QCF: Ys Origin

 

The Ys Saga has never really gotten a lot of press in North America, especially with Squaresoft and Enix and later Square-Enix dominating the RPG world for nearly the entire time that Japanese RPGs were popular. In Japan though, Ys has been an extremely popular series on PCs since the first installment showed up on the PC-8801 in 1987. And it's no small wonder, given Ys' super-streamlined game play, enjoyable story with likeable characters and often-hardcore difficulty.

The Adventures of Adol Christian has been a long and cherished one, despite its decidedly niche status. Starting out in North America on the TurboGrafx-16, the series has yet to disappoint me. Fast forward to the present and wouldn't you know it, Ys is still going pretty strong, with Ys Origin, the very latest North American offering in this criminally under-appreciated series, released on Steam from XSEED games. But what's this? No Adol? No exotic vistas? No puzzling riddles or any of the iconic Books of Ys? Well to understand why, you have to understand exactly what Ys Origin is all about. Ys Origin is technically the seventh title in the series, originally released in 2006 on Windows PC in Japan as a prequel to the entire Ys mythos, set 700 years before the events of Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished.

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QCF: Botanicula

Doomed to be eaten, one lonely seed was all that remained from the menacing spider’s appetite -- at least until the hapless group of Mr. Twig, Mr. Feather, Mr. Poppy-Head, Ms. Mushroom, and Mr. Lantern encountered it. So begins the newest point and click adventure from Amanita Design known as Botanicula.

Debuting on the newest Humble Bundle promotion, Botonicula stirred some excitement after turning heads at GDC 12. But when the dust settles, Botanicula truly pushes the standards of the modern point-and-click adventure in surprising ways.

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Bullet Heaven HD Giveaway! -- Bullet Heaven EX

Episode 50 of Bullet Heaven is coming this coming Monday, and Rockin' Android has hooked us up with some great prizes to celebrate! Want in? Watch the video below to find out how! 

NOTE: If you're interested in entering, make sure to enter the contest via the comments section of the YouTube video above! Like what you see here? As always, questions and comments are not only welcome, but encouraged. Remember: Like, Subscribe, Follow and Spread the word!!

GDC 12: The Dear Esther Keynote Live Blog

Sony and the Future of Digital Distribution

Members of the gaming community are well aware of the recent events surrounding Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) and its failure to protect consumer data. Because of this, the public might become a little more wary of digital transactions.

In the past decade, more companies have shifted towards digital distribution. It makes your favorite games easier to buy, while offering opportunities for smaller developers to also publish games. Services like Steam -- possibly the best example of "correct" digital distribution to date -- also allow online shoppers to receive great discounts on many popular titles. Unfortunately, in other cases, it's also giving some publishers and developers more control than most consumers want them to have. Some of the personal requirements are also ridiculous, making it mandatory for users to input vital information if they wish to obtain and download software. 

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