games, figures, translations and reviews
Monday, January 30, 2012.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 review.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is Motomu Toriyama's response to the public reception of Final Fantasy XIII.
Expansive in content and depth, Final Fantasy XIII-2's scope and linearity is in complete contrast to that of the previous title.
XIII-2's soundtrack pays homage to multiple prior titles including VI and VII; anything ranging from rock, progressive rock, melodic, symphonic and even opera. All non-playable characters are fully voiced and have multiple lines, offering help, insight into their own personal situation, or requesting help. Similar to Xillia, townsfolk will ask for enemies defeated, areas explored, items fetched, among other things.
XIII-2's story revolves around time travel, narrated by Lightning - XIII's protagonist. While she isn't playable at any point, she narrates throughout the entirety of the game, speaking past-tense implying she's explaining a story while knowing the outcome. Exploration is also very time travel based, travelling to parts of worlds--think of it as mending holes in the fabric of time.
Character personalities beyond generic NPCs are few in number to say the least, but those who make an entrance are well-crafted and especially detailed, such as Caius, the antagonist who continuously obstructs Serah and Noel's path. The anti-hero, while very powerful, comes off passive and vague in a manner which can only be described as rivalry. Keep your enemies close.
The only major flaw in the voice acting is the (previously mentioned) bombardment of information in the former half of the game, thankfully it eases up quickly as the game expands.
Being primarily based around time travel, the game takes place in a world map allowing you to "warp" to various zones (think Super Mario Bros). Each area must be visited to solve puzzles, collect fragments, among other things--after meeting certain requirements, new areas will become accessible from the world map, the "History Crux". XIII-2 also offers the ability to lock areas or retrace steps for specific items--this is very important drawing the conclusion of the game, where the true ending requires the correct history in order to be revealed. This leads to a lot of backtracking, re-visiting areas, and solving issues present in various worlds. The only problem with this, like so many pieces of material geared around time travel, is the lack of consequence and explanation as to what your actions have changed. From a logical point of view, changing events within time subsequentially equals different results - of which are unexplained here beyond pretty much just opening the true ending.
Exploration, freedom and variety are the centrepiece in XIII-2, the first title to take proper execution of jumping and adventuring within worlds, many with hidden secrets (in similar fashion to Xillia). Maps are fairly well designed, but the depth and consistency is all over the place. Thankfully you're allowed to visit areas as many times as you'd like.
Battles are basically the same as XIII, primarily using the Paradigm system to balance out healing, attacking and provocation. One major difference is to repeat the previously executed command, as well as engaging a third party member such as a Chocobo or Cait Sith in battle as a healer or otherwise. Most enemies can be captured and used within battle, complete with their own Paradigm Shifts, which is a really unique addition and adds a fair amount of customization to your party.
Each monster has a specific way of "evolving" their roles, ie. Healers evolve slowly but reach their ultimate level while Defenders evolve quickly but stop levelling entirely. So in addition to capturing and levelling monsters, the player needs to pay attention to the roles of the monsters as well. It's pretty much Pokemon - screw up, and it's up to you to capture another one and start over.
The difficulty of the game, much like its predecessor, remains high, especially within the final moments. Consequentially, being reckless with the Crystarium can result in a harder game in general, depending on which stats the player chooses while levelling. Crystarium is now far more linear and has single, differential roles that the player must choose and progress through. As a result, the player will be able to have everything eventually, but undeniably better results can be achieved in less time with more time spent in carefully planning where to distribute points.
The synthesis system is now merged with item creation, resembling something similar to the Bazaar of Final Fantasy XII, only more linear: the item is generally available for purchase depending on the world of the sellers, providing you have enough to shell out for it.
XIII-2 is extremely short in comparison to the previous games of the series - approximately 30-35 hours. It has no post-game, but allows the player to trek through previously explored areas (in turn, revealing more areas), even after seeing the credits.
Despite being relatively short, the game gambles itself entirely on replay value. Prominent aspect of replay value being in collecting "fragments"--three or four in every world--all of which are necessary in order to view the true ending. Endings are plentiful and require the player to backtrack through various cutscenes in specific sequence in order to change the outcome.
Another major factor of collecting fragments is in how to obtain them. It varies from side-quests to visiting specific points in time, to killing special enemies, and even in acquiring abilities.
Mog, the mascot accompanying the duo, besides acting as a tour guide will also be able to sniff out items, hidden areas and even people which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Seemingly annoying, but ultimately useful.
XIII-2 is plentiful in content but fails miserably in the time travel aspect it sets itself up in. A lot of the situation isn't explained - it just happens. The "true ending" is still a bad ending, making the game feel half complete, as if to imply there will be a XIII-3 or possible "alternative story" through DLC.
Character interactions, facial expressions and NPC interactions have been wildly improved, but are inconsistent: facial expressions, lip syncing and voice acting are hit and miss. The first few hours of the game bombards you with tutorials, information and backstory, while still managing to fail in explaining precisely why this canonized scenario exists.
