Seeking respite within nature’s bosom will doubtless prove quite refreshing to the spirits!

Download Link: Released 2017.07.17

Lusipurr, Adeki, and SiliconNooB together repair to nature in hopes of enjoying its manifold restorative blessings. But, following their exposure to inclement elements and irritating fauna, then each return whence they came with untrammeled haste.

When it comes to traditional JRPGs, think Square!

Download: Released 2016.05.30

As new TSM format changes are gradually incorporated to refresh the podcast, Lusipurr details upcoming site features involving unwitting (and unwilling) staff members, with the omnious approach of Bup awaited with both enthusiasm and concern.

Nintendo’s E3 plans are a fucking embarrassment.

Nintendo Was Not Fucking Joking When They Said E3 Would Be All about Zelda

Last week Nintendo of Japan tweeted:

“The new Legend of #Zelda will be the focus of #E3 2016. It will launch simultaneously on both Wii U and NX in 2017.”

They were certainly not kidding about this. Over the previous few years one has tended to think of Nintendo’s annual June Nintendo Direct stream as an abject cop out, seeing as it is intended in lieu of an actual E3 conference. However lame or cheap Nintendo’s prior Direct streams may have been though, they do not even come close to what Nintendo has planned for E3 2016. This week Nintendo has released their E3 plans, and for E3 2016 Nintendo do not plan to hold any conference at all – not even a pathetic Nintendo Direct streaming conference. Instead Nintendo will have their new Zelda game playable on Wii U in their E3 booth – indeed it will be the only game that is playable in their E3 booth. Other than this, the subversive degenerates at Nintendo Treehouse will be hosting an all-day livestream of the Zelda title. Suddenly all the rumours about Nintendo gender-swapping Link are starting to make sense, as the last thing that Nintendo would want to happen on air is for one of these snowflakes to start freaking out because they have been triggered by the male gaze of a cisnormative gross pissbaby fuckboy Link!

Nintendo’s weak-ass reasoning for this move is because they want the press to spend some time with the game [like that would not have happened anyway] on account of the drastic changes that have been made to the Legend of Zelda gameplay mechanics:

“will be a clean break from the conventions of previous games, removing boundaries that forced players to follow a set patch and introducing new gameplay that has not been experienced in previous games in the series.”

The charitable way to interpret this would be that the game is open and non-linear just like A Link to the Past, whereas an uncharitable way to interpret this is that the game is open and non-linear just like whatever game Ubisoft last released. Whatever the case, this E3 strategy seems to be based more on miserly cost cutting than on actual, well, strategy. It is a dangerous game that Nintendo is playing however, as not only will they be going the entire year with essentially no presence whatsoever at retail, but they will have also voluntarily benched themselves for E3 in the year leading up to the launch of their NX console. It is like Nintendo has absolutely no concept of what mindshare is, nor the role that it plays in the consumption of consumer goods. At this point it is looking increasingly unlikely that there will be any further Nintendo consoles after NX. Even if the big N’s executives want to continue chasing casual gaming butterflies, it is unlikely that the board of directors will allow them to continue to pour good money down the sinkhole that is Nintendo’s home console business.

Persona 5 is a JRPG for JRPG enthusiasts…

Atlus Throws down the Gauntlet to Square Enix with Persona 5 Release Date

For years now Japanese gamers have, with a few notable exceptions, consistently placed Persona 5 ahead of Final Fantasy XV in terms of their interest and purchase-intent. Eventually, when it became clear that Final Fantasy XV was all but complete, people began to speculate that Square Enix was holding back on announcing a release date because they were nervous about putting Final Fantasy XV up against Persona 5 in their domestic market. This suspicion was later confirmed by a Square Enix survey which sought to ascertain whether their fans were also interested in Persona 5, and whether those fans would purchase Persona 5 ahead of Final Fantasy XV. Given the way Famitsu polling has tended to go, Square Enix were likely not reassured by the findings of that survey – though there is no real way for us to definitively know short of Square Enix releasing that information to the public. At any rate, unfortunately for Square Enix they played the waiting game, but Atlus played it better. Square Enix eventually had to announce Final Fantasy XV‘s release date for September 30, and mere weeks later Atlus has announced Persona 5‘s release date for September 15 – a mere two weeks before the release of Final Fantasy XV.

This is simultaneously a masterstroke for Atlus, and absolutely terrible for Square Enix. Atlus will capture most of Japan’s hardcore JRPG crowd, and then two weeks later their game stands to be a beneficiary of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XV marketing blitz, as casual consumers who buy a new PS4 in order to play Final Fantasy XV may also be tempted to pick up another new release game to have something else to play on their new machine. Meanwhile, many hardcore gamers will not be finished with Persona 5 by the time that Final Fantasy XV releases, and so they may defer their purchase of Final Fantasy XV. Because of the massive quantity of games that Square Enix ships to retail, their games are usually highly susceptible to rapid price drops, as stores look to shift unsold stock. This is true for the West, and it is doubly true for Japan. Japanese gamers will be able to enjoy a significant price cut to Final Fantasy XV by simply waiting four to six weeks before picking it up. This is good news for Japanese Gamers, and bad news for Square Enix.

To be clear, Final Fantasy XV will still almost certainly outsell the PS4 version of Persona 5 [the game will also be available on PS3] in Japan. Square Enix’s enormous advertising spend will see to it that the general public is far more aware of Final Fantasy than of Persona. That being said, do not expect the difference between both games to be as large as one would think. Currently there are a little over two million Japanese gamers who own a PS4, and it seems likely that those people are more interested in Persona 5 than Final Fantasy XV, so if Final Fantasy XV is to best the PS4 version of Persona 5, then it will be relying on a combination of new PS4 owners and current PS4 owners who buy both games. As for whether Final Fantasy XV will be able to outsell the combined total of both versions of Persona 5, that probably depends a lot on word of mouth. That should be concerning for Sqare Enix, as thus far their domestic audience has been somewhat divided over the game’s combat mechanics.

[PICTURED]: Ubisoft creativity.

Yves Guillemot: Vivendi Takeover Will ‘Kill Creativity’ at Ubisoft

Throughout 2016 Vivendi has increased their stake in Ubisoft from 6% to 15%, and then just recently they upped this figure slightly to 17.73% of capital shares and 15.66% of voting shares. Contrast that to the Guillemot brothers, who between them own 10% of Ubisoft and 16% of the voting rights. Vivendi has not formally declared their hand, but the financial world is pretty much in agreement that the end goal of their actions is to continually increase their stake until they are in the position to launch a hostile takeover bid. At the same time Vivendi also sits poised to launch a hostile takeover bid against Gameloft, a sister company to Ubisoft that is similarly under the control of the Guillemot brothers. Vivendi has a 30% stake in Gameloft, and proceedings are already underway for the hostile bid to go ahead.

Guillemot is obviously furious at what is happening, yet he has little other recourse than bluff and bluster. Chief among his talking points seems to be the dire threat that any attempted hostile takeover would effectively “kill creativity” at Ubisoft, and Vivendi would just be buying an “empty shell“. Speaking at post-launch celebration event for The Division, Yves Guillemot went on to elaborate is strategy for fending off takeover bids:

“We had ups and downs on this game but we persevered. This is the kind of energy we need to show our strength, our values. It’s up to us to perform, to boost our company value and to make it harder for anyone to take us over.”

Michael Pachter has also weighed in on Guillemot’s novel approach to maintaining independence:

“If there’s a hostile takeover by Vivendi and Guillemot leaves, every person who is good at Ubisoft would be recruited by EA, Activision and Take Two.”

Everyone who is good at Ubisoft… Talk about slim pickings. Ignoring Raving Rabbids and Just Dance for the moment, Ubisoft has essentially only released one game since 2007: Assassin’s Creed. Sometimes it is set in Rome, and Sometimes it is set in France, and sometimes it is called Watch Dogs, and sometimes it is called Far Cry – but essentially since 2007 Ubisoft has only released Assassin’s Creed, and then they have re-released it, and then they have re-released that re-release ad nauseum. This being the case, Guillemot’s appeals to creativity probably is not the most winningest strategy he could have adopted. If Vivendi launched a hostile takeover and a few Ubisoft producers left for EA, then surely Vivendi would just continue the Guillemot strategy of re-releasing Assassin’s Creed. This is not rocket science. Perhaps if Ubisoft had taken more risks and made a better and more diverse product then he would still have a rhetorical leg to stand on, but Guillemot instead oversaw a strategy that has ultimately resulted in his IP being worth more than his workforce. Any developer of sufficient size can create Assassin’s Creed at this point, because it is such a well worn concept. Bioware made Assassin’s Creed and then sold it as Dragon Age: Inquisition. Guillemot’s bluster has all the deterrence force of a wet handkerchief.

Kazuma is a man who likes his pantsu.

