Here To Save You All: Lightning Returns Video Game Review

LIGHTNING RETURNS: Final Fantasy XIII

Rating: 8 moogles

Platforms: PS3, XBOX 360

Publisher: Square-Enix | Developer: Tri-Ace

            Earlier this month, Square-Enix released the highly anticipated conclusion to its famed Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, appropriately titled Lighting Returns – and what a finale it turned out to be. Just when I thought it was nearly impossible to top Final Fantasy 13-2, publisher Square-Enix proves me wrong yet again. I’ve been a big Final Fantasy fan for as long as I can remember and the titles only get better every time so I set the bar pretty high for this game. Before you commit your life to another 40+-hour venture, just be mindful that Lightning Returns is certainly not your typical video game or Final Fantasy title. This one’s a race to the finish with all of humanity weighing heavily on your shoulders.

            Claire “Lightning” Farron returns to life 500 years after her deep sleep in crystal and is called upon by the almighty god, Bhunivelze to save the souls of all humanity before the end of the world takes place. The god of light, Bhunivelze awakens Lightning from her long sleep and promises her that if she does his work as savior, he will unite her with her younger sister and last remaining family member, Serah Farron. Bhunivelze will use the souls that Lightning acquires to populate a brand new world. During her last days in Nova Chrysalia, Lightning finds her precious seconds, hours, minutes and days quickly slipping away from her right through her very fingertips. Will Bhunivelze keep his promise and give Lightning what she’s been after for more than 5 centuries or will betrayal be the common thread that binds them together?

THE BAD & THE UGLY

            When I picked up my preorder of the game, my buddy over at GameStop asked me if I wanted to get the strategy guide with it. I usually don’t pick one up because I’ll just log on to IGN on my iPad if I get stuck but something told me to grab one anyway because I got a good deal on it. If you didn’t get the strategy guide, you’re sure to miss out on many of the side quests that Square-Enix likes to bombard you with. Normally, you can backtrack and get things done at a later time but without a car or airship to get you around, time is of the essence. In Lightning Returns, you have 13 virtual days to complete five main quest lines. 13 days sounds like more than enough but every minute is a second of real time so there is little room for error and much room for confusion and disillusion. Traditionally, you would level up your characters in previous titles by defeating fiends accompanied by some kind of grid or other apparatus. In Lightning Returns, you level up by helping out the patrons of the four islands that fall victim to the chaos spreading across the world of Nova Chrysalia at every waking moment, leading to a heightened sense of difficulty even for the avid gamer.

            There were definitely some key pieces of the franchise that were missing in Lightning Returns. Summons (aeons, espers, eidolons, etc.), which have been a staple for much of the franchise, are nowhere to be found in this one. Except for the Angel of Valhalla in the Wildlands and Fang in the Dead Dunes, Lightning is a party of one for most of the game, which can be daunting, especially during boss battles. DLC hawks, beware; there are very few DLC packs available which doesn’t help their cause in the least. A flurry of rumors going around claims that Square-Enix is not welcoming fan-made garb for the game, which could’ve been a grand opportunity to capitalize on. Garb based on characters from previous titles would have added to the excitement of this title but is a prospect that remains to be seen.

            Lightning’s progression in the game is dependent on Eradia – energy that the savior gathers as a result of “freeing the hearts of people from the darkness that has consumed them”. The more hearts you free, the more Eradia will be gathered and the longer time can be extended to save more souls and get stronger. So what happens if you awake on the thirteenth day when the world is destined to end and you haven’t completed the required quests because you’re not strong enough and/or you run out of time? Naturally, apocalypse waits for no one (savior or not) and the player will reach the only Game Over screen of the game, leaving the player no choice but to restart Lightning’s adventure from Day 1. The mere thought of it is enough to want to through your Playstation out the window but you know what they say – don’t knock it till you try it.

…BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS…

            Despite its aforementioned shortcomings, Lightning Returns is your quintessential Final Fantasy game that will place right up there with the series’ elite. There is no doubt that Lightning and company would have looked dashing on a next gen console but I feel like Square-Enix did the right thing bidding the trilogy farewell on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles where the magic began. Masashi Hamauzu (who also composed and arranged the music for Final Fantasy X, Dirge of Cerberus, as well as the first two Final Fantasy XIII’s) returns as composer and arranger for Lightning Returns and is nothing short of spectacular. The four-disc soundtrack can be purchased on iTunes for $20, which is a steal at $5 a CD. When I’m not playing the game, I’m rocking out to the soundtrack on my BlackBerry, hoping to encounter high-powered fiends on my way to the post office.

The battle system in Lightning Returns is a notable facet of the game; think Final Fantasy XIII meets Final Fantasy X-2. Lightning prepares for combat with schemata – various pieces of equipment infused with abilities that revolve around the garb that Lightning will use in different combat situations. Since there aren’t any summons in Lightning Returns, I used my imagination, provided color palette, equipment and garb to design schemata for each of my favorite summons from the Final Fantasy X HD remake (which is coming to a PS3 & PS Vita near you on March 18). Also. the likelihood of somebody wanting to replay this game is very high, making it virtually painless if you reach Game Over and have to start a New Game+. Don’t worry – all is not lost. A New Game+ will enable players to begin an all new game keeping most of all your attributes and equipment of your past life to give you a competitive edge in your new play through.

            The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy was a wild ride but all great things must come to an end, even entire worlds. Because Square-Enix never ceases to amaze me, I’ll most likely be picking up my Playstation 4 as soon as Final Fantasy 15 is released in the near future. I must admit that Lightning wasn’t always my favorite video game vixen but because Square-Enix did a really good job embodying her in a single title, I’m going to really miss her. I would venture to guess that the apocalypse is going to be a recurring theme in gaming but let us not forget which game sets the standard. In Lightning Returns, Lightning’s here to save you all. Don’t be surprised if you too are saved in the process.

R-I-Pii: Here Lies Nintendo

            It was recently announced that Sony’s next generation console, the highly anticipated Playstation 4 has already routed Microsoft’s Xbox One in sales. As of December 2013, 4.2 million Playstation 4’s were sold compared to 3 million Xbox Ones; outselling the new Xbox system 2 to 1 in the first month of 2014. One next generation console that has been quietly lost in the next gen shuffle is the Nintendo Wii’s successor, the Wii U. The Wii U was released a year before its next gen counterparts and failed to garner the anticipation and luster of its highly interactive predecessor, the Nintendo Wii. Since its launch in November of 2012, Nintendo sold a meager 5.8 million units as of December 2013 and was deemed a failure by various news outlets just days after picking mine up. Only 2 of their games have hit the million-unit mark while slashing projection numbers for fiscal year 2014 from 9 million to a crippling 3 million. There is no question that the Wii U is Nintendo’s best looking system to date so what went wrong?

What I like about the system:

            I’m pleased to finally own an HD system from Nintendo; it’s truly grueling trying to play 480p titles on a high definition television. The titles on the Wii U look nothing short of spectacular. I really like what Nintendo did with their handheld hybrid GamePad controller that also emits sound during game play. Though the selection is fairly limited at this moment, I enjoy taking trips down memory lane and downloading classic titles that I grew up on (notables include the NES’ Legend of Zeldas, Super Nintendo’s EarthBound and Super Metroid with Game Boy Advance titles coming this April). Overall, I think the Wii U is phenomenal and is a system I believe in despite its shortcomings.

What I don’t like about the system:

            My biggest bone to pick with Nintendo about the Wii U has to do with its lukewarm video game lineup that was not ready for primetime when it was rolled out. I had to wait a whole year before they began to release games that I was the least bit excited about. Even a year after its release, there still isn’t a big selection due in part to third party developers not particularly interested in investing time and money into the system. I’m not a big fan of online gaming myself but since Nintendo was trying to foster a family-and-friends heavy experience with Super Mario 3D World, the online experience has been lackluster overall and this growing sector of the gaming experience has clearly been left on the backburner as a result. I’m waiting patiently for a new Metroid side-scroller and an HD follow up to 1995’s Yoshi’s Island but sadly, I won’t be holding my breath. I’m very nervous that the Wii U will be short-lived before it can demonstrate its full potential and that Nintendo already released its final console.

What’s next?
            Nintendo’s devastating third consecutive annual operating loss may very well be forecasting an impending doom for a company that’s been in business for the last 125 years. The only thing keeping Nintendo afloat right now is their 10-year-old Nintendo DS handheld. With 154 million handhelds sold and close to a billion titles sold worldwide, the highly sought out DS is the best selling handheld of all time and the second best selling video game system of all time. Nintendo’s inability to viably compete with hardware giants Sony and Microsoft will most likely cause them to downsize immensely from producing home video game consoles to producing video games solely as a publisher and/or developer. Don’t be surprised to see future Nintendo titles being played on the Playstations and Xboxes of the future ala Sonic The Hedgehog. It’s clear to see that Nintendo may have to follow in Sega’s shoes one day unless they can show us something and fast.

Business Plan Progress

There are many facets to a business plan that investors are concerned with but there is one in particular that could mean the difference between getting funded and getting passed up. The most important section of a business plan that investors will be looking at is the executive summary. An executive summary is a clear, concise and condensed version of a business plan that will compel readers to dive into the rest of the plan. This section is the final section to be written into a business plan and will embody the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of the business. Investors want to know if the business concept is viable and that it makes sense, that it was well thought out and thoroughly planned, that there is a clear-cut market for your products and/or services, that the financials are realistic, and that the investors will get an excellent return on their investments. In effect, if all of these items are present in the executive summary, the investor will most likely commit to reading the remaining sections of the plan (Abrams, 2010). 

Based on information provided by experts in this field, I have made several changes to my own business plan. I began by paying special attention to the length of my business plan. This meant moving all of the graphs and other miscellaneous info pertinent to my plan to the appendix. I also made sure to incorporate an introduction to my business in every chapter so the reader knows the story behind the business no matter which section is being read. I also made sure to include more detailed information on professional requirements for my staff, monetary allocations to the marketing program, revenue generation and profit per sale.

10 Key Components Investors Are Looking For In Your Business Plan

          Tim Mathews acts as director for Research PE India and is actively involved in business modeling, corporate financial advisory, start-up funding, and mentoring entrepreneurs. Mathews received his B-tech from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in mechanical engineering and an MBA in Finance & Entrepreneurship from Washington University. Before he founded Providence, he worked for Emerson Climate Technology, GE Consumer Products and Satyam Engineering Services. Mathews has experience in competitor acquisition analysis, systems engineering, product strategy, product sourcing and product design. In other words, Tim Mathews knows a thing or two about how businesses operate and what it takes to make them successful.

          In his NEN Webinar titled, “How To Write A Business Plan”, Mathews explains that the number one reason to make a business plan is to raise funds. To do just that, Mathews points out 10 critical items in a business plan that investors are looking for. Above all, investors will want to know if the business idea is feasible. You don’t have to be the first person to offer a certain product in a certain market but you want to convince investors that your business plan addresses a need in that market. The second item that investors look for is owner and team credibility; investors want to invest in team players with a heavy hitter mentality – passionate individuals who will focus on execution and not quit when the going gets tough. The third item has to do with having a stable business model. This requires much thought and must backed by solid qualitative and quantitative data.

          Number Four: market size, scalability and opportunity. If there are too many businesses competing in the same market, there is little room for opportunity. A scalable business makes way for an investor’s exit options. Number five is the validation of business and revenue model. Have you already tested the waters with potential customers or clients? If they are taking product for free more than they are paying for it, investors may want you to return at a later time if you fail to show the product’s attraction. Number six: investment return. This is pretty straightforward; investors want to know exactly how much they are going to get out of what they put in.
          Seven: competition and other risks. Every business has risks and competition at different levels, and they’re not necessarily a bad thing, but investors will be wary of investing in somebody who does not have a clear-cut plan for identifying the competition and mitigating these risks. Eight: execution is everything. An investor can look at the rest of the business plan and be drawn to it but if there is not a plan for execution, they are going to look at you and question what the end result is going to be. Nine: market position and profitability. You have to be able to convince an investor that your business model is strong enough to guarantee them a solid return on their investment based in your current position in the market. Finally, exit options are ways in which current investors can exit. Investors will be looking for ways that you address an exit strategy once they’ve spent their valuable time and resources assisting you in your business venture.

Press It Up On Viinyl

            How many of you have found yourself stuck, wondering how to effectively tell the story behind your song; you know the one you’ve always been wanting to? Is there even a viable way to do that? We all know there’s more that meets the ear when a song begins to grow on us. Where do you go when you want to get to know stories behind the song? With traditional music television on the verge of extinction because of reality television saturating their airwaves, consumers have resorted to music video websites like YouTube and Vevo for their entertainment. Information age, meet Viinyl.

