Something from me - Review Thursday

Welcome to Review Thursday.  In this edition, I will be showcasing one of the videos I made and posted to my YouTube channel.  So, here it is.

Episode 0 - Final Fantasy (EO Style)

This is my first YouTube video in a while.  It isn't much, but at least it's something.  Anyway...

I apologize for not having a review ready for this week.  I fell asleep after coming home from work, and didn't wake up until after midnight.  And since it is technically Friday here, I figured to go ahead and just provide a video I made.

Anyway, be sure to come back on Saturday for this week's SaturPLAY entry.  So, until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens.

Michael, aka me3lingual

Welcome to this eighth edition of 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  It was a slow week for me in terms of writing articles.  I only have two new ones.  So, here they are.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 game features, What to Expect
In this article, I talk about what new things are in store for those who will be playing Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.  Those of us in North America played a different set of games than some of the rest of the world, so it will be nice to play the full game.

Square Enix's Thief Mod Contest
This article is about the contest that AMD and Square Enix are having for those who like to make mods of games.  And with Thief coming out today, it is a great chance to win some great prizes.  And you don't even have to know how to mod games.  You can simply make a video with your mod idea pitch, and you may be one of the lucky winners to receive the prizes I list in this article.

Well, that's all for this week's 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  I hope you enjoy the articles.  Until next time, I hope you see no Game Over screens.

Michael, aka me3lingual

Little Entry for LittleBigPlanet - SaturPLAY #8

Welcome to SaturPLAY, where I talk a bit about what I have been playing over the last week.  This entry will be shorter than normal.  I didn't play many games this week.  I did play one really nice game though.  I have been working on LittleBigPlanet this week.  It's really fun.  It's pretty simple, and I like simple.  Anyway, I like the concept of it.  Playing as a little sack person is neat.  And I like it when I earn trophies.  I guess if I were to describe it so far, I would say it's quaint.  The kind of game that I could play for hours and not realize that so much time has gone by.  I really like it so far.

Anyway, that's all I have been playing this week.  As always, I hope you enjoy this entry and every other entry I write.  I apologize for this one's length.  I just haven't done much this week.  Anyway, until next time, I hope you see no Game Over screens!

Michael, aka me3lingual

Katamari Damacy - Review Thursday

In this week's Review Thursday, I take a look at one of the most fun games I have ever played in my life.  It is simple, has great music, and it is suitable for every age group.  It's Katamari Damacy.  This game is probably one of those games you get thinking, "Oh, it's a baby game."  But then you're all, "Holy crap, this game is so good!"  You play as a little sprite thing whose father is the King of All Cosmos.  The King destroyed all of the stars in the sky, and it is your job to rebuild the stars and fill the night sky.

But how do you do that?  Well, you are given a sticky ball called a katamari.  They come in various sizes and colors, and the Prince (your character) rolls the ball into objects.  As the katamari continues to roll up more and more objects, it will get bigger and thus, be able to pick up even bigger items.  This includes animals, people, vehicles, buildings; as well as islands, clouds, rainbows, and spirits.

As I said before, it is your job to fill the night sky with stars.  And not only do you make stars one by one, but you also get to make several constellations.  These constellation levels generally have a theme for collection, like only crabs for Cancer, only swans for Cygnus, only females for Virgo.  And in the final level of the game, it is your task to remake the Moon.  Each level has a time limit.  And if you fail to complete the tasks, The King become very angry with you.

One of the best things about this game is the music.  All of the songs in the game have the katamari as the theme.  And they complement the gameplay so well.

Overall, I give this game 5 out of 5.

It's one of the easiest games to play, and also one of the easiest to become addicted to.  It is a supreme amount of fun.  And practically everyone in every age group can play it.

Now, on to the thing I have been mentioning in previous entries.  I have been thinking that I will start uploading videos to my YouTube channel again.  I haven't done it in a while.  Anyway, when there aren't any games for me to review, I figured I'd post them here on the blog.  Well, that's the big announcement.  Now, I hope you get the chance to play  Katamari Damacy if you haven't already.  And I also hope you stop back by on Saturday for this week's SaturPLAY!  Until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens.

Michael, aka me3lingual

Madness in February - 3³ Gaming NEWSday #7

Welcome once again to 3³ Gaming NEWSday!  It's been another busy week for me with writing articles for Enix Origin, that I will once again simply link you to the articles, and provide a brief description of their contents.  For further information on the topics I present to you, I ask that you click on the links and read to your heart's content.  So, let's begin!

