Final Fantasy Creator Hates Sequels
Under the direction of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Final Fantasy games never had a direct sequel. Now we know why.
“I don’t like sequels,” he told IGN during a recent sit-down interview. “I hate them.”
That’s because Sakaguchi -- who’s in San Francisco this week to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, believes a game should be a complete experience. "That’s why every single Final Fantasy had a new cast of characters, a brand new story,
a different system.”
It was a philosophy he held dear during his time at Squaresoft, and one his team at Mistwalker still believes in. “Our promise to ourselves is that for every single game that we make, we are going to give it our all, and then we finish it, we’ll end it in such a way that there is no to be continued checklist."
Madden NFL 15 Added to EA Access Vault
Starting right now, EA Access subscribers can play Madden NFL 15 on Xbox One, according to the EA Access Twitter account. The football franchise is the latest game to join EA's growing library in the Access Vault.
Other games available via the subscription service include Battlefield 4, Need for Speed Rivals, Peggle 2, and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Edition. Last month, EA added NBA Live 15 to the game roster.
EA Access allows subscribers to pay $5 USD a month, or $30 USD a year, to play games from the Vault. Additionally, subscribers receive discounts off the purchase of downloadable EA games and access to exclusive game demos.
Dylan O’Brien Plays Down Spidey Casting Rumors
The Maze Runner and Teen Wolf actor Dylan O'Brien has weighed in on all those rumors about him being up for the role of Spider-Man in the Marvel/Sony reboot.
“Professionally, I haven’t heard anything about it,” O'Brien told BuzzFeed. “I’ve only heard from, like,
online.”
The actor knows that he's "disappointing a big chunk of fans" by telling them "it’s not true.” Other reports have claimed Marvel and Sony want a high school age actor to play their new shared universe wall-crawler.
Xenoblade Chronicles X May Come Out This Summer
Xenoblade Chronicles X might see a western release this summer, according to a new retailer listing.
Amazon Italy has the Monolith Software-developed RPG coming out June 26, which is a Friday. We've reached out to Nintendo regarding the retailer listing and whether Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated to come to the west this summer.
If the listing is accurate for Xenoblade Chronicles X, it wouldn't be the first time Amazon Italy has spilled the beans on an announcement. Previous leaks include Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, the Mirror's Edge reboot as well as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of Rocksmith 2014.
The Hobbit’s Luke Evans Eyed for Gaston
Disney has reportedly found their Gaston (again).
The studio's developing a live-action retelling of their 1991 animated blockbuster Beauty and the Beast, which will star Emma Watson as Belle. Now Variety reports that The Hobbit and Dracula Untold's Luke Evans is in negotiations to play Gaston in the Bill Condon-directed film.
In the original animated film, the handsome Gaston went after the Beast after Belle rejected him.
Production begins later this year. No release date has been announced yet.
GDC 2015: Hands-on with Nvidia’s Shield Console
My living-room entertainment center would be a crowded place if companies had their way. Between streaming sticks, Android set-top boxes, consoles like the Xbox One and PS4, and home-theater PCs, I’ve got a lot of choices for relatively little real estate. Particularly because no one item hits every point I could ever want—there’s just enough overlap to have overwhelming redundancy in some areas (Netflix streaming) but very little in others (being able to pick up and play my games on multiple devices in the same ecosystem).
The Walking Dead Leads Saturn Awards Noms
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced its television nominations for its 41st Annual Saturn Awards. The Saturn Awards recognize TV series and films that are often overlooked by mainstream awards.
This year's nominations are led by AMC's The Walking Dead and NBC's Hannibal, which earned seven and six nominations, respectively. Game of Thrones, Person of Interest, Bates Motel, The 100, and 12 Monkeys all earned nominations, as well.
This year's awards also introduces Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series, a new category honoring television series based on comic book superheroes. The Saturn Awards winners will be announced June 25.
EA Closes SimCity Developer Maxis Emeryville
Publisher Electronic Arts has closed down SimCity development studio Maxis Emeryville.
"Today we are consolidating Maxis IP development to our studios in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki and Melbourne locations as we close our Emeryville location," an EA representative told IGN. "Maxis continues to support and develop new experiences for current Sims and SimCity players, while expanding our franchises to new platforms and developing new cross-platform IP."
EA also stresses that the closure of this studio will not in any way impact their plans for The Sims, and that "all employees impacted by the changes today will be given opportunities to explore other positions within the Maxis studios and throughout EA."
He-Man Movie Reboot: Is This Battle Cat?
Former Sony exec turned movie producer DeVon Franklin has been active on Twitter promoting his planned big screen reboot of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Franklin tweeted the image below that appears to be concept art for Battle Cat, He-Man's green tiger fighting mount:
@danmillerNY @TheOneHansen @Guardians I totally agree!!! pic.twitter.com/6g6W18D9J7
— DeVon Franklin (@DeVonFranklin) March 3, 2015
Microsoft Releasing Adapter That Lets You Use Xbox One Controllers on PC
Today at GDC, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced that Microsoft will release an adapter that lets you use your Xbox One controllers with Windows (without a USB tether).
"The wireless devices you use on Xbox One will work on PC as well," Spencer said. "...We want to see that input isn't a barrier. Gamers should be able to play the games they want to play."
The wireless adapter is coming later this year. No price was given.
Microsoft created a wireless adapter for the Xbox 360, but it hasn't been readily available for some time. The easiest option for using a 360 controller on PC was simply to purchase the wired version. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.