Behind the scenes: Castlevania - Symphony of the NightI'm about ten hours into this game and I am really enjoying it. I'll be honest though, there is no way I would be able to play this game without a FAQ.
Now before you give me the same look that the kid on my right here --> did when I told him about my move to use a FAQ, allow me to explain.
I first started playing SOTN without any assistance whatsoever and for about an hour and a half I was doing alright. I was opening doors, collecting items, discovering different parts of the castle. You know, doing what Castlevania players do.
Suddenly, that all ceased. I found myself backtracking, wondering aimlessly through the same spots of the castle and eventually getting no where. Period. Now i'm no stranger to exploration and getting yourself out of situations where the game gives you little or no explanation, but I found myself eventually not having fun, and along with all the hard work, have nothing to show for it.
Moreover, I couldn't keep this type of gameplay up and have a full-time job, read my comics, watch my Daniel Day Lewis movies and spend time with the family. No sir, that wasn't going to happen. I needed a solution so that I may enjoy the awesomeness that was SOTN. I wasn't going to abandon it. Apart from me wondering around in purgatory for hours maintaining the abusive balance of frustration and sadness, the game has plenty of charm and plenty of depth.
It was going to be the death of me if I did not find a solution to fit my needs. I decided to swallow my pride and look online for a FAQ of SOTN. I also made the determination to start the game over as a gesture of good will. Whatever that may be worth Tony's Tombstone One thing, I noticed whilst looking for guides, is that most people that create guides cannot write. Perhaps it's because they assume you know what they are talking about when they say --Go to the bottom door--. While what they really meant was --Go back to the left, the way you came in and then up the stairs where you will hit a crossroad. You will then take the left path and then be face with two doors. One on top and one on bottom. You will take the bottom door.--
Now, you might be questioning my deductive reasoning skills due to the fact that I had to refrerence a FAQ to play SOTN, but I have actually managed to make some progress. It's not easy but at least I know where I am going. Sort of.
I have to say, after making some headway in SOTN using a FAQ, I really enjoy the game and it has definitely sparked my interests to dive into some other games that I have lost patience for, such as Eternal Sonata. I love exploration as much as the next guy but my time is very limited as to how long I can really commit to a game. Having some sort of guide to minimize the frustration of going the wrong way only to turn around and backtrack breathes new life into these once tossed aside games that have managed to only kill the gaming experience, not enhance it.
With that being said, I will still continue to start off playing games without a FAQ or guide but I will also take them into consideration when I find myself completely frustrated spinning my wheels in place with nothing to show for it and no light at the end of a tunnel. That is a better alternative then what I have been doing in the past by placing an unfinished game on my shelf and saying to myself," I'll finish it later."
Poll taken after studies show girls are in fact capable to be as good as guys in video games. Here are some thoughts by the random people on the street.
jakeJake Blackensnotter - Professional Gaming Website Visitor
"Heh. Who would have guessed it? They can cuss and get pissed just as bad as the rest of us. Not surprising. Not one bit."
D. PopperRichard Popper - Meat Packer
"Wonderful. Now my girlfriend is going to be thinking she can press the A button AND the B button with as much dexterity as me. Impossible. This study is a PHAIL."
LickDickle CoupleSatchel LickDickle and wife - Married for 35 years
"We gamed together for years. It made me feel like a man. The news hit me hard because now, on our last stretch of life, she could quite possibly beat me at Call of Duty 4. I should have known something was up when she hit her 13th prestige."
Don't Throw...No Mo! Campaign Poster Dallas, TX - A study released by the International Game Controller Preservation Society showed that game controller throwing is on the rise. Reports indicate that one out of every three game controllers have been thrown maliciously across the room at one point in its life. For the study, researchers screened more than 125,000 video game controllers in 32 countries.
"We now believe that more than 3.5 million game controllers suffer from PhuckDis disease making it twice as common as SonuvAhhBijch disorder and GotDamitt fibrosis combined." says Dr. Finetusch, MD, the study's principal researcher and professor of polygonal glut lypo at the University of Videeoh and Games in Phoenix, Arizona.
