Category: October

There was a very interesting leak recently where a variety of internal Xbox documents were made available to the public. Understandably, the internet has scrounged every tiny detail and a large variety of discussions have erupted over certain topics such as upcoming games, the specs for the next Xbox console amongst others. One component stood out to me though, an email by Phil Spencer discussing the possibility of acquiring either Nintendo or Valve. The idea itself is ludicrous, which I’ll expand on shortly, but it did make me ponder a very interesting fact, that I personally believe that Microsoft shouldn’t acquire Nintendo despite the fact that their acquisition would directly benefit me!

Before I begin discussing this topic, I feel the need to explain that, at least in the short to medium term, there is absolutely zero chance of Microsoft acquiring Nintendo. This is for one reason and for one reason only, regulators. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Microsoft has faced problem after problem when it comes to their acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. The idea of them acquiring not only a game developer/publisher even larger than Activision-Blizzard but also the current market leader when it comes to console sales is so absurd that I’d label it fantasy! Now, I can’t say for sure that this could never happen. It’s always possible that something could change such as Microsoft losing most of their gaming division or Nintendo becoming less valuable to the point where regulators would be okay with the acquisition but, at the moment, this idea is not going to happen in any way, shape or form.

I adore JRPGs, even with all of their flaws, and, while I don’t play as many of them these days as I would like due to time restrictions and my growing interest in other video game genres, many of my fondest video game memories involve my time in the world of JRPGs. While I was tempted to write a top 5 JRPGs of all time, the fact is that I’d have to put a lot of time into remembering ones that I played when I was younger and on other systems. Therefore, I thought it may be better to simply list some of my favourite JRPGs of all time (one per franchise) and recommend them, strongly, to anyone looking to play the genre for the first time or merely looking for their next JRPG to play.

Grandia

Originally releasing for the Sega Saturn in 1997, the first Grandia game proves to be a remarkable JRPG. The story follows the characters of Justin and Sue who discover that the Spirit Stone left by Justin’s father is connected to an ancient civilisation in the east and set out on a journey to discover it. The story itself has a great sense of wonder and some surprising twists and turns alongside a wide-range of charming characters. The art-style for the game is heavily anime-inspired with even a few anime cutscenes throughout the game and holds up well, particularly due to the HD remaster done recently. However, it’s the combat system that really allows the game to forge its own identity. Starting out as a relatively simple turn-based combat system, you quickly learn that the game does not feature a typical “Attack” command as in many other JRPGs. Instead, it features a “Combo” attack which sees your character do two quick physical attacks and a “Critical” attack which does a single strong attack that, when timed correctly, can cancel enemy attacks. The effect is that even regular battles become an engaging experience as you figure out whether it’s better to do more damage or to prevent an attack from hitting you. Grandia is a gem and I think it’s a game that has stood the test of time and remains one of the best experiences within the genre.