<![CDATA[Order of the Blue Gartr - Blogs - Sagacyte's BG corner by Sagacyte]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?u=88193 Blue Gartr Forums Built for the gamer inside all of us. Fresh to Elite, join our community supporting Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, other MMOs, and all sorts of games en Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:08:33 GMT vBulletin 5 https://cdn.bluegartr.com/images/styles/bluevb4/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Order of the Blue Gartr - Blogs - Sagacyte's BG corner by Sagacyte]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?u=88193 About stopping https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=404 Fri, 17 Nov 2017 19:51:54 GMT I was once visiting a mall in Argentina where the Sony store had set up an area to showcase the Playstation 3 and its games, having stations to show... I was once visiting a mall in Argentina where the Sony store had set up an area to showcase the Playstation 3 and its games, having stations to show and allow visitors to try games. One of these stations had a Rock Band game (can’t remember if it was 1 or 2), and it was being played by this man, probably older than 50 years old, looking like the kind of old people that love to ride Harley Davidson motorcycles. My wife told me then that she fully expected to see me like that (in the age sense, not the fashion sense) when I got older.

I am fully behind the idea of being a gamer until the day I die. It’s my hobby. My passion. What I love to do when I have free time. My drug. My escape. But I also wonder: will I truly be able to play as I grow old? Will my body cooperate?

My dad, a computer systems engineer, eventually developed a thing on his spine that was affecting his nerves and causing him to slowly lose strength and control over his hands. He had surgery and he got better. He’s no gamer. I also suffer from similar cervical spine pains due to a couple of car accidents and while I (think I) am far from these problems or weakening, I would be a fool to dismiss this possibility.

I wonder about a future where my source of gaming could end up being “Lets Play” videos on Youtube, having to tolerate the video maker’s chats or conversation while all I wanna do is see and listen to the game. VR may not reach the sci-fi-like point of allowing your brain to control games as some would expect. What would my options me if that future comes to pass? As a life long gamer – again: hobby, drug, escape – what happens when life, or a doctor, tells you “no more”?

I know. I know. Most of you reading this aren’t (probably) past 40 years old. Some are on their 20s. These scenarios seem too far away, too fictitious to even think about them… and when you do you quickly brush them off. I do too. But sometimes I do think about it.

I guess I am just in a slump. Life isn’t terri-bad on my end but things happen every day, you realize things every day.

**************************

Speaking about stopping, I have been thinking of stopping my blog. Temporarily or permanently. Not sure yet. My main platform of expression continues to be Twitter. Just not sure my mind’s in the blog enough. It sometimes feel like a void. So for the time being, my personal blog (and my reposts of it here on Bluegartr) will be on hold or cease to exist. You can catch me in the social network of the blue bird.

Thanks for reading my shenanigans. Thanks for commenting when you have done so.

I’ll be around. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=404 <![CDATA[Demon's Souls AI]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=402 Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:39:12 GMT I recently purchased the Witcher 3 on a PSN sale and while I am no trophy hunter, I have heard so much great things about the game that I couldn’t...
I recently purchased the Witcher 3 on a PSN sale and while I am no trophy hunter, I have heard so much great things about the game that I couldn’t help but see if it’s even possible for me to get it. So, one of the first choices I had to do was starting at a difficulty that would ensure I get the proper trophies once the game is done… so I chose “Death March” – the hardest difficulty. It took me around 10 tries – TEN TRIES – to pass the game’s very first encounter: a fight against 5 or 6 Ghouls. 10 tries. I was constantly destroyed by the small yet nimble creatures. But I persevered and eventually realized this game has what I call “Demon’s Souls AI”.

Back when DS was a new thing I played it cautiously since, as most of you know by now, almost everything can kill you in one or two hits. During a particular section of a castle, I was facing a strong knight that had killed me several times. At one point I lost “control” of the battle so I instinctively rolled away from the enemy several times to try to give me room to breathe. The knight suddenly stopped following me and slowly walked backwards… all the way to his starting point. MMO players are familiar with this behavior but the big difference is that whereas in an MMO an enemy that breaks this “patrol area” immediately beelines to its spot and recovers its health to full, in DS the enemy never recovers. I trust you know where this is going. Battle then becomes a matter of staying on the edge, baiting the enemy and getting a quick hit or two, and then going out of the zone, prompting the enemy to return, hurt, to its spot while you can safely heal and prepare another round. Rinse and repeat.

I am not sure just how far this technique will take me. By the time I battled the first boss I was more accustomed to the game’s combat and knew a few tricks – such as having a Quen shield always up – but I must admit that while it wasn’t for long, I didn’t feel like the creature was letting up. I am not sure if it flying into the air was just a way to mask the DS AI. I am still not sure how I defeated it.

I just finished the game’s starting area of White Orchard and have now arrived at the first proper map. It’s a big world out there, and I’m looking forward to seeing and doing more… even if I have to cheat the AI to do it! The Witcher 3 looks and sounds fantastic, and the open world, RPG style is exactly my type of game. Wish I had more time to enjoy it! ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=402 MP. Ugh. https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=401 Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:57:29 GMT Time to get the pitchforks, boys! Dip them in gasoline and then light them on fire! We’re going on a rally to complain about more gaming stuff! We...
Time to get the pitchforks, boys! Dip them in gasoline and then light them on fire! We’re going on a rally to complain about more gaming stuff! We got about 1 minute until the fire consumes the wood handle of the pitchfork and we’re left weapon-less. Who are we gonna complain to? No idea! It’s the hip thing these days.

What’s this about single player games being dead? Does it have something to do with Visceral Games being shut down because something something… something. Has anyone looked at the top games this year? Horizon, Nier:Automata, Cuphead, Persona 5. Those are just a few of the most talked about and loved games from the past months and they’re all single player.

Remember the time, around the middle of the PS360 era when suddenly every game needed a multiplayer component? Having MP was suddenly the “hip” thing to do… and it wasn’t because the games needed it. No. It was because on top of the extra game time having a multiplayer mode can provide, they’re also the door to create opportunities to sell extra stuff to the player. No, I am not saying this was when micro-transactions were born but rather this is when it feels like everyone and their mother decided this was a good idea. Games like Uncharted 2 suddenly had a multiplayer mode. Did it need it? Nah… but at least it was good. Remember Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer? Me neither. And fucking God of War: Ascension got a multiplayer mode… cheezus.

Thank God for single player games. A multiplayer game can be played for a long time, but few actually leave an impression. Games like any of the ones mentioned above (in paragraph 2) are games that do leave an impression… and they did it in one good long single player experience. Well, except for Nier:Automata. Beautiful multi-playthrough mindfuck of a game. Oh, and Undertale. I loved Undertale. Better than Ocarina of Time, some say. Bring on the pitchforks!

Now I’m back to playing FFXIV, a sub-based MMO, and Destiny 2, a game with silly lootboxes with colors and emotes that people made way too much a fuss about when what they should really be really mad (yes) at is the fact that THEY’RE SUSPENDING TRIALS FOR TWO WEEKS BECAUSE OF A FUCKING EMOTE GLITCHING PEOPLE OUTSIDE WALLS.

Man I hope a friend pays me the $20 they owe me so I can buy The Witcher 3 on PSN. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=401 This was about something else. https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=400 Fri, 13 Oct 2017 19:36:17 GMT You know what? I was gonna write a post about Destiny 2's current woes when it comes to end game progression and rewards. How end game activities are currently not feeling very rewarding and everything has been left to a system of trading tokens (not bad per se) for random pieces of loot (not good), as if someone thought it would be a good idea to copy MMO's token system and forgot that they complement the loot system, not replace it.

But there's so much negativity in gaming media lately that... I can't. I can't add to the pile. Lootbox and microtransaction hell in Battlefront 2 and Shadow of Mordor 2, housing issues in FFIXV, endgame pains in Destiny 2...
I am not saying that it's not warranted sometimes, but... too much negativity lately. And this is just game stuff... I don't even wanna go into world news ("calm before the storm", anyone) or personal stuff. I am just not feeling it, right now. I apologize.

I play games to escape reality, not to be engulfed in drama. I am just tired of it all.

Play your favorite game this weekend. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=400 Fortnite thoughts https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=399 Fri, 06 Oct 2017 20:38:41 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/22042310_930422657109933_8333033410641235441_o.jpg?w=700 A couple of days ago I wrote a...

A couple of days ago I wrote a series of tweets regarding Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode, released as a free to play game for the Playstation 4 and other platforms. Basically, I find it quite entertaining. I was not in the “battle royale” bandwagon, despite having read about the success of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) which was the game that made this genre take off in the past weeks, but I had a legitimate amount of fun playing this “last man standing” experience. However I was concerned that the game didn’t have any incentive to pull you over. There’s no levels you can get. No player customization to attach you to your avatar. No rewards for playing again and again. The game was fun, sure, but it could be so much more engaging.

Today I found out that such systems are coming to Fortnite. I am very much looking forward to them! Such a silly thing, no? Giving the player a progression system with customization and rewards works wonders to keep players interested into your admittedly repetitive product. Psychology. Speaking of mind games: I found it interesting that the developers of PUBG recently spoke out about their… “not excitement” about Fortnite’s releasing a Battle Royale mode – a mode that, it felt, they thought was their exclusive thing.

Look, fellas, PUBG may be the more “complete” game. It may have more players. It may be more complex. Have a bigger map, vehicles and best weapons… but at this point Fortnite has two big advantages:

1 - It’s free to play.
2 - It’s on Playstation 4.

Right now my drugs of choice are Destiny 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, two games that demand a lot of your time – a currency that’s ever scarce in adult life. Thinking of buying another game to compete with that, knowing that I may not have enough time for it? Doesn’t sound too appealing. A F2P game with a cool premise I can just download and pop in here and there during the weekend? Yeah. No contest.

Have you given Fortnite Battle Royale a shot? Have you tried any of these Battle Royale genre games? I like it. I really do. I played duos and managed to finish 8th. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to ever “be the last one” but I’ll sure s heck sweat every inch of the map I must cover to escape the storm and my fellow men. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=399 It never stops https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=396 Fri, 29 Sep 2017 21:16:49 GMT


I still don’t have 280 characters to tweet.

It wasn’t long ago that we talked about Final Fantasy XV‘s incomplete story, or at the very least its weird and seemingly disappointing storytelling. Leaving crucial parts of the story for DLC wasn’t the coolest of moves but… ok. Whatever. You wanna make an extra buck and will release this clearly omitted segments for a price. Cool. But then they changed Chapter 13. They added extra segments to appease fan complains about that specific part of the game.

And now they’re adding extra cutscenes regarding events that happened way before the game started. I’m talking way before. The War of the Astrals, I believe it was called. In case you forgot (otherwise be warned: spoilers) that’s the story of how Ifrit somehow stopped being chill with the other Astrals and went on his own spree of chaos. Whatever happened here echoed all the way to present-day XV, forming part of the game’s lore. I unfortunately don’t remember much else.

This important exposition wasn’t there when the game launched. I very much doubt it was ever planned. This is all being added to provide hungry (or angry) fans with lore and story in a game that wasn’t very good at communicating it all. It’s cool that the game is still being updated with story content. It’s not so cool that this isn’t extra story content but rather stuff that should have been there from the start.

Should I be grateful that this new content will exist? Maybe. But that doesn’t remove the fact that I haven’t really played XV’s story content (DLCs) because I know there’s gonna be tweaks here and there in the future. I know you can select a chapter to play and you’ll get the info… but that is not the point. This is not a persistent world MMO where frequent additions to the story are expected. This is a game most people expected to be played once for story and more for replays or whatever. Instead now playing it again feels moot because “who knows? Maybe next week they’ll change another chapter and now the story isn’t the same”. And now there’s talks of a second Season Pass, theoretically filled with content fans have been asking for a while now – chief among them the request for more story on the villain himself.

Just when will XV be “ready”? Right now I see people on Twitter saying that they are holding off on XV since they’d rather wait until it’s complete. I am inclined to agree.

In this day of microtransactions and DLC, I still hope that Final Fantasy XVI will be a single-player game that I can play, from start to finish, and live a grand self-contained story that will leave me satisfied. I am not holding my breath, though. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=396 <![CDATA["Please, Bungo"]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=395 Wed, 20 Sep 2017 15:56:30 GMT Destiny’s Reddit, as it often happens with most game subreddits, has turned from praising Destiny 2 to reveling in posts about flaws or suggestions...
Destiny’s Reddit, as it often happens with most game subreddits, has turned from praising Destiny 2 to reveling in posts about flaws or suggestions that could fix some of the problems people say the game has. Some big, some small, and some still fixated on the shaders issue (previously “wearable” items are now consumed on use). What is good about community feedback is that for every “OMG Bungo nerf MIDA” there is a bunch of good observations, some of which I very much agree on.

But let’s get serious: Bungie isn’t gonna change the fact that shaders are consumables – at least not overnight. It’s ingrained in the Bright Engram (read: “loot box”) cycle and is supposed to make you want to buy them. And neither are they gonna – to my chagrin – change the fact that patrolling a zone is a three man activity. The fact they changed PvP to be a four man deal is neat, and while it presents the problem of having to drop someone if you then wanna do public events in whatever planet suits your fancy, it is just the way the game works.


On the other hand, stuff like allowing you to see your fireteam’s position on the planet’s map would be quite helpful, as would be having a compass on the mini-map to help us get our bearings. I have a relatively firm grasp of the EDZ and can often get an idea of where I’m going, but other planets like Io and Nessus can be a bit more labyrinthine.