            Viinyl hails from Montreal, Canada and was created to “build easy ad effective tools that empower today’s artists and music professionals. [They] want to give you maximum control over your music distribution, reach and branding.” Viinyl does this with their “1 song. 1 Site. 1 URL.” mantra. Viinyl brings life back to the single by taking your song, turning it into a digital 45rpm and giving it its very own website. On the cover of your Viinyl will be a picture of your choice that best represents your piece. Listeners will hit play and read your bio, lyrics, press releases or personal stories about the piece, ways to contact the artist and even access the company blog full of Viinyl happenings. Listeners will be able to stream, download, purchase and share your track as well as visit your website and social media sites. This can happen all from one page.

            I first discovered Viinyl on a Facebook post from American singer/songwriter Meiko. I navigated through her page for “Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song)” and had to try it out on my own. I have included the Viinyl link to my new single, “To Rise & Shine in Santa Monica” featuring Real Leyla. This is a west-coast hip-hop’s call-to-arms from my group Syrah’s upcoming instrumental album, Oceans Past the Skies.

Crime Scene: Sample In Progress

            The purpose of copyright law is to protect a creator and their intellectual property from plagiarism. The Copyright Act of 1976 defines the exclusive rights of the copyright holder and the cause of action for infringement. Modern copyright law was influenced by a variety of legal rights throughout history that included the moral rights, economic rights, and property rights of authors and consumers of many ancient cultures (Bettig, 1996). US copyright was originally restricted to books, charts and maps but was amended by congress several decades later to include musical works. By the time the nineteenth century came to a head, domestic composers had generated quite the body of work and began to rely heavily on copyright law to protect their works (Keyes, 2004).

            Copyright infringement occurs when one or more of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights under the Federal Copyright Act are violated. According to Title 17 of the United States Code, “the copyright holder must have a valid copyright, the person who is allegedly infringing must have access to the copyrighted work and the duplication of the copyrighted work must be outside the exceptions”. There are many penalties and legal ramifications for copyright infringement that include having to pay back the actual dollar amount for profits and any damages that have incurred as a result of the infringement. Violators can be fined anywhere from $200 to $150,000 for each infringement and will be on the hook for any and all attorneys fees, court costs and restitutions. The court will most likely issue injunctions to cease the infringing acts and arrange to have the illegal works impounded and destroyed which is a cost that can be burdened upon the violator by the record label, if applicable. Most copyright infringement cases are civil in nature but can result in criminal convictions in extreme cases like file sharing.

Copyright infringement is a very real concern for the independent record label in my business plan. The biggest potential for copyright infringement in my business will occur as a result of sampling. Sampling involves taking elements from a pre-existing musical composition and placing them into your own musical works (Salmon, 2008). Some would argue that sampling is a form of fair use that improves upon music and some would argue that it is a form of stealing but one thing is for certain; if the sample has not been cleared by the copyright owner(s), “you infringe on the copyright owner’s exclusive right to approve or refuse the creation of derivative works” (Limelight, n.d.). There are two forms of sampling that avid listeners of music should be familiar with: taking a portion of a master recording to use and re-recording an all new version of the composition (Limelight, ¶3).

On September 13, 1994, hip-hop superstar and Brooklyn native, The Notorious B.I.G. released his highly anticipated and critically acclaimed debut album, Ready To Die. Biggie’s release was also the very first album released on Bad Boy Records (which was originally a subsidiary of Arista Records before its recent signing with Interscope). B.I.G.’s album, which merged raw storytelling with street life experiences and his rags-to-riches lifestyle garnered critical acclaim and went on to sell more than 4 million copies and receive a series of accolades, many of which came after his untimely murder in the early months of 2007, just days before the release of his diamond selling sophomore album, Life After Death. On February 5^th of 2007, Bridgeport Music and Westbound Records filed a complaint against Bad Boy Records CEO, Sean “Diddy” Combs for the unauthorized use of “Singing In The Morning” by The Ohio Players (Rogers, n.d.). The five-second horn loop sample ended up costing Combs a little more than $100,000 per second (Salmon ¶13).  In the end, the trial judge awarded Bridgeport with $150,000 in statutory damages and Westbound with $366,939 in actual damages. Furthermore, Combs was ordered to remove the samples from any subsequent pressings of the album. Interestingly, this case led to two other tracks having samples removed from the album, which resulted in a remastered version of Ready To Die, minus the three uncleared samples.

