In 1953, James Bond was first given his 00 status. Ian Fleming's first work, Casino Royale, was published that year to great acclaim. The first film would come out in 1962 and actually be the sixth in the series of eighteen actually written by Fleming (fifteen of which have been adapted into films at this point). As the films came out and time passed, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the source of the antagonist in many of the books, would no longer work in a major motion picture without causing issues with Russia (like the previous film, Liscense to Kill, had). As such...this story was written to update the character for the times rather than continue making the Russians the enemy, as was the plan with the proposed Property of a Lady adaptation.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.6 - Mystical Ninja starring Goemon (11/26/09)
So, I know I said Goldeneye 64 would be next, but I came across this game in my home collection while at Thanksgiving Dinner (Happy Thanksgiving you amazing readers you) and I just had to write it. Yep, this game was amazing enough for me to put aside one of the greatest FPS's ever to review it first. Don't believe me? Read on.
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.5 - Secret Weapons Over Normandy (11/25/09)
"The greater issues were beyond us. We sat in a tiny cockpit, throttle lever in one hand, stick in the other. At the end of our right thumb was the firing button, and in each wing were four guns. We aimed through an optical gunsight, a red bead in the middle of a red ring. Our one concern was to boot out the enemy." -Capt. Peter Townswend, British Royal Air Force
Odd that I start this with a quote, but I thought it much more appropriate in this case than anything I could write. I don't play many games that are heavily based on historic events, but Secret Weapons Over Normandy was one of those few that I came across and enjoyed (the other also being a game based on the pilots of WWII, but the 1940 shmup series doesn't really try for some form of historical accuracy very often).
Odd that I start this with a quote, but I thought it much more appropriate in this case than anything I could write. I don't play many games that are heavily based on historic events, but Secret Weapons Over Normandy was one of those few that I came across and enjoyed (the other also being a game based on the pilots of WWII, but the 1940 shmup series doesn't really try for some form of historical accuracy very often).
Sara's Top Ten RPG's (11/25/09)
Ok, before we get started...this is my list, I'm following the franchise rule, and I'm including games from Action RPG's, strategy RPG's, Western RPG's, JRPG's, tabeltop, and MMO's when I decided on this list...so if your favorite isn't here, sorry.
Anyways, also, keep in mind that I missed out on the SNES almost entirely (thus games like Act Raiser won't be on the list). I also missed out on the PS1 and didn't get a PS2 until 2007. That being said, jumping in.
Anyways, also, keep in mind that I missed out on the SNES almost entirely (thus games like Act Raiser won't be on the list). I also missed out on the PS1 and didn't get a PS2 until 2007. That being said, jumping in.
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.4 - Super Mario Brothers Advance 4: Super Mario Brothers 3 (11/24/09)
Long name for a wonderful game. I can't really give you a history lesson opener as there isn't one that isn't part of the common knowledge. It's Super Mario Brothers 3, one of the greatest games of all time. However, I'm not really reviewing the NES classic, am I?
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.3 - Age of Mythology (11/24/09)
This volume is brought to you by Ensemble Studios, makers of great RTS games, like Age of Empires, and mediorce console ones, i.e. Halo Wars. May the studio rest in peace at the defunct game company graveyard.
Sara's Top Ten Most Hated Games Ever (11/23/09)
Tonight's blog was going to be volume three of "My Favorite Games", however, due to life stuff, I'm instead giving out my 10 most hated games. They can be hated for a number of reasons, including those outside of the game. This means, they may be good and I may like the way they play, but something about them bothers me. So here goes, my top ten most hated games.
Sara's Top Ten Games to Take on a Roadtrip (11/22/09)
Today, I'm going a roadtrip up to my mother's in which it will be a four hour drive. As such, I thought I'd compile a list of the top ten games I've enjoyed on road trips today and some I'll have with me today. Franchise rule will not be in effect for this list, simply because some of the games I played to death were amongst the same franchise. However, you will see something similar.
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.2 - Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (11/21/09)
Moving into episode two...yeah, I'm writing a lot faster ever since my writer's block subsided, so my blog has kind've gotten full. I figure here in a few days, I'll start slowing down again...but who knows, I may keep having things to write about. That being said, moving into volume two of "My Favorite Games".
My Favorite Games, Vol. 1.1 - Spider-Man 2 (11/21/09)
Alright, this marks the beginning of a series of reviews about my favorite games. For this one, I'm gonna do one that every time I play it, I generally lose a eight hour period from beginning to end. Spider-Man 2, a game that is quite possibly my favorite of the last generation (and last generation was a great one for me).
Review: Halo Legends - The Duel and it's interplay with Japanese Film (11/21/09)
Alright, this is a good episode, and if you haven't seen it, stop reading this, because they're are going to be spoilers, and go watch it NOW! Even if you don't like the Halo series, which I am a tad peturbed with myself (see the subject of my previous blog), this is worth seeing. If you don't like Anime or Japanese culture...um, first of all, how can you be a gamer when it still permeates nearly everything in our niche? Secondly, why not? However, I'm getting off topic, and for a SPOILER WARNING this is getting a little out of hand.
Gametype Playlists and DLC (11/21/09)
I hate when I get on Xbox Live and the gametype I want to play is now locked unless you purchase the new downloadable maps. I'm POOR! I can't just buy something like that for $15.00 every few months...especially when it's not a full game.
Sara's Top Ten Game Soundtracks (11/19/09)
Well...as you may have noticed, I generally try and do things that are on the periphery of the public concious, or at the very least, something a little different. As such, I bring you, my top ten in game scores.
Just so we're clear, the rules for this list are one game per franchise, and the whole game has to use music, or the lack of it, well.
Just so we're clear, the rules for this list are one game per franchise, and the whole game has to use music, or the lack of it, well.
The PlayStation and Me (11/19/2009)
I was a fangirl. I can admit it. I was raised with an NES controller in hand. I missed out on the SNES due to mild insanity involving the Genesis (which I also love), but I still loved Nintendo. So when the Playstation came on the scene, I was deeply entrenched with the N64 I'd seen in Nintendo Power.
I'd missed out on Final Fantasy IV and VI, so the shift there was not a stinging blow, and the games I still love and play today are mostly on the Nintendo 64, but there were some great games that I did miss out on, and may never get to play now, on the original Playstation.
