The Whole Game in my Hand

I was wondering when RPG Watch is going to return to its ongoing series of handheld RPG reviews and previews (The Whole Game in my Hand) by Michael Anderson. Since the last article, there have been some other releases such as Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Children of Mana (which he highlighted), as well as Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales.

Does he or any other staff member plan to return to it at a later time and tackle these games?


Sincerely,
A Concerned Fan

Yeah, I'm lagging - the last one covered releases through the end of January … and I had one in progress to handle through February … and I'm updating it to cover through the end of March or so. I'll have it done in the next week or so.

(For reference - 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article)

Originally Posted by txa1265
Yeah, I'm lagging - the last one covered releases through the end of January … and I had one in progress to handle through February … and I'm updating it to cover through the end of March or so. I'll have it done in the next week or so.

(For reference - 1st article, 2nd article, 3rd article)

Mike,

I read through your articles and noticed that you didn't mention Eye of the Beholder for the GBA (or if you did I missed it which could be the case).

Eye of the Beholder

This was actually a fun little game. It's kind of like a mix between the original Eye of the Beholder for the PC, and the original Pool of Radiance. It is quite a short game, but I had fun with it.

Have you played it? If so what did you think?

Originally Posted by narpet
I read through your articles and noticed that you didn't mention Eye of the Beholder for the GBA (or if you did I missed it which could be the case).

Well, if you track through the first article to the series I wrote for the 'Dot, you 'll find this in the GBA article:

D&D: Eye of the Beholder (Avg 57, Rated E) - Yep, that Eye of the Beholder. It is a fun game - and exactly as you would picture it. They did update the rules system to AD&D 3.0, but the visuals are pure SSI! Can be very addictive despite it’s many flaws. It’s hard to recommend to the average gamer though, with sub-par graphics, sound, and gameplay issues.

I had some fun with it but never finished.

Originally Posted by txa1265
I had some fun with it but never finished.

It was a fun little game. Finishing it was anti-climactic for me. I'm not sure if this always happened, because I only played and finished it once… When the final battle began my characters suddenly had armor classes of over 100. Basically that made me unhittable so I defeated the final battle without taking one hit.

At the time I was upset because a fairly good game had been marred by the fact that the last battle was no challenge. I guess I should play it through again to see if that is a common bug.

Poor Mike's in-tray is pretty big. I'd help out but I'm one of those dinosaurs that only has a PC, so "Chocobo" sounds like some sort of chocolate bar to me. Is it some sort of Pikachu thing you ride as a mount? I seem to recall seeing that somewhere.

It is the thing you can ride in the Final Fantasy games.

I'm like Dhruin, PC only and FF is something I'd rather not attempt; I do have standards, you know!!!!

Originally Posted by Corwin
I'm like Dhruin, PC only and FF is something I'd rather not attempt; I do have standards, you know!!!!

I used to think the same for a long time. I luv my PC and much prefer computer role-playing games to their console counterparts; however, there are some gameplay experiences that the PC just hasn't been able to provide - titles like Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, the Zelda and Castlevania series have become a part of some of the better gaming memories I'll carry with me for as long as I am a gamer.

Yeah, but we only have so many games we can play in our lifetime. Therefore, for every crap game I play, or every console game, etc, I play, it means one less good/great PC game I get to play!! At my age, you start counting!!

Just before I drag this thread way off topic, I really appreciate the question having been asked. It's a lot of work for Mike and it's not our normal core constituency so it's nice to hear someone likes it.

Right…I'm sure there are several titles I would like on a console but I struggle to keep up as it stands. Ironically, I probably complain from time to time about not having anything decent to play…whenever I do get the small urge to investigate a console, I can't find enough justification. I'd really love a PSP or DS but I don't really travel, so what would be the point?

The bathroom. Some good titles for the GBA. Nothing mindblowing, but fun. My wife loves the two new zelda games for the GBA (4-swords and minish cap). You can actually get an add-on for the gamecube and play them on that. And the game cube came out with a new fire emblem (fire emblem being a story-driven squad tactical game kind-of). Very rpg element light, but pretty good TB combat.

Also you get some gems like EoB. Even the ME rpg game for the GBA was light years beyond the console game in terms of good.

I thought the bathroom was for reading in peace, not playing games!!

If I stink it up enough my wife leaves me alone for a little bit, so reading or games is a better in the bathroom.

Originally Posted by Dhruin
I'd really love a PSP or DS but I don't really travel, so what would be the point?

I play the DS & PSP everywhere. I play on the couch, in bed, waiting for my kids at the end of Drama lessons or a sports thing, heck, last night the highway was closed for a bit because a car had burst into flames, so while parked there I pulled out Puzzle Quest!

Thing is, it provides me a console experience I'd never get otherwise.

Originally Posted by Corwin
I thought the bathroom was for reading in peace, not playing games!!

That is *so* 20th century

Originally Posted by Dhruin
Just before I drag this thread way off topic, I really appreciate the question having been asked. It's a lot of work for Mike and it's not our normal core constituency so it's nice to hear someone likes it.

You're welcome. I enjoy the Watch's features and since I'm into portable gaming, it's a win-win

Right…I'm sure there are several titles I would like on a console but I struggle to keep up as it stands. Ironically, I probably complain from time to time about not having anything decent to play…whenever I do get the small urge to investigate a console, I can't find enough justification. I'd really love a PSP or DS but I don't really travel, so what would be the point?

I don't usually travel and I play my DS regularly. In fact, I don't enjoy taking it on trips since the machine wasn't cheap and with all the things that might happen - robbery, accidents, end of the world - I use it almost exclusively at home. It's a solid investment if you want quick gameplay fixes. Puzzle games for instance, are optimal for the DS's hardware. Some adventure, platformer, action and console role-playing goodness is available, too.

Here's something handheld systems seem to be doing more of than PCs lately, RPGs with turnbased combat:
http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/dndtactics1.php

(Spotted at Scorpia's site.)