Tag: Hironobu Sakaguchi

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 37

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 37

carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads – including arcade flyers – from the 1970s to the 1990s.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Cabal Japanese arcade flyer/poster

Can you feel the action and intensity here?

When it was first released in video arcades in Japan in late 1988, Cabal was another game inspired by military action movies of Hollywood which explains the art work done for the arcade flyer and poster shown above. The Vietnam War was still fresh in people’s minds and the concept of having one or two players firing their weapons against enemy soldiers resonated with gamers who saw Hollywood’s military action flicks. That said, it is not surprising that Cabal became a huge hit in Japan before getting released in arcades around the world.

2. Willows Japanese arcade flyer

The front.
The rear.

Remember the 1988 high fantasy adventure film Willow? That film was produced by George Lucas and was a bold new production of Lucasfilm shifting away from Star Wars. Believe it or not, an official arcade game adaptation of Willow was made by Capcom and they promoted it by having images of Val Kilmer and Warwick Davis on the front of the arcade flyer (opposite the illustrated versions of their characters). The game, which was a side-scrolling platform game with run-and-gun elements, went on to be an arcade hit in Japan and eventually pleased gamers worldwide.

3. Super Punch-Out!! North American print ad

This is funny to look at.

Historically, Nintendo’s Punch-Out!! series started in the arcade in 1984 and the first game was the result of the company’s effort to make a new game using arcade cabinets with two screens. The 2nd game – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! – became a huge critical and commercial hit (over 2 million copies sold in 1988) on console and it made great business sense for Nintendo for release another Punch-Out!! for its console gamers to enjoy in the comfort of home. In 1994, Super Punch-Out!! was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in America and to promote it, the company came up with a hilarious 2-page ad that showed fictional high school graduates with boxing-related injuries. The imagery creatively connected with the words “biggest Punch-Out ever” and “Graduating Class of ‘94”.

4. EA Sports 3-in-1 SNES games print ad

EA Sports games on the SNES.

In 1994, Electronic Arts (EA) released their sports games NBA Live 95, NHL 95 and Madden NFL 95 for consoles at the time. Even though the Sega Genesis sold better than Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in America at the time, EA went on to aggressively market their 3 sports video games on Nintendo’s console using a 3-in-1 games print ad. In retrospect, the SNES for the most part had better graphics and sounds than the Genesis which is reflected clearly on EA Sports games of the time. This print ad still looks fun and exciting.  

5. Atari Jaguar CD print ad

Were you able to play any game on the Atari Jaguar with the CD add-on included?

Apart from the obvious advances of technology that impacted video games, the 1990s is also known for the rise of CD-ROM as a medium for gaming. In an effort to boost sales of the Atari Jaguar console (launched in America in 1993 for around $250) and capitalize on the trust of the fans and console owners, Atari launched a CD-ROM add-on device for about $150 in 1995. To promote it, the company went aggressive with the 2-page ad showing the add-on fully connected on top of the main console, showing off some games and posting a text description emphasizing hardware power and the advantages that come with the CD technology. Even in the captured image, the Atari Jaguar CD still resembled a toilet. This is an aggressive ad campaign that failed as less than 20,000 Atari Jaguar CD units were sold by the time it was discontinued in 1996.

6. 3DO print ad

While it lacks intensity, this 3DO ad emphasized the games.

Without showing any hardware, the 3DO Company came up with this 2-page print ad that had a slightly adulterated tone (look at the left page) and aggressively marketed the 3DO console games available at the time. Games like Demolition Man, Shock Wave, Road Rash and Super Street Fighter II Turbo were the standout titles which clearly showed the company made the effort to emphasize gaming more than multimedia features. This 1990s ad tackled the generations with a touch of humor.

7. Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters Sega Genesis print ad

This is a fun ad to look at.

When Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters was released in the arcades in 1994, it became a commercial success for Konami which went on to announce it would port the game to consoles of Nintendo and Sega at the time. While the port for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was never released, Lethal Enforcers II: Gun Fighters made its way to the Sega Genesis and Sega CD. The print ad of the Sega Genesis version (Sega CD mentioned in small text) had an inspired design emphasizing the Old West, shooting and the conflict between cowboys and Indians. The screenshots gave people the clear idea that Old West was the setting (versus modern day in the previous game). This is still fun to look at.

8. Syphon Filter

Syphon Filter went on to become a surprise hit game in 1999.

In 1999, Sony’s 989 Studios released Syphon Filter exclusively on the PlayStation console. This single-page print ad showed a few screenshots on the bottom and several action snippets with a night vision touch ultimately emphasizing the stealth aspect within the gameplay. The marketing proved to be effective as the game sold a lot at retail and went on to establish a new game franchise exclusive to PlayStation consoles.

9. Parasite Eve II Japanese print ad

Were you a big fan of Aya Brea and the Parasite Eve franchise in the late 1990s?

Following the critical and commercial success of Parasite Eve in 1998, SquareSoft proceeded with Parasite Eve II and the production (note: initially for a spin-off game before becoming a sequel) did not even involve the main creators of the first game. Instead the company had a different team of developers – including those who previously worked on Resident Evil games for Capcom – in Osaka to make the sequel. This explains why Parasite Eve II had stronger survival horror gameplay resembling a Resident Evil game. As major changes were made during the production, it was decided that Aya Brea would become the main protagonist and already the character was already popular with gamers. That being said, the marketing of Parasite Eve II for the Japanese market heavily featured Aya Brea with subtle sexiness, beauty and action in mind. The marketing intensified leading to its eventual December 16, 1999 release in Japan.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 36

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 36

carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads – including arcade flyers – from the 1970s to the 1990s.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Super Contra North American arcade flyer

Have you seen many Hollywood action movies of the 1980s? Does this arcade flyer remind you of something?

After Konami struck gold with Contra in 1987, it was inevitable that sequels and spin-offs will be made. In 1988, they released the follow-up Super Contra in the arcades and to promote it in America, the company came up with artwork that easily gave gamers the impression they are seeing Sylvester Stallone as a fantasized Rambo and another armed guy who might remind them of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Commando or Dutch in Predator. To capitalize on the movie references even more, the American arcade flyer had the line “He’s not human. He’s not alien. He’s the predator!!” As it was the 1980s, this creative approach to promotion was not surprising as Konami and its game makers were influenced by Hollywood movies.

2. Double Dragon II: The Revenge North American arcade flyer

The artwork used in this arcade flyer remains intriguing to look at.

I never played Double Dragon II: The Revenge in the arcade, but I played it on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). That being said, I was surprised to see how this old North American arcade flyer has the same hand-drawn artwork used on the cover of the NES version. Take note that the arcade game was released in 1988 while the NES port was released in early 1990. I can only guess that Technos decided to use the same artwork not only for convenience but to have a definitive image emphasizing Double Dragon II to gamers wherever they are.

3. Devastators North American arcade flyer

The front.
The rear.

Devastators is another Konami arcade game that had a strong war theme and it was influenced by Hollywood action films of the 1980s. This particular arcade flyer for the North American market is almost identical with the Japanese arcade flyer as both have the same artwork on the front and almost the same visual layout on the rear. The most obvious difference is the use of English text for the North American flyer.

4. Assault North American arcade flyer

The front.
The rear.

Released in American arcades by Atari, Assault is a multi-directional shooter that had a twin-stick control layout (similar with the classic Battlezone) and players experienced intense battles as well as immersive visual effects such as sprite scaling and environment rotation of up to 360 degrees. To promote the game (this originated in Japan by Namco), Atari came up with this arcade flyer that had selected screenshots and descriptive text on both the front and the rear (which showed the arcade cabinet). Assault was a hit with gamers at the arcades and it was not released on consoles until 2009.

5. Sega CD print ad

Having a socially relevant message can be catchy but it leaves little room for excitement.

