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If your New Year's Resolution is 256x192, you're probably playing a Nintendo DS.Having played mine extensively in 2009, I wanted to mention the best DS games of the past year that nobody played.
First up is Retro Game Challenge, a nostalgia-filled time warp back to the 80s. However, it's not the specific games that will give you a sense of nostalgia, for they are all completely made up. The feel of the 80s is preserved in the NES-styled game designs, but what fleshes it out are in-game issues of a fictional gaming magazine that contains previews, cheat codes, and strategies for the included games.
The games themselves (shown in this corny trailer)are introduced one-by-one with a series of four challenges you must complete before unlocking the game for free play. The games make many references to real games from that time period. For example, the Dragon Quest styled RPG starts with a blue scrolling story screen reminiscent of Final Fantasy.
If you have fond memories of gaming in the 80s, you will almost certainly enjoy Retro Game Challenge. A sequel was released in Japan that includes a much wider assortment of games and platforms, but it is currently not expected to get a North American release.
Next is Knights in the Nightmare, which is probably the most beautiful and best sounding DS game (see trailer), and was designed by one of the most innovative development teams in the world. KitN combines the depth of a strategy game, the character advancement of an RPG, and the frantic dodging of a bullet-hell shooter to create a deep and replayable gaming experience unlike anything else on the market.
KitN is played solely with the stylus where the player controls a flying wisp that animates knights to attack, recruits knights, collects items, brings weapons to the knights, dodges enemy fire, and switches between a Law and Chaos world. It's a lot of things to keep track of and it all happens in real time. The game's biggest drawback is it's complexity which is also it's greatest strength. The steep learning curve will turn away some people, but it will also provide rewards as players continuously learn new subtleties to the gameplay and strategy. The battles are tied together with a non-linear story that is fairly difficult to follow on the first playthrough. Yes, even the story is complicated.
If you're getting tired of sequels and retreads of the same ideas, Knights in the Nightmare might just be new experience you are looking for.
I rarely talk about video games without mentioning Shin Megami Tensei, so Devil Survivor is my next topic. Devil Survivor is a spinoff of the Shin Megami Tensei series that bring's SMT's impressive bestiary, demon fusion, and character customization into the world of grid-based tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics.
The story revolves around the protagonist and his friends receiving COMPs (looks like a Nintendo DS) shortly before the government locks down all of Tokyo. It turns out that the COMPs have been modified with the ability to summon demons and receive e-mails that predict the future. Using this power and information, they are fighting to survive a catastrophe that will happen in seven days. Complicating things are government agents, a mysterious religious cult, an escaped vampire, thugs who also got their hands on modified COMPs, a war for the demonic throne, and a vast assortment of characters who all have their own problems.
There is a lot of player choice in this game, especially further in. The game progresses in half-hour increments with discussions and storyline battles advancing time, and there is not enough time to do everything. The battles also tend to offer a choice of objectives for the player which can impact how the story unfolds leading to one of six possible endings.
The combat system is a unique blend of grid-based movement and classic menu-driven RPG combat infused with SMT's weakness and extra turn systems. It works quite well, but I don't have room to explain it beyond saying that there is a pleasantly large amount of strategic depth and decision making all points in combat. The game also offers Free Battles which don't advance the clock for people who want or need to level grind a bit.
Check out the trailer to get a feel for the game's mood and visuals. This is, in my opinion, the best tactical RPG on the DS.
Continuing the trend of hybrid game designs, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzing Adventure mixes a classic platformer with a match-three puzzle game like Yoshi's Cookie or Planet Puzzle League. However, the two games are kept mostly separate on the two screens of the Nintendo DS, but actions in one game affect the other. It's fun and it's under $20 if not on clearance.
Space Invaders Extreme 2 is the last game I am going to mention. It's new and I do not have it yet, but the first one was fantastic and by all accounts, the sequel is even better. This game is for people who want highly replayable arcade action. Moving, dodging, shooting, collecting power ups, etc. Online leaderboards, multiplayer, multiple courses through the game, puzzle-like elements in the alien formations, and a scoring system with some depth to it provide lots of incentives to continue playing and learning new things.
