The Omega Review :
PwnPurdue Chapter
PwnPurdue Chapter
Sunday, June 06, 2010
You Spoony Bard!
It's no secret that I am a huge Square-Enix fan. Well, more specifically, I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan, but lately I'm feeling alittle dejected.
I personally feel that the latest Final Fantasy games (XII-XIII) are missing something...specifically: player interaction.
This is more prevelant in XIII. Unlike its' predecessors, I feel no sort of accomplishment whilst playing. And, I am thoroughly convinced that the game wants to play itself. I'd actually have more fun just watching it. Most of the time, I feel like my only purpose in the game is to move my character from Point A to Point B. Aside from changing paradigms, during battles I'm basically responsible for hitting "x".
The Gestalts look awesome, but that's hardly a suprise. Summons are always the most badass addition to the Final Fantasy worlds. I have mixed feelings about the use of summons in the late games. I prefer watching the summon make an entrace, do something badass, and exit. When I am in control of the avatar, the awesome-level drops alittle. To illustrate my point, let's refer to FFVII. Those summons were incredible! I can't even recall how many times I summoned Knights of the Round. Then again, the battle system in FFX favored the controlability of avatars. With turn-based battles, summons can have a greater impact. The active time battles get alittle too much for me, so controlling a avatar usually ends dismally.
I feel that Enix needs to take a step back and re-evaluate what they're trying to do. I feel that they've begun focusing on wow'ing the audience instead of giving us a hands-on adventure. ¶ 6:19 PM 0 Comments
It's no secret that I am a huge Square-Enix fan. Well, more specifically, I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan, but lately I'm feeling alittle dejected.
I personally feel that the latest Final Fantasy games (XII-XIII) are missing something...specifically: player interaction.
This is more prevelant in XIII. Unlike its' predecessors, I feel no sort of accomplishment whilst playing. And, I am thoroughly convinced that the game wants to play itself. I'd actually have more fun just watching it. Most of the time, I feel like my only purpose in the game is to move my character from Point A to Point B. Aside from changing paradigms, during battles I'm basically responsible for hitting "x".
The Gestalts look awesome, but that's hardly a suprise. Summons are always the most badass addition to the Final Fantasy worlds. I have mixed feelings about the use of summons in the late games. I prefer watching the summon make an entrace, do something badass, and exit. When I am in control of the avatar, the awesome-level drops alittle. To illustrate my point, let's refer to FFVII. Those summons were incredible! I can't even recall how many times I summoned Knights of the Round. Then again, the battle system in FFX favored the controlability of avatars. With turn-based battles, summons can have a greater impact. The active time battles get alittle too much for me, so controlling a avatar usually ends dismally.
I feel that Enix needs to take a step back and re-evaluate what they're trying to do. I feel that they've begun focusing on wow'ing the audience instead of giving us a hands-on adventure. ¶ 6:19 PM 0 Comments
Monday, March 29, 2010
Why I HATE Macs
Let it be known far and wide, I, Kaitlin Ann McQueen, loathe Macs. Apple can go suck it.
I know they are streamline and "user-friendly", or so the ads say, but in my opinion, I feel that Macs treat their users like idiots.
You can only do so much with Macs on your own. Tons of programs are not compatible w/ Mac and you have to buy a special version for that program to run. Tedious much?
In any case, the sheer size and placement of the toolbar is enough to make me cringe. It's like apple is saying "Here I am, you want to click me, I can bounce and everything!!".
And what is up with the mouse?! Seriously, I only get 1 click? It's like apple doesnt trust the users to understand the differences in Left and Right clicks.
Excuse me for wanting a computer that will do anything I want it to do.
I'm a poor college student who wastes most of her money on video games and I'm a PC. ¶ 7:42 PM 0 Comments
I know they are streamline and "user-friendly", or so the ads say, but in my opinion, I feel that Macs treat their users like idiots.
You can only do so much with Macs on your own. Tons of programs are not compatible w/ Mac and you have to buy a special version for that program to run. Tedious much?
In any case, the sheer size and placement of the toolbar is enough to make me cringe. It's like apple is saying "Here I am, you want to click me, I can bounce and everything!!".
