Sunday, March 29, 2015

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae - Final Thoughts

A friend of mine said I should reserve Final Fantasy Type-0. Now while I'm not always big on the side titles of Final Fantasy, I trusted him with his opinion and reserved it. I'm not sure if I'll play it as a blog entry, but we shall see when that time comes. Until then... There's a nice little bonus in the Final Fantasy Type-0 HD [Day One Edition]. You get a fancy voucher code that allows you to download the demo for Final Fantasy XV. It's a special demo titled "Episode Duscae."

Now, while I'm not following Final Fantasy XV like a crazed fanatic, I am still interested to see where the game is going. Thus... You're going to get a glimpse of my playthrough of the demo!

Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae - Final Thoughts

Now... This is quite exciting. We're finally getting a glimpse into the next (main lineup) title of the Final Fantasy series. This could be a pretty big day seeing as the blog is... a bit lax in updates. For now though, let's see what the demo holds for us.

The demo begins with a party of four guys. (I don't remember their names at the moment...) Our car has run into some problems, so we need to make 25,000 gil in order to pay for repairs. Not too far along, we spot a bulletin board with a bounty poster. There's a local monster (the classic BEHEMOTH!) that is causing trouble. They're offering 24,000 gil for whoever brings it down. The group figures this is the best way to earn money for repairs... and then the demo truly begins!

A fellow party member offers to show me the ropes on fighting, and I take him up on the offer. So let's get into how the game plays! Since I brought it up, let's begin with the combat system.

The combat of Final Fantasy XV reminds me of Final Fantasy XII, but it brings in some different elements to play. It's not the MMO-style of attacks where you "set it and forget it", but it isn't quite a hack n' slash action RPG either. It melds the two together to form a style of combat that feels unique.

To try and keep this simple and concise (the game does so as well), you have two states of character. You are either Attacking or Defending. However, your character is always "attacking" if you aren't defending. Defending consumes MP, but you will dodge almost anything thrown at you. The drawback is that every successful dodge drains your MP. This keeps you from simply spamming it forever. You automatically regenerate MP and HP as you move around, and you can increase the regeneration rate by taking cover during battle. (Basically you defend next to something you can stand behind.) On top of this, you can even use the Defend to Parry some attacks. I never quite got the hang of Parry, but if you manage to, it comes with fantastic results! You knock the enemy back and smack them for some major damage.

Attacking is also pretty straight forward but has some interesting complexities. You have a selection of weapons that your character uses based on how it is equipped. You have several slots of varied "attack actions" or however you want to put it. You assign a weapon to one of these slots, and your character auto-magically swaps to them based on what form of attack is being launched. Examples include a weapon for Countering, one for Final Strikes, a Multi-Strike weapon, and several more. I didn't write down or memorize the slots here. On top of this, each weapon grants a special attack, and you can switch between the special attacks during combat. The demo gave a lance with Jump, a sword with a spinning attack, a small blade with a Drain attack to replenish HP, a spear with a lunge-style of strike, and a few more I can't remember because I didn't use them.

Beyond things described above, you do have a few other additional actions. Of course, you do have an items command for usage of item things. Demo only really offered potions and phoenix downs though. The most interesting action you can do is the Warp. It is used to jump to an enemy during combat or leap to a tall ledge to get a breather (boosts regeneration like cover does). It's a really nice opening attack ability and can help reach a far off enemy. That being said, It also got me into trouble here and there. I warped a few times when I didn't mean to, and it wasn't always a super success like I'd hoped. That and very few spots in the demo let you use it as a brief escape.

Now to rate the combat overall... It's fun and challenging, but it could definitely use some work. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of a true lock-on system. If we're going to have live combat, we need a better way to lock-on. It lets you lock onto an enemy in the demo, but it doesn't FOLLOW him. Meaning you have to turn the camera around whenever an enemy goes off screen. This was made even worse when facing one of the few enemies in the demo. (A fast wolf-style enemy who keeps running around.) Pinpointing the enemy tended to require using the Warp attack to get up close, and sometimes even then, you'd only get a hit or two before they ran off again while you try to clumsily follow them with your camera.

