GTA V: All Speculation

Yesterday was a big day for the gaming community, as the first trailer for GTA V was unveiled. Many people were excited, many were disappointed, and many didn't think much of it. I, personally, am ecstatic, and cannot wait until the game comes out.

I should begin by going back in time to the last time a trailer came out for a new GTA game, being GTA IV. While I'm not sure if it played out the same way as GTA: San Andreas did, the first trailer was just a sneak peak of what the game offered...except it was a huge sneak peak. What I mean is that the trailer was maybe a minute long, and showed nearly nothing of the game, but gave gamers a chance to analyze every frame and detail of the trailer to try to find out as much as possible about what could be found in the game. Unlike most other games, the GTA games are giant sandbox worlds, which offer plenty for the player to do, and one trailer could never show everything included. Therefore, the developers, Rockstar, decided to go with a very short and artistic trailer to show off the look of the game. It was up to the players to "read between the lines" and look at everything in the scenes and backgrounds, to figure out what else gamers could expect. I admit that I had fun as well, watching the GTA IV trailer a few times, to find any neat information about the game (having eagerly awaited the next GTA game after the fantastic - and probably best in the series - GTA: San Andreas). The downside was that I didn't write down what I thought was in the game, and later checked to see if I was correct or not. This time I plan to rectify that problem, the point of this post.

Yesterday, I watched that first trailer for GTA V about 20 times, many of them very slowly, pausing it often. This is unlike the GTA IV trailer, which I maybe watched 3 times that first day it came out. My anticipation and excitement for V over IV though will soon be explained. I wanted to write this post last night, as soon as possible to not only remember as many of my original thoughts as possible, but to avoid other gamer opinions and leaked information which will be inevitable these next few days. If one were to read the message boards and comments of the trailer and websites, these observations will seem common. However, I want to stress that most of these observations are entirely my own, and not of someone else's notice. I want to point that out because I want to show how in depth and detailed my analysis was, and not as though I was just copying someone else's idea. There will be a few observations that were not my own that I will discuss in here, and will note that they were not my own thoughts, just for the sake that I found that thought very interesting. By now you've realized that I did indeed read the comments after viewing the trailer multiple times, but found that most people were much less observant than myself (yes, I take pride in the fact that I'm not pointing out just the extremely obvious from the trailer). The comments did get me thinking in different ways, which lead myself to finding even more minute details. For those who enjoy trailers like these, enjoy my thoughts. For those bored with"artistic trailers" and just want true gameplay, then this is not for you.

I will start by saying that I will be jumping back and forth, but will try to minimize doing so, and will go through each individual scene, and explain what I'm seeing. Some thoughts will be reoccurring though, for obvious reasons you will soon understand. Also, here is the link to the video on Kotaku.com (sorry, don't trust youtube and its copyrights issues). Just as the site says, the video is much better in 720p, and actually, many details found could not be seen a lower quality without a full screen.

Let's start with the voice at the beginning of the video, speaking throughout most of it. From the sounds of it, it's obviously a male (okay, so Rockstar could pull a gender twist, but it's doubtful), white, but with a slight southern/mexican accent. I'll come back to this.

Scene 0:06 - 0:09. Here we see something new: a dog. Not only that, but listening closely, the dog barks. While this is just a trailer, and not making promises, this could be a sign that animals will be added. This could make some interesting gameplay elements, such as a pet dog, stray and violent dogs, or even police dogs who give chase much better than a human could. The potential seems exciting, and not out of the picture. While animal cruelty groups may cry out (PETA), it wouldn't be out of the picture. Rockstar's last game was Red Dead Redemption, had a handful of different animals, and all could be killed, including horses, but those groups didn't mind. Also obvious: the beach. Doesn't mean much, but the man talks about the weather during the scene, which leads us to believe it's somewhere warmer, where beaches are common. Finally we see a surfboard in the center behind the guardhouse. While this doesn't mean we'll be surfing, and is most likely just a set piece, it's nice to speculate. We'll reserve it for a set piece for now. The narrator talks about moving here for the weather. Speculation begins that he may have lived somewhere with worse of weather, possibly colder.

Scene 0:09 - 0:11. Here we have another warmer climate scene, with runners along a boardwalk. The ladies look back at the man for a glance, which is a nice effect, possibly better human animations, more realistic. The narrator speaks of "that thing," possibly being a nicer environment...or the women? He says it right at they run by, and glance back at the man. Both men have different logos on their shorts, so I believe we'll be returning to brand name clothing as we have done in the past few GTA games. This is at least nice to give some variety to what our character looks like. Also notice the mountains in the background. The sign to the side of the pier says "Pleasure Pier." On it, an amusement park is show on another pier. Still not sure where we are, but gaining more hints. We'll return to both of these notes.

Scene 0:11 - 0:16. Showing a distant scene of a city with large buildings. Also, much fog or smog is found. I'll come out and say what will be seen in the rest of the video: it's Los Angeles. This explains the palm trees in this scene, the mountain to the left in this scene, and the parts from the last two scenes, being the beach, boardwalk, mountain, and amusement park on a pier. Sounds familiar to another GTA game... Also in the way background a helicopter can be seen flying. A good start, with a strong belief that at least helicopter aircraft will be in this game. Not much else can be garnered from this scene, though at least to me, it looks like a blue car is cut off by another turning car at the intersection. Which is important, because I noted several street occurrences in later scenes. The man speaks about "that magic." No idea what he is referring to.

