Right, so for anyone still reading after a week and a half of inactivity, I'll be on hiatus until next week. Work has been particularly hectic lately plus I have been moving, so I have not had any time to write or play videogames lately. I hope to get my hands on the new Ratchet and Clank, so I should be back in full swing soon.
In the meantime, you can check out another blog I have been contributing to for the East Coast Pokemon League some of my friends have started. Yeah, we're cool like that.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Super Smash Bros Brawl Delayed AGAIN
Yesterday the Super Smash Bros Brawl site changed the release date of the upcoming Wii release from December 3rd to "TBD." While it has not been officially stated that the US release will be pushed back, Nintendo confirmed at a press conference yesterday that the Japanese release of the game will not hit Japan until January 24, 2008. This news was subsequently followed by the sound of my heart BREAKING IN TWO.
In brighter news, it was also revealed yesterday that Sonic the Hedgehog will be a playable character in the game. More info and videos can be found at the main SSBB site, but as you may have guess Sonic is incredibly fast.
In brighter news, it was also revealed yesterday that Sonic the Hedgehog will be a playable character in the game. More info and videos can be found at the main SSBB site, but as you may have guess Sonic is incredibly fast.
Review: The Legend of Zelda - The Phantom Hourglass
Game: The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
System: Nintendo DS
Premise: The latest iteration in the Legend of Zelda series serves as a sequel to LoZ: The Wind Waker. As the game starts the player finds Link and Tetra exploring the high seas when they happen upon a creepy old ship. Upon trying to board it, Tetra is kidnapped and Link falls into the ocean below, only to awaken upon a mysterious island. There he learns of the Ocean King and the evil monster Bellum and sets out with the Fairy Ciela and the roguish captain Linebeck to save Tetra and restore peace to the seas.
Visuals and Audio: As always, one should be wary of 3-D games on portable systems as they usually end up looking grainy and unrealistic, especially when paired with modern console visuals. Fortunately, PH's cartoon-like graphics and attention to detail make it a portable 3-D game that is very fun to watch. Typical Zelda fare can be expected to from the music and sounds; while there is not anything to be terribly impressed with fans of the series will certainly not be wanting for their favorite tunes.
The Good: Nintendo has incorporated the use of the stylus into many of their familiar franchises with mixed results, but it seems like they have finally refined it with PH. Players use the stylus to move, use items, talk, and do everything else that is not associated with pulling up a menu, and it works flawlessly. Also, this game is longer and features more gameplay than any other portable Zelda title, allowing players to prolong the enjoyment of both the tried-and-true Zelda formula and the original control system.
The Bad: Players looking for a challenging Zelda game will be disappointed, though one can imagine they have been that way since the days of Zelda on the N64. While there is a reason the Zelda formula is so tried-and-true, some deviation from the model would definitely be appreciated as far as puzzles and bosses are concerned. Is one really difficult final boss too much to ask?
Why You Should Play This Game:
1. To see that a 3-D DS game can actually look good and use the stylus effectively.
2. New wi-fi capabilities let you trade with and battle your friends.
3. It's a Zelda game. I know a similar reason was used for Metroid, but I make no pretense about the fact that I am an unabashed Nintendo fanboy.
Rating: 12 out of 14 Heart Containers.
System: Nintendo DS
Premise: The latest iteration in the Legend of Zelda series serves as a sequel to LoZ: The Wind Waker. As the game starts the player finds Link and Tetra exploring the high seas when they happen upon a creepy old ship. Upon trying to board it, Tetra is kidnapped and Link falls into the ocean below, only to awaken upon a mysterious island. There he learns of the Ocean King and the evil monster Bellum and sets out with the Fairy Ciela and the roguish captain Linebeck to save Tetra and restore peace to the seas.
Visuals and Audio: As always, one should be wary of 3-D games on portable systems as they usually end up looking grainy and unrealistic, especially when paired with modern console visuals. Fortunately, PH's cartoon-like graphics and attention to detail make it a portable 3-D game that is very fun to watch. Typical Zelda fare can be expected to from the music and sounds; while there is not anything to be terribly impressed with fans of the series will certainly not be wanting for their favorite tunes.
The Good: Nintendo has incorporated the use of the stylus into many of their familiar franchises with mixed results, but it seems like they have finally refined it with PH. Players use the stylus to move, use items, talk, and do everything else that is not associated with pulling up a menu, and it works flawlessly. Also, this game is longer and features more gameplay than any other portable Zelda title, allowing players to prolong the enjoyment of both the tried-and-true Zelda formula and the original control system.
The Bad: Players looking for a challenging Zelda game will be disappointed, though one can imagine they have been that way since the days of Zelda on the N64. While there is a reason the Zelda formula is so tried-and-true, some deviation from the model would definitely be appreciated as far as puzzles and bosses are concerned. Is one really difficult final boss too much to ask?
Why You Should Play This Game:
1. To see that a 3-D DS game can actually look good and use the stylus effectively.
2. New wi-fi capabilities let you trade with and battle your friends.
3. It's a Zelda game. I know a similar reason was used for Metroid, but I make no pretense about the fact that I am an unabashed Nintendo fanboy.
Rating: 12 out of 14 Heart Containers.
What I Learned from Resident Evil: Extinction
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
1. It is actually possible for the sequel to the sequel to a videogame movie to be pretty good. Who knew?
2. The T-Virus is the true cause of global warming.
3. The khukri is the weapon of choice is post-apocalyptic America. Khukris and guns.
4. Get used to the fact that everyone you know is going to die if Milla Jovovich shows up.
5. A murder of crows exploding is one of life's simpler joys.
6. Even after the end of the world, the corporations will still be trying to take it over.
7. Seriously, watch out for Milla Jovovich.
8. Las Vegas is fucked without humanity.
9. As always, trying to domesticate or educate zombies never ends well.
10. Yes, we get it screenwriters; you"re trying to make references to the games. Now stop saying "biohazard” every five seconds.
11. Despite the afore mentioned danger, Milla Jovovich is sex on a stick. And an entire warehouse full of nude, pre-waxed Millas feeling the trill of life for the first time is a vision of erotic loveliness I never knew I was missing until I first laid eyes upon it.
1. It is actually possible for the sequel to the sequel to a videogame movie to be pretty good. Who knew?
2. The T-Virus is the true cause of global warming.
3. The khukri is the weapon of choice is post-apocalyptic America. Khukris and guns.
4. Get used to the fact that everyone you know is going to die if Milla Jovovich shows up.
5. A murder of crows exploding is one of life's simpler joys.
6. Even after the end of the world, the corporations will still be trying to take it over.
7. Seriously, watch out for Milla Jovovich.
8. Las Vegas is fucked without humanity.
9. As always, trying to domesticate or educate zombies never ends well.
10. Yes, we get it screenwriters; you"re trying to make references to the games. Now stop saying "biohazard” every five seconds.
11. Despite the afore mentioned danger, Milla Jovovich is sex on a stick. And an entire warehouse full of nude, pre-waxed Millas feeling the trill of life for the first time is a vision of erotic loveliness I never knew I was missing until I first laid eyes upon it.
Pray For Me
I'm going to go see the Resident Evil flick tonight, and while they have generally been pretty good in the past (or at least entertaining), one must never underestimate the power of videogame movies to be incredibly, amazingly, mind-numbingly bad.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is an exception to this rule for me, however, as I sit through each viewing with the rapt delight I originally experienced it with when I was ten.
Ain't nobody got nothing on Dennis Hopper Bowser.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is an exception to this rule for me, however, as I sit through each viewing with the rapt delight I originally experienced it with when I was ten.
Ain't nobody got nothing on Dennis Hopper Bowser.
Gaming News - 9/20/07
The Super Smash Bros. Brawl site has announced that their upcoming title for the Wii will support multi-player over the system's wi-fi connection. In an improvement over earlier Nintendo games that have utilized the wi-fi, players will not need to register friend codes in order to find a match, as there will be a service that will allow players to battle randomly selected people over the internet. Parents of young gamers should be pleased with how this function will work, as players will be unable to communicate with each other and no records will be kept of the battles, keeping children protected from potential predators. However, players that to do register and compete with friends will be able to track their statistics and send short messages via the taunt buttons on the controller (the d-pad directions). No word yet on whether certain words will be censored in this method, but seeing what has happened in the past with user created content in Nintendo games, I imagine there will be.
The Associated Press has reported that an unidentified man in China has died of exhaustion after playing videogames for three days straight. Paramedics were called after the 30 year old man fainted in an internet cafe, but were unable to resuscitate the victim. The name of the game he was playing has not been released, but it has been identified as an online role-playing game, echoing recent cries of addiction to games such as World of Warcraft and Everquest. This is not the first videogame-related death China has experienced, as a young man suffered a fatal heart attack in March after playing for nearly a week straight.
Lastly, remember Tingle, the annoying little faux fairy from some of the recent Legend of Zelda games? The little bastard now has his own game, Freshly-Picked Tingle"s Rosy Rupeeland, which was released a while ago in Japan and this week in Europe. No North America release for the game has been announced, but from the general hatred I have seen toward this character I am not surprised. Still, I must admit I am morbidly curious as to what the game is like, so much so that I am tempted to import it and experience the horror for myself.
I really wish I didn’t find bad ideas so appealing.
The Associated Press has reported that an unidentified man in China has died of exhaustion after playing videogames for three days straight. Paramedics were called after the 30 year old man fainted in an internet cafe, but were unable to resuscitate the victim. The name of the game he was playing has not been released, but it has been identified as an online role-playing game, echoing recent cries of addiction to games such as World of Warcraft and Everquest. This is not the first videogame-related death China has experienced, as a young man suffered a fatal heart attack in March after playing for nearly a week straight.
