Potentially Useful Information For Your Many Adventures
Ain’t nothing like a holiday weekend for getting a whole lot of nothing done. If only the humidity wasn’t currently measurable in inches. Ah well. Anyhow, we do have some media for you: Atelier Meruru, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, Disgaea 4, and UnchainBlades Rexx. Click away!
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 07/02/11’ »
Coming from Famitsu is the news that Yasumi Matsuno, the creative brains behind Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics (among others), has been hired by Level 5. Akihiro Hino, the company’s founder and president, personally invited the former Square Enix designer, and Hino commented that “it won’t take two years or so for the next Matsuno project to come out.” No specific remarks were made about any titles in development.
Source: 1UP
Marvelous Entertainment has just revealed that Rune Factory 4, the next entry in their RPG/sim series, is being developed for the 3DS. Apart from the expected blend of RPG adventuring and Harvest Moon-a-like farm management, the title will feature 3D visuals and added depth to the marriage system.
The game is set to release in Japan sometime this year. A US release has not been announced.
Source: 1UP
Of all RPGs, this one probably least needs an introduction. Final Fantasy VI – released stateside as Final Fantasy III, you may recall – has been released on Virtual Console and is now available for $10. Nostalgia sold separately.
Source: 1UP
The idea that unless a game is truly monstrous, professional video game critics will score a game somewhere between seven and ten out of ten is a well-recognized and much maligned part of the gaming landscape. Many gamers accept that, one way or another, scoring is bunk. As a result, there is a widespread mistrust of video game reviews, a general acceptance that critics in general are more PR guys than writers, and an understanding that popularity will almost always equal a high score. Unfortunately, in many cases, these assumptions are all too valid. However, it may be helpful to take a look at the relationship between publishers, public relations firms, and gaming publications, so that we can see some of the reasons why things are the way they are.
Continue reading ‘Editorial – The Elephant in the Review’ »
Just in case you had a hankering for more avatars, costumes, and background music for Dissidia Duodecim, Square Enix has you covered. A batch of DLC avatars is available now, with the costumes and music to come on July 19, and a full list of both can be read here.
Addressing the official Final Fantasy XIV forums, producer Naoki Yoshida announced some of the upcoming changes with the latest version. Of particular note is a move away from guildleves as a central mechanic, which Yoshida openly admits is a retraction from prior statements about the system. Replacing them will be actual quests, as has been requested by fans for some time. Leves will still be available, but are being repositioned more as solo content: a quick and optional means of character building in between more time-consuming adventures. Details about the changes to the system are bulleted below:
Continue reading ‘FFXIV Producer Reveals 1.18 Patch Notes; Guildleves “No Longer Central”’ »
Via press release, XSEED has announced that Solatorobo, a DS sequel to the PSone-era Tail Concerto, will see a US release in September. The voices remain in Japanese and the localization will see only minor tweaks from the European version.
Sony Online Entertainment announced recently that the other Star Wars MMO, Star Wars Galaxies, will be shut down by the year’s end. The game will no longer be for sale starting September 15, with no further subscriptions sold and no new or reactivated accounts allowed in. The company plans to run a “galaxy-ending” event to send the game off in December, with further details to follow.
The announcement can be read in full on the official Galaxies website.
A good evening to all of you! My apologies for the lateness of this update, suffice it to say it’s been a busy week on this end. Still, there’s just enough time for a news rundown, so let’s get at it. Tonight, we talk about the following:
Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Money Hats For Everyone’ »
The Legend of Zelda is known for many things: dungeons that center around a new item to solve its puzzles; a mythology wherein there is always a Princess Zelda, a Link, and a Ganondorf; and a timeline or two that ties together each game in the series. Beyond gameplay and story elements, there is another thing that distinguishes Zelda: a rabid and zealous fan. Few series can boast such fervent followers, and out of all of the Zelda games, Ocarina of Time is the one held in the highest esteem. Ocarina is now nearly fourteen years old; does a fresh coat of 3D paint make it worth going through Hyrule again?
Continue reading ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – Staff Review’ »
Bethesda announced via official blog that Old World Blues, the next downloadable content for Fallout New Vegas, will be released on July 19. Prior to release, New Vegas will see a title update to provide support for the content and to address performance and stability issues.
No word was given on a timeframe for Lonesome Road, the final planned DLC originally set to launch sometime in July.
Playing the original Command & Conquer has reminded me of the bizarre rituals and alchemy one must do to get old games working. I know not what sorcery allows the screen resolution window on the desktop to keep the colors in-game from getting scrambled, but you can’t argue with results.
And speaking of alchemy, we’ve got some media for you: Atelier Meruru, Grand Knight’s History, Noora to Toki no Koubou, and Over My Dead Body. Check it out this-a-way!
Continue reading ‘Mass Media 06/20/11’ »
Via press release, Square Enix announced that an art exhibition in New York City will feature works centered around the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Starting July 28, the event is being hosted at the Wooster Street Social Club and will run for two weeks. Both well-known and emerging artists will have their creations on display, with proceeds from all sales to be put towards “supporting further education in the arts.”
The press release and a list of the artists who will be present can be read in full here.
Valkyria Chronicles 2 had at least four major hurdles to clear: deliver a second helping of the first game’s quirky strategy and action; adhere to the cartoony, yet charming and often beautiful aesthetics; tie it together with a strong narrative; and do it all with the PSP’s hardware. It doesn’t quite clear them all, as it is saddled with competing partial stories and lingering smaller issues from its predecessor. However, VC2 expands intelligently on existing mechanics and smoothly adapts the engine to the portable platform so much that it feels right at home.
Continue reading ‘Valkyria Chronicles 2 – Staff Review’ »
Hey people, it’s that time again: time to wish it wasn’t Sunday and we all didn’t have to get up in the morning. But as long as we’re putting off sleep, how about we gather ’round and talk news for a while? In today’s episode:
Continue reading ‘What Happened This Week – Kinecting Wii And U For The Lulz’ »
Ys is a series that gets far less attention than it deserves. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is that Americans have not really gotten to experience as many of the adventures of Adol the Red as their Japanese counterparts. There are also some people that are probably turned away simply by its title; it’s not exactly intuitive to pronounce it as ‘ease.’ Regardless, Nihon Falcom and XSeeD are determined to rectify the first issue by releasing more games stateside, hoping to give Americans more time with the top-down action RPG series. That’s where Ys Seven comes in, and as it takes the series in many new directions, there’s a lot to like.
Continue reading ‘Ys Seven – Staff Review’ »
So close to all D’s, yet so far. In a press release today, Square Enix announced that downloadable content for Dissidia 012 Duodecim is now available on the PlayStation Network. At $0.99 per purchase, the content ranges from additional outfits to background music packs; the latter including music from previous Final Fantasy games. The full list of options is available here.
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