XIII-2 is a very confused game. It doesn't know whether it's coming or going. In one regard, it's a light-hearted, content-filled game with a story in there somewhere. On the other, there's very much a grimdark story that tries to take itself seriously.. amongst the death metal music, gigantic Chocobo capturing and half-Chocobo half-woman merchants. Unfortunately even having done so, the game itself still has flaws which are still making me question why this game exists, much like I was questioning when I was a few hours in. It's in complete contrast to XIII itself and a better game in depth, but throw all expectations you had of story out the window because it's just not there. This is more or less fanservice for those having played XIII but felt left wanting more.
Friday, January 27, 2012.
Yes. Yes, let's rob people of selling their games.
http://kotaku.com/5879439/why-an-xbox-with-anti+used-games-tech-makes-perfect-sense
"What do you think?"
Considering it's Kotaku, therefore I'm unable to support a site which steals information or makes shit up for attention in general (which is quite possibly the case here), I'll respond here.
If real (which I find unlikely) they're effectively giving the next generation to PC. Steam, GoG, doujin, MAME... why should I partake in this next-generation, of which won't get off the ground for the first few years? There's still issues which haven't been fixed in any of the firmware or dashboard updates. Issues like being unable to screenshot within games, unable to record without outlaying $250 on a Hauppauge HD PVR, unable to listen to music within games, unable to globally disable microphones, unable to use controllers of preference, et cetera. All of these are problems which the current generation of consoles have. Basic stuff, which shouldn't have been glanced over, but still exist.
Microsoft and Sony have a fair catalogue of digital, indie and retail games gathering dust with no exposure nor marketing at all because they have absolutely no clue of how to market them. Games on Demand and PS3 retail titles through digital distribution rectify this, but suffer IP-locking and regional pricing issues. As for PS3, the available number of PS3 titles through digital distribution is pathetic, not even 50 games. Even Japanese developers are complaining about Microsoft's marketing.
The way both companies work is manipulative. They want you to buy the console at launch, and beta test their console for them. They want to upgrade with newer dashboards and firmware. But what have they actually added in these updates? Have they rectified any of the issues above? Have they actually upgraded for the better of the user, or for themselves and their image? Yeah, didn't think so. They're not going to show any tokens of appreciation unless it's for marketing purposes (Kinect, Twitter, Facebook integration), or if they fuck up (Sony). Sorry but, "Added support for 3D televisions" is translucent; buy our Sony branded 3D televisions!
Steam isn't entirely free of guilt, either. PC games have had CD keys since the 90's, retail games require accounts before being played (which is why I didn't even install GTA IV which came with my previous PC), but they also have significant price drops and versatility. All of the issues above suddenly become irrelevant, which means even if you are paying the full price for something, it's generally a better way of doing so.
In closing, how about a quote? "do not bite the hand that feeds". Microsoft nor Sony are in any position to dictate.
Monday, January 23, 2012.
January haul.
Haven't updated in awhile. I'm not sorry. Twitter's making blogs and forums largely irrelevant so I haven't felt the need to, especially considering how time consuming this is.
Bought a Samsung SH100 camera to replace my ES17. I don't buy electronics that aren't black for practical reasons, so I had to wait awhile for this to come in stock. I liked the ES17, and pretty much wanted more of the same but with Wi-Fi capabilities. Uploading directly to Photobucket saves a lot of time as I don't have to bother with USB cables. Smartphones are still way overpriced and wouldn't have done the job half as well as a real camera, otherwise I would have purchased one of those. It seems like there's 3000 Android phones which are outdated daily and there's no fucking way I'm going to keep up with that shit (mentally, financially or otherwise).
The Black Rock Shooter dakimakura is drawn by Chinese artist TID, and is sold by doujin dakimakura makers Evening Call (eveningcall.net). If you're wondering why doujin dakimakura sell above that of official ones--it's a matter of availability. I paid for this back September when they opened pre-orders for a reprint, it actually wasn't reprinted until late December. Doing so saved me a staggering 500 yen. I usually don't like huke's characters drawn by anyone but huke himself, except for this piece. I wanted it the moment I saw it, and I originally saw it thanks to tentaclearmada.
I bought the PS3 version of iDOLM@STER 2 for a few reasons. First, it was technically free. Second, I marathoned the entire anime in something like three or four days, and then word got out that the characters from Dearly Stars are going to be added. But mostly, I accidentally deleted my 55 hour save in March of last year, so I decided to wait for the PS3 version. I predicted it would be released for the PS3, and while rigged battles and shit is pretty annoying, it's a fun game and feels seamless to play.
Lastly Oneechanbara Kagura, which arrived today. First 360 game I've bought in about 8 months, probably because there's been nothing else worth buying. I've played a few hours now and it's pretty much what I expected, although pretty buggy. I actually destroyed a boss an it gave me a game over. Another time I was stuck inside a statuet and had to roll out of it. It'll probably be patched at any rate, apparently these aren't the only bugs that people have found.
