My most anticipated RPGs of 2011: Day 3

Final Fantasy XIII-2 - PS3, 360 - Q2011:

Let me cut to the chase: I totally loved Final Fantasy XIII. Loved the graphics, the soundtrack, the battle system and the characters (esp Lightning). I get all antsy when the 'real' FF fan boys start blasting on the game for NO reason AT ALL. Yes the game wasn't as good as some of the best Final Fantasy games (Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy IX), but was a darn awesome RPG and a good entry in the series. Anyways I heard rumors on the net late 2010 that SqaureEnix was thinking about a direct sequel to the game, but when they confirmed it during the Final Fantasy Conference early January I literally flipped. I have been a huge fan of the Final Fantasy direct sequels (Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings) , and I have no doubts that this game will be as awesome as the rest.

The ending of Final Fantasy XIII was quite epic to say the least. Although I loved the game, there were a couple of things which weren't as polished, but the ending just vanished all of those misgivings. But now with Final Fantasy XIII-2, I would want to see a bit of work in some of those areas which were lacking. For starters I want a huge sprawling world to explore complete with towns and labyrinthine dungeons, and I want a story line which is a little cohesive. The people at SquareEnix have said that they taken feedback from fans and will deliver a game which will exceed the original. Paint me very excited!!

But what I really want to see in Final Fantasy XIII-2 is how the developers evolve the main protagonist Lightning. For me she is one of the most awesome characters in video games. Tough exterior with a soft core (VERY different from the angst-fest Cloud and Squall or the over the top Zidane and Tidus). So a story which revolves around Lightning a bit more than the original will really be awesome!

Here's hoping that the E3 shows a detailed look of the game (right now only a minute and half trailer and 3 screenshots are available) esp the game play department. With a vague 'Coming next winter' release date featuring in the trailer, I really hope this game comes out this year. Cant wait!

On to tomorrow for the game on my RPG's of 2011.

My most anticipated RPGs of 2011: Day 2

Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - PC, PS3, 360 - May 17, 2011 (PC):

This game was never in my list as a potential awesome RPG I would want to play, but due to constant ranting by a friend of mine (who is playing the recently released PC version) I decided to check the game's previews, videos and screen shots. Needless to say I was pretty much blown away as the premise, the production values looked positively outstanding. My excitement became tenfold when I found out that unlike the original game which was a PC exclusive, Witcher 2 is a multi platform game with the console release in the works. The game right now is out on PC which gave me a chance to read its reviews (Very high scores from majority of game sites) and hence this game made my list as one of most anticipated games this year.

The element which piqued my interest (after checking out screenshots and video) was the dark fantasy setting. Recently I have become a fan of the HBO TV show 'Game of Thrones', and Witcher 2 seems to share that setting, albeit with an extra dose of fantasy. And besides the main protagonist Geralt seem like a really complex character and getting to know what his future hold seems like a good hobby. And lastly Western RPGs always seem to have outstanding plot complete with awesome fantasy trappings that makes for a riveting plot and I am guessing Witcher 2 will be the same.

And if by any chance the console version looks even half of what its PC brethren, then that will make for a gorgeous looking game. I mean the game looks, grim and haunting yet utterly beautiful and inviting!

Now usually I don't really care about WRPGs (mainly due game play), but I am genuinely excited about this game and I really hope the upcoming E3 can cast light on a console release for Witcher 2.

Onwards and upwards for more RPGs goodness tomorrow.

My most anticipated RPGs of 2011

2011 so far has been a pretty good year for a number of genres like FPS or action adventure games and it would seem (from the release dates) that this trend will continue for the rest of the year as well. OK lets see now we have Gears of Wars 3 primed for release very soon, Infamous 2 June's debut is pretty close and Uncharted 3 is set for the fall release. But as much as this year has been awesome, there have been a woefully small number of quality RPGs coming out in 2011 and this fact is indicative of the new direction the current generation is taking. This is not say that 2011 has been or will be barren for RPGs, on contrary there are number of pretty solid RPGs coming out and although I am a few months late in bringing out this post (there have been around 3 good RPGs released in this time), but from today till the 2nd of June I will be discussing 10 of my most anticipated RPGs of this year (well...of 6 months that is):

1) Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii -September :

A simple and plan fact is that Wii has not been a power house for RPGs (even with the incredible popularity of the console), but unlike Nintendo's previous console (GameCube) there have been 3-5 solid RPGs for gamers to choose. But the console is still missing THAT epic RPG, which would define the console for RPG players. This is about to change though with the release of two RPGs from experienced developers. First I will talk about Xenoblade Chronicles. The game comes from the team which has made a HUGE name for themselves with the superlative Xenogears and XenoSaga series, helmed by Tetsuya Takahashi and the game company Monolith Soft, backed by Nintendo (phew). Now that is a quite a pedigree if you ask me, one which will catapult this game to a top billing for RPG players. The game was originally called Monado: Beginning of the World, but was thankfully changed to Xenoblade in honor of Takahashi (the creator of the Xeno brand games). Nintendo has a sure-fire winner on its hands and has done well in becoming the publisher, meaning the quality of the localization will be great. As a Wii owner I can't wait to get my grubby mitts on this one as soon as its out.

The premise of the plot takes place on top two crystallized gods where humanoids and machines have taken up residence and are now embroiled in a never ending war. From the outset the game already has a unique backdrop which will inevitable open up into something epic. Tetsuya Takahashi has also pointed out that the narrative will be quite different from the cut-scene heavy XenoSaga series (much to my chagrin), while also having emphasis on exploration. Consider this as an amalgam of eastern story-telling with western game play tropes. This will be very interesting indeed!

The game play resembles Final Fantasy XII (ala offline MMORPG), while players will have the freedom to input commands as well. I am one of those who actually really liked the MMORPG mechanics from Final Fantasy XII and after going through quite a few of game play video that mechanics looks very solid in Xenoblade Chronicles. I am very excited for the game play and with a promise of 50-60 hours of the main plot Xenoblade Chronicles has a lot going for it.


The technical aspect of the game looks really spiffy with some awesome visuals, perhaps one of the best looking Wii game to date! The screen shots and videos showcase huge environs to explores, beautiful vistas to behold and attention of a lot of detail. I mean lets face it, Wii isn't known for a its graphics, but Xenoblade Chronicles really does look good. For me the look of the game is very similar to many of the outstanding PS2 RPGs and I felt a twinge of nostalgia looking at screenshots and videos of the game.

But the soundtrack has all the bearing to be very memorable. Yoko Shimomura (of Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Mana fame) and Yasunori Mitsuda (of Chrono Trigger/Cross and XenoSaga fame) providing the sound track!!!. I mean two of the finest composers in the game industry working together can only mean that the sound track well be of dizzying quality.

So yeah it will be a huge understatement to say that I am excited for Xenoblade Chronicles. The game has that PS2 RPG vibe to it and that can only be a good thing (PS2 RPG library the greatest ever!). The Wii has been a huge success for Nintendo but the lack of good RPG has been disappointing, so here hoping that Xenoblade Chronicles lives up to the hype and finally give the Wii the epic RPG it deserves before it rides off into the sunset.

Join me tomorrow for another anticipated RPG.

Jump, Double Jump!!

About 5 months ago I wrote an article on 3D platformers for a website but for some reason it never got published so I decided to post it on the blog.

With an increase in development costs, along with the introduction of digital download services in the form of Xbox Live, PSN and Wiiware the developers now have a medium as well as a need to create bite size games along with their console releases, while also giving opportunities to smaller and new companies to make a mark on the industry. You now have big and small developers making games for the download services and this has resulted in the miraculous revival of 2D platformers or the return of the old school gaming mechanics.

As the popularity of 2D platformers have started to rise again, many developers are now dangling their feet in the genre. Nintendo has used all of its retro experiences to give their in-house teams, big wig companies and smaller developers full support in making games for the Wiiware and DSiware services with games like LostWinds, NyxQuest: Kindered Spirits, Shantae or new iterations of Mega Man to name a few, while Sony and Microsoft also have followed suit in giving a free hand to smaller indie developers such as PLAYDEAD, Number None Inc. or Team Meat to create little gems like such as Super Meat Boy, Braid or Limbo.

