Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 Demo Review 7.5/10 (PS3)

    Final Fantasy holds a special place in my heart. Over this past generation, I’ve been trying to decide whether it still affects me in the same way or if it’s just nostalgia… whether Final Fantasy XIII was actually bad or if I was the one doing something wrong… whether I want the series to evolve and give me something entirely new or if I just want them to go back to what worked before. I’m not alone in these questions. There are fans around the world, new and old, asking similar things. If it’s to be believed that Square-Enix has heard us and is indeed listening, then the next question we as fans should ask is… “Is Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 the answer we’ve been looking for?”

    The demo starts off with a cutscene that attempts to introduce players to the conflict that’s already spanned two titles. While I didn’t quite follow everything that was going on, and didn’t expect to, I did get the gist of the story and thoroughly enjoy the visuals that the Final Fantasy series has been known to deliver. The graphics are crisp and showcase what the developers are capable of doing now that they know the hardware inside and out. It’s enough to make you forget that there are better looking games on the horizon. I was particularly impressed with the amount of colors they’ve fit into this game. It may sound like a trite point to make, but it’s an achievement to create a world that can believably house a palette like the one the developers have drawn from. That, paired with the character design, by series mainstay Tetsuya Nomura, will have you commenting about the functionality of the world while at the same time questioning if it really matters when it’s this beautiful. All in all, the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 Demo is simply stunning whether in cutscene or real-time gameplay.

    I was annoyed that the demo launches from the Playstation XrossMediaBar, or alternatively the Xbox Dashboard, straight into the same cutscene mentioned above minus the dialogue. It’s a small thing that’s probably unique to the demo, but experiencing it once in all its glory would have been a much more poignant intro and a better use of my time.

    One of the things in the demo that can at one minute go unnoticed but at the next take the narrative by the reigns is the music. It’s not only epic when it needs to be, but it’s also magical at all times. It goes on to reassure the player that this is a cohesive thought out world. Just like previous entries in the series, the music could stand alone. It’s no wonder the series has given birth to orchestral tours featuring tracks from the games.

    A new feature that I encountered during the LR:FFXIII-3 Demo is the Outerworld system. This system allows you to take pictures at any time and share them over the internet via Facebook and Twitter. It also allows you to make comments, cheer on other people’s snapshots, and purchase items people are selling. All you have to do to access this Outerworld feature is pause the game when you’d like to take a screenshot and upload. After that, your screenshot and profile is displayed by a random avatar in other people’s games who are playing online. Sadly, the Outerworld system never revealed itself to be more than a free publicity gimmick during the demo. I couldn’t figure out what I would gain by sharing pictures with everyone who follows me on my social networking sites. I couldn’t figure out how these spectral avatars bearing screenshots somehow fit into the narrative LR:FFXIII-3 is trying to tell.

    You can argue whether the last decade has produced Final Fantasy games worthy of the series’ pedigree, but one thing you can’t argue is that they’ve all been divisive. Ever since Final Fantasy X, Square-Enix has been making changes to the formula. In the LR:FFXIII-3 Demo, we finally get to see what they’ve come up with next, and this time the battle system has received the most notable iteration.

    In LR:FFXIII-3, Lightning, the title bearing main character, has the ability to change costumes at any time during battle. Changing costumes instantly grants Lightning new stats and four new attacks that each have their own strategic value. These attacks also cost ATB points to use. ATB, short for Active Time Battle, is the battle system anyone who’s played XIII or XIII-2 should be familiar with. Basically, in the ATB system, the battles play out in real time, without pause for action, forcing the player to think quickly. One thing that stands out between the previous games and the LR:FFXIII-3 Demo is that you only play as one character that switches roles instead of playing three characters that each have different roles.

    The battles also play out more like an action game now. Players used to have to select attacks until they filled up their action bar before the avatar would attack, but now as soon as you press the button, you attack. This encourages fast gameplay and is rewarded after the battle in the form of battle score, which can be uploaded using the Outerworld system. LR:FFXIII-3 has also done away with the battle menu system altogether, in favor of assigning those same options to face buttons.

    The Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 PS3 Demo receives an 7.5/10. It was long enough to fit in all the new and exciting additions to the game, but too short to tell if they’re going to be improvements.

    So… “Is Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 the answer we’ve been looking for?” I can’t tell you. This is just a review of the demo. What I can tell you is that Square-Enix’s Final Fantasy series is trying to find that answer. It’s not sitting idle. It’s not just trying to cash in. It’s experimenting. And though this may not be the answer we’ve been looking for, this is a step in the right direction and proves that they still have plenty of magic that’s worth your time.

    I would love to pre-order this game so that I could get the exclusive Final Fantasy VII Cloud Strife DLC, but alas I haven’t even played through FFXIII-2. And since I’ve already pre-ordered the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, which comes out a month after LR:FFXIII-3, I can’t realistically see myself purchasing this until June. I will say that there is a big part of me that just wants to go ahead and dive into LR:FFXIII-3.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII-3 releases in the US on February 11, 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS3 at 59.99 for the Standard Edition and 89.99 for the Collector’s Edition.

+ Evolved battle system

+/- Pre-order exclusive costumes (Cloud Strife, Yuna, etc.)

+/- PS3 exclusive costumes (Utsusemi Samurai Garb just for downloading)

+/- Demo exclusive costumes (Siegfried Garb if you post your battle score after defeating Zaltys)

- Free Xbox Live Silver members can’t download until Jan. 28th (Did not take this into account when assigning a review score since it’s probably more of an Xbox thing than a LR:FFXIII-3 thing)

- Timed demo

Dust: An Elysian Tale Xbox 360 Demo Review 10/10

    After playing the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo, I’m left with a very positive first impression. The demo introduced me to the world of the game, quickly threw me into spectacular combat, and then politely said it’s goodbyes. It didn’t waste my time. It didn’t repeatedly ask me to stay. It was a simple meet and greet that leaves me walking away with a smile on my face.

    The first thing you’ll notice about the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo is the gorgeous artwork that comes to life on screen. At the end of the demo a bullet point list tells how all the artwork is hand painted. I couldn’t think of a better way to describe it myself. In a world of increasingly realistic experiences it’s nice to have a game like this to come back to. It’s 2D world is full of vibrant sprites that never leave you wanting more even though you’re only moving in the x and y directions. Much of the fun to be had in this game is the visual explosion of colors and characters as the main character, Dust, flies around whirling his magical sword. The demo had some tricks up it’s sleeve as it dimmed the lights in sections accenting specific hues. I can see how the developer could easily treat the player by adding in weather effects like rain or lightning to further the enjoyment to be had in the game.

(Screenshots don’t really do this game justice in the visual department. You’ll have to try it for yourself.)

     The characters remind me of any assortment of animes that you’ve probably already seen but it doesn’t hinder their quality. Dust is some sort of human fox that sprouts angelic wings for short bursts to double jump. He carries a magical sword, Ahrah, that is also a character. They’re both followed by Fidget, a cute and cuddly flying fox that helps you in battle. They’re all fully voiced. Fidget in particular sticks out because she sounds like your stereotypical anime sidekick, but her dialogue is written and delivered very well. Fidget is also very funny. I found myself smiling at some of the silly things she would say.

    In the Dust: An Elysian Tale Demo you don’t get enough of the story to see where it’s going, but like many open world games, the environment was tiding me over. They created such a beautiful world that I am excited to learn more about it even though the demo was lacking story beats. In it’s defense, I’m glad they let what the demo does best do the talking.

    The music wasn’t anything special. The soundtrack is mostly background, but listening to your enemies get sliced by your sword was quite satisfying. Again, it’s your normal assortment of hack and slash sounds, but they’re very important nonetheless. While playing the game you’re fighting and juggling many characters so the extra emphasis on sonic feedback never hurts. Well, I guess it hurts the antagonists...

    Besides the graphics, the real fun of the game lies in the combat. It’s easy to initiate combos, launch enemies into the air, and no matter what you do it’s going to look pretty. Your skill comes into play when you find yourself narrowly dodging an enemies attack or juggling multiple combos for maximum damage and experience. It reminds me of Devil May Cry because your main attack is with your sword but you can extend combos by using your ranged attack.

