Christmas 2008: The Loot

As promised, once the extra Christmas money and gift cards were used up, I would update everyone on the Christmas stash I received this year.

It’s been a silent worry of mine that I’m outgrowing Christmas more and more each year. Gone are the days where I would be bouncing off my couch impatiently while waiting the next day to see if I got that brand new SNES, N64, and Genesis systems, followed by its subsequent games (from Mario to Sonic to Zelda). I no longer rely on my parents to seek out the biggest winter titles, and always rush to the store on day one to secure them myself.

Plus, it doesn’t help that most big releases no longer fall on the Holidays. The last really good December release for me was Final Fantasy X, which was released two months early on a limited Gamestop shipment. Boy that was some good times.

Anyway, despite the lack of surprises, I got some decent stuff, which includes:

1. Prince of Persia (Xbox 360)

The guantlet's pretty emo looking, but otherwise he's a clown.

Like I said before, I purchased most of the big titles on my own, so I just asked for whatever I hadn’t secured. The newest Prince of Persia reboot (and boy did it need one) does away with all the emo and grim overtones that were shoehorned into Warrior Within and haphazardly brushed off in Two Thrones and gives us a real pretty adventure with a Yorda-type partner that hardly requires any assistance and has no problem keeping up with you. Combat has been set aside as a secondary mechanic in favor of more acrobatics and wall jumping, which is a good thing in my book (only Two Thrones boss encounters felt engaging without getting repetitive).

Also I’m prety sure the new Prince is played by Uncharted’s protagonist Drake.

2. Lost Season 4 (Blu Ray)

Time traveling bunnies? Yes, John.

I felt rather guilty that my parents spend that much on the season set, considering that it’s least $20 cheaper on Amazon. But according to them, Gamestop charged them $40 for PoP above (why, I have no idea), so I guess it balances out. Even so, I barely got past disc 1 in the Season 3 set I received last year, due to the following season playing on ABC at the time. History might repeat itself here, as Season 5 is right around the corner, but I foresee at least watching most of this set, as Season 4 was the best season since the first one.

3. Sneakers

I didn't take my sneakers off, I am Sneakers 'O Toole!

Nice sneakers, too.

4. Pajama Pants

Midnight fridging in style.

Can’t ever have enough of these. That makes three so far. Three. Yep.

5. A…Blinging Shirt

Trying very hard not to make any offensive jokes

If you can’t make it out from the image, those are tiny, shimmering beads decorated around the skull. Not the first shirt I’ve gotten from my Grandmother that will require an exchange later.

6. A Bitching Watch

The hands glow in the dark. Shit yeah.

Okay, there was at least one surprise, courtesy of my incredibly rich, incredibly unhappy Godfather (he goes through TVs, cars, and wives like Costco food samples). One accessory I’m always confident in wearing is a nice looking watch. I hope this gives me a sharp look when I start attending college courses next week.

7. $100 and $20, Respectively:

Which was used to buy the following:

SOCOM: Confrontation Headset Bundle (PS3):

The packaging should have had the Bluetooth on the front, with the little side-pic mentioning that SOCOM was included.

I made good on my own Delicious Deal, taking the Blockbuster flier to Play ‘N Trade (which opened up just five minutes away from home) to honor the price match. The headset works as well as promised, and the game is decent enough, although it’s got an annoying case of frame stuttering every 20 seconds or so (and specifically when respawning or encountering an enemy). It’s just too bad the headset doesn’t seem to be used on other online PS3 games (LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Online).

Wall E (Blu Ray)

Listen, Barnaby.....

This sucker was seriously hard to find. There was one left at the Circuit City I usually frequent. It was also the first time I regretted going to their store, as they had this new BS policy about not honoring the price match on Target’s ad without first confirming if Target had any copies in stock. 25 minutes later they honored it, and for some odd reason charged less than Target’s price and no tax ($19.60). Still not worth the long wait when Target was just two blocks away. Looks like CC really is coming to an end.

I still got $50 left over, but probably won’t spend it anytime soon.

8. $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card:

I was a hair’s length from buying the hardcover print of The Watchmen, which was already on sale for 20% off. But I decided against it, thinking I would enjoy the movie more if I went in fresh and unaware of the major plot twists and epic set pieces. Plus I really wanted to read a good horror story.

So I ended up with:

2oth Century Ghosts (By Joe Hill):

Hopefully has nothing to do with "Thirteen Ghosts"

I never heard of the author, but he came recommended by a fellow PA member, so I decided to give it a shot. A quick skim verified that his writing was good enough.

The Walking Dead vol 7: The Calm Before:

Make no mistake: This will not end well.

I discovered The Walking Dead at my local library, and thoroughly enjoyed borrowing each book until they stopped carrying it up to volume 7. I wanted to collect the series from the beginning by ordering the hardcover collections from Amazon, but I can’t stand not knowing what’s going to happen in this volume. Even though the book suffers from a ridiculous amount of overexposing dialog (it’s a comic book, fellas, not a novel. use the visuals, not the word bubbles), it’s still a very chilling series that lets you know right off the bat that none of the characters are safe from a sudden and gruesome demise (except maybe the protagonist, although I bet he wishes he were dead at this point). It’s unfortunate some jackass from a PA thread had to post a very spoileriffic pic from this volume (my eyes just can’t avert themselves quick enough), but I’m still eager to see what’ll happen here.

So that’s that. I’m planning another big article before the year is over, so look forward to it.

Delicious Deals: SOCOM Confrontation (w/Headset) and Wall-E (Blu Ray)

I’ve gotten all of my Christmas gifts, but I’m not ready to post my loot yet until the Christmas money has been used; Wouldn’t have much of an effect to take a picture of a $100 bill, after all. By Sunday I should have used that money on all post-Christmas purchases, and I’ll show off my swag by then.

In the meantime, I’d like to share a couple of delicious deals that might help you decide what to do with your Xmas cash. It just so happens that both deals were part of my Christmas list, making it nice and easy for me to collect on what was left out.

SOCOM: Confrontation (w/Headset)-PS3

Blockbuster Video is having a clearance special going on right now, though I’m not sure how long the sale will last. Regardless, the best deal falls on SOCOM: Confrontation, where you can buy the game along with the headset bundled for $44.99, new.

