If one was to ask a random person on the street to name a video game, Super Mario would probably be at the top of the list. Other names, known to all, would be Pacman, The Zelda Series, Street Fighter and Final Fantasy. Since there seems to be glut on the market of Final Fantasy games let’s break it down shall we?

Here it is, the official definition of the word final:

Final:
1. Forming or occurring at the end; last: the final scene of a film.
2. Of or constituting the end result of a succession or process; ultimate: an act with both an immediate and a final purpose.
3. Not to be changed or reconsidered; unalterable: The judge’s decision is final.

For those that don’t know the origin of the Final Fantasy Title. (Awesome in its alliteration, powerful in its meaning) here is a brief quote from wikipedia:
“Though often attributed to the company allegedly having been threatened with bankruptcy, Sakaguchi explained that the game was his personal last-ditch effort in the game industry and that its title, Final Fantasy, stemmed from his feelings at that time; had the game not sold well, he would have quit the business and gone back to university. Despite his explanation, publications have also attributed the name to the company’s hopes that the project would solve its financial troubles.
The game indeed reversed Square’s lagging fortunes, and it became the company’s flagship franchise. Following the success, Square immediately developed a second installment. Because Sakaguchi assumed Final Fantasy would be a stand-alone title, its story was not designed to be expanded by a sequel. The developers instead chose to carry over only thematic similarities from its predecessor, and some of the game play elements, such as the character advancement system, were overhauled. This approach has continued throughout the series; each major Final Fantasy game features a new setting, a new cast of characters, and an upgraded battle system.”
Square was close to financial failure, The game had to be better than good, the game had to be world changing. It was their last hope. It was their ‘Final’ Fantasy. And it was beautiful. To us, the fans, the people who hear those two words, there is something that we can’t quite put our finger on. It isn’t a moment exactly, although there are many, many of those. It is a feeling you get when you think about any one of those moments; a feeling that may lead you to remember times in your life that paralleled the game. It isn’t one of the elements that make up the Fantasy. It is all of them combined. Moogles, Chocobos, Sid (or Cid). It is airships, it is magic, it is the villages, the cities, its swords and spells, its mini games and monsters, some familiar some foreign. Its the mages, knights and madmen. It is a world rich with wonder, but if you were to ask me what I thought truly made the Final Fantasy series special I only have one answer.

It’s soul.

A soul that unfortunately hasn’t truly been present since FF IX. A soul that seems to have slipped away as main characters became more effeminate, as the graphics became too real, and as the powers of Mammon, (Demon of greed) took over the company that once put all their hopes in a final desperate gambit. To the fans and their fiction they send cease and desist letters. To those who want visual remakes of the greatest of these games we are spurned.  Yet the time and energy seems to be there for an infinite amount of sequels. And there in lies another vastly problematic problem:

FINAL FANTASY GAMES ARE NOT MEANT TO HAVE SEQUELS!!!!

X-2 started the worst trend in the series, and it is a trend that has perpetrated the downward spiral of Final Fantasy titles.
Here is my logic:

Games like Crono Trigger need a sequel. (and no I don’t consider Crono Cross a true sequel. It is a side story.) Xenogears needs a sequel. Kingdom Hearts needs sequels. These games are long stories, developed with loose ends. Like the best fantasy book series these stories cannot be contained in a single game/ book. But these games, great as they are, are not Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is meant to have an ending. It is the definition of the word. It is what adds to its power, adds to its mythology. At the end of a Final Fantasy, you have saved the world. That is all. The story, the fairy tale is over. It is an ending, whether it is truly happy or tinged with sadness. It is what makes your actions have meaning, it is what charges us with emotion as we play.

As I ponder this idea more and more I realized something profound. For something to have a ‘soul’ the bearer must have an end.  A soul is energy, temporary and contained, like a candle flame. Ever wonder why robots and vampires can’t have souls? They don’t die and their story doesn’t end. We as people are conscious of our own expiration; it is this finality that leads us to achieve great things.

