She is my pokemon in Shin Megami Tensei games.

Way better than your lame Pikachu.

So tonight and tomorrow there will be mass blogging about Final Fantasy XIII. The rabid PS3 and 360 fanboys have already let their freak flags fly over it. In the weeks to come PS3 fanboys will be touting its superior graphics while the 360 guys will be hoping to flaunt higher sales numbers.



They will wage war over FFXIII because its formerly one of Playstation's exclusive franchises (I guess everyone missed FFXI) and much like Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid before it, its another sign that console exclusives are a thing of the past with third parties.

Sony fanboys have, and will continue to, cry over a lack of "loyalty" on Square-Enix's part and claim that Final Fantasy will suffer a loss of quality just for touching the 360. Kinda like how Final Fantasy "lost its way" when it stopped being sprite-based and moved on from Nintendo to Sony, this according to ardent Nintendo fanboys of the time.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, there's all kinds of other fanboys that actual, returning fans and newcomers will feel the insanity of with the arrival of FFXIII.

Weeaboos. Do I even need to get into it? They're still not over FFX's dub, they'll be here. They'll pretend to give the FFXIII English dub a chance and proceed to start crabbing about it, nothing in English can meet the Japanese gold standard they assume to be the best, even if they don't really know Japanese at all.

But the most notorious Final Fantasy fanboy is the FFVII Fanboy. Just like the Weeaboo Brigade, they're going to put Final Fantasy XIII under the microscope and pretend to give it a fair shake. In reality, judgment has already been passed and FFXIII has failed in their eyes.



But that's because they've built an alter to FFVII and believe it is the Alpha and Omega of the franchise and, by extension, they believe themselves to be the beginning and the end of the fanbase. Your opinion does not matter, if you are not an FFVII fanboy, you are not relevant to them.

Most often, they cannot even articulate their opinions beyond, "Final Fantasy VII is the greatest RPG ever!" Talk about any RPG at all and they will jump in to say that. They don't have anything else to add in terms of substance, just that.

And they're just like the rabid Western RPG fanboy. I'm not talking about the guys started with Wizardry and Dungeons and Dragons, but the guys that started with Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.

They're the same as the FFVII Fanboy. They reek of First Kiss Syndrome and use the same thread of logic - "[Bioware RPG] is the greatest RPG ever." You don't see the Diabolo or Elder Scrolls fans acting like this. They like what they like and they're too busy with what they like to waste time on forums declaring what's the best.

If you can get either the FFVII Fanboy or the Bioware Fanboy to open up a little for a reason, for the FFVII Fanboy the reason its "story" and for the KOTOR guy its "choice." While this does define one difference between JRPGs and WRPGs, the reasoning is painfully one-note, because this is all you can ever get out of them. The Bioware Fanboy thinks Bioware invented choice, while the FFVII Fanboy thinks Aerith's death is the most gut-wrenching, emotional thing ever.

Metroid hatchling hit me harder, just sayin'. The Bard's Tale also did the whole "chronic asshole by choice" thing before Bioware ever did it.

And again, similar to the fans who feel Final Fantasy lost its way by going 3D, there's the artist they Yoshitaka Amano fanboys love to hate because he took over with that shift - Tetsuya Nomura. No longer was Yoshitaka Amano the lead artist of the franchise, but this guy. And they'll blame Nomura for anything that happens with Final Fantasy, even if he's not directly involved.

Never mind the fact that no one ever asked Amano if he really cared that he had been displaced. I mean, the guy's an artist and not a game designer. Not doing Final Fantasy lets Amano have even more freedom as an artist.

But Amano should be shackled to a desk and make FF stuff forever. Nomura should be blamed for anything, even stuff you make up about him which people actually do. This is basically the view of the Amano fanboy.



This also goes back to that PS3 Fanboy "loyalty" thing. I like to call it the "Die for Darkseid" mentality.

Darkseid is a DC Comics villain and on top of that, an evil god. Your greatest gift to him is to give your all the expense of everything until you die. Darkseid wants to strip everyone of thier free will so he occupies the minds of everyone and only Darkseid exists.

Darkseid is a big Darkseid fanboy.



