Slashdot Mirror


FFXII Scores Max In Famitsu

Famitsu, the premiere Japanese videogame magazine, evidently really likes Final Fantasy XII. From the Insert Credit post: "Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XII has scored a perfect score of 40 -- all four reviewers scoring it 10 out of 10 -- from Japanese gaming bible Famitsu. It joins the club of five perfect-scoring games, one of which is a fighting game with a sequel that's better (Soul Calibur), two of which are Zelda games (Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker), and two of which (Nintendogs and Vagrant Story) didn't even make it onto Famitsu readers' top 100 list."

101 comments

  1. So talking of scores... by Walkiry · · Score: 5, Funny

    How does it score at the real important list?

    --
    ---- Take the Space Quiz!
    1. Re:So talking of scores... by Xymor · · Score: 0

      Amazing list! Real world laws and FANTASY games have tons of discrepancies. Who'd thought!

      PS: funny read anyway. =)

    2. Re:So talking of scores... by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's not about discrepancies, it's about similarities. Seriously, with that list you can see any plot turn in any japanese RPG coming from half the game away. "Gosh! Who'd a thunk the church I relied upon would betray me to control the dark powers/follow a misguided attempt at saving the world!" "What? The Mana tree is dead and my girlfriend must be sacrificed to make it regrow? I didn't expect that!" You could probably write an algorithm that selects a number of clichees, makes a story out of it and noone would be able to tell it from a normal jRPG.

      Never mind that the japanese don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of foreshadowing needing to be subtle. They're about as subtle as "nudge nudge wink wink" most of the time and the main character must be plain retarded to not understand things until they are spelled out in short, simple words for him. Tidus should've noticed a few hours earlier that Yuna would have to sacrifice herself and that Auron is dead (come on, those aren't spoilers, they'll hammer the foreshadowing in your face after the first few hours!).

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    3. Re:So talking of scores... by Xymor · · Score: 1

      That's not RPG's exlusive fault. If you pick 100 games of the same category/genre you can see little differece between most of them. This is a problem of the hole game industry: same plots, same history, same gameplay....
      That's what Nintendo is trying to make of the Revolution, the solution to all our problems, but this can only be solved by inovative game developers, writers, directors, etc....
      Of course, I might be completely wrong, and this problems with games is only part of a larger problem envolving music and movies for instance.

    4. Re:So talking of scores... by inu_maru · · Score: 1

      You are right, they make this sort of stuff even when translating movies. Things like subtitle-ing the character's name before it's even introduced within the film. It's also common to put a whole synopsis of the film on tv before showing it...

      they just have to know...

      --
      Mu
    5. Re:So talking of scores... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      If those were just gameplay similarities I'd agree but these are fairly specific plot elements within games that have pretty much the most freedom for plot design of all genres. These days I'm seeing more interesting storylines in RTS games than japanese RPGs. The two commanders in Dawn of War were more interesting characters than most Final Fantasy heroes.

      With games that have storylines like "The president has been kidnapped by ninjas! Are you a bad enough dude to save him?" or "Aliens are invading Earth! You are our last hope to destroy the invasion fleet in a single fighter craft!" it's no wonder that many games have similar storylines but when your story reaches novel format there is just no reason to use the same cast of characters for every game.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    6. Re:So talking of scores... by aichpvee · · Score: 1
      You could probably write an algorithm that selects a number of clichees, makes a story out of it and noone would be able to tell it from a normal jRPG.

      The trick is to actually do this and produce content to go along with it, then slap in on a lunch box and sell it. I'm sure you could make ass loads of cash if you had enough to pay off the game reviews sites to give you favorable marks given that a review of the story will be pretty much impossible.

      Though this might be easier to do starting with a first-person shooter since historically they're shorter, have less developed stories, and a lot less dialog. But they also have a much narrower set of cliches.

      --
      The Farewell Tour II
  2. well that's great by sepharious · · Score: 1

    now if they'll just actually release the game we might have something to really talk about...

    --
    Did you know that you can be apathetic to apathy? Not that I give a shit...
  3. Dupe by theNOTO · · Score: 4, Funny
    Japanese...really likes Final Fantasy
    The dupes are getting out of hand, this is the 12th one.
    1. Re:Dupe by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 2, Funny

      Japanese... The dupes are getting out of hand

      konnichiwa! Wercome to srashdot.org.jp!

    2. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was modded up as funny? Bullshit.

    3. Re:Dupe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      slashdot.jp, you mean...

  4. Wow! by Kyokugenryu · · Score: 0

    A high scoring FF game? I never thought I'd see the day!

  5. I'm curious... by Rod+Beauvex · · Score: 0

    Is this a single player game, with no online bullshit?

    I'd love to see one of those again.

    1. Re:I'm curious... by SScorpio · · Score: 1

      Yes it's a single player offline game; however, the interface closely resembles FFXI's gameplay with continuous areas where you don't switch to a subscreen to fight. Dragon Quest VIII came with a demo of FFXII that shows off this new system. A lot of people complained about the system in the demo, but as a fan of FFXI, the new system is a good change for the series that needed to reinvent itself to avoid grow more stale.

    2. Re:I'm curious... by Rod+Beauvex · · Score: 0

      I never played XI, just I, III, VI, and IX.

    3. Re:I'm curious... by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      [The] new system is a good change for the series that needed to reinvent itself to avoid grow more stale.

      I don't know. Personally, I thought that FF X was the absolute peak of the FF series for combat systems. It was the good old ATB system made more transparent and strategic by showing the resulting attack order. It also just flowed more smoothly thanks to the animations and quick responses.

      I have mixed feelings about the system in FF XII. I'm almost certainly going to turn the system to wait mode like I do in all the other games and put the NPCs under player control because no one has ever written a good AI for RPGs that intelligently focuses on the right enemies at the right time with the right level of force for maximum efficiency.

      At least the series isn't jumping on the Adventure RPG bandwagon. I don't play RPGs to test my reflexes.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  6. They'd have scored it differently, but by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They unfortunately fell victim to a magazine version of a slashvertisement. Advertisements are not enough, they must promote certain games and/or systems as stated in their terms of employment. It's true! Ask Cowboy Neal.

  7. "Burn the demo disc" by VickiM · · Score: 1

    What I've played so far of the finished version (burn the demo disc) is shockingly good.

    Well, that's good news for everyone who felt a bit down after trying the demo (that would be most people from what I've heard). Instead of inspiring desire, it seemed to suck the energy out of the room. Maybe a Potion would have helped us feel better.

    Anyone know if Famitsu is plagued by accusations of buying out like other gaming magazines? I loved Wind Waker, but I still wouldn't give it 10/10.

    1. Re:"Burn the demo disc" by Lobo42 · · Score: 1

      It's fairly common knowledge that the formula for computing Famitsu game scores includes such factors as "what score the publisher wants" and "how much the publisher has recently paid us", each with fairly high coefficients.

    2. Re:"Burn the demo disc" by Stachybotris · · Score: 1

      The demo was certainly pretty and all, and the summons were most impressive, but I too was somewhat disappointed. I didn't like that two of the three party members were on 'auto-pilot' (and yes, I know that you can turn that off), and I didn't really like the fact that actions are repeated over and over in combat until you specify a different action. It's almost like they wanted to eliminate any remaining difficulty in a series that has gotten progressively easier over the past few years.

      Having said that, the music and graphics were top-notch, as was to be expected, and I actually did enjoy the fact that random encounters can now be avoided. I am looking forward to playing the finished product, but not with nearly as much enthusiasm as I hold for other titles that are coming out this year.

      As far as the article is concerned, I'm pretty surprised that there wasn't a Dragon Warrior title in the elite cadre of perfect-scoring games.

    3. Re:"Burn the demo disc" by Neoprofin · · Score: 1

      My only though on the battle system was "Now I don't even have to hold the X button down like in FFX-2, why am I even in the room?" Unless they totally revamped it I'm not touching this POS with a 10 foot pole.

    4. Re:"Burn the demo disc" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Common knowledge amongst people who like to make shit up in their heads, maybe.

      The whole reason anybody cares about Famitsu scores in the first place is because their reviews are famously accurate and impartial. They have a six-person review team (high and low score are thrown out, meaning a game that gets a 40 was rated 10/10 by at least 5 of those 6 reviewers) that are very highly regarded by the Japanese gaming public. The Japanese press isn't immune from payola, but Famitsu? You're treading on thin ice to imply that.

      Side note: Don't turn into one of those guys that spreads lies about popular things you've barely even heard of before, just for the sake of seeing your own words on DA INTARWEBZ. It would be pathetic if most people cared, but since they don't, it's just annoying.

  8. Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Wait, is this the same Famitsu that recently polled its readers about their favorite games, where the top 10 list included four Final Fantasy games and three DragonQuest games? The list that included every single Final Fantasy game except for FFXI?

    Yeah, that really sounds like unbiased reporting there. Gee, a magazine that apparently has a hard-on for Square-Enix games rated the latest Square-Enix game perfect. That's almost as surprising as the Official PlayStation Magazine saying that the PlayStation port of a game is superior to the "lesser XBox version". It's almost as surprising as O'Reilly defending Republicans.

    Wake me up when some relatively unbiased reviewers rate that game. I've played the demo, Square-Enix has a long way to go before I'll believe that the game is worth more than a coaster.

    1. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Famitsu is a Japanese publication. The Japanese have a collective hard-on for console RPGs. Square and Enix have historically been the top two console RPG makers in the business.

      "Biased reporting" has very little to do with it.

    2. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly. It drove me nuts seeing all the "OMG!!! No FPS?!!!" posts in response to the article about Famitsu's top 100. Not everybody shares the same tastes, it's not that hard to understand.

    3. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by PepeGSay · · Score: 1

      Final Fantasy games rock, you can't call them biased because they review awesome games.

    4. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Kuukai · · Score: 1

      Um, you may have missed it, but Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are pretty big here, and even bigger in Japan. If you started your own magazine called "I'm Not Biased Weekly" and polled hundreds of Japanese gamers, your poll would look a lot like the Famitsuu one. Does that make you a suckup bad journalist? I don't think so, you're just reporting poll data. In fact, the difference in reader ratings ("OMG FF and DQ!1!") and editor ratings ("In our opinion only six games ever have lived up to the hype") should show you that they aren't too biased. Pretty much all the games they gave perfect scores to actually were innovative in one way or another (Soul Calibur was the most revolutionary game in the series even now, Nintendogs is obvious, and FFXII is certainly different...).

      --
      Sendou Wave Kick!!
    5. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Xarius · · Score: 1

      Ever consider that two series of games, one on it's 12th iteration, the other on it's 8th, with Final Fantasy having Two movies, over 10 spin off games, an anime series, and so on, may actually be good?

      If it was as much trash as you evidently think everyone else thinks, how has it lasted this long? It's not just Famitsu, I've yet to see any publication call an FF game shite.

      --
      C17H21NO4
    6. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever consider that two series of games, one on it's 12th iteration, the other on it's 8th, with Final Fantasy having Two movies, over 10 spin off games, an anime series, and so on, may actually be good?

      I played the demo for FFXII, so no, I have not considered that the 12th interation may be any good. Which was my point - Famitsu loves Final Fantasy games and said they like the latest one. I've played the demo for the latest one and know that the demo was terrible.

      Therefore, based on my experiences with the demo, and noticing that Famitsu seems to love all things Final Fantasy/Square-Enix, I can only come to the conclusion that they're horribly biased. After playing the demo, I can't come up with any way for FFXII not to be the worst game in the series, so giving it a perfect score can only be a joke.

    7. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, the anime was certainly a PoS.
      I also hated what I played of FFVIII. Terrible combat system.

    8. Re:Famitsu, the Final Fantasy Fanclub? by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      In other news, gormet magazine reviewing best restraunts to get beef at picks only steak places and no fast food burger joints in an obvious show of elitist bias.

      Wake us up when some relatively unbiased gormet restraunt reviews rate eating establishments.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  9. Why not link to the actual site? by mgblst · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...rather than that bad blog->

    http://www.ff12.com/

    Or a more intersting site:

    http://www.ffxii.net/

    1. Re:Why not link to the actual site? by Cybervoid · · Score: 1

      Because nowhere on either of those pages does it say anything about the Famitsu score.

  10. Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    After all, this is the first FF to score this high in famitsu.
    Previous famitsu scores:
    FF: 8.25
    FFII: 8.25
    FFIII: 9
    FFIV: 9
    FFV: 8.5
    FFVI: 9.25
    FFVII: 39/40
    FFVIII: 38/40
    FFIX: 38/40
    FFX: 38/40
    FFX-2: 34/40
    FFXI: 36/40

    1. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Synic · · Score: 1, Informative

      hahahhaha
      FFVIII: 38/40

      hahahhahah

      oh my god, that game was the worst of the series, with the draw system being possibly one of the worst game mechanics ever to grace a JRPG.

    2. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but the ladies think Squall is sexy hot. I thought that was all that matters in a game?

    3. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by rjfan · · Score: 1

      Ya, the 38/40 for FF8 really takes the wind out of their sail, in my book. That game was a real letdown after playing FF7.

    4. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Headcase88 · · Score: 1

      Well, at least they didn't rate it higher than FFVII.

      I mean, could you imagine if everyone at a popular, trusted review site had the collective stupidity to say that FFVIII is the greatest game ever to bear the name? Now that would be hilarious!

      --
      "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
    5. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Yosho · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's totally awesome how your opinion is law, and clearly, any reviewer who disagrees with you is wrong.

      I mean, while I didn't think 8 was fantastic, I thought 7 was the low point of the series. It's too bad that your word is divine law and nobody is allowed to disagree with you, eh?

      --
      Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
    6. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by jandrese · · Score: 1

      Wow, do you mean you actually liked sitting through the summon animations for the umpteenth time in VIII? You're the first person I've found who does.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    7. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Yosho · · Score: 1

      Where did I say that in my post? The long summon animations were annoying, but no more so than any of the other recent FF games. They certainly don't ruin the game. Besides, you really only need them to mow through the beginning of the game; if you junction things up properly, the game is quite easy even without summoning things.

      --
      Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
    8. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

      While FF8 gets a bad rap in America, IIRC it was one of the favorites of the Japanese.

    9. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by SeeMyNuts! · · Score: 1

      Yes, by the end of VIII, I wasn't sure what purpose the summons had, besides employing graphics animators somewhere.

    10. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      I sat through each of the summon animations exactly once, since I wanted to see them. I never used summons in FF8 again after that, because that would've greatly reduced my offensive strength. Learn to play the game before you bash its gameplay.

      Rob

    11. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Gameplay-wise, FFVIII was pretty bad. In terms of graphics, storyline and music, the game blew FFVII out of the water. By simply modern standards, FFVII aged horribly.

      Puffy character graphics is a cheap second rate method. The storyline was poorly executed (from ex-Soldier to Resistance fighter to Supersoldier tracking adventurer to giant Materia hunter to savior of the world. Did I miss anything else?) The music was great for the time and it has its moments but in retrospect most of it was uninspired.

    12. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by ShakaUVM · · Score: 1

      I like being able to look at past reviews, since it gives me a feel for where the magazine is at. It's akin to the San Diego Union Tribune's movie reviewer. If he pans a movie, it's either really horrible (like he says) or really good. If he positively rates a movie, you shouldn't see it unless it's one of those gimme A ratings, like a Finding Nemo or whatnot.

      FF1 was a great game. I wish it had a little more content, but damn, it was impressive for a NES title.
      FFVII was crap. Nonlinear, shoehorned, crap. I think the defining moment in FFVII was when you had gotten your little dune buggy (whose sole purpose was to cross a single river in the game) and you spy a new city. "Aha," I said, "I will defy the game's creators. Instead of entering the next town to buy the next set of weapons which are the same as my current set but a little bit better, I will simply drive past!"

      And so I did drive past, into a featureless plain... and the dune buggy breaks down.

      An invisible barrier then springs up prohibits passage until you enter the town.

      Horrid game. It was like playing an interactive movie, wherein "interactive" means clicking tediously for 3 hours between scenese. I didn't die once in the game, except when doing optional encounters. Never powergamed my materia, never tried grinding, just played through start to finish in a bit under 40 hours, many of which was time the console was on but idle as I was snacking or talking to people.

      FFX was just as bad, except it seemed to be have even longer and more tedious and less challenging. I made the mistake of grinding Iron Giants once for several hours to make a ring so I could always have protect and shield up. Waste of time. The game was even easier.

      Key point on FFX: If you die in the final combat, the final boss casts raise on you. So you can't possibly lose. I don't think I ever had my party die on me in the entire game.

      FFX-2 was a superior game in many aspects to FFX. The minimissions like Gunner's Gauntlet were superior to the horrendously tedious chocobo racing game in FFX, and provided nifty little rewards, like an item which let you penetrate enemy reflect spells. Instead of getting the airship at 95% of the way through the game in FFX, whose only point was to convey you to Sin, you start with it, and can do any of the missions in any order you want. You have something like 15 missions per chapter, 5 chapters in the game. About 2-3 of them per chapter are core storyline missions. The rest are optional. In chapter one, for only 5000 gil, you can get a No Encounters item which lets you bypass all the annoying random encounters in the game (if you're level 16, level 1 random encounters because you're walking to do some Sky Slots are nothing more than a pissant annoyance.) Take it off when you want to level. If you can stand the horrendous voice acting, it's a superior game to FFVII or FFX.

    13. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And, ironically enough, FFX-2 is the most reviled game in the series by most "true Final Fantasy fans" while doubtlessly having some of the best gameplay in the series. But you've discovered the true secret to the emo-Sephiweenies who love the series: they can't play video games worth shit! They aren't playing Final Fantasy to play the game, because they CAN'T. They're playing it "for the story" because they're too stupid to pick up a movie from Blockbuster and instead think that mindlessly clicking through a story is some how "better" than just grabbing a DVD and watching that. (See also: otaku, yellow fever.)

      If FFXII just got a "perfect score" from Famitsu, expect the game play to be even easier. (And, as anyone who played the demo can tell you, the characters play themselves in FFXII - you just have to manuever them to the monsters you want them to kill, then they'll do it for you. I expect FFXII to be the easiest in the series, as you won't actually have to actually pound the Accept button to continually attack, they'll do it automatically.) Expect the story to be completely linear. (Last non-linear Final Fantasy story: FFVI. You could choose to save two guys. Saving them accomplished NOTHING.)

      So, yeah, this will be another fun game to laugh at the losers playing it. I can't wait to have the emo losers who play these games explain how it's the BEST GAME EVER when you don't actually have to do anything to play the one small part of the game that requires human interaction.

    14. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by jandrese · · Score: 1

      Heh, I never actually got around to playing that, I just watched a guy who had it. He summoned in just about every battle and ignored the junction system because he "didn't want to farm spells forever".

      In the long run it would have probably saved him a lot of time despite being tedious. He was one of those guys who played for the storyline though, and hated just mashing things to level up.

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    15. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      (And, as anyone who played the demo can tell you, the characters play themselves in FFXII - you just have to manuever them to the monsters you want them to kill, then they'll do it for you. I expect FFXII to be the easiest in the series, as you won't actually have to actually pound the Accept button to continually attack, they'll do it automatically.)

      Sure, if you want to deliberately try to suck all the fun out of the game for yourself, you go right ahead and do that. You know what, you can also over-level yourself in the Nippon Ichi strategy games (or really any RPG) to remove all actual gameplay from the games if you want too. At least it's not like the .hack//SIGN games where you actually HAD to sit back and let your party attack to beat the boss of the first game.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
    16. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've obviously never played the demo. Your party auto-attacks, you can't stop them from attacking. About the only thing you can do is hinder them by picking stupid abilities or trying to cure the monster.

      There's quite literally NOTHING to do! You party plays itself! Trying to use abilities is completely pointless, because they'll just use them for you! All you'll do is get lost in a little maze of menus.

      It's not "sucking the fun out of the game" because there's no option to do things yourself. They just do it automatically.

      At least it's not like the .hack//SIGN games where you actually HAD to sit back and let your party attack to beat the boss of the first game.

      I seem to recall Final Fantasy being the king of "you must lose this battle so that the deus ex macina can show up and save you" games. Every game has at least one battle which you can't win, which instead ends by having some random thing show up and save you.

    17. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      What are you talking about "no option to do things yourself?" Yes they attack on their own, but there's nothing preventing you from joining in and trying to have fun. It seems your main problem (from all your attempts to stop them from winning) is that you're a control freak who can't be happy unless you push the button to make the thing drop.

      Guess what? As far as I could tell from the demo, there is a mode to auto-switch to a character when its their turn to control them. That means you get all the control freakery that you want. (I'll also be using that mode because I don't trust AIs to do the right thing.)

      Also, pratically EVERY RPG has some sort of BS battle that you can't win without a deus ex machina. Practically.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
    18. Re:Isn't the blurb a little too negative? by ShakaUVM · · Score: 1

      >>But you've discovered the true secret to the emo-Sephiweenies who love the series:
      >>they can't play video games worth shit

      You, sir, are a wise and noble person.

      Sure, FFX-2 overdid the fan service -- instead of 10 minute long summon sequences in FFVII, we have magic girls with their clothes flying off and back on, but at least you could skip it after you watched it a few times -- and the voice acting was horrendous, but in terms of actual gameplay it is so much better than FFX that I get pissed off whenever I hear another "FFVII won the best game of all time award at gamefaqs.com!" or "FFX was voted the #1 game of all time by idiot RPGers!"

      I really hate how video game reviewers almost always fall into the latter camp, making it hard to tell if a game is good or not. I avoided FFX-2 because it got terrible reviews, but picked up a used copy for 12 bucks at Gamestop -- and it was well worth it. Unlike FFX which I'm still kicking myself for paying full price for.

  11. "Sequel that's better"? by Yosho · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It joins the club of five perfect-scoring games, one of which is a fighting game with a sequel that's better (Soul Calibur)

    Sure, if by "better" you mean "has a worse computer AI and more gimmicks." Not to say that SC2 is a bad game, but you'll find that there are many people out there that prefer the original as a technical fighter. Not to mention, of course, that reviewers are supposed to review games in the context of their competition -- the original SC blew everything in its generation and before it out of the water, but by the time SC2 came around, the rest of the genre had improved enough that it was a much closer competition.

    Bear in mind that the above is only my opinion (which is really the whole point of reviews).

    --
    Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
    1. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by ShyGuy91284 · · Score: 1

      I do agree. Not to get off topic (which isn't really since it was mentioned in the article), but SC was a great game from what I played. Dreamcast-only killed it's sales and rep for most gamers, but I found it refreshing among a sea of tourney fighters. And am i the only one that sees the author as a bit of a troll? Comments are for opinions, not stories.

      --
      In undeveloped countries, the consumer controls the market. In capitalist America, the market controls you.
    2. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by _xeno_ · · Score: 1
      And am i the only one that sees the author as a bit of a troll? Comments are for opinions, not stories.

      It's some dude's blog. He has every right to post comments on it - it's his blog! Slashdot, on the other hand, should know better than to post opinion as a factual story, but if you've been around here long enough, you'll know that Slashdot doesn't bother to actually check links... (Check out this article where the link to the "New York Times" actually went to Hooters until they editted the story... Read through the comments.)

      But, yeah, the story is slightly on the trollish side. Which is fine for some dude's blog, but a little less acceptable from a site that advertises a subscription service...

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    3. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the author does seem to have some gripes with Famitsu and it's readership (or perhaps just Japanese game players in general?) not agreeing to his own personal tastes. Stuff like ... if you look at this list of Famitsu readers' top 100 games of all time, you'll notice Final Fantasy X at #1, and Final Fantasy VI sitting just beneath Final Fantasy IX, which is rather shocking.