Sure, I'd played it a few times, was mildly impressed with what I saw, but was never all that eager to get the console and dig through the games themselves. Instead, I was much more eager to play Rareware's platformers, Nintendo's long running legend, and my gateway drug to RPG's, Ogre Battle 64.
It was with the last one that my first interest arose in the system. Ogre Battle Special Edition was a rerelease of March of the Black Queen for the console, I, however, didn't know that at the time, there was more than one Ogre game at all. Final Fantasy Tactics sat on the shelf above it at the game rental store, it looked remarkably similar to Ogre Battle as well.
The interest in the system had begun, though I'd thought it merely an interest in RPG's...which it was, in part. I however, didn't realize that the Playstation was the system for RPG's. So, I started looking for other RPG's. Nintendo had Quest 64, a mildly entertaining adventure about a young wizard, and Aidan's Chronicles: The First Mage. That was it.
And I had them both. I played them both to death, but I wasn't sated yet. By this time, it was 2000, and another white box of wonder had arisen. This time, it was the Dreamcast. I saw Sonic in 3D and had to play it. And then the commercials for Shenmue. I had to have this system. And I got it that Christmas with both of those games, and Phantasy Star Online episode 1. My delve into RPG continued.
About a year later, I was walking through the then FuncoLand looking for a new game to play. It was then I came across Timestalkers, a dungeon crawler with fresh dungeons everytime you played, and a monster training based party reminiscent of Pokemon. The game was pure awesome, and I went through so many watch batteries training my monsters to be great.
I was hooked on turn based JRPG's at this point and had no where to turn for something new. For three more years, I went without a true RPG experience, and even had to rebuild most of what I had due to theft.
In that span, I'd won a Xbox. Don't ask me how, I don't know. I just won one of the promotional ones from Taco Bell, with most of the launch titles. While this was good for moving me out of my Nintendo comfort zone and introducing me to the Halo series, there still weren't any RPG's to be played. There was Shenmue 2 though, and that held the tide until I came across KotOR.
I discovered Knights of the Old Republic on accident. Seeing Star Wars on the label, I thought it was part of the Jedi Knight series I'd played here and there and was willing to give it a try. Was I surprised or what? It's was one of the serendipatious moments that makes life amazingly great. I jumped back into RPG's with a passion...but I still didn't have a Playstation.
Then, Crystal Chronicles came out. While Ogre Series was the father of the FF Tactics series, Crystal Chronicles is how I really started discovering Final Fantasy. It was 2005. I started my sweep through the Final Fantasy Games, quickly purchasing as many of the GBA rereleases as I could. I fell in love with the series.
In 2006, I went to a sleepover for a friends sweet sixteen and her brother was playing Kingdom Hearts. I'd heard about it, but never gotten the chance to look at it to in depth. I was enthralled with it, and ended up playing it all night with him from beginning to Monstro. I had to play the game, finish it...figure out the story.
Playstation 2 was the only way I could do it though, and the 360 had just come out, and the Wii was soon on it's way. I'd have to wait nearly two more years before getting the system, but when I did...I fell in love instantly. I still don't like the controller, but I was annoyed at how much I'd missed out on.
The fact that it was backwards compatible made it even better. This spurred a purchasing of all of the PS1 FF games save VII (money being an issue) and an reintroduction to one of my favorite series, Castlevania.
I'm a cautionary tale for fans of specific consoles. There are a lot of good games out there, and if you judge by only the big titles, you're going to miss out on a lot of them...like I did with the Playstation.
-Sara
I'd missed out on Final Fantasy IV and VI, so the shift there was not a stinging blow, and the games I still love and play today are mostly on the Nintendo 64, but there were some great games that I did miss out on, and may never get to play now, on the original Playstation.
Sure, I'd played it a few times, was mildly impressed with what I saw, but was never all that eager to get the console and dig through the games themselves. Instead, I was much more eager to play Rareware's platformers, Nintendo's long running legend, and my gateway drug to RPG's, Ogre Battle 64.
It was with the last one that my first interest arose in the system. Ogre Battle Special Edition was a rerelease of March of the Black Queen for the console, I, however, didn't know that at the time, there was more than one Ogre game at all. Final Fantasy Tactics sat on the shelf above it at the game rental store, it looked remarkably similar to Ogre Battle as well.
The interest in the system had begun, though I'd thought it merely an interest in RPG's...which it was, in part. I however, didn't realize that the Playstation was the system for RPG's. So, I started looking for other RPG's. Nintendo had Quest 64, a mildly entertaining adventure about a young wizard, and Aidan's Chronicles: The First Mage. That was it.
And I had them both. I played them both to death, but I wasn't sated yet. By this time, it was 2000, and another white box of wonder had arisen. This time, it was the Dreamcast. I saw Sonic in 3D and had to play it. And then the commercials for Shenmue. I had to have this system. And I got it that Christmas with both of those games, and Phantasy Star Online episode 1. My delve into RPG continued.
About a year later, I was walking through the then FuncoLand looking for a new game to play. It was then I came across Timestalkers, a dungeon crawler with fresh dungeons everytime you played, and a monster training based party reminiscent of Pokemon. The game was pure awesome, and I went through so many watch batteries training my monsters to be great.
I was hooked on turn based JRPG's at this point and had no where to turn for something new. For three more years, I went without a true RPG experience, and even had to rebuild most of what I had due to theft.
In that span, I'd won a Xbox. Don't ask me how, I don't know. I just won one of the promotional ones from Taco Bell, with most of the launch titles. While this was good for moving me out of my Nintendo comfort zone and introducing me to the Halo series, there still weren't any RPG's to be played. There was Shenmue 2 though, and that held the tide until I came across KotOR.
I discovered Knights of the Old Republic on accident. Seeing Star Wars on the label, I thought it was part of the Jedi Knight series I'd played here and there and was willing to give it a try. Was I surprised or what? It's was one of the serendipatious moments that makes life amazingly great. I jumped back into RPG's with a passion...but I still didn't have a Playstation.
Then, Crystal Chronicles came out. While Ogre Series was the father of the FF Tactics series, Crystal Chronicles is how I really started discovering Final Fantasy. It was 2005. I started my sweep through the Final Fantasy Games, quickly purchasing as many of the GBA rereleases as I could. I fell in love with the series.
In 2006, I went to a sleepover for a friends sweet sixteen and her brother was playing Kingdom Hearts. I'd heard about it, but never gotten the chance to look at it to in depth. I was enthralled with it, and ended up playing it all night with him from beginning to Monstro. I had to play the game, finish it...figure out the story.
Playstation 2 was the only way I could do it though, and the 360 had just come out, and the Wii was soon on it's way. I'd have to wait nearly two more years before getting the system, but when I did...I fell in love instantly. I still don't like the controller, but I was annoyed at how much I'd missed out on.
The fact that it was backwards compatible made it even better. This spurred a purchasing of all of the PS1 FF games save VII (money being an issue) and an reintroduction to one of my favorite series, Castlevania.
I'm a cautionary tale for fans of specific consoles. There are a lot of good games out there, and if you judge by only the big titles, you're going to miss out on a lot of them...like I did with the Playstation.
-Sara
Sara's Top Ten Licensed Games (11/19/09)
I don't know what possessed me to do this, but the fact that liscensed games get such a bad rap bothers me. As such, I'm going to share with you ten that I think are really good.
#10 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Xbox) - This was the first (and last, unfortunately) of the Harry Potter games to have everything. For starters, it was the first time you got to play as Hermione and Ron. This was key having all three be playable, and each had their part to play in the quest, like in the books and films. Also, Quidditch has never been more fun in a video game. The Quidditch World Cup game had it's moments, but it was so repititous that I grew to hate it.
#9 The Hobbit (Gamecube) - Another weird one in most peoples books. In essence, Zelda gameplay in minute chunks of levels. While it was sad that you couldn't free roam the world, it was still gorgeous to look at in gameplay, and traversing what was literally a war, changing the outcome to achieve your goals was so impressive. The Zelda series will have to be similar to it if they ever hope to do a full scale battle in game.
#8 Aladdin (Sega Genesis) - There's not a lot to say about this one. You fight your way through the landmarks of the film, storybooked with text and images from the movie. All in all, not bad, but only here because of nostalgia's sake.
#7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the NES one) - Um...yeah. I love this game. It was the first game that I ever actively cared about beating, for a number of reasons. First, it was the Ninja Turtles...their awesomeness can not be beaten by one hard as hell game. Stupid swimming level though.
#6 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast) - I'm not big on fighting games, but whenever I see this in arcades, it instantly gets a play. War Machine - Venom - Megaman...blue and black, just like you're about to be. Heh heh.
#5 Goldeneye 64 - What can I say? It's Goldeneye, and you may have the Golden Gun, but I have the Automatic Shotgun.
#4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox) - Shameless fun for fans, that's all. Not a bad 3D beat-em'-up though.
#3 Kingdom Hearts - It's a liscensed game...with all those Disney characters it has to be. Square Enix didn't take it easy on this one. I just hope the series continues to be good.
#2 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox) - Another one I can't say much about, save that BioWare is awesome, and this was the game that introduced me to their greatness.
#1 Spider-Man 2 (Xbox) - Ok...so you're probably thinking how could this beat KotOR and Kingdom Hearts. Well have you played it? Have you swung around New York City? Have you lost eight hours from the starting screen to the credit roll entirely entralled in it? Have you so wished Spider Man 3 hadn't been jacked up so bad that Black Cat got removed and instead we got flaming gay, super emo Peter Parker? Well, I have done all four. This game is just amazing, and I suggest you check it out.
So what's your favorite liscensed game not on this list, and why?
-Sara
Edit: This was my first foray into the dreaded top ten lists...and far from my last. This is one I want to redo entirely at one point though.
#10 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Xbox) - This was the first (and last, unfortunately) of the Harry Potter games to have everything. For starters, it was the first time you got to play as Hermione and Ron. This was key having all three be playable, and each had their part to play in the quest, like in the books and films. Also, Quidditch has never been more fun in a video game. The Quidditch World Cup game had it's moments, but it was so repititous that I grew to hate it.
#9 The Hobbit (Gamecube) - Another weird one in most peoples books. In essence, Zelda gameplay in minute chunks of levels. While it was sad that you couldn't free roam the world, it was still gorgeous to look at in gameplay, and traversing what was literally a war, changing the outcome to achieve your goals was so impressive. The Zelda series will have to be similar to it if they ever hope to do a full scale battle in game.
#8 Aladdin (Sega Genesis) - There's not a lot to say about this one. You fight your way through the landmarks of the film, storybooked with text and images from the movie. All in all, not bad, but only here because of nostalgia's sake.
#7 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the NES one) - Um...yeah. I love this game. It was the first game that I ever actively cared about beating, for a number of reasons. First, it was the Ninja Turtles...their awesomeness can not be beaten by one hard as hell game. Stupid swimming level though.
#6 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast) - I'm not big on fighting games, but whenever I see this in arcades, it instantly gets a play. War Machine - Venom - Megaman...blue and black, just like you're about to be. Heh heh.
#5 Goldeneye 64 - What can I say? It's Goldeneye, and you may have the Golden Gun, but I have the Automatic Shotgun.
#4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xbox) - Shameless fun for fans, that's all. Not a bad 3D beat-em'-up though.
#3 Kingdom Hearts - It's a liscensed game...with all those Disney characters it has to be. Square Enix didn't take it easy on this one. I just hope the series continues to be good.
#2 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox) - Another one I can't say much about, save that BioWare is awesome, and this was the game that introduced me to their greatness.
#1 Spider-Man 2 (Xbox) - Ok...so you're probably thinking how could this beat KotOR and Kingdom Hearts. Well have you played it? Have you swung around New York City? Have you lost eight hours from the starting screen to the credit roll entirely entralled in it? Have you so wished Spider Man 3 hadn't been jacked up so bad that Black Cat got removed and instead we got flaming gay, super emo Peter Parker? Well, I have done all four. This game is just amazing, and I suggest you check it out.
So what's your favorite liscensed game not on this list, and why?
-Sara
Edit: This was my first foray into the dreaded top ten lists...and far from my last. This is one I want to redo entirely at one point though.
Of Plastic Guitars and Rubber Drum Pads (11/18/09)
I HATE ROCK BAND!
