Tag Archives: Playstation

Final Fantasy Excitment!

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Hey everyone! Megan Highwind here again with a short entry about something that I am highly anticipating, Final Fantasy X HD! Now this may not seem like a big deal to everyone, but Final Fantasy X is my second favorite entry in the series. My PlayStation 3 is not backwards compatible and I am not buying the game again, this time from the PSN store, without any upgrades. I will freely admit that I would prefer for Square Enix to just release Final Fantasy XIII Versus (or whatever they are going to call it now, I’ve heard rumors they are changing the title but who really knows?) but I am just glad that they are putting out something that actually interests me.

Ffxboxart

Recently, they have also disclosed to fans that Final Fantasy X-2 will be included in the bundle. While Fantasy Final X-2 is not on my list of top Final Fantasy games, I did enjoy this game. I liked Shuyin and Lenne’s story even better than I liked the main story of Yuna and Tidus and I thought that the mini games were entertaining and fun. I know that more of the Final Fantasy gaming community would have preferred an HD remake of Final Fantasy VII and myself and a few others would prefer other FF title remakes even before this one, but the way I see it this is a start. I think that if the reception of FFX remade is good, that may persuade Square to continue with remakes for the new generation. I am excited that any remake that Square releases may bring new audiences to the franchise since sometimes bad, or old in this case, graphics can be a turn off for newer gamers. I am glad that these games that I enjoyed so much ten years ago (I know, it makes me feel old too!) are coming back somewhat new and definitely improved. Hopefully, this will be the start of a revolution of remakes from the Square Enix crew and it gets them to realize that fans still love Final Fantasy and maybe get them working faster on releasing Final Fantasy Versus XIII.  Until next time!

-Megan Highwind has left the party.

Review – Jetstream Sam DLC, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

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What’s good, everyone? Joshua Evo here (yes, I’m totally still around) with a quick review for you guys. Let me just start by reiterating that amidst some of the criticisms of rapid tonal inconsistencies,  seemingly “shalllow” game play and bizarre story in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I still enjoyed this game, except that I felt it was a bit on the short sid.. Thankfully, this past Tuesday, April 9, 2013, Konami released a DLC add-on that traced some of the backstory of my personal favorite character in the the game, Jetstream Sam.

The add-on puts players into control of Samuel Rodrigues, dashing swordsman,administrator of justice and man of MANY monikers (Jetstream Sam and the awesome sounding “Cool Brazilian Wind). After cutting down drug cartels and other underground criminals across Latin America, he arrives in Denver at the World Marshal headquarters to  further test his skills. For me, Sam was an incredibly compelling character just based off of his appearances and role in the rest of the game, so assuming control of him in any form was a tantalizing concept, as was checking out the differences between him and Raiden. To avoid spoilers, I’ll be focusing more on the game play rather than going too into detail with the story points.

How dare you, sir! My story DEMANDS to be told!

How dare you, sir! My story DEMANDS to be told!

While a lot of the core game play mechanics like Zandatsu, parrying, Blade Mode, Ninja Run, counterattacking and stringing attacks together are all still intact, there are some pretty notable differences between the two characters. For starters, playing as Sam feels MUCH less emphatic on stealth. Raiden’s Enhanced AR is replaced by Sam’s Taunt, which serves to attract attention to himself and enrage his attackers. What does this do other than turn you into a moving bulls-eye? Well, it makes affected units take more damage and more prone to blade mode destruction. Considering that Sam is much more flashy than Raiden, his attack swings are a little bit slower and more deliberate feeling. Virtually ALL of Sam’s Hard attacks can be charged for a few seconds to unleash much stronger versions of themselves with differing effects. While some of these are stagegeringly powerful, they can leave Sam vulnerable. Luckily, he is also very maneuverable; as he has an air dash and is granted a dodge roll/somersault move to get himself out of trouble spots. 

Pictured: Trouble spot.

Pictured: Trouble spot.

