A Gaming Diary
DS
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 6th
Well, I opened the two spinning number doors. Wasn’t worth it.
I killed over 150 pirates to get a pirate soul. Wasn’t worth it.
I spent 50,000 gold or credits or whatever the currency is on a silver handgun. Wasn’t worth it.
And I’ve just millions of times trying and failing to get past some spikes in some water that lead to most of the 6.3% of the map I seem to be missing. There’s got to be a way, but I just can’t see it. Maybe there’s a soul I need that I’ve not got. I’d guess there’d be a “turn to fish” one, or something, but I think I’ve got all the watery souls and I’ve got nothing like that. And the puppet throwing skill doesn’t reach fast enough. Oh, it’s very, very annoying.
And despite all my moaning, I’ve had great fun. It really is a brilliant game, this.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 5th
Hooray! I have got to the final boss! (I assume.)
Boo! I’ve not got a hope in hell of killing it, even with a full stock of potions and high potions.
I’ll need to level up and find the money to stock up on Mind Ups and then maybe I’ll have a chance. Maybe.
Or it’ll be yet another game where I get to the final boss and then never finish.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 5th
I got a second fake ending a few minutes ago, but a better one. It unlocked a new mode, too, which I’ll investigate once I’m fone with this one.
And I’ve just done an incredibly hard boss battle. It took several goes and most of my healing items got used. I didn’t have to resort to equipping a ghoul soul, though.
HINT: You have to draw seals quite quickly during boss fights. Too slow and it lets you draw the whole thing, but then registers a fail.
I’m still going. It’s getting fucking hard, I’m telling you.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 5th
Ha!
After seven hours I just got a fake ending. A very easy boss battle followed by an stupidly unsatisfying cut scene that resolved nothing, followed by credits.
But I’d noticed something during that final boss battle and so went back and did it again and did something… different. And the game continues! It wasn’t the end at all! Those wacky Konami dudes and their tricksy ways!
I’ve turned it off for now. There’s no warp point near the final battle, so I’ve got a long trek back from the save point.
And I wish I could work out how to damage those huge armoured guys. Nothing I do does more than one point of damage.
And there’s that underwater passage with the spikes I can’t get past…
Ouendan
Oct 4th
So, let’s see….
I helped a man make his restaurant a success after a cat pissed on his floor, which wasn’t too bad.
I made a gym teacher cry and get sympathy from his female pupils, or something odd, which was pretty easy.
I went through a time warp and gave Cleopatra her good looks, which was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
I made sure a violinist didn’t need to get off his train to go to the toilet, which was pretty tricky.
I helped a dead guy get in touch with his still-living girlfriend, which was easy enough.
And then I helped a couple of cops foil an invasion by killer robots, which was the hardest thing ever. By the time I’d finished that my DS battery had been on red for an hour or so, I put it on charge. Otherwise I’d still be playing.
Ouendan
Oct 3rd
Half an hour.
Half a bloody hour on one bloody song.
Something to do with pottery and strange, slightly sinister, figurines.
I just couldn’t do it – and dying on the spinning thing at the end nearly sent through the DS through the window.
Luckily, after another three or four tries I completed it – and with a C, too.
I think it’s going to be lucky if I see the end of Easy mode. Normal’s going to be beyond me.
It’s a great game and I love it, but it’s going to make me cry.
Ouendan
Oct 3rd
Three more songs done.
Three Ds.
I’m really rubbish. Really very, very rubbish.
Oh, but I’m starting to fall in love.
(Though what does she want with that office guy? He looks like very much like an ARSE!)
Ouendan
Oct 3rd
I know the full title’s longer, but for the sake of my sanity we’ll keep calling it Ouendan.
I’ve played the tutorial and the first stage. I put it on Easy and got a C. I’m still not quite sure of the timings.
Basically, it seems to be a musical manga comic strip with rhythm action stylus control. And it seems quite fun, though I haven’t seen the genius yet.
I may have to try on headphones, too.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 2nd
I can fly! I can fly!
Have now unlocked what’s possibly the final big required section before the end boss. It’s called Pinnacle and is full of horrible enemies, anyway. I’ve run through it, out the other side and teleported back to the safe shops section of the map. I might see about exploring other places on the map I’ve not seen before I go back up there again. Looks like it might be a sensible idea to be as tough as possible.
And I still haven’t even seen the monster whose soul I need to upgrade my trident to the next type of weapon.
But that’s for another day.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Oct 2nd
Hooray!
I am unstuck. I messed up trying to find somewhere and happened across a gap I hadn’t squeezed through before. It’s opened up a huge new area. And what’s really odd is that I could have got there ages ago, so I guess I’ve been doing a load of optional stuff. Possibly.
Regardless, it doesn’t seem to be entirely linear, which is nice.