As the Sega Genesis console became a huge commercial success in North America, Sega itself became ambitious about what CD-ROM technology would do for video games. Sega in Japan tasked its Consumer Products Research and Development Labs to create a CD-ROM add-on which resulted in the Sega CD (Mega-CD in other parts of the world) which launched in America in 1992. To promote the add-on towards existing Genesis console owners as well as potential new customers, Sega of America came up with the above 2-page print ad that had a social message on the right and an image of a man standing in front of large monitors (showing Sega CD game footage) on the left. While it looked like an odd way of promoting video game hardware, it still remains catchy to see.

6. Panasonic 3DO print ad

Panasonic knows how to promote entertainment hardware for people’s homes.

Still in the field of CD-ROM gaming, Panasonic had competitive presence in video gaming when its Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (with technology licensed by The 3DO Company) was launched in America in 1993. If you look at the print ad closely, you will notice that the descriptive text emphasized the multimedia entertainment aspect more than video gaming. The dominating artwork used does not come from a particular video game as it was made to emphasize home entertainment in general. It’s not surprising that the Panasonic 3DO and other 3DO machines from other manufacturers failed commercially.

7. Shaq Fu print ad

The close-up of Shaquille O’Neal’s face on the left made him looked less recognizable.

Yes, it is true! There was indeed a video game endorsed by Shaquille O’Neal and it was not a basketball game. Shaq Fu is a 1994 2D fighting game with adventure elements and a story in which gamers play O’Neal as martial artist (note: O’Neal himself participated in the game’s production). To promote the game, Electronic Arts came up with a 2-page print ad that had a very odd black-and-white close-up image of O’Neal’s face on the left leaving small screenshots and hard-to-read text on the right (even though there was some vacant space remaining. I remember seeing this ad while reading a video game magazine and the ad ended up looking more like a promotion of O’Neal (already an NBA superstar) than the game itself. By today’s standards, this print ad is an example of a marketing misfire.

8. Kasumi Ninja print ad

Do you even remember seeing this print ad in magazines?

Remember the 1990s video game trends of digitized human images and disturbingly violent 2D fighting games sparked by Mortal Kombat? The Atari Jaguar-exclusive game Kasumi Ninja was made to capitalize on those trends and it failed badly. Apart from the low sales of the Jaguar console, Atari as publisher came up with the above 2-page print ad that was not appealing to gamers’ eyes and it had almost no excitement overall. This is another marketing misfire.

9. Parasite Eve North American and Japanese print ads

Following the successful release of Final Fantasy VII, this ad excited PlayStation gamers and JRPG enthusiasts for Parasite Eve’s 1998 release in America.
A stronger horror presentation in this print ad for the Japanese market. There were already a lot of people in Japan who enjoyed horror.

Starting in the mid-1990s, Squaresoft (now Square Enix) really became aggressive with video game creativity and experimentation as they launched several new projects that eventually got released on PlayStation in the late 1990s until 2000. One of those daring new projects was Parasite Eve which was a role-playing game (RPG) that had visual elements – particularly pre-rendered backgrounds – and a style of exploration that reminded gamers of Resident Evil. The game was a sequel to the Japanese science fiction horror novel of the same name and it involved the creativity of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi (credited as producer). To promote the game, the 2-page North American print ad had protagonist Aya Brea on the right and the enemy on the left with a cryptic line placed strategically between them. The North American ad clearly stated that the game is a cinematic RPG. By comparison, the Japanese print ad of Parasite Eve has a strong horror vibe which is not surprising because of the novel’s horror elements and the fact that Squaresoft was capitalizing on the popularity of horror-related entertainment in Japan. By today’s standards, Parasite Eve is truly a product of the late-1990s and it has a dedicated fanbase.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 107

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 107

carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

Lost Odyssey Revisited – Back in 2008, I played Lost Odyssey on my Xbox 360 console and it was my most anticipated game of the time as I enjoyed playing Final Fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) on different consoles several years prior. In my experience, Lost Odyssey truly is a Final Fantasy game without the name and it remains an Xbox 360-exclusive game that happens to be compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles (still available digitally online). For the newcomers reading this, Final Fantasy creator and former Square Enix producer Hironobu Sakaguchi co-wrote the story of Lost Odyssey and his own independent studio Mistwalker laid the foundation and the other studio Feelplus did the coding of the game. Not only that, famous game musician Nobuo Uematsu composed and scored the music of the Xbox RPG. To find out how the game was conceptualized, how its production happened and why it became an Xbox-exclusive game, watch the selected retrospective videos below.

