Comments on: News: Microsoft Considers Selling Xbox?

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 23:13:26 +0000

I couldn’t agree more, Julian.

By: SiliconNooB

SiliconNooB — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 21:52:14 +0000

Square Enix need to fire both Motomu Toriyama and Daisuke Watanabe. It is difficult to comprehend how terrible these two are at their jobs, especially Watanabe who’s only task is to write dialogue!

By: Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher

Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 19:00:08 +0000

Lightning was a character that I wanted to like so badly, but I’m with Julian on this one. It feels like they have a clear idea of what they WANT Lightning to be, but have no idea what it would actually entail to make a character that way while also believable. That seems to be the case for all the characters, actually. The reflection of the surface of an archetype without actually diving into what sort of person acts that way and for what reason, even given the exaggerated scenario. The dialogue seems to be nothing but “this is my character’s driving force” followed by “but this is MY character’s driving force” with very little nuance, insight, or believable chemistry.

The games almost read like the first draft of a script, when motivations SHOULD be that blatant, and not the final draft when they should be refined through the way people actually express these motivations after they’ve been filtered by the contexts of character, experience, and character flaws.

By: Dancing Matt

Dancing Matt — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 18:23:32 +0000

Some people have a fetish for cervical clamps; maybe that explains her popularity? Left to his own devices and mountains of fanfic, Toriyama will begin work on Lightning Returns Again: Final Fantasy Gaiden, where she has to beat Cloud and Squall. You will of course be able to switch her costumes, equipment, and “roles” with a swift button click. A DLC pack will have Yuna bust in and fight Barrett and Sazh, who have kidnapped and tied up Tidus (they’ve been thrown into this dream world where they have to find Sin or something). You can change her costumes here too, but none of them seem to offer her much of a resistance bonus, which makes for a particularly lengthy and challenging brawl. It’s obviously made for a pretty specific audience, but the shit just writes itself.

Happy Sunday!

By: James 'Gyme' Pagel

James 'Gyme' Pagel — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 07:42:19 +0000

^This

By: Andrew 'Mel' Melcon

Andrew 'Mel' Melcon — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 05:01:22 +0000

Lightning has all the warmth and personality of a cervical clamp.

By: SiliconNooB

SiliconNooB — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 03:30:44 +0000

It’s all Famitsu reader polls.

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 00:04:32 +0000

I am frankly indifferent towards Lightning. As a character, she’s as flat as Cloud or Squall. A vehicle or face for the numbered installation they represent in the series. You could have replaced her with Sora, and the XIII era would still be one I’m glad to see end. It wasn’t interesting. It was incoherent. And it was driven primarily by one man’s idealized fantasy woman.

As to her popularity, I’d like to see where you’re getting those numbers.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 23:28:36 +0000

“So there is a possibility that Lightning would appear in other future Final Fantasy titles, not as a protagonist, but as a guest character.”

Your dislike for the series =/= general dislike for the character of Lightning, who is, in fact, very popular, even amongst people who do not like the game.

By: James 'Gyme' Pagel

James 'Gyme' Pagel — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 23:18:14 +0000

I had been wondering if the sale of the Xbox property was in the near future since Microsoft announced its new CEO. The console has been thoroughly bitch slapped by Sony and the gap in sales is only getting worse. Considering the mountains of cash that were spent on the console’s development, it would have taken a miracle for Microsoft’s shareholders to be satisfied with the console’s performance.

As for the popularity of Lightning, I think it is pretty funny the desperation that Square Enix has to make Lightning the next Cloud. Perhaps it is Square trying to make people forget about a FF7 remake, which would probably require 500 years of development time for the PS4.

By: Wolfe

Wolfe — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 22:24:13 +0000

King is just a reminder that more and more this industry is the breeding ground for corporate villainy. Villains who always manage to succeed because of the indifference of the consumer. I wish I didn’t love gaming, because much like Hollywood, it’s all run by crooks and shills.

As to Lightning, I’m glad to see that era close, though I’ve no faith in XV to restore any good will. XIV seems more akin to the traditional series than anything, and it’s a bloody MMO. How nice it would be to see a Final Fantasy that remembers it’s a fantasy. Not Techno Fashion Adventure Roman Numeral. At least there was XII.

Toriyama is precisely the sort of person running that backwards-ass company into the ground. Instead of developing the sort of creative, narrative/experience driven stuff we got in the late 90s we’ve got people like him who are using the medium to provide themselves with expensive fetish fuel. Or people like Nomura, who didn’t make it in the Shinjuku fashion market, so instead got a job in the character design department.