Scary ass NES Commerical.

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I've been incredibly busy starting a new Masters degree and job. There's a big blog entry that's in the works, just want to give it time to do it justice.

Did find this today though, scared the crap out of me.

Enjoy.

Who the fuck came up with this shit!? For Australian audiences none the less?

Why I'm as excited for LISA as any current gen game.

Game: LISA The Painful RPG

Platform: PC (Digital Download, also currently up for Steam Greenlight)

Genre: Side-scrolling RPG

By: Dingaling Games

Release Date: According to the creator? In a couple of weeks.

Destiny just came out on PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Super Smash Bros for 3DS and Wii U is just around the corner, but what am I excited for most!? An indy game by the name of LISA. In fact I've been waiting for it avidly the entire summer.

LISA was a project that popped up on Kickstarter and was successfully crowdfunded in December last year. From what I can understand the money raised went entirely into helping with the creators living costs, so he could focus all his time possible on the game and wouldn't have to work to make ends meet. LISA is a game built from the ground up in RPGMakerVX and alongside the usage of the crowdfunding money I have seen the projects credibility criticised because of this. I think these criticisms are completely unjust. This project, to me actually seems to have the most heart of any game I've seen recently. Who cares about what engine it's created in? It's the end product that matters most. With that in mind, let's take a look at what LISA has to offer.

If the choice is there, I imagine I will do this to most villages. I'm not much of a people person.

LISA is a side-scrolling RPG set in a post apocalyptic world. That type of setting these days actually sounds quite generic, it's up there with zombies at least... The main difference here is the post apocalyptic world actually has my interest. The world of LISA is inhabited by only men, there is literally only one female left in existence. That in itself is an interesting enough dynamic to get me to want to check out this game. From the Demo I've played (available at the Kickstarter page) alone, the presence of all these amped up and for the most part, brbrain-deaden, is very entertaining. I can't wait to see the effect that the lack of women has had on the rest of the games world.

I have always been and will always be a huge fan of pixel based games. Having done a bit of pixel art here and there myself, I know time consuming it can be. For one person to set out to design a game that looks like this and actually finish it is an achievement in itself. The Demo also contained some very funny dialogue and moments, both silly and dark. For example, if you explore the area properly you will find that the tutorial NPC character has introduced at the start of the Demo has hung himself back at his cave. It's little things like this that set a hopeless tone for the world and the game ahead.

LISA promises an abundance of choices in it's game play. I really hope it manages to deliver.

One of the main game play mechanics that LISA aims to implement is real consequences for your actions. Moments in the story will force you to make very important decisions, a rebel gang has caught one of your party members? You can have him back for one of your limbs, giving you permanent decrease in some of your stats, or you can lose that party member forever. It remains to be seen whether these types of choices will play out well, but I really hope they do. Depending on how much choice there is, it could make every play-through unique.

To round it all up, LISA to me really does feel like a pseudo-sequel/spin-off of the Mother series (known as the Earthbound series in the US and Europe). The graphics are vibrant, the dialogue is quirky, and the soundtrack sounds awesome. There's references to pop culture and as a massive wrestling fan I really couldn't help but smile at seeing the Road Warriors as NPC's.

Be sure to check out LISA, especially if your a fan of Earthbound. Vote for it on Greenlight and check it out when it's released very soon. I'll be doing a first for the blog and doing a Let's Play of the game as soon as it's out so check back soon for that!

(Austin, you can thank me for doing the PR you aren't doing in your own time! I'm just messing... But PLEASE GET THE GAME OUT SOON. I really really want it.)

Daniel Radcliffe is my doppelgänger, I just posted him a signed photo.

Since Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone was released people have compared me to Daniel Radcliffe. As irritating as this is, I can't help but agree somewhat. Recently I took it upon myself to contact Daniel to resolve the issues I found with being his doppelgänger head on. I'm pretty fed up with strangers calling me by his name and I'm fed up with my family suggesting I somehow apply to be his body double (like he needs one). Here is the letter I sent, typos and all, I really could not be bothered to proofread this one.

And that was that, I sent the letter it got a pretty good response on social media and I figured that would probably be the end of it. HOW WRONG I WAS. Imagine my shock when I found this in my post box a week or two later:

Now first off, stunned I even got a response at all. Especially from THE Daniel Radcliffe, Unfortunately this response is a bit odd though isn't it? I mean, who just sends an autograph without acknowledging the actual letter? Daniel Radcliffe apparently. Now regardless of whether this is a fake autograph or not... It most probably is, it does make Daniel look like a bit of a tool. He's either A) sending out printed autographs or B) just flat out ignored the letter of a fan and arrogantly sent his signature. Well I wasn't going to take this lightly and today I thought I'd return the favour.

