Fate/Extra (PSP)
Released November 1, 2011 (US); July 22, 2010 (JP). Developed by Type-Moon/Image Epoch; published by Axsys/Marvelous Entertainment
Genre: JRPG
The most recent (in the US) entry in the expansive and pretty insane Fate/stay night saga, Fate/Extra is a weird, but relatively cool, JRPG that finally got a release in the states about a year and a half after its Japanese release. I got very heavily into F/sn thanks to some of my friends; I do mean these thanks in a genuine way, because it has been rewarding, even if it has had as many "Are you kidding me?" moments as many other series, like Parasite Eve or Persona (the series I find it resembles most closely). So perhaps it would be a good idea to get into the framing devices, the storylines, etc.; be warned that there will be some spoilers ahead for the entire series.
So, basically, there's this thing called the Holy Grail. When you think of that, you probably think of the golden cup similar to that seen in the Monty Python film, or perhaps the Holy Chalice.In this case, as I'm led to understand, it's something more intangible. Wars are fought over it, but not in the traditional "millions get in their sunday best and grab rifles and blast each other's heads off" -- no. It's more like a tournament, at least in this game. Each participant has a Servant, which is basically a living weapon, a humanoid character based off of a historical or mythological figure, which gives them the form of their Servant and its class (of seven: Saber, Archer, Caster, Rider, Lancer, Assassin, or Berserker, as well as a few obscure other classes). Of course, it does kind of fall on its face in some instances.
So, that's the basic premise. You start as a nameless male character with no memories. After a few days of exploring the campus, you are drawn into a strange, digitalized world, which somewhat resembles your school, and into an Arena. You begin to get plot, but you die before you get it all! Thankfully, you're reborn; you're able to choose your character's gender and name this time. This is the character you will always play. Before you do this, of course, you have to choose a Servant. After all, you've been drafted into the Holy Grail War, so you're going to need some way to fight. Squishies like you would be turned into a series of cave paintings or The Binding of Isaac screencaps if you fucked around with the supers unprotected, naturally.
So, which would you trust? (Left to right: Archer (probably the F/sn Archer), Caster (Tamamo-no-Mae), Saber (Roman Emperor Nero))
So, in short, yeah, it's kind of a huge clusterfuck. MOVING ON!
Storyline development: Expansive and modestly engrossing
The storyline I showed above is not much of the story at all, which is absolutely huge and quite daunting. Thankfully, you don't need to know all that much of it to play the game. But it doesn't hurt to be aware of the hacking, the terrorism, the cannibalism, the living dead... Okay, so beyond the fact that there's way too much to take in, one of the reasons why I just couldn't fall head-over-heels for the storyline like I think I was meant to is that it often just seems like a massive torrent of dark things. Kind of like The Binding of Isaac, but with a bit more building-up and depth behind it, on some level. Though, that may just be me. The storyline is not perfectly immersive, but then again, I also feel like I knew some of the characters, especially Shinji (who honestly is like 99% of the males I've gamed with online and offline). Remember, I felt pretty damn close to BioShock.
Gameplay: "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master"
The package called Fate/Extra's battle system "intuitive."
That's an awfully strong word, and not completely without merit, but perhaps not the right descriptor someone who isn't on a company's pay roll is looking for. The battle system is... unique, I guess. Basically, turns are carried out simultaneously between you and the opponent (you only ever face one opponent at a time). You enter a series of six commands from among the three basic commands you have available: Attack, Guard and Break. Sometimes you're also able to use special abilities. Attack moves faster than Break and disrupts it, Break shatters Guard, and Guard blocks attacks while giving you the momentum you need to make a quick counter. If either side gets 3 successful hits in a row, they get an extra attack that can't be prevented.
So, here's what the "elaborate Rock-Paper-Scissors" screen looks like.
