Holy Steam!

Steam is doing a big Holiday thing - and there's still a few days left to gather coal for the grand prize giveaway. What's at stake?  Only every game available on Steam (a quick search tells me that this would be 1,488 games).

I want to win it, but it's a potentially terrifying proposition.

Game of Thrones (Television)

Having finished the semester (and the titular text Game of Thrones), we decided the time was ripe to marathon through Game of Thrones' HBO treatment.

The show stayed incredibly true to the text, including the dreadfully slow beginning.  The scenery, at direction, casting, dialogue, and acting were all wonderful.  Sean Bean was an excellent Eddard Stark; and, despite the fact that I didn't care for her at first, Michelle Fairley perfomed well as Catelyn Stark.

A real delight in casting was actually Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who portrayed a much more vibrant Jamie Lannister than I had pictured in the books.  His hair and make-up gave him that perfect "Prince Charming" look (which was deliciously deceptive).  Lena Headey was an excellent Cersei Lannister, as well. 

The actors who portrayed Joffrey and Viserys were well chosen and excellently scripted.  We hated them. 

And while he was no Varric, Peter Dinklage brought Tyrion Lannister to life excellently - conveying the right balance of womanizer, intellectual, drunkard, and noble.  And because Tyrion is my favorite, I hope to see a lot more of his character to come.

Flash Game Friday: Rocket Santa

Rocket Santa is the best holiday-themed launch game I've played this Christmas season.  It's a vertical launch game where you must help Santa to deliver presents to the moon.

Like all launch games, there are upgrades that make it easier and easier to accomplish your goals, culminating in a fun ending.

Merry Christmas!

(P.S. Rocket Santa would encourage you to visit my Amazon.com gift list.)

Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues Wins DLC of the Year

This really shouldn't come as any surprise, but Fallout: New Vegas' DLC Old World Blues has been named by www.insidegamingdaily.com as DLC of the Year.  I've blogged about this DLC twice now.

The lack of the surprise should come by the fact that even though the game didn't offer tremendously different goals, gameplay, or graphics, it more than delivered on story, dialogue, writing, and voice-acting.  The B-movie backdrop allowed some great over-the-top moments that would be impossible to synthesize in almost any other environment.

Bethesda has a lot to be proud of, and has certainly won this award.  Well done, you!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (GOTY)

While everyone else is enjoying the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls, Bethesda's ongoing, Game-of-the-Year winning, fantasy franchise, I'm just now sitting down with the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition.  I was really shy from getting into the series, because I like my fantasy games like I like my sex life: turn-based and from a third-person perspective.  Just kidding:  I'm married, and no longer have a sex life.

Unlike the traditional genre staples, the Elder Scrolls series are fantasy games from first-person perspective, which dynamically changes everything when it comes to combat strategy, and gives the game an unsurprising sense of immersion.  The engine is painstakingly identical to that of the Fallout series, which makes sense, as the games are made by the same folks.

Full review is happening, after the jump...

A Song of Fire & Ice: A Game of Thrones

Though I've tried, my journey into the fantasy epics has been somewhat limited to Harry Potter.  Well, no more!  Despite not having watched Game of Thrones, Season 1 Box Set, I decided to read the first book of A Song of Fire and Ice.  The books' spine was thick, and its pages were thin as they come.  With a deep sigh, initially, I opened the pages and delved into the exciting world of George R. R. Martin's plane of intrigue and drama.

Firstly, I would be hesitant to nail A Game of Thrones solidly into the "fantasy" genre.  For the first half of the book, it reads very much like a historical fiction text with sudden bounces into the extremely fantastic (e.g. reanimated dead corpses).  The story centers on Eddard Stark - a Lord of Winterfell - and his family, as he is named Hand to the King and uncovers a plot that led to the previous Hand's death.  The story is told from various point of view (POV) characters, including Eddard himself, his wife Catelyn, his daughters Sansa and Arya, his son Bran, his bastard son Jon, the dwarf brother of the King's wife, Tyrion, and finally a mysterious young woman who is the last of the line of Targaryeans (the previous ruling nobility), named Daenerys.

Already, I was pretty lost.  It kind of felt like being in AP Euro again and not knowing who was related to who and what.  At one point of time, I almost drew a genogram of the families.  Somewhat helpful is an appendix at the end of the text that listed the noble families.  It was more helpful than I care to admit. 

George R. R. Martin writes engrossingly, but the sudden switches in POV lead to some frustrations as a reader (especially with cliffhangers).  I was very happy when the author discovered he could use dialogue to move the story forward, and there was a point when things moved very, very quickly.  The language is pretty dense, and on more than one occasion, I tried to look up the definition of some words by holding my finger to solid page and expecting a definition to appear.  I highly recommend an eReader for these texts unless you have a very proficient vocabulary, are excellent with archaic syntax, or read with a dictionary nearby.

Throughout the book, the mysticism and magic of fantasy remain beyond the reach of the reader.  Only at the end do we (the readers) get a good look into just how deep the rabbit hole of the world can possibly go.  I can't deny that I am eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

If you do give A Game of Thrones a whirl, be patient; there really is a lull until the action gets going - and before you start to see character dynamics unfold.  Before long, you barely notice that you once were unaware of the long and mythic history of the Seven Kingdoms, and you'll be nibbling at every new shred the book gives you to fill in the blanks.

