Monday, April 30, 2012

Last Window: The Secret of Cape West - Review


Last Window: The Secret of Cape West is the not so well known sequel to what some might call one of the greatest DS games out there, Hotel Dusk: Room 215. Sadly not too long after Last Window was completed it's developer, CING, went out of business, and the game was only released in the JP and EU regions. However thanks to the region free DS, Last Window is one of them games that can easily be imported and played anywhere in the world! But is it worth it? Well lets find out!

Step into the life of Kyle Hyde:

Last Window follows the story of EX NYPD detective by the name of Kyle Hyde, and picks up about a year after the original game Hotel Dusk. After shooting his partner Bradley, Kyle ended up leaving the force to work for his dad's friend, Ed, as a traveling salesmen at his company Red Crown. Although Red Crown appears to be a standard company that deals in all things sales related, Ed also has a secret side job. Finding things that don't always want to be found.

Back in 1979 Kyle was sent out to an old Hotel, known as Hotel Dusk, in order to find a few missing items for the company. It was a standard job of finding missing items, but soon Kyle found himself involved in a huge mystery. After checking in at the front desk, and learning that another guest had stayed their before with his name, Kyle is given the legendary "Wish" room 215, and his world is turned upside down.

After a young girl who is unable to speak shows up at the hotel, everything begins to change. The young girl was wearing a bracelet which had belonged to Bradley's sister Mila, and Kyle quickly notices. "Why does she have Bradley's bracelet?" "Could Bradley be the one who stayed here and used my name?" These question lead Kyle Hyde on a long night of searching for answers, and along the way not only did he uncover the truth of Hotel Dusk, but also the truth of what had happened to his partner.


It's now been a year since the events of Hotel Dusk and Kyle Hyde has gotten back to his everyday life. Once again Kyle is selling goods as a traveling salesman, and he simply lives day by boring day; however that pattern soon comes to an end. After not reporting in to Red Crown, or hardly even working for a few days, Kyle finally pushes Ed too far and gets fired. Not really knowing what to do, Kyle then packs up his things and makes his way back home to his apartment "Cape West."

Unlike in Hotel Dusk, Last Window focuses more on the personal side of Kyle Hyde. While Hotel Dusk focused more on the lives of the other hotel guests, as well as the mystery of the hotel its self, Last Window focuses on Kyle Hyde's daily life as well as his past. For the first time players finally get to learn who Kyle really is. What was his home life like? Why did he become a detective? Who are his friends? Everything fans of Hotel Dusk might have ever wanted to know finally sees the light.

Although Kyle has been living at Cape West for quite a few years now, it seems that he hardly knows anyone. As a traveling salesmen Kyle hardly spends any time at home, and he really has no interest in the lives of the ones around him; however after learning that the apartments are closing down, everything changes. After returning to his room Kyle finds a mysterious letter asking him to find the "Scarlet Star" which had gone missing back when the apartments were still a hotel. Although Kyle isn't quite sure what to do at first, he soon finds himself once again working to solve another massive mystery. A mystery of murder, stolen goods, and even the mystery behind his father's death.

Stepping into the shoes of a detective once again:

Just like in Hotel Dusk, players will find themselves searching through an old hotel turned apartments. By holding the DS on it's side like a book, and by using the touch screen to control Kyle, players will be able to search different areas, chat with Kyle's neighbors, and even solve puzzles. Although the game's major focus is on the story, the gameplay takes on the style of an old graphic adventure pc game. While the touch screen serves as your controls and shows a top view 2D view of the map, the left, or right depending if you're left or right handed, screen will show a first person 3D view. By pressing the "search" icon on the touch screen you can also go into a full "search" view of the given area. Almost every object in the apartments can be searched, and it's up to the player to figure out what to do with whatever they can find. Most of the time objects you search will just be normal objects, such as chairs, tvs, or plants, but a lot of the time you'll also come across objects you'll need to solve puzzles.

