Ben-DutkaI've realized I love cold weather but I hate snow and ice. …too bad they all seem to go together.
Progress is a tricky business
I'm always torn when I read about how a developer wants to take an established franchise in a new direction; a potentially drastic departure . There are two sides of me that instantly go to war: the first side is mostly irrational yet loaded with sentiment and emotion due to an overriding sense of nostalgia. The other side, more realistic and rational, scoffs at the aging gamer within and says, "to achieve true progress, we must eventually leave the old behind." On the one hand, more and more people are embracing video games for the first time every year; on the other, the average age of the avid gamer rises with every passing year, meaning there's always an increasing number of veterans. So what to do with Final Fantasy ? How do you satisfy the newcomers, who couldn't care less about the classics, while still satisfying people like me, who keep past entries in the series close to their hearts? I can't imagine that if FF turned into an open-ended psuedo-RPG/FPS like Fallout 3 , it'd a be a good move. I sure as hell wouldn't buy it.
All I'd ask is for Square-Enix to continue to search for new ways to play an epic RPG. I still think they need to give turn-based – or a version of it – another try. Look at something like Shadow Hearts with the Judgment Ring. That's only one example of how unique and engaging a turn-based mechanic could be. Or, if that's entirely out of the question, build on the real-time system we've already seen in stuff like Dragon Age: Origins , White Knight Chronicles , and of course, Final Fantasy XII . That would be both new for the uninitiated and recognizable for the vets. Right?
What if David Jaffe has a touch of nostalgic flu?
So Jaffe says he doesn't really connect with critics anymore, which sort of got me to thinking. I don't regularly visit his blog but I do see some of his video updates every now and then, and I have interviewed him in the past. I certainly don't know him very well so I could be wrong about this, but it almost appears as if his current view of the industry is that of an aging comic book reader (no idea if Jaffe is into comics; it's just an analogy). You know, someone who really insists on the "simple purity" of the original concepts behind their favorite entertainment medium. I know for a fact he'd appreciate and respect a team like Quantic Dream for what they've done with Heavy Rain , but his comment about reviewers focusing too much on the "artistic" angles also reminded me of something else. He's not so into complex storytelling in games; I think he believes it takes away from the base entertainment factor, and we're still a long ways from truly great fiction in the industry.
For the latter part, I somewhat agree, although Heavy Rain proves we can produce something very special in terms of plot. But you know, if you look at the games Jaffe has made, they're all about unadulterated, uncluttered fun. They're polished beyond belief (usually) and they'll put a smile on your face, but I think he believes that smile can only come about when the game is "uncluttered" and isn't "trying" to be a movie or a book. I could be wrong but if he does believe this, he and I will have to respectfully disagree with one another.
Personal gaming update
So I beat Bioshock 2 , which is certainly one of my favorite games of the year so far. The second half was a lot better than the first, and I really started to get into the story after playing for a while. I was a big fan of that Spear Gun and you just gotta love the Winter Blast Plasmid for never allowing tough enemies like the Big Daddies and Big Sisters to move. LOL That means I'm all caught up now…just a week before Final Fantasy XIII comes out. So I won't be looking for anything new to play before that, and of course, GoWIII comes out the week after FFXIII. So that's my March, right there. I'll be interested to see how Yakuza 3 and Just Cause 2 turn out, though, and I'm sure Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be excellent. Beyond that, the only other game on the horizon for me is Red Dead Redemption , which comes out at the end of April.
I'll probably go back and finish another play-through of Heavy Rain this week. Every time I play it, I'm amazed. I think that's it for now.
My Xbox got RROD today. I had it standing and my dog ran over it.
Haha, no collision insurance. That baby hitler face so fits the accident.
Sorry to hear that Midget, that thing under warranty or are you gonna hafta artificially inflate MS's sales numbers?
Its surprising how it's okay to let 360s stand without any support, when it was a scary thing to let the original PS2 stand without that separately-sold stand.
Last edited by www on 2/28/2010 3:57:03 AM
Oh boy…like that's not common. But still I kind of feel sorry that you lost $200-$300.
To Ben: Jaffe is a big time comic book reader, comic book collector – and hell he got way too excited over the fact that comic books will be coming over PSN. He has not said anything about Heavy Rain though – but something tells me is that he definitely would like something like that.
What a shame……that poor little doggy.
Hope he's still under warranty.
(Oh…..and your "Last Console Standing" too)
Last edited by BikerSaint on 2/27/2010 10:25:37 PM
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!! The game I was playing had a huge ring around it too. Its MS is addicted to rings.
