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Keep Your Eye on the Blog: April 16 edition

By Janelle | April 16, 2010 at 9:34 am

In case you’ve missed them over time, here’s a rundown of blog posts by RPG companies and people about all kinds of cool stuff.  Also, we’re expanding this to social media, like Twitter and Facebook (and whatever ADD app will emerge in the future). This week, among other things, we’ve got a bittersweet post from Sega about the closing of Phantasy Star Universe servers, daily Chaos Rings info from Square Enix DLG, and XSeed’s brand-new Twitter.

First up, Sega posted two noteworthy blogs.  The first was by Edward,  a look back at March 31, the final day of operation for the PC and PS2 servers of Phantasy Star Universe.  Edward, who became a GM on those servers, reminisced about the small close-knit community that had formed in the game and all of the people that turned up for the final send-off.  His screenshots show a great deal of festivities, craziness (including blow-outs at the casino, with players receiving formerly scarce silver and gold coins in abundance), solemness, and goodbyes.  He talks about the final quests he chose to undertake, the players he spent time with, and ends with the final message broadcast on the servers: “We will meet again!”

The second Sega blog is a routine Free Stuff Friday rundown with one not-so-routine prize: a Resonance of Fate branded iPod Touch, which might be the sexiest thing I’ve seen all month.  Today, followers of Sega on Twitter have a chance to win it…if I don’t beat you all to it first.

Next, the Facebook Notes page of Square Enix DLG has been buzzing recently with one post per day devoted to the quickly upcoming Chaos Rings for the iPhone and iPod Touch.  In “Chaos Rings #2,” Takehiro Ando introduces the Character Select screen, filled with the four male-female pairs that will be playable in the game, while in “Chaos Rings #3,” assistant producer Hiroaki Iwano discusses the game’s Gene magic system, where the Genes of fallen enemies can be used to cast spells, and also points out the merits of revisiting old locations at higher levels to find new treasures.   Ando returns for “Chaos Rings #4” and “Chaos Rings #5” to show off a cool boss, the movability of Chaos Rings‘ controls around the screen for flexible play, a screencap of his iPhone filled with Square Enix stuff, and reassurances that the game will work on various incarnations of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Today, the Square Enix Members blog reminds users to register copies of Final Fantasy XIII, to be eligible for filling out a customer survey on the game.  Those who do will receive reward points, and the hope that maybe, possibly, their opinion might make a difference in the future.  The survey period ends on April 30.

Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts fans who can write coherent Japanese will want to head over to Square Enix Japan’s “Message from the Kingdom” blog, which today revealed a custom theme contest for Japanese Square Enix Members.  The challenge?  Write a heartfelt letter to any Kingdom Hearts character.  Any character at all.  The contest closes April 29.

Atlus writer Clayton S. Chan popped over to the Official PlayStation blog to talk about Hexyz Force, which will be published by Atlus on May 25 for $29.99.

Finally, XSeed Games finally succumbed to the internet succubus that is Twitter.  Why not hop on over to their channel to congratulate mock drink their blood welcome them?  There have already been some contest-related tweets and hints of things to come.

That’s about it for this week.  Are there any blogs you think I should be following that I’m not?  Have a suggestion for next week?  Send me mail at janelle@rpgland.com , or flag me down through RPG Land’s forums, Twitter or Facebook.

Topics: Atlus, Chaos Rings, Final Fantasy XIII, Hexyz Force, Keep Your Eye on the Blog, Phantasy Star Universe, Resonance of Fate, Sega, XSeed