Hello, hello!
I'm tempted to write about Kharlo's posts first but I'll keep to tradition. Meh! :P
Have you heard J.K. Rowling's announcement yet?
**Spoiler Alert! (-ish)**
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Top Five - Coolest Video Game Weapons Edition
Ah, video game weapons! They exist even in the mildest, family friendly titles. They can range from incredible to absolutely bizarre. See, that's the thing about video game weapons: they can be anything. Play a JRPG and you'll find yourself amused at characters who fight with umbrellas, yo-yos, giant pencils, bycicles, small children, etc. This post is to commemorate what I feel are the five coolest weapons in video game history.
5. Valentine (Soul Calibur Series) -
Okay, Soul Calibur has a lot of neat weapons, like Tira's giant hula hoop of death or Setsuka's umbrella/short katana combination. But none of them can compare to Ivy's sword, Valentine. Valentine is a magical sentient sword created by Isabella Valentine when she sought to destroy Soul Edge, and that means it can react out of its own accord to protect its owner (it's perfectly loyal to Ivy). But it doesn't stop there, because as cool as the idea seems, it's the actual design of the weapon that sets it apart; Valentine has the ability to switch between being a regular sword and a segmented sword/whip hybrid of unimaginable power. It gives Ivy an insane amount of range, vertically and horizontally, which is crucial when playing a fighting game like Soul Calibur where the stages are the size of a pinhead and you can win fairly by "Ring Out." The sword has many uses on top of that and it's versatile when it comes to your options: it can be used to cut, smack, whip, and even grab opponents from a distance. It also sort of lends Ivy a whole dominatrix dimension when she wraps Valentine around an enemy's neck, puts him or her on all fours, and pulls on the sword like it was a leash. Both the sword and its owner are kind of...intense...
Okay, Soul Calibur has a lot of neat weapons, like Tira's giant hula hoop of death or Setsuka's umbrella/short katana combination. But none of them can compare to Ivy's sword, Valentine. Valentine is a magical sentient sword created by Isabella Valentine when she sought to destroy Soul Edge, and that means it can react out of its own accord to protect its owner (it's perfectly loyal to Ivy). But it doesn't stop there, because as cool as the idea seems, it's the actual design of the weapon that sets it apart; Valentine has the ability to switch between being a regular sword and a segmented sword/whip hybrid of unimaginable power. It gives Ivy an insane amount of range, vertically and horizontally, which is crucial when playing a fighting game like Soul Calibur where the stages are the size of a pinhead and you can win fairly by "Ring Out." The sword has many uses on top of that and it's versatile when it comes to your options: it can be used to cut, smack, whip, and even grab opponents from a distance. It also sort of lends Ivy a whole dominatrix dimension when she wraps Valentine around an enemy's neck, puts him or her on all fours, and pulls on the sword like it was a leash. Both the sword and its owner are kind of...intense...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Top Five - "Most Aesthetically Interesting Games" Edition
Video games are art. Deal with it, Roger Ebert. But the thing about video games is that they take enormous teams to create and they require more than just looks: the gameplay, the graphics, the art, the music, etc. all must coordinate. This is why, for the most part, many developers find it easier to create games that are graphically similar to whatever else the rest of the industry is offering. It's simpler to just create a safe product. That is the reason so many games today are boring shades of brown, poo, and poo brown (I'm looking at you Gears of War!). It's an easy sell. But once in a while developers go out of their way to experiment with the art design of their games and the result is almost always magical. This article is dedicated to the five most aesthetically interesting/pleasing video games of all time.
5. Prince of Persia (Various Platforms) -
Prince of Persia is the redheaded step child of the PoP franchise, because nobody seems to want it and nobody seems to know what to make of it. It's painfully easy: you cannot die. I mean that literally. You fall down? Elika will save you. A boss takes you out? The battle restarts immediately. You don't even have to hit the ground. But what Ubisoft's line of thinking was with this new Prince of Persia actually becomes obvious as you play through the game more and more: it's all about flow. Moving quickly and expertly through the game's world. In order to make that a compelling prospect Ubisoft was left with an astronomical task: to create a gaming world so beautiful that gamers wouldn't be apprehensive about exploring it. They succeeded.
