So I was reading an article on CNET called "Why the next Nintendo portable needs to be a tablet." The article focuses heavily on the touch screen and gyroscopes of the new Wii U controller, and how the author wishes that Nintendo would make it more "tablet like." The author complains about how it needs to be paired with the wii u in order to work and play games and how you can't just take it on the go without the wii u, especially "considering that the ipad mini can do so much more without the need of a wii u." It's times like this when I'd wish that the techies at CNET would keep their noses out of the world of video games. The author has no idea what he's talking about, so allow me to explain.
1. The wii u gamepad is a controller.
Yes it is true that it has a touch screen and gyroscopes, but it is built from the ground up to be a controller for the wii u, to control video games being played on a TV screen, and has those capabilities to add an extra layer of control and depth to gaming. It was not designed to be able to play games, watch video, surf the web, or something else you can do with a tablet on it's own. There weren't any complaints when it was shown that NES/SNES/N64/PS1/2/XBOX controllers needed to be plugged into the console to work, or that 360/PS3/Wii controlers needed to have the console on to do anything. Or that your universal remote doesn't turn on your car or microwave.
2. It streams games to free up the TV
A semi-big selling point for the wii u, well at least something Nintendo has been boasting about, is the fact that you can stream some games to the tablet freeing up the TV. The author brings up this feature but complains that it needs to have the console on in order to do that. Again, the gamepad is a controller, not a tablet. Nintendo did this because with many kids, the video games are connected to the family TV, and I for one know the frustration of wanting to watch TV or a movie or play one of my other consoles but my brother is playing CoD. With this, parents are able to kick their kids off of the TV while the kid is still able to play their game, or you could be able to continue playing your game while you go to the bathroom, instead of pausing, losing your momentum, and failing. It is not however, intended to run the game, but just allow a second option for play. Sir, you are complaining that you aren't able to instantly stream Netflix without an Internet connection.
3. You want the TV experience.
Since by now I gather that you aren't a gamer, let me put this in terms you tech guys might understand. If you had the choice to watch a movie on blu-ray, 1080p, 60 inch display, full 5.1 surround sound, or standard definition, compressed, itunes quality on a tablet, which would you choose? Unless you're an idjut, you'd choose the former. We aren't playing angry birds here. We're playing in depth, high paced, quality games here on the Wii U, and using a controller to make it all the better. The stream to the controller is a last resort convince like streaming netflix to your smart phone. It's meant to be played on a TV, like movies are meant to be watched on a big screen with quality sound set up.
4. It may be a spiritual successor to the DS, but need I remind you how the DS handled the touch screen?
Let me remind you how the DS worked with the good games, not the ones that are ports of smart phone games. The good ones, like Super Mario 64 DS, Urbz, New Super Mario Brothers, Animal Crossing, Spider-Man 2, and other games like that, used the top, NON-TOUCH, screen for the majority of the game play, with the bottom touch for more of menu, inventory, map, and some mini games. Games such as Bejeweled are not good examples of what DS games are, they are cash ins on technology but run just like the smart phone counterpart. No serious gamer bought a DS for games like that. They bought it for the games that I mentioned previously. Games that aren't heavy on touch screen, but use it for secondary controls or menu-type items. This is similar to how the gamepad will be handled. Gamers aren't buying it for the controller, or the touch screen heavy games. They are buying it for the games that focus on real gaming and use the game pad screen for secondary features. WE DON'T WANT TO "play super Mario on our ipads," BUT RATHER ON THE TV!
5. Pressure form Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other hardware manufacturers to make tablets? Nintendo Ecosystem? What rock have you been living under?
I don't know if you're awair, but Nintendo makes all their own stuff. You can always find aftermarket devices, but they aren't approved by Nintendo. Plus Nintendo isn't a tech company, they are a video game company. Unlike Sony and Microsoft who are tech companies who also make video game consoles and some games, Nintendo is SOLELY video games, and merchandise of their games. Have you ever used a Nintendo computer? My guess is no because they don't exist, and I don't mean Fami-Com. That was a marketing ploy and as far as I know, it really only played games. Ever watched a Nintendo TV, or used a Nintendo CD player, or a Nintendo Blu-Ray player? No, because again, they don't exist. Nintendo makes games and game consoles, for games, for gamers to play games on. They are not in the business to try to make computers.
