July 11th, what a significant day on the calender for our country. Now normally, I haven't played many games for this blog to coincide with specific dates or holidays, mainly because I haven't wanted to, but also because there haven't been that many specific dates that would make for good video game blog posts. But July 11th? Oh yeah, this one had to be written about. July 11th, or 7/11 as it is more commonly written/typed, is celebrated across this great country by everyone of all genders, ages, races, sexes, religious beliefs and ethical values. It is recognized and celebrated for being Free Slurpee Day, at any and all (participating) 7-11 convenience stores. In other words, it's pretty much the best day of the year. I love 7-11 stores. Well, I used to as a kid, as I don't seem to have the same affinity for them now as an adult that I did when I was just a young noyse-maker. Back then, going to 7-11 was an awesome experience, for some odd reason. There was one a couple blocks from my house, and my friends and I would always head over there whenever the mood seemed to fit. One friend in particular would always meet me Sunday mornings at the end of our paper routes, and we would ride over together to grab some donuts and whatever else we felt necessary to celebrate the fact we were up and done with "work" before most adults were even thinking about getting out of bed. And then you have the Slurpees. 7-11 Slurpees are unlike anything else ever. They are often imitated, never duplicated. Sure, some people prefer Slushies or Icees, but clearly those people haven't truly lived. Slurpees are iconic staple of summer time, right up there with lazy days by the river and Sublime on the radio. Slurpees, 7-11 stores and my childhood always remind me of one thing, however. The Simpsons, and more specifically, the Kwik-E-Mart pretty much are the perfect examples of Slurpees/7-11/my childhood in cartoon form. And because of this long, drawn out analogy, I decided to play The Simpsons Arcade Game, which just so happens to be another awesome part of my childhood. I can remember one pizza place in town specifically that had The Simpsons Arcade Game, I can't even begin to fathom how many quarters I may have dropped into that machine over the years. I loved, loved, loved that game, and honestly, still do. So playing this on my PS3 is more fun than I could possibly imagine. Fortunately, I don't need to keep pumping quarters in to keep playing on, because as much as I have played the game, it's still ridiculously hard when playing solo. It's a 4-player co-op, and to truly be good at it, you should strive to fill in all four player slots. But hey, despite my lack of friends, I still enjoyed playing it, in all its old-school Simpsons cheesiness. And I have my free Slurpee earlier in the day to thank for the inspiration. And of course the best holiday of the year.
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When you think of Nintendo as a gaming company, you don't typically associate them with the shooter-genre type of video games. Platformers, casual gaming, amazing IPs? Sure, those are fit the bill when you're talking about the company responsible for Mario. Zelda and the cute little GameCube. But shooters? Nope, not even close to the top of the list as far as word association goes. Let us not forget, though, dear readers, that Nintendo is single-handily responsible for beginning the shooter revolution. Might I remind you of a little game called Duck Hunt, the game where shooting was all you did? Where every kid had a light gun they could pretend was a real one, where sitting as close to the TV was optimal in order to get the best shot off, and while it wasn't technically defined as one, the FPS was established in the main stream video game universe. We can't stop there, though. Remember the Super Scope, the peripheral for the SNES that essentially was used for more specific and non-common weapons in games, like the sniper rifle or bazooka? Man, that thing was awesome. Anyway, the shooter genre has been ingrained into Nintendo's long, rich history since the beginning, subtly creating one of the most successful genres of games in the industry today, which some could argue is driving the industry as a whole. Just think about that next time you play the word association game and you pull "Nintendo" out of the hat of possible words. With that, I played Sniper Elite V2 for the Wii U. While this game came out well over a year before the Wii U version, on all the other consoles, I wanted to try it out on the Wii U to pay homage to what the Nintendo company has done as far as Shooters are concerned. This game is a fun sniper game, but nothing breathtaking. The close-quarter combat is forgettable at best, but the game excels at the sniper aspect. I suppose it better considering the name of the game, right? I have to admit, that I am an absolute sucker for snipers in games. If there is a sniper class to pick from, I will usually go that direction (remember Monday Night Combat? Sniper all the way, baby). I think its the intensity coupled with the ability to take my time and methodically pick off enemies as I see fit, from safe distances. And every shot a sniper takes has to be perfect, because missing is not an option. you have to be perfect, and that drive is all the motivation I need sometimes. This game gives me that feeling tenfold. It's a fun, serviceable game, like I said, but nothing that will take me away from other games. Apparently there was a lot of grief because the Wii U version is a stripped down version of the game, lacking online multiplayer and DLC, but honestly, unless you played the game on other consoles already, why would you miss something you knew nothing about? Best thing about this shooter is no dumb (yet totally awesome) peripheral is required to be the ultimate sniper. Also, no dogs to laugh at your mistakes. Sounds like a win-win to me. The Apple App Store is celebrating it's five year anniversary, which is crazy to think about. On one hand, it seems like only yesterday that we stepped into this new, digital age. But on the other hand, doesn't it seem like smartphones - more specifically the iPhone - has been around much, much longer than five measly years? Anyway, in celebration of the five year anniversary, Apple selected five games to give away for free (five apps, as well), to showcase the growth of the store, as well as the variety of games that they offer, and have for years. They didn't necessarily pick out the most popular or best selling games (sorry, Angry Birds fans), but they did pull out five games that are unique, creative and superbly showcase what mobile gaming is, and can be, all about. One of those five games is Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. To be completely honest, I had never heard of this game before ever, so when I downloaded it (free games aren't anything to shrug at kids, especially when you're writing a blog like I am), I went in to it completely blind and unknowing as to what I was about to experience. When I booted it up, I was prompted to pug in headphones. Right off the bat, I knew this would be more than your average game. It is an adventure game, designed in gorgeous pixel art and utilizing amazing ambient noise and a superb soundtrack. You control your adventurer pointing on the screen where you want him to walk, you double-tap to interact with objects, people or prompts, and you pinch to zoom in and out. Basically, it's your standard mobile game, designed to play without the use of buttons. For console gamers, this is hard barrier to break through, but with practice, it becomes second nature just like any other controller scheme. The combat in the game is initiated by turning your device, bringing you into a 1-on-1 battle, where two on-screen buttons for attack and defend are used to attempt to conquer your foe. It would have been simple to just add on-screen buttons to the normal game without any flipping, but it's those kinds of small details that usually make certain mobile games stand out in the crowd of junk. Noises - and to a lesser degree, music - play an important role to the gaming experience, especially when wearing headphones. The noise and music is ambient, subtly immersing you into the universe that you are traveling in. Without jaw-dropping graphics to rely on, the sound becomes that much more important, much like numerous successful NES games figured out back in the day. Sure, you could play this game without paying much attention to the sound, but that would be like eating gourmet cooking with a severe cold - just won't taste the same. Unfortunately, while there are many aspects to this game I enjoy, I just don't know how much time I can consciously sink in to it. I have it downloaded to my iPad, so I assume I can get back to it while traveling or when other forms of gaming isn't readily available, but I can't justify spending my precious free time with this game, or any other mobile game, when I have other choices. I just don't see that changing for mobile gaming for me in the near future at all. No matter how cool and awesome the game is. Unless it's Angry Birds, of course. What is the opposite of a pallet cleanser? Usually you use a pallet cleanser to rid yourself of the guilt or shamefulness of enjoying something horrible or socially unacceptable. But in this case, I needed something horrific and brutal to make up for playing Monsters University: Catch Archie yesterday. So with that, I played one of my top 10 favorite games on the Wii system, MadWorld, which for the most part, wen grossly under appreciated an unnoticed from the general population of gamers. But for me, this game was awesome, beautiful and over the top in ways I didn't think were possible coming from the "system for casual gamers," the Nintendo Wii. Playing this game again made me fully appreciate it once again, as I had started to forget just how fun this game is. It is completely designed in black and white, with each color being used perfectly to accent each other and honestly create a fantastic looking game. There is a little more than black and white, however, coming in the color red, which of course, is used to show the pints and pints of blood spilled during the playing of this game. Your character looks like he is straight out of Gears of War, as he feels completely overpowered compared to the enemies he is fighting - which is awesome. In a game like this, you should feel like a completely dominant freak of nature. The game isn't built around stealth or strategy, but straight up violence, carnage and brutality. Oh, the violence. This is not a game to play with, around or in the same city as kids. It is bloodier than you could possible imagine. The ways to kill people is extreme and creative, as you get more points for chaining violence together into crazy, ridiculous and fearsome kills. And it's awesome. I realize I have said the word "awesome" a lot in this write-up, but man, if there is any game deserving of that sort of repetition, it's MadWorld. When people point to Nintendo or the Wii in general as being a "kiddie" system, I always - always - point back to this game as an argument as to what Nintendo is capable of pushing out and allowing, when they see fit. Now can we get a sequel, please? You know when I play and write about games like this, there is a good reason for it. Well, this posting is no different, because well, I have a million games to play and these types of games usually don't make it to the top of my gaming priority list. If I filled my free time with free kids games on my iPad, I would