Blessed mother come to me with the God's desire for my future. Blessed father watch over my wife and son with a ready sword. Whisper to them I live only to hold them again, for all else is dust and air. - Maximus

• 1Jun 08

  Closure

  This is an attempt to find some closure to this Gamespot experience of which I am going to put on hold for a couple of years. I am leaving to Toronto Canada on a church mission, where gaming news will be far and few in between.

  I will experience what the great unknown is like, to be removed from all previous contacts and to only know of the big events.

  Essentially, what I am saying is, good-bye Gamespot. I will return in 2 years.

  • Posted Jun 1, 2008 6:59 pm PT
  • Category: Writing
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• 22Mar 08

  In Defense of Sequel

  With the release of SSBB, I've already witnessed a few examples of people criticizing Brawl for being just the same as Melee, whether in person or on a forum. One of my associates for instance had this to say - "I mean what is DIFFERENT about this game? It's EXACTLY the same. There's NOTHING new. Why even buy it? It's just a complete waste of time and money."

  For the sake of preventing argument, I decided to not further the discussion on the spot. Instead I'm going to explain why sequels are necessary and good.

  1. Brawl is very similar to Melee, which is positive.

  Imagine if Nintendo "remade" Smash Bros., coming out with a 3D fighter of sorts. It would be a disaster, it would immediately lose its huge fanbase, and split fans into two groups. This was exactly what happened with the announcement of the cel-shaded look in Wind Waker, which although I found it to be an excellent game, I wasn't convinced to try it for four years.

  Keeping the same gameplay and basic animations gives Brawl a nostalgic feeling - instantly, old fans of the series can pick it up again.

  2. Brawl does have some very notable additions.

  This is probably the most exciting thing about Brawl, which keeps it from being a simple "sports game" update of sorts. There are a number of subtle tweaks to Melee's gameplay, for example, the ability to jump on a character's head for an extra boost, or the fact that many of the maps are now multi-staged and full of life. For someone who has been playing Melee for the last 7 years, these additions are very noticeable. For any simple criticizers of the game, these additions are not only unobserved, but also unimportant.

  Added to the gameplay additions are the usual assortment of new characters, new stages, modes, and items. The difference here is that every addition fits in perfectly, with none of the new characters dominating old strategies, but instead complimenting the original cast in every good way possible. Snake and Sonic also fit in well, unlike the Soul Calibur 2 cameos (and soon to be Soul Calibur 4 as well) they are not out of place.

  3. Sequels don't always have to be revolutionary.

  Let me get this straight first thing - I do not believe in "if it ain't broke don't fix it." After all, many game mechanics are indeed not liked by fans, but are still in sequel after sequel. The fact is, Melee's gameplay was already at the top of its performance, and therefore didn't need many changes.

  To take another series as an example - Halo did not change very much game to game in the last 6 years. It did freshen up the experience, by improving the shield system for the second game, or adding more customization options for the third. None of this stuff changed what Halo is, and whether I'm playing the first, second, or third game I still have a blast. When I'm playing I know it's Halo, because Bungie wanted to keep the gameplay consistent.

  4. Same game over and over again? Hardly.

  Most importantly though, Brawl came at a good time. Seven years is definitely enough time in between games to make sure that the experience is still as fun as it was back in the beginning. Games which come out a fast and steady pace but do little to change the formula are just not as easy to recommend. Dynasty Warriors, Mario Party, and Madden are just a few examples. Brawl does not fit into this category, because they have specifically stated that they will never continue to release marginally improved episodes. Check out this interview for proof.

  So is Brawl the same as Melee? I hope you realize now that it is yes, and no. And that makes it one of the best games ever, no question about it being the top game on the Wii.

  • Posted Mar 22, 2008 1:36 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 19Feb 08

  So this is how it happens.

  I've heard numerous horror stories over the years about the effect World of Warcraft can have on people - heard of divorce stories, going broke stories, and losing social life. I didn't actually expect someone I knew to lose everything as well. Suddenly it's not just a joke anymore - it's real.

  My neighbor, early 20's, and in his 3rd year of college, was recently kicked out of school for not signing up for classes after failing a semester, due to WOW. Gone are all job aspirations, social connections, and instead what's left is absolutely nothing.

  It is here where I question why a video game would compel someone to abandon all reason for purely temporary pleasures. I admit to playing more than I should, but I would never even consider the remote possibility of playing so much that all I would do is play.

  I have never tried WOW, and the one time my close friend did, I repeatedly asked him to quit before it was too serious. I was acting in his best interest knowing that he usually plays games for too much at a time. That was probably the closest thing I ever got to the game - and I'm still confused as to why such a game would simulate drug addiction.

  WOW represents "evilness" on more than one level, since its circle of influence is more than just the player, it involves everyone that has had social contact with any addict. I suppose the shock of finding out the surprise still isn't over. I just can't believe that a video game, a simple past time, should have that kind of addicting influence.

  If it requires playing WOW in order to make me a "hard core gamer" then by all means I'm out of the race. I will eventually push gaming into a quiet corner of my past, but for those who wish to define themselves by WOW, then good luck and good bye.

  • Posted Feb 19, 2008 2:30 pm PT
  • Category: Rant
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