So, I've been playing a lot of games on Steam lately. One of my co-workers has been gifting me games that he feels I should play, including Plants vs. Zombies. Not one of my favourite games, but I can see the appeal to it.
I've been playing Bastion (finally), Sword and Sworcery (awesome!), and I downloaded a copy of The Witcher for myself, as well. I've also been taking my time with Lollipop Chainsaw and having a blast with that. There's just something endearing about the way Juliet yells "What the dick?!" when things don't go her way.
I'm also keeping myself busy with a the creation of a visual novel, when I'm not working at work or drawing commission stuffs. That's right, my sister and I are creating a visual novel/dating sim! We even have a Facebook page. Sounds legit! I've been writing it for about a month or so now, which is easy enough since I can take a notebook with me on the bus and to work. I don't do that with my drawings as much anymore.
But, so far, people have been pretty supportive of the whole visual novel thing. A few of my coworkers are reading over what I've got written and giving me some good (if not brutal) feedback, so I'm being forced to evaluate myself as a writer and storyteller. I used to think I was pretty good, but now...
Either or, my sister and I have some information about it all on our Unhinged Twins page. She's working on creating the art for our character bios, and I'm working on figuring out what the crap to do with the story. It's fun, though. She and I are really feeding off of each other's creativity and ideas. We're keeping each other going, and that's what's important. We're also hoping to go to a convention in the future and sell some artwork based on the game to help promote it.
Ah, now if only we didn't have jobs and the such to be worrying about...
2012-07-08
2012-06-10
June '12.1
So I got a 3DS for my birthday. It's pretty awesome!
Now, I like my game systems to play games, my computers to let me surf the webs...normally I don't like to surf the webs on my systems. I did, however, check out the browser on my 3DS and was content with it, but more than likely, I'll never use it again.
I do like all the little download features, like the Pokedex and Netflix, and the AR (augmented reality) cards are pretty nifty. I downloaded Swap Notes (like an improved Pictochat), but I have no friends and no real reason to use it right now. d:
I was originally planning on just playing around with these features and then picking up games later on, but one of my friends bought me Resident Evil: Revelations. I've gotten a couple of hours into the game, and it's so much fun! A lot of people I know who have a 3DS don't play with the 3D on; they use it for the cinemas. But, I've been playing the game with the 3D on and love it. I did buy a Circle Pad Pro to use with it, which is very helpful. I enjoy being able to turn the camera and look around a corner.
I also recently grabbed a copy of Dragon's Dogma. It's an open-world Capcom action RPG, so what's not to like? It's a lot of fun, especially since you get to customize your character and your main follower, upgrade your stats and pick abilities...and climb on giant monsters to stab their eyes out!
Lollipop Chainsaw comes out in a couple of days, and I'm really looking forward to that. I really liked Suda 51's last game, Shadow's of the Damned, and I imagine it'll play along in that vein: over-the-top, sexy, gory, and fun. I mean, you're a cheerleader, with a chainsaw, killing zombies. Need I say more?
And now that E3's over, I'll be spending time pining away for the next Gears of War. <3 More on that later.
Now, I like my game systems to play games, my computers to let me surf the webs...normally I don't like to surf the webs on my systems. I did, however, check out the browser on my 3DS and was content with it, but more than likely, I'll never use it again.
I do like all the little download features, like the Pokedex and Netflix, and the AR (augmented reality) cards are pretty nifty. I downloaded Swap Notes (like an improved Pictochat), but I have no friends and no real reason to use it right now. d:
I was originally planning on just playing around with these features and then picking up games later on, but one of my friends bought me Resident Evil: Revelations. I've gotten a couple of hours into the game, and it's so much fun! A lot of people I know who have a 3DS don't play with the 3D on; they use it for the cinemas. But, I've been playing the game with the 3D on and love it. I did buy a Circle Pad Pro to use with it, which is very helpful. I enjoy being able to turn the camera and look around a corner.