While also a bit short, the add-on also includes several familiar faces and additional collectibles of its own. The interaction with LQ-84i is particularly interesting and fleshes the two characters out a bit more. The Sam-specific VR Missions are very challenging and the differences in styles between Sam and Raiden, while subtle, are enough to need to modify your approach and attack patterns to get in and do what needs to be done progress. The familiar locations look as good as they ever did and Sam is a great character to control and watching his story unfold and seeing the chain of events that lead him to his place in the main story of Revengeance is satisfying and fun. The DLC is available now on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live for $9.99. Definitely give it a look if you’re a big fan of the game, though it might seem a little steep for casual fans.

By the way, if you check out the trailer above, keep an eye out at the very end for a teaser regarding the next bit of DLC.

– Evo out.

Great Game(s) You May Have Missed! (Part 2)

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Megan Highwind here! This time I am going to delve into the reasons why tri-Crescendo’s Eternal Sonata is a game that did not get the attention I feel that it deserved. Eternal Sonata was a Japanese RPG released on the Xbox 360 back in 2007 and the Playstation 3 in 2008. This game is amazing for many reasons, the first of which being its story.

Eternal Sonata is the story of the composer Frederic Chopin, lying in his deathbed in Paris, and the world he creates in his mind while he is not awake to the outside world. He creates an intense story with an alluring set of characters to match. I will freely admit that when I started this title I found myself thinking that it was going to be another overdone story, especially with the cutesy cover art and young looking characters, but I was wrong. When first falling into the world that Chopin creates, it is easy to feel like the story is going nowhere; but after the beginning sequences end and the heart of the story begins, it becomes so much deeper than at first glance. The story brings to the forefront the meaning of life and death, light and darkness and even dreams and reality such as the dream that Chopin created for himself. When the game ended, I found myself wanting more. All of the different characters that player encounters and the circumstances that have brought them together are also part of what make the story great. While they may all seem as though they are just children with no real issues to face, the more time spent with them the more it surfaces that not just Chopin, but Polka, Allegretto, and the others are all dealing with issues that are well beyond their years.

The gameplay in this title is another interesting part of the allure. Like some other RPGs, when a monster runs into the party the player controls three different characters and has to fight. Hitting the monsters is done by slashing with the X button while special attacks are reserved for the triangle. However, unlike other games the light and darkness elements and the party level system keep the game from becoming too linear. As the Party Level of the group goes up, things become increasingly difficult. For example, when the player begins the game there is plenty of time to counter attack an enemy whom is attacking you. However, the further along the game gets the less time the player has to use a counter attack. Similarly, the counter of time above the players’ head shows how much time is left before the enemies can attack. As players level up, the counter gets faster so tactics have to be taken into account to figure out the best way to get the most damage in. The final thing I loved about the gameplay in this game is the Light vs Darkness system. Depending on whether characters are standing in a light area or a dark one, the attacks that they can use change. This adds a level of difficulty to the game as well because it is not always easy to reach a light or dark area without wasting at least one turn. Little side quests like finding Score Pieces also add to the gameplay to keep it from being just about running through dungeons and killing monsters.

Orchestral composition has taken a VERY different direction these days.

Orchestral composition has taken a VERY different direction these days.

The final things that make this game worth checking out are the music and graphics. The music in this game is fantastic. Some of the songs are ones created by Chopin himself and are played at times with a thoughtful little saying or phrase that really add to aspects of the storyline. Other times pieces created by Motoi Sakuraba flood the speakers. No matter which composer’s songs are played during different times in the game, they blend together beautifully to create a picture of a world of beauty and hope as well as sadness and pain. Finally, the way the characters and backgrounds look and feel together are well done. The characters show emotion with every word and look that comes out of them. This makes it easy for the player to feel for them and their situations as the game progresses. The different places that the characters travel to and the worlds that they encounter inside of Chopin’s mind also contribute to the understanding of the state of Chopin’s innermost feelings and it is beautiful to behold how fluidly the characters and the settings blend together.

Overall, Eternal Sonata definitely falls into the great games that you may have missed category. Trust me when I say that if you enjoy games with an alluring story, memorable characters, beautiful graphics and incredible music that this game is worth a try. I decided to try it and even though it took a little while for the storyline to draw me in; once it did it kept me coming back until Chopin drew his last breath.

