After a day of Smashing…

HOLY SHIT!  If I’ve ever been at the border of experiencing full-blown mania, it happened yesterday – thanks Nintendo!  Super Smash FUCKING Brothers for the Wii U hit stores yesterday!  First thing you need to know: YOU CAN USE GAMECUBE CONTROLLERS!  Praise the Lord, Buddha, or whatever divine entity you believe in!  Yes, you need an adapting dock to connect to the Wii U to use the GC controllers, but whatever.  I’ll take anything that does not involve the fucking Wii Remote.  Can’t wait for that shit to die…  Anyhow, back to the game!  Super Smash Brothers for the Wii U, apart from having an impressive starting roster of 30+ amazing characters, is GORGEOUS!  That HD is no joke.  I probably played with every single character on each stage all in one night.  The aesthetics of this game go far beyond the last Super Smash Brothers game that I couldn’t contain myself – I needed to see it ALL!  Now for some highlights before I got back to spend the next hundreds of hours of my life playing this game:

• Peach still sucks. I don’t understand WHY Melee Peach was not brought back. But she looks prettier.
• Samus and Zero Suit Samus are two different entities, thank goodness. Now I can go about my day with not worrying dismantling armor.  The same with Zelda and Shiek.
• Little Mac is actually surprisingly good.
• 8-Player battles are a shit show – but in a good way.
• Characters have much more skins and some are extraordinarily beautiful (e.g., Samus’s Light Suit).
• Interactive stages are more brutal than ever before, especially Kalos Pokémon League:

Pokémon battles got real dangerous…  and quick!

 

Let the battle royale continue!

See you around!

 

And all you hear in the background is “C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!”

As many of you may recognized the famous phrase I used in the title, today we’re taking a trip to the land of Killer Instinct – a Native American Spiritual Land to be more exact.

A few days ago, I got a message from one of my friends, “OMG!  They just revealed CHIEF THUNDER!” and sends me this video link which confirmed that Killer Instinct 3 will indeed have Chief Thunder as a playable character – coming a long way from his last (and only) appearance in 1994’s KI.

Pretty menacing, ain’t he?

American video game developer group Double Helix‘s Patrick Gilmore (Studio Head), Michael Willette (Producer), and David Verfaillie (Game Design Director) presented a vast overview about the new and upgraded version of Cheif Thunder.  He will be sporting new gear, as you can notice his substantial headpiece and dripping war paint on his face giving him a primal look.  The smoother graphics not only make him seem over 7 feet (2.13 meters) tall, but also threatening and aggressive as ever.  I wouldn’t like to run into him if I were exploring the woods…  Or running into him anywhere, period.  His skills set has also been revamped, but he will retain some of his old characteristics moves like the Sammamish and Triplax.

Stunning…

Chief Thunder’s arena also experienced a phenomenal metamorphosis.  Now instead of a (let’s face it) crappy bridge over a deep ravine with monotone colors, now we get mountains, rain, ravens, a freaking lake scenery in the background – a beautifully crafted stage with much texture and visual pleasure.  It was amazing watching Double Helix’s staff speaking so passionately and letting gamers know they want to make KI have a magnificent comeback – which I appreciate because they have quite the pressure on them with Killer Instinct being such a classic legend. Double Helix can’t afford to fuck it up.  Moreover, this game can serve as a nice buffer to the Xbox One, especially after the nasty backlash the console experienced after its presentation on the 2013 E3.

Are you excited for the next chapter in the Killer Instinct universe?

 

All aboard the Luigi Line!

Today, Chicago made homage to one of the greatest characters in video game history:

“I’m’a Luigi – number one!”

As The Year Of Luigi forges ahead full force, Nintendo chose the city of Chicago to promote Luigi’s new superstar game “New Super Luigi U.”  Over taking several of Chicago’s L trains which blaze through the Brown Line routes, many CTA riders had the magical experience to ride the Luigi Line!   I can’t even explain to you the level of excitement/anxiety I was feeling while waiting for the Luigi Line to pull over.  All of the sudden, there is was: a beautiful green colored train with decals of the different characters in the game along with a few gold coins (too bad those golden pieces weren’t real…).  As a Luigi fan for virtually my whole life, you can imagine the level of thrill rushing through my body while I stepped inside the train.  For all you Chicagoans (or those visiting the city) that missed riding the Luigi Line today, do not fret.  The Luigi Line will be running for about 4 weeks around the Loop on the Brown Line.  So plan accordingly and experience a joyful ride!

While the Luigi Line paraded around The Windy City’s Downtown area, Nintendo made sure fans would get complete exposure to Luigi’s new game by setting up various kiosks around the Clark and Lake train station where people had access to play New Super Luigi U for unlimited time – which I may or may have not played for over 2 hours before heading home.  NSLU’s gameplay controls and world displays are basically the same as in New Super Mario Bros. Wii; however, there are a few different tweaks.  Luigi can jump higher and further than Mario, but he slides further too – so be careful and don’t plan on being able to come to a complete stop.  It’s not happening.  Also, the courses are shorter.  This time around, you only get 100 seconds to complete the stage before being assassinated by unknown forces of The Mushroom Kingdom universe when the timer reaches 0.  One cool feature that I wasn’t able to experience was the option to play as Nabbit.  Nabbit is this little rabbit-thief looking character who is invincible against enemies.  I immediately thought about how that would be “the saving grace” for older siblings who are forced to have younger siblings play with them.  With Nabbit, the youngings can actually help you.  So thank Luigi for this.

Yes riding the line home was fun and playing NSLU was beautiful, but the coup de grâce was getting the chance to meet Luigi himself.  As I mentioned above, I have been a Luigi fan since his first appearance in Mario Bros. games.  I’ve always been attracted to his underdog image because I was an underdog myself.  And now he has an opportunity to break from his shell and shine – like I did at one point in life.  Having the chance to finally meet him brought me back to when I was 10 years old looking up to someone who kept on fighting no matter the outcome.

I can’t wait buy the Wii U and NSLU – It promises hours upon hours of fun!  What do you think about The Year Of Luigi?  Have you played NSLU?  Do you think Luigi will reach new heights of Super Stardom?  I want to know!  See you around!

 

Let the console war begin! Part III

Finally, after a long month of painstaking yet thrilling news, I feel confident to tackle the Xbox One – the final contender to review regarding the 2013 Console War.  Microsoft encountered an extremely chaotic stance battling against the Wii U and PlayStation 4 ever since articles and videos regarding the Xbox One began circulating.  One of the most notable issues: the price.  It was announced that Xbox One will hit the market with a price tag of $499.00, which is a hundred dollars more than its acclaimed “mortal enemy” the PlayStation 4.  I believe it will be one of the underlining factors people will take into consideration when wavering between which one of the new generation consoles will sit in their living rooms for years to come – especially in these present times of economic decline around the world.  After watching the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo, I can honestly say that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 each have their own unique features to offer to the public.  For example, Xbox voice control via Kinect device is pretty awesome.  But do I think it’s something $100+ worth?  Not really.  At the beginning, yes, I can see people going insane overusing the voice commands.  But after a while, I can see it becoming tedious, unnecessary, and annoying to an extent.

Speaking of the Kinect, Microsoft announced numerous features the device will provide with the launch of the Xbox One.  Kinect will not only recognize your voice commands, but also it will be able to identify your gestures.  You’ll be able to change from movies to a game back to movies with only the sound of your voice or hand movements.  Also, Kinect will be able to identify players and switch profiles and preferences by recognizing how you hold the controller (isn’t clear if the feature will be available for all games made for the Xbox One).  The features are indeed cool, but why would I pay $500+ for a console that just lets me interact with my television?  To help me “not waste time” pressing an input button on a remote control?  As a fan of efficiency, the Kinect fails to impress me.  This is a gaming console, plain and simple.  Catering to other forms of entertainment I believe strips the Xbox One from its essence.

In addition to the underwhelming qualities Kinect has to offer, Microsoft engulfed its followers with policies and restrictions that resulted in one of the most scorching backlashes I’ve read about in quite some time.  I was not surprised with the negative reaction overhaul Microsoft had to endure.  Even though Microsoft explained during E3 that the company was moving towards a more internet based market, it doesn’t take away the fact Microsoft basically force fed those new regulations to its followers.  You want to move into an internet based market, by all means, try it.  But you have to ease YOUR people into it and not shoved it down their throats.  I can understand how Xbox One’s previous features now gone can upset some people.  Whay I do not understand is why Microsoft could not enhance the system by adding the new features and giving the choice to gamers on how they would like to manage their gaming experience.  Below you will find a table explaining the “Xbox 180 phenomenon” with the before and after of the policies along with the effects on the Xbox One:

Before

After

Required online connection at least once every 24 hours to verify authenticity of games being played.  Meaning that with no internet connection, the process won’t be completed affecting game play. System will authenticate a game using encryption codes within each game disc and save it on the console’s hard drive and disc is not needed to play the game.  However, you can’t share the game as usual by exchanging game disc. Regional restrictions. Digital titles can be shared.  However, it was stated that game sharing actually implied people would be able to play a demo of your library; get familiarized with it; and save games’ progress. Do not need the disc to play games. All games are available when logging in on to Xbox Live. No requirement for online connection at least once every 24 hours to verify authenticity of games.  Internet connection is only needed for initial setup.  So no worrying over being at the mercy of your internet provider.

Games can now be played offline and game discs are required in order to play games.  You can share games by exchanging discs.  Renting and used games continues to be a feasible option. No regional restrictions. No digital sharing available. Always need the game disc to be able to play. No longer able to access game library from anywhere, except your digital downloads.

Though the Xbox One is still suffering from repercussions of their horrendous first impression, I have to say that Microsoft did a rather excellent job presenting its roster of games.  During E3, Microsoft started off strong by showing Konami’s Metal Gear Solid, The Phantom Pain.  The graphics looked so polished and refined.  And the song playing in the background while the trailer was playing was a treat.  I was thoroughly impressed and would not expect anything less coming from Hideo Kojima (director of Kojima Productions and creator of Metal Gear).  Microsoft maintained a powerful image of the Xbox One throughout the presentation by disclosing games like Dark Souls II and Ryse: Son of Rome.  Dark Souls II’s trailer shows this kickass motherfucker PWNING enemies with a sword on one hand and a crossbow on the other while guarding your back from colossal elemental creatures – fucking amazing.  It gave me a God of War feel to it, but still phenomenal.  In Ryse: Son of Rome you find yourself in the midst of a war slashing a few throats, piercing people’s torsos with spears, and dismembering a few others before the trailer ends.  Then before I could digest all the awesomeness, Killer Instinct shows up in the screen.  You read right.  Killer FUCKING Instinct.  Needless to say I geeked out like no other.  I have to admit it actually made me jealous that game is only for Xbox One.  Such a classic fighting game and SO well done…  And it didn’t stop there.  Sam Lake, Remedy’s creative director and writer, came to the stage and presented Quantum Break where you’ll be able to stop time and manipulate the outcomes of time itself.  Can’t say I didn’t love it.  Or what about when Dave McCarthy (a general manager at Microsoft) presented Project Spark? A game where you “make a game a game itself.”  You play a god like role by creating a world from scratch to your very own liking.  Use your voice to start building landscapes and create life!  Then shit gets real with Josh Bridge and Mike Jones from Capcom Vancouver bestowing the world of Dead Rising 3.  Thrilling and anxiety provoking, clearly on of the best zombie games I’ve seen in a while.  The HORDES of zombies make it “realistic,” kinda like The Walking Dead.  We’re not talking about 3 zombies in a room and once you shoot them you’re good.  More like 142 undead on your back while having another 357 looking at you in the face.  Your only chance of survival is not only taking a hold of anything you can use as a weapon – whether it’s a gun, sledge hammer, or an electric saw –, but also you ingenuity in combining those weapons to massively increase your chances of survival!  Kudos to Microsoft.

There you have it!   The gist of this 2013 Console War, exposing each company’s strengths and weaknesses for you to decide which one will make it to the top.  Is Nintendo going to triple jump to the top?  Will Sony annihilate the competition?  Or Microsoft plans another compelling comeback?

 

Love online? Of course! You can ask MMOers – they can tell you!

Intertwining love, gaming, and social media in one post – sounds fun!  At first, I wasn’t sure how the 3 aforementioned would blend with each other, but my mind immediately went to the numerous videogames that offer different levels of social interaction between us human beings all around the world.  You might be thinking why am I mentioning videogaming?  First, my blog Lou-Cyo Reviews’ purpose is to expose news, reviews, and commentary about the world of videogames – I want to keep it relevant.  I owe it to my readers.  Though I won’t be focusing on videogaming, I will refer to it all throughout.  Secondly, if we are talking of social media, videogames constitute a vast portion of such category especially if we’re discussing “21st-century love.”