"After substantial investigation, we have come to the conclusion that there is a connection between video game frustration and Phuckdis disease." Dr. Finetusch continues, "We saw the first instances of game controller abuse back in 1982 with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. We are indeed confident, based on our findings, that it was the spawning of Phuckdis disease which prompted the fail of Atari and not the video game itself,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." Dr.LickDickle, an advocate of game controller perservation and psychological therapist for console and computer peripheral hardwarestates, "Game controllers can only take so much. They may be hard on the outside but their circuitry is a soft gooey center of love and tenderness. Unfortunately, the infuriated gamer doesn't realize this whilst launching it across the room, barely missing the cat and smashing into the fuchsia colored wall of their parent's living room."
Jake Blackensnotter, video game enthusiast from Alabama, responds to the study with mild indifference. "How da sam-hill am i 'sposed to know dat de gotdamn controller is goin' ta smash in tiny baby pieces when I chuck dat bitch into my 1975 Chevy while playing Geometry Wars? That's not what is in mah head at da moment! I mean fer gosh sakes who really does think of that?"
"It's attitude like that that makes our work all the more difficult." Dr. LickDickle says. "We need all the help we can get to turn this epidemic around and get a handle on the situation. This impacts not just controllers but all perihperals and will cause massive damage to the whole world."
With this recent development of results, all signs are pointing to Puckdis disease being contagious and could spread. Barbara Potsmocker, an office manager of a law office just outside of Liverpool, England reports," I was trying to finish a document on my computer when all of a sudden it froze. I spent three hours on that thing only to have my progress set back by 2 minutes because I had to restart my computer. I don't know what happened but I just snapped and ripped my keyboard out and threw it across the office."
Apparently, this is not the only report of incidents such as Barbara Potsmocker's but Dr. Finetusch is hopeful. "We hope this study will change the perspective of the care and treatment of the game controller and computer peripheral community", he adds. "While we saw a huge spike of game controller abuse since the release of Ninja Gaiden II, we are in the process of creating controller abuse awareness programs and promoting campaigns such as Don't Throw...No Mo! to really get the word out there that this is indeed a serious issue and can not be taken lightly." -Investigative Reporter, Tony Smith
Once again --for your point and laugh entertainment-- I make a blabbering fool of myself. I bring two guests on the show this time and get real opinions from real people. These aren't just any people. No, sir... they call them like they see them. I present to you Episode 4 of As Casual As It Gets.
A man known only to us asjimb0 has decided to create a trailer for As Casual As It Gets Ep.4. It's short and sweet... very Japanese. The fourth episode will be up tonight! Yeah you heard right.
Funny thing over the weekend happened. I was playing Gun for the 360 on my father's console and the game was freezing. After a period of time It progressively got worse and eventually went into flashing three rings of death.
After my father's 360 announced, in sign language using flashing red lights, that it no longer wanted to perform it's royal duties in the palace of Tony-san, I decided to call customer service. I explained my problem and found out the official term for my situation is flashing three rings of light which I found to hold some level of irony.
They mentioned they would send me my shipping label to me and fix it then the great Tony empire would continue to thrive as usual. My impatience was wearing on me though --sidethought: How can you wear impatience?-- so I decided to see if my 360 would work. I mean really... it had time to rest and I think it was just trying to get out of its duties as royal console of the household. It's a lot of pressure, ya know?
--For those of you wondering, I did not send in my 360 to get repaired in hopes that they would issue an extended warranty for the [Disc Read Error] so I wouldn't have to pay for faulty hardware.--
I finally hooked up my 360 and placed Gun into the disc tray and powered that bitch up. Lo and behold, it worked.
My first thoughts were of excitement but then as I had time to mull over it my resolve transitioned to anger. I came to the realization that my 360 tricked me.
That little bastard was playing me for a fool. This whole time I thought I held a special place in its heart.
Edit: Here is what happened to the first one just so you can remember the travesty (sp?) or for those that have not seen it can take in the seriousness of this issue.
Yes. My cup of joe might have some extra stuff in it... so should yours. It's a celebration!