6. What you just described was the DSi/3DS (warning, mild course language ahead).
You talk about "Nintendo developing a tablet that has brain age and could work with leapfrog to have entertaining education," and "a tablet with classic Nintendo game library." Well guess what Dip Shit, you just described the (3)DS. "The Wii U has a lot of great ideas to add to the discussion of how tablets can work with TVs, but the next step needs to be to find a way to unpair the GamePad and have it be a device on its own." Why the hell would they when they have the (3)DS already there? The game pad is a fucking controller, and not a fucking tablet! It was built to control games on a TV using a second touch screen as a secondary means of input for controls. If you want to game on the go, get a (3)DS. "Consider the alternative: Nintendo has a near-tablet and two handheld all existing in parallel. I'd rather have one connected ecosystem instead, and I think many people would agree." You sir just don't get that the gamepad is a controller, and not a tablet. You also don't understand how the 3DS and DS are coexisting for the time being until the DS gets phased out entirely. The 3DS and DS are at the point similar to how many movies were released on both VHS and DVD during the same time. Movies were still available on VHS but that was just to allow people the time to get a DVD player before they were a thing of the past.
7. The Wii U is not an apple TV, and the gamepad is not an ipad.
Lets get one thing perfectly strait, people are not buying the Wii U for it's controler and then getting the Wii U console as an added bonus to have some fun on the TV. They are buying a Wii U for the same reason they bought a wii and wii remote, a gamecube and a gamecube controller, an N64 and and N64 controller, and any other video game console and it's respective controller; and that is to play video games off of the console and use the controller to control the game. This is not "oh I'm watching a TV show I bought on itunes on my ipad, but now I feel like watching it on my TV, so I think I'll put it on my TV using apple TV." This is "I'm shooting zombies, shooting zombies, crap I need health, look down select med kit, look back up, OH GOD more zombies" and "Doot doot doo suuper mario on the TV, 'son you've had the TV long enough, I'm kicking you off,' not a problem I'll just keep playing on the controller, but I'd rather have the TV." Please, understand this.
8. Nintendo is tired of being "the casual guys."
I don't know if you've noticed, but Nintendo is really pulling hard for NOT being labeled for casual gaming with the Wii U. They lost a lot of credibility with gamers with the Wii because it had such a casual gaming stigma. If there's anything Nintendo is trying to do, it's to lose that stigma and get the hardcore gamers, and marketing the Wii U as merger of casual gaming at home and on the go, will do just the opposite of what they want to accomplish. And just like I said in #6, they have the (3)DS for the on the go, casual gaming. I don't know if you've noticed, but the DSi and 3DS have a download shop that has casual games in it. There are also physical media casual games that you can pick up at gamestop for $5.
In conclusion, you sir are a delusional, tablet struck, dumb ass who doesn't comprehend what gamers want out of a game system nor what Nintendo wants out of their game system. CNET, in the future, please keep your hands off of video games and leave that to the professionals at IGN, Joystiq, GameSpot, and others who specialize in games, because you don't know what gamers are looking for.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Pokematic's Dark Knight Rises Review
It's the final movie in the Nolanverse of Batman. How does it hold up?
If it's not a good game or catholic...who do you call?...why Pokematic "Hi."
My college puts on movies for a dollar every month. This month's movie was The Dark Knight Rises. Now I saw this back in theaters when it came out, but due to reasons of TMI, I had to leave during the big fight scene between Bane, Batman, and other characters at the end causing me to miss some valuable plot points. I was able to make it back to see how it ended, but it just wasn't complete. Now that I have seen it all the way through, time for a full review.
As you may or may not know, this movie takes place 7 years after the events in The Dark Knight. Gotham is clean for the most part, Bruce Wayne has become a shut in, and Batman is no where to be found. But before we learn that, we see Bane hijacking a plane in order to get a scientist who is an expert in weaponizing fusion. Bane then takes control of Gotham's sewers and severely hurts Commissioner Gordan. When Bruce finds out about this, he comes out of retirement to stop Bane. But in order to do this, he must work with the Cat Woman, whom we find to be a really morally grey character.