Like some, I’ve mostly wanted this game just for the headset, which is said to work quite excellent with crystal clear quality. The headset by itself goes for $50, so spending an extra $10 for the game was always the smart way to go. But now with this deal, you can get the game and the headset at a cheaper price than just buying the latter, so now’s the time to nab it. The sale isn’t listed on Blockbuster’s website, but you can find fliers taped to the walls of their store, so if they happen to be out of stock, just take the flier to your local price matching store.

Wall E 2 Disc Edition (Blu Ray)

I was rather surprised that my folks had informed me that while they tried to look for a copy of Wall E, as I requested, they had completely sold out at Best Buy when they went. I didn’t think Blu Ray movies had reached DVD caliber sales yet, but between this and the quick sellout at FYE, it looks like they’re just a hair’s length from becoming the new accepted format.

I shouldn’t have to explain what a fantastic movie Wall E was, and how it’s one of the best looking movies to have on Blu Ray, so I’ll get right to the deal. This Sunday (12/28/08), Target will be selling the 2 disc edition for $19.99. This might not be entirely enticing if you were holding out for the 3 disc Digital Copy edition, but if you only require the movie to watch off your PS3 (or blu ray player, as they seem to be quite affordable now), the 2 disc is all you’ll need.

Go forth, and buy.

Collecting Powerups in a Winter Wonderland

It’s Christmas Eve, a time of family gatherings and barbeque pork (for us Floridians). As for the rest of you, as soon as you’re done arguing with your relatives over the lack of cheese pizza, I have an activity for you: Play a winter-themed level from your favorite game.

Most of you will probably be busting out this highly lauded Metroid Prime level:

Or maybe you’ll try something more current, like Gears of War 2’s frozen recreation of the River map. Trust me on this, though, don’t suffer through the incredibly broken matchmaking system, especially during a peak time like today. Think older, like SNES era.

Today, while traveling with my sister for some last minute mall shopping, I came across an FYE store that was having a closeout sale, in which every single item was selling for 50% off. Yes, every single item. Naturally, all the premiere stuff (PS3, Xbox 360, Ipods) sold out quickly, and most of the Blu Ray titles were generic fodder, and not to mention the fact that FYE’s prices have always been absurdly high compared to Best Buy and other stores (I’m honestly surprised they lasted this long), but there were some deals to be had here.

What did I walk away with?

Believe in me who believes in you.

Gurren Lagann Set 01 for $20, containing two volumes at nine episodes total, English and Japanese.

You’ve most likely heard the insane amount of hype and praise this series has gotten, or you’ve experienced it yourself. I for one can’t go a single visit to the internet without people proclaiming this as the greatest anime ever made, a triumph of the human spirit and all that. I’ve always had my doubts about it, since I wasn’t a fan of FLCL, and this sounded like the same kind of self-parodying series that wanted to be wacky and over the top for the sake of being wacky and over the top.

And speaking of tops, I also wondered if I could get through the series without being horribly distracted by the mega popular Yoko, who probably has some sort of world record for quickest rise to popularity among otakus, no doubt in part to her flame bikini top and massive bouncing breasts (and the fact that she’s underage, which should be disturbing for some but a major turn-on for most).

But despite my misgivings, I’ll probably get suckered into it as well, because I do love big budget robot fighting anime shows. So “row row, fight da powa” and all that noise.

Oh, I have one superpower: I never give up.

Justice Leage, Season 1 on Blu Ray, $30.

As I’ve said before, FYE loves to seriously price gauge its titles, especially anime (box set collections usually retail for $90), so I can only hope that I paid below the regular price that this season 1 set goes for in stores like Best Buy, because only paying exactly what it’s worth hardly qualifies as a “deal”.

I also debated for a long while to pass this season over and wait for the far, far better Justice League Season 2 set, or the Justice League Unlimited Season 1 set to follow it (which, in my opinion, is probably the finest thing to come out of the entire DC Animated Universe, not including Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker). Regardless, this collection will not disappoint, even if does suffer from a few minor issues such as a wrinkled (and mostly weak) Superman and the fact that none of the masked heroes ever take their masks off….even when they’re being treated for injuries.

'Keikaku' means 'Plan'

Death Note 2009 Calendar, $7.

I’ve had a Naruto calendar, two Full Metal Alchemists, and a Bleach so far, and I really wanted to have a Death Note one this year, but began to lose hope when I couldn’t find any in the local calendar kiosk. Imagine my joy in finding this in FYE’s closing sale. I wouldn’t say it was “Just as Planned”, but I feel quite accomplished to represent next year with the best anime series I’ve ever been enthralled with since Evangelion.

So, Merry Holidays and whatnot. I asked for either Prince of Persia (the new one) or Socom: Confrontation (mostly for the bluetooth headset), so I’ll find out tomorrow which, if either, I’ll be getting.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be hitting the slopes.

Always with his delusions....

Not literally.

5000 Hits, Plus New Website

My first 5000 hits. I’m a proud blog owner right now. Couldn’t have done it without you fine viewers. That little counter on the right comforts me with the knowledge that I’m not writing to myself, and motivates me to keep on bringing the hits.

Thank you, truly.

And thank you, ZConnect, a British-based gaming website that has offered me a position as reviewer, making my online work dedicated to two active sites and one comatose site. Even though my consoles are all Region 1, I was told that both the DS and PS3 can play PAL games with no problem, so it shouldn’t be an issue to review whatever they send me. I’m just glad to have another opportunity in building up my gaming journalism credentials, so much so that I’ll withhold making any British jokes.

Oh alright, just one.

Someone tell this cigarette to shut up.

I’ll be making an additional post on Christmas Eve just to lighten up the festivities. Cheerio.

Prospective Previews: Jump Festa’s Final Fantasy XIII Preview

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

Despite claiming twice already that the Japanese surge of FFXIII info was over, details from this year’s Jump Festa quickly emerged online.

