Bill S.978

They may take our Let's Plays, but they shall never take our freedom!


Player 1 here guys, with some very disturbing news coming from congress concerning gamers everywhere. This affects us, you, and all of our favorite game streamers on YouTube and Justin.TV, as David64rt said, "in a very negative way." As we speak, the government is attempting to pass Bill S.978 through legislation. Now, usually, politics is the last thing on your mind as you sit down to play a video game. However, this particular piece of (crap) legislation would make all live gaming streams illegal, and would force all of our favorite streamers (including X, 4PP, and Seananners) to take down their streams. Any further game streaming would be considered a felony without written permission from the companies producing the games. While this doesn't seem too bad at first glance, we must stop to consider the fact that gaming companies are getting hundreds of requests for rights to their games everyday. Most of these companies have minuscule legal teams who already have their hands full trying to deal with these requests everyday, forcing them to turn many of them down. Most likely the only way a streamer could get their gaming channel permission to stream just one game would be if they were able to hire a very good lawyer to get them into contact directly with these legal teams.  Think of all the games you've played and enjoyed, simply because you saw a streamer play it and thought to yourself, "Wow, that looks like so much fun!" Or of how handy a Let's Play has been for you when trying to achieve 100 percent completion on a game. If this bill get's passed, we would lose all of this and more. We'd never be able to laugh at the guys from 4PP getting terrified by Fatal Frame again.

Now, I've voiced my concerns as a gaming blogger and a regular viewer of gaming streams. I also think that the concerns of an actual streamer should be heard as well. Who better than one of my personal favorite streamers, X himself:

Here's where we come in guys. A team has already gotten together to oppose this bill and it's attack on our "Internet Freedom." The Demand Progress  movement is a response to this ridiculous new law, and it's something that we can all be a part of. I urge you to take ten seconds of your time to fill out their form and send it off to congress, so that we may protect our rights as a community of gamers. Here's the link, I've already done it, now it's your turn:

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/ten_strikes?akid=700.450896.5hVZPC&rd=1&t=1

He Said, She Said

So you know when you get your hands on a game so good that you can't put it down for a week, and it's all you think about, and you must get every achievement or else you might explode? Well, that's what happened with me and Portal 2 this past week. Which brings us to our topic today:

Dialogue

Some people judge video games based on their graphics, some on their replayability, but I tend to judge a game by its dialogue. It's the English major in me. I don't care if the graphics are breathtaking or if the game play is excellent, dialogue is the key element of the game for me. I think this is especially highlighted by what I've been playing recently.

Portal 2 has some of the best dialogue I've ever heard come out of a game. All of the characters come to life not only because of the excellent writing, but also due to the talent of the voice actors. GLaDOS's character development or Wheately's idiocy would not have been so compelling if the dialogue had been anything less than perfect. Most people complain that Portal is quoted too much, but I believe the attention that the game gets is entirely deserved. You cannot play through this game and not remember all of the insults that GLaDOS threw at you, or Wheatley proclaiming that brain damaged people are the heroes. I have never laughed so hard during a game without Player One around to bounce jokes off of. Nor, for that matter, have I ever become so quickly attached to the characters, and I attribute this to the outstanding quality of the dialogue.

Now, after I finished Portal 2, I decided to pick up Assassin's Creed, since I've heard a lot about the series from my brother. Unfortunately, while the plot is pretty interesting, I'm having difficulty getting through it due to the lackluster dialogue. While Desmond's segments show good writing, with interesting interactions between him and Lucy as you uncover the secrets of his past, Altair's portion of the game doesn't hold the same spark. His voice actor stands out like a sore thumb from the rest of the cast with his poor delivery of lines. Not only that, but the conversations that happened in the past are simply uninteresting. Unlike with Desmond, I don't really care what happens to Altair. In fact, despite how much I enjoy the game play (climbing things in video games has to be one of my favorite past times), I just can't get into the game. I would much rather play through my favorite segments of Portal 2 again than suffer through the boring cutscenes of Assassin's Creed (which is exactly what I have been doing.)

So essentially, what I'm trying to say is, a game will show the strength of its writing in the dialogue exchanged between the main characters. It doesn't matter how good the plot is, if your characters sound flat and uninteresting no one is going to care what happens to them. Similarly, poor voice acting will ruin an excellent script. It's finding the perfect combination of writing and voice acting that will lead you to the best story-oriented games, and those two things are key in any video game that I pursue (with several notable exceptions.)

Which, of course, begs your question "What about the silent protagonists, Rachel? What about games with little to no dialogue?" Well, dear reader, that sounds like a topic for Friday, doesn't it?

Gaming Tears

Manly Tears, Guys. They're Manly Tears.

You're playing an RPG. Now this isn't just any RPG, you've played it for over 80+ hours, you've fallen in love with the characters, and you're so invested in them, you think you might have a slight problem. You've leveled, you've seen some of your favorites die along the way, but now that you're facing the final boss, everything is going to be okay. All of your hard work is going to be validated. You beat the boss, you're celebrating, but then as you watch the final scene, you come to the sudden realization that your main character is dying and there's nothing you can do about it. Helplessly, you watch as they fall asleep... And then you burst into tears.

Okay guys, crying over games is a perfectly acceptable thing. I'm not going to lie, I've cried over several game endings (Persona 3 and Metal Gear Solid 3 are notable games that I've felt like bawling over (is is something to do with the 3? I'll have to try this theory out...)) and the key thing to understand is that it's not a crime to feel sad. Of course you're going to feel gloomy about beating one of your favorite games, of course you're going to feel depressed about leaving behind all of these wonderful characters, and God,  why did they feel it necessary to kill of the main character? I mean what the hell, right? It's just kicking you when you're down! Shedding tears is a perfectly acceptable way to react to this kind of situation.

