Friday, July 16, 2010

I'll be back ...

... to normal next week.

I wasn't able to post as often as I would have liked this week due to having a lot on my plate professionally. (A blogger has to pay the bills, you know.) Next week should be much better, though, so expect things to get back to normal then.


Normally I'd post once or twice over the weekend, but I just got my copy of Dragon Quest IX (booyah!) and, honestly, I'd rather spend some quality time with it than with all of you. (Please don't take that personally.)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Actually, I've got portable RPGs on the brain

Once my obsessions with Dragon Quest IX and Etrian Odyssey have ended--and they will, sooner rather than later--I think I'll turn my obsessive energies toward Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.

I'm going to pre-order the game well before its Oct. 5 release date, however, since Amazon.com is offering a $10 credit to all who do so between now and then.

If you're still on the fence about this Final Fantasy spin-off, check out this trailer (from the recent E3 event) or the title's official site.

See also: 'Let's play: Which box art is better? (The 4 Heroes of Light edition)'

I've got Dragon Quest on the brain

I know that's probably hard to believe considering two of my last three posts have been about Etrian Odyssey and not the latest entry in Yuji Horii's Dragon Quest saga.

The fact is, I am a bit obsessed with Etrian Odyssey these days. (You would be, too, if you gave it a go.) At the same time, though, I'm eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting my copy of Dragon Quest IX. It's going to be quite interesting to see which game ends up winning the battle for my affection and attention.

Anyway, in an attempt to make this post about more than my boring blatherings, here's a compilation Japanese Dragon Quest TV commercials:



I'm particularly fond of the Dragon Quest IV ads that show up around the 1:00 mark. The second one, featuring the guy with the Flock of Seagulls 'do, is my hands-down favorite, despite the fact that it doesn't make a lick of sense.

(Via tinycartridge.com/post)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

'As accessible as Centipede and as complex as Defender'

On his company's website, Mike James says, "my wine is for anyone who spent time trying to save a princess or fit odd shaped blocks together."

That comment alone makes me want to buy a bottle or two (or four) of 8-Bit Vintners' Player 1, a Syrah-based blend of fruit from vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley.

Another comment that makes me want to buy a few bottles of Player 1: The folks over at woot.com say James' wine "is as accessible and approachable as Centipede, but as complex and intriguing as Defender."

Speaking of woot.com, the web-based retailer is selling a four-pack of Player 1 for $49.99 (plus $7 shipping). Considering a single bottle of Player 1 usually goes for $18 (plus shipping), that's a pretty great deal.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

F-O-E! F-O-E! F-O-E!

If you had asked me a week ago which game I'd rather play, Dragon Quest IX or Etrian Odyssey, I'd have gone with the former without skipping a beat. Today, I'm not so sure--which says a lot about my (so far limited) experience with the latter.

Speaking of which, I've now spent enough time with Etrian Odyssey to fully appreciate the horror that goes by the name of FOE (or Foedus Obrepit Errabundus, which supposedly is Latin for "the vile, wandering one sneaks up"). Before I played it, I couldn't understand why so many gamers feared these creatures, which serve as the DS dungeon-crawler's mini-bosses. Now I do.

I also understand why the following YouTube video has received so many hits.



By the way, if you're like me and you have Etrian Odyssey on the brain, you may want to pre-order Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City. Folks who pre-order the game (at, say, Amazon.com)--due out on Sept. 21--will receive Forests of Eternity, a 60-page art book that contains concept art pulled from the series.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sweet mystery of life at last I've found you

If you've seen Young Frankenstein, you know which scene I'm referring to in the headline above. If not, may I suggest watching the following clip before continuing on?



So, which sweet mystery of life have I discovered? Why, Atlus' dungeon-crawling DS RPG, Etrian Odyssey. (The original, not the 2008 sequel.)

I bought this Kazuya Niinou-developed title (used, of course) ages ago but, as is all too often the case for me these days, I played it for a few minutes and then promptly put it away--until I returned from vacation early last week.

Well, I've been playing it ever since. Sure, it's not for everyone, but I can't get enough of item-and-loot-gathering grindfest.

Sadly, it's likely going to fall by the wayside again after my copy of Dragon Quest IX arrives in a few days. I won't leave it for long, though--it's too captivating and compelling for that.

See also: 'Two down, one to go' and 'I'm going to buy Etrian Odyssey III just so I can play as this character'