Ben's Week In Review: September 2
View Large ImageWow, big week. :)
You just keep topping yourselves, Square Enix
You know, if I was in charge of that company, I'd actually have to try really hard to sound so utterly disconnected from an extremely vocal fan base that I helped create and cultivate for decades. Really. I'd have to live in a hole in the ground. They've said in the past they listened to the fans when making Final Fantasy XIII-2 and yes, I have defended that game and I did have a lot of fun playing it. ...I just had to convince myself it wasn't really a "Final Fantasy" game. How is that listening to the fans? Seriously? How is Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII anything like what the fans have said they want?
On a similar note, how the hell is Final Fantasy Versus XIII "nostalgic" in any way? What, because it might have real towns? And the new FF is more action-based (now we'll be controlling Lightning completely in battle), we don't even know if we'll have a party, and it'll have a goddamn clock that keeps ticking? Wow, sounds great for the twitch-crowd. I'm sure that's what they asked for, if they even cared at all. But what did we ask for, the fans?
It boggles the mind. It really does. Hey Square Enix, do you remember these days? No? Thought not.
Ground Zeroes ought to be plenty interesting
It was great to hear Hideo Kojima announce his new project, which should be freakin' cool. If you haven't seen the game's video debut, you should definitely check it out; that Fox Engine is capable of doing some pretty amazing things on the visual front. It's mostly cut-scenes as far as I can tell, except for the last minute or so, where we actually see good ol' Snake moving about. It just looks amazing, and I'm glad most people don't seem too annoyed at the change in environmental structure. I was worried that an open world would put the story on the back burner (which often happens), and that would be a critical mistake for this franchise.
But Kojima doesn't believe in allowing the story to play second fiddle to the rest of the production, as evidenced by all his games and that trailer. And for these types of adventures, I believe that's the way it should be. I never thought I'd see the day when I was more interested in the MGS series than the FF series, but hey, you did it to yourselves, Square.
Personal gaming update
I really tried to get more into Madden NFL 13 because it's definitely a great game and I'm a football fan. But I just don't have the drive to lose myself in sports sims anymore, no matter how good they might be. Besides, EA Sports does have to take a few more steps in regards to authentic gameplay in order to reclaim my full attention. I want to start a new game in Sleeping Dogs because I rushed a lot of it to get the review done, and I've got a review code for LittleBigPlanet Vita. I'm also supposed to take a look at the Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault private beta, which I hope to do later this week. Should be fun.
And with September here, more games are on tap. Borderlands 2 is probably the biggest for most, but I'm really looking forward to Dead or Alive 5. Then October gets here and the insanity really begins...and it won't stop until...let's see, April maybe. Geez.
9/1/2012 Ben Dutka
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Comments (43 posts)
Fox hounder
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:54:14 PM
Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/1/2012 9:54:55 PM
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Temjin001
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:50:04 PM
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I just can't let myself be upset over FF, so I do look forward to more info and game play for FFXIII-3 versus. This isn't me suggesting S-E shouldn't listen to the concerns of their loyal base, but I'll still use a level mind when assessing it's entertainment value. It's really amazing how identity changes perception, especially in gaming.
PGU: It's been pretty much all about Crysis this week. I never actually finished the first game. I've wanted to, just never got to it. Crazily, I've been playing both the PC and PS3 version. Hah, yea, I'm awesome like that. Anyway it's neat doing the comparisons, seeing just how Crytek tackled things. Anyway, I pretty much love most FPS games that blend stealth with action. There's just something about situational awareness in AI that makes games feel more real and engaging to me. Arcade style blast fests are fun and all, but their play can often feel pretty one-dimensional to me. Speaking of stealth and action, the new Splinter Cell does look great and all, but I don't think that stealth demo floating around quite cuts the mustard in the sense of appeasing the stealth-sim fans of the series from before. Sam had to play everything pretty bare bones to get the level done, and it's clear the game isn't designed first with those principles in mind. I really started laughing, actually out loud, as I saw the guy start the level and then just hop off the edge and shimmy around past a bunch of stuff. Ha, yea, STEALTHY. I could just see a good parody for that now. Anyhow, I'm not hating. SC looks like my kinda thing, Jason Bourne, or not.
