Playstation Review Blog

Happy Fathers Day to all the geeky dads out there from all of us here at SlashGear! Last week was a busy one with E3 going on and lots of new gaming gear unveiled. It wasnt all gaming gear though with the Toshiba GuideBook dual-screen tablet set to land in June. The little thing looks pretty cool. One of the first big stories of the week was the iPad email security breech . The breach was ...

We don’t know yet, but rumors of this First dual screen Asus Eee Reader are flowing out. This new Eee reader is a Touchscreen Reader that takes the shape of your books –Two sided. I’m not sure how much will that help practically since we can read only one at a time, other one contributing only to the Battery wastage thereby reducing battery life. One attractive thing about Eee is it’s price. Its rumored to come out around christmas holidays and price would beat both Sony PRS-600 and Kindl

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Grimoire of the Rift

Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume for Nintendo DS…Destiny by sinner sought, Tragedy by power wrought. The origins of a cult classic are revealed in VALKYRIE PROFILE: Covenant of the Plume, the third entry in the critically acclaimed VALKYRIE PROFILE series. Development studio tri-Ace returns to craft a gameplay experience that boasts a captivating storyline with ties to Norse mythology and a familiar yet refreshing battle system enhanced by deeper strategic elements. Embark on an innovative RPG experience crafted by creator Yoshinori Yamagishi, character designers Kou Yoshinari and You Yoshinari, and IGN’s top 10 JRPG composer Motoi Sakuraba. Wylfred was but a boy when the valkyrie claimed his father’s soul and sealed his family’s fate. In the agony of the aftermath the boy swore revenge, and now for the man, the time has come to reap it. To the valiant she comes, and so to the battlefield he goes. Destiny awaits. Brand-new Storyline Perspective: Follow Wylfred’s dark quest for revenge on the Valkyrie Lenneth; New Gameplay Dynamic, Sieges: Earn greater spoils and fighting advantages by surrounding enemies; Spectacular Attacks, Soul Crush: Perform powerful finishing moves by maxing out the attack gauge, Overkill: Continue attacking enemies once they are defeated to earn Sin; Ultimate Replayability: Discover multiple possible story endings as you decide the fate of your allies, with results that will change the course of the game; Dynamic Dual Screen Presentation: Experience a beautifully rendered 3D world; Seraphic Gate: Battle formidable foes as you recruit new allies in an unlockable bonus dungeon; Over 20 possible allies to enlist.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent SRPG
This won’t be a long review with lots of details.

FFTA is a Strategy Role Playing Game. The bulk of the fun part of the game is customizing your team and sending them to battles played in a turn based strategy style. The customization is where the RPG element comes in: choose your players to have different “jobs”, e.g. Warrior, Black Mage, Thief, etc, and have the right team for the right mission.

4 Stars Very good for original tactics fans
This game is only the most fun for people who liked the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance game on the Gameboy Advance.

The gameplay is exactly the same as the first game. The only big improvement I noticed was the better graphical portrayal of the different races. The top screen of the DS is used to display the current law and the privilege (a feature added in A2 that means bonuses at the end of battle if law is obeyed). In this game you don’t go to jail for breaking the law, but you lose the privilege and the ability to use phoenix down to revive people. Personally I think this was an improvement, too.

5 Stars Get this game!
If you are into strategy RPGs, this is the game for you, will literally last you over 200 hours if you try to do everything and thats just one difficulty! Very deep battle system, over 50 classes, and the graphics looks really nice, very vibrant colors, but the most important thing of course, extremely fun.

3 Stars What’s A Grimoire, And Did I Fix The Rift?
I spent over 100 hours playing this game and all of its various side quests, and I only managed to complete a little more than half of the total missions. This game also has a Hard setting so if you’re into this game, you can easily get your money’s worth by purchasing it and letting it siphon months of your free time.

However, I wouldn’t recommend it; after completing the first hundred or so missions you begin to wonder to yourself just how many times you have to clean an airship, deliver correspondence, help with the spring festivals, and other menial tasks. Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome to be able to level-up by accomplishing such tasks. It’s also a nice break from always battling foes, but is it really worth the trouble? Is it really worth trying to visit four different areas in six days, visiting different baby mamas while posing as your client? Is it moral?

Most of the time it isn’t; the dialogue is incredibly drab and after the tenth hour I always skimmed the words. This is an unprecedented move for me, as I generally love the dialogue/storyline of Final Fantasy games. It unnerved me that I just couldn’t get into this game.

However bad the storyline may be the battle system more than makes up for it. The classes, weapons, attacks, terrain, enemies, and laws are all incredible. I played this game mainly for the battle system, not understanding most of the reasoning behind why I was killing this bunny, aiding this witch, picking up this flower, or intimidating this blob monster. It had to be for the good of mankind right? I believe I was fighting the forces of evil, but I don’t really know. People were paying me to do it, and as a mercenary you don’t ask questions.

It’s probably a good thing there was no morality gauge in this game. Before I knew it the credits were rolling and I didn’t have to contemplate as to my noble/horrendous deeds I committed or my impact on this world. I knew that in the final stage someone was trying to kill me, so I killed them. And that’s all that matters in the end, when you’re offered a little supplementary income by a shady bartender who has a friend who has a friend who wants you to fight someone to the death.

5 Stars Best game ever!
This is the best game I have ever played. I finished it last night and I loved it.

I play a lot of final fantasy games and this one is the best. It has a great story line, it’s challenging, the music and graphics are great, and its super fun.

Sometimes its a little slow but it’s still very awesome.