Final Fantasy was like that. Unique, amazing and complete. Though the one game may end, the spirit, the energy would still live on in a new incarnation.
I have high hopes for a couple upcoming FF titles, but I do feel myself drifting away from this series with every cookie cutter, overly realistic and way to westernized title that comes out. I have some interest in Final Fantasy versus XIII, as it has the technology meets magic feel of VII, quite a bit of interest in Final Fantasy Type-0 as it brings to mind VIII and with it a whole cadre of interesting characters, and even XIII-2 seems to have listened to the worldwide voice of the fans demanding better story, better characters and an open world. But one nagging thought still keeps me from becoming too excited:
How can something that never ends ever have a soul?
It can’t.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 09/07 at 01:03 PM
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For most who game, there are several immortal titles that will always pique our interest. The name Zelda is not just a bad memory of a mandatory high school reading assignment. ‘In my younger and more venerable years,’ I too remember playing both Ocarina and Majora’s Mask all the while utilizing the radical new controller design of the N64 and learning the mechanics of the Auto-jump, something never before seen in gaming.

The N64 controller was once so uncomfortable, and yet once I grew used to it, it became a vastly superior being compared to the blocky, awkward controllers of the past.  If the analog stick controller was a dinosaur it was the first one to grow feathers. (Other lines I was working with: ‘If controllers were robots than the N64 controller just got a magnet gun’ and ‘if other controllers were Pit Vipers the N64 controller just got anti-venom.’ I also considered mentioning something about pit vipers ability to sense body heat but I realized that I was waaaaaay off topic.) Once running towards a cliff without a ready thumb twitch became 2nd nature, the auto jump also helped games to evolve. The reasoning behind it was simple: free up an extra button for something else. Though relatively a small step by today’s standard, try explaining to a bunch of kids raised on Mario that there is no juimp button. Imagine a Mario game without one…. (never going to happen, but you get the idea.)

The next chapter in the green clad pantheon will be released on November 20th, which pointedly marks the 25th anniversary of the original Zelda. When we look back at what Zelda was and what Zelda has become we realize that we too grow and change. In fact one could argue that video games have contributed to our growth as a culture and a society. For me, realizing how video games change us became glaringly obvious when I watched my littlest sister play with a Tamagotchi attached to her backpack. At the time she was 5 years old, maybe 6, but she was learning how to interface with technology. (And this is only a device with 3 buttons) In a world where even watches require specific buttons to be pressed and held in coded sequences, the fact that our children are raised with games and their respective interface devices, even those as simple as the Pokemon pedometer (which levels your creatures as you physically walk around in the real world) is a huge step in the developmental process.

We now have the revolution of the Wii and other ‘use your body as a controller’ devices. We have controllers and phones that when tilted activate specific commands in-game. And then we have boats like the Channel Cat, a multi-million dollar mega yacht based here in Santa Barbara which is controlled not just with a big wooden wheel, but with a tiny control pad, with the Captain standing on the roof. I never thought that I too could command a mega yacht, especially when trying to park the damn thing in a narrow slip, but I grew up with Playstation…. And that might just make it possible for me to interface with the world a little easier.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 08/24 at 03:42 PM
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For many the term Lol no longer just means laughing out loud. Unless it is the laughter of you and your teammates as you “crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women.” (And if you get that quote you are probably excited for the new Conan movie.)

League of Legends has been giving gamers this great feeling for quite a while now, and as the FTP format allows them to add new characters, skins and items constantly the game isn’t in danger of losing momentum. There is however one thing that, while almost perfectly balanced is beginning to grow a little bit stale. There are only two playable maps and game play on both is fairly similar. Time to completion is around 45 minutes for Summoner’s Rift and 30 minutes for The Twisted Tree line respectively, and the battle generally consists of a leveling up or laneing phase, a ganking (or sneak attack phase) and then the team fight and ‘pub stomp’ phase when the brawling truly begins.