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matt99
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:58:22 PM
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Temjin001
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 10:20:27 PM
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matt99
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:56:00 PM
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Fox hounder
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:59:41 PM
Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/1/2012 10:00:09 PM
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___________
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:30:36 AM
id be surprised if it was not released for next gen systems though especially considering its releasing around the same time they are, and koji keeps saying the fox engine was designed with them in mind.
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xenris
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 9:18:51 AM
This has lead to a lot of tech nerds bickering about how it will look on something like the Xbox with its limited specs.
I hope it is truly multiplat as I wouldn't mind playing this on my PC especially if it has some sort of multiplayer portion.
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Fox hounder
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:58:19 PM
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Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/1/2012 9:59:13 PM
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Fox hounder
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:55:44 AM
I made a couple of observations that ya'll might be interested in.
1. No more vanishing weapons. When you aim your gun Snake pulls it out of the holster, and when you let off the aim button Snake returns the gun to the holster. And it looks like you can only have 2 guns at any give time.
And 2. No HUD. it looks like the weapon select will be streamlined like Uncharted. And no HUD leads me to believe there will be a self regenerating health system.
Story wise it takes place after PW, i suspect an 80's time period, although the conversation between Kaz and Big boss suggest it takes place shortly after PW (creating a slight inconsistency given Big boss's age). The boy in the prison is Chico, and Paz is also in the game. The Ciper organization (aka the Zero and his patriots) are also involved in some way.
Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/2/2012 3:57:33 AM
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AcHiLLiA
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 2:19:59 PM
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AcHiLLiA
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 2:39:03 PM
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Drake_RB3
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 2:47:32 PM
Well I think if MGS5 is Metal Gear 1 and/or 2 there would be significant changes or retconning.
Big Boss is so one-dimensional in those games its hard to believe he is a true villain after seeing his character in Snake Eater and Peace Walker.
There must be some shades of grey to him in a remake of Metal Gear 1 and 2.
Last edited by Drake_RB3 on 9/2/2012 2:48:41 PM
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Fox hounder
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:07:38 PM
List of retcons:
In Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake, the prologue says that the world has given up on nuclear weapons, and that Zanzibar land is the worlds only nuclear power. But MGS1 retcons this by stating that the U.S and Russia have over 20.000 nuke's.
Then the plot revealation in MGS1 were Snake tells Naomi that Big Boss told Snake that he was his father, but this was never stated in MG1 or MG2.
And lastly, the AI weapons in PW are way more advance than the TX-55 in MG1 which is suppose to be the ultimate revolutionary weapon. Not any more! lol
@Drake_RB3
Good point about Big Boss.
Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/2/2012 3:13:12 PM
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AcHiLLiA
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 9:47:58 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 10:08:12 PM
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Lawless SXE
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:14:15 AM
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bebestorm
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 10:20:47 PM
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Kojimas MGS GZ blew me away the graphics are unbelieve for a open world multiplat game. Fox Engine is totally amazing. I trust Kojima is creating another MGS. I feel the urge to play MGS4 again.
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shadowpal2
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 10:24:37 PM
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I seriously can't wait for this. Couldn't care less if it comes to multiplatform - I feel that the MGS series needs some serious exposure to the world!!
This is the game which will really show the formation of Outer Heaven...along with the other sequel which Kojima proposed with it.
I keep wondering in my head if who I'm looking at it is Zero during the video - because all I can say is WOW DAMN BADASS. But one of the very first images he reminded me off...was Goda Kazundo from Ghost in the Shell SAC: 2nd GIG. It's purely politics with him.
It only gets more badass when the first lines of Snake and Kaz...were EXACTLY THE SAME as those iterated back in MGS 1 with Solid Snake and Campbell.
...or could Big Boss actually have been talking with Campbell?!
Damn are there too many questions.
One thing I wonder though is whether the graphics shown will be PS3 level considering it was running off a PC and all. ...I think Kojima was quite frustrated with Japanese developers lagging behind in terms of physics/graphics for gaming and went all out with this FOX engine.
Glad he's standing up for the country which really brought gaming. Well him and Atlus (though they don't push the line in terms of graphics/physics they make great games)...don't know if anyone else is really doing it.
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Killa Tequilla
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 11:18:33 PM
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Solid Fantasy
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 12:22:43 AM
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PGU: Still messing around with BF3 on the PC. Some minecraft and PSP here and there. After BF3 I'm gonna finish Portal 2 which I really look forward to. Also reading The Lone Survivor. It has it's ups and downs with me, but it ties into BF3 nicely.