Thief - GameStop Pre-Order Bonuses
In this article, I write about the bonuses available when you pre-order from GameStop.  I also went into some detail about the game, as well as provide a teaser trailer for viewing.

Drakengard 3 Collector's Edition
There are only going to be five thousand copies of this game's Collector's Edition made, and this article talks about how you can purchase one of them.  It also talks about the game's story.

Deadman's Cross - Square Enix's New Mobile Game
Square Enix just launched a new mobile game a few days ago.  This article talks about how to get the free-to-play game and also it's unique theme.

Hitman GO, the first mobile Hitman Game
Hitman is joining the mobile market with this soon to be released game for smartphones and tablets.  It takes what you know about the franchise, and replaces a lot of the pieces needed to make a great game with some new pieces they hope will fit.

Enix Origin's February Madness Event
Enix Origin is having a big contest, with a brand new copy of the upcoming release of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.  This article has all the details to enter, and lists how you can win one of several prizes.

Final Fantast XIV now on Steam
Steam has announced that the MMO is on sale on their site for a limited time.  With the cost for the standard edition only $14.99 USD, it is a great time to get in on the action in Eorzea.  And if you purchase the Collector's Edition, there are exclusive bonuses in doing so.  The article lists these extras as well.

And with that, we've come to the end of another edition of 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  I hope you enjoy the articles, as I enjoyed writing them.  Make sure to check back in on Thursday for either a Review Thursday or something else.  I am still working on titles for Thursday stuff.  It's hard, though.  Anyway, until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens!

Michael, aka me3lingual

Taking a side - SaturPLAY #7

First, I should probably address why there was no Review Thursday a couple days ago.  Well, I haven't finished any games recently, and so it didn't feel right reviewing a game that I haven't finished yet.  And that made me think, maybe I should have some other segment to do on Thursdays in the event that I don't have a review planned.  So, I am going to post some gaming videos I make whenever I don't have a review written.  That way it will also give some exposure to my YouTube channel.  But more on that on Thursday.

 

As for what I've been playing this week, it's most just Final Fantasy XIII and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  I am trying to get a Platinum trophy on both of these games, and I am finally at a point in both where I can say that I am almost there.  In Final Fantasy XIII, I have made it to Gran Pulse.  Now I can focus on grinding for the experience needed to finish the Titan's Trials, all of the Cie'th Stone Missions, and master each of the roles for the characters.

And in Skyrim, I am nearly finished with the story for the Thieves Guild, and I am also working on the story about the war between the Legion and the Stormcloaks.  I want to purchase the DLC for this game, but I first want to get all of the trophies before I add more to the list of trophies I need.  Anyway, to be more specific, in order to complete the Thieves Guild stuff, I only need to restore the contacts throughout Skyrim, and I will be named the leader.  As for the war, I am working on the missions near Winterhold.  I chose to take the Legion's side of the war.

 

And there are some new additions to my collection coming soon.  I have both LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 coming next week.  From what I have seen of the gameplay, I think I will like it.  And I also think it will be a nice game for my family members to play as well.  And then I will be getting the new Square Enix game Thief later this month.  I will writing a review on it, for both EnixOrigin and this blog.  And then next month is when I will be getting both Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.  I will so glad when those two games arrive.  I have had them paid for for months.  I only have to wait four weeks and three days more, and then I will be so happy.

Well, we have come to the end of this seventh edition of SaturPLAY.  I hope to see you here for the next one.  And don't forget to stop back in on Tuesday, when I will have the next issue of 3³ Gaming NEWSday up and ready for viewing.  So, until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens!

Michael, aka me3lingual

So much Lightning, it's practically a thunderstorm! - 3³ Gaming NEWSday #6

Welcome to this week's Lightning Returns-themed 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  The world is buzzing with Lightning Returns news.  The game came out today, and I have been on a newsie high for all of the articles I have written in the last week.  Actually now that I look at it, it's only five articles.  Funny, it feels like more than that.  Anyway, as there are more articles than my usual amount (which is a good, no, great thing) I am going to do this blog post differently than normal.  Instead of posting the entire article, I will just post the links of the individual articles and maybe a little bit about each one.

Lightning Returns newest Garb - Lara Croft

Okay, so one of the DLC garb choices available at the launch day of Lightning Returns is the Lara Croft outfit from Tomb Raider.  Lightning's weapon is the survival axe, and includes a riot shield to top off the ensemble.  It is available for download online for $3.99USD on PSN (I don't know about XBOX Live).

