Last Tuesday, one of the managers I'm training at work, just as he was leaving, asked me if I was interested in "these tickets to a show". As he reached out with the tickets, I saw that they were tickets for one the few Broadway musicals I actually wanted to see - Avenue Q. He had gotten them from someone at the home office but was uninterested in the show.
I first heard of Avenue Q awhile back when I stumbled across a YouTube video on a gaming site where on of the show's songs, "The Internet is 4 Porn", was being sung by World of Warcraft characters using emotes.
Knowing that the song as far too clever for WoW players to have made it, I did a search and found out that the song was from Avenue Q. I read about the musical, and quickly forgot it. Then I got those tickets.
Monique gladly agreed to go, since the tickets were free - oddly enough, she had won free tickets a few months ago for another musical, and we enjoyed the show and the night out. It was opening night and a packed hall.
The show was laugh-out loud funny. Avenue Q is a very adult take on Sesame Street, with people and puppets living lives filled with all sorts of modern issues - relationships, career issues, racism - that all flow together seamlessly from song to song. The talented cast delivered great singing and puppetry (the actors walk around on stage with their puppets and perform with them much of the time, other times the puppets hang out of windows).
Musicals usually aren't my cup of tea, but if there were more like Avenue Q, and more opportunities for free tickets, I'd probably go more often.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Beaten : Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney
Today I finished Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, the fourth and currently final entry in the Ace Attorney series, and like Trials and Tribulations, it had an amazing, epic ending that ties in all the subplots from throughout the game.
The final episode out of the four offered, called "Turnabout Succession", truly feels like the torch being passed between Phoenix Wright, star of the first three games in the series, and Apollo Justice, who headlines this installment. With the case in the fourth episode being strongly connected to the one that ended Phoenix Wright's legal career seven years in the past, the player gets to play as Wright one final time, both in court and in a strange investigation phase that plays out between both eras in a manner that suggests time travel, but isn't.
If you've read my other blog entries about this series, you know how much I've enjoyed these simple point and click adventures. It's been all about the storylines and characters, all so well-crafted that, like a good book or movie, the player is drawn into the experience emotionally.
There are currently no more chapters in the Ace Attorney series planned for the North American DS playerbase, but supposedly a new one is in development in Japan, as well as another game that allows the player to play as one of the prosecutor characters from the series. Since neither of these Japanese games even have a release date yet, it could be a year or two before another Ace Attorney game graces these shores.
But perhaps it's time I took a break from the law. Since my lucky acquisition of Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney back in late December of 2005, I've always been working on one:
If I really, really miss the experience, there's a Harvey Birdman game out there for the Wii which seems to copy the Ace Attorney games, but according to reviews really waters the challenge level down. Still, it is said to be very funny.
The final episode out of the four offered, called "Turnabout Succession", truly feels like the torch being passed between Phoenix Wright, star of the first three games in the series, and Apollo Justice, who headlines this installment. With the case in the fourth episode being strongly connected to the one that ended Phoenix Wright's legal career seven years in the past, the player gets to play as Wright one final time, both in court and in a strange investigation phase that plays out between both eras in a manner that suggests time travel, but isn't.
If you've read my other blog entries about this series, you know how much I've enjoyed these simple point and click adventures. It's been all about the storylines and characters, all so well-crafted that, like a good book or movie, the player is drawn into the experience emotionally.
There are currently no more chapters in the Ace Attorney series planned for the North American DS playerbase, but supposedly a new one is in development in Japan, as well as another game that allows the player to play as one of the prosecutor characters from the series. Since neither of these Japanese games even have a release date yet, it could be a year or two before another Ace Attorney game graces these shores.
But perhaps it's time I took a break from the law. Since my lucky acquisition of Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney back in late December of 2005, I've always been working on one:
Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney - Played 12/28/05 through 2/16/2007, with breaks
Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Justice For All - Played 2/16/2007 through 2/23/2008, with breaks
Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations - Played 2/23/2008 through 3/19/2008
Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney - Played 3/19/2008 through 4/13/2008
If I really, really miss the experience, there's a Harvey Birdman game out there for the Wii which seems to copy the Ace Attorney games, but according to reviews really waters the challenge level down. Still, it is said to be very funny.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Mario Kart : Generations
In just over two weeks, I'll be playing Mario Kart Wii. Mario Kart is one of my all-time favorite game franchises, and I've been along for the ride from the start. As the awesome - looking Wii version approaches, offering 32 tracks with an all-out online mode, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the previous installments of the series and remember those who've I have had the honor of racing against.
