Final Fantasy XVI Review: Brand New World, Brand New Identity Crisis

Final Fantasy is perhaps one of the most revered and celebrated JRPG series to date, filled with a colourful history that is fondly remembered even by those who aren’t hardcore fans of the franchise, a fact I can attest to. One of the first Final Fantasy games I got to play and fondly remember was Final Fantasy XIII, unfortunately.

It was not until years later that I realised what was wrong with it and why many fans hated it. Despite this, I still remember the adventures and issues I encountered when I first fired up the game. And, as unfortunate as it is to say, Final Fantasy XVI shares a lot of those similarities with its predecessor.

A Title That Is Both Overhauled and Clunky

Since its controversial transition away from a turn-based combat system to a much more active one, Final Fantasy has been dipping its toes into all sorts of mechanics that would finally stick. Early on in the game’s run, it’s not hard to see that it borrows a lot of mechanics and ideas from other popular titles, which we will get to in a bit. However, as I played through the game, something was lacking that made the game so alienating.

But before we pour salt into the game’s gaping wound, let’s first discuss the positives of the game, the first of which is the graphics. It pushes the boundaries in terms of details that its predecessor set years before, both in gameplay and in cutscenes. Though we take it for granted, it is an absolute must when it comes to exploring an entirely new world. Something Square Enix has mastered at this point, with a few key twists that make it stand out.

Final Fantasy Magic, With A Touch Of Game Of Thrones

The first thing that stood out to me in Final Fantasy XVI was its unapologetically violent narrative, which doesn’t shy away from spraying torrents of blood. It is actually a very welcome change as the franchise reverts back to its high fantasy aesthetic and focuses on the world of Valisthea, a rich world that is slowly being consumed by a sickness called the ‘Blight’. This serves as the perfect setting for bloody wars as the kingdoms that dominate the land fight for untainted resources.

However, with new worlds come new words and jargon to memorise, not to mention centuries-long histories to keep track of. Instead of spending 30 minutes info-dumping mid-cutscene, Square Enix has created something amazing that I wish to see in future instalments. ‘Active Time Lore’ is definitely one of the best additions to the game, a feature where you can pause a cutscene and check out any information relevant to it, teaching you all you need to know about characters, empires, and other jargon.

These entries constantly update in accordance with the protagonist’s knowledge as it happens. In case you missed an entry, you can always refer to it at the central hub of the game and check it there, both old and updated ones alike.

Same Ol’ Revenge Plot With Minute But Welcomed Twists

In the world of ceaseless wars, each faction relies on a trump card called ‘Dominants’ and their respective ‘Eikons’. Eikons replace the standard summons that have been a staple of the franchise and take on a more direct and active role in terms of the plot, serving as a sort of nuclear deterrent that can only be summoned by a Dominant.

You explore this expansive world through the eyes of Clive Rosfield, the eldest born prince of the Archduke of Rosaria and bodyguard for the nation’s Dominant who possesses the power of Fire. However, after a tragedy, Clive’s ward was murdered, and the young prince was captured and turned into an enslaved soldier. This brutal introduction to the plot and the story at large is a fitting entry point to present the world of Valisthea.

Though it falls back on a simplistic revenge plot, the execution and the set-up leading up to the tragedy were masterfully executed and got the ball rolling, giving him a goal to pursue for the first quarter of the game. Though constantly seeking blood and vengeance, Clive is actually a sensible male protagonist; he may be headstrong, but he isn’t reckless and can easily be talked out of his bloodlust and be reasonable, which is a nice change of pace.

The Most Linear Final Fantasy Title, To Date

From the taste of the open road in Final Fantasy XV to walking all over the place again, Final Fantasy XVI dropped all aspects of the open world and stuck to a much more linear format of gameplay. Here, you have to run through an expansive but still limited map, mostly because exploration takes a back seat in this game in favour of combat. With all these beautiful details, it would be a sin not to explore them all; unfortunately, the game doesn’t incentivise that as there isn’t much in the way of loot or collectibles in the overworld.

Exploration, if you can call it that, has you running around the map, killing monsters, before moving on to the next area to kill that batch of monsters. Due to the fast-paced nature of the game’s combat, everything else feels slow. You get this feeling even more as the game doesn’t have a dedicated sprint button. Clive would have to run in a straight line for a few seconds, then breakout into a sprint, which is equally annoying and inconsistent.

