Update

This month has been incredibly inconsistent with my post and I apologize. It's been a very busy July and I have not had access to the internet this whole time. That being said, I do my best to get a few more post in this week.

Tales of Xillia with be hitting the U.S. shelves in two weeks and I could not be more excited. I have been waiting to play this game since I first read about it two years ago. Speaking of the Tales series, it seems that we are seeing more and more being localized and the popularity growing. This is outstanding if you asked me. This means we will possibly see more and more games being localized for all platforms. Really, the Tales games have a great chance of becoming the Final Fantasy's of the West since Square-Enix has essentially fallen from grace with their recent games and public plunders.

There are still a few games I need to play that recently came out. It's tough when games cost so much and you make little money. Anyway, I will try to post more before the end of the month!

Persona 5: What I Want

According to every website on the internet, Atlus has registered the domain, Persona5.com. That's awesome. I have been waiting for another installment in this game series. It really isn't surprising that a new one is coming considering how popular these games are, even in a niche market. With this news in mind, there are a few things I do hope for this new game.

1. A New Setting
Let's be honest, most of us are not in high school and probably close to or already graduated college that play these games. Heck, the average gamer is apparently in their 30's at this point. It's time for Atlus to up the ante and give us something we all can relate to better, like college or adulthood. I understand the appeal with JRPG's and high school, but many of us are long past that. I can't really relate to a coming of age story when I already came to age. I am 24, how can I relate to a 16 year old? I can't and I am sure many of us--unless you have Peter Pan syndrome-- can't either. So Atlus, how about giving us a new setting instead of kids in high school. I don't mind the overall scenario of Japanese urban life in these games, just the high school setting.

P.S. Am I the only one that feels like these characters always look more in their late teens, early 20's in these games?

2. New Persona Summons
This one is fairly obvious. Nothing makes a consumer want to buy a new installment like new content. That being said, I want new to be able to summon new persona's. I have always been a fan of using Jack Frost in these games, but come on, I need a new favorite. I think everyone is expecting new summons in this game. I don't even know why I bothered writing anything for this section.

3. A New and Old Story
Who doesn't like a new story in a new installment of a game? Want to know what I like better than even that? A new story that ties the old games together. If you have never played a Persona game, I can understand why this topic may not make sense. Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 4: Arena stories all connect to each other. It all has to do with shadows and midnight. I can't really go into why they connect without spoiling everything. If any of these games were 10 years old, I would because you should have played them by now. Anyway, I want to see these stories connected in Persona 5. I want more answers and I want more closure. BLAH.

4. Have it for both Handheld and Console
Want to know what I really like to do? I like to be able to take a game I am playing and play it anywhere. With the way technology is today, this is possible and is already being done. If Atlus was smart, they would make this game cross-play. This would allow all of us to pick up from where we left off on whatever system. It helps when I am not always home to play on my consoles. If they could make Persona 4: Golden that awesome, they could do it with Persona 5. The end.

With all that in mind, I am really excited for this game and cannot wait to play it.

A Quick Recap from Absence

Hey guys, it's been awhile since I have posted a blog post. I have been busy with interviews, a holiday, and a death in my family but I am back! It has been a crazy six days in the realm of video games. Today, I am going to break down some of the stuff going on!

Nintendo
My twitter feed was blowing up yesterday with Nintendo and EVO. If you unsure yourself with what happened, here is a quick summary from me. Nintendo apparently blocked streaming access of Super Smash Brothers Melee matches during the EVO. Well that changed quickly and Nintendo will now allow streaming of the tournament. From what I gather, one of the biggest outcry from fans was due to the fact they raised money for breast cancer to allow Melee to be played. I think that's a good enough reason to be mad at Nintendo.

Muramasa Rebirth
If I have gathered any news on this Playstation Vita game, it's that people are liking it. This game came out a few weeks ago and has been doing pretty well. Honestly, the lowest score I have seen so far has been a 3.5/5. So that tells me that this upgrade might be worth the purchase. However, good luck finding a physical copy of the game.


