Metareview: Final Fantasy XIII
Mar/100
Sweet Shiva, the Final Fantasy XIII reviews are all over the place. What has been clear over the past couple years is that the Japanese RPG has been going through some seriously violent flux. The genre is trying to find a new path, and even as Japanese developers seem to search for a balance that’ll please several markets, they’re freaking out western reviewers and audiences, who have a certain expectation going into these games — a fault of fans, as much as decades of ingrained convention by those developers.
The new JRPGs aren’t necessarily great games. They certainly break conventions of what a JRPG is, so how to review them? Along comes Final Fantasy XIII, another risk taker, but this time by the genre’s big kahuna — at least, it is in the west. We’ve weighed in with our review; let’s see what other outlets think:
- Game Informer (93/100): “For years, gamers have had visions of this title as an industry-transforming epiphany, but no game could possibly live up to such astronomical expectations. That’s no reason to lose faith; though reality doesn’t match the myth, Final Fantasy XIII is a phenomenal RPG destined to be remembered as a technical milestone for the series.”
- Eurogamer (80/100): “Palatable is very much the word for Final Fantasy XIII. The Final Fantasy series, with its lengthy cinematics, stubborn style and carefully prescribed limitations, can never hope to please everyone. So it’s strange to see it try, and no surprise that the result is not a total success.”
- VideoGamer (70/100): “You have to hand it to Square Enix for trying to move things forward – better that than yet another rehash of the tried and tested Final Fantasy formula … But it does so along a path so narrow and straight that you long for the days of old. When Vanille is knocked out in battle, she sometimes says: ‘What went wrong’ It’s a question we find ourselves wondering as well.”
- Edge: (50/100): “FFXIII takes brave risks with the series’ foundations, but they ultimately create trembling fractures throughout the entire edifice, that robust battle system unable to support the weight of an entire world. Final Fantasy games are always an investment. This time, the returns are questionable.”
Metareview: Final Fantasy XIII originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Assassin’s Creed 2 ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ DLC comes Feb. 18
Feb/100
The second of two promised Assassin’s Creed 2 DLC add-ons is set to release on February 18 on Xbox Live and PSN, a recent Ubisoft press release reads. On top of a release date, Ubisoft has offered two new screens and some details on Bonfire of the Vanities (AKA Sequence 13), which will be comprised of ten memories following Ezio’s attempt to aid Machiavelli in freeing Florence from the influence of one Savonarola. It’s up to Ezio to target key citizens under Savonarola’s control and attempt to win them over through diplomatic discourse, including meetings over tea and the occasional quilt party. Oh, wait — sorry, we had that wrong. He kills them. All.
The chapters of the lost memory sequence take Ezio to several of Florence’s well-known locales, such as the Palazzo Medici, Santa Maria dei Frari and — wait, the Arsenal Shipyard? What, did you run out of awesome Italian names, Ubisoft?
Assassin’s Creed 2 ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ DLC comes Feb. 18 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Assassin’s Creed 2 ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ DLC comes Feb. 18
Ion Assault update adds new mode, simpler controls
Feb/100
Black Inc. has announced that Coreplay has released an update for its Xbox Live Arcade shooter, Ion Assault. The free update adds a new survival mode to the game which, unsurprisingly, has players fighting for their lives against waves of increasingly dangerous enemies. Additionally, the update also adds a new control scheme, which allows players to directly aim the ship using the right analog stick. Previously, the right stick rotated the ship left and right. It’s not the most fluid control scheme, and was one of our only complaints about the game when it was released last year.
The new controls are available in the trial version as well as the full version, so you may want to give it a spin if the original controls put you off the first time.
Ion Assault update adds new mode, simpler controls originally appeared on Joystiq Xbox on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ion Assault update adds new mode, simpler controls
Producers: Final Fantasy XIII will ‘resurrect’ Japanese game industry
Feb/100
Final Fantasy XIII may not be out in North America and Europe yet, but the development team is in full “victory lap” mode in Japan. At least, that’s how it seemed when noted industry figure Jem Alexander interviewed producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama for the European PlayStation Blog. Asked about the state of the Japanese game industry, the two (no individual attribution was given to the speakers) said that FFXIII was going to fix it.
