Hello there!
Long time no see. We seem to have taken a little break last week but we're back and kickin' now! I'll actually be leaving my desert and be wandering around somewhere in the middle of Texas by the time this post goes live. It's my first road trip in several years and actually should be enjoyable! Very exciting.
I think one of the most important events was the PlayStation Network (PSN) has more or less gone live again. Because of a near-month of shafting its customers, they wanted to offer a Welcome Back package (because, you know, you were the one to abandon them), however the only way to obtain two of the five offered games was to download them from the shop. Which was still down. >_> WTG (way to go) guys.
Um... other than that, I do believe that it has been mostly quiet. This is probably because convention season is right around the corner. I have yet to go to my first con (T_T) but I hope to someday soon! I'm totally ridiculous enough to go in a homemade costume designed to be nothing in particular. Info about upcoming cons are after the break!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Top Five - Best Sidekicks Edition
I already did awful sidekicks: now it's time to pay homage to the sidekicks that actually make games more entertaining/playable because they're made of absolute WIN! Here goes:
5. Max from Various Sam & Max Titles -
I absolutely love point-and-click adventures. I understand why some people don't: it's methodical gameplay, with a very slow pace, and a lot of problem solving required. Even with all my love for the genre, sometimes I too want to just have mindless video gaming fun. But it still remains one of my favorite types of games, and of point-and-click adventures my favorite has always been Monkey Island, followed closely by Sam & Max. Both series are humorous, but their humor comes in different forms: Monkey Island is dorky, nerdy humor at its best. Sam & Max is a mix of unlikely scenarios coupled with sharp writing and rapier wit from the its characters. Nobody exemplifies this more than Max.
I absolutely love point-and-click adventures. I understand why some people don't: it's methodical gameplay, with a very slow pace, and a lot of problem solving required. Even with all my love for the genre, sometimes I too want to just have mindless video gaming fun. But it still remains one of my favorite types of games, and of point-and-click adventures my favorite has always been Monkey Island, followed closely by Sam & Max. Both series are humorous, but their humor comes in different forms: Monkey Island is dorky, nerdy humor at its best. Sam & Max is a mix of unlikely scenarios coupled with sharp writing and rapier wit from the its characters. Nobody exemplifies this more than Max.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Top Five - Worst Sidekicks Edition
Ah, the unavoidable sidekicks in video games. Sometimes, they rock (more on that in another article), and sometimes they stain games like explosive diarrhea to a pair of white underpants. So here is the list of the five most God awful video game sidekicks of all times! Enjoy (or cringe; either or is an acceptable reaction)!
5. Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time -
"HEY! LISTEN! HEY! HEY! LISTEN!" Those words are so famous at this point that gamers have been using them as ringtones on their smartphones. Navi is not a bad sidekick, per se, she's just a painfully obnoxious one. Every time she talked I would secretly hope that Link would turn to her and say:
"HEY! LISTEN! HEY! HEY! LISTEN!" Those words are so famous at this point that gamers have been using them as ringtones on their smartphones. Navi is not a bad sidekick, per se, she's just a painfully obnoxious one. Every time she talked I would secretly hope that Link would turn to her and say:
Top Five - "Best Low Budget Games" Edition
Don't cringe just yet! I know "low budget games" usually translates to "shovelware" (about 90% of the Wii's library), or bullshit casual games that tend to suck horribly. But the new style of game distribution online and in episodic content allows developers to create less expensive games and take bigger risks with their ideas. This is why sometimes, as much as I may love my Mass Effects, and my Bioshocks, and my countless other multi-million dollar budget titles, I still always look into the low-budget/indie gaming scene to find gems. Here are the best five low-budget games I've come across so far:
5. Costume Quest -
Tim Schafer. That's all you need to know. Okay, fine! Since you're not going to be convinced because you're evil like that, let me tell you about this one: it's an old-school styled RPG based around Halloween, which we all know is factually the coolest holiday ever. Kids get to dress up as anything cool they want, and the adults get to dress up like sluts. Everybody's happy! But that's not the point here: your sister (or brother, if you play as the female protagonist) is kidnapped by monsters during your night of Trick of Treating, and your job is to get him/her back safely in one piece. Along the way you meet a slew of other kids who are awesome, and together you fight evil to make things right. The coolest part? You battle in an alternate dimension where your real world costume translates to a badass form: dressed as a robot? You'll become a huge Transformer-like hero. Dressed as a knight? That applies too. There is even a costume that lets you become the Statue-of-mother-fuckin'-Liberty! You can also choose which costumes to wear and what costumes to give the other kids in your party. Even though the battle system is a little repetitive, the game just oozes charm it never stops being fun.
Tim Schafer. That's all you need to know. Okay, fine! Since you're not going to be convinced because you're evil like that, let me tell you about this one: it's an old-school styled RPG based around Halloween, which we all know is factually the coolest holiday ever. Kids get to dress up as anything cool they want, and the adults get to dress up like sluts. Everybody's happy! But that's not the point here: your sister (or brother, if you play as the female protagonist) is kidnapped by monsters during your night of Trick of Treating, and your job is to get him/her back safely in one piece. Along the way you meet a slew of other kids who are awesome, and together you fight evil to make things right. The coolest part? You battle in an alternate dimension where your real world costume translates to a badass form: dressed as a robot? You'll become a huge Transformer-like hero. Dressed as a knight? That applies too. There is even a costume that lets you become the Statue-of-mother-fuckin'-Liberty! You can also choose which costumes to wear and what costumes to give the other kids in your party. Even though the battle system is a little repetitive, the game just oozes charm it never stops being fun.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Top Five - Bizarre Games Edition
Also known as: "WTF, Japan?!?" This list is here to commemorate the five most bizarre video games ever made. I would say more, but really, I don't want to take away even a little bit of your mental acuity for this one: you're gonna' need all of it so that your head doesn't implode.
5. N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment (Xbox) -
Where do I start with this one? Before the Xbox released and took the world by storm (thanks to Halo: Combat Evolved), everyone pretty much considered the console dead on arrival. Microsoft struggled to gain Japanese support for their overweight machine (it's a glandular problem, I swear!). Sure, the Xbox would eventually gain some pretty awesome support from both SEGA and Tecmo, with Capcom, Konami, and Namco lending a hand here and there. But for every one of the good games, there was a terrible counterpart, and in some cases, a very bizarre one.
Where do I start with this one? Before the Xbox released and took the world by storm (thanks to Halo: Combat Evolved), everyone pretty much considered the console dead on arrival. Microsoft struggled to gain Japanese support for their overweight machine (it's a glandular problem, I swear!). Sure, the Xbox would eventually gain some pretty awesome support from both SEGA and Tecmo, with Capcom, Konami, and Namco lending a hand here and there. But for every one of the good games, there was a terrible counterpart, and in some cases, a very bizarre one.
Top Five - New Generation Edition (Volume II)
It's been a while since I have had the chance to post new articles. I've been terribly busy, but I will continue to work on the blog whenever I can. Anyway, I realized about a week ago that this generation is awesome and only getting better, so I thought it'd pay a nice ode to amazing games this generation that didn't make the cut on the first list of "best games." Hope you enjoy it!
5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption -
Here's the thing about me and the Prime series: the Prime series is a harsh, harsh mistress. At times it's cold and dead on the inside, and at others, it delivers above and beyond what I wanted. I find myself absolutely hating Metroid Prime, and though Echoes is an improvement over the first, I still find it horribly boring. I've already discussed this subject endlessly; Prime and Prime 2: Echoes are some of the most overrated games of all time (especially Prime).
Here's the thing about me and the Prime series: the Prime series is a harsh, harsh mistress. At times it's cold and dead on the inside, and at others, it delivers above and beyond what I wanted. I find myself absolutely hating Metroid Prime, and though Echoes is an improvement over the first, I still find it horribly boring. I've already discussed this subject endlessly; Prime and Prime 2: Echoes are some of the most overrated games of all time (especially Prime).
Friday, May 6, 2011
Festive Friday
There are plenty of things happening nowadays so let's get to it! Cinco de Mayo yesterday and I hope you're recovering well if you were out celebrating last night. However, the day before was Star Wars Day when we could happily run around telling everyone we met: "May the Fourth be with you!" and cheekily grin as the phrase turns around and around in their heads.
As much as I wanted to run around having a light saber fight, I was pretty sure that my workplace would not have appreciated me bribing the students to come to the Dark Side because I had a plate of cookies. Meh, those kids ingest too much sugar anyways. *pouts*
I also wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by playing some Viva Piñata, giving a few Tafflys French-sounding names, give all of my garden piñatas Hispanic names, and then go to town beating those bugs with my shovel!
As much as I wanted to run around having a light saber fight, I was pretty sure that my workplace would not have appreciated me bribing the students to come to the Dark Side because I had a plate of cookies. Meh, those kids ingest too much sugar anyways. *pouts*
I also wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by playing some Viva Piñata, giving a few Tafflys French-sounding names, give all of my garden piñatas Hispanic names, and then go to town beating those bugs with my shovel!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Top Five - Video Game Villains Edition
"Meanwhile, at The Legion of Doom..."
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
*Cue dramatic lightning!*
EVIL! EVIL I SAY! Without evil, there can be no good...and no fun! What would be the point of playing an RPG if impending doom wasn't hovering above the main character's head (and I mean that literally at times)? This one is a shout out to the most dastardly, deadly, and outright awesome villains in video game history!
5. The Great Mighty Poo from Conker's Bad Fur Day -
He's a giant, opera singing turd with digested corn for teeth. Need I say more? But just in case you want me to: he makes it to the list for being ingenious and hilarious in more ways than you could imagine. While Playstation fans were playing Final Fantasy and creaming themselves over an emo pretty boy, Nintendo fans were having a blast throwing toilet paper into The Great Mighty Poo's mouth. Let's cut the shit (geddit? Cut the shit? Har, har, har!): The Great Mighty Poo could make Sephiroth into his bitch if he wanted to! But he wouldn't actually do it...because deep down, at his hard, turdy core, all The Great Mighty Poo wants is to be recognized for his insanely powerful voice, and that's not really too much to ask is it?
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
*Cue dramatic lightning!*
EVIL! EVIL I SAY! Without evil, there can be no good...and no fun! What would be the point of playing an RPG if impending doom wasn't hovering above the main character's head (and I mean that literally at times)? This one is a shout out to the most dastardly, deadly, and outright awesome villains in video game history!
He's a giant, opera singing turd with digested corn for teeth. Need I say more? But just in case you want me to: he makes it to the list for being ingenious and hilarious in more ways than you could imagine. While Playstation fans were playing Final Fantasy and creaming themselves over an emo pretty boy, Nintendo fans were having a blast throwing toilet paper into The Great Mighty Poo's mouth. Let's cut the shit (geddit? Cut the shit? Har, har, har!): The Great Mighty Poo could make Sephiroth into his bitch if he wanted to! But he wouldn't actually do it...because deep down, at his hard, turdy core, all The Great Mighty Poo wants is to be recognized for his insanely powerful voice, and that's not really too much to ask is it?
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