Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Another Downfall in Storytelling?

Ready to save the world?  Again?  If you’re a diehard fan, you’ve already proven yourself against Exdeath, Kefka, Sephiroth, Ultimecia, Kuja, Sin, Seymour, and plenty of other Final Fantasy antagonists.  Last month, we brought you details on the next highly anticipated game in the series – XIII-2 – and here we are, already at the week of its release in North America and Europe. R... more.

Finished Skyrim and looking for another action RPG to delve into?  Have we got a game for you!  Set for release next week (February 7th in North America and February 10th in Europe), Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has some big name people behind it – executive designer Ken Rolston (lead designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), executive art director Todd... more.

There are many organizations that work toward the promotion of videogames, which is apparent in the emersion of video games in new sectors, such as museums and symphony halls.  Maybe someday there will be just as many organizations promoting video games as producing them.  You never know. One such organization is worth bringing up, as its upcoming event will be of interest to gamers worldwid... more.

If I were to ask you “What mysteries are among the most widely debated in the gaming world?” what immediately comes to mind?  It probably wouldn’t take you long to come up with the timeline for the Zelda series.  Beginning with The Legend of Zelda and releasing a complicated string of games since A Link to the Past, the Zelda series is the most confusing series we have. As more Zelda games... more.

Scandinavia – land of the midnight sun and free college tuition; home to Vikings, IKEA, and Legos.  This region of Northern Europe (including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and sometimes Finland and Iceland) is often omitted from the itinerary of world travelers visiting Europe, though it is rich in cultural and history. I find that when I talk to Americans about Sweden, they often forget the name ... more.

Third person shooters have such engaging gameplay as it is that not much else is necessary to make these games a hit.  After all, how can you beat gunning down man after man, monster after monster, zombie after zombie?  The upcoming game Inversion takes third person shooters one step farther by throwing zero gravity and vector changes into the mix. Shifting gravity in a third person shooter �... more.

Too bad this wasn’t out in time for the holidays.  The Silent Hill Collection consists of Silent Hill 2 and 3 with new voiceovers and high-definition graphics.  Not long to wait now – just two weeks before the collection is released (January 24th in the US and January 27th in Europe and Australia). Silent Hill 2 was released in Fall 2001 for the PS2 and Xbox and Silent Hill 3 in Summer 20... more.

How many video game music downloads are on your iPod?  The music from video games is so addictive, you sometimes can’t get enough of it from just playing the game.  Not only have symphonic renditions of music appeared in video games, but video game music has appeared in symphony halls around the world. I spent much of my life going to classical concerts – symphony performances, the opera ... more.

What do zombies have to do with Planet Earth?  Everything! – according to game developers for The Last of Us. A segment of Planet Earth featured a parasitic fungus that takes over the brains of ants, protruding grotesquely from their heads.  Sounds plenty sci-fi to me!  Apparently there are thousands of these kinds of fungi, each of which can take over the brains of different species.  And t... more.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 has hit stores in Japan!  Lucky gamers…It’s times like these I wish I knew Japanese and had a boatload of dough to ship the game back to the States.  Remember the super special PlayStation 3 slim console that came out in Japan? – entirely white with a large pink image of Lightning spread across the console.  If you had an issue with all that pink, there is now a Final... more.