Modern age love.  When I read the previous sentence, I immediately consider the Internet being involved in some way, shape, or form.  In this era, the Internet has given an immense number of the Earth’s population access to connect with each other via instant texts, videos, illustrations, and microphones.  If we’re not on facebook checking for Notifications, we are tweeting and retweeting people we find fascinating.  And if you’re immersed in the gaming culture and into massive multiplayer online games, you might already have a set time to meet with your team to either raid a sorcerer’s cave or take down your enemy’s armed forces.  We live in the times of connectivity – the resources seem endless.  With each passing second, people are trying to find easier and better ways to connect and share their lives.  So with that, how can one even entertain the idea that love CANNOT sprout between two (or more) people?

It all appears wonderfully uncomplicated written down, doesn’t it?  However, it’s far from the truth.  Yes, social media gives us countless ways to communicate with others and create possible healthy relationships with one-time strangers.  But social media is just that: the means we use to communicate.  If people don’t utilize their resources appropriately and effectively to nurture their relationships the same are as good as dead.  It’s not a matter of what a pair of lovers use to communicate with each other.  It’s a matter of how they communicate with each other.  If people cannot interact in a healthy manner in order to promote understanding and trust between them, it won’t matter whether you both have a Twitter, facebook, Skype, ooVoo, Xbox Live, or email accounts.

I found myself playing the Long Distance Relationship Love Game once.  We started a friendship in a popular chat site and after several months decided to meet in person.  I believe we never exchanged photos by that time, so it was awkward as HECK when we finally met.  Outcome?  We became really good friends and later our friendship bloomed into one of the best relationships I’ve ever had in my life.  Obviously ups and downs occurred, but for 95% of the time I felt satisfied and happy.  Lucky even, that I had found such an individual to share my life with.  Then the universe decided it was time to test just how strong our bond was.  I was presented with an opportunity to expand my education and get a Master’s Degree in Chicago – I couldn’t say no.

I was scared.  Scared to face my significant other and make my decision of moving to another country which meant the end of the relationship we had.  I remember days of pulsating anxiety and dread.  When the conversation finally took place, I remember my lover at the time tell me, “We don’t have to end it.  We’ll make it.  I believe in us.”  And I believed it.  We discussed how we still have our cellphones, facebook, and laptops to video chat.  I was confident.  However, the minute I left my home island things turned for the worst.  My other half started to alienate from me because I was “not [there].”  The phone conversations went from “I miss you” to guilt trips of “I hate this.  I don’t understand why you needed to go so far.”  Video chats rarely happened.  We exchanged maybe a couple of emails…  Long story short, the person I loved called me one night and said, “I can’t deal with this anymore,” and just like that, it was over.  I was devastated.  I felt at the verge of depression, but thankfully I was surrounded by wonderful individuals who kept me going and pushed when I needed it.

We both had facebook, Skype, and our respective cellphones…  But it didn’t matter –effective communication was nonexistent.  I was so eager to share my new-found passion in life and what the big city of Chicago had to offer.  And what did I came across?  My significant other saying, “I really don’t want to know about it.  I don’t want to believe you’re gone.”  My LIFE became Chicago at that point in time, so what was I supposed to talk about?  Conversing about what I ingested and if my bowel movements were normative can only take you so far.  The lack of communication served as toxic waste in the field where understanding needed to grow in order for our relationship to survive.  The methods were there, but never used in an effective manner.  Relationships, created over the Internet or not, last because people WANT to work on the relationship and make it last.

(P.S. – Post is in respond to Weekly Writing Challenge: Love in the 21st Century.)

 

Happy Birthday, Luigi!

(Luigi Banner-sig by =Chivi-chivik on deviantart)

You better grab every single green trinket you possess because it’s time for grand celebration: Luigi is turning 30 this year!  Can you believe it’s been that long?!  Since his first appearance in Mario Bros. (released on July 14, 1983 and not to be confused with Super Mario Bros. which release date was 1985), Luigi has served as Mario’s sidekick in almost all the adventures that have taken place in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond.  However, Nintendo has decided that Luigi has been shrouded by his brother’s shadow for far too long.  Now in 2013, Nintendo has focused boundless efforts in creating and promoting new games and console designs centered on the green cap hero.  The highlight of this birthday?  New Super Luigi U!

This game will mark history in the Mario Bros. universe as it is Luigi’s first platform game in which he plays the starting role.  Excited?  You better!  I’ve been a Luigi fan since I can remember, even after playing so many Mario centered games throughout my life.  So now that I can enjoy Luigi to his fullest…  It makes my heart feel like a bundle of joy!

