Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is available for sale in the United States today! As the closing chapter in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning Returns arrives to mixed reviews with Metacritic aggregating a score of 68 based on 30 reviews from sources like IGN, Destructoid, and Machninima.
Most reviews cite the battle system and gameplay as strengths while mentioning a weak story and repetitive quests as shortcomings. Nevertheless, the game's release marks the end of a chapter in Square Enix's recent checkered history and hopefully signals the beginning of a new one.
Brendan 2016-01-10 0 comments
Audiophiles rejoice; the latest soundtrack from Square Enix's hit MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, is set for release next month on Bluray music disc. Previous to this Square Enix had released three EP albums with select tracks from the expansion but the full 60 track release will become available on February 24th, 2016 for purchase. Several of the other collected albums...
Brendan 2016-01-09 0 comments
Final Fantasy XIII's stoic heroine, Lightning, has made the jump into the fashion industry again to star as the lead model for Louis Vuitton's Series 4 Spring-Summer 2016 campaign. The character began appearing in video and print media for the new campaign late last month. This isn't the first time that Lightning has crossed medium lines to become a fashion...
kula shakerz 2015-07-09 2 comments
Square Enix has announced that they are working on a new Dragon Quest game for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The new title will be named Dragon Quest Builders and it will take place in "Alefgard". The land has been destroyed by the evil Dragonlord and it'll be your task to help rebuild it. The Minecraft-esque "block-make...
I have it pre-ordered for the oz release. But, frankly, I'm much more invested in XIV at the moment. I'll play it when I want a break from gathering.
I'm enjoying it so far. Gameplay and customization are cool; dialogue is stilted and melodramatic as usual; I'm not sure how I feel about the doomsday clock because all I want to do is just explore the crap out of Nova Chrysalia.
I've always hated countdown timers as a game mechanic for particular sets or moments, so I'm not sure how I feel about a whole game in which the clock is ticking. Don't get me wrong on the FFXIII series, Brendan. I've enjoyed these games a lot and hold them in higher esteem than most seem to. I enjoyed XIII more than XII. But that's not saying much, since I loved them both. I'm looking forward to Lightning Returns, even if Lightning is my least favourite character in the FFXIII world(s).
The countdown timer feels kind of oppressive at first but there's an ability called Chronostasis that freezes it and battling enemies replenishes the ability. On top of that, completing a "main quest" gives you an additional day but those can be really challenging. I think that what hurts LR the most (and it's a theme repeated in most of the negative reviews that I've read) is that "side quests" make up almost 90% of the game. I don't mind because the Dead Dunes and Wildlands are massive and fun to explore and filled with easter eggs (Atomos lights up at night in the Dunes! Etro's Gate wreckage is in Wildlands!) but I can completely understand how it would just sap someone of their enthusiasm for the game. This will be an interesting one to review in detail, that's for sure.