FF XIII hits stores this week. It’s the first FF game to go multiplatform on day one, hitting both Xbox 360 and PS3. Like its predecessors, it will no doubt do huge numbers and will be nominated for many a year-end reward. Is it any wonder? Ever since FF VII, Final Fantasy has enjoyed the mainstream success reserved for American games like Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Madden. However, during the franchise’s 16-bit it wasn’t always this way. Final Fantasy, along with RPGs in general, had a hard time getting over with an audience that was used to fast-paces sports, action, and fighting games. So to that end, Square theorized that maybe, it’s flagship RPGS were simply too hard for American audiences. So to that end, they released Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It was aimed at people new to RPGs, so Square decided to ‘dumb it down’ a bit. Problem was, that it ended up getting so dumbed down that it got to a point where it actually insulted the intelligence of the RPG newbies whom it was aimed at.
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Xbox General Manager Mark Whitten announced via open letter to the community about some changes to the terms of use. Since the introduction of profiles for gamers using the service, certain words have been banned and anyone engaging in online play would not be permitted to identify their sexual orientation

Specifics have been added to the Code Of Conduct:
You may use the following terms to express your relationship orientation in your profile or Gamertag:

Other terms regarding relationship orientation are not allowed. In addition you may not use these terms or any other terms regarding relationship orientation to insult, harass, or any other pejorative use against other users.

Previously any gamer who identified themselves as straight or gay in their profiles would be in violation of terms of use and would be either forced to remove such terms or would be banned from the service.

Xbox Policy Manager Stephen Toulouse updated his twitter with “Special thanks to GLAAD and Microsoft’s LGBT community for guidance on the terms. If you try typing in any of the the approved terms into your profile, you should find they are not blocked. Let me know if you have problems”

So now you can be “out” and serve in Call of Duty or Battlefield Bad Company, unlike the real US Military. Here’s hoping the real world catches up with the video game world soon.

What do you think about the policy change? Leave a comment!

The PSP is turning out to be the platform of choice for would-be rap producers, as evidenced by 2007’s Traxxpad. Beaterator is the fruit of Rockstar’s collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland who at one time produced, did vocals on, or mixed a good 70 percent of popular music. It is based on a flash-based music mixer from the Rockstar website. Players can use Beaterator to create their own tunes and then share them via the Rockstar social club. Be warned, the interface isn’t nearly as user friendly as Traxxpad, but it provides a lot more functionality. You can craft your own drum loops, craft their own melodies, record sounds, import MIDIS, and more. You can even go into the song crafter and create a song instantly using ready-made loops. You have access to a library of hundreds of samples. There is a lot to absorb here, but thankfully, there are video tutorials to help you get used to everything.

Thanks to Beaterator, you don’t need thousands of dollars with of studio equipment to make hits. All you need is a PSP, a copy of the game, a memory stick, and some patience, and you can become the next DJ Primer or Manny Fresh.

Taiwanese game site Gamer.com.tw has leaked the official trailer for Bungie’s Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta. Powet has carefully copied and uploaded this video for your pleasure.
Theres some cool stuff in here, but the coolest by far are JETPACKS. Also see the new assassinations, a few new weapons, and some new game types. The trailer also confirms a May 3rd 2010 start date!
What are you looking forward to most in Reach? Leave a comment below! [Read the rest of this entry…]

Blip.TV Version

YouTube Version [HD]
Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Season 2: Sega Family Tree Special

Video Netcast Version
Subscribe to Famicom Dojo on iTunes
Direct Link: Famicom Dojo S2 – Sega Family Tree Special

Show Notes
http://famicomdojo.tv/season2/sega-family-tree-special

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Late last night, Activision fired the heads of their biggest money maker. Jason West and Vince Zampella of Infinity War have been released, with the mega-publisher citing “insubordination”

Indeed, its now well known in the industry that Infinity Ward was fighting for creative freedom, asking to do Modern Warfare back in 2004 (it finally came out in 2007), and negotiated that they be the sole developer Call of Duty (later settling for just Modern Warfare). Apparently lately Infinity Ward wouldn’t even speak to Activision reps, and were bitterly trying to develop a new game they would own. Kotaku has the details here.

But now Activision has new plans for Call Of Duty, handing it off to Sledgehammer Games, made up of former members of EA’s Redwood Shore team (makers of Dead Space).

Two weeks ago, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick stood in front of an industry crowd and lamented that they bought the Guitar Hero name but not the studio Harmonix that made the games. He freely admitted that was a mistake, and that the brand name with different people behind the wheel wouldn’t match that critical success.

It appears Activison hasn’t learned much. Not that the artists now responsible for Call of Duty and Guitar Hero aren’t capable of making great games, but the senseless shuffling and replacing of talent can’t make the new developers feel very confident about their long term job stability.

For those wishing to switch from COD, may I humbly suggest:

A lot of stuff gets posted to Powet.tv, and you might have missed a lot! If you’re new to the site, or just haven’t been around in a while, take a look at all of the amazing stuff.

February was a short month. Combine that with most of the staff either caught in snow, preparing for life changing events, or gearing up for a big spring full of conventions, and this was a light month. We still managed to get several great text features from Will, Crazy, and Sindra; three hilarious and informative podcasts, and kicked off a new season of videos. Enjoy, and don’t forget to share on your favorite social media sites using the links below! The more clicks we get there, the more we know you appreciate what we do, and we’ll keep doing it!

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Ever since its arcade debut, Shinobi stood alongside Ninja Gaiden (and to some extent Strider) as the king of video gaming ninjas, and the series only got better on the Genesis. Shinobi 3 was the follow up to the awesome Shadow Dancer, and it really pushed the envelope on the Sega Genesis, as it’s visuals were so awesome that you’d think you were playing an SNES game. There isn’t much of a plot (the big evil organization is back, and our hero is back out to stop it) then again who needs one? You basically make your way through several stages kicking ass. Sometimes you ride on horseback, and you’ll battle everything from Ninjas, to soldiers, to bio-engineered freaks. You have your throwing knives, sword, and ninja magic to help you. It’s one of the finest examples of 2D action on the Genesis, and one of the finest games of the 16-bit era. It’s available on the Sonic Mega Collection disc for Xbox 360 and PS3, the Sega Genesis Collection on the PS2 and PSP, and the Wii Virtual Console.