And what is up with the mouse?! Seriously, I only get 1 click? It's like apple doesnt trust the users to understand the differences in Left and Right clicks.
Excuse me for wanting a computer that will do anything I want it to do.
I'm a poor college student who wastes most of her money on video games and I'm a PC. ¶ 7:42 PM 0 Comments
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Give me a dose of Dragon Age
Bioware, you are amazing and I'd like to buy you a drink. Really when it comes to storyline and characters, Bioware does it like none other. I do believe they rival that of Square-Enix. Let me start from the beginning.
I love Mass Effect. Consequentially, I love Bioware. So as I was browsing the aisles in my local Best Buy, I spot "Dragon Age: Origins". I thought to myself, "hmmm...Bioware...Dragons...RPG...Bioware...must buy." and I'm so glad I did. Although, at first, I was singing a different tune.
My first attempt at DragonAge was confusion and alittle bit of bitterness. Here in my hands was something I was not fond of: a voiceless, emotionless avatar representing me in this wide world. BUT, I was quicly won over by the endless conversation tree possibilities. Where once I thought I couldn't express my personal ideas of the situations in a game, I found that DragonAge offered something close to my feelings. Bioware gives the players many various responses; the holistic route, the angry/jaded route, nonchalant, and even coy responses are at the ready.
If you can make it through the "tutorial" part of the game, you will be hooked. It's all thanks to your amazing party members. Their background stories are intruiging and they all are able to evoke a emotional response from the player. My romantic interest Alistair made me laugh out loud many times, and his romantic flustering was flattering. Morrigan constantly pissed me off and most of the time I was cursing at her everytime I saw the "Morrigan disapproves -10" to any nice thing I did in the game. You really form a relationship w/ these fictional characters, as nerdy as that sounds.
All in all, DragonAge is a must play. Because, in the beginning Bioware made DragonAge...and it was good, so they made Mass Effect.
Please post your thoughts!
Bioware, you are amazing and I'd like to buy you a drink. Really when it comes to storyline and characters, Bioware does it like none other. I do believe they rival that of Square-Enix. Let me start from the beginning.
I love Mass Effect. Consequentially, I love Bioware. So as I was browsing the aisles in my local Best Buy, I spot "Dragon Age: Origins". I thought to myself, "hmmm...Bioware...Dragons...RPG...Bioware...must buy." and I'm so glad I did. Although, at first, I was singing a different tune.
My first attempt at DragonAge was confusion and alittle bit of bitterness. Here in my hands was something I was not fond of: a voiceless, emotionless avatar representing me in this wide world. BUT, I was quicly won over by the endless conversation tree possibilities. Where once I thought I couldn't express my personal ideas of the situations in a game, I found that DragonAge offered something close to my feelings. Bioware gives the players many various responses; the holistic route, the angry/jaded route, nonchalant, and even coy responses are at the ready.
If you can make it through the "tutorial" part of the game, you will be hooked. It's all thanks to your amazing party members. Their background stories are intruiging and they all are able to evoke a emotional response from the player. My romantic interest Alistair made me laugh out loud many times, and his romantic flustering was flattering. Morrigan constantly pissed me off and most of the time I was cursing at her everytime I saw the "Morrigan disapproves -10" to any nice thing I did in the game. You really form a relationship w/ these fictional characters, as nerdy as that sounds.
All in all, DragonAge is a must play. Because, in the beginning Bioware made DragonAge...and it was good, so they made Mass Effect.
Please post your thoughts!
Labels: Bioware, Dragon Age Origins, gaming, RPG, xbox 360
¶ 6:35 PM 0 Comments
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Youtube mania
I'm sorry internet, I have never properly thanked you for all the awesome-ness you give me. It has come to a point where I don't think I could live without you. Lets recap here:
w/o internet we would not have-
isohunt--->back to paying $8 per person to watch a new movie
facebook-->forced to communicate face-2-face (Say it isn't so!!)
youtube--->less junk on the internet (wait..that would be a good thing)
plus hundreds more (Please leave a comment with your PoV).
Although I kinda-sorta dissed Youtube above, I do love it. Through youtube we, as individuals, are exposed to countless people, ideas, inventions, and many other things. Some are good and some are bad, it's all the luck in the draw.
Basically, Thank you Internet. I love you...like Dora loves maps.
w/o internet we would not have-
isohunt--->back to paying $8 per person to watch a new movie
facebook-->forced to communicate face-2-face (Say it isn't so!!)
youtube--->less junk on the internet (wait..that would be a good thing)
plus hundreds more (Please leave a comment with your PoV).
Although I kinda-sorta dissed Youtube above, I do love it. Through youtube we, as individuals, are exposed to countless people, ideas, inventions, and many other things. Some are good and some are bad, it's all the luck in the draw.
Basically, Thank you Internet. I love you...like Dora loves maps.
Labels: facebook, internet, isohunt, love, youtube
¶ 6:02 PM 0 Comments
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Final Fantasy XIV will be a step in the right direction
The 14th chapter of the popular Final Fantasy role-playing series is slated to release sometime soon in 2010.
Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, which is also slated for a 2010 release, XIV will be a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG).
While Square-Enix, the company behind the Final Fantasy phenomenon, has not released much information about XIV, the teaser trailer offers the fans a glimpse of endless possibilities. Let’s hope their promise of a much improved MMORPG actually comes to pass.
Square Enix’s first online Final Fantasy title was Final Fantasy XI, which has received many mixed reviews and has been surpassed by Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.
The new concepts presented by XIV seem to be heading in the right direction. For instance, in Final Fantasy XI you had to return to a city to change your characters job. With XIV we will be able to change our job in a moment’s notice with use of “The Armory” function.
Jobs and classes have been divided into 4 “Disciples”: war, magic, hand, and land. Respectively, each disciple focuses on a certain skill, like fighting with melee weaponry, casting spells, crafting items, and gathering resources from the landscape.
Players can choose to focus on a single disciple or with use of “The Armory”, they can dabble in all the disciplines.
“This will definitely make FFXIV stand out among the other MMORPGs,” said Justin Baker, a sophomore in the college of agriculture at Purdue.
The races from FFXI have been cleaned up and renamed. Humes have been renamed Hyurs, and the Tarutarus have been reclassified as Lalafell. Elvaans and Mirthras are included in the line-up under a new name; Galkas also appear, though they have lost their dinosaur tail.
“Finally, we are getting closer to figuring out if Galkas are a dinosaur or a huge gorilla,” freshman Steve Powell said when showed a picture of the new improved Galka race.
XIV takes place in a world named Hydaelyn. Players take part in the region known as Eorzea. There is heavy emphasis on the gods and goddesses of this landscape, who are referred to as “The Twelve”.
The premise of the storyline focuses on uneasiness between Eorzea and the Garlean Empire. This uneasiness came from the short-lived war between the two, instigated by the Garlean Empire.
One of my favorite aspects of the Final Fantasy franchise is that each installment continues to use previous monsters from the series. This holds true in XIV. Be ready to take on those pesky Ahrimans and Raptors.
Final Fantasy XIV is definitely a MMORPG that we should keep on our radar. I believe it will improve the fan base of Final Fantasy, if that is even possible.
“I hope Square-Enix can deliver with this MMORPG. Final Fantasy XI kind of tarnished their online prowess,” said Baker.
As a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, I will definitely be waiting in line to get my hands on this pretty little MMOG.
Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, which is also slated for a 2010 release, XIV will be a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG).
While Square-Enix, the company behind the Final Fantasy phenomenon, has not released much information about XIV, the teaser trailer offers the fans a glimpse of endless possibilities. Let’s hope their promise of a much improved MMORPG actually comes to pass.
Square Enix’s first online Final Fantasy title was Final Fantasy XI, which has received many mixed reviews and has been surpassed by Blizzard’s World of Warcraft.
The new concepts presented by XIV seem to be heading in the right direction. For instance, in Final Fantasy XI you had to return to a city to change your characters job. With XIV we will be able to change our job in a moment’s notice with use of “The Armory” function.
Jobs and classes have been divided into 4 “Disciples”: war, magic, hand, and land. Respectively, each disciple focuses on a certain skill, like fighting with melee weaponry, casting spells, crafting items, and gathering resources from the landscape.
