Final Fantasy 13-2 review

Final Fantasy XIII-2

XBOX360, PS3

Review

By Matt Sharp

Let me start by saying that I am a die-hard Final Fantasy fan; I have had a special little spot in my heart for the series since I played the original Final Fantasy for the NES back in ye olden days. I say this because it makes the fact that I absolutely love Final Fantasy XIII-2 even more shocking because this entry is drastically different from any other in the series, except for maybe Final Fantasy X-2 which is also the only other direct sequel in the series.

Final Fantasy XIII received its share of scolding from Final Fantasy fans because of how much it changed from past entries. I personally thought it was fantastic despite its glaring flaws; and I actually thought its “flaws” were in some ways just evolutions in the series that the old stubborn fogies from the Midgar Retirement Community saw as pure evil, just like any other change. XIII-2 basically took everything players didn’t like about XIII and either completely changed it, or at the very least made it bearable.

Zelda: Skyward Sword review

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Nintendo

Wii

You’ve probably heard of The Legend of Zelda at some point in your life. A good majority of you probably think that Zelda is “that elf boy with the dorky green hat.” We already can’t be friends. Anyway, The Legend of Zelda is actually a long-running series in which each game is its own entity, similar to Final Fantasy; in other words, you don’t have to play any of the other Zelda games to understand this one. Almost every entry stars a young boy named Link who ends up having to save the Princess Zelda from some great evil, usually a man named Ganon or Ganondorf. That’s right, the series is named after the useless princess who always gets kidnapped (even though she clearly has strong magical powers) instead of the brave hero, Link, who goes through intense trials and fights powerful monsters to save her. Excuuuse me, Princess!

Skyward Sword is about a boy named…can you guess? Again, if you said “Zelda,” get out of my face. Link and Zelda grew up together in a beautiful island town called Skyloft. Oh, and instead of the island being in the ocean it’s actually a floating mass hovering high above the clouds. Small detail.You find yourself at the start of the Wing Ceremony where Link is competing with his peers to gain the official title of “Knight,” which just basically means he can ride his goofy looking duck thing—called a Loftwing—freely around the skies. Eventually Zelda ends up falling through the clouds to the mysterious surface world which, for some reason, no one really seems to know anything about.

My first publicity! (Sort of....)

I was on Youtube and just happened to come across a video of two guys doing commentary on my game...needless to say I got super excited :3

These guys are hilarious too btw.

Lucid Awakening 2 - Train sequence sneak peak

Hello everyone! It certainly has been a while....

Here is a little sneak peak video showing off some of my progress on Lucid Awakening 2. I hope you like it!

LA2: DEMO!!

 

It's about time. I would call this a "story demo" instead of an actual "demo-demo," because some of the technical elements aren't quite there yet, especially the battle system. I'm putting this up mostly for fans of Lucid Awakening who have probably given up on me because it's taken me so long to put out anything concrete since the release of the first game almost two years ago.

Notes about the demo:

• This is a PRE-ALPHA demo, which means it isn't even in Alpha stage yet...which means, not everything is fully functional. This demo was mostly made just as a STORY DEMO.

• You can report bugs if you want...but chances are, I already know about them (i.e. in Redstone all the locations are available from the start and Fountain and Bazaar don't even work).

• I DO want feedback, but please try to keep it to story, design, and content feedback. Like I said, most technical issues are going to be resolved later on.

• I'm trying as hard as possible to make this game understandable to newcomers to the series, but also have a LOT of stuff to please fans. As you may have guessed, this is a very hard thing to balance.

• This is pretty much exactly how the beginning of the full game will be. However, the end of the demo when the logo comes up is basically where the full game will REALLY begin.

• I apologize for not having the awesome job change system functional in this demo...but again, this is a STORY demo.

• Pay attention at the end of the demo in the last scene before the logo comes up, there are some pretty cool little details you will probably like if you played Lucid Awakening. Hint: returning character working with new character, and two transformations. 

I'm sorry for the large file size...I used MP3s instead of midis, which is actually where a good 80 - 90% of the bulk comes from. I really feel like having quality music in a game adds SO much. I think for the full game I will also release a "lite" version that will use all midis to cut down immensely on file size. Anyway, here it is:
Lucid Awakening 2 Demo

Also you will have to install this font (put into C:\\Program Files\Windows\Fonts):
Font

LA2: First continent of world map

 
Well, the title is pretty self-explanatory. This is the first continent of the world map for Lucid Awakening 2. It's nothing special, but it shows that I'm actually still [slowly] working on this game.

Of course there will be more to the finished world map than this, but for the first demo this will most likely be the only place you'll be.




And speaking of demos...I'm pretty sure I will be putting out a brief demo near the end of this week. Unfortunately it probably won't have a working job change system in it, which is disappointing because that is kind of the whole crux of this project. I just want to release something to let fans of Lucid Awakening know that there really is a sequel coming out; also, to prove to the RPG Maker forums that I'm not dead since I haven't been nearly as active as I used to be.


