I think something that would really add some life to this blog/discussion, would be if we brought more of our personal insight and experience to the table. I'm all about sharing cool things found on the information superhighway, but a majority of our posts are just links to other news sources, that generally link to some other original source. I'm not suggesting that we remain ignorant otherwise, but we all know how to link to Kotaku.
This continues on into the comments as well. Everyone was invited to participate in this blog because we all are very passionate about the subjects at hand. Our conversations in real life have been from casual, to giddy, to professional, to heated arguments. Where are those principles at work if we respond with nothing deeper than "cool link" or "awesome"?
I'm guilty as well, to be sure. I was just doing some personal reflection this morning at work, and one of the places my mind went was this blog, and how we all could take more... "personal ownership" of it. I firmly believe though, that the process begins with us all making a more personal investment in it.
That being said -
I'm on a huge single player kick, and it's a real good feeling. 3N3MY's been trying to get me going again for a long time, and I feel like I've finally found some balance in it. I'm patiently waiting until I have a good chunk of time to devote for me to start Mass Effect 2. It's not a lack of excitement, but I know how late I stayed up finishing the first one when I intended to just do a quick side quest, and I want to make sure I'm doing 2 justice when I finally start. After that, both Uncharted's are in the line-up, possibly followed up by the God of War Collection. In the middle of all that, my beautiful fiance gave me an amazing gift for my birthday, and a new pokemon game is on the way, filling up my hours at work, on my lunch breaks, or on the toilet. God bless handhelds...
I suppose as a closing thought to my rambling, I'd like to do a quick poll concerning a habit of mine I've had for quite some time, and was curious if anyone does too - who reads game manuals on the toilet? I caught 3N3MY reading the game manual for Halo:CE when we were in college, and I always thought that it was something sacred we shared about gaming, but I think I might be wrong. I gave Lead Salad the Gears of War guide to read when he went at my house on his recent visit. Who else is guilty out there?
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Cool gift. Does it work pretty well? Is the D-pad more manageable than the tiny DS one?
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of the manual-in-the-toilet habit. The best one I used to read would be WoW's, hands down, because it was gigantic and chock full of information. I'd always walk out of the bathroom knowing something different... and maybe a bit lighter.
ReplyDeleteP.S.: I just had to add that the verification word for this post was "squat".
I rarely read game magazines... maybe cuz I track most of mine online.
ReplyDeleteAnd Pokemon? I hope that was sarcasm...
Aint nothin' wrong with Pokémon.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you're 12 or younger...
ReplyDeletePIKACHU!!!! I also hate pokemon as it is just another cash cow for Nintendo, but Amateria did tell me about a neat "pedometer" that levels up your pokemon.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of reading game stuff on the toilet. All time fav is a mix between Morrowind and Oblivion guides. I still purposefully sought out becoming a vampire in Oblivion because of that guide.
Don't bash Pokemon. The idea that Pokemon is for 12-year-olds is around just because the last time you remember it was when you were 12. The game has so much nuance and fine articulation in gameplay, it's hardly a kids game. Kids like it cause it's cartoony and theirs a show built around it, but they only comprehend the gameplay through repetition. I can't think of a better social RPG out there, that encourages players to interact in real life with their games and their friends, that involves not only stat based RPG fights, but also strategy and planning out growth.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Pocket Emulator that I have works incredibly well. Everything is built onto it, so aside from getting ahold of the roms, it's ready to go out of the box. The only issue I've had so far is that the SNES emulation is sub-par, but the NES and GBA are awesome, leaving me with some amazing titles to have with me all the time. Because it's more of a computer than a game system, it supports save progress mid-run, multiple loads, button-remapping, rapid-fire, etc. Really neat thing. Probably won't replace anyone's home system at all, but reliving classics while visiting new ones, all while on the go... most satisfactory.
I turned 12 in 1990. Not sure if Pokemon was out then. All I know is that when I played it for a couple of minutes on the GBA, it felt like a kids game and reminded of my Gameboy in early high school days. And the only people I know that are into Pokemon and trading the cards and playing the games are younger than teenagers.
ReplyDeleteI still play with Legos once in a while and greatly enjoy the games. :D
I can actually say I've seen Juniper's legos (that sounds really bad)....he has a ton of them.
ReplyDeleteInteresting fact - Pokemon first came out in '96
ReplyDeleteInteresting to note (after a discussion with Mazen) that one of the only reasons Pokemon is a kids franchise in the states, is because that's where the money is able to go, due to the type of marketting we employ.
Braid too, looks like a game suitable for children, but anyone who spends more than 15 minutes with it will understand that it's anything but. Pokemon has rich, but more importantly, consistent gameplay principles at work, comparable with more "adult" RPGs, like Final Fantasy. (which at one time, was a kids' game)
Yeah, very true. Braid is a great game, very artistic. The time puzzles are pretty cool too. And I could have played one version of Pokemon that was aimed at kids. It was some fire or gold version for the GBA. It may have turned me off because it reminded me of that SNES RPG Earthbound. That was a cute game, haha.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty proud of my Lego collection. I've kept them all, still have sets I got in the early '80s. :P
Earthbound was not meant to be cute. It was a satirical representation of the current RPGs at the time, as well as American culture. The final boss is also downright terrifying.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah the graphics and stuff are cute lol.