This charge also has resulted in the big 3 churning out proper console releases of the 2D platformers genre. Nintendo pulled its own strings in creating a deluge of newer and slicker 2D platformers using their old franchises with the likes of New Super Mario Bros Wii, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns, while Sony and Microsoft has stuff like LittleBigPlanet.

With the triumphant return of the 2D platformers complete the 3D platformer genre has kinda been left behind. The genre has basically become redundant and isn't as important as it was last generation. Either developers have grown tired of the tried and tested formula of the genre or gamers themselves want something (or old if you at look it). It is actually sad to see the pseudo demise of the genre for two reasons: a) it is following the same pattern of demise as was seen around a decade ago of the adventure genre and b) 3D genre started the new 3D gaming revolution back in the day. So as you can see the said genre has a lot of history behind it and the way developers and gamers are shunning it seems a little cold. But rather than painting a grim picture I would like to point of that the influence of the genre can not be ignored.

Many of the biggest action adventure games of the HD generation which includes games like Uncharted, Infamous, Assasin's Creed, Prince of Persia, Castlevania: Lords of Shadows and Prototype have in some form or the other roots attached to 3D platformers.

Yes all these games have white knuckle action sequences and and loads of shooting at things, but there are sections in these games which required jumping...alot of jumping. Be it over large chasms, grappling over tall building or traversing medieval city on rooftops, the 3D platformers hence in essence have not been forgotten, rather their influence on the industry are still been felt. But that's where the influence ends as many of the staples of 3D platformers have gone missing ranging from creative and zany worlds to explore, utilizing ridiculous moves, collecting a horde of a useless junks and of course over the top characters. It is these element which distinguishes the genre from the others.

Yes, the writing is on the wall for the 3D platformer, but even in such desperate times all is not lost. There are still some big developers out there who are still at it making 3D platformers. Developers who still realise the potential and the fun factor of the genre and are looking to innovate in a pretty saturated territory. Lets take a look at a few of them shall we: Nintendo's very own stout plumber has been the leading the charge with incredible games like Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel. Here you have particularly amazing level designs, culling many of the pitfalls of the genre, bring something new the plate and some truly creative and epic boss battles. Miyamoto-san who kick started the 3D platformer genre back in 1996 has come full circle with the Galaxy series with all the innovation and sticking to what work best for the genre.

Second in line is the California based company, Insomniac. The de facto developer for the Playstation brand did not forget its platformer roots when it created the FPS Resistance as the company still churns out delightful iterations of the fan favorite Ratchet and Clank series. PS3 owners were blown away when the first HD game of the series came on the system and highlighted the fact that 3D platformers are still relevant, and since then 2 more games in the series have been released.

And with each release the visuals and the game play elements are improved upon, which drums the point that if developers are willing to put the effort in the genre as they used it, then the HD generation will end up having more platformers. Insomniac is not done with the genre as a new Ratchet and Clank game was announced ironically alongside another Resistance game!

With two of the big hitters of the industry still focused on making 3D platformers, there are also a number of small companies making awesome games with examples like de Blob, Deadly Animals, Sonic (yes surprisingly enough) to name a few.


Sure the number of such games have dwindled in the last 4 years, 3D platformers are still holding on.

So in the end I just want to confess that the 3D platformer genre ranks as my favorite genre (yes even at age) alongside Japanese RPG, and would love to see more games in the HD generation. Although the genre may have seen last of its better days, there is no denying that 3D platformers are darn fun to play!

Sony announces new portable: Next Generation Portable or NGP!!!

Finally after all the speculation of the impending announcement of the PSP2, Sony has unveiled the new portbale, dubbed Next Generation Portable, or NGP if you like. Personally I am very very excited. I mean look at this piece hardware...its so sweet!!

