Archive for the ‘General’ Category

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Introduction: Thomas

January 22nd, 2012 by Thomas | Comments Off | Filed in General

The first games I remember were on a computer that had an integrated surge protection unit with an anti-static contact built into the frame. I had no idea how to use a computer until at the age of six I was taught how to jump over aliens in Commander Keen and to kick Nazis in the face in Castle Wolfenstein, before stealing all of their hidden treasures. Fast forward through seventeen more years of Command and Conquers, Quakes, Dooms, Mechwarriors, Dark Forceses, and Timesplitterseses (how DO you pluralize those?) and yeah, some patterns emerge. I like first person shooters. There’s more to me than that though…maybe.

My childhood, right there.

One of my personal qualities not related to gaming is that I have a weakness for ill-advised adventures in the desert. I can still connect this back to the subject at hand as the most excited I have been about a game in a very long time was in the lead-up to Uncharted 3.

My gaming pedigree may be rich, but even so there are plenty of games that I just plain never got around to. I’ve prepared a list of some of these as a way to continue introducing myself. The list that follows is absolutely not exhaustive.

  • Shadow of the Colossus/Ico: How could I not have played these? The answer is: “somehow”
  • Final Fantasy: Not a single one.
  • Toe Jam and Earl: I played this for a few minutes once but never had an snes growing up. People seem to like it.
  • Grand Theft Auto III: What’s more surprising, this or Final Fantasy?
  • Earthbound: There must be something right about this game. I have a friend who recently marathoned through a ROM of this on his phone on a drive from South Carolina to Texas. He and his brother took turns.
  • Jet Set Radio Future: I’m just curious about this one.

I’ll end my list there for now. There’s a very good chance that gamers reading this are now frothing about how essential it is that I play one or another of these. If so, good. I chose the titles on that list specifically to illustrate my curiosity at never having experienced them. Everyone who might consider themselves a gamer has these experiences that they hold close. I still jump every time a friend’s phone goes off with that Metal Gear Solid alert sound.These games and more like them have apparently had a large impact on many people, and I hope to try to play catch-up at some point.

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Quarter Note: Nobuo Uematsu

January 14th, 2012 by stephen | Comments Off | Filed in Article, General

One of the most well known themes amongst RPG gamers is the victory theme after winning a battle in the Final Fantasy game series. As a memorable experience when taking down a tough boss or finally hitting that next level, the victory theme rings and a huge cheer erupts from the ecstatic gamer.

But what about the other themes throughout the game? What sort of emotions do you feel as you leave Rosa to travel to the Mist Cave in Final Fantasy IV? Or when an emotionally close character has to say goodbye? The music always matches perfectly thanks to Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Nobuo never thought he would be the man he is today. As a self taught pianist, his original idea was to work at a part-time music shop. Even though he had played in amateur bands and wrote music for television commercials, when a Square staff member asked him to compose music for their games, he considered it his side job! Much to his surprise, Final Fantasy would take off, and launch him into being one of the most renowned composers in video game history.

Final Fantasy VII is great and all, but Final Fantasy VIII really gave you a whole spectrum of emotion. From peaceful times at school to fierce battles with some of the baddest looking baddies, and heart wrenching sorrow, to triumphant victories, Nobuo perfectly entwines  the beautiful pieces of art that go along with the story. You could honestly close your eyes and know exactly what kind of scene was being set. Love, hate, pain, happiness, suspense, and much more.

A perfect, non-spoiling example is the Balamb Garden theme in Final Fantasy VIII. As a great piece of music to show you the peaceful days at school, it matches the calm and casual setting precisely. Just listening to the theme makes you feel like you are in that location, relaxing with the characters. Just as Nobuo does in many other Final Fantasy games, he gives your heart the right setting for this story through his music.

A quote written by one of my favorite authors;

“Remember this, son, if you forget everything else. A poet is a musician who can’t sing. Words
have to find a man’s mind before they can touch his heart, and some men’s minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.” – Patrick Rothfuss in The Name of the Wind

It tells us how music touches the heart without needing to understand. People like Nobuo allow us to constantly feel his work. Even in songs with vocals like ‘Eyes On Me’, we can feel the love coming straight from the music. Thank you Uematsu-sama, for everything that you have done for us gamers!

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LunshBreak

January 13th, 2012 by becky | Comments Off | Filed in General

We are just people who like games. We’re not receiving money for our reviews, we’re not being paid by the 9/10. We’re just here to talk about the thing we love – playing a good, solid, video game. We’re not snobs, and we don’t discriminate based on game, preferred gaming device, or genre.

We come from different backgrounds, with different writing styles and different opinions. We’re as diverse as any other group of gamers, and we wish to be open and not afraid to share our opinions and our voices.

We are passionate about what we do and what we play. We love games as much as you do.

We strive to avoid sensationalism or rumors. We’re not looking for inflammatory headlines just so we can get more hits to our website. We want to talk about games, as much as we can, and as honestly as we know how.

How we review

If there’s one thing we (and everyone) are sick of, it’s ratings from 1 to 10. They, along with shady money-type deals, almost always result in games getting no lower than a 7 out of 10. We realize that an at-a-glance review is important, but a 1 to 10 rating system is confusing and cannot capture the true essence of a game.

We’ve opted a system of 1-5 ratings for various categories for a game. A radar chart shows the ratings for each category. The categories we rate are as follows: Graphics/Aesthetics, Gameplay, Story, Fun, Controls, Replay.

Definitions:

  • Graphics/Aesthetics: How well the graphics look and how well they fit the game. Are they polished? Do they make sense? Is the UI refined and beautiful? If the graphics are not realistic, does the style of the graphics match the game?
  • Gameplay: How fluidly the game plays. This is a hard category to nail down and to experience, but when the gameplay is terrible, you definitely know it. Terribly functioning UI, characters that seem like they’re made of molasses, and glitches all dock points from this category.
  • Story: The plot of the game! If there is no plot, such as puzzle games, this category receives a 0 (zero) (as opposed to a 1, which is the worst score it can get). Does the plot make sense? Is it interesting or funny or otherwise compelling?
  • Fun: The most subjective of all categories, fun measures overall enjoyment of the game. Does it make you want to come back for more? Does it keep you engaged? Does it make you feel like you’re actually playing a game, or does it make you feel like you’re doing a chore or reading a book?
  • Controls: Whether the controls are responsive, fluid, and refined. Do the controls make sense, or are they just terrible and illogical? Do they feel right? Are they buggy?
  • Replay: Would you play the game again? Is there value in playing it again? Is the game so good that you just have to give it a replay, or is it that once you beat it, you feel like you’ve done all you want to do? Games where there are many achievements MAY be replayable but maybe not – having post-game content doesn’t give this category an automatic 5 though.

Here is the meaning of our ratings, 1 through 5:

  1. Terrible. Just really really bad. It’s nearly unplayable for whatever reason. It doesn’t feel good to play the game, just frustrating.
  2. Mediocre. It’s maybe playable but not good. Not even average. It’s actually quite bad, but at least it doesn’t make you feel like crying.
  3. Average. It’s comparable to other games of the same genre. There’s nothing outstanding about it but it’s not bad, either. It’s just okay.
  4. Great. It’s quite good. It feels fun. It looks nice. It stands out to you for whatever reason, and it helps the game rise above the rest.
  5. Outstanding. It’s amazing! Maybe one of the best in its class. It’s one of your favorite features, and you love talking about that aspect of it to your friends. It makes the game shine.

In general, though, don’t pay attention to the numbers. That’s why we don’t even display them. Pay attention to the overall visualization of the chart, and to the review itself. That’s the most important part!

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