughts
Keep the GGs Stayin Alive!

My favorite skating game ever made. Art Style, game play, Characters, music and the cool world that it is set in, this is why this game needs a sequel. Well, there has been mention of a sequel but it has also been said that it didn't work out(for now). So until there is one, we will just have to sit back and enjoy JSRF like we already do. Come back to us GGs!

Preview
FINAL STRIKE!

I am not sure how many people would agree with me about this next game, but I am going to post it anyway! Next time we will take a look at Megaman X: Command Missions!

Fighting game, dungeon crawler, Akira Toriyama......what's not to like?

Hurray for year of the fighter! New KOF, Street Fighter 4, Soul Caliber 4 and so on. I hope all fighting game fans enjoy this next entry!

Name: Tobal 2
Genre: Fighting Game
Developer: Dream Factory
Publisher: Square Soft
Game Design: Seiichi Ishii
Character Design: Akira Toriyama
Composer: Takayuki Nakamura
Release Year: 1997
System: Playstation

For all who don't know, Toriyama is the Creator of Dragon Ball(and many other great manga!). He also did character design work Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, Blue Dragon and of course Tobal no 1 and 2.

The reason I think this game should get a sequel is because it has Chuji!...Seriously, it has a very nice and expansive dungeon mode and I like the fighting game mechanics. Plus having Toriyama designs is awesome.

Ok, this story section is gonna be short and sweet.

Story
Return to the ring once more!

Emperor Udan is having another tournament just like in Tobal no. 1. All the familiar faces return, bringing 2 new fighters with them(Chaco and Doctor V.). Plus 200 extra monsters!(more on this later.)

I apologize if I am a bit hazy on the story and other sections of this post. It has been years since I have played this, and it doesn't help that it is in japanese.

Here is the intro to Tobal. There is, what I would guess to be an English translation floating over the Japanese text, read it and get a little more insight into it's story. The music in the intro rocks too!

Versus Game Play

The meat of a fighting game!

Tobal's fighting engine is similar to Virtua Fighter's but it definitely has it's own uniqueness. First of all, this game has full freedom of movement around the ring. It also has an interesting charge attack system where you would see stars on you characters limbs as they attack. The longer the charge, the more dmg it would inflict but it would also drain your health.

It also added fireballs that were not in Tobal 1. While this also took away health from the person charging the fireball, it also could kill in one hit like the charge attack. Sound cheap? Not at all, it was easy to side step this fireball. While it wasn't useless, the fireball was hard to hit with.

Also can't forget the games grapples! It had a very push/pull tug of war kinda feel to it. You could hit each other while in a grapple and perform throw escapes!

Since I have not played this game in awhile, I don't want to miss any of it's finer points. Watch this video and check out some of the cool air juggles as well as the cast's awesome move sets.

They animate so fluidly for a PS One game. I miss you Dream Factory!

Dungeon Crawling
In a fighting game? Really?

Yep, another reason that makes Tobal 2 totally different from most fighters!

It kept its fighting engine in this mode as well but added rpg elements! There was an inn, shop and a church to save at. The town was not in Tobal no. 1. There are multiple dungeons and even stats for your character! I have never spent so much time playing a rpg I couldn't read.

This wasn't just a tacked on mode with no originality. Your character could power up his/her arms, legs, throws and guard. You also have weapons you can use. Not only that, you could capture monsters in this mode, to use in Vs play! 200 playable characters!

The only other fighting game/ rpg I can think of(not made by Dream Factory) is Revengers of Vengance(a Sega CD game, which I might do a post about!). Tobal 2 is in a league of it's own.

Final Thoughts

I want those cool Toriyama shoes!

While Tobal had a spiritual successor called Ehrgeiz(I should do a post on this too!), it deserves a sequel itself! Chuji, Gren, Epon, Hom, Fei an the rest of the cast need to be seen again! I don't know about you, but I get a kind of nice feeling seeing characters again after so many years.

Overall, you can't say this game didn't have enough content. Fighting game and dungeon crawler. With plenty of unlockable characters to boot! I miss staying up all night unlocking characters in fighting games. Don't get enough of that now days *sigh*. This is why this game needs a sequel!