Super Mario Kart - SNES
I got this game shortly after acquiring my Super Nintendo in the fall of 1992, not sure what I was getting into, but completely enthralled nonetheless. The characters, the tracks, the power-ups, and the shortcuts to be discovered made this game an instant classic. And it wasn't just racing - there was a battle mode as well.
I was living alone then, but was joined at the time for the two-player game by good friends Dave Frye and Adam Silverman. We would drink beers, get high, and race for hours. Both of them quickly got as good as I was and we were pretty evenly matched.
Adam and I later enjoyed some even more mind-altering substances to try out the trippy Rainbow Road course, which was just silly. We also made a video of one of our races and edited in the music of the Grateful Dead, in a sort of pre-YouTube YouTube moment. Someday I'll get off my ass and send that VHS tape somewhere to convert it into DVD.
I miss those guys, and I miss those days.
Mario Kart 64 - Nintendo 64
When I got Mario Kart 64 I was living with my good friend Chris Chase, and although his gaming habits were more sports and action oriented, he took to Mario Kart 64 quickly. We had the system set up in the basement den of our apartment. This version had just amazing tracks and, at the time, great graphics.
I had two memory cards full of ghosts, which were time trial races I had run with my best times. These were so good that years later I still couldn't beat them. In some of them, I used the shortcuts on every lap for an impressive score.
We were joined in the awesome four player splitscreen matches by a veritable host of our co-workers - Jeff Shupe, Michael Meija, Matt Hanks, Dan Wesley, Noah Cushwah ( not sure on the spelling there), and possibly several others. Many of this same group were also coming around later that year for Goldeneye 007 sessions.
It was good to have a lot of different people to play against, although I'd always get taken out by Chris using a lightning bolt on Wario Stadium at the huge ramp jump (this move put me back about a third of a lap).
I miss those guys and those days, too. However, I have this game on my Nintendo Wii (via the Virtual Console selection) and still play it from time to time.
Mario Kart - Double Dash - Nintendo Gamecube
At first, I didn't have anyone to play this game against. Once I started dating Monique, though, I found out that she liked Mario Kart games as well, and we played this one quite a bit.
Although I personally didn't like the idea of two characters per kart, I still had a lot of fun with this title. For me the best part was the cup where you can play all sixteen tracks, creating a longer and more enjoyable experience. I've always wanted longer races - either long tracks or the ability to set the race to ten or more laps - in Mario Kart.
Monique and I still play Double Dash from time to time.
Mario Kart Super Circuit - Game Boy Advance
My least favorite of the Mario Kart series, Super Circuit offered the same graphics as the SNES version, and even some of the same tracks, but seems to control a bit sluggishly. I picked up this one late, though, and never really got into it much.
Mario Kart DS - Nintendo DS
This was a great Mario Kart game, bringing forth much better graphics and finally, online play. There was one problem, called snaking. Snaking involves doing powerslide mini-turbo boosts all around the course, which is usually wide enough to do so, to gain extra speed.
The online mode was absolutely ruined by this. I always felt that Mario Kart should be about racing and combat, not repeated carpul-tunnel inducing moves. I could snake fairly well, and did it sometimes, but it left the experience so hollow that I rarely play the DS version online anymore.
So, this one I got to play against the world, but the world kind of sucked. Hopefully the world of racers that opens up with Mario Kart Wii will be a little better. Supposedly, the snaking is much more limited. In two weeks, I'll find out.
Super Mario Kart - SNES
I got this game shortly after acquiring my Super Nintendo in the fall of 1992, not sure what I was getting into, but completely enthralled nonetheless. The characters, the tracks, the power-ups, and the shortcuts to be discovered made this game an instant classic. And it wasn't just racing - there was a battle mode as well.
I was living alone then, but was joined at the time for the two-player game by good friends Dave Frye and Adam Silverman. We would drink beers, get high, and race for hours. Both of them quickly got as good as I was and we were pretty evenly matched.
Adam and I later enjoyed some even more mind-altering substances to try out the trippy Rainbow Road course, which was just silly. We also made a video of one of our races and edited in the music of the Grateful Dead, in a sort of pre-YouTube YouTube moment. Someday I'll get off my ass and send that VHS tape somewhere to convert it into DVD.
I miss those guys, and I miss those days.
Mario Kart 64 - Nintendo 64
When I got Mario Kart 64 I was living with my good friend Chris Chase, and although his gaming habits were more sports and action oriented, he took to Mario Kart 64 quickly. We had the system set up in the basement den of our apartment. This version had just amazing tracks and, at the time, great graphics.
I had two memory cards full of ghosts, which were time trial races I had run with my best times. These were so good that years later I still couldn't beat them. In some of them, I used the shortcuts on every lap for an impressive score.
We were joined in the awesome four player splitscreen matches by a veritable host of our co-workers - Jeff Shupe, Michael Meija, Matt Hanks, Dan Wesley, Noah Cushwah ( not sure on the spelling there), and possibly several others. Many of this same group were also coming around later that year for Goldeneye 007 sessions.
It was good to have a lot of different people to play against, although I'd always get taken out by Chris using a lightning bolt on Wario Stadium at the huge ramp jump (this move put me back about a third of a lap).
I miss those guys and those days, too. However, I have this game on my Nintendo Wii (via the Virtual Console selection) and still play it from time to time.
Mario Kart - Double Dash - Nintendo Gamecube
At first, I didn't have anyone to play this game against. Once I started dating Monique, though, I found out that she liked Mario Kart games as well, and we played this one quite a bit.
Although I personally didn't like the idea of two characters per kart, I still had a lot of fun with this title. For me the best part was the cup where you can play all sixteen tracks, creating a longer and more enjoyable experience. I've always wanted longer races - either long tracks or the ability to set the race to ten or more laps - in Mario Kart.
Monique and I still play Double Dash from time to time.
Mario Kart Super Circuit - Game Boy Advance
My least favorite of the Mario Kart series, Super Circuit offered the same graphics as the SNES version, and even some of the same tracks, but seems to control a bit sluggishly. I picked up this one late, though, and never really got into it much.
Mario Kart DS - Nintendo DS
This was a great Mario Kart game, bringing forth much better graphics and finally, online play. There was one problem, called snaking. Snaking involves doing powerslide mini-turbo boosts all around the course, which is usually wide enough to do so, to gain extra speed.
The online mode was absolutely ruined by this. I always felt that Mario Kart should be about racing and combat, not repeated carpul-tunnel inducing moves. I could snake fairly well, and did it sometimes, but it left the experience so hollow that I rarely play the DS version online anymore.
So, this one I got to play against the world, but the world kind of sucked. Hopefully the world of racers that opens up with Mario Kart Wii will be a little better. Supposedly, the snaking is much more limited. In two weeks, I'll find out.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney
I'm on the last episode of Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, and it's gotten very difficult. But, this last case is starting to have that epic feel that the last case in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney : Trials and Tribulations did. There's a larger meta-plot going on behind the scenes and I can't wait to see how it all ties together.
There are several innovations in Apollo Justice, it being the first Ace Attorney game designed for the DS. The three Phoenix Wright games were all designed for the Game Boy Advance over in Japan, and were ported to the DS here. Some of these innovations turned up in the first one, in a bonus episode specifically designed for the DS game.
These innovations include filling in footprints with plaster and taking a casting, dusting for fingerprints, and using an X-ray scanner to read letters inside an envelope, all done with the touch screen. In addition, Apollo Justice wears a bracelet that gives him the ability to "perceive" subtle things about people giving testimony - nervous habits and the like that give away the fact that they're hiding something. Using this ability creates some psychedelic effects on the screen around the witness that are just amazing.
Also amazing in the third case was a fully animated video segment of a singer's performance, used as evidence, but so very well done that I had to watch it a few extra times. It's not that this series needed any new features or innovation - I would probably keep playing them if it was just more of the same - but it's welcome nonetheless. Hopefully future games featuring Apollo Justice (one is rumored to be in the works in Japan) will continue with these types of advances.
There are several innovations in Apollo Justice, it being the first Ace Attorney game designed for the DS. The three Phoenix Wright games were all designed for the Game Boy Advance over in Japan, and were ported to the DS here. Some of these innovations turned up in the first one, in a bonus episode specifically designed for the DS game.
These innovations include filling in footprints with plaster and taking a casting, dusting for fingerprints, and using an X-ray scanner to read letters inside an envelope, all done with the touch screen. In addition, Apollo Justice wears a bracelet that gives him the ability to "perceive" subtle things about people giving testimony - nervous habits and the like that give away the fact that they're hiding something. Using this ability creates some psychedelic effects on the screen around the witness that are just amazing.
