The Escapist: Horrible Journalism

I had to post this because it pissed me off to no end.

You know why modern game journalism can't be taken seriously? BECAUSE OF CRAP LIKE THIS. Regardless of what the journalist's opinion of the game (s) he's talking about, until he reviews it he should simply report the news. To literally title the article "Type 0 is here to ruin your day" is not only biased, it's bad form through and through.

Now, I've stated my opinions on the Final Fantasy series before. The series hasn't gone ANYWHERE. The games are still great and fun RPGs. And Type-0 looks like the best one we've had in years. I can understand if the guy doesn't have the same opinion as me, but his job should be to keep these thoughts to himself unless he is actually reviewing the game. All he should be doing here is relaying some news.

So what's this guys beef? Apparently, the anime-styled characters don't go well with the gritiness of the trailer. Good grief. The journalism here is bad enough, but the guy is reporting his personal biases in a racist way as well. Great.

Game journalism is in a sad enough state as it is, and reporting news like this is one of the reasons why.

Final Fantasy VIII- Almost There!

So, after stocking up on spells from the Heaven/Hell Islands, I managed to get Bahamut. Thanks to Squall's new 100 Ultimas and a timely Limit Break, I defeated him in three moves. So, I'm going to start progressing through the story again. I've got a three day weekend, so I might as well make the most of it. We just got the Ragnarok, and are heading to Edea's house to pick up the next quest hook.

That means that I'll hopefully have a new review up soon. It's about time I wrote a new one.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

I love Starcraft. RTS games may not be my favorite genre, but I do enjoy them, and Starcraft is one of the best RTS games available. I'm not very good at it, and the original hasn't aged perfectly, but it's still fun. The sequel is excellent as well, and with Blizzards decision to make Starcraft 2 a three-part game in and of itself, we have a lot of Starcraft to look forward too.

Anyway, the new trailer is out. Check it out below.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/trailers/4858-Starcraft-2-Heart-of-the-Swarm-Teaser-Trailer

You wanna piece of me, boy?

Uncharted 3- Drake's Hysteria

While I'm not a huge fan of the Uncharted series, I do appreciate the games. With phenomenal graphics that really showcase the power of the PS3, great voice acting and characters, and exciting gameplay, the games are well-done action-adventure titles. Needless to say, they deserve a large fanbase.

That said, recent reception to Uncharted 3- Drake's Deception's reviews has been rather frightening In this article by the great-and-slightly-mad Jim Sterling, we see Uncharted fans simply OUTRAGED that a game in the series can get a score lower than a 10.

This isn't the first time this has happened with Mr. Sterling (Gears of War 3 and Arkham City are the other 'offenders', even though an 8/10 is a perfectly good score). Gamers these days seem to think that certain games are 'entitled' reviews, which puts pressure on a reviewer to gloss over a game's flaws in favor of giving it a large score. Even worse, if a game falls below this 'entitled' score, gamers throw a hissy fit. I remember when Final Fantasy XIII came out, and people were saying that because the game earned a score of 8.9, it was a horrible game because it was below a 9. Ridiculous. If a game is flawed, it should be reviewed as such, but to expect a title to 'earn' a score because it 'deserves' it is simply ludicrous.

I would understand the anger if the game was given an undeservingly low score, but an 8 seems pretty fair to me. And honestly, all these hysterics, over Uncharted? It's just a modern-day Indiana Jones ripoff. Sure, the game is pretty and very cinematic, but narrative-wise it's the video game equivalent of National Treasure.

Hoenstly, people. Grow up.

Quick Update!

So I finished the Ragnarok section of FFVIII and am now on my way through the Disc 3 sidequests before proceeding any further with the story. I already got Cactuar, so next on my to-do list is the Deep Sea Research Center, home of Bahamut and Ultima Weapon. I'm still looking for advice on how to go about beating Ultima Weapon (aside from Junctioning resistances to Quake and Meteor spells), but hopefully I can pull it off. The 100 Ultima Stone bonus is pretty nifty.

In V, I'm still grinding away, trying to master a few more jobs before the final dungeon. Hopefully I'll have the game finished and a review up in a week or two.

Old Review: Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2)

It's weird. I honestly do like this game a lot. I can't call it a good Breath of Fire game, but it did do a lot of unique things, and I don't regret playing it. I can't say I recommend it, but I found it to be somewhat enjoyable. Anyways here's the review.

