Dead Head Fred

At “Dead Head Fred,” we’re always interested in games with unique playing styles, stories, and characters. While a screenshot of the original “Half-Minute Hero” (“Hero 30″ in Japan) wouldn’t let you know you’re looking at anything other than a traditional Japanese RPG, the gameplay was actually something very special. If you missed it the first time around, you’ll get another chance with the release of a sequel this November.The original “Half-Minute Hero” had several distinct modes, all built around the 30-second theme. In “Hero 30 Mode”, the gameplay will be familiar to anyone who’s ever played “Final Fantasy” or “Dragon Quest,” except that battles take place automatically. That’s because you have only 30 seconds to get powerful enough to defeat the level’s boss, and time only pauses when you enter a town. In “Evil Lord 30 Mode”, you step into the shoes of a creature-summoning Evil Lord who can only be outside for 30 seconds. During this time, you use traditional real-time strategy game tactics to finish a certain mission. In Princess 30 Mode, you control a crossbow-wielding princess with a 30-second curfew. Gameplay in this mode is similar to side-scrolling shoot-em-ups. Finally, there’s Knight 30 mode, where the player controls a typical action-hero Knight tasked with protecting a Sage while he warms up a powerful spell of destruction. Of course, the spell takes 30 seconds to charge.It sounds like the sequel will focus only on the RPG bits and drop all the extra modes. Since the RPG elements won the most acclaim in the first game, though, there shouldn’t be too much complaints. Replay value will also be improved with the ability to download new quests, or create your own. That’s in addition to the 90 quests that comprise the core game, spread out over five sections: Overture, Judgment, Revolution, Ragnarok, and Destiny. Despite its title, this sequel should offer fans a lot of value when it releases in Japan on November 4, and hopefully worldwide soon after.