General gaming

General gaming

The Last Story May Finally Deliver on Mistwalker's Promise

Posted: 04 May 2012 04:58 PM PDT

Gaming trivia buffs know that the title "Final Fantasy" didn't originate from a random pairing of English words; this genre-defining classic came into being as an all-or-nothing, last-ditch effort from developer Hironobu Sakaguchi to save his ailing company -- and would ultimately go on to have far more longevity than its title would indicate. The famed Square developer hasn't been as fortunate with his recent Mistwalker studio, though, as both Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey clung a bit too closely to his comfort zone, which certainly didn't help the ailing reputation of Japanese-developed RPGs in the West.

That said, The Last Story's title isn't meant to simply reference its creator's legendary roots; after all, this could be Sakaguchi's final chance to prove his RPG-development chops after nearly six years of floundering for a successful franchise. Those skeptical of Mistwalker's output should be happy to hear that Sakaguchi has taken a surprising new tack with The Last Story; his new RPG streamlines the typically slow-paced action even more than Xenoblade, resulting in a refreshing experience with a striking emphasis on immediacy.

What Makes a Game Worth Buying at Launch?

Posted: 04 May 2012 02:43 PM PDT

Midnight launch

Gaming can be an expensive hobby, particularly if you're keen on picking up games as they are released. With your typical console game going for $60 at launch and there being no shortage of quality titles to play, those costs can quickly add up, making it difficult to keep up with the latest releases. But there are more factors than merely price which can make gamers hesitant to buy games when they first come out including a perceived lack of value, eventual complete/Game of the Year edition releases, and patches which make games into better experiences for those who opt against rushing out to a midnight launch.

1UP readers on Facebook and our boards responding to a question about purchasing games at launch offered up a wide variety of reasons for why they are not keen on always being early adopters. While there were those who do still buy games as soon as they are made available, a high percentage of answers indicated there are only a limited numbers of exceptions where they are willing to do so.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: A Marriage That Works Despite Its Differences

Posted: 04 May 2012 10:01 AM PDT

Back in the dim and distant bronze age of the Internet, when 1UP was a thing Mario collected and IGN was a coalition of loosely-related platform-specific individual sites, I used to contribute to a site called The Gaming Intelligence Agency. The GIA was too good for this gentle world (literally, as the cost of running such a popular site in the days before anyone really understood how to run a self-sustaining business online ended up leading to its shutdown). People loved the site for its focus on niche content, its smart and up-to-the-minute content, and perhaps most of all its eerily convincing April Fool's jokes. I don't know that the GIA ever topped its stunningly well-crafted Final Fantasy VIII Gaiden hoax, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

One of my favorites GIA pranks was always Funky Fantasy, a Final Fantasy-based rhythm game. The idea seemed so ridiculous in those faraway times: Final Fantasy characters boogying DDR-style to trip-hop remixes of Nobuo Uematsu's music. And yet here we are, mere months away from the arrival of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which manages to one-up Funky Fantasy both in terms of its preposterous design and its silly name.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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