While there have been rumors and even concept images of a new map floating around for a while now, the excitingly named Magma Chamber has yet to see the light of day (or hot lava or glowing crystals or whatever the light source is down there.) To make matters worse the larger world map of Valoran (where the game takes place) is exciting as Hell. I mean Plague Jungles, the Conquerer’s Sea, even the dark world of Noxus? The potential is pretty limitless.  So it begins to chafe a little when we are left to hold our collective breath while we wait for this new map to erupt (get it?) onto servers. Now Magma Chamber seems to be on the same time table as the release of Diablo 3, but something awesome has appeared on the horizon, a map which is apparently nearing completion. A new style of game which is faster, meaner and more like World of Warcraft’s Arthai Basin than the two existing League maps. It is known by a single, elegant word: Dominion. Sounds pretty cool already huh?

Instead of long paths this battle takes place in a circular arena, with the objective to take and hold control nodes, all the while entering the central jungle for ‘artifact’s which provide team bonuses and buffs, as well as a fun place for combat and guerrilla tactics. Champions will start with more gold and a higher level, and rewards will be earned faster focusing more on builds than budgets. The battle is set in the mining town of Kalamanda, and the map promises to be more alive than the other two. The story merges with one of the new playable characters who is about to enter the league, Skarner, a member of the ancient race of rock scorpions or Brackern. (He may already be out by the time this is posted.) His home and fellow scorpions were endangered by the reckless magic of the time and hibernated beneath the earth, until mining and the conflict of Lol woke him. And where should he conveniently appear but the newest and first map of Dominion style play: the Crystal Scar. “The humans have not yet learned to control their magic - what once was Kalamanda is now a crystal scar on the history of this world.” –- Skarner.

Along with the nodes comes new strategies for defending towers, new items available only for this type of game play and new buffs which can be acquired quickly to help turn the tide of battle quickly. I usually don’t like to pull quotes directly from websites, but the battle plane goes a lil’ something like this: Instead of the three lanes across the map, there’s a circle with five different capture points placed around it, and a series of jungle paths running through the center. The goal is to hold down capture points, which you can claim by standing on them and channeling a spell for a few seconds (the more channelers, the faster it goes, and damage will interrupt the process). This drains away “nexus health” from the other team. When one team is completely out of nexus health, the game is over. – Lol official site

As you can see very similar to Arthai Basin, except the race is for damage, not resources. With the rapid game play and wild team compositions already rocking in the League, this new style of game play and new map will keep me glued to the computer for a least a few more hours. (And by that I mean many, many possibly way too many hours indeed.)

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 08/15 at 03:22 PM
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As one of my many real world jobs I work in a restaurant. When people want to order wine I always offer them a taste before they commit to a bottle. This strategy helps them decide, and makes my job much easier, virtually guaranteeing a happy wine drinking table and a bigger tip. “Try before you buy,” I call it; it works out well for me, and it works out well for them. In previous years, trying before you buy was just not a possibility for console gamers. PC users had DLC long before consoles were hooked up to the interweb, but times have changed. Now demos of almost any game are as accessible and easy as 1,2,3. Using the PS Store I have tried many games before purchase. Some, like Clash of Heroes, I buy about 2 minutes after trying them out, while others have convinced me that my hard earned duckets can be better spent elsewhere.

Along with the emergence of a world filled with demos comes the DLC or downloadable content, which basically offers the idea of, after you have ‘tried’ the game by purchasing it, why don’t you purchase add-ons, and bonuses, which are a fraction of a cost of the individual game. It’s like adding Oscar Style to an already delicious New York Steak. A recent package I have had my eye on is the Klassic Kostumes and fatalities pack for the most recent Mortal Kombat. This form of buying content is becoming extremely profitable and allows us to spend money on games we like (which is good for the company) and getting new content (which is good for the gamers.)

