As you may or may not know or remember, I started this year long project of daily gaming and blogging at the beginning of this for one reason. Looking ahead into the future sometime late last year, it was quite evident that 2013 was shaping up to be one of the biggest and best years for the video game industry of all time. Not only did we have one big title after another scheduled for release, but we had the end of two consoles' life cycles and the beginning of two new, "next-gen" systems in their places. Back before I started the blog, no one really knew anything about the new Sony and Microsoft consoles, other than they would probably be coming out this year, and all the information we would need would be presented at the 2013 E3 conference. Without the details ahead of time, I didn't really know what to expect from the new consoles, and even if they were worth being excited about, but ultimately, I didn't need them to be awesome. For this year-long blog, just them being released would aid me in adding some content to the blog, good or bad. I hoped for the best, however, as I really wanted this year to actually be remembered as the best of all time, as that would only add more clout and importance to my project both immediately and in the long run as well. With that being said, I pre-ordered both consoles immediately after watching their E3 press conferences, as that was the soonest I could officially begin the wait for the next generation of Sony and Microsoft consoles, the PS4 and the Xbox One, respectfully. The tagline for the PS4 marketing campaign was "Greatness Awaits." Well, the wait is over, and I, like many of other people around the country, finally have a PS4. And boy, is it great. But I'm not here to write a review for the system, as clearly I need to put it through its paces before giving my full impression. No, I'm here to do what I've been doing all year long, and that's write about games. Among the handful of games I played on my PS4 the first day, one of them was strictly for my five year old daughters sake, and because my curiosity wouldn't allow me to wait to check it out. The Playroom is an application/game that's installed on every PS4, whether you like it or not. At the very least, it's a glorified demo that showcases the new, reinvented and redesigned DualShock controller, aptly named the DualShock 4. Of course, this is all The Playroom is good for if you only have a DualShock 4 to use. Aside from showing off the new controller, however, The Playroom is a "proof of concept" game developed to utilize the new PlayStation camera and show how developers could integrate its functionality into games. Think the Microsoft Kinect, only more like the PlayStation Move controllers, as the light bars on the controller are read by the camera, just like the old PS Eye did with the Move controller wands. It also incorporates Augmented Reality much like the Nintendo 3DS did and later the Vita did as well. In The Playroom, you can interact with a flying robot on the screen with hand gestures, you can play a virtual game of air hockey with a second player using the new touch pads on the faces of the DualShock 4 controllers, and you can hang out with a mob of mini-robots that call home inside the controller, allegedly. All of the different games and interactions you can have within The Playroom are far too hard to fully explain, as they really need to be seen to completely understand their charm. My daughter loved playing with me, and in all honesty, that completely justified the purchase of the camera alone. Sure, there will be more games coming to use the camera, as DLC for The Playroom has already been announced, so I'm not worried of it not being used ever. Also, you can use voice commands with the PS4 via the microphone in the camera, and they work well so far. Best of all, there are trophies to be had within The Playroom, and that was an unexpected surprise that was the cherry on top. The potential is there for this technology to fully enhance gaming as we know it, now it's just a matter of time before developers take it seriously. But even if it remains more of a niche gimmick, as I half expect it to, it is still fun and a great addition to the new console. Can't wait to check out the Kinect 2, but that won't be until next week. For now, it's just me and my PS4, all week and all alone, right up until the launch of the Xbox One. That is, if I can actually pull myself away long enough. As it stands right now, that is harder than it sounds I think.
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I have been waiting to write this blog literally all year. This has been the culmination of 317 days of waiting for just the right time to finally - FINALLY - write about this game. Going into this year of gaming, there were a few games in my library that I absolutely insisted writing about, for one reason or another. Metroid: Other M was one of those games I had picked out ahead, patiently waiting to speak my mind on something that I have had burning inside of me for over three years now. You see, there used to be this television show called X-Play, that aired on the G4 network. It usually followed the wildly popular Attack of the Show, and was focused entirely on video games and the industry itself. It was a TV show version of like an IGN, or other popular news sites. I watched the show whenever I could, despite them usually being a day or two behind on the news ad reviews. I really liked one of their hosts, Adam Sessler, but unfortunately I couldn't say the same about his co-host, Morgan Webb. From the get-go, there was always something about her that didn't sit right with me. I'm pretty sure a lot had to do with her self-proclaimed disinterest in all things Nintendo, as she more often than not made it point to let everyone know where she stood on that subject, and always talked about their games in almost a demeaning fashion. So when she was pegged to do the review for Metroid: Other M, I was perplexed to say the least. Why would someone who had no interest at all in Nintendo game be reviewing a big game from the Nintendo publishers? I was down-right appalled by her review. She completely assaulted Other M, mocking it for its design choices, game play elements and overall experience of the game. She was cold, ruthless and unrelenting, almost to the point where it felt like she was actually trying to upset Nintendo fans. Of all the things she complained about, I was most taken back by her disgruntlement over the Samus character and how the new developers, Team M, decided to portray her. By not being able to find solid, substantial quotes she actually said about the game, she basically said that the developers made Samus more human and more feminine than past games, mainly pointing out the cut-scenes throughout the game make her more into a woman and strip her of her overall solid and stable frame of mind. By this point, everyone knew Samus to be this strong, independent lead character who is seen as a pioneer for equal rights for female characters in video games. But according to Webb, the development team stripped her of her toughness because they portrayed her to be emotional, loving and a little needy. You know, they basically showed her as being human. *spoiler alert!* I played Other M, and I absolutely loved it, and while I understand that all types of opinions matter and have some merit, I can't say that I take Morgan Webb's opinions too seriously from here on out. Sure, they showed Samus without her gear on, creating a more feminine character than the bounty hunter we all knew and loved, but that's one of the things I liked most about it. Other M didn't make Samus less of an awesome lead character, but instead made her more human, more realistic and easier to attach yourself with. It's important to remember that this game takes place after the events of Super Metroid but before Fusion, so it is totally realistic to think that the entire ordeal messed her up a little, caused some emotional breakdowns and made her more like you and I. Of course once you start playing the game, you are shown a cut-scene of the events at the end of Super Metroid for those unfamiliar with it. Then the game turns her back into the familiar bounty hunter role. So yeah, Samus has some issues and she needs them resolved. The game play switches back and forth between first- and third-person perspective, which adds a certain level of challenge to the game, trying to see the world in a different light than we are used to. The graphics are great, and the controls work well once you get them all figured out. What's funny is that most critics loved the game play and loathed the cut-scenes and dram put into the game. But by today's standards, with storylines being the most important thing in the world, this game may have gotten perfect 10s if it had come out today instead of three years ago. I guess it's just hard for me to let go of a grudge. I mean really, three years later and I am still obsessing over this game with sketchy-at-best attitude when it comes down to the amount of money they have and plan to bring in. I don't hate Morgan Webb as a person, but as a gamer, I feel like she bit off more than she cared to chew with Metroid: Other M, and that's the real shame, because it is an all-time classic in my book. Speaking of which, I did do this blog on the eve of the Playstation 4 release. While that observation has no real baring on what I've typed down on this blog, it's important to say one thing. Greatness Awaits ... me, tomorrow. The Nintendo Wii will always be highly regarded for revolutionizing the way we look at gaming controllers. This isn't just my opinion, pretty much the consensus from the industry as a whole. Trust me, I did the legwork, conducted the research and polls, and decided that yes indeed, I am right in my opinion. Sure, the Wii will forever be known and remembered for bringing in the largest casual gaming audience since possibly the original Nintendo, but far more important was the Wiimote and it's motion-sensing control configuration. Up until then, controllers were always just about the buttons, and while the Wiimotes had buttons of course, the ability to just move the controller around in different motions in order to control different functions of the game was mind-blowing to most. At first, people labeled it as just a gimmick, but eventually people came around to the idea of it being a legitimate way to control a game. Many crappy, "shovelware" games that were pushed out for the Wii eventually turned the motion controls of the Wiimote back into gimmicks that worked poorly, thus souring the entire taste of the console for "hardcore" gamers forever. Somewhere in the middle of the roller coaster ride of respect given and