Sigh, my FFXIII will have to wait till June, gave my 120 gigger away now saving money to buy a 250GB in May.
I don't have a gaming PC and I don't have my PS3 so what now?!?!?!?
Oh look at there, Football Manager, *grab it and install*.
Maybe stop giving away expensive consoles?
@Snaaaake
Your a bigger man than I'll ever be…
I actually give it to my brother to look after it while I'm away from home working.
But now I really miss it and do I regret it?
Yes.
But I'll get another PS3 because GOWIII is simply irresistable.
@World
You sounded like I gave away my property all my life.
Last edited by Snaaaake on 2/27/2010 11:10:46 PM
Good to nip these things in the bud 😉
ah football manager, the most addicting game ever made.
"….to achieve true progress, we must eventually leave the old behind."
T__T What a beautiful and moving quote!!!
I also look forward to FFXIII and this past month, I have been relying on Mass Effect 2 and DA:O for my gaming needs for February.
Until my HDTV (one of the earliest ones) died. I turned if off, and off it went…
I'll be getting a new one soon though, so all will be well (I will miss that HDTV though….6 years of my life gaming….was true bliss…
So, for March, XIII, here I come! I would've loved to have gotten Heavy Rain, but couldn't (I got ME2 and DA:O instead, and no, it's cuz I was sceptical; I knew it was a must-buy, demo or not), but when I get the chance to (which will be at the end of School Year (I am a student, and I've been spending a bit too much on games…gotta cool the spending down…played the demo, it was amazing), I'll buy it for sure.
A little note to Arnold, if you ever read this:
I bought the 360 version of DA:O; I just want to say thank you so much for telling Ben to pick up the 360 version, cuz I did exactly that, and it runs beautifully! Around the time of its release, I was really hard-pressed deciding which version I should get, cuz these reviews say "get PS3 version", but those reviews say "get 360 version". I also have several friends who have it too, and the ones that have the PS3 version, they've said to me that they experienced the very technical issues you mentioned in your review! Your review and my friend's feedback helped me greatly in choosing which version, and boy, was I right in choosing the correct version!
Sure, it doesn't look as strong as the PS3's, but graphics aren't everything; gameplay and technical performance equally, if not moreso, as important. So, thanks again!
It's really great to be a multi-console owner X)… you get to be immune to a so-called "war", and you really enjoy the best of both worlds (or all 3, if you know what I'm getting at 😉
Last edited by Victor321 on 2/27/2010 10:34:28 PM
Your TV might not be dead. The power adapter may be fried, and the fix is usually easy, and inexpensive. Check it out before you pitch it.
I was planning on getting the 360 version, anyway; we wanted to do a compare and contrast review.
Well Shams, I didn't want to get into detail, because it's more than just a simple "not turning on problem" anymore…for the past two years, my HDTV has been suffering from dead pixels and burn imaging. It released in 2004, and it's a Sony Grand WEGA.
To put it simply, it's one of those T.V.s with the really huge backs. It's a plasma, and the monitor is a CRT (the same monitor used on those old computers, Windows 2000 and before).
In conclusion, my TV not turning on anymore was the final blow to its vitality, therefore ending its life 🙁
Last edited by Victor321 on 2/28/2010 7:40:22 AM
Regardless, Thanks Again Arnold and Ben =D!
Oh, gotcha. 6 years is not so bad. I hope my pannie plasma is good enough for the next generation, just got it about 3,4 months back. Though, I'll probably hand it over to my sisters after the 3d tv's are released and come down in price.
I'm debating on picking up a copy of MA2, tonight. Just played through Heavy Rain, and I loved it.
Good to Hear =D, and I really hope my family and I get a new HDTV today, cuz that may be the case!
Heavy rain is so good. I gotta agree with you there. I just wanna talk about it but not enough of my friends have played it.
i know how you feel. all but one of my friends is in the gaming world and I'm not even sure if owns heavy rain yet as i seldom see him. this site is the closest thing to a social gaming world outlet got me.
I just finished Uncharted 2, and I'm actually playing Shadow Hearts: From the New World, and you are right Ben, the Judgment Ring is great! Next games i'm gonna pick up will be Disgaea 3, Dark Cloud 2, and maybe Blazblue
Last edited by hellish_devil on 2/27/2010 10:54:41 PM
I recently started SH: Covenant, but there's too many PS3 games to play so I had to put it on the back burner.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 2/27/2010 10:59:03 PM
I didn't like the story or characters in FtNW anywhere near as much…Covenant was better in that respect.
But I also think they really perfected that Judgment Ring in FtNW. Still one of my favorite mechanics to date.
Being an FF vet, I know what you are saying about SE's direction, but while I understand the need to cater to the twitchkids these days, I think history speaks for itself whenever a beloved series goes way off program: it always fails. If you alienate the original adopters then you just die out. I think FF is headed down that road now and needs to hit the brakes and go back.
I guess that is my beef with Jaffe, he must have loved Dreamcast because the guy is more into Arcade style gaming. He should try to make the next GOW (not literally, just something massive) instead of tinkering with PSN games and demolition derby stuff like TM.
My March is ridiculous. I'm playing WKC and Heavy Rain, and there is no way when I pick up my FFXIII copy I will be able to not put it in and play. Then there's the content coming for Dante's Inferno. It's a good thing there is nothing going on in my personal life… I think…
"I'll probably go back and finish another play-through of Heavy Rain this week. Every time I play it, I'm amazed."
Exactly how i feel. I've gone through the whole thing twice, then i replayed Madison's mission at the end but didnt have her find the information (trying to be vague here, lol) and finished the final mission based on that minor change and everything was completely different in the epilogue. I've watched the epilogue 3 times and have yet to see anything repeated. Im going through another full time to see what i can do this time.
It seems like each time i finish Heavy Rain it gets better and better, seeing the consequence of every little oversight that you might not have known was an oversight until you caught it the next time through and the entire game dynamic changed.
Its really just an outstanding game.
Jaffe makes great games, and i enjoy them very much, but i find it odd that he doesnt enjoy "artsy" games much. Games used to be all very simple and basic, but now that the industry has matured we are going to see games that make you think, games that make you feel, and games that make you sit on your couch with a big stupid grin on your face. If every game was made to Jaffe's preferences we would be very bored indeed.
Heavy Rain is going to keep me busy for a long time, then i'll probably finish SotC while i wait for God of War 3. I'll get FF13 when its in the bargain bin, and i might get BF:BC2 but im not sure yet.
Last edited by NoSmokingBandit on 2/27/2010 11:11:43 PM
You probably won't have to wait long for FFXIII in a bargain bin. Especially if you want it for the red ringer.
i have been playing mag and bioshock 2. both games are a lot of fun. i really want to play heavy rain. mag is crazy. whos on sver?
Sonic going back to its classicness explains a lot of things to me
It explains to me that when you ESTABLISH a game. That game needs to stay close to its "CORE VALUES."
AKA, what was fun, entertaining, and engaging about that game.
—
SFIII was another BIG disaster. It completely eliminated what Street Fighter was all about.
No longer did we have World Warriors from India, Spain, Russia, etc.
The gameplay completely changed. From using space, baiting, and adaptation among other things. It went to parry awareness and combo-rushdowns. It also created a system where staying far away (using space to your advantage) was meaningless.
—-
If there was one game that knew how to evolve, it was Mario. Miyamoto has always been able to evolve his games beautifully (because they keep their core values intact).
I haven't played FFXIII. But they really seem to have lost a lot of things which made FF, FF. Towns, NPCs, exploration. Overall, FF was about a WORLD in grave danger…..
How can you get in touch with this WORLD if you can't even explore it?
That's one of the things I loved 'bout FFXII. You saw, walked, and felt Ivalice. Truly made you see the predicament Vayne and his empire (Arcadia) had put the world in.
Anyway, really looking forward to more Super Street Fighter IV info. It's only 2 months away now…hehe
Last edited by Scarecrow on 2/28/2010 12:05:19 AM
What is going to be different in SSFIV over the regular version?
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 2/28/2010 12:21:27 AM
-10 new characters
-New Ultras
-New moves for some
-New intros (rival intros)
-Improved balance
-New costumes
-New stages
-New storylines
-Bonus stages
-New modes such as Team battle and Lobbies
Last edited by Scarecrow on 2/28/2010 1:08:59 AM
Sounds good, I plan on getting it at some point.
