Ok, it’s been forever since I wrote one of these last. To be honest I’ve had a few job changes since I wrote my last 8-bit Friday Dairy article in August of 2017. Lets just say that I’ve bought a heck of a lot of games since then, but I’ve had very little time to play them. I’m guessing that I probably have the biggest backlog of games I’ve ever had, and a list of eBay sellers a mile long who are probably mad at me for lack of feedback. So I’m trying to get back in the saddle of getting games played even if it will be a painfully slow process.

This Weekends Buys:

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (PSP) – I’ve been collecting and enjoying the Ace Combat titles for a while now, and I’m glad to be adding this one, now that I have a PSP

Fist Of the North Star (NES) – My son and I ran across the anime on Amazon Prime Video, which surprised me since I had always heard about the game, but I never knew an anime or manga existed.  Seeing as to how I didn’t have this NES game I added it. 

This Weekends Plays: 

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP)⭐⭐ – I have this title on DS as well, and I’ve gotten pretty deep into it on that platform. On the PSP, it’s the exact same game, but the PSP’s analog stick just doesn’t work well with this particular game. To say the least I became frustrated fast and wished they would have used the D-pad instead. Graphics wise its on par with and exactly like the DS version. The control scheme is roughly intuitive, however on the PSP it seems cumbersome, telling me it was mainly developed for the DS with the PSP being an afterthought. Overall it’s just not that good, sorry PSP your taking the blame on this one.  

Fairy Tail: Portable Guild (PSP) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Anyone who knows the anime and manga Fairy Tail knows there’s one important question you have to be able to answer to be a true fan: Are you a Lucy man or an Erza man? Truthfully I’m more preferential to the blonde haired brown eyed Lucy, but Erza does have her merrits. All joking aside this game was actually an enjoyable experience and the analog stick worked really well with it, telling me the previously mentioned Star Wars game was just bad in design.  Basically this game is fun and to the point for any Fairy Tail fan, you can play as Natsu or Gray to begin with, and really who wouldn’t choose Natsu. You get jobs off the board in the guild hall, do your missions and get paid. Oh, and did I mentioned Lucy is in it. The graphics are good for a portable platform of that era, and stay true to the anime characters, and settings. The controls are fairly intuitive as well, which is good since this is a Japanese import game and everything is in Japanese. The only thing that drives me a little crazy, and this seems to be a JRPG thing, is that the characters won’t shut up and just let you get on with the mission. Overall though, its a fun game, and I wish there was an English translation.

One Piece: Romance Dawn (PSP) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Staying on an anime theme, this one takes its name from a line in the song “We Go”, from the 15th opener of the ninth season. First off all this is a One Piece game so instantly I love it. Truthfully speaking though it’s a great game and exactly what would expect from a One Piece game. Its colorful, true to the characters, and true to the series. The controls are intuitive, and again great with the analog stick. This was another Japanese import so I’m glad the controls where intuitive, because again everything was in Japanese. Overall, this is a great game.

Evangelion (PSP) ⭐⭐⭐- Yes, this is a Neon Genesis Evangelion game. If you’ve caught the series, which was recently bought to Netflix, than the you’ll see game isn’t too different since it follows the series but in a truncated form for gameplay. In this one, the talking to gameplay ratios are very much off, and I felt as if I spent 9 of the first ten minutes I played pushing through text (again in Japanese, this was another import). There is about 5 second of gameplay initially walking in the Evangelion, then more talking and finally some quicktime type events killing the first enemy. If you’ve watched the show you can probably understand how things play out in the first battle. The graphics again were good and at times I thought I was watching the actual anime. Controls were ok as well, again no analog stick issue. Overall, its an okay game but damn, stop talking and let me play Captian Katsuragi, I don’t care how hot you are.

Gradius Collection (PSP) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – This is the game I wanted to get on the PSP the most. It has five different Gradius titles on it including Gradius Gaiden a title once only available via a Sega Saturn import. As a SHMUP fan it’s pure heaven, and it’s wonderful to see the PSP capture graphics the Saturn did. The controls are intuitive, and overall gameplay great. FYI, this is luckily not an import.

R-Type Command (PSP) ⭐⭐⭐⭐- Following with the SHMUP theme is R-Type Command although this isn’t so much SHMUP, as a turn-based strategy game set in the R-Type universe. It’s reminiscent of Star Fox Command on the DS, and perhaps was meant to go head-to-head with that game since they were both released around the same time. Overall, its an impressive game, and it’s extremely unique for a SHMUP franchise to think outside the run and gun box. Controls aren’t too bad either, although I think some of the schemes could have used a little more thinking. Overall, its and extremely unique game, and a must for fans of the R-Type series.  

So thats my weekend, and I might also add this article is going to be a companion to an upcoming system Saturdays article on the PSP. I’ve good to be back doing an 8-bit Friday Diary again, and hopefully many more are to come.