web analytics


Keeping my eye on FFXIV: A Realm Reborn

September 3, 2012 by

I originally bought Final Fantasy 14 as an early adopter because I felt like I missed out on Final Fantasy 11.  I wanted to get in on the ground floor of what I was hoping would be a great long-term community game with a solid IP.

As you all know, FF14 turned out to be a very big flop.  The UI was horrible, the gameplay…heck, we all know it was a colossal failure with only a few redeemable qualities.  Square Enix is trying hard to regain fan trust after their reputation took such a marring.

Producer Naoki Yoshida said the following:

“Losing your fans’ trust is very easy thing to do. Regaining it is very hard. We believe Final Fantasy 14 is a starting point, and that players joining us will think ‘oh wow, this is great, I’ll see what they can do with Final Fantasy 15 or 16′.”

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is like a complete reboot, or rebirth if you will, of the MMO.  The whole game has been remade from the ground up according to the producer. I still haven’t figured out if it’s going to be a patch for those of us who bought FF14, or if they’re going to completely start fresh and sell new copies.  Regardless, the game is coming to the PS3 and I might just get it for the console anyway.

I’m cautiously optimistic.  I’ve been keeping my eye on trailers (like the one below featuring the reintroduction of limit breaks) and seeing what they release about the game to decide if I am going to give them a second chance.

Tagged with , , , ,

Adventure Log: Darksiders 2, Mann vs. Machine

August 19, 2012 by

It’s Sunday and that means it’s time for another Adventure Log where we update you on our gaming for the week!

Keen – Minecraft, TF2 Man vs. Machine

I continued my Minecraft Tekkit’ing this week.  While playing I’ve streamed my gameplay live to our Twitch.tv channel and shared my creations with over one hundred viewers every day.  It’s been awesome!  I made an Ice Shop that sucks the snow balls out of a snowman, processes them in a singularity compressor, then stores them in chests.  Then I set out ot make a Coffee Shop but in the process turned it into a Cake Shop.  There’s just one problem… it makes too much cake.  So much cake that I can’t run it more than a few minutes before having to shut it off.  It’s too good at making cake.

I tried the TF2 Mann vs. Machine update briefly.  It’s a lot of fun!  I haven’t played TF2 in a really long time, and I was shocked to see the extent of Valve’s free-to-play implementation.  Not that it’s bad (that I have seen anyway) but it’s different.  The Mann vs. Machine update is quite challenging.  I think the gameplay was put best by a friend who said it reminds him of Orcs Must Die! without the towers.  It’s a defense against waves style of play that requires adaptation and teamwork.   With a bit of tweaking to the queue system, this could be TF2′s greatest update yet.

 

Graev – Final Fantasy XIII-2, Darksiders 2

FF13-2 is standard fair for a Final Fantasy sequel meaning that it doesn’t quite live up to the first.   It’s odd.  The presentation is strange.  It’s about time travel, and that’s a weird direction to take the game.  I’m still playing through, but I’m not feeling the urge to complete it in one sitting.

Darksiders 2 released this week.  For the uninitiated, the first game was almost like one of the 3D Zelda games.  Darksiders 2 adds a lot of RPG elements like random itemization, levels, stats, and feels like an action rpg instead of being just straight up action adventure.  During the portion of the game I’ve played so far, I’ve seen dungeons, explored, killed bosses, and I’ve had fun.

Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Adventure Log: Kingdom Hearts, Batman, and Orcs!

August 5, 2012 by

Keen – I’m Batman and I’m killing Orcs!

I beat Batman: Arkham Asylum this week!  It’s the same feeling I had when I beat Mass Effect a few years after it launched: I’m now apart of a special club.  Now I’m working my way through Arkham City, and I’m enjoying the open feel of the outdoor prison.  Playing these games on PC is actually much, much better than I thought it would be.  Games for Windows gets a lot of flack.  I hated using it for the Dawn of War games, and at first it got in my way while trying Age of Empires Online, but for Batman it is integrated so seamlessly I can’t complain.  not only does it automatically handle all the logging in, but it gives me credit for achievements on my Gamertag as if I played on the Xbox 360.  Top it all off with magnificent Xbox 360 controller integration, and the whole experience gets an A+ from me.

I also beat Orcs Must Die! 2.  Great game, as I mentioned this week in a previous post.  I thought it was brutally hard at times to 5 Skull a level.  Orcs Must Die! 1 felt like it was designed to allow players to do their best the first time through, but in this sequel it’s like they know you will struggle the first time until you come back later with better traps.  The levels are also designed to accommodate 2 players easier than one.  And just when I thought the game was as hard as it gets, I found out it has a Nightmare mode that just unlocked.  Sheesh!

Graev – Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Assassin’s Creed 3, FF13

I love my Dream Eaters in Kingdom Hearts!  They are cute neat little buddies that can be trained to fight alongside you.  They basically take the place of Goofy and Donald.  I beat the first world (Traverse Town) which is neat because it has new areas we haven’t seen before.  The 3D quality is good, and so far I’m really enjoying the game.

I picked up Final Fantasy 13 this week.  I told you last week how I picked up FF 13-2, but before I play it I decided to replay FF13.  Currently on the last disc of this three-disc game.

Last but not least, I finished up Assassin’s Creed Revelations.  I ended up liking Revelations a lot more than I thought I would.  I figured it would just be a  fun diversion, but I ended up getting drawn in to the experience.  Definitely worth playing because now I’m really, really excited for AC3.

Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,