Unfortunately, as the newest trailer was shown behind closed doors, there won’t be any new video footage that I can share. If it’s any consolation, someone did manage to record the audio from both trailers (a lengthy seven minute trailer and a shorter summarising of the same trailer), which you can download from these two links, provided by Kagari from NeoGAF.

http://kagari.zerox20.net/GAF/no_1.wav

http://kagari.zerox20.net/GAF/no_2.wav

The links may take some time to load, so you might be better off just right clicking and saving the files.

So what can you make out with just the audio? A lot of screaming for one, including what I believe to be the Wilhelm Scream in the no_2 link. You can also hear the main theme on more than one occasion. Obviously, this is no substitute for the lack of footage, which not only showed a seamless transition from field to battle, but was apparently so impressive it had the entire Japanese audience cheering wildly.

There are write-ups from people who were lucky enough to witness the footage firsthand, so rather than steal their detailed posts, I’ll just link you to them.

I wouldn’t make this post without a few pictures for you to look at, though. The Jump scans have been released, showcasing a few screens from the trailer, and offering a clear look at how the battle sequences look. I’ll be commenting on the notable features of each scan, which you can view in larger detail by clicking on them.

So it seems that “Sera” may not be the name for the Pigtailed Girl, and may in fact either be an alias she uses, or the name used to classify her race (of which she is reportedly the last of. I’m getting shades of FFVI’s Esper girl Terra, which is a positive sign in my book). Either way, it looks like her official name (assuming that Jump’s romanization is accurate) is Oerba Dia Vanille. It’s a handful of a name no matter how you say it, so I hope they stick with calling her Sera (much like how FFIX’s Garnet keeps the alias “Dagger”, although in this case I’ll take the alias over the real name).

Also shown is a fully armored guy that looks very similar to FFXII’s Judge Bergan. Hopefully he’ll get more exposure than the brief screen-time each of the Judges got (Drace, the only female Judge in the game, gets exactly two scenes, rounding up around six minutes of total screen-time). There’s some sci-fi looking monsters as well, reminding me of the Gnosis from Xenosaga.

Just some new shots of Lightning. In the trailer, there’s a part where she decks out Snow for losing Sera (or “The” Sera, whatever), and showcases further sweet maneuvers during the battle screens. Doe she legitimately want to protect Sera, or is she only doing it out of her duty to the crystals?

Here you can get a brief look at how the field looks along with the battle sequences. As promised, you’ll be able to see enemies on the screen before engaging them, but rather than switching to a separate screen for battling, the camera just adjusts a bit while you fight on the spot. It’s said to be very similar to Chrono Trigger’s enemy encounters, which is a very, very good thing. The command window now opens up multiple tabs instead of just overlapping when you switch to Magic or Items, which is another nice touch. Gotta love streamlining.

Unfortunately, what is lacking in these new scans are the new characters shown during the Jump trailer, of which there are three in total. Some attendees were kind enough to offer sketches of their appearances, despite not having the best drawing skills out there. At least they outdo most of Deviantart.

The first character is said to be a young male character, looking like an easygoing male in the vein of FFX’s Tidus or FFXII’s Vaan. In this sketch he looks disturbingly similar to Chrono Trigger’s Lucca, but I did say that any resemblances to CT could only be a good thing, didn’t I.

Next there’s a guy with an afro, or a “half-afro” anyway. Not much I can say about him, so moving on.

And third, we’ve got…the third girl, shown below in much better detail from a 2ch member.

Looks like we’ve got our third girl in the group, described as giving off a Rikku vibe in personality. If that’s the case, then maybe this one is the token cute, young female party member instead of Sera (who is starting to sound more like the kind healer type character in the vein of FFIV’s Rosa and FFVII’s Aerith). She’s also mentioned to have the skimpiest outfit of the three, which raises an eyebrow from me considering that Sera is already comfortably dressed.

We’ve also got some shots of Lightning’s PlayArts figure, previously shown uncolored way back during E3’s first trailer. It’s coming along mostly well, but the face is looking a bit cheap and plastic. Hopefully it’ll get touched up before release, but considering how long these PlayArts take to come out, it darn well better be.

Also on the horizon is a replica of the infamous “Shiva-Bike”, in which these shots give us a much clearer look on how the two Summon siblings transform and fuse into a vehicle for Snow to ride across (both in cutscenes as well as in battle). You can clearly see where Snow is supposed to sit, and well…looks like the Fetish Fuel page on TV Tropes is going to need an update soon….

And finally, some shots of the upcoming Dissidia line from Trading Arts. I was never a fan of the Trading Arts brand of FF toys at first, as their figurines are much smaller than PlayArts, and look more cheaply made, as evidenced by how some of the famous FF heroines look like men in drag, as well as having misshapen bosoms floating in mid-air. They’ve improved substantially with their SD lineup, however, so I’m quite interested in this Dissidia line, although I’ll continue to hope that Warrior of Light and Garland get the fully poseable PA treatment.

Also, it seems that Cloud and Sephiroth are getting yet another pair of highly overpriced statues. How about giving some of the other characters more due? That Advent Children look for Tifa is going to waste, you know.

And to make sure I don’t make a Musical Musings page that brings up Final Fantasy yet again, here is the song “Cosmos” from the Dissidia soundtrack, of which I’ve really taken a liking to.

You can also grab the mp3 here.

And that should finally, finally cover all FF posts.

At least until next year.

Retroactive Reviews: Mirror’s Edge

And here it is, just submitted to Armchair, but posted here for your early viewing pleasure. The game’s been out a while, but if previous reviews haven’t helped you reach a decision, perhaps mine will be the deciding factor.

Also, I worked on the closing on this review about five or six times, so apologies if the final line crosses over the edge of cheesiness.

Uh…moving on.

Mirror’s Edge

Score: 8.5/10

When the first person perspective was created for video games, it introduced players to what would arguably become the most immersive experience a game could offer. Gamers would experience new worlds and settings through the eyes of their character, feeling enemy fire whiz by their ears, hearing their heartbeat violently increasing as their health became low, and having face to face conversations with characters who entrusted players with their hopes, and enemies who would hunt them down relentlessly through winding corridors and full moon nights.

The first person perspective became relevant to gamers during past classics like Doom and Quake, and has steadily increased the immersive experience with modern updates like Bioshock and Call of Duty 4.

With EA’s Mirror’s Edge, the first person view has taken another revolutionary step, followed by a full-on sprint. Putting players through the eyes of a young girl named Faith, Mirror’s Edge almost completely removes the typical conventions of the FPS genre to focus primarily on increasing the immersive experience of the character.

In the near future, there are young delinquents known as “Runners” who scour across city rooftops and buildings to deliver important packages while avoiding the strict and often violent police force, which have perfected the motto of “shoot first” while completely scrapping the “ask questions later” part. As a Runner, Faith becomes entangled in a conspiracy to frame her sister for the murder of a mayoral candidate, and must travel across the city’s highs and lows to solve the case as well as escape the invading police force.

Mirror’s Edge has one primary mechanic, and that is to run. Inspired by the French art of Parkour, players will experience the thrilling routines of Faith’s daily life; Jumping between rooftops, grabbing ledges and ropeways, sliding under pipes and squeezing into air vents, if players can see a reachable area, they can probably get to it, provided they’re always maintaining a good running speed for those impossibly long gaps, and an even faster pace when the fuzz starts blasting away with shotguns and sniper rifles. The graphics are impressive enough in displaying a city primed with gorgeous colors (yet still maintaining an eerie atmosphere of a society sterilized and caged by its government), but it’s the details surrounding Faith that truly amaze. From the crackling wind from a fast sprint to the gasping struggle to hang onto a ledge (not to mention the squeamish moment as you miss that jump and find yourself plummeting into the pavement), Mirror’s Edge stimulates your senses by simulating the experience of Parkour in every painstaking detail. Control of Faith is almost exclusively done by the shoulder buttons, with one trigger to jump and grab ledges, the other trigger for sliding and squeezing unto small structures. Balancing between sliding, grabbing, crawling, and jumping while maintaining a speedy momentum is a wonderful sight to see as well as experience, and the high def visuals and trance-like soundtrack make for a great showcase for non-players to gawk at.

Unfortunately, a couple of pit stops bring this fast and fun game from receiving the gold at the finish line. As mentioned before, police officers and security guards frequently chase after Faith from chapter to chapter, and while there are a number of ways to dispatch these enemies (such as a simple punch and kick combo, or a quick-reflex disarm move that knocks out an enemy and steals their weapon), it’s usually best try and outrun them, or throw a couple of punches and get going before they recuperate. The chase sequences themselves are engaging and usually resulting in the kind of escapes seen in Hollywood movies, but there are moments in the game where you will not be able to advance due to a locked door or elevator, which will remain locked until you take care of all the enemies within the vicinity.

This attempt to keep the elements that have defined FPS games for years ultimately keeps Mirror’s Edge from redefining the genre. Simply foot, it’s a first person game with the shooter portion tacked on, and forcing players to slow down and fight these heavily armed soldiers who can dispatch you in just a few rounds lead to frequent retries and even more frequent frustrations. And while the game does reload players to the nearest checkpoint quick enough, it also dumps them in areas where it can become momentarily disillusioning how far back they’ve gone, and where they’re supposed to go next. There’s a button that will move the camera to where players are supposed to go next, but oftentimes this does not take into account that the destination is closed off or inaccessible from your current position, resulting in some guesswork on where to go next. Lastly, while the game features some breathtaking visuals, the developers have oddly chosen to use a different visual style to tell its story during key cutscenes, which not only feel disjointed from the actual game, but also gives players the feeling that Faith just wants to sell some Esurance.

While the tacked-on combat portions bring a blemish to the game’s identity, and the overall length is a bit on the short side (although there are plenty of speed runs and time trials to encourage multiple playthroughs to master each area for the best online time), Mirror’s Edge is still a breathtaking adventure that has brought a new immersive experience to players along with the thrill of the hunt(ed). Have a little faith, and take that jump over the edge.

Retroactive Reviews: Armchair Empire

Today, The Armchair Empire has posted the third review that I contributed to their site. Paired with the EndWar review I posted previously, that makes up all reviews I’ve written for the site as of this writing. Have a look, if you please:

Baja: The Edge of Control (360)

Everlight of Magic and Power (PC)

Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP)

Mirror’s Edge is up next.

Prospective Previews: Even More Final Fantasy Madness

Looks like I spoke too soon about giving the Final Fantasy posts a break; Just when I thought the media surge was over, even more trailers and scans have popped up on the internet, covering nearly all of Square Enix’s upcoming blockbuster hits.

Count yourself lucky, fans, because I’m going to collect all that info, including a nice big avi file that collects all the Re: DVD trailers into one 600mb movie. And yes, you can play it on your Playstation 3.

So let’s get that link out of the way so you can read the rest of my post while you download. Grab the Re: Collection trailer here. For those preferring a torrent, you can grab one here. Thanks to Kagari of NeoGAF for the ripping and uploading of this file.

Now, as Kefka would say, let’s get this party started.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete:

Streaming Trailer

With the exception of this year’s The Dark Knight, Final Fantasy VII’s epic return as 90 minute CG movie was the last time I truly became excited for something. I’m talking  Nintendo Sixty-Fouuuuuuuuuur excited. Not only was it a proper return for the characters and setting that left so abruptly in 1997, but it also served as an introduction to an independent series of FFVII-related spinoffs and sequels.

Many people shared my sentiment, but then soon scoffed at the film for being essentially a 90 minute FMV of nonstop fighting and little development. I was fine with the film, knowing that above all else it was supposed to be a fanservice movie, but it certainly could have slowed down a bit and added more expositional dialogue.

Which is why I can’t help but get excited again at the Blu Ray version of the film, which adds brand new and extended scenes (reportedly around 30 minutes more). This trailer is the first confirmation that there will be new dialog scenes in addition to the extended fights. For fans fresh off of Crisis Core, there will also be an extended flashback sequence with Zack (and I can only hope we’ll get some highlights of his final battle in that game). For people who scratched their heads at the origins of Geostigma and Kadaj, both plot points will also be addressed in full during the added conversation.

But will we be getting any extra scenes not involving Cloud? Could the rest of the party get their due in some new encounters? Aside from a new sequence where Denzel dispatches an enemy, that has yet to be revealed. It sure would be cool if Tifa’s fight with Loz would get changed so the battle ends in her favor.

Fabula Nova Crystallis:

The videos for both games are still available in my previous post, or you can just watch the ones included in the Replay file above. Some new scans have appeared for both games, including one from this week’s Jump magazine, showcasing a pretty picture of Sera along with some official shots of the game’s battle mode. It also reveals that “Sera” may just be an alias, as the character’s official name is listed in the scan, to the confusion of translators; The best they can decode from the Kanji is “Wolva Dia Vanilla”, with alternate translations of the first name as “Vova” or “Wova”. I’m certain I’m not the only one to be reminded of an old Seinfeld joke (that’s two for FFXIII).

Regardless, they are certain her last name is indeed “Vanilla”. Make of that what you will.

Some new scans of Versus have been included as well, with no new information aside from the full names of Noctis and Stella (which I won’t attempt to replicate in this post), along with a couple Agito pics for good measure. All scans can be found below (click for bigger size):

And to top things off, here’s a simple but effective fan-art of Sera (or Vanilla, rather) by GAF member KurowaSan:

Kingdom Hearts Portable Series:

Birth By Sleep Streaming Trailer

Birth By Sleep Gameplay Trailer

358/2 Days Streaming Trailler (subtitled)

358/2 Days Gameplay Trailer

358/2 Days Gameplay Trailer 2

Coded Streaming Trailer

The Square Enix love didn’t stop with Final Fantasy, though. Also included in the Re: DVD were new trailers for the three upcoming Kingdom Hearts spinoffs. Obviously, this is Square’s biggest moneymaker right now, so it’s only natural that these titles not only get a near-simultaneous release worldwide, but also push the portable systems to the limit with big budget graphics.

Birth By Sleep is the most impressive looking of the three titles, showing graphics practically on par with KHII on the PS2…so much so that it could be mistaken as a legitimate sequel instead of a prequel, set 14 years prior to the first game, and starring three new characters (one of them, Ven, having an obnoxiously obvious connection to Roxas, including the same VA) who venture into previously unseen worlds, including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella’s worlds. The latter level looks quite entertaining, with a large path leading to her castle (the same one you’d take in the theme park), and an encounter with Lucifer (the cat, not the devil). Sleeping Beauty’s level features an encounter with an enchanted boss version of the spindle that pricked her finger, which is amusing considering how far Square must have reached to decide on a boss like that.

358/2 Days, which is probably the most confounding RPG subtitle ever, looks to really rev up the drama with an all-too serious look into Roxas and Organization XIII, filling in the one year gap from Chain of Memories to KHII. The cutscenes are quite marvelous to look at, and the only way they could have outdone the sympathy factor with soft-speaking cutie Xion is by making her a puppy (which would make about as much sense as her very existence as Organization XIII’s fourteenth member. And if they’re trying to imply that she’s the Nobody of Kairi, I was under the impression that role was filled by Namine). The actual gameplay looks pretty fun too, allowing four players to play as any of the Organization members (I call Xaldin!), but the DS graphics really sting compared to the beefier PSP hardware.

It still looks better than Coded, which admittedly looks impressive for a cellphone game, but I have doubts if our phones will even be able to run it; We still haven’t gotten Before Crisis, after all.

Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday:

Streaming Trailer

There really isn’t much that can be gathered from this brief teaser, but the underlying message is clear enough: We’re finally getting a Parasite Eve sequel, and Square wised up by moving it from the cellphone to PSP. One of these days I’ll have to try the second game, despite the many criticisms against it. I’ve also forgotten how sweet that main theme is.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy Impressions:

Before I wrap this post up, I’d like to offer my impressions on Dissidia after playing a few battles. Now that the game is officially out in Japan, I decided to “sample” it on my American PSP. I won’t get into the details, since you can easily find out yourself with just a little bit of searching, but I wanted to see how much of the game I could figure out without using any guides.

For my first playthrough, I stuck to Player vs CPU battles, instead of trying the main story. From the outset, you’re able to choose all the heroes from the Cosmos side, with none of the Chaos villains or extra characters available yet. I first decided to use Warrior of Light against Firion. After selecting an opponent, you get to pick a stage, set some parameters on the CPU, choose a BGM of your choice, and equip one out of a pair of items, each offering different stat boosts (extra HP, DEF+, etc).

The fights are just as entertaining as they look in the trailer. You’re primarily locked on to your opponent, with the camera doing a respectable job of displaying both characters no matter how far apart they get (with a few minor instances of your view becoming obstructed by levels with ceilings, such as the Magitek Research Facility). Battles can vary in length depending how much you’ll want to play tag with your opponent, or vice versa. All characters have the ability to climb up walls and pillars, as well as double jumping and dodging indefinitely. It can be a quest in itself to catch up to a speedy opponent who climbs up three walls and zooms away, but supposedly there’s a button command to let you instantly catch up to them, but I haven’t found it yet.

The O button is the primary attack (likely to get mapped to X for NA), which in WoL’s case is a series of slashes, while the Square button is a magic attack (beams of light, natch) that can be charged. X is for jumping, and R1 is for blocking. Push X and R1 and you can dodge, which is essential to avoid some of the big attacks. You can launch opponents into the air, push X to zoom up to them, and O to give them a hard hit that launches them further into the air, or right into a wall. The opponent can counter the launch and put you on the receiving end to a chunk of granite, or the two of you can keep slashing and dodging  each other in midair. This is the highlight of the game, as it reeks of cool to watch two fighters climb walls (and in one case, on top of a ceiling, in which the camera rotates to both of them as they’re upside down), launching one person into the air and then engaging in an aerial battle for supremacy. It reeks of Advent Children, but it also works effectively.

What I can’t figure out is the HP system, in which under certain combinations, attacks can deal far more damage than normal, to the point that a losing character can quickly turn the tide with a devastating attack. The game rewards counterattacks, at the very least, as well as hitting an opponent from behind or during a failed dodge maneuver. There’s also a bar that fills up for the EX-mode, but it can fill up instantly if you collect a glowing bell that materializes in the field, much like the Smash Ball in Super Smash Bros Brawl. Whoever mad dashes it to the bell can then perform the EX-mode by hitting the opponent with a Square+R1 attack, which then results in different commands for each character; For Cloud, it’s tapping the Circle button for Omnislash, for Terra it’s a directional pad+button combination, and Squall’s depends on the correct timing of R1, just like in his own game. For people on the receiving end of an EX attack, pressing Circle rapidly will fill up a gauge to the left which I assume is to reduce damage, but that won’t do you a lick of good if you’re already at low health.