Also to celebrate, Nintendo twitted:

And so I did.  It took me a several minutes to compress all my loving words for Luigi in just 120 characters and have a selfie photoshoot because it was required to send a picture along with the greeting.  I am hardcore geeking out over this…  I really hope I get selected to appear on that digital card!

So what do you think about Nintendo’s Luigi Extravaganza?  See you around!

Haaaaappy Birthdaaaay tooooo yooouuuuuu! ♫

 

Let the console war begin! Part II

Welcome back to LouCyo’s reviews!  In my last entry I summarized the how the PlayStation 4 clobbered the Xbox One.  No matter how you look at it, the PS4 won battle and there’s no question about it.  I believe Xbox is at the bottom of the food chain and will need an act (or several) of whatever devine entities out there to survive once all available consoles and games become available for purchase.  With that said, I can’t forget to review Nintendo’s E3 live stream – which HOLY FUCK it was SOO GOOD!

First up, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y – Cannot. Fucking. WAIT!  AHHH!  Admitting to a hiatus of playing pokémon, I’ve always been a Pokemon fan.  Heck.  Not to long ago I dressed up as Pikachu to an themed event (which I might add I looked adorable).  Nintendo’s presentation of Pokémon X/Y showed exceptionally enhanced graphics in comparison to the ones we are accustomed to on handheld devices.   Pokémon battles have been blessed with more animation and smoother illustration.  Nintento also uncovered the enigma revolving around Sylveon’s Type.  You ready for this?  Sylveon is a Fairy Type pokémon!  Yes.  You read right.  It’s time to brush up on your pokémon knowledge and battle strategies.  It was also revealed that Fairy is Super Effective against Dragon.  Though I am not too ecstatic about it, I’m relieved Sylveon is not any of the types I mentioned on one of my posts earlier this year titled Who’s that Pokémon?! It’s… … Sylveon…? – especially flying.  I would’ve punch a couple of concrete walls…  Nonetheless, an addition that was much anticipated by many since a new Type hasn’t been introduce to the world of pokémon for quite some time now.  New pokémon, new storyline, new world…  I cant wait to throw them pokéballs!

Can we take a second to discuss Super Mario 3D World?!  The best way to describe the level of elation I felt when Super Mario 3DW was announced is to compare it to 10 serious heart attacks combined because of the legendary essence the game embodies.  Super Mario 3DW took me back to my SNES games when I played the CLASSIC Mario Bros. 2 (which if you’ve never played it, find any means necessary to do so…   Even if it means your giving away your unborn child)!  In Super Mario 3DW you’re be able to select 4 iconic characters.  Apart from the obvious choice of Mario, you get to play as Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad.  Once you do, you’ll run through a 3D landscape stomping on enemies, climbing walls, and collecting coins. Moreover, Super Mario 3DW will offer is a Counter Operative mode which gives the game a nice twist.  Nonetheless, encompassing much of all the Mario-esque fun we love.  Super Mario 3DW will introduce “new power suits” to the Mario Bros. universe and one of these was the Cat Suit – this new suit will let the characters pounce on enemies; scratch foes in the face; and climb up walls.  I can only imagine what other wacky outfits Nintendo has in store.

Let’s move on to some good ol’ Mario Kart!  Wii U will let you enjoy the madness of Mario Kart 8.  The word madness doesn’t even encircle the wonderful chaos of this game.  You’re hovering over walls; gliding through the air; driving through water tunnels…  For goodness’ sake the absence of gravity is implemented in the game – insane!  And I love every single second of it.  The courses look beautiful and I can’t wait to see the character selection and Power Ups.

Yes.  The above picture is exactly what you’re imagining.  Nintendo officially announced that a new Super Smash Bros will be available on 2014 featuring 3 new brawlers: Villager (Animal Crossing), Mega Man, and Wii Fit Trainer girl!  Not much was revealed but we can all anticipated the epicness of this game.  I can’t wait to see the whole brawling crew, the new challenger modes, special power moves…  I’ll stop because I’m hyperventilating…

Above were the games that I believe will be the future highlights of the Wii U in the next upcoming months.  Nintendo presented several other games during their presentation, but I wasn’t really quite enticed.  For example, Wii Party U.  It’s basically Mario Party but with Miis.  You’re on a board; roll dice; move around the board; and play mini games after.  I prefer Mario Parties – they just look more fun and aesthetically pleasing.  Then the Wii Fit…  I go to the gym.  So yeah…  Moving on.  Nintendo did brought up third party games available for the Wii U.  However,  the majority of the games looked like games you can download to mobile devices.  If not, the games are already going to be available on other consoles – no sense of excitement or exclusivity.

Nonetheless, Nintendo always does a great job in keeping a strong fan base even when finding itself not being the most popular or having the highest selling numbers during this console war.  I was wondering why this is and decided to discuss it with one of my best friends in the whole wide world who is a gamer himself.  I believe my friend explained it beautifully. Here’s a snippet of our conversation:

Me: “Would you agree that Nintendo’s ability to stay relevant even when other consoles top the charts is because they overall present more likable characters than other systems?  I’m trying to decipher how Nintendo always seems to stay afloat in the midst of console wars. Like the fucking neutral party in world wars.”

Best friend: “I think it’s due to the fan loyalty it builds. It might not be the best at attracting new fans, but those who try it tend to at least buy their consoles due to the unique experiences they offer.  With other consoles you feel like a consumer. You are objectively deciding whether to buy their consoles based on the merits of their machines and their exclusives. But with [N]intendo it’s more like you’re choosing to join in the goofy fun of an oddball company.”

 

Where there you have it!  Are you excited for the Wii U now?  I know I am!  Let me know what you think. See you around!

 

Let the console war begin! Part I

It’s here!

Yesterday was E3’s live streaming covering the PS4.  And, boy, what a show!  Sony’s presentation demonstrated why the PlayStation 4 has been proclaimed as “the most powerful console” out there.  Long story short, the PS4 ANNIHILATED Xbox One.  No questions about it.  I was going to review on the Xbox One before this post, but I’ll do it at a later time.  After yesterday’s demonstrations which included PS4 hardware, game play options, and price there is no way I wasn’t going to pay tribute to the PS4’s complete PWNAGE over Xbox One.  So with that, I summarized yesterday’s events into Three Amazing Facts explaining the how beautifully Sony’s PlayStation 4 murdered Microsoft’s Xbox One…  Let’s begin! 

“The PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on used games.” – Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America

Amazing fact #1: No Game Restrictions

Sony staff made it specifically clear that the PS4 will support used games with no difficulty.  That right there was a fatal blow to Microsoft.  Microsoft announced that once an Xbox One game was purchased, the physical copy of the disk served as a license to play the game. The Xbox One will register the game and no other console would be able to use that disk…  Unless they pay for it.  So basically, a “bye-bye” to sharing games with friends and family.  The old days were you could ask  someone for a game just to try it out are over in the Xbox universe.  What kinda fucked up shit is that?!  Thankfully, Sony made an instructional video to help Microsoft understand the “strenuous” process of sharing games.  Oh!  And let’s not forget about the Xbox One NEEDING to be connected to the internet at least once every 24 hours in order to allow gaming – horse shit.  I don’t know about you, but one of the last things I want to worry about is making sure my console is connected to the internet or I’ll be fucked and not be able to play.  No, thank you.  PS4 FTW.  Done.

PS4 listened to the fans and it will show on sales no doubt.  The news of no game restrictions was received with blissful faces and a booming applause from the audience.  On one of my previous entries, I mentioned how one of the PS4’s main cornerstones was to embrace and enhance connectivity between people – and with this decision the company has stayed true to its vision.  Much respect.

Amazing fact #2: Price

I’ll make it sweet and simple: $399.00.  That’s it.  Yes, taxes and all other add-ons will increase the price you will end up paying at the cash register.  However, you’ll get to own the most powerful console known to man by paying less than if you were to buy a 1st gen predecessor.  Fundamentally, you get a console with top notch technology, capacity to play used games, and it’s around $100.00 than it’s “competition…”  Do I need to elaborate more?  Yes!  I can and I will!

Amazing Fact #3: Game Lineup

Since the PS4 started making it’s product known, Sony has used every second to impress its fans and newcomers alike with its uniqueness.  Microsoft, however, failed to do that.  During the Xbox One presentation, several of its “soon to be hits” games have PlayStation roots.  In what world did Microsoft thought that presenting a solid amount of games which have PlayStation-esque characteristics was such a phenomenal idea?  I have no idea what Microsoft is trying to achieve – it’s a freaking enigma.  On the other hand, Sony comes in strong with titles like Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts 3, and Destiny.  All with a great fanbase.  All exclusive to the system.  Well fucking played, Sony.