seriously, literally never get to finish any awesome, real game I ever buy and play. Not that I'm doing a banner job as it is at completing my pile of shame, but still. Could you imagine? The reason I played Monsters University: Catch Archie was a simple one: my daughter. I had her over for the weekend, which is always awesome. We went to see the new Monsters University movie on Saturday, and while were just hanging out around the apartment, she discovered I had an iPad. It's not that I had been hiding it from her, I just hadn't ever thought to bust it out for her to play, for no other reason than we are always busy when she is over here, so we don't have much time for that kind of stuff for the most part. But this weekend, we had a little bit of free time, and well, one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, I am downloading tons - and I mean tons - of kids games to my iPad. Ones of which was Monsters University, mainly because she was still on a high from seeing that movie. This is an endless runner type of game, which I usually don't play at all (except for like Bit.Trip Runner 2), but I hear that kids these days love these types of games. Unlike most game where the camera is fixed directly behind the player, the camera in this game is off to the side at a angle. It's not a bad thing, just a thing to get used to if you are familiar with "the norm." You swipe the screen to drift right or left, jump or duck, but you always recenter in the path, which makes it easier for young ones it seems. Collecting tokes is the key to high scores, as is catching the pig you are chasing (Archie) in order to beat the level properly, opposed to running out of time. My little princess did a fairly good job with it, truth be told. She wasn't the best or fantastic, but for a four year old, not too shabby. We eventually just started playing together, both trying to swipe at the same time, usually ended in disaster, but making for fun daddy-daughter times. After she went to bed, while I was waiting for her to fall asleep, I actually went back and played more levels, trying to 3-star them, because well, I have a problem. Overall, it's a free game, and while it doesn't last super long, it's a fun game for the little ones to play without getting more frustrated than necessary. Just try not to like it too much - I'm sure you all have games sitting around, waiting to be finished, too. So I played another game on my new OUYA today. I needed a little pallet cleanser, to be honest, and what better way to do that than with a mindless, run of the mill Third Person Shooter? I'm pretty sure that's the exact reason these types of games are so popular in the first place. Well, that's exactly what Shadowgun is - a mindless TPS. And you know what? That is OK, my friends. Sometimes - actually, most of the time - it is better and easier to be honest about what you are instead of trying to be something you're not. Shadowgun is very, very honest about what it is, and I appreciate that, even if it's a genre that I'm not the biggest fan of. When I was playing it, my cousin walked in and asked me if I was playing Gears of War. A lot had to do with the bulkiness of the character, the hiding behind barricades and the complete sci-fi shooter theme it had going on. Sure, usually a knock-off Gears of War would be a negative thing, but considering this is coming from the OUYA and is an indie developed game, it's quite impressive that a casual onlooker would make that comparison. And actually, a lot has to be said for the graphics. Sure, it isn't the most polished game, both in graphics and AI, but compared to a $60 triple-A title, it's really impressive. It does play a lot like Gears of War, though. It has some different game play elements that set it apart from Gears, but overall, it's hard not to make a game like this and not elicit comparisons. Again, for it being an OUYA game, I remain impressed. It's one of the games you can show people who are on the fence about this new system and maybe sway them towards considering it more than they were. Overall, I enjoyed this game and I am enjoying the OUYA as a whole. I have no buyers remorse yet, and that's saying something, right? Today, I added yet another system to my collection, broadening even more the scope and range of games that I can and will play for this year long project. At this pace, I could probably carry this on for several years, but first thing's first - let's get through this year before we get too ahead of ourselves. On my doorstep this morning was a box - from Amazon.com, specifically - and inside the wonderfully packaged shipping container was something I ordered a couple of weeks ago that I have been desperately waiting for a while. I got myself the Kickstarter phenom, the little gaming console designed specifically with indie developers in mind. That's right, I'm talking about the OUYA. For one, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that can replicate the feeling of setting up a brand new gaming console for the first time. It's so hard to explain, but everything from the unboxing, to figuring out shelf placement and cord management, to setting up a new account and getting used to the unfamiliar interface - it's all just amazing. Speaking of the OUYA... So anyway, once I got all the set-up steps taken care of, I actually got to sit down and play some games on the thing. First thing to point out is that every single game in the marketplace is available to download as a trial/demo before you pay anything. This is actually the only way to obtain games, and if you decide you like the game enough to buy it, you do so right from the in-game menus. And one of the first games I decided to download and try out on this new system was the tried and true old classic trivia game, You Don't Know Jack.
I remember playing this game way, way, way back in the day on PC, over at my friend's house. Whenever I would spend the night, that was always one of the things we did every time. We always had a great time playing it, enjoying lots of laughs and occasionally learning something too. So I've always had a special place in my heart for this game, and over the years I have played other versions of it, on all the different platforms it has come to. Needless to say, I was excited to give it a go on the OUYA. The game plays exactly how it always has, loaded with charm and wit, laughs, sarcasm, pop culture references and the legit trivia game experience. There is nothing new to report on this aspect of the game, as I could try describing all the quirks that make this game an enjoyable experience until I'm blue in the face, but ultimately, it is something that needs to be experienced first hand to fully grasp just how awesome it really is. One thing about this OUYA version, however, is the new ways in which the game can be played with multiple people. While the OUYA only ships with one controller, and you can buy additional ones if you so choose to, You Don't Know Jack offers players a way to play with friends without shelling out tons of money for additional controllers. It has a feature that allows players 2-4 to play using their smartphones, simply by downloading the specific app for free (on-screen QR symbol points directly towards it if you scan it). Once you have the app, you just sync it to the game via Bluetooth and viola! You have a fully functional You Don't Know Jack controller in the palm of your hands! This game is best played with friends, so limiting it to those with additional controllers would be foolish. It's nice to see the OUYA is already taking the necessary steps to speak directly to the consumers who may be burnt out on the typical gaming console experience. I can't wait to dive further into the many games that OUYA already has available. Oh, and did I mention you can download NES and SNES emulators on the thing? Color me excited ... and overwhelmed with my choices for games to play! And to think, six months ago I worried about not having enough games to fulfill a year's worth. Who was I kidding? Happy Fourth of July, the holiday where we celebrate our great country's independence (that's America, for any of my international readers), because without it, we wouldn't have become the land of opportunity, where dreams come true. A lot of people complain about this holiday, mainly because of all the drinking, fireworks being obtained and used by the general public, and the overall tomfoolery that is associated with it. Sure, over-indulgence of the freedoms we have as a country can always sour the things we should be celebrating, but that goes without saying for many things in our lives. The thing is, by complaining and sweating the small stuff, it essentially implies that our freedoms are taken for granted. Sometimes you just need to sit back and realize just how lucky we are to be able to live the lives we do, the way we choose. By playing The Walking Dead: 400 Days, the (essentially but not quite) stand-alone DLC "chapter" in the original game's episodic story, it made me think that when push comes to shove, and when everything is ripped away from your world as you know it, then and only then is it easy to realize just how trivial it was in the first place to worry about the little things in life. It's only when you lose everything that you can truly appreciate anything ... or something like that. Like I said, this game is essentially a stand-alone next chapter in the story, only because it is required you at least have chapter one of the The Walking Dead episodic game. It doesn't directly involved any characters or story lines that took place through the five chapters of TWD, though there are a few subtle nods at the game. In this one chapter, you play the role of five different people, experiencing their stories, all individually. TellTale games, the developer of this game franchise, has said that this is meant to be a stop-gap between the end of season 1 and the upcoming season 2, but it is unclear if these stories or characters will actually have anything to do with season 2 as it stands now. There seems to be some indication that it's possible, but we will just have to wait and see. It almost feels like a prequel to season 2, rather than any sort of continuation to season 1, but I'm sure all unanswered questions will be solved in due time. 400 Days plays just like season 1, and it is littered with tough choices and heartbreaking moments. Sure, the character development is brief and rushed, but I still feel like they did a good enough job making you attach yourself to characters and the moral and ethical choices you have to make for them - and even the ones you have no control over. Overall, it is grim. By the end of the chapter, you have reached 400 days since the outbreak begun. Society as it once was has completely crumbled to dust, and only shreds of humanity remain. Everything we enjoy now, both as privileges and rights, are mere memories. In this bleak and meager world that they have created and showcase in 400 Days, there are no little things to complain. Nothing is taken for granted and there are no freedoms left. Think about that next time you want to complain about your neighbors firing off fireworks one night of the year. It could also be worse. Much, much worse. As the ring entrance music for Chris Jericho says... Break the walls down!!! And when I say walls, I'm more specifically referring the fourth wall, the imaginary barrier between the entertainment product and the viewer of said