Operation Backlog Completion 2024
Nov 292017
 

During the latest Active Time Report about Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix announced its plans to continue FFXV support through 2018, starting with a new episode about Ardyn.

The way Ardyn’s backstory was handled was a big disappointment to me, so I’m excited that they’re taking steps to correct that.

They previously mentioned the possibility of a whole Ardyn game, but an Episode Ardyn is fine with me.

According to Tabata, they plan to release at least three “Episode” DLCs in 2018, and this new content won’t be released until it’s properly sufficient. Tabata hopes the new DLC will even get the interest of fans who lost interest after finishing the game.

He’s also aware that fans want to see an Episode Luna.

I’m happy that we’ll finally get more details about Ardyn, but I’m especially happy about the “properly sufficient” comment. Final Fantasy XV’s biggest problem was that it lacked important details and skipped over moments that should have been shown on-screen, so maybe the DLC will finally fill in those gaps.

In the meantime, Episode Ignis is due out on December 13, and it will include an alternate route you unlock once you clear the story.

And that’s not all! A December update will let you switch characters in FFXV, so you can finally play as Gladio, Ignis, or Prompto in the main story.

By the time they’re finished adding content and updating Final Fantasy XV, maybe it will be the way many of us envisioned it. What do you think of the latest news, and are you looking forward to Episode Ardyn?

Nov 272017
 

For various reasons, I didn’t blog on Friday, but now it’s Cyber Monday and there are plenty of deals out there. Here are a few that stood out to me:

Nintendo eShop

First up, let’s take a look at Nintendo’s eShop Cyber Deals. These deals will be active until December 11, so you have plenty of time to decide.

Of particular note to me are the two Ace Attorney games on sale: Dual Destinies for $9.99 and Spirit of Justice for $14.99. If you haven’t played the latest Ace Attorney games yet, this is a perfect opportunity.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are both on sale as well, for $2.99 each. I haven’t played the Oracle games yet, but it’s still a good deal.

Square Enix

Square Enix has both digital and physical games on sale through today (November 27), and there are some great ones. The biggest problem with physical sales at the Square Enix Store is that there’s a sizable shipping cost. However, if you buy multiple games, you can overcome that thanks to the sale (compare prices first).

Chrono Cross and some classic Final Fantasy games are on sale for pretty cheap, so be sure to take a look, and there are also some good Kingdom Hearts prices. And if you, like me, want to play the original Nier before Automata, it’s on sale for $13.38.

Best Buy

Best Buy has some great Cyber Monday deals, although some are no longer available to purchase online.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. stands out to me at $2.99. I wasn’t interested in the game after playing the demo, but at that price, maybe it’s worth a try?

Horizon: Zero Dawn, Knack 2, Yakuza Kiwami (SteelBook Edition), and many others are also on sale for $19.99.

Oh, and if you’re a GCU member, the discount stacks this year for even better prices.

Amazon

Amazon’s video game Holiday Deals feel a bit lacking this year, but Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star is a decent game with its special edition available as a Lightning Deal for $23.99 (Vita) or $33.99 (PS4).

Bloodborne is also on sale for $16.16.

Steam

As usual, tons of games are on sale during Steam’s Autumn Sale, available until tomorrow afternoon.

So many good games are on sale, it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll point you toward Steins;Gate ($17.49), Tales of Symphonia ($4.99), and Hatoful Boyfriend ($2.49; at that price, you can give it a chance).

Conclusion

What fantastic deals did I miss? What games, if any, did you pick up this Cyber Monday? Let me know in the comments!

Nov 222017
 

Finally, we’ve reached the conclusion of the Witcher saga, the final novel before the events of the games take place, The Lake of the Lake.

This is the culmination of Ciri’s quest, Geralt & company’s search for her, and all the machinations that have been bubbling throughout the saga, and it’s an epic conclusion.

Like the previous novel, there’s a bit of a frame story here, although it takes a couple different forms. Ciri telling her story to Galahad is the larger frame, but there is also a fair amount of framing as the sorceresses Nimue and Condwiramurs attempt to piece together the truth of Ciri’s history.

There are so many good moments in this novel, and although I felt a couple parts went on a bit too long (specifically the war section and the ending), it’s a fantastic story.

The section in Toussaint is great (especially Regis giving advice on how to deal with vampires), I love the entire section with the elves (especially when Ciri makes her escape and learns the truth about their world), and the confrontations at the end are satisfying (if a bit heartbreaking).

Unfortunately, I’ve heard that The Witcher 3 doesn’t really do Eredin justice, which is a disappointment because he’s pretty cool in the novel. Are there other Eredin fans out there? He steals the scene whenever he’s on the page!

Click for Lady of the Lake spoiler
And the revelation about Emhyr’s identity is one of the most unexpected twists I’ve ever seen. Before I first read The Lady of the Lake, I accidentally read a spoiler about his true identity… and dismissed it as the person who wrote it getting Emhyr and Duny confused.

When I reached that part of the novel, I was shocked. I just stared at the page in disbelief (and then started laughing over my earlier assumption when I saw the spoiler).

As I mentioned in my Tower of Swallows review, there is definite foreshadowing, which makes it the best sort of twist.

Anyway, if you’ve been enjoying the Witcher novels, The Lady of the Lake is where it all comes together.

And of course, the games pick up afterwards. We’ve already looked at The Witcher, but it doesn’t look like I’ll get to the other games this year after all. Next year, however, our journey through the Witcher series will resume!