There is also the subscription based model. These games generally include regular updates as part of the subscription fee. Usually a one-time purchase of the game itself is a prerequisite with the new updates taking the form of update patches.  ‘Expansion packs,’ which include a large amount of new content also become available for purchase separately from the per month subscription costs. What is wonderful about this format is that you truly do get a living game, one that evolves as you play, complete with new lands, new events and the like. These games usually offer a try ‘before you buy deal’ in the form of free play time. (World of Warcraft offers 10 free days to new players and a free week to players who have left the game for a while.) They also allow you to cancel your subscription when you tire of the game, cutting your losses. The drawback to this however is that you have already invested heavily into the game to get started, and while the subscription fees end, you still have the actual game, and usually around $60-$70 less in your account. In fact the starting cost may dissuade people from ever buying the game in the first place, despite the bevy of demos out there.

So if you are a game company, what do you do to get people to play your game, realize how good it is, and then spend money in your online stores? Make the game free.

It sounds like hippy talk, man, but if I start to play a game, love it, and then see a wealth of affordable options to improve my experience, I become intrigued. Couple that with the fact that I haven’t spent a bunch of cash on the game itself and I am all the more willing to buy unit upgrades, cosmetic variance and even expanded level packs, all because I had the ability to play the game first. The truth is that demos can only show you so much, but if you get me hooked and then ask me, well, that is a different story. The game company and the people who work hard to make it will still get paid, and I won’t be stuck with a crappy game I never would have bought. Instead I played it, liked it and invested in it.

Now, just to be clear, this is also a slippery slope. Like going to sushi that charges by the plate, one can spend more money than they mean to quickly, and what’s to stop them from charging you for the bowl of rice, the chopsticks and the napkin and chair as well? Some games just need to be simple one time purchases; something that kids can still mow X number of lawns to buy. I think that while there are many good things about the F2P format, we as gamers must be wary of overzealous CEO’s just trying to make money with no concern for the games at all. (Bobby Kotick?)

In the end the times they are a changing. I am excited to see what will come down the pipeline next, and very happy about Age of Empires Online’s format, but could easily be let down if the premium content has to big of a price tag, or if to truly be competitive in PVP I basically have to buy certain units and items. As for now, I usually will try before I buy, both in wine and in gaming.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 06/03 at 11:05 AM
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I love Final Fantasy. So the fact that I don’t own a PSP really sucks when they make games like Crisis Core, Dissidia and the newer Dissidia 2. Some of you may say, but Louis, why don’t you just buy a PSP with all your wealth and fame? I reply sadly that despite my awesomeness I can’t really afford to buy every system, especially one that I never quite liked. (Don’t tell anyone… but the disks are annoying and the controller a little small) Despite the recent setbacks of the Playstation Store, I always liked the fact that it offered PSP games as well as PS3 games, and thought that it would be awesome if some of the more popular games were formatted so that I could buy them and play them without a PSP. Well now you can!!!

A recent news blurb reported that there are plans to re-master an undisclosed list of PSP games for PS3. These new releases will feature HD and DualShock 3 support, as wells as the possibility of 3D and new add-on content for certain titles. They will also feature cross saves, which means you can be battling a boss at home, then take your PSP and continue the battle at work or your grandma’s or wherever. If this is going to be anything like Clash of Heroes I am even more excited. As for which games buzz about the community is that they hope for the God of War exclusives such as Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus to be included.

The first game announced will be Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD version. When asked why Sony replied that they wanted to flesh out the gaming experience, and as a diehard fan of my Ps3 I am more amped than an energy drink.
As for games I am looking out for? I just want some Dissidia. I mean a tiny screen is no place for a Cloud versus Squall battle!  I may even buy a bigger TV, you know, with all my wealth and fame.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 05/31 at 11:02 AM
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The name of Age of Empires rings out to those of us who have been PC gaming for a while.  Part of an immensely successful genre in the empire building category, along the likes of Sid Meir’s Civilization and old school Warcraft, Age of Empires lets you do what many of us have dreamed, build an empire. There is some sort of testosterone driven thrill in the ability to harvest food, cut down trees and conquer your enemies, and for many years age of empires has been letting us do just that. I have to admit that while the series moved forward in time with each incarnation, I kept wishing that I could go back to the Old Stone Age when your society started simply. None of this “guns” and “technology” for me. (Unless you count better armor and sharper swords.)