That you can’t replay story missions at will like it was possible in Destiny is an odd choice. At the moment you can only play these in the form of “meditations” from a certain NPC, but they are unchanged – no “heroic daily story mission”. This also cuts the chances of having secrets hidden in these missions, like the Black Spindle hidden quest. In Destiny 2 during a very cool mission there have been reports of hidden rooms with uniquely named mobs, but since the mission cannot be replayed at will there has been no indication of what these could mean. Hopefully this is a trick up Bungie’s sleeve for a future update.

One thing I would definitely love to see is a tracker for the items you can scan in the zones. Sprinkled all over the maps are items that can be scanned for a tidbit of extra lore. Hunting these is fun way to pass time and learn more of the game’s story and history but without a mean of checking how many there are or which ones we are missing it becomes more a matter of randomly bumping into one. Having a way to re-read those we have already scanned would be stellar, too!

I don’t wanna touch on the grind aspect that so many critique because Destiny 2 is a grindy game, as MMOs are. Yes, I am repeating that Destiny 2 (like its predecessor) is an MMO. Grind included.

Some say the “honeymoon phase” has ended and thus the flaws are beginning to show. I am still quite happy with Destiny 2. I don’t expect to play it every single day forever – soon other games or patches for games will demand my attention at least for a while. Now if only my clan could perform appropriately in Trials of the Nine or in the Leviathan raid… that’d be great. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=395 I love a good remake/remaster https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=394 Fri, 15 Sep 2017 19:57:50 GMT People mock this generation for having way too many “remakes” or “remasters”, but I am actually quite happy with them – with a condition. They...
People mock this generation for having way too many “remakes” or “remasters”, but I am actually quite happy with them – with a condition. They present opportunities to enjoy old favorites again or even play an old fan-favorite for the first time when switching consoles. For the lazy in us they even provide the chance to play some game you have on an older console without the hassle of plugin it again, with modern day enhancements such as screen captures or trophies. But the true lure of this games is when they come with enhancements that range from extra features to entirely new looks. I recently played two very good examples of this kind of games.


Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age doesn’t rework the whole game that existed around a decade ago but instead focuses in polishing it with a coat of high definition paint, a wonderful orchestrated soundtrack, and slight gameplay tweaks. It’s a delight seeing this game in HD up from its former standard resolution during the days of the Playstation 2. The new job system changes things for western players who never got to enjoy the Japan-only Zodiac Age edition, keeping the experience fresh. This is a “remaster” that works. I understand others like Kingdom Hearts have provided similar experiences in current generation consoles, though I don’t have those titles (yet).


Crash Bandicoot – N’sane Trilogy takes things much further. A simple port of the PS1 games wouldn’t do. They completely “remade” the entire three original Crash Bandicoot games with current-generation graphics and music while keeping the gameplay almost intact. If you played these titles on their original releases then you would feel right at home here – it looks new, but under the hood is it the same game you remember. I had a great time reading forum/Reddit/twitter posts commenting on the difficulty of these games; most people isn’t accustomed to how hard these used to be, specially the first one where a couple of levels can be rage-inducing.

Nostalgia may play a big factor in remasters or remakes, and the fact that new consoles like the Playstation 4 do not support backwards compatibility is an open door for developers to sell this games again and maximize profits, but as long as these games aren’t just ports I am perfectly fine with them.

I am not against we getting more of these kind of games, as long as they’re done right: keeping as close as possible to the originals when it comes to gameplay while sprinkling them in HD seasoning to make them more visually appealing to today’s audiences and available technology. A game that comes to mind is the Secret of Mana remake, which I will definitely be getting. I do, however, dislike seeing games that change too much from what my memory remembers all for the sake of dazzling (i.e. the Final Fantasy VII Remake) – they then become something else, something unrecognizable. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=394 A Destiny 2 suggestion https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=393 Wed, 06 Sep 2017 19:24:43 GMT I played two hours of Destiny 2 last night. That stupid little voice on the back of my head warning me about the very real dangers of falling asleep...
I played two hours of Destiny 2 last night. That stupid little voice on the back of my head warning me about the very real dangers of falling asleep on the wheel the next morning. Still, those two hours were very enjoyable and cannot wait to get back to it tonight! For now, I wanted to give a small suggestion to those who are just starting out on their new adventure.

Will contain slight spoilers from the Beta version.


On your first playthrough I advice going slowly. Don’t run everywhere. Don’t just rush past corridors, forests or space ships. Unless the game forces you to (such as presenting a timed event) try to go about it in a way that will allow you to take the sights, sounds and atmosphere the world is trying to sell. Use your imagination to go beyond.

I won’t spoil any Destiny 2 mission, so as an example I’ll refer to a section of Destiny’s ‘Taken King’ expansion’s very first mission ‘The Coming War’. Sent to a Cabal base on Phobos to investigate a distress signal, your Guardian finds Cabal forces fleeing or dead. Inside the fortress is a series of corridors of Cabal corpses and debris, littered with patches of black light. There you’ll meet the Taken, infantry of Oryx, the titular Taken King. Eventually you are faced with a vision of your new enemy and a strong Taken leader for you to deal with. You can run through the halls of the base rushing to the next “trigger” that will regale you with story tidbits or another encounter. Play like someone who doesn’t care about the story would, or a seasoned veteran who has done the mission a dozen times before. But I advocate another method.

Walk slowly through the corridors of the base. Look at all the small details. The broken cables, the sparks flying about, the sounds of the alarms. The flailing of the Cabal soldier that a second later vanishes into a pool of black nothingness. The erratic movement of the Taken. Try to get an idea of what the level is or was. Play as if you’re experiencing what your Guardian is experiencing — I believe this results in a much stronger gameplay experience.

To apply this to a tiny moment of the Destiny 2 Beta: when Amanda drops you on the Cabal Command Ship, you are expected to run up the ramp and into the structure. Stop for a moment. Look around you. You’re in a ship above the city while rain furiously dashes around you. Those spheres that carried Cabal infantry to attack the Tower are being propelled to the ground by the electricity powered corridor on your left. Understand what is going on and try to make that a part of the experience.

I can think of dozens of moments in Destiny 1 (and many other games) where people just rush through instead of appreciating what is going on. I even have friends that don’t care one bit about the story and just rush it in order to farm end game currency. I am not saying that is wrong, or that my suggestion is right. I am just giving you an idea that may end up enhancing your experience — and I truly hope it does.

See you in orbit, Guardians. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=393 Farewell, Destiny https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=392 Mon, 04 Sep 2017 20:25:37 GMT And he shall return when it is time for the end. Destiny 2 launches tomorrow and I just can’t wait for it to come. I have been playing Destiny on... And he shall return when it is time for the end.

Destiny 2 launches tomorrow and I just can’t wait for it to come. I have been playing Destiny on and off, from the Alpha to the final expansion (Rise of Iron), and few other games have captured my attention with its rich universe and deep lore — very important things both. This past weekend I booted up the game for what could very well be the last time. I did not go to every planet or strike, I didn’t visit the Crucible or did some much needed (and pointless) inventory and vault management. I just went to the soon-to-be-destroyed Tower and to the Russian Cosmodrome, as it is the very first place a Guardian goes to when they begin their adventure.

The Tower holds the view that captured my imagination hundreds of times: the Traveler hovering above the distant Last City. More than once I stood by the railings looking into the distance, at the lights of distant ships going to and from the city. Night falls and the glow of the city reaches Guardians who dream of the life citizens lead under the alien ‘God’ that now lays dormant above their heads. We never touched the city, just had a view from the Vanguard’s seat of command.


The Cosmodrome in Russia was a tad less tantalizing but still a wonder panorama: skyboxes of incredible quality serving as background to towering rockets that would have ferried humanity out of Earth, and distant noises made by the resident Fallen soldiers. As I walked around the hills, a Warlock also entered the zone; we noticed each other and he did nothing but follow me. I believe he was there on his last trip, too.


We helped the Traveler heal. We stopped time’s conflux. Killed the son. Killed the father. Stopped SIVA. “The children of the city are no longer afraid” said Zavala.

They will be.

Tomorrow. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=392 <![CDATA[Saga's E3 2017 review]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=385 Wed, 14 Jun 2017 15:35:39 GMT

2017's E3 in review:


See you next week.











Oh, you wanted more?

This year's E3 has been truly special, I tell you. In an "odd" sense of special. I will refrain from commenting on EA and Bethesda's conferences because I did not watch them, and also because from what I gather from my timeline they were both pretty boring - one of them being a disaster (guess which one!). I'll focus on those I did watch.

Microsoft's Exclusive X

I am not the right person to talk about this one, to be fair. I am a Playstation man. I don't care a leek bundle about their franchises. Also, I cannot for the life of me understand MS' approach to its consoles. Every "exclusive" game coming to Xbox is either a timed console exclusive or also coming to PC. I know not everyone has a decent gaming PC but... it's like throwing away the word exclusive because it's free. Call me what you want but I have a PS4 because there are games there that I can find nowhere else... Xbox shares with PC so, yeah, that.

Also Scorpio, the most powerful console ever created, will be $499. Minecraft in 4K! Also for exclusives... that also come to PC. What is the... Know what? I'll move on.

Final comment: wanna bet Anthem gets downgraded to hell when it releases? It looked too good to be true. So good that people started asking why it looked so good when Andromeda looked so... moving on!

Ubisoft's surprise

While their specialty are bullshots and whatever the equivalent term is for video, I can hardly deny that Ubi had a good lineup of games present at their presser. Not that I care about all those games, of course, but the lineup was solid. The Crew 2, Steep, South Park, Assassin's Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, Just Dance. All cool in their own way - except for the Just Dance segment: we're way beyond dancers and singers on stage.

Assassin's Creed looks great but seems to be more of the same (which could be a good or bad thing), and Far Cry 5 looks very Far Cry-y (although I dislike demos where everything moves oh-so-perfectly... feels like a target rather than reality). The surprise of their show was definite... wait, don't get ahead of yourself. Sure, Beyond Good and Evil 2 was a welcome reveal, but it was basically a CG trailer. There's nothing to show yet. Nevertheless, as we'll talk about later, these CG trailers serve an important purpose.

As I was saying, the surprise (discounting the fact that it was leaked before the presser) was that Mario + Rabbids game. It looks colorful, nice, has personality (in its own Minion-ish way), and it even sports Xcom gameplay. That was not something I was expecting to see. As I said on Twitter, that was the first time in this E3 I felt like the Switch was a worthy console to consider. Oh boy, that would not be the only time... oh, no.

Sony stumbles

As a Playstation man I have to admit Sony's presentation was pretty... lacking. I think we were all expecting megatons and a show not unlike the E3s of the past couple of years. Instead we got a pretty run-of-the-mill event. Starting with those dudes playing exotic music and then a trailer for that Uncharted spin-off that hasn't rocked my underwear yet. Did I mention how, in Ubi's presser, the worst part were those dancers and singers? This is similar. I watch E3 to get info on games, not artsy-fartsy stuff. That takes away time from important games info and reveals. Days Gone still hasn't convinced me either. Looks nice and all but... I haven't had that "oh shit!" moment yet.

Then came the second worst thing you can do in a media showcase: the VR segment (the worst worst is talking about numbers and sales and the like). Yes, I dislike VR. Or rather, I don't think VR is where it should be at, and thus it's mostly a gimmick right now. It doesn't help when most VR games shown were not impressive at all. Skyrim VR looked as if it was running on a Nintendo Wii. I don't even need to bash that Final Fantasy XV fishing VR thing... its sole existence is ridiculous. I know some of you have PSVRs and like seeing it supported... but to me this was a waste of show space.

Not all of it was bad. Destiny 2's trailer is my jam. Shadow of the Colossus is getting a remake of sorts (at least it's not a direct port). God of War looks great, though I could have done with a bombastic battle sequence like those that were all the rage in 3. Spiderman also looks neat, though it's no "day 1" for me.

And that was it. Really. To this day is baffles me how they revealed or showed trailers for sort of better stuff before the conference started, in their pre-show. A final Crash Bandicoot remaster trailer, Ni No Kuni 2 trailer and release date, Gran Turismo trailer, fucking Knack 2 trailer, Everybody's Golf (formerly known as Hotshot's Golf) trailer, Superhot VR announcement, and holy-fuck-why-not-in-the-main-show Undertale on PS4... AND VITA. At least half of these deserved a spot in the main presser.

There was also a distinct lack of surprises. According to Shuhei, this was by design since they're saving surprises for Playstation Experience at the end of the year. Would it have hurt them to show one or two surprises? I guess we'll never know.

Before moving on, a curiosity. During MS' conference it was announced that Minecraft would have cross-play with PC and other consoles... except PS4. Later, when Rocket League was announced for the Switch it was said that it would also have cross-play with PC and other consoles... except PS4. In both of these cases, this was by Sony's refusal. This is very odd. Let's say I am wrong and am mis-remembering that Rocket League has/had PS4-PC cross-play, I am however very much certain that PS4 has cross-play with PC in Final Fantasy XIV. I am guessing this is a matter of who hosts the servers (XIV depends on SE's servers) but it's quite odd that Micro-"we won't cross play with Playstation"-soft and Nin-"what is a network"-tendo are spearheading cross-play in 2017 and Sony is suddenly refusing it left and right. Odd.

Metroid. I mean Nintendo.

Look, I don't hate Nintendo. They're a big part of my childhood and while I haven't bought one of their consoles in years, and admit to making fun of their choices and perils with my friends, I don't want them to die or anything like that. I also don't give a crap about most of their current big-name franchises. I see people lose their collective shit about Fire Emblem whenever a new one is announced, and I have more excitement seeing fresh paint dry. I don't give a rat's ass if you're a kid or you're a squid. And so on.