taken away from the controls of the Wii, Retro Studios reemerged and brought the Metroid series over to the newest Nintendo console in the form of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Using the Wiimote and Nunchuck controller scheme was a match made in heaven for now familiar style of game that Metroid had become. The First-Person Adventure game had been completely figured out by now, with the only missing up until then being great controls. The GameCube controller and control scheme worked well enough for the most part, but it always seemed like the weakest part of the experience for the two Primes. Well, the Wiimote controller with the motion controls was all Metroid Prime 3: Corruption needed to instantly make it one of the finest games to ever grace a Wii console. On top of the amazing controls was possibly the best storytelling from the series since Super Metroid, as Dark Samus returned, and with her, a dark presence that would corrupt the great bounty hunter and push her to unthinkable limits. It was truly captivating, and a remarkable reminded of how far the series had come. Also, for a game on a system that had no sort of trophy or achievement system, it is ridiculous how much time I spent in the game trying to get 100% by scanning every single thing possible in the game. Activate the scan mode and look around, scanning everything from landscape to equipment, organic material, creatures and of course enemies. Scanning stuff would unlock information, which ultimately only appealed to the completionists playing. It got vary tedious after a while, I have to admit, but after spending so much time on just that task alone, I felt like I would be wasting all of it if I just gave up half way through. Overall, Corruption was by fay my favorite Prime game, and an amazing conclusion to a fantastic trilogy from Retro Studios. Nintendo clearly made the right choice in handing over the reigns to them, and it severed everyone well. Samus was here to stay, and the Metroid series had cemented itself as one of the elite. Does Corruption owe the Wiimote a thank you, or does the Wii owe Metroid a thank you? Either way, they were both better because of each other. Let me tell you a little story about a boy named Jimmy. For starters, his name was actually James, but everyone called him Jimmy. At the time this story takes place, Jimmy was only a couple of years removed from his high school graduation. He was itching to move out of his parents' house, and had just recently been hired at a local store called Bi-Mart, which only readers from the Oregon/Washington area would understand. It was his first real job as an adult, and with his new-found income, he was looking to transfer that into a place to live other than with his parents. He wanted to grow up and be the man he was trying to portray. He wanted to be an adult, and take care of his adult responsibilities. I admired his gumption, but his job wasn't exactly a high paying one, especially for a young bachelor to move out on his own in the big, scary world. So he came to my two roommates and I, who were renting a very nice house at the time. (Yes, it was the party house, and looking back, man we had some awesome parties there, many of which I wish I could remember better.) Anyway, Jimmy approached us about moving in as a fourth roommate, only for a short while so that he could save up and eventually get his own place with another buddy of his, who was pretty much in the same position he was in. While we didn't have a fourth bedroom for him, he was perfectly fine with crashing out in the living room on the couch, as it was intended to be a short stay. He offered to pay a little bit of cash to us for letting him, so we all agreed no problem. Besides, he worked with my two roommates, so they would be able to keep on eye on him and make sure he traveled on the right path through life. So he crashed with us, and it was good for all. During his time in the house, he had his twentieth birthday. We all chipped in and got him some presents, including the always inspirational and somewhat subliminal Dr. Seuss book, Oh The Places You'll Go. We thought it was kind of funny, and we all got a good laugh out of it. Other than that and a few other smaller things, we also got him the one video game he mentioned really wanting, which had just came out, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. At the time, I was going through my now infamous gaming hiatus, and wasn't familiar with any new games coming out, as I was pretty much on a full-on blackout of all things gaming related. So while I didn't know anything about this game at the time, I knew of the series because I loved the first Prime game so much, so I was excited to get the game for him. When he opened the present, he literally almost cried, as I'm pretty sure he didn't think we all were that close of friends. But hey, when you live with me in any capacity, you're as good as family in my eyes. I had no interest in playing the game then with him, and we worked opposite of each other most of the time, so I never really had the chance to watch him or even see it in action. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes would remain a mystery to me until years later, when I went back and repurchased a GameCube and started building my collection of games that I loved before and missed during my hiatus. I, of course, was glad I finally got to play it and wished I had been able to play back when I got it for Jimmy when it first came out. I really hadn't thought about Jimmy or this game in a long time, but replaying it brought back all these memories of that weird time in my life. Aside from that, however, the game itself is really good, and was a good send off for the Metroid series in the GameCube generation. Dark Samus was an awesome touch to the storyline, and the difficulty was dialed up to make the game feel like a true challenge. There was also a multiplayer mode added into the game, which clearly was just Retro Studios and Nintendo trying to capture a corner of the multiplayer market that was running wild in the gaming landscape. I'm glad my roommates and I were able to make Jimmy's 20th birthday back in the day awesome with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as a present. Not sure if it was the game, or our friendship that cemented the awesomeness of that present, but either way, Echoes will always be tied to boy we called Jimmy. Sometimes, a well-known established franchise has to grow and evolve, despite the commercial and critically acclaimed success of the franchise and games as a whole. Changing the core gameplay mechanics or feeling of a game can be a death sentence for a series, as fans usually have deep-seeded love and admiration for the principle blueprint of what makes the game, and the franchise, so popular in the first place. Even if the change is for the better and meant to take the franchise into the future, fans are fans and don't normally do well with change. They just don't understand change, even if the reasons are fully explained and justified. It's hard for people to accept that something they know and love is now different, and struggle to embrace and cling to the new game as it is, in the new light and vision of the developers. Even worse than just change, when an already established franchise changes hands and is gift-wrapped for a new developer to handle, meltdowns happen all over. Very rarely can a video game series endure a change of the core mechanics of the game and visual styles by a new and different developer as well. Of course, Nintendo has no fear when it comes to going against conventional trends, thinking outside of the box and pretty much marching to the beat of their own drum. They got away with it with the Zelda series, although gamers were pretty used to each game being different anyway. Mario is Mario, and fans just saw each new game as an upgrade to the franchise, not a change. So they looked at Metroid and rolled the dice. And boy did they win big with their gamble. They banked on gamers wanting a change of perspective, from behind the curtain and on screen as well. They handed the Metroid franchise over to Retro Studios, who was an established and highly successful studio that worked closely with Nintendo, but who had never touched the Metroid series. Nintendo had kept this series close to the vest, but finally decided to hand it off to a third-party developer in hopes of hitting a home run. Thankfully, Retro saw the franchise and the story of Samus from a different point of view, and realized that the adventures of this amazing bounty hunter was better told from the first person point of view. They bet on gamers embracing a First Person Shooter style of game, and they were right. Funny thing is, Nintendo didn't see the game as a FPS as everyone knows the genre to be. They wanted to drive home the point of while Samus is a bounty hunter, playing as her isn't as simple as run-and-gun. They made sure that gamers still understood that while you played the game from behind the yellow visor now, you're still responsible for exploration, more so now than ever before. Sure, there is shooting and all that stuff, but getting lost, finding power-ups and retracing your steps throughout an alien landscape is really what the game is all about, and always has been. They called this game a First Person Adventure game. Of course. Sometimes even change can't eliminate the established roots. Retro did a phenomenal job with this game and definitely didn't drop the ball. Playing the game again only cements my long lasting love for this game, and the direction the series went. As far as story goes, Retro placed this Prime trilogy smack-dab in the middle of Metroid and Metroid II, giving them all the wiggle room they needed to pack in as much plot as they needed to fill in the story they were trying to tell. This game came out on the GameCube on the same day as Fusion did for the Game Boy Advance. While both games altered the gameplay in some way, Prime almost felt like an entirely new franchise with the same characters. The old Metroid games were awesome, believe me, but the new perspective of the franchise took Samus to heights she could only dream of before. You know, if Samus could actually dream. I'm sure there's some fan-fiction about that somewhere, right? The handheld gaming market has always been a tricky one to figure out. For the most part, developers have always tried to create brand new games that are not only suitable for the handheld consoles they are released for, but perfect for the handheld system. Because of the obvious limitations a handheld, mobile console possess, it's really hard to develop full on gaming experiences that gamers are used to. Gamers want the