All this babble about the past brings me to the present, where a new Age of Empires is brewing, and this one brings us back to the older civilizations of legend. So far there are two revealed cultures, the Greeks and the Egyptians, although in the current state of the game only the Greeks area available. The map of the ‘world’ reveals Troy towards the north, so only time will tell. Additionally most AoE (Age of Empires) games do have both Persian and Asian civilizations, so I am hoping for attack elephants and samurai as well.

The main change in AoE Online is the addition of the capital city, which serves as a sort of customizable quest hub/ menu where you can upgrade your troops, create tools and supplies and even trade with other players. New buildings unlock new options and vice versa. Other players can visit your city and you can also visit their cities, giving you access to shops and items that maybe you might not have yet. (I imagine that all the cultures will also have unique trade goods) You can also move your buildings whenever you wish, allowing for a fun sort of “mini-game” of making your city look cool.

Smaller decorative buildings and items can be bought, such as fountains and trees, even statues and gazebos. I placed a stature of Aphrodite on a hill and noticed that the citizens of my city started to walk up and worship there. I then rebuilt my city around the hill and have begun work on beautifying it, adding fountains and crafting schools, as well as factories to process materials such as stone, wood and animal hides. These factories produce in real time, even if you are not playing, so having more than one is essential. I expect to log in tonight and have some nice resources waiting for me. As I progress in the game, more and more shops and options open, as well as new quest givers. There are also other computer controlled cities with their own unique currency and rewards.

As for now the PVP is excellent, especially with all the army customization options. I have a deadly navy, and basically will win if facing off on a water map. My cavalry however is still a bit lacking. Upgrades come from the various rewards scattered throughout missions, but are also posted on the general chat when a recipient wants to sell. I often see requests for raw materials as well, so a game economy is defiantly going to be a large part of the game. (Although there isn’t an auction house yet.)

Another upgrade comes in the form of advisors, whom you add to your Advisor’s Hall. These generals and statesmen will reduce the cost of buildings and upgrades, decrease troop build times and even allow access to special units.
There are plenty of fun quest available as well, even if you don’t want to play with/ against anyone with a skin. The computer opponents are usually clever enough for a challenge and some of the time trials are definitely that: a trial. The rewards are awesome, and I have attempted to finish one on several occasions, as the reward will have me harvesting food (the basic ingredient for more troops) %10 faster. Imagine the advantage in PVP!
Gas powered games, the company behind this new incarnation of AoE has stated that it will be a free to play game, with optional premium accounts and an in game store to buy upgrades. Some of the advisors will require the premium account, and the game is set to release in the fall. As it is now, a game this fun, is something that I don’t mind paying for, and without the monthly fees of other online games it is an easy choice for me. In this age of expensive gas, social networks and $10 movie tickets, an empire that I can control will be a fun diversion

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 05/24 at 11:12 AM
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If games were about everyday things, then levels would be as exciting as going to the bank, with a Jamba Juice bonus round and a beat the traffic time trial.
We play games to get a sense of what it would be like to pilot an Arwing, be Bond, or just move colored blocks around. There are many popular genres of games, mostly putting you into the shoes of third party character and allowing you to face the challenges of that particular world. But then there is the genre which put you in charge of that world, namely God Games.

Any one who has ever played Sim City has felt the massive power of building a thriving city. Like an all powerful city planner you control the zoning, water supply and economy of your city, as well as try to keep it safe from the many monsters and natural disasters that will come your way. Titles like Sim Ant let you step into the roles of the smallest of creatures, while Sim Life lets you control an ecosystem, designing your own Flora and Fauna in an attempt to emulate the very creation of life. Newer Sim games give you a more direct control over the little Sim avatars and their wacky lives, be it as an everyday Joe, a medieval knight or a castaway trying to survive.  While using cheats to play as the spider in Sim Ant was certainly entertaining, these previous incarnations of God Games don’t quite give you the feeling that you can wipe it all away with a wave of your mouse, er hand, er wait… mouse.

