Apparently since the announcement of the remake of Final Fantasy 7, SqueeEnix's shares have increased to their highest point in years.
I suppose this is what I always suspected: People want more Final Fantasy 7 and only more Final Fantasy 7. Who cares about anything else SqueeEnix have done? Who cares about the Final Fantasy's that aren't VII? Hell, who cares about the entire genre that is JRPG's?
And that is the last question that disturbs me the most: This is an entire gaming genre that has more or less crashed, and burned, into stagnation. With Final Fantasy 7 being the nadir of the genre it is also it's death knell: No one cares about any other games since and no other entrant in the genre has come close to matching the sales of Final Fantasy 7. True there have been other gaming genre's that may have suffered a lull that lasted for a painful amount of time, but they will always be resurrected by any bedroom developer and a devoted audience. But the JRPG hasn't had such a luxury.
Mind you, I have Trails of the Sky attached my Steam account for a long time without actually playing. Maybe it's time I should...
Friday, October 30, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
World's Finest
Met a guy named Marty today. Nice bloke.
Anyway!
Recent news has emerged that a new DLC will be coming for Batman: Arkham Knight, in the form of Batman vs Superman Batmobile. It will include the new Batsuit and Batmobile from the upcoming Batman vs Superman movie.
One can only wonder how many were disappointed that it's not a feature that allows Batman and Superman to fight one on one.
Oh wait, Rocksteady is made of Batman fans and one can imagine Superman being treated on a level comparable to "He Who Should Not Be Named". Likewise, one can imagine a one-one-one feature being added just for the sake of seeing Superman getting his lights punched out by Batman - even if there is indeed something deeply unsettling about a symbol of hope being beaten up by a guy with loads of money.
Oh well, at least there's always Injustice: Gods Among Us
Anyway!
Recent news has emerged that a new DLC will be coming for Batman: Arkham Knight, in the form of Batman vs Superman Batmobile. It will include the new Batsuit and Batmobile from the upcoming Batman vs Superman movie.
One can only wonder how many were disappointed that it's not a feature that allows Batman and Superman to fight one on one.
Oh wait, Rocksteady is made of Batman fans and one can imagine Superman being treated on a level comparable to "He Who Should Not Be Named". Likewise, one can imagine a one-one-one feature being added just for the sake of seeing Superman getting his lights punched out by Batman - even if there is indeed something deeply unsettling about a symbol of hope being beaten up by a guy with loads of money.
Oh well, at least there's always Injustice: Gods Among Us
Friday, October 9, 2015
...Let us leave the confusion and all this illusion behind / Like birds of a feather on a rainbow together we'll find....
And another game has been cast down from the Hall of Shame: Pack your bags Leisure Suit Larry 7 Love for Sail!. You're outta here!
I find some interesting parallels between Leisure Suit Larry 7 and Final Fantasy 7. Namely:
Really, the mid-to-late nineties was a strange time for Adventure games. Generally it was a given that for the past decade the genre had gotten by on the notion that solid, and humorous, writing would overcome any technical limitations. However by this time, the technology had advanced to a point where it could match the writing on equal terms. So whilst we have games like Larry 7, Curse of Monkey Island, and excellent Grim Fandango, they arrived at a point where the genre was dying off. Still, one can't refute the satisfaction of seeing a genre end on a high note. And Larry 7 certainly belongs as one of best adventure games made.
When playing this game, one thing struck me is that this is game that, clearly, has been made with passion. It's as if Al Lowe and his team realized the tools they had at their disposal and put in all their effort to making the best game they could - and it shows considerably.
Firstly, the design of the game works a treat: It is easy to move around the ship setting and never once is it possible to die or end up in in an unwinnable situation - and coming from Sierra that's saying a lot. Secondly there's the graphics: The animation and art direction is superb and, for the first time, really fits the mood of the series. Thirdly the music is great: the midi music is finally ditched and in it's place are some really snappy jazz tunes. Fourthly the voice again keeps the pace set by the previous game and never once slips up. Larry is still pathetic, the narrator is still in scene-stealing form but credit must go to the hilarious Peg (seriously, she needs her own game). Fifthly, the humor is great: there are jokes that are laugh-out funny and there are various allusions to The Simpsons and Looney Tunes. And finally there are the additional features. Gimmicky I know but they had some amusement value.
In a way, perhaps it is fitting that this be the last Larry game that Al Lowe worked on. Larry 7 does everything so right, that it a followup may be near impossible to achieve. True there was that teaser at the end of the credits of Larry 7 but such a game has yet to emerge - even when Al has suggested he's still keen to make it happen. But if Larry 8 never shows, I'm not bothered. In fact, maybe it;s better that the series end at Larry 7 (of course, there are the bastardized sequels but we don't talk about them...)
So yeah Larry 7's reputation as the pinnacle of the series is justified and it's easily one of the best entrants in the adventure game genre. It's aged remarkably well and certainly worth a go.
Original image located here. Accessed 9th October 2015
I find some interesting parallels between Leisure Suit Larry 7 and Final Fantasy 7. Namely:
- Both are are the seventh installment of their respective franchises (well.....maybe not Larry).
- Both came out at roughly the same time (Larry 7 in October 1996, FF7 in January 1997)
- Larry got a significant graphical upgrade with it's animation and art style. FF7 drummed up a lot of buzz with it's use of cinematics.
- Both games took a successful formula and added a whole of new features on top
- And both are largely regarded as being the pinnacle of the franchises
Really, the mid-to-late nineties was a strange time for Adventure games. Generally it was a given that for the past decade the genre had gotten by on the notion that solid, and humorous, writing would overcome any technical limitations. However by this time, the technology had advanced to a point where it could match the writing on equal terms. So whilst we have games like Larry 7, Curse of Monkey Island, and excellent Grim Fandango, they arrived at a point where the genre was dying off. Still, one can't refute the satisfaction of seeing a genre end on a high note. And Larry 7 certainly belongs as one of best adventure games made.
When playing this game, one thing struck me is that this is game that, clearly, has been made with passion. It's as if Al Lowe and his team realized the tools they had at their disposal and put in all their effort to making the best game they could - and it shows considerably.
Firstly, the design of the game works a treat: It is easy to move around the ship setting and never once is it possible to die or end up in in an unwinnable situation - and coming from Sierra that's saying a lot. Secondly there's the graphics: The animation and art direction is superb and, for the first time, really fits the mood of the series. Thirdly the music is great: the midi music is finally ditched and in it's place are some really snappy jazz tunes. Fourthly the voice again keeps the pace set by the previous game and never once slips up. Larry is still pathetic, the narrator is still in scene-stealing form but credit must go to the hilarious Peg (seriously, she needs her own game). Fifthly, the humor is great: there are jokes that are laugh-out funny and there are various allusions to The Simpsons and Looney Tunes. And finally there are the additional features. Gimmicky I know but they had some amusement value.
In a way, perhaps it is fitting that this be the last Larry game that Al Lowe worked on. Larry 7 does everything so right, that it a followup may be near impossible to achieve. True there was that teaser at the end of the credits of Larry 7 but such a game has yet to emerge - even when Al has suggested he's still keen to make it happen. But if Larry 8 never shows, I'm not bothered. In fact, maybe it;s better that the series end at Larry 7 (of course, there are the bastardized sequels but we don't talk about them...)
So yeah Larry 7's reputation as the pinnacle of the series is justified and it's easily one of the best entrants in the adventure game genre. It's aged remarkably well and certainly worth a go.
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