            In Bridgeport Music v. Combs, it was discovered that Combs (who was the executive producer of Ready To Die) authorized the release of Ready To Die with the understanding that there were still samples on the album that had yet to be cleared. Snippets of copyright protected sound that are processed, edited and disguised all require permission to be used. Producers who remix or use samples in their instrumentals and artists who employ resung elements of pre-existing recordings are typically the ones responsible for gaining sample clearances from the record label (Salmon, ¶18). To be able to clear a sample, one must acquire both a license from the record label, or other entity that owns the actual sound recording, and a license for the underlying musical composition, which is owned by the publisher (Limelight, ¶3). In instances where the original copyright was not assigned to the record label or publisher, permission must be sought out from the respective copyright owners, or heirs if applicable.

            Protecting my business from copyright infringement can be a lengthy process, particularly if I sign acts that are heavily reliant on the art of sampling. However, lengthy processes are a lot better to my business and I in the long run than costly ones. To begin this process, I will need the name of the track to be sampled, the name of the composer(s), the name of the record label and the name of the persons who will use the sample. (All Music Guide, Discogs, Music Brainz and Who Sampled are all great resources that will help me find this information.) Next, I will need to provide the copyright holder with the precise length of the sample to be used, a description of the usage, a copy of the finished product and a written request for the sample to be cleared. If the sample has been cleared to use, it’s now time to negotiate the extent of usage and payment options. A flat fee, rolling fee and ongoing royalty fee will depend on the song’s likelihood of success, the original work’s notoriety and overall impact of the sample (Salmon, ¶30). After the details have been hashed out, one critical element remains: the credits on the final product.

            There may very well be instances where using a sample is out of the question because of price constraints or because of a denial for a clearance altogether. Royalty-free music is one alternative to curbing copyright infringement. There are many music companies that produce music for a one-time fee, free of royalties and can be a lucrative alternative for somebody with a good ear and good nose that can sniff out potential classics. Cover songs are a legitimate alternative to sampling because acquiring a mechanical license can be much easier. Finally, a Creative Commons License works alongside a copyright that gives copyright owners the choice of which rights they wish to retain in their works and which of those rights they wish to waive. With that said, Tomeworks will not willingly release any music to the public with uncleared samples because of the grave consequences of artists, producers and record labels as demonstrated in recent history.

Business Legal Liabilities

  This week, I have identified three podcasts online that deal with liabilities pertaining to my Tomeworks business plan. The first podcast comes from Chicago based law firm, Davis McGrath and covers copyright infringement. There are six rights that belong to a copyright owner: the rights to reproduce work, to prepare derivative works, distribute copies, perform the work publicly, display the work publicly and perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission. Copyright infringement occurs when someone usurps or interferes with one or more of these exclusive rights. The remedies for copyright infringement include, but are not limited to, injunction, the impoundment or destruction of the goods in question, compensatory damages and/or profits, attorney fees and statutory damages. This is an excruciatingly crucial facet of running an independent record label because not only am I charged with making sure our works get registered to protect my artists, I am also ultimately responsible for getting sample clearances and making sure I remain inside the framework of a copyright agreement because it can cost me a lot of money or my business altogether if I fail to do so.

  The second podcast pertinent to my business plan comes from Stanford’s Center for Internet & Society and is directed at fair use. While copyright is considered to be a series of restrictions, fair use is considered to be a set of exceptions. Copyright owners are not granted unlimited control over the works that they own. Fair use gives individuals certain freedoms to expand upon copyrighted works as long as the improved work falls within the fair use guidelines. The fair use doctrine was originally put in place to encourage improvements in technology and intellectual property so a new work derived from an old work must be transformative in nature. The thing that makes this podcast so great is that there are legal experts that answer some frequently asked questions about fair use and they debunk some of the myths and preconceived notions that people may have about fair use. Tomeworks will create music, videos, pictures, stories, etc. so knowing what constitutes fair use and what constitutes copyright infringement will be the difference between life and death for my record label.

  Lastly, the London School of Business and Finance discusses the tort of negligence. They explain that, “in order to succeed in the tort of negligence the claimant must prove that the defendant owes him a duty of care, that the defendant breached his duty of care and as a result, the claimant suffered injury, loss or damage.” Negligence is something that can affect any business and an aspect of business that business owners should be fully aware of. Negligence can happen if an employee is hurt on the job and that person is being kept from getting the proper care and treatment for whatever reason. Negligence can also occur if the employer knew full well about certain conditions that had the potential to inflict harm, injury, or death on the employee but subjected them to those conditions anyway. In my opinion, there is no asset more valuable to a company than an employee so it is vital to a business to protect them at all costs or face dire consequences.