I do see hope for the combat and would love some improvements. Your AI characters generally work well, but I do hope you will be able to command them a little. The little guy with guns tends to do his own thing and run up close rather than shoot from a distance. The other two seem to be capable though, and you can revive downed characters by running up and slapping them as they are bleeding out. (You have time to revive/be revived before being completely out of the running.)

Beyond fighting, the demo has a fairly large area to explore. It's a huge, beautiful massive field full of deliciously pretty environment. There's a lot of field to cover, and plenty of monsters to fight. The demo only had a few different kinds of enemies outside of the big boss monster, a Behemoth called Deadeye. The monsters simply walk about the field. You can battle them (or run away) at your leisure really, much like Final Fantasy XII. There are also random items littered around the map... Items that you can pick up and sell for the monies. (Seeing a lot of FFXII in this game for sure.)

The game definitely won't lose in either the graphics or exploration department. There's a lot to see and do in just the small field you are given during the demo. They even have a cave you can explore. (And doing so nets you the awesome summon that is Ramuh.) The cave exploration was probably my favorite part of the entire ordeal. Running through the tunnels and having to deal with hordes of goblins. Of course, the little bastards could steal and kept taking all my potions... It was pretty challenging too, and I actually got my first Game Over here.

It's nice to see a Final Fantasy really bring up the difficulty aspect as well. It's hard to bring a difficulty factor into a JRPG without making the solution "overlevel" or "abuse the system". I feel they got a good mixture of challenge without making it feel ridiculous.

Of course, your real question might be "What about the story and characters Daniel!?!" Well... in all honesty, I didn't really get attached to those. In the demo's defense though, you don't get a lot from them. The demo seems to be more about showing off the gameplay rather than the characters or their story. You do get the character's name in-game, and their dialogue gives them a bit of depth. The story is fairly non-existent though outside of the whole "collect money to repair car" bit.

I don't absolutely love the characters in there, but I didn't really get a chance to know them either. I figure I'll get to know more about them later. Hopefully they all develop into something worth caring about! Now, I could keep going on and on here, but I think you've gotten a good idea of what there is offered so far. Let's see if I can sum up my experience...

Final Fantasy XV - Episode Duscae is a great insight into what we're going to get when Final Fantasy VX delivers. There's a huge amount of promise here. There are a few bugs and issues here and there, but they are offering a survey to all those who try out the demo. I figure when the game finally comes around to us, we'll have something much better! I do look forward to the new Final Fantasy title... And when that day comes, my blog will fervently reopen with more posts as I cover my journey through... whatever that world is called. UNTIL THEN! Look forward to another update coming.

I've finally got a game planned. Stay tuned to find out more. Thanks for reading and hoped you enjoy this insight.

~May the Crystals Guide Me~

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Side Post!

As life goes on, we as people can always find something to talk about... or in this case, I've got something to complain about! It's nothing new if you really think about it, but here's my take on...

Recurring Fantasy Side Post Theater Proudly Presents...
Modern Video Games:
Less Video, More Game!


Before we get anywhere, just stop that thought right now. Like anybody, I'm allowed to have an opinion on things. This isn't going to be me harping about how old games are superior to newer games. It's not going to be that, so just sit back and read on.

I enjoy video games. I really do. It may not seem like it, but I've almost always enjoyed video games. I started at the young age with just a simple Game Boy. A lot of people I knew had full consoles to themselves, but I had to piggyback on others for the console. Eventually I got my very first console (a Nintendo 64) and life grew from there...

I've played quite a few games since then. More than I could count without having to really ponder on it all. Gaming has and will hopefully always be some part of my life. I like everything about games. The look and feel of graphics and an atmosphere as you play and explore. The music and sounds that help immerse you into the game's world. The action and adventure experienced as I work my way through gameplay. Video games are a great way for me to have fun, make friends, enjoy life, and inspires me in so many different ways. I truly do love video games... or I certainly used to.

This isn't saying my love for games is gone. I still enjoy gaming in general, but I feel like gaming isn't even remotely what it used to be. I'm not talking about multiplayer or all the social networking involved in the gaming industry now. It's how most games are going the route of graphics with an overly convoluted (non-RPG games) and massive number of cutscenes.

