Ben-DutkaThe holiday season is in full swing; what games do you hope to be playing after you've unwrapped your gifts?
PlayStation Experience Recap
Let's start with the obvious: The Final Fantasy VII Remake trailer . And because I'm sick of being misquoted and misunderstood, I'll clarify again, for maybe the twenty-seventh time:
My preference may be turn-based but never once did I expect Square Enix to make this remake turn-based, nor would I ever have recommended that to the development team. It's just ridiculous to even consider. It's becoming harder and harder to hold a person's attention these days so if there isn't incessant action, you're risking a flop.
Beyond that, however, there is a logical progression of old role-playing systems that I'd like to see, that we have seen in past games like Dragon Age: Inquisition . There's a big difference between "RPG" and "Action-RPG" in my book; the former puts the emphasis on the planning and strategy and does not prioritize timed button presses. Action-RPGs are the reverse; a player's success is just as, if not more dependent on, those timed button presses, as they would be in any action-based game. It's my ardent belief that any new FF should be an RPG and not an action-RPG. That's all. Will I play the remake? Probably not, no, but that's personal.
Moving on, I'm glad to see Ni No Kuni: Revenant Kingdom coming exclusively to PS4 . Granted, I really couldn't get into Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch but I know it was a great game, and one many JRPG fans loved. And speaking of PS4 exclusives, I'm really excited about that new Team Ninja game, Ni-Oh , which definitely reminds me of Onimusha (at least on some level). I just hope the story is decent. As for the Ratchet & Clank remake on PS4, I've been stoked for that for some time; it's awesome to hear it's coming on April 12 . If you haven't seen the stage demo (embedded in the article) yet, you really need to. Insomniac rules . Lastly, even though I have zero interest in virtual reality of any kind, Ace Combat 7 for PlayStation VR could be huge; I can't really think of a better exhibition for that tech.
Other news I've seen – but haven't posted about yet – includes Uncharted 4: A Thief's End offering some narrative freedom by way of branching dialogue. It's common in RPGs but this would be a very new addition to what was once a strictly linear series. They also confirmed the date for MLB 16: The Show , announced a new Street Fighter V character, and there's a Full Throttle Remaster coming to PS4 and Vita. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful event, and the PS4 exclusive lineup for 2016 and beyond is looking extremely good right now.
Personal gaming update
I've been playing Just Cause 3 and Rainbow Six Siege ; I wanted to have one of those reviews done this weekend but the Experience sort of got in the way. I intend to have JC3 done and up for Monday night, though. Both titles are pretty good and even though I've never been a big Just Cause fan, I think Avalanche really tightened things up with the latest entry. And yeah, it's totally over the top, which is a good thing. I'm also checking out the closed alpha for Doom , which is interesting I suppose, but as it's strictly a multiplayer test, I don't play for very long. I forget, is this reboot supposed to have a story, like Doom III , which I loved? Or is it all online?
By the way, my Vita has gotten some use recently, thanks to two solid games: Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires and Teslagrad . If you haven't already, I recommend reading one or both of those reviews because if you're like me, you're desperate for reasons to pick up the Vita.
What a cool unexpected day in gaming news!
Yea, that's more or less how I feel about combat systems in RPG's. I love DA Inquisition's combat because it's not trying to simulate actual swordplay and combat actions. You assign your actions and think about the combat tactics. Your melee character simply runs up in range and starts their sequence of attacks. You're NOT trying to time parries, guard breaks, roll evade, and negotiate between quick and strong attacks, outside of your usual special abilities. It's a tactics first approach. DA Inquisition feels much more true to RPG's of yesterday in this regard. Now if I could only get Witcher's quality side quests blended with DA's combat and party system.
As for FFVII Remake. I have hope for it. I do think I'll like it too. If only to take in a vivid and highly realized version of the world that defined FFVII. I'm hoping it's not all action though. I really am.
Nioh looks awesome! I'm placing no stock in the story though. That's not Team Ninja's forte anyway. All I want is excellent atmosphere and high quality tight game play.
PGU: So I tried out the Uncharted 4 demo for a bit today. The game looks lovely and animates very nicely. The rope mechanic works great too. It's also interesting being able to call in an automated buddy on the fly to assist you, like a Brute toting a mini-gun.
Absorbing FO4 this week. Had a blast finding a raider settlement after having received a mission to scout the area. They were in the process of performing robot races when I arrived, complete with a commentator etc. I took the guns blazing approach but I think I'm going to reload a save because after searching the premises I learned I could sneak in, hack a computer, and set all the robots to self destruct or to turn them on the raiders who were using them as race contestants. It would've been glorious watching things unfold this way. It's a masterfully crafted experience that's fighting for 1st place for my personal GotY.