Players can choose to focus on a single disciple or with use of “The Armory”, they can dabble in all the disciplines.
“This will definitely make FFXIV stand out among the other MMORPGs,” said Justin Baker, a sophomore in the college of agriculture at Purdue.
The races from FFXI have been cleaned up and renamed. Humes have been renamed Hyurs, and the Tarutarus have been reclassified as Lalafell. Elvaans and Mirthras are included in the line-up under a new name; Galkas also appear, though they have lost their dinosaur tail.
“Finally, we are getting closer to figuring out if Galkas are a dinosaur or a huge gorilla,” freshman Steve Powell said when showed a picture of the new improved Galka race.
XIV takes place in a world named Hydaelyn. Players take part in the region known as Eorzea. There is heavy emphasis on the gods and goddesses of this landscape, who are referred to as “The Twelve”.
The premise of the storyline focuses on uneasiness between Eorzea and the Garlean Empire. This uneasiness came from the short-lived war between the two, instigated by the Garlean Empire.
One of my favorite aspects of the Final Fantasy franchise is that each installment continues to use previous monsters from the series. This holds true in XIV. Be ready to take on those pesky Ahrimans and Raptors.
Final Fantasy XIV is definitely a MMORPG that we should keep on our radar. I believe it will improve the fan base of Final Fantasy, if that is even possible.
“I hope Square-Enix can deliver with this MMORPG. Final Fantasy XI kind of tarnished their online prowess,” said Baker.
As a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, I will definitely be waiting in line to get my hands on this pretty little MMOG.
Labels: Final Fantasy, Square-Enix, xiv
¶ 11:51 AM 1 Comments
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Plug me into the Matrix, please.
Brain implants are making leaps and bounds in this new fangled futuristic whirlwind, which we call life.
whilst my mind was wandering in one of my various classes, I had a awesome/cool/most likely already thought of idea! let's take brain damaged patients, install brain implants, and place them in a virtual environment where they can function. their actions would be determined by their minds capacity. basically create a matrix like program where we can give these people a little semblance of life.
if this could work, I wouldn't be surprised to see gaming incorporate itself with brain implants. imagine plugging yourself into a game. some serious .//hack anime stuff there.
Yet, are there ethical and moral dilemmas with this possible development? Add your thoughts! ¶ 10:33 AM 0 Comments
whilst my mind was wandering in one of my various classes, I had a awesome/cool/most likely already thought of idea! let's take brain damaged patients, install brain implants, and place them in a virtual environment where they can function. their actions would be determined by their minds capacity. basically create a matrix like program where we can give these people a little semblance of life.
if this could work, I wouldn't be surprised to see gaming incorporate itself with brain implants. imagine plugging yourself into a game. some serious .//hack anime stuff there.
Yet, are there ethical and moral dilemmas with this possible development? Add your thoughts! ¶ 10:33 AM 0 Comments
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Second Life can suck it
WTF is up with SecondLife. I mean its pretty self-explanatory and easy to understand..sorta...
SecondLife lets you create a avatar to which you can represent your physical self or a idealized image of yourself. apparently, businesses, professors, and various others are having secondlife meetings. you take your avatar in game and meet at the designated "office" or meeting spot to which you can talk (via typing) to each other. Here's my beef tho. My secondlife doesnt look anything like me...well...i mean sorta. but irl i dont necessarily have white angel wings with which i fly around. nor do i wear the slutty lime green bikini everywhere i go. I would be beyond humiliated to meet with my Com professor dressed in such regalia. I'll stick with video conferencing thank you. ¶ 10:20 AM 0 Comments
SecondLife lets you create a avatar to which you can represent your physical self or a idealized image of yourself. apparently, businesses, professors, and various others are having secondlife meetings. you take your avatar in game and meet at the designated "office" or meeting spot to which you can talk (via typing) to each other. Here's my beef tho. My secondlife doesnt look anything like me...well...i mean sorta. but irl i dont necessarily have white angel wings with which i fly around. nor do i wear the slutty lime green bikini everywhere i go. I would be beyond humiliated to meet with my Com professor dressed in such regalia. I'll stick with video conferencing thank you. ¶ 10:20 AM 0 Comments
