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News: New Feature: FACEOFF
Posted: 2003-08-05 22:42:03 |
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Until James gets back from his hiatus the front page is kind of frozen. Still, that won't stop the Hog from spicing things up. I'd like to welcome XBOXActive patrons to the first installment of a new biweekly event, FACEOFF!
Seeing as this is the first official Faceoff allow me to explain the rules! Every two weeks we'll pit one XBOX exclusive title against a direct competitor on an apposing system. The two games will then be compared in many categories, and when it's all said and done you get to make the call. In the comments section you can vote as to which to whether XBOX wins out in the end or falls short of the competition. Also keep in mind that this is just a test edition and in the future I hope to make this feature far swankier! So let's get to it then! BRING OUT THE COMPETITORS!
Sudeki vs. Final Fantasy X-2
The Rivalry: I don't think I've ever scene such an odd site! Here we have a Western RPG trying to pass off as a Japanese one, and a Japanese RPG that plays like a Western one! Strange accurences aside, these two Role Playing heavy weights are set to go head to head this November; both our exclusives and both are trying out new ideas that brake away from what we traditionally consider a console RPG. So let's take a look at these big boys and see what they're all about.
Sudeki Profile
Devloper- Climax
Publisher- Microsoft Games
Origin- United Kingdom
Relese Date- 10/29/03
History-
Coming from Climax, the acclaimed developer's of XBOX Live's cult classic, Moto GP series. Sudeki is a RPG which attempts to combine the adrenaline and fast paced action of a Hong Kong Style Action flick with more traditional Japanese RPG's. A devloper famed for motorcyle racers may seem like a strange place to find a hotly anticipated RPG being crafted, but these guys have some real talent; and I mean that in an experience way! Several of the art designers who helped to craft Sudeki's world are former Square employees, who created art for Final Fantasy VII among others! Alongside Fable and Star Wars: KOTOR, Sudeki is part of a three pronged attack to make XBOX an RPG lover's dream come true!
Storyline-
Sudeki tells a tale of one world ripped into two seperate lands. Hikaria, the land of light, and Kuria, the land of Shadow. You play as four Hikarians charged with stopping a growing darkness that is slowly tearing the land of light apart. Naturally all is not as it seems, Kuria also suffers under this curse, and our four brave heroes may find out that the source of this evil is far closer to home than they once thought. As for are brave troop; you've got Tal, the brash swordsmen, Alilish, the sassy hot sorceress, Buki, a scantily clad huntress, and Elco a gun toting scientist! These four put together Climax promises will make for an indepth storyline filled with inrigue, particularly as to how they interact with eachother. Anyone who has scene Climax's "Sudeki Holiday greeting cards" knows what I mean there, hubba hubba!
Concept-
Coming out of Europe Sudeki actually follows a very traditional design for Japanese RPG's. Gamers will travel through 16 massive realms, including to the shadow world of Kuria. Along the way they will explore towns and cities where most of the character interaction will take place. At town's gamers can speak to townfolk to get tips and side quests. Characters will level up and learn new techniques and spells accordingly. The most noteworthy distinction of Sudeki is it's parrelel world system. By traveling through mystic portals gamers can journey between the light world and the Shadow one. These realsm are parrelel versions of each other, so everything is the same yet different. A peaceful seaside village in Hikaria, may appear as a foreboding, dark and haunted town in Kuria!
Gameplay-
This is where the Hong Kong action comes into play. Sudeki's combat is all done in real time. You control one character commanding him to use items perform combos and cast magic as needed. Your other pary members are AI controlled, and can be set to attack, defend, support, and protect other characters along with several other duties. It's actually alot like combate in KOTOR, until you try to pause the action. Hit the pause and instead the world enters a matrix style slow motion; giving you some time to decide what you want to do but not an eternity. Coupled with the amazing Spirit Strikes, super attacks that can be performed alone or with other characters, and Sudeki's combat promises to stay fresh even after a hundred fights!
Graphics & Sound- If you loked up "Stunning" in the dictionary a picture of Sudeki would certainely be there! Using what they learned from crafting Moto GP; Climax has made excellent use of every feature the XBOX has to offer. Beautiful textures, water affects, and particles abound; but perhaps most impressive is the lighting. Using tools called "shaders" Sudeki is able to realistically portray how different lights hit differnt surfaces. From the orange rays of the sun against a lighthouse, to the sharp glare of Alilish's energy storms this is a Sweet Factory of eye candy! Every line and dialogue in Sudeki will be voice acted. we haven't actually heard Sudeki's characters yet but let's hope Climax hires out some quality actors. Of Sudeki's score we know little, from what we've heard from trailers, it's a nice mix of arabic instruments with contemprary techno and traditional RPG scores. Weird, but workable.
Biggest Strength- Aside from Knights, it's the only RPG XBOX really has! Coupled with its amazing graphics Sudeki will be a hard quest to turn down. Also as Climax has shown from it's pre-hype buzz machine it isn't affraid to use some sex appeal to draw gamers in, and I for one like getting drawn in by Alilish!
Biggest Weakness- Ask Sega's Overworks how hard it is to launch a brand new RPG series and you'll get a cryptic answer. Sudeki has an uphill battle ahead of it in order to convince gamers that it has what gamers want.
That's it for Sudeki now it's time to take a look at it's competition!
Final Fantasy X-2 Profile
Developer- Square Enix
Publisher- Square Enix
Origin- Japan
Release Date- 11/4/03
History-
The sequel to a spin off of the most sucessful RPG series in history! Final Fantasy has a history that spans over 15 years of gaming, covering nearly 20 titles on half a dozen different platforms. But Final Fantasy X-2 is unique. All previeous FF's have had no plot links and only the oddest of connections between titles, Sid anyone? FFX2 is the first true sequel to a previous Final Fantasy that Square has ever done!
Storyline-
Taking place two years after the climactic end of Final Fantasy X Spirra has moved on from its love affair with Yevon and openly embraced technology once again. It is during this "Machina Revolution" that Yuna chances upon a Sphere, AKA video recorder, AKA movie projector, AKA holo thingy, with what appears to be her lost love from the first uh 10, Tidus on it. Having joined up with Rikku and newcomer Paine, the dominatrix trio sets out on a personnal quest for Yuna to find her long lost guardian!
Concept-
The firt time I saw Final Fantasy X-2 I figured the boys at Square Enix had been playing to much DOA: Xtreme Beach Volleyball! Not only are the only playabe characters female, there are male party member they just don't fight, but the girls seemed to have shed alot of clothing along with their religious system. Yet aside from the obvious uh cosmetic changes, X-2 takes some serious liberties with the Final Fantasy formula! While relatively linear, the game is the first Final Fantasy I can recall that offers you a bountiful supply of sidequests and the ability to complete them in any order you choose! Stranger still is that this game will actually having you do some platform action along with the necessary monster bashing. Perhaps the biggest shock to the system is the over the top almost Charlies Angel atmsophere the game seems to have taken on; as anyone whose scene the Yuna "Spice Girls" opening scene will know.
Gamneplay OK, here's where things get downright bizarre!While the core combat system from FFX is still intact. The game is still turn based with random encounter battles. Serious changes have been made; including time based actions, only 3 playable characters, and and linkable attacks. Yet by far the most bizarre feature has to be the new "Dress-Up System"! Slightly, and I stress slightly, similar to Final Fantasy Tactic's Job system. By collecting certain spheres the ladies can assume different classes and personas on the fly. This is done through a, ready for this, mystical clothes changing cutscene like the ones the Aons of FFX recieved! Almost fittingly, no pun intended, the girls can change into a wide variety of clases. From red and White mages, to gunners and even Popstars!