Also amazing in the third case was a fully animated video segment of a singer's performance, used as evidence, but so very well done that I had to watch it a few extra times. It's not that this series needed any new features or innovation - I would probably keep playing them if it was just more of the same - but it's welcome nonetheless. Hopefully future games featuring Apollo Justice (one is rumored to be in the works in Japan) will continue with these types of advances.
What A Difference A Month (In Ohio) Makes
Don't you just hate it when you go to one of your favorite gaming blogs or web comic blogs only to find that, instead of blogging about the latest game or geek news, the author is rambling on about their boring - ass personal life like you really give a shit?
I know I do. That being said, let me drive away the few readers I have by doing the exact same thing.
Less than a month ago, Columbus, Ohio was buried under a huge blizzard and its residents huddled in their homes as the city was virtually shut down. Today it was sunny and warm in the high sixties and everyone was outside in shorts and tee shirts, with children playing and folks washing thier cars.
It was my day off after a fifty-plus hour week (I picked up a second part-time job at night a few weeks back), and while I was looking forward to making some progress in Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, I only played about a half an hour before deciding to enjoy the warm weather by washing my car, inside and out. After an Ohio winter it needed it.
One thing you never do in Ohio is declare winter "over". Especially in early April. Sure, the forecast for the next week shows all 60s and 70s for highs, but after living here four decades I know damn well that the weather can still shift back to winter with little notice. I've seen snow as early as September and as late as June in Ohio.
Still, it really felt like spring today. Not just the weather, but the collective mood of everyone around me. Plus, there are new episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the air, and a friggin Iron Man movie is less than a month away.
If anyone's left reading this, fret not. Mario Kart Wii comes out in three weeks and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be blogging about that one.
I know I do. That being said, let me drive away the few readers I have by doing the exact same thing.
Less than a month ago, Columbus, Ohio was buried under a huge blizzard and its residents huddled in their homes as the city was virtually shut down. Today it was sunny and warm in the high sixties and everyone was outside in shorts and tee shirts, with children playing and folks washing thier cars.
It was my day off after a fifty-plus hour week (I picked up a second part-time job at night a few weeks back), and while I was looking forward to making some progress in Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, I only played about a half an hour before deciding to enjoy the warm weather by washing my car, inside and out. After an Ohio winter it needed it.
One thing you never do in Ohio is declare winter "over". Especially in early April. Sure, the forecast for the next week shows all 60s and 70s for highs, but after living here four decades I know damn well that the weather can still shift back to winter with little notice. I've seen snow as early as September and as late as June in Ohio.
Still, it really felt like spring today. Not just the weather, but the collective mood of everyone around me. Plus, there are new episodes of Battlestar Galactica on the air, and a friggin Iron Man movie is less than a month away.
If anyone's left reading this, fret not. Mario Kart Wii comes out in three weeks and you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be blogging about that one.
Monday, March 24, 2008
What The Hell Do I Want Out Of An MMO Anyway?
Ten years ago, during my infancy in Ultima Online, I eagerly logged on at every play session, gleefully throwing myself into the savage early days of the game, wishing it would last forever.
The game has. And, my house and my characters are still there. There are even more things to do these days. Yet, that feeling I once had is long since dead and buried. I tried many other MMOPRGs, including Everquest, World War 2 Online, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft - and they were mostly very shallow experiences that did not capture that pioneering spirit I felt in UO's early days.
I'm not sure what the UO team could do at this point to get that back. They could add more content, specifically for the vast, underutilized oceans in the game, but I doubt even that would get me overly excited and into the game like I once was. No, I need a new game, but not another level - treadmill game.
So what the hell do I want anyway?
I want a fully 3D massively-multiplayer game with customizable camera angles. The graphics don't have to be absolute state of the art, but should be pretty good.
I want a home in the game - one of UO's greatest strengths - that allows me to customize it as I see fit. I also want it to be different geographically from other homes. I don't want an apartment in a building, or a prefab box in a long line of them. I want to stake my claim to a virtual world in a unique spot that no one else has.
I want a dynamic world. Large scale events happen that change the world whether I'm there or not. My home is vulnerable to those events (natural disasters, monster attacks, enemy armies taking the territory that my house is in), but my items in that house are either insured or secured in some manner. And the plot remains mine.
I want a customizable avatar. I can make it look like me, or some idealized variation of me.
I want social aspects and solo aspects.
I want built-in voice chat and many other ways to communicate.
I want powergamers discouraged and out-of-game transactions to be impossible.
I want and end to that sickening feeling that, because I actually have a job and a life, I'll never be able to keep up with those that don't.
I want it on a console instead of a PC. Everyone therefore will basically have the same system setup and I won't have to worry about upgrading my computer every five minutes. Plus, I want to play it on the couch.
I want it to be linked with my blog, my myspace account, and any other web identities that I want to be publically associated with.
I want a zero-tolerance stance on cheating and other standard internet stupidity.
I want an active in-game content team out there doing random things. The scenario I've always envisioned for UO goes that way - I'm out fishing or mining, and one of these paid content people appears to my character and offers a unique quest or reward suited for that character. And instead of the challenge always being "go here and kill this monster", give me challenges that test my knowlege of the in-game lore, the world geography, and things like that.
I want it to be fun and stay fun. Never repetitive.
Is that too much to ask? Somebody make this game, please.
The game has. And, my house and my characters are still there. There are even more things to do these days. Yet, that feeling I once had is long since dead and buried. I tried many other MMOPRGs, including Everquest, World War 2 Online, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft - and they were mostly very shallow experiences that did not capture that pioneering spirit I felt in UO's early days.
I'm not sure what the UO team could do at this point to get that back. They could add more content, specifically for the vast, underutilized oceans in the game, but I doubt even that would get me overly excited and into the game like I once was. No, I need a new game, but not another level - treadmill game.
So what the hell do I want anyway?
I want a fully 3D massively-multiplayer game with customizable camera angles. The graphics don't have to be absolute state of the art, but should be pretty good.
I want a home in the game - one of UO's greatest strengths - that allows me to customize it as I see fit. I also want it to be different geographically from other homes. I don't want an apartment in a building, or a prefab box in a long line of them. I want to stake my claim to a virtual world in a unique spot that no one else has.
I want a dynamic world. Large scale events happen that change the world whether I'm there or not. My home is vulnerable to those events (natural disasters, monster attacks, enemy armies taking the territory that my house is in), but my items in that house are either insured or secured in some manner. And the plot remains mine.
I want a customizable avatar. I can make it look like me, or some idealized variation of me.
I want social aspects and solo aspects.
I want built-in voice chat and many other ways to communicate.
I want powergamers discouraged and out-of-game transactions to be impossible.
I want and end to that sickening feeling that, because I actually have a job and a life, I'll never be able to keep up with those that don't.
I want it on a console instead of a PC. Everyone therefore will basically have the same system setup and I won't have to worry about upgrading my computer every five minutes. Plus, I want to play it on the couch.
I want it to be linked with my blog, my myspace account, and any other web identities that I want to be publically associated with.
I want a zero-tolerance stance on cheating and other standard internet stupidity.
I want an active in-game content team out there doing random things. The scenario I've always envisioned for UO goes that way - I'm out fishing or mining, and one of these paid content people appears to my character and offers a unique quest or reward suited for that character. And instead of the challenge always being "go here and kill this monster", give me challenges that test my knowlege of the in-game lore, the world geography, and things like that.
I want it to be fun and stay fun. Never repetitive.
Is that too much to ask? Somebody make this game, please.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Beaten : Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney : Trials and Tribulations
Last night I had the bittersweet honor to finish Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney : Trials and Tribulations, the third and final Phoenix Wright game in the Ace Attorney series. The game had five episodes in it - the first and fourth ones both flashback episodes where I got to play as Mia, Phoenix's mentor. The second and third ones were standard Phoenix Wright fare, involving zany characters and convoluted plots.
The final episode, which I finished last night, was an epic ending, bringing all the characters and plotlines from all three games together for one whopping huge dramatic conclusion. There were many moments during the last day of court that I literally shouted out in amazement, so drawn in was I by the story unfolding on my little Nintendo DS.
As I have written in the past, story and characters are the strength of the Ace Attorney series, and this game - especially that last episode - has been one of the best interactive storytelling experiences I've ever had in gaming. Now, it's on to the next game, Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, where I have little doubt that a whole new slew of captivating characters and wacky stories await me.
The final episode, which I finished last night, was an epic ending, bringing all the characters and plotlines from all three games together for one whopping huge dramatic conclusion. There were many moments during the last day of court that I literally shouted out in amazement, so drawn in was I by the story unfolding on my little Nintendo DS.
As I have written in the past, story and characters are the strength of the Ace Attorney series, and this game - especially that last episode - has been one of the best interactive storytelling experiences I've ever had in gaming. Now, it's on to the next game, Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney, where I have little doubt that a whole new slew of captivating characters and wacky stories await me.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Okay, I Get The Hype Now
Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii. I approached this game as a complete outsider - I'd never played any of the previous Smash Brothers games, and I've never been into fighting games. Plus, I'm old. That being said, it turns out I really like this game, even though I'm not very good at it.
I started out this morning playing the adventure mode - called Subspace Emissary for some reason - for about an hour or so. It's a gorgeous platforming game which gives the player a chance to test out some of the characters and their moves. The story so far makes no sense whatsoever. Still, it seems like fun, and I noticed later that it's also able to be played as a two-player co-op, so maybe Monique and I will try that together at a later date.
I then tried and beat the classic mode with Kirby, who is so far my fighter of choice. It's a pretty straightforward tournament fighting game, with a few distractions like target practice thrown in.
Along the way in both the above modes I noticed I seemed to be picking up trophies, statues and little bits of paper. It turns out these are collectibles that can be viewed later. There's also a use for the coins you pick up, as ammunition in a weird shooting game where you get even more statues and things.
After a break and a nap I took the plunge and tried out the online multiplayer mode. It took several attempts to get into a brawl "with anyone", and I read later on the internet that Nintendo was having some server difficulties with it. Once I did, I had a lot of fun, noticed very little lag, and of course got my ass kicked.
I then went to the Digital Press message boards and added a bunch of them (mostly mature gamers like myself) to my friends list using Nintendo's really fun and not at all tedious in the slightest friend code system. If you're thinking that these friend codes are the same as the ones already on your Wii that you use to connect with other Wii owners, you're wrong. Those are 16 digits, the Brawl codes are 12. That's right, another huge set of numbers.
I then fought a few of the other members of the Digital Press forum and had a lot of fun, but mostly got my ass handed to me again. I can't seem to pull off the smash moves at all, and on some of the battlefields the characters get so small that it's really hard to tell what's happening. I'm gonna need a bigger screen (and I'm hoping to get one this summer for a wedding present).
If it was just one of the modes, like the classic mode, I'd feel ripped off by this game. Fortunately, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a big package with a lot to do, and it's the totality of it all that makes it worth the money, even for a non-fan like me who sees fighting games as a short, casual diversion, and only plays online to offer himself up as fodder for the much more competent majority of players in the world.
I started out this morning playing the adventure mode - called Subspace Emissary for some reason - for about an hour or so. It's a gorgeous platforming game which gives the player a chance to test out some of the characters and their moves. The story so far makes no sense whatsoever. Still, it seems like fun, and I noticed later that it's also able to be played as a two-player co-op, so maybe Monique and I will try that together at a later date.
I then tried and beat the classic mode with Kirby, who is so far my fighter of choice. It's a pretty straightforward tournament fighting game, with a few distractions like target practice thrown in.
Along the way in both the above modes I noticed I seemed to be picking up trophies, statues and little bits of paper. It turns out these are collectibles that can be viewed later. There's also a use for the coins you pick up, as ammunition in a weird shooting game where you get even more statues and things.
After a break and a nap I took the plunge and tried out the online multiplayer mode. It took several attempts to get into a brawl "with anyone", and I read later on the internet that Nintendo was having some server difficulties with it. Once I did, I had a lot of fun, noticed very little lag, and of course got my ass kicked.
I then went to the Digital Press message boards and added a bunch of them (mostly mature gamers like myself) to my friends list using Nintendo's really fun and not at all tedious in the slightest friend code system. If you're thinking that these friend codes are the same as the ones already on your Wii that you use to connect with other Wii owners, you're wrong. Those are 16 digits, the Brawl codes are 12. That's right, another huge set of numbers.
I then fought a few of the other members of the Digital Press forum and had a lot of fun, but mostly got my ass handed to me again. I can't seem to pull off the smash moves at all, and on some of the battlefields the characters get so small that it's really hard to tell what's happening. I'm gonna need a bigger screen (and I'm hoping to get one this summer for a wedding present).
If it was just one of the modes, like the classic mode, I'd feel ripped off by this game. Fortunately, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a big package with a lot to do, and it's the totality of it all that makes it worth the money, even for a non-fan like me who sees fighting games as a short, casual diversion, and only plays online to offer himself up as fodder for the much more competent majority of players in the world.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Blizzard '08 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl
The Blizzard of 2008 has come and gone here in central Ohio, setting records and leaving behind a huge mess of snow, expected to melt in the next few days and add flooding to the list of weather issues plaguing the state.