Well, the next time I post will probably be to post a demo! =]

Review: Sonic Colors (Wii)

 

Sonic Colors

Nintendo Wii

Sega

When Sega first released Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis in 1991, it was something totally unique and fresh. Instead of trying to make just another inferior Mario clone like most companies, they basically created their own sub-genre of platformers that hasn't been matched to this day.

In case you don't know what the Sonic games were about, here's a summary: run to the right really, really fast and don't die. Okay, so it was a little more than that, but that's the basic shell of the game. It wasn't as if you would just hold the right button on your controller and sometimes jump; at least half of each level required patience, accurate jumping skills, and good timing--not too far off from what you would expect from a Mario game. Looking back, the level design in Sonic games was incredible. If you didn't just blaze through the levels and took time to stop and look for different ways to go or secret areas, you would realize that the levels were actually gigantic and complex. Also, the music in the series was always fantastic.

Somewhere along the road Sega lost sight of what made Sonic so special. They tried to give it more storyline and add new playable characters; for a series that is all about speed, all this did was slow things down. I had heard good things about the latest Sonic game, Sonic Colors, so I thought I'd give it a chance and I added it to my Gamefly queue.

Finally it came, and I was ready to revive a dead passion for Sonic.

LA2: Towns

Towns in Lucid Awakening 2 are different than the ones in most RPGs. For me, towns are some of the most memorable parts of RPGs; I think of the ones from Final Fantasy 6 in particular. But there was always something about towns I didn't like--my OCD would kick in and I would have to talk to every NPC in the entire town and check every barrel, crate, and pot for treasures. While this is something exciting and memorable, there was still a feeling of anxiety that would come with visiting a new town--"Oh no, I'm going to have to spend 15 minutes doing everything I can in this new town...."

In Final Fantasy 12 towns were different. The cities were absolutely huge and the amount of people there was more than I'd ever seen before in an RPG, yet something made them much less stressful for me--not all NPCs had something to say; only ones with a mark above their head were ones you could talk to. I used this as inspiration as I started making my very first town today on LA2.


I've always had trouble with towns and NPCs when making RPGs, but I think I finally did what's just right for me as a developer and designer.

LA2: Sentries

Sentries are a new type of enemy in Lucid Awakening 2. They serve one purpose in battle, and that is to protect the other enemies. Sentries can greatly weaken the strength of your attacks, put debuffs on your party, constantly drain your HP, and all other kinds of nasty things that can make winning the battle almost impossible. Obviously, the only real way to win a battle with a Sentry involved is to do everything you can to destroy it before even attempting to defeat any other enemies.

Sentries also protect themselves, but each Sentry has a weak point. Most will require a specific type of ability to destroy it, fortunately you will be able to see what Sentries weak points are outside of battle so that you can properly equip your party before the fight.

For example, a Sentry's weak point may be its back. The way to take it out would be to have Zeke change to the Acrobat class and use his Leap attack. Once the Sentry is destroyed you can continue the battle as you normally would.

Battles in Lucid Awakening 2 can sometimes be like puzzles. A lot of times you really have to think about the battle instead of the "Attack-Attack-Attack-Heal-Repeat" cycle you see in many RPGs. Sometimes there can even be multiple kinds of Sentries in one battle. You may have a Sentry that guards against back attacks, and a Sentry who is weak against back attacks; the only way to solve this battle would be to take out the first Sentry with its weakness first so that you can attack the second Sentry in the back.

Lucid Awakening 2 - My dream coming to life

I guess you could say that development of Lucid Awakening 2 has officially started. I have a very talented artist, who I've never met, doing work for me. He has been doing a lot of character concept art for the three main characters of my game, Zeke, Silas, and Terra.

This is concept art for the lead character in the game, Zeke. In Lucid Awakening he was the main character Damian's little brother who got sucked into the dream world with him. He had a bigger role in the game that you didn't really find out about until much later in the game near the end; I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't finished it yet. It is amazing to me to be able to see people from a world that I've created grow up and change; it's a feeling that can't be explained with words.

Maybe this is just poor story-telling technique, but when I make a game I tend to simply make it up as I go along but according to a basic outline in my mind. I think that I have a gift for writing and creating stories based on this: sometimes as I'm making a scene in my game, I am actually shocked at what happens. That happened to me several times throughout the creation of Lucid Awakening--I would be making a scene and be surprised at what I had just wrote. Whether that is a smart technique or not, I find it very interesting that even as the creator I cannot wait to find out what happens.

Omega Twilight, my abandoned RPG Maker VX game

Two heroes must take their stand against the rising evil that threatens to destroy the world. Kain, a boy from a small island village; and Maria, a priestess of the church of Reijin. Though they may never meet, they will become the strongest allies in all history.