What happened to keeping the story short and simple or integrated within the gameplay? I mean... I shouldn't have to stop every four to five minutes for a small cutscene and a handful of lines. (I realize that twinge of irony with this being an RPG blog and complaining about too much story... but I'll get to it soon.) I miss all those times where video games were purely about the gameplay. Where you pick up, click a few screens, and then you are playing! Maybe there's an intro to explain the basic story. Hell, maybe the story is part of the title screen as it loads. There's a time and place for story weaving, and it's not all the damn time!

I guess it comes down to this thought... I want to pick up a game, learn the controls quickly and concisely, and then get going! I don't need a giant tutorial spanning more than 30 minutes of gameplay. I don't always care about this long and interweaving tale of betrayal and woe. It's those times where you want to hop in the cockpit of your ship and start blasting the enemy! Aliens, monsters, enemy soldiers, nazis, and so much more used to be the crazy and faceless (but evil) enemies of the screen. The story was interlaced here and there, but it didn't interrupt or remove gameplay in the process.

Granted, it seems like I'm talking about action and adventure games over RPGs, but even RPGs seem to be losing their edge in a way. (Bit further down.)

This problem feels on the rise for me as games aim to be graphically pretty and superior rather than having balanced and fun gameplay. I don't know about most people, but I'll gladly overlook some subpar graphics in favor of fast, fun, and tight gameplay. It seems that Triple A game design has come to a horrible place of overadvertising their often generic game that releases and ends up not remotely living up to the hype... Or worse, they release something that is broken and is barely a game at all.

And the saddest thing... Is the slow and lessening of RPGs. I mean, they do still exist and many are released, but I haven't really felt the same magic with them as I did with many older titles. You get a few titles here and there like Bravely Default and Child, but anything beyond that just hasn't really been my style. I bought several PS Vita JRPGs and... I didn't really enjoy them. I couldn't get into the characters and the often ridiculous or uninteresting stories. On top of this, a lot of places are moving to the Action RPG style. Nothing against it, but Action RPGs seem to be like a dime a dozen anymore. There's so many of them, and only a few of them truly shine through.

I feel I used to look forward to new games coming out, but more and more I feel either unimpressed or just pure betrayal. They promise more than they deliver, or the game is so much video that it's more of an interactive movie than a video game.

It's not impossible to deliver a game with actual gameplay. Many companies (and indie developers) are delivering them all the time. Hell, my game of the year last year was Shovel Knight. A small group used Kickstarter to deliver a retro-style game that we all both wanted and needed! It was fun, easy to get into, challenging, and just felt like the good days of gaming. More and more I look at the crowdfunded games or the independently made games as my new source of "true" games.

When it comes down to it, I could probably summarize my point of this post into a few basic rules they should follow...

  1. Graphics are not godliness.
  2. Make sure the game doth work.
  3. Thou story need not be complex to be good.
  4. Jack of All Trades is a Master of Nothing.
    1. To reiterate, focus on ONE or TWO kinds of gameplay. Don't branch out because then you end up having a pile of terrible varied gameplay rather than one FOCUSED type.
  5. Mini-Games rarely bring the joy intended.
  6. Gameplay is king.
  7. Above all else, the game should be fun.
And that's all I have to say. Pardon the long winding talk that sounds of angry retro gaming, but I promise it is not. I have hopes for many games that are out there... Just not as much hope as my younger self would have liked to hear. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment about your own personal thoughts on this matter!


~May the Crystals Guide Me~

Monday, March 2, 2015

VGBA 20 - Boar Knight

Legend of the Boar Knight
A Grand Story + Fantastic Video Game Covers = This Album!
Band - Careless Juja
Type of Album - Original story mixed with video game covers.
Genres - Alternative rock plus accordion. 
Favorite Tracks - In no particular order...
  • Songs
    • Matoya the Witch - Final Fantasy 1
    • Title Medley - Mega Man Battle Network 1, 2, 3. 
    • Sword Search - Link's Awakening
  • Chapters
    • Chapter 7 - The Hard Sell (Part 2)
    • This Concludes Side One
    • Chapter 16 - Cheater Can't Be Choosers
Review - Once again, I've been struck by the great presence of the Careless from the awesome duo of Careless Juja. He came along and slipped me an early release copy so I could give a review of another one of their fine albums. Nothing more to add here, so let's hop right into it!

