Zelos: In Memorium

We are sorry to say that, last Sunday evening, our dear, dear Zelos died.
He had recently finished the main part of the story on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, and was planning on reviewing it for you all this week.
He was quite energetic, as usual, the day he died; there was no problems, no inkling that he was ready to go.
But, alas, it was his time, being an old pig as he was (about five whole years- equivalent to a seventy year old human, give or take).
he lied down, in his usual spot, closed his eyes...
It happened as simple as that.
We were quite amazed, actually, that he passed away; it was quite unexpected.

Zelos purred at every opportunity.
He was truly happy to be here with us.
His previous human didn't care much for him;
children, who treated him like a toy, neglected when they grew tired of him.
But here, he was beginning to learn how to quickly grab carrots,
considerable progress, seeing as it was clear he had never had one until he came here to live with us.
He loved being held by out human, Larissa, and her best friend, Michael.
He would always purr when in their arms.

Zelos was the newest of our gaming crew, but one of our most cherished.
He played like a true gamer, always kept going until he got through the game, never complaining that it was too hard, or that a part was annoying.
True perseverance, is what Zelos had.
It was he who dared to conquer the handheld games for our group, a valuable partner.

Zelos was buried in our owners back yard, a big rock marking the spot.
he was rested in a nice new shoebox, wrapped in lovely tissue paper.
it looked like a bed for a guinea pig king!
truely fitting for out dear, dear Zelos.
We will miss him very, very much; there was (and probably never will be) no other like him.

Now, for some of our precious memories...

The best DS playing g-pig out there:



Hanging out at home:


Playing GameCube:


Playing Guitar hero:


Even Rabbits and Rats loved Zelos!


Teaching Kids about g-pigs (and cuddling them too!):


Up Close and Personal:


Very poised:








G-Pig circle!


Cowboy Piggies:


Whoa! Matching outfits! (Human's our owner, Larissa).





Well, that's all the pictures we have of dear little Zelos.
Not much, since he's only been around since April...
Ah, what a great seven months that was!
We will surely never, ever forget you, Zelos.
You were truly a wonderful G-pig.

Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning

Name: Legend of Spyro, A New Beginning
Rating: 4/10
Platform: PS2



Yes, we decided to give a game a bad rating for once.

First of all, there's really not that much to say about this game.
Why? Because it's not a very long game.

For anyone who's not a big Spyro fan, the basis is that you're a purple dragon,and have to kill bad guys and save the dragon world and stuff.

But, even if you've never played the older games, don't worry.
This is an entirely new storyline and stuff.
You see, it begins Spyro's life as a little kid, from before all the stuff in the first games (for ye old PS1).

But oddly, Spyro can not do melee attacks and even more stuff than he could do in the first games.
Weird, huh, since it's supposed to be when he's young.
They also severely nerfed the charge attack, disappointingly so.
Of course, that doesn't matter, much, for they also changed it to the r button.
Maybe they aren't interested in making newer games compatible for the G-Pig market, or something.

Plus they changed the entire format of the Spyro games.
They made it pure action. No more RPG! Not even adventure.
Pretty much you just go through levels, killing bad guys and following the story.
Occasionally a tougher baddie turns up, or one of the 4 bosses.

Ah, the story. That's where we actually gave this game some points on.
Despite the shortness of it, it's actually worthwhile.
The cut scenes are fabulously animated.
The graphics are general, actually.
They put a lot of work making it look cinematic.
Makes it very eye-appealing, but unfortunately they sacrificed actual game quality for it.
We would not have minded if it were slightly less cinematic.
After all, it's a game, not a movie (which the creators didn't seem to understand.)
Gameplay is under 10 hours, particularly because there's no treaure hunting.
Seriously, how can they take the treasure aspect away from spyro?

Sparx no longer signals the health, by changing color when you're hit.
Instead, you have a standard action-game HP gauge.
You even have a gauge for your flame attacks!
The Fury attacks are cool, though.
Once you gather enough energy for it, it's simply awesome.
That is a plus, too. One of the only plusses.

Anyway, back to the story.
Cinder is an evil dragon who's been oppressing the dragon realms.
No, not the old dragon realms you once knew. Won't see those here.
The places you visit here follow in accordance to the breaths you'll get:
Fire, Ice, Earth, Thunder.
Beat all four of these, battle Cinder.
Final battle's in some alternate place.
In the final battle, Spyro uses up all his energy and stuff;
ah, that explains why in the other games, he doesn't instantly have those abilities.
That's very clever of them, actually. Creative.

But of course, it's so darn short!
And we were expecting a nice, usual Spyro adventure-RPG.
Needless to say, we were disappointed.
And post-game play? None.
You can start over, keeping the powers you have.
And that won't make much of a difference.
The story parts are good, but not a game we'd want to play through again.
We'll wait for it in Theaters.