Lastly, remember Tingle, the annoying little faux fairy from some of the recent Legend of Zelda games? The little bastard now has his own game, Freshly-Picked Tingle"s Rosy Rupeeland, which was released a while ago in Japan and this week in Europe. No North America release for the game has been announced, but from the general hatred I have seen toward this character I am not surprised. Still, I must admit I am morbidly curious as to what the game is like, so much so that I am tempted to import it and experience the horror for myself.
I really wish I didn’t find bad ideas so appealing.
No Comeuppaaaaance!
Karma is a fickle bitch, indeed.
After two days full of ranting and raving against Final Fantasy VII to friends and random internet strangers alike, the following e-mail shows up in my inbox this morning:
"Today, OverClocked ReMix is proud to announce the release of its latest album, Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream. You can read all about this album and download it in its entirety for free at http://ff7.ocremix.org. We're emailing to inform you of this album's availability because we think you'll be interested - it's some of the best work yet from many prominent OC ReMix artists - but also because we need your assistance. We're trying to promote this album on a larger scale than previous releases, and need all the help we can get to make sure people know about this great, free music.”
OverClocked Remix is a site dedicated to remixing videogame music, and over the years people have posted some really great songs. The music has kept me company through some rather long nights in college, and occasionally I'll just get the urge to listen to some music from a certain game. But, as you may have been able to guess by now, I really hate Final Fantasy VII. This e-mail has presented me choosing between my beloved music or my beloved hate, but I think I have found a decent compromise.
Go check out Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, download it, and tell your friends about it. As much as I hate to admit it, FFVII does have some pretty good music, and I"m sure the remixers have done a great job with the album. After that, check out the main OC Remix site and listen to some of the other great tracks there (I’ve listed a few recommendations below), especially stuff from the old-school, pre-FFVII (i.e. good) days of Square Enix.
See? I’ve managed to promote the new album while in no way endorsing Final Fantasy VII. I think I should be able to sleep tonight.
Lastly, if you have a few minutes go check out the new game over at [adult swim]’s site: Viva Caligula! That man was living proof that you don’t need videogames to be crazy and violent, and now people can experience the madness of his life for themselves. The tagline says it all: Rome is corrupt, kill everyone to save Rome!
Mike’s OverClocked Remix Recommendations
SuperBuckJazz from Super Mario Bros. 2 by Estradasphere
Team Gato from Chrono Trigger by Mustin and Dale North
Maridia: Drowned in Exile from Super Metroid by Children of the Monkey Machine
Assembly Line Apparitions from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest by Protricity
After two days full of ranting and raving against Final Fantasy VII to friends and random internet strangers alike, the following e-mail shows up in my inbox this morning:
"Today, OverClocked ReMix is proud to announce the release of its latest album, Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream. You can read all about this album and download it in its entirety for free at http://ff7.ocremix.org. We're emailing to inform you of this album's availability because we think you'll be interested - it's some of the best work yet from many prominent OC ReMix artists - but also because we need your assistance. We're trying to promote this album on a larger scale than previous releases, and need all the help we can get to make sure people know about this great, free music.”
OverClocked Remix is a site dedicated to remixing videogame music, and over the years people have posted some really great songs. The music has kept me company through some rather long nights in college, and occasionally I'll just get the urge to listen to some music from a certain game. But, as you may have been able to guess by now, I really hate Final Fantasy VII. This e-mail has presented me choosing between my beloved music or my beloved hate, but I think I have found a decent compromise.
Go check out Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, download it, and tell your friends about it. As much as I hate to admit it, FFVII does have some pretty good music, and I"m sure the remixers have done a great job with the album. After that, check out the main OC Remix site and listen to some of the other great tracks there (I’ve listed a few recommendations below), especially stuff from the old-school, pre-FFVII (i.e. good) days of Square Enix.
See? I’ve managed to promote the new album while in no way endorsing Final Fantasy VII. I think I should be able to sleep tonight.
Lastly, if you have a few minutes go check out the new game over at [adult swim]’s site: Viva Caligula! That man was living proof that you don’t need videogames to be crazy and violent, and now people can experience the madness of his life for themselves. The tagline says it all: Rome is corrupt, kill everyone to save Rome!
Mike’s OverClocked Remix Recommendations
SuperBuckJazz from Super Mario Bros. 2 by Estradasphere
Team Gato from Chrono Trigger by Mustin and Dale North
Maridia: Drowned in Exile from Super Metroid by Children of the Monkey Machine
Assembly Line Apparitions from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest by Protricity
I Hate FF7 Fanboys
It's an angry day for me.
I have a lot of angry days whenever the GameFAQs Character Battle rolls around. For those of you who don"t know, this yearly event focuses on people voting for their favorite videogame characters in numerous rounds, with the contestants eventually being whittled down to one champion. Yesterday Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII was a contestant, and as usual he swept the competition.
Let me make this clear right now: I fucking hate Final Fantasy VII. It is an alright game, but certainly not the alpha and omega of gaming that everyone makes it out to be, and because of this fact I have let my distaste for it blossom into a giant, malevolent flower of pure loathing. The story is fairly trite and has too many plot-holes and clichés to name in one post (Aeris dying, Cait Sith, Cloud’s past, etc.). The characters, including key players Cloud and Sephiroth, tend to be boring, whiny and generally uninteresting (Oh, you have a tragic past? SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE IN THE GODDAMN GAME). Cloud, with his constant stream of whiny existential crises, ends up being like Hamlet only somehow MORE boring (side-note: Ophelia is really the character to watch in that play), and Sephiroth is simply a phallus toting second-rate villain with an Oedipus complex and a penchant for misquoting the Bible. Admittedly, the chocobo raising and racing was pretty fun, but even that was kind of fucked up when you think about it.
Yet despite all this, the game is somehow revered as the greatest thing Square Enix has ever produced. You want a good Final Fantasy game? Go play Final Fantasy IV. You want to play the best game Square ever produced? Go pick up a copy of Chrono Trigger. I defy you to come back to me and say Final Fantasy VII is so great after playing those games.
By the way, Final Fantasy VIII sucks, too.
I have a lot of angry days whenever the GameFAQs Character Battle rolls around. For those of you who don"t know, this yearly event focuses on people voting for their favorite videogame characters in numerous rounds, with the contestants eventually being whittled down to one champion. Yesterday Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII was a contestant, and as usual he swept the competition.
Let me make this clear right now: I fucking hate Final Fantasy VII. It is an alright game, but certainly not the alpha and omega of gaming that everyone makes it out to be, and because of this fact I have let my distaste for it blossom into a giant, malevolent flower of pure loathing. The story is fairly trite and has too many plot-holes and clichés to name in one post (Aeris dying, Cait Sith, Cloud’s past, etc.). The characters, including key players Cloud and Sephiroth, tend to be boring, whiny and generally uninteresting (Oh, you have a tragic past? SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE IN THE GODDAMN GAME). Cloud, with his constant stream of whiny existential crises, ends up being like Hamlet only somehow MORE boring (side-note: Ophelia is really the character to watch in that play), and Sephiroth is simply a phallus toting second-rate villain with an Oedipus complex and a penchant for misquoting the Bible. Admittedly, the chocobo raising and racing was pretty fun, but even that was kind of fucked up when you think about it.
Yet despite all this, the game is somehow revered as the greatest thing Square Enix has ever produced. You want a good Final Fantasy game? Go play Final Fantasy IV. You want to play the best game Square ever produced? Go pick up a copy of Chrono Trigger. I defy you to come back to me and say Final Fantasy VII is so great after playing those games.
By the way, Final Fantasy VIII sucks, too.
Review: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Game: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for the Nintendo Wii by Retro Studios
Premise: In this third installment of the Metroid Prime series, Samus Aran returns to conclude the battle with her malevolent counterpart, Dark Samus. Players travel to a variety of worlds while collecting power-ups and battling Space Pirates, mutated monsters, and rogue Hunters in order to rid the galaxy once and for all of the corrupted influence of Phazon.
Visuals and Audio: The game is a joy to look at, but unfortunately the graphics have not improved much beyond the days of the original Metroid Prime on the Nintendo Gamecube. More than ever, it is painfully clear how the Wii's lack of HD support will hinder it in the future, since this game would look truly magnificent given the high resolution it deserves. Excellent sound effects and background music do much to fill this gap, however, and with the visuals combine to form worlds that are brimming with their own unique vibrancy and life. Additionally, the soundtrack is comprised of both new tracks and remixed ones from older Metroid games, something that is sure to give old-school fans of the series a kick.
The Good: It's a Metroid game, which is essentially synonymous with quality. Excellent gameplay, an engrossing narrative, and the ability to play as one of Nintendo’s dearest and most badass characters always impress. Of particular note for this game, though, is its control system. Metroid Prime 3 has refined the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in first-person shooters, with the control stick on the Nunchuck being used for lateral and forward movement (much like the WASD keys in first-person PC games) and the Wii Remote used to point at different areas on the screen in order to make Samus change her field of vision (like how the mouse is used first-person PC games). After the mountain of frustration that was Red Steel’s control system, it is great to see a game that can pull off first-person on the Wii successfully.
The Bad: While the controls are great they can take a little time to get used to, and even then it is annoying when you accidentally point the remote off screen and Samus’ field of vision just sticks there.
Why You Should Play This Game: Three reasons.
1.It is a goddamn Metroid game.
2.To check out the nifty FPS controls available to the Wii.
3.(Mild spoilers) You get to fight Ridley….twice. I have always loved kicking that giant, fire spewing pterodactyl’s ass, and now this game has given me the opportunity to do it twice in one play-through. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Retro Studios.
Rating: 46 out of 51 Missile Expansions
Premise: In this third installment of the Metroid Prime series, Samus Aran returns to conclude the battle with her malevolent counterpart, Dark Samus. Players travel to a variety of worlds while collecting power-ups and battling Space Pirates, mutated monsters, and rogue Hunters in order to rid the galaxy once and for all of the corrupted influence of Phazon.
Visuals and Audio: The game is a joy to look at, but unfortunately the graphics have not improved much beyond the days of the original Metroid Prime on the Nintendo Gamecube. More than ever, it is painfully clear how the Wii's lack of HD support will hinder it in the future, since this game would look truly magnificent given the high resolution it deserves. Excellent sound effects and background music do much to fill this gap, however, and with the visuals combine to form worlds that are brimming with their own unique vibrancy and life. Additionally, the soundtrack is comprised of both new tracks and remixed ones from older Metroid games, something that is sure to give old-school fans of the series a kick.
The Good: It's a Metroid game, which is essentially synonymous with quality. Excellent gameplay, an engrossing narrative, and the ability to play as one of Nintendo’s dearest and most badass characters always impress. Of particular note for this game, though, is its control system. Metroid Prime 3 has refined the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in first-person shooters, with the control stick on the Nunchuck being used for lateral and forward movement (much like the WASD keys in first-person PC games) and the Wii Remote used to point at different areas on the screen in order to make Samus change her field of vision (like how the mouse is used first-person PC games). After the mountain of frustration that was Red Steel’s control system, it is great to see a game that can pull off first-person on the Wii successfully.
The Bad: While the controls are great they can take a little time to get used to, and even then it is annoying when you accidentally point the remote off screen and Samus’ field of vision just sticks there.
Why You Should Play This Game: Three reasons.
1.It is a goddamn Metroid game.
2.To check out the nifty FPS controls available to the Wii.
3.(Mild spoilers) You get to fight Ridley….twice. I have always loved kicking that giant, fire spewing pterodactyl’s ass, and now this game has given me the opportunity to do it twice in one play-through. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Retro Studios.
Rating: 46 out of 51 Missile Expansions
An Open Letter to PSP Owners
Dear PSP Owners,
Why is it that every time I talk to one of you people the only thing you have to get excited about is all the emulators you can run on the PSP? "Hey check this out, I can play Super Mario RPG on my PSP! Isn't that cool? I've also got Super Mario 64!” Wow, that sure is nifty. You know what’s also nifty? The fact that I PLAYED THOSE GAMES 10 YEARS AGO AND CAN PLAY THEM ANYTIME I WANT ON MY COMPUTER FOR FREE! Come on people, am I the only who sees how lame that is!? Those of you who picked it up launch sank $300 into a system that still needs a complete overhaul and at least 20 good games to make it worth that price, and the ability to emulate old systems is simply a poor consolation prize. And do not even try to bring UMD movies into this: we all that it’s always been a second tier format that produces crappy video quality and a generally poor viewing experience (“I like my movies the way I like my women: small and without fine detail”). Here’s an idea: buy a DS for a much lower price and try some NEW games on an innovative platform. Now I know I’m biased towards the DS, but come on! It just seems like the obvious way to go! It’s smaller, cheaper and the games are just better overall (try to avoid the ones that use the touch screen just for the hell of it, Metroid Prime: Hunters and Star Fox Command I’m looking at you). So PSP owners, please wise the hell up, before you give me a brain aneurysm. Thanks.
Love,
Mike
Why is it that every time I talk to one of you people the only thing you have to get excited about is all the emulators you can run on the PSP? "Hey check this out, I can play Super Mario RPG on my PSP! Isn't that cool? I've also got Super Mario 64!” Wow, that sure is nifty. You know what’s also nifty? The fact that I PLAYED THOSE GAMES 10 YEARS AGO AND CAN PLAY THEM ANYTIME I WANT ON MY COMPUTER FOR FREE! Come on people, am I the only who sees how lame that is!? Those of you who picked it up launch sank $300 into a system that still needs a complete overhaul and at least 20 good games to make it worth that price, and the ability to emulate old systems is simply a poor consolation prize. And do not even try to bring UMD movies into this: we all that it’s always been a second tier format that produces crappy video quality and a generally poor viewing experience (“I like my movies the way I like my women: small and without fine detail”). Here’s an idea: buy a DS for a much lower price and try some NEW games on an innovative platform. Now I know I’m biased towards the DS, but come on! It just seems like the obvious way to go! It’s smaller, cheaper and the games are just better overall (try to avoid the ones that use the touch screen just for the hell of it, Metroid Prime: Hunters and Star Fox Command I’m looking at you). So PSP owners, please wise the hell up, before you give me a brain aneurysm. Thanks.
Love,
Mike
Review: Puzzle Quest - Challenge of the Warlords
Game: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords by 1st Playable Productions
Premise: Believe or not, Puzzle Quest is a puzzle game. Don't worry; it catches a lot of people off guard. The game involves a fairly typical RPG structure of traveling around the world while leveling up and collecting items to defeat the Big Bad (in this case Bane, the God of Death), but instead of normal style battles with the player character on a field slashing and/or bludgeoning its enemy, a game similar to Bejeweled is played. Characters match up various gems to gain mana, gold, experience, or to deal damage. Additionally, PC"s and enemies are able to cast spells that can cause direct damage or manipulate the board in some way.
Graphics: Visuals are fairly mediocre, with the avatars of various characters and enemies looking like they received most of the artists’ attention while the rest was barely bothered with. Even with the avatars more really could have been done to distinguish one character from another, particularly with some of the bosses that look exactly like some regular monsters that appear throughout the game. "Oh so you’re the big bad undead king of the minotaurs? And you look just like every other lame skeletal cow so far. Scaaaaaaaaary.”
Sound: Character pictures were not the only thing recycled in this game. The same few tracks are used over and over again to the point where they tend to blend into the background noise of everything else happening in the room and become white noise. Honestly, players would be best advised to turn the volume on the DS all the way down and pop in a good CD.
The Good: Despite the mediocre graphics and repetitive music, the puzzle aspect of this game is well thought out and incredibly addictive. Bejeweled was bad enough by itself, but adding slightly more complex gameplay, a narrative, and in-game rewards makes it even harder to pull yourself away.
The Bad: The computer cheats. It sounds like an immature thing to say but in this case it is perfectly true. A player can spend two minutes looking for a good move only to come up with one that nets him a few gold or mana, while the computer can instantly make a move that lets it acquire copious amounts of mana and treasure while dealing huge amounts of damage to the player. Or the computer will know which move will trigger chain combos of gems that are not even on the screen yet. Stupid cheating computer.
Why You Should Play This Game: If you’re a fan of puzzle games this is definitely a game you will enjoy. Be forewarned though, like many other puzzle games it can cause fits of extreme rage. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have cursed at or flipped off my DS because of this game, and it has become so commonplace it is my first reflex when the computer makes a clever move.
Overall Rating: Three middle fingers up.
Premise: Believe or not, Puzzle Quest is a puzzle game. Don't worry; it catches a lot of people off guard. The game involves a fairly typical RPG structure of traveling around the world while leveling up and collecting items to defeat the Big Bad (in this case Bane, the God of Death), but instead of normal style battles with the player character on a field slashing and/or bludgeoning its enemy, a game similar to Bejeweled is played. Characters match up various gems to gain mana, gold, experience, or to deal damage. Additionally, PC"s and enemies are able to cast spells that can cause direct damage or manipulate the board in some way.
Graphics: Visuals are fairly mediocre, with the avatars of various characters and enemies looking like they received most of the artists’ attention while the rest was barely bothered with. Even with the avatars more really could have been done to distinguish one character from another, particularly with some of the bosses that look exactly like some regular monsters that appear throughout the game. "Oh so you’re the big bad undead king of the minotaurs? And you look just like every other lame skeletal cow so far. Scaaaaaaaaary.”
Sound: Character pictures were not the only thing recycled in this game. The same few tracks are used over and over again to the point where they tend to blend into the background noise of everything else happening in the room and become white noise. Honestly, players would be best advised to turn the volume on the DS all the way down and pop in a good CD.
The Good: Despite the mediocre graphics and repetitive music, the puzzle aspect of this game is well thought out and incredibly addictive. Bejeweled was bad enough by itself, but adding slightly more complex gameplay, a narrative, and in-game rewards makes it even harder to pull yourself away.
The Bad: The computer cheats. It sounds like an immature thing to say but in this case it is perfectly true. A player can spend two minutes looking for a good move only to come up with one that nets him a few gold or mana, while the computer can instantly make a move that lets it acquire copious amounts of mana and treasure while dealing huge amounts of damage to the player. Or the computer will know which move will trigger chain combos of gems that are not even on the screen yet. Stupid cheating computer.
Why You Should Play This Game: If you’re a fan of puzzle games this is definitely a game you will enjoy. Be forewarned though, like many other puzzle games it can cause fits of extreme rage. I can’t even begin to count how many times I have cursed at or flipped off my DS because of this game, and it has become so commonplace it is my first reflex when the computer makes a clever move.
Overall Rating: Three middle fingers up.
I May Have Overdosed on Metal
Saturday night I attended 16bit Genocide at the Patterson Theater in Baltimore, and it was truly one of my most incredible nights of my life. It was only a little over a year ago that I discovered that there were bands other than The Minibosses that blended videogame music with rawksome (rockin' + awesome = rawksome) metal riffs, and I even discovered that some of these bands were in my own backyard of Maryland. Since then I have been voraciously seeking out local shows that feature such bands, and this show proved to be the epitome of everything a gamer could want in an evening.
