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Exclusive: 15 Minutes of Footage From The English Localization of World of Final Fantasy


Posted on September 11, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

At the 2016 Penny Arcade Expo Square Enix allowed select press to not only meet the director of World of Final Fantasy – Hiroki Chiba – but also get some hands on time with the upcoming RPG. Without further delay I’m happy to present 15 minutes of exclusive gameplay footage from the North American localization of the game which is currently under development.

The protagonists of World of Final Fantasy are siblings Lann and Reynn who are trying to make their way through the world of Grymoire. Raising the stakes of their adventure even further –  the siblings have lost their memories and don’t remember their past or where they’ve come from. As players guide the siblings through the introductory town (which the below video showcases) they slowly learn that the siblings are what are known as “jiants”. Normally the inhabitants of Grymoire are stuck in an adorable chibi form but the siblings are able to shift back and forth between their normal size and the chibi style. The world of Grimoire isn’t just filled with new characters, designed by FF series main-stay Tetsuya Nomura, but also features returning Final Fantasy characters like Squall, Cloud and Lightning who can assist you in battle!

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Speaking of combat, the battle system of World of Final Fantasy takes cues from multiple iterations of the ATB (active time battle) system that has made the franchise’s combat a genre staple. It’s hard to pin down exactly which main-line game that World of Final Fantasy takes inspiration from as no particular title seems to have influenced its combat mechanics. New to the franchise is the introduction of an “easy mode” for combat which distills things down to their basics – attack, defend, run etc. I wouldn’t say that “easy mode” is analogous to Final Fantasy XIII’s Auto-Battle as the player still has some semblance of control over the flow of battle – although things like picking the appropriate spells or attacks are handled by the CPU.

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I enjoyed the brief time I got to spend with World of Final Fantasy at PAX West, especially its bright and color art-style and the writing. The teams (handling both the original Japanese release and English localization) have done a fantastic job injecting fourth wall breaking jokes, some fantastic puns and well timed comedy while still keeping the light-hearted & colorful nature that is at the core of World of Final Fantasy. In all honesty the writing of World of Final Fantasy reminded me a lot of NISDisgaea series and that isn’t a bad thing given that those are some of my favorite JRPGs of the past decade or so.

This is definitely one RPG worth keeping an eye on! World of Final Fantasy will be released on PS4 and PS Vita on October 25th in North America.


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The Awesome Booths From PAX West


Posted on September 9, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Capcom brought a lot of their offerings from E3 to PAX for the public to enjoy. Surprisingly Dead Rising 4 only had 2 demo stations at their official booth although more where playable at the Microsoft booth.

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Indie title Warcube was part of the PAX Rising selection at PAX West.

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Our own Renee Gittin’s “Potions: A Curious Tale” was playable on the show-floor :D!

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Cards Against Humanity had a very creative store front at the entrance to this year’s con.

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It included a hallway that lead to a store where you could buy the subversive card game. Perhaps it was a picture taking opportunity for some.

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Star Trek: Bridge Commander was one of the surprise hits of this past weekend’s convention. Sadly it filled up so quickly that it was by appointment only.

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ARK: Survival Evolved’s T-REX is no stranger to the convention scene, we saw it last @ PAX East.

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Indie title Fox Hole: Persistent Warfare was playable on the show floor.

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RIPTIDE: Renegade GP devs showing off the latest build of their game.

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Gunvolt 2 was fully playable on this large television thanks to a special developer only 3DS unit.

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Friends of the site, the crew behind Star Mazer DSP had a booth at the show on the sixth floor indie scene.

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The Behemoth had an entire arcade of playable titles from both past and present at PAX West for attendees to try.

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Capcom’s Street Fighter V is no stranger to the convention scene, the game had several demo stations lining Capcom’s booth.

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Futuristic racer DISTANCE had this trippy but small booth as part of the PAX Rising selection at PAX West.

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Harmonix’s green room for the 4 person bands @ PAX West was absolutely rockin’!

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Dawn of War III was finally playable @ PAX West, unlike it’s Demo Theater showing at E3.

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WETA Workshop’s booth was full of creative wonders.

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The Rooster Teeth booth had a lot to offer fans of RWBY, Red Vs Blue and the site’s other properties.

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World of Warcraft: Legion Dominated Blizzard’s booth, allowing fans to try out the recently released limited time “Broken Shores” in-game event.

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Fans try out the R.W.B.Y game, recently released on Steam, at the Rooster Teeth booth.

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PAX: Fast Racing NEO Made Me Realize How Much I Missed Futuristic Racers


Posted on September 6, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Contemporary racers might have sleek and powerful machines but they’re still confined by the restraints of modern automobile technology. With no proper F-Zero release in sight and the WipeOut franchise all but extinct there hasn’t really been an option for those of us who want to turn corners at several hundred kilometers an hour. If you want to break the sound barrier you’re going to have to go FAST!

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Fast Racing NEO is a futuristic racing title for the Wii-U that has drawn a lot of comparisons to Nintendo’s own F-Zero franchise over the last couple years and was well received when it was released last fall. In the game players race down a number of different tracks at hundreds of kilometers an hour, unlike other far off racers like Sony’s WipeOut FSN features no weapons or offensive combat. Instead each ship has a boost meter that they must manage, using the R button on the pro-controller to speed forward, and traveling through colored strips to replenish the meter. Racers can quickly shift their “polarity color” with the tap of a button in FSN’s unique twist on the racing genre. Should a player come into combat with a oppositely colored strip their speed is greatly reduced.

So why exactly was Nintendo showcasing a game that came out almost a year ago at their indie booth at PAX West? Well not only Fast Racing Neo getting a physical release in North America on September 30th but also the NEO Future pack will also be released alongside the physical disc. This add-on gives owners access to 10 brand new vehicles, 8 new racing tracks and 18 new audio tracks to jam out.

Speaking of Sony’s formally active futuristic racing franchise – I also played a whole ton of WipeOut 2048 on my PS Vita while on the flight to PAX West. While mechanically similar to NEO aesthetically and somewhat musically it is a very different game due to the inclusion of offensive weapons. Regardless, both of these experiences reminded me just how much I love futuristic racing titles and it seems that AAA developers have all but abandoned the genre. It is nice to see that smaller developers and indies have picked up the mantle and are racing towards the finish line.

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