Always Game Time

[Gamer's Review] Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:48:00 +0000

Tiamat, Queen of the Dragons | Image Courtesy of Enworld

I know it's been awhile since I last reviewed a game, so I figured I would do something new with this post- review a table-top role playing game. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with TTRPGs (which given the nature of this blog and the audience it would attract if it indeed attracted an audience is pretty slim), they are games wherein a group of people, usually ranging from 3-6, come together and use a set of rules to tell a story together. Each game usually has a Dungeon Master (or Game Master) that works on the general frame of the story and presents challenges to the players, and 2-5 players that creature characters that interact with the world the DM has created. Together they tell a story, usually one that isn't even remotely close to the one the DM wanted to tell (I'm looking at your RYAN!).

Even those unfamiliar with how a table-top role-playing game works probably still know what Dungeons and Dragons is, or have at least heard of it. After all, the game has the brand recognition that few others can match. It's left as much an impact, if not a great impact, in our collective conscious as Pikachu and Mario.

Here we have a Lv 9 Human Monk fighting a Dire Rat blessed by Thor. | Image Courtesy of The Mushroom Kingdom

Now Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D as it is more commonly called), has gone through many different versions, known as editions. It started out with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original version of Dungeons and Dragons, which was published in 1974, and underwent several changes including Basic Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition, Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 (and later 3.5), Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, Pathfinder (it's D&D and we all know it), and finally Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. Many other games that were inspired by D&D or designed to play with a similar feel were also created, such as Pelgrane Press' 13th Age.

But now that we're done linking to a bunch of Wikipedia pages, let's get down to business with this article before you all close your browsers and move on to 4chan and Reddit to complain about Gamergate (Ha! A timely cultural reference from a blogger that only posts once every two years! That'll sure date this article in three years when it's finally read!).

Alright, seriously, we're going to buckle down now and actually review Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. Now I've been playing D&D since I was sixteen when none other than Cameron Lawrence himself invited me to join his game of D&D (3.5). One cringe-worthy backstory later and I was Ashiel Dragmire, half-elven sorcerer sent on a quest to recover some hobbit's treasure or something like that.

This? I'm pretty sure it was this. | Image Courtesy of G4TV.com

Anyway, it only took about five minutes before I was in love. I spent the ensuring seven years learning everything I could about D&D- the mechanics, the lore, how to optimize my own characters while simultaneously learning how to beat down players who tried to break my games with their own over-powered characters. I observed Cameron's DM style, as well as the style of our other DM Nate, and tweaked them to create my own way of running games. As a writer by hobby (and hopefully one day by trade so I can plug articles like this with links to my work), I wasn't worried about telling a story. I had countless worlds floating around in my head and it wasn't hard to slap some mechanics to them and set my players loose.

Eventually I moved to college and met a new gaming group and picked up on how to play Pathfinder, which wasn't so different than D&D 3.5. I never got into 4th Edition, mostly because I missed the session that my original gaming group used to test it (they weren't the biggest fans) and my new group's DM had an absolute loathing of it. I played that for several years before finally joining the Dungeons and Dragons Next playtest. My buddy Ryan and I created characters (I was, and continue to be, a human rogue while he plays a paladin of Wee Jas) and drove three hours to Scranton, PA for MEPACon, which if you're in the Pennsylvania area I highly recommend going to. Affordable, some great people there, and all-in-all it's a lot of fun.

YOUNG MAN YOU WILL STOP PLUGGING AND LINKING AND START REVIEWING! | Image Courtesy of Jesus-Is-Savior.com

So Ryan and I had our freshly-rolled characters and a set of rules that at many points seemed very contradictory, but hey, it was a playtest so we understood. Once we got to playing we found the game to be a little slow and clunky in places. The DMs at the convention had us take notes about their adventures and the mechanics in general after each 4-hour gaming slot, and when we returned next fall we were given packets with several updates that made for a smoother, more fluid game. Some old things we liked were taken out, but several newer and better mechanics were added in. It continued on like this until finally the playtest was closed. The long wait for the Player's Handbook began...

When the Player's Handbook finally hit the shelves I bought a copy and poured over it. I was immediately in love. All the things that I liked from the playtest were there (somethings were nerfed a little more than I liked, but I wasn't about to get all up in arms on the Internet about it. Wait...) and several new mechanics I wouldn't have even thought of were added in. At a glance the classes and races appeared rather well-balanced, and several new backgrounds were added in to provide even more options for players.

The Races

The Tiefling, a personal favorite of mine and a welcome addition to the PHB | Image Courtesy of Enworld

There are four "core" races in D&D 5e: Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, and Humans. These represent the four main races that can be found in just about any published Dungeons and Dragons setting without standing out. Each of the non-human races has at least two sub-race options, allowing players to further customize their character within its race. For example, a dwarf can either be a hardier hill dwarf, or a stronger mountain dwarf while an elf can either be a magical high elf, wilderness-savvy wood elf, or vile drow. Humans have the option of using a variant human rule that makes them more akin to 3.X's human race, giving them a free bonus feat and two skill proficiencies at the cost of reduced ability score bonuses. It's probably the best race option in the game, as feats and skills are immensely powerful and important.

In addition to the four core races there are dragonborn (totally different from the character you've played in Skyrim, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and tieflings. They are separated from the other four races as they are treated as "unusual" races that may not be present or appropriate for all games and settings. Due to their more unique natures, these races don't have any sub-race options, at least not in the Player's Handbook.

Overall I was satisfied with the amount of race options in the Player's Handbook. There were more for me to choose from than in the 3.5 or Pathfinder's Player's Guides, which means I have to do less pleading to get my DM to let me play something uncommon like a tiefling or dragonborn.

The Classes

The Warlock, a unique caster that takes traits from multiple warlock incarnations throughout D&D's history. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

Next up are the classes. Right away I was impressed with the number of options I had at my disposal. While there was only one "new" class compared to the PHBs I was used to, it just felt like I had a nearly unlimited number of choices- probably the result of the rather limited choices I was left with in the playtest for this edition. I could choose anything from the anger-management needing barbarian to the whimsical bard to the wizened cleric to the hippie druid. I could even be a monk, and more importantly not suck. Yes, the classes were actually balanced!

Well, mostly. So far in my time playing 5e as both a player and a Dungeon Master I've found that spellcasting classes are still a little more powerful than non-casting classes, but it's more due to their increased versatility rather than straight damage. Fighters received a much-needed boost with their Battle Master and Eldritch Knight Specializations, and even monks can use ki to "cast spells." While basically giving everyone the ability to use magic is a cheap way to balance the game, it is effective and so far I haven't felt as if my character can't contribute to the party, nor as a DM have I seen any one class shine brighter than the rest.

The thing I like most about each class is the option to choose between two or three specializations (clerics and wizards have a larger number of domains or schools to choose from, but the differences are more subtle). Much like Pathfinder's Archetypes and 3.X's Alternative Class Features, a specialization allows you to narrow your character's focus and give them some cool abilities that not all members of their class might have. For example, as a rogue you can be a guild thief, an assassin, or an arcane trickster. As a thief you become more mobile and stealthy, making it easier to sneak up on others and rob them blind as well as survive in dungeons. Assassins gain the ability to blend in with the crowd and a powerful death attack that allows them to deal even more sneak attack damage (which has been greatly boosted in this edition of Dungeons and Dragons). Finally, arcane tricksters learn how to cast a few spells and use them in unusual ways to gain an edge in combat.

The specializations aren't quite as balanced as the classes, and it's pretty clear which specializations are superior to others (I'm looking at you Champion. God you were a disappointment.). While it's a shame that the same amount of effort wasn't put into the specializations as the classes themselves, I don't think it'll ruin the game in the long-run. Each class has at least two specializations that are viable. Hopefully when the Dungeon Master's Guide is released it will come with some new specializations for those classes who don't have as many (*cough cough* sorcerer and barbarian *cough cough*).

The Backgrounds

The Soldier Background, a common choice amongst Fighters, or so I have found. | Image Courtesy of Enworld

While I was originally going to review all of the 5th Edition material I've encountered so far in this article, I'm already at 1,723 words (not including captions!), so I'll wrap up after this section. Backgrounds were not something I expected from Dungeons and Dragons, but boy am I ever glad to see them! They're a great tool for new and veteran gamers alike, making it easier for neophyte dungeon delvers to flesh out their characters beyond "I'm a fighter with a sword and I like to kill things, drink ale, collect gold, and make love to beautiful women."

Not that there is anything wrong with that! | Image Courtesy of Collider.com

There are several backgrounds ranging from the Soldier pictured above to the acolyte of the faith to the sly charlatan to the rugged outlander. Each background provides several proficiencies, either in skills or tools, additional gear that might come in handy in your adventures, and a unique ability that, while rarely provides a mechanical benefit, has a nice role-playing ability or hook. For instance, a folk hero can more easily find shelter amongst the common people. There is no mechanical benefit (he doesn't get a +2 to the roll or gain advantage), the DM and the player role-play the encounter between the player's character and the smallfolk whose aid he is trying to gain.

Many of the background also have an alternate background option, such as the guild merchant option for the guild artisan background. The alternate option might have a slightly different set of proficiencies and different fluff, but it is too similar to the base background to warrant being an independent background choice. While a nice addition to the playtest's set of backgrounds, I didn't feel as if they brought a whole lot to the table (Hell, I was a guild merchant before it was even a thing!). Like with the class specializations, I hope that the Dungeons Master's Guide will come with more backgrounds.

I apologize for not getting around to reviewing more of D&D 5e's many, many options, but I feel like I've already used up enough of your time. Join me next week and we'll look over feats, spells, and the Monster Manual! Now before I go, I'll leave you with this fantastic video. This actually happens every time a game of Dungeons and Dragons is played. Seriously. Every. Time.

You can download the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Basic Rules for free here, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast. Wasn't that nice of them?

[Gaming on a Budget] The Kingdom of Loathing, Where an Adventurer is You

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:43:00 +0000

Kingdom of Loathing is a turn-based role-playing game created by Asymmetric Publications. The premise of the game is simple enough: you're an adventurer traveling through the magical Kingdom of Loathing in search of wealth (in this case piles of meat), power, and fame. How you accomplish this goal depends on which class you select upon character creation.

The six character classes (described on the website as "intoxicating and intoxicated") are the Turtle Tamer, Seal Clubber, Pastamancer, Sauceror, Disco Bandit, and Acordian Thief. If you haven't realized this already, the Kingdom of Loathing does not take itself very seriously.

As in most RPGs, the Kingdom of Loathing also makes use of an ability score system. Unlike in most RPGs however, the Kingdom of Loathing's ability scores are not things like "Strength," "Vitality," and "Wisdom," but are instead "Muscle," "Mysticality," and "Moxie." Increasing the key ability for your class results in gaining levels and unlocking new powers.

I chose to embark upon my adventure as a Seal Clubber, so my experiences with this game will be from that perspective. After tinkering around with the game for a few minutes to familiarize myself with the controls once more I set out to climb to the Icy Peak of Mt. McLarge Huge.

The Dangerous Mt. McLargeHuge, home of eXtreme sports enthusiasts, snowman ninjas, and goats alike. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

After I climbed to the mist-shrouded peaks of Mt. McLargeHuge I had to fight my way past several frightened yetis that kept knocking me down. The game assured me that this was quite annoying, and I was unable to disagree. After getting run over by three yetis, I finally made it to the very top of the mountain where I met the mighty Groar in battle.

The mighty Groar vs. the (hopefully) mightier Tempestman! Surely battle for the bards to sing about! | Images Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

We exchanged blows, I with my mighty Drowsy Sword and he with his claws and frigid breath attacks. I finally defeated him with my special maneuver (the Seal Clubber's trademark "Thrust-Smack") and harvested his skin like any good animal murderer would do. With my foe smote in ruin before me Balrog-style, I climbed down the mountain to continue my most noble of quests.

While the description of that battle may have made the battle seem epic and victory difficult to achieve, I assure you that it was not. All I really had to do was click on a few buttons and the screen and before I knew it the mighty Groar was dead before my feet.

Gameplay

The Kingdom of Loathing uses several different parts to make up its gameplay. Each character has different abilities, skills, and equipment that determine his or her strengths and weaknesses. Each day a character can go on 50 Adventures, although there are ways to get more without waiting. Finally there is the combat system itself.

An Adventure is best described as a turn or an action. Each day you're given 50 Adventures (signified by the hourglass symbol beneath your character), which means you can do about 50 different things before you have to wait until the next day. Some tasks (such as going on vacation) require more than one Adventure to accomplish. Eating food and drinking alcohol can replenish a few Adventures each day, but if you drink too much you'll wind up doing something you'll regret (much like in real life!). If you don't play the game for a few days you'll find that your Adventures accumulate each day until you max out at 200 Adventures.

The ladies love how muscley I am. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

Each character has three abilities: Muscle (your strengthliness and fortitude), Mysticality (your mysteriousness and wizardliness), and Moxie (your chutzpah and roguishness). Muscle is the primary stat for the Seal Clubber and Turtle Tamer classes and helps determine your total Hit Points. Mysticality is the primary stat for Pastamancers and Saucerors and determines how many MP you have to use special skills. Moxie is the main stat for the Accordion Thief and Disco Bandit classes and determines your ability to dodge attacks and how much damage you take from attacks that hit you. You gain levels in the game by increasing your main stat, which happens over the course of your adventures and from special items.

Finally there's the ever-important combat. Those of you familiar with the Pokémon Gameboy and Nintendo DS games released by Nintendo (and I'm hoping that people reading a blog about video games have at least a passing knowledge of one of the most successful video game franchises) will find the combat system to be rather familiar.

Since the entire game is more-or-less text-based (I hope you like reading), combat isn't very active. Once you happen across a monster you're given a few options: "Attack with your [weapon]," "Use Item," and "Use Skill."

The pop-culture references never fail to amuse me. | Image Courtesy of Asymmetric Publications

I've found that as a Seal Clubber most of my problems can be solved with the first option. Anything that can't be killed with a regular attack from my sword can usually be taken care of with a Thrust-Smack. Other classes have their own ways of solving disputes, such as the Turtle Tamer's shell auras and the Accordion Thief's songs.

Once you've chosen which method of attack you wish to use, the game will determine how effective it was and then have the monster attack you in return. This back-and-forth will continue until you're victorious or sent home to lick your wounds. Should you survive (and the survival rate of most adventurers is actually pretty high), you'll be given your precious loot, which is usually in the form of meat (the game's currency), one or two minor items, and occasionally an important or powerful quest item or weapon.

The game isn't that hard to figure out, although the sheer amount of things you can do and loot you can acquire can be overwhelming at first. However, once you get used to it, Kingdom of Loathing becomes a great game that can be played for a few minutes in your spare time. Just don't play it during class or at an important meeting.

Best Pop Culture Reference

The Kingdom of Loathing is chock-full of pop culture references, which really help set the unapologetically sarcastic tone of the game. So far one of my favorite references in the game is the Meatloaf Helmet, a piece of armor that can be worn to increase your resistance against stench damage (I did mention that this game doesn't take itself too seriously, right?)

Meatloaf Helmet- This is a helmet made of meatloaf. Mmmmm. You feel like a Bat out of Hell when you wear it. You would do anything for this hat (but you won't do that.)

[Gaming On a Budget] Slender

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 03:18:00 +0000

After taking another hiatus from my journalistic pursuits (to continue all that romancing and Great American novel writing I told you all so much about in my last post), I've decided to come back and write another article for our "Gaming On a Budget" section. Since I figure the six-member audience this blog has is comprised mostly of college students, graduate students, and post-college/graduate students, the amount of money in our collective pockets probably isn't enough to buy the latest and greatest video game that just hit the market. I just want to point out now that I do not consider Madden NFL 13 to be the latest and greatest video game. Anyway, let's get the meat of the article.

Image Courtesy of Gameranx

Slender is a free game developed by Parsec Productions, an indie game developer, based on the Slender Man meme that has become all the rage on the Internet thanks to games like Slender and the YouTube video series "Marble Hornets." For those of you who don't know who or what the Slender Man is, allow me to enlighten you.

"Hello children!" "Hey Slender Man!" | Know Your Meme

Slender Man is a tall, gangly (if not well-dressed and somewhat posh and dapper) humanoid with abnormally long arms and a featureless white face. He can elongate or shorten his arms, and it is rumored that tentacles sprout from his back. While this might seem scary enough such as it is, Slender Man can also cause memory loss, insomnia, paranoia, and coughing fits in people (much like these popular pills). He also distorts audio and video, making it almost impossible to catch him on film.

