Below is a breakdown of the games I can remember spending more than three hours with this year, although in some cases three hours was three hours more than they deserved.

The Good

Persona 3 Portable (PSP): I have said it before and I will say it for years to come – I love Persona games. When Atlus announced they were making a PSP port of the PS2 best-seller, I almost cried. I loved P3 but wasn’t a huge fan of the battle system. I was a bit hesitant of the port until I read they were revamping the battle system, as well as a few other enhancements. By far the best game I played on the PSP all year. I don’t even think I can go back to the PS2 version after devouring this one.

Alan Wake (Xbox 360): After thinking this game (once a 360 launch title) would never see the light of day, Alan Wake took me on an adventure full of nail-biting twists and turns. The flashlight was definitely the most unique weapon I have used in a long time and I will never go camping without three or four MAG lights ever again. The story was a tad predictable and the in-game Verizon ad spam was annoying, but my trip to Bright Falls was one of this year’s highlights.

Hexyz Force (PSP): I am a sucker for RPGs that blend great characters, strong story and fantastic humour – all of which can be found in Hexyz Force. Especially when the writing department does a perfect job of telling one tale through the eyes of two very different Heroes. My number 2 pick for portable role playing games from 2010.

Professor Layton & The Unwound Future (NDS): I have an almost unhealthy obsession with Professor Layton’s adventures. I definitely have an unhealthy obsession for addictive brain teaser and puzzle games. Level-5 combines intriguing story with a great assortment of puzzles and mini-games to provide fans with several hours of quality entertainment. This series is perfect for gamers of all ages and it is the first series that comes to mind for new gamers over 30.

Rooms (NDS): Rooms is another fun puzzle game for the DS (also on the Wii but I didn’t give that version a playthrough). This one was a gift from a friend who had interned with Hudson and the wonderful PR team there for my wedding. This was a great game to take in the car while we drove all over looking for shoes, accessories and other wedding related items. Time flew right by as I spent the time sliding panels and warping Matrix-style until I reached my exits.

Again (NDS): The interactive novel is a genre sorely lacking presence in gaming, but it is not for lack of trying. Hotel Dusk is still on my “must play” list, and after playing Again, I am wanting to see more titles in this category. Even when it stumped me and left me tapping on the same screen for hours, I never felt like giving up. Best interactive crime novel ever, even with the cheesy bits.

Dead or Alive Paradise (PSP): Yes, my guilty pleasure is in the Good category and I know a lot of people who will disagree with me on this one. To hell with it! DOA Paradise is pure mindless fun and there is nothing wrong with a bit of that every now and then. Sure, the ultra-feminists might say it is extremely distasteful, but really, it’s nothing worse than when our mothers made us play with Barbie dolls as little girls. Brain candy is brain candy, whether it be the Shopaholic novels, Katy Perry music or spending time chillaxin’ with the fighting babes of the DOA universe. Just enjoy it for what it is.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (XBLA): I haven’t spent nearly enough time with this game as I should have. Scott Pilgrim was a great movie and this arcade side-scrolling beat ‘em up really wowed me. It had been a long time since I had played a game of this style and enjoyed myself so immensely. Two player co-op mode with my husband is just like standing at a cabinet at the old downtown arcade back home in Calgary. I might just take a quick break right now and sneak in some single player…….

3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3): The nostalgia this game brings to the PS3 throws me back to a time – no, THE time – I discovered that I loved RPGs but hated Zelda. Thankfully, in my wise old age of 29 and holding, I can play 3D Dot Game Heroes without any bias holding me back. Link and Zelda just aren’t for me, but my snarky female heroine of Dotnia is the bee’s knees.

The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (XBLA): Another one of those fun and quirky arcade titles that I need to go back to one of these days. I adore the Gothic, silent movie art style The Odd Gentlemen used to tell the story of the greedy P.B. Winterbottom, and manipulating time by recording yourself is pure genius. The second best game mechanic only to Alan Wake’s flashlight. And did I mention this game has pie??

The Bad

Naughty Bear (Xbox 360): Repetitive game play coupled with a lack of stability plagued Naughty Bear. While I agree the concept was fresh and welcoming, playing the same small handful of game modes over and over made the game a chore to play when it wasn’t freezing, which was more often than not.