Scene 0:16 - 0:18. Men playing golf. Like Vice City, the golf club could be a weapon. Like the previous scene, the man is wearing sunglasses, more apparel seen in previous games, but once again good for customization. A golf cart sits on the course as well, a unique vehicle (that is not a car). In the background is a group of flags, each of different countries, so we know the city is multicultural (though no surprise to see the U.S. flag higher up in the center). The golf course hole sign points to the yardage at 169 yards. I didn't think about it this way, but another commenter believes this is another play at Rockstar's vulgar and interesting humor. The most important thing to see in the see is in the far background to the right: a blimp! Highjacking a blimp could make for some really fun missions, and some epic crashes. As one commenter also pointed out, imagine highjacking a blimp and crashing the entire thing into a sole dog on the ground, a possibility if both exist. Sounds cruel, but it also sounds like Rockstar going back to its over-the-top gameplay seen in San Andreas. In this scene the man talks about retiring. One begins to believe that he's done enough in his life, and needs to get away (nothing new for a GTA protagonist).

Scene 0:18 - 0:19. A very short scene, with a man riding a jetski...a jetski! I mean c'mon, I think most people can agree that the boats in every GTA game have controlled like crap. They probably should, being as that they're boats, but I still avoid them as much as possible. But I could imagine having much more fun on a jetski, and jetski missions could be plenty of fun. Plus jetskis could go places larger boats cannot fit, which could be interesting. The name of the jetski is Speedophile2000. To us Americans, it doesn't mean much. But thanks to other commenters who pointed this out, in Britain pedophile is pronounced peedophile. Could be more Rockstar humor. In the background more objects can be seen, which I honestly didn't notice until someone else pointed them out. For instance, over top of the man is a large bridge, and docked on the other side of the water is a battleship. Yes, both are seen in San Andreas, close to each other, but we won't make assumptions just yet.

Scene 0:20 - 0:22. Three hikers are scene in front of a HUGE mountain. This seems promising. Many gamers wanted the next GTA to get away from the city and more towards the openness of San Andreas, and this seems like we will be. Note the backpacks on the hikers. Could we be able to carry a tent in case we need to camp for the night on the mountain? After all if large and dangerous animals were in the mountainous areas of Red Dead Redemption, what's to stop Rockstar from putting them into GTA V on the mountain? And if the player can carry a hiking backpack, does that mean we can carry a different sort of backpack, such as one carrying a parachute? One can only hope. As noted by another player, the clouds are moving, and (while faster, strangely) more realistic.

Scene 0:22 - 0:27. More of a city scene, a man in a car watches as a woman looks back at the man. While I didn't think about it the first time, the car puts the hood down. While not important, it would finally improve the realism in a productive way. How strange was it in prior GTA games to drive a car with its top down during the pouring rain, but not have the option to put the top up? While not forcing the players to do so, it would at least make sense, and would be neat if it were automatic. Note the signs: one is for piercings, the other for wigs. Could we play the customization game even further, like San Andreas? The other interesting sign is E-cola. Not only humorous (Ebola), but as another commenter pointed out, the same drink from GTA IV. This is very important, because many gamers have been arguing which GTA games are in the same universe. For example, supposedly Rockstar stated at one point that the three GTA games III, Vice City, and San Andreas, are in an alternate universe from IV. However, I believe otherwise, for the sole fact that advertisements for the other cities can be seen in IV, and more importantly, Lazlow is in every GTA game starting with III, as the same character. Another commenter said that somewhere in GTA IV is a billboard with CJ drinking wine, which I hope to one day see if true. At this point, the narrator discusses settling down and having kids. This could show that unlike other GTA games where the protagonist (if the narrator for this trailer IS indeed the protagonist for GTA V, which has more speculation surrounding it) is either starting their violent life or in the middle of it, this man could possibly be done with that life and hopes to get away from it.

Halfway through the trailer, and many thoughts have already been discussed. Pretty tired now, so I'm going to break this into a two-part post, and finish up the second half tomorrow. That post will also include large speculations for the game, most of which are not my own, by I would like to delve into.

Total Insanity

So there are horror games, and then there is Amnesia. This game...wow. I should start in saying that ever since an issue of Game Informer ran an article about Amnesia last year, my interest for the game has been growing. Developed by an indie company named Frictional Games, Amnesia: The Dark Descent was developed with gameplay and mechanics similar in vein to its predecessor and first developed game by Frictional Games, Penumbra. Both are survival horror games played in a first-person view, but are anything but normal. I had never even heard of Penumbra before learning more about Amnesia, though Amnesia first started gaining popularity when that article of the game was run (at least that's how it seems, and I'm sure other magazines ran articles as well), with the writers originally having played and enjoyed Penumbra first.

Months passed, and I had forgotten about the game and the article detailing its unique gameplay and step in the right direction for the dying survival horror genre. One can debate that the genre is not dying, however I feel as though the genre has been focusing more on just taking down zombies (the game is great, but I'm looking at you Left 4 Dead series), giving the protagonist more and more power. Silent Hill seems as though it has run its course, though I suppose we'll see with the next game to be released in 2012. Over the summer one day, I was leaving a GameStop when I glanced at the in-store ad, promoting Amnesia for 50% off, or $9.99. I went to the PC shelf (as small as it is...is it just me, or is the PC game market struggling to find its niche? Next time you go to Best Buy, look at how small the PC game section is, and then remember how big it was just five years ago) and saw one new copy left, but decided to hold off until I could read more reviews. All the reviews pointed to the fact that even though it's an indie game, and the graphics do not seem that intense, most laptops cannot run the game, as integrated graphics cards do not support the game (or at least most of them don't). So that was a disappointment.

