Random note 11: The success of Persona

Recently, three big Persona related stories were released, all of which resulted in a Twitter feed full of anticipation and excitement. Persona 5 is happening, and we’re also getting a Persona 4 fighting game. Persona, as a spin-off series, has become entirely its own thing. Not only has this series helped introduce thousands of gamers to an amazing RPG series, it has also helped make the Shin Megami Tensei name mean that much more here in North America and I couldn’t be happier.

Random note 10: FFXIII and DAII: Disappointing fans everywhere

By Andrew “WorldDude” Passafiume

You know, the RPG genre seems to be becoming something entirely different these days, isn’t it? RPGs used to be expansive, full of exploration and discovery. As technology expanded and advanced, we now have games that become less and less about that. Mass Effect 2 is an excellent game, but it’s basically a third person shooter with RPG elements. What happened to this genre, and is this change really such a good thing?

Random note 09: Final Fantasy music (and where it all went wrong?)

By Andrew “WorldDude” Passafiume

Okay, maybe saying “and where it all went wrong” isn’t exactly how I feel, but it’s close enough! I absolutely love Nobuo Uematsu and all of the work he has done for the Final Fantasy series over the years. He has composed some of the greatest soundtracks of all time, and not just for video games. His work stands out in a way that most don’t, and it brings us some of the most amazing and memorable moments in all of gaming. So what happened when he left Square to work on other projects? Things changed.

Random note 08: The death of Japanese games?

By WorldDude

Ever since Keiji Inafune made some rather critical comments about the Japanese game industry, people have been up in arms. Are Japanese developed games dying? Is it really the end unless you make a game that caters towards Western audiences?

Random note 07: Why do people like Lost Planet 2?

By WorldDude

I have to know. Having played this game about a week ago with a couple of friends, I just don’t understand the appeal. Keep in mind, I’m not the biggest fan of Lost Planet in the world. I thought the first game was average at best, but at the time, it was saved by a very fairly  solid multiplayer component. It hasn’t aged well at all, mind you, but when it first came out, it worked. Lost Planet 2 does away with the strong story focused single player and instead is heavy on co-op. This should have been a good thing, right?

Random note 06: But it was done on purpose!

By WorldDude

There are very few things that annoy me more than people who think they can simply excuse game developers for something because they think what they did was done on purpose. For example, a game (or section of a game) is designed poorly, someone (like myself) dislikes this game or portion of the game because of it. I say it’s not fun to play, and the response I might get from someone who likes the game? “Well, it was done on purpose.”

Random note 05: Becoming a game collector?

By WorldDude

You would think that, as someone who either sold or witnessed the selling of just about all of the games and systems he grew up playing, he would either A) vow to buy back all of the games that he sold, or B) possibly never return to them. Being the person I am in that situation who loves games, but does not own his two favorite game consoles, I see myself trying to decide between the two. On one hand, I have very easy access to many of these games through things like the Virtual Console, and also constant releases of compilations like Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis collection. On the other, it just isn’t as cool as owning the actual games in their original format, despite how pricy it can be to get them again.

Random note 04: I miss the mystery (and the discovery)

By WorldDude

Remember, back before you had a computer or Internet access, or before you had any video game magazine subscription, or even when your knowledge of new game releases was limited to what you saw in a store? Those were good times, I thought, but they did lead to disasters. If you had only a small amount of money to spend, and you could only buy one game every so often…or rent one game every so often, you had some tough decisions ahead of you.  But back then, I loved it.

Random note 03: Game trilogies rarely work

It’s that simple! Game trilogies, or at least “planned” game trilogies almost never work. The rare exceptions in which they do work are for game series that only become “trilogies” when the series is canceled and the games are called a trilogy for bundle marketing purposes. For example, the Xenosaga trilogy was meant to be two trilogies. It was meant to be six games to connect the series back with the original Xenogears back on the PS1.

Random note 02: Rez looks good in HD

Welcome to a new blog post segment, random note, in which I make a quick post about something gaming related that has been on my mind as of late. The topic for this time? Something probably ridiculous, but it is about one game: Rez.

Special thanks to Riss for the inspiration to write this one.