• 8Feb 08

  No more love for Square-Enix?

  Hmmm where to begin. I guess it was with the SNES. Final Fantasy 3 (6), Chrono Trigger, Mario RPG, Secret of Mana. Man, those games were really just plain fun. They've even aged pretty well; I always find it easier to play a 2d RPG than an older 3D RPG (FFVII, although it is still a damn good game). Back then I was a pretty young gamer, so I never paid attention to who the developer was that made those games.

  Then the PS1 comes around and bam! Such a huge mountain of awesome games from both Squaresoft & Enix. FFVII, VIII, IX, Anthology, Chronicles, Tactics, Xenogears (which to this day I'd rather play 100x more than any of the Xenosaga games), Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross (hey, I enjoyed it), Front Mission 3, Legend of Mana, Brave Fencer Musashi, Bushido Blade series, Parasite Eve series, etc. I could go on forever. Not all of these games were AAA contenders, but almost all of them were busting at the seams with that Squaresoft charm that they always seemed to manage to put into their games.

  Enix was also a dev that I had an interest in during the PS1 era. Games like the Dragon Quest series, Valkyrie Profile, and Star Ocean 2 were great experiences amidst the flood of other JRPGs.

  But something happened during the PS2 days that really just flipped my interest in Square on its ear. As I've said before, not all of those Square PS1 games were AAA, but I loved all of them. And even though a lot of people scoffed at The Bouncer, I found plenty of enjoyment from it. It was a nice little PS2 launch title that still looks and plays pretty decent today.

  I remember seeing pics of FFX in magazines and just thinking 'meh'. Yes, I realize this was still during the Suqaresoft days, I don't think I stopped caring about their games after the merger or that I felt the merger hurt them in any way. In fact, after playing about halfway through FFX, I just wanted to quit and move on to other games. Maybe it was just too linear for me to take. For a next gen leap, I was really hoping for an even more fleshed out overworld than the last 3 FFs offered.

  That feeling never ended; After watching Kingdom Hearts come out, I felt SquareEnix were selling themselves out. Getting rid of substance in place of fanservice. I missed the risktaking Square & Enix had during the PS1 days. I found Radiata Stories to be decent, Drakengard to be extremely meh. Wondering why they even bothered continuing the SaGa series, which I always considered one of their worst. I did enjoy Valkyrie Profile Silmeria somewhat. Hugely pissed off at the way the never Mana games have turned out. Liked Dragon Quest 8, but it felt pretty standard fare for an RPG. Saddened by the way Musashi: Samurai Legend turned out. Not too thrilled with FFTA, after the wonderful FFT. Like a lot of fellow JRPG lovers, I found myself shelving FFXII about halfway through the game. Just disinterested and uncaring of how the story wrapped up.

  It seems like almost all of the SE games I've loved for the past few years have been GBA & DS remakes of the old FFs & the PSP remakes of Valkyire Profile & FFT.

  But mostly it was Advent Children. Oh did I hate that pile of garbage. It just seemed like one huge FFVII fanservice wrapped in a very pretty package. There could have been a great story in it, but it was lost amongst the really bad pacing and overdone pseudo Matrix-Dragonball Z fight scenes. Not only that, but it opened the gates to the FFVII compilation. Most of us will probably never play Before Crisis. Dirge of Cerberus was just a mess imo. The only good game out of the bunch seems to be CC, which I've heard is overly melodramatic. I'm not surprised at it coming from the way SE writes lately, but from what I've heard, its almost too much.

  It feels weird hearing friends praise SE games I couldn't give two cents about and watching people losing it over FFXIII. Trust me, I don't want this game to flop and there's no doubt in my mind that it'll hit AAA status easy. I don't know if something has changed in SE that's brought in more easy-to-please fans, or has my skin just hardened over the golden years of the SNES & PS1 JRPGs? I guess seeing a chick do flashy sword moves or watching Shiva turn into a motorcycle doesn't really impress me over a really well put together story.

  I know I'll probably get a lot of hate for this; I'm used to it from friends who just discovered SE during the PS2 era and have no recollection of their former days. I'm just wondering if I've burnt myself out of JRPGs or have they just gotten stale and predictable?

  • Posted Feb 8, 2008 11:33 pm PT
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• 25Jan 08

  Hunt for a Wii is over!

  Wow, today was a particularly great day among a pretty mediocre week. Starting at 1 a.m. Wednesday night (or Thursday morning), I downloaded the Devil May Cry 4 Demo and 15 minutes later, I was slicing up demons to my heart's content until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

  Thursday morning rolls around, I get up at 8a.m. and realize I don't have to be in work til 11:30, so I spend the majority of the morning replaying the DMC4 demo and giving Undertow a shot since it was free. Playing it on a Toshiba Regza 42HL167 is unbelievably beautiful. This game has been getting hazed a lot, but no one is giving it a chance. I've had tons of fun with it so far and am very grateful Microsoft has given it to any LIVE subscriber who wishes to download it.

  Fast-forward through the day. Uneventful day at work (spent the majority of it reading American Psycho; if you liked the movie, you'll love the book. Even if you're not a fan of reading). At around 6p.m., a co-worker informs my friend that a gamestop literally spitting distance from where we were just got a random shipment of Nintendo Wiis in. Out of fear of losing out on another chance to pick up a Wii, I ditched work for about 20 minutes to go nab one (if they wanted to complain, I could've just tole them I was on break at the time). I pretty much spent the rest of the night inviting friends over playing Wii sports. Now I own the next gen trifecta of gaming!

  

  • Posted Jan 25, 2008 12:39 am PT
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• 19Oct 07

  This Holiday Season

  

  As I write this on October the 19th, 2007, I wonder to myself where am I going to churn up about half a grand within the next month to support my addiction that all of us gamers suffer from. Myself being an Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 owner, I have quite a few high quality games around the corner. Not to mention several games I still want to catch up on or have not yet purchased.

  The way I buy games for each console is similar to the way I bought games last gen. My PS3 is my console I buy exclusives for since there are plenty of top notch games I can (or will, whenever they come out) only get for the PS3. The reasons are; I prefer the 360 Controller; it's a bit thicker than the PS3 so it's more comfortable for my hands. I don't know a single person in real life that owns a PS3, but many friends who have a 360 & live. So that accounts for a fun, more personal online experience. And I'd be lying if I said achievements didn't help even if they only tip the scale by .01%. Everything I can't get for the 360, I'll get for the PS3. Any multiplat that is substantially better on the PS3 than the 360, I'll get for the PS3. It's not that I don't like the PS3, but at the moment, I feel the 360 offers a bit more for me.

  So on topic for this holiday, I'm looking through my 2 newest Game Informer mags that I haven't had a chance to touch since they came in the mail within the last two months, and I just see a plethora of games that pique my interest. It's almost like my holiday catalogue. Since my 360 is my number one at the moment, if you haven't read the last paragraph, I notice a bundle of games coming out within the next month or two:

  • Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
  • Assassin's Creed
  • Mass Effect
  • Virtua Fighter 5 (woulda gotten the PS3 version, but once I heard this one has online, well )
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  • Army Of Two

  That's already 6 games ($360, not counting tax) coming out within the next month. Then I start flipping through the mags and see that those PS3 games I've been looking forward to are coming out in... November?! I'm sorry, but this is a surprise to me, I really haven't paid much attention to the PS3 library since Bioshock, Halo and the Orange Box all came out within weeks of each other. My list of PS3 game is a bit short, but sadly, this will double my PS3 games collection.

  • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (this game looks so kick***, I've been waiting for an adventure game for so long. This one feels almost like what Indiana Jones should be in a videogame)
  • Haze (I'm almost unsure of whether or not I should throw $60 down for this on the PS3 because I'm almost certain it'll be on the 360 within a year. I mean, it is Ubisoft for crying out loud.)
  • Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction (now, I've never been into the R&C series, but I needs me a platformer and after playing the ridiculously good-looking demo, it is a possible purchase if I have any cash left over.)

  Other games that have been put onto the backburner are Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Rock Band, Guitar Hero III, and a few others. Plus I'm still trying to catch up with games that have come out a few months ago: Forza 2, PGR4, and Heavenly Sword (might have to be a rental because if it's length though ). I'm just thankful Games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Too Human, Alan Wake, Lost Odyssey, Condemned 2, Devil May Cry 4, Ninja Gaiden 2, Banjo Threeie (squeals), Grand Theft Auto 4, and probably one that I am most excited for: Borderlands aren't due til sometime in 2008. I know I'm forgetting many games, but at the moment, it's hard to remember so many interesting games. Not to mention hints of GeoW2 and other games I'm forgetting.

  It's a good year to be a gamer & I'm glad I own both the 360 & PS3 rather than bickering about which is better. I don't own a Wii at the moment. Not saying it's a bad system, but the 360 and PS3 are keeping my gaming needs fed and my wallet malnourished. And I'm not even going to look at what's coming out for the PSP and DS, I love my portables, but this is the season of consoles (yes, I know about Crisis Core, GOW:COO, and FFT)

  Also, I'm sure some will notice a lack of FFXIII in this post. Sorry, this is personal preference, and the last FF I enjoyed was IX. Everything since then has been 'meh' and FFXIII looks to just infuse more of this flashy crap over substance approach SE has been using for the past several years.

  Also: BRUTAL LEGEND. I love you Tim Schafer!!!!

  • Posted Oct 19, 2007 1:27 pm PT
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