Final Fantasy X: The Infamous Laughing Scene

I think it's time to pick on Final Fantasy X again!  Despite being a really fun (if way too linear) Final Fantasy game, the cast of characters can be awkward and annoying at times.  Unfortunately for main character Tidus, he's awkward and annoying all the time.  In a past blog entry I already picked on Tidus pretty hard, but why stop there?

Today let's take a look at the infamous "laughing scene" in FFX.  In this scene, summoner Yuna is trying to cheer up Tidus, who's depressed about being torn away from his home and dropped into the world of Spira.  Yuna explains that her secret to keeping her spirits up is to make herself smile, as well as laugh.  Tidus then attempts these actions, with disastrous results.


You'd be hard-pressed to find a more awkward instance of forced laughter in any other game.  I dare you to watch this whole scene without cringing once, truly it's an impossible feat.  Thank you Final Fantasy X, for providing us with tons of awkward moments we can look back on and laugh at.

I think it's time to pick on Final Fantasy X again!  Despite being a really fun (if way too linear) Final Fantasy game, the cast of characters can be awkward and annoying at times.  Unfortunately for main character Tidus, he's awkward and annoying all the time.  In a past blog entry I already picked on Tidus pretty hard, but why stop there?

Today let's take a look at the infamous "laughing scene" in FFX.  In this scene, summoner Yuna is trying to cheer up Tidus, who's depressed about being torn away from his home and dropped into the world of Spira.  Yuna explains that her secret to keeping her spirits up is to make herself smile, as well as laugh.  Tidus then attempts these actions, with disastrous results.


You'd be hard-pressed to find a more awkward instance of forced laughter in any other game.  I dare you to watch this whole scene without cringing once, truly it's an impossible feat.  Thank you Final Fantasy X, for providing us with tons of awkward moments we can look back on and laugh at.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Out of Place Gaming Moments

One very important factor that can make a game great is immersion.  We want to feel like we are in the world created by the game developers, interacting with everything and everyone.  Occasionally game devs throw in Easter eggs or other features that completely pull you out of that immersion.  Sometimes it's a welcome change, sometimes not, and sometimes it's just plain weird.  Previously I covered the strange and out of place giant heart in GTA IV, and today I'm going to talk about a couple other gaming oddities that seem out of place in the worlds they try to create.

Blitzball, from Final Fantasy X

When you hear the words Final Fantasy, what comes to your mind is most likely lengthy quests, epic boss battles, and......underwater soccer matches?  Ok probably not so much with the soccer, but unfortunately those of us who played through Final Fantasy X had no choice but to add this awkward event to our list of experiences.

You're pretty much screwed every time this happens.

Mini-games are no stranger to Final Fantasy games, remember all the hours you spent in the Gold Saucer amusement park in Final Fantasy VII?  In FFX, the team-based underwater sport known as Blitzball feels completely out of place with the monster-slaying, temple-exploring aspects of the game, but that could be forgiven if the mini-game was fun.  It is fun right?  Wrong.  Blitzball is a sloppy mess, an attempt to mix together turn-based battle and a sporting event, with disastrous results.  Your teammates are severely underpowered, the opponent AI is awful and unfair, usually ganging up on you and leaving you no choice but to fumble the ball.  The very last thing that could redeem Square Enix for introducing Blitzball into the world of Final Fantasy would be if this mini-game was optional.  But alas, nobody who plays through FFX can escape its clutches, seeing as you must complete at least one Blitzball match in order to advance in the game.