A better example of this was Black and White.
A reference to the decisions made by those in power, black and white let you become a god.
You could torture villagers, create disasters and smash cities. Your avatar grew as evil as your actions, or
as benevolent as your kindness. Whichever way you chose to play.
But once again, the feeling of being able to control the most primal elements wasn’t quite there. Although it was close.

This brings me to From Dust.
This game has set out to be the missing link in the god game genre.
(And based on the name, a true sand box game. ZING!)
Lame jokes aside this game is anything but monotonous.
You can control the flow of water, lava and foliage to avert floods, build islands and prevent you small tribe of worshippers
from becoming dead. They in turn drum magically to help you feel as awesome as you are.
The true beauty of this game is in the graphics and sound and it has me very excited to once again take on the ego maniacal side of my personality.
Words don’t do this game justice, and once again I must urge you to check out videos for this art in motion experience. As the tech demo states: “We aim to recreate the emotions you experienced as a child when building and destroying sand castles on the beach.” This world originally started as a nature simulator and has moved into the becoming a game, not the other way around, so it still is very mysterious on game play, but helping villagers survive and bringing them together are considered key elements.
As much of an enigma as this game is, for now at least, I want to get my hands dirty.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 05/12 at 12:30 PM
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Have you ever played a game that just rocks, but then after many sleepless nights the charm seems to disappear?
For those of you into RTS games, you may remember Total Annihilation. This was a PC Real Time Strategy which pioneered individual animations for all the units, complete with rotating laser cannons, shadows for aircraft and supremely powerful commanders which could kill anything with a single shot. (In fact the sequel-in-spirit to this game is named Supreme Commander.) I remember it well. My friends and I would battle each other for hours, but after a while the two factions grew boring, the unit and development trees became stagnant and honestly the newness of it was just gone.
But there had been rumors of a developer version that had accidentally been released, which would allow for the developer’s tool kit to be used to create units and worlds, and it just so happened that it had fallen into the hands of people who were so inclined. Now Cavedog, the original studio behind Total Annihilation hadn’t accidentally let a developer disc slip, they had just allowed the community access to their tools, but what happened afterwards still astounds me. Players modified the game, so much so that the original unit count jumped from around 150 to upwards of 6,000. Flying ships, giant robots, underwater cities, even bigger robots, even completely new factions. These are but a taste of what was created in the wake of the original game. Two official expansions where released bringing ‘official units’ to around 250, but most of this new content was user generated. Total Annihilation had become almost a whole new game. Problems arose of course. To play against someone you had to have the same units installed as they did, and back when TA was first released actually getting any multiplayer game working was always a Herculean task even without specialty unit packs. (Damn you dial up!!!)
We jump forward to the present day and mods are still prevalent for PC games that allow modding communities to exist. Usually done by small groups or even individuals, these modders have an awesome support community, and taking advantage of game mods supports further creative endeavors from these creative types. One of my recent articles focused on Mount and Blade: Warband. Well let me tell you of the mods that I have seen which are more than just a simple facelift.
Warband is set in a medieval world WITHOUT any fantasy elements. It is simply about horses and weapons (as the title states). So what if I told you there was a version that puts you smack dab in the civil war, complete with cannons and rifles. There is a version where you head to the Wild West, donning a poncho and stepping into the role as the gunslinger, riding out into the wild to meet with Native Americans and drink whiskey in saloons. You can play as the Roman Empire, or as Napoleons’ forces, or even join a pirate ship and sail across a map of water and islands, versus the land based predecessors. There are also packs available that keep the game almost the same, except with the inclusion of magic spells capable of massacring the enemy on a much larger scale. There is even a small mod which allows you to set fire to your arrows, and ambush entire armies with fiery rain, while keeping the rest of Warband exactly the same.
I have currently been playing a version known as Prophesy of Pendor, (yes that is the correct spelling) which alters the entire world map, adding completely new factions, tweaking the AI and even adjusting the interface. Now sub factions roam the land, Jatu Raiders from the east, Snake Cultists hide everywhere, and even Heretics are present, summoning demons and lurking in the shadows. New hero units allow for even better armies, and a mysterious race of suspiciously elf-like warriors to the far west can be allied with or destroyed, depending on your preference. The difficulty has been ratcheted up, so don’t expect your armies to handle the wandering bands of rogue knights until they get some experience of their own. In fact I have had my forces fall against just two of these heavily armored warriors. New armor, new weapons, new options and a new world; this is all made possible by a simple file swap in your regular mount and blade directory. The best part is that when you open the launcher you can choose which version you want to play. And for those of you who don’t think that Romans, Pirates, Cowboys, soldiers, cults and mysterious elves sound cool I have one answer: Star Wars.
There is a Mod which allows you to play this game in the Star Wars universe. Think speeder bikes instead of horses, blasters instead of bows and light sabers instead of swords. You can join the Hutt Criminal Syndicate, the Empire or the Rebels, or become a space pirate. The choice is up to you. New races are available, Jedi and Sith are now recruitable to your army, and battles can take place on planets or on ships. To try to write about how amazing it is does not do the Mod justice. Please, if you are a fan of Mount and Blade, look this up on You Tube, if just to see what creative minds and a little time can create. It is called Star Wars: Conquest and is available only for the original Mount and Blade, not Warband. (Although there is plenty of demand for an updated version.) After my time in Pendor I will be trying out Conquest. That is just a cold hard fact. I also am going to recruit as many Hutts as possible and start a trade empire. This is also a fact.
Once again Mount and Blade is simple fun, but the fact that others can add to the fun is amazing. Modding came first, and it is why user content driven games such as Little Big Planet and Spore do so well, and are definitely the wave of the future. If bread gets stale, turn it into croutons. If games get stale, why not add some spice, maybe some parmesan and bake it into a whole new game experience.  (And of course, equipable Boba Fett armor can’t hurt.)

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 05/03 at 10:13 AM
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Clash of Heroes kept me up last night, and I mean that in the best way possible. Another example of the gaming industry getting it right, the game is a new version of an earlier Nintendo DS title, available on the PS3 Network and Xbox Live for a mere 15 bucks.

Graphically the game has been overhauled down to each and every unit, making the experience very much like playing a Saturday morning cartoon. (I mean hand drawn animations? In this day and age!) Characters are detailed and likable, and remind me of the Avatar series. Though the game is certainly entertaining to adults, the story is PG enough for most kids, and follows themes of friendship, family and all things good battling the forces of all things evil. Unlike DS games such as Final Fantasy Advance Tactics and Tactics A2, the characters seem real, intelligent and capable of having emotion. (I wish the writers behind this game had been consulted for Final Fantasy Advance Tactics 2. I would rather have a character be mute than as annoying as Luso.)

You control one of five avatars from the Might and Magic universe traveling a game world of context sensitive nodes (Sort of like Mario Party).  Turn based battles will be plentiful as you search for the evil masked figure who has killed your parents and stolen a legendary artifact that can keep the demons away. Each character has different units, and choosing which ones to go into battle with is part of the fun. Much like Puzzle Fighter or Puzzle Quest you must form combos and chains of colored units. Place three in a row vertically and their attack timer charges. Place three or more in a horizontal row and the units become walls. Larger elite and champion units also add to the strategy as protecting them during their long charge times can lead to extremely satisfying combos.

To defeat your opponent you usually just have to get an attack past the enemy troops, but some battles have you aiming for particular targets, or attempting to protect something on your side of the board. There are even secret units to discover, as well as equipable artifacts and un-lockable multiplayer characters. For those who truly wish to master the game there are of course techniques which involve fusing 2 or more attacking rows, linking together combos with champion units and of course the abilities unique to each avatar. These can be all manner of awesome, such as blasting your enemy with arrows, or speeding up your slow units for unexpectedly massive attacks.