Microsoft 
In a bold, but sane move, Microsoft has changed their mind on DRM and the constant need to always be online. That's right, used games will now be playable. Honestly, this should have been okay from the start. If companies want to sell games, they need to make them good enough to keep playing. They could also make them affordable for consumers who are not exactly loaded. I mean geez, some of the best games didn't cost a fraction as some of these new AAA games.


Tales of Xillia 2
The best news that I have to give to everyone is that ToX2 will be localized. I am incredibly ecstatic about these turn of events. 

That's all for today guys. I will start blogging again since everything has resumed to normal.

Rune Factory 4

Have you ever enjoyed simulator games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, but wish you could play it like a dungeon crawler too? Look no further and pick up a copy of Rune Factory 4 when it comes to North America in August for the Nintendo 3DS. Rune Factory is a Harvest Moon spin-off with all of your favorite role-playing elements like battling monsters and collecting new weapons. I can't say I have ever played one, but it does look interesting enough to warrant a pick up. I mean, who doesn't want to play a game with the added bonus of 3-D? 

As I watched the trailer below, I couldn't help but think this game plays like a Legend of Zelda game when you dungeon crawl. I am not complaining though, I do enjoy that type of gameplay. Rune Factory 4 allows you to use different types of weapons such as a sword or spear. I think that's pretty cool. I have always been a man of pole-arms in games--and when I did martial arts--and I think they are always a welcomed addition to any game.

There is one reservation that I have with this game. I am never comfortable with the dating aspect of games, especially when the characters look too lolita for it. If you are unsure what that means, look at these characters. They don't look more than 14 years old. That's weird. Well, that's weird because I am a 24 year old man and not a coming of age teen. At least with Fire Emblem, you knew most them were adults and I could at least relate to that, sort of. I digress from the overall game though. It looks like it will be a fun game to play for a few hours here and there. I know, minus my reservation from what I mentioned, I will give this game a try.

Quick Review: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

This past weekend began phase 3 of  beta testing for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. If you are wondering if a Realm Reborn is an expansion of the original FFXIV, it's not. It's an upgraded version of the original game. Apparently, the original FFXIV was terrible. Square decided to fix this by bringing a new team in and recreating this online MMORPG. They worked tirelessly to give us faith again in this company and their ability to make a good game. Anyway, that's enough for the history lesson.

When I first started this game, I was created with an epic cinematic experience. This entailed an amazing opening movie and an explanation of this new world. It was pretty cool to watch. The story really sets up for an epic fantasy, or at least a fantasy world for me to explore. After all that, I was brought to the character creation menu.

I have to say, not a lot of customization. If you do not count the color palates and the races, there isn't much in terms of aesthetic options. I do understand that it's a beta version, so I am not worried that there will be a lack of customizations for you persona. I do like the variety of races, sub-races. and classes you can choose. I obviously choose the manliest of the bunch with Highlander because anything with a beard says, "yes." I should have went with the Axe, but I choose lancer instead.

The game world is stunning. It was amazing how much detail went into this world. I felt like I was actually walking through an fantasy town located near the woods. Every color that needed to be bright, was bright and every leaf that needed to appear, appeared. The amount of detail in this world was pretty intense. You can tell that these developers really spent the time creating an awesome world. I honestly cannot wait to go adventure more next weekend so I can see more of the world they created. There are few games with this beautiful of a world.

Now for what some of you might be wondering. The game played out like any other MMORPG. Where Final Fantasy can innovate, it also reuses and tried and tested method of battle, the point and click. If you never played an mmorpg, it's all about grinding and looting. I can tell you right now, there will be a lot of it in this game. 

All in all, I enjoyed the game. There is still improvement needed like how other people move on your screen and more customization of your avatar, but I enjoyed the game overall. Until Tomorrow.