Spread the Love: Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?

The first of what I would like to make a weekly friday plug column for other stuff I love!  First round: HAWP!

Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'? is a video series done by a brother and sister team that love games, comedy and having a blast on camera.  They release videos on a regular basis, based around seasons, and the typical format entails picking one game or topic for every video.  The videos are all full of hilarious antics revolving around the family of Ashley, Anthony and their Dad. Don't be surprised to see costumes, cross dressing, comic violence and intentionally offensive jokes, mostly at Anthony's expense.  But, its not all for the funny hear, many of the videos also make very interesting points about games, mechanics, industry trends and stories.  EVERY SINGLE ONE of these videos merits a watch, from both an informational and a comedic standpoint.

Check them out on their gametrailers site here

This video in particular is especially relevant because Anthony, now an employee of Gearbox Software is a very outspoken member of the gaming community.  A very outspoken member of the gaming community that just so happens to be color blind.  He actually wrote an article for Destructoid many moons ago wherein he talked about being a color blind gamer, its very interesting and you can check it out here.

Ramblings of a Color Blind Gamer (Destructoid) 

Thanks for reading, I am working on my first of many regular "Mobile Monday" posts this weekend and you should see it that afternoon!

My Love/Hate Relationship with Metroidvanias

You can go anywhere you want, as long as it's here.

After years of incessant nagging, I finally got around to picking up a copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.  And I have to honestly say, I'm glad I did. Everything about the experience that it offers is fantastic.  The controls are tight, the aesthetic is creepy and beautiful.  The music does a great job setting the tone and really adds to the immersion factor.  It even does a good job with incorporating a leveling system and other RPG elements, something that had done little more than add an arbitrary game-lengthening grind portions.  Now you are reading this and thinking "Where does this kid get off loving this game in a love/hate post? Doesn't that just mean you hate it and you're trying not to say it?" But, what you should really be thinking is:



And it's a part I really wish I didn't have to talk about. Because I really do love this game, and other games of the genre I've played in the past. Super Metroid is still to this day considered one of, if not the best game on the Super Nintendo.  And I would be lying if I said I didn't sink hours into Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Metroid Fusion on the GBA.  My problem is not with the games, it's with the ultimately flawed mechanics they are built around. I want to preface this with saying that as many things I have to say, both good and bad, I will still love and continue to play these games, and you should too!

There really is no such thing as non-linear gameplay when it comes to these titles.  And before you say it, yes the old Castlevania games were completely linear, but that will not be my focus here. These games start you on the path of no return, and give you many choices in the process, but only just one clear destination.  This is the first mechanic that I truly found to have a love/hate relationship with. Running around various open areas, exploring the map, finding items and secret areas is an extremely rewarding experience.  It makes you feel good about being observant and going off the beaten path. It rewards you for doing things you didn't have to, and you have fun in the process.  But, no matter how much fun you have exploring this world, you will ultimately hit a brick wall, magically sealed door, treacherous jump or unbeatable boss.  That’s where the exploration and running around stops being so much fun, and starts being annoying and dumb (technical industry terms).

Maybe this is a product of my generation of gamers having too many guided experiences in games, but I don’t like that I have to become a digital cartographer.  Every time I make it somewhere I can’t progress or obtain a new item, I have to remember everywhere I’ve been, every crack in the wall, every unopened door.  Even if I do have a “light bulb over the head” moment wherein I remember exactly where something is I need to return to, something is always missing.  That feeling in the back of my head like I am taking two steps forward while taking one step back is always looming in the background.  Is this actually where I am supposed to go? Did I miss anything? Am I about to step completely unprepared into a big boss fight or tough area?  This constant questioning of my accomplishment really stymies the feeling of progress to a painful slow. <SPOLIERS> Just last night I had gotten as much of the map explored as I could without looking too much up, so I killed the spirit haunting Richter and proceeded into the inverted castle.  Extreme awesomeness of the fact that I can play the entire game AGAIN but F*#$ING UPSIDE DOWN aside, I was extremely irked to look back at my save file and see that I was shy of the 100% mark on the first half of the game..</SPOLIERS>
 

Maybe I’m a bad gamer, maybe I’m a hypocrite for really enjoying this game while bashing the genre as a whole.  I don’t like the idea that this game essentially forces to you to be a completionist, that even though I can defeat every boss and progress the story, I will know that there is somewhere I haven’t been to.  Some small corner with an invisible grey crack on a grey wall, in a grey room full of grey enemies that I didn’t know I have to super jump and punch at the right angle to expose a room.  A room that contributes to the total percent of my score, but actually just contains a weapon I will never use or a health recovery item I will completely forget about.  I don’t feel rewarded for spending an hour trying to get something off the beaten path if it’s completely arbitrary. Maybe those of you blessed with the proper number of cones in your eyes and the ability to detect subtle changes in color tones have less trouble, but some of the secrets in these games are just ridiculous. Trying to find cracks in walls is probably not so bad for your normal folk, but for my money it’s not worth it.  At least in Super Metroid they give you a scanner.