I also recently grabbed a copy of Dragon's Dogma. It's an open-world Capcom action RPG, so what's not to like? It's a lot of fun, especially since you get to customize your character and your main follower, upgrade your stats and pick abilities...and climb on giant monsters to stab their eyes out!
Lollipop Chainsaw comes out in a couple of days, and I'm really looking forward to that. I really liked Suda 51's last game, Shadow's of the Damned, and I imagine it'll play along in that vein: over-the-top, sexy, gory, and fun. I mean, you're a cheerleader, with a chainsaw, killing zombies. Need I say more?
And now that E3's over, I'll be spending time pining away for the next Gears of War. <3 More on that later.
2012-04-24
April '12.1
You know, it kills me how malcontent people are today. I remember people complaining about not liking a movie, so they'd tell their friends to avoid it. If they didn't like a video game, they'd sell it to someone they knew who wanted to try it for themselves. Nowadays, the Internet gives us more power than that. We can write reviews, discouraging people we don't know to stay away from things we personally didn't enjoy. Hell, we can be part of an online community that remains in direct contact with the entertainment business and demand (yes, demand) that things be changed to please us.
I am, of course, talking about the ending to Mass Effect 3.
I played the game. I beat the game. I even enjoyed the game as a whole. No, the ending was not what I would have done, but I didn't make it, so I feel that I have no right to complain. The fact that people are online demanding that Bioware make changes to their video game, alter their artwork, seriously bothers me.
As a theatre student, we were told that the whole point of being part of the entertainment industry is to entertain and audience. The fact remains that art is created for a group; if artists created art for themselves, it's just masturbation. There exists a mutual enjoyment in creating art and having your audience see it, interact with it.
That being said, no, you can't please everyone. I may draw a picture that pleases a group of people because of the style, but someone else might not like it because of the content. Bioware created a game (a damn good one) that a lot of people liked, and that gets overlooked but a bunch of so-called fans who thought that there were too many unanswered questions. That would be fine, in my opinion, if they didn't take it further and make a huge Internet stink on the Bioware and Mass Effect forums, telling the creators to change the game.
It blows me away. Maybe because I just don't get what the problem is with the game. I even asked one of my co-workers who's part of the angered fan-base to try and better understand the copious amounts of hate...and I still don't get it.
Long story short here, kids...I love Mass Effect. All three games. To the point that after I beat the series, I had to stop myself from restarting the trilogy so I could beat some other games I haven't gotten around to playing.
And I don't understand why we, as fans, bloggers, and social site users, feel that we have the right to tell artists what to do.
I am, of course, talking about the ending to Mass Effect 3.
I played the game. I beat the game. I even enjoyed the game as a whole. No, the ending was not what I would have done, but I didn't make it, so I feel that I have no right to complain. The fact that people are online demanding that Bioware make changes to their video game, alter their artwork, seriously bothers me.
As a theatre student, we were told that the whole point of being part of the entertainment industry is to entertain and audience. The fact remains that art is created for a group; if artists created art for themselves, it's just masturbation. There exists a mutual enjoyment in creating art and having your audience see it, interact with it.
That being said, no, you can't please everyone. I may draw a picture that pleases a group of people because of the style, but someone else might not like it because of the content. Bioware created a game (a damn good one) that a lot of people liked, and that gets overlooked but a bunch of so-called fans who thought that there were too many unanswered questions. That would be fine, in my opinion, if they didn't take it further and make a huge Internet stink on the Bioware and Mass Effect forums, telling the creators to change the game.
It blows me away. Maybe because I just don't get what the problem is with the game. I even asked one of my co-workers who's part of the angered fan-base to try and better understand the copious amounts of hate...and I still don't get it.
Long story short here, kids...I love Mass Effect. All three games. To the point that after I beat the series, I had to stop myself from restarting the trilogy so I could beat some other games I haven't gotten around to playing.
