In the end, it’s back to basics
It's a good time to be a gamer.
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It's a good time to be a gamer.
All is not well in the Mushroom Kingdom. There is a boogeyman in the gaming industry — an unspoken Cthulhu-like horror that threatens to derail all the progress the industry has made over the years should it fully awaken from its slumber.
I often use this column as a platform to rant about recent gaming news, and for that I am truly sorry. This is why you never should give a weekly column to a person who shouts his opinions at the TV. That being said, there has been a surplus of news in the gaming industry lately, and it’s important to be up-to-date on the often ridiculous headlines journalists use. Here’s some of the most interesting industry news:
March is usually the month when students push themselves to get through the swath of exams and papers that come just shortly after that glorious, now-faint week of Spring Break. And, as such, it’s very easy to be tempted to munch on snacks through the ever-common all-nighter.
The most recent form of the SAT, the grueling trial of passage that every high school student most go through to prove his or her worth to society, recently featured as its essay prompt the ethics and benefits of reality TV.
Like an election year, the year of a new console generation is full of long lines, media-driven chaos and eventual disappointment. This Sunday, Nintendo will release the Nintendo 3DS, the successor to the system that sold more units than any other console in history. The hype machine has been in full swing in the industry thanks to the system’s much-ballyhooed 3D capabilities. Sony’s announcement of the NGP, a PSP with two touch screens and more tools than a Swiss army knife, and the rise of mobile gaming might make it hard to decide if you want to update your DS. So, here are the important things to know about the new system:
Although it’s no longer the cultural phenomenon it once was, Pokemon is still part of, and really never left, the video game world. What was once the crown jewel of the Game Boy is now the highest selling Nintendo DS franchise of all time. The cartoons are still airing every Saturday (albeit the new seasons are not nearly as good as they used to be when we were kids), and Pikachu is a character recognized by the entire world on par with Mario himself. There have been four generations of Pokemon games since Red and Blue Version divided playgrounds nationwide, with a few remakes and spinoffs here and there, and now it’s time for a new one.
By the time you have read this column, I will have left Gainesville, curled up on my couch back home and put myself into a video game coma. Instead of catching up on new releases during my time off, as I assume many will do, I like playing my favorite games during breaks. I feel as if I’m returning to a time of innocence before papers, projects and deadlines consumed my life. In my opinion, new releases — even the ones your friends rave about — are way too expensive to risk buying. However, if you do happen to have $60 burning a hole in your wallet and want to try something new, here are two new games you should play during your week of freedom.
I’ve been hearing about how computer gaming is either dead or has been dying since 2001. And with arguably the smallest audience in the already niche video game industry, I admit it’s kind of shocking that computer games are still around. Even more shocking is that computer gaming had its best year since “Quake” and “Doom” created the first-person shooter.
“This game is an atrocity,” an unnamed mother said.
My first experience with the “Guitar Hero” franchise was in summer 2007 in my neighbor’s garage. With a full drum kit in one corner and a Marshall stack beside it, there wasn’t a better atmosphere to begin my imaginary rock star life. On a small outdated television, I became entranced by the rainbow of notes speeding toward me, seemingly leaping off the onscreen fret board. The clicking of the strum bar was like a subtle bass groove to “Mother.” When I reached “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” I ignored my cramping left hand and played all through the night.
Valentine’s Day is upon us yet again. Whether you’re single, in a relationship or just have a vendetta against Hallmark, it’s inescapable. Candy hearts will rain from the skies, and the streets will run white with teddy-bear stuffing.
I never understood the allure of the “Madden NFL” franchise. Aside from the greatest sports commentator who ever lived, the game is boring if you’re not a sports fanatic. EA Sports’ dedication to realism in games is good for the guy who has an NFL season pass on his Direct TV, but what about the rest of us? What about the gamer who doesn’t want to manage a franchise and just wants to play a simple, fun football game?
Sean Saley is just as comfortable with a guitar in his hand as he is diving into a pool. While training during his first year on UF’s diving team, Saley plays in the band Half Track, which is opening for Afroman later this year. He’s been diving since he was 12, when he
Like many students, I’m pretty much broke. I’ve eaten Burger King at least six times this week, I worship ramen, and every penny saved is a video game earned. Spending $50 or more on a blockbuster title might make gamers into mindless slaves of consumerism and pretty graphics, but that is a curse we’re willing to live with.
AT&T used to be my cell phone service provider — the key phrase there being “used to.” Dropped calls, poor phones and customer service staffed by incompetent gorillas are just some of the infamous issues the service provider is known for. Yet, people still cling to the carrier like submissive gimps — all thanks to the iPhone. If given the choice, a significant portion of AT&T’s customers would jump ship should the iPhone be released on a better service, say, for example, Verizon Wireless.
The holiday season has descended into its dark, twilight hours. The hot-ticket items have gone back to sleep in storage, and bottom-bin sales fill stores with the unwanted dregs of the free market. Last year in the technology industry, no items reigned more supreme than the Microsoft Kinect.
The depiction of women in video games has always been a mark of shame in the industry. Undoubtedly, the majority of video games developers are male — as is the industry’s target demographic. Thus, it’s not surprising that many virtual females are designed to look like idealized perfections of the gender at best and pubescent fantasy at worst. Take these favored femmes: Bayonetta has 4-foot long legs, Taki from “Soul Calibur” has triple-E sized breasts, and the entire female cast of “Dead or Alive” can be summed up with the phrase “jiggle physics.”
For some Gainesville residents, old school is the only school
Between the days of soul-crushing finals and the start of a new semester, in that two-week slice of heaven called “the holidays,” I learned to appreciate the finer things in life: sleeping until noon, watching movies on the couch and good, old-fashioned monster stomping.