Pipes of Awakening @press-start-gamers - Tumblr Blog

Here are the cosplay references we showed earlier at the Concept to Cosplay panel!

I haven’t seen many people cosplay as Xenagos. Maybe in the next block he’s in...oh, wait! You killed him off after one block, and in doing so you’ve promised that you’ll never use him again. Whoops!

This puppet's role has just ended....sort of

Greetings. If you're reading this, you've probably noticed that I haven't posted anything in ages. Unfortunately, my life just got way too busy. But that doesn't mean I don't want to write about video games anymore. On the contrary, I recently decided that I wanted to take the next step in my "career" as a video game blogger. This meant writing for a more professional blog, with a team of writers and editors. I sent out a lot of applications, but responses were slow; after all, there are a lot of people who want to be bloggers.

Fortunately, though, I did find a position. I'm the (second) newest writer at That VideoGame Blog (thatvideogameblog.com). From now on, this is where you'll find my reviews and news posts. I'm excited to be working with such a great team, and I encourage everyone to check it out.

So, what happens to Pipes of Awakening? Well, my position at TVGB is currently focused on writing news posts and reviews. I won't be writing editorials there (of course, since I'm not an editor). I also can't announce my Twitch streams over there. So, on the occasions when I feel the need to post those things, I will post them here.

To leave you, I'll do one of those things. Tomorrow night at 6:00 PM I will be streaming Sunset Overdrive at http://www.twitch.tv/pipesofawakening for you. And hey, you can even find my review of that game at thatvideogameblog.com!

Play With PoA: Forza 5

If you missed my live stream of Forza 5 yesterday (because I didn't announce it here), check it out now: http://www.twitch.tv/pipesofawakening/b/511175462

In this video I go over some of my favorite car designs and review two cars: the Ford F-150 Raptor and the Mitsubishi GTO (aka the Mitsubishi 3000GT). Remember to log on tonight at 10 PM Central (about 3 hours from now) to see my live review of Strider!

Still Alive and Live Review

My new job is keeping me busy, but rest assured we are still rolling. Expect regular weekly updates to start back up this weekend. My first live review ended up being a total failure, so I'm re-doing it this Saturday night (tomorrow night) at 10 PM. Go to http://www.twitch.tv/pipesofawakening tomorrow night at 10 to see my live review of Strider on the Xbox One!

Announcing: Play with PoA

I'll have my Tropical Freeze review up in the next couple days, but for now I wanted to announce my new Let's Play series. Hack Attack will be part of the new series, but more importantly, I will be able to live stream games from the Xbox One starting next month. I'm saving my reviews of Strider and any other Xbox One software for live stream reviews.

Video Games at the Chicago Auto Show

Because I've been playing so much Forza Motorsport 5 lately, and because that has led me to watch a lot of Top Gear, I've been really into cars lately. As it happens, this period of car interest coincided with the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. Obviously, I had to check it out. Despite the Forza influence, though, this doesn't have much to do with video games...or so I thought. As it turned out, the auto show had a lot to do with video games. I wanted to take a camera and make a show video like more successful blogs do at E3, but I didn't get a chance to go a second time. Instead, I will try to convey this in text and other people's pictures.

Honda and Forza

Honda gave the Forza community a challenge: design a cool livery for the new 2014 Honda Civic Si with the tool in Forza Horizon. I don't know for sure what the guidelines were, but I do know that the winning design was revealed at the Chicago Auto Show. The Civic Si and two other Honda cars also became available as free DLC for Forza 5 around the same time. The design looks like this:

As part of this relationship, Honda also had Forza 5 demo stations set up in their area of the show, so people could get a virtual test drive of the new car. The design is pretty cool, and the virtual test drive idea is quite clever. This was also my first chance to play Forza with a steering wheel controller and...it didn't go so well.

Toyota and Gran Turismo

I believe it was at the Detroit Auto Show that Toyota revealed the FT-1 concept car.

Being a concept it isn't actually driveable, but that didn't stop them from putting a fantasy driveable version in Gran Turismo 6. The car made an appearance at the Chicago show, with Gran Turismo 6 in tow. As with Honda, the demo stations had quite long lines. It is rather more impressive than the car Forza was showing off, isn't it? But, less customized, so there you go.

Toyota's F1 Simulator

Toyota had more than just Gran Turismo to keep the kids busy. They also had an F1-based game. The screen was inside an oversized racing helmet and made use of stationary 3D glasses. It was cool, but I honestly don't know what game it was. If anyone knows, please tell me.

Forza Comes to Life

Forza 5 lets you look at every detail of a car, top to bottom, inside and outside. So I was very excited at the show to see some of my favorite Forza cars in real life. Fortunately, though super cars aren't really the point of the auto show, there were a few. There was an Aston Martin Vanquish, a Ferrari California, a McLaren MP4-12C, a Lamborghini Aventador, and oh yeah, the always popular Bugatti Veyron. Outside of the Vanquish, which stars in my favorite Bond movie, I had never heard of these cars before Forza. Now, seeing them was a dream come true. They really are impressive machines. The lines are striking, the interiors are luxurious, and the cars are so valuable that they were behind ropes.

Games Come to Cars

Forza and Gran Turismo do a great job of bringing cars to video games. It's very difficult, though, to bring video games to cars. I don't mean bringing a 3DS along on a road trip; I mean taking what video games add to the car world and bringing them back to real cars. It looks, though, like Toyota wants to try.

