Again I'm stowing away for a bit at a friend's house for net use and can only leave you with an entry pre-written. As I've said many times before, I am going to get back on track with my usual entries including images and memory spots. Until then, please be patient with me.
Please remember that the second half of my post was written over a week ago.
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~Watch out for Steambot spoilers everybody ~
After playing as many RPGs as I have from my childhood till now, I find myself to be a fairly good judge of what makes a decent game. The average playtime for an RPG is around 50 hours, so by that you can generally tell when you are nearing the end of the game(if you couldn’t tell from the plot). To play for about 20 hours and then have an abrupt, unnecessary ending, I find that a bit… unsatisfactory.
For the past couple of days I’ve been playing Steambot Chronicles, and RPG that I was quite excited about when I first picked up the paddle. I was indeed fascinated with the personal gameplay in which even the very first line was decided by you. I find this thrilling actually to be able to build your own character in a game. Even if he still seems to turn out the same either way.
The music theme was also impressive. Just the fact that the whole music scene was incorporated the way it was was interesting and quite fun and addicting. I enjoyed playing in the streets for crowds more than battling in the arena. Not to mention that each instrument was very realistic in its handling. I was shocked when I first “tickled the ivories” and found that the way you operate it with the paddle feels like you are actually playing the piano. It was interesting to try out different instruments and find your niche. I especially enjoyed the cello and violin.
That’s basically all I can say for praise now. The “non-linear adventure” has ended for me, and I can’t say I was too pleased with the ending. Since it’s non-linear, I’m wondering if it must be one of those bad/good/best/weird ending type games. I hate those. If it is, I must have gotten the crazy, doesn’t really have anything to do with the game – ending.
Okay, really people, stay away because I’m giving everything away for a while.
The ending seemed to revolve around Dandelion and Savory, two characters I almost NEVER talked to or even saw in the game. Dandelion seemed like a mature young man who kept to himself, not because he was the crazy psycho type, but just because he was a busy guy who enjoyed his work. It’s true! As for Savory, she was in the band. Basil had some huge crush on her, and that was basically it for her existence. Chicory was thrown in on the side only when there was nothing else to do. Eventually you discover that Chicory knew Coriander (boyfriend? You never really find out) and was killed when he was waiting for her at the station. Mallow kicks him into the road, splat, he died, no one helped, and Dandelion, Chicory’s brother, is distraught.
Again, that’s basically it for that story. Up until the 20th hour (I played for roughly 21) I thought that Chicory would be brought up later into some bigger story, but I didn’t expect it to all be thrown in a blender for the last fifteen minutes to completely kill all other aspects of the plot.
Mallow tried to apologize to Coriander too, but she wouldn’t have any of it. After that sorry attempt he just fades into the background and we never see him again. He was supposedly Vanilla’s friend, although we don’t know where they met, how they became friends, and why NOBODY REALLY CARES VANILLA HAS AMNESIA! Did anyone else notice? Through the whole game I kept wondering if anyone was going to try to help me out at all. No, they just kept saying, “Ooooh, Vanilla, will you do me a favor?” Sure, let the lost, amnesic kid do all of the work. I haven’t got anything better to do!
Why were Vanilla and Mallow on the ship in the first place? Is there any significance in Connie’s mother’s illness? They built that up right at the beginning like there was going to be something important there, but that was another story that faded away. Does the necklace that was Chicory’s that was Mallows that became Vanilla’s have a purpose? Didn’t really think so. Does Fennel have any significance in the story? He showed up at the end to scold me for being a good-for-nothing, and then disappeared. He didn’t even make an appearance for the Grand Finale.
There’s one really funny thing about the end though. Besides the girl falling in front the guy to protect him (and gets killed for no reason) being so clichéd (this leads me to believe there was something sweet between the two, something that the game designers failed to tell us beforehand, leaving us dry-eyed and confused), did anyone even HEAR the gunshot? That was the WORST gun SFX I have even heard in my LIFE! Hoho… funny.
There’s one really funny thing about the end though. Besides the girl falling in front the guy to protect him (and gets killed for no reason) being so clichéd (this leads me to believe there was something sweet between the two, something that the game designers failed to tell us beforehand, leaving us dry-eyed and confused), did anyone even HEAR the gunshot? That was the WORST gun SFX I have even heard in my LIFE! Hoho… funny.
Continuing with my questions…
Why in the world did Dandelion want to kill me? Why did they kidnap Coriander and Mallow and put them on a blimp? Why didn’t Dandelion go after Mallow and his father instead? Was there a point to giving gifts to Connie if the game would end without anything really happening between the two? Through the whole game you’re built up to believe that they like each other (if you play that way and not like a snob or money-grubber) but then, like most other things, that gets dropped into a bottomless pit when Savory shows up. I’m assuming that Dandelion and Savory were in love, or at least Savory loved him because otherwise she didn’t seem like she would have wanted to destroy the world for herself.
Maybe it was because there were mountains of extra things you could do in the game that I didn’t do that made it seem so short. I was more interested in the plot than the stock exchange or digging up fossils. I kept thinking that towards the end of the game I would get around to doing some more exploring, but I didn’t really get the chance. It was also deceiving because at the beginning the city is taken over right away by some crazy group, so I thought that when it happened a second time it was just another step along the way to the real story.
Maybe I played wrong. Once I get to an internet source I’m going to look up a couple things to see if there really is a different ending. For now I’m in the end, cleared mode where I can look around and finish up some things after-the-fact. I’m doing the wild goose chase looking for Connie. I wonder where Vanilla went on the ship when he left. Where could he have gone? Unless he remembered who he was without telling the rest of us. He returns a year later with the same clothes on and the same food in his pockets! Apparently when you’re overseas you don’t have to pay rent but you don’t collect on stock either.
