A New Review System Approaches!
crafted by: PaulIf there is one area in the realm of writing about video games that is always under debate is the manner in which games are reviewed. It used to be that a magazine could just slap a score (or 3 or 4, thanks EGM) on a game and call it quits, but in the internet age the notion of a number-less review has gained much more credibility.
Probably better than Alex can draw.
We've been doing reviews in the titular theme of our site, staging "boss battles" between games and writers. While that approach was fun, it was often hard to sum up a game's review in one fantastical sentence, so we've decided to shake it up a little.
In an age of GameStops and Amazons and Cheap Ass Gamers, a game's price is easily determined and highly fluctuating, meaning that a game's price (new or used!) is just as important to a purchase as a good review. Taking this idea, we will be rating new games on the scale of it's MSRP. For example, if Halo Reach is a great game, truly worthy of your spending $60 on, we'll give it a $60/$60. If it blows, on the other hand, we'll rate it appropriate to what price we'd pay to pick it up (so, say, $25/$60). If it's not worth buying or playing ever, it gets a Final Fantasy X/$60. Just kidding! A TURKEY/$60. Keep in mind that we are telling you what we think the game is worth, so this may mean in rare cases that we think a game is actually worth more than the MSRP. In situations like that, likely a downloadable or budget game, you may see a score of $15/$10. Don't forget, these are OUR opinions, but at the same time, we have YOUR money in mind.
We're using this scale to bring some quantitative measurement to our reviews, but also because we think it is a useful scale for real gamers, like us, who don't have a ton of money to spend on games. We're also brewing some more review tools for use down the line that take our system a few steps farther.
So look for our inaugural review using this system soon. It's Final Fantasy XIII!
Image: MaccaMacca91 - DeviantArt
Final Fantasy XIII Initial Impressions
crafted by: Alex
My favorite character so far, Sazh in a close second
I have probably played Final Fantasy XIII for about 16-20 hours now. I'm too lazy to check, and if I turned on my PS3 I probably wouldn't write this post because I'm really enjoying Final Fantasy XIII. Both FFX and FFXII both had great battle systems, but I found the story and characters in FFX to be dumb, for lack of a better term, and the story in FFXII was so bland that I simply didn't care for it.
My Final Fantasy track record is as follows:
- FFIII: 1/4 complete on DS.
- FFV: 3/4 complete multiple times on emulators.
- FFVI: 1/2 complete on emulators
- FFVII: Beaten multiple times
- FFVIII: Reached end game, never beat final boss.
- FFIX: Reached end game, never beat final boss.
- FFX: Beaten
- FFXII: Reached end game, never beat final boss.
I list this so people know my history and can get a better understand of my opinions. The battle system in FFXIII is the most engaging of any Final Fantasy. Period. You constantly have to be on your toes and be smart about your actions. Going into a battle without a clever paradigm setup can end in a lose. Which is another important improvement to FFXIII, the retry option, which puts plays just before the battle they lost, no more wasting an hour of your life because of lack of save points (of which there are many.) These little tweaks that bring JRPGs into the modern era are excellent, and I hope that other Japanese developers follow Square-Enix in this way.
As for the story and characters, the world is very interesting. You are thrust into it without much explanation. And though it might not be apparently obvious to the citizens of Cocoon that Pulse isn't pure evil, it's an obvious twist you see before the get go, and I haven't been told this yet either, I'm just guessing, maybe I'm wrong. But aside from that, the story is comprehendable, has plenty of fantasy elements, and really keeps you wondering whats going to happen next. The characters, though not entirely devoid of annoying kids, are probably the best cast of characters since FF went 3D. Personally I am finding that I am growing to like characters I initially hated. And unfortunately, although Lightning I think is well designed, is getting on my nerves.
One thing I think FFXIII has that many others have lacked, is the ability to customize characters. Although characters have proficiencies, you really get to choose how they will specialize. Unfortunately this may mean reading some guides online about character growth and weapon upgrades, but in the end, you get very distinct characters without them being forced into distinctly different classes.
