So at about ten o' clock in the morning today, my doorbell rings and I get a package. It was left at my door, of course, and as I open the door to claim it I see the mailman skipping off to his truck because God forbid we should make eye contact or something. To be honest, I don't care to talk to him really, but I always find it funny how any sort of delivery personnel is so hesitant to actually talk with the person to whom the package is addressed. It is better that way, I guess. Some people will just talk your ear off, and they're on a tight schedule, I'm sure. But I got the rest of my mail for the day, which was nice I suppose.

I got a letter from this nice university on the North side of Chicago asking me to attend their school. An invite! How did they find out about me? I guess the schools talk...speaking of school, I got a letter from my current school. They want me to buy a robe and hat and stuff for a graduation ceremony...ugh. I'll buy the cap tassels to hang next to my diploma, but I'm not gonna go to the ceremony. Hell, I didn't even want to go to my high school one. I get a special gold tassel for good grades. I feel so empowered that I could compete in the Special Olympics.

But that's all boring stuff! I open the box...


Tissue? What lies beneath?


o hai! I'm so bored I'm documenting the opening of this box!

Cut to the chase!


And just like that, I went from a guy who has nothing but disc images on his computer to play these games to owning four of 'em! Yeah! (I love this smiley!)

The first Grandia is for the original PlayStation, and the other three are for the PS2. I never had a PS1 during the era. When my cousin got a PS2, he passed his PS1 down to me. The only game I knew I liked going into it was Legend of Mana, as he and I used to play that game together sometimes. So I did wind up buying that game, but that was all. The system didn't really work all that well, so I had little interest in much else. All of the series I liked were on the Nintendo systems anyway, so that's why I didn't get a PS1 when they first came out. Likewise, I got the Gamecube as opposed to the PS2.

Grandia

At the bottom of the box was the original Grandia. Of all the games, this is the one I wanted to own most. Upon finishing it for the first time on my computer, I thought to myself "I gotta own a copy of this!". I don't have a PS1, but I wanted it anyway! And now I have it! Too awesome to fit on one disc, this game is quite an accomplishment for 1997! A great story, tons of dialogue, characters real enough to expect to meet on the street, and some of the best music I have heard in any video game. I burned a lot of the music to a CD I keep in the car. The ISO images helped me play this game, but I like to own games. It just isn't the same, you know? So now I own it. The manual was a genuine pleasure to read. No, I'm not exaggerating. Games used to come with such cool instruction booklets. They're usually pretty lame now. Page 10 shows a capture of one of the anime scenes in the game. It looks so clear on paper! Cool! This was also fun because it reminded me that instruction booklets of the 90's didn't care about spoilers at all. The booklet mentions characters exclusive to disc two such as Milda and Rapp. I guess they aren't really spoilers, but they don't show up for awhile.

Spoiler:
	What I did find clever is how the booklet lists Liete's bio with the NPCs to cover up the fact that she is in fact the final party member. I did not see that coming at all when I played, and I love how a character like her takes matters into her own hand, fights beside the mortals and changes her destiny. Also, he skills are not listed in the back of the book.

Page 57 made me smile, and made me a little sad. One of my favorite scenes in the game.

Disc one has Fenna, Liete and Feena (the good guys) printed on it, with an awesome picture of Feena, Jutin, and Sue on top of The End of the World (big stone wall) looking out to the horizon. This was the picture used in the video that plays the Grandia Theme, what finally pushed me to play this game. Awesome! Disc two shows General Baal, his son, Colonel Mullen, and his aide-de-camp, Leen. They also use my favorite picture of Leen here which makes me happy. Leen is actually a very interesting character, and her relationship with Mullen is a complex and deep one. At some point, I'd like to write an essay of sorts for each character, giving them an overall analysis without having to explain the plot. Basically, I'd re-blog (kinda, different format) but skip the plot summary, just talking about the finer points of character development. I'm an English major and have analyzed a lot of classic literature, and I can say with utmost certainty that Grandia has just as much to analyze as many of those old pieces. It's game, yeah, but don't write it off. Maybe that's why this game appeals to me so much. Behind disc two is another anime scene. Overall, it is awesome to hold it in my hands. 1997...I bet I would have loved this game at seven years old.

Grandia II
Having just finished the PC version of this (which I'll likely use again next time I play through it), this is fresh in my mind. This game was originally for the Dreamcast, but got ported to the PS2 and PC. More RPGs should be on more platforms...especially the Wii! I'm RPG deprived. Please translate Tales of Graces! Cool cover! I'd love a poster of this. A serious Ryudo in a plae blue light holds the divine sword, the Granasaber, before his face. Upon the red sword we see images of the other characters in the game. On the back of the case it says "Featuring All New, Never Before Seen Cinematics!" Hmm? As in stuff not in the Dreamcast or PC versions? If so, then maybe I'l need to play through this. Like the first Grandia, the disc is in mint condition, well worth the money. I've never owned a PS2 game before. The cases have a little spot to store your memory card like the Gamecube ones do. The instruction booklet gives some cool info for the characters such as the Pope's full name and the characters' ages. Also, what the hell is Carro for? This game also included a registration card, a proof of purchase, and a catalog.

Grandia Xtreme
Okay, now I haven't played this yet. All I know is that it is supposed to have awesome gameplay but a rather uninspired story. The manual is black and white (See? Modern manuals aren't as good!). The case is colorful though and it uses the same Grandia logo. Cool. I have some stuff I've been saving for this blog. I dunno how many more blogs I'll do, but the rest of the Grandia games will get them (I'm gonna compile them all when I'm done) and Xenogears is definitely getting on. Obviously I'm doing TWEWY.

Grandia III
If there is one Grandia game I actually needed to own, it is this one. Why? Because I can't find a torrent of it. >_> It is a whopping 2 DVD game and I ripped both discs to my computer. The cover is shiny. Very nice.

It is a boring day otherwise, but I'm glad I got this!

*is jealous*

RIP my copy of Grandia :'(