Let's see a show of hands here: who remembers the Dreamcast? And I'm not talking about just knowing about it and remembering that it was a thing, but who actually remembers the most before-its-time gaming console ever? Aside from not being able to actually see who is raising their hand, I'm going to assume that there isn't many people who owned one originally, or played it extensively. Maybe I am totally wrong, but it seems like people's memories of it usually consist of just remembering it came out, or a few specific games, not actually investing tons of time (or money for that matter) into the console itself. Well, I never owned one before, back in the day, but one of my good friends got one when it first came out, and I spent a LOT of time over there playing all the coolest games that no one else had, like the NBA and NFL 2K games, Crazy Taxi and of course, Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio as it was known back then upon it's initial release). Tonight, I played Jet Set Radio. But I didn't play it on Dreamcast, unfortunately. While I have the system now (thanks to my good buddy James, @SirJamezTown), I don't own the game for it. I have it on my Vita, however, thanks to PS+, but tonight, I played it on Steam. I got it through Steam thanks to an awesome dude and a huge reason that I am where I am today in this crazy internet universe, Eric (AZrockslide) from Everyday Gamers. He was awesome and gifted me the game for no reason whatsoever, other than he thought I would like it. Well, Eric, you were right. I love this game, and I love that I now have it on PC as well. The game play itself is fun, rolling around the streets on your sweet roller-blades. I love skating around, tagging things as I go, as it makes me feel so rebellious. Actually, I have always enjoyed and appreciated the art of graffiti. If it wasn't done illegally, I think it would be more widely accepted. Better than all of that, however, is the soundtrack. What an amazing mix of music. I just ride around the game, not even worrying about missions, just to hear the soundtrack. By far, it is the highlight of the gaming experience. So go dust of your old Dreamcasts if you got them, and fire up some Jet Grind Radio. Or buy it on PSN, XBLA or Steam, if you wish to be more "modern." Thanks again, Eric. Keep up being awesome.
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First off, let me start out by congratulating the guys from EverydayGamers.com for reaching the huge milestone of their 200th podcast. I was first introduced to them a few months ago, and was lucky enough to be invited on to episode 193 of their podcast. Since then, I've been riding a wave of momentum, have connected and met a LOT of awesome people and overall fell in love with the independent gaming journalist community. I owe them big time for all of this, and that's the truth. So on their 200th episode, they were recounting memories and moments over the years, some they had and others that all the listeners. Imagine my surprise when I heard my name mentioned as a favorite moment, when I joined them for the episode. The guys had nothing but amazing things to say about me and my little old project here, and honestly, I couldn't be more proud to call them all my friends. But back to their listeners. One of them, Timothy, or @WiiR4Him as he is known on twitter as, did something for me completely out of the blue a couple of weeks ago. You see, when I got my new laptop and created my Steam account and invited everyone to friend me, he was one of the first to do so. On top of that, he sent me a Steam code for a game he so generously gifted me as a way to welcome me to the wonderful world of PC gaming. That game, is the game I played tonight: Dynamite Jack. First impressions of the game is that it's Bomberman, in a slightly more realistic setting, with a lot darker of tones than the upbeat cartoonish style of Bomberman. Also, it's darker in the fact that you are in caves and need a flashlight to navigate. But don't let the bad guys you are sneaking around and away from see your flashlight, or you will get riddled with bullets. This was a lesson I had to learn the hard way, about eight times in a row. Another thing I noticed, thanks to the lack of support for my Xbox controller, is that I suck horribly at controlling a character with the up-down-left-right keys. Or any keyboard keys, for that matter. This is the exact reason why I insisted on playing PC games with a controller, because I am far from being adequetly trained or accustomed to controlling a game with kep Over the last month or so, in the midst of all my personal issues, I have learned to rediscover and rely on Netflix to keep me entertained in the wee hours of the night. My insomnia has reared its ugly head back into my sleep habits, and while playing games is extremely difficult when you're tired and still unable to sleep. In lieu of late night gaming sessions, I have instead turned to Netflix to keep my mind from wandering and attempt to keep myself somewhat sane. One specific category I have gravitated to is the Documentary section, as I have found several interesting documentaries to watch that are far and beyond more interesting and entertaining than half of the garbage movies found on Netflix. One of these hidden gems I stumbled upon was a film called Indie Game: The Movie. It is a documentary that focused on the development team of Super Meat Boy as they were finishing up the game, as well as Phil Fish, the developer of FEZ, on his struggling journey of developing the long-awaited and highly-anticipated game. The movie doesn't cast a warm and fuzzy light on the indie game industry by any stretch of the imagination. The developers that they follow are sad, depressed and desperate to finish their games. Fish, who is shown in the middle of a viscous legal battle for the rights to continue developing and showing off the game with a vindictive ex-business partner. FEZ, the game he is shown working on, had one problem after another. It was first shown off one year, and went several years after that before any new information, screens, videos or demos ever came out again. He ran into one problem after another in the development in the cycle, and people started to question whether it would ever come out. Well, it did, last year on the Xbox 360, and I gladly bought it then. I played it, beat it and loved it immensely. The long wait and hard work paid off for Phil Fish, as the game was an instant success and one of the true masterpieces of the XBLA. Well, FEZ was re-released for the PC this week, and because Steam is a vicious, unforgiving money-grabbing rabbit hole, I bought it - again. Tonight, I plugged in my Xbox controller, fired up my laptop, opened up Steam, and jumped back in to the beautiful, imaginative world that Gomez (the character) is discovering for the first time. Playing this game tonight made me think of something profound, and literally by sheer coincidence. You see, last night, as I was playing Thomas Was Alone, I was also helping my cousin write a paper for his English class in college about whether or not the college education experience is meant to simply guide you along a career path and tell you what to think, or to open your mind and teach you how to think. There was one analogy in the book he was reading that struck me as powerful, and was the core concept of the paper being written. It was a story about a group of fish, where the older fish looks at the couple of younger fish as they are swimming along and asks them, "How's the water today?" The younger fish look at each other confused, turn back to the older fish and ask, "What's water?" The principle idea is that people are so focused in today's society, especially in college, in figuring out their path through life that they don't ever really see or notice the world around them. And that, folks, is EXACTLY what the game FEZ is about. Living in a world where you think what you see is the only thing that is reality, until someone opens your eyes and you see the real world around you for the first time. Now I could go on and on about what the game is about, how it plays, how fantastically gorgeous it is - but that is exactly what you want me to do. Instead, I challenge you to go play the game - whether it be on XBLA or Steam - and discover what it's like to learn how to think. Go, be the young fish and discover what water is. Besides, these indie developers need your help. They are a depressed group of talented people, and every dollar you give them will help bring them a little bit closer to happiness. Oh, Steam. You will be the death of me, I already know it. Now, I realize that Poker Night 2 was released for both the PSN and the XBLA as well as Steam, but honestly, I didn't think twice about picking up for new, sweet laptop. Mainly because I have way to many games to play on my PS3 currently, and on my Xbox ... well, that wasn't even an option. On my laptop, though, I have already become a Steam-addict. So when I was browsing the Steam store, that I seem to do daily now, I knew I had to have Poker Night 2 on the new hotness. I've never really been a huge fan of card game simulation games, even poker games. Don't get me wrong though, I really enjoy having the guys over for the occasional poker night, but that is more for the social aspect of it all than it is the game itself, or the stakes involved. When I go to Vegas, I'll sit down at a game table occasionally, especially if someone else with me wants to, but playing against a dealer for the sheer aspect of trying to win money isn't as appealing to me as it might be for others, In Poker Night 2, the game is more than just about winning or losing. The social aspect is alive and well, despite the fact it's not a multiplayer or online game. You see, the cast of characters that join you for each tournament you participate in make you feel like you're just hanging out with your buddies, talking, shooting the breeze, etc. Oh, and the occasional jokes and put-downs, like any good gathering of friends should be. You assume the position as The Player, and you are joined at the table by Ash Williams (The Evil Dead), Brock Samson (The Venture Bros.), Sam (Sam & Max) and of course Claptrap (Borderlands). The dealer is none other than GLaDOS from the portal series, which aside from the banter going on from the characters at the table, is the most charming aspect of the gaming experience. She isn't just the dealer, but is also the special color commentator, adding her thoughts, opinions and quips to each hand that is dealt. The game itself is pretty straight forward. You choose from Texas hold'em or Omaha hold'em (if you want to be different, I suppose), and you start out with the same amount of money each time. The goal? To eliminate all your competitors and win the tournament. Simple and straight forward. There are challenges to accomplish as you play, and unlockables to obtain (cards, chips and tables) that open up different conversation possibilities. Overall, it's a fun poker game, if only because of the experience, not necessarily the game. Too bad it didn't feel this good to lose money like this while gambling in Vegas. Well, I have officially jumped down the rabbit hole. Yesterday, I just sampled the goods, by buying a new laptop, signing up for Steam and just looking into the possibility of starting my PC gaming career. Today, however, was a completely different story. First, I went out and bought a mouse, because seriously, track pads are the worst thing ever. I also bought a wired Xbox controller, so I can just plug it into the laptop and play games, Without a controller, there is no way I could play PC games. I tried the demo for Bastion last night just to see what gaming with a keyboard was like, and well, I hated it. I didn't, however, hate how beautiful Bastion is, and I fully intend on buying that again through Steam. Speaking of buying games I already own... Did you know that Portal and Portal 2 were on sale this weekend on Steam? You probably did if you went on to Steam at all this weekend, seeing as how it's plastered all over the home page. Yeah, well, guess what I grabbed on impulse, just because the deal was so good? This guy... Anyway, the Portal bundle wasn't the first games I actually bought, however. The first game that officially started the madness that is buying Steam games was a little game I heard talked about on a Podcast last week, so when I saw it while scrolling through the seemingly endless list of games, I had to grab it. The game is DLC Quest, and the price tag of $2.99 didn't hurt either. If I enjoy playing all PC games as much as I did DLC Quest tonight, then I might have a problem developing very quickly. I feel my insomnia yelling at me already. This game was amazingly fun, simple and more importantly, creative, funny, witty and smart. It is a simple platformer with very basic graphics, but the premise behind the game is selling point. It is a game that is essentially mocking the DLC phenomena running rampant in the video game industry. You start out controlling your character, but you can only run backwards and forwards - no jumping, no animation, no movements at all, and even no sound. You just run and collect coins, until you meet a shop keep who offers to sell you DLC packs, like the Movement DLC pack that allows you to jump, or the Audio DLC pack that actually brings sound to the game. It's a game that makes you think about how much game developers are leaving out, taking out or locking out of video games that they sell at full price, then charge you more for additional content to enhance your gaming experience. And no, there is no actual DLC purchasing in this game, as everything you buy is just upgrades in-game that you use your coins you collect through the game to as currency, Don't have enough coins to buy the necessary DLC pack to allow you to continue the game? Go find some more coins! The entire game is just one running gag and joke after another. From the signs you run past that tell you not to bother going that way because all the story line specific action is happening in the other direction, to the NPC characters who try to give you fetch quests that you graciously decline because you don't know them at all and they should be completing their own quests - it's all brilliantly done. Because the game plays off of preconceived notions of what and how we think games should play out, they tend to go the complete opposite direction with it all. Despite the industries best efforts to be as creative and original as possible, most games of specific genres usually follow a very tried and true pattern of design to get the most from the consumer while giving the most to the player. DLC Quest, however, rejects the mold from the get-go and instead turns the camera around on the development and publishing studios, almost challenging them to step outside the box a little more often. When they name a certain area of the game as a reminder to the level designer to remember to come up with a name for it, you know exactly what kind of game you're getting - one that isn't afraid to not only break through the fourth wall, but essentially just pretend like it doesn't even exist. Oh, and by buying DLC Quest, I also got the new Live Freemium Or Die adventure game as well. I actually beat both games, as they are pretty short, but worth every penny. And seeing those achievements pop up as I was playing? Yeah, I'm completely sold on this whole PC gaming thing. Thanks, internet, for finally pushing me hard enough to jump in head first. I am probably going to enjoy this far, far too much, but hey, is it really a bad thing if it means getting to enjoy pure gems like this game tonight? I think not. |
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February 2014
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