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Ben’s Week In Review: October 14

We're entering the fall blitz…everybody ready? How about those wallets? Nice and hefty for all the games you want? Or is the holiday wish list full instead?

A portable Final Fantasy may be our last hope

I'm currently ignoring the abomination that is Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII , so when I heard that Crisis Core and Type-0 director Hajime Tabata might want to work with the Vita , I caught a glimmer of hope. Sadly, big-budget new installments in the series are clearly only going to disappoint the long-time faithful no end, but the smaller on-the-go productions might have some semblance of past glory, right? I mean, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for the PSP wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it's a hell of a lot closer than Lightning Returns . And if Tabata makes something along those lines, that could be really great. We have to remember that old-school and traditional RPG fans have routinely had to turn to the portable or downloadable market to get their fix this generation, so…it makes a lot of sense.

Heck, make it downloadable if you want. I've always said I hate the idea of playing a Final Fantasy on a silly little handheld screen, but I had tremendous faith in the franchise back in those days. In truth, I thought I'd always have it. Now, I just want to see something halfway decent and if it has to be on a handheld device, fine. The Vita can do some pretty sick things, anyway. And by the way, if Sony really wants to push Vita sales , a classic- looking FF title could really help.  Like, a lot.

I think you're missing the point, Treyarch

I do agree with what the developer said concerning that six-year-old Call of Duty engine . It's certainly true that the anti-CoD crowd has blown this way out of proportion, and it's completely inaccurate to say the engine driving Black Ops II is anything like the one from yesteryear. As Treyarch says, a whole lot of upgrades and positive alterations have been made. But you know, that isn't the point. Left to their own devices, most game makers want to produce the very best video game possible and ideally , that would involve brand new engines every so often. Certainly more often than six or seven years. The question, Treyarch, is this- If Activision didn't essentially demand that you complete a Call of Duty for release every other year, would you have gone this long without trying to create a new engine for the franchise? How about you, Infinity Ward?

I think the bottom line is that when you "annualize" a series, even if you've got two studios to trade off on a bi-annual basis, you're ultimately being restrictive to the creative process. That's the reason we don't have a new engine. So just admit that much, at least. Yes, you've managed to extract an astonishing amount from the original CoD engine. Yes, people have whined too much about it. But are you really going to sit there, as developers, and tell me that you wouldn't have wanted a new CoD engine by now? I mean…come on.

Personal gaming update

As a lot of you have already figured out, Dishonored pretty much rules. If I had more time, it's something I'd definitely went to go through again. There's just so much to like and given the freedom to approach so many missions in so many different ways, you just can't stop thinking and planning. I love that part about it; just so awesome. As for what's coming up, you can expect a Joe Danger 2: The Movie review on Monday night. I've been playing it off and on for about a week and although I'm not as impressed as I was with the original, it's still a great game. Just a little frustrating. Okay, a lot frustrating. I'll save the rest for the review.

Am I missing something big that's coming out this week? I feel like I am. Well, if it shows up at my door, I'll know. Beyond that, expect more reviews and previews, as well as another interview or two. Hope y'all liked the Pamela Horton chat ; she seems to know what she's talking about, although I've just never been able to get into MMOs. Nice to see her picks for her favorite games of all time, though. 😉

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matt99
matt99
11 years ago

Dishonored has sucked up my time this week, there's just so many different ways to do the same thing, I love it! I already can't wait for DLC

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

Final Fantasy is pretty much toast, if a Vita game was made I'm sure it would become an action game like Parasite Eve did. Versus may not be like classic games which we all want back but it might be the last chance at a good game.

I'm guessing CoD will even use the same engine in the next generation. Why invest in an upgrade when people will buy it no matter what?

Loving Dishonored. I'm not very good at stealth games but I really enjoy the freedom and ability to screw around with my homicides. It helps me a lot that you're generally hidden while sneaking. I'm a little worried about how my ending will be since I'm causing more chaos and body counts than I usually intend.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
11 years ago

Nah, I think they'll change engines with the next engine, even if it not their forte. I mean, Activision now has Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer, NeverSoft and the new studio they started in the UK for portable iterations working on CoD. Surely at least one of them is creating low level software to build the next generation on…

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

I bet they just tweak it some more.