Getting Back in the Saddle

Despite an outrageous rally of site visits this past weekend (hello, whoever you are), there hasn't been a lot of activity on the blog.  Well that's about to change.  With vacation upcoming, I promise to spend countless hours playing, reading, reviewing, and waxing poetic about the loves of my life on the digital platform, especially with some thoughts on upcoming titles (some exciting stuff out of Bioshock Infinite, for example).

Even if it means a total abandonment of spouse, friends, and family, I will sacrifice willingly.

For longtime fans of my work (hi, mom!), and who would like to hazard an inclusion of happy-goodness for the coming holidays, three separate Amazon.com wishlists have been developed, each with a singular focus of bringing me joy.

For the joy of reading a good book, my Kindle reading wishlist.

For the joy of getting into a good game, my Video Game & Comic wishlist.

And for the joy of not being naked, my Clothing & Accessories wishlist.

Video Games & College Education

With the exception of the breakout hit Oregon Trail franchise, video games are an art form developed primarily as forms of entertainment, much as novels, movies, and radio programs are.  But today I was challenged with the statement "video games are a crippling educational problem for college students."

Well, I work with college students, and I play video games.  But before I went on a rant that this statement couldn't possibly be true, I decided that I would actually research the topic.  Do video games represent a barrier for student academic success?

(Disclaimer: to be certain, compulsive video game behaviors do represent very serious barriers to academic and professional development in the same ways that compulsive internet use, gambling, or drug and alcohol addiction would.  I hope to address more habitual and casual forms of play in this analysis.)

My initial findings were not particularly endearing to my original thesis.  In A Study of Time Management, published in 2007 in CyberPsychology & Behavior, researcher Vivek Anand found an inverse trend in grade point averages with higher daily video game usage. 

Graph!

Anand did note that with the study group, SAT scores were highest among those students who played for approximately 4.5 hours, however "the p value for the correlation between a person's SAT score and video game usage was 0.618, which shows that they are most likely unrelated and thus have no correlation" (Anand, 555).

(In case you haven't been to a stats class forever, but are still reading this, here's what p means.)

However, I have some criticism to Anand's findings (which is easy, since I write a blog, and he is - you know - actually doing research).  The data presented does not indicate what types of video games are being played.  Due to the Skinner box mechanics of online gaming (and the online social environments therein), online games would represent a far different issue with GPA than offline gaming.

Also, results were not delineated by gender.  I, for one, would have liked to have seen whether or not the GPA correlation in gameplay was accurate for both genders, since Anand himself admits to having a higher percentage of male respondents.

If I had hoped a 2010 article in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence titled More Than Just a Game: Video Game and Internet Use During Emerging Adulthood by Laura Padilla-Walker, Larry Nelson, Jason Carroll, and Alexander Jensen would encourage me to think that gaming wasn't a huge concern to college students, I was wrong.  "Specifically, regardless of gender, video game use was linked to greater drug use, drinking behaviors, and lower relationship quality with friends and parents" (Padilla-Walker, et. al., 109).

Furthermore, "research suggests that time spent playing video games may also inhibit identity exploration," a complete antithesis to the notion that games can help facilitate identify exploration (Padilla-Walker, et. al. 110).

In fact, the entire article by Padilla-Walker and her team suggests that video games are bad news, not just for academic performance, but for the development of an older adolescent into adulthood!  Crud.


This article does not please me.

 Again - video games are not specifically delimited in this study, although there is a comparison between "violent" video games and non-violent games.  And, a nod to the research team, because unlike the Anand study, Padilla-Walker does an excellent job in exploring the differences between men and women.  The team went even farther to point out "another limitation [to the study] was the use of single items to assess video game and violent video game use ... future research should examine video game use in more detail by assessing specific games played, as well as other contextual factors" (Padilla-Walker, et. al., 112).

Luckily, I did find an article from CyberPsychology & Behavior by Marko Skoric, Linda Lay Ching Teo, and Rachel Lijie Neo that found a strong causal link between the amount of time playing video game on weekdays and English scores, supporting the notion that Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) students may benefit from playing games in English.  So, I am not left wholly disheartened - only mostly.

The findings from the Anand and Padilla-Walker studies are both pretty directional into my understanding of one very important thing: we've got a long way to go in understanding how video games impact academic performance.  While neither study had great things to say, they were also both quick to establish that they are trailblazers in this area of research, and that without more studies, there could be no conclusions drawn.

If video games are a significant impediment to academic success (research seems to be leaning this way), it would behoove those of us who are assigned the task of removing barriers success to know a little more about them, and a little more on how we can employ harm reduction techniques to make education a priority, and gaming a recreational activity.

But until more research can be done, I guess we'll just wait.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Zelda, half of the titular princesses.

Released in 2006, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a desperate chance to save the dying Nintendo Gamecube.  While available for purchase on the 'cube, TP found its primary success on the newly arrived Nintendo Wii.

Zelda games are on par with with the Mario Bros. franchise for the well over-used, but I'm happy to report that TP is heads and tails one of the best Zelda games released.

For starters, Twilight Princess delivers an engaging story that is otherwise lost on other titles in the franchise.  The environs are teeming with life, and everything contributes to a well-rounded, purposefully constructed story.

But okay - yes - first we finish 3 tiny dungeons and then expand to whole world to battle our way through 5 more.  Each dungeon contains a specific item that alone can be harnessed to crush the dungeon master, freeing a sage to lock away evil, blah-blah-blah...

What sets TP apart (besides its gorgeous and detailed environment), is the clever twist it takes on the old favorite.  All of the puzzle-based delights are still there, but the robust world of Hyrule delivers opportunities to enhance outside-the-dungeon puzzles.

