Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Final Fantasy XIII Review - First 15 hours + Happy New Year!

After a long hiatus due to the holidays, SushiGames is finally back to work. We have asked Taco Blitz (remember Bejeweled?) to do another review on games. This time it’s Final Fantasy XIII. Though he hasn’t finished the game yet, we asked him to review the game based on his first 15 hours of play.

Taco:

Hello everyone. It’s Taco Blitz again... the last few days was enjoyable and fun with family gatherings, turkey, sushi, and games. Though I haven’t finished Final Fantasy XIII, I would like to share a glimpse on how the game is going so far.

At first hand, the graphic looks great. There is no telling whether it is pre-rendered or running in real time unless you look very carefully to the details. The animation was smooth, characters are lively and the background is huge and colorful. Though there are some minor glitches (when the characters are zoomed in during cut scenes), it is negligible overall.


FFXIII’s battle system is not something you can grasp straight away. The new ATB (Active Time Battle) is an ongoing system. Instead of issuing an attack when the ATB bar fills up, you are given more ATB bars where you can chain different moves at one go, making satisfying combo moves. As you progress, more ATB bars are added so you can mix and match combos as per your liking. The game lets you control one character with maximum of two CPU supporting characters.

FFXIII introduced a ‘Role’ system similar to classes in previous FF games. Each character is given assigned roles by default. For example, the role ‘Attacker’ are suitable for close combat and can inflict higher physical damage, else the role ‘Blaster’ can cast spell attacks for elemental damage. The roles are interchangeable during encounters and can mix and match between characters to suit the battle situation. There is a limit break for every enemies you encountered, where breaking the limit will stun you enemy and you can launch enemy to the air and perform ariel combos, devil may cry style.


Summoning is similar to FFXII. When summoned, you fight along side with the summons. Summons can transform themselves during ‘driving’ mode in which characters can drive them to perform deadlier combos and finishing moves.

Weapons can be upgraded by fusing loots on it. However, I don’t find any elemental upgrades yet.


FFXIII is a very linear game in my first 15 hours play. Its way too linear that almost every five minutes of game play you will get cut scenes. The settings and characters remind me a lot of FFX. For non Japanese speaker like me, it’s overwhelmed every time I go through the cut scenes, not knowing what they are talking about. There are some cut scenes that will ‘wow’ you, but not much. Most cut scenes involves two or more characters talking to each other, telling their own stories, shouting at each other, and act cute ^^.


Overall, the graphics and battle system has already won over my heart. The graphics are by far the most beautiful and advance to date. However, I find that developers are overdoing on the cut scenes to tell the story. I spent most of the time watching lengthy cut scenes rather then playing the game. All in all, it is still an impressive game and worth the wait.

Ratings: 9/10

SushiGames would like to take this opportunity to wish all readers and SushiGamers a

Happy Blessed New Year 2010!

Think Sushi, Think Games ^^

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Blessed Christmas

Aside from Santa, Christmas Tree, Turkey, Games and Sushi, Sushigames would like to share the following video on the true meaning of Christmas.



"8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2: 8-14

Have a joyful and blessed Christmas !

by SushiGames

Obama asks kids what they want for Christmas



iPod, Nintendo DSi, PSP...

Kids nowadays...

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Gundam 00 Movie

For those who are into the Gundam 00 anime, here are the latest image of the upcoming Gundam 00 movie.

Gundam 00 Quanta (Setsuna) - They brought back the Exia design, yeah!


Gundam Harut
(Allelujah)


Gundam Zabaniya (Lockon)


Gundam Raphael (Tiera) - Tiera's MS design is always weird...







Since the setting is in space, its not surprise that the design is bulkier. Looking forward to it!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Wait In Line Please...(2) - Taiwan

Hahahaha.... 豆花妹... hahahaa... when did Lightning becomes Bean Curd Girl...

Wait In Line Please...

As usual in Japan, the launch of Final Fantasy games wouldn't be exciting without the queues...









More Final Fantasy XIII Screenshots - Official Launch Today!









Bought your FFXIII yet? There's a rumor that people in Johor already getting the game the same day it launched in Japan. Some hardcore fella actually drove all the way from KL to Johor just to buy the game. Others might have to wait another day or two (tomorrow is a national holiday by the way) to get their first hands on the game. Reviews had been spreading all around the internet as usual and here are some more screen shots for those who are still waiting, like us... arrrgghhh...

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Final Fantasy XIII Japanese TV Spot



Arrgghh... Another FFXIII teaser to 'tease' the fans! More cool battle features, and did we mention the transforming sound?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Play your PS3 anytime, anywhere!



Must be very heavy to carry this around...

Thursday, December 10, 2009

New Final Fantasy XIII Screenshots - New Characters







Final Fantasy XIII is due release on 17th December 2009.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Not another 8-bit Megaman...

Sheeepppp Mannnn!!!! Haha... We almost laugh our lungs out reading the following description. It sounds so 80s...

Meet a Robot Master

SHEEPMAN

'Easily the strangest of the Mega Man 10 bosses, Sheep Man does, indeed, look like a set of robot arms and legs attached to a fluffy sheep...or possibly a cloud. In fact, Sheep Man can turn himself into four clouds that hover overhead and attack from above. When you defeat him, you'll earn the Thunder Wool (so cool!), which floats up at an angle before releasing an electrical burst. Perhaps the boss is a homage to Philip K.Dick's sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'

Sounds serious yet funny... Has Capcom ran out of ideas lately? What's next? Sushi Man???

We love the Megaman series and it's classic game play, but we would like to see Capcom reinventing the series with better graphics and game play on the next gen console. It's the 10th in the series and going back to 8-bit again doesn't really sound right.

What do you think?

Megaman 10 will be out on the Nintendo WiiWare soon.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Final Fantasy XIII misses Perfect Score [Famitsu]


We are not surprise that Final Fantasy XIII scored 39/40, an almost perfect score. However, we do see complains from gamers like "why Final Fantasy 12 scored 40/40 whilst this doesn't..."

In SushiGames' opinion, there is no perfect game. Game that sells well doesn't mean that its a perfect game. A perfect scored game doesn't mean that there is no flaws, because game designers/programmers are humans as well.

However, we do find that reviewers nowadays tend to give perfect score to games generously. Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Modern Warfare 2 has received perfect score on most game review magazines. We're not saying that the games are bad, it's just unrealistic to have a perfect score. We feel that publishers has been involved in game reviews so that it could market their games better.

In the end, it is up to gamers to experience themselves. Just like sushi, right?

Monday, December 7, 2009

Final Fantasy XIII Elixir CM



Head butting newspaper, cone, chair, and… CAR???

Latest CM on Final Fantasy XIII Elixir.

Makes your head STRONG!

Mastering Bejeweled Blitz

Who would thought a simple game of chaining 3 or more color gems would be so popular that even Sushi Gamers couldn’t resist. Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook combines traditional game play with new elements like dynamic shift and time limit to make the game more interesting and challenging. The game is easy to learn, yet hard to master.

Our SushiGames staff, codename TakoBlitz, has been caught playing Bejeweled Blitz during working hour. He begged us not to fire him in exchange for his secret strategy for mastering Bejeweled Blitz. We didn’t plan to sack him though...

This is his story… ummm… secret strategy…

Hello Sushi Gamers out there, I’m addicted to Bejeweled Blitz. I have no choice but to share my trade secrets with all of you in order to keep my job. If you read on, I believe you are addicted too…

I will present you my strategy guide to mastering Bejeweled Blitz. This guide is unlike other tips and tricks, it is A STRATEGY GUIDE, and I assumed you have read and understood all the game play mechanics and functions before continuing further. Happy reading, and remember not to play it during working hours, you might be the next to get fired!

1. Chaining your next move within 2 seconds will produce a speed combo. Unless you are confident on your next three or four moves, it is better to go by 1 second per move. Most gamers went all the way linking combos in one go but stopped suddenly because they can’t gather enough time to react to the dropping gems.

2. Explosions caused by Special Gems (Flame Gems, Star Gems or Hypercube) will jumble up the puzzle. This may cause certain reaction downtime for players. In this case, the hint button on your lower left corner can be used. The use of hint will not reset the speed chain as long as you continue your combo within 2 seconds. Use it during emergency.

3. Do not get distracted by Flame Gems and Star Gems. You might spend too much time figuring out the gem arrangements to chain them. Keep it simple and chain whatever it is in front of you. Similarly, don’t plan too much on building special gems.

4. Keep the pace. Gems will drop faster as your speed chain increases, so does your adrenaline. Unless you can handle the speed, a sudden brain dead could happen, causing your reaction to be inconsistent or stop. Stick to the 1 second per move rule.

5. Emotion and randomness luck plays a big part on your game score. You could blast your way to top score in the first game, and not getting even a medal on your second game. Sometimes the puzzle is very friendly to you and could chain continuously without you making a move. Sometimes the puzzle is so evil that you will be hitting the hint button over and over again.

Finally, there’s a saying:

An Artist without proper tool will not produce good art. Get a good mouse on a good surface for better hand-eye coordinate. A better sitting posture and comfortable eye contact helps as well.

Well, at least I’m keeping my job now. Hope the above strategy helps. I am craving for sushi now!

Friday, December 4, 2009

SushiGames recommends Playstation 3 for Christmas


SushiGames is proud to share the following video on the overview of Playstation 3. The price cut followed by the slim version makes this home entertainment system a must own for Sushi Gamers this Christmas. Enjoy your favourite videos, music, photos and games all in one fantastic system. If you have internet connection, the wireless feature allows you to surf the net, download free demos, play multi-player games online, and many more.

Enjoy the video and have a good weekend!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Top 5 reasons why you should get Final Fantasy XIII Japanese Ver.

The long waited Final Fantasy XIII is due for release on PlayStation 3 in Japan on December 17, 2009. However, fans who do not speak Japanese will have to wait till March 2010 for the US/EU release on the PS3 & Xbox360.

As Sushi Gamers, we are all hardcore fans of the Final Fantasy franchise. Most of us don't speak Japanese, but we have 5 GOOD SOLID REASONS why we shouldn't skip the Japanese version.

Reason No. 1

The game will be launching before Christmas and New Year. It is the best time to show off to your family/friends/colleagues when you happen to throw yourself a home party.

Chocobo smells sushi!

Reason No. 2

You will be surprise that most Sushi Gamers learn Japanese language through Japanese games. Grab the game and start figuring out where the 'Attack' command is!

攻撃!

Reason No. 3

Sushi Gamers hate spoilers, especially spoilers from YouTube. If you are waiting for the US/EU version, chances are, you already sneak peaked on the japanese version's game walk through. It will kill your excitement, big time!

Spoilers... Nooooo...

Reason No. 4

The game is developed using PS3 medium and ported to the Xbox360. So technically, the PS3 version should stand out better than the Xbox360. The ported Xbox 360 version will only be available in English. This makes the Japanese version EXCLUSIVE to the PS3.

Lightning: GET ME OUT OF THE BOX!

Reason No. 5

The game promises 50-60 hours of gameplay. By the time you finished the Japanese version, the US/EU version will be out just in time (assuming you spend 4 hours per week playing).

You waiting for me to speak English???

So that's it, our Top 5 SOLID REASONS why we shouldn't skip the Japanese version. Please visit SushiGames often for the latest development on Final Fantasy XIII.

Eyes on You...

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