DO NOT LET DR. MARIO TOUCH YOU HE IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR

There’s one thing I’ve always noticed about kids today: They play so much crap. That’s not to say every new game that comes out is crap, either. I just lost a week to the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3 (Along with a few days of pure awesome after I found the Experimental MIRV), and am totally happy with it, but, I also rediscovered my NES in the basement. Here are a few must play games for that lovable box.

First up: Dr. Mario.

I dunno about you, but I love puzzle games. A simple game like Tetris or Bejeweled can suck me in for hours and often makes me miss appointments, work, etc… And Dr. Mario is certainly one of those time obliterators. Dr. Mario’s objective is simple: There are viruses in the bottle, use the pills that are given to you to line up color and eliminate the viruses.  Sounds easy, right? Well, it is… For a while. Like Tetris, as the levels pass, it gets faster. There are more viruses, too. If you like puzzle games, this is something to pick up. It even came back in many reincarnations!

(continue reading…)

It’s more than a feeling. Sometimes games can take us to the highest of highs, or kick us square in the balls/vag, leaving us pain-stricken and confused. So, rather than hide our emotions, I encourage you to chip in and share some of your emotional experiences with the vidya. Enclosed are some of my favorites (or most painful memories).
(continue reading…)

I’m working on getting the site moved, so you may notice some downtime or site errors. I’ll post an announcement when I’m done.

I’ve narrowed it down to two possible names. Go vote on this thread.

During the previous months of this year, the PS3 finally appeared to be picking up that much-needed steam Sony promised. However the early results from the NPD seem to be showing quite the opposite. Sales in the US of the PS3 are down by 19% compared to last year, compared to Wii sales having doubled, and the 360’s sales rising by 8%. Analysts are in agreement with these figures stating they expect PS3 sales to be equal to or lower than last years and Sony might not meet it’s target of 10 million PS3’s being sold by March 2009.

Que fanboys pleading claims such as Market Saturation.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Yeah, you may or may not have heard that Richard Garriot’s lovechild costs no money now. And despite the small fact that the servers are going down February 28th, I’m sure you all know a month is more than enough time to become bored with an MMORPG.

‘So!’ again, I hear you cry. ‘Stop chirping and tell me how to work this thingymajig!’

As you wish.

1. Go to http://www.plaync.com/us/support/login.html, and either log onto your PlayNC support account or create a new one.
2. Create a new ticket using Ask A Question, the text can be freeform, just ask for a TR serial.
3. Start downloading the client at ftp://ftp.playtr.com/setup_data_files/install_tabula_rasa_1.11.6.0.exe
4. Once you’ve got your key (Within 24 hours, most likely) and finished the download, log onto your PlayNC master account at https://secure.plaync.com/cgi-bin/plaync_login.pl, or create a new one, and enter your TR serial as a new game.
5. Install the game, launch PlayNC launcher, update, and you’re good to go.

Enjoy.

Wow, I almost forgot about the contest. Guess I have to pick a winner.

Gimme a few minutes to tally up all those entries.

If you weren’t aware, most of the games available on Steam are now on sale. I just picked up Bioshock for $5, Audiosurf for $5, and Everyday Shooter for $9.

Sale ends on January 2nd, so go buy stuff.

Just a quick recap to ground myself here. I went over an extremely general overview of Video Game Characters in Part 1, mostly tracing their development and highlighting a couple of noteworthy examples. In Part 2 I deviated from my set path and analyzed the silent protagonist, in particular, Gordon Freeman. Here, I plan on going back to my original plan and check out some modern gaming characters.

For me, a game that deftly crafts deep and interesting characters is the Ace Attorney series. Without a doubt these games are largely character-based, seeing as how about 95% of the games is interacting with other characters. Nearly every single person is quirky and unique and plain likable where intended. Even the villain characters are believable and properly motivated. It’s strange to find such well designed personalities in such a cartoonish and flamboyant game. Now here’s the kicker, each and every one of them is only so likable and entertaining because they have one or more over exaggerated quirks. Phoenix Wright has a distinct sense of justice and frequently works his way out of desperate situations, Larry Butz floats from job to job constantly seeking a new girlfriend and also he’s dumb, Lotta Hart is a country bumpkin who loves to take pictures. Each and every one of them is a three-dimensional character that borders on being two-dimensional, their personalities easily being summarized with a few words, all their actions and speech stem from just a few traits and maybe a shocking past event. Many RPGs utilize this concept as well, most notorious for this is the Tales of series, which has many lovable characters that just can’t break from their stereotype. Anise is a gold digger, Raine is a teacher, Guy is afraid of girls. They’re easy to create since their thoughts and actions flow naturally from their quirks, and they’re entertaining for being so quirky.

Now don’t get me wrong, these characters are immensely entertaining, and the games can be fun ventures into dungeons/the legal system. But, these people are undoubtedly Video Game Characters. It works for games like the Ace Attorney series because they are undoubtedly Video Games, but with the ever present trend of pushing the limits of storytelling and immersion these types of characters won’t always be enough.

So what is it exactly to make a believable and likable character without using forced quirks and traits as a crutch? Literature and movies have been doing this for a long time, so why not video games? Well for one thing it means making the quirks much more subtle. Persona 3 was good about this since each of the side characters undoubtedly had a prevalent quirk, but had thoughts and emotions that masked it, and they eventually learn and grow out of their flaws and tics. There’s the man with the terminal disease who lost his pen at the park and slowly wastes his Sundays away waxing poetic and will eventually write a story and… just play the game for yourself. Though minor, the side characters are involving and well-developed, proving there can be people who aren’t just a pretty face and a single ostentatious trait.

What makes a good character? To ask this is to ask what you want from video games. People who enjoy RPGs for the story will want characters with vast backstories and growth, while people who play games for gameplay would probably prefer minimalist characters who only serve to keep the action going. It’s a testament to just how big the gaming scene has become when fans reject or praise games because of the characters (or lack thereof). Though fictional, these are people we as gamers tend to get attached to and this is when video games really come into their own as a distinct media, neither books nor movies can have us control whether these people live or die, succeed or fail, and since our choices can affect them we end up with something much more involving and emotional, something that transcends the text and visual mediums.

It’s already apparent by now that I’m a big Space Invaders fan, but despite the glut of sweet, sweet Invader merchandise created to commemorate the franchise’s 30th Anniversary, its still hard to procure many of these items – Space Invaders alarm clock, pillow, Kitkat , etc – solely because I don’t live in Japan.

But we make do.

In any case, I was able to sniff out and pre-order the Space Invaders 30th Anniversary commemorative headset and Raglan shirt months ago in Play-Asia, and after a long wait (thanks to pushed back release dates), the Space Invaders care package was finally delivered to my doorstep by a FedEx guy wannabe.

Another plus is that the headset can be folded to let you stow it without taking up too much space. However the hinges are too loose, giving a floppy feel to the headset.

Cons: The white adjustable stems are made of plastic commonly used in cheap toys, and may not appeal to those prefer only high-quality material on their stuff. While the whole thing is sturdy and doesn’t look like it’ll break under moderate usage, the choice of material for the stems look somewhat flimsy. Also, what doesn’t appeal to me is the white-colored cord, which is dirt-prone and will never fail to turn grayish after weeks of usage despite proper handling and care.