Stellar Blade, the Nier: Auotmata-ish PS5 character action game, has a bunch of chests to unlock that give you all kinds of sweet rewards, from healing items to gold to crafting resources. Many of these chests require that you input a sequence of buttons in an allotted time limit, while others need a passcode to open. There’s one in Xion, the game’s main hub world, that’s like this, demanding a passcode before unlocking. It’s called Aaron’s Locker and, truth be told, you may already have what you need to get the chest opened. – Levi Winslow Read More
Ever since Nintendo announced Charles Martinet will be stepping back from his long-time role as the in-game voice of Mario, fans have been wondering who might be taking over the reigns in the future. Enter Ben Starr, the man behind Final Fantasy XVI’s superb performance for hero Clive Rosfield…and a glutton for internet gags.
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The British television actor recently tweeted an unsolicited audition video for the mustachioed plumber. It’s as bone-chillingly epic as you’d expect. Imagine a battle-hardened Clive walking through modern-day Brooklyn committing verbal hate crimes against Italians and you’ve got the gist.
Take a look:
Starr takes on Mario’s most iconic phrase, “It’s a-mia, Mario,” and repeats it like he’s about to break your kneecaps, with plenty of F-bombs sprinkled in for good measure. Chris Pratt could never. Just for this Clive deserves to make it into the next Super Smash Bros.
In reality, Nintendo’s already tapped someone else to start doing the voice of Mario. The Switch maker confirmed this new, mysterious performer will be in the credits forSuper Mario Bros. Wonder when that new platformer launches in October, but won’t confirm the person’s identity ahead of time. And who knows if they will continue in the role for future sequels and party game spin-offs, or if Wario et al will be voiced by the same person—as Martinet did for decades—or get dedicated voice actors.
In the meantime, Martinet has been receiving online tributes for his years of “Wahoos” and “Yippies,” though it’s still not entirely clear if he voluntarily retired or ran into contract negotiation or similar troubles with Nintendo. While Martinet wasn’t the main voice of Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie either, he did have an excellent cameo. Hopefully he’ll get to come back for the next one.
It’s July 21, and that means both Barbie and Oppenheimer are in theaters. Both movies are reviewingwell, and if you haven’t decided to see both as a double feature, you might be wondering which you should see first. Well, I’ve only seen Barbie thus far, so can’t weigh in on which is better, but perhaps some of your favorite characters from Final Fantasy XVI may be able to sway you?
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The actors behind a few of Final Fantasy XVI’s standout characters have been recording and posting clips of them ordering a ticket to one of the movies, and on top of just being delightful to hear these performers as their characters again, it’s funny because we get a pseudo canonical look into their respective film tastes. Ben Starr, who plays the very sad softy protagonist Clive, started the trend with a clip of the hero ordering his ticket to Barbie on July 16.
Later that day, a fan tagged Benedikta actor Nina Yndis suggesting she also join in by recording her character, the scheming agent antagonist, asking for a ticket to Oppenheimer. She obliged, and captured Benedikta’s impatience in the delivery.
As for me, I’m a Cid stan. He’s my favorite character in the game, and that holds true for a lot of people. Where does he fall on the Barbenheimer debate? Well, it looks like Starr roped his actor Ralph Ineson into the joke, and posted him, reluctantly, ordering a ticket to Barbie on July 20.
Now that Cid, Clive, and Benedikta have been accounted for, we need to hear where the rest of Final Fantasy XVI’s cast members join the conversation. Where do Joshua, Jill, and Dion fall on this? Who is going to be the brave cast member to order both tickets? The people need to know.
While the Final Fantasy XVI cast is pouring into theaters, Barbie and Oppenheimer fans are engaging in the most heated debate on the issue: the Wikipedia page on the entire phenomenon.
Final Fantasy XVI, a more action-focused take on the RPG franchise, clearly pulls inspiration from a lot of other popular media. As Game Informer reported back in May, Square Enix was inspired by blockbuster films and hit series like Game of Thrones, Godzilla, and Neon Genesis Evangelion during the game’s development. And it’s that last source of inspo that is garnering attention after players noticed a detailed homage to the mecha anime series.
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ResetEra forum user Lady Bow posted a video comparing a battle between anime protagonist Shinji Ikari and Sachiel in Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Tokyo-3 (a post-apocalyptic version of Tokyo) to a cataclysmic battle between Phoenix and Ifrit within the early hours of FFXVI.
The Ifrit fight (which is playable in the demo, btw!), takes place between two summons, which manifest in FFXVI by basically turning the player into a giant kaiju version of a deity. Early in the game, one of the outposts in the game’s fictional kingdom of Rosaria is ambushed. Phoenix does its damndest to protect it from the rampaging Ifrit. Unfortunately, the Phoenix getting torn from ass to appetite in the scene is Joshua, the younger brother of FFXVI protag, Clive. You can check out a GIF of the video below.
And just like in NGE with Shinj and Eva Unit 01, this fight showcases a point-of-view-esque depiction of the gigantic kaiju mounting its adversary and dishing out wild strikes to their face before clubbing them with a double-arm hammer fist punch.
The similarities between the fights also makes Clive begging the hulking titan to cease his onslaught all the more tragic. Clive’s desperate plea somewhat mirrors Shinji begging his father, Gendo Ikari, to stop his mecha from crushing his friend’s entry plug after his unit went AWOL. They’re like poetry because they rhyme, you see.
And there you have it: not only is Final Fantasy XVI a video game with similar grit and political subterfuge as George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series and bombastic Devil May Cry-esque action, but it’s also the latest video game to pay homage to NGE creator Hideaki Anno’s body of work. We love to see it.
Play it on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows (Steam Deck OK), macOS, Linux
My current goal: Consume blood and achieve penitence
When I was watching Geoff Keighley Fest last week, I was taken aback by one particular showcase debut: the release date trailer for Blasphemous 2. Its harrowing atmosphere, unsettling pixel art, and fluid combat had my eyes locked for all 90 seconds. All I could think about was how this game was practically made for me, yet I had never given the first Blasphemous a try. So, I dusted off my trusty barbed capirote helm, filled that thing with way too much blood and set off into the Metroidvania world of Cvstodia.
Blasphemous leaves an undeniably awesome first impression. The world is blanketed by religious iconography, from a nun’s blood-curdling screams to cryptic riddles on Catholic repentance. You won’t find many games that trap you in their spine-chilling atmosphere as quickly as Blasphemous. It’s mesmerizing, detail-obsessed art is borderline uncomfortable, yet I yearn to descend further into Cvstodia.
The Metroidvania with a Dark Souls spin has been done countless times, but few match the lore and mystery that Blasphemous brings. The combat invokes feelings of Hollow Knight or Owl Boy, but far more grotesque. The addition of fight-ending executions is now a feature I’d like to see in every single Metroidvania.
Blasphemous is relatively short, so if you’re ready to dedicate your weekend to The Miracle, there’s a good chance you can hit credits by Sunday evening. That being said, I’d recommend taking your time and to really soak in the environment. It’s also pretty dang difficult, so be patient, Penitent One. — Jeb Biggart
