PPR's Clone Chronicles #1 By GeorgieBoysAXE

So with the Anniversary episode being released very soon, I have been mentioning a lot of the Clone Games. What these Clone games you ask? definitely not the result of some Mad Scientists sick twisted designs of a resulted masochistic genetic experimentation, that much I can definitely assure you. No what I'm referencing exactly is a different developer developing a completely new IP or an existing license or franchise utilizing a Gameplay aesthetic or mechanics that are already founded on previous existing games in a pedestal that balances the side of homage or shameless cash-in on a an established formula with little or no innovation invested within said game. Granted I may have come off a bit curt there but it's a line that is dangerously danced on when developers cater on gamers with a gameplay formula that has been established & there are genres that maybe considered derivative between their own respective releases, there are still quirks or mechanics, animation, or distinguishing elements that give you this sense of Deja vu & I just wanted to go over my experiences with the batch of games that I have played through a series of what I will call...the Clone Chronicles, this isn't a permanent blog series that I am introducing into Press Pause Radio but some thing I'm going to touch on from blog to blog. So where am I taking this to on this series? why the new Atlus release 3D Dot Game Heroes exclusive on the Playstation 3 of course. The game is developed with references of video game nostalgia kept in mind as well as several if not a nearly completely aped environment along with elements & items (especially items) directly inspired (more or less taken) from the Legend of Zelda Franchise mostly from the original Legend of Zelda with cues from "A Link To The Past" here & There also tossed into the mix. 
 
So where I mentioned that 3D Dot Game Heroes takes more cues from Legend of Zelda as opposed to the LTTP is the environment & progression of the game. 3DDGH has that nostalgic sense of being one completely off beaten path in terms of a nearly completely open explorative open world other than paths in which you determine within a sick sense of muscle memory that further exploration or progression can not be done with out a specific item or tool that must be acquired beforehand. also like the original Legend of Zelda, all of the NPCs within the game either have Side-quests which there are an abundance of extremely vague hints (or sometimes blatantly obvious ones done a comical fashion) there's that sense of nostalgia where beyond your experience of the Legend of Zelda franchise that has stayed with you, the advancement of the game in terms of the next objective or the next area that you travel forth to is pushed nearly to the point of bewildered confoundment as you find yourself with out some sort of clear or at times even reasonable clue to progress the game further which is almost akin to experiencing the original Legend of Zelda for the very first time which is feeds into this addictive urge to play through the game but only pushes me towards frustration after sever failed attempts of solution from trial & error decisions that I had to make, which I can't completely blame on the game as I am a pretty fucking stupid individual but there were some crushing blows to my ego that only came crashing when I did discover the solution towards the next progression of the game & it was beyond obvious. 
 
Another glaring similarity towards the original Legend of Zelda is that the dungeon/temple stages in which you locate the key story items, weapon/items, & tools as is another stable from the LOZ franchise is nearly identical to the original for 3DDGH. The glaring similarity that there is absolutely no distinguishing features or visuals that segregate or differentiate one dungeon from any others, it's actually accurate to say that other than some weapon item obstacles, puzzles, or enemies that all of the dungeons are color palliate swapped which is something again I can appreciate it but solely on Nostalgia & deep down I would have preferred more of a distinctive take on the dungeon ambience & visuals than what I got. now where the comparison to LTTP is contrived from the items & weapon items such as the Hook-shot & Pegasus Dash Boots are scattered through out the game which again only adds to the comforting familiarity within 3DDGH which I really have no complaints with but again on the basis & inspiration for this particular little blog series, it only pushes the game far past the flattery of calling it an "Homage".Now what makes 3DDGH different is that fact that it's just a very tongue in cheek game in terms of all of the flavor text & derivative Japanese RPG story line. it's dialogue & references will definitely make any NES nerds laugh & the modern chiptunes are very memorable & make you feel a few years younger. The Dialogue again I have to point out is beyond fucking hilarious whether you visit the King & experiment with the different Dialogue trees along with other characters or explore all of the inside jokes from the guys at From Software within the game makes it all the more pleasant. 
 
So overall, get it, at 39.99 this is definitely a recommend for all PS3 owners & especially any fan of the Legend of Zelda & I'm just going to go out of the way & stress yet again that this is a quality clone. I have honestly only scratched the surface of the game in this humble look at it because of the subject matter of course but just because a game is a clone game doesn't make it a bad one. So with that the next three games I'm going to split amongst open choice to listeners who keep up with blog, the next entry within this series can either be one of the following three? TT: Buster's Hidden Treasure for the Genesis, The Krion Conquest for the NES, or  Neutopia for the Turbo-Grafx 16. Post your votes in the forum thread or comment here & I'll make the decision from there until then,  
 thanks for reading & be sure to watch out for the Anniversary episode coming out tonight or tomorrow along with the announcements for the Voicemail! thanks again~GeorgieBoysAXE