My Review- Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2)

When it comes to RPGs, there are many great franchises that simply don’t get enough attention. While nearly everyone has heard of the virtues of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, too few have heard of equally great series like Suikoden, Wild Arms, and of course, Breath of Fire. Capcom’s RPG franchise has been around since the SNES days, and while they do star a boy who transforms into dragons, the first four installments of the series have been traditional console RPGs to the bone. That said, Dragon Quarter stands out as the black sheep of the Breath of Fire family, featuring so many changes and odd design choices that it is difficult to recognize the last Breath of Fire game as part of the series at all.

New Reviews! Eventually.

So I'm FINALLY in the home stretch for Final Fantasy V. The game isn't particularly long by RPG standards, but playing multiple RPGs during the school year made it take twice as long as it should have. I just need to master a couple more classes, then I'll head into the Rift for the (obscenely long) final dungeon and fight Neo Exdeath. As for Final Fantasy VIII, I'm farther in the game than I though I was (I just found the Ragnarok and am about to do that stupid monster-hunting minigame), so that review will be a little longer away. I plan on trying my luck with Ultima Weapon, so hopefully that goes over well.

I'm not sure what I'll be playing once I'm done with VIII and V. I've already decided to save Dragon Quest VI for after the holidays (trying to play a Dragon Quest game during midterms and semester exams would be a BAD idea). I might give Vagrant Story a shot after VIII (I've heard great things about it, and it's relatively short), but otherwise I probably won't play anything else until Christmas as well. Granted, my backlog will grow much larger, but at least I won't be neck-deep in a game when the holidays roll around.  I might use any free time I have to finally read the second Song of Ice and Fire book, though. If I do end up playing anything, it'll most likely just be a replay of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I've kind of has a Zelda itch for a while, and with no way for me to play Skyward Sword right now, I'll have to settle for replaying an old favorite. :)

Old Review- Kingdom Hearts (PS2)

I love this game. While I enjoyed all of the subsequent titles, the original Kingdom Hearts is still probably the best in the series. Birth by Sleep may have stronger gameplay, but Kingdom Hearts 1 is still the best blend of Disney and Final Fantasy roleplaying we'll ever see.

My Review- Kingdom Hearts (PS2)

Kingdom Hearts is one of Square’s most popular franchises, possibly even more so than Final Fantasy. While today the series spans more than eight installments, with more on the horizon, it all began with the original Kingdom Hearts, released on the PS2 in 2002. A strange yet enticing mix of Square role-playing and Disney properties, Kingdom Hearts is a classic Action-RPG.

Old Review- Final Fantasy X-2

My Review- Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2)

Since its 2001 release, Final Fantasy X has sort of become the standard by which modern console RPGs are judged. This isn’t very surprising, as it’s an excellent game, as well as an incredibly successful one. Due to this success, Square decided to revisit the land of Spira by making the first direct sequel to any main series FF title. Final Fantasy X-2 also has the distinction of being the first Final Fantasy title to be released by the then newly formed Square Enix. Is X-2 a worthy follow up to it’s lightning-in-a-bottle predecessor?

STORY

WARNING- THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED OR COMPLETED FINAL FANTASY X.

Old Review: Dragon Quest V (DS)

My Review- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)

In my opinion, a remake or release of an old game can be a good thing if done properly. Revitalizing an aging classic with a fresh coat of paint can bring great experiences to gamers who might have missed them the first time around. Square Enix decided to remake the ‘Zenithia Trilogy’ of Dragon Quest games- IV, V, and VI- for the Nintendo DS. Dragon Quest V, the personal favorite in the series by it’s creator, is one of the two in the series never released in North America until the remake. Combining the series’ classic formula with a moving story, Dragon Quest V stands as not only the crown jewel of the Zenithia games, but perhaps the entire Dragon Quest series as well.

STORY

Each title in the Zenithia trilogy is know primarily for a major twist on the Dragon Quest series tradition, making each game a noteworthy installment. For Dragon Quest V, the traditional ‘Hero’s Quest’ of the story is split into several generations. Your hero begins the game as a child, traveling the world with his father, Pankraz, who is on an important mission. Some small adventures with his friends fill the early hours of the game, but our hero’s happy childhood does not last very long, when he discovers that his father’s mission is to rescue the hero’s mother, who was kidnapped shortly after her son’s birth. Forced into slavery for ten years, our hero becomes a man in the captivity of the same people who stole his family from him. From there, the true Dragon Quest V experience begins. Your hero will travel the world, choose a wife, and even father children over the course of this epic journey, all while seeking to end what his father started, and put an end to the evil force that has plagued his family since his birth.