Design 101: Final Fanasy XIII Weapon Upgrades
crafted by: AlexIn Design 101 we will discuss good or bad aspects of various games we are currently playing.
For the first time I will be using this section to describe what I believe to be poor design. I remind you that I am really enjoying Final Fantasy XIII right now, though I'm only about 12 hours in. So although I'm highlighting poor design, it does not mean the game is bad.
Final Fantasy XIII slowly and deliberately introduces players to the various systems in the game which at times can be very complex. However when the weapon upgrade system is introduced, the tutorial is vague, stating things like "some items will increase experience gain on a weapon, others will lower it." It explains that some weapons may reach a max level and be transformed with some item. I think this was a deliberate decision of Square-Enix to leave the weapon upgrade system not well defined in order to force players to explore and experiment. Personally I was very confused.
A game should clearly define how a system works to the player, especially in games where a mistake, such as using the wrong item at the wrong time could cause a result that leads the player to either reset, or play for a couple hours to earn enough resources to replace the item used. It turns out the weapon upgrade system really is not that complex, but intentionally vague. Then again I guess making weapons that fold up isn't very simple.
I was surprised by this because the battle system, which is very complex, is well explained. Others may enjoy the weapon upgrade system, but I don't have a lot of free time to play games and experiments with weapon upgrades, so I turned to the internet. Some may find these weapon charts very beneficial. Now, back to more FFXIII!
Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 Screens Revealed
crafted by: PaulJust hours ago Square released the first official screens of the American Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII. Unless you've been living in an otaku-proof cave for the past year, you know that Square's next-gen juggernaut was originally PS3-exclusive until E3 of last year. Fan boys have been slinging mud ever since, and the much-maligned differences between the PS3 and 360 versions of Bayonetta only stoked the flame-mud-war.
Of course, I was never going to buy a post-Final Fantasy VI game for a system that wasn't Playstation. But I did believe that the PS3 version, being the native form of the game and all, would be superior in terms of graphics and sound. Only the sheer brute strength of the PS3 could render Shiva's breasts the way they were meant to be rendered. When I heard that the 360 version would sport 4 discs (to the PS3's 1) and compressed sound and video, I considered the any argument over which version would be better to be null and void. Here's the PS3 version lookin' smooooooth and handsome:
BOING
But certain other bloggers on this site (cough ALEX cough) were still worried about pre-ordering the inferior version of the game. "The Blu Ray read time is slower!" they said. Well now there is proof that the 360 version sucks:
What is this, Final Fantasy XII?
This doesn't look like it's going to be nearly as bad as Final Fantasy X at all! (...)
Lightning Lewis – Occupation: Monster Slayer / R&B Singer
crafted by: Alex
Brought to you by the NBA
Final Fantasy XIII is the most interesting Final Fantasy since FFIX. But I have no idea what Square-Enix was thinking when they chose Leona Lewis' song "My Hands" as the Theme Song for FFXIII. I can only imagine the brainstorming session. "How do we make a slow paced RPG seem even less exciting, and distance our core and target audience at the same time while trying to appeal to people that will never play our game? Leona Lewis!" Now I know everyone has their own taste in music but if you watch the FFXIII International trailer you will will see that the song is distracting and just doesn't fit well with motorcycle Bahumut pinball or whatever is going on.
What really concerns me though is the blatant advertisement. In the international trailer text pops up identifying the song as if it were a music video on MTV Hits There is a recently released clip of Leona Lewis "playing" Final Fantasy XIII which shows her with faces of confusion and wonderment as her brain attempt to make sense of the game. Than she gives some bullshit monologue about how she is surprised how her song fits perfectly with the game. Guess what Ms. Lewis... it actually doesn't.
Even crazier is that Final Fantasy XIII is the sponsor of the NBA All Star Celebrity Game. What demographic are the going for, middle age women and Basket Ball fans? If you go to the official Final Fantasy XIII site you will even see links for Leona Lewis and the NBA, it makes the website feel like a cheap sellout. This makes me fear that they might attempt to actual start putting some of this non-sense more directly into the game. Please stop this non-sense Square-Enix, please...
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