No Kings Protest Fails – In America, the Satanic Leftists, the woke extremists, the climate change zealots and other pawns of the Democrats organized the No Kings protests which eventually failed. The Leftists hatred for US President Donald Trump is so intense, they became out of touch with reality and they end up hating America. Lastly, many on the Left cannot tell the difference between a president and a king. The Democrats meanwhile are still obsessed with embracing immorality, destroying the traditional American family, empowering Islamic terrorists and support illegal immigrants. Watch and learn from the videos below.

#3 Delicious Meals With Big Portions In Japan – If you plan to do food trips while touring Japan, what exactly will you be looking for among the many food joins there? If you crave delicious food with big servings, there are indeed places to visit, and you can find what they offer and where could visit them by watching the Nippon TV video below. A friendly reminder for all who intend to visit Japan as foreign tourists…always behave yourselves by following local rules and being respectful to the Japanese.

VKunia Reacts To Scary Movie – In 2000, Scary Movie was released in cinemas in America on July which was during the summer blockbuster season. The horror comedy parody film succeeded beyond expectations making almost $280 million worldwide on a budget of less than $20 million. Here in the Philippines, Scary Movie opened on November 1 of 2000 and I saw it that day inside the local cinema which was almost full. I noticed a lot of local moviegoers enjoyed its crude comedy under direction of Keenen Ivory Wayans and the performance of Anna Faris. Recently, VKunia posted her reaction video of Scary Movie and her reactions are similar to how the moviegoers around me reacted on November 1, 2000. Watch her video below.

WarGames Revisited  – Back in the 1980s, the Cold War was still hot in people’s minds and information technology (IT) itself was gradually becoming important in America. The 1983 movie WarGames featured a tale about war simulation, hacking, artificial intelligence (AI), the use of super computers for military operations and more. Back then, US President Ronald Reagan saw the film and this led to discussions with members of Congress, advisers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A review of full nation security was eventually ordered by Reagan. In today’s age, artificial intelligence is very common and it is causing varied disturbances worldwide which makes WarGames still relevant. To see how the movie impacts YouTubers, watch the selected reaction videos below.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 22

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 22

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

The miraculous rescue of hostages – In case you missed the news, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) successfully rescued four Israeli hostages, fought with the Palestinian terrorists and brought the hostages home safely. This not some high-risk operation turned lucky. This operation was a blessing from the Lord God whose covenant with the Jewish people has always been true and standing to this day. All the praise, honor, thanks and glory to Him! Ignore the lies of the Islamo-Leftist mainstream news media and focus on the truth by watching the selected videos below…

European Union (EU) elections resulted in the fall of the Satanic Left – Very recently, a series of elections took place in Europe which determined the composition of the European Union (EU) parliament. European voters who have grown sick and tired of the policies of the Satanic Left (examples: mass migration, taking care of illegal aliens at taxpayers’ expense, fascist climate change policies, government corruption) made their choices by electing more conservative and more nationalistic/patriotic candidates. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saw her party gain power while the President of France had no choice but to dissolve French parliament (National Assembly) and call for a snap election. Watch and learn more from the videos below…

Documentary of the Houston Rockets’ amazing 1995 NBA championship defense – Never underestimate the heart of a sports champion. That is the moral lesson behind the unbelievable successful NBA championship defense the Houston Rockets achieved in 1995. For the newcomers reading this, the Rockets won the title in 1994 but ended up ranking only 6th place on the Western Conference the following season. This meant that the Rockets had no home court advantage through the NBA Playoffs of 1995. How they defied expectations and overcame tough obstacles to win a 2nd straight NBA championship must be seen in the selected NBA documentary video. Enjoy!

