Multi-platform game differentiation a plus

Dragon Age producer Fernando Melo has told gamasutra that having clear platform differentiation "paid off" for Dragon Age. DA:O was originally created as a PC game and then brought over to the console market for XBox 360 and PS3, but it was not done as a direct port, instead having many components specifically tailored to the individual systems. For example, the battle system managed to be intuitive for both PC and console versions, as more controls are easily accessible via keyboard to PC gamers (top left pic), whereas in the console versions the shoulder buttons were used in conjunction with the front-facing buttons to provide easy access to multiple menus without being overwhelming (top right pic). The general vision of differentiated versions has turned out to be a great move on BioWare's part, garnering best game awards for both PC and console versions. As a mainly console-based gamer myself, I hope that other developers follow suit in providing solid, version-appropriate games going forward.

In related news, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening is out tomorrow!

Final Fantasy XIII review

It is with a heavy heart that I write the following: Squenix has sacrificed fun gameplay in favor of being pretty and story-heavy. I am about 15 hours into the game and I can verify what other reviewers have alleged; FFXIII is beautiful and boring. I have been a fan of the series since its inception on the NES and even made it through FFVIII without a problem (although I wouldn't want to replay it), but the fact of the matter is, FFXIII has failed to captivate me. A list will best illustrate the pros and cons of playing this game:

Pros:

• Visually stunning, maybe the best in-game graphics I've ever seen.
• Interesting storyline.
• Paradigm shifts in battle have potential.
• The Crystarium is a fun leveling device.
• Music is appropriate.

Cons:

• Extremely linear to the point of boredom. The pace is set by the game, not the player.
• The camera is awful. It bobs around, making me dizzy, and always seems to default to looking out higher than the field of vision I want.
• Walk in a straight line for 5 minutes, then watch 5 minute long cutscene. Repeat. Enough with the cutscenes; I was hoping to play a video game, not watch a movie.
• Ridiculously melodramatic voice acting. Lightning can't possibly be 21; she sounds like my angsty 15 year-old cousin. And don't get me started on how annoying Vanille's voice is, or the fact that she can't stop exclaiming, giggling and breathing heavily for 5 seconds.
• Normal battles = easy, repetitive, no thinking necessary. Boss battles = sharp increase in difficulty that the player is simply not prepared for.
• Damage in battle is difficult to see. I can't tell which abilities are causing more damage than others.
• Auto-battle vs. selecting abilities manually: auto-battle is much more efficient than I am; the AI is frighteningly good. In normal battles, there is little point in trying to choose the best abilities to use in the 5 seconds you will be fighting, and in boss battles, it is hard enough just trying to Paradigm Shift in time to save your main character.
• You cannot control the actions of the two characters in your party who are not the main character. With FFXII, you could set up Gambits so at least the characters were doing what you told them. In XIII, I feel like I am just watching the computer play the game for me.
• Why is it Game Over when your main character dies? This is insane. The other members of your party don't know how to use a Phoenix Down? The worst part is that healing (thus far) is difficult as your main character is usually someone who does not have the Medic specialization, so you must either use a potion or hope that the Medic in your party heals you in time. There is little control.
• The game tries to prevent the player from having to grind by capping growth in the Crystarium in each chapter, but all this does is make the player feel even more as though his/her actions are irrelevant to moving the game forward.

I will stick it out with FFXIII for the time being in the small hope that it will improve later in the game, but at this point, the release of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening tomorrow is looking better and better.

Overall rating: 6/10

RPG Madness - Days of Note

It's a good time to be an RPG-lover, unless of course you cherish your social life. The following games have either just released or will be out shortly as noted. Time to take a vacation from work and invest in a mini-fridge; you won't be leaving the apartment for weeks (a conservative estimate).

Heavy Rain: PS3, released February 23. Sold over 500,000 copies in a week and there's a good reason for that. Check out GameInformer's review for details.

Final Fantasy XIII: PS3 and XBox 360 (goodbye Sony exclusivity), to be released March 9. The January trailer promises yet another gorgeous installment in the series.

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening: PS3, XBox 360 and PC, to be released March 16. Another new character has been revealed - details on Kotaku.com.

We're looking at another 200+ hours of gameplay between the above three games. Get ready to buckle down; RPGs are serious business.