More months passed, and after joining Steam (couldn't resist purchasing Terraria - I highly recommend the game when it's below $10, which happens every few months), I saw Amnesia advertised for $20, a sale having just passed where it was at $10. I figured if it ever goes to $10 again, I should go for it, even to put in my backlog for games to play later. Weeks pass, and earlier today I looked over the thread on CAG for many Halloween deals on Steam, with both Penumbra and Amnesia listed for very cheap. Even though I was planning on waiting for the port of Amnesia to the Xbox 360 (which was revealed just a few weeks ago), I really wanted to play it on the PC for the precise controls, which I will go into. So I did more research on the game and the graphics card requirements. Most people said it really depends, and the best bet is to try the free demo. Made sense to me, so I tried it out, and crossed my fingers as I booted it up. The game played flawlessly, even on high textures. So I went back and bought Amnesia:The Dark Descent from Steam for $4...yep, 80% off this weekend. Penumbra, which I might also purchase this weekend, is on sale for $5, but comes with both expansion packs as well, so a great deal.

So I will just say it outright: this game is scary. What Frictional Games has created is unlike any other game I've ever played. I can think of a few that are similar, but none that come close to pulling off what Amnesia delivers. From the very beginning, I was scared. I will also add that I took the advice of many other gamers out there: play the game with headphones, and make sure it's nighttime with all the lights off. If you want to get creeped out, you've got to go for the whole experience. I've watched videos on youtube of gameplay, but it's not the same as having the mouse in hand, knowing your destiny depends on your every action.

The story of the game starts out with a man waking up in some sort of mansion, with no recollection of how he got there. Playing as this man, the player starts out with nothing. As it, the player has no tools to work with, and no weapons. Also, it's a little dark. The player can use the mouse to pick up most small objects around the environment (books, chairs, boxes, etc.), can twist them around in real-time, and then throw them. The player can also stack them if they so choose...a key element later in the game. What makes the controls innovative is that to interact with objects, the player must move the mouse as if they were doing so in real life. So a common example in the game is opening and shutting doors. To push open, one clicks on the door, holds it, and swings it away from them. To pull open, do the opposite motion. Chests on the ground must be opened this way as well, just as dresser or desk drawers. The interactivity between the player and the environment is a welcome addition, and really pulls the player into the game.

Soon the player comes across kindle, which can be used to light candles and torches in the environments to get a better view of the surroundings. Unfortunately, these are one-time-use kindle pieces, so the player must conserve them as much as possible. Eventually the player comes across a lamp, which works in the same way, although portable, and runs on oil, which also must be found randomly around the rooms. Conserving the kindle and oil is much easier said than done. What brings out the terror in the game is the insanity. Not only must the player watch his/her health (which honestly doesn't go down much, not very important), they must watch their sanity level. I know what you're thinking, "Oh, so it sounds like Eternal Darkness." Yes, the concept is similar. However, in Eternal Darkness, the player loses sanity by seeing enemies, and can lower the insanity levels by finishing off enemies; whereas the Amnesia protagonist loses his sanity by random occurances and light levels. Oftentimes the player must question whether it's worth it to walk down that hallway in the dark, or use the lamp? Is it worth it to light the one torch on the wall, knowing that I'll just pass right by it? To lower the insanity levels, one must stand in the light (the lamp helps only a little), and especially must complete puzzles.

Completing puzzles advances the story, and by advancing the story, the random insanity can kick in. I should explain that insanity includes many different audio effects, large bugs crawling on the floor, bugs crawling on the screen, red flesh-like pieces coming out of the walls (which are sometimes real and injure the player!), or in the worst case scenario, the monster. Oh, the monster. The monster, to me, is the most terrifying creature in all of video games. If there's one reason to stay sane, and to keep moving, it's the monster. Supposedly staying in one place for too long can call the monster. I've seen it once, and I freaked out. I ran. And then I hid, and prayed that it would pass by or just go away. It was no surprise that it appeared, as I had run out of kindle and oil a few minutes earlier, and there were no windows to let light in where I was. The monster is human in form, but its face is missing a jaw and has no hair. It's really freaky looking. I'm sure by now you've noticed that I've talked about a few items, but no weapons? Amnesia has no weapons. None. One does not fight in Amnesia. This is what makes the game so terrifying. Never does the audio let up. There are creepy noises playing, at all times. Footsteps will randomly play, music from the walls, chains rattling, and groans. All of these are possible noises of the monster, and I was continuously looking over my shoulder, turning every which way, to make sure the monster was not around. Approaching a door or wall, it would shake and make sounds as though the monster was just on the other side, with the music and noises picking up tempo and volume. The game sent shivers up my spine, made my hair on my arms raise up, and just took my fear to a whole new level. At the highest levels of insanity, the player's vision is blurred, sometimes turning red, the audio literally makes a cracking noise, as if the player's insanity is just about cracking as well. Once in a while the protagonist will cave in and slump to the floor for a moment camera turning sideways, crying.

I wish I could better put into words the feeling I had from playing this game. It is the scariest game on the market, with many gamers agreeing. I've jumped a couple times, the worse coming during my one and only death (dying, by the way, just starts the player from a few seconds prior to the death, without much penalty - supposedly for every death, the score received at the end of the game goes down, and sort of has online leaderboards for best finishes). I had walked into a new area, and it slightly changed, flooding the bottom of the room. I took one step forward into the water, and the music for the monster started blaring. I could see a couple meters away a splash in the water, and then another splash closer, and closer, at a very fast speed. The monster was underwater. I freaked. I tried running, but the water slowed me down, and before I could make it on top of a nearby box, the monster killed me. I had to take a minute to catch my break, unbelievable how quickly that unfolded, and how terrifying it was. So that's the area I'm in now, where I must stay above the water on boxes, while watching the splashes occur all around me. I can throw objects away from me to create a slight diversion while it goes over to the object to check it out, if I need to get into the water. Oh, I should also mention the monster is invisible, so only the splashes can be seen, but nothing actually in the water. And my lantern is just about out of oil. That's why I turned it off, I was too freaked out to continue. I run out of oil, I'm screwed. I'd be standing there...in the dark...on a box...in a room full of water...with a monster at my feet waiting to strike...as I continue to go insane...

