Xbox One

“Final Fantasy XV” release date, spin-offs announced

Posted on by astyahla

Last night, Square Enix gave fans a long-awaited look at “Final Fantasy XV” at their Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV event. They showed several new trailers and announced an anime series, feature-length film, a mobile game, a demo and most importantly, the release date.

“Final Fantasy XV” will be released worldwide on September 30, for Playstation 4 and Xbox One, more than 10 years after its announcement. The game was originally revealed in May 2006 as “Final Fantasy Versus XIII” exclusively for the Playstation 3. Originally it was planned to be part of the “Fabula Nova Crysatallis: Final Fantasy” sub-series along side “Final Fantasy XIII” for the Playstation 3 and “Final Fantasy Agito XIII” for Playstation Portable and would have a similar mythology to the other two games. However, Square Enix was largely silent regarding the game, leading to rumors that the game had been canceled. The game was finally shown again at E3 2013, where the game’s current title was revealed and it had been moved to the then upcoming systems.

In the years since, “XIII” got a multi platform release on PS3 and Xbox 360 and spawned two sequels, “Final Fantasy XIII-2” and “Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII” Meanwhile “Agito XIII” was renamed “Final Fantasy Type-0” and released so late in the PSP’s life span that it took an HD remaster for PS4 and Xbox One to get it out of Japan.

Since June 2013, Square has produced a steady stream of news regarding “XV” plus a demo titled “Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae” which came with the Day One Edition of “Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.” All of this culminated with the Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV event.

In addition to the game’s release date, several tie-ins were announced. First, the game will have a five-part anime series called “Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV,” which focuses on the interactions between the protagonist, Noctis, and his friends. The first episode was released following the event and can be viewed on Crunchyroll and other video streaming services. The remaining episodes will be released leading up to the game’s release.

There will also be a CGI film called “Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.” The film will focus on Noctis’ father, King Regis Lucis Caelum and his bodyguards. It will serve as a prequel to the game and is set to be released sometime in 2016.

Beyond that, Square Enix will also release “Justice Monsters Five” for iOS, Android and Windows 10. The game is a pinball game with RPG elements based upon a machine that Noctis and company can play. Thus it is also available as a mini-game in “Final Fantasy XV” The mobile version will be available in 2016.

Its been 10 years since “Final Fantasy XV” was announced and the end is in sight. While the game will not be released until September 30, players who want a taste of the game now, whether or not they missed out on “Episode Duscae,” can download “Platinum Demo: Final Fantasy XV” for both PS4 and Xbox One. The demo was released immediately after the Uncovered event. It gives players a scenario not found in the full game, taking place within the dreams of young Noctis. Those who complete the demo will also get Carbuncle as an extra summon in the full game. Players will also be given the option to pre-order the digital version within the demo.

The game will also have a day one edition and two collector’s editions available. The day one edition will come with an in-game Masamune sword at the usual price of $59.99. For $89.99, you can get the Deluxe Edition which comes in an exclusive steelbook case and includes the game, a copy of “Kingsglaive” on Blu-Ray, an in-game alternate costume for Noctis based upon his appearance in the film, an alternate platinum paint job  for the party’s car and the Masamune from the day one edition.

Finally, there is the Ultimate Collector’s Edition, of which there are only 30,000 copies available worldwide and had sold out in minutes. This bundle went for $269.99 and included everything from the day one and Deluxe Editions, along with a second steelbook case containing Blu-Rays of the game’s soundtrack plus songs from “Kingsglaive” and “Brotherhood,” and the “Brotherhood” anime, including an exclusive sixth episode. To top it all off, the Ultimate Collector’s edition also includes 192-page hardcover art book, an exclusive figurine of Noctis created by Play Arts Kai and four in-game item packs.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Review – A Hideo Kojima masterpiece

Posted on by astyahla

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Systems: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC

ESRB: M

No. of Players: 1-16 online

After several years of development, the latest game in the “Metal Gear Solid” series is finally here. While we got a taste of the gameplay in the “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes,” the prologue released last year, “The Phantom Pain” is a fully realized game and an excellent swan song for Hideo Kojima’s involvement. While there are some flaws, the game is exceptional and a must play.

Following the destruction of Mother Base at the end of “Ground Zeroes,” the legendary soldier, Big Boss fell into a coma for nine years. Upon waking up in a hospital on the Greek Isle of Cyprus, he is greeted with the sight of a missing arm and the news that the whole world wants him dead. What follows is an attack on the hospital by an unknown military organization that Big Boss narrowly escapes. He then reunites with his allies, Kazuhira Miller and Revolver Ocelot, and begins to rebuild his private military force in order to get revenge for what he had lost.

“Ground Zeroes” gave us a taste of the new open world style, but instead of being limited to a single prison camp, you get to explore large regions of Afghanistan and Central Africa. There is plenty to do in these areas, such as rescuing prisoners, capturing animals, gathering resources and, of course, many bases to break into. Once you decide on a mission, you have plenty of options for how to accomplish it. You can go in silently during the night, but have to avoid searchlights. You could sneak in from a side enterence or go in through the main gate. If you are confident, you can charge in guns blazing. There is even the choice of knocking out the guards or killing them.

What keeps thing exciting is that the guards will adapt to your tactics. For example, relying too much on head shots will result in them wearing helmets. If you keep going in at night, the guards will start carrying flashlights, or even night-vision goggles. This forces players to mix things up and constantly upgrade equipment to remain effective, especially due to the excellent AI.

While the  game gives you a lot of freedom, you have to constantly manage your in-game money carefully. The operation costs will vary based upon which weapons and equipment you take with you, so you have to take only what you need in order to avoid going into the red. This also applies to if you take a vehicle with you and which buddy you have accompany you. There are four buddies. D-Horse is great for traveling long distances silently. D-Dog is able to sense nearby enemies, animals, mines and medicinal plants. Quiet is a sniper who helps with taking out enemies and scouting the area. Finally, D-Walker is best used for straight fights. You can call in supply drops and request new buddies, but it also cost money.

While things are excellent out in the field, there are some design choices that do not work as well. You can return to Mother Base between missions and freely explore it, but there is barely anything to do there. In addition, the main storyline offers plenty of missions, but the post-credits content is largely made up of tougher versions of previous missions. Granted there are some new story missions, which are some of the most engaging in the entire game, but you need to wade through a lot of recycled content to get to them.

The game offers online multiplayer in the form of “Metal Gear Online.” In up to 16 players in the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions, or 12 players in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, compete in three different types of matches. Bounty Hunter is a team deathmatch mode with a twist. Each team has a set number of points and must deplete the other team’s points to win. Killing an enemy is worth one point, but it also increases the point value of the killer. If you capture the enemy instead, you earn the point value instead. Cloak and Dagger has one attacking team armed only with non-lethal weapons and must steal intel and exfiltrate the area, while the defenders have lethal weapons and must kill all of the attackers. Finally, Comm Control requires the attacking team to reach the nodes to download intel within the time limit, while the defending team must keep them from doing so until time expires.

All of these modes are fun, but I thought that Cloak and Dagger was the most faithful to Metal Gear. I also never had a problem connecting to the server or experienced lag.

The other multiplayer component, the Forward Operating Base, on the other hand, is nowhere near as fun. You basically get to create your own base and set the defenses. You can also attack other players bases to steal their resources and kidnap their men to recruit into your own army. You can also kill them. If you get attacked, you can go to defend your base. The catch is that the defending player can respawn, but the attacker cannot. The attacker wins if they can get to the goal.

What makes this annoying is that, unless you purchase insurance with real money, you will actually lose resources and men when you are attacked, even if you are not connected to the internet at the time. If you are connected to the internet past a certain point, you are forced to create an FOB. This would not be so bad, but you need a premium currency to upgrade the base instead of the free currency.

Annoying FOB mode aside, The Phantom Pain is an excellent game that should not be missed.

Score 9/10