Bell's Review - Valhalla Knights : Eldar Saga
 

I really wanted to like this game. I trully did.

http://thenintendo.com/wp-content/up...ga-box-art.jpg

VKES is a classic Style RPG. Actually, more of a Offline MMORPG. The feel is the same... big hub worlds, lots of menus, farming, grinding, it's all there!

The catch is that the game is split in 2 parts... in the first one, you play as a young "mute"; No voices in the game, but you character doesn't even get freaking text for him! He justs Shrug all the time.

In the second part, you play as your kid. Fruit of love between you and a partner from one of the classical races in the land. elves, dwarves, halflings, and humans.

In the second act, you'll play as the offspring of a combination of these.

Although, to be honest, the story has no grip on you... it's you off to defeat evil "just because" really. So the emotional and interesting twist of playing generations of a character become a gimmick.

http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/ar...51954_640w.jpg

Visually the game is actually not very good. Muddy textures and dark colors make for a very bland scenario that is just not fun to look at. You won't see much around the world of VKES... the problem is that this also breaks the flow of the game quite a lot... navigation becomes "Stare at your map" and battle becomes "Run away from the grass!" because everythign just blends in to each other and you end up looking for "the blur that moves" .

It's not help when you have to hunt 10 immovable mushrooms in the middle of the grass too.....

The overall system of the game is very "MMORPG" like. Stats are defined by your race and class (you can change class during game, but your first one affects your stats), there are skills and lvling them up opens a skill tree for you to build and equip yourself with passive and active skills.

You can also equip yourself with 2 sets of Weapons and armor that changes the way your Avatar look. Good items cost a lot, so you have to grind for cash, and the enemies drop loot that you must take and if they are equipments, you need to appraise them (for free... so what's the point?) before using or selling them.

http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/ar...40838_640w.jpg

The has online multiplayer, and is clearly built for that. But i haven't tried. So what you get in the end is a semi-fun Offline MMOPRG where only you play (and maybe a mercenary you hired to kill stuff for you... as they are usually better than you at it)

The sound in this game is really really bad... the music is bland and forgettable. and the voices are non-existent. So you end up with a game that can get you with it's visuals nor with it's audio. The only thing it has going on for itself is the gameplay... and that is only half ok!

As i said, it's an MMORPG. So, if the idea of playing an MMORPG on the Wii doesn't sound like fun to you... it probably won't be fun to you.

This game is a LOT like Monster Hunter Tri (which i have), and i can honestly say that you should wait for Monster Hunter Tri to come to the US. It's tons better than VKES and just an overall better way for you to use your cash.

http://gamerzone.today.com/files/200...ldar031909.jpg

As i approach my 100th Wii game and my 30th review in the forum (i'm up to 28!) here is what is coming up next:

NEXT: Dragonball Revenge of King Piccollo
Then: Sin & Punishment 2
Followed by: Super Robot Taisen Neo

Kinda looks like Phantasy Star Online if it were set in medieval times.

They could have used that as a tagline.

:( Sin and Punishment: Successor to the Sky looks so awesome it pains me not to have it here yet.

It really does have that feel actually, except that the missions are in a more open ended area and you have to go back and forth a lot (a LOT).

I actually had fun with the game. But the boring audio experience and the, truly ugly, visuals really put you off...

So damn jealous...
 

Fuuuuuuuuck yooooooooou.

I like your reviews, but, depressingly, most of them seem to be for 'meh' games, which doesn't give me much to look forward to for my console.

I actually enjoy going for the fringe titles and the non-mainstream games, from time to time you get a good surprise. And most of the fun you get a weird stupid game.

But i'm getting better about this stuff now, let me share a little list of the games i gave a pass in the last few months...

These are all games that i had the opportunity to get and passed on it

Charm Girls Club Pajama Party
Go Play Circus Star
Baby And Me
Love is in Bloom (For some reason i'm still on the fence for this one)
Backyard Football '10
Ultimate I Spy
Family Fortunes (Maybe...)
Family Fun Football
Dodge Racing: Charger vs Challenger
Ninja Captains (It's Mario Party clone with just 20 games)
Chicken Blaster
Family Party 30 Great Games Outdoor Fun (Although, it DOES have that R-Type clone with 4 players... so who knows...)
Littlest Pet Shop Friends
Game Party 3 (19 Minigames? Fuck you!)
iCarly
Monster 4x4 Stunt Racer
Offroad Extreme!


On the other hand, i'm tracking down a copy of "The Hardy boys: The Hidden Theft" so for every few crappy games i let pass, i go for at least one


EDIT of Awareness:

Yeah, ok... i just have to point this out... i was never that big on Rail Shooters. I liked Dead Space Extraction, but that was the extent of my experience with Home Rail Shooters.

I've just played the first level of S&P:SttS...

It's Trippin Balls good.

Just let me get a little bit deeper in the game and i'll come back soon with Bad pictures about it

Playing on Easy or Normal?

If it's anything like the original I'd suggest easy, but I've heard Easy is for pussies.

Are you using Isa or Kachi?

Kachi on easy. Isa ... looks weird.

But i'll play at least one stage in all Difficulties later on.

Easy is... well... easy. But not a cakewalk.

You're a pussy and I hate you.

Can you turn off the lock-on with Kachi? I've been watching playthroughs with her and it seems to trigger when the cross-hairs go over anything.

Lock-On?

You mean the Secondary attack? One attack is on B and the Other one is on A. have you played Omega Boost? It's exactly like that... Hold A and put the Reticule on your targets. The more you hold, the more it loads. You can spread to any targets you want and it causes quite a ton of damage. But you only use it if and when you want it (also there is a cooldown)

I think you won't get what I mean until you try Isa. He apparently has no auto lock-on.

Anyway, have you tried the Classic or Game Cube controllers? Do enemy patterns change when you use those?