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Ben’s Week In Review: February 16

I can't believe it's snowing again . I love cold weather but I am so done with this winter.

Final Fantasy XV being a "top priority" = funniest thing I've ever heard

So, let me get this straight- you announce the game (at the time, it was called ( Final Fantasy Versus XIII ) in 2006. You get everyone all pumped up for an interesting franchise spin-off that will be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Then, time passes. A lot of time passes. During that time, we get vague updates and worse, promises that we'll see it "soon." I still remember when they said they'd officially unveil it in a month, and it never happened. It also turned into a multiplatform project because after all, Square Enix is a big company and they had since moved past exclusivity. Not enough money to be had.

Finally, we find out that Versus XIII has become Final Fantasy XV . And now, here in 2014, you tell us that it's "quite far into development" and it's a "very high priority within the company." Tell me this isn't hysterical. Well, it doesn't really matter because at this point, I care far more about Kingdom Hearts III and the games S-E is only publishing ( Tomb Raider , Deus Ex , etc.). The only FF I want on the horizon is the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster . I may be done with the series after that.

The PS4 tops Xbox One in the US last month, but can Sony maintain the lead?

As soon as I saw the awesome news that Sony's console had outsold Microsoft's in January in the US, only one question entered my mind: "Can the PS4 keep it up?" Xbox One was the top-selling console in December, but many attribute that to a lack of availability on Sony's part. It's also very significant that Sony says the PS4 nearly doubled the sales of the Xbox One during the month. That's still a far cry from the polls that told us the PS4 would outsell the Xbox One by a 9:1 ratio, but it remains a fantastic achievement. Sony's system should dominate the rest of the world; if it can win North America, too, the race is over.

Now, can it continue? I say it can. I say that for now, with the PS4 being $100 cheaper, that's helping to drive the gap. Next month, Titanfall should produce a sales spike for the Xbox One, but don't forget that inFamous: Second Son is dropping for the PS4, and that IP is no slouch. In the future, it'll come down to software as it almost always does and this time, Microsoft apparently doesn't have that invisible yet indefinite cushion it once had in the US. I think it might be gone…

Personal gaming update

Everyone keeps talking about Outlast , so I had to try it. It seems pretty damn creepy so far, and I love the vibe. You'll see a review on that one ASAP. I'm also playing the Left Behind DLC for The Last Of Us , which focuses on Ellie and her friend, Riley. The story flashes back and forth between a time before Ellie met Joel, when she and Riley were friends (and before Ellie was bitten), and that segment in the main story when Joel is hurt and Ellie goes off on her own. So far, as expected, it's extremely well done and even though I don't usually do DLC, this seems like a logical – and interesting – expansion. Be prepared, though; it's a whopping 5.4GB download.

Thief is right around the corner as well, and Second Son is less than five weeks away. As for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII , I'm not finishing that depressing piece of crap. I'd rather play more Dustforce . How sad is that ?

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WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

The fact that they didn't say their next big game was the "highest" priority tells me any gamers who still have faith in SE and aren't utterly crushed still have a few years to wait for XV. "Quite far" is probably no more than 40-50%.

Titanfall will help sell some Ones but since they can get it on 360 it might not be as huge an impact as we think. I really hope inFamous hits big, but the last 2 didn't so I'm not going to just assume it will be a big smash like MS fans do about Titanfall.

I finished Outlast, which was just top to bottom awesome. When I'm free I squeeze in some time with Miss Lara Croft. I'm absolutely positive now that 60FPS has a major impact on my gun accuracy, which makes the game better along with the beautius graphics.

More than anything though I'm looking forward to Tales of Symphonia Chronicles at the end of the month. 2 JRPGs in one low priced game? Let the classic adventures begin.

FatherSun
FatherSun
10 years ago

Second Soon needs to be properly advertised. Hopefully it has not only amazing gameplay and visuals but also a great and compelling story. If it does then I suggest they go with a movie type trailer commercial to showcase these things. Show some depth, show some emotion. Make people care and want to know what happens to Delsin. I'm sold so this is for those potential PS4 customers out there. A movie trailer makes crap movies into box office smashes. I wonder how it would affect this game.

The commercial I saw so far only shows gameplay and some bullet point quotes. That alone isn't going to do it.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Funny you should say that, inFamous 1 actually had a trailer in movie theatres.

FatherSun
FatherSun
10 years ago

Yes, I remember that.. Was that idea before it's time? I ask because I haven't seen much of that or at all for that matter since.

Crap.. Just realized.. I wrote Second Soon.. Lol.. Too bad I can't edit after a few minutes.. I should use a PC more.. Auto correct is usually auto incorrect.. Lol..


Last edited by FatherSun on 2/16/2014 11:00:56 AM

Tim Speed24
Tim Speed24
10 years ago

What kind of name is Delsin?

I think I will call him Devin, just to be more comfortable with the name. Can't wait for Second Son, soon 😉

Akuma_
Akuma_
10 years ago

I don't think Titanfall is going to be as amazing as people think.

Especially since it isn't on Playstation platforms.

No matter how hard I try, or how much footage I watch, I can't stop feeling like that game is nothing special, just a COD: Future Warfare.

I also think that either this years COD, or next years will borrow a few of TF's mechanics, Activision will be pissed that Zampella stole some of their FPS pie and will want it back.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

Note: XV was never Lightning Returns, it was Versus 🙂

I don't necessarily think that dropping the exclusivity was a bad thing. I mean, that's just the way it is, and with the XBO now using BD discs, it means that we can't blame it for any shortcomings like the linearity of FFXIII. The thing that I really like about FFXV now, after the mess of FFXIII, it will be forced to live or die by its own merits. It doesn't really have that fallback of the series prestige anymore.

And if we have to wait a few more years, so be it. Just as long as Lightning isn't in it. Man. S-E are too obsessed with that broad.

I think that Sony will maintain a lead throughout this entire generation, unless MS manage to pull a real swift one and release heaps of really amazing games in a variety of genres. So far though, I'm not seeing it. Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Break have my attention, and then D4 is almost certain to be an interesting title; but then they have an MP-centric FPS in Titanfall and a decentralised FPS in Halo, plus a new Gears being developed by Black Tusk, who were supposed to be working on a new third-person IP (which I invariably would have been more interested in), more Forza (rumours of a second Horizon for this holiday season abound), Fable (Legends, an online version of the series) and what else?

But then, Sony have Uncharted, inFamous, Killzone, GT, DriveClub, Natural Doctrine (if you don't know what this is, check it out. ESPECIALLY if you're a fan of Valkyria Chronicles) and The Order; and they're just the big ones we know about now. There's such variety there that it's actually quite inspiring.

Personal Update:
If I can stop being lazy, I should have a broadband connection by the end of this week, so online, woo? Also, Orientation Week for uni is on this week for it to properly start next week. Woo?
In the meantime, I've been playing Lightning Returns, which I'm actually rather enjoying so far. I think it's the kind of thing that World would be interested in, as it tries different things and you can kind of see the cracks in it. But then, it's FF and at the same time not, so… yeah. It's a weird one. I also decided to start on Darksiders once I've finished it, largely because of Ben's suggestion.
Been reading Dune, which is of course widely regarded as one of the best and most influential SF novels of the last century. I've read other pieces of the Dune mythology before – those being the first two novels in the series that deal with the Butlerian Jihad, but that was a long time ago. I'm liking it so far because of the way that it envisages this deep universe but it's a slow-burner, which makes me realise why there are eight main novels and several accompaniments to it.
And I haven't had much of a chance to write this past week, but I realised that I need to change my approach if I ever want to get the current draft of this current story done because it's a pain in the rear.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

After all these years, I'm finally in my final class at university! Gonna be nice to have that degree.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

Congrats World!!!

Lawless how old are you? I always thought you were around the same age as World and I.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
10 years ago

Lawless: Bear in mind I was talking about Darksiders II, which is VERY different. An action/RPG as opposed to basically just an action game, which the original was.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

Haha, woah, no LV. I'm only 23 🙂

Sweet news, Dave. What've you been studying all this time?

And Ben, I know you were. I have this obsession with having to get the full story, so I'll be playing the first first(?). And I'm vaguely aware of the differences between them, so I don't think it'll be too much to worry about. Also, it'll give me a break from the heavier RPG aspect between them 🙂

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

English major. I had to leave school to make some money in my 20s.

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

I just got into Far Cry3 (I know, I know…) and I've put about 25hrs into Bravery Default.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

Is it wrong that I laughed a little when I saw that typo? Damn racist tendencies…

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

You're a dirty whore.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
10 years ago

Aye, but an honest one, at least 🙂

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
10 years ago

The only interest I have in SE is for the games they only publish, & not make themselves.

I have nothing but faith that the PS4 will keep ahead of the X1, just as I had that the PS3 would wind up on top of the 360 too.

My own PGU, still grinding away at Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, got 230+ hours in and have leveled up to 97 now(I wanna see if I can level up to that infinity mark, whenever that it).

And since I've been enjoying it as my first real RPG, I just bought Skyrim: Legendary Edition with all of the 3 DLC missions included. I also downloaded 2 RPG demos just to see if I'd also like them too, Wizardry: Labrinth of the lost souls & Mars: War Logs.

I also picked up House of the dead: Overkill Directors Cut from the PSN tonight from their flash games sale, for only $4.99.


Last edited by BikerSaint on 2/15/2014 11:41:26 PM

Corvo
Corvo
10 years ago

I re-watch FFXV videos to remind myself that I'm hyped for it. If you like Kingdom hearts you're obviously going to like XV seeing how the creator works on both games. Personally, I cannot wait for it.

Sony will maintain it so long as they keep stuff secret and only whip it out when MS decides to pull something. -"Halo 5 has a release date!" *Sony unveils the last of us 2*- That type of thing will ensure the lead. At this point, the gap is large enough where the only way MS can catch up if they were Sony, and funny enough, they are not.

Been busy last few weeks. Kinda miss typing out the games I've played during the week. Even though this community is kinda one sided or one minded with a lot of issues, I can't help but love each of you guys. It may be past Valentines Day, but I'm still full of love!

This past week has been a little of everything. I did finally 100% everything on vanilla Metro so I went and bought all the DLC. Started playing Ranger hardcore and man is it fun. I bought Kane and lynch 1 and 2 because together they were like 9$ with the flash sale. Even though the sales aren't as good as steams, Sony is headed in the very right direction with them.

A lot of payday 2 as well. I didn't want to give it a try when it came out because even though I enjoyed the first one to an extent, it was pretty bad and annoying to play. Payday 2 is such a vast improvement over the first and I gotta give them props for this one. Tons of fun with friends and even managed to get my lady to play it. She likes playing it too sort of which is awesome.

Finally, I decided to revisit stillwater in saints row 2 and having a ton of fun once again. They really don't have games that are so completely full of shennanigans anymore. Made a sumo wrestler while my friend made a crazy chinese guy. We ran around with chainsaws, naked, killing people.

Fell asleep while watching 13-3. Not much more to say. That 1990's Final Fantasy Spirits Within movie was more entertaining than 13-3, and it wasn't all that good.

Is it done snowing yet? Nope.

homura
homura
10 years ago

Final Fantasy XV will come. I just don't care when, cause I have many games still needs to be played. I'm excited when it was first announced but that excitement is gone.

It's like when you are meeting a gorgeous girl and she calls you that she might be late for an hour or two due to some circumstances and that hour or two turns into 4-6 hours. You'll be pissed.

But still you want to meet that girl because you want to see if she will turn out to be awesome and worth the wait or just a piece of crap. Until then you just find things to do just to pass the time. Maybe flirt with the other gorgeous girls within the vicinity.

