Justin Baker

Brotherhood Rekindled - Revisiting Dark Souls

Growing up I spent more hours playing games at my friend’s house than I ever did at home. I would ride home with him after school and we would fire up whatever piece of garbage we had rented for the N64. Eventually my Mom would finally get off work and come pick me up, and as much as I would try, gaming just wasn’t the same by myself. I don’t think I’ve ever shared that with him.

Waterfield 3DS XL CitySlicker Case Review -

I’ve owned my 3DS XL since day one, and it travels everywhere with me. Unfortunately there are virtually no decent cases for it, and the ones out there are just re-purposed DSi XL cases. I stumbled across Waterfield’s 3DS XL CitySlicker case online, and deliberated over the purchase for quite some time. Fifty dollars is no small sum, and the shipping is hefty as well. Not to mention the fact that the video showing off the case on their website is for the old case that fit the original 3DS. Needless to say, I was wary, but tax return season rolled around and I took the plunge.

After a few days and some emails with their support team telling me the case was, in fact, out of stock, I received my black on black, leather bound, hand-stitched 3DS XL case. The first thing that stuck out to me was the awesome YKK zipper on the stretchy nylon pouch that spans the back of the case. It felt rugged and, as goofy as it sounds, it zips really nicely. The pouch itself can be stuffed full of things since it stretches, but too much makes the case a hassle to hold and fit in bags. I’m actually able to fit my entire phone in there, case and all, with little trouble.

The flap on the front of the case is held on by two snaps that keep it in place, and it covers three game compartments. While I doubt the system would come sliding out anytime soon, I’m nervous about the games getting loose and falling out of the flap, but so far they’ve stayed snugly in place. The system itself fits into the pouch nicely, and it’s lined with a soft material meant to prevent scratching. My only complaint about the pouch is that the bottom of it has no padding other than the nylon, and since my strap means I put the system in hinge down a high enough drop could likely cause some real damage. Of course, this could be prevented by putting the other edge of the system down, but if you’re like me and refuse to remove your Mario Kart DS strap from 2005 then you’ll that I can’t remove it.

To help with removal of the system there’s a handy-dandy loop to put your finger in for leverage. This might seem insignificant, but anyone who has owned enough handhelds can tell you that more systems are dropped removing them from protective cases than any of us like to admit. Both sides also have small loops probably meant for clips or hooks, you know, in case you want to clip it to your belt while you go skydiving or rock climbing or whatever.

Overall, if there were a multitude of cases available for the 3DS XL, I might tell you that, while very nice, this case doesn’t warrant the almost sixty dollars after shipping that I had to pay for it. As it stands, this seems to be the very best case available for a system that isn’t spawning a lot of accessories, and for now you’re going to be hard-pressed to find anything that even comes close. It has been thoughtfully designed, and I’ve had very minimal complaints with it thus far. The lack of padding on the bottom and worrisome game slots are my only real concerns, and only time will tell if either of them becomes a real problem.

The case can be purchased here.

Wii U Review -

Happy holidays! This Christmas season my wonderful girlfriend decided my cooking has warranted a rather extravagant present: a Wii U. I’ve spent a little over a week with it, and I have to say that I’m impressed. I don’t want to spoil too much of what you’re about to read, but suffice to say I’m having a great time with my new toy.

With most consoles the defining factor behind having a successful launch lies in the hardware, that is, unless you’re Nintendo. Pack-ins, charming additional features, and family friendliness seem to dominate Nintendo launches, with the powerhouse software being saved for later in the launch window. The Wii U is no exception to this, and the Miiverse continues to be one of the most talked about as well as most exciting new features of Nintendo’s next gen console. However, I would be remiss to not mention the large amount of M rated games that have also launched with the system.

This flies in the face of the philosophy that the Wii launched with, but less mature audiences will still find plenty to play here with titles like New Super Mario Bros. U, Nintendo Land, Skylanders. It’s quite a shock coming from a Nintendo that shocked the world by announcing that Bayonetta 2 would be on the Wii U to see them following through with their promise that the system would be better geared towards more avid gamers. Of course, only the future will tell if this practice continues, but at least for now they have delivered. So, without further ado let’s get into it.

Hardware

Anybody following the Wii U will tell you that all the excitement lies, much like the Wii before it, in the new controller that Nintendo has cooked up. The gamepad features a touchscreen squeezed in the middle of a traditional controller. Adding to the impressive hardware of the gamepad are several smaller features including a camera, microphone, stylus, and gyroscopic sensor. My initial worry was that it would be too cumbersome to hold for extended play sessions, and the screen would become as useless as the second screen on many DS games. I was quickly proven wrong with the lightweight design and comfortable form factor of the gamepad, which molds to the hand nicely and seems to be, overall, more ergonomic to handle that a 360 or PS3 controller.

A huge plus for me is that the shape allows me to place four fingers on all four shoulder buttons comfortably, which is a complaint I’ve had about modern controllers for quite some time now. The only negative comment I have to levy against the gamepad is that it’s in fact so light that initially it almost felt like a cheap toy. This is likely from years of holding and getting used to ten inch tablets, many of which are heavy enough to wear yours arms out if you’re sitting at an uncomfortable angle. Again, this criticism is very nearly a compliment to the gamepad since I’m able to sit at any bizarre angle on my couch and be completely comfortable playing the Wii U.

The most surprisingly well liked feature seems to be the ability to play many games entirely on the second screen, a feature that looked like a forgettable addition when it was unveiled at E3. As someone who is leaning heavily towards handheld gaming recently, this makes the Wii U infinitely more valuable as a system. Like many handheld gamers, I actually do the bulk of my handheld gaming at home, but being able to move around the house and free up the TV so my girlfriend can watch Netflix makes playing my 3DS over my PS3 an easy choice. Likewise, being able to move around the house with my Wii U has held the same benefits. The range that the gamepad can go from the console is a little disappointing. My bed is too far away, as well as the master bathroom, but my office and guest bathroom are well within playing range. Most of my gaming takes place in the office, living room, or kitchen, so this isn’t  a major complaint, but adding even fifteen feet would have made a world of difference to the gamepad range. Mix that with a little more battery life, and I would be hard pressed to find something to complain about.

Comfort combined with portability make the gamepad more of an achievement that I ever thought possible, and as long as developers make playing solely on the gamepad a high priority feature I can see myself really enjoying Nintendo’s newest controller.

Software

Without a doubt Miiverse has been the talk of the town, even outshining the gamepad in many conversations. Essentially it’s a message board separated into communities for each game in which players can exchange small black and white pictures, short messages, and in some cases screenshots with one another. All this social interactivity is done under the watchful eye of Nintendo’s over protective moderators. This means you can’t use foul language, share any kind of personal information, or talk about politics and religion. For social service in 2012, this is beyond frustrating. I can understand the moderation of vulgar or graphic comments, but anything more than should be enough to gimp any service.

I say ‘should’ because Miiverse has somehow become a thriving community of hilarious art and surprisingly interesting conversation. To call it the killer app of the Wii U might be going a little far, but it rounds out the system software incredibly well. Before I start a game I generally look around at some Nintendo art in Wara Wara plaza, and after I quit a game I tend to check Miiverse for fun comments. The moderation, while frustrating, is the last thing on your mind when you’re reading the comments on a picture of Yoshi pelting Mario with eggs.

Where the software falters is the loading times. While not completely egregious, the load time going in and out of the system menu are just long enough to be noticeable. They hit that perfect amount of time where I start thinking, “I should probably take care of some things, instead of just sitting here on the couch playing video games,” and then the moment I start seriously considering those things the menu pops up and I waste another several hours in front of the TV. It’s really hard to throw too much hate at Nintendo for this oversight because it’s probably the first thing that’s going to be fixed with the next system update, but it does make me feel a bit like a beta tester instead of a customer.

Something I would classify as egregious is Nintendo’s treatment of Wii software. After the slightly confusing process of moving all my Wii software to my new system I discovered the way in which the Wii U plays Wii software: completely compartmentalized emulation. What this means is that to play a Virtual Console game you turn on the Wii U, wait for it to load,  select the Wii channel, wait for it to boot into the Wii firmware, select the title you want with a Wii remote, and then proceed to play the title with the Wii remote or classic controller. Simply not being able to play Virtual Console titles on the gamepad was irritating enough, but to completely wall my Wii software in a virtual machine is like a kick in the face. I understand that this is likely because emulating the Wii isn’t as simple due to hardware restrictions, but it’s something Nintendo desperately needs to work out to avoid alienating anymore fans.

Backwards compatibility aside I’ve been enjoying my two Wii U games: Darksiders II and Nintendo Land. Like Wii Sports before it, Nintendo Land is a perfect showcase for your new console. It’s a slew of Nintendo themed mini games that seamlessly integrates the Miiverse into a package that I wouldn’t be that upset to have paid for separately. It’s not deep enough to provide an avid gamer more than a handful of hours of enjoyment, but it’s great fun when other people want to see what the Wii U is all about.

Darksiders II was my add on, which I chose over New Super Mario Bros. U just to see how well the Wii U handles the game. So far I’ve experienced some slight screen tearing, and at one point completely locked up my Wii U. While I haven’t played Darksiders II on any other console, it seems that these are just symptoms of porting the game to the Wii U. However, the ability to play a full current gen game on the gamepad, as well as being able to manage my inventory on the second screen when playing on the TV have far outshined the technical problems I’ve had. I hope that the problems are indicative of a quickly done port instead of problems developers may have with the hardware, but only time will tell.

Final Thoughts

I’m excited about the future of the Wii U, but I’m a little worried about future releases. A lot of big titles slated for early next year don’t seem to be bothering to port their titles to the Wii U, and the only big first party title on the horizon that I’m excited for is Pikmin 3. The hardware is solid, and the majority of my issues with it can be fixed with firmware patches. If Nintendo would relax a little more with their Miiverse moderation I could see their online presence being comparable to that of Microsoft and Sony.

I’m back! I took an extended hiatus while this semester proceeded to pummel me into a meaty pile of scholastic achievement. It’s not over for another three weeks or so, but I feel the need to do something productive.


Wreck-It Ralph Impressions -

Wreck-It Ralph is one of those movies that I had heard pretty much nothing about before it came out, and after it’s release I realized I was pretty much alone in my ignorance. At a glance, it just looked like another Disney movie, but the constant coverage within the gaming sphere made me take another look. I began hearing things like “licensed video game characters” and “kid’s movie”, and despite the vitriol that combination of words tends to create the praise continued. So, I went and saw it last night.

From the get go it’s obvious that it’s trying to answer the same question that Toy Story did back in 1995: what happens to our favorite toys when we leave the room? Of course, the favorite toys among kids today are video games, so Wreck-It Ralph takes us to a small arcade where all our favorite video game characters lead exciting lives outside the confines of their respective arcade cabinets.

Immediately we’re assailed with a spinning vortex of video game references, a fantastic panning shot transitioning from pixels to bright CG animation, and a very heartfelt monologue from Wreck-It Ralph himself. The introduction draws to a close and we find the very unsatisfied Ralph doing what any good video game character does: continue executing the programming within the game to avoid getting the dreaded “Out of Order” sign.

The fun begins when Ralph goes to his first villain support group populated by several of the most identifiable icons in all of gaming. The kid in me was going wild at this point watching Zangief share his woes next to a silent Bowser was the realization of a hundred video games I wished existed when I was twelve. The licensing alone must have been a nightmare, but these beginning scenes will draw in anyone that has enjoyed a video game in the last twenty years.

Several scenes are so jam packed with characters that I’m dying to scoop this up on DVD just to pause them and pick out all my favorite gaming personalities. The hub world between the arcade machines, housed within the power strip they’re all plugged into, is a hilarious who’s who of classic gaming. This doesn’t mean that Wreck-It Ralph doesn’t have personality of it’s own.

The story begins to hit its stride after some fun misadventures, and Ralph finds himself planted firmly within the game Sugar Rush. We’re introduced to Ralph’s sidekick Vanillope, who never ceases to be a mixture of unbearable cuteness and hilarious childlike insults. This is where the movie begins to hone it’s own identity without the help of established video game characters.
I will admit to being slightly disappointed when I realized that the bulk of the movie will take place in Sugar Rush, but it was a feeling that quickly subsided when the movie’s dialogue and characters began to charm me in lieu of the constant references and in-jokes.

Overall I laughed quite a bit throughout the movie, even after the onslaught of reference humor died down. Much of the humor and fun comes from the relationship between Vanillope and Ralph, and the voice actors (Sarah Silverman and John C. Reilly) deliver their roles spectacularly. In fact, the entire cast does a great job of bringing to life what could have been a dopey kids movie. While I won’t lie and say that I wouldn’t enjoy a two hour video game in-joke extravaganza, Wreck-It Ralph turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year.

If you’re a fan of gaming culture then you’ll find plenty to enjoy here, and likewise if you’re looking for a well written kid friendly movie that does a great job of drawing you in then, you’ll have one hell of a time.

16-Bit Perfection -

I grew up in a Nintendo house playing an NES. Even after the SNES came out, I played my NES constantly. In fact I can only remember really playing Mega Man X on my SNES, and a little bit of Super Mario World. No, I was an 8-bit kid through and through. This was mostly because I had piles of NES cartridges, and SNES cartridges were slow to trickle into our collection. My mom could grab an NES game at the pawn shop for ten bucks and keep me enthralled for weeks, as opposed to a fifty dollar SNES game at a real store. But, as things progressed into the era of early 3D I began to see the advantages of 16-bit over my beloved 8-bit. I never really appreciated the graphics on my SNES until it was too late.

Anybody that played NES games as a kid probably had the same system that me and my brother employed for more indecipherable sprites that we saw. A lot of my friends referred to the bullets in Contra as tomatoes, and the bullets in Ikari Warriors as marshmallows. My favorite were the small purple creatures from Kung Fu Heroes, which me and my brother referred to as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Of course they look nothing like sandwiches, and really just resembled eggplants with mouths.

But with 16-bit games things became much clearer. Suddenly there was just enough clarity to recognize what every item and enemy was supposed to be, and it did kill a little bit of the magic for me. It was especially disheartening for me because I was the kid that made up his own names for every enemy in Zelda, and decided what kind of creatures they were because our copy didn’t come with a manual. As the guessing game disappeared, we grew fond of the graphical prowess of the 16-bit era. Games looked damn good, and it was nice to actually know what everything was for a change. The mystery had been replaced with solid pixel art and great animation. I remember being shocked when I picked up the SNES Spawn game and he wasn’t just a small block of pixels, but instead a full sized sprite of my favorite comic book character that swayed with animation.

Then the 3D revolution happened. The Nintendo 64 was on the horizon and the Playstation was gaining traction among gamers for its 3D graphics. Those few short years where 16-bit reigned supreme were drawing to a close, and like most other kids I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing my favorite video games in glorious, detailed 3D. What I got was a mottled mess of blurry textures and hard to see models. Let’s be honest here, it wasn’t pretty. At the time it was the best we had, and we all oohed and aahed but early 3D games can be painful to go back replay. This was a trend that even continued through early PS2 games. It was expensive to make 3D games, and if a studio didn’t have the cash it showed. Even well-funded first party games suffered the transition to 3D. When was the last time you played the original version of Super Mario 64?

Fast forward to now. Games compete fiercely with each other over who can have the brownest, most dust covered levels. Graphical fidelity has reached a shocking high, but major studios want their games to look “real”, even though the real world looks drab and boring. Aside from some of the more majestic parts of the real world, it’s a pretty dust-filled, gray place. Now, this isn’t to put out studios that put out amazing games because there are quite a few, but the big Triple-A titles that get all the hype seem to follow this pattern. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that 16-bit style games are on the rise again even though we have the power to do so much more.

16-bit games have clarity and simplicity while still being able to look impressive. Today 16-bit graphics can be programmed by an incredibly small team, and it gives them a retro charm that gamers look at fondly. Again, I think this is because it was the perfect balance between looking like they were meant to and still being attractive.

Graphics from early video games were representative because the technology simply didn’t exist to make them look like what they were really meant to be. Looking back at any Atari game we can see this, and I’m sure the guessing games were rampant back then as well. 16-bit games, in my opinion, are the pinnacle of gaming graphics. While I have to say that I do play my fair share of 3D games, nothing grabs we and makes me feel at home quite like some well-crafted pixel art. Maybe I’m just getting old.

Title image credit: http://www.drawsgood.com/9923/235356/gallery/pixel-video-game-characters-high-score-society

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Vita) -

So I’ve been neglecting my blog a bit in favor of writing and (hopefully) selling some short stories, but I’ve still found time to check out Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on my Vita. I’ve been waiting quite a while for this one, and so far it’s certainly given me good reason to remain glued to my Vita for the last couple of weeks.

Now, I didn’t finish either MGS 2 or MGS 3 during their original runs so I was super excited to have an excuse to go through both of them. The exclusion of the first MGS was a little upsetting, especially considering that the Vita still can’t play PS1 games, but with the original two MSX Metal Gear games still included it remains a very full package.

There seems to be some confusion in the gaming world over what exactly an “HD Collection” really is. It is not a remake. It is the original assets displayed in higher resolution. What this means is that the games aren’t going to look much better than in their original forms; they’re going to look sharper, but textures that were originally badly done will still look bad.

MGS 2 was quite an experience to say the least. In traditional Metal Gear fashion, the story crumbled into a mess of philosophy, crazy monologues, and lengthy boss battles. It was memorable, but got a little crazy. The controls were insufferable to say the least, and the shoehorned back touch controls made things even more frustrating. Although the game itself is well worth putting up with the control scheme, it made me put it down several times.

The inventory management was also revamped to be controlled with the front touch screen. To do this they grouped similar items into a sub-menu which tends to bury items that you don’t use all the time, and caused me to forget about many of them when the time to use them rolled around. Obviously the age old complaint that you play as Raiden for most of the game is still there, and it really wouldn’t be as frustrating if Raiden wasn’t voice acted so badly. If you’ve never played either game be sure to play this one first, because while it’s a fun experience, MGS 3 is the real gem in this package.

Now I’m still not quite done with MGS 3, but so far it’s been one hell of a ride. The music, the much improved voice acting, and most of all the controls all make it a shining example in the series. The villains are a little less intriguing than in the previous title, but they do provide some excellent battles. Naked Snake himself (Big Boss if you prefer) feels like a much more relatable version of Solid Snake. The entire game has a much more gung-ho guns blazing feel to it, and I’ve found myself shooting my way through some sections just because it was more fun. I wouldn’t say that you can play either way, but stealth isn’t as necessary as in previous games. That flexibility combined with the survival mechanics really come together to make something special.

Overall, even without the addition of Peace Walker, which the PS3 version had, it’s still quite a package. If you’re looking for something to kill a good thirty hours (or many many more if you play all the bonus content) then this is the title to get. The games themselves look damn good on the Vita’s screen, and being able to take what many consider the best entry in the entire Metal Gear series with me wherever I go feels great.

Xenoblade Chronicles -

Without a doubt, Xenoblade Chronicles is the best single-player PS2 MMO on the Wii. If that sounds like a huge contradiction, then you’d be correct. It almost feels like what Japanese RPGs would have turned into in an alternate dimension where Western development didn’t begin dominating the industry in the early 2000s. Right off the bat we’re introduced to a story that could easily be a satire of the Scifi genre if the characters themselves didn’t take it so seriously, but that’s really half the fun.

Two giants who simultaneously killed each other in an ancient battle began sprouting life all over their bodies. The robotic Mechon on the Mechonis, and a slew of humanoids on the Bionis. As you would probably expect, the inhabitants of the Mechonis are at war with those of the Bionis, and the result is a scattered war torn world where the cities live independently of one another. The entire plot is based around the Monado, an ancient sword that is the perpetual deus ex machina throughout the story. Whenever the characters run into some kind of trouble the sword unlocks a fancy new power and saves them. All story oddities aside, the charm in the game comes from the interactions between the characters themselves. I found myself actually chuckling at some of the cutscenes, as well as some of the flavor dialogue after a battle. They can feel a little bit like your cliché spiky-haired anime stereotypes at times, but some strong writing keeps them interesting.

The combat is definitely the high point, and the absence of random battles is a very welcome addition. Similar to most MMOs, you can see your enemies on the field. This allows you to pick and choose your battles, and forces you to stay wary of your surroundings. At first it feels like your typical MMO combat as well, with auto-attacks and occasional souped up special maneuver. The departure begins when you start running into enemies with special abilities that you have to counter using the Monado’s visions of the future. Before too long you’re working to topple large enemies, countering special moves, managing aggro, and watching for counter abilities all at once. Chain attacks and part management keep you juggling the entire party, although you only control one character at a time. Things get hectic quick, and force you to really think on your feet during even the most basic battles. The only hitch in this is that it’s after learning a new ability to feel overwhelmed, because you’ll be using the immediately. It’s definitely trial by fire at times, but if you die you just get bumped back and get to retry the section over again.

This all makes for a great game that is worth your time, but the respect it has for that time is where I really began to fall in love with Xenoblade Chronicles. The biggest timesaving feature is the ability to instantly warp to major locations just by opening the map, making backtracking and quest hunting a much less tedious task. This is a feature that a lot of games have had for quite some time, but seems to be taking its time permeating Japanese game design. You can save the game wherever and whenever you please, and there is a constant quest marker showing you where to go. At the same time, the game doesn’t force any of this on you, and allows you to really dig into the deeper aspects of the game. This depth comes from linking skill trees, maxing out stats with equipment and managing abilities.

By far my favorite timesaving feature is that whenever you finish a side quest, wherever that may be, it immediately pops open a window to reward you. That’s right, you don’t even have to turn in the quest. This makes the rather boring side quests into a fun bonus that you may or may not decide to pursue along your way by taking out all the tedium. If you happen to kill ten of something for a quest, then enjoy your reward, don’t worry about who gave it to you or where they have wandered off to in an area.

The visuals are about the best the Wii can muster, which is to say they’re on par with PS2 graphics. However this didn’t stop Monolith from putting in some fantastic backgrounds that almost make you forget the way characters look like they have gaping fish mouths when talking. I would love to see this redone in HD, but until then I’ll settle for the great background scenes. Plus, the fantastic soundtrack really pulls you in without feeling too faux epic. Upon first turning on the game I sat at the title screen for a solid minute just taking in the scenery and opening theme, and I still pause before hitting loading my game to revel in it.

Overall, it’s a really enjoyable JRPG with all the fluff taken out and a frustratingly but satisfying combat system put in. The dialogue is witty, and floats the sometimes trite story without feeling forced. Granted, there is the occasional groaner delivered by a character, but not anymore that you would see in a sitcom. At first glance Xenoblade Chronicles looked like an offline MMO chugging on a last gen engine, but it turned out to be a new take on a classic genre that really pushes what the Wii can do. It’s great to see someone doing something new with JRPGs, and hopefully we can see another entry in this series.

Video games are hard. At least, they used to be. The end screen on a game was a hard fought battle, you against the toughest, most unfair creatures and puzzles the designer could think to throw at you. You had to buy books, read magazines, and scour the playground for tips to beat many of them and even then that wasn’t always enough. In addition to those resources you needed an iron thumb and the reflexes to match.

A couple of floppy disks or a gray cartridge were all you needed for an entire weekend, and by the time it was over you either stood triumphant over the final boss or you watched your parents slip the game back into the return slot at your local video store along with your hopes and dreams. Times were hard, but gamers were harder, and they fought on through glitches and esoteric quest dialog. Maps were hand drawn on graph paper and taped on walls over computer monitors. And most of all, if there was an easy mode, you never used it.

Easy mode. That’s what you put on when your kid brother wants to play, but not you, you’re a real gamer. Yeah, it might make the game easier, but it takes out all the integrity. Does beating the game on easy mode even count? Well, unfortunately, it often does not. Don’t think for a second that shelling out over fifty dollars for a game means that you’re entitled to beat it, quite the contrary.

All facetiousness aside, gaming was a hard earned right in its formative years. Now I’m getting older and easy mode is probably one of the biggest reasons that I’ve been able to continue gaming throughout adulthood. I have a job and school to contend with, so honing my lightning reflexes or memorizing patterns just to beat a game I’m playing aren’t things I generally have a lot of time for. I want to get through the narrative and have a fun time doing it, and grinding levels it not something that I find incredibly fun anymore. The taboo surrounding easy modes still goes on in gaming culture, and it’s something saturated in male bravado and hypermsaculinity.

It seems to me that a lot of people are more concerned with how “hardcore” they look when playing a game than they are with having a good time and enjoying the experience. Granted, there isn’t anything wrong with someone who wants to practice the same stage in a game for hundreds of hours and upload perfect speed runs. It’s precisely this kind of dedication that makes gaming great. No, I’m talking about the guy that spends his days playing a single game and trolling the forums looking to belittle anyone who hasn’t spent thousands of hours developing the same mastery of the game that he has.

In this day of dynamic difficulties, increasingly impressive AI, and radically diverse play styles, you should be allowed to play easy mode without feeling like you’re doing it wrong. There is a certain amount of accomplishment that comes from completing a challenging task, but at a certain point it just feels like bashing your head against a brick wall. Difficulty is a hard thing to nail down. Developers and testers spend months, even years with some games, so it’s hard for them to tell what level of difficulty would be appropriate for a new player.

My girlfriend of four years recently started getting into playing games a bit, and simple things like moving in a 3D space and shoulder buttons still give her trouble. This keeps her from playing the bulk of major games on her Vita that she recently purchased. She seeks out games that are easy enough, and that don’t punish gamers who complete the game on normal. On that same note I always hesitate when purchasing something that is considered difficult. The more recent example is Dark Souls, a game that I adore.

Dark Souls is one of those games that comes along once a generation, and despite the fact that it ignores many years of gameplay innovations, it becomes a hit. The atmosphere and esoteric storyline drew then, as expected, spit and me in me back out. The difficulty was part of the appeal, but in the end it prevented me from finishing the game. After about sixty hours I moved on to other titles that were piling up, and I still look back on Dark Souls wishing I had the time and manual dexterity to go back and finish it. My point here is that I loved the game, and if there was an easy mode then I might have been able to finish it instead of just giving up. No, it might not have been as satisfying as defeating the game’s challenge, but I would have felt better having had a more complete experience.

So to anyone out there that still hesitates on the difficulty selection screen: take the leap, no one’s watching. Bump it down a notch, sit back, and have a good time. It’s easy to forget that games should be enjoyed, and they aren’t always tweaked perfectly to your particular skill level. It’s time that the easy mode taboo is broken, and we all move on to greener pastures.

Diablo III Review -

To say that I’ve waited a long time for Diablo III would be a discredit to the franchise. I grew up with Diablo, and it was a staple of the movement from my trusty Nintendo consoles to the daunting realm of PC gaming. Diablo II came out when I was in middle school, and I’ve played it on and off since then. From Deckard Cain’s voice the sound of a gem dropping, it’s all was all ingrained into my young impressionable mind.

Unfortunately the launch of Diablo III was not without issues, some of which are still going on at the time of this writing. I’ve had my share of errors as well as disconnects, and I still occasionally get some strange artifacting when playing. For the most part the major wrinkles are being ironed out, but they certainly didn’t kick off this monumental title well. Granted, some issues are to be expected with a game this huge, but it’s hard to imagine that the company that runs the most successful MMORPG of all time wouldn’t be able a little more prepared on the server front.

The auction house, possibly the biggest addition to the Diablo franchise, is also a hotbed of issues. As a former World of Warcraft player, I was ecstatic to see them bringing an auction house to Diablo. The days of wandering through public rooms and bargaining with tight-fisted jewel hoarders would be over! Unfortunately, it feels like a beta version. In my time digging through auctions I’ve repeatedly run into errors with transactions timing out, and often simply not being able to purchase and item. When the interface and auction house work, they work well enough, but they are both in desperate need of some generous patching.

However, the social functions of the game are executed flawlessly. As soon as I log in I’m prompted with buttons listing my friends currently playing, and a simple click of the mouse will teleport me into their game. Another click on their personal banner and I’m standing next to them cutting through swaths of demons. It literally takes seconds (load time withstanding) to jump into a friend’s game. Public games work just as well too, although the lobby system has been ditched in favor of matchmaking. The only problem I have with the way they’ve built the social system is that you have no way of stopping a friend from joining your game. This can be an issue if you’re going to need to pause frequently, or if you just prefer to play through the game solo the first time around.

Of course, Diablo has always been at its best when played together. The addition of achievements that pop up to everyone on your friends list lets you know what they’re accomplishing, and the ability to compare statistics makes for some very competitive co-op. By far my favorite feature of multiplayer is that each player gets their own loot, meaning no more speed clicking on items the second a boss dies to make sure you get the good items. This is a major relief for people like myself, who were usually too slow to grab anything good while playing online.

This entry in the series is much more story driven that the first two, with a few interesting plot twists. It isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but it gets the job done, and does some very interesting things with characters that veteran players are familiar with. There are only a handful of actual cinematics, and most of the storytelling happens using the in game engine and voiced journal entries that the player picks up from time to time. I enjoyed the story quite a bit, and the journals kept the game flowing while getting me up to date with the lore at the same time.

As for the gameplay itself, it certainly hooks you. Levelling up has been streamlined, and skills can be changed on the fly as the player sees fit. This keeps you from accidentally selecting skill combinations that don’t work well, which hurt you later in the game. In similar fashion, you no longer allocate stat points as it’s all done behind the scenes now. This means, aside from gear, two players of the same class are identical if they have the same skills. The upside to this loss of fine-tuning that hardcode Diablo II players may miss is that as long as you’re about the same level as another character and have been keeping up with your gear, then you won’t have any trouble playing together. In my thirty or so hours of playing I’ve felt some slight gaps between myself and other players, but for the most part we’re all on the same page.

