The life of a traveling musician is a very rewarding one indeed. Especially if you are a fan of epic, time consuming, old school japanese dungeon crawlers such as Etrian Odyssey. The long drives between shows create an ample opportunity to tune out your most annoying bandmates and get down to the really important matters at hand: level-grinding, sloth-bashing, rare item collection, and sending a newly created party consisting of characters named after previously mentioned band-mates into the Yggdrasil Labyrinth to meet their ultimate demise over and over again. These activities are what occupied my time on my last trip from Lawrence, KS to Denver, CO. This drive is notoriously long and boring, filled with all but no landscape and countless nothings. What a perfect time to strap on my headphones, fire up my ds and immerse myself in the volatile throws of Etrian Odyssey and it's Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

So I registered some new party members named after the most smelly/childish bandmates and threw them into the second stratum with no equipment or skills... to see how they would fare against some Waspiors and Rippers, of course. the damage smote upon my comrades was exhilarating. As the Ripper tore into them one by one, I realized how much planning and countless hours of grinding pay off in the end. So I took the opportunity to plan out some skill trees for the re-spec I would be diving into once my party reached level thirty. Not only was I relieving some pent up frustrations by suiciding my aptly named party members, I was also learning how to play the game better... two birds with one stone! consolidate your game-play experience people!

The drive was over in one brilliant and immersive flash. By the time we reached the venue I had created a new party full with new skills that were much better suited to take on whatever challenges I would face toward the end of the game... During the show that night I couldn't help but smile every time I made eye contact with my band-mates who got crushed over and over again facing the FOE's of the sixth level. I am counting down the days to the release of Etrian Oddysey II now, but the original will always hold a special place in my little gaming heart. It's ability to turn an eight hour drive into a totally unforgettable experience is what made me fall in love with games in the first place. Thanks Atlus, for making sure classic gaming elements are still utilized in fun, imaginative ways, AND for making such a crummy drive with my best buddies so awesome!