First, a brief explanation of concept cars. In my experience, there are three types of concept cars. There are versions of real cars (or new designs reminiscent thereof) with experimental features and designs, if you want to be basic. Next, there are the theoretical designs meant to look cool and harness potential future design ideas (like the FT-1 up there). And finally, you have the concept cars that will never ever come to life in any way shape or form; these are basically the company pulling ideas out of its rear. To that end, I present the Toyota FV2:

What we have here is a car with no steering wheel, no pedals, no instruments, no mirrors, and only three wheels. The idea is that you control the car by moving your body around. It is also meant to understand and react to the driver's habits; the idea is to increase the relationship between the driver and the car. The "windshield" such as it is features an augmented reality screen, displaying your speed and the like over the road. This is, of course, just like in a video game. Not only that, everything but the windshield and the tires has little lights behind it. That means you can change the color and design of the car at will. It's a crazy concept that will likely never get made, but it is a cool idea.

Stryker Green

This final part has nothing to do with video games at all, but it is the only car I intentionally went back to see multiple times. So far I've shown you three red cars and one that can be whatever color you want. This one is a bit different.

This is the 2014 SRT Viper in a limited edition color called Stryker Green. The picture doesn't show just how striking (no pun intended) the paint job is. I've always loved Vipers, and this one looks simply amazing. This is just a cool car in a cool color.

So, that's my report from the auto show. Expect a full video report from C2E2. In the meantime, what kind of car would you like to drive?

First Impressions: Titanfall (Beta)

Sorry that I haven't been too consistent lately; I'm at sort of a strange place in my life right now. But don't worry about that; let's talk about video games instead. One of the big winners of last year's E3 was Titanfall, a multiplayer-only FPS exclusive to Microsoft platforms. Made by a lot of the people behind Call of Duty, it was an instant hit. The game involves combat not just on foot, but also in giant mechs called Titans. The Titans are dropped from the sky in a process called "Titanfall," hence the name. I was on the fence about this game; it seems really fun, the Titans are awesome, and the graphics are top notch. However, it is online-only, and I usually stay away from online multiplayer. The lack of sophisticated matchmaking means new players end up fighting against people who have dedicated their lives to the game, and thus you don't get very far. The only way to have any fun is to put a lot of work into practicing. That's more trouble than it's worth when you have a single player mode to practice in; without that, it seemed like I'd be paying $60 to die repeatedly. Still, I really wanted to like this game, so I was anxious to try it out.

Fortunately, the game went into open beta yesterday, so I had a chance to see what it would be like. Note that I am judging only the beta; I have no idea if the full game will have the same problems. This is truly a first impression though; I played the tutorial and four matches. That last word is one I want to focus on for a moment. Though this is an online-only game, it isn't like an MMO; the game plays like the online multiplayer part of another FPS. So that's problem one: it's half a game. For some that's OK, but to me it seems like a waste. In any case, the game starts you off in the tutorial. This teaches the basic controls and reveals one notable change from other games: movement. You can double jump and run along walls in this game. It also introduces the auto-aiming Smart Pistol, the temporary invisibility (yep, this is a stealth game too), and the Titan's power to stop and throw back bullets. Other than that, it's pretty standard; the titan doesn't really control much differently from the person.

After the tutorial I felt pretty good about Titanfall; it's an FPS that adds new gameplay into the tired genre. The controls are tight, the graphics are excellent, and everything feels very polished. Plus, going around in a mech killing people is always good fun. Then, I started my first match. It was a mode called "Attrition," or in layman's terms, a team death match. As has been widely discussed, this game has 6 on 6 matches. Already I could see a problem in the lobby: being a new player, I was level 1. My teammates ranged from 1 to 5. Almost all of our opponents were at the maximum level of 14. Not that the level means much, but it does give an idea of how much experience the player has. When the match began, I got a feel for the surroundings and saw a pleasant sight: NPC enemies. This made me think that I didn't have to focus solely on the human opponents and could play it almost like a single player game. Then I got sniped. Then I respawned and got executed by an invisible enemy. Then I finally got my Titan, which was destroyed in half a second. All that wall running and shielding from the tutorial didn't help me one bit, because I would always die before I had a chance to do anything.

After this I let my friend Keith play a round. He's much more experienced with the genre than I am, and he did much better than I did. However, he still kept getting killed out of nowhere. The problem is that in an online multiplayer-only game, there is no learning curve. There are no bots to gradually make harder, no single player levels with increasing difficulty, no split screen with friends who will go easy on you to let you learn the game. In your first match, you will die again and again. None of the cool features will matter at first.

After giving this some thought, I decided to try again. This time, I followed Keith's example. I stayed back, used more appropriate weapons, and remembered my stealth options. I got one kill. In my next game, I got zero. But, I did get better. By my fourth match, I was cautious enough to actually make use of the wall runs, and even take down two enemy Titans. I still did terribly, but I got better. And that's great; I had fun, and getting better is always nice. If you're patient, it is a fun game. But this is essentially a free demo. Do I want to pay 60 dollars for this? If the full game is like the beta, the answer is no. I don't know how much practice it will take for me to be confident in my skills, but even if I can get half-decent at the game pretty quickly, it is still half a game. People complain that the campaigns in Call of Duty games are terrible, but you can bet they'd complain even more if the next game ditched the campaign and had the same price. What remains to be seen is just how Respawn will integrate single player elements into this game.

I've said a lot of bad things about this game, but I really do think it's an excellent game. If you are a fan of this sort of thing, it's excellent. Its new gameplay features and top-notch graphics let it rise above the sea of near-identical first person shooters. But if you don't have the patience for it, or it isn't your kind of game, the price is too steep. For all its changes, it is still online FPS multiplayer. Respawn has added a lot to the wheel, but they haven't reinvented it. It's hard to get into, and there isn't much to it. In the end, your first impression upon learning what Titanfall is will probably match how you feel about it when you play it. I thought, "this sounds really cool, but I hate online multiplayer, so I don't think I'd really enjoy it." And indeed, that's exactly how I felt when playing it.