    This demo really showed me a blueprint of what demos should be. They should be short and sweet. I was having fun 19 out of the 20 minutes I played. It only asked me to purchase the game twice; once after receiving an achievement and once after finishing the demo. The end of the demo was quite a treat as well. Instead of just blocking my progress and fading to black, I was met by a specialized demo cutscene, and then it faded to black. It was just a little wink that let me know the developer took the extra time.

    Dust: An Elysian Tale receives my first 10/10. As a demo, I couldn’t have asked for more.

    I will be buying this game, but not at the $15 price point. Maybe I’m just cheap, but with all the sales going on recently, and how long ago this game came out, I’d be more comfortable picking it up for $5. It’s replayability could be high with it’s many difficulty levels, but I only see myself playing through this game once. I will be waiting for the inevitable price drop.

- lvl 99

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Xbox 360 Demo Review 8/10

Over the last decade, Sega hasn’t been able to get a regular Sonic game right, but every time they make an All-Stars game they win gold. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed looks to follow this new tradition. The Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo is a straight to the fun test drive that gives the nostalgic arcade racer a new game to get excited about.

Most critics nowadays don’t like “Sonic” games, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like Sonic and the cast of characters that follow him around. The first thing you’ll notice about this demo is the way it takes full advantage of not only the flagship hedgehog IP, but also every other IP Sega has. Every course seems to be tailored after a specific Sega game world. In the demo you get to race on a Panzer Dragoon course and a Golden Axe course. I doubt fans of those games will be drawn to this game just because of a course or character from their favorite game, but regardless it really infuses the world of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed with unique backdrop and characters. Just like Mario Kart draws from its lush Nintendo library, Sega does the same with equal or dare I say better success.

Just like any great arcade racer you remember continuing countless times, this one follows the same formula. I’ve already said how the roster and courses harken back to the old days. It seems everything else does too. When you first start the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo you’re met with an intense cut scene of the cast racing with power-ups and flashy colors accompanied by a zany instrumental. The colors jump out from the screen and at first, just like the music, it seems to be too much. After playing the demo for about 5 minutes, you quickly realize the whole game seems too much, but then you’re overpowered by the nostalgia of the game, and just as quickly, you buckle yourself in.

In the demo they give you unlimited access to a regular race and a time trial, either of which can be played on an easy, medium, or hard difficulty. These are perfect for a demo, though I found the time trial to be too difficult even on easy. I finally beat the time trial on easy when after about ten tries I found out that you basically had to take the shortcut. I hope that doesn’t continue in the rest of the game.

There was a redeeming factor that could have helped me overcome this challenge that should be looked into further for the full game. In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed you can level up your characters after gaining experience in the races. I’m guessing that if I would have leveled up in the full game, I would have been able to beat this time trial easier. They don’t give you the ability to toy with the character growth mechanic in the demo, but I hope they put enough depth into it so the game can have even more mileage than it already seems to have.

The racing in the game is basically a carbon copy of Mario Kart. I’m not saying that in a particularly bad way, because they do it well and it’s fun. The way Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed attempts to differentiate itself is in the automatic transformation of your vehicles. This does give the game a distinct flare as you’re forced to adjust on the fly. I’m curious as to how this gameplay mechanic will pan out in competitive multiplayer. I was good at driving all the vehicle types except the planes, and someone may be able to edge me out in a race because of this.

At the end of the demo when I tried to exit the game, I was forced to watch a trailer I already voluntarily watched no more than 30 seconds prior. When demos make you do anything like that, it’s always an annoyance, though a small one.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo clocks in at an 8/10. It’s a solid demo that does the trick by simply offering you fun. If you’re into arcade racers, the Sega Brand, or just having a good time, then Sega All-Star Racing Transformed is definitely worth the download.

After playing the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Demo, sadly, I would not buy the game. The demo is great, but essentially we have played this game before. I would recommend it to die-hard arcade racing fans, but with a backlog like we have, it’s a pretty easy pass.

I would buy this game if it was $15 and I had a child who I could play alongside with. At this point in my life, I have neither of those.

-lvl 99