A very deep look back at Lost Odyssey – Lost Odyssey is not just a very notable video game released only on Xbox 360 many years ago. It was arguably the most defining, traditional Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) that can be best described as a Final Fantasy game without the name. To be clear, Lost Odyssey involved the combined talents of Japanese greats Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy creator), Takehiko Inoue (famous manga artist) and Nobuo Uematsu (musician always know for Final Fantasy), and it was an ambitious JRPG that also happened to be an Xbox-exclusive game. If you wish to know more about Lost Odyssey, what it has in common with Final Fantasy games and why it remains a very notable game, watch the documentary below…

PatmanQC’s Ring King retrospective – Retro gaming YouTuber PatmanQC published recently his retrospective video about the 1980s game Ring King (also titled as King of Boxer) which is fun and informative to watch.

You, Me and the Movies’ The Blob (1958) reaction – Recently the 1958 version of The Blob was featured by You, Me and the Movies in a movie reaction video which is entertaining to watch.

RK Outpost examines woke Star Wars – It is no secret that under the umbrella of the woke Disney company and the Lucasfilm leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, the established entertainment franchises of Star Wars and Indiana Jones got ruined. Sad to say, Star Wars continues to be made with extreme wokeness and rabid feminism, reaching the point of completely ruining the sci-fi franchise as we know it. Watch and learn from RK Outpost’s videos below…

The evil of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas – It cannot be denied that Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is pure evil. So pure is their evil, they want nothing less than committing complete genocide against Israel and its people. To his day, pro-Palestine zealots cannot even tell the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong. For the Palestinians and its brainwashed supporters (all supported secretly by terrorist state Iran), terrorism, violence and murder are the only ways to achieve what they want. Watch and learn from the videos below…

2024 Xbox Games Showcase videos – Following the lackluster Sony State of Play and Summer Game Fest, Team Xbox and its partners came out blazing with the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase recently. In my view, it was a big improvement over last year’s showcase (which itself was quite good) and there were highlights that should not be ignored. Posted below are selected videos for your viewing pleasure.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Crystal Dynamics partners with The Initiative on developing Xbox-exclusive Perfect Dark reboot

Crystal Dynamics partners with The Initiative on developing Xbox-exclusive Perfect Dark reboot

carlocarrasco

There sure was a lot of buzz that rocked the Xbox gamers community. This was about the breaking and very surprising news that the Square Enix-owned game developer Crystal Dynamics (best known for the Tomb Raider trilogy of 2013-2018) has joined Xbox game studio The Initiative as a partner on the development of the Perfect Dark reboot being made exclusively for Xbox platforms.

The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics are co-producing Perfect Dark.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from PureXbox.com’s article. Some parts in boldface…

Here’s some breaking news – The Initiative has announced it will be partnering with Crystal Dynamics to help it bring the new Perfect Dark game to the next generation.

Crystal Dynamics is best known for series such as Tomb Raider and was also behind the Square Enix project Marvel’s Avengers. In a follow-up tweet, The Initiative noted how the game was still “early in development”.

Although Crystal Dynamics has a lot of history with third-person action titles, it’s worth noting how this new entry in the Perfect Dark series is still being referred to as a “first-person” spy thriller.

Eurogamer has also pointed out how The Initiative was originally founded by the former Crystal Dynamics boss Darrel Gallagher, and how Tomb Raider reboot director Daniel Neuburger is also part of the Perfect Dark team.

Posted below are the tweets from The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics…

Read closely.

Furthermore, Xbox chief Phil Spencer stated on Twitter: Great to see continued momentum and progress on PD. Thrilled to have Crystal Dynamics partnering with The Initiative.

While it is indeed surprising that another game developer, not owned by Team Xbox, would come in to assist in the production of the upcoming Perfect Dark, it still makes sense not just because The Initiative’s Gallagher and Neuberger used to work for Crystal Dynamics, but also because the ambitious Xbox game studio (formed in 2018) was meant to be small and agile (additional reference here) and be able to work with partners on the production side of things of projects. The Initiative clearly does not have the workforce of 100 to 200 people it needs to make Perfect Dark and that is exactly where the Square Enix-controlled game developer comes in.

Remember Lost Odyssey, the very memorable Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) exclusive on Xbox 360? A lot of gamers remember Mistwalker as the developer of that game in relation to Hironobu Sakaguchi’s (AKA Final Fantasy creator) involvement and studio leadership, and yet the other team involved – Feelplus – is often overlooked. The other Xbox 360-exclusive JRPG Blue Dragon had Mistwalker and Artoon as co-developers. Artoon did much of the software development work.

Going back to Perfect Dark, I speculate that The Initiative will be more focused on the game’s overall design, the planned gaming concept and supervision with Crystal Dynamics doing the software development and other technical aspects of production.  The most recent Crystal Dynamics-developed games I played were the first two games of the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy…the 2013 game on Xbox 360 and the first sequel on Xbox One. I also played Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Xbox One but that game was mainly developed by Eidos-Montréal. I should state that I had the most fun playing the Tomb Raider games made by Crystal Dynamics even though Shadow of the Tomb Raider had new gameplay features.

While Marvel’s Avengers clearly received a mixed reception from video game review writers and even cost Square Enix a bundle of money, there is still no reason to worry about Crystal Dynamics negatively affecting the development of Perfect Dark. On the contrary, Team Xbox granted its game studios a lot of creative freedom along with continuous funding which I believe will benefit both Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative on making the Xbox-exclusive reboot. The internal attitudes and atmosphere of producing Perfect Dark will be totally different from that of Marvel’s Avengers. I would not be surprised to see Crystal Dynamics learn from their shortcomings during the making of the superhero video game with Square Enix. It should be noted that Gallagher’s history of work and management with Crystal Dynamics will ensure a bond of trust between the Tomb Raider developer and The Initiative. Trust between the collaborators is essential to ensure production will progress and be completed on time. The speculation that Perfect Dark’s production is in trouble (leading to Crystal Dynamics’ involvement) is just nonsense!

With The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics now co-producing the return of Joanna Dark, we can only wait until the next big update of the game gets released. Perhaps at E3 of 2022?

In closing this piece, posted below are Xbox-related videos for your viewing pleasure.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Better than Streaming: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 4K Blu-ray coming out on November 16, 2021

Better than Streaming: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 4K Blu-ray coming out on November 16, 2021

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, fellow geeks, film enthusiasts and Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray collectors!

All those who love the 2001 computer-generated movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within should be aware, and excited, that it will be released in a 4K Blu-ray combo on November 16, 2021. 4K Blu-ray collectors who have not seen the said movie will have their chances to add it to their collection and the good news is that it can be ordered online right now!

The 4K Blu-ray combo cover.

Posted below are key details of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 4K Blu-ray combo from its Blu-ray.com page. Take note that as of this writing, it is not yet clear if the visuals will be native 4K or upscaled 4K.

Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 4K (2160p)

HDR: HDR10

Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio

TBA

Subtitles

None

Discs

4K Ultra HD

Blu-ray Disc

Two-disc set (2 BD)

Digital

Digital 4K

Digital copy included

Playback

4K Blu-ray: Region free

2K Blu-ray: Region A

Posted below are the special features and technical specs of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within 4K Blu-ray…

  • HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
  • BRAND NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK + original theatrical 5.1 audio
  • Original Special Features:
    • Two Feature-Length Commentaries
    • Interactive Documentary: The Making of Final Fantasy
    • Original Opening
    • Aki’s Dream Reconstruction
    • On the Set with Aki
    • Character Profiles
    • Vehicle Scale Comparisons
    • Compositing Builds
    • Joke Outtakes
    • The Gray Project
    • Theatrical Trailers

I first saw Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within on a Friday night at the local theater in July twenty-o-one. While social media was not yet common back in those days, the movie still was hyped a lot through the Internet and traditional media.

