Square Enix College Lecture Videos Now Online March 28, 2015

Square Enix has been working tirelessly on their promotion for the recent Final Fantasy titles. In fact, several individuals from Square Enix went on the road during the promotional tour for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD to talk about their jobs in game design and their experience in the game industry.  These lectures were broadcast live on the gaming stream site Twitch.TV, but thankfully these shows were not a one time broadcast. They have been archived on YouTube

The first video I want to show is the lecture Yusuke Naora did at the SMU Guildhall about game art and the artist’s process during a game’s development. The talk focused a lot on Final Fantasy Type-0 HD but they did discuss some of the work that they’re currently doing with Final Fantasy XV.

The second video I’m going to showcase is a lecture at USC where Kazuyuki Ikumori specifically talked about the process of creating in-game cinematics for Final Fantasy titles.

I really hope North America is going to get that Bravely Second title.

Two New Free Songs for Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call Now Downloadable March 28, 2015

Since its release, Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy Curtain Call has received numerous downloadable expansions in the form of extra songs and new characters and earlier this month, Square Enix released another batch of songs, including Final Fantasy X-2‘s “real Emotion”, that players can download to their games for a small fee.

Typically, you can download any DLC songs for $0.99US a piece. However, two of the new songs which were released earlier this month, “Struggle to the Death” from Final Fantasy Legend II and “Devil Lord Confrontation II” from Romancing SaGa 3 can now be downloaded completely free of charge.  The songs will remain free to download until April 1st, 2015.

You must have access to the Nintendo eShop, a copy of the full version of the game, and a Nintendo Network account to download the free songs.  Once downloaded, you can play them as much as you want for as long as you want.

The Legend of Zelda on Wii U Has Been Delayed March 27, 2015

It is with a heavy heart that I must report that Nintendo has decided to delay the highly anticipated Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U.  The game was originally planned to come out later this year but Nintendo has decided to delay it for reasons that I will let them talk about.

Okay, so let’s talk about this for a second.  Rather than just condemn Nintendo for this decision (like many others online have been doing), I want to actually discuss the possible reasons why Nintendo chose to delay the game.

First off, delays for a game in The Legend of Zelda franchise is actually pretty common.  The first Legend of Zelda title to be released on the Nintendo 64 was The Ocarina of Time (or Zelda64 for short), and it suffered many delays during its development.  However, many fans were willing to wait for Nintendo to complete the game, and when it did finally launch, it was hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, an honor it still holds to this day.

Today, The Legend of Zelda is one of the biggest exclusive franchises in Nintendo’s IP catalog and has an incredible legion of long time die-hard fans that are probably going to be upset by this announcement.  However they would be even more upset if Nintendo rushed the game and released something buggy, incomplete, or unworthy of the Zelda name.  You don’t have to look much further back than most of the major game releases for last Christmas to see just how much bad publicity and distrust towards your company a game can provoke from its customers if it is released before it is ready.  Nintendo is smarter than that.

Sadly, this delay also means that the game will not be shown at this year’s E3.  The next game in The Legend of Zelda franchise currently has no release date and is coming exclusively to the Wii U.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper Now On iOS Worldwide March 26, 2015

The extremely popular Japanese Smartphone game Final Fantasy Record Keeper is now out on iOS platforms for the rest of the world.

The game promises to allow players the chance to relive some of the greatest battles from Final Fantasy games.

If you’re an iOS user you can download it right now from the App Store by following this link.  It only takes up about 68MB of space.

Batman: Arkham Knight “Officer Down” Gameplay Video March 23, 2015

I started reading Batman comics around the time that DC introduced a massive multi-book story arc where Bruce Wayne was framed for murder.  Just before that series was published, another story arc, titled “Officer Down”, was published.  That story detailed an attempt on the life of Commissioner Gordon, and his subsequent retirement from the Gotham Police Department.  It was a great story which gave audiences a look into why Batman and Gordon worked so well together, and taught audiences that sometimes you just can’t guarantee justice will be done.

But you guys don’t want to hear me reminisce about old Batman comic books, you’re here to see some all new gameplay from Batman: Arkham Knight, the newest game in the Batman: Arkham franchise.  Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  Today, Rocksteady released over seven minutes of entirely new gameplay footage from the game, showcasing a lot of what Batman is going to be able to do thanks to the power of the next generation consoles.  All footage was captured on the Playstation 4 system.

Batman: Arkham Knight is coming June 23rd, 2015 to the PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4.

Halo 5: Guardians Hunt the Truth Campaign Starts March 23, 2015

In 2003, Microsoft created an epic Alternate Reality Game to coincide with the release of Halo 2 on the original Xbox.  Twelve years later, it looks like Microsoft is planning to do another one for the release of Halo 5: Guardians.  This weekend, Microsoft tweeted this video and accompanied it with the hashtag “HUNTTHETRUTH”.

Interesting way to start a marketing campaign.  You can follow the latest details at huntthetruth.tumblr.com.  It looks like someone is trying to find the Master Chief.

Halo 5: Guardians is coming exclusively to the Xbox One.

God of War 3 Coming to Playstation 4 March 20, 2015

Sony Santa Monica has just announced that God of War 3 is being ported to the Playstation 4.  The God of War series is one of the most well known Playstation exclusive franchises, with some of the highest rated and biggest selling games on the PS2, PS3 and PSP.  Now, it looks like God of War 3, the game which concluded the original God of War Trilogy is getting rereleased on the Playstation 4.  It was originally released on the Playstation 3, and while it was without a doubt one of the best looking games on the PS3 platform, it’s going to be looking even better on the Playstation 4, as Sony promises the PS4 version will be at 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.

God of War 3 is coming to the Playstation 4 July 14th, 2015.

Life is Strange Episode 2 Launch Trailer March 20, 2015

I have been counting the days until the second episode of the episodic adventure game Life is Strange gets released.  Today, the game’s developer has just released the next epsisode’s launch trailer just a few days before its digital release.

Just be aware, there may be spoilers. Not just for Episode 1, but for Episode 2 as well.

Life is Strange Episode 2 is coming March 24th, 2015 to the PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4 and PS3

How to Get a PlayStation System Serviced March 20, 2015

I know that after the horrible failure rate of Xbox 360 systems during the last console generation, many gamers believed that in comparison, their Sony consoles would last forever. Well, Playstation systems break too. It’s just a fact of life. I’ve had a brand new PS4 break on me in less than a week after I purchased it, and from the looks of it I’m going to need to send my own PS3 in for service soon.

But what is a gamer to do when their Sony console fails on them?  The PS systems hardly use off the shelf parts, except for the hard drive, and any attempt to fix a Playstation on your own without Sony’s permission will void your warranty. 

Thankfully Sony has updated their Official YouTube Channel with some important information on what to do if you’re having trouble with your Sony console. If you live in the US or Canada, you should give this a watch.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Launch Trailer March 17, 2015

Before today, Final Fantasy Type-0 was only released in Japan for the Sony PSP. Today, after North America has waited patiently for some time, the game has finally come to our shores in the the form of an HD remaster for the Xbox One and Playstation 4.

Take a look for yourselves at the game’s launch trailer!

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is out now on the Xbox One and PS4. The Final Fantasy XV demo is included with all Day One and Collector’s Edition copies of the game.