As for Lightning Returns, I don't expect the story to be good. But other reviewers, even those who gives it low scores says that the battle system is fun and maybe it's the only thing that shines in that game. I'll get it someday.

PGU:
Finished Dead Space 3 in impossible mode a week ago in around 30 hrs. It's freaking awesome. But here's the thing. The last few minutes in the game, about the time when you activated the codex it became unbelievably fantastic, too fantastic in fact that at the back of my mind that it belongs to a superhero movie or game. It was just too fantastic that it was freaking overdone. But it was just in the last 30 mins of the game. Overall it's a great game.

Also finished Folklore. Good story but I think it will be awesome if it is more polished, but the design is so great especially the monsters. Gameplay? At first it was enjoyable, but I did get bored with it at the latter half of the game. My only motivation is to finish the story. Which is quite good.

Hand_of_Sorrow
Hand_of_Sorrow
10 years ago

i so want a PS4 so bad…..
maby by the time Infamous: Secound Son nears release.

hooking my xbox 360 soon, the blu ray laser is near death on my
PS3 super slim. it just seems to want to work with GTA V.
blu ray lasers, every ps3 i've owned, i had the laser go.
i'm a smoker, maby its the smoke? i don't play any dvd or
blu ray movies. i do know, starting netflix, youtube etc,
the game disc starts spinning……

___________
___________
10 years ago

bit disappointed about when the DLC takes place, ND always said it takes place before the main campaign and shows you a earlier elie, which is kinda true and kinda not true.
i kinda liked how the game skipped from one area to another that was one part that really did not feel like it needed to be expanded on, so its the one part they expand on.
i was really hoping the DLC was going to be completely set before the campaign and show how elie became who she is in the campaign, not half before and half after.
kinda spoils and ruins the story too because you already know whats going to happen, takes the suspense away for when your looking for supplies and cant find anything.
you know well obviously she found something otherwise the main campaign would not of ended how it did.
stupid design decision, they should of kept their promise and had the DLC as a full prequel to the main campaign!

i find it extremely ironic and kinda pathetic how no one is up in arms how this conveniently slots into the campaign too.
ubisoft did that with AC2, and everyone was screaming bloody murder because since that sequence was in the game obviously it was cut out of the game and re released as DLC.
but ND does exactly the same thing, eh who cares.
how hypocritical double standard is this industry!?


Last edited by ___________ on 2/16/2014 2:41:21 AM

PlatformGamerNZ
PlatformGamerNZ
10 years ago

well that might be the 1st bit of DLC or digital expansion pack i might actually be interested in aye

happy gaming =)

PlatformGamerNZ
PlatformGamerNZ
10 years ago

just because ND has more respect behind it maybe who knows.and that TLOU is a fantastic game

happy gaming =)

cthulhu_spawn
cthulhu_spawn
10 years ago

Left behind may only clock in at about 2 1/2hrs to complete but my god how I adored those 2 1/2hrs. I absolutely loved this dlc and I'm not a massive dlc fan but this little gem is well worth playing especially if you were a fan of the original game.
Price-point may be a little steep but I certainly don't feel I was ripped off. Now to complete it on survivor, why do I do this to myself? 🙂

TrueAssassin86x
TrueAssassin86x
10 years ago

@ cthulhu_spawn

Only 2 1/2hrs to complete wow i people btch and moan about the new MGS being short yet nothing from this smh

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

Anyone else having a hard time reading infamous' message?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

that's DLC, which costs less, so it's different.

Oxvial
Oxvial
10 years ago

Because it's dlc and actually it gives you 30% more length than Ground Zeroes.

FatherSun
FatherSun
10 years ago

FF… Wherefore art thou?

Sony can maintain its lead with price but they can and most likely will widen the lead by doing what they do best. Creating the best games in the industry. Just please… ADVERTISE more!! Show some confidence but don't get cocky or arrogant and those doors will continue to open.

PGU
I Platinumed Tearaway… Which now has an immense emotional bond with me because it helped me deal with the loss of my Beautiful Sister. I couldn't sleep… Thoughts just sinking me to an abyss.. I needed some lighthearted distraction and this game provided that for me.

