9/03/2013

Destiny - Preview

After Bungie made a masterpiece of Halo, they reveal a video of another game that appears to be a Mass Effect esc FPS Role-Playing-Game with an overworld. It has beautiful graphics and looks like nothing we’ve ever seen before; maybe a mix of Skyrim and Halo. Coming in 2014, Destiny promises to be a game like nothing else.


I’m sorry, but that’s not all. The creators of Call of Duty, Activision, is also teaming up with Bungie to make this new perfection. Probably the two best First-Person-Shooters on the market, team up to make an entire new world of myths and battles.

A Picture of the Destiny logo and two planets.


The story seems to be about a smaller planet, hovering over a gigantic one, and war is being waged, maybe by the two planets, or by another race, or maybe a civil war? The only games that compare to it are Halo, Skyrim, and Mass effect. I’d say that Mass Effect would be the best competitor and, since it was so successful, maybe Bungie and Activision realized that they could make a game like that, and by teaming up, it’d be twice as successful. Well, whatever they were thinking, they were right.

My first impression was positive- I can’t wait for this game to be available, and you should be excited too. Here’s the trailer!




9/02/2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - Review


I was excited when I bought this game; It appeared to have great graphics and fun puzzles that are different each time. Let me tell you: this is not true. Though the game was fun, the image was pixelated by trying to create an image similar to HD, and looked stretched. The puzzles were repetitive; each mansion varied, but the puzzles were easy. Some were difficult, but after a brief moment to think of the limited things you can do with the Poltergust, it was simple to solve the puzzle. I was disappointed by the game, overall.


An image of Luigi walking in on a ghost filled room.


The story was lacking; in fact, there barely was one. The professor tells Luigi that, while studying in peace with the ghosts, they went wild. He believes that it was because a more powerful ghost (which is shown to be King Boo) destroyed the Dark Moon gem, which kept the ghosts peaceful. other than this, the story is just to go to each mansion and recover the Dark Moon pieces from each.


The puzzles were at first, amazing. The first mansion sported the best designs and tricks, but the second, and third, and so on were boring. Collecting the hidden Boos in each stage made me feel accomplished, and redoing missions to get three stars and collecting hidden jewels was also fun, but I cannot stress enough that the first mansion was the only enjoyable series of levels.

Multiplayer was enjoyable, but like the rest of the game, repetitive. There were few options of playstyle. One was finding the exit, one was tracking down Polterpups, which were ghost dogs, and one was getting all of the ghosts in a tine limit. Each was bland and boring after the first play, and the only other varying option was the amount of floors you play through.


The first boss fight was a long, vacant tunnel, and after taking a few steps, a large spider appears. You need to use fire and burn the spider’s web three times to hurt it, and then the fourth time, it will die. It may sound simple, but it was great. First, you must light the web on a torch hanging off of a knight. Then, spin a chandelier with the Poltergust until it hits a piece of the web. Finally, drag a piece of the web down the long hallway to a torch and light it again, and defend it as you bring it down the hallway to light the web again.


Click the, “Continue Reading,” button to read the Wrap Up!

Looking Towards Generation 6

With the highly anticipated release of Pokemon X and Y just around the corner, fans young and old are ushering in the Sixth Generation. Weather you love it or hate it, the Generation Six is hands down the most innovative era this wildly-popular series has ever seen. In fact, the newest Kalos-based games seem like a breath of fresh air from the normal, cut and dry Pokemon game formula, and even feel like a brand new, reinvented series.


With so many fresh new changes, it’s hard to not be excited for X and Y. With all new 3D Pokemon models, roaming-camera battle scenes, a beautiful overworld, customizable player characters, brand new attack animations, a fun, interactive way to bond with your Pokemon, the first added type in almost 15 years, and the legendary MegaEvolutions, this Generation of Pokemon is addressing changes many fans wanted to see for years.


I for one was sick and tired of the boring, immobile, sprite based battle scenes, where Pokemon using Tackle would move maybe a centimeter across the screen, retreat, and then a white crashing animation would appear over the target. While Black and White made a step in the right direction with a looping sprite animation, but I felt like it was never enough. I found myself playing the outdated console games like PBR and Colosseum, just so I can have a taste of beautiful, fluid attacking animations, where if I commanded my Monferno to use Mach Punch, you bet your ass he ran across that field and punched his opponent square in the face! Nothing made me happier in the release trailer for X and Y to see Froakie dart across that screen and show that Patrat who’s boss!


I am not, nor will I ever be, a crazy pre-gen Poketheorist, who blows up forums with “OMG LIGHT TYPE AND SOUND TYPE ARE SO GUNNA HAPPEN,” “I THINK YOU’RE GUNNA HAVE THE CHOICE TO CHOOSE TO JOIN THE EVIL TEAM,” or any other ridiculous, farfetched new game mechanic, but I did hop onto the character customization bandwagon the first day I saw the trailer. Much to my surprise and happiness, my suspicions were soon confirmed. I am extremely looking forward to this feature, as it makes Pokemon feel more like an RPG, and makes your character feel more ‘you,’ and not some cookie cutter, boring default character.