Kingdom Hearts 1.7: Are You Confused Yet?

Kingdom Hearts: Sora and friends are playing on their island (Destiny Islands), and that night a storm blows in. Sora goes to check out their island, and can't find Kairi or Riku, his best (and only?) friends. The storm was actually the Darkness, which had come to destory their world, just as it had being doing to other worlds. Riku disappears with the darkness, and Sora is whisked away to another world. Somehow Sora then wields a keyblade, and while joining up with other Disney cast members, saves the other worlds from the Darkness. He does this by defeating the Heartless (believed to be created by the Darkness, in this game), and sealing up the keyholes in each world which had been letting the Heartless in. He finds Riku in the last world, Hallow Bastion, a re-creating of Beast's Castle (though for some reason they changed this after the first game). Riku says he should be the keyblade master (siding with darkness), and after winning a dual with Sora, takes the keyblade. Sora catches up to Riku, fights him again, and this time wins the keyblade back. Doesn't matter, Riku shows his "true" form, Ansem, who had been controlling him the whole time. Ansem transforms Sora into a Heartless, who almost gets mistakenly killed by his Disney teammates. After escaping, he meets up with Kairi, who had somehow escaped/found her way to Hallow Bastion. Somehow she recognizes Sora, hugs him, shows him love with her heart, and transforms him back into his normal self. Sora goes back, fights Ansem, and explains that the door he was opening wasn't darkness itself, but light!...but darkness was taking over inside. So King Mickey and Sora stay behind, inside the darkness consuming the light, to fight the darkness. Darkness vanishes, Kairi returns to the Destiny Islands, and Sora and friends once again get whisked away to the middle of nowhere. Basic KH story retold.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories: So here's where it gets interesting. The devs never planned on making a sequel, and so KH could have been a stand-alone game. They are quoted in interviews as saying this, it's a fact, and is very important, considering how convoluted this story becomes. While making a sequel, they concluded that some things just could not be explained well, so it was decided that a half sequel to KH was in order. The events of this 1.5 game are as follows. After walking aimlessly for hours, Sora and friends (Disney friends, not Kairi and Riku, I'll get to them later) come across a castle, later discovered to be Castle Oblivion. I'll say this now: I have no idea how they managed to get there, and I'll explain why I'm confused in a different game. Turns out this castle is run by a group called Organization XIII. Each floor of the Castle that Sora and friends pass through is a different world from their memories of the original KH plot. The only reason they're moving through the Castle is because they believed they saw Riku. The only problem is that they don't realize that these are just memories, and all the characters they run into while exploring these worlds don't recognize them. As they traverse up the Castle floors, the four of them (Sora, Donald, Goofy and their recorder Jiminy Cricket) begin to lose their memories. Their notebook from KH is blank, which is quite odd. Each floor they pass, they fight a different Organization XIII member. Nothing really gets explained about this Organization XIII, except that on the top floor they're keeping a young girl captive, named Namine. She's a witch, and they're forcing her to erase Sora and friends' memories, thought I honestly cannot remember why. They finally reach the top, and after fighting through almost all XIII members, they fight Riku again (oh by the way they fought him once halfway through, though he didn't remember them), who still doesn't remember them. Turns out that he's just an empty body, with no recollection of Riku's past, or why he was created (as in, he's not Riku). He lets Sora and friends pass, who go on to fight the boss (well, this is just the guy who was running Castle Oblivion...this hopefully gets explained by me later), Marluxia, one of the XIII. After defeating him, and by now having lost almost all of his memories, even of his friends next to him, he meets up with Namine. Namine feels bad for what she's done, and puts the three of them (and Jiminy) into pods for deep sleeping, to restore their memories. Game Fin...or is it?
The whole time Sora and Disney friends had been running up each Castle floor starting with floor 1, the real Riku had already arrived some time earlier. Starting from floor 1 as well, he took stairs downwards, always one floor (opposite) ahead of Sora and co. Playing as Riku is a sort of New Game+, the plot revolves around Organization XIII urging Riku to embrace his dark powers, which Ansem had given to him when he took over his body. King Mickey is alongside him, trying to get Riku to hold back. Unfortunately, the XIII members are much more powerful in the basement floors than they were fighting Sora, so Riku has no choice and must use his dark powers. Which are really, really strong. But the more Riku uses his dark powers, the more the darkness is consuming him. By the time he reaches the final basement floor, darkness has all but taken him. Since this is all by memory, I don't remember Riku's ending...sorry. But that's what the next game is for!