Anime Spotlight: Konosuba – God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! [2016]

Konosuba is fantastic! One day otaku shut-in Kazuma reluctantly leaves his house in order to purchase a game, and is then killed in a most humiliating fashion on his way home. Kazuma wakes to discover that he is in the afterlife, and a beautiful goddess named Aqua offers him three choices: go to Heaven, be reborn in Japan, or be sent to a parallel universe fantasy realm with his choice of mystical item. Kazuma chooses the latter option and sets about deciding upon his starting item, but when he begins taking too long Aqua starts becoming obnoxious, which in turn causes Kazuma to rashly choose Aqua as his starting item. The joke is on Kazuma however, as Aqua turns out to be completely useless. These two are then joined by Megumin [a powerful mage that can only cast one spell a day] and Darkness [a crusader who is also a hardcore degenerate with an abuse fetish]. From here the party must accept quests in order to earn money and gain EXP in order to level up.

Konosuba is hilarious and charming, with an endearingly crude sense of humour. Upon learning the thief ability, Kazuma uses it primarily to steal panties – Konosuba is that kind of show. The characters are also adorable, and are much more than the stock archetypes that one would expect to see in a series like this. Simply put, this is the best use of an MMO setting seen in an anime to date, and the relatively brief ten episode run means that Konosuba is the kind of anime series that one can watch in a single sitting. All of the episodes have been aired, and are available for streaming on Crunchyroll – watch it!

Lancelot was at the forefront of the fight against Fort Mayne.

Download: Released 2016.04.18

As Lancelot carries Arthur’s fight against Fort Mayne to every corner of Old England, Lusipurr and SiliconNooB wish that they had access to the Gramarye of those legendary days.

GTAV causes rape. I own GTAV. Guess I gotta rape someone now… :(

Radical Feminism Strikes a Blow to Australian Gamers!

In Australia if a controversy is worth having, then it is worth having late. A year too late to be precise. This week both Target and Kmart retail chains have decided to pull copies of the veritable cultural sensation, Grand Theft Auto V, from store shelves, after listening to the entitled bleating of myopic feminists who have once again been spreading their lies and dogma, as per usual. The nagging harpies of the internet managed to cobble together over forty-six thousand signatures demanding that retailers cease stocking the biggest game of 2013 on account their inane reckon that the title will teach “yet another generation of boys to tolerate violence against women“, all while “It is fuelling the epidemic of violence experienced by so many girls and women in Australia – and globally.” Funny how Grand Theft Auto V has managed to bring about the complete dissolution of Australian society within the span of a year. Also funny is the fact that the game poses such a grave moral danger to an entire generation of boys when it has been rated 18+, and cannot be sold to minors. Jack Thompson could probably tell them ‘I told you so’ on both counts.

This cackling cabal of shrill femitarians was predictably crowing with hubris at their ‘victory’ over the Australian consumer, and gave themselves extensive pats on the back in their self-congratulatory post, We won! Target, Kmart withdraw Grand Theft Auto from shelves:

“Great news – we’ve won! Target (and breaking news: Kmart now too!) have pulled Grand Theft Auto 5 from shelves across the country in response to our 40,000-strong change.org petition.

It’s games like this that normalise rape and sexual violence. You’ve helped send a message to family retailers and brands that their consumers have had enough, and they’ve started listening.”

As for Target and Kmart, if they are going to allow these hollering moral puritans to dictate what content adult consumers are able to purchase, then it would be nice if they would stop carrying all software rated 18+ – that way it would at least be immediately apparent that they only stock games for babies. That would be the morally consistent thing to do. As it stands, they have seen fit to continue stocking other adults only materials on the basis that no one is causing a fuss about it – yet.

“While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers.

However, in the case of GTA5, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell.”

Over the past several years one has witnessed on many occasions individuals expressing concern over feminism’s increasing colonisation of the gaming press, only to be rebuffed and made the object of ridicule by douchey hipsters reciting their patronising mantra: “We’re not going to take your games away. We just want more diversity.” This is a sentiment which is often spoken by one side of a certain crowd-funding shonk’s mouth, even while the other side claims that games cause domestic violence and masculinity is the root cause of America’s mass shootings. Hell, just last week this individual featured in a Youtube sing-along titled ‘We Are Not Jack Thompson’ – a vapid argument that game journo pros seem all too willing to simply listen to and believe. Well, to these obnoxious turds one wishes to extend a sincere and heartfelt invitation to come visit the sun-blasted nanny-state of Australia, and please, by all means, pick up a copy of Grand Theft Auto V while you are here!

Speaking seriously though, the author of this article wishes to express the sincere hope that any and all of the signatories to this intellectually feeble petition [be they man, woman, or child] become a statistic in the very near future, starting with its author, ‘Nicole Survivor’.

Yes, you may has Street Fighter V, Shuhei.

Street Fighter V Is a PS4 Console Exclusive

Microsoft has been pulling out all the stops this year when it comes to chequebook game development, snaffling up first Titanfall and then Rise of the Tomb Raider as Xbox exclusives. This week Sony appear to have finally found voice to offer Microsoft a retort in the form of Street Fighter V console exclusivity for the PS4. In terms of brand-name recognition this is likely bigger than either of Microsoft’s acquisitions, yet due to the amount Street Fighter fatigue experienced as a result of last generation’s endless Street Fighter IV iterations, this may end up being less significant than Microsoft’s purchase of either Titanfall or Rise of the Tomb Raider. In fact, Street Fighter fatigue may have been the sole reason that Sony was even able to obtain exclusivity for the game.

A thing that one has noticed occurring on a lot of on comment threads on this topic is the claim that PS4 owners are hypocrites for trashing Microsoft for buying up exclusivity for Titanfall and Rise of the Tomb Raider, yet not badmouthing Sony for obtaining exclusivity for the latest entry in the Street Fighter franchise. Such arguments only make sense if one is ignorant of the facts, or if one is stupid. In the case of both of the Microsoft exclusives, their existence was known long before their exclusivity was ever announced, and Rise of the Tomb Raider had already released footage and screetshots, appearing to all the world like a multi-platform game. By contrast, the existence of Street Fighter V was unconfirmed until a trailer was released which confirmed that it was in existence as a PS4 exclusive. Ultimately, companies buying exclusivity for pre-established third party franchise games is not a terribly empowering thing for consumers, yet given Microsoft’s conduct Sony would be insane to resist matching them tactically. Moreover, Sony did not fuck their approach up anywhere near as bad Microsoft.

Will we see a Lost Odyssey 2 on Xbone?

Phil Spencer Promises JRPGs For Xbone

At the beginning of the seventh console generation Microsoft managed to significantly disrupt the JRPG landscape by securing several high profile JRPGs as console exclusives – some of these games were wholly funded by Microsoft as the publisher, while others were bought off. All this came to an end when the Xbox 360 failed to gain ground in Japan and Microsoft stopped chasing the market. Now it would seem that the tiny fringe minority of gamers who enjoy JRPGs but only have an Xbone are making their voices heard to the big cheese of Xbox.

The amazing thing about these sort of exchanges is how even the most unpromising of vague affirmations are able to engender such hope and speculation among the admittedly small minds of Xboners. When Phil Spencer was questioned on Twitter about the likelihood of bringing JRPGs to the Xbone console, he responded with something fittingly open-ended:

“You will see JPRGs on XBOX One.”

This apparently gave leave to Phil’s followers to indulge themselves in flights of fancy about all the exclusive JRPGs that would be coming to the Xbone:

“I really hope to see XB1 get some exclusive JRPGS, wouldn’t care if they were small downloads. Please work with Itagaki and MW again”

These Xboners may have wished to temper their expectations however, as it would seem that Microsoft nolonger has any dealings with Mistwalker:

“I haven’t talked to Sakaguchi-san or MW in awhile.”

It was this revelation which led to an excellent piece of advice from Twitter user, Gerardo Ramirez Arme:

“please don’t…they don’t need to make another game that won’t sell because of the system. T_T poor LostOdy”

Indeed. Microsoft consoles are no place for exclusive JRG content, especially with the Xbox One doing even worse than the 360 in Japan – but hey, with Costume Quest 2, and Pier Solar HD released for the console, and Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts III still to come there is going to be literally ones and twos of unforgettable JRPG experiences for Xboners to enjoy!

This week, Ignatius J. Reilly finally meets his fate.

Produced 2013.02.03

Zoltan’s Reading Room finally attains to a glorious and satisfying conclusion, Lusipurr inveighs against the Culture Machine, and SiliconNooB speaks out against censorship in what may be the last of the really long Lusipurr.com podcasts. Brevity ho!

Come, my pretty! I have a van full of Call of Duty for you!

Produced 2012.12.02

Whilst Lusipurr exhausts himself by preparing for the lead in ‘Being Ignatius Reilly’, Peter Molyneux’s protege launches a Kickstarter that goes for a duck. Unfortunately for SiliconNooB, the Australian test side performs just as poorly as Molyneux II.

Final Fantasy V has one of my favorite job systems in a game.

There is a level of strategy present in a job system that simply is not there in RPGs that use a classless system of character development. The need to use each of the jobs effectively was in my opinion the strongest point of the the FFXIII battle system. While Sentinel may not have been the most useful role, there were some fights where the damage reduction was simply a necessity. Trying to balance a party in the first Disgaea was always something I loved doing, even if my parties always do eventually just consist of Laharl and some characters that can make him stronger. But what constitutes a well-made job system?

For me, a good job system in an RPG is all about options. I always love being able to combine abilities from multiple jobs, like FFV. If the player cannot use abilities when not in a specific job or class, then allowing for on-the-fly switching mid-combat also works very well. The main thing I want in a job or class system, though, is varied role options. There is no point in having a class system if the classes are all similar, like they are in Sword of Mana. As long as I have a few vastly different roles to play around with, I am generally very content with most job systems. I even liked Final Fantasy III‘s job system well enough. It may not have done much, but it did allow for party customization on a level its NES contemporaries usually never came close to reaching.

I love this job system, broken setups and all.

Of course, there are issues with class-based character customization, especially if the game is not well-balanced. As much as I love Final Fantasy Tactics and its character customization, there are certain job combinations that are completely overpowered. I can honestly think of few class system based games that I have played that are extremely well balanced; there almost always winds up being one or two classes that are simply better than the rest. Despite the issues with balance though, I am still a sucker for a good job system.

If this article has not made it clear yet, the main reason why I got into Final Fantasy was the series’ frequent use of variations of the classic FF job system, from the original simple six options at the game’s beginning to the more complex Tactics system of leveling jobs to unlock other jobs. I have yet to play any other JRPG that captures my attention via a job system quite like the Final Fantasy games. Disgaea came close, as I do really like its system as well, but to date nothing has matched the FF job systems in terms of Deimosion-appeal.

I have as of late been trying to broaden my taste in games, but I cannot help but find myself drawn back into class systems in JRPGs. The appeal of messing around with different jobs and trying to find that one perfect combination is just too strong for me to resist. No matter how much I try to branch out into different styles and genres of video gaming, a good job system will always pull me in. Every gamer has that one thing that will always win them over, and I suppose I have found mine. What can I say, readers? I know what I like.

Final Fantasy XII US Box Art

Lusipurr.com is pleased to present The Summer of XII: A Final Fantasy XII Playthrough.

Released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in March of 2006 and in North America the following October, Final Fantasy XII served as both a return to Ivalice and as an entry into the Ivalice Alliance meta-series of games. The game met with considerable success by allowing players to explore a vast and open world, and through the use of a battle system which combined M.M.O. mechanics with classic, menu-driven, A.T.B. combat.

Initially set in the Kingdom of Dalmasca, the storyline of Final Fantasy XII is characterised by its grand scale and impressive writing. The Archadean Empire is slowly crushing neutral powers caught between it and its enemy, The Rozarrian Empire. It in the aftermath of these brutal power struggles–The Battle of Nalbina Fortress–that the player’s involvement begins, as Reks. It is Reks who must assist Captain Basch fon Rosenburg in attempting to halt an Archadean plot set to take place during the signing of a peace treaty.

This is the final week of our four-week playthrough, in which we will aim to have completed the main storyline and final battle sequence of the game. Use the comments thread to discuss your final evaluations and opinions about how things have changed, improved, or entirely shifted in Final Fantasy games, JRPGs, and large-scale console RPGs in general since the original release six years ago. What do you think of the music, the graphics, the controls, and the translation? Have the voice acting, the writing, and the storyline held up? Or, have the ravages of time made the experience of XII‘s Ivalice an occasion for disappointment?

We now invite you to join Lusipurr.com as we return to Ivalice in Final Fantasy XII!

What this screenshot fails to capture is just how damn long it takes that ''little money'' to scroll across the screen.

Released for the original PlayStation in June 1997 in Japan and January 1998 in North America, Final Fantasy Tactics took the Final Fantasy model and the Tactics Ogre gameplay style and blended the two with great success. Tactics utilizes a job system that draws much from Final Fantasy V, though new jobs are unlocked by leveling old ones rather than by story progression. The story of Final Fantasy Tactics also deviates from the series’ formula; the focus is far more on the politics and people of Ivalice (the world in which the game is set) than on the fantastic elements typically explored by Final Fantasy main series entries. Final Fantasy Tactics tells the story of Ramza Beoulve, the youngest member of a long line of nobility, and his role in “The War of the Lions”. Ramza, his generic companions, and several special characters find themselves caught straight in the middle of scheming from several political groups as war overtakes Ivalice. Final Fantasy Tactics was not quite the commercial success the other entries on the PlayStation were, but among fans of the series, Tactics often holds just as special a place as most of the main Final Fantasy entries and, despite being an extremely easy game, is certainly an experience of the same caliber as the main series games.

I had a good feeling, too. This is not the way.

Spurred on by the popularity of Final Fantasy Tactics among fans of the main series, Square Enix released a follow-up game, also set in Ivalice, this time for the Game Boy Advance. Released in 2003, the aptly named Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, while set in Ivalice, does not share any areas with its predecessor and adds several new races, many of which would see use in Final Fantasy XII. The star of Tactics Advance is a young Ramza-look-a-like named Marche Radiuju who along with his friends is sucked out of his ordinary school life and thrust into the fantasy world where the vast majority of the game takes place. After meeting a Moogle named Montblanc and taking over a clan of warriors, Marche then heads off on a quest to find his way back home, though his friends are much less receptive to the idea of returning to their unhappy home lives. The gameplay in Tactics Advance is a blend of the original Final Fantasy Tactics using an ability learning system from Final Fantasy IX, with one noteworthy addition. A frequently maligned law system within the game bans certain actions, elements, or behaviors during battles, with characters being penalized or even arrested and jailed for breaking these laws. Naturally, the A.I. almost never breaks the law, and bosses are immune to most of the penalties anyway. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance was significantly less well-received than its predecessor; the law system was often cited as being unnecessarily restrictive. Additionally, the storyline was something of a mess, and the largely unlikable cast of characters made playing the game a less pleasant experience than the first Tactics.

Teach us how to Blitz!

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Square Enix’s follow-up to Tactics Advance, saw release on the Nintendo DS on October 2007 for Japan and June 2008 worldwide. Tactics A2 follows Luso Clemens, another schoolchild sucked into another different area of Ivalice, and his adventures throughout the Jylland region. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 uses the same weapon-based ability learning as its GBA counterpart, with similar requirements for unlocking new jobs for characters. The law system makes an unwelcome return, but is refined significantly. Rather than heavy penalty for disobeying the law and no real reward for obeying them, Tactics A2 rewards players for following the laws and will never remove someone from combat for simply casting “Fire”. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 was as a result generally more well-received than its predecessor; the game provided in many peoples’ experiences a much more refined and interesting experience than the lackluster GBA attempt. This reviewer must admit to never having played Tactics A2, so giving editorialized commentary proves somewhat difficult. Still, speaking to people who have played all three of the Tactics sub-series generally shows that the DS entry is a much better game than its disappointing GBA predecessor.

The history of the Final Fantasy Tactics games is a relatively short one. With only three entries as of April 2012, and no future games announced, there does not appear to be much future for Final Fantasy Tactics outside of horribly overpriced iOS ports. Still, for fans of SRPGs and the Final Fantasy main series games, these three games fill a unique niche among the dwindling JRPG crowd. What do you have to say about the Tactics games, readers? Have any of you played all three games? I have only personally played the first two, so I would like to hear from gamers who have played all of them. Even if you haven’t readers, comment and let me know what you think about Tactics and about Final Fantasy spinoffs in general! I look forward to discussing these games with you, my dear readers.

In this first issue, three Lusipurr.com staff members–SiliconNooB, Deimosion, and Blitzmage–were asked about the state of the JRPG industry. Read their responses and add your own comments to the discussion below. Our authors will reply to the discussion in turn.

* * *

Japanese game developers often try to create games that accurately reflect the world in which they live.

Q1: What do you think is the biggest threat to JRPG development; and why?

SiliconNooB: The biggest threat to development of JRPGs is Japan’s ebbing creativity (and dwindling sense of their own efficiancy in this regard), which has seen the JRPG genre become overpopulated with generic, anime-style, fan-service games that play very poorly in the Western market. Flagging Western interest along with rising development costs pose a grave existential crisis to the genre, which has become fettered by its own myopic insularity.

Deimosion: Budget and time constraints are by far the biggest threat to JRPG development. JRPGs, as of late, have not been as popular as they once were, and declining sales of the genre mean that smaller companies have to work on tighter budgets. While I wholeheartedly disagree that JRPGs are dead or even dying, it is hard to deny that the glory days of the JRPG have passed, and the genre as a whole seems, at least from my observations, to be a much smaller part of gaming than it used to be.

Blizmage: The biggest threat to JRPG development is the unnecessarily long development cycle. Looking at the Final Fantasy XIII Fabula Nova Crystalis series, it has been a little over eight years and gamers have still barely seen anything of Versus and Agito (now Type-0). Many gamers are fed up with the waiting game and the announcements of announcements.

Traditional, side-on battles are a common part of JRPGs, even today.

Q2: In a genre which places high value on tradition, what special challenges confront JRPG developers who want to innovate?

SiliconNooB: The most meaningful way in which JRPG studios could innovate would be for them to re-learn how to create the kinds of games they were making fifteen to twenty years ago. JRPGs have been falling over one another over the last five years in their attempts to include Western-oriented mechanics in their game designs, all to no avail–for that was never the appeal of JRPGs in the West (there are other games to provide those sorts of experiences). A good many JRPGs used to tell universal stories imparted with pleasing presentations: an approach which held universal appeal. The answer is not to expunge any and all Japanese DNA from these projects. Instead, properties which have an exclusively Japanese/anime focus should be limited in number, because they are only going to be facing diminishing returns. The challenge for the JRPG industry going forward will be to regrow the popularity of the genre in the West before tightening game budgets become too burdensome for them to easily do so. Failure will find the JRPG industry locked into a slow death.