But when Nintendo tells me they're making Metroid Prime 4 for Switch... I listen. When Nintendo tells me they're developing a main, not spin-off Pokémon game for Switch... I listen. And when they, after the show, show a remake of Metroid 2 for Nintendo 3DS... I listen. Ubisoft's Rabbids game was the "man, Switch is looking up" moment of the conference, Metroid was the "oh fuck, I need a Switch" one. I also want a 3DS now since that Metroid 2 remake looked sexy (3DS also has quite a few games I would love to play from past years, such as Phoenix Wright and the Bravely Default ones).

Kirby is cute but I don't care. Fire Emblem could disappear and I wouldn't bat an eye. Cutesy Yoshi is for children. Xenosaga looks... urgh, let's not talk about that. As I said, the Nintendo of the past few years has games I don't care for. But they announce Metroid Prime and I am losing my shit.

And Mario to close the show. Mario... it just looked fucking good.

I want a 3DS and a Switch. Maybe in a few years when they are cheaper?

Promises

"How can you be the most excited for a game that we only got a title image for?"

Because it's a promise. Metroid fans have spent years dreaming of a new Prime and for the first time in forever we are being told it's gonna be real. In a couple years, sure, but it's gonna be real.

Sometimes, these logo and CG trailers go a long way in generating a positive impression. How many years have you seen E3 "megatons" that weren't more than titles or CG trailers? Look at people losing their shit for Beyond Good and Evil 2... and that was just a CG trailer. Remember Sony's legendary E3 in 2015? There were three megaton moments then:

  • The Last Guardian gameplay
  • Final Fantasy VII remake announcement
  • Shenmue 3 announcement


TLG was a vaporware game becoming real, so it's a different situation from the topic at hand, but the other two are perfect examples. FFVIIR was announced with a CG trailer (which probably had more work put into it than what has been done with the real game so far) and just last month SE hired people for its development. Shenmue 3... have we heard anything besides a screenshot or two per year? Bot of these announcements were megatons. They drove people wild and people widely said that Sony "won" E3 that year (whether you believe anyone "wins" E3 is neither here nor there). They stopped presses. They became legends.

Neither of those games are real yet. Until we're told otherwise, we can safely consider both of those as vaporware.

But vaporware sells. The promise sells.

Metroid Prime 4 is vaporware. Until we see the game running and with a solid date, it's just a promise. And that's exciting. It's not fulfilling... it's exciting. That's where Sony dropped the ball this E3: they lacked promises people wanted, they showed stuff we know about (good stuff, don't get me wrong) but no big promises for the future. We'll see if Playstation Experience proves us wrong, but until then, nothing from E3 rocked my world from Sony. Nintendo played its cards well... and you can bet they saved some aces down the line.

tl;dr: WHERE'S BLOODBORNE 2, SONY? ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=385 VII smells like XV https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=382 Mon, 29 May 2017 15:30:50 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/ffviir-feature.gif?w=800 I love Square-Enix (SE). In decades past it was a company that you...

I love Square-Enix (SE). In decades past it was a company that you could count on for its consistency: practically all of the games they released were surefire hits and amazing experiences. These days? I can still count on them for consistency... in making weird, weird decisions.

Two years ago SE floored the world by revealing they were remaking one of their most beloved games: Final Fantasy VII. You know the story by now: the JPRG that took JRPGs out of niche status, the JRPG that made JRPGs popular in the west, one of - if not the - Playstation's most cherished games ever. There are opinions, blog posts, articles, reviews, fan projects on VII as there are stars in the sky. Lots of people have wished for a remake for years... and it was finally coming true! Hype! Excitement! Tears! Screams! Surely SE had everything set to give its flagship title/franchise the attention and care it deserved, right?

I don't know anymore.

Where do I start? Maybe at SE spending probably more time and resources in the reveal video than what it has into the actual game itself? I dunno. Maybe? It seems? The news that the game was gonna be episodic and have gameplay more akin to Final Fantasy XV than its source material did not help, to be honest. But the news do not stop there!

It appears SE had been using external partners to work on the game, and recent news point to in-house mass recruiting of talent to work on it. I know what you are thinking: "why are they recruiting now for a game announced two years ago?" One of the wonders of the game industry is that you can announce something that doesn't exist (and may never do) and people will still be excited. You promise air, and people will yearn to breathe it. But I digress! SE is now looking to move development in-house. Again, I know what you are thinking: "why would SE outsource what is likely the most important project on their lineup and their flagship franchise?" Well... because... um...


So now SE wants to take the reins. Ok, cool. I doubt we will get a true remake in place of the episodic abomination they're planning but at least they are starting to take this seriously. Oh, and they have a new person at the helm. Naoki Hamaguchi, the guy in charge of Mobius Final Fantasy.

Hold on.

They put someone in charge of a mobile game to helm the VII Remake?


Ok... ok. Let's be fair. We could end up being pleasantly surprised. Mobius is doing well for SE. Perhaps we are looking at another Naoki Yoshida - someone who takes charge of a Final Fantasy title and does a good job at it. I mean, let's give the man a chance, yes? It cannot be worse than "A game per decade" Nomura, right?

RECAP TIME: Squeenix is moving all development of the Final Fantasy VII remake in-house, with a new team and new head, two years after its announcement. Popcorn is ready.

I smell Final Fantasy XV.

My final question is this: why didn't SE just remake VII the same way Sony is remaking Crash Bandicoot? Have you seen that game? It's the exact same thing we played all those years ago, but with current generation graphics and polish. Yeah, a dozen of you are probably coming up with reasons (good ones, at that) why SE would go the way they're going. But that's all I ever wanted: the same grand experience of VII looking the best it can look (and typos corrected, please) using current gen tech. I guess my dreams will remain dreams forever.

Let's at least hope this game comes out someday in the next decade and doesn't become vaporware. Wouldn't want it to, like Sephiroth feared, become "just a memory". ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=382 No one expects the PS4 Inquisition https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=381 Mon, 15 May 2017 19:35:25 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/inquisition_feature.gif?w=800 When *Dragon Age: Inquisition* launched in 2014 it was a game...

When Dragon Age: Inquisition launched in 2014 it was a game that got a lot of hype. Lots of people on the internet and on my twitter timeline were saying how good it was. Alas, for reasons I can't remember I was spent and couldn't afford it. Shortly after the new year, the EA or Origin twitter account started asking people which games they'd missed for Christmas, and I replied with DA:I.

I thought it was just them trying to connect with players - social networking, you know? Moments later I got a DM from them, which included a code for, among other games, DA:I. I was so shocked and confused I asked my office's IT to allow me to install Origin just so I could see what the code was! And indeed, the code added some games to my Origin account (DA:I, Battlefield 4, FIFA & Titanfall).

Now, I have a problem with DA:I. Oh no, no... the game's fantastic. I love it! However, save for MMOs and certain FPSs, I'm not that much of a PC gamer, and some games I very much prefer to play them on my Playstation. I started DA:I a few times, but never really stuck with it (*spoiler* made it as far as when you change bases *spoiler*). I know I can connect my Dualshock to the PC and play like that, but... for some weird quirk I like it better being on the Playstation. I'm crazy, I know. So when last year (2 years later) I saw DA:I on sale on PSN, I bought it but it went straight to the backlog (a topic for another time, I guess).

I launched DA:I on PC a few days ago to test my new motherboard/CPU and played the initial section (until title logo appears... some 30 minutes into the game?). And then I had a thought: how will it run on PS4? I know PC can reach 60fps while PS4 didn't go over 30fps. A thing to note is cutscenes are locked at 30fps on PC, too (I'm sure there's a patch or hax somewhere to unlock it, but I'm talking defaults here). So, I launched DA:I on PS4. Weirdness follows.

Note: if you're a "PC Master Race" herpderper, you might wanna go elsewhere.

DA:I on PS4 looks almost identical to its PC counterpart, at least in my eyes. Sure, there's small pop-in with small rocks and whatnot, as well as other minimal details here and there, but nothing that has made me stop and say "fuck this". Framerate isn't bad, either. Maybe it's a monitor vs TV thing, but 30fps doesn't look bad on PS4. Maybe it's because there's no sudden 60 to 30 jumps for every cutscene? I don't know. And finally, surely due to whatever extra settings it has to handle on PC, it loads way faster on PS4. Loading screens on PC can take two to three times (!) as long. It's the weirdest thing...

So I am now playing on PS4, reached the part where I have to talk to the time-fucking mages (way before you *spoiler* change bases *spoiler*) and it's pretty much great! I am enjoying it as much as (if not more than) the PC version. Call me crazy. My Origin account still has over 120h of DA:I, though most of those are from my stepson (Oh, the joys of adolescent free time!). I am looking forward to finally going beyond my limit in this game. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=381 <![CDATA[Sagacyte's Dream Crate]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=380 Thu, 04 May 2017 16:58:39 GMT

I know what you're all thinking... and you're probably right.

I was recently contacted by someone from LootCrate, which is a service that I had heard before but by the virtue of my location and our imbecilic leader's fantastic ideas (and where to find them) it's little more than a dream to me. You have probably seen one or heard about them from people on Twitter or Youtube. Short version: monthly sub to get a box full of small geek/gaming goodies that range from apparel to pins to figurines. The idea they shared is simple enough: create a blog post about a "DreamCrate". In other terms: "create a LootCrate with whatever it is you wish one would have". No limits, all creativity.

I know, I know. This is basically free publicity for them. But I don't mind. Gives me something to write about, and a fantasy to keep the blog moving. SO... DreamCrate! I'm gonna follow their usual structure for this box so, here goes nothing!

My theme is gonna be Final Fantasy. Because I love Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy. Final.

Item 1: T-shirt


There are so many great t-shirts with the FF theme around! I wouldn't mind something exclusive, though. With XIV entering it's new expansion soon, a related t-shirt would be awesome. I'm favorable to designs that go beyond the usual "PR art", such as a Metroid one I got a couple of years ago:


Item 2: Pin


I can think of a hundred things from Final Fantasy that could be converted into a pin. But you can't go wrong with one of the many sprite arts of the myriad of characters from the series. Even more modern entries have their characters turned into sprites for good old tradition's sake. Still I would go for a classic one, such as the Black Mage pin above. Others may choose other jobs. Maybe randomize them in the box?

Item 3: Wall scroll / poster


Another indispensable item would be a wall scroll or poster to share your love for the franchise. Again, the possibilities are endless, but let's go with Stormblood, it being the closes thing to a new Final Fantasy we're having soon.

Item 4: Lanyard


Not much science in this one. Squeenix often has lanyards themed with FF characters that they give away during big events such as PAX or Comic Cons, and they also offer them in their store, often for member points instead of money. There's a few variants in color and design, but they're a cool item to have. I myself have my XIV key with one (pictured above... don't mind the discoloring).

Item 5: Sticker


Let's keep it simple. A themed sticker or two would be awesome! Faction logos, Chocobo or other mascot related... the possibilities are almost endless! Show your love for your favorite Final Fantasy character with a cool sticker, or maybe make your car more gentlemantly...


Item 6: Sampler CD

Final Fantasy has great music. Be it from Master Uematsu or Soken, FF titles sport amazing music that goes way beyond what game music has been for years, and Squeenix isn't against making boat loads of CDs (and lately... urgh... Blurays) with everything you can think of: samplers, remixes, full soundtracks, partial soundtracks.

So how about a LootCrate exclusive Final Fantasy sampler CD? with tracks from different compilations? A theme from "Potion", another from "Brass de Bravo", a dash of "SQ Chips", or even a piece of heaven from one of their "Distant Worlds" discs?

*****

And thaaat's my idea of a cool LootCrate! This is basically a dream idea so it doesn't mean this will become reality, but hey! If I can dream of ever getting a LootCrate, I can also dream of getting a LootCrate I thought of, right?

*****

And finally, I still know what you're thinking and you're probably right. Except if you're thinking I was paid for this in any way, in which case you'd be wrong; which would lead you to back to what you were originally thinking, and that's when I refer you to paragraph 3. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=380 Storm of benchmarks https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=378 Fri, 28 Apr 2017 16:32:24 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/stormblood-feature.gif?w=850 Have you already tried the *Stormblood* benchmark? It is up now...

Have you already tried the Stormblood benchmark? It is up now!

And in good time, too! Just yesterday I was tweeting about how Squeenix has been quiet about Final Fantasy XIV's new expansion, which has been a common topic of a few podcasts I have heard this past week. While I do share the sentiment, I took some time yesterday to research just how this info drip compares to Heavensward's. Basically, it's almost the same as before.


With the exception of the gear set preview (which we got a sneak peek at in the benchmark) we're pretty much on schedule, and we can expect a lot of new and cool info late May.

Maybe this feeling of "not enough info" comes from the fact that Heavensward's final patch didn't end up as surprisingly as A Realm Reborn. Both have their moments, but maybe 2.5X's pacing was better and had more impact than 3.5X? The final patches did seem to spread a bit too much for their own good. Anyways, we have the benchmark. We have seen the preview. Now we wait for more info.

However, it's good to temper expectations. And no, I am not saying to not be hyped (I am quite hyped, if you ask me). I am talking about knowing what to expect. It seems some people expect Stormblood to totally change the game; others openly voice their dislike of this being "like Heavensward with a different skin". To each their own, really. If you will be leaving the XIV boat for X or Y reason, you're welcome to do it - good luck in your future ventures!

Me? I'll be joining the rest on the trip to the east! Bring the storm of blood.

Oh, and Yojimbo. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=378 A donut. A flashy donut. A pizza. https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=377 Fri, 21 Apr 2017 20:24:25 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/persona5.gif?w=850 I have to talk about *Persona 5*. No spoilers. What is most amazing to...

I have to talk about Persona 5. No spoilers.

What is most amazing to me about P5 is not its dazzling visual style, full of color and personality like few games before it. It is also not its soundtrack (oh, dat soundtrack). It is simply that P5 is, at its core, an RPG that doesn't deviate much from the genre's and its name's roots to bring that sense of pureness that I was missing for so long.

P5 has its systems. Some are returning staples from old Persona games. Negotiation, Confidants, the time/activity system, deadlines for dungeons. But any RPG fan can also feel this as, at its core, P5 is an old school game with a learning curve and a deep system to enjoy once you master it, all coiled around a gripping story (and a very good soundtrack). Together with nomenclature that is familiar to fans (such as the names of the spells) it will make any Persona fan feel right at home, and genre fans can learn a few new keywords and join in (such as learning that 'Zio' is the name of the thunder spell).

It's hard to explain but one of the reasons that motivated me to write this is P5's combat. It's flashy, quick, simple yet complex. But it's simply an old-school turn-based combat system. Having started playing P4 a bit before P5 made things feel familiar, with the obvious resolution and style injection. And while I have not played Persona 3, videos show it's very similar to P4. And this system is very much the same turn-based combat system that we had back since the golden age of RPGs, also known as the "SNES era".

RPGs have changed a lot in the past two decades - production values, technology, capacity - but they were familiar to any fan of the genre. P5 is a game that doesn't care much for evolving into something it's not. It's very much happy with giving you the exact same experience people have loved for decades, with superficial differences, retaining the franchise and saga's 'systems' I mentioned earlier, and making it look good in its own style-orgy sense. This inevitably made me think of other RPG franchises. I am ill-fitted to talk about Dragon Quest as I've played only two games in that franchise: 1 and 8. Nevertheless, 8 is very much like 1 but with the obvious differences one would expect from almost 20 years of technology: 3D world, voice acting, orchestra music, etc. I cannot talk much about these series, to be fair.

The other is, of course, Final Fantasy. FF is a series that has embraced evolution in their main numbered entries, sometimes in drastic steps. They all share many things in common, from spell names to Chocobos and a guy named 'Cid'. Besides this, they also like experimenting a lot with changing systems for every installment, such as the job system in 3, the Esper system in 6, or the GF system in 8. But speaking of combat, there are very clear eras in FF:

  • 1 to 3 were turn based.
  • 4 to 9 used the ATB system, which determined the turn order thanks to a speed/agility stat.
  • 10 returned to turn based, but the order was determined by stats.
  • 11 went MMO.
  • 12 was a single-player MMO-like combat system.
  • 13 returned to a faster version of the ATB.
  • 14 is another MMO but its combat is more dynamic than XI's.
  • 15 is a real-time action RPG.


While the game's retain all the things that make them FF, each era plays differently. Some call this evolution, which is fine. P5 doesn't care about this evolution. It refines what exists and makes it look good. In that sense, P5 is like a very good looking SNES/PSX era FF. The sense of familiarity that comes from a game like P5 is a wonderful thing. Familiarity born from being just what it always has been, just making it look good. And this is why P5 is such a fun game to play: it doesn't want to be something else, it wants to be a Persona game, and a fine looking one at that.

Persona 5 is a flashy donut. It's similar to the donut you have always loved, but with a new delicious and very attractive topping. It's not - nor does it try to be - a slice of pizza. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=377 Random Thoughts #1 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=376 Thu, 13 Apr 2017 20:19:54 GMT

*****

Persona 5 is really cool. Really cool. It's great as an RPG thanks to its plethora of systems and options. It's great as a visual showcase, exuding style in absolutely every pixel on the screen. Soundtrack is also quick to find a home in your ears. I'm just 10 hours into the game and I am enjoying my time with it.

And yeah, I started Persona 5 while I am also playing Persona 4 Golden. I need professional help. However, the limited knowledge I had from 4's combat and systems helped me catch on to 5 pretty quickly. I know the flow of things, as stressful as they are.

I won't speak more since the game is too fresh and spoilers are the enemy.

*****

I am not even sure what to say about the Scorpio. I could begin by saying that I'm a Playstation man so, yeah, bias. Even so, I don't see how Scorpio is gonna help Microsoft this generation. Sure, there may be some ulterior makes-sense-business-side motive but as it is, the Xbox's problem isn't a lack of power but a lack of exclusive games. These days they even push that initiative that allows you to get all Microsoft exclusives on both Xbox and PC.

They even said that Scorpio will sell at a premium. The PC Master Racers are gonna have a field day making builds that can run anything better for the same price.

Again, it's not an issue of power. It's about games exclusive to the console.

*****

Nintendo discontinuing the NES Classic?

Sure, people can do the same (and more) the little console did with a Raspberry Pi or good ol' emulators but...

Really? A lot of people wanted one of those. A lot of people didn't manage to get their hands on one due to arguably-artificial shortages.

At this rate Final Fantasy XIV is gonna be a Switch exclusive. God knows Squeenix is also a company that sometimes seems to hate money.

Oh well... bring on the SNES Classic. I'll know to not look forward to getting on.

Which reminds me that Capcom was releasing a collection of their old (and great) Disney IP games from the NES era... oh, $20? Yeah, I'll wait.

*****

Since I am in a Persona mood I started seeing what else was available on the Playstation Store regarding those games. There's a rhythm game for the Playstation Vita, Persona 4 Dancing All Night, and people say it's good. It's a bit too expensive still so I might wait for a sale. Said game also has an inspired Vita theme. I decided to investigate a bit more about it.

I ended up on a preview of the japanese Vita theme on Youtube and I got spoiled on a critical Persona 4 Golden plot point/character, who happens to be in one of the theme's 'pages'.

I'm not mad because the game has been out for ages now and it's my own fault I am just playing it now, but still, reminds us of the eternal lesson to avoid searching for anything regarding a game you are playing.

Oh and the japanese theme is leagues better than the US one.

*****

Every day's great at your Junes.

*****

Happy Easter! Hope you enjoy the long weekend and have a lot of fun playing your favorite video games! Eat some chocolate for me! ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=376 <![CDATA[Let's talk about Persona]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=375 Thu, 06 Apr 2017 20:21:01 GMT

It's Personamania, everyone! With this week's launch of the highly anticipated Persona 5 it seems as there's no social network without its share of hype, enthusiasm and, yeah, salt towards the silly no-sharing restriction. But HEY, it's Persona 5 and everyone agrees it's the second coming of RPGesus.

But I'm a slow man. I recently started Persona 4 Golden (P4G), the Playstation Vita (viva la Vita!) port of the PS2 original. I was waiting forever for it to go on sale, which it did a week or two ago. Lots of people had told me P4G was amazing so I decided to give it a go. And while I am early in the game, I can make a solid statement now:

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU GUYS MANAGE THE STUFF YOU CAN DO IN THE AFTERNOONS WITHOUT GOING CRAZY?

I can go out with a friend to improve my relationship with them and thus improving my Persona's stats. I can go to Soccer practice (Tue, Thu & Sat, unless it rains). I can study in the school's library to improve my knowledge. I can read a book to improve my courage but only if I am not tired from spending the afternoon doing something else. I can go to EVERY DAY IS GREAT AT YOUR JUNES to farm a bit in the dungeon to get money to buy potions and stuff. I can join the school's Drama Club, though the schedule sometimes conflicts with the Soccer Club. I can spend the afternoon working to make some cash. I can improve my Personas by... what? You want to go out now? Um... ok... it'll help my Social Links I guess. Perhaps tomorrow I can train some more with... uh? I gave Chie the wrong question in class so now I have to spend the afternoon with her to make her feel better? Ok, so maybe the next day I can... *phone rings* hold on... yeah? Today? O-okay... bye *click* BETTER SET MY PLANS ASIDE CUZ THE SOCCER CLUB GUYS WANT TO HANG OUT. Did I mention I have a limited number of days before someone dies so I actually also need to farm in the dungeon instead of doing all of the above?

Good grief!

It's so stressing to handle all the options you can do in a single afternoon, while keeping in mind that if you spend too many days forging your Social Links and improving your Personas you won't have enough time to grind the dungeon and save the victim of the mysterious TV murders!

And this is all in the beginning hours of the game!


At least there's this jewel of a song to help me through sunny days (the soundtrack is kicking ass):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ue1JPFXEU

Meanwhile, I joined the Persona 5 bandwagon. I am not a masochist (sometimes) so I'm likely playing it after I finish P4G... and Horizon... and Nier... and NiOh...


Help.

EVERY DAY IS GREAT AT YOUR MOTHERFUCKING JUNES. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=375 World of Final Funtasy https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=372 Wed, 29 Mar 2017 19:46:19 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/world-of-final-fantasy.gif?w=850 I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about *World of...

I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about World of Final Fantasy. I liked it. I liked it a lot. Its lighthearted exterior hides a serious and heartbreaking plot that goes hand in hand with a deep battle system that reminds me of the classic Final Fantasy ATB system plus a bit of Pokémon monster hunting. But, then again, its main charm is the humor, such as this cutscene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnygHzxBkaI

I have a pretty volatile sense of humor. I laugh at silly things. World of Final Fantasy is has its bunch of silly moments, most centered on making fun of the main male character's intelligence. This game did a good work of bringing a smile to my face all the way to the end - sometimes out of sheer enjoyment with the encounters and how the story progressed.

Like I said, it may seem like a lighthearted game through and through, but the core plot of the game - the one concerning the main characters - is dark. I won't spoil it further because finding out is half the fun. The Final Fantasy cameos are fast and furious featuring main characters from previous entries as well as a few obscure ones (Maduin!), but the new characters don't trail behind. The brother and sister dynamic is great, and the cast exclusive to this game is pretty good on their own.

Well, this is far from a review. I just wanted to mention this game before I forgot this screenshots were even in my computer. It's a good game. Don't overlook it just because of its style.

I leave you with a few screens:









]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=372 Give me Destiny 2 https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=371 Thu, 23 Mar 2017 15:23:56 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/destiny-2.gif?w=850 Oh, I am commenting on rumors and speculation. How could I not? This...

Oh, I am commenting on rumors and speculation. How could I not?

This morning's leak of supposed promotional material for Destiny 2 appeared on the internet. First from an Italian website and then from sources at 'Italian Gamestop'. It got people in a whirlwind of reactions ranging from 'fake' to 'hype'.



The leaked material. Image taken from a link in the GAF post that broke the news.

Cool things to note in this poster:
  • Guardians are not wearing helmets. They did say that the only thing we would keep from Destiny was our appearance. Maybe there'll be a push to do more content without helmets (in Destiny all non-social content is done with helmets on... it is space, after all).
  • Is that Earth? Or somewhere else? There were theories that the jump from Destiny to its sequel would be a catastrophic attack to our planet.
  • The Traveler is in the background, right above the Warlock's head. Or at least it looks like it.
  • There will be a Beta. I am so there (or at least will try to).
  • The 'exclusive content' logo can be seen up top. Possibly more Playstation exclusive content, just like in Destiny. You can also see a bit of the Playstation blue waves in the top left of the poster.
  • September 8th. Friday. Some say Europe can sometimes get games on a Friday so perhaps September 5th for America?

All cool tidbits... for a rumor.

Or it was a rumor until Jason Schreier from Kotaku stepped up. In a tweet he confirmed the leak was real. If you follow Destiny stuff then you know Schreier has a history of being accurate when it comes to revealing Destiny news. He then made an impressive statement: he heard the game was gonna be revealed today.

Whoa.

Timing could be off since we are just about to get Destiny's final update (Age of Triumph), but officially revealing a sequel could get people interested in coming back for one last trip down memory lane (if you weren't interested in doing the old raids with today's difficulty already). And today is a Thursday, day in which Bungie posts its usual 'This Week at Bungie' blog post. Hmmm...

***UPDATE: In a later tweet, Schreier has said that the 'today' part was a mistake. It will be revealed "soon". Reiterates that the poster is real.***

Man, I love Destiny. Sure, we've had our differences in the past but I cannot deny that the game's setting and lore grabbed me in ways few other games can. If they reveal the sequel today... please go pick me up at the Emergency Room of my local hospital.

Obligatory GIF:

]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=371 Salt and Reviews https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=370 Tue, 14 Mar 2017 21:09:38 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/blog_reviews.gif?w=1000 Sometimes we like video games. Sometimes we like them very much....

Sometimes we like video games. Sometimes we like them very much. Sometimes we like them so much that we can't possibly understand how someone doesn't like them just like we do. Then we try to change their minds, see the error of their ways; we announce to the four winds just how wrong they are for disliking that which we so adore.

And sometimes we go overboard and start using DDOS attacks against someone who dared not give our new hotness another shiny 10/10.

Wait. What?

'Haters gonna hate' says the popular phrase, but that goes both ways. Jim Sterling's critique of Zelda is based on details that sound, at least on paper, reasonable. The weapon durability issue is often seen in gameplay videos (not the official ones, of course) and does seem like and odd thing to do constantly in combat. Both the Blood Moon and the frequency of rain have been commented in both social networks and certain game sites, enough to know that they both are 'a thing'.

But whatever your opinion is on these 'features' I think we can agree that we cannot, as individuals, go so far as to get so angry at the reviewer to start actions that could cause him actual harm. In the past we have heard of death threats being sent to reviewers that did not grace a certain game with a number superior to 9. Today, besides the insults being thrown at Sterling we are seeing his site being hammered with DDOS attacks, popular with the so-called 'script-kiddies'. Right now, if you try going to the review itself you will end up with a "database connection" error, even after passing a recently implemented anti-DDOS.


Here's a few more reasonable things you can do when you're angry about a game review:

  • Yell
  • Scream angry words at the screen, while reading/watching said review
  • Yell louder
  • Angrily post on social networks like Twitter
  • Speculate on which console war opponent paid for a low review for the 'new hotness'
  • Angrily post on your go-to gamer forums
  • Take medication for the anxiety that you get from knowing this review is surely gonna cause the bankruptcy of your favorite game developer
  • Write in your own blog about how this review is the first step to a Mad Max-esque future
  • Blame Obama (oh yeah, that's not a thing anymore)


All of these are things that already happen, and none of them directly harm the person whose opinion you disagree with. You can have your own opinion, but that doesn't mean that you have/need to change others', much less by bringing sites (or businesses) down. Even Sterling's 7 (oh, the horror!) will hardly deter anyone who wants Zelda to try it. Heck, even his 7 is also clearly explained to be a part of a much bigger package of goodness.

"But Metacritic dropped to 97!"

Oh, boo hoo! Cry me a river. Zelda is not the highest reviewed game in an aggregator site that just jumbles together reviews from all over the internet a produces a magical number to 'sum it up'. For shame. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=370 Diadem Weapons https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=369 Thu, 09 Mar 2017 20:04:54 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/ffxiv_diadem.gif?w=1000 What a time to decide to return to blogging, eh? This morning from...

What a time to decide to return to blogging, eh?

This morning from the peaks of Coerthas to Thanalan you could smell the community's salt regarding the new i280 weapons that drop in 'Diadem 2.0'. Weapons that, should RNGesus bless you with a drop, are better than those from both the Alexander Savage raid and by farming the Anima.

Everyone has a point of view. Of course. The raiders are angry that their 'top tier' weapons have now been outclassed. Anima bearers are angry that all the weeks or months of farming have now been invalidated by a new 'welfare' weapon. Others could not give a damn. I am in this final group. My words are not to take value away from the opinion of the other two groups. This is simply the way I think about this issue and I feel like sharing it. Why?

Because it was damn time I started blogging again.

It's power doesn't matter. We are only a few months away from Stormblood and when that comes all our hard-earned gear becomes obsolete by the nature of a vertical progression MMO game. The same thing happened with Heavensward. Everyone with a 'Final Witness' title had their Bahamut gear outclassed by leveling gear. It is 'the way things are' in a game like this. Our weapons, no matter which job or content we do, will soon become irrelevant (sans glamour) and I don't see the need to stress myself for an upgrade at this point in time.

It won't stop me from doing my Anima. I don't farm that one for power. I have taken it really slow but am making progress because, to put it simply, I want to have it. To say "I did it". A new weapon would be a cool thing to have, but that won't stop the goal I have set for myself. Yeah, it's a grind, but it's one I chose to undertake (at my own slow pace, truth be told). Not even for glamour; unlike other job Animas, the Black Mage one is not cooler than 2.0's Stardust Rod Relic.

It doesn't invalidate your raid successes. The wonder of raiding comes from beating the challenge with your friends. The exhilaration of seeing the screen fade out and show the enemy that stumped you for days falling in combat. The screams of victory in voice chat. That's raiding. Having the latest gear is always a plus, but a new weapon down the line does not (and should not) invalidate the fact that you triumphed over the challenge.

So when this morning I woke up and found out the salt that i280 weapon had caused I was a bit stumped. I checked opinions on both Twitter and Reddit. People have their points of view and that's fine. I guess I am just glad I don't see the problem with a weapon like this existing, RNG and pre-expansion period factored in. I won't tell people to stop raging - not like they'd listen to me - or to not unsubscribe from the game - as some are doing - because if that's what they feel they must do, then that's fine.

Tonight I may jump into the new Diadem. Or maybe just do a roulette or the Void Ark chain for coins. Whatever gives me light for my Anima. The plan hasn't changed. I will soon put all my gear in the 'glamour' box, when Stormblood gear comes, as it does in any other vertical MMO.

Oh, and I am visiting Zhloe. Those orphans need a future and they sure need someone to help them besides that klutz of a Miqo'te. ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=369 <![CDATA[Music Friday: Sagacyte's 2016 in VGM]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=361 Fri, 30 Dec 2016 19:48:49 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/wpimg17.jpg The final Friday of the year! Rebecca Black would be proud! Speaking of musical...

The final Friday of the year! Rebecca Black would be proud! Speaking of musical talent, let's remember some memorable themes from this year, shall we? And to make things a bit easier and familiar let's close this, the year of Final Fantasy XV, with some FF themes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpDbr6_WtEE

In February, Final Fantasy XIV allowed us to fight the first of the Warring Triad, Sephirot and the best theme from that patch was arguably the first phase of the battle. Why? It's a remix of "A Decisive Battle", the "Atma Weapon" theme from Final Fantasy VI! Sure, come phase 2 it changes to his own exclusive theme, but if you pass phases before reaching the section that homages VI's regular battle theme, you need to lower DPS a bit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUc1iSz5Bk

Before we knew Final Fantasy XV's true release date (screw September!) we got the Platinum Demo, a weird playable technical showcase for the engine of XV that I think looked worse than the final product (thankfully!). It included a play room with Starlit Waltz, a wonderful theme that... I don't recall hearing in the game proper. Maybe I missed it, I did rush after a certain part to avoid spoilers so... my bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJf9wrxcfAk

Around mid year we got the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a cute FF game that mixes the heart of the SNES era games and the... wonderful... "gacha" mechanics from most mobile games these days. The "home" screen theme, if you can pry your eyes away from the constant notifications and calls to spend real money, plays this marvelous theme that even has hints of the Prelude in it. It's so calming... so charming... and no, Exvius, I am not spending money on gachas, not even if Noctis has "increased drop rate". Bullsh**.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiOzi05IlA

Nearing the end of the year we got "RISE", the theme for the final battle for Alexander in Final Fantasy XIV. A fast-paced theme with lyrics that as far as I can tell haven't been released officially yet... but people have tried to decipher them, with hilarious efforts. One of the coolest aspects of this song can't be appreciated in a direct theme video - while you battle Alexander he can stop time, during which the song turns to a neat quick almost clock-like little loop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uphGnH_quGs

Quite likely the best regular battle theme to appear in a Final Fantasy in decades, imho. From the first area in Final Fantasy XV, it's a bombastic theme that sets the tone for the brotrip's battles. Simply amazing.

Now, I want you to imagine that you're counting down to midnight and to welcome the new year... and you 10 know the party 9 is about to start 8... you need 7 a proper theme 6 to celebrate 5 ... to 4 move... to 3 enjoy... to 2 dance... so you 1 play...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pdqUzOH_Hg

Happy New Year 1977!

I mean, 2017! Sorry, got caught up with the rhythm! ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=361 <![CDATA[Sagacyte's Top Games of 2016]]> https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=360 Thu, 29 Dec 2016 18:02:14 GMT

Greetings, readers! It's the end of the year and it's time for the ever popular round up of the best games of the year! Odds are you have listened to my guest appearance in the Backlog Battle Podcast in which I revealed my top 5 games for the year 2016, but in case you haven't here are the best games (and a few honorable mentions) for my top games of the ending year - which saw some very high profiles games (and patches/expansions) being released!

5. Life is Strange

It was on a sale, and I had seen a lot of positive vibes about this game - mostly about the relationship between main characters Sam and Chloe. What I had not seen was the fact that this game wasn't just a high-school life drama adventure game but a time-altering high-school drama adventure game; the mechanic surprised me and made this game 100% more interesting than it'd have been otherwise. And yeah, this game came out last year... but I played it this year so... there!

Time powers come with a price: visions of an incoming catastrophe that maybe only you can stop. But the real horror may be far more mundane than an apocalyptic event, dancing between a missing girl mystery, balancing your newfound powers, living high-school life and interacting with a cast of characters that go from a shy religious girl to a man who is alive only by your meddling with time.

4. Uncharted 4

How can this game not be in a GOTY list? Uncharted 4 is a fantastic game on several fronts: a technical marvel on the PS4, great story and a heck of a send off to one of Playstation's most well known heroes. The quest for the mythical Libertalia takes Drake and his long-thought-dead brother around the world one more time in search of treasure, adventure and a lot of ludo-narrative dissonance (#sorrynotsorry).

One could argue that Uncharted 4 is basically a better looking Uncharted 2. Gameplay-wise it's still very much an Uncharted game - not a bad thing per se - but there's no revolution like the jump from 1 to 2 was. Still, if you found yourself buying a new PS4 in 2016 and could only choose one game, you cannot go wrong with Uncharted 4 (or Bloodborne).

3. Overwatch

Overwatch. Overnerf. A game that since its launch has had more changes than a porn movie script in the hands of a Jehova's witness. First we can use multiples copies of the same character in all modes, then we can't in Competitive. We can use multiple copies of the same character in Competitive, then we can't in Quick Play. Torbjorn's turrets are targeting too quickly, so they nerf their damage... and nerf Symmetra too just because... but hey we later overhauled Symmetra because no one uses her because gee I wonder why. Oh and that butt? Nope, too sexy. We're changing it to another... slightly less sexier pose.

But for as much as I complain about this game, it is genuinely fun. Playing with friends is a lot of fun! Trolling, making jokes, and having a good time is something Overwatch is great at. So yeah, they change stuff every now and then but it's for the good of the game's balance. It also has that good old Blizzard pedigree so you can be sure the game's gonna look, feel and play good.

2. Final Fantasy XV

10 years wai... what? 3? Oh, who cares. No matter how long it actually took to make, Final Fantasy XV took its sweet time to come to our hands and in the end, it was very much worth the wait. Sure, it's not perfect, but it's fantastic at what it's doing.

After surviving the trailers (that showcased a lot of stuff that didn't actually end up in the game) and getting to control Noctis and his band of merry men I was fascinated with just how much this game offered to do - I spent dozens of hours in the first areas of the game alone, exploring and hunting to my hearts content. As things grew more serious and more linear I was treated to a story that escalated quickly... perhaps a bit too quickly. But in the end I sat back and watched satisfied as the title screen appeared again, with that good feeling that few games can give you at their end.

We still have more XV to go in the future. DLC packs to clear up some story, lots of discussion about characters and plot points that weren't particularly well explained, and a few story tweaks to polish things up and... a carnival? Whatever the future holds, XV isn't done yet, and I'm looking forward to what it may hold.

1. Pokémon GO

A mobile game as my GOTY? I must have gone raving mad, haven't I? Well, kinda. As a fan of the good old couch+controller+tv combo I find the idea of a future full of mobile games and devices disgusting, but I cannot deny how this little game has changed the way we play this things... and by "we" I mean my family.

No other game this year has altered my daily commute just so that my wife and I could spin that pokéstop that is just a few meters off the way. No game made us jump in excitement together when we saw the black-silhouette of a new Pokémon show up in the map. And there are very few (almost non-existent) reasons to wake up on a Saturday morning to go take a walk at the boardwalk... just to refill pokéballs. It's a game that has changed our routines far longer than any console gamer has this year... or pretty much any other year.

And all of this despite the fact that the game is a case study on fucked up decisions. A game about collecting Pokémon that makes it deliberately impossible to finish that collection unless you have the means to travel around the world, and even locks some Pokémon that are still not released. Promises made at launch have still to be fulfilled, such as the ability to trade with other trainers or even battling them. The tweaks to certain game variables that make life difficult or impossible for commuters and people living in rural areas that sometimes end in the joke that Pokémon GO is a game built to be played only in San Francisco (home of the developer). And the ever present messages that pop up whenever you move past a certain speed while you are in a car and FUCK YOU NIANTIC I KNOW I AM DRIVING JUST LET ME ALONE PLEASE GOD DAMN IT.


Honorable mentions
The Division: Great open world, empty or pointless end game. A shame. Heard the new patch fixed a lot of problems but it's a case of too little, too late.

Severed: Great game from Drinkbox. Played it on my Playstation Vita and I enjoyed it very much.

Destiny's Rise of Iron: It's a sort of small expansion so didn't feel right to consider it a full game, but it was still an incredible one. Tons of quality of life changes and cool content that will have to hold until the sequel launches in 2017... hopefully.

Final Fantasy XIV's patch 3.4: This isn't even an expansion... it's a patch... but it contained some of the best content XIV has seen so far, with the conclusion to the intriguing Warriors of Darkness storyline, the end of the Alexander raid and more quality of life changes. And also Hildibrand. Always Hildibrand.


And so the year ends! 2017 is looking like another great year for gamers. Horizon, Persona 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2 and many more that hopefully won't be delayed. How was your year? What were your top 5 games? Feel free to comment or tell me on Twitter.

Happy New Year to all! ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=360 Music Friday: Winter Voyage https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=359 Fri, 23 Dec 2016 21:25:41 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/untitled-1.jpg *Merry Christmas!* Yeah, a couple of days ahead... consider it a Christmas...

Merry Christmas! Yeah, a couple of days ahead... consider it a Christmas gift! I know, I know... at least it's not a pair of socks, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xnvMDANEp8

Destiny is sporting a neat music theme for the holidays this year. Remember this is the first year that Destiny has actually celebrated "Christmas" with the new The Dawning event. In-game there's a small and cute quest about giving gifts to some of the more prominent personalities in the Tower, and every day there will be gifts waiting for Guardians - don't get too excited, though (they're just a few planetary materials).