Fable 3 (Xbox 360): Unfortunately, this felt more like Fable 2.5 than a third installment in a well-loved series. The story itself was extremely predictable, your time as ruler of Albion far too short, and the battle system remained virtually untouched from it’s predecessor, meaning it is just as unbalanced now as it was then. Add on the fact that the game shipped with a laundry list of glitches instead of pushing back the release to Q1 2011 when it wouldn’t have been going up against Kinect, Black Ops and Brotherhood. I, for one, had my entire save file become corrupt while attempting to join a multiplayer game. This has soured me on ever again purchasing a launch day copy of any future releases from Lionhead Studios.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! (Wii): Let’s just say that putting Pirates! on the Wii was a huge mistake. Beginning with the 4 page instruction booklet that didn’t offer much help to a first time Pirates! player and ending with the horrible in-game tutorials, the only part of the game that sort of worked well was the swashbuckling, and even then, a lot of the time my sword thrusts and parries wouldn’t register properly.

Blade Kitten (PSN): I wanted to like Blade Kitten, I really did, but it let me down right from the beginning. Western style “anime/manga” art just never looks as good as to me as the Japanese and Korean styles that inspire them. The main character’s voice got on my nerves and she just rubbed me the wrong way. Just didn’t find myself liking this game.

The Meh

BioShock 2 (Xbox 360): This was just a disappointment. BioShock didn’t need a sequel but someone at 2K thought it would be a good idea to have another studio create a thinly constructed plot with the most minimal ties to the original as possible, slap in some pointless multiplayer and sell that as a sequel to one of the best first person shooter games I have ever played. BioShock 2 wasn’t a horrible follow-up, it simply didn’t need to exist. It added nothing to the original story and Irrational had nothing to do with it’s creation. The story mode was way too short and the multiplayer was tacked on purely so they could say it had it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii): I know several people would disagree with me on this one, but I really did not find Galaxy 2 to be fun. First of all, I could play for about 20 minutes at a time before my wrists simply refused to work any longer. The camera angles in a lot of areas were not helpful and reminded me of that awful Sonic game on the 360/PS3. Any game that feels like a chore to play isn’t something I want to keep in my library. There were some fun gameplay elements, but that wasn’t enough to justify ruining my wrists.

Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360): Oh Final Fantasy, I really wish this was the Final one. Your story was weaker than most others, your characters weren’t as lovable as so many others and you shoved all side-questing to the very end of the game. You weren’t bad, just mediocre. I expected so much more from you and you broke my heart.

The Stuff I Missed

There were a lot of other games in 2010 that I wanted to play but either haven’t had the time, money or my husband is playing them and isn’t letting me touch them until he finishes so I don’t spoil anything. The plan is to get around to these ones during the next lull in releases. Hey, it’s the plan but that doesn’t mean it will happen.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (Xbox 360): This is the one I am allowed to watch my husband play but not touch myself. I have no interest in the multiplayer mode. I just want to sink my teeth into more of the AssCreed story and scale a bunch of buildings.

Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360): I wanted to play this back when everyone else was, but I had to be a bit more selective with my game purchases. Odds are by the time I can afford this one and have the time to play it everyone on my friends’ list will have traded it in or will decimate me online.

Fallout New Vegas (Xbox 360): I’ve technically had NV since it released in October but it’s a Christmas present, so I’ve had to wait very impatiently for it. My biggest concern right now is the glitchiness, which I hope is patched by the time I start playing it. I loved Fallout 3 but had way too many issues with glitches, especially with the DLC quests.

Ivy the Kiwi? (NDS): You know when you go to GameStop and stare at the DS wall for a while and one particular box always ends up in your hand? Well, that’s what Ivy the Kiwi is for me right now. Just one of those games that looks incredibly fun and reasonably priced. I will get it……

Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii): The Wii and I don’t love each other very much it seems. Whenever I find a game I think I will love, it ends up disappointing me. I think that (other than money being tight) is the biggest reason why I hesitate so much when it comes to buying Wii games at full price. Kirby has always been a Nintendo character that I have loved and I don’t want to be left disappointed like I was with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The Stuff I Finally Finished

Because I love games so much, I usually buy a bunch of stuff that I play for a while and then either get stumped on and swear I will finish later or they just end up on my shelf because they were on sale and I didn’t want to miss them. This year I managed to clear out a few games from my backlog and I am feeling rather proud of myself. Maybe I should buy some new games to celebrate……

Dragon Age (Xbox 360): Another game I had to wait for my husband to finish first, I was hesitant with Dragon Age as I always am with domestic RPGs. All that changed once I got my hands on it and I took three different heroines through the paces (and one male that I used purely for the wooing of Morrigan). I’m hoping that Dragon Age 2 will impress me as much as the first game has.

Dead Space (Xbox 360): Dead Space was a gift from a friend for me to play during Extra Life in 2008. I loved it so much. It made me jump and scared me on occasion. It also made me yell a lot at the TV and throw my controller into pillows. Those damn asteroids (you know the ones) had me stumped for ages. I eventually gave up and had my cousin in law play through them for me. By that point I was too frustrated and left the game to collect dust. By the time I put the game back into my 360 I had completely forgotten the controls and spent 3 hours re-learning them. After that, I breezed right through the game and attempted run number two – where I once more was stumped by the asteroids. At least I made it full circle.

Knights in the Nightmare (NDS): I started the game in September 2009 and then put it down to play something else (most likely a console game). After a lot of grief from someone, I went back to it, playing through all of the tutorials and resuming from where I’d left off. It took me about a week or so to complete and I found myself wishing I had done so sooner.

The Other Stuff

There were other random games I dabbled in this year, too. My Plants vs Zombies addiction moved to the Xbox 360 which also led to playing Zuma. I spent some time with Mod Nation Racers on the PS3 and PSP, just barely scratching the surface. I even played a few levels of Darksiders, which was fun but wasn’t something I was willing to give up time playing something else for.

And then there were the Facebook applications. Those time suckers! I wasted a lot of time with Chocolatier: Sweet Society making batches upon batches of digital chocolates. PopCap introduced me to the fast-paced and competitive nature of Bejeweled and Zuma with their exclusive Blitz editions, and I am sitting pretty on 5 million or so florins in Project Legacy, the Assassin’s Creed application tie-in for Brotherhood.

All in all, I’d say my gaming this year was pretty well-rounded. I dabbled in a little bit of everything, spent time with friends old, new and online, and have learned you can no longer rely on the value of a studio’s name.

Bring it on, 2011! I’m ready for you.

This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion
coordinated by Terry at Game Couch. If you’re interested in being part
of this, please email him for
details.

Other takes:
Aim for the Head – Favorite Game of 2010

Extra Guy – Building a Great Game: My Time With Minecraft

Zath – My Best Games of 2010

Man Fat – What Was Your Favourite Game You Played This Year

Game Fanatics – Favorite Game That I Played in 2010

Game Couch – Cursed Treasure

Hexyz Force provides you two main characters to play through the story with: Cecilia Armaclite and Levant von Schweitzer. Both characters are Hexyz, re-incarnations of divinities from the dawn of Berge’s beginnings, and each have their own unique story leading them on a quest to tip the scales of Berge’s fate. Atlus truly provides a 2-in-1 roleplaying experience with this amazingly fun and humourous title.

And while Cecilia and Levant each have a unique story, they are not completely separate of each other. At several points throughout their journeys, the two Pillars will meet as they share a similar goal. One story told by the actions of two heroes. Both sides with vibrant, lovable and friends and family fighting for their futures.

~~~

Cecilia’s Story

My first playthrough was with the lazy and slightly ignorant Cecilia, a cleric in the Temple of Palfina who’d rather spend her time staring up at the sky than studying. Her destiny confronts her one afternoon when a thick miasma descends on the Temple, bringing with it monsters and a mysterious evil creature leading them. Suddenly, she is enveloped in a magnificent white light and transported to the Holy Vessel, the source of Force, and informed that she is a Hexyz – a reincarnation of the divine Palfina. She inherits the Staff of Palfina (Holy Riafalt) and is given the task of tipping the scales back towards that of Creation in order to save Berge.

Cecilia reluctantly sets out to gather Force from the Monoliths that keep Berge’s enemy sealed away, with her furry friend Ralu and another Hexyz, Raffi, as her companions. Along the way she will cross paths with races unknown on her side of Berge, meeting both friend and foe from both sides of the Black Precipice.

Levant’s Story

On the other side of Berge, someone kills the fiance of Levant’s ruler, destroying hope for peace with all races on Dark Berge. The death of his beloved suddenly changes Axel, and he commands his armies to purge the land of the Elves, Lycans and all others who seek to destroy him. Levant cannot understand what has happened to his friend, and when he assists those Axel accuses of killing his fiance, Levant is marked and sentenced to death for treason.

Spirited away from the dungeons by Irene, half-sister to Axel whom Levant swore to protect, and a Lycan named Greik, Levant seeks out the truth of what happened that night in the Elven Forest. For he is one of the Pillars, wielder of a holy Ragnafact hidden and protected by the Elves for centuries.

~~~

One of the key components of this game is the use of Force. Force is the energy of Berge, both Creative and Destructive, that flows naturally throughout the world. The Hexyz can utilize this power to search for hidden items, strengthen weapons, open doors and create walkways using Force Scan. Force is gained along with Experience Points at the end of each battle.

The Hexyz characters also wield special weapons bestowed upon them by the divinities they embody. These weapons, Ragnafacts, can be strengthened by infusing them with Force, enhancing three developmental properties. Each Ragnafact can learn a wide variety of combat, healing, and support actions. These are automatically designated as you infuse more and more Force into them. Of course, the tougher the enemies you fight, the more Force you will obtain. At times, not all characters in your party will have Ragnafacts, either because you haven’t located them yet or that particular character cannot wield them.

Additional weapons and accessories are created by combining various materials, sometimes with a dash of Force for good measure. These materials are collected by enemy drops after battles, looting chests and finding Harvest spots. From the Fusion option in the menu, you can create Forcefacts (disposable weapons with limited durability), accessories to protect your characters from head to toe, and special materials used for making stronger items.

Cecilia uses her Ragnafact's healing powers in battle

Hexyz Force utilizes a turn based battle system, featuring Force Burst as a special technique for the Hexyz you control. When equipped with a Ragnafact that has a strong bond with your Hexyz these Force Burst abilities are accessible. In order to use them, the Burst Gauge must have reached the minimum level required, ranging from Level 1 to 3 (the max), which slowly fills as you attack or take damage in battle.

Upon completing each Phase (aka-Chapter) of the game, Creation and Destruction points will flow into the scales of the Holy Vessel. Your actions during each Phase are tallied up and will add to the weight on both sides of the scale. Completing side quests and selecting the correct dialogue responses during conversations are a part of the scoring. General rule of thumb – the first response leans to Destruction, the middle for neutral, and the last response adds points to Creation.

Hexyz Force features several fully voiced over anime cut scenes, as well as an intriguing story filled with informative and entertaining dialogue. Everyone knows that a good roleplaying game needs a solid storyline and engaging characters, which Hexyz Force truly brings to the table. They also did an amazing job ensuring that both stories meld together harmoniously, with no discrepancies between the two that I have encountered thus far. I find myself so easily lost in the story that my PSP battery dies often. There hasn’t been a PSP title that has had that affect on me in a while, and it was an absolute delight to spend so much time with a fresh roleplaying game.

Rafael admonishes Cecilia for acting impetuously

Overall Opinion

This is definitely a game hardcore JRPG gamers will want to invest the time and money into, as well as gamers looking for a great new RPG title for the PSP library. With two stories to play through and several sidequests and areas to explore for rare items, you are easily getting at least 50 hours of game time out of Hexyz Force. Aside from the usual repetitive battle cries from the characters, the overall voice cast is pretty decent. However there are a few characters who are a bit too over the top for me. There almost always seems to be one or two of those in dubbed games. If space had allowed, I would have liked seeing the Japanese audio track with subtitles as an option, but this is a PSP title, so space is limited. For $30 US you can’t go wrong with putting Hexyz Force beside Lunar and Persona on your PSP game shelf.

You can purchase Hexyz Force on UMD or a digital download code from Amazon now

Review product (code) was provided by Atlus and does not affect the outcome of this review.