big, expansive games they are used to on home consoles, not bite-sized, smaller versions of the franchises they are used to. Because of this, developers try to create new IP's, as they don't want to disappoint established fanbases. New franchises are really hard to manufacture, especially ones that will be around longer than one game, and that itself scares publishers away. Usually, this back and forth debate is what forces studios to fall back on established franchises, and they are dealt with the dubious task of not screwing it up. Usually they do, however, and thus creates the vicious cycle of consumers being weary of handheld games and publishers being afraid to push out games for them. Sure, there have been good handheld games before Metroid Fusion, but never on the same par as the already established Metroid franchise. Metroid Fusion was proof to all developers and publishers that a game franchise that already was spanning multiple console generations could produce a really good handheld game. Fusion wasn't exactly the same size as previous Metroid games as far as scope and overall world exploration size, but there will always be limitations when it comes to handheld games. Instead of the large maps to explore and backtrack and forth multiple times throughout the game, Fusion is actually pretty linear for a Metroid game. And honestly, that's OK. The game is pretty much all platforming and puzzle solving, and for me, that's right up my alley. Sadly, I never got to play Fusion when I was younger. Thanks to the awesome Ambassador program that Nintendo rolled out to all the early 3DS adopters, I got this game for free as one of the twenty free games to make me feel better about buying a new console at its release without any games worthy of being played on it. Playing on the big 3DS XL probably doesn't do the game justice as it looked like on the original GameBoy Advance back in the day, but it's suitable for what it is, and it's still a lot of fun. Really glad I got a chance to experience one of the first awesome console-to-handheld franchise games. Now, about that Ambassador Program. Think Nintendo will roll something out for all of us early Wii U adopters? Here's hoping! Metroid was an incredibly revolutionary game for it's time. With that being said, Metroid II took the formula already laid out before it, and added to it, with the inclusion of a save system, finally. In the original game, players couldn't save their game, instead using the infamous NES style of save points: passwords. Typing in passwords before you started the game would take you to specific points in the game, allowing you to actually turn off your system every now and then. Looking back on it, it's remarkable so many of the old NES systems still work, and work well, especially considering how long those consoles were usually left on in the middle of game play sessions, you know, when us kids had to go to school and bed and all that not-so-fun stuff. Sure, I guess those machines weren't running anything very heavy duty or heat-producing parts, but still, electronics are pretty sensitive as a whole. Constant power, spit and saliva blown into the machines and the game cartridges and overall misuse and abuse of them should have destroyed way more of them then actually did. Anyway, so the save system of passwords sucked in Metroid, but was refined in Metroid II to a more normal, sufficiently adequate save system. Of course, this eliminated the possibility of the "JUSTIN BAILEY" code, which I honestly knew nothing about until a couple of months ago, thanks to my buddy Tanner, who apparently thought that every human on the planet knew of the JUSTIN BAILEY code. Despite Metroid II being a nice step up in the franchise, however, I decided to skip it in favor of one of the most highly regarded video games of all time, Super Metroid, on the SNES. The game continued the same Metroid-style of gameplay as before, but with the upgraded visual graphics of the new console, the game felt fresher and more awesome than ever before. Sorry for the "awesome" reference, but I just couldn't think of another word to describe the game and experience as I was typing other than "awesome." There's a little fourth wall, behind the curtain writing for you also. Sure, Super Metroid looked great, and Samus was now donning the suit everyone associates with her (which was established in II, but not fully appreciated until this game), but this game was far more important and interesting than just the graphics. They story itself was fascinating, as it captivated the minds and imaginations of gamers of all ages. The previous stories were suitable, and did a decent job establishing a new character and universe, but Super Metroid went above and beyond to ensure that this character and her story would be around for as long as possible. It cemented its place among the Nintendo franchises as one of the best and most memorable, and for everyone who loves the series, it usually always points back to Super Metroid. Being a bounty hunter is cool, and always has been since Boba Fett. Fighting space pirates, especially when the boss of them is a pterodactyl-dragon hybrid creature. Harnessing the power of an alien larva that thinks you are its mom is a little weird, sure. But then you get to the final battle and ending of the game, and suddenly, gaming memories that will last forever happen. You encounter Mother Brain, a biomechanical creature that is, of course, in control of base. It's not called Mother Brain for nothing, you know. Anyway, Mother Brain pushes Samus to the brink of death, only to be attacked by the Metroid you shared a connection with. After destroying almost the entire population of Metroids in the last game, the fact the last of the species that you committed genocide against is helping you was a plot twist like none other. After draining Mother Brain of its energy and transferring it to Samus, Mother Brain recovers just enough to kill the last Metroid. Samus, of course, uses the harnessed energy she was just given to finally destroy Mother Brain, and then narrowly escapes the self destruction of the entire planet. Just sitting there playing and watching this all play out was incredible back then, and even now, is still as powerful as ever. Oh crap, and I forgot to mention something: ******************* SPOILER ALERT!!! ******************* Whoops, sorry about that. But honestly, if you haven't played this game yet and experienced one of the best endings of a video game ever, what is wrong with you? Go find a way to play it now. Even if you already know what happened, it's just one of those gaming moments you will want to keep with you in your memory bank, trust me. If I can be frank here, it should be obvious to everyone that's ever played games that in the video game universe, females don't get near the respect or fair treatment that they deserve. While this has been a hot button debate recently within the video game media circles, I still feel like this topic is one that shouldn't be just passed over quickly. Sure, the resounding sentiment is that misogyny is overly prevalent in the video game culture, even in today's games, despite the efforts of many publishers and developers to end stereotypes and create a more balanced and respectful gaming culture. But just because everyone is of the same opinion, doesn't mean everything is lollipops and rainbows. The fight for equality in gaming is still ongoing. Just because everyone feels the same way, we're still a long way off from those opinions be translated into actual results and a victory for equality. We've had several leading ladies in video games recently, especially this year, but there is one woman we haven't seen in a while, who pretty much started the movement for strong, lead female protagonists in games. Samus Aran, where are you? It all started back in the NES days, with the release of a space platformer/puzzler/shooter game called Metroid. The thing is, back then, everyone assumed that Samus was a male character. With the suit on and any recognizable features hidden in the sprite character model, determining that Samus was female was impossible. Even in the guide book included with the game, Nintendo referred to Samus as "he," thus possibly being the first ones to troll gamers. It wasn't until gamers figured out to finish the game in under five hours did they discover the ending Nintendo intended the world to experience, where it is revealed for the first time that Samus was, in fact, a woman. I don't remember this as a kid, but I can imagine how shocking it was for people to realize they had been playing a female character the entire time. While it shouldn't make a bit of difference whether you play as a male or female in a game, the unexpected shock of realizing that your preconceived ideas of what's supposed to be, isn't always what they seem. Misogyny doesn't always have to be a conscience, intentional thought or feeling, as society embedded roots of the belief in everyone long before they even realized it. This game, and that ending specifically, broke the notion that every game had to be about being the tough guy trying to save his princess from the clutches of evil. Sometimes that princess can fend for herself just fine. Playing this game again, I unfortunately didn't get to the really cool ending that I'm talking about, but I did have a lot of fun running around, and experiencing the game that sprouted an entirely new genre of games unintentionally. Everyone has heard the term "Metroidvania," I'm sure, referring to the style of Metroid and later Castlevania games, of exploration of the map to find upgrades and new abilities that allow you access to previously unreachable paths in the map in order to advance the overall story and main mission of the game. Instead of taking Path A, you would have to travel to Path C in order to get to Path B, which would allow you to go back and continue on Path A. Confused? Try figuring out while playing the game, when every game before it was pretty much a Point A to Point B, extremely linear type of game progression. In hindsight, it was pretty revolutionary, but back then, it was just something different. Something different in more ways than one, thankfully. I know I've talked about it before, but sometimes, I just want to be apart of the conversation, whatever the conversation is regarding video games. I may not have a lot of interest in whatever topic or game is being talked about, but I still like to know the ins and outs, the details and the points/counterpoints of the conversation. I live my life like this on a daily basis, not just in regards to video games. I'm an information sponge, and want to know all I can about whatever I can. Sure, sometimes I feel like I absorb too much information, but that's just the nature of the beast. I blame my journalistic background, although one could argue that my natural inquisitive thirst for knowledge led me to journalism in the first place. Tomatoes, tomatoes, I say. Anyway, EarthBound is one of those games I have always heard of, but never knew anything about. When playing Smash Bros, I seemed to figure out that Ness (and later Lucas, also) was from the EarthBound series,but that's as far as my knowledge took me. I didn't get the moves, the level based around the game, or anything about anything, really. But I knew of it, and that's all that mattered. Because EarthBound is incredibly hard to find in it's original SNES form these days, and I never had the chance to play it as a kid, my desire to know anything about the game never turned into anything more. Why care about something or invest time into researching something that meant nothing to me? No one was talking about the game, other than hopeful fans clamoring for it's US re-release on a Virtual Console, so without a discussion to be apart of, I had no business worrying about it. That is, until Nintendo shockingly and unexpectedly announced that they would be releasing EarthBound on the Virtual Console for the Wii U. And naturally, the Internet blew up. Finally, after an eternity of waiting, fans would be getting a true version of the game they probably missed out on in the first place. And because the Internet blew up, I had to know exactly what all the commotion was all about. So when the game was released, I downloaded it immediately. It was only ten bucks, but according to the Internet, it was well worth the money for one of the most highly regarded and almost unanimously best RPG games for the Super Nintendo, ever. After I downloaded it, there it say. Because in all honesty, RPGs are not my cup of tea, especially in this crazy year of gaming. My game time is at a premium, and being able to invest serious time into an RPG - despite how good it is - just isn't something I could conceivably do. Especially for such an old game. You know, the new hotness in video games always seems to take precedent in time investment, for me. Well, I finally got around to playing it, mainly because I wanted to make absolutely sure I got it into this year of gaming blog, because of the crazy whirlwind of conversation the release of this game caused. And while I enjoyed what I played, I just didn't get far enough into it to see all the charm that supposedly makes this game amazing. Sure, the writing was great, and how they set up the whole game and storyline was fantastic, but I just didn't sink enough time into EarthBound to fully gauge how much I will eventually like this game. So far, it's okay as it sounds now, and I would like to eventually get through it. I know I've said that many times before over the course of this year, but I really would like to. I want to experience the admiration the Internet seems to have for this game in the same light. Thankfully, now I can. I can finally be apart of the conversation. It's just a matter of doing it of course. Microsoft rolled out Smart Glass a while ago, and despite the hype before hand, it's release didn't quite receive the fanfare they expected. Maybe it had a lot to do with its limited functionality and overall lack of support or connectivity with pretty much everything. However, going into the next generation of consoles with the Xbox One, Microsoft promises to integrate it more into the overall experience of the console for the gamer. Well, consider me completely uninterested. I don't want to have to use my iPhone or iPad while playing games in order to gain additional gaming experiences. I really have no use for that in my life. However, the possibility of integrating mobile devices and applications with games I'm playing on my console could work in some aspects. and oddly enough, Sony seems to have figured it out already. Knack is going to be a launch day title for the upcoming PS4, and is developed by one of Sony's in-house studios. Well, in preparation for the console and game launch, they decided to go ahead and put out a free game/app on iOS that ties in directly with Knack. The game is called Knack's Quest, and if all works as it seems like it should, it will be the perfect bridge between my phone and console gaming, at least in my own humble opinion. It is basically a Bejeweled-type of match three game, playing exactly like you would think. Depending on what level you are playing on, there are different level-specific items on the game board that all do and act differently. As you pass stages and levels, all the points you accumulate from your play time gets dumped into a progress bar that keeps track of your points, as you try to reach the point total goal. Once you do, you unlock an item, which is always a single part/piece of something bigger. All these items and parts of items that you accumulate supposedly will transfer somehow over to your game of Knack, allowing you a head start on all the cool upgrades and items in the actual game. Like I said, I'm not sure how this is going to work, but if it does, how cool will that be? A free bejeweled-style game that unlocks bonus content in the console version of the game? I'll take that any day. |
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February 2014
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