This one needs two trailers:
Trailer One
Trailer Two
Lastly, I just want to say that Yūzō Koshiro, perhaps the most celebrated classic game music composer, is doing fantastic work on Etrian Odyssey 3. Just listening makes me feel like it's 1993 and I'm fighting monsters in a dungeon. Japanese release is going to be in March 2010. I hope to see a US release by the end of the year, and I will definitely be buying the soundtrack and game. Keep your eyes open for this if you like classic dungeon crawls, or hunt down the first two.
I tried to keep the descriptions short to not bore people, but I'm always happy to talk about games with anybody so don't hesitate to ask if you want to know more. Beyond that, I hope you all have a great 2010.
The Bards are Singing: Welcome Home - Coheed and Cambria |
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NPR was in Marquette doing a story on the Upper Peninsula. They even came into Getzs to do an interview. They even interviewed me, but (fortunately) that material was not used.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10 |
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Prerelease tournaments always draw the biggest crowds at our humble store, and we had 40 people yesterday which I believe is a record. I think our previous best was 37 or 38. (Living in the middle of nowhere, it was probably the only prerelease within 200 miles - but maybe not. Houghton and Escanaba people don't come here anymore like they used to.)
I opened Nissa in my first pack and got excited until I failed to get any Nissa's Chosen and only got 2 elves. However, I still stuck with green because I had 3 Vines of Vasteel(?) (No, that's Thunderforce) Well, whatever it's called, it is awesome. I also had the druid that lets you play lands off the top of your library which worked awesome with the blue 4/4 elemental that bounces lands and the eel with landfall. The 5/5 shroud Sphinx, the tapper, and two of the 1/1 unblockable guys with kicker made blue an easy choice for my second color. I was also lucky enough to have the Blue/Green fetch land.
My deck was short on removal which made me weak against aggressive decks (typically black), but I still managed a 5-1 record (one was a first round bye, ugh) and took 2nd place. Unfortunately, the prizes were distributed a bit too evenly, not enough weight at the top, and I only got 8 packs. Normally, I would not complain about getting 8 packs, but that is rather low for 2nd place in a 40-man event. Previous smaller (and cheaper) events paid out higher for 2nd.
Quality, not quantity, right? After opening 6 of those 8 packs, I got Goblin Guide, 3 Fetchlands, Sorin Markov, and Day of Judgement. Amazing pulls. I knew the last two weren't going to beat that, but I opened them anyway and got the mythic Octopus and Pyromancer's Ascension. Both cards that might be fun to build around even though I doubt they'll ever be money like my first six pulls.
I enjoyed playing with the cards. Landfall is very powerful and Kicker works really well with it. Not sure what constructed decks will arise, but I expect Suicide Black / Vampire Tribal to be one of them.
Nobody at my store opened a vintage card. I'm hoping to see somebody pull one at the release event next weekend.The Bards are Singing: My Internal Monologue |
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I remember when I was younger and arcades still existed in my town, there would always some kid standing on a milk crate mashing buttons on a game in demonstration mode.
Passive entertainment has always been more popular than gaming. Movie theaters outlived arcades. The dvd section is bigger than the video game section at your local big-box chain department store. People don't want to engage their mind, make decisions, and overcome obstacles if somebody else will do that for them.
Some game developers noticed that movies were popular, so they started making movies that are occasionally interrupted by trivial tasks the viewer must perform. These tasks required no skill or decision making and were a tedious waste of time, but the participants trudged onward chasing the next movie sequence like a dangling carrot. Suddenly the masses were into RPGs, except minus the role-playing and the game.
They remind me of that kid in the arcade.Demeanor:  morose The Bards are Singing: My Internal Monologue |
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The Getzs bathroom is on the second floor. It is not your modern public bathroom with a solid tiled concrete floor. It's an old building with a wooden floor. Footsteps echo, and 100+ years of settling has caused gaps to appear in the intersections between walls and floors. I have waking nightmares of monstrously huge spiders crawling out of these gaps to torment me while I conduct my business upon the toilet.
Fortunately, I had not seen any spiders in the bathroom over 3 months working at Getzs, but that changed yesterday. It wasn't a monster. It wasn't even very big, but it was on the ceiling and slowly crawling towards the toilet. It would probably be above the toilet before I finished where it could potentially drop down onto my head. Unacceptable. I unbuttoned and buttoned my pants several times while debating what to do. Do I try and do my thing, hoping the spider will change course or at least obediently remain on the ceiling, or do I eliminate the threat? I eventually settled upon buttoning my pants, for the following events would be all the more ridiculous if my junk was flopping about.