– Megan Highwind has left the party

Review – Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

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What’s good, everyone! It’s been a pretty long time since our last review but we’re back in fine style, and considering that 2013 has a very robust release lineup, we’re going to get right into it. Today, we’re going to be discussing Konami’s most recent addition to the Metal Gear saga, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. 

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As regular readers of the blog know, I’m a bit of a Konami fanboy. They’re responsible for some of the most awesome games I’ve ever played in my life, from Castlevania and Contra to Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders. Hell, I was even a Yu-Gi-Oh! player for almost a decade. So when Jessica and I got to go to the Konami Gamers Night press event last year, it goes without saying that I was pretty drooly at the prospect of playing the demos for both Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Zone of the Enders HD Collection. While ZOE is firmly established as my favorite game, I was (like many) a bit leery on the direction that MGR:R was taken in. Granted, Platinum Games has a great rep and has put out some great titles like Vanquish and Bayonetta but an established property like Metal Gear? Particularly one that’s historically very heavily stealth based? I had to see it to believe it, and when I did, all my fears were gone. After that, my hype was sufficiently built for the game’s actual release, as I had been playing the demo that was included with ZoE:HD over and over again. The prospect of owning a plasma lamp of Raiden’s sword kind of fed the hype too.

As is expected of the current-gen Metal Gear games, MGR:R offers some incredible visuals. The outdoor environments are lush while also providing a sense of warring conflict, that the player is surrounded by the feeling of trouble in paradise. Raiden himself has the “ninja-cyborg-of-doom” look down perfectly. Every little movement and facial nuance is incredibly detailed. Then again, considering how late into the current generation of gaming we are, it’s kind of hard to get good visuals wrong. Nevertheless, the sword swings, enemy movements, cinematics and accompanying audio are all extremely crisp and hampered by little to NO slow down… unless you’re going into Blade Mode in which case, the game slowing down is a core part of enjoying the experience

FUN FOR ALL AGES!

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

So, I guess I should spend some time talking about the story. Granted that this is a Metal Gear game, the assumption is that the story is a heavily convoluted mess of dismembered arms and multiple personalities. Thankfully, it’s not that terribly complicated, at least from the outset. MGR:R’s story takes place four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and follows the exploits of that lovable scamp, Jack Raiden. Raiden’s taken a job with a PMC called Maverick Security for the purposes of supporting his family, as any white-blooded family man would do. Maverick falls into conflict with rival PMC, Desperado Enterprises and Raiden is wounded in the conflict. After getting patched up, Maverick and Raiden must figure out and put a stop to Desperado Enterprises’s dastardly scheme. For the most part, it’s not nearly as complex as the Metal Gear Solid story line, so it’s easy to get right back into the stabbin’ and slashin’… which itself is incredibly responsive, gory, and satisfying. Movement and camera controls are perfectly responsive, which is a definite plus if you’re are familiar with the frenetic pace that’s the trademark of any of Platinum Games’s other stellar titles. Of course, the game’s highlight is “Blade Mode”, which is basically just a provided reason to chop things up into the smallest pieces possible.

Huh. I never saw THIS playing on the TV's at Toys 'R Us...

Huh. I never saw THIS playing on the TV’s at Toys ‘R Us…

Aside from being ridiculously satisfying, one of the pluses of engaging Blade Mode is that if you carve your opponents up in the right way, they drop Health and Energy for Raiden’s further forays into Blade Mode. Additionally, at the beginning of the game, the support character Doktor, the PMC’s doctor (oh yeah, that happened) asks Raiden to collect the severed left hands of certain fallen cyborgs, yet another useful application for Blade Mode. Raiden also has access to newer weapons upon defeating other bosses (Mega Man style) and is able to purchase body, technique and offensive and defensive upgrades with the Battle Points he collects from mission completion and senseless murder. Raiden also has the ability to engage something called AR mode, which is akin to Detective Mode in the recent Batman games but not as detracting from the imagery, which was a complaint that many players of Arkham Asylum had. 