I've also enjoyed having Piper as my sidekick. She likes that I can pick locks too! There seems to be a relationship element in the game too.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/5/2015 10:11:48 PM
btw I'm thinking of aiming to get Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii U (has to come for Christmas or sometime shortly thereafter). The reviews persuaded me that between the beauty of the universe and the rich combat system and gameplay depth it'd be worth my time. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it holds up story wise. It's a shame too because it's a Monolith game.
Thank freak'n goodness Witcher 3 is scoring big with critics this year. We can't let quality narrative die in AAA gaming and Witcher 3 is there to help keep an emphasis there, even when it's open world.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/5/2015 10:36:40 PM
Why would you post that robot race thing? Leave that a surprise for readers who haven't experienced it.
With that said, that event caught me off guard.
ouch. very much sorry. you're right!
Hey Temjin,
Have you seen this one yet?
PS4 just got a little more powerful….
http://www.gamesradar.com/ps4-just-little-bit-more-powerfull/?utm_content=bufferd1239&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Dragon Age Origins had a good battle simulation command imo but Inquisition is no different from Fable.
Piper is teh best lova! Somehow I'm not such a "lone" wanderer this time.
Thanks Biker. Maybe we'll get a little better clothe physics now.
World. Fable games were party based and let you stop time and issue commands to each of your members in tactical fashion? That's not the Fable I remember.
The world of Fallout 4 is quite incredible. I've seen some incredible stuff during my journies and I've taking screen grabs along the way. Please check out my gallery of shots.
http://david-mason.deviantart.com/gallery/
The game's visuals are remarkable in many ways but unfortunately the setting requires a person to see things with a different mindset. There's art and beauty there and it makes for one intoxicating experience. I personally love the two foggy scenes. This game does fog like none other.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/5/2015 11:44:28 PM
btw. it takes some time for these files to fully load in. The thumbnails don't do them justice so click into them once they load.
That's the best thing about the game, finding all these unique places nobody has put in a video game before. They have their own cultures and survival coping strategies. I like your pics but you gotta armor up Piper, I sent you a pic of her sexy time but now she's got a great Mad Max look going on. One tip: take the clothes off Cait and put em on Piper. They look good and you can add all the extras to it.
I'm gonna send you a pic on PSN of my Robocop Auto 9. Check it ooouuut!
Thanks World, I'll check 'em out.
EDIT:
I also had no idea I could change the gear of partners. Cool.
I usually just use them as walking storage containers.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/6/2015 10:37:41 PM
FFVII remake looked pretty damn cool. I'm kinda glad they aren't making it turn based. Everything is too animated not. It would break up the flow.
Ni No Kuni looks great too.
did u play the first one?
I'm playing it now, sorta of. Haha I took a break and haven't picked it back up in a while but I fully intend on finishing it. I love the combat and the characters. Great cell shading too. Level 5 does good stuff.
Yeah it's really neat in a fairytale way. There's gonna be a lag after about 15 hours where not much happens besides traveling and leveling but if you stick with it the moving, touching, enlightened aspects of the story come together all over the last 5-6 hours or so that make it totally worth it.
When I was done I felt honestly like I'd connected with my young self again who believe in a wide world full of magic.
I loved the last one. I might have been more excited for the Ni No Kuni announcement than I was the FFVII trailer.
PS4 gets a lot of interesting games in 2016!
Very curious about Ni-Oh,is it a "Onimusha" kind of game?
No news about last guardian[wil it really release in 2016???]/the last of us 2….
PGU.
I'm playing Fallout 4,i'm about finishing my selfmade house[3 floors]:power[generators],and furniture,the lamps it's really beautiful.
A bedroom ,a trophy room and a livingroom[with some balconies to shoot some raiders a la omega-man].
Now i will continue to travel into the wastes,into this great world and experience all kind of secrets,and to collect and hoard all kind of unique armor/weapons and interesting/funny stuf and display it in my [selfmade] house and all of this in such a great atmosphere:my precious,my GOTY.
Last edited by slow and smart on 12/6/2015 2:13:26 AM
In the wake of the Final Fantasy remake the discussions about the absence of turn-based game-play has again risen.
Problem is, that statement is wrong. There are plenty turn based games released today. They are just not released for consoles – for whatever reason(!)
But being one who dislike turn-based battles in RPGs (for me it breaks immersion into the story/game and turn it too much into a strategy game for my liking) I'd go as far as to say there's too *many* turn-based RPGs today. And why those games – who span from simpler, Bastion-like "gameboard settings" to full, fantastic worlds of both fantasy and sci-fi – never seem to spread to the console markets is the real mystery here. It's so odd, since that type is quite suitable for controllers and turn'based RPGs have an old history on that segment.
So yeah – the mystery of the disappearing turn-based gameplay is not as easily explained as to "it's just out of fashion". It may be – it's not common in the big budget AAA titles – but it's most definitely not vanished and turn-based indies are *not* just of the simpler types. I'm pretty confident that many of you tb-aficionados would be plenty happy with quite a few of those releases.
But most are just not released on consoles (any more)!