Buy/More Info

New Super Mario Bros

New Super Mario Bros. for the DS lets you play an updated version of the classic Super Mario Bros. world, with all-new moves taken from other hit Mario games. When Mario and Princess Peach are taking a walk, a bolt of lightning hits Mushroom Castle. Mario goes off to investigate, but he returns Bowser has kidnapped Peach! He’ll track down Bowser on the classic, original Super Mario Bros. map with all the moves he’s picked up in the other games. Throw turtle shells, butt-stomp to crack open floors — you can even use the tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. Use the DS dual screen to see where you are on a map & play fun minigames. Also includes a two-player mode where Mario and Luigi race and compete for coins.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Love Mario !!
I loved playing the old Mario Brothers games on my old sysytems and now this is like playing them again only better because I can play where ever I am.

5 Stars Love This Game
This is the best game on the DS that I have ever played! So many new levels and worlds to unlock will keep you busy all day long. It’s a load of fun and I can never stop playing it! My sister and I used to fight over it because we loved it SO much!

5 Stars Mario- reborn
This brings back so many memories to older mario games I played as a kid. With the same classical game setting along with the goal to rescue princess peach from bowser and bowser jr. ,this game provides hours of addictive gameplay. New power-ups and movements add to the elements from past mario games. You will not be dissappointed if you buy this, and it is sure to keep you thoroughly entertained.

5 Stars love it
just as annoyingly addictive as the original. if you’re not careful you will find yourself spending WAY too much time playing this game!

5 Stars Lovin’ the game!
I bought this game for my son (age 7) and he loves it! Wants to play it all the time… even found him sneaking the DS in bed at night.

Buy/More Info

Chrono Trigger

After 13 long years, the role playing game of the ages finally returns with Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS. This chapter begins when a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions, and young Crono must journey through time to rescue a mysterious girl from an intricate web of past and present perils. Enhanced with Nintendo DS’s dual-screen presentation, stylus controls, and a host of great new features, this classic tale returns to a modern, portable platform.

After 13 long years, the role playing game of the ages finally returns with Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS. View larger.

Gameplay is enhanced with Nintendo DS’s dual-screen, stylus controls, and a host of great new features. View larger.

And so the Story Goes. . .
Through a chance encounter amid the festivities of Guardia’s Millenial Fair in Leene Square, the young hero, Crono, meets an adventurous girl named Marle. The two decide to explore the fair together and soon find themselves at an exhibition of the Telepod — the latest invention by Crono’s long-time friend, Lucca.

Marle, fearless and brimming with curiosity, volunteers to assist in a demo. However, an unanticipated malfunction sends her hurtling through a rift in the dimensions. Taking hold of the girls pendant just before she’s whisked away,

Explore the past — Prehistory, Antiquity, and the Middle Ages — Present, Future, and even the End of Time. View larger.

This game utilizes a revised version of the groundbreaking Active Time Battle (ATB) System. View larger.

Crono bravely follows in pursuit, but the world into which he emerges is one of four centuries ago. In Chrono Trigger prepare yourself to journey into the forgotten past, distant future, and even to the very End of Time.

The Worlds of Past, Present and Future
In Chrono Trigger you’ll journey back to Prehistory (65,000,000 B.C.) where humans and reptiles battle to wipe each other from existence. Antiquity (12,000 B.C.) is an age where the world is divided between people whose continent is buried in snow, and the magical kingdom of Zeal, a highly advanced civilization. The Middle Ages (600 A.D.) is an era of swords and sorcery, a dark time when the armies of Fiendlord rule over the land.

The Present (1000 A.D.) is the time period in which Crono, Lucca and Marle live. It is a bright and peaceful age. However, in the Future (2300 A.D.), an era of despair has taken hold with rogue machines ruling the world. After the day of the apocalypse in 1999 A.D., the prosperous civilization of humanity crumbled and the remaining people struggle to stay alive. And, finally, there remains the End of Time — a place with no era to call its own. This confluence of time’s streams transcends spatiotemporal boundaries. It is here at the gravitational center for all temporal flotsam that Spekkio — the Master of War — serves as your guide on time’s treacherous roads.

Battle Systems and gameplay
This game utilizes a revised version of the groundbreaking Active Time Battle (ATB) System. Chrono Trigger features exhilarating combat in which the clock is constantly ticking. Characters must first wait as the ATB gauges charge, and then perform an action. This makes strategic timing a crucial element in your battle plan. In addition to standard attacks, each character has an array of special Tech skills and powerful combos known as Dual and Triple Techs. Cooperate with other characters to unleash over 50 unique and devastating moves!

Chrono Trigger utilizes great story-telling, interesting characters, action-packed gameplay, and the unique controls of the Nintendo DS to deliver a fun and well-rounded role-playing game on a portable platform.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars good game
i went to wal mart and was looking for a good rpg and i found it. this game is fun and the story is good, the story is way better than my grammer skills lol

4 Stars As good as the last remake
There’s nothing really new about this from the remake on the PS(2?) but it’s a classic so having it available on a newer system is still awesome.

4 Stars Very good, but Zelda is better
Makes pretty good use of the stylus - important for a nintendo control challenged guy like me - except moving the characters is too imprecise. The buttons work better. Also the graphics are the same as the old game which may be charming, but I’d have liked it better with more modern, vivid graphics. That said, it’s a really fun role playing game, but not as good as Zelda, which is great.

5 Stars Really Addicting!
I am new to the chrono trigger series and I absolutely LOVE this game. I’m so addicted and there are so many little secrets and twists and side quests that just keep this game intense and interesting. I like the ease in playing the game. I’m positive this is one of the few games i’ll actually finish.

5 Stars Great Game
This game is fun I like it. Supposedly isn’t much different than SNES version but I liked it and have played both.

Buy/More Info