My final thoughts on ZHP. And Rango. I saw that.
by mooseymcman
So, if you've been keeping up with my status updates here on GB (and why wouldn't you?), you should know by now that I've finished ZHP. And here are my thoughts! Presentation The presentation here is pretty solid overall. Graphically the game isn't really anything special (it is a PSP game, after all), but it has a nice style. I do find the 2D sprites in 3D environments to be a little odd, but...
So, if you've been keeping up with my status updates here on GB (and why wouldn't you?), you should know by now that I've finished ZHP. And here are my thoughts!
Presentation
The presentation here is pretty solid overall. Graphically the game isn't really anything special (it is a PSP game, after all), but it has a nice style. I do find the 2D sprites in 3D environments to be a little odd, but the main character's sprite actually changes based on what equipment is...equipped, which is a nice change from pretty much every other 2D sprite game I've ever played (especially since a lot of the equipment is insane; things like a hat made out of lit candles).Better though is the audio. The voice acting is pretty great (though often in an intentionally goofy fashion), and the music is AWESOME. Awesome to the point of rivaling Deadly Premonition for best videogame music of all time (it even constantly plays loudly over the dialog, much like in DP). Here's the best song in the game:
Also, there are about 8 different versions of the song in the game, all with different singers, different lyrics, different styles, etc. And yes, the English version of the lyrics (which can be seen in game) is just as awesome, as it's about stuff like defeating evil with a fist of love.
Gameplay
Here's the part of the game that might turn a lot of people off from ZHP. The best way to sum it up would be to call it a "Roguelike." Don't know what that is? Neither did I! Basically, it's a turn based randomly generated dungeon crawling RPG. If that sounds intimidating to you, don't worry, the game has a good amount of tutorials early on (that can be re-played through) that explain things well enough to get by. If you want a detailed description of how the game plays, go to the ZHP page on GB, I wrote pretty much all of it.It's definitely not for everyone, but if you like JRPGs in general, you should be able to figure out how to play through the game, because you can get through most of it by just grinding and leveling until you can beat the tougher bosses (and they get pretty tough). On the other hand, if you know what you're doing, equipping the right equipment, or using the right tactics can make all the difference. The first time I fought the boss in the last dungeon, I was soundly defeated. However, when I went against him again, and had better stuff equipped, I was the one doing the sound defeating!
But to be completely honest, the gameplay is not the main draw here (at least for me). There's certainly plenty of it (I spent about 30 hours my first time through), and there are bonus dungeons that are CRAZY long, lasting between 60-150 floors, whereas the hardest main story dungeons are only 10 floors. But it can get old after a while, especially when I keep dying against the same boss, and having to start the dungeon all over again.
Story
Now this, is the main draw of the game. Like any good Japanese made product, it's completely insane at times. Sometimes it does drag a little when the game is trying to teach you a lesson (like, "bullying is bad," or "running out on your pregnant girlfriend is uncool"), but whenever that happens, the game always follows it up with a joke that literally made me burst out laughing. And much like most college age Americans, my cold, lifeless heart usually prevents me from actually laughing. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but the game is crazy funny at times. I also love how characters freely refer to things in the world in videogame terms, such as a boss at one point proclaiming, "I'm the final boss, I should have at least three forms!"So, what's my final word? The game is good. Damn good. If you have a PSP, and love things that are crazy and Japanese, you NEED to play this game. It's $30, on Amazon, and PSN. Totally worth the money. I'd even go so far as to say that it'd be worth buying a PSP for it once the NGP comes out and the price drops some more. Well, not on its own, but the point I'm trying to make is that I want people to play this game. It released to almost no fanfare, and I feel that's a great injustice. BUY THIS GAME. Please!
...
Yeah, so I saw Rango this weekend. It was pretty good. Not Toy Story good, but still pretty good. I also think that how much you get out of this movie depends on how much of a fan of westerns (specifically the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns) you are. There's one scene in particular that for my dad and I, as huge fans of the "Man with No Name Trilogy", was almost worth the price of admission alone. I really don't want to spoil it, but fans of those movies will instantly know what I'm talking about (though sadly the voice actor in that scene was merely a good imitation, not the real thing). Actually, the whole movie is a big love letter to those old movies, and it's pretty good. The CG is pretty amazing too, because the level of detail on everything is INSANE, and all the characters and environments are really well designed. A lot of love and care went into making the movie.
So, if you like westerns, or want to see an animated movie that isn't too kiddy or on par with most animated movies these days (ie, terrible), go see this movie. Again, it's no Toy Story, but then again, what is? Of course, I'm biased toward Toy Story, but you get the point. I guess the best thing I can say about this movie is that if it came out ten years ago (when I was ten), I would have absolutely loved it.
So...thoughts? Any other ZHP fans out there? Or Rango fans? Theme song for that is still stuck in my head. RANG-GO!! RANG-GOOO!I