Puzzles in Last Window are not always puzzles like you would expect. Sure once in awhile you may come across something simple, such as a cross word puzzle, but most of the time you'll be dealing with issues you may come across in real life. For example during the first hour or so of the game you'll have to find a missing ring which has apparently fallen in-between two desks. How do you get it? Well by searching the room you'll be able to find different objects that you might be able to use to reach it. This is where common sense comes in.

Last Window really isn't one of them games where you can lose. Sure it is possible to do something wrong and get a game over screen, but by simply clicking on the retry button will put you right back where you where which allows you to try other options. Get caught somewhere you shouldn't be? Well just hit retry and make sure you don't get caught next time! Really it's not that big of a deal if you mess up, but that might not be a good thing in everyone's eyes.

When talking to others there are also many different options you can chose; however it really doesn't make too much of a difference in the end. Sometimes when talking to someone you might want to ask them a question based on something you found out earlier, while other times leaving them alone might be best. It's completely up to the player what they want to do, but once again, you can get a game over by saying or doing the wrong things. Either way all conversations basically stick to a set script and will either end the way they were intended to, or they'll end with a game over causing you to retry.


The only real problem with Last Window's gameplay is the whole note system. Like in the original Hotel Dusk you can leave yourself notes on what you need to do at different times, and that can cause some problems. Since the game doesn't always tell you where you need to go, you really need to stay on top of them notes. Sometimes the game will make it clear that you need to find something in the basement, but if you quit playing and didn't leave yourself a note, what are you going to do the next time you play? You'll start up the game just standing there in a hall with nothing around and no idea what to do. If you want to progress you'll either have to look up a guide and find where you left off, or you'll have to search every room until you finally figure out how to advance the story.

Although Last Story is very good about keeping you on track, which was something Hotel Dusk seemed to have a hard time of doing, you can make the game a lot harder for yourself by not using that note system. If you know you're going to stop playing, it's always a good idea to either save in front of the person you need to talk to, or you can simply leave yourself a note.

The Art Style:

Like in Hotel Dusk, Last Window uses a very unique art style to go along with it's 70s/80s vibe. The game world its self has a "dusty" feel to it and feels very real. Unlike in most games, nothing was done to make the game shiny, you're not going to see bright flashy colors, and you're not going to see any cartoony characters. The character art is made to look real but uses a hand drawn sketchy look. Every character has their own unique look, their facial expressions are realistic, and their overall art design looks just like something you'd seen in an actual novel. The game's art style is something that will appeal to both teens and adults alike, and it just fits well with the game world.

The little extra detail:

Even though Last Window's major focus is on the main story, there is quite a lot of extra detail which really makes this game a complete package. Not only will Kyle Hyde have some comment to say about every object in the game, which leads to hours of extra dialog, there are also a few mini games! However there is one extra feature in Last Window that really stands out above the rest. The Last Window Novel!


As you play through the "game" chapters become unlocked in what is known as the Last Window Novel. Just like the title says, the novel is in fact a "normal" novel version of the game! Although it doesn't add much to the gameplay, this is a really nice feature especially if you have friends or family who aren't into video games. Since Last Story is a visual novel in a since, but there still is some actual gameplay. Even though the main game is mostly reading, the actual "visual" and the"gameplay" aspects of the story may still turn some non video game fans away. Now that's where the "novel" comes in.

Basically you can play through the game, unlock all of the chapters, and then give it to your friend or family member to just flat out read. It requires no effort and allows them to sit back and enjoy it like they would a normal book. Sure the novel doesn't have as much text as the actual game, mainly due to the fact that not all of the dialog is included in the novel, but it still does a very good job explaining what is going on and what was said in a conversation. Either way, if someone only reads the novel, they'll know just as much, if not more, about the story as someone who has only played the game side. I'm not much of a reader myself, at least when it comes to novels, but I really enjoyed this aspect of the game. Not only was it a nicer refresher for the story, it also does explain a bit more about behind the scenes events, and that really added to the overall story.