Prince of Persia is the redheaded step child of the PoP franchise, because nobody seems to want it and nobody seems to know what to make of it. It's painfully easy: you cannot die. I mean that literally. You fall down? Elika will save you. A boss takes you out? The battle restarts immediately. You don't even have to hit the ground. But what Ubisoft's line of thinking was with this new Prince of Persia actually becomes obvious as you play through the game more and more: it's all about flow. Moving quickly and expertly through the game's world. In order to make that a compelling prospect Ubisoft was left with an astronomical task: to create a gaming world so beautiful that gamers wouldn't be apprehensive about exploring it. They succeeded.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Future Friday
Hi there!
I wracked my brains for a whole two minutes for a topic for today. Then it hit me:
*V8 head smack.* Duh. Spoilers!
I wracked my brains for a whole two minutes for a topic for today. Then it hit me:
*V8 head smack.* Duh. Spoilers!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Top Five - Ambiguously Gay Duos Edition
Ah, ambiguously gay duos:
These are the couples that have been fueling the slash fiction on hundreds of thousands of girls for decades now, and how could they not? See, in plenty of cases it's just a fantasy (like when they slash Harry and Draco together), but in some cases...well, it's kind of warranted since the two people involved are five seconds away from buttsecks.
This article is about the top five ambiguously gay duos in gaming: hope you enjoy it!
5. Male Commander Shepard and Kaiden Alenko (Mass Effect) -
Here's the thing: Kaiden was originally written to be a romance option for both the female and the male Commander Shepard. For supposed reasons of time constraints and of "cannon male Shepard being heterosexual," or some other B.S. Bioware actually cut Kaiden as a male!Shepard romance option before the game released. It wasn't until some ingenious fans modded the first game that we, the gamers, realized just how much of the Kaiden/male!Shepard relationship was done: there were lines and lines of dialogue and even voice acting for almost all of these dialogue options.
These are the couples that have been fueling the slash fiction on hundreds of thousands of girls for decades now, and how could they not? See, in plenty of cases it's just a fantasy (like when they slash Harry and Draco together), but in some cases...well, it's kind of warranted since the two people involved are five seconds away from buttsecks.
This article is about the top five ambiguously gay duos in gaming: hope you enjoy it!
Here's the thing: Kaiden was originally written to be a romance option for both the female and the male Commander Shepard. For supposed reasons of time constraints and of "cannon male Shepard being heterosexual," or some other B.S. Bioware actually cut Kaiden as a male!Shepard romance option before the game released. It wasn't until some ingenious fans modded the first game that we, the gamers, realized just how much of the Kaiden/male!Shepard relationship was done: there were lines and lines of dialogue and even voice acting for almost all of these dialogue options.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Top Five - Best Developers Edition
With E3 just finishing, I thought it would be a good time to post a top five that focuses on developers. Specifically, the best five developers/development houses of all time. I know there will be A LOT of disagreement with this list, as many people have their own personal ideas of what makes a developer good, so don't take it too seriously! It's meant to be mostly about my own personal opinion (and please, if you get a chance, post YOUR top five developers in the comments section below):
5. Valve Software -
I really don't care for Half-Life as a series. I think I'm about the only person on the face of the planet that doesn't, so you might think it's surprising that Valve is on this list. But the truth is that Valve deserves a spot for making some pretty fantastic games and revolutionizing gaming in a lot of ways. Primarily for making amazing games like Portal, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress, Team Fortress 2, etc.
I really don't care for Half-Life as a series. I think I'm about the only person on the face of the planet that doesn't, so you might think it's surprising that Valve is on this list. But the truth is that Valve deserves a spot for making some pretty fantastic games and revolutionizing gaming in a lot of ways. Primarily for making amazing games like Portal, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress, Team Fortress 2, etc.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Furry Friday
Hello again!
This week's is more of a catch-up review for the post I missed reviewing last week. I did have a pretty good time in Texas and ate some amazing steak. Mmm... I will be dreaming about that steak for months.
Before I get to the recap, I just want to share a trailer I just saw after the break! Yep, it's that soon today. : )
This week's is more of a catch-up review for the post I missed reviewing last week. I did have a pretty good time in Texas and ate some amazing steak. Mmm... I will be dreaming about that steak for months.
Before I get to the recap, I just want to share a trailer I just saw after the break! Yep, it's that soon today. : )
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