KH-mixerX's Song of the Month(March)

Final Fantasy XIII Battle Theme - Masashi Hamauzu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Qo_GhbQt4

In an unprecedented move, I have changed the song of the month from what it originally was(Dancing Mad/FFVI), to this. In anticipation of FFXIII's release on March 9th. Enjoy!!!!!

• 16Mar 10

  Empty Claims ( ________ & ________ Edition)

  Just a couple weeks ago I announced that from now on, I would be reviewing every subsequent game I played. I also announced a slew of games that I played in the past that would be getting the review treatment. It sounded like such a good idea at the time. I was so motivated. I guess I still am, its just the motivation is being pointed in another direction now. Yeah, you guess it, I won't be getting to as many reviews as I thought possible. Not because I don't want to, but because life decided to present me with a grand opportunity. Something I've wanted to do for the longest time is now coming to fruition.

  Yup, you guessed it again(man, you guys are on a roll today), I got picked up for a writing job on a website called digitalbrawler.com. Its not a very large website, in fact, its quite small and obscure. Mainly due to the lack of content being posted for it in the last year or so. The guy who runs the site though decided that its high time for a resurgence. That's where I come in. Like I said though, its not a very large site, which means its not a very big job. Just something for me to do on the side.

  The first piece of content I'll be producing for the site is a God of War III review. If you have the time, please stop by sometime and check it out, I should have it posted by the 23rd at the latest(as soon as Gamefly sends me my damn copy). And while your at it, sign up for the site and head over to the forums if you feel so inclined. There pretty barren at the moment, but all it takes for a community to grow is a few committed posters.

  ______________

  I'm sure you've all gotten used to my empty claims by now. Its sort of a theme with this blog unfortunately. I should probably start thinking through my decisions more carefully before announcing them publicly. Oh well, I digress. That's all I have for now. Just trying to finish up FFXIII, which I'm loving BTW. I'll probably at least have a review on here for that game since someone's already reviewing on digitalbrawler. Until next time folks....

  • Posted Mar 16, 2010 9:12 am PT
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• 8Mar 10

  FFXIIII: A look back on the long road.....(56k)

  

  On the eve of FFXIII's release, and in anticipation, let's take a look back at how this wildly hyped game came to be. It was first announced back in 2006 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

  FFXIII Reveal E3 2006

  Little did anyone know it would take until the beginning of 2010 for us to get are hands on it. FFXIII was first announced for the PS3, but it wasn't always like that. The original platform it was planned for was the PS2.

  PS2 Development Scan 1

  PS2 Development Scan 2

  PS2 Development Scan 3

  PS2 Development Scan 4

  PS2 Development Scan 5

  PS2 Development Scan 6

  As you can see, some FFX-2 assets were used as placeholders during development on the PS2. Some of the shots even look to be cell-shaded. As for why the game was moved onto the PS3 a year and a half into development is a mystery. If I'm not mistaken, someone from the FFXIII development team may have elaborated on the topic at some point in time. I'm not entirely sure though. Otherwise, my guess is as good as anybody else's. Perhaps once the PS3 was revealed, they felt that continuing development on the PS2 would make the game feel dated by the time of it's release.

  ______________________

  FFXIII was first revealed as part of the FNC(Fabula Nova Crystallis) Project. Other games included in this project are:

  

  FINAL FANTASY VERSUS XIII Reveal

  It's apparent that SE is going for a much darker vibe in this FNC title than in the others. This particular game has a different team working on it than FFXIII does. The team on FF V XIII is the same team responsible for the Kingdom Hearts series and the CGI film "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children."

  

  FINAL FANTASY AGITO XIII Trailer

  Unfortunately I couldn't find a reveal trailer for this game. But the trailer I did find is still pretty sweet. This FNC title was originally announced exclusively for mobile phones but was later moved to the PSP.

  ______________________

  FFXIII looks incredible. And it should, considering it's insanely long development time. The team responsible for these amazing visuals aren't new to the FF franchise. Almost all of them have been involved in other FF titles in some way, shape, or form. Here are a few of the most notable members of the FFXIII family:

  Yoshinori Kitase - Producer

  

  Most Notable Credits:

  FFVII - Director

  FFVIII - Director

  FFX - Producer

  FFX-2 - Producer

  This guy keeps everything running smoothly. He's the overseer of all things FFXIII

  Motomu Toriyama - Director/Scenario Writer

  

  Most Notable Credits:

  FFVII - Event Planner

  FFVIII - Event Planner

  FFX - Event Director

  FFX-2 - Director

  This guy has one of the most important jobs of all; the story. A Final Fantasy without a compelling story isn't a Final Fantasy at all. He also directs the project. Hence the title "director."

  Toshiro Tsuchida - Battle Director

  Most Notable Credits:

  Front Mission 1-4 - Director

  FFX - Battle Director

  Now this guy right here has perhaps the toughest job. He's responsible for how the battle system works. If he fails, the game fails. A game with compelling gameplay and a lackluster story can survive, but it doesn't work the other way around.

  Tetsuya Nomura - Main Character Designer

  

  Most Notable Credits:

  FFVII, VIII, & X - Character Designer

  Kingdom Hearts Series - Director, Character & Concept Designer

  FF Versus XIII -Director, Character & Concept Game Designer

  This guy is responsible for how the characters look. There's not much more to it than that. Its certainly an important job, but in the end, it really comes down to preference.

  Obviously the FFXIII team is nothing if not experienced.

  ______________________

  The music of a Final Fantasy game sets the tone and overall feel of the entire experience. Music is at least half of what evokes an emotional response in any given scene. In other words, its a crucial part of the process. FFXIII is the first game in the franchise to be entirely absent of any influence by Nobuo Uematsu(w/ the exception of the chocobo theme). Mr. Uematsu has been the primary composer of every FF score up until FFIX. After IX, he was still involved, but only as a co-producer. For FFXIII, Square-Enix called upon Masashi Hamauzu to compose. Here is a brief history on Mr. Hamauzu....

  Masashi Hamauzu - Composer

  

  Most Notable Credits:

  FFX - Co-Composer along side Nobuo Uematsu & Junya Nakano

  Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII - Composer

  FFX Piano Collections - Arranger

  Some samples of his work:

  FFX - The Final Battle

  Dirge of Cerberus: FFVII - Fierce Battle

  FFXIII - Battle Theme

  FFXIII - Lightning's Theme

  FFXIII - The Promise

  If the gameplay is the body, and the story is the spirit, then the music is most definitely the soul of the Final Fantasy experience. Personally, I was very excited to hear that Masashi was handling the score for FFXIII. His work in FFX is amazing. You'll notice that the FFXIII Battle Theme and Lightning's Theme are variations on the same piece. This was done quite a bit in FFX. From what I've heard so far from this game, I don't think I'll be disappointed to say the least. I even bought the OST the other day. Yeah, I'm a nerd.

  ______________________

  The Final Fantasy series has long been the innovator and standard setter for JRPG's. FFXIII is no exception. It does away with many of the series' hallmarks such as only controlling one of three party members at any given time. Or the fact that you heal automatically after every battle. Let's take a look at some of the inner workings of FFXIII's gameplay.

  Paradigms

  Much like the Job system found in other FF titles, the Paradigm system groups abilities into certain roles. Its streamlined in such a way that allows you to switch Paradigms very quickly in the thick of battle. Here is a list of Paradigms at your disposal:

  Commando

  Consists of physical attacks. Non-elemental.

  Sentinel

  A mainly passive Paradigm. Provokes and absorbs enemy attacks. Also counterattacks.

  Synergist

  A buffing Paradigm. Uses various abilities such as Brave and Shell. Mainly enhances your party.

  Saboteur

  A debuffing Paradigm. The opposite of a Synergist. Casts harmful side effects on the enemy.

  Ravager

  Uses elemental attacks such as Thunder and Fire.

  Medic

  A healing Paradigm. Uses abilities such as Cure and Esuna.

  Paradigms are the only way given to control your AI party members. Mixing them up frequently is the key to success in FFXIII. Trial and error is also key. You may have to lose a couple times before you discover the right Paradigm combination in any given battle.

  ______________________

  The Crystarium

  Another big change to the FF formula is the Crystarium. The Crystarium is how you learn new abilities and become stronger in FFXIII. To give you an idea of how it works, its very similar to the Sphere Grid from FFX. In FFX, you win AP(ability points) at the end of every battle. You can then use the AP to progress along the Sphere Grid. The Crystarium is much the same. You earn Crystogen points at the end of every battle. You can then use these Crystogen points to progress along the Crystarium. I guess this isn't too big a change to the formula, considering FFX did it first. But its still worth mentioning.

  Crystarium Scan

  ______________________

  FFXIII has reached almost a religious status among many fans. Its the first Final Fantasy installment on current generation consoles, so I guess its to be expected. But I can't remember any FF reaching this level of hype. Its quite unusual when you think about it. Neither FFVII, nor FFX reached this level of anticipation.

  The time has almost come though. In less than 24 hours at the time I'm writing this, we'll all be locked away in our bedrooms/(wherever you typically play games) experiencing the first proper Final Fantasy Installment in four years. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to put it mildly. I'm not quite sure how I should end this, so I'll just leave it at that. I hope this was enjoyable read for you. It sure took long enough to write.

  Until next time folks. Chow.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  • Posted Mar 8, 2010 3:21 am PT
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• 2Mar 10

  Reviews - a - Plenty (Abundant & Swift Edition)

  Just a quicky everyone. Starting now, I'll be pumping out a review for every game I play without exception. There isn't really a particular reason for act this of randomness. It just feels like something that should be done. I've been slacking in the reviews department for sometime. BUT NO MORE!!!!

  Here's a list of games that should have reviews up within the next couple months....

  Assassin's Creed 2

  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

  Heavy Rain

  Modern Warfare 2

  Killzone 2

  Fable 2

  InFamous

  Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

  I'll also be experimenting with a new format for these reviews. Inspiration for this move goes to calvinsora. The hard work he puts into his reviews gave me a good kick in the butt. Oh, and congratulations to him for the new Top 500 Reviews Emblem he received recently. Hopefully the renewed vigor in my upcoming reviews will catch me a similar emblem in the future. I'll definitely be gunning for it.

  All upcoming blog series' I've been planning will be on hold for a while due to what was just explained. As the theme has been with my last few blog posts, the witty remarks and clever writing will also be on hold. Most of the blogs I post for a while will entirely consist of announcements/technical topics. As you read this particular blog post to yourself, just imagine it in a robot voice. Robots aren't witty and clever. Therefore, you won't expect wittyness and cleverness. Genius right?

  I don't think wittyness is a word. Oh well.

  EDIT: 50th Blog Post!!!!!

  • Posted Mar 2, 2010 11:13 am PT
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