Well, though we were severely disappointed with this game,
we're sure to be getting the next installment, soon.
There's two or more games in the Legend of Spyro series, after all.
Good thing they're so cheap used.
(Cheep used games, especially newer releases such as this, usually mean they're bad games, by the way.
Or really old, in the case of old games.
Unfortunately, these are last few years, so that means they're just crap.)
So, as we were saying: good thing they're really cheap used.
If they weren't, we may not have decided to be getting them.
But, the stories are pretty darn good, if very short.
If only they had worked harder on making the game itself more enjoyable!

Well, until next time!
~Ron and Alex, the Game Crazy (PS2) Guinea Pigs~

P.S. The cover art may show Spyro kinda different than you're used to, but don't worry; that's just an artist's rendition. The actual changes to design are not that big at all.

The World Ends With You

Game: The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Publisher: Square Enix
Game Rating: 10/10

Hi, Zelos here! I'm officially the DS G-Pig, and will be doing all the ratings for DS games, such as this one! Alex and Ron will be covering the TV game systems and such henceforth.

So, this game's called "The World Ends With You." Square Enix really did a wonderful job on, well, every single part of it!

Let's see, first I would like to mention the graphics. They were very different than usual game graphics, but wonderful nonetheless. The game really managed to capture the essence of a city atmosphere, complete with people walking in and out of buildings, graffiti, etc. The style of the art was really something else, and the character designs and outfits were amazing. I was especially stunned by the variety of clothes there were in this game!

Music, too, was different than normal, in the fact that it was actual viced music, or at least half of it was. even the instrumentals though had the essence of real music, with depth and stuff, as if they were the background music of a movie or something, but more extreme. Much of the music was Ska, some was more leaning towards rap, and others were more of pop and rock. Techno, too- lots of techno music. Overall, it created a wonderful effect in the game!

Now, you're probably wondering what the game itself is about. It takes place in Shibuya, Japan. Well, the main Character, Neku, waked up without his memory. Skiki forms a "pact" with him, leaving him a bit confused- but, he soon learns that he is playing something called the "Reaper's Game," and that you have to have a partner to survive in it. Well, Neku doesn't want anything to do with it, of course. Soon, though, he thinks otherwise, when he realizes that the prise is another chance at life- yes, he's dead, as are all the players in the game! "You have seven days" is what he is told- the game lasts seven days, and Neku and Shiki must survive all the challenges and reach the end of the seven days to win. If you a player fails at a task, the player is erased- meaning they are truly dead, souls lost. Or, they can be taken out by "Noise"- creatures that Reapers create to take out the players. The Reapers are not allowed to attack players directly, except on day seven. However, before long Neku finds himself in a much larger plot once he beats the Reaper's Game for the first time- first of all, only one player gets the second chance at life. Shiki is given it, and Neku gets to play the game again- but Shiki is taken as his entry fee this time! Yes, all players give up their most precious possession as an entry fee. Neku's first game, it was his memory. I won't tell you much more about the story; that's something you have to discover yourself, upon playing it! It's a wonderful story.

Character stats and stuff have an interesting way of evolving, too. Of course, since you're fighting Noise, you gain experience and can level up. But that only raises your base HP! to raise other base stats- defense, attack, and bravery- you have to eat food. Food takes time to digest- meaning you have to fight battles to digest it. The number of battles depends on the food. Upon digesting it, the stat the food effects will be raised. Bravery is an interesting stat; it effects what types of clothes you can wear. You can buy clothes at many stores, and can wear up to four articles of different types. The higher your bravery, the more extreme outfits you can wear. Each article raises different stats while it's on. They also have various abilities, which store clerks will tell you about the more they like you, meaning the more you buy, the more clothing abilities you will have. I really liked this way they dealt with stats. It's different, and it works wonderfully!

