If you've got a few minutes to spare watch this TED talk. I personally don't agree with everything he says, but before I rant about it I should let you watch the video first.
Don't read down here until you've watched some of the video.
The first thing he says is that he remembers the game "Where in the World is Carmon San Diego?" He goes on saying it's the best game for the gaming world because it's a game parents, teachers, and children liked all together because it was educational. I talked to some one about this video that remembered the game and she said that she loved the game, but because it was she like advancing in the game not learning geography. In fact she still doesn't remember half of what she was taught in the game. She's admits that she always been bad a geography until she started traveling around the country. He then adds that he grew up a gamer and that he has a made a living off gaming. My argument is what are the chances of kids getting up off the console and doing something for themselves? Sure he did, but that was a one in one hundred chance. Besides he wasn't raised in the generation that is now he was raised in his time. He wasn't always playing games. He wasn't always at the console day, noon, and night. Like he said only the rich had the consoles. You go over to today's modern house and they've got a bookshelf of games. Gaming wasn't as big as it is now. Another thing I hate that he said is that kids today don't sit down and read a book while sipping tea. Well heck not even most adults do that now a days. Who has time? I'm and avid gamer, but I still like to enjoy a good book every so often. In fact I'm in the middle of Inheritance (praise to Christopher Poalini). He then talks about kids learning math and English when a teacher plunked them down in front of DS and computer games. English maybe, but not math. I say stop letting video games babysit our children. Let me get this straight. Video games are for entertainment only. They also say that we should let our children play what they want whether it's violent or not. Because they won't be any more violent when they learn how to knife some one in the back. So we just said that we teach kids but then we don't? How do you learn math when you play Call of Duty and watch some one get shot in face? Explain that. This talk I think was for the market. So parents can go out knowing that their kids are getting smarter, oh! excuse me, getting larger 'grey matter' areas. No doubt the marketing companies had something to do with this. Epically, since the holidays are right around the corner. Sale aren't high enough so they pull something like this.
It's me TRSF and I'm here to talk about the release of Minecraft! It just came out about a few minutes ago. I have one question though for all this. Does this mean that Notch will stop updating Minecraft? I would like to know. And if he is going to continue to update the game then why release it when it's not ready yet? Sadly I missed the beta so I have to pay the extra $5.00. I've played a little of it and I love it. For all of you who don't know what I'm talking about I put a link, at the bottom, to the website. For those of you that have Minecraft tell me what you think of the released version. Does it now have the features that the pre-releases 1.9 1, 2, and so on had? Please let me know!
What's up guys,
I'm going to list this weeks best video games of the week. I think I'll
change the title to BFVGW what do you think?
Number 5:
Robokill
Metroid or Castlevania with a birds eye view.
Robokill is an interesting game. At the beginning of every level you are
given an objective which is shown on your map. The goal is simple you move
towards the objective while trying not to die. The beginning is kind of dull
but if you stick with it the game gets more interesting as you level up your
weapons. But after level 1 you kind of have to be at the best you can be to
continue because after level 1 the fun and games are over. If you like to
explore a lot and try to answer puzzles and whatnot then the game is for you.
Otherwise, don't bother playing. Another thing is that got me is that if you
return to the main menu they wipe away everywhere you went off the map. Meaning
you practically start over.
Replay rate: Low
1 to 10: 6 Link here.
Number 4:
Shell Shock Live
Tanks, Chat rooms, and tactics.
In shell shock live the game is straight forward you fire at opponents
racking up as many points as possible before the time limit. Gameplay is fun
and it takes a few minutes to get the hang of. The reason it's named Shell
Shock Live is because you never play any bots or CPU's. It's all with live
people playing somewhere else. Now this gives the game an unpredictable aspect.
You can't really tell what the other person will do. The game is also really
social with a chat room in the lobby and during the game. You can also talk privately
with your team mates as well. The few things bad with this game is that to
level up you have to grind like mad for XP. And that can get tiring. Another
thing is that if you start out you get cursed out pretty bad because no one
takes well to noobs. Although there is a profanity filter it sure didn't seem
to work for me. You can mute that person if you wish though. I don't really get
mad about the cursing and stuff so if it doesn't bother you then start playing
it. Another thing that was kind a weird is that there is no free-for-all. It's
always with a team.
Replay rate: Okay
1 to10: 7.5
One Step Back is a really neat game. You play as a guy in
blue who runs for the exit. Easy right? The puzzling twist to the game is that when
you run another you comes from the door and you can't run into him(or you?).
The first few levels you'll pass by with ease but the game gets challenging as
you progress. However, the challenges don't really get tough in the good way. Some
of the puzzles don't really need you to problem solve or think about some are
about rhythm and others about something else. Not only that but the wall
hopping is extremely sensitive, and can screw you up if you are doing a rhythmic
puzzle. The maps can get to the point where you would want to pull your hair
out, and answering the puzzle doesn't feel that rewarding because you dread
what's coming up next.
