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James Mielke leaves Q? Entertainment to join Q-Games
Seemingly in an effort to have the most confusing career path possible, former Electronic Gaming Monthly editor in chief James Mielke has left his post as a producer at Q? Entertainment (where he headed development of the excellent Lumines Electronic Symphony) and joined Q-Games , thus making those two companies even easier to mix up. "To be clear, Q and I are parting company on the best of terms," Mielke told CVG, referring to Q? Entertainment. "For a lot of reasons I won't bore you with the time felt right to shift gears and move forward." If his first project at Q-Games is called "Pixeljunk Luminous" or is a Pixeljunk Eden spinoff for children, we quit.
Notable Final Fantasy XI column returns as part of 1up's "The Grind"
Game journalist James Mielke resumes his on-again, off-again relationship with Final Fantasy XI in the fledgling 1up blog "The Grind". Mielke's extended hiatus from his "My Life in Vana'diel" column was a blend of time constraints and some degree of burn-out as well. But it seems he missed the game, particularly after the years already spent playing it, hence his column has returned... again. On the subject of returning to the game, Mielke writes, "People ask me to this day whether FFXI is still worth investing time into it, and to that I say: Now's a better time than ever to join the game." He writes that Square Enix has implemented a number of features that reduces the grind and, hopefully for some, brings more fun back to the game. Mielke specifically points out the beauty of the level-sync feature, allowing people to party with higher level characters, and the Fields of Valor quests that have fired up his interest in FFXI once again. If you've been away from the game for a while, have a look at James Mielke's "Reboot" and see what you're missing.
Lack of second analog makes Monster Hunter better on PSP
People are enamored by Monster Hunter, even with its suspicious lack of online gameplay. Why, you ask? 1UP's Milkman describes his personal Monster Hunter obsession on his personal blog: "I love a game where you try and collect the coolest gear possible. It's why I loved Diablo II, and it's why I played the sh-t out of Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy XI." Considering how Monster Hunter Portable 2 includes content from the never-released-in-America Monster Hunter Dos, Milkman seems overly eager to get his hands on the game. Interestingly, the series has improved on its transition from PS2 to PSP due to the lack of a second analog stick. On the console, attacks were relegated to the right analog, which felt unnatural: "I like the controls a lot better on PSP too, since it dispenses with the analog nonsense and just puts the attacks on the buttons." Do you share Milkman's enthusiasm for the title too? See tons of new screenshots and artwork from VG Gen.
