Final Fantasy Type 0 and Versus XIII To Be Localized

Cue thunderous applause and cheering from yours truly.

It seems that Yoshinori Kitase says that both Final Fantasy Type 0 and Versus XIII are in the process of recieving english localizations. Type 0, of course, has had it's localization status in doubt due to poor overseas PSP sales.

In even better news, Kitase claims that the Versus XIII team is 'hard at work finishing the game', and that there will be more details revealed soon. Excellent news.

You can read what he says here.

EDIT: Looks like Type-0's localization has been confirmed in the Ultimania. :D Check it out.

Chrono Cross: The Dead Sea!

Just a quick Chrono Cross update, I'm on the section where you play as Lynx instead of Serge, which takes up a surprisingly large portion of the game. I just finished the S.S. Zelbess portion of the game, which means it's on to the Isle of the Dead and The Dead Sea next. This is a part of the game I've been looking forward too for a long time, because it sets up a lot of the connections between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross.

Cross is still an excellent game, and playing as Lynx allows a number of new techniques and party members to be experimented with (FeralCats FTW). My current party is Lynx, Harle, and Norris, all outfitted with Mithril equipment.

JRPGs, dead? Hardly.

Anyone who stumbles across this blog will quickly realize that I am quite fond of console-style role-playing games, or to use their current term, Japanese role-playing games. These ‘JRPG’s have provided some of the greatest moments in gaming for me, filling my world with imaginative characters and a unique kind of gameplay that I grew to love.

‘JRPG’s were once extremely popular in the gaming community. While never expressly un-popular, the genre exploded into the mainstream with the release of Final Fantasy VII.  The Playstation era of RPGs featured many classic games, but thanks to Final Fantasy VII, these games were explosively popular. Games like Final Fantasy VIII and IX, Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Legend of Dragoon, and others provided the cultural definition of video game RPGs. This popularity continued and expanded with the PS2 era, when Final Fantasy X introduced many more into the RPG fold.

Today, however, these wonderful RPGs, once the pinnacle of gaming excellence, are fading- or so we’re told. The rise of the ‘western role-playing game’ has crushed the Japanese variety, with their more involving plotlines and focus on personal freedom- or so we’re told. JRPGs, we are told, are a dying art.

This is wrong. To be even more frank, this is bullshit.

My Top 5 Gaming Wishes

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. Now that I'm back from my not-actually-that-long haitus from Turkeyland, I feel like prepping for the next holiday season. These five items are things I personally would love to see in the near future (not in any particular order). So, here you go.

5- Final Fantasy Versus XIII gets a 2012 Release Date.
A guy can dream, right? Seriously, though, this one has gone on long enough. Square has been teasing this game ever since Final Fantasy XIII was announced, and seeing as they've been saying they want to cut development times down, I'm hoping we can see their six-years-in-the-making action RPG sooner rather than later.

4- Kingdom Hearts 3 gets announced for current-gen consoles- specifically, PS3.
This is another one that may exist only in the realm of wishful thinking, but it's still a strong desire of mine. The Kingdom Hearts series has mostly been releasing spinoffs (Birth by Sleep being the closest thing to a 'main' title we've seen in years), and many fans are pining for a true current-gen Kingdom Hearts game for Playstation 3. The labyrinthine narrative of Kingdom Hearts needs to find some closure, but more than anything else, I want this game to be out before Square can be tempted to new hardware.

3- JRPG comeback
The classic role-playing games of yesteryear have been overshadowed of late by their Western counterparts, which is a shame, but not entirely unfounded. That's not to say we haven't gotten great JRPGs over the years, but few of them were truly innovative. I was disapointed with the gaming community's reaction to the delightfully experimental Final Fantasy XIII, but  I do feel that a truly great JRPG, one that will revitalize the genre, is just around the corner. As excited as I am for Level 5 and Studio Ghibli's excellent looking Ni no Kuni, which may be the best JRPG in years, I don't think it's the type of game to hit the innovative sweet spot the genre needs right now. We'll have to wait and see.