Describing this game is pretty tough. You have to play it to
understand but, I'll try my best. Continuity is a game where you play as a
little man stuck in these boxes you shift around to get to the exit. The switch
between puzzle to platform is seamless. What you have to do is get the boxes
set up to the exit for you to complete the level. The puzzle are challenging
but not hair pulling. I never found the game dull in the least.
Take a maze and then make the walls invisible only when you
crash into them. You then get Where am I. You play as this dot and navigate
through mazes by crashing into walls which light up on impact. There is no time
limit or lives. The game is fun and puzzling but not crazy tough to get
through. It takes a lot of trial and error before you escape the maze. I found
the game simplistic and fun.
About 5 months ago, I bought a game called, Ōkami. 2 weeks ago, I finished it. And now I'm ready to give you a review on the PlayStation 2 version of Ōkami!
Ōkami (PS2 Version) Release Date: September 19th, 2006 (PS2), April 15th 2008 (Wii) Genre: Action-Adventure
Developer: Clover Studio
Platform: Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)
Premise
Set in old Japan, the powers of Orochi (originating from the myth of Yamata-no-Orochi) are released, and a powerful darkness is spread across the land of Nippon (Japan in Japanese). Sakuya the Tree Sprite who lives in Kamiki Village, right near the cave that Orochi’s powers awakened in, in a last attempt to save the land, awakened Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess. Taking the form of Shiranui, a pure white wolf that saved Kamiki Village 100 years ago from Orochi, Amaterasu and your new sidekick, Issun, restore life back to the village. You then set out to defeat Orochi, and any other darkness along the way. You often cross paths with a clumsy swordsman, Susano, who claims to be a descendant of Nagi the warrior who fought alongside Shiranui 100 years ago against Orochi. You also come across a mysterious man named Waka, who is on a similar journey as you, but interferes much. Along the way you meet others who need your help, and others who will help you. But your main goal, it to restore Nippon to the way it was.
Characters
Amaterasu and Issun
Amaterasu. Amaterasu is the main protagonist of Ōkami. Issun gives the nickname, Ammy, to Amaterasu pretty early in the game, so he doesn’t have to remember Ammy’s whole name. Amaterasu is based off of Amaterasu (天照), or Amaterasu-ōmikami (天照大神／天照大御神), the sun goddess and is a major Shinto deity. Amaterasu has the ability to ‘draw’ the sun in the sky from the beginning of the game, being that you are a sun god. In the English version of the game, Amaterasu’s gender is never stated. There are points at which you assume that the character is female, and others you might think that it’s male.
Issun. Issun is the inch-tall, pint size, wandering artist and traveling companion to ‘Ammy’. Issun is not based on any mythology in Japan. Issun is pretty much the comic relief in the game, and supplies the dialogue that Amaterasu lacks. He wears a bug helmet, which is the reason some characters call him a bug, most likely a flea, because his companion is a wolf. He is very flirtatious, and falls in love with practically every female character. That being said, he can become rude quickly if things fall out of hand for him.
Susano. Susano is the lazy coward warrior who resides in Kamiki Village, trying to win the heart of Kushi, the town’s sake brewer. He loves sake, and will fall asleep and odd places in the world, and claim he is meditating. Susano is based off of Susanoo (須佐之男) (スサノオ), romanized as Susano-o, Susa-no-O and Susanowo), or Tatehaya Susanoo-no-Mikoto (建速須佐之男命). Susanoo is the brother to Amaterasu, and is the Shinto god of the sea and storms
Waka. Waka is a mysterious character, who never shows signs of being upset or fearful, to Issun’s dismay. He carries a sword locked in its scabbard, while his flute doubles as a beamsword. He is very vague in giving prophecies to you, though is quite playful and isn’t serious for the most part. Waka is based off of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源義経), where he is considered one of the greatest warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai fighters in Japan.
Gameplay
Ōkami originally was going to look realistic (alpha stage videos are available once you complete the game), but it was ditched for the cel-shaded, Japanese ink-illustration (known as sumi-e) look. The game involves, action fighting, adventuring, and puzzle solving. Many fans relate this to the The Legend of Zelda series, as both are very similar. The director even agreed that the Zelda series was one of his inspirations.
By completing missions, and side-quests, you obtain Praise, which can be used to upgrade health, ink pots, astral pouches (lives), and the money purse. Money is in the usual Japanese standard, Yen (¥). At shops you can buy feedbags to feed animals which will give you extra praise, potions called Holy Bones (S,M, and L), bombs that will automatically damage a foe without having to attack them, Exorcist Slips (S,M, and L), and some will have Gold Dust, an item to power up a weapon, which few shops will sell weapons.
Fighting takes place in a separate area blocked off from the main world. The game introduces enemies in groups at a time, and every enemy is slightly harder than the last. You use your Divine Instrument to attack, and can use the Celestial Brush to attack, dodge, or block enemy attacks if you use them right. There are three categories of Divine Instruments: Reflector, Rosary, and the Glaive. Each having its own specific trait and abilities.
