Open Forum #002
Open, off-topic discussion.
July 25, 2012 / 12:00 PM EDT / (@salromano)

After a successful launch to our series of Open Forum posts, we launch week two with high expectations.

What is the Open Forum, you ask? Why, it’s anything you want it to be. Whatever you don’t feel is appropriate to speak of in other posts, you can speak of here, as it’s your domain for anything and everything. Want to talk about sports? Here’s the place. Have a random question? Ask it here. Want to poll the community? Do it here.

Discuss away!

Read More: Community,
Share and Discuss
Guidelines
  • whiteferrero

    HAMBURGER BARRAGE!

  • Locksus

    Okay, here comes my first question: What are you good people playing at the moment? I just finished Dead Space 2 and it was quite good. Also I still haven’t finished FFXIII-2 but I will in the coming days.
    EDIT: Nice picture, Sal :P thanks! :)

    • PrinceHeir

      well for me i just finished Mass Effect 3, God of War 3 last june,
      Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw, this july.

      and im actually not playing this summer. been reading manga’s and watching anime since this past 6 months iv’e been gaming non-stop.

      Higashi no Eden is freaking awesome, just got my Redline and Shiki so i’ll watch that sometime this week.

      hmm what else man looking at your avatar is tempting me to replay Deus Ex HR again XD

      • Locksus

        Yeah! DO IT! :D My god I have to install it myself! It’ll be my 4th playthrough but before I’ll do that I have to get the Missing Link DLC.

        • PrinceHeir

          aww man you haven’t gotten the Missing Link DLC??

          you should!!!!!!!

          it reminded me of MGS2 but more open XD

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      I’m playing Dyad (acid trip), Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, and Sideway: New York. Trying to platinum Dyad, but the game’s trophy levels can get pretty difficult.

      I don’t normally play three games at once. But whatever.

      I’d like to jump back to Catherine eventually and try to platinum that. I’ve already got 52 percent of the game’s trophies, including The Golden Child (Earn Gold Prizes on all Hard difficulty stages), so getting the rest shouldn’t be too hard now that I can play the game over and over without having to do any of the puzzles. So getting the other endings should be a breeze.

      • Locksus

        I’m working on The Golden Child also but haven’t played Catherine for a week or so. It really can get your blood boiling!

        • Haruya

          That Trophy is indeed rage-inducing (well, achievement in my case). Have you both conquered all stages of Babel? I freaking love that game mode, I swear I’ve been playing it over and over and over for like a year now.

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

      I am going to start my 6th playthrough of Final Fantasy XIII while I wait for The Last Story to come out.

      • Locksus

        Wow you really do like FFXIII :P I’ve only played it twice but I think it’s a pretty good game. I’m playing XIII-2 while I’m typing this :p

      • Rezar

        I thought you would be playing Mass Effect 2 and 3 judging by your username. :-P

        • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

          I love those games too and have beaten them both 4 times each! I have to admit that I love Final Fantas XIII and XIII-2 more though.

    • FaithlessMr

      Seiken Densetsu 3 on the SNES, Legend of Dragoon on the PS3, The World Ends with You on the DS, and….Kingdom Hearts 3D on the 3DS :D

    • xMCXx

      Red Dead Redemption.
      It’s good, but I don’t get how it got like 160 GOTY Awards.

    • http://www.facebook.com/JaeWhy SasuleUchiha

      I’m not playing anything right now. I’m waiting for KH3D, I want to play it now hehe.

    • Haruya

      I’ve been going a bit retro lately on PS2 as I had never played MGS2 and MGS3 before (yeah, I know, my bad). I just finished Silent Hill 2 a few nights ago and I’m currently playing the first Fatal Frame, man that game’s scary (lol).

    • Kobracon

      Finished Prototype 2 recently (gonna miss the Prototype team V_V), now I got a bunch of RPGs on my PS3 I haven’t finished yet. I keep getting distracted halfway through. Currently playing White Knight Chronicles 2, then gonna finish Resonance of Fate then Valkyria Chronicles 1 (and eventually 2 on my PSP). I also have Hyperdimensional Neptuna Mk.2. After that, gonna try my best to finish Record of Agarest War 1 as fast as I can and play the much better sequel.

      ….yeah I got alot on my plate….I didn’t even MENTION the PC games.

    • ekka4shiki

      Some days ago, i was playing Catherine. But then i got stuck on the near-last stage. So here i am, playing FIFA12 and to refresh the mind. :/

  • PrinceHeir

    wooo i’ve been meaning to ask which anime is this from??

    http://i50.tinypic.com/3478lrd.png

    • Locksus

      I’m pretty sure it’s from Naruto. A character named Karin if I’m not mistaken.

      • PrinceHeir

        thanks :D

        i don’t really watch any naruto but i’m amaze with the design.

        then again im a BIG fan of Meganekko and it’s been almost a year now since i wanted to know who this is XD

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      I’ve watched like every non filler episode of Naruto, and I read the manga every week. Despite all that, I can’t make you any promises about that being Karin.

      Edit: I just did a google search, seems to be her. Nice call, Locksus.

  • zerolegacy0

    Why the CLANNAD picture Sal?

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      Some people were talking about Clannad last week, and asked that I use a Clannad image this week. ;-)

      • zerolegacy0

        Ah I missed out on last week’s discussion, sad since I’m anime expert.

        CLANNAD is one of the best made and well received anime of all time. Anyone who loved the anime should play the original Visual Novel it was adapted from.

        • Anime10121

          Clannad is simply magnificent, I never would have thought there would be an anime would choke me up almost EVERY.SINGLE.EPISODE
          <3 Clannad!

      • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

        Next week use a picture of a turtle,drinking with a straw

  • KingOptimusOrigins111

    Is anybody excited to see Watch_Dogs if it pops up at Gamescom 2012?

    • Locksus

      I’m not sure if it’ll be there as it looks like it’s not in Ubi’s Gamescom lineup

      • KingOptimusOrigins111

        I’m saying if it was to pop up at the last minute. What would you expect to see? Like a different area of the game or more of the personality of the main character?

        • Locksus

          Hmm good question. I’d just like to see more of the gameplay and would like them to explain the story and the setting a little bit more.

          • KingOptimusOrigins111

            I would like to see more background on the main character to get a deeper understanding about him and does his actions take affect on how the city changes through out the game.

  • PrinceHeir

    btw any 2D side scrolling or Metroidvania games can people recommend??

    Metroid,Castlevania, Megaman, Metal Slug Contra, Hard Corps, Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, Strider, Moon Diver.

    Rocket Knight Adventures,Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2,Gunstar Heroes,Dynamite Headdy,Guardian Heroes,

    Final Fight,Streets of Rage,River City Ransom,Double Dragon,Golden Axe,Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom,Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara,

    The Punisher,Cadillacs and Dinosaur,Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!,Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse,Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse,

    World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,Disney’s Magical Quest,DuckTales,Harmful Park,Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse,

    any more i missed??

    • Locksus

      If you have a 360 there’s a game called Dust: An Elysian Tail coming out on early August. Looks pretty slick and it’s only made by 1 man!

    • z_merquise

      Capcom’s Alien vs Predator arcade game! Too bad, even a re-release via PSN or XBLA wasn’t even possible so playing it via an emulator is your only option.
      I guess you already had Odin Sphere and Muramasa so I can also suggest Grimgrimoire. It’s a fun and unique 2D real-time-strategy game by Vanillaware. It’s available in PSN.

    • FaithlessMr

      You should check this out dude: http://www.giantbomb.com/metroidvania/92-2440/games/ :D

    • whiteferrero

      ODIN SPHERE!

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

    There are 4 games that I am currently waiting to hear more news about: .hack//Versus, Eureka Seven AO, Toki to Tawa, and God and the Fate of Revolution Paradox. I am mainly waiting for news if any of these games are going to get localized or not.

    • Anime10121

      Agreed on .hack and Toki to Towa, dont know enough about GatFoRP to know if I want it yet, and I just cant get into Eureka Seven for some reason :(

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        Yeah I can understand why you can’t get into Eureka Seven. When I first watched the whole series I wasn’t sure if it would be an anime that I would like or not. Then I finished the series and fell in love with it right away, now it’s my new favorite anime! Eureka Seven is one of those kinds of animes that you either get into or you don’t.

  • z_merquise

    Anyone here are comic readers? Marvel, DC, non-super-hero stuff, anything.
    I actually started with Sandman (by Neil Gaiman) and collected all of the stories from Vol 1 to Vol 10. After that, I stopped collecting. So back then, it’s only Sandman.
    Few years later, I became hooked with comics because of the Marvel character Deadpool. It’s because of this character that I got hooked at Marvel comics at first and then started looking for non-super-hero comics as well.
    So any comics that you like? Characters, writers, artists or anything you like to share? Just post here.
    I made the same thread in another gaming site but I want to make the same topic here too.

