So, I suppose you all are wondering why I've gathered you here today, correct? Well, first of all, allow me to make a few announcements here... I've come to the conclusion that I should at least attempt- attempt being the operative word here, a 30/30 blog series at least once in my blogging career here on GIO. Now seems to be as good a time as any, as I will almost always surely be busy with work, so might as well get this thing started as soon as I possibly can. It's a new day, a new month, so now seems to be a decent time to get this thing on the road. I will try my hardest to get a blog up every single day, whether it be in the early morning, or in the wee hours of the night. They might be long, they might be short- it all just depends on time, honestly. But I will try my darndest to make this work, I promise.

My second announcement is this: you're probably wondering about the nature of this blog, as it has an intriguing title- or at least, in my opinion it is intriguing. Quite simply put, I mean to take a page from the role-playing games' book here- inserting real time dialogue opportunities into life's many choices and seeing the differences. Now, for those of you who remain confused and confuzzled, allow me to explain myself. Take, for example, two BioWare games of great (and ill) repute- Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Now, these games both feature an interactive dialogue wheel for their many important and mundane decisions, correct? That is what I am referring to when I mention the sacrosanct real time dialogue.

I do not mean to say that we should come up with a way to halt time and pull up a holographic dialogue and opportunity wheel, although that is certainly something that would be intriguing to see in the vastly distant future. No, instead I mean that we should think as heavily on our life decisions at breaking points or simple choices, and regard them as we do the holy choices of our games. Take a page from video gaming's book for once, and enjoy a moment almost like the Twix commercials, you know. This blog is pretty simple actually: it's basically about how we can learn from choice and opportunity in games, and how we can apply that to our everyday lives.

Sure, there are those among us who make it their goal to do a good, an evil, and a neutral playthrough of every role-playing game that offers them that afforded opportunity. Some of us choose to go the evil route first, maybe because it's easier, or simply more amusing to be a renegade Shep- I don't know the thousands of reasons we choose to do so, but we do. This does not mean we are a selfish, evil, malevolent, and twisted people as video gamers- it simply means we like to experiment with things we would never do in our real lives, and to see the depths to which a person- even a digital one, can sink. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those of us who always go the paragon, good guy route the first few times through, and do our best to save the world, galaxy, or reality we are playing in.

I think what I'm really trying to say here is that if we simply paused for a minute before saying that cynical retort, before stealing that pack of ninety -seven cent bubblegum, before switching teams in Call of duty, or before simply deciding not to go to work, then the world would be a much better off place. Or at least, much better than it currently is. Sure, people will still make wrong choices- there's nothing we can ever do to stop that, but hey, not only did they try to do the right thing, but they weighed their options before doing so, and were at least able to rationalize things if not justify them.

For example, if you look at things from a purely objective economic standpoint, as I learned long ago in one of my economics classes in college, you won't be basing anything on subjectivity or bias, but instead on not only fact, but rationality. For a decision to be economic, it- first of all, needs to be an actual decision. Whether it's choosing to tie your left or right shoe first, it is an economic choice in that it WAS a choice, and the opportunity cost was the shoe you chose to tie second, and thus did not tie first. It seems like such a simple, legitimate thing, but can also be incredibly complicated on a larger scale level.

Now, rationality is something different by economic standards. Normally, we attribute rationality to a level-headed, morally justified, correct choice. Whether that means saving that dog from the burning building or helping the old lady who fell down, it still seems rational- if not always logical. But rational thinking in its economic sense is quite different. A man could walk into a theater and shoot it up, and still be thinking rationally by economic standards. "But that's insane!" You cry. And yes, you'd be very correct, I must admit. But it is no less rational by economic standards in that any decision that a) is a decision and b) can be reached no matter your state of being or sanity and peace, can be called a truly rational choice. To some, running into the burning building to save the dog would be quite an irrational decision in that a) you don't make a habit of running towards fire, for safety reasons and b) the opportunity cost of buying a new dog easily outweighs that of losing your life, which to the best of our knowledge, we only get one of here on Earth.

I'm sure you're wondering just where I am going with all of this talk of gaming, then choices, then economic thought, and you'd be right to question my motives. I'll meander back on around to my original source topic: putting dialogue and thought into our actions before or as we think and do them. Seriously, folks, no amount of me talking you through my explanations can actually make you all do this- and trust me, even the best of us need to do this. I know this isn't such a video game heavy blog as mine normally are, and that I'm basically playing psychologist and psychoanalyst here, but please. We should all "snap into a slimjim" or "take two with twix" every once and awhile. At the least, use to it reevaluate your life's status...

But, hey, that's enough on this topic, and I've done more than enough talking on the idea. Whether or not you choose to weigh in on your thoughts and actions as heavily as we do in excellent role-playing games such as Dragon Age, Mass Effect, or even Telltale's The Walking Dead series, is entirely up to you. All I can do is promise to do my best to weigh in correctly, or rationally rather, on my own- and of course, finish my 30/30 in the allotted time... Until the next time folks, I bid you a fond farewell, and I hope you will take what is sure to be an interesting journey alongside me for the next twenty-nine days. Adieu.

Sleeping Dogs is a mash up of open world concepts from the current generation. The serious narrative of GTA, free running of Assassin's Creed, and the polished gameplay of Saints Row combine to create a unique experience in the living city of Hong Kong.

The development cycle of Sleeping Dogs was wrapped in change, uncertainty, and peril. Originally titled "Black Lotus," the name was changed by the original publisher, Activision, to True Crime: Hong Kong to associate the license with another Activision IP in the hope that attaching True Crime to the game would garner more hype and subsequently better sales. After multiple delays and another name change, Activision canceled the game completely in early 2011. Late in the summer of 2011, Square Enix got the publishing rights to True Crime but renamed the game Sleeping Dogs to avoid licensing the True Crime name. However, the content was largely unchanged. After a year of polish for the developer, United Front Games, and a year of support and oversight from publisher Square Enix and developer Square Enix London, Sleeping Dogs released in multiple markets across multiple platforms in August of 2012 (released in Japan in September of 2012).

The greatest strength of Sleeping Dogs is found in its dark and realistic narrative encompassing the thirst for revenge and the price associated with such a thirst. Wei Shen is an undercover cop whose unique Chinese-American background makes him a valuable tool for infiltrating the rough streets of Hong Kong. Wei, with his mother and sister, moved to San Francisco while Wei was still a child, but not before Hong Kong had made a lasting impression on his life. The move to San Francisco was supposed to help Wei's sister, Mimi, escape her drug addiction. However, Mimi died of an overdose in San Francisco, and Wei's mother was unable to cope with the loss and committed suicide. His world torn apart, Wei, who was working as an undercover officer in San Francisco, killed the man who supplied his sister with the fatal drugs. Though substantial evidence to implicate Wei in the murder was never found, Thomas Pendrew recognized the truth and Wei's potential and recruited Wei to infiltrate and destroy the Sun On Yee, a particularly powerful Triad in Hong Kong, from the inside. Wei accepted the offer and left the United States, but he still carries the pain of his family's death. There are still people alive who contributed to the destruction of his family, and Wei has every intention of holding those individuals responsible for his sister's death. The story of Sleeping Dogs picks up in Hong Kong as Wei begins his rise within the Sun On Yee. The narrative that unfolds explores the meaning of family, the ethical temptations of police work, and the point where the ends no longer justify the means. The answers to these questions that you arrive at throughout Sleeping Dogs are not easy answers, and the journey to these answers is filled with twists that lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Sleeping Dogs takes place in open-world Hong Kong, and it is divided into four main regions. On the east, North Point is the starting area for the game and is the most rundown region of Hong Kong. Central is characterized by its well-developed, downtown structure and contains the central and northernmost points on the map. Aberdeen is located southern edge of the map and mixes the downtown skyscrapers of Central with the slum areas of North Point. Kennedy Town is the posh region that is in stark contrast to the seedier side of Hong Kong. Each area will provide Shen with a unique home base. Overall, the open world of Sleeping Dogs is not a strength when compared to games like Saints Row, GTA, Red Dead Redemption, or Assassin's Creed. Yes, you do have street races, tons of collectibles, and leaderboards tied to the stats of those on your friends list, but so many activities feel uninspired. *** fighting, poker with dominoes, and the overabundance of technically sound aspects of the game (e.g. lockboxes, racing events, and drug busts) lead to your time in Hong Kong feeling like a chore. These activities are optional, and unless you are a masochistic completionist, avoidance is probably the best course of action. Give the different events and activities a try, and if you do not enjoy it, simply walk away.

Sleeping Dogs takes an interesting approach toward combat. While the third-person shooting mechanics are a little loose and the guns feel under-powered, the melee combat shines. The combination of light and heavy attacks coupled with counters, disarms, and stuns create a surprisingly deep gameplay experience with the push of a few buttons. Take the Batman Arkham combat system. Dumb it down slightly. Root the animation and style in the charm of a martial arts film, and you have a fun excuse to beat up many guys. Triad XP is gained through combat during missions. Clever combos and environmental kills are only a few ways for you to impress your criminal family and increase your standing within the Triad. Once you level up, you will be given the option to choose a new ability or perk that coincides with the skill tree. Skills vary for the Cop, Triad, and Melee trees. Cop XP can be gained by completing certain missions for the Hong Kong Police Department and by protecting civilians during Triad missions. Melee abilities are unlocked by finding statues spread throughout Hong Kong. Both the Cop and Triad XP factor into the encompassing Face level. The Face level can be raised through missions given by civilians and by going on dates with various eligible women. High Face levels can result in the reduced cost of certain items and boosts to your Face meter which is the yellow bar that fills during combat. When the Face bar is filled, Wei will receive melee boosts during combat and enemies will become intimated.

Technically, Sleeping Dogs is a polished game, but problems do occur occasionally. Only one serious bug occurred during my 20+ hours with the game. Wei was walking through the streets of Hong Kong at night when all the cars disappeared in an instant. The city was running smoothly, but all the cars were gone. After a few moments, people began to pop in an out of the picture. They did not move. They simply appeared and then vanished. After about ten seconds, I got scared and turned off my 360. When I restarted the game, everything was fine. However, this was not the only problem. Noticeable issues regarding frame rate can occur when traveling at full speed in certain vehicles for extended periods of time. During sequences with vehicle combat, the most effective way to deal with a pursuer is to shoot out a tire. Resembling Bullet Time from Max Payne fame, shooting out a tire triggers a cinematic effect where the camera slows down; the color palette is washed out, and the car explodes. While this effect is cool the first few times that you see it, the distinctiveness wears out quickly, and you are left watching the same cinematic effect dozens of times because the developers needed to protect the game from itself during these sequences. Though less egregious, the usual buggy game tropes are present to a limited extent. Dead bodies flailing violently, pop in, and civilian AI can do weird things from time to time. Overall, Sleeping Dogs is an ambitious game that runs well.      

8.25 (A Fantastic, Dark Story Set within a Beautiful, Yet Dull, Open-World)

After your time with Sleeping Dogs, you will probably feel a fondness for the story and for Wei Shen as a character, but you will also have a sense that Hong Kong could have been so much more. While the pieces to the open-world puzzle do not completely fall into place, Sleeping Dogs is an example of the narrative cohesiveness and depth that can be achieved in a genre known for player freedom and a lack of cohesive purpose. Not every minigame or collectible will feel worth the effort, but the combat and great moments will keep you moving forward to the very end. It is easy to pass on Sleeping Dogs due to the competition within its own genre or the excitement of a new console, but if you have never experienced Sleeping Dogs, then you should no longer let sleeping dogs lie.

Release: 8/14/2012

Developer: United Front Games

Available for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3

It took me a while to consider the light. I understood its mechanical purpose, the way it functioned as a guide to help me find the next creature made of earth and stone and kill it. Still, I did not even ask myself why specifically the light is important, what it means in the context of the game’s world. It was the first mystery I noticed in the game that was both mechanical and visual, and it was the first one I solved—no, not solved, never solved. But that’s where I began with Shadow of the Colossus. I discovered an appreciation for the ways games create meaning by chasing a beam of light.

I played Shadow of the Colossus when I was sophomore in college. I picked it up over the winter break and played it at home, completed it once, and left it when I returned to school. I liked it enough to keep it around, and I appreciated that it did something different.  Wander, a young boy, seeks to revive Mono, a maiden, who had been sacrificed because “she had a cursed fate.” To do this, he journeys to a forbidden land and entreats Dormin, an imprisoned spirit, to restore her, making a pact to free the spirit by slaying sixteen stone colossi in exchange for her life. The game’s quiet austere game design and ambiguous story wove together a thoughtful fairy tale, yet I found its narrative and its often clunky gameplay unsatisfying.  I wouldn’t come to appreciate it until a year later.

In the fall of my junior year, I took a class on the modern novel and encountered for the first time James Joyce’s Ulysses—a monument of high modernist style for some, an incoherent pile of word vomit for others. It became one of the most grueling semesters I remember due in large part to my struggles with the text. Fueled in equal parts by cheap whisky, caffeine, and self-loathing, I finished a mediocre paper and went home for winter, where I found my copy of Colossus still in my Playstation 2’s disc tray. I figured it’s quiet, meditative structure could provide some much needed decompression after a semester of Joyce’s textual noise. With vague memories of towering giants and a ghost of a narrative, I decided to replay the game.

It was then that I noticed the light.

Wander arrives in an eternally sunlit forbidden land, yet I could not find any singular source, until I remembered the spirit imprisoned there. I wondered if perhaps the light emanated from the ethereal Dormin, that being that speaks from an illuminated hole in the temple’s ceiling. Focusing the light to find a colossus causes the world around Wander to go dark, and the ornamental sword that serves that serves as your guiding prism is the only instrument capable of freeing the spirit. It seems painfully obvious now that the glow came from the trapped spirit, but for me it was a revelation. A simple mechanic of following a beam of light to my next objective revealed something tangible about the world and its mysteries in a way I had never considered.

I started to dig. I played the game twice that winter, taking note how each part informed the whole. I saw how Wander clumsily swings his sword, and I surmised that he’s clearly not a warrior, maybe some type of page or acolyte who stole the blade (which looks more ceremonial than practical). The frustrations of unresponsive controls when climbing gigantic beasts evaporated. I understood my frustrations as Wander’s struggle to cling to each behemoth. I found that what I initially thought were bad controls for the horse, Agro, were actually just controls for the reins; the horse operated as an independent character. Since Agro dwarfs his young rider, I initially assumed that Wander stole him to travel to the forbidden land, but the ways in which they interact—the horse’s readiness to come when called; the ease with which Wander mounts, stands on, and leaps from him; the moment when Agro throws his rider to safety as a bridge collapses—reveal that they share a bond deeper than a horse thief and his quarry.

As I looked closely at the intersection of mechanics and narrative, the story of an old world and a fallen god began to take shape. I imagined an ancient civilization that once worshiped Dormin, erecting temples and shrines across the land, and then, for whatever reason, the people left this land and culture behind and sealed their deity within its own temple by binding its spirit to sixteen statues. I surmised that Dormin’s spirit gave life to the land itself as giants made of earth and stone, each resembling one of the sixteen totems, rose to a placid existence or to confused and angry animation. As the giants rose, ignorant of the land’s previous inhabitants, the people built new cultures and traditions as the world they abandoned drifted into legend until one young boy was called to sacrifice a girl to appease the new gods. Wracked with guilt the boy follows the myths and taboos of his people to an all-but-forgotten place to beseech an old god for help.

Of course, this story is composed of as much inference as it is evidence, and the game’s lack of exposition until the final act supports numerous readings. I'm sure the internet is filled with theories much more complex and nuanced than anything I could put together. The game has become something of an storytelling enigma, a protean digital myth that changes depending on the storyteller.  But an encyclopedic detailing of the game's world and its characters is not going to be what I remember most fondly about this game. I remember the ways the game taught me to read it.

Shadow of the Colossus encouraged me (without insistence)  to recognize subtlety, to connect the form and mechanics to the content on display. I  found substance in the way Wander moves clumsily. I understood why the wonky camera tended to frame the game’s protagonist so he appears as small as possible. I could validate my distrust of the game’s initial insistence that something malevolent stirs in the forbidden lands when I slew a colossus and felt more regret than victorious jubilation. No matter how many massive giants I brought to ruin, Wander still scrambled around in the dirt and struggled under the weight of his sword.

This summer I returned to Shadow of the Colossus (likely due to my current work on a dissertation chapter involving Ulysses), and I was surprised at how much I owe to the game for its hidden lectures on mechanics and meaning. A few years older with more books read and critical papers written, I found more still to appreciate in the game. Perhaps that's what the best games do. They never stop teaching the player new ways to appreciate them as texts to be read, played, enjoyed.

This time, I found more to enjoy in the long stretches of travel and loneliness between encounters with colossi that juxtaposed the tranquility of empty travel and the thrilling sequences of climbing each behemoth to bring it crashing down. I saw these moments as meditations on the place of violence in game design, the tension between the promises of an open world and the inevitable mournful draw of the kill. But that's probably material for a different article--another lesson I learned while slaying giants.

So, any particular game teach you to appreciate the nuances of game systems or narrative? Let's get a conversation going.

Cheers,

--David

David is working on his PhD and currently writes for awesomeoutof10.com, where this article was originally published. Follow his hilarious acts of academic vigilantism on twitter and please feel free to ask questions and offer criticism!

Well hello there GIO!  It's me Proprietary-Windmill, bringing you my latest announcement.

Firstly, I have a bit of a bomb to drop....are you ready? Well as you can probably tell I've not posted a blog in quite sometime and to be honest, the reason behind that is that I can't seem to find a good focus when I write nowadays.  I'm actually surprised that I'm managing to write this blog right now.  This brings me to the meat of my announcement, I will continue not to blog. (Unless that is something comes up, that spurs me back into the mood so to speak)

Now I know you're probably more than just a little disappointed to hear this announcement considering I'm delivering it to you via a blog.  Well I've decided to replace blogging with something a bit more personal. Hence, enter the "Discussion" part of the title:

Every time I get the chance (I'll try my best to make it daily) I'll post a new topic or a question as the header for my profile page.  You can check in and discuss said topic or question at any point after it's posting, and I'll will do my best to reply back to all of you.  As per your request the discussions can be brought into a private conversation if you want to avoid a huge wall of comments...or not I'll leave that decision up to you. Oh and every Friday I'll change the formula up a bit and post an "Ask me Anything" on my profile page and you can fire away your questions away at me like: "What games are you playing now Windmill?" or "What do you think of *insert name of game or other media here*"  You can even ask me how or what I'm doing outside of video games as long as the questions don't get to personal.

The first discussion topic will be posted shortly after the posting of this blog.

And a reminder that this blog does not signify my complete end of blogging, I'll most likely blog again about something else, if anything just to deliver announcements like this one to you without having to go all the way to my profile page.

Anyways, have a good time gaming

Yours truly,

Windmill

When the first Guitar Hero came onto the scene in 2005, it spawned a new genre centered around rhythm based gameplay that emphasized the use of fake, plastic instruments. For the next 4 years, this genre would go on to dominate house parties, initiate school oriented contests (at least where I went to school), and suck numerous hours out of casual and hardcore gamers alike. Now, in present day 2013, that scene has all but vanished and many people are left with their plastic instruments collecting dust in closets or attics. The Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are on indefinite hiatuses. Any unsold music based games are available at stores for incredibly low prices, and even then they are failing to be moved off store shelves. With the music genre seemingly dead, many have dismissed it as a fad that was fun while it lasted. However, with the next generation of consoles approaching this fall, is it possible that the music genre could see a resurgence that would make it as relevant as it was 5 years ago?

 For me, it's certainly possible, but developers are going to have to build upon the foundation already set and are going to need to invent brand new mechanics to revitalize the genre. While I can't conceive everything that could be done to retool the genre, here are some of my ideas that could possibly give the music genre a breath of fresh air.

#1. Ditch The Plastic Instruments Once and For All

While I initially thought that plastic instruments were a clever gimmick to get players to feel like they were actual rockstars, they soon wore out there welcome and became extra accessories that only jacked up the price of music games. Not only were they expensive, but they didn't even teach you the core techniques of playing guitar. While I can't say from firsthand knowledge if drum or keyboard accessories did much to teach the player anything about how to play them in real life, I'm sure one would learn a great deal more by using a real drum kit or keyboard. The same goes for guitars. Sure, we have games like Rocksmith enabling players to use a real guitar to learn how to play a handful of songs, but as of now, it's only teaches you guitar parts of a song. Creating a game that let a player use their real drum kits, basses, and keyboards would benefit a much larger group of musicians.

#2. Larger and More Diverse Song Libraries (Included on Disk)

Previous Rock Band and Guitar Hero entries have had song libraries that cap out at about 100 songs. While that is enough to provide hours of gameplay, it's highly unlikely that anyone will like all 100 songs. And while that number may seem like more than enough for some players, only 100 songs is a meager sampling in an industry brimming with bands and musicians from several genres. Shipping a game with close to 1,000 tracks would provide gamers with more than enough playtime. But with a larger track-list comes a larger demand for a more varied selection of music. As a fan of various genres of music, it was disappointing to see both series had most of their set-lists restricted to classic and modern rock. Including more reggae, indie, and even experimental music would surely appeal to a broader audience. Sure, I know that the Rock Band network solved this issue with it's vast array of songs, but unless there was a song I was dying to play, I wasn't going to shell out any more money than I spent on buying the game. Of course, new music is always being released and discovered, so developers could still make a digital marketplace to release new content, maybe just at lower price points or in bundles to make the purchase worth it. Making a larger track-list would require that developers sign deals with more record companies, but I'm sure the payoff would be well worth it.

#3. A Learning Tool That Responds to Player Skill Level

Some people might be apprehensive to have to learn how to play a real instrument, as it can be a daunting task. A game that could implement a robust and responsive learning tool into the single player campaign would be great to both new and experienced players alike. The system could gauge a player's techniques and playing style, and could determine what they are doing right and wrong. This could be an invaluable tool to seasoned musicians who might still be doing something wrong and are unaware of the issue. This learning system could then ramp up the difficulty as the player progresses in skill, or can identify a style that the player is fond of and can find songs that are suitable to that style. It could also create challenges that require the player to perform a certain technique a number of times, maybe one that they aren't familiar or comfortable with. This could make learning new skills not only fun but also rewarding, as completing the challenges could net the player in game rewards. It seems that Rocksmith 2014 is attempting to do something similar to this, which sounds great, but I would like to see if it really works as intended when the game releases. Even still, Rocksmith doesn't seem to have a compelling single player to back it up, which brings me to my next point...

#4.  A More Immersive Single Player

If you could even classify previous Rock Band or Guitar Hero single player as a campaign or narrative, then all it consisted of was hopping from one venue to the next as they increased in size (with the exception of the hilariously bad story in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock). Creating a single player experience that mimics or at least tries to convey the life of a rockstar would be an enticing proposition. Recruiting other band members, signing record deals, choosing sponsors, picking where to tour, creating your merchandise, and even customizing your tour bus and stage set up would be a great way to feel like you were living the life on the road. While I don't want it to be a full fledged touring simulator, I think it would be amazing if developers could streamline these ideas into a intuitive interface that was both enjoyable and rewarding. Oh, and the goofy character models and animations have to go. I would frequently miss notes because of how ridiculous my band members would look while performing.

#5. Multiplayer That Lets You Create Real Bands and Play Original Music

As many musicians will tell you, it's not as easy to land a record deal and garner a sizeable fan-base as one would believe. While we all wait to become the superstars that we envy, being able to create a real band through a music game is certainly an entertaining alternative. Maybe you can't find a drummer or a keyboardist in your local area that you need to complete your band. A smart matchmaking system could help pair aspiring musicians with people who are interested in creating the same type of music. Players could then form bands and create their own compositions where they could then post them to a virtual marketplace where others could listen and rate. The developer could pick some of the best tracks of the week to showcase. Heck, maybe some bands will even gain a record deal in real life. A mode that would let players go head to head with other bands would also be a great rehearsal tool, whether it be licensed or original recordings. A practice mode that just lets players experiment with different pedals, amps, etc. would also be a fun way to jam out.

A game to include all these features mentioned would certainly be ambitious and costly. It would be no easy task for developers to create a game on this magnitude, but if made with care and detail, it could pay off in ways unprecedented. It could be more than just an entertaining game, acting as a unique learning experience as well as a potential avenue to find undiscovered bands that are just as talented as today's mainstream artists.

Music and gaming are two of my biggest passions in life. That's why it was so disheartening to see the once massively successful genre quickly fade away over the past couple of years. With a new console generation on the horizon, is it the right time for a rebirth of the genre? Even if only one or two of the ideas I mentioned make it into a future music game, it would be a step in the right direction, and could possibly restore music games to their former glory.

If you have any ideas as to how music games can evolve, let me know in the comments.

I’ve done a lot of Top 10 lists.  A sampling:  Love Triangles, Pawns, Anti-Heroes, Masterminds, Female Protagonists, Robots, Launch Lineups, Introductory Sequences, Licensed Games, Impractical Mega Man Bosses, Casts of Characters, Ways To Replenish Your Health, Cities, Worst Video Game Jobs, Hallucinations,Cannon Fodder Enemies, Rising Studios, Intense Gameplay Sequences, Games As Art , Least Charismatic Characters Ever, XBLA Games, Weapons, Gaming Food Groups, Games That Changed The Industry Forever, Best Things About Skyrim, and Things We’ve All Done.  For the last couple of years, most of them have come from my site, Leviathyn.  Before that I wrote for a site called Game Breakers for a little over a year, doing one Top 10 a week.  And of course, a lot of them have come from my Game Informer blog.

When you count in the Top 25 Games of 2011, Top 25 RPGs (with help from fellow Leviathyn writers Ron and Cassidee) and The The Top 50 Games of All Time, Parts One, Two, Three, Four and Five, yeah, I’ve done a lot of lists.

But this one is special.

I always try to keep my personal feelings out of a list as much as possible, and focus on what I think would be the best objective fit for my topic.  This is my 100th blog though, and if I want to get a little personal, well, I deserve it.  In that spirit, I’ve decided to list in sequential fashion my Top 10 favorite games of all time, and believe me, besides the Top 50, this was the hardest list I have ever done.  It took forever to whittle my list down to the final spots, and I was still left with twelve games for the longest time.  I really considered a three-way tie, but I made the tough choice, and The Walking Dead and Harvest Moon had to go.  It…wasn’t easy.

So, without further ado, here are my Top 10 Favorite Games Of All Time.

10.  Final Fantasy VII: The first time I played Final Fantasy VII was a revelation for me.  I’ve been a Final Fantasy fan since the original on NES, and after drooling over the commercials, I couldn’t wait to experience the seventh iteration of the series.  It didn’t disappoint.  From the moment I stepped onto that train platform, I was completely in love.  Cloud and Co. stole my heart, not to mention a buttload of my time.  Multiple playthroughs have lead to maxed out timers,  and I still get goosebumps every time I think about descending that crystal staircase towards the fateful showdown between Aeris and Sephiroth.  However, my most recent playthrough (about two years ago) was my most successful.  I finally got every materia, every enemy skill and beat both Weapons.  And it felt oh so good.  It may be a trendy choice, but this game changed my life, and I don’t feel the least bit ashamed of its presence here.

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9.  NCAA Football Series:  There is a very good chance that I have put more hours into the NCAA Football series than all my other games combined.  I can clearly remember playing through dynasties with the Ken Dorsey-lead Miami Hurricanes in NCAA 2002, no simulations of course because I was 16 and a man.  In fact, me and two friends had a sleepover and I pulled one of the three complete video game all-nighters I’ve ever done (the other two being Breath of Fire 2 and another title on this list).  Since then, there is really no telling how many games I’ve played (winning more than my fair share along the way…I got skillz), and the recent legal troubles surrounding the series have my worried my time may be coming to an end.  Regardless, I would be remiss if I didn’t have this up here.  Oh…and in case you’re wondering, go Hogs!

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8.  Nobunaga’s Ambition 2: Lord of Darkness:  Probably the least known game on my list, it nonetheless remains one of my favorites.  Released on the SNES, Lord of Darkness is a strategy game set in feudal Japan that tasks you with gaining control of the rest of the country.  Split into a ton of regions, it could actually be played with up to nine people on one console.  That, my friend, is couch coop.  The strategies within the game were impressively deep:  you could spend your turns improving your economy, building fields of rice, forming or breaking alliances with diplomacy, threats, marriage proposals or spying.  If that failed, you could always try to forcibly take some new lands, a fact the computer was all too aware of as well.  Natural disasters would periodically sweep through the land, and wandering peddlers, engineers and philosophers are always stopping by to sell you on something.  The in-depth general loyalty system was always exciting to manage, and for all the dozens of hours I’ve put into this game, I doubt I ever got more than 25% of the map under my control at any time.  Looking back, I have no idea how I understood that game as a kid.

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7.  BioShock:  Remember earlier how I was talking about pulling an all nighter?  This is the other title.  BioShock wasn’t really on my radar when my roommate picked it up for my birthday, but you better believe it was when I stopped playing it for the first time….ten hours later.  Yep, I played through the entire game in my first sitting with it.  From the second I stepped into the lighthouse, I knew this game was going to be unlike anything I had ever played before.  I just thought it was perfect:  the gunplay was serviceable, the weapons and plasmids were fun, I loved the upgrade and picture systems and of course the story was incredibly engrossing.  I loved the feeling of slowly turning Rapture from an enemy to an ally, and was consumed with tracking down every Power to the People machine.  After beating, I passed out from sheer exhaustion, woke up and started playing through it on hard.  Rarely has a game so completely absorbed me as BioShock did.

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6.  Final Fantasy Tactics:  If Nobunaga’s Ambition unearthed my passion for strategy games, Final Fantasy Tactics polished it to a fine sheen.  I was obviously a huge fan of Final Fantasy already, but something about Tactics really struck a cord with me.  While there are a ton of memorable moments from that game: getting Cloud, using Orlandu for the first time, Delita’s defection and the murder of Ophelia, nothing stands out to me more than the fight with Wiegraf. Not because of any incredible dialogue or shocking story moment, but because it remains the most frustrating game experience I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.  If you come in unprepared for this fight, it is basically impossible, and the worst part is a prompted auto-save right before it removes the chance to quit and grind if you can’t beat him.  I didn’t exactly have the Internet advantage we have today then *shiver*, so the only advantage I had was experience.  Lot’s of it, because I probably played that fight 100 times over the course of over a year before finally figuring out a strategy that worked.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been as happy in my life as I was when I finally beat Wiegraf.

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5.  Turok: Rage Wars:  This is the only Turok game I have ever played, but that’s okay, because there is no way any of them could be better than this one in my eyes.  For my money, this was the best multiplayer game on the N64, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark be damned.  The best feature of the game was the weapon selections.  There were three types of ammo: bullet, energy and explosive.  Out of a fairly large pool of well-balanced weapons, you could pick two bullet, two energy and one explosive weapon to bring with you each fight, and there was a random powerup that constantly spawned that could provide anything from superspeed, to health-absorbing bullets to massive damage (which made your opponent explode in a pool of gore).  A diverse cast of characters, a couple of which eschewed weapons for a dedicated melee attack (Raptor FTW!) was a blast to play with, and many more could be unlocked by playing the campaign.  Speaking of the campaign, it was a little weird, being nothing more than a collection of bot multiplayer matches, but even though it had absolutely no story, it is seriously some of the most fun I’ve had with a FPS campaign.  I’ve always thought it was criminal this game didn’t get more attention than it did.

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4.  Mass Effect 2:  I’m always embarrased when it comes to my first experience with Mass Effect. I saw it sitting on my local game rental place (remember those?) for so long, and despite the rave reviews and admittedly cool-sounding box, I never picked it up.  Well, my friend left his gamecase at my house one day, and Mass Effect was in there.  I popped it in, and my life was never the same again. I adored that game, and to this day it’s the game I’ve probably played front-to-back more than any other title (seven, at last count).  When I found out you could import your character into the sequel, I of course couldn’t wait to try it out.  I knew the idea was cool, but I had no idea how mind-blowing it would be.  Carrying over all my decisions from the first one was just so incredible, but ME2 would still probably be on this list even without that.  I loved every minute of that game, but it was the explosive finale that really cemented its legacy in my mind.  Few game moments have given me more pause than the first time I had to decide who was going into the vents.

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3.  Braid:  I am, and always have been, a sucker for puzzle games.  Titles like Limbo, Fez and Portal were all given consideration for the list, but the only one that made it, the best of them in my opinion, is Braid.  Jonathan Blow’s masterpiece had it all: beautiful art, a memorable soundtrack, top-notch gameplay and a thought-provoking narrative.  The puzzle designs are nothing short of devious, with more than one stumping me for an inordinate amount of time (looking at you, Fickle Companion).  Every time I start it, I’m captivated anew by the amazing visual and audio experience, and I can’t remember being as downright stunned by an ending like I was when I beat Braid.  The clincher came when I discovered there was a secret ending.  I almost found one of the secret stars by myself, but after looking them up and seeing the hidden ending, my appreciation for the game went to a completely new level.

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2.  Final Fantasy VI:  If you checked out any of the lists above, you may have noticed that, despite my best efforts, sometimes favoritism rears it ugly head.  A number of these games wormed their way into various lists, but none so much perhaps as Final Fantasy VI, most notably in the Top 50 Games of All Time.  It’s up there at the very top, somewhere….definitely in the top 10….OK, it’s number one.  Sue me.  But I stand by my choice there, and I stand by its place here.  Even now, years after experiencing it, I am still in awe of the scope and ambition of this masterpiece.  So many moments from this game figuratively blew my little brain the first time I played them:  the Opera scene, the destruction of the world, reacquiring Cyan, trying to save Cid, the death of General Leo, the Ghost Train, the three scenarios, getting an Economizer for the first time…I could go on for a while.  Final Fantasy VI probably did more to solidify me current taste in gaming than any other title, and as far as my personal favorite games go, it falls short to only one title.

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1.  Secret of Mana:  Never have I been so enamored with a game as I am with Secret of Mana.  To me, it is just the perfect game.  On the technical side, its systems are marvelous.  The leveling system isn’t particularly deep, but the fact that you can level up yourself, each weapon and each magic type, for each character, was just incredible to me.  Combat was years a head of its time, eschewing the standard turn-based system for intense, real-time combat.  There was even a magic wheel not unlike what you can see in current titles like Mass Effect 3.   The expansive world was a joy to explore, especially once you got your “airship”, AKA dragon.  Riding Flammie in glorious Mode 7 never got old, and to top it all off you could play it with up to two other people with a multitap.  I’ve blogged about my experiences with this game before, but I’ll be honest, I never get tired of talking about it.  It wasn’t an easy choice, but Secret of Mana takes the top spot as my favorite game ever.

Well, there it is.  I’ve bared my soul and talked about something extremely personal to me: my favorite games.  If you’ve got the time, I would love to hear what yours are.  But most importantly, I want  to thank everybody for listening to my ramblings for 100 blogs now.  GIO is like a second home to me, so here’s to you all, and to 100 more!

Just taking a break from writing, hope you don't mind. Anyways, Since the original Legend of Zelda was released back in the late 1980′s, Nintendo has pumped out numerous products in an attempt to squeeze money of the the Zelda-brand. Luckily most of these things turned out to attract little interest, as the Zelda fans were, and still are, mainly interested in the games.  These are my favorite merchandise that Nintendo gave out. NOTE: These items are items that I personally have, so sadly no Master Sword or Hylian Shield replica.

( None of these are the actual pictures)

Number 10...

Triforce DS Case

Number 9... 

Triforce Lanyard 

Number 8...

Ocarina of Time T- Shirt

Number 7...

Zelda T- Shirt

Number 6...

Zelda Bracelet

Number 5...

Triforce Backpack

Number 4...

Link Doll

Number 3...

Twilight Princess Limited Edition Gamecube Controller

Number 2...

Fairy in a Bottle Charm Necklace

Number 1...

An Ocarina

Yes, hard to believe, but I aquired this from an online store. Of course, it doesn't look as good as this one and doesn't sound as good as the one in the game, but it will do. :)

What is your favorite Zelda merchandise that you have? Comment below and thanks for reading!

On my birthday this past week I was 27 going on 15 even if society now officially declares me 28 years old.  As per my birthday tradition, I took the day off of work, ordered pizza that was a nostalgic throwback to a much younger me (Pizza Hut pan pizza with one topping - black olives - my same order from when we got those kid size personal pan pizzas when I was a kid), and I played video games all day while the Coke Zero cans piled up around me.  The day was magical and the next morning, I awoke and went to work daydreaming about my 2014 birthday.

If only eating cake regenerated my health as well. 

In the weeks leading up to my birthday I daydreamed of the games to play on a rare all-day gaming day.  Interestingly, I do not actually want to game 8-10 hours day everyday but on the occasional day that I can I am ecstatic for the opportunity.  With so much time for gaming, I was excited for time to delve into a story.  Typically I game for 60-90 minutes a day at 4:30 AM or at 9:30 PM and I am not particularly awake at either hour.  While trying to play games with a deep narrative and complex gameplay systems such as inventory management, crafting, and/or skill trees I begin drifting off to sleep trying to navigate how to play the game and once in the game I practically fall asleep listening to long winded but important sounding conversations that require more brain function than I can muster.   

Consequently, my day to day games are often more action oriented.  Preferring to play games with short term gratification such as demolishing aliens and nauseously experiencing the spaceship's gravity changes in Prey or a thug beat down in Batman Arkham City or the running footsteps in Mirrors Edge (not so much the combat sequences).      

So many titles to choose from and so little time!  Hip hip hooray for birthdays!

For my birthday bash I had a three game plan.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows in the early morning to celebrate the resurgence of the TMNT, Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition in the late morning/early afternoon to begin a new playthrough because I never finished my previous attempt, and finishing with XCOM: Enemy Unknown to end the day in a standoff against the alien invasion.  Alas, plans are not made to be kept.

My brand loyalty is to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I am a child of 1985.  The exact moment is unknown but in the early nineties TMNT hooked me and did not let go.  Like nearly all successful superhero franchises the story, once we look past radioactive green ooze, mutant animals, news reporters in yellow jumpsuits and human vigilantes in hockey masks, is about a family dynamic. 

Yes, TMNT: Out Of The Shadows is a marketing grab of a successfully revived franchise (I am explicitly referring to the Nickelodeon cartoon and the comic reboot) to both capture the imagination of a young generation drooling at the new TMNT cartoon on Nickelodeon and to convince the nostalgic late twenties/early thirty year olds to pull out their wallets.  On cue, I pulled out my wallet and then I put my wallet away. 

The picture is only blurry because the image is an action shot.  The purple smear on the bottom is exactly how the captions appear. 

I played the free demo, I knew that the game was an action game beating down the foot clan and with scaled expectations I enjoyed the game.  The problem?  The captions are unreadable.  Color coded captions are fine and even makes sense with the TMNT but with no outline or background the captions are utterly indecipherable and unusable.  I will not struggle to understand the basic game and thereby resent my beloved TMNT franchise.  I understand Redfly that you probably worked nights to roll out the game in time for the Xbox Summer Arcade 2013 but shame on the missed detail. 

I greatly looked forward to playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown, only desiring a clear headed gaming time for strategizing my defense against the alien horde.  Naturally, I bought the game for $20 dollars days before the announcement of XCOM: Enemy Within.  The fact that, for consoles, the expansion is only packaged at retail with the complete game for $40 stings a bit.  Note to self to remain suspicious of price drops, especially around big release opportunities such as the fall when the new generation consoles are available.  But I never got around to starting this game.  Why?

The densest most impossible to use radial wheel, each option simply takes us to more and more menus. 

In 2011 I bought my Xbox 360 with two games, Dance Central and Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition.  Looking back on my attempt at DAO I realized that I was unsure how to play the game.  After feeling unable to continue playing DAO, I bought and played Mass Effect instead which was a great introduction to modern day gaming.  In DAO way back in 2011 I rolled as a standard human warrior because I wanted a straightforward playthrough.  The turn based/action hybrid was beyond my gaming understanding at the time.  I struggled understanding the menus, the confusing combat and whether or not I was insane for not knowing how to use the radial wheel efficiently. 

I kept trying until I attempted to script my companion character's combat tactics for more effective help from the AI during battles.  I entered the wrong command and my party used every single health potion in my inventory while I was trapped deep in the Circle Tower.  I stopped playing and I was saddened by my failure.

The origin stories are an awesome appeal for multiple playthroughs.  Where else do we get a double elf wedding?

The buzz lately around Dragon Age Inquisition reminded me of my desire to play the Dragon Age franchise and of my failure.  On my birthday, I popped in the game resolute to approach the game with a new patience and understanding.  Not wanting to overburden my ability to navigate the obtuse menus I set up a rogue city elf.  A blend of my preferred archery and stealth but little reliance on spells because magic requires the most cycling through the menus. 

Dragon Age Inquisition, satisfying the daydreams of fantasy enthusiasts everywhere.  

With a new wherewithal, I figured out the "powers" mapped to my controller's front buttons, took my time in combat, and cycled through the menus with deep breaths equipping and selling the correct items.  I was and am now hooked.  The story changed slightly with my new origin story, I was not bored during lengthy conversations but engaged understanding now the purpose of enjoying the journey, and I am not going near the Circle Tower for a while.  All day I played DAO enjoying myself, only wanting to play more and building excitement for the release of Dragon Age Inquisition, even considering purchasing the game on my Xbox 360 rather than waiting for my upgrade into the next console generation.

The rediscovery of a previously difficult game is a gaming triumph.  DAO sat stacked in my gaming backlog, a sore spot because I wanted to enjoy the game but I was frustrated by my inability to "get it." 

As far as birthday gifts, I tend to buy the games that I want and have a ranked list in my head of the next game I want to purchase.  As nearly all gamers experience, while I have more than enough games to play, some never yet played, on gift giving occasions I still want more games just in case the sudden overwhelming need to play "that" game pops up.  Now, on holidays I give my girlfriend a list of similarly priced games and ask her to buy whichever game she thinks I should play.  I become psyched for a new game and am still surprised when I receive the gift. 

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" such as a macabre twist on Alice In Wonderland.  I always figured that Alice would get more done with a butcher knife. 

This year's list was $20 games and included Alice: Madness Returns, Prince of Persia (Ubisoft 2008), Metro 2033, Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year, Final Fantasy XIII, and Defiance.  I was bestowed with Alice: Madness Returns which includes the original American McGee's Alice as well but I am too obsessed with DAO to pop in the game.  Maybe later I will play Alice: Madness Returns simultaneously with El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for a psychedelic overload.

As always, thank you for reading and spending some of your time here.  I probably spend too much time writing these but I enjoy the process and I enjoy that there are those who read and enjoy the pieces as well. 

What games have you purchased lately?

What was your best gaming gift?

Do you plan to buy Dragon Age Inquisition on day one?  On the current or new console generation?

I know, everyone does Zelda blogs. VANNAHFOX is currently writing a kick-butt 31/31 on Zelda. Over exposure?

Ah, screw it.

The Zelda series is easily my favorite in video games. Nothing else comes close. Why might that be?

Zelda games are remarkably well-balanced. You can proceed at your own speed, taking on the next challenge, or spending some down time doing something as mundane as fishing. But, so what?Other games do that. Nothing particularly revelatory there.

Ocarina of Time can be seen as the Citizen Kane of video games - innovations introduced by OoT have been so influential that they are pretty much taken for granted in many games today. Meaning, there are plenty of games that exhibit Zelda pacing, action, story, and on and on. Maybe not as many elements, and maybe not integrated as well, but that's a topic for another blog.

If I had to pick a single characteristic that makes the franchise stand out, it would be that they excel at creating atmosphere. Gameplay and atmosphere are the two elements that hook me in to a game the most, and atmosphere might be the biggest. And the most important factor in creating atmosphere, in my opinion, is the game's soundtrack. Koji Kondo's work is, again in my opinion, the standard to which other game composers must aspire. Dude is just really, really good. And others have made their contributions also.

So, because we all need music, and those reading these blogs choose to game, here is a list of my fave-rave Zelda tunes. I will embed tracks from Youtube (my forst foray in video embedding, so cut me some slack). I am choosing extended versions, so you may enjoy them as long as you wish. I find them to be great for computer work.

Great Deku Tree/Forest Temple from Ocarina of Time

There are a couple parallels with these two pieces. They are the dungeons that start Link on each stage of his adventure, first as a child and then as an adult. They both create a sense of alienation (Link doesn't quite belong there), the Forest Temple's more so, appropriately. And they're both arboreal. Balance, man, balance.

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City in the Sky from Twilight Princess

Ooccoos are...odd. They are a life form that rebels against our sense of normality. So, naturally, the music that plays as you traipse through a city full of them should reinforce that. This track does.

Plus, three of my favorite characters are Zant, Ghirahim, and the Happy Mask Salesman, if that tells you anything.

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Midna in Distress from Twilight Princess

The shift in tone, from gung-ho evil destroying to a life in peril, is captured wonderfully. It's a short loop, but it fits perfectly.

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The Earth Temple from Wind Waker

This one is just cool.

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Fi's Farewell from Skyward Sword

Okay, no one likes Fi. I get it. But this is just a nice piece. I found a piano version played by thomandy. Dig it.

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Credit Hajime Wakai and Mahito Yokota.

Sanctuary Dungeon from A Link to the Past

Makes you feel like you're in for it.Layers of strings. Ominous. Cool.

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Final Hours from Majora's Mask

I resisted the urge to rank these. That said, if I were to do so, this puppy would be at the top, no questions asked.

MM is the consensus creepiest, saddest, darkest, most melancholy Zelda game. The music is why, and this fella is the capper.

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Zelda games are full to the brim with great scores. I might change this list tomorrow. If you think I have committed an egregious sin of omission, let me know.

And, I hope these videos have sound, 'cause they're still images otherwise. If I screwed them up, I can add a list of links. Play 'em with headphones.

(Checks them out) Hey, they work. Bueno.

Bonus, in honor of that goofball Zant, the Zant Boss Battle music:

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We are back in Nimbasa City facing the Amusement Park Area. Time to proceed with our destiny.

Guess who we first run into... It's N -sigh-. We ride the Ferris Wheel together (how weird) and he tells us some stuff. Then we get off the ride and surprise there is Team Plasma. Then we battle N....What?! Besides the storyline making no sense you are suppose to chose no when he asks if you agree with his ideals of releasing your pokemon to "make them happy". Though his explaination can make the answer really hard to figure out.

After that they run away, I heal my pokemon and it's Amusement Park exploration time! :D There is a hidden item Super Repel too the left of it around a tree and bench is a X Attack sitting out in the open. Then into the gym we go! :D

Inside the gym you get a Fresh Water and find out it is a Roller coaster gym. Ground type pokemon are immune to electric so they are the best choice for this gym. Guess what type isn't with me... yep the ground type pokemon -sigh- I survive one small battle and go get my Sandile out of the PC. Oh and Zebraika is great for this gym since it just gets a higher Special Attack off of electric type moves aimed at it.

Hihidaruma at level 24 can learn Work Up which is where it ups its Special Attack and Attack. I didn't have him learn it.

Alright back inside the gym. You press buttons to proceed further on the strange roller coaster. You access buttons by defeating trainers. Battle through the roller coaster, save, and it's time to face Elesa the Electric Type specialist.

Dotekkotsu at level 24 can learn Chip Away which is a move where the user strikes continually at the target by looking for an opening and stat changes don't affect this attack's damage. So I had her learn it and forget how to Low Kick.

Nageki at level 21 can learn Revenge. I had him learn it and forget Leer.

Ok I failed 2 times at the battle against those Emolgas so I'm going to go level up. As I went to do this it becames Spring so I got to take on 1 Tennis Trainer in the Small Court and 1 Baseball Trainer in the Big Stadium. The cones thing must be a joke because there is already 4 people there in the previous city and it's supposedly sold out. (and I really wanted to find out what it was)

In order to level up I'm going to start checking out the areas that don't have pokemon gyms in them starting with taking the Subway system to Anville Town. So let's go! :D

Ok once in town go the middle of the bridge and talk to the backpacker if you want to trade 2 escape ropes for a revive. I did so twice. The go a little further and in front of the sign is a guy in blue that will trade your 1 star piece for a PP Up. I'm going to hold on to that item and use it after I get a favored pokemon to level 50 and higher one of its move sets. Then above there is a dumb blue haired girl that tries to get you to trade 20 pokemon balls for a full restore. REALLY?! How dumb would that be.

While walking around I found the hidden item Ultra Ball towards the North or upper end of town. Go to the right lower corner of the area right past the bridge into the town and there is a house inside that guy will give you 2 Rare Candies.

Waruvial at level 22 can learn Embargo which is where you prevent the target from any item usage by itself or its trainer on it specifically. As cool as that sounds I'll pass.

Well that was a small town with practically nothing but I think I'll check it each day to see if different items are being collected on different days (if I remember that is). So I saved reorganized my team and I plan to try to take on the Emolgas again well technically the gym leader Elesa.

So far not going well but at level 25 Zebraika can learn Spark which is where the user throws an electrical tackle at the target somtimes paralyzing it. I had him forget how to Shock wave and learn spark.

Her other pokemon is a Zebstrika I have no chance well I lose of course and now it's time to go out of town the path on the right for exploration and embarissment at being so weak.

Alright so on the way out talk to the coach guy to get a Macho Brace, I'm not giving it to my pokemon. Well proceed to begin route 16.

Gantle at level 23 can learn Smack Down which is where the user throws a rock at the opponent knocking it to the ground or knocking a flying type out of the air. I had Gantle learn it and forget Tackle.

Go up the first path you can go up via and cut the tree to get access to the area that goes straight up to get a Rare Candy that is just sitting there. Keep going the up path to access the LostLorn Forest which we will return to later on. For now lets finish Route 16.

I went up the second up path and caught a level 22 Minccino with a ultra ball (that somehow I got 14 of before I used it). It evolves into Cinccino via a Shiny Stone so it's nickname is Chillaccino which is too long so I named it Chillaccin. Alright the starting moves are: DoubleSlap (repeatedly slaps target 2 to 5 time back and forth), encore (makes target us the same move for 3 turns), Swift (star rays are shot at the opposing team and it never misses), and Sing (remember Jigglypuff yep its the same move the user sings a lullaby putting the target to sleep).

I on my way out to look up the move set caught a Solosis at level 22 with a ultra ball (took 2 of em to get her).  It evolves by leveling up first into a Duosion then into a Reuniclus so I nicknamed her Lanculus. It's move set/starting out moves are: Snatch (steals effects of healing or stat-changing move that the target tries to use), Hidden Power (attack that varies in type and intensity based on the pokemon using it), Light Screen (wall of light is put up to duppress damage from special attacks for 5 turns), and Charm (lowers the target's attack by staring at it charmingly).

Go all the way up the second up path to get a TM Payback that's just sitting there. Then go back down a little and go behind the fence all the way to the right to get a Charcoal. I gave it to Hihidaruma cuz that Fire Punch might be a way to beat those Emolgas. Anyways continuing down the path.

Well at the end of the path is a some idiots saying the Marvelous Bridge is being checked, so turning around it's time to check out Lostlorn Forest.

Zebraika evolved into Zebstrika at level 27.

When you first enter Lostlorn forest go straight to get a Big Mushroom. Then that is all pretty much too it.... Just some woman who says nothing lives in the back. No idea how to get up the cliff to get a hidden item either. Back to town to try again against that gym leader.

I don't know how I managed but with 2 pokemon left on my team I beat her. She gives you the Bolt Badge so that pokemon up to level 50 will obey you. She also gives you her evil move TM Volt Switch. I'm so teaching that to a pokemon it lets you electrify the opponent and switch to a different pokemon in the same turn. She also says she'll make a path to wait for her on Route 5 so we can go to Driftveil City. First heal time though and switching around pokemon and leveling up some over on the Route 16 path and forest off of it for a bit. Maybe level 30 should be sufficient.

I had Zebraika learn how to Volt Switch and forget how to Pursuit.

Now we are practically halfway through the game and this blog entry comes to an end leveling up fun next time! :D

hey guys! well since its labor day weekend, i decided to take some time off and write a short review about lollipops in a little game that has drawn the whole worlds attention by the name of Candy Crush. yes, its also very addicting. so without any other delay and since im like half asleep n  i gotta work in the morning, heres AGV with a link to my friend juanolos blog because im seriously laggin it this week. sorry again.

Candy Crush

Genre: Mobile

recommendation: Addicting but fun for all ages

AGV score: 10/10

platform:  IOS, Android, Facebook

Developer: King

AGV: wonderful simple game that has generated a lotta dough. i'm impressed by the simplicity but addictive incentive the game gives. thumbs up!

I am Soooooo tired. next week will be bigger, badder, and more explosivey. promise. i need to sleep.

Oh, and have a good labor day folks! be safe and eat a lot, play a lot, and sleep a lot. ciao.

link: http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/juanolo_blog/archive/2013/08/31/juanolo-39-s-gaming-interview-with-cyndaquil.aspx

A toast to all gamers,

-Alex

Aka. The Benefits of Easy Mode

Today's blog is not only the second in my long list of blogs set to come this month, but one that is also meant to harp a little bit on a special interest topic of mine- easy modes. Suffice it to say that, there are actually benefits to easy mode, even in games like Halo where you won't get achievements or accolades for finishing missions because of it. While the experience may seemed "dumbed down" to many, and be the butt of many jokes from more advanced players, easy mode is significant in many ways.

Not only does it help inexperienced players by starting things off relatively slow and easy, but it also gives the game a wider audience than its single targeted one. For example, the fact that Dark Souls only had one difficulty which was "extremely difficult" meant that its target audience was unfortunately limited to those who could handle it and those who were up to the challenge. Therefore, many gamers missed out on an otherwise spectacular experience because of difficulty alone.

Now, Dark Souls II plans to alleviate this problem in some fashion, at least relatively. It has since been announced that the game will feature at least some kind of easier mode of gameplay, which can only open it up to a larger audience, and boost its reception. Of course, I don't hold much hope for this so-called "easy" mode being too much easier, or a pushover, but its certainly a start.

Easy mode in the case of campaigns is significantly helpful to players of all ages and skill types also because of the fact that it can help you to warmup for any online multiplayer, should the game you are playing contain it. For example, in Call of Duty, if you wish to improve your accuracy, practice on some of the meatheads in the solo story on Recruit, Regular, or Hardened. But steer clear of Veteran unless you wish to be gunned down by aimbots the entire time. This can be a proving ground of sorts, as well as a place to hone your skills a la Combat Training. That is the major benefit of any easy mode- purely from a practice perspective.

The other reason- audience, is helpful to a game's reception, sales, and critical acclaim or forgettable and lame gameplay. Difficulty can mean the difference between people rage rating your game on Metacritic, and people loving it sometimes. That's just a sad fact, and there's not much we can do about it currently. It's interesting, because either way you play it difficulty wise, you'll lose some interest- if it's too easy it's called a pushover, if it's too hard, impossible. And that is why we have since created the now mundane scaling of difficulty in nearly every game out there. About the only titles that don't feature it at the start menu any more are story experiences such as Dark Souls and Assassin's Creed.

Having the option to not only turn down the difficulty if things get rough, but to turn it up for added challenge, or perhaps because you've become a better player than you were when you started is not only awesome but helpful. Imagine if retro arcades had had that option back in the day- then a lot more people would be able to get high scores! But, it simply has to do with the changing times and perspectives on things. Developers generally care a lot more about their audience nowadays, and try to create a memorable, cerebral experience around the game's difficulty, often instead of the other way around. Which of course, isn't a terrible thing to do by any means.

But, that's just my take on things today. I just wanted to give you guys an intriguing, short look at the reasoning behind most developers' difficulty scales, and why easy mode does have some merit in certain situations, instead of simply meaning you are a noob for playing on it. See you guys tomorrow with my next blog.

Spoilers for the episode and series follows

Another Sunday has come and gone, and we are closer than ever to the finale! That's readily apparent in this episode, as the pieces are being set up big time to get knocked down in spectacular fashion. There wasn't really a single standout great moment in this episode, unlike the other three, but it is detrimental to the storyline, as Jesse teams up with Hank, Walt asks another favor of Todd's uncle, and Skyler is condoning murder to keep this family together. It was a pretty good episode, and while not my favorite, it delivered some strong moments in it's own right.

Immediately picking up after Jesse's failed arson attempt, Walt decides to come up with a story about how gas got all in the house, which is completely unable to convince anyone, and decides to bring the family to a hotel while the gas problem is being worked out. I've come to notice how bad Walt is at lying to his own family, but how credible he seems lying to anyone else. It's kind of amusing to see Skyler instantly shoot down his fake stories. But, for once, Walt actually told Skyler the complete truth about the gas in their house, saying that he believes that Jesse is the culprit. Then, we learn that Skyler wants this gig to work out REALLY badly, telling Walt to just kill him and be done with it. This isn't the first time Skyler has gotten extreme at keeping her family safe, but it's interesting that she clearly values her potential safety over another person's life, and isn't afraid to make that clear.

Meanwhile, we learn what stopped the arson. I, personally, had never begun to think that maybe someone else stops Jesse, and that it would be something he finds out, but that is clearly not the case here. Hank busting in on him just as he's about to light the place up was coincidental to say the least, but led to a completely out of nowhere team up between him and Jesse. I'm digging the structure of this episode, and how it "Pulp Fiction-ed" the events. I didn't really expect that from this show, but it pulled it off with grace. But anyways, Hank and Jesse teaming up to take down Walt is interesting, as it makes me wonder if Jesse would have talked if he knew about Brock earlier. Also, I'm getting a little Vic Mackey vibe from Hank, as it looks like he could potentially go around the law to stop Walt.

Unlike past episodes that kind of focused on a pair of characters driving the episode, this one gave all the major players a little time in the spotlight. Even Marie, with her confession that she's clearly thought about poisoning Walt. But this approach means that there isn't really time in a 45 minute episode to have a truly great character moment and focus on all the main characters evenly. But, that doesn't stop it from having an awesome ending, as Walt asks a favor of Todd's uncle after Jesse gets cold feet about meeting him. And while it was a little humorous that the guy Jesse thought was Walt's thug was just a random dude, it shows how paranoid both these characters are at this stage, and both are taking there own paths toward getting out of this situation. Overall, this episode was a good palate cleanser, and has me anticipating the final four even more now knowing what could potentially happen.

Any comments you'd like to make? There's a section just for that! Thanks for reading!

Minutes after finishing my Breaking Bad blog, and here I am with another one! Minutes after last nights Breaking Bad episode, I booted up Oldboy on Netflix, and while I was worried that Breaking Bad would overshadow my comprehension and enjoyment of the movie, I was completely wrong, and maybe the opposite effect occurred. Oldboy is so twisted, monstrous, and fantastic of a film that it overshadowed an episode of my favorite show, and that's high praise.

Oldboy is the story of a businessman, Oh Dae-su, who is inexplicably kidnapped for fifteen years and released with no idea as to why. Dae-su then goes on a horrible quest to find who did this and why. For those of you that don't know, Spike Lee is remaking the original Korean version, and there's been kind of a backlash to that. While I'm quite indifferent on the matter, I hope that Lee can capture the same essence of Chan-wook Park's original, because if it can't, it would fail. Anywho, that's out of the way, so let's get into the review.

All the actors and actresses give fantastic performances as troubled and lost individuals trying to piece together this macabre puzzle. The emotion and shock at some of these events really come across genuinely, and as truths are figured out, the story and actors go to a level of the imagination so twisted it never really gets put out into the media. In fact, the best adjective to describe this movie would certainly be twisted, but more on that later.

The sound design is also great, with a soundtrack that counteracts the insanity and emotional torture happening onscreen with pleasant and almost cheerful sounding music. It weirdly helps set the mood for the events onscreen, and is just downright sadistic in a way when partnered with dozens of people being murdered.

Also, a special shout out to the cinematographer, Chung-hoon Chung, as the camerawork is really something special. At one point, Dae-su fights off dozens of men in a hallway with nothing but a hammer, and it's all done without a single camera transition. It's really quite thrilling to see it done like this, and while that's probably the best example of the great cinematography, it's top notch throughout the whole movie.

Alright, now time for the meat of the movie: the story. It's not for the faint of heart, and it goes places where I'm not sure I want it to go, but damn if it doesn't stick to it's course. Any lesser movie would certainly back out of the places where this goes, which is why I hope Spike Lee doesn't back down either. Dae-su very clearly loses his sanity in the first 20 minutes, and it just spirals down from there. There are repeated times where someone's teeth are pulled out with the claw on a hammer, and I couldn't watch it any of those times. There's dismemberment, some self inflicted, and several people commit suicide. It also goes to some *ahem* immoral places, so to speak, and while I can't go into detail without spoiling the movie for those that will watch this one or the remake, it makes you want to puke when the revelations start pouring out. The last half hour is filled with enough emotional backhands for twenty movies of this length (2 hours), and it just never relents. It's not always the questions you ask that matter, it's usually the ones you don't ask.

9.6/10

Any movies you'd like to see me review? Any thoughts on Oldboy, or the remake? Sound off in the comments, and thanks for reading!

*UPDATE* I will be offering my acoustic/ electric ovation guitar for the first person to donate $125. Expect the offer to go live sometime later this evening.

I have also added a gamer special where those who donate $50 will be able to receive a game of their choice valued up to $60. Currently only the first 3 people who donate will be eligible, but I'm looking for other means of getting more games for people.

As of right now, both these rewards will be delivered no later than December 31,2013. Hope you'll forgive that because I'm going to be the one paying for this bit in the end x_x. You can imagine right now, with all this going on I'm pretty damn broke.

If you have suggestions for any other incentives, do let me know. My brain is sort of fried.

No getting annoyed. This will be the last post I put up here regarding the matter (though I'll be updating it periodically). But there are some updates I thought you guys ought to be made aware of. If you have not read what this is about as yet, please click here.

For those of you that are already familiar with the circumstances, here are some updates.

• She has been searching for a lawyer and has recently found one. A few of them have tried underhanded scare-tactics, essentially saying if she did not hire them, she would go to jail. Needless to say, this was very upsetting to her. Just imagine what how much mental torture she has put herself through lately over the thought. Imagine how you'd feel if your loved one had to deal with such a thing and the lengths you'd go to...
• The lawyer that she did find is a good one. He even lowered his price due to her case (Do get started, instead of initially requiring $750, he told her $500 by Sept. 9 is enough to get started). He was the only lawyer who assured her that, no matter what, there was no way she would go to jail. But, he was also confident enough to assure her, that if he is put on the case, he'd very likely make them all disappear. His reviews can be found here. I've already spoken to him myself. He is extremely knowledgeable. 
• A few friends and I have started passing out flyers in several states including Oregon, Maryland, and New York (yes, I'm insanely serious about all of this).
• As of now, due to the length of processing, we have an extremely small window of time. We need to hit $500 by tomorrow to get the lawyer money in time for the hearing. Even that is cutting it extremely close. We only have $31, though I expect that number to rise soon.
• I will be thinking of incentives to offer in the coming days, specifically targeted towards you all. Maybe some game prizes or something...
• Below is a widget code that you can use on your profile page if you'd like to support and spread the word on the site.

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It looks like this:

Please help if you can. It can be in the form of a monetary donation or simply your ability to spread the word. This is a girl who was wrongly accused and abused by police officers. The police even have a history of having abused her in the past (which was even caught on film). She doesn't deserve to be abused again. Nobody does, and especially not from those who have sworn to "serve and protect."

~EE

P.S. I hope you'll forgive me again for writing about something completely unrelated to gaming. But, as of now, this is the only thing on my mind. When all this is taken care of, I will be sure to post up a few proper blogs. But, for the time being, I really can't focus on anything else.

We are more than half way done with 2013 and there have been many great games so far, but there are many great games that have yet to be released. Most people would agree that Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us are the top candidates for GOTY so far this year, but there are still games like GTAV and Watchdogs that have garnished a lot of attention as possible GOTY candidates that have yet to come out this year. Most people are familiar with the games I mentioned above, so I thought why not list 5 games that are under the radar in the GOTY discussion! All of the games listed have yet to come out yet this year.

Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends is the sequel to Rayman Origins, it comes out Sept. 3 (Tomorrow at the time I right this). This is the only game on the list that already has reviews but has not come out yet. It has reviewed very well and seems to be an improvement over Origins. Rayman Legends is great looking game and the gameplay is top notch. The recent Rayman series in some peoples eyes has become the definitve 2D platfromer this generation and there is no reason why Legends won't live up to that distinction. I as well as many others will be playing Rayman Legends when it comes out.

Batman: Arkham Origins

The Arkham series has rapidly become one of the best series in gaming. It is one of the best Superhero series ever. Arkham city was one of the best games of 2011 and was many peoples GOTY, but Rocksteady was behind that game and now WB Games Montreal is behind the Arkham series for now. The change in developer is one of the reasons why some people are down on this game and also because it is not on next gen consoles. If WB Games Montreal can keep the Arkham formula intact and sprinkle some of their ideas in as well it should make for one of the best games this year.

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag

Alright, I know Assassins Creed really is not a under the radar series but after AC3 people are really down on the series. I have heard and read many comments about how AC3 is a terrible game and the series should stop, I will say that AC3  was a dissapointment but nobody in their right mind would call AC3 a bad game. AC3 was a good game that was dissapointing, ACIV looks to right the wrongs of AC3 and it could do it. ACIV has a high potential and if it meets that potential it will be one of the best games this year. Black Flag looks to expand on one of the best elements of AC3, the Naval missions. Black Flag is completely focusing on being a pirate with a awesome ship and sailing the high seas. ACIV is a game I am really looking forward and can't wait to play on next gen consoles.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

South Park is one of my favorite comedy shows and I can't wait to see what a South Park RPG is like. The Stick of Truth seems like a classic turn based strategy RPG but adding the hilarious and ridiculous nature of South Park makes the classic seem new. The creators of South Park are working hard with the developers of the game to make sure that it is a true South Park experience and that should make a lot of people happy. I am sure the game who have its fair share of laughs and goofy story but the only way it can become a true GOTY candidate is if the gameplay can keep up with the story. Making the turn based combat fun and entertaining should make people want more and make this game a great RPG that is one of the best games of the year.

Random Indie Title

This is a bit of a cop out because I am not really picking a specific game. Every year there is a random Indie tile that comes out of nowhere and captivates gamers everywhere. I am not sure what game it could be but some potential candidates that I like are Outlast or Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Both of these titles have been on my personal radar and I am interested to see how they turn out. The Indie title could be a platformer or it could be a game similar to Gone Home, you just never know. Like I stated before though I have no clue what it could be but you know something great will come out soon.

These are just a few games I think could win GOTY this year. Do I think any of them will win GOTY?Most likely no but you never know! They all have a high potential to be great and I am excited to see how they turn out.

Part 11 of my playthrough of Quake 4 is now live! Hope you guys enjoy it!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

They said it couldn't be done, they said linking Castlevania with Metal Gear was pure madness. I say its only impossible if you're sane enough to not try. Here is my theory that Lords of Shadow is a figment of Big Boss's imagination. Sure its cray cray but thats what makes it fun to think about...

Lets start off with the basics..

The similar stories

Big Boss

Formerly known as Jack or Naked Snake, Big Boss became a bomb ass super OP beast Legend by being an extremely well renowned soldier who took down the biggest and the baddest "Terrorist" under the naive impression that he was protecting his country. He broke bad once he realized that he was a pawn to the Patriots chess game of life and became an idol among the monsters he once fought.

Dracula

Formerly known as Gabriel, Dracula became a bomb ass super OP beast Vampire god by an extremely well renowned knight who took down the biggest and baddest "Monsters" under the naive impression that he was protecting the human race. He broke bad once he realized that he was a pawn of fate in the chess game of life and became a ruler of the monsters he once fought.

I feel like I'm repeating myself here.

Sons of Big Boss

They were born and raised by the Patriots to take Big Boss's helm as Bomb ass OP super soldier and to kill Big Boss. They all hate him for their own reasons and they each have their own unique  personalities.

Sons of Gabriel

More like a long lineage of grandchildren they were all raised by the Brotherhood Gabriel fought and bled for to kill him and take his old helm of legendary monster slayer. They each hate him for their own reasons and have their unique personalities with awesome hair.

Maybe David Bowie is in this lineage as well..

The Psychology behind this theory

Its no shocker to anyone that Big Boss has been through more sh*t than tissue paper so what if he suffers from nightmares....nightmares of vampires? Of becoming what he hates most? Just like our old friend Gabriel?

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Rules of Natuuuurrre!

Except he totally f*cking did! He even went on to tell Para-Medic how he's afraid of Vampires and that he can't watch Dracula because he's afraid of Vampires, well he didn't outright say it because he's too much of a man to admit such weaknesses but its obvious.