Unfortunately, the game is on the short side but does prove to be quite challenging, especially after beating the game the first time and unlocking “Very Hard” and “Revengeance” difficulty settings. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a highly entertaining game that while a little repetitive, never manages to overstay its welcome. My only real gripe with the game is that the commands for performing the unlocked techniques is not really clear at any point in the game, so you’ll find yourself spending your hard earned BP on new attacks that you find yourself wanting to use but unable to. All things considered, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a genuinely satisfying gaming experience.

Great Games you may Have Missed!

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Hello all! Megan Highwind here! So this week I have decided to write an article about a couple of games that I loved but that did not get the attention they deserved. With every console generation there are thousands of games that get released. While this is a good thing because it keeps a variety of titles around for players to choose from, it makes it a lot easier to pass over an amazing title without a second thought. Therefore, I wanted to bring to your attention two fantastic titles that you may have passed over and telling you that you need to play them! This time around I have chosen to highlight Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Catherine as my games that you should play but may not have.

First up is Shadow Hearts: Covenant. This insanely good title came from Midway and Nautilus back in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. When I picked this title up I had no idea what to expect. I had not played the first Shadow Hearts game and decided to try it on a whim when I was at a GameStop one day and I am glad I did. This game takes place directly after the events of the first Shadow Hearts game, at the beginning of World War I.  Soldiers from Germany are trying to take the town of Domremy in France, but are not able to because it is being protected by the likes of a demon. The demon, Yuri, takes out the entire German force except for one woman named Karin who goes back to her superiors to let them know what happened. From there she is sent with a priest named Nicholai in order to take the town from the demon. When they arrive Yuri tries to stop them from taking the town and gets cursed, unable to use his powers to protect the town from Nicholai and the Germans, while Karin realizes that her superiors’ ideals may not be what she thought. Karin ends up joining up with Yuri in order to get his powers back to take the town back and stop the evil forces that are surrounding the destruction of the towns in the area. During the journey, the two meet an incredibly alluring set of characters that create many plot twists and turns and keep the game going so that it never once feels boring or stale. The story focuses on the main characters, but also focuses on the stories of the supporting characters so that you not only get to know the stories of Yuri and Karin, but the stories of the other characters that come into their lives along the way.  Not to mention, the ending of the game is amazing. It is a fitting end that gripped my heart and just squeezed and I will freely admit that I cried…a lot.

The game has a level of darkness about its story and characters that is not immediately apparent, but as more is revealed about them and their lives, becomes part of the draw of the game. While keeping to this dark tone, the game also does a great job of adding bits of humor and excitement to level out the sadness. The characters themselves are so varied and their voice acting and appearance are so well done that by the end of the game it is hard not to care about what happens to every single one of them. Not one character that I encountered in this game made me want to pull my hair out, which is saying something since I will admit that I tend to hate at least one character in every single game I play. Going along with the voice acting, the music in this game is also well done. As stated earlier, since the game has a darker feel to it, the music needs to match that. The songs that Yoshitaka Hirota and Yasunori Mitsuda made for this game fit perfectly. Depending on the feel of the situation the characters are placed in, the music can immediately change from a sad organ theme to a pounding rock hit. The art direction in this game follows suit. The theme of desolation and destruction that people think of when we think of war carries into the look of the towns and cities that the crew goes through. It also appears in the characters. Their faces convey what they are feeling and the way they act and move help to draw the players in further. Just when you think you have a character completely figured out, they will do something to surprise you and that is part of what I love about this game. The final thing that makes this game amazing to me is the battle system. The judgment ring system was unlike anything I had played before. Basically, the players are given a wheel looking thing that has a section of the wheel highlighted and whenever your cursor moved through that section you press the X button. If you hit the Strike Zone, the tiny red zone at the end of a white hit zone, you cause extra damage. You can customize the judgment ring to add more sections to the wheel. This helps you get more hits, but it also makes it harder to hit. There are also status ailments that can affect how the Judgment ring spins, be it faster, slower, backwards, etc. The final thing that makes the battle system great is no two characters Judgment Rings are the same. They have different upgrades that change their attacks and power. Finally, Yuri and Kurando, the two demon type characters, can transform into their demon selves and unleash a whole new level of pain onto your foes. I love this game. Without a doubt, it is on my list as one of the best games ever. Everything about this game is awesome, so go play it!