I am excited to see and use Pokemon-Amie. As a Pokemon fan for over 10 years, I have always found the bond between a trainer and his virtual friend eerily heartwarming. Now with this new Nintendogs-esque feature, a trainer can play with his or her Pokemon, further strengthening their friendship, while reaping the benefits of a higher critical hit ratio, recovering from status effects, and even holding on to 1 HP after taking damage from a move that would normally knock your Pokemon out.


I, along with many progressive Pokemon fans, welcome the Fairy type. It helps make more sense of Pokemon’s typing, adds more depth to Pokemon teams, and best of all, silences the roar of the mighty Dragon, who once ruled the Pokemon battling scene. While not much else is known about the Fairy type at this point, a full type effectiveness chart is set to be released in CoroCoro this upcoming week, which I will be covering extensively.


And finally, the best for last. MegaEvolutions, the most controversial mechanic Game Freak has ever established, has started a war among the already divided fandom. The ‘GenWunners,’ generally older fans who are famous for hating the newer installments of the series, and the ‘GenLuvers,’ fans who love and embrace both, and have no problem with anything new or old, have been fighting for a few years now. In fact, a lot of the ‘Gen Wars’ have died down recently, but this tremendous news launched it to a whole new level. While the GenWunners whine “Fourth evolutions? C’mon Game Freak, you’ve officially run out of ideas,” GunLuvers like myself do nothing but embrace this revolutionary addition to our favorite game series. I’m not saying that MegaEvolutions were needed, but I love the idea of taking an older Pokemon and giving it a new spin. Maybe you have a Pokemon you always wished evolved, like Mawile or Kangaskhan, and now instead of a boring regular evolution, you are given an uber powerful ‘Mega Evolution!’ It’s a great idea, and the marketing will make Nintendo a boat load as well.


A fan made art of 6 of the new MegaEvolutions


Well, those are all the major additions coming to Pokemon in the upcoming games, Pokemon X and Y for the 3DS and 2DS. With so many revolutionary changes coming to Pokemon, X and Y seem less like a new installment in the series, and more like an awesome reboot. What do you guys think? What are hopes, opinions, and thoughts on X and Y? Leave me a comment below!

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Walk in Water Glitch

One of the more curious glitches in the game, a way has been discovered to walk in a river or stream without the use of a Wet Suit (swimming in rivers isn't possible even with the wet suit). This curious glitch is really helpful for catching pesky bugs that fly over the middle of a river, wading around to catch fish, and even walk up waterfalls! Check out the glitch in this video by Tamashii Hiroka.


Also, please be sure to subscribe to Tamashii! She works hard, and makes great Pokemon videos for the avid fan!

Also, leave me a comment if you try this. Let me know if you got it on the first try, it took a while, if it was hard, easy, fun, anything! 

9/01/2013

Fire Emblem: Awakening - Review

Fire emblem: Awakening is another great addition to the series, and had perfected controls on the 3DS. The storyline was flawless and, this game was right at home on the 3DS. At first I was skeptical to buy it, but I do love RPG Games and, I figured that it couldn’t be too bad. After playing a few levels (or, “Chapters,” of the game) I found that I felt stupid for at one point considering it terrible. The game was easy to learn and had several options of difficulty. I found myself enjoying the Classic playing style, where, once a character dies, they’re gone for good. Of course, there was the Casual option for players who enjoy a less competitive feel.

Certain aspects of the game made it feel new, and crisp compared to other RPGs and JRPGs. The characters, and varying support logs that came with them, were wonderful. Characters could team up and fight side by side and, after some time together, you could watch a brief scene of them sharing secrets or of them talking about their lives. I thought that these supports were perfect because, they fit right in with the storyline and gave characters true depth. Plus, characters of opposite genders can marry and some times have a baby! Because of the storyline's theme of time travel, magic, battle, and bonds of friends, these children would appear from the future as a skilled battle, who could fight in your army! The more marriages you make, the more children that appeared. The children are even more skilled then there parents, and share traits, looks, skills, and classes with their parents!

Another asset to FE:A was the perfected cutscenes and story. You start the game fighting what appears to be the final boss, if not a powerful one. He throws Dark magic and Lightning at you and your companion, but in the end, you are victorious. But, it's not over yet. The supposedly dead magician has some kind of control on you, and as your injured self struggles to stand, you stab your companion with some of your own magic. "What!?" you may be thinking, "This looks like the end of the game!" it isn't the end for you or your companion as the cutscene ends, though.

In a few seconds, you awaken to your companion and his sister, wondering what to do with you. You wake up in the middle of a field that you do not recognize. You have forgotten yourself, but not Chrom, your companion's name. Suspicious, there guardian Frederick warned not to go nearer, but with Chrom helps you anyway. You discuss the situation and try to recall your memory, but soon you are accepted as one of their own.

Part One and Part Two

Don't worry; even though there are two parts, it's very short.


Fire Emblem: Awakening also sported stunning graphics that could all be viewed in 3D. And, you could never get bored because of the endless DLC; from Maps to characters to Skills, these free or under $6.00 downloadable content was extremely enjoyable.

Read the wrap up by clicking on the, "Continue Reading," button below!