The Super Mario-style level in Star Trek Elite Force II

This is actually a pretty funny addition to Star Trek Elite Force II, even though it is in the form of a hidden Easter egg.  When playing a Star Trek-themed first-person shooter, the last thing you'd expect to encounter would be a side scrolling level in the vein of Super Mario.  However in this game it does happen.  At one point you can find a hidden warp pipe, shaped just like the nice green ones we all know and love.  Entering the warp pipe shifts the game to third-person view and takes you to a platforming level that clearly pokes fun at the mustached plumber.  Don't believe me?  See for yourself:

Honorable Mention: Everything in Conker's Bad Fur Day

This game is like one big episode of Monty Python, you never know what kind of level you'll end up in as you progress through. What starts off as a simple story about a drunken squirrel trying to find his way home soon evolves into a completely crazy adventure unlike anything you'll see even to this day.  One moment you'll be inside a giant mountain of dung fighting a living (and singing!) piece of waste, the next moment you'll be battling dinosaurs in a prehistoric-themed level, or pulling off slo-mo moves in a world that pays homage to the Matrix. It's unexpected, and everything is pretty much out of place, so this deserves an honorable mention.

This post has barely scratched the surface of out of place elements in videogames, what kinds have you encountered during your years of gaming?

One very important factor that can make a game great is immersion.  We want to feel like we are in the world created by the game developers, interacting with everything and everyone.  Occasionally game devs throw in Easter eggs or other features that completely pull you out of that immersion.  Sometimes it's a welcome change, sometimes not, and sometimes it's just plain weird.  Previously I covered the strange and out of place giant heart in GTA IV, and today I'm going to talk about a couple other gaming oddities that seem out of place in the worlds they try to create.

Blitzball, from Final Fantasy X

When you hear the words Final Fantasy, what comes to your mind is most likely lengthy quests, epic boss battles, and......underwater soccer matches?  Ok probably not so much with the soccer, but unfortunately those of us who played through Final Fantasy X had no choice but to add this awkward event to our list of experiences.

You're pretty much screwed every time this happens.

Mini-games are no stranger to Final Fantasy games, remember all the hours you spent in the Gold Saucer amusement park in Final Fantasy VII?  In FFX, the team-based underwater sport known as Blitzball feels completely out of place with the monster-slaying, temple-exploring aspects of the game, but that could be forgiven if the mini-game was fun.  It is fun right?  Wrong.  Blitzball is a sloppy mess, an attempt to mix together turn-based battle and a sporting event, with disastrous results.  Your teammates are severely underpowered, the opponent AI is awful and unfair, usually ganging up on you and leaving you no choice but to fumble the ball.  The very last thing that could redeem Square Enix for introducing Blitzball into the world of Final Fantasy would be if this mini-game was optional.  But alas, nobody who plays through FFX can escape its clutches, seeing as you must complete at least one Blitzball match in order to advance in the game.

The Super Mario-style level in Star Trek Elite Force II

This is actually a pretty funny addition to Star Trek Elite Force II, even though it is in the form of a hidden Easter egg.  When playing a Star Trek-themed first-person shooter, the last thing you'd expect to encounter would be a side scrolling level in the vein of Super Mario.  However in this game it does happen.  At one point you can find a hidden warp pipe, shaped just like the nice green ones we all know and love.  Entering the warp pipe shifts the game to third-person view and takes you to a platforming level that clearly pokes fun at the mustached plumber.  Don't believe me?  See for yourself:

Honorable Mention: Everything in Conker's Bad Fur Day

This game is like one big episode of Monty Python, you never know what kind of level you'll end up in as you progress through. What starts off as a simple story about a drunken squirrel trying to find his way home soon evolves into a completely crazy adventure unlike anything you'll see even to this day.  One moment you'll be inside a giant mountain of dung fighting a living (and singing!) piece of waste, the next moment you'll be battling dinosaurs in a prehistoric-themed level, or pulling off slo-mo moves in a world that pays homage to the Matrix. It's unexpected, and everything is pretty much out of place, so this deserves an honorable mention.

This post has barely scratched the surface of out of place elements in videogames, what kinds have you encountered during your years of gaming?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Many Odd Choices for Protagonists

When playing video games, we all like to play as interesting characters, from the mighty Link to the Jedi and Sith of the Knights of the Old Republic games.  Seeing as how we'll be stuck playing as these characters for the 10-30+ hours it usually takes to complete a game, we'd like the characters to be somewhat likeable.