Gear is the main course of Diablo III. The blacksmith and the jeweler will be your main NPCs, and both of them can be levelled up to craft more powerful jewels and gear. At the time of writing, I’m level fifty and I’m still levelling up both of them. Crafting at the jeweler is pretty straightforward, combine jewels to make better ones. The blacksmith, however, is a little different. As you unlock new items to craft, they have random stats. They list the rarity and how many magical properties the item will have, but you don’t know what they are until you actually go ahead and make the item. Crafting materials are obtained by breaking down magical items, so you can see the loop you get into here. Get loot, break it down, craft new loot, repeat ad infinitum. It’s a very addictive circle.

The graphics are bright and keep even the dark bowels of hell looking interesting, and the music is as booming and ominous as previous entries. Blizzard has made jumping into the fray with your friends easier than ever, and the gameplay is there to back it up. Grinding gear, combining jewels, wheeling and dealing on the auction house, it all makes for an addicting experience. Aside from the issues still plaguing the interface that the game is packaged in, and an auction house that desperately needs some work, Blizzard has once again crafted one hell of a great game. As long as you can get through the errors and initial bugs (which are generally exaggerated), you’re going to have a great time in Diablo III.

Avengers Impressions (Spoiler Free) –

So it’s official, The Avengers is incredibly successful and people are falling over each other to pack themselves into the theatres across the country and get in on the blockbuster. As relatively active comic book fan I’ve been very happy with the direction Marvel has been taking with their movie properties recently, and The Avengers is no exception.

The story is very light and consists of Loki strolling across the universe to steal a magical cube, and the ensuing adventures of our heroes trying to retrieve it. As far as action movies go, it’s pretty much par for the course, but as a plot based on comic books it definitely lacks the complex narratives that they are known for. Really, I think this works to the movie’s favor, because they already seem to have enough trouble cramming all the continuity in before all hell breaks loose in the final battle sequence.

Now, this leads me to the issue that these films are going to face going forward. I applaud the continuity that they’ve included, but the reason comic books are able to cram so much into twenty-four pages of colored boxes is because they can assume the reader is familiar with the continuity. Obviously movies don’t have this luxury so the story comes off as a bit shallow. Really, taking the action movie route is the best way to still have broad appeal. The plot does nothing new with the super hero movie genre, instead it does it incredibly well and fits in some hilarious show stopping moments to keep you entertained in between fight scenes.

Of course, with movies like this it all boils down to the characters. I’ve heard some people claim that the movie has no substance, because if it didn’t have Marvel characters then it would be relegated to a B grade action flick. Yes, this might be true, but it’s also true of every action movie. When is the last time you were hyped to watch an action movie starring someone you’ve never heard of?

So, down to brass tacks. A few characters are identical to how they acted in their respective movies. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man makes all the expected quips, Chris Evans as Captain America stands around with pursed lips looking confused, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor hits things with his hammer. They’re all decent characters in their own right, but there isn’t anything new to be found here. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye make a complementary, albeit bland, duo. They both have some good scenes, but their best parts are in the final showdown.

This brings us to Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, replacing Edward Norton who played Banner in the most recent Hulk movie. If you haven’t heard, Ruffalo’s performance combined with the fantastic animation and personality they put into the Hulk completely steal the show. I’m a big Hulk fan, and it’s great to see them make the Hulk into an actual character with personality, not just a ravenous beast that screams and bumbles around. In the comics, Hulk has evolved way past his past as a mindless creature, and it really is a breath of fresh air to see this movie take advantage of him in this way.

The final showdown is definitely a hallmark in modern action movies. It has scale, some very iconic shots that pan across the city, and of course the icing on the cake is getting to see The Avengers do some avenging. My biggest problem, if I had to choose one, is that the villain, Loki, never really feels like a threat. At no point in the film did I ever think that our heroes would suffer any real consequences as a result of their battle with him. They do suffer a loss, but the weight that it has in the film is a little exaggerated. Near the end they try to have one of those clincher scenes where you think something bad might happen, but the edge is taken off because it’s a character that you know is going to come out unscathed.

Overall, this is a solid super hero movie made fantastic with witty dialogue and some amazing scenes. It’s pretty by the numbers, but it’s also genuinely funny and visually amazing. Don’t miss this one if you haven’t seen it yet.