The Beast and the Harvest

There are very many video games, with such wonderful crazy impossible ideas. From fighting aliens with a chainsaw bayonet, to swallowing enemies to absorb their powers, video games often have ridiculous, impossible concepts that we'd love to enjoy. I'm not going to talk about one of those games. Instead, I am going to talk about a series that has been there for me since the beginning. It was one of the first games I ever got obsessed with, and it's a classic within my household: I'm of course talking about Harvest Moon.

It is December of the year 2000. I am with my family on vacation in Puerto Rico, visiting relatives. While not really caring about what my presents were, just excited to HAVE some as I didn't expect to get any while there, I'm surprised to find that my brother and I got the same gift: A Nintendo Game Boy Color. We were amazed, and happy, and even found out we got games with them too. I got stuck with "Klax" a puzzle game similar to tetris on a treadmill, only much less fun. My brother, he got: Harvest Moon: GBC. At first I thought I lucked out. I mean how can a FARMING game be fun right?!... You'd be surprised. Several days later, my brother and I would take turns watering crops, feeding chickens and cows, collecting eggs, milk, and other crops, and making sure to run to the hot springs to get more stamina so we could keep going. The goal was simple: You're grandfather's spirit appears to you, and begs you (as a boy or girl) to take care of his farm. You agree, and every year he appears to judge how good you are based on the amount of squares plowed, crops grown, livestock owned, size of your house etc. It was a perfect example of capitalism at it's best, starting you off with a bare bones farm, and slowly getting you up till you soon have a giant farm. It was bliss.

Fast forward to the year 2007, and I've lost this game, and haven't played a Harvest Moon in years. I'd be wanting to jump in, but for some reason they usually seemed pretty bland. Then I hear of one that's totally unlike any other I've heard of: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. What's the difference you ask? The gimmick in this game is that there are several caves nearby your farm filled with vicious monsters that need to be defeated… OR BEFRIENDED! While the latter part probably sounds extremely corny, it's actually important to the average Harvest Moon player, as this is how you obtain your livestock. Monster versions of chickens, cows, and sheep can be found and befriended in order to get livestock to produce eggs, milk, and wool. In addition, you can purchase machines to turn these into mayonnaise, cheese/yogurt, and yarn. You can also befriend a giant bee, and collect honey from it. The game also has an anime style with hand-drawn 2D character images, as well as a lovely opening that would fit perfectly as an opening for an anime show. You can also plant crops in a cave, however only one type of season can be grown (summer, fall, spring) but it's that season year-round. This means in addition to your normal crops (that change by season) you can farm the other two seasonal crops year round. Why not winter you ask? Because you can't grow crops in winter! (normally Harvest Moon games pity you and give you a small set of "winter only" crops). However there are some drawbacks. The dungeon-crawling is not as fun as you'd think, and is either really easy, or really hard, basically depending on your equipment. Mining is fun to do, as is leveling up your various skills, including normal RPG ones, but some interesting ones like "Cooking" and "Pharmacy." The marriage option returns, with a lovely set of several moe-based women to woo, although they are a bit too generic by anime standards. It also gives you a free source of income to get you started with fishing, and conquers the challenge of allowing you to walk between plants (allowing you to make long rows of plants!) All in all it's a very enjoyable game, one that got me so addicted I decided to write about it, despite the fact that it's 3 years old. However a sequel has already been made that actually allows you to play your whole life, get married, and then play your child's life. Awesome! All in all, it's an excellent time waster, and is perfect for a drive, or a boring summer day.

Welcome to the Age of the Nerd!

This is a slight editorial of sorts, me just saying how I feel about the stigma of video gamers among average American socialites…

So, first thing: I was with a group of my friends the other day and someone and I were talking about a certain game we're interested in, and of course someone starts groaning about how we're obsessed with video games. (This coming from a Twilight fan. BA HA HA!) While I myself may dislike certain franchises such as an unnamed series about sparkly gay vampires, or a rather popular "singer" with a touch of an identity crises, I never attack someone for the form of media they love. Books, Music, Movies, and games are all very much interconnected. Many people assume all video games come in 3 types and only these 3.

Type A: Mario or pokemon. Aka kiddy games.
Type B: Halo or GTA. Aka Bloody killer games
Type C: Rock Band or DDR Aka those "fun" "hip" and cool games.... that require a totally different skill set from traditional games.

People don't seem to understand just how varied video games can be. That there is a gaming equivalent of (first the GOOD!) Disney. Fun games that are easy to learn and capture the feeling of a world that is vast and heartwarming. Such as Super Mario Galaxy which honestly makes me feel like a 5 year old every time I play it. The feeling of wanting to fly through space in overalls so amuses me like a child. Games charm also extend to their soundtracks. I was shocked to realize that some people still think that games use literal beeps and whistle sounds in this day and age. Today games utilize full orchestras in addition to synthesizers to give us a whole range of sounds, often companies like Nintendo doing orchestral versions of their classic themes. I would even dare to say even more work goes into some major game soundtracks than in some motion pictures, for adding music to something others are going to control truly does take energy and skill.

There's also games that are so much more than just violence. Take Metal Gear Solid 4 for example. It's an M-rated game, but did you know you can go through the entire game without taking a single life. At all. The series also ventures into themes about so many things you wouldn't think a game would talk about. It's actually very anti-war, and how loyalty is not always a sign of true freedom. Also take Bioshock. This is like literature brilliantly passed onto a game. A Utopian story about a mad-man that decides to create a world without war, without poverty, yet without authority and without God, reminds me somewhat of a certain 1984. Mature games are no different from R rated movies. You have some akin to the like of Crank, Wanted, and the thousands and thousands of horror flicks. Games made for you to kill and kill and watch gore and gore. I find it confusing when people complain about these games when there are far worse things visable in movies. (I watched My Bloody Valentine Unrated today and have NEVER seen a woman get her face cut in half by a shovel in a video game). [edit: However after playing God of War III I must be honest that the part involving Hercules came rather damn close] I feel that video games are no more affecting a person's lust for violence any more than the television shows we watch, the movies we watch, or the books we buy. They all affect how we think and what we feel, to assume that because one gives us control means it will most affect us is absurd. I still consider books to be worse because they are put directly in your subconscious, a dark place where no one else will ever dare to visit.

Not only are gamers captivated by games' stories but by what you can do with them. Gaming allows for so much exploration and non-linear thinking, calculating, "deciding" (that one's for you Bush!), and etc! I myself prefer games where combat is varied and I have a variety of tools to accomplish my mission. Metroid's use of strange weapons not only unlocks new ways to kill baddies, but new areas that could not be accessed or opened up without certain weapons or upgrades. In fact it is stupid to say that games are stupid because they're not stupid at all! Look at tons of games and you'll find that they are very complex. Books have literally been written about tons of games and what you can do with them and such.

Then you have the most absurd misconception about Gamers: that we're all friggin' social outcasts. We're not! ANYONE ANYWHERE can be a gamer. There are also "closet gamers." who are super into games but never let anyone know outside of there gaming life. Gamers have the internet, we have Xbox Live we have PSN, we have tons and tons and TONS of forums WE set up to talk about video games. WE have debates DAILY about video games, not just once in a great while. We aren't afraid to announce our loyalty to a brand, a game, or whatever. Gamers are semi-nerds. They may be the "jocks" of the nerds, but were a branch. We're here, and unless everyone stops making games, us gamers will be here a long, long, time. Welcome to the age of the nerd!

Of Breasts and Men

This may end up being a short post, but whatever.

So I'm doing my usual keeping up on the video game news, when another article of Metroid: Other M pops up. It reveals nothing new about gameplay or story elements, just confirms what I knew from the first trailer: that Metroid: Other M tells you more about Samus. This is fine. I want to know about Samus. She's that cute, serious girl you want to talk to, but is always quiet and hard to approach. I'd like to know more about her.

What I DON'T like is that people for one reason or another are getting all pissed off about the game for the wrong reasons. Call me a fanboy, but so far I don't mind how the game is progressing. The major problem with the game is the reason why some people were happy with it when it was announced: it's being co-developed by Team Ninja. See the thing people don't understand is that the developer of the game is NOT Team Ninja. Nor is it Nintendo. It is really Project M. "Who or what is Project M?" I hear you so blatantly ask.

Well, they are a Fusion (see what I did there? Fusion!) of people from both Nintendo and Team Ninja. In fact I'd say their is more Nintendo influence than Team Ninja influence. What is Team Ninja known most for? Combat. Whether it's Ninja Gaiden, or Dead or Alive their known for making killing stuff look COOL.

This is what Metroid needs. It's never been too great at combat until metroid prime, and even then it was only necessary during bosses, and occasional fights. However, it's still going to have the loneliness and isolation Metroid is known for, as well as the adventuring everyone loves. Team Ninja is just there to increase the melee combat of the game, as the story seems to be predominately done by Sakamoto, the expert on all things Metroid. So Don't hate the Ninja!... At least not until it comes out.

Bioshock 2 or My Return To Rapture

By now everyone has had their fill of what has been commonly called "The game that doesn't need a sequel but has one." Personally, I don't mind a sequel. The first I felt was subpar in gameplay, and sounded like it would do more with the story than it did (would you kindly aside). And yes, this will probably have spoilers. You have been warned. Turn back, go away, yada yada.

Anyway, so here's the gist of Bioshock 2: You play as "Subject Delta" (his real name is revealed later but insignificantly so, so I forgot) the 4th Big Daddy created but the only one with both free will, and the only successfully paired to a Little Sister. Now this brings me to one of the good points of Bioshock 2: it has a boom of a beginning.

As you prepare for a normal day of work (ten years prior to gameplay by the way) your sister grabs you and drags you to the source of adam. You protect her from an onslaught of splicers, until someone uses a Hypnotize plasmid on you. Turns out you get set up, and your sister's real mother, Sophia Lamb, lectures you on how this is not your daughter and asks you to kill yourself. And since you are hypnotized you begrudgingly oblige.

This left a gasp on my face when it happened, and I felt the game had already pushed beyond the first in terms of story. However like the first, Bioshock 2 gets tiresome later on. Soon it gets slow and boring, like a Bouncer doing rounds with a little sister. Sure their are some nice fights, but for a little bit you end up just going here, doing that, and the story is stagnant and won't really move. However, once you finally meet up with your Little Sister Eleanor that's when things pick up. See Eleanor has a psychic link to you. She sees what you see. She sees all the Little Sisters you kill or save.

And all the random people you kill or are merciful to. Depending on these ratios of kill to saves, depends on the ending. Not surprising right? Here's the killer: You set an example for Eleanor. Like a teenage boy who found out his real father is a rock star, Eleanor is fascinated with you as a father. When you meet up with her, depending on your actions, she'll either be a cold murderous killer, or a strong rebellious freedom-fighter. The way you see this I'll leave for you to find out but it's worth it.

Gameplay wise, this game is better then the first. The weapons are more balanced, as well as original (in look not in use though) and the plasmids and tonics are less limiting, and upgrading plasmids is definitely useful. However, it pretty much plays the same as the first. Most splicers attack you the same as well, leaving a feeling of "I've done this already" that may bore some people looking for something different. However hacking and research are greatly improved, allowing you to do so faster, and continue to hack with skill (or lack thereof if you don't care).

Graphically I was a bit unimpressed. Yes I liked Bioshock's style, but I felt improvements could have been made. This may just be me on Uncharted 2 fever, but that's how I felt. They weren't BAD persay, just unimproved.

All in all Bioshock 2 is a great fun game for the most part, and probably has a less annoying difficulty curve if you research more (something I did not, and the metroid fan in me is screaming at me for doing so). The battles are fast and furious, the big daddies are slower though but the Big Sisters (which attack you IMMEDIATELY after dealing with the laster little sister in each level) are even faster then the first game's bouncers.

Which is scary piss-your-pants fast. In my opinion if you liked the first you won't be too disappointed with this one. There isn't as big a twist at the end of this one, however it's still fun to play. And multiplayer is actually pretty good, although I'll probably stick Uncharted 2 for the time being. However, I gave it a spin, and so should you. Bioshock 2 is well worth your time in my opinion.

Welcome to the Revolution

This is a simple introductory post, simply designed to tell you, the reader, what simple things I plan to discuss in the not-so-distant future, IN SPACE! IN 3D! (Coming soon to a theater near you)

Continuing on with my rampant lack of sanity, here's what I plan to do:

Section1: Entertain you. Quite simply (yes that is the fourth time using that root) I plan to talk about anything you'd like. And anything I'd like. If you find it interesting to talk about just comment or hit me up with a PM or whatever it is that this site uses, and I'll be happy to oblige. However I plan to speak/type mostly on matters pertaining to, (But certainly not limited to!) video games, anime, manga, animation in general, sci-fi, modern pop-culture trends i like, modern pop-culture trends I hate, personal problems that I can make vague enough to not-bite-me-in-the-butt, and anything else I feel like doing.

Part B: Provide opinions but back them up with facts. (and more opinions) Keep in mind that since I am publishing this blog, that in the end my opinion matters more than yours does. However you're free to disagree, and whatnot, but please: no trolls. No one likes trolls. There large, big, fat, ugly brutes that smell bad. Do you want to be this guy? No. You don't. I'm sorry, but no trolls are allowed here. If a troll appears, we'll just ignore it. Ignore it like a teenage girl ignores the fact that she's missed her third period in a row and quite probably should get a pregnancy test soon.

That's pretty much it. Here's the deal: you listen to me, I'll listen to you, we chat, talk, and then have a merry old time. Sound good? Well, first ACTUAL post will come soon. For now... enjoy this merry tune from Final Fantasy XIII: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfHpDKfEFzo