Ben-DutkaI'm assuming this heat wave has to break at some point. It's getting ridiculous.
Why exactly did we need all those Kingdom Hearts spin-offs again?
Square Enix must be one of the worst run companies in the gaming industry. They suffer massive losses over and over and instead of trying to fix it, they just sink deeper and deeper by making the exact same mistakes. Granted, they have their name on several fine games this generation (this year's Tomb Raider being one of them), but their internal development must be in absolute chaos. Tetsuya Nomura says the Kingdom Hearts spin-offs over the years were essential to the brand's survival . His reasoning was that it would take a while to "prepare" Kingdom Hearts III and he didn't want fans to forget about the series.
…what? Kingdom Hearts II launched for the PS2 in March of 2006. That was over 7 years ago . We've gone through an entire generation since. How long does it take to "prepare" for making a game? Seriously? Well, ironically, Final Fantasy Versus XIII was also first announced in 2006 and nearly 7 years later , it has become Final Fantasy XV . Factor in the FFXIII trilogy, which will culminate in a game that nobody seems to want, and we've got ample evidence that the internal teams at Square Enix must be the worst-structured, worst-managed and most incompetent of any developer this generation. So sad.
Can Shinji Mikami risk returning to his roots?
I suppose if there's one person who could return the survival/horror genre to its glory days, it's Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. And he says he intends to return to the genre's roots with his new project, The Evil Within . But let's face it: He can't actually do that. You can't make a big-budget game these days that would play exactly like the first REs or Silent Hills . You need mainstream twitch appeal, which means it has to be dumber and faster or it won't sell. Sadly, that's the way it works. So while I have no doubt that Mikami could make a true survival/horror game, I don't think he's stupid enough to try it. It just wouldn't be published. It'd be considered too "slow." He'd be told to implement more action into the gameplay.
What a lot of people don't realize is that survival/horror used to be like adventure games mixed with scary elements. Sure, there was some third-person action but it wasn't necessarily the primary focus, and you spent most of your time exploring, solving puzzles, catching the story, etc. That'd be fine for smaller-budget downloadable titles today, but it wouldn't fly in the world of AAA blockbuster releases. Besides, didn't Bethesda say when The Evil Within was announced that freakish action would be the staple…?
Personal gaming update
When I looked at the summer lineup and said I really didn't need anything until Grand Theft Auto V in September, I missed something. I forgot all about Splinter Cell: Blacklist , which is set for August 20 and really looks promising . Everything I've seen and heard about this game leads me to believe it could be a return to form; Conviction was such a letdown that I almost swore off the franchise entirely. But the series was always one of my absolute favorites because it was actually stealth and the gameplay was fantastic. I found the controls to be much more intuitive and fluid than the controls in MGS, and the gameplay was much more realistic. Of course, SC never held a candle to MGS in terms of story, but that's to be expected.
So I have high hopes for Blacklist . As for the new contest , I hope a great many will participate. However, despite what I said – that we might do it again in August – I can tell you now that I won't. Rather than hearing, "oh, cool, might bring in more peeps around here," I saw too many, "aw, but what about me ?" comments that really don't sit well. It's my own money, people. I do not want to hear any complaints whatsoever. A simple "wow, thanks!" will be fine. If you've anything else to say, keep it to yourself.
Thank you.
Thank You people for that negative feedback 🙂 Well anyways I hope Im the lucky one :)))))
I've heard a lot of implausible excuses this generation. You wouldn't make a bunch of KH spin-offs and spread them over numerous systems if the goal was to maintain interest until there was time to get to work on KHIII, those are the actions of a squeezer, which is what SE has become. Lightning Returns is the last squeeze on an ugly, floppy teet that reflects the mental state of developers who are groping in the dark for a new direction when one was never needed in the first place. All this business about games like FFXV and BG&E being too big for the current gen is BS too.
I have high hopes for The Evil Within, even if it does have to have action I hope it's sorta like Resident Evil 4 where its still got the dark and creepy atmosphere with great locations but isn't just an awkward action game like RE5&6. I already like the locale, basic old fashioned plot and main character.