And FFVII fanboys, in their cult of personality, kinda do the same thing. They believe FFVII being remade is like the most important thing ever, that SE should forgo all other projects and even risk losing money just to sate their incessant need for a remake. To die making an FFVII remake is to die for Darkseid!

There's more. I could keep going on the topic, but I'm gonna leave it at this. I think I've shown enough faces of insanity.

If you're new to the franchise as a whole, I'm going to ask you do yourself a favor and do not visit Final Fantasy related forums and possibly consider a media blackout. The freaks are about to come out yet again. You should have fun with your shiny, new FFXIII.

And dear god, don't go to Gamefaqs forums about Final Fantasy right now, that's just asking for it.

Relationships have undeniably become part of the focus in games over recent years. One could say they've actually been around for a while but now a lot of games are taking on these elements. The Sims has been doing it for over a decade.

Now cheating is a possibility more than it was in the past. I find it odd that it would be something to brag about at the watercooler at work, seems a tad juvenile, but all the same it should be an option within games and it is

Oddly enough, the only game that seems to have any long-term consequence for cheating is, at least within my experience, still The Sims. Bear in mind I've not really played any of The Sims since the original and the first couple of expansions, but all the same, the long-term reparations The Sims puts you through is fairly realistic.



In The Sims, repairing relationships takes time, rather than a couple events or a mission resolving things it tends to take longer. Of course, The Sims doesn't really have a plot and that's where its advantage lies..

ME2 tends to take the hot/cold approach. If you're found out to be a cheat, you're forced to choose, one relationship continues while the other ends. If only it were that easy.

The gameplay consequences of cheating in Mass Effect 2 or Persona 4 are just, by contrast, a slap on the wrist.

Now, let's just get this point out of the way - its not like we're really cheating, but the lack of realistic consequence bothers me. I can piss off a party member in Dragon Age: Origins to the point where they not only leave, but leave with armor I earned and gave to them.

That is a consequence and a fair one. It burns, doesn't it?

Why doesn't ME2 do it that way?

Well, plot has to rear its ugly head and get in the way of realism. While there's certainly something to be said for the intricate relationships between Shepard, the other characters and between the NPCs but a plot point remains the one factor that undermines what would otherwise happen in other Bioware games:

These people are set up for a suicide mission. They have to be there or they can't potentially die or survive that scenario.

They're "Loyal to the cause" and have a loyalty stat that affects things, too.

Miranda: Loyal to the cause because of stats and plot.

And Persona 4, while a bit more straightforward, has the same issue.

Let's profile Chie Satonaka from Persona 4 for a moment, I think this makes for an important example about how plot undermines choices made with relationships. And Persona 4 does emphasize choice and the importance of relationships. It also emphasizes character psychology greatly. Every relationship you build save for three is done so on your own volition.

Now, on to Chie.



Chie is the "ugly girl" or the "prince" in a friendship with the prettier, more desirable Yukiko Amagi. Even though she's a genuine friend to "Princess" Yukiko, she's also very protective of her. Some would say "manipulative," but I think Chie's intentions are good and she's a loyal friend, its just she's overprotective to the point of seeming possessive.

Yukiko is everything Chie is not - gorgeous and refined, at least on the surface. Chie is cute, but outspoken, athletic, sweaty and tomboyish. When she's alone, Chie will compare herself to Yukiko and feels she doesn't rate as a woman. Only when Yukiko's around does Chie seem stronger, because its Yukiko's trust and friendship that put her at ease.

So long as Chie has someone to protect, she's golden. It doesn't have to just be Yukiko and Chie comes to realize that, but initially when you meet her and Yukiko goes missing, its like hanging kryptonite around Supergirl's neck. Chie becomes weak, helpless and panics when she doesn't have Yukiko in her sphere of influence..

If Chie gets the guy during the course of the game, though, that's a major emotional victory, isn't it? She's loved for who she is and concerns about having to be like Yukiko melt away. Chie gets another source of trust and becomes comfortable about who she is. She can carry on protecting those important to her and even begins protecting those who can't protect themselves.

So, shouldn't that emotional victory be destroyed the second I move on to Yukiko?