A Valentine's Day Themed X/X-2 Trailer

Square Enix released a video on its North American YouTube channel with a focus on the romantic side of Final Fantasy X.  It features scenes with the enhanced graphics and music from the game.  It looked very nice and culminates with the famous Underwater Kiss scene near lake Macalania.

Retrospective Take on Final Fantasy XIII series

This one's news bit is somewhat old, but I just got around to writing about it yesterday.  It is a recap video of Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 done in the old-school style of Final Fantasy VI.  It was probably one of the best videos used to bring more hype to the upcoming game that I have seen in all my time as a writer for enixorigin.com.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Launch Trailer

So the game came out today, and Square Enix made a trailer video to advertise the new game.  The video itself features some of the review quotes received by the big names in gaming critics.  It was a pretty simple article to write.

Deviantart and Square Enix LR Contest

Now this one is about the just announced contest from Square Enix and Deviantart.  The prize is a custom-made XBOX 360 and controller, copies of the three games in the XIII series, a special LR shirt and keychain, $1000USD, and a signed sketch from Tetsuya Nomura.  Nomura will also be judging the art contest.

So, there you have it.  I hope you enjoy the articles, and feel free to leave comments as to what you think.  Be sure to check back in on Thursday for this week's review.  So, until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens!

Michael, aka me3lingual

Completing my Focus - SaturPLAY #6

Welcome back to SaturPLAY, your weekly dose of what I am playing because everyone loves hearing about what other people do in life.  This week I focused on two games, and that is so much different than what I usually do.  Anyway, let's begin.

First up is Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.  A kid that I used to tutor comes over once in a while when my brother is asked to watch him, and he likes to play games with cars and drive around.  So during one of his visits, I let him pick which one he wanted to play.  He chose the one with motorcycles.  The kid doesn't like the whole mission aspect of the game, so I had to go through and complete the initial mission.  After that, we just drove around and caused an uproar in Liberty City.

Anyway, after the kid left, I thought about deleting the save file.  However, I hadn't ever completed The Lost and Damned before.  So, I kept the save file and have been working on completing it.  I have recently earned the "TLAD: The Lost Boy" PSN Trophy, by becoming the leader of The Lost.  I haven't gotten much farther than that, because I have been working on completing the races.  I wish the trophy associated with the races was to simply finish all twelve races, and not something that is nearly impossible for me.  I have not hit anyone off their motorcycle yet.  I have hit people with the bat, but none of them have fallen off.  It is going to be a difficult trophy to get.

Up next is Final Fantasy XIII.  Yes, I am still working on this game.  I buckled down and got through the Sunleth Waterscape, even though I love the background music there.  I can always listen to it online over at YouTube or something.  Anyway, I recently just finished the fight against Brynhildr.  The scene before that fight is probably one of the most emotional ones in the whole game, I think.  Even after having seen it several times, I still get a little choked up when I watch it.  When Vanille is standing in front of Sazh, who has nearly given up on life, and Sazh stands up and shoots the Eidolon; that part gets me every time.

Now I am trying to rescue the locked up Sazh and Vanille on the Palamecia.  I think I am at the Save Point right before the two parties meet.  I will be glad when I get to Gran Pulse, and can work on getting the rest of the trophies of the game.  I still have about a month before my copy of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII arrives, so time is running out on reaching my goal of getting the Platinum trophy for Final Fantasy XIII and completing the story of Final Fantasy XIII-2.

And finally for this week, I earned five trophies while playing around in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  Here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

 With Friends Like These: Join the Dark Brotherhood

 Bound Until Death: Complete "Bound Until Death"

 Wanted: Escape from jail

 Hail Sithis!: Complete "Hail Sithis!"

 Standing Stones: Find 13 Standing Stones

I was looking at my profile over at psnprofiles.com, and saw that there are quite a few trophies I am lacking.  Mainly the ones that were side stories of the main quest line.  So, I figured I should go and earn them.  I am working on the ones for the Thieves Guild.  A friend of mine told me that it takes a lot of side quests that I will have to do in order to complete that story.  As much as I want to just hurry up and get the story finished, I guess I will have to do more side stuff.  I hate side quests sometimes.

Well, that's all for this week's SaturPLAY.  Make sure to stop back in on Tuesday for the next edition of 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  So, until next time, I hope you see no Game Over screens!

Michael, aka me3lingual

Grand Theft Auto III - Review Thursday #5

Welcome to Review Thursday, where I review a game on Thursday.  This week, I am going to weakly attempt to describe Grand Theft Auto III, which I played several weeks ago and haven't had the chance to review yet.  I say weakly, because I feel as if I am about to fall asleep as I type this.  I came home late this evening, and I am super tired.  I guess I could sleep now and type later, but I have been late with these entries recently, and I don't want that to become a constantly occurring thing.

So, Grand Theft Auto III is a really great game for the PS2 system.  You play as some person whose only lines in the whole game are that of grunts and moans when he gets injured.  I read his name somewhere, but I have forgotten it since.  While you are trying to make it in the city after being betrayed by your girlfriend/partner in crime Catalina, you race cars and run errands for several big shots of Liberty City.  These include the Mafia leader, the Yakuza leader, and others.

The music is made specially for the game, from what I can tell due to the content in the songs.  My favorite station is Chatterbox, because I like listening to talk radio rather than music radio.  If I had to choose a favorite car, I would pick the Stinger.  And my favorite character is probably Maria.  She seemed less annoying in this game than in Liberty City Stories.

Overall, it is fun to play.  I was able to collect all of the secret packages.  The missions are the right combination of fun and challenge.  I would give this game 4 Stars and recommend it for anyone of the correct age limit to play this game.

Well, that's all for now.  Make sure to stop back in on Saturday for SaturPLAY.  Until then, I hope you see no Game Over screens.

Michael, aka me3lingual

Winter Suckage - 3³ Gaming NEWSday #5

Welcome to 3³ Gaming NEWSday, where this week I will try and post the articles I have recently written before my Internet cuts out again.  This winter storm where I live is wreaking havoc on my service, and it has only been staying connected for a few minutes at a time.  So, let's begin...

Through the Maelstrom, A Ream Reborn patch 2.2

Square Enix has released some details as to its new Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn patch 2.2, titled "Through the Maelstrom".  This is coming off of the high that was the huge turnout of new and returning players after patch 2.1 came out earlier this month.  This new patch is called "Through the Maelstrom", and though it won't be on the same scale in terms of new features, it does have some new things to keep avid and new players busy for a time.  For more information, continue reading.Some of the things that will be done in Through the Maelstrom will be an addition of four new turns during The Binding Coil of Bahamut.  For those wondering about Ampador's destruction, the Ruins of Ampador dungeon will reveal the cause.  And there will also be a Hard and Extreme version when attempting to face Leviathan.

Although these updates and others are not of the vast nature that patch 2.1 was, there will also be some minor additions to the game.  Things like a new item level being introduced, the addition of basements in housing, and small housing price increases, along with the ability to build an airship within the houses.

Though no set date has been announced for Through the Maelstrom, it has been confirmed that it will occur sometime in March.

One More Incentive to Pre-Order Lightning Returns

Square Enix has released some details as to its new Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn patch 2.2, titled "Through the Maelstrom".  This is coming off of the high that was the huge turnout of new and returning players after patch 2.1 came out earlier this month.  This new patch is called "Through the Maelstrom", and though it won't be on the same scale in terms of new features, it does have some new things to keep avid and new players busy for a time.  For more information, continue reading.Some of the things that will be done in Through the Maelstrom will be an addition of four new turns during The Binding Coil of Bahamut.  For those wondering about Ampador's destruction, the Ruins of Ampador dungeon will reveal the cause.  And there will also be a Hard and Extreme version when attempting to face Leviathan.

Although these updates and others are not of the vast nature that patch 2.1 was, there will also be some minor additions to the game.  Things like a new item level being introduced, the addition of basements in housing, and small housing price increases, along with the ability to build an airship within the houses.

Though no set date has been announced for Through the Maelstrom, it has been confirmed that it will occur sometime in March.

One More Incentive to Pre-Order Lightning Returns

If you haven't pre-ordered the Collector's Edition of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, well Square Enix has added one more incentive to help entice you to do so.  For more information, continue reading.The details for what is included in the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was recently described in a YouTube video posted on SQEXMembersNA, Square Enix's North American channel, on January 17, 2014.  Information on the artbook, pocket watch, and DLC code for the Aerith garb were all described.  Now, though, the people at Square Enix's California office have announced that there will be a contest for a Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII custom PS3 or XBOX 360 going to one person who has pre-ordered the upcoming game.