And I bought a Pentax Q for uber cheap and yet the price I paid was still cheaper than a Vita...
Anyone know of a good RTS for PC gaming. One that isn't too deep, but has some decent reviews.
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xenris
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 9:23:18 AM
Its more about moving your base front forward than mining for minerals. It also has some nice RPG elements elements to it. Dawn of War 2 I think is the one you should look for. I believe they are relatively cheap now on steam.
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Solid Fantasy
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 10:50:54 AM
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Jawknee
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 12:50:15 AM
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Lawless SXE
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:12:21 AM
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Ground Zeroes is a different situation. The debut of the Fox Engine and moving the same gameplay into a different format. That is a far more invigorating proposition than FFXIII-3's complete alteration of... EVERYTHING.
Personal Update:
Playing Sleeping Dogs with a little bit of The Sims 3 on the side. Still reading Paradise Lost. Nothing new or exciting, really.
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___________
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 3:38:51 AM
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just did not expect it to go open world, its sweet!
disappointed to see the long overdrawn convaluted cut scenes are still in the game, the reveal trailer took 10 minutes for something that could of been done in 2!
but, eh, its a koji game so complaining that the cut scenes are too overdrawn is like complaining a bethesda game is buggy.
it kinda comes with the name.
im trying to get stuck into darksiders 2 now.
say trying because 1 ive been working back at work so f*cking late, im starting at 6 to try finish earlier and im STILL getting home late!
sigh.
also because i just find it really boring!
so disappointed!
the original had the perfect mix of action game and dungeon crawler, this is just trying to be TOO much of a dungeon crawler it just does not suit the game!
the original worked so well because it was exactly what it should of been, a awesome action game with RPG exploration elements to keep it interesting and fresh.
this is too much of a dungeon crawler, its so easy to get yourself lost and have no idea what the hell your doing!
feels far too open and because of its openness theres not enough enemies to rip into.
i knew the more RPG focused style would destroy this game, but they did not have to prove it to me!
sigh.
for once, can i be wrong about a game?
just once!?
and for once can we have a sequel that IS a sequel, and not a new IP with a famous franchises name slapped onto it?
so f*cking sick of every single god dam series having to be turned on its head!
and what pisses me off even more is when japanese developers do it, lost planet, devil may cry, resident evil, final fantasy, they get their head ripped off!
but western games the opposite their praised as the second coming for it!
christ, if i had a nickel for every double standard i saw in this industry lately........
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Lawless SXE
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 4:34:46 AM
How many people lost their minds with the redesign of Cole in iF2? The consternation over co-op and an open world in Dead Space 3? BF3 copping flak for supposedly making their gameplay more like CoD? People who still claim that Fallout 3 isn't Fallout because it isn't like Interplay's originals?
At least they were real changes. Darksiders 2 just expands on the ideas of the original, altering some of the mechanics in the process. It's to be expected with the inclusion of a new protagonist with different abilities. Besides, it's the same development team, meaning that this is the same vision that they had before. They've just had the time and resources to make it all they wanted it to be.
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___________
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 7:13:29 AM
and im the one going insane?
maybe its because i constantly have to put up with you idiots....
darksiders 2 is one of THE most changed sequels out there!
the graphics are very different far more artistic and more cartoony, the characters are different, the level design is VASTLY different, and so is the combat!
the only thing they could do to make this more different from the original is change the developer and change the name to another franchise!
and you still have not answered my question.
why does crapcom and $E get ripped a new hole every time they change one of their franchises, but when a western developer does it they get praised as the second coming!?
Last edited by ___________ on 9/2/2012 7:15:50 AM
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xenris
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 9:39:41 AM
All your other points are invalid sorry. You like the slower feel of DS1 more, but other than that your just making stuff up. They didn't focus on the RPG elements, the RPG elements completely compliment the game and add a lot of depth to how you want to play the game. Put the game on hard mode please you complained it was a button masher and I guarantee you will not feel that way on hard mode. DS1 was the exact same, it was a masher unless you upped the difficulty.
DS1 was way more desolate than DS2, in fact in DS2 there are several areas where enemies respawn that you can grind, DS1 didn't have this except for one place with spiders. I platinumed DS1 add me on PSN if you want proof Xenris is my PSN.