So is Last Window worth it?

Well if you're the type of person who's looking for a game with great gameplay, then no, stay away from this game! Last Window is a slower moving mystery game which was created to give you a novel experience in game form. If you do not care about the story, and you hate reading, then this is not the game for you.

Anyway, Last Window is a great visual novel/pc graphic adventure game mix and has hours worth of story. The art style is great, the amount of detail put into the world is outstanding, it's got a great story, and it has some of the best writing you'll EVER see in a video game. This game might not appeal to the younger audience, but both teens and adults alike are sure to enjoy this game's novel quality story. If you're a fan of mystery stories, gamer or not, this might just be the game for you.

For what it is, Last Window: The Secret of Cape West gets a 10/10! (Just remember to leave yourself a note from time to time!)
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Sunday, April 29, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAME ROOM!

Wow has it really been a year already? It's really hard to believe but here we are! Happy First Birthday Game Room! A lot has happened over the past year, and well, I just never expected things to turn out how they did.

Back then I remember seeing how the whole Capcom-Unity Blog and Group system was never really used. Sure from time to time a few fan groups popped up, but most of them never lasted or they were small groups dedicated to a set fan base. Well on that day, 4/29/11, I decided to try something completely new. To start a group to share news updates and post just about anything related to video games! Man that day is still very clear to me...

I remember it was the weekend that one of my second cousin's were coming down here for a visit, and I was actually looking forward to the weekend. At the same time I had finally finished Resident Evil 4, which ended up being one of my first blog posts, PSN was hacked by hackers, which happened on the same day I got Portal 2, and well, just a lot was going on. Either way everything just fell into place and since I was going to be away for the weekend, I figured it'd be a perfect time to start the group and work on it on my laptop. Everything just fell into place I guess.

Yeah I have to admit, I had NO plan what so ever back then, and I actually didn't think that I'd be able to last this long! However thanks to everyone here at Capcom-Unity, we made it! What started as a small group became a pretty good size video game blog, and I just wanted to thank all of you for helping it stay alive! Capcom-Unity truly does have a great community, and that's just why I really love it here!
Man things really have changed since last year... Heck I remember when I made my first few blog posts I was actually scared of what the staff members here would think. Would I offend them and get banned? What if this picture is too graphic (IT SHOWED A GUN!)? Am I ALLOWED to talk about Resident Evil in a non age restricted group? Is there a way to age restrict things? Really I had no idea what was going to happen, but here we are! So anyway, I would like to thank everyone for your support, and I'd also like to thank CheerfulJochan, servbot_stampede, and Claire as well! It really makes me happy to see that we were able to reach the goal I was originaly aiming for. A place where gamers can come together here on Capcom-Unity and just have fun! (Well minus my friends Merosia and Invincibob D=<. One dropped off the face of the Earth, again, while the other.... Hmmm I have no excuse for him! lol)

Anyway, thanks again and I hope to see you all again this time next year as well! With Summer Break just around the corner, the future is looking bright!
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Project Zwei

Update: The game will now be called "The Evil Within"

Ok so who here has heard of a little game called Resident Evil? Well if you haven't, then you... Really I have no way to say this. If you haven't heard of Resident Evil there's basically no way you would even be reading this blog post. Resident Evil is one of Capcom's major game series, it has millions of fans, and it's one of that really set the stages for survival horror. Well, that's all in the past.

Yes today's Resident Evil still has survival horror elements mixed in, but it just isn't quite the same as it used to be and that has upset a lot of fans. Well here's some good news if you're one of them fans yourself! Project Zwei has been announced!

So what IS Project Zwei? Well we still don't know. The game is being created by the man behind Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami, and according to him, it's his return to "Pure Horror Survival." Other than that there really isn't much info on the game, but there's a very good chance we can expect a brand new Resident Evil (that's NOT Resident Evil). In short, if this is Project Zwei, Resident Evil might as well have been Project Ein. Still there's no word on how the game will play, if it'll actually focus on zombies, or what the story will be; however Shinji Mikami was kind enough to at least provide us with some concept art which he says "is intended to give a feel for the tone and the direction the production is taking."