Now, for battle style. It takes a while to get used to, definitely. But, overall, it's very innovative and new, and a great change from normal styles. A bit difficult for me, as a G-Pig, though. Luckily, my claws can act as a stylus; it would be very difficult to hold such a big thing without opposable thumbs. Nacho could hold it, though. He's my friend rat. Rat's have opposable thumbs. Plus, Larissa has this huge stylus with a big Pokeball at the end, since she keeps losing the smaller ones. But, how could she possibly expect me to hold that thing? I told her that I had to use my claws-; she frowned upon it, but I promised to let her cut them before each time I played, so they weren't so pointy. Nail-cutting is annoying, but has to be done before shows and stuff, and every other week, or they get too long and painful. My last owner never cut them, and they became too long... I'm lucky to have Larissa! Oh, wait. I just got rather off-topic, didn't I? Kay, battle style... it takes place on both screens. You fight on the bottom, your partner on top. Neku uses the touch screen to activate pins. Pins can have all sorts of powers, activated by slashing, tapping, scratching, drawing, pressing, etc. At fist you can only have 2 pins on at a time, but eventually you can get more an have up to 6 on. Pins earn pp after each battle, leveling them up. Sometimes, they can evolve into better pins, too. I like to use one healing pin, one status inflicting pin, at least 2 attacking pins, one pin that powers up other pins, and one other, usually teleport or another attack pin. Of course, in the beginning, i couldn't have so many. You get the third pin slot fairly soon, so I suggest starting with two attack pins and one healing pin.Oh, and pins can be set to be used only when holding L and R, if you have pins on with the same command, such as tap, so they don't get mixed up, but I prefer not to use them, seeing as I can't reach those buttons. So, I just don't put on pins with the same command. Now, the partner is on the top screen. Of course, while you're using pins, the computer can automatically control the partner. You can set how fast you want it to take over- instant, a few seconds (I think three and five are options, and maybe one is, too), or never. I usually set it to the faster one, but not instant. The partner is controlled with the directional arrows, or abxy buttons if you're a lefty. The buttons pressed navigate though a small grid on the bottom of the screen to different symbols. The symbols depend on the partner. When one is reached, the partner attacks. The symbol goes onto the top of the screen, and once they symbols are matched in a certain way (different for each partner), a fusion star is earned. Once enough fusion stars are earned, a fusion attack can be done. Those are really cool! The more stars, the higher level the fusion attack is, so don't use it right away- unless of course you can't reach a higher level yet. Level three's the highest it can go, but you have to find special items to get the ability to go that high. The items are traded in at various stores. You can get the items from various Noise or completing sections of the game. You can also earn yen from Noise, which allows you to buy clothes and stuff.

So, that's all you need to know about The World Ends With You! It's really a great investment if you're looking for a new DS game. Might I suggest getting it used, as well? That's how we get most out games- after all, a G-Pigs budget isn't too large. But we find that the used games are just as good as the new, usually. If they're not, we can just take them back to Game Stop and get a better used copy. Why pay more for the same game new, if they both work the same? If you like new, that's fine too. wither way, The World Ends With You is one of the best DS games I've ever played! You really can't go wrong with it; unless of course you're under 13, and your parents don't want you buying T games. It's okay for us, though, since G-Pigs never reach the Teen years; at 4, I'm a pretty old G-pig. We just mature much faster than humans... Oh, I'm off topic again. The Game. The Reaper's Game. Go play it; not a real life one, of course, but the one in The World Ends With You! You really can't go wrong with it; I'm sure everyone who plays it will love it! It may not be as well advertised as other companies' games, but it doesn't need to be, when a game's this great, for it becomes known by word of mouth and stuff. The greatest games are usually those from lesser-known companies who don't advertise much, after all. You won't see this game on a TV ad, but it is definitely one of the best you will ever play on the DS!

Well, this was my first review, so I hope you liked it! This is Zelos, signing off; maybe I'll go play The World Ends With You now, too. Even though I completed the main story, there's still much to go back and do, collect, discover... ah, the post game play is just as good as the regular game play!

~Zelos~

Cover:


Characters: ("It's A Wonderful World" was the Japanese Title)


Main Charries:


Neku:


Reapers:

Spyro the Dragon

Game: Spyro the Dragon [Playstation]
Rating: 10/10

Yes, we are aware that this is a very old game. All the way from the first Playstation. But it's a classic, you know? Yes, you can't beat the classics. No matter how old, Spyro the Dragon will always be one of our favorite games.

We believe that technically, it is an RPG. True, it's not as in-depth as other RPGs, but you do have to hunt for things. The levels are pretty basic; lots of enemies to flame and charge, treasure to collect, dragons to rescue. But it's pretty fun.

The graphics are well done for such an old game; comparable to some of the graphics on recent Wii games [much better than Pokemon Ranch]. They're a bit rough; the designs of everything aren't as smooth and realistic as more modern games, but they're not bothersome. Very well done for such an old game. You have to give them credit for that; have you seen some of those older Playstation games?

The Music is very cool, too. They match the feel of the levels very well. It hides out in the background, but the game wouldn't be the same without it. It's easy to 'ignore' the music, or not be aware of it, after playing a while, but one would certainly notice when it suddenly vanishes or changes.

The theme of the game is interesting. Gnasty Gnorc, you see, has imprisoned all of the other dragons in crystal. Spyro, a young dragon fledgling, is the only one that escaped, by a stroke of luck. So now you, as Spyro, must rescue them. They are strewn all over the dragon worlds. Spyro releases them by stepping on the platform under their crystal form. Plus, Gnasty Gnorc has thrown all the dragon treasure all over the dragon world, as well as discovered a spell to turn that treasure into enemies. As you destroy an enemy, you release that treasure. There's also plenty of treasure all over the ground. Plus, thieves have stolen the Dragon Eggs, as well, which are pretty much bonus things to collect. Once you've acquired everything [100%], you unlock the door to a special level. Upon collection of everything in it, you've cleared the game with 120%.