A videogame rock festival organized by some of the guys from Entertainment System and hosted by the Creative Arts Alliance, 16bit was simply epic. The sequel to last year's 8bit Genocide, it featured six of the best videogame bands out there, ten TV’s playing some of the greatest games of all time, and a diverse array of the some most talented people in the field of videogame art today. The whole event kicked off with Mr. Shawn Phase of Temp Sound Solutions playing his unique blend of instrumental rock and digitized beats, providing an excellent introduction to the type of musical acts that would be appearing throughout the night. Next up were This Place is Haunted and Anamanaguchi, with the former rocking the place with their metal versions of game music complete with original lyrics and the latter getting everyone up and dancing with peppy digital melodies mixed with guitars. Powerglove then deigned to grace the stage with their godly presence, adorned in the finest foam rubber arms and armor money can buy. These guys put The Minibosses to shame with their masterful covers; the joy brought on by their rendition of Storm Eagle alone is enough to make even the most stalwart gamer (i.e. me) melt into a puddle of quivering, jubilant goop. Entertainment System, the previously mentioned badass mofos behind the entire shindig, took the stage next and rocked with both old hits and new ones from their newly released album Super Entertainment System. If you like videogame metal you DO NOT want to miss this one, it is superb. Lastly The Protomen!, fresh from battling the nefarious Dr. Wily, performed their metal opera based around the tragic saga of Mega Man and his older brother Protoman. All I can say about this band is….wow. Just wow. The narrative aspect of the music serves to draw the audience into the incredibly catchy music they play, and the end result is an audience that is completely synchronized with the band. Such an experience has a transcendent aspect to it that is incredibly rare to find today, so much so that everyone in the audience suddenly feels as if they are a part of something much larger than themselves.
The event was MC’d by Blue Commander, who gracefully accepted the abuse of the audience while hosting trivia contests between each of the sets. Outside of the performance space numerous pieces of artwork by 8bit Artist, Jude Buffum, and Levi Buffum were on display and for sale, and I am proud to say that I am now the owner of bead pixel Mega Man X. Inside, bands performed against a constantly shifting 8bit background provided by noteNdo and noCarrier, the intense visual stimuli being an excellent pair to the auditory titillation provided throughout the night. Honestly, I cannot think of single way in which I could have had a better time.
Alright, I know I have been doing nothing but gushing praise for the event and everyone involved, but only because I believe they truly deserve it. As a gamer, I love seeing events where other people like me can get together and celebrate the culture we love while being entertained by some of the best artists out there. Keep an eye out for next years 32bit Genocide, which promises to be even better than its predecessors.
Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go drool over all of the merch I bought.
A videogame rock festival organized by some of the guys from Entertainment System and hosted by the Creative Arts Alliance, 16bit was simply epic. The sequel to last year's 8bit Genocide, it featured six of the best videogame bands out there, ten TV’s playing some of the greatest games of all time, and a diverse array of the some most talented people in the field of videogame art today. The whole event kicked off with Mr. Shawn Phase of Temp Sound Solutions playing his unique blend of instrumental rock and digitized beats, providing an excellent introduction to the type of musical acts that would be appearing throughout the night. Next up were This Place is Haunted and Anamanaguchi, with the former rocking the place with their metal versions of game music complete with original lyrics and the latter getting everyone up and dancing with peppy digital melodies mixed with guitars. Powerglove then deigned to grace the stage with their godly presence, adorned in the finest foam rubber arms and armor money can buy. These guys put The Minibosses to shame with their masterful covers; the joy brought on by their rendition of Storm Eagle alone is enough to make even the most stalwart gamer (i.e. me) melt into a puddle of quivering, jubilant goop. Entertainment System, the previously mentioned badass mofos behind the entire shindig, took the stage next and rocked with both old hits and new ones from their newly released album Super Entertainment System. If you like videogame metal you DO NOT want to miss this one, it is superb. Lastly The Protomen!, fresh from battling the nefarious Dr. Wily, performed their metal opera based around the tragic saga of Mega Man and his older brother Protoman. All I can say about this band is….wow. Just wow. The narrative aspect of the music serves to draw the audience into the incredibly catchy music they play, and the end result is an audience that is completely synchronized with the band. Such an experience has a transcendent aspect to it that is incredibly rare to find today, so much so that everyone in the audience suddenly feels as if they are a part of something much larger than themselves.
The event was MC’d by Blue Commander, who gracefully accepted the abuse of the audience while hosting trivia contests between each of the sets. Outside of the performance space numerous pieces of artwork by 8bit Artist, Jude Buffum, and Levi Buffum were on display and for sale, and I am proud to say that I am now the owner of bead pixel Mega Man X. Inside, bands performed against a constantly shifting 8bit background provided by noteNdo and noCarrier, the intense visual stimuli being an excellent pair to the auditory titillation provided throughout the night. Honestly, I cannot think of single way in which I could have had a better time.
Alright, I know I have been doing nothing but gushing praise for the event and everyone involved, but only because I believe they truly deserve it. As a gamer, I love seeing events where other people like me can get together and celebrate the culture we love while being entertained by some of the best artists out there. Keep an eye out for next years 32bit Genocide, which promises to be even better than its predecessors.
Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go drool over all of the merch I bought.
I'm Not Dead Yet!
Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been a busy couple of weeks for me. First and foremost, I have decided to scrap the podcast for now. After spending three days working on it and not coming up with anything I liked, the decision was made that my time would be better spent elsewhere, specifically creating my own mods for videogames. As a friend of mine who works as a tester told me, it"s one thing to be able to talk about videogames, but what people really look for is if you have the skills to back that up. With that in mind, I’ve begun work on a small module for Neverwinter Nights 2 which will hopefully showcase my ability to design a variety of game elements. Hopefully it will be finished by mid-September, so if you play NWN2 keep an eye on the NeverWinter Vault for my game. So far I’m really enjoying the creative process, and this makes me feel like I’ve found a truly fulfilling career path.
Also, I’ve begun sending out requests for informational interviews to various game studios in Maryland. Only BethesdaSoft has replied, but I’m remaining hopeful to hear from more companies once the summer begins winding down. If I don’t hear from them, I’ll just have to keep pestering them until I do. I can be very persuasive when I want to be, and by persuasive I mean annoying.
In other job related news, I have applied for a job as a weekend blogger over at Wii Fanboy and DS Fanboy. I feel like there is a real possibility that I could get this job and I’m feeling incredibly excited about an opportunity to get into professional game journalism. In my application I referred whoever is reviewing me to this site, so if anyone from Fanboy is reading………..PLEASE OH PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB. I SO DESPERATELY WANT IT! PLEASE?! Seriously, I’ll do anything you want! Need your car washed? Done. Need someone to walk the dog? I’m on it. Need an enemy quietly and discreetly taken out? They won’t even see it coming.
Ahem. Pardon me, I get excited sometimes.
Lastly, I’d just like to say that these last few months have been a time of great exploration and creativity for me, and there’s someone I would like to thank. My girlfriend has been a constant source of inspiration and support for me and I have no idea how I could do all of this without her. Thanks SVB, you rock harder than a mountain.
Also, I’ve begun sending out requests for informational interviews to various game studios in Maryland. Only BethesdaSoft has replied, but I’m remaining hopeful to hear from more companies once the summer begins winding down. If I don’t hear from them, I’ll just have to keep pestering them until I do. I can be very persuasive when I want to be, and by persuasive I mean annoying.
In other job related news, I have applied for a job as a weekend blogger over at Wii Fanboy and DS Fanboy. I feel like there is a real possibility that I could get this job and I’m feeling incredibly excited about an opportunity to get into professional game journalism. In my application I referred whoever is reviewing me to this site, so if anyone from Fanboy is reading………..PLEASE OH PLEASE GIVE ME A JOB. I SO DESPERATELY WANT IT! PLEASE?! Seriously, I’ll do anything you want! Need your car washed? Done. Need someone to walk the dog? I’m on it. Need an enemy quietly and discreetly taken out? They won’t even see it coming.
Ahem. Pardon me, I get excited sometimes.
Lastly, I’d just like to say that these last few months have been a time of great exploration and creativity for me, and there’s someone I would like to thank. My girlfriend has been a constant source of inspiration and support for me and I have no idea how I could do all of this without her. Thanks SVB, you rock harder than a mountain.
No Podcast Today
I know I promised a podcast today, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. This past weekend was a sordid array of discovery and disappointment where I found out that podcasting is much harder than it looks. I'll be working throughout the week to finish it, but until then hang tight. Also, if anyone has words of encouragement, this would definitely be the time for them.
Deep Dark Confessions, Part 2
Sweet fancy Moses but the last couple of weeks has been crazy for me! Between working 12 hour shifts, a general lack of sleep, and trying to not to go completely insane from cabin fever, I haven't had a lot of time to write. Thankfully life is getting back to normal and I"ll be moving to a normal 9-5 schedule at work, so I’ll definitely be able to create a more regular writing schedule for myself. Additionally, I’ll be attempting my first podcast this weekend, so check back on Monday for that.
Last time I talked about the positive impact and videogames have had on my life so, as promised, I would like to now address the negative effects videogames can have on people. Every other week it seems like there is a new TV host, politician, or other angry citizen laying the blame for all of society’s ills on videogames, but I will strive to be a little more rational than these wackjobs. According to them, a person would think that before the advent of videogames the world was a peaceful and happy place, bereft of any kind of violence or immorality. Because it’s not like there were ever things like world wars, unspeakable violence, or indecent behavior before videogames.
Oh wait, there was. Lots of it.
Videogames cannot and should not be blamed for all the problems of the world, but that does not mean they are free of danger. Many videogames feature moderate to extreme amounts of violence and/or place the player in a moral vacuum where murder and mayhem are required to progress in the game (GTA, I’m looking at you here, buddy). Children should not be allowed to play these games, just as they should not be exposed to any type of media without the proper context. For lack of a better term, children are insane, impressionable, little monkeys without any type of filter through which to judge the world. Would you let an insane, impressionable, little monkey without any type of filter through which to judge the world be shown an incredibly violent scenario and expect them to sort it out as a mature adult would? If so, please contact me so I can meet you and give you the smack upside the head you so richly deserve. If not, congratulation! You realize that what children hear and see can have an effect on them. Videogames can set a bad example for children, but it is up to the family to set an example and pay attention to what the child is doing and foster healthy development.