      And the his bit about Soul Calibur.

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    4. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by xtieburn · · Score: 1

      I used to think SC2 wasnt particularly better. Then I went back and played SC1 its just not as fluid a game to play. (Maybe thats just because I use Ivy.) Plus after finishing SC1 on its hardest setting with every character SC2 proved somewhat more difficult to do the same. (Oh also note that the Japanese and American versions appear to differ in speed.)

      That said you make a good point that when SC came out it was simply the best fighter around and arguably the SC series still are the best fighters around. (Discounting 2D which is pretty much an entirely different genre and one that, while loved by many, I personally hate.) I do think SC2 is an improvement over the first but it was the first that set the whole thing up and SC2 simply tweaked a few bits and rereleased with prettier graphics.

    5. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by Yosho · · Score: 1

      Well, I'm sure that which characters you prefer does have something to do with it -- for example, I'm a Siegfried player, so I was rather disappointed that SC2 didn't have him at all. ;-) (yeah, Nightmare is similar, but not close enough for me to like him)

      As you said, SC2 is harder, but that's because the computer AI is worse. It relies on reaction times that no human could hope to replicate. I think the characters are also not balanced as well; in SC1, Cervantes was arguably better than everybody else, and Kilik was good for button-mashers, but in general, the most skilled person could win, regardless of characters chosen. In SC2, all of the console-specific characters and Necrid are significantly more powerful than the rest of the cast, plus some characters (such as Raphael) have particular moves that are just cheap. I still like the game, but I think SC1 is better as a competition game.

      --
      Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
    6. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by dreemernj · · Score: 1

      I've always considered SC2 to actually be SC1.5. Cleaned up the graphics, cleaned up the audio, added some gimmicks, but it was far from being as much of an impact on gaming as SC was. That was a very large improvement over the previous installments, Soul Blade/SoulEdge.

      --
      1 (short ton / firkin) = 89.1432354 slugs / keg
    7. Re:"Sequel that's better"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pro players would agree with you as well. Soul Calibur is the better of the two games. From the Wikipedia article, which is similar to what I've heard everywhere else in the fighting game community:

      "On the surface, Soul Calibur II's appeal is formidable, but as time went on, many fans became frustrated by some of the engine's mechanics. Most of these issues concern how defensive the gameplay is. For example, a common complaint involves the overly powerful nature of the "step." By "step-guarding", a player can sidestep (to avoid vertical attacks) and immediately block (to counter horizontal attacks), rendering them practically invulnerable. Another common complaint is the "2-guard", a technique that allows players to block during times in which they logically shouldn't be able to, such as after having an attack deflected by a "Guard Impact."

      Another common complaint involved the gross simplification of the Soul series' most prominent feature: the Guard Impact, which deflects an opponent's attack, leaving them open to counterattack. Rather than require a rotation of the joystick or d-pad along with the guard to perform the Guard Impact, Guard Impacts were made easily accessible by simply pressing Guard and either forward or back (depending on the altitude of the incoming attack and hence the appropriate parry). This criticism became so prominent that Namco subsequently restored the Guard Impact system to its original state in Soul Calibur III, as well as expanding on its nature with the "Just Impact."

      As of Summer 2005, tournaments for the game have virtually ceased. During Evolution 2005, the premier fighting game championships in the United States, there was no Soul Calibur II tournament, although it had been a featured game in previous years."

      Soul Calibur deserves the 40/40 and is superior to the sequal.

  12. They must get a better demo by Tridus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm playing Dragon Quest 8 right now (fun game), and it came with a demo of FF12.

    "Yech" is about the only word I can come up with for it. If that demo is an accurate representation of the final game, I want to know just how big a bribe it took to get the rating these reviewers gave it.

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
    1. Re:They must get a better demo by keyne9 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just out of curiousity, what didn't you like?

      It's a pretty large leap from the traditional interface (and possible scenario setup), which might irk some people. But, it is that sort of thing that is refreshing to others. Personally, I enjoyed it quite immensely, but then again I also very much enjoyed the archeypes for the system (presumably a variation of the FFT/A scenario system and a battle system akin to FFXI's).

    2. Re:They must get a better demo by the_demiurge · · Score: 1

      Personally, I hated it because it was boring. There was almost no interaction when fighting a monster. You simply ran your characters over to the monster and they seemed to kill it by themselves.

    3. Re:They must get a better demo by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1

      I liked the demo. Yeah, it was incredibly easy, but when have you seen a demo that was remotely challenging? I like the changes they made to the battle system; there's only so much they could do with turn based/ATB stuff, so I'm glad they're being creative.

      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    4. Re:They must get a better demo by darkmayo · · Score: 1

      OK .. I didnt like it either.. was too much like FFXI which other than looking really nice left a really bad taste in my mouth. But lets just go over what you said.

      "There was almost no interaction when fighting a monster. You simply ran your characters over to the monster and they seemed to kill it by themselves."

      This is Final Fantasy we are talking about here, there really isnt much interaction with monsters aside from selecting what you want your little guy do and then watching the animation.

      There is a turn based mode in the demo if I recall. I assume you played the automatic where they will run up and keep attacking unless you command them to do otherwise?

      --
      "I am a kernel in the linux army"
    5. Re:They must get a better demo by the_demiurge · · Score: 1

      I liked the interation in FFX. It was strictly turn based, but you could see your turn order coming up and develop some tactics based on when the monster would attack. It made boss battles fun at least. In this demo there were no tactics at all. I beat the boss with only about 5 button presses to give my healer a tonic. And a lot of waiting.

      I played both scenarios in the demo, I don't remember a big difference between them in terms of controls.

    6. Re:They must get a better demo by _xeno_ · · Score: 1
      I liked the demo. Yeah, it was incredibly easy, but when have you seen a demo that was remotely challenging?