We are talking about realizing Chie's every fear about herself and other people. Before the relationship became intimate, she saw Yukiko as an upgrade.

And now I've upgraded. I've used Chie as a stepping stone for the prettier girl, the one she'd believe I'd rather be with in a relationship with. And this is nothing to say about Yukiko finding out about the main character and Chie. The effects should be a bit more damning here.

And let me tell ya, I've been there. I had a girlfriend that used me that way. I had a bit of rage, a little anguish and a heaping helping of wanting to HULK SMASH. You opened up, let them in and they weren't loyal. I hated her for it and she had the audacity to say "I hope we can still be friends."

I wouldn't buy that line, why would Chie?



But from start to finish, Chie is driven to be there by plot. She's loyal to the cause even if I don't pursue a relationship with her. Chie, by rights, should be able to leave anytime she wanted to if I entered a relationship with her and then hurt her, but there are scenes she needs to be in so she's there to the end.

It seems really tragic, too, because the characters of Persona 4 are actually portrayed like genuine people with real problems. The way the characters even speak to the protagonist is as if you're actually there, from cutscenes to combat, which helps you feel even more connected to them and the issues they face.

Things like feeling like you're second place, being the outcast, feeling the pressure of family obligations, finding your sexual identity - its real, palpable stuff that people deal with. The only outlandish part is the how they have their adventures, but everything else about them feels real compared to the usual JRPG fantasy fare.

So its sad that Persona 4's characters get stuck with the burden of plot just like Mass Effect's characters do. I understand its for the sake of story and the stories are good, great even, but there's no penalty for doing the wrong thing. I max a character's loyalty in either game and they're bound to be loyal because of a statistic.

Oh sure, there were scenes where I could get caught in Persona 4 as well, but if loyalty was maxed, all I had to do was tell them it was a misunderstanding. Sure, RPGs have stats and things, but when you go so far to probe a character's heart and then bind them to plot and statistics, it kind of spoils the illusion of how real a character like Chie can be

And let's not forget the flipside of cheaters here in the upcoming Persona 3 Portable and the other side of Mass Effect 2 there's the opportunity to be the female protagonist. Its great for women because they don't have to be stuck with the guy, but I've noticed some interesting commentary regarding men that pick up the female Shepard or have imported P3P.

Play the male and they're passing out high-fives at the watercooler over "double-dipping," but put a female in their hands and its a different story. Their girl is a one-man woman.


She might also be a pedo.

What's up with that, guys? Why the sudden change of heart?

Actually, I think I might know.

When I've played MMOs, I've usually had a male and a female character. I need something easier on the eyes every now in then and so I make a female.. And for whatever reason, I seem to treat my female characters a lot better and actually give them priority on things over my male character. Does this come from a man's desire to put a woman on a pedestal, even if its not a real woman? Am I treating the female character akin to how I'd want to treat a female friend, a girlfriend or a daughter?

I think this might actually be the case. A character is sort of like a child you create and nurture through those games. Sometimes I feel like I should have a portrait of my characters on my dresser, that's just how deeply you can connect to a character you create, especially when you have a say about who they are.

So I think that may be the case with other guys playing the female character. It seems like a double standard at first, but perhaps in the minds of some people what they're really setting out to do is match up the female with the male character that is most like them and they want to treat her nice.

At least I hope that's the reason.

But perhaps all this speculation and reaction is actually the point. While plot can undermine choice and consequence in these games, people are also presented with opportunities they don't normally have. Perhaps developers make the choices they do just to see where we go with this stuff so they know what to try next time around that they didn't do this time.

Its an interesting experiment, to say the least, but I hope to see consequence become a greater factor as story becomes more and more intertwined with gameplay.

Maybe next time Shepard will have to worry about intergalactic STDs.

Let me start off by saying this, just to get it out of the way: For VanaFest attendees in Japan today, it was announced that Final Fantasy XIV's beta begins March 11th. This says nothing about when the beta begins in the west, but we can safely assume that's its not far off for western participants.

That was all that was said about FFXIV. As should be expected, VanaFest was all about Final Fantasy XI.



Tales of Final Fantasy XI's demise have been greatly exaggerated. It lives, much like Basch fon Ronsenburg yet lives, so don't believe fanboy lies. Its gonna keep on moving forward into 2011 as FFXIV gets off the ground.

Today at VanaFest 2010, SE unveiled that the level cap will finally be lifted from 75 to a whopping 99. For those of you wondering why this is earth-shaking, allow me to explain.

For years, we have been kept at the 75 cap for balance reasons. Unlike most MMOs, FFXI allows your character to be any of the game's 20 jobs and allows you to add additional abilities from another job you have leveled to whatever main job you presently are. The "subjobs" as we call them, when applied, are applied at half the level of a main job. So a level 20 Warrior can also add the skills of a level 10 Monk.

A lot of impressive skills like beyond the level 37 subjob cap and have remained as such since early 2004. That seems like a long time on the surface for an MMO, but it kept much of the endgame content vital for the next five years. When the population began to diminish last year, these events started to become more difficult to sustain under their existing structure, but preparations to the mid-game and the addition of new job adjustments were already being laid out for this big change, apparently, we just didn't realize it at the time.

I was actually really surprised SE was going to raise the cap this late in the game, but it now makes a bit of sense.

FFXI has never tried to be WoW, but its never lied about the nature of needing people to get things done, either. So the future adjustments will just be letting us handle the older stuff without the need for large amounts of players since that has become less sustainable.

Even more encouraging was that the three Abyssea expansion scenarios were announced. They would have new endgame content that was also less demanding, requiring only about 6 players to partake in any of the content there.

And a new tier of artifact armor, naturally, lies within (artifact tends to represent a job in its classic iconic appearance (think FFV's Red Mage, our Red Mage looks similar in artifact, but fancier).

So yeah, lots of stuff and all this content is set to roll as the year progresses. If you'd like to read more on it, here's a link:

VanaFest 2010

And for the Abyssea expansions:

Abyssea

Not much on the Abyssea site yet, but I'm sure that will change within the week.

Lots of other miscellaneous info there as well, such as job adjustments, server consolidation and other events. And for those who must know what Summoner is getting - Alexander and Odin. Badass.

I don't know if this will get me to resub, but I'm reinstalling it again anyway. Its hard not to be tempted when all my friends from that game are so pumped about it. It sounds like endgame might finally be something I can do with my actual friends rather than have to enlist with a bunch of self-serving pricks to get anything done.

Well, one can dream, can't they?

All the same, awesome to see SE isn't just going to drop FFXI like a bad habit and keep on supporting it. They could have used the show to hype FFXIV and they really didn't. Instead, they are going to keep standing behind FFXI and FFXIV. I can't even begin to imagine how much work it is for one team to sustain two MMOs. These are the folks that made FFIX have been doing since FFIX.

Big thanks to Limit Break Radio, Pet Food Alpha and VanaChat for teaming up this morning and covering as much of it as they could.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to resist the urge of reviving my power-mad Ranger, Corsair and Scholar characters. Part of me wants to stay away, but the other of me wants to see how this unfolds, at least until FFXIV is out.

This could practically be another "My Expertise" blog, but since I had a turn there already, this is just a recurring thematic device that finds its way into my lap, whether I intend it to or not:

The world ends. Nuclear strike, Hell opens up or something along those lines.

Let me be frank - I'm pretty oblivious to movie previews. I don't watch television - at all, a TV is something I rent movies for and play games on. Were it not for discussions on forums or blogs, I might not know what the hell is in movie theaters and even then, stuff falls through the cracks. I go out today and grab a copy of Ace Attorney Investigations, but on a whim stop by the movie theater.

I look over my options, only really knowing that seeing Dwayne Johnson embarrass himself again isn't in my interests, Legion just looks stupid and that I don't give a shit about a James Cameron movie.

And so, at random, I pick The Book of Eli. Mostly because Denzel Washtington looks like some battle-hardened badass - an image of Denzel I just never seem to be able to buy. I guess I've just seen him in too many squeaky-clean, goodie-goodie roles. I skim the poster and see Gary Oldman. OK, that's another interesting choice. Sold. I get a ticket and go in.


Really, this poster was all I knew before going in.

And then the world ends.

Post-apocalyptic movie.

I swear, if don't go looking for this stuff, it still finds me somehow.

And then, Tom Waits has a small part in it. FUCK YES.

I had just come off of Digital Devil Saga and DDS2 on PS2 from a few weeks ago, it was rather Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome... with cannibalism and Hulk rage demon transformations. Then I watched I Am Legend and Terminator Salvation - zombies (ok "infected") and robots out to kill us all.

I tend to like this sort of thing because it removes the complications of day-to-day life in storytelling, it strips away law and social norms, Humans are now just trying to survive amidst their vices. Then there's the things we take for granted - water, clothes, food even sanitary wipes - it all becomes so much more precious since money became worthless.

The Book of Eli is probably the most human take of the concept I've seen in recent years. No angels or demons; no zombies, robots or mutants - just humans struggling to survive and willing to kill each other to do it, even willing to kill for the chance at rebuilding an organized society.

Taking it a step further, a new generation has grown up in this post-nuclear world. Since most of the things the world took for granted (or kindling) have been removed, people have grown up learning language and might even be proficient with machines, but they don't know how to read or write. Humanity has survived, but in 30 year's time, lost practically everything.

Rather than say more, I'll just leave it at that. But like any post-apocalyptic theme, it draws on the same themes as other post-apoc films. The best of people, the worst of people. Things that are meant for good used to harm or manipulate.

I was blown away by it, really. It wasn't as lonely as other post-apoc movies, either. Walker (Washington) is more than willing to cut down whomever gets in the way of his objective, though. I almost thought I was in for another Desperado or Rambo flick with a body count to match, but not quite.. Denzel was pretty badass here. I guess he can do that every now and then. Mila Kunis also did a good job.

So the whim I took was yet another post-apoc treat. For such a random pick, I apparently could have done a lot worse... like go see Legion.

I have plans to be at the apocalypse next month - Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey awaits my Nintendo DS. I might go for a round of SMT: Nocturne before-hand. Right now, its revisiting Final Fantasy VI...

And the world ends.

Ah yes, Sonic. He's always trying to stage a big career comeback. As much as I love Sonic, to me, he died back in the Genesis days, only to be reanimated for a few good Wonderswan, GBA and DS outings before his rotting corpse was thrown around several more times for 3D outings.

It wasn't that all of the 3D outings were bad so much as they were very un-Sonic. Its cool to try new things and I can get behind that, but too often they moved Sonic away from what fans loved him for - speed.

Instead, Sonic started trying to be Mario.

Mario is a mascot known for many things, he's subject to redefinition all the time. He never really had a definition. He started life as Jumpman, a guy saving a damsel in distress from that naughty ape, Donkey Kong. Then, he had his adventures in Mario Bros. Mario became a referee for boxing and tennis matches, discovered and saved the Mushroom Kingdom many times, studied medicine, mastered turn-based RPG combat and taught it a thing or two. He took up all manner of sports, to boot.

And the people loved him for it.

Sonic has tried all of these things and never became better for it. Nintendo made Mario something that could be reinvented. Sega has not succeeded in this with The Blue Blur..Sonic has spent so much time trying to one-up Mario that he's lost touch with gamers and what he meant to them.



And then there's the rise of a new everyman, another re2inventable mascot.

The Sackboy cometh.



I have to admit, he's got a certain charm for someone so faceless. He has no definition. He can be anyone and depending upon how good you are at level design, he can have a lot of different adventures. And he's so cool that everyone, even grumpy old Kratos, wants to be a Sackboy.

Even Sonic, but that's part of Sonic's problem.

See, characters like Chun Li, Kratos and Solid Snake don't really need Sackboy's help, its just cool to be near him. They can go have their own games and still be respected. Sonic, poor Sonic, just rolled up to bask in Sackboy's glory hoping it would get him some attention. Sonic wants us to remember he's still here, dammit. He wants to relive his glory days.

And that's why he has to chum around with Mario, too, be it in the Olympic games or Nintendo-themed brawlers. He's really just hanging out to get his name out there, he knows Mario does not need him.

