Ready for some deep Pac-Man lore? In the original game, Clyde would often change his mind and shyly beat a retreat when chasing Pac-Man. In the TV series Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures, Clyde’s caring personality truly blossoms. Hold on to your pellets: Even more spoilers ahead! (Photo: Namco)
2. Bowser
Bowser’s definitely a creepy princess stalker, a crime for which there’s no redemption. But in Super Mario RPG and Bowser’s Inside Story, he pulls his own weight when in saving the mushroom kingdom. He cares. He just has a hard time showing it. (Photo: Nintendo)
3. Min from Far Cry 4
If you play on the main path, the warlord Min comes off as quite the sociopath. But, at the beginning of the game, if you take his instructions at face value and wait 15 minutes for him to return, you open up an alternate ending where Min shows off his sweet side. (Photo: Ubisoft)
4. Knuckles from Sonic & Knuckles
In Sonic 3, Knuckles gives off a bad first impression as one of Dr. Robotnik’s henchman. But he’s really just a victim of the Eggman’s lying schemes. When he finds out the truth, he ultimately joins Sonic’s side. He never drops the snarling attitude, though. (Photo: SEGA)
5. The White Witch from Ni No Kuni
Cassiopea is practically the Walter White of Ni No Kuni. The White Witch broke bad for all the right reasons. When she cast the powerful Ashes of Resurrection spell, she only meant to help those around her, but ended up causing massive despair ... just, you know, without the meth. (Photo: Bandai Namco)
6. King Dedede from Kirby’s Adventure
It’s easy to miss the real story behind Kirby. King Dedede is the true hero, one who has gone to great lengths to hide the powerful star rod. But Kirby’s bumbling ineptitude almost destroys Dream Land when he assembles the device anyway and delivers it right into Nightmare’s clutches. (Photo: Nintendo)
7. Godot from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations
This prosecuting attorney with the flashy cyborg visor has a temper even hotter than the black coffee he gulps during trial. But once you learn of his undying love for Maya and Mia Fey, you can’t help but feel sorry for the fella and everything he’s endured. (Photo: Capcom)
8. Alister Azimuth from Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
You’d think someone who practically killed Ratchet twice is irredeemable. But we know the real Alister to be a judicious rebel leader who prioritizes the salvation of the Lombaxes above all else, even his own life. (Photo: Sony)
9. Kessler from Infamous
The first Infamous title had one of the most surprising twists in video game history. Kessler may appear dastardly at first blush (the dude did kill your girlfriend after all), but what if his actions are really forcing you to develop your skills to fight the true evil ahead? (Photo: Sony)
10. GLaDOS from Portal 2
Like many real people who suffer hardships, GLaDOS’s personality undergoes a transformation through the tumultuous events of Portal 2. After the indignity of being stuck inside a potato, she finds it in her electric heart to help save Chell. (Photo: Valve)
11. Yggdrasill from Tales of Symphonia
This half-elf has a surprising backstory as a victim of racial intolerance. After his sister’s death in a war of expulsion, he goes on a civil rights crusade, which is totally understandable. He just takes it a wee bit too far. (Photo: Namco)
12. Idenn from Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
This shaman may take the form of a loathsome dragon in the final boss fight, but in her defense, her soul was destroyed more than 1,000 years ago and transformed into a demon. If you defeat her in hard mode, she recovers her soul and you get a glimpse of the playful divinity she used to be. (Photo: Nintendo)
13. The Masked Man from Mother 3
The Masked Man initially appears as a force of evil who will do anything to stop Lucas from succeeding. But his sacrificial gesture in the final battle paves the way for the destruction of the Pork Army. (Photo: Nintendo)
14. Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2
Maybe it’s time to revisit Jack’s legacy with a more generous eye. His original utopian plan to get rid of the bandits in Pandora was probably well-intentioned. Even the biggest monsters are heroes in their own stories. (2K Games)
15. Kitaniji from The World Ends With You
Following the likes of Handsome Jack, Kitaniji is another villain whose overwhelming love for a city drives him toward evil actions. But can you really blame him for loving a city as cool as Shibuya? (Photo: Square Enix)
16. Marauder Shields from Mass Effect 3
The final random enemy of your journey sacrificed himself so you wouldn’t have to see the game’s disappointing ending. The outpouring of love for Marauder Shields on image boards has given him the status of a modern-day folk hero. We salute our fallen comrade. (Photo: Electronic Arts)
17. Edea Kramer from Final Fantasy VIII
It's hard to think of a villain who has a gentler side than Edea. When you initially encounter her, she's a merciless sadist. But as the story develops you learn she's just possessed, and actually cares for destitute children in an orphanage. She's the Mother Theresa of evil sorcerers. (Photo: Square Enix)
The popular webcomic is now available in six paperback volumes stuffed to the brim with psychics, steampunks, and planetary disaster: just the thrilling sort of stuff to liven up any summer beach read bag. Buy the whole set and study up on your pyrokinesis before you fire up that grill. (Photo: Avatar Press)
Black Hole by Charles Burns
This graphic novel found a new audience after it appeared in last year's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Black Hole takes place in a nightmare alternate Seattle, where teenagers mutate into classic B-movie monsters after catching a disease. It's a surprisingly intense read that'll keep you creeped out long after you finish. (Photo: Pantheon)
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud may be most famous for his instructional books on creating comics. Now you can see his principles in action in a very weird tale about a sculptor who makes a deal with death to gain inhuman artistic capabilities. It's one of the most peculiar superpowers we've ever seen illustrated. (Photo: First Second)
Just So Happens by Fumio Obata
A young woman living in London returns home to Tokyo after she learns of her father's death. This is a thoughtful story about immigration, grief, and making tough choices. If you're looking for something outside of the box, this is your sure bet. (Photo: Harry N. Abrams)
Celeste by I. N. J. Culbard
When you're ready for a dose of epic, intelligent sci-fi, you'll want to pick up the latest creation from I. N. J. Culbard, famous for his work on Sherlock Holmes. Celeste explores the end of the world from the viewpoint of the few people left to experience it. Think Last Man on Earth mixed with 2001 and you're halfway there. (Photo: SelfMadeHero)
This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
The cousin team-up that brought us the exceptional graphic novel Skim joins forces once again for an incredible coming-of-age story. Set during the summer at a lakeside cottage, This One Summer details, with a touching sense of sadness, the friendship of two girls. (Photo: First Second)
MW by Osamu Tezuka
The Japanese godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, has a reputation for going for the jugular in his stories, and MW is no exception. In what's probably his darkest work, Osamu tells the tale of Michio, a disturbing young psychopath who enjoys cruelty. You'll need an appetite for something revolting and revolutionary to read this one, but you'll be rewarded if you can stick it out. (Photo: Vertical)
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore
This is another graphic novel series for your classics shelf. First serialized in 1993, Strangers in Paradise is now available in six paperbacks perfect for traveling. Jump in and discover why this love-triangle thriller remains a fan favorite. (Photo: Abstract Studio)
The Motherless Oven by Rob Davis
A world that rains knives and has no birthdays sounds like an awful place to live, but it's a wonderfully surreal place to visit in this new graphic novel by Rob Davis. If your teenage years were bizarre, brooding and impenetrable, you'll feel right at home. (Photo: SelfMadeHero)
Pluto by Naoki Urasawa
Astro Boy holds a prominent place in the pantheon of important Japanese manga, which makes Naoki Urasawa's bold retelling of the story all the more impressive. Pluto's blending of a classic Japanese style with hard-edged, Philip K. Dick-inspired cyberpunk produces amazing results. (Photo: VIZ Media)
The Graphic Canon Vol. 3 (Edited by Russ Kick)
The Graphic Canon has lived up to its editor's huge ambitions of publishing an omnibus of classic world literature in comic form. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the important works of literature humans have created, combined with unique interpretations by dozens of the world's greatest illustrators. Volume 3 includes contemporary writers like Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace, a highbrow/lowbrow combo the authors themselves would surely appreciate. (Photo: Seven Stories Press)
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth by Chris Ware
In many ways Jimmy Corrigan put alternative comics and graphic novels on the critical map, with the New Yorker calling it "the first formal masterpiece of the medium." Jimmy Corrigan is a tragic, and at times hilariously awkward, story of father-son relations and the ways we negotiate identities in a complicated world. It's time to finally check it off your list! (Photo: Pantheon)
Over Easy by Mimi Pond
Anyone who's wound up hungover in a California diner will find this nostalgic send up of dropouts, punks, and artists entertaining. It's a smart memoir that feels like a more warm-hearted and witty version of Inherent Vice. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly)
Safe Area Goražde by Joe Sacco
Joe Sacco is a war reporter on a mission: to humanize complex foreign conflicts and bring them to life in comic form. With the rigor of a journalist and the empathy of an artist, Joe makes the Bosnian War feel as if it happened to your friends. The book is an unmissable achievement. (Photo: Fantagraphics)
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
Before the worldwide controversy over Seth Rogen and James Franco's The Interview, this book opened a window into the secretive country of North Korea. This is an eye-opening journey through the author's job as an animator under the rule of Kim Jong-il. A movie version was even in the works, but Fox pulled the plug after last year's threats over The Interview. Now you can read the story that was too dangerous to show. (Photo: Drawn and Quarterly)
It may be hard to imagine, but there was a time when the sight of a fully rendered zombie in a video game was both frightening and breathtaking. This was the moment we discovered Resident Evil had teeth. (Photo: Capcom)
2. The Magic Carpet Lava Chase in Aladdin
The Battletoads hoverbike race gets all the fame, but Mikami's lava chase is a contender for the most harrowing tunnel run in video game history. (Photo: Capcom)
3. The Cerberus Window Scare in Resident Evil
When these rabid dogs jumped through a window in a dimly lit hallway, most of us had to fight the urge to jump out of a window in real life. (Photo: Capcom)
4. The Chainsaw-Wielding Dr. Salvador in Resident Evil 4
After a brief warm-up in the woods, Resident Evil 4 quickly descended into all-out chaos as a swarm of angry villagers lusts after your sweet neck blood. The chainsaw brute became a series icon. (Photo: Capcom)
5. The T-Rex Bursting Through the Window in Dino Crisis
The best Jurassic Park game isn't even called Jurassic Park. Dino Crisis is a cool 90 degree turn from Mikami's other horror titles, but the dude couldn't give up his classic window scares. (Photo: Capcom)
6. The Tentacle Erupting From a Ganado in Resident Evil 4
It's alive! Just when players got a handle on evil villagers, this guy showed up. And head shots just made things worse. Now that is scary. (Photo: Capcom)
7. Iwazaru the Bondage Suit Servant in Killer 7
A chill went down everyone's spine when this red-suited freak descended on his bungee cord. Suda 51 rightfully gets acclaim for Killer 7, but Shinji Mikami shares the credit as co-writer. (Photo: Capcom)
8. The Angry Crimson Heads in Resident Evil: REmake
In addition to the lurid new graphics, the Resident Evil remake had some devious updates, including angry Crimson Head zombies that roar to life when a corpse wasn't crispy enough. Yikes! (Photo: Capcom)
9. The Near Invincible Spider-Lady in The Evil Within
We don't know what it is about creepy ladies with long hair covering their faces, but they're a staple of Japanese horror. This spider creature was almost impossible to kill; the only other option: just run, run, run for your life. (Photo: Bethesda)
10. The Licker Surprise in Resident Evil 2
Everything went wrong for poor Claire in the Interrogation Room. If only she knew Mikami's penchant for busting through windows with disgusting creatures, she might have stood a chance. (Photo: Capcom)
11. Pulling Off "Slidekick Backflip Bullet Time" in Vanquish
Scary stylish is more like it. Vanquish was Gears of War on a steady diet of anime and methamphetamine. It was often overwhelming, but pulling off insane stunts like this in the middle of a terrifying firefight felt thrilling. (Photo: SEGA)
12. Getting Barricaded by Griefers in Resident Evil Outbreak
This online Resident Evil oddity for the PS2 left limited means to communicate with co-op partners. That mechanism created the perfect way for pranksters to serve up players as zombie suppers. (Photo: Capcom)
13. The Azel Boss Fights in God Hand
The Head Slicer. The Daisy Cutter. The Reverse Hell Kick. These were all weapons in Azel's formidable arsenal. If players weren't quick to the draw with a Hand Plant Kick, they were toast. (Photo: Capcom)
14. The Draining Bathtub in Resident Evil
Nothing good ever came from draining a bathtub in a haunted mansion. Why is it so impossible to resist? Fate guided our hand forward, revealing the loathsome beast that slept beneath. (Photo: Capcom)
15. The Red and Blue Skeleton Bosses in Goof Troop
Who thought a harmless little game about Goofy and his son Max could hide such a terrifyingly difficult boss fight? They lived up to their self-proclaimed goal of filling our hearts with dread. (Photo: Capcom)
16. The Fleming Fight in Shadows of the Damned
Another Mikami and Suda teamup! Besides having a disgusting totem pole of skulls for a face, Fleming lobbed beams from his eyes, and hid a whole girlfriend in his trench coat. What a creep. (Photo: Electronic Arts)
17. The Search for Dr. Valerio's Key in The Evil Within
The worst part of this scene had to be the disgusting squishing sounds that accompanied the manual exploration of a cadaver. And, of course, the inevitable killer scare. (Photo: Bethesda)
18. The Cabin Battle With Luis in Resident Evil 4
By now, battles with zombies breaking into cramped rooms is de rigueur. But when Leon and Luis first fought this rampaging horde, it felt dynamic and frighteningly realistic, like nothing that came before. (Photo: Capcom)
Chances are you've heard of the annual event that brings the world's most dedicated nerds to San Diego. But it's always packed to the brim and tickets are a nightmare to procure, so why not find some alternative venues to cosplay as your favorite character? (Photo by: Corbis)
WonderCon
Starting in the Bay Area, WonderCon moved to Anaheim (a 90-minute drive from San Diego) in 2012. WonderCon offers a bevy of events for fans. The Artist Alley gives guests a chance to buy signed comic books and autographs from celebrities. The masquerade competition is a must-see. (Photo by: Corbis)
Wizard World
The Wizard World convention travels to 27 cities each year. Where else can you see Darth Vader, Jeremy Renner (Avengers) and The Undertaker all in one place? Trust us, it's magical. (Photo by: Corbis)
Anime Expo
With an attendance of 80,000 fans in 2014, the Anime Expo in Los Angeles is the biggest convention for fans of the genre in North America. Make sure to warm up those vocal cords for the event's Anime Music Video. (Photo by: Corbis)
PAX Prime
If comics aren't exactly your cup of tea, try PAX Prime in Seattle. The convention is dedicated to fans of gaming and music. Its popularity has grown so much since its 2004 birth that it has expanded to Boston, San Antonio and Australia. (Photo by: Corbis)
London Film and Comic Con
The London Film and Comic Con was such a big summertime success that it spawned a winter celebration. July's LFCC featured Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters), Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future) among other esteemed celebrities. (Photo by: Corbis)
Dragon Con
Since its inaugural convention of 1,400 fans in 1987, the annual Dragon Con has grown to nearly 60,000 attendees. The Atlanta-based expo contains more than 3,000 hours of workshops, seminars and panels. The event even has its own short film festival. (Photo by: Corbis)
D23 Expo
If you really want to experience the magic of Disney, there's no better place than the D23 Expo in Anaheim. The convention is chock-full of trailers and surprise announcements. This year Disney/Pixar promises to unveil footage of highly anticipated films "Finding Dory" and "The Good Dinosaur." (Photo by: Corbis)
Heroes Convention
With the soaring popularity of conventions, some fans miss old-school events dedicated solely to comic books. Have no fear: The Heroes Convention in North Carolina shines a spotlight on the art form. Watch for the Quickdraw Contest, where artists duel for prizes. (Photo by: Corbis)
MegaCon
MegaCon allow you to not only interact with your favorite sci fi characters, but also play games with the 80,000 other attendees. With the option to participate in Dungeons & Dragons live campaigns, Magic: The Gathering and more, MegaCon is a perfect place for all your geeky dreams to come to life. (Photo by: Corbis)
The world's most famous pop culture fan convention descends upon San Diego July 8. Hall H will be mobbed. The sun will beat down upon the nerd hordes without pity. But there's one part of Comic-Con that never gets old: The fan costumes. Here's someone dressed as an anthroporphized Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony. (Photo by: Corbis)
Surely you Jecht
Minor factors such as gender do not stop hardcore fans from paying tribute to their favorite games. This Final Fantasy 10 fan showed up at last year's con dressed as male NPC Jecht. (Photo by: Corbis)
Twi, twi again
Every Star Wars fan knows that Twi'leks are underrated in the galaxies far, far away. This con attendee told a photographer that she was dressed as a Twi'lek named Kri'nahi. (Photo by: Corbis)
Living art
This Sacrament-based con attendee got literal with her love for comic books. (Photo by: Corbis)
Fans attack!
A fan dressed as the Martian Girl from the movie Mars Attacks strutted down the street during the 2014 con. (Photo by: Corbis)
Watch your head
A Transformers fan mounted a pair of stilts to complete his homage to Optimus Prime. (Photo by: Corbis)
Everything but the horses
A California-based couple dressed as Game of Thrones characters Daenerys Targaryen and doomed Dothraki husband Khal Drogo during last year's convention. (Photo by: Corbis)
Prowling around
Plenty of Catwomen are seen padding along the streets outside of the convention every year. (Photo by: Corbis)
It's only logical
Star Trek is a huge franchise at every Comic-Con, regardless of whether there's any Trekkie fare in theaters that year. Bonus: Federation uniforms are a lot easier to find and wear compared with, say, any other franchise. (Photo by: Corbis)
Layers of fandom
Why wear one costume when you can honor two favorite franchises at once? (Photo by: Corbis)
No velvet ropes on Asgard
The great thing about Comic-Con: No barriers between fans. A denizen of Asgard can rub shoulders with a ... whatever she is. (Photo by: Corbis)
No joke
Here's a fan dressed as Harley Quinn, a relatively late addition to the DC universe. (Photo by: Corbis)
Blue in the face
Ever heard of Andorians? If you're a true fan–the only kind at Comic-Con, of course–you sure do. For the uninitiated, Andorians are a race in the Star Trek universe. (Photo by: Corbis)
But can you run in that?
Not every Comic-Con attendee worships the mega-franchises. Take this woman, whose costume honors the 1976 sci-fi classic Logan's Run. (Photo by: Corbis)
Hellgirl!
Traditionally, the comic book superhero Hellboy is just that: A boy. But at Comic-Con, imagination trumps all the rules. (Photo by: Corbis)
Dismayed by the lack of betrayal at E3 this year, Lucy reminisces about gaming's greatest deceivers. Spoiler warning for BioShock, Star Fox 64, Metal Gear Solid, and Portal 2.
Final Fantasy XV has been entrenched in one of the longest development cycles of all time, with few games rivaling its prolonged gestation. Announced long before Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were put to pasture, Final Fantasy XV was originally called Final Fantasy Versus XIII, not to be confused with the mainline game, Final Fantasy XIII. Both games were announced at the same time, yet we've seen not just one, but three games tied to Final Fantasy XIII proper released since it was announced. Final Fantasy XV is supposedly nearing completion, but we still don't have a release date to hang our hat on. While we wait for more news on Final Fantasy XV, let's look back at the game's milestone moments, starting with a little press event in Tokyo almost ten years ago.
Sept. 2006 - Final Fantasy Versus 13 Announced at Tokyo Game Show
During a Square Enix press conference at Tokyo Game Show 2006, three Final Fantasy XIII games were announced: PlayStation 3 exclusives, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII (which would eventually become Final Fantasy XV), and a mobile game, Final Fantasy Agito XIII. Agito aside, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII were the first examples of what a then next-gen Final Fantasy could be. At the time, Final Fantasy XII still wasn't available outside of Japan, so for fans of the series in the west, these announcements were especially captivating. It was eight months before Versus XIII was seen again in the form of another cutscene trailer, but then the game would go dark for the next year, when signs of trouble with development began popping up online.
Jun. 2008 - Final Fantasy Versus 13 Development Confusion
After a long period of silence, an interview with Versus XIII director Tetsuya Nomura in Japan's Famitsu magazine seemed to indicate that staff working on the game had been appropriated by the Final Fantasy XIII team because the latter game was the studio's number-one priority. As such, work on Versus XIII would not resume until development on XIII was wrapped. However, despite being translated by numerous sources, Square Enix claimed that the quote was misinterpreted. Rather than what was reported, Square Enix clarified that "reports that development for Final Fantasy Versus XIII is on hold are false. The truth of the situation is that when free, some staff from the Versus team have been helping with the Final Fantasy XIII team on development...Development for both titles is continuing as originally scheduled." Whether the follow up from Square Enix was genuine or not, we now know that Versus XIII would not meet its initial release schedule, suggesting that Nomura's concerns were valid, even if the truth of the matter wasn't as dire as it first seemed. This was the last anyone heard of Versus XIII until 2010, when yet another brief trailer was released. That trailer gave us the first look at gameplay, but it was all too brief, with tightly composed tidbits of exploration and combat that lasted for less than a minute total. However, in early 2011, Square Enix would open the floodgates.
Jan. 2011 - Square Enix Unveils Final Fantasy Versus 13 Gameplay
Following years of short trailers based primarily on cutscenes, Square enix released a seven minute video in 2011 filled with footage of combat and new environments, including city streets, interiors, and grassy wilderness. There was also footage of Noctis, the main character, taking control of weaponized vehicles, including a bipedal mech and a tank, which he hijacked on-the-fly mid-battle. While it's anyone's guess whether or not he will still be able to do that when the game's ultimately released, given that we know a lot has changed in the last few years, it's safe to say that other scenes, particularly where the player is controlling one of Noctis' cohorts, Prompto, is something that won't be in the final game; we now know that you can only control Noctis, with other characters reacting to his needs automatically. Regardless, this trailer, coming five years after the initial announcement, was what players had been waiting for, being the first concrete evidence that the game has had significant work put into it. Despite this reassurance, in 2012, director Nomura would once again hint that something suspicious surrounding the game was afoot.
Jul. 2012 - Final Fantasy Versus 13 Cancellation Rumors
18 months after the massive gameplay trailer dropped in 2011, with little new info surfacing in the meantime, a source close to the game reportedly told Kotaku that production had been shuttered, six years after final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced. This came on the heels of Nomura talking to Famitsu, yet again, about impending news regarding the game's development. "We're almost done with preparing the latest info for the game," he stated. "Because of a totally unrelated reason, there are circumstances in which that info cannot be released." Kotaku was also told that development resources had been folded into the next, standalone game in the series, Final Fantasy XIII. This rumor would be addressed the following year, during Sony's press conference at E3 2013.
June 2013 - Final Fantasy Versus 13 becomes Final Fantasy 15
The rumor that Final Fantasy Versus XIII was being pushed aside was almost unbelievable, but at E3 2013, Square Enix confirmed that it was done with Versus XIII; instead, it would live on in a new form, as Final Fantasy XV. With the PlayStation 3 behind them, Square Enix had shifted development to the next generation of consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A new trailer accompanying the announcement showcased both new and redesigned characters, wide-angle views of large environments, and a wealth of combat scenarios against enemies big and small. It was the most substantial look at the game yet, suggesting that development had progressed quite a lot farther than previous trailers would have led us to believe. Considering that development moved to an entirely new and advanced generation of consoles, it was impressive, but another change, which would be announced over a year later, may have been the key to speeding up the pace of development.
Sept. 2014 - Hajime Tabata replaces Tetsuya Nomura as director of Final Fantasy 15
While Tetsuya Nomura was working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, he was also working on Kingdom Hearts III, which was announced in 2010. With two massive franchises on his back, it's no wonder why development on Final Fantasy Versus XIII was taking so long. It's still unclear how the transition happened and when it became official, but around the time of 2013's Tokyo Game show, Square Enix announced that Hajime Tabata had taken over as director of Final Fantasy XV. Having previously worked on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Type-0, Tabata seemed to be the right man for the job, and his appointment would free Nomura up, making it a win-win for Square Enix. For Final Fantasy fans, it perhaps signaled that Nomura's influence would be brushed aside, but it was also a sign that efforts were being made to actually finish the game. Little did we know, we'd actually get a chance to play it in just a few months time.
Mar. 2015 - Final Fantasy 15 demo, Episode Duscae, ships with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Tabata, the newly appointed director, promised that a demo of Final Fantasy XV would be released alongside Type-0 HD at the 2014 Tokyo Game Show, and sure enough, people who picked up the initial printing were able to access a playable demo of the long-awaited game, subtitled as Episode Duscae. The demo was huge, giving you plenty of time to explore a single, large region of the world, and battle wildlife and soldiers to your heart's content. It also featured side activities such as cooking, but the most exciting moments included a battle against a large behemoth and a look at the game's summons, which in this instance, was a huge version of Ramuh, the series' elderly lord of lightning. When he announced the demo, Tabata noted that the game was 55% complete, but he also ensured everyone that it wouldn't take another eight years of development to complete the other half now that work on the demo was finished. As it turned out, the development on the demo wasn't exactly wrapped up.
Mar. 2015 - Square Enix seeks feedback from fans, updates Episode Duscae
A little over a week after it released Episode Duscae, Square Enix launched a survey where players could submit their feedback on the demo. Initially, this was pitched as a way for players to influence the final game, but this feedback was ultimately used by Tabata and his team to create an update for the Episode Duscae demo, which launched just a few months later in June. In addition to adjusting the camera and targeting system, Tabata's team also doled out a few new side quests, which partner Noctis up with one of his cohorts. One in particular, where Noctis teams up with Gladiolous, introduces a brand new mechanic known as cross chains. These tandem attacks allow you to take down larger, stronger enemies by following a series of button prompts that appear on screen during combat. It's interesting that such a patch would be released for the demo, but it's even teresting that resources were devoted to it, rather than to the full game.
June 2015 - Changes from Versus 13 to 15 outlined by Tabata
During a episode six of Tabata's Final Fantasy XV livestream series, Active Time Report, he outlined some of the changes that were implemented into the game during its transition from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Final Fantasy XV. Among them, Tabata pointed out that "after we had switched from Versus to XV, the first decision we made was to make sure that XV would have a complete, coherent story in one game." This suggests that the story was previously designed to suit multiple titles. This shift in thinking led to a reorganization of story events, but also characters. Previously, Noctis interacted in trailers with a character named Stella, who was intended to be the game's heroine. However, her character was totally scrapped in the transition to Final Fantasy XV because Tabata's team "found it increasingly difficult to make sense of Stella's character and role within Final Fantasy XV." Sensitive to the issue that such sweeping changes may have a negative impact on fans expectations, Tabata added: "All these things I have been talking about have been the subject of extensive debate, and were decided with a level of utmost resolve in order to make Final Fantasy XV into the best game possible, so at least in our minds, these decisions are making the game better."
Aug. 2015 - New information will be released during Gamescom
Square Enix and Tabata have promised that there will be lots of new information related to Final Fantasy XV coming out of the Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany. What that could mean is anyone's guess, but there's a good chance we'll finally get a release date for the oft-delayed game. Will it be September 2016, to mark the 10th anniversary of the game's announcement? It would be a shame to have to wait that long, but after nine years, what's one more? If it means the team will get the time it needs to finish the game without sacrificing quality, the wait should be worth it.
NaturalMotion's mobile racing game CSR Racing is getting a sequel, CSR2, the developer's parent company Zynga announced on Wednesday. The 2012 original, a free game that has seen more than 130 million downloads, offered strong visuals for the time. But the sequel goes even further.
The developer has shared the first CSR2 images and a video, captured in-game on an iPhone 6, and they do not disappoint. Take a look at the video and some images in the gallery below for a closer look. One thing to bear in mind, however, is that Zynga has not shared any actual gameplay footage just yet.
CSR2 is in development at NaturalMotion's London East studio. The team is made up of people who worked on esteemed racing franchises such as Forza, Need for Speed, Dirt, and Burnout.
"Their passion for cars is as strong as their desire to create the most beautiful and most authentic racing game possible," NaturalMotion CEO Torsten Reil said in a
Long time Destiny fans Alex Newhouse and Erick Tay talk about the recent Collectors Edition controversy, as we discuss weather or not Bungie are unfairly milking their fans.
Dismayed by the lack of betrayal at E3 this year, Lucy reminisces about gaming's greatest deceivers. Spoiler warning for BioShock, Star Fox 64, Metal Gear Solid, and Portal 2.
Justin and Andy talk to Danny about the Fallout themed iPhone game, and how they might like to see it used in Fallout 4.
Long time Destiny fans Alex Newhouse and Erick Tay talk about the recent Collectors Edition controversy, as we discuss weather or not Bungie are unfairly milking their fans.