By the way, if you can't get a hold of either Tobal or Ehrgeiz, you can get a similar play style from Crimson Tears and Bouncer on PS2.

Preview
A trilogy means 3!

Well, since a trilogy is three parts, now it is time for our 3rd and final trilogy for now. Tune in next time as we take a look at JET SET RADIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUTURE!

Don't go around the wall.....GO THROUGH IT!

Apparently I dream of trilogies as well! This next game HAD to be here. It is one of my favorite Xbox games.

Name: Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors
Genre: Action Hack n' Slash
Developer: From Software
Composer: Kota Hoshino
Release Year: 2004
System: Original Xbox

I think this game should get a sequel because of it's down right beautiful style and wonderful destruction. If you have read the last two post, you know how this goes. Here's the story first.

Story
based on the Japanese myth of Ooeyama

Players assumed the role of Raikoh Minamoto, the undead warrior charged with the task of vanquishing the demonic infestation that plagued Japan's sacred capital. Continuing where the original left off, Otogi 2 puts players in the role of Raikoh, who is summoned once again to destroy the invading demons. This time however, he's not alone, and with the help of some new allies, Raikoh and his loyal followers will set out to destroy the demons once and for all and prevent darkness from consuming the world.

Pretty straight-forward. Here comes the fun part!

Destruction
If you break it, they will come!

Otogi 1 was the first game that I know of that had destruction on this kind of scale. Then came around Otogi 2 which kept it up very well. I am not talking about knocking an enemy through a crate and see it break kind of destruction, I am talking about knock a guy into and through a wall kind of destruction! After that, proceeding to smack him into every wall,ceiling,box,pot and pillar that holds up the building you are in. Or in one stage(I think it was a mini game of sorts) where you had to smash enemies into ships, destroying them!

This to me was next gen power put to work. Not only could you destroy just about anything, the game looked Beautiful! There was nothing better then hard slashing an enemy into a room full of other enemies,pots and pillars and watching it all explode from the sheer force of the blow! You could also slam enemies into the ground, creating a crater each time!

Gameplay
Raikoh is not alone this time

The Cool thing that Otogi 2 had over 1 was multiple playable characters. There was Raikoh, Tsuna(He is in the video below),Sadamistu, Kintoki, Seimei and Suetake. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses. You could feel the difference when playing one character over another. For example, Playing Kintoki who is slow but very powerful, then switching over to Sadamistu who is fast but doesn't deal as much dmg. Not only do their stats differ, but they also each have their own customizable spells(though Seimei and Suetake have the best magical dmg).

Last cool thing about the characters is that they have 3 different weapons each(Raikoh has 4) and 3 costumes.

Otogi 2's combat system maybe be considered generic hack n slash gameplay, but they way it was implemented into the destruction made it feel so much greater then the norm. You had your quick light attacks and your slower but powerful heavy attacks, pretty normal setup for a game like this.

What made it feel different was the impact! Some games tend to miss this important feature. When you hit an enemy here, the sound, the feel of the rumble in your controller and the vibrations on the screen show you that your character has real power. The type of impact that make you go "ooooooh" or "ouch, that look like it hurt!". I can not stress enough how much impact helps complete a games full experience. Not only did you react like that when an enemy is was hit, but again as you watch them soar through the air and crash into a wall, breaking it down!

Lets watch this video so you can get some type of semblance of how it feels to play this wonderful game!



It's funny how when you enter an environment how pretty it is and when you leave, it is a destroyed husk of it's former self. That is what makes this game so great!

Final Thought
RICHAAAAAAARRRRRRD!

That Richard line under the final thought is said by the main character from "Metal Wolf Chaos". It is also made by From Software. It was made after Otogi and had a similar "destruction game play" aspect. Sadly, it never came to America (Despite having cheesy fully English voice overs). If I had played it more, it would be a dream sequel post.

The point I am making is that games like this are few in far between. A lot of Next gen games have great graphics, but don't have that "Smack your enemy around and destroy the world around you" game play.