The specs that Sony has provided in their massive demo and announcement event in Japan makes the NGP a true generation leap for the portable market. Below are the specs (taken directly from Kotaku.com)

"The Full Specs

• CPU: ARM® Cortex™-A9 core (4 core)
• GPU: SGX543MP4+
• External Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
• Rear touch pad: Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
• Cameras: Front camera, Rear camera
• Sound: Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
• Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
• Location: Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi location service support
• Keys / Switches: PS button, Power button, Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left), Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), Shoulder buttons (Right/Left), Right stick, Left stick, START button, SELECT button, Volume buttons
• Wireless communications: Mobile network connectivity (3G), IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode), Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR （A2DP/AVRCP/HSP）"

Twin analog sticks?( not mentioned) Check. Big ass OLED screen? (not mentioned) Check. Cameras and touch pads? Check. Its even PSP compatible and that in my opinion is a master stroke!!. The NGP is really hitting the the market hard and the games which were on show are quite mind blowing. Uncharted and MGS 4??. I mean seriously??!. A few weeks ago someone from Sony mentioned that the graphic for the new PSP machine will be like the PS3. THEY WERE NOT LYING!!!. Go check Kotaku.com and check out some of the game videos from the event. You will become a believer!!

I knew Sony had something up its sleeves after seeing how calm they were in the face of new Nintendo portable, 3DS. And today they have come out firing in all cylinders! Why do I get the feeling that people at Nintendo must be shitting bricks at this moment. With a launch date of around the holiday season, I cannot wait. Sure the 3DS wil have have a 7 month head start but if Sony can provide a great launch day line up then I guess Sony will be set.!!

Finished Tales of Vesperia!!

The Tales of series has to be one of the most underrated JRPG franchise out there. I mean most of the gamers I know don't have any interest in playing any game from the series for some inexplicable reason. Personally I cannot get enough of this superb franchise. I got my first Tales fix when I played Tales of Legendia for the PS2 and become a fan of its anime-esque visual and its fast and flashy game play and since then I have played and finished Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss and both these games were amazing. Even games which have scored a bit on the lower side have not been ignored in the form of Tales of Symphonia 2 and Tales of the World. This series is that awesome!


Tales of Vesperia caught my attention when it trailers hit the Internet in the summer of 07 and needless to say I was smitten by is amazing production values. No seriously, the incredible anime like visuals were totally out of world and the classic Tales game play was back in full force... in glorious HD. But to my dismay it was a 360 exclusive. The thing is as soon as the trailer and announcement of a US release came to the fore, my 360 got its first RROD attack and soon enough the machine was died. I was really annoyed and vowed never to buy another 360 again. Sure that mantra changed when the game was released to glowing reviews by the gaming fraternity for its inspired visual and the classic JRPG strappings. Every day I would browse the net watching video reviews and read reviews. And then I snapped. Soon enough I got a new 360 (a UK one) in late 2008, thinking that the UK release was around the corner. As it turned out I had to wait 8 months for the damn game, and that was infuriating as best!.

It was love at first sight the moment I put on the game and the introduction played out. Every cut-scene felt like an episode from a high class anime series, all the characters facial animation were astounding. I mean this game is easily the best looking game ever made which have anime like aesthetics (Naruto games included). Some of the backgrounds of the dungeons and towns are stunningly good, like the forest ruins of Kiev Moc or the town of Halure. Look, I am all for realistic looking games and all but when a game looks this good with its cartoony presentation I just can't help myself for wanting more games to look like Tales of Vesperia. There was one moment in the game when my party reaches a cliff hanging over the vast ocean which totally made the game's visuals stand out.

Turn-based battle systems are good if they are done with some pizazz and panache, but sometimes an action orientated system takes the cake. Same is the case with all the Tales games as the pioneer of action based game play in an RPG. Tales of Vesperia takes the formula to great heights as the battles are fast. Most battles don't even last more than 2 mins and that makes the monotonous element of RPG fresh and fun. Controlling a single character and having indirect control of the AI party members and doling out massive combos. My combo meter reached 43 hits once but I have seen monster combos of more than a 100 hits. The bosses were the most fun as implementing attacking tactics made many boss encounter outrageously fun. Oh yeah Tales of Vesperia has one feature which have been missing for sometime: a world map. The world of Terca Lumireis is vast and travelling on foot or a boat was truly epic!

