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Why Do Our Role-Playing Games Still Need Numbers Everywhere?
I understand that role-playing video games owe their existence to role-playing tabletop games, and as a result, share many of their predecessor’s customs and traditions. After all, if tabletop games need to simulate action via numeric values, then it was natural for the first video game RPGs to do the same. But, uh, why are…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 24, 2011 -
A Japan Relief Song That Doesn’t Want Donations, Just Encouragement
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has posted a tune called “Pray For You” on his tumblr page. The song is his contribution for Japan’s disaster relief, but he doesn’t want donations. “What I can make is a humble contribution but I hope I can help to encourage someone and make difference,” adds Sakaguchi. “Hanging there…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 21, 2011 -
Power Concerns After Japan Quake Take Down Multiplayer Servers [Updated]
At 6 p.m. EST/3 p.m. PST, servers for Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI will be taken offline for at least one week as Square-Enix cooperates with a Japanese power company’s request to conserve power while it restores services severely damaged by Thursday’s monster earthquake. [Update] Servers for Metal Gear Online also have been…
By Owen Good Published March 13, 2011 -
This Lady Is A Walking Screenshot
Cosplay, the art of dressing up like somebody else, is normally happy just looking like the character. Canadian Sheila isn’t happy just looking like the character. She has to look like screenshots When you look at the pictures individually, they look like…a girl standing around in a fairly basic costume. No big deal. But take…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 10, 2011 -
‘NEStalgia’ Takes The MMO Beautifully Back To 1987
What if Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy were playable online with other role-playing heroes? We’d have something like NEStalgia, the newly released multiplayer online RPG that looks old school, but plays modern. NEStalgia’s creators describe their free-to-play game as “Dragon Warrior 3 meets World of Warcraft,” complete with quests, “epic loot,” player-versus-player action, an auction…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 23, 2011 -
Final Fantasy Maker’s Embarrassing Sports Clone
Inazuma Eleven (“Lightning Eleven”) is a soccer role-playing game from Level-5. Samurai Eleven is a soccer sim from Square Enix. You’d think if someone was going to make a clone, they’d at least change the sport. And the font. You’d think. Level-5 is the studio responsible for games like Professor Layton and White Knight Chronicles.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 23, 2011 -
Let’s Just Say White Mage’s Dad Is ‘Old-Fashioned’
White Mage, Red Mage, Black Mage, what’s the difference? In Dorkly’s latest video we discover that not every White Mage is as enlightened as the next. Yes, ‘old-fashioned’ is indeed a polite way of saying ‘racist’. As time progresses we’ll have to eventually replace ‘old-fashioned’ with ‘archaic’ or ‘anachronistic’, though the latter would surely upset…
By Mike Fahey Published February 22, 2011 -
Stereotypical Gay Cartoon Characters Hawk Dissidia Final Fantasy
The World of Golden Eggs is a popular Japanese-language cartoon, set in America with English subtitles. And two of its characters, Rose and Mary, are promoting the latest Final Fantasy game. Rose and Mary are twins. They love exercising and cooking. Rose and Mary seem to be based on Piiko and Osugi, two gay Japanese…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2011 -
The Beautiful Hair And Big Swords Of Some New Final Fantasy Figures
Glimpsed by Stephen T at the Toy Fair in New York over the weekend, Square Enix’s Play Arts line is about to include three more Final Fantasy figures, all of them crowd favourites. Selling for around USD$50, and going on sale in Japan in June, the three figures are all in their Dissidia forms, being…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 16, 2011 -
A Cosplayer Fit For Prime Time
Alodia Gosiengfiao is more than a cosplayer. She’s a super cosplayer, an über cosplayer with added umlaut, if you will. And she’s proving that cosplay is more than putting on costumes. “I see cosplay as a form of art,” she tells Kotaku. “It’s not just dressing-up.” For the 22-year-old, cosplay incorporates craft, sewing, make-up, wig…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 14, 2011 -
Hopefully No One Is Complaining About The New Final Fantasy Statues
We report so many sad stories about Final Fantasy these days, that’s it is bizarre to post some possible good news. The news is just a batch of pictures, though. Please admire the newest Final Fantasy statues from Square-Enix. The first three pictures here show a new line of statues that feature the summons from…
By Stephen Totilo Published February 13, 2011 -
Pearls Of Wisdom From Final Fantasy’s Iconic Illustrator
Yoshitaka Amano first cut his teeth at the tender age of 15, working on the popular Speed Racer anime. He went on to create some of the most iconic illustrations gaming’s ever seen. He’s 58. He’s been around. And he’s wise. In an interview with The Japan Times, Amano talks about his upcoming debut anime…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2011 -
So Many Japanese People Desire The NGP
Sony’s upcoming portable, codenamed Next Generation Portable or NGP, looks great and seems to play great, too. Japanese gamers were asked if they want it, and, oh yes, they do. In a reader poll in the latest issue of game mag Famitsu, 76.2 percent of Japanese gamers stated that they wanted the NGP. Only 7.9…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 -
This Real Final Fantasy Sword Does Some Real Damage
As the main weapon from Final Fantasy VII, the “Buster Sword” is a video gaming icon. In this clip, a man makes a real, giant replica, then has another man run at a piece of wood and smash it to bits. Hats off to the guy for making the sword, as it looks enormous (and…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 1, 2011 -
Final Fantasy Studio Invites Creepy Leering
Square Enix, the Tokyo-based game company behind Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, is launching a pink web promotion for its massively multiplayer online game Fantasy Earth: Zero, complete with suggestive YouTube clips of ladies eating corn flakes and exercising in a low-cut dress. This is part of a stunt campaign for new players, sure, but…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 31, 2011 -
How Japanese Gamers Express Nerd Rage
Let’s say you don’t like a game. It pisses you off. If you nerd rage, you might do something to the game. Something bad. In Japan, that typically involves scissors. One Japanese YouTube user with the handle “XboxFunBoy” unwrapped a new copy of Wii role-playing game The Last Story and then tears up the the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2011 -
Why Don’t Foreigners Like Japanese Role-Playing Games?
For decades, Japanese role-playing games ruled gaming. These days, they don’t. Now, Western role-playing games get all the attention and praise. What gives? Noting the low popularity of Japanese role-playing games outside their native country, Sakaguchi believes that role-playing games need to break the stereotype they’ve created. Sakaguchi tells Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Xenoblade…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 25, 2011 -
The Next Final Fantasy Fight Starts In March
Dissidia 012 [duodecim] Final Fantasy brings more Final Fantasy fighting to the PSP on March 22 in North America. Cost? $29.99 USD. The game stars Rachael Leigh Cook as Tifa, Keith David as Chaos and many more vocally talented folks.
By Michael McWhertor Published January 20, 2011 -
This Man Is Final Fantasy Come To Life
Singer, songwriter, actor and video game character. Claiming he was a vampire, Gackt used to say he was born in the year 1540, leaving the eternal question: Is he bonkers? No, he’s not. Rather, he’s one of Japan’s most interesting (and colorful) personalities. Songwriter, fashion model, actor, novelist, restaurateur, screenwriter and psychic, Gackt’s done it…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 20, 2011