As you progress through the map, you’ll encounter segments where you’ll have to hop and crawl. There is nothing wrong with these parts per se, but I need to address how off-putting the animation for these scenes can be. Animations in cinematics have a great spectacle element to them, making them quite enticing, but models outside of cinematics are extremely jarring, becoming stiff as a board. Examples of this are the hopping animation for Clive when he bounds over a small gap or when he kicks down a boarded-up doorway; both are prime examples of disjointed animation that looks and sounds weak, to say the least. Obviously, animations in and out of cinematics can’t be the same, but it’s something you need to know before going in.

Side Quests Are Absolute Chores, Literally

The title of this segment is no exaggeration. From passing on bowls of soup to literally collecting dirt, these tasks are, for lack of a better word, boring. Among all the comments I have made with the game so far, this one was perhaps the most shocking, as the Final Fantasy franchise is known to have the best side quests in the gaming world, but you’re going to have to endure doing these menial tasks for the larger half of your playthrough. Other reports state the same, but they do get better and more impactful as you progress more and more into the story.

One thing that is neat about side quests is that NPCs take note of Clive’s deeds and become more welcoming of the fallen prince in the hideaway. NPCs in Final Fantasy XVI are very chatty and will react accordingly to what and how many side quests you have completed. This nice touch gives the game more life, which could have been overlooked by other developers, so it’s a plus.

Overhauled Combat System Feels Spotty At Best

Now, on to the part of the game that has received the most attention: combat. As mentioned earlier, the combat system has received massive amounts of love as it continues to move away from the turn-based system the earlier entries in the franchise are known for. Battles are fast and explosive because of Ryota Suzuki’s work as the combat director for Final Fantasy XVI, who also worked on Dragon’s Dogma and Devil May Cry.

Combat places a big emphasis on combos and alternating between spells and techniques. Final Fantasy 16 has a ‘Will System’ that, once depleted, will cause enemies to stagger, letting you unload massive amounts of damage while they are still weak, a feature that was introduced in Final Fantasy 13 and has been improved upon since. You are given a four-move basic attack chain and nothing more, but this decision is deliberate as it forces you to explore and experiment with using different abilities and skills; doing so rewards you as the enemies will stagger faster.

Despite the high praise the combat system has received, I actually have mixed feelings about it. The combat is reactive-based, and you are expected to look out for enemy tells in order to dodge and parry, giving you all sorts of bonuses for doing so. This would be alright if only stringing combos, like the magic bursts, wasn’t so problematic, as combos outright fail to register. Though it might feel like a skill issue, combat is not as fluid compared to, say, the first Bayonetta game, a game that perfectly balanced fast-paced combat, combo-stringing, and exploration over 10 years ago.

I thought that it was only a fluke, but after the first Eikon battle (a detail that I will get through shortly), I noticed Final Fantasy XVI’s most glaring problem: it feels as though it’s trying to replicate everything other games have done before and falls short with each of them. This led me to feel like the franchise is still in the middle of its identity crisis, as the best part of the game only felt okay at best. Though there were key moments, they were few and far between.

This high-octane fighting sequence is nice compared to Final Fantasy XV’s hybrid approach, but because of this, you can easily see compromises made in other aspects of the game once you’ve moved past it. Combat is simple when you break it down, but mastering it is another thing, and it is all that more rewarding when you do. That being said, it does become stale, and it doesn’t help that there is only a limited pool of monsters to fight against.

Eikon battles are one of the coolest parts of Final Fantasy XVI, and I say that with absolute conviction. However, the first proper Eikon battle is the slowest fight in the game, as I alternated between dodging, hitting those four hit combos, and getting past the overwhelming amount of QTEs. Not all is lost, as the subsequent fights have better controls and manoeuvrability with the Eikons as the story progresses.

Combat in Final Fantasy XVI is still satisfying, but there are times when it just feels like a drag. Since other aspects of the game have taken a reduced role, once the charm of combat is gone, it feels as though you’ve already explored everything.