The reason this is something to tack onto is because the characters and events in Lords of Shadow parallel the events of MGS and can perfectly mirror Big Boss's thoughts, feelings and most importantly his regrets.

The parallel characters and regrets

Trevor/Liquid Snake

This is a screenshot of young Trevor Belmont and his father longingly staring at him from a distance in a totally not creepy way. Big Boss grew to regret not being a father to his children and wishes his son would spend more time being a human rather than a soldier like him.....

In the original storyline Dracula unknowingly killed his only son and out of desperation he brings him back by turning him into a Vampire. Trevor, then calls himself Alucard to spite his father and forever loathes his father for being so kindhearted for transforming him into an immortal monster with b*tchin' hair. He's a youth who curses his (mirrors of) fate.

Marie/Eva (or The Boss)

One of my two favorite connections, Marie was the lifelong lover and maternal figure of Gabriel. She was murdered by her husband Gabriel as he was under the influence of Zobek, a powerful ancient sage. At the very end of LOS she moved on to the afterlife in heaven while Gabriel is stuck with an eternal life as Dracula. You can say Gabriel was tricked into killing his loved one and it forever changed him (The Boss) or you can say Gabriel is not able to see his lover because she resides in enemy territory (Eva). Either way it would mean Big Boss is a bit of a poet for thinking of this.

Zobek/ ?

This old b@stards been there since the start, pulling the strings for his favor. He's an "Old Friend" of Gabriel because they fought together in the first game but to no ones surprise he was merely using Gabriel as a means to an end to achieve ultimate power. he's a deceitful figure who appears in and out of Gabriels life only if it benefits him.

Its hard to say whether or not he's the parallel to Ocelot or Major Zero since Ocelot never really defied Big Boss, he respects Big Boss to a questionable degree so I can't pinpoint his alter. Gabriel holds an immense hatred for this old comrade much as Big Boss holds for Zero, but Gabriel also holds a hatred for God so that just confuses me on what exactly is Zobeks alter is in the MGS universe.

And that is why when you look DEEPLY into the psy-

Ok I'm gonna wrap this up.

Big Boss became the monster he fought and in a nightmarish scenario he becomes the thing he fears. I used to wonder what it would be like if Big Boss were to star in a Silent Hill game and now I know this: I was thinking of the wrong Konami game.

Thank you for Reading!

This blog wasn't fun to write but it was fun to think about....so at least there's that. I was gonna write more but this blog is a wee bit too long and I'm not getting paid enough for this.

Hello, GIO, thanks for clicking. This blog is a bit of a recap of my time at PAX Prime in Seattle today. I've been a gamer all my life and have lived in the Seattle area all my life, but this is my first time going to PAX, or any gaming convention for that matter. I was excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed at times. Ultimately, however, it was a fantastic experience and I hope to make it to all four days next year.

Entering the Unknown

I didn't know what to expect going into PAX. A few of my friends were going and, having gone for the past few years, they knew their way around. But everyone I knew that was going had other plans and schedules so for the majority of the trip I was alone, which was fine since I got to explore without any sort of agenda tying me down. I did meet plenty of cool and interesting people along the way, though.

I got to the Seattle Exhibition Hall at about 9:45 AM. After following the crowd up a few flights of escalators, I reached the line to the showroom floor. A gigantic room, filled to the brim with people eager to enter the showroom. When the gates opened at 10, however, the line moved surprisingly quickly. 

When I entered the showroom, I was greeted by a man playing some quirky video game tunes on a keyboard. Straight ahead in every direction were booths. I started to awkwardly peruse around the main floor, no real focus in mind. I watched some gameplay and saw some cool gaming gear, but didn't get a chance to check anything out. The lines were absolutely ridiculous, often wrapping around the entire booths themselves. I decided to hold off, at least for a while, until the rush stopped.

Nice banner placement, Microsoft.

I continued to take in the sights. There were booths to play Titanfall, Battlefield 4, to try the Oculus Rift, check out games like Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and so much more. There was even an entire section dedicated to indie developers. It was definitely the coolest place that I, as a gamer, have ever been to. 

But the lines to check out all of these things were so long. I went to the Magic: the Gathering booth to see what was going on there, as I am a huge MTG fan. It took me about 15 minutes of waiting in line to get a pin, play a demo of Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 (which I already have about 10 hours in) and then leave. So again, I resolved to wait until the rush hopefully died down.

So what did I do? I went to play some more Magic. 

Magic!

Note: If you aren't a Magic: the Gathering fan or don't care about the game, go ahead and skip this section to when I go back to the exhibition hall. Otherwise, keep reading!

In the annex across from the main building, there was an entire floor dedicated to Magic: the Gathering. If you don't know that it is, it's a trading card game. Think Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon but more fleshed out and adult oriented. There were tournaments running all day. I entered for the noon Standard tournament.

I was playing a naya midrange build. Previously, I went 8-1 to become Game Day champion a couple weeks ago with the build and it was consistently strong online. The prize was a foil uncut sheet of M14. I figured I had a good chance.

I went 2-0 my first two rounds. Round 3, I was paired up to another naya midrange. I won game 1 pretty handily. Game 2 I was stuck with only 3 land so I didn't manage to survive very long. Game 3 I was about to beat him with two Thundermaw Hellkite's coming in, but he happened to have two Selensya Charm's which saved his life. I started topping lands and he kept topping more fuel, including a Thundermaw of his own. He ended up beating me and then beating a friend of mine in round 4 for the M14 sheet. I ended up winning round 4 to go 3-1 for the day. 

After that, there was a Mini Masters tournament. One game per round, single elimination. I lost round 1. Pretty disappointing, but if you know how Mini Masters works, then you know that it's really just luck based, at least in the first round or two. 

By then, it was nearly four so I decided to check out the showrooms again. 

Back to PAX!

By the time I got back to the main showroom, the crowd had noticeably thinned. It was time to check out some exhibits.

First thing I did was beeline it to the Oculus Rift exhibit. I played some Jetpack Joyride to pass the time since the line was still considerably long. After a fifteen minute or so wait, it was finally my turn to try it out. I'd heard around that the Rift can be pretty disorientating at first. Boy, were they right. The demo I was shown was to some sort of racing game. I didn't have any control over the cars or anything; the experience was entirely scripted. 

The "screen" takes up your entire field of vision. Meaning, it looks real enough to your eyes that it confuses the hell out of you. In front of me in the screen was a steering wheel. Unconsciously, my first reaction was to reach out and try to grab it. I bet I looked silly sitting down with the Rift on my face and my hands sheepishly grabbing the air. 

The Rift allowed for full 360 degree motion. I could look up, down, left, right, and completely behind me. This was especially disorientating when the cars starting driving. Seeing a car coming up on my right, all I had to do was look over to my right to see the car in plain view. The movement was pretty 1:1 as far as I could tell. No lag, no framerate issues. The screen looked fantastic and it was all very well-done.

When the car would turn, my brain would instinctively force my body to turn with it. I drive 50-70 miles a day most days, so I'm used to the motions of a car. When the racecar would make a turn, I naturally would sway the opposite way, just because of how engrossing the Rift was.

After that, I went back to the Magic: the Gathering booth to try and get another pin. They had a Kinect set up. A huge screen filled with millions of LED's wrapped around the booth. While in front of the Kinect, you could hold your arm up and squeeze your hand to create a fireball. You could then throw the fireball at a symbol. If you hit it in the right spot, you win a prize. I'm not huge on Kinect gameplay-wise, but I can respect the technology around it. It was pretty cool. 

From there, I just walked around the hall for a bit and picked up some free stuff. Got some merchandise, a couple demo codes; the basics. On my way back to the main showroom, I stopped at the Cards Against Humanity (basically a deranged Apples to Apples) booth to buy one on of the sets On the walls, you could write silly jokes or phrases for them to maybe put in a future expansion. Here's a video game related one that I thought was funny. WARNING: NSFW

Hey! Me too!

When I got back to the main floor, I checked out the PlayStation 4. The only spot open was to try out DC Universe Online so I went to that. The controller wasn't so bad. I have to say that it was a bit awkward to hold, but that's probably due to how used to the 360 and PS3 controllers I am. The buttons were very precise and the concave sticks felt natural to my fingers. DC Universe Online was alright, but not really my style of game.

I went to the Xbox booth (which was literally adjacent to the PlayStation booth) to try out Titanfall, but the line was still very long and I was pretty beat by that point. I watched a little gameplay and it reminded me a lot of Crysis 2.

Before I left, I checked out Beyond: Two Souls, some Battlefield 4, Knack, Rayman Legends and some indie games. I was disappointed that I didn't get to meet anyone from the industry, though. I spoke to some indie developers, but that was about it. I really wanted to meet a Game Informer editor but, despite keeping my eyes peeled throughout the day, I had no such luck. So I left.

As I was walking to the parking garage, I saw a certain senior associate editor come walking down the street. Turns out, Tim Turi was heading back to the exhibition. As an aspiring video game journalist myself, the writers at Game Informer are sort of heroes to me. And as a video game video producer, seeing someone from one of my favorite web series was even more mind-blowing for me. What were the chances!

Tim was kind enough to let me follow him back into the exhibition hall. We talked about video game journalism, video games in general, and he told me a bit about his journey into the field. He gave my some sound advice on how to become a better writer and how to get started as a video game journalist. As I said before, the writers at Game Informer are who I look up to when I write, and meeting Tim was an absolutely amazing experience, even if we only talked for five minutes. 

After that, I tried to find my parking garage for 20 minutes and then I went home and here I am.

PAX was an amazing experience for me. Being able to experience firsthand what's new in gaming, such as the PlayStation 4 and the Oculus Rift, meeting a personal hero, seeing the latest and greatest games, spotting some amazing cosplays, and so much more was extraordinary for me as a gamer and as a person. My day at PAX was one that I won't soon forget. 

Thanks for reading, everyone. Be sure to check out my other works by clicking here.