One person will receive a custom PS3 or XBOX 360, a copy of both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2, and a special Lightning Returns shirt and key chain.  Also, thirteen lucky people will receive both the shirt and key chain.

To enter, you must either pre-order the Collector's Edition of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, or send in a letter to the North American office in California.  For more information, including value of prizes and eligibility requirements, click here.  The contest runs from January 24, 2014 to February 11, 2014; with the lucky winners being chosen on February 17, 2014.  And if you have already pre-ordered, you are automatically entered into the draw.

Good luck!

Murdered: Soul Suspect Trailer Out Today

Today saw the release of Airtight Games and Square Enix's trailer of Murdered: Soul Suspect.  This unique spin on the classic detective story will be coming out this June for many gaming platforms, like PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.  For information on this game, continue reading.

The people over at GamesHQMedia released the PS4 trailer for the upcoming Airtight Games and Square Enix game titled Murdered: Soul Suspect.  The action/adventure game itself is about a detective whose latest murder case is the one where he himself is the victim.  Ronan O'Connor, the game's gumshoe, is having trouble moving to the next world and his mission of finding out who killed him is his key to the afterlife.  Along the way, he teams up with a police psychic who is the only person who can see him and help him on his path.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doi-A8hi3bc[/youtube]

The game has been getting some great attention since the first gameplay footage for Murdered: Soul Suspect was presented at last years E3.  When I asked NeoShock, a fellow member of EnixOrigin, he said that he likes "the idea of a murder mystery where you have to solve your OWN death."

I love the game's dark tone, and the added "sidekick" I didn't expect seems interesting as well.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is looking to be a nice addition to the 2014 lineup for Square Enix, as well as a nice game to purchase for those new systems when it comes out this June.

And with that, we have come to the end of this week's 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  Make sure to stop back in on Thursday for the Review Thursday.  Until then, I hope you see no Game Over Screens  Also, I will go back and do some editing on this entry when my Internet is working better.

Michael, aka me3lingual.

Trophy Hunter - SaturPLAY #5

Welcome back to SaturPLAY, where each Saturday I recount my gaming exploits of the past week.  I had a plan for what games I wanted to play this week, and I stuck to that plan for the most part.  Basically, because of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII being released in a couple weeks, I wanted to go back over Final Fantasy XIII and try to get the Platinum Trophy for the game.  I started over from the beginning because I deleted my previous save file at the beginning of the year.  Right now, I am at the Sunleth Waterscape, playing as Vanille and Sazh.  It is my favorite area of the game, because I love listening to the background track that plays while running around looking for monsters to fight.  As for the trophy collection, I have 50% of them.  That may seem great, but those were all trophies I earned before.  I haven't earned any new ones.  But the thing is, I can't earn the ones I am missing until I get to Gran Pulse.  So I have my work cut out for me.

The second step in my plan was to finally complete the story of Final Fantasy XIII-2.  I have had the game for quite a while, and I have yet to finish the game once.  I am not even trying to get all of the trophies.  I just want to finish the game before the final game of the series comes.  Right now, I have completed the story of New Bodhum 3AF, and Bresha Ruins 5AF.  Everything else is just waiting to be traversed.  And I also went and purchased the DLC for the game, so now I have the full complete game to play.  And I haven't even touched the story bits.  I did go ahead and purchase all of the fancy weapons from Chocolina though.

And all of that stuff ended on Wednesday.  Since then, I haven't had much motivation to play anything.  On Thursday, I was too tired to play after I came home from work.  Friday was spent playing 10-15 minutes of like twenty games, and then resulted in me deleting all of the save files because they weren't worth keeping and continuing to work on them.  And then today I woke up with the desire to kill people in Skyrim.  So I played that all day.  I want to raise my trophy level on PSN, so I have been working on missions I haven't tried.  Specifically, those of the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood.  I am also considering purchasing the DLC for Skyrim as well.  More content does mean more greater access to trophies.  Now, if I could just decide whether it would be cheaper to purchase the DLC from PSN, or to just buy the Legendary Edition of the game and then sell my copy of Skyrim.

And that has been my week.  I am kind of lucky that I won't receive my copy of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII until March (because free shipping is free), so I have plenty of time to get the first two games finished.  I just have to buckle down and play them.  Anyway, that's all for this week's SaturPLAY.  Don't forget that this Tuesday is 3³ Gaming NEWSday.  So, until then, I hope you won't see any Game Over screens.

Michael, aka me3lingual