A Brief Review - Final Fantasy IV (DS)

Final Fantasy IV is one of the most beloved games in the Final Fantasy (FF) series, and it is easy to understand why.  The remake for the Nintendo DS is the only incarnation I have played, but it was quite an enjoyable experience.  

The premise seems simple - save the world from the forces of evil - but there are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.  There are eleven playable characters that, admittedly, keep switching out for various reasons, but the core characters remain the same.  Sometimes this can be annoying, like when you have one physical attacker and three mages (or vice versa), but the game makes it work.  

The gameplay mechanics are very similar to other FF games, utilizing the Active Time Battle System, which you can see in the screenshot above.  Due to the dual screens on the DS, the menu and stats are on the bottom screen, which means you can take advantage of the touch options to choose your battle actions.  The touch screen can also be used to dictate your movements outside of battle, but I found that the control pad was easier.  

The music in FFIV is really quite good.  My favorite themes were definitely the Lunar Moon theme (very alien) and the Theme of Love.  The latter is one of the most well known FF themes and lives up to its name: 

I personally found that the game didn't get really good until the latter half, but I was also annoyed with the parts where I had a lopsided team so that could have had something to do with it.  The final showdown is definitely in my top 10 in terms of epicness.  The music, while not the best in the series in terms of overall soundtrack, still had some nice themes and added to the experience in a positive way.  I give this game a 4/5, and highly recommend checking it out.

A Brief Review - Chobits

Chobits is about a young man named Hideki who finds an abandoned Persocom in the trash and takes her home with him.  This Persocom, who he names Chii, seems to be one of the legendary Chobits - a series of Persocoms that are capable of actual thought instead of just programming.  The series follows their adventures as Hideki tries to find out the truth behind Chii, while also falling in love with her.  

When I read the original manga by CLAMP back in high school, I was intrigued by the art and the different ideas of love presented in the series.  The manga was also just the right length - 8 volumes, not too long and not too short.

The anime, however, is a different story.  8 volumes definitely take up less than 26 episodes, so the anime was stock full of filler episodes that seemed to merely showcase fanservice for the male audience.  This was probably my biggest gripe, along with the changed ending. The music is nothing special, and only begins to be interesting in the opening and closing themes, which tend to grow on you after 26 episodes. 

While the storyline does bring up interesting ideas about the many forms love takes, it doesn't seem to make up for the sheer amount of fanservice provided in the anime due to its length.  The ending also was a big let down compared to the manga, and seemed a bit too rushed for my tastes.  So overall, I would give this a 2.5/5 rating.  The music can be catchy sometimes, the art is beautiful in certain episodes when they're actually trying, and the animated storybooks are adorable.

Also, Sumomo is the best: