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He will talk about his career and latest project - Nintendo's critically-acclaimed The Last Story for Wii™ ahead of its UK launch next month.
A legend in the games industry, Sakaguchi is not only the father of the iconic Final Fantasy franchise, but has produced a host of top titles including Lost Odyssey; Vagrant Story; Xenogears; Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts.
Hironobu Sakaguchi's newest game, The Last Story, is an epic tale that sees
the player take charge of a band of mercenaries as they explore and battle
their way across Lazulis Island, the heart of an empire riven by strife.
Published by Nintendo, The Last Story is released in the UK on 24 February, and Midlands Comic Con will be a unique opportunity to find out more about this great game from the man who created it.
It's been a bumper year for computer games. The Sunday
Mercury's STEVE WOLLASTON selects his top 10 of 2011.
1 ELDER SCROLLS V - SKYRIM
GAME of the year couldn't be an easier decision, despite it being an incredibly strong 12 months for gaming.
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Skyrim takes the top spot for its sheer depth, ingenuity, fantastic plot and immense visuals.
Imagine playing in a Lord Of The Rings film where you can just about do whatever you want.
There is something truly fantastic about strolling through beautiful landscapes while wielding a huge sword and waiting for something to try to decapitate you.
Add in a wonderfully stirring classical score, oodles of gore and mystical madness, and you have the perfect game. This one will take over your life.
2 FIFA 12
PERFECTION is something EA strives for and since forcing Konami's Pro Evolution series into runner-up position, they have polished and fine-tuned the FIFA bandwagon.
The game is as fluent, in-depth and gripping as any football fan could want.
Playing online is a true joy, as long as you like being verbally abused by 12-year-old Amercians in Iowa.
"Man you English are lame at soccer," I was told. Duh, it's football, kid.
3 DISNEYLAND ADVENTURES
I CAN guarantee that if you scour the net and every gaming magazine worldwide, nobody will have placed this game in their top 5.
That puzzles me because this aims squarely at its target audience and delivers a very playable game which is cute, colourful and quirky.
Of course, nothing can be a substitute for a trip to Disneyland itself but this game does bring the magic of Mickey and pals to your living room in a triumph for Kinect.
The game menus are very responsive, as is the gaming experience itself.
4 CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE 3
YOU can't ignore COD, it's everywhere.
MW3, as it's affectionately known, dominated the gaming industry ahead of release and, not for the first time, garnered huge TV coverage.
Aside from the superb graphics and top-notch warfare gameplay, the storyline is not hugely important.
The game excels in the online arena with the whole world seemingly rejoicing in blowing each other to smithereens.
As ever, the quality is unquestionable and the fun is endless.
5 PORTAL 2
WONDERFULLY complicated and beautifully unique, Portal was the thinking man's puzzle/platform game.
Portal 2 primarily comprises a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's character and simple objects using the portal gun, a device that can create inter-spatial portals between two flat planes.
The game's physics allow momentum to be retained through these portals, which must be used creatively to manoeuvre through challenges. It's a game that will test your grey matter.
6 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: SKYWARD SWORD
THE Legend of Zelda games have been a central part of the Nintendo franchise for many years, peaking with the N64 Zelda game more than a decade ago.
Now it can be said the game has surpassed that. This latest offering is a huge shot in the arm for the ailing Wii console, and proof that there is life in it yet.
As ever, the mix of RPG, adventure and combat are perfectly woven into the magic of the game.
The controls are absolutely first-class and help to make this more than just another game. It oozes with quality throughout and proves a big hit with fans and newbies alike.
7 UNCHARTED 3
THE Indiana Jones-inspired series that Spielberg would love to direct, Uncharted reaches another level on its third outing as it takes you from a grimy London pub to a bustling Columbian town.
Relentless action, diverting puzzles and wonderful visuals combine to ensure the game stands out even in a year full of spectacular games.
Uncharted 3 is so monumentally enjoyable that it shines like one of its hero Drake's buried treasures.
IT didn't seem possible that Batman Arkham Asylum could be bettered, but that's exactly what's happened.
There is no great secret here, just a huge Gotham City to explore, all the traditions of Batman mythology and a hell of a good combat system.
Gameplay has been tweaked and improved since last time out with a deeper combat system. Graphics are fantastic and really it's one title that every self-respecting gamer should own.
9 F1 2011
THIS is probably a strange choice to some people.
There's no denying the quality of the game but my reason for picking it is sheer personal enjoyment alone.
This is the best Formula 1 game to date and one that delivers the action, atmosphere and thrills of the sport perfectly.
IN many ways it has been the year of the first-person shooter, with the genre enjoying a higher quality of overall releases.
Gears Of Wars 3 for many was a very significant release and in many ways as important as Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3.
Once again, it was a game rich in narrative and full of action, but the high-octane gameplay, edgy nature and superb online play made this a must have game.
For me, it really was as much fun as MW3 both online and offline.
This game can be likened to a car.
It's a gleaming car, a sports car with some pulling power and very shiny bodywork, it has a dashboard that James Bond would be proud of and has features oozing out of every nook and cranny.
What it doesn't have though is an engine with any real gusto, it's a fairly sluggish engine that has been pounding the same tarmac for years.