The levels are fairly simple, as stated before. There are 5 Dragon Worlds [Artisans, Peacemakers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, Dream Weavers], Six including Gnasty Gnorc's. Each of these 'home' worlds have doors to sub worlds in them: three normal ones, a boss world, and a hidden flight world.

Overall, once you've beaten it a few times and know where all the hidden things are, it takes about ten hours to go through. A first play-through takes around twenty, maybe thirty. Short as RPGs go, but still worth it. It is a great game if you're bored one summer day, with nothing to do. Doesn't take much thought to play; there's no in-depth, complex stories as some other RPGs have. Simple, yet fun. A wonderful way to burn some free time.

We, as guinea pigs, particularly like the fact that Spyro the Dragon can be played without using all the buttons on the controller. The annoying L and R buttons can be used to change the camera angle, but the camera can also be set to follow behind Spyro, which is much easier for us. The buttons can also be used to roll Spyro left and right, but that's hardly necessary to complete the game. It's just a defensive maneuver, but doesn't impact the game in any way if you decide not to use it. Which is good, since those L and R buttons are really hard for us to press! The triangle button zooms the camera in to have Spyro look around, the O button shoots flame, square charges, and x jumps. X also glides if you are in mid-jump. The directional arrows can be used, or analog stick if you have an analog controller, like us. But the right analog stick is never used, since old Playstation controllers never had those. Oh, the start button opens the menu, and select the Atlas.

The Atlas is a handy tool. It tells you exactly how much of each thing you have collected, and how much total in in each world. This is good, since you can then know where the stuff you are missing is, or at least what level it is in.

The first few worlds are easy, but each is progressively harder than the last. In Artisans, it's pretty hard to die, except by enemy, since each cliff has ground underneath that you can land in, mostly. In Dream Weavers, however, if you fall, you're dead. It has empty space under most places, meaning that if you mis-glide, you've lost a life. Losing a life is okay, though; if you get a game over, you simply start over at the beginning, outside of the level's door, rather than a save point inside. All the enemies are reset, too, but not the things you collected. If you killed an enemy you killed before, you don't get treasure; rather, you get a small crystal. Collect enough, you get another life. This makes it very kid-friendly, as well. We would say that all ages would enjoy this game. Our human's father did, and he's pretty old, as old as ten guinea pig lives! [Yes, we only live until four or five, six if we're lucky and have a nice, caring family like ours.]

Overall, Spyro the Dragon is a wonderful game. It is great for all ages, has great graphics, play style, and music, and most of all, it is wonderfully guinea pig friendly!

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

Game: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.
Rating: 9/10

Well, we haven't played any other versions of Guitar Hero,
other than Aerosmith,
so we can't compare this one to them,
but the only real difference is the songs, anyway, right?

So, Guitar Hero seems pretty cool, overall.
Yes, it takes a lot of teamwork from the three of us:
Alex on the Keys,
Ron 'plucking' the 'strings',
and Zelos doing the Whammy bar.
But once we got that down, it turned out to be fun.

The idea of Guitar Hero is that you hit a lever,
representing the plucking motion of a guitar,
as you hold down the color key that matches the one on screen.
You have to pluck it in sync with the notes on screen.
It's a very interesting, and effective, gaming experience,
added to by great songs and awesome graphics.

The customization is astounding, too.
As you go through, playing songs, you earn cash.
You can use this to purchase may things:
new outfits, guitars, characters, and bonus things.
You use the outfits and guitars to customize your character of choice.

It takes a while to get used to the controls, but well worth it.
Even easy mode, which uses three buttons, can pose a challenge,
but as you progress and get better you can select a harder mode,
which introduces the fourth, and then fifth, button,
and also notes that require more than one button to be pressed.
The notes come in patters, depending on the song,
which can range from very simple to very challenging.
Of course, there are verses to the songs, a chorus, and bridges, too;
it's much more than one pattern throughout.

Overall, Guitar Hero seems to be a wonderful game!

*Ahem*

Yes, we realize that we haven't posted here in a while.
We would like to inform you that we are taking a break.
Our human is very busy with lots of stuff.
In about a month, she will be not-so-busy.
So, please wait a month or so for new reviews and stuff.
We may post a review before them, if Time allows,
but don't count on it, okay?
Thanks!
~The GC-GPs~

New Pig?!

We would like to take this moment to welcome our newest roommate, Zelos!
Yes, Larissa named him after a character from Tales of Symphonia.
Actually, we're all named after characters.
Ron's named after Ron Weasly from "Harry Potter,"
and Alex is named after Alex Rider, from the "Alex Rider" teenage spy series.
The Degu's name is Tybalt, from "Romeo and Juliet,"
and the rat's name is Nacho... He was adopted, already named.

