I Finally Finished Final Fantasy 13!

          Finally...after about a year and a half, I have beaten Final Fantasy 13. Wow. Talk about exhausting. I have some very mixed feelings about the game. The linearity is not in and of itself a problem. However, the tiringly paced and relatively hard to follow plot are. Even with the plot inline, the story and cutscenes at times drag-on in uninteresting ways and lead to an unnerving boredom that threatens the future chances of finishing the title. This is all exacerbated by a feeling of being along for the ride. But don't get me wrong, the combat system is a fluid thing that can offer up a challenge in the form of contemplating and executing a workable strategy against the various enemies that lay before you. I found the battle system to engage more with the right paradigms, which are the in-game role combinations that can be set and swapped outside of battle and in battle they can only be changed but the roles within each combination (paradigm) cannot. With paradigms it can be a bit confusing and as expansive as the in-game log is, the system takes time to grasp and feel-out. Once you have a feel for on-the-fly swapping of paradigms, you will begin to see the hidden strategy beneath what at first appears to be shallow and auto-mated. (for instance, going from a medic/medic/sentinel, which is optimal for healing while the sentinel takes the heat off the squishier members of the party--i.e., Hope, to a ravager(magic caster)/ravager/commando(read: melee/hard hitter), which is better at building chain bonuses/gauge and staggering an enemy faster, and thereby allowing you to do more damage.)

            But back to the feeling of languishing in the games story and basic progression, I lacked the motivation and the incentive to finish off the game and so it has taken me so long to finally reach the credits. I just hope that FF13-2 is a much better experience. The graphics and presentation are phenomenal. Even to this day FF13 is quite a pretty game. The CG cutscenes are outstanding and serve as small treats in-between the tedium of high-pitched whining and a sense of going nowhere. That may be it after all--a sense of going nowhere. Vanille, Hope, Snow, etc. these characters dig in to the mellow drama quite often and it becomes overbearing and unbearably nauseating, at times. Minor spoilers--although they are quite minor and I doubt it would be totally enlightening, unless you have played the game already: The characters attempt to fulfill their focus as l'Cie at the start, but as the story unfolds they attempt to defy their focus--end spoilers; This all adds up to a large chunk of slow, plotting character development that, while entertaining at times, is uninteresting  and could have befitted from quicker pacing, with less slogging through long drawn-out sections of minutiae: both gameplay--walking through the varied corridor-like levels and story. 

             I just don't know, the game is excellent in-terms of general sound, graphics, the presentational bits and pieces, but the battle system takes a good while to actually open-up and it is never fully explained effectively; also the lack of freedom within the environments and the stories slow pacing and over-use of exaggerated characters--not to mention the long stretches between any meaningful plot points and the bog enemies, seemingly unending, a cascade of battles--each one feeling longer and longer than the preceding. I can say, having finished the game, I'm glad that I saw it through. I can't say that it was all enjoyable, though. Nevertheless, FF13 offers something...different that's for sure.

*Now I have to get back to playing through Watch_Dogs, which at this point is enjoyable and flexible.

Metro Redux Coming Later This Summer

        Metro Redux, featuring remastered editions of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light--this includes new animations and "next-gen" visuals, was officially announced by its publisher, Deep Silver. The releases will be available both as separate digital downloads for each game (Metro Last Light Redux and Metro 2033 Redux): priced at $24.99 each, or at retail in the Metro Redux packaging with an msrp of $49.99. Metro 2033 will have, according to Deep Silver, the most improvements, as it will feature improvements made to Last Light's gameplay (e.g., controls, A.I. improvements, combat changes, and graphics). But both games are confirmed to be running at 1080p and 60fps. All DLC is to be included, this includes the well-known and sometimes challenging ranger mode. Metro Redux is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation4, and PC-- no release date has been confirmed as of yet.  

         Though I have played the first and second titles in the series, based on the novel METRO 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky, I have yet to complete them (I was fairly late to the party). This HD upgrade is just in time as rumors have swirled since last summer about the potential PS4 porting of the games. But what really catches my attention with these titles is the detail--the commitment to the tone and place, which developer 4A Games does so well. The way you swipe the gore and residue of the wasted earth from your mask, the need for filters--lest you engulf the scourge of surface toxins; it all adds up to something bleak/oppressive/hostile... Yet, somehow, it inspires the imagination and subsequently empowers the mind to adapt and conquer the challenges of such a place and time.  For me, again, it's the aspect of putting me into Metro-- I am the protagonist, Artym, I do fear the unknowns that dwell within the post-apocalyptic reaches that lie scorched and ghastly--that stands out.  I look forward to seeing how Metro Redux shapes up upon its release.  

