The Third Birthday

If you read my last post “My Fantasy” you know that Final Fantasy and Resident Evil are two of my favorite game series. What if these two series then were to get together and have a baby? What would that look like and would it get their good attributes or end up with every recessive gaming disease known to man? If you want to know then take a quick look back to the Playstation days to a game called Parasite Eve.

            Parasite Eve was a survival horror RPG made my Square Soft and it is one of my favorite games of all time. I won’t do a full review on it now, but basically the game was short (about seven hours), fast paced (new guns/powers every half hour) and full of surprises! It had a great story arc and even mixed in a little bit of science to make it seem more plausible.

            The game had a sequel, which was more gun based but still quite enjoyable. The story didn’t seem over though and I wanted to know more. Then Square announced that they would have a third game on the PSP and I got pretty excited, until they decided a better home for it would be on cell phones; more specifically, Japanese cell phones. I gave up on the title until this past E3 when out of nowhere “The Third Birthday” showed up on the PSP and there was Aya running and gunning across the screen.

            The game looks to be far more of a shooter now than and RPG but a new video was released today to the public and I am more excited than ever before. The creatures you fight look amazing and the game play looks fast paced. Head over to YouTube and take a look if you’re interested, this could turn out to be one of my favorite games of 2011. 

My Fantasy

As a short follow up to Team ICO, I was thinking about what I would like to see remade.  I’m not looking for a port here; I’ve played all of these games, but if they were redone with “real” PS3 quality graphics, I would be willing to pay good money to see two collections: Final Fantasy “The Transitional Years: Including 7, 8 & 9” and Resident Evil “The Zombie Years: Including 2, 3, & Code Veronica.” If game one was to be included in the Resident Evil collection I wouldn’t be mad but the GameCube version was amazing and if I only get three games, I would rather see a new version of Code Veronica. Considering however that the first Resident Evil game is about six hours long I think all four should be included.

Team ICO

When I first got wind of a Team ICO collection similar to that for GOW (thanks walmart for letting secrets slip) I was got pretty excited. I have always wanted to play ICO and thought that a remastered version that was easily accessible would be great to have out there.

            Now though that official details are out I am less excited. It comes as a two pack: ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. I guess I already knew that but something about seeing the lousy cover art with both little pictures on it killed my spirts.

            To begins with I already own Shadow of the Colossus. It was good, I honestly didn’t appreciate it as much as everyone else (I attribute it to my state of mind at the time I played it) but I already own it. I don’t want another copy, even if it comes with something I do want. I would rather just buy a remade version of ICO $30 than both at $40. I might even be alright with just the one at $40 because I’m not going to use the second game and it messes up my box art.

            I know that it makes little sense to some people, and I guess there are those who have played neither game, but most people are buying this for ICO and the cover kills the whole experience. The first this I am doing if I buy this game is making a custom cover to resemble the original ICO cover, and by original I mean the PAL version.

Bananas!

I don’t know why liking video games and toys/useless keepsakes tends to go hand in hand. It seems that almost every game these days comes out with some pre-order bonus and while they are essentially useless, we all love them!

            The banana case for the new Donkey Kong Country Returns game is a perfect example of this. I have no use for this; I don’t carry my controller on the go like a police officer’s sidearm. I have never been in a quick-draw Wii mote emergency situation and yet I’m not sure I could be fine tomorrow knowing that this thing exists and that I don’t have it. I know its ridiculous, I know I shouldn’t even want it, but look at it! It’s just too absurd not to own.

Monster Hunter Tri: Why you aren’t playing it, and why you should be!

Monster Hunter is one of those rare games that comes along to makes you hate yourself, and you love it for that. I spent this all summer playing this game with three great friends and we still aren’t halfway through it.

            The game consists of lost of little missions that don’t really matter and then about 12 real “monsters” to fight. The reason this takes so long to beat is that fights last about 45 minutes, they are brutally difficult, and they must be beaten multiple times. This game is about the grind so if you can’t stand games that make you field fight to win, don’t play this game!

            To get a single set of armor you might have to kill the same boss 30 times (my best so far is over 500 kills of the same boss). That might not sound fun, but every fight is unique because the monster moves around like a true creature in its habitat. Add to that the fact that other boss monsters can randomly show up (again like a real environment) and you will have some pretty fun, frustrating, and unique battles.

            If you are going to play this single player, you might still enjoy it but it will get old quick. Online with friends is the way this game is meant to be played; so get some friends, a USB keyboard and have fun. Try it used from Gamestop or another retailer that lets you return things because this isn’t the game for everyone. But give it the full week; try pouring about 20-25 hours into it before you give up. The first battle with a real monster will feel overwhelming but once you get the hang of it you can’t put it down. Also get the classic pro controller. It was made for this game, and without that you will not be successful.