Deimosion: Westernization is a touchy subject among JRPG fans, and a difficult issue for JRPG developers. On the one hand, making games that appeal to Western fans is a must for JRPG developers seeking to tap into the large American gamer base. On the other hand, JRPG fans typically do not want Westernized games, particularly those made with the Japanese idea of what the West wants. JRPG makers must then deal with the unique challenge of innovating enough to keep the genre from stagnating while simultaneously keeping close enough to tradition to please their fans, many of whom cling tightly to the traditions and cliches so readily associated with the genre.

Blitzmage: The challenge JRPG developers have to confront is that they are no longer the paramount console RPG developer. With the wider and wider spread of Western RPGs, JRPG developers have to face the music when it comes to innovation and how much they want to put into their games. For a JRPG developer, it is high time to look at other genres and decide how they are going to define their JRPG.

Some fans might be able to keep the industry afloat without assistance.

Q3: Where do you see the JRPG genre in ten years?

SiliconNooB: If the JRPG industry fails to look to addressing the health of their market, then in ten years time I can see it well upon its way to being solely relegated to mobile phone platforms. At present, JRPGs are retreating from console development in favour of handheld platforms, but when the next generation of handhelds hit the market it would seem unlikely that the greater share of Japan’s RPG developers will be able to afford the inflated budgets which will accompany them. And so it will be time to fall back to mobile phone platforms to sell five dollar doodads and curios!

Deimosion: I see JRPGs becoming a very niche genre of game–one with which the “mainstream” Western gamer is not very familiar. JRPGs, I suspect, will still remain popular in Japan, and I do not see the genre dying off any time soon. Overseas, however, I doubt the JRPG will ever reach the level of popularity it had in the 1990’s. The niche JRPG fanbase and the otaku gamer market will still buy the games, but while anime may be breaking into mainstream culture, I highly doubt the JRPG will do the same.

Blitzmage: Sadly, I see very few JRPGs coming out ten years from now. If we look at the fiasco that Nintendo made this past summer with games like Xenoblade and Last Story, the obvious question is: how much longer will we have to wait before more first party companies decide that JRPGs will not sell well in the American territories? In the next ten years will we see the JRPG moved to just a genre that is nothing but downloadable and Facebook games?

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Now is your chance to engage in the discussion. How would you answer the questions posed above; do you agree or disagree with our panelists; what are your reckons on this topic? Use the comment box below to send us your reckons and join in the panel’s discussion.

The box arts for XIII and XIII-2 look really nice side-by-side

The story of Final Fantasy XIII-2 picks up three years after its predecessor. Players take the role of Serah, Lightning’s younger sister, and Noel, an admittedly somewhat generic Sora knock-off new to XIII-2. The two companions, accompanied by a horde of monsters, journey through different times and locations on a quest to find Lightning and change the course of history. The storytelling of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a massive improvement over its predecessor; despite the non-linearity of the time travel plot, the narrative still manages to be more cohesive and interesting than that of the original XIII. The characters who do return from XIII are, for the most part, far more likable than they were in the first game. The new characters, including the academic Alyssa Zaidelle and the absolutely insane shopkeeper, Chocolina, are simply delightful. Unfortunately, Serah and Noel are given rather boring characterizations, but even they manage to stay far more likable than the vast majority of the original Final Fantasy XIII cast. The non-linearity of the Final Fantasy XIII-2 storyline is confusing at first, but the plots of the areas are episodic enough that they can be done in any number of orders without being too difficult to piece together.

It seems odd to say this about the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, but the best part of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is easily its non-linearity. The game is absolutely loaded with sidequests; simply playing through the game is a short fifteen-twenty hour affair that will only take players through about half of the game’s areas. Fully completing the game’s sidequests is a much longer affair that will more than double the game’s playtime. The maps in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are quite non-linear; exploration makes a triumphant return. Many of the maps are somewhat small, and many of the maps are reused, but the areas in Final Fantasy XIII-2 are still a joy to explore.

The battle system of Final Fantasy XIII-2 draws elements in from its predecessor; the roles and paradigm system are retained from the XIII combat. New to Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the alteration of the third party member. Noel and Serah are the only two characters with the ability to change roles in the same way as XIII. Replacing the third party member is a collection of monsters, each of whom are locked into one single role. The player can add into their paradigm deck any three monsters, so the combat feels largely unchanged from the original.

Finally, the Crystarium system returns, though it is a vastly different beast this time around. Gone are the days of storyline Crystarium restrictions; expansions are now given when the player reaches the end of the current stage.

Monster dress-up is a new game mechanic.

Graphically, there is little to say about Final Fantasy XIII-2. The graphics engine is clearly the same as the one used in the original Final Fantasy XIII, and the game looks similarly excellent. The Final Fantasy XIII-2 soundtrack, with a few exceptions, is phenomenal, with new and returning tracks combining to create a pleasant musical experience. Final Fantasy has always been a series noted for its technical quality, and the latest entry is clearly no exception.

As a complete package, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a must-buy for JRPG fans. Final Fantasy XIII-2 improves on the original in almost every way. The storytelling is better, the characters more likable, the exploration far greater, and even the music is an improvement from the original’s often forgettable soundtrack. Even small improvements, like the ability to save and load paradigm decks or the save-anywhere functionality make Final Fantasy XIII-2 into a much better experience than Final Fantasy XIII ever was. For people who were lukewarm about the original, and for any gamer who enjoys JRPGs, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is absolutely a game worth purchasing. Now if the readers will kindly excuse, this reviewer has some sidequests to attend to.

Ugh, that face.

I recently had the pleasure of watching the 2001 BBC adaptation of Anthony Trollope’s The Way We Live Now. One thing struck me about the characters in the series. The heroes of the story, Hetta Carbury and Paul Montague, were beautiful and represented all that was right in the world. Montague and his self-sacrificing willingness to uphold his honor — to throw away his fortunes in exchange for Truth. Miss Carbury and her infallible virtue and faith. My feelings for these characters were tepid at best. I enjoyed them because they were a representation of the righteous, of the good, and in the end they walked into the sunset to bask in their triumph. However it was the less savory characters that ultimately wormed their way into my heart; I found my emotions torn and my mind racing as Augustus Melmotte cheated, stole, and bought his way into parliament. With our playthrough of Wild Arms well into its first week, I could not help but notice the similiarities between the characters in The Way We Live Now and the gaming world.

Paul Montague and Hetta Carbury represent modern games. They are visually stunning, a showcase of virtue, and a triumph of progression. We are charmed by luscious settings and characters where every pixel is candy to the eyes. We are sucked into a world where our protaganists are outfitted in intricate costumes and brought to life through cutting edge cinematics and voice acting. I watch as Lightning expresses, in the clearest terms, exactly what she thinks of Snow. I feel for her. I love her because in the end she is powerful, beautiful, and deadly. Still, this does not stop the apprehension I feel whenever I pick up a new game. It does not stop the sinking dread when I realize that I am going to spend the next handful of hours reading tutorials and having my hand held as I meander my way through the ‘introduction’. As the modern game progresses and the proverbial hand-holding slowly fades into the background I reach a stage where once again I can appreciate the beauty, the gameplay, and the story. In the same way, I was able to appreciate the fact that Montague and Miss Carbury were rewarded for their virtue.

There is nothing inherently wrong with modern games in the same way that there is nothing inherently wrong with stereotypically ‘good’ characters. Some of my most precious gaming memories are from the last few years. Some of the most endearing characters I have met are in what we might consider ‘modern’ games. Still, when a new title hits the shelf I find that I am reluctant to dive head-first in the game. I have to resolve myself to being ‘taught’ how to play an RPG, step-by-step, before I am actually given the opportunity to enjoy the game itself. The problem with modern games then becomes the lack of a presupposed understanding that a gamer is an intelligent, intuitive being. I have been playing games all my life. I know what an ‘attack’ command does. The modern game presupposes that I have no idea what the word ‘attack’ means or what a controller looks like.

Again? Really?

Yes, the old-school games of our sunny youths are represented by the smarmy Augustus Melmotte. I hated him because he was a vile man who manipulated the world around him for his own gains. He made my head ache because I could not begin to comprehend the scope of his evil and I wondered what heinous act he would commit next. And in the end, victory was all the sweeter. Early games are much the same, it takes a little intelligence to digest the content and at the end of it all the hard-earned emotions, the pain of one ‘Game Over’ screen after another, is all the more rewarded.

With the Lusipurr.com playthrough of Wild Arms, I felt the familiar dread of “Oh God, not another RPG.” It struck me at once that I was thrown into the world of Filgaia and forced to sink or swim. The beginning of Wild Arms comprised of Opening Cinematic, Title Screen, GAME and not Opening Cinematic, Title Screen, TUTORIAL. And then I remembered, I was no longer playing the latest installment of Final Fantasy: I was playing a classic RPG. Once again, I was expected to be intuitive and to have some experience with the genre. “If you want a tutorial, go and find one,” the game seemed to say to me. I had to hand-pick commands from a menu of tiny pictures. I had to assume that the ‘thing vaguely shaped like a bag’ was my item pouch. I will be the first to admit that I spent the first few hours of the game dying a lot, learning not to stand on spikes the hard way, and lamenting the lack of save points in every room.

After all is said and done, can we forsake the realm of our virtuous modern games in favor of the callous villainy of the past? Should we? Modern games are filled with hand-holding, fair enough, but they are also filled with attractive storylines and ever-evolving mechanics. The games of the past are at times more difficult through the sheer expectation that ‘gamers are intelligent’ and a lot of time is spent staring, heartsick, at the words GAME OVER. But in the end, the diligent player is rewarded for his patience. Each possesses its charms and draws, and each offers the player the opportunity to immerse himself in a world that is not his own. For the modern game, these charms are often immediately apparent: Like Hetta and Paul they are attractive and the perfect picture of modernity. For the games of the past, like Wild Arms, we often have to look beyond the surface, take time to digest the content, and get the satisfaction we deserve in the end.

Unskippable Cutscenes
WORST OFFENDERS: Kingdom Hearts (PS2), Final Fantasy X (PS2)

Thankfully, this one seems to have mostly died out, so I will not spend much time on it. Unskippable cutscenes are a horrible and unnecessary part of any game and should not be tolerated, especially in games with long story sequences. Fortunately, game developers appear to have already caught onto this one, and most games with cutscenes anymore give players the option to skip them.

Unacceptable in 2001, unacceptable in 2012

Unskippable Tutorials
WORST OFFENDER: Megaman Battle Network series (GBA)

This one should be obvious, but far too many game developers still get it wrong. Tutorials be skippable, every time, no exceptions. Games should have tutorials, yes, but these should always be optional. If a game is good enough, then people will want to replay it, and there is no reason for gamers to be forced to sit through a tutorial for a game they already know how to play. Unskippable tutorials, fortunately, also are falling by the wayside, but they are still rear their ugly heads far too often in modern games.

Long Load Times in Games with No Hard Drive Installation Option
WORST OFFENDERS: Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3/360), Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3/360)

Admittedly, I am a bit more forgiving with this one, but load times are still pretty obnoxious. More console games need a hard drive installation option (as long as it is just that, an option, NOT mandatory) to cut down on load times. Nobody wants to sit and wait for a fifteen-second loading screen to be able to play a game. Though I do acknowledge that load times are an inevitable evil of the medium, it is still aggravating to see a game with long loading times and no option to install data to the hard drive in order to fix it.

Also still not acceptable.

DRM
WORST OFFENDERS: Spore (PC), every Ubisoft game made in the past few years

Plenty has been said on the subject in the past, but highly restrictive DRM needs to die off. It does not and will not stop piracy, and penalizing paying customers by asking for online passes or by restricting access to the game is insulting to gamers and encourages them to obtain games through less than legal means, end of story. Punishing the people who legitimately buy things is not an effective business model.

Reliance on Save Points, Especially in Portable Games
WORST OFFENDERS: Dragon Quest IX (DS), most other JRPGs

Can we, as a gaming culture, please, PLEASE move beyond save points as a mechanic? Restricting when or how often players can save, especially in portable games, is just asinine. Now I know that many readers out there will point out that most portable games have a “quicksave” feature allowing for one-time saves that exit players from the game, and I ask: Why? Why do we as gamers have to deal with quicksaving in games when a real, multi-use save function is an option? Save points are an outdated mechanic and they need to die off.

Random Battles that are Fully Random and Not Skippable and Cannot Be Dodged
WORST OFFENDERS: Most JRPGs

I love JRPGs, I really do, but this is another mechanic that needs to die. RPGs with random battles should give players the option to turn the battles off, either as a menu option or as an equipable item given to the player very early in the game. Or, even better, enemies should be visible on the field so that the player has the option of avoiding them entirely, or at least attempting to. Random battles were a mechanic that made sense in the early days of RPGs, but should no longer be a part of modern game design.

These six issues are the first ones that came to mind, but I am sure there are other mechanics or elements in games that should vanish. Am I perhaps being too harsh, and these things are simply a part of gaming that must be dealt with? Or am I right to complain like an old man about things over which I have no power? Let me know what your thoughts are, readers, and feel free to share any mechanics, tropes, or traditions you feel should be removed from video gaming!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 may be the best JRPG released in the past decade, and you should play it. Go and order it now. Whilst you wait for your order to arrive, you can play the demo. Whilst you wait for the demo to download, you can read this comic.

WE HAVE PLANNED IT ALL OUT FOR YOU. All must you now do is simply COMPLY.

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BONUS! BONUS! BONUS!

Does this look like the sort of thing you would like on a cup? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.

North American box art.

Final Fantasy XIII tells the story of six people trying to save themselves and their world from being destroyed. In the process, the characters each become marked as “l’Cie”, giving them an unbreakable quest called a “Focus”. If the six fail, then they become shambling crystalline zombies. The ones giving these “Focus” quests are known as “fal’Cie”, the guardians and protectors of the world. If the plot of Final Fantasy XIII seems unnecessarily convoluted and silly…it is. The plot is hands-down the weakest aspect of Final Fantasy XIII, a nonsensical and pointless mess. Sadly, the characters are not much better; while their backstories are intertwined, none of the characters are particularly interesting or exciting in and of themselves. Mercifully, every cutscene in Final Fantasy XIII is skippable, so players are not forced to sit through the boring nonsense. Still, it is highly disappointing to play an RPG – particularly a Final Fantasy game – with such a disappointing plot.

The one good character in FFXIII.

The gameplay of Final Fantasy XIII is an interesting beast. Final Fantasy XIII is, for much of the game, painfully linear; the player is railroaded into a tunnel of cutscenes and battles. Midway through, Final Fantasy XIII suddenly becomes overwhelmingly open, but finishing the game requires a trip back into the tunnel. The battle system of Final Fantasy XIII is by far the best part of the game. Using a modified version of the traditional ATB system, Final Fantasy XIII uses a heavily-simplified job system. Taking one of six roles, characters can perform different in-battle jobs and actions. By shifting “Paradigms”, the player can control the party’s job make-up in a very similar manner to the shifting in Final Fantasy X-2 battles. The player controls the party’s leader; the other two party members are left to A.I. control. Remarkably, the A.I. in Final Fantasy XIII is decently intelligent; if an enemy has a weakness, the computer-controlled members will react accordingly, and the computer-controlled healers will prioritize the party leader and those who are lowest on health. The party is fully healed after every battle, and any battle can be retried. Surprisingly, though, Final Fantasy XIII is by no means an easy game. While not obnoxiously difficult, battles in Final Fantasy XIII are challenging, and the enemies in the linear portions of the game are well-balanced for the party’s capabilities.

The combat in Final Fantasy XIII is fast-paced an interesting.

Clearly inspired by Final Fantasy X‘s “sphere grid,” the “Crystarium” system for leveling allows the player to level each character’s job individually. Nodes on the Crystarium are filled using “Crystogen Points,” the Final Fantasy XIII version of experience. The Crystarium is appropriately linear, with few branching nodes breaking off from the main path. Roles on the Crystarium are, for most of the game, locked to certain characters, and each character has a unique version of each Crystarium role. Different levels of the Crystarium unlock as the party defeats certain story bosses, setting a cap on the player’s ability to level grind. This means that, for most of the game, the party and enemies will be appropriately balanced. It also means that, for most of the game, the player actually has very little input on how his or her party will develop as they level up.

The Final Fantasy series has always been known for its excellent graphics, and Final Fantasy XIII is certainly no exception. While the Xbox 360 version of the game does have some graphical issues, the PS3 version of the game looks spectacular. The game is colorful, and the world looks vibrant and interesting. It is a shame, then, that the player is railroaded onto a linear path for so much of the game. Final Fantasy XIII also sounds good, though admittedly most of the soundtrack is forgettable. A few tracks, like “March of the Dreadnoughts” and the introduction theme, do stand out, but the music of Final Fantasy XIII is largely unmemorable.

Final Fantasy XIII has received a great deal of praise and hate, for various reasons. For a gamer seeking an interesting RPG battle system, Final Fantasy XIII is definitely a game worth picking up. However, the story-seeker would be much better off avoiding Final Fantasy XIII and its convoluted mess of a plot. If one has the choice of version, the PlayStation 3 version is easily the one to pick up, as the game simply looks better on the PS3’s Blu-Ray over the 360’s three DVDs. Final Fantasy XIII is, in this reviewer’s opinion, a solid entry in the franchise that is a great deal of fun to play. As for you, readers, do you think I am wrong? Is Final Fantasy XIII good, bad, overrated, or underrated? Discuss Final Fantasy XIII in the comments, dear readers! As for this reviewer? Final Fantasy XIII-2 has already been pre-ordered.

Final Fantasy VII admittedly had translation issues.

The first PlayStation entry, Final Fantasy VII, was released in 1997. Amusingly, Final Fantasy VII also received a poorly programmed PC port, and an eventual PSN release of the original. Notably, it was released in North America under the name Final Fantasy VII despite only being the fourth title released to the west. This distinction would confuse American gamers for years, but the mass popularity of the internet combined with subsequent re-releases of classic Final Fantasy titles would eventually clear up this confusion. Final Fantasy VII was the first in the series to feature 3D character models and graphics; the transition was admittedly a bit rough. Despite its blocky and pixelated world, Final Fantasy VII was revolutionary, and it soon exploded into mass popularity. Final Fantasy VII remains to this day the franchise’s most popular entry, and it saw several prequels and sequels as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

It is difficult to say exactly what it is that made Final Fantasy VII so popular. The gameplay, while extraordinarily easy, is also rather innovative; rather than having magic or abilities, characters equip “Materia” to their weapons and armor in order to carry out commands like “Steal” or “Summon”. Final Fantasy VII‘s customizability gave players an unprecedented level of control over the party. Players wishing to have a thieving mage or a healing tank could do so with relative ease. Final Fantasy VII‘s story, while at times convoluted, was also much beloved by RPG fans. Final Fantasy VII notably did away with medieval or steampunk fantasy, favoring instead a more futuristic science-fiction setting. Final Fantasy VII certainly had a massive impact on gaming, and was the game that brought many of the modern generation of JRPG fans into the genre for the first time.

''Is there something on my face? There totally is, I bet.''

On the heels of Final Fantasy VII‘s success came the rather controversial and much maligned middle child of Final Fantasy VIII. Like its predecessor, Final Fantasy VIII also received PC and PSN ports. Final Fantasy VIII was a game that sought to be different from its predecessors while also attempting to build on what had made VII a hit. A modern, pseudo sci-fi setting and story were Final Fantasy VIII‘s major features. Additionally, use of a “Junction” system for magic and abilities, Final Fantasy VIII‘s rather tedious attempt to replicate the “Materia” system from VII made battles unique but also boring. There is little to say about Final Fantasy VIII that will decently explain the game’s mechanics, characters, or story; readers are instead highly encouraged to check out and join the Lusipurr.com Final Fantasy VIII feature and explore the game for themselves.

After the radically different seventh and eighth entries, the franchise decided to return to its roots with the final PlayStation title. Final Fantasy IX saw release only on the PlayStation and on PSN. While VII tried to be darker and more realistic, IX was instead a return to the cartoony fantasy style of earlier series entries. Final Fantasy IX is a fanboy’s dream; references to the other Final Fantasy games are scattered throughout the adventure. Final Fantasy IX used a relatively traditional battle system. While abilities could be learned through different equipment, each character had a clear and distinct role within the party, and there was no customization of party classes or jobs. Still, Final Fantasy IX was a popular game, as many gamers who felt unhappy about the series’ modernization could return fondly to the franchise. The vast differences between Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX would cause the two entries to be one of the fanbase’s biggest points of contention. For years out, angry Final Fantasy fans have defended one game over the other, with countless internet flame wars erupting over which game is the better experience.

Tantalus D&D meetings look rather fun.

Regardless of one’s opinions of the PlayStation Final Fantasy entries, it is difficult to argue their influence. Final Fantasy VII truly popularized the series, and the next two entries would only further cement that popularity. The PlayStation era brought many gamers into the series and indeed even into RPGs for the first time; many gamers of the 90s will say that Final Fantasy VII was their first foray into the genre. The Final Fantasy series’ third era is to many its greatest; the franchise’s massive popularity is mostly the result of its PlayStation entries. The popularity of the PlayStation games is something that SquareSoft and Square Enix never could truly replicate, though the PlayStation 2 era certainly tried. Final Fantasy arguably defined the PlayStation JRPG, and any PlayStation owner is highly encouraged to pick up all three of the PlayStation Final Fantasy entries.

Final Fantasy VIII

Lusipurr.com is pleased to present our Autumn 2011 feature: School Days: A Final Fantasy VIII playthrough.

Released for the PlayStation in Japan and America in 1999, for Microsoft Windows in early 2000, and on the PlayStation Network in 2009, Final Fantasy VIII was a critical and commerical success. It sold lots of copies and got pretty good reviews from just about everyone who reviewed things in 1999.

Following the adventures of Squall Leonhart and his loveable band of misfit companions, the plot of Final Fantasy VIII revolves around a formidable sorceress who is seeking to undo the very fabric of temporal existence. Leaping into the fray, Squall and company do their level best, whilst simultaneously coping with severe psychosis, leading to bizarre and disconcerting dreams in which they believe themselves to be blithering idiots.

With a soundtrack reportedly composed by Nobuo Uematsu, and with a script based on School Days, and purportedly written by the unholy trinity of Nomura, Kitase, and Nojima, Final Fantasy VIII may well stand as one of the towering pinnacles of gaming, etc.

This is the final week of our playthrough, in which we will aim to complete this giant and triumphant tour de force. Use the comments thread to discuss where you are, strategies for battles, and your opinions about how things have changed in JRPGs since the original release thirteen years ago.

So, now we invite you to join Lusipurr.com as we go back to school and join the student body at BALAMB GARDEN. Welcome to Final Fantasy VIII!

Final Fantasy XII's US Box Art

Unlike most Final Fantasy games, which use a stationary turn-based or active time battle system, XII uses a battle system somewhat akin to an MMORPG. There is no transition from field exploration to combat, outside of characters preparing their weapons, and movement continues to remain free during battle. The menu-based combat of previous Final Fantasy games does make its return, though, as orders are given through menu inputs. Many compare the battles to those of Final Fantasy XI, and XII does indeed play like a refined, single-player version of the controversial MMO. Control of the three-member party is given fully to the player, who chooses a leader to move manually while the other two members follow. Commands can be manually issued to any of the party members at any time, if the player desires. Players wishing to do less part management can instead use the new “Gambit” system to automate the party’s actions.

Gambits essentially work like an “if-then” statement in programming. There are two parts to any Gambit: the targeting condition, and the action. By choosing a targeting condition like “Ally: Any” and an action such as “Haste”, the player can automate buffing, debuffing, healing, attacking, tanking, and so on. The AI is smart with its Gambits; If “Ally: Any/ Esuna” is set as a Gambit, party members will only cast Esuna on an ally afflicted with a status effect curable by the “Esuna” spell. Gambits can be prioritized, but any manually issued command will immediately overwrite a Gambit-issued automation. The Gambit system is extremely detailed, very helpful, and entirely optional, and it contributes greatly to the game’s combat. Character progression is handled both through traditional leveling and through the “License Board”, a grid-based system for unlocking the ability use weapons, armor, accessories, and abilities. Characters earn both Experience Points and License Points; both are an important part of character progression.

A short screenshot of a character's Gambit setup.

Like the Final Fantasy Tactics subseries and Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII is set in the world of Ivalice. Final Fantasy XII tells the story of a war between the nations of Archadia and Rozarria. Caught in the middle is the now-Archadian controlled nation of Dalmasca, a formerly neutral empire swept up into the war. Players take control of a young man named Vaan, a would-be pirate living on the streets of the Dalmascan capital, Rabanastre. Vaan and his friend Penelo are caught up in an adventure with the sky pirates Balthier and Fran, the former general Basch, and the Dalmascan princess Ashe. The six travel across Ivalice to stop the ambitions of the belligerent Archadian Empire. Final Fantasy XII‘s narrative is excellently written, but at times can be rather boring. The plot is heavily driven by political scheming and by the Archadian-Rozarrian war, rather than characters. As such, the character cast of Final Fantasy XII is extraordinarily bland. The six main characters are fantasy-steampunk rehashings of Star Wars characters, and leave much to be desired. The setting of Ivalice is simply marvelous, though, and Final Fantasy XII‘s world is vast. Exploration of the game’s various areas is truly Final Fantasy XII‘s strongest point; the game is an absolute delight to explore.

Darth Va-er, a Judge Magister at work.

On a technical level, Final Fantasy XII is full of the excellent graphics and music players of the series have come to expect. Final Fantasy XII was released late in the PlayStation 2’s lifespan, and is easily among the best looking games for the system. The only complaint one could have about Final Fantasy XII‘s graphics is that the characters’ noses seem a bit odd; Vaan in particular appears to have had his nose squashed by a hammer. Still, the graphical issues are minor, and Final Fantasy XII is a wonderful-looking game. Final Fantasy XII‘s soundtrack is nothing short of amazing. The Final Fantasy XII music is an instrumental (pun semi-intended) part of the game’s experience, with the many tracks beautifully fitting the areas for which they play. The audio-visual side of Final Fantasy XII is most certainly not lacking; Final Fantasy XII both looks and sounds spectacular.

For the twenty dollars American one would spend for the Greatest Hits release of Final Fantasy XII, the game is absolutely and completely worth the price. The story alone, ignoring all sidequests, is approximately thirty to forty hours in length, but the player seeking to do everything Final Fantasy XII has to offer will spend upwards of 150 hours or more attempting to complete the games various sidequests. For JRPG fans, Final Fantasy XII is certainly worth the price of admission, and I highly recommend one who enjoys a good console RPG to seek this game out at once. What are your thoughts on Final Fantasy XII, dear readers? Have you played it, or do you know someone who has? If so, tell them to head over to Lusipurr.com and comment with their thoughts on this Square-Enix masterpiece.

Each week, literally no people write in asking us how many pounds of turnips are in a bushel.

Produced 2011.07.10

Deimosion goes to Hell and back; Biggs gets Healthy Wellness; and Lusipurr bakes a patty. Also: Konami brings Despair to the PlayStation Network, Valve announces an early release, Square Enix takes up the rhythm genre, and this LBP are sack.

Certainly the various adorable mascots the series has picked up cannot hurt.

The first two games in the series, Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Green were released in Japan in 1996. Pocket Monsters: Blue, released a few months later, featured redesigns of the Pokemon sprites. The third game also formed the basis for Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue, the 1998 American releases of the first Pokemon games. Their massive success astounded even series creator Satoshi Tajiri, and the Pokemon series would go on to be one of the most successful in gaming history. The initial games were buggy, glitchy messes, and the battle mechanics were not particularly well-balanced. The nostalgic reader may recall a time before Special Attack and Special Defense were different stats, a time when Psychic types were not easily countered. Despite their many flaws, though, the original Pokemon games were still extremely popular, and gamers everywhere fell in love with the franchise, myself included. What separated Pokemon from other RPGs at the time was the “gotta catch ’em all” mentality of the games: while other RPGs had, typically speaking, five to ten party members to choose from, the first Pokemon generation had 151 species of Pokemon for the player to hunt and capture.

Yes, I know that it is June. I like this picture.

The Pokemon battle mechanics were and still are very easy to pick up, with the player’s six Pokemon knowing up to four moves each and combat being a simple turn-based affair. As the series has developed, mastering the Pokemon games has become a more difficult endeavor, with mechanics such as EVs, IVs, and Natures becoming an important part of the Pokemon metagame. In short, the Pokemon gameplay formula works because it is easy to learn but difficult to master. The franchise’s appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers is among the chief contributing factors to its massive and continued success. While other game franchises usually appeal to casual or hardcore gamers, Pokemon was and still is one of the rare titles that manages to appeal to both.

One other contributing factor to my personal love of the series has always been the sense that the player is in control of their party and their team setup. This sense of control is another major contributor to the Pokemon success story. Unlike many RPGs, the player is truly in control of their Pokemon team. In most JRPGs, the player controls a set of characters with predefined personalities in their quest or quests to achieve a specific goal. The Pokemon player assembles the party alone, choosing from among the many Pokemon species to form a team based on the player’s own choices and likes. In this way, the main character of a Pokemon game is not the young child going on an adventure; the main character in each Pokemon game is actually the player. The adventure is the player’s adventure, and the Pokemon team assembled is dependent on the player and not the storyline of the game. The different take on the typical JRPG formula of predefined characters is among the key features separating Pokemon from other games within the genre, and one of the reasons for the franchise’s smashing success among both casual and hardcore gamers.

A screenshot from the third generation of Pokemon games, the GBA releases.

The Pokemon series is here to stay, and it does not look like the games will lose steam any time in the near future. The games’ easy to pick up, difficult to master battle mechanics and their player immersion continue to draw in gamers, both young and old. I personally have been involved in the series almost from the beginning, and while my interest in Pokemon constantly waxes and wanes, it is always one of my go-to game series when looking for a fun way to unwind. What about you, dear readers? Have you played any of the roaringly popular Pokemon games? If so, which ones, and what did you like or dislike about the game(s)? Why is it, in your minds, that the otherwise unremarkable game series has enjoyed such massive success? What separates Pokemon from so many other game franchises? Let me know in the comments what you think, readers! I am interested to see what the Lusipurr.com readership has to say on the matter. The Pokemon series shows no signs of losing momentum after five generations of games, and when the sixth generation is inevitably released, I have no doubt that gamers the world over will jump at the chance to play more of the wildly addictive Pokemon games.

A prime example of traditional JRPG combat.

Hello again, readers! It once again is time for Deimosion to review an old game that has long since become irrelevant to the current gaming culture! This week’s victim is Lufia and the Fortress of Doom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1993, Lufia is a traditional JRPG in the vein of early Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy titles. Lufia and the Fortress of Doom, or Estopolis Denki as it was released in Japan, was developed by Neversoft and published by Taito. This often-overlooked cult classic is easily one of the most traditional JRPGs to appear on the SNES.

A floating island? Never seen that in a game before...

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom makes no attempts to innovate in its gameplay; it plays exactly like an older, turn-based Final Fantasy game. Turns are taken based on characters’ agility, with no real-time or active-time inputs necessary. Lufia uses a rigid class system of sorts, with no real party customization and an emphasis on combat and exploration. Very little can be said about the gameplay, honestly, as it is a highly traditional turn-based JRPG combat system that would not feel out of place on the NES rather than the SNES. There are a great many dungeons in Lufia, most of which are very short. Saving, like in most Dragon Quest titles, can unfortunately only be done in towns, within churches, though easy access to warping items and spells means the player is never far from a save point if necessary. Overall, the gameplay of Lufia and the Fortress of Doom is solid, but a bit unbalanced. The game starts off rather difficult and gets almost excessively easy later on, and the encounter rate ranges from slightly high to downright frustrating.

The story of Lufia is somewhat interesting: the game begins about a century before the main plot of the game as four heroes defeat a group named the Sinistrals (no, I am not making that up, their name really is that stupid) in an easy tutorial dungeon of sorts. The storyline then flashes forward one hundred years to the main character, an unnamed descendent of the leader of the original four. The hero and his love interest, the titular Lufia, soon learn that the Sinistrals are no longer dead and have returned to life to cause some sort of vague evil plan to come into fruition. Joining the hero and Lufia are Aguro, an army general, and Jerin, a half-elf mage. The party of four, nearly identical in makeup to the party used in the tutorial, sets off on its quest to stop the Sinistrals and once again bring peace to the world. The plot of Lufia is highly clichéd to be sure, but is most certainly not without interesting twists and turns. The character cast is boring and generic, however, and the setting is not particularly memorable.

The hero and Lufia enjoy some quiet time in their generic hometown of Alekia.

Musically speaking, Lufia is, well, not particularly noteworthy one way or the other. While the battle music and the boss music are decent, the music is not so much bad as it is completely forgettable. The music of Lufia is decent, but the incessant reusing of dungeon themes does get rather annoying. Since the areas in Lufia are typically very short, with dungeons usually taking no longer than twenty minutes, the player is rarely in one place long enough for the music to get terribly obnoxious or grating. The graphics of Lufia and the Fortress of Doom are actually quite good, and fit the mood of the game extremely well. The sprite-driven graphics create the atmosphere one would expect of a traditional JRPG, and for a game released in 1993, Lufia looks significantly better than many of its contemporaries. The character sprites are colorful, and the feel of the graphics in general is that of a bright, vibrant world.

Overall, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom is a game that is good but not great. One looking for a traditional RPG on the SNES need look no further than this little-known cult classic of a game. While certainly no Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI, for a classic RPG on the SNES, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom is still a game worth checking out.

I am a big fan of defined character classes over jack-of-all-trade character growth systems. I feel that defined classes add immeasurably to a character’s personality, and contribute substantially to a game’s strategy. That said, defined character classes are not without their own conundrums.

Two classes that I’ve found to be somewhat problematic (especially early on) are the ever iconic White and Black Mage types. In most cases it verges on obligatory to include one of each in your party for use in boss battles, yet for most regular battles they come off as somewhat superfluous. Regular monsters are invariably capable of so little damage during battles that the White Mage is often uncalled for, and their role can be capably filled by a handful of potions anyway. Meanwhile, I find that Black Mages are all but useless for general application early on, owing to the limited resource of MP, which I would sooner save for a boss.

What this often amounts to for me is having two party slots permanently filled by characters that I have defend themselves most rounds. Obviously in many cases it would be preferable to run with a party composed entirely of physical classes, yet woe betide he who neglects to level his Mages, for they are dead useful in boss fights.

This is why I am such a huge fan of Final Fantasy X’s interchangeable party battle system, and also why I consider it a wasted opportunity that more JRPGs did not learn from or copy FFX’s battle system.

It allows characters to be used when needed, and then just as easily to be put back, so as not to uselessly clog the battle order. Add to this the fact that the game’s planners took care to provide a suitable mix of both magical and physical foes, and you have a system where characters only need be used when they’re useful, yet are still used often enough to level up sufficiently.

I dun cast some spells

I speak of FFX because that is what I know, but what of you Lusireaders? Have you randomly encountered a battle system which handles character classes particularly well?

Console JRPGs just don't look quite right anymore ...

It was apparent that during the earlier stages of the Xbox 360’s lifecycle M$ went for the Japanese market in a very big way. Money hats were had by all in M$’ vainglorious attempt to muscle in on Sony’s domain, namely the JRPG. Microsoft in typically arrogant fashion sought to purchase inroads where they could not be won through quality manufacture, absurdly attempting to force Japanese gamers onto their poorly made American console with predictably underwhelming results. Microsoft bought up all of Japanese gaming’s favourite franchises from under them, only to see them blunder from underwhelming sales result to underwhelming sales result. A certain degree of satisfaction was of course to be had in seeing Microsoft fail so concertedly in the land of the rising sun, along with the mean-spirited joy of seeing Japanese publishers punished for backing the wrong horse, but this was all tempered somewhat by the unassailable fact that however much money was wasted by Microsoft in this fruitless and grubby little experiment, the only party really damaged by the nonsense was the JRPG developers themselves. Handheld JRPG gaming was already a growing trend at the time, yet the confusion caused by console JRPGs being lured away from their natural home on the PS3, along with the lacklustre sales of console JRPGs ultimately experienced by JRPG publishers did much to scuttle the market for console JRPGs, until today home consoles are very much regarded as being at the periphery of JRPG development. Again, this was probably an inevitable outcome of the transitions taking place in the Japanese lifestyle, and JRPG console development has even picked up slightly now that M$ has elected to leave well enough alone, but Microsoft have nevertheless created for themselves a dubious legacy as being an enduring drag on the console JRPG market to this day.

After failing to woo the mainstream of Japan, Microsoft was able to carve for themselves a niche through the near complete abandonment of quality control. The middle portion of Microsoft’s Japanese strategy was characterised almost exclusively as the 360 being a console for Lusipurr.com’s hardcore Otaku readers, featuring all the Schoolgirl dating, rape eroge and pantsu shots that simply were not possible under Sony of Japan’s police state mentality. This fervent core of consumers was Microsoft’s lifeline during these dark times, and likely the only reason for their continued retail presence in Japan.

Microsoft have their eye on Japan

The third stage of Microsoft’s Japanese strategy is then their shock banning of pantsu, along with any and all of the other Otaku trappings which have so characterised the 360 up to this point. Microsoft have now decided that the 360 will be a family console, quite how they will achieve this, and why they would even want to (due to the increasing irrelevance of the family unit in stagnant Japan) is something of a mystery at this point, the fullest extent of the logic at work here appears to be: Kinect sells well to families, ergo profit (or something of the like). Thus it seems increasingly unlikely that that we will get to experience Kinect Touch Rape Happy Ka*on for the time present at least. This is an immensely wasted opportunity for M$ given the 360’s user base in Japan, as the touch capabilities of Kinect may even have been sufficient to see them snag a Love Plus gaiden, or something equally creepy. Instead Microsoft risk turning away their current consumers in their droves in the absurd attempt at having their console seen as something other than an Otaku enabling device. Given that the totality of Japanese intimacy in the current era consists of NDS dating sims, public onanism and train carriage groping, Microsoft looks to all the world like forsaking a vital market for a dead one.

So what then is the future for Microsoft’s Kinect technology in Japan? Given that an increasing number of Japanese devils no longer have enough lebensraum to even countenance having a family, it is something of a mystery quite how Microsoft thinks that the beastly Japs will be able to re-arrange their domiciles in order to accommodate Kinect. Even if the Japanese were to colonise Ethan Pipher’s arse, it would still only allow for 7-8 families to own a Kinect (in a best case scenario). So then even Ethan’s arse would appear to be a dead end, so to speak, for Microsoft’s Kinect technology in Japan.

VERBOTEN!

Is there no hope then of Kinect being productive and profitable in Japan? I shouldn’t think that this is necessarily the case, though it is certainly unlikely to meet Microsoft’s lofty expectations. The simple fact is that unless Microsoft does an about-face with respect to their pantsu policy, then the Kinect stands to be more profitable alone than it does as an adjunct to the moribund 360. If Microsoft no longer wishes to make money from creepy Otaku then the technology is completely wasted on their console, and would be much more lucratively deployed in Japanese arcade machines. In a setting where Kinect might actually find enough room to function properly, and used in conjunction with games that Japanese gamers might actually want to play, Microsoft could make an absolute killing licensing their tech to arcade game manufacturers. Further, we have already seen Microsoft’s technology gainfully employed by creepy Otaku in their own creepy independent/homebrew molestation eroges and Hatsune Miko dance simulators. Sure there is no room in Japan for Microsoft’s Kinect, but we all know that Otaku will move heaven and earth for more immersive virtual Schoolgirl rape mechanics (necessity is the mother of invention). Normally such unorthodox usage of console technology would be an unmitigated disaster for a console manufacturer (as Sony could attest to with their effective subsidy of department of defence PS3 super-computers), but since Microsoft sell Kinect at such a horrid mark-up, each unit sold is roughly 70% profit, unless of course their characteristically absurd optimism led M$ to produce a ridiculous overabundance of Kinect units for the Japanese market …

... And yet still the pantsu endure!

At any rate, I am but an outsider looking in, and would so very much like to hear your considered reckons on the matter. Do you see Microsoft’s plans coming into fruition in Japan? Do you go to sleep at night hoping against hope that Microsoft never gains an interest in the Japanese handheld market? Can you see a way for Ethan Pipher’s arse to be used more efficiently, as a Kinect time-share perhaps? Do you feel abandoned and betrayed by Microsoft’s shunning of pantsu? Have you or any of your friends created a Kinect based rape sim?

Fair shake cobber, JRPGs today are as satisfying as a meat pie with sauce ... and a Foster’s!

In short, JRPGs have never been in ruder or more vibrant health, creating a stranglehold on the video game market, and overshadowing most other sectors of the economy. Indeed, such has been their impact on the film industry that studios like Fox that have failed to capitalise on the JRPG movie boom of the 2000s, and had not the foresight to acquire their own JRPG studios, have simply been edged out of the market, owing to the growing irrelevance of Hollywood films, popular music, and traditional print media. As in all things, this runaway success has had a knock on effect for the Japanese economy as a whole, which continues surging forward from strength to strength. The tremendous INDUSTRY of the Japanese economy has risen to challenge the US in recent years as the world’s largest on the back of the JRPG, while diplomatically it has had the concrete effect of transforming China into a virtual vassal state, as they rely heavily on the Japanese market to maintain their universally low standard of living. The seemingly bottomless pool of prosperity generated by the JRPG sector has engendered a sense of confidence and optimism inthe Japanese public which has seen them increasingly willing to take on the world in all of their many endeavours and bullish investment, this coupled with their rising standard of living has lead to a massive spike in the Japanese birth-rate, the likes of which have not been seen since the post-war boom.

Final Fantasy XIV fair dinkum tastes as sweet as a catheter of Foster’s! Bonza!!!

It is difficult to pinpoint just what can be attributed to facilitating the JRPGs towering longevity, though INDUSTRY experts widely attributed it to Squaresoft’s successful lobbying of global electronic manufacturers, which culminated in their signing of the SANSTWAT accord; a compact prohibiting the further development of gaming hardware in the wake of the PS1’s sleek and sophisticated perfection. This brilliantly simplistic policy concept is widely regarded to have derived from Japan’s own system of government, particularly the line in their constitution which demands of voters ‘once you’ve got the damn thing working, don’t fuck it up’, which is why Japan has seen stable one party rule in the intervening decades following the war. Of course Squaresoft CEO Hironobu Sakaguchi only found himself in the position to successfully negotiate this piece of commonsense policy on the back of his seminal and much beloved Final Fantasy series, which truly leads the INDUSTRY in terms of quality and concept, and is widely regarded as never having disappointed fans. This mammoth series shows no signs of running out of steam, as the most recent offline entry FFXIII was hailed as having simply the most exploration ever seen in a video game, while Squaresoft’s marquee MMO FFXIV is seen by many as being the fullest and most polished piece of software to have ever been launched on an unsuspecting public.

While the JRPG story has been a tale of unmitigated success, that is not to say that it hasn’t had its casualties, it has. The beleaguered western development studio Bioware were forced to extricate themselves from the game INDUSTRY in the face of dwindling profits, and have instead turned their hand to the creation of pen and paper RPGs, in which they have been met with moderate success. So too has the booming JRPG INDUDTRY spelled doom for struggling western MMO World of Warcraft, they held out longer than many INDUSTRY pundits had expected, yet this year’s release of Final Fantasy XIV was the final nail in their coffin. But gaijin developers are not the only victims of the more successful entrants in the JRPG market, as last September saw Sqauaresoft rival Enix close their doors for the last time following their disastrous policy of contracting out all their development work to Chinese firms, causing gamers to desert them en masse in scorn and contempt. So too was Yoichi Wada dumped unceremoniously from his position at Squaresoft after his intransigent insistence that all game design responsibilities be handed to the expertise of focus groups, he was subsequently hunted down by Squaresoft employees, tarred, feathered, and beaten with sticks. In an interview with Lusipurr.com Squaresoft CEO and all around RAD dude Hironobu Sakaguchi stated:

By jingo! JRPGs have the sell-through potential of a king’s ransom in Foster’s to thirsty Australians!

We have nowhere in the INDUSTRY for such sloppy thinking, all such overtures should be rightly met with contempt. By driving this cowardly dog from the bosom of excellence, we have rid ourselves of an insidious worm who would seek to undermine our every achievement. May gamers weep for this broken shell of a man, where once an accountant stood … BOOYA!

And thus with its unpredictable surge from strength to strength I could not begin to fathom where to next for the mighty JRPG, yet I can predict with 100% certainty that this party will never, ever, end.