Every Sunday, I'll try to post a new game that has been overlooked in the shuffle.
Turning The Spigot: The Obscure Game Awareness Column - Week 5
Sorry for the delay, true believers, but there seemed to be a bit of a build-up on the Spigot of Obscure Games this past weekend and I just got it opened now.
After a brief sojourn into Gamecube Land last week, it's back to the natural resting place of crazy games, the PS2.
Behold:
SHADOW HEARTS: COVENANT
Platform: PS2
Year: 2004
Rating: Promiscuous
This is one of the true hidden gems on the PS2. It's a JRPG in a series that rebounds from absolute absurdity to seriousness, sometimes within the same cutscene. It's also a JRPG that takes place in Europe and Russia during World War 1, a setting not usually embodied in a videogame.
I'm a bit busy today but thankfully I found a few strips over at Penny Arcade that will do a much better job of explaining this game than I ever could.
So yeah... it's pretty awesome.
While playing the first game does give you a better idea as to the main character's backstory and gives you some context for some of the asides mentioned by other characters, it's not vital to play. I never did finish the first Shadow Hearts game (though I did come close) and was able to enjoy Shadow Hearts 2 on its own quite well.
And you can always just look up the plot of the first one on Wikipedia. The storytelling and presentation in Covenant is much improved from the somewhat clunky first outing.
Also of note is the Judgement Ring system, which was introduced in the first Shadow Hearts game. If you've played the mind-blowingly awesome Lost Odyssey (also developed by members of the Shadow Hearts team), you've experienced a toned-down version of the Judgement Ring in that game.
Amazon.com is listing the game at around $26 and it is usually easy to find at the local EB.
After a brief sojourn into Gamecube Land last week, it's back to the natural resting place of crazy games, the PS2.
Behold:
SHADOW HEARTS: COVENANT
Platform: PS2
Year: 2004
Rating: Promiscuous
This is one of the true hidden gems on the PS2. It's a JRPG in a series that rebounds from absolute absurdity to seriousness, sometimes within the same cutscene. It's also a JRPG that takes place in Europe and Russia during World War 1, a setting not usually embodied in a videogame.
I'm a bit busy today but thankfully I found a few strips over at Penny Arcade that will do a much better job of explaining this game than I ever could.
So yeah... it's pretty awesome.
While playing the first game does give you a better idea as to the main character's backstory and gives you some context for some of the asides mentioned by other characters, it's not vital to play. I never did finish the first Shadow Hearts game (though I did come close) and was able to enjoy Shadow Hearts 2 on its own quite well.
And you can always just look up the plot of the first one on Wikipedia. The storytelling and presentation in Covenant is much improved from the somewhat clunky first outing.
Also of note is the Judgement Ring system, which was introduced in the first Shadow Hearts game. If you've played the mind-blowingly awesome Lost Odyssey (also developed by members of the Shadow Hearts team), you've experienced a toned-down version of the Judgement Ring in that game.
Amazon.com is listing the game at around $26 and it is usually easy to find at the local EB.
Total Comments 1
Comments
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Yeah, I've always been meaning to pick this game up. I really really should, as I've just finished Persona 4 and am looking for another quirky cool JRPG to sink my teethies into.
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Posted 08-03-2010 at 03:58 PM by shodan2020
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