From Deep Silver, here is the official announcement trailer for the new re-release:

Cite:http://www.deepsilver.com/news/newsdetails/article/return-to-post-apocalyptic-moscow/

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is Looking Promising

          

          Family murdered before him. Talion, Gondor Ranger and protagonist at the helm, finds himself host to a wraith-- bound by fate, and suddenly brought back to life, there are many answers yet to be uncovered. Shadow of Mordor, from developers Monolith productions and published by WB Interactive, presents new gameplay concepts that have me brimming with excitement. The nemesis  system if pulled off well will offer up some interesting gameplay dynamics. Set before The Lord of the Rings and after the Hobbit, Shadow of Mordor looks set to offer up a mouth smacking bland of army building, RPG mechanics, open-world traversal, and a tantalizing assortment of enemy variety--in as far as their A.I. is concerned. Imagine a radiant A.I. system which can recall past encounters and prepare itself contextually to face off against the players Talion in future encounters--fashioning a thirst for vengeance, an in-game enemy, can you imagine that. Upgrading the wraith abilities, which seem to give Talion dominion over the minds of others and other magical, phantom shifting powers, looks to offer quite the tactical boon.  

Shadow of Mordor is coming to the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC on October 7th.

Check out an early gameplay video on Machinima's Channel:

cite:https://www.shadowofmordor.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Ps7puWAz1E

Watch Dogs Twitch Stream Was Insightful

    
Watch live video from Ubisoft on TwitchTV

          Watch Dogs developers appeared on an hour or so long Twitch stream today and gave a ton of info, some old some new. What stood out was the vision, one that encapsulated density and player volition. There was a sense that the world no longer remained a static, unchanged thing.  The ability to traverse with an Assassin's Creed-like parkour while activating hacks in creative, emergent ways, altering the playing field seamlessly in your favor, is refreshing to me. Some may disagree, but the graphics, running on a PS4 at low res, still looked good. The weather effects and the lighting combine to give this digital depiction Chicago an assorted complexion.

  

 ---- Half some fun with it....If you just like blowing [stuff] up, it's cool...

            

          Creative director, Jonathan Morin, and lead game designer, Danny Bélanger gave some interesting insights into the creative/ design process. Chicago was in fact chosen, not solely for its hyper-surveillance, but also for its greater, if theoretical, likely-hood of adopting such a city-wide operating system as ctOS. The multiplayer, then, becomes an extension of the game world's connectivity, thus linking players asynchronously for one-vs-one hacking or in larger, more chaotic four-vs-four matchups, centered on decryption and/or free-roaming.  If you haven't already, take a look at Ubisoft's stream--skipping ahead to around 20-mins in will get you past the rehashed promo videos.

Infamous: Second Son Review

Should you get hip to the power trip?

Infamous: Second Son, from Sucker Punch Productions

      Cole MacGrath--no more. Say hello to the new infamy: Delsin Rowe! Infamous Second Son introduces us to a new protagonist and a new setting.Seattle (in all its splendor and realism) is the playground for our latest adventures in the, now familiar, superhero comic-styled Franchise, Infamous. The lead, Delsin Rowe, is a member of the game's Akomish tribe. Delsin, from the very opening, is "painted" as a trouble maker. He lacks a sense of responsibility, but--if the player so chooses--he doesn't lack the heart or the compunction to make the daring decisions befitting a destined hero. Delsin is (all things considered) quite affable; and as he revels in his new-found abilities as a conduit, his attitude is infectious and serves to instill players with a secondhand bliss, so much so that uncertain experiences ahead seem bright.With circumstances that seem fated to be, if not strangely and irreversibly set in motion by hidden, causal factors--as future revelations may reveal, Delsin is torn from the confines of the Akomish reserve; and he must make telegraphed karmic (moral) decisions, which, to some extent, add depth and development, but, ultimately, have so little impact that the developers might as well have settled upon a two path system--as the current one artificially slots players into one of two karmic paths. The D.U.P (the Department of Unified Protection) has locked down Seattle and are out to contain the Conduit problem. Conduits are the Infamous equivalent of superhumans, think X-Men. Delsin, in a straightforward plot to undue the work of Augustine (the D.U.P commander in charge of a Seattle wide lock-down), ventures into Seattle for middling fun.

Watch_Dogs Preview

After nearly two years of hype, can Watch_Dogs (Ubisoft's latest open-world outing) hack it?

 

Watch_Dogs, published by Ubisoft, releases on May 27th

     
      I've been keenly interested in Watch Dogs for some time now. The game made its debut at E3 2012 to a floored crowd, anticipation has surged since. What the heck is Watch Dogs? An open-world action-adventure starring Aiden Pearce, a hacker extraordinaire. Yes. It is also touted to be a "true next-gen experience." From what has been shown thus far, I can say that things look assuredly bright for Ubisoft Montreal's latest brain child-- In development since 2009 and hotly anticipated.

HACK IN

       Hack anything, play any way, do anything--well, not exactly a tag, but you get the idea. Grand claims and grander visions align. The preview images and videos for the game show off the many ways that Watch Dogs will attempt to deepen the level of player interaction and choice within the gaming realm. We see the protagonist, Aiden, speeding across the cityscape of Watch Dogs' virtual Chicago. In escape of the authorities, he (the player) slows time and pinpoints from an array of options, which include ground spikes to steam pipes, the ability to hack an oncoming draw bridge. With his pursuers in tail, Aiden initiates the hack and darts across the raising bridge just in time to cutoff the cops. 

