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Star Wars: Jedi Survivor Story Trailer March 20, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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Huge Star Wars news released earlier today. The new official Story Trailer for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor has been released by EA in anticipation for the game’s release next month. Let’s take a look at what our friend Cal has been up to…

Star Wars: Jedi Survivor is coming April 28th, 2023 to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

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How Would Universal Studios Portray Donkey Kong in a Theme Park? March 20, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Mind of Maniac, Site Videos.
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After the incredible success of Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World, plans have been put in motion to bring Nintendo’s Donkey Kong and his respective characters into theme parks across the world. There has already been a discussion about what kind of rides and shows we can expect coming to the Universal Resorts, but one question remains unanswered…how do you depict a giant ape (that is roughly four times the size of a grown human being) in a theme park? Here are our thoughts on the matter.

How do you think a Donkey Kong character could be constructed for theme park appearances, and would you want to do a character meet and greet with DK? Post a comment below with your thoughts.

Tales from IT – The Time an American Business Used Final Fantasy Hold Music March 19, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Site Videos, Tales from IT.
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Just when we thought we were done with Tales from IT, another story pops up that is worth telling. Welcome back, where our host shares some of the most unusual stories he’s experienced in Information Technology. Most of the IT work done recently has been virtual, and required a bit of being kept on hold. Typically, most major businesses that have the ability to hold or transfer calls within their system will typically have a prerecorded audio greeting play during the wait. Over the past few months Maniac thought he had heard it all, until a very familiar jingle from a certain iconic game franchise started to play over the phone. What happened next? Watch and find out.

Arcade1Up Launches App March 18, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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The guys over at Arcade1Up, known for their 3/4th scale arcade replica machines, have just released an official App for Android and Apple smart devices. The app is meant to provide a multiplayer community hub for owners who wish to keep track of their online activity, create a friends list, and register their purchases.

If you own an Arcade1Up machine, particularly one that supports online multiplayer, you should download the application right now. Anyone who registers a new Arcade1Up machine through the app will get an additional 90 days of warranty on top of the existing warranty time.

Arcade1Up is a free download on the Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

Why Are Iconic Songs Missing in The Official Final Fantasy Digital Albums? March 15, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Editorials.
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For years, gamers have held the musical score of the Final Fantasy games in high regard. The series composer, Nobuo Uematsu, deserves major credit for that honor. There isn’t a gamer anywhere that wouldn’t stop and recognize when they hear Prelude, or tear up when they hear Aerith’s Theme. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy VIII’s Man with a Machine Gun is a regular song on my workout playlist and Final Fantasy X’s Blitz Off is my driving jam. I guess you could say the soundtrack to Final Fantasy is the soundtrack to my daily life, it is just iconic. Anyways, I could go on listing all the great songs composed for the series over the years, but that’s not what you’re here to read about.

For all the love gamers have for this great music, there is not much Square has done to capitalize on that love. In the US, it was difficult to find official music releases for Final Fantasy games. Music CDs imported from Japan will play fine in US stereos, but they are historically sold at high prices (about double what we pay in the US), and international customers are required to pay additional fees (shipping, import) to obtain them. In the US, you could say the best option to get Final Fantasy game soundtracks is to purchase them through a digital music store such as iTunes. This has been a great option for long-time fans that Square Enix has only recently made available, and while the albums are typically priced about the same as they would be if they had been purchased in Japan (around $24 US), it is usually due to the fact that the soundtracks contain enough songs that would back in the day require releasing the album on at least two or more CDs.

The problem with buying a Final Fantasy album on iTunes is that unless you go through the provided set list track by track and compare it to the setlist included in a game like Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, there’s no guarantee EVERY song from the game will be included in the official soundtrack. I first learned about this issue after finishing Final Bar Line on my Nintendo Switch this past weekend. Many of the game’s tracks, some of which had been locked behind the Deluxe Pass, are not included in their respective game’s official album release. To say I was not happy to discover this was an understatement. If I’m paying for a game soundtrack, no matter how good the game is or how much I care about if. I expect it to have EVERY song from the game that I remember, especially if they’re charging double the price for it.

So, what is missing from the major releases? I think the biggest one I’ve found to be missing was the iconic Final Fantasy VIII song Eyes on Me. I know the song has had its detractors, particularly from the one known as Spoony, but it was a major song that tied into the love theme of the game. It also has continued to be included in the game’s multiple remasters and rereleases over the years and has been included in several Theatrhythm games over the years.

Sadly, neither the English nor the Japanese versions used in the game could be found in the game’s official digital soundtrack release. This is a major omission, as it is a known fact that Eyes on Me was heavily imported by FF8 fans back when it was new, and has become nearly as iconic a game song as Simple and Clean from Kingdom Hearts.

The next major song omission I’m going to talk about is only going to be recognized by the international Final Fantasy audience, and that’s the omission of My Hands from Final Fantasy XIII. This incredible song, performed by Leona Lewis, was added by Square’s international localization team. It is a heartbreaking song chosen to play during a bittersweet moment of triumph, and in the US it plays during the game’s final cutscene.

While many critics, particularly MarzGurl, don’t consider this a Final Fantasy song due to the fact it was added by the localization team and isn’t in the original Japanese release, I absolutely do for two reasons. The first is the reason I already mentioned, the second is the fact the song was heavily pushed in the game’s marketing. My Hands would get used in FFXIII‘s television commercials. So, in the US at least, this song is iconically intertwined with the game. Take a look at this official trailer for yourself and tell me this is not one of the best game trailers of all time.

Moving on from the PS3 generation, let’s now talk about the last generation. In the lead up for Final Fantasy XV, Square localized an HD remaster of a Japan-only PSP exclusive, Final Fantasy Type-0. Like most players, I became aware of this game when the HD version was released and bought it to check out the demo for Final Fantasy XV that was included. However, after I was done with the demo, I found a cool game that was paced like the PSP games I loved. In Final Curtain Call, I discovered the soundtrack included the song Zero. It turned out this is a licensed track performed by the band Bump of Chicken and while there was a major physical release for the game’s album back in 2011, the current digital album release does not include Zero. What a shame.

And let’s not forget that as of the time this editorial is being posted, NO complete Final Fantasy X-2 soundtrack album exists for digital purchase on iTunes. Because of that, there is no option to get ANY original track from that game which essentially revolved around music and pop diva life in general. That means Real Emotion, We’re The Gullwings or my favorite Final Fantasy song, 1000 Words, cannot be purchased on iTunes at this time. That’s right, neither the English nor the Japanese versions of the climatic song, which was used in one of the best cutscenes produced in any FF game, can be legally purchased for digital download in the US. If you don’t know why I’m so upset about this, I’m going to put the scene the song is used in below just so you can watch it for yourself.

Some of these omissions could be chocked up to a rights issues. I do not accept that answer, especially given the high price of the albums in the current digital market. If they wanted to stop people from buying them outside of the album, iTunes does include the option for publishers to mark ALBUM ONLY tracks. Heck, the Theatrhythm games haven’t been able to include the English version of 1000 Words either (despite the fact the US version of the scene it was used in was separately created for English-speaking regions and is the version everyone in the US and Europe remembers).

My final disappointment is with the fact I haven’t seen a single Theatrhythm game include Leona Lewis’s My Hands from Final Fantasy XIII or the Florence and the Machine cover version of Stand By Me used in Final Fantasy XV. That said, Stand By Me can be found for sale on iTunes as a special singles release and is FANTASTIC!

Theatrhythm Final Curtain Call is out now for Switch and PS4.

Super Mario Bros Movie – Nintendo Direct 3 March 9, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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Tomorrow is March 10th, better known as MARIO DAY! To celebrate, Nintendo has done a Nintendo Direct to reveal the third and final trailer for the upcoming Super Mario Bros Movie. Without further ado, take it away!

Am I the only person who’s more than slightly terrified that DONKEY KONG can use FIRE FLOWERS!

The Super Mario Bros Movie is coming to theaters April 5th, 2023.

Chrono Cross Director Interview March 9, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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There are few games from the PS1 era more polarizing than Chrono Cross. A continuation of the SNES classic RPG Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross told the story of a new generation of characters from this franchise. Since it’s release, it has recently gotten a remaster for modern platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Now, the games director has opened up about his work on the game in a one-hour interview!

Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers is out now on multiple platforms.

Maniac’s Kitchen – Chimes Ginger Chews: Meyer Lemon Flavor Review March 5, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Maniac’s Kitchen, Site Videos.
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Welcome back to Maniac’s Kitchen. Today we’ll be doing a review of a candy we’ve recently discovered. It’s been a long time gamer trick to use ginger to treat motion sickness. Because of that, we thought this old fashioned ginger candy would be perfect for a review. Let’s take a look and see if we enjoy it!

Metroid Prime Remastered Accolades Trailer March 4, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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In 2003, I purchased my very first dedicated game console since the original NES. As a PC gamer, I wanted to pick a console I felt had the most unique games I would not be able to play on the PC. That console was the Nintendo GameCube and the first game I got for it was Metroid Prime.

This was a first person adventure game with tight controls and a fully explorable immersive environment, but more than that it showed me that I had been missing out on games outside of the PC. Now, Metroid Prime has been remastered for the Nintendo Switch, and the reviews of it have been nothing short of glorious.

Metroid Prime Remastered is out now for the Nintendo Switch

Pokémon Presents – 2/27/2023 February 27, 2023

Posted by Maniac in Game News.
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Happy Pokémon Day! Twenty-six years ago, the very first Pokémon games were released in Japan for the Game Boy. All these years later, Pokémon remains one of the biggest media franchises in the world. To celebrate the anniversary, the guys at The Pokémon Company have scheduled this presentation. Hopefully we’ll get to see some of the new games! Take it away!

All games shown here are coming to various platforms including the Nintendo Switch.