2- Operation Rainfall Is Successful.
If you don't yet know what Operation Rainfall is, look it up and support them. They are a grassroots movement petitioning Nintendo to localize three excellent looking JRPGs for Wii- The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Pandora's Tower. Remember how I was looking for a great and innovative game that could revitalize the genre? Xenoblade could very well be that game, as could The Last Story (itself made by famed Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi). The fact that these games weren't instant candidates for localization is just sad.

1- Mistwalker makes a PS3 title.
Mistwalker studios is the company helmed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and has made excellent RPGs such as Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story. Sakaguchi apparently has a grudge against Sony (he's mentioned this before), and all of his big titles have been on 360 (which shot him in the foot with regards to sales) or Wii. While I've been hoping for years to see PS3 versions of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey (ESPECIALLY Lost Odyssey), I'd settle for an original game from them. Think you and Sony can put your differences aside, Hironobu? For me? Please?

Well, that's that. What are your gaming wishes?

Old Review: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Hello! So, I'm going to be out of town for Thanksgiving for the next couple of days, so this'll be the last post you see until Saturday at the earliest. So, here's a review of a game I'm quite fond of.

Also, a question: Is Golden Sun: Dark Dawn worth checking out? Comment if you have an answer.

My Review- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

The Kingdom Hearts series has evolved from a successful experiment into one of Square’s principle franchises, and many of Square’s most beloved characters come from this surprisingly complex tale. One of these characters is Roxas, KH protagonist Sora’s Nobody (basically an other self). Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is an interquel detailing Roxas’ time in Organization XIII prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts II. It also has the distinction of being the first Kingdom Hearts game on the DS. Does this portable adventure have the magic of it’s predecessors?

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.

11/21/2011 Chrono Cross Update

I'm about ten hours into Chrono Cross right now, and I'm surprised that I'm actually a bit further along than I thought I was. I'm ready to head to Mt. Pyre, which is right before the second encounter with Lynx (and a rather important story moment). Chrono Trigger wasn't an incredible long game, so I guess it's no surprise that Cross follows suit.

My current party is Serge, Kid, and Glenn, and I use Guile whenever Kid isn't in the party. Serge and Glenn can use a Dual Tech called X-strike, a very powerful ability that also references Crono and Frog's Dual Tech in Trigger. Everyone has a full set of Iron armor and whatever accessories are necessary.

I'm also getting used to Chrono Cross's level up system. Essentially, every boss fight earns the party a new star, which usually adds a new Element Slot for each character and provides a large stat bonus. From there, characters occasionally gain HP and other stat bonuses after normal battles.

Chrono Cross remains an excellent game, and I'm looking forward to playing more of it over Thanksgiving break. Look for a review in a few weeks.

Why I'm Not Playing Skyrim- Yet.

Two reasons.

1- I've heard not-so-good things about the number of glitches in the console version of the game, specifically the PS3 version. Apparently the game starts slowing down once you reach a certain point in the game. It's only natural for Bethesda games to be released unfinished, but it's still annoying and I want to wait until they iron it out.

2- Don't they usually release a GOTY edition later with all the DLC? ;)

So, yeah. That's why I'm not exploring Tamriel at this very minute. Just thought I should let you know.

Old Review- The Battle for Middle-earth 2 (PC)

My Review- The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 2 (PC)

The original Battle for Middle-earth is easily one of my favorite strategy games, and it’s still probably the best of the games based on the Lord of the Rings films. The original game already covered the majority of the film’s material, though, so I don’t think anybody really expected a sequel. However, EA managed to secure a LOTR book license in addition to the original movie license, opening a wide range of content from Tolkien’s masterwork. Do the added content and tweaked mechanics make BFME2 a better game than the original?

STORY

The original BFME featured a watered-down version of the film’s plot, putting the player in control of the major battles from the films. BFME2, being based more on the books, instead focuses on The War in the North, a separate campaign of the War of the Ring that was mentioned in the appendices of The Return of the King. The idea is that, while Gondor and Rohan were fighting Sauron’s main army at Minas Tirith in the south, there was another huge war going on with the Goblins of the Misty Mountains and Sauron’s other army from Dol Goldur, fighting against the Elves of Rivendell and Lothlorian and the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. BFME2 makes the most of it’s dual licenses, combining the look and feel of the films with several locations and characters from the books.