     The Legend of the Boar Knight is a two CD album featuring video game coverss alongside an original story, full of various video game references. It sounds strange and different, but that's far from what it should be called! So that I can be fair to both parts of this album, I figure I should review both portions separately. (That is, take a shot at both the great music contained within as well as the story that is being told.) Let's start with the story and swing back around to the music.

     The story of the Boar Knight is the tale of a boar named Nathaniel. He journeys throughout the land in order to defeat the evil that abounds. Lichs, Dragons, Hipsters, and much more block Nathaniel's path to defeating the ultimate evil... an Undead Butcher! There's a lot of variety and game references contained throughout. That should be a given of course, but on top of that is still a lot of great jokes and humor. The Narrator is a very entertaining personality, and he even teaches us some random grammar lessons here and there. (Something many of us could probably use...)

     It's a very entertaining and well written story overall. If there were a larger and more detailed version of Legend of the Boar Knight, I'd read it to get the full story. The only problem I had... The story is neat and all, but after the first several listens, you almost want to skip the story and jump into the music. (Much like they discussed in the track "This Concludes Side One".) I still listen to them every go through the album, but I'm generally tempted to skip and keep going.

     Regardless of my minor complaint, I'd still say it is a fairly strong story with lots of great humor and good points. I'd rather listen to this than read some of the things I see every day. All in all, the story gets a pass in my book. And you best not forget... We still get to enjoy all that fantastic music!

     In between all the entertaining story segments you get your face blasted off with some amazing video game remixed covers! Of all the bands/groups/artists I've heard in the video game band genre, I'd say Careless Juja does the best about their variety of game music selection. We get your daily dose of Legend of Zelda and Castlevania next to random and awesome and uncommon titles like Mega Man Battle Network, Pheonix Wright, King's Quest, and Rogue Legacy. It's a smorgasbord of video game music!

     Even beyond the excellent selection given here, they show off their talents even further (Inside album joke - Learned something from the album after all!) with their skills and instrument capability. Each song is carefully covered and further improved through the various use of the accordion and many other instruments. They really match the beat and flow of every song. For me, each track is an explosion into a past video game venture (a nostalgia bomb of sorts).

     That being said, I do wish a few of the songs were slightly longer. And that's it for any remote form of negativity to be had with the music. Nuff said.

     A special note before I wrap up this review though... Holy cow there are a lot of guests here! I know that a lot of the voices were done by Juja, but there's a lot of guest voices included as well. I directly recognized Brentalfloss's voice (and double checked in their credits) during the Shop Salesman bit in Chapter 6 and 7. I don't recognize everybody on their list, (Available on the bandcamp page as of right now.) Beyond the voices contained within is a plethora of instrumental guests. I know a few of the people on the list. Brandon Strader, Lauren the Flute, and... that's it actually. I don't recognize any of the other artists directly, but I bet I've heard their material before. (Most likely on a previous Careless Juja album!) /end special note

     The Legend of the Boar Knight is the album you didn't know you wanted. It's got a great story. It's got great video game music. It's the all-in-one package with an explosion of greatness. There's a lot of material to get through, but it's more than worth your time. With enough love and laughs to get you through the evening, Careless Juja (and a pile of guest musicians) has brought us another winner!

Pros - Original story with fun jokes and a lot of wit. Huge variety of video game music contained throughout. Well done covers. Huge list of fantastical instrumental and vocal guest stars. It's everything you wanted in a video game cover album and more!
Cons -  It's hard to want to listen to the story tracks every time you go through the album. Some of the tracks are pretty short, and I wish they were longer. (So I could rock out more!)


The album will drop on March 7th. I've already pre-ordered my copy, and you should get on down and get yours too! Thanks for the read and I'll see you next time... ON RECURRING FANTASY!


~May the Crystals Guide Me~