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A piece we did for a FFXV competition on discord. The theme was “One Year” but I thought it said “one year later”? So we drew wild Chocobo’s XD (Still bitter you didn’t see any other wild Chocobo’s outside those few sidequests in game)

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Stand By Me

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D i s s i d i a  F i n a l  F a n t a s y  N T (January 30th, 2018)

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Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Review 

Middle Earth: Shadow of War, the much anticipated sequel to Monolith’s Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, comes out late tonight and the air is thick with anticipation. Or not. Perhaps you haven’t played Shadow of Mordor, and are unsure if a sequel warrants your precious gaming time. Even a burning love of Lord of the Rings might not have solidified your interest in the concept, considering the long list of games based in Tolkien’s beloved universe has been filled with it's fair share of disappointments. As someone who only beat Shadow of Mordor the day before it's sequel is released I understand, so let's talk about Shadow of Mordor before we worry about the looming Shadow of War.

Shadow of Mordor puts you in the shoes of the ranger Talion who, within the first ten minutes of the game, is murdered horribly in Mordor with his wife and son for a dark ritual. I’d give you a spoiler warning, but the whole premise of the game revolves around Talion’s quest for ghostly revenge for the injustice done to him by the uruks of Mordor led by The Black Hand of Sauron. Now it’s hard to get revenge as a dead man, but the unfortunate fortune here for Talion is the whole dark ritual tied him to an elven wraith shrouded in mystery.  Now Talion and Celebrimbor must work together to take down the forces of Mordor and discover the secrets of the elf’s forgotten past. The contrast between the two protagonists is one not often seen, mostly because it's not often that the protagonists of a game are a dead man and the ghost possessing him but I digress. Talion has the quiet heartbreak of a man who just witnessed his family’s murder and still clings to the world of the living, and Celebrimbor is far more distant and has no qualms about using whatever means necessary. It’s like good cop/bad cop, except both the cops are dead but the bad cop has been dead longer and is a bit more cynical for it. Conceptually the premise of Shadow of Mordor is a fascinating take on Lord of the Rings, and though there were moments where I felt that the story could have used a bit more fleshing out because it was so interesting, I enjoyed making the discoveries along the way. Despite it's occasional straying from canon lore any fan of Lord of the Rings will find some reward in the easter eggs and cameos littered within the elaborate playable fanfiction that is Shadow of Mordor, maybe even something “precious”…

Now gameplay is where Shadow of Mordor really shines, once you get the hang of it at least. I went in with the assumption that it would play like a mix of things I’ve played before, like Assassin’s Creed or the Witcher trilogy. I was wrong, and payed the price for it trying to catch my stride. For the first thirty minutes of my play time I was murdered repeatedly by the uruks of Mordor, mainly Azgrom the Fearful, who killed me so much he was promoted and remained my nemesis through the entirety of the game. Curse you Azgrom. Shadow of Mordor is not a game you can run and gun through, especially in the beginning. Unfortunately the game doesn’t really ease you into it’s challenging combat system, instead throwing you into the thick of things right off the bat, where it's very easy to get the attention of too many uruks at once and be overwhelmed. Throwing me out of the nest and into the hungry jaws of gaming experience death below isn’t something I expect from a game that isn’t in the same breed as Dark Souls, but I found that the more I played the more I enjoyed the unique challenges Shadow of Mordor posed to me. The combat system is fast and brutal, and left me feeling both accomplished and badass after every skirmish. Now of course the real star of this game is the Nemesis System, and for such a unique mechanic I felt it was executed well, and added on just another layer of interest into the gameplay. The way Captains and Warchiefs have their strengths and weaknesses to discover made the infrastructure of uruks in Mordor feel that much more real, and added a level of depth to the missions. They remembered when they had killed me before or if I had defeated them in battle, and it was incredible to watch such a smart system at work. I found myself seeking out the various side missions and challenges because at it's heart Shadow of Mordor is a game that's fun to play. Whether it was riding beasts or slaying uruks with Talion and Celebrimbor’s wombo combo of skills, I had fun going about my business and commanding the tools at my disposal.

Many sounds within the game will take anyone who has seen the Lord of the Rings films right back to moments in the trilogy, particularly the wraith world and the uruks enthusiastic war chanting. The music has a grand epic feel to it, though there were moments where it seemed misplaced during certain parts of the game, and I felt the general sound direction could have been utilized better. Many bits of background lore were solely received as audio files during the loading screen, and while the voice work was good for the game it was difficult to get a true grasp on such things when they were echoed snippets of Talion’s past that you end up wanting to know more of. Considering how unfortunately common the man with the dead family trope is I would have liked to see more about Talion’s character beyond his understandable grief. On that note I would have liked to have seen more of Celebrimbor’s fascinating backstory and the jarring fact that Sauron was an elven pretty boy back in bygone days. Hopefully Shadow of War will deliver a story that feels a bit more fleshed out, and has a supporting cast that I can feel more invested in.

Overall I enjoyed my time traipsing across Mordor collecting trinkets and killing uruks in increasingly creative ways, whether it was stealth, frantic swordsmanship, or a pack of angry beasts, and look forward to what Shadow of War will have to offer. In conclusion I’d say that if you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, open world action games, or both, Shadow of Mordor might be worth your while. Though it has it's faults the game is fun and challenging to play in a way I haven’t experienced from games in it’s genre for a while, and I’m sure Shadow of War will deliver an even bigger experience on all fronts. However there is such a thing as too big when it comes to these massive open world games, if it's not filled with fun things to do it becomes a chore to complete the side tasks offered to fill space on a bigger map, so hopefully Shadow of War takes advantage of it's massive size and delivers something as entertaining as it’s predecessor.

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This tale of our shared past is entrusted to the King of Kings.

The Six have safeguarded this star since time immemorial - each of a different mind, but united by this common purpose.

The gods’ protection extends to all creatures here below - even to the mortals created in their image. They are feeble creatures leading fragile lives and clinging to foolish fancies. The Frostbearer scorns these visions of ‘hope’ which melt like snow in the sun’s light.

Yet the Pyreburner admires their strength of will. For their reverence, he grants unto them his flame, and the world of man flourishes. His benevolence warms the frozen heart of the Frostbearer. The mortals have earned her respect; he, her love and admiration.

It is not long, however, before some among those men ascend to new heights of hubris. The people of Solheim spurn the gods who blessed them - the gods they once worshipped. The ungrateful mortals incur the wrath of the Pyreburner. He seeks to raze the very civilization his flames once helped build.

But the Six are sworn to defend this star and all of her inhabitants from harm - and, at times, from one another. The flames of war surge as Solheim fends off the Pyreburner’s fire. The gods’ pleas for peace fall on deaf ears and the battle rages on.

When the smoke clears, the world of man is in ruins, their star left scarred for time eternal. Wearied from war, the Six seek solace in slumber.

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The Final Fantasy XV September update is now live!

A new event has been added to Chapter 12 that explains the events that led to the War of the Astrals!

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Terra’s Theme - Nobuo Uematsu Final Fantasy VI

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I want to ride my chocobo all day ♪

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I’d really like to finish Shadow of Mordor by the end of next week so I can review it and move on to it’s sequel but I have been distracted, mostly by Overwatch...

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Red Dead Redemption 2: Official Trailer #2

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Final Fantasy XV → Episode Ignis preview

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The FINAL Final Fantasy XV Active Time Report just wrapped! Most of the information was about the Multiplayer Expansion: Comrades. Here’s some details from the stream:

Single player aspect of Comrades has a RPG style

In multiplayer you can play with people from around the world or AI

Collect meter shards to help generate power in Lestallum

Cid can help customize your weapons

Appoint refugees different roles in the town

Each royal sigil has its own special abilities and players can choose one to help determine what role you’ll play in the DLC (tank, healer, etc)

Nobuo Uematsu did the theme for Comrades called “Choosing Hope”

A second VR game is being developed

Additional content coming in 2018 based off feedback from fans. The content will be aimed to help deepen the story.

This was the final ATR, the team will find another way to communicate with fans.

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