    • Anime10121

      Oh yeah, Ive also very recently been into the new Avatar series they’ve been doing called “The Promise”, its really good and captures the spirit of the original series perfectly :)

    • whiteferrero

      For me it’s just the sandman. XD (and maybe archie comics). haven;t really tried reading most of the others.

  • Adam Meadows

    Battle Royale – who has seen and read the film and book? Awesomeeee.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      I’ve seen both movies. The first one was far superior, but I enjoyed both of them. I’d say the first one is a must watch. I haven’t read the books, I’d imagine they are just as good?

      • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

        they are far more graphic

        • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

          Thanks for the info. That makes me want to try and find time to read them.

          • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

            XD lol the graphicness is why I didnt read them

            • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

              Fair enough. I like dark stories. (lol)

              • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

                I do to,heck I love Berserk(you read it?)

                • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

                  I watched the original anime series and loved it. I’m aware the anime ended before the manga did. Is the manga still going? I noticed they are re animating the Golden Age arc now? Something like that.

                  • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

                    Yeah the manga kept going and still is,and is fantastic by the way.

                    And yes they are making new animated movies though they are shortened versions of the golden age arc,no one knows whats going to happen after the GA arc ends

    • PrinceHeir

      i’ve seen it and i even own the LE of the Blu Ray :D

      awesome stuff, didn’t like the 2nd one since it’s more guns blazing ehh :|

  • Locksus

    Right, I’m pretty sure it’s okay to ask you guys that where are y’all from. Interested to know if majority of this site’s userbase is from the US. Okay, yeah I’ll start: I’m from Finland.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Well, I’m from the US. I’m pretty sure we have a good amount of users not from the US on Gematsu though. Which, by the way, I think is great!

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      New York City.

    • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

      Washington

    • xMCXx

      Germany. The only German here maybe? xD

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        Nope you aren’t the only German. My Dad was born in Germany and spoke German fluently, so that would make me German too! Although I have never been to Germany before (and my Dad never tought me how to speak German), and I wasn’t born there. I am technically German only because of the fact that my Dad was born there.

    • http://www.facebook.com/JaeWhy SasuleUchiha

      Indonesia.

    • whiteferrero

      the future. XD

    • Haruya

      México, from the mystical state of Yucatán. :D

      …Okay, I might be lying about the mystical part.

    • ekka4shiki

      Yogyakarta, Indonesia

    • PrinceHeir

      Philippines but in the US right now(4 years+)

    • sicksniper256

      ~15mi SW of New Orleans

    • Kobracon

      I’m from Malaysia! (Hi Indonesians! ^_^)

    • zakou

      Sweden

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

      I currently live in America now but I have constantly moved back in forth between Canada and America, so I consider both of them my home. I was born in Canada but I have dual citizenship, so I am technically American too.

      • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

        I find this interesting. I have to ask, which do you like more? America or Canada? Do you have a favorite, or do you like them both about the same?

        • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

          Hmm that is actually a really hard question to answer because like I said in my above post I have constantly moved back and forth from America and Canada so it is hard to say. Half of my vidoe games and sytems I bought from Canada and the other half I bought from America. I bought my PS3 in Canada and my Wii in America lol! Anyways the point is that I consider them both my home, because I have fond memories of growing up in both places. But I have to admit that Canadians are friendlier drivers than Americans. You will also notice that if you go there that employees are friendlier too. There are friendly people in America too but Canadians are super friendly!

          So yes Zero, I like them both the same. :)

          • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

            Oh, I believe that! People here in american can be so rude, and we have some awful drivers lol!

            Was it really cold where you lived in Canada?

            • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

              Yes, except for the summer. It is really cold in the winter because we would always get snow that was up to our knees! We also sometimes got blizzards there too.

              • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

                Sounds cold. I’m not a big fan of cold weather.

    • FaithlessMr

      Portugal here!

  • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

    Olivia showed me this. It’s so damn entertaining.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

    He starts sounding like Christopher Walken around 3:08.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      What in the world did I just watch?

  • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

    I just saw this new trailer for Darksiders II.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epcKk_D2khg&feature=player_embedded

    I really like that trailer. Makes me want to buy the game… I just don’t think I can afford it next month. I’ve already committed to Persona 4 Arena and Sleeping Dogs. I hope I’ll be able to pick it up soonish, it looks like a great game.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      Thanks for reminding me about this. Should have it up in its own post soon.

      • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

        No problem. =)

    • Haruya

      They seem to have done a great job with it. I really enjoyed the first Darksiders, but it did feel like it could’ve been polished more (more combos and stuff, more weapons… you know). We’ll see how the sequel fares. The only thing that I must say is: Vulgrim better be there again!!

    • Kobracon

      Tell me about it…..P4A is on the top of my list. Nothing else takes precedence!

  • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

    I also watched the first trailer for the Arc System Works 3DS game. http://gematsu.com/2012/07/arc-system-works-reveals-girl-of-the-old-school-building

    http://www.arcsystemworks.jp/mnd/

    Trailer here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLtNuiqr17E&feature=player_embedded

    For a downloadable, the trailer interested me enough to want to give it a try. Just what type of game is this? Some are calling it an “Escape Adventure” Game.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      It is. :-)

      On the site, it says: “Genre: Escape Adventure.”

      • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

        What are your thoughts about the game? I’m curious.

        • whiteferrero

          Must be like 999.

  • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

    Versus 13,why arnt you in my playstation

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

      Becaues Square Enix is too busy making the FFX HD remake, FFIV PS3, and possibly a FFXIII-3.

      • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

        I hate you square

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

    Does anyone here like The Legend of Dragoon for the PS1? I love this game and have completed it twice! My Dad has completed it once and he loved it too! My Dad actually finished it before I did, and he is the reason why I fell in love with the game in the first place! My Dad bought the game in 2003 for the PS1 and I still have it, I decided to hold onto this game because of how rare it is and for memory purposes of course!

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Great game. One of those classic PS1 RPGs that is not talked about enough. The battle system was hard but rewarding once you got the hang of it. I remember having to learn how to time the new attack properly. I admit, It has been a few years since I played it. I remember really enjoying Dart, he was a cool character. I always thought Rose was really sexy too, lol.

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        My three favorite Legend of Dragoon Characters are Dart, Albert, and Rose. Those three are the most interesting characters and have the most fun additions in the game! I sometimes switched a character out for Shana/Miranda because their “Gates of Heaven” Dragoon magic is really helpful when you want to heal more than one party member. I used these three on the final boss battles, I hate it how the games only lets you bring 20 items with you in your inventory because I would aways run low on healing potions and struggle during the last battles. I also hated it how the final boss battles are 2 hours long, it doesn’t really matter that they are that long now but when I was a kid and my time limit was only 1 hour per day I had to tell my mom that it takes 2 hours so that she would let me finish it. Glad I don’t have video games time limits anymore lol!

    • Kobracon

      Aww YEAH Legend of Dragoon! God I loved playing that back in the day. Its THE RPG that opened me up to a more involving battle system. I recently got a PS emulator on my Android phone and started playing it again XD

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        The Legend of Dragoon was good 12 years ago and it is still very good now! I still play this game whenever I feel like it, I just get out my PS2 and play it!

  • xMCXx

    Uguu~

    • Kobracon

      Shut up, Simon!

      (Apologies if I totally guessed the reference wrongly)

  • Haruya

    Alright, let’s talk peculiar games.

    We (most likely) have all played the usual RPGs like the Tales of saga, Final Fantasy and whatnot. RTS like Age of Empires, Starcraft, etc. FPS like the infamous Call of Duty, Battlefield or Halo. Fighting games (ArcSys fans, rejoice), etc… but there’s always that game… the one that plays so weird, unlike anything we’ve ever heard or seen before. Have you ever played a game you thought was like that?

    For me, it was Catherine. I mean, yeah… I’ve played Tetris and I liked it, but Catherine is like… Tetris on steroids (at least, my friend calls it that way lol). It was so weird, and yet at the same time, so innovative. It’s one of the things that attracted me the most about that game.

    There’s also Child of Eden. I really enjoy the beat of the songs and the visuals and everything about that game. I used to think about it as “this is what it would feel like to be completely stoned” lol. And yeah, it’s hard as hell but hey, I enjoy it.

    • http://moefx.wordpress.com/ barklight

      One game that still fresh in my mind, Ar tonelico qoga. Why? Well basically the revytails always have to strip to do more damage in battle. Like wtf? The director clearly is a perv.

      • Haruya

        I have got to say… that’s a pretty innovative idea!

        …Yeah, I suppose. xD

      • Kobracon

        Aw man I want to play that so much!…….NO not for the obvious reasons. Fell in love with the series on the PS2 with its amazing soundtrack. All the money they didn’t spend on graphics and design went to its to die for music. Teh stripping is only in Qoga and its just a bonus ;)

    • whiteferrero

      if you want peculiar…
      http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/psx/moon/reviews/moonstrev1.html

      XD
      how about TWEWY, have you played that game?

      • Haruya

        I… “moon”? What was that? Haha lol

        And yes, I’ve played TWEWY. And you’re right! It’s quite peculiar, I guess it’s been a while since I played it, I totally forgot about it.

        I often regard ATLUS’s games as quite innovative and such, also. I have yet to play any of the Trauma Centers for example, but I’ve been told it’s a great game.

    • Kobracon

      How can we talk about peculiar games and not mention the king of weird and peculiar games: Katamari Damacy! Man the first time I played that I was like “Is this what being high looks like?! I…….I like it!”

      Katamari Damacy showed how fun, weird and innovated games can be and love it to this day.

  • Kobracon

    Sadly since no one saw my question in the last Open Forum (prolly coz I was pretty late with it) I’ll copy paste it here.

    I have a rather serious question. In all honesty (any fanboy-ism and nerdrage apart), are the long running big name games from old companies (FFXIII, Diablo 3, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Street Fighter x Tekken, etc) honestly bad or are we just jaded and lost the rose tinted glasses of our innocent childhood? or perhaps some people just find it fun to hate ultra popular things? What do you think?

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Tough question. I think nostalgia is extremely powerful. I also think that people have a bad habit of raising expectations to unrealistic levels.

      It’s kinda hard to answer the question without raising more questions. Part of me wants to just talk about all the games you mentioned, and discuss them in detail. That would not really be answering the question though, I would be dancing around it trying to make a point elsewhere.

      Do people love to hate popular things? That I can answer with a definitive yes. Some people just love to be negative and hate everything, you have to wonder if they enjoy video games at all anymore?

      Are the new games from older companies really bad these days? I don’t think all of them are. No one is perfect.

      I do think people judge a new game in a long running series differently. You can’t help but remember the good times with an older game, and hope a new game brings those feelings back.

      I think that is kinda what people search for. They want to recreate those fond nostalgic memories again, they want to experience something like they did with past games in new games.

      I think those feelings can be amplified when it comes to long running franchises. That’s why series like Final Fantasy are held to such high standards by fans. The funny thing is, the final product will never please everyone. So many have this belief that every game should be tailor made to please them, and that just isn’t possible. You won’t always like what others do, people tend to let that bother them way to much.

      And sometimes going into a new game hoping to bring back old feelings is counter productive. You don’t typically find special moments in games, they find you. I think developers these days want to create new experiences, they want to create new memories for gamers to be fond of.

      Sorry if that doesn’t really give a good answer to the question. I don’t really think it does. (lol)

      This is just a tough topic to discuss. If you like, I’m more than willing to continue the discussion.

      • Kobracon

        Please do. That was an awesome post. Especially about developers creating new experiences and fans wanting the same thing again.

        For example I read some comments in the latest Metal Gear Rising trailer and alot of fans are bitching about it not being stealthy. These people seem totally misunderstand that its a spin-off and therefore is meant to be something different. Same thing happened with Yakuza Dead Souls. Albeit the actual gun mechanics could’ve been better but it was still a good game. Fans again bashed this SPIN-OFF for being so different.

        • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

          Thanks for the kind reply.

          I’ve also noticed some negative fan reaction with MGR. I always say the same thing, MGR is a spin off.

          It looks quite promising, and I think more variety is a good thing. Platinum games is a great studio as well.

          I’ve actually seen a few videos where you can play the game more stealth like. I believe the developers said it was possible to approach most of the game that way, but they made it difficult on purpose, to challenge the player. I really like the idea of making it more of a challenge.

          Another example would be the scene from the recent trailer, where Raiden jumps the missiles to get above the helicopter and slice it to pieces. You actually have to time the jumps and react quickly to do that in the game. It isn’t like other games, where you just press x to watch the character do a cool quick time event.

          I really like that, I would like to see more games move away from quick time events, or at the very least, make them more complex.

          For all the gamers that complain about lack of variety in games, and milking or whatever, the amount of people who support new ideas or changes is appalling.

          It’s just proof that not every gamer wants the same things. It really is like sending a mix message to developers. If you stop and think about that, it makes complete sense to me why so many developers just create something they want to. Just because a developer listens to a loud group of fans online, and tries to create something to please them, doesn’t mean they will please the majority of the fans.

          And some of those loud fans won’t support the game anyways. They will say (to the developers) you did it wrong, and didn’t listen to them at all. They (Development Team) could have spent months trying so hard to get it right, only to be dismissed in like 5 minutes.

          I think it’s about being more flexible as a gamer. I’m not talking about just playing a wide variety of games, or playing different genres. (Which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong.)

          Sometimes you have to look past some flaws to enjoy a game. Just because it has a few issues, doesn’t mean you should dismiss it right away. I can’t count how many flawed games I’ve played and f***ing loved the hell out of.

          An example would be the Way of the Samurai series. I rather enjoy the series, and each game has its share of problems. Most people would probably pick up Way of the Samurai 3, play it for maybe 5 minutes and say it was one of the worst games ever. Not every game is going to be game of the year material.

          Many gamers say things like, what happened to all the hidden gems, the games that no one talked about but were actually really fun? You know, the ones from the past?

          I’ll tell them what happened. Those hidden gems very much still exist in gaming today, people just don’t seem to give these games a fair shake anymore. Not like they used to.

          • Kobracon

            EXACTLY! For example, Squeenix listened to all the critics criticizing its franchise as formulaic and never innovates the RPG. Then when they try to be as different as they can with FF13, look at the major backlash it got from the fans. I applaud them for trying something new after 11 games (not counting FF11)

            I also agree about being more flexible as a player. I played a game on the PS2 once called RAD (Robot Alchemic Drive) and you could tell it was budget game and dripping with flaws, but my GOD did I enjoy it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Koei’s Warriors series despite all its flaws (which they are learning from slowly)

            And about spin-offs. Sometimes developers trying something different with their franchise can yield fantastic results. The biggest example of all would be the Persona series. They took the Shin Megami Tensei demons and themes and added a School theme and psychological aspects. It may have taken 3 games to catch on but after the third game (not to mention P4) Persona is now probably more well known then the main franchise it spun-off from.

            • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

              Well said, I agree.

              I would try and post some more, but I’m very tired tonight, sorry.

    • KingKellogg The Waffle Haggler

      I actually just started playing most these recently and some of them were good back in the day,like final fantasy.

      The other ones,they have kinda always sucked :

  • zakou

    Thank you Sal xD you have no idea how happy I am looking at a Clannad picture on this site’s article/forum.

    So I got a question to you who read this, why didn’t you beat NieR yer? Lol jk.

    My question here is, buy Toki No Towa! Ok it not a question either xD

    • Locksus

      I’ve beaten NieR! It’s an awesome game, one that I should replay this summer :p I LOOOOVE the music!

    • http://www.facebook.com/JaeWhy SasuleUchiha

      First question. I beat it 4 times, it’s mandatory for getting all story.
      Second question. Will buy if localized.

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

      I will buy Toki to Tawa if it gets localized. I have beaten NIER 16 times (I am counting all of the endings that I have beaten 4 times each 4×4=16), love the music! I have beaten the NIER game where the 40 year old Nier is the protagonist, never played the Japanese NieR game.

      • zakou

        16 times? Give me your psn right now! XD

        • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

          Tell me your PSN username and I will send you a message saying that it’s from me, and add you as my friend.

          • zakou

            Add Xcomet and then tell me it’s you so that I’ll add you with my main account

            • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

              Okay, just sent it now!

              • zakou

                Gotcha! Let’s race for NieR platinum trophy :p

                • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

                  XD No, it’s too hard!

  • LordKaiser

    Resent News about WKC2:

    The DLC weapons that where released on Europe where released on America yesterday. It seems the petition is working after all but there’s no word on the new quests yet.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Great news! I don’t own, and I’ve never played WKC2. I do want to see customers get the content already on the disc though.

      • http://moefx.wordpress.com/ barklight

        Good game, you should give it a try. The story is so-so, a brave knight saving the princess.
        The multiplayer is pretty good too.

        • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

          Should I just pick up the second game only? It comes with an enhanced version of the first game or something, correct?

          • http://moefx.wordpress.com/ barklight

            Yup, correct.

      • Kobracon

        If, like me, you happen to like mechs and the tokusatsu’s (Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, etc), WKC is a delightful series of RPGs thats just as corny but has an awesome battle mechanic and awesome online content.

    • Kobracon

      Awesome! Man I hope WKC3 is revealed sometime soon. Maybe now that Ni no Kuni is done, Level 5 can start working on it.

  • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

    Does anyone remember the Infinium Phantom?

    http://i.imgur.com/4gIzB.jpg

    With all the commotion about Ouya, it reminded me of this (though, Ouya comes off as a much better device).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCRd1qgN9rY

    The concept was similar. Phantom would have allowed you to play PC games on your TV (you know, select games also released for Phantom), which are downloaded to the console. I remember they had a demo of Unreal Tournament running on there. This was back in like 2004, though.

    Anyway, it was canceled. The company that made it changed its name from Infinum Labs to Phantom Entertainment, and went on to create the keyboard controller that was to be sold with the system as its own peripheral for PC. It’s called the Phantom Lapboard.

    http://phantom.net/products.html

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Yeah, I also got flashbacks of the phantom when I first read about the Ouya. I bet the Phantom wishes it had something like kickstarter back then. =P

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

    What is your favorite Final Fantasy game?

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      Hard to say, honestly. I really loved VII (what a surprise!), IX, and X. There are, admittedly, still many I haven’t played. I hear IV (or was it VI?) is one of the best in the series (actually, I think it was VI that every talks about). I’d really like to try it.

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        FF VI is the one where Terra is the protagonist and in FFIV Cecil is the protagonist. I always thought that FFIV was more popular than FFVI (that’s what I’ve heard anyways.) Both are very good games, as well as FFVII and FFX, never played FFIX before (don’t know too much about it.) My two favorite FF games are FFXIII and FFXIII-2, FFXIII is the first FF game that I played that made me a fan of Final Fantasy!

      • Anime10121

        both VI and IV are great, they’re actually in my top 5 FF’s, if you ever get a chance, download them from PSN and give them a go.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Super tough question! I’m not sure, some days my favorite is Final Fantasy 10, other days it might be Final Fantasy 7, and let’s not forget Final Fantasy Tactics! So hard for me to decide. I even include Final Fantasy 11, where many fans don’t. (It was a great game, just an online one.)

      It’s also a really interesting question, because you could ask it so many different ways. Just because one of them is considered the best, doesn’t make it everyone’s favorite. (Final Fantasy 7.)

      Moving away from the question a little bit…

      Going back and playing some of the older Final Fantasys these days can be tough, some of them haven’t aged as well as others. I think Final Fantasy Tactics (for example) has aged incredibly well. They should consider doing more enhanced ports of the older games. (No love for FF6 Square-Enix?)

      I understand it when some people just can’t get into the older games. It isn’t always easy to go back, many of us played FF7 (for example) when it was new and fresh. These days it looks pretty old and ugly. (Especially on a big screen HDTV! I mean, dear lord!)

      Someone is going to say… Games are not all about the graphics you fool! I hear you! I don’t think its that simple though. I kinda compare it to watching black and white movies. Some people just can’t do it, and plenty of fantastic classic movies are not in color.

      Most of the people commenting here are not that old. We never had to really worry about movies not being in color. Just like kids who are born today will likely never have to watch anything in standard definition.

      This is why I like to see enhanced ports on portables, like I mentioned above. You can polish up the older games, and make them look fairly good on a portable screen.

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        Eww you like FFTactics…just kidding! Well it’s true that I HATE Tactics, it is probably the only FF game that I hate, all 3 Tactics games! Sorry, it’s just that War of the Lions was too hard for me and not as enjoyable (not really into Strategy games other than Fire Emblem Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.) I am also not very good at strategy games either, other than the two Fire Emblem games that I mentioned. Tactics is too hard for me!

        • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

          I’m very picky with my Strategy games. I typically only like SRPGs, and even then I’m very picky with them. I do really like Fire Emblem! So we have that in common. =)

          I first played Tactics on the PS1, I bought it new and played it all summer long when I was younger, probably 14 or so. That was the only game I had to play that summer, so I had plenty of time to learn and get better at it. It took me a while to get used to it, but once you get the hang of it, the game is incredibly rewarding.

          It’s not for everyone, and I understand that quite well. My friend is a huge Disgaea fan, I don’t dislike that series, but I’ve never been able to get into the series like he has.

          I’ll also add that I’m not a big fan of the sequels, The Tactics Advanced titles. Personally, I don’t think they are anywhere as good as the original.

          Which Final Fantasy do you like the most? I think I read a post where you said you loved 13?

          • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

            Yep it’s 13, because that was the game that first got me into FF games and that is the reason why I bought a PS3 in the first place. FF13 also has a special place in my heart because it is the game that I played after my Dad’s death and made me really happy despite what happened. It helped me get through that tough time in my life. Whenever I play it it also reminds me of the time that I showed him the 7 minute long FF13 trailer and he said that it looked really cool! I watched the trailer and wanted the game before I got a PS3 even! I of course bought pretty much all of the older FF games after that, but none of them seemed to be as special as FF13 is to me. I personally think that FF13 has the best story, charcters, and music out of all the FF games (but that’s just me.) I can understand why people favor other FF games over 13 like 7,10, 4, ect. because they are really very good too! But FF13 is my favorite!

            • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

              That’s really cool that FF13 is so special to you like that. I don’t personally have a specific FF title that did anything like that for me. I experienced some hard time while playing Final Fantasy 11, but that isn’t really the same.

              I enjoyed FF13 quite a bit. Did you like 13-2? Are you excited about a possible 13-3?

              • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

                I loved XIII-2 and am very excited about a possible XIII-3! I was really dissapointed with the ending because Lightning and Serah are both my favorite charaters and they both deserved a happy ending. I am hoping that XIII-3 can make it better. :) I think that I actually want it more than Versus XIII, but I will still buy Versus when it comes out too!

                • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

                  It was pretty sad. If you watched the DLC ending, it pretty much tells us Lightning might still have a chance to change things.

                  • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

                    Yeah I cried when Lightning and Serah were hugging at the end (during Serah’s monologue.) It was just too sad! :(

    • http://moefx.wordpress.com/ barklight

      Yeah, that’s a tough question. My fave maybe FF IX, because it’s the most memorable FF that i’ve ever played. Don’t know why, i just love it, the world, story, and the characters are lovable.

      And FF VI, because simply there’s Kefka, he’s just insane.
      “…There’s a reason “oppose” rhymes with “dispose”…”
      Holy shit…

    • Anime10121

      FFIX

      Why? Vivi, Zidane, Dagger (Garnett), Kuja, and classic Chocobo Hot and Cold! That game was simply brilliant :)

    • zakou

      You already know but, others don’t xD.

      My fav FF of all times is FFX. Yes im dying to play the HD version.

      FFX followed by FFVII, and since FFXIII reminds me of both X and VII it made my “favorite top three FF games of all time”

      I enjoyed most of the FF games alot, the advent children movie too!

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

        Agreed, I enjoyed most of the Final Fantasy games too except for *cough* Tactics *cough.* I have FFVII Advent Children on DVD, PSP, and the complete version on Blueray! The movie is awesome!

        • zakou

          Wow three versions! O.o

  • Kin23g

    mmm .. hi? I’m new here ..

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Welcome to Gematsu.

      I hope you stick around. Feel free to post comments, we like those. =)

    • http://gematsu.com/ Sal Romano

      Welcome, welcome, Kin23g. Hope you enjoy your stay! (And comment a lot. That’d be awesome!)

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/mirandalawson2?feature=results_main Miranda Lawson

      Welcome Kin23g!

    • zakou

      Hi welcome, (say hi back!) xD.

      And enjoy your stay, as you can see there is a picture of Clannad above you, yes this site’s so awesome it posts Clannad pictures on a gaming site xD we brake rules here brah!

  • Locksus

    I thought I’d share this here: Yeah, it’s kinda my birthday today, 30th of July. So, happy birthday me, I guess!

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have a great day. =)

      • Locksus

        Thank you, I will ^_^

  • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

    For all the Dragon Quest X fans.

    Nintendo is going to have another Nintendo Direct broadcast today. It’s supposed to focus exclusively on Dragon Quest X. (Starts at 20:00.)

    http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/software/s4mj/direct20120730/index.html

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      They started by introducing the staff on hand. I believe a few of the lead developers. They showed some of the character creation, combat and more beta footage. Now, Japanese developers are asking the DQX 10 staff different questions. They are talking about beta tests…

  • Locksus

    Hey again Gematsu community! I’m here again to ask you a yet another question.
    People who have played Dragon’s Dogma, what did you guys think about it? I’m thinking about picking it up but I thought I’d ask your opinions first.

    • http://gematsu.com/ Zero

      I played the demo and loved it. Just like you, I’ve thought about buying it. I’m kinda holding off for now, it already has tons of DLC, and Capcom is known for releasing complete editions of games.

      I plan to wait and see if that happens.