There was a great war 1000 years ago, pitting factions of magic users against one another. Through ruin and bloodshed, civilization was nearly destroyed, and the use and practitioners of this "magic" faded from the annals of history. Now, a millennium later, machines and the fires of industry (http://tinyurl.com/3e2v9wz) shape society's progress. Magic is a forgotten, archaic term, but there are still those who wish to resurrect the practice. Unfortunately, these are unscrupulous, powerful men who wish to exploit the magic for their own desires.
That's the backstory.
Our story begins with three mech-riding badasses - Vicks (god this better make sense), Wedge, and an unnamed, silent, and restrained (she seems like an unwilling prisoner) green haired woman - in search of something rare. There is short dialogue before a scene with the trio traversing through the harsh, snowy landscape. This first shot is a brilliant one, as their trek is scored by one of my favorite themes from a game I've never played:
Tremendous tune. Terra's theme has always struck me as befitting a soldier marching towards a battle sure to bring his death. We'll see if actually playing the game gives it different meaning.
The opening credits also roll here, proving that even in 1994, Square possessed a keen mastery of presentation and Get Hype. I felt a strange mix of shame and pride at recognizing so many of these Japanese names (Sakaguchi, Uematsu, Amano, Nomura), but in the end, PRIDE won out because hey, this is my hobby, and I'm not gonna feel ashamed about recognizing and acknowledging those who helped shape it. Not too ashamed, anyway.
Gameplay begins in a cold, outdoor industrial area with us still searching for... whatever it is we're searching for. The search is not long unimpeded, however, as the first enemy engages us mere steps into the journey. He's a guard who sics his damn dog on us, but not before delivering this:
GUARD: Machine-riding, self-important swine! Take this!*
*I'm sorry, but I've gotta rant off-topic here. That, THAT right up there is why older games with no voice acting have such a warm place in my heart. It's one of the first damn lines of the game, and a wore a huge stupid grin as soon as I read it. Can you imagine it with voice acting? Unless they were going for the Resident Evil cheese approach, it would have certainly been ruined. I loved FFVII and CT so much more precisely because of their technical limitations. Instead of a huge budget and a bevy of actors, they relied on the wit and charm of their writing staff, and in gaming, wit and charm wins over fat wallets any day. Sure, many games these days need voices and flashier presentation (I can't imagine the Mass Effect series without it), but I wouldn't call it a prerequisite, and honestly, I don't want to see it in Zelda anytime soon.
Anyway, we destroy the guy's dogs and all other annoying impediments with our overpowered as HELL mechs. We've got missiles, bio attacks, beams of every color, and healing rays. They have... the equivalent of a rock and two sticks, basically. I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to enjoy my fun and awesome powers before the game's greedy hand rips them away. Novelty! The crew, led by my main man Vicks Vapor Rub, quickly make their way to a cave entrance, where it is revealed that we are searching for an Esper, though no more information is given. We enter and save, and I shut the game off for the night.
And that's the start! Woo! I didn't expect to write so much for what could not have been more than 15 minutes of actual play, but I'm pretty excited for this game. I'll try to get a real session in today, but it might be tough.
--
Yoblazer: http://oi52.tinypic.com/ad21i1.jpg
Watch and you'll see... someday I'll be... part of your world!