Final Fantasy VIII (8)

Time for something a little bit older here. Final Fantasy 8 is one of the many installments of Squaresoft's (now Square-Enix) Final Fantasy series. Most of the games are completely separate stories set in different fictional worlds. There are common features in all of the games such as Mogs and Chocobos, but there are also lots of recycled names and non-player characters. Final Fantasy 8 was originally released on PS1 in late 1999. Back then it was on 4 discs, which shows just how big this game was, considering that most games fit on one disc. This was also the case for it's predecessor, FF7 which was released in late '97 on three discs. After the commercial success of FF7, Squaresoft were regarded by many as master storytellers and brilliant game maker, but following FF8's release they became known for smashing the competition to pieces with their stunning cut-scenes. The cut-scenes in this game were so advanced that it is difficult to believe there was room for improvement. The characters looked more real than anything in any game or animated movie and I don't recall any other game of the time coming anywhere near as precise and lifelike as FF8. 

Cutscene

Like any gamer that revisits a treasured nostalgic game, I started FF8 with quite a knot in my stomach. I was wondering if it would be as good as I remembered. Would it be as good-looking? Would it be as encapsulating? Would it feel the same? This time round I have downloaded FF8 from the PlayStation network and played it on my PSP, which removes the element of undivided attention from the proceedings, because I tend to do other things while I am using my PSP. It was probably for the best however, because this game is very time-consuming. Back when I was 10 years old this was a huge plus, because it meant that for the price of one game I could be entertained for months and months. Now that I have other things in my life such as a job and a relationship and family etc., I do have to split my attention between more than just games and food. So, in a roundabout way I'm trying to say that the PSP allowed me to play for an amount of time I could not give to the PS3.

In-game

 The game was just as I remembered: lots of menus, drawing magic from monsters, equipping magic to raise stats, stealing, fighting, finding, reading and exploring. Each of the characters that I found along the course of the story were like old friends I was catching up with, scheduled and familiar because I knew when they all came into the story, of course. The story unfolded as I played and I knew what was going to happen at every turn. I found myself returning to a random corner of a house or stealing from a certain boss because I just knew that that's what I should do. It would seem that all of the habits and tricks I had picked up in the past had stuck with me over the last decade. Playing the game felt very much like de ja vu and I took delight in the fact that I had remembered to play cards with the boy in the blue top and the Trepe Groupie #1 in order to get my Minimog and Quistis cards. This might sound crazy to anyone who hasn't played the game, but if you have then you will know what I'm talking about. If you've played the game again recently then I'd really like to know if the game had the same effect on you. 

Battle

If I was looking at the game as a new release in 2012, then I would have to say that the cut-scenes look good, the in game graphics are grainy and the lack of spoken dialogue means the text boxes are a bit heavy on the eyes. I would probably think that the turn based battles were a bit slow and that the story was good, but the game's difficulty hiked up by the games complicated levelling and junctioning system was too difficult for a newcomer or casual gamer. That said, if you've enjoyed other Final Fantasy games then I would recommend this, as well as the others. If, like me, you haven't played this game for a long time I would say it's definitely worth a trip down memory lane.

DannyDarko x

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Here we go: MW3 post- Mark II

So I had already written the most beautifully crafted, hilarious, accurate and encapsulating piece on this game, but it somehow got deleted. This means that in true Tenacious D style, I give you the tribute to the greatest post in the world. (Just going to write another piece really..)

He's back and you actually control him this time

In the unlikely event that you are new to the Call of Duty series, then let me give a brief but accurate synopsis of any and all of the games in the series. Call of Duty: *insert number/subtitle here* is a fast-paced, first person shooter that sees military hard men parading round the globe shooting up anyone that looks even remotely eastern. The general gist for the Modern Warfare titles has been that a crazy, sadistic Russian terrorist by the name of Makarov has been traipsing around Europe killing folk with various technologies. Makarov wants to see Russia at war with America and has a pretty good go at making this happen. Modern Warfare 3 runs with this storyline and the whole game is centred around finding Makarov and his lackeys. I may as well not bother with any of this storyline lark, because it is all a ruse. The story is a very minor feature in this game, just like it was in the others. When I'm sneaking through the dusty streets of some African village watching civilians being executed as I stare helplessly, knowing that if I break cover I will be killed, my focus is entirely on the problems at hand. However, when I have finished sneaking through the streets, infiltrating a stronghold and killing the leader of this murderous bunch, the level ends and a loading screen comes up. At this point in time I have a moment to reflect and I wonder to myself... What the bloody hell did that have to do with anything? Oh it was the CoD version of chasing up a bit of intel. Right...

