Yep, still alive. It's been a while. Well, guess what? You know how video game titles these days are kinda absurd in that they are easy to take a shot at? We did exactly that. The Super MEATO Bros united together to take a jab at several big video game titles, and, boy, did we have fun with this!
So, without further adieu, here is the fruits of our labour. We hope that you enjoy it, and that you can laugh along with us. (I swear this video was too easy to make happen. xD)
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure
- Nintendo Gamecube
I’m quite partial to some of
Nintendo’s games/franchise; I (and my occasional split screen buddy) have lost
hours of life to various titles and franchises such as The Legend of Zelda,
Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart. That being said, I’m gonna say that at this
point in my life, I am very much a part of the “Sony Ecosystem". I really enjoy
my Sony consoles; I love the quality and variety of the games on the
PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4 is starting to pick up and release more
titles as the seasons go by.
Since Sony is a Japanese company, a
good number of Japanese Role-playing Games (J-RPGs) have been released on their platforms
over the years (some of which had been translated and released outside of
Japan, however the majority of which have not). As such, thanks to personal interest in the culture and the language
(yes, I’m currently boasting 6 years’ worth of intense, sweating and wall-punching periods
that have been dedicated to learning Japanese… and no, I can’t speak it fluently—yet!),
I honestly do believe that their systems are a perfect match for my personality
and game preferences.
For those that aren't too familiar
with Sony’s gaming products, Sony has released a variety of consoles over the
years including the PlayStation, PSone (a redesigned ver of the previous),
PlayStation 2, PlayStation 2 Slim, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3 Slim, PlayStation
3 Super Slim, and the PlayStation 4 (most current version).
<Sony Consoles (left to right/down to up) PlayStation, PSone, PSX, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 2 Slim, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3 Slim, PlayStation 3 Super Slim, PlayStation 4 + PS4 Camera>
In addition to
this, several hand-held ones were released including the PlayStation Portable
(PSP), PSP-2000, PSP-3000, PSP Go, PSP-E1000, the PS Vita (1000-Series, and PS
Vita (2000-Series).
Table of PlayStation Portable Model Specs (excluding PS Vita)
PS Vita 1000 Model Features Vs.
PS Vita 2000 Model Features
But enough with the
technicalities, basically Sony has had a handheld system since 2004 (Japan)/2007
(everywhere else), and currently produces/markets games for the PlayStation 3 (PS3),
PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation Vita (1000- and 2000-series) (PS Vita/Vita). The thing
that I love best about my PS Vita is the fact that I feel as though I am
getting the same level of play from my Vita as I am with my PS3.
Basically here are the pros and
cons to the PlayStation Vita 2000-Series model:
Pros:
·Portable
·Front and rear cameras
·Front and back touch screen
·960 x 544 pixel resolution
·4.5-7hrs Battery life
·1 GB internal storage
·Wi-fi Connectivity
·PS4 Remote Play
·Lighter and Slimmer (than 1000-Series ver)
·Soft-touch metal rim more comfortable to grip
·IPS LCD display = more balanced colours, smoother gradients in
shades, purer white balance
·Micro-USB charge cable
·Can play and store various media forms (eg music, video, images
etc)
Cons:
·No OLED = no sharpening edges effects, deeper
blacks; colours and contrast was sharper on previous model
·No 3G (or 4G) Connectivity
·Still will require a Sony Vita Memory Card (4GB,
8GB, 16GB, 32GB)
The graphics are just as amazing regardless
of which Vita model you look at. I personally
still use the older model which has the OLED (organic
light-emitting diode) display, slightly sharper graphics
than its newer IPS LCD (In-plane Switching Liquid Crystal Display) counterpart,
however still mus deal with a slightly thicker build (arguably more durable), no 1GB internal
storage, and shorter battery life.
Despite this, I take it everywhere with me… Literally.
PS Vita 2000 Model Colours Available in Japan
So at this point in time, those
who are familiar with the Nintendo 3DS models are probably wondering that save for
the front and rear touch pads, front and rear cameras, Remote Play and
Micro-USB chargeability, what the hype is about? To this I would say… the
GAMES.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3 and PS Vita)
There are actually a number of games
available for the Vita, both physical and digital, so if you are after a PSP
game you could most likely find it on the PlayStation Store to buy and download
onto your Vita (though you'd have to make sure there's enough space on your memory card).
The Final Fantasy franchise is still extremely popular in this respect, and within
the past year they developers of the renown PS2 titles Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 ended up remastering and porting (converting for the newer platform) the two games
not only for the PS3, but also for the PS Vita. You literally could play the
same game that gamers were playing on plugged-in console at home in your hands
at the bus-stop or on the train to that day-job of yours that you hate with a
passion.
Borderlands 2 Box-Art (PS Vita)
Another example of this can be
seen with the popular console title Borderlands 2 (which came out on the PS3
and also the Xbox 360), which was ported/adapted for the handheld Vita so
it could deliver the same kind of performance but mobile! Admittedly I have yet
to play it, but I've got my eye on the game should it ever go on sale. #poorunistudent *clears throat*
So! If you are a fan of the J-RPGs, then the Vita is a great console for you. As more and more time passes, with
the gaming market expanding and reaching new heights/depths, there has been a noticeable
increase (in my most humble opinion) in native J-RPGs being localised into
various native languages across the world. And with this localisation may come
never-before-seen content (that may have been Japanese ver. exclusive),
remastered pieces or even NEW content, all of which is always nice to see. Examples
of this include Persona 4 Golden and the new and upcoming Freedom Wars. But I’m
sure we’ll see more varying genres aside from the RPGs and the shooters
(Borderlands 2 and Killzone) and the more adventurous ones (eg Assassin’s Creed Liberation and Tearaway) etc..
Japanese Box-Art for Freedom Wars (PS Vita)
So
all-in-all, the PS Vita is a powerful/impressive tool, whilst also being a great portable
entertainment system. The internet is a big black hole of information so if
your curiosity has been piqued, then perhaps try looking up more about it. In the
meantime though, here is IGN’s list of the PS Vita’s top 25 Games of 2014 (as
of September 4th). Take care all, and have fun gaming!
No sexiam intended, but the stereotype boy would probably enjoy this game. Why? Because they get to fight monsters and, what the game calls, "classmate" (there is a pun in there if you get it) with some of his classmates to help fight in these 'Dusk Circles'.
What am I talking about? Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars.
*SPOILERS AHEAD: CONTINUE AT OWN RISK*
I came across this game through the Nintendo Game store via my 2DS, and thought it would amuse myself and some friends (if they know about it) if I download the demo version of the game and start playing.
So the 'Seven Stars' in the title represent the number of girls you get to 'classmate' with, each having their own story with you, Wake Archus (a default name). You are given the nickname 'God's Gift' due to the large amount of ether which enables you to go into dusk circles with the accompnay of one of the seven girls and three groups of three children that you have
Wake: Wake is a teenager that has traveled to the Academy with the intent to help fight against the monsters that are threatening the world. His character is driven to fight due to him having witnessed several monsters slaughter his sister on her wedding day. Wake is voiced by Sam Riegel in the English version of the game.
Fuuko: Fuuko is a pink-haired teenager with a chipper personality. She joins the swim team and in her personal story line Fuuko interacts with the ghost of a female student that died while trying to eradicate an underwater nest of monsters. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with. Fuuko is voiced by Kate Higgins in the English version of the game.
Narika: Narika is a shy, quiet female student that serves as the class representative. Her personal story line surrounds Narika's fear and seeming inability to speak in public due to her having a low personal opinion of her self-worth. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with. Narika is voiced by Karen Strassman in the English version of the game.
Serina: Serina is an older female student that looks like she is in her early teens. She is older than Wake and most of the other female characters and is frequently frustrated at her youthful appearance. In her story line she struggles with her own self-image, as she dislikes that she looks like a child and is frequently treated like one. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with. Serina is voiced by Cristina Valenzuela in the English version of the game.
Chloe: Chloe is a teenager that serves as a teacher at the Academy, having graduated early due to her advanced intellect. She is the older sister of Chlotz, a male student and friend of the lead character. In her story line she pursues a side career as a singer and DJ, but is upset by the troubles and disruptions this causes. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with. Chloe is voiced by Wendee Lee in the English version of the game.
Torri: Torri is a teenage student with monochromatic hair. She is shown to be quite strange and her personal story line reflects her struggles to fit in with the people around her. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with.
Ellie: Ellie is a fellow female student that works for the Church. She knows Wake from their childhood, although he initially does not remember their meeting, during which point they were attacked by a monster. Her character is able to be selected to go into the labyrinths and classmate with. Ellie is voiced by Eden Riegel in the English version of the game.
Feene: Feene is a female student introduced early in the game but is not made into a playable heroine until midway through game play. She is an accomplished fighter and has a big interest in photography. Her story line follows her interest in photography. Her character is able to be selected for labyrinth fighting and classmating. Feene is voiced by Erin Fitzgerald in the English version of the game.
Alec: Alec is a male student at the Academy and the initial story line shows him to be an outwardly cold character, which is shown to be false as the game progresses. He is very driven, which initially causes strife between him and the main character. Alex is voiced byDavid Vincent in the English version of the game.
Chlotz: Chlotz is the same age as the main character and is the younger brother of Chloe. In the game he works in the Academy's laboratory and will participate in several of the experiments involving classmanting, where male students can create star children. He has a crush on a fellow female student named Luce, which is initially not reciprocated due to her love for Alex. Chlotz is voiced by Steve Staley in the English version of the game.
I haven't gotten up to the part where I get to play with Feene just yet, but I have no idea how I am suppose to play the game properly. I do enjoy picking the different jobs that you can unlock for your children, especially if the rare occurrence of you having twins happens. There was a time that twins appeared and, I think it was extremely rare that one was a girl while the other was a boy. What I don't like about the children selection is not being able to make up names for them. You can choose from the names already in the system, but they're usually repetitive, especially since you can make them into independents. Making your child into an independent will upgrade your level for your city and then you will not be able to play with them in the future. Of course you have to unlock the jobs and some you are not able to select, and I have no idea the reason why.
So advertisements are nothing new, but I really do not like how, in my opinion, false advertisement is used to lure people, in this case children.
In particular the most recent Animal Crossing and Tomodachi Life games for the 3DS system portrays celebrities playing on the hand-held device with these games to lure girls to beg their parents to buy them the game. These games are quite expensive, and in my perspective the 'Tomodachi Life' game is not very entertaining in the first place.
On the other hand there have been boys in advertisements of other countires portraying boys will also play the 'Animal Crossing' game.
Now I don't even know what I am trying to say anymore. But advertisements are annoying to say the least.
If you have a PC, and play video games on said PC, then it is incredibly likely that you use steam. Steam and PC gaming are often mentioned in the same breath. Steam is a client created by Valve Software which works as a digital game distribution platform, so users can buy and download all of their games in a digital format, without the need for physical disks. The service is popular mainly because it was one of the first to offer games digitally, but most of all, people love Steam because of its incredibly cheap prices on games, especially during holiday themed sales.
My own Steam profile.
But its not just the stupidly cheap games that make Steam so lovable, (sometimes games can go as low as 90% off the normal price!) it is the community features that really make Steam shine. Not only can users use the friend system, but they can also use the community run sections which include forums, the 'Workshop', where users can submit content to be used as modifications into their favorite games, and the 'Market', where you can buy and sell in-game items from a variety of games with real world currency, for example hats in Team Fortress 2, which I previously wrote a blog post about.
A 'Dragonclaw Hook' on the Steam market, with an approximate value of $218.
Why else would people love Steam. Well, its quite simple really! Gamers love to play games! Can you believe it?
When you think of gaming, usually you would think of the activity of actually playing a game. But for some gamers, watching others play is just as much a part of the experience as playing the game themselves. Twitch.tv is a website focused around live streams of game-play of video games, where millions of viewers around the world will tune into their favorite streamers playing their favorite games. One of twitch.tv's main strengths are its community focused features such as the live chat function, which allows the streamer to directly communicate with their viewers via text and silly emoticons.
The 'Kappa' emoticon, which can be used in stream chat.
For most viewers on twitch, its not just about watching people casually play games, it is about watching live professional E-sports tournaments of their favorite games, favorite teams, and favorite players. This spectatorship can be compared to tuning into FoxSports to watch your favourite English Premier League team play. One of the most famous examples of an E-sports tournament broadcast on twitch was The International 4, a Dota 2 tournament with a prize pool of $11,000,000, which is higher than the US Masters golf tournament. An estimated 20,000,000 viewers tuned into this tounament.
'The International 4' in Key Arena, Seattle.
Besides E-sports, twitch features many smaller communities and types of streams, speedrunning for instance. Speedrunning is the activity of playing a game with the goal of finishing it as fast as possible whilst timing it and streaming it. Streamers will grind at a game for hundreds of hours until they have achieved a personal best time, or even a new world record time in the game that they are speedrunning.But the main draw of speedrunning for the viewers is seeing their favorite games get bent and broken in ways they never knew possible in order to achieve the quickest time possible. Linked is a speedrun of 'The legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time', and a very good introduction for newcomers to the speedrunning scene.
Since video games differ in genres and types of gameplay, there’s no
surprise that the use of video games can bring up controversy. There has been
constant discussion between societal and scientific groups on whether or not
videogames influence and change behaviour and attitudes of game players. The
benefits? Not only are video games a way of letting individuals express themselves, but
they also distribute entertainment to various individuals and can provide educational elements in many ways. So in a way, a grader perspective of the advantages to video games could be a better
quality of life right? Well scientific theories suggest that video games have negative effects and may increase antisocial, aggressive and violent behaviour.
Well scientific theories suggest that video games have negative
effects and may increase antisocial, aggressive and violent behaviour. The issue has not been ignored and cases of parental regulation have arisen as a result. Government intervention has also come about as an active way to help control the negative theoretical issues that may arise from video games. For example, AO marked games are not published in North America and retailers do not
sell AO-rated games. Further suggesting that video games can go against an individuals ethical standards and consequently, regulations are steps taken to weaken its' influence.
Games allow you to
interact with fantastical worlds that you'd never experience in everyday life.
In video games you can be buzzing through a warzone in a helicopter or fighting
aliens or managing a full-scale invasion of another country! However games can
also be mundane. For instance, for a solid decade, my little sister has played
'The Sims 2' on and off, a game in which you micromanage a family of people,
ordering them to use the loo when they need to pee, to cook when they need to
eat, and sending them off to work when they run out of money. It's sort of like
a virtual dollhouse.
In a similar vein,
my girlfriend and I have invested way too much of our time into Minecraft, a
game in which you are plopped into a blocky wilderness:
and allowed to mine, craft and build almost anything you can think of. So far we've assembled a field of crops:
and animals for food.
Also, we live in an empty house:
and occasionally dig for coal to light torches to scare monsters
away.
What are your
favourite games about mundane topics? Let us know in the comments below!!
Inspired by my
ISYS100 blog assignment and empowered by all the research I did for the last blog post, I decided to see whether I could get an emulator up
and running on my own computer. Here’s what I did:
Purchased a Wii and all the
games I wished to play (otherwise this is software piracy)
Threw them in a cardboard box in the
garage (simply owning the games means I am legally allowed to make copies
of them for use in an emulator)
Downloaded the Dolphin Wii
emulator
Downloaded the games I wanted
to play
Hooked up my wireless Xbox 360
controllers (you can use any controller that will connect to your PC, or even just keyboard + mouse)
Spent a good four hours tweaking the settings to get it to run properly, the controllers to work etc etc
Invited the MEATO crew to my place
Played new super Mario bros
wii on my PC in multiplayer!
We had a really good time,
except everyone complained that having four people crowded around a computer
screen felt a bit crowded. My dedication to this video gaming blog knows no
bounds, so I ordered a really long HDMI cable off eBay, and now that it’s here,
I'm now able to kick back and relax to Mario on my television!
Remember to keep your RSS feeds syndicated because the MEATO team have got heaps of mad content coming up for you guys very soon!
If it wasn’t for the people I hung with, I would not of gotten into many of the video games that I did. I grew
up with violin lessons everyday after school and weekends filled up with
hobbies and community events. So video games took up very little of my life.
The things I did get to try were great though! The
PS2, Xbox and Wii hold great memories for my friends and myself. Those
multiplayer games got intense! However, my strategic game thinking was lacking
so I never got into the habit of gaming seriously.
Recently a friend of mine has buried
himself in video games and withdrawn himself from the face-to-face world. So
for this reason, I don’t particularly favor video games. I did find an awesome
article on the issue, check it out: http://realtruth.org/articles/346-vgaefr.html