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.

Old Review- Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

This was one of the first reviews I wrote. Looking back, I could've written it better, but I stand by my original thoughts on the game. It's good, just not great.

My Review- Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Final Fantasy XIII is the latest (XIV doesn’t count) entry in the venerable franchise, and is a polarizing game among longtime series fans. Many love it, others despise it. And indeed, FFXIII seems a very different game, at least initially, from its famed predecessors. Haters will hate, but does this game deserve the derision it gets from many gamers? Let us see.

STORY

Despite the many cosmetic changes and extraneous details, the story is classic Final Fantasy at its core. FFXIII’s story explores the relationship between two worlds- Cocoon, a massive city-world contained within a giant sphere, and Pulse, the even larger world that Cocoon floats over. Ages ago a war was fought between the two worlds, and ever since the two have lived in mutual fear of each other. The people of Cocoon are protected from Pulse by magical beings called Fal’cie, and ruled over by the Sanctum, who uses fear of Pulse to control the populace. When a Fal’cie of Pulse origin is found inside Cocoon, the Sanctum begins a ‘Purge’ of all who could possible be tainted by Pulse. This brings together an improbable crew of heroes who are branded as ‘L’cie’- servants to a Fal’cie- by the Pulsian entity, and are on the run from their own government that now seeks to the destroy them. The six heroes all have different reasons for fighting, but fight they must, to change their fates and protect their homeland.

Ni No Kuni- New Footage

RPGFan posted a great deal of new footage from Level 5's latest game, and their collaboration with famed anime company Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the Whitw Witch for PS3

http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2011/2403.html

The game looks absolutely gorgeous, but that's not the only reason to be excited. When one of the best RPG companies out there team up with the makers of great films such as Spirited Away and Ponyo, you know the end result will be something special.

Ni no Kuni is scheduled for a US release in 2012. I've been waiting for a great JRPG like this- looking forward to it.

Chrono Cross Update

I'm still not particularly far into the game, but I wanted to mention something.

One of Chrono Cross's hooks is that the playable cast is MASSIVE. There are more than forty playable characters. A few of them join you as you progress through the story, but the vast majority of them are optional, and require you to talk to them at a specific point, make a certain decision, or do a small sidequest. Chrono Cross has a great deal of variety in it's playable cast, which is great for any RPG.

The problem? I've already missed three of them, and I'm only on the Viper Manor. Darn it. I did recruit Guile, and Glenn is my next target, which means I miss out on Katcha. The point in Cross is to use New Game + to recruit characters you missed, because it's impossible to get all the characters the first time through.

I'm still enjoying Chrono Cross very much, minor setbacks aside. The combat and character growth systems are interesting, the game looks and sounds great, and it provides a lot for players to discover for themselves.

Note to self: if the NPC has a picture and a name, it can be recruited...

GT Skyward Sword Review

I'm not trying to be picky here. Gametrailers still give Skyward Sword a good review, but does it seem that they're trying too hard to find flaws?

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-hd-zelda-skyward/723946#new_comment

Oh, well.

Skyward Sword looks excellent. I don't yet have a Wii to play it on, but as a huge Zelda fan, I might just have to get one to play this.

Chrono Cross: First Impressions

It's impossible to say just how excited I am to be finally playing this game. Chrono Cross, the sequel to Square's SNES classic Chrono Trigger, was released on the PSN this past Tuedsay. Trigger remains one of the best role-playing games ever made, and Chrono Cross has a lot to live up too.

It was perhaps wise of the developers to not try to capture lightning in a bottle again. Chrono Cross is technically a direct sequel to Trigger, but features enough changes to make it stand out on its own. It bears a few stylistic and gameplay similarities to it's predecessor, but as a whole Chrono Cross is it's own beast.

While the game does feature some of the time-travel that served as Trigger's main element, Chrono Cross instead focuses primarily on parallel worlds, with two similar-yet-different worlds that the player sqitches between. This mechanic is quite similar to the Time Gates from Trigger. I haven't played enough of the story to write about it yet, but the game features an entirely new cast in the world many years after Trigger ended. From what I can gather, there have been many changes in this time, so it'll be interesting to see exactly what happened. There have been a few references to Trigger already, including in the way we meet the main character (being woken up by his mom).

Gameplay-wise, Cross retains it's forbear's lack of random encounters- all enemies are in the field and can be avoided. There are also no enemies in the Overworld, which makes getting to your next destination much easier. Combat, however, is quite different from Trigger. Battles transition to a seperate field instead of seamlessly occuring in the area you were exploring, and the combat is a more traditional turn-based system rather than the active-time battles from Trigger. That's not to say Cross doesn't have it's share of innovations. I don't have a full grasp on the mechanics, but characters are allowed to attack multiple times a turn until their 'stamina' depletes. Character attacks have three levels- weak, strong, and fierce- and by successfully landing blows, the odds of landing another attack increase. Also, by successfully landing blows, you become able to use more powerful special skills known as Elements, which are similar to the Techs from Chrono Trigger. Speaking of things I haven't figured out yet, characters don't seem to 'level up'- sometimes characters earn stat bonuses after battle, and every so often they gain a new Element Slot to equip Elements with, and gain several stat bonuses, which is sort of like leveling up, but I'm not sure what triggers it. Hopefully I'll figure out more about how Cross plays quickly.

From what little I've played so far, Chrono Cross is a very enjoyable RPG. I can't quite say whether it lives up to the timeless classic that preceded it, but we'll see.

Call of Duty Article

I found a very interesting post concerning the Call of Duty series on Kotaku, whoch I thought I'd share. Here it is: http://kotaku.com/5858098/why-its-stupid-to-hate-call-of-duty

I generally agree with the article. While I don't like the Call of Duty series, and I find that a lot of people I find distasteful are also fans of the series, there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking them if that's your thing. I think it's somewhat of a lazy series- I say the same about anything that releases a new game yearly, but that's not a legitimate reason to hate Call of Duty.

Still, I don't think it's proper to say that anyone who hates on CoD is just being a bigot. The reason I don't play them is because I think they don't provide me with any lasting value on a storytelling front. Let's face it- by and large, the Call of Duty games are empty experiences. They have some cool setpiece moments and whatnot, but they really don't provide anything of substance in their stories. Some will say that this is because the series is focused on multiplayer, but I find this to be an even worse trait of the series- why pay $60 yearly just for the same multiplayer game?

Perhaps if CoD attempted to be something other than a 12-year-old's masturbatory war fantasy, and perhaps tackled some of the more disturbing or deep aspects of war, then I would give it a pass. As it stands, to me it pales in comparison to some of the great FPS games out there, and is simply an overrated and overpriced series of trite shoot-em-ups, and while it's fine if that's all you're looking for, the continued popularity of Call of Duty may mean we won't get anything better for a while.

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.

Old Review: Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)

My Review- Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

The first Kingdom Hearts is a classic action-RPG, despite the odd premise of a Disney-Final Fantasy crossover. In recent years, the series has spawned numerous spin-offs and side stories, but in 2006, Kingdom Hearts received a true sequel. Kingdom Hearts II brought numerous improvements to the slight problems the original had, but it also brought a change in tone and style that directed the future of the franchise. Does it live up to it’s famous predecessor?

STORY

Kingdom Hearts II begins a year after Chain of Memories, and immediately after 358/2 Days. At the start of the game, you’re playing as a boy named Roxas (the protagonist of Days, who has no memory of past events) in the world of Twilight Town, via tutorial. Roxas is having mysterious dreams about Sora, the protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series, but he has no idea what they mean. Roxas also discovers that he is capable of using the Keyblade. Over the course of the week, we discover Roxas’ identity (if you’ve played Days, you already know), why he has a Keyblade, and his connection to Sora, and from there the real plot of Kingdom Hearts II begins.

Christianity in Games

This is a really interesting article I found on The Escapist, just thought I'd share it. The writer makes a few interesting points concerning religious symbolism in various game series, including one of my favorite Square classics, Xenogears.

