Suikoden Day- Why It's Needed

Suikoden Day, a time of celebration for fans of the video game series Suikoden, where fan works are presented and shared, contests are held, and overall a feeling of brotherhood is felt throughout the fandom. This day, held this year on August 15, 2014, is a day for camaraderie, a day for fans to remind each other that they are not alone, that they belong to an international brotherhood united in a common bond: their love for a grossly underrated series. But, do we really NEED  a Suikoden Day?

Is Super Mario World really that good?

It's often called one of the best Mario games ever, and considering Mario is THE best selling franchise in the world, that's saying a lot. This is one of the games that helped codify just what the Super Nintendo was capable of: bright colors, fast gameplay, less glitching, clear sound, and more detailed graphics than the NES or the Genesis. But today we need to ask ourselves a tough question: is Super Mario World really THAT good?

Had It Succeeded: Virtual Boy

I'd like to present to you a hypothetical timeline. As you know, in the year 1995, Gunpei Yokoi, father of the Nintendo Gameboy and the man who practically invented handheld gaming (for all intents and purposes), created one last project for Nintendo, meant to be his farewell gift, his swan song before he left the company to pursue new interests: The Virtual Boy, the world's first 3D handheld gaming device. This timeline assumes that Nintendo, instead of rushing the Virtual Boy into the market, decided to test the device, perfecting it until it was ready for release.

From http://www.gameex.info/forums/topic/12241-logos-artwork-random-stuff/page-4

One Year Anniversary

It's been a year since I've taken to blogging about video games, and I must say it's been one of the best decisions I've made in my life.

I've been gaming since I was five years old, since the year 1991. My first video game ever was Super Mario World for the SNES. Man, I played that game every weekend, as mom would not allow me to play on the weekdays, otherwise my grades would suffer. Anyway, I beat the game with not too much trouble, but I'd often lay it on the side to play games my parents would rent for me from Blockbuster. Back then, you could rent a game for like 2 dollars for one weekend, and it was awesome.

Anyway, I think I want to talk about why this blog is important to me. Truth is, this blog isn't giving me any money. It's not from lack of trying, because I tried to monetize this blog when I first started, see if I could get a little coin in my pocket. But as time went on, and Google made it clear that AdSense was a no go for me, I started thinking about WHY I started this blog. And the truth is, writing gives me purpose. I've been unemployed a good while now, since I graduated college in 2008. I've been looking for work, and no one would hire me. I'd go to interviews but I'd be turned down for whatever reason, like my shoes. I went back in college to finish some classes I needed for my teaching license, but now I have to wait for the Department of Education (which has a well earned repute for being incompetent) to give me my license. For a long time, I felt like I had no purpose, you know?

I started writing this blog because a friend of mine told me to. She gave me the idea that I should do my own blog, that I could do a little writing to distract myself. So, I said to myself "why not?". I went to Blogger, started a new blog, and wrote my first ever entry, which I titled Pokemon: A Coming of Age Story. It was an idea that I had been thinking about for a while, and had nowhere to put it into words. But now that I have a blog, I do!

I love writing on this blog, because not only does it make me feel like I have a purpose, it makes me feel alive, like I'm doing SOMETHING with myself. I love writing this blog, even if hardly anyone reads it, even if I'm not a good blogger at all, because when I write on it I feel like I'm someone worthwhile. I feel happy doing this, and I hope to continue doing this for a good, long while.

Travianer Dorfleben- An opinion

It's been a week since Travians officially and finally closed its operations. The game just fizzled out of existence, like it was never there, kept alive only by a few videos, a few pictures, and some fond (and not so fond) memories held by former players. Travian Games has closed its game, offering players to instead try out their new game, Miramagia, which some of us wouldn't even touch considering we were still miffed with the company regarding how they treated Travians. But, surprisingly, a new game rather similar to Travians, but graphically superior, is on the horizon: Travianer Dorfleben.

Travianer Dorfleben is a fan made game based on Travians. So far, little information has been released regarding the game, save for the fact that, graphically, it resembles Travians while at the same time surpasses it by being far more detailed. So far, the game isn't even on the Beta stage yet; it's still being developed.

Not much else is known about the project, aside from the fact that it IS approved of by Travian Games, it will NOT be commercialized, and it will be run by the fans of Travians. What this means is that the game is for fans, BY fans.

I for one think this is a GOOD thing, because the game is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a labor of love. This is a group of people working out of their own pocket to somewhat revive, and improve, a game that they had emotionally invested in. This is a game that will never make them a dime, and not to sound cynical, but it might never break the one thousand players total mark. The Facebook page where the game is being announced has 500 members total, myself included. And this is a non commercial work, so I don't see any money being poured into advertising. The game will have to depend on good word of mouth just to get any recognition.

So, why? Why bother making the game? As I said before, it's a labor or love. It's a game made by fans, because they want their favorite game to, one way or another, keep on living. Because they saw the wasted potential that Travian Games did not.

One thing that I'll forever criticize Travian Games of doing is that they did not listen to their player base. When the players asked for more missions, Travian Games gave them a night and day cycle (which, according to my sources, was already produced by a third party programmer.) When the players kept asking for new missions, Travian Games gave them new furniture sets to buy, which were already designed by many fans of the game. And when the game started dying, Travian Games played the fiddle as Rome burned. All the players wanted was content of value, something to keep them playing, and TG failed them. Miserably.

But now, Travianer Dorfleben is being run by those very same fans. And best of all, since it won't be a commercial game, it truly will be Free to Play! No more need to spend real money on the game, the game will be free!

I'm of the opinion that, when the game launches, even if the game won't be popular, it will at least be good. Who knows? It might be even better than the original! All the evidence seems to point towards that notion!

Edutainment (Done Wrong)- Captain Novolin

Edutainment: entertainment that educates, or a work that both entertains AND teaches at the same time. Edutainment is a staple of development, and in fact might be one of the most effective teaching tool available. Works of edutainment require a LOT of skill and dedication, as well as expertise in not just the art of entertainment, but the science of teaching as well. Edutainment, then, becomes a hybrid of science and art, a work whose value is measured not just in its artistic merit, but on its educational effectiveness as well. Films, television, music, even video games can be venues for edutainment, and today we look at a game that absolutely failed at its job to both educate AND entertain: Captain Novolin.

A good compliment I can give the game is that the box art reflects the game's spirit.

Nina's Death- Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life

Harvest Moon is that series of games where you can just sit back, relax, and play to your heart's content without needing any violence, sexuality, double entendres, or any vulgarity. It is safe, clean family fun. But once in a while, this series does something that hits the player hard. Today's blog entry seeks to analyze one of the sadder moments in the franchise: the death of Nina in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.

Yes, this game IS as cute as the box suggests.