The story so far has been standard fantasy fare, but with the colors and game play, Clash of Heroes is there when I close my eyes. I have yet to experience the multiplayer, but the additional characters to choose from, and the excitement of challenging my friends at this game is keeping this title in the forefront of my mind. Though the idea is simple, this game can prove to be challenging, especially when you attempt to collect bounties on characters several levels higher than you. More advanced strategies will continue to scratch the itch for evolving game play, and to make matters worse for my girlfriend, (who hates it when I play for too many hours) there are even puzzle missions challenging you to complete a battle in a limited number of moves.

This game is awesome fun. Quick to get into the action and loaded with great battles. I had trouble tearing myself away to write this, and I have a feeling that the amount of enjoyment I get from such a great title is definitely worth my $15.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 04/20 at 02:35 PM
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What does a game need to be considered good? Do the graphics need to rival reality? Does it need a score composed by John Williams of Star Wars’ fame? Does it need to come with 3D glasses? Somewhere along the line we seem to have lost the fact that games are just that: simple fun. Now I know that we are well past the basic tenements of Pong and Frogger, but there are some games that are simply fine the way they are. They aren’t the prettiest, they aren’t the most innovative, but they are as addictive as good sushi.

Recently my friend decided to show me a little game called Mount and Blade: Warband. (The original Mount and Blade came out in 2008) It can easily be summed up as a Knight Simulator developed originally by a husband and wife team from Turkey, and polished by indie developer Tale Worlds. 

Mount and Blade can also be defined as an open world RPG with heavy strategy and an emphasis on combat. You take on the role of a character striving to make their way in Calderia, a country with many kings and much debate on who should rule. You traverse a world map first battling bandits and helping townsfolk (or stealing from them) building your reputation and your army. There are many aspects to the game, such as trading, reputation gains, taking prisoners and taking loves. It is very open in how you play, but your decisions will affect you later on. For example, killing all the townsfolk of a particular Count may indeed suck later when you need to complete a mission at that Count’s Castle. You will gain reputation amongst the many NPC’s such as lords, ladies and even wandering hero units which can be recruited to your army.

Though there will be many things to do in the game besides combat, the combat is where the game really shines. You and your army will charge forward towards the enemy, you will be ambushed by bandits as you walk alone at night and you will compete in arenas and tournaments for great honor and wealth. You can fight on horseback, and also specialize in all manner of swords, axes pole arms, and such, as well as ranged weapons such as throwing daggers, bows and crossbows. Various armors and shields can also be utilized for when the odds become overwhelming. Mounted combat is a major part of the game as well, and nothing beats the visceral feeling of charging forward into battle, your troops at your side and your blade in your hand.

The combat is the most important part of the game, but the political climate of the kingdoms will definitely affect you. If wandering through the territory of a recently conquered land, enemy commanders will remember their defeat at your hands, and respond. You can also gain control of towns and even castles, and swear vassalage to the leaders of the respective 6 factions. After you gain enough power as a leader you can strike out on your own, declaring yourself in the running for king of all Calderia.

The game is extremely intricate and detailed when it come to the game play itself, but is limited graphically, and the music is nothing to write home about. Certain ‘issues’ also arise, such as the Sultan’s lack of respect for my prowess as a warrior. I can understand that I had chosen to start the game as a commoner, but I also had crossed the border into enemy territory, laid waste to several villages and oh yeah TAKEN THE ENEMY KING HOSTAGE! (The AI can be a little glitchy at times.) Even though some of the game follows a formula of A plus B equals C, there are enough twists and turns to make this an awesome single player experience. All in All, Mount and Blade: Warband is not the prettiest girl at the prom, but she sure can dance.

-Louis Torres

Posted by admin on 04/13 at 09:50 AM
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