Sorry for not posting on Wednesday; I was temporarily without Internet access.
Anyway, Square Enix has revealed the logo and key art for Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn Prologue, the prequel anime to Episode Ardyn…
…which means this is a prequel to a prequel.
When the other remaining DLC episodes were cancelled, Square Enix announced that Episode Ardyn would take place 30 years before Final Fantasy XV, and an animated prologue would show his reasons for wanting revenge.
This short anime, therefore, should cover the events I actually wanted to see in Episode Ardyn, especially with that savior-like silhouette in the logo.
The key art shows three characters: Ardyn, Somnus Lucis Caelum, and an unknown woman (possibly an Oracle).
A trailer for the anime will also be released tomorrow. Right now, they haven’t said how long it will be or how it will be made available, but more details should be coming soon. Episode Ardyn itself is due out in March.
I’m not crazy about this being an anime prologue, but I’m still looking forward to seeing this story at last. How do you feel about Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn Prologue?
The fifth and final game included in the God of War Saga collection is God of War: Ghost of Sparta.
When I beat God of War, I unlocked a bonus video that teased the future of the series. That storyline teased there didn’t surface in God of War II. It didn’t happen in Chains of Olympus. It didn’t come up in God of War III. No, they finally brought it back four games later, in Ghost of Sparta.
Set in between God of War and God of War II, Ghost of Sparta was originally released for the PSP, just like Chains of Olympus.
And once again, it features Kratos out for something other than revenge. This time, he’s on a rescue mission.
Haunted by nightmares of his past, Kratos leaves Olympus in search of his mother. When he reunites with her, in a scene adapted from another video unlocked after the original game, she reveals that his brother Deimos is still alive and trapped in the Domain of Death.
(Amazingly, this is the game that breaks the always-visit-the-underworld trend, since the Domain of Death is a separate realm in between the world of the living and the underworld.)
Ghost of Sparta is one of the shorter games in the series, but it has much better pacing than Chains of Olympus does. The gameplay is solid, not quite as smooth as in God of War II and III, perhaps, but with some nice additions. There’s no clear reason why Kratos doesn’t have all of his powers from the end of God of War, although I suppose it would feel contrived if he lost his powers at the start again.
Anyway, this is a much more personal story for Kratos than we’ve seen in the previous games. Not only is he trying to save his brother, but there are also flashbacks to his childhood, showing how he and his brother were separated.
Ghost of Sparta tells a sad story that provides more context for Kratos’s behavior at the start of God of War II, as well as for a few lines in God of War III that reference it. It’s also a deeper exploration of Kratos as a person, with more humanizing moments for him and insight into his past, and it has a lot of great scenes.
Click for Ghost of Sparta spoilers
I loved the part set in Sparta. It felt so strange to see people actually happy to see Kratos. That was nice, finally getting to see how he’s viewed in his home.
…of course, that makes it all the more upsetting that Zeus wiped out Sparta in God of War II.
Even aside from what the gods did to Deimos, I think a major purpose of Ghost of Sparta is to further justify Kratos’s anger.
While it doesn’t have as many epic scenes or battles as some of the previous games, its story is one of the best in the series so far. And that’s it for the God of War Saga, so since I’ve decided to skip Ascension for the time being, I’m finally ready for the new God of War!
What did you think of God of War: Ghost of Sparta?
(Oh, and the Yakuza news teased for Saturday turned out to be an official English title for Project Judge, Judgment, as well as the announcement that it will have an English dub. No release date, but a window of Summer 2019.)
Last night was The Game Awards 2018. While I couldn’t watch the whole thing live, I caught up on it later.
The show’s structure puzzles me. It’s devoted to the Game Awards, yet some awards aren’t announced in the show itself… and this year, the pre-show included some award announcements and world premieres?
Despite the blurry line between pre-show and actual show (and my disappointment when I checked the full list afterwards and saw that The Missing didn’t win), this was definitely one of the better years. So let’s take a look at the announcements that were personal highlights for me.
I was somewhat intrigued by Journey to the Savage Planet, although now that I’ve looked into it more, it sounds like it won’t emphasize its story too much. I’ll keep my eye on it, but I’m not sure it’s for me.
A little while later, another premiere revealed The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe. I loved The Stanley Parable. It was one of my top games of 2013. This new version will have new endings and choices, and it’s planned for both PC and consoles. The trailer was great, and I’ll definitely get this when it comes out.
Supergiant Games has a new game coming out called Hades. Well… actually it’s out now in Early Access, but I’d rather wait for the full release. This also reminded me that I should play Transistor eventually…
And now, of course, there’s the announcement I already showed in the page image, the one with the most credible rumors, Crash Team Racing! Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a remake (remaster?) coming to the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch and it looks beautiful.
(It also appears to confirm split-screen multiplayer, even though they haven’t specifically mentioned it.)
Moving on, Obsidian announced its new game, a single-player RPG called The Outer Worlds. It’s described as having a “player-driven story,” and the world shown in the trailer gave me some Borderlands vibes. I’ll be keeping my eye on it.
Another rumor came true with the tease of the next Dragon Age game. While it’s just a tiny teaser that basically shows nothing, it does confirm the one thing I wanted… it will follow the plot set up in Inquisition!
(So, is this game going to be called Dragon Age: The Dread Wolf Rises, or is that just the tagline? Because I took it as a tagline until I saw people using the hashtag like it’s the name of the game.)
Now let’s hope that when we do get something more substantial about it, it looks like a good game with a good story.
A new game called The Pathless was revealed, and it looks like it could be interesting.
And at last, we we got a full trailer for Psychonauts 2! I’ve been a little nervous about this game since I love Psychonauts so much and because Broken Age left me a little disillusioned with Double Fine, but the trailer looks great.
Finally, in the surprise announcement of the night, Joker from Persona 5 was announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a DLC character, which I definitely never saw coming.
I was disappointed that we didn’t get any Bayonetta 3 footage, and I wasn’t too invested in the awards themselves since I haven’t played most of them yet, but on the other hand, I’m excited for Crash Team Racing, Psychonauts is looking great, I have hope for Dragon Age, and several interesting games were announced.
What did you think of The Game Awards 2018 and its announcements? And don’t forget, while it was the big night for announcements, we have Yakuza news coming tomorrow!
Sorry for not posting on Wednesday; I was temporarily without Internet access.
