Clap On, Clap OFF

*Spoilers ahead. You have been warned*

So, a different game this time. OFF is the new game I'll be talking about, though I've played it in the past. I think most people have seen it on tumblr, but if not I'll tell you a bit about it. OFF is a French adventure RPG type game. It was made in 2008 by Mortis Ghost. The game was translated into English in 2011. It's different from other games I've played, but interesting. I haven't finished it yet; I'm serious the game is super long.

Zone 0

You are the puppet master and control the puppet, The Batter, who's mission is to purify the zones of the spectres and eliminating the zone bosses. Though you control The Batter's movements, he has thoughts of his own/ He seems rather aloof and meticulous. His title is The Executioner. During the beginning of the game you meet a cat that looks kind of like the grinning Cheshire. He is called The Judge. He seems to appear at different points in the game and gives you cryptic clues on how to solve things.

Each zone has missions of sorts that you must complete with some puzzles along the way. There are many monsters you have to eliminate; I mean every single step you take, you meet a monster. You start at Zone 0 where The Judge helps you get the gist of the game.The Batter meets these Add-ons that look like rings. They can assist you in battle and have their own special abilities. I'm guessing you get three from Zones 1 to 3.

The Game is nice, I guess. I can't say I love it, but I don't hate it either. I think it is unique and something I wouldn't normally play. I got as far as the end of Zone 2 before I stopped. The Zones take a while to clear since there seem to be spectres everywhere. The Zone bosses are hard to beat only because you don't know how much health they have or what they're weak against. It felt like forever before I beat Zone 1 boss.

Random pictures in the game???

The game had some interesting pictures when it was doing the whole "explain this world" thing. It also has sounds, like whenever you speak to these guys that are all white with dark circles under their eyes, they make this weird breathing noise. The Judge also meows when you talk to him. Before the big boss fights, a "merchant" seems to show up. You can buy health power-ups, new skills for The Batter and the Add-ons as well as weapons. Of course you can only buy them with game experience points you get from defeating the spectres.

I haven't reached the final level of the game, but I've heard the endings is a surprise. I really want to finish it, though it may take some time. This game is free, so give it a try. You just might like it. Now I'm OFF (bad pun) do find another game for next time.

Haunted Schools Are So Cliché

*Spoilers ahead. You have been warned*

Having Fun Since 1996

So, unlike the last post, this game is a lot scarier than the one on pigeons. Corpse Party is a horror survival game that was made in 1996. It has been remade many times with better graphics and for more than one type of console. The game was initially made in Japan and has been translated for certain consoles in English.

The title doesn't actually mean that the story is about partying with dead people, though there is a large gathering of the dead. The newer versions stay true to the story line; there are only a few changes here or there. So, basically, people in 1996 could be as creepy and psychotic as they are today.

They look so happy

The game play is mainly a story with horror and survival thrown in. Your decisions affect what happens. You can get a wrong end in the middle of the game if you miss something or pick the wrong options. The game allows you to play multiple characters and you explore the haunted school, which is in different dimensions for each group. Each character is usually with one or two other people. Expect some creepy and horrifying things to happen to everyone.

Playing with dolls...

The game begins with a group of school kids listening to a ghost story. The story teller, Ayumi Shinozaki, has a love for caring people. As she finishes her story, the kids get frightened by a teacher, Yui Shishido, who was playing along and made the ghost story seem true.  Satoshi Mochida's younger sister, Yuka, comes in with the teacher offering her brother an umbrella he forgot. The group decides, with Ayumi's suggestion, to do a charm with a friend who will be leaving the school, Mayu Suzumoto. The charm, called Sachiko Ever After, is a paper doll that is split between the people in the group. It is said, if done correctly, offer eternal friendship to those who do it. Each person must chant "Sachiko we beg of you" one time for each person doing the charm. Of course someone does it wrong and the children, plus the teacher, find themselves falling into a large chasm that opened up in the classroom. The characters find themselves in an abandoned and rundown school. There have been numerous other students who have come as well before them and all have died in some way or another. Now the split up group must try and find a way out, but it isn't easy when you have vengeful ghosts coming after them.

Darn!

The game itself is pretty good. Some of the details and deaths can be a little gruesome. This game isn't for those who can't stand horror movies. I found it exciting to be able to explore and navigate the characters. The game takes a long time to complete since it has around five chapters. As you keep going, you discover the truth about the school and who sends the people there. I was in suspense the whole time. I have died many times in the game because I picked the wrong choices. Thank goodness for save points, which are candles. I did spend a good part of the game trying to figure out what to do at certain points. There are a lot of scraps of paper that you can read. Most of them are last notes by dying students. I did meet some "friendly" or neutral ghosts and other students. Some of the people seem nice, but they're actually total psychos. You can't trust anyone in the game except the group you came with, well mostly. There were characters who I liked and they ended up being killed; I always seem to like those who will die first.

So, if you like horror and want a good creep out, try Corpse Party. You do have to buy it, but I found it a good investment. It's available  in English for the PSP and they do have a PC version, but you would have to translate it to English since it's in Japanese. Have a good freak out!

You stole my last Klondike Bar!

I Really Hate Birds

 *Spoilers ahead. You have been warned*

I really do hate birds, so the best thing for me to do is play a game where you date them. Yes, I said date. This game I found last year, and it's actually one of my favorite games I've played. It's funny, wacky and completely full of craziness.

So many birds...

Hatoful Boyfriend is a dating sim game made by Moa. The game originally was made as a joke for April fools. For some reason, people enjoyed the game so much, that she made it into a full game.

There are two games, a manga, three (almost four) drama CDs (though they're in Japanese), two guidebooks and a book called Absolute Zero. The game can be played as a demo to see if you want to buy it for $4.19 as a download.

Onto the game play. The game is your stander dating sim format. For those who don't know what a dating sim game is, it's where you play a main character and you try to gain a romantic relationship with one of the males/females available in the game. Your choices can affect who you end up with and what ending you will get.

Home sweet cave

Hatoful Boyfriend is the same way, except you're wooing birds. Your character is Hiyoko Tosaka (name is changeable) who is the only human going to a school for pigeons, St. Pigeonation (by the pigeon, for the pigeon). Hiyoko isn't the sharpest tool in the shed; actually her wisdom level starts at 1 while she has 800 vitality. This is due to the fact that she's more caveman than normal human. I mean she lives in a cave!

Not even the game knows what he is

Now onto your potential suitors. We have the childhood friend (Ryouta Kawara), the snob (Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane), the playboy (Yuuya Sakazaki), the teacher (Kazuaki Nanaki), the doctor (Shuu Iwamine), the quiet smart boy Nageki Fujishiro), the unlock-able character (Anghel Higure) and the eccentric one (Okosan). Each bird you meet the first time shows you a picture of the bird and their human form. The human forms are to make you more comfortable. My favorite human form is Okosan just because he doesn't have one.

That's definitely the way a high school girl talks.

Your character is never seen, so you have to use your imagination for what she might look like. In the manga, however, Hiyoko is represented by a piece of meat. Mainly because she eats meat while the birds eat grains.

 During the game, you can pick which class you want to attend, events to participate in and dialogue with the characters. Your choices will affect who you end up with and what ending you get. The dialogue can be bit weird, especially since Hiyoko has a way with phrasing things.

The story lines can be a bit weird and the endings aren't what you expect. Some endings are ridiculous in the "what the heck just happened" kind of way. Others can be a bit sad and it gives you a lot of feels even though they're birds.

The first time I played the game, I couldn't stop laughing at everything that happened. Some of the birds look so weird to be real birds. There was never a dull moment when I played it. I fully enjoyed playing every route possible.

Even his smile is creepy...

As for one of the birds I tried to woo, well I went after the doctor. I just thought it was a safe choice and completely ignored the fact that the game described him as having "a creepy reputation among students." He made many subtle threats to maim Hiyoko and/or feed her questionable drugs. I was determined to finish his route whether it killed me or not.

Ultimately it did kill me, well it killed Hiyoko. The good end is where the good doctor decides to keep her and cuts her head off to preserve in a jar. His love for science makes her a special specimen, being human and all. An extended in ending, the doctor asks if you truly loved him. Your choices are (1) yes (2) yes (3) yes. I went around screaming at the computer and asking why I didn't have the option to say no or something. Then I remembered that she's dead. This is considered a good end with him.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed this game. It can give you a lot of laughs and the good thing is that it doesn't have to be taken seriously. I mean, if you want to take dating birds seriously, be my guest. I recommend the demo if you don't want to buy it. I did buy the game in the end and I don't regret it. The game comes with an extra story line called Bad Boy Love (BBL). This story goes deeper into the backgrounds of the pigeons and explaining a few things. BBL is a lot less funny and more of somber tone, but it still has its funny moments.

Well what are you waiting for? Go play the demo and laugh until your stomach hurts. If you're still wondering, I still hate birds. Until next time.

Draw me like one of your French girls

Introductions are fun, kind of...

For those who don't know me, I'm Sara Ann. Since we are all in the same class, I don't think I need to say what school I go to. I like many things and the list is too long to actually post here. Though, my life is usually too hectic to do most of the things I like. School, real life, and other situations complicate any free time I have. I think you all know what I mean. It's hard to enjoy yourself when you keep getting interrupted. Yet, I still have time for one thing even if it means procrastinating.

This blog will be about one of my favorite activates I do, playing computer games. I really enjoy playing a lot of different games. Horror, adventure, rpg, puzzle, anything with a story line or other stuff like that. So, this blog will just be about what games I played before or recently. It may have spoilers, commentaries about the game, critiques, etc.

I find time to play games usually during the weekend. Other times I'll attempt to play a few hours during the weekday before doing work for school. A good friend of mines outside of school got me into playing games. It's something that I like to do because it takes me out of my homework induced life and into some pixel universe where I can have an adventure.

Why talk about games when there are a bunch of them you can look up online? Just because, that's why. I enjoy sharing my thoughts, reactions and ideas and such with other people. So, sit back, read about some games and maybe play them yourself. My blog really is all fun and games ;)