Natalie Flores

Natalie Flores

Natalie is Fanbyte's Featured Contributor, with bylines at places like VICE, Polygon, PC Gamer, Paste Magazine, and more.

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What Your Favorite Man in FFXIV Says About You

While Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida has talked about the difficulties of implementing NPC dating, that doesn’t mean some fans aren’t still hopeful about the possibility. But even i...

Ahead of Endwalker, the Voice Cast of Final Fantasy XIV Reflects on the Journey

When Peter Bramhill, the English voice actor for Thancred, reflects on the professional and personal impact Final Fantasy XIV has had on him, he recounts an experience from just earlier this ye...

Life is Strange: Wavelengths Wants to Explore What Makes Steph Special

The much-anticipated standalone DLC for Life is Strange: True Colors, which was released earlier this month, is out tomorrow. Titled Wavelengths, the bonus episode stars not True Colo...

FFXIV Endwalker Preview: Director Naoki Yoshida Reflects on Development Difficulties and the Last Decade

As Final Fantasy XIV approaches the release of its fourth expansion, it’s in the best position it’s ever been. The critically acclaimed MMO has over 24 million players worldwide. It’s the most...

Life Is Strange: True Colors Is About Looking Forward to the Future — With Its Own Shining Brilliantly

You don’t know exactly when it happens. But one day, you look around and find that you have been transformed by one thing above all others. Life is Strange is that thing for me — there’s no ser...

Final Fantasy XIV Player Mods Emet-Selch Romance Into Stardew Valley

When I interviewed Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida in May, I asked him about the community’s enduring enthusiasm over the concept of NPC dating. It’s a request he gets often, so it’s...

Across Many Servers, the FFXIV Community Honors the Legacy of Kentaro Miura

On May 19, it was announced that Kentaro Miura — the beloved mangaka of Berserk — passed away on May 6, 2021. He died at the age of 54 due to acute aortic dissection. Fans around the world im...

NEO: The World Ends With You Looks to the Past to Change the Future

It feels a little surreal that we’re getting a sequel to The World Ends With You 14 years later. Though it’s more accurate to say this is a sequel to the currently airing anime and a “follow-...

Outriders Triples the Marvel's Avengers Peak Steam Player Count at Launch

While both Marvel’s Avengers and Outriders — the new co-op RPG shooter from developer People Can Fly — are published by Square Enix, there’s already a massive statistical differ...

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Will End a Decade-Long Storyline, and Me

On February 5, the Final Fantasy XIV team held the 2021 Announcement Showcase. While many things were revealed (and thus many things made me get emotional), it was dedicated to revealing ...

FFXIV Director Naoki Yoshida Speaks About Fan Fest, Y'shtola's Skin Color Changes, and NPC Dating

Since taking up the mantle as Final Fantasy XIV‘s director and producer, there have been many difficult and busy moments in Naoki Yoshida’s life. More than once, he felt he was facing...

FFXIV Director: "Don't Get Too Comfortable" in Assuming a Character Is Safe

With Patch 5.3 set to launch on Aug. 11, Final Fantasy XIV is reaching greater heights than ever. Since Patch 5.2, it’s reached over 20 million registered players, with that number only set t...

An Ode to Miranda Lawson from Mass Effect

When I started therapy a month ago for the first time since the pandemic began, my therapist quickly realized I struggle with perfection. To be imperfect is one of the few certainties we have as human...

The Latest FFXIV Patch Shows the English Localization Team's Unhinged Humor

Just last month, I wrote about Final Fantasy XIV‘s English localization team going viral over their sense of humor for the umpteenth time. They’re clearly the kind of team composed o...

With FFXIV Patch 5.3, Shadowbringers Might Be the Best Final Fantasy Story

Reflections in Crystal is, in many ways, a glimpse into the future of FFXIV as a whole. A.k.a. Patch 5.3, the update doesn’t just conclude one of the best-received Final Fantasy

Dragon Age Voice Actor Might Not Reprise His Role as Cullen After Lash-Out

Dragon Age fans are left wondering if Greg Ellis, the voice actor of series character Cullen Rutherford, will be able to reprise his role in future titles after lashing out against ex-executi...

An Ode to Elidibus of Final Fantasy XIV

Spoilers for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers to follow. 

The Humor of FFXIV's English Localization Team Garners Praise Yet Again

The Final Fantasy XIV localization team is known for being one of the most impressive localization teams in the games industry. Among the reasons why the localization team is so beloved among...

7 Things You Need to Know About FFXIV Patch 5.3

Final Fantasy XIV Patch 5.3 is finally live. But unless you follow the constant updates for this game, you might not know what Patch 5.3 really means: why it’s so important, why it’s causing...

Defining Dina from The Last of Us: Part II

Spoilers for The Last of Us Part II to follow.