      Plenty of times - usually with games that I wound up buying once they were released... I remember plenty of old PC games were the demo was essentially just a limited section of the full game. You weren't playing some easy-mode version of the game, you were playing the actual game - it just ended far earlier than the real game did. I bought Ascendancy, Abuse, and Total Annihilation after playing demos which essentially limited you to the very early parts of the game. And in all three cases, the final game didn't disappoint me. (And in all three cases, the developers went under shortly after releasing the mentioned games... *sigh*)

      But that's not really my problem with the crappy FFXII demo. My problem is that it left out essentially everything I wanted to know about the game! You couldn't get to the status screen. I have no idea how equipment works, no idea how characters advance. That's the stuff I want to know. I'm a bit of a min/maxxer myself (two copies of all three Master Materias in FFVII, a Yuna with over 20000 HP in FFX...), and I really wanted to see the advancement system!

      Then there was the trailer with the Sky Pirates and the animated Bunny Girls and things that looked like Jar Jar Binks... (I honestly cannot remember what their races were called, and am far too lazy to look it up - but, yes, I know what they really are.) The demo has me worried...

      I dunno, I haven't preordered it and I'm not planning on buying it on release day, but I'm definitely going to follow it after release and see how people like it. Let me know how it is. :)

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    7. Re:They must get a better demo by Tridus · · Score: 1

      Well thats the thing, its not like FF10 where I can point to something in particular that I hate. FF12 was just completely underwhelming, I found myself sitting there going "... thats it?" and being bored. If the goal of the demo is to make the game seem interesting, it failed spectacularily on me.

      Maybe the demo that comes with Dragon Quest is just badly designed and the actual game is better

      --
      -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
    8. Re:They must get a better demo by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1

      I played the Xenogears demo, and you have like 10 times and many hitpoints as you do at the beginning of the real game, and you have a full party instead of just your main character. I think Sqaure is afraid that if people die in their demos they won't buy the game. I see your point about not having the status screen, and it does make me kinda worried that it won't have a status screen (they changed everything else), but I did think the battles were fun.

      Sky Pirates don't bother me, and it's cool to see vieras (bunny girls) and bangas (lizard boys) since I like FFTA, but I wish they didn't dress the vieras up in lingerie. It's like Squenix thought they needed to give people more encouragement to call them playboy bunnies. Grr.

      I haven't preordered it. I'm debating, but the last time I preordered and bought a Squenix game the day it came out it was X-2, which I so thought was going to be awesome, so I'm going to be a little more cautious this time.

      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    9. Re:They must get a better demo by _xeno_ · · Score: 1
      I played the Xenogears demo, and you have like 10 times and many hitpoints as you do at the beginning of the real game, and you have a full party instead of just your main character.

      I hate demos like that, because they give you no feel for the game at all. Kind of like the FFXII demo, which is probably why it was so disappointing. After playing through it I have absolutely no idea what FFXII will actually play like. If the demo isn't going to give you a taste of the actual game, there's really no point in releasing it.

      I think Sqaure is afraid that if people die in their demos they won't buy the game.

      Hmmm... You've just given me something to try this evening, see if I can die in the FFXII demo...

      Sky Pirates don't bother me, and it's cool to see vieras (bunny girls) and bangas (lizard boys) since I like FFTA, but I wish they didn't dress the vieras up in lingerie.

      I didn't really like FFTA - I've still yet to finish it, although I think I'm fairly close to the end. My main problem with it was the lousy advancement system. I didn't like the "equip weapons to learn abilities" system in FFIX, and I didn't like it in FFTA. The judges wound up making gameplay more frusterating than it had to be due to poorly defined rules. (Specifically, "Holy." I'm still not entirely sure what counts as "Holy" and what doesn't. I think Cure does, but I'm not positive...) But, most of all, I really liked the FFT system and it didn't quite reuse that.

      I need to rewatch the trailer, because it wasn't specifically the concept of Sky Pirates, but more the vast assortment of "flying thingies" belonging to some random Evil Empire (I think). Plus, the characters they introduced all seemed to be annoying in some way.

      As for Vieras in lingerie, I've got to say: I found them to be, flat-out, scary. I'm not sure who they're trying to appeal to, and I'm not sure I really want to, either...

      I haven't preordered it. I'm debating, but the last time I preordered and bought a Squenix game the day it came out it was X-2, which I so thought was going to be awesome, so I'm going to be a little more cautious this time.

      I waited on that one, and finally got it hoping that it would explain WTF happened to Tidus at the end of FFX. But, supposedly it doesn't, so I'm only a good three missions into it. My possibly irrational hatred of Yuna's voice and extreme dislike of Rikku's character didn't help much either - and the frosty third character wasn't any good either.

      I really want another good Final Fantasy... Something to get me as excited as FFVII did... Which, unfortunately, is probably impossible. But here's hoping...

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
    10. Re:They must get a better demo by Daetrin · · Score: 1
      It's a pretty large leap from the traditional interface (and possible scenario setup), which might irk some people. But, it is that sort of thing that is refreshing to others. Personally, I enjoyed it quite immensely, but then again I also very much enjoyed the archeypes for the system (presumably a variation of the FFT/A scenario system and a battle system akin to FFXI's).

      Change can be a good thing, but for the first 10 iterations of the game they managed to change a _lot_ of stuff while still keping it basically as a turn based RPG. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting a more action based game, but if i wanted that i could always go play a fighter. Or for that matter i could play the Tales series, which has already combined the action and RPG genres, and done a much better job of it than Square-Enix did from what i saw in the FF12 demo.

      Furthermore they already have a system like this, namely FF11, which i did not buy because i wasn't interested in either such a system in particular or a MMORPG in general. However i consoled myself that at least once they got back to FF12 it would be back to the kind of genre i enjoyed. However then they decided to take the MMORPG controls and shove them into a single player game, which to me just seems stupid. Isn't everyone who really likes such controls still busy playing FF11?

      Of the three FF fans i know who tried the FF12 demo, myself included, all of us just felt very... underwhelmed. We didn't have as much control as we liked, we didn't seem to have to do very much to do even with what we could control, and we just weren't having any fun.

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    11. Re:They must get a better demo by ElleyKitten · · Score: 1

      >>I waited on that one, and finally got it hoping that it would explain WTF happened to Tidus at the end of FFX. But, supposedly it doesn't,

      Tidus was kinda like an Aeon in X, in the sense that he was a creation of the fayth. At the end of X, they killed the Aeons, releasing the fayth from their duties (no, I don't know why they didn't have to kill Tidus too) causing Tidus and all the other aeons to be gone "forever" (no, I don't understand what the thing with Tidus and Jecht and Auron was at the end). Then, in X-2, "Dark Aeons" show up, and they don't explain why. Then Tidus shows up, because the fayth (who are like hanging around as ghosts or something) feel bad for Yuna. For some reason, he's independant of the fayth now (how?) so he doesn't have to worry about disappearing again if the fayth ever get sick of summoning his whiney ass and he and Yuna can live happily ever after. Of course, it's not like the fayth could have done that in the first place, they have to wait until after some crazy happens where a ghost who looks just like Tidus shows up and tries to destroy the world. Yeah.

      I was so excited for that game. :(

      --
      "What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
    12. Re:They must get a better demo by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      Personally, I hated it because it was boring. There was almost no interaction when fighting a monster. You simply ran your characters over to the monster and they seemed to kill it by themselves.

      What the heck is with you people who do this? I honestly never even thought of trying this until I read people online griping about it. I guess it just takes a certain mentality to actively try to not have fun with a game.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  13. In Related News... by Lectrik · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Germans really like David Hasselhoff.

    --
    --- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!
  14. Perfect score? by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

    Final Fantasy XII will certainly be a decent game. However, based on what I've read of the story it looks like it will be just as contrived as all the other Final Fantasy games, and probably Japanese RPGs in general.

    I realize the game is catered to a market where anyone over 18 is considered old, but still, I wish they'd stop making such feminine lead characters. At least stop making them all look like 14 year olds. These guys look like they spend more time doing their hair than training for battle. It looks like they've cast pop stars to play the lead roles.

    Visually it looks good. There was obviously a lot of effort put into designing the game. I like the liberal use of color, unlike the muddy, monotone worlds normally depicted in American RPGs, World of Warcraft being one of the big exceptions. The facial textures look a bit odd in all the in-game screenshots, but thats one of the only problems I see.

    Visuals, however, don't make the game. I don't see how this game could possibly deserve a perfect score, especially in light of the current generation of games, and given that the game was just released. However, I would suspect the score is a marketing gimmick more than anything.

    1. Re:Perfect score? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
      I realize the game is catered to a market where anyone over 18 is considered old, but still, I wish they'd stop making such feminine lead characters. At least stop making them all look like 14 year olds. These guys look like they spend more time doing their hair than training for battle. It looks like they've cast pop stars to play the lead roles.

      You mean like Gackt?

    2. Re:Perfect score? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      However, based on what I've read of the story it looks like it will be just as contrived as all the other Final Fantasy games, and probably Japanese RPGs in general.


      It really bugs me that people call games like Final Fantasy or Dragonquest RPGs. RPG stands for roleplaying game, and if games like those are labelled as such, then you might as well include ANY game an RPG.

      Generally speaking, you don't direct the story in the vast majority of Japanese "RPGs," you don't control your end of the dialogue, most of them are really linear, and in the end, the only similarity they have with real RPGs is the ability to level up and some story elements.

      Japanese RPGs are better off labelled as microstrategy games or something other than an acronym that implies that the player can have a real effect on the gameworld and/or plot. To this end, there are games out there that don't follow the RPG mold, but are, in fact, roleplaying games.

      Games that follow RPG tradition and are RPGs
      Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Fallout, Neverwinter Nights, etc.

      Games that follow the RPG tradition, but are not RPGs
      FF1-whenever the series becomes unprofitable, Dragon Warrior/Quest, etc.

      Games that don't follow the RPG tradition, but are RPGs
      Deus Ex, The Elder Scrolls, Fable

      All IMO anyway.

    3. Re:Perfect score? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally, I like calling Japanese "RPGs" something along the lines of DBZ Battle Simulator. Just like DBZ, the story is an after-thought, a poor excuse for the main characters to beat up progressively stronger opponents. Just like DBZ, the characters gain massive amounts of power at a painfully slow rate. Just like DBZ, something that apparently took five minutes of time managed to stretch out into almost an hour of characters throwing giant energy balls at each other.

      They're not RPGs. They're DBZ Battle Simulators.

    4. Re:Perfect score? by Ty · · Score: 1
      I realize the game is catered to a market where anyone over 18 is considered old, but still, I wish they'd stop making such feminine lead characters.

      What Westerners perceive as feminine the Japanese perceive as attractive. Most women prefer tall and slim men here in Japan. Weight rooms are far and few here. It`s pretty much a free-for-all too, with regards to men`s fasion. Pink frilly shirt? Tight pants? Winnie the Pooh hanging off your bag? It`s all good, no one will challenge your masculinity.

      In short, unless there's a significant cultural change, don't expect any 'meaty' heros to appear out of Japan.

    5. Re:Perfect score? by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      Note that every thing you consider as a "true RPG" is a PC RPG and everything you know as not an RPG is a console RPG. They are very different genres of RPG based on what kind of hardware was available in the early days of their development and the difference between the Japanese and American markets.

      American/PC RPGs focus on simulation of a world whereas Japanese/console RPGs focus on telling a story, both with gamist combat elements thrown in. You are having a problem with a difference of gaming goals. I suggest reading The Forge for more information.

      There are a few console RPGs with branching story lines, but they're either flops on only short branches off of a main plot line like Chrono Trigger's multiple endings.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
  15. Do you smell fish? by singingjim · · Score: 1

    The whole thing reeks of payola. You can always find something in a game that could have been done better. I've never seen the perfect game yet so I feel a 40 is, as yet, unattainable. My opinion of course, free of charge - worth less.

    --
    Terrible karma and aiming lower, which in this environment of one-sided reason, is higher.
  16. I hope it's good by christoscamaro · · Score: 1

    I've been a fan of the series for a long time. Untill 10 part 2. bleh.

    Also, 11 was online only. Bleh.

    The 12 demo had a somewhat confusing battle system (do i try to dodge attacks? etc.)

    Since the original creator of Final Fantasy left after 10, (Nobuo Uematsu left too) and i've disliked every release since they both left, I don't have high hopes for 12.

  17. Finished game, not demo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Yech" is about the only word I can come up with for it. If that demo is an accurate representation of the final game, I want to know just how big a bribe it took to get the rating these reviewers gave it.

    FTA:

    What I've played so far of the finished version (burn the demo disc) is shockingly good. [emphasis mine]

  18. Famitsu == BS by supabeast! · · Score: 1

    Famitsu Weekly scores are a pretty worthless benchmark of how good or bad a game is. Just like American publications, Famitsu is 99% hype - in fact, in recent years Famitsu has been known for handing out some of the most absurdly high reviews of any game magazine - for example, giving a score of 8/10 to Shadow the Hedgehog, which was panned by almost every other game critic on earth.

    1. Re:Famitsu == BS by v0lrath · · Score: 1

      The way to read Famitsu Ratings is to look at them on a scale of 5 not 10, and then subtract 5

      7/10 becomes 2/5
      8/10 becomes 3/5

      Once you do this thier scores seem more in line with reality.

      Or on the 40 scale. make it out of 20 and subtract 20.

    2. Re:Famitsu == BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Or on the 40 scale. make it out of 20 and subtract 20.
      So... that would make FFXI's score... 20/20? What's your point?
  19. Wind Waker by metamatic · · Score: 1

    Yeah, I played "Ocarina of Time" and "Wind Waker" pretty much back to back, and found "Wind Waker" to be a major disappointment.

    With the leap in console generation, I was expecting some kind of gameplay innovation... but it turned out "Wind Waker" was just "Ocarina" with cel shading and a boat. And the boat was kinda dull after the first half hour or so.

    --
    GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    1. Re:Wind Waker by PhotoBoy · · Score: 1

      Yep, two things marred Wind Waker for me, the first was the general tediousness of the boating, it would take ages to get anywhere and I literally gave up when I discovered I had to go hunting all over the map for Triforce pieces. The other problem was that they cut two dungeons out of the game (the East and West dungeons) which was really annoying as the dungeons they did include were excellent.

      Of course it seems with Twilight Princess they're determined not to make the same mistakes again, so hopefully the next game will be nigh on perfect.

  20. But most importantly... by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here's to more bathing-suit hot spring cutscenes. //is asking for tentacles too much?

    1. Re:But most importantly... by SeeMyNuts! · · Score: 2, Funny

      "is asking for tentacles too much?"

      Well, wouldn't finding that the hot female lead character has a tentacle kind of spoil the mood?

  21. Who doesn't? by StikyPad · · Score: 1

    Even the Census Department likes FF12, and they've been liking it since at least 1999.

  22. Maybe 12 won't be so bad after all by sycomonkey · · Score: 1

    It's not every day a game gets a perfect score from Famitsu. Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker display the sort of polish that defines a "Perfect Game". I suddenly have hope for this game.

    --
    --The universe will not be altered by forum threads, even those which are very wry. --Tycho Brahe (Penny Arcade)
  23. Not quite accurate. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Golden Sun got 40/40 too.

    1. Re:Not quite accurate. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Golden Sun is a great, great game series - best new JRPG series of the decade so far as far as I'm concerned, even if you include a certain Koudelka offshoot series - but the first game got a 34/40 from Famitsu and the sequel got a 33/40. That puts them right outside of Famitsu Platinum range (35/40 or higher), both worthy of Famitsu Gold.

    2. Re:Not quite accurate. by echocharlie · · Score: 1

      I'm a fan of the series too. It looks gorgeous on the DS and the new brighter SP by the way.

  24. It is getting released soon by 246o1 · · Score: 1

    A week from this morning (here in Japan).

    --
    Although the moon is smaller than the earth, it is farther away.
  25. MODERATORS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mod OP down for failing to understand the glaringly obvious reality of the situation, and mod parent up for the correction.

    KTHX

    1. Re:MODERATORS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Since you're obviously too stupid to figure out the original point, I'll reiterate it for you.

      FAMITSU/JAPANESE LOVE RPGS, SO THEM LIKING A NEW RPG IS NOT NEWS ANY MORE THAN BILL O'RIELLY ENDORSING A REPUBLICAN CANDIATE IS NEWS.

      Understand?

      I'm not interested in hearing a fan of the series say the latest game is great. I expect that. It's not interesting, it's not news. I'm not calling for totally unbiased reviews. But Famitsu is a magazine that apparently specializes on the Japanese RPG market.

      One final attempt at an analogy for the truely dense. Let's say that Linux Magazine publishes a review of a new distribution of Linux and says that it's perfect. Is that news? Not really, it's Linux Magazine, of course they like Linux products! If PC Magazine published an article saying that a distribution of Linux was better than Windows, that would be news. This article is just pointless. Read the comments for reasons why, almost all of them read "yeah, right".

  26. Cultural differences by Valdrax · · Score: 1

    I wish they'd stop making such feminine lead characters. At least stop making them all look like 14 year olds. These guys look like they spend more time doing their hair than training for battle. It looks like they've cast pop stars to play the lead roles.

    The Japanese have a very different attitude about what makes an attractive man. They have long favored androgynous, effiminate males known as bishounen (Japanese for "pretty boys"). It might surprise you to know that the more "masculine" hero types with bulging muscles and a hairy face or body is the Japanese stereotype for gay people. Look up the comedian "Hard Gay" or the shooting game "Chou Aniki" sometime to have your brain a-sploded. Zangief from Street Fighter is flamingly gay to the Japanese. This goes to the point that Japanese cross-dressers and transvestites are far more frequently portrayed for humor with heavy muscles and a 5-o'clock shadow rather than the kind of jokes about the friend who doesn't see the Adam's Apple over here.

    It's a flipping of the gender stereotypes. Here, pop culture looks down on men who try to be too close to what women are like. There, pop culture looks down on men who try to be a far from women in appearance as possible. Hence, pretty boy heroes are the norm there while bulging barbarians are the norm here.

    --
    If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").