Anyway, about Zelos, our newest member.
We went to a show last Saturday;
Ron did well, 2nd place in breed;
and there Zelos decided to come home with us.
Alex followed Ron home from the same show last year.
Anyway, about Zelos.
He probably had another name before,
since he is between 3 and 4 years,
but unfortunately animals put up for adoption at shows
don't get to keep their old names.
Larissa wasn't even told his real name.
Last year, Alex had been cookie before adopted;
Larissa knew the old owner, who told her.
We both think Alex is a better name.
Cookie is just a ridiculous one (so is Nacho).
Being named after a food is just mean.

Zelos is an abysidian-american mix.
Abysidians have spiky fur,
and Americans have straight fur,
so it makes him look quite... interesting.

Zelos will be joining us with the gaming;
he already shows quite an interest.
He will also be joining our cosplaying.

So, please welcome, the newest Game-Crazy Pig, Zelos!

Animal Crossing: City Folk

It's about time we rated this game: after all, our picture features us dressed as Booker and Copper, two characters from it!

Game: Animal Crossing, City Folk (Wii)

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall, this is a pretty sweet game. However, we feel that Nintendo could have done better. Aside from the addition of a small city, the game is pretty much a graphically improved copy of their previous installment, Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Basically, you acquire a small house in a woodsy town (which you get to name, along with your character). You are the only human living there, and the rest of the villagers are intelligent, human-speaking animals. A raccoon called Tom Nook runs the housing industry- and all the shopping except clothes- in the town. So, since you have no money to pay for the house, you owe him a debt. First, he makes you work in his shop. The jobs he has you do basically introduce you to the basic features of the game, such as sending mail to villagers, as well as delivering goods, which lets you get to know the townspeople a bit. after that, you're on your own. You can earn bells, the currency of the town, by doing many things, such as running errands for villagers; selling fruit, items, and the bugs and fish you catch; or using the 'Stalk market', or turnip trade (you can buy turnips on Sunday for a price, then sell them to nook on the weekdays and Saturdays, for prices that change by the day- sometimes, you lose money, sometimes there's a spike and you earn lots of money, sometimes you just break even). Once your initial debt is paid, your house is upgraded (you have no choice in this), and you owe Nook more, until you have reached the highest possible house size. you an also collect furniture for the house, grow hybrid flowers (pansies, roses, cosmos, tulips), play games with villagers, and design your own outfits (the Able Sisters help you with this, or you can buy their own clothes sets), and collect fossils, paintings, fish, and bugs to complete your museum, among other things. Special Characters also visit the town sometimes, and there are special events such as fishing tournaments. Holidays are there, too, but they vary depending on the country you live in (or, which country you bought the game in, to be more exact). It's very cool, and addicting! except, these things are all in Wild world, for the DS, making it kind of a disappointment that they didn't add more things.

One new thing that was added was the City. you can take a bus there. it has more shops, including one for designer clothes, a shady shop you can buy paintings and high priced goods from, a hairdresser, a fortune teller, and a shoe-polishing skunk (you get the color of your shoes changed). There's also a theatre where you can get emotions to use, a nice addition. There are other things, too. However, there's too little change there. Most events can be predicted, and the shops change inventory much slower than the shop in the town, which change everyday.

Another new thing is that up to three fiends can visit your town over wifi, and there's a cool thing called wiispeak that you can use to talk to them. that can be a lot of fun.

Overall, Animal Crossing: City Folk is a great game, but there is much to be desired, such as more of a variation from Wild World.

Of course, if you've never played Wild World, we're sure you'll absolutely love City Folk! It's just the prior fans of Animal Crossing that will be unhappy.

Sorry

Yes, we've been very bad...
We haven't posted in a week or so.
Truthfully, we haven't been playing many games.
Our owner's been obsessed with House,
so we've been watching that instead.
Plus Tales of Legendia died on us,
so we have to go but a new copy....
that may take a while.
So, just hold tight-
we'll surely have an article next week,
on something or another! ^__^'

~Alex and Ron~

Kirby Air Ride

Game: Kirby Air Ride (Game Cube)

Our Rating: 10/10 (Oh, wow! Perfect Score?!)

We know you're probably thinking,
"Hey, isn't this a kinda old game?"
Yes, the Game Cube System is old,
but it still has some of the best games ever made.
The PS2 is also "old," for that matter.
But we feel that the newer game systems,
such as the PS3, X-box 360, and Wii,
are simply not coming out with such great games.
They do have a few, but overall, not much.
We haven't bought a PS3 yet because of this,
and probably won't, since they'll have a new system before long.
We do have a wii, which has some good games,
but overall, they're not so great.
Plus, the Wii allows us to play Game Cube games on it.
So, we take advantage of that and re-live our experiences with older games.

