The lights are on
Final Fantasy was one of the franchises that turned me into a gamer. Magic, swords, monsters, and battles? My 10-year-old self was completely sold. Ever since, I’ve been a devoted player, waiting with great anticipation for each major installment. Along the way, favorites have emerged, and others fall by the wayside in my memory. But through it all, I’ve respected that Square has managed to consistently try new things, even while maintaining a core identity to the franchise that has carried over from one game to the next. Like countless other gamers, I dove into Final Fantasy XIII this week with intense excitement, and I’ve really enjoyed my early hours with the game. Like every previous installment, there are features I like and dislike. However, at this point, it’s the discovery of what has changed and what has stayed the same that is a big part of my enjoyment. Here, then, are the things that are totally blowing me away in the new game, and a few little problems that tick me off. More
It’s the discovery of what has changed and what has stayed the same in Final Fantasy XIII that is a big part of my enjoyment. Here, then, are the things that are totally blowing me away in the new game, and a few little problems that tick me off.
I remember a number of landmark moments in my personal gaming experience – titles that changed my perceptions of what games could do, and what I wanted out of the games I played. Super Metroid. Final Fantasy VII. Halo. GTA III. Guitar Hero. World of Warcraft. Having had the chance to play through a pre-release version of Quantic Dream’s new game, I'm now adding Heavy Rain to the list. More
Underdark is a great addition to the D&D game; it is as much a new campaign setting as a supplement on underground role-playing sessions. More
In honor of our big Top 200 game feature in the magazine, I thought I’d tackle the much less ambitious task of looking at the recent rise of the downloadable console game, and share my choices for the best titles that have emerged since the advent of this new delivery method during this current generation of game hardware. More
By all accounts, this year’s Madden NFL 10 the strongest entry in the franchise for years. For more casual fans, or those who aren’t ready to shell out $60 for another installment of the yearly series, EA Sports has created Madden NFL Arcade. More
Most of my gaming free time in the last week or so has been devoted to Vanillaware’s gorgeous action/RPG. I’m about halfway through the game, and I find myself wondering why the Wii doesn’t have more similar titles. It’s one of the only times in the last six months that I’ve really enjoyed a game on that system. More
I’ve been an avid D&D player for most of my life, and it’s an awfully good time to be someone in that position. The tabletop role-playing scene has seen some revolutions in design in recent years, not the least of them the incredible job Wizards of the Coast did on their fourth edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game. You’ll be hearing me chat a lot about that ever-growing platform of books and modules if you stick around here very long, but I wanted to reserve my first post on the subject to highlight an awesome alternative to Wizards' behemoth of an RPG. More
I was instantly fascinated by the visual direction of this new LucasArts project, which arrives this coming week on Xbox Live Arcade. Like pages out of a children’s book, the art direction alone was enough to convince me to give the game a try. More
Thanks for stopping by. For years, as editors, our main way to tell you about our interests both in and out of gaming has been in a tiny blurb by our pictures in the magazine – trust me when I tell you how excited we all are to start having some more genuine conversations with the readership through these blogs. Make sure and hop over and check out the other editors and their first posts, and find out whose interests match up with your particular fascinations. More