Other games I'm playing include Outlast, N4S:Rivals, Killzone: SH and Mercenary. Oh.. And Metro: LL. Just love Plus. Besides the backlog it has created for me.

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
10 years ago

I'll make the same prediction/demand as always… I want a release date at the next E3.

Until I get that release date confirmed I am not thinking about Final Fantasy XV. I have recently replayed Final Fantasy XIII & XIII-2 – Still content with both games XIII-1 still being one of my favourite games this gen. If anything XIII-2 seemed to pale a bit, the main story was lacking and I still don't see Serah being fit for the main lead.

I will be beginning Lightning Returns this evening then. I'm still optimistic I will find a lot to enjoy out of it, but only time shall tell. If it does turn out to be a disaster, I will have Final Fantasy X to fall back on next month 🙂

SayWord
SayWord
10 years ago

I have a question for you die hard final fantasy fans. I guess I cant label myself as one because I enjoyed almost every title including the XIII series and dont cry about it every article.

How does one game (well now series) that isnt even bad ruin the whole franchise for you? I do not understand… im not singling anyone out here i am just confused and would like some clarification. Also giving up on the franchise because of one series? So melodramatic..


Last edited by SayWord on 2/16/2014 12:13:47 PM

LimitedVertigo
LimitedVertigo
10 years ago

I know your first paragraph is entirely sarcastic but I do have to ask. How do you view those that consider themselves Star Wars fans but hate the prequels? In your world is it impossible for someone to be a fan of a piece of entertainment and at the same time be objective in analyzing each new installment in the series?

Who said one bad game (come on it's more than just one) ruins the entire franchise? For me personally I view the XIII series as a sign of SE's lack of quality this past decade of gaming. It doesn't ruin my past experiences with the franchise nor does it stop me from playing the FF games that I love.

It does however make me incredibly careful about throwing my money at SE just because something has FF on the name of the title. I've yet to see anything from XV (a game that's been in development for nearly a decade) that makes me think otherwise. So excuse me for offering my opinions on the matter. We can't all blindly enjoy something just because it's part of a franchise.

Underdog15
Underdog15
10 years ago

Well, Lightning Returns -IS- a bad game. So there's that.

There's a decline in quality. They always scored 9+, now low 8's. It's like an Uncharted game releasing and only good enough to be called an 8/10. Still good, but not as good as it should be. You know?

CrusaderForever
CrusaderForever
10 years ago

Going to be interesting to see where FF goes after FFXIII-3 failure in sales. I haven't played it but enjoyed XIII and so far XIII-2 but I am guessing XIII-3 won't sell all that well. I will pick it up on the cheap. I am going to be doing a lot this this generation as I have learned from my PS3 backlog. I have high hopes for FFXV!

PS4 selling almost twice as many consoles in January is very impressive. I think due to following reasons the PS4 will continue to own the US:
$100 cheaper
For the gamers
No Kinect
More power with better FPS and Resolution
Exclusives
Better multiplats
Optional camera
Microsoft's PR

PGU:
Playing through MGS2 HD on my Vita and it sure is a graphical upgrade from MGS PS1! So far it's really great. Snake is such a great character!

Also enjoying Lego The Movie Video Game on the PS4 with my son. This is a weird game! LOL! The Unikitty is hilarious when it gets mad! Great, unique Lego game. Going to see the movie tomorrow with the family.

Lunar_Miyuki
Lunar_Miyuki
10 years ago

well to me the entire 13 Saga of FF was terrible
every FF13 game felt like there just wasn't as much stuff as the others had
ill explain FF13 felt like it stripped away everything away from FF
13-2 felt like they wanted you to pay for as DLC everything FF was known for giving to you
Lightning returns is stripping away the cast of playable characters and forcing a time limit on you

for a PGU more phantasy star online 2
and playing batman arkham city PS3 along with Monster hunter Tri for the Wii

Asuno
Asuno
10 years ago

But cared enough to talk about it.

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