Tag: Videogames

Final Fantasy XIII Crystalium Level-Up System Explained

Japanese magazine Shonen Jump has detailed Final Fantasy XIII’s “Crystalium” system, which is used to level up characters. Using “Crystal Points” and a chart with diverging paths, the system sounds like an advancement of the sphere grid used in Final Fantasy X. The good peeps at Andriasang have translated and analyzed the info:

FFXIII WP1

As you defeat enemies in battle, you earn Crystal Points (CP). These can be exchanged for new skills and abilities, shown on a circular chart in the Crystalium management screen. As you learn certain skills, new paths on the chart open up.

In addition to earning new skills like “Fire,” you can also use this system to increase your characters’ parameters. The screenshots in Jump show options for increasing character HP.

Character growth appears to be done on a per role basis. This is my speculation based off the screenshots, but it appears that each character can be raised individually in the various battle roles (Blaster, Defender, Attacker, and so-forth).

This system sounds great on paper. I loved the sphere grid in FFX. Crystalium sounds like the sphere grid taken to the next level. Even though FFXIII’s gestalt mode continues to vex me, I’m thinking (wishing?) that Crystalium will help me forget it’s there.

Source

Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski Thinks Project Natal is Amazingly Fun

Project Natal

Yesterday, you read Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski’s thoughts on OnLive. Today you get the renowned game designer’s opinion on Project Natal. In my recent interview with Cliff, I asked him what he saw in Microsoft’s motion-sensing wonder. He said:

I see an amazingly fun system that will expand the Xbox user base in a direction previously untapped by Microsoft and currently owned by Nintendo. When all is said and done, there are probably going to be “Wii Fit”-like games, more “hardcore experience”-based games as well as some that lie somewhere between the two.

I don’t believe that motion or gesture-based controls of any sort will replace the controller any time soon. They will merely enable yet another way to interact with your console, and Natal could potentially enhance classic controller-based games in many, many different and exciting ways. (None of which I’m ready to talk about at this time, so Internet, don’t go reading into this too much and start drawing random conclusions.)

What do you think of Cliffy B’s opinions on Project Natal? Agree? Disagree? What do you make of him addressing the Internet as if it were a person or a group of people? Is it a mental disorder that he developed while working so hard on Gears of War?

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Just because the Yankees are going to do some damage in Philadelphia this weekend doesn’t mean that I won’t have time to play games. Ha! There are three games that I’m going to play more of this weekend. The first was a total surprise — Marvel Superhero Squad for PSP. I brought it with me on my brief trip to SF and I just couldn’t put it down. A lot of it is dumb and basic, but I was enjoying the mindlessness of it all and I imagine that it would be a great game to play with my eight-year old…uhm…if I had an eight-year old, that is.

Of course I’m going to be playing more WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 — the front runner for the “best writing in a game made by man” award. I’m still playing around in dream matches and “Road to WrestleMania” mode, but I promise to eventually make some content and upload it.

Magnacarta 2

Lastly, I’m going to play some Magnacarta 2. As many of you know, I love me some Japanese RPGs. This one looks pretty traditional (totally cool with me) and the reviews haven’t been the best, but a few of my fellow RPG lovers have really enjoyed it. I want to see for myself.

As always, I want to know what you’re playing. Share your weekend playlist with the gang.

Coffee Talk #15: Frightening Games for Halloween

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Yankees totally ruling last night, Foo Fighters playing on Facebook, or the brilliance that is beef Wellington, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s Halloween tomorrow and a fantastic time to scare the crap out of yourself with a good survival-horror game. The genre has gone through a lot of changes since it was made popular by the first Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. Somewhere along the line, survival-horror titles became shooting-the-hell-out-of-everything-with-a-large-arsenal-of-automatic-weapons games. Survival? Sure (as long as you don’t run out of bullets). Horror? Not so much.

Fatal Frame

Even though the games had a few issues, the Fatal Frame series is probably my favorite line of survival-horror games. Clever use of graphics and sound created a truly creepy atmosphere. Using a magical camera as your only weapon (as ridiculous as it sounds) added a feeling of helplessness. Mixing Shinto rituals with modern occultism gave the games a sense of believable fantasy. Fatal Frame has such a unique and fantastic mood — something most recent survival-horror titles have eschewed in favor of rapid-fire action.

On the eve of Halloween, I want to know what game or games you think are scary. What titles made you turn on the lights? Do you have any favorite “oh s&*t” moments in a game that you’ll never forget? Let your fellow RPadholics know (but try not to scare anyone too badly).

New Final Fantasy XIII Gestalt Modes: Bahamut and Brynhildr

Oerba summon

Square Enix has updated the official Final Fantasy XIII web site with new information and pictures on two gestalt modes. First up is Bahamut, Oerba Yun Fang’s summon. Longtime FF fans will remember Bahamut as one of the most potent summons around. In FFXIII, it becomes a…chocobo/bat machine…with a little AT-ST thrown in.

Sazh Katzroy’s summon is just as ridiculous.