Seems obvious to me that they could make a game that caters to the old gamers for very cheap.
no, FF turning into a game like fallout 3 would not be a good thing, id be a thing that gets $E boiled in the lower depths of hell.
i dont even like FF and id bake them so imagine what their fans would do.
i still can not figure out why EA have delayed BFBC2 for the ps3 and not the other systems, especially since there are multiple customers on forums who have taken a pic of their copy.
so it cant be that stock has not reached the stores yet, and i could swear i saw BFBC2 at the back of EB the other day.
as for heavy rain, holy sh*t!
no game has ever made me feel for the characters to the extent heavy rain does.
it actually makes you fear for the characters life when their being attacked or whatever.
and one of the tests ethan gets well i felt like i was going to be sick.
i know davids whole objective in making the game was to test if you could really make players feel real emotions through a interactive media.
and all i can say is mission accomplished!
"I can't imagine that if FF turned into an open-ended psuedo-RPG/FPS like Fallout 3, it'd a be a good move. I sure as hell wouldn't buy it."
LOL. Ben I think Fallout 3 has had enough, I'm pleading on its behalf to leave it alone a bit.
Well with me am starting to get interested in Uncharted 2's multiplayer, thus am playing it now.
"Enough" from whom? I can't remember the last time I mentioned it. 'scratches head'
This first quarter is shaping up to be rediculous. FF13, GOW3,Heavy Rain, WKC if you like it,Dante's Inferno, and others. All these games coming out even if purchased used is enough to pay rent for a month. Grocery bill going down though so that helps. I get so into these games I forget to eat so that's a plus.
Heavy Rain was great. Just finished with the nice ending this morning after waking up at 7, and I'll make sure to platinum it later. I didn't think it was the type of game that one would play through to get one's vg fix, but during the past one day and two nights, I couldn't put it down. Even if you're the type of gamer who just pops in MW2 at end of the day to decompress or get one's adrenaline fix, I still recommend getting this game at some point. It's just as engrossing as anything on TV or film, yet it offers an immersive experience that would only be possible in a game. Man this game, then GOW3, and FFxiii. This year started up with a bang. I wonder what Sony will have up their sleeve for the holiday season!
Shams, yeah it's a very interesting game. I rented it from Blockbuster and let my girlfriend play it and she hasn't put it down yet and she isn't into games that require more than 2 buttons to use usually. She said she got the very sad ending. I watched her play for bits here and there. I know she is going to jump right back on it when she gets home. I can honestly say that the reviews don't do it any justice. There isn't a game out there that I have heard of anywhere like Heavy Rain. The smallest things you do that would be meaningless in other games greatly affect the outcome of this one so there is constant pressure. With four possible endings this has serious replay value so I guess I will fork over the cash and just buy it since my rental was free anyway.
Hey, I TRIED to do Heavy Rain justice with my review. 🙂
I don't think Jaffe is too far off the mark. Do you want your games to be games or do you want them to be interactive movies? A game can be as simple as Pac-Man or as story driven as Heavy Rain. It's pretty obvious that both can be quite successful as far as sales numbers go, but which ones get played more? Jaffe knows how addictive a good game can be and prefers to go that route.
Yeah, but isn't it great that we can have both? Doesn't that add variety to your collection? Heavy Rain obviously doesn't replace games, but what game does, for that matter? They all have their places in my collection.
Why can't an "interact movie" be a game? A game, by definition, doesnt have to be simple and mindless. Just like some movies and books are simple and easy to enjoy doesnt mean that the more intellectual movies and books are any less. Games used to be simple because thats all the old systems could handle. Can you imagine a game like Heavy Rain on PSX? It just wouldn't work. While i respect Jaffe's opinion i wont agree that games like Heavy Rain are any less of a game because you arent constantly pushing a button.
"Addictive" is incredibly subjective. Heavy Rain is an "interactive drama" more than it is a "video game," and that game proved immensely addictive to me.
lol, I started playing Heavy Rain today and my sister saw it and was blown away, she doesn't play games but insisted on sitting and watching me play. This game really grabs people, it's amazing.
It kinds of grabs you like an great RPG does. You feel for the characters both in good ways and bad. They should implement game play like this in other games. Choose your destiny.
I think I'm starting to see action icons in real life, lol
GAHHHHHHHHHHHH ITS 2012!!!! PSN IS DOWn
mm, I don't agree with ur points on Jaffe. I think he is quite sincere with what he was saying about critics, i think he's thoughts on them can simply be taken at face value, there's no neo-gamer in him or whatever.
I think it's more like he feels ppl can be blown away by something like heavy rain, but that shouldnt get in the way of the more basic good fun to be had too. With how gaming journalism is right now (you excepted ben :P) I really believe when he says it's much more important to listen to the fans.