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Final Final Fantasy?

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Will FF XIII be the last FF of its kind?

Final Fantasy XIII was released with much fanfare and excited many FF fans around the world (I myself included). However, FF XIII had met with some criticisms mainly on the linearity of the game and lack of side quests. Having played and completed the game, I’ve found this FF title enjoyable and certainly worth playing. While the game may really be quite linear at times (sometimes you just have to keep walking through monster-littered path until you reach the next cut-scene), the battle system is by far the most fast-paced and challenging of all times.

Now after completing FF XIII, am I looking forward towards the next installment? I am afraid not. Final Fantasy XIV (now even the Roman number is getting a bit messy…) is going to be a MMORPG similar to FF XI. I, myself, am not any MMORPG fan. I prefer the good old FF RPG style. According to some reports, FF XIII maybe the last FF installment that features the ‘old’ single player RPG. The way to go for future FF installments is going to be MMORPG.

FF14 is going to be a MMOPRG

This is a real bad news for FF fans like me who still prefer the single player RPG style. I hope SquareEnix will not forget about gamers like me and keep making more FF installment like FF XIII. I do see why SquareEnix is moving on to MMORPG. After all, MMORPG has a longer playing hours then traditional FF titles. Furthermore, subscription-based games can generate more revenue for them.
After playing almost the entire FF series (I’ve even tried FF I, II, III, IV, V and VI), I feel that the awesome fantasy world created by Square should be left to explore even after the player completed the game. However, after completing all possible side-quest, there is simply nothing to do! This could be the reason why SquareEnix is moving on to MMORPG, a realm where the virtual fantasy world could be perpetual (if they keep updating with quests and attract enough players).

FF XIV gameplay - Picture Courtesy of SquareEnix

Therefore, I would like to propose a new genre for the FF series, SPMMORPG 🙂 . It stands for ‘Single Player Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Basically, the game will still feature a main single player storyline similar to past title (with nice cut-scene of course!), but after completing the game, the player can now explore the world in a MMORPG setting. If any of the SquareEnix staff happens to read this article, do help me propose this idea for FFXV. I am sure that game will be a hit! Or at least I would be buying it!

Anyway, kudos to the FF XIII team for coming out with such a nice game. Hope to see a better FF XV!
By the way, there is a poll for favourite FF female characters at our forum here. Do cast your vote!

PS: For those who don’t own a PS3 or Xbox 360 but wish to see how the game is like, there is a person who painstakingly uploaded the entire full gameplay with cut scene onto youtube! Below is the second video of the 90 over parts. Amazing stuff!

Game Review

Metal Gear Solid – A Game of Substance

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Metal Gear Solid (MGS), the long lasting series by Hideo Kojima, is the much loved game of many gamers including myself. It spanned two decades over many consoles, from NES to PS1, then to PS2 and eventually PS3 (and also Xbox 360 in Metal Gear Solid Rising). After completing MGS4 recently, after it came out for two years, I’ve decided to come out with a list of reasons why MGS is one of the best games ever!

  • The thrill of sneaking up to enemy (only to alert them and raise the alarm!).
  • The humour of the developer (remember in MGS1, you have to unplug your controller from port 1 into port 2 so that Psycho Mantis cannot read your mind.)
  • The engaging cinematic with a story that spanned across so many consoles and so many years.
  • The cool close quarter combat skills of Snake.
  • The often unexpected twist in the many of the MGS storyline.
  • The interesting easter egg found throughout the game.

MGS series has real high replayability. I remembered completing MGS1 at least 5 times, twice for MGS2 and thrice for MGS3. As for MGS4, I will definitely play it again!

Apart from the gameplay, the many fun easter eggs found throughout the games are another all time favourites of mine. Here is a list of my favourite easter eggs.

  • In the fight with Pyscho Mantis in MGS1, you are required to plug in the controller into port2 so that he cannot read your mind. Also, he can use his pyschic power to read your memory (or rather memory card).
  • Hand massage available after being tortured in MGS1.
  • In MGS1, in order to find Meryl, who is disguised as a soldier, you need to look for one that walks with a swaying butt.
  • The use of men’s magazine to distract enemy. In MGS4, you can even flip through the pages!
  • The Patriot gun that the Boss used in MGS3 has infinite ammo as its drum magazine is shaped like the infinity symbol ∞.
  • The fully playable MGS1 shadow moses as recapped by Snake in MGS4.
  • In the fight with the End, if you save and play the game a week later, he will die of old age.

Tell us your favorite easter eggs in MGS by writing in our comments. For now, let us await the release of Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Check the GameTrailer video series that explain MGS’s storyline. To end it off, enjoy the orchestra performance of MGS theme:)

Game Preview

Exciting games coming up!

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Great games coming up!

1. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (16 November 2010)- Assassin’s Creed’s plot is captivating and the gameplay is simply awesome. Looking at the demo of the multiplayer for Brotherhood, this game looks promising! The previous installment brought us to the renaissance period in Europe. The non-linear, open-style gameplay makes it one of the highest rated game. But what is exciting about this upcoming Brotherhood could be the multiplayer mode. Check out the video below:)

2. Marvel VS Capcom 3 (Spring 2011): Fighting games have been given a new live since SF4 which introduced 3D characters (and background) with the nice retro two-dimensional fight. No more irritating strafing or rolling. Marvel VS Capcom 3 looks like it is going to be a hit with the gathering characters which we love in this game such as Dante from Devil May Cry 3. Too bad we may not get to play it by end of the year.Oh btw, wouldn’t it be great to have a Square-Enix VS Street Fighter? And throw in Solid Snake with his CQC. Surely that will be a game-of-the-year!

3. Little Big Planet 2 (16 November 2010): The cute little sack boy is back exclusively again for PS3! But LBP2 is trying to push beyond the boundary of a platform game. User can now create racing, shooting and even Real-Time-Strategy game! Wow! I just hope that the game developer will not focus too much on simply just expanding the breadth of the game but pay attention to the depth of the game such as improving the physics (which is already very good) and the gameplay. I would still like to jump around platforms dodging fireball and falling rocks like in LBP. But would definitely like to see improvement for the platform game in LBP2.

That’s it folks! Any upcoming games which you feel deserves GameTrader.SG to mention, please add in the comment! We are always looking out for nice games to buy!