So, yeah, that's pretty much it. I've predictably been playing Dark Souls, even moreso now that I've beaten XIII-2. I want to get all the fragments though. Great game, I'll reserve my thoughts for a real review of it though.
Monday, January 09, 2012.
So, I bought the 360 version of Dark Souls..
The 360 version of Dark Souls literally feels like I'm playing 1.03 all over again. It feels like a different game. Co-op soapstones (white), orange soapstones (hints) and invasions are minimal at best. Since this game wasn't sold in Japan, and 360 versions always sell less than PS3 versions, I wasn't really surprised. I still wanted to check it out.
From a graphical standpoint, it's the same. Framerate is an entirely different matter though. I saw the 360 version dropping below 5 fps in Blighttown's lower areas, between the bonfire and The Great Hollow. New Londo is also terrible if you're skipping ghosts to lower the water.
What makes the 360 version so terrible? It's the hackers. I've been invaded by a level 1 player with max stats, rolling around in full Havel. I've had someone kill me with infinite Stamina using Dragon's Head. Funnily enough bleed is effective against cheaters, since blood loss cuts a percentage of health, and isn't indirect damage. Still though, it's a hopeless battle.
I've given it a fair shot though. Made it up to Kiln. Oh, and that level 1 hacker? I knew he was level 1 because I was level 7 by the time I made it up to Kiln, and Darkwraiths cannot invade people lower than them. As in, nobody above level 7 would have been capable of invading me at that point.
I genuinely wanted to low-level pvp in the 360 version but it simply isn't happening. Oh well, back to the PS3 version.
I guess I'll also mention that I've heard about the petition to release Dark Souls for PC. My thoughts are fairly simple: FROM Software and Bandai Namco have no experience with PC--it would need to be outsourced to another company, which means it'll be hilariously shitty or filled with hackers unless there's VAC-like security in there. It's a great game (for PS3) and there's no point dividing the fanbase yet again. I'm not even a PS3 fanboy, there's no point in people depriving themselves of the game's base. If you have a PC capable of running Dark Souls better than a PS3 to begin with, you probably have enough money to buy a PS3.
Thursday, January 05, 2012.
of trophies/achievements
I keep putting this entry off, let's just get it over with.
My perception of gaming has been flawed by achievements, or so my gamertag might suggest. On the other hand, I've been buying more PS3 titles and playing more games throughout 2011 because I find "trophies" completely and absolutely redundant. Two platinum's of which I don't really care for; there's absolutely no reason to obtain every weapon in Demon's Souls other than for the trophy, and I wouldn't have Platinum in that game unless I went out of my way for it. At least with achievements, of which Sony clearly took the idea from, there was some sort of "score" to compete with. For trophies, there's only the possession of the Platinum itself. I do like this over just simply getting 1000 points, but I feel as if achievements serve a better purpose.
And to the point. Achievements in general aren't necessarily "bad", they're there to serve a purpose: extends a game's lifespan which, in turn, generates better value for money. I really like this aspect and would like to believe this is the true purpose of achievements. The realist in me knows it's a crock of shit--these companies don't care for replay value or value for money, it's just another marketing gimmick for profit. And it works. Unfortunately, achievements in general ruin gamers. People are buying games multiple times for completion ratio, they're playing shitty games for achievements, etc. I mean, get real. This is not gaming. This is some sort of territorial obsession.
All three forms of achievements can be hacked, cheated in, or obtained without actually having to do them. That's another reason why I can't really take these seriously, because there's always going to be people cheating. I could pretty much ignore cheaters and pretend like they don't exist, but it's something to factor into the equation.
The problem: Achievements are usually not milestones, but rather the act of completing menial tasks for a false sense of security.
In reality, you are not "achieving" anything. You're being told that you are--a little dialogue box pops up and your overall points increase, but none of this actually exists. There is no gain, no reward, nothing. It's an entirely psychological goal. Achievements are flags within the game disc which unlock when certain flags are passed. With that, the actual achievement in question could be obtained prior to "achievements" or "trophies" existing. People have been keeping track of their 1ccs, games beaten, amount of times they've completed a single game, among other things, for decades before they even existed.
Achievements are merely that. History of progression that could have been done at any given point prior to this generation of consoles. In a way, shooting fans are similar. For them to detest mainstream achievements is ironic, the difference is in the commercialization.
Prior to achievements? MMORPG players should be accustomed to obtainment. Their account isn't theirs, the items they acquire aren't actually theirs, and they don't actually own anything obtained. They pay for "their account", but in reality, they're paying for the server access, bandwidth and uptime. They are, in the purest form, tools. Despite all this, they're under the impression that they have an account filled with items they've found.
So with that, I welcome achievements, because they're sure as fuck not going away--but I cannot bring myself to care for them (or any other form of), any more.
There. It's done. Let's never talk about this subject ever again.