Should you still try Final Fantasy XVI? Yes, as there are unique aspects of the game that previous entries didn’t offer, and if you are interested in or a fan of the combat system, you are welcome to try it. However, if you are here for anything else, then it’s best to lower your expectations.

Amazon New World MMORPG Reportedly Still Killing GeForce RTX Graphics Cards

Back in July, reports began cropping up of Amazon’s MMORPG, New World, bricking NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics card and more specifically, GeForce RTX 3090 models made by EVGA. The game has since gone live, drawing a massive wave of interest, and while EVGA itself has admitted to its own shoddy manufacturing issues with its RTX 3090s, there are still reports that the game is still causing other GeForce RTX cards to die.

Reports of New World’s ongoing GPU murder spree was picked up by the custom rig company, PowerGPU, who tweeted that many of their customers were emailing them about their GeForce RTX graphics cards that were bricked while playing -you guessed it – New World. In the same tweet, PowerGPU also says that all affected customers clearly never played the beta and it had been anticipating said issues since the issue came about.

 The serial killing doesn’t stop there either. WinFuture, the German tech publication, reported that its Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming graphics card also suffered the same fate after playing New World. This was despite the tech site enabling the game’s framerate limiter and the 60 fps limit in the NVIDIA GeForce driver; it says that the fans on the card still spinning furiously at 100% speed, before the display went black and the PC shut down immediately thereafter. There are also reports of the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Eagle 12G and other RTX 3080 cards that suffered the same fate, too.

At this point, it’s clear that Amazon’s new MMORPG isn’t just singling out specific brands, but more to the point, it is also clear that the game is a hazard to all high-eng NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards. So, despite Amazon’s claim that it isn’t the game’s fault, there is little doubt that it actually is. Until an actual fix is available or a full investigation into the issue is made, we strongly suggest that GeForce RTX owners hold off from playing the game.

Super Nintendo World To Get Donkey Kong Expansion In 2024

The Super Nintendo World area in the Universal Studios Japan theme park was opened earlier this year. As was reported last November, the section of the theme park will get a Donkey Kong expansion right next to the Mario-themed original area. Nintendo has since announced that the new area will be open sometime in 2024.

As is the usual theme park fare, the new Donkey Kong section will feature things like a roller coaster, themed merchanise, and food. But what really stands out is the area of “lush jungles where Donkey Kong and his friends live”. Overall, the new expansion will increase the Super Nintendo World area by 70%.

In the initial report, Bloomberg noted that the Mario section is a little on the small side. In retrospect, perhaps it wasn’t that small after all, or that the new location is even smaller, if the addition of a new area themed around another IP didn’t immediately double the size of Super Nintendo World.

But at any rate, it will be awhile before those outside of Osaka will be able to visit the place anyway. And it’s really up in the air right now as to whether the world will return to a time where travel is not quite so restricted first, or the expansion will be completed first.

Amazon New World MMO Beta Reportedly Bricks Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Cards

Amazon is in a bit of hot water with its New World MMO beta. There have been reports of the game bricking Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 graphics cards. Overall, it’s a bizarre issue for the MMO, especially since it looks to only affect the top-of-the-line cards.

Affected players have been sharing their misfortune on Reddit. A number of cases saw their card getting fried as soon as they enter the New World lobby. Windows Central reports that since the menu screen doesn’t have an fps cap, the game ends up rendering over 9000 fps. And because of this, the usual tricks like V-sync and fps caps are not working, as they only kick in during gameplay.

On Reddit and the New World forums, the vast majority of those having issues are those using the EVGA branded  RTX 3090 cards. Though other brands are not necessarily safe, as one report involved a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090. And on that note, it’s not exclusive to the 3090 either as there is at least one mention of a 3080 and a 2080 Super. Other cards, like a 1060, were suffering from other issues like “100% memory leak”, even if their cards did not get bricked.

Amazon has since responded to the issue. Though the tone of the statement makes it sound like hand-waving. It essentially boils down to “it’s not the fault of our game, but we’ve capped frame rates on our menu screen to reassure players”. Meanwhile, EVGA has acknowledged the problem and is looking into it.

IBM Claims “World First” Title With Production Of 2nm Chips

IBM may have beaten the crowd today after claims that it has developed the world’s first 2nm chips. To state the obvious, the new chip is made with some relatively groundbreaking technology that won’t be found on the current 7nm process nodes.

IBM’s 2nm chip features exceptionally thin wiring – thinner and smaller than the width of a single strand of human DNA. To put in Axios’ words: the chip can also be fitted with up to 50 billion transistors in an area around the size of a fingernail.

While there are no official data and performance metrics of the chip yet, IBM says that its new chip could boast an improved performance of 45% over current 7nm offerings with the same power. Alternatively, the same chip could also be altered and tweaked, so that it may consume up to 75% less energy, but still maintain the same performance level as a 7nm.

While IBM may have taken the championship belt within the semiconductor industry, it is fair to say that that title will be challenged – most likely by TSMC – within a year or two. As for now, the world is still waiting on the arrival of 3nm chips, while the 5nm made its debut with Apple’s latest iPhone 12 series.

IBM Claims “World First” Title With Production Of 2nm Chips

IBM may have beaten the crowd today after claims that it has developed the world’s first 2nm chips. To state the obvious, the new chip is made with some relatively groundbreaking technology that won’t be found on the current 7nm process nodes.

IBM’s 2nm chip features exceptionally thin wiring – thinner and smaller than the width of a single strand of human DNA. To put in Axios’ words: the chip can also be fitted with up to 50 billion transistors in an area around the size of a fingernail.

While there are no official data and performance metrics of the chip yet, IBM says that its new chip could boast an improved performance of 45% over current 7nm offerings with the same power. Alternatively, the same chip could also be altered and tweaked, so that it may consume up to 75% less energy, but still maintain the same performance level as a 7nm.

While IBM may have taken the championship belt within the semiconductor industry, it is fair to say that that title will be challenged – most likely by TSMC – within a year or two. As for now, the world is still waiting on the arrival of 3nm chips, while the 5nm made its debut with Apple’s latest iPhone 12 series.

Most expensive TV in the world. USD 1,600,000 📺

Hey! You consider yourself a gamer? Well, have you picked up your brand new $499 Playstation 5 or X box Series X yet? No? Oh boy… you are way behind, my friend. Well, don’t fret. We’re sure that you will get one sooner or later. In the meantime, why not start lookin for that perfect 4k television to play your next console on? Why not buy this bad boy-- if you’ve got the funds that is. We should warn you… it may just cause more than the house you want to put it in! We’d like to introduce you to the Titan Zeus. Let us assure you, it deserves its name. This tv is bigger than an elephant, and holds the title of most expensive television in the entire world at an astonishing 1.6 million dollars. Suddenly that $499 video game console doesn’t seem so bad, huh? Just a drop in the bucket compared to the price of the screen that you want to play it on! All joking aside, today we look at the specs and features of the Titan Zeus-- so you can decide if it’s worth that 1.6 mill! We gotta say, after watching our video today and learning all about the ins, outs, and all that is in between for this incredible viewing device, we think you may become a believer, and start saving up just a bit more so that you can pick up the Titan Zeus! King of all televisions and projectors!

Malaysian named top in the world for chemistry

Cheryl Chow Shu Wei, a 17-year-old from Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School, Petaling Jaya has once again placed Malaysia on the global academic map after being named ‘Top in the World’ for Chemistry.

Cheryl beat out nearly 1 million other students from around the world to earn the prestigious award from the Cambridge Assessment International Education during the recent Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards. Cheryl gained the highest standard mark in the world for International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examinations for Chemistry.

Commenting on the recognition, Cheryl said, “I am truly ecstatic to receive this prestigious global recognition. To know that I’ve been named the best in Chemistry in the whole world, it is something I could never have dreamt of!”

“This past year has been extremely difficult with the pandemic and learning from home. So, I’m even more proud of my accomplishment. Of course, none of this could have been possible without the help of my parents, teachers and peers who motivated and encouraged me to never give up and always try my best,” she added.

Every year, over 1 million students from around the world participate in Cambridge International based examinations, with Cambridge’s IGCSE programme representing the world’s largest provider of international qualifications being thought in close to 2,000 schools in over 50 countries.