Kingdom Hearts 2: Thanks to the CoM 1.5 sequel, the devs didn't have to do as much explaining about Organization XIII. KH2 is more involved information about the XIII. The player starts as Roxas, Sora's Nobody. A Nobody is created when a human loses their heart. When Sora was tranformed into a Heartless (get it?), him losing a heart resulted in the creation of a Nobody - Roxas (yes, rearranging the letters spells Sora, plus an X which almost all XIII members have in their name). Roxas is in Twighlight Town which, honestly, is yet another metaphor in the game. Anyways, the player plays as Roxas for like a week or something, until Sora wakes up with his memories intact. I'm not sure, but I believe that was the day when Roxas discovered the pods in which they were sleeping in. The whole plot of the game revolves mainly around Sora backtracking through all the worlds again, to defeat large heartless which have infiltrated the worlds...again. I'm not complaining yet, I absolutely loved this game and it's fighting mechanics, and even the story, which at this point (including all of KH2 I should add) I still had a firm grip on. After so many years I've forgotten the main plot. The major revelation in the game was the Ansem from KH, was not really Ansem. Ansem is actually a brilliant scientist, and saw all of this coming. The Ansem from KH is Xenohort, the leader and number I of Organization XIII. Xenohort was Ansem's student, while they were doing studies on the Heartless, Nobodies, and more importantly, hearts (not the physical ones, more like souls). Ansem and Xenohort were both good guys, until Xenohort somehow went evil, turned into a nobody by losing his heart, and tried to destory Ansem, who escaped and was in hiding for a long time. I believe (but am not entirely sure) that Ansem is actually DiZ, his disguise, and is helping at this time Sora get his memories back, thanks to Namine. This research eventually lead to Xenohort realizing the true potential of lost hearts: Kingdom Hearts. If enough hearts are released (and collected! very important), Kingdom Hearts is created, which can give hearts to Nobodies. Unfortunately, to create Kingdom Hearts, many people must lose their hearts, creating many Heartless (and possibly Nobodies? this is what I'm still trying to figure out, and hopefully the games answer). Okay, back on topic. During KH2, OrgXIII is setting out to get hearts to create Kingdom Hearts. By the end of the game, they did so. But Riku appears! He had been undercover, between worlds and nowhere (yes, a real place) watching OrgXIII and harnessing his powers: dark and light. He can also wield a keyblade. Where this second keyblade came from, is a mystery. But the two fight together...and Kairi arrives thanks to a bullying XIII member. Kairi can also wield a keyblade...it's a twist! But since there are only two keyblades in existence, the three must share between the two keyblades. They destroy the device which was going to harness Kingdom Hearts (it's a moon...no, I don't understand why Kingdom Hearts is a heart shaped moon). Sora also kills almost every XIII member...again. While Riku promises to save Kairi, Sora goes on to defeat Xenohort. Game Fin...or is it? While the three are relaxing on Destiny Islands, they receive a letter from King Mickey about another mission, most likely Kingdom Hearts 3, which should explain more about OrgXIII and what's going to happen with Kingdom Hearts.

Okay, I know that was a ton of reading, which got quite convoluted (it's actually worse than that, but I can only remember so much, and don't want to overwhelm a reader). While it seems that the devs took the Lost route and kept introducing more and more characters and plot ideas, it actually all makes sense. Unfortunately, one MUST play KH, KH: CoM, and KH2 to even begin to understand the complexities of the plot. One can tell by reading the garbled mess up above how much I can remember years later, after playing all three in decently quick succession. But the title of this post is the title I am currently giving to Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. I have put about 9 hours into the game, and while I enjoy it, the plot is just plain confusing. Here's what I've got so far.
The game takes place while Sora is still in his pod sleeping. There is a two year gap between KH and KH2. The first year took place in Castle Oblivion. The second year was Sora sleeping for a full year in the pod, regaining his memories as Namine was putting them back and in order. So basically as Sora sleeps, Roxas is running around doing his work for Organization XIII. The problem is that at the beginning of this game, they introduce another member, Member XIV, Xion. Yes, that is really her name, and yes, even other Organization XIII characters are wondering about the meaning of her name. But by now they just call themselves the Organization, most likely so they don't have to change their name to XIV. But Xion isn't in KH2, and they refer to themselves as Organization XIII in KH2. So my main reason for playing is to find out what happens to Xion. Also, since Roxas is Sora's Nobody, I'm pretty sure Xion is Kairi's Nobody. They haven't explained much about Xion, except for the fact that she can use a keyblade. Another reason why I think it's Kairi's nobody. I should mention that throughout KH2, Riku wears a coat similar to that of the Org, and has basically infiltrated the Org. So my question is where is Riku's Nobody? If Kairi has one, shouldn't Riku? Or is Riku his own Nobody? I hope to get some answers out of this game.
But the gameplay is tedious. Instead of one giant game, Roxas must play through missions, like just defeating enemies, doing recon missions in new worlds (I enjoy these), or investigating new and giant enemies. But I'm happy that the devs are so far staying close to what events have already occurred in the Disney/KH crossover. Genie has already been set free, and Aladdin and Jasmine are now worried about new sandstorms created by the Heartless, in which they already know what the Heartless are. So I understand how the events of KH1 are leading into KH2. It just gets really confusing when Chain of Memories enters the picture. At one point, half of the Org leaves the castle their stationed in (not Castle Oblivion, this castle isn't between worlds, but a world in of itself, which Sora, Riku and Kairi fight through at the end of KH2) to tend to matters at Castle Oblivion. A few days later it is revealed that they were all defeated somehow. This is referring to Sora travelling up through Castle Oblivion, killing them all...but wait. I thought this game took place while Sora was sleeping? Which is why Roxas randomly sees a two second fuzzy memory of Sora's (this happens randomly on the blank bottom screen during a cutscene on the top screen, which is pretty cool) while Namine is putting them back in order? See, this is why I'm so confused. I understand each of the Org members (besides Xion, but she's new). I understand the plot so far of the game - Roxas is the only keyblade wielder (besides Xion), and since hearts can only be collected by the keyblade wielder, it is his job to go out, kill the heartless, and collect hearts, so Kingdom Hearts can be created. It's basically the transition between KH1 and KH2, with some CoM thrown in for more details. I just don't understand the time frame for all the events between 358/2 and CoM. CoM did a fantastic job of going back and forth between what events were occurring when, while playing a second time as Riku. But 358/2 is purposefully leaving out the exact times of when things are playing out. Is this happening before Sora is sleeping? During his time sleeping? Is there a point at the end of the game where things take place as Sora is waking up? I really hope this is all answered throughout the game, because it seems interesting.