The AI is vicious in this game, at least for someone inexperienced as me. In my battle of Warrior of Light against Firion, it took four attempts to barely subdue him, as he always managed to get off an EX-mode finish. My next play of Cloud vs Squall fared a bit better, as the two were about evenly matched. The next battle of Cloud vs Zidane was a lot tougher, due to his speedy moves and small size. As for Terra vs Cecil, the Dark Knight/Paladin whooped the living crap out of the poor half-Esper. Terra’s regular attacks do very little damage, in which it falls upon you to use her more advanced spells. She certainly has a lot of variety, with each attack mapped to a particular element (Ice, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth), but she must have very low defense considering how Cecil pummeled her with his Dark Wave and lance attacks. His EX-mode is particularly painful, in which he attacks you as both a Paladin and a Dark Knight, chaining attacks from both jobs. At least I was able to pull an EX-mode of my own, in which she morphs into her Esper form and charges up for a big magic spell. I particularly liked that finishing an opponent off in Esper mode has her do an exclusive victory pose under that very form.

The stages I tried were Garland’s Castle from FFI, the dimensional castle from FFV, the Lifestream from FFVII, and the Magitek Resarch Facility from FFVI. Many of these areas have no floors, but it isn’t hard to maintain yourself in the air. Even if you do fall, you’ll just pop up on solid ground with a small deduction of HP. Of the areas I tried, the Lifestream was the most entertaining, as there’s nearly no limit to where you can climb; Watching two characters running up the walls of life energy, then dashing toward each other in the air was a thing of beauty. The Magitek factory was a bit confusing with its multiple paths, but has an interesting aesthetic where you can get a boost in energy by standing under certain patches of glowing particles (Magitek energy, or leaked Esper energy? I suppose they’re one and the same, regardless).

Much of the music is either classic tracks taken from an existing arrangement (such as the Black Mages or the Orchestral performances), but there’s some brand new arrangements too, including, finally, an arrangement of my favorite boss theme, The Fierce Battle from FFVI. The arrangement of FFIX’s standard battle theme was quite entertaining as well.

While it still isn’t confirmed if there are any unannounced characters, the game doesn’t lack in extras; more than once after a battle, I would be greeted by a tiny sprite Chocobo, kweh kwehing about while a tiny icon appeared above its head (such as a music note or a sword icon), no doubt indicating that I’ve unlocked a new item or BGM. There’s also greyed out icons in the main menu, possibly extra modes that require unlocking. It seems that you also automatically receive a new item when playing the game at a certain day or time.

All in all, Dissidia delivers, even though the paltry list of characters is highly unfortunate. The actual game itself can be played just fine without knowing any kanji (but you might require a guide for the more complex commands), but I’ll only be playing a few brief sessions before shutting down for good and waiting for the official NA release.

Tune in when my Mirror’s Edge review will go up, which should be around Friday. That should also conclude any further Final Fantasy posts for a while. Maybe. Probably.

*All images taken from FFXIII-net.

*Re:DVD Trailer ripped and encoded by Kagari of NeoGAF.

*Sera fan-art provided by KurowaSan of NeoGAF.

Prospective Previews: Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis

That’s three Final Fantasy posts in a row. Well, I did warn you about such an outcome in my About page, but considering that the last few days have seen an increase in FF related news and releases, I can’t be held entirely in fault. If you have no interest in the series, I urge you to check back later this week, when my Mirror’s Edge review will go up, and another three weeks when my Persona 4 review will be due.

If you want an early synopsis without checking back, I’ll assure you that “they’re both great” and bid you adieu. Moving on, today’s preview looks at the newest media released for the Fabula Nova Crystallis series (New Crystal Story), making up Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Yep, the guy's so popular they've got a magazine named after him. There's also a soda called "Sephiroth Flavor". Now that's whoring with style.

Last week saw the release of Japan’s CLOUD magazine, releasing brief but new information on the FNC series. That same week saw the release of a new DVD magazine, called Re: (for Replay):

They sure are being pretentious with the naming schemes.

The “Re:” magazine was the real meat and potatoes, as it came with a DVD showcasing the trailers from TGS2008, previously only shown behind closed curtains to the dismay of cellphone users everywhere.

Remember when PSM magazine used to include DVDs with Japanese trailers? Yeah, DVDs used to be so cool.

It didn’t take long for importers to rip the trailers from the DVD and put them up, but it took some searching to find high quality rips that weren’t horribly compressed for streaming sites like Youtube (another reason I miss Stage 6).

In this blog post you will find, as of this writing, the best quality rips of the trailers, downloadable and fully playable on your Playstation 3. It’s the next best thing to playing a demo of the game (which will be out in March). If you just want to watch a streaming link, you’ll find them here too. Read on for those links along with a short preview for all three FFXIII games.

Logo Theory: It's either two people riding a dragon, or a transformation sequence of the girl turning into said dragon.

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: The primary entry of the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation, Final Fantasy XIII features the return of many of the key players behind Final Fantasy X. For fans of Final Fantasy XII, this news comes as a bit of a disappointment, as it potentially decreases the chances of many of the new ideas set forth by FFXII. For me, I couldn’t be happier, having thouroughly enjoyed FFX. Also, while the story may not hold a candle to the mature and expertly written scenario from FFXII, it’ll definitely end up as a more heartwarming tale with more character interaction than the entirety of the previous FF (which felt like the Cliff Notes version of what should have been an epic narrative).

The story itself sounds pretty familiar: We’ve got two sides of the world, Coccon and Pulse, the former a futuristic city featuring clean streets and a tight government running things (i.e. Evil Empire) and the latter a barren wasteland resting below the peaceful city, where those who possess an inkling of magic are considered unclean and immediately banished to the hellhole below.