Well, back to Kirby Air Ride.
This is, by far, one of the best multiplayer games ever,
at least among the games that we've played.
For those who have never played it,
you're really missing out!

Kirby Air Ride uses only the A button and control stick.
Oh, and the start button, to pause, of course.
This is perfect for Guinea Pigs like us!
The control stick is used to steer your machine,
and the A button is used to get off, attack, charge, and stop.
You move forwards automatically, for the most part.

The game has three types of game play modes:
Air Ride, Top Ride, and City Trial.

In Air Ride,
it is a basic race course, with laps.
There are many awesome courses to try.
You can suck in enemies and acquire their powers to
move faster, attack opponents, and other things.
But be careful for the sleep enemy:
you'll fall asleep for a bit,
and only move straight!
Choose your Star, or machine, carefully.
Different ones have different stats,
which can affect their play styles.
Use the one you feel most comfortable with.
Some are easier to control than others,
but the more difficult ones are much faster.

In Top Ride,
you race on a miniature top-down course.
There are many power-ups that fall from the sky.
You see the whole course at once.
It's very cool, but a little hard to get used to at first,
just because it's so different from normal race games.

City Trial is by far our favorite.
You have three to seven minutes in a city.
There, you gather power-ups for your machine.
You may also attack your opponents and knock power-ups out of them.
Many events appear in the city, too.
These can be beneficial or detrimental.
There are also legendary machines you can find-
but they are broken into three parts,
and you must get all three to get the machine.
Be careful- everyone's going to fight you for those pieces!
At the end of the timed city period,
you will participate in a type of mini-games.
These can be randomized or set to only be a certain one.
There are many types,
such as single race (a one-lap air ride race),
Air Glider, Defeat King DDD,
Drag Race, Kirby melee (Kill enemies),
Destruction Derby (kill opponents),
High Jump, and Target Flight (earn points by hitting the target.)

The graphics are extremely well-done, too.

With all this stuff,
Kirby Air Ride provides us with hours of fun!
We recommend this game to everyone, of all ages!

Final Fantasy 12

Game: Final Fantasy 12 (PS2)

Our Rating: Thus far, 6/10


Yes, for such a great series, only a 6.
However, we've only played it a few hours.

It's a great story so far!
The graphics are amazing, too.
However, that alone can't make a game good.

So, why did it get a 6?
The battle system is very annoying and difficult.
Winning is almost impossible without items,
and the amount of Gil, the currency, available,
you can only ever buy a few items,
which are not adequate amounts for battles!
You see, there's an attack gauge you have.
After a bit of time, it's filled, and you can attack.
However, your enemies have that, too.
And the enemies always hit, no matter how far you are.
Well, that's not entirely true,
but you have to be pretty darn far for them to not hit.
But you, on the otherhand,
must be very close to the enemy to get an attack in.
Plus, there's no real way to defend or anything!
It's automatic, but very rare for you to actually block an attack.
And some enemies can kill you in 2 or 3 hits,
which makes it very difficult to get an item in.
Did we mention that this is just in the beginning of the game?
And the number of battles it takes for your character
to level up and get stronger is ridiculous.

See? One ridiculous thing can ruin a game.
And the story looked like it would be good, too...
But if it's so hard to advance, and get to the story,
what's the point in playing the game?

We've given up in FF12.
Yesterday, we began to play Tales of Legendia,
which seems like a pretty good game, thus far,
as all Tales games are. =3

Mario Kart Wii

Game: Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

Our Rating: 7/10

Okay, so we didn't use the Wiimote to play this game.
Truth is, we used the Gamecube Controller.
But we had a picture of a Wiimote, so we put that.
The Wiimote is usable, too, of course,
but being Guinea Pigs, we can't hold it like a wheel.
We just aren't as big as humans, sadly.
But isn't that what makes us cute?
Honestly, could you imagine 5 foot tall Guinea Pigs?
Anyway, part of the reason it's only a 7 is because it's not Pig Compatible.
But you want better reasons, right?
Well, it's nice and all that.
Really great graphics,
you can visit courses from past games...
but where's the story?
Yeah, it's a racing game, is the argument.
Well, that's fine and good, but it doesn't even have a basic story.
I guess none of the Mario Kart games did, though.
We didn't really take points of for the lack of story.
Overall, the courses were very good.
However, that dash you get in the beginning of each race,
when you press the right buttons?
Booooooooooring!
Race starts are boring.
"Mario Kart: Double Dash" was a million times better.
The dash- and double dash- was amazing.
But, where did the 2 player co-op go?
That was one of the best parts of double-dash.
We could use the same Wiimote and be 2 different characters!
It was the greatest.
So, we eagerly borrowed the Wii version,
anxious to do some co-op.
But it wasn't there!
Something else not there:
2-player Grand Prix.
We can't even do that.
The tournament's one-player, to get all the characters.
What was wrong with two-player?
This game is meant for multiplayers,
yet they're taking all those capabilities away.
It lost 2 points for that.
The courses, despite the lack of multiplayer fun,
were very well done compared to past games.
The graphics were simply amazing,
adding to the overall great play experience.
Many of the new courses were wonderful,
very innovative and fun to play,
and even the older courses were upped a notch.
Another awesome asset is the wi-fi play.
You can play people from around the world,
or race ghosts of their top scores.
(Though the number one wi-fi players cheat,
having ghosts that win in literally less than a second.)
The speed of wifi is amazing, too.
Also, there are great battle minigames to play with friends:
Balloon Battle and Coin Collecting.
Both are very good, but we miss the Bobomb Battle.
Shine Thief was great, too.
(Both were from Double Dash.)
So, overall, "Mario-Kart: Wii" was very good,
an overall fun game, but it left a lot to be desired, too.