What I really need is a PSP, so I can play Birth by Sleep. I'm much more interested in learning about the keyblade war, and the original keyblade wielders.

Part 3: The Sun Disappears

I spent a good twenty minutes finding a safe path down into the cave, always sure to have a good footing in the grass. After a few more moments, I reached what looked to be the bottom, as the cave had leveled out. The vines were still thick this far down, still getting their fair share of sunlight. I did not feel remorse about cutting them down however. I wanted the sunshine to be in view as long as possible. But the sunlight could only make its way so far into the depths of the cavern, and soon left the daytime in my wake.

Occasionally I felt the cool breeze rustle against my clothes, making its way towards the entrance. I started to wonder about last night, if it was possible that this was the same breeze I felt on the top of the hill. Could it have come all the way from down below, deep within the cave? Was this cave bigger then I had originally thought? What was more disturbing than the breeze was the grass still beneath my feet. “I have to be at least two hundred yards in from the bottom of the entrance, and yet the grass continues to grow. This grass has never seen the sunlight, and most likely doesn’t see much water in this dry and rocky cave. What other mysteries surround this cave?”

Before I had realized my mistake, I was tumbling down a steep ravine, having been too busy searching the ceiling for signs of water seepage. Luckily the incline evened out quickly, receiving only minor bruising on my legs. My misstep had cost me though, having dropped my torch to stop my fall with my hands. I looked around quickly, hoping to find the spot of either the torch or my satchel. Darkness had surrounded me, so the torch must have gone out. “Great, I fall down in a cave in which I am unfamiliar with, and now I have lost not only all my tools, but my sense of direction as well. And now it’s pitch black around me, with who knows what’s out there. Dammit, all I need is the satchel to get another piece of wood so I can make another torch, with magic or whatever.” Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glint of something shiny. I cautiously shuffled my over to it, hoping to avoid another chasm. When I reached it, I touched it gently with my fingers, unsure if anything around me could be trusted. The object seemed metallic and cold to the touch. Once again the object formed a glint on one of its edges. I realized that the only possible way for a glint to appear was to have some sort of light shining upon it. I quickly turned around, trying to find the source of the light, but took me a few moments to figure out where it had come from. Far up above me, I could see my torch that I had dropped, and the top of the ravine. What struck me as odd was its position. “My torch is standing upright, as if someone had stuck it firmly into the ground. How strange. It’s not possible it did so after I dropped it, the stick doesn’t weigh enough to force itself into the ground.”

The still lit torch provided more light than I had originally thought, and showed the position of my satchel, lying open at the foot of the hill. Lying partially out of the satchel was the pickaxe, as if on purpose. I glanced back at the metallic object, and understood the reason the man gave me the pickaxe. “I’m not sure how this object is going to help in building a better home, but hopefully I can at least save some to take home. I’m sure it’s worth a fortune!” I created another torch, and made my way back over.

What seemed like hours went by as I hacked away at the metallic object embedded in the wall, slowly chipping away the chunks. I made sure to grab each and every bit, but the thought didn’t occur to me until I was almost finished - *I must have put a good three hundred pounds of this object into my satchel, and yet without realizing it, it all kept fitting, and did not add any weight!* I wanted to keep mining for this material, but it seemed to be all hacked away.

*SPLOT* As the time passed, I had forgotten that I was still inside the cave, and unsure if I was alone. *SPLOT* The noise echoed again around me, having a good feeling it had come from deeper within the cave. *SPLOT* It was louder, and seemed to be quickly approaching. I set down my torch, and was amazed to see it stand itself upright! “Not only is the gel magic, but the wood must be magi-“ *SPLOT!* I was too busy admiring the magical stick when something wet and rubbery slammed against my face, knocking me to the ground. This time I managed to hold onto my satchel, and drew out my sword. I looked down at my feet as I lied on my back, and could see a blue slime wiggling like Jell-O in the light of the flame. It jumped once more, and with closing my eyes, swung my sword and hoped to make contact before it landed on me.

I felt the sword slice through the gelatinous creature, and heard it hit a close wall to my right. I opened my eyes, and could see it still alive at the bottom of the wall. I got up, waiting for another attack. After a few seconds, I noticed it was not about to attack, so I made the move, rushing in. It hopped towards me just as I came near, and nearly missed my face. One lucky slash is all it took, its movements stagnant.

I started to pick up the gel, when I heard another splot, far down the hall. My gathering quickened, as I was in no shape to try to fight again. I also knew that there was bound to be many more.

The hill I had fallen down didn’t seem to be as steep as I originally thought, though there were a few spots I had to jump to, to continue upwards. I jogged down this next hall, seeing the sunlight hitting the bottom of the entrance in the distance. “Shoot, I forgot the torches! Oh well, I have a feeling that I’ll be returning tomorrow, so I guess I can just leave them there. I wonder how long the magical gel with burn for though?” It felt great to get the soft feeling of grass under my feet as I reached the bottom of the entrance. Along the way up, I could see the vines I had chopped down, crumpling under my feet. I looked up to see where I had chopped them off, and made a startling discovery – the vines had already started growing back! Some had even grown over a foot long, yet I had only been in the cave for a few hours!