Ok, I don't hate Rock Band...I love Rock Band. I hate the junky controllers that take up an awful lot of space in my apartment living room. I hate that there's only a handful of games that I can actually play with them. I hate that they can't actually double as real instruments, though they cost as much as some cheaper sets and/or guitars. I hate that they don't actually teach you to play and are actually harder to play than actual sets or guitars. And most of all, I hate that EA can't seem to remember they have them when it doesn't involve the Rock Band liscense.
The source of my ire tonight is, as you may have guessed from my comments about EA and the guitar, Brutal Legend. This is an RTS based around music. I'm sorry, but wouldn't it make perfect sense to use this plastic piece of junk to play the Clementine guitar. However, it's not the only case of the lack of use for the perephiral.
I once read an article about a game entirely controlled by the Guitar Hero controller, however, that has vanished off the face of the planet. If Samba de Amigo and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat could make entire games out of musical equipment, why couldn't EA do the same with something. I payed $50.00 for this plastic doohickey, and for it only to work on a few games bothers me.
When I first heard Double Fine's game was being produced by Activision, and that Eddie used a battle axe as well as a guitar one, I instantly thought this is where they were going with the game, using the tilt level built in for Star Power to simulate the swinging of the axe and the playing of the music to move and do other things.
Then, EA bought it. Hey, even better, I thought. I already have EA's guitar, it has a better tilt bar, and the five extra buttons, near the point where the neck and box meet, you could use that for targeting in battle, and play other times to move around a somewhat scripted path. And the RTS portion of the game could have become glorious rock operas designated by what melody you played, like Zelda's music as a key elements (a series of chords for attack, a series of chords for defend, a series of chords for retreat, and, most importantly, a set of series to bring about your awesome god of rock powers).
Instead of that epic set up...we were given the controller based Brutal Legend, and while some of it is amazing, specifically driving the Druid Plow, think if you were able to do that instead on a van by playing your guitar and van-surfing. It would have become a game on an entirely different level.
Then again, they would have probably bundled it with a 'limited edition' Clementine Rock Band Guitar.
-Sara
Ok, I don't hate Rock Band...I love Rock Band. I hate the junky controllers that take up an awful lot of space in my apartment living room. I hate that there's only a handful of games that I can actually play with them. I hate that they can't actually double as real instruments, though they cost as much as some cheaper sets and/or guitars. I hate that they don't actually teach you to play and are actually harder to play than actual sets or guitars. And most of all, I hate that EA can't seem to remember they have them when it doesn't involve the Rock Band liscense.
The source of my ire tonight is, as you may have guessed from my comments about EA and the guitar, Brutal Legend. This is an RTS based around music. I'm sorry, but wouldn't it make perfect sense to use this plastic piece of junk to play the Clementine guitar. However, it's not the only case of the lack of use for the perephiral.
I once read an article about a game entirely controlled by the Guitar Hero controller, however, that has vanished off the face of the planet. If Samba de Amigo and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat could make entire games out of musical equipment, why couldn't EA do the same with something. I payed $50.00 for this plastic doohickey, and for it only to work on a few games bothers me.
When I first heard Double Fine's game was being produced by Activision, and that Eddie used a battle axe as well as a guitar one, I instantly thought this is where they were going with the game, using the tilt level built in for Star Power to simulate the swinging of the axe and the playing of the music to move and do other things.
Then, EA bought it. Hey, even better, I thought. I already have EA's guitar, it has a better tilt bar, and the five extra buttons, near the point where the neck and box meet, you could use that for targeting in battle, and play other times to move around a somewhat scripted path. And the RTS portion of the game could have become glorious rock operas designated by what melody you played, like Zelda's music as a key elements (a series of chords for attack, a series of chords for defend, a series of chords for retreat, and, most importantly, a set of series to bring about your awesome god of rock powers).
Instead of that epic set up...we were given the controller based Brutal Legend, and while some of it is amazing, specifically driving the Druid Plow, think if you were able to do that instead on a van by playing your guitar and van-surfing. It would have become a game on an entirely different level.
Then again, they would have probably bundled it with a 'limited edition' Clementine Rock Band Guitar.
-Sara
Casual Games... (11/18/09)
We all hate that term, however, companies like WildTangent and PopCap have made their living off of it. But why do we hate it? Do we in fact hate it at all, or has the rampant superstition of fanboys started to get to us as a culture? If you're here looking for a new critique of why they're ruining the industry, you're in the wrong place.
I mean, yes, I don't like most casual games, mostly because they're nothing more than an expanded mini-game harkening back to the golden age of the arcades and Atari. However, even though they do so, they have some qualities in them that are even better than when they're done in larger scale games.
Farmville at first glance is a Harvest Moon clone lacking story and with no point save to rack up money, and well, it is. However, that leaves you the chance to form your own story for why your character is doing all this. Mine inherited the land from her late, rich great uncle, who left it to her along with ten million dollars, if she could make the farm a success. Stupid I know, but it's enough to keep playing it. The fact that it does farming better than Harvest Moon though is rather sad.
Then there's Peggle, Zuma, and Bejeweled. PopCap's trifecta of puzzle games. The fact that their all just variations of Yoshi's Cookie, Bubble Bobble, and Breakout gets lost, but if we call them by those names, we hail them as classics. I can understand the frustration that this almost blatant plagirism can cause, however, name a game built entirely from the ground up that's come out in the last year.
Then there's Fate and Torchlight, two fairly awesome games in the vein of Diablo or World of Warcraft. However, while those two games are massive in scale, Fate and Torchlight are streamlined to make the game enjoyable in chunks, not requiring the gamer to put in a long term investment into the game, and they can always figure out what to do next easily, even if they haven't played it in months.
So as I've made mention to, most casual games are rehashings of classics that we love. Bringing them back and giving them a face lift to appeal to newer audiences, or older audiences even. isn't really a bad thing.
Then again, I've never understood the fear of mom's being gamers, as my mom is a gamer, and she'll kick your ass on Halo or World of Warcraft. She's the one who wanted Ocarina of Time at my house, as I'd barely begun to discover Zelda beyond the first one yet.
And keep in mind, if we generate this stereotype now that parents can't be gamers with us...what are you going to do when you have kids? Stop playing altogether? So maybe casual games aren't all that bad if they get games to everyone rather than just a juvenile market, don't you think?
Let me know.
-Sara
I mean, yes, I don't like most casual games, mostly because they're nothing more than an expanded mini-game harkening back to the golden age of the arcades and Atari. However, even though they do so, they have some qualities in them that are even better than when they're done in larger scale games.
Farmville at first glance is a Harvest Moon clone lacking story and with no point save to rack up money, and well, it is. However, that leaves you the chance to form your own story for why your character is doing all this. Mine inherited the land from her late, rich great uncle, who left it to her along with ten million dollars, if she could make the farm a success. Stupid I know, but it's enough to keep playing it. The fact that it does farming better than Harvest Moon though is rather sad.
Then there's Peggle, Zuma, and Bejeweled. PopCap's trifecta of puzzle games. The fact that their all just variations of Yoshi's Cookie, Bubble Bobble, and Breakout gets lost, but if we call them by those names, we hail them as classics. I can understand the frustration that this almost blatant plagirism can cause, however, name a game built entirely from the ground up that's come out in the last year.
Then there's Fate and Torchlight, two fairly awesome games in the vein of Diablo or World of Warcraft. However, while those two games are massive in scale, Fate and Torchlight are streamlined to make the game enjoyable in chunks, not requiring the gamer to put in a long term investment into the game, and they can always figure out what to do next easily, even if they haven't played it in months.
So as I've made mention to, most casual games are rehashings of classics that we love. Bringing them back and giving them a face lift to appeal to newer audiences, or older audiences even. isn't really a bad thing.
Then again, I've never understood the fear of mom's being gamers, as my mom is a gamer, and she'll kick your ass on Halo or World of Warcraft. She's the one who wanted Ocarina of Time at my house, as I'd barely begun to discover Zelda beyond the first one yet.
And keep in mind, if we generate this stereotype now that parents can't be gamers with us...what are you going to do when you have kids? Stop playing altogether? So maybe casual games aren't all that bad if they get games to everyone rather than just a juvenile market, don't you think?
Let me know.
-Sara
The Perfect Controller, PC or Console (11/18/09)
Now I will be the first to admit that I was born and raised on the console. My father got the NES Power Set for Christmas less than a month after I was born, and ever since I can remember, I've been playing Mario. Recently however, due to the subject of my previous blog, I've switched to more indie games or older PC games almost exclusively save for a few major titles which I buy or borrow from a friend and then either purchase later or never pick up again.
Dragon Age Origins is one of those kinds of games that I've borrowed. Now you may be thinking how much time did my friend have on his hand in order to finish it so quickly. The answer is he didn't, but because he has the money to toss away, I got to play it early.
It's an interesting game, but I hate the console controls for it. My first though was why the hell did they not simply reuse the old Knights of the Old Republic Engine for the console version of it? I know it had its limitations, but it would have been better than this. For the consoles, anyways. The PC's controls are amazing for it. However, before I get into a review of a game that I still haven't had enough time with, this post is about the controls and it's only one example.
When Jared's review came out, a g1 made the comment that because he said that the controls were better on the PC, that ScrewAttack claimed all control is better on the PC. Even if it wasn't bad logic on the posters part, I'd still disagree with this. The PC has its limitations, just as the consoles have theirs.
So, to start off, a game that is amongst my favorites in Indie games: Cave Story. If you haven't played it, think Contra meets Metroid in an almost chibi Anime fashion. It's awesome, in other words. It was originally released on the PC in 2004, but this year, a demo was released for the DS of the game. This is a wonderful 2D platformer on the PC, but on the DS (and the Wii, eventually) this game harkens back to the days where we were the little kids staying up late trying to beat Metroid for the very first time. The D-pad and buttons change the game that much.
The second game of recent that's comprable is the Call of Duty series, specifically Modern Warfare. The game is awesome on both platforms, there is no doubt of that, but both versions have their own flaws and strenghts. For instance, on the computer, it is insanely easy to shoot with just a point and click. PC's rule at shooters because of this. However, they're horrible at moving around. I don't know about you, but using the arrow buttons or the WASD set up feels clunky as hell for me. If it came down to moving or shooting, I'd pick moving.
The third and fourth games are the final games in this list, and this is due to them being comparison pieces. Ensemble Studio has made some of the best RTS games to date. My favorite is Age of Mythology, however, compared with their swan song, Halo Wars, I'd still much rather play the older game. They both had the powers from above and god units, but the control greatly seperates the quality of the two games. Selecting units is next to impossible for a console RTS thus far, and will be except in mouse based gameplay.
So how to remedy this? The joystick was a big improvement for PC's in the mid-90's moving capability, but lost the ability to shoot with pin point accuracy every single time. A full set up of macro keys, a joystick, and mouse has been tried twice, first with the flight deck set up of Steel Batallion, which was horrible and clunky, and more recently the Wii Mote, which still doesn't have the accuracy necessary.
What would? A mouse and analog nunchuk with Macro keys built in? You'd lose the sheer number of computatable key patterns for macros, though, it would be ok for PC shooters. What about Dragon Age Origins though? Is there a really a hybrid that would work for it? I don't know...probably not, as it's a strategy RPG, however, those have worked in the past, just not in real time like Dragon Age seemed to be going for (Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Tactics series).
Let me know what you think.
-Sara
Dragon Age Origins is one of those kinds of games that I've borrowed. Now you may be thinking how much time did my friend have on his hand in order to finish it so quickly. The answer is he didn't, but because he has the money to toss away, I got to play it early.
It's an interesting game, but I hate the console controls for it. My first though was why the hell did they not simply reuse the old Knights of the Old Republic Engine for the console version of it? I know it had its limitations, but it would have been better than this. For the consoles, anyways. The PC's controls are amazing for it. However, before I get into a review of a game that I still haven't had enough time with, this post is about the controls and it's only one example.
When Jared's review came out, a g1 made the comment that because he said that the controls were better on the PC, that ScrewAttack claimed all control is better on the PC. Even if it wasn't bad logic on the posters part, I'd still disagree with this. The PC has its limitations, just as the consoles have theirs.