         How? The city--Chicago--is connected. CtOS, a city wide operating system, functions to monitor and control wireless, interconnected facets--both seemingly public and private. And as such, Aiden Pearce can hack the CtOS systems and gain control over many of the cities networked components. These include the ability to raise guard rails—for cover in combat, short circuit breaker boxes, activate searing steam pipes and, as has been seen innumerable times, hack NPC's cellphones and private networks. Though a morality system is nowhere to be found in the upcoming title, Ubisoft's creative minds want players to be wholly aware of their actions, choosing to forgo the stale and limited reaches of a binary morality bar, instead opting to reflect the consequences of player action within the dynamics of the city itself. 

Soul Sacrifice Delta Review

Soul Sacrifice Delta for the PS VITA, published by SCEA on PSN

The first Soul Sacrifice (an action role-playing game) was released for the PS Vita on April 30^th, 2013. It was well received. But it would appear that it was not as welcomed as it could have been, as Sony has chosen to release “Delta” the expansion to Soul Sacrifice as a PSN only downloadable title. I have had a chance to put a lot of time into the first entry, and I was quite impressed with the experience. The presentation lacks the furious budgets of larger titles, though who can tell if this is a hardware limitation or simply, and more aptly, a design decision; But, even without monstrous graphics, the original Soul Sacrifice captivated the imagination. With a coherent and readable art direction that communicated the “grim” world which your sorcerer inhabited.

You see, monster hunting games tend to bear the title of Monster Hunter clone, this may just be appropriate if said titles fail to establish their own unique qualities and revel only in copycat, derivative mechanics that fail to capture the intended audiences attentions and meet expectations. Monster Hunter is, of course, the dominate hunting franchise from Capcom that has a strangle-hold on what some may consider—at least in the U.S.– a niche genre. Within these games players can co-op and or solo a crafting, resource, technique sensitive experience, in a land filled with both large and small creatures that range the prehistoric gambit, in terms of design. Hunting down resources and harvesting them from monsters and the environment, then crafting armor and weapons this is the spirit of the hunter genre. A clear lack of narrative is neither an exception nor a rule, as some games, such as Monster Hunter, lack it, while others, such as God’s Eater, have veiled story arcs and plenty of dialogue.

As far as Soul Sacrifice is concerned, the new franchise sheds any heavy technicalities that one may associate with a learning curve in other Hunter franchises. The game is streamlined to an extent; superficially it is a snap to dive right in. The water, however, is not shallow. Offerings and the means by which you acquire them offer up reasons to complete and revisit the multitude of pacts that are scattered throughout Librom. With Librom being the book—yes the adventure takes place within a magical text—in which you adjust your characters appearance and take on quests—pacts—and story missions. The story, in short, surrounds a prisoner—you—within a bone prison settled within a post-apocalyptic world, ghastly in its appearance, mirroring the creature and character designs within the pages of Librom. You must acquire the means for your escape, by way of defeating your impromptu warden--a sorcerer of devastating power, by reading Librom and experiencing the tales inscribed within his pages.  Soul Sacrifice isn’t revolutionary or by any means amazing in its writing department, its stories—including the some of its pacts with narrative breaks—have twists, but it is not simply this alone that captivated me so, rather the quality of presentation: voice acting, at times overdone, illustration and music, together with the pangs of emotional weight that the execution of the writing allows—it does not fumble its pacing, and it dwells on what is important and sheds excess prose.

Shin Megami Tensei 4 Quick Review/Thoughts

  *Just a quick review of Shin Megami Tensei IV*

Shin Megami Tensei IV for the Nintendo 3DS, by Atlus

      The tensions of our lives are generally what makes them worth living. Rare is the person who can, in the end, praise the merits of a flat existence. With that said, one should keep this in mind as Shin Megami Tensei 4 implores all the tension that is at once reminiscent of a journey worth taking--and a life well lived.

      Have a Dark Souls style  experience without the perceived need of quick reflexes or heightened maneuverability. Megami Tensei 4 will see you through a calamitous 40 hour-plus adventure. Incurring upon yourself the trials of world shaping proportion as you take charge of a familiar--to the Shin Megami faithful-- yet vibrant and provocative assortment of Pokémon-esque demons. Starring as a samurai charged with the protection of your nations status quo and with it the theological underpinnings that seemingly hold fast the entire structure of society and its sanity.

Gameplay and story are a complement, sporting a turn-based, press-turn system that deepens with time and understanding, ultimately contributing to hours upon hours of drastic tactics and desperate, exhausting last-minute victories-- or unsurprising defeats. The atmosphere within the game rivals that of the combat, it is foreboding and impresses upon you the gravity and mystery that its narrative assumes. It would be a neglectful oversight to give away too much plot, but I shall attest to its captivating, if familiar, post-apocalyptic beats.