Previously on The Final Fantasy XIII-2 Diaries! Side quests that involve experimental drugs! A giant semi-invisible… giant! Cutscene direction that isn’t just a static camera floating around (looking at you, Kingdom Hearts)! Monsters that can be caught and dressed up in bow ties and hats! This game is an entirely different than one the last!
Previously on The Final Fantasy XIII-2 Diaries! Noel, a boy from the future has to get main character Serah, Lightning’s younger sister, to Valhalla via time warp gates! A moogle with a fat head named Mog accompanies them! The Paradigm Shift battle system from Final Fantasy XIII returns with a few tweaks, random encounters with weak monsters happen, and I’m pleasantly surprised by just about everything so far!
Part One of a chronicle through the time-traveling odyssey Final Fantasy XIII-2. Does this RPG sequel start with a bang or a whimper? With this sequel, Square Enix set out to right the wrongs of the previous game, namely tunnel vision level design, off-kilter pacing, and a lack of player immediacy. But this new one promises to be a different beast. Let’s find out together if that’s true. Instead of playing, finishing the game and then posting my final review I will chronicle my time with it. This will be different from my typical reviews. The format will be looser, a bit more free-form. It should be fun! So let’s dive in.
Ubisoft is the reigning dance game champ. From the popular Just Dance series (and all its spin-offs) to Michael Jackson: The Experience, Ubisoft knows how to make gamers and non-gamers alike get off their duffs and boogey. The company’s latest game, Just Dance Kids 2, continues the tradition, and is a pretty fine dance game to boot.
If you want some good tunes, laughs, and an overall good time with friends, Just Dance 3 is a great way to do that. It may not be as You Got Served-serious as Dance Central, but that’s a good thing.
Mario Kart 7 is basically a prettier version of Mario Kart DS with a less interesting course and character selection (Where’s Boo? Where’s Dry Bones?) and no annoying snaking. It isn’t a bad game, I wouldn’t say no to it if it fell in my lap. It’s just a very, very familiar one, something I seem to say that a lot these days. It’s disheartening Nintendo couldn’t out-do themselves this time, especially since we’re on the cusp of 2012 and the formula has barely changed since 1992.
Call of Duty has been around for some time and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down any time soon. Activision has always stood by the franchise for better or worse and does its best to keep fans happy. Modern Warfare 3 shows what companies can achieve by working together, and it sets the bar very high for what any following CoD game needs to do.
Overall, Brotherhood played out a bit better than Revelations, but Revelations has the first ending in the entire series that carries a sense of completion. The conclusion to Ezio’s story was so perfect, as with Altair’s, that tears built up in my eyes. And although you come to a big surprise on who the mysterious voice on Desmond’s side truly is, and what Desmond must do next to save the world, the ending makes it a bit easier to wait for the next installment.
I’ve had the privilege to review many great titles this year, but The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim stands alone on a pedestal as my game of the year. Any respectable gamer owes it to them to go out and purchase a copy; this is near-perfection. This is a true achievement in gaming, and one that should be experienced by every gamer.
El Shaddai isn’t a bad game. I know it might sound like I’m hating on this game something fierce, but I’m not. What I’m hating on is being misled. I was expecting a more Devil May Cry-like actioner, but it’s a serious platformer with action elements. As of writing, El Shaddai: Accession of the Metatron is anywhere from $45 to $60, but not worth that much. Unless you’re a hardcore platformer, Gamefly it or wait until the price drops to at least $30.