So, to start off, a game that is amongst my favorites in Indie games: Cave Story. If you haven't played it, think Contra meets Metroid in an almost chibi Anime fashion. It's awesome, in other words. It was originally released on the PC in 2004, but this year, a demo was released for the DS of the game. This is a wonderful 2D platformer on the PC, but on the DS (and the Wii, eventually) this game harkens back to the days where we were the little kids staying up late trying to beat Metroid for the very first time. The D-pad and buttons change the game that much.
The second game of recent that's comprable is the Call of Duty series, specifically Modern Warfare. The game is awesome on both platforms, there is no doubt of that, but both versions have their own flaws and strenghts. For instance, on the computer, it is insanely easy to shoot with just a point and click. PC's rule at shooters because of this. However, they're horrible at moving around. I don't know about you, but using the arrow buttons or the WASD set up feels clunky as hell for me. If it came down to moving or shooting, I'd pick moving.
The third and fourth games are the final games in this list, and this is due to them being comparison pieces. Ensemble Studio has made some of the best RTS games to date. My favorite is Age of Mythology, however, compared with their swan song, Halo Wars, I'd still much rather play the older game. They both had the powers from above and god units, but the control greatly seperates the quality of the two games. Selecting units is next to impossible for a console RTS thus far, and will be except in mouse based gameplay.
So how to remedy this? The joystick was a big improvement for PC's in the mid-90's moving capability, but lost the ability to shoot with pin point accuracy every single time. A full set up of macro keys, a joystick, and mouse has been tried twice, first with the flight deck set up of Steel Batallion, which was horrible and clunky, and more recently the Wii Mote, which still doesn't have the accuracy necessary.
What would? A mouse and analog nunchuk with Macro keys built in? You'd lose the sheer number of computatable key patterns for macros, though, it would be ok for PC shooters. What about Dragon Age Origins though? Is there a really a hybrid that would work for it? I don't know...probably not, as it's a strategy RPG, however, those have worked in the past, just not in real time like Dragon Age seemed to be going for (Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Tactics series).
Let me know what you think.
-Sara
A New Level (for Video Game Movies) (11/18/09)
I seem to be in a writing mood tonight, and now I have the briefest chance to write about something I like, so I think I'm going to take it. On the eleventh, Assassin's Creed: Lineage. I can say with little hyperbole that it was quite possibly the best video game media produced that was film anyways. Halo Waypoint started showing the Legends episodes a few days prior, on the seventh. It too was much better than most other video game based shows.
We all know that expanded universe materials with video games have been a mixed bag. From comic books to full length novels to feature films and television series, maybe one in ten of these is bearable, and maybe half are actually enjoyable. Amongst these have been the Legend of Zelda mangas, chronicling each game in its own unique style, the Halo novels by Eric Nylund, the Mass Effect books, and the Sonic Saturday morning series.
However, there have also been comics and mangas for Castlevania, Kingdom Hearts, Doom, Silent Hill, and the mostly dreadful Sonic comics (which while based in a similar universe as the Saturday morning series, lacked something that made the series interesting). There too have been game novelizations that are atrocious, like the non-Nylund Halo books, the Splinter Cell novel, and the Resident Evil series. And while the Saturday morning cartoon was good, the Dic Sonic Cartoon, and the Sonic anime were nigh disgusting. Zelda, too, was disgraceful, and the Mario series had hits and misses between the two of them.
This new Halo series and Lineage give hope for a potential rise in quality much like the comic book rise of media in the '80's. There is a much closer proximity this time between two good sources, however, they haven't reached a film level, yet. If Prince of Persia does well, too, we may have the chance to see a truly great video game film. To compare our main interest to comic books, our version of The Dark Knight.
So what would it take and what would it be? Well...for starters, Prince of Persia is going to have to be a blockbuster success. If it doesn't, we'd be set back a few more years. Though what would it be if we were so lucky...well, there are a couple of easy choices. For starters, I'd say Zelda would again be an easy choice. Halo, too, might be wise. But the game might work the absolute best and has the set up in its story for a film is Castlevania.
There are a number of reasons I say this. The first is the rights are already purchased and owned by Rogue Pictures, however, they have it set to be a retelling of the first game. The second is the arc the game has set up, a timeline that it will follow to keep certain games part of the canon. There are three games specifically which build on this. Curse of Darkness, Aria of Sorrow, and Dawn of Sorrow. In each, there's mention of a battle at the end of the Millenium between all the forces of good, the Belmonts, the Morris's, the LeCarde's, Alucard/Genyo Arikado, the Renards, and Dracula to finally kill him. The somewhat ambivalent spectator of all events, Saint Germaine, seems to make mention of this at the end of Curse of Darkness, and given the date of it's release and the release of Dawn of Sorrow, I can't help but think Konami has built in a connection there they have yet to reveal.
However, this is entirely speculative, and just the hopes of seeing our interest become something beyond itself.
-Sara
Edit: You can now see Lineage in it's entirety here:
We all know that expanded universe materials with video games have been a mixed bag. From comic books to full length novels to feature films and television series, maybe one in ten of these is bearable, and maybe half are actually enjoyable. Amongst these have been the Legend of Zelda mangas, chronicling each game in its own unique style, the Halo novels by Eric Nylund, the Mass Effect books, and the Sonic Saturday morning series.
However, there have also been comics and mangas for Castlevania, Kingdom Hearts, Doom, Silent Hill, and the mostly dreadful Sonic comics (which while based in a similar universe as the Saturday morning series, lacked something that made the series interesting). There too have been game novelizations that are atrocious, like the non-Nylund Halo books, the Splinter Cell novel, and the Resident Evil series. And while the Saturday morning cartoon was good, the Dic Sonic Cartoon, and the Sonic anime were nigh disgusting. Zelda, too, was disgraceful, and the Mario series had hits and misses between the two of them.
This new Halo series and Lineage give hope for a potential rise in quality much like the comic book rise of media in the '80's. There is a much closer proximity this time between two good sources, however, they haven't reached a film level, yet. If Prince of Persia does well, too, we may have the chance to see a truly great video game film. To compare our main interest to comic books, our version of The Dark Knight.
So what would it take and what would it be? Well...for starters, Prince of Persia is going to have to be a blockbuster success. If it doesn't, we'd be set back a few more years. Though what would it be if we were so lucky...well, there are a couple of easy choices. For starters, I'd say Zelda would again be an easy choice. Halo, too, might be wise. But the game might work the absolute best and has the set up in its story for a film is Castlevania.