I finally feel motivated once again to be more active. Lately, I have been anything but. I want to take this moment to look into the past and recognize...
The times I got fucking pissed:
The good fucking times:
The fucking crazy times:
and the times I looked like I was fucking lost:
I'd would also like to point out, using one image, of users that have fucking called me out effectively and with due diligence:
It's those good times that I feel we will definitely experience again.
I have new content and videos that are going to come in full force. I have a new series about to emerge and somem other interesting things in the works. I will also be recognizing those that are really involved with "pushing things forward". That might not mean much to you but at least you know you are being watched for contributions to the community.
As it stands, I'm really looking forward to the experiences we will all be sharing on this site. Plus, Gears 2 comes out this year and it perhaps we will have that strong community bond that we had when Gears of War 1 came out. The "good ole days".
So far, I have really enjoyed the interface. It reminds me of Facebook with video games and there is a definite foundation set for a growing community. I'm really eager to see where things are going to go as far as features go. Is there going to a be a chance to be a paying subscriber so we can get extra stuff? If so, then I am in.
Anyways, I think it's a great start and I will support it.
Well, I had 5 minutes to kill today and wondered what I would do if I had to create my own video game cover art. This is what I came up with the rest of the 4 minutes and 54 seconds. Do you ever wonder that or am I just a complete tool? Wait... don't answer that.
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SteelAttack Posted Jun 19, 2007 9:52 am PT (does not meet display criteria. click here to show)
Upon placing the Persona 3 disk in my PS2, a thought occurred to me.
What made me buy this game?
I never watched any of the readily available video footage of gameplay or cut scenes nor did I even read the reviews that were out. The only thing I had allowed myself to consume was the synopsis of the game. The fact that it was an Atlus game gave it credibility but that's not always enough to coax me to buy a game. I decided that I would do what I did back in the old days and go with gut instinct. I did this with Suikoden II, Vagrant Story and Ogre Battle; among many other games that I truly enjoyed. There is no denying the gut instinct's power but to say it is always available for me would not be true.
The power of the gut instinct dissipates when I have exposed myself to a specific level of hype for a game. Due to the extraordinary amount of hype that circulates around games I have to take great measures of protecting the "skill" of the gut instinct so that I may have it at the ready when making a purchase.
You will also take note that I refer to the gut instinct as a skill and not a power. The reason behind this is because unlike a power in which you usually have bestowed upon you, a skill requires you to hone it. Patience, which is not something our gaming culture is in abundance of, plays a very strong part in honing this skill. Accompanying patience is the ever dreadful attribute called discipline. Discipline plays perhaps the strongest part in honing the skill of gut instinct.
Why, you ask?
In today's gaming culture, apparently you are only cool if you know the latest information about a game. If a hot news piece was released providing details about a game you have approximately 10 minutes to make sure you know ever morsel of information that piece covered, but it doesn't stop there....oh no no no. You always have to create your own indepth analysis, predictions and you can't forget to provide links to back it up or you will look like a tool.
So with that being said, conversation will obviously at some point dip into "spoilers" because everyone wants to be the person with the most knowledge and *ahem* insight on the latest games. Because of this social structure you have to have the discipline to seperate yourself from the dialogue that will no doubt uncover some elements in a game that the developer would have liked for you to experience in the game and not in a forum or chatroom.
Along the way to find yourself through discipline, you will encounter endless amounts of video footage, imagery and cut scene content. Now, allowing yourself to indulge in a small amount of the video and imagery goodness that gets posted everywhere will not effect your gut instinct skill, but only in moderation. Even I have been tempted to want to watch more after seeing some of the yummy content they have available for us to view concerning games. Under no circumstances should you cross the line.
How do you know where to not cross the line?
Well, after viewing some of the content available and it has increased your desire to want to know more about the game that is a good time to stop. Teasing yourself is a pretty good way to maintain your gaming desire.
Everyone has the gut instinct skill but very rarely has it been developed. Our gaming society is too harsh on each other about our gaming choices so most people resort to over exposure of information on the games that they want along with the games their friends and associates want. it is due to this that the gut instinct is scarcely given attention and rare is it that a person chooses a game they wish to acquire purely on how they feel about what entertainment it will bring them based on simply reading what the game is about, looking at a few images and viewing a couple of gameplay video pieces.