For those who don't know, Square has worked religious references into their games for a long time. It's no surprise that Final Fantasy VII's main villian is named after the Sephirot (look it up), or that his final battle music and form draw inspiration from Seraphim. But in Xenogears, Square took religious symbolism to an all new high. Xenogears is easily one of the most philosphically drenched games out there, beginning with a bible quote, featuring allusions to Cain and Abel, the Ark, and ending with the player literally killing 'God'.

Here's the link: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9200-Turn-the-Other-Cheek

Chrono Cross is Out Today

In case you haven't heard, Square's 2000 classic Chrono Cross was rereleased on the PSN today for $9.99.

I just downloaded it and played the first five minutes, and I am very excited. Chrono Trigger remains one of my favorite games, and is perhaps the perfect 16 bit RPG (I like it even more than Final Fantasy VI). Needless to say, Chrono Cross has a high pedigree of excellence to live up to.

With classic Square games, one can expect quality. When a game is a sequel to a masterpiece like Chrono Trigger, quality is essential. I'll have a first impression of the game up once I've played more if it, and I sincerely hope Chrono Cross ends up appealing to me as much as it's predecessor did.

Top Ten Gaming Events of 2010

This is a little bit of silliness I did last year. It's a mostly satirical summary of last years gaming culture.

Ten big things that happened to us gamers.

10- Sony and Microsoft become little piggies- that is, the ones that went "Wii, Wii, Wii", all the way home.
At this point, you've probably heard of Playstation Move and Microsoft Kinect, both companies blatant attampts to cash in on the sucess of Nintendo's massively popular Etch-a-sketch (also a gaming system, apparently), the Wii. Well, both of these cash-grabs hit stores this year, to surprising acclaim from the idiot masses who apparently didn't have Wii's yet. Proof that Americans have way too much disposable income?

9- StarCraft II- part 1 hits shelves.
The game that most of us have been waiting to play for more than a decade (apparently), Starcraft II, his shelves last summer. Blizzard, apparently deciding that the wait could be capitalized on even after the games release, decided to release the game in three parts, only packaging one third of the actual game in the box at release. Thanks, Blizzard. As if WOW doesn't make you guys enough money.

Old Review: Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

My Review- Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

Final Fantasy VII is one of the most famous RPGs in history. Critically acclaimed at the time of it’s release, it has been hailed as both a technical milestone for the role-playing genre, as well as the game which popularized console RPGs in the states. However, it has been more than a decade since this game’s release, and time is rarely kind to classic games. As a fan weaned on newer Final Fantasies, how does FF7 hold up in 2011? If you can believe it, pretty well.

STORY

Final Fantasy VII’s story begins with the protagonist, one Cloud Strife, aiding a group of bioterrorists known as AVALANCHE as they attempt to destroy a reactor belonging to the sinister Shinra Corporation. These reactors, located in the giant city of Midgar, are draining the life energy from the Planet, converting them into Mako Energy to power the city. Cloud and a large array of colorful characters must attempt to save the planet from Shinra Corp., but a more sinister force also seeks the destruction of the planet- that of Sephiroth, a former Shinra SOLDIER that seeks revenge on the company and the world.

Chrono Cross! and Update.

So some new PS1 classics are coming out soon, including a game I've been waiting to play for a long time.

Chrono Cross, the sequel to my all-time favorite RPG Chrono Trigger, comes out on PSN this week. I've already got the money to purchase it in my account, so that'll probably be the next game I play for review. Classic Squaresoft games are some of the best games in history, so I'm very excited to start playing it.

Square, this is why I love you guys. Thanks. :D

Check out the upcoming PSN releases here: http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2011/2388.html

Also, just as an update on what I've been doing, I've mostly been screwing around with a couple of my old favorite games. I played Twilight Princess up to the Forest Temple with the intent of plowing through to the Goron Mines (easily my favorite Zelda dungeon), but with the Chrono Cross anouncement I put that on hold. So in my free time I've been doing some of the hunts on Gran Pulse in Final Fantasy XIII. It's still very impressive just how expansive that area is- it can sustain days of level grinding and monster hunting.

Hopefully I'll start Chrono Cross next weekend.

New Skyward Sword Videos

Nintendo's been releasing a steady stream of Skyward Sword information as it's highly anticipated release draws nearer. Yesterday we got to see the Lanayru Desert area, which you can check out here.

What I really like about Skyward Sword is that Nintendo is trying to shake up the typical Zelda formula a bit. While I love games like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, they don't really have any serious changes from the traditional Zelda formula- Wind Waker has sailing and Twilight Princess has you transforming into a wolf, but other than that, it's still the usual Overworld exploration-followed-by-dungeon gameplay that Ocarina of Time largely perfected (and has been in use since the very first Zelda game). That's not a bad thing, but the dungeons are largely where the fun of a Zelda game takes place.

With Skyward Sword, Nintendo is making the journey to each dungeon as puzzle-filled and engaging as the dungeons themselves. In all the videos we've seen, Link has been solving puzzles in really interesting ways throughout the entire game.

Also, I'm really excited for an orchestral Zelda score. :D

Devil May Cry HD Collection

I actually really like the recent trend of HD re-releases. It gives people like me the opportunity to replay games they may have missed, often with improved visuals and bonus features.

Anyway, the latest series to recieve the HD touch-up is the famed Devil May Cry series of action games. Devil May Cry 1, 2, and the special edition of 3 are all included. Check it out.

Awesome.

Twilight Princess: First (or third) Impressions

I can't really do a 'first impressions' post about one of my all-time favorite games that I've played through at least twice before, but since I decided to replay Twilight Princess to blow off some steam between now and the RPG release juggernauts of the coming year. The game's an incredibly fun action-adventure title- the world is beautiful and fun to explore, the puzzles are clever and imaginative, and the story is great. 

Playing through it again a few years later (I got the Gamecube version when I was 12), I can't quite say the game is perfect. The game starts off rather slow, the mandatory wolf sections aren't as fun now as they used to be (I loved the unsettling atmosphere of the Twilight Realm when I was younger, but the "tears of light" hunts haven't gotten any better with age), and the story cribs a lot from it's predecessors, especially near the end. I wrote a review after my last playthrough of the game, which I'll probably post sometime soon.

Despite my minor criticisms, Twilight Princess is still one of my favorite games, and one of the best games in an excellent series. It's definetly one of the best Gamecube games, and if you own a Wii it's also a must-play.

GTA 5 Trailer

Well, it's official- Grand Theft Auto V is coming. Rockstar showed the debut trailer today, which you can see here.

I was kind of cold on GTA4, the last game in the series. Sure, it was pretty, but it was kind of dull when compared to the insanity and ridiculousness of past installments such as Vice City and San Andreas. This one, from what I can tell, still has the more serious narrative of it's predecessor, but we'll see if it manages to improve upon it's already solid gameplay.

Wait... San Andreas is in GTA5? Ok, sold, lets do this.

Suck It Down, EA.

So, after a endless parade of insults and taunts leveled against Activision and the Call of Duty series, Ea has has a sudden change of tune, after it became clear that Modern Warfare 3 has Battlefield 3 beat before MW3 is even out the door.

Here's a link. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113956-EA-Makes-Nice-With-Activision-and-Modern-Warfare-3

Now, I couldn't care less about Call of Duty. I honestly despise the series, and am generally not a fan of FPS games in general (with a few notable exceptions). Still, I'm quite pleased to see the wind taken out of EA's sails a bit. If any company needs to have their ego deflated, it's them.

Texas Gun Nut

Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a political blog- my purpose here is to talk about video games. But reading this was honestly rather shocking, so I want to share it.

Apparently, some Texan gun instructor refuses to teach certain individuals. Specifically, 'socialist liberals', anyone who voted for Obama, and 'un-christian Muslims'. You can find the article here,  but be warned, it's pretty foul.

The worst part? He claims that anyone who is a devout Muslim isn't a 'true American'. The most sickening part? People are taking this guy's side. 

To be clear, I'm not a Muslim, nor am I a member of any political party. I'm just sharing something I thought reflected poorly on certain individuals in our country, and this'll probably be the only time I ever talk about politics on this blog.