Final Fantasy VII: Base de la crisis

Estimado Square Enix, el amor de mi vida del juego.

Ha sido una cierta hora puesto que he profesado mi amor para usted en la escritura, y espero sinceramente que usted no se haya olvidado de las noches steamy que pasamos juntas en el verano del `94. Nunca me olvidaré de cómo usted me enseñó a amar por la iluminación dévil de la plano-pantalla de Sony.

Las últimas semanas que hemos pasado juntas han sido agridulces as amargo. Hasta que usted me demostró las maneras que usted ha cambiado, asumí que nuestra relación todavía fue limitada por década-vieja rutina. Temí la danza dar vuelta-basada, sacudiéndose entre los socios en orden mientras que disminuyó la tarde. Pero usted ahora cuenta con a más de mí, y su expectativa me obligó a que vertiera mis viejas maneras y se esforzara dominar el arte del combate del solo-hombre. Se van los días de vueltas, pues usted me tiene dotado la capacidad de jugar en tiempo real mientras que lucho a los que vivo matarme. Revel I en esta nueva libertad.

Incluso en su cambio, usted todavía me recuerda donde hemos estado. Con magia y materia usted me conforta, y me calientan. Con sus palabras usted me dirige, y sus cortar-escenas muy largas envían frialdades abajo de mi espina dorsal. Your camera blesses me, and I am thankful. I know that I’ve strayed in the past, flirting with other code when twilight fades. But you have shown me the light, and I swear to be faithful forever more.

I eagerly await your return.

The World Ends With You

The long-awaited North American release of the heralded (yet largely unappreciated by Japanese gamers) Subarashiki Kono Sekai has brought a new revolution to handheld RPGs, proving that Square Enix is, despite its continued milking of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, still capable of original content.

Players take the role of Neku, a young cynic who finds himself in Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing with no recollection of how he ended up there or why. Neku discovers that he’s now part of the Death Game, and over the course of seven days must fight the “Noise” (various creatures that take the form of animals) to survive and complete daily missions. As the story progresses Neku learns more about himself, his allies, and the finer points of human interaction, in-between shopping for clothing, killing poisonous frogs and kangaroos, and reading the thoughts of passers-by.

In combat, Neku’s “deck” consists of 300 collectable pins with unique attack skills such as flame-throwing, bullets, and melee strikes. Attacks are executed by using the stylus in a variety of ways such as slashes and taps, some even integrating the microphone. As the game progresses, pins level up and grow more powerful as they’re utilized. While Neku’s action takes place on the bottom screen, the top screen features one of several allies who also fight the Noise. Allies are controlled via the D-Pad (or the face buttons for you southpaws) in a unique pattern combo system, with combos performed by either character giving bonuses to his or her partner on the opposite screen. For those who would find it hard to manage both screens at once, an auto-assist option is available to help players get adjusted and can easily be overridden by the player.

Designer Tetsuya Nomura (known for his work in the recent Final Fantasy games and the Kingdom Hearts series) has given the game a hip, urban feel, to match the setting of Tokyo’s current hotspot for teens, urban culture aficionados, and bleeding-edge fashionistas. The character designs are both comforting to S-E fans and at the same time a refreshing departure from the fantasy-based settings of its other series; featuring the sort of outfits that, while certainly outlandish by American standards, are a common sight in districts such as Shibuya and Harajuku. The game’s music also matches the mood - essential in a modern setting when the wrong tunes can quickly remove the player from the experience.

World takes steps to revolutionize how players gain XP with a “Mingle” mode in which XP is awarded when the player’s DS comes into WiFi contact with another DS, no matter what cart is in that system, ensuring that World will be slotted at anime conventions, LAN parties, and events like PAX for months to come. This and other in-game innovations are proof that if you’re looking for a change of pace in both the RPG genre and how you use your DS to play games, The World Ends With You is a must-buy.

Chocobo is ready to break out, Opening night in 11 days!

Eleven days and counting until Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Dungeon releases its feathers to float on the wings of the Wii-mote in the US winds.  Cid and Chocobo encounter a town called Lostime where the people believe the key to happiness is forgetting everything.  Every time the clock tower chimes, ding, their dismal memories and even aggressive impulses are forgotten.

Sadness, dreariness and even anger is a thing of the past, until a young lad named Raffaello stumbles into Lostime.  Of course, Raffaello intercedes and helps the townspeople create dungeons out of their memories.  Soon the puzzle pieces fall together and they are able to find out why are not able to remember things.

That however is for you to find out dear reader, and thus embark on hours of enjoyment with our dear friend Chocobo.  So go, join the countdown.  Set your watches.  Our feathered friend will wait for us.  Until then, Team Fortress 2 will suffice, or mindless casual gaming of some sort.