~Ron and Alex~

"Tales of the Abyss" (PS2)

Game: Tales of the Abyss

Our Rating: 10 of 10


This week, we finally completed the game "Tales of the Abyss" for the Play Station 2.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable role-playing game.

The story line was extremely complex, and long.
It took us over 70 hours to beat it! (The game keeps track.)
However, every second of those 70 hours were thoroughly enjoyable.

The basic plot: Luke, a heir to the Kimlascan throne,
has a special power called Hyper-resonance.
His power interacts with another person, Tear,
and they are teleported to a valley in Malkuth.
Malkuth and Kimlasca are on the verge of war.
Luke, who has been locked in his manor the 7 years since his kidnapping,
had no idea, so when they finally reach Baticul, the capital of Malkuth,
he attempts to stop the ridiculousness.
Well, a third faction, the theocratic nation of Daath, also gets involved.
You see, many centuries ago, the psychic Yulia wrote something called the Score,
which dictated exactly what would happen in the world.
The Order of Loreli, the religion of the land, controls the score.
Daath also has influence over both Kimlasca and Malkuth.
On their way home, they came across some other people,
including the Fon Master, Ion, who is technically in charge of the Order.
However, Grand Maestro Mohs is the one who seems to be running it,
behind the scenes, since Ion is still really a kid.
So, Ion, who doesn't want a war, protests Mohs.
Mohs desires the war because the Score predicts it,
but Ion argues that that is no reason to start a war.
So, the war is put off, and Luke is returned to the manor.
However, a month or so later, they request Luke at the palace.
He is needed to go on a peace mission to the Malkuth miner's city of Akzeriuth.
Well, Van, a commander of the Daathic military, intervenes.
He is Luke's mentor and sword instructor.
Luke's mission is to help evacuate the people of Akzeriuth.
There is a miasma that has consumed the city.
Van tells Luke that there is a way to use his special power to destroy the miasma.
Luke believes Van, and they set off to do it.
But Van was a big fat liar.
Instead of freeing the people of the Miasma,
the city blows up, and the surrounding area begins to fall into the planet!
Tear manages to use her powers to save their little group,
and they end up in a place called the Qlippoth.
This is the place underneath the "Outer Lands",
full of miasma and lava-like liquid,
except for an ancient place called "Yulia City".
The people here, called "watchers", protect the land (and Score).
We find out that the outer lands are held up by places called "Sephirophs,"
large and ancient towers from the Dawn Age,
which was the time before the lands were raised.
Much technology is left from that time,
but today's people have no idea how to use it.
Yulia City is built using that old technology.
The fall of Akzeriuth was not in the Score, and that frightens the watchers.
Well, we don't want to reveal too much of the plot,
but basically, you have to save the land from falling.
Van is attempting to destroy the entire world, and replace it with replica people.
Luke discovers that he is a replica,
which is why he cannot recall anything from before his kidnapping.
The idea that he is not the real Luke is very painful to him.
Luke was replicated because of his power of hyper-resonance.
You see, he was the only person in the world with it.
Well, except for his original, who now goes by the name of "Asch".

But we're revealing way too much- and too little- of the plot.
To understand and experience it fully, please play the game!
It really is worthwhile.
The plot and characters are simply amazing,
as well as the battle system and strategies.
We honestly could write an entire book about it!

Okay, onto other things about Tales of the Abyss:

The battle system is fabulous.
You fight in a party consisted of 4 people (out of a possible six.)
You and your enemies both have an HP gauge.
When attacked, the gauge goes down.
If it runs out, your character dies.
If all your characters die, you get a game over,
and must continue from the last place you saved the game.
As well as basic attacks, each person has their own set of Artes,
which they gain as they level up.
(You level up by gaining set amounts of experience after each battle).
Artes can hurt the enemy, heal you/teammates, or both.
However, the cost TP, or Technical Points.
During a battle, there are also items you may use.
(You can purchase items with gald, which you also earn after each battle,
or find them in chests in towns and dungeons.)
As well as consumable items, which have many affects,
there are also equipable items.
To each character, you may equip a weapon (one must be equipped at all times),
a piece of body armor, a set of armor for their arms, and one accessory.
The body and arm armor can increase your physical defense or fonic defense.
(Physical means basic attacks, fonic means Arte attacks.)
The weapon can increase physical or phonic attacks.
Other attributes are agility and luck.
Accessories do a myriad of things.
Depending on what accessory it is, any stat can increase.
They also can attribute your attacks to a certain element,
protect against physical and magical conditions, or do other things.
As a character levels up, their base stats, or stats with no equipment,
also increase. The stats of the equipment are added to these base stats.
While fighting, you may notice circles of light on the ground.
These are fonic fields, each color representing an element.
Red is fire, brown is earth, blue is water, green is wind.
White is light, which attributes also to wind and fire,
and black is Dark, which also attributes to earth and water.
Most artes are tied to a specific field.
When you use that arte in the field, it becomes more powerful.
They can only be tied to wind, earth, fire, and water for the change.
Light and Dark field both support two of these.
For example, artes tied to water and earth will both get more powerful in a dark field.
Another thing in battle is called "over-limit."
Once the over-limit gauge is at max, you can activate it.
It lasts for a little bit of time, and increased your stats.
After, the gauge will be all gone, and start to charge again.
It charges when you attack, or when you are attacked.
There are also special skills the characters learn as they level up.
These skills can be turned on or off, and affect the battle.
They have a whole range of effects, unique to each skill.
One particular skill is called "special."
This allows you to use a mystic arte while in over-limit.
These artes are extremely powerful,
dealing massive amounts of damage to enemies.
Each character has their own mystic arte.
Oh, and you can equip c-cores to each character.
These raise specific stats more than normal when the character levels up.
There are also FSCs, which can be equipped to different artes.
They have different effects for each arte.
In battle, one can also obtain a status condition.
These can be many things, including poison, which drand hp,
paralysis, which prevents most your attacks,
and sealed artes, which prevent arte usage.
Hmm... It seems we have covered all the basics of battle, now.

Aside from battles, you explore various towns and dungeons.
Dungeons have monsters and other enemies to fight, towns don't.
You'll see the monsters wandering around,
and battle them if you run into them (or they run into you!)
The only battles not determined in this way are boss battles,
since you have to fight the bosses.
If the enemies run into you from behind,
then your formation gets messed up.
That is, the characters in the battle are random, except for your own.
So you'll get the two characters you don't like to battle with,
and maybe the two healers will not be in the battle!
Therefore, you must watch the location of the enemies,
especially if you don't want to fight them.
However, we really recommend fighting as much as possible.
It's the only way to level up,
and you need to be high levels to beat some of the bosses.

Aside from the main story, there are also side-quests that you can do.
These are activated when certain conditions are satisfied,
and when you go to specific places, different for each quest.
They are fun to take part in, and also can reveal extras about each character,
or can just be fun extra stories.
Some even come with exclusive items!
An easy side-quest takes place with the main story.
Just stay at an inn in each city the story takes you too,
and and certain points there you'll see special scenes.

Oh, and don't forget cooking!
After battles and in the field, you can cook.
Mostly, they just heal your hp, tp or status conditions.
Recipes can be found anywhere, or obtained from side-quests.

So, search every town and dungeon thoroughly!
If you don't, you may miss side-quests, items, or recipes.

It seems we have covered the bases, here.
Hopefully, you have a basic understanding of how the game works.
Any questions, just post a comment here, and we shall address it!
Basically, we're trying to say that this is an excellent game,
and we highly recommend it to any rpg fan!

Hey Guys!

Hello! We are the Game-Crazy Guinea Pigs.
Our names? Alex and Ron,
named after Alex Rider and Ron Weasly,
two wonderful story characters.
Alex is the Black and White one,
and Ron is the Orange and White.
Our breed is American, and yes,
we do participate in shows.

But this isn't about us,
it's about or obsession with video-games!
It all began when Larissa, our human,
allowed us to view the opening for the
PS2 game, Tales of the Abyss.
From that moment on, we were captivated.
We knew that we just had to get a piece of that awesome action!
Yes, it's a bit hard to play with our little hands,
but we try our best, working together, of course.
(Why do they make game controllers so big?!)
Oh, we also cosplay our favorite characters.
The title picture is a picture of us as Booker and Copper,
from the Wii game "Animal Crossing: City Folk"!

Oh, and our Human, Larissa, also helps us with the typing, too.
After all, we may be able to understand words,
but writing and typing them?
That's a whole different ball park-
in a world for the opposable thumbed!