Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Theory

    With Sledgehammer’s first Call of Duty development for the next generation of consoles, there is a lot of speculation on what the fourth game mode is beside campaign, multiplayer, and exoskeleton modes. “Fourth game mode” refers to the intense survival with waves of immoral mobs that do not use CoD’s traditional weaponry, Just like Black Ops 2’s Zombie mode and Ghosts’ Extinction. Will there be one?

   Knowing Call of Duty gaming style, the fact that you picked this up to read it means you are that curious, so I’ll keep it short: The mobs of terror in this game will be humanoid beasts that follow the Japanese’s magic-girl robot culture. However since they’ll be humanoid (i.e. flesh limbs) the closest thing they’ll be to current scale is the Final Fantasy XIII’s Ghast:

some old fashioned RPG magic

   Now that you are reading further, here is the proof or evidence that backs the theory. In the Western culture, after zombies and aliens, there’s only vampires, and we all know that for Activision to add vampirism is to spell its doom. It is illogical to even collect this much vampires unless a single bite is fatal, in which they are exactly like zombies in their mechanics.

vampire in skyrim is humanoid

   Magic “robot” is new to the table, plus the baddies will be able to use melee and middle ranged attacks with an endless list of possibilities. So why “robot”? Because this is usually the back story for their origin. A big AI had the power to mutate all humans in a village to turn into magical beasts that follow the robot’s will. They will be armed with a short ranged laser from their stomach and will look ugly. They’ll be slow, having a livelier skin color than zombies, and having extreme lack of recognition skills or morality. They’ll charge right at you with the intent of turning you into roasted robot breakfast.

the father of android

gotta love the standard knightmare frames

  The reason behind these would be the screenshots. They are a little bit futuristic like Halo, but they already covered aliens in the previous game.

  What do you think? Would you believe this theory? I guess we'll find out when the game rolls in. Until Then!

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

Where Hyrule Warriors Should Have Been in the Zelda Timeline

   Personally, I am convinced that Hyrule Warriors should be after Skyward Sword. The problem with this that there is not enough in-game proof.

   The main reason for this suggestion is that Skyward Sword is the only time when Hyrule itself does not have Zelda as its princess, i.e. the kingdom is not actually established yet. During Skyward Sword’s events, Zelda is a student in the knight academy, which means, she is training to fight. Let’s say after the events of the game, humans descend to Earth and make Hyrule Kingdom, just as the timeline says.

   When any kingdom is first formed, the king usually claims his land by conquering it, like a general of war kind of king. That would explain why Zelda is a PC like Link. That is what makes me believe that Hyrule Warriors is after Skyward Sword by quite a while.

   Another piece of evidence is this Link’s resemblance to Link in SS prequel manga. Link has a new look in every game, but Link usually looks similar to his image of hero at that time. At first, I thought it would mean that this game is way before Skyward Sword itself when they used to live on the ground normally, but Hyrule’s existence proves otherwise.

  The main problem this theory faces is Midna (also that it’s too short). Just like how the Impa tribe was living on the ground during the time of Skyward Sword, the shadow tribe of Midna’s would also be there, right? What about Midna’s lifespan? What about the events that lead to Majora’s Mask’s escape from that tribe? It’s too much of an assumption. Also, by that point in time, Midna has never met TP Link, so how did she know that she can turn a human into a wolf? Assuming she can, that is.

   As much as I’d like this theory, as much as I’d have to dismiss it. It does explain new Link’s design and the fact that Skyward Sword enemies are there (still no time for them to become extinct yet) but it has its holes.

  This is a part 2 of the previous article, which discusses Hyrule Warriors' location in the timeline if it were canon. Play More Zelda!

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Position

Hyrule Warriors Timeline Placement

Spoiler Warning: Skyward Sword, Ocarina Of Time, and Fire Emblem Awakening are mentioned here. 

   It’s almost time for the first console Zelda game to be released after Hyrule Historia revealed to us the timeline. This game is a collaboration between Techmo Koei and Nintendo, where the games are slightly similar… actually, it’s a lie.

   As you are all aware Keoi’s Dynasty Warriors involves a single man against a ridiculously colossal mob of human enemies, accompanied by other generals of the same caliber. If you’ve never owned a Playstation, but have a 3DS, try Chronicles: Samurai Warriors. It’s the most recent Koei game I’ve played and will base the rest of comparisons on.

   Just from the beginning, it seems that this will be a very unique game. But judging from the screenshots, you’d probably say otherwise. The enemies Link faces are all demons, no humans here, but these demons are personified to have emotions like fear and retreat, as mentioned before. 

does this look like the face of mercy? I know it doesn't make sense.

   However, from just scratching the surface, what about the generals of the same caliber? The uniquely cool playable characters fill that role, right? Does that mean that these characters were, say, candidates for becoming the hero of time and bearing the triforce of Courage? At this late stage you’d think possibly not, but do not rule it out. Especially since Skyward Sword reveals that Zelda is Hylia. So it is possible that this Zelda chose all these as candidates. Because both Link and Zelda look like “fighters” such as the tactician of CSW. Which automatically means all other PCs have something special to be added. This is a very special roster, and their back stories have to be satisfying.

   You probably want to hear where it should land in the timeline, assuming a non-canon Zelda game would land there. Before we can get there, we have to observe all the other obvious differences that Dynasty Warriors and Zelda have, and see what the development teams have stitched those patches with. Only then can the story become clear.

from zeldadungeon

   Post-OoT:
    First in the background of earlier screenshots, it is very clear that there is a castle that looks exactly like Ocarina of Time’s castle, but from Zelda’s character art, it is impossible that OOT’s adult timeline is the setting because during OOT’s lifespan, it is awkward for the princess to do any fighting. Fighting princesses are fantasy in that era. We can clearly lock out the other two timelines because then none of the guards would know Link in the Child Era and the castle would be in ruins in the final branch of the timeline.

   The next obvious think is characters from Twilight Princess are there, so the setting is probably post-TP during the same Link’s lifespan, right? Then where is immediate wolf transformation button? Since this is a non-canon game that probably will make it to the timeline, all of the current Link’s possible powers and tools have to be fully utilized, in order to emphasize on which Link it is. However, this Link has a piece of clothing very similar to the pre-SS manga thus cannot be the same protagonist of TP. If he was, Ordon children would be present, and Ilia too.

   Another hint in TP is that there are reused characters in general. Skull Kid was originally of OoT but even though according to Nintendo hints outside the actual game plot (i.e. through Navi text and manga) that this is the exact same Skull Kid since he has a long life span, there is no indication that he truly is since he is greatly retextured.

   In Japanese culture, and throughout the Zelda franchise, people are re-incarnated, which is why Link, Zelda, and Ganon have the same role and similar looks throughout the series. It is highly likely that Agitha is an incarnation too.

   The main hint that we can draw a conclusion that it is likely not before Twilight Princess in any way is Midna. As other rumors speculate, the evil tribe of Majora’s Mask is the same of Midna’s tribe, which means, any sooner than OoT in the timeline and there is a chance that Midna was a human of that tribe at that time. Since this is true, and Midna was not revealed until TP, it is also slightly possible that Twilis have short life spans (though I do not believe it) so it has to be the same Midna.

   A rather paradoxical part that makes it actually not fit in the time line at all is the fact that these are Skyward Sword enemies. However thanks to a hint from Fire Emblem Awakening’s Risen and time hopping theory such a paradox can exist.

   Conclusion: If this game were to fit in the timeline it would be after Twilight Princess, but not during TP Link’s life. Unless it is outside Hyrule or somehow the Twilight Realm’s borders are able to warp the SS enemies that actually are living in a place outside Hyrule at that point in time. There could be a new era between TP and Four Swords Adventures. Play More Zelda!

The new article is almost ready, but doesn’t make any sense, so I decided to go with a Zelda rumor instead. I wish to publish my own story on my blog in parts, but the first few parts of the story have absolutely nothing to do with technology. That’s why I do not write articles. I may decide on publishing it eventually. There is a Facebook Page with more short content sometime, as well as a Portal 2 map.

Why Oculus opened RakNet

Why Oculus opened RakNet

image from digitaltrends

   My predictions were right on the spot, again as expected. Allow me to use this entire paragraph as proving that my fortune-telling skills were right and to celebrate this yet again.

   Now that boasting is over, let’s get right back on topic. Why did Oculus make RakNet open source the moment they bought it? Well, the obvious benefit is encouraging more developers, which would bring indie developers, more attention from developers’ fans and novice developers, and more importantly, modders. These are the groups of the gaming society that usually come first, then gamers come hurrying along, but only a good bunch of them have gathered like bees on nectar.

  Expanding the games library is very crucial step towards actually becoming the new Xbox or DS. Speaking of Xbox, RakNet is also what Sony’s Virtual Reality headset, Project Morpheus uses. Cross-platform online games could become more powerful, more interactive, more always online. This would also mean ease in cross-platform releases, so that Oculus can reach Sony’s fanbase too, since developers will be encouraged to make games for Oculus they’d also be willing to make it compatible with Japan’s dominant gaming console (even if VR doesn’t catch on now, by logic, there is a huge existing dedicated gamers for Sony more than Oculus). Xbox has a lot to catch up on now!

  Here lies a question that only you can answer: can Oculus be trusted? After Facebook bought it, Facebook probably want to expand its test subject base to a group that will not escape so easily. After Facebook’s famous psychology experiment involving two colleges, can we really trust them?

  It is a shame to admit, but we gamers have problems with “escaping” a game, because most people who play games at some point say they use it to escape reality. If you begin to play this virtual reality game, you escape reality even more than just the screen. Even without the screen, gamers can go to extreme levels just to make sure that at the end of the day, they’ll have 4 hours of gameplay uninterrupted, even going into fire to save one’s Xbox. A single player life simulation game can easily let me lose track of time, but multiplayer is worse, because it involves real human rivals for resources.

   Simulations were always used in special training, pilots being one good example to test these equipment, thus assessment criteria was obviously well established a long time before we even heard of virtual reality. Consequently, it will be so easy to test your reactions, train you for more puzzle solving, or just simply make a gigantic maze game that is the exact replica of a lab rat’s and measure the differences in speed of figuring out that you needed to push the ball uphill or something (bonus points for fMRI).

   Even in an MMO, everyone eventually passes by the same quests, and it is easy to draw a pattern in the sequence of these quests, and from them give a conclusion on what kind of test would suit this user more than the next. It would also say a lot about behavior, cleverness (been so long since I used that word) and potentially expose you to be “sold” to other scientists who only want a certain group for testing (e.g. people with higher IQ, people who didn’t flee the first time they entered the boss room, etc.) or more realistic stuff, like whether you are fit in real life, real life depression, age group, smoking, sensitivity to loud sounds (that’s actually a thing) and so on. 

  The best part of this to the scientists is that they can zip through all the legal stuff and test. Gamers are like real prisoners now, because they are actually there in real time, with all external factors excluded. Imagine this: would you look away when you see something twice your size, or did you accidently click on the controller because your brother threw his toy at you? Most probably the former, because your parents won’t even leave you disconnected so much for you to even get that far in the game to become worthy of holding the title of Test Subject in the first place. Unlike social media, logging out is not so simple. There will probably be so much to lose when you do that: hourly events such as Bonus Time in Happy Wars, penalty for death.

I am using the word test subject for a reason!

   These little little candy are what keep us continuing on and on, because in online games, it’s a race, and usually the one with less life wins, gets to spawn kill higher level monsters all the time and boss around a group of midgets to PK anyone who gets close to his hunting grounds. Then when he’s done, he PKKs them and comes back to town as the rich hero of high reputation, and anyone who says the truth are just haters who will be treated like mute criminals forever.

  Other players are aware of that, and won’t give up the race so easily. That’s why they’ll grind and grind in a real time system that would feel like labor and go on for real life days. These people are the most vulnerable to testing, because we all know that even when they realize that the game is messing with them, they are not ready to log off and check the forums, because they are willing to forgive the game for this “bug” and that “glitch” just because he’s grown attached to his new toon and has to make it stronger as soon as possible before surprising others.

   Going back to the original question, will we really trust Oculus after Facebook acquired it? Let us know your opinion in the comments. Don’t forget to read the last choose-your-death article, because there might be more. Play More Zelda!  

Short Announcement

Short Announcement

First, I cannot post something lately, so you might want to enjoy some other post, click randomly on any word in this sentence and you will check an article that has less views so you probably have not read, or even a popular post. Note: this post is rushed and not really planned.

Second, I'd like to share some changes that I made to my twitch. I tried to upload a picture for my channel when it is offline, and a banner for my profile to invite more people to the blog. I am not always that good at making fake photoshop pictures or even a little photo editing, but I am also not that bad. I used a picture of a cannibalistic zombie giving his back to the sunset, and staring into the dark future that I use as a desktop background. Relax, it's Minecraft, and it's my own texture pack so it is a salesman holding dog food.

  Now the dimensions were frustrating, and not all of it was visible in both the banner and the channel, so I changed it for the channel so the main parts show, but I'll post the original on that I put for the banner here:

  I became a PC gamer, and I'm planning to buy Skyrim again for the PC all so that I can broadcast about it. Find me next month on Twitch! I also linked it to my Twitter, both under the name BluecometZola. I might try to use youtube, but really I want to save all my internet speed for Twitch. If I do, I will write it down.

  I'd like to hear your opinion on the banner. I was in a rush, and didn't know where to mention Zelda, since I am not planning to broadcast it.

  I tried to make a picture of myself in third person, and I set up quartz blocks and redstone torches while I looked upwards like a glorious leader. but I did not know how to take such screenshot (i.e. without looking into the camera), so I discarded the idea. Maybe next time.

  Yes I am planning to play Borderlands 2. I have the game, and I am trying to fit some time for a sound test. I might even make an outro/intro for myself. Now, I am also not that good in editing audio clips, but I am also not that bad. I played Borderlands 2 on Xbox, and I will start on PC. Any more and I'll reveal a secret that I want to keep for the broadcast!

  That's all for now. Check in next month for Twitch. I will post on this blog when I do. Thank you all for the views! I am now (I always was?) officially an internet beggar and proud of it.

Play More Zelda!

What Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift really means for gamers

What Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift really means for gamers

    Facebook recently bought a virtual reality company called Oculus Rift. Bad news. Really bade news.

it'll be worse with VR, but it'll be cooler

    I’m sorry for being so pessimistic. Let’s look at the future in another way, if there is a future. I could write a Choose Your Death article on this, but it’s too typical. So, why did Facebook purchase VR headset designers? To control their minds? Because glassholes aren’t enough to cause a zombie apocalypse, and Facebook wants to rival G+ on the fate of humanity? That VR headset is obviously for anything other than walking casually. Then again, maybe the Oculus Rift didn’t have a design cut for Virtual Reality games that much.


This was amazing though.
 I'm impressed!

    Remember that Rift is almost like a pioneer in trying to make VR enter every normal household. Making something mainstream doesn’t go right from the first try. It’s like trying to light a campfire when it’s your first time. They need all the resources they can get their hands on, including the soaked branches. Facebook’s support will most certainly allow more research in VR to consumers, maybe it’s the wrong step, but it’s a step nonetheless.


    It’ll all be the problem of that they’ll enable the hardware to know stuff about you that you didn’t want, such as GPS all the time, heart rate, mood (I mean, come on, it’s on your brain, surely they’ll be able to detect your brain waves in an instant). Probably, they can also tase you, deafen you, blind you, etc. but on purpose. The risk of brain cancer and all these stories related to using computers on your head, such as phones, will not differ in this case, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is that if Facebook suddenly decided to help the poor thieves out and make you blank out for them to sneak into your house and take that new 4K smart TV you just bought. Or if some hacker managed to do it.

Photoshop is just not my thing, but I'll keep trying anyway

   The weird thing is that Facebook might actually do those things. I read once that they save all the deleted posts, before they were even published the first time, without your consent. Why? Because they wanted to know why you deleted and understand what people want, or so they said. I don’t anyone seeing that I deleted “i gpt an new headsey” and typed in “I got a new headset.” instead; it was just that I was typing on my smartphone with the wrong hand, and there is no reason to investigate the trend of trying to correct spelling mistakes. However, Facebook wants to have CONSTANT pulse of feedback about you, and your location, and what phone you use. Emphasis on location.

   But now Facebook can now your iris shape, and maybe that’ll be the new password. So, when thieves come to steal, they’ll amputate your finger for the iPhone 5S, and enucleate your eye for the device. Great, now all we need is a skateboard that unlocks with your weight or socks that power on with your toe prints, so you’d end up with only your left side healthy. We really need a better system, like DNA marking by GPS so we’d all be doomed into slavery, but at least nobody can steal that device from beneath our skin… oh… wait.

more technology relying on that it can only be unlocked by you, not by memories of PINs

   Either way, say goodbye to gaming on this model of the Oculus Rift. Facebook has plans to redesign the logo, thus it’s safe to conclude that Facebook wants to make a slimmer model to be able to rival Google Glass. I’m not sure about allowing real life visibility though, because that would ruin the purpose of VR. It could be like shutters or blinds so they’d be “safe” for street roaming, but not losing at the VR side. That may look like a bad idea, but that will spark better ideas that will define what VR will ultimately be used for.

Imagine playing a zombie shooting game in HD?

   Whether its real screens, to holograms, to VR, social media should not come in before games. MMO games should not be first, despite all the anime in Japan about that VR must be MMO. First, it’s actual solo games laying the carpet, preparing the core gameplay elements. Then social and MMORPGs can follow. If we start the other way around, the internet will be experimenting with our minds. Yes, I watch too much anime, but who doesn’t? Play More Zelda!

Smartphone Gaming: is it the future?

Smartphone Gaming: is it the future?

    On one of my old posts, I mentioned how many developers are switching to smartphones for gaming. With the launch of the PS4 and its competition with the Xbox One, its seems that these consoles require too much of being always-online, and depend on online features. That is what most smartphones do, right? Why do consoles do it too? Even the Wii U needs an update when you first buy it if you didn't buy the Wind Waker edition, even though the Wii U doesn't require being online that much, yet it does utilize a lot of online features as optional for those who can stay online while playing. Not all of us can, so being optional is good.

   But that isn't our topic today. As the games enter a new generation, it should also be considered a new generation for gaming on smartphones too. That's why I asked some smartphone gamers about how they feel about their current choice of operating system, rather than the capabilities of their hardware. Usually, we consider hardware of smartphones affecting the performance of games, but this time, I decided to play it different and ask about the OS. Here are the questions I asked:

Q1: how many hours per day do you play on it?

Q2: What are your top three favorite games?

Q3: what is the best about using the device for gaming than other 

consoles?

Q4: what is the worst about using the device as a gaming console?

Q5: would you prefer another operating system (eg android/iOS) 

for your next gaming tablet/phone?

The results I got in general were like this:

• Nobody wanted to switch their OS

• Most complaints on both OS were the lag of the touch screen

The main reason OS was chosen to question rather than hardware, 

is because the main question when people will buy any next gen 

console is: " Which console has the most selection of games that I 

want?" And this is true for gaming consoles, not just smartphones.

   As for the conclusion, well I'll leave that for you to decide,

 because it usually all comes down to opinion. I didn't ask that many 

people, but my opinion is that smartphone gamers are really casual 

gamers that's why they usually play with the hand they're dealt. In 

other words, not even the developers are serious about this, 

because, even though the iPad may have games like GTA3, it 

barely competes with its Xbox relative.

A sample of the results:

                                                                                                       

iOS people:

Name: Neferrrr   Device: iPad 

Q1: How many hours per day?

about 30 minutes a day.

Q2: Top three games?

Temple run, angry birds, and fruit ninja

Q3: Best about iPad for gaming?

I just find the iPad better than any other gadget anyways, but I love the quality of games Apple has.

Q4: Worst about iPad for gaming?

The worst thing is that its touch screen for games, because you sometimes lose while trying to win a car race. Also that you can't make calls

Q5: Would you consider another OS (eg android) for your next gaming phone/tablet?

No I wouldn't because I love Apple.

                                                                                                           

Name: Duaa (ask.fm)          Device: iPhone 5S

Q1: How many hours per day?

Constantly with me.

Q2: Top three games?

Amateur surgeon, Subway Surfers, and Candy Crush.

Q3: Best about iPhone for gaming?

The system is really smooth and they're  of high quality, and it doesn't lag a lot. If it does, it's usually because of having too many apps open.

Q4: Worst about iPhone for gaming?

The touch screen is really sensetive, therefore you can mess up in your games.

Q5: Would you consider another OS (eg android) for your next gaming phone/tablet?

No I'm really happy with the iOS system and Apple products

                                                                                                        

Android people:

Name: thehoarderme (tumblr) (blog) (YouTube)

Device: Samsung galaxy S4

Q1: How many hours per day?

An hour daily

Q2: Top three games?

Tetris by EA, Candy Crush, and Pudding Monsters

Q3: Best about the Galaxy S4 for gaming?

The S4 makes it easy for you to play as you can use one hand, or even a finger. I like this, becuase it makes me think of all the disabled and handicapped people who can't use their hands but use fingers instead.

Q4: Worst about Galaxy S4 for gaming?

The worst thing about the S4 being a game console is that sometimes the game might freeze and you'll miss = game over.

Q5: Would you consider another OS (eg iOS) for your next gaming phone/tablet?

I do not intend to change my android, since I don't think iOS is as good as android when it comes to games.

                                                                                                          

Name: Anonymous        Device: Samsung Galaxy S4

Q1: How many hours per day?

I don't play everyday; I'm usually using the internet.

Q2: Top three games?

Can Knockdown, Doodle Jump, and Temple Run

Q3: Best about the Galaxy S4 for gaming?

The resolution is so good that you can see every detail.

Q4: Worst about Galaxy S4 for gaming?

It's disturbing that it takes time to load the game sometime and sometimes it doesn't work.

Q5: Would you consider another OS (eg iOS) for your next gaming phone/tablet?

No I'm pretty satisfied so I guess it'd be android.

                                                                                                       

 

Name: Linky

Device: Samsung Galaxy S2 (has iPad mini but was not included in this quiz)

 

Q1: How many hours per day?

I use it a lot in fact.

Q2: Top three games?

Can't decide: too many.

Q3: Best about the Galaxy S4 for gaming?

S2 is nice for games like minecraft and survivalcraft because its slim and easy to use.

Q4: Worst about Galaxy S4 for gaming?

The S2 is not good for emulators like n64, compared to the S3 and S4.

Q5: Would you consider another OS (eg iOS) for your next gaming phone/tablet?

I prefer iOS because it has more of quality games, but android has more games in total.

                                                                                                       

 

What do you think so far? They all seem to like their phones in general, and it does seem that a lot more people spend time playing on their smartphones than consoles, but I think this is where the definition of gaming splits. I would be a smartphone gamer if my iPad didn't require the game center to be online all the time. I do have games on android, but the 3DS's streetpass feature encourages me to always play with the 3DS outside, not my smartphone. Also, it seems that some Xbox live games make their way into the smartphone world, so is this really the correct thing to do? After all, the grass looks greener on the other side, so which OS to choose; which console to choose?

Either way, why don't you try answering the questions in the comments below? Do you consider yourself loyal to the OS you have? Do you care about the selection of games on each OS at all? We'd love to hear your opinion!

Play More Zelda!

5 Reasons Why 2DS is Not for Kids

5 Reasons Why 2DS is Not for Kids

Reggie Fils-Aime said, “it fits that consumer and also by taking out the 3D feature it allows us to target very young kids: five, six, seven years old.” Here is why this is not a good idea to have limited the console’s audience right after talking about it. The list isn’t in any particular order.

1-    No Folding. Why did people buy a PSP? Why do they buy PSVita? Because it is one stationary block of black plastic with a screen in the middle. The 2DS takes it to the next level by having a cap-like border layer for the colouring. It kind of looks like a pill bug (in a good way), if you think of the PSP as a tea-plate (bad comparison, but I don’t hate bugs). I think this brings the DS to all different styles of pocket gaming since the Gameboy, so I don’t see that kids will appreciate it much for its unbreaking ability as much as adults.

the only reason I'd want any of these clones is for crisis core, which I don't like its English version

2-    Same games and backward compatibility. Why does that make the 2DS for kids only? It looks like the old pocket gaming consoles but at the same time has better Wifi connectivity and Streetpass and all that, which is great.

3-    No 3D? Call me crazy, but there are people out there in this world that are obsessed over their eyesight, whether parents or single hitchhikers. I know a console gamer who bought the DSiXL just because it has a big screen.

image from theaveragegamer.com

4-    Price Drop! Everything is getting more expensive these days, and one console that’s cheaper might make some other people buy it, however, I still doubt that children will have that much to spend.

a folding GBA still has better durability than the DS lite. Experimenting going backwards?

5-    Old-school gamers and the Gameboy, again. Remember all the viral old Nokia memes? The Nokia 3310 was known for one thing: Invincibility. The NDS lite does not live for long, unlike the Gameboy Advance. That is why the DSi was made (as well as the camera and eshop). My friend has a problem with the safety of her phone and all her devices and snacks from her siblings, because once something falls into their hands, you will never see it again in one piece. Maybe the 2DS is not invincible, but it hopefully will live a little longer with my friends.

A Nokia saved the life of a citizen in Syria, but it didn't save them from last week's chemical miasma. Original here

One more thing to mention is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Remember how it was for little girls? Then bronies came to exsist? It seems this is already the case, as everybody is saying limiting the audience is digging your own grave.

  Personally, I won’t buy it, because I have the 3DS XL Pikachu, but I know 5 people around me in real life who don’t like the 3DS but will buy the 2DS instead. Play More Zelda!

360 Looking Dumber To Make Way For The One

360 Looking Dumber To Make Way For The One

  Apparently because the new generation doesn’t offer much jump from the previous generations and thanks to the 360 and ps3 online games, it would look like the new generation wouldn’t have any genuine taste. So instead of adding spices to the new plate, let’s make the old one rot.

  The fact that the games are repeating themselves is not my assumption; even Microsoft admits it through its actions, as they seem to try to make the spotlight shine at the Xbox One even before the release date. Who knows if the story continues more than that?

  For now, let us set the facts that are already happening:

First, we get the two free games with Gold per month. Cool right? Well, it somehow feels like those last-time promotions that after that, a lot of prices will drop. It is like they are trying to say “you should be already getting bored from your Xbox so we got these so that you don’t regret all these Gold years” This is Microsoft’s smart way to direct your interest onto the Xbox One, really smart marketing. Check it on the official website here.

Next, we have the “no more MS points system and it will all be currency” ninja art. This will magically transform all your live points you use to get DLCs into their corresponding value of currency (US dollars I think). I can only hope the values of points do not decrease, but they wouldn’t do that right? Check out about it here, it still hasn’t been applied yet. Anyway, I do trust them in this. It is even on the official website too, here.

Now, and more recently, family accounts will be split. I never used a family account so I don’t really understand why this will happen, but it is more like going back a step, to make the Xbox One shine some more. Check out the news here, and at least it feels like a good deal, until the gold is active.

 More like, this is the time my Gold expires (school almost starts) so I should get myself some points too, before they are removed from stores.

My life aside, it really does seem like another Microsoft-ish way to make you feel that this item is so popular and everybody is thinking about it. I somehow think this somehow fails the current console which isn’t finished yet. Just like how Nintendo dealt the last stab in the Wii when it removed the internet from it, to make way for the Wii U. The only difference is that the Wii U was already out at that time. Still, Nintendo completely removed all online features, and the feeling of just packing up and leaving the customer support is just becoming more popular these days. (What?)

  So which console to choose for the next generation? To tell the truth, I’d wait for the next JRPGs. If Dragon Quest drops the online games, I will buy the console it gets on. Of course Nintendo gets priority because of Zelda. If Final Fantasy 15 or something drops online as well, I will get that. The consoles with more JRPGs win, to me that is. If a game for an anime I like, for example Cuticle Tantei Inaba came on the 3DS, then yes (but localization is another issue), although I already have a 3DS. However if PSvita gets it, then screw it! I wanted a PSP for two or three games (Crisis Core, Birth By Sleep) and I wish Sony stops getting all that luck, or Zelda and super smash come on Playstation, then I would buy a Playstation. For now, I regret buying an Xbox 360. NEVER AGAIN! However, I did get it for Blue dragon, dynasty warriors, final fantasy (which isn’t an exclusive) and I am happy about these, but any more diving into any Xbox and all you see is useless gore. I am okay with blood, but gore is a bunch of pointless mentally retarded images. All its fan base sware all the time, have no manners, and are not geeks, nerds, otakus, etc. Gamers aren’t really supposed to be mainstream, but Call of Duty fans are.

  But choosing a console doesn’t depend on fan base or looks; it is about the game itself. I don’t like online games because:

·       My friends are absolutely so smart that they lose all the time

·       I don’t always have internet

·       I like single player games more (my opinion)

Microsoft does a really good job, and I do like Happy Wars, and some more Xbox games, but everybody is taking a step behind, even my beloved Nintendo, so basically if Zelda came on something else, and super smash, I’d get that something else, unless it is that android console. That’s all from me about this issue. I don’t want to be bad to the Xbox that I spent one summer with (playing Final Fantasy 13-2 then SOMEBODY deleted my save file when I was fighting the last boss Bahamut! Thanks a lot Mr. anonymous I-know-who-you-are) so I am happy that the Xbox didn’t die as fast as the Wii at least. I still play the Wii though. Play More Zelda!

Goodbye, Wii

Goodbye, Wii

The Nintendo Wii is not dead yet, but the online services will be shut down soon.  Although this is sad news, it makes one begin to wonder why this console was so popular in the first place.

  The answer is very simple; the Wii had a very good gaming experience without entirely relying on internet services. Simultaneously, the Wii still managed to have well-functioning online services, without looking like old comparing to our ever-dependent online world.

check Mii out channel, Wii message board, Everybody votes channel, and such will be disabled in June

  For some reason, the internet has a huge role on our lives, and not being able to connect to them well is in the old generation. That is why the Wii needed things like messaging and voice chat, as well as playing online (like animal crossing) video calling, exchanging data, and so on. But that drifts off from the real purpose of gaming. That is why most of the Wii games were entirely playable without being online. And to balance this, things like wiiconnect24 exsist.

imagine being stuck in the water temple and the internet cuts off. good thing Zelda isn't on xbox

  If you look at the Xbox 360, you will see things like “If you do not update this game you will be logged out from Xbox live” and when you are logged out of xbox live, things like your game save will be inaccessible. From games like Minecraft to games like Happy Wars, without logging in, the console can’t prove you bought the software and it can’t open your save file. How is that a good system in a place with slow internet?

the graphics were astonishing

  However, for the Wii, the internet was an entirely optional tool. I don’t need the internet to buy a blue feather in Harvest Moon, I don’t need the internet to play Super Mario Galaxy (which is the real first game on the console, and it was outstanding) and an update that came with New Super Mario Bro. Wii was pretty much the same as a system update. And to top it all off, the Wii is backward compatible with the Gamecube. That is what a gaming console should be like.

 You don't need to play with friends in order to pay off the mortgage, but you can if you want

  Now the problem stands that the Wii is reaching its final days and will not have some online services anymore. Personally, while I am disturbed by that fact, I think it is just proof that this console can still be outstanding without:

• HD graphics

• Internet

• High Resolution

• American games

game not made by nintendo, still awesome

I hope all game developers learn from Nintendo.

Play more Zelda!

Best of January 2013

Best of January 2013

With the month’s end, there is a lot out there in the world to discover. There is no time for boredom, but in case you are, this is going to be a long article. Maybe you missed on some fancy news. Here are the highlights from my point of view of January.

Best gaming console:

The best gaming console should be a 3DS, as pocket gaming is also part of the word consoles. A 3DS XL Pikachu edition is coming to America for the Nintendo club members. I really want one. Wasn’t there a charizard edition coming? Well, some people believe a 3DS is better than the XL because it is lighter, but it all comes down to personal opinion. The XL is not 500Kg more than the original and I am willing to sacrifice some calories in order to hold a bigger screen. It just can’t get cuter, and the original is also packed with some glossy shiny plastic. Some limited editions aren’t half-bad either.

Best online (flash) game:

This time I choose it from Nitrome, a site full of nerdy, isometric pixilated sprites. I used to love the site ever since they made this old game called mutiny, and spent a lot of time on it with my friends. Back then it was a plain website that is not so heavy on your browser. I don’t know what happened with Nitrome today, as most changes are to the worst, stretching game dimensions and painting the page with adverts that the only good change was the settings on all games, and the steam game. As for the best NEW game they made, as most of their games are good (I still have my complaints on the webpage design) Hot AirJr would take the title. Its sprites are cuter (like yoshi’s island) its menu is also better (like Kirby games) and the difficulty is hard for beginners which is good because it throws you right into where you should be (assuming you played all previous titles). Funny, it even has a storyline. Check it out here. I was going to choose Plunger because of its DYNA-like character but noticing the enemies in the game with the restricted movement it didn’t capture enough gravity. In hot air it may be you controlling the balloon, but the basket is controlled purely by physics. However it might be a good idea to check out a lot of the games on Nitrome. The old-school ones are great.

Best tablet:

Samsung Galaxy Note II 10.1”

Honestly I have never imagined 2GB of RAM on any smartphone or tablet, but the fact that this phone is so big that it is considered a tablet makes it the ace monster in the market. Of course there is a 5.5” screen, but honestly I wouldn’t want to waste such high specs on a lower screen. I don’t mind a drop in pixel density since all tablets nowadays, even ones with a lower screen, do not have a high pixel density like this one. Here are some highlights of the specifications of the N8000:

800 x 1280 pixels, 10.1 inches screen (~149 ppi pixel density)

MicroSD card slot up to 64 GB

16/32/64 internal storage, 2GB RAM

Quad-core 1.4GHz processor Cortex A9

You can see the rest of the specifications at GSMarena.

Best blog:

Every month I will pick a blog. Of course it has to be updated but I also prefer blogs talking about what I like, such as Zelda games. It’s good to admit that some other blog could be better than you as long as there is no real rivalry between the two. This month I recommend you to check out http://touriantourist.blogspot.com/ this blog seems to capture a lot from Zelda and have a good design. This blog has 7 posts on the page. That's okay because you get to see a lot I guess. Better than most other blogs I see in the world. Heck, even the official Google blog is like this. WHY?!

Best smartphone news:
Now while saying the best smartphone bluntly wouldn't work as there are a lot out there, although I love the LG 4X HD P880 over the Samsung SIII and would nominate the Motorola Droid DNA in this contest, let’s stick to the news rather than a comparison between Yugioh monster cards. (The playing cards are 16:9, and so are the screens’ aspect ratios for all the smartphones, so that is a pun in a way or another)

Moving on to the actual news, a way for HTC to catch up with the new NFC technology, HTC is making a remote control to control your smartphone and TV. It also works as a clock, displays SMS, and makes calls, and makes your phone ring when you need to find it. I certainly don’t know if this is a good approach or a bad one, but I hope HTC makes it work for a lot of HTC smartphones then it will probably be good. There are so much more features that you can see a video here.

January has been a good month for all of us and I hope next month brings more tech gadgets to the house. I also hope PC game developers stop requesting new processors and graphics cards because they will ruin computers eventually. Play More Zelda!