![]() Then you have something like Sudeki, which was a rather unusual title released for the original Xbox back in 2004. The indie developed Pier Solar is probably one of the better examples of a solid Japanese-style RPG developed by team with little to no Japanese staff. What happens when non-Japanese game developers attempt to create a Japanese-style role playing game? One with all the tropes, anime aesthetics, and presentation values typical of a Nipponese video game? Well… it’s a bit of a hit or miss affair really. Guilty pleasures are a blast - so long as no one’s watching. How many times have you bought a game and told yourself that if it’s terrible, it was only five bucks? This brings us to the “Bargain Bin” realm of gaming, a second glance at games far enough down that they don’t see light. The uber-powerful "Spirit Strikes," rather, work like this-they're basically screen-clearing finishers, complete with resplendent effects, and massive amounts of gibbing.Some games aren’t worth the $60 release price. Granted, these potions are easy enough to find, but a more traditional attack-to-charge system would have made much more sense. Here's the lame thing about them: they cost "Skill Points" to execute, and apart from equipping certain enhancements on your weapons that allow them to automatically accrue, the only way to replenish them in combat is by drinking special potions. ![]() They're called "Skill Strikes," and while they're mostly offensive in nature, most of the game's most powerful healing and support abilities fall into this category as well. As you'd expect, all four characters have spell-like abilities thrown in for good measure. I would go as far as to say that the variety that these two distinct styles lend combat are largely what makes Sudeki's battles so much fun. Odd as it may sound, it works wonderfully in the context of the battles, and although you might think it jarring to switch between such drastically different control styles several times within battles, it's actually quite smooth. When you're in direct control of them, the game actually shifts into a first-person perspective, and behaves, mechanically, identically to a console FPS. Naturally, they're a bit weaker, and tend to keep to the rear. The other two (Ailish and Elco) are ranged attackers. Two of them (Tal and Buki) are melee attackers, who are generally more robust physically, and whose primary modes of attack are timed button combos, with auxiliary blocks and rolls to round them out. And depending on which of the four characters you're controlling, the experience is totally different. Not a sort of KoTOR-style, turn-based hybrid, though-what you have here is full-on, twitch-based gameplay. In fact, had Sudeki toned down its weaker elements, and focused primarily on combat, it would have made for a much more satisfying experience. The excellently designed, and brilliantly executed battle system is strong enough to make up for the game's other shortcomings. Killing you softly When it comes to combat, Sudeki stands strong with the best of them. Just suffice it to say that you're usually going to want to fast-forward to the combat sequences. That, and given how oddly-paced the story is, talking too much about those things would spoil a whole lot. Of course, they each have their own motivations, which tie into the game's story in a variety of ways, but due the fact that the story is largely forgettable, I won't go into it. If it weren't for their unique roles in combat, I wouldn't even remember their names. I've stopped counting cliches, by the way. Supporting them are Elco, a quirky young scientist who's a bit on the frazzled side, and Buki, an also-hot cat girl with a short temper. His love interest is Ailish, a hot young princess that can shoot magic. Our gang The game stars Tal, a young swordsman with a dark past. No memorable characters, no clever dialogue, no rousing story. All the other things that make a great RPG are absent. The basics are down pat-the combat is fun, and you're allowed a pretty satisfying level of leeway as to how your characters develop. It's been in the cooker for a while, and while this can sometimes mean great things, it makes me kind of sad to say that such isn't the case here. Enter Sudeki, Microsoft and Climax's attempt at fixing this mess. Two games on its roster stand out-namely, KoTOR and Morrowind, and they do so quite significantly, actually-but apart from infrequent releases like these, it's pretty much a wash. Yes, it's incredibly redundant to say so, but it should be mentioned, in this case: The Xbox is far from an RPG powerhouse.
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