Another negative effect is the possibility of videogame addiction. This is an issue that has only recently come to light and an interesting discussion on the topic from NPR can be found here (I can’t say I agree with the "videogames are bad” tone many of the guests take, though). I myself have never been physically or mentally addicted to anything, but I do have an addictive personality. If I encounter something that I really resonates with me I find that I am unable to pry myself away until I am finished with it, be it a certain television show, a video game, a book, or a project that I am working on. It’s a habit that, combined with my inclination to procrastinate, has always proved a bit of a nuisance, but it is something I have never allowed to get in the way of my career, education, or personal life. Still, I can understand how it could be possible for some people to develop a dependency on videogames, just as it is apparently possible for genetically disposed person to develop an addiction to almost anything. Again, videogames have a potential downside, but nothing more than what one would encounter with anything else in the world.
Nothing in this world is completely good or completely bad, and as such the existence of videogames has both positive and negative consequences for the world. Yes, they can entertain people and, at least in the case of my childhood, present good role models for them to follow, but they can also showcase bad role models and poor behavior. As a gamer, whenever I hear someone belittle my cherished pastime my first inclination is to immediately shoot back without really thinking about the point they were making. It’s a fleeting sensation, thankfully, and while I do eventually make myself think about what the person was saying, there are many people on both sides of the fence that refuse to listen to any differing opinion at all. Such an attitude is probably the single greatest threat that any society can face, as evident by the many conflicts civilization has seen within the last century and prior, and it is far greater than any danger videogames could ever pose.
Can’t we all just get along?
Last time I talked about the positive impact and videogames have had on my life so, as promised, I would like to now address the negative effects videogames can have on people. Every other week it seems like there is a new TV host, politician, or other angry citizen laying the blame for all of society’s ills on videogames, but I will strive to be a little more rational than these wackjobs. According to them, a person would think that before the advent of videogames the world was a peaceful and happy place, bereft of any kind of violence or immorality. Because it’s not like there were ever things like world wars, unspeakable violence, or indecent behavior before videogames.
Oh wait, there was. Lots of it.
Videogames cannot and should not be blamed for all the problems of the world, but that does not mean they are free of danger. Many videogames feature moderate to extreme amounts of violence and/or place the player in a moral vacuum where murder and mayhem are required to progress in the game (GTA, I’m looking at you here, buddy). Children should not be allowed to play these games, just as they should not be exposed to any type of media without the proper context. For lack of a better term, children are insane, impressionable, little monkeys without any type of filter through which to judge the world. Would you let an insane, impressionable, little monkey without any type of filter through which to judge the world be shown an incredibly violent scenario and expect them to sort it out as a mature adult would? If so, please contact me so I can meet you and give you the smack upside the head you so richly deserve. If not, congratulation! You realize that what children hear and see can have an effect on them. Videogames can set a bad example for children, but it is up to the family to set an example and pay attention to what the child is doing and foster healthy development.
Another negative effect is the possibility of videogame addiction. This is an issue that has only recently come to light and an interesting discussion on the topic from NPR can be found here (I can’t say I agree with the "videogames are bad” tone many of the guests take, though). I myself have never been physically or mentally addicted to anything, but I do have an addictive personality. If I encounter something that I really resonates with me I find that I am unable to pry myself away until I am finished with it, be it a certain television show, a video game, a book, or a project that I am working on. It’s a habit that, combined with my inclination to procrastinate, has always proved a bit of a nuisance, but it is something I have never allowed to get in the way of my career, education, or personal life. Still, I can understand how it could be possible for some people to develop a dependency on videogames, just as it is apparently possible for genetically disposed person to develop an addiction to almost anything. Again, videogames have a potential downside, but nothing more than what one would encounter with anything else in the world.
Nothing in this world is completely good or completely bad, and as such the existence of videogames has both positive and negative consequences for the world. Yes, they can entertain people and, at least in the case of my childhood, present good role models for them to follow, but they can also showcase bad role models and poor behavior. As a gamer, whenever I hear someone belittle my cherished pastime my first inclination is to immediately shoot back without really thinking about the point they were making. It’s a fleeting sensation, thankfully, and while I do eventually make myself think about what the person was saying, there are many people on both sides of the fence that refuse to listen to any differing opinion at all. Such an attitude is probably the single greatest threat that any society can face, as evident by the many conflicts civilization has seen within the last century and prior, and it is far greater than any danger videogames could ever pose.
Can’t we all just get along?
Deep Dark Confessions, Part 1
Promise not to tell anyone, but I have a conscience. Shocking, I know, but alas I am the sad victim of a little voice in my head that tells me to do good. And wouldn't you know it, I think I picked the damn thing up from videogames.
It is rare to hear of videogames having a positive effective on a person"s life, but here I am before you (digitally speaking) proclaiming that it is true. Even though I have been a gamer since childhood I am not a violent, maladjusted psychopath or a complete slacker, but rather a successful, contributing member of society with a strong moral compass. More than anything else, I know my parents are the main reason I turned out as well as I did through their continual love and support, but I sincerely believe videogames helped to cement many of the lessons they taught me about how to act and treat other people. If I know of someone who could use my help with something, I feel compelled to do so. If I give less than 100% effort on a project, I feel guilty about it for days, even though that imperfect performance could still have been exemplary. If I have extra money left over from my paycheck (after bills and the requisite saving), I often donate it to charity or use it treat my friends. I CANNOT STOP BEING NICE, and I blame it on videogames.
My road to morality was cleverly disguised as simple entertainment: as a child I played many games where I assumed the role of a hero with the normal hero responsibilities, i.e. bringing peace to the land, rescuing the damsel, and generally being an all-around stand-up guy. These heroes exemplified the values I was being taught by my parents and the two forces worked in tandem to teach me important lessons about courage, integrity, and compassion. For instance, Final Fantasy 4 presents players with Cecil, a dark knight suffering from a guilty conscience after unknowingly killing innocents at the behest of his king. Despite the fact that what happened was not technically his fault, he still strives to make things right and, in doing so, overcomes his past crimes and becomes a paladin, a holy warrior. By the end of the game, I was left with a wonderful feeling of growth and learned about the power of people to overcome their past and help those around them.
Link from The Legend of Zelda series was another favorite hero of mine. Link is a silent hero; his thoughts are never revealed to the player nor does he speak with any of the other characters in the game. I have always loved playing these character; loquacious ones often spoil the immersive quality of a game through bad dialogue or silly speeches. Due to Link’s silence I easily found myself engrossed in the Zelda games I played, leading me to wonder why Link kept persevering through all the obstacles he felt. Eventually I came to the conclusion that Link knew that people were depending on him and the task before him was something only he could do. These feelings were instilled in me, and before I knew it I started to be more concerned about doing my part to help out others be someone whom others could depend on.
There you have it, the sad story of my descent into morality and kindness. At least I can be consoled by the fact that there was usually a reward associated with good deeds in gaming, so I can rationalize my good behavior by telling myself that I will eventually be rewarded for it. For example, in many games a character will be rewarded for his exemplary behavior with an item of considerable power, after all one tends not to entrust uncaring jerks with artifacts of arcane power capable of destroying enemies in a single blow. In the real world, however, I know that there are rarely such concrete rewards for doing good; more often than not the only thing a person stands to gain is the pleasant feeling that comes from helping another person. Over the years that has become enough for me to develop my own conscience, and a rather strong one at that.
Since I’m sounding like an after school special I’ll let the forces of sarcasm and bitterness in my psyche regroup before I attempt to write anymore. Next time I’ll be writing about the possible negative impacts of videogames, because if they can influence people in positive ways I certainly believe there can be a downside. Until then maybe I should see about getting my own Dateline special as a "good gamer.” Then I could finally pitch my idea to Stone Phillips for a buddy comedy starring him and myself as conjoined, zombie-hunting desperados in post-apocalypse Soho.
It’s fun to dream.
It is rare to hear of videogames having a positive effective on a person"s life, but here I am before you (digitally speaking) proclaiming that it is true. Even though I have been a gamer since childhood I am not a violent, maladjusted psychopath or a complete slacker, but rather a successful, contributing member of society with a strong moral compass. More than anything else, I know my parents are the main reason I turned out as well as I did through their continual love and support, but I sincerely believe videogames helped to cement many of the lessons they taught me about how to act and treat other people. If I know of someone who could use my help with something, I feel compelled to do so. If I give less than 100% effort on a project, I feel guilty about it for days, even though that imperfect performance could still have been exemplary. If I have extra money left over from my paycheck (after bills and the requisite saving), I often donate it to charity or use it treat my friends. I CANNOT STOP BEING NICE, and I blame it on videogames.
My road to morality was cleverly disguised as simple entertainment: as a child I played many games where I assumed the role of a hero with the normal hero responsibilities, i.e. bringing peace to the land, rescuing the damsel, and generally being an all-around stand-up guy. These heroes exemplified the values I was being taught by my parents and the two forces worked in tandem to teach me important lessons about courage, integrity, and compassion. For instance, Final Fantasy 4 presents players with Cecil, a dark knight suffering from a guilty conscience after unknowingly killing innocents at the behest of his king. Despite the fact that what happened was not technically his fault, he still strives to make things right and, in doing so, overcomes his past crimes and becomes a paladin, a holy warrior. By the end of the game, I was left with a wonderful feeling of growth and learned about the power of people to overcome their past and help those around them.
Link from The Legend of Zelda series was another favorite hero of mine. Link is a silent hero; his thoughts are never revealed to the player nor does he speak with any of the other characters in the game. I have always loved playing these character; loquacious ones often spoil the immersive quality of a game through bad dialogue or silly speeches. Due to Link’s silence I easily found myself engrossed in the Zelda games I played, leading me to wonder why Link kept persevering through all the obstacles he felt. Eventually I came to the conclusion that Link knew that people were depending on him and the task before him was something only he could do. These feelings were instilled in me, and before I knew it I started to be more concerned about doing my part to help out others be someone whom others could depend on.
There you have it, the sad story of my descent into morality and kindness. At least I can be consoled by the fact that there was usually a reward associated with good deeds in gaming, so I can rationalize my good behavior by telling myself that I will eventually be rewarded for it. For example, in many games a character will be rewarded for his exemplary behavior with an item of considerable power, after all one tends not to entrust uncaring jerks with artifacts of arcane power capable of destroying enemies in a single blow. In the real world, however, I know that there are rarely such concrete rewards for doing good; more often than not the only thing a person stands to gain is the pleasant feeling that comes from helping another person. Over the years that has become enough for me to develop my own conscience, and a rather strong one at that.
Since I’m sounding like an after school special I’ll let the forces of sarcasm and bitterness in my psyche regroup before I attempt to write anymore. Next time I’ll be writing about the possible negative impacts of videogames, because if they can influence people in positive ways I certainly believe there can be a downside. Until then maybe I should see about getting my own Dateline special as a "good gamer.” Then I could finally pitch my idea to Stone Phillips for a buddy comedy starring him and myself as conjoined, zombie-hunting desperados in post-apocalypse Soho.
It’s fun to dream.
Overlord Review
Game: Overlord for PC by Triumph Studios
Premise: Player is a recently revived evil Overlord who must reassert his dominance over the lands surrounding his battered tower. Through the use of minions and various spells the player solves puzzles, defeats heroes, rebuilds his tower and reasserts his rightful place as dark lord over all he surveys.
Graphics: On a medium-end gaming machine graphics were rich and detailed with very few instances of slow-down or skipped frames. Environmental and lighting effects properly enhanced the mood of most areas and character models were well done and distinctive among the major characters, although there was a lack of similar diversity in the minor characters (for example, I encountered the same peasant about a hundred times over the course of the game).
Sound: Music and sounds effects were standard fare for fantasy games, but well done nonetheless. Of particular note is the Disney-esque music of the first area that accompanies your violent conquest of the human and Halfling villages nicely. Voice-acting was generally funny and immersive, such as the child-like delight in the minions’ voices as they retrieve treasure and armor for their beloved Overlord; however, overuse of NPC dialogue was prevalent and became annoying at times.
The Good: I have always been a big advocate of games that let you control vast numbers of lesser creature (i.e. Pikmin), and this game has it in droves. Even better, these minions display a more complex and intelligent AI than I have seen in such games and it was a relief not having to worry about my horde of followers accidentally killing themselves in a random fire or puddle. The game also gives players a choice between being completely or only sort of evil, so even gamers with a conscience will be able to play the game without encountering too many moral dilemmas. Speaking of evil, it’s so rare that one can play the bad guy in a game and actually be rewarded for it that the experience is reminiscent of a much-needed vacation: every so often you just need to get away from being a hero and just be a bastard for a while.
The Bad: I found myself wanting to know more about the back stories of many of the characters in the game, especially the fallen heroes whom the Overlord must defeat to advance. The story reveals a few details about these characters near the end of the game, but enhancing the plot by revealing more detailed backgrounds could have made the game truly epic. Also, the first area of the game, Mellow Hills, is the only area in the game where you really get to feel like an evil overlord. The area presents you with an idyllic pastoral setting complete with a peasant village and hobbit settlement (evil hobbits, but hobbits nonetheless) for the player to defile to their heart’s content. The other areas are still fun, but all are either besieged and/or already defiled to some degree, so the experience becomes about being a hero again, even if it is only so that the people worship the correct evil Overlord. Finally, using the PC keyboard to control the Overlord and all his minions can become difficult in the heat of battle, but this could probably be remedied through the purchase of a controller or by playing the game on the Xbox 360.
Why You Should Play This Game: Overlord is fun little excursion from the normal hero antics of most video games and sports an excellent sense of humor. My girlfriend watched me play through the first area and even she, a non-gamer, was enthralled by the experience. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation.
My Girlfrend: So you’re controlling those little goblins?
Me: Yup. My Girlfriend: Are….are those pumpkins on their heads?
Me: Yeah, they’re using them as helmets. Adorable little helmets. And those two are carrying away servant wenches for my Dark Tower.
My Girlfriend: That’s kinda hot. By the way, when are you gonna get a mistress for your tower? Me: That’s my next quest.
Overall Rating: Deliciously evil
Premise: Player is a recently revived evil Overlord who must reassert his dominance over the lands surrounding his battered tower. Through the use of minions and various spells the player solves puzzles, defeats heroes, rebuilds his tower and reasserts his rightful place as dark lord over all he surveys.
Graphics: On a medium-end gaming machine graphics were rich and detailed with very few instances of slow-down or skipped frames. Environmental and lighting effects properly enhanced the mood of most areas and character models were well done and distinctive among the major characters, although there was a lack of similar diversity in the minor characters (for example, I encountered the same peasant about a hundred times over the course of the game).
Sound: Music and sounds effects were standard fare for fantasy games, but well done nonetheless. Of particular note is the Disney-esque music of the first area that accompanies your violent conquest of the human and Halfling villages nicely. Voice-acting was generally funny and immersive, such as the child-like delight in the minions’ voices as they retrieve treasure and armor for their beloved Overlord; however, overuse of NPC dialogue was prevalent and became annoying at times.
The Good: I have always been a big advocate of games that let you control vast numbers of lesser creature (i.e. Pikmin), and this game has it in droves. Even better, these minions display a more complex and intelligent AI than I have seen in such games and it was a relief not having to worry about my horde of followers accidentally killing themselves in a random fire or puddle. The game also gives players a choice between being completely or only sort of evil, so even gamers with a conscience will be able to play the game without encountering too many moral dilemmas. Speaking of evil, it’s so rare that one can play the bad guy in a game and actually be rewarded for it that the experience is reminiscent of a much-needed vacation: every so often you just need to get away from being a hero and just be a bastard for a while.
The Bad: I found myself wanting to know more about the back stories of many of the characters in the game, especially the fallen heroes whom the Overlord must defeat to advance. The story reveals a few details about these characters near the end of the game, but enhancing the plot by revealing more detailed backgrounds could have made the game truly epic. Also, the first area of the game, Mellow Hills, is the only area in the game where you really get to feel like an evil overlord. The area presents you with an idyllic pastoral setting complete with a peasant village and hobbit settlement (evil hobbits, but hobbits nonetheless) for the player to defile to their heart’s content. The other areas are still fun, but all are either besieged and/or already defiled to some degree, so the experience becomes about being a hero again, even if it is only so that the people worship the correct evil Overlord. Finally, using the PC keyboard to control the Overlord and all his minions can become difficult in the heat of battle, but this could probably be remedied through the purchase of a controller or by playing the game on the Xbox 360.
Why You Should Play This Game: Overlord is fun little excursion from the normal hero antics of most video games and sports an excellent sense of humor. My girlfriend watched me play through the first area and even she, a non-gamer, was enthralled by the experience. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation.
My Girlfrend: So you’re controlling those little goblins?
Me: Yup. My Girlfriend: Are….are those pumpkins on their heads?
Me: Yeah, they’re using them as helmets. Adorable little helmets. And those two are carrying away servant wenches for my Dark Tower.
My Girlfriend: That’s kinda hot. By the way, when are you gonna get a mistress for your tower? Me: That’s my next quest.
Overall Rating: Deliciously evil
Free Drops Plz?!?
A few days ago I visited the Pokemon trading forums on GameFaqs for the first time and found something I was not expecting: a bustling economy. I've always had a strained relationship with economies in massively multiplayer games; by the time I"m ready to start exploring such aspects they are already glutted with players who have seemingly infinite reserves of goods and capital and, as a newcomer, it is very hard to break in. Personally, when I know there are rare or more powerful items out there that other players possess in abundance, I begin to get envious and disgruntled by the fact that I cannot seem to obtain these items. This eventually turns into distaste for the game, which lingers until the next time I log in and am reminded once again of my comparative poverty, driving me off again. I’m able to get a fair amount of enjoyment out of the game up until that point, but once it becomes necessary for me to interact with the game economy the experience quickly ceases to be fun for me.
It happened to in Diablo 2, Kingdom of Loathing, and Magic (not a videogame, but the "spend more money to win more” philosophy seems applicable here), and I’m afraid the next victim of this trend may be Pokemon. I’ve always wondered: is it possible to have a balanced economy in a massively multi-player environment? How does one prevent hacking or players using multiple accounts to garner more than a fair share? How do regulations or a lack thereof influence player enjoyment?
So far, I’ve found that Urban Dead has my favorite form of massively multiplayer economy: none. Characters cannot trade items with each other, and even if they could, there are not any rare or super-powerful items that would cause a large of amount of jealousy. Any item in the game can be scavenged from the appropriate building, with malls being the ultimate in one-stop scavenging. I know that once I’m ready to get myself a shotgun, all I have to do is head towards the nearest mall and start looting, not spending hours seeking out the one item the shotgun trader wants. The creators kept things simple in this respect, and this design element has kept me focused on the adventure and role-playing aspects of the game, keeping me happily occupied with my character’s survival instead of his economic standing.
