Asides

I have been a subscriber of Game Informer Magazine for years now.  It comes free with Game Stop’s PowerRewards program and it’s worth it just for the magazine.  This magazine features really good up and coming games and includes those indie games that we all end up loving.  Many writers tend to skip these games as it doesn’t sell as well.

The format is great as well.  The first few pages are letters, fan artwork, letter from the editor and table of contents.  Next up is their feature (cover) article, which usually spans a good 10 pages or so.  Then there are previews of upcoming games and finally reviews of current games.  I typically agree with their reviews, but there’s always a time or two when you’ll think they are off the mark.

I strongly recommend this magazine.  The artwork is superb, it’s quality writing and it’s enjoyable all around.  It is available in both digital and print.

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One of my favorite video game review sites is a bit…odd.  You’ve got to have a quick wit to get all of his jokes as he goes really fast.  The series is call Zero Punctuation and the site is located here:  http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation

There are tons of video reviews on this page.  He’s quite snarky and the illustrations are pretty funny as well.  It’s crude and certainly not for the younger people.  However, if you need something to waste your time for an afternoon, this definitely fits the bill.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Nintendo question

There are a lot of rumors floating around about Nintendo’s next console, code-named NX.  I normally don’t pay that much attention to Nintendo’s consoles since they went away from the more traditional console to the Wii.  I did have one for a short time, but the motion controls just seemed gimmicky to me and I preferred to play more traditional games.  I think motion can add a lot to a game, such as with the Kinect, but I don’t want to be forced to use it on every game I play.  Kids seemed to eat it up, though.

Next came the Wii U, which was innovative, but has just flopped with consumers.  It offered a tablet as a controller, which is a cool idea, but I guess the execution just wasn’t there.  They are discontinuing this in November, which is a very short life for a console.

Wii U

The reason that I’m keeping an eye on the development project is because it may mean the end of the DS era.  The Nintendo DS was the second-best selling system right behind the Playstation 2.  Nintendo has always owned the handheld market, and the 3DS hasn’t been a slouch, either.  It has sold nearly 60 million units, which isn’t too shabby.  The rumor mills are spouting a potential handheld and console rolled into one.  It is also speculated that they will be going back to the cartridge format, which isn’t so crazy when you consider a tiny micro SD card can hold 256GB of data now, which is way more than necessary for a video game.  I actually prefer cartridges myself, as they seem to last a lot longer than DVDs and are just more collectible.

Nintendo itself has not released much about the system, but has said it will be released early next year.  I hope that they don’t completely discontinue the 3DS as it is a solid platform and the 3D is now really good with the New Nintendo 3DS.  I’m sure I’ll post more as official details are released.

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Max Morton 1

So last week I introduced you to Max Morton, my prisoner from hell in Prison Architect.  I want to give you an update on how he’s coming along.  He disappeared for a short while, which had me in a dead panic.  I expected the killing spree to start in my prison, but a few hours he was back in his solitary cell, sleeping.  Game glitch?  Perhaps.  Knowing Max, though, it was probably something much more sinister.

However, since then, he has been a model citizen.  I even tried moving him out of permanent solitary into general population, and he’s been great.  He even got a job.  It’s been weeks since his last incident and I can’t believe it.  Did he have a religious experience during his time away?  Abducted by aliens and replaced?  Probably.  That’s my guess, because this is not the same guy.

I have since moved on to another prison.  I do reload it from time to time just to check on my favorite psychopathic murderous inmate.

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Intellivision

Years ago, I got my parents an Intellivision because they enjoyed playing it when I was a kid.  My mom just let me know that they don’t want it anymore and asked if I want it.  Heck yeah!  I have very fond memories of this system and I can’t wait to plug it in a play a few games.

Of course, nostalgia often plays tricks with us and I’m sure the games will be nothing like I remember, but still, it’ll be fun to play for the few minutes it stays fun.  And it can be a good party system as well.  But still, YAY!

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I spent a lot of time playing Diablo 2.  I’m not going to get into it too much becase there’s a future post coming about it.  But today in 2000, Diablo 2 sucked us all in and had us trying to abolish the devil and his brothers from the world.  Great, great game.  The gif below is actually Baal and came from here.

Diablo 2 baal

 

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hyperkin-smart-boy

So check this out!  A company called Hyperkin has developed an attachment for smart phones that will actually be able to play those old Gameboy original and color cartridges that you may have laying around.  This allows you to have a larger screen to play with and is just…cool!

I don’t have any of these cartridges and this isn’t enough to make me go buy them.  I have a lot of them on my GCW and that’s good enough for me.  It’s still an awesome idea, though!  Read the full article from The Nerdist below.

Gameboy Phone adapter

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Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a must-read for any fan of video games.  It is chock-full of video game and pop culture references from the 80’s and is a brilliant story.  I don’t want to give away too much of it, but this is set in a not-too-distant future dystopia.  Life is grim for many and to escape, everyone logs into a computer with VR and lives in a virtual world.  Kids go to school here, people work and interact.  The creator of this world hid a series of easter eggs that are a part of an epic quest.  The winner gets the ultimate prize – ownership of the company that controls this online world.  Unless a player can complete the quest, control is handed over to the company executives, which have bad plans.

I don’t care of you’re not much of a reader.  If you like video games, you need to get this book.  I think I read this one in under a week and had a few sleepless nights because of it.  I read it so fast, in fact, that I need to go back and re-read it because I didn’t retain a lot of it.  Steven Spielberg is making a movie based on this book, and I’m excited to see it.  But please, read this book before you do!

 

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