Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins is cringe-worthy

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How the hell did we get one Final Fantasy game this strange? Praise (or blame) Team Ninja, the studio responsible for this chaotic revisionist tale of one of the longest-running game series.

The studio has an unusual knack for making games that are awesome, trashy, and sometimes terribly trashy. Let’s check out the latest edition. In 2018, the studio contributed to the relatively family-friendly Nintendo action game Fire Emblem Warrior. Then, in 2019, Team Ninja produced a major update for Dead or Alive Xtreme 3a hi-def entry in his cheesecake sports franchise for which scantily clad women play beach games the player’s pleasure. A year later it was published Nioh 2a yōkai-infused riff on the Dark Souls formula that trades the color and playfulness of the studio’s previous games for darkness and difficulty.

with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, The studio has happily decimated assumptions about how a Final Fantasy game should behave. You play as the bluntly named Beefcake Jack, who wears a Bluetooth headset, listens to Limp Bizkit, and loves to cut off baddies when they monologue about their evil master plan for too long. Or in other words: “Jack is the angriest barbie in the world

If this sounds like a parody of mid-’00s video games, then we feel it too. is this camp To be honest, we can’t say for sure, but if one studio can pull off the 7-10 split of self-serious JRPG and tongue-in-cheek chuckle, it’s Team Ninja.

This week on YouTube | Have you heard the rumor that FromSoftware, makers of elden ring, working hard to revive… ARMORED CORE? Wait, secure yourself. Have you heard of Armored Core? Because it’s a great weird classic hard FromSoft series that spans 17 entries! So let Clayton Ashley fill you in on what the series is about beforehand Armored Core 6 maybe-maybe comes out. Someday.

Four stories to read

Credit: James Bareham/Polygon

The story behind the Halo TV show | Microsoft struggled to customize Halo for nearly two decades. How did Master Chief finally make it to TV screens and will the show be Paramount Plus’ answer? game of Thrones?

The first live-action Batman adaptation was purely political propaganda | In 1942, Columbia Pictures released the first live-action portrayal of Bruce Wayne, whose thin plot was laced with a racist message intended to help justify the atrocities of World War II.

To redden‘s version of teenage lust is refreshingly funny | “Being horny for the first time is confusing and overwhelming, and To redden‘s openness and over-the-top lust captures this moment in life with hilarious finesse.”

All Pixar Movies, Ranked | A list that will have you shouting “Kachow!” Or maybe “Kachow???”

Four things to see

Image: 20th Century Studios

Deep water on Hulu | Director Adriane Lynne built a career on sexy films like Fateful attraction and Unfaithful. But after producing seven major films in two decades, Lynne remained silent for the next 20 years. Deep water Returning to the erotic thriller genre, the filmmaker recreates Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck as a married couple trying to spice up their sex life with infidelity. Murderous infidelity.

you west x in theatres | After years of mainstream cinema avoiding slippage, we’re getting two erotic films in one week. x is a gooey mix of slasher horror and sex comedy. A group of young aspiring filmmakers shoot porn in a Texas farmhouse owned by an elderly couple with secrets. Murderous Secrets.

The unbearable weight of massive talent in theatres | Nic Cage plays Nic Cage in a movie with the guy who plays the Mandalorian The Mandalorian.

Hell has no anger on Hulu | A 90-minute action film about the hunt for Nazi gold? Yes, please

Plus, everything new to stream: Spider-Man swings onto your TV!

Play three games

Image: Andrew Shouldice/Finji

tunic | Mostly created by a single developer, this indie adventure is a mishmash of The Legend of Zelda and He has, with an adorable little fox. The game got a surprise launch day Release on Xbox Game Pass. If you need more persuasion (and even if you don’t), be sure to read Polygon’s hand-illustrated review! Available on Windows PC, macOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X.

WWE2K22 | The WWE video game franchise went on hiatus last year after a horribly messy 2020 release. WWE2K22 is like a professional high jumper jumping over a suspension bar. Is this the wrestling game that casual fans have wanted since the N64 era? The answer is not that simple. Available on Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X.

grand theft auto 5 “extended and improved” | A game from the Xbox 360 era The Xbox One upgrade has now been further updated for the Xbox Series X-Age. Its hideous worldview and shallow attempts at satire feel particularly dated, but the open world remains one of the most impressive feats of engineering in video games. PPE: The upgrade is not free. Available for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Free game of the week

Image: Sondering Studio

A taste of the past | Earlier this month, Sondering Studio released this beautiful half-hour vignette. Mei, a Chinese-American high school student, mourns the death of her mother when she inexplicably finds herself aboard an ethereal train filled with the spirits of her ancestors. Your task: learn the origin of a treasured family recipe. Available on Steam, Itch.io and browsers.

The best of the rest

Image: WIT/Clover Works