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The Necessary Balance of Story and Video Games
Video games are interactive experiences, and story elements are part of the video game experience in both minor and major ways. Now, if major, pushing, central-focused, interesting story elements were suddenly cut or drawn back from equation, would people still play some of the video games that are no longer in your face story-focused, in some unknown alternate reality, and would video games benefit or suffer because of it?
Story in many video games acts as the reason, that pushes the game player to trudge through game-play that may be getting a slight bit stale after several hours, just to learn what happens. Therefore, yes, it would be harmful to several genres, but even so, sometimes story is too evident and is forced on the player in spite of what a video game is actually about, game-play surprises and innovations. In many ways, story should be in the background, if at-all present, not in the foreground, as very little is more annoying in a video game than having control taken from the player to have the camera pan on a few things or events, that could have been ignored or paid attention to by the game player. Allowing the game player to maybe see it or maybe not see it adds to the interactive experience, and what each person gets out of a video game’s story.
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Fun is All Around, It’s Just a Matter of Realizing It
It’s possible to have fun in more ways than you may presently think you can have fun in, it’s just a matter of getting you to realize that. Consider the above picture as you read on.
Playing games is one of many things we do to entertain ourselves, and video, card, board, and tables games all fit into this category of games, as well as activities such as Jenga, laser tag, bowling, basketball, badminton, ping-pong, or soccer. Therefore, if a person were to say, like card games ranging from Go Fish, to poker, to a trading card game like Magic The Gathering, shouldn’t he or she be naturally inclined to perhaps like other forms of games as well, like a board game or a video game or a physical activity like badminton? It goes without saying that every person likes a game of some sort.
Now you may be asking, where this is all going, well, it’s going in the direction that everyone likes games, but there’s certain games people won’t try or play because they feel it’s too intimidating or maybe just not for he or she. Yet, when you think about it, each game form has so many varieties, that it’s boggling to the mind. One or a few bad experiences with board, card, or video games, so forth should not damn these entire game forms from your fun options.
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It’s Disheartening to hear of the Industry’s Main Base
Your smile has dipped to a slight frown, and your insides have flipped, because someone who said he or she is really into video games, listed off the only games they play as Call of Duty, Halo, Guitar Hero, Madden, and so forth.
You then think to yourself, “Does only playing these type of games allow you to say you’re really into video games?”. Your next thought then is that it’s exactly like saying that you’ve only recreationally read the Harry Potter books, and one or two other mainstream series, hence making you a lover of books, which is utterly nonsense.
So, when you expected to have an interesting conversation about various video games, you’re left with, to your more varied pallet, a dull and awkward conversation you almost always want to turn from, and shed a tear. When you thought you’d be able to relate more with this person, it turns out, that nope, you cannot, with that topic area, at the very least.
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Gaming Age Nonsense
Why do we play games? Is it to be entertained, challenged, or is it just something to pass the time or a mix of any of the three? The answer will vary, but it’s a thought that has occurred for myself and many others as we venture deeper into adulthood.
For those of us in adulthood or for those of you who are about to dive into it, no longer playing video games just because you’re an adult is like saying you’re going to stop reading books or watching movies just because you’re an adult.
Wii U Launch Games in a Nutshell
This is me describing each individual Wii U launch title in a Nutshell. Watch this if you wanna know what you’re in for.
I hope you enjoy!
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Let’s Play & Analyze Rayman Legends Demo
This is my let’s play or analyzation of Rayman Legends. Hope you like and enjoy!
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 24 and 25, 2012.
Editor’s Note: We are sorry about not posting yesterday’s news till today.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you (or the greatest majority), of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: Nintendo has cuts its forecast profit, and announced that Wii U is being sold at a loss at $300 and $350 (IGN). Come Nov. 4, Wii will have Just Dance 4, and Skylanders bundles for $130 and $149, respectively (IGN). Over 250,000 people are on GameStop’s Wii U waiting list, this number does not include those who have pre-ordered. 5.5 million units are set to ship by March 2013 (GoNintendo). The Mass Effect film moves forward with the hiring of screenwriter Morgan Davis Foehl, a fan of the series and a writer of flicks with a strong emphasis on stealth action (IGN). Assassin’s Creed III is the most pre-order Ubisoft title ever (IGN). Here’s what Nintendo released today on their eShop channels. There is a lot (GoNintendo). Watch every video from Japan’s and America’s Nintendo Direct, where they showed a new Luigi’s Mansion trailer, talked Fired Emblem, showed and announced additional New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC for today, and so forth (GoNintendo). If you manage to be the first person in the world to beat Ghost ‘N Goblins on the 3DS, and if you take a clear picture of yourself with the ending screen, you’ll win four special shotglasses from Capcom (CapcomUnity).
Other Things: Learn about some obscure Zelda facts via this video (TheGamingPixelShow). If you were ever considering a Mewtwo figurine, check this out (GoNintendo). The Angry Video Game Nerd is back with Ghost N’ Goblins. He is a reviewer of old, usually mediocre games who takes on the persona of an angry nerd (CinemaMassacre). With Halloween upcoming, take a look at some games that have used possession in gameplay (GameInformer). Be enlightened to Japan’s love for Nintendo, and why maybe Japan should dislike Nintendo a bit (Kotaku). There are 21 must-need facts in the Assassin Creed universe, check them out (GamesRadar). If you’ve yet to come up with a costume for Halloween, check out this list of cheap, simple, and easy to do ideas (GamesRadar). Legendary video game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, attended a ceremony recently, where he won the Prince of Asturias award, and here is a video of him dancing, signing stuff, so forth (GoNintendo). Take a look at episode 1 of what looks to be a very good Castlevania fan series (Start). Learn about a bunch of obscure and very interesting Sonic factoids. For example, according to an unused audio file, Eggman’s mustache is fake (DidYouKnowGaming).
Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 23, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you (or the greatest majority), of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: They’re back and have an objective: check out the newest Halo 4 gameplay trailer to find out what we mean (IGN). Indulge in Assassin Creed III’s UK launch trailer (GameTrailers). With Wii U upcoming, Nintendo has decided to improve Wii Remotes with controller sync buttons being easy to access (GoNintendo).
Other Things: A technically legal hack, Project M, for Super Smash Bros. Brawl will soon launch its newest demo version, and here’s what they’ve done to Squirtle (ProjectM). Take a look at some of the most insulting game over screens in gaming history: the screens that rubbed your defeat in your face (GamesRadar). Here is a top 10 education video games list (ScrewAttack). Watch and listen to Game Informer editors play and talk about the beginning of the newest Medal of Honor video game, Metal of Honor Warfighter in Test Chamber (GameInformer).
Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 20, 21, 22, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: A man named Triforce, legally changed to the name, has begun his one month wait in line for Wii U in front of the Nintendo World Store (GoNintendo). Watch Sony’s two minute live-action teaser for Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (IGN). Professional video game pirate, Justin Success Brooks profited over $900,000 in counterfeit Nintendo games between 2009 and 2011, and is being charged with the risk of prison time. He has plead guilty to all charges (GameInformer). Banjo-Kazooie used to be an entirely different game for the Super Nintendo: Project Dream, but due to technical issues it became the Banjo Kazooie fans know today. Click here to read much more detail about it (GameInformer). Indulge in the first [in a long time] Bioshock Infinite trailer, which only shows real-time graphics (BioshockInfinite’sFBPage).
Other Things: Learn all about Bioshock Infinite’s development timeline (GameInformer). Take a gawk at more cosplay: Link, Zero Suit Samus, Ivy and/or Bayonetta (Kotaku). Eggman doesn’t like being called Eggman, and wants to be called by a different nickname in this comedy skit (Dorkly). Video games sometimes challenge players to choose the greater good out of not-so-nice choices, such as nuking a town or not in Fallout 3; click this to read about it (GamesRadar). Sometimes video games are an escape for people, and this video delves into that with the fictional telling of a child who loves The Legend of Zelda in a homestead where her parents constantly argue. Caution: strong language (BaruchFilms). Learn why one person believes the classic and fanbase divisive title: Yoshi’s Island, should be studied at game design schools (NotEnoughShaders). Watch episode 20 of Red vs. Blue’s season 10 here. It is a comedy, action series based off of Halo (RedvsBlue). Take a look at one person’s perspective on silent video game heroes, and why they’re important and/or why they’re good (GameInformer).
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First Wii U Commercial Surfaces in the UK
The First Wii U Commercial Airs and it’s about time too. This aired during the commercial break of the television series, Homeland, in the UK. Take a look at the video, along with a possible new internet meme within the video.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 19, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: In attempt to bring Sony out of the red, the company will lay-off 10,000 employees by March of 2013. For reference, Sony, the creators of Playstation have been losing money for quite some time due to poor internal management and so forth. (IGN). 70 million Xbox 360s have been sold as far, 20 million more than last year. Revenue is down, however (IGN). Fans get a glimpse of Master Chief’s face via this new trailer. The trailer is done in live action style, but nonetheless it gives people an idea of what Master Cheif under the mask is supposed to look like. (GameInformer). EA Games appolgizes and releases a new update for FIFA 13, which fixes console freezing, and various glitches (IGN). Shepard, the Mass Effect trilogy main character will not make further appearances in sequels (IGN). Ninja Gaiden fans, take a look here to see all the enhancements to the Wii U version of Ninja Gaiden 3, if you were disappointed by and wanted to like Ninja Gaiden 3 (2D-X).
Other Things: The owner of GoNintendo promotes Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask via a comedic video involving himself and his father (GoNintendo). Pikachu vs. Blanka star in this highly entertaining analytic video-based contest: Death Match (ScrewAttack). Take a trip down memory lane by hearing 50 early attempts at voice in video games (Gizmodo). GameTrailer’s “Pop Fiction” investigates what is said to be the only hidden secret in Mega Man 9 that no one has found. A bunch of facts regarding the game are also brought up (GameTrailers). Check out this comedic video, “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?”, that makes fun of Activision’s boss (GameTrailers). There are many takes on the top 100 video game heroes, and here’s one of them (GamesRadar). What are the most unrealistic video game gameplay devices? Check out what some believe seven of them are (GameRadar).
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 18, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: Today is the 27th anniversary of the NES’s launch in North America (GoNintendo). Wii U will not support wireless voice-chat at launch, and there is no universal method to voice-chat presently, and the GamePad’s microphone does not presently work with voice-chat (Kotaku). A multitude of previously retail-only 3DS games went digital today, like Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, and others. A few other games hit Nintendo’s eShop like Gradius for the 3DS Virtual Console (GoNintendo). The book conclusion to the Halo Forerunner Saga, Halo: Silentium, has been delayed from Jan. 2013 to March 2013 (Joystiq). The new Xbox 360 dashboard update has removed Twitter and Facebook functionality in an effort to streamline application functionality (IGN).
Other Things: Gawk at this Halo ring made out of 11,000 legos and three years of work (OriginalSource/GameInformer). Watch a man dressed up as Kirby walk about San Francisco in this music video that offers a free Kirby remix (FoxSky/NintendoGamer). Take a look at these obscure 90s platformers as the video tells you why you should give them a chance (GameSpot).
Video content will be embedded, when possible, after the jump, and pictures may be present (under the links), along with more detailed/wordy News and Other Things links.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 17, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: Wii U owners may be able to use the Wii U gamepad behind walls, depending on their home’s build. Learn other details regarding the gamepad’s wireless ability here (IwataAsks). The Wii U GamePad has rumble technology (GoNintendo/TwoTribes). Pikmin 3 is no longer a 2012 release. It is a Spring 2013 release, anytime in 2013 before the end of March (IwataAsks). Wii U demo stations have officially started to debut at GameStop and Best Buy. Click to see a picture of one (GoNintendo).
Other Things: Read about some of gaming’s most ambigious endings, and see an attempt at explaining these endings (1UP). The Annoyed Gamer rants on the disappearance of video game manuals, politicians targeting video games just because it’s an easy target, and about the false accusations that video game journalist are paid off to badly review games via this video (GameTrailers). Minnesota Public Radio interviews the producers of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess. Symphony of the Goddess is a touring orchestrated Zelda music show (GoNintendo/MinnesotaPublicRadio).
Video content will be embedded, when possible, after the jump, and pictures may be present (under the links), along with more detailed/wordy News and Other Things links.
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Rough Sketches: Link Raids a Village.
Ben Godby, our banner and logo designer likes to doodle, and this is what he came up with. Enjoy!
Rough sketches are sketches made by Ben.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 16, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: The Wii U Pro Controller has an 80 hour battery life per charge. The 360 and PS3 controllers have a 20 to 30 hour battery life in comparison (IGN). The Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale beta starts today, Oct. 16, for Playstation Plus members, and Oct. 23 for the general public. Be sure to watch the beta trailer here, as well (Playstation.Blog). Learn all about the Wii U GamePad’s development here, and click here for a summary (IwataAsks/GoNintendo).
Other Things: Watch the launch trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The game arrives Nov. 11, 2012 (Activision). Here are all of the Playstation All-Star character trailers bunched into one video, for who will be playable via the beta demo (GamingEverything). Have a laugh at this comedic Zelda video, that makes fun of a certain aspect of Zelda games. Caution: Strong Language (DorklyBits). Learn all about Assassin Creed III’s multiplayer via this video (Ubisoft). GameInformer editors play and commentate a bit on Doom 3: BFG edition, a newly released HD port (GameInformer). Listen to developer interview commentary with video for Resident Evil 6. HUGE SPOILERS ARE PRESENT (IGN).
Video content will be embedded, when possible, after the jump, and pictures may be present (under the links), along with more detailed/wordy News and Other Things links.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 13, 14, 15, 2012.
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you. Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Nina Storm 3 will see a March 2013 release, and a pre-order bonus of Goku’s orange costume (SaiyanIsland). Retro Studios, the studio behind Metroid Prime 1-3, and Donkey Kong Country Returns moves into a much larger building (GoNintendo). Xbox 360 receives a temporary $50 price cut, between two bundles, for the holiday season. Both bundles will be $250, one focused towards traditional gamers and another towards casual gamers (IGN). Wii also received a price-cut, to $130, and will be bundled with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. This is $10 to $20 cheaper than other bundles for the console, presently. Expect this bundle to be everywhere by Oct. 28 (IGN).
Other Things: Take in beautiful cosplay here. Much of it is scenic based (Kotaku). Watch over 30 minutes of Donkey Kong 64 footage as GameInformer staff replay it and chat about the game (GameInformer). Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy 2, if you keep him till the end of the level, before you fight the final boss, he will wave bye to you. Click to this to see it (GameExplain). A technically legal Super Smash Bros. Brawl mod., Project M, will soon have another major version release, and here’s a video for Ivysaur’s changes (ProjectM). Red vs. Blue episode 19 is out. Take a look. Red vs. Blue is a comedic, story-driven fictional off-shoot series based on the Halo franchise (RedvsBlue). Watch the new Devil May Cry trailer (CapcomUnity).
Video content will be embedded, when possible, after the jump, and pictures may be present (under the links), along with more detailed/wordy News and Other Things links.
Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.
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Wii U Demo Stations may start Showing-up Very Soon.
UPDATE: Wii U demo stations have begun to crop up. Look at a picture of one below from GameStop, below the jump.
To add wood to a fire, GameStop Wii demo stations are disappearing (my local GameStop’s Wii station is nowhere to be found), and will presumably be replaced by Wii U demo stations.
And as suggested and reported by GoNintendo.com, a massive Nintendo fan-site, via a tip, Best Buy will also soon be moving in demo stations for Wii U within the week, Oct. 17, to be exact. To be clear, it is not confirmed that GameStop is moving in Wii U stations, but there’s good reason to speculate that it is the case (with the disappearing of Wii stations), along with this piece of information about Best Buy.
Explaining the premise of this finding a bit more, when I stopped by GameStop a few days ago, their Wii demo station was missing. There was no evident reason. Burning down the list of possible reasons, this would indicate that a Wii U demo station will soon be taking its place. A broken unit would just sit there, and be fixed or replaced a few days later. If you accompany this with Best Buy getting demo stations, the puzzle regarding GameStop becomes clear.
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Video Game Rants: Clipping and Dumb Computers.
This Earth and the human race is by nature governed by an unchanging set of rules (a world where you start floating for an uncontrollable reason would be horrifying!), and for an artificial environment to be truly immersible it must have believable interactions with an environment, and artificial intelligence, that does not come across as impossible or mindless (video game characters sure do live in scary worlds, where the rules are subject to glitches).
Since video games are supposed to be an escape from reality for some, then why should faults that happen within video games that break the illusion it is trying to create, be excused? In the real world, never, not once will a person or creature have its hand or foot or torso morph naturally into a wall or floor, and never once should a person or creature run against a wall to get to a player or not act human, if they are supposed to act human. Breaking illusions with elements like this would be like deactivating the Earth’s gravity at random, letting everything float as it wishes, just because it’s a glitch (that could happen in a video game), which would break our sense of reality.
How about this for reality breaking (clipping)?! -This image is borrowed from GamesRadar, and since it is, take a look at their article making fun of video game glitches, if they were real: http://www.gamesradar.com/if-video-game-glitches-were-real/.
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Major Gaming News and Other Things of Oct. 12, 2012
Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you. Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.
News: Diablo almost came to a Game Boy platform, but development cost got too out of control (IGN).
Other Things: Gawk at various cosplayers from day one of the New York Comic-con; even a dog joins in the fun, dressed as The Flash (Kotaku). Zombies have been a video game enemy for quite some time, check out this eight minute video to quickly learn all about their history in the video game industry. ( GameTrailers). If the zombie outbreak ever did happen, thanks to video games, we have a pretty good idea of what would work best as a weapon [sarcasm], so the GT Countdown has listed their top 10 weapons to kill zombies with (GameTrailers). Watch this Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 trailer as it details various game mechanics and teases the game’s story content (NamcoBandai).
Video content will be embedded, when possible, after the jump, and pictures may be present (under the links), along with more detailed/wordy News and Other Things links.
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