That was the story synopsis for my first real project in Enterbrain's RPG Maker VX, Omega Twilight. I had created Lucid Awakening using a legal version of RPG Maker XP, the predecessor to VX. Even though fans, as well as my own passion for the world and mythology created in Lucid Awakening, demanded a sequel, I had other ideas brewing around in my head which is constantly bubbling with all kinds of nerdish delights. These ideas were too different from the groundwork set in Lucid Awakening to implement them in the inevitable sequel--not in terms of story, but from a gameplay perspective.

Lucid Awakening [Complete RPG Maker XP Project]

A world once whole, now torn apart.
A great evil now wishes to bring the worlds together once again.
If the worlds merge, both will fall to ruin, and all life will be turned to darkness.

Game Download
RTP Resources (Required to play)

Instructions:

• Download both files provided above.
• Install RTP package to computer.
• Extract Lucid_Awakening_V1_2.zip.
• Install font, BLACKCHA.TTF, included in Lucid Awakening zip file.
• (Drag BLACKCHA.TTF to C:\\WINDOWS\Fonts.)
• Play Lucid Awakening.

Here is a review for my game: CLICK HERE

Interacting With Our Lives and Culture

I wrote this back in April of 2010:

I'm really glad I'm making these decisions in my life to take risks. To some people it sounds like a childish dream to say "I want to make video games."

I've been doubting myself lately too, thinking the same thing--that maybe it is just a childish dream that has no purpose. Something very small that just happened is changing my mind though.

As I had all my music on shuffle, a song from Final Fantasy 7 came on. It is a song that plays during a couple touching scenes, I seem to remember it playing when Cloud and Aeris are riding a cable car at a festival or something.

Anyway, just hearing this song from a video game that I played when I was young is triggering all kinds of memories and feelings. It brings me back to a time in my life where things were very simple and free.

For some people, like me, video games are a big part of their lives. They are therapeutic and can be very soothing. They are also a sort of "landmark" form of entertainment. On a personal level for the players they can become ingrained as a trigger of a certain time in a person's life (hence, "landmark").

They can also be a landmark for something bigger.

Wii Vitality Sensor: WTF or WTAwesome

If you have no idea what you are looking at right now, you're not alone. This is a Wii peripheral Nintendo showed off almost a year ago; strangely though, we haven't heard anything else about it since. It is called the "Wii Vitality Sensor," although I would have named it the "Wii Finger Nom" if I had the choice.

Apparently, you simply clamp your smooth, CGI finger into the device while holding the Wiimote like you normally would in your main hand. From what I know, it basically just reads your pulse. You might be thinking that Nintendo is reaching for an even older, sicker demographic than they already have been. In my opinion, this is partially true; consider this:

Case 1: An older gentleman wants to play a crazy new game where Link and Mario team up to fight off hordes of zombie Pokemon [I already have a patent on this idea, so back off, Nintendo]; the only problem is that he fears a game as stressful as this wouldn't bode well with his heart condition. His sadistic, bratty grandchild finally convinces this aged individual to try out this [incredible] game.

The game boots up. The amazing title screen flashes on. [Grandpa is already feeling a little nauseous]. Pap Pap decides now is a good time to choose "Grandpa Mode" on the main menu. The game prompts him to mush his wrinkly finger in the device and close it. [Grandpa is a little claustrophobic]. The game takes a brief reading of his stress level, then proceeds to the game.

"Grandpa Mode" is a mode designed for Grandpas in case you didn't figure that out. This means that the game will adjust its difficulty and level of things happening on screen to keep Grandpa's stress level at a safe place. When five zombie Pikachus attack Grandpa his stress level goes way up; the next wave only consists of three zombie Pikachus and one Pichu because it realized that five was too stressful.

But enough of Grandpa Mode, it's time for Cardiac Meltdown Mode.

Welcome!

Hello everyone, welcome to Momiji's Gamer Blog! A friend suggested I start blogging, so here I am.

I'm not a professional writer and I don't plan to be. This blog is just a place for me to vent, rant, and explain all of my feelings on things that are happening in the ever-evolving video game industry.

It seems like every day I am in a state of utter excitement over something new, whether it be a new game that was just announced, a surprise sequel no one saw coming, or something as simple as a new character announced for a game roster. It also seems as if every day there is something new that gets me in a state of rage, or maybe just strong dislike.

The video game industry is constantly changing and transforming at such fast rate that it is hard to keep up; I'm here to keep you up to date by offering a point of view on every topic from someone who has grown up as a gamer all his life.

If anyone has any questions, or a topic you would like me to research or elaborate on, just send me an email or Facebook message and I will either respond to you via messaging or post a new blog entry about it.

Thank you everyone, and I hope you enjoy this gamer's point of view.