This is the next feather on Cheryl’s already magnificently decorated cap. In 2019, Cheryl was crowned the overall top participant at the prestigious Mangahigh East Asia Maths Ninja Challenge 2019, a competition that saw her beat out 14,240 students from Japan, China, Korea and Singapore and other countries across East Asia. She also bagged gold in the national level Kangaroo Math Competition and was a top achiever in the 2019 The University of St Andrews Maths Competition.

But Cheryl’s prowess does not stop at Chemistry and Maths, she is also a storytelling virtuous, having clinched a finalist spot in the 10th edition of The New York Times Asia-Pacific Writing Competition 2019. She also earned gold finalist recognition in the international level The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition in 2019 and 2020.

Speaking on the achievement, Nicki Coombs, Executive Principal for Beaconhouse Sri Inai International School said, “We are incredibly proud of Cheryl’s latest achievement. Whether it is Chemistry, Mathematics or English, Cheryl has shown her exceedingly outstanding capabilities across the board when it comes to academics.”

“Her achievement is a testament to the Beaconhouse approach to holistic education and life-long learning. An approach that provides a balanced emphasis which has contributed to Cheryl’s extraordinary performances across subjects and throughout the years,” she added.

For further information on the Beaconhouse Group of Schools please visit: www.beaconhouse.edu.my. To find out more about Cambridge Assessment International Education and the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards please visit: www.cambridgeinternational.org

Genesis Celebrates Arrival In China With Over 3000 Drones; Claims New World Record

Rather than featuring fireworks to celebrate its official arrival in China, Hyundai subsidiary Genesis had decided to go for something more spectacular: a fully controllable light show in the sky. The Korean luxury car brand lit up the Shanghai skyline with a whopping 3,281 aerial drones on 29 March, breaking the current Guinness World Record for “The Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously.”

The drone-based light show demonstrated an impressive display of formations, including a rendition of Genesis’ logo, 3D-like wireframes of its G80 and GV80 car models, greetings, and much more. You can view highlights of the showcase in the video embedded below.

Prior to this, the record holder for the title was China’s own Shenzhen Damoda Intelligent Control Technology, which used 3,050 drones last year on 20 September. According to Guinness, Russian UAV manufacturer Geoscan and US chipmaker Intel preceded that record with a total of 2,200 and 2,066 units respectively.

Speaking of the latter, Intel opened for the Winter Olympics with a showcase of 1,218 drones back in 2018, where it claimed the same Guinness World Record at that time. The company also provided an aerial light show in Malaysia for last year’s New Year Eve celebrations at Dataran Merdeka, although only approximately 300 drones were used.

Despite the smaller number used for the local celebration, the cost for the showcase itself was recorded to top at least US$ 225K (~RM 919,710). With that in mind, one could only imagine the amount of money spent for the aforementioned demonstrations that feature even more drones – especially by Genesis.

Monster Hunter World Gets A Board Game; Kickstarter Campaign Starts 20 April

There have been quite a number of video games that have made the transition to physical board games. The latest addition to that list looks to be Monster Hunter World, if its Kickstarter campaign succeeds.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is made by Steamforged Games. The company has previously brought a number of other games to the tabletop. This includes the likes of Devil May Cry and Dark Souls. Like those iterations, this one featuring Monster Hunter will have cards represent the available weapons and the moves available to them. Hunters and monsters are represented by mini figures, the largest of which measures over a foot (~30.5cm) in height.

Tabletop news outlet Dicebreaker has a trailer showcasing the game setup, as well as a few models of the hunters and monsters. From there, we can see Rathalos, Anjanath, Great Jagras and Tobi-Kadachi figures against the hunters, which are quite accurate as far as scale goes.

According to Dicebreaker, the Kickstartercampaign will have three tiers. The first asks for US$70 (~RM282), and will come with the Ancient Forest biome, four hunters and four monsters. This will be enough to provide 30 hours of game play. A more “complete” experience comes at double the price, but double’s play time with monster count increasing to nine, and hunters up to eight. Going all-in with a US$279 (~RM1141), you get a 75-hour “campaign” and a total of 24 figures.

All in all, Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is bound to play very differently compared to the original. No surprise here, as it’s basically the same for every other game-to-tabletop conversion. Though it would serve as a bridge between the two worlds, possibly introducing fans of one to the other. The Kickstarter campaign kicks off proper on 20 April.