Quick Update

So, it's been a while since I did an update detailing my future plans. Here goes.

1- Final Fantasy! So I finished Final Fantasy XIII-2. I know my review may have seemed unduly harsh, which wasn't my intention, but I will stand by my thoughts on the game. In truth, XIII-2 just seems like a 'filler' game to me. It's something they made in reaction to XIII's criticism, rather than a game they wanted to make, and I think that really hurt the game. Still, the game is very fun, and if you're looking for a good JRPG on a modern console, you can't go wrong with this one.

2- Xenoblade! I probably won't be getting to Xenoblade Chronicles as I had originally planned. It's a shame, because that game looks awesome and you should totally support it, but I don't have access to a Wii on a regular enough basis to invest in an eighty-hour epic RPG. Xenoblade Chronicles looks to be an excellent game, and I will hopefully play it some time in the future.

3- Ni no Kuni delayed! Level 5 and Studio Ghibli's gorgeous looking PS3 RPG has been delayed, from Q1 2012 to Winter 2012. While I'm dissapointed that I don't get to play this wonderful game soon, it seems that they are using the extra time to give the game a superb localization, on par with Ghibli's other work. Definetly looking forward to this one.

4- Game shopping! So, this weekend I get to go to my local game shops (CD exchange, Gaming Warehouse, and of course, Gamestop) and see what I can find. I'll edit this post with what I get when I have the chance, but I'm looking to play the original .hack games if I can.

5- Radiant Historia! I find that I only really have time to play one game during the school year now, and since I was intent on beating XIII-2, Atlus' excellent old-school RPG kind of got put on the back burner. No longer, and Radiant Historia will be the subject of my next review. Spoiler alert: It's fantastic, and if you own a DS, go buy it, now. They're reprinting it soon, so it'll be affordable.

6- Writing! So, the 'one piece a week or so' strategy for this blog is definetly a lot easier on me, and I think it's actually helped the blog produce more quality pieces. At the very least, it's better than clogging up the blog with new posts every day. So, I've got a couple other articles in mind, including a belated 'awards show' for every game I played in 2011, as well as an explanation of my own reviewing style.

I think that about covers it. :) Until next time, dear reader!

Edit: Got three new games while shopping today! No, couldn't find .hack, I'm going to have to go a-hunting some other time. In the meantime...

Rogue Galaxy (PS2)
Resonance of Fate (PS3)
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP)

My Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)

My Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)

I’ve mentioned this many times before, but it bears explaining again. Final Fantasy XIII was a game that received a very mixed reception among series fans, and for good reason; it removed many traditional Final Fantasy elements in favor of a more streamlined approach. I personally enjoyed the game very much. The visuals and music were top-notch, the battle system was excellent, and for the most part I thought the story and characters were quite nice. It’s far from the best Final Fantasy game I’ve played, but it was a good game in its own right. Square Enix heard the outcry among some fans concerning XIII’s linear gameplay, however, and with Final Fantasy XIII-2, a direct sequel similar to 2003’s X-2, it seems Square intends to win back some of these fans by creating a more open experience, returning some more traditional RPG elements. Does it succeed in improving upon its predecessor?

STORY

Final Fantasy XIII-2 picks up three years after the end of XIII, and stars Serah, Lightning’s younger sister who spent most of the last game needing to be saved by Lightning and Snow. After the fall of Cocoon, Lightning apparently disappeared from the world, presumed dead by everyone except Serah, who is convinced that her sister is alive. Her suspicions are confirmed with the arrival of Noel, a warrior from the future who tells Serah that he can take her to see Lightning, who is waiting in a mythical land called Valhalla. Together, the two of them travel throughout the tangled timeline in the hopes of finding out what happened to Lightning.

Happy Holidays!

I once again won't be posting much on this blog for the next few days, on account of it being Christmas. I will be spending time with my family and friends, meaning I won't have much time for internet shenanigans.

When I DO come back, however, I will finally have a new game that I will be playing for review, and will resume posting regular updates concerning my progress in that game, culminating in my next review. I don't know what i will play next, and neither do you, so it should be exciting! Once January 31 rolls around, I will hopefully begin Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and I will see you later!

XIII-2 Promotional Video

Found a very cool interview with the producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama of Final Fantasy XIII-2, going into detail about some of the new elements of the game. Check it out here: http://finalfantasyxiii2.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/final-fantasy-xiii-2-video-preview-with-new-clips-information/

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is out January 31 in the U.S. The game recently got a perfect 40/40 score from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

Chrono Cross Delayed, and Future Plans.

I'm really loving Chrono Cross. The game is one of the best Playstation RPGs I've played, with a really interesting storyline, great music, and a fun combat system. Unfortunatly, I have exams coming up, so I won't be able to play as much as I would like for the next week or so.

On the plus side, I'm on the part where you got back to Fort Dragonia and get Serge's body back, so I'll hopefully be able to play for a couple hours this weekend. After exams, I'll try to beat the game and have my review up before Christmas.

After Chrono Cross, my next game will depend on what games I end up getting for Christmas. I will hopefully be playing and reviewing both Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Xenoblade Chronicles as soon as they come out, and there are quite a few other new games coming out soon that I am eager to play. I'm hoping to find and play the Digital Devil Saga games for PS2, but I want to finish the games in my backlog before buying any older releases (I need to play Xenogears, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy IX). I'm also planning on obtaining the Xenosaga trilogy and the .hack games (the original series and .hack// G.U.) when I'm in college and have a bit of income from whatever work I can find.

Anyways, that's all for todays update. I've got a lot of great gaming to look forward to in the future. Any games you're planning on playing soon? Post them in the comments.

                                                   Easily the game I'm most looking forward to purchasing once I have time.

Kitase- New Final Fantasy every year?

So, in a recent interview, Yoshinori Kitase, the producer of the Final Fantasy series, says that he would like to see Final Fantasy releases follow the example of best-selling Western games, releasing every one or two years. Following in the footsteps of franchises such as Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed, Kitase hopes to keep the attention of fans by releasing games at a faster rate, saying that one of XIII's problems was it's overly long development cycle and it is this new policy that allowed them to finish Final Fantasy XIII-2 in eighteen months.

Here's a link. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114322-Square-Enix-Wants-a-New-Final-Fantasy-Every-Year

Hey, I'm all for it, guys. I'd love to play new FF games more often. Just, does this mean we'll see Versus XIII next year? Please?

Give me this game.

EDIT: There's also been some more news concerning XIII-2, now that the main game is finished. Among other things, there will be a New Game + type feature, and you will have the ability to 'rewind time' in order to replay old areas whenever you want, allowing you to get alternate 'paradox' endings by alternating the timeline. Here is the news.

New XIII-2 Screenshots

We have a few new screenshots for Square Enix's upcoming RPG, Final Fantasy XIII-2. There are a lot more than this available at other websites, bit I thought I'd share a few. Most notably, ones that show off the new Crystarium system.









Is that Behemoth wearing a bow tie? Lol.



Looking good, but I have one small nagging complaint. In the original XIII, each character had their Crystarium split into a section for each of their Classes- a Commando one, a Ravager one, etc. In this, all the classes apparently are on a single Crystarium. I'm interested in how this works.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is out January 31, and I'm excited.

XIII-2 Collector's Edition

Square announced today that Final Fantasy XIII-2 would have a Collector's Edition available in North America, which is available for preorder today for $79.99, $20 more than a normal retail copy of the game. It comes in a special case, and comes packaged with a four-disc soundtrack and an artbook, as well as whatever retailer-specific preorder bonus you would have gotten.

Check it out.

Sweet. I might actually order this instead of the normal copy I had planned on.

XIII-2 will be out January 31'st in the US.

October 28, 2011: What Next?

So I finally beat Final Fantasy VIII, and my review is up. Overall, it was a very enjoyable RPG. The final boss was absolutely pathetic (I didn't even have to use Squall- Irvine's limit break took her out), but the ending was nice.

For now, I'll probably work on finishing up Final Fantasy V is my spare time, but I'm trying to decide what my next console playthrough will be. I already decided that I don't want to start the next game on my backlog, what with the school semester growing more hectic and the upcoming holiday season, so I've been deciding on an older title to replay. I was fiddling around with Dark Cloud today, which was a game I've never actually beaten. It's Level 5's debut title, and it's a fun little game with randomly generated dungeons and a town building minigame, sort of like Zelda mixed with Harvest Moon. I found a new copy for $3 at a CD Exchange, so I might try to actually beat and review the game. If I don't do that, I'll probably replay The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, since lack of a Wii means I'll have to wait a while to play Skyward Sword (not that I'm bitter or anything).

As far as upcoming titles go, I probably won't get War in the North or Skyrim as soon as they come out (hopefully I'll have the chance to try them soon enough, though). I plan on preordering Final Fantasy XIII-2 at some point, though.

Right now, Dark Cloud is in the 'Now Playing' header, that might change in the coming week.

Final Fantasy XIII-2: New Trailer

I'm honestly really excited for this game. I'm a huge fan of Final Fantasy, and while I understand why some people really didn't like Final Fantasy XIII (it was different), I still thought it was a good game overall. That said, I'm really looking forward to playing this one. From the looks of things, they've fixed the biggest problems with XIII (excessive linearity, lack of NPC interaction), and I'm quite happy to be playing a new console Final Fantasy game in between this and Versus XIII. The new trailer looks awesome, click the link above (the title of the post) and give it a look!