This was a much crazier year than last year. When I had to make my top ten last year, I had only played a total of thirteen games all year. That’s how games I don’t even particularly like, such as Pokemon Go, made it on to my list. This year, I’ve played over thirty. That means that not only did I have to make way more cuts, but there isn’t a single game on here that I didn’t love. That’s better if you ask me. Continue reading
2016 was a pretty good year for video games. Unfortunately, I didn’t have nearly as much disposable income to buy games as I had in years past, and the end result is that a lot of the biggest games of the year, I haven’t played. I also, don’t own a PlayStation 4, so I haven’t played games like Uncharted 4 or The Last Guardian. But, I was still able to come up with a list of ten games that I played this year. It’s probably pretty different from most of the lists you’ve seen on other sites. Continue reading
It feels kind of strange writing a “first impressions” piece on a game that came out almost a year ago. I got my copy in March, at the same time that Xenoblade Chronicles X had completely taken over my life, causing it to just sit on my shelf all this. So, the game may be pretty old by now, but it’s new to me. And since the PlayStation 4 release of the game was earlier this week, it’s new to a whole bunch of other people too. So, hey, why not? Here’s my first impressions of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Continue reading
When I started Random Game Wednesdays, I knew that eventually I would end up with a game that was way too long to properly discuss. The only thing I can really do with a large game like that is to play the beginning and give some early impressions. That’s a little weird with a game like Secret of Mana, a game that I am fairly familiar with. But, it’s been a few years since I’d played it, and even longer since I played it on the SNES, so let’s take a look at the start of Secret of Mana. Continue reading
Square-Enix had it’s first E3 press conference in a long time last year, and I was very excited for it.The biggest news that I could imagine Square bringing to E3 already happened at the Sony conference when they announced Final Fantasy VII Remake. So what could they possibly have up their sleeves to justify putting on a whole press conference themselves? Well, if my memory serves me right, not much. I remember this press conference being super boring. So, with that in mind, let’s conclude my series of looking back at last year’s press conferences by taking another look at Square-Enix and seeing how it holds up. Continue reading
Late last night, Square-Enix surprised us (or, tried to, but it got leaked ahead of time) with a release date for the long awaited Final Fantasy XV and a new demo. The demo, titled Platinum Demo- Final Fantasy XV, features content that will not be available in the actual retail game and is intended to introduce players to game’s style. Upon completion, you unlock the Carbuncle summon in the full game, so it is encouraged that you check it out.
The demo takes place in the dreams of Notcis, Final Fantasy XV’s main character. At this point, Noctis is still a child and it seems like he has been knocked out by some kind of daemon. Noctis is greeted by Carbuncle, a small fox-like creature from the Final Fantasy series, who gives him a smart phone. Using the phone, Carbuncle is able to guide Noctis through his dream so that he can wake back up.
The first thing you’ll probably notice is that Final Fantasy XV is gorgeous. You’ll start in a cave but eventually find your way to a city, and it all looks great. The art direction looks great with tons of little details everywhere. One place in particular that really stood out to me was in the city. There’s a really detailed building with a fountain in front. In the fountain is a sculpture of what appears to be the classic Final Fantasy summon, Bismarck.
From a technical standpoint, the demo is also a success. I’ve been a little worried about how well Final Fantasy XV will run ever since last year’s demo, Episode Duscae, came out. Episode Duscae played well, but suffered from an extremely poor frame rate. Thankfully, Platinum Demo runs much better. I didn’t notice any frame rate drops during the entire demo. To be fair though, the scope of the demo is much smaller than Episode Duscae, with a much more directed path and only a few enemies on screen at a time. So, my worries aren’t entirely gone, but I do feel better about the game now.
Combat is fast paced and fun, but also pretty simple. When you encounter your first enemy, Carbuncle presents you with a toy hammer and sword. You can equip them to directions on the d-pad. Then, you can swap between weapons by tapping directions on the d-pad, and attacking is as simple as hitting the B button. Holding down the X button let’s you automatically dodge attacks, although it doesn’t work for everything. The combat is very easy to pick up and learn, but I hope that the full game offers more depth.
Platinum Demo is very short. I ended up finishing it in about twenty-four minutes. But, it’s free, and gives you a good idea of what to expect from the full game. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in the full game.
Quarter Circle Forward 