Temjin001
Temjin001
11 years ago

I just can't get upset over Final Fantasy. I look forward to Lightning Returns. Hate me now! =p

I agree that CoD gets too much flack by people who just don't know what they're talking about. Most gamers aren't coders and they don't know the first thing about graphics programming. I ignore the whiners anymore anyway, whether it be Final Fantasy or Mass Effect when things start looking like a rant I just stop reading. Anyway, CoD runs at 60fps and CoD's always score strong in graphics categories among professional critics. So obviuosly there's a gap between reality and the nay-sayers. Granted, the PS3 versions always come up a bit short of the 360 counterpart from a performance and fidelity standpoint, so maybe it'd be nice to see some better parity there, but that's about all I could ask for. Assassin's Creed's engine did it. Now it's your turn CoD 😉
Right now I just respect Activision for not caving and bowing down to a 30fps standard that in turn would hurt the fine tuned low latency precision of CoD's brand of play. It's about game play really. Military centric graphics whores can have Battlefield and be happy. 'nuff said.

I'm pleased Dishonored has been well received among critcs. An 89 percent aggregate isn't too shabby. I like the idea of being able to approach one scenerio many different ways. Some day I'll come around to trying it out.

PGU: Just DOA5. I've put in about 22 hours so far and I've finally started getting more into the online side of it as I'm more accustomed to the new changes. While Hayabusa has always been a favorite, after having spent some time with the cast I'm growing fond of Ayane and will probably main her and Hayabusa. I also just like doing ninja characters with DOA. DOA does them better than anyone and I also like that Ayane convinces me of her power. Characters like Mila just don't presuade me to believe their punches and kicks are actually impactful. I don't want to feel like I'm playing a doll. Ayane, Lisa, and Kasumi for example, really put a lot of their speed and body momentum into their attacks making their effectiveness seem more believable. Other wise if they're gonna be a brawler/slugger I want to see some physical strength, like Vanessa from Virtua Fighter has.

xenris
xenris
11 years ago

After playing with the cast it would seem Eliot is my best character. I also love the power I feels he puts into his strikes. Plus doing mix ups with him seems pretty easy for me.

If only he wasn't so feminine looking >.<

Temjin001
Temjin001
11 years ago

yah, Eliot, Lion and the Tekken girly boy should form a song group. They could be the new Erasure =p

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
11 years ago

As much as a draw as it would be, particularly for Japan, I don't see Final Fantasy being a massive draw for the Vita, even if it is universally regarded as hearkening back to the originals. I know that isn't why you say what you've said above, but the doom and gloom articles surrounding the Vita are always in the back of my mind when I read anything about it. There really is an incredible negativity surrounding Sony on many sites and it has almost turned me off N4G seeing an article insisting that they leave the console business pretty much every day this week. But I'm off topic.

I just think that the damage done to the reputation of FF among its fans and, aye, the general public has suffered irreversible damage with XIII, XIII-2, XIV and now Lightning Returns, especially in light of the continued absence of Versus XIII and the lack of Type-0 localisation considering its Japanese reception. To be sure, Tabata will be moved onto the Vita/3DS at some point but I fear that by then the vision will be utterly lost. S-E seems determined to make every new FF a franchise and if that trend continues, it will only lead to sorrow.

When it comes to games engines, iteration is a good thing but it can only be pushed so far until a complete change is required to change things up. You can spruik better lighting and graphics while maintaining a rocksteady framerate. Fine. That's only half of what matters. There has been no real alteration in the gameplay or the goals that are being set. Things appearing to be changing in BlOps2, but that only takes the form of enemy diversity, so it's an incremental change. You're still ultimately doing the same things with the same mechanics. The gameplay of shooters is dated and simplistic and it needs a real shake-up. There have been attempts. Brink and Mirror's Edge, for example, with the inclusion of first-person parkour, Fallout 3 and Borderlands with hefty RPG systems, R@GE with its car combat, but each of these examples is dissociative. They're all good, but not in keeping with the essence of the genre. It's a bloody tall ask to refresh pure first person shooters, and it is not a task that I would relish undertaking, even if it is absolutely necessary.

