Inspiration sometimes comes in the most unlikely times and unexpected moments. Tonight was one of those moments in time, for sure, where inspiration popped out of thin air. I was having a twitter conversation with an awesome gamer lady, Elaine, who hosts the fantastic Hell Yeah Podcast that I recently became a big fan of after it was highly recommended to me (thanks, Pizza Guy!). Anyway, she had mentioned how she felt like a "bad bitch" when using the bow in the new Tomb Raider game (and yes, that's her quote, not mine). I was curious if it was the character or actually the weapon, because I have been struggling to find a game that utilizes the bow successfully as a weapon. Every game seems to make it feel forced and efficient as a weapon itself, like it was in Far Cry 3. If it wasn't for the hunting side quests that forced you to use the bow, I never had that thing equipped. Ever. And honestly, I used my knife to shank those tigers and komodo dragons instead of the bow, which technically counted still, somehow. She suggested the bow in Crysis 3 was good, but honestly, that game was so uninteresting, uninspired and complicated that there was no way I was going to be able to enjoy the weapon in the short amount of time that I played it. The commercials made it look cool, and the brief time I had with it, I was able to feel the potential in it being not only a viable, but a go-to weapon. But again, I had no fun with the game itself, much less any weapons. I jokingly tossed out Link's Crossbow Training, and while a crossbow technically isn't the type of bow I was referring to, but still, it worked and felt better than any crappy bow in recent games. I don't know what it is, but there is a certain feeling to having a bow seem like a proper weapon in a game. It's hard to explain, but I know I haven't found one in a long, long time. So, of course, I immediately wanted to play Link's Crossbow Training for tonight's blog entry. It seemed like the only appropriate thing to do, really. Plus, I could say I beat the game for the blog, which is cool, since it only takes an hour or so to get through the nine levels. It's just weird that this is the first Zelda game I've played for the blog. Who saw that coming? A lot of people have probably forgotten about this game, most likely because they never played it. It was basically the Legend of Zelda Battle Quest mini-game attraction in the NintendoLand game for the Wii U - just way ahead of it's time. It was originally a spin-off game of the Twilight Princess, until it got demoted to pack-in mini game, despite the game obviously taking place in the same world as Twilight Princess did. And the best thing about the game? It came with the infamous Wii Zapper - for free! Or did you get the game for free when you bought the Wii Zapper? You tell me! Ahh, the Wii Zapper. What a great yet horrible plastic peripheral. The concept of it alone is what originally got me so excited for it, with the promise of being able to use it efficiently for all future shooters coming to the Wii. Aside from the Resident Evil on-rails shooter Umbrella Chronicles, I don't ever remember using the damn thing ever. The design of it is great, with the remote locking in perfectly, the nunchuck fitting nice and securely and even having the chords as concealed and tidy as possible. Sadly, the trigger didn't work well and the overall shape of the Zapper was an ergonomic nightmare. It was clear that using the controller without the shell was much easier and effective. I liked playing it again tonight, though. It was and still is a fun little game. But with the NintendoLand game, it's hard to ever go back and play it again after tonight. But don't worry, the Wii Zapper will find a nice resting spot next to my two Wii Wheels and Fitness Board, tucked in the far depths of my gaming cabinet. Thanks again for the inspiration, Elaine! And yes, I will be writing about Tomb Raider soon, and hopefully, I will feel like a bad bitch as well when using the bow. Which reminds me, dear readers. Are there any games you can think of that utilize the bow as a great weapon? Let me know!
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Today was an awesome, awesome day for releases, and marks the start of several weeks in a row crammed full of great games coming out. Tuesdays have been my favorite non-weekend day of the week for YEARS now, as all new games, music and movies usually is released on Tuesdays. I actually picked up two new games and downloaded another 4 or 5 I think. On top of all that, however, was the release of possibly the coolest thing to happen for the video game industry in a very long time. Disney's Wreck-It Ralph (the movie) came out today, and I happily picked that Blu-Ray up as well. I took my two boys to see it in theaters, but since my little girl hasn't seen it yet, I got to sit down and watch it with them all tonight, which was awesome. I can't say it was a fun day up to that point, however, as my little princess got sick at daycare only 20 minutes or so after I dropped her off this morning, so I had to leave work and pick her up. I joked on twitter the other day about taking a sick day to catch up on my gaming back-log, but this wasn't what I had in mind. Taking care of a sick kid (even though she was feeling pretty good after puking) is exhausting, and doesn't leave as much time to game as an empty house would wield, although I did catch up a little bit. ANYWAY ... Wreck-It Ralph. This is an excellent movie, beautifully done by Disney's animation studio, that sheds an awesome light on the video game universe, especially arcade gaming and "retro" games. There is even a line in the film about "being retro means it's old, but cool," or something like that. This is a perfect homage to the glory days of arcade games and the transition from that era to the new one. The cameos, the references, the nods to other video games throughout is such a nice touch, and isn't over the top for people who don't have a vast wealth of gaming knowledge, but still enough to ensure those of us with a rich history of gaming are entertained as well. So, because of how much I love this movie, and how excited I was to finally get to watch it again, I played the movie tie-in game that was released on the Wii. Now, I played this earlier today, so I have no idea why I waited so long to write about it, but hey, that's life I suppose. The game is OK at best, nothing special. It's a follow up to the movie, a side-scrolling adventure. You go back and play through all the levels you see in the movie, but honestly, it just kind of falls flat. Especially when you have the movie right there to compare it to. I also recently found out that at Disneyland, they have an arcade modeled after Wreck-It Ralph, which is awesome. And, considering we are surprising the kids at the end of this month with a trip down there, I am super pumped to check that out. Think I could work some of those games there into my blog? I fully plan on it! Long story short, Wreck-It Ralph is awesome. The movie, I mean, not necessarily the game. If you love games, watch the movie. If you love the movie, you don't need to play the game. Get it? Got it? Good... |
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