I was hoping that the flying Trotmobile would save some travel time… but I didn’t really get to use it. So many things are left unanswered and so many things were unnecessarily thrown together. I think the designers must have been so concerned with the music part and the extra fossil digs and bus station systems that they forgot they had to make a decent ending.
Perhaps I’ll have to make a retraction when I get some more info and play the after-ending a bit more. Until then, I’m leaving the console off for a bit and I’m going to let myself be disappointed for a while.
Perhaps I’ll have to make a retraction when I get some more info and play the after-ending a bit more. Until then, I’m leaving the console off for a bit and I’m going to let myself be disappointed for a while.
It did get a little depressing when I went to visit Dandelion’s apprentice, Tonio. The music was very sober and he said some… well, sad things. I don’t even remember what he said. But it was all ruined when I went to the gravesite and prayed, and for every prayer it gave me the same response! “Your prayer remains unanswered” Peh!
“I’m perfectly sane! I just want to destroy the world! Ahh hah hah hah!”
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Here are just a couple quick updates on what has been happening with me this summer. Again, I don’t have regular internet access, so it’ll be short and I probably won’t be able to update again until I get to college.
Actually, I’ll be leaving for college the 25th and classes start the 27th. That’s all I’ve been thinking about lately and I’m getting really nervous. I’ve always been quite content with the idea of being a college student. Mostly because the majority of my friends had all been in college and I have always seemed to be able to handle that atmosphere. But now that I’ve gotten to that point, they are moving on … without me it sometimes seems.
In other words, I miss Emily a lot.
I also feel like all people my age are absolute freaks or idiots. No matter how old I become, I’ve always liked the older crowd. Hopefully that will change when I finally meet new people.
Enough of that. I have to rush a bit because the girls are coming over at 10:00 for practice. We’re recording 5 projects starting on Monday of next week. It just hit me last night that that is a lot and we’re not ready at all. We had such a late start on them this summer and we didn’t actually start practicing until the middle of July. All we’ve had is 1 month to practice so we’ve been trying to get together twice a week. Although we’re … okay… we really stink at the same time.
We haven’t had any time for lyrics either. It’s going to be another one of those fumbled dances with fumbled words. My favorite.
I can’t say I’m not proud of them though.
I haven’t had much time to practice myself, which has really been bringing me down. At practice I can’t really help anyone out because I can’t even do my own steps. If we only had another week… Passion is what I’m really nervous about. How in the world can I learn those breakdancing-esque steps in a week? Sam knows her part pretty well so I feel kind of like a failure. I have to know it be next Thursday!
I still have four sets of costumes to finish… one set I haven’t even bought the material for.
It hasn’t helped that I’ve had weddings to record. I’m actually quite pleased with how Christie’s video turned out though.
I got two wedding jobs this summer to record and fancy up the wedding and receptions. One down, one to go. Miss Adamsen’s wedding scares me though. It’s going to be much more formal than Christie’s was, so I’m terrified actually. Her wedding is Saturday.
I wonder if there’s anything else I can say? That’s basically all that has been on my mind lately. College, projects, and wedding.
Isn’t the weather nice? I’ve been swimming a lot lately. Ahh… what a nice way to start August.
The middle of August is what I’m really looking forward to. For two weeks I’ll have nothing to do but edit bucket loads of videos. But at least I won’t have to go anywhere. Wouldn’t be nice to just have a day to relax? This summer seems to have been absolutely packed full and just crazy!
Asher has a job that he can use his artistry with now! For two weeks he’s going to be drawing coloring books for Dreamworks’ new movie, “Bee.” Is that the name? I’m excited and so is he.
I’d better wrap this up quick. Was there anything else?
Oh, I’m going to be getting contacts Monday. Hopefully. The doctor is kind of kooky so I hope he gets the right prescription. That’s the problem Kristi had so she didn’t end up getting them. The ones I put in during the learning session were great. I hope he didn’t change them. Getting those suckers in is a real pain. But getting them out is even harder. Goodness.
Sometime last week my Sunday School class went to a lake and we played in the water and had lunch, all the beachly type of things. Colette even brought a parachute. Yep. She said she got it at a garage sale just for fun. It was fun too. Everyone grabbed a set of rope and pulled while the wind was captured underneath it. Hah, it was a sight! We had plenty of spectators too.
Candy, Sam, and Bentley all tried my bubble tea and detested it. I figured they would, but I wanted to see their faces. (I love my bubble tea set! It makes me really sick because of the tapioca, but I drink it anyway.)
Trudy rolled in the sand when she was wet. “Hey guys, watch this!” What a clown. Then her Shannon and Candy proceeded to chase me into the water and throw me in.
Well, kids, that’s all for story time now. I’ve got places to be and plenty of work to do.
Memory 7 – Yellow for playful
I’ve been thinking about Jillian a lot lately because she left again this summer for the continentals. I wasn’t the happiest person alive when she left without saying a word to me, but I guess she had other things on her mind.
There’s this game we used to play on her porch when we were little and used to be around each other quite a bit more than we are now. We would sit on the porch swing and watch cars go by. She’d pick three colors and I’d pick a different three. For every car that went by that was one of our colors we’d get a point. I don’t know if we ever really kept track of the points or when we decided on a winner, if we did at all. That was a good game though. We’ve had some good times on that porch. I’ll tell you next time.
-Lisa
-Lisa