Conclusion: Xbox One has died

With these 3 facts alone, the PlayStation 4 has proved that is will not disappoint – and it’s still not available in stores.  Sony has done an exceptional job not only delivering to gamers what they want, but also learning from the potentially fatal mistakes its competitors have made.  I’m not a PlayStation hardcore fan, but I can recognize an outstanding machine when I see one.  Let us welcome “the most powerful console!”

What are your thoughts on this console war?  Let me know!  See you around!

 

MoMA MIA! We made it!

Who would of thought that videogames would ever become part of a famous museum?  And not just any museum.  Fourteen classic games have made their way up to the well renowned and celebrated Museum of Modern Art – the MoMa – in New York City!  I don’t know about you, but I think it’s pretty fucking cool.  It takes great artistry to develop a successful videogame and MoMA’s senior curator Paola Antonelli believes it’s time for people appreciate videogame art.  Now available for your viewing pleasure at the MoMA’s Applied Design exhibition, the Philip Johnson Galleries features titles like Pac-Man, Tetris, and The Sims. However, Antonelli’s decision has not been welcomed with open arms by many.  There was even an article titled, “Sorry MoMA, video games are not art.”  But to all those I have one thing to say: go fuck yourselves.

“Our criteria, therefore, emphasize not only the visual quality and aesthetic experience of each game, but also the many other aspects—from the elegance of the code to the design of the player’s behavior—that pertain to interaction design.” – Paola Antonelli

The way Antonelli has dissected videogame art is outstanding.  Antonelli’s has specific criteria to which video games are being scrutinized.  Not only taking into consideration the obvious like a game’s aesthetics, but also the aspects of spatial evolution, intervals of emotional gratification, and futuristic behavioral expectations of the players are considered.  She’s not randomly handpicking games or adding displays of the most famouse videogames.  Her vision inspires to learn about videogames whether you’re immerse in the gaming culture or not.  Her incorporation of art of videogame design to the MoMA gives the world the opportunity of a lifetime to admire and gain understanding of video games – which involve more than “just being a pretty picture” and “pushing buttons.”

Apart from displaying printouts frames of the videogames that make the cut, Antonelli and her team are also working on obtaining each of the displayed games’ softwares in case the technology becomes obsolete and no longer available.  This is obviously a well thought out project and it’s being taken seriously.  So I’m not really going to waste my time reading about article that are basically shitting on Antonelli’s modern view of what art is allowed to be.  Especially when it’s not, by not means, discrediting or demeaning other mediums of art.  So to those who are having a fit, take a chill pill and appreciate what video game software has bring to the table.  The same way you enjoy some art styles over others, you can do the same with video game design without discrediting it.  At least give it a try before judging.

I just added visiting MoMA to my bucket list.  Especially when it’s rumored that Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Chrono Trigger, and the infamous celphone game Snake will be added to the exhibition.  What are your thoughts?  See you around!

 

Insert coins to continue

Hi all!  First off, I apologize for the long hiatus I took this month.  But you know, after suffering a fracture due to a driver almost ending my life this month, the doctor ordered some rest.  I’m recovering well, thank goodness, and ready to give this blog of mine some hardcore loving!

Talking about loving, while Flipboarding, I stumbled upon an article titled “If Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine had a dating profile.”  I chuckled and thought, “Why not?”  They say laughter is the best medicine and thanks to VentureBeat – an online site devoted to present innovative technology and how it’s relevant to our lives – I had a few laughs that made me forget about the pain.  So, I decided to share it with the world.

VentureBeat decided to create its own online dating site, Extra Hearts, for featured videogame characters.  Not only they covered the cheesy bio, likes, and dislikes, but also they included witty comments at the end involving relevant characters to the one who “wrote” the online dating profile – it’s a fun read.  I believe it gives a nice spin to how we see these characters and adds to their dimensions. Plus, the fact that the characters go IN on each other at the comment section is fucking hilarious – probably how we believe these characters act when the “cameras are off.”  Below are my favorites, but I encourage you to read through all of them:

Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine – comment section

StarCraft’s Kerrigan – profile section

Luigi – comment section

God of War’s Kratos – comment section

Which characters do you think may need some loving in their lives?  Let me know below!  See you around!