First step: weaponry. The air freshener spray was gone, so I couldn't use that to stun the spider. My only option was a couple folded sheets of toilet paper.
Second step: the height test. Can I reach the ceiling? On toes, I could only touch the ceiling with the tips of one or two fingers. Too risky. I could easily miss, and the spider could crawl over the toilet paper and down my arm. I also experimented with standing on the toilet, but the angle was too awkward. I was going to have to jump.
Third step: action. I readied my weapon, got the target in my sights, took a half-step, and leapt into the air. At the apex of my jump, I lashed out with all the fury of a spider slayer and unintentionally pushed the ceiling tile upwards which assaulted my face with dust, fibers, and hard rock-like objects which clattered upon the floor as I landed with a thud.
Fourth step: outcome. I backed up in a panic, wiped the debris from my face, combed crap out of my hair, and evaluated the results of my endeavor. Ahead, I could see my folded toilet paper amidst ceiling tile crud. Further ahead, was the body of a dead spider. Success!
I cleaned up my mess, conducted the business that brought me to that room, and left wondering what people might think I was doing to make such noise. That's the third time I could be heard stomping or jumping in that room. (the other two times, I was chasing a fly) Hopefully they all just think I'm nuts and let it go at that. |
| » A Dream...? |
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A few months ago, I had a dream I intended to write down. Since I still remember it, I am going to do it now.
didleyoop didleyoop didleyoop
I was at my parents house. Nobody was around until my grandparents came to visit. They were talking about how they're going to visit my other grandmother Joan in a little while. I was quite comfortable and happy though all of this, but something was bugging me. Later, my grandfather sat down in a chair with a serious look. He didn't speak. Not a single word. Very strange for him. My grandmother was holding a piece of paper she wanted me to scan and post on the internet. I thought that was odd. She didn't really know about the internet. She insisted it was important and handed me a piece of paper.
I unfolded the paper to read what it was. As I looked down, my eyes never focused on the paper, but I realized what I was holding at the same time as I realized what was wrong with the entire scenario. It's her obituary. They're all dead. Fighting to hide the fear in my voice, I looked back up and asked the most logical question, "Grandma, why are you here?"
Blackness. Upon realizing that I was talking with dead people, I could no longer maintain the suspension of disbelief necessary to continue my dream. However, I did not wake. I merely became aware of my body, and I felt as though I was drifting away. At first, I let it happen. I thought I might slide back into my dream and see my grandparents again. They didn't come back. I began to feel as though I was drifting too far, perhaps even falling, and I decided that I need to wake up right away.
I fought, but I couldn't move or make myself awaken. It reminded me of when I was younger and thought I was being abducted by aliens. I always tried to shout my brother's name and call for help, but I couldn't speak. This was the same way. I tried to yell, "Tom! Help! Tom!", but I was paralyzed and soundless. I continued to struggle, my sense of urgency rising, until I finally heard myself whisper, "Toooommmm..."
didleyoop didleyoop didleyoop
I was awake. I was not in my old bedroom sharing a bunk bed with my brother. I was lying next to my wife who was completely oblivious to my struggle. I rolled onto my back, looked up, and became aware of a sound in my head.
The sound was like a ringing in my ears, except it was inside my brain and it wasn't a ringing. It was a high pitched tone with seemingly random blips in it. I had the distinct impression that one of those mysterious unknown portions of my brain was acting as a high-frequency receiver for data that was being sent to me from ...? I felt as though I could have taken a 3D model of my head and pointed out the exact spot where the sound was located.
I laid there for a while, and the sound continued while I pondered what may have just happened to me. Shortly after I sat up and got on with my day, the sound vanished, but the dream, or whatever it was, remained.
Jun. 15th, 2009 @ 09:55 am
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| » ICQ Number Stolen |
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My ICQ number (4008277) has been hijacked. Please remove me from the friend lists on any IM clients you may use and please disregard any messages sent by the douchebag currently using it.
Here's a story about somebody else having the same problem. Apparently it's quite common.
May. 12th, 2009 @ 11:01 am
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| » Not The Iliad |
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Saturday's tournament didn't go well. I had a tough card pool to work with and chose consistency over power. Not sure if that was a mistake or if it was just not meant to be my day.
First two rounds, I went 2-0, but I followed that with a 1-2 loss and a 0-2 loss. The third round loss was deserved. My opponent's deck was very strong with lots of good creatures, card advantage, and removal.
The fourth round loss felt like my deck was grossly underperforming, I got mana flooded game 2, and my opponent was drawing everything he needed. I got frustrated and left. **
An interesting thing about this tournament is that it was during graduation at the university, so only 14 people attended. That meant everybody got three copies of the promo card and prize payouts for top eight covered more than half of the field. I was later informed by Brad that I won two packs.
Well, with the two packs I have at home, it's enough to put together a draft set for Friday.
** Prior to the tournament, Ryan told me that playing Blue is a bad idea with the new set. He asked what I played after I lost the fourth round, and I said "blue." He started giving me this look, so I said, "that's not why I lost."
His response was, "Well, I'm sure it contributed to it." I really didn't feel like listening to "I told you so," and I left.
I also hear Brad won. Congratulations.
Sunday, I went to my first auction. I was hoping to win a bed because ours is a piece of junk, but the bidding went nuts on both of them.
While looking at the beds, another item caught my eye. A box containing two Magnavox Odyssey 2 game consoles (1978-1984) and 32 games. I had an Atari 2600 during that console generation and I was always curious about the other systems, so I decided to place a bid. I got it for $10. I probably could have gotten it for less, but I still think it was a decent deal.
7 of the games were duplicates, so we got 25 unique games. Famous classics like Football!, UFO!, and Thunderball!. Yes, most of the game titles end with an exclamation point. One AC adapter was bad and one console had it's TV connection cable's end ripped off, but the other one had it's old antenna connector replaced with a sloppily attached RF switch connector. I plugged that one into an NES RF switch and got it to play. Signal was very fuzzy though.
Not sure if the RF switch was bad (we have a bad one, I just grabbed the first one I found) the poorly attached cable end was bad, or if the console was going bad. The games we tried out all played without a hitch anyway.
The other console looked to be in better condition aside from the TV connection cable being cut. I just needed to find a way to hook it to a television that's not from the 1970s. Google to the rescue!
Modify an Odyssey 2 to output composite video (aka, RCA jacks) Yeah, that's what I need, and it sounds very easy.
As with anything geeky like this, I read a lot about it:
History and tons of info about the Odyssey 2
How to program for the Odyssey 2
How to Build an Odyssey 2 Cart Reader
Odyssey 2 Emulator
How to make an Odyssey 2 cartridge
A Site that Manufactures and sells homebrew Odyssey 2 games
If you know me, you know that these links make me want to write a game for the Odyssey 2.
May. 5th, 2009 @ 01:01 pm
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| » Devil Survivor Preview |
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Devil Survivor Preview (Nintendo DS game)
Good article with a quick explanation of the various game systems and a bit about the flavor and story. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but this looks like it will be the best gamer's RPG ever made for the Nintendo DS.
There are several different systems at play here - the tactical map and it's associated team building, traditional RPG combat which uses the SMT weakness exploit system, demon bidding, management, and fusion, and each of these systems should have enough depth to provide lots of room for experimentation and replayability.
Not mentioned in the article is the branching story with six different endings. Every Japanese review and every US preview for this game has been very positive. Anybody who only has time to play one portable RPG in a year (like me), should seriously consider this one.
Got through another week of work. If seemed to go by rather quickly. Went 4-1 in a booster draft tonight which was good enough for second place. Lately, I've been having a string of tournaments with exactly 1 match loss. While it's good to be consistent and keep placing, it's a bit frustrating that I haven't been able to go undefeated lately. I tend to make horrible mistakes in the final round each week.
I'm looking forward to the release event tomorrow. I heard the prizes will be pretty big. I hope I can have another solid finish. Going to sleep now, hopefully that will cut down on the stupid mistakes tomorrow.
May. 2nd, 2009 @ 12:46 am
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| » Free Computer Game! |
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Space Phallus, available for Windows, Mac OS X (Intel), and Linux:
http://www.charliesgames.com/wordpress/?page_id=65
If only they had used their development skills for good instead of evil.
Apr. 27th, 2009 @ 09:28 am
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| » Tempest Prerelease |
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I haven't updated since starting my new job.
I am a web developer for a clothing store called Getzs. I work until 6:00pm Monday - Thursday, and take off a few hours earlier on Fridays so I can relax a bit before Friday Night Magic. I've been there for about two months and I am happy. Compared to my previous job, my work is more in line with what I studied at NMU. The atmosphere is also far more relaxed.