I've been trying to push through the backlog. I beat Remember Me, which had a great story and character and setting. You just had to deal with the bad combat to enjoy it.
I finished Crysis 2, which was epic. The campaign was super long. I thought it was over like 6 times because of what I'm used to with FPS. I didn't get the Crysis love before but now I do, it finally clicked.
And I thought I finished Ni No Kuni, only to discover that, like other Japanese games, the thing has no idea when it wants to end. Not that I'm complaining, I like a good long RPG campaign, I'm just wondering if it's gonna be another 60 hours like the last chapter of Tales of Grace F was.
Crysis 2 was the one I disliked out of the 3. Crysis One was great for it's time and I still go back to it now and again. Crysis 2 just didn't work for me. But I loved 3 the most. Can't explain it…..
Last edited by Tim Speed24 on 7/22/2013 5:53:36 PM
S-E really does seem out of touch with their base and it seems like they just bungled this gen altogether.
I also look forward to Blacklist and once was a major Spinter Cell fan on Xbox. Though, I don't think we should expect a total return to form with this sequel. I imagine Blacklist will be something of a hybrid of the two styles of play. I can live with that.
There just seems to be this ever growing list of games to play.
Dragon's Crown is up in the air, but a possibility. DOA Ultimate is a lock. Splinter Cell is a hopeful prospect. Then there's stuff like the new Ratchet game, Batman Origins, Final Fantasy X HD, Kingdom Hearts, Soul Calibur 2 HD, Rayman, Gran Turismo 6, Ultra Street Fighter IV, The Puppeteer, and yes, I'll even give FFXIII LR and Beyond a shot. Man, I still have The Last of Us to try. Crap. Swamped.
PGU: I'm happy to say I've resisted nearly every Summer Steam promo this week. All except for Rage's Scorchers DLC. Which I got for like a buck. When it comes to Rage getting a new enemy race to fight against, including levels and stuff, does actually mean something significant, I reckon.
Been playing Tekken Revolution. I like it. I think. The critical strikes or power blows or whatever they're called gives it a DOA feel. In that it helps repel key low frame moves, something Tekken has always been big on. Where pressuring with low frame strikes for big setups centered a lot of it's play. Now there's this universal ability to just defect an attack with your power attack. The risk however is these moves cause like 0 guard crush making a blocked attempt an instant beat-down. I'm not sure what to think of the stat tweaking though. My knee jerk reaction is to hate it but I think I could see how a player could mod their favorite character to better suit their own playing style, as not every gamer plays the same character the same way. I dunno. The verdict is out with that feature.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/20/2013 11:59:19 PM
I actually liked Tekken Revolution too. My biggest complaint is that they don't have a practice mode, or a two player local mode. I know they want to make money and keep it online but still, it would be nice to be able to just mess around with it locally.
I also tried out that, sparticus f2p fighting game. Its actually not that bad but I think it suffers a lot from a pay to win system. You can't twink your character too hard but the items make enough of a difference where it is kind of silly. Still it kind of reminds me of Bushido blade in some ways 😛
Also get Dragons Crown 🙂 I will play coop with you 😀
I really just do not understand the fixation on XIII (or just Lightning, for that matter). Oh well… We may just have to expect that we'll never again be satisfied with S-E. Sure, it sucks, but what can we do? It never hurts to hold out hope, but I'll be damned if I'd hold my breath.
Last edited by MrAnonymity on 7/20/2013 11:59:57 PM
Lightning is Huge in Japan. Read my point below as to why SE keeps releasing sequels to FFXIII.
Finally broke down and got me Last Of Us and Ni No Kuni. Been playing on my Vita a lot recently. I'm feeling the heat wave during Ramadan (no food or water during daily fasts) and the AC broke down. Dropped 14 lbs in a week. Dehydration and intermittent fasting for the win.
That doesn't sound fun lol!!