Shadow of the Colossus had even less to do in its massive open space, but was still amazing did you hate that game as well?
You will never be wrong because you ALWAYS hate everything that comes out. Your standards are so high that nothing will completely satisfy you. I monitor your posts because I can't tell if your a troll or just a really hypocritical person, and I still have no clue what the heck is going on in your brain.
I have never seen you say something 100% positive, its always "this looks cool, BUT" then you proceed to whine about things you don't like. Newest example is complaining about Kojimas long cutscenes.
So you want sequels to be sequels but you want Kojima to get rid of his long cutscenes and drastically change what he is known for? Then get mad when the DS2 devs for deviating too much from the first game.
Your impossible dude.
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Neo_Aeon666
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 10:51:20 AM
About that thing like only eastern get bashed for change.
Forget about Bioware and DragonAge 2 already?
or how about the new Tomb Raider rape and also all the backlash they got for her being weak LOL
Also look at how fans reacted towards ME3.
Or when Cole had a revamp LOL
Your point is NOT valid. Gamers bash on anything. Most of the time they do for almost no reason.
And DarkSiders 2 is probably one of the sequels that kept most of the original inside compared to stuff like the new FF that is going from RPG to flat out God of war lol Thats y they did not get bashed about it. Of course you are free to disagree but the point of view I am sharing is from the mass.
Also notice how when gamers whine, most Western devs will listen (Cole came back and ME3 got an extended ending) while eastern will just keep going the wrong way *cough ff cough*
Last edited by Neo_Aeon666 on 9/2/2012 10:58:25 AM
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Lawless SXE
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 2:16:55 PM
And what, Darksiders II is suddenly an entirely different genre than the original? Because that would be changing it, but it isn't. It still has the same ideas at its core. If you can't see that, you're either blind or a bloody lunatic.
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___________
Monday, September 03, 2012 @ 7:56:20 AM
how about darksiders 2, GTA IV, AC3, BF3, BFBC2, ect, ect.
point being EVERY single time a japanese developer turns their franchise on its head they get their head ripped off!
90% of the time western developers turn their franchise on their head they dont.
everything in darksiders 2 is either so different its unrecognizable or watered down so much!
the puzzles a perfect example, 99% of them are just simple move the freaking ball to the freaking slot!
come on, i think people who play dungeon crawlers can handle something a LITTLE harder than that!
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xenris
Monday, September 03, 2012 @ 12:13:39 PM
That list of games, none of them turned the games on their heads. What was bad with GTA 4, it had all the core concepts except it refined the shooting and cover systems.
You are bat sh@! crazy man. DS2 is not really watered down, is it different than DS1 sure, but you are an unsatisfiable person. When something is too similar you whine, too different you whine again. DS2 is in the same genre, and the puzzles toward the end to get better. Combat got a bit challenging at the end too, but only if you play in hard mode. DS1 was not really challenging at all, so I don't know where your getting all your facts from.
Again, you always see the glass half empty and honestly it must suck to be you.
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___________
Tuesday, September 04, 2012 @ 7:20:50 AM
GTAIV was a TOTALLY different game to what the series is known for.
since when was 3, vice city or san andreas a taxi driver simulator?
im done, id have better luck getting through to a brick wall!
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T2X
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 8:13:56 AM
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glodwenn
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 8:44:52 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 1:29:44 PM
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Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 9/2/2012 1:31:14 PM
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Fox hounder
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 2:18:35 PM
This happened when MGS3 was announced, most folks thought the main character was Solid Snake, but anyone who knows the time line would know that Snake wasn't alive yet.
Last edited by Fox hounder on 9/2/2012 2:19:45 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 4:40:15 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Sunday, September 02, 2012 @ 7:03:50 PM
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http://andriasang.com/con2jy/ff_future/
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 9/2/2012 7:04:12 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Reply
Saturday, September 01, 2012 @ 9:42:06 PM
The MGS universe is already kind of confusing, so where in the Snake storyline will Zeromus land?
I've actually been doing more game-related crafting lately than gaming. Who would have thought it would be fun to label discs and build covered jewel cases? But whenever I look at my collection growing without me buying more games it feels good. Otherwise trying to bang out the end to Hyperdimension 2. Since when did a 30 hour game start to seem too long? Must be gettin' old.