What's most important in a video game?

This is something I've been wondering for a while.

As you may or not know I'm a big fan of the Nintendo DS and particular games. Specifically the Phoenix Wright series and the recent release Professor Layton and the Curious Village.Whats similar about both of these games is the very simple and almost non-existence game play.

In it's truest form Phoenix Wright is a simple point and click adventure game, which while I'm definitely a big fan of, their game play is certainly nothing really special. If anything Phoenix Wright is a fancy choose-your-own-adventure book.

As for Professor Layton the game play consists of solving puzzles. Puzzles, thats it really! In fact it's game play could probably be in Brain Age or any one of it's many knock-offs.

However I love both of these games, how the hell did that happen? What makes these games great is purely style, atmosphere, storyline, and character.

While the Phoenix Wright series doesn't have the most amazing story the characters present throughout the game are some of the most unique characters in a video game. Each character is well defined and is unique(sometimes in extreme but thats ok really) and seems to covey true emotion and relationships with the other characters. The relationship between Phoenix and Edgeworth is very complex and I have never seen anything like it in any other game. They are able to be arch rivals and comrades in the courtroom at the same time during cases. (Specifically the last case in both the first game and the sequel) While everyone has their favorites every character is entertaining and doesn't overlap any other character, and while there are characters that are obviously dicks you still can help but like them, that's something that allways impresses me.

As for Professor Layton you have another case of distinctive characters and story. Once again each character is unique and all add something to the game, despite most of them being very minor. Of course the main characters are very entertaining also and they've quickly become favorites of mine. Another factor is it's style, it hasn't been in any other game I've played, and in all honesty I'm quite the nerd for early Europe "Gentlemen" kinda of style which the game and Layton has.

Of course another factor which is important are the game are very 'niche' uniqueness is always a good thing.

So these games get me thinking about how important game play is when compared to story and design. Obvious these games succeed most due to their design, as game play takes a back seat. However if the game play sucks no matter how amazing a story or characters you have it doesn't really matter. In many cases you can get away with mediocre design provided your game play is really good, in the days of Atari and the arcade you couldn't put much design into games so the game play was the focus. However now obviously design is an important part but I wonder if it's an requirement. Could a good game be made without any sort of graphics maybe? Obviously there are text-based games but that hardly would be successful today.

If anything it's the balance of both of these things that make the good game. But I'm hesitant to decide which is more important.

A thank you to Gary

It seems that earlier today on March 4, the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax died.

I know I haven't posted in forever, and I doubt no one cares but I feel the need to let it all out.

While obviously I am too young to ever play any of the original versions of D&D I am a player of 3.5 and looking forward to the release of 4.0 coming out soon. While D&D is an entertaining game on it's own, it's influence on the entire gaming industry is wide sweeping. Every single RPG be it Pen and Paper, a single player video game, or a MMO has this man to thank for the creation and popularization of this genre.

While I was certainly not as influenced by Mr. Gygax as many older gamers his death still resonates with me for his many gifts and influences to the gaming industry and nerd society.

RIP Gary- May you always roll 20s

I'm jealous of domestic animals

If it turns out that reincarnation/rebirth is true. And if I didn't do good enough to get to nirvana or Elysian fields or whatever the goal is. I hope that If I get reincarnated as some sort of domestic animal. Preferable a cat or dog, cause they're awesome.

Why is this? Because domestic animals have the most easiest life possible. Anyone who has a pet cat or dog knows that half of the day they're just lying around sleeping. They don't need to do shit, nearly everything that they need is provided by their masters. Domestic animals don't need to worry about junk like work, money and everything else us humans tend to worry about. A domestic cat or dog does pretty much nothing except make a human master happy, yet they receive every single thing they need and more in return. Sounds like a good life to me.

Of course it would suck pretty bad to get my balls cut off, but considering I'm unlikely to get any action as a domesticated pet, I'm willing to allow it.

So yeah I guess reincarnation wouldn't be so bad, as long as I got a sweet deal out of it such as this.

All you need is love.

You know what's cool? We one of the few creatures in the world who are able to express true altruism. That is we help others without receiving anything in return, except for a good feeling which I think is perfectly fine.

We have the capacity to do so many good things in this world but squander them due to social beliefs, ignorance, and every other thing that makes this world not as good as it could be. So go out there and love others no matter what.

To be human is to love.

And now some Beatles Action!

UP Scares The Shit Out Of Parents

A DRAMATIC READING.

Superman Rules.

Anyone who knows me personally knows well that I am a big fan of Superman. He is without a doubt, my favorite comic book character as well as him within other forms of media.

However not many other people seem to share this, in fact many people just outright hate him. While their complaints are understandable, it’s most likely due to the fact that they don’t completely understand the character of Superman. So this post will be mostly be being a fanboy, but hopefully this will show people just how interesting Superman is.

We’ll start with the obvious.

1. He’s Superman

As everyone knows Superman is one guy with a whole lot of powers. This is often both a weakness and a strength depending on the skill of the writer. For one, Superman does the things that no one else can. Say there’s a massive 747 that just had engine failure and is hurling towards a populous city. Who can prevent this? Spiderman certainly can’t, Batman sure as hell can’t. So who you do you call to save the day? Superman. There are only a few superheroes in both Marvel and DC, which are able to deal with the big threats. Alien invasions, doomsday devices, natural disasters, and every other bad thing you can think of. While other popular characters such as Spiderman and Batman protect their cities, Superman often saves the entire world on a daily basis. It’s because of this that you’re able to create epic stories that couldn’t work with any other character. If anything Superman is a sort of modern day mythological hero. Doing the epic tasks that only gods-like people can handle.

As I said, this can also be a weakness. After a while what threat can you throw at Superman that can actually challenge him? This is common complaint, as often Superman is depicted as too perfect, able to deal with any challenge no matter what. Removing the feeling of danger from the story. So what do writers do then? Use Superman weaknesses. Besides the well known Kryptonite (which actually first appeared in a old radio drama. Not a comic, more on that another time) Superman loses his powers under Red Sun radiation, and is also effected by magic (Magic basically effects him as if he where a normal human, but usually not worse). While these can provide a good challenge for the man of Steel, these ideas are often overused are usually just crutches for poor writing.

While there’s no perfect way to depict the power of Superman, it’s important to make it balanced. Make him powerful, but not too powerful. Thankful many modern writers understand this and continue to write excellent Superman stories.

Now we go to the aspect of Superman which many people overlook.

2. He’s an interesting character.

The death of one’s mentor or family seems to be a common theme for the origin of many Superheroes. No doubt derived from classic heroes of mythology. Batman’s parents where killed, Spiderman’s uncle Ben died. As for Superman not only did his parents die but also his entire planet, civilization and culture. Now that’s pretty heavy right there. But does Superman lament over it, angsts about it every now and then? No. Instead he takes it upon himself to protect his orphaned world, because deep down he wants to make sure that the same fate of Krypton doesn’t befall earth as well. No matter his background (such as in elseworld stories). Superman is a guardian and a protector, and he doesn’t do it out of vendetta or social obligation. He does it because it’s the right thing to do. If he really wanted to he could just say, “screw this place.” and fly off or be dick and take over the world or some other crazy things (check out www.superdickery.com for more on that). But he doesn’t, that’s because he’s a true hero.

This is another reason why some people aren’t fans of Superman, because he’s the “Boy Scout”. Because he plays by the rules and his main goal is to protect. But if those people prefer reading about angsty, gritty, dark, anti-heroes beating up people because their angry that’s fine with me, I’ll just keep reading stories about real heroes.

Another important aspect of Superman is his persona of Clark Kent. When you really think about it, it’s not very necessary. The only people that he has as an actual family are his adopted parents, which live in the middle of Kansas someplace. The likelihood of someone connecting Superman to the Kents seems pretty unlikely. So why does Superman become Clark Kent? To get info on latest disasters and other bad stuff thanks to the Daily Planet? When he’s got super senses and plenty of access to technology to keep him up to date, it seems unlikely. You could make a case of him needing some cash by working at the Planet, but if he’s friends with multibillionaire Bruce Wayne and that Superman really doesn’t need to buy all that much stuff, that also seems unlikely.

So why does Superman have his Clark persona? Because he wants be human. No matter what Superman is still an alien to earth; he is an orphan of a dead world. He just wants to fit in with his new home, because the last thing he wants to do is become unconnected to the people that he protects. So we have this almost god-like character desiring just to be accepted and live and normal life. While we desire to be like the near-perfect image of Superman, Superman wants to be just as imperfect and normal as we are. I don’t know about you but I find that very interesting.

It’s when these two desires, wanting to protect, and wanting to be normal. That the character of Superman really shines, and personally I don’t think this is used often enough in Superman stories, granted I haven’t read all that much compared to other people. Basically I would love to see more stories about this side of Superman instead of some guy saving the day every now and then. Not that it’s unentertaining to just have Superman do what he does and not be bogged down by all this serious business. It’s just I like to see more done on the character of Superman.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my romp on this DC character and that it has shown you a different side of an almost 70-year-old character. I’d like to end with some suggested readings on the Man of Steel for those who like to discover Superman more.

