Gaming and Entertainment News & Reviews
Hello! Nothing crazy here, just a short introductory video to give you a face for the blog. I’ll let the video do the rest of the talking. It’s my first attempt at video content creation (and being filmed), so be gentle…
Comments welcome and, as always, thanks for stopping by!
I’ve been trying to think of a way to communicate random thoughts I have about games, the industry, and such. Until I figure out a proper platform for such thoughts, I will try to store them up and aggregate them here! Feel free to share responses or thoughts of your own in the comments.
More Switch content? No way! President of Nintendo, Tatsumi Kimishima has spoken out about Nintendo’s stance on VR. According a statement made during an interview, Kimishima has said that Nintendo already has the core technology of VR worked out. The only road block for them releasing it is that they haven’t found a way to make it comfortable for long play sessions. Once they overcome that hurdle, they will release the tech. A patent filed by Nintendo shows Nintendo has a VR headset already in mind, in which the Switch would dock similar to the way Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear work currently. Coupled with the Joy-Cons, you have a full virtually reality experience primed for release. People are bemoaning the power of the Switch’s main hardware, saying it wouldn’t be able to power a proper VR experience. Either Nintendo has faith that it will (and honestly, their games are almost always polished excellently) or they have plans for an updated version of the main hardware unit down the road. Either way, the modular design of the console would allow for a relatively inexpensive VR setup, even if upgrading the body was required.
With the tantalizing option of Nintendo VR being dangled in front of us, it begs the question: What Nintendo franchises would show off the tech appropriately? My thoughts are dwelling on Retro Studios. They’ve been hard at work on an undisclosed title for a few years now. If you put the mystery surrounding their new title up against the news of Nintendo VR and the Metroid 30th anniversary that passed rather uneventfully last year, it makes me think they could be working on Metroid Prime 4, fully playable in VR on the Switch. Doing so would be a fantastic show for fans of the series who have felt snubbed by recent releases in the series (I use that term loosely) AND it would simultaneously be a great showing for Nintendo’s first foray into VR. People have already been porting various Nintendo titles in to VR with the Dolphin emulator, so the interest is clearly there. If the Switch is capable of pulling this off, Nintendo would be wise to not sit on the news for too long. They’ve done a good job so far of showing the hybrid nature of the new console, so once it’s built a bit more momentum, drop the classic, “But wait. There’s more!” It would be a fantastic value add for an already promising value proposition.
My God. You’ve probably read about this on the internet already or at least seen a headline. I’ll keep it spoiler-free, but man, you’re being funneled towards a conclusion and things are exciting, then all of a sudden a poorly sequenced stealth chapter appears! Everything slows to a grinding halt and you’re helpless to do anything about it. I understand for the story why this segment works and was needed, but maybe introduce it a bit sooner or else make it a less jarring transition. The Spring Update is set to address this chapter, though in what capacity, I’m not sure. After having finished the game and loving the journey, I’m excited to know I can put this to rest for about a year and then pick up a New Game+ with all the Season Pass content released for a second play through. Hopefully, the characters and their relationships are more fleshed out and less reliant on expanded universe content (though Kingsglaive and Brotherhood were pretty good, watch them).
I’m working on ideas for new blog content besides the walls of text I subject you all to on a semi-regular basis. I hope to have an introductory video posted soon (using my limited recording tech), as well as reviews, streams, and other such video content. Don’t hold me to it, but that’s tentatively the plan. Look forward to it!
I doodle! Occasionally, I pull out my Surface tablet and draw things on it. Most recently, I’ve worked on a slightly stylized series of Nintendo consoles (because of my Switch hype). Take a look a let me know what you think or what you’d like to see! I’ll probably move on to the Sega consoles when the mood strikes again.
I may try to do these periodically. I recently bought a Humble Bundle that included several Star Wars games I currently own. To kick off my random giveaways, I’ve got a copy of the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic games, 1 and 2, to present to one person who wants them. Both of these titles are fantastic and would be a great addition to any Steam library that is currently lacking! Leave your e-mail address and I’ll send you the codes.
As always, thanks for reading and until my next post, happy gaming!
(All pictures from Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Site unless otherwise noted)
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series! 30 years is pretty solid since the original title was supposed to be a swan song for a struggling company, but here we are! We’ve just received Final Fantasy XV, a couple of remakes/remasters are in the works, Final Fantasy XIV continues to be successful in a market that many fail to break in to, and a plethora of mobile titles have launched in recent years as well. I’d say the brand is alive and well, despite a few stumbling points along the way. That said, with Square-Enix gearing up for 30th anniversary shenanigans, let’s take a look at their first round of announcements!
(Silly meme from KnowYourMeme.com)
If I have to explain the above to you, you may not be terribly interest in the Final Fantasy VII Remake that fans have been clamoring for since the days of the PS3. 20 years after its original release, we may see the first episode of the promised remake. Square-Enix released new key art as part of the 30th anniversary celebration. The image (shown below) depicts Cloud doing what he does best (looking emo) and the good ol’ One-Winged Angel looking rather emo himself, all framed by the Midgar skyline. You can almost smell the mako!
No other details were given. Tetsuya Nomura, who is currently working on the remake AND Kingdom Hearts III, released a statement expressing to fans that he needs us to hold on a bit longer for the teams to deliver the promises made for both of these games. When so much nostalgia is on the line, they should take every precaution necessary. Whether the statement was meant to hint that the first episode of the remake will miss 2017 remains to be seen.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age was given a release date of July 11th, 2017 during the first set of announcements. This remaster brings the Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System version of the game to the states for the first time. One of many “director’s cuts” for the series that the US never received, the Zodiac Job System version of the game offered just that, a job system with each job having its own license board, to allow for more party variety in the game. With trophy support, hunts, and all those license boards to fill out, I’m sure this will keep players coming back for a good while (or at least letting the game run while the Gambit system does the work). I look forward to stepping back into the shoes of Balthier…. I mean, Vaan, when Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age releases in a few months.
The fantastic foursome of Final Fantasy XV are receiving a solid amount of new content in the coming months. Starting with Power Rangers! Wait, that’s not right… Magitek Exosuits! Easily mistaken for the rangers of our youths, the squad is getting some mighty powerful armor that they can morph into once daily. While in the exosuits, the quartet will be invulnerable. Additionally, we’ll see the first episode focusing on a solo bro: Gladiolus. The content of the DLC was not revealed other than you’ll get to pal around with Cor and Gilgamesh since no bro should go it alone!
The final announcement in what I assume is just the first wave was the Mobius Final Fantasy will be headed to Steam in just a few days. On top of that, a crossover promotional event will take place in the game, offering players a variety of in-game bonuses.
Hopefully, in the coming months there will be more announcements celebrating the Final Fantasy series. Rumors had previously stated there would a compilation of the main series Final Fantasy titles, along with a fancy collector’s edition called the Crystal Edition. When more news breaks regarding the Final Fantasy festivities, I’ll be sure to have a new write-up!
© 2024 Spyder's Corner
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