Dragon Quest X’s Development For Nintendo NX Alongside The PS4 Version - A Formula For Success

For those of you that have been reading this blog which I started back in 2011, the first post I did for the new year (2012) was regarding Dragon Quest X Online: Rise Of The Five Tribes (Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online). It was a game I was eagerly awaiting here in the United States, but in never got localized. However, a recent article by DualShockers (and reposted by Siliconera), has rekindled my interest in this game due, in part, to the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu which included an interview with Dragon Quest X Producer Yosuke Saito and Director Chikara Saito, giving several updates on the state of the game.

The online MMORPG is currently in development for Nintendo NX, alongside the already confirmed PS4 version. This has me absolutely ecstatic as my friends and I can all play this on the PS4 (although, if I really enjoy this, I might purchase it for the Nintendo NX as well, assuming that I'll be picking up that console and the game makes it over to North America...)

Even if Dragon Quest X is only released in Japan, it may be possible to import a copy as the PS4 is region-free (unlike most of Nintendo's consoles which are region-locked).

Fingers crossed that we'll finally be able to play after a four to five year wait!!!




Works Cited

Nelva, Giuseppe. "Nintendo NX Version of Dragon Quest X Confirmed in Development Alongside PS4 Version | DualShockers." Nintendo NX Version of Dragon Quest X Confirmed in Development Alongside PS4 Version | DualShockers. N.p., 7 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2016.

The Suicide Squad - Review

Movie: The Suicide Squad

Rating:
PG-13 (for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language)

Genre:
Action & Adventure

Directed By:
David Ayer

Written By:
David Ayer

In Theaters:
Aug 5, 2016 Worldwide

Runtime:
123 minutes

Studio:
Warner Bros. Pictures

The Suicide Squad is a story from the DC Comic universe that depicts convicted criminals such as Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and Killer Croc (among others) as reluctant heroes.

The movie's pacing (to me at least) felt very...off. I would've preferred a bit more screentime into each character's backstory (in particular, Adam Beach's character "Slipknot" also known as Christopher Weiss who, SPOILER ALERT, ends up proving that Amanda Waller wasn't kidding about the bombs in everyone's necks).

Amanda Waller (portrayed by Viola Davis) and Captain Rick Flag (portrayed by Joel Kinnaman) manage to make the unlikely heroes seem more human than the media lets on as the move progresses. The problem I had with this movie is that from my moderate understanding of Amanda Waller's character, it was far too predictable for her to be the cause and solution to the plot's premise.

*SPOILERS FOLLOW*

It was somewhat similar to the Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) animated film in that the Enchantress, ends up being an asset and a liability much like the Riddler would've been in the Asylum. Thus, she sends Task Force X to essentially "eliminate" the problem that she herself had a hand in creating. So, it was a bit predictable to me after about a third of the way through the film.

Other than that, I enjoyed watching. Well, for the most part, I suppose. To be honest, I had a largely mixed reaction (much to my chagrin). I had to really ponder whether or not the time was well spent on the production. (Also, I decided to see the film in 3D because if fit my own personal schedule far better than a later viewing time so that may have put my perspective in a more positive light.) There was quite a bit of action and I rather liked the dialogue at times from characters such as Will Smith's Deadshot and surprisingly enough, Jay Hernandez's Diablo, however, many of the problems from the film end up being due to poor execution. Katana doesn't appear until the action just about starts.

The Joker felt far too homicidal and not so much "Clown Prince of Crime". I would've preferred more cynical comedy rather than a poor imitation of violent Heath Ledger.

Overall, it's definitely worth a rental, but I'm not so certain about say, a DVD or Blu-ray purchase for repeated viewing. On a scale of 1.0-10.0 I'd give it a 6.5 (D+ grade).

No Man's Sky - Captain's Log (Blogger Edition)

Hey folks! This is Dave, here to give you guys a bit of an impromptu update. So, my good friend Matthew and I ended up purchasing a game called "No Man's Sky" by the developer Hello Games. We'll be picking up our copies together on August 9th for the midnight launch at our local Gamestop. The game itself is essentially a space exploration title with survival and discovery in mind.

Since this is one of the few times I've purchased an open world game (especially of this size and depth) I figured it would be fun to make a playthrough series of sorts on here, documenting my adventures. I'll be role-playing as Captain Valcrith Fletcher, describing in detail the adventures and peril one would face in this game as if it were happening in real-time.

I intend to get to the center of the universe (the game's main premise) on a relaxed pace. This will allow for more content to be shared with you my readers. I intend to do somewhere between 20-30 of these data entries depending upon how long it takes me to finish.

This will be something that will happen whenever I play, with videos and pictures up when I get the chance to gather my thoughts. I'm hoping that the journey we take will be an enlightening one. Please look forward to my Captain's Logs!