PixlBit

Great review!  I finished a 1/3rd chunk of my dissertation last week, and to celebrate, I went out to buy a 3DS game.  It was between EOIV, Luigi's, or Fire Emblem.  Unfortunately, Gamestop only had Fire Emblem on hand, so I went with that (which is awesome so far, by the by.  Yet another long-standing, somewhat difficult-to-approach series that has gone through an awesome refinement).  I haven't regretted it, but best believe EO IV is going to be the game I buy when I get past the 2/3rd mark (almost there!).  This review cemented it.

I also worry that, much like older Atlus games, EOIV will become relatively scarce as the 3DS life cycle continues, so it's worth getting now, even if I wasn't going to play it until down the road.  

After getting a 3DS about a month ago, I have to say, I am blown away by how awesome this little handheld is.  I've always been a fan of Nintendo's console evolutions (Wii, DS, etc.) but 3D seemed like a serious gimmick to me.  The software they've been putting out has been just amazing.  So many great games, and I haven't even gotten in to apps yet.  Impressive stuff.

Annnnyway, thanks for the review; I've been scarce on PixlBit lately because of aforementioned schoolwork, but I hope to be back soon.  This review was just the writing piece I needed to get me back in the groove.

Namco Museums Vol 1 - 5 you say?  I will have to make a note to check that out ASAP.  I like your list; I'm surprised about the inclusion of Animal Crossing on there.  I just picked up Mario Kart 7 on 3DS, and I got to the final retro track (SNES Rainbow Road) and that music immediately inspired me to break out the SNES cartridge.  I love love love SNES Mario Kart and especially the music for Rainbow Road!

I think having too many choices sometimes leads to paralysis, as well.  Many times, I'll be struggling to write some music, but when I set out to do something very limiting (e.g. write a song using only a harmonica), I find creative ways to get outside that limitation.

I'm saving a write-up on Mystic Quest for a week when I'm behind or have too much to do to write a main post (like I did with Earthbound).  It will get its due ;)  I think it's an underrated game (which is not to say it's a great game, by any stretch).

Me neither!  Once I got going, there was a lot to talk about it.  Surprised me. 

This was already the only game on my Day-One-Purchase list, but this video sealed the deal.  More of the same?  Please take my money.

Love the addition of torches, as well; the choice between having light and having a shield/double-handing will definitely ratchet up the tension, much like Doom 3...

Thanks, man!  Glad to have you back in the game, in a manner of speaking.  I needed Dragon Quest IX as my gateway drug to the more simple RPGs.  When I first played through older DQ games, I was pretty unimpressed.  "This is it?"  Once I really got into DQIX, I realized how much fun I was having, and it hit me that I was probably missing a lot of fun from long ago!  That being said, if I had played Earthbound before my conversion, I could easily see myself being completely disappointed.  Sometimes, things happen for a reason :)

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I hope you have the chance some day!  I had pretty much given up on it until I made my millions (yeaaaah...) so I was blown away to get a cart as a wedding present.  I'd almost encourage someone to use an emulator, except I bet that music just wouldn't be the same.  Also, I'm not a big fan of emulators... 

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That's a great point; it definitely has that "we're off to save the world!" vibe going on.  Overall, I'm glad it stayed as simple and obscure as it did.  In some ways, I think its notoriety does it a disservice.  That I went in without any expectations whatsoever really helped me love the game.

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I think if I had played Earthbound when I was younger, I would have really disliked it and had a lot of trouble with it.  For one, it took me until Dragon Quest IX to get used to the idea that you couldn't see your party in a battle, so weened on Final Fantasy was I.  So that would have been a deal-breaker right off the bat.  I also don't think I would have appreciated the quirkiness and humor in the writing without a bit more life experience under my belt.  I'm glad I waited (not always by choice!), because it allowed me to simultaneously appreciate the game, while transporting me back to feeling like that little kid glued to the SNES.  In general though, I'm surprised the game gets as much love as it does; it strikes me as a polarizing experience.  Of course, that could just be that the folks who love it are very vocal about it!

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