"The Attached Letter reads:

Dear Mr Radcliffe,

Thank you for your previous response. Though I do believe there has been somewhat of a misunderstanding in what you actually thought I wanted. Daniel, I have been plagued by being your doppelganger for years. Many Christmas dinners have gone by where “Mark you should be Daniel Radcliffe’s body double” comes up as a semi-serious suggestion. Many times I have been hounded in night clubs for “Harry Potter Selfies”, it’s just not right. Just so you do not misunderstand me Daniel, this is NOT what I want, I don’t want the fame and I don’t want the fortune. I DO NOT WANT TO BE YOUR BODY DOUBLE. So do not worry, I am not trying to steal your career, I simply would quite like you to let my family know that this is not how body doubles find work. Please don’t misinterpret this! I am not asking for your autograph.

To show good sentiments about the obvious misunderstanding I have attached a gift to this letter, it’s one of a kind as it goes! Cherish it. There is a key difference in our headshots however Daniel that I think you’ll come to realise… I actually sign mine.

Looking forward to your response, though I do fear your crew will send me a bag of printed signatures, I trust you will ensure this doesn’t happen!

Many thanks, Mark. (PS. The trailer for Horns was STILL really good, but if you keep sending me fake autographs I’m not going to go see it.)"

Easily the most bizzare thing I've ever done... I'll let you guys know if he responds. Hopefully I get a response and not a restraining order.

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Say neigh to critics of Bojack Horseman.

"I know that I can be selfish and narcissistic and self-destructive, but underneath all that, deep down, I'm a good person, and I need you to tell me that I'm good."

Wasn't my horse pun hilarious!?

In 3 days I've completed season one of Bojack Horseman and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked after just a few episodes and made sure to finish the season as soon as I could. With my optimism regarding the show in mind, I was quite surprised to see the critic’s stance on it was negative to mixed at best. The show is currently averaging some incredibly low scores over at big name review sites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, which are compiled together from many different professional reviews. The user score on the other hand is generally very positive, which begs the question, what were the reviewers expectations and how much of the show did they actually watch?

 

Critics have panned the show for being unfunny and have specifically called out the main character for being incredibly unlike-able... I couldn't disagree more! This is not your typical type of show, it's not funny in the same way adult themed cartoons usually are, sure there is an abundance of hollywood satire, complete with numerous sex, drug and alcohol references; but the show is much more than that. The episodes link together in a much different fashion to shows like Family Guy which unfortunately I feel it has drawn comparison to. The irony is that the latter show has been beating a dead horse for approximately half as long as the Simpsons has.

Bojack Horseman is a show which is quite evidently designed for marathon style viewing, it is exclusive to Netflix and all the episodes are available to be watched in one sitting. That’s where it’s strength lies, it’s very similar to the most recent season of Arrested Development by comparison, the true enjoyment cannot shine through without watching the rest of the episodes. If you just pick up one episode out of nowhere the show probably won’t hook you. This could be a problem if you were likely to watch a random episode out of the blue, but it is a Netflix original, if you watch one on there you can watch them all. This type of format adds to the show incredibly. Again, much like Arrested Development, running gags are established very effectively with each passing episode. But that still isn't where I think critics have misjudged the show most.

The show makes a switch very early on in it's vibe and it creates such a unique and odd viewing experience. It becomes as much of a drama as it is a quirky little comedy and some of the things Bojack deals with are actually quite hard hitting. I actually managed to get emotionally invested in it which was a real shock to me, I was emotionally invested in Will Arnett playing the role of a talking horse man. As previously mentioned some critics have panned the character of Bojack for being too unlikeable, and I think that is truly funny. He's one of the most messed up characters I've ever seen in a cartoon, but despite being an anthropomorphic talking horse he is much more human then any other cartoon lead character I've seen before. There's a real unexplainable monster in his being and I really wanted to see his story unfold.

This is by no means the best show I've seen, but I do recommend watching it regardless of what critics have been saying. It's an interesting original show which highlights that cartoon animation can still provoke something without being outright stupid. Watch the first few episodes, if you're anything like me you'll be hooked in no time.

Thanks for reading.

P.S Both the Intro and End Credits to this show are so awesome.

Pokemon X and Y Review

Game: Pokemon X and Y

Platform: 3DS

Like in Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu has a voice actor this time round.
I'd like to see all the grainy Pokémon sound effects eased out eventually.

The changes made in this generation of Pokémon help streamline the experience more than any previous outing. The battle system has been updated, the graphics have gone through a complete (and beautiful) overhaul and the game is even easier to pick up and play. Though most of the decisions are for the good, the single player story feels like a last minute addition.

The game caters to aiding its competitive players in many ways. IV and EV training your Pokémon’s previously hidden stats is much simpler. Mini games and horde battles make improving your Pokémon’s stats quicker, easier to track and most of all less frustrating. Your Pokémon also now share experience points after each battle. Features like this can make the game seem too easy, but it’s a welcome addition to levelling up Pokémon after the main story has ended.

Mega Evolutions offer a 'trump card' like element to battles. Making for
more varied battle strategies.

While the meta-game of breeding and online battling is the best it has ever been, the story simply re-treads previous Pokémon outings, especially when compared with Pokémon Black breaking the eight gyms followed by elite four model. The end result is a great game with improved online capabilities (the wonder trade is an amazing new feature), but the game doesn’t really feel like it’s begun until after you’ve beaten the elite four.

The game will be succeeded by Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby in the coming months. With such a solid engine in place it will be interesting to see what these remakes add to the series.

Overall Score: 8/10, in ways it's the best in series, but in other ways it's just more of the same.

Video Game Review Mario Kart L8 (get it? The games been out a while. Hilarious.)

Game: Mario Kart 8

Platform: WiiU

Mario Kart 8 made me come back to the main Nintendo Consoles.

And it's not just because of these hilarious Youtube videos.

The Wii U had a sketchy launch, with minimal games that stood out as must haves. Mario Kart 8 shatters that mould with a blue shell, if you have a Wii U, you must have Mario Kart 8.

MK8 stands out from previous entries in the series dues to its incredible upgrade in graphics and frame rate, whether it’s disco, mountain or lava themed, each course looks incredible on a decent sized TV.  

Control has always been one of the series strengths and here is no different, there are numerous supported controller types and honestly as an avid player of Mario Kart Wii, the control has never felt slicker. The change made to tricks in Mario Kart 7 carries over to 8 and is a welcome change for consoles, pressing a button to get a mid-air boost is much more convenient then waggling the controller.

The only negative I can think of is the lack of battle tracks available in battle mode. However I do feel the game more than makes up for this with the addition of a co-op GP mode (finally), better online that actually features voice chat in the lobbies and Mario Kart TV, a feature that lets you watch back those hilarious hilarious replays of games over and over again.

Though I still don’t understand why all the female characters wear skin tight leather outfits and the men don’t.

Overall Score: 9.1/10

for me it's easily the best Mario Kart yet and I'm hyped to see the future DLC.

Zero Gravity really isn't as much of a game changer as you'd
expect, but it's a fun game mechanic none the less.

The new Nintendo 3DS = Basically my **** is much bigger than yours.

If you've seen the Chinpokomon episode of South Park you will know that one of its driving themes is penis envy. Sure, the relevance isn't really there, yet ever since I saw the 'new' Nintendo 3DS reveal I can't for the life of me get the episodes repeated gag out of my head.

"Japanese penis.... soooo small."

The Nintendo 3DS was released in 2011, I bought one immediately. After a lackluster set of launch games and Ocarina of Time 3D hype died down I ended up selling the thing. I figured, there will be an XL version eventually and a whole new string of decent games will be out by then, I can just wait. So I did! Last Christmas I received a 3DSXL and The Legend of Zelda: A Link between worlds (great game), I was incredibly satisfied.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to knock Nintendo for re-releasing updated versions of the 3DS. It's completely expected by this point in time. The original Game Boy had several re releases (pocket, light and colour) and so did the Game Boy Advance (SP and Micro). Even the Nintendo DS had 3 upgrades within a seemingly really short period of time (DSLite, XL and DSi). The 3DS has been out for around 3 and a half years and has already seen an upgrade through the XL and a downgrade for the 2DS, it makes sense though as different price strategies will attract different customers.

The problem I do have is that whilst the re-releasing of a console (or any piece of technology for that matter) manages to manipulate you into thinking you have the inferior product, it's usually just the aesthetics. The upgrades usually focus on SIZE above all else ('soooo small') and minor but useful features... The 'new' 3DS and 3DSXL change that entirely. The new models boast extra power to run more powerful games, such as the soon to be ported Wii classic Xenoblade Chronicles, which is where the problem arises. If you didn't know already, the game will not run on an older model of Nintendo 3DS. As someone who wouldn't mind playing the game, I now feel like Nintendo has me over a barrel. It's likely this isn't done as a cruel marketing tactic and the new model is necessary to run such a game. But can Nintendo really expect not to give it's consumers who can't afford a new console every year some kind of a break? If an extra memory add on for the 3DS isn't possible, how about offering a fair price for trade ins for the previous consoles?

I should not have to have owned three 3DS' before playing Xenoblade Chronicles... I started with a South Park reference and I'll end with one too.

This is how Nintendo makes me feel sometimes.