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A Step In The Right Direction
VGC Talks About Parents In Gaming
Remember the days when your parents yelled at you for playing video games and not focusing on your schoolwork? I know I do. However, with different types of games attracting different groups of people. It seems that these groups of people now include parents as well as grandparents.This also goes hand in hand with the commercialization of games within the past 5 or so years. We are now not only seeing commercials for systems and software on television, but hearing commercials for a few games on the radio (yes, people still do listen to the radio, at least when their iPods aren't charged). I know that I've heard a couple of commercials for Brain Age 2 on the radio, and I think that they're very good as far as marketing goes. These commercials feature an announcer who asks a series of questions, not necessarily hard, but still a tad challenging. After the questions are up, he says that if you didn't have trouble answering them, you're fine, but if you did, you should exercise your brain more.
He then plugs Brain Age 2 for the Nintendo DS. I personally believe that this has to be one of the most intelligent ways to market a video game. It not only gets people's attention by asking them easy questions, but then attracts them even more by saying that if they had trouble, there is a way to fix it. And of course, this commercial is mainly played on stations that have a majority of adult listeners. I know that my parents have said that they should get the game.
Maybe it's because of the fact that today's parents were the first to experience the joy that was the NES and the Mario Bros. It could just be that the developers of Brain Age have finally figured out the secret to marketing to everyone. Either way, it's an absolute joy to see that parents and older people are becoming gamers and more accepting of the culture, even if it's for just one game. I'm sure Nintendo is happy as well knowing that their numbers have gone up that much more.
East Coast vs West Coast
No, not a gang war, but an ongoing struggle
This weekend is the Digital Life convention here in New York. As I wrote in VideoGameCentral's other blog, The Gamer's Voice (link below), it was an enormous let down. On the way out, Old Skool Fool and I were discussing how New York, or the East Coast region in general, isn't taken at all seriously in terms of gaming and game production.Yes, yes, we know, California is where it all happens, down in Silicon Valley. I'm pretty sure I know the reason for that, though. I believe that the reason that everything is out there is because it's closer to Japan than New York. Regardless of geographical differences, I still can't think of a reason as to why New York isn't the home of more than a handful of major publishers and developers.
Our city is the "city that never sleeps", and believe me, it really doesn't. We have Wall Street, the home of one of the world's biggest stock markets, tons of news and magazine publishers, television studios, and pretty much everything else media related. However, our one shortcoming is video games. We have Rockstar, the company that brought you Grand Theft Auto, Bully, and Manhunt. All of those are great games, don't get me wrong. However, a great majority of game developers and publishers are stationed along the West Coast. Whether it be in Washington, the home of Nintendo and Microsoft, or California, the home of EA Games.
Is New York not a marketable city? I really beg to differ, considering how many advertisements I see in 60 seconds when I'm in any of the five boroughs. Or maybe it's the fact that since everything is already over there, no one wants to move the 5000 miles across the country. Or, my final hypothesis, rent costs in buildings are way too high. I know people who literally starve themselves just to have a measly APARTMENT in Manhattan. Imagine a game developer or publisher renting out a few floors of an entire building.
The reason still isn't clear, and maybe it never will be. Maybe someone reading this will actually start their own publishing house or development team and make their base in New York. If that's the case, good luck, and you know you'll always have friends with VideoGameCentral.com.
The Good Old Days - Spanky's Quest
Week 2 of VGC's Retro Column
Sorry the blog hasn't been updated much this week, but it's been a very busy week for us here at VideoGameCentral. A couple of us went to the Digital Life convention here in New York, and needless to say, it was a major letdown. Read more about that in our blog, linked below.Moving right along, I'd like to continue with the new weekly column, "The Good Old Days", by continuing with yet another sleeper hit for the SNES, Spanky's Quest. On the surface, the game looks like yet another platformer staring yet another cute cuddly animal. However, once you pop in the gray cartridge, you'll see how deep the rabbit (or monkey, in Spanky's case) hole goes.
Spanky's Quest, published by Natsume in 1991, stars a monkey named Spanky. In the beginning of the game, Spanky is taking a stroll through a forest when an evil witch traps him in a brick prison. Spanky then walks to the next area, and the game starts. A little confusing, yes, but the story of the game isn't really that important. What is important is the great gameplay.
Spanky's only attack is using bubbles which, when Spanky bounces them on his head, grow bigger and bigger. When Spanky pops the bubbles, various sports balls come out and hit the enemies, which are mainly made up of living fruit. The first bubble produced is purple, and when it's popped, a baseball comes out and attacks one enemy. However, if that bubble is bounced once, it turns green. When this one is popped, soccer balls are produced and come down in a straight line, hitting any enemies that come under it. When the green bubble is bounced, it turns yellow, which produce volley balls which attack enemies by increasing it's area of attack. Finally, the yellow bubble will turn orange, which produces basketballs which basically rain down on any enemies that go under it.
Sounds pretty basic, and it is, but the levels get very intense very quickly. After defeating the first boss, you are brought to a world that looks like a city (there's a bridge in the background with cars and trucks crossing it). The enemy numbers increase greatly, and get pretty tough. This is definitely one of those games that you'll keep dying and retrying because you think it's so easy, but you simply can't get passed the third world.
The controls are pretty tight, but your response times have to be even tighter. The hit boxes are a little iffy, but it's acceptable from an SNES game. The music is pretty catchy, while corny at the same time. It's pretty much electronic jazz, mixed with Mario type sounds.
Spanky's Quest has become a pretty rare game. Some vendors on eBay are trying to sell it for $100. Unfortunately, VideoGameCentral can't take care of you on this one either, we're currently out of stock of this game. However, the minute one comes into the store, I'll tell you guys about it. Join us next week for another rendition of "The Good Old Days"!
Here's a link to our other blog with an entry about our Digital Life 2007 experience.
http://www.videogamecentral.com/blog3/
Spanky's Quest Gameplay
The beginning part of the game Spanky's Quest
Spanky's Quest Walkthrough part1 of 7
Spanky's Quest is a Jump'n run for the SNES. part2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziyxIW9Oal8 part3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9YaLSZgmTk part4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcORK7w4_Yw part5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uMt7Yco7Ks part6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCgq9TvCc4 part7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU_SQ-C7VCc
Runtime: 9:59
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The Good Old Days - Illusion of Gaia
A New Weekly Column from VideoGameCentral
Hey guys, Sweet Johnny Cage here. I've been taking care of VideoGameCentral's various blogs, including this one and the one over at www.VideoGameCentral.com . A little while ago, Old Skool Fool (another one of VGC's writers) suggested to me that I start up a weekly column about old school games that were absolute smash hits, but never really got much attention. Sleeper hits, if you will. Well, to kick things off, I'd like to start this week's column with a game that's on my Top 5 RPG's of all time, Illusion of Gaia.Illusion of Gaia takes place during the Age of Exploration (14th to 17th century) and stars a cast of children from the town of South Cape. The main character, Will, is the son of the explorer, Olman. Olman took a crew of fellow explorers, along with his son, on an expedition to the the legendary Tower of Babel. However, something happened and Will was the only one who made it back alive. The strange thing is that Will doesn't remember what happened at the Tower that caused the team to split up. Furthermore, he doesn't even remember how he got back to South Cape. All he knows is that he must return to the Tower and find out what happened to his father.
The game begins at that point. Will and his friends go on a journey to the Tower of Babel that leads them around the world and back. They find out that they must acquire 6 Mystic Statues along the way to the Tower, each of which are hidden away in separate ruins found throughout the world. This is where the game gets really interesting.
When the game came out 13 years ago, I was only 6 years old. Needless to say, the internet wasn't as readily available or filled with as much as information as it is today. So, I had just assumed that the game was completely fictional and held no actual historic value. How wrong I was. When I was in 9th grade, I was in Social Studies class sifting through the mammoth sized textbook that my teacher had given me. After about 5 minutes of looking at the pictures (like any good high school freshman would), I noticed something familiar. It was Angkor Vat in Angkor, Cambodia, or as I knew it from Illusion of Gaia, Angkor Wat. It looked almost exactly like the Angkor Wat in the game, aside from the fact that palm trees were surrounding it and not bodies and desert.
After further research, I found out that all but 2 of the ruins that are visited in Illusion of Gaia are based off of real history, and generally mystical places found in the real world. I think that it's absolutely amazing that the developers at Enix would've taken the time to actually research various places in the world just to make the game that much more amazing. It almost makes me want to go to these places on my own. Who knows, maybe one day when I have millions of dollars to throw around I'll bring my friends on an expedition around the world.
Of course, the game itself is amazing, not just it's historical background. Will eventually finds a being called Gaia, who is the spirit of the Earth. During Will's first adventure, Gaia grants him the ability to turn into the Dark Knight Freedan to better navigate the dungeon that he has been thrown in in King Edward's Castle. Near the end of the game, when Will visits the Pyramid in Egypt, Gaia also grants him the ability to transform into Shadow, a solid form of energy.
These are the only three playable characters throughout the game. The story line is amazing as well. As the children's adventure continues, they all eventually split at different points to continue their separate destinies. The only one who sticks with Will through the very end is Kara, the daughter of King Edward and Queen Edwina.
The game itself is a little hard to come by these days. It's become somewhat of a cult classic, but still never got the public acclaim that it should've gotten. However, that's not to say that VideoGameCentral doesn't have a copy in stock. There's literally only one left, I just checked the shelf before I wrote this article, so you'll definitely want to get your hands on it before someone else does! Follow the link below to place your order:
http://store.videogamecentral.com/suniilofgap.html
Tune in next Friday for another rendition of The Good Old Days!
Illusion of Gaia - Dungeon 2 Gameplay
Gameplay video of the second major dungeon of the game
Illusion of Gaia - The Incan Ruins, pt. 1
Time to Traverse the Incan Ruins...what dangers await us there... (Note: This will be broken into several parts. I record in .avi format for the best quality. Every time I gain health, strength, or defence, I will end that particular part. So let's see what happens...)
Runtime: 4:15
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A Change of Platform
Are mobile phones the gaming platform of the future?
No, we're not talking about 100 years from now, we're talking about within the next few years, maybe even the next generation of gaming. As I've said before, I'm still not sure how much better gaming can get from this point in time, but maybe here's our answer?When the wave of Final Fantasy VII games was announced a few years ago, I was ecstatic. Finally finishing the story line that seemed so incomplete in five different games? Sign me up! Or so I thought. When I learned that the game which explained the story behind the Turks, titled "Before Crisis", was going to be on mobile phones only in Japan, I was really let down. Until now, I haven't really even given the game any more thought since I found out.
However, something sparked my interest today. I found out that one of the three upcoming Kingdom Hearts games will be available for mobile phones only. I figured developers and publishers would've learned their lessons when the N-Gage failed...twice. However, why is it that Square-Enix continues to dump big bucks into this platform? A platform which offers graphics no better than a PSOne (SNES at times) and at the most a 4GB size (biggest size memory cards for phones). Although it's not likely that a 4GB game will ever come to a mobile phone due to the fact that there's no way a mobile phone could load a game that big. The iPhone has enough trouble playing NES games at the proper.
However, that brings up another argument. Could the reason for companies putting money into mobile gaming be that today's phones could undoubtedly handle them? If an iPhone could play a feature length film and full quality and resolution, then why couldn't a full quality game be made for it? While the videos for the Kingdom Hearts games from the Tokyo Game Show haven't made their ways onto the internet as of yet, there is still some speculation as to which service provider will attain the KH title.
If it is in fact AT&T, or Europe's Vodafone, that acquires the game, Apple would undoubtedly proceed with funding for development for their phone. After all, that's pretty much the only thing that the phone can't do out of the box (without a little hacking). Who's to say that we won't see a game such as Kingdom Hearts or Metal Gear on a phone? Who knows, maybe a few years from now we'll all be playing Gears of War on our phones while riding the subway. Only time will tell my friends, only time will tell.
A Change of Platform - Comments
Wii gets even more Sporty
Capcom teams up with Camelot to bring you We Love Golf!
Although I had imagined it being spelled "Wii Love Golf" when I had first heard about it, I was still very happy to hear that it was happening.As a lot of you may already know, Camelot is the development group who has blessed us with such titles as "Hot Shots Golf" and "Mario Golf", which have kept us busy for countless hours when they were popular. I'm sure all of you have also spent countless hours playing the Golf game on the Wii Sports disc that came with your Nintendo Wii. This new game will simply amplify that experience tenfold.
While nothing has even started as far as production goes, it's still great to hear that more sports games are starting to make headway on the Wii. It's just disappointing that they're happening almost a year after the system's release. And the excuse of "it being out longer in Japan" because we actually got it before any other country in the world.
But I digress. More information is bound to come from Capcom within the next few weeks or months and you know VideoGameCentral will be the first to give it to you guys!
Times are Changing
VideoGameCentral takes a look at the way games are made today
A friend and I were talking about how when we were younger, online gaming wasn't really even thought of as far as console gaming was concerned. We were never really looking for games with amazing graphics in the beginning. All we wanted to play was a game that would keep us hooked for hours until our eyes bled.These days, gamers, including myself, are constantly looking for that Xbox Live! logo on the top right corner of the box. I was actually shocked to find that Bioshock, although a great game as far as the fun factor is concerned, didn't have one. It actually made me hesitate buying it. That's not to say that I don't enjoy playing games that have online capability. I've never had another experience that compares to the one I had co-op-ing my way through Gears of War with my friend Joey. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
However, the point that I'm trying to make is that games are almost solely rated on their online playability. Even when I write my reviews, the largest paragraph is usually about the online play. When I first put in Stranglehold into my Xbox 360, I didn't even go to the single player adventure at first, I went right to Multiplayer Mode. How has gaming evolved so much that we're not even concerned with playing a game by ourselves?
I was aggravated while playing Final Fantasy XII because I had no one to talk to in a guild or out in the world, among other things that I didn't like about the game. I remember sitting in front of my television set as a youngster playing Super Mario World and constantly retrying levels because I kept dying. I was fully content with the gameplay of Zelda: A Link to the Past because I had fun playing it. I would come home from school just to play that game and try to beat another dungeon.
Who knows, maybe developers will start to focus more on single player and bring gaming back to what it once was. Some people might say that this is a step backward because of the technology that's available. Either way, games are definitely changing in every which way. Before you know it, there won't even be single player modes. It's already happened with MMORPGs, so why can't it happen to console gaming? Only time will tell.
The Governator is all for Dance Dance Revolution
Ahhhnold feels that DDR in California school is fit for students
You read it right folks, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has deemed Dance Dance Revolution to be a part of the Governor's Challenge in California schools. The Governor's Challenge Competition is a challenge among all K-12 schools in the state to help get California students healthy and fit.We have something like that here in New York, but my school didn't have a DDR section. If it did, I'd definitely win that competition. From the perspective of a gamer, I feel like this is a huge step in getting gaming into the main stream. With someone like Governor Schwarzenegger behind this movement, it's only a matter of time before the trend sweeps the rest of the nation.
West Virginia has already implemented a DDR program into 765 schools throughout the state. Yes, there will always be the students who think that the game is stupid, but I hope that they'll all realize that the game really does help them get fit, as it did me. Good luck California! Now if only he could convince the E3 commission to open the show back up to the public.
The Governator is all for Dance Dance Revolution - Comments
Parents Just Don't Understand
Will Smith said it best, and here's a prime example
Maybe it's a sign of the times, or maybe parents are just becoming way too over protective of their children as far as video games are concerned. This latest report of crazy parenting comes from the state next door, New Jersey.The Star-Ledger (a New Jersey based tabloid magazine) ran a poll on its blog asking parents what they thought of the Wii Zapper. If you don't know what the Wii Zapper looks like, it's the picture featured with this article. Anyway, most parents agreed that they wouldn't purchase this peripheral for their children because of how "life-like" it looks. Are you kidding me? LIFE-LIKE?!?!? This thing is an all-white piece of plastic.
One parent started by saying, "What kind of message are we sending to our kids as parents if we were to buy this?" First off, it is my personal theory that if a child is really influenced by video games enough to actually bring physical harm to someone, then there's something more to the story there. My friends and I have been gaming all of our lives. I've been playing first-person shooters since I was 8 years old. There is not one inkling of any type of bullying, fighting, or anything of the sort on my entire school record.
The thing that really gets me is that parents are becoming way too over protective of their children. As a result of this, they're missing out on all of the fun of video games. Did these parents not play Duck Hunt on their NES's when they were young? That's all this gun is actually used for, so far at least. But still, am I the only one who thinks that things are getting a little ridiculous? I know that I get my gaming genes from my father, who used to hang out at arcades and play Centipede and Space Invaders when he was younger.
People, I'd really like to see your opinions on this one. What do you guys think about this topic? Adults, children, anyone, please let us know your opinion!
Echochrome
Only one word is needed for this article, and here's why
Puzzle games have always been a staple to any console since the video game was conceived. It started with Pac-Man and went on to Tetris. It's gone all the way to Lumines, but this game, Echochrome, will change the way you think of the puzzle genre forever.It's basic in concept as well as gameplay, but probably one of the most complex games I've ever even seen when it comes to solving the puzzles. In Echocrhome, you're a stick figure who must navigate through the environment you're dropped into until you reach the goal. Simple, right? Wrong.
To get to the goal, you must rotate the camera in any direction to change the look of the environment so the stick figure can get through the world. For example, just say that the stick figure is moving along a beam and there is a gap between one end and the other. You must rotate the camera until another piece of the environment covers that hole. The figure will then walk along the beam like there is no hole, because it's invisible.
It's a little confusing, yes, but I can tell you guys right now that it's going to be the most talked about puzzle game since Tetris. While there is no release date announced yet, we have been informed that it will be available for download for the PlayStation 3 and available on UMD for the PlayStation Portable. Check out the video below for a better explanation.
Echochrome - Demo Video
Echochrome for the PlayStation 3 and PSP (first video)
Echochrome is a new and inovating game from Sony Japan Studios for the PS3 (through PSN) and the PSP. This is the first trailer of the game that was shown on E3 2007 by Sony.
Runtime: 1:49
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Stung by Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson sends 15 year old son to Best Buy to purchase Bioshock
Yes, we all know and HATE hearing the name Jack Thompson in discussions of video games. However, he's still fun to laugh at. This latest news comes straight from his mouth (or fingers since it was an e-mail), however. Thompson sent his 15 year old son into his local Best Buy to purchase the "ultra-violent" game Bioshock, which is rated Mature.Needless to say, he succeeded. Whether or not his son will be actually allowed to play the game, that's up to the great Thompsonator to decide. Jack goes on to say that retailers and and the entire gaming industry itself are "engaged in a fraudulent and deceptive trade practice across the nation". He also goes on to say that the store manager should be fired (and no doubt have charges pressed on him for tainting his son's virgin eyes and mind [pfft]), as well as the cashier who sold it to him be fired.
I'm going to step out of my professional persona for a minute and say that this guy is a complete fool. Why does he pull stupid stunts like this? Just to catch the one in 5000 cashiers in America selling Mature games to kids under 17? Just to get his face in the papers and blogs is more like it. Hell, he's actually winning his argument right now by me writing about him. The man infuriates me to the point of no return.
Ranting aside, there is actually a history that Thompson has with Take-Two. Take-Two is actually affiliated with Rockstar, who released Bully 2 years ago. He tried suing them for violating Florida's public nuisance laws. Thompson was almost dis-barred from the Florida Bar Association.
I really hope that this case goes nowhere fast, as I think it already is. I really just feel bad for Jack's son, who will never have any friends because of his dad.
Another One Bites The Dust
VideoGameCentral further discusses the Decline of the Professional Gaming Scene in America
It was reported today that the World Series of Gaming has been canceled. Not only has the next season been canceled, but the remaining 3 events have been canned as well. This comes as saddening news to us here at VideoGameCentral. The majority of us are pretty competitive gamers, especially me. I run 3rd Strike tournaments on Long Island at least once a month.While this country has always struggled with accepting gaming into the mainstream, it's still very disheartening to hear that another competitive g