There isn't much of a story line for Slender, you simply appear in the woods at night armed with nothing more than your wits and a flashlight. The controls aren't very complex. Moving the mouse allows you to look around, the WASD keys control your movement, holding down Shift lets you run for a brief period of time, the left and right mouse buttons let you pick up pages or turn your flashlight off and on respectively.

The goal is to collect eight pages scattered across the forest before the Slender Man catches you. It starts off easy enough, with the Slender Man not moving too fast and the forest being pretty easy to navigate

Just like Brittany, Slender Man just wants to be left alone. | Up to Down

As you continue exploring the forest trying to find the different pages you may start to notice some things. The fog might start to get thicker, making it hard to navigate through the trees. You'll find that you can't run as long or as fast. Maybe your flashlight's battery will die, leaving you alone in the dark. Then you'll start to notice the screen getting fuzzy...

That's your cue to run. If you're familiar with the Slender Man mythos (or if you read my brief and informative section about the Slender Man about three paragraphs up) you know what that means: Slendy is near. When that happens holding Shift will allow you to run even faster so that you can try to escape Slender Man, but it comes at the permanent cost of your stamina. Running from the Slender Man is physically and emotionally taxing and you can only take so much before you finally succumb.

If you're lucky you'll be able to escape from the Slender Man and continue your quest to find the different pages. However, if you're like me during my second play through you'll notice the visual tearing and run...

He is a very dapper dresser! | Softonic

... Right into the Slender Man's waiting arms.

I'm not going to tell you what happens if you manage to collect all eight pages. You can either play the game or go to some other website for that information. I will, however, recommend that you play the game while sitting alone in your room with all the lights off and as little outside noise as possible. It really helps set the mood that Slender is aiming for.

I definitely recommend giving Slender a try, especially if you're a fan of psychological horror games. Nothing else has quite made me jump or scream (if you can call the noise that came out of my fear-distorted face a scream) like Slender. You can download Slender for free here.

[Gamer's Review] The Sims 3

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Oh yeah. You read that correctly. I played the Sims. And what's more - I enjoyed it.

I recently had the opportunity to interview with EA: Salt Lake, so I decided to prepare for the interview process by diving into a game I’m only somewhat familiar with – The Sims 3. The Sims franchise focuses on the lives of simulated people as the go about their day-to-day activists. You, the player, effectively act as a deity that can control their actions and alter their world. As a side note: I've only played the game with NO additional expansions or "stuff" packs.

The Sims 3 cover art - www.wikipedia.org

Character creation screen | video.agaclip.com

In the Sims 3, there is a lot you can do. When you start the game, you first have to create your Sim(s). Here, you can customize everything from appearance to personality, by giving them up to 5 traits, which dictate a plethora of in-game actions available to the Sim ranging from what conversation options are available to how the Sim interacts with household objects. On my play through, I chose to create an aspiring musician, Luke, who has as much charisma as he has musical talent. He lives with his fiancé, Jamie, who is an excitable Sim aspires to be a top-level journalist, and Luke’s brother, John, who I created with the intention of being a good guy who eventually turns into an evil police detective, even though that didn’t pan out entirely.

After creating your Sims, you must purchase a house. The initial house I picked was just a simple small place that had no distinguishing features, other than its one-story design. At first, I didn’t really care for this aspect of the game, so I thought any house would do since I had to have one. Eventually, I came to really love putting additions on my house. I converted my one-floor dwelling into a two-story house that nearly doubled the value of it.

Live Mode: This dude is cookin'! | www.bit-tech.net

After purchasing a house, the actual game play begins. Now, you have three modes – Live, Buy, and Build. In Live mode, you simply watch your Sims live out their lives and controlling what they do next by queuing a line of actions for them to take. Sometimes, life necessities (such as using the bathroom or eating) may take precedence over your commands, but once that action is complete, the Sim returns to doing your bidding.

In addition to having life-long goals, such as Jamie’s desire to reach level 10 in the Journalism career, your Sims also have the simpler more immediate desires. These smaller wishes can be promised or dismissed by you and, if you complete a promised wish, the Sim will gain Lifetime Reward points, which can be used to purchase passive character upgrades, such as the “Attractive” trait, which helps when trying to gain friends quickly, or super-unique items like the Teleportation Pad.

Build Mode: I'm SO doing that next time I play | guides.ign.com

In Buy mode, you have the option to furnish your Sim’s house with a variety of objects including sofas, bathroom fixtures, and entertainment items like guitars or easels.

In Build mode, you can expand or contract your house. This includes adding doors, staircases, windows, wallpaper, and more to your home. Beware, this may cost a pretty penny so don’t just go building without any idea or you may find yourself out of Simoleons (the Sims currency) very quickly.

Seems like a lot of information doesn't it? Don't worry. The game does a great job of explaining how its mechanics work and offering additional insight where necessary. In fact, it's probably one of the best tutorial systems I've ever used in a game. Normally I just mess around until I get it, but the tutorials here take literally one minute to read and save me what would've been twenty minutes of aggravation and confusion.

The first two weeks of my Sims lives were the hardest, getting acclimated to cleaning up and organizing the house, increasing skills, and trying to maintain and advance in a career was a challenge. Luckily, my Sims did it, for the most part. One of the most interesting aspects of the game was the reality that didn’t quite sink in when I decided which careers my Sims would take. Early on, Jamie wished that she’d marry Luke, and I promised she would. At this point, I knew I had to establish their relationship and improve their interactions so that one another would become closer. This was hard to do, however, when Jamie got home from work as soon as Luke left. By the time he returned home, she was already in bed so she could be ready for work the next morning. This provided a particularly interesting challenge and possible story line, as Jamie and John began spending more time together than Luke and Jamie.

sims.wikia.com

The great thing about this game is the sheer amount of replayability. Granted, you will be using the same mechanics over and over through each play through, but you have the freedom to craft the story as you see fit. Don’t like how your Sim’s life is turning out? Try to spice things up by making your neighborhood mirror the script of a Desperate Housewives episode. Bored because your Sims just go to work and don’t do anything fun? Skip work. Skip work every day. See what happens. You have the freedom to do whatever you like and, what makes it all the more appealing, if something does go wrong, you can just start over and try it a different way.

One of the more controversial aspects of the games is the price and amount of expansion packs. While I certainly understand why EA does it from a business standpoint, it’s difficult to handle as a consumer – especially if you don’t purchase expansion packs as they come out. In order to get all the content and have access to everything I’d have to pay over $130. I guess that’s the price you pay for updates. One aspect that eases the blow is that fact that each expansion pack is essentially a new town – not just new careers or objects. In fact, most expansion packs completely overhaul the gameplay and make it new and exciting again.

All in all, the Sims is an exciting adventure into a large world of endless possibilities and choices. It may not be for everyone, but I’d recommend you give it a try just to see if it captivates you because I think you’d be surprised.

For more information check out the Sims wiki at: sims.wikia.com and Carl's Sims 3 page at http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/

Thanks for reading!

[Gamer’s Review] Portal 2

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:47:00 +0000

Hey readers. I know it’s been a while but I’m back with an exciting article on a game I recently got to play for the first time: Portal 2.

Image courtesy of usatoday.net

Chell with the Portal Gun | portalgame.wikia.com

In case you haven’t played Valve’s innovative title or its predecessor, the Portal series focuses on you (playing the role of Chell, the mute protagonist) in a test facility ran by Aperture Science. In the first game, you are awakened from stasis to complete tests in order to receive the ultimate prize: CAKE! I know, cake doesn’t sound like a great prize… but supposedly it’s very delicious cake!

The title is mainly a puzzle game designed in the manner of First-Person Shooter, but unlike other FPS titles, this one has one gun with unlimited ammo that does no direct damage. This weapon is called the Portal Gun, a firearm that can shoot two different portals (one orange, one blue) that are used to solve puzzles and advance through the story.

WARNING: THE NEXT SECTION FEATURES MINOR SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST PORTAL GAME

GLaDOS | gamespot.com

In the first game features Chell solving numerous test chambers, all the while taunted by the narrator and antagonist GLaDOS, who promises cake upon our hero’s successful completion of testing. The cake is a lie, however. At the end of her testing, it is revealed that Chell is to be terminated, having no further use to the “logic”-bound robots. Unsatisfied with this fate, she is able to think quickly and use the Portal Gun to escape certain doom. Before the game’s credits roll, Chell manages to find GLaDOS’s chamber and “kill” her in one of the coolest fights in a game ever! GLaDOS isn’t dead for good though…

END SPOILERS FOR PORTAL

The second game features Chell (in the single-player mode) solving more puzzles - this time in an attempt to escape the facility with the help of Wheatley, a neurotic little robot with a good sense of humor. As the story unfolds, GLaDOS regains life and a lot of things spin out of control… but I won’t spoil that for you.

Propulsion Gel (from E3 2010 Demo) | games.softpedia.com

One of the most exciting gameplay additions comes in the form of three gels: Repulsion, Propulsion, and Conversion. Each gel offers a new spin on solving puzzles and is quite necessary for the remainder of the game. Repulsion, for example, acts as sort of a “jumping pad” reflecting the speed at which you connect with it and repelling you with the same velocity. Propulsion gel, on the other hand, acts as sort of a “speed boost” (if you’ve played any Mario Kart games or other similar racing titles – that’s Propulsion gel). The final gel, which comes in a bright white color, turns any surface it touches into a wall on which a Portal can be created. On their own, this totally amplifies gameplay and, together, completely alters it. If any of this seems complicated, do not fret! The game does an excellent job introducing every new gameplay element and ensuring that players understand how the gels work without handing them the solutions to puzzles.

Aperture Science robots, ATLAS and P-body | gamehounds.net

Another feature the sequel of Portal has is a co-op mode that allows a group of two to solve puzzles together as Aperture Science robots ATLAS and P-body. Unfortunately, I have not yet delved into this story line, but I hopefully will have a chance to in the future. From what I know, however, is that two players simultaneously solve puzzles together creating up to four portals (essentially two "sets" of portals) and that the players can communicate in-game via gestures.

The game is relatively short (for the single-player mode) which is great for any of you gamers that don’t have 40+ hours to delve into a title but still want a rich story with interesting and challenging gameplay. I’d highly recommend Portal 2 (and its predecessor) to anyone with a love for puzzles and logic, and especially to those who enjoy innovative titles with a heavy dose of humor. Oh, and the song at the end if priceless!

Congratulations Valve. This game really was a triumph.

[Gaming On a Budget] Strike Force Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:31:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I last sat down and wrote an article. While I'd love to say it was because I've been spending most of my time working, romancing my girlfriend, writing the next Great American Novel, or spending quality time with friends and family, it's really not. Not that I haven't been doing that (because I totally have, ask anyone), it's mostly because the semester ended and I was tired of doing anything related to journalism and also because I'm lazy.

Mostly because I'm lazy.

But then today while I was trying to avoid writing with all of my considerable might and willpower I came across a gem of a game: Strike Force Heroes.


Even the loading screen is pure awesome. \| Armorgames.com

I saw the game on NotDoppler (the go-to game site of any man worth his salt) and figured any game with "Strike" or "Force" or "Heroes" would be worth trying out. The fact that "Strike Force Heroes" has all three of these buzz words in its title made not-clicking on the link to play it impossible.

After waiting for the loading screen to finish its business, I was greeted by the title screen.


Which was also pure awesome. Look at the fire and the bullets and the knife guy! \| Armorgames.com

It looks like some 80s arcade game and something for the SNES decided to get drunk and make a boxart baby. After entering my name I entered the world of Strike Force Heroes. It turned out that the game isn't so much a strategy game (which I had been hoping for), but was instead a side-scrolling shoot 'em up.

If you've played any of JuiceTin's other games (Raze or Raze 2) or the old and rather popular Unreal Flash game, you already know how to play Strike Force Heroes. You enter the battlefield, move around with WASD or the arrow keys, and shoot your way to victory. Simple and incredibly fun.

However, to say that Strike Force Heroes is the same as Raze or Unreal Flash would be a lie. Following the incredibly popular Battlefield 3's footsteps, Strike Force Heroes (which I will refer to as "SFH" from now on) uses a sort of "class-system." There are four classes: Medic (Assault), Assassin (Recon), Commando (Support), and Tank (Engineer?).

Each class has its own weapon, skill, and kill streak options. For example, the Medic class focuses on using assault rifles and similar weapons, machine pistols and submachine guns (which are shared by all classes), kill streaks that focus on supporting and healing allies, and skills that make him harder to kill by restoring his health. Overall, the medic is pretty well balanced and can be easily played by anyone.

Image courtesy of Armorgames.com

The Commando is sort of like the Heavy from TF2, it runs around with a big gun and shoots things full of holes. Higher damage and rate of fire than the Medic's assault rifles, but its range and accuracy aren't as good. I've found that the Commando is the best class to use when I want to rack up the kills.

It's also the best class to use if I want to look like a total bad-ass! | Armorgames.com

The Assassin is the class I'm least familiar with, as I'm a piss-poor sniper in FPS games and my skills in side-scrollers isn't much better. As one could assume, the assassin is good as using stealth and subterfuge to take out enemies quickly and efficiently. It uses the standard sniper weapon: the rifle, but if you would rather get up close and personal the assassin can purchase and wield knives in battle as well. The assassin's skills and kill streaks focus on making it harder to find and pointing out enemies for his allies to take out.

Even when dressed like a Final Fantasy ninja I'm still bad at assassining. | Armorgames.com

The last class is the Tank. They are good at taking hits and not too shabby at dishing out damage. The weapon choice available to the Tank is more polarized than those available to the other classes. Tanks can either use shotguns (close quarter weapons that deal a lot of damage) or shields (deal no damage but when used to block protects the Tank from enemy fire). I'm currently working with a shield and MP5 submachine gun and it's working out quite well for me.

The fact that I can be an Imperial Stormtrooper makes the Tank class even more appealing. | Armorgames.com

What makes SFH stand out from similar games is the how classes affect the overall gameplay. In Raze and Raze 2 you get to customize your character, pick a name, and enter the battlefield with a pistol. You run around shooting people and collecting weapons, ammo, and power-ups. In SFH you enter the battlefield as whatever class you left up on the Soldier Menu screen (which can be kind of annoying until you get used to it) with the weapons, skill, and kill streak you selected. Ammo and medipacs can be picked up to help you on your mission, but for the most part you're stuck with what you carried on to the field.

When you die you can pick which class you want to use in your next life. Each kill nets you experience, which in turn will level you up and unlock new weapons, streaks, and skills. You also earn money which allows you to purchase the aforementioned things. Each class tallies its XP and money separately, so the classes you favor will become stronger faster, but it also makes it harder for the other classes to unlock their better weapons and skills.

Image Courtesy of Armorgames.com

The Soldier Menu is pretty easy to navigate and use. Just click on something and another menu will appear. Each class's level, money, stats, weapon load out, and skill sets is visible. The only thing that I found frustrating was the fact that I'd have to click the class I wanted to start the next mission or match with before I left, or I could wind up playing a Medic when what I really needed to use was my Tank. However, after a few games leaving the menu on the appropriate class became second nature.

I haven't played the campaign much, instead I've been playing Quickplay matches to earn money and XP for my classes. From what I've gathered though, you play as a member of the Strike Force and you're trying to rescue a scientist or something. Who knows? The third level is played on a airplane that's falling out of the sky and being followed by mysterious MiG fighters. If that's not enough to excite you then you've probably killed your inner child.

Overall SFH is a fun and addicting little game, and is definitely one of JuiceTin's best. It combines the best parts of side scrolling action games with guns, class-roles, and the kill streak system that has become such a prominent part of shooting games. I definitely recommend that you give it a try.

For my next article I'd like to review the Skyrim expansion Dawnguard, but since I have a Playstation 3 that currently doesn't work my television and Bethesda and Microsoft are butt-buddies, it might be awhile...

I'm on to you Todd, I know you and Mr. Gates are more than "really good friends."

[Re-Play] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:54:00 +0000

Before Inception, there was The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Don't know what that means? You probably haven't played it. And if you have and still don't get it... listen to some Notorious B.I.G. for the big reveal! Growing up, Zelda games were some of my favorites. I didn’t get into handheld gaming until the Gameboy Color was released. I'm not counting GameGear, because all I did on that was die as Sonic in one of his portable editions. Oh, and that Tom & Jerry game... If I recall correctly, when I finally got into GameBoy, I played two games: Pokémon: Blue Version (my brother had Red) and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. When I wasn’t thwarting Team Rocket’s plans, I was on Koholint Island exploring its mysteries and solving puzzles along the way. Thank you, Nintendo, for all the memories. And thank you, again, for releasing this game on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

olyjnsgms.tumblr.com

You play as Link, our green-clad hero. The game takes place after the events of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. The game opens with Link being shipwrecked and waking up on a mysterious island. He slowly pieces together an arsenal of familiar weapons as he tackles 8 dungeons on a quest to find his way off the island. During the dungeons, he encounters Nightmares and quickly realizes the way off the island is destroy the Nightmares,, effectively waking the Wind Fish. What are the consequences of distributing the Wind Fish’s slumber, though? The game presents itself similarly to other titles, but this time gives you much more of a direction to follow, unlike the original Legend of Zelda. Also unlike other games, main characters Zelda and Ganon, the other two Triforce holders, are only mentioned briefly or appear as imitations, in the case of Ganon. The Triforce, likewise, doesn’t appear in any way, shape, or form. In place of these familiar faces, the player is treated to a variety of other Nintendo characters, mostly from Mario games, including Goombas, Piranha Plants, and even Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2. Despite the handheld platform, the game is extremely intricate and offers a lot to explore and collect!

How is it a new "secret" dungeon if you advertise it on the box? | mobygames.com

The Idea: Link is shipwrecked and wakes up on a mysterious island. He battles through dungeons to find a way off, which may involve waking something called the "Wind Fish". Add in Mario enemies as well as some classic LotZ enemies, and you’re good to go. After initially releasing the game, re-release it with color and an extra dungeon.

From top left, clockwise | 1, 2, 3, 4

The Look: I never played the original Gameboy one, but compared to screenshots, the colored version is clearly superior. Artistically, this Link is similar to its predecessor, giving some glorious graphics and wonderful top-down navigation. The side-scrolling segments are attractive, but somewhat repetitive in their appearance.

The Sound: The quality is fine for its time period and the tunes are classics. Additionally, the boss music is really awesome and I wish I could just use it for my everyday life. Although, hearing the same music as I traverse back and forth between dungeons (mostly across Ukuku Prairie) can get a little tedious.

The Play: If you’ve played Link to the Past, you’ll be very familiar with the style of play. Numerous weapons and items provide our hero with a multitude of moves including jumping (Roc’s Feather), dashing (Pegasus Boots), and lifting (Power Bracelet). The majority of gameplay centers on exploration and combat. For exploration we have the aforementioned items in addition to the Hookshot, bombs, and a few other nifty tools. Mostly, Link must discover the key to opening a dungeon (be it an actual key or an event that triggers it), must navigate to the dungeon, and then conquer it. In the dungeon, Link will explore to obtain the Map, the Compass (which reveals the location of any treasure chests and the boss), the Stone Beak (used to communicate with Owl Statues in the dungeon and get tips on solving puzzles), and the Dungeon’s item. In the course of his adventures, Link will unlikely have to slice a few Moblins. For death-dealing purposes he is equipped with a Sword, a Bow, the Hookshot and the bombs. During dungeon excursions, you will encounter minor side-scrolling action that helps to break up the bird’s eye view gameplay.

www.zeldadungeon.net

The Entertainment: Aside from all of the cameos that are made, the excitment of this game lies in the truly in the heart of the series. The dungeon designs are stellar, the plot is linear, but offers some sense of freedom, and the narrative is very good given the time it was released.

The Challenge: The game really doesn’t feel “hard” at any point, but the most exciting aspects are certainly the later dungeons. In fact, there is a surprise ending available to anyone who completes the entire quest without dying once. Now that would be a challenge.

The Legacy: Link’s Awakening is one of the first Zelda games to really fine-tune what would eventually become the Zelda series’ formula. It was also a testament that sticking to familiarity is not necessary to create a great Zelda game. By removing Zelda and Ganon from the equation, the adventure becomes much less predictable, from a story standpoint. Additionally, its one of the first unsatisfying endings I remember. Not as controversial as Mass Effect 3's ending, though...

Rockstar Games Social Club

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:56:00 +0000

I came across Rockstar Games Social Club during the course of my classwork today. I decided to just briefly look over it and assess its importance in social media.

Social Club logo | igrandtheftauto.com

Rockstar Games, makers of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead series, have announced that they are releasing Max Payne 3 later this year for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. In addition to releasing the game later this year, Rockstar will be utilizing social media and will attempt to create a community around Max Payne 3 with their revamped Social Club. The full article on this announcement can be found here. From what I understand, it seems that the Social Club is a forum for gamers to utilize when they play any Rockstar Games title. Users will be able to login with their Facebook or Twitter accounts, get up-to-date news as it is announced, and will be able to interact with other players, via the “add friend” feature, and even put together a “crew” for online multiplayer purposes. Additionally, users will have access to game guides, to help them through any tricky parts, and access to exclusive content, which will help enhance the consumer’s gaming experience. I think this is a great and innovative way to take the solidarity out of the gaming experience and encourage communication about a shared interest amongst consumers. And for consumers that are not keen on multiplayer games, they can still interact with others while reaping the benefits of exclusive content and guides for themselves. Below is a screenshot of what the Social Club webpage looks like.

socialclub.rockstar.com

By utilizing the Social Club, and essentially creating a very niched social media platform, Rockstar has effectively created a Facebook for gamers. By getting consumers signed up with this service, they can not only reach them directly about their current titles, but also provide a platform to market future projects to them. Moreover, Rockstar will be able to engage in conversations with their market directly, should they so choose, via this platform, which will help consumers feel more engaged and give them a greater sense of belonging in the community. This sense of belonging will encourage more frequent visits, which causes the cycle to begin again as more and more games are released.

Rockstar Games logo | giantbomb.com

While the Social Club is very heavily integrated into social media outlets, I feel Rockstar’s main website doesn’t really have any references to social media (no “Like” page for Facebook, no “follow us on Twitter” button). This is one area Rockstar could improve upon. By having a section dedicated to social media on their homepage (aside from their Social Club, which is their version of social media), they would be able to cultivate a connection with fans over social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. Rockstar does a great job delivering what fans have come to except and (in some cases) a few great surprises they haven’t expected, but the idea that Rockstar really wants to have a conversation with their fans, be it to ensure they’re still doing right by the consumer or just to check in and build the relationship with their customer, is not readily apparent on their main webpage.

What do you think about social media and gaming? What do you think of Rockstar's integration of social media into their services? What's your favorite Rockstar game?

[Gamer's Review] Mass Effect 3

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Spoiler Alert!

The following discusses Mass Effect 3 in detail, including the ending. You’ve been warned. If you’re looking for more general information on Mass Effect 3, check out the Mass Effect 3 wikia.

ME3 Cover | technabob.com

Alright… There’s an elephant in the room, so let’s get it out. The ending of Mass Effect 3 wasn’t the best. In fact, it wasn’t even very good… Okay, let’s face it; each potential outcome was the same exact thing, with different colors and slightly different textures to accompany those colors. Oh, and the flashbacks? Not necessarily of your romantic lover or your favorite squad member... just, ya know, arbitrarily picked friends. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check the YouTube video to the right.

You know what else sucked about Mass Effect 3? The DLC released the same day as the game for an extra $10. Granted, the DLC doesn’t suck, but the fact that you pay extra on top of your $60 does. Aside from this, and the highly ridiculous and unfulfilling ending to a great series, the game was nearly perfect. Because it was nearly perfect, we have to examine the few glimmering oversights and errors of the game. I’ll say upfront, however, despite any and all criticisms for the game, I fully recommend and suggest readers purchase it, because it really is fantastic. In fact, looking at it objectively, the game’s story, itself, really isn’t the flawed part – moreover, it’s the politics involved outside the game’s world, where corporations and the entertainment industry reside… But, I digress. Anyway, before we dive in completely, you should take a look at my prior adventures in the Mass Effect universe here.

Just as a reminder: I played the Vanguard class through all three games and had a Paragon reputation through the first two.

The game opened up and refreshed my memory as to how everything worked. Once I got back into the swing of things, it was time to leave Earth, the human home world being decimated by the Reapers. This short introduction also set a nice tone for the adventure that was about to unfold. My Shepard was quickly thrown for a loop when Ashley, his old flame, made an appearance and accompanied him on the mission to Mars. This was an exciting moment. An old friend and lover now distrusting the main character and reluctantly helping him is a level of depth not often explored in the video game realm. It was during that time that I started debating if I would go back to Ashley, knowing she never stopped caring. Imagine the dismay Shepard felt when Dr. Eva attacked her and left her nearly dead at the end of the Mars mission. Imagine my surprise when EDI, my ship’s AI, took the body of the mechanical Cerberus operative that harmed Ashley. It pushed my Shepard and Ashley closer together than ever before. Imagine my surprise when Miranda enters the picture again. I couldn’t help but tell Miranda that I still cared for her. And the repercussions of that were… kind of unsatisfying, to say the least.

masseffect.wikia.com

The main issue I had with telling Miranda this was not that it would continue a romantic relationship with her, but that it completely ended things with Ashley and that was the end of it. Call me a jerk (or rather, my Shepard), but when Ashley asked if I was committed to honestly putting in effort with her to make our relationship work, I said, “Yes.” Keep in mind; this is prior to meeting up with Miranda. Once I met up with Miranda and she asked if I still had feelings for her, I agreed that I did. After I confirmed my affections for Miranda, Ashley didn’t say another romantic word to me. Not only that, but she didn’t say a word to me about lying to her only moments earlier. The girl who was insanely jealous that I had a fling during the events of Mass Effect 2 all of the sudden doesn’t care that I lied? It just seemed unrealistic. Granted, the galaxy is at a point where petty arguments cannot be had because there is a lot more at stake then that, but it doesn’t make sense. This may seem like a shallow complaint, but look at the bigger picture. I’m not saying that I wish I could’ve had them both as romantic interests or condoning the fact that you can say one thing to one person but do another action. I’m simply stating that, in a real, believable world, which is what the Mass Effect universe is striving to be, a jealous woman would continue to be jealous. Oh, and she probably wouldn’t fight alongside you or support you when you kill the human’s Council representative. She would probably figure you’re not trustworthy, as she can’t even trust you with her feelings. While this is not integral to the plotline story of Mass Effect 3, these romantic relationships are integral to my Commander Shepard’s story in Mass Effect 3. This really is a minor complaint, though; given the scale of things and the sheer amount of things you can do in the game. It’s just a note for any developers or players that had the same experience I did.

Ashley, Miranda, and EDI weren’t the only familiar faces (well, EDI’s technically wasn’t a familiar face, but you get the idea) that I came across early in my adventures. It seemed anyone and everyone I had ever came into contact with over the previous two games made an appearance in one form or another.

masseffect.wikia.com

Some of these people were simply “there” during a mission, like Jacob Taylor when Shepard and crew go to help some scientists evacuate their laboratories during a Cerberus infiltration. While I can’t expect every character I have ever spoken with or fought with to join my cause (because it would be unrealistic), it is still good to catch up with them and see what path their lives have taken. I may also feel this way because I didn’t really care for Jacob in the previous game, either. Other people from Shepard's past played more significant roles. One of those people, that I was elated to see, was Mordin, the Salarian Scientist and most hilarious squad member ever, in my opinion. During a mission n Sur’Kesh, the Salarian home world, Shepard finds Mordin working on a cure for the Krogan genophage. During my story, Mordin nobly sacrificed himself on Tuchanka, the Krogan home world, while uploading the genophage cure to a beacon that would disperse the cure into the planet’s atmosphere spreading it across the planet to all of the Krogan.

While the game had far too many missions (which is a good thing) to detail every single exciting adventure, some of the highlights included tackling the Ardat-Yakshi monastery on Lesuss, rescuing Jack and her biotic students from Jon Grissom Academy, the missions on and around Rannoch, and the all of the events on Thessia. Oh, and the part with Legion in the Geth collective mind was weird… but very creative and a cool visual representation of a linked consciousness.

Combat-wise, the game played very similarly to Mass Effect 2. My memory may be faded, but it also seemed that Mass Effect 3’s cover system was a lot more responsive, but they were probably similar. I enjoyed the variety of enemies and landscapes. Favorites such as the Husks (mowing them suckers down is FUN!) and the standard Geth troopers make appearances, as do new enemies. These new foes include troops from Cerberus like Centurions, squad leaders with the ability to conceal themselves in smoke, and Phantoms, operatives the utilize close-range combat and come complete with katana-looking swords, as well as Reaper-based enemies like Marauders, Turian-mutations that can give allies armor plating, the Brute, an all-Armor Turian-Krogan hybrid behemoth, the Banshee, a Reaper-mutated Asari with crazy biotic powers, and - the big daddy of ‘em all – the Harvester, the dragon equivalent for this Sci-Fi world.

masseffect.wikia.com

While the variety of enemies was fine, the frequency of each variety left something to be desired. I was slightly disappointed with the ridiculously high amount of enemies that used Shields as opposed to any other protective covering, like Barriers or Armor. Granted, some of the enemies were purely Armor, such as the Brutes, and others incorporated Barriers and Armor, like the Banshee, I still felt the majority of enemies utilized Shields, at least in the first half of the game.

masseffect.wikia.com

Due to this, I found myself using EDI nearly every mission due to her access to Overload. If it wasn’t EDI, then Garrus was there to take her place. The few times I tried to branch out and try different combinations, I found myself wasting ammo just to break down Shields that EDI or Garrus could’ve easily decimated. Granted, once Tali came back into the picture, I was glad to use her Energy Drain ability, but by that point I had already figured out tactics for my EDI-based party configuration. Javik, the last living Prothean, is also a welcomed addition to my team. His biotic heavy arsenal and access to assault rifles makes him a great soldier, especially when in thick firefights. On a personal level, he seems to be complex and very detailed. His insight into the Reapers and the cyclical nature of their destruction is very important in understanding the story and helps us, as players, to draw conclusions and similarities based on his stories and memories. It’s odd, though, to think that he is not a streamlined part of the story – rather, he is only for those who spent the extra money on the DLC. He’s not really “story” important (read: he's not mandatory in any part of the game), but he makes understanding the antagonists easier and makes relating to the universe much more interesting. If I wasn’t such a biotic heavy player-class, I would’ve definitely liked to use Javik more.

I guess this is a minor complaint, as I still ultimately have a choice in which squad members I use, but it is still something I wish was more balanced. On the whole, however, combat was much more precise and felt a lot smoother. The variety of guns also made the game more fun, once I became more willing to explore options outside of my trust Assault Rifle. The Scorpion, a handgun that fires detonating charges, became one of my favorite (and most useful) weapons by the end of the game.

All things considered, I would highly recommend buying Mass Effect 3 so you can finish your Commander Shepard’s adventure. I realize the ending, and the few complaints I’ve outlined here may make you question whether or not it’s worth it, but the polished and engaging moments in the game far outweigh the negative aspects.

What did you think about Mass Effect 3? How did your story turn out? Leave your comments and thoughts below!

[Re-Play] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:50:00 +0000

When not playing Mass Effect 3 (due to lack of an HDTV), I have been once again exploring the world of San Andreas on my MacBook. Admittedly, I am not a big computer gamer, so if it exists on a console, I’ll probably play it there first. What better way to become familiar with an unfamiliar medium than to play a game I already completed on console years ago. After a few minutes of configuring controls and learning how things worked with a keyboard and mouse, I quickly got my groove back and was able to start progressing through the pseudo-Golden State.

Just another day in the neighborhood | www.teamxbox.com

A shake of a spray can and the RockStar Games “R” logo appeared. This is the peak of open-world gaming in the GTA3 era. In control of Carl Johnson (CJ), the player is taken through a whole mess of events that keep the player on their toes and even managed to surprise me the second time around (like reading a good novel, I’ve forgotten some of the details). In fact, the sheer amount of “stuff” to do seems to be so overwhelming this time around. Aside from the main story (which includes everything from car jacking to shoot outs with rival gangs and a whole plethora of other less-than-legal activities), you can moonlight as a police officer, save some lives in the Ambulance, volunteer as a firefighter, or become a professional pimp. Aside from these odd jobs, you might even be interested in spending time shopping in downtown Los Santos, sightseeing in San Fierro, or gambling your savings away in Las Venturas. Whatever your interest, there is a lot to see and do in this huge, huge game.

gta.wikia.com

The Idea: Create three massive open-world sandbox urban environments based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas and throw them all together. Fill in the in-between areas with rural country settings that help mix up game play and scenery. Add in the humor and delinquency that Grand Theft Auto titles are known for and you’ve got yourself a game. Sweeten the pot with the ability to swim (finally) and gang wars (which are really as fun as they sound).

Running after a car where the passenger is shooting at you? Good idea. | fileforum.betanews.com

The Look: The graphics don’t really redefine the word “amazing” but they are very good, especially given the time the game was released and the size of the world the player was exposed to. The level of customization in CJ was also extremely impressive given the size of the game (roughly 4 times larger than Vice City). While my CJ is pretty buff and likes to rock shades at all times of day, your CJ could be extremely overweight, wear only sweatshirts, and have a giant afro. Customization comes through the ability to change clothing, hair, tattoos, weight/muscle, and more, which gives players a ton of possibilities to play with.

The Sound: The soundtrack is awesome. Cruising around, watching the scenery while jamming to Ice Cube’s Today Was A Good Day is nothing short of amazing. Featuring over 11 radio stations with 20 DJs, there is certainly a lot to be heard. All of the voice acting was very convincing, as well. Gimme them duckets!

www.gtasanandreas.net

The Play: Controls are fairly smooth and represent the GTA universe well in this iteration. For some reason, a car turned completely on its side can be hit on the underbelly and completely turn right-side-up again (which let me complete the mission, so I’m not complaining), and of course running red lights and hitting pedestrians (note: not killing) don’t cause any police attention, but hey, that’s why we love GTA. As I noted previously, there is a crazy amount of things to see and do, and most of them work smoothly and without error. Only the lowrider mission (on the computer version) gave me any issue, as I didn’t know how to use the hydraulics at first.

The Entertainment: As I mentioned before, cruising… in a Banshee… listening to Ice Cube… Oh, but aside from that, the gang wars are still incredibly awesome. Once the missions become more complex and the “introductory” part of the game is over (for me, it felt like around the time AmmuNation’s started to become available), it becomes very, very fun. Having access to supplies and not depending on Emmett for a weapon (seriously, 16 shots in a pistol does not go far at all in Los Santos) makes for a much more enjoyable ride. And if you don’t like missions (or need a break) try the “spawn Rhino” cheat or the infinite bike jump cheat. Out running the military on 6 stars is also always a fun challenge.

Oh, ya know... just chillin' with my tank | lparchive.org

The Challenge: The game is fairly similar to what I remember. I don’t remember a lot of the details, though, so it makes the mission-to-mission story interesting and (seemingly) new. It’s hard doing some missions, though, knowing how things eventually play out… But as far as actual issues… Well, the obvious issue I have is that auto-targeting is somewhat different than I remember (if not altogether gone). Besides that, I don’t remember dying nearly as frequently in the PS2 version as I do in this one. And keep in mind; I suck less now than I did back in the day at video games, so… what’s the isssh-ya? These are minor complaints, all in all, though. I really think the game is going to get more and more challenging as I get out of Los Santos, but I’m up for it.

The Legacy: Introducing players to the first GTA game of this size was a major achievement for RockStar back in 2004. This game is also extremely famous for causing some issues in the legal system regarding proper labeling – apparently there was an issue with some virtual nakedness and coffee! This is also the first time we get to see San Andreas. For those of you who really enjoyed this game, get excited for a new interpretation of San Andreas later this year when Grand Theft Auto V is released!

static.guim.co.uk

That about wraps it up. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got territory to watch and a reputation to uphold in my community. Off to Los Santos! While I’m gone, what’s your favorite part of GTA: San Andreas? What do you think about the whole hot coffee scandal that happened back during the game’s initial release?

http://gtawallpaperswidescreen.blogspot.com

[Gamer's Review] Indie Games: Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:32:00 +0000

Journey's Title Screen | Thenerdpocalypse.com

Yesterday I went to GameStop to buy Journey, an Indie game developed by thatgamecompany. It's a third-person game that I would best describe as a cooperative platformer. I had first learned about Journey from Penny Arcade and was intrigued by the concept of the game.

Basically you're a robed figure (that looks kind of like a Garo Robe from Majora's Mask) on a journey across a vast desert to a large mountain. You start this journey alone on the far side of a fairly large hill, and as you climb to the top of the hill and explore the ruins on the other side. The controls are very simple, the left analogue stick makes you move, "Circle" lets you communicate and interact with the environment through what I can only describe as song. "X" eventually allows you to jump and glide. The camera can be manipulated with the right analogue stick or if you have the proper controller, simply by tilted or leaning the controller in one direction or another.

Your intrepid traveler. | MasonicGamer.com

The developers of the game really don't hold your hand much throughout the game, instead forcing you to use things like observation skills and common sense in order to figure out what you're supposed to do. The only real "tutorials" were when I learned that "Circle" lets me communicate with others and "X" lets me jump and glide. Everything else you have to learn either through watching the cut scenes or by observing your traveling companion.

Speaking of your companion, you're not alone in your travels across the scorching desert. Shortly after learning the controls (all three of them), you run into your companion for the rest of the game. Or at least I did, I have yet to do a second play-through of the game to be absolutely sure. You aren't told your companion's name and you can't use a headset to talk to him or her. Rather, you're forced to rely on pantomiming your actions and using "Circle" to get his or her attention so they watch you do something. It takes some getting used to, but my companion and I figured out how to work with each other shortly after solving the first puzzle.

As it turns out, we were both fluent in "hieroglyph." | Stevivor.com

I did learn at the very end that it is possible to write short messages in the ground, which usually leaves footprints behind for a couple of seconds. I wrote out "Hello" in barely legible cursive for my companion last night, but I don't think he noticed. Next time I hope to discuss the socioeconomic status of Poland with a complete stranger.

The game does offer a single player experience, or at the very least you can play without an Internet connection. I'm not sure how that would work, as there were several times that without my traveling buddy I would have been completely screwed. You see, there are some puzzles that are easier to solve with two people, and by "singing" you can recharge the runes on your companion's scarf, allowing them to continue jumping and gliding. Without such a companion, you'd be forced to rely on the environment to recharge the runes, which while possible, would certainly make things more difficult for you.

As you can probably tell from the images throughout this article, the visuals on this game are simplistic, yet I found them to be stunning. Maybe I'm just an artsy kind of guy (I'm not), but I found myself enthralled by the Wind Waker-esque graphics style (what is that, two Zelda references in this article?). In a way, the graphics style reminded me of some of the paintings I've seen from the three museum trips I've made during my twenty-year-long life. I may have visited one of those museums twice.

The game's soundtrack, which seamlessly switches between calming and almost Zen-like to tension-filled and "Oh shit don't let those flying robot snakes find you!", was composed by Austin Wintory, who has composed soundtracks for several Sundance Films and video games, including fl0w, also by thatgamecompany. The music remains subtle throughout the game, but without it I firmly believe that Journey wouldn't have been nearly as good as it is.

"Are we there yet?" | Thatgamecompany.com

I realize that I've been gushing over this game for the past 641 words (don't believe me? Count 'em up, I'll wait.), so I'll dive into the critiques and criticisms portion of this article. The only real beef I have with Journey is the fact that it's so short. The game only took me two hours or so to complete. The game play and my overwhelming desire to get to the top of the mountain made that time fly by, so it seemed ever shorter to me. However, I don't think that the developers could add anything to Journey that wouldn't ruin the game, so it would be best for everyone if they ignored that complaint.

While I understand Journey's an indie game and therefore has a smaller budget at their disposal, it would have been nice if I could have done a little character customization. Even changing my brown cloak into a nice red would have been enough for me. It is possible that such a thing would ruin the experience of the game, since it's supposed to be about two strangers helping one another on their mutual quest, but it'd still be nice.

"You go first." "No man, you go first." | Gamecatalyst.com

Journey is not a game for everyone. If all you look for in a video game is awesome graphics, intense game play, and lots of sex and violence, there are other games to spend your money on. If you like cooperative game play and puzzle solving (something I never thought I'd like), then look in between your couch cushions for $15 in change, because that's all that Journey will cost you.

All in all, I loved this game. If I had to assign an arbitrary number to Journey (say, between 1 and 10), I'd give it a 9. If you have $15 and two hours of free time, I definitely recommend that you give Journey a chance.

[Top 5] Games Based On TV Shows (and How I'd Do It)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:36:00 +0000

So in my ever-evolving quest to involve my girlfriend in my gaming hobby, I recently picked up Lost: Via Domus for Xbox 360. She watched the show back when it first aired and I just recently finished watching all of the seasons, so I figured it’d be a good game for us to try together. For a casual night of gaming, it wasn’t bad. She got to enjoy her favorite show from a new point of view and I got a topic for a blog article.

For those of you who haven’t seen Lost, you should probably get on that because it’s quite possibly one of the greatest shows of all time. Yes, of all time.

But that’s another topic, entirely. As I watch her play through the game, which admittedly has its flaws (GameSpot really echoes my feelings on the game in their review), I come to the realization that many TV show offer a good amount of IP that could be transformed into great games if put into the right hands.

Below is a list of the top 5 TV show IP that should be made into video games and my recommendations for how it should be done. (Note: most of these are already being made/have already been made, but the descriptions provided are purely my suggestion of how I would’ve done it. Additionally, I've played none of the games with the exception of the Lost-based game.)

5. The Walking Dead

Originally adapted from a comic book of the same name by Frank Darabont, the Walking Dead serves as perfect source material for a video game. While I haven’t personally seen the show yet (I know, I know, I’ll get on it) the iTunes store offers this synopsis: “After waking from a coma in an abandoned hospital, police officer Rick Grimes finds the world he knew gone - ravaged by a zombie epidemic of apocalyptic proportions. Nearby, on the outskirts of Atlanta, a small encampment struggles to survive as 'the dead' stalk them at every turn. Can Rick and the others hold onto their humanity as they fight to live in this terrifying new world? And, amidst dire conditions and personal rivalries, will they ultimately survive one another?” Now doesn’t that sound ridiculously like a video game set up? The only possible criticism I can see for not making this show into a game is the sheer amount of zombie-based games that are already on the market. Do we really need another Resident Evil- or Fallout 3-esque experience?

What a lovely smile you have! | blogs.amctv.com

Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Yes, if it’s done right. I imagine this game being a non-linear sandbox adventure with exploration and progression similar to Grand Theft Auto games, where completing missions unlocks more of the map, but in general you can do whatever you please. Missions could be presented in a variety of ways, preferably with cut scenes setting up each mission to explain the objective and the narrative significance (similar to Prototype) or could be obtained simply from overhearing others or from short conversations with NPCs (like some of the fetch quests in Mass Effect 3 or quests in Fallout 3). The game’s play style would likely be third-person over-the-shoulder shooter or a standard FPS with some light platforming elements. Either way, the setting would provide a lot of different options to game developers.

The first episode of The Walking Dead video game is scheduled to come out April 25^th, 2012. Let’s hope they did a good job with it.

4. Game of Thrones

This seems to be another no-brainer. Fresh in the beginning of its second season on HBO, Game of Thrones is based on a series of novels by George R.R. Martin titled A Song of Ice and Fire. Following the stories of several houses (families), Game of Thrones is a sort of medieval fantasy that offers a massive amount of video game material. Small-scale governmental drama between factions, large-scale war, political intrigue, wolves, dragon eggs, melted gold, beheadings, and a small-statured nobleman who is absolutely hilarious all add up to quite an amazing adventure waiting to be had.

Tyrion Lannister | fanpop.com

As far as a game adaption is concerned, the IP could easily be turned into a Real-Time Strategy (RTS), but where would the inventiveness be? Instead, what if it was an amalgamation of gaming styles? I’m thinking Civilization V RTS for large-scale war mixed with segments of exploration similar to Skyrim or Dragon Age: Origins. Combat in those segments could easily be Final Fantasy X turn-based fights (which gives the gamer a break from fast-paced strategy) or, alternatively, could be set up with an Active-Time Battle gauge system (similar to Final Fantasy VII). Add in a dash of Mass Effect style story telling with dialogue options that can actually sway the outcome of the game (or at the very least the journey you take to reach the end) and you’ve got yourself quite an epic tale.

Game of Thrones is expected to release for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in 2012. It is expected to be a role-playing game. Let us hope it does the novels and the TV series justice.

3. House M.D.

House chronicles the work of Dr. Gregory House, an expert in diagnostic medicine, whose famed expertise is only rival by his infamous bad attitude. Lacking any bedside manner, House would rather pop pills than interact with his patients. With a team of doctors at his side, House sets off to cure the wide variety of illnesses afflicting patients in his hospital.

beyondhollywood.com

While this may seem a bit boring for a video game concept, it could nonetheless be utilized in training for medical students. Granted, the majority of cases are not rare forms of malaria or Lupus, it would nonetheless serve an interesting backdrop to relay potentially boring information. Textbooks are the tried and true method of study for most disciplines, but imagine if technology could be utilized to parlay that same information in a more creative, interesting way. Alternatively, the game could be simply a cinematic experience, giving the player the option to watch the story unfold based on their choices. In fact, why not do a Dr. Mario game utilizing the House IP. Creating a “easy to learn, difficult to master” puzzler with some narrative every few matches could be a great way to revitalize a somewhat ignored genre.

There is currently a House video game for the Nintendo DS, which had lackluster reviews and reception.

2. Dexter

If you hadn’t noticed, gaming has become more and more story driven in recent times. Games like Super Mario World are now being replaced with story heavy games like the Final Fantasy series or, to an even greater extreme, games focused almost entirely on the narrative such as Heavy Rain. Dexter focuses around a protagonist of the same name who is a blood spatter pattern police officer by day and a serial killer, punishing any criminals who he believes the justice system wouldn’t, by night. Not only has the show been on for 6 years and garnered a massive following; there is also a substantial amount of material in the show that could be adapted into a video game.

cdn.screenrant.com

Imagine: You play as Dexter. During the day, you solve puzzles revolving around blood spatter patterns during the day, which eventually lead you and your comrades to the perp. You are now heavily engrossed in a mysterious game full of dialogue and narrative options. If you manage to choose the right kinds of interrogation questions and/or find the right kinds of evidence, you may be able to put the criminal behind bars. Some of the criminals are more careful, however. Because of their attention to detail and knowledge of the legal system, they manage to escape justice. The moon rises as the second half of that particular chapter unfolds and you are now in an action game, based heavily on stealth, like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, except with automatic weapons and more surgical tools. Alternatively, the game could play out entirely different, showing the day-to-day adventures as cut scenes and focusing heavily on Dexter’s nighttime activities… There are a lot of possibilities.

While a fully realized game has yet to surface, for the time being we can enjoy a Dexter video game on the iPhone.

1. Lost

Now you might be asking yourself, “Dave, didn’t they come out with a Lost game? In fact, didn’t it inspire you to write this article?” Yes. Yes, it did. The game failed to do justice to the series as a whole, however. Lost centers around survivers of a plane crash on a deserted island. Each season focuses on a new overarching storyline, most of which center around the character development of the story’s main 15+ characters.

vinegeek.com

If I were to make Lost a video game, I would’ve focused more heavily on the character development side of things, like the show did. In fact, I don’t see any reason why a MMORPG couldn’t be made using this IP. Consider utilizing the existing platform where each server is its own island. Like World of Warcraft, you could choose a faction: the Survivors or the Others, and would gain benefits based on which side you chose. You could determine your background (soldier like Sayid, medic like Jack, Swindler like Sawyer, etc.), which would be the equivalent of a class.

Once in game, you complete missions that range from fetch quests (need more wood for the fire) to recon missions (investigate the other faction). Exploration would be a fundamental part of the game as well. In fact, maybe when you hit a certain level you can receive a mount (I’m talking baby blue Volkswagon Hippie Van!) Combat would be handled primarily with simple firearms and hand-to-hand combat with the inhabitants of the island (Polar Bears, sharks, wildlife, or the Black Smoke). Conversations would flow fluidly and naturally and would serve a greater purpose than to be time consuming and extend play. Implementing a loyalty system (similar to that of Dragon Age: Origins) would help immensely in determining your standing with the other factions.

It’s not a perfect idea and there are a lot of unanswered questions, but it certainly has the backbone for a really interesting release.

Well there you have it! Some games that were already created based on TV IP that could be made even better. What are your thoughts? Drop some comments and let your voice be heard!

[Top 5] Games That Deserve Sequels and/or Remakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Sorry for being about two weeks late with this latest Friday update. I've had a lot on my plate in college land. Hopefully this little article will appease you and get rid of any hard feelings. No? Oh well, I'll post it anyway.

Normally sequels and remakes are an atrocity and the people behind them deserve to be drug out into the street and shot. Sequels suck and are made to cash in on a previous success without requiring much thought or effort. The only constant exceptions are planned sequels, trilogies, and series.

On the same note, most remakes are just “get rich quick” schemes that take classic games, update the graphics, maybe throw in some extra features like expanded multiplayer, an extra weapon, new costumes, or a super cool and horribly overpowered weapon.

However, there are some games that truly deserve a sequel or a remake, and I plan on bringing some of those games to light. If you disagree with me then go ahead and let me know in the comments section. If it turns out that such a game has already been made, also inform me of this so I can go out and buy it.

5. Comix Zone

Comics, action, sunglasses, and ponytails. Comix Zone is truly a representative of the '90s.

