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Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Man Gets Married to a Videogame?

For more on this, click here.
A man gets married to his video game girl of his dreams. The man apparently held a reception with his friends and family.
I have a couple of questions to ask about this, the first being, wtf? the second, being "How's the honeymoon going to be like? The Third, is since it is a video game character, then what if other people own the same game and is romancing her? Is it cheating then? Okay, that was four questions, but this is definitely something wacky and caught me in left field. I suppose a necessary fifth would be why a videogame character instead of a real girl, but i think that covers the first question more.
Anyway, What do you think of this? Is it acceptable practice to marry a videogame character? Will we see this more in the future? Will they have kids?

Monday, 23 November 2009

Lord of The Rings Online to go Free?

Lord of the Rings online, or LOTRO for short, is rumored to go free-to-play sometime next year.

Much like Dungeons and Dragons Online, LOTRO online has experienced dwindling subscription numbers, despite being a good game, being so good, that I know of a friend who paid a nice chunk of change for a "lifetime" subscription.
However, since DDO has been free to play since September, it has experienced a new amount of growth, and has
received an increase in income, due to their "VIP services" which one can pay a $9.99 optional fee for.
Whether the people in charge will make it free to play is uncertain, but there is a large market for free to play mmos, so it isn't a far stretch.

Sunday, 22 November 2009

Games You May Have Overlooked: The Typing Of The Dead?

Back during the not too long ago there was an excellent gaming console called "Dreamcast".
On this console, there were great games that in my opinion were overlooked.
One of such games is The Typing of The Dead.

If you were horrible at playing The House of The Dead, wanted a quirky game, or failed keyboarding class because it was so boring, then TToD is for you!
Based of The House of The Dead 2, TToD takes you through the same place, except this time instead of guns, you play as agents with keyboards strapped to them, battling hordes of zombies and their ilk.

The best thing about this game is that there is an actual tutorial mode in which one can learn key finger positions, so as to type accurately, and on top of that, there are drill modes in which you can practice your worst keys, unlike the keyboarding programs at school that I remember.

The only really difficult thing you will find about this game, is that sometimes, you will come across words or sentences that will crack you up. For example on one of the bosses I was playing against, I got:
"Use caution when pumping gasoline."
"Turn off the engine, do not smoke"
"Do not operate the flamethrower"
"Without proper supervision."
"Stock options have been very good to me lately."

All in all, this is a very fun(and educational) game, perhaps the most educational one I will ever play.
Sure, the game is dated, and the voice acting is bad, but aren't most dubbed Japanese games?
I would give it an 9/10, along with a petition to put this in all schools, since it is available on PC as well.

What are your thoughts?

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

10 Manly Video Games.

I get comments often from women who don't understand why guys play video games, and they will more often than not dismiss it as "kid's stuff".

But little do these female know is that there are plenty of manly video games out there. Some with depth, some with ACTION and AWESOME (yes that did require caps lock)
Here's a list, in no particular order.

1. God of War (I and II).

Is he slaying someone while atop a huge bird?
You bet he is.
This game involves nothing short of you being badass while the rest of the greek gods shudder in fear of your awesome. Yeah, the storyline isn't a masterpiece, but the action more than makes up for it.

2. Devil May Cry series.

You want to be a gunslinger? Okay. You got it. Awesome with swordplay? Done. Awesome with both at the same time? Granted. Wanna be a demon? You got it. Want to wield an electric guitar that doubles as a scythe that surges with enough electricity to rival that of LA's power grid while being a demon at the same time? Only if you can get guns with all that? Its yours and more in Devil May Cry. With bad ass enemies, and even more bad ass main character, and plenty of action and puzzles to solve, the Devil May Cry series will not disappoint any manly gamer.

3. No More Heroes

Yeah, the Wii and its games aren't usually by any means manly, but I must tip my hat to No More Heroes. Playing it ensures my Wii doesn't collect dust. You carry a beam katana, and destroy everything in your path, fighting your way to become the #1 assassin. Oh, and you meet a hot french babe along the way too. There's plenty of bloodletting and violence to keep one's ADD entertained, and still has enough subtle humor to make me chuckle.
Also, they break the 4th wall in gaming(the video game characters actually know that its a video game).
A manly masterpiece for any man to own if they had to suck it up and by a Wii for the wife/girlfriend.
Best of all, its popularity is underrated, so its 20 bucks. How much did you pay for High School Musical? Yeah...

4. Killzone 2

You run around in a game killing the futuristic equivalent of Nazis with a bunch of weapons that all have secondary functions, such as, an assault rifle with shotgun rounds, or a railgun with rockets. and if those don't work, you knife em. Great game.

5. Metal Gear Solid series

For manly gamers who insist on a little more realism, the Metal Gear Solid series definitely brings it, seeing as the game isn't about a rampage, but rather sneaking about and survival. If you want that on the hardest level (pun intended), I suggest Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater.
With a simple control scheme, complex puzzles and storyline, as well as memorable boss fights, the Metal Gear Solid series delivers everything a man a man could want in terms of a video game. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the Konami eyes girls.

6. Madworld

Another Wii game that's worth playing if you're over the age of 12? You bet. Filled with testosterone and wanton rampage and reckless abandon(not to mention a LOT of blood), Madworld is an awesome game to play if you just want to destroy stuff. Plus, its got the whole comic book/Frank Miller look to it.
A tip for parents who dare buy this game for their children: keep them away from the tool shed for a while.

7. Age of Conan

Whoops, got some blood on the camera, that happens often.
I call this game "Age of Awesome", because in the game, that's all you are, no matter what you play as.
Melee characters dismember people, and Magic characters get to suck the souls out of them.
Its fun for the whole...well, okay, maybe not the WHOLE family, but definitely you.
Also, they have...SIEGE RHINOS. I wish I was kidding you.
Age of Conan goes into a MMO niche that targets people who have grown up from playing World of Warcraft and Runescape, and I'm happy that someone fulfilled this niche.

8. Half Life 2

Must I even tell you how manly this game is?
Buy it. Now.

9. Brutal Legend

Want to be awesome and defeat past rock genres personified? Then play this game.
A plus is that you get to beat up emo kids. As a matter of fact, that's the only reason why I brought the game.

10. Tetris.

What man doesn't enjoy a game of Tetris?

Monday, 02 November 2009

World of Warcraft=Nothing Special.

World of Warcraft, the MMORPG with the largest subscription base ever known in its genre, is nothing special in terms of the MMO genre in my eyes. Here's why:

1. The Interface.

Look familiar? Of course it does.
These two MMORPGs, Ultima Online and Lineage 2 respectively, have the same interface as WoW.
Or rather, WoW has the same interface as these MMOs, seeing as both of them released before it.
So in terms of interface, WoW is nothing revolutionary.

2. Gameplay.

In pretty much every MMORPG, you:
1.Create a character
2.Get your first quests
3. Level up to adquately participate in activities with your guild/faction/legion/linkshell/etc.
4. Do missions or the equivalent to find out the story to see where your character fits in it all.
5. Beat storyline.
6. Participate in endgame activities (or PvP if you so choose)

WoW is no different. Some may claim that it is less of a grind than other MMOs, but really, ALL MMOs will be grindy in some way or the other, so I don't complain about this.
WoW offers the basic classes to play: Healer,Tank,DPS,Buffer,and Generalist who has the potential to be a little bit of everything.
All of the other classes that have came out due to expansions, are simply combinations of the above. ALL MMORPGS DO THIS. The only reason why it may seem different, is by what weapon they're holding, or what kind of armor they are wearing. (Melee/Mage/Ranged)

3. Endgame.

There's endgame, the most grueling, time wasting experience of any MMO, seeing as there is little gear to go around, and many people are wanting the same piece. This incorporates beauracracy and takes the fun out of the game.

WoW, is no different. You spend the average time you normally would spend in a part-time job engaging in raids.
Once again, nothing special.

So what makes WoW special?
I'll tell you this awful secret, and it is also nothing special.
It's called commercialism, or advertising.
Blizzard is everywhere in terms of advertising. You see it on TV, you read about it in magazines, you see ads on the sides and top panels of every website that is gaming related about WoW. They even had their own special on South Park, and are endorsed by washed up celebrities.

If other MMORPGS were more willing to shell out on advertising, I'd be more than willing to bet that their subscription numbers would raise signifigantly over the course of a year, which would pay for itself. Also secondarily providing a promotional benefit (gear, increased xp,etc) for a certain amount of time would easily hook new players and raise sub numbers.

So in conclusion, the only thing WoW has going for it, is heavy commercialism, due to the fact that no other games in its genre before it has done this. Its gameplay, interface, and endgame(i.e. the actual game itself) is nothing revolutionary, seeing as it is a mere copy of previous games in its genre.
(Don't get me started on the story line. That is an entirely different post.)