Episode 485: Review Bombing

This week’s episode is unremarkable. Don’t expect any surprise guests or news, just a lot of chatting about comics and wandering way off the topic of video games.

The news items for the week are:

  • Valve implements methods to curtail Steam review bombing
  • Matsuda insists Deus Ex not being discontinued
  • Star Citizen releases new video, makes another $500K in a Day
  • Kamiya wants to work on Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe remakes

Let us know what you think.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Episode 334: Droning OnEpisode 334: Droning On

Despite the title of the podcast episode this week, nothing is boring. Rather, there’s a ton of banter between Jonah, Paul and Jordan, as they discuss next-gen console gaming.

This week’s news items include:

  • Amazon testing package delivery by drone
  • Microsoft advises gamers against turning the Xbox One into a dev kit
  • There’s “no lack of ideas” at DICE, CEO ponders local weather for Battlefield
  • Xbox One beats PS4 sales at Walmart, Target
  • Epic: “We’ve yet to see the real value of the second screen”
  • Sega: Shenmue 3 trademark listing a hoax

All this and some Listener Feedback.

Final Fantasy XIII Not Simultanious EverywhereFinal Fantasy XIII Not Simultanious Everywhere

It seems the promise of Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360 is a big “work in progress” as it’s not actually under development yet. Square Enix is fully ready to commit on a simultaneous release for Europe and North America but not every territory around the globe.

The reason is simple: there are just too many countries to perform language translations in the time of a release window. Final Fantasy, as many know, is very text heavy in terms of dialog and storyline. We’ve spoke at length about that in the gaming podcast which helps explain why certain countries get some releases of Final Fantasy at different times and why some sequels never make it out of Japan.

“We’re ready to start developing FFXIII for 360,” said Square Enix’s Shinji Hashimoto. “First, we will complete the game for PS3 in Japan, then begin localization for America and Europe while developing the 360 version simultaneously. The PS3 and 360 versions will be released at the same time outside of Japan — although, due to language and other conditions, the game may not be released simultaneously across territories.” (1up)

Their plan of attack seems solid and gives the PlayStation 3 a bit of an advantage in the Japanese market, but considering the lack of 360 presence in the land of the rising sun, this isn’t too surprising. What is surprising, still, is the concept of Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360 at all!

When it comes to E3 announcements, letting the crowd know Final Fantasy XIII was arriving on Microsoft’s console was a positive shock to the system. It may not be simply because yet another Final Fantasy game is in the works but to prepare gamers for the idea that they don’t have to run out and invest in a PlayStation 3 just to play the next big RPG.

The value to the Xbox 360 is growing and the need to collect all the consoles is fading. End of an era?