It arrived Friday morning, just after I had gotten to work, and ended last night (Saturday) around 4 PM. I had to drive home in it on Friday, during rush hour traffic, and it was a nightmare. My total of bad driving days so far this winter is now fourteen, with the first twelve occurring during morning rush hours.
Saturday was a snow day for Monique and I, and for most of the city of Columbus, as we were both able to get out of going to work. We stayed indoors and relaxed, waiting for the storm to break. Sunday morning I got up and decided to clear off our cars, which looked like this:
After clearing off our cars, and warming up mine, I decided to get it out of the parking space by doing the whole back-and-forth thing and punching through the wall of plowed snow in front of it. It's a skill I'm sure many drivers in places like this have picked up over the years, and I was immediately successful. I did the same for Monique's car later.
Feeling froggy, I decided to make a daring attempt to drive to Wal-Mart for the week's groceries. On the way there, the car in front of me spun out and into a roadside snow bank. It took the driver a few minutes to extracate himself from that situation and get moving again. This was just before a stop light, and I too had difficulty moving forward from a dead stop once the light turned green. In fact, my engine stalled out, scaring the hell out of me. Looking in my rear view mirror, I saw a SUV behind me repeat the same snowbank crash that the driver ahead of me had done so well.
Wal-Mart looked a little like one of those old nuclear war movies, where a panicked citizenry was making a run on the grocery stores, taking everything they could. The Wal-Mart staff was scrambling to restock, but some of the most basic items, from iceberg lettuce to beef, were gone. What they were stocked up on were copies of Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii.
Smash Brothers is one of the Nintendo franchises that I've never been into, mostly because I've never really been into fighting games, but the hype - oh the endless hype - regarding Brawl has been impossible to drown out. So last week I started to read up on the game. What caught my attention were features such as a decently-reviewed adventure mode, online play, and seemingly endless play modes and customization.
So, I surrendered to the hype and picked up a copy. The electronics department lady told me that they started selling it at midnight, along with about nine Wii consoles, which of course were camped and bought immediately thereafterwards.
On my way home, there was a fender-bender near Wal-Mart, and another one at that slippery spot I passed through on the way in. I made it home okay, though, and carefully eased Monique into the fact that I just bought another game. She took it well - I have a very understanding fiance'.
Monique and I tried out Super Smash Brothers Brawl a little later, trying to figure out the controls, and basically what the hell was happening on the screen sometimes. The power-ups, the weird special attacks, it all creates a cacaphony of music and effects that often left us wondering who did what and what did it do.
It seems like fun, and tomorrow I plan to really sink my teeth into it and see what I can figure out. It's always good to have a new game to play with when you're snowed in, and even though the truck with the iceberg lettuce was unable to reach Wal-Mart, at least the truck with Super Smash Brothers Brawl did. I'll do a full report later.
It arrived Friday morning, just after I had gotten to work, and ended last night (Saturday) around 4 PM. I had to drive home in it on Friday, during rush hour traffic, and it was a nightmare. My total of bad driving days so far this winter is now fourteen, with the first twelve occurring during morning rush hours.
Saturday was a snow day for Monique and I, and for most of the city of Columbus, as we were both able to get out of going to work. We stayed indoors and relaxed, waiting for the storm to break. Sunday morning I got up and decided to clear off our cars, which looked like this:
After clearing off our cars, and warming up mine, I decided to get it out of the parking space by doing the whole back-and-forth thing and punching through the wall of plowed snow in front of it. It's a skill I'm sure many drivers in places like this have picked up over the years, and I was immediately successful. I did the same for Monique's car later.
Feeling froggy, I decided to make a daring attempt to drive to Wal-Mart for the week's groceries. On the way there, the car in front of me spun out and into a roadside snow bank. It took the driver a few minutes to extracate himself from that situation and get moving again. This was just before a stop light, and I too had difficulty moving forward from a dead stop once the light turned green. In fact, my engine stalled out, scaring the hell out of me. Looking in my rear view mirror, I saw a SUV behind me repeat the same snowbank crash that the driver ahead of me had done so well.
Wal-Mart looked a little like one of those old nuclear war movies, where a panicked citizenry was making a run on the grocery stores, taking everything they could. The Wal-Mart staff was scrambling to restock, but some of the most basic items, from iceberg lettuce to beef, were gone. What they were stocked up on were copies of Super Smash Brothers Brawl for the Wii.