Minor rant aside, I don't mind that the story is so threadbare because quite honestly they could scrap the campaign altogether for all I care and give me twice as many Special Ops. This game mode is the best thing to happen to the series in my opinion because it does away with the silly problem that is plotline and allows CoD to do what it does best: brilliant set pieces that involve stealth, tactics, brute force, vehicles, allies, gadgets and any mix of the lot. The Special Ops mode allows you to feel like a proper military badass and the only bad thing about them in my opinion is that there aren't more of them. And yes, I do think Special Ops is better than zombies- 100% better.

 The graphics haven't seen much of an improvement since Modern Warfare 2, in fact I was shocked at how similar it looked on first sight. I do like the look of the rain dripping from things in the campaign and I'm going to try and figure out how to get a clip of that up just in case anyone else is as painfully sad as me. Not much else to say about looks really, because sadly not much has changed... big downer. On the plus side, however, the guns feel right again and when you look down the sights of an AS50 and pull the trigger you can feel the power. Recoil, bullet damage and knife lunging is all back to normal so for me the gameplay is spot on. One big problem for me is that Sledgehammer have turned the grenade launcher setting from terminate to tickle, which must be a knee-jerk reaction to Blandy's videos.

Multiplayer is obviously a big selling point for this game and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I know that a lot of people seem to have a problem with multiplayer sacrificing single player content (See fullyramblomatic.com) I'm going to leave multiplayer out of it for today, but I will come back to it. I like it, but I'll save it for another time.

The bottom line is that the game has it's flaws. If you want a deep, rich story with complex characters and intricate interlinked plot points then you should be looking at my Heavy Rain post, because you aren't going to find all that in MW3. The gameplay more than makes up for the lack of story, because it constantly entertains. It gives you set piece after brilliant set piece and never really gives you a minute to take a breath. The easiest thing to say is that if you liked MW2 you'll like this, because unfortunately it's very similar. The good thing about that is that MW2 was the best in the series and this one has survival mode too!

DannyDarko x

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

So it's finally here after a huge five year wait. If you care about this series you probably already bought this game with the intention of making the character you've been thinking of for years. But wait... You only choose your race and what you look like. No more major and minor skills, no more star sign, no more setup. You pick who you are and you begin. What you are isn't decided by your 'class' but by how you play. Cool right?

This decision from the developers is very interesting and highly discussed, but the question is does it work, is it an improvement? Long story short: yes. You stumble out of the first town armeed with a bow, a sword, a shield, some spells and two hands. You can put a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. You can use a bow and arrows, taking up both hands. I put a sword in one hand and alternated between a healing spell and a fire spell in the other using the 'favourites' menu. So really, by removing a bunch of choices from the game and throwing you in the deep end, Bethesda have actually given us the chance to choose every time we play. I could be a greatsword-wielding tank on Tuesday and an armourless spellslinger on Wednesday with only a Mr.Ben-esque change in between.

Skills level up by simply using them which has been the case in the previous installments, Morrowind and Oblivion. You can raise skills using trainers and books, but the big change here is that all skills give experience towards your character's level advancement. Major skills, although technically being done away with are still cleverly incorporated because the higher a skill gets, the more experience you gain for raising it. I know I'm banging I a bit about the boring side of things, but that's what's brilliant about it; the boring task of planning your path by scrolling through menus has now become a sort of try before you buy. Are two-handed swords any good? In Oblivion I could have created a character, gone through the lengthy tutorial opening, made it a major skill had a little play. I could always make a new character if I didn't like it. Takes half an hour, an hour maximum. In Skyrim it's a simple case of relieving my latest victim of their huge sword and swinging it at their friend's head and neck. If I don't like it then I pick up the friend's staff and have a go with that. That's two little experiments in the space of a few minutes and becuase I'm not tied down to any particular skill set I could easily take a shine to a weapon or spell set and run with it for the rest of the game.

Ok, so I like the skill shakeup. That's clear, but that's just the beginning. The graphics in this game are very good. I do have to admit that the jump hasn't been the same as the mind-blowing change from Morrowind to Oblivion, but that's a cross platform jump, so tough competition. The little details are what count here. The fact that you can literally see for miles without fear of a broken or blurred image. The only thing that will affect the scenery off in the distance is the mist and cloud that rolls across the landscape, another nice touch. I think I read somewhere that if you can see a point, you can get there. I tried this out a little bit and ended up winding my way up a huge mountain, thus proving that the comment was quite right. Another nice touch is that you can still see the lanscape from within the walls of cities if you get high up, very immersive. There is one slight niggle in the 'see it, touch it' idea... the edge of the map. You can walk to the edge of the map to be greeted by a text prompt telling you 'You cannot go that way.' Slight hiccup in the immersion there, but to be fair to get to the edge of the map I did have to shuffle awkwardly up the side of a near vertical mountain side where no person has any business going... but still.