The other title that was unexpectedly brilliant is the PS3 title, Catherine. Catherine is a weird game. That is definitely the first thing that I thought when I picked up this title. Atlus released this game in 2011 and I was extremely hesitant to pick this game up when I saw it in the store. I saw the cover and immediately thought it was some sort of Japanese porn game and that I should steer clear. But, the more videos I saw for the game the more I wanted to play it and it was way beyond what I originally thought it would be. Catherine is a title that is unlike any other, which is hard to do when there are millions upon billions of games floating around in the world. The game is about a man named Vincent who is dating a woman named Katherine. Katherine and Vincent have been dating for a while and Katherine wants Vincent to take things to the next level by proposing and starting a life together. Vincent is terrified by this idea and decides to make the brilliant decision to go drink his troubles away. As you can expect, things do not go very well for the inebriated Vincent. He ends up sleeping with a woman named Catherine. When Vincent wakes up, he loses it. He cannot decide whether he wants to be with Katherine or Catherine and is stuck with intense nightmares about what direction he should take his life in. Vincent discusses this issue with his pals at their favorite bar entitled the Stray Sheep, which is where you are allowed to talk with players around you, check emails, drink, etc. In his sleep, Vincent is changed into a sheep and finds himself stuck in a room with a bunch of other sheep and by talking to them realizes some interesting things about those surrounding him. In order for Vincent to wake up the next day, he has to answer a question and complete a puzzle. The puzzles are the main gameplay aspect that you encounter. Basically, you are stuck pulling and pushing blocks around in order to climb higher up a tower to reach the top and not die. At the bottom of the tower chasing you are different fears that Vincent has in his life. The blocks that you climb can crumble, be made of ice, shoot out spikes or cause other varying hazards that Vincent has to avoid in order to make it to the top. These puzzles are not easy. In fact, they get so exceedingly difficult that sometimes I was worried I would never complete them. However, since the puzzles were so difficult, they gave me a huge sense of relief when I did complete them, even if it took me two hours to do so. The puzzles are hard, but varying enough that they still manage to be fun. Not to mention, the supplemental gameplay elements add to the game so that you are not stuck doing puzzles constantly.

The supplemental elements of the gameplay, as well as the music and the good graphics, add to the plot. The game deals with some issues that most games would not dare touch, cheating and commitment phobia. During the course of the game, you make choices that may not seem to mean much. Who you talked to at the Stray Sheep at night, whether you emailed Katherine back, whether you checked out those dirty pictures Catherine sent you, and other things like that they seem insignificant at the time. The story is deep and compelling; Vincent is truly in a predicament and you can feel the weight that it is putting on his shoulders and how hurt the two women in his life are by his lack of decision. While dealing with these intense issues, it also manages to add humor to keep the game from becoming too serious. You are never sure whether you want to feel sorry for Vincent or if you want him to fall off the tower every time he climbs, but that is part of the draw of the game. There are no black and white answers in the game. Obviously Vincent should have never cheated, but his answers to questions afterwards fall into a gray area that keeps you guessing. A decision that you make you may think means one thing could actually cause a different outcome. You quickly come to realize that Catherine much deeper than a puzzle game on steroids. It is a game that deals with a real world issue and brings it to the forefront. This game is different, entertaining, and really fun to play. It brings together so many different elements in a really new and interesting way. Catherine is an amazing mix of different styles of gaming that you should definitely find and play.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Catherine are my first two choices for games that you should play but may have missed. Are there any games off the top of your head that you played that did not get the recognition they deserved? If you’ve played these titles do you agree with my choices; if not have I gotten you interested in trying them? Please let us know what you think in the comments below and as always thanks for reading. Until next time!

-Megan Highwind has left the party.

It’s Time for the March of Hype!

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Hello there Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s me again the amazing, the fabulous Jessica Valentine. I know y’all missed me. First of all I would like to apologize for my lack of presence over these first two months of the year, but after I returned from an all-too-short vacation I managed to get slapped in the face by a large fishie called “reality”. No it was not Magikarp… But enough about me and more about what has brought about my GLORIOUS return.

As you may have noticed it’s March, whilst March is usually not a note worthy month for me, this year I am very excited as it marks the launch of at the very least 3 games that I have wanted for a long and I mean long time. (Note I am probably forgetting some games as my brain is still more scattered than buck shot). For me at least I am nearly jumping out of my skin waiting for Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, Bioshock Infinite, and of course Luigi’s Mansion II: Dark Moon to release. So much is the yearning for these games that I found myself for the second time in my professional career asking “Is it March yet, why can’t it be March?”. The first time I heard myself utter such sentiment for a video game was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which released on 11.11.11.

Can I haz my games nao?

Can I haz my games nao?

Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm is the second of three installments in the Starcraft II series. You can tell based on the title that this installment focuses on the most lovable, most adorable Zerg. Oh how I heart them.  I can’t wait to see where this installment goes after the ending of Wings of Liberty. Sorry no spoilers here. From the trailers for Heart of the Swarm it looks like !@# is about to go down and Kerrigan you are my homeslice. Finally all I have to say is if you haven’t played Wings of Liberty pick it up and play before Heart of the Swarm drops on 3.12.13. When Heart of the Swarm does hit the shelves for PC pick it up give it a spin and embrace that little Zergling in all of us.

D'awwww! Don't you just wanna take him home?

D’awwww! Don’t you just wanna take him home?

Moving on to mobile gaming and away from the PC the next game I cannot wait to get my hands on is Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon. Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon is the sequel to the Nintendo Gamecube’s Luigi’s Mansion which all the way back in 2001. (That really makes me feel old…-sniffle-) Personally I loved the original Luigi’s Mansion, though it was not everyone’s cup of tea at the time. I loved to explore, solve puzzles and overall thought the game was just fun. I am unsure as to what new changes/challenges await me on Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon for the 3DS, but I have waited over ten years for a sequel and it looks like I will finally get it on 03.24.13.

BRING IT, BOO!

BRING IT, BOO!

Finally on to the console! I want Bioshock Infinite. I need Bioshock Infinite. I yearn for Bioshock Infinite. AND OMG IT’S ALMOST HERE *SQUEEEEEE!!*… OK, calming myself down now. On 03.26.13 Bioshock Infinite hits the shelves and its about damn time. This production has been plagued by troubles and release date push backs (much to my dismay). Bioshock Infinite looks amazing from everything that I have seen thus far. Unfortunately with great hope comes great fear. I have a sneaking feeling this game may not live up to my hype, then again my cautious approach may all this game to blow me out of the water..err.. sky. Stay tuned to find out.

Not sure if Bioshock cover or Uncharted...

Not sure if Bioshock cover or Uncharted…

Well kiddies, that is why I am looking forward to this month. It would seem I have lots to game and less time to game in. Tune back in to read my opinions on these games later in the month or in early April. Until then I bid you all, Adieu.

-Jessica VANISH- 

Annoucing… Incoductic!

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What’s good, everyone? Joshua Evo here, back from a bit of a work-related hiatus of sorts to announce that today, I launched my podcast, Incoductic, with my good friend, Samantha of Sam-Tried-It. You can expect pretty much the normal fare, random weirdness, gaming news and musings and much more nerdiness to come. Make sure to follow my new show on at the link up there but don’t think that I’ve forgotten my lovely DRE audience! We have some big reviews and events coming up so make sure to stay tuned, or at least come back to us! 

Also, we’ve added links to the episodes in the Incoductic tab up on the Home bar up there. Check it out every other Wednesday… FOR GLORY.

– Evo out

Is this truly the FINAL Fantasy?

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Hello everyone, Megan Highwind here! Joshua Evo sent me an interesting article from the website Kotaku that prompted me to examine and wonder about my feelings on the future of the Final Fantasy series as we know it. If it is not obvious, I am a huge fan of this series and the article entitled “The Slow, Excruciating Death of Final Fantasy” discussed a new game from Square Enix entitle, Final Fantasy All the Bravest, is a game which pits heroes of the series against villains while various themes from the different titles play in the background. Now, I have yet to play this title since I refuse to pay any money for something that has, in every sense of the word, been considered terrible by everyone that has reviewed it. However, this article not only brought up this poor excuse for an addition to the long lived franchise, but how the future of the Final Fantasy series as a whole is in question due to poor choices in titles and lack of anything with any real sense of depth from Square Enix as of late in regards to Final Fantasy and how the writer of the above article feels that Final Fantasy has gone off the deep end and may never recover.

My favorite series of all time.

IS it Final? Who knows?

Square Enix has become a bit of a money grabbing company as of late, this is hard to deny, but the titles they have released are not games that make fans come and stay with a series. Between titles released for the iOS that cost an arm and a leg just to buy some new little upgrade and the terror that is Final Fantasy XIV, there are definitely questions to be raised. It is obvious that all companies in the industry are out to make some money, of that there is no question. It just seems as though Square has become too focused on the money and has started to forget how to make those good, solid, interesting titles of years past. Now, before anyone who likes Final Fantasy XIII gets down my throat about being an old fart who is always going to say things were better back “in my day”, let me tell you that is not the case. I did not love Final Fantasy XIII, I will not lie about that. But, I did not think that it it is the worst thing that happened to the series. It did bring in new fans who never had interest and maybe reawakened new fans who were wanting a change in pace. It also added some new systems and elements to the series that were fun to play. I do think, however, that in trying to bring new fans into the fold, Square has pushed away some of its veteran players. It seems like ever since Square Soft became Square Enix, everything for the series has changed. The first game after the combination, Final Fantasy XII, was fairly similar to other games before the merge except with a more action RPG based fighting style instead of the more familiar turn based style. Then, Final Fantasy XIII took this more action based style even further and changed even more from the older style. Some fans love this new direction that the series has taken while others disagree. The main point I am trying to make is that these changes have changed how veterans feel about the series and that is bound to catch up with Square at some point. There were a lot of people who were excited about Final Fantasy XIII, less excited about XIII-2, and I am supposing from that trend even less are awaiting this final installment in the Lightning saga. Now, will I play this title? Yes. Will I enjoy myself at least somewhat? Probably. However, if Square wants to save itself from losing the fans that it has built from the inception of the Final Fantasy franchise, something needs to change. Things have just become too different for fans of the older titles and while newer fans may enjoy these changes, compromises need to be made to keep both sides happy.

No, you can't take away the Chocobos!

Not the Chocobos. Never the Chocobos.

In my opinion, Square needs to take Final Fantasy Versus and release it, SOON. It may be too late for some fans who kept waiting and being disappointed, but for the series to recover its veterans and keep its new fans Square should release this game. You might ask why I am saying this. Final Fantasy Versus looks to be the combination of the two that will keep both sets of fans happy. I could be completely wrong on this, but at this point what does the company have to lose? From all of the screen shots and demos we have seen Versus uses the old school open world style, storyline concepts and emo main characters, while incorporating the more action oriented style of the newer versions of the series. As I said earlier, there are fans that have been lost and gained by Square Enix as of the past few years. My disappointment in the direction the series has taken I’m sure is apparent from my reviews of the past two Final Fantasy titles. I think that XIII disappointed a bit too much with the overly linear style and XIII-2 tried to bring some of that back, which is why I prefer the latter over its predecessor. However, Square could do better. I have been a fan of Final Fantasy for over 10 years now and in order for the company to keep myself, other older fans, and newer fans from getting bored and straying from the beloved series, Square needs to work to merge the new and the old to make a game everyone can enjoy. I do agree with one thing, at least, that the author has said though, for good or for bad the Final Fantasy series will never be the same.