Editorial: Bank on it

Two editorials in a row! You know what that means: something is annoying me. And, as always, I will do my best to explain the issue rationally. Anyway, Pokemon players reading this no doubt already know the saga of Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transporter. If you don't, let me explain. Around when Pokemon X and Y were announced, Nintendo also announced Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transporter. Pokemon Bank would give you extra storage for your Pokemon in the new games, and Pokemon Transporter would let you transfer Pokemon from the Generation V games to X and Y through Bank. These apps were marketed heavily with the games, but didn't come out at the same time. At some point the release dates were set for December 25 in Japan, and December 27 elsewhere. A bit of a pain to wait that long, but we can live with it.

But there was a problem. A few months ago, Nintendo implemented a system to let people use Nintendo Network IDs to share account balances between the 3DS and Wii U. These were necessary to download anything from the 3DS eShop. On the 25th, so many people logged on (both due to the release of Bank and people setting up their Christmas presents) that Nintendo's network went down. In response to this, the apps were pulled from the Japanese eShop and delayed elsewhere. This would be annoying enough, but it gets worse.

On January 21st, the apps returned to the eShop in Japan and other Asian countries. There was absolutely no advance notice, and no word on when it would come out elsewhere. It's at this point that I got mad at Nintendo. The apps work fine, and they can obviously be released with no problem if you don't do it on Christmas. Though they said they were "monitoring reactions," the fact remained that they could have released it worldwide at any time, but they decided not to release it or even say anything about it. This was almost two weeks ago, and we have nothing. No reason for the continued delay outside of Asia, no estimated release date, nothing at all.

Frankly I'm not even that upset about not having access to the apps. For me, it's the principle. They decided that they could release it in Asia, and that was enough. They decided to ignore the rest of their customers. With this, they have effectively stated that they only care about customers in Asia, and the rest of us can keep waiting. This is more than just a company not respecting its customers, though; that happens all the time. I like to think Nintendo is better than that, but obviously not. No, what makes this really bad is twofold. First, they lied to us. As I mentioned, the apps were heavily marketed with the games. They're a big part of the experience. Some people may not have bought it, or at least bought it cheaper second hand, if they knew they wouldn't be able to transfer over older Pokemon. I don't believe there's anyone who wouldn't buy it for the lack of Bank, but again, principle.

The second major issue is very real though: online battles. Yeah, imagine you like battling strangers online (as I'm sure some of you do). You go in only with Pokemon available in X and Y. Your opponent, meanwhile, goes in with Arceus and Genesect. You'll find that it isn't a very even field. I'm not a tournament person, so I don't know what makes one legendary Pokemon stronger than another. I do know, though, that there is a difference.

"But Jake," you might say, "you're acting as if it will never come out in the west. This is only temporary." And you might be right, but I don't think so. See, there's precedent for this. This isn't the first time a 3DS app was released in Japan, caused networks problems, and never released elsewhere despite not actually being cancelled. I draw your attention to Flipnote Studio 3D. The sequel to the original Flipnote Studio, this was released in Japan on July 24th, 2013; it was planned to be available elsewhere in August. But, due to "unexpectedly high" usage, it was delayed in other territories. And, that's the last we've heard. It's been over 5 months without a single word. It's still listed with a release date of "TBD" on the eShop. As with Bank, they assured us that there would be a release date as soon as possible. History repeats itself.

I know nobody from Nintendo is reading this, but I'll say this anyway: this time is different. You can get away with screwing people over with something like Flipnote, but you won't be able to sweep Pokemon Bank under the rug. And make no mistake, that's what's happening: they're ignoring it hoping that we'll eventually forget about it, like we did with Flipnote. Every single tweet by the Nintendo of America and Pokemon accounts has replies about Bank, and this will continue. This seemingly childish behavior must continue. Nintendo needs to know that we won't forget about this. They've had a bad year, and screwing over most of your customers does not make profits. I don't have the base of followers required to start an effective boycott, but I hope someone else does. In the meantime, all we can do is make sure they know that we're still waiting.

Something strange happened to me in Assassin's Creed IV. What do you think?

Editorial: Retro Chic

Retro games hold a special place in a gamer’s heart. Even someone too young to have played an NES in its heyday knows the classics. These are the games from which modern gaming was born, and they will always be popular. I bring up the NES in particular because it was nearly ubiquitous in the 80s. The NES launched the likes of Zelda, Mega Man, Castlevania, Metroid, and more. It also turned the Mario series into the juggernaut it is today. Have these games survived the test of time? Are they still as fun to play now as they were then? Maybe, the jury is out. But, be it quality or nostalgia, there will always be a demand for these games.

Though compilations of old games exist at least as far back as the SNES, it took a surprisingly long time for Nintendo to realize the power of these classics. I’m talking about Nintendo here for two reasons. First, they’ve been around the longest of any company that has both classic games and still makes consoles. Second, it’s the 8-bit style made famous by the NES that so many modern games try to evoke. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I think one factor in Nintendo’s realization that the classics can make money was Animal Crossing. The original had NES games you could unlock for your house, and they were playable. This was probably one of the most popular features of the game, and it led to Nintendo trying all sorts of methods for selling the classics. The Virtual Console is probably the most successful.

Where am I going with this? Well, one day somebody hit upon an idea: “what if I make a new game...but with 8-bit graphics?” Then someone else saw that, and did the same thing. Then someone else, and then someone else, and then someone else. I don’t know where it started, but I do know what brought it to the forefront: Mega Man 9. For some reason, rather than the 16 bit style of the last main Mega Man games, Capcom decided to go back to 8-bit style for this sequel. And people ate it up. Nostalgia is powerful, as is the related idea that older is always better. After that, retro-style games became all the rage. But I think we’ve reached the point where there are too many of them. Don’t believe me? Here’s what I can list off the top of my head for games that are at least partially retro-style: Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10, Hotline Miami, Super Meat Boy, Shovel Knight, DLC Quest, Retro City Rampage, Bit.Trip Runner, Final Fantasy All the Bravest, Cave Story, Organ Trail, Cthulhu Saves the World, The Room, and that one quasi-philosophical Flash game where you play as a beta character being overwritten. Fourteen might not seem like too much, but remember that I am not into the indie scene. This list also only includes fairly well-known games. Breaking from that restriction, and doing some research, we get this list of 47 games (minus the ones I already listed):

http://www.retrospiritgames.co.uk/p/pc-indie-gaming.html

This also doesn’t count remakes of classic games with modern graphics. So between the two lists we have 61 games, and that’s just scratching the surface. Playing classic style games with modern ideas or making new games that might fit well on the NES in the 80s is fine, but there’s a limit. I’m calling for the immediate cessation of indie-style games unless there is a genuinely unique idea attached to them. No more “this game plays like Mega Man” or “wouldn’t it be cool if such and such came out on the NES” kind of games. Not that I expect anyone to actually listen, mind you, but I’m calling for it nonetheless. This is just another example of indie games replacing good gameplay with ideas that seem interesting for five minutes. I’ll leave you with this: do you know what games doesn’t use 8 bit graphics? Kung Fu Rabbit.

The Top 6 Games I Played in 2013

Sorry for the delay everyone. Work has been crazy. Anyhoo, here we go.

Well, everyone else is doing it, so I might as well do it too. I was going to try to get a greater view for this list by polling people, but I ran into two problems. First, only one person responded to my post on Facebook. Second, I realized that I can't really write about games that I haven't played. Thus, I had to narrow things down a bit. Specifically, I narrowed it down to the games I've played. This means The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, and Grand Theft Auto V will not be present. Also, since this is a list based on my personal preferences, note that there will be a lot of Nintendo first party games here. As long as you're willing to look at this list as the opinion of one guy who has limited access to games compared to major publications, I think you will find it enjoyable. And if you are someone who prefers to see a list topped by those games I mentioned before, take a look at some of the games I'm listing below. You might find something you enjoy.

One last thing: these games are chosen and ranked based on how much I enjoyed them. No message or motive with these picks; I'm not trying to pick out games that transformed the medium or anything. I'm just looking for fun games.

6. Super Mario 3D World

I know, you probably thought this would be higher on the list. I did too, honestly. Don't get me wrong, this is an amazing game. It's the pinaccle of linear 3D platforming. What's linear 3D platforming? Pretty much what it sounds like. Unlike previous 3D Mario games, this one doesn't send you in with missions or anything. You just get to the end of the level, just like in 2D platformers. There are things to collect, of course, but everything is pretty much a straight line. With this subgenre, they are able to reach the holy grail of entries in a long running series: giving players something new, but also something classic. You can't please everyone; a lot of people, myself included, wanted a non-linear game. But, Nintendo knew they would get the best of both worlds here, and they took the chance. The game plays beautifully, and the co-op can be a lot of fun. Often times it's more fun when you fail than when you succeed; it can lead to some funny situations. The powerups, new and old, are a lot of fun. One thing I'm glad they changed here is that the power ups are bonuses, and not necessities. In the New Super Mario Bros. games, power ups are necessary for levels, so you get them constantly. Here, with a few exceptions, power ups do what they have since Super Mario Bros.: give you some help.

It's also worth noting that the graphics here are beautiful. The Wii U may not have the power of the newer consoles, but it can still produce some excellent visuals. The bright color palette in HD can lead to beauty not seen on Xbox or Playstation games. So, with all of this, why is the game not higher on the list? For some reason, it just didn't grab me. The rest of the games listed here are ones that I could not (or cannot) stop playing. With Mario, I can stop any time I want. I just don't want to.

5. Forza Motorsport 5

Despite what some people will tell you, the Xbox One has a great lineup at launch (as launch lineups go anyway). There's the usual multiplatform stuff, but there are also a few really top notch exclusives that drove me to the console. These are: Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct, and Forza 5. I'm actually not into simulation racing games really; this is my first one. I chose this as my first game for the Xbox One for two reasons. First, it does the best job of showing off the console's power. Second, I knew the day after I got the system I would have family over, and I couldn't play Dead Rising in front of my little cousins. So, I took a chance on a genre that never really enticed me before. And boy, does this one entice. It isn't just the driving gameplay that makes this great, though that is excellent; each car drives like it should, and reaching high speeds really feels exciting. What really clinches it, though, is how much detail they put into everything else. It may seem like there aren't a lot of cars in this game (compared to its predecessor), but consider the work that goes into each one. The exterior and interior of each car are modeled to perfection, with powerful graphics demanding that not a single stitch is out of place. Some cars even let you look at the engine, modeled in perfect detail. And of course, the customization options for your car's appearance are the best I've ever seen in a game like this.

Forza 5 somehow has managed to keep me going back to it over and over again, despite being a relatively boring type of game. As my friend Keith said, "it's just going around in circles." And if you aren't a car lover, then yes, it does feel like that. But even so, the feeling of speed and the amazing detail will make you want to become a car buff.

4. Fire Emblem Awakening

We now are in the 3DS section of the list; this and the next two games are 3DS exclusives. There's a reason the 3DS is the best selling system around, and it isn't because of the 3D. Nintendo's handhelds always manage to attract amazing game libraries, and 2013 was a good year for the portable system. Now, remember when I said I didn't like games that focus more on their story or concept than their gameplay? That doesn't mean I can't like a game more for its story than for its gameplay. I don't like strategy games, because I suck at them and I don't have the required attention span to change that. I kept everything on the easiest possible settings for this game, and still managed to lose quite often. Frankly, strategy just isn't my thing. Still, I played Fire Emblem Awakening all the way to the end and then some. Why? The story, and the characters. There are a lot of playable characters in the game, in addition to your own custom character. Each character has a personality and a history, which makes it really easy to connect with them. They can even get married and have children, who come from the future to fight alongside their parents. Yeah, the time travel angle doesn't make much sense, but it's still fun. The connection you feel to each character is astonishing.

Even if you don't like strategy, give this one a try. You'll be happy you did. The gameplay is very solid, if you are into that sort of thing. Me, I'll stick with action RPGs for the most part. This one is all about the story.

3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

This is another one that may seem like it should be higher on the list, but it is in this position for the same reason as Mario. Still, I love the Legend of Zelda series. I have a big Zelda poster up in my room, and various Zelda paraphernalia all over the place. Ocarina of Time is my favorite video game ever, and the world and gameplay of the series never fail to impress. I came into this game with a lot of excitement, and I was not disappointed, despite the lack of grabbing. LBW, as I will abbreviate it, is a sequel of sorts to A Link to the Past (hereafter known as LttP.) It has the same overworld, and similar dungeon locations. However, the dungeons are all different, so don't worry about that. If you are concerned that too much is the same, though, I can assure you that it isn't. This game mixes up a lot of the series's tropes, and it does so quite well. In previous Zelda games, each dungeon gives you a new tool that you can use to fight enemies and solve the dungeon's puzzles. You are also generally expected to visit the dungeons in order; one may require another's tool. But in LBW, this is all different. The main tool/weapons, outside of the sword and shield, are available to rent or buy almost at the beginning of the game. You have to go through the first three dungeons in order, as is customary, but the rest is totally up to you. The only waiting is the time it takes to gather rupees, so you don't have to worry about backtracking so much. If you see a bombable rock early on, mark it on the map (yay for touchscreens) and head over to the store to rent the bombs. Now, each dungeon is still based on one tool, but you will know which one you need pretty quickly.

The other major change is Link's ability to merge into walls. You get this ability after the first couple dungeons, and it really does change things a lot. There have been many situations in which I thought I was totally stuck; I had no idea how to progress. As it turned out, I just needed to merge into the wall to get around the obstacle. It opens a lot of things up, though it doesn't uproot the challenge too much. Cages and large gaps used to be a real pain though; now they are pretty simple.

2. Pokemon X and Y

We've been waiting for a 3D Pokemon game for years. Did we finally get it? Well, kind of. Movement is still on a grid, and there is usualy a semi-top down view. That said, everything is in full 3D, including the battles. Each Pokemon has a 3D model instead of sprites, which allows for much more movement and expression. We've seen Pokemon in 3D before, but not like this. The game manages to pack even more personality into each Pokemon than the Stadium-style games. This increased detail also allows the game to include Pokemon-ami, a somewhat virtual pet-like mode that lets you connect with your Pokemon like never before. As you connect, the Pokemon will do better in battle, and it really homes in on the theme that runs throughout the series. Though there are fewer new Pokemon than in any previous generation, the list is mostly excellent. While it does seem like they might be running out of ideas (two ghost trees?), each design is top notch. Trainer customization lets you separate yourself from other players for the first time, and separate you from the named characters by more than just name. In Pokemon Red I felt like I was playing as Red, no matter what I called him. Here, that is not hte case.

The game is far from perfect, but it does reach the level we've been wanting for years. Mega Evolutions even allowed them to update favorite Pokemon and some typing issues. Going online is easy, and raising Pokemon is a lot more streamlined. Any issues I've had with the series are fixed here, and it comes out as a great title.

1. Saints Row IV

If you read my review on this game, you shouldn't be surprised here. This game crams as much insanity into an open world as it can. Here's the thing though: this game has a lot of problems. The city is the same as in the last game, there is very little variation in locations, the plot is problematic, and to be frank, the DLC is terrible. But a great game doesn't have to be perfect. It needs to have enough to make you forget about all the problems, and this game certainly does. It begins with your character, the head of the Saints and the same character as in all of the previous games, destroying a bomb and becoming the President of the United States. Then aliens attack, and you end up in a Matrix-like simulation. Therein, you can do all the same things as in previous games, but you also have super powers. They allow movement very reminiscent of Prototype, along with other powers. Vehicles, both standard and crazy, are still available if you want them. Guns fit the pedigree, with the much-touted Dubstep Gun at the forefront. The characters are funny, as usual, and there is no shortage of activities.

The game may be flawed, but if I could recommend one game from this year, it would be Saints Row IV. They give you an open world and let you go crazy, with guaranteed humorous results. You can keep your Grand Theft Auto; I prefer my open worlds to be a bit more exciting.

So, that's my list. Honorable mentions include Wind Waker HD, Assassin's Creed 4, Injustice, and Dead Rising 3. Stay tuned for more year end stuff, including the worst games of the year. In the mean time, let's wait and see what 2014 has to offer.

Miniature First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIV

I will have a full First Impressions for you on this game soon, but I wanted to take a moment to share the obvious flaw in an otherwise excellent MMO. See, in WoW you fight because of your race's backstory and the war and such. In SWtOR, you fight because you want to become a powerful Sith or Jedi or whatever, bringing horror or peace to the galaxy. In DCUO, you fight to stop Braniac. In Final Fantasy XIV you fight because...hey, maybe you'll be a legendary hero some day?

The game starts you off with menial tasks, like most MMOs. But in most of them, this at least builds up to something. Here, there's no reason for it. You do something stupid now for a great reward down the line, but what is that? Someone who has played more of the game might tell me, but the fact is, a new player needs something to strive for. When I started playing as a Sith Warrior in SWtOR, I knew exactly what I wanted: the title of Darth. I don't really know what I want here, and that's the problem.

As it is, I now need to reach level 10 before I get even a class mission. Maybe I'll play long enough to see what that is.

Music Feature: The Legend of Zelda

See, I told you it was coming! I've decided that for this feature, I'm going to count down the best track from each game in the series. This won't be easy; there are a lot of good tracks, especially in games like Ocarina of Time. But, I will do my best. Note that I'm skipping the Four Swords series (which includes Minish Cap) because they don't really have any songs that jump out at me. I'm also skipping the DS games, because I never played them significantly. With that in mind, here we go!

The Legend of Zelda: Overworld Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY

Ok, I probably could have picked something more clever here. But come on, it's the original de facto Zelda theme, and it's well known throughout the world. Apparently it uses the Golden Ratio, but I'm not going to get into that. It's clearly an adventure ahead of you when this plays, and it does sound like the epic introduction that it is. It may be the obvious choice, but there is nothing better for the start of the list.

Adventures of Link: Dungeon Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a7Sh82Mzdc

When the non-traditional but relatively calm Overworld Theme transitions to this, you know things are about to get crazy. This game had insane dungeons, and this track lets you know that the bats you fought outside are the least of your worries. But, as in my last Music Feature with Victory Road, it's Super Smash Bros that brings this song to the forefront. Not Brawl though; this was used for the Temple stage in Melee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sG05PWgo4Q

Not quite the same tone as the original, but it does have an epicness to fit the stage. Apologies though; this one might get stuck in your head.

A Link to the Past: Dark World Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoLT24KcEIY

It almost sounds like the dark twin of the traditional overworld theme, doesn't it? Musically it is entirely different, but it seems like it would be the Overworld Theme in a darker game. So, it does its job well. It's also plainly an awesome track. It's actually my ringtone. Not this version mind you; this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDbJt3445CA

Jump to about 27 seconds in for where my ringtone starts. It's really fun.

Link's Awakening: Tal Tal Heights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7lbthP29IM

This one is definitely a variation of the Overworld Theme, but it has its own style. This one is totally the song itself that makes it good; there isn't any obvious connection to the location. It's just a fun song. That's about it.

Ocarina of Time: Gerudo Valley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy0aEj85ifY

My god was this a tough choice. Ocarina of Time has some of the best music in any video game, and there are so many excellent choices. This isn't surprising; a game named after a musical instrument should have some good songs. In the end though, it had to be Gerudo Valley. The track has captivated imaginations since it came out. And again, it fits the setting so freakin' well. It's got the desert vibe, a bit of loneliness, and a tribal feel. Most importantly though, this is the kind of song people will listen to outside of the game, and do so regularly. I don't know if Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto or Zelda composer Koji Kondo knew this would be such a popular track, but it really does take the cake.

Majora's Mask: Deku Palace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2foI62hzyQ8

I don't know if this song fits a palace, but it certainly fits the Deku Scrubs. They are a bit...hoppy. In any case, this is another one that gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it. It's just a really fun song, and sounds very much like something Deku Scrubs would listen to. So, it gets my vote. I only found out when researching this list that I'm not the only one who loves this song. Score one for the Deku. I have to give props to Deku Link anyway; he's the one who plays the Pipes of Awakening.

Oracle of Seasons/Ages: Horon Village

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF6-hkdvX5I

It's nice to have a village in a Zelda game that actually is and remains peaceful, isn't it? Kakariko Village in LttP was full of guards, Kakariko in OoT became the last refuge of humanity, and Castle Town in OoT became full of Redeads. Horon Village holds tight, though. The peaceful music actually continues to make sense here.

Wind Waker: Great Sea Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--OWINmR7xA

Much like the original Overworld theme, this one is clearly the backdrop for an amazing adventure. It pays its dues to the classic theme with some striking similarities, but like Hyrule Field, it's a song of its own. It's the kind of thing I'd have in my head when I go out sailing, which happened once and ended up with my girlfriend and me in the water. That's a story for another day.

Twilight Princess: Lake Hylia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9hH-3CMSg

Either this is a clever homage, or the same music always plays in Koji Kondo's head when he goes near water. Seriously, listen to that and listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOlX18SyN6s

Does anyone else hear the similarity? In any case, this is another relaxing track. It makes me want to go to the beach.

Skyward Sword: Lanayru Desert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY6bNTYDwI4

I have a confession to make: I never finished Skyward Sword. I really like it, but I had a lot going on at the time and...I just never got around to finishing it. I got this far, though, and learned something important: a great song on a soundtrack doesn't have to be great on its own right. It can also be great if it just serves to enhance the environment. The empty desert, with the remains of ancient robot monkey things, needs a song like this.

A Link Between Worlds: Hyrule Castle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL0vm359Uy4

There is very little I could put here that wouldn't be cheating; so much of the music does come from A Link to the Past. So, I decided to put my second favorite song from that game here. Honestly, I should probably have put this under Wind Waker; I think it had the best version. But, A Link Between Worlds brings back this classic track, and it sounds as good as ever. It really does fit a majestic castle taken over by evil forces, and I encourage you to listen to all three versions.

That's all for now, but I'll be back very soon with First Impressions for Assassin's Creed 4 and Final Fantasy 14. I also have reviews on the way for Dead Rising 3, Crimson Dragon, and some others. For now, I need your help determining the best games of the year. Click "Ask me anything" or find my post on Facebook to tell me what you think are the best games of 2013.

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or anything else this season, I hope you have (or had) a great holiday. I wanted to think of something Christmasy to post, but I couldn't think of anything until just now. This is a new mini-feature called "Skylanders Reviews" wherein I will briefly review Skylanders characters. Today, we are looking at the limited-release Christmas character, Jolly Bumble Blast.

Yes, he is just the normal Bumble Blast dressed up like Santa with candy cane-colored bees. However, he does come with an exclusive Santa hat to complete the effect. Also, unlike the half assed Halloween version of Eye Brawl, Jolly Bumble Blast does actually look different in the game. That is, he looks like this:

Now, this review is going to cover the normal Bumble Blast too, but it's Christmas.

Character Design

Bumble Blast is a living beehive. This, for some reason, exists. It also lets him shoot bees out of a cannon, as shown here. His voice suggests he is quite full of himself, and indeed is confident in his abilities. His official backstory says that he and his bees were attacked by Kaos because he made the best honey. Yeah, it really does sound like they're running out of ideas, doesn't it? And yet, would you have come up with a living beehive? I certainly would not. As for appearance, the normal Bumble Blast basically looks like a tree, with only the bottom jaw resembling a beehive. I really like the festive look on this guy though; while it may seem like an odd choice, somehow it fits. I also rather like that he is drooling honey such that it looks like his tongue is sticking out. Weird, but fun. Other than that...well, he's like Tree Rex but smaller and with a bee cannon. The normal version won't win any awards for creativity, but the Jolly version is quite nice.

Abilities

Skylanders is mostly a close combat-focused game. There's no aiming reticle or anything; ranged attacks are just long-range melee attacks. And when enemies pile up on you fast, not having any melee attacks can really be a problem. Bumble Blast has three primary actions: shootings bees, spitting honey, and dropping mines. The bees will swarm around enemies, especially those hit by the honey, and hit them over and over. As ranged attacks go, it is very effective; the bees do their job well. But, with no melee attacks, Bumble Blast doesn't last very long. He can shoot out a lot of bees, though, so that's useful. Still, without even a sweeping attack, he can find himself overwhelmed.

Conclusion

Do you like Skylanders? Do you like Christmas? Then look into Jolly Bumble Blast. His abilities don't really fit the game so well, but he looks cool and has a fun personality. With normal Bumble Blast, though, he doesn't look so cool; I would give him a pass. Jolly Bumble Blast gets a 3/5, and normal Bumble Blast gets a 2/5.

Hidden Bombs - Ninjabread Man

I promise, the music feature on The Legend of Zelda is coming. Usually I write these posts whenever I get a moment, and those moments often don't give me a chance to get onto YouTube. On the plus side, we are taking a break from Xbox One coverage for now. Instead, I think it's time for a new feature. These games aren't Hidden Gems, these are Hidden Bombs. There are a lot of well-known terrible games out there: E.T., Superman 64, Bomberman Act Zero, Charlie's Angels, the list goes on. This feature is for games just as bad but much less well known. Why do I think people will want to read about these games? Because they're hilariously bad. With that in mind, let's talk about Ninjabread Man.

Being the most popular and least powerful console of its generation, the Wii attracted shovelware like Pac-Man to a cherry. This means extremely cheap games sold for $10-20 in the hopes that people will see a cheap game and not wonder why it's so cheap. Shovelware is easy to spot; if it's really cheap and you've never heard of it, it's shovelware. Ninjabread Man is actually pretty adventurous for shovelware; usually it involves minigames, brain teasers, racing, shooting, or any other generic idea you can think of. It's also worth noting that it was not originally released for the Wii; there are PS2 and Windows versions as well. The PS2 is a big shovelware magnet for the same reasons. I'll be focusing on the Wii version, as that's the one I played. I still have it, actually; it's not like I could sell it.

Overview

Ninjabread Man is a hack-n-slash/platformer game in which you play as the titular cookie ninja. Ninjabread Man fights his way through a variety of colorful, candy-filled stages with his swords. Swordplay is controlled by swinging the Wii Remote, as in Twilight Princess. You have to get through the levels by collecting "power rods" to open the exit. And that's pretty much all there is to the game.

Why it Sucks

Where to begin? Let's start with the graphics. This is N64 quality, maybe early PS2 at best. The simple textures and bland designs do not fit a Wii game. If the screenshots make you think the graphics aren't that bad, they're misleading; the game really does look like a slightly polished N64 game. Next, let's talk about gameplay. You know how, in Twilight Princess, you couldn't really control how Link swung his sword? In Ninjabread Man, you can't control anything at all. Flail your arms all you want, but Ninjabread Man will only swing when he feels like it. Nothing seems to work properly. I don't know if this was a big problem originally or if they just rushed the port, but I could barely get past the first level with these controls.

I bought this game as a laugh with another terrible game. But it wasn't even worth the laugh. Let this be a lesson: if you see a cheap game you've never heard of, stay away from it. Don't let the cool name fool you.

Editorial: Ch-ch-ch-changes

As it happens, the two games that best exemplify this topic are two that I've already reviewed: Sonic Lost World and Forza 5. See, gamers are a vocal bunch, often to the detriment of everyone else's sanity. If something in a game bothers us, even if it's very minor, we complain endlessly about it online. Of course, it's never just limited to saying we're unhappy; we have to disparage the companies that develop and publish the games. It doesn't matter if we love all of their other games, or if the one issue in this game doesn't ruin the game; it's all or nothing. But these are issues I've talked about before; for all the defenses and semantic discussions on what "entitlement" means, the facts are clear: we, or at least the most vocal among us, tend to overreact. This post is about something else, though. What happens when developers see the kernel of truth in these complaints and 0 out of 5 user scores to the true issue with the game? Hopefully, they fix it in one way or another. In the infamous case of Mass Effect 3, fixing it didn't make much difference in the reaction. But by that point, I think people got so caught up in being angry that they didn't even know what they were angry about anymore. Let's look at two more recent examples; we'll identify the problem, the fix, and the reaction. Hopefully this can give us some insight into how developers fix problems, and how people react to fixes.

Our first example is Forza Motorsport 5 for the Xbox One. In my review of this game, I discussed the issue that many of the game's cars are so expensive that you can't get them very easily with in-game currency; you'll often have to resort to paying real money for it. That obviously got people very upset; Forza 5 is a full priced game, and it already has fewer cars than its predecessor. Microtransactions are never popular, even when they do make sense. For me, I wouldn't mind the option to use real money as long as the cars were decently affordable with in-game money. In this game, you don't even have to worry about it affecting multiplayer; the game isn't going to put a Ferrari against a Volkswagen. But, when the cars are so expensive that it becomes necessary, we have a problem. I noted that developer Turn 10 was working on fixing the problem, and now the repairs have been revealed. Starting this month, currency from the Forza Rewards program has been dramatically increased. Furthermore, a patch this month will cut the prices of all non-DLC cars by 45%. That's such a good fix that it almost seems like they're making it TOO easy to get all of the cars. All in all, quite a great fix, especially considering the game only came out about a month ago. How have people reacted? Well, this was just announced a few days ago. The last 3 user reviews on Metacritic, from yesterday and today, are a 0, a 1, and a 2. So either people didn't know about the change, or don't care. To make sure we're looking at people who DO know about the change, let's look at the comments on the Joystiq post announcing it:

"Awesome. I've always liked that Turn 10 listens to fan feedback and takes steps to remedy the issues, in this case, by adjusting the game's economy."

"Awesome. Live the game and have always liked the fact that Turn 10 listens and interacts with their fan base."

"This is only the first step in regaining trust. However I believe we all realize that Turn 10 had nothing to do with how the micro transactions were structured."

" People are mad because Turn 10 degraded the gameplay and removed features in order to force people towards microtransactions. Now they're at least lowering prices, so we'll see if they add the missing features in software updates."

It seemed like there were more positive comments than negative, but overall it was very mixed. Notice, though, the content of the comments. Positive comments say that the developer is fixing a mistake. Negative comments say that it was all an evil plan by Microsoft. The latter is what is known as a "conspiracy theory." I'm not saying there's nothing to suggest this being the case, but the degree of certainty these people seem to have suggests that nothing the developer could do would make them happy. Also notice that first negative comment I posted; the writer believes that his or her trust is important to Microsoft. Obviously they know that Microsoft doesn't care about what they personally think, but the idea is that this is a great travesty that they will not let pass. That is, the language makes the issue out to be bigger than it is; at least, that's my take.

Microtransactions and big companies always bring out the worst in gamers, though. Let's instead look at a game put out by a company that isn't big enough to attract conspiracy theories. Sonic: Lost World for the Wii U didn't get the best reviews. They weren't on the level of Fighter Within or anything, but they were pretty low. Reviewers, myself included, listed wonky physics and unforgiving difficulty as the main problems with the game. The game's physics can't really be changed with a patch, at least not within a reasonable time frame, but difficulty can be adjusted. And indeed, Sega announced a patch yesterday that will help with this problem. It brings back the feature of getting an extra life for every 100 rings, and gives you 10 lives instead of 5 after a game over. This will help a lot; once you get used to the controls, it's the cheap deaths and lack of extra lives that make the game challenging. Now, Metacritic won't be a good source for this one; this game wasn't plagued by unreasonable user reviews in the first place. That, in and of itself, is something to consider. Instead, let's look at some comments.

"how about they get it right the first time before releasing the game at all. Patches be damned as they give developers a safety net to rush a game to release with the option of 'fixing it' later on. Which is bullsh@t for the person who buys the game at release."

"Kudos, Sega. Now that I'm catching up on my backlog, Lost World will be next to finish."

"I swear to you the reason you couldn't get additional lives was because they were originally planning on making that extra lives preorder pack a normal dlc microtransaction."

"It's kind of sad when devs have to patch in something that has been a staple of the series (or indeed ANY platform game series) for so long. Kinda makes you wonder what they were thinking when they removed it."

"Very good news, coincidentally I was just about to get this"

Only one direct conspiracy theory here, so that's a good start. The other two negative comments, though, are pretty close to conspiracy theories. One accuses developers of being lazy, and the other seems to be leading to a conspiracy theory. So, what can we learn from this information? Only looking at two games doesn't give us nearly enough evidence to state anything definitively, but at least we can see some points emerging:

1. Regardless of the problem, bigger companies tend to get worse backlash

2. Some people who complain about the game also brush off the fixes

3. Gamers have a lot of conspiracy theories

4. Developers sometimes do understand and will fix problems

The main conclusion I pull from this is that some people will never be happy. Either they care more about "taking a stand" than actually playing the game, they have very fragile emotions, or they genuinely believe their conspiracy theories. Either way, this is a problem. I don't just mean because it's annoying, though that is still true. The bigger problem comes when developers look at these reactions. Positive comments tend to be more subtle than negative comments. There is a danger that developers will see these negative comments and decide it isn't worth fixing the game at all. This is still a new idea, so it will be a while before we can determine how significant a danger this is. Regardless, I don't think it's worth taking the chance. If you truly believe that developers will knowingly mess up a game to make more money, it follows that you believe this practice won't change. Your comments aren't going to make developers suddenly gain morals under this belief system; it's more likely that they will decide these fixes aren't profitable enough and stop making them, thus making the games worse overall. That's their belief system, here's mine. I believe video game developers and publishers are companies. I believe companies exist to make money. I believe developers entered the business because they like making video games. I believe publishers want to put out the best game possible. I believe that excessive microtransactions are bad, and that they exist to milk as much money out of a game as possible; that's what transactions are for. I believe that Sonic: Lost World was rushed. Most importantly, I believe in evidence. These fixes are evidence that the people involved do want to make good games. They show that Sega and Turn 10 realized that people were unhappy with the games, and wanted to fix them. In short, I believe that both the problems and the solutions are very real. I also believe that people complaining about things that address their complaints is evidence that the original complaints weren't sincere in the first place. That is, it seems like the fight is more important to them than the victory. Finally, I believe that there are many people like me who genuinely appreciate these fixes. Developers of the world, keep making great games, and keep fixing problems.

I am Error

Have you noticed that I'm running out of good Zelda quotes for my announcements? Anyway, I'm going on vacation, so that means there probably won't be a post this week. Or there might be; who knows? I just wanted to keep you posted.

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