Fortunately a majority of the games I have played have included protagonists that I found thoroughly enjoyable.  However, as with everything in life, there have been some serious mistakes made by game developers when choosing a main protagonist for their games.  What follows are a few protagonists that I think should never have been allowed to make it past the drawing board.

Lester, from Lester the Unlikely

I actually didn't even know this game existed until watching the Angry Video Game Nerd's review.  Lester is indeed an unlikely hero, basically just a geeky, cowardly teenager with no heroic qualities whatsoever.  Whenever he encounters an enemy, Lester will spin around and run for his life.  What crowd was this game supposed to be marketed to?  Nobody plays video games so they may be placed into the shoes of a sniveling coward with an embarrassing walk cycle (really, you have to see it to believe it).  That would be like making a Bully game where you play as the kids who get their asses kicked by Jimmy on a daily basis.

Shaq, from Shaq Fu

Don't get me wrong, I love playing as Shaq in NBA games, but I completely disliked a Kung Fu-fighting Shaq.  Maybe I'm just bitter because this game was utter garbage, with bad collision detection and impossible-to-execute combos.  But a really bad design choice is that you barely notice you are playing as Shaq, it just feels like some cookie-cutter angry 7' tall guy.  If the developers had even tried to incorporate some of Shaq's unique personality, Shaq Fu could have been a very funny experience and I might have been able to put up with the severe game play flaws.

The Rookie, from Halo 3: ODST

I'm probably digging myself into a deep hole by including The Rookie on this list, but hear me out first!  It seems like Bungie was trying too hard to make a "Master Chief Jr." when designing this character.  This game could have been Bungie's chance to introduce a completely new character with an entirely different personality and style than the no-nonsense Chief (which they sort of succeeded in with the inclusion of other playable troopers).  Instead we get a completely silent character with no personality at all, who adds nothing to the Halo universe.  I call him Master Chief Jr. because he looks and controls just like the Chief, but since he isn't a Spartan, we don't get any of the signature daring stunts (as well as the signature in-game respect from your fellow Marines) that make the Master Chief so awesome.

Honorable Mention:  Tidus from Final Fantasy X

I ranted about this annoying brat earlier, so as a result he receives an honorable mention.

When playing video games, we all like to play as interesting characters, from the mighty Link to the Jedi and Sith of the Knights of the Old Republic games.  Seeing as how we'll be stuck playing as these characters for the 10-30+ hours it usually takes to complete a game, we'd like the characters to be somewhat likeable.

Fortunately a majority of the games I have played have included protagonists that I found thoroughly enjoyable.  However, as with everything in life, there have been some serious mistakes made by game developers when choosing a main protagonist for their games.  What follows are a few protagonists that I think should never have been allowed to make it past the drawing board.

Lester, from Lester the Unlikely

I actually didn't even know this game existed until watching the Angry Video Game Nerd's review.  Lester is indeed an unlikely hero, basically just a geeky, cowardly teenager with no heroic qualities whatsoever.  Whenever he encounters an enemy, Lester will spin around and run for his life.  What crowd was this game supposed to be marketed to?  Nobody plays video games so they may be placed into the shoes of a sniveling coward with an embarrassing walk cycle (really, you have to see it to believe it).  That would be like making a Bully game where you play as the kids who get their asses kicked by Jimmy on a daily basis.

Shaq, from Shaq Fu

Don't get me wrong, I love playing as Shaq in NBA games, but I completely disliked a Kung Fu-fighting Shaq.  Maybe I'm just bitter because this game was utter garbage, with bad collision detection and impossible-to-execute combos.  But a really bad design choice is that you barely notice you are playing as Shaq, it just feels like some cookie-cutter angry 7' tall guy.  If the developers had even tried to incorporate some of Shaq's unique personality, Shaq Fu could have been a very funny experience and I might have been able to put up with the severe game play flaws.