Comics

Superman: Birthright- This graphic novel is the modern origin of Superman and features his first appearance of Superman in Metropolis as well as his early days in Smallville as well as his relationship with Lex Luthor. Features fantastic art.

Superman: Up Up and Away!- A recent storyline now collected into a trade, and considered by many one of the best Superman stories printed in quite a while.

Superman: Secret Identity- A non-canonical story featuring a Superman living within our world

Superman: Red Son- A elseworld story that takes place in an alternate universe where Superman lands in Russia during the Cold War instead of Kansas. Easily one of my favorites

Whatever Happen To The Man of Tomorrow?- is a famous story from 1986 featuring the DC Comics character of Superman. The story was published in two parts, in the final Vol. 1 issues of the series Superman (#423) and Action Comics(#583), both published in September 1986. Written by Alan Moore, pencilled by long-time Superman artist Curt Swan, and inked by George Pérez (Superman) and Kurt Schaffenberger (Action), the tale incorporates the Mort Weisinger-era style but has a distinctly modern twist. The story was intended to close the book on the original character's history in preparation for Crisis on Infinite Earths and the subsequent The Man of Steel reboot by John Byrne, and was Swan's final major contribution to the series, though he would later occasionally return for special occasions.(stolen from wikipedia :P)

All Star Superman- Written by one of my favorite writers Grant Morrison, this book presents a classic and iconic view of the man of steel taken down to his fundamentals. Issues 1-6 have been collected in a hardcover graphic novel and the series is ongoing.

As for currently running series starring Superman.

Here’s a list

Both Action Comics and Superman have been quite good thanks to the writing talents of Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek. Superman/Batman has some interesting early arcs but has grown quite sub-par as of late. All Star Superman is absolutely fantastic and I recommend this to everyone. Superman: Confidential I know little about but I haven’t heard great praise or hatred over it, so take it as you will. It’s certainly not necessary to get right into on goings. But if you enjoyed the graphic novel suggestions then this may be your next step.

Also there’s plenty of other media featuring Superman my personal suggestions

Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited-The DC Animated Universe have some of the best shows featuring Superhero characters and I urge everyone to check them out. Unfortunately unless you have Boomerang you can’t watch any of these on TV. Thankfully DVDS of all the series are available.

Superman I and II and Superman Return- The early Superman films simply because they’re classic and just plain good, and Superman Returns as it features one of the best interpretations of Superman in a non-comic medium.

Whew. That was a long one.

Hope this made you a new fan of the Man of Steel!

Facial Hair Kicks Ass

If theres one thing true in this odd world of ours, it's the fact that woman happen to have a better looking body structure.

Heres a basic female body(possibly NSFW)

Notice despite the fact that shes simply just sitting there it's still very nice to look at. And it's not because of her ass. It's the fact thats she is very rounded. Curves are what make the female body nice to look at.

On the other hand we have a male body structure.

Ewww. It's not a very good picture but we know that males have almost no curves whatsoever and simply are hunks of flesh that are composed of nothing but straight lines.

Because we males hate being not good at something we try desperately to beat woman in who's body looks more appealing.

You can tell this guy is just trying his best to look more female by being more curvy, but you can easily see through his deception and subconscious homosexual desires to see the true unappealing male body structure he has.

Lets face the facts, our bodies will never be as appealing as females. So lets stop trying to be the best at somthing we're not good at and instead capitalize on something that we males are the best at.

FACIAL HAIR

No woman can dare claim they can grow facial hair better than a man. Now there are some cases of bearded ladies but that was due to crazy hormones and lots of time. While most men are able to grow facial hair out of pure willpower.

Also to any female that claims facial hair is ugly is lying through their teeth. Because Chicks Dig Facial Hair. It's a undeniable fact that anyone with facial hair is automatically more charismatic. Why else would Teddy Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Fidel Castro and many other political leaders be so popular?

Facial hair needs to make a comeback because I see too little of it in this world today, and it worries me the path this society will take if males don't get their act straight and get back to leaving some hair on their face when they shave. And yes you should shave. A mess of hair on your face is not facial hair. Thats just ugly.

But seriously, males need to stop being pussies and trying to be more effeminate in their looks. Leave that to the females, thats their job. Fuck abercrombie and fitch, Gap, and all those other fucks for turning males into appearance caring whores. Just be yourself. So hope this teaches you the importance of facial hair. Now grow some damn it.