With that one thought which came to mind as I placed the Persona 3 disk in my PS2, I had several questions arise.
When did it become a competition to have every ounce of knowledge on games? Is there some sort of quiz or final that I am unaware of along the line that we have to get ready for?
Why is that our gaming society is so hard on those that don't agree with our thoughts on games? Are there starting to be too many people involved in a once low interest hobby?
And lastly, should I eat vietnamese noodle soup for lunch or go with the american hamburger? Which seems to be the most important question at this current time.
Look and take note! This is the position that I often take when pondering the deep thoughts of the video game industry and where it is going. What I find funny is that often times I have no idea where it is headed nor, surprisingly, do I care. I could care less about the fact that Bungie has moved off to become an independent developer or that EA bought Bioware. I don't even really care about Gamestop opening its 5000th store nor how Nintendo named some new U.S. executives. Actually, I am perhaps the last person to discuss the politics and industry trends with. It's because I just don't care. I don't. Now... if you want to talk about games I'm your man. if you want to talk about our video game community, grab some cocoa and take a seat, we are in for a bumpy ride.
With one of the biggest release seasons ahead of us I figured it is time to take down these walls that hold us in. With all the hype that goes on because of our passion about games, we have a tendency to forget just what got us involved in video games in the first place. Go ahead... take a moment to breathe and make contact with what it was that made you so dedicated to spending your hard earned money on games.
*dramatic pause*
For me, it was because I was able to mentally transfer myself from reality to a fantasy land. I was able to get lost in a world that was developed to entertain me. For a moment in time, I was able to forget about my stressful and fast paced life that consumes my existance.
At times when I felt down on life or just confused about what direction I wanted to take my career I had video games to soften the blows that life delivers on us. Just like I can smell a scent in the air that brings memories of my first date or a song that takes me back to the first trip I took out of the country, I can look at games that I have played in the past and remember thoses windows of time in my life. That, to me, is powerful. What allowed me to enjoy those games so immensely to actually place personal experiences on them was me. It was all on me to embrace the games as they were. Even the "bad" games that I played have a special place.
It seems nowaday, that we are too quick to say, "Nope! That's not my thing." when we see a new game that doesn't fit the mold of what we are used to playing. To a certain extent I can understand that but at some point that wall needs to be lowered to allow new experiences to find their way into our lives. Perhaps, the reason why some of us go through "gaming droughts" is because we play the same type of games all the time. Particularly during this period time where we don't have much of an excuse to say there isn't anything out there. If you find yourself saying that, my suggestion to you is get a game that is outside of what you are used to playing.
"But wait, Tone. Aren't we all a little different?"
My first inclination is to answer yes but are we really all that different from each other? We all might have slightly different reasons for playing video games but the one main thing we have in common is that they we play them for fun. That will never change. Keeping that in mind will allow us to embrace each others differences and with that, I feel, you will notice more simliarites then you could have ever thought.
Coming from someone who, in the past, was desperate to find anyone to talk to about video games with, I find myself less inclined to take that step with the very community that I have the most in common. Probably because I don't wish to hear ever tidbit about a game before I have had a chance to play it or that just because my tastes are slightly different than others it gives reason to be chastized.
But...
I refuse to allow those that are narrow-minded and ignorant to speak louder than me. I'm not going to allow them to prevent me from embracing that I am just different than they are, even though we play games for the same reason. My approach and methods of playing video games are different from theirs but my reasons for playing them are not.
I will continue to shield myself from extraneous hype before a game is released.
I will continue to play games I want to play and I will play them with ZEST in front of those that think they are stupid. (Yes, I said zest.)
I will continue to read the reviews AFTER I have bought and played the game.
I will continue to stand out from the mold of others.
I will continue to keep an open mind about what I think I will enjoy...
...and I will do all this on the principle that video games and I have a history. A long history at that. So give me the next wave of video games. Let it come hard and strong because, like Jack Burton always says, I can take it.