Perhaps more exciting is the return of the Sparrow Racing League, with two new tracks and a bunch of new cool Sparrows to race with. I love the SRL, and wish it were a more permanent thing - why not make it a monthly (or bimonthly) thing like Iron Banner?

Oh and we now have scoring for Strikes (dungeons). All actions (shooting, killing, grenades, streaks) are worth points, and these in turn accumulate for high scores and bounties that reward gear and weapons, including a chance at the year 3 version of the sexy Icebreaker sniper rifle.

In between racing Sparrows and killing aliens I make a pit stop to wish you all a very merry Christmas! May you have a wonderful time with your families and have some well deserved rest.

See you next week!
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=359 Music Friday: Cleigne Battle https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=358 Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:08:48 GMT

Please don't tell me you were expecting something other than a Final Fantasy XV theme? You should know me by now!

Of note: the video contains a battle happening in the region of Cleigne. It's a few random mobs and some imperial soldiers. At this point I still avoid big spoilers but this shouldn't be too much of a deal. As usual, avoid the post-video recommendations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPCiJkAMxu8

The beginning hours of Final Fantasy XV (or maybe dozens or hundreds, if you like doing side quests) are spent in three regions of the game's main continent, the third of which is Cleigne - house of a few mountains, a couple of imperial bases, a swamp and a lighthouse. Each of these regions has its own battle theme. Two weeks ago I featured the battle theme from the first area (and still my top battle theme from XV), so now I share another.

Yeah, I still have a thing for battle themes. Also, for some reason, this theme sort of reminds me of a Pokémon battle theme...

Much more people are sharing their experiences with Final Fantasy XV - what they loved and what they did not. You have probably seen mentions of "Chapter 13" and stuff about storytelling and whatnot. I still refrain from getting into spoiler territory, but soon I'll write my pieces about it all.

A new year is coming. Changes are, too...

Game on,
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=358 Music Friday: Somnus https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=357 Fri, 09 Dec 2016 20:01:20 GMT

I have finally finished Final Fantasy XV's main story. I have tons of stuff pending to do, but it's time for a little break - it's basically all I have played since almost two weeks ago. Speaking of playing, go ahead and "play" the following video but do keep in mind to avoid the post-end "recommendations". If you haven't yet finished XV, spoilers are aplenty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7uHU1rIsZ0

Today I'll share a theme from XV, but don't worry, it's not a spoiler. It's the title screen music. It plays while you decide if you want to play a new game or continue one, or perhaps choose to tweak the game's options? Some may even wanna just wait in the title screen to listen to this theme.

XV's full OST does not disappoint... but I rather not talk much about it. Heck, I am still concerned that Youtube's recommendation algorithm might end up spoiling an important battle or even the ending to those of you who haven't played the game fully yet.

Drive on.
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=357 Music Friday: Spoiler Break https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=355 Fri, 25 Nov 2016 17:11:05 GMT

That sounds like a cool theme name, eh? "Spoiler Break".

Sadly, that's not a theme. It's me, telling you guys there won't be a MF today. And no, it's not a holiday here.

Yesterday, while browsing Youtube I found myself spoiled the identity of the final boss in Final Fantasy XV. Therefore, I am not going there until at least next week. And I wouldn't want any of you to accidentally see a thumbnail that could spoil something important.

On the bright side, I had my suspicions on what the spoiler would be, so it's more of a unpleasant surprise than a rage-inducing situation. Still sucks, man.

Game on,
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=355 Music Friday: Stand Your Ground https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=354 Fri, 18 Nov 2016 19:35:34 GMT

With today's official "sampler" of Final Fantasy XV songs released by Squeenix we now know the official name of the battle music from the recent "Judgment Disc" demo: Stand Your Ground. It was previously circulated as "Careening Into Danger" but now we know the truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uphGnH_quGs

Final Fantasy XV apparently has battle themes per enemy type (just kidding... maybe) and this is, if Judgment is to be believed, the first one you'll hear when fighting regular monsters on the early stages of the game. I don't mind if it's the default "monster" theme during the whole game. It's *that* good.

I love when new Final Fantasy music uses motifs or references to old, classical Final Fantasy themes. This one is no exception. At 0:11 it plays a fast version of the Prelude, and the parts before and after that are reminiscent of the classical battle-intro theme, which features in old battle themes like I, IV, VI, IX (and is also present as a detail in themes like XIV's Ominous Prognisticks). Afterward we get a dash of Kingdom He... I KID, I KID, but Shimomura's style is clearly present and one can't help to remember the Kingdom Hearts music, which is made by her.

Final Fantasy XV's OST is going on sale mid-December. Will it be worth it? Too soon to call. Does it look like it'll be worth it? HELL, YEAH.

In the meantime, all we can do is wait. Unless you live in Perú... in which case please do not post spoilers. I also hate you.

Stand on,
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=354 Music Friday: Double Boss Combo https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=353 Fri, 11 Nov 2016 16:35:20 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/banner_riseofiron_childoflight.jpg Have you noticed that I seem to have a preference for...

Have you noticed that I seem to have a preference for battle themes in Music Friday? No particular reason other than battle/boss music having the responsibility of inspiring a sense of urgency and danger that is crucial to set the mood of battle. Since last week I was on a holiday, I owe you a post, and thus bring today two neat boss themes from two fun games!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHWpafdpU3A

First up, "Eyes Up", the theme of Aksis, Archon Prime and final boss in Wrath of the Machine - Destiny's Rise of Iron raid. The mutilated Fallen overlord, connected only by SIVA to the complex itself has been defeated and you scarce have time to celebrate when he regains his consciousness and uses his platform as a spider-like vehicle, starting this cool theme.

I like how the theme clearly identifies the phases of the fight. At first the realization that he's not down but is now a spider-like monster, then the early and basic fight's mechanics. At 1:03 is when the true mechanics begin (cannons, servitors, charges), a frantic to-and-fro of combinations that must be performed to weaken the boss down. At 1:30 the boss starts dancing around the stage and you must stun and damage him a few times. At 2:35 Aksis unleashes his SIVA - a one-shot mechanic that must be avoided by all party members by standing in a certain position. At 2:50 is the final transition, a dps phase where only one will fall - your team or Aksis. For clarification, the theme's sections can and will loop for the multiple repeats of phases.

Now for something much more colorful, yet not less dangerous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0IvOkB_39k

Child of Light, despite being a colorful game, is about some pretty somber themes. It has three boss themes, and this is the first one. You immediately know this isn't gonna be just another fight! Boss battles can be quite problematic unless you know what to do, but thankfully the combat system - which reminds me a bit of Final Fantasy X's - allows you to have all your party members at your disposition to deal with anything that can come up.

Time to enjoy the weekend! Well, for you to enjoy the weekend. I work tomorrow. Preparing for late November and XVcember - I apologize in advance if December's Music Fridays are dominated by Final Fantasy XV. As they say on the internet:

Sorry not sorry.

Game on,
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=353 Music Friday: Slam Shuffle https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=351 Fri, 28 Oct 2016 19:17:31 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/ffvizozo.jpg?w=700 Halloween is upon us! Well, not yet but soon! So I was thinking of a...

Halloween is upon us! Well, not yet but soon! So I was thinking of a spooky theme for the season and... didn't quite recall anything too seasonal at the moment. But then it hit me: a spooky theme that borders on mischievous - Slam Shuffle!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G224Sn3hGQ4

Final Fantasy VI's Zozo is a town of thieves, wrongdoers, liars and general nasty people.... well, except for just one guy. Your party must go there to follow the trail of an important person who you believe is here, but in order to traverse its rainy streets and puzzles, you have to use your wits and pretty much do the opposite everybody tells you to do.

Except, of course, for that one guy.

"This place is dangerous!"

Game on,
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=351 Music Friday: World of Final Fantasy title https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=350 Fri, 21 Oct 2016 21:18:03 GMT
Have you tried World of Final Fantasy's demo? It's up now on PS4 and PSVita (if you can actually access them due to the bloody DDOS attack that's making the rounds today).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0um4Q3IP6pk

The game that at first made everyone cringe at its cuteness and announced right before the Final Fantasy VII remake (which obviously gathered all the attention), WoFF has slowly been catching the eyes of people due to its colorful world and characters, and a long forgotten sense of humor. The music seems to be a combination of cutesy-upbeat tracks and a few nods to old themes. The demo is a bit short and is mostly a bunch of random battles in a "dungeon"... but hey, that is old school Final Fantasy.


It features cameos from Final Fantasy characters and monsters, so it's bound to be at least a curiosity for Final Fantasy fans. Cloud, Lightning, Boko, Edgar and many more show up.




Are you jumping in the WoFF bandwagon? I mean, you'd be missing this kind of fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQwKxMqV9uE

Game on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=350 The Nintendo Switch https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=349 Thu, 20 Oct 2016 16:30:11 GMT Goodbye, Nintendo NX, we hardly knew you. Hello, *Nintendo Switch*... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c6MWsEE884 We... pretty much hardly know...
Goodbye, Nintendo NX, we hardly knew you. Hello, Nintendo Switch...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c6MWsEE884

We... pretty much hardly know you, too.

The veil of secrecy is lifted. Nintendo's new console is called the Switch and is, at least in concept, a very cool idea. We had leaks, sure, but it's always nice to see the actual thing working (in a PR video, at least). The concept of a portable console experience has been talked about for a long time. The Playstation Vita was pretty much an attempt at making a portable device with the power of a home console (and it is a pretty cool device at that). But Nintendo wants to break that barrier. No longer a portable with console aspirations... but rather a console that is straight up portable.


It's hard to explain how it works unless you have seen the leaks, or the introduction video above. But the Switch is basically a small tablet with the power of a console, that uses two small controllers as input. These controllers can be used on their own (or docked in a controller-like shell as seen in the GIF), but they can be inserted into the Switch and it suddenly becomes like a Vita.


And now you can game with your console... on the go.


Rest in peace, Playstation Vita (just kidding, I still love you).

The video presents a machine that, if working as advertised, could be a very cool device. The controllers (called "Joy-Cons") can work on their own, without the need for the dock seen in the top gif) and can even work separately as independent inputs to play multiplayer games:


But we know almost nothing beyond what's presented. The dock is apparently just a cool looking "microUSB to HDMI" adapter. Every gameplay shown is defined by Nintendo as "representative" - a target, if you will; at this point in time, however, Nintendo would be foolish to not at least be on pair with other consoles graphically. A peek at the "representative" gameplay of the new Mario game:


It would even seem multiple Switches can play together in co-op or competitive games via Wifi... or maybe Ad-hoc? At least these guys seem to be playing against each other...


There's a more traditional controller option (called the "Pro") which will likely be sold separately.


Perhaps the coolest tidbit:


Back to cartridges! It had been rumored for quite a while but also confirmed is that the Switch will use carts instead of discs, like the Vita or 3DS. Loading speeds are bound to be very fast, and as today's cards can hold insane amounts of data it shouldn't be much of a problem for developers. Speaking of which, there's a *lot* of third party developers that are working on Switch right now. Big names like Bethesda (we saw Skyrim in the video), Square Enix, Capcom, EA, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, Take Two and *gulp* From Software.


Let's not forget, however, that as cool as our Skyrims, Bravely Defaults and Sonics are... what Nintendo consoles always have in spades are Nintendo first-party exclusives, and those are usually always worth a look. Mario and Zelda are definitely coming. Dare I hope for a new Metroid?

All this is nice and cool. A great concept, innovative stuff, etc. But there are important questions up in the air...

This is essentially a portable console... what about battery life and (why not?) heat (I don't want exploding Switchs being banned from air travel!)? It's powered by a custom Nvidia Tegra processor and "an NVIDIA GPU based on the same architecture as the world’s top-performing GeForce gaming graphics cards" (source) so that's gonna require a lot of power! Will it match current consoles graphical power-wise? And that's for the console... what about the controllers? Will they use AAA batteries? On another topic, what about the OS? The console's online capabilities? PRICE? All we know is it's launching in March 2017.

And finally, my #1 question: is the Switch the successor to the Wii U AND the 3DS? It's a portable console as well! Not to confuse with a new console having backwards compatibility with both consoles, but rather the next step... a single console that will become the focus of Nintendo, leaving behind the console and portable mentality to fuse it all in a "one device" future? It's not secret the Wii U is not what many expected, and it's a console I gladly ignored. The 3DS, however, it's a machine that has a lot of great games. Big names! Basically it has the library I wish the Vita had.

If the Switch has a libraby comprised of the best the Wii U can offer and the best the 3DS can offer as well, becoming the de facto Nintendo console... it could very well become a true must buy.

Only time will tell, though. For now, we have to wait for more info, but what we have been shown is interesting. I remain cautiously optimistic.

Switch on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=349 Stormblood https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=348 Fri, 14 Oct 2016 21:09:20 GMT We will take a break from our regular *Music Friday* to talk about the biggest news of the day: *Final Fantasy XIV* has revealed some details about...
We will take a break from our regular Music Friday to talk about the biggest news of the day: Final Fantasy XIV has revealed some details about the next expansion coming in early summer 2017: Stormblood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAobb8_SzHY

Stormblood will see us take the fight to the Empire by helping the Resistance in taking back the city-state of Ala Mhigo, under Garlean rule for years. The events that lead us to this started in the latest live patch (3.4, Soul Surrender) but will still be further explained in the next one (3.5). There's little we know of the lore happening in these new lands, but we do know that we'll get new jobs, new zones, new enemies and some system changes.


While no new jobs were formally introduced, FanFest attendees had a tease in the form of the t-shirt Yoshida was wearing (a similar thing happened in the previous 2014 FanFest). Wearing a Scarlet Witch t-shirt pretty much guarantees that we will get Red Mage as one of the new jobs - a long awaited job.

As for zones, we'll go around Ala Mhigo, likely Gyr Abania. The new hub town, which is said to be the place where the trailer takes place, is called Rhalgr's Reach. A "new kind" of exploratory mission will take place in "Eureka", a name that should be familiar to Final Fantasy fans. Speaking of which, there were quite a few mentions that future areas and raids (both 8man and 24man) would be "very Final Fantasy".


We also got a glimpse at one of the main villains of the expansion: Zenos Yae Galvus, commander of the XIIth Legion of the Garlean Empire, currently in charge of Ala Mhigo. His motivations are an important part of the expansion so there's a lot of mystery regarding him.


Speaking of mysteries: who is the young red monk parrying with the Derplander in the intro? Their fight is more a parrying session than a battle, and they seem to know each other very well. Blonde... with blue eyes... related to Ala Mhigo? Hmmmm... I wonder who could she be? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm Could we know her from before... perhaps with a different attire? "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" indeed...


On the systems side, an increase in inventory space was revealed, as well as new minimum requirements for the Windows versions. One of the most cheered announcements was the drop of support for the PS3 version of the game - for the longest time people have speculated that some limitations of the game come from having to support the fading console, and letting it go could open the doors to new visual and technical things. One such thing was mentioned in a new lightning model.

Upcoming FanFests (in Japan and Europe) will bring further reveals and more info, but the stage is set. Ala Mhigo will be the theater where the adventures of the Warrior (Monk?) of Light will take place. Let's look forward to it.


Monk on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=348 Music Friday: Rise https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=347 Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:58:22 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/maxresdefault.jpg?w=750 I am tired of *Alexander* - - - freezing time and - - - messing up...

I am tired of Alexander - - - freezing time and - - - messing up with my - - - Enochian! At this rate - - - this post will come - - - out *days* later than - - - intended!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IiOzi05IlA

Alexander's final encounter is Alexander Prime, the Soul of the Creator, deep inside a time bubble at the very core of the time-altering Primal. The battle begins with an orchestrated version of Metal (the theme from the final boss of Gordias) but after Alexander's Divine Judgment it switches to the real fight, with a much more enthusiastic theme, fitting the rock-fueled antics of the goblins.

*dut dut dut peep dut dut dut peep*

It's also another song that seems to use Gobbiespeak, the language of the goblins, which gave some people headaches while trying to figure out the lyrics - which I think haven't been *fully* deciphered yet. Maybe next weekend during FanFest?

*dut dut dut peep dut dut dut peep*

Speaking of FanFest... are you excited? Most expect an expansion announcement, new jobs and more! I am definitely looking forward (and back) to it!

Rise with me!
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=347 Music Friday: Exponential Entropy https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=344 Fri, 30 Sep 2016 19:36:24 GMT An in-depth analysis of Final Fantasy XIV's latest raid hit. Spoilers, obviously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb0P9jHV8dQ

Forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back, and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back, and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back.

Forward and back and then forward and back and forward and back, and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and.

Forward and back? Forward and back! And then go forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back and forward and back.

Transcendental!

Go forward (and back).
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=344 Rising the Iron https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=343 Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:23:56 GMT
I have returned from my vacations! What did I do, you ask? Play Rise of Iron, of course! It's not often a vacation period coincides with the launch of a much anticipated game for me so I made the most out of it. And yes, it was a coincidence... I did not plan it that way!


Destiny's last expansion is full of exciting moments, even if it is a bit on the short side. There's only a few main quests to do and they are easily soloable, but the content is extended by the usual round of post-story quests and activities which include the raid and the new Archon's Forge - a small arena where you summons enemies and bosses for a chance at glory and loot (and a cool flaming Iron Lord hammer). Oh and one hell of a platforming challenge.


My goal for the week was to be geared for the raid that was releasing on Friday so I started working on that as soon as I managed to understand the new gearing process. Got my Gjallarhorn, my Iron Lord artifact and then set to get some engrams. Before that, however, we started exploring and found a huge climb to a vantage point in the new social space, the Iron Temple. You have to jump through a series of outcroppings in a cruel platforming challenge that is sure to frustrate some, but it's hilarious with friends as you "race" each other while being careful not to push each other - or you know, actively trying to do so. The top has a beautiful view of the zone and a collectible (Destiny's skyboxes are some of the best in the industry).




Once that was done we farmed a specific dungeon for drops that would get my light level high enough for raiding. Here we are seen outside Omnigul's door waiting for our specials and heavy ammo to replenish before blowing her up again.


The raid is, as usual, something else. Far from the mystery that was the Vault of Glass or the clearly alien Dreadnaught, Wrath of the Machine takes place inside a huge machine built by the Fallen near the Cosmodrome's walls. The entrance reminds me a bit of the Vault's challenge to open the door...


Once inside you face a Splicer Priest in a very cool room filled with SIVA and monitors that you need to pay attention to if you don't want to be obliterated. There's this cool mechanic where you need to hide in a room and shut the door before the boss gets a chance to fry everything outside! It's a fight you need to see to believe.


Progressing further you go through a fairly linear jumping puzzle that hides a secret passage where a chest lies. I am particularly fond of this because while the rest of my raid went ahead, I chose to explore this opening and found the chest. I discovered (for my group) a secret in a Destiny raid! Some people got exotic guns out of it so we were very excited for it!


The second boss is the huge machine seen in the trailers. I won't spoil much about the fight but that huge thing is the least of your problems for the encounter. We did not clear that fight. This encounter (as well as a few other instances) shows how the game benefits from dropping PS3/360 support, as you battle huge numbers of enemies while a lot of stuff is going on screen. It's a spectacle. We still have a ways to go, both in content and in gearing.




Destiny always hints at its incredible universe of lore, and Rise of Iron is no exception - references to warminds that could be much more, challenges to come and secrets yet to be revealed, all forming the year that will lead up to Destiny 2 (or whatever it's called). For now, I am still gearing my other characters and am having a blast doing it. It will definitely fight for game time once Final Fantasy XIV's next patch launches tomorrow, but the sci-fi pull is strong and the hype is at an all time high. As they meme on Twitter: my iron is rising.


Rise on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=343 Music Friday: Rise of Iron https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=342 Fri, 16 Sep 2016 20:24:47 GMT

Are you ready for Destiny's next expansion? Or are you letting a bunch of tech mites just flutter around your head?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW1vNr015Vc

Rise of Iron is coming up next week (hype!) but we got an early treat: the title screen changed in the last patch to what is gonna be our welcome to the expansion for the next year. Hmmm... these stuff tends to happen in MMOs, eh? *ahem* The theme proper starts at about 3 minutes in, but if you let it go you'll even find the original theme, some Tower tracks and more.

We have a full year to go before Destiny 2 (if it's not, you know, delayed) so Rise of Iron is gonna be what keeps us busy for a while. Story, new raid and content, and the awesome private matches (the thing I never knew I wanted until I tried them)... joined with hopefully some good event content (halloween, SRL)! Here's to hoping Destiny keeps being awesome for another full year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39jvouEt44s

In a funky twist of fate, I am going on vacations next week so I might be able to play at launch, which will be quite exciting! Last time I did this was for Mist of Pandaria! This also means that maybe next week I may not have a chance to post but I'll be back before you get a chance to miss me... or after... :)

Rise on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=342 Music Friday: Doom and Gloom https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=341 Fri, 09 Sep 2016 19:45:51 GMT

I just found out today that Parasite Eve's soundtrack was composed by Yoko Shimomura, the very same who made the music for Kingdom Hearts and the upcoming Final Fantasy XV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqbEgQZCaLs

Parasite Eve was an RPG released around the time when Squaresoft was at its peak during the PlayStation era. Main protagonist is NYPD cop Aya Brea who is suddenly involved in a bizarre series of events with a mysterious creature that seems human but sports incredible powers, while struggling with these very same powers herself. It's a detached sequel to a japanese horror book sporting the same name.

Similar to the book and despite the game/rpg nature, Parasite Eve retained an aura of horror to it with tense environments, camera angles a bit reminiscent of the Resident Evil games, weird situations and creepy music - one such theme is Doom and Gloom which appears in some areas of the game including the first "dungeon". Having just witnessed Eve's (the antagonist and main actress of a play) power as she burns a theater and makes some people spontaneously combust, you then follow backstage where you must find a way to enter the practice room to stop her. Along the way you'll find charred bodies and Eve's notes - she was confusing her powers with fever and wrote her experiences in a diary.

It's a creepy setting, and the entire game is like this - Aya hot on the heels of Eve, following her trail of dead bodies and increasingly bizarre events. It's a fantastic game, and one of the many jewels of the PlayStation era.

Burn on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=341 Music Friday: Tumbling Down https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=340 Fri, 02 Sep 2016 19:22:28 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ffxiv_crystaltower.jpg?w=700 I continue my short musical journey through the *Crystal Tower*...

I continue my short musical journey through the Crystal Tower raid, but I am suddenly facing huge bosses! On the upside, the tempo kicks ass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEeNGF5xoHA

All three "wings" of the Crystal Tower series end with encounters with big bosses with mechanic-heavy fights (within the confines of a 24-man difficulty raid). They also share a common battle theme: Tumbling Down. It's a powerful theme and one of my favorite battle themes in Final Fantasy XIV. Whats-his-name from Labyrinth, Emperor Xande from Crystal Tower and Cerberus from World of Darkness... all their encounters serve as the end of their respective zones* in this raid series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdCQEsRw-oA

The Crystal Tower series is obviously inspired from the dungeon of the same name in Final Fantasy III, and musical themes are no exception. Tumbling Down is the XIV version of the "Boss Battle" theme from the original III (above). It was alter remade for the DS version.

*Cloud of Darkness, the true final boss of the entire series of raids (and of III proper), has her own theme - a remix of the original theme from her battle.

Climb on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=340 Kingsglaive: A taste of XV https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=337 Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:59:33 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/kingsglaive1.jpg?w=720 I finally watched it! *Kingsglaive* is our first tangible taste of the...

I finally watched it! Kingsglaive is our first tangible taste of the world to come with Final Fantasy XV. An entirely CGI movie - like Advent Children - that is neither prequel nor sequel, but rather happens in parallel to the events of the game's early moments.

This post will contain spoilers for Kingsglaive and Final Fantasy XV, though I won't dwelve into details, more like broad strokes. Still, you have been warned.

Final Fantasy XV begins with Noctis' group pushing his car after it had a malfunction. They had left the city of Insomnia (capital of Lucis) a while ago. By the end of the first chapter they find out that their city has fallen at the hands of Niflheim, a militaristic nation hell bent on world domination. Where the story will go from there is something we will experience if the game ever releases late November. Kingsglaive recounts the events that happen after Noctis leaves Lucis and before the moment he finds out about the takeover (around the end of the game's first chapter).

The City of Lucis looks amazing



Something looks familiar...

Main character Nyx is part of the Kingsglaive, a sort of 'Secret Service' for King Regis of Lucis (father of Noctis) who ends up discovering and trying to stop a Niflheim plan to take control of the resilient city, by stealing the Crystal that is projecting a city-wide magic shield. The movie is a global plot driver, it sets up how Lucis falls and by whose hand, giving us motivation and interest in the story of XV. It introduces a lot of characters but it's unclear how many of them - save for a few obvious exceptions - will actually make it to the game proper.


There's flashy battles, huge monsters, political intrigue and betrayal and of course, death. Lots of death. The movie is a technical marvel - it looks incredible, as is expected of Square Enix's cinematics people. Lucis is almost photorealistic... or forget the 'almost', it looks damn good. Characters are also very well done; some animations are a bit odd but it's a minor thing.

There's nods to Final Fantasy all over the place. A chocobo-related branding on the side of a car, Cactuar straw figures, Malboro drawings, Behemots, Cerberus, the Protect spell, and even freaking Weapons from Final Fantasy VII (though they're just called 'Demons' here). I haven't checked for more, since I need to watch the movie a second time, but there are sure to be more.


I am sure you have read some 'movie critics' pan Kingsglaive for its plot and what not, but I believe one must simply focus on what it is: it helps to flesh out the plot of XV's first moments, introduces us to some characters and parts of the world, and leaves a lot of questions open that are, I imagine, meant to wet our appetites for the main game - such as an incredibly important detail about a certain ring that I won't spoil. In that sense: mission accomplished, Kingsglaive. I am very much looking forward to FFXV... this movie just made the wait that much harder.


The movie ends in a familiar scene (if you saw the game's recent gameplay demo): a Prince and his friends drive in a car that chooses to have a malfunction at a terrible time.


"What do you mean 'oh oh'?"

Wait on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=337 Music Friday: Shattered https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=336 Fri, 26 Aug 2016 19:44:32 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/ffxiv_crystaltower.jpg?w=720 This Anima nerf has gotten me to do the *Crystal Tower* series...

This Anima nerf has gotten me to do the Crystal Tower series of raids again, and reminded me of just what an amazing soundtrack they have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTzQbiNooMA

Shattered plays during regular encounters in the Crystal Tower raid, the second in the set of "casual" 24-man raid during Final Fantasy XIV's 2.0 series.The music is all calm and pretty - arrangements of Final Fantasy III's music - and when the encounters start it picks up to this theme.

