09] Epic Other Genres

There are many other kinds of "Epic Quest" games, that are not in the Fantasy Realm. Some are sci-fi, but others are unique and don't fit into their own genre. So, I lump them all together.

Just like the Fantasy Epic games, these are long and have everything from side missions to level building, often the necessity to level grind is important.

Game 36] Kingdom Hearts - Yeah, its Donald and Goofy and a bunch of Final Fantasy characters against all of the Disney villains. I'm digging this Playstation 2 game. Its fun. My only problem with it is that sometimes it has some difficult jumping to do, and I hate that stuff. But, other than that, the story is well told, and I am having a ball.

Checkmark - This is really a story based game with lots of bosses. On each planet, there are various things that need to be done before the world can be locked by your big ol magic swordkey thingamabobbie. So, checkmarks are really about completing tasks on each world.

Where Am I? - I just completed locking the three initial worlds. Now I am certain to unlock more as I head back to the main home base planet. Still early in the game, I figure, even though I've done a bunch. Teaming up with Tarzan was fun.

Game 37] Marvel Ultimate Alliance - I beat this game for the Playstation 2 on easy mode, but never figured out how to unlock Moon Knight. I also didn't bother with most of the training discs. Plus, Nightcrawler croaked it! Doh!  I begin again, this time on Difficult level. We'll see how much harder it really is, and I plan on trying to unlock everything possible this time through.

Checkmark - You travel to different environments well-known in the Marvel Universe, I thought this game was really well put together. In each level, there are many tasks to accomplish. Once I accomplish a task, that's a checkmark. I will also be attempting to pass the training discs that I have acquired. Doing each of those is a checkmark, also.

Where I am - At the very beginning. I just started, whooped Scorpion easily, and am heading onto the next challenge on the Hellicarrier.

Game 38] Mercenaries - I initially thought to put this in the Shooter category, then realized it was different, and belongs in this Epic category, because it is open-spaced, and you can go do any number of quests and side-quests out of sequence. Attempting to capture instead of kill all of the "cards" has proven to be a task requiring me to replay often when a guy gets killed. I really enjoy this Playstation 2 game. It's excellent.

Checkmark - Either completing a side quest mission, or capturing one of the number cards is a checkmark.

Where Am I? - I have captured all of the first suit cards, except for the King and Ace. So the King is next. Obviously, this was all the first stage of four. I realize that the difficulty level is probably going to go up starting right now, since the King and Ace will likely be long, touch missions, and then the next area will likely sport tougher opposition than what has occured to this point.

Game 39] Rogue Galaxy - This Playstation 2 game is complex and has lots of layers. It is well written but difficult, as save points are hard to get to sometimes, combat is extremely challenging, and there are so many extras you are constantly sidetracking to go back to your factory and create a new item, or merge existing weapons to try and upgrade them. Lots to do.

Checkmark -  Moving the story forward requires quite an effort as there are random monster encounters all the time. You have a bunch of characters to choose from, and just when I thought I couldn't get any more, I just got a new one! Checkmarks for completing objectives, and also for completing new weapons and useful devices in the factory. The Factory is difficult, it could take me an hour or two to configure machines correctly so that the item gets correctly made. When I do it successfully, I feel its an accomplishment worthy of a checkmark.

Where Am I?  - I am deep into the game, having visted quite a few worlds and completed all my objectives on them, but this game is obviously very long, and I don't know that I'm even halfway through it. We'll see.

Game 40] Star Ocean - Another Sci-Fi quest game for the Playstation 2, this one appears well-written. Like Rogue Galaxy, combat is frenetic and a bit stressful, but I'm learning how to get the job done. This one is supposed to be very long, so it should be on this list for awhile.

Checkmark - Story objectives and world level completions earn checkmarks. I have a feeling level grinding may be important in this game too, so I may do some of that. I don't want any more low powered end game scenarios, after all!

Where Am I? - At the very beginning of the game. I got through the tutorial mission stuff, and now I am underway. Just got separated from the family and am on the first real area of the game.

Game 41] Xenosaga - One of the best sci-fi epic games I've ever seen, this is also on Playstation 2. The cut scenes are beautiful, the story is extravagant, and the game is long and fun. One of my favorites for certain.

Checkmark - Levels have different objectives, and are very long, so completing objectives earns a checkmark. I am quite concerned that I am near the end of the game, and am underpowered. If I discover I can't kill the next boss, I am going to have to consider a re-start, which would be awful. But again, I've been playing this one for a long time, and I wasn't interested in level grinding before. My bad!

Where Am I? - I played the hell out of this game, and am near completion. Whether I can actually complete it or not is the question. Am I underpowered for the big bosses coming up? I may be. And that, would suck.