The combination of great graphics, great sound and improved voice acting means that the interactions that your character has with the physical world have seen a massive improvment from the previous installments. You will see doors actually open now, NPCs turn their heads to speak to you and actually mention their discomfort when you crouch down behind them in the hope of lightening their pockets. These little touches mean that you no longer get a mercant sucking your soul into his eyes or a beggar with a dual-personality disorder asking you for a coin one minute in a wobbly, wheezing voice and recommending his favourite vintage like a Cambridge elocution tutor the next. What you get is a huge, beautiful, complex world that damn near draws you in everytime you play it.

Act natural... They kind of do this time.

The absolute highlight for me about this game is one that will make many people question my ability to write these posts and have any stable opinion on games. But here it is anway: When I conjure my Dremora Lords and they kill an enemy on a ledge or rock face, if the next enemy is a small height below them, they just hop off the edge rather than walking along the designated path or simply skipping a few frames to get there. This means that when I've got one bandit backed against a wall, slashing at him with my bound sword and one Dremora Lord has another, I don't have to worry about the second Dremora taking a detour halfway round Skyrim. He hops off his ledge and advances on the next enemy, showing the urgency and pace of a real battle. Really? That's the best thing about this game? To quote Sawyer (From Lost, not Mark Twain's) 'It's all in the details, Freckles.' (Disregard the last bit... unless you have freckles.)

The gameplay is much the same as always, except that you can switch between weapons and spells more easily. You can swing a sword and cast some spells at the same time and you can cast more than one spell at once. Enchanting is back and there is a new Smithing skill which allows you to make and improve your own armour and weapons. You can sprint, sneak and jump your way around Skyrim, but Acrobatics is out so leaping tall buildings in a single bound is no longer possible, so put down the cape. Quests are completed, rewards are given, caves and ruins are explored. Life in The Elder Scrolls games goes on as normal and that's what I love so much about this series. The lore is still the same, the concept hasn't changed because it doesn't need to. Bethesda have taken a brilliant idea and painstakingly improved it over a massive period of time, paying attention to all the things that reviewers and fans have had to say. I know that this post is disgustingly positive, but there aren't many bad things for me to say about Skyrim.

Well, there are four:

1. The grind of raising Alchemy.

2. Overpowered bosses spanking me without warning.

3. Vampirism.

4. Deer stuck in a rock.

Discuss.

By DannyDarko x

Dragon Age: Origins- Giving the word 'breastplate' a new meaning.

Dragon Age: Origins is another of the games that I got for my birthday. If you’ve read a few of the posts on this blog then you’ve probably realised that I don’t exactly jump on the new releases and give them a ‘first look’ or anything like that. Because of the usual factors (money, time and obsession) I don’t get through all the new titles when they are first released. I tend to only buy a brand new game if it’s something I’ve really been looking forward to or if it’s a game with heavy online-based play, because I’m a goon and play in teams on CoD (Go Clan NEIN!!) I’d like to say that’s about as sad as I could go in this post, but I am discussing Dragon Age: Origins so it’s probably only going to get worse from here. If you’re opposed to a bit of nerdiness then I suggest you turn away before it begins. We’re talking elf sex, more dialogue than an ITV costume drama and a lot of large, identical, aubergine shaped breasticles on both young and old women (sadly not on the men.)

Ok… I’ll give you a moment to try and shake off the aubergine comment… let’s go…

I was looking forward to Dragon Age before its release, but the fact that I knew very little about the actual gameplay and story made other titles come first. This can’t have just been me- the game places you in a world where there are strong political views and racial and class divides that you have no idea about until you’re part way into the game. I played as a City Elf which meant that I began my story (or Origin if you will) in an Alienage, which is where all the city elves were. I had an arranged marriage and was due to meet and wed my betrothed on the same day. I know, I know… pretty heavy for an opening.

Every time you engage in conversation with a character, you have a choice of things to say. There is usually a range of choices which take you down different paths. These usually include a diplomatic choice, a heartless choice and a heroic/considerate choice. More options include persuasion, intimidation or lying, but basically you can be mean, funny, nice or boring. For example: “What’s for breakfast today Darko?”

1. Whatever I give you, you SLAG!
2. A fine selection of homemade jams and a choice of fresh baked bread.
3. Because of the war we have to ration the goods. Every person gets a cheese string each and a can of Relentless.
4. (Persuade) How about you share your breakfast with me?
5. (Intimidate) How about you share your breakfast with me or I’ll stand on your face?
6. (Persuade) (Lie) The cupboards are bare.

