blaze6106 Blog

GIO Fanfiction Group: Revival and Recap

2013-03-06T23:50:00Z

Fanfiction is something that has a lot of meaning to me. It's how I got started in writing period. I don't think I would be here without my Fanfiction.net account and the support I got there in my writing. Here's a link to my Fanfiction account if you wanna check that out. I've written several things on that site, and many of them are game related in some way. I share the account with a GIO user named Jvexen, but he hasn't been around much. After I stopped getting responses on there, I decided to create a group on the site for Fanfiction. This is the GIO Fanfiction Group.

At first I promoted the group heavily. I posted about it, and then later updated that post. I promoted it on Skype, in both the Bronies and the GIO group. iDreamRunner and a couple others were heavily involved. I checked it over and over again, everyday posting and making sure that everything worked and making sure that I stayed active in posting and reading.

But then I left... I know I kinda dropped off the face of the universe. A lot of you newer members may not even know this exists. i hope to alleviate that problem and get it more well known! But I'm back, and hopefully I'm bringing the revival of the Fanfiction group with me. So what I want to do is recap the total of 5 stories that have been started on the group. And I want to encourage anyone who is interested to visit the group and join up. Read some stuff and maybe even write something. (If you are interested in writing, go visit the forums in the group and see how. Basically all you have to do is inform me and I'll make you an owner so that you post. Then make a new thread in the forums so that people can comment on it, since group blogs can't do comments for whatever reason...)

*links to group, forums, etc are at the bottom*

So to begin the recap!

Fighting Fate Itself by blaze6106

The first story that was posted in the group was one that I wrote myself, inspired and greatly contributed to by deadmanwalking. It is set in the Star Wars universe, during the clone wars era and is focused on a mandalorion character. This mandalorion character is also a Jedi Palawan. It's only 1 chapter in, but it's focus is on this Jedi and his quest to be something more than just a run of the mill Jedi. The main focus is on the evolution of this character and how he progresses over time. The journey will take many twist and turns, involving the Sith and their ongoing plot to control the Republic. Hopefully I'll resume it soon.

The Hunger Games: Revenge by blaze6106

This is the only non game based Fanfiction in the group. Based on the vastly popular Hunger Games series, I take a look at a sequel. I don't really love the writing, but I'll probably consider writing it again. I liked the idea a lot, and I liked the basis I had for the children of Katniss and Peeta. The idea is a bit overused, but I'm doing my best to change up the cliched sequel format of Fanfiction. It begins with an assassination and a hint of rebellion, but on the reverse side of things. So I hope to maybe breathe new life into the hunger games Fanfiction.

Sonic X Pokemon: Speed Blue Version by Gaming Warthog

Other than a little bit of a formatting issue, Gaming Warthog posts a really unique and successful story to the group. I was concerned when I read the title, I mean Pokemon and sonic? But in the end the story was really interesting and I wouldn't mind seeing him revive it. The way he characterized sonic made him feel real and like he was actually sonic, but also Pokemon like. Plus the supporting characters are really pretty cool. Miri and Hazo seems to be your archetypal Pokemon characters, but throw sonic into the mix and it makes things slightly more interesting. If this story ever develops further, I'd love to see how the other sonic characters play a part in the Pokemon universe.

Mass Effect: Atlas Station by stormfront

No disrespect meant to any authors in this group, but this was my personal favorite of every story in the group, including my own. The way stormfront makes a simple Cerberus employee feel so real that I cared for him in this quick little one shot is astonishing. The character is nothing more than a working am, no family, nothing really other than his life, yet you feel like he is the real hero of this story, while Commander Shepard is the total anarchist who is on a murdering spree. I don't want to reveal all the little intricate details that make this so compelling, so I'll just tell you to visit the group and read it. It's fantastic and probably the first time I have ever felt like Shepard was the villain, or could be seen in a villainous light. An amazing work.

Conquest by Drym Shyuan

The final work comes from Drym Shyuan, and it is a grand addition to the group. Conquest is based on Tribal Wars, a free to play browser game, and it involves Lord Drym Shyuan creating the village of Balkor and dealing with the necessary evils of the development of the village. The character relationships are really compelling to me, Melinda and Drym seem to be developing a father/daughter relationship, and maybe this is a sign of things to come. The story seems to be developing into something great, and the latest chapter leaves you with a cliffhanger that makes you want to see what is happening now! Great job Drym, and I can't wait to see more.

Well that's all I have for the recap, but lets see what we can look forward to for the future of the group:

News:

The GIO Fanfiction group is now a part of the GameInformer Group Alliance, so thanks to all of those guys there, and let me know if you need me to support that.

We officially have over a 100 post in the forum, which may not seem monumental, but I'm glad to have a little support on this venture.

I don't have any officially announced projects that I'm working on for the group, and I don't know when I'll be continuing, but Gaming Warthog says he may have a project soon, as well as sorryjzargo, iDreamRunner, and the continuation of Drym's story. There's a lot to look forward too.

So, go join the group, introduce yourself in the forums, read some stories, and make your voice heard in the GIO Fanfiction Group. Any questions, please ask away. Thank you for reading.

blaze6106

Staying Wary: Playstation 4

2013-02-26T02:08:00Z

Wednesday night Sony came onto the stage, in a location that I do not know, to announce its foray into the next-gen of video games. Playstation 4 was officially revealed to the world, well sort of, since the console wasn't actually shown. Still, Sony gave a universally well received presentation. Regardless of this, I am still wary of the Playstation 4.

Disclaimer 1: I did not watch the conference myself, I was busy emailing my girlfriend, watching avatar, and working on a paper while it was on. So alas, I has no time to view it, but I have kept up avidly with the newest updates as well as plenty of the videos and news coming out of the conference.

Disclaimer 2: I liked this show, I really did. I liked the news that came out of it and I really think it's the best showing Sony's given us in a while. I do not own a PS3, nor do I really want one. I really liked what the PS4 had to show, but I do have some issues. These very issues are keeping me from jumping on the PS4 bandwagon.

No hardware shown

This isn't a big one. I recognize that, but still it is something I would love to address. Sony managed to show off a lot of great stuff,but never once showed the system. I just want to know what going next to my sleek matte finished Wii U. Is it black, white, circular, boxed, or any other variant of those things. How big is? Is it incredible bulky? But the big reason is more about how sturdy the system is. The PS2 wasn't exactly known for sturdiness. I'm not sure about the PS3, but regardless I would like to know if the Ps4 is gonna fall and then snap on two. I know all in all it's pretty trivial, but I still would like to know what I'm putting on my shelf.

Data doesn't transfer/Not backwards compatible

This one doesn't effect me A LOT, but it does affect me to a degree. There are a lot of great Ps3 games out there that I missed because I can't afford a PS3. So if I were to get a Ps4 I would have loved to play some of those old games for cheap. Buy them used and play the, on my brand new Ps4. If Microsoft has backwards compatibility, you can almost be certain I'm going to go with that one. That way all of my old Xbox games aren't completely wasted. The data transfer thing doesn't affect me, but I can't imagine that that is that hard to do. It just seems like that really sucks for everyone who has a lot of games and things saved on their PS4. It's not a deal breaker by any means, but when looking at the Wii U that is almost pushing backwards compatibility, it seems like Sony is lacking behind.

No super compelling games

Killzone and infamous don't exactly thrill me, as I'm sure they won't thrill others. I do believe that they are solid games. I've never personally played them, but I am not doubting their quality. What I do believe is that they won't move systems like a Halo would. I'm not saying that they don't exist; most likely they are going to announce some killer games at E3. At this point though Killzone and Infamous aren't moving the system off the shelf. Knack looks interesting, but that seems like a cult hit. I can't imagine Knack being a huge system seller. Everything else appears to be multi platform, so I'll just take the new Microsoft system for those, since that's what I'm used to know.

No launch line up confirmed

Even more than no amazing games, it's the lack of a launch lineup that's really holding me off. If Microsoft can show me a lineup with some great games that are definite launch titles then I'm gonna go that route. I know there is still a lot of time to announce this, and of course it will be announced, but who knows if games like killzone or infamous will even be at launch. Look at the 3DS and Wii U, which were both supposed to have Mario games and pikmin and all kinds of fantastic games that weren't ready on time. Who knows if all or ANY of these games will really actually be out at launch.

No price point yet

And of course the biggest is PRICE POINT. I know you saw that coming right? But it is a big deal. I don't have money to just buy everything that comes out. Most likely I'll get one or the other, PS4 or the new Xbox. Which is cheaper will probably be the way I decide which to get. I know it's going to be high, but can it be reasonable? The PS3 was 500 to 600 dollars at launch, which in my opinion is far to much. It's simply unrealistic to charge that much and expect it to sell incredibly well, as evidenced by the Xbox 360 and Wii sales being so much greater. I think that the cost will probably have to be in the 400 to 600 range, but if it's more than that or even on the upper end of that then I'm not going to be so inclined to buy it.

In conclusion, I really like what's been revealed about the PS4, and it may very well be the next system I pick up. Still I think that jumping on the PS4 bandwagon may be a little early for me. I'm certainly going to sit back and watch the Big 3 battle it out for system dominance, but know that at this point I'm wary about the PS4.

blaze6106

(Re)Living Retro: Yoshi's Island

2013-02-16T05:39:00Z

Hello, all of the GI community, I have returned again (as you can tell by yesterday's post, but I don't really count that because I wrote it a few weeks ago and did a little editing to make it work. This post however was finished today, as well as the final edit, and then posted. So this is my official return!)... Hopefully to stay a little longer, but I won't promise that I'll be here all the time. I still lurk though, leave the occasional comment, and have a couple blogs in the works. This series was inspired by the game featured today. I hope that I can continue it throughout my time back. Basically, this is my idea for the series:

After the recent announcement of Yoshi for WiiU, I decided to finally experience Yoshi's Island. So I turned on my 3DS, pulled up the copy I got from the ambassador program, and began to play. The goal with this series, inspired by that event, is to either experience for the first time a classic retro title, or relive one of my favorite experiences of the past. Once I do so, I'll write down the experience and share it with the GIO community. I hope you enjoy.

I believe I should begin with what I expected picking this game up again. I've played it before; when I first got it on the 3DS. I played a little ways in, made it to the second world, and just all around enjoyed it. But still, my expectations weren't sky high. I expected a decent game, one that had enjoyable platforming, but mostly relied on charm to get by. What I got though was a totally different experience; one that, while abounding in charm, had amazing platforming, great level design and mechanics that should be brought back to light.

This game's art style is both unique and simply striking. The vibrant colors and beautiful environments really pop. It's hard to truly describe how good these visuals are. Character sprites are really detailed as well. Some of the most striking visual moments are when the game shifts into this disoriented view of the world. The disorienting effect and the way the world moves really brings out some of the technical power of the SNES and consequentially the GBA. The variety of environments really show off the great visuals, such as detailed caves and sweeping backdrops. Things actually fly "out" of the screen. This makes a visual phenomenon on the GBA that I really enjoyed.

Also, it wouldn't be a Mario game without a stellar soundtrack. The music is very light and bouncy, fitting the tone of the game. The final stage has some pretty dark music, but it fits with the final boss well. The sound effects, at least in the GBA version make it 20 times more annoying, with annoying sounds coming from both Yoshi and Mario periodically throughout the game.

Really though, the gameplay is where the game shines. Yoshi's Island is a typical Mario platformer. Or so it appears at first. The only difference is the fact that you now play as Yoshi and carry baby Mario. This simple fact makes for a world of gameplay difference though.

First off , Yoshi has an ability Mario never had, the ability to glide after a jump. It's makes hard to reach platforms much easier to access, and has saved me from otherwise deadly falls. It's also just really satisfying to KNOW that you have a little leeway if need be.

Secondly, Mario is your responsibility, your like a green Dino babysitter. This means that whenever you get hit Mario will float around the screen in a bubble crying. It's your job to save him, and most cases you have a timer of 10 seconds to do it. This makes things very edgy, since not only do you have to worry about Yoshi dying, but also Mario dying.

Yoshi's island is also probably the Mario game that focuses most heavily on collection. How well you score on a level is based on how many of the five flowers you collect, how many of the 30 stars, and how many of the 20 red Coins. This is a completionist's nightmare, but adds a lot of replay ability if you are someone who really wants to collect everything. This is where the difficulty is really a factor. This game is hard in the later levels, but really isn't as hard as most Mario games. If you want to collect everything and 100% it however, you will find that there is quite a bit of challenge.

If I'm not mistaken, Yoshi's Island is the first game to feature baby bowser. Since everyone is a baby it only makes sense for bowser to be a baby, and this is not bowser jr. either, it's regular bowser, just really small. This makes for one of the highlights of the game. The final boss starts off simple enough, but in true Mario fashion, you fight him again, but in a bigger badder form. This fight is fun, intense, and hard, but so rewarding when you finally finish it.

The game is not completely free of problems, sometimes level design is bland and really simple. Some of the sound effects are infuriating. And the platforming, since you are playing as Yoshi and have a glide ability, can feel extremely floaty. This is especially a problem when fighting bosses that require great platforming skill, like baby bowser in the end. But even with a couple minor issues, this is one of the strongest games in the entire Mario series. It's fun, quirky, challenging, but most importantly, unique. This is an experience that no other Mario game really delivers. Yoshi's Island is a game that I would easily recommend playing if you've never done so.

Next time on (Re)Living Retro...

I will attempt to tackle a black sheep in a legendary series. This is often considered one of the hardest games in that series, as well as one of the weirdest. Still, I've heard good things and will finally attempt this game. I certainly won't promise that I'll beat it though. Well see you next time!

blaze6106

The Future of Nintendo

2013-02-14T21:55:00Z

Once again Nintendo gave us an early morning treat. This morning Nintendo had another Nintendo Direct, one focusing mostly on, oddly enough, Luigi. They announced a new DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U focusing on Luigi. They also revealed a new game called Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, a new entry in the RPG series.

Last show they gave us even more to be excited for. Zelda, Smash Bros tease, Mario tease, a new monolith soft RPG, and even Shin Megami x Fire Emblem. That's a lot of awesome announcements, no doubt, but there are still things that I would love to see Nintendo do at E3, or just in the near future that would make me a very happy customer.

This is in No particular order, just a list of things I would like to see, also not necessarily what I expect. If half of these things happen though, you can consider me impressed with Nintendo.

1.) Firmware Updates for Wii U

Nintendo promised some Firmware stuff, and I do want to see what those do, but regardless I would still like them to announce, or at the very least detail the summer update, assuming it hasn't released yet. The inclusion of folders would be nice, and polishing some things, like Eshop, layouts of some menus, and more miiverse features would be welcome. I'm not really sure what features I would like, but voice chats in game and other general features should most definitely be included soon.

2.) Return to 2D

We all remember the great games on the NES and SNES. This doesn't mean that 3D games have been bad, quite opposite really. Mario, Zelda, even Metroid to a degree has benefitted from the jump to 3D. But at the same time, I would love to see are turn to the 2D. Mario has benefitted from 2D gaming with the New Super Mario Bros. series, as well as games like Donkey Kong and Kirby. But what about Metroid? How about Zelda? Games such as Link to the Past and Super Metroid are often called the greatest ever, the Wii U or 3DS can easily play host to a revival of this classic side scrolling genre.

3.) Expound upon announced games

This one is kind of a given, I know, but games like Mario 3D just have to be elaborated upon. It's necessary. The most important one for me though is the Smash Bros. game. A game developed by Namco Bandai that has always been a game reserved for Hal makes me a little weary. But I have faith in the Smash Bros. series, and I know it always pulls through. I really wanna see a character roster as well, that would be awesome. Or at least the beginnings of one. And not to mention fire emblem x shin Megami Tensei, the Zelda HD, and Yoshi Land. Come on!

4.) Revive the Lost Series

Where is Star Fox? Yeah, it was remade recently, but an original great Star Fox game. What about F-Zero? I wouldn't mind seeing a new Metroid, maybe a new DK game. And bring Kid Icarus to the Wii U. I know Metroid and DK aren't exactly "lost" but they just don't release these games like they do zelda, Mario, Kirby, and their ridiculous party games. Fans are dying for this stuff. Also a new Earthbound in some capacity would be amazing. Maybe even port Mother 3 to America on 3DS or something like that. Sounds awesome no?

5.) Reveal Retro's new game (as well as other second party devs and partners)

We have been waiting on this forever... Seriously, what could they be doing? The rumors are Metroid, but could it be star fox or f-zero? Or maybe an all new IP? Whatever it is, get us out the dark Nintendo, seriously. Plus, Nintendo needs to get their second party developers into the mix more. Camelot hasn't been seen with a Golden Sun game in a while, Pokemon stadium may be a good choice as well. Things like that can really change the game for people who may still be bordering.

6.) Third party support

Nintendo has a lot of 3rd party support on 3DS and one of the strongest handheld lineups in a while. This needs to translate over to the Wii U. Companies like Bioware, Bethesda, Activision, and plenty more can finally make their games for Nintendo console an not scale everything down . Ubisoft is already showing that they support the Wii U, but what about the rest of the game world. Nintendo needs to make it worth their wild so that we can see great series continue to grace Nintendo consoles. I'd also love more exclusive games from third parties. Take advantage of the gamepad and miiverse features and make games that aren't only Nintendo first party. Nintendo really needs to show these games as well. Don't just tease them, but SHOW them. That'll help big time.

7.) New IP's

Nintendo has one of the most dedicated exclusive libraries ever. But that doesn't mean they are in the clear. They need to mix things up. I love that Mario, Zelda, and all of my favorite franchises are coming, and I hope more will, but Nintendo needs a new trump card. Maybe a new platformer, or action game, but I'd love to see them dabble in shooter mechanics. Nintendo has never been a player in the shooter market, I know, but using the creativity and art department I believe that Nintendo can craft a masterpiece. A more cartoony, zani style shooter, that isn't super violent or throws f bombs, but presents real characters and an interesting plot set in a gorgeous Nintendo world with interesting new gameplay mechanics that can really set it apart from something halo and kill zone and COD would be glorious in the rise of the Wii U.

8.) Don't forget the 3DS

Nintendo has one of the strongest handheld divisions the world has ever seen. The 3DS continues this trend, even after a rather mediocre launch. So Nintendo would be foolish not to expand on Pokemon x/y, and a slew of their 3rd party games. Also this is not the time to go full force on Wii U, since the 3DS install base is much larger at the moment; Nintendo needs to support it's fan base. Announcing a big Zelda title (majora's mask remake or otherwise) would send fans going crazy. Maybe a follow up on star fox, or pikmin, or Metroid. Something to assure fans that the 3DS is still going strong.

9.) Online Support Continued/Improved

Wii U online is the best it gets for Nintendo. Miiverse and apps are really cool. A web browser is great, especially when combined with the gamepad. But there are some things that I want. Great online play is essential, especially in shooters and things. So making great servers would help. And it would be vastly better than each company doing a separate server. DLC in this day and age is almost essential. Providing quality DLC information, or even releasing some free DLC the day of E3 can be a really compelling reason to pop in a Nintendo Wii U game, even with all the hype of E3 going on. And if you can convince me to put in a game and take my eyes off of E3 coverage, that in itself is impressive.

10.) RPG (Pokemon, Mario, FF, Xeno, anything)

Nintendo has been a go to RPG publisher since the NES or SNES. Some times they slacked off a little, but the go to handhelds for RPG's... DS and 3DS. The first final fantasies... NES and SNES. More and more of nintendo's systems play host to RPG's. I'd love to see more announced at E3.

Pokemon and Mario RPG are both seriously successful Nintendo franchises that have RPG mechanics in place. I wouldn't mind seeing Nintendo try something along this line with other series, or create brand new experiences. Monolith Soft working on a new "Xeno" game looks fascinating, but where is my final fantasy and Dragons quest?

These are the things that I really want to see from E3. It doesn't matter if I get them all, but I really would like to see these things announced in some capacity. Nintendo is still one of my favorite developers, and these Nintendo Directs are signs of hope for the future of Nintendo. I cant wait to see what the future of the 3DS and the Wii U holds. What do you think?

blaze6106

Villains and How They Saved Halo

2012-12-14T21:45:00Z

*edit: Pictures now included*

Halo 4 is a remarkable experience, one that I've loved every second of. Upon acquiring Halo 4, I figured that I would be drawn into the Multiplayer, and experience the Campaign later. In fact, quite the opposite happened. I've played, and enjoyed the new Infinity Multiplayer, but the Campaign and story have sucked me into Halo more than any other shooter before, including all of the Halo games. Never has a story and a mission compelled me so much. I find myself playing 2 or 3 missions at a time, staying up way later than I should just to play another mission. So what's so different about this Halo Campaign? It's not the Gameplay, there is nothing drastically different about it, it's not the return of Chief, Halo Reach was my favorite until Halo 4, so what is it...?

Simple, The Prometheans.

I know what your thinking... How can any new enemy be your favorite? How can any enemy be better than the Flood or the Covenant? The Flood are parasitic enemies that pose a threat to all of life itself. They are the very pinnacle of parasitic creatures. The Covenant are even grander. They are a religious group, united under prophets, only to praise and serve the Forerunners. Their military, their religion, their government, and everything about them is just interesting and compelling.

Yet I like the Prometheans even more, story and gameplay wise. Halo 4 does something I never felt in the other games. This may just be because I didn't quite understand the mythos, but Halo 4 makes me feel liked I have a central enemy. That enemy...

The Didact

*Potential Minor Spoilers for Halo 4*

The Didact is an interesting and compelling villain, but moreso for me, he is a central villain, the one villain that you want to hate. Everything from his look, to his voice, to his actions make him the central villain of this campaign. The Didact is an ancient forerunner exiled to Requim. I won't spoil the Campaign, but he leads the Prometheans and is after an ancient forerunner device known as the Composer. I won't reveal what this does or how it affects the story, but basically the way in which he uses this and acts throughout the Campaign makes him an a**hole.

It's hard to explain why I like the Prometheans without spoiling the story, so I'll leave it to you to find out, from a story perspective. They are really interesting though, and even though they aren't intellectual beings like the Covenant, they are very interesting. They have a pretty deep history as being warriors for the Forerunners and being led by the Didact, but the new Prometheans, the ones you fight in Halo 4, those are the ones that make me enjoy their existence.

The greatest thing about the Prometheans is that they change combat, and literally bring it to a different level. 343 kept the Covenant around, but made the Prometheans the clear central enemy. This provides for new gameplay experiences all around. First off, the Prometheans come in a lot of variety, moreso than any other enemy.

What's so different? Well you have several different types of enemies. And they are all different than what you fight when fighting the Covenant. The knights are large formidable foes, similar to elites, but they can also teleport around the stage as well as summon watchers. Watchers can attack, but are primarily centered on support. Whenever a knight goes down, they can resurrect them. This makes fighting a squad of Prometheans a puzzle. Eliminate the watcher, and the knight can die. But the crawlers, enemies that move quickly and sporadically while firing, can decimate your shields. This variety in enemy combat makes it infinitely more interesting.

The new weapons also add a lot to the gameplay. I was a little disappointed that the weapons are essentially the exact same as the human weapons, just differently colored. There is a sniper rifle, an assault rifle (suppressor), a shotgun (scattershot), and more. It's a bit repetitive to always find the same weapon, just a different color, but they have slight variety to the original human weapons. The scattershot's bullets disperse upon firing. The suppressor fires faster than the standard assault rifle. This little bit of variety makes the gameplay that much more diverse and enjoyable.

In the end, Halo 4 presents a lot of new stuff in the campaign. It presents a deeper relationship for Chief and Cortana, one that is very compelling and makes you care about an AI just as much as the Human characters in the game, and even more. It also presents a lot of exciting gameplay opportunities, but most importantly, it shows off the importance of a good villain/group of villains and how they can change the gameplay and the story of a game, just with their inclusion. Good day, hope you enjoyed.

blaze6106

Expanding My Game of the Year Nominations

2012-12-11T01:11:00Z

Hello fellow gamers. I know its been a while since I've written anything, I'm sorry about that. Life, my girlfriend, and school kept me a bit distracted. Most of you probably don't care that I was missing to begin with, but if you missed my writing, I have returned! Maybe not permanently, but I'm here now, and with that, I will start my first blog in four months.

Recently I received three titles that are potential Game of the Year winners in my book and in many people's opinion. In fact, one of these games has already won GOTY. These three games would be Borderlands 2, Assassin's Creed 3, and Halo 4. All of these games are wonderful, and picking a favorite is near impossible. I'm only borrowing Halo 4 and Borderlands 2, but I plan on purchasing them as soon as possible. I'll now give you all my first impressions (as in not a review) of these games...

Halo 4

I'm a bit of a Halo fan, most people would concur with that statement. I'll be the first to admit i was a bit skeptical of 343 Industries and their ability to produce a Halo game with the same quality that Bungie did. I was proven wrong. Halo 4 is above all of my expectations.

The story revives Master Chief, a move I was wary of from the beginning. He is an icon, and I was concerned with the way his story would go. Chief is waken by Cortana as the Forward unto Dawn is being swarmed by Covenant and heading on a crash course with a Forerunner planet known as Reqium. This is where the story starts, and in remarkable fashion. The first mission alone is gripping and takes some really interesting liberties, such as an Uncharted-esque climbing sequence and a low gravity firefight in space. It is also very cinematic and explosive, always keeping you on the edge of your seat. The audio is jaw dropping, I've never been so impressed by gun sounds... ever. And the music and other sound effects are just as brilliant.

The campaign, or at least the four missions I've played thus far, has not let up either. Every mission is fun and unique, as well as quite innovative in its approach. The set piece moments are spectacular, one in particular being an escape mission while riding a Ghost. The prometheans and their weaponry also make for a great addition to Halo. The variety of enemies and their variety of attack patterns really liven the gameplay up. Enemies that can throw grenades back and other enemies that can teleport and do tons of melee damage really mix it up. The scattershot is also one of my favorite Halo weapons now.

Of course Halo is all about the competitive multiplayer though, and this is where my opinion wavers a bit. I like the multiplayer a lot, it does a lot of things very closely to Reach and Halo 3, but some things bother me. i've always enjoyed Halo over other games for its originality.It's never used load outs, ordinance or Spartan points (or anything of the sort). The field of play was usually fair for anyone, no matter how new to the game they were. This feels slightly changed with the inclusion of load outs. The more you play, the quicker you level up, and the better guns you can start with. I've never liked that idea. At least you can still pick up the dropped weapons of your enemies and ordinance is based on your in-match performance, so these things help to balance the field again. The multiplayer still feels like Halo, which is very good.

Spartan Ops also brings a little bit variety to the table. For those that don't know what Spartan ops is, it is a episodic "campaign of sorts" that releases every week. Its five missions and they can be played solo or with friends/strangers online. These missions are very similar to campaign missions, but have a primary objective, such as rout the enemy. It also sets up a new, separate story than that of the campaign. This story has direct relevance to the campaign though.

In conclusion, Halo is one of the best games I've played this year, and easily gets my shooter of the year. Yes, even after playing Borderlands 2. This game easily exceeded all expectations. The story, gameplay, multiplayer, and even the graphics and audio have left me floored.

Borderlands 2

Speaking of Borderlands 2, what an incredible game. (Just a forewarning, I've played this one the least I think, or progressed the least, but I've played enough to give a valid opinion i think.) I was one of those people who never really heard of the original Borderlands, but got it from a friend's recommendation, and I loved every second of it. Granted, the story never kept me interested enough to finish, but I loved it.

That's one of the best things about Borderlands 2, the fact that the story is vastly improved upon, and I've only played a little bit of it. First off, there is a clear villain. Handsome Jack, who wants to rule Pandora with his vast supply of Eridium, is clearly your villain. And there is also a faction called the Crimson Raiders, who are clearly your allies. This game gives you more of a clear direction as to what your working towards.

As part of the story, the old vault hunters make a return, but never as playable characters. so far, Roland the Soldier, is the only main character I've met, that is super relevant. But the fact that those characters have returned gives the story and world a bit of familiarity.

As with the original Borderlands, the art style is cel-shaded, and it looks beautiful. Probably the most original looking game in a while, the characters and guns feel like they belong in this world. Everyone i just as colorful in personality as the game is. Borderlands 2 has a variety of landscapes, like tundra, and city structures. This is an improvement over the predominately original desert environment.

The game once again introduces 4 classes, but they are now different and have 3 separate skill trees. I have the most experience with Salvador, the Gunzerker. He is like an upgraded form of Brick, the Berzerker from the first game. His ability is also a variation of Brick's. Brick became a melee death machine, who punched everyone, but Salvador puts something in his hands, and that is 2 guns. he can dual wield whatever it is he is carrying, be it shotguns or rocket launchers.

Borderlands was advertised as the game with a million guns, but Borderlands increases this number. The awesome thing is that the guns don't feel as re-used as in the first game. I have a gun that literally blows up when you reload, its not the greatest, but it sure is an original idea.

To conclude, Borderlands 2 may not be my favorite shooter ever, but it certainly blends lots of game types together to create an awesome experience. Whether you like RPG's, Shooters, or Loot Fest, this game has something for everyone.

Assassin's Creed III

One had to wonder where Assassin's Creed was going after Revelations. The conclusion of the Altair and Ezio story left many fans yearning for more. So Ubisoft answered with a game that topples the last 4 Assassin's Creed games. Everything that you loved about the last games is once again prevalent, but now in the American Colonies.

The beginning of the game left me a bit surprised, since i began by playing as a character named Haytham. The game started, and it started with a bang. Haytham takes a trip on a boat to the New World, and this sequence shows off a lot of the power in this game. The stormy weather and things of that nature make the sequence riveting. You have to run around fixing the sails, rescuing crew members and things like that. This entire gameplay sequence culminates in an awesome bird's nest view of the Americas.

Fast forward a bit after some awesome story telling and interesting plot twist, and you begin to play as Connor. This is where the game opens up. You are now let loose into the frontier, the vast wilderness world so highly praised. It's praised for a good reason to. It is incredibly fun to travel in the trees and hunt animals. The hunting element is not forced, but its very highly encouraged. And i've had a lot of fun just hunting a few things.

The side quest are many, and the main quest seems like it will be very gripping. I'm not that far in, but just the story-telling thus far makes me really excited. It certainly seems a lot better than the last games. That transfers to the gameplay elements I've seen thus far.

Speaking of gameplay, combat is much more fluid than ever before. I'm not sure i really love it yet, but now you only need a few buttons to do a lot of tings. Counter is set to "b" and breaking guard is set to "a" and thats all you really need. You can also pick up weapons, shoot them and stab people with the guns bayonet. So its really fast moving, especially once you get to Connor with the tomahawk. Its incredibly fast and fluid. This also goes for the free-running mechanics. They are fast and fluid. You can now vault over fences and crates, as well as easily move through forests.

Multiplayer is still very similar, but now with an American revolution twist. I haven't really played it much, but its still a very thrilling experience. The game of cat and mouse that you play with the other assassins is really unique from most games, and it is only improved in this game.

Closing

So, in the end, do any of these games get Game of the Year for me? No, Mass Effect 3 takes that, but these games are the closest that any game got to beating it. They are all possibly the best game in their series, making many improvements and interesting story developments. Thank you for reading, and go pick up all these games, its worth it.

blaze6106

Why must you Drop me Again?

2012-08-02T05:02:00Z

As many of you know Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance released this past Tuesday. If you know how much of a KH fan I am, then you can probably assume I've been playing it a lot these past two days. You would be correct. I am loving it so far.

I think it does most of what it does well, some things are not as strong (story-telling being the big one) but its a mostly solid experience. The gameplay is awesome, reminiscent of KH II, but without the button mashing to win. The command deck from Birth By Sleep returns, but in a more perfected form. The production values are very high, as always, and the new elements like flowmotion and dream eaters are handled well.

Something that hasn't been as great... the drop system.

Let me rephrase that. From a story standpoint, and even to some extent a gameplay feature, the system is really cool. i love how you are playing to different stories in two different worlds, but they are the same. That made no sense, I know, but that is whats going on. I think that it is done really well, and the gameplay between Sora and Riku is similar enough that it feels natural, but different enough that you feel like you are two different characters and playing different story lines. The stories unfold in very unique ways.

So what do I dislike?

The frequency and inopportune moments in which the game makes you drop.

Instead of having certain spots that you have to drop (which I hear are still there) you have a meter that drains slowly. there is little you can do about this meter. there are bonuses before you get brought into the gameplay and items that will extend your bar, but mostly its out of your control. Once this bar goes down all the way, you are "dropped" into the other character. This bar really doesn't last that long. Its annoying to be thrown out of the game whenever your in mid battle.

Whenever your really into one part of the game, it may very well throw you out of that and send you into the other characters story. You can choose to manually drop back into that person, but you have to cycle through menus and things to get there. It's a little tedious.

That's not my big problem though, the big problem is when you have to switch in a bad situation. Early in the game I was fighting a boss as Riku. At about half life, my drop bar went out and I was thrown into Sora's story. I assumed that when I returned to Riku, we would be at the same position as when we left, me kicking this boss' a**.

Nope, it freaking restarted the battle. Like from the beginning. There was nothing I could've done to keep the battle going, unless the item is in my command deck. i didn't have room for an item I would only use every so often. i needed that for something that I would actually use.

That wasn't the worse part either. As i fought the boss on The Grid (which I won't spoil) my drop bar started to glow. The boss had 1 life bar, so I figured I had time. I kept fighting, and when I entered my last 30 seconds, he had only a little life left. I kept up my onslaught, but whenever I had 2 seconds left and he had 1 hit left I used a sliding attack. He dodged it... and I dropped into Riku. I would've yelled a lot of obscenities if I weren't around family. That still doesn't make sense to me. Why restart the entire boss?

I would love for the drop system to return in some form in the future. I think it needs some improvements, like giving you other ways from prolonging drops, and not resetting boss battles, but I like it. Still, in KH 3D it bugs the ever living hell out of me whenever I have to restart a boss because of dropping. Why must you drop me again?

Well, that was short and a little weak, but I had to get that out there. it bugged me so much. Grr.

blaze6106

My First Community Event: Fragfest

2012-07-29T06:07:00Z

First order of business:

Thanks to everyone who came to Fragfest today. I know I had no idea what to expect. And, I'm not sure about Stranger, but I don't think he knew what to expect either. But the awesome Gameinformer community came together to make today's Fragfest awesome. We had a steady party of 10-12 at all times. So Thanks again to all of you for making the reincarnation of Fragfest a huge success.

Now, as I stated, today was my first actual community event. Back whenever Fragfest was still run by Eyros I never had the games. Once Fragfest died, there really wasn't much to do in the community. I wanted to do something, and other than playing a little bit of Halo with Le Hannibal, I had never really gotten to play with the community.

Whenever Stranger approached me with the idea of reviving Fragfest, I was all in. I figured this would be a great way to get the community together and playing again. Whenever Stranger asked if I would like to host Fragfest, I was... nervous, I guess. I had never played with the community, much less hosted an event. I did it though, and here's how it went.

At about 2:30 CST I got on Halo and got ready. After a quick match of Infection to get back into the swing of things, I began setting up for the actual Fragfest event.. 15 minutes prior to event time, Chris MrVicka joined my party and we started talking about what we were gonna play... and about his dog. Soon more people showed up and we had a steady party of about eight people.

Then the party died. People got kicked out of the Xbox Live Party, and problems started occuring. This this worried me. At this point I was still a little nervous about actually hosting the event, and running into hiccups this early didn't look good. I know it was nothing major, but it still startled me a bit.

We moved over to game chat which thankfully, worked. We started with a game of infection, with around 9 of us. It was a great gametype to get back into Halo again, but then we moved onto Garbage Man, which didn't go so well. The maps we played on were all broken, sadly, since Garbage Man done right is a blast.

We also did a little Duck Hunt, which was actually really neat, but people kept killing the sniper, therefore killing the gametype. But still, it was fun.

By this point, I had finally eased into hosting a bit. We were all having a good time. All I had to do was get a feel for what people wanted to play, and usually Stranger was making suggestions behind the scenes, so it wasn't all that hard. We finally got to the highlight of the afternoon: Speed Halo.

Speed Halo is quite simple. Get in a warthog and drive down a really steep ramp. At the end there are zombies waiting to kill you with a hammer or a sword, and then you just warp back to the top and fly back down. This simple concept was a blast. We probably played Speed Halo in total for over an hour. It was loved by everyone I'm pretty sure. Dark Lord Kaan was like my mortal enemy. I swear he killed me at least 7 times.

We played a little bit of a gametype called Tetris, which was enjoyable. And then we played some classic slayer. I had a little trouble finding a map to play on, until someone decided that we should just cycle through them all. So we played a good five rounds of Slayer with various team combination. That was a lot of fun as well, even if i did suck at it.

Then we ended with Speed Halo... again. It was just so much fun. We played a little Tetris after that, but Speed Halo was the last thing we played with almost everyone there.

So in the end, Fragfest was a huge success. i think everyone had fun, and playing with the GIO community for the first time was awesome. I was a little nervous about actually having to host it, but I had CheeseballPwn backing me up in case I needed it. I think I handled it rather well though, and am pleased with how Fragfest came out.

So once again, Thanks to everyone who came out, and I hope you had fun.

blaze6106

The Great People of GIO!

2012-07-26T05:19:00Z

GIO is like my home away from home. This is one of those unique corners of the internet not consumed with trolls and people of that sort. Sure we have problems, but nothing is perfect. Recently I've been reading a lot of blogs, such as Saint's, Getting to Know The Game Informer Community (Even More) and Mray's One Year Later post in the Brony group. Today I read a blog by The Midnight Mayor that listed a lot of the awesome people on this site, and what makes them awesome.

I figured I should do the same. So in no particular order, this is why GIO is one of the best places on the internet:

Anticitizen-One: Anti, while not around all the time, has some of the greatest blogs this site has ever seen. They are always well thought out, and masterfully written. They are long, but well worth it in the end. Any one of his post, whether it be about Batman, Mass Effect, or Skyrim, are worth reading.

benderstrike64: benderstike was a faithful reader of my 31/31, and I couldn't thank him enough for that. On almost every post he had something nice to say. Now he is doing a 31/31 of his own, and you should certainly check it out.

BlackHeartedWolf: BHW created the 30/30 challenge, a challenge to blog once a day for an entire month. We have seen that challenge grow and change, but it is still his creation. He got me to do it, and changed the way I write for ever. He helped me along the way and increased my writing ability ten-fold. I don't know where I would be on this site without him.

TheClassyOne: See, not alphabetical order! TheClassyOne did a blog series called goal check a long time ago, and it was one of the first I read on the site. It inspired me to blog, and I am hoping to bring that series back soon. He was a key person in bringing me into writing on GIO, and my first recorded friend on the site,

Mray901: This guy got me into one of the greatest groups the internet has ever seen, The Brony Group. I am not super active in the group, but it is an incredible place. He introduced me to the show, MLP:FiM, which i love now, and is just an all around great guy. I've talked to him often and followed his podcast (bring it back!) faithfully. Mray is also a featured blogger, and he definitely deserves it, as he is one of the best members this site has ever seen.

Saint: This man is a legend. Member Herding, Blog Herding, Guess that Gamer, the list goes on and on. Not to mention he is one of the most consistent, in both quality and quantity, bloggers on this site. Everything he writes is gold, and he is always there to interact with the community. His blog pretty much inspired this one. He inspires a lot of people, and for good reason. He is definitely one of the most prolific members on this site.

Drym Shyuan: Drym really isn't around anymore, but I still consider him one of my greatest friends on the site. We started around the same time, and have talked on both GIO and Skype quite a bit. He read and followed my 31/31 faithfully, and has followed all of my blogs. He is also a great writer, and though he said he wasn't really interested in it much anymore, he is still going to be one of those people I look to for inspiration.

Chris MrVicka: Chris is great. He has been banned twice, at least, but always finds his way back into the site. And I'm thankful for that. He is easily one of the greatest writers and audience members on the site. Every time he leaves a comment, it will be constructive and detailed. He will help you improve your writing. Currently doing a 31/31, and it is incredible.

Derreck: The creator of the Reader Recap, something I have been a part of for a while. Even when I ma not blogging, which is not all that often, I try to stay involved. The Reader Recap was one way to do that. Looking at the magazines and sharing my thoughts on it is awesome. It is great to have been a part of the reader recap.

Stranger: I always seem to be getting caught up in this guys crazy plans. I'm hosting the fragfest event this weekend, thanks to him. I helped him with the community corner (a little bit). And you know what... I love it. Stranger is an incredible blogger, active community member, and just a really nice guy. I have talked to him on Skype more than anyone from the site. I became a GIO Skype chat mod because of him, and we talked ever since. I love helping him with his projects, and he is a huge motivator in keeping me blogging and active. Stranger inspires a lot of my blogs, and without him, I probably wouldn't be doing this right now. He is one of my favorite members of the site, hands down.

God Of Irony: This guy is the real reason why I started watching MLP. Mray wrote the blog, but this guy pushed me to do it. His drawblogs are awesome, and he is very active in the Brony Skype chat. Not to mention he is hilarious.

Mojomonkey12: Mojo is the greatest audience members on Gameinformer. He is always there to greet new members, comment on blogs from everyone, and is one of the leaders in the Team GIO effort for Extra Life. He also co-host a great podcast, The Indie and Mojo show. I've talked with him on Skype and twitter, and he is just a great person to talk to. I always look forward to seeing Mojo comment on my blog, because I know he always will.

Oni No Tenshi: One of the few female members I know of, and one of the best bloggers I've ever seen. She always has great topics and an interesting take on them. She isn't around so much anymore, not really sure what happened, but I really hope she can come back to blogging again. Her blogs were always fun to read.

Sora3Ben: A fellow Kingdom hearts fan. He created a skype chat just to talk about Kingdom hearts. Not to mention he is a great guy to talk to . I also plan on writing a co-review with him for the KH 3D demo. He doesn't blog very often, but he is usually around to comment and gives great support.

DeadManWalking: A huge Star Wars (Boba Fett) fan. I was around whenever Deadman started, and I've talked to him ever since. I had him proofread my Star Wars fanfiction, and he practically helped create the character. We recently did a co-blog together, which was a lot of fun. Talking with Deadman is always a good time. He is funny, and just really entertaining. Not to mention that when he blogs, they are always great post that I enjoy reading immensely.

Le Hannibal: Le Hannibal is one of the newer members of the site, but he has already made a name for himself. His ongoing rivalry with Jolt is great, and he is a huge Batman fanboy. He is also one of the only people I've actually played games with on GIO. We played a mission or two on Halo Anniversary (Oh the Lag). It was a really good time though. He his currently co-blogging a 31/31, but all of his blogs are great.

There are so many of you that I could talk about. Apozem, DJH, Ali Rapp, silvershine8, Hut, and so many more, but this blog is getting long and I am getting tired. These guys are just some of the reason that I've stayed on GIO. They are the heart and soul of the community. You guys are all awesome.

Even if you didn't make the list, that doesn't mean you aren't awesome. All of you guys are awesome. I just don't have enough room to fit in everyone. Please, if you don't know these guys, make an effort to get to know them. They are all incredible people, and they are willing to help you out in everything you do on the site. Good luck, hope you enjoyed.

blaze6106

Co-Blog Week Recap

2012-07-23T22:05:00Z

Co-Blog Recap

As I had my internet shut off for over a week, I hardly have the time to catch up on all the coblogs and write the recap. Therefore, I'm passing on the torch to Blaze for this, my co-conspirator on the challenge. I would like to thank you all for participating, it was really great to see all that camaraderie taking place in the blogging section, as people stepped out of their comfort zone and worked together to create some fantastic blogs. So, I'm going to let you all go ahead and let Blaze start the recap. Thank you all again, and hopefully you have fun with even more challenges I have planned. ~Stranger

Thanks Stranger for giving me the opportunity to do this. A lot of people co-blogged for this week, more than I think me and Stranger expected, and all of them were awesome. This blog is to highlight all of the great Co-blogs, and give my thoughts on them. So here we go.

Yusuke's and ElGato's Co-blog: A look at gaming explanations by Yusuke Urameshi and ElGato

Yusuke and ElGato look at the various explanations for things in gaming, and why developers feel they have to explain every little thing. The blog was quite funny. I laughed a few times. They touch base on a lot of popular trends. Zombies, Space, even the iconic Pheonix down from the Final Fantasy Series. They also talk about video game inventories. Its a really interesting blog, and I suggest everyone read it now.

The Evolution of Spider-Man in Video Games [Co-Blogging] by John Wrek and JayWrighterJames

This blog was really interesting. John Wrek and his friend JayWrighterJames took a detailed look at all of Spider-man's past adventures. It really paints a good picture of the up and down rollercoaster that is Spider Man games. They go all the way back to the old days of Spider man, all the way up to the most recent Spidey Game, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Co-blog Week: Star Wars: The Saga So Far ft. DeadManWalking by blaze6106 and DeadManWalking

Oh this blog... can we just look over this one, the only redeemable thing about it is Deadman's superb writing. Okay, Actually I think this blog came out really well. Writing with Deadman was a blast. In the blog we talk about all thing Star Wars Games. From KOTOR to Batlefront, Star Wars: 13 13. We try to cover a lot of the past, present and future expectations for the Star Wars game universe.

The Handheld Tank and Saint Talk Playdead Studios and Project 2... by Saint and the Handheld Tank

I had never heard of Project 2 prior to this blog, but the way Saint and The Handheld Tank talked about it and what they are hoping and expecting, then I'm really excited for this game. Playdead is the studio that created the Indie Hit, Limbo. Saint and The Handheld Tank talk about how Project 2 can still retain the creepy atmosphere and things of Limbo, while it being its own game. A really good blog, and these two play off each other really well.

Ouya! (A Co-Blog Feat. DarkeonWarlord) by Light Gamebeast23456 and DarkeonWarlord

If I'm not mistaken (correct me if I am wrong guys) Gamebeast and DarkeonWarlord didn't even know each other before this blog. But both of these guys are extremly good at writing, and thry play off each other well. They address the new $99 dollar console that was started over Kickstarter. This thing set the gaming world on fire, and Gamebeast and Darkeon talk about what it could mean for the current and future generations of gaming.

Dawson and sorryjzargo Talk Favorites: Games by sorryjzargo and Dawson Wyckoff

Dawson and sorryjzargo go a much more traditional route with their blog. A Top 10 list o their favorite games. That doesn't make the blog any less good though. These two guys have awesome taste in games. The Elder Scrolls, Call of Duty, Star Wars, Pokemon, Zelda, and more. See how your games compare.

Casting Call: Ocarina of Time (SilverShine and iDreamRunner) by iDreamRunner and Silvershine

I did a Zedla movie blog a while back, but this blog was super fun to read. These two pick a cast for the entirety of Ocarina of Time. The choices are great and I literally found myself laughing at Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell? Shigeru Miyamoto? What do they play, you may be asking yourself. Go read and find out, you won't be disappointed. I really wish this would happen now.

Action-Based Shooters and Story-Based Shooter, plus a Discussion (CheeseballPwn and Bartandbucky co-blog) by bartandbucky and CheeseballPwn

These two look at a very popular genre, but in two different lights. Bart takes the more storied shooters and analyzes them, while Chesseball takes the more action oriented shooters and talks about them. It is a really good look at the differences between them, and their pros and cons. Not to mention they put what I assume is a Skype discussion about Shooters at the bottom. Did you know Cheeseball was only 12? I wish all kids his age were as mature as him.

The Big 5 Gone Mobile: A Strategic Comparison by Glasses and Sami Elahmadie

Sorry i left this one off. I didn't even realize it was a Co-Blog. I guess that's because Smi is not a member of GIO as far as I can tell. Sorry about that Glasses. This blog was really good though. Glasses and Sami look at the major companies and their mobile strategies. They dissect how the mobile phone gaming is encroaching on the dedicated hanheld gaming space. A good read for sure.

So there you have it. The recap for a week of Co-blogging. Me and Stranger are both really happy that this many blog were done, and we hope that the participation continues. This week, Stranger has challenged everyone to a co-review. Find a different partner and review something. You can find the details here.Well that's all, see you next time.If I missed someone, let me know, and i'll add you immediately.

blaze6106

Co-Blog Week: Star Wars: The Saga So Far ft. DeadmanWalking

2012-07-11T02:02:00Z

Star Wars. One of the most acclaimed series of all time. Many forms of media have been based off of this series, and Video Games is the form of media with the most mixed opinions. Me and DeadmanWalking dissect the past, present, and future of Star Wars video gaming.

Deadman= Green

blaze6106= Red

The Phantom Past

Star Wars... It is no huge secret, I am an enormous Star Wars fanatic. I've read many books in the Extended Universe, I've played a lot of the games, and I religiously watch the movies.

I have had many fond memories with the Star Wars games of ages past(ages being 5-10 years ago and beyond), and regretfully, I have missed out on some of them. That's a long story... But growing up I can remember playing games like Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer, Rogue Squadron, and Battlefront 1 & 2 extensively.

However, I have missed out on arguably better titles like Republic Commando, Knights of the Old Republic, and Bounty Hunter. Those titles came out on the XBOX, and we only had an N64 and a PS2. I have Republic Commando on Steam, and I plan on getting KOTOR also to do my duty, pay my respects, and experience the honor of what once was.

Like Deadman here, I'm a huge Star wars fan. I adore the old republic universe, played many games, and have seen all the movies multiple times.

And as such, i've played many of the great Star Wars games. Games like Battlefront II fill me with Nostalgia. Rogue Squdron, Jedi Academy, and more are all great games, that have been embedded in my memory forever.

Kotor will forever be the Star Wars game I remember most fondly. The gameplay, the story, the characters, the visuals, it was all so good. I can go on and on about the famous twist ending of the game, as well as the awesome fights that occur at the end, and the diverging paths of Jedi and Sith. This game is quite possibly the best Star Wars game ever made.

*sigh* I feel disappointed in myself that I haven't really played KOTOR. The way you describe it... It's empowering. I'll definitely give it a chance on the PC.

Attack of the Shovelware

For every great game that exist, you can find some bad ones. While some games give you a great experience, others leave you wanting more.

For example, Kinect: Star Wars. I was excited for this game. I really was, it looked great. I was set on getting it, until I played the demo. It was disappointing, and at times just plain broken. I couldn't get the game to respond correctly to many of my movements. The best part of the game was outside of the main game, and that wasn't much better.

Another game that comes to mind is the Star Wars: Episode III game. Licensed titles generally suck, and this game wasn't an exception. The visuals were bad, the voice work wasn't amazing, and the gameplay just wasn't that fun. It had some good bossfights, but even that is hard to say it qualifies to be a good game.

I have to say, I was not very hopeful or excited for Kinect Star Wars... I had a very bad feeling about it. I can't really say much about it since I don't have a Kinect, or much desire to get one, but I don't really think that the Kinect offers meaningful additions to gaming, save a title or two. Needless to say, it turned out to be a massive pile of crap, in my opinion.

I actually played through Star Wars: Episode III... I personally thought it was okay. Granted, you are right, it was a bad licensed title, and it had bad gameplay. That game is one of the worse decisions my brothers and I made during our childhood.

Revenge of the RPG

The Old Republic. I don't have a PC that can run this game... I wish I did. I may have a GPU that will be able to run it soon... All in all, I am very much looking forward to getting into this game. It probably will take a long time to get used to, since I've never played an MMO in my life.

I suppose the main reason I'm excited is that it's kinda a spiritual successor to KOTOR. Part of the storyline was written by Drew Karpyshyn himself(the famous legend who worked on the stories for KOTOR, Jade Empire, Baldur's Gate, and Mass Effect), and that had me hooked.

I've heard various opinions with differing conclusions about this game, but I look forward to making my own opinion of it.

I will probably never play this game. I want to, so much, but I don't have a PC that will run it, or the money to pay for it. I like the idea though. I love it really. A large MMO world that is all about Star Wars, especially the old republic. That is great.

The story being written by Drew Karpyshyn alkso makes me want to play it. I love how they are getting him to write part of it. (Sadly he has retired from Bioware)

Still, the conept of them going back to the roots of KOTOR makes me happy. I think that is still my favorite Star Wars game, and seeing the successor is awesome.

A New Hope

Star Wars 1313. The only announced Star Wars game I even know of. If there's others, they must being flying really under the radar. I am excited for this game, most certainly.

First, I know it was running on a high end PC at E3, but did you see those graphics. That was incredible. If that can be even half as good on 360, I'm sold.

The gameplay looks wonderful. It seems to borrow elelemts from Uncharted, a game I've never played, but looks incredible. The platforming, the Gunplay, the environments. It all looks similar, but in a Star Wars way. The darker tone of the game is a great take on Star Wars, and I'm sure Deamer, with his love of Bounty Hunters will appreciate that angle a lot.

BOBA FETT!!! In all seriousness, I don't think it seeming like a Star Wars version of Uncharted is all that bad. It isn't really a style of game that Star Wars has tried out, and I am keeping my eyes on this one.

When 1313 was mentioned, I was REALLY excited(because apparently Boba Fett's designation was CT-1313). I thought it would be about Boba Fett... To my disappointment, it wasn't, but it's still bringing me hope to the Star Wars game-iverse.

As a Star Wars fan, I feel that the universe is being drowned down with a lot of hollow garbage. I realize that Star Wars is almost a 40 year old franchise, and that we've had Star Wars games for around 20 years, but there is more than enough room for LucasArts and other developers to expand in video games.

1313 is my "New Hope" for Star Wars games. I hope it'll point the video games, and the direction of TV shows(Clone Wars... *shudders*) into a better direction.

The Lame Sequels Strike Back

I played the first Force Unleashed soon after it came out... Even though it was on Wii(don't judge me, we didn't have a 360 at the time), it was still an enjoyable experience. The cutscenes were horrible, but I still feel like it portrayed enough emotion to pull the story along. I realize that the continuity of the Wii and the 360/PS3 versions don't line up exactly, but that's potato patato.

So, you would think that The Force Unleashed II would be an even better experience, since now, I had a 360. Better graphics, better gameplay, better... Everything! Nope. Nopenopenope. It had very good graphics, don't get me wrong, but I think that the ending of TFU made it really hard for a sequel to be appealing to fans... I won't spoil it for anyone even though it's an old game.

The Force Unleashed II was a huge disappointment for me. I can't exactly remember, but I think you only traveled to three or four different planets, compared to the first game's 6 or 7[note: feel free to correct this Blaze]. It had a depressingly short storyline, with shallow character development. Starkiller's spiritual growth in the Force wasn't very apparent, and although there was a struggle within himself, it wasn't anything emotionally moving.

Like Deadman I played The Force Unleashed on Wii, and like it a lot for a Wii game. So whenever I heard of TFU II, I downloaded the demo. And it looked and played pretty great. I never did buy the full game. I heard of the horrible story that the game had, and as such, did not buy it.

While we are talking about disappointing sequels though, KOTOR II was a big disappointment for me. I loved the gameplay, it was refined into RPG excellence. And I even liked the characters for the most part. None were quite as compelling as the relationship between Bastila and the main character though.

What got me was the story. I didn't like it at all. The triumvirate was a great idea, but I felt it fell short in the end. They weren't compelling enough. *Spoiler= Kreia as the head of it didn't match up to the twist in the first one* And I found that overall the story was just weak.

Return of What Was Good

What does the future hold for this franchise? No one knows, but there are things that I would like to see in the future.

Personally I think the franchise should return to its Single Player RPG ways. I know we may never get a true KOTOR sequel, but I would love one. Maybe centered around Darth Bane (favorite Sith ever.) Maybe even setting in the post-movie, new Republic era, centered on the Solo kids or something.

I'm still a sucker for anything related to the Jedi/Sith and constant force battle. I like the new direction of 1313, but would not be disappointed in an original Jedi Sith thing.

And as stated above, I really think Story needs to be a big factor in the future. Part of RPG's is a great story, and I think Star Wars has potential there. They just need to tap into it.

I also agree that LucasArts should turn back to publishing single player RPGs. A couple new shooters wouldn't hurt. Anything fresh, new, nostalgic, I don't have any preference. As long as it offers a meaningful Star Wars experience, I'm game for it.

I don't think LucasArts truly realizes how well-recieved a new series, or even a sequel to classic games would be. Either that, or they simply don't care. Heck, they could even reboot Rogue Squadron and games of that caliber. So many fans, regardless of how little they like Star Wars, hope highly for a return of what once was.

Final Comments

I want to thank Blaze here for getting me to do a co-blog. It isn't something I am used to, writing with another person, but I think we managed to pull something together. I really enjoyed writing with you, dude, always a pleasure talking with another Star Wars fan.

It was super awesome to write with Deadman. As a fellow Star Wars fan he really talked about some great points. I think I also encouraged him to play KOTOR, which is always good. I love co-blogs, and Deadman was an awesome partner to have. I also want to thank Stranger for putting this on. Its awesome to get the community involved like this.

blaze6106, DeadmanWalking

A Year of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

2012-07-08T17:50:00Z

Bronies.

Most people on this website are quit familiar with that term. A lot of you who are going to read this are Bronies yourselves. Those of you who are new, and maybe never heard of the term, let me help you out. A Brony, by the Wikipedia definition is:

" It [My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic] also found an unlikely audience from a large group of Internet users in late 2010 and early 2011. These older fans, typically males from 18 to 35, were drawn to the show's characters, stories, animation style, and influence of the show's propagation as an Internet meme."

You read that, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I couldn't believe it either. How could a show for little girls have such a large fanbase of older male followers? Little did I know I would soon become a part of that fanbase.

June 30, 2011, Mray901 posted a blog title "How I became a Brony." After reading the blog and seeing what he had to say, I left him a comment stating something along the lines of, I'm more into anime, and I don't see me liking this. And I figured it was done. He could like what he wanted, and I had no problem with that.

Enter one of my favorite GIO users- God of Irony. He leaves a comment on my wall saying this "
resistance is futile. you will join the herd." Well me not knowing what that was, I ask. He then proceeds to link me to this page. The GIO Bronies page. The page Mray set up for all the sites Bronies. After looking at it a little, I decided to at least give it a shot. One episode and, I was sure to not like it, so that would be all. Of course, that's not what happened at all.

I really enjoyed the first episode, the whole time telling myself I shouldn't be liking this. I proceeded to watch the second, since it was a two part episode. And I loved it. Especially this scene.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

So I watched more and more of it. Finally finishing Season 1, and loved it. I posted this on my status update soon after finishing the first few episodes. "Mray finally got to me. Why does this show have to be so darn cute and funny. Arrgh." Mray responds with "Boom goes the dynamite."

And in a way it did. I began to really enjoy the show. It has some great animation, and a remarkable cast of voice actors. Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Tabitha St. Germain, and even John De Lancie, who is Qu from Star Trek. I began to just enjoy watching the animations, which were remarkably done.

Not to mention the show is funny. And not stupid funny, but actually funny. There are moments that will make you laugh. Part of that is the throwback to old cartoons. They have lots of slap stick comedy, a lot of references that the actual target audience will never get, and is just genuinely well written.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Mray posted this in his blog, and it really shows off a lot of the great moments from the series. If you enjoy this, you really need to give the show a chance.

To close this off, I want to talk a little bit about the characters.

They are actual characters. They have a deep level of characterization. Most people would assume they would be cardboard cut-outs that are all bland an unexciting, but that is far from the case. Each character is different and has certain flaws and strengths. Twilight Sparkle (Purple Unicorn) is very smart and rational thinking, but this sometimes gets in the way of her being friendly and she often over analyzes things. Fluttershy (Pink Haired Pegasus at the bottom) is very quiet and reserved, often not knowing how to stand up for her herself, but she is kind and caring towards all her friends. Every character is deep and has their own personality, and it really makes the show stand out.

If you were even remotely interested in this after reading this, my advice is to check it out. It is a little girly and frilly, but there is so much quality in it as well. The writing, the characters, the humor, the references, they are all great. Give it a fair shot and watch 5 or 6 episodes and see if you enjoy it.

If you do find yourself liking it, join the Brony Group that Mray set up. It's a great place to meet new people. Also make sure to check out the Skype chat. Just ask me, or SuperKingC77, or Hut, or someone else in the chat to add you. There is constant conversation there, about the show and other randomness.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope if you never saw the show, you give it a shot and enjoy it as well.

I'll leave you with this cool piece of fanwork.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

blaze6106

GaMe #10: Stranger: Escape

2012-07-05T03:40:00Z

Escape

*Spoilers*

We did it. We escaped the Calamity. The secret power of the Bastion let us escape all of Caeldonia. It was gone. We had no idea where we going, or if there would be other people there, or anything. The Bastion just went. We all began to feel a little drowsy, so we slowly faded into the welcoming abyss that is sleep.

When we awoke, The Kid was sitting at the edge of the Bastion, just looking out across the endless plains. I strolled over to him, and my breath stopped as I saw what he was eyeing so strongly. The mountains rose above the Bastion. They stretched out endlessly. Snowy peaks, grassy hilltops, and small rivers dotted the mountain side. Villages appeared, with ant sized people milling about.

Zulf and Zia joined us, as we started to hum a familiar tune. We continued to sing as we gazed upon this new land. It signaled a new beginning, a new hope. We kept flying, soaring above the mountaintops, laughing as people pointed and ran. It was a joyous occasion.

As we flew, we came upon a large metropolis. People bustled about their daily lives, no one even noticing the large floating landmass. Small huts and larger wooden buildings rose into the sky. They seemed to be slightly less advanced than that of Caeldonia, only having a few arsenals lying about and only very small brick buildings. Then we saw it. The Kid spotted it first, pointing and almost falling off the Bastion trying to get a closer look. It was a large stone building, appearing to be a library of some sorts. Outside were guards, though they were hard to see, they looked quite intimidating.

Who knows the wonders that could be inside? I couldn't wait to explore. This was going to be our new home. It was as if the Bastion had heard me, as if I was steering it with my mind. It began to descend, easing its way towards the edges of the city.

Then the fire came. It was sudden, fierce, and it engulfed an entire house instantly. The flames rose up, lighting the sky, even searing the bottom of the bastion. I felt the heat as it crashed onto the Bastion. No, this couldn't be happening. The Kid panicked, as well as Zulf and Zia. They rushed to my side, trying to drag me to the center of The Bastion. Trying to turn the machine around, leave this place. I wished that I wasn't here, that I wouldn't have to go through this again. I tried my best, but the Bastion just kept moving, even more rapidly now. As I willed more to leave, the Bastion increased its speed.

The fires grew more intense. They burned away at houses, caught people on fire, turning them to ash. It was horrible, watching as these people ran, rushed to the sparse arsenals, hurrying home, probably to find family. Many rushed to the central building. It seemed to serve as their Bastion, a place that you could run to in a time of need.

The Bastion set down, just outside the city. The Kid raised him Hammer, the only weapon he brought with him. The rest were in the arsenal, but it didn't seem like he would have time. Fires started appearing near the bastion, encroaching on our once safe haven. But suddenly they stopped. All was quiet, and people began to come back outside. Then the Earth started to shake. Buildings collapsed, people began screaming again.

Then all of sudden, out of the ground shadows appeared. They took on the shape of some unknown creature. The scurried around, began attacking people. These creatures turned people to dust, draining all life from them instantly. It was horrid. The Kid began pounding away at them. Nothing helped though, they just kept coming. Soon more began to form, these were able to fly. They began swarming down on people. Just ripping apart an entire city and everyone was helpless.

Still the central building was fine. The shadows couldn't breach there. They struggled, but all their efforts were in vain. I watched as Zulf and Zia managed to fight a few away, and soon rushed to their aid.

"We need to get to that building!" I told them. We continued fighting, pushing our way through piles of dust and countless creatures. The Kid hammered away, holding them off. I did my best to keep them away from Zia and Zulf. There were so many. Where had they come from? What were they? This was nothing like The Calamity.

I watched as The Kid fought, brutally, but to no avail. Soon there was one large shadow creature standing before us. They seemed to form into one massive being, almost as if it were from a legend. It had massive horns, and stood on two legs. It held a large axe in its hand, and a sword in the other. The Kid began to attack it, but it did nothing. The beast swatted his attacks away. Zulf stood and watched, mystified by this creature.

It seemed as if Zulf could stop it. I can't say why I had that feeling, but the look in his eye showed that he could defeat this beast. But he hesitated. He didn't want to do it. Whatever IT was. I turned to see how The Kid was doing, and what I saw terrified me. The Hammer had been batted away, and The Kid was defenseless. The creature raised his axe, and prepared for the final blow.

It seemed as if time stopped. The next thing I knew Zulf was standing in front of The Kid, smiling at him. "It's time to return the favor," Zulf told him. I watched as the axe severed through Zulf, disintegrating his body, leaving only a pile of dust in his wake. A tear left Zia's eye, and I felt one begin to form in my own. He was part of my family, the only family I had left. The beast melted away as well, leaving nothing behind.

"How did he know?" Zia asked as she choked back tears.

"He paid attention. The shadows are only out for one person. I don't know why, but every time one would kill a man, they would disappear as well. We just couldn't see it." I responded, in a somber tone.

We saw the creatures attack the building, overcoming it finally. They had invaded their final stronghold. It was over, hope was lost. I slowly felt my body grow weak, and then blacked out, to the sight of both Zia and The Kid collapsing.

I awoke with no idea how long I had been asleep. Around me was ruin, nothing but dust and shattered buildings. I was a Stranger again; in a new land, devastated, by a force that I knew nothing of. I saw a shadow approaching me from the distance. I knew it could only be one person.

I guess there is no Escaping Fate.

Consoles: The Next Generation feat. Stranger

2012-06-25T17:01:00Z

This console generation has been a great one. From Nintendo's innovative Wii, to Sony's Powerhouse, PS3. All three consoles have had incredible games. From Halo, to Mario, to Uncharted, and everything in between, this generation had something for everyone. But this generation is finally coming to a close. Nintendo has announced a new console, and the rumors for new consoles are constantly flooding game sites. When will the new consoles release? What trends will die, which will live on, what new trends will we see born? What games will be popular Next Gen? Me and Stranger are here to address all of these topics below:

blaze6106= Green

Stranger= Red

Timeframe Of Next Generation:

The Wii U is already scheduled for this year. The rumor is that it is coming out in December, but I really think it will be early November. I think it will release around the time of Assassin's Creed III, so that the biggest 3rd party title doesn't get overshadowed by the other console versions. It will also give Nintendo enough time to put out a few quality games before the Christmas season.

Both Sony and Microsoft will most probably release their consoles late next year. They don't want to give Nintendo to much of a head start on the new generation of consoles. The longer they choose to wait, the more people that buy a Wii U. I think both companies will push their next gen system at E3 next year, and then release around November or December of 2013.

Nintendo is already obvious, the Wii U will be releasing this year. As for PS4 and NeXtBox, I would guess late 2013 or early 2014. I don't think either Sony or Microsoft will get an early head start before the other, they'll be neck and neck for the next generation since both companies saw how the PS3 was never able to get a leg up on Xbox's second place dominance of sales. People are excited for next generation, neither of the companies are stupid enough to let the other sate the demand for The Next Big Thing and reap the benefit an install base that snowballs due to there being no current competition. I expect the next generation to be usurped around 2020 if traditional types of consoles continue to be used.

Contenders:

Of course the big three will remain constant. It seems very unlikely that any of those will drop. As far as developers I don't see any major dropouts there either. the big names are going to be around this next time around. Square, Epic, and some others have already even shown us what Next Gen can do.

I think the idea of Apple becoming a major console developer is quite possible. They have a huge install base in phones and tablets. It is quite likely they may carry that over to console one day. They have Epic Games that has already developed some of the best games on the devices they produce. It isn't much of a stretch to bring that to a big budget console. The iConsole? Definitely not a definitive name, but certainly an interesting possibility.

For new contenders, between the heavy rumors of a Valve console and Apple's almost monolithic presence amongst the electronics business, I think these two are going to partner up to create a new console. Apple would benefit from Valve's stellar IPs and fond presence amongst gamers hearts whilst Valve would benefit from the almost limitless funding Apple has at its disposal. Another telltale sign is that even with the iOS devices at Apple's disposal they've never really commanded gaming dollars and I would hazard a guess that they'd be looking at Microsoft's niche hungrily.

As for dropouts, I'm going to throw myself to the wolves here and say I don't see Nintendo's home consoles surviving this generation. Although I'm not a big fan of the Wii, I do get that it carved a viable market amongst casual gamers. But...in that vein of thinking, I don't think the casual market will support the Wii U the same way that it did the Wii. The whole allure to everyone and their mother was the simplicity with which you could pick up something such as Wii Sports. Now...you have the Wii U with a tablet controller containing a hyperbolic amount of fifty buttons as well as a touch screen. That right there will turn off the casual market. And games such as Pikmin aren't going to be the draw to hardcore gamers that Nintendo thinks. AND, on top of that, after the promises of strong third parties no one other than Ubisoft really seems to have any vested interest in the Wii U. Plus, with all the Wii attachments and add-ons they're focusing on on top of the Wii U it's looking a lot like Saturn era Sega right before their console division went down the toilet. I think they'll keep the portable systems they're so ubiquitous for and become a third party developer for home consoles.

Continuing Trends:

As much as I hate to say it, I fear that Motion Controls will live on. I'm not totally opposed to them, but as of yet, nothing has really impressed me. Even games like Skyward Sword, that is so good, still bug me. Motion Controls are not the perfect way of playing. They are fun, and I enjoy some games, but it feels to tacked on now-a-days.

I feel that Nintendo will actually get away from Motion Controls, and the new Motion Control powerhouse will be Microsoft. Microsoft will not abandon their Kinect. It is not possible. They spent too much money and time building this thing up, marketing it, and releasing games. Even if it isn't my favorite way to play games, it is Microsoft's baby. They are going to keep it going.

I also see bigger handhelds being a continuing thing. With the release of the Vita, which is large by standard handhelds, and now the 3DS XL, which appears even bigger, people seem to want that more. They want a console experience on the go, so they get bigger screens.

As much as I hate to say it, episodic formats and downloadable content are here to stay. People can gripe all they want, but the cash companies can earn from these practices are just too lucrative to ignore. And, in that vein, the internet in general will continue playing a large role in gaming as a whole, stuff like Halo multiplayer and downloadable games are great innovations that people love to have at least the choice to do. Consoles will forevermore be intertwined with connectivity even at the behest of people who either can't afford or are unable to obtain internet.

New Trends:

Touch Screen. The DS did it, the 3DS does it, and now the Wii U is doing it. Microsoft is pushing it with the smart glass. I know that technically its not a new thing, but for consoles, it is. Touch-screen on consoles started with the Wii-U, a next gen console. I believe Sony and Microsoft will adopt it in some way for their next gen systems. Microsoft already has.

I think with next generation we'll see independent developers replace many of the triple A creators. Not that triple A development will die out per se, more the fact that their role will be diminished as more and more people turn to experiences like Bastion, Limbo, Sworcery, and Braid over the next iterations of popular gaming series. These are easier on the wallet and leave a more marked impression on the people who play through them. Who knows, maybe triple A developers will break up their programmers and visionaries into a large amount of small teams each working on their own projects since there's lower risk on each individual project and if they get a hit on the level of Minecraft they'll have made large reward for little investment. I also think that game streaming and Netflix Instant type services will rise to dominance as these options become more viable to consumers. People like choice, and I doubt companies will pass over this possibility to at the very least offer some games that aren't big sellers anymore to squeeze more money out of people.

Dying Trends:

3D seems like it is reaching the end point. Recently Nintendo hasn't even been shoving 3D down our throats. The PS3 never seemed to gain much traction in the land of 3D. Movies are still being made in 3D, but are not nearly as hyped up as they once were. It seems like the great 3D phase may be coming to a close. Next gen may do some 3D things, but it seems like it will be an afterthought.

Indie Games, in the Xbox 360 sense. How many of those games do you buy? How many are actually good? Not many. No other company has really done anything like it, and for good reason. The games just aren't that great. Indie Games themselves won't die, but the ones created on Xbox, I see no real future for.

I would say 3D, but that appears to have mostly died off even with THIS generation. I'm going with motion controls, at least as we know them. I think motion will be integrated into controllers subtly to enhance experiences instead of making them the main focus like so many failed attempts in the past. Move, Kinect, the Wii Remote, these don't really seem to strike a chord with people and start gathering dust in dark corners after the initial interest wanes and people realize that they aren't really bringing that much to the table. I think things such as gyroscopes and accelerometers will become commonplace and make gaming a smoother experience instead of being forced upon gamers.

Games:

RPG's. Let's face it, some of the best games of this gen are RPG's. Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Xenoblade, and others that are often brought up this generation. People are looking for new experiences, deeper experiences, with stories and great characters. Companies like Bioware, Square Enix, Bethesda, and more will shine in the next gen. They are going to deliver it. How many times can a person play the same shooter. They are getting stale, and so are many other games. The RPG is the future.

I also think Licensed games will be a big deal next generation. Batman: Arkham City is already being ported to the Wii U, and it looks better than ever. Spiderman is also getting a new game, that looks very good indeed. Developers seem to care more about these franchises, and publishers are getting better at getting good developers.

The biggest games of the next gen are going to be Arcade Titles. Look at one of Stranger's favorite games. Bastion. This game is exactly what an arcade title should be. Unique, fun, and a great experience. The arcade lets developers get more creative. Games like Bastion, From Dust, Trails, Splosion Man, and Shadow Complex are often considered to be better than console titles. This will continue into the next generation for sure.

Basically the staples of any gamer's diet. RPGs, action adventure games, platformers, things of that nature. The next generation of games might not even be firmly divided between genre lines as gamings borrow from the tropes of several different genres for widespead appeal amongst a large audience, we'll be seeing shooter/rpg/platformer/adventure/stealth hybrids and it'll feel like a natural extension of what gaming IS. I DO think shooters are going to be in decline though, the market is glutted by them right now and interest seems to be waning. COD, Halo, Gears, and Battlefield can only last for so long before new IPs replace these series, and the new IPs might not carry on the shooter tradition.

Overview Of Next Generation:

This gen had a lot of good things. Mass Effect, new Zeldas, Marios, great Batman Titles, awesome Elder Scrolls entries, and so much more. It will be hard to beat this great generation, but so far, the quality of the hardware seems to surpass all known qualities. Just look at the tech demo Square showed. All in real time, and looks like a movie.

The big shots are going to bring their A game next generation, and I'm honestly really excited to see what everyone can bring to the table.

Overall, I don't see the gaming market going anywhere but up, as more and more people get drawn into the hobby. Consoles will be released, new innovations will wow gamers, fads will come and pass, and inevitably another generation will come to replace the one we're looking forward to. The constant will remain though, games that continue to captivate people and push the bounds of what is possible. People will live, love, laugh, and play all in the digital spaces, and bring just that extra spark of joy into their lives as they lose themselves in the virtual world.

No matter what happens next generation it is sure to be a great generation for gaming, just as the last one. People continue to be enthralled with gaming, and the hobby seems like it will only grow from here. Game companies will continue to deliver as they always have. Big AAA titles, small indie titles, and everything in between. The game industry certainly is not slowing down anytime soon.

blaze6106, Stranger

Re-Kindling The Fire

2012-06-23T05:25:00Z

Anyone that knows me on the site probably knows I'm a big Kingdom Hearts fan. My second to last 31/31 post was Kingdom Hearts. Its my favorite Game series of all Time. I've mentioned it in several blogs, talked about its stellar game play and story. I've talked about how well the two worlds are fused, Disney and Square Enix, in my Member Herding. The point being, I think this game is possibly one of the best ever.

Recently though, it has been hard to stay fan of the game. Fans of the series will know the last major entry was Kingdom Hearts 2, that was in 2005. since then several offshoots have come out, but none that has really captured my interest. Chain of Memories was remade, but I wasn't a huge fan. I preferred it on Gameboy Advance. Birth by Sleep was good, but it was different and didn't have the memorable characters of the original games. I didn't even play Re:Coded.

That all changed with the announcement of the next spin-off. Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. The difference with this one is that it leads right into the Kingdom Hearts II. This one has all the favorite characters, Sora, Riku, probably Kairi, and all the old Final Fantasy guys. It also adds Neku.

Then this came out. This demo is the only one I've played twice on my 3DS. It only came out yesterday. I plan on playing it a lot more as well. This demo really has me pumped up for this game. I'm going pre-order the collector's edition soon. This demo only cemented that opinion.

The demo does little story wise, other than Sora waking in Traverse town, which looks like it always has, and Neku showing up. Neku is pretty cool. He has this really laid back attitude. I never played the game he is in, World Ends With You, so this is my first impression of him. He feels really teenager-ish, in a good way. Then we get into some action.

The new Flowmotion system is remarkable. It adds a whole new layer to the great mechanics. Everything is faster paced now. You have to run, dash, jump, and be doing several things all at once. It's like extreme parkour. You can fling yourself off poles, bounce around walls, and grind rails. This makes the combat more sporadic, and that's a good thing.It's really something you have to play to see how it affects the game play.

They borrow the Command Deck system from Birth By Sleep, but it feels more improved this time. It is really the same thing, but for some reason it felt easier to use, smoother this time. And the abilities you have in the demo are really cool, and show a lot of potential for the abilities going beyond the simple magic spells. I hope these abilities are further fleshed out in the full game.

There is also a reality shift mode, which involves the touch screen. It affects how you interact with things in the environment. You can throw barrels, which what they did in the demo, that is really all they showed, but it looks like it can have neat uses.

The 3D effect is nice, but like most games is not game changing.

The demo ends in an awesome boss fight with Hockomonkey. And it involves a lot of using abilities as well as often jumping along walls with Flowmotion. I felt that it was a great show case of the Flowmotion and revised combat of this game. It was a whole new kind of exciting. It felt like I was putting in Kingdom Hearts all over again. It was new but classic.

This game is the future of Kingdom Hearts...

And a lot of new fans will be introduced to the series...

But for me...

This game is just Re-Kindling The Fire.