And I don't understand why we, as fans, bloggers, and social site users, feel that we have the right to tell artists what to do.
2012-02-23
February '12.1
What's this? Months without posting?
Time for a spamming of game reviews, then!
Like everyone else, I had spent a great deal of my time on Skyrim when it came out. (I'd still be playing it, too, if my information hadn't been accidentally saved over.) Like the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, I had a lot of fun just exploring and doing what I wanted to do. There's just something very rewarding about being given the freedom to go where you want, raid a dungeon, loot treasure, and not because you're on a quest to do so, but because you just can. The combat was fluid and intuitive, and I honestly enjoyed nearly everything about it. Part of me is upset over having lost my character data, but it's sort of a good thing; over the last few months, I've been able to play other games and even beat them, and I know that I could have easily continued playing Skyrim without caring about other games.
I recently took the time to finally beat Mass Effect 2...and just in time for the third installment into the series! I imported my fem-Shep from the first game and stayed true to her Paragon nature, for the most part, but every once in a while, I'd go all Renegade on someone. I liked the change in combat from the first game, but overall, it was more of the same, which is by no means a bad thing. I felt like my choices weighed heavier on me, especially since I knew my entire crew could die (hell, my Shepard could die) during the final mission. I'm happy to report that my teammates all survived, and will helping me in the third game kick some evil living-machine ass!
A lot of my time has gone into the newest Soul Calibur title, too. While the story mode itself proved to be something of a disappointment to me, I've been having fun with the game as a whole. I feel like the third game will always be my favourite, though, due to the different fighting styles created characters could have, and the RPG mode it has, as well.
I've also beaten Atlus's puzzle game, Catherine. Boy, is that game frustrating. I expected to be challenged by the puzzles, so I played it on normal...and wished that I would have started on easy. I know you can change the difficulty during the non-puzzle portions of the game, but that felt wrong to me, so I stuck with it. It was satisfying knowing that I could figure out some of the puzzles (after six continues), but I feel like if/when I play it again, I'll be dumbing it down for myself and playing it on easy. Who knows if I'll play the harder modes...? I really respect Atlus for doing something different with the game; Catherine is in a genre all its own.
Speaking of different genres, I picked up Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom for my PSP. It's visual novel/dating simulation game, which are few and far between in the states. I was pretty excited when they announced that it was going to be translated in English, and to show my support of crazy Japanese games, I bought it. Having never really played a VN game before, I didn't know what to expect, and during my first play-though, I hooked up with a samurai that I didn't intend to, then got stabbed and died. I was a little upset at the turn of events, and gave it a second play-through. Having a better idea of how to actually play the game to end up with who I wanted, I ended up with my samurai of choice, Saitou. Now, playing the helpless damsel in distress isn't really my thing, but there were enough romantic scenes through the game to make my heart of ice melt. Maybe I fan-girl squealed a couple of times, too. Overall, I really liked the game (if it can be called a game). I enjoyed the story, which is seriously important since you're essentially reading 99% of the time, and enjoyed the idea behind VN games so much, I'd like to make one of my own, one of these days.
I've been spending the last couple of days playing Asura's Wrath. In my opinion, this game is the Okami of the current gen systems. Like Okami, it will be ignored, have a cult following, and then be missed once it's gone...and it's a damn shame. People complain about how new games never do anything new, never have any original content, and this one does. It's beautiful, well-directed, cleverly written, and has such unique gameplay. But I don't know anyone else who's playing it right now. Unfortunately, I think it's getting over-shadowed by some larger titles on the horizon, like the new Mass Effect, and the Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to death about both of those games (have them both pre-ordered, collector's editions and all!), but I feel like Asura's Wrath is a gem that will be over-looked in the long run.
Speaking of Resident Evil, though...I'm very much looking forward to having a co-op, kill all zombies game! With Asura's Wrath, Resident Evil, and the new Street Fighter X Tekken, I feel like Capcom might as well just take my next paycheck. They're one of the few companies that I'm very devoted to.
