So, I have said before how XBLA needs to try to get liscenses to some of the old freeware games that all us PC gamers used to play. Raptor: Call of Shadows, Castle of the Winds, AD&D: Death Knights of Krynn (and the other ones as well, I only had this one.) and all the others. These were fun, simplistic little games, most only in 2D, and had incredible replay value. Were it not for the fact that I no longer have the guide book to Death Knights of Krynn (which for some annoying reason you needed to play because it would periodically ask you to quote it.) I'd probably still play it (assuming, that is, that Vista would actually support something made before January of this year.)
I mean, these games are freeware, meaning they were designed to be distributed openly and the liscensing on them is pretty lenient. So how damn hard could it really be for Microsoft to adapt a few of the more popular titles to play on Arcade? I'm pretty sure a lot of gamers would love to be able to play Raptor again, most of the true gamers love going back to the classics (look how many arcade games were redistributed via XBLA: Lode Runner, Paperboy, Pac-Man, Frogger, Bubble Bobble, Smash TV, etc...) and this way, the people that made the games can actually make some more money assuming the games haven't hit public domain already. And, now some of them could even be improved upon! CotW could maybe have deeper dungeons added, and more spells or monsters. Raptor could offer multiple planes to chose from, with different stats or available upgrades for each one. AD&D games could easily be upgraded with slightly better graphics or even just some more levels and spells.
But anyways... that's old news. I've talked about that many times before, possibly even on this blog. (I can't remember and it doesn't matter anyways because as of yet, I don't think anyone is reading this.) But today I got to thinking, why just freeware games? Why not all those stupid myspace/facebook apps? I mean, think about it. How popular is Mobsters? Go ahead, check your facebook; I'm willing to bet that half the people on your friends list have it installed and play it regularly. They even adapted a version to be played on various phones, in case just playing it every time you checked your myspace wasn't good enough. Not only that, but it encourages interaction with other players and getting your friends to play. Well if that doesn't fit perfectly with Microsoft's online gameplay, I don't know what does! They get people to play, and then those people beg their friends to play too because it will help them, so the more people that play, the more people they try to influence, it's just a big endless circle of people spending money on their Xbox.
And while we're at it... Farm Ville. It's like Sim City, but on a farm. Build a farm, pick your crops, sell them. Gets people to log on to their 360's regularly and makes them want to keep their subscriptions active. Plus, it's another sim game which attracts kids, girls, and older folk. It's a win-win scenario. Plus, it also has player interaction through the neighbor and gifting mechanics. So, again, the more people that play, the more neighbors you have to earn acheivements (already implemented in both of the games, meaning it should be easy to adapt for the 360) and also, the more gifts you get, allowing you to grow your farm quicker. Plus, If microsoft buys up all these properties, they can probably get an exclusive on them. Pull out one or two more options from Nintendo, making sure that the Wii stays the useless gimmicky piece of crap that it is, and making the PS3 be forever known as the overpriced gameless wonder!
And no, I'm not playing favorites. But Nintendo has yet to be truly innovative with it's motion controls and put them to use in a game where it is creative and fun, instead of gimmicky and hindering to the gameplay, and the PS3 still (many years after it's release) has no more than 10 GOOD exclusive titles. Even with the price drops, it still isn't really worth it. And I love me some Little Big Planet and MotorStorm. And hell, Kingdom Hearts (assuming it stays Sony Exclusive, which I wouldn't count on) might put it at the buyable point, but for now, it is just crap!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
New age, new games...
Yup, my birthday has just come and gone. Now that I'm older and wiser, I have a few things to say about a few of the new games I've been playing.
First off: Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Now, I love Guitar Hero, and most rythym games, and I love Van Halen, so this would seem like an easy pick right? Yup, it was, especially because I got it 3 months prior to the release, and I got it free. The only downside? Well, that would be the game. You see, they only got the songs from the David Lee Roth era, nothing done by Hagar. So right off the bat, you are denied access to half of the hits. Not only that, but they only have I think about 40-50 songs on the game. It seems to go really quickly. And the non-VH songs have nothing to do with Van Halen. See, in the Aerosmith and Metallica counterparts, the side acts were chosen to be songs/artists that influenced or were influenced by the game-centered band. In here, it just seems to be random songs that Activision was able to get the rights to. Unlike Aerosmith, there are no interviews or clips of the band members, for the Van Halen fans, Wolfgang is playing the bass, and while Wolfie is awesome, he wasn't around for the recording of ANY of the songs you play, so that seems a bit odd. Overall, the game is fun, and I had the time of my life rocking out to Jump, but I am very glad I didn't pay for the game because it is quite a disappointment. Also, because of the promotion that allowed me to get the game early and free, they either have not finished the box design, or just haven't made them yet, but either way, I received the game in a cardboard sleeve and not a game case and there was no manual... Very annoying for someone like me who collects games...
Next Up: Pure.
This game is similar to ATV Offroad Fury in that you drive 4-wheelers on outdoor tracks, hit jumps, pull off cool tricks, etc... You also get boost in here which wasn't in the original ATV OF. It may have been in the later editions of the game, I couldn't tell you, as I have only played the first. There are a few letdowns in this game however that I should point out. First off, the tricks are sometimes difficult to manage. Some take a while to end, even after you let go of the button. You can also modify your tricks by holding or pressing the trigger buttons, however, the right trigger is your gas, so you find yourself always holding it down, meaning your tricks will randomly modify or tweak themselves, making them very hard to land, or you will try to tweak them and be unable to because you were already holding the button so it doesn't count it as tweaking. Another annoyance is that you get special tricks that require you to pull both triggers to activate. They take forever to land so you can only do them on the epic jumps placed very scarcely on the tracks (only in race and freestyle races, none in sprint) and sometimes they tend to rotate themselves, meaning you will have enough time to perform the trick, but not enough to correct it afterward and will end up landing sideways or upside down. Now, you may attribute some of that to a lack of skill, which hey, it might be, but if that's the case, It should have warned that some tricks were longer to undertake and that some tended to revolve around unseen axis and flip upside down on some random whim. Also, one other feature that was sadly missing from this game, that ATV OF had (and I compare it to that because it was a major ATV game that came out a generation of consoles ago, so that should be the standard for this game to build and improve upon) is the freeroam style driving. You know, the ability to just have a giant outdoor course that you can bomb around on. No defined track, no boundaries, just a giant open-world free-for-all. What I really would have liked to see, was the ability to free-roam and create your own tracks (like in ATV OF) or even just have the freestyle races (think of a trick attack in Tony Hawk. Similar concept) be open-world instead of closed course. That way the player is challeneged to find the best jumps and trick areas if they want the best score instead of simply chaining together the best few moves on one jump with 15 other racers in tow.
Honorable Mention: Magic: the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers.
There was actually a PC game of the same name created way back by a company called Microprose. This is nothing like it. That had a story line that unlocked new cards, forced the player to quickly adapt to challenging gameplay as it integrated ante into the play (meaning you lost cards from your active deck if you lost) and made a game based on a CCG fun in more ways than just playing a virtual version of the CCG. Granted, it also had duel options that allowed you to simply play the CCG, but even then, you had a deck creator and could build any deck with the many cards from several different sets (more added had you bought the game expansions) and also had sealed deck tournaments available to emulate the challenge of playing with a limited selection and number of cards, much like in actual tournaments. This game, however (released many years later, and on an advanced console) has taken all of those inovative and fun ideas, and replaced them with... well, nothing. You cannot edit your decks, or craft decks from scratch. There is no story mode, no tournaments, no ante. You can play online against other players, but really, you could just play MTGO on your PC if that was your goal. Or, simply gather up those cards sitting under your bed or in your closet and actually hang out with your real life friends and play the damn game. There are also a few (and by few, I mean no more than 10) challenge levels in which you have a specific setup in which you have to win by the end of the turn with only the cards you are given. This has no replay though as once you solve the puzzle, it remains solved and I hardly doubt will be of any challenge to you again. The only replay it actually has is to play online, but that too, is lacking because you only have access to a few decks, and you cannot edit them. They automatically dictate how many lands to put it, and while you can unlock additionaly cards for each deck by winning duels with them, those are the only cards you are allowed to add or remove from the deck. And, once you unlock all the cards for any given deck, you will find that playing against someone who hasn't presents almost no challenge as the base decks are pathetic and the fully unlocked ones are highly overpowered. Overall, it may be worth it if Wizards and Microsoft ever decide to add a deck-editor function along with a complete set or two to be accessed, but until then, you can probably hold off on this download and not feel too bad about it. If you are itching to play something on Arcade, go download Shadow Complex or Bubble Bobble. Those should tide you over for a while.
Lastly: Dragon Age Origins. This is a great RPG with a really immersive world. It has fun characters, each with different personalities, and while it isn't open world like Oblivion (which really should be standard in RPG's nowadays. We have the technology and it seems like a waste to have a world map and only be able to visit ten or so towns placed on it.) it still has a fair amount of places to go and things to see. Not only that, but at the time of release, or very shortly after, they added some DLC that would create new areas, missions, items, and characters to help expand your game. Now, much like with Pure, I have to compare this to Oblivion, because it is kind of the trendsetter for this genre. The DLC is good, but doesn't add as much as the Oblivion DLC did, simply because this game isn't open-world. Oblivion had the Shivering Isle which gave you a whole new world to transport to. And because it was open, it gave you a lot of new things to explore, and new things to do. The DLC for Dragon Age simply adds a few new areas and quests, and I believe another couple achievements. It is still rather fun, and because I bought the game new and in the specially marked package, I got the DLC free (and with it, a piece of armor that will be usable in Mass Effect 2 should I ever decide to buy it.) I do like however that not every character follows the same story, unlike in Oblivion, and that your class, race, etc... will give you a different origin story, and will have people in the game react and respond to you differently. That is more true to the D&D style of RPG playing (which honestly, find me an RPG that isn't at least loosely based on D&D. There are none, they created RPGs, and god bless them!) Overall, this was a good buy, and worth the play-through, but I fear that after seeing all the different story lines, this may not have the replay value that Oblivion does.
I am still hoping to get Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Brutal Legend, Lego Rock Band, and a few others. And when I do, I will probably rant on those too, but for now, there ya go! My (un)professional oppinion on some games. Enjoy!
First off: Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Now, I love Guitar Hero, and most rythym games, and I love Van Halen, so this would seem like an easy pick right? Yup, it was, especially because I got it 3 months prior to the release, and I got it free. The only downside? Well, that would be the game. You see, they only got the songs from the David Lee Roth era, nothing done by Hagar. So right off the bat, you are denied access to half of the hits. Not only that, but they only have I think about 40-50 songs on the game. It seems to go really quickly. And the non-VH songs have nothing to do with Van Halen. See, in the Aerosmith and Metallica counterparts, the side acts were chosen to be songs/artists that influenced or were influenced by the game-centered band. In here, it just seems to be random songs that Activision was able to get the rights to. Unlike Aerosmith, there are no interviews or clips of the band members, for the Van Halen fans, Wolfgang is playing the bass, and while Wolfie is awesome, he wasn't around for the recording of ANY of the songs you play, so that seems a bit odd. Overall, the game is fun, and I had the time of my life rocking out to Jump, but I am very glad I didn't pay for the game because it is quite a disappointment. Also, because of the promotion that allowed me to get the game early and free, they either have not finished the box design, or just haven't made them yet, but either way, I received the game in a cardboard sleeve and not a game case and there was no manual... Very annoying for someone like me who collects games...
Next Up: Pure.
This game is similar to ATV Offroad Fury in that you drive 4-wheelers on outdoor tracks, hit jumps, pull off cool tricks, etc... You also get boost in here which wasn't in the original ATV OF. It may have been in the later editions of the game, I couldn't tell you, as I have only played the first. There are a few letdowns in this game however that I should point out. First off, the tricks are sometimes difficult to manage. Some take a while to end, even after you let go of the button. You can also modify your tricks by holding or pressing the trigger buttons, however, the right trigger is your gas, so you find yourself always holding it down, meaning your tricks will randomly modify or tweak themselves, making them very hard to land, or you will try to tweak them and be unable to because you were already holding the button so it doesn't count it as tweaking. Another annoyance is that you get special tricks that require you to pull both triggers to activate. They take forever to land so you can only do them on the epic jumps placed very scarcely on the tracks (only in race and freestyle races, none in sprint) and sometimes they tend to rotate themselves, meaning you will have enough time to perform the trick, but not enough to correct it afterward and will end up landing sideways or upside down. Now, you may attribute some of that to a lack of skill, which hey, it might be, but if that's the case, It should have warned that some tricks were longer to undertake and that some tended to revolve around unseen axis and flip upside down on some random whim. Also, one other feature that was sadly missing from this game, that ATV OF had (and I compare it to that because it was a major ATV game that came out a generation of consoles ago, so that should be the standard for this game to build and improve upon) is the freeroam style driving. You know, the ability to just have a giant outdoor course that you can bomb around on. No defined track, no boundaries, just a giant open-world free-for-all. What I really would have liked to see, was the ability to free-roam and create your own tracks (like in ATV OF) or even just have the freestyle races (think of a trick attack in Tony Hawk. Similar concept) be open-world instead of closed course. That way the player is challeneged to find the best jumps and trick areas if they want the best score instead of simply chaining together the best few moves on one jump with 15 other racers in tow.
Honorable Mention: Magic: the Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers.
There was actually a PC game of the same name created way back by a company called Microprose. This is nothing like it. That had a story line that unlocked new cards, forced the player to quickly adapt to challenging gameplay as it integrated ante into the play (meaning you lost cards from your active deck if you lost) and made a game based on a CCG fun in more ways than just playing a virtual version of the CCG. Granted, it also had duel options that allowed you to simply play the CCG, but even then, you had a deck creator and could build any deck with the many cards from several different sets (more added had you bought the game expansions) and also had sealed deck tournaments available to emulate the challenge of playing with a limited selection and number of cards, much like in actual tournaments. This game, however (released many years later, and on an advanced console) has taken all of those inovative and fun ideas, and replaced them with... well, nothing. You cannot edit your decks, or craft decks from scratch. There is no story mode, no tournaments, no ante. You can play online against other players, but really, you could just play MTGO on your PC if that was your goal. Or, simply gather up those cards sitting under your bed or in your closet and actually hang out with your real life friends and play the damn game. There are also a few (and by few, I mean no more than 10) challenge levels in which you have a specific setup in which you have to win by the end of the turn with only the cards you are given. This has no replay though as once you solve the puzzle, it remains solved and I hardly doubt will be of any challenge to you again. The only replay it actually has is to play online, but that too, is lacking because you only have access to a few decks, and you cannot edit them. They automatically dictate how many lands to put it, and while you can unlock additionaly cards for each deck by winning duels with them, those are the only cards you are allowed to add or remove from the deck. And, once you unlock all the cards for any given deck, you will find that playing against someone who hasn't presents almost no challenge as the base decks are pathetic and the fully unlocked ones are highly overpowered. Overall, it may be worth it if Wizards and Microsoft ever decide to add a deck-editor function along with a complete set or two to be accessed, but until then, you can probably hold off on this download and not feel too bad about it. If you are itching to play something on Arcade, go download Shadow Complex or Bubble Bobble. Those should tide you over for a while.
Lastly: Dragon Age Origins. This is a great RPG with a really immersive world. It has fun characters, each with different personalities, and while it isn't open world like Oblivion (which really should be standard in RPG's nowadays. We have the technology and it seems like a waste to have a world map and only be able to visit ten or so towns placed on it.) it still has a fair amount of places to go and things to see. Not only that, but at the time of release, or very shortly after, they added some DLC that would create new areas, missions, items, and characters to help expand your game. Now, much like with Pure, I have to compare this to Oblivion, because it is kind of the trendsetter for this genre. The DLC is good, but doesn't add as much as the Oblivion DLC did, simply because this game isn't open-world. Oblivion had the Shivering Isle which gave you a whole new world to transport to. And because it was open, it gave you a lot of new things to explore, and new things to do. The DLC for Dragon Age simply adds a few new areas and quests, and I believe another couple achievements. It is still rather fun, and because I bought the game new and in the specially marked package, I got the DLC free (and with it, a piece of armor that will be usable in Mass Effect 2 should I ever decide to buy it.) I do like however that not every character follows the same story, unlike in Oblivion, and that your class, race, etc... will give you a different origin story, and will have people in the game react and respond to you differently. That is more true to the D&D style of RPG playing (which honestly, find me an RPG that isn't at least loosely based on D&D. There are none, they created RPGs, and god bless them!) Overall, this was a good buy, and worth the play-through, but I fear that after seeing all the different story lines, this may not have the replay value that Oblivion does.
I am still hoping to get Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Brutal Legend, Lego Rock Band, and a few others. And when I do, I will probably rant on those too, but for now, there ya go! My (un)professional oppinion on some games. Enjoy!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The return of entertainment
My favorite Sci/Fi action movie had always been Demolition Man. It had a futuristic Sci-Fi plot, but was within the realm of possibility if you believe in future-science and advanced brain-technology. But that's an entirely different blog. My point here is that a new movie finally replaced Demolition Man as my favorite Sci-Fi action flick. The Matrix came close, but not quite, but we have a new first place winner. The movie is Gamer. It has an amazing plot, great actors, awesome effects and visuals, plus it has John Leguizamo in it briefly. What more could you ask for really? Not only is that an amazing movie, but I plan to see 9, The Invention of Lying, and An Upstanding Citizen soon too as all of them look to be great movies as well. It excites me that we are finally getting new, original movies.
Speaking of new and original, I am excited about a game coming out soon that I finally got to play the demo for. The game Brutal Legend has been in the works for a while now and is created by the same person who brought us Psychonauts (another original and fun game.) It is a game where the main antagonist is a frustrated roadie working for a "heavy metal" band who turns out to be an emo-pop sensation. He is magically transported to a kick-ass medievil world where everything in existence looks as though it belongs on a iron maiden album cover or in the illustrations from the movie/comic series Heavy Metal. The premise is new and original and a fun idea for people like me who were raised appreciating real music A.K.A. rock and roll. It has voice cameo's from Ozzy, Kyle Gass, Lemy from Motorhead, and the main voice over is Jack Black so the cast itself is also a bunch of metal-heads. After playing the demo I found that the gameplay and visual aspects of the game are as exciting and fun as the premise itself, and it appears to so far be a smooth, appealing, and exciting game. I can't wait for it's release and am quite glad it comes out only weeks before my birthday (yes, it has made it to the top of my wishlist.)
Also, since I'm on the topic of rock and roll, music seems to finally be coming around too. Rap has been the most popular genre of music for the past few years, and while I have actually found myself liking a few songs by Rihanna, T.I., Twista, Kanye (who is a jackass according to our president) none of them could ever even remotely compare to the real music that is rock. Maiden, Priest, AC/DC, Zeppelin, Metallica, Van Halen, Meatloaf, Queen, Jethro Tull, Aerosmith, Warrant, Sabbath, Motley Crue, these are real bands and that is real music. They all can actually sing and don't need pro-tools or talk-boxes to sound appealing (although Frampton is awesome with his talk-box and Sweet Emotion wouldn't be the same without it.) They have actual instruments and actual talent and no turntable, sythesizer or DJ-friendly computer could touch Eddie or Hendrix on the guitar. No melodic track compares to the Keyboard solos in songs by Kansas, Journey, or Boston. And no one has the vocal range of Steven Tyler or the glass-breaking falsetto of Freddie Mercury. That's real music! All that being said... rock is finally coming back. Not only have classic bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Foreigner, and many others been recording and releasing new music, but lots of "nu-rock" bands have been working hard to keep the genre alive. Skillet and Three Days Grace both had new albums come out not too long ago. And bands that would be considered "Alternative or Rap-Metal" like Linkin Park or Hollywood Undead are strong on the airwaves with new albums or singles. Overall, it looks like good music will soon be on the radio again and I might be able to actually drive my car about without a big stack of CD's to keep me entertained.
And the last form of entertainment I can mention in a positive way is TV. Fringe, House and Big Bang Theory are all back with new seasons and so far I am pleased with all 3. Those were my three favorite shows last season and they are all still alive and kicking. Amongst all the reality TV, stupid shows about people with 6 kids, or 8 kids, or 18 kids, shows about a midget couple, or a gay couple, or a bunch of cheating couples, and every other show that follows around "normal" people and rebuilds their kitchen, their family, their house, or their lives; it is good to finally have something watchable. Don't get me wrong, watching Viva La Bam, Jackass, Nitro Circus, and the 900 other shows on MTV that portray people being assholes and hurting themselves always reminds me how nice it is to have a brain, even if it doesn't pay as good as being a moron. Road Rules, Real World, Survivor, Top Model, and all the other Realitiy/Competition shows provide me with loads of entertainment because it makes giant fools out of people who would usually only be hated by their neighborhoods so that the whole world might hate them for the persons they really are. And that's quite a service, because if we can keep those shows going, we will soon root out all the idiots in our society and maybe by letting them all waste their time fighting to the death on survivor 52 or eat blowfish raw on Fear Factor: The Poisonous Food Edition, we can improve the quality of life for those of us that enjoy intelligent and witty entertainment. Jokes that are funny, plots that are involved, and characters that are believably intelligent and well-played by the actors.
Overall, entertainment is appealing again and I am excited to have more intelligent ways to distract myself from the annoyance that has become my life. Now I won't have to spend all my time with books (although I still plan to read quite a few and finish my own.)
Speaking of new and original, I am excited about a game coming out soon that I finally got to play the demo for. The game Brutal Legend has been in the works for a while now and is created by the same person who brought us Psychonauts (another original and fun game.) It is a game where the main antagonist is a frustrated roadie working for a "heavy metal" band who turns out to be an emo-pop sensation. He is magically transported to a kick-ass medievil world where everything in existence looks as though it belongs on a iron maiden album cover or in the illustrations from the movie/comic series Heavy Metal. The premise is new and original and a fun idea for people like me who were raised appreciating real music A.K.A. rock and roll. It has voice cameo's from Ozzy, Kyle Gass, Lemy from Motorhead, and the main voice over is Jack Black so the cast itself is also a bunch of metal-heads. After playing the demo I found that the gameplay and visual aspects of the game are as exciting and fun as the premise itself, and it appears to so far be a smooth, appealing, and exciting game. I can't wait for it's release and am quite glad it comes out only weeks before my birthday (yes, it has made it to the top of my wishlist.)
Also, since I'm on the topic of rock and roll, music seems to finally be coming around too. Rap has been the most popular genre of music for the past few years, and while I have actually found myself liking a few songs by Rihanna, T.I., Twista, Kanye (who is a jackass according to our president) none of them could ever even remotely compare to the real music that is rock. Maiden, Priest, AC/DC, Zeppelin, Metallica, Van Halen, Meatloaf, Queen, Jethro Tull, Aerosmith, Warrant, Sabbath, Motley Crue, these are real bands and that is real music. They all can actually sing and don't need pro-tools or talk-boxes to sound appealing (although Frampton is awesome with his talk-box and Sweet Emotion wouldn't be the same without it.) They have actual instruments and actual talent and no turntable, sythesizer or DJ-friendly computer could touch Eddie or Hendrix on the guitar. No melodic track compares to the Keyboard solos in songs by Kansas, Journey, or Boston. And no one has the vocal range of Steven Tyler or the glass-breaking falsetto of Freddie Mercury. That's real music! All that being said... rock is finally coming back. Not only have classic bands like AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Foreigner, and many others been recording and releasing new music, but lots of "nu-rock" bands have been working hard to keep the genre alive. Skillet and Three Days Grace both had new albums come out not too long ago. And bands that would be considered "Alternative or Rap-Metal" like Linkin Park or Hollywood Undead are strong on the airwaves with new albums or singles. Overall, it looks like good music will soon be on the radio again and I might be able to actually drive my car about without a big stack of CD's to keep me entertained.
And the last form of entertainment I can mention in a positive way is TV. Fringe, House and Big Bang Theory are all back with new seasons and so far I am pleased with all 3. Those were my three favorite shows last season and they are all still alive and kicking. Amongst all the reality TV, stupid shows about people with 6 kids, or 8 kids, or 18 kids, shows about a midget couple, or a gay couple, or a bunch of cheating couples, and every other show that follows around "normal" people and rebuilds their kitchen, their family, their house, or their lives; it is good to finally have something watchable. Don't get me wrong, watching Viva La Bam, Jackass, Nitro Circus, and the 900 other shows on MTV that portray people being assholes and hurting themselves always reminds me how nice it is to have a brain, even if it doesn't pay as good as being a moron. Road Rules, Real World, Survivor, Top Model, and all the other Realitiy/Competition shows provide me with loads of entertainment because it makes giant fools out of people who would usually only be hated by their neighborhoods so that the whole world might hate them for the persons they really are. And that's quite a service, because if we can keep those shows going, we will soon root out all the idiots in our society and maybe by letting them all waste their time fighting to the death on survivor 52 or eat blowfish raw on Fear Factor: The Poisonous Food Edition, we can improve the quality of life for those of us that enjoy intelligent and witty entertainment. Jokes that are funny, plots that are involved, and characters that are believably intelligent and well-played by the actors.
Overall, entertainment is appealing again and I am excited to have more intelligent ways to distract myself from the annoyance that has become my life. Now I won't have to spend all my time with books (although I still plan to read quite a few and finish my own.)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Waste Not, Want... No, that's it, just waste not!
Ok, have any of you ever pre-ordered a game? Or gotten a limited-time bundle? You know, where you get a free mini-poster, art book, soundtrack, laser cell, bobble head, sticker sheet, pin set, iron-on patch, etc... for buying the game opening day or ahead of time? Well, do you know what happend to those items if they are not handed out at Gamestop? They throw away all the remaining items. That's right! All the COD:MW2 posters that didn't get distributed, all the drum pedals for GH: Metallica, all the Destroy All Humans bobbleheads, the Afro Samurai figurines, everything... garbage! Not only that, but whenever any T-shirts, hats, comic books, player's guides, belt buckles, bracelets, action firgures, and other non-game merchandise don't sell, even after being marked down, they too get thrown away!
Now, maybe I'm a bit more avid of a collector than most people, but I'd like to think that there are many collector's out there, even ones not as passionate as me, that would love to add any (or all) of those things to their collections, and yet, it is all being destroyed and dumped in a landfill! It's outrageous really!
Remember back in I think 2001, when that huge comic book store burned down and various first editions of various comics were destroyed including Spiderman #1, Superman #1, and Spawn #1, all signed... yeah, how upset were all those comic geeks because something so valuable and incredibly hard to replace was destroyed? pretty pissed! Well, all you gamers should feel the same way! Those promo items are hard to find, even when they first come out, and after the game has been launched, they become increasingly hard to find. And yet, what ones are left in the store are destroyed! Gamestop is not only a horrible anti-collector store that buys used games for a fifth of their selling price, but they also blatantly destroy rare and valuable non-game merchandise because they can't be bothered to set it aside and hand it out to interested customers.
Remember, this is the same company that charges the same for a mint condition used game as one that has no box or instructions. And the same company that will throw out the box and manual for any gameboy game you trade in because it fits on the shelf better as a cartridge alone, nevermind the collectibility of a complete game!
So, once again, I basically just want to tell all of you to never shop at or support Gamestop. Unless, of course, you agree with throwing out boxes, manuals, promo merchandise, collectible and rare games, andything that isn't current or next gen, posters, standees, apparel... and actually, if that's the case, let me know when it's garbage day at your house!
Now, maybe I'm a bit more avid of a collector than most people, but I'd like to think that there are many collector's out there, even ones not as passionate as me, that would love to add any (or all) of those things to their collections, and yet, it is all being destroyed and dumped in a landfill! It's outrageous really!
Remember back in I think 2001, when that huge comic book store burned down and various first editions of various comics were destroyed including Spiderman #1, Superman #1, and Spawn #1, all signed... yeah, how upset were all those comic geeks because something so valuable and incredibly hard to replace was destroyed? pretty pissed! Well, all you gamers should feel the same way! Those promo items are hard to find, even when they first come out, and after the game has been launched, they become increasingly hard to find. And yet, what ones are left in the store are destroyed! Gamestop is not only a horrible anti-collector store that buys used games for a fifth of their selling price, but they also blatantly destroy rare and valuable non-game merchandise because they can't be bothered to set it aside and hand it out to interested customers.
Remember, this is the same company that charges the same for a mint condition used game as one that has no box or instructions. And the same company that will throw out the box and manual for any gameboy game you trade in because it fits on the shelf better as a cartridge alone, nevermind the collectibility of a complete game!
So, once again, I basically just want to tell all of you to never shop at or support Gamestop. Unless, of course, you agree with throwing out boxes, manuals, promo merchandise, collectible and rare games, andything that isn't current or next gen, posters, standees, apparel... and actually, if that's the case, let me know when it's garbage day at your house!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Old School Sexism
No, this isn't a political statement or anything like that. Those things are all on my MySpace, this is just a good old-fashioned video game rant.
Lately (within the last few months) I haven't been buying many new games. Partly because most of them suck lately, and partly because they cost too damn much. So instead I've been focusing on getting my NES, SNES, and Genesis collections back up to the formidable size they were when I was younger and they were still in production. Unfortunately, through stupidity or other factors, I lost most of my original games, consoles, etc... Some were sold, some were stolen, some seemed to have just dissapeared through some act of god... not really sure. The point is, I've been talking to people, hitting Game Players and Ebay, and trying to find decent yard sales or deals on Craigslist.
That effort is going swimmingly, but that's also not the point here. See, while talking to people about old school games (one of my favorite things to talk about, which unfortunately is possibly the biggest girl-repellent I can come up with) I have noticed a trend. Most guys I talk to fondly remember having and playing Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Star Tropics, and other games of that nature. Most girls are quite missing their orignal copies of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Beyond Oasis, Vectorman, etc...
For those of you that didn't pick up from the console-exclusive titles. Most guys seemed to have favored the Nintendo systems and most girls Sega. Myself included. Back in school, I know I had the NES and SNES, my friends Matt and Josh who were both big gamers also had both, our babysitter's daughter had a Geneis (her father had a Laseractive, but that's an entirely different blog. God what I wouldn't do for one of those...) and that trend seems to keep going.
So now I'm wondering, why? What is it about Nintendo that seemed to exclusively draw in guys, and Sega that solely appealed to girls? It can't be the game selection. Almost every genre is represented equally across the platforms. Mario and Sonic cover the platformers, Mortal Kombat was universal, and Killer Instinct and Primal Rage made for console variation in the fighting department. Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy answered to Beyond Oasis, Phantasy Star and Shining Force. So RPG's are covered. Even the obscure beat-em up games like River City Ransom or Ninja Warriors were responded to by Comix Zone and Vectorman. Puzzle games and movie-based games seem to be a draw for girls. So while Sega had Pengun Land and a line-up of Disney games, Nintendo had Lolo and most of the same Disney games. (With the exception of one Beauty and the Beast game I am so desperately trying to find for a friend of mine. Who knew a Disney game would become a $40 rare cartridge?)
I even have a hard-core gamer friend who posts video game reviews online and who has almost every Castlevania game, in box. (Although she doesn't have Kid Dracula, and I do :p) And she grew up playing Castlevania Bloodlines and Sonic 3 with Knuckles. My other hard-core gamer friend (a male one this time) always played Final Fantasy and Tetris and the Puzzle League game on Gameboy, and then eventually on Nintendo 64.
In conclusion, I guess that while I don't know the cause. I do know that most male gamers (casual, hard-core or otherwise) seemed to have loved Nintendo growing up. And for all you looking to pick up that female gamer of your dreams: A. Get in line, and B. Break out the Genesis and challenge her to a game of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. She'll be yours in no time! ;)
P.S. I just tried to put the words Final Fantasy in the post keywords and it kept automaticall filling in Final Fantasy VII... God I hate that game... It's sub-par at best and I'm so sick of everyone acting like it was the end-all RPG. VIII and X were both better, Tidus and Leon were better heroes, and the graphics on even Spyro looked smoother than on that monstrosity!
Lately (within the last few months) I haven't been buying many new games. Partly because most of them suck lately, and partly because they cost too damn much. So instead I've been focusing on getting my NES, SNES, and Genesis collections back up to the formidable size they were when I was younger and they were still in production. Unfortunately, through stupidity or other factors, I lost most of my original games, consoles, etc... Some were sold, some were stolen, some seemed to have just dissapeared through some act of god... not really sure. The point is, I've been talking to people, hitting Game Players and Ebay, and trying to find decent yard sales or deals on Craigslist.
That effort is going swimmingly, but that's also not the point here. See, while talking to people about old school games (one of my favorite things to talk about, which unfortunately is possibly the biggest girl-repellent I can come up with) I have noticed a trend. Most guys I talk to fondly remember having and playing Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Star Tropics, and other games of that nature. Most girls are quite missing their orignal copies of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, Beyond Oasis, Vectorman, etc...
For those of you that didn't pick up from the console-exclusive titles. Most guys seemed to have favored the Nintendo systems and most girls Sega. Myself included. Back in school, I know I had the NES and SNES, my friends Matt and Josh who were both big gamers also had both, our babysitter's daughter had a Geneis (her father had a Laseractive, but that's an entirely different blog. God what I wouldn't do for one of those...) and that trend seems to keep going.
So now I'm wondering, why? What is it about Nintendo that seemed to exclusively draw in guys, and Sega that solely appealed to girls? It can't be the game selection. Almost every genre is represented equally across the platforms. Mario and Sonic cover the platformers, Mortal Kombat was universal, and Killer Instinct and Primal Rage made for console variation in the fighting department. Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy answered to Beyond Oasis, Phantasy Star and Shining Force. So RPG's are covered. Even the obscure beat-em up games like River City Ransom or Ninja Warriors were responded to by Comix Zone and Vectorman. Puzzle games and movie-based games seem to be a draw for girls. So while Sega had Pengun Land and a line-up of Disney games, Nintendo had Lolo and most of the same Disney games. (With the exception of one Beauty and the Beast game I am so desperately trying to find for a friend of mine. Who knew a Disney game would become a $40 rare cartridge?)
I even have a hard-core gamer friend who posts video game reviews online and who has almost every Castlevania game, in box. (Although she doesn't have Kid Dracula, and I do :p) And she grew up playing Castlevania Bloodlines and Sonic 3 with Knuckles. My other hard-core gamer friend (a male one this time) always played Final Fantasy and Tetris and the Puzzle League game on Gameboy, and then eventually on Nintendo 64.
In conclusion, I guess that while I don't know the cause. I do know that most male gamers (casual, hard-core or otherwise) seemed to have loved Nintendo growing up. And for all you looking to pick up that female gamer of your dreams: A. Get in line, and B. Break out the Genesis and challenge her to a game of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. She'll be yours in no time! ;)
P.S. I just tried to put the words Final Fantasy in the post keywords and it kept automaticall filling in Final Fantasy VII... God I hate that game... It's sub-par at best and I'm so sick of everyone acting like it was the end-all RPG. VIII and X were both better, Tidus and Leon were better heroes, and the graphics on even Spyro looked smoother than on that monstrosity!
Friday, August 14, 2009
No accounting for taste...
So, it has come to my attention that many other people have different taste in video games than me. But then again, nobody really has the same taste...
Even people who are the same genre of video game players still will differ in taste. For example: take the "casual gamer." Someone who doesn't play games obsessively and only has a few. Now, this could be a 40yr old woman playing Bejewled or Collapse after her kids go to sleep, or it could be a 20yr old jock who spends all his time playing sports and fornicating with blondes but manages to get in some time on WoW once or twice a week.
Same goes for competitive gamers, some play strictly sports games and some only play shooters. And even if you take the same type of games. Say, for example, two different guys who love fighting games. Well, one could love the faster-paced Japanese Fighters and the quick reflexes it requires (Marvel vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, Darkstalkers) and the other guy could prefer American fighters with the story lines, distinguished characters and impossible button combos (Mortal Kombat, Clayfighter, Killer Instinct.)
Most hardcore gamers spend all their time arguing over which console is better. RPG fans always argue over whether or not FFVII is the best in the series, or whether or not Final Fantasy bests other RPG series.
And even the "old school gamers" and the collectors like me grew up with the original console war: Sega vs. Nintendo.
All that being said... Nintendo used to rock, but after the Gamecube it died... only it's handhelds keep it alive... for now. 360 owns the crap outta PS3. FFVII is highly overrated. American fighters are easier, but Japanese fighters are more fun, no one should ever play the Sims or Madden, and Gran Turismo is NOT "the racing simulator." It is in fact, crap! I think that just about covers it... And yes, I know I said everyone has different tastes and opinions, and hey, they are all entitled to continue being wrong! ;)
Even people who are the same genre of video game players still will differ in taste. For example: take the "casual gamer." Someone who doesn't play games obsessively and only has a few. Now, this could be a 40yr old woman playing Bejewled or Collapse after her kids go to sleep, or it could be a 20yr old jock who spends all his time playing sports and fornicating with blondes but manages to get in some time on WoW once or twice a week.
Same goes for competitive gamers, some play strictly sports games and some only play shooters. And even if you take the same type of games. Say, for example, two different guys who love fighting games. Well, one could love the faster-paced Japanese Fighters and the quick reflexes it requires (Marvel vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, Darkstalkers) and the other guy could prefer American fighters with the story lines, distinguished characters and impossible button combos (Mortal Kombat, Clayfighter, Killer Instinct.)
Most hardcore gamers spend all their time arguing over which console is better. RPG fans always argue over whether or not FFVII is the best in the series, or whether or not Final Fantasy bests other RPG series.
And even the "old school gamers" and the collectors like me grew up with the original console war: Sega vs. Nintendo.
All that being said... Nintendo used to rock, but after the Gamecube it died... only it's handhelds keep it alive... for now. 360 owns the crap outta PS3. FFVII is highly overrated. American fighters are easier, but Japanese fighters are more fun, no one should ever play the Sims or Madden, and Gran Turismo is NOT "the racing simulator." It is in fact, crap! I think that just about covers it... And yes, I know I said everyone has different tastes and opinions, and hey, they are all entitled to continue being wrong! ;)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
A Boy and his Blog
I just bought that game so it seemed only right to spin it into my title. I never even really liked that game much. I mean, it's an ok puzzle game, somewhat challenging, but it just never caught my interest. But I got it for under 5 bucks, and actually, it was all store credit from trading in old guides I got for free while working at Gamestop, so really, any game is a good deal if it's free. Except Italian Job for the Xbox. Even for free, I would still be dissapointed and want my money back. That game just plain sucked!
And while we're on that subject: Mario's Early Years: Fun with Numbers is also a big old pile of suck mixed in with gooey poo sprinkles. I can't imagine even a small child being captivated by this thing. My 11 month old nephew would probably be bored and he once spent 10 minutes standing next to me watching me fly from Darnassus to Tanaris in WoW.
Also, I recently picked up Time Lord and Quattro: Adventure for the NES, Revolution X and Super James Pond for the SNES and Alisia Dragoon for the Genesis. I can tell you right now, only 1 of them am I actually looking forward to playing.
I'm sure you might wonder why I buy games if I know beforehand I am going to hate them. Well, A. I intend to play them anyways, I'll just wait until friends are over so we can all laugh at them and then mock them horribly MST3k style, B. I want to have as many games in my colletion as possible, and C. They were all cheap and/or free.
That being said... I want to move on to a topic I briefly discussed earlier today with a felow game nerd. DJ Hero... Meh...
Has anyone ever heard of Beatmania? I'm looking at the controller for it right now and I see 7 buttons and a turntable. And this was for the PS2. Now, 1 generation and several years of games later and we are coming out with a new rythym game that will feature 3 buttons and a turntable. Anyone else see the problem here? We've downgraded! Ok, I know, the buttons are on the turntable, so that will add to the diffficulty, or at least the confusion, and there are some fader switches you have to mess with that also add to the confus... I mean difficulty factor. But why change something that already works? There were (and this is including all versions, arcade, LCD releases, everything...) 96 different versions of Beatmania out there. Yeah, 96! And you thought Guitar Hero was whoring up the marketplace!? But there's a reason there are so many; it's a good game! It is fun, challenging, and the music is compelling. There have been specific ones to feature music from Anime or other Konami video games (although I believe those never left Japan, so good luck getting your hands on them.) DJ Hero however, will not only be less challenging but will have american crossovers and club/rap music. Don't get me wrong, Linkin Park has some cool crossovers with other bands (not the Jay-Z ones, the fan-made ones found online.) I do like Black Eyed Peas, and I'm very happy to see an artist I quite enjoy (DJ Z-Trip) making it on there, but none of that compares to the IIDX Remix of Bloody Tears that was on Beatmania (and also DDR: SuperNova 2.)
I think Guitar Hero should just stick to what they have been doing and focus on guitar songs. Actually, right now, they should drop the band support, and the stupid slider gimmick, and just focus on getting licences to really good songs. Give it up Activision/Blizzard, Harmonix and MTV made the better full-band game. It's ok, people will still play your game, just stop making it so horrible. Guitar Hero 3 was your best one yet. Drop the band thing, drop the slider, get all original tapes (no covers) and maybe push for the M rating so you can get explicit lyrics. That's how you get an exclusive edge over Rock Band. Start including Buck Cherry, Godsmack, Disturbed, Dry Kill Logic, KoRn, Manson, Static-X, System of a Down, pretty much anything in my CD collection. People would LOVE to play that music but because of a few annoying parents who think the world will end if their children hear swear words, we can't get any decent songs on Rock Band, or we get them with obnoxious silences where the "offensive" words would be. Even if it were a downloadable addon, people would gladly pay to be able to play the songs we all really wanna hear.
I don't know for sure, but I can go ahead and guess that most of the market for that game (especially considering the price) is frat boys and young adults who want something to play with their buddies while partying and drinking. And that game beats most because you get to look like a fool with some good music and 3 of your closest friends to suffer through it as well. So why not market to those people?
And by the way, putting Down with the Sickness in Rock Band with bleeps? Who do you think you are kidding Harmonix? We are all saying the bad words in it anyways...
And while we're on that subject: Mario's Early Years: Fun with Numbers is also a big old pile of suck mixed in with gooey poo sprinkles. I can't imagine even a small child being captivated by this thing. My 11 month old nephew would probably be bored and he once spent 10 minutes standing next to me watching me fly from Darnassus to Tanaris in WoW.
Also, I recently picked up Time Lord and Quattro: Adventure for the NES, Revolution X and Super James Pond for the SNES and Alisia Dragoon for the Genesis. I can tell you right now, only 1 of them am I actually looking forward to playing.
I'm sure you might wonder why I buy games if I know beforehand I am going to hate them. Well, A. I intend to play them anyways, I'll just wait until friends are over so we can all laugh at them and then mock them horribly MST3k style, B. I want to have as many games in my colletion as possible, and C. They were all cheap and/or free.
That being said... I want to move on to a topic I briefly discussed earlier today with a felow game nerd. DJ Hero... Meh...
Has anyone ever heard of Beatmania? I'm looking at the controller for it right now and I see 7 buttons and a turntable. And this was for the PS2. Now, 1 generation and several years of games later and we are coming out with a new rythym game that will feature 3 buttons and a turntable. Anyone else see the problem here? We've downgraded! Ok, I know, the buttons are on the turntable, so that will add to the diffficulty, or at least the confusion, and there are some fader switches you have to mess with that also add to the confus... I mean difficulty factor. But why change something that already works? There were (and this is including all versions, arcade, LCD releases, everything...) 96 different versions of Beatmania out there. Yeah, 96! And you thought Guitar Hero was whoring up the marketplace!? But there's a reason there are so many; it's a good game! It is fun, challenging, and the music is compelling. There have been specific ones to feature music from Anime or other Konami video games (although I believe those never left Japan, so good luck getting your hands on them.) DJ Hero however, will not only be less challenging but will have american crossovers and club/rap music. Don't get me wrong, Linkin Park has some cool crossovers with other bands (not the Jay-Z ones, the fan-made ones found online.) I do like Black Eyed Peas, and I'm very happy to see an artist I quite enjoy (DJ Z-Trip) making it on there, but none of that compares to the IIDX Remix of Bloody Tears that was on Beatmania (and also DDR: SuperNova 2.)
I think Guitar Hero should just stick to what they have been doing and focus on guitar songs. Actually, right now, they should drop the band support, and the stupid slider gimmick, and just focus on getting licences to really good songs. Give it up Activision/Blizzard, Harmonix and MTV made the better full-band game. It's ok, people will still play your game, just stop making it so horrible. Guitar Hero 3 was your best one yet. Drop the band thing, drop the slider, get all original tapes (no covers) and maybe push for the M rating so you can get explicit lyrics. That's how you get an exclusive edge over Rock Band. Start including Buck Cherry, Godsmack, Disturbed, Dry Kill Logic, KoRn, Manson, Static-X, System of a Down, pretty much anything in my CD collection. People would LOVE to play that music but because of a few annoying parents who think the world will end if their children hear swear words, we can't get any decent songs on Rock Band, or we get them with obnoxious silences where the "offensive" words would be. Even if it were a downloadable addon, people would gladly pay to be able to play the songs we all really wanna hear.
I don't know for sure, but I can go ahead and guess that most of the market for that game (especially considering the price) is frat boys and young adults who want something to play with their buddies while partying and drinking. And that game beats most because you get to look like a fool with some good music and 3 of your closest friends to suffer through it as well. So why not market to those people?
And by the way, putting Down with the Sickness in Rock Band with bleeps? Who do you think you are kidding Harmonix? We are all saying the bad words in it anyways...
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