The answer to that question is basically nothing. The news was relatively weak so this post is just going to be speculation/observation.
Team Ninjas’ Next Hit Game
7 years of development! That’s right. You read that correctly. Team Ninja and Sony dev studio have been working for 7 years on Rise of the Ronin. Obviously, this doesn’t mean full-blown development for 7 years, but likely various stages of development where things were being conceptualized, then assets were being created and eventually evolving into full-blown software development. This has me very curious as the initial trailers and gameplay impressions piqued my interest. This game does not look like a Soulslike reminiscent of Nioh. In fact, team Ninja seems all set to deliver us a full-blown action RPG. I’m eager to see how this will stand out and differ from similar entries such as Wo- Long Fallen Dynasty and Ghost of Tsushima, which are all from different eras but have similar settings. Rise of the Ronin looks set to employ gunplay as well as gadgets and contraptions, such as the aerial vehicle we saw in the trailer allowing the lead character to take flight. Let’s see if we can get more details on this title in the upcoming rumored Sony PlayStation showcase, as it is said to be targeting a 2024 release.
Final Fantasy 16 Looks Exciting
Final Fantasy was a big reason I bought my PS5 and I’m glad it looks really good. The summons looks fantastic and the game just looks cinematic which is further instilled by the cinematic pop-ups on the screen. The slice of gameplay really got me hyped for the game. Seeing Garuda and Ifrit like that made me think of Godzilla: King of the Monsters with a fantasy twist. The combat looks kind of weighty which is cool and the colors pop for their respective abilities and I appreciate that. I think the community is split on the combat decision with this game but I think that plays into the fact that every game is a different story. I think It’ll be better if the next one is turn-based or some variation of an instanced battle. This one will be my gem of the summer and I can’t wait to play it.
Dead Island 2 Looks To Impress
I wasn’t a fan of Dead Island 2 when it got announced but I think this game looks really good as well. It’s been a minute since Dying Light 2 came out and if I remember correctly the game got middling reviews. I think this could scratch the itch that was left behind. The gore system looks cool and there are weapons in this game versus Dying Light 2. The world looks vibrant as far as the colors go and graphically it looks as expected for a current-gen game. I wont be buying this game when it comes out but I am curious to see the scores it’ll get upon its release
Games In Retrospect
As of late, there seems to be a resurgence of JRPGs reminiscent of the so-called “Golden Era”. This era was the time when we saw multiple, critically acclaimed Japanese role-playing games delivered on both super Nintendo and PlayStation 1. One of the most widely acclaimed RPGs of that time was Chrono Trigger. This game had a little bit of everything in it. Time and space traversal, swords, robots, and you even had multiple endings which significantly increased replayability. As an older gamer, it is quite refreshing to see a new crop of RPGs taking influence from the golden era RPGs. As of late, I’ve been playing a couple of them – Rise of the Third Power, which has been out for over a year but I just picked it up on sale. The second game is Chained Echoes which I’ve been playing only briefly as I am still engrossed in the first game. When you look at these games, they’re not graphical powerhouses and aren’t quite remarkable compared to modern AAA games. However, what they accomplish greatly is improving upon the formula that was already considered a success. Turn-based combat has been streamlined. Menus have easy-to-understand skill trees. The narratives are entertaining and while not deep, they are very well crafted. This trend seems set to continue as we have Eiyuden Chronicles: 100 Heroes and Sea of Stars both set to follow. The hope is that this creates a resurgence and the genre and we keep getting these solid RPGs. I feel that this is probably being more well-received by our elder gamers as this is the time when we took hold of these stories and sunk nearly 100 hours into some of these games. For now, I’m going to enjoy and reminisce with the two games I’ve purchased while hoping to complete them before 100 Heroes and Sea of Stars drops later this year. It’s a great time to be a gamer!
Gaming In Full Effect
This week wasn’t too heavy in the gaming category. I really just wanted to beat Resident Evil: Code Veronica and that’s just what I did. I enjoyed my time with this game and I should have a video up next week that will go into full detail. There were some major gripes with it but I would love to see a remake of this game. All in all, these games are fueling my survival horror gaming run. I can’t wait to get play an old game named Cold Fear as well as Alan Wake and Evil Within. I’ve also been going through the original Army of Two which has been the kind of fun you just turn your brain off for. I didn’t know this was a trilogy so that’s something else I’ll be getting through this year. Besides that, this week was relatively light but next week I’ll have more free time so I’ll be gaming in…. Full Effect!!
36th Gen 