See, that's what makes Sackboy a threat - his game can be expanded, he doesn't need cheap gags like episodic content, nor did he really need Sonic. He just placated Sonic. Mario doesn't need Sonic simply because he has the mindshare of the gaming world behind him, which will keep him safe for a while.

Oh sure, Little Big Planet has content to buy, costumes and new things to add to its levels, but LBP isn't aspiring to have sequels to itself on the platforms it appears on. LBP, not unlike Rock Band, has a model capable of being expanded or added to.

But that is the answer to Sonic's woes, if you ask me. Not to be Sackboy, but to have a content-driven community behind him like Sackboy does. It would be so easy to do. It is, in fact, sitting right under Sega's nose. That's what make this "episodic content" nonsense so damn frustrating.

Have a look:

Play Sega Level Creators

Mad yet?

The Sonic the Hedgehog Level Creator. This is a thing that exists, except is its not on consoles and there is not level sharing community for it. There's also a subscription fee to play with it. But how awesome would it be if this was packaged with Sonic the Hedgehog 4?

Totally awesome, you cannot deny it. Image your own Emerald Coast or Pinball zones.



I would sure as hell be able to put up with the episodic concept if there was user-generated content side to this. But Sega being Sega, they aren't doing both. These are separate products.

Even if the best levels had to be isolated in the different platform communities, Sega could eventually collect the best of them and release them to the other communities to enjoy.

Sega did something similar before with Chu Chu Rocket. When the Dreamcast server for that finally went down, they salvaged the best of the user-generated content from Chu Chu Rocket and added it to the GBA version that came a little while later. And that version had a level editor, too, so friends could share levels and still have more fun.

Nintendo is now dabbling in this sort of thing, too: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, Flipnote Studio and Excitebike World Rally all have these kinds of features. These were features MvDK and Excitebike always had, just not on an online level. And PC gaming has always enjoyed this sort of thing.

Nintendo is not ignoring the potential of LBP or ModNation Racers - this DSi/WiiWare stuff is just testing the waters. Oh, the next couple of Mario platformers might be able to get by without user generated content - Mario just has that level of mindshare - but even now he's cutting his teeth on it.

Sega needs to swallow some pride and roll Project Needlemouse with this level editor project rather than keep them separate entities. People would want to share this kind of content, not just create it for their own personal enjoyment or on a subscriber level.

As for Sega "listening to feedback" for Sonic 4 before making new episodes, c'mon, this is Sega we're talking about! Sega has had over ten years to bring Sonic back to glory, if they listened to feedback, we'd have seen a return to form a lot sooner.

Need I remind you of Phantasy Star Online or Phantasy Star Universe? These are two games where it took Sega several years to address their issues, games that people paid subscription fees for, at that. And those issues only ever got addressed in the form of a new PSO/PSU game on a totally different platform. It happened every time

Sonic and Phantasy Star have had a similar fall from grace and because of that, I feel that when they do finally rise to the occasion once more, no one will care. Instead new franchises take their place. And all because Sega doesn't listen.

Sonic just needs to be himself, to be fast. Give players what we want - the speed and the levels we can create to put Sonic to the test. Let us share those levels with others. To redeem Sonic to gamers, Sega needs to do more than nickel-and-dime out 7 levels at a time, they need to get on-board with the user-generated content trend

Sonic may never be another Mario, but he doesn't need to be.

I mean, if Sega can't make a better Sonic game, then let someone who can. If things like LBP and Flipnote Studio are any indication, then we've got some great minds just waiting to share the ultimate Sonic levels with the rest of the gaming community.

And if you're too lazy to make the content yourself, you still benefit because other people will.

So give us a level editor, add new level-building content with each new "episode" as an incentive to get it rather than just seven more levels before I have to wait months for a completed game. If you are going to string us along, make it worth our while.

It would be the ulitmate form of feedback, too. We wouldn't just be telling Sega what we want Sonic to be about, we'd be showing them. I honestly feel that with such an approach, they would have the foundation to make some really great 3D games rather than making these Mario-like attempts at reinventing the character.