Smash Brothers is one of the Nintendo franchises that I've never been into, mostly because I've never really been into fighting games, but the hype - oh the endless hype - regarding Brawl has been impossible to drown out. So last week I started to read up on the game. What caught my attention were features such as a decently-reviewed adventure mode, online play, and seemingly endless play modes and customization.
So, I surrendered to the hype and picked up a copy. The electronics department lady told me that they started selling it at midnight, along with about nine Wii consoles, which of course were camped and bought immediately thereafterwards.
On my way home, there was a fender-bender near Wal-Mart, and another one at that slippery spot I passed through on the way in. I made it home okay, though, and carefully eased Monique into the fact that I just bought another game. She took it well - I have a very understanding fiance'.
Monique and I tried out Super Smash Brothers Brawl a little later, trying to figure out the controls, and basically what the hell was happening on the screen sometimes. The power-ups, the weird special attacks, it all creates a cacaphony of music and effects that often left us wondering who did what and what did it do.
It seems like fun, and tomorrow I plan to really sink my teeth into it and see what I can figure out. It's always good to have a new game to play with when you're snowed in, and even though the truck with the iceberg lettuce was unable to reach Wal-Mart, at least the truck with Super Smash Brothers Brawl did. I'll do a full report later.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Milestones : Warlords
PvP. Player versus player combat. Some say it's the end-all and be-all of videogaming. That there is no challenge greater or more worthy than facing off against a real person. While I disagree with the idea that PvP is all that there is to gaming, it certainly offers thrills and challenges that are unique and rewarding.
For me, it all began with the Atari VCS version of Warlords. While other Atari games had PvP combat (specifically the pack-in game, Combat), Warlords was the first one I experienced with four - player combat. With two sets of paddles, up to four players could fight it out for supremacy.
In Warlords, each player controlled a paddle which defended a brick castle in each of the four corners of the screen. A ball would fly around, and if it hit your castle, it took out a brick. Behind your wall of bricks there was a king, and if the ball hit the king you were out.
As the defender of your castle, you could both deflect the incoming ball or catch it, and thus release it at will toward your opponents. It made for some tense moments when you waited to see who your opponent would unleash the ball on. There were some smooth moves such as releasing the ball at a certain angle to make it very difficult to deflect, or faking an attack on one opponent and then suddenly whipping the paddle around to release it against another.
Everything about modern PvP was there with Warlords - the smack-talking, the intense rivalries, ganging up on someone if they were winning too much. And although the total win score was lost once you shut the system off, we all knew in our heads who was ahead at any given time.
With all the modern forms of PvP, the experience is a lot less pure - there are cheats, exploits, latency issues, and so much bile being spilled about it by so many people - that I sometimes wish I could go back to 1981, in that basement with my friends, and enjoy some Warlords again. But, time marches on, and PvP remains one of the most popular gaming styles to this day. For me, Warlords heralded this era, and in some ways prepared me for it.
For me, it all began with the Atari VCS version of Warlords. While other Atari games had PvP combat (specifically the pack-in game, Combat), Warlords was the first one I experienced with four - player combat. With two sets of paddles, up to four players could fight it out for supremacy.
In Warlords, each player controlled a paddle which defended a brick castle in each of the four corners of the screen. A ball would fly around, and if it hit your castle, it took out a brick. Behind your wall of bricks there was a king, and if the ball hit the king you were out.
As the defender of your castle, you could both deflect the incoming ball or catch it, and thus release it at will toward your opponents. It made for some tense moments when you waited to see who your opponent would unleash the ball on. There were some smooth moves such as releasing the ball at a certain angle to make it very difficult to deflect, or faking an attack on one opponent and then suddenly whipping the paddle around to release it against another.
Everything about modern PvP was there with Warlords - the smack-talking, the intense rivalries, ganging up on someone if they were winning too much. And although the total win score was lost once you shut the system off, we all knew in our heads who was ahead at any given time.
With all the modern forms of PvP, the experience is a lot less pure - there are cheats, exploits, latency issues, and so much bile being spilled about it by so many people - that I sometimes wish I could go back to 1981, in that basement with my friends, and enjoy some Warlords again. But, time marches on, and PvP remains one of the most popular gaming styles to this day. For me, Warlords heralded this era, and in some ways prepared me for it.
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