Intensive Gaming Diary

The blog about videogames.

Tag: rpg

Final Fantasy XVI Is Released Today (But Only on PlayStation)

Posted on by Viljami

My latest consoles that I own are Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch. This means that I am not so excited about FFXVI getting released. What would I play it with. Man, it isn’t even released on PC. What can you expect from this game? I do have a PS4 but I am not so content with its powers, you know. The console is already ten years old technically speaking.

I was excited about Final Fantasy XV when it was released. It’s closest relatives seem to be FFXII and FFXIII. FFXV made some experiments which made playing it to feel more “realtime” and more of an action RPG. It had a huge open world map. It was basically a nice RPG with lots of main and side quests for the player to explore.

This thing about Final Fantasy games is that it takes a lifetime to finish even one of them. I did play NBA2K22 for longer than 140 hours but it isn’t a game with a strong storyline. Also I have this certain appeal on basketball since I have grown up playing it and wathing these NBA and national level games. I have a strong drive to basketball and it is very enjoyable and relaxing to play a game like NBA2K.

What I am not so familiar or a fan of is all these fantasy elements. I don’t read a lot of fantasy boooks. Should I read them? No, I don’t think so. This matter combined to some a bit boring and repetitive content just isn’t something I would spend over 100 hours in to. I am sorry. I know some of you like fantasy. I am more of a science fiction and non-fiction type of reader.

When it comes to Final Fantasy games I did play FFVII and I finished it. It took me a very long time. And for a long time this was the game that I had spent most time playing. I like Diablo games. This brings me to this conclusion that I like to see action in gaming. And in movies, too. I love these Max Payne type of scenes and I also like Matrix and John Woo movies. Feeling enough of a nerd now do you? Well, at least I can say honestly that I am a sort of a nerd, also.

It is interesting to see how FFXVI improves or modifies the concept we have seen on FFXV and also FFVII Remake. I am a bit curious about reviews of this game. Heck, I might even buy it, if it gets released on Xbox Series X or PC. So, we have to wait and see. How long will it take to complete FFXVI? What kind of a story it brings to the table. If you have just bought this game – I wish you luck.

 

Still Waiting for Diablo IV

Posted on by Viljami

I am eager to get my hands on the newest game in Diablo series. I got information on Friday that the game shop has delivered the package and it’s on the way. I know that some people have already got to play this game. I am jealous. As I am still waiting it might be a good time to go through what my relationship with Diablo series currently is.

I wasn’t a big fan of the first game of this action role playing game series. It was the second game, Diablo 2, that got me excited. I also played Diablo 1 with my PlayStation back in the late 90s. Diablo 2 I played with a PC. I think it wasn’t even released to other platforms. And of course there is this one game that I like also. It is, of course, Diablo 3. I enjoyed it also very much.

A friend of mine sold me these Diablo 2 PC big boxes. There is the original Diablo 2 and there is also the expansion, Lord of The Destruction. I am very lucky to have this items. I think they are valuable also when it comes to money. I am not going to sell them. Not any day soon, after all. As you might have figured I have lots of love for PC big box games. I have currently 16 boxes in my collection. I just love the way they look on the self. It makes me feel like a real gaming professional.

I also have played Diablo 1. I have completed it several times. There is this thing that makes Diablo games re-playable. This is the way that you can choose your character class and have a different experience and play the game through with a different character.

What makes Diablo games so spectacular? I think it is the way it combines action, strategy and role playing elements. I have read that Diablo was very much influenced by a Sega Mega Drive hockey game (would you believe it). This game was NHL 94. The first Diablo was released in 1996. The company that first released it was Blizzard. You might find a book called “Stay Awhile and Listen” interesting. It tells you the story of how Diablo came to be. It is written by David L. Craddock.

Diablo has always offered its players a great overall gaming experience. For me it has also brought me a step closer to role playing. While Diablo has many roguelike elements, it isn’t fully a roguelike game. In 100 percentage roguelike, or the oringinal game, Rogue, there are some features that aren’t as rough for the player.  One difference is that when you die you don’t have to restart the whole game with a completely new character. Instead you leave a body to the spot where you died and when re-spawning you have to collect the body to keep all your gear and potions and so on.

I like this series of games very much. I hope to see one great game. I might write another blog post about the game. By the way – I finished Forza Horizon 5 after playing it for almost 20 hours. There could be some other achievements to unlock but I am not that interested in continuing to play that game anymore. After all, the latest and maybe the greatest Diablo game is just around the corner.

Impact of Final Fantasy VII

Posted on by Viljami

There has been many Final Fantasy VII remakes, be it HD or some other, but the fact remains and that is that it was first released in 1997 for the first Sony PlayStation. My experiences with these types of games begun when it was the end of the 90s and I picked up this role-playing-game. Graphics were fascinating. There was also a lot to play. The game came packaged in three CDs.

It also took some time to complete this game. I remember playing it for well over a hundred hours. There was lots of discussion and dialogue in this game. In remember reading carefully every conversation and still failing to deeply understand the plot in overall. I am not going to go throught the plot som deeply here.

Characters of this game are very relatable. You can name the character as you want butI found it funnier to keep their names as they were. You have, of course, Cloud, that is the main character. There is also a romance between two of the characters. Sephiroth is the main bad guy in this game. Also, chocobos are introduced.

The gameplay works in a kind of a turn-based way. Combat works this way. You have to keep close eye to your health points of all your characters. For me it worked well to have a sort of a healer in the group and also one or two characters that could cast some effective spells that you could attack against your enemies. I found it effective to keep Cloud fighting with his sword and maybe learn a spell or two.

If you haven’t ever played Final Fantasy I have to tell you how it basically works. You get to towns and cities from a world map. When moving you are getting randomly into a fighting scene. You have to defeat your enemies that are also randomly selected. You get experience points that give you more health and mana and so on. This is very different than the way that action RPGs like Diablo function.

For many consumers in Europe this game was the introduction to games like Final Fantasy. The first Final Fantasy game was released for NES. Then there were several released games for SNES. But actually FF VII was the game that made a real break through in Europe. So, FF VI got also released for PS1. I wrote about FF VI a while ago. Its graphics don’t actually differ much from what is seen on SNES.

PS1 was the gaming console that made PS1 even more popular and also acceptable for adults also to play video games. As CD-ROM was beginning to be used there was a powerful way to represent longer and better looking games that appealed to older people. Video games weren’t kids stuff anymore. There were many other games also that made this break through possible. I am talking about games like Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo and maybe also Colin McRae Rally. These games will remain in my memory bank for the rest of my life. And its cool that I can get to play them anytime I want.