Retro Gaming Gabbing - (Part 1)

Last week I became aware of a gift box site called Man Crates from a friend. Apparently they sell gift boxes sent in crates, and of course, need to be opened with a crowbar. At first I thought that he was just kidding, that perhaps it was a riff on the Loot Crates idea. But then I checked it out and was rather taken aback to say the least.

You can check out a link to their gifts for men page here.

I have to say that upon viewing their site I was hooked by the humour and shocking range of sets (I'm not sure eclectic covers this place). Two boxes stood out to me. Firstly, the zombie crates which seem to all feature some rather intimidating knives. But mainly their retro gaming crates, which would be like mana from heaven for a geek like me.

As soon as I spied the cartridge of Duck Hunt in a crate package I immediately had inspiration for this week's blog post. 

Good job they provide a crowbar, perfect for re-enacting Half Life

As I began to reflect upon my personal gaming history I realised it wasn’t just a hobby. Gaming is something that has helped me shape the person who I am today. Some may say that this is a reason that gaming should be banned, but we will ignore that for now.

So where to begin? Well, I think it would be best to deal with it by console generation.

For those that don't know consoles can be catagorized by generations. Typically generations are when consoles that were released in neighboring years are grouped together. Usually the key console makers (companies like: Nintendo, Sony, Sega etc.) release one console per generation and aim to create a new console every ten years or so. Right now we are in the eighth generation of consoles with the likes of the X-Box One, the PS4 and arguably the Wii U.

Generation Three

Technically I wasn’t born until the fourth generation, but thanks to an older brother and a family a little behind the times my console experience predates my birth. My gaming experience from this gen was of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Sega Master System I.

Specifically I have fond memories of playing the NES around my Nan’s house. My brother and I would end the visit with an hour playing coop on the console. Unfortunately, we only had one cartridge that would work; fortunately it was a double pack: Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. An odd combination, but a lot of fun as Duck Hunt included a light gun. As you can imagine we had many arguments over who was winning and who was cheating by edging closer to the screen. 

However, one thing we united over was our hatred for the giggling dog that popped up when you missed the targets (thank you Super Smash Bros. forWii U for allowing me to enact vengeance upon the pooch finally). Super Mario Bros. was my first introduction to platforming and I still have the theme song permanently etched on my brain. We never did actually complete the game, the furthest we got was world five… out of ten!

Laugh for now, but your time will come!

The Master System was our home console and we had a few games, although I don’t remember any. I think the reason I don’t remember that many is because I rarely played anything other than Sonic the Hedgehog. As such I actually finished this one.

Once again I found myself bounding with my family through gaming and not just my brother. My Mum too got involved in this game and actually spent more time playing it than I did. She didn’t make it past world two; the bridge level always foxed her.

Suffice to say that despite not being born when this generation was active I have strong memories of the consoles that make it. 

Generation Four

I don't have much experience with this generation. We did have a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) at home, but I don't really remember playing it too much. It was my brothers console really, and we only played a few titles together like Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country. This generation passed me by somewhat and I do regret missing out on some genuinely good titles. I especially regret never owning a Sega MegaDrive.

Image courtesy of the Old Computer.

I hadn't realised when I began this post that I would have so much to talk about in such early generations. To help this I will end this post here and carry on the generation reflection in next week's post. Be sure to check back in a weeks time.

Also I want to hear your gaming history, let me know in the comments section below as always.


Man Crate image from ManCrate.com, Duck Hunt image from IGN,

Lucy Film Review

I wasn't quite sure how to feel whilst watching a Korean man knee-slide down a hallway as he fired a Bazooka: scared, confused, patronised and maybe even a little bit violated. Watching Lucy was a complex experience to say the least.

Note: This review is spoiler-free.

Lucy is a science-fiction action film from the director Luc Besson, best known for the more down-to-earth Taken films (which if anymore sequels are made should probably be known as 'Returned' by about now). It stars Black Widow Scarlett Johansson as the titular Lucy, a woman bestowed with accelerated evolution after her stint as a drug mule goes awry. As the film went on, I wished she had stayed as a drugs mule and not as a symbol for brain power recruitment initiatives.

After viewing a trailer I was interested by the premise. Yes, the overused line of 'humans only use 10% of their brains' was the key theme (which I know is a false fact as we use pretty much 100% of our grey matter), but it looked like a solid action film. Also, one with a strong female lead. Unfortunately, this pseudo-science theme was expelled horrendously and in a way that defied its own logic. I will state that it is fine playing with our concept of science in fiction, but a writer should know their story's science on a level that stays consistent.


The beginning gave me hope; the opening scene where Johansson becomes a drugs mule against her will is intense. It set up a great conflict/revenge plotline. Yet, from this promising idea, I was whisked away to Morgan Freeman delivering a lecture on the possibilities of expanding the human brain capacity. At this point the film took a nose-dive.

The lecture was, in my opinion, a heavy-handed way of explaining the film's premise, and outlined where the story would go. How fortunate to give the audience the different brain capacities one might go through in a particular set of circumstances where their mind evolved (a plant and payoff trope if I have ever seen one). Luckier still that the main character passed through these stages before reaching the theoretical 100%.

Acting wise, I would like to applaud Johansson for her performance in this film. Her character evolves into an emotionless being, and as such Johansson had a difficult task ahead. Playing a character with complex emotions can result in two outcomes: a) the actor/actress takes this as an excuse to phone it in and the complex character becomes monotone, or b) despite playing it in a monotone voice the actor/actress delivers a multi-layered character regardless. Johansson manages point b and Lucy actually becomes a fully-fleshed person despite her bland personality.

On the other hand, I was rather unimpressed with Freeman who seemed to play his usual type of character. He said things slowly whilst sounding sincere, so that everything he said sounded meaningful. Unfortunately for him, what he said wasn't too meaningful. I think it could have been swapped for his narration in March of the Penguins, and his character would have been just as useful. The issue I had with his character was his point within the plot. As Lucy became godlike, I began to question why she would need his help. After all, she had already read all of his research.

The Simpsons can get away with it, because its The Simpsons.
Enough said.

Lastly, Amir Waked delivers a rather out of place character that serves as a perpetually confused witness to Lucy's actions. Once again I don't understand why Lucy needs him, the reason given is a reminder of humanity. But as she is a being above emotion and of heightened brain function, I don't really buy this. Instead, I believe he is the remnants of a romantic side story which was forgotten.

Lucy has a interesting idea for an action film, a traditional approach for a revenge flick, but with a female lead and super powers thrown in. Unfortunately, the film misunderstood its own logic and went over the top. I would say it jumped the shark, but even that wouldn't cover fist-bumping the first monkey to evolve. This monkey is also named Lucy, I see what you did there film!


Film poster from Allocine, Simpsons image from TVTropes.

Fantasy Life

It appears that video game obsession with me is like waiting for a bus. You can't engage with one game deeply for a few years and then three come along in a short time; and suck all time you have for anything else. This time the game that is dragging me away from  my life is Fantasy Life on the 3DS.

Don't worry I won't be giving any spoilers away, so read ahead.

It came as no surprise to me that I became a little engrossed in Fantasy Life. The game comes from developers Level 5 who have hooked me in with little resistance on many occasions. I have been an avid fan of their Professor Layton series and last year I spent more time playing Ni No Kuni than I care to admit. There is something about the innocent cartoon-like art style that conceals deep game play and a deeper story line still.

This game is no exception, and the world is as colourful as ever. Lush green fields, luminous caverns and vibrant towns are all a pleasure to explore. There are times when I just find myself strolling around the field just because it is quite relaxing. Except when set upon by wolves, or having to sneak past the Nap Dragon; who despite always sleeping terrifies me.

Gameplay wise it is an RPG combined with a life simulator game. Imagine if Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy had a child, or if Skyrim was colourful and less adult. For those of you who those references bypassed. It is a game where you can live a peaceful town-based existence, buying a home, filling it with furniture and generally living a simple existance (Animal Crossing). But, to earn your money for this you go out adventuring, exploring dungeons and slaying beasts (Skyrim style).

Fantasy Life's main unique selling point is it's life license system. Where most games will give you a choice of the type of person you want to be: warrior, mage, farmer etc. Fantasy Life allows you to chop and change your life on a whim through exchanging your license. Your lives soon become intertwined, as a warrior you need armour so you become a blacksmith. Then you need ore for that armour, so off to mine you go. But wait, those swords also have wooden hilts, and wood chopper becomes necessary. It could be easy for you to pick two lives and then not try others, but Fantasy Life makes it rather integral, and enjoyable, to play many at once.

Not that you can't pick one life and stick to it. Yeah you may need armour, ore etc. but you can just buy them from merchants. You miss out on some great gameplay doing this though. Fantasy Life then attracts a minor annoyance with this too. When you begin a new life you need to go through a tutorial mission for that life. Which wouldn't be a problem, except they all follow the same pattern. Talk to Guild-master, go see a previous student, fulfill a certain request and then be on your merry way. After completing two or so it becomes rather repetitive. Thankfully it gives you the option to bypass these and doesn't penalise you for doing so.

Fantasy Life is an amazingly deep game. I have sunk almost fifteen hours into it already, and have barely scratched the surface. I have tried five of the twelve, or so lives. Exploration wise I have only unlocked the main town and it's adjacent field. The reason for this lack of progress is quite simply because I can't help re-exploring every area to ensure I uncover every secret; sometimes even twice.

The only downside I have found with Fantasy Life so far, apart from being a time-sponge, is that it does end up being killing small animals and harvesting natural resources. I don't exactly feel like the great guy all the towns folk are praising me as.


Fantasy Life box-art from Kotaku, Game-play image from Nintendo, Pretty field image from Hardcoregamer.