In some cases you'll be unable to predict any of the enemy's attacks save by trial and error. However, if you gather enough information on an enemy Servant or fight a generic enemy enough times, you'll be able to predict more and more actions, though more than three predictions can be rare. These patterns can, of course, be rote learned. In a way, the battle system reminds me of latter-day Persona games, in that it's a strategy-heavy battle system, as much as a battle system based on "Attack its weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE! or get fucked up the ass" is strategy-heavy. This system is where much of the early struggle comes from. It can be hard to get the attack rhythms down without large amounts of enemy data. I have a few beefs with this system, though, since it's screwed me a few times, and pretty hard at that. See below.
The game's level-up system is very nice, in a way. When you level up, your Servant may gain some stats, but for the most part you have to assign other stat points yourself. This is similar to Persona 2 and, if I recall correctly, the Diablo games, allowing you to build your character as you see fit. Just be smart about it; each Servant has some innate characteristics that make him or her (usually her) either good or bad at something specific.
Graphics: Solid as the PSP goes, I'd say
Basically, just look at the screenshot above. This game suffers a bit because of the PSP's screen size, rendering some of the models a little pixelated, but overall, pretty good-looking, about par for course for PS2 titles, at least. Though, my memory of PS2 RPGs is a little foggy at the moment; I remember the PS2 best for the Ratchet and Clank saga, which definitely looked a bit sharper than this. The graphics remind me of Phantasy Star Online, at least in its Blue Burst incarnation, in terms of quality, but a little better.
Music and sound: Better than Eversion's, at least
I decided to start listening to games' music again around the time when I got Persona 2 Portable. It rewarded me a fair amount over time. This game's soundtrack, composed by Shinji Hosoe, is mostly very reserved with relatively quiet instrumentation, mostly saxophone, percussion and keyboard. It has a very calming feeling to it but does, somehow, manage to avoid being boring, although, at times, only just. It's not hugely fun or anything and suffers a serious lack of energy, but I guess it's questionable as to whether or not you think those are flaws. I'd been listening to A Dramatic Turn of Events a lot when I got the game, so take that as you will. That would definitely not be appropriate for this game. Though maybe rearrangements into this style...
Difficulty curve: Looks way more intimidating than it actually is
Don't get me wrong; Fate/Extra is actually a bit tough. Most of that is due to the combat system, though. The combat system ties you up a little here and there, but if you keep building up your character and beating the "target level" the game gives you for each week, you should do basically fine. Sometimes, stats like HP values of bosses, can intimidate, but by doing things correctly and taking notes, it becomes easier and easier as time goes by. Again, like Phantasy Star Online. HP ratings, especially of bosses, were intimidating, especially since your HP was only about a few K max and your weapons probably did no more than 1000 damage, maybe hitting a few sections, fewer if you used firearms. But, if you worked the system (in that case by moving around a lot and modding your equipment to optimize certain stats), you could defeat anything if you tried, and you always got better as you went, especially if you took notes, mental or otherwise. It's always on you, though, to make the game easier for you.
Like the games I've been comparing this to a lot, level grinding can become a chore readily. The experience needs rise quickly, and like in later Persona games, EXP rewards drop. I can understand wanting an anti-grinding method in place, but let's not go overboard here.
But how is it as a member of its genre?
Well, first of all, the fanservice, despite being great in quantity, is somewhat tempered; there's no Vanessa or Harpie Lady Sisters to tip the sca
Oh, right, this is an RPG first and foremost! Right, right, I totally remember that now...
Hm. I guess it's pretty good for the genre? As I think I mentioned before, the battle system is fairly unique, which is great news. The game is rather fun to play with a relatively strong story (I mean, by the standards of the genre) told relatively well (relative, again, to some other entries in the series), which is one of the major parts of the genre. However, it can be intimidating and
unapproachable (except, or perhaps especially, the character designs) at times, with its battle system making it possible for you to outright fail an attack and get killed pretty easily if you don't know what you're doing. Of course there should be some challenge involved with RPG combat, but that is a little excessive. At least in a game like Persona, you can prepare yourself for when you fail to damage an opponent or even outright get damage sent back at you. The strategy-heavy system is cool, yes, and one of the main reasons why I advocate grabbing it, but it does mean that combat often looks to be a very excruciating process. A game that's meant to be hard shouldn't be so hard that I want to give up; rather, it should be just hard enough to make me fail but still encourage me to keep hammering back, like the tougher sections of Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Though this game is really not the Kaizo Mario World of RPGs, the difficulty is perhaps unnecessarily heavy. That aside... the plot is, as I mentioned before, pretty much ridiculous, but isn't that par for course for the genre?