Graphics & Sound-
Aside from crisper graphics and a wider variety of eye candy FFX-2 doesn't boast much improved graphics over its predessecor. That's not necessarily a bad thing, Final Fantasy X was a tour de force on the PS2 and X-2 is just,if not more beautiful! Particular kudos should be paid to the wardrobe changing scenes. Which, while a little silly,,are trimmed with all the flare we've come to expect from Square! Audio wise all our favorite voice actors are returning for round two and the new faces in the game will likely be voiced with the same quality as the first title. X-2's musical score features a very unFinal Fantasy like J-pop style score which while clashing with tradition fits the atmosphere here perfectly!
Biggest Strength-
Yuna's got Pink panties on man! What more do you need? Well aside from the obvious sex appeal, the original Final fantasy X left the storyline wide open and fans are itching to get there hands on a sequel to find out what happens. Also the mere fact that it has Final Fantasy on the cover will guarentee at least 250,000 sales!
Biggest Weakness-
What is UP with all the barbie doll dress up? Final Fantasy fans have come to expect very specific types of games from their series and X-2 is definately a huge departure. As some Japanese reviews have already shown, some people don't like these changes either. It remains to be scene whether X-2 is too radical for the American fans to accept or not.
*Closing*
Final Fantasy X-2 can't hold a candle to Sudeki's graphics but everything else is really a coin toss. With Sudeki being a brand new franchise and FFX2 being a completely new spin on a very conservative franchise everything else is fair game. So I guess its up to you fans to decide which RPG rules the roost this holiday season, let your opinion be know in our comments section!
*Preview*
Strap on a parachute and load up your R2 unit. Next time on Faceoff we leave the ground for a mid-air collision of the most severe kind. Brace yourselves as Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge takes on Gamecube's Star Wars Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike!
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| Comments |
Author: Mr Hopkins :: 2003-08-09 21:28:29
I didnt get to read the whole thing but yeah yeah I like this.
Author: Nemo :: 2003-08-08 00:50:07
I cannot really vote for one or the other until I've seen and played them both... which, hopefully, I'll be able to do sometime this year. Let's hope that Sudeki's ally AI is well-crafted, because in a combat system as described above it needs to be good. So when are you going to do Ninja Gaiden versus Kunoichi? :-P
Author: Razeon :: 2003-08-06 16:39:34
I think Sudeki will be the better game, but Final Fantasy X2 will crush it in sells.
So when you going to do True Fantasy Live Online vs Final Fantasy XI?
Author: Hedgehog Boy :: 2003-08-06 14:49:05
"still, that won't stop the Hog from" Isn't it a bit obvious mendes?
Author: JMendes :: 2003-08-06 13:58:50
Why does it never show the author? How am i suppose to know who wrote this to give credit where it is deserved. Good read though I tell you that much. Nice new feature.
Author: ASTAROFF1 :: 2003-08-06 10:51:06
cool idea! i guess theirs no other rpg that can take on fable!
Author: Tomcatm16 :: 2003-08-06 10:42:41
xsuicides why don't I see you in the forums??? The forums are great here.
Author: xsuicidesn0wmanx :: 2003-08-06 08:12:43
one more thing, try using games already out, or just released, this would double as two game reviews at the same time, and hold more weight since you can base your views on actual gameplay and not just pure speculation on products that aren't even scheduled for release in 2003
Author: xsuicidesn0wmanx :: 2003-08-06 08:11:22
with hedge doing all the articles on here worth reading, why don't they drop the xboxactive.com logo's and just rename it hedgecentral.com
Author: Tomcatm16 :: 2003-08-06 07:50:23
Hedgehog Boy why did you keep this from us? We could have suggestions that would help you make this better. :(
Author: No Fear! :: 2003-08-06 05:16:45
I enjoyed ffx but i'm....gonna have to go for sudeki!
It's looking t be a massive rpg
Author: fadetoblack :: 2003-08-05 22:55:57
The import reviews of X-2 have torn it apart so I'll vote for Sudeki. As for next week I think if Rogue Squadron 3 keeps its graphics up, it'll take it but right this moment, Crimson Skies is leading in my book.
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News: New Feature: FACEOFF