As for the theatrical experience, I found the movie to be not so engaging mainly due to the story’s pacing (note: it was directed by Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and Motonori Sakakibara), the sentimental stuff within the script, the not-so-interesting characters and the lack of true connection between the vocal performances and the motion-captured moves of the digital characters. Being one of the first major movies to be fully made with computer-generated images (CGI) complete with digital human characters and the approach to achieving photo-realism, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was indeed a flashy and fancy looking picture but it really did not have much to appeal to me with regards to my interest in cinema and even with Final Fantasy games. The movie ended up being hollow for me personally.

For the newcomers reading this, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a tremendous box office failure and it led to the closure of Square Pictures. Still the movie could find new life in 4K Blu-ray format and I know it has its own following of dedicated fans. Perhaps the fans of Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin and Steve Buscemi would be interested to experience the movie in 4K.

For more entries of my Better than Streaming series of articles, check out my pieces on The Beastmaster 4K Blu-ray, The Transformers: The Movie 4K Blu-ray, Mortal Kombat 2021 4K Blu-ray, Space Jam 4K Blu-ray, V: The Original Miniseries Blu-ray (read my retro review), V: The Final Battle Blu-ray, Highlander 4K Blu-ray, The Suicide Squad, Super Dimension Century Orguss Blu-ray, Unbreakable 4K Blu-ray, Injustice 4K Blu-ray, The Suicide Squad 4K Blu-ray and Terminator 2: Judgment Day 30th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

If you wish to join a group of movie enthusiasts and talk about cinema, visit the Movie Fans Worldwide Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/322857711779576

Team Xbox needs to deliver great stuff and surprises on June 13, 2021

Team Xbox needs to deliver great stuff and surprises on June 13, 2021

carlocarrasco

We all know that the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase is fast approaching and it certainly is the most anticipated digital event for fans of both Xbox and Bethesda. The June 13, 2021 event will surely have a lot of eager fans waiting not only for exciting new games but also truly great stuff.

Get ready for this, Xbox fans, Bethesda fans and all others who love video games.

Previously, I posted what I hoped to see at the Xbox-Bethesda event. In relation to those, it is clear that while things are looking strongly positive ever since the integration of Bethesda into Xbox, Team Xbox itself and its head Phil Spencer still have a lot to prove on June 13. In fact, the stakes are much higher now and there is simply no room left for any error. They have to deliver great stuff this time around and they really need to exceed last year’s Xbox Games Showcase (which I found to be good but not great) not by just a few feet higher but many miles higher.

Simply put, good enough is simply NOT good enough this time around.

What I meant earlier by great stuff that needs to be delivered by Team Xbox refers to the following: fulfilling the highly anticipated showcases of Halo Infinite and Starfield complete with all the relevant details (including final release dates); showing more of their 1st party games being made by their many Xbox game studios; and confirming what games were finalized between Xbox Publishing and 3rd party game makers. They should also show more gameplay footage by means of demonstrations, make new announcements with regards to improving the already enjoyable Xbox Game Pass (XGP) service, and come up with surprises that will be remembered with excitement!

For Starfield, I believe it is high time for Xbox-Bethesda to showcase the game a lot with gameplay footage and confirm once and for all that it is indeed exclusive to Xbox Series consoles and Windows PC…all of these with Todd Howard as the presenter whenever possible. Such details will strengthen the fans’ trust in Xbox-Bethesda, and at the same time silence the people who hate Xbox.

What Microsoft owns, Sony and Nintendo simply have no rights to.

More on 1st party games and projects, Team Xbox should provide at least updates (if not gameplay demos or trailers that use captured gameplay footage or short video clips about the productions) of games they announced previously such as Fable, Forza Motorsport, Avowed, Perfect Dark and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

When it comes to the unexpected (AKA the surprises), it would be exciting to see the following happen if ever possible:

  1. Xbox Publishing announcing that it has made a deal with Deep Silver and secured the rumored Saints Row 5 as an Xbox-exclusive game.
  2. Team Xbox (through its publishing arm) announcing that it has renewed its ties with Mistwalker to create a sequel to the Xbox favorite JRPG Lost Odyssey…with Hironobu Sakaguchi as presenter.
  3. Konami announcing the release of all Suikoden RPGs on Xbox LIVE and Xbox Game Pass.
  4. Sega announcing a remastered version of Shining Force III (with all 3 chapters translated into English for the first time ever) for release on Xbox LIVE and Xbox Game Pass.
  5. Xbox game studio and RPG specialist Obsidian Entertainment – already very busy making Avowed – announcing a sequel to The Outer Worlds (confirming that Microsoft has rightfully gained control of the franchise) exclusively for Xbox Series consoles and PC.
  6. Capcom announcing a new Dead Rising game – be it a sequel or a series reboot – exclusively for Xbox Series consoles and PC.
  7. EA and BioWare announcing a brand-new Mass Effect game at the Xbox-Bethesda event.
  8. Square Enix announcing it will release Dragon’s Quest XII on Xbox LIVE and Xbox Game Pass with series creator Yuji Horii doing the presentation.
  9. Capcom announcing a remake of Resident Evil: Code Veronica (much in the styles of the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3)

To watch the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 13, posted below are the links for your reference.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: When it comes to the unexpected, what kind of announcements would really surprise you at the Xbox-Bethesda event? Do you hope to see Halo Infinite truly have an open-world design? Do you think that Mexico will be the setting for Forza Horizon 5? Is Starfield your most anticipated game from Bethesda right now? Do you think it is possible for a Lost Odyssey sequel to be made? Do you believe that Phil Spencer and the rest of Team Xbox have what it takes to deliver great stuff and surprises in the Xbox-Bethesda special event?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

In closing this article, posted below are Xbox-related videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Final Fantasy Bonanza for Xbox Fans!

Final Fantasy Bonanza for Xbox Fans!

carlocarrasco

When rumors floated online in 2005 that Square Enix was being attracted by Microsoft to release games on what was back then their upcoming game console the Xbox 360, there were some gamers who just dismissed those rumors claiming that the Japanese company would NEVER release its role-playing games (RPGs) – specifically Final Fantasy games – on a console of an American company.

It was a different time back then for console gaming. Square Enix released Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII plus some Dragon Quest and Front Mission games on Sony’s highly successful PlayStation 2 (PS2) console. The company even developed a Final Fantasy spin-off for the GameCube with Nintendo as publisher.

For the original Xbox console, Square Enix made no games for it at all.

Things turned during the time of the Xbox 360. Square Enix published several games for it and to the delight of Xbox fans who love Final Fantasy, the company released Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy XI and other games.

This year Square Enix released several of their classic Final Fantasy games released for Xbox One gamers via Xbox LIVE – Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X and X-2 and a few others.

The other announced game, Final Fantasy XII (The Zodiac Age), will be released on April 30.

Among these games, I’m currently playing Final Fantasy IX on my Xbox One and even though it has been almost twenty years since I last played it, I can say that I am enjoying it again. The game is technically a port of the PC version (which comes with cleaned-up graphics most evident on the character and creature models) and not a remastered version. More importantly, the gameplay is still fun (even though it has those random battles) and the story has a lot of heart.

With the classic Final Fantasy games available via Xbox LIVE, now is the time for Xbox fans (who love Final Fantasy or those who are very interested in Japanese role-playing games) to acquire them while they can. We should be very thankful to Square Enix (and surely to Microsoft’s Xbox team led by Phil Spencer) for those games.

Final Fantasy X and X-2 were remastered for Xbox One while the upcoming Final Fantasy XII has already been confirmed to run at a super smooth 60-frames-per-second on the premium Xbox One X console.

What is missing from the FF classics is Final Fantasy VIII which continues to puzzle gamers to this day.

If more Xbox gamers buy these classic FF games, then perhaps Square Enix will be convinced to release more of their past hits of their other franchises like Front Mission and Dragon Quest. Perhaps they will consider releasing the older, 2D FF games like Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI.

Apart from enjoying the varied stories, characters and gameplay styles, gamers will also enjoy the music of Nobuo Uematsu.

For your enjoyment, I embedded below Xbox channel videos of Final Fantasy.