There are a number of reasons I say this. The first is the rights are already purchased and owned by Rogue Pictures, however, they have it set to be a retelling of the first game. The second is the arc the game has set up, a timeline that it will follow to keep certain games part of the canon. There are three games specifically which build on this. Curse of Darkness, Aria of Sorrow, and Dawn of Sorrow. In each, there's mention of a battle at the end of the Millenium between all the forces of good, the Belmonts, the Morris's, the LeCarde's, Alucard/Genyo Arikado, the Renards, and Dracula to finally kill him. The somewhat ambivalent spectator of all events, Saint Germaine, seems to make mention of this at the end of Curse of Darkness, and given the date of it's release and the release of Dawn of Sorrow, I can't help but think Konami has built in a connection there they have yet to reveal.
However, this is entirely speculative, and just the hopes of seeing our interest become something beyond itself.
-Sara
Edit: You can now see Lineage in it's entirety here:
Pyramid Head Runs Away (9/12/09)
Um...so, I borrowed a copy of Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams from my friend as I'd never gotten the chance to familiarize myself with the series. Having heard it was a spectacular game from a series that has since gone down hill, I siezed the chance to play the classic.
So, I got through the the town proper and had headed through to the apartments before quitting before saving and quitting, just merely walking through and killing anything I passed. I had not used any bullets whatsoever, I'd only had to use a health potion once, and the game was on a normal action setting/hard riddle setting (I figured I'd be fine having played enough adventure games in the past to be able to solve most of the puzzles within seconds of seeing them, thus far), if any of that makes a difference.
So, there I was in the apartment complex, when I headed into the stairwell where you actually get to react to Pyramid Head...and, well...he ran into a corner with his back to me.
I could only look at the screen in bewilderment. This was supposed to be one of the biggest bads in gaming and he was standing in the corner doing the best impression of cowering you can when you're wearing a big metal helmet and lashed to what I can only assume is his version of a Buster Sword.
So, I hit him. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I knew I had a save state only minutes before, and there was no harm to be done if he turned around and tried to kill me. But he didn't! He left the room. This is the thing that James shot at six times and didn't phase in the cutscene I'd last seen him in. I hit him once with a 2x4 plank of wood with a nail coming out of it.
Since I had to run for a quick errand, I went back and saved and quit. Now the game won't boot at all. At least not in the 360 I was playing it in.
At first, I thought it might be an issue with the disc or my system, so I did some basic troubleshooting to figure out which, digging out my original XBOX to test the game, and testing the 360 with multiple discs from both the original XBOX and the 360. Both work. I tried them together again. They didn't.
So, a few questions. Has Pyramid Head ran away from anyone else? Is there a glitch in Restless Dreams that causes it to die in the 360? And why does everyone thing he's so cool if he runs away from James, who so far, I couldn't care less if he died?
Let me know if you have any ideas.
-Sara
So, I got through the the town proper and had headed through to the apartments before quitting before saving and quitting, just merely walking through and killing anything I passed. I had not used any bullets whatsoever, I'd only had to use a health potion once, and the game was on a normal action setting/hard riddle setting (I figured I'd be fine having played enough adventure games in the past to be able to solve most of the puzzles within seconds of seeing them, thus far), if any of that makes a difference.
So, there I was in the apartment complex, when I headed into the stairwell where you actually get to react to Pyramid Head...and, well...he ran into a corner with his back to me.
I could only look at the screen in bewilderment. This was supposed to be one of the biggest bads in gaming and he was standing in the corner doing the best impression of cowering you can when you're wearing a big metal helmet and lashed to what I can only assume is his version of a Buster Sword.
So, I hit him. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I knew I had a save state only minutes before, and there was no harm to be done if he turned around and tried to kill me. But he didn't! He left the room. This is the thing that James shot at six times and didn't phase in the cutscene I'd last seen him in. I hit him once with a 2x4 plank of wood with a nail coming out of it.
Since I had to run for a quick errand, I went back and saved and quit. Now the game won't boot at all. At least not in the 360 I was playing it in.
At first, I thought it might be an issue with the disc or my system, so I did some basic troubleshooting to figure out which, digging out my original XBOX to test the game, and testing the 360 with multiple discs from both the original XBOX and the 360. Both work. I tried them together again. They didn't.
So, a few questions. Has Pyramid Head ran away from anyone else? Is there a glitch in Restless Dreams that causes it to die in the 360? And why does everyone thing he's so cool if he runs away from James, who so far, I couldn't care less if he died?
Let me know if you have any ideas.
-Sara
Gaming on the Cheap (11/18/2009)
ScrewAttack is awesome for a number of reasons. The fact that it is one of them, but most things about gaming aren't. This is because of the obvious reason that games are expensive. However, over the past few years, with the economy tanking and my extra funds for games going to things like food or rent, I've had to find other ways to game. As such, I thought I'd share some with the g1 community, and hopefully they can share some with me.
1. This is going to be a no brainer, but still it has to be said, used and second run games are cheaper. I used to be at Wal Mart or GameStop or Best Buy at midnight to get new games, but now I can't do that because of things like studying, and even if I could, money becomes an issue. If you can wait nine months to a year to buy a game coming out now, you can usually get the game for twenty to forty cents on the dollar used or on a second run. Take Mass Effect for instance. It came out in December of '07 for sixty dollars and by June of '08, it was down to twenty used with Bringing Down the Sky, an additional ten dollars as DLC.
2. Continuing on from the used/old games, there are retro games, like those featured in VGV's or the Nerd's rants. You can often pick these up for less than five dollars, and there's often more value than the game itself thanks to internet meme's about it. Keep in mind when buying retrogames though, the really infamous ones are going to run you upwards of fifty dollars. One of my all time favorites, Ogre Battle 64 was already a hundred two years after its release due to a small distribution, and now runs anywhere from seventy-five and two hundred.
3. Indie Games are awesome. A blanket statement to be sure, but that doesn't make it any less true. They can range from updates or sequels to classic games or completely new intellectual property, like Gamma Prime's Draw Fire. Included are a list of links to some of my favorites.
-Cave Story
-Trilby: The Art of Theft
-Portal: The Flash Version
4. The mixed bag that is DLC has some great finds amongst it. Amongst these are expansion adding content, like the previously mentioned Bringing Down the Sky for Mass Effect or Grand Theft Auto 4's The Lost and The Damned. Also around are great downloadable games. Megaman 9 instantly comes to mind, but it isn't alone. Also in services like Live Arcade or the PSN are games that are free. These games can range from insipid ad machines like the Toyota Yaris game or the Doritos T-Rex Rampage, to moderately inspired, like Undertow or Aegis Wing. Some of these are time exclusive, so be sure to watch out for them on gaming forums.
5. Play before you buy. Demos are wonderful things, and it seems like every game has them. I had been following Too Human since the PS1 simply because of how awesome the idea of it was. The hour and half demo was unbearable and all the reviews claimed it didn't get better than that. On the flipside, I immediately purchased Operation Darkness after playing the demo for it. Scour Live Arcade and PSN for these. Also, don't feel like paying for Guitar Hero or Rock Band but get a cheap thrill of playing it every once in a while? Every single one of the Guitar Hero games since 3 is up there in some form or fashion with two or more songs. As of last count, there are 16 songs available in this fashion, more than enough to sate any music game craving.
6. How many of you younger g1's are familiar with abandonware? Similar to emulators, but entirely legal, these are games which copyright simply ran out due to lack of usage of the liscense or renewal of it. The Secret of Monkey Island, one of the greatest adventure games of all time became abandonware recently, and for those of you uninitated into the adventure game classics, this is a great one to cut your teeth on. There are other abandonware games as well, you can find lists of them on Google.
7. Free MMO's are generally bland, but every once in a while there's a great one. For a while, Runescape can be enjoyable. Also, if you like games like Final Fantasy, you might try Adventure Quest. They may not be your favorites, but you never know until you try.
So that's my first list of cheap or free games. If you have any suggestions or noticed something I missed, please share it with me and everyone else. I'd be glad to hear about it, as I still have another two years of schooling at least.
-Sara
1. This is going to be a no brainer, but still it has to be said, used and second run games are cheaper. I used to be at Wal Mart or GameStop or Best Buy at midnight to get new games, but now I can't do that because of things like studying, and even if I could, money becomes an issue. If you can wait nine months to a year to buy a game coming out now, you can usually get the game for twenty to forty cents on the dollar used or on a second run. Take Mass Effect for instance. It came out in December of '07 for sixty dollars and by June of '08, it was down to twenty used with Bringing Down the Sky, an additional ten dollars as DLC.
2. Continuing on from the used/old games, there are retro games, like those featured in VGV's or the Nerd's rants. You can often pick these up for less than five dollars, and there's often more value than the game itself thanks to internet meme's about it. Keep in mind when buying retrogames though, the really infamous ones are going to run you upwards of fifty dollars. One of my all time favorites, Ogre Battle 64 was already a hundred two years after its release due to a small distribution, and now runs anywhere from seventy-five and two hundred.
3. Indie Games are awesome. A blanket statement to be sure, but that doesn't make it any less true. They can range from updates or sequels to classic games or completely new intellectual property, like Gamma Prime's Draw Fire. Included are a list of links to some of my favorites.
-Cave Story
-Trilby: The Art of Theft
-Portal: The Flash Version
4. The mixed bag that is DLC has some great finds amongst it. Amongst these are expansion adding content, like the previously mentioned Bringing Down the Sky for Mass Effect or Grand Theft Auto 4's The Lost and The Damned. Also around are great downloadable games. Megaman 9 instantly comes to mind, but it isn't alone. Also in services like Live Arcade or the PSN are games that are free. These games can range from insipid ad machines like the Toyota Yaris game or the Doritos T-Rex Rampage, to moderately inspired, like Undertow or Aegis Wing. Some of these are time exclusive, so be sure to watch out for them on gaming forums.
5. Play before you buy. Demos are wonderful things, and it seems like every game has them. I had been following Too Human since the PS1 simply because of how awesome the idea of it was. The hour and half demo was unbearable and all the reviews claimed it didn't get better than that. On the flipside, I immediately purchased Operation Darkness after playing the demo for it. Scour Live Arcade and PSN for these. Also, don't feel like paying for Guitar Hero or Rock Band but get a cheap thrill of playing it every once in a while? Every single one of the Guitar Hero games since 3 is up there in some form or fashion with two or more songs. As of last count, there are 16 songs available in this fashion, more than enough to sate any music game craving.
6. How many of you younger g1's are familiar with abandonware? Similar to emulators, but entirely legal, these are games which copyright simply ran out due to lack of usage of the liscense or renewal of it. The Secret of Monkey Island, one of the greatest adventure games of all time became abandonware recently, and for those of you uninitated into the adventure game classics, this is a great one to cut your teeth on. There are other abandonware games as well, you can find lists of them on Google.
7. Free MMO's are generally bland, but every once in a while there's a great one. For a while, Runescape can be enjoyable. Also, if you like games like Final Fantasy, you might try Adventure Quest. They may not be your favorites, but you never know until you try.
So that's my first list of cheap or free games. If you have any suggestions or noticed something I missed, please share it with me and everyone else. I'd be glad to hear about it, as I still have another two years of schooling at least.
-Sara
New Way to Follow Me
So, as promised...here it is. My new site. First one hundred and twelve posts will be the new archive from my work over at ScrewAttack, but following that, all new works will be here. Name and site's overall look are gonna be reworked probably overtime, but it will always be here at seraphmaclay.blogspot.com.
The question is what are you going to see here that you didn't see in any of my past works? Well, full length blogs about the stuff I generally post on my Facebook page. Also, anything I post on ScrewAttack is gonna find it's way here (first, might I add). Finally, I plan on opening up some more details about non-gaming/geek related material more here, which, yes, does include any fiction or pictures/videos I produce.
Hope you like what you see,
-Sara
The question is what are you going to see here that you didn't see in any of my past works? Well, full length blogs about the stuff I generally post on my Facebook page. Also, anything I post on ScrewAttack is gonna find it's way here (first, might I add). Finally, I plan on opening up some more details about non-gaming/geek related material more here, which, yes, does include any fiction or pictures/videos I produce.
Hope you like what you see,
-Sara
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