During my Deadly Premonition experience, I felt the full effect of the game both physically and mentally. Physically meaning when I’m playing the game and mentally by how much I think of the game throughout my daily life.
When I’m physically playing Deadly Premonition, it felt like the story got better and better the deeper I indulged into it. However, once nearing the end I got the full effect on how Japanese the game actually was. If you have ever watched a season finally on an anima, then you just mite know what I mean by Japanese. They tend to over encumber you with more questions than answers and shit just gets really weird and bizarre.

The story was the main reason why I was so enchanted by the game and why I continued to proceed on forth to closer of the big mystery. It kept me personally “profiling” the case just as much as York himself… And some. I actually discovered what a symbol was that took him all the way to the end of the case to properly identify.

Even after closure, I still think of the game. My thoughts are usually based on the metaphors that are tied into the story and trying to figure out what it all means, to the corny vocals the enemies blur out such as the random things they would say when you shoot and/or kill them.

In conclusion, this game has done a lot for me mentally. For instance, I now feel more comfortable to talk to myself out loud more than I did before I played it… Yes I’m a little crazy but NOT insane… Nor do I have split personality like the character. It’s just more like clarifying my thoughts out loud. Haha!

 
IRONIC INSODENT

Before I began to play Deadly Premonition we did a BIG 3 SHOW . In that show I was talking about how, back in my younger days of gaming, I would make inside jokes with fellow friends that were based on games. These inside jokes were usually based off of poor graphics and hilarious sounds as well as saying creatures and/or characters would make throughout the game.

One of the main games that we would always joke about was Golden Eye for the N64. I and a few childhood friends had some jokes made up based on the actions and movements the enemies and scientist would make. We also joked about the sound effects they used for when a character would get shot. (I give a demo on those sounds in the show).

[Heres a video of some good old fashion Golden Eye N64 Game Play if your not familiar with it or just can’t remember:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp-w4LzpIpo

 Also in the video, if you go exactly min into the video, you will hear my favorite old school sound effect that I talked about demonstrated in The Big 3 Show]

I also mentioned in the show that now days, games have such good graphics that its hard to find good joking material based on that matter. A day or two latter, we decided to do Deadly Premonition as our next game to cast and it blew me away on how much joke material they give you!

Ironically, I was to eat my own words when I said, “games now days have too good of graphic to mach on.” Of Corse this game is a rare occasion but it was so ironic that the game would come out rite after I said that. The graphics were so horrible that I was having   PS1 and original Xbox flashbacks. I’m just glad there weren’t any N64 flashbacks. If that would have been the case, it would have been un-tolerated… Then again there are a lot of characters who mold into walls much like in Golden Eye but still Deadly Prem was not as poor.

If this game came out when I was younger and with my past gaming companions, we would rip this game a new one!!! I do have my fellow SPT gaming partners’ to joke with but now that maturity has hit us it seems like we don’t have the time to mess around the way we did back in our adolescence.

To me, making fun of a game is a way to keep that game alive and remembered. It may be considered as immature to some but to use the joke fluently helps keep the game fresh in your mind.

It seems that Deadly Premonition was aware of there horrible graphics and decided to appropriately mock themselves in a joking matter by throwing in corny vocals and lines characters would say. They also had some unique characters that would say or do things that would make me grin.

They did an outstanding job on making each character full of personality to what they had to work with graphically., I would highly consider purchasing any future games from this company even if the graphics stayed as it is as long as the stories are to be as good as Deadly Premonition

 
Deadly Premonition Smoking Incidents’

About a third of my way through Deadly Premonition, I discovered the effects of smoking.

I learned that by smoking, you can make time fly by so that you can start your next objective quicker but something else can also happens… something that can kill you… No not cancer!...Undead. Lots of undead will come out and hunt you down.

I learned first hand how dangerous smoking can be by deciding to light one up after a diner scene. Instantly after the dreamy cinematic view that you go into once you select the smoke, i was attacked by multiple numbers of undead. I killed most of them and was just about to reach a phone to save from but was shocked by what attacked me next. A hell dog came out of nowhere and mauled me to death! I was more shocked about an enemy like that existing in this game than I was about dieing.

Has anyone else experienced any crazy smoking stories or incidents’ occur to you?    

As I continued my FF13 gaming journey, I began to find even more correlations between me and Sazh (the token black of FF13). Due to me being the token black of SPT, it is my duty to critique the use of token blacks throughout groups in the video game realm.

I find Sahz to be easy to relate to due to his use of wisdom through words. He always comments on things as if he knows the story. All throughout my life of being a token black, I’ve always been one who shares wisdom amongst others much like the character Sazh. It makes me even more proud to see my works be done by a video game character in a game series that I have much respect for.

It sure beats some of the past games that threw them in there all randomly just to keep the game diverse and with little to no significance in the games story.

Before I played FF13, I was expecting Sazh to be the same way but was taken to another perspective the deeper I indulged into it. It is starting to seem as if the game knew such an assumption would be made up about him and they were ready to counter it.

They are doing a good job personally for me because I used to always joke about having a small animal live in my afro when I had one. Seeing how the chokaboo is living in Sahz’s fro gives me something to relate to when talking about it with others.

I am proud to see the progression of token blacks over time within entertainment. I still remember when they would always end up to be the first one dead and now… Well, let’s just say there rolls of significance has most definitely increased.

I like Sazh and can’t wait to see how the rest of his story unfolds in FF13.