Perhaps the biggest impact this theme has is that it is a remix of previously existing themes and as such is extra special to veteran Final Fantasy players, but newcomers to the series can appreciate the powerful battle music - which still manages to be left behind by the boss battle at the end which can be the subject for another day *wink*.

I am glad I get to do these old raids again as part of my Anima relic quest. They are as fun as ever, and always have that "this should have an Extreme version" quality to them. With my current play time, it might take me a few weeks of doing the Crystal Tower quest to get the items I need so I'm sure to visit the place often... and I'm turning up the volume every time.

Game on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=336 Better late than never https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=335 Wed, 24 Aug 2016 14:22:04 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/cqmbk6eusaiejhp.jpg?w=750 Last night I finally got my 210 Anima weapon in *Final Fantasy...

Last night I finally got my 210 Anima weapon in Final Fantasy XIV! YES, I am months late. With all other stuff I have been playing I just didn't grind for the 'unidentifiable' set of items, just purchasing them every now and then.

With yesterday's patch, which heavily nerfed the costs of these items, I managed to get all of them with a combination of tomes and beast tribe tokens. Used all my Grand Company seals to get half of the craftable items and bought the other straight from the market board. Result: I am now the owner of whats-its-name Black Mage i210 weapon. I still have another step to go through before taking it to that patch's top level (which still is not the last step), and this one includes going into the Crystal Tower series of 24-man raids.

"But Saga, didn't you know the item you get from there can be obtained even if you don't have the Anima quest? You could have gathered this items months ago!"

NO, I DIDN'T KNOW! I AM AN EMBARRASSMENT! But anyways, I got lucky with a &lt;5 minute queue for World of Darkness last night and was reminded just how cool of a raid those are; music is exceptionally great. SE should someday readjust 24-mans and make an Extreme version; the difficulty of Mhach gives hope for more challenging and fun raids.

Oh, and before I go: the achievement for getting the Anima is called 'Animaniac'. GG SE, GG.

]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=335 Music Friday: The Ark https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=334 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 19:54:45 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/lrffxiii3.jpg?w=720 I started *Lightning Returns* the other day and... Hm? Yes, I just did....

I started Lightning Returns the other day and... Hm? Yes, I just did. Yeah, I know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQxmxJkEkXY

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, also known as FFXIII-3, came out at a terrible time. Back then our wonderful government imposed a $42 tax on courier deliveries. What was previously a $12 delivery jumped to $54 - almost the price of a full game! And thus, it was the first Final Fantasy game that I had to hold off on purchasing. Last year, during my trip to Miami I found it (used, but in excellent state) at a Gamestop store and I finally got it, but I hadn't started playing it until recently (stupid sexy Playstation 4).

What can I say? I am early in the game. Early impressions: I do not like the feeling of the time limit, and did PS3 games all look like this? Otherwise, it seems like a fun game to play through and I should since it finished the XIII trilogy and I have already played both prequels. I am just starting to get the hang of the different jobs or schematas you can have, but so far it seems like a fun system. Combat is pretty good, though. The game's 'hub', called The Ark, is a nice stopping point to relax (time stops in there) and gather some items - it has a nice theme, too! This is today's theme.

Last time I played I finished day 1. I know now what the game's 5 main "quests" are, and I have read that I should use Chronostasis more often (or rather 'use it' since I didn't know what it does). Wonder how long the game is... with Rise of Iron out on the 20th of September I will probably jump back to that.

Man, my PS3 backlog is big...

Ark on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=334 Survive (the hate) https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=333 Wed, 17 Aug 2016 14:14:12 GMT
Yo! Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo guys. This is real:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3hjRKGrC40

What's the first thing you do with a franchise like Metal Gear Solid after doing away with its creator and part of its team? Why, do a... survival... game... thingy.

And no, I am not counting the pachinko machine thing because... pachinko.

Konami today announced Metal Gear Survive (which ironically enough also acronyms to 'MGS') and it's... we don't really know what it is but it sure as hell is not a regular, traditional Metal Gear game. Soldiers left behind during the destruction of Mother Base at the end of Ground Zeroes are sucked into a wormhole in the sky and end up in an alternate dimension where they must survive against... some crystal-in-the-head zombies or something. Maybe a Left 4 Dead style of game? Or one of the many survival games that have been popping up in the past year? Who knows! All we know is that it is focused on stealth and, well, survival.

So, being real, we have no idea if this will end up being a good game or not. It could be really fun and all that. It's just... let's use the term 'interesting'... to see where Konami plans to take the Metal Gear franchise in the future. Twitter, on the other hand, seems to have already made up its mind - there's a lot of sarcasm and comedic vitriol towards the game. People are not too fond of the idea of the next Metal Gear game - the first post-departure of series' creator Hideo Kojima - being so different from the standard Metal Gear formula. Some hate it for the crime of being the Kojima-less Metal Gear (which to be fair, is a valid concern at least in a polish-level sense). I even read somewhere this morning that it wouldn't be a 'full priced' game but that it'd still be a big experience, which reeks of microtransactions.

The Twitter spectacle is just beginning this morning. On one side there are MGS players that saw with horror as the series creator was locked out of the final days prior to the release of V (and in some cases after that, too) and consider this new game an abomination, and on the other people that think the others are just defending Kojima or using a similar train o thought. There's a third camp, of course: one with a big bucket of popcorn just ready to watch it all burn.


I say: "Remember Rising". Circumstances are different, but that's a game that took the Metal Gear name and produced a fun, fast-paced game. Sure, it wrecked the positive outlook of the ending of MGS4, but it was just a fun game - I personally do not consider it canon.

You can't blame Konami, though. They have a fantastic engine in their hands, and an extremely popular franchise with a reputation that has the potential to outlive all the negativity born out of the problems faced by the last game in the saga. They must do something (other than pachinko machines) with it. Is Survive a good choice? I could give you my answer but let's, for the sake of peace, go with "who knows?".

Wormholes in the sky, though... damn.

Wormhole on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=333 Music Friday: Walking https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=332 Fri, 12 Aug 2016 21:25:22 GMT
It's a holiday here and I just spent about 4 hours in the local boardwalk catching pokémon. Water pokémon. Also, since it's a holiday I don't have access to my office PC where my Wordpress credentials are, and since I am too tired and lazy to go changing the password... forget the simple formatting. Amazing PR spin: BlueGartr exclusive!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQo44bjQCKY

Pokémon GO is a week old here so the magic hasn't gone away yet, and it's still a lot of fun going around looking for pokémons I am missing and visiting pokéstops to get more damned pokéballs. Today's theme is the overworld theme, which plays in the - *gasp* - overworld, when there's no battling going on.

I like how GO's music is... well I am gonna say quite similar to the pokémon style, but since I haven't played any Pokémon game since Sapphire I can't say for certain if these are not just remixes of existing themes. Anyway, it's pretty neat and catchy. Sad that I play with music off... tends to slow down my game in my humble Samsung A5.

Game on!
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=332 Pokéstop GO https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=331 Tue, 09 Aug 2016 20:14:06 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/pokemongofeat.jpg?w=700 While more developed countries were catching pokémon and cursing...

While more developed countries were catching pokémon and cursing Niantic for removing some steps from some screen, we the people of South America we just crossing our fingers waiting for Pokémon GO to come to us (unless, of course, you somehow managed to install it earlier). Last week we finally got our chance as the game was released in our countries and I can finally leave home and work behind to go explore the world and finally fulfill my dream of becoming a Pokémon master.

I wish.

By now everyone knows the gist of Pokémon GO: use your cell phone to go around town, catching virtual pokémon, then use these to battle in Gyms. It's a simple premise (taken from Ingress, an earlier game from the same developer) but it's also an entertaining one, with hundreds of people flocking to parks and whenever pokéstops (where you can get free items and lure pokémon) are. So, you start your journey creating an avatar and go out into the map to visit the dozens of...


Well, that's what I get for living right outside the city. Unfortunately the city proper isn't so different. There's a couple of pokéstops in parks here and there, with most being near water. The best spot is in the city's boardwalk - the place to go... if you want to catch water pokémon. Want a Magikarp?

Left: The airport has a gym and a couple of stops. Notice the huge ground of nothing in the background, ironically one of the most populated areas in the city. Right: The boardwalk is a hot zone. Lots of people taking advantage of the stops.


Without access to pokéstops, you'll quickly run out of pokéballs. Without pokéballs or stops, you can only get more... you guessed it: money. It is to be expected, honestly. Just sucks if you don't live in cities where stops are basically around every corner.

"Pffft. Don't use pokéballs in small or weak pokémon! Save them for the big ones!"

I'm sorry, Gary-look-alike, but you need the smaller pokémon to get candy and pokéheroin... I mean, stardust. With both of these resources you evolve your pokémon and make them stronger. You need lots of small fry to make one stronger. A popular example is our good old friend Magikarp, which is nearly useless on its own, but after 400 candies will turn into the powerful Gyarados. Lots of small fry=lots of pokéballs.


I just wish there was a way to suggest pokéstops. That would alleviate the problem of people living in suburban or rural areas. More people playing, more need for pokéballs, more money. But hey, it is as it is. At least we can play now.

Good thing is that while the game maintains its popularity, it's fun to go to places like the boardwalk and catch pokémons while walking and basking a bit in the sun. Some say it's "healthy". All in good fun - until the GPS starts failing...

Game on.
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=331 Music Friday: Music Hour https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=330 Fri, 05 Aug 2016 19:17:58 GMT Want another piece from *Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! 2*? Of course you do! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoCXDdOXWgs Last week...
Want another piece from Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! 2? Of course you do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoCXDdOXWgs

Last week I told you how much I like the OST (or rather 'track list') from the Ouendan games, which came out for the Nintendo DS. Today I share with you another track from it and it is one of my favorites, if not the favorite: Music Hour by Porno Graffiti (yeah, weird name).

Sadly, just like last week, the original video for Music Hour is not on Youtube but can be found elsewhere. A video of a live performance can be found, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRqSeCBt5SM

While POPSTAR was sort of romantic and catchy, this one's upbeat and crazy and... well, it may be romantic as well but I have no idea what the lyrics mean! That doesn't stop a cool song from being enjoyed by me!

Next week I'll go back to regular game music, I promise!

Game on!
Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=330 Music Friday: POP STAR https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=327 Fri, 29 Jul 2016 19:49:03 GMT Have you played *Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan* (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osu!_Tatakae!_Ouendan)? Or its sequel *Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu!...
Have you played Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan? Or its sequel Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2? No? I wouldn't be surprised.

Warning: The audio on this one is a bit odd. Treble might be too strong for some. Lower the volume before surrendering yourself to the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0SCryvtIik

A couple of Nintendo DS rhythm games from Japan focusing on a trio of male "cheerleaders" who encourage everyday people to reach their goals to the beat of catchy tunes. The concept is as odd as it sounds, but the game was pretty amazing. I loved both of them, and that love extended to its NA counterpart, Elite Beat Agents. The original JP site has a video in its home page on how it works.


The soundtrack to both of these games is filled with catchy-as-hell tunes, some of which had/have also appeared in popular tv shows in Japan. One such song is POP STAR by Ken Hirai. It may be one of the slower songs in the roster but it's a cool song nonetheless. For some reason, the music video is nowhere on Youtube, the closest thing being a live performance from some show. The video is available in other sites, though. The artist poses as several different people signing the theme in a retro style. Fun.


Fun fact: Elite Beat Agents, the NA version of these games, uses covers of the songs whereas the original games used the real songs. Also, in EBA instead of sport-like cheerleaders the game features men-in-black like dudes but their purpose is the same (encourage people through music to reach their goals).

And yeah, I cheated by using a real non-game song. But hey, it has appeared in a video game. I win. Next week I might do this again. I did say the OSTs are pretty good, didn't I? So maybe next week my post will be another music hour... :nekolol:

Game on!
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=327 Music Friday: Demons on the Prey https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=326 Fri, 22 Jul 2016 14:28:18 GMT Image: https://sagacyte.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/doombanner.jpg?w=720 Did I tell you about the times I, as a young kid, stayed up until very...

Did I tell you about the times I, as a young kid, stayed up until very late in an almost deserted office building playing DOOM?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6ucEG_nvh4

My dad worked in the systems department in a local bank. Due to his position, he often had meetings until very late, sometimes without much notice, and when my mom and I would go pick him up we were sometimes faced with waiting for him for potentially hours, or just wait and return when he called. I sometimes chose to say there. You see, some of the workers had games in their machines, one of which was DOOM.

No, I did not have the proper age to play a game like DOOM. It did not bother me. And the fact that I was often playing this game in a huge office floor (with dozens of cubicles) at night when no one was there, with barely a couple of lights here and there, enhanced the experience. Sure, it was scary, but it cemented the idea that DOOM was a game that would leave its mark.


(Imagine this, with only one light on, at midnight. In one of those cubicles, a young me played DOOM)

The game's audio was (and still is) pretty cool. Enemies would make specific growls and moans that you could identify easily, so you'd always know which demon was after you, and some even make startling noises when they discovered you. Music ranged from energetic to slow and menacing. Truly a game worth experiencing.

Actually, I just did. Again. I bought DOOM from a recent GOG sale and played through it again. It was extra fun since I played it using a mechanical keyboard and - for the first time ever - with a mouse (back then I aimed entirely using the keyboard). Why is the mechanical keyboard fun? Because of the click sound, which helped me "go back" to my youth. All those years ago, I played using this:


Game on!
- Sagacyte ]]> Sagacyte https://www.bluegartr.com/blog.php?b=326