Yearly Archives: 2019

Spacelords Reveals Upcoming Character, Sööma

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Inspired by and interpreted by Dutch actress Stefani Joosten, Spacelords revealed a new character, Sööma, which is coming in Q2 2019. Joosten lent her image to this character, who will be a member of the Umbra Wardogs faction. Born in the Cydonia region, she is a part of a cult devoted to helping those who suffer oppression and pain.

“Sööma is a truly interesting character to play with,” said Stefanie Joosten. “She can absorb the damage suffered by her allies, but that power comes with a price for her to pay. It is really exciting seeing my character coming to life, and  can’t wait for Sööma to be released!”

Ragachak’s Worst RPG Party Members Part II

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by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Today’s Theme: Final Fantasy Characters!

Retro Review Chrono Trigger - Magus

So, I was really torn on today’s list. There are some characters that I’m going to get a lot (and I mean a lot of heat), so I’m going to do something far more enjoyable – nitpick at Final Fantasy characters! There are by now, well over a hundred Final Fantasy characters. There are bound to be some disappointments, and fortunately, I didn’t have to look far. Some games have more than one disappointment, like for example Final Fantasy XIII! I was really torn between the entire cast, except for Sazh, who is arguably pretty amazing. He has incredible character development, he’s snarky, fun to use, and has an adorable Chocobo chick. My toss-up here was going to be Snow, who is “generic bland anime character”. He’s bland, he’s boring, and he just runs in, yells “I’m the hero!” and punches stuff. B-O-R-I-N-G. Another game that’s hard to pick from is Final Fantasy Tactics. 

Game Boy Longplay [078] The Final Fantasy Legend (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube

Final Fantasy 1-3 are left off this time because those characters are mostly generic and tedious. Final Fantasy 5  gets a pass because honestly? Everyone is good! 3 and 5 are mostly blank slates and are character-class based, instead of having defined roles. But at least Final Fantasy 5‘s cast is pretty fun to see interact. I’m not going to cover all of the games in the series on that note, just a few of my (least) favorites in no particular order. So, let’s get started with the salt and anger, since that’s what you’re all here for! Games like Suikoden, Chrono Cross, and others have to wait until I can sit back down with them again.

Worst RPG Characters FF Edition -Hope

Ugh …

5. Hope (Final Fantasy XIII): Hope has a fairly sound reason for being upset – his mother is killed right in front of him. However, he unfairly blames Snow (who let Hope’s mom join in the defense). She died so that her son could live, and he blames someone else, which is pretty awful. All told, he also has terrible stats and more often than not wound up dying in combat instead of doing something useful. Everyone else in the party basically does what he does, but better. This is doubly obvious since it’s a class-based system, where you can customize your teams and swap them out on the fly. Hope almost makes Final Fantasy XIII an unplayable game. Most of the cast is lackluster, but he’s just a whiny little jerk. Hope is just the worst.

Worst RPG Characters FF Edition - Vaan

Can you pick which of these is the main character?

4. Vaan (Final Fantasy XII): During Final Fantasy XII’s time, it was en vogue to have blank slate heroes, that have nothing to contribute to the story, other than being a vessel for the player. I’m not a fan of these, and Vaan is exceptionally boring. I’d like to pair him with Penelo too though, but she at least has a little personality, compared to the ultra-boring Van. He’s even worse in the standard release of FFXII because he doesn’t even get a character class. The Remake/International Release have character classes, so at least you can mold Van into something useful in battle, if not in the story. Literally, any character you pick up in Final Fantasy XII could be the hero, and the argument is strong in many of those cases. Van’s boring, he’s annoying, and with the standard license system, he’s just as clunky as everyone else.

Worst RPG Characters FF Edition - Kimahri

HORNLESS! HORNLESS! HAH HAH.

