Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Three heavy hitters out now!

Today is March 17th, and you know what that means? Yes, it is St. Patrick's Day, but besides that... It's the day when three heavy hitters come out, and a VERY much anticipated demo! After a VERY LONG wait, Final Fantasy Type-0 has finally been released outside of Japan, the Final Fantasy XV (which used to be Final Fantasy Versus XIII) demo is out for those who buy it, and we also have Battlefield Hardline and the full disc release of Resident Evil Revelations 2. But, what's so special about these games you might ask? Well, let's get into them a little bit more and find out.

Final Fantasy Type-0:

If you're a fan of JRPGs, Final Fantasy Type-0 may be the PS4 or Xbox One game you've been waiting for. Originally released on the PSP back in 2011, this was a Japanese exclusive that really changed the way players looked at the Final Fantasy series. Unlike others which follow your band of heroes as they travel the world, Type-0 has you taking control of different members from "Class Zero" at a military academy. The game has no true "main" character, and it focuses more on the school life of these characters, as well as the war they are caught up in. While inbetween missions, the game plays out in an almost Persona-like way, with you choosing which events to take part in, and advancing the time in game as well. Characters build relationships, take part in optional events, take care of chocobo, and do just about whatever else it is you want them to do. You're in control of these character's lives during this time, but once a story mission happens you are thrown out into the world map (which is rarely seen in Final Fantasy games now days) and forced to fight for your survival. While the world map has random encounters, during missions all enemies appear on the field, and battles play out in real time. Players are asked to pick three characters to make up a party, and they are given the option to switch between all three to pull off strategic attacks. The game also has a huge focus on dodging and timing attacks, but planning is pretty important, and key if you plan on staying alive.

Although Type-0 isn't your standard turn based Final Fantasy, it's a game with a much darker story (first Final Fantasy to receive an M rating in the US), unique gameplay, and a ton of content to keep you busy for some time. It's also a game that's meant to be replayed time and time again, and because of that each playthrough will allow you to see different events, and play the game differently in general. It's a massive title that used to be PSP exclusive, but now it's here in the west in remastered HD.

Final Fantasy XV Demo:

As an added bonus, anyone who preordered Type-0 will receive the demo for Final Fantasy XV. This is something fans have been waiting for, for many years, and now for the first time they can experience a small part of it for themselves. The demo includes a large open area for you to explore, enemies to fight, and it gives you a small taste of what the final product will be like. While it may be just a demo, this one is huge and may have even got people to buy Type=0 just for it.

Battlefield Hardline:

The latest entry in the Battlefield series, and a step away from the norm. Rather than taking place in some war zone, Hardline takes to the city streets and focuses on the life of cops and robbers. While the game's single player plays out like a TV Crime Drama, the online multiplayer takes the Battlefield many of us know and love, and throws in some new twists to make this title stand out from the others. Sure your standard game modes are there (such as conquest), but there's also new modes such as one where robbers try to steal, and cops try to defend. Unlike in other Battlefields, this one also has a bit more of a focus on using standard cars and other vehicles to your advantage, and it also makes some improvements to the overall Battlefield formula. Sure this one may not be developed by DICE, but from what we've seen in the beta, it's a game worth looking into. (Of course we understand if you're a bit iffy towards it as well -- especially after what happened with Battlefield 4's launch.)

Resident Evil Revelations 2:

This one isn't really a "new" game, but it's coming out today none the less. Originally released over the past few weeks in episodic parts, Revelations 2 is a semi-sequel to Resident Evil Revelations, which originally launched as a 3DS exclusive. While the game isn't a direct follow up, it takes the Revelations formula, improves upon it, and throws us into a new story in a new location following two new groups of characters -- one of which is lead by Claire, and the other being lead by series fan favorite Barry. Just like Revelations before it, the game has a focus on both shooting and survival, and this time around stealth elements are thrown in as well. Characters can now sneak up on enemies to instantly kill them, and "support" characters (whom you can switch to at any time) can back up Claire/Barry by either blinding the enemy, or by seeing where they are through walls. The two character set up is also used to solve some light puzzles (similar to Resident Evil Zero, or the co-op in Resident Evil 5 and 6), but these moments are very few and far between. On top of that, Raid mode from Revelations 1 returns as well, which has you playing as your favorite character as you slaughter enemies, gain experience, level up, unlock weapons, and level up said weapon's skills to take on bigger and badder enemies. It's a fun extra mode, and one you can easily spend hundreds of hours on -- especially if you want to level every character up, and unlock all medals. It's also great for co-op.


Well, that about does it. For those of you who plan on getting any of the above games (or all three), all I can say is... Have fun! (I know I will!)