(Anyone else that RE vibe?)

Anyway, the game will be published by Bethesda Softworks, the company behind the newer Fallout games as well as the Elder Scrolls series, and it will be released on HD consoles. As of right now there's no news on when we'll actually get full coverage over this game, but hopefully we will soon!
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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Just ordered Last Window!

Well some pretty bad, tornado producing (X_x), storms are about to roll in so I really don't have time to spend here, but that's not going to stop me from sharing the news! Anyway how many of you have heard of Hotel Dusk? It's that visual novel/graphic adventure game for the Nintendo DS which has become well known for having some of the best story writing in video game history. Well, how many of you know that this "gem" had a sequel?

Yep that's right, before the company went under, Hotel Dusk had a sequel called "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West" which was only released in Japan and in the EU regions. It's really a shame that the sequel to a great game such as Hotel Dusk never made it to the US, but the good news is that the Nintendo DS is region free!

Anyway today I finally ordered the game off of Amazon (which only had 8 copies left)! I really liked Hotel Dusk for what it was, great story, a unique art style, and fun puzzle solving, so I really felt that Last Window was just one of them games I should really own. Sure Hotel Dusk had it's problems, which mainly occurred during it's slow parts where you basically wondered around lost, but that doesn't change the fact that it was just a good game with a good story! Either way I'm really looking forward to Last Window, but sadly it won't make it here until May 10th (at the earliest). That being said, I DO plan on reviewing the game since it's one of the lesser known games, so I guess that's something we can all look forward to! (or not!)
If you're a fan of Hotel Dusk I recommend that you check out Last Window (like I said Amazon only has 7 copies left now); I'm pretty sure you won't regret it! As for you who have never even played Hotel Dusk, well maybe I'll review it later as well, but I still think it's worth checking out if you like mysteries.
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Monday, April 9, 2012

Final Fantasy XIII characters being used as models in Japanese men's clothing magazine

The title says all! Apparently Final Fantasy XIII characters are being used as models in the Japanese men's Prada 2012 Men's Spring/Summer Collection magazine. Characters from both XIII and XIII-2 are being dressed up in some of the latest styles, but to be honest, it really doesn't fit well. Sure it's kind of cool to see characters in "modern cloths," but most of the styles just don't fit the characters. Besides the fact most of them are wearing "old peoples clothing," most of the styles just look a little bit strange... Sure I get that modern day clothing is a little bit different in Japan, but that doesn't change the fact it doesn't really fit these characters. Just check this one out for example!

It doesn't really look bad, but it still just seems a little bit strange seeing Light like that.
So, what do you guys think? Is it strange seeing FFXIII characters in an OFFICIAL men's clothing magazine? Or do you think it's pretty cool that they're even willing to try something like this?
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Sunday, April 8, 2012

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Well here we are again on yet another Holiday! Man time sure does fly. Anyway today is Easter which I might consider being one of my favorite Holidays! Not only do I like it for what it is, it's also one of them holidays I have the best memories for. Easter Egg Hunting as a kid, opening my basket only to find a game I've been wanting for a long time, and spending the day with my family; I just love it all!

I still remember back when I was 6 or 7 I really couldn't wait for that Bugs Life game; man I waited for months to play it, and finally on that Easter I got it! Yeah I couldn't play it right away sadly, had to go to church and eat at my grandma's, but my uncle had a PS1 set up over so I got to play it either way! And then there's the Pokemon games.