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/6/2015 5:40:05 AM
The turn based games released today just aren't high calibur AAA world savers like they used to be. In any case FFVII remake looks pretty turn based to me if you extrapolate logically.
There are virtually no pure turn-based games today. They're almost all hybrids, with the exception of a few retro titles for portables and mobile.
NIS games Ben. Omega Quintet is as classic as we can get it and it's worth playing just for that, even if you don't like cute girls and comedic visual novel parts.
Omega quintet was great but really wouldnt recommended it to anyone that doesn't like/love the Neptunia games.
I might, it was different from Neptunia to me as an otaku type. For one thing Neptunia (which I still like) has that stupid circle battle thing and face button use instead of the awesome lineup and menu commands in Quintet.
Also it's about Idol culture instead of gaming culture. I do think it defo is good for Neptunia fans and I almost convinced Ben to play Hyperdimension Victory once. 🙂
My 2 sense.
Oh and Fairy Fencer F bridges the two worlds very well without the overly long VN sequences that Neptunia has.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 12/6/2015 2:34:14 PM
That is one of the dumbest replies I've seen in quite a while, Ben. So what you are saying is that I am lying. Great.
There's PLENTY turn based games – including RPGs – released for PC. And yes, I do know what turn-based is. You do your moves, AI does it's moves and back to you, in turns, with outcome played out between the turns.
Had you been a tad less hard-headed I could share a list of titles released recent years but I won't bother, cause you won't bother looking them up and instead just continue claiming I am lying cause you've made your mind up.
Last edited by Beamboom on 12/6/2015 4:27:19 PM
I dont think he's calling you a liar but saying he isnt seeing the pure ones that don't meet the portable or otherwise small and lame description.
Beam: Wow, be a bigger asshole, why don't you.
How exactly does this hypocrisy work? Accusing me of everything under the sun, including bashing other people, and you manage to insult me a half a dozen times in one post…? And someone who admits to hating turn-based, to basically never playing it, is in a position to lecture, is that it? The fact that you even mention Bastion in your post as an example is just so laughable, it's sad.
But hey, you're above reproach, obviously. So yeah, why bother?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 12/6/2015 9:15:35 PM
And yes World, that's exactly right. Very few games with big – or even moderate – budgets for ANY platform are strictly turn-based. Crappy little PC RPGs nobody has ever heard of notwithstanding.
Hey don't just assume lower budget PC RPG's aren't worthwhile.
Ben, I think you'd likely enjoy this game that recently ported to PS4 from PC.
This reviewer seems to know what's up with RPG's these days.
http://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2015/11/review-divinity-original-sin-enhanced.html?m=1
While I don't think it's turn based its definetly an RPG.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 12/6/2015 11:39:37 PM
Beam, there is (or at least used to be… now that there isn't as many, perhaps they've melded into one big pot of "turn based rpg" or something?) a difference among turn-based rpgs, action-rpgs, and strategy-rpgs.
At one point in console history, people used to refer to action RPG's as WRPGs and turn based as JRPG (since the action ones typically released from western developers while turn-based came from Japan. Always the occasional exception, but certainly was a typical rule back in the day. I'd say that now both western and japanese devs can make either one at any point really). So back in the PS1/PS2 days, when you heard "jRPG", "wRPG", or "sRPG" you had a pretty good idea what you were getting. The ones on PC I feel you are talking about are largely sRPGs, which is why Ben disagrees with you.
You're having an argument based on console gaming definitions that existed before you ever got into console gaming. Keep in mind that jRPGs never really existed on PC in any great number.
And for the record, I have Steam as well, and basically all jRPGs (or turn based) that do show up there are absolute trash. Turn based really is near-death in the quality gaming spectrum. Turn-based or jRPG is like the first thing I ever search on Steam, and I think the only game I've purchased from there that could be considered a jrpg is "valkyria chronicles", which was also on PS3.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 12/7/2015 10:47:12 AM
I hoped some news about Crash Bandicoot, but I want to believe that in the beginning of keynote, the Crash on t-shirt was some a hint, that he will comeback and the new game will be revealed on e3 2016 (like trolling about FF7 on psx2014, when our hopes was almost heard, but it was huge trolling but with a hint, which became reality on e3 2015).
Wait I was here all day. How'd I miss everything?
Anyway, swapping from character to character and picking actions based on a menu IS turn based enough for me. I'm happy as a clown. 🙂
Yay for Ni No Kuni!
I need a moment to digest all this I just woke up and my head is bumpin man.
You WILL play FF 7 Remake. Whether you admit it or not ……. it is your destiny. Muahahahaha!!! Wussy!
He's gonna have to review it.
I supposed he doesnt have to play it if he does not want to but it might be too hard to just ignore.Everyone and their grandparents is going to be talking about it,but maybe he can get someone else to review it.
So, the only question left is, when the Remake releases can my hair still do what Cloud's does just like I had it in 1999?
The real question is if you'll even HAVE hair when it releases for PS7.