Ben-DutkaSo with all the big-name titles in the news this past week, it's not hard to find stuff to talk about. Let's get to it!
Warhawk really is a lot of fun
You can read my beta impressions , and Arnold will have a full preview up this month, but I'll add a bit more here. After playing fairly often over the last few days, there are a few extra things I've noticed: firstly, it's become apparent that mounted guns have the advantage over airships for a couple reasons. One reason is that while your ship can detect missile fire and warn you, it can't detect gunfire . And for whatever reason, it seems like the mounted guns have more power than the machine guns on airships. You get no warning, and I've been in many games where everyone will just stay on the ground in mounted guns because it's so much easier to get kills. The other reason is that your airship can't lock on to ground targets; only air targets (I think), so that makes things even more difficult for the guys in the air.
And I didn't download any update yet, but suddenly, there's an auto-lock-on feature in third-person shooter mode that didn't seem to be there before. Perhaps I just accidentally turned it on, or something, but it's certainly much easier to nail enemies while running around with your pilot. Anyway, the game is still loads of fun, and I have it pre-ordered now. Arnold and I played a bit yesterday, and when the game comes out (on my birthday, August 2), maybe even more of us will play. I'd suggest everyone look into this one when it releases.
Wonder what the last project is…?
Square-Enix is going to finish their FF 20th anniversary year with a bang , even though we have no idea what that "bang" will be. Of course, it gets everyone thinking, and while I still hold out hope for a Final Fantasy VII remake, I know deep down it has slim chance of happening. So the question is, what is it? It has to be in the FF realm, so if it's not a remake, what could it be? We've heard plenty about Final Fantasy XIII , so that's not a new project, and they're celebrating the launch of the original Final Fantasy remake for the PSP this month. Maybe it will be a sequel to Advent Children , or perhaps they're planning an all new FF for another platform, like the DS or Xbox 360.
Well, I have no idea what it might be, but I hope it's big. It only makes sense they'd save the best for last, right?
Well, that was freakin' weird
I still can't believe just how bizarre Chulip actually was. If you haven't read the review, you owe it to yourself to check it out, even if the game doesn't interest you at all. It's just one of those extraordinarily unique titles that, while not very good, is still insane enough to make your eyes go wide with shock. Who came up with this concept in the first place? And why did all the people sound like that? Was that really some dude who appeared to be comprised of legs, a telephone pole, and a face in the middle of the pole? Did I just kiss a guy in a garbage can? The entire thing was so absurd and so off the wall, it was difficult to stop from laughing. I suppose that's a good thing, but it's hard to tell…
While it had some serious drawbacks, everyone's always complaining about a lack of originality in the industry, so I guess we have to give it points for that (and I did). But this was a little too original.
The Japanese don't hate the PS3, they just need the games!
Everyone seems completely convinced that while the PS3 did great in Europe and the PAL territories (ain't doing so badly in the U.S., either), it will continue to do horribly in Japan. But what sense does that make? They're simply waiting to respond to the software, which is indeed right around the corner. If Japan unfairly hates the PS3, than why are the top five most wanted games (according to Famitsu) PS3 titles? The most popular Japanese gaming publication out there certainly isn't swearing off the PS3; if anything, they're more psyched about certain games than any other region.
For example, games like Hot Shots Golf 5 are bigger in Japan than anywhere else, and the Japanese adore the Final Fantasy , Metal Gear Solid , and Gran Turismo franchises. All of those new games are coming, and all – for the time being – are exclusive to the PS3. So don't be surprised to see a giant PS3 sales spike in Japan at the end of 2007 and into 2008. It seems relatively obvious that this will happen, but hey, I could be wrong…