It bothers the hell out of me when I hear people complain about something without proposing a way to fix it. Case I point: Pokémon. For those that have grown up with this legendary series im sure you can attest to hearing the words “ stagnant” or “re-hash” thrown around with each new Pokémon release. For the most part my ideas are for that ever looming “true console Pokémon game” that gamers have yet to see. I have spent far to much time thinking about these matters while devouring the newest Pokémon DS games Soul Silver-Heart Gold. Here are my thoughts…

How to up the visual immersion without losing the charm of the series~
The main reason I feel the developers are afraid to really up the graphical ante in the Pokémon series is fear. They are afraid of somehow losing the games “charm” with a grand jump in visual presentation. I agree that this is possible, but the solution is simple. The anime style that fits the series so perfectly could easily be brought to life with cell-shading. Just look at how amazing the legend of Zelda:wind waker looked stylistically, and that was a GameCube game. Simply by taking that visual approach you can keep the “charm” that the series is legendary for. A realistic looking pokemon game would be a tad creepy in my humble opinion..


Battle system in 3d:Final Fantasy 12 style~
When the games finally take that jump toward a fully realized world (as mentioned above) I believe a battle system similar to FF12 would be the best approach.

Putting aside personal opinions of the actual final fantasy 12 game.. I am just asking you to focus on the games combat system. Although resembling an MMO the game allowed the player to freely explore a vast world and seamlessly flow into battle while approaching each monster wandering the world map. Also much like how your party followed you in final fantasy 12( up to 4 members), your Pokémon would follow you in this game. Up to 3 creatures would traverse behind your main character and the battles would unfold as you approached an enemy.

When I imagine exploring a fully realized Pokémon world in this way….i can see it all so clearly working in perfect harmony. That upbeat Pokémon exploration music hanging in the air as you travel across the now lush and detailed routes between towns in search of the many different Pokémon. This would also give the creators a chance to create a full eco system and have the Pokémon feel much more alive than simply running into them through random battles. Imagine coming into a sunny valley to find to ryhdon battling it out for territory…or traversing in a small boat in the open sea and witnessing a gang of sharpedo tear apart another vessel ( all while trying to capture one)..speaking of which….

Capturing Pokémon~
Through placing the HP BAR of the main Pokémon you are focused on at the top of the screen this could open up many interesting tactics for catching Pokémon ( one of the core components of the Pokémon series) and by possibly introducing a gambit-esque( also FF12) way of setting up your party’s attacks before battle ( squirtle:tackle, Pickachu:paralyze, Drowzee:sleep) you could really have some interesting ways of getting the jump on wild Pokémon and weakening them for capture.


As far as the music goes....i think that’s one of the easier pieces of the puzzle.
Nintendo has always been masters at finding ways to incorporate the music in the best reimagining’s of their most famous series ( metroid prime is a good example). Also with so many pokemon games in existence…Nintendo has a gargantuan pool of tunes to sift through and grab the best of the best for their poke epic.

Ah but what about the story you ask? Well Pokémon games really DON’T have a story. You travel from one town to the next defeating the best Pokémon trainers. That’s basically it, however the Pokémon anime (television show) as silly as it often was, found interesting ways to give the Pokémon universe a fairly interesting story. Nintendo could possibly capture the essence of the television shows ideas through short anime cut scenes that told the story of a new Pokémon hero….there are so many cool things they could do with this setup. I would love to see them hand the story portions over to a team that takes an ambitious approach to the “Pokémon champion” narrative…..and creates their own unique twist on the series.



I’m not necessarily proposing a complete re imagining of the series….just a way to flesh out the amazing foundations Nintendo already has in place. It may take a few years to complete…but the wait would be far worth it. Perhaps I spend for too much time thinking about these sort of things in my head……it just kills me when I feel like there is so much untapped potential just waiting to be unearthed. Who knows maybe im wrong and Nintendo is feverishly working away at a game much like this right now in the depths of secrecy.

Until then ill just have to be content with the addicting re-hash that the portable series has become for better or worse.

would love your thoughts if your a frustrated fan of the series...

Although Final Fantasy 13 has consumed most of my time lately..

God of war 3 did come out today......so i tore myself away from squaresofts latest opus for an hour to channel the rage of kratos.

Keeping with the GOW legacy the game opens with an absolutley incredible Boss-sequence. The hydra in the original was great..and the collossus in GOW2 just set the tone for the entire game....

However nothing could have prepared me for the sheer epic brutality of the Posiedon fight that kicks off GOW3.....i promised myself i would focus my attention back on FF13 after this indulgence...but wow. Im extremley anxious to tear into the rest of the game come this weekend.

Back to final fantasy...

Its funny that alot of people are proclaiming you can "hold X" and just auto attack your way through the early portions of the game. Are we playing the same game ?

About 10 hours in and its easily one of the most challenging Final fantasy games to date. The battle system is fully blossoming into an incredibly strategic-fast paced visual assault on the sense....oh and its tough, crazy tough. I am enjoying the satisfaction that surviving some of these battles has provided my gamer soul. Not necessarily what im "used" to from an RPG...but a welcome change of pace.

Also i just cant get over how gorgeous this game is....ABSOLUTLEY GORGEOUS! Down to every last detail....breathtaking viceral fantasy beauty. I just cant get enough of it.....the visuals go along way to immersing me in the games unique combat style.

I have some interesting thoughts on the pacing as well...but ill save those for fridays podcast.

FF13 has shaped up to be one of the most talked about games in a long time....fridays show should be alot of fun.

Hell i even managed to sneak in an hour of pokemon soul silver.....very solid pokemon experience overall, defintley a bells and whistles update to a GBC classic.

So my PS3 Shortage experience has finally come to an end as of yesturday when BestBuy recieved a shippment of 9 consoles that was quickley devoured by consumers eagar to blow there tax money on an Ultimate System. 
You may be thinking, "what? a PS3 Shortage? My local stores have a bunch in stock."