Final Fantasy

Let's cut to the chase.  I haven't posted on here in five months.  I do enjoy blogging, but without much time to play games or to even collect my thoughts while playing a game, I don't get around to updating this site often.  A few months ago I had the idea I would update my blog each Sunday, when I knew I'd have some sort of free time to at least put down a paragraph or two.  Unfortunately, I didn't play many games, and really just let the idea get away.  However, I think I may have found the answer to keep this blog alive: forcing playing through an entire video game series.

Normally I'd spend a sentence or two building up to what my idea could be, but c'mon, only one or two people actually read this blog, and it's in this post's title.  So yeah, I've played through a few Final Fantasy games over the years, and have pretty much enjoyed them.  For those wondering, I have finished X and X-2, and played through in various amounts IV, IX and XII.  Now that I own a PSP, I have a good reason to be able to go back and play a few of the better Final Fantasy games that I have missed.  Once I started to look at which games in the series I would like to play, the idea came to me to play through all of them, starting at the beginning.  There are multiple reasons, though mostly come down to bragging rights.  I mean honestly, who has beaten II, III and VIII?  So here I sit, having just finished Final Fantasy on the PSP (the 20th Anniversary version) less than an hour ago.

Unlike most of my other posts, I'll try to keep this brief.  I really don't have much to say about the game, though would like to at least mention what I liked and disliked about my experience.  I hope to have a similar post for each game, gradually expanding in length as I can make comparisons against their predecessors.

To begin, the graphics are fantastic.  I am by no means a "graphics whore", but these updated sprites and other graphics were really what made this game playable for me.  It's one thing to enjoy 8-bit games (and trust me, I do), but the older Final Fantasy's are almost too blocky.  Battle animations are smooth, but can still be played out quickly.  I also give major props to RPG developers when the actual weapons the characters use noticeably change as equipment is changed - a nice touch.

The game was relatively simple, both the pace and the menu system, which I enjoyed.  I like RPG's with functional and easy to understand menus, and a bonus map is included in this version of the game (thank you Square-Enix, that was much appreciated).  With the inclusion of the world map, I rarely had to use the internet for guidance, and figured out most of the game on my own.  Without it would have been a different story.  Back to the battles- they started easy, and had a gradual increase in difficulty as the game progressed.

Which leads me to one of my two gripes with the game.  The game was almost too easy.  Each boss I ran into was a cakewalk, with no character falling below 100 HP.  I had heard this version was easier than the NES original, and was not surprised upon hearing so.  After the four main bosses, I decided to challenge myself by taking on the extra dungeons (from the Dawn of Souls GBA updated version) before fighting Chaos.  They were enjoyable at first, but also much too easy...until I beat the first two.  Then I hit the difficulty wall.  The third had pathetically easy random battles, but the second-half bosses were quite difficult.  I didn't even attempt the fourth dungeon.

Which leads me to my second gripe about the game.  Random battles.  Of course, with an old-school JRPG, random battles come aplenty.  This was known well beforehand, and was not a concern.  But it's when my party is over-leveled in some (okay, most) areas, that these battles become painful, because they honestly aren't worth the exp or gil, and therefore not worth my time.  And these extra dungeons are LONG.  The first is 5 floors.  Except to fight each boss, one must go through it four times.  The second, 10 floors (twice through).  The third, 25 floors (again, twice through).  And the fourth, an astounding 40 floors, and even though it's only once through, is a ton of wasted time on pointless random battles.  I started the new PSP dungeon, but got bored with my wasted time (and found out online that I was actually under-leveled) and loaded a save file to get out.

I finished the game in just under 25 hours.  That's quite a bit of time for the original Final Fantasy, although I could have attempted the last normal dungeon and Chaos around the 16 hour mark.  It's a good thing I spent some time leveling up in those extra dungeons though, because Chaos turned out to be a very hard final boss (and screw you Square-Enix, you do not let a final boss with 20,000 HP use Curaja when they've lost an estimated 15,000 HP to recover 9999 HP).  A good game overall, though definitely helped by the updated graphics.  Now I start Final Fantasy II.  If I can get through this, this new blog idea will have a long life.

Fable'd Series

I often become nostalgic about older games that I have once played, but lately while playing Fable III, I have been feeling nostalgic in the game itself, which is quite a strange feeling.  As much as I originally despised Fable III when I first started, the game has really gotten a hold on me, even though I'm still not particularly enthralled with it.  I mean, every time Lionhead Studios and Peter Molyneux (now left the development studio to form his own, 22 Cans) would announce a new Fable game, they would go on about new revolutionary features, such as raising a child to eventually become the playable character, or the ability to burn down entire villages (this one is rumored to have originally been in Fable II, but removed due to controversy), only to release a game with a fraction of the freedom.  This was especially brought to light around the release of Fable III, which came out within a close time period of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Kingdoms of Amulur: Reckoning, which both put the game to shame in terms of freedom.

To be honest, nostalgic may not even be the correct word that I'm looking for, but the deeper I get into the gameplay and story of the game, the more I think back upon similar elements from Fable and Fable II.  It's almost as if I myself am this character on a journey, thinking back upon the history of the world, and the inhabitants before me.  The further I explore the world, the more I fully appreciate what the developers were able to accomplish not only in the third game of the Fable series, but how they've successfully tied together all three games.  What I've learned over the course of my time with Fable III is that the game is less of a sequel, and more of an expanded universe of the series.

In Fable I, the title character plays as a "Hero", one of few who have magic powers and superior strength above others.  The story revolves around the loss of one's family and village, revenge, the discovery of family members still alive, the hunt for the bad guy, and good and evil choices throughout, including a final decision to kill one's own sister for power, or save her for nothing.  In Fable II, 500 years after the original, the player and their sister/brother are separated by the evil king (being a Hero himself, shooting both in fear of other Heroes challenging him, killing the player's sibling), who is then slain by the player (once again a Hero, a "descendant" of the previous Hero I believe) after building up strength.  The end-game also requires a difficult choice to be made: to be rich, to save thousands of people who perished under the king, or to revive the player's sister, dog, and loved ones who also perished through ways of the king.

Having briefly explained the plots of both Fable and Fable II, which are both much more in depth than that (not even going into DLC for both games, which provide hints for the sequels), we arrive at Fable III.  Finally, near the end of the third game, I feel like Lionhead Studios finally hit the sweet spot in plot exploration.  Usually, when a game makes changes for a sequel, they do so to be fresh and new, but for once, the changes feel like they were made because the game itself has changed from what has come before it.  Fable III is a perfect example of how an entire game evolves - or better yet, game world evolves - for better or worse.

While walking through the world of Albion, the setting for all three Fable games, I would naturally come across cities, towns, or villages, and would sometimes recognize the name of said place.  I knew the name from both Fable II and even Fable before that, however could not remember how it looked, having been actual years since I've played the others (I believe 3 years since Fable II, and 5 years since Fable).  Slowly, however, I would stop at a random spot, and finally understand exactly where I was, having recognized something of unimportance, such as a small bridge or hill.  I have been here before, would be my first thought.  And I found this thought to be strange, because rarely does one stand in the same spot in a video game, that has been in not one, but two games before it.  At that point, I would look around, and realize what changes have been made to this area.  I'm not speaking of purely cosmetic changes (though I did notice that extra details such as textures and plants have been added), but of the placement of buildings, and how things have evolved.  Except it doesn't feel like a forced evolution by the developers, but rather a natural evolution that has occurred within the actual game, due to political and natural causes.  Fable I consisted mainly of magic and swords, and I believe had crossbows.  Fable II felt the push of societal changes, with the inclusion of the newly discovered gun, larger and less fantastical buildings, and the downplay of magic due to the extermination of heroes during the 500 years between the games.  Fable III moves into the industrial age, with steam powered engines, factories, the evolution of the simple gun to the rifle and pistol, and even governance.

What makes this feel even more of a natural evolution is that Albion is returned to during each game, with most areas making a reappearance, albeit in its new form.  The stories from the previous games are continued, and are referenced to when needed.  The last Hero, from Fable II, gave birth to two children (which is actually in the Fable II DLC, which I recently found out about), myself and my brother, who has become an evil king and partial dictator.  My goal is to get as many Albion residents on my side before overthrowing my brother.  These people live in the towns and cities that are all too familiar with what heroes can do, and some have been directly affected during the time between the two games.  Just yesterday while playing, I found a man looking for money to rebuild a bridge to another area, to memorialize the people that had lived in the village on the other side.  It took a moment for me to recognize the hill I was standing upon, the ravine and path below me, and the high waterfall to my right, which I could dive off of in Fable II.  It then occurred to me that the man meant that the ones living on the other side had been killed off by my brother, the king.  I came back a while later after the bridge had been built, and found the area to be desolate, which once served and my childhood home after I had been shot and rescued, during Fable II.  Except it wasn't me, it was my character's mother; the people who had raised her, who were now gone.

I found a path through the village, which lead me to a beach, which luckily still had a few remaining survivors of the old hippie village.  Seeing an island in the distance, I decided to swim to it, as I immediately recognized it as a small island in the middle of a large lake from Fable II, which held some decent treasure in its cave.  However, as I kept swimming, I noticed a very large tower, and wondered what had happened to the island during the course of history.  The lake also seemed bigger than I had remembered, until it finally occurred to me that it wasn't a lake, but a sea.  That island - that tower - presented memories rushing back to me.  Stranded in the tower, in prison, for years, forced into manual labor to build the tower.  During which time many were murdered back in Albion, including my family.  But once again, this wasn't me, it was my mother's past.  I was looking at the same tower in the distance (which I believe is inaccessible in Fable III) in which my mother had to make the final choice, which now stood silent, just as a reminder to what happened.

This is how sequels should be presented.  There have been multiple times throughout the game in which things like this have happened, bringing back images of what has come before, and how the world has changed.  What was once a happy forest in Fable I (besides the killer bees and bandits) has now become a desolate swamp riddled with cannons.  A graveyard from Fable II is back, though now with even more gravestones lining the path.  Even a semi-immortal character from Fable II has returned, bringing with him a device deemed "The Wheel of Death".  Unfortunately, while I used it to hilariously kill others during my time (as my mother, I suppose...), it was reversed and used unsuccessfully on myself.  There are still many other areas I am hoping to see return, a feeling that I rarely feel while playing a game.  What Lionhead Studios and Molyneux have done is quite amazing, having created a world that has a long continuing story, an evolving world and society, difficult moral decisions, all wrapped up with decently compelling gameplay.

Before I finish, I would like to touch upon the choice of good or evil in the game.  Each game has them at the end.  In Fable I saved my sister (who, by the way, becomes the blind seer, a large character in both Fable II and III); in Fable II I saved my sister, dog, and family (though honestly, while bringing my sister back was really cool, I had already killed off my wives, so I really just wanted my dog back).  Now I'm at the end of Fable III, or at least running down the home stretch.  After playing a bunch of games with moral decisions (KOTOR, Mass Effect, Skyrim, Fable I and II, etc.), I really didn't think that the game could present that much of a challenge.  I try to be the good guy, but in video games I don't care about others and do what's good for me, as long as it's a good cause - money and power don't matter to me at the end of games.  But, hearing online about what difficult decisions are to be made, I had to see it for myself.  I'm not going to lie, these really are tough decisions.  Without spoiling anything (I do urge others to play each of the games, both II and III have excellent combat), on one hand, I can lie to everyone I've befriended in the game and break every promise I've made, to actually be the good guy in the end, or I can uphold those promises and be the good guy in the short run, to be the bad guy in the end.  I'm having a hard time breaking those promises, so I'm going to see if it's possible to be the good guy no matter what.  No matter what I do though, someone is going to have to take the fall for others.

From the creators of Super Meat Boy

It's been a whole half year since I updated this blog, but I finally feel it's about time to do so.  During this course of my hiatus, I've not only started, but fully completed The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  And yet during that whole period, I could not think of one particular idea to write about regarding the game.  Rather than writer's block, it was more of having such an expansive game, that I found it difficult to relate to one subject, without rolling off onto a tangent about a connected subject.  Hopefully since I'm writing again, I'll be able to come up with some Skyrim posts, especially being that I need to relate it back to not only past Elder Scrolls games (namely Morrowind, the only other I've played), but also Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, the other similar Bethesda and/or open-world games.

But back on topic, I finally played a game that really motivated me to express my opinions, and what better way than returning to this blog?  What may come as a shock is that after the grandeur experience Skyrim provided, it was a PC indie game that provoked me.  While most indie games are typically "meh" at best, lately in the past year or so indie developers have been turning out some great games (though this could possibly be attributed to the phrase "indie developers" being thrown around loosely - I'm looking at you, EA).  One such group came out with a game called Super Meat Boy, which quickly dismissed the notion that all indie games are shallow.  This past fall, the same development team (don't quote me on who helped, exactly) brought out The Binding of Isaac, which supposedly had gameplay elements from The Legend of Zelda and the rogue genre.

Since I first heard about the game and saw images, I was skeptical of this touted combination of genres.  After hoping for some sort of sequel to Super Meat Boy, I felt as though the developers had already lost their touch (after just one game), and were returning to "typical indie status," as I'll call it (nothing against indie developers, I give them credit for doing what they love and sometimes creating unique games, but I've already stated my views on indie games).  I had lost track of the game until this week, when a sale had been going on for quite a few indie games, across many platforms.  I decided that for $2, I could do much worse.

After just two hours, I have come to a conclusion about my feelings for The Binding of Isaac: I don't know if I love the game, or hate it.  I wouldn't call the game revolutionary, but it does indeed present a unique combination of both the old-school Zelda dungeon crawler, and ideas from the rogue adventure genre.  It's the latter that really poses the problems for me, since typically, rogue games are pretty difficult.  Combined with the fact that these are the guys who gave us Super Meat Boy, then yes, it can be a difficult game.  The first night I played the game, I absolutely hated it, and actually regretted spending just two dollars.  Earlier tonight, however (after reading some comments on a website forum), I started to understand how the game operates, and began to really enjoy the game.

Let's start with the Zelda comparisons.  The game has the same map and dungeon gameplay, whereas when one enters a room, they must clear out the enemies, and can then proceed in one of four directions (up, down, east, or west), depending on which walls have doors.  The map is basically identical to the original Zelda game, appearing at the top of the screen, next to the two equipped items (though it should be noted, there is no item select screen), which are then next to the players health - hearts, to no surprise.  Defeating all the enemies in a room can present a key, money, bombs, or nothing at all.  This information is displayed between the map and equipped items.  Keys are used to open doors and treasure chests.  Bombs can damage enemies, blow up rocks, or create a doorway to a hidden room.  Finally, a certain room will contain a boss (though a key is not needed to open that room).  Yes, The Binding of Isaac really is that similar The Legend Zelda.  This is gameplay I crave.

Fortunately, the development team decided to take the game in a different direction and added rogue gameplay elements, which I'm still on the fence about.  True to the rogue genre, once you die, you're dead - game over.  I haven't beaten the game yet, but have heard that there are eight floors in the full game.  Each floor is basically a dungeon from the original Zelda.  Top that off with typically only starting with three hearts (there are multiple playable characters, unlockables), this game is pretty tough.  Oh, and did I mention that, being a rogue, the floors are always randomly generated?  Sometimes the first floor or two are a breeze (I've played the game through eight deaths so far), but sometimes there will be some aggrivating enemies.  On that note, I would like to say that using a keyboard is absolutely hellish.  I've started to get the hang of the controls, but man, an actual controller would have been great.  What's that?  This would have been a great portable title, for possibly, the 3DS?  Why, I agree, but too bad Nintendo shot down the idea, due to the game's biblical themes, and possibly controversial matter.  This actual became quite an issue - the reason I bring it up - and recommend reading about the developers thoughts on Nintendo's stance, and how they love Steam for the freedom it provides indie developers.  They actually have a good point.

Back on subject, along with random floors, the game also presents random bosses at the end of each floor.  This is very interesting, because it presents a challenge to player to not only be tactically ready for each potential boss' movesets (dying and extra playthroughs obviously help here), but also physically ready with items and such.  Items typically make or break a playthrough.  This isn't to say that without certain items, the game becomes impossible.  All enemies can be defeated with skill and the basic weapon, there is no doubt about that.  But on each floor, there are one or two special items that can either add to the players' stats, such as increased shot range, increased damage, full map reveal, etc, or provide a secondary weapon.  These items are completely random as well, and while they are all "helpful", there are a handful that provide great "power."

My furthest playthrough led me to my death on the 5th floor (dying is also humorous, showing who killed the player, and every item they had collected on that run), and I thank the items I received for how far I had proceeded.  Finding a syringe early on helped, as it boosted my movement and firing speed.  On the next floor, I found an item I cannot recall which provided me with an extra heart container.  The same floor present one of the most coveted and rare items in the game, chocolate milk, which provided a long shot range, faster firing speed, and more powerful projectiles.  Onwards, I found a special room, where I spent some money in order to make not one, but two consecutive deals with the devil.  I shortened my life from six containers to three, but in the process, gained more strength, a 1up mushroom (this mushroom shocked me, in a game where death is permanent), and three temporary life containers (these cannot be refilled, but were of great help).  Make two deals with the devil may not usually be a wise move, but in my case, I felt like a badass...right up until I lost those temporary hearts, and realized how fragile I had become.  There are 68 unique items in the game, and I have only seen around 8 of them so far.  I am hoping to soon come across the PhD, which grants the player invulnerability from any bad pill effects.  Yes, the game often has random pill drops, which as in rogue-likes, has no information about what's inside, and changes on every playthrough.

So here we come down to it.  The rogue.  Do you explore the whole floor, and kill every enemy?  Is the temptation of a really special item worth entering the next room, which may provide some unknown terror or horrible combination of enemies?  Or would it be better to skip the item, and enter the boss room hoping that it's one of the easier ones?  I recommend you overcome your resistance to "poor" controls as I did, and download it to choose for yourself.