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What killed ‘Final Fantasy’

When I start an article off with a title like “What Killed Final Fantasy”, I can only assume that some readers will agree that it’s dead and be intrigued, some readers will be offended at my insult to their favourite gaming franchise, and the rest will be Square Enix’s current demographic: the artistically blind. Final …

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‘Cibele’ and rewriting the language of perspective in digital storytelling

Cibele Developer: Star Maid Games Platforms: PC and Mac Available through Steam, Humble Store, and Itch for $8.99 Nina Freeman (@hentaiphd) is known for her unorthodox approach to games and game development. The most noted quality of her games is their autobiographical nature, with many of them based on formative experiences from her past. She …

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5 Female sidekicks who outshine their male leads

  With Girl Power in Gaming, we’re exploring the role of females in our favorite hobby for the month of September. The series will attempt to explore gender dynamics, pre-assigned roles and both positive and negative examples of female characterization in the digital world. From Bayonetta to Lara Croft, there are a good amount of …

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Rinoa Heartilly cheerfully subverts gender roles in ‘Final Fantasy VIII’

With Girl Power in Gaming, we’re exploring the role of females in our favorite hobby for the month of September. The series will attempt to explore gender dynamics, pre-assigned roles and both positive and negative examples of female characterization in the digital world.  In many Final Fantasy titles, and RPGs in general, the game begins with …

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Cruel fate makes for good gaming in ‘Final Fantasy Adventure’

Much like the role-playing genre, life is a grind. Responsibility to others and the duties required by circumstance make up any honorable existence where you can’t always get what you want. It’s hard, no way around it, and it doesn’t let up until the end of the game. It’s no wonder then that many of …

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E3 2015: ‘Kingdom Hearts III’ rewards ten years of patience with action-heavy debut

It’s been a full ten years since the last numbered Kingdom Hearts entry, and as such, Kingdom Hearts III has been the product of much anticipation since dropping its first few tidbits back in June 2014. Finally we now have our first look at the game in proper form, with dynamic, action-packed gameplay being showcased and a split-level …

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E3 2015: ‘Final Fantasy VII’ remake is actually happening

Sony unleashed at their 2015 E3 press conference what may be the most ultimate fan service announcement ever: Square is remaking one of the best role-playing games of all time, Final Fantasy VII, for the new generation. Something that gamers have been clamoring for since being teased with technical demo footage back at 2005’s E3, the Final Fantasy VII …

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‘Final Fantasy VIII’: Ultimecia is every bit as epic as her name suggests

There’s a particularly telling moment toward the end of Final Fantasy VIII that really lets you know what kind of finale you’re in for. After a climactic space battle with the sorceress, Adel, players are blasted through time, 1000 years into the future, to face their true foe. When they arrive they find the last members of a dead army, their dead army, still valiantly committed to fighting the war against evil. Unfortunately, they have failed. As the party traverses a desolate landscape, littered with their dead comrades, a mournfully operatic tune evokes a sense of menace to this already horrific future. Finally the player crosses a giant chain, one of many, that holds Ultimecia’s Gothic castle aloft in the sky.

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‘Final Fantasy XIII-2’ remains one of the greatest RPGs of our time

One of the most common requests that has reverberated from the RPG community has been the desire for a true Chrono Trigger successor. What fans have spent years pining for was the dream of a modern game that featured all of the great ideas which made CT the instant classic that it was: time-travel, vastly different timelines, paradoxes, and choices that showed consequences over the course of thousands of years. What very few people realize is that this highly anticipated ideal of a game has already come and gone under a different title: Final Fantasy XIII-2.

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‘Final Fantasy VII’ and a titanic step forward for RPGs

Anyone old enough to remember gaming in the 90s would, of course, remember the huge splash that Final Fantasy VII made when it first arrived back in the autumn of 1997. Preceded by a mountain of hype, a massive advertising campaign, and a price tag that signified it as the most expensive game ever produced, FFVII had a heady and hefty weight on its shoulders before it even stepped out of the gate.

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‘Final Fantasy X’ and the End of 9999

RPGs stand as arguably the most punishing, demanding, and time consuming of all video game genres. An RPG (or role-playing game) is essentially a command-based adventure which takes place under a fantastical pretense, generally fantasy, sci-fi or a combination of the two. As such, since its general inception in the 8o’s (inspired by D&D, and other pen and paper games), RPGs have come with a set of rules that were very rarely deviated from, and almost never broken.

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HD Remakes: Where Convenience Meets Nostalgia

Of the many trends that have taken off this console generation, one of the finest is certainly the idea of the HD Remake…and why wouldn’t it be? I mean, what’s not to love? First and foremost is the convenience factor. Giving players the ability to play games that they know and love without having to …

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‘Kingdom Hearts’: Making the Impossible, Possible

Final Fantasy and Disney together in one universe. Logically, it sounds like a terrible idea. Yet Kingdom Hearts, an action role-playing game, has managed to harmoniously bring these two extremely different universes together, reaffirming the old saying “opposites attract.” In fact, Kingdom Hearts is six games strong, with a seventh in the works, has won several awards, and is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time.

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