“Some people have been saying that the Japanese game industry is dead, and all that… I dunno,” the creative lead said. “I will say that Final Fantasy XIII is one really epic title for high definition consoles. With this game, we are going to resurrect the whole thing.” And then they immediately moved from boastful to confusing: “As for Western games that have influenced us – FPSs mostly. The Call of Duty series, for example.” Influenced their desire to sell a lot of copies, maybe?
The team also suggested elsewhere in the interview that God of War Collection-style remakes of previous Final Fantasy titles are unlikely. And, while they didn’t outright deny DLC (which is looking more and more likely), they said that material or ideas originally left out won’t be put back in as DLC.
Producers: Final Fantasy XIII will ‘resurrect’ Japanese game industry originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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UK plans to reintroduce insects into environment: should humans be running interference?
Jan/100
It’s a long-standing debate; just how much of a role should humans be playing when it comes to the environment and their influence on the natural order of things with regards to ecosystems and the animal kingdom. There is even more controversy when humans choose to be involved to rectify species decline that have occurred as part of nature and not as a direct result of human impact. A new situation in the UK brings this debate to light.
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UK plans to reintroduce insects into environment: should humans be running interference?
Review: Darksiders
Jan/100
It’s impossible to review Darksiders without the conversation beginning and ending with its influences. Though it’s not technically a copy cat, this is a game that wears its inspirations on its bone-armored sleeve. It’s a gutsy move by newcomer Vigil Games, considering it’s inviting comparisons to some of the gaming’s heaviest hitters, but it’s one that — for the most part — pays off.
You’re War, the angriest of the Four Horsemen, and you’ve just been tricked into starting Armageddon. Now, all the people on Earth are dead and you’ve been given one chance to travel to the post-apocalyptic planet and take your vengeance on the party responsible, whoever that may be.
Continue reading Review: Darksiders
Review: Darksiders originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Review: Darksiders
This Wednesday: XBLA gets Serious (Sam)
Jan/100
Considering there’s really nothing serious about it — some of the enemies have bombs for heads — we’re not sure how Serious Sam wound up with its name. It could be comic irony, or perhaps merely for its delightful sibilance. Honestly, we may never know. What we do know is that Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is this week’s XBLA release, as promised last month. Sporting newly fancified graphics, online co-op and some serious action (oh that’s it!), the game will be available for 1200
($15).
This Wednesday: XBLA gets Serious (Sam) originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The mechanics of a coin toss
Jan/100
Researchers in Vancouver have found that it is possible to influence the outcome of a coin toss and that contrary to popular belief the chance of …
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The mechanics of a coin toss
Swine Flu: First Confirmed Case of Dog in U.S. with H1N1
Dec/090
Officials have confirmed a 13-year-old male mixed-breed dog has tested positive for H1N1. This marks the first case of a dog in the United States contracting swine flu.
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Swine Flu: First Confirmed Case of Dog in U.S. with H1N1
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Mass Effect 2 DLC ‘Kasumi’s Stolen Memory’ lands on Apr. 6 (don’t forget!)
Mar/100
While Mass Effect 2’s in-game DLC pipeline, The Cerberus Network, continues to transport new weapons (and soon, a new vehicle) to players for free, BioWare has announced the game’s first pack of paid downloadable content. “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” finally completes Commander Shepard’s dirty dozen, adding a confident female thief to your anti-Reaper repertoire. It’s currently scheduled to launch for Xbox 360 and PC on April 6th.
After downloading the DLC, players can get in touch with Kasumi on the Citadel, either in the middle of an ongoing Mass Effect 2 game or after the completion of the main story (lesson learned from Mass Effect 1 DLC!). Once recruited, Shepard aids Kasumi on a secretive mission of recovery, which requires a suave disguise and a run-in with an influential and predictably corrupt art collector. The content, which also provides the “Locust” SMG, a flash-bang grenade loyalty power and a new Achievement, should take about an hour and a half to complete.
BioWare is currently in the midst of “internal discussion” to determine the price of the DLC, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as it’s finalized. Look for some impressions of “Kasumi’s Stolen Memory” on Joystiq later today. Spoiler: It looks great.
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Mass Effect 2 DLC ‘Kasumi’s Stolen Memory’ lands on Apr. 6 (don’t forget!)