While the economy of Urban Dead works, in my opinion, I realize that it is an extreme way to control an economy. I’m certain there must be some happy balance between fun and business out there, perhaps one where rare items are limited and very specialized so as not to make them the end-all-be-all of the game. Of course, I could solve the problem for myself by just playing the game and not worrying about being the best and having the best items, but then that just wouldn’t be me. A gamer has to keep his self-esteem up somehow, you know?
Seriously though, anybody have any spare Pokemon? There are still a few out there I haven’t caught.
It happened to in Diablo 2, Kingdom of Loathing, and Magic (not a videogame, but the "spend more money to win more” philosophy seems applicable here), and I’m afraid the next victim of this trend may be Pokemon. I’ve always wondered: is it possible to have a balanced economy in a massively multi-player environment? How does one prevent hacking or players using multiple accounts to garner more than a fair share? How do regulations or a lack thereof influence player enjoyment?
So far, I’ve found that Urban Dead has my favorite form of massively multiplayer economy: none. Characters cannot trade items with each other, and even if they could, there are not any rare or super-powerful items that would cause a large of amount of jealousy. Any item in the game can be scavenged from the appropriate building, with malls being the ultimate in one-stop scavenging. I know that once I’m ready to get myself a shotgun, all I have to do is head towards the nearest mall and start looting, not spending hours seeking out the one item the shotgun trader wants. The creators kept things simple in this respect, and this design element has kept me focused on the adventure and role-playing aspects of the game, keeping me happily occupied with my character’s survival instead of his economic standing.
While the economy of Urban Dead works, in my opinion, I realize that it is an extreme way to control an economy. I’m certain there must be some happy balance between fun and business out there, perhaps one where rare items are limited and very specialized so as not to make them the end-all-be-all of the game. Of course, I could solve the problem for myself by just playing the game and not worrying about being the best and having the best items, but then that just wouldn’t be me. A gamer has to keep his self-esteem up somehow, you know?
Seriously though, anybody have any spare Pokemon? There are still a few out there I haven’t caught.
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I've been super busy lately but there'll be a new blog on Tuesday, I promise. Until then enjoy this 100% percent true video.
Please Select Difficulty
Sorry for the lack of a second update last week, folks. I know I've been setting a bad precedent here, but it is extremely annoying when you have a lovely post ready to upload only to have your website time-out and delete the post without having saving it. It's a feeling similar to not saving a game for three hours then having a freak lightning strike or needlessly difficult boss end your quest, almost like you’ve had that time forever stolen away from you. Whenever something like that happens, be it with a videogame or writing, it takes me a few days to work up the desire to get back into it, so here I am.
Speaking of things that can make me stop playing a game, I’m working on a formal essay regarding difficulty in videogames. In my opinion it’s a design element that can make or break or game and can influence future profits by luring or scaring consumers away from a particular franchise or game design studio. Originally I had planned to make a single blog post on this subject, but I soon realized it was a topic I could not speak about without going into detail. Hopefully this will give me a chance to practice my formal writing skills and give those of you who read this blog something to critique.
In the meantime, I urge you to check out Urban Dead, a browser based MMORPG set in a town besieged by zombies. Players can be either human or undead and learn new skills while struggling to survive in an expansive cityscape. There’s a limit on the things you can do each day which may seem annoying at first, but it soon becomes clear that it’s a nice little hook to keep you checking in throughout the day. UD is a lovely way to kill some time while bored or at work (not that I would ever do anything like that), plus you get to kill zombies.
Man, I hate the undead.
Speaking of things that can make me stop playing a game, I’m working on a formal essay regarding difficulty in videogames. In my opinion it’s a design element that can make or break or game and can influence future profits by luring or scaring consumers away from a particular franchise or game design studio. Originally I had planned to make a single blog post on this subject, but I soon realized it was a topic I could not speak about without going into detail. Hopefully this will give me a chance to practice my formal writing skills and give those of you who read this blog something to critique.
In the meantime, I urge you to check out Urban Dead, a browser based MMORPG set in a town besieged by zombies. Players can be either human or undead and learn new skills while struggling to survive in an expansive cityscape. There’s a limit on the things you can do each day which may seem annoying at first, but it soon becomes clear that it’s a nice little hook to keep you checking in throughout the day. UD is a lovely way to kill some time while bored or at work (not that I would ever do anything like that), plus you get to kill zombies.
Man, I hate the undead.
Video Games as Art
Before I get started today there are a couple pieces of business to take care of. First, I have created a new e-mail account for messages related to this site: mikewantsagamejob@gmail.com. Please use it instead of the e-mail address mentioned in my very first post. Secondly, I hope to begin podcasting within the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes open for that. New podcasts will be posted every other week or sooner, depending on how quickly it takes me to create a new episode.
Now on to more interesting matters: a couple of days ago I was referred to an article by CHUD.com's Devin Faraci regarding the controversy surrounding the adult only rating for Manhunt 2. In the article the author uses this issue to assert that the videogame industry is still primarily targeting teenagers, a fact which severely limits its potential as an art form. Until videogames present their audience with intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically mature themes, he argues, they will forever be a form of crass entertainment.
As a gamer, I found the article completely infuriating, but I must admit that it made a number of excellent points. Certainly a game like Manhunt 2, the main selling point of which seems to be how much brutal, disturbing violence it can showcase, does not meet commonly accepted standards of art, but are there games out there that do? Furthermore, what constitutes art? Is it the intent of the artists, the ability of the work to evoke something in its audience, or is beauty simply in the eye of the beholder? This is a subject with too much complexity to delve into in a simple blog post, but it's something I plan to explore with more depth and perspective in my podcast. For now, I would like to say this: there are not many games out there that I would consider art, but they are indeed out there. In games such as Planescape: Torment, Okami, and Katamari Damacy, it is clear that the designers and artists responsible for these games created worlds, characters, and stories that they poured themselves into in order make them beautiful and inspire awe in their audience. For Mr. Faraci to call the work of these dutiful men and women "disposable junk" is incredibly insulting both to them and to the audiences that enjoy them. Certainly there are games out there that were clearly treated as a product to be marketed, but games such as the ones I mentioned do not deserve to be lumped into this group, as I am sure movie aficionados would be loathe lumping together Pirates of the Caribbean 3 with Citizen Kane.
Like I said, I'll be exploring this topic more in the future but for now I would like to end on an upbeat note. This video is a must-see for any old-school Nintendo fans, particularly those that faced the endless frustration of Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, and Mike Tyson/ Mr. Dream.
Goddamn I hated those guys.
One Two, One Two Punch, Mac.
-Mike
Now on to more interesting matters: a couple of days ago I was referred to an article by CHUD.com's Devin Faraci regarding the controversy surrounding the adult only rating for Manhunt 2. In the article the author uses this issue to assert that the videogame industry is still primarily targeting teenagers, a fact which severely limits its potential as an art form. Until videogames present their audience with intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically mature themes, he argues, they will forever be a form of crass entertainment.
As a gamer, I found the article completely infuriating, but I must admit that it made a number of excellent points. Certainly a game like Manhunt 2, the main selling point of which seems to be how much brutal, disturbing violence it can showcase, does not meet commonly accepted standards of art, but are there games out there that do? Furthermore, what constitutes art? Is it the intent of the artists, the ability of the work to evoke something in its audience, or is beauty simply in the eye of the beholder? This is a subject with too much complexity to delve into in a simple blog post, but it's something I plan to explore with more depth and perspective in my podcast. For now, I would like to say this: there are not many games out there that I would consider art, but they are indeed out there. In games such as Planescape: Torment, Okami, and Katamari Damacy, it is clear that the designers and artists responsible for these games created worlds, characters, and stories that they poured themselves into in order make them beautiful and inspire awe in their audience. For Mr. Faraci to call the work of these dutiful men and women "disposable junk" is incredibly insulting both to them and to the audiences that enjoy them. Certainly there are games out there that were clearly treated as a product to be marketed, but games such as the ones I mentioned do not deserve to be lumped into this group, as I am sure movie aficionados would be loathe lumping together Pirates of the Caribbean 3 with Citizen Kane.
Like I said, I'll be exploring this topic more in the future but for now I would like to end on an upbeat note. This video is a must-see for any old-school Nintendo fans, particularly those that faced the endless frustration of Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, and Mike Tyson/ Mr. Dream.
Goddamn I hated those guys.
One Two, One Two Punch, Mac.
-Mike
New Direction + Name Change
Last week I wrote an entire post apologizing for not being entirely forthcoming with my reasons for starting this blog and for the quality of my previous work. It was long, bitter, and full of self-loathing, which makes me incredibly happy that I decided to sleep on it before posting. While I have decided to take this site in a slightly different direction, last week's post would not have been a good way to start it.
In that vein welcome to my new and improved blog, a place where I will be documenting my progess as I try to break into the videogame industry as a designer. This is a career that I've only dared to dream of in the past but, now that I've done my research and gained a little more confidence, it's something I believe I would be great at. I have been a hardcore gamer for the past 18 years, I have excellent critical and and analytical skills, a BS in theater and physics (yes, I know, that is "interesting"), an obsessive with perfection and detail, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of mythology, history, and pop-culture. The key things I lack, however, are an impressive writing portfolio (or any writing portfolio at all) and connections in the industry. Through this blog I hope to develop both.
As this project continues, I hope to be able to hone the writing skills I've let atrophy for the past couple years as well as have some fun talking about gaming. Constructive criticism of my writing by those of you with experience will be much appreciated, and if you like what you read spread the word about the site. I'm hoping to start podcasting soon, as well, so everyone will have tat to look forward to (or dread) in the future. Until next time, in the words of Al Gore's disembodied head, "peace out y'all!"
In that vein welcome to my new and improved blog, a place where I will be documenting my progess as I try to break into the videogame industry as a designer. This is a career that I've only dared to dream of in the past but, now that I've done my research and gained a little more confidence, it's something I believe I would be great at. I have been a hardcore gamer for the past 18 years, I have excellent critical and and analytical skills, a BS in theater and physics (yes, I know, that is "interesting"), an obsessive with perfection and detail, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of mythology, history, and pop-culture. The key things I lack, however, are an impressive writing portfolio (or any writing portfolio at all) and connections in the industry. Through this blog I hope to develop both.
As this project continues, I hope to be able to hone the writing skills I've let atrophy for the past couple years as well as have some fun talking about gaming. Constructive criticism of my writing by those of you with experience will be much appreciated, and if you like what you read spread the word about the site. I'm hoping to start podcasting soon, as well, so everyone will have tat to look forward to (or dread) in the future. Until next time, in the words of Al Gore's disembodied head, "peace out y'all!"
New Direction + Name Change
Last week I wrote an entire post apologizing for not being entirely forthcoming with my reasons for starting this blog and for the quality of my previous work. It was long, bitter, and full of self-loathing, which makes me incredibly happy that I decided to sleep on it before posting. While I have decided to take this site in a slightly different direction, last week's post would not have been a good way to start it.
In that vein welcome to my new and improved blog, a place where I will be documenting my progess as I try to break into the videogame industry as a designer. This is a career that I've only dared to dream of in the past but, now that I've done my research and gained a little more confidence, it's something I believe I would be great at. I have been a hardcore gamer for the past 18 years, I have excellent critical and and analytical skills, a BS in theater and physics (yes, I know, that is "interesting"), an obsessive with perfection and detail, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of mythology, history, and pop-culture. The key things I lack, however, are an impressive writing portfolio (or any writing portfolio at all) and connections in the industry. Through this blog I hope to develop both.
As this project continues, I hope to be able to hone the writing skills I've let atrophy for the past couple years as well as have some fun talking about gaming. Constructive criticism of my writing by those of you with experience will be much appreciated, and if you like what you read spread the word about the site. I'm hoping to start podcasting soon, as well, so everyone will have tat to look forward to (or dread) in the future. Until next time, in the words of Al Gore's disembodied head, "peace out y'all!"
In that vein welcome to my new and improved blog, a place where I will be documenting my progess as I try to break into the videogame industry as a designer. This is a career that I've only dared to dream of in the past but, now that I've done my research and gained a little more confidence, it's something I believe I would be great at. I have been a hardcore gamer for the past 18 years, I have excellent critical and and analytical skills, a BS in theater and physics (yes, I know, that is "interesting"), an obsessive with perfection and detail, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of mythology, history, and pop-culture. The key things I lack, however, are an impressive writing portfolio (or any writing portfolio at all) and connections in the industry. Through this blog I hope to develop both.
As this project continues, I hope to be able to hone the writing skills I've let atrophy for the past couple years as well as have some fun talking about gaming. Constructive criticism of my writing by those of you with experience will be much appreciated, and if you like what you read spread the word about the site. I'm hoping to start podcasting soon, as well, so everyone will have tat to look forward to (or dread) in the future. Until next time, in the words of Al Gore's disembodied head, "peace out y'all!"
Pokeholics Anonymous
Roughly 3 weeks ago, faced with the prospect a new and boring shift at work, I decided to pick up Pokemon Diamond for the DS in order to keep myself amused. Other than complaining about Pichu and Pikachu on Super Smash Bros, the only experience I've had with the franchise came about 8 years ago where I played Pokemon Red and Pokemon Snap. Since then, I've been one to laugh at others my age that play the Pokemon games and denounced the series as repetitive and childish.
Karma is a fickle bitch, indeed.
The game starts off like any other Pokemon game: you and a rival pick up some Pokemon and begin a quest for an older Poke-phile obsessed with learning all he can about the creatures. Despite the by now unoriginal storyline, I soon found myself enthralled by the prospect of catching new species and raising them in to veritable engines of doom. Every patch tall grass presented a new oppurtunity to expand my collection while every battle allowed me to try out new skills and tactics, all the while hoping to gain enough experience for a new evolution of one of my valued team members. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was when my TURTWIG evolved into a GROTLE, leaving behind the cuteness of its first tier form and gaining a countenance that appeared to say "I will cut you to death...with leaves."
As someone who left the Pokemon franchise and came back to it, I am forced to wonder what is it about this game that has made me its willing slave? Certainly not the storyline, it's the same as any other Pokemon game and even gets in the way of the fun at times. No, it's the subtle complexity and promise of competition that has drawn me in, along with the pleasure that comes with knowing that I can one day "catch them all."
The main concept of the game is simple: capture wild pokemon and use them to battle other trainers and human opponents. Tactics were dependent upon which pokemon you used, their respective types, their attacks, and what level they were on. With each game came a new level of complexity: pokemon breeding, equippable items, pokemon dispositions, and secretive "effort values" that rewarded you for how time you actually spent with a pokemon. Combine this with the idea that correct utilization of the is knowledge will allow you to prove yourself better than any other trainer, either digital or human, and you have a game that truly gives you a sense of accomplishment when you figure it out, which may be the most addictive type of game of all.
Pokemon Diamond also uses the Nintendo DS's wi-fi ability to its full potential in this game, giving you the oppurtunity to battle and trade with other people from around the world or in the same room through the game's built-in trade stations. This greatly enhances the multi-player aspect of the game by allowing you to find a trade or battle partner nearly any time of the day, the lack of which being a hindrance to earlier Pokemon iterations. In a game where you a urged to become the best trainer you can be, the ability to almost instantly test this fact allows the player to obtain the afore mentioned sense of accomplishment that will keep them playing.
So despite being slightly chlidish with a dull storyline, Pokemon Diamond presents the greatest asset of the franchise, a simple battle system with highly complex nuances, in a way that has left me completely addicted to it. Even while typing this, I have been thinking about the best combinations of pokemon for my team, what moves to give them, and how best to train them. It is amazing how this game has infected me and I cannot see myself giving it up anytime soon. I haven't even begun battling online or with friends yet, and I doubt that will do anything but strengthen my resolve to be the best. Now if you'll excuse me, I have tiny creatures to subjugate to my will and force to do my violent bidding.
Karma is a fickle bitch, indeed.
The game starts off like any other Pokemon game: you and a rival pick up some Pokemon and begin a quest for an older Poke-phile obsessed with learning all he can about the creatures. Despite the by now unoriginal storyline, I soon found myself enthralled by the prospect of catching new species and raising them in to veritable engines of doom. Every patch tall grass presented a new oppurtunity to expand my collection while every battle allowed me to try out new skills and tactics, all the while hoping to gain enough experience for a new evolution of one of my valued team members. I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was when my TURTWIG evolved into a GROTLE, leaving behind the cuteness of its first tier form and gaining a countenance that appeared to say "I will cut you to death...with leaves."
As someone who left the Pokemon franchise and came back to it, I am forced to wonder what is it about this game that has made me its willing slave? Certainly not the storyline, it's the same as any other Pokemon game and even gets in the way of the fun at times. No, it's the subtle complexity and promise of competition that has drawn me in, along with the pleasure that comes with knowing that I can one day "catch them all."
The main concept of the game is simple: capture wild pokemon and use them to battle other trainers and human opponents. Tactics were dependent upon which pokemon you used, their respective types, their attacks, and what level they were on. With each game came a new level of complexity: pokemon breeding, equippable items, pokemon dispositions, and secretive "effort values" that rewarded you for how time you actually spent with a pokemon. Combine this with the idea that correct utilization of the is knowledge will allow you to prove yourself better than any other trainer, either digital or human, and you have a game that truly gives you a sense of accomplishment when you figure it out, which may be the most addictive type of game of all.
Pokemon Diamond also uses the Nintendo DS's wi-fi ability to its full potential in this game, giving you the oppurtunity to battle and trade with other people from around the world or in the same room through the game's built-in trade stations. This greatly enhances the multi-player aspect of the game by allowing you to find a trade or battle partner nearly any time of the day, the lack of which being a hindrance to earlier Pokemon iterations. In a game where you a urged to become the best trainer you can be, the ability to almost instantly test this fact allows the player to obtain the afore mentioned sense of accomplishment that will keep them playing.
So despite being slightly chlidish with a dull storyline, Pokemon Diamond presents the greatest asset of the franchise, a simple battle system with highly complex nuances, in a way that has left me completely addicted to it. Even while typing this, I have been thinking about the best combinations of pokemon for my team, what moves to give them, and how best to train them. It is amazing how this game has infected me and I cannot see myself giving it up anytime soon. I haven't even begun battling online or with friends yet, and I doubt that will do anything but strengthen my resolve to be the best. Now if you'll excuse me, I have tiny creatures to subjugate to my will and force to do my violent bidding.
Welcome to Name of the Game!
Hello and welcome to Name of the Game blog! My name is Michael Ridgaway and I'm a lifelong gamer (except for a few dark years in the beginning) who loves to play and discuss videogames. In this blog I'll be reviewing both old and new games, writing essays on videogame design elements, and occasionally ranting about some feature or game that I find particularly odious. New updates will be posted on Friday, at the very latest, with at least one update per week. In addition I will begin podcasting a weekly session about my digital adventures sometime in the future. Discussion is highly encouraged and if you like what you see feel free to shoot me an e-mail at nameofthegameblog@gmail.com. Hell, shoot me an e-mail even if you don't like what you see, I always enjoy a good argument.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit again. An actual post should be up in a couple of days, but until then I leave you with the Fallout 3 teaser trailer. Yummy.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit again. An actual post should be up in a couple of days, but until then I leave you with the Fallout 3 teaser trailer. Yummy.
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