My 8 reasons for being a Final Fantasy enthusiast...

   I'm pretty sure that by this point, I've made more than one article already with "Final Fantasy" in the headline. In fact, it might be the most common thing you'll see in this blog, which was supposed to be about "human relationships" (in fact, if you look somewhere to the right, that description remains). As if I was trying to fool myself from thinking I could hold back from writing about possibly one of the few things that can get still get me excited and full of anticipation, like an 8-year-old boy thinking about Christmas Day. For anyone out there reading this blog, I thought it might be high time I explained why I personally have this sort of "affection" when it comes to this series. What made me not be able to get enough of it?? Well, there's quite a few reasons actually. Here are most of them...
   1.Final Fantasy has been with me ever since I was a child. Ever since i can remember myself, I enjoyed video games. In fact, it was thanks to a boring flight to Sydney and my sister's Game Boy that I got into them in the first place. Mario was my first adventure, but his worlds just seemed void and empty. It wasn't until FF VII came along that I was truly able to understand what sort of experiences video games have to offer.

   2.Final Fantasy helped me create some true friends. I've already mentioned this story in a previous post, but thanks to FF VII I was able to create some true friends and thanks to FF VIII I was able to solidify those friendships. Eventually we all did move on with our lives, but I know that even if I were to meet those people again today, we would eventually get to talking about "that new FF game".
   3.Thanks to Final Fantasy, I've been able to travel to new worlds and see incredible locations. The artists behind most FF titles draw inspiration from real world locations and they use them to create their own places. From steampunk towns to exotic beaches to futuristic cities in which everything is controlled by AI to jungles to castles, deserts, ice caverns, ancient ruins, post-apocalyptic areas, even dreamworlds. I don't think there's been a certain type of location that hasn't been covered in these games. Heck, one of them even had a portable school!!

   4.I was introduced to some of the most intriguing (artificial) people. And I got to learn their life stories. People in the real world might carry a lot of baggage, but they don't open up easy. And these guys n'gals weren't all sugar and rainbows either. Some of them were test subjects, others had their memories tampered with, some were already dead and others wanted to become death itself. There were a few that seemed so cheerful on the outside but only because they were trying to run away from their past. Others were brave and courageous, willing to throw it all away if it meant everyone else can have a future. Then there were some that didn't even know what they were, but stumbled along and found the answers as they went. This series has the best character development ever. And no matter what they look like on the outside, eventually you come to appreciate these characters for their actions. Huge life lesson right there!

   5. The plot twists! Oh, Lord, those plot twists!! Most of these experiences (I refrain from using the word "game" when it comes to Final Fantasy because I feel like that limits its capacity) have twists and turns like a good novel. The unexpected almost always happens. People you would least expect end up stabbing you in the back and enemies become allies. Secrets well-hidden emerge out of nowhere and you're left there, scratching your head, trying to deal with everything while even the entire world could be going down the drain. This is one of my favorite elements. The surprise. The head-scratcher. The "WTF" moment. That is what defines a good title from a masterpiece. And pretty much all FF titles have this element.
   6.Through Final Fantasy I was able to comprehend opera music and understand its value. There are truly wonderful orchestral pieces within all FF titles, and thanks to that there's even been a worldwide tour of concerts dubbed "A New World". Pieces that form a strong emotional bond with players, such as "Aerith's Theme" or "JENOVA" from FF VII and more from other entries, are adored even to this day.
   7.The fun of it. This factor isn't as significant of course as the others, but most Final Fantasy titles are addictive. They provide the motive necessary in order for players to push themselves and level up so they can find out and experience what happens further ahead in the story (although nowadays thanks to the internet, that's not really much of a factor anymore), but there's also so much more going on besides the story alone that gives people incentive to not put down their controllers. Mini-games, for one. Whether it's fishing, snowboarding, Chocobo (these big, ostrich-looking creatures) racing, hunting, betting, scavenging, playing cards, playing pinball, playing blitzball (underwater soccer -sorta-), catching frogs, cooking... there are heaps of new things to keep players occupied even after the story's done (or even during, why not?). I remember I had spent over 120 hours on FF XII and near 150 on (the original) FF X. I have no idea how many hours I spent on IX and VII, but it was a lot more than that! The point being, these things are so addictive and fun, they can end up taking a lot of people's time!
   8.Replayability. Some (most) of these stories are so inventive, that it's interesting to go back and replay them once in a while. It's like seeing an old friend whom you haven't seen in some time. You get to reminisce about the past and how simpler things were back then. 
   So you can imagine, when you combine all these things together, how exciting it is to have a new addition to the series! And you can realize why most Final Fantasy fans, such as myself, won't shut up about XV. We wanna feel that exhiliration again! That intrigue. And meet new and interesting people who wanna tell us their stories! And visit new places! Sure, the real world's good. But it's nice to escape into a fantasy world full of life-changing events once in a while...

"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" Review

   (This review does not incorporate the multiplayer elements of the game, as the reviewer is not a Playstation Plus subscriber and is not really interested in MMO Shooter games.)
  "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" is a game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive. I realize this review is about a title that was released several months back, but I was lucky enough to win "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" at a local gaming event that was being held in my area and so I played and finished it within a week's time. All I can say is, even though I myself am not a big fan of the Hollywood-style Action-Adventure title, this game was a great experience! Specifically:
  The story threw me into action immediately as Nathan Drake and his brother Sam are driving on a boat during a heavy storm and while being chased and shot at by several military-like crafts. Eventually they see an island which Sam points out to Nathan. They try to get to it until eventually, not having clear vision, they crash into one of the pursuing boats. The scene cuts to Nathan underwater, searching for treasure. Eventually and after some transitions and cutscenes, the player learns that Nathan had thought his older brother Sam dead in Cuba but he had survived but was imprissoned, and now some drug lord helped him get out. In return, he wants Sam to bring him the treasure of pirate Henry Avery, one of the greatest treasures of all time. And that's why Sam turns to Nathan.
  It's a great story full of emotional cutscenes throughout, to the point of feeling like you're watching a movie at a cinema or on TV. This could just as easily have been a great Hollywood production, it's THAT good! The actors are great as well, especially the chemistry between Nathan (acted by Nolan North) and Sam (Troy Baker) is incredible. Serious at times, full of sarcasm and irony at others, they never feel awkward or off point with one another. The scenario has some great twists as you reach the end and this is a great final chapter for all those who have stuck with this franchise since the first title (unlike me!).
  The graphics are also yet another point on which Naughty Dog nailed it with this game! Whether you're looking at character expressions, lip-syncing, or the magnificent views of Madagascar or Libertalia, there is nothing that doesn't look incredible in this game. These are the kind of enhanced graphics that developers need to look at when they think "next-gen".

  Gameplay-wise, this may just be another shooter title, however there are more than plenty sequences that demand a player be on-his-toes and even more that demand quick thinking. And what's great about them is that they make the player FEEL like he's part of the action, like this is almost happening to him and not Nathan Drake; that's the level of involvement this game delivers to the player. Those moments are what really upped the gameplay experience.
  In the music department, it's not really anything special, however there are a few tracks that set the tone when you're entering a new area that's great to gaze upon, or when you're going through some action sequence. And the music plays its part quite well here. Nothing too extraordinary, just right.
  There's also the backstory that's really interesting in this game as well. There's the mainstory that goes on between Nate, Sam, Rafe, etc, but there's also the story of what they're researching: Avery's treasure. You discover as you're going along that there's a lot behind this treasure and how it got where it is, and figuring it all out is also very enticing. Yet another area in which this game succeeds.
  All in all, I had a fantastic week with this game and I would strongly recommend it to all PS4 holders, no matter what type of games they like. It's a fantastic adventure that closes the story of Nathan Drake on the highest note possible and a piece of art that all game developers should look up to when they begin developing their own titles. Truly magnificent!