I started playing my mom’s beat up guitar when I was about nine or ten. At the time I thought it was fun solely because a friend taught me to strum and sing the Oscar Mayer wiener song, and I did so – often publicly. In middle school, I found a few others who for various reasons could play an instrument mildly well, and we did so — publicly. Our first time out was the school’s talent show. We were probably there for the sole reason of showing the assholes who beat us up in the locker room that we could do something better than they could. We chose to perform, despite my lobbying for the wiener song, Sweet Child O’ Mine. → Readbot Chronicles
Mario Galaxy Non-Review
Not long into Super Mario Galaxy, the player will become quite accustomed to, maybe even fond of, seeing Mario enter each level with his arms spread as he flies around and lands on a safe spot, shouting “yes!” on his success. About 20 stars in, it dawned on me; the next time I entered a level, I really wanted to see Mario scream “yes!” as he performed a greased landing, hitting the ground running at top speed, not stopping until he got to the end (or came up to some tricky group of hazards).
This might sound like I am really looking for Sonic the Hedgehog Galaxy, and I suppose that is the point. Back in the day, it was always Sonic who was considered cool and edgy, while Mario was the gentle goofball. → Shadow of the Article
Two years down, too many to go
In the past two years I have learned, among other things, how much more there is to learn.
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First, from meeting and talking with Jay and co. here at videolamer, I learned about all the great RPG, strategy, action and adventure games on the various Sega systems I missed out on. I even tried out Phantasy Star 1 (a mistake, as I have grown soft and weak with puffball RPGs) at Jay’s suggestion, and bought a Sega Saturn, a mod chip, and a few games as well. In fact, don’t tell him, but with a bit more nudging I might start looking for a Dreamcast soon. Due to similarly sinister influences, I have found the “new old Sega console” – the underdog of the last generation, the Gamecube, and will be working on remedying the last 4 years of missing out on an entire system’s worth of good games. → Four out of five dentists recommend reading more.
Buying on the cheap just got smarter?
I am pretty sure we have mentioned this in past VL blogs and articles, but seasonal clearance sales on games have become increasingly worthless over the years. The reason being is a combination of two facts. The first is that these sales are often meant to clear out the last of the old stock, and so chances are the games you are looking for have been long gone in all but a few stores nationwide. The second cause is sites like Cheapassgamer.com, who have not only made these sales noteworthy, but caused a subculture of bottom feeders that will try and scoop up all of these games at once the morning of each sale, selling them on ebay for a tidy profit. → Speak softly and carry a big post.
Heavenly Suck
I cannot call this a review of Heavenly Sword simply because I have not beaten the game, but then again the reason for writing this is not merely to trash HS but to make the following point: people should be embarrassed more easily.
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Allow me to explain… I do not own a PS3. I do not own a PS3 because while deciding weather to purchase a PS3 or a 360 I discovered, with basic research and some help from Jay of videolamer, that there is much more variety and quality to be found in the games for 360 than the PS3. However, the one regret that I had about passing on the PS3 was that I would not get to play Heavenly Sword. → Four out of five dentists recommend reading more.
Two years of me – The Christian story
I was asked to write a retrospective of sorts, about myself as a gamer. How I have changed in my time as a writer for this site. It isn’t terribly easy, as at first glance it seems to me that nothing changed at all. I still play a lot of games, of many different genres. But I have changed, most of it in the last year. It has been slow, but certain, and I know that it is only going to progress.
I’m not sure if I like the future gamer that I will be. I’m not sure I even like the gamer I am now. Maybe talking it out will fix things (or maybe I’m just becoming a gurrrrrrl).
When I first joined vl, my company allegiances were something along the lines of “Love Nintendo and Sega, like Microsoft, grudgingly forced to follow Sony.” → Castle Readigami 2
Videogame Child Support
Here is another article lamenting of the poor sales of Zak and Wiki on the Wii, courtesy of Blend Games.
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Since many here at Videolamer have also advocated everyone to buy the game, I appreciate Blend’s promotion, as well as their warning that the game is starting to vanish from some shelves already. But now I am here to tell you that I did not buy Zak and Wiki yet, and I do not feel very bad about it. Or rather, I am not sure if I should.
You see, supporting the best of the lesser known releases during a year is a responsibility I take a little too seriously, often buying a game just for the initial sales number regardless of how much I may like it. → Let’s get read-y.
Looking back at how we’ve grown apart
In the last two years, I’ve…ummm… uhhhhhhh.
Hmmm.
Two years is one hell of a long time. Asking me to write about what’s changed in the last two years concerning video games is like asking me to recall the room in which I was born. Every console that we now call next-gen was released in that time frame, and we’re knee-deep in photo-realistic gameplay.
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In some ways, I’m more willing to try crazy ideas, like Every Extend Extra Extreme and Drawn to Life. But at the same time, my tastes are becoming more defined. I now know that I would prefer a game with a cohesive storyline rather than awesome gameplay. That’s why I felt completely underwhelmed by Gears of War. → Monster Reader 4
Review – King Of Fighters XI
I am still in a state of shock – SNK actually managed to bring the PS2 port King of Fighters XI to America. For a long time we heard nothing even regarding a possibility of release, and, in typical SNK fashion, it was announced and released so quietly that people only knew it was shipping via automated Amazon emails. I think the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting compilations from earlier in the year got more press coverage than King Of Fighters XI.
Rest assured dear readers, the game is here; mostly intact from the Japanese release (we lost online play) and sporting its own beautiful cover art. Part of me is, of course, glad to simply have a chance to play it, but a smaller part wishes it would get the attention it deserves. → When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called a game.
My little piece of gaming sentiment for the past two years
October of 2005 was a severely messed up time for me. I was newly divorced, living with one of my best friends, and had just found out that in several months time I would be moving to Japan. My life has always been kind of weird but the Fall of 05 was the pinnacle. Back then, gaming was an escape. My real life kind of sucked and games were an escape for me. I had an Xbox I had modded, a PS2, and a Gamecube. What I lacked in a love life, I more than made up for in pixilated goodness.
When I wasn’t playing video games, I was sleeping or at work. I hated my job and I didn’t sleep often so it can be said that I played a LOT of video games. → Readlevania