The first year I actually ever went on a full Easter Egg Hunt outside was also the Easter I got the Pokemon Trading Card Game video game. I remember searching outside while my cousins searched their own yard next door; I just couldn't wait to find all of my eggs and go inside to play my brand new game and look at my Shiny Holographic Meowth card! I really loved the game, although I never actually finished it, and I remember thinking "why can't you walk faster like this in normal games?" Well my wish came true quite a few years later after the GBA was released and I got Pokemon Sapphire for Easter (along with the guide book)!
Now I knew that I was getting Sapphire for Easter and the wait was just flat out killing me! Just a few days before I remember going to Target and playing it on the GBA they had sitting there. I was amazed at how fast you could run, the graphics looked amazing, and I loved the new Pokemon! I just couldn't wait!

Well a few days later I woke up early, bugged my mom/dad until they got out of bed, then opened my basket. As soon as I started that game, I loved it! At first I was wondering why I couldn't run, but I quickly got the running shoes and understood what was going on, and I just couldn't wait until I got the moves fly and surf. Since I got a guide book I was basically using it as a guide whenever I got lost/wanted to see what I was missing, but I spent a lot more time playing the game and looking at the full list of new Pokemon than I spent following it.

I still remember thinking I could catch the legendaries the first time I entered the new areas, back then I didn't understand why the caves were blocked off, I remember getting lost and not being able to get to the next gym because I needed surf, and I just flat out remember enjoying the entire game. Sadly I was able to beat the entire game within one day, but that didn't stop me from spending over 500 hours on the thing over the next few years. Me and my friend basically choose that game to be our next game to 100% (the last one we had worked on was Megaman Battle Network 3), and we did everything possible. Heck we both even spent hours just building/finding materials/objects for our secret bases! That game ate up a lot of our time!
I will always treasure memories such as these, getting the games I've waited forever to play, and the time I spent with my family. I just hope this year will be the same! I want to always remember it!

So, what are your Easter memories?
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Friday, April 6, 2012

Xenoblade Chronicles - Released today!

Just wanted to remind all of you JRPG fans out there that live in the US! Xenoblade Chronicles has been released today as a Gamestop exclusive! Finally after years of waiting and a large fan movement, the game has finally seen the light of day in NA, and it might just prove to be one of the best games on the Wii in recent years! I myself haven't gotten a chance to pick it up yet, GS doesn't open until 10, but I'm really looking forward to finally getting a chance to play the game.

Xenoblade is really a rare type of game, one that breaks the "rules" for modern JRPGs, and it's also one that you would LEAST expect to see on the Wii. Western RPG style open world that's around the size of Japan, a full clock time system with events happening at different times of the day, a weather system, 100s of pieces of equipment that actually change how you look, and it has one of the most unique worlds ever created (a world that's made up of the bodies of two frozen giants). The game also uses a improved version version of the Final Fantasy 12 battle system (which we've seen White Knight Chronicles use in the past), has over 400 side quests, and offers over an 80 hour long adventure.

If you have never heard of Xenoblade before and you're a JRPG fan; I strongly recommend at least checking out a few videos of it. It might be the game you've been waiting for!
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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Pokemon Conquest - June 18th!!

Remember the new Pokemon x Nobunaga's Ambitions Crossover that's being released in Japan? Well it turns out it's getting a June 18th NA release! The game is being localized under the name "Pokemon Conquest." In Pokemon Conquest you play as a young Warlord as you set out to recruit warriors for your growing kingdom.

On top of that, Conquest is a mix between TBS games and turn based RPGs, and features a deep 6 on 6 battle system where battle conditions can change at any time. The game is said to have over 200 Pokemon, and it is completely up to the player on how they will use them.

In short, this is a deep RPG that is sure to please hard core fans.
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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Mass Effect "80s" Cartoon - April Fools Joke

There have been quite a few amazing April Fools day jokes today, but I wanted to share this video game related one lol. (Special Thanks to IGN for uploading it on youtube!)
Mass Effect, 80s cartoon style!



So what would you do if that was a real cartoon? Would you watch it just to see how bad it really is? Or would you avoid it at all costs? I think I'd watch it just because lol
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