*Updates*
Today razor1911 released the PC version of Mass Effect 2. Woot.
The download link can be found here

And heres the launch trailer for Mass Effect 2 which was released yesterday

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Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.

To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.

Can’t wait to get my hands on this game .

Release Date : 26 January 2010

Although this isn’t the latest news, but i thought i ought to post it up just in case some people didn’t heard about it before. As some of you may already know, Final Fantasy VII has been voted as one of the greatest games of all time by gamespot (Woohoo !). Yes!! THE Final Fantasy VII. The one that was released for the PSX in 1997. I’ve played it once and fell in love with it ever since.

Right now I’m having my semester break and I managed to come across FF7 pc version, so i decided to download it and try playing it again. Although the grahics of the game is considered lousy compared to recent games, but i still managed to get over it, because for me, the graphics of the game does not determine the quality and “goodness” of the game =D. In my opinion, Final Fantasy VII is so far, the best in the Final Fantasy Series, no other Final Fantasy was made as perfect as FF7. FF7 has the best story, best character design, best soundtrack and the best gameplay (the materia system) in my point of view.

The game was so good that Square have once considered of remaking the game for the PS3, they even remade the original intro for FF7 rendered in real time on the PS3 hardware. However, Square Enix denied that the game would indeed be remade, reiterating many times since then that the technical demo was just that, a technical demonstration, and did not indicate that a Final Fantasy VII remake project was in the works. However, when pressed, the reps also noted that further plans for content based on FFVII haven’t been set, per se. They affirmed that the resulting reaction from fans over the demo footage and the content related to FFVII shown at the party has been overwhelmingly positive. As a result, provided fan reaction continues to be feverishly positive over the demo, and the very notion of a FFVII remake is certainly something Square Enix would bear in mind when planning future projects. At this point, I believe that it is not a matter of if a FF7 remake will happen, but when.

So far, according to my personal view and many other player reviews, FF7 has the best plot and story. I’ve played the game once, and i still remember the story of the game. I can tell you the whole story here now, but that will turn this post into the “Great Wall of Text”. Rather than telling the whole story, I’ll try and summarize the whole story and post it here. Basically, in Final Fantasy VII you assume the role of Cloud Strife, a spiky blonde-haired renegade who carries two things with him, the enormous and distinguishing Buster Sword and the memories of his dark, sordid past. As a former member of the military group SOLDIER, Cloud turns to fight alongside the “good guys,” a resistance movement called AVALANCHE that seeks to stop SOLDIER and the group behind it, Shin-Ra, from siphoning all the energy from the planet. The energy, which comes from the planet’s Lifestream, is responsible for all life, so as Shin-Ra seeks to use the energy to power their enormous reactors, their actions are in turn destroying the planet. While the core concepts might not be unique, it’s Cloud’s interactions with other characters, especially between him and the game’s antagonist, Sephiroth, which make the story so special. Seeking revenge on the human race, Sephiroth plans to destroy the world by using the Black Materia to summon Meteor. It is up to Cloud and the gang to hunt him down and stop him. The rest is for you to play the game and find out for yourself =D.

Due to the popularity of the game, there are various Final Fantasy 7 spinoffs like the 3rd person shooter Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus, the computer animated film Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children that takes place 2 years after the events of Final Fantasy 7 and the latest spinoff Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core. Other than all the games mentioned above, the main protaganist of FF7 known as Cloud Strife also made an appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series (A Disney and Square Enix Collaboration Game).

 
Original Cloud Strife from the 1997 Final Fantasy 7

Cloud Strife from the Kingdom Hearts series

Cloud Strife in the Advent Children movie, and probably the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake for PS3
 

 Here is the intro of Final Fantasy VII remake for the PS3

 
This is the original Final Fantasy VII 1997 intro. Enjoy!