The only real drawback is that I get home from work over an hour later than usual, so my evenings feel short. That's not a complaint, just something I've been adjusting to.
Almost a year ago, Deb and I received our economic stimulus check. This is what I bought with my portion. I know most of my friends have already played it, but I hadn't actually posted about it yet. This is largely due to me only recently finding space to host images online. I could write a lot about my machine, but I'll save that for a separate post that can easily be skipped by the 27 out of 30 readers who aren't interested.
Needless to say, if you like pinball and haven't played it yet, you don't visit often enough.
I saw The Tempest this weekend and it was quite enjoyable. I'm not one for numerically ranking things I like, but it was certainly among the best plays I've seen at Forest Roberts Theater. Deb and I have had season passes there for several years, and hopefully we'll continue to do that.
While I enjoyed The Tempest, the price of admission was high. I mean, we still claim to be students and get in cheap, but I reluctantly decided to skip the Magic: the Gathering prerelease tournament for Alara Reborn because the play was on the same day. I had been looking forward to it all month and realized the scheduling conflict a few weeks ago.
I was hopeful that I could finish the tournament and still have time for the play, but when I arrived at the tournament the crowd was larger than 32 people which required a sixth round. The tournament also failed to start on time and appeared as if it would run slow. The chances of finishing before the play dropped to zero, the pre-release card didn't interest me, and they were making a change to the pack distribution that I was opposed to.
I did what seemed logical. I asked to move my pre-paid registration to the Release event happening next weekend and I went home. Why pay $25 for a tournament that I cannot finish? I have a job again, but I'm still not in a financial position where I can spend $25 on just part of a tournament. Why start something that will only end in misery? It seemed better to walk away than to leave in the middle.
I thought I made the right choice, but I was seriously upset about missing the tournament. Saturday afternoon was absolutely miserable. Now it's Sunday night. As much as I like my job, I feel as if I spent the past week working for nothing, and I don't like the idea of having to work for another week before I get to play in the Release Event.
How can I feel so bad about making the right choice? Was I wrong? In hindsight, I should have gotten the tickets re-assigned to a different night, but that brings it's own set of complications. Ah well.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a short journal entry. Look what happened. Bye.
Apr. 26th, 2009 @ 11:25 pm
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| » Happiness in Slavery |
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In 2008, my income was spent on the following things:
33% on rent, student loans, and other monthly bills
25% on health insurance and other health-related things
20% on income tax and other automatic deductions
15% on fuel, car insurance, and vehicle maintenance
8% on food (but not eating out)
4% on clothing
That means the remaining 5% was left for me to enjoy. Seems like a lot of work to only get a little bit of spending money. It also proves to me that my spending on hobbies is not the reason I cannot make the down payment on a house. I simply do not make enough money to take that leap.
My entire savings consists of a few hundred dollars. I finished 2008 with less money than when I started. To make matters worse, we owe almost $1000 on our federal income taxes. And no, we don't have that much money.
On the bright side, I will be working soon. I accepted a permanent and full-time Web Developer position at Getzs. It is in town, so my vehicle expenses will be lower. It offers no benefits, so I won't be spending thousands on a company insurance policy. It pays as much in a year as my previous job, but I'll actually have to work the full year to get it. None of this seasonal layoff stuff.
Overall, I'm happy. I believe Getzs will be a great place to work. I'd like to thank everybody who offered me advice and/or well wishes. Thank you.
I'm not going to be rich and I'll still be living check to check, but I will have the spending money to continue pursuing my hobbies. At least I can maintain my current lifestyle. I'm quite fortunate. I know things are pretty ugly in a lot of communities. Factories closing. No jobs available. That being so, I cannot complain about taking a step sideways. Especially if it may ultimately allow me to take many steps forward that were not available before.
The future looks good.
Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 06:34 pm
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| » Can Your DS Do That? |
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Although it was already leaked, it's nice to see further confirmation that Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is coming to the US.
Click this for a preview of the upcoming Nintendo Power article.
I believe this is the first serious Shin Megami Tensei title on a Nintendo console to get a US release. I say serious because I don't really count games like Jack Bros for Virtual Boy or DemiKids for GBA. I mean, technically they are part of the franchise, but they're clearly aimed at a different audience.
I'm going to move lots of snow and then get ready for my meeting.
Feb. 3rd, 2009 @ 10:43 am
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