3. Kimahri (Final Fantasy X): Now Final Fantasy X is one of my all-time favorites. The only must-use characters to me are Yuna and Auron if I’m being 100% honest. I know that’s not altogether popular – but I am not good enough to get Lulu’s ultimate weapon. Instead, I use Yuna’s, and send her through Lulu’s path. But Kimahri has no path of his own! Is it because his main ability is to learn the abilities of enemy fiends? That would make him redeemable if he didn’t have to have his Overdrive in order to use them! Then there’s the fact that you can only use one, then you have to fill that meter up again. Many of his abilities are mediocre at best, and he cannot walk his own path. He can only walk the path of his friends, and that’s disappointing. On the positive side, I can use him as a surrogate Wakka, making it so I can use Wakka’s abilities way more often, thanks to Kimahri’s fantastic Mana Pool. As a character, he’s interesting – stoic, aloof, powerful. But his mechanics are incredibly, woefully disappointing.

Worst RPG Characters FF Edition - Relm

This was… funny but awkward.

2. Relm (Final Fantasy VI): Relm can be used to absolutely break Final Fantasy VI, with the various Sketch glitches. But other than that, she only serves to link Shadow and Strago to the team. Without her, you can’t get Strago back in the second half of the game. . . but is that really so great? I can just use Gogo to wield lores, and Gau can function in that capacity too. After all, Gau can use enemy powers without consuming MP. Sketch and Control are neat, but are they useful? Can you control Bosses? Nope! More often than not, Sketch does nothing useful or overpowered. I like her as the “super-talented little girl with mysterious powers”, and her interactions with Edgar are pretty damn funny, but other than that, she’s largely forgettable. With Espers, you can build your party to be anything you want them to be, but there are (like Celes) people who do her job infinitely better. If I can be honest, I’d rather have Gau than both Strago and Relm.

Worst RPG Characters FF Edition - Cait Sith

Don’t count on this happening often.

1. Cait Sith (Final Fantasy VII): In Final Fantasy VII, everyone receives a wealth of options for improving their Limit Breaks. Four levels of Limit Breaks, two per level (except level 4). Then there’s Cait Sith! He gets two options, and both are mediocre, and that’s being generous. Sure, you can use Slots to break the game and always win every battle automatically. That’s something I’ll leave to talented speedrunners. For your average player, you have just as great a chance for it to disappoint as it does to delight. Your ultimate attacks shouldn’t have a chance to just let you down and waste that time you spent building it (lookin’ at you, Tifa). From a character perspective, I don’t mind Cait Sith. He has a real moment of redemption, where he turns to really be a hero, instead of just a spy. Even with that, there are people that are ultimately just better – you know, the whole cast. That includes Red XIII, and I’ve made it clear that he’s one of the weakest party members to me. Even Aeris, who dies still brings more to the team than Cait Sith.

 

Fate/Extella LINK Review (PS4)

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by Jason Parker (Ragachak)
 

I’ve been watching anime since the 80s, and I’ve yet to come across a more complex or confusing franchise than FATE by Type-Moon. I’m sure that the product exists, but I have yet to find it. From what I’ve gathered, Fate revolves around a powerful computer that creates these anime versions of history’s most legendary heroes: Nero, Tamamo, Cuchulainn, Lu Bu, Darius III, Robin Hood, and so many more. Fate/Stay Night originated as a visual novel, which has branched out into a wide variety of genres. A great deal of the story seems to involve wars over the Holy Grail, and everyone covets it for its power. Fate/Extella LINK takes place after one of these wars, which Nero Claudius and her Master won and control Rome. Fate is one of the few games I’ve reviewed that I feel need a glossary if you’re new to the franchise. Most RPGs have keywords that are easy to remember. But in Fate, you have Masters (that’s you; they control the Servants), Servants (the legendary heroes in question), and Moon Cell (the Holy Grail).

The Fate/Extella games are more in the vein of Dynasty Warriors, where you control one of the Servants, who each have a class (Saber, Rider, Lancer, Berserker, et cetera), and demolish thousands of digital villains and their masters (Aggressors – Lieutenants). The enemy forces also have their own Servants, some of which used to fight side-by-side with the heroes in this game, but all gets revealed in time. While you usually don’t have to clear or secure all of the Fields, having more of them controlled gives you a higher rating at the end of a stage, and more exp is never a bad thing. The maps are pretty big, and you can use your “Command Seals” to teleport to key points on the map if need be. That’s an interesting thing, Command Seals. You get three of them a map, and can use them to teleport to any field you have access to (not including fields that are locked off), revive with full health, or you can use all three to fill all of your gauges. It adds another level of tactics, and a comeback if you’re overwhelmed.

Fate Extella Link Review 3_PM

Combat is fast and furious. It can be a little hard to keep track with all the cool powers going off though.

One of the only things I hate about the game’s levels is that you don’t seem to have a Run/Dash ability. Instead, you spam your Dash ability and you roll/leap. I do sort of wish you could just hold it down. Combat is incredibly simple, and fans of the older Dynasty Warriors games will eat this up, no matter how complicated the story is. I know I sure did. You start off with just a few of the servants, but as you complete stages, more of them unlock for you to pick from, though you only use one at a time. You will be able to take a pair of them in with you to defend you at key moments though. Depending on that Servant’s characteristics, they might leap in to block an attack, or help you during Rush Attacks. Since you’re also the Master, you really don’t do all that much in that role. Having your Master die typically means game over, but they are key to utilizing these Servants.

Each stage is broken up into fields, and each of those fields is color-coded. The Blue Fields are yours and the Red Fields belong to the enemy. Each Red Field will have at least three Aggressors in them, which act as the generic Lieutenants that must be beaten to gain command of the Field and move on. If there are other Servants here, they must be defeated also. As a Servant, you have two main attacks, Light (Square) and Heavy (Triangle). You also have two Meters that, when filled,  have new attacks for you to use. Circle (Blue Meter) is your Moon Drive/Drive Skill. The first press activates Moon Drive, which increases your attack and effectiveness in battle. Killing enemies during Moon Drive/Drive Skill gives you yellow Mana Crystals, which build your other meter, Noble Phantasm.

Fate Extella Link Review 2_PM

Whoosh!~

Hitting Circle again lets you use whatever that Servants Drive Skill is, which is effective in blowing up lots of enemies nearby. Noble Phantasm is a big anime cutscene attack that absolutely decimates whatever you’re dealing with. It won’t always kill everyone, but it sure gets close. It’s awesome, and it’s worth remembering to build and use these meters as needed. Sure, it’s fun to dash around and mash Light/Heavy combos, but you have one more awesome combat option: Active Skills. Each Servant starts with three, but unlock more to utilize and swap in/out as you please. These are used by holding R1 and then one of your four face buttons. These vary depending on character/class but are flashy, showy, and awesome. They also have cooldowns, so you can’t just spam them.

On the note of combat, you also have “Rush Attacks”, which I mentioned earlier. These are attacks where you knock up a Servant into the air, and mash Square as fast as you can. It’s not made clear in the game or in the tutorials what causes these, but I received them frequently by attacking, comboing those into any skill that could potentially knock someone into the air. This is free damage where the enemy can’t fight back. Any time you get one, abuse it and mash hard, mash fast. There are also clashes, which aren’t adequately explained. When two Servants clash and attack at the same time, it can trigger a battle where you mash Square again (very fast). Whichever wins deals damage, and knocks the other back.

Fate Extella Link Review 8_PM

Okay, so not everyone in this game is a Hero.. enter serial Child Murderer, Gilles de Rais.

While clearing Fields, you’ll also receive something called QP – Quantum Points. This is a currency used in-game, and you can receive an absolute ton of them simply by performing well. These can be used in a variety of ways like the “Money is Power” system and Mystic Codes. Mystic Codes are basically items you create that give you a temporary buff. Completing a stage with an EX Rank gives a Mystic Code+, which is a better version of its initial version. The game does not differentiate in difficulty, so you don’t need to grind on Hard to get these. “Money is Power” is a great system as well. I spend a lot of time playing as one or two characters (Nero and Tamamo), but as I unlock characters, I want to at least try them out. You can spend QP to increase a Servants level, with a cap of the highest Servant you have. This takes away an incredible amount of grinding and made me very happy.
 

