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Fantasy Is Universal

The Bottom Feeder

Sometimes I have to remind myself, with a bit of a shock, that I write fantasy for a living. Yes, I write fantasy. My almost thirty year fantasy-writing career has been very prolific (18 all-new games!) Who likes fantasy? What makes fantasy work? After all, fantasy is the default mode for fiction by humans.

Fantasy 74
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The Heart of Gaming Is the Power Fantasy

The Bottom Feeder

Video games function best as power fantasies. We've seen debates about whether video games can be art. Video games are a very young art form. Art is a slippery thing. As soon as you say art IS THIS, it goes “Whoopsie!” Not all games are power fantasies, and not all gamers want that. It VANISHES.

Fantasy 83
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I’m making an RPG!

Keith Burgun

(Above: some WIP pixel art from Wizbane) You might have noticed I’ve been writing about and playing a lot of RPGs recently. Starting somewhere in 2020, I started this huge dive into the Final Fantasy series – strangely enough, starting with the XIII trilogy. Final Fantasy X-inspired class system. A cool, fun game.

Fantasy 119
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A New Era of Fighting Games

Sirlin

Former Street Fighter designer / Evolution staff member / writer of competitive gaming guide is working on a new fighting game focusing on easy execution, great online play, and will be free to play." Which game is it though: Fantasy Strike or Rising Thunder? As great as it is, it isn't literally a fighting game though.

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Game Balance and Fantasy Strike

Sirlin

Fantasy Strike is an interesting case study in game balance for an asymmetric game. In some games I’ve worked on, I’m one of the experts (Fantasy Strike, Street Fighter HD Remix, Puzzle Fighter HD Remix). And in Fantasy Strike…the same thing happened again, almost. But…we did it.

Balance 52
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Would “Sword Art Online” Be a Bad VR Game?

Rampant Games

In the fiction, November 6, 2022 was the launch day for the game “ Sword Art Online ,” chronicled in the books, manga, and anime series of that name. Thanks to a crazy head engineer with a god complex, ten thousand players are now playing an ultra-realistic fantasy game in a virtual world with real-world stakes.

Art 52
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The RPG Report, and the worst things in RPGs

Keith Burgun

Great art, great music, good writing. Cool combat system, good art, good music – overall, good stuff. FINAL FANTASY XVI – After playing a bunch more Kingdomheartslikes and getting more used to that, I’ve gotta say, this is a very well made Kingdomheartslike. Bad FIGHT pacing.