entertainment. the term "fourth wall" was originally coined in the 19th century for the theater to define the imaginary boundary between the fictional work on stage and the audience. In present day, when someone "breaks the fourth wall," it is describing the act of a fictional character openly and directly acknowledging the fact that they are a fictional character in front of an audience. It can happen in TV shows or movies, usually when an actor or character directly looks at the camera and makes a comment, referencing the fact they are being watched as an entertainment product. It's not a frequent thing that happens, but when it does, it's always a nice touch, no matter how subtle it is. There is one character in pop culture that not only exploits the impact of breaking the fourth wall, but actually has made a name for himself by doing so. Of course, I am talking about the Marvel character Deadpool, who notoriously breaks the fourth in every media form he is presented in, whether it be in comic books, movies and yes, even video games. Deadpool the video game the first stand-along game featuring The Merc with a Mouth as the main character, and despite its short-comings as a legit "triple A" game, it makes up for it in charm, wit and character. The best thing it does to legitimize it and the Deadpool character himself is being fully conscious of itself as a video gaming, breaking the fourth wall immediately. The premise is as simple as it is complicated. You are Deadpool, and you have a "big game idea" for a video game that you think should be made staring you. You pitch the idea, it gets picked up after some persuasion, and then you get the script of the game they studio thinks should be made. The actual game that you, the player, plays is the game that you, Deadpool, is living through the script of the game you pitched originally. Confused? Yeah, that's the point. Nolan North, the voice actor most famously known for his work as Nathan Drake, does voice acting for Deadpool. In the beginning of the game, Deadpool gets a call from Nolan North, telling him that he would be honored to play the Deadpool character in the game being developed, explaining how he thinks the character should be played. Breaking the fourth wall? More like dropping a nuclear bomb on it. The actual game is a hack-and-slash third-person action game, based around crazy combos, upgrading abilities and weapons and exploring the crazy world that Deadpool and his insanity lives in. The graphics aren't amazing, the game play is a little frustrating at times especially when trying to do a counter move but you do the teleportation move instead because they are mapped to the same button - but other than that, the game is just down right fun. It doesn't have a deep, emotional storyline, it is graphically superior to everything else ever made, but at its roots, it's an fun ride meant to do nothing more than entertain. And entertain it does. If this game was just your run of the mill third-person action hack-and-slash game, it would be just another game. But because it is Deadpool and he brings with him everything that has made him one of the most fan-friendly and popular Marvel characters, the game is brilliant. It doesn't take itself too seriously, ever, and if you're looking for an escape from the mind-melting seriousness of games like The Last of Us or other critically acclaimed games like it, Deadpool is the way to go. Just be prepared to have every wall in existence broken down. Tonight, I was ready to get some good PS3 gaming in. I've been dying to get back in to one particular game that I haven't wrote about, finish a couple of other ones, and more importantly, play a really awesome one that I just picked up today. While I was on vacation, I got my gaming fix in, but handhelds and PC gaming will only hold my interest for so long. I wanted some real console experiences - I want my PS3. So when I went to play tonight, I got hit with a ridiculously slow system update that's probably been waiting to upload for who knows how long. It was prompted when I tried to get on to the Playstation store, to go and download a bunch of games that are on sale that I probably won't ever have time to get around to playing. Because of this fabulous system updated, I decided to turn my gaming attention towards my new system, the Sega Genesis. Tonight, I played a game that I think I've played before, but honestly I can't remember due to the influx of games of this genre, both on home consoles and arcade machines as well. I played Streets of Rage, the side-scrolling beat'em up fighter. It plays just like all other games like it: Walk a little bit until you encounter an enemy from either side of the screen, fight them with a couple basic moves, clear the screen, move on to the next set of enemies, and repeat over and over again until the level is over. Add an enlarged boss battle at the end of each level, coupled with the ability to pick up weapons like drain pipes and bottles, mix in a special attack like a police car firing a rocket into the crowd of enemies, and there you have Streets of Rage. I really wish there was something profound to write about this game, but unfortunately, it is what it is. I didn't even get the same feeling tonight as I did yesterday playing Comix Zone. The game just doesn't hold up well, even compared to others in the genre. I guess what they say is true. Sometimes an old game is just an old game. Now if you excuse me, I have to go watch my PS3 system update bar slowly move. Wait, is it even moving still? I can't even tell. Ugh... |
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February 2014
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