I have a love/hate relationship with handhelds for that reason.  On one end, the games look, technically, shittier than on an actual high-powered console.  But at least they are "pick up and go" games that you can do when you're going nuts from studying ten straight hours.

That's one thing I loved about the game; how out of place it felt with the original game, but how could it felt to finally be tied into it (especially so deeply).

A shame the game was held back by it's own console, and moreso, it's story-telling and inability to do so.

I love Ace Attorney... but feel incredibly underwhelmed and disappoint.

I *love* your likes.

Wild Arms 2 had the most interesting song for a Disc ending - and I loved it for that.  I love how between Disc's 1 and 2 it felt like an intermission going into the more complex part of the play.

FFIX is a series of pretty fun events.  Though; I can't say I cared for fighting Beatrix 4 times between Discs 1 and 2.  The "fun" vibe to the game consequently made the game a bit more fun to play.

Terranigma has to be one of the most impressive early-console stories out there - as you say, the big reveal is astounding and a jaw dropper.  What's more amazing is the fact the story is already as intuitive as it is.

SuperMario RPG was an SNES game, but still filled with a great diversity of settings, and I love how fun and colourful the game is - Shimomura's OST brought the game to life, and helped bridge a gap of kinda tech-y music and more traditional VGM music, IMO.

Folklore mastered atmosphere; the game made a bunch of unique scenarios and amazing settings and beasts to look at.  I agree here too.

-----

One thing; I'm adding Wild Arms 3's FINAL 3 hours.
I didn't figure out how to escape the dungeon in 5 seconds; I hated having no one talk, and I hated the 13-fucken formed final boss.  Oh... not in the last three hours, but the ABYSS was retarded, and the shifting sand blocks sucked dick.  Loved the game otherwise.

Sewers have that habit.
Chrono Trigger, FFVIII, ToS...

It happens!  Sometimes there is a particular part in a video game that is much more fun than the rest; or even true to to the contrary.

THIS IS NOT MY FAV AND LEAST FAVORITE GAME... THIS IS PARTS.  Chances are you may actually like the game, just not a part of it!

For example....

My Favorite Parts:
-For some reason, I love playing (it kinda counts) Twilight Princess' Lanayru Region when you collect the Tears of Light.  It's a big step in the game and let's you travel to many different places in beloved Hyrule land.
-Final Fantasy VI; Sabin's scenario - seems to travel a lot of the globe, and despite the urgency to get back to ANOTHER side of the globe (back in Narshe), he's on a Ghost Train and on enemy bases.
-Tales of Symphonia's Forest of the Treant; it's pretty and the music is nice.  Connects with nostalgic Tales of Phantasia
-Final Fantasy VII: a few here... I love Midgar (the concept of such a large metropolis is amazing) and an interesting small-scope beginning to the greater adventure outside of it.  Costa Del Sol gives the right vibe along with the Golden Saucer.  And I love just leaving Midgar, how good that game felt when you saw the world.

My Least Favorite Parts
-Digital Devil Saga 2: I hate when you have that one guy chasing you around the prison floors.  Scary way to get a game over.
-Star Ocean 2: Between Cross Cave and Lacour Arms Tournament is the most useless stretch of gameplay ever...rather, lack thereof.  Cross Cave is easy and Celine spams a long-spell she gets around then, Click gets sunk, Mars' Forest is too short for all the dialogue you have to endure, and the Arms Tournament has too much drama.
-Drakengard 2: there's a part where everything goes to "complete hell" (der dna nellaf yks); the music is loud and chaotic and the enemies aren't fun.
-Final Fantasy VI: Opera House.  The timed sequence paired with an in-game opera doesn't help much

I was playing the game on a 20 year old TV.... I had no idea the graphics were that crisp.
What I had was quite literally like this; I think my eye sight went down a few points after travelling through the Tartarus.

Masashi Hamazu is a musical god.
All of his tracks are either wonderfully complex or simple and nice.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat - it really doesn't feel like there is anything innovating here either to justify a $50 purchase that will likely end up being fodder for another game I would buy with trade-in money.
Plus, I'm through with...

• games that comment on how "kawaaaaiiiii" a kitty is (thank you for this relevation)
• ditsy, tumbling, bumbling teenagers who have the IQ to qualify for retardation
• the one big-boobed girl everyone gushes on while tit-grabbing jokes are made at the expense of less endowed women
• your one bitch character who fails to have a soft spot
• your one character who is motherfucken silent and unemotional... always, except for 3 words a day
• 16 year old acting like 6 years olds...both in personality and ...um, in this games 3D
• Anyone voiced by Wendee Lee

I have reeaalllly grown bored and tired of these typical J-archetypes - my IQ drops, they're not funny, and they're not interesting.  I'm a 20-something who's playing a girl who's hobbies are "baking pie".  But hey, at least we have Pamela the Ghost back!  Oh wait, poor thing possesed a Teddy Bear!!  HAHAHALOLOLOL that's fucken priceless!!!  And juvenile.

I don't doubt the game is charming and good.... at $20 or so.

I'm not really one to judge by graphics either; but this game puts Kishida Mel's art to shame (I;m glad Totori attempts to rectify it; just hopefully NISA can scrounge up the sales for this one to be motivated for the 2nd)...

I've said it before and I'll say it again....

That "Moms are tough" line is something gay that moms would likely, and actually say in real life.   I thought it was a good line; moms just are that cheesy.

I *love* the character design for the game, hell, even Hope that fucken retard wimp with a Summon that's outclasses him.  I love Jihl, and I put her as my avy...mainly for looks and in spirit only.  Many of the characters COULD have been cool; but they're all about as deep as a puddle.  I like what I see in Jihl...Lightning... (not Serah)... Sazh especially.... but.... well, fuck, what happened?  That's also why I put that little "15 min" thing in the space above my siggy (much like you did when you had Vahn up on your, Thoren)

I love how FF7 had a sort of "episode" in the game that dedicated themselves to story characters.  Red VIII had that bit under Cosmo Canyon to see his pops, Barret had the desert prison, Vincent had some cave-related thing, and Cid had a dream.

FF13 offers this in mostly the form of text in the in-game menu.

Ah well, for those who missed it - read Dicey-chan's thoughts on the JRPG heroes of Final Fantasy!
I gotta study to type anymore.. =(



EDIT: ...though, in terms of character; how far do WRPGs go??

That'd be because, if you're going for platinum, you're going to hear to 103,845 times...

Aww, and there goes my long post on bruised nipples....

Yuri!

Lately, a lot of FF leads have been fucking useless.

FFVII - tough act went on too long for someone we see drooling all over himself in a wheelchair later...that, and I think the movie showed him off as more of an emo-japanese teenager more than we'd have though he was like... AND WHAT THE FUCK.  TIFA WANTS TO HAVE LIKE NINETY OF HIS BABIES.  GET OVER AERIS, SHE WASN'T THAT GREAT.

FFVIII - lol; the actual emo king himself who told everyone to fuck-off under his breath.  Rinoa probably puts out, so he tagged along eventually.

FFIX - the exception; he is a happy lead!  Though, I think his hair had more gel in it than humanly possible.... oh, and this...

FFX - not going into the laughing; I'm pretty sure if you gave him pointy ears and faerie wings, he'd fit in with Tinker Bell as a happy and merry pixie.  I think he's a retard, and puts the name Tidus (thinking of Shakespeare's Titus) to shame.... he'd be one of the sons served as dinner (again, Titus reference).  Yuna could do better to go chasing after him like that....

FFXII - Tidus II.  Looks almost exactly like him; his hair do screams male host, and he is generally useless to the overall plot.  I think his shouting over town was one of the most stupidest, waste of time's ever - and it left a bad precedence for the rest of the game to me.  Fucken Fran would have been a better lead. Minor complain; I hated how his nipples were kinda just..skin toned...I thought that was creepier than real nipples.  His nipples look like bruises.  And, I don't mean no offence, but he seriously looks like a homosexual... maybe he is one; or just hates Panelo.

FFXIII - Lightning is cool and all; but much like Cloud, whom Nomura shamelessly admitted she was a female version of, keeps the attitude too long.  I don't know what Hope saw in her, I'd have called her a bitch ages ago.  Serah suffers the "idiot younger sister" complex, marrying a (albeit handsome) gorilla in guerrilla warfare, and whining and playing the "I pray for the future type".  Japan seems to have a thing for the girls who clasp their hands together in prayer look.  Aeris pulls it before she dies, and so do a lot of JRPG chicks.  I love how Lightning looks, and I think she does have an air of cool about her - but it gets old really fast when we get the 1-dimensional side of her til we finally see her "warm up" on Pulse.  At least Terra and Celes were somewhat feminine and lovely.  Minor complain - but her hair also defies physics (she was on a fucken train in one FMV, and her hair looked like it was caught in a 'light breeze'...it's okay, Squeenix, if her hair is ruffled a bit; she still has a pretty face!)