Come-back and introducing the PICASO system

Hello everybody,

so I've said in my last post, I've been drowning quite a bit in "real life" work and personal mess. I've been out of town for a while for my job, which means no Wii for the time being. I'll get back to Resident Evil 2 eventually, but in the meantime, I'll try to get working on a few posts I have to tackle for a while.

The first one, and probably the most important one, is the COWARD system modification. Considering Trick's advices, I'll try something which is a bit more obvious concerning the categories. I'll drop the Originality grade too, which doesn't hold a lot of interest considering I'm playing game series, and I'll introduce another grade based on Side Missions and Optional Stuff, which is quite important for me. I always like a game rewarding exploration and personal path instead of a long corridor (FFXIII, I'm still looking at you).

So here goes my new notation scale, the PICASO System :

P goes for Pleasure/Enjoyment, replacing the Delicacy grade.
I goes for Intelligence, replacing the Cleverness grade.
C goes for Controls/Inventory, replacing the Reactivity grade.
A goes for Appeal, stays as it is.
S goes for Storytelling, replacing the Writing grade.
O goes for Optional Stuff, a new category replacing the Originality grade.

Considering this new scale, I've used it on the three first games I've explored so far in this blog :

-Resident Evil gets a 4 in Optional Stuff. The possibility to explore the game as two different characters is interesting and adds to the replay value. However, there is not a lot of optional things to reward exploration and the "new costumes" you unlock for your characters when finishing the game is, IMHO, not a huge incentive to play through it again.
Resident Evil PICASO Rating : 40 (instead of 42)

Yep, red is better, but it still doesn't make you an interesting character...

-The Legend of Zelda grabs a 8 in Optional Stuff. This is a game that definitely rewards exploration, with a lot of secret places to find (especially when you consider how old the game is), and Nintendo really went the extra mile with the "second quest" idea. Granted, the new layout of dungeons is simpler and difficulty mainly comes from extra enemies everywhere, but it's a great way to extend game length. They could have gotten away with the same dungeon layouts, and just make enemies harder to kill, but they didn't, so it's definitely a thing I have to reward.
The Legend of Zelda PICASO Rating : 57 (same score)

Wow... really?

-It still hurts to think about my Blood Omen experience, but I'll do it for you, guys. This game has a lot Optional Stuff to search for, especially if you want to max out your character's stats. There is always a new item to find, or even new and interesting powers to get that are not mandatory to finish the game. I'll go for a 7, because backtracking is rewarding and it's great to search every nook and cranny giving the whole experience a "Metroidania" feeling when you constantly unlock new areas to explore with your new powers.

Legacy of Kain Blood Omen PICASO Rating : 47 (same score)

Not a great use when you can't finish the game, though...

Well it didn't change a lot, but I hope you find the new system clearer than the first one. Please let me know in the comments!