Here is my 8-part non-review of Trace Memory, which just came out in the US last week. I jumped on it like a dog and didn’t let go. I love it as much as I thought I would.

Prologue:
I have been waiting for this game (also known as Another Code: Two Memories) since I bought a DS. I can’t remember if I saw the video shortly before or shortly after I bought it in January of this year. I do remember that, once I saw it, I realized the extra dimension that little touchscreen gimmick could add to a game. I knew nothing about the story, but all the screenshots suggested that it would be mature, serious, and free of unnecessary fluff. I waited for word on its release, and found none for months and months. I actually started learning Japanese, just in case it never made it here. Word around the time of E3 was good though, there were rumors of a June release. I proceeded to sit on my hands until then. June came, and it was released in Europe. I was overjoyed, and started looking up Europe to US importers. Unfortunately, Europe is the bastard son of the games world, and there were historically very few times when it was necessary to import from Europe. So, no Euro-to-US importers. I checked eBay, I solicited trades on the 4CR boards, but nothing was really working out. I found some other DS games to fill my time, but all the while, I was looking toward Another Code.
(more…)