『 Einhänder & Universe at War 』

Welcome dear reader, to another blog entry starting with a photo of a package with all the interesting information censored by yours truly. Sadly, I have to censor my postal address to protect myself against stalkers and those who wish me ill just because I have a cool blog. Not to mention all of you crazy female readers who wish only to send me your pictures, but unfortunately you don't know where to send them.


So what special and interesting items might this package contain? Brace yourselves, for it's Einhänder for the PlayStation, which I've won in a competition held by my friends over at Cryptic Allusion. In addition I also recieved some Razer promotional merchandise and a Love Hina mini mouse pad. How cool is that, huh?


Now, a bit about the game. Einhänder [or アインハンダー as it is called in Japan] is a 2.5D shooter. Just like in G Darius or Thunder Force V, the graphics are polygonal, but the gameplay sticks to 2D mechanics with some occasionaly changing camera angles. The game was developed by Squaresoft, which in itself is a bit unusual when you think about what titles were developed by the company so far. Now having much experience in the field, the RPG factory did surprisingly well and made Einhänder into a pretty decent shoot 'em up.


So, what does Einhänder have in store for a shoot 'em up fan? The game is pretty straightforward, sticking to traditional style of gameplay reminescent of the previously mentioned G Darius, with maybe less dynamic pacing. While it will not satisfy those who are looking for bullet hell, it should turn out to be entertaining enough for those who love R-Type and its style.


What makes Einhänder stand out are not the graphics, nor the gameplay, but the weapons. Every weapon upgrade you pick up has a limited supply of ammo, forcing you to hunt for bullets and upgrades all the time rather than leveling up your ship and blasting away. While this might not seem like a good move on Square's part, it actually adds to the gameplay and makes you try harder.


With the gameplay out of the way, let's focus on the looks. Graphically, the game is pretty generic when you think of the games from mid-nineties. The design is solid and you can see that it came from someone with a serious passion for mecha. That said, one thing that could be done better are the backgrounds. The stages don't catch your eye like R-Type Delta ones can, but they're not bad either. Unlike many other shooters that tend to change the theme in between stages, Einhänder sticks to the dark and futusristic design.


Nowdays this game became somewhat of a collectors item if only because of its uniqueness as a one shot on Squaresoft's part. It seems like Einhänder was never intended to become a franchise and after ten years and change, it is the only shooter Squaresoft has ever made.


Now what's that on the photo? Another package with the address all pixly and unreadable? That's right! And believe it or not, it's a package containing another prize I won in a Cryptic Allusion contest. I won it a while back, but I never got around writing anything about it, so why not do it now, since I'm already at describing my prizes.


Universe at War: Earth Assault is a real time strategy for the PC and Xbox 360 in which you take on a role of one of several alien parties that have a go at each other at Earth's expense. That's right. Various alien races have decided to harvest our planet but they can't really decide between themselves who gets to anihilate us all and suck the planet dry.


Since I haven't really got around to actually playing the game, that's about as much information I can give you at this point. It's been ages since I tried any RTS, last one probably being KKND. That doesn't mean I don't like real time strategies, rather than I like them less than a billion other games I haven't yet finished.


What's interesting is that this game came with a code for Windows Live online service that allowed you to play for free under a period of time. Microsoft has however abandoned any plans of ripping PC gamers off, due to extremely low interest among gamers, who for some reason weren't too happy about paying for what should be free of charge or paid by the money you spent on your game. Take that Microsoft.


So, that's that. If you're planning on holding a contest, make sure you pick the ticket with "Morden" on it, just like the one above. And if you're a game box manufacturer, make sure your box can hold at least 10 discs, just like the Universe at War box can. That's it for today! Cheerio!