Comix Zone is an older game from 90s that proves that you don't need a sensible or plausible story line in order to make sense. In fact, most games seem to follow that line of thought, so maybe it's better if you just ignore what I wrote.

I don't remember much of Comix Zone, aside from the fact that I was a kick-ass comic book artist that was dragged into a comic by its main villain. Once inside, I proceeded to kick ass and take names until I got to this one pit I could never get across. Ever.

Seriously, I spent about 80% of the time playing that game at the freaking pit where I would constantly die because I couldn't jump far enough. I don't even think I managed to make it out of the first Episode, that's how hard the game was, or how bad I was. Given that I was only 7 or 8 when I played Comix Zone, it wouldn't surprise me if I was just bad at video games.

Sega, or whoever controls this game now, please revisit this gem. I know that it can be downloaded on Steam, but you can do better. Toss in some more episodes or extra endings or improve the game play through more combos (although that might bring it too far into the fighting genre).

Or maybe release Comix Zone 2 where Sketch has to go back into his comics for some reason and kick the ass of an ever stronger villain than Mortus. You know what? A sequel sounds a lot better than a remake. Make a sequel!

4. Gauntlet

From the Golden Age of gaming where you still had to go outside to play.

When I heard that "Gauntlet" was going to be released for the Nintendo DS I just about shit myself in sheer joy. I'd be able to play one of the classic dungeon crawl games with friends (because when I little I didn't have friends, clearly) and better graphics.

Then Eidos Studios delayed the game's release. Then they delayed it again. Now, four years after its "initial release," Gauntlet DS hasn't hit the shelves and in all likelihood has been cancelled. My hopes and dreams were crushed, and I would never be able to play Gauntlet with my friends.

Me when I'm old and still haven't played Gauntlet with my friends.

Eidos Studios or Backbone or whoever owns the rights to the game, just release it already. Everything I read made it sound like you almost finished the game anyway. If you don't feel like doing that, then hopefully someone else will.

All I really want is some classic hack'n'slash dungeon crawling game that I can play with 1-4 people on a Friday night when all of the cool kids are out drinking and talking to the ladies, is that too much? I'll even take the smart-ass narrator that loves to remind me over and over again that "The wizard needs food badly!"

I AM AWARE THAT I'M HUNGRY, THANK YOU!

3. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift

Dear Square Enix, please give me the hundreds of hours I spent playing your games back.

The Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series did two good things for me: introduced me to small-army tactics games (as opposed to Advanced Wars, which is all about amassing a relatively large force), and get me into the Final Fantasy series (although the only other Final Fantasy game I ended up playing was FF3).

The games were beautifully designed, the combat was solid, and the storylines were pretty good. As a brief recap, in FFTA you were Marche, a kid growing up in the town of St. Ivalice that suddenly found himself in the magical kingdom of Ivalice. Marche’s goal is to return home with his friends and younger brother, most of whom do not wish to return to their hum drum lives (would you?). Eventually he convinces everyone that living in Ivalice is a form of escapism and that it’s not healthy to run away from your problems all the time. End Story, roll credits, applause. Was Marche the hero, or was he a villain? FFTA left quite a few unanswered questions.

FFTA2 has a much more upbeat storyline and a happier character: Luso Clemens. Luso also lives in St. Ivalice with his worrisome aunt. One day after school, Luso has to serve detention by cleaning up the library. He finds an old book and is transported to Ivalice (apparently the real one this time). Unlike Marche, Luso has no intentions of returning home, he’s going to explore and generally have a good time. However, as fate would have it, Luso needs to step up to the plate and prevent the big bad evil lady Illua from destroying or rewriting the world in her own image (it’s been awhile, okay?). In the end Luso succeeds, we end the story, roll the credits, and applaud.

Now to the main part of this entry: I want to see Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 3. The Nintendo 3DS came out not too long ago, so the fine people at Square Enix should be falling all over themselves at the chance to call it Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 3DS: Talisman of the Ancients or something like that.

However, I don’t want the same old “boy finds book, boy is transported to Ivalice” story. I want a girl to find the book (it’s 2012, we can have female protagonists now), but I want the main character to be a native of Ivalice, not someone from our world. Make the story about him trying to help the girl, who’s scared and alone in this world, get back home.

Basically, I want this.

2. EA Games’ The Lord of the Ring Trilogy

The Lord of the Rings is probably the best-known modern fantasy series out there. No, forget I said that. It is the best known modern fantasy series out there. Without J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, we wouldn’t have modern fantasy. There would be no Dungeons and Dragons, which in turn means that the fantasy video games based off of D&D (note: all of them) wouldn’t exist. Tolkien made it possible to like elves, dwarves, dragons, and hobbits. Then almost 50 years later Peter Jackson came along and made it cool to like elves, dwarves, dragons, and hobbits!

EA Games took The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and turned them into three fairly successful games that I quite enjoyed. It doesn’t get much better than being an elf archer bringing down mumakil and trolls with well-placed arrows (or more accurately a barrage of well-placed arrows) or taking on a small army of orcs and Uruk-Hai as Samwise the Brave.

Samwise Gamgee. Best hobbit, or best hobbit?

Not to mention that the games looked awesome when they were released (which was back when the GameCube, Playstation 2, and original Xbox were the consoles to have). Compared to today, they look like crap and they don’t offer nearly enough game play. Today’s gamers are used to have hundreds of hours of game play in a single game, something that the three LotR games together can’t offer without replaying levels several times.

I’m thinking that EA Games should get together and have another look at their video game trilogy. Update the graphics, add a little more to the combat to make it more cinematic (even if it’s just the “kill cams” that have become so popular lately), make each of the levels bigger in terms of space and game play, and make the leveling system feel more complete. Maybe “borrow” some things from Skyrim, making various perks and abilities available to the different characters rather than simply having the players buy the same set of combos and health upgrades over and over again for different characters. And let us play with our friends either online or in the same room. Or both. Yeah, make it both.

Oh, and definitely let us play as the entire Fellowship without having to unlock characters just to play them on already completed levels. Aragorn was playable in each of the games, but I wasn’t able to play as Merry or Pippin until I had already thrown Gollum into the fires of Mt. Doom. I want to be able to play as Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir (and I suppose Faramir for when Boromir kicks it) without having to jump through hoops! Am I acting like an entitled gamer? Maybe a little, but these are main characters! I’d gladly have to unlock some characters, but make it secondary characters like Eowyn, Arwen, and Haldir (and I guess Boromir after he dies).

EA Games, I beseech you. Take your LotR game trilogy and turn it into one super game that tells the entire story of The Lord of the Rings from the Shire all the way to Mt. Doom. Give me the games I loved with improved graphics, more levels, and overall better game play! Please?

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

If the Skull Kid's creepy laugh didn't immediately play in your head, you need to turn you N64 back on a play some more.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is my all-time favorite Zelda game. I’m not entirely sure why, but I found the idea of running around wearing magical masks as a 10 or 11 year old kid endearing. Maybe it’s because the masks I ran around wearing at those ages were boring pieces of cardboard and plastic that were no more magical than my toenail clippings.

I Googled “Magical Toes” and got this. No, I don’t understand the connection either…

In fact, I love this game so much that I want to get a permanent tattoo on my body (which is a temple, mind you), from this game. And not the typical Triforce tattoo that most Zelda nerds get. No, I’m talking about Darmani’s tattoo.

What?? It means "loyalty" and "brotherhood" to me. And also that I'm a giant nerd.

So yeah, there’s that. Anyway, Nintendo recently released The Ocarina of Time for the 3DS, and while I haven’t played it, it looks stunning for a handheld game. I’m not entirely sure what they changed and what stayed the same aside from the graphics and some game controls that were altered to fit the 3DS platform. However, I trust that Nintendo hasn’t killed Ocarina with its remake.

Nintendo, if you remake Majora’s Mask for the 3DS, I will buy your newest handheld just so I can play that game. If you aren’t aware, Nintendo, I haven’t purchased anything from you console-wise since my Nintendo DS Lite I got about four or five years ago. The last game I bought was probably the Fire Emblem remake, which is sitting in my dresser while I play and replay Advanced Wars DS and Mario Kart DS.

Suffice to say, Nintendo, getting me to buy something from you would be a pretty big deal for me. Not because I haven’t wanted to (believe me, not owning Skyward Sword hurts my soul), but because there are other things I have to buy first. Like food.

Unlike some of the other games, I have no requests as to what you do with Majora's Mask save two, Nintendo. One: remake it for the 3DS, and two: don't completely fuck it up.

[Re-Play] The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:13:00 +0000

Recognize this?

For those of you who don't, this is just one of many introductions to the Simpsons, a TV show that features and parodies pop culture and current events. When the Simpsons were still a relatively new family to everyone in America, I was still a young boy who didn't catch any of the references on comedy shows and yet... there was something appealing about the yellow family of Springfield. One of the best character on the show, Bart, brought out the destructive youth in all of us. Who better for a protagonist in a game?

The Simpsons family | simpsons.wikia.com

The Simpsons: Bart’s Nightmare has you live out the “worst” dreams of everyone’s favorite troublemaker. The story starts off as Bart falls asleep trying to complete an assignment at his desk. As he dozes off he is transported to a world ridiculously similar to his hometown of Springfield. The main area, called Windy World, resembles Evergreen Terrace; the street Bart’s family lives on in the show. Here, Bart searches for pieces of his homework, which lead to different mini-game levels.

In my opinion, this area really only serves as a hub world, but combat with other characters (via blowing bubblegum bubbles) and minor exploration can be done. Once Bart finds a page of his homework, he must jump into it, which will transport him to a hallway with two doors, one of which he must quickly choose. Each door is one of several colors, each representing a different world Bart will travel to. Once the level is completed a piece of Bart’s homework will be recovered. Bart dons many different outfits through his journey, including Bartman (blue door), Indiana Bart (orange), and Bartzilla (green). The other two doors find Bart in the world of Itchy & Scratchy (yellow) and Bart's bloodstream (purple). Each level offers a different style of gameplay, which keeps the majority of the game refreshing and challenging.

GameFAQs.com

The Idea: Combine Simpsons intellectual property with some pop-culture references and throw it in a bag. Shake up the standard gameplay with five different “levels”, each of which must be completed to finish Bart's assignment, and you've got yourself a game! Possibly add in a few hits of acid for some creative inspiration…

Intro & Bartzilla level

The Look: 16-bit Bart and friends look pretty good for the time and a lot of the Simpsons characters are present including Homer and Marge (as “Homer Kong” and “Momthra”, respectively), Lisa, Maggie, Itchy and Scratchy, Principal Skinner and more.

godisageek.com

The Sound: The sound was pretty much what you’d expect from a 90’s game. The music is a pretty cheesy but it fits the goofy style of the game. The sound effects fit the cartoony environment, but the lack of music in certain levels (particularly Bartzilla) made the game feel a little slow back when I was a kid. I love the music for Bartman’s level, though. The video below does a pretty good job of explaining the level too.

The Play: Windy World is primarily a 2-D side scrolling area where Bart travels back and forth in search of homework pages. Each world features different gameplay, however. The Bartman and Bartzilla are arcade-style side scrolling with shoot ‘em up elements. The bloodstream area finds Bart “swimming” (complete with mask and snorkel) and using his pump to kill germ enemies who come from the bottom of the screen. The yellow door leads Bart in a comical and deadly house, going from room to room avoiding all kinds of household villains while fighting both Itchy and Scratch with various weapons. This area plays like an old school beat ‘em up game. The orange door leads Bart to Maggie’s Temple, where he must hope from pillar to pillar in order to traverse the temples dangers.

The Entertainment: This game had a lot of different styles of play and all of them offer different joys and frustrations. My favorite levels as a kid were Bartman, the germ level, and Itchy and Scratchy. Nothing is as satisfying as smacking a cat with a hammer… and doing it in a game is just as fun!

See what I mean? | simpsonscrazy.com

The Challenge: The majority of the challenge in this game came from figuring out what exactly you had to do to accomplish anything. Another problem came with dying, as this like many games in its time didn’t believe in save points and the arcade style gameplay wanted to promote repeated play – always from beginning to end. Oh, and even if you don't fail a level, the game requires you repeat some of the mini-games multiple times to get the best ending. At least you get to choose which ones...

The Legacy: The real legacy of this game comes from the nostalgia it provides to us 90’s kids. The game is one of many attempts to put Simpsons into the gaming realm and this particular entry does so pretty successfully. And let us not forget, you get to hit cats with hammers!

Well, that wraps up another week of Re-Play! One last thing for you Minecraft fans...

[Skyrim Double Feature] The Imperial Argument

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:43:00 +0000

This article was written by my good friend Pierre Roderique. I hope you guys enjoy it!

*Spoiler Alert* This article contains spoilers about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is one of two articles arguing opposing sides of the Skyrim's Civil War. The Stormcloak Argument can be found here.

The Imperial, the champion of the Empire.

On Wednesday, Sean wrote an article in support of the Stormcloaks, explaining away their faults and trying to undermine the position of the Empire. At the end of that article, he promised that I would write a follow-up explaining just what makes the Empire so great; well, here it is.

Anyone who has played Skyrim knows about the Stormcloaks and the Imperials; their struggle forms the backdrop of the game, creating context and breathing life into a game world that would otherwise consist of the Dovahkiin solving minor grievances and occasionally fighting dragons. Indeed, I could hardly be arsed to keep playing the game once I had finished the Imperial quest line, as by then I had already had my fill of killing dragons.

The Imperials fight to prevent the separation of Skyrim from the Empire; they recognize the need for unity now more than ever, with the Thalmor breathing down their necks and war threatening to break out at any moment. It cannot be stressed enough just how important Skyrim is to them, for both its cultural and military significance. If the Stormcloaks represent America during the American Revolution, the Imperials represent America during the Civil War.

Can... can we ALL be America?

Skyrim is a land run by barbarism and chaos; the Jarls, rulers of their respective lands, can never come to agreement on anything, and do not do nearly enough to support their people. These people are their direct charge, faces they see every day, and yet they are perfectly willing to pay random strangers who happen to amble into town to deal with problems they should really be training their own soldiers to handle. The reason, they will tell you, is that their soldiers are all off fighting for either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials; yet, there would be no war if Ulfric Stormcloak had not decided that his desire for the throne of High King was more important than the stability of his country.

Ulfric’s desires are one of the reasons he is difficult to trust. Torygg, the previous High King, was a good friend and ally of Ulfric’s; yet, before the game starts, Ulfric uses the power taught to him by the Greybeards to kill Torygg in a duel. Had he simply asked Torygg to aid him in his struggle, things might have been different; for one thing, he would have had the full force of Skyrim to back him up. He chose, however, to murder his old friend in the hopes of securing his path to the throne.

Another problem arises in the form of racism between the Nords and every other race. Many Nords want nothing to do with “outsiders,” of which there are many. Most Nords treat members of other races coldly, and this is reflected in the Stormcloaks as well. If you attempt to join their ranks as a member of another race, they will grill you about your choice. They are fully aware of their intentions from the beginning: to push all non-Nords out of Skyrim, and make it their own. I’m not about to make any unfavorable comparisons here, but that kind of racial discrimination is incredibly shortsighted and is apt to put Stormcloaks in a position of severe weakness once the war is done.

The greatest problem with the Stormcloaks’ Rebellion, however, is what it means for Tamriel as a whole. For every day the war drags on, the Thalmor gain a greater advantage. They admit in one of their reports that they had a role in influencing Ulfric to start his rebellion, supplying him with weapons and supplies he only recently ceased accepting. They know that the war works in their favor; anything that can be done to weaken their enemies without losing their own soldiers works in their benefit. And should Ulfric succeed in his war and gain independence for Skyrim? While his forces work to rid the country of non-Nords, the Thalmor will waltz in and steamroll the entire nation. They simply have too much working in their favor to be reasonably dealt with during the time the game takes place; the Imperials are tacticians, and recognized this fact immediately.

The Empire has chosen to bide its time and wait until they have a reasonable shot at beating the Thalmor before striking at them again. They know that even if they could unite the countries of Tamriel, their combined power would not be enough to stop the Thalmor. Thus, they bide their time and try to build up their forces; the Stormcloak rebellion does little more than slow this process down. By fighting the Empire, the Stormcloaks are unwittingly playing directly into the Thalmor’s hands.

Now, it’s true that the Empire signed the White-Gold Concordat and banned the worship of Talos as part of their peace treaty with the Thalmor. However, it must be noted that they did this to save lives; while it is true that some Nords still die as the Thalmor “uncover” them as Talos worshippers, this is nothing compared to the number of deaths which would have resulted from continuing the war. Moreover, these deaths could be forgotten completely if the Nords would simply accept the abolition of Talos; it is their own stubborn pride that allows the Thalmor to abuse their power to arrest and execute Talos worshippers.

Many Nords feel that those who serve the Empire are traitors, but in the end it is just the opposite: the Nordic Imperials care about the well-being of their people, but are willing to look beyond the immediate future to see the repercussions their actions will have in the grand scheme. They work to preserve unity in order to prevent the country they love from meeting a disastrous fate.

The Empire may not be taking the most heroic course of action, but they are taking the smartest. They fight to ensure a future for themselves and all of Tamriel. The Stormcloaks fight to satisfy their own selfish and racist ideals, and are steering themselves towards an early, ignoble death.

The banner of the Imperial Legion, because fuck bears, dragons are cool!

[Skyrim Double Feature] The Stormcloak Argument

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:11:00 +0000

*Spoiler Alert* This article contains spoilers about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It is one of two articles arguing opposing sides of the Skyrim's Civil War. The Imperial Argument can be found here.

The Stormcloak, the dedicated defender of Skyrim's freedom.

It’s been awhile since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim came out (4 months and 10 days by my count), but there’s still one argument that seems to pop up on video game forums an awful lot (aside from the inevitable “Where do I get my nude mods?”): Who is right: the Stormcloaks or the Imperials?

Even though the civil war/revolution isn’t technically the main quest line in the game, it’s mentioned so often that is might as well be. While people recognize that there are DRAGONS attacking Skyrim’s cities and villages, they seem more concerned with the significantly more mortal and easy to kill Nords and Imperials running around hacking each other to bits.

I may have strayed a little too much from my point in that last paragraph… Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that the Stormcloaks are more in the right than the Empire. They fight for better reasons than the Imperials and their leader Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak is only slightly more of a dick than General Tullius.

The Stormcloaks fight for two main reasons as far as I can tell: political independence and religious freedom. You know what country did that in our world? The United States of America.

America! Fu- Never mind, that meme is too old.

First I’ll discuss their desire for political independence. The politics in Stormcloak are much like feudal Europe’s were back in the day. There the High King or Queen who rules over all of Skyrim and eight jarls that govern the eight holds that aren’t under the High King or Queen’s direct control. When the High King dies, the jarls (and likely whoever is in charge of the late king’s hold) come together to select a new High King or Queen to rule over Skyrim. During the events of the game, there are nine jarls, as the High King was killed and the moot has not yet met to elect a new jarl.

However, since Skyrim is part of the Empire, the titles of High King and High Queen are largely ceremonial and the rulers of Skyrim still have to answer to the Emperor. The Emperor, being far from Skyrim in his palace in the Imperial City, doesn’t necessarily know what’s best for Skyrim. The Nordic culture is often disregarded in face of the “betterment” of the Empire, as is shown throughout General Tullius’s campaign to bring an end to the rebellion.

During the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Empire is a sinking ship that threatens to drag down the rest of Tamriel with it. Seeing this, Ulfric Stormcloak starts his revolution so keep Skyrim from being destroyed alongside the Empire. He isn’t the first person to do this either. Before the events of the game Hammerfell was renounced by the Empire after feeling betrayed by Emperor Tidus II. Ulfric and many of Skyrim’s citizens feel the same way and want to leave the Empire that threw away so many Nord lives in a pointless war.

Many Imperials and supporters of the Empire believe that if Ulfric Stormcloak proves victorious and Skyrim’s secedes from the Empire it will only serve to make a Thalmor victory easier. While there is a chance of this happening, do not forget that Hammerfell, after being abandoned by the Empire, managed to force the Aldmeri Dominion’s forces out of their lands. Who’s to say that Skyrim can’t do the same?

With political freedom discussed, I’ll turn to religious freedom argument. When the Empire lost to the Aldmeri Dominion (and they did lose, the White-Gold Concordant was almost identical to the ultimatum the Thalmor presented to the Empire before the Great War), the right and freedom to worship Talos was banned. Talos, the divine incarnation of Tiber Septim, the very man who founded the Empire, was abandoned by his people.

Now if the Thalmor wanted to ban the public worship of Talos (much like how the public worship of the Daedric Princes is taboo), then I wouldn’t blame the Empire as much for accepting the terms to preserve the Empire, but the Thalmor completely banned the worship and travel throughout the provinces of Tamriel still controlled by the Empire (and through the Empire the Aldmeri Dominion) and arrest and often execute people suspected of worshipping Talos. Religious persecution is something that has occurred throughout the history of our world, and it has never ended well for any of the parties involved.

Before I wrap up this argument, I’ll address one of the concerns that people have about this argument: Ulfric Stormcloak and the leaders of the Stormcloak Rebellion. To be frank, Ulfric is a racist, selfish dick (but most people in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are racist, otherwise I wouldn’t be the only khajiit allowed into the different cities). I won’t even try to deny it. However, he takes it upon himself to free Skyrim from the rule of the Thalmor, something no other man or woman was willing to do.

He's a dick, but damn does he have a sense of style!

His primary mistake was killing High King Torygg, who would have likely joined Ulfric’s cause. Instead, the Jarl of Windhelm let his desire to become the High King cloud his judgment and he killed Torygg in battle. Whether Ulfric used his voice to “shout High King Torygg to pieces” or he killed Torygg in an honorable duel, he still killed a potential ally out of greed.

However, despite this, Ulfric ultimately has his heart in the right place. He fights for the people of Skyrim, and unlike the Imperial leaders he actually walks among his soldiers and speaks to his people, rather than having his officers relay all of his orders to the men and women who fight under his banner.

“I fight for the men I’ve held in my arms, dying on foreign soil! I fight for their wives and children, whose names I heard whispered in their last breath… I fight so that all the fighting I’ve already done hasn’t been for nothing! I fight… because I must.”

“But Sean,” you say. “Politicians will say anything to sway the people and gather support!”

“Reader,” I reply. “That is most certainly true! However, when Ulfric says this, he is speaking to Galmar Stone-Fist, a man he has known for years and doesn’t need to convince. Aside from the Dovahkiin and Ulfric’s steward Jorleif, there is no one else in the room. Ulfric speaks those words because they are how he truly feels.

Ulfric and the Stormcloaks fight for just and noble causes: freedom from an Empire that will only serve to slowly kill them and the right to worship their god. The Empire only fights in hopes of holding on to Skyrim so that it can maintain its illusion of control over Tamriel.

The Stormcloak banner, because bears are awesome.

Stayed tuned for my friend Pierre's Imperial Argument!

Violence and Brand Identity: Legal Issues in Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day readers! A few weeks ago, I discussed the legal side of video games and how it affects us as game loving consumers. Today, I’d like to revisit the legal issues with the gaming industry and entertainment in general. A series of podcasts from a series called Entertainment Law Update by Gordon P. Firemark, Esq. will provide the topics of discussion today.

Obscene v. Violent

The first podcast, titled “Episode 22: Violent Games, (anti) Slapps and other painless fun”, featured issues regarding a variety of topics including the Mike Tyson tattoo controversy that spawned from the Hangover II and everyone’s favorite song dedicated to a day of the week!

www.bittenandbound.com

While these issues don’t directly relate to gaming, there are still lessons to be learned from the cases. The Hangover II case, for example, reminds us to be extra diligent when using any type of graphic or visual representation that is associated with a particular person or company. Keep in mind, for you aspiring video game programmers out there, that you should probably gain clearance if you are to depict anything in a video game that is a reference to a real person or company, as right of likeness cases pop up all over the place, even when they may not be intentionally infringing. (Note: This is just my opinion. I’m not a lawyer, so please consult someone who gets paid to give that kind of advice!)

The real topic of interest is the video game law that got turned down in California. Basically, the State of California proposed a law that would make it illegal to sell video games with certain themes (such as violence) to minors. Retailers that did sell these restricted games to minors would suffer a fine of $1000. The Supreme Court ultimately turned down the law, stating that it was too broad and conflicted with the First Amendment. Firemark and his associate, Tamara Bennett, offer their opinions. Bennett agreed with the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that the restrictions the Supreme Court currently has in place deals with obscenity in media, not violence. She suggests that the State of California’s new video game law is trying to apply the restrictions that deal with obscenity to violence, which is a big leap to make. Furthermore, the State of California is asking that the law only apply to video games. My opinion on this matter can be found in a prior post.

This is an important decision for those of us in the video game industry, as a law such as the one proposed could greatly decrease our customer base as well as create higher barriers when selling products. Moreover, from an artistic point of view, it could cause game developers to censor their work, making the stories that they want to tell less realistic. Realism in games is part of what makes playing them so appealing. The question, however, is how far can we take realism before it becomes harmful in the real world?

Realism v. Brand Damage

The second podcast, titled “Episode 28: Political campaigns, combat helicopters and Batmobiles,” covers a variety of topics, the most interesting of which is EA’s use of the First Amendment in it’s game Battlefield 3.

www.wikipedia.org

Basically, Textron, a helicopter manufacturer, threatened legal action against EA if the company included Textron’s trademarked helicopters, the AH-1Z, UH-1Y, and V-22. In a preemptive response, EA filed suit against Textron, citing the First Amendment and the freedom of artistic expression. Part of EA’s defense rests in the fact that it provides a disclaimer stating it does not endorse any particular brand of vehicle or weapon in the game, and, likewise, EA is not featuring any brand of vehicle or weapon more prominently than another. The case was resolved in EA’s favor, stating that the freedom of artistic expression trumps trademark protection. You can read more details of the case here.

Battlefield 3 helicopter | joystiq.com

This outcome is a double-edged sword for us in the gaming industry. On the plus side, EA is allowed to create a realistic video game that features real-world brands and puts them in front of the player, which can be good for the company as well. The problems, however, quickly accumulate. What if, in Battlefield 3, there is a segment where a helicopter malfunctions and causes the squad to crash in enemy territory? What if that helicopter was a V-22 Bell, one of Textron’s trademarked models? Does this say that this model is unreliable? While many are likely to view the crash as a result of war, it is nonetheless a possible question to consider.

How can we resolve this conflict? We want the games to be realistic, which means using real world brands. Likewise, realism dictates that sometimes real-world products malfunction, break, or otherwise cease to be useful. Companies argue, however, that they don’t want to be associated negatively and scenarios like the one above could be damaging to their brand. As a business owner, I’d had to see my brand being exploited and portrayed in a negative light, especially without my consent, but I can definitely see the argument of creative expression and realism from the game developers side.

How do we strike the balance, then? One of the legal system’s favorite video games to target, the Grand Theft Auto series, has one solution: mock existing brands.

Notice Sprunk, a clear imitation of Sprite | www.newpcgamesite.com

What do you think? How can we strike a balance between realism and fantasy in our video games so that we, as consumers, can distinguish between the two?

[Gaming On A Budget] Part I: Bitching, BioWare, and Realm of the Mad God

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Hey, you know what I hate? A lot of stuff. Because I'm incredibly bitter. I don't care if you just had a baby, it looks like a pruney and pink gremlin. Yes, your "varsity" lawn is great, but I don't want to hear about how you sold your soul to get it so nice and green. And, really, I could name about one less than infinity things that I'd rather be doing than hearing about your day. That one thing that I couldn't name? It's hearing about your day. Surprise.

"Honey, that pact I made with Satan came through!
What do you mean 'the baby's gone'? Look at the lawn!!"

But, something I do like is video games. Video games in the morning. Video games in the evening. Video games at supper time. Sadly, even video games have found a way to piss me off. See this?

FINISH THE FIGHT.... for sixty bucks.
MEET A PROTHEAN..... for ten dollars and a shit-eating grin from the Gamestop employee
REALIZE THAT YOU'VE JUST BEEN RIPPED OFF... priceless/your dignity(?)

This was sixty bucks. Seventy bucks, if you were as much of an idiot as I was and bought the DLC. I paid seventy dollars for a piece of entertainment that will last me about, eh, 40 hours? 50, maybe? Granted, that's just considering the single player experience, but I'm not feeling too good about going online any time soon. Apparently (at the time of writing this), there are hacked maps and if you play on one, you can get banned from not only the multiplayer but the singleplayer too, and.... Well, that's material for a whole other review.

I have many names... Satan, HIM, Beelz...

But, you can call me 'Aaryn Flynn.'
Now, about that future DLC for Mass Effect 3 with the real endings..."

The point is is that I love video games, but I hate how expensive they are. If I wanted an expensive hobby, I'd get into Warhammer or an MMO. Maybe buy a handgun and go to the shooting range. I could guzzle expensive bourbons, or I could even go down the street and spend 80 bucks an hour for a little slap and tickle from Ezmeralda and Candice... I got plenty of other options that probably have varying amounts of “fun” attached to them, and they could very well contain more funs than my blind 60-70 dollar investment does.

So, what the hell am I supposed to do? I don't have the disposable income for this: I'm a college student. I only have another year of my parents paying for everything before I have to start depending on my salary as a teacher, and we all know how hilarious of a joke that is. The resolution here is simple: play cheap and free games that still supply enough entertainment value to keep me “happy.” Not my biggest challenge, as that particular title belongs to the “don't toss your Sega Genesis out the window while playing Kid Chameleon as an eight-year-old” challenge... But, it's still going to be considerably difficult.

God DAMN IT, BLOODY SWAMP.
I will murder whoever thought rubber stairs was a good idea EVER.

The first game I'm reviewing is called Realm of the Mad God. Created by a small game company, Wild Shadow Studios, Realm of the Mad God is a flash-based MMO that's played from your browser. Nostalgia waved over me instantly as I was presented with several pixelated characters. There are 13 character classes to choose from, though only one is immediately available to you right off the bat: the Wizard. As you play the game and level up your selected class, you unlock the other classes. Surviving as a level five Wizard allows you access to the Priest class. Making it to level five as a Priest makes the Hunter class available. And so on. When you play for the first time, you are taken through a tutorial that gives you the basics of gameplay: WASD to move, mouse to aim, left click to attack, spacebar to use your class's special move (like the Rogue's invisibility or the Priest's healing magic). It also gives you a handy magical ring that will hopefully help you survive longer. That's essentially it.

The cutest murder machines you've ever seen

The game is sinister in its approach, however. What seems to be a relatively easy game in the beginning becomes ball-bustingly hard as you progress through the Realm. The enemies start off as pirates and baby scorpions for you to whomp on.... and then there's the Leviathan and the Tomb Ancients and of course, Oryx: the Mad God himself. They will all crush you. Indefinitely. Even when you think you and fifty other people managed to kill him, you discover that it was just his Simulacrum..... The Real Mad God awaits you in his Wine Cellar.

The best thing about this game is its “I couldn't give less of a shit” attitude it has toward the players. If you die? You're dead. Game over. All items on your person are lost forever. All of your character's progress is gone. Take a look at the leaderboards, see that your character was no where close to as good as these other dead chumps, and then start all over again..... That's awesome. We live in a world in which our video games hold our hands. Yeah, I'm playing through Mass Effect 3 on Insanity right now. Is it really hard? Yeah, of course it is. One shot from an enemy can easily take my lifebar divebomb down to a sliver. But, guess what? If I die? I can just reload from the last save point and try it again. And again. And again. Until I finally get it done and I can move on. Realm of the Mad God takes that idea, picks up the corpse of your max-level Knight full of high tier gear, wipes its bitterly sweet cutesy pixelated ass on it, and says “Better luck next time, dumbass!”

[I'd Google "pixel ass" for a picture to insert here, but I'd rather not flag the FBI. Use your imaginations, guys.]

Now, it's time for me to spit a few specifics out here for you. The game is completely free, to an extent. There is a real-money-into-internet-money thing going on here, but it really is optional. The coins that you can buy can be used to buy additional chests for account-wide item storage, additional character slots, name changes, and items that are simply cosmetic. Now, you CAN buy keys to dungeons and healing potions with coins, but as most players will tell you, it isn't even worth it... Mostly because you are only given one character slot and one chest for free, per account. If you'd buy anything for the game, it'd probably be additional character slots; otherwise, you can only play one character at a time. If you want to try a different class because oh man, you just got this sweet-ass sword that Knights can use and you're a Wizard....it looks like you'll have to say goodbye to your Wizard.

"Dear mom: I'm sorry, but I must leave forever...

A Staff of Necrotic Arcana just dropped, and I can't use it,
because somebody thought I'd make a great Knight. THANKS, DAD."

But, hey, it's hard to complain about something that's free. The game has several servers connected by a hub (called "The Nexus"), and each server can hold a little over 80 people simultaneously. Also, every time the server's inhabitants manage to kill the Mad God, the entire world gets completely remade into a new one. The player base consists mostly of English-speaking people, though I have met quite a few Russians during my travels. Everyone is helpful, generally. Occasionally you'll get the annoying beggar, or someone will grab an item that you wanted, but none of it usually matters too much. If you get annoyed with a certain player, it takes about a grand total of 30 seconds to switch servers. As for the items, most of the good stuff that drops depends on how much damage you do to higher-level monsters. These item drops, which will be purple instead of the typical brown, can only be seen and picked up by you: no one else will have a clue that something special dropped just for you. Therefore, item stealing only really happens in the early stages of your character's journey... even then, the items being stolen are hardly worth the tears.

All in all, this game is pretty addicting. I've sunk some major hours into this fun little game without spending a single cent. If you got some free time, a little patience to lose, and a thirst for mindless nostalgic point-and-shoot with a twist... Check out Realm of the Mad God. Before I leave, I should warn those of you out there with bad internet connections: play Realm of the Mad God at your own risk. Your character can easily die due to a lag spike, and if you've spent a great deal of time getting that character leveled up, prepare to become butthurt.

This is Cameron Lawrence, signing off. See me next time when I either rant about how pissed off I am at Bioware for ruining a perfectly good franchise... Or, when I talk about how I want to have mind-blowingly passionate/rough sex with whoever thought up the little game that's sweeping the nation, Draw Something. Goodnight.

They never found the body of Spiderman 3: The Video Game.

They'll never find you

Helpful Links:

Realm of the Mad God

Realm of the Mad God Wiki Incredibly useful, I highly recommend giving this site a look-through before beginning your first game.

Image sources for those so inclined, in order of appearance.

[Re-Play] Kingdom Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:17:00 +0000

Walt Disney was notorious for being an innovator in many categories. His legacy, the Walt Disney company, is likewise known for adding magic to every aspect of life. It is for both of those reasons that Kingdom Hearts is a pleasant, but somewhat expected development. For those of you unfamiliar with Kingdom Hearts, it is a hack n’ slash adventure game with RPG elements that mashes Disney characters with some of the basic Final Fantasy principles and even features cameos from characters like Cloud and Tidus.

wikipedia.org

In Kingdom Hearts, You assume the role of Sora, a young teen with a good heart. Sora hails from a far away land called Destiny Island where he enjoys spending time with his friends Riku and Kairi. To make a long story short, Sora’s home eventually gets attacked some creatures called Heartless. Like Kanye West, Sora wonders how they could be so heartless, and is eventually awarded the Keyblade to defend himself. Lots of awful things happen and he eventually ends up in Traverse Town (which essentially serves as the main hub world) and meets up with Donald Duck (a mage) and Goofy (a knight). The three decide to work together and they become your allies for the remainder of the game.

Goofy, Sora, Donald

As the story progresses, Sora and his pals travel to different worlds, each based on a different Disney movie. You’ll explore several familiar places including Wonderland, Agrabah, and Halloween Town as well as new worlds unique to this game. Most levels offer a world-exclusive ally (such as Aladdin in Agrabah or Tarzan in the Deep Jungle) and they generally have pretty sick abilities which make them worth using. There are also some areas that you can spend time with if you get tired of the main story: on Olympus Coliseum you can partake in tournament-style combat or you can venture into the 100 Acre Wood for some mini-games, but I don’t really recommend the latter. So, now that you know the basics, let’s dive into Kingdom Hearts!

kingdomhearts.wikia.com

The Idea: Combine two unrelated intellectual property to make one of the most unique gaming experiences in recent memory. Redesigning the Disney characters to make them more appealing to a young male demographic while also appealing to consumers as a “family friendly” game.

gamershell.com

The Look: Take the cartoonish animation Disney is known for and apply a layer of grit. Relive childhood memories as you explore your favorite hero’s hometown.

The Sound: The music is mostly remixed tunes from Disney films and tends to fit the mood well. Most are hits (“This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, the music in Hollow Bastion) but some are better served in smaller doses (“Under The Sea” from the Little Mermaid). Voice acting isn’t bad, although the script is a little cheesy, but that’s to be expected.

The Play: Aside from a few camera issues during boss fights, the controls are extremely solid. Controlling Sora feels natural for the majority of the game. It’s when he leaves the ground that things become a little difficult to manage, but after about 10 minutes with the controls things start to make sense again.

The Entertainment: Watching Goofy run headfirst and smack little goons with his shield is pretty much the only reason I need to play this game. Luckily, there’s a lot more fun to be had here. For completionists, there are several things to collect (from 101 Dalmatians to Torn Pages) and two non-story worlds available to explore. Aside from journeying to familiar locales and exploring them in greater depth, it’s interesting to see all the characters in the Disney Universe (loosely) tied together. If only I could bring Jack with me for every world…

The Challenge: The bosses are pretty unique and require a bit of trial and error to defeat. Non-boss combat is pretty much just to pass time and make levels feel longer, at least until you get to the later levels and enemies become more difficult. The game isn’t the most difficult and intricate game in recent memory, but it definitely requires some strategy and thought.

The Legacy: Besides spawning countless sequels, this game serves as one of the greatest mash-ups in gaming to this date. In fact, I can personally attest that this game made me reinvest my interest in Disney when I first played it and also got me hooked on Final Fantasy games.

LynxGriffen on deviantART.com

That's all for this week! What was your favorite memory of Kingdom Hearts? What’s your favorite Disney character of all time? Leave any thoughts below in the comments!

[Top 10] Girls from The Legend of Zelda

noreply@blogger.com (Sean L. McClellan) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:46:00 +0000

The Legend of Zelda is a relatively popular video game series (you’ve probably heard about it) chock-full of swords, magic, triangles, hats, fish people, talking shrubs, and girls. Yes, you heard (or rather read) correctly: girls. In the 26 years the franchise has been out (that’s longer than some of you kiddos have been alive!), The Legend of Zelda has given us great stories, compelling characters, and enough water dungeons to make you want to scream.

But this article isn’t about everything the Zelda series has to offer. Instead, I’ll be talking about the 10 best girls in the games, because we all know you’ve fantasized about one or more of them at least once (or is it just me?). *Ahem* Anyway, here we go!

Oh, and there are some spoilers for those of you who have not played these games. Sorry in advance, but you’ve been warned.

10. The Oracles

Appeared In: The Oracle of Ages, The Oracle of Seasons, The Minish Cap, Ocarina of Time

I realize that the Oracles are technically three individual girls, but they’re also sisters and (kinda) goddesses, so I think I can break the rule and include them in one entry. Besides, if I do, that’s more girls we get to include in the article, and I’m sure no one has an issue with that!

Anyway, the Oracles are Din (left), Farore (center), and Nayru (right), three women that share their names with the goddesses that, according to some legends, created Hyrule and the lands surrounding it. We’ll start with Din.

Din is the Oracle of Seasons, meaning that she can decide when it’s winter (hopefully never), when we can all go swimming, when the leaves fall, and when it’s time for Spring Break. In short, she’s pretty powerful. She’s also a talented dancer and many believe that she’s an incarnation of Din, the Goddess of Power.

Farore is the mysterious Oracle of Secrets, and when I say mysterious, I mean it. Her game, The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage was originally supposed to be released along the Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, but was scrapped. Instead, Farore got stuck living in a tree and keeping track of incredibly powerful secrets that Link could learn if he traveled between the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna. While it may seem like Farore got the short end of the proverbial stick, she is likely an incarnation of the Goddess of Courage (note: the goddess responsible for making Link), so she’s probably okay with living in a tree, it’s quiet there.

Nayru is the third and final Oracle and is also known as the Oracle of Ages. In her main game, Nayru is a talented singer and can travel from the present to the past, and vice-versa, but apparently not into the future (Either that or she doesn’t let us know that she can. Clever girl…). She was possessed by the Sorceress Veran, but was later saved by Link and helped the Hero of Time save Labrynna from a dark fate. Not bad. Oh, and like the other two Oracles, Nayru is believed to the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom, who shares her name.

9. Anju

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, The Minish Cap

Anju has appeared in three different Zelda games (two of which are my personal favorites, guess which ones they are). She’s most often a Cucco keeper, although why anyone would want to keep those murderous fowl as pets is beyond me. However, Anju’s breakout role is in Majora’s Mask where she tells us her name and asks us to help reunite her with her fiancé Kafei.

If you’ve never played Majora’s Mask the storyline involves saving the evil-faced moon from crashing into Termina and destroying everyone in it. Yeah, yeah, we know it’s a big deal, but in many ways reuniting Anju and Kafei seems so much more important. Heroes are supposed to save the world, but saving a wedding isn’t something Link’s commonly called upon, so when he is, he makes sure the job gets done!

Anju is a nervous young woman who can’t cook to save her life (trust me on this), and to make matters worst, her fiancé has disappeared and her mother keeps telling her that he ran off with Cremia, Anju’s best friend. However, Anju doesn’t despair and calls upon our hero Link to help her.

She shows her true courage near the end of the game when she’s finally reunited with Kafei and instead of running away from the doomed Clock Town, she and her fiancé decide to stay behind and greet the dawn together.

8. Saria

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Girl number eight likes taking long walks in the forest, listening to ocarina music, the color green, and sealing away ancient evil. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Saria! She is Link’s best friend in Ocarina of Time (arguably the best Zelda game), and when I say “best friend,” I really mean “only friend.”

While everyone else is having fun mocking the Hero of Time, Saria plays it smart and sticks up for him, a good move in the long run. Like the Oracles, Saria is not all that she appears to be. Packed inside this three-foot-tall Kokiri lass is the power of the Sage of Forest.

Saria plays a pivotal role in Ocarina of Time by helping Link take the fight to Ganondorf and saving Hyrule from eternal darkness. Not bad for a girl that’s eternally 10-years-old.

7. Princess Ruto

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Ruto and I had a love-hate relationship when I played Ocarina of Time. I went charging ahead into Jabu-Jabu’s stomach to rescue her (Jabu-Jabu being a giant whale/fish creature), she decides that I should carry her around on my back, severely limiting my combat and “rescuing fish princesses” capabilities. But whatever, it kept her from bitching at me the whole time, and if there’s one thing I and most other guys in the world hate, it’s getting bitched at.

Personal rant aside, Princess Ruto does a 360 when you meet her seven years later. She’s no longer a selfish spoiled brat. Instead, she’s become a confident and capable woman who takes her duties as the princess of the Zora quite seriously. After narrowly escaping a freezing fate, Ruto dives headlong into the Water Temple, which any Zelda fan can tell you is the worst kind of temple (seriously, watch videos about Water Temples, they suck).

Oh, and Princess Ruto’s the only girl who is actually straightforward about her attraction to Link (*hint, hint* Zelda).

6. Impa

Zeldawiki.org

Appears In: The Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, The Adventure of Link

Impa is, for lack of better word, a badass (and very likely a ninja). She made her first appearance in The Legend of Zelda (well, the manual) and is responsible for seeking out Link so Princess Zelda could be rescued and Ganon defeated. She steps up her game in Ocarina of Time, where she is Zelda’s guardian and a Sheikah (a.k.a. a badass ninja, as previously mentioned). In Skyward Sword, Impa’s retains her role as Zelda’s guardian, protecting the young girl and staying with her in the past.

While she doesn’t always play a prominent role in the games, when Impa’s around she’s usually out in the battlefield being awesome (I’m going to let the Oracle games slide). She’s shown that she’s capable of duking it out of Ghirahim, she can turn invisible, and she can seal away ancient evil in a well. All in a day’s work for Impa.

5. Fi

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Skyward Sword

While Eiji Aonuma says that Fi isn’t technically female (and as the man in charge of The Legend of Zelda, I’m inclined to agree with him), Fi is definitely feminine in appearance, and since every other companion for Link has been female, we’ll call her a girl. Now that we’ve taken care of that, on to the meat of this particular entry!

Fi is the spirit of the Master Sword (a.k.a. the most powerful weapon in The Legend of Zelda) and also serves as the guide of its wielder (Link). She’s also one of the first companions since Majora’s Mask to provide useful information when asked (in Midna’s defense she would point out the weaknesses of some bosses), which is so very nice. Her last power is the ability to turn the Master Sword into a dowsing machine to help Link find treasure or people.

Once the day is saved from Ghirahim, Fi fades away into the Master Sword, never to be heard from again (unless she makes an appearance in the next game).

4. Malon

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time, The Minish Cap, Oracle of Seasons

Oh Malon, you were always my favorite girl (what, I have a thing for redheads, sue me!). Now, before anyone gets up in arms about the picture, I just want to point out that Cremia and Romani (pictured) are the counterparts to adult and child Malon respectively. So when you look at them, you pretty much see Malon at ages 17 and 10.

Anyway, Malon gets the number four slot because she provides Link with one of his greatest allies ever: Epona. And she’s cute. Malon comes across as very down to earth and is easily the more responsible of the two Lons (Seriously, her father is a lazy good-for-nothing!). She spends most of her time raising horses, Cuccos, and cattle, but every now and then she takes a break to race or sing, and between you and me, she’s got an amazing voice.

Sadly, Malon has not made an appearance since The Minish Cap, which saddens me. Did we really need Ilia? I, for one, would have preferred this copper-haired beauty.

3. Midna

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Twilight Princess

I’ll give it to you straight, I hated Midna at first. She was always ordering me around, making me collect stupid jewels for her against my will, treating me like a dog. It was almost like having a terrible girlfriend, something I like to avoid as a general rule. However, it wasn’t too far into the game where I began to love Midna. We had just blown up a bomb warehouse, and the only thing she could think to say was “Well, I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

After that it was me and Midna, causing all sorts of trouble in our attempts to save Hyrule. And once Princess Zelda was safe, Midna decided she had enough of being a two foot imp and turned into the picture above. Not bad, not bad at all (she’s more human than Ruto at least). Now if only she was able to tell me more about my enemies…

2. Princess Zelda

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Pretty much everything but Majora’s Mask and Link’s Awakening

I bet some of you are confused that Princess Zelda is only ranked at number two, despite the entire franchise being about her. Well, I don’t know what to tell you, so I guess I’ll just write this entry and be done with it.

Zelda’s pretty boss, she’s the Princess of Hyrule, the Seventh Sage, the Oracle of Hope, and the Spirit Maiden. In other words, she’s got a lot of work on her hands trying to keep Hyrule safe long enough for Link to clean up the mess. She’s also apparently an incarnation of the goddess Hylia and is born again every couple hundred years alongside the Hero of Time.

My favorite part about the Princess Zelda is her ability to disguise herself and kick some serious ass. In the Ocarina of Time she was Sheik, the “last of the Sheikah” and a badass ninja (just like Impa!). In Wind Waker she disguised herself as Tetra, a young pirate captain that sailed around and didn’t follow anyone’s rules but her own.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Zelda is the fact that she and Link never tie the knot despite the fact that every fan of the series knows they should (it’s like Jim and Pam from The Office!). However, given the fact that the two main character undergo reincarnation quite often, that’d almost mean that they’re related… possibly? I don’t know, reincarnation’s not really my thing.

1. Navi

Zeldawiki.org

Appeared In: Ocarina of Time

Hey! Listen! I’m pretty sure a lot of you are confused as to why I’d give Navi first place in this column, so hear me out. Navi is assigned to protect and guide Link by the Deku Tree, and by God she does her best throughout the entire game. Now I know that Navi is annoying as hell, shouting “Hey!” and “Listen!” more often than you breathe, but on the bright side she doesn’t ride you around the world or complain about some stupid kid with a mask ruining everything for her (I’m looking at you Midna and Tatl).

And let us not forget that Navi was a key part of the Z-Targeting system in Ocarina of Time, which was a pretty big deal at the time. She changed the system from an upside down triangle into a mini encyclopedia about nearly every enemy monster in the game. The only enemy that manages to throw off Navi is Ganon himself! The Gerudo King is the only one strong enough to stop Navi from helping you out, how many other companions in any game are that loyal?

Once Ganon is defeated, Navi apologizes for her inability to help in that fight, but the moment the Prince of Darkness returns, she turns to Link (or so I’d assume, it’s kinda hard to tell given that she’s nothing more than a winged ball of light) and says: “There’s no way he’s going to hold me back again! This time, we fight together!”

So yeah, Navi is the best Zelda girl out there. No one else comes close, not even Zelda herself.

I Don't Smoke Video Games

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:34:00 +0000

As many of you know, the gaming industry is constantly targeted in the legal system, usually due to the level of violence in video games. Ironically, the industry is under fire for games that feature characters under fire. Today, I’d like to focus on the legal issues that have recently engulfed the gaming industry and discuss their importance to us as consumers.

California and the Supreme Court

sdgln.com

Back in June of 2011, the Supreme Court Justices, in a 7-2 ruling, refused a California law prohibiting the sale of violent video games to patrons under the age of 18. The law didn’t name any specific video game, but lawyers called special attention to Postal 2. The law purposed to issue a fine of $1,000 to any one selling or renting a violent game to a minor, similar to laws that fine those who sell cigarettes to minors. The law was ultimately overturned, citing our right to Freedom of Speech.