How you respond will affect the outcome of the conversation and will also affect how your teammates relate to you. For example when I decided to help some starving people get a good deal on their car ins… I mean food… one of the women in my party liked me -5!! What a cow… Don’t worry though readers, she got what was coming to her: I seduced her, dumped her and killed her mum… take that Morrigan you heartless tart!



Don't get excited, everyone's rudey bits are covered.



These relationships do make a difference to the game and the fact that you actually have choices with real consequences is very refreshing. I may have talked a bit before about empty, meaningless choices in games, but if I haven’t then rest assured, me no likey. If you choose to kill rather than befriend certain people then you will have a smaller team when facing the final battle or if you make certain controversial choices your teammates may leave your party forever or attack you. Maintaining a positive relationship with your team also opens up minor perks such as higher strength or hit points, which is always nice. All in all, very choicey, but no real impending doom for a newbie (Unless you’re Jyggalag and will absolutely die if you don’t get it 100% perfect on your first playthrough). There are also other perks to maintaining a positive relationship with certain members of your party- you can do them. I can assure you right now that there is nothing to get overly excited about. You get someone to like you a bit and depending on how much of a hussy they are you will either get to bed them or enter a relationship with them (and eventually bed them.)

Combat is quite repetitive and consists of pressing X, followed by a variety of R1+square, triangle or circle. There is a radial menu where you can choose from all of your skills, but generally you pick your best skills and assign them for easy access. The combat’s saving grace is the levelling up system. You can choose your type of weapon or magic, equipment, skills and attributes which means you can play through as the same class and race, but still have quite a different experience, if that’s your kind of thing…



This is about as blatantly obvious the titillation gets...
Too bad for the pre-pubescant pervs- its an 18+ game



On to the main event. The main thing to harp on about here is the huge… HUGE story to be found in Dragon Age: Origins. There are very few cutscenes, so most of the story is delivered through conversations which means many more of those lovely choices and consequences. This is either what makes the game so amazing that you can’t stop your lower lip hitting the floor or what makes the game so boring you want to pull off your that same lip just so you have something to throw at the screen. Fortunately for me I loved the conversations and the revelations that came with them, but over time I became very aware that I was basically spending 75% of my time on the game getting talked at by a huge fleshy pair of aubergines badly hidden under useless skimpy “armour”.  

I find it hard to do this game justice, because of just how unusual it is. If you’re an RPG-hater then you should probably stay away (unless you really really like boobs), but other than that I think this game has to be played to appreciate. It doesn’t really match any description I can give it so I’ll just say that it has a little bit of everything. It’s definitely worth a go and even if you don’t love it, you’ll at least find it interesting for a while.


DannyDarko

Nintendo Wii:

I have been in two minds about the intellectual property of Nintendo for quite some time. I hate the way that they sell and resell anything with a moustache and dungarees stuck on it. Mario, Zelda, Pikachu, Kirby, Donkey Kong. Nintendo have more mascots than they know what to do with. This might make you think that there are more original ideas coming out of Nintendo than I let on, but actually the only reason they become famous enough to be mascot potential is because they are used again and again and again and again and again and again. Yes, that was an annoying and badly structured sentence, but that was supposed to represent the annoying and badly structured hierarchy of the Nintendo cast.



Cash-cows beware- Nintendo will milk you dry





Ok... so I didn't start this just to rant about Nintendo. I actually meant to point out a little thing about the Nintendo Wii that I always forget until I actually play it again. It's really fun! It's the only console I have been able to play with my girlfriend, mum, sisters, brothers, in-laws, gaming and non-gaming friends. The point is, the horrible words that seem to occur far too much these days are necessary terms: 'casual gaming'. Although the design behind these games is often unimaginitive and unoriginal, they do sell well and that's part of the reason they continue to be made. Why not make them if its what people want? Why not play them for a few hours with your friends now and again? You can't play Final Fantasy, Uncharted, Heavy Rain, Bioshock or Dragon Age with your friends. They're all single player and although I can sit and play them in the company of certain friends, there is no way it could be replicated with my little brothers, in-laws, or my girlfriend. It just would not be fun. I'm not going to go on about this any longer because I only wrote this to make one point....

Sociable, family, novelty games may not be the most soul-shaking, emotive and in depth experiences, but they certainly do their job. They entertain almost anyone for a good hour at least. I almost fell into a hardcore gamer snobbery, but thankfully I was brought back from the edge by last night's encounter with Wii Party. Thanks guys. Sorry about the step game...

DannyDarko

As a side note I'd like to add that the encounter with Wii Party was not in fact, last night. It was over a week ago, but because my laptop decided to play silly buggers with my image uploading, I've had to wait and go to the library to post!