For the most part, external, world-based pursuits are for collectibles, which TP delivers in spades.


Firstly, with the piece of hearts now split in 5 instead of the usual quarters, there are 45 piece of heart containers to collect and enhance your life bar.

An additional 24 golden bugs can be collected for rupees and to increase the wallet size.

You can fish (which is especially interesting, considering the impending doom).

And finally, in the style since The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, there are hidden enemies to destroy, called Poe's.  Beating one will yield one of 60 Poe's Souls.  Retrieving 20 nets you the fourth bottle, and all 60 gives you access to an endless supply of rupees.

So besides the main story, there's plenty of derping around to do.

Link atop Epona, trusty steed and world traversor.

However, the game is not without its faults.  For starters, there is my typical waggle complaint.  The sword is controlled by a shake of the Wiimote.  It's mostly responsive, but has cost us a wine glass due to my over-enthusiasm.

Using the Wiimote to aim items is also frustrating, because of how far away my couch is from the Wii-sensor.  I don't think our couch is overly far, but - apparently it IS!

All in all, the game is excellent, and makes me excited for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Statistics

If you click it, you can actually read it.  Data in the jump.

I like statistics, so when I learned that I could get some gameplay information from the Wii, I booted the old baby off to take a look at what I had played.

SMBC Books

Are you already thinking about the upcoming holiday season, and what voracious gifts you could bestow upon me in a celebration of my birth, which cleansed you of your sins?

Well, in that case, consider the SMBC bundle of comics, available here: http://smbc.myshopify.com/products/both-smbc-collections.

That's right!  I want to OWN a printed version of comics that I can read for free online.  It's capitalism at its best!  You alone can save the U.S. economy and support nude artists everywhere!

Smithsonian Exhibit: Art of Video Games

I already have mentioned this exhibit, but with it being only 4(ish) months away, I thought reminding everyone of the excitement of the event would be apropos.

In alphabetical order, the games featured will include:
1943: The Battle of Midway
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
After Burner
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Bioshock
Boom Blox
Brütal Legend
ChuChu Rocket!
Combat®
Desert Commander
Diablo II
Donkey Kong™
DOOM II
Dune II: Battle for Arrakis
Earthworm Jim
Einhander
Fable
Fallout
Fallout 3
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
flOw
Flower
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Goldeneye 007
Gradius V
Gunstar Heroes
Halo 2
Heavy Rain
Jumpman
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Marble Madness
MassEffect 2
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metroid Prime 2: Echos
Minecraft
Okami
Pac-Man
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star IV
Pikmin 2
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
Pitfall!
Portal
Rez
Shadow of Colossus
Shenmue
Sid Meier's Pirates!
SimCity
SimCity 2000
Sonic Adventure
Space Invaders
Spy vs Spy
Star Fox™
Star Fox™: Assault
Star Strike
Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
StarCraft
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Brothers 3
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario World
The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Tomb Raider
TRON: Maze-Atron
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Utopia
Worms Armageddon
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure
Zaxxon

Also, there are some really cool opening weekend activities, so I would encourage anyone interested to check on the Smithsonian's Exhibition page (http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/) to learn more about those.

Final Fantasy VII



First released almost 15 years ago, Final Fantasy VII marked the long-running (and somewhat less than final) series' move from 16-bit graphics into the stunning world of polygons and CGI cutscenes.  For many, FFVII represented the first epic gaming experience.  I recently put FFVII into the backwards compatible PS3 to see how well the game had held up after all this time.

The story is a well-known one.  You play as Cloud, the ex-SOLDIER (a kind of elite fighting force of the Shinra Corporation) turned mercenary freedom fighter.  The game opens with Cloud's participation with Avalanche (eco-terrorists who want to stop Shinra's use of Mako energy - which they believe to be lifeblood of the planet) as they set explosives on a Mako Reactor.  Because the heavy dialogue sequences between characters are all text, it is much easier to communicate this complicated exposition than it might be with modern RPGs that have an abundance of voice-acting.

They story takes whims and weaves all over the place.  In addition to the leading plotline, there is a crisis of the very planet itself, wherein Cloud and his ragtag group of allies must confront the diabolical and other-worldly Sephiroth, who seeks to destroy the planet by summoning a huge meteor to crash (very slowly) into the planet.

When released, the game boasted some truly incredible graphics and graphical effects.  Some of it has been lost upon age, but for the technology available, the game still looks good.  Like sprite-based games before it, FFVII asks us to use our imagination to connect the polygons and make things life-like.  My imagination is happy to oblige!

And while the field graphics are the really painful ones, the battle graphics are actually very nice.  Enemies are still polygon-based, but there is limited reskinning and almost every enemy feels unique. 

FFVII has held up well, but I notice that while playing I've become very programmed by more modern games.  I am slightly disappointed that no trophies appear as I play, and the analog stick is completely non-responsive, making the use of the directional-pad standard.  But for nostalgia: it's worth it and then some.

Valkyria Chronicles

Cell shaded tank battle.

You might think that Valkyria Chronicles, SEGA's unholy union of Japanese role-playing game meets first person shooter, would be just my cup of tea.  You must think that its cell-shaded animation warms my heart while combining turn-based role-playing games (which I love) with first person shooting (which I would like to love).  Unfortunately, fair reader you'd be wrong.  This game is crap.

Listen, it's not that I don't like the idea of the game.  But I also like the idea of communism.  And being a farmer.  Ideas are fun because I don't have to do them.

Valkyria Chronicles starts with the introduction of a story told through the published works of an author.  A war being retold from the perspective of a small group of ragtag adventurers which sheds new light on the war?  Well yes, Final Fantasy: Tactics, I do like your re-made plot with loose and thin references to World War II.  However interesting World War II is, however, it's no War of the Lions.  Also, the Nazis would have been badasses if they had unobtainium, or whatever this magic mineral source is called.

Once I get to a battle scene, there's actually some fun to be had.  I enjoy the FFT like positioning of characters on the battlefield and the battle system seems well done.  There is one minor problem, however, in that the game seems to forget that it had promised turn-based battle and instead punishes any slacking on your part by having any enemy unit who can see you fire shots at you.

Is it for realism?  I like that.  But then, as soon as you aim to fire, everyone stops.  I guess in anxiety of your coming attach?

But just for the record, I could have gotten over that.  What I could get over was the cut scenes.  There were approximately 5 between battles.  And between each cut scene, we are sent back to the main menu.  It's rather annoying, and has really turned me off.  Avoid this one.

Car 11K - A Second Look at L.A. Noire



Main character, tortured hero dude, Cole Phelps.

 Upon ravishing the Catherine loan from my friend to the point in which I was having dreams about moving cubes around, I decided it was time to give L.A. Noire another run for its money.  I had great things to say about the game, but I wondered if they would hold up under the inflamed scrutiny of a replay; and to add to wanting to give the game a bad review, I decided to do so on a Platinum run.

Though it seems sadistic, my logic was this:

1. If the game was good even if I played it to its extremity, whereby doing everything, then I would feel vindicated in my earlier, positive review.
2. I like trophies, even though I don't understand why sometimes.

Well, looky-looky who has a cookie.  And by cookie, I mean a digital trophy icon representing my completion of the game.

But, did the game live up to its earlier success?  Find out, after the jump...

National Coming Out Day

Here we are again, October 11th: National Coming Out Day.  It should surprise no long-time readers that I am of the 'mo persuasion (short for homo, which is short for homosexual), least of all that I carry crushes for video game characters and developers across gaming spectrums (Megaman, Varric, Nathan Drake, the developer of the Trism iPhone app, for some quick examples).  For some, however, the thought of being ashamed or embarrassed to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (which I will conveniently use as an umbrella term to represent all other gender/sexual orientations) can be an overwhelming experience.

Things might be (societally) a whole lot better now than they were when I came out a decade ago, but individual experiences, environments, and struggles remain too variable for me to say: "oh you new gay kids have it so much easier." 

Video games were always a resoruce for me when I was feeling uncomfortable in my identity (whether of sexual orientation or other adolescent development areas).  It was great because these games allowed me to role-play a different identity, determining values for a virtual manifestation of myself.  Also, you know - the sheer entertainment. 

When I was coming out, my games of choice were Final Fantasy VII & VIII & Tactics, and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.  It's like a psychologist's wet dream really, since each of these titles deal with super-imposed battles of good and evil and striving to define the hero's identity (except for Ocarina, which was about fishing minigames).  In my defense, console game-writing hadn't evolved to a point of creating more complex writing scenarios like a battle between a filandering protagonist and a demonic representation of his girlfriend's vagina.

Online Social Environments (Beyond the MMO)

Usually, when I blog, it's to talk about how awesome (or slightly less so) games are; but sometimes, I like to go a little off the deep end and apply my knowledge about social constructs to the design and play of video games.  Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about online social environments and how they influence, impact, and have changed the way we game.

Gaming in social environments is not a new concept by a long shot.  Only recently did the scope of social environments involved in gaming expand exponentially.  An online social environment is a community (best defined by Pillari & Newsome as "[a social system] by the personal or affective ties among their members ... people with a common identity and bond").  This community's common identity is the game play.  And whereas many communities form in geographical locations, the space in which this community meets is virtual: the online social environment.

Before I lose you, here's a graphic representation of community (as we traditionally have understood it) and how an online social environment might be perceived.

Traditionally, communities are formed of cohesive groups of individuals - the community representing the focus of support for the individuals creating the group.  However, with online social environments, we are looking more at structures created (sometimes manufactured, sometimes grown organically) between individuals linked together through network connectivity (also known as the interwebz).

Okay, so what?  Well, the creation (especially the manufactured creation) of online social environments remains a major issue in online social gaming.  Everything from Facebook games to World of Warcraft create and utilize online social environments.  These are the foundations for which the game is designed, developed, and eventually, driven.  Where the theories of community development come into play are in considering how the environment and the individual interact.

There are two concepts of environment when considering systems theory.  I know I'm on the cusp of losing you again, so here's another drawing:

So, a symmetric environment (also sometimes called a symbiotic environment) influences the individual and the individual influences it.  Theoretical democracy is a symmetric environment.  An unbalanced, or directive environment is one which shapes the individual.  Online social environments can be applied to either category.  Consider a server community on Minecraft, for example.  This is a very symmetric environment - users create based on the materials available; the environment is shaped by users and provides the materials for construction (and also, Creepers). 



That'sss an awfully nice ssssocial environement you have there.
It'd be a ssssshame is ssssomething happened to it...

But not all games with online social environments work so nicely.  Let's take my arch-nemesis Farmville for a ride: users have little-to-no interactive ability with the environment, save for cosmetic changes.  There is little environment to speak of, because Farmville holds all the cards.  And rightfully so!  Relying on microtransactions would become difficult if you enabled community members to openly interact (especially on an economic basis). 

I don't want to go crazy into economics, but there is a huge problem between manufactured online social environments and profit motivation theory.  The notion to create a symmetric environment may be at diametric odds with the notion of creating a revenue generating environment.  So, in a capitalist based society, profit may beat out community development.

Because of this (I promise, the econ is almost done) profit problem, organically created online social environments tend to thrive more, because they are naturally uninhibited by those constraints that would generally plague a manufactured environment.

Of course, that sounds delicious to an investor.  Like wanting to capitalize on viral marketing, there is no magic bullet to ride the coattails of Web 2.0 to instant profit.  The motivation differences create a series of problems, lead to social entropy, and the decay (and eventual death) of the online social environment.

If you are an avid gamer, developer, or investor, I strongly recommend that you continue your investigation into online social environments - how we impact them, and them us.  Better understanding our mechanical interactive world can help make it better, not just for us, but for everyone else we share the community with; which, really, is what community is all about.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

You've got to feel bad for Donkey Kong.  The dude was originally cast as a barrel-chunking overlord of a world created of platforms, ladders, and sentient flame.  Later though, DK gained more independence as a go-kart racer, and had his own series of platform games on the SNES called Donkey Kong Country.

Simian miscreant, or domestic violence intervener?

Donkey Kong Country (and its two follow-up iterations) were never bad games, and in fact, represented a good deal of my childhood play-time on the SNES.  The graphics (courtesy of Rare) were crude in today's gameplace, but state of the art when the game was released.

The game focused on DK's loss of his banana stash, because he likes to eat bananas.  So, you know, there was a plot-ish.  Akin to "Save the princess."  In case you were to ask why, the game would glare at you and shout "Because I said so!" and hurtle you into a mini-game.

But games are more sophisticated now, like Donkey Kong Country Returns, which subjects you to some storyline where the volcano on Kong island is inhabited by bad mojo, and the chieftan of bad mojo steals all of your bananas.  Bad mojo chieftans, as we all know, are in constant need of a steady flow of potassium to continue their malicious operations on islands inhabited by Kong on his relatives.

Okay, so the game isn't going to win story of the year, or anything - but we didn't really expect it to.  I craved some 2D, beautifully rendered, platforming!  Donkey Kong Country, the Return of the Jedi was sure to please.  Nintendo practically wrote the book on what a 2D platformer needs to be successful.  But wait, what's this - to kill enemies, I must ... waggle?

Like a hooker clinging to the testicles of a customer who refused to pay for services rendered, Nintendo wants to force every single one of its game experiences to use the motion controls that made the Wii so famous.  Nevermind that when using the nunchuck accessory that I have like 12 buttons, only the joystick, A, and B buttons are used for moving, jumping, and grabbing respectively.  If you want to do your super-neat DK roll, you have to waggle the damn Wii-mote while pushing forward.  Didn't push forward correctly?  You'll ground-pound, or ... blow air?

If you have friends, you can play the game with them.
Then you won't have to worry about having friends anymore!

There are things to collect, which is kind of a fun part of Donkey Kong Country games, but the game play was severely wounded by the inclusion of needed waggling.  The platforming was a huge step back, as well, in my humble opinion.  There was very little strategy involved, and it just wasn't very fun to play.

Okay, it does look good.  I mean, this is exactly what I wanted in looks.  You know, Super Mario Galaxy 3, pretty much.

If you were looking for a game on the Wii that you could play as Donkey Kong for, you may as well just dust off Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which offers way more DK technique and a myriad of better control options.  Or, wait for the next go-kart, party, or olympic sporting game that Nintendo's over-used, tie-wearing mascot could be crammed into next.

Catherine: Again

Despite my post last week about not getting into Catherine, I found playing it again, out of some weird want for it to better.  What's the deal?  It's like a drug...

Nuka Break: Episode 3

This weeks' episode may not be the most exciting, but it sets up what promises to be more entertainment!

Catherine

I really want to like Catherine, Atlus' bizarre puzzle-platformer/horror/romance-sim game that was released stateside back in midsummer.  After an unimpressive demo back in July, I've recently given the full-game a shot, having borrowed it from my friend.  However, despite my interest in its bizarre gameplay, I simply cannot embrace the game.

Could it be its more-difficult-than-they-need-to-be Q-bert style block puzzles?

Could it be the hamby-pamby story of Vincent, the protagonist stuck between his overbearing girlfriend, Katherine, and his multiple-night-stand-may-not-be-a-real-person-since-she-doesn't-interact-with-any-other-characters Catherine?

Could it be the stumbly dialogue options via text message that you exchange with Catherine or Katherine?

Or is it simply the lack of gender role nuances that forces the thought that Vincent is afraid of commitment, like all men must be, and that the "right" path is to get over it and settle with your domineering (and possibly pregnant) girlfriend?

Whichever of these is the real culprit, I'll not be able to say.  Not simply because blaming just one seems too limiting, but because I can't bring myself to play the game again.

Bethesda bringing Scrolls Battle to Court

 

Despite Notch (aka Markus Persson, aka the creator of Minecraft, aka my lover) offering to settle the issue in a Quake 3 deathmatch, it seems that big, bad, corporate Bethesda is moving forward with its lawsuit against Mojang.  The charge?  Mojang's upcoming game is named Scrolls and Bethesda feels this might confuse consumers with the upcoming Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and the four other Elder Scrolls games that came before (particularly the IVth addition, Oblivion, which was Game of the Year).

I know I often confuse an independent studio's release with a GOTY-producing product line.

When first announced, it was like a bad joke, and Notch offered to resolve the problem out-of-court in what should become a precedent of all frivolous lawsuits: a Quake 3 Deathmatch!  Nevermind that Bethesda made Quake 3, this dude has the balls to go toe-to-toe.

If anything, this was Bethesda's opportunity to save face and build its fan base.  If they lost?  Ha-ha, you got to name your game Scrolls, even though we didn't really want you to, but we got tons of practically free publicity.  If they won?  Ha-ha, we get to keep our naming rights, and got tons of practically free publicity, but because we have this huge release coming out in November called Skyrim, so we're going to let you keep the naming rights, even though we won, as an act of goodwill towards all.

No, instead, it's to court they go. This will only leave a bad taste in the mouth of gamers, almost all of whom have some kind of soft-spot for the underdog Mojang, especially Notch and his hat fetish.  Opportunity of goodwill is slipping away, Bethesda - it's time to reach out and grab it.

On Scrolls, and scrolls.  Penny Arcade.

Finally, a thought: can you really hold a copyright or trademark on a word, like Scrolls?  If so, can God (or Moses, or whatever) sue Bethesda for ripping off the Dead Sea Scrolls?  I mean, there are dead things in Oblivion, and a sea, and - apparently - scrolls.

At Last!

It's only taken me forever (four playthroughs), but finally!

Platinum'd!

Nuka Break: Episode 2

There's not a ton of things going on that are absolutely awesome in my life.  Watching these is one of them.

A Tale of Two eReaders

As a boy, I would have told you that books weren't worth the paper they were printed on.  Reading books on the computer would have been my ideal scenario.  But as an adult, I've shied away from embracing this new technology, only recently completing a text via eReader.

Because of the iPad, I've been able to dip my toes in the world of reading via a mobile device, and have now read enough on two different platforms (iBooks and the Kindle iPad App) to judge them against each other.


Side by side comparison.  Kindle (left), and iBooks (right).



Neither is ideal, and both of them make me want to make an eReader that I would find ideal, but since I lack talent for anything other than complaining and criticizing, that is what I shall do!  So check out the criticism, after the jump...

Denton Square Donuts

This post is NSFD (not safe for diet).  Also, I am not attempting to occlude what is clearly SarahPlanet's domain in reviewing foodstuff.

This morning, Michael and I braved the Denton Car Show on the Square to try out Denton Square Donuts, a new store with a unique direction for the creation of breakfast pastries: to make them with edges.

My goal was simple: consume deliciousness.

Denton Square Donuts, Illy Coffee, Ancient Tablemats.

The Bacon Maple Donut, a well-cooked (nearly perfectly cooked) slice of bacon laid upon a maple glaze that affixed it to an eclair size puff pastry, was on both my husband and I's menus.  This featured item was not disappointing.  The bacon was nearly immaculately made, with the tiniest piece of chewy fat to remind you that hey: it's bacon.  The glaze was an excellent balance of sweetness to the savory of the bacon.  And the puff pastry held it together; an anchor of fluffy delight.

Perhaps I should have eaten the Bacon Maple Donut second, because the second pastry was hardly comparable.  The Apple Squared confection was exactly what you'd expect: apple preserves and some icing. Nothing memorable.

Hubby's second choice as the S'mores Donut, which promisingly was covered with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and golden grahams.  This had all the makings of wonder, but the icing concoction used to fasten these elements to the pastry was overwhelming.  Since he was unable to finish it, I took the last two bites and would really rather not have, honestly.  If only the stapler had been a little less toxic, I'm certain this would have come across rather well.

Our conclusion was that for the second or third week of Denton Square Donuts being open, it certainly is where a new business is: collecting a customer base, perfecting menu and processes.  At $2 a piece, I'd rather we just have gotten 4 Bacon Maple Donuts, based on this experience.  Truly, an $8 well spent.  Also, I was somewhat disappointed that the rogue in front of me in line claimed the final Apricot Brie, because that was what I'd like to have gotten. 

Dragon Age 2 DLC: Legacy

I already reviewed the first round of DLC for Dragon Age 2, which was mainly the standard of whether or not you bought the game used and wanted to flush $10 towards having access to The Black Emporium and also the dismally dissatisfying Exiled Prince DLC.  Since, I've played through with the new Item Packs (just round one of them, I'm not made of money, you know!) and the new Legacy DLC, which promised an interesting exploration into Hawke's lineage.

The Item Packs (round 1) were more of a "let me spend this strange leftover amount of cash" purchase than something I actually wanted.  In hindsight, they are pretty dumb.  The value added in "better" equipment is marginal, since the reason I play DA2 is to experience Hawke's adventurers through Kirkwall.  That is, even if the items were in fact better.  Stats of many regular in-game items are comparable.  There are some unique items for followers that carry the "Improves with level up" text, usually amulets or rings, but I can't verify that they do, in fact, improve with level up.

Is it Worth It?  Item packs generally aren't worth it, though some of the new armors for Hawke do actually look kind of cool, and I really like the staff that I gave to Anders that I got as part of Mage portion of the item-goodness.  But for $4.99, I could think of other things I'd enjoy (maybe like a new DLC case for L.A. Noire).

He can't be evil.  He's so shiny.

Legacy is a different story.  No really!  Like, it's a different story from the original Dragon Age 2 game.  Hawke travels to some ruins - though I can't quite remember why - and ends up being hunted for his blood by the Dwarven Coeterie gang.  His blood, specifically, since he is the child of the often unmentioned Malcom Hawke, who we learn the backstory behind in this fun, four-to-five hour DLC adventure.

Great news everyone!  This DLC includes new enemies, and not just retooled pushovers of old enemies!  Actually real, somewhat challenging, new creatures to contend with.  NEATNESS.

The DLC also includes new dialogue with companions, some new items, and puzzles, which the main game felt like you could really do without, as if all the people of Kirkwall already have had enough of the brain teasers and have just directly given up on them without another moment's thought.  A child of The Ocarina of Time, myself, I cannot get enough of puzzles.  Blocks to move around?  YES PLEASE.  In fact, I just assume that if I want to take money out of my bank account, that instead of entering in a 4 digit pin number (how pedestrian!), that I instead am forced to rearrange a series mirrors in order to shine a light onto a sensor on the ATM.

Pro: I get to show off my mad Zelda skillz.

Con: Lazy thieves with flashlights.

So, is it worth it?  Yes, yes, yes.  Sure it's $9.99, but that's worth a few extra hours and the great, in-depth story you get to explore.  No spoilers here, but let me tell you: I was very happy with this DLC.

So, if you've got $15 blowing a hole in your pocket, you could do a whole hell of a lot worse than picking up both of these for another run through DA2 in which you attempt to finally nab the elusive Supplier trophy.  If you've only got $10, skip the Item Pack and go straight for Legacy.  Only got $5?  Save it until you have $10 and buy Legacy.

Also: here's more Varric:

Semester Starts

The semester is really kicking off, what with me working three nights this week until 9:00pm.  Joy.  I promise to get back to playing video games as soon as possible!

Books: The Hunger Games

I think it might be impossible to review The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins' inaugural dystopian novel of a post-war America, without using terms relating to my own hunger for reading the novels, or symbolic utilization of food in comparison with the text itself.  Trying to resist is futile, so instead I will comically overuse these reviewing standards.

The Hunger Games is the delectable first voyage into the dystopian (by the way, Google Chrome - that is a word) world of Panem, as narrated by a young woman named Katniss.  Every morsel-sized chapter flourishes with the flavor of the intricately designed world of Collins.  Because of rebellion against the overseeing government, every year one young man and young woman are selected by lottery to compete in arena deathmatches called The Hunger Games.  This is the story of how Katniss goes to the Games and her experience.

The relative isolation of District 12 where Katniss originates from is a convenient avenue to introduce readers to the strangeness of the world.  But the effect never feels burnt to the reader, and very natural - or shall we say, granola.

There are moments when putting the book down is near impossible, the savory story absolutely enraptures the reader.  Action sequences (which you can depend on with any story that involves 24 individuals fighting to the death) are well written, but so are those scenes where Katniss is alone, and in survival mode.  This varies substantially from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where Harry and Hermione's similar treks into the wilderness are near painful.  Instead, I'm chomping at the bit to follow the heroine's trek in the arena.

Sure, sure, the book has the stink of an Atwood dystopia (still a word, Google Chrome!), but it's a delicious smell, really.

This book was also my first run reading a book on the iPad Kindle reader.  I really enjoyed it.  iBooks has a slightly cooler looking dictionary tool, but luckily The Hunger Games didn't push my vocabulary.  Kindle lets me read via the CLOUD, which sounds so future-esque.

So, I've added the series to my Amazon Wish List.  Also, the list below:

• The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games (Kindle Edition)
• Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) and Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) (Kindle Edition)
• Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3) and Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) (Kindle Edition)

Supplier Trophy - here I come!

After doing L.A. Noire justice and utterly giving up on Catherine, I've decided to run through another 30-hour playthrough with Dragon Age 2 in hopes of finally doing it right and nabbing the Supplier trophy.  Also, there is new DLC I've not played.

You've no doubt already read my review of the game, so here's a cute picture of Varric:

Picture care of The Haughty Queen, who has some fun DA2 fanart.

L.A. Noire

I'm always ashamed when I have to say something that betrays my nerd cred.  Like when I had to fess up that I never actually played Portal.  So, to add another log to that fire: I've never played a Rockstar game.  No Grand Theft Auto, no Red Dead Redemption, and no Bully.  I feel appropriate levels of shame, and am happy to announce that it is no longer true, for I've polished off my swapped copy of L.A. Noire this past weekend.

Title Screen, rocking the Noire Neon Treatment.

L.A. Noire tells the story of Cole Phelps, a returned war hero serving as a cop circa 1947 in the growing city of Los Angeles.  Phelps begins as a patrol officer and then works his way up (and then, down) the complicated command chain of detectives in the LAPD.  For the gameplay, the game is much more Heavy Rain than Fallout 3 - you have a firearm, but rarely resort to using it.  For the most part, you are in an interactive fiction, instead of being in a shooter game.  A happy surprise!

More happiness, and review; after the jump!

Nuka Break: Episode One

It's not a secret that I'm sort of in love with Zack Finfrock.  And not just in a lusty way, but also because the man has some talent: acting, designing, writing.  He's like - the Hollywood everyman.  You might also remember that I was super excited about his new project Nuka Break spinning off into a series of webisodes.  Well the first one is ready to go, so check it out!

Fallout: New Vegas DLC - Honest Hearts

I wish I had better things to say about the Fallout: New Vegas DLC Honest Hearts, but - well - the truth of the matter is ... this DLC is okay.  Just okay.

Joshua Graham, the Burned Man.

The story is that of Caesar's former second-in-command, Joshua Graham, now known as The Burned Man.  So named is Graham because after failing Caesar, the ruthless slave leader burned Graham on a pitch, tossed him into the Grand Canyon and commanded his troops to never again speak his name.

But he lived through the experience, and now is the leader of some tribals of the Zion National Park area.  Now he and another tribal group are debating whether to fight or flee from the oppressive White Legs who aim to eliminate the other tribes of Zion and the Burned Man in order to curry favor with Caesar.  Graham seeks a solution of war with the White Legs, while religious leader Daniel wants a peaceful resolution.

So yeah, there's that.  But without exploring the Zion area, the plot goes ridiculously fast.  However, there's plenty of Zion to explore.  And - unlike Dead Money - there is an enjoyable plethora of enemies.  Some of them are direct replicas of those found in the Mojave (we got Geckos and coyotes, etc.), but there are a couple new things (or sort of new, like Yao Guai).

The real fun comes from the hidden journal entries of a man living in the Zion caves called the Survivalist.  Discovery of this story was the most enjoyable part of this DLC for me.

There's some nice tie-in with the main storyline, but all-in-all - it's just okay.

Oh look!  A Giant Spore Plant!

Distracted?

No really, officer.  I've been - working - like all the time.

Sorry for the absenteeism, faithful followers. The beginning of the semester, and not playing L.A. Noire, has been taking up all my time recently.  If I was, say, playing a new video game that required me to determine whether in-game characters were lying by observing their facial patterns, surely I would have had time to write a review of it, or at least confirm that I was alive.

I promise that as soon as things slow down at work, everything will be much more update-y.  Might have some words about The Hunger Games which I'm trying to read, as well.

Help r/UNT win!

There is a gnarly competition happening over at http://www.reddit.com/ - and as you know the internet is serious business.  So please go to http://www.reddit.com/r/unt to help The University of North Texas acheive excellence.  This is a thing (competition link).  If we win, UNT will be recognized as a reddit-active school, and that could seriously be a motivator for bringing new students to campus.  If you don't think that's worth a quick click, you are forgetting that we dumped a lot of money into our new stadium in hopes it would do that same thing.

So what can you do?  Easy!

• Visit r/UNT - visit it every day!  Visit it every hour!  Every minute!
• Join Reddit and subscribe to r/UNT - become a redditor and discover how to lose all sense of time and space!  You'll wonder what you ever did before you found it.
• Post UNT-related stories to r/UNT, especially stuff that is relevant, like how you can get free condoms at the health center, or a picture you took of the albino squirrel, or a self.post on how much you loved your time there.  Maybe you have an old picture of the Bruce Hall ghost.  Scan that shit and put it up!

Not from UNT? - well, I don't want to lose this competition, but you should check out to see if your school has a subreddit and help out their campaign (fair's fair).

Demo: Bastion

My shield deflects and enemy missile?
What a novelty!

Bastion, the long awaited (for me) game that released from indie developer Supergiant is now available on Steam, as is its first-level demo.  The game is action role-playing, like Legend of Zelda.  Your character can wield six unique items, three of which are available in the demo.  Also available are techniques and a shield, which can be used to deflect enemy attacks and missiles.

Because of "the calamity," the unknown event which brought apart the world's devastation, there is nothing around you.  As you explore, the world rebuilds itself, flying out of nothingness.  Every action taken (bashing items, dying, etc.) is narrated as you go, giving the game a very organic feel.

The titular central hub of the game, Bastion.

Battle is standard adventure-rpg faire: block when you are attacked, strike back when you have the chance, etc.

You gain experience and level up, but the demo only gives you a look into the first level (for which an additional set of HPs are not unwelcome).  As you level up, however, you gain the ability to apply tonics which supplement your abilities, bringing in an excellent factor of customization.

Looks like a great game, and now it's available on Steam!  But will it be cheaper in time?  We shall wait and see.

Tonic customization.

Demo: Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

The items featured in the window tell customers what you primarily sell.

It's not often you get a feel for how the other half lives, but that's exactly what we get in Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale (demo available on Steam).  It's the oldest story in the world: girl's father leaves adventuring and a mysterious fairy loan shark visits the girl telling her t hat she owes some ungodly amount of money on her father's behalf.  She lives in an adventuring town, so why not open an adventuring shop to make back the required gold?

To this end, Recette (the player) and her loan shark/item shop partner, Tear, buy goods low, and sell them high! With a payment lurking every 7 days, it's sometimes stressful when your worried that the poor little Recette might be out of luck without your skillful intervention.

Command changes to the adventurer you hire,
for dungeon crawling hack and slash.

To get items, you may buy them wholesale, or from patrons looking to sell (you're like a pawn shop).  Additionally, you can hire adventurers to go out with you into dungeons to defeat monsters and loot chests.  The adventurers will be equipped with any items they have bought in your store, so it behooves you to consider wisely in item placement and sales to adventurers.

The demo takes you through the first week and the recruitment of a base-level adventurer.  The graphics are quaint, but they really work for the game.  There is plenty of tongue-in-cheek dialogue, which is actually pretty welcome, since the premise is silly anyway.  We also get a glimpse of a rival shopkeeper, so that promises to be interesting.  Also, we really ought to find out what happened to your father and why he burdened you with this massive debt.

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is a great grab, even though it's no longer on sale on Steam.  Highly recommend that you run the configuration program prior to playing or you may hit every button on the keyboard before learning that Z was the default key for "Accept."  (Z?  Seriously?)