Except (surprise!) Pulse is actually a pretty nice hellhole, teeming with lush forests and animals. Chosen by the Crystal (FFs I through V), Lightning and her cohorts venture forth to free the people of Cocoon (get it? it’s a metaphor.) from their oppressors and show them the truth of the world outside.

It basically borrows plot details from several FF games and mixes them all up into one, but the info is still sparse at this point, but even if that’s the gist of it, the real appeal is the cast of characters, namely the protagonist.

The Characters:

Lightning: True story; A couple of days before FFXIII’s unveiling at E3, I had thought to myself, “It’s about time for the next FF hero to be a woman”. After the last (and until now, only) female protagonist in FFVI, we’ve had two unfriendly, emotionally unstable protagonists, two goofy, fun-loving protagonists, and whatever the hell Vaan was supposed to be. For Final Fantasy XIII, we have a female protagonist, and I think that’s just rad.

Lightning (a code name given to her, as she has no recollection of her true past) has been given the task of keeping people interested in FFXIII’s slow development by being the sole star of the first couple of trailers, but she certainly has left quite an impression: This one-woman army has demonstrated acrobatic maneuvers mixed with deadly spell combinations that almost makes it seem like she’ll be soloing the entire adventure without a party. Considering the fast paced nature of the battles shown along with the amount of property damage caused to the surroundings, it’ll be interesting to see how two or more party members will fit into the chaos.

Nomura has described Lightning as being a real “macho” type of character, originally going to be much more buff until Square demanded she meet the feminist preferences of Japan. She is also known to “hate crybabies”, and will rally her party members like a Drill Sergeant whenever they have one of their cliched moments of depression. She’s also mentioned to be the oldest protagonist in FF history, although that isn’t much of an innovation when the previous characters were, at the most, in their early 20’s.

Regardless, Lightning sounds like a very promising lead character, especially if her personality closely matches fan favorite MGS3 character The Boss. Just try to block out the claim that she was initially designed as “a female Cloud”.

Sera/Sarah: Called “Pigtailed Girl” by casual observers and “NomChan” by psychopaths, Sera serves up the requisite cute girl portion of FFXIII’s party. The difference between previous characters like Penelo and Yuffie is that Sera seems to actually be integral to the story. One of the aforementioned magic users (called “Luci/Lusi”), Sera was kicked out of Cocoon and banished to Pulse, being one of the first to discover its true beauty. She is seen acquiring the Carbuncle summon from a CD-shaped disc, and also escorted by soldiers along with the game’s possible main villain.

I haven’t met a variation of the “cute girl” party member that I didn’t like, so Sera should be no different. Her design is quite sweet, looking like a young Aerith. Usually the cute girl character comes in two types: pure and innocent, or hyper and bratty. Sera’s probably the former, and it’ll be interesting how she’ll interact with “Crybaby Hater” Lightning. Personally I’m hoping they form the main relationship of the game (ala Final Fantasy XI’s Prishe and Ulmia), rather than turning Lightning into a hopeless romantic.

Snow Villiers: Called “Mr 33cm” by the staff, in reference to his shoe size, Snow was the second FFXIII character to be unveiled with mixed results. People were intrigued by the character due to the simple fact that he has facial hair (and is thus far manlier compared to characters like Vaan), but they were also put off by the rather ridiculous “Shiva Bike”, a summon of two Shivas that transform into a mortorcycle. I’ll just go on record by saying that I would really love a transforming Bahamut Airship and leave it at that.

Snow is classified to be Lightning’s “bodyguard”, to her annoyance; His carefree, joking attitude is said to get on her nerves, but she still ends up giving him a pep talk when he is seen doubting his abilities in one of the latest trailers. Snow vows to Lightning that he will “Finish the mission, and protect Sera”, but it’s unclear if protecting Sera is the mission, or if one objective conflicts with the other. His desire to protect both girls give me the feeling he’ll fulfill the Big Brother role seen in other hulking characters like Barret, Steiner, and Wakka.

Mysterious Woman: Shown in the newest trailer, this female soldier is seen during Sera’s escorting. Based on her outfit and affiliation with the other soldiers, she’s likely an enemy, but it remains to be seen if she’ll end up the main villain of the game. The odds are good though based on her design; If Lightning was modeled as a female Cloud (again, try to suppress your discomfort), it only makes sense that her rival would be a female Sephiroth. She’s got the coat and long hair down, but her sword is noticably shorter, almost like a dagger.

Regardless, I would love a swordswoman adversary to quarrel with Lightning, so I hope Sephirotica here delivers.

Battle System: Gameplay is said to utilize the popular but not-quite-perfect Gambit System from Final Fantasy XII, with more control given to the player. All enemies will appear onscreen, and some are said to vary in size (with large enemies said to be “very large”). Multiple party members are confirmed, but there will be many occasions where the group will split up into one or more teams, ala Final Fantasy IX. This time, however, you’ll be given a realtime look on all the characters via split screens.

The battles are also said to be quite frantic and furious, as the teams behind both this and Versus are competing to see who can recreate Advent Children’s fight scenes more accurately.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

On the top left, you'll see a blurred out image of a new character. Is he a party member? An enemy?

Logo Confirmation: It's a Shinigami, an integral figure to the story. Uncomfirmed: If it likes apples.

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: Tetsuya Nomura gets a lot of flack from westerners for his overuse by Square (he’s mentioned to currently be working on over five games at once) as well as his affinity for dressing characters in black, and inserting accessories in any part of their body that he so chooses, even if he is well aware that zippers do not belong on hats, nor are belts to be worn as armbands. But the majority must clearly favor him if he continues to work on most of Square’s projects, and Square clearly loves the guy so much that they’ve given him free reign to develop his own Final Fantasy XIII title alongside the main game (although keep in mind that’s not what the “Versus” in the title refers to, but rather to symbolize it as an extra chapter alongside FFXIII).

Me? I love the man’s work. Even if he does get a bit repetitive with his designs (as many game artists do), they still reek of coolness and otherworldly fashions. And if nothing else, he knows how to grab players emotionally; Kingdom Hearts I and II (his first gig as main director) resulted in several tear-inducing moments (in the latter’s case, just under 2 hours from the starting point). And the ever praised ending of Final Fantasy VII’s first disc? It was his idea.

That is why Final Fantasy Versus XIII, his first directed FF title, and the first game where he’s allowed full control over the story, gets my full attention. The game’s first trailer was one of the best teasers I’ve ever seen, showcasing a gritty, moody setting full of Shakespherian quotes, beautifully tragic music, and a main character who doesn’t look like the heroic type.  Versus has been referred to as “the darkest entry in the FF series”, full of characters neither good nor evil, but forced into opposing sides due to a war of terrotories and beliefs, and a plot that draws upon Shakesphere’s stories to create a branching cast of characters that may, inevitably, fall into tragedy.

It’s going to be awesome. So awesome.

Characters:

Noctis: The “hero” of the story, Noctis is described as the prince of a forgotten aristocrity, fighting off invaders from claiming his kingdom’s crystal. Despite the uncanny resemblance to Naruto’s Sasuke, Noctis has showcased moves and abilities even more impressive than Lightning’s. He has ten swords levitating around him, and frequently switches between the weapons during combat. He also has a teleporting ability that lets him instantly warp to whever his swords are thrown, and is shown to be utterly mercilous with whoever he fights (he is shown snapping the arms and necks of several of his attackers).

For people who couldn’t stand Cloud or Squall’s depressing personalities, Nomura has stated that Noctis has a personality completely different from the two of them. Just how different is unclear, but he’s also said to be rather arrogant, as well as somewhat shy. His chance meeting with Stella proves he makes a bigger effort to chat it up with pretty ladies.

Stella: Looking like a cross between Celes and Rinoa (I can only hope she shares more traits with the former rather than the latter), Stella is seen as a sword wielding girl with magical powers, and will undoubtedly form a relationship with Noctis. The two meet for the first time in a banquest hall, with Stella fully aware of Noctis’ royal heritage, as well as knowing that he has made contact with a Shinigami (displayed in the painting behind them), a sort of God revered by the citizens of the game, and ultimately having a greater role in the destinies of the two characters. The two characters have been shown engaging one another, their eyes filled with sadness rather than hatred. Undoubtedly, their “lover’s quarrell” will make up the bulk of the game’s promised tragedy. Just try not to make the obvious joke about her name.

Noctis’ Posse: Consisting of a wisecracking shotgun guy, an upbeat mullet guy, and a coolheaded glasses guy, these three guys are only confirmed to be “old friends” with Noctis, and apparently work with him to resolve whatever conflict is plaguing his kingdom. Noctis is shown to have a softer side when Shotgun Guy gives him a noogie embrace, whereas Cloud or Squall would instead make a face and push the guy off. It was confirmed that Noctis would have AI party members assisting him, just like Goofy and Donald in Kingdom Hearts, so it’ll probably be these guys.

My guess to their role in the story? They die. Yeah, all three of them. Calling it.

White Robed Character: There’s next to no details on this guy…assuming it is a guy (I won’t dismiss the possibility that it’s Stella), other than it seems that Noctis hates this person to death. Without a word, he unleashes his swords on the White Robed Person, who in turn summons up a magic circle, putting the two into a magical John Woo standoff.

Gameplay: Described as an action game similar to Kingdom Hearts, but with more emphasis on weapons, Nomura promises that players will be able to perform all the cool moves Noctis uses in the trailer…except that he might then lose all those abilities after the opening level, in a nod to Metroid Prime. There will also be firearms in the game, requring a switch from third person to first (likely for sniping). The two Kingdom Hearts games feature a very fun and exciting battle system, but lacks somewhat in challenge. If Versus can replicate that with more dynamic spells and abilities, along with battles that are more challenging (and undoubtedly, more violent), then Versus will no doubt be as fun to play as it’ll be to watch.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

You can make out a concept pic of how in-game fighting should look on the lower left.

Logo Theory: Uh....

Streaming Trailer

Downloadable Trailer

Synopsis: So originally the third title in the FNC series was meant to be a cellphone game, so I was all “oh”. But now it’s going to be a PSP title, and now I’m all “whoa!”.

This game probably has the least information out of the three titles, but what is shown looks promising; Having a somewhat MMO feel like FFXI, you pick a character class of your choice and work with a group inside a magic training school, similar with the Gardens from FFVIII. I’ve said before that a FFVIII MMO where you can join the school of your choice and engage in missions would be entertaining, so Agito has my attention.

Also, its characters wear scarfs. Scarfs are awesome.

Characters:

As mentioned before, players choose whatever character and class they want. You’ve got gunslingers, martial artists, swordsmen and swordswomen. The one trait they share aside from the kickass scarfs is that they all use cards, though it’s unknown what the cards are for (magic, no doubt).

Gameplay: It’s an MMO. With Cards. Right then.

Artwork and Concepts (click for bigger size):

* All images taken from Final Fantasy-XIII.Net Downloadable trailers taken from NeoGAF. Stay angry, guys.

And The Final Dissidia Character Is….

"You have grown thin Basche. Less than a shadow. Less than a man."

As rumored, Final Fantasy XII’s Judge Magister Gabranth has been chosen as the last revealed Extra Character for Dissidia. If they’re going to pick someone from that game, it might as well be the character with the coolest design. The only question is who will win in the battle between Gabranth and Garland for the most fabulous suit of psuedo-fantasy armor?

Officially, Gabranth is the “final” character to be unveiled before the game’s release, but I’m still holding out hope that there are still a few surprise characters that are being kept secret until the game is in stores and discovered by early players. I still desire to see Tifa’s inclusion, but at this point I’ll take any extra female characters to fill out the meager ratio put forth by the official cast (in which two females are enemies, one is a neutral non-human, and the other is only a heroic half-human).

Also, Gabranth himself may yield a surprise, since those who finished Final Fantasy XII would be aware that someone else takes on the armor and role of Judge Magister during the game’s end. Regardless, he should be a fun character to use, and hopefully his battle theme will be the incredibly awesome Judge battle theme from FFXII.

Also, here’s the newest trailer, featuring Gabranth’s official unveiling.

EDIT: Subbed version of the same trailer available here.

Just three more days, importers. Maybe two, for you pirates.