I have been replaying Secret of Mana. Even when I have quite a bit of new gamage to go over, it just sort of stole my attention and put it into a vice grip away from all those shiny new packages and their brilliant and bright graphics and audio. But why?

The simplicity, grace, elegance, of gameplay and of the story behind Secret of Mana make it much like the Legend of Zelda series. The player has a seamless experience that really brings one into the fold. The world of Mana is one I care about, and the simplicity of characterization aids in forming the myth type narrative that is I find creates the most compelling game experience. Some games like Planescape, are more of a narrative then game, but in myth-narrative games the gameplay is never subordinated to the tell of the tale, it in fact I think allows the tale to appeal to a broad audience and allows it so speak of more fundamental and universal principles. (more…)

So, I picked up my copy of Persona 3. First thing I noticed was how heavy it was, most probably due to the hardcover art book, which is a nice touch (though wholly unnecessary in my opinion).

Another thing I noticed was how bright the colors were for the opening animation (the one before the loading. The overall aesthetic of the game (more…)