Glad you got TLOU, I'm pretty sure you'll love it. I've talked about it enough on this website, but oh man. I was playing through the pittsburg hotel bit last night (think E3), and I was flanking, getting flanked, running away and coming through different directions. I have one guy left, the molotov guy, which I just realised is essentially a stalker. I'm trying to stalk him and he catches me from behind 3 TIMES! On the 4th try Ellie notices and tells me, and I take cover, and manage to choke him out as he comes by. I press pause for a breather, and my last checkpoint? 1 hour ago LOL.
Then this next bit happens…not gunna say what…but the tension level didn't exactly drop.
I love me some survival horror, a la deadspace, and with ND at the helm, that's just a win/win. They've been careful to call it survival-action, though, it's plenty horror/tension for me.
I found one of these giveaway articles from about 2010, and that was about the time I joined. I noticed I posted a comment, oh god it was embarassing to read. It went along the lines of what you said "But I SHOUD WIN! Me!". Infact, if there is a comment from me from say 2010-2011, please disregard it lol.
I guess I was too young to know what doesn't come across well on the internet XD
How bad is the heatwave where you live Ben? I've been reading it's hitting 50c in one place. It's mostly been in the high 20s into the 30s in Britain. Doesn't sound much but it's the humidty that makes it unbearable. Is it nearly Winter yet? 🙁
Hey Liam, stop moaning. We haven't had a REAL summer like this in 7 years. It's fantastic. 🙂
But I've had 7 years of moaning that we haven't had a real summer lol. What was that the 2005/6 heatwave? I can't remember when but I do remember that being unbearable too.
But seriously I aren't a fan of this heat at all. It's just like constantly beating down on me, then night comes and it's worse in terms of humidity – haven't slept well at all. AND I burn to a crisp in less than half an hour lol…
I do live near the north-east coast though, so it's finally cooled down. Can stay in the house without melting!
I heard like 9 died last week in the UK from the unexpected heat. Similar roasting here in the northeast US. Don't know if there has been any fatalities, though.
LOL @ Square-Enix. I really don't understand the sentiment behind KHIII considering the brand would have been in the public spotlight had the made the game five years ago when people were really clamouring for a conclusion to the series. Had that happened, they wouldn't need to keep creating spin-offs to keep people aware of it. It just makes no sense whatsoever, and with Nomura already saying that they may have announced it too early, it's like "how long is this going to take?" I mean, is there another seven year dev cycle here? Frankly it just seems a little ridiculous and much too late. Then again, I only ever rented KHII, so I may not be the best judge. I probably will pick up the HD version/s at some point, so… I dunno. We'll see.
I trust Mikami. He does good work and I like that what we have seen so far seems more like restricting the abilities of the player rather than making Sebastian(?) into a superman. It may not have the full impact of so-called classic survival horror, but I consider it promising. And Bethesda has proven themselves willing to take some risks…
Personal Update:
It's been three weeks since I was last on here and I've put about 35 hours into Ni No Kuni. It's a damn fine game, but I've decided to retire my PS3. It's been running way too hot and it sounds as though it's about to burst into flames after about twenty minutes of being on, even just playing music off the HDD. Worrying.
So my idea is to buy a new PS3 and move the data over. That probably won't be happening for another month though as I'm going to be able to pay off my car on the 2nd of August, reality permitting. I'll have no money after that, but I should have enough money within two weeks afterwards to get both a PS3-SS (even though they're ugly as f**k) and a new laptop. Sweet!
In other news… I've made considerable progress on my current writing project and should be able to finish it this week. I say finish it, but that depends on one's outlook. The whole project is actually a compilation of eight novellas that tie together in a number of different ways and this is just the first, so there's still a hell of a lot of work to be done… but I'm getting somewhere!
Reading Les Miserables these days… It's f**king brilliant. That is all.
And I'm going to apply to go to Uni next year studying Journalism. Applications open on the first of August, so I'm really hoping to get in and be able to really make a move on my future. Heavens knows I've wasted enough time already.