Personal Update:
Finished Paradise Regained. It wasn't nearly as ambitious as PL, as it reduced its scope purely to the verbal and moral battle between Jesus and Satan, but it was quite as good because it was much more focussed. I actually rather enjoyed both poems, but will have to go back over them some time to get the most from them. Really interesting set if you like the religious themes. I'm undecided what to start next as I'm reluctant to take on another difficult story like those immediately. I have Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and Tolstoy's War and Peace unread on my shelf that I'm tossing up between, while Stephen King's The Gunslinger is there as well… Decisions, decisions.
Still playing through Siren Blood Curse. I'm up to Chapter 10 and I am liking it. The way that you sometimes have no choice but to run, whil other instances gives you the option to fight, and yet others force you into slight puzzles to overcome the Shibito. It's interesting, but exceedingly flawed, in my mind. There are just so many little things that don't feel right about it. Nevertheless, playing through it only increases my desire to play Gravity Daze (they were done by the same team), so I guess it's a good thing. Unfortunately, I'm a little bit frustrated at the game, but I hope to get it finished this week so that I'm not left thinking what might have been when I embark on XCOM:EU, which I really, really, REALLY want to play 🙂
Peace.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

You read fast

CrusaderForever
CrusaderForever
11 years ago

FF on Vita will happen but I am not sure when and in what form?

PGU:
Finally beat Assassin's Creed II! Unfortunately I am not going to be able to finish Brotherhood and Revelations before I start ACIII and ACIIIL. Oh well, I will go through them some day. I am just super excited to star as the Ghost in the Patriot!!! 🙂

frylock25
frylock25
11 years ago

@ Ben: will you be doing a review for spyhunter for vita at all?

i really didnt know what to think of dishonored before it came out. i wasnt sure if it was going to live up to the hype. i am almost glad i didnt get caught up in the hype. i rented it the other day and have had a little time to play the past few days. it is awesome. it is a game that i will end up buying. i am really impressed with the game.

i also have been playing darkness 2 after i bought it back in may and never got anywhere with it. id have to say i enjoyed it and am going back through it doing the vendetta missions and a don difficulty play through.

i played some starhawk after getting it from plus. lots of fun. it gets hard at some point but i still enjoyed it a lot.

i still really want to pick up the new transformers game. now i also want to buy dishonored. ac3 is going to be out in like 2 weeks and i also want the AC3L. im trying to hold off on buying the walking dead episodes til the last one is out. i really want to just play it all at once. anyone see that hyundai elantra zse they did for walking dead? very cool looking.

PoopsMcGee
PoopsMcGee
11 years ago

Starhawk SP campaign was very underrated IMO. I had a blast as well.

@ Ben again: How about New Little King Story for Vita? Any plans for a review?


Last edited by PoopsMcGee on 10/14/2012 3:51:14 AM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

I should be able to do a review for Spy Hunter.

frylock25
frylock25
11 years ago

that would be awesome Ben. i know you have a lot to do but dont let the vita get neglected 🙂

i didnt even know it was out til like 2 days ago i saw it in the store. really hope its good.

PoopsMcGee
PoopsMcGee
11 years ago

PGU: Uncharted: GA and a little Rainbow Moon here and there.

Also, just bought Sleeping Dogs for $45 from BestBuy with the Gamer Mag coupon and couldn't help myself and bought LittleBigPlanet for Vita as well. I think the Vita LBP will help me finally commit to one of these games long enough to enjoy it. For some reason I popped in the original for a couple hours and never ended up playing it again (got sidetracked with other games). I'm really down to check out all the user-created levels that look so damn cool…

tes37
tes37
11 years ago

If you're wanting to get the platinum trophy for Uncharted: GA, you'll need to team up with someone who'll trade on the back market with you. Otherwise it will take you a pretty good while to accomplish.

PoopsMcGee
PoopsMcGee
11 years ago

That's weak…

I'm not a trophy chaser usually but after getting the plat for Gravity Rush and finding most of the secrets in my first play-through on "hard" in Uncharted GA, I was hoping to snag the plat for it too. I haven't looked at the trophy list or this trading on the black market thing. I've been getting a lot of those cards though…

___________
___________
11 years ago

treyarchs comments really did not surprise me, its been quite obvious for a long time there interests and passion lies elsewhere from technology.
clearly if they were interested in that they would be delivering a HELL of allot better graphics than what they do.
theres allot of nice visual effects going on, and yay its 60FPS, something shooters REALLY need!
BUT its at the cost of such a low resolution, and im sorry but the sacrifices are just not worth it!
if BO2 is the best their programmers can do with current systems then im sorry but they need to stop being so tight a$$ed, fire those high school dropouts, and hire some competent developers!

as for dishonoured i was really worried about this, for months ive been saying many games this gen have promised what this does.
the varying story, the changing levels depending on how you play, the ability to play however you want.
SO many games promise this, and sadly SO few actually deliver it!
and sadly dishonoured is another one of the latter.
so many promises made, so few actually kept.
sigh.
the games no where near as good as reviews would lead you to believe, but hey thats been pretty much every game this gen so………………

problem number 1.
the games a PAIN IN THE A$$ to play stealthfully!
you have barely any weapons to deal nonlethal damage you literally have to just take everyone out with hand to hand combat if you want to be non lethal.
that means being 2mms away from 50 enemies, thus making it impossible to remain undetected.
and thats the most frustrating part, the games suppose to be open ended, your suppose to have multiple paths!
but you dont.
99% of the levels are so linear you would think they were ripped out of F.E.A.R!
the 2nd mission for instance requires you to infultrate a castle, and just before you get there theres a courtyard with 2 trains splitting up the middle.
you cant infiltrate from the sewers, from behind, or from the rooftops.
you MUST infiltrate from the ground floor.
common sense, theres 100 enemies here and i dont want them seeing me.
so i know ill walk straight past them!
BRILLIANT!

the lack of open levels really would not matter if you could lure your enemies into traps, and had many many gadgets to silently and non lethally take them out.
but you dont, so your really relying on getting around them which really is very rarely a option.
its like breaking someones leg, than saying ok you have a broken left leg so thats the only leg your allowed to use.
id be ok if the game lets you compensate, say ok this is a bit lackluster so we wont use it.
but it doesent, it forces you to use its worst parts the most often!

problem number 2 there is no map so its really hard to tell where your enemies are around you, you really have to rely on dark vision which is far from perfect.
its really stupid how far away enemies can see you too, and how quickly they see you.
they really need a on screen prompt to enemies seeing you too.
if a enemy is behind you and they can see you, you have NO idea!
i really wish stealth games would adopt the sight mechanic ghost recon future soldier uses, that was really well made and saved my a$$ countless times!

problem number 3 the level design is not as open as advertised either.
again as i said above SO many games these days say oh you can play our game however you want!
theres multiple ways, you can go through this door, you can go up this ladder and above, you can go down this manhole and below, ect, ect.
but thats exactly the problem, talk and action are 2 VERY different things!
and thats the problem with dishonoured, there is not enough paths you can take, and when you do have options there really not very varied.
they may be 2 different paths, but they end up in the same spot.
kinda defeats the purpose!
some levels have multiple paths IE rooftops, sewers, lakes, and others dont others force you to go down a single linear alleyway and walk straight in front of your enemies.
the AI does not make it any easier either most of the time they hold there post and refuse to budge!
i HATE it when games do that!
AI should be reactive, they should wander around search the level, peek out a freaking window, not just stand in one freaking spot like a freaking statue!
and when you throw a bottle or hit a wall or something to draw there attention they automatically instantly know where you are even if your not where the noise was made.
that brings me on to another complaint, once the enemies figure out where you are its IMPOSSIBLE to loose them!
your found by the enemy so you run down the stairs, jump out a window into the lake, swim underwater to the other side of the island, jump out and boom there they are waiting for you.
WTF!?
i have a tracking device strapped to my ankle to i?

problem number 4 the very few times the game actually gives you multiple paths 99% of the time 1 of them is useless!
so many times i have had the choice of staying on a level where the enemies are, or go underneath them but underneath is where enemies also lie.
so you solve a problem but end up in the same problem.
so whats the point?
might as well only have one path!
so you go down this way to dodge enemies to run into more enemies.
again, very pointful!
it gives you a solution to a problem, just to create the problem again.
keeping petrol in front of a fire is not a great idea, so lets move it and instead of keeping it in front of the fireplace lets keep it on top of the stove.
it solves a problem by creating the same problem.

thats the biggest problem with dishonoured.
it very rarely gives you the openness it promised, and when it does the differences are so miniscule it defeats the point of their existence!
its such a fun awesome game to play all balls out blowing everything to bits!
but when you try to play a good guy, try to remain undetected, and kill as few people as possible, it really is as well designed and easy to use as a zune!

i really expected more from the guys who were involved with the original bioshock, and deus ex!
i really thought this would be a match made in heaven!
but im afraid its not, instead of being a sum of bioshock and deus ex, we have a muddled up mess that is really confused on what it wants to be!
actually has ALLOT in common with RE6.
was so big and vast in scope, it tried to do everything, and in doing that it does do everything, but at the expense of doing anything well.
dishonored feels rushed, unfinished, and worst of all unsure of what it wants to be.
and especially because of that is why it was such a disappointment.
im very sad to say deus ex human revolution, let alone the aforementioned bioshock, were FAR better games!

so i await, still sitting here waiting for the worthy successor to the original bioshock!
will it be bioshock infinite, or will i be left waiting for all eternity………..

