Before now, the bulk of my knowledge of Guardians of Galaxy stemmed from the 2014 and 2017 films - both of which are these vibrantly-colored, science-fiction confectionery treats with nutty and light-hearted fillings, coatings of 60's/70's pop music for that zany, playful taste and sprinkles of action and family drama. They were fun and charming viewing experiences that made me laugh out loud. When I first saw the initial reveal for Marvel’s Guardians of Galaxy back in June, it was immediately clear to me how much the game has taken inspiration from its film counterparts, but so much more was shown that ultimately left me wondering. I had this itchy curiosity to find out exactly how Eidos-Montréal, a developer with a confident history in developing story-driven RPG and action titles, will play to their strengths for their first superhero game. While the gameplay reveals gave me some idea of this, I struggled to picture how I would react to this experience firsthand on a moment-to-moment basis - especially since this will all come down to how palatable the story is. The game opens several years after the end of a brutal interstellar war that affected the entire galaxy, and the Guardians are

Nova Crystallis had the chance to participate in the recent Media Tour hosted by Square Enix allowing us to get a hands on preview of the new Final Fantasy XIV expansion Endwalker. If you haven't seen our impressions of the media tour, you should check them out over here. With every new expansion comes an increase in level cap, this time to level 90, and with that means new changes to the jobs including tweaks to old abilities and the addition of new abilities. I'll be outlining all the major changes that you can expect to find once Endwalker releases. Keep in mind this is not a completely extensive list of all changes coming to Endwalker, just the main ones that I noticed. Disclaimer: This article is based on play of an in-development build of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker, and content in the final version is subject to change. Tanks Paladin The new poster-job for Endwalker. Just how does their cape move on the moon when there's no atmosphere? Magic? Probably. Paladins get some pretty cool changes as well as the ability to summon down countless number of swords... perhaps you might say... an unlimited number of them. Requiescat (Level 68) Requiescat has changed to now grant 5

Final Fantasy XIV is something special. Ten years on from its initial release, it goes without saying the game is absolutely thriving - not only because of various influencers and good word of mouth, but because the game really is that good as we have shouted about from on high time and time again. Despite today’s realities of an on-going global pandemic, things are shaping up for its fourth, latest (but not final) expansion due to be in reach of players hands within the next month. Whilst the strain of said pandemic has been hard on us all – particularly for the development team at Square Enix – producer/director Naoki Yoshida stresses to all of us his gratitude to the medical staff and all those who have had to work hard. That gratitude extends to the launch of Endwalker, where once again people around the world will be able to connect and share their experiences as a sort of relief from these trying circumstances. It’s to that end we were invited to participate in the latest media tour covering a first look at expansion content. Normally, we would convene in person, but obvious reasons dictated that a digital event was to

Back in June, I wrote a lengthy piece here concerning my impressions of the first public demo for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. I rambled, I posted a picture of a literal piñata, and if you ask me now to reread what I typed back then and determine whether or not I came across in favor of the game, I couldn't tell you to save my life. Naturally, as soon as Square Enix mic-dropped a second demo our fearless site leader Erren Van Duine immediately asked me back to do the whole thing all over again. What's changed from trial one to trial two? A fair bit, actually. For one thing, the whole game feels far more responsive. That's not to say it's by any means smooth, but it's improved. The graphics are a touch sharper, the character models are more refined, and the one thing that really matters with Team Ninja games — the moment-to-moment gameplay — has been enhanced significantly. The first demo was a fairly barebones affair, with a limited scope and a single (albeit sizable) major area. Our second date with Stranger of Paradise rolls out the red carpet; eight job classes are ripe for the picking,

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is a new tabletop-inspired RPG developed by Square Enix and Alim, set to release on October 26th for Steam, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Helmed by director Maasa Mimura and scenario written by Yuuki Matsuo creative director Yoko Taro, executive producer Yosuke Saito, music by Keiichi Okabe, and character design by Kimihiko Fujisaka, the Drakengard and NieR alum assemble for a card-based RPG that adopts the aesthetics of a tabletop presentation, even if it's more aligned with a typical console-style RPG. And it's an attractive aesthetic, with Fujisaka's character design and cards representing near all aspects of the game. The game master, voiced by Todd Haberkorn, handles the narration and dialogue, lending a more intimate ambience to the game, as if the storyteller was in the same room. The demo for the game is available now, and we checked out the PlayStation 4 version running on a PlayStation 5. This prologue chapter features three protagonists joined in a fellowship that is tasked with retrieving a stolen royal treasure one day before the events of the final game. It's this simple set up that ingratiates you to the world's presentation: one represented entirely of cards. In

If I were to describe Final Fantasy IV to a person who has, somehow, played the first three games yet never touched the fourth, I would say that it blends the best qualities from each of its trilogy of predecessors. It has Final Fantasy's quartet of elemental bosses and their wicked mastermind. Except better. It has Final Fantasy II's attempt at rebel melodrama and a more intricate narrative. Except better. And it has Final Fantasy III's obsession with airships and abrupt revelations. But... well, no. I'd say they're about equal there. Reviewing Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster, at least in my mind, is also a matter of blending. FFIV may be one of the more well-known entries in an exceptionally well-known franchise, but there are people out there who have never touched the game. Maybe you're one of them. But there are millions of fans who are eager to return to the realms of Baron and Fabul for the second time or the third time, or — I'm not naming names here, but quietly pointing the finger toward myself — the tenth. For us, it's important that Pixel Remaster performs its duty admirably. Are the new sprites solid and worth the

In the 66th Letter from the Producer Live broadcast, Final Fantasy XIV director/producer Naoki Yoshida and global community manager Toshio Murouchi (with translation by Aimi Tokutake) revealed adjustments to the game's various jobs and the battle system at large. We’ve summarized the major information below — check it out! Endwalker Title Screen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVTDV4K7kDk Kicking things off, Square Enix showed a brief preview of the Endwalker title screen visual and music. Three major topics for the broadcast include: • Endwalker job adjustments• Endwalker battle system updates• Other updates Job Adjustments Before jumping into the job adjustments section, as a baseline, they are adjusting jobs from where they are in 5.0 (Shadowbringers). With the new level cap, there are new actions but no new overall systems. A small group of people desire the complexity of the 3.x (Heavensward) job actions, but they would like to continue with the current direction experienced in 5.x etc. Recast of primary abilities will be adjusted to align with 60 or 120 second timers. Note that not all abilities have been adjusted to 60 or 120 seconds. Job Action Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCVcgZ8dtD0 Tank Using defensive enhancements at optimal times will grant greater benefits, defensive buffs will be more rewarding to use in conjunction with other actions. Adjustments will ensure combos are not broken by

Last week, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics released the first expansion for Marvel's Avengers titled War for Wakanda. Taking place after the Reassembled campaign that's boxed in with the base game's release, Wakanda introduces King T'Challa as the new playable hero: Black Panther. Accessed through the title screen's Operations menu, Wakanda can be played and re-played after completion, and comes at no additional cost to purchasing the game. Jumping in, the campaign in Wakanda kicks off with an AIM invasion led by hired goon Ulysses Klaue and his army, in the hopes of stealing the nation's secrets in utilizing vibranium -- a resource their technology. T'Challa pursues Klaue's men through his county, where we get more information about Wakanda and its place within the Marvel's Avengers world. Eventually, returning to the capital Birnin Zana, T'Challa reunites with his sister Princess Shuri to formulate a plan on repelling Klaue and AIM alike. While the campaign takes several hours to complete, the story is breezy, yet effective in telling a self-contained story transpiring in the larger plot of the Avengers combating AIM. T'Challa and Shuri both have different angles on how best to protect Wakanda, and the tension between them helps carry through what

It wasn't until the balmy summer of 2019 that I finally sat myself down and checked out The World Ends with You. I played the Switch port, which I understand has some noteworthy control issues, but the game jived with me nevertheless. The jive was strange; it felt more than a bit like showing up alone at an indoor pop-rock concert with no idea what to wear. But every time that's happened to me in life — OK, admittedly it's only happened once — I've eventually settled in and enjoyed the sights and sounds. One might be inclined to think, then, that showing up at the proverbial concert again for NEO: The World Ends with You would be an easier exercise. After all, this long-awaited sequel shares a great deal in common with its 2007 predecessor. The setting, Tokyo's famous Shibuya district, is shared between installments. As is everything that makes Shibuya Shibuya — the nonstop barrage of flashy signs, the wild assortment of shops; the feeling that you're caught up in a human whirlwind. That straightforward assumption, that strong hope that NEO would dig its downright strange hooks into me as its predecessor did and seldom let me go, has

Classic Final Fantasy games from the 8-bit and 16-bit era have been ported and remastered several times before. From the first PlayStation, to the GameBoy Advance, to the PSP, and then smartphones, each iteration takes a certain approach whether it be adding new features and content or an updated graphical style. With many of these platforms now receding into relative obscurity, the call for Square Enix to update and port these games to more current platforms has rang ever louder. Final Fantasy III, for example, has never released in 2D outside of Japan. Announced earlier this year, the first six Final Fantasy titles will be given the "Pixel Remaster" treatment, with the first three launching on July 28th, and the next three to launch later this year. Currently, these remasters are only announced for Steam and smartphones. What's interesting is that there are remasters that currently exist on these platforms, but are being phased out in favor of the Pixel Remasters - as if Square Enix is positioning them as definitive versions. But are they really? From what I've played between each of the first three Pixel Remasters, it seems like a grab bag of features from every version, which is bound