Continue reading “New Final Fantasy XIII Gestalt Modes: Bahamut and Brynhildr”

Ratchet & Clank the Last 60fps Game From Insomniac

Ratchet and Clank Future

Citing research recently performed by the company, Insomniac Games engine director Mike Acton said that Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will likely be the company’s last game that runs at 60 frames per second. The research concluded that hitting 60fps isn’t worth the effort because it “does not significantly affect sales” and “does not significantly affect the reviews”. Acton concluded:

It means that framerate is still important to us here at Insomniac, but it’s not on the same pedestal it was before. And that Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac’s last 60fps game.

With development costs continuing to skyrocket, I understand the need for some tough decisions. While I agree that many critics and gamers are satisfied with 30fps, there are some that demand 60fps. People that fall into the latter category tend to be extremely vocal. They’ll complain long, loud, and hard about lower frame rates. They’ll convince other people to complain about the lower frame rates. It’ll be anarchy!!! (Breakfast Club reference)

Continue reading “Ratchet & Clank the Last 60fps Game From Insomniac”

Epic Games Cliff Bleszinski Thinks OnLive is the “Real Deal”

OnLive

OnLive’s streaming games service has been getting a lot of buzz since it debuted at Game Developers Conference 2009. While millions of gamers love the idea of games-on-demand, many are skeptical about cloud-based gaming. This is new, uncharted territory for gaming. With that in mind, I decided to ask the most dashing game designer east of the Mississippi a prominent game developer what he thought of OnLive. Here’s what Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski (Unreal, Gears of War) had to say:

I was skeptical about OnLive until I had a chance to be hands on with it at GDC, and it does appear to be the “real deal.” I think the PC space will benefit the most initially from this technology, however, I doubt Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are ready to yield to an on-demand cloud console quite yet.

What do you make of his comments? Does getting praise from a respected game designer like Cliffy B change your opinion of OnLive? I want to know what you’re thinking (pure energy)!

Nintendo of Japan Announces DSi LL With 4.2-inch Screens

Remember that rumored revamp of the Nintendo DSi I mentioned on Tuesday? The one with the larger screens, aimed towards old people? In the immortal words of Kurt Angle, “It’s true. It’s damn true.” Nintendo of Japan has announced the DSi LL, an update of its hugely popular DSi, coming on November 21. The big features this time around are dual 4.2-inch screens and a large, pen-like stylus.

The DSi LL will be available in natural white, wine red, and poo dark brown colors. I’m guessing the more “mature” colors combined with the easier-on-the-eyes screens and a stylus that’s so large that you can’t drop it make this a winning combination for old people. I kid, I kid. I love old people!

DSi LL

Seriously though, I was on the fence about the DSi because I wanted more of an upgrade from the DS Lite. The DSi LL is totally it. Hopefully it will be coming to America some time in early 2010.

What do you think od the DSi LL? Are you going to pick one up? What do you think LL stands for?

Coffee Talk #14: Professional Gaming and You

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Yankees totally sucking last night, Hulk Hogan signing with TNA Wrestling, or the joys of Burmese food, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Yesterday, a bunch of friends were telling me how they think professional gaming is set for a huge spike in North America. I was surprised by their position. While pro gaming has a following, I think it’s niche and I don’t see how it can achieve rapid growth in this economic climate.

Like any self-absorbed person, I started thinking about my issues with pro gaming. I just don’t find it very interesting. Watching a few people play a first-person shooter on a big screen bores me. In most cases, I rather be playing games than watching people play them.

Street Fighter IV

That said, there are a few exceptions. I love watching two highly skilled Street Fighter IV players go at it. I love watching Korean fans watch professional StarCraft players. At Korean StarCraft tournaments, the crowd is totally tuned into the game, gasps at sudden turnarounds, and goes nuts when their man wins. There are DVD box sets of tournaments and professional players have their own baseball cards. It’s a cool and unique thing.

Anyway, I want to know what you think about professional gaming. Does it interest you? Do you think it has a bright future in America? What kind of games do you like to watch in tournaments? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Coffee Talk #13: Should Price Be a Factor in Review Scores?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, your pick for the World Series, D&D nerds using Google Wave, or electric scooters, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

So many of my friends in the gaming business are raving about DJ Hero. During several casual chats this week, I heard superlative after superlative thrown at the game. Most of the time, I just nodded and grinned (or in some cases did the IM equivalent of nodding and grinning). To the friends I was comfortable with — the ones close enough to engage in a healthy debate with, that is — I responded with one simple question, “Yeah, but is it worth $120?”

DJ Hero Renegade Edition

Price is a factor when you’re buying a game, but for some reviewers it’s a non-issue. Some outlets take the stance of “we judge each game on its own merits”. I don’t really buy that. I have different expectations from a full-budget $60 game than a $20 value title or a $10 download. Although some reviewers are taking DJ Hero’s price into consideration, I don’t think they’re weighing it into the equation as heavily as they ought to.

Part of the problem is that some longtime reviewers get too used to being able to play every game that’s released for free. They forget about being a kid that desperately wanted three games, but had to deliberate for days because they could only afford one. To me, a game like DJ Hero or Rock Band or Guitar Hero should be looked at differently than a $60 game because they’re frickin’ expensive.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. I want to know what you think America. Should a game’s price be considered in its review score?