The "magic as programs" thing is an interesting spin, but hasn't it been done already with the MegaMan Battle Network series, in a way? It's not quite the same, no, but in that game, Mega Man used his special attacks (spells, in a way -- that or alternate weapons) though "Battle Chips," special attachments kind of like a fusion of console memory cards and cards for electronic card readers, which transmitted program data to Mega Man to allow him to perform a special attack. So, not so unique. An interesting idea, I guess, but it's been done before (and what I'd call "in the same genre," too!), albeit a bit differently.
Of course, originality isn't all there is to a game, but it is pretty important nowadays. Though, I guess, if people ate up Persona 4 after Persona 3...
3.5/5
Not as engrossing as advertised, but that is a monumentally tall order, anyway. I should note that there is a special edition that exists, which retailed for $40 (versus $30 for the "plain" version) on release. It comes with a soundtrack and a small number of pictures, mostly of this game's playable Saber, some a little on the fanservice-intensive side. My copy of the artbook/soundtrack hardback was a bit misshapen, so it's not the greatest. But spring for it if you want the artwork and soundtrack! It's not going to bring my grade down.
Cover image, screenshot, three-servant artwork found on Wikipedia. Rider/Francis Drake artwork found on Type-Moon Wiki. Vanessa image found on someone's Photobucket account. Harpie Lady Sisters image found on Yu-Gi-Oh Wiki.
unapproachable (except, or perhaps especially, the character designs) at times, with its battle system making it possible for you to outright fail an attack and get killed pretty easily if you don't know what you're doing. Of course there should be some challenge involved with RPG combat, but that is a little excessive. At least in a game like Persona, you can prepare yourself for when you fail to damage an opponent or even outright get damage sent back at you. The strategy-heavy system is cool, yes, and one of the main reasons why I advocate grabbing it, but it does mean that combat often looks to be a very excruciating process. A game that's meant to be hard shouldn't be so hard that I want to give up; rather, it should be just hard enough to make me fail but still encourage me to keep hammering back, like the tougher sections of Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Though this game is really not the Kaizo Mario World of RPGs, the difficulty is perhaps unnecessarily heavy. That aside... the plot is, as I mentioned before, pretty much ridiculous, but isn't that par for course for the genre?
The "magic as programs" thing is an interesting spin, but hasn't it been done already with the MegaMan Battle Network series, in a way? It's not quite the same, no, but in that game, Mega Man used his special attacks (spells, in a way -- that or alternate weapons) though "Battle Chips," special attachments kind of like a fusion of console memory cards and cards for electronic card readers, which transmitted program data to Mega Man to allow him to perform a special attack. So, not so unique. An interesting idea, I guess, but it's been done before (and what I'd call "in the same genre," too!), albeit a bit differently.
Of course, originality isn't all there is to a game, but it is pretty important nowadays. Though, I guess, if people ate up Persona 4 after Persona 3...
The verdict?
3.5/5
Not as engrossing as advertised, but that is a monumentally tall order, anyway. I should note that there is a special edition that exists, which retailed for $40 (versus $30 for the "plain" version) on release. It comes with a soundtrack and a small number of pictures, mostly of this game's playable Saber, some a little on the fanservice-intensive side. My copy of the artbook/soundtrack hardback was a bit misshapen, so it's not the greatest. But spring for it if you want the artwork and soundtrack! It's not going to bring my grade down.
Cover image, screenshot, three-servant artwork found on Wikipedia. Rider/Francis Drake artwork found on Type-Moon Wiki. Vanessa image found on someone's Photobucket account. Harpie Lady Sisters image found on Yu-Gi-Oh Wiki.
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