            Go luck, and great hunting! I hope to see you on the servers some day!

Earth Worm Jim 2 Review (SNES/Genesis)

Earth Worm Jim is a giant worm living in a robotic body trying to fight the forces of Evil (more specifically evil the cat). At its core, Earth Worm Jim 2 is a platformer that likes to keep things fresh. You have variety of guns, almost unlimited ammo, and a snot sling on you back. If you don’t like the kind of gross but innocent humor found in many of the Nickelodeon shows from years past, you might want to avoid this game all together.

           

Story:                        There isn’t much of a story here. The general ideas fit in with the show but there is no text to read, and often no explanation to why things are happening the way they are. The game is absurd enough through the gameplay and so this doesn’t hurt it.

Gameplay:                         For the most part the controls are pretty good considering they are for the SNES. Every now and then you will miss a jump because of them but it almost adds to the craziness and never really hits the frustrating level of things.

                                    The gameplay is varied! Some levels are strict platforming while others are races against enemies. Other levels play like a hot air balloon obstacle course while some are spent swimming. The most memorable though is one were you play a fireman roll and try to catch puppies being thrown out of a window. It’s entertaining, frustrating, and if you don’t succeed, you actually feel kind of bad about it.

Art Style:                         The game is old so when I say the graphics are good, I mean for that time period. They are colorful, varied, mood setting, and do nothing to hinder gameplay.

                                    The music wasn’t something I would put on in the car, but it added to some levels and didn’t hurt the others. The real thought here was put into sound effects; gross sound effects.

Difference:                        This game is unique. I look for things in games that haven’t been seen before and there’s nothing here that is conventional.

Buy it?                        Yes! If you own a SNES/Genesis chances are your running low on “new games” to play for it. This wasn’t an obvious title/classic like Mario but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your money. I don’t like to give number scores to games because it can hurt some games that are great or make games that fit the mold but just aren’t fun seem good. If you need one I would say it is around an 8/10. If you enjoy the humor than I think you will agree. If you don’t laugh at all though during this game, it isn’t a good enough platformer to beat until the end. It’s usually around $10 online so I think it’s a risk worth taking. As a side note, its one of those single player games that are better to play with a person watching, you’ll laugh even harder.            

Adults and Pokemon

When did Pokemon stop being a show for children and start becoming a game for adults? I understand there is still a show and that children still buy the games but as I have gotten older I have gotten a lot more into them. They have a surprising amount of depth that children just can’t appreciate.

            When I was younger, I owned Red, Blue, and Yellow. I made basically the same team every time, and my Charizard had four fire attacks. Skip ahead ten years and now I am breeding them by the thousands for egg moves, IPs, Eps, and teaching them choice selected move sets that will make them strong against even their weaknesses. I bread about five Eevee per day for a year, just so that I could get the absolute perfect natures for each, combine with perfect stats, egg moves, and oh yeah, they had to be girls…except Jolteon???

            I battle friends now with such forethought that it borders on ridiculous and I can’t even tell you why. Is it because they are cute? The game play hasn’t really changed. I guess it’s cause we all wish we actually lived in the world of Pokemon, where we could keep an intelligent tiger in our pockets or each pizza with a polar bear. I know that sounds odd but think about it, that’s what they are doing.

            It’s just something I have been thinking about with the approach of Black and White. It is going to be the same game with difference skins; the same cards with a different picture; and the same movies with different even more powerful god pokemon; and I will buy, play, and watch all of it. 

I am the Milkman, My Milk is Delicious

So this is probably why you’re here, either that or you’re just a good friend trying to support me. But you didn’t really come here to hear about how I like the frost. You came here about video games, so here it is my first review.

            You probably won’t hear me talking much about games like Call of Duty or Madden on my Blog. To be honest, they are great games but you don’t need me to convince you it is worth your time. You have played those by now I am sure and you either like them or you don’t. So what I hope to do is bring you a selection of games that you may not of heard about, haven’t played, or forgot about them long ago. I begin with Pychonauts.

            I chose to start with this title because it is one of the best games that no one ever played. The game takes place at a summer camp for the mentally gifted. These are kids who can move stuff with their minds, get into peoples thoughts, and wage mental warfare.

            The majority of the game takes place inside of the minds of some very strange characters; the most memorable of which is a deranged milkman. The game is a platformer with some puzzles but its unique level designs make it better than all of the rest. Remember, the levels take place inside of minds of people; anything can, and does happen.

            Each level was developed by a different group of people and this really shows in the variation within the game. I won’t lie, some levels are going to make you rethink about gaming while others are going to be annoying to even get through (especially the final stage).  Don’t let that discourage you though. You aren’t going to find the fine tuned consistency you get in a Mario title but the experience is something amazing.

