Progressive Boink

[David]

Don't know if your serious but yes. Final Fantasy 10 looked like Meg Ryan visits the jedi council on coruscant

I really wish I wanted to play it, but FF has been feeling like a series that just needs to try something really, genuinely new, or just stopping altogether.

The talk of the town is that this is possibly, maybe the final Final Fantasy. I will believe that when I don't see it. I guess technically FF14 is coming out whenever but who gives a dick about FF + MMORPG because I sure don't? I have almost no interest in playing 13 but, you know, Final Fantasy and being a nerd is all. It's something I just have to do some day.

[Bismark]

I'm totally serious. Midgar ruined that whole franchise.

[David]

I would take steam punk Midgar a thousand times over the Asian Minority Report Zanarkand.

[Randy]

Yeah, I'm enjoying this game, and I enjoyed the last one to a point, but you're right. It's taken them over 10 years to recover from going to 3D once.

[Bismark]

I would take steam punk Midgar a thousand times over the Asian Minority Report Zanarkand.

Midgar in VII itself was okay because it was at least still somewhat steampunk, and it wasn't the whole world. Since then, they've just made everywhere look like that mixed with Star Wars in Paris because they're trying to re-create what was cool about it (and failing).

[Randy]

I'm just glad they finally got to the point where the only defining characteristic of their black characters are a propensity for jive-talkin' cuss words.

[Greg]

I honestly think the combat system is the best one in a long time. It's really forcing me to be fast and stratigic at the same time, and I've been playing around with a lot of formations. I'll admit the weapon upgrade system is confusing, but it's hardly a core part of the game. And thus far, none of that Blitzball/Triple Triad mini game bullshit!

As for the game being linear, it really isn't any more linear then most of FF. I think XII was probably the most non-linear, and that was mostly because they overloaded things with hunting missions. If controlling a little chibi version of your character over a disproportioned detailess world map is THAT important to you, then yeah, FF XIII is probably not for you.

I'm not done with it yet, but thus far the story is the best I've seen in a long time. We spend a good amount of time fleshing out the characters, none of them are all that annoying (Hope was a little annoying at first, but he gets better), no goofy comic relief member on your team to roll your eyes at (Cait Sith/Quina/Zell), and Sazh is quickly rising to my top five FF characters.

As for the asthetic, I guess that's just a personal choice. If you like the early pure fantasy stuff, we still got things like Dragon Age.

[Alan]

the weapon upgrade is annoying because I was like 'oh, I can upgrade Gladius for Lightning now' so I did that then anytime I pick up a new weapon for her it's pointless to equip because it's still lvl 1 and why upgrade that one when I can continue to upgrade Gladius. And Apparently every weapon has 3 'stages' and becomes an Omega Weapon, so why even bother with the other weapons when you've started upgrading one of them? And I still haven't maxed out Gladius' level even when I use up all my components on it. No one else has gotten a very high upgrade on their weapons because I only like playing as Lightning.

[Terry Cheesecake]

Perfect Dark on the Xbox. Floating, talking laptops, stupid aliens and shitey voice acting. I love it. My only problem with it is the aiming is far too sensitive.

[David]

If you have a young child, do not play Heavy Rain.

[Patrick]

fallout 3 is good

[A Link To The Matt]

If you have a young child, do not play Heavy Rain.

I havent really read the reviews (and am too lazy to look them up) can you expound?

[David]

SPOILERS from the first 20 minutes of Heavy Rain

I knew very little about the game other than you are searching for a serial killer. The second scene of the game is a father losing his 10 year old son in a crowd. You do have to search for him and this part is executed well enough that I was legitimately worried about finding him (partly because I fully expect that not finding him results in the killer abducting him which can't happen). What does happen is you find your son across the street, call his name where he runs into traffic and gets hit by a car killing him. The game proceeds to get even worse.

SPOILERS for the entire game.

Two years after your son dies, your second son is taken by the killer. You have to spend the rest of the game going through ridiculous almost Saw like tests to get him back. You can fail these tests which means you don't get the clues which I think can result in you not saving the kid. I failed one challenge and was genuinely upset that I did. I've heard how having a child changes your perspective. I can't imagine how a parent would react to playing this game.

[Zack Hoagie]

(and am too lazy to look them up)

do not go back to doing this

[Alex]

Make sure you reach an ending before reading about the game in depth online, having it spoiled will diminish your enjoyment of it.

[Greg]

So I've put my FFXIII playing on hold because there are reports of it bricking some PS3s. Gonna wait to see how that gets resolved.

[B]

God of War 3

Kratos vs. Poseidon is pretty much the greatest thing in video game history.

[Alan]

im sure god of war is great and all but im so fucking tired of god of war clones.

is it too much to ask for a game that is story/puzzle based without any combat

really I just want another kings quest game (not mask of eternity)

[Alex]

im sure god of war is great and all but im so fucking tired of god of war clones.

is it too much to ask for a game that is story/puzzle based without any combat

really I just want another kings quest game (not mask of eternity)

Sam and Max Season 3 is coming to PSN! I think you can pre-order all 5 games for 30 dollars.

[Kyle]

10 minutes into mass effect 2; second 360 red ringed; welp;