"But Rachel," you say, "I don't want to cry in front of my friends!" Well, concerned gamer, your friends should accept you for who you are. If you're going to cry, they shouldn't make fun of you for it (unless it's over the end of My Little Pony or Barbie Space Princess or something like that (of course, then they'd probably laughing at your choice of game as well as your inappropriate amout of mucus over the ending where Princess Buttercup falls in love with the Hunky Prince, but that's beside the point.)) However, there are appropriate levels of crying in front of your friends. If you're going to be sobbing to the point where there's going to be snot flying everywhere and you're going to be inconsolable for four hours, then playing through the end of the game with your friends might be a bad idea. Then you might want to wait until the middle of the night when everyone in your house is asleep, and you can lock yourself in your basement and wail like a banshee all you want.

However, if you've been playing through a game with your friend, and the ending makes you tear up, but they're just laughing their asses off at your heroes' plight (the jerk!), then you should probably bite your cheek and try to keep it in. Or at least excuse yourself to the bathroom where you can sob in peace. Really, it all comes down to the atmosphere in the room, and the friend that you're playing the game with. If you feel comfortable with them seeing you so exposed, then go right ahead and show off those manly tears, be proud of your feelings! Let it all hang out (but not too much, because sometimes blubbering cannot be unseen. Especially when you have to wash all the snot out of your clothes. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.)

So the moral of the story is: be in touch with your emotions, know your friends, and always stay in your comfort zone when you want to cry at the end of a game. Knowing when and where it is appropriate to burst into tears can make so many awkward situations instantly disappear, and can truly make the difference between a positive and negative gaming experience.

So how do you guys react when you reach the end of a game? Be sure to let me know!

Three Months?! Are You Serious?!

Enduring the Wait 

and Surviving What Comes After

You finally get to the end of your game and watch the credits roll, and you can't believe that you've finally done it. To satisfy your craving for more, you go online and look up articles about the game. Everything is going fine until you find out that they're already planning the sequel... Except the earliest that it's coming out is two years down the line. How are you going to survive that long without these characters? Are you even going to like the series after all that time? How do you know it's going to be good anyway? Should you even bother keeping your hopes up? Well dear readers, today I'm here to commiserate with you as we examine how to handle the suspense.

During the Wait.

Believe me, I know how painful it is to wait for a resolution. While TV shows you can at least have the assurance that your wait will only be several months to a year, books and video games and even movies can take a much longer time. Several of my favorite book series are still ongoing, and I read the most recent book several years back when it first came out, and I'm still waiting for the newest one. Now, the problem with such long waits is that you change a lot as a person over those several years of hiatus, especially if it's a series you enjoy when you're young. As you grow older, you find that your views and tastes change. Your favorite character when you're thirteen won't necessarily be your favorite character when you come back to the same game five years later. Maybe a series that you loved when you were younger loses its magic, and when you play the next installment, you wonder why you waited so long for the game in the first place. These are both serious worries, but it's important not to lose hope because of your trepidation. You need to keep that hope that the sequel will live up to what you've always dreamed of, because if you lose that hope you're never going to be able to survive the wait.

However, that's not to say that you shouldn't expect something unreasonable from this sequel. I understand that you expect something that is better than the first game, something that completely blows the first out of the water and makes you wonder why you ever loved it, but that's not going to be the case every time you get a new game. As painful as it is, you need to realize that sometimes this new game is the final nail in the coffin and makes you put the series down for good. While on the other hand, the game could actually be that amazing game that you've always wanted. You really won't know until you pick up the game, so why worry about it in the beginning of the wait? Sit back, relax, try to follow our steps to get over an amazing game. Then, when news starts leaking out, when images are released, when you finally get the trailer, then determine how high you want to set the bar. I know that Player One is beside herself waiting for Skyrim, which is looking like an amazing game, and I'm a mess waiting for Uncharted 3 because it looks like everything I want and more, but I'm still worried about the appearance of my favorite character. Hope is always a good thing, but don't get blinded by it. I mean, as much as I would love a sequel to Beyond Good and Evil, I've tried not to get my hopes up on ever seeing it happen. Until you hear something definitive, you never know if you're actually going to get that sequel you want, even if you patiently wait forever (and ever and ever and ever until finally they release Duke Nukem. It's just like waiting for me to beat Nyx, but knowing that I still have many more tries to go.)

After the Wait.

So the sequel came out. What now? Well, you should go pick it up, of course! You're never going to know if you're going to like the game until you try it yourself. Player One and I are currently having this problem with Persona 4 (even though we have resolved to get it sometime soon to play through next year (we need to get on that, Victoria (maybe when I get money (hm.)))) You know that you loved the first game, and you don't want to tarnish that experience if the sequel turns out to be awful. But what happens if the sequel is better than the first? Don't you want to experience that if that's the case? You need to take that leap. I know it might be painful, I know it's terrifying, but trust me, you'll feel much better once you do. When I took the leap after Uncharted, I discovered that Uncharted 2 was the superior game, and I love it much more than the first one. At the same time, when I tried to play Tales of Symphonia 2, I swore off of the series altogether because it was that horrible (I'm only just getting back into it after playing through Tales of the Abyss with Player One.) These are the risks you need to take, but I personally think the pros far outweigh the cons. After all, what's the fun in life if you never take any risks?

So what do you guys think? Do you ever take that leap? Let me know!

Got Dramamine?

Sometimes you need to step away from your comfort zone in order to enjoy new types of games. When action/adventure platformers begin to get tedious; when you've played through so many RPGs that you think you're going to scream the next time you have to go level grinding; when over-the-shoulder shooters cease to be challenging... It might be time to try something new. Never tried a skateboard game? Always worried that first person shooters are going to make you ill? Well, it's time to put aside your well-loved games and try something new.

Trying Something New

And attempting not to get nauseous in the process.

Recently I got my Xbox (as you all well know, but I'm still going to be bringing it up for a while because I'm so excited about it) and getting that new system completely opened my eyes to a whole new realm of genres. While previously I owned a PlayStation 3, the only FPS game I had played was BioShock (which combines the three things I'm afraid of: the ocean, darkness, and an FPS. It was not a good combination (and don't even get me started on my trials when I tried to play through Dead Space (I seriously don't even understand how my brother dealt with me (I only got twenty minutes into it I was so terrified (But, I digress.)))) So, the Xbox was a wonderful way for me to step out of my comfort zone of puzzles, adventures, and level grinding, and finally take that ultimate leap into the genre.

Now I mostly picked up Left 4 Dead 2 because Player One highly recommended the game and, in my separation anxiety, I really wanted to play something with her. So I went to GameStop, browsed through the games, left the $5 RPG on the bargain bin behind, and picked up Left 4 Dead. I was kind of worried about this purchase (which I'm sure many of you will be when you take the leap and try something new), but I trusted Victoria, and, I mean, I love killing zombies, so what could possibly go wrong? (Well, besides motion sickness, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be an issue with this game (Call of Duty on the other hand...))

Well, I found out that I'm horrible at first person shooters. Like really, really terrible at them. I felt like I was just starting to play games all over again, and the first few hours of Left 4 Dead involved me dying more times than I could count, me not understanding how to move the characters around, me absolutely failing at aiming weapons, me falling off buildings because I couldn't control the characters well... The list goes on. But, this experience humbled me. Not that I thought I was an ~uber gamer~, but because in the genres that I'm good at, I got through the games with little to no effort on my part, and I became good at them within the first hour.

Now, after owning Left 4 Dead 2 for about two weeks, I'm still struggling through it. Player One is outstanding in playing it (in the one multiplayer game that we played through, I felt like more dead weight than Rochelle), and I'm slowly working toward becoming competent at it. Every time I improve I always feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, and this keeps me going back to the game again and again and again, working toward becoming sufficient enough at the FPS that I can finally get through some Call of Duty games and stand a chance at going against those Nazi zombies.

So what genres do you guys struggle with? Let me know!

Alice: The Madness Returns

"The time has come," Player 1 said, "to talk of many things..."

Back in 2000, the PC gaming community was blessed with the wonderful game: American McGee's Alice. Those of you who played this amazing game no doubt remember how much fun this dark twist on the original Alice in Wonderland was. It took the story on a twisted new path that ended up being pretty profound, psychologically speaking. Just a few months ago, it was announced that on June 14 of this year, well over 10 years since the release of the first game, the long anticipated sequel would be released. 

The story is said to be a continuation of Alice's struggle with her troubled psyche. Wonderland has once again been corrupted by the tragic events of her eleventh birthday that still plague her. Whether her psyche has once again manifested itself as the Red Queen for the game's antagonist is still unknown, though I have a feeling that American McGee has other things in mind. One thing that is for sure is that there will everyone's favorite emaciated cat will be making an appearance. On another note, American McGee has also promised a couple of other incentives to go out and grab the game...

Thats right! Along with a copy of the new soundtrack, everyone who buys a copy of Madness Returns (whether on the Xbox 360, PS3 or the PC) will also receive a free copy of the first game! I, for one, am stoked. Old fans of the game will be able to play through a lovely remastered edition in order to brush up on the storyline. This is also a great chance for those who are new to the series to start from the beginning, as new copies of the original game have been nearly impossible to get a hold of for a reasonable price during the last half a decade.

What do you guys think? Are you just as excited as I am? Why is a raven like a writing desk? Let me know in the comments below!

Loving Live: The Beauty of Online Gaming

The day I sold my soul.

If you're like me, you took one look at the monthly rates for Xbox live, and cried. Just kidding, I didn't really cry.  I did cringe, however. I couldn't help but feel like there were so many other things I could do with my money. Finally, about three weeks ago, upon hanging out with one of my best friends, she convinced me to at least give the thirty day free trial a go. Sure that I would find nothing really interesting in online gaming, I agreed and we set up an account.


...


I'm not sure how I ever lived without Live. Seriously! It's that extra spark that you never knew was missing from every game you play. When the solo story is won, there's always that little part of you that wishes that there was more to the game than just this. Live is the definition of more than this. It adds an extra dimension of playability to every game that's online capable. So, what exactly do you need to get the most out of your online gaming experience? Sit back and relax. I shall enlighten you.

A Gaming Party

A good group of friends is the most important part of any Live gaming you do. After all, it's no fun to just go through countless hours of Matchmaking in Reach with no one to get your back. Whether you're playing house on a sandbox server (don't judge me) or taking on bigger teams on the "serious" servers (try not to get them too mad with your flagrant griefing), a good group of people to do it with is absolutely essential.

Patience

Okay, you are going to get people better than you when you play online. Trust me. The mature thing to do is to suck it up, and go down quietly (yes, that is what she said). It is definitely not a good idea to scream profanities at them over the mic. First of all, you look like a loser, and second of all, you mad bro? Seriously. The people online are not affected by your tantrums in the slightest. If anything, they're terribly amused. The only thing you can expect to get out of screaming like a two year old, is kicked from the game.

Payment

Yes, sadly, all free trials come to an end. Now, if you really didn't enjoy yourself, feel free to cancel the renewal, and go along your merry way. I, on the other hand, will be renewing my subscription faster than you can say master card. Yes, most people use their credit cards, seeing as Microsoft has made this method easy and stress free by allowing you to do it right through your console. However, if you find that your not exactly packing plastic, feel free to run off to Target and get your hands on a prepaid card.

What do you guys think? Addicted to Online Gaming like me? Let me know!

Sign Me Up For the Next Zombie Apocalypse

BRAINS

We all recently dodged the zombie apocalypse bullet when Rapture didn't happen, but we might not be so lucky next time. So, I decided to make a list of some of the best zombie games so you can be sure that you're ready for the next undead threat.

Resident Evil Series
Not much gets better than this series. Despite the ridiculous tank controls of the first three games, this series delivers a compelling plot and unforgettable characters as you fight your way through the infected, trying to find out who is behind the most recent outbreak. If you're looking for horror, stick to the earlier games, which focus on puzzles and jump-scares rather than overwhelm you with zombies. Meanwhile, the later installments focus on over-the-shoulder slaughtering of zombie hordes as you try to prevent the newest zombie threat. These games will prepare you for the following scenarios: getting stuck in a mansion with zombies; fighting against zombified plants, dogs, people, sharks, and mutants; running through a city full of zombies; getting chased by a ridiculous mutant that is intent on killing everyone from your police division; and facing zombie outbreaks in both Spain and Africa.

Left 4 Dead 2
Okay, I will admit that I just picked up this game, but I absolutely love it. The characters are interesting, the plot is good, and there's nothing quite like facing hordes upon hordes of zombies. Seriously, the amount of zombies you go through playing just one campaign is easily in the thousands, and you always feel a sense of accomplishment when you chop down the last member of a horde with your axe, and have a few seconds to catch your breath before another swarm comes along. If you want to learn how to survive in an urban environment with some of the most insane types of zombies (witches, anyone?), then this is the game for you.

Dead Rising
Revolving around a photojournalist researching a zombie outbreak, Dead Rising is the perfect game to teach you the important skills in surviving the Mall of America with a bunch of rampaging psychopaths running around. Not only can you kill hordes of zombies in this game, but you can do it with pretty much anything you find. Gigantic plastic plant? Check. A TV set? Check. Old stand-bys like the chainsaw? Of course! There is nothing more amusing than smashing zombies' heads in with a sledgehammer in this game. While the photo element is sometimes hard to control and the AI is tedious to deal with, this game is incredibly enjoyable, especially when you learn some decapitating karate moves. It doesn't get much better than watching a zombie's head fly off after you kick them in the face.

Call of Duty Series: Nazi Zombies
Left 4 Dead is pretty much the only FPS game where I don't get incredibly motion sick while I play it. Normally, like with Call of Duty, the rapid-moving camera as I run around like a chicken with its head cut off causes me to get ill within ten minutes. However, the event of Nazi zombies has caused me to reconsider my avoidance of this genre. Not only do you get to shoot hordes of zombies with WII weapons (Player One understands how much I enjoy this time period), but they're also Nazis! I mean, it seriously doesn't get much better than this, right? So, if you ever find yourself transported back into the 1940's with zombies running around, this is the game for you.

Do you guys have any favorite Zombie games? Let me know!

Gaming Spotlight: Dynasty Warriors 7

Okay, I'm ready for my degree in Chinese History now...

Seriously. We've relived the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era of China seven times!!! As interesting as I find the early Han dynasty and it's battles and warlords, I'm ready to move on. Okay, so despite the tired story line, DW7 isn't actually that bad. In it's defense, it does cover later battles never before seen in the series, and subsequently, a new kingdom. (The fact that this kingdom begins with one of my personal favorite characters (Sima Yi) does not make me biased at all...) Also, the game had redone the storyline so that it's more plot driven as opposed to character driven. Now, this isn't to say that the characters aren't important. Rather, you are given their stories in a far more accurate manner than before. Their lives are played out as they happened historically, giving the game a much more authentic (if slightly more tragic) feel. Now, seeing as the characters are my favorite part of any DW game, in this post I'll be focusing a lot more on the changes made in that respect.

New Characters

Now, I'm always a fan of new and interesting characters in a game series. I am also a huge fan of strong female characters. Luckily for me, DW7 delivered on both accounts. There is a multitude of new characters to unlock, a good number of them girls, and all of them intriguing. The addition of these new points of view keep the game from feeling like another review of a boring history lesson and put a fresh twist on the game play.

Old Favorites

While new characters are great, theres nothing like the familiarity and nostalgia felt when one takes up an old favorite. All of the iconic characters remain, including all of my preferences (Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, and yes, Zhang He. Deal with it. He's a pretty and fabulous butterfly.) There have been some minor changes made to the characters, such as Zhou Yu using a staff rather than a sword and Zhang He wearing needle like hairpins rather than his butterfly tiara, but all changes feel surprisingly natural. If anything, the characters are improved by these tweaks. I mean, really, as much as I like him, it was getting weird watching Zhang He prance around the battlefield in high heels.

Reinvention of Old Characters

Now, as I've said, many characters have gotten new designs. This includes a lot of characters I found exceedingly dull in the last few games. Xiahou Dun comes to mind, along with Cao Pi and Sun Shang Xiang. Where as before, I'd only play with these characters if I absolutely had to, I looked forward to playing them in DW7. The new, plot driven gameplay also encouraged me to feel for these characters a lot more than I did in past installments of the series. When Sun Ce and Sun Jian died, I felt for Sun Shang Xiang and Sun Quan. When Xiahou Dun lost his eye, I felt more inspired by his BAMFy reaction. Koei did a great job of reinventing their characters in a way that made me appreciate all of them.

What do you guys think? Does Zhang He creep you out? Let me know!

What's the Fun in Blank Walls?

 Swagging Out Your Living Space

Yes, even English majors make up new words every once in a while.

 Personally, I never like to spend time in an empty room. Not only does it feel incredibly isolated and lonely, but it also just doesn't have that spark that is essential to every living space. I know that when I took down all of my decorations in my House (the Smith equivalent of a dorm) a couple of weeks ago, I didn't want to be anywhere near my room for the rest of the week. Now that I'm back for Smith for just a weekend and staying in a temporary room, I can't help but stare at the walls and ponder how I could make that room my own (especially with all of the lovely floor space that I don't usually get.)

Posters

I love posters. Besides my crippling weakness for books, posters are infamous for separating me from my money. I think the thing that I love most about posters is their great versatility. Not only do you have varying sizes, but pretty much anything can be put on a poster. From retro games to masterpieces, posters are a great way to personalize your room. In my double this past semester I had four posters up (Castle, Doctor Who, Watchmen, and an art print) and definitely would have hung up more if I had the chance (I believe there were about six hanging up in my room my first semester.) Although sometimes the posters that you have in your room can lead to trouble (just hyperventilate when you see Player One's Black Butler wall scrolls for hilarious results), for the most part a poster can lead to great conversations about shared interests that you might not have found out about any other way. (Also they just look so good on walls. I mean, it really doesn't get much better, right? ...Right?)

Shelves

As Victoria and I discussed in one of our first blog posts shelves are an essential way to show off your gaming swag. Not only can you tastefully fill up a section of your room with your books, but you can also make everyone and their goldfish jealous as they feast their eyes on your extensive gaming library. Oh yeah, that new 360 game that came out the other day? I've got it on my shelf right now, no big deal. Oh, that collector's edition copy of Resident Evil? Yeah, snagged that one on the night it came out. Shelves, like posters, are a great way to make your room unique, and they can easily advertise what you're interested in to those who are interested.

Figures

Okay, I really like action figures. Although my rather cheap tendencies mean that I don't own as many of these as I would like, figures are a great way to decorate small, empty spaces. Putting them on the top of a bookshelf, next to your cosmetics, or on your night table, figures are a small, fun way to decorate your room with the things you love.

Personal Items

I know that over the past year I've collected an amalgamation of personal notes/postcards/drawings that I proudly display over my desk. Just through hanging up things that were special to me over my working area instantly created a great atmosphere for me to concentrate. I'm not trying to say that the feng shui of my collage created enough chi for intellectual inspiration, but I do mean that with such great objects right in front of me, I was encouraged to look up an recollect for my study breaks instead of perusing Tumblr for another hour and a half. It was definitely a much better use of my time, and definitely gave my room the personality that it needed. Not only that, but it's just so much fun to collage things. If you haven't made a collage for yourself yet, you definitely need to do yourself a favor and try to make one sometime. 

Awards

Awards are a great way to show what you're interested in and the talent that you have. You've worked hard for them, and your perseverance should be rewarded by every guest coming into your room and marveling at just how awesome you are.

So what do you guys have in your rooms? Let me know!

Xbox 360, Here I Come!

So, after saving up for several months and debating for what feels like years, I finally bought my Xbox 360. As many of you know, buying new consoles is serious business. Not only are they incredibly expensive ($300 if you're lucky), but you also want to make sure that you're actually going to use the system after you've purchased it. In light of my recent expenditure, I'm going to share with you several of the factors that led to my decision.

When It's the Right Time to Buy

Do Your Homework
No, I don't mean this in the literal sense (although you should always try to do your homework (except if it's six hundred pages of reading that don't even have any relevance to the discussion because your professor just feels like being sadistic that day (but I digress.))) I simply mean that you should look into what kind of games the system has before you decide which one you want to buy. Interested in casual games? Then the Wii is the only place for you. Looking for something a little bit more hardcore? Then take a look at the selections offered by the 360 and the PS3. While both have a lot of overlapping titles, the system-exclusives can make or break a system. For instance, I love a lot of the system-exclusive titles for the 360, which largely influenced my decision (although it certainly helped that I already had a PS3 at home, so I knew that when Uncharted 3 came out, I still had a chance to play it.) Make sure that the system you want to get has your favorite game series on it, because you don't want to have to shell out another three-hundred dollars when a brand new title comes out a year down the line.

Time
Since I finally have time off from college, there is no better time to buy a new gaming system than now. With endless rainy days ahead in Massachusetts, I have nothing better to do with my days off than sit at home, make myself some tea, and play an endless amount of video games (and write this blog post.) If you're right in the middle of finals, you might want to hold off on buying your new system until you know you have enough time to devote to it. Once that system is at home, there's no way that you can resist that addictive pull of testing it out, so don't try to lie to yourself. Devote your attention to your work (even if it takes nine tries to get it all done) and when you've finally conquered it, treat yourself to your system as your reward. It's definitely worth it.

Financials
Note: it's not a good time to go out and purchase a three-hundred dollar gaming system if you only have $340 in the bank. As tempting as it is to go out and buy something when you have enough money for it, it's important to make sure that you'll have enough cash left over after your expenditure to last you until your next pay check. Now, I'm not going to lecture you about budgeting your money or anything like that; you can do whatever you want with your cash. Just don't fall prey to your overwhelming desire, and then realize two days later that you can't by your brother a birthday present because you're broke, or dangerously close to being broke. Believe me, it really sucks to find yourself in that position (thank God for inexpensive used games!)

So what goes into your decision when you decide to buy your gaming consoles? Let me know!

Gaming Spotlight: Bayonetta

She's a B- I mean, Witch...

So, I beat this game a few days ago... and am now commencing my second run through. I absolutely adore this game! It is, quite possibly, the best game I have played in a very long time. If you've played it, you know how much fun it is. If you haven't, for the love of God, why not!?

"But, Victoria," you say skeptically, "It can't be that good..."

Yes it can, dear gamer, yes it can. There are many reasons that this game is nearly impossible for me to put down. However, for the sake of time, I'll only talk about four. Listing all of them would probably take longer than it took for Player 2 to beat Nyx....

Beautiful Graphics

Okay, so you guys know that graphics usually don't matter to me. If the gameplay is good, the game could look like a glorified version of Pong and I wouldn't care. However, if the gameplay is great and the graphics are lovely too, that is a bonus! Now, it's not just the character designs that make Bayonetta wonderful, it's the environments too. The cities and landscapes in this game are gorgeous. Everything from the architecture to the lighting is just done so well. It really sets the mood perfectly for the world that the characters interact with, which is based one Dante's Divine Comedy.

Gripping Storyline

I admit, I had my doubts when I first began the game. The Dialogue was pretty bad and I began to worry that this game was nothing but an excuse to show off Bayonetta as a sex symbol with stripper moves. Luckily, I was proven way wrong. While the main character does resemble someone you'd meet at a gentleman's club (Even going so far as to exclaim, "I should be a pole dancer!"), the game is just so much more than that. It takes the age old "Light vs Dark"/"Good vs Evil" storyline and reinvents it. Trust me, by the end, you'll be rooting for the Dark Side.

Great Gameplay

Now, if you're like Player 2, you might want to take this game in small doses. Those prone to motion sickness are bound to feel a bit ill if they sit through this game for too long. However, if you're like me, and think that the more you feel off balance while your playing a game, the better it is, go for it! This game does a  great job of keeping the action lightning fast while not being frustrating or annoying. I definitely approve of any game that makes me feel like a total BAMF.

Epic Boss Battles

What's a good game without a boss battle that makes you feel as if you've resolved something. Bayonetta is perfect at this. Not only are the Bosses ridiculously large (their size progressively increases the further you get in the game) but they back up that size with larger than life battles. So many games have a habit of having large bosses that just have a lot of hit points but only one central weakness. In Bayonetta, the developers really emphasized the need to take these behemoths apart piece by piece in order to destroy them. There is nothing more satisfying than completely decimating an Angelic Being and then feeding the pieces to a bunch of ravenous demons.

Fun Friday Broadcast #1

Hey Guys! I'm about to start broadcasting for the first time! So I still haven't figured out how to get my voice into the broadcast while playing, so sorry about that. Other than that, I decided that for today's game, I'd do a challenge map on Minecraft. I figure that there are far to many vanilla Minecraft broadcasts out there, so why not go into this with a different approach? I'm not always going to play Minecraft for my Fun Fridays, but when I do, I'll attempt a different challenge/story map. For the live broadcasts, I'll provide a link at the bottom of the announcement posts. This link will be changed to the embedded recording of the broadcast once I'm done.

This all being said, I'm actually not really sure if this will work or not... This may actually fall flat on it's face, seeing as I haven't worked out all the kinks yet. I'm unsure if I'll lag, if JTV is a reliable broadcasting medium, or if something else could go wrong. You know what, though? I'll take the risk. That's what live broadcasting is all about, right?

So, without further ado, let's get this show on the road! I decided to pick a pretty straightforward challenge for right now, since I'm still figuring things out. The challenge for today is blogg123's Creeper Arena! The rules for this challenge are as follows:

• The first time that you get on the map don’t leave the arena

•  Make sure that you are on peaceful until you get into the arena! The chests could possibly get blown up!

• Once you are in the center of the arena then you can put it on any difficulty, I recommend easy because there are a lot of spawners.

• You are not allowed to disable spawners.

• The way you will be scored is by how much gunpowder you collect, and I know “What if I die?” Then you can put it on peaceful and get your things. Or you can keep it on easy and not die.

• 6. You may use anything in the chests!

Okay guys, wish me luck!


EDIT!: The Debriefing


Right... so... that was an Epic Faliure. I lagged all over the place and I'm pretty sure I  cheated at the challenge a few times. I knew this was a possibility, though. 

As it turns out, my computer does not like the universal broadcaster used by JTV and made it very apparent as I tried to navigate the Creeper Arena. You can watch this spectacular digital failure if you really want to here: http://www.justin.tv/8bitapplesandtea/b/285815895
I warn you, though, it's mostly just a bunch of pixels that move occasionally and delayed audio.


So, what does this mean for future broadcasts? Well, basically I'm going to have to find a medium that my computer doesn't hate. What may end up happening is that I'll just record my session, upload it to youtube, and post it here. Not live, I know, but with my equipment as it stands, I can't really hope for much more.


What do you guys think? Any suggestions for this conundrum? Let me know in the comments!  

Remember When You Sucked At Video Games?

Your Gaming History

Or, Remember All of Those Games You Never Got Around to Beating?

Or, When to Finally Beat a Game That You've Been Struggling Through Since You Were Six

When I came back from college, victorious over my defeat of the finals boss (which did take less time than Nyx, as Player One so kindly pointed out), one of the first things that I did was go down to my basement and look at my gaming shelf. It was only then, as I was soaking in the sheer amount of games that I could play (so many more than my mediocre binder that I was forced to use at Smith), did I realize that there were a lot of games on my shelf that I had never beaten. Not only that, but several of them were at the final boss, just waiting for me to finish it off, and I hadn't attempted it in years. Why had I left these games behind when they were so close to completion? Why hadn't I just wrecked the boss when I was six years old and actually playing the game? In order to find out the answers to these questions, I decided to take it upon myself to finally muster up enough courage to see where I was stuck on these games, and to figure out why I had never bothered to complete them in the first place. Several of the most prominent reasons were as follows:

Problem: An Incredibly Difficult Final Boss Battle
As you all have seen, I'm incredibly stubborn when it comes to boss battles, but I haven't always been like that. Before I actually cared enough about beating games, I would always get myself up to the final boss and then put the game down. "Oh, it's too hard" I'd say, along with something close to "I'll come back to it later when I know I can beat it." But I never did. It was when I turned thirteen that beating games became a requirement, not an exception. As a result, my shelf was littered with titles that I'd played through when I was a kid, but never got around to beating. Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, Luigi's Mansion...The list seems endless.

Problem: An Almost Impossible Level (For a Nine-Year-Old, At Least)
Sometimes, I was just too young to have enough patience to get through a level. The Water Temple in Ocarina of Time, anyone? On these games, I would reach a point where, after trying something for the eighth time, I would simply give up. I did not have the sheer tenacity that I do now back then, and it just seemed so much easier to focus my attention on a game that I could actually get through as opposed to that one level that I could just not figure out. Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask...Most of the RPGs that I picked up when I was younger were discarded in this fashion.

Problem: Renting the Game
When I was a kid, I just simply couldn't afford to buy games. I had no income, a tiny allowance, and my relatives never really saw fit to give me cash. As a result many of my favorite games were rented repeatedly from Blockbuster, which meant that I would have to beat the beginning of the game time and time again, but I could never get to the ending before my parents would have to return it to the store. Paper Mario is perhaps the greatest example of this, where I got so good at the game that I could beat the first four bosses in a day without breaking a sweat, but there was never enough time for me to work my way through all of the new material and finally beat the tar out of Bowser.

Problem: Giving Up too Easily
So you got to the boss on your file and couldn't beat it, but your brother got to the boss on his file and beat it without breaking a sweat. Well, you could always just try to beat the boss for the fourteenth time, or you could always just let your brother do it for you and reap all of the benefits. Yeah, I might have done this on a few games that were seemingly impossible for me to beat when I was younger, and now that I look back on it, I can't really qualify those as beaten, now can I?

The Solution
So how do you deal with all of these unfinished games?

Well, for some games it's pretty easy to pick up where you left off. For example, in Super Mario 64, I'd completed all of the game except for the final level and the final boss. It was pretty simple for me to just pick up the controller a couple of days ago and  plug away at Bowser until I finally defeated him.

For other games, you might find it necessary to start over. In Ocarina of Time and Paper Mario, I thought it was prudent to start the games over again. Not only was I stuck in the former, but by the time I got around to playing them again, it had been about six years since I last attempted them. I'd forgotten the story of the game, and they felt lifeless when I wandered through the same tired corridors. As a result, I sucked up my pride and started over. And let me tell you, I was happy that I did. Not only did I get to experience the magic of the games again first hand, but I was also able to finally, finally understand some portions of the plot that had completely alluded me when I was a little kid.

Sometimes you need to purchase those games that bothered you so much when you were a child and prove your mettle by playing through them. Sometimes you just need to reload that file that you had your brother beat and play through the final boss one more time, just to prove that you can. And sometimes when you pick up an incomplete game you remember just how much you hated it, and why you put it aside in the first place (Sly 2, anyone?)


Needless to say, completely beating your collection of games is a serious challenge, and this is only a small step toward victory. What about you guys? Ever realize that a game you'd always thought that you'd beaten has been sitting on your shelf collecting dust for years unfinished? Tell me your stories, I'd love to hear them!

We're Back!

Did you miss us?

Hey there, long time no see! As you can see, we here at 8 Bit Apples and Tea have beaten the finals boss! I have to admit, though, it was pretty tough. I don't think anyone's ever taken so long to win a boss fight. 

...Then again, there was that one time Player 2 took on Nyx, but I digress. 

Anyway, what's important is that we're back. For this glorious return, our format will be remaining pretty much the same with the exception of Fun Fridays. With a painful 2100 miles separating us, Player 2 and I decided that joint posts would be a little bit impractical. Instead, we're going to try something completely different. Each week, we'll alternate Fun Fridays. On Player 2's Fridays, she'll be bringing you posts of a lighthearted variety, much like we did during the last season. On my Friday's, however, I'll be taking a crack at streaming some games from my PC while engaging in running commentary on them. While I'm not quite sure of the logistics yet, I think it will something like an hour of streaming on Justin.tv, and then linking the page in the blog post. In any case, we'll see how it works out when the time comes. In the mean time, I'm sure your all wondering what games I'll be streaming. Well, luckily for you, I've composed a tentative list of the games I'm planning to play:

• The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
• Minecraft
• Portal 
• Portal 2
• Diablo 3

Yes, I realize the list is short at the moment, but I'm also open to any suggestions you guys might want to throw my way. Given that I'll only be streaming for an hour each Friday, though, I'm sure a list this length will be fine.

So, any games you guys want to see? It'd be great if you guys could watch me stumble through something brand new, so leave a comment!

Taking a Break!

Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need to know of hell.  ~Emily Dickinson, "Parting"

This is it, folks. As you may well know, Player 2 and I attend a very prestigious college, and along with these very prestigious colleges come very prestigious final examinations. So we're here at last, with the finals boss looming in the distance (see what I did there?).

"But... But!"

Relax, friend, we'll be back in a few weeks with Season Two! That's right, you guys are getting a sequel, aren't you excited? Of course, it will be slightly different, as we'll be 2000 miles apart. That just means that the Fun Friday format will be different. You guys will get more details on that at the beginning of next season.  Alright, I believe that's everything. Farewell, followers, wish us luck on our journey to the end. We'll see you on the other side!.

How To Not Geek Wrong

We all know the kind. It's that forty-year-old man at your local anime convention wearing the Meowth suit. It's that girl from Texas who walks around with a real wolf tail strapped on her back 24/7. It's that person who claims they're a gamer, but when you start talking to them about video games, it seems their knowledge only extends as far as that one kirby game they played that one time, and some other titles that are way too underground for you to have ever heard of them. Yeah, those people. Since coming to Smith College, Player One and I have had to deal with way too many of them, and we decided it was high time someone finally cared enough to write a guide to prevent the creation of more of these supposed "geeks." So sit back, relax, and grab some apples and tea. This could be a long ride.

1.) The Weeaboo
Now, I (Player 1) am just about to complete my second semester in Japanese. At this point, I can speak some conversational Japanese as well as the correct phrases to get through a Job Interview. I enjoy eating Ramen. I like anime and JRPGs. The important thing is that you wouldn't be able to tell any of this by just looking at me. I don't walk around in a yukata or kimono. I don't call everyone I know "-kun" or "-san" or "senpai," and I never run around spouting nonsensical phrases in Japanese. Yes, Japan has an interesting culture and anime and manga are extremely entertaining. This doesn't mean that I am obsessed with it or that I think that "MY NAME IS SAYAKO MINASE HIME AND JAPAN IS WAY BETTER THAN AMERICA IN EVERY WAY! LOL!!!111 DESU KAWAII!!! b>.<d." Trust me, idolizing Japan is not the way to go. If you like the culture, fine, but don't put it up on some disturbing pedestal.

2.) "Oh yeah, I love Metal Gear Solid. There's nothing better than shooting zombies."
The "hardcore" gamer. You know, the one you go up and talk to because they're wearing that really awesome Zelda shirt that you've always wanted, but when you actually start speaking to them you come to the sudden realization that they've never actually played video games. Now, I understand that some people really want to impress gamers that they think are cool, but from experience, I can freely say that I'd be much more impressed with you if you talked about things that you actually knew something about. Going on about how much you love Resident Evil, and then informing me that the best part of it was when Jester told Barry how much he wanted a Krill grinder, then I might question your integrity as a gamer. Let's get this right: honesty is the best policy. Try to keep to games you know, and if you're not an actual gamer, please don't masquerade as one. It's kind of offensive and incredibly irritating.

3.) "CMV" Creators
A CMV, or a "cosplay music video," is where weeaboos get together and film a music video in which they act out scenes while cosplaying as characters from video games or anime.

...

Really!? Okay, so it isn't enough that you cosplay. It isn't even enough that you go out in public while cosplaying. No, you have to take it to a whole new level of weird. You make a music video while cosplaying. I can't even... There are no words. This is worse than writing fanfiction. This is like writing really bad fanfiction, climbing up onto a building, and screaming your fanfiction to the world through a megaphone. As if that wasn't bad enough, it's a song fic. Really, have you no shame!?

4.) Caramelldansen

Okay, it's cute the first time when there's a big group of people dancing to it in the middle of the con. It's amusing the second time, when you have cosplayers facing off over who can do the dance better. It's pretty awesome when you're finally so high on being at a convention that you actually dance to it for twenty seconds. It is not awesome when someone does it in the middle of a classroom, just to prove how geeky they are...Or when you do it drunkenly in the middle of campus while shouting the lyrics out of tune at the top of your lungs. Just really. Don't.

What do you guys think? Have we missed any? Let us know!

You're Three Points From Killing the Final Boss...

Don't Screw Up

(How to Live to See the Credits)

We all know the excitement that goes through you when you're at that final moment in a boss battle. The time when you realize that all of the hard work that you've done in this game is about to pay off, and you're finally finally about to defeat this boss that you've tried to kill eight times before but failed. You're so excited you're now standing up, jumping up and down, shouting at the characters on the TV, hardly paying attention to what you're doing as you blindly press the X button... And then before you know it, you've hit the wrong button, accidentally did a healing spell instead of attacking, and you're done. We've all been there, and I've got just a few tips to help you keep your head in these last few crucial moments so you can finally break out that victory dance you've been working on since attempt #2.

Don't Panic
Okay, this is the biggest concern, which is why I'm addressing it first. Do not, and I repeat, do not think about all of your past defeats (or, if you're doing this boss for the first time) the possibility of defeat. Don't do it. You need all the confidence you can get in these last few moments, and thinking about failure is just going to undermine your resolve and make you second guess your actions. Just think about victory in these moments, the sweet smell of it, the final cutscene that you get to watch once you're done with this, and how happy you're going to be that you finally beat this game. Now, that's not to say that you should throw caution to the wind. Just approach this portion of the battle like it's just another segment of the boss battle; changing things up here is only going to throw you off and cause you even more distress. Just keep to your usual strategies and plug away at that boss's hit points.

Don't Celebrate too Early
Don't give your victory war cry when you go in for that final hit, only to realize that in your overzealous celebration you decided to heal your party member from paralysis instead of actually aiming for the boss. You can whoop it up all you want once that final hit is scored. Besides, your victory dance will look much better if you're dancing in front of the credits as opposed to the death screen.

Don't Hyperventilate; Take Things Slowly.
If you're playing a turn-based RPG, take your time, think things through. You have all the time in the world to make your decisions, and now's the time to use that head of yours. If you're the only one left standing, you'd probably be better off bringing up one of your party members that's a tank as opposed to trying to get in those last few hits by yourself. As I've said before, you need to keep your focus. You've come this far, you can't jeapordize your efforts now.

And Finally, When You Beat the Boss, Celebrate Like You've Never Celebrated Before
Last Friday I finally beat Nyx in Persona 3 FES and I was so excited about it I believe that I shouted loud enough that the entire house heard me. (Not to mention me flailing about it for a good two hours afterward and being jittery for the rest of the evening. I think everyone thought I was drunk, and I was...On victory!) Let yourself loose, the worst is over! (Well, until you see that final cutscene and have your heart ripped out... But that's a blog post for another time.)

So how do you guys deal with the pressure of those last crucial seconds of a boss battle? Let me know!

Comfortable Gaming Positions

I don't care what you say, there's nothing like gaming in a Snuggie!

Everyone likes to be comfortable while gaming, am I right? I mean, let's face it. You're going to be sitting in one position for a couple of hours (at least), so it only makes sense that you're as relaxed as possible for that time. After all, nothing's worse than losing a boss fight because you were distracted by a stiff back. I've seen many gamers with their own preferences and I definitely have a couple of favorites of my own.

Laying Down

My brother tends to prefer this method and when all you have is a bed in front of the T.V., I'll admit that it's pretty convenient. Sadly, I'm not too much of a fan of this method. Laying on my stomach while propped up on my elbows hurts my back after a while, where as laying on my back, even with a pillow, hurts my neck. Plus, I've always felt that laying down during an intense scene or battle was a little inappropriate. If you're laying down, it's hard to be on the edge of your seat without falling off. Just saying.

In a Chair

This is a favorite of Player 2. Specifically, my roommate's chair, which she is convinced actually belongs to her. Actually, given that she spends more time in it than my actual roommate, I can't really say I disagree. Seriously, though, chairs are nice. They're supportive and if you have a desk in front of you, they're the best for PC gaming. I enjoy my room's set up immensely, even if I do have to get up and pop my back every once in awhile so that it doesn't get too stiff. It's definitely an improvement over laying down, in my opinion.

On a Couch

Now, this is by far my favorite. Specifically, up against one armrest with one leg tucked under myself and the other sprawled across the length of the couch. So much comfort to be had in this position. It's relaxed. The cushions are soft. You can even prop up your laptop on the armrest!

In a Box, With a Fox

Ha ha, just kidding.

Blankets vs. Snuggies

Now I know what you're thinking. A Snuggie? Really?  Yes, dear gamer, really. Look, I get cold when I don't move for a while, and I want to be warm while still being able to hold a controller. Now, Player 2 claims that she can usually just have the controller under the blankets but that bothers me. I guess I just don't like the feeling of cloth covering my hands when I'm gaming. Then again, my hands are very sensitive, so this may just be me. Seriously, I can't even stand to hold chalk or dusty rocks in my hands. It sets my teeth on edge.

What about you guys? Any particular gaming positions that you enjoy? Let me know!