The Rookie, from Halo 3: ODST

I'm probably digging myself into a deep hole by including The Rookie on this list, but hear me out first!  It seems like Bungie was trying too hard to make a "Master Chief Jr." when designing this character.  This game could have been Bungie's chance to introduce a completely new character with an entirely different personality and style than the no-nonsense Chief (which they sort of succeeded in with the inclusion of other playable troopers).  Instead we get a completely silent character with no personality at all, who adds nothing to the Halo universe.  I call him Master Chief Jr. because he looks and controls just like the Chief, but since he isn't a Spartan, we don't get any of the signature daring stunts (as well as the signature in-game respect from your fellow Marines) that make the Master Chief so awesome.

Honorable Mention:  Tidus from Final Fantasy X

I ranted about this annoying brat earlier, so as a result he receives an honorable mention.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Final Fantasy Xperience: Where Main Character Design Goes Wrong

Ah the Final Fantasy series, just thinking of it evokes memories of epic quests, magical and technologically advanced worlds on the brink of destruction, and lately, sissy-boy main characters who do nothing but whine and complain.  What has happened to the leading characters in FF games?  We didn't have this problem in earlier games in the series.  I'm sure that when you first read the words "Final Fantasy" in this post, most of you immediately thought of Final Fantasy 7, with the badass leading character Cloud Strife.  This guy was pure awesome, the only character in the game able to face Sephiroth one-on-one and carve him to pieces.

It's time to kick ass and chew materia gum.

Side note: I'm not even going to touch the topic of the emo Cloud in the Final Fantasy: Advent Children movie; as far as I'm concerned, movies based on games are not canon and therefore do not exist.

Another character in the game who was almost equally as awesome as Cloud (and who was also my favorite character in the game) was Barret Wallace.

A Final Fantasy game with a party member who is basically Mr. T with a robotic machine gun arm?  How could anybody not like this?

So, now that we've set the bar for how awesome characters in Final Fantasy games can be, let's see how more recent FF games fall short with their main characters.

The one Final Fantasy game that has probably received the most ridicule due to character design is Final Fantasy X.  Let's just jump right to a picture of the main character Tidus to set the stage for this topic:

Is it a boy? A girl?

 Do you hear that?  It's the sound of all the Cloud Strife fans groaning in disgust simultaneously.  Tidus is the exact opposite of everything we expect from a strong leading character in a Final Fantasy game.  First and foremost, he never stops whining.  From the very beginning of the game, you are treated to nonstop complaints from his ridiculously annoying voice, where most of his dialogue sounds like something you'd hear from grade school brats throwing a tantrum.  It's as if the developers intended Tidus to originally be an obnoxious little girl but changed this at the very last minute, which would explain why most people at first glance can't even tell whether Tidus is a guy or girl.

 Speaking of the visual oddities of characters in Final Fantasy X, it would be unfair not to mention party member Wakka, the man with the laughable haircut.

Wakka finds your lack of hairspray disturbing

Wakka isn't anywhere near as annoying as Tidus, he's mainly just a naive, goofy character with a wannabe Rastafarian accent.  So besides his strange hairdo, there's not much to say here.

Now that I've mentioned hairdos in FFX, I might as well mention one more character before moving on, and that character is Maester Seymour.

Just look at that impossible hair, did the devs at Square think we could take this guy seriously with his triple claw hairdo?  He's one of the main villains of the game, yet instead of commanding respect and awe, he commands laughter and ridicule from gamers worldwide every time he makes an appearance.

Ok enough of the freaks from Final Fantasy X with their whiny voices and laughable haircuts.  There is one more character from recent Final Fantasy games that must be mentioned, Vaan from Final Fantasy 12.  He's absolutely pointless in the main story and contributes nothing in grand scheme of things apart from making small observations here and there.  Vaan is just a homeless kid tagging along for the ride while delivering lines (in mostly monotone, probably should have placed him in my article about bad voice acting) that you'll neither remember nor care about.