-Megan Highwind has left the party.

Holiday Greetings from Disk Read Error!

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What’s good, everyone? Hopefully, everything. Joshua Evo here, live from being on vacation with family to wish everyone a Happy Holidays! As you might expect, we’re going to go a bit quiet, as we’re pretty spread out from one another and are spending time from families… and possibly playing more awesome games. Not saying which. Could be both, who knows? At any rate, enjoy your time off, Happy Holidays and we’ll see you all in 2013!

The Sweet Runback – 2012 Retrospective

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What’s good, everyone? Joshua Evo here, with the rest of the DRE crew in tow to thank all of you for the support we received this year and to dole out thanks and shout outs where they’re most definitely deserved. Back in February of 2011, James B. Boss and I had reached such levels of hype over the upcoming releases of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Pokemon Black/White that we started writing little personal reviews on our respective Facebook pages when the games were released. After some prodding from friends and family to “do that stuff more professionally”, we started the original Disk Read Error back on Blogspot. Fast forward to now, 110+ posts later, a major move to WordPress and we’re still here and still writing. 2012 has been an explosive year for us here at DRE and I wanted to thank all of our followers, readers and contributors for all the fun we’ve had this year. So, guess what? Shout outs incoming!

First shout outs go out to my all of fellow gaming bloggers but especially LadyCroft3, cary and Brit of Linksaveszelda, Recollections of Play and BlondeNerd.com, respectively. It was a pleasure reading your blogs and working with you on various projects for DRE and I definitely look forward to working with you guys again. Extra thanks to LadyCroft3 for her work on our awesome banner as well as all the great feedback she offers and help she’s given during the year. You are an amazing lady (pun totally intended) and fantastic blogger and I wish you nothing but success in the future. Next up is the crew at thumbACTIVE for their support and seeing fit to grant us affiliate status with their site. Thanks also to the crew at The Nerdy Directive for having me as a guest on their podcast and allowing me to sit, ramble and nerd it up. I’m looking forward to doing some reviews for you guys in the future. I also have very special thanks to Konami for allowing us to be a part of Konami Gamers Night event this year and giving us a taste of that gaming media life. You guys make some of the world’s best games and here’s to hoping that we can maybe work with Konami in a more official capacity in the future? *wink wink*. My biggest thanks though go to our friends and family members who read our rantings (whether they agree, disagree or even know what we’re talking about or not) and to ANYONE who’s ever stopped by, read an article, retweeted, shared, followed, plugged or somehow supported Disk Read Error. It’s been a hell of a first year and we look forward to making 2013 even better. Thank you very much.

– Evo out.

Hey everybody, James B. Boss here to thank you all for your support. This year has been really awesome for us here with all of the huge releases and gaming news and it was our pleasure to bring it to you. With this year coming to a close and the new year just around the corner, I would like to thank you all for all the support you have given us. I personally know I haven’t been the most active member of the staff but I hope to fix that in the year to come.

– James B. Boss

Hi everyone! Megan Highwind here to thank you all for taking the time to read our blog! I appreciate all of the likes, comments, and shares that you all have been giving our site. The next year looks to be a promising one and I hope you all are as excited about the games and the new adventures to come in the next year as I am. Thanks again for sticking with us and supporting us for the past year. See you in 2013! (If the world doesn’t end of course, dun dun dun!!!!!!)

–Megan Highwind has left the party.

Hello everyone. Jessica V. here to take a look back at the crazy year that we just had. When this year started I had no idea I would be working on a blog and when I did sign on, I thought I would be doing mostly backend, behind the scenes type things. Boy, did that change. Here we are a year later and the little blog that could is still gaining momentum. We owe that all to you, our readers. So personally, I would like to thank each and everyone of you that have taken the time to read, comment or even think about our articles. At Disk Read Error, we are just a bunch of crazies with opinions and a public forum (scary combination, right?). Seriously though, thank you all for reading and being a part of this. See you all in 2013. I tip my hat to you all.

-Jessica AWAY