If you can't find a copy of Otogi or Otogi 2, then I suggest you try Red Faction: Guerrilla and Earth Defense Force(EDF! EDF!) for Xbox 360(even if you can find Otogi 1 & 2, still play these games!). They both are great games. Also, Red Faction to me is THE game that is paving the way for more games like Otogi to be made again. It has gotten great reviews and sold pretty darn good. So hopefully companies will notice that game play like Otogi's is greatly appreciated!

Preview
Year of the fighter, let it continue!

This year has been considered "Year of the fighter" with all of the fighting games coming out. So lets make our next sequel(or in this case, another trilogy) a fighting game I haven't played in ages but still fondly remeber. Join me and Akira Toriyama's Designs as we take a look at Tobal 2(one of the few import games I got a hold of)! Let the Trilogies continue!

Hopefully this was not the Final Fight

2010 is coming soon and that is the year our next game takes place in. So now would be a great time for a sequel!

Name: Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
Genre: Action Platformer
Developer: Capcom
Composer: Junko Tamiya(the music is this game is FANTASTIC!)
Release Year: 1990
System: Nes(Nintendo Entertainment System)

The reason I think this game should have sequel is for it's cool combat system and the fact that the ending leaves it open for more(no spoilers here, so no worries for people who still have not tried this great game)!

The story section will be split into 2 parts this time. One for the American releases story and one for the original Japanese story.

Story
Is it really Ken Masters?

American Story: In 2010, mankind's technology has advanced to the point that anyone can easily travel from one planet to another through the use of interplanetary warp gates. During the 25 years since he won the Street Fighter tournament, Ken has retired from his martial arts career to become a gifted scientist, developing a new substance called "Cyboplasm" that grants superhuman strength to any living organism that it is administered to. When Ken's lab partner Troy is murdered and the Cyboplasm is stolen, Ken decides to bring Troy's killer to justice by implanting his body with bionics, as well as an interdimensional transporter, in order to follow the killer's trail, who has left traces of Cyboplasm in each of the planets he has visited.

Original Japanese Story: Kevin Straker is a cyborg policeman employed by the Galaxy Police to neutralize a breed of interplanetary super-criminals known as "Parasites", whose abilities are drastically improved over regular humans and aliens due to an armored parasitic insect that has been implanted into their bodies. The character of Troy was originally called Dr. Jose, the scientist responsible for creating the parasitic organisms used to turn people into "Parasites".

Kevin's name was changed to Ken so this game would relate to the popular fighting game Street Fighter. I wonder how much(if any) this change helped its sales in America.

Gameplay
fade into the warp gate before time runs out!

This games combat system to me, was surprisingly varied for it's time. Instead of just having a basic punch combo, Ken would shoot out energy bullets with each button press. If you held forward while pushing the attack button , he would go into a slower but stronger combo attack. This was not a basic animation. He would actually change his punches and send his bullets in different directions! For example, if he threw an uppercut(which he did to end the combo) the bullet would curve up diagonally. Not only that, Ken had a single shot(and hard to master) jump shot, backflip(which does damage later in the game) and an overhead shot(done from the backflip).

Stages are diverse as well. From small boss stages to automatic scaling stages, this game had it all. It even has Bonus stages where you had to kill certain amounts of enemies to charge up your warp gate. Speaking of the warp gate, every time you beat a stage, you had to find the warp gate before it closes or Ken would die!

Here is some gameplay footage for you to check out(it has stage 3......listen to it's music and love it!). It shows the variety of the stage types and keeps the cinematics intact. Also check out how long ken's range becomes when he powers up!

Music
Stage 3's music rocks!

As stated above, the music in this game is FANTASTIC! Very in depth for something so old. Junko Tamiya did an excellent job capturing the feel of each stage. I would love to hear an arranged soundtrack for this game's sequel.

Sequel Type
2-d or 3-d action platformer?