Each film we find Bruce fighting some personal issue that is personified as the villains. In Begins, it's fear; in Dark Knight, it's morals; in Rises, it's his own physical limitations. Bruce wane is becoming old. One of his knees is bad causing him to need a cane, and later a super prosthetic knee thing, and he just isn't in the shape he used to be. This compared to Bane's super strength and super ability to fight. He also has special training in fighting, which I won't spoil what. Speaking of Bane, his goal is to "return Gotham to the people, and fight the tyranny of the corrupt." But the biggest thing for me was that he sounds like a muffled Sean Connery. Basically Connery crossed with Darth Vader. Just thought I'd put that out there. Cat Woman is an interesting character. Her actions are fueled by self desires. Like Bane, she isn't to fond of the rich people, but her goal is to leave her life of crime with a clean slate. Go somewhere where no one knows who she is and it being impossible for people to know who she is. We don't really know if she's really all that bad or not.
Now to tell you what happens, without telling you "what happens." Unlike Scarecrow who just wanted to make everyone afraid and crazy, Joker who just wanted to watch the world burn and show that anyone could become corrupt, and Harvey Dent/2 Face, who proved Joker right, Bane has a much deeper back story. In order to understand his reasoning, and to make the big plot twist at the end, we need to know how he came to be. Unlike it Batman and Robin, shutter, this time around Bane has free will and is the big schemer, and his back story is what fuels his reason for wanting to take down Gotham. And that Plot twist, it's just super "didn't see that coming." Also during the fight, Batman says something almost exactly like what Bane said earlier in the movie.
Now this movie has been called "The Greatest Conservative movies of this decade," and I don't disagree. But to get into that, I'd need to do copious amounts of spoilers and that won't work for me here. If you want to further look into it, here's a link to an article. Lots of spoilers though. You've been warned.
So to wrap things up, this was a good end to a good trilogy. They really tied things up with the Batman character, while still leaving it open for a different super hero. Hint hint. Sure hope they use him since Nolanverse is a great version. Well this has been Pokematic signing off and bu-bye.
If it's not a good game or catholic...who do you call?...why Pokematic "Hi."
My college puts on movies for a dollar every month. This month's movie was The Dark Knight Rises. Now I saw this back in theaters when it came out, but due to reasons of TMI, I had to leave during the big fight scene between Bane, Batman, and other characters at the end causing me to miss some valuable plot points. I was able to make it back to see how it ended, but it just wasn't complete. Now that I have seen it all the way through, time for a full review.
As you may or may not know, this movie takes place 7 years after the events in The Dark Knight. Gotham is clean for the most part, Bruce Wayne has become a shut in, and Batman is no where to be found. But before we learn that, we see Bane hijacking a plane in order to get a scientist who is an expert in weaponizing fusion. Bane then takes control of Gotham's sewers and severely hurts Commissioner Gordan. When Bruce finds out about this, he comes out of retirement to stop Bane. But in order to do this, he must work with the Cat Woman, whom we find to be a really morally grey character.
Each film we find Bruce fighting some personal issue that is personified as the villains. In Begins, it's fear; in Dark Knight, it's morals; in Rises, it's his own physical limitations. Bruce wane is becoming old. One of his knees is bad causing him to need a cane, and later a super prosthetic knee thing, and he just isn't in the shape he used to be. This compared to Bane's super strength and super ability to fight. He also has special training in fighting, which I won't spoil what. Speaking of Bane, his goal is to "return Gotham to the people, and fight the tyranny of the corrupt." But the biggest thing for me was that he sounds like a muffled Sean Connery. Basically Connery crossed with Darth Vader. Just thought I'd put that out there. Cat Woman is an interesting character. Her actions are fueled by self desires. Like Bane, she isn't to fond of the rich people, but her goal is to leave her life of crime with a clean slate. Go somewhere where no one knows who she is and it being impossible for people to know who she is. We don't really know if she's really all that bad or not.
Now to tell you what happens, without telling you "what happens." Unlike Scarecrow who just wanted to make everyone afraid and crazy, Joker who just wanted to watch the world burn and show that anyone could become corrupt, and Harvey Dent/2 Face, who proved Joker right, Bane has a much deeper back story. In order to understand his reasoning, and to make the big plot twist at the end, we need to know how he came to be. Unlike it Batman and Robin, shutter, this time around Bane has free will and is the big schemer, and his back story is what fuels his reason for wanting to take down Gotham. And that Plot twist, it's just super "didn't see that coming." Also during the fight, Batman says something almost exactly like what Bane said earlier in the movie.
Now this movie has been called "The Greatest Conservative movies of this decade," and I don't disagree. But to get into that, I'd need to do copious amounts of spoilers and that won't work for me here. If you want to further look into it, here's a link to an article. Lots of spoilers though. You've been warned.
So to wrap things up, this was a good end to a good trilogy. They really tied things up with