            Visually the game looks good and while it is a Ps2 title (also on Xbox and PC I believe) it doesn’t interfere with the game play in the least (no Resident Evil hidden ladders here).

            My copy cost me under $10 new a few years back and I can only imagine it has gotten cheaper. Buy it. Play it. And let me know what you think. It’s one of the few gems that keeps my faith in video games alive.

First Frost of the Year

I don’t hate winter. I know a lot of people who can’t stand the cold days and the long nights. For me the winter is a time to reflect on the year gone past. My birthday, as well as a few other significant events, happen during the fall and winter months. These events give me a time to be thankful and look at where my life is going.

            One thing that winter brings with it is the first frost of the year. For me this time used to be significant because I love to garden. When it starts to dip around 40 at night it is time for the final harvest. Anything that is less hardy must be ripped up immediately while things like squash can be left out but need to be properly protected.

            After that first frost those everything must be ripped up, plowed under, and brought in to be processed. The ground is left barren like you were never there. It’s hard to see your land sit this way but there is something good about it. It gives the soil time to heal and it allows you to plan for the spring. Any mistakes you make the first year you can fix the following. It’s always changing but one thing stays the same, every winter you get to look at way you have created and enjoy the benefits of your long summers work.

            The reason I bring this up is that I’m in college now and I don’t get this closer at the end of summer. I plan my garden every year starting around Christmas and I work in if from April-August. Just about the time however when I used to enjoy the benefits, I have to leave and the place is left to rot. I’m not sure if I will have another garden next year or not. But those of you who stay in one place the year round should give it a try. Very little else is quite as rewarding and you’ll find that it brings you great joy.

You Forgot About the Gamers

Right now videogames are transforming faster than ever before. Yes, huge strides have been made since Atari where an entire game consisted of a dot and two short lines but ultimately not a lot has changed. We have taken a controller, moved things on screen, and tried to complete some task we feel is worthy of our time. Even the change from 2D to 3D wasn’t about changing the way we play as much as making videos match the world we live in.

            As some point though, this wasn’t good enough anymore. Personally I was happy with 2D gaming and am loving the return to that style found in many recent Nintendo releases; but the masses were not. First we had the Wii with its motion control. I love the Wii, but I don’t love the motion control. I feel like the games are designed to fit that, and instead of adding creativity, it actually shoehorns them into something they shouldn’t be.

            If you are wondering how I can love a system but hate the way it controls most games, I would say it’s because they haven’t really messed with the classics. Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 barely use the motion control. Yes you shake the controller to spin but I actually like that, because it feels natural. Paper Mario, Monster Hunter, Mario Kart, Mario Party, and lots of other games use the classic controls that I love and so I stand by it. I even love the rail shooters that use the perfect shot but this once again isn’t really using the motion control.

            Now Microsoft and Sony are both pushing for motion control and I ask why. They all say the same thing, to appeal to the causal gamer. I hate that answer, because I feel like it’s a slap in the face. I stuck by videogames when they weren’t “cool.” When people who played them were nerds, and when you actually had to figure out how to beat the levels yourself. No I’m not really old enough to remember the glory days of the arcade when you really had to take a beating for your love of games but the point is I am a gamer. I like to spend 100 hours playing a game and in the last moments lose everything in a fit of rage. I love the feeling you get when you are so close to dying that your body starts to move like your on screen character. I love when you and a friend start to freak out because there is just no way you can win and then you just make it.

            I love games and it worries me that they are no longer about a challenge. They are no longer about the gamer; they are about little kids, or grandparents in nursing homes. I know there are still some good games out there but they are becoming harder to find and it frightens me. I don’t think there has been a difficult game since Battletoads. I think that was the peak and while that game bordered on ridiculous, you felt something when you beat it. Today games are too much like a movie, you put them in, you “interact” for a few hours and you’ve won. I hope this new attempt at 2D games by Nintendo brings some heat, or this might be the last generation of systems I own.

Hello Everyone

I’ve been saying I wanted to blog since probably middle school but I just never had the time. I was always doing sports or working on my studies and I rarely took the time for me, to do what I really wanted. I always made excuses like, “I want to blog about games but I don’t even have time to play them.” Well I’m done with excuses. I want to write about games.

If I make one entry a week that’s what I get done; if this starts to take off maybe I’ll start to increase how often I write. I may find that no one out there cares about what I have to say or that I just don’t enjoy it, and that’s fine too.

So I hope you enjoy what you hear over the next few weeks, months, etc. Please be patient with me as I get used to this format, and please leave any feedback you find helpful. I ask that you simply be respectful when posting on my Blog. It’s about games and children might stop by to read it. Please keep your posts clean and enjoy!