“Ah, Tydides, good to see you again!” The man stood at the entrance to the cave, his arms crossed with a big grin on his face. “I hope you made good work with your time spent down in the cave, it has some valuable materials hidden deep within. Let me see what you have found.” The man extended his arm, his hand open to me. I pulled out a piece of the metallic object, and put it in his palm. “Mmm, copper ore. While not very valuable, it is good for a beginner like you.”

“Excuse me, beginner?” I took offense to the term, yet I had no idea why. “I don’t see what qualifies me as a beginner. And if this is copper, it is definitely of quality and value!”

“I apologize Tydides, it’s just that you haven’t shown me much in a way that I should be confident in your building abilities. I passed by your shack on the way here, and I should tell you that one of the walls fell over. A cute bunny has made itself a home inside, though. I’m sure he’ll be quite comfortable there. You, on the other hand, need something a little more fitting for a human.” He threw the copper ore back in my direction, me barely catching it. “As for that ore, you will soon find many other much more valuable items back behind you, buried within the darkness. I should also mention that in this land, life is more valuable than objects. I hope you remember that,” the man winking as he said this.

Part 2: The Rising of the Sun

I was startled awake by a large piece of wood falling into my lap. I had feared this would eventually happen, but thankful that it had waited until morning.

“Good morning Tydides! I see you made it through the night. I am happy for this!” The man was on his hands and knees, gazing through the hole in the ceiling. “I apologize for ruining your roof, however I could not find a door on this…shack. I would have thought you would have already figured out how to make a door…but no matter! Today is a new day, and we have much to discuss!” Though I was not as cheerful as this man appeared to be, I was glad to be able to finally get some answers.

We walked a few minutes without much talking, as he showed me the easy way down the hill I had built my shelter on. “I am happy to see you figured out how to use your tools! Some of the others…no mind now! Building the shelter on top of the hill was a wise move, you will be glad to have chosen that spot as your home at a later time!”
Too afraid to ask about these ‘others’, I kept the conversation moving forward. “What do you mean my home? You don’t really expect me to continue living there, do you?”

“Hahaha! Of course not! I would not expect anyone to continue living in such abysmal conditions! I expect you to continue building upwards and outwards! I’m sure you can find the right materials to create a comfortable home.”

“I’m sorry, but you must keep forgetting, I don’t even know where I am.”

The man’s face formed a quizzical look as he responded, “You mean you really don’t remember where you are?”

“Well, no. Should I know where I am? Nothing around here looks familiar. Please, can you just tell me what this place is?”

“Hmm.” The man scratched his head, unsure of how to word his next sentence. “Let me show you something. This might help you.” He led me over to a short post, with a wooden board stuck to the top. As strange as it was, I didn’t recall seeing it the day before. I must have missed it in the tall grass. “Read this, and tell me what you think.”

I leaned around the board, and read it out loud, “’Welcome to the land of Tallon IV’. I don’t understand. How is this supposed to help me? Tallon IV sounds strangely familiar, but I don’t know why. Who owns this land?” I looked back at the man, and was surprised to see a smile form on his face.

“Why, you do of course. You named it yourself. Really son, whatever hit you must have had some impact on your head. Now look, it’s early morning, and I’d advise you to rebuild your home. I have a feeling that this next night will need something a little sturdier. I seem to recall a cave just past the hill you live on. Why don’t you go check it out? It may provide you with better materials to build your house with.” As much as I wanted to continue with my questions, I knew he wasn’t about to let on so easily. I turned away, but not without some more advice. “Oh, and if I were you, I’d take the sword along too. Just in case.”

With this statement, I had revised my thoughts, to ask just one more question. “Before I go, I need to know – how can I get home?”

“And as much as I’d like to answer that question Tydides, you’re not at the point for that to become clear. But hear me out – I promise that one day, you will find a way home.”

This time as I walked away towards my hill, he did not disappear. He stood there, watching me slowly make my way up the hill. Even though I still did not learn his name, I trusted him. I didn’t know who he was, where I am, and why he insists that I was the owner of these lands. Part of him seemed crazy. Then again, the sounds and images from the night didn’t seem natural either.

I found the other side of my hill to be much easier to traverse, and had no problem finding the entrance to the cave. Many vines draped over the top of the entrance, which didn’t leave much light to enter. Darkness extended well beyond my view into the cave, though it did not seem very steep. Slowly a cool breeze wept out of the cave and brushed over my face. The sense from the breeze last night returned, having the same effect. The hair on my arms raised up, along with my sense of fear. “Damn, the old man wants me to explore the cave, but how am I supposed to do that without a light? And even if I do manage to find a light, what does he expect me to find?” Suddenly I heard a rustle from behind. I noticed something move in the deep grass, but blended in so I wasn’t sure what it was. Instinctively I pulled out my sword, yet I had no idea how to use it. With a quick jump, a green slime came flying at me! I closed my eyes as I swung my sword with all my strength, falling backwards into the entrance of the cave. I rushed to my feet, and found that with such a poor swing, I had barely hit my target. Yet, unsure of how, the green slime was dead, a liquid oozing out of its side. Curiously I leaned in to get a closer look at this remarkable creature. For some reason the fearfulness of the cave had left me, the feeling of winning such a small fight raising my confidence. Whereas the enemy had the form of a round slime about a foot across, its insides were more gelatinous. I took a leftover stick from my chopping last night, glad that I had picked them up as I came back over the hill. Slowly I reached down to poke the unfortunate creature. *FOOM!* As if by magic, the gel attached itself to the wooden stick, and lit itself aflame. “How is this possible?! Nowhere in science has anyone discovered a gel such as this! By attaching it to a piece of wood, one can make a torch!” Quickly I turned around, my eyes upon the cave. “I suppose this answers my question of where to get light from.”

My happiness soon came to an end when another rustling came from behind. I retrieved my sword, and assumed a better position than the previous battle. *This time I’m ready for a slime!* My anxiety rose as the seconds went by, slowly waiting for it to jump out. Out popped a small white bunny, and I had to slow my swing as to not harm the creature. “Well this is a surprise. I suppose this land isn’t all magic and evil after all.” The small bunny sniffed the dead slime, then turned to nibble on some grass. I smiled at the thought of a peaceful land, and returned my thoughts to the cave. I grabbed as much gel as I could stuff into my pockets while careful to avoid the sticks, and faced the entrance. “I sure hope to see you again soon, Mr. Bunny.” And with that I stepped into the darkness of the cave, the torch my sole guidance.

An Unexpected Arrival

The sky far above was a pale blue as I opened my eyes. Blinking a few times, I realized I was lying in a bed of grass, with the fresh aroma of flowers somewhere near my head. I felt comfortable, yet uneasy. Slowly I managed to sit up, and was just able to get a view of my surroundings over the tall grass. The landscape was broad, covered with trees and other greenery for quite a ways, until reaching a hill some ways away. Turning the other direction as I got to my feet, a small hill met my view, also covered with grass, with the tall trees towering at the top. It was a beautiful land to behold. As much as I wanted to continue my gaze, the uneasiness returned. *Where am I?*

“Glad to see you’ve awoken!” A man startled me from behind, a moment ago of which he was not there. “You’ve been out for some time now, but do not worry, I have been looking over you. Welcome to these lands! Now before we discuss more important matters, what is your name?”

As nervous as I was a minute ago, something about this man calmed me. “Ty..Tydides is my name. Sir, may I ask you wh-“

“Where we are isn’t your concern yet, son. All you need to realize right now is above you.” I gazed up again, confused as to what he meant. “The sun, kid, look at where it’s at. I’d say we’ve got about a fourth of the daylight left to us, before that old sun goes down. And when it goes down…well, it’s a good thing I found you while it was still shining.”

“You say you found me lying in the grass, but how did I get here? I can’t seem to remember a thing. And furthermore, who are you?”

The man sighed, and began talking again. “As I’ve just told you, these matters are not of your concern at the moment. Night is falling, and I must be going. It’s dangerous to go alone, so take this. I wish I could help you further, but at least you are now awake.”

I looked down and saw what he had dropped at my feet: a satchel, inside containing a wooden axe, pickaxe, and sword. I stared down at the wooden sword, unsure what to make of the situation. “Um, excuse me, but what exactly do I need a sword for…?” Unfortunately when my eyes returned to level, the man had disappeared. There was no way he could have run over the hills in the matter of seconds. What worried me even more than his disappearing act was the phrase he uttered. Somehow it felt familiar.

I grabbed the tools and headed to the top of the nearest hill, to get a bearings of my surroundings. A better view of the landscape could at least give me an idea of how I got here. After a good twenty minutes of navigating the narrow ledges, I reached the top and peered through the trees. Bewilderment filled me as my eyes met the view. *Nothing but grass, trees, and a few small hills for miles.* A slight breeze brushed over me, sending chills down my spine. I looked up and realized the sun would be setting soon. The breeze blew by again, and once again I felt as though something was amiss. Somehow I knew, something was coming. I remembered what the man had said, “And when it goes down…” Night brought about something unnatural, and I wasn’t about to wait and find out what.

Hurriedly I looked at my surroundings. “What am I supposed to do now?! Oh why did that man just leave me here? Think Tydides, think…the man must have had a reason to believe I could survive on my own.” I moved my foot and heard the clinking inside the satchel on the ground. “The tools…? Obviously an axe is used to cut down trees, most likely for the wood. A pickaxe would be for mining or climbing, though I don’t see why I would need to be doing either of such things. And a sword, well, I hope I don’t have much need for one anytime soon. Was the man implying that I should cut these trees down?” Just then the wind rustled through the leaves of the trees, with an eerie stillness soon following. Looking into the distance, darkness was covering the lands, the sun giving off a deep red sunset. “All I want right now is to be inside somewhere safe, though I guess a basic wood shelter will have to do for the night.”

What seemed like only minutes went by as I had chopped down a few small trees nearby, and cut them into jagged planks. I realized that they wouldn’t stand well in the grass by themselves, so I cleared out the grass and dirt with the pickaxe. “Well that tool seemed to do a pretty good job. Maybe the man had a reason for giving it to me after all?” My gaze fell upon the wooden sword, unsure of what this meant. Rushing to finish, I completed my wooden shelter, if one could even call it that. Many cracks appeared in what was meant to be my ceiling, with stars shining through. I didn’t have time to craft anything remotely close to a door, so a larger wooden plank had to make do, with some stone holding it in place. I sat down with my back against the dirt that I had used as my far wall, hoping to get some rest.

Night passed by slowly, as I woke from my sleep often. Though the grass and leaves were a comfortable enough bed, it was the noises which stirred me awake. All night I could hear shuffling across my ceiling, as shadows passed over. Every so often a knocking and scraping came at my door, though I was in no way about to open to see what was just beyond. A wooden sword didn’t seem sufficient to lower my fear. Near the morning I could have sworn I heard moaning, though that could have just been my imagination. Eventually I fell asleep, the sounds slowly drifting away.