"Don't be a dick." That simple notion is the first of Victor Lucas' 3D rules. The others? Don't dick around and don't hang out with dicks. Some would lead you to believe the games press is filled with dicks. It's not. With this in mind, I seek out the best games writing - from news to interviews to reviews and beyond - and highlight it here.
Theme by Andy Taylor, modified by Aaron Hudspeth.
Two Looks at Final Fantasy
A couple of different perspectives on Final Fantasy. First up is a spriting tutorial illustrating points through Final Fantasy’s art. The author makes notes about using colour over black lines, sectioning off the sprite, size, and more.
The second is one player’s first time playing one of the most revered games out there…Final Fantasy VII.
But Final Fantasy VII also makes an excellent case study in how the stardom of a title and its characters can pervert not only your expectations going in, but your experiences throughout. Somewhere along all of the fan fictions, message board arguments and Deviant Art portfolios it can be easy to feel lost in a sea of Final Fanfare…
“First Fantasy- Part 2: VII” (Another Castle: February 13, 2013) <http://www.another-castle.com/content/676-First-Fantasy-Part-2-VII>.
Hironobu Sakaguchi: Fantasy Man
Pack up your bags, folks, and head home because Simon Parkin is out to take all your jobs. Why do I say that? Because of introspective lines like this:
Sakaguchi resolved to try one last project in the emerging genre that first attracted him to the industry. He wrote the design document for Final Fantasy, labelling the project with a name that reflected the fact he expected this to be his final video game project, his first and last story.
It wasn’t. Final Fantasy launched with perfect timing, riding the swell of RPG popularity kicked up by Black Onyx (the first Japanese RPG, introduced to the country by Bulletproof Software’s Henk Rogers) and Enix’s own Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy found a vociferous following, first in Japan, then in America following the release of Final Fantasy 6 and, finally, in Europe following the release of Final Fantasy 7.
Parkin, Simon. “Hironobu Sakaguchi: Fantasy Man” (Eurogamer: February 27, 2012) <http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-27-hironobu-sakaguchi-fantasy-man>.
