i picked up pokemon pearl edition and valhalla knights yesterday. i'm rich like that.
pokemon pearl is more of the same. if i hear one more ninthing bitch about dynasty warriors on gaf and then turn around and shit his britches for a pokeyman title, i'll, well, i'll quietly seethe and probably make a snarky post or four. this one has the best soundtrack and visuals yet, although they're still sub-playstation. art direction is great, and like all the best ds games, the stylus isn't really used except as an optional menu navigation device. i hate how the first four hours of the game are a drag, where you hafta catch the same sparrows and ferrets and bugs and shit, and then there's a tedious cave with geodudes and zubats, and all you do is growl and pound and tackle over and over -- it's like reliving the average himumu masturbatory session for four hours straight. however, after you get the first badge and you have some interesting pokemon and powers AT FUCKING LAST -- PSYDUCK OMG -- the game becomes rather more fun since you can focus on a team with potential instead of fucking around with birds and bugs and gerbils. the sanitized g-rated dialogue drives me bonkers. i actually hate treehouse's snarky meta-dialogue ridden translations, now.
i don't get the bad reviews for valhalla knights. it's basically .hack meets an old-school PC party management RPG. the graphics are good, the music is great, the load times are minimal, the art is solid: what's to hate? oh yeah, gaffots and mainstream reviewers are upset because there's no story. so far -- like two hours so far -- it seems solid, and while the in-town camera sucks, it's fine when you're exporing ther haunted castle and trashing monsters. the spellcasting interface is well done, and your party ai isn't bad at all. i have two companions out of a max of five.
anyway, there you go.