Time for a spamming of game reviews, then!
Like everyone else, I had spent a great deal of my time on Skyrim when it came out. (I'd still be playing it, too, if my information hadn't been accidentally saved over.) Like the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, I had a lot of fun just exploring and doing what I wanted to do. There's just something very rewarding about being given the freedom to go where you want, raid a dungeon, loot treasure, and not because you're on a quest to do so, but because you just can. The combat was fluid and intuitive, and I honestly enjoyed nearly everything about it. Part of me is upset over having lost my character data, but it's sort of a good thing; over the last few months, I've been able to play other games and even beat them, and I know that I could have easily continued playing Skyrim without caring about other games.
I recently took the time to finally beat Mass Effect 2...and just in time for the third installment into the series! I imported my fem-Shep from the first game and stayed true to her Paragon nature, for the most part, but every once in a while, I'd go all Renegade on someone. I liked the change in combat from the first game, but overall, it was more of the same, which is by no means a bad thing. I felt like my choices weighed heavier on me, especially since I knew my entire crew could die (hell, my Shepard could die) during the final mission. I'm happy to report that my teammates all survived, and will helping me in the third game kick some evil living-machine ass!
A lot of my time has gone into the newest Soul Calibur title, too. While the story mode itself proved to be something of a disappointment to me, I've been having fun with the game as a whole. I feel like the third game will always be my favourite, though, due to the different fighting styles created characters could have, and the RPG mode it has, as well.
I've also beaten Atlus's puzzle game, Catherine. Boy, is that game frustrating. I expected to be challenged by the puzzles, so I played it on normal...and wished that I would have started on easy. I know you can change the difficulty during the non-puzzle portions of the game, but that felt wrong to me, so I stuck with it. It was satisfying knowing that I could figure out some of the puzzles (after six continues), but I feel like if/when I play it again, I'll be dumbing it down for myself and playing it on easy. Who knows if I'll play the harder modes...? I really respect Atlus for doing something different with the game; Catherine is in a genre all its own.
Speaking of different genres, I picked up Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom for my PSP. It's visual novel/dating simulation game, which are few and far between in the states. I was pretty excited when they announced that it was going to be translated in English, and to show my support of crazy Japanese games, I bought it. Having never really played a VN game before, I didn't know what to expect, and during my first play-though, I hooked up with a samurai that I didn't intend to, then got stabbed and died. I was a little upset at the turn of events, and gave it a second play-through. Having a better idea of how to actually play the game to end up with who I wanted, I ended up with my samurai of choice, Saitou. Now, playing the helpless damsel in distress isn't really my thing, but there were enough romantic scenes through the game to make my heart of ice melt. Maybe I fan-girl squealed a couple of times, too. Overall, I really liked the game (if it can be called a game). I enjoyed the story, which is seriously important since you're essentially reading 99% of the time, and enjoyed the idea behind VN games so much, I'd like to make one of my own, one of these days.
I've been spending the last couple of days playing Asura's Wrath. In my opinion, this game is the Okami of the current gen systems. Like Okami, it will be ignored, have a cult following, and then be missed once it's gone...and it's a damn shame. People complain about how new games never do anything new, never have any original content, and this one does. It's beautiful, well-directed, cleverly written, and has such unique gameplay. But I don't know anyone else who's playing it right now. Unfortunately, I think it's getting over-shadowed by some larger titles on the horizon, like the new Mass Effect, and the Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to death about both of those games (have them both pre-ordered, collector's editions and all!), but I feel like Asura's Wrath is a gem that will be over-looked in the long run.
Speaking of Resident Evil, though...I'm very much looking forward to having a co-op, kill all zombies game! With Asura's Wrath, Resident Evil, and the new Street Fighter X Tekken, I feel like Capcom might as well just take my next paycheck. They're one of the few companies that I'm very devoted to.
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