The stages are very colorful, and though there aren’t quite as many as I’d hope for, the ones on offer are beautiful, and the wild contrasting colors are a nice change of pace from the Dynasty Warriors franchise that I’m used to. It feels like I’m blasting my way through anime episodes, and that’s awesome. When you aren’t in battle through, you’re in Charlemagne’s Noble Phantasm – conveniently, a gigantic floating military base. It only has three areas to explore, and Servants you’ve unlocked occasionally mill about to talk to, and sometimes offer you challenges to complete. This area is nice, quick to navigate, and compacts everything you need in one or two easy spots.

Your Room: Here you select your servant, equip Mystic Cores, create new Mystic Cores, and customize your Servant. You can change their Active Skills here, level them up with Money is Power, check out that servants Profile/Voices/Character view, as well as their Bond Level. This is also where you install skills, and change their costume if you have them.

Barracks: This is where all of the Servants reside. You can go and talk to them here to unlock more events. This also shows you who you have hanging around in your faction, which is nice.

Strategy Room: This is the Ready Room for your next mission. You can select a Servant here, their Support Team (along with seeing what those Supports do), equip Mystic Cores, check out Tutorials, and see your Side Missions. You can have up to five Side Missions, and completing that characters Side Mission will increase your bond with them. Leveling up a servants bond lets you equip more skills, gives a costume, and increases their effectiveness in battle.

Install Skills are important as well. This is where a major part of your Servants power comes from. As you complete stages, side missions, and demolish enemies, you’ll pick up colored orbs that are called Install Skills. You have three colors – Yellow (Support), Red (Attack), and Blue (Defense). As you can see, there is also a series of trees you unlock as you level up your bond with a Servant. Having the same colors on the same tree with increase their effectiveness, so plan carefully what you will put where. In addition, the more you have of an Install Skill, the greater its power will be, so it behooves well of you to do as much damage as possible. Don’t skip fields!

Fate Extella Link Review 16_PM

Ah, yes. Tamamo no Mae – Fox Cop.

There is also a PVP mode! That’s right, there’s a multiplayer mode with a King of the Hill style battle, where two teams of Servants (4v4) team up to control choke points on a map. You pick a servant and a loadout, and the first to fill up their bar by holding these points wins. There’s only one point at a time, and it periodically shifts around. If you don’t have a match after a period of time, the game will match you with AI. It was me and another player, each of us having three AI Servants. It does not look like you can use your levels/skills you use for the main story, so that’s great. It all boils down to how well you know the Servants, but you can play as everyone, even people you haven’t unlocked, so when there are more people online, this mode could really be a lot of fun and something to distract you from the main game.
 

Wait. . . Why Does Artoria look like Nero?! 3.5/5 (Good)

While Fate/Extella LINK is terribly fun, and I’ve enjoyed it quite a lot, it’s not exactly a long game. It has 19 stages for the main story, and then there are the Extra Stages which offer an additional challenge. It does have replay value for playing as the other characters, but I don’t know if even the ten extra characters would entice anyone who isn’t a hardcore fan to pick it up. The story is pretty confusing to a newcomer, so that’s a potential turn-off. The gameplay isn’t ground-breaking to the Musou genre, but it is still fun. However, the leveling up seems to be more lenient compared to previous games in the series, and there are some incredibly high-level challenges awaiting. Fate/Extella Link does have one of the absolute worst cameras I’ve ever experienced. It gets lost and sometimes just frankly confused. The smaller the area, the harder it is to control. Not to mention, you can’t lock onto someone unless you’re actively staring at them. Some of the Servants are stronger than others, so you can tackle some of this stuff at a much lower level, with some skill and a little know-how.
 
Fate/Extella Link Screenshots: