Inspirational Blogger Tag Challenge

I have been nominated to list seven facts about myself  by Amy-Elize Brown. This is part of the Inspiring Blogger Award, and I’m honoured that she thought of me. Please check out her awesome, and equally as inspiring, blog: Asleep in the Woods.

Like her, I have done a seven facts post before. If you do want to see seven little known facts then check out my previous post: Here. To do something a little different, I thought I would reflect upon seven video game developers who have made a good impression on me.

Traveler's Tales
Many of you may know Traveller’s Tales (TT) for their work on the Lego games series. Before they were releasing Lego games in a range of franchises, they developed some great games like Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex (the best Crash Bandicoot game in my opinion). But it was a game preceding this that left an impact on me. The video game adaptations of A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2 were some of my earliest forays into gaming. In fact, A Bug’s Life is one of the only games that I collected the hidden items out of enjoyment, and not for achievement/trophy. Whether you love or hate the Lego games you have to admire the franchise. Especially considering they still update their Lego game's mechanics, even after establishing a working formula.

Valve

This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as Valve corporation pretty much feature on many gamer's admiration list. With a backlog of impressive series like: Half Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal and Team Fortress, it is easy to understand why. Each game is iconic in its own right, and have attracted cult followings. The only criticism I have, and many will agree, is that the studio seems to have a dislike for the number three (Half Life2: Episode 2? – why not just call it Half Life Three?-), and we are still waiting for some of those much needed final acts (Half Life!)

Bioware

They are one of the best in the gaming business at storytelling. No other games developer spring to mind who have been able to complete a whole trilogy without it feelling stale or repetitive by the end. Yet with the Mass Effect trilogy, Bioware managed to keep me hooked throughout. Each game has a strong story that stands alone. I’m sure some people will disagree with me on that one, especially regarding Mass Effect 3’s ending. Another reason I respect Bioware’s storytelling is due to Dragon Age: Origins, which has been one of the only fantasy worlds to draw me in; and very effectively too. By the end of the game I was left shaken as I had to leave the world and its people behind.

Rare Ware

I have already mentioned that Traveller’s Tales had an effect on my childhood, but they weren’t the only ones. I grew up playing the N64, and as such experienced the golden age of Rare Ware. I have talked about many of their games before, and if you want to hear more about them check out this post Here. But suffice to say, the studio brought us games like Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing and Goldeneye. These are some of the games that people think of when they think of great retro gaming.

Rare Ware's pre-Microsoft days... sigh.

Nintendo

This one shouldn’t come as much surprise to regular readers of my blog. What may surprise some of you is that Nintendo actually began their gaming career with playing cards. Thankfully, they went a bit more high-tech and produced some of the greatest video games. Without the grandparent of gaming we wouldn’t have critically acclaimed series like Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby,or even my beloved Legend of Zelda. Despite what some people may say about Nintendo they are still going strong, and will hopefully keep providing us with amazing games.

The Behemoth

Image from Giant Bomb

From one of gaming’s giants, to an indie developer. It’s hard to create a 3D game that can hook someone into its world, but it’s harder still for a 2D game to create the same sense of immersion. Yet, immersed I was in the world of Castle Crashers. A game that was a simple side-scroller with a plot that was at most: Go save the king. But, there was enough collectables, unlockable and hidden features to keep me hooked. Their other game, Alien Hominid, was just as simple and still had more re-play value then most modern AAA games.

Rocksteady
Game developers attempts at superhero games are fraught with bad memories. Very few decent games have been made based on comic book characters, Spiderman on the PS one was the last good effort. Before Rocksteady entered the arena. Rocksteady have managed it twice, and hopefully will achieve a hat-trick. Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, are not just great superhero games, but great games full stop. Before anyone mutters: What about Arkham Origins? Well that was a low point (still good compared to many AAA titles), but made by another developer. I have every faith that Batman: Arkham Knight will be a fitting conclusion. Even if I do have to wait some time to get a PS4 in order to play it.

So there you have it, my top seven video game developers who I admire. You may not agree with me, but let me know why in the comments section.

Also, another thank you to Amy for tagging me. She certainly deserved the inspiring blogger tag before me, as she was one of my blogging inspirations.

I would like to nominate David Owen as my inspirational blogger/author. David is a graduate from university (University of Winchester), and has gone on to become a published author. Plus he is a video games journalist and has written for IGN; which basically makes him a god.

Thankfully, he accepted the tag and posted seven facts about himself here.

Rare Ware image from DragonBorn9617

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,

What a gamer wants.

Like many gamers, I have an ever-increasing list of announcements that I want (read as need). Surprisingly, none of these is for the elusive Half Life 3; I have yet to complete Half Life 2. Also, I personally think the good people of Valve aren't quite sure what number follows two.

I thought I would post a list about what I want to see in the near future. You may not want another fan-boy wish list, but I'm going to give them to you anyway.

If by the end of this post you find yourself agreeing/disagreeing or discovering your own wishes, then please leave them in the comment section and we can banter about them there.

1. Minecraft for Wii U.                                                                                                          Just think how well the Wii U's tablet controller would lend itself to Minecraft, or for that matter Terraria. No more fiddling in inventory screens, just drag and drop, the thing touchscreens were made for.                                                                                             I'd even take a 3DS port of the pocket edition. Come on people of Nintendo and Mojang, get together; there's money to be made in this one.                                                                                    
2. Japan's Hyrule Warriors limited editions.                                                                            If you don't know about the Hyrule Warriors Treasure Box set then check out this link. I am rather envious of this limited edition, and very tempted to import it. I especially love the scarf and Tri-force alarm clock. Western special sets have yet to be announced, so I'm still holding out for a similar version to reach our shores.                                                                       
   
3. More respect for the Wii U.                                                                                               I won't rant about this one too much, for now. However, I could and have written many posts about the wasted potential of the Wii U. What annoys me isn't just the gamers who don't give it the time it deserves, developers too always seem very reluctant to give it a chance. The most recent example of this is Ubisoft, withholding a Wii U game that is ready to ship (link).                                                                                                                    
4. The end of console exclusives.                                                                                           Surely, I'm not the only one who is sick and tired of being pulled in all directions, just to play games. Why should we have to choose between missing out on exclusives, or spending money on buying multiple consoles? I know that the simple answer is to buy a PC, where the majority of games end up. But, for someone not tech savvy, PC gaming seems like a minefield.                                                                                                                          

   

   It looks cool but,
   can it play Crysis?

5. The cost.                                                                                                                          Number four leads nicely onto this one. It doesn't matter what console you pick, gaming is getting too expensive. Just a few years ago, a new release would cost about £39.99, that would only be a few days before there was some promotion making it affordable. But now, games release at around £45, and seem to hold that value. Games companies wonder why gamers buy pre-owned, it's because they are pricing themselves out of the market.

That's a few wants off my chest. I bet the moment I hit publish I will think of a dozen more.

For now, however I want to hear yours. Share them in the comments. I will reply and discuss them all, no matter how insane.

Rage image from the christian nerd, Tri-force alarm from nerdreactor, PC image from techspot.

E3 2014 - My Overview

Before I start, I’d like to issue a slight disclaimer. As mentioned in my previous E3 posts I did not go to E3 myself, and all insight I provide has come from live blogs and articles. This is not due to laziness, but living in a totally different country and not having the funds - I would love to go to E3 someday.

With that out of the way let’s take a look at my opinion on E3 2014; an event that has brought back a part of me. For the past two years I have been hesitant to call myself a gamer; I blame this in part to a rather cynical view of the console wars and the handling of the new generation. After last few years of companies showing off who has the biggest CPU, it seems we have finally got back to the games. And to be honest it’s the games that get me excited, not the boxes I play them on. So as I believe that this year focused on the games, it stands to reason that I feel a bit like my old geeky self again.

Favourite Part:

This is an easy one; my favourite part of E3 was Nintendo’s live event. Yes, it can be argued that as the Wii U is the only new gen console I own that I’m biased. But, at least I am honest about that fact. However, Nintendo’s fun and enthusiastic event couldn’t help but raise a smile in anyone who watched. It pays off too, if the creators look enthusiastic then the fans shall be as well. It’s little wonder then that Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft all seen rather procedural when their announcements can feel like a business meeting. I think this article demonstrates my point; not many executives are seen enjoying themselves so much as Shigeru Miyamoto.

To be more specific, I would say that Nintendo’s showcasing of their Amiibo concept was my highlight. I love the potential behind the idea, and as an avid collect of geeky merchandise, I can’t wait to fill my shelves with my favourite characters.

I can't help but want all of these.

Unexpectedly Impressed By:

On the other hand, I was rather impressed by both Sony’s and Microsoft’s first day conferences. Yes, they may have been a bit business like in their presentation, but they gave us a good look at some amazing games. With the competition between their machine's releases are out of the way we can finally see what they can play. In the exclusivity department I think Microsft did well; with Phantom Dust, Project Spark and Scalebound all looking rather appealing, despite not much gameplay being shown. Sony however, won in my mind with a single game, No Man's Sky - 

which if it is as it appeared, could be revolutionary. Having a genuinely new experience each time you play sounds great, and the fact that you can go from walking on land to space flight seamlessly adds a whole new level.

Disappointed by:

This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping even a small interest in E3 -  its Ubisoft. Two reasons for this: firstly, the fact that playable female characters are not being included in two of their biggest upcoming releases co-op modes (article concerning the statement is here). Both Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Unity features co-op with multiple playable characters but with no female option provided. I find it especially odd considering how Far Cry 3 and the Assassin's Creed series have had the option before.  This has been put down to time and resource constraints, which as explanations go is more offensive than the issue itself. There is a lot wrong with Ubisoft’s decision and if I'm honest it is an issue that runs throughout the industry, it will take full blog rant to cover it – look forward to that one!

The second reason is the announcement of a game that has been developed for the Wii U. But wait, surely this is good news? Well no, because Ubisoft refuse to release the game until the Wii U sells enough consoles to justify them releasing the game (article here). This came off as being a dig at Nintendo and a bit unprofessional in my mind. Why mention the game at all? I find nothing wrong with holding back a game ,if you believe it will sell better later. But, when it concerns a sensitive issue concerning another companies product, keep the reason to yourself. 

Looking forward to:

My top three games that I am hyped for are:

• No Man’s Sky
• Mario Maker
• Dragon Age:Inquisition

I also love the idea of Project Spark, however until I see some solid gameplay footage showing the kind of games we could create I will be wary of it. The concept sounds great, but seems a bit too ambitious.


Least looking forward to:

Well the yearly additions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield Hardline go without saying. I hate how both series release yearly with little to no new features being added. Yet, the game I dread has got to be Let it Die; which from what I’ve seen, looks like a murder simulator along the lines of Manhunt and Mad World. The only outcome of this game is yet another media outcry against video games. For once too I would agree as the game looks like violence for the sake of being violent.

Conclusion:

Overall I was impressed by this year’s E3 and came away feeling rather enthusiastic for being a gamer again.

What did you think? Let me know in the comment section.


E3 logo from Arkhamverse, Amiibo image from Nintendo, Assassin's creed image from Rkbwrites, Shigeru Miyamoto image from paper architect blog

Electronic Entertainments Expo 2014

In just a few short hours the Electronic Entertainments Expo (aka. E3) 2014 will be opening in Los Angeles. For those of you unaware, this is one of the biggest annual events in the gaming calendar. It runs for four days giving companies the chance to announce, show off and generally create hype for the games they have lined up for release in the year ahead. Unfortunately, as a poor student living in the UK I am unable to attend. However, I am going to keep myself updated using various live streams, and will be posting my thoughts on the announcements soon after they go live.

I am actually excited for this year's E3. The last few have passed me by as I felt little to no enthusiasm towards them, mainly because they seemed to be focused more on the consoles than the games. I was initially looking forward to the next generation console announcements, but these turned out to be a let-down in my opinion so I lost interest. To make matters worse, these events showcasing what could well be the next ten years or so of gaming seemed to be poorly organised. The PR handling and fan responses left me with a bad taste in my mouth. If I am honest I still feel disdain towards the Xbox One and the PS4. Sony and Microsoft are trying too hard to create entertainment systems with glitzy graphics, rather than fun and enjoyable games. My attention is rather captivated once more by Nintendo and a few other third party publishers who I believe are making games that are fun rather than visual spectaculars.

E3 begins with Microsoft's press conference on Monday the 9th of June at 4.30PM GMT. They will be followed by EA, Ubisoft, Sony and then Nintendo. This year I hope that because the new gaming consoles have now been released they will go back to focusing on games. I have checked their website to see what is on display and found a list with some promising titles.

A list of games confirmed to be shown at E3 can be found here.

These are the titles that are of great interest to me:

• Batman Arkham Knight
• Disney Infinity 2.0 (Childish I know, but come on. Who doesn't want to see Captain America get owned by Maleficent?)
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (The last part to yet another awesome Bioware made trilogy)
• Hyrule Warriors (The Legend of Zelda series given a Dynasty Warriors Twist)
• Kingdomhearts 2.5 and 3
• Legend of Zelda Wii U
• Mass Effect 4
• Pokemon Omega Ruby/ Alpha Saphire
• Super Smash Bros. Wiiu/3DS
• Warhammer 40K: The Eternal Crusade
• X (Monolith's WiiU game)

Where will Mass Effect go now Shephard's story is done?

And these are the ones that I'd like to keep an open mind for:

• Sonic Boom
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Tales From The Borderlands
• The Order: 1886
• The Evil Within

There are also some that I really don't want to see. For instance, both Halo 5 and Gears of War 4; two series that I loved, yet I think both should have ended by now. I don't want new installments as I feel that both have already had their most gripping story arcs completed. Of course, there is also Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield 5,  I loathe the fact that yet more is being added to what I believe to be already stale franchises.

I can't help but wish that Master chief
would ride his Arbiter into the sunset.

Lastly, I really hope there are some surprises in store from E3. Although due to many 'leaks' that have occurred it seems like we have a good picture of what is being showcased. This is a shame in one respect as I do like a good surprise, but at the same time discovering what is being shown has also drawn my interest. One of my biggest secret wishes is that Nintendo gives me some real hope for the future of the Wii U.

E3 can be watched live from their website Here, and a list of games being displayed is here.

What are you looking forward to from E3 2014? Let me know in the comments!

Mass Effect image from the fuse joplin, E3 logo from gadgety news, Halo image from jujukind on Tumblr