If this game were to be made into a sequel, what should it be like? Most games moving from 2-d to 3-d(like Golden Axe Beast Rider, Bionic Commando and Sonic)tend not do so well in most gamers eyes. So would it be better to make Street Fighter 2010 like bionic commando 2009 or something in the line of Bionic Commando Rearmed? I would not mind a Rearmed style sequel. Though if done right, it could also be a cool 3-d action game. As long as the camera for the 3-d version was good(especially for sections that have platforming).

I think Capcom could make it good either way. They still have 2-d platforming down with games like Megaman 9 and the their 3-d games like Lost planet and dead rising are good as well.

Final Thoughts
Did I mention stage 3 has awesome music?

Cliffhangers, great music, nice battle system, good platforming and made by Capcom! These are the reasons I think this game should get a sequel. I am sure if anyone could make a successful sequel, it would be Capcom.

Preview
Tune in next time!

I mentioned two games that I think should have sequels so far. Lets go one step further then! This game already has a sequel, but I think it deserves more. I want to see how it would turn out on a next gen console. *Bell sound* Raikoh, I would like to see you again *Bell sound*. Tune in next time as we take a look at Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors.

Lets Get Right into It!

OK, this is the first post for my new blog, I Dream of Sequels. So I would like to say thanks to anyone who spent time to read my opinions. Without further ado, lets jump right into things with the first game I think should get a remake or a sequel!

Name: Cyborg Justice
Genre: Side Scrolling Beat'em Up(or Brawler)
Developer: Novotrade(also know as Appaloosa Interactive)
Release Year: 1993
System: Sega Genesis

I start with this game because if you look at this blogs banner, to the very left there is a robot. That robot is the basic look for your hero in Cyborg Justice. For those who have not played this game, let's start with a brief synopsis of the story.

Story
In a galaxy....bah, you know the line

The game's opening cinematic shows a spaceship crashing onto a mining colony. The ship's occupant dies shortly after the crash. The space-traveler's mind is to be transplanted into cyborg body and his memory erased so that he can be put to work. The memory wipe fails and the player, as the unwilling cyborg, must escape.

Not a bad story, but that is not the reason I think this game should have a sequel or be remade. The thing I loved about Cyborg Justice was it's game play and how interesting it is. So lets dive into it, shall we?

Character Creation
Its alive......Its alive!

Remember how I mentioned that robot to the far left of my banner? That was the basic body, arms and legs a robot in this game can have. At the character creation screen you have a choice of different parts to create an arm yanking, body ripping machine(literally). The choice of the arms and legs you have from the start make a difference, these are not just aesthetic changes. If I recall correctly(been awhile since I have loaded up this game) say you want.....the legs with spike knee caps, those slender long legs increase your walking speed. The arm options allowed you a few different weapons like a buzz saw or a laser cannon. Body selection i think effects maybe.....defense.

Game Play
The meat of Cyborg Justice

Here is why I think this game deserves a sequel/remake! The very interesting combat system. You actually get to RIP off your opponents limbs! Not just that, you can rip the body right off their legs and then equip the leftovers if you so please. This visceral feeling of tearing down your foe limb by limb is just awesome. Not just cut their arms or heads off just to be cool, but to need to do it to regain health or obtain new weapons. Even the bosses(robots like you self with longer hp bars, and I think sometimes special weapons)are not safe! You can also cut arms off with the buzz saw weapon. watching the chips and sparks fly off a robot was so cool! Check out this video to see what I am talking about!

Also the fact that this game is two-player(a big draw for me, I love playing co-op games with my bro)is a huge plus. Ripping robots to pieces with a buddy is a hoot. I think you can even use your partners arm if he drops it off for another.

Final Thoughts
A summary of what has been said....and for those who don't like to read alot :)

The battle system and character creation/modification is why I think this game should have a sequel/remake. Since I think the company might be dead(their last game was Jaws Unleashed I think)the likely hood of it getting one is slim to none(as if it wasn't EXTREMELY LOW already). If a new one can't be made, I would atleast like its system to be replicated and hopefully expanded on. Besides, WE NEED MORE BRAWLERS! Plain and simple.

Preview!
Tune in next time!

We take a look Street Fighter 2010: Final Fight .