Postal 2 Screenshot | fileplanet.com

Justice Stephen Breyer stated his feelings about the law saying, “… The statue prevents no one from playing a video game, it prevents no adult from buying a video game, and it prevents no child or adolescent from obtaining a game provided a parent is willing to help.”

He has a point. The law does not explicitly say that children cannot play the games, just that they cannot purchase it. Again, this is much like cigarette laws, where purchasing is the criminal act, not participating in it. Personally, I feel this is entirely flawed. If you’re going to do it, do it right. I’ve always had a problem with cigarettes laws, as those that exist don’t actually serve to stop the negative behavior, rather it serves as a deterrent. The same logic applies to this video game restriction as it only creates roadblocks, instead of stopping the problem all together. And, more importantly, is there even a problem?

The Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2011

gamespy.com

Apparently Congressman Joe Baca thought so. Back in 2011, Baca thought that he’d draw an even bigger comparison between cigarettes and video games when he proposed an act that would force game manufacturers to don a label stating “WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent videogames and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.” The fact that this bill was met with little to no reception back in 2009 didn’t discourage Baca from trying again, this time with a co-sponsor.

gamefront.com

While I’m all for the ERSB ratings that are found on both the front and (in greater detail) back of the video game cases, I feel this would be overkill. What is to stop us from putting labels on every magazine that read, "WARNING: Reading this may increase your self awareness to a point where you overanalyze yourself and become so critical of your appearance that your self esteem will all but disappear.”

The repercussions of entertainment have always been a cause of concern for consumers. As new forms of media evolve, so evolves the ability to blame new forms of media for society’s problems. Remember Marilyn Manson and how he taught your kid to shoot up their high school? Remember Braveheart and how it taught you to moon your enemies and then murder them? If we are to overly criticize one medium, let us overly criticize them all, equally. Let us suspend reality for a moment and pretend video games are the sole type of media being consumed by today’s youth. Many studies have been conducted to ascertain the nature of the link between violence and video games and studies from The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and The British Medical Journal, among others, have shown no conclusive connection between the two. So even if I were to believe that video games are the only place these kids are getting their information, how am I supposed to believe they are detrimental to a minor’s mental health? It is surprising that these lawsuits even come about. I mean, we do want to be responsible for our own actions, don’t we?

How Lineage II “ruined” a man’s life

linega2media.com

In 2010, a man named Craig Smallwood filed a lawsuit against NCsoft of South Korea, for compensatory damages because their game Lineage II was too addictive. Smallwood had logged between 20,000 hours between 2004 and 2009. He alleged that he “would not have begun playing if he was aware that he would become addicted to the game.” Ultimately District Judge Alan Kay ruled that the case could at least go to trial stating, “…The court finds that plaintiff [Smallwood] has stated a claim for both negligence and gross negligence.” While the case isn’t likely to go any further, it does raise some questions.

This is exactly why we have legal officials pushing these laws and bills that prohibit and restrict our freedoms as America consumers. When people fail to take responsibility for their own actions, it makes it okay for someone else to make decisions for us. And when that happens, bills like the previous two will only have more reason to be passed.

And that will be a sad, sad day.

Time To Save The Galaxy...

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:42:00 +0000

After some frustrating customer service at one video game retail store and some exceptional customer service at a sister store of that same video game retailer, a headache, and much excitement, I finally got my hands on Mass Effect 3, with the From Ashes DLC included. In order to celebrate the most anticipated game of 2012, I’m chronicling my journey through the galaxies of the final chapter of BioWare’s masterpiece. While I’m in the process of starting Mass Effect 3 (which is slightly delayed due to an exam in my Entertainment Law class and a pretty full schedule) I’m going to write some quick memories of my Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 experience.

mikewashburn.net

For anyone unfamiliar with the series check out the Wikipedia article about Mass Effect, which does a pretty good job explaining the basics about the series’ gameplay and universe, or the Mass Effect website. Oh, additionally, the following has some SPOILERS of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect

The first time I stepped in the shoes of Commander Shepard (mine, by the way, is a male named Luke) I remember being impressed with the level of customization available not only on the appearance of the character but also on the combat stylization. In fact, I recall on my first play-through of Mass Effect I automatically selected Soldier, unaware of the fact that there were other classes available, because I was so excited to get started. When I replayed the game last summer, I created an entirely new character. I recall correctly, this Commander Luke Shepard was a space colonist and eventually became a war hero after enlisting in the military. Instead of selecting the Soldier class again, I chose to be a Vanguard, as I finally understood the game mechanics and the usefulness of biotic abilities. Throughout both games, I leaned closer to the Paragon side in my actions, although I tried my best to seriously contemplate and judge my actions on an individual basis, playing Shepard as though I had to live with the consequences of my actions forever.

Ashley & Garrus | masseffect.wikia.com

Throughout the course of my adventures through the galaxy, I completed a majority of the side missions in addition to the main story missions. Utilizing weaponry as well as biotic abilities, I choose to add additional firepower to my team by taking the military-minded Ashley on the majority of missions. When I took her, I usually took Garrus, the Taurian tech-warrior, as my third member.

Wrex & Tali | masseffect.wikia.com

When I switched it up, I used the Wrex, the brutish Krogan bounty hunter, and Tali, the Quarian tech-specialist, giving myself a balanced team most of the time. As much as I love Mass Effect, my favorite moments are few compared to Mass Effect 2. The part I enjoyed the most, however, was the feeling and depth the main mission planets provided. Feros was extremely atmospheric and the first time going through the game, I was caught off guard by the mutations that took place upon returning to the town. Noveria, too, created quite a desolate and abandoned atmosphere. The snowy planet was had beautiful scenery as did Virmire, the beach-themed planet. I can still remember playing on a warm, breezy day, feeling like I was actually on the planet storming Saren’s Geth base. That mission featured some of the most memorable and exciting series of events I’ve seen in any game.

The characters were greatly detailed as was the dialogue between them. Developing relationships was one of the best parts about Mass Effect. For the most part, all of the characters were pretty intriguing. Unfortunately, the characters I found to be the least interesting were all of the love interests. For my Shepard, I had the option between Ashley (who was prejudice against all of our alien comrades) and Liara (who was less interesting then a snail race without salt). For female Shepards, they at least had Kaidan, who was fairly interesting and complex. Honestly though, I felt he paled in comparison to the depth I found in Tali and Garrus, which is likely why they were brought back for Mass Effect 2. It might be an unfair comparison. As a human character, there is less to learn about Ashley and Kaidan, especially compared to the cultural and racial differences between the alien members of my squad.

From the landing on Eden Prime to the final confrontation on the Citadel, Mass Effect did a very good job of making me feel like I was actually fighting with a purpose! Below are some of the highlights of my story based on what I can remember as I attempted to stop the Geth:

· Managed not to kill any of the people on Feros during the uprooting of the Thorian
· Spared Shiala on Feros
· Freed the Rachini Queen on Noveria
· Saved Liara T’Soni on Therum
· During the confrontation with Wrex on Virmire, managed to peacefully reconcile
· Pursued a romantic relationship with Ashley
· Choose to save Ashley over Kaidan on Virmire
· Convinced Saren to kill himself during the final confrontation
· Sacrificed the council during the battle against Sovereign for the greater good
· Appointed Captain Anderson as the human representative to the council
· Never did any of the DLC

Mass Effect 2

Having defeated Sovereign, I began the journey through Mass Effect 2 feeling triumphant and untouchable. BioWare, likely aware of my arrogance, quickly cut me down by allowing the Collectors to fire on my ship, cause my entire team and I to be separated. While I was subconsciously aware that I’d somehow have to rebuild my team (the same way Samus seems to always lose her powers in some creative way only to retrieve them once again in the Metroid series), I was still pretty shocked at how quickly and abruptly my ship was struck down. Having little time to reveal in my past success, I began to rebuild my crew, this time under the command of Cerberus.

Cerberus Logo | masseffect.wikia.com

I assumed the same class I had from the previous game and became a Vanguard for Cerberus. After being put back together Six Million Dollar Man style, I knew I was in for quite a ride. While the gameplay changed pretty distinctively, the universe was very much consistent with the first game.

Mordin & Grunt | masseffect.wikia.com

My favorite memories from Mass Effect 2 definitely center on the loyalty missions. The missions not only served to prolong gameplay but also introduced me to a different side of the character in most cases. The game also introduced a wider variety of squad members this time around. Mordin, the Salarian Scientist, for example, was not only unique in that he was the first possible Salarian squad member, but he also had a distinct style of speaking and sense of humor, which allowed me to connect with him on a more personal level. Since playing this game, every subsequent game has had to do what Mass Effect 2 did; make me care about the character. I'm sure I cared about character depth on a subliminal level prior to playing Mass Effect 2, but now I'm hyper-aware when a shallow character acts as the protagonist. This isn't really a bad thing, though, as character development does a lot for a game. Mordin, who in my opinion is on the weaker side when it comes to offensive ability, was one of my favored characters whereas Grunt, who was a less cool version of Wrex with less personality, was one of my least favorites, even though he was probably better suited to be on the battlefield in most cases.

I was also glad to see not only recurring characters like Garrus and Tali, but the way in which they developed was also impressive. Garrus, like you’d expect, treated Shepard like an old friend. It was interesting to actually feel the connection they had and understand the familiarity between the two. In other games that feature war buddies, you simply are told that you and some other character have a history, but to have experienced the war stories Shepard and Garrus are sharing first hand in the first game greatly enhances the experience.

Thinking back now, I loved the recruitment aspect of the game as well. Going after the Archangel and the scientist on Omega was one of the coolest experiences ever. Gang wars have not been so well done since the days of GTA: San Andreas. In addition, the recruitment of the prisoner was by far one of the coolest parts in the game. After learning Jack’s name, I expected a huge, burly dude that was capable of making Grunt cry. What I got, instead, was a bald-headed, tattooed girl with a bad attitude. I recall first seeing her and being half confused and half elated, because I saw so much potential for her to be a deep, interesting character. Unfortunately for Jack, I was also very taken by Miranda, the Cerberus office who aided in rescuing me from my old ship’s wreckage. Must’ve been the accent (or the bodysuit). Anyway, I recall actually being engaged with the conversations they had, and wanting to know more about her especially after completing her loyalty mission.

Miranda & Samara | masseffect.wikia.com

As far as my squad is concern, I generally used Miranda and Samara, but I changed the party as the situation dictated, utilizing everyone at some point in the game (with maybe the exception of Jacob and Grunt, as I didn’t really care for them that much). I also rejoiced in the diversity of level design this time around. During Mass Effect, aside from main-story missions, the planet surfaces and dungeons/building interiors were very similarly designed (with some exceptions like the Luna mission). Additional, the item management of this game was much better. Instead of worrying about inventory like I did in the first game, I was free to focus on character development and action. All in all, Mass Effect 2 was not what I expected; rather it was something far greater. As I fought against the Collectors, there were several major decisions that I made:

· Imported my Shepard from Mass Effect (and got the associated perks)
· Recruited all squad members and completed all loyalty missions
· Pursued a romantic relationship with Miranda (Sorry, Ash!)
· Managed to save all of my crew and squad
· Fully upgraded the ship
· Survived the suicide mission
· Destroyed the Collector’s ship
· Never did any of the DLC

Now that my Xbox is done updating and the DLC is done downloading, I must venture off, dear readers, to save the galaxy from impending doom. I’ll keep you posted!

[Re-Play] Super Mario World

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Hey everyone! This is the first iteration of the Re-Play section of my blog. In this column, I'll cover games that are just itching to be played again. I'm going to try to focus on games from consoles at least one generation behind the current one, but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, without further ado, here it goes!

From the moment the coin-noise plays and Nintendo presents appears on the screen I was hooked. The short introduction that follows (seen below) is just a small glimpse of perfection that this early 90’s title has to offer.

For many of us, Super Mario World is a window into our childhood. I recall spending many hours exploring the world, trying my best to find every secret level and special area. (Random note: it wasn't until I replayed the game again in high school that I stumbled upon the actual Secret Area level. Man, that would've made life easier back then). I marveled at the artwork and the enemy design. In fact, I remember going as far as to designing my own trading card game (based off of the Pokemon TCG’s setup) featuring the Mario characters and enemies of this game. Hey, I was like five at the time, so cut me some slack. Anyway, while this idea never went anywhere beyond my art pad, it nonetheless demonstrates my love for this game.

I recently spent a few hours delving back into the game I knew and loved via the Wii Virtual Console and I must say this game definitely withstands the test of time. Now being seasoned in platforming games, it is easy to quickly get through the entire game (even without using Star Road). In fact, having played the original Super Mario Bros. recently, it seems that this game is a little bit easier compared to its predecessor, which was likely a conscious choice by the developer to appeal to a broader (and younger) audience. The true joy, however, is not in the challenge the game presents now, but the memories that surface while playing it. Let’s take a look back at Super Mario World.

The Idea: Venture through several lands as you attempt to save Princess Peach (again) from Bowser and his army of Koopas. On the way, run from ghosts, cross lava pits, and partake in the consumption of drugs (Mushrooms? “Fire Flowers”?) Furthermore, you ride dinosaurs. What's not to love?

obsoletegamer.com

The Look: Visually stunning for its time. Personally, I find the two-dimensional graphics to be among the best of any SNES game and I still enjoy the art style used. The mix of cartoonish characters appeal to the demographic the game targeted and the simple backdrops make focusing on the action much easier. The diversity of level environments also kept the game fresh.

genkivideogames.com

The Sound: Iconic noises such as the 1-Up, the Power-Up, and Yoshi’s music all appear here. Watch out, though, because these tunes may become ingrained in your brain after an hour or two of playing.

The Play: Tight mechanics and well thought out level design. This game is superb when it comes to control. There are a few glitches, but none of them seemed to be all that noticeable, and the rare ones that were didn’t hinder my progress. Check out Mario being put to the test in some custom levels that are (quite accurately) dubbed The Impossible Levels.

The Entertainment: Besides the nostalgia factor here, the game still is one of the most fun and, at times, frustrating games of its kind. Once you get beyond the Twin Bridges and Ludwig Von Koopa in Castle #4, the game starts to get more challenging. Forest of Illusion struck a great balance between confusion and clarity for first time players, by forcing them to think outside of the formula they had been introduced to and look for multiple ways to finish each level. And the Sunken Ship is still as infuriating as it is entertaining.

The Challenge: While the game may have been challenging to us as youngsters, it seems to be a little easier these days. This is especially true once you reach Donut Plains and the Cape becomes available. Simply grab a Feather Power-Up and you’re able to take the scenic route over 90% of the outdoor stages.

The Legacy: In addition to selling 20.6 million copies globally, we see the first introduction of Yoshi here. This little green dino made such an impact that he, and his band of multicolored dinosaur friends, starred in the direct sequel of Super Mario World (which somehow featured Mario as a deafening baby, even though it’s the second release in the series).

cdn3.hark.com

And to conclude this nostalgia post I leave you with two of the most impressive custom levels I’ve come across. This first video is a level is untouched by human hands. Mario moves based on in-game mechanics such as the Music Note box, stomping on enemies, conveyer platforms and more. Oh, and did I mention it’s done in synchronization with music? Now that’s impressive.

This second video is a TAS, meaning it is completely done using an emulator and is only edited to look like precise human playing, when actually the human element has been removed. More on TAS can be found at TASvideos.org. So, while this isn’t as impressive as it would be if someone could actually play like that, it’s still cool to watch Mario beast through this custom level that showcases every single exploitable glitch in the game. Plus this music is pretty entrancing.

Well, that about wraps it up for me. Now it’s your turn! What are your favorite memories of Super Mario World? What is your favorite Mario game of all time?

[Top 10] Non-Legendary Pokemon

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Martin) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:47:00 +0000

Today's guest column was written by my friend, Sean McClellan. The topic of interest is one of the most monstrous brands known in the gaming world (pun intended).

SEAN: Like religion, Pokémon has affected us all: you either love it or you hate it, there is rarely a middle ground and you cannot escape it. Over the series’ 16 year lifespan, over 600 different Pokémon have been created and discovered, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. However, not all Pokémon are equal in power, as most members of Team Rocket (and the other teams) will tell you. Now I could just tell you what the ten best Pokémon are, but it’d likely result in me writing down the names of ten legendary Pokémon that the games require you to catch in order to complete the story line.

However, I don’t want to do that, so instead I present you with ten of the strongest non-legendary Pokémon. Let it be known that I based my findings off of research that included checking their base stats, their weaknesses and resistances, and their move pools. For Pokémon that were more or less similar, I picked the one that I thought was the best.

10. Kingdra