Okay, back to the Wrestling, it's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination but the controls are very awkward and slow at times and this outweighs the many good points the game does have.
Fans will enjoy it but they would enjoy something better thought out if the truth be known.
Score 2/5
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ONCE the darlings of the PlayStation2 generation, Ratchet and his trusty 'bot pal Clank have been looking a little tired recently - overshadowed by the likes of Uncharted and Arkham.
Obviously developers Insomniac Games thought this as well because the latest adventure of the two heroes is, well, not very Ratchety or Clanky.
The colourful graphics and Saturday cartoon sense of humour do remain, but All 4 One is centred around a four-player cooperative multiplayer mode.
While the online adventure is done very well, the far-too-easy puzzles will make hardcore fans nostalgic for the classic games in the series, which this isn't.
Continuing the pattern of high quality set by the previous two titles this game is packed full of high quality gameplay and chart hits.
It also has a plethora of different game modes for every occasion whether it's a party with friends or family.
The game feels more polished than the last two and certainly holds more of a challenge if that's what you are looking for.
Any game that is promoted by a tank driving through rush hour London picking up commuters has to be taken seriously.
Any big money EA title also has to be taken seriously, when EA spend big money on a game you know they mean business and slowly but surely they have been investing heavily in their shooters.
I was delighted to see Tintin recently at the cinemas, I grew up with the books and loved the excitement and intrigue of the comic books.
When I was growing up though computers were very much a new thing and whilst some computer games were genius they were nowhere near as sophisticated and impressive as they are now.
This movie tie-in I am delighted to say works really well, not just because of the subject matter but also because it has been well produced.
The game can be played as single or co-operative with players controlling the film's main characters Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock.
The game is a mix of 2D and 3D gaming with some fine platforming fun and funny combat.
Graphically the game is pretty good, it looks the part and there are really no complaints, the same can be said for the sound also.
If you want an all-round adventure that the kids will enjoy then this is a decent game.
It is advertised as a Kinect game but don't worry you can play it without. If you have got Kinect there are a few separate gameplay modes that add to the mix and give it further depth and enjoyment.
Great to see Herge's most famous son getting a new lease of life.
Critically-acclaimed shooter Battlefield 3 is the game on everyone's lips at the moment, and EA Games are bringing their special Battlefield 3 Operations Outpost along to Memorabilia Birmingham at the NEC on 19-20 November to give show visitors the chance to see for themselves!
In addition to showing the game on a giant 103" screen, the Battlefield 3 Operations Outpost will provide five other console gaming stations and a pair of PC gaming stations... not to mention a Get in the Game station where Memorabilia visitors can have their photo taken in a Battlefield 3 scene.
For tickets to Memorabilia, visit: www.memorabilia.co.uk/birmingham/tickets
To stay up-to-date with show news, visit www.memorabilia.co.uk/birmingham, follow www.twitter.com/mcmexpo or go to www.facebook.com/mcmexpo
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Representation of the Formula 1 world in gaming has been sketchy at best over the years.
It has ranged from cars that fly round corners on pieces of elastic that never leave the track to the impossibly hard handling where it's nigh on impossible not to fly into tyres.
Graphically the games have progressed as they should have done and in this latest offering from Codemasters the next generation of Formula 1 visuals are showcased beautifully.
Tracks are very impressive and the cars also very pleasing on the eye.
Codemasters have a deal with the Formula 1 brand so the game is packed with al the real drivers, cars, sponsors, tracks etc. In short it is a dream for fans of the sport.
The main question that needed answering with this game though are whether all is well under the gleaming bonnet and official franchise.
The resounding answer is yes, this game is as tight on the track as it should be and the end product is a very pleasing game all-round.
The car handling strikes a happy balance sometimes it extremely difficult to handle on the corners but there is a real ability to attack the corners which can feel very rewarding and adds a sense of real grit to the game.
In fact I genuinely found it to be an exhilarating experience, sometimes F1 games have failed to grip me due to the repetitive nature but with this I didn't find that at all.
Concentration is everything but there is a real sense that you are battling to acheieve something.
The game panders to the whim of everyone, the die-hard simulation fan, the quick fix-racer and the online multiplayer enthusiast.
The online aspect has been dramatically improved to ensure a quality online experience and it won't disappoint.
Career mode is also geared around giving gamers a very in-depth and fun experience. This adds real depth and is packed with features as you attempt to become the next Lewis Hamilton from rookie to superstar.
This game is packed with everything you could wish for to make it an authentic F1 experience and presents it in dynamic fashion with quality at the forefront.
Making F1 so playable in multiplayer mode is a great achievement and quite rightly makes this a special game and a must purchase.
* * * *
Fifa 2012 and Pro Evolution Soccer have upped their specs for the battle of football video gaming
Authors
Steve Wollaston - Sunday Mercury games reviewer Steve has been writing about video games for donkey's years. In fact he is probably far too old for it now which is why you will see a lot of reviews been done by kids... He has been nominated three times for Regional Games Journalist Of The Year at the Games Media Awards, but never wins. His major love is sports games and rates Sensible World of Soccer circa 90's as the greatest game ever made - closely followed by Championship Manager 2. Skyrim has currently taken over his life.
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