And believe me, when I refer to Vaan as "he," I'm using the term as loosely as possible, because it's seriously hard to tell what Vaan is.  Square seems to have gone overboard with the uber-sissyness of this character.  Looking back at Final Fantasy 7, would you ever have believed that Square would develop a FF game with this he/she kid as the "main" character?  To be fair though, since Vaan doesn't speak very often, he automatically isn't as annoying as Tidus, and he tends not to whine anywhere near as much, which is also a plus.

This concludes the What the hell was Square thinking moment.

Ah the Final Fantasy series, just thinking of it evokes memories of epic quests, magical and technologically advanced worlds on the brink of destruction, and lately, sissy-boy main characters who do nothing but whine and complain.  What has happened to the leading characters in FF games?  We didn't have this problem in earlier games in the series.  I'm sure that when you first read the words "Final Fantasy" in this post, most of you immediately thought of Final Fantasy 7, with the badass leading character Cloud Strife.  This guy was pure awesome, the only character in the game able to face Sephiroth one-on-one and carve him to pieces.

It's time to kick ass and chew materia gum.

Side note: I'm not even going to touch the topic of the emo Cloud in the Final Fantasy: Advent Children movie; as far as I'm concerned, movies based on games are not canon and therefore do not exist.

Another character in the game who was almost equally as awesome as Cloud (and who was also my favorite character in the game) was Barret Wallace.

A Final Fantasy game with a party member who is basically Mr. T with a robotic machine gun arm?  How could anybody not like this?

So, now that we've set the bar for how awesome characters in Final Fantasy games can be, let's see how more recent FF games fall short with their main characters.

The one Final Fantasy game that has probably received the most ridicule due to character design is Final Fantasy X.  Let's just jump right to a picture of the main character Tidus to set the stage for this topic:

Is it a boy? A girl?

 Do you hear that?  It's the sound of all the Cloud Strife fans groaning in disgust simultaneously.  Tidus is the exact opposite of everything we expect from a strong leading character in a Final Fantasy game.  First and foremost, he never stops whining.  From the very beginning of the game, you are treated to nonstop complaints from his ridiculously annoying voice, where most of his dialogue sounds like something you'd hear from grade school brats throwing a tantrum.  It's as if the developers intended Tidus to originally be an obnoxious little girl but changed this at the very last minute, which would explain why most people at first glance can't even tell whether Tidus is a guy or girl.

 Speaking of the visual oddities of characters in Final Fantasy X, it would be unfair not to mention party member Wakka, the man with the laughable haircut.

Wakka finds your lack of hairspray disturbing

Wakka isn't anywhere near as annoying as Tidus, he's mainly just a naive, goofy character with a wannabe Rastafarian accent.  So besides his strange hairdo, there's not much to say here.

Now that I've mentioned hairdos in FFX, I might as well mention one more character before moving on, and that character is Maester Seymour.

Just look at that impossible hair, did the devs at Square think we could take this guy seriously with his triple claw hairdo?  He's one of the main villains of the game, yet instead of commanding respect and awe, he commands laughter and ridicule from gamers worldwide every time he makes an appearance.

Ok enough of the freaks from Final Fantasy X with their whiny voices and laughable haircuts.  There is one more character from recent Final Fantasy games that must be mentioned, Vaan from Final Fantasy 12.  He's absolutely pointless in the main story and contributes nothing in grand scheme of things apart from making small observations here and there.  Vaan is just a homeless kid tagging along for the ride while delivering lines (in mostly monotone, probably should have placed him in my article about bad voice acting) that you'll neither remember nor care about.

And believe me, when I refer to Vaan as "he," I'm using the term as loosely as possible, because it's seriously hard to tell what Vaan is.  Square seems to have gone overboard with the uber-sissyness of this character.  Looking back at Final Fantasy 7, would you ever have believed that Square would develop a FF game with this he/she kid as the "main" character?  To be fair though, since Vaan doesn't speak very often, he automatically isn't as annoying as Tidus, and he tends not to whine anywhere near as much, which is also a plus.

This concludes the What the hell was Square thinking moment.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad