January 2016 - Page 3 of 5 - Samantha Lienhard

Resident Evil 0, Paper Jam, Bravely Second, and More

Video games 4 Responses » Tagged with: paper jam, resident evil, resident evil 0, rpg, survival horror

Jan 202016

We’ve got a lot of video game news to catch up on, so let’s start with Resident Evil 0!

Like the REmake remaster, Resident Evil 0 has been remastered in HD for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One… yes, once again, not the Wii U, but at least we still have the Wii version.

And for those of you disappointed the REmake HD remaster was digital-only, it’s been bundled with RE0 as the Resident Evil Origins Collection.

Resident Evil 0 isn’t the masterpiece REmake is, but it’s still a good game. If you like the pre-RE4 style of Resident Evil and missed this game during its Gamecube/Wii games, this is a great opportunity to check it out. And the physical release is encouraging!

Hopefully it means Capcom realizes the old-style survival horror format is viable after all, and will keep the Resident Evil 2 remake true to its roots.

Next up, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is due out in two days. I went from terrified to excited once I heard more about Paper Jam’s writing and gameplay, and soon I’ll be able to judge if it’s a worthy Mario RPG or not.

(Now we just need a real Paper Mario game.)

Another one of my anticipated RPGs, Bravely Second, now has a release date! Bravely Second: End Layer won’t be out in North America until April 14, but that gives me time to finally play Bravely Default after thoroughly enjoying the demo.

Bravely Second will also receive a demo.

And a release date is better than a release window, but at least we have the latter for Dragon Quest VII. As announced in the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo is localizing the 3DS remakes of Dragon Quest VII and VIII. (Does Square Enix still not have faith in turn-based RPGs in the West?)

It will be available “this summer.” Can I catch up on the series by then?

With all these great games on the horizon, I need to hurry up and play more games (especially in light of Operation Backlog Completion). However, I’ve fallen into the abyss that is Xenoblade Chronicles X, and I hope to claw my way out soon to finish Tales of Zestiria!

Now, before I become hopelessly mired in Xenoblade once again, which of these games (if any) are you looking forward to the most?

Dragon Quest: My Journey Back to Early JRPGs

Reviews, Video games 8 Responses » Tagged with: dragon quest, rpg

Jan 182016

Given the amount of Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe, maybe the lack of story is a blessing.

With lots of Dragon Quest news catching my eye, I resolved to finally get into the series. After consulting fans on the best place to start, I officially decided to either dig out my copy of Dragon Warrior III or buy the iOS version of Dragon Quest IV.

So of course, I played the original Dragon Quest instead.

It wasn’t my intention, but when I went to buy Dragon Quest IV, I saw how cheap Dragon Quest I & II were in the App Store and couldn’t resist. Once I had them, why not start from the top?

I went into Dragon Quest worried I wouldn’t like it. I couldn’t get into the original Final Fantasy, and my memories of Dragon Warrior III revolved around too much grinding and getting frustrated (admittedly, I was 12 at the time). However, Dragon Quest pleasantly surprised me.

The story is as basic as they come. You’re descended from a legendary hero. You must reach the Dragonlord’s castle to defeat him and save the world (and save the princess, though I think that’s actually optional).

Gameplay is also pretty basic. You only have one character, and it’s a simple turn-based battle system.

It technically has an open world, but it didn’t bother me. The sheer difficulty of enemy encounters if I went the wrong way was as much of a deterrent as a physical barrier. I enjoyed edging a little further into new areas to see if I could handle it yet.

And it was nowhere near as grindy as I expected.

As far as I can tell, the iOS port is based on the SNES remake, which rebalanced the gameplay. Maybe that’s why, but I rarely felt like I was really grinding. There was always a new direction to try, a new set of monsters to test myself against.

Only at the very beginning, when I was weak, and at the end, when I had a single goal, did I feel I had to grind.

I liked the gradual sense of becoming stronger as I leveled up, and I loved talking to NPCs to figure out my next objective. Without a story to compel me, I still found myself anxious to return to the game to see if I was right about my next destination.

Of course, Dragon Quest is also short. I don’t think I would have enjoyed such a bare-bones RPG experience for too long. As it was, I enjoyed it, and I understand why it resonated with players way back when it first came out.

Earning My MFA in Writing Popular Fiction

Writing 4 Responses »

Jan 152016

It’s official. I now have a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

You may call me Master.

…or not.

It’s been a crazy journey since I first announced my acceptance into Seton Hill’s program. This journey included last summer’s cosplay and book signing.

(Not every graduate program gives you a legitimate opportunity to cosplay Martel.)

It also included the publication of “Rokurokubi,” a short story I first wrote for one of my Seton Hill classes.

And of course, the journey included the creation, development, and revision of Penteract of Blood, my dark fantasy thesis novel.

(Let me repeat, my graduate thesis was a dark fantasy novel.)

The past two and a half years have been a dream come true. I never imagined I’d find a graduate program for genre fiction, let alone one as amazing as Seton Hill.

I took classes on everything from creating villains to writing media tie-ins.

I wrote and polished Penteract of Blood under the guidance of my wonderful mentors, Scott Johnson and Albert Wendland.

I met a wonderful group of writers… and friends.

And I made many lasting connections that will support me in the years ahead. I approached graduation with both excitement about my degree and sadness that it was over. Now I’m ready to look to the future.

It’s time to send out queries for Penteract of Blood, revise my other novels with the knowledge I gained, and above all, press forward.

Being a writer can be a long, scary road, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one.

Seton Hill taught me that.

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