Characters in Tales of Vesperia are really good. They deftly avoid the arch types of JRPGs and come off as human. Yuri, Raven and Judith were the stand out characters with their deep storyline yet the remaining characters were also very well fleshed out. Character interactions were awesome with often witty and amusing banters that the main leads have with each other. I have not heard such natural dialogue delivery in a JRPG since Persona 4. The voice acting, thank God was top notch. There are no annoying voices in the game. All the characters were voice appropriately but I loved the gentle yet sultry voice of the buxom Judith (who was also as my favorite character in the game for obvious reasons).

As many JPRGs are trying their best to present focused storyline (i.e Final Fantasy XIII), Tales of Vesperia's plot is involving and rewarding, The story is rife with twists and turns, ancient technology and races and political angles. Such plot lines were usually found in many JRPGs of the PS2 era, but in the HD era such twisting plot lines have been replaced. Many game sites nominated the story of Tales of Vesperia in the Best Story category, much to my surprise (my conspiracy theory, which will be discussed in another blog post), but after playing through the game I agreed with such an assessment.

Anyways 2 years of dedicated play, I finally finished the game I (re)bought a 360 for with a grand play time of 57 hours and 29 mins, and was greeted to a great ending. It will be a shame if Tales of Vesperia becomes the last localized game in the series after Namco Bandai reported punishing losses in 2009. With a PS3 exclusive just being announcement in the form of Tales of Xillia, I really hope that game does make it out in English. Till then I look back fondly with the time I spend with Tales of Vesperia. My rating: 9.3!!

Finished Final Fantasy XIII

So four days I finally got to the conclusion of Final Fantasy XIII with a total play time of 6o hours and 51 minutes. As I struggle to deal with the fact that I have finished the game, I now look back fondly with the time I spend on the game. Let me start with a statement: I don't give a rat's ass about the lower than expected reviews that the game has received and nor do I really care how many people ended up hating the game for some odd reason. Final Fantasy XIII is one of the finest JRPG this generation and easily the best looking game ever made.

The battle system was really well thought out and it was a total blast to get into battles. The system reminded me a lot of the ones found in Final Fantasy X-2 and the Tales, and job system making a subtle return was also cool. In my opinion all RPGs should have some sort of a job system and FFXIII version was pretty neat. I would have loved a little more depth in the character development like the ones in FFX and FFXII but this game's character development was still good (as compared to another high profile shooter...errr action RPG)

If I talk about the characters I think the game had some very decent ones, esp the main lead Lightning with her tough as nail exterior yet a soft and gentle heart. I mean if you take a look at some of the 'emo' main leads from the very popular FFVII and FFVIII or the over the tops one in FFIX and FFX, then Lightning finds a perfect balance and hence making her an awesome character.

A special mention HAS to go to Sazh. The first time I heard him talk in the game I was like '..ok so this guy is the comedy relief..'. But kudos to the Square-Enix for making him a fascinating character and the best thing was his awesome black American demon, making him one of my most characters in games.

Do not make me mention Vanille and Hope. I though the runt in FFXII was a bad idea, but these two were not good at all. Initially I thought Hope would be like Vivi from FFIX, but ended up being quite irritating. But one that same gauge, Vanille was quite incredible. I mean she has to be the worst FF character ever conceived. I hated her voice, hated her cheery disposition and her stupid fishing pole. I still dunno how and why such a character was thought up in the first place

Fang and Snow were pretty solid and I generally did not have any problems with them on the whole.

Ok now to the negative part. I though the story was a big missed opportunity. Its not to say the plot was bad, but it was not great. The pacing of the plot was on fast forward and it not have the serpentine quality of the FF of the past, and that is quite a shame really. But honestly when the game ended and I witnessed an incredible conclusion, it made up for this fact. The ending was EPIC.

Anyways 4 years of waiting and 9 months of playing the game non stop, I felt the game was worth the wait and in the end I was really satisfied with this game. My rating for this game is a 9.2!