Shall We Do It? (more Bravely Default with a smidge of Weapon Shop de Omasse thrown in for good measure)

You know that old saying, "slow and steady wins the race"? Well, I'm beginning to think it applies to Bravely Default.

After all, I've now spent about 40 hours with this Final Fantasy-esque 3DS RPG and I've yet to complete its fourth chapter. I feel like I'm making good progress toward its conclusion, though, so don't take that last comment to be a complaint.

That's not to suggest this portable journey has been without its grievances, mind you. In fact, a number of little niggles have popped onto my radar in the last week or so, with the following being the most noteworthy:

* You know, I'm really glad Edea is in this game, because if she weren't, it wouldn't be half as good as it is. I mean, Agnès? What a dud--or worse. Tiz is kind of boring, too, but at least he's not a total stick in the mud like the aforementioned "wind vestal." As for Ringabel, although he's growing on me, I still find his schtick to be more than a little grating. We get it, you like the ladies! Sigh.

* Someone over at developer Silicon Studio really likes backtracking, don't they? There's no other explanation for all of the running around players are required to do in this game. That's far less of a problem after you reliably gain access to an airship (SPOILER: you gain access to an airship in this game), but when you don't have access to one it's really, really annoying--even if you go ahead and turn off random battles.

* Another semi-spoiler: at one point in Bravely Default, you're able to track down and defeat a certain number of dragons in order to advance a certain side quest. Sounds cool, right? Well, the damn things are nearly impossible to beat at that particular point in time--or at least they have been for me and my otherwise-overlevelled party so far. Not a good thing if you tend to be an obsessive gamer like I am.

Don't get me wrong, overall Bravely Default's still a great game and I can't see myself pushing it to the back burner anytime soon. Would I be enjoying it more than I am now, though, if it didn't feature some of the annoying quirks I just mentioned? Yes, of course. And I sincerely hope the folks working on the sequel address and fix all, or at least some, of them before Bravely Second "goes gold," as they say.

In the meantime, though, I'll continue chipping away at this fledgling series' first effort. Maybe by the time I write next week's "Shall We Do It?" post I'll have experienced the infamous fifth chapter that everyone's groused about here and elsewhere?

As for Weapon Shop de Omasse, well, I downloaded it a couple of weeks ago and I finally put two or three hours into it over the weekend.

If you've yet to hear about it, it's a 3DS eShop game that was developed, in part, by a Japanese comedian named Yoshiyuki Hirai and published by Level-5. In it, players are put into the shoes of someone who runs a weapons shop within an RPG.

So, would-be warriors waltz into the shop, ask for a weapon, you make (or polish an existing) one and then rent it out to them so they can go slay a beast, get back at a group of thieves, stuff like that. While they're on their adventures, all of their actions are relayed to you via a hilarious, Twitter-like stream of messages known as the "Grindcast."

Anyway, I'm getting a kick out of it so far. I love the game's low-poly, PSone-esque graphics; the computer-controlled warriors are, almost without exception, adorably realized; and the "Grindcast" has prompted more than one genuine guffaw, which means it's a certified success in my mind.

All that said, I'm not entirely sure it's worth $8--or at least I have a feeling a good number of folks aren't going to think it's worth that much after they buy and play it. It's fun, but I can see it being a pretty short and superficial affair when all is said and done. As such, I might recommend waiting until Level-5 puts it on sale, as they are wont to do. Even at $5, Weapon Shop de Omasse would be quite a bit more appealing than it is now, I think.

Have any of you picked up this unique eShop title? If so, what do you think so far? Or maybe you're still spending the bulk of your gaming time on Bravely Default? In that case, how are things faring for you at the moment?

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

Shall We Do It? (Bravely Default ... and that's pretty much all, folks!)

After a month or more of juggling two, three and even four games at a time, I pared back this week and played just one.

Of course, I spent just under 20 hours with that particular title--the just-released Bravely Default for the 3DS--so you could hardly say I shirked my duties as a gaming blogger since I last published one of these "Shall We Do It?" posts.

Anyway, as I'm sure you've already surmised based on my comment about spending 20 or so hours with Bravely Default, I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

I know I said in my last "Shall We Do It?" post that my favorite aspect of the game is the "party chat" feature, but that's not true any longer. Oh, I still like it quite a bit--and I'm still amazed the folks at Nintendo or Square Enix (whichever handled the localization) kept it intact--but in the last few days that aspect of the game has taken a back seat to a couple of others, like the dramatic boss battles and the bevy of different jobs.

The boss battles--some of which result in your party gaining access to new jobs, actually--I've encountered so far have especially wowed me so far, I have to say. Not only are they appealingly theatrical, but many of them also are tough as nails. I can't tell you how many times I've escaped from one of these encounters by the skin of my teeth.

That's a positive in my eyes, by the way. I get so sick of playing RPGs--or any other genre of games, really--that feature baddies that can be tossed aside like week-old leftovers.

I don't only like that the bosses in this game mean business, by the way; I also like that the bulk of them showcase some pretty impressive designs. Case in point: the airborne "Nemesis," Mammon, who looks like your typical blond baroness (well, the typical blond baroness that can be found in a Japanese RPG, anyway) with four drumsticks strapped to her back.

As for Bravely Default's jobs, well, they're pretty impressive, too; and not just in design, but also in utility. The one that's surprised me the most so far is the spell fencer. Here's a job, class, whatever you want to call it, that I've always wanted to like (when it appeared in games like Final Fantasy V) but have never been able to do so. In this game, though, it's not only pretty darn useful, but it's visually stunning, too.

I'm also quite smitten with the monk, performer and summoner jobs, but that's not much of a surprise where I'm concerned, as I've always loved this trio of RPG career paths.

Oh, and the ranger! How could I forget the ranger? OK, so the design is a bit ... interesting, but I'm willing to put up with it if it means I can master the use of the bow (my favorite weapon in Bravely Default right now, in case you're curious).

Is there any part of this portable adventure that isn't quite clicking with me at the moment? Not really, although I will admit that the game's characters can be a bit verbose at times. Thankfully, it's easy enough to skip over whenever I'm not in the mood, so don't take my mention of it here to be akin to a formal complaint.

Another of my not-quite-complaints: the game's really dense. As in, there's a lot of stuff a player has to learn about if they hope to have the "full Bravely Default experience"--stuff like abilities and special moves and parts and compounds. To be completely (and embarrassingly) honest, I'm still not completely sure what I need to do to trigger some special moves, nor do I fully understand how I'm supposed to make use of the aforementioned "parts" (which augment special moves, if I'm not mistaken).

Again, though, I wouldn't really say this is a complaint. I personally like that Bravely Default is packed with features and options. I imagine, though, some gamers will encounter some or all of the above and wonder, "What am I supposed to do this?"

Are any of you also playing Bravely Default at the moment? If so, what do you think of it--and are there any aspects of it that you particularly love or hate?

By the way, although I focused all of my gaming attention on Bravely Default this week, I picked up Weapon Shop de Omasse a few days ago and will set aside at least a couple of hours for it in the coming days. So, expect to hear at least a smidge about that 3DS eShop release in my next "Shall We Do It?" post.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

Eight things I liked about yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs

Real talk: it would be easy peasy for me to write a post that points out all of the things I found disappointing about yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcasts.

For instance, there was the lack of news regarding a Western release of the 3DS Dragon Quest VII remake. Also, aside from Steel Diver: Sub Wars (more about this one below), no completely new 3DS or Wii U games were revealed in any of the three Nintendo Directs, as far as I'm aware--which is a real shame, especially since the 3DS is my go-to system this year.

Anyway, let's push those negatives to the background for the moment and focus instead on the positives--like the eight bullet-pointed items below--that I personally took from yesterday's Iwata-led extravaganzas:

A Free-to-Play 3DS Game? From Nintendo?--Wasn't the word on the street that Steel Diver: Sub Wars was being made for the Wii U? Whatever, I'm actually glad it was developed for the 3DS instead--you know, because I don't currently own a Wii U. Anyway, the game's out now and is completely free--or at least a portion of it is. (The full thing, which gives you access to additional missions and subs, costs $9.99.) Consider me intrigued, and consider it downloaded, too.



Hey, Sega, You're Bringing Hero Bank to the States, Right?--Seriously, this upcoming 3DS game, highlighted during the Japanese Nintendo Direct, looks great. And I mean that literally--as in, I love its art style. Unfortunately, I've never had a clue as to what's going on in any of the gameplay trailers that have been used to promote it, and that leads me to believe I should avoid playing it in a language I don't understand. So, uh, throw me a bone, will you, Sega? Pretty please?

Hurray! Kirby Triple Deluxe Finally Has a Release Date--Unfortunately, the date is May 2--the same day Mario Golf: World Tour will hit store shelves, incidentally. Oh, well, that just means I'll be able to take my time with Bravely Default, Yoshi's New Island and a small handful of other 3DS games that are set to be released between now then.

I'm Still Not Sure What I Think About Yoshi's New Island--On the one hand, this game's graphics have started to grow on me in recent weeks, at least in a general sense. On the other, its gameplay doesn't look anywhere near as interesting as what was found in the original Yoshi's Island. And then there are those feet. You know the ones I'm talking about. Still, I'm buying this one despite my reservations, as I just couldn't live with myself if I passed on it simply because it looked kind of boring in trailers. 

I Need Another Portable Puzzler Like I Need A Hole in the Head, But I'm Still Buying Pokemon Battle Trozei--Could a game be more up my alley than this one? I doubt it. I mean, it's adorable, it's a puzzler and it's coming to the 3DS (eShop). Oh, sure, Nintendo could give it a better logo, some cute (and colorful) cover art and offer up a physical release, too, but I can't blame them for going the digital-only route. Regardless, it's mine on March 20.

I Never Thought I'd Say This, But I'm Buying a Baseball Game--Specifically, I'm buying Rusty's Real Deal Baseball once it hits the North American 3DS eShop in April. This one's a localization of Darumeshi Sports Store, by the way, which has been available in Japan for a while now and by most accounts is a completely awesome and worthwhile experience. 

Inazuma Eleven Earns a Stealth eShop Release--Most folks assumed us North Americans would be getting this soccer RPG sometime soon after it showed up on Nintendo.com early last month. I doubt, though, that many of them thought Nintendo of America would toss it onto the eShop immediately following today's Nintendo Direct. No joke: I'd pick it up right now if I didn't already own the European DS version of the game.

Weapon Shop de Omasse Will Be Mine--I'm not so sure it was wise to give this 3DS eShop title (an English localization of the last of Level-5's Guild 01 games) such a weird name, but what do I know? Also, what do I care? All I care about at the moment is that I'll finally be able to get my hands on it--as will you, if you own a North American 3DS and you have $7.99 to blow--on Feb. 20.

So, those are my main thoughts on yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs. What are yours?