Games for the reader in you

Anyone who knows me knows I've been a bibliophile since preschool; I devour anything that can be read and love books of all genres. Since learning Spanish, I've done my best to improve my vocabulary by reading, and I hope I'll soon be able to do the same in Japanese (those kanji can be really frustrating, 'kay?). Most people would argue that video games are similar to television--your brain goes on autopilot and you don't really have to think. I agree that some games are, in fact, just that. Others, however, can involve just as much imagination, and occasionally reading skills, as a book, in addition to eye-hand coordination and critical or creative thinking. Most, if not all, of the games I prefer to play fall into the latter category.

I recently finished Chocobo Tales, which was honestly one of the cutest games I've ever seen. Fortunately for the more grown-up players out there, it stops short of being cutesy and has a quality story line that drives the game. Though its entire basis is mini games and card battles, it is enjoyable both *because* of those, and as a story game in its own right. You play as a chocobo trying to save the world--and his friends--from an evil book/spirit of darkness, and must defeat mini and micro games to earn cards for the "pop up duels" and free your friends from their imprisonment. The music is a great combination of new songs and revamped themes from other Final Fantasy games, and the artwork alternates between a cut-out crayon-colored 2D and a more current 3D approach. Though some of the mini and micro games are overly familiar to those who've played other DS minigame collections, and some are downright evil (relying far too much on skill [Shiva & Ifrit score mode?] or dumb luck [Magic Pot luck?]), it's highly entertaining and something you could easily use to hook a friend for a bit of download play or occupy a younger child for a few minutes. I'll spare you any more detail, since so many other sites have said it all. Well worth the $30, and it has plenty of replay value in single cartridge downloadable mini games as well as wifi card battles.
~~For the bibliophile: all mini games are found in story books with twisted versions of fairy tales or Aesop's fables, and the bad guy is an evil book. What more could you want?

Another great game (that I *haven't* finished) is Odin Sphere. You can't tell much about the game by its name, nor deduce from the gorgeous artwork that this is one of the most compelling RPGs in a long time, but unless you've been living in a box, you've probably heard about it already. For those who know me, I rank it right up there with Kingdom Hearts, and that's saying something. The inventory, health regen, leveling--all of it seems honed to perfection. For example, when enemies die, they release phozons, which are required for your special attacks as well as to grow fruit to replenish your health. Every level will have mandragoras (veggies) that are necessary to make potions to protect you from heat or cold, remove status ailments, damage enemies, or otherwise help in some way. And those fruits and veggies, along with a few other items that sometimes come from winning a level or defeating certain enemies, can be used to cook recipes which add to your HP and character level. Using a separate counter for your phozon and health levels, you must work to keep your character balanced (or unbalanced, depending on your preference). The alchemy system allows you to use up items in your inventory for more room, and the higher level a potion is the more phozons it releases upon creation--phozons you can use to level your gauge or grow more fruit, which can then be used.... Honestly, I think it's probably the cleverest system they could have devised, and my only real gripe with the game is that it's kind of too big for the PS2--there are times when there are many items/enemies/phozons on the screen and the game slows to a crawl. Definitely worth buying, and worth playing again and again.
~~For the bibliophile: technically, you're a little girl sitting in the attic with your cat, Socrates, and reading all these books about people living the same story from different perspectives. Not all the stories directly overlap, and all of them are incredibly compelling. You can play the stories again and again, which makes perfect sense to me--you don't read a book just once, right?

That's enough for today, really; I should get back to downloading applications for school. When will the horror end?