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

There's no way I'm reading that.

Underdog15
Underdog15
11 years ago

Lawless could read it in no time.

xenris
xenris
11 years ago

I took the time to read it. He basically said dishonored is crap because it didn't do things it promised and it was impossible for him to play as a good guy.

I don't believe he has ever had anything good to say about any game, unless he is talking about it in retrospect once people have forgotten that he complained about it.

Youll be waiting all eternity because you are never satisfied with anything. You are overly critical and complain just about everything. Complaining about some stuff is fine as it will promote change but you have your bar set so high for what you want a game to be that they never reach it.

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
11 years ago

I read it

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

You can certainly play as a good guy, just do everything non-lethal. And so far I've been able to do all that was promised.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

It must really suck to be so unhappy all the time. Why don't you just stop playing games? Problem solved.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
11 years ago

Haha Underdog. I did actually take the time to read it last night. Too much B/S to respond to though 😀
At least, so it seems on the surface. I haven't played Dishonored, but what he claims is completely counter to everything that I've seen from anyone else.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
11 years ago

Well, I've got nothing much to say about FF because I really don't enjoy that kind of RPG(I'm more of the Fallout game type), but I do hope that all RPG loving fans finally get the FF game they've been expecting.

And as far as the COD series goes, all I can say is that I've enjoyed all the COD's, but there's been nothing in them for me that's ever been memorable, except for that one airport massacre scene.

In fact, I've just finished Brother's In Arms:Hells Highway, and although that game garnished a lower review scores than COD, BIA:HH had numerous moments when it was a hell of an super-emotional roller-coaster ride for me.
Heck, I was even moved to tears over the the BIA:HH's emotionally-moving ending. Damn, I sooooo want another BIA game RIGHT NOW!!!!!

My own PGU.
As well as finishing Bothers In Arms:Hells Highway, I'm still in that odd mood where I'm not sure what I really want to play out of my monsterous backlog, so I've also been dabbling a bit with Bioshock 1, Singularity, & Starhawk's SP mode game.

But I've finally settled down on playing Mafia 2 & I'm now up to the 6th chapter.

I've also pulled a few more games from my backlog to try to give some play-time next,
Army of Two:40th day, Just Cause 2,
and both Kane & Lynch's (I was stuck in the 1st game, trying to shoot out that massive quarry truck's window/windshield out, as well as many other gamers did too, LOL).

I also want to go back & finish up on my Collectors Edition of Stranglehold(in which I really enjoyed) that I never finished, for reasons that have now escaped me.


Last edited by BikerSaint on 10/14/2012 10:41:40 AM

Solid Fantasy
Solid Fantasy
11 years ago

Crisis Core was by not really a full blow FF for a lot of reasons, but it was one of the best handheld games of the gen imo. Not to mention I think might have had the all time best handheld soundtrack (Gameboy Zelda is up there)

That's why I really think the Vita should have it's own CC like gem.
PGU: No Deus Ex til I get home, but that's okay b/c I still have Portal 2 and FFIX to finish b/f the Vita roles in.

2 Qs: Has anyone ever not had a preorder make it to there doorstep the day of release?
And, is my avatar through the roof or there at all? Either way I can't seem to update it. I've been wanting to change it and haven't been able to. Any help? Ben?

Shams
Shams
11 years ago

I took advantage of the deal BestBuy had on the playstation 3d displays ($160), and man, does 3D give legs to some of the games you wish to replay. I played some Uncharted 3, Wipeout, and Motorstorm Apolcalypse (for the first time). Before the weekend's up, I'll try out R&C:All41, Killzone 3, and Resistance 3. I wouldn't have given 3d a chance were it not for the deal, and I'm glad I pulled the trigger.

Solid Fantasy
Solid Fantasy
11 years ago

Nice! That's a crazy good deal. I think I'll make the purchase next spring. Might be even cheaper by then!

ulsterscot
ulsterscot
11 years ago

Currently playing MOH Warfighter beta on the 360 – its pretty damn good. I hope the PS3 version runs as smooothly as thats what ive pre ordered on.

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
11 years ago

Yea, its good ehh?

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