That's it for now. I probably won't check in again until I get that new computer, but I'll be reading, as always. 🙂
Peace.
Post Scriptum
It's winter here in Aus, and FNQ is mild as, so great weather, except for all the rain… Speaking of obligatory b***h for the contest not being international ;P (Nah, I'm used to it by now). There was something else, but whatever…
Have you been on a walkabout?
i think it's pretty cool that you offer up your own money. For that I do say thank you. Good ol internet. Filled with entitled brats who think they deserve everything. Good luck to all on this contsest!!!
"Filled with entitled brats" I'm not on FB or Twitter but on here there were only 3 posters who had an issue. One was a fella from Canada, one had personal reasons (not sure if it was valid) and another, as Ben pointed out, hasn't posted much. Then Beamboom chimed in with one of his normal well though out posts. And no one knew until the last comments that Ben was using his own personal money. Not many people know the ins and outs of this website. Who runs it, how its run, whatever. Still, there are many more positive comments from unique user than negative. Hell, there are more foreign users who said good luck than those who took umbrage.
Honestly, calling people selfish pricks and insulting their intelligence for having concerns or wanting to be included isn't going to bring in any new traffic. I'm sure most of the posters wish the best for this community. I remember when the first PS Home Show started. Man, the love around here was great and there was excitement for the influx of new people. Wanting a little extra spending cash and wanting the best for this site are not mutually exclusive. Ben should have handled himself with more restraint and respect in the comments section. Simply adding "Sorry to our international readers. We appreciate you on this site just as much as your US counterparts. Unfortunately, the logistics involved with this particular contest means it must be confined to the US only. However, please stay, read the articles, and join in on our conversations. We'd love to hear from you. And, in the future, we will work on having a contest where everyone can be included." would have gone a long way.
"Honestly, calling people selfish pricks and insulting their intelligence"
Only the unintelligent selfish pr*cks will be offended. So, I fail to see what the problem is.
I have to step in. I live in the US and am eligible by all means to possibly win. My problem was the way he wanted everyone to sign up to twitter, Facebook, etc. It wasn't about the money. I don't see how following him on his twitter and Facebook can bring more traffic to this main website. I didn't want to feel forced to have to make a twitter account or a facebook account to win, or anyone for that matter. People who already have that, great! But to those who don't… Don't force anyone. I know I read someone say something along the lines of, "I had 0 followers on my twitter, you are the first". I know he said the winner could be pulled from anywhere, but the way he made it sound was the more involved you were the higher the chance.
I didn't mean to start something, I just simply said to count me out. Then he attacked me :p
Last edited by Killa Tequilla on 7/21/2013 12:29:27 PM
Killa
Ben addressed that issue in a response to YOU yesterday. I know you've probably slept since then, so I'll remind you. He listed the many different ways to make your presence known around here, not that you had to do them all.
Yeah, I saw that this morning. And I like Ben, but the way he just attacks you sometimes is unprofessional. The very last post he put on the previous article could've been the very first comment he replied to me with. Just rewritten a bit different. But attacking is uncalled for and doesn't help anyone.
Killa
"I can't participate in cheap ways to bring more traffic to the website, Facebook, and twitter. Sorry. Hope you understand."
That is the first thing you wrote and it is pretty much insulting. Are you sure you didn't attack first?
That's to be determined, but I am not a professional journalist.
Kid: If someone is a selfish prick, they will be called a selfish prick. No, I am not adding a hundred disclaimers to absolutely everything I post. Anything said or written these days will always – always – have its fair share of whiners and selfish morons to respond to it. I will not be bowing to that deficiency.
We want more US readers; I intend to maybe give away a little something else along with the money, which must be shipped; I've volunteered my money to help people this holiday season.
I will not ever apologize for not catering to the entire world when my intent was 100% benign and a true desire to make someone smile. There's nothing else to talk about.
And by the way, to Killa and everyone else, this is the EASIEST FU***** THING I could think of!!! Click a few BUTTONS and you're IN. Don't have to write a user review, don't have to submit anything, just do whatever the hell you want at PSXE. It could be anything. Anything at all.
Like I said, I don't want ANY more complaints about this. From anyone. Ever. I'm giving away $120 to whoever takes TEN SECONDS out of his time. Is that all right? Am I allowed? Or do I need a disclaimer for that, too?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 7/21/2013 5:46:49 PM
Let's just get over this foofaraw and hug it off.
XOXO lmao No homo. Ben with all do respect Ive actually seeing a few of your comments to some individuals in the past and I have to say that sometimes they are not the nicest things. We all have a freedom of speech and I could honestly careless but I think from a professional stand point we expect you to be more nicer 😉 Unless of course he or she is a total ass then go right ahead. This is just my opinion of course 🙂
Remembering how Ben presented himself on the PSX Show, counters any supposed sort of 'attacking' he is claimed to do on here. Text-reading comments isn't for the sensitive, unfortunately.
Last edited by VampDeLeon on 7/22/2013 1:58:35 AM
Just because he presents himself in a certain way in a video doesn't mean anything. I don't consider myself sensitive and I really could careless but you never know who is on the other side of the keyboard. There is always going to be negative, dumb, mean, sarcastic (me), etc. people in this world and I feel like part of being a leader is to act like one. Yes there is certain times when people might cross the line and that's when it's ok to take action . Overall though I feel like Ben drinks his beer while at work once a month and we all know that during your job we need to be sober specially if your the boss. Like I said I can honestly careless but if it was my child in the receiving side of the comments I would definetly not be happy. I love this site and I really like Ben and wether he likes me or not that's up to him.
Oh, I perfectly understand what you mean. I just believe overall that he's not aware of how his straight-to-the-point replies can sound if read aloud.
Last edited by VampDeLeon on 7/22/2013 8:07:09 AM
I think the real reason for Nomura san not being able to start working on KH3 earlier is that SE didn't let him. Something along the lines as this "Nop, you have to work on FFXIII and the sequels and all this other things before you can do that". So Nomura HAD to do the spinoffs so everyone wouldn't forget about KH. Well maybe that's just wishful thinking of me.
@Ben
"Factor in the FFXIII trilogy, which will culminate in a game that nobody seems to want"
I don't know about that… I recently read somewhere that FFXIII-2 was the most bought game for any platform in the first 6 months of this year in Japan, beaten things like Monster Hunter and One Piece (which is HUGE in Japan). Seeing that, well a sequel just makes business sense, even if it doesn't make a lot of sense to older FF fans or in light of the franchise standards of quality of storytelling.
Last edited by darxed on 7/21/2013 10:02:58 AM
XIII-2 still sold 1 million fewer units in Japan than XIII.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 7/21/2013 10:42:59 AM
@World
Well yeah, but the point still stands that FFXIII-2 is the most successful game in 2013 in Japan and Lightning is hugely popular over there too, so a Lightning centered sequel to a franchise that is doing better that anything else in the country is good business sense, no matter how we view it. If you take into account that FF games usually do better in Japan than in any other territory, then, just in this case, I think SE is doing right for them.
I take your point, and it does make sense since she's the protag in Lighting Returns, still though, she was hardly in XIII-2 at all.
My problem witb the KH comments were that the games were spread across handhelds. More people would have played them were they on consoles people wanted them on. Supposably it kept the fans busy while KH3 was being prepared except they were released on handhelds and only a fraction of the fans played them. Good strategy! No, its an excuse.
PGU: playing Borderlands 2. Glad to hear the new.dlc.announcement. Playing through Tiny Tina's Assault and its a.blast. its big, the side missions seem a little.small, and go here fetch this.ckmpared to.the main game, but its just fun!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 7/21/2013 11:20:48 AM
Sorry my friend but I gotta be a Nazi here for a second, it's "Supposedly" no Bs 🙂
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 7/21/2013 11:44:43 AM
World- your good man. And thanks. Ive almost stopped editing my comments because I use my phone to view the website. So when I post comments theres things like autocorrect and touch screens that just get in the way.
I know its frustrating to read comments with bad grammar and spelling errors but thats why I've slacked on editing because they are always there. If I had wi-fi with me aevery where I went for my laptop I would use that more.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 7/21/2013 3:02:01 PM
*You're
Don't hurt me 😛
By the way railer, what's your PSN (uh…SEN? lol no-one calls it that) ID? Was gunna add ya for some TLOU multiplayer and whatnot.
Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 7/21/2013 3:58:44 PM
It's all good.
Its the same as my username. I haven't tried it yet, but I want too.
Ben, you could stick to your original plans for this contest by picking a winner and a loser. The loser would obviously come from the list of complainers and the prize for that would be the axe.
Aren't we broke? We still give billions of dollars to the rest of the world and the most ridiculous thing about it, is the fact the we're borrowing that money we're giving away. God forbid we do something for ourselves.
I was kind of looking forward to seeing some happy creature's response to receiving help to pay for their PS4. Mine is paid for, so the contest is not, and was not, intended for me. I understand that. As an American I'm not included and foreigners fail to see that aspect of the contest. It's sad really.
Good luck to those who are eligible. 🙂
"The loser would obviously come from the list of complainers and the prize for that would be the axe."
As hilarious as that sounds, it would be a horrendously bad idea. 😉
I just think Square is broken. I have no idea what they are thinking ever but meh I gave up on them a long time ago.
I think Shinji could bo back to a slower survival horror game and be successful. The rise of slow horror games is here, we have games like Slender, and Darklight which prove that people don't mind slow gameplay. Amnesia was also pretty light on action but huge on scares. I think he could do it without it becoming like what RE and DS turned into, but we will have to wait and see.
PGU: Still playing Dota 2 and enjoying it quite a bit. Its amazing how you can constantly learn new things about a game. I picked up Ghost Recon Future soldier for 7 bucks from a pawn shop and have been playing the local coop with my friend and its pretty enjoyable.
Other than that I am eagerly awaiting Dragons Crown, and Rayman Legends, two of my most anticipated games this year 🙂
i played this game on my vita called zero escape: virtues last reward. it was actually a lot of fun. as far as playing it goes though its not really a lot of playing. veeeeeeeerrrrrrry story heavy game. takes a long time to find out what is going on. it was good though. it was my 11th platinum. i think some of the people here would love the game. i think it was a port but it got no attention here and i think it is a very over looked game.
I got that free with PS+. I played 15 minutes, got no idea what was going on and I deleted it off my 8gb stick. How hard/easy was the plat?
i got it from plus also.
its actually very easy. it just takes a long time. i got hooked on the story so i kept playing. i think you should give it another chance. your not supposed to know what is going on. its a mystery/puzzle game.
the game is about alternate timelines and choices changing outcomes. you then "jump" back in the story and make other choices.
10-4
Just gonna jump in here and say that Virtue's last reward is such an amazing game and sadly doesn't get a lot of recognition :/
I can safely say, for anyone who has a remote interest in good story-telling, you owe it to yourself to play this game….
The prequel (Zero Escape: 9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors) while only released on the ds, if you can get your hands on a copy, please do!!
I know this must seem like shameless advertising, but these games are just mind-blowing!
I know a lot of people on this site loved Bioshock Infinite for the story and what it did with time-travel….In my opinion, 999 and VLR did it better.
Seriously though? I have so much love for these games….they truly are something that you *have* to experience.
Tool's last album was released in 2006. Kingdom Hearts is doing okay.
look if i was one of the complainers never intended it was just saying that i wasn't in the US so oh well and i think i did mention that i already have the cash i need aside so i have no problems and i'm quite content just comin for news and such things cos thats wat i come here for anyway so i meant no disrespect or to selfishness if i came across that way.
happy gaming =)
Last edited by PlatformGamerNZ on 7/21/2013 9:49:16 PM