Anouncement- December will be a Month of Final Fantasy

All throughout the month of December, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I'll be dedicating every blog entry to analyzing the Final Fantasy series. On every blog entry I'll be giving a brief description of the plot of each game, analyzing the story, and the game elements. Why? Because besides the fact that I'm a fan of the series, Final Fantasy is a series that has, in many ways, influenced the RPG genre. Final Fantasy is one of the highest grossing video game franchises, and one of the most famous as well, so it makes sense to me that I take a short while to analyze the way this series has evolved through the years. Here is the schedule:

December 3- Final Fantasy 1
December 5- Final Fantasy 2
December 7- Final Fantasy 3
December 10- Final Fantasy 4
December 12- Final Fantasy 5
December 14- Final Fantasy 6
December 17- Final Fantasy 7
December 19- Final Fantasy 8
December 21- Final Fantasy 9
December 24- Final Fantasy 10
December 26- Final Fantasy 11
December 28- Final Fantasy 12
December 31- Final Fantasy 13

I am sorry that there is no room for Final Fantasy 14, and that I am only paying attention to the numbered Final Fantasies and not the side games, like Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, but there is simply no time, I'm afraid. It'll have to be for another time.

I'm very excited for this special series, and I hope you will join me in this analysis!

Legend of Dragoon- Did it deserve to become a franchise?

Back in 1997, Squaresoft released a little game on a system called the Playstation called Final Fantasy 7, which helped change the Role Playing Game from a niche genre to a mainstream darling, bringing video game narrative and presentation to previously unseen levels. For a bright, shining moment, the Japanese RPG was seen as the ultimate video game experience, bringing stories and characters that could rival anything that could be found in the best Oscar winning movies. During this time, the market saw a large number of RPG's, ranging in quality from excellent (Suikoden 2, Grandia) to mediocre (Evolution:The World of Sacred Device, Grandia 2) to just plain awful (Time Stalkers). Among this large clout of RPG's, there is one that stands out: Legend of Dragon, the first RPG made directly by Sony. This game was one that took many years of programming and design to make, and was released in America in the year 2000. It is a game that, in spite of the lukewarm critical response, has been considered a cult classic and a consumer favorite, often called one of the best games on the Playstation. But, did the game deserve better? Did the game have potential to be more, to make way for more?

Go go Power Rangers Dragoons!

Cool Boarders 2- A look back

I'd like to take today's entry to just shut my brain off and instead reminisce about a happy time in my childhood. Back in the year 1997, Sears was having a competition for the Playstation, which was back then really started to gain momentum. The first place prize was a Sony Playstation, the second was three free PS1 games of your choosing, and the third was two PS1 games. I came in second and picked 3 games: Final Fantasy 7, Primal Rage, and Cool Boarders 2. Though I am often an enemy of nostalgia, today I want to talk about what that last game meant to me.

Good times.

An Analysis of Suikoden 3

Although I adore Suikoden, I must admit that the third entry in the series is one that is rather divisive; you either love it or you hate it, and there are strong arguments that justify both positions. However, one thing that is not up to debate is that Suikoden 3 tried something very different from its predecessors, and in large parts succeeded in telling a very memorable story via a very unique Perspective system that allows the player to go through several Point of View characters. But what is Suikoden 3 about? Well, let's find out.

Learn from this- Grand Theft Auto 5

More than mindless entertainment, video games often provide us with subtle lessons that the programmers and writers want us to learn. Today, I take a good look at a few lessons that you can learn from that fantastic video game, Grand Theft Auto 5:

The Bechdel Test and Video Games

Today, I want to talk about something that a lot of people are passionate about: the female presence in gaming. Now, I know a lot of you are going to feel rather strongly about this sort of thing, so let's get a few things out of the way here: there are subjective views, and there are objective truths. A subjective view is saying that the gaming industry is misogynistic and ignores the female demographic. An objective truth is that female representation in video games is not to the level of the variety in male representation (less games featuring women are made in several genres, not as many female programmers and directors as men, etc). This is a really big deal for gaming culture, and one that needs a civilized discussion, which I know ALL sides of the spectrum are capable of doing. But today, I am not here to discuss if gaming is misogynistic, or anything similar; really, I just want to talk about the Bechdel Test in gaming.

For those that do not know what the Bechdel Test is, allow me to explain. The Test was first proposed by Alison Bechdel, the author of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, (That word is repeated solely because it is the title the author gave her work, no offence is meant), in a strip where one of her characters lays out the rules of the test, which are as follows:

1- The work needs to have two female characters
2- That have at least one conversation
3- About any topic other than a man.

Deep Sleep- a quick analysis

A free to play online game, Deep Sleep is a point-and-click horror game, reminiscent of old school adventure games like Return to Zork. In the game, you collect and use several normal, every day items in order to solve simple puzzles that require little more than logic or trial and error. It is also a very frightening game, one that will most likely give you nightmares. But what is it about?