The Celestial Brush is unique to Ōkami, in which you freeze the screen and pull up a canvas, then you use the left-analog stick (or Wiimote in the Wii version) to paint on what you want. For example, a straight horizontal line can attack or cut down something, and it known as power slash. A circle with a line coming out of it creates a bome that can blow up a piece of land or hurt an enemy, and is known as Cherry Bomb. Like I said before, drawing a circle in the sky creates the sun, since the game has a day-night system. Later on you will be able to create wind, make vines and hook-shot from one place to the next, and make lightning come straight out of the sky, and even draw the moon to make it appear. Although you don’t get all of the abilities at once, you gradually get them, and their powerups, for instance at the beginning you might be able to draw only one cherry bomb, but you will get to the point to draw three at a time, or instead of only being able to draw fire from one place to the next, you’ll be able to make fire appear. The ink pots stand for how much ink you can use at a time to draw.
Audio
The characters vocal tracks sound like those of Animal Crossing, depending on what gender the character is or how old the person may be, the voice may sound higher pitched or lower, or more female or male. The music is based upon classical Japanese music. It was all composed by 4 composers, Masami Ueda, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Rei Kondo, and Akari Groves. Capcom has released a 5-disc set of the whole score. Although, when you finish the game, you have access to a jukebox to listen to all of the music. Ayaka Hirahara wrote the game’s theme song, “Reset”, that plays in the end credits of the PS2 version.
Extras
Name
The title, Ōkami, is a pun itself. In Japanese, okami means wolf, but the kanji for ‘great deity’ is (大神), which is also Ōkami. So the title of the game, Ōkami and the kanji of the game 大神 roughly translates to ‘Great Wolf Deity’
Wii Boxart with IGN watermark
Wii Version
In 2006, Okami was released onto the PS2, as one of the last games ever released, before the PS3 debuted. When the Wii was announced, the creators thought that the motion sensor in the Wiimote would be a much easier way to use the Celestial Brush in the game. In 2008, the Wii version was released. It is an exact port of the PS2 version, and I will later elaborate on that down below. Though, because Clover Studio had dissolved before the Wii port had begun, Capcom had to delete the credits completely from it. The original box art has an IGN watermark near Amaterasu’s mouth. Capcom in reply to this released 3 new boxarts that excluded the watermark.
Sequel
Many fans speculated a sequel, and one came. In 2010, Ōkamiden for the DS was released. It has the same gameplay, with the Celestial brush, but using the Stylus and Touch Screen interface. It stars Chibiterasu, Amaterasu’s son, in which he has a similar journey traveling Nippon, with various companions.
Closing Thoughts
I had begun to watch this game as a Let’s Play. I got about 1/3 of the way through before I realized that I needed this game. Japanese culture and language is a huge part of my life now, before and after. I played the Playstation 2 version of this game alongside a Wii version Let’s Play. That’s how much I stress that it was an exact port. The whole atmosphere of the game, the music, the art, the gameplay, the story, was all an exciting experience, which I say is breathtaking. This beautiful a game is something I recommend you play. Although, I’m not much of a Zelda fan, I’m sure that If you’ve played a Zelda game Ocarina of Time and upward, you’d really enjoy this game. It is hard, for any game to reach my favorite status. And ever since playing this, it was reached tying with my favorite. So thanks to this the two are at battle. Though, I’ve never finished the other one. I am waiting for a console sequel to Ōkami, which probably won’t happen, but I’m glad I’ve played this one. If I had to rate it, I would give it a 9.5. Mostly because there are a few aggravating glitches, plus I feel like the game is a bit short.
I’m leaving it off with my favorite song or track from
the game. This was the first thing I ever heard about this game, even
before watching the Let’s Play. The catch is… it’s the song that plays
in the last boss battle.
This is a site I found surfing the net like I normally do. It's called Canvas Rider. Its a really neat game. For those of you that know the game Free Rider it's about the same thing. You draw jumps and whatnot and ride them. However Canvas Rider is different than Free Rider.
For starters the game doesn't use codes that you have to paste into the load slot like Free Rider does. Second, the canvas' have speed-walls which are leader boards for the fastest times that the track was completed so you can challenge and try and beat those times. Also, it looks better.
The gameplay is fun and gripping. When you crash you cringe at the sight of some of them. At others you'll laugh like crazy (unless you don't like painful humor then you're on your own).The rag doll effect adds to the point.
Making tracks isn't that user friendly. It takes some practice and experimenting to get the hang on how to build a basic jump. Another problem is that it's hard to find tracks for beginners. Some tracks are for people that can really ride. Although, some tracks are harder than others if you stick with drawing and riding you get the hang of it over time. I'll post some of the tracks I like at the bottom, and are good starters. Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 Number 4 Number 5 a little tougher than the others.
The site is here.
-TRSF