All these things aside, the genre is not dead in any sense of the word.  There are developers, AAA and independent alike, making games in this genre.  Some of them are even pretty good!  Check out Outland on XBLA.  It takes the classic controls, combat and exploration mechanics of a classic metroidvania, but throws it in a absolutely beautiful modern asthetic, and adds a Ikaruga style color changing mechanic that makes platforming and puzzle solving that much more unique and interesting.  Another honorable mention is the independent game Cave Story.  It is a classic take on the metroidvania formula, but with the old fashioned styling of an 8bit game that has become ever so popular in new independent titles. They are both worth at least a play, and Cave Story can be found in Indie Bundles and Steam sales regularly.  Stay playing my friend, if you find something you like, play it! and if you love it, don't listen to me, but remember to think!!

Blog Future and Goals

If you know me, you probably already know that I'm a gamer, and I'm color blind.
If you don’t know me, I'm a gamer and I'm color blind. 

I love to play games, analyze games, write about games, and argue about games.  I try to keep up with games and the industry, even though I am in the category of 'gamers with jobs.'  I have quite a few ideas for regular columns, in addition to news and opinions and I am going to be writing soon, and frequently.  Things on the list for the near future:

Monthly Game: Starting this July, I've been picking one game, typically an RPG or other lengthy title, from my massive backlog that I will concentrate and attempt to beat in one month's time.  Finally typing this out I am laughing at myself a little because I used to polish off long games in a week, real life happens I guess, but I've found I really enjoy taking some of these games at a less crazy pace.  I will play for the month and write my thoughts down at the end. (This Month: Dark Souls)

1000 Games to Play Before I Die: Last year I picked up the '1000 Video Games to play Before You Die' book as a gift from my brother in law.  I have several hundred of them already under my belt, but I am always looking to expand my repertoire as it were, so I would like to take a look at some of them on a regular basis.  I will be choosing games that I would not have normally played, or that I have heard are excellent, but I didn’t have the means to obtain or the time to play. I don’t want to make this like a full-blown retro game review, because god knows there are already a million people on the internet that do that, but I think that games of ALL generations can teach us something about games, about ourselves or even tell a great story!

Funny Colorblind Stories at my Expense: Let's face it, when you can’t tell the difference between red, green and brown, and have a general inability to see things how they were designed to be seen, it can (and has) lead to many an unfortunate situation.  Laughs, harassment and insane realizations are old news in my gaming history, and everyone likes a good old fashioned story at someone else's expense.

News, Reviews and Speculation: I spend a lot of time consuming media about video games. Podcasts, blogs, news sites, r/gaming, videos etc. and I subsequently find myself yelling at my computer monitor or iPhone, (leads to some awkward Detroit City Bus situations, but now is not the time) wishing that I could talk to these people and give a different opinion.  Maybe because I disagree with them, or just because I get sick of everyone always taking the popular opinion, but sometimes I just need an outlet for my game brain.

Games You Might not have Played:  I want to take a look at indie, obscure or just flat out interesting games that most people probably haven't played but deserve some coverage.  Partially inspired by several videos from another site, I think it will encourage myself and the world to take a look at something they might have overlooked, or never knew about.

Moblie Monday:  This is a section I would like to do weekly feature where I pick a mobile game, do a short review and make a suggestion as to if you should play it or not. There are about a million great games on iOS and Android, some of which get little to no media coverage and are often developed by small teams for now money and need all the help they can get.  But at the same time, regardless of source, if there is a great mobile game, I will try to tell you about it.

Links, Loves, and Shameless Plugs: I, much like Mr. Jeff Cannata of Weekend Confirmed and The Totally Rad Show, love loving things.  I especially love loving things of gaming nature and I like to spread the love.  There are a lot of people who love what they do and work hard on their content. I want nothing more than for more people to see what they do and maybe find some new things to love.  I want to share Podcasts, Artists, Video Series, and bloggers that I keep up with, and even new ones I find!

Other Stuff: I am trying to keep my personal life out of here, but video games are not my ONLY interest, just a big one.  Along with my concentrating on a game a month deal, I've set weekly/monthly goals for expanding my horizons: reading books, listening to new music, watching movies, documentaries and TV series, trying new food and restaurants, and just generally trying to live my life! You might hear about some of these things, or more likely I will relate them to games, but don't be surprised if you see a post about an amazing album, a video game soundtrack, or a snippet relating to something I’m reading when talking about a game. 

I'm excited to be working on this, and for all 4 of you reading this (thanks mom!) to laugh, learn something, yell at your computer or at the very least find something new to enjoy! My goal is posting at LEAST once a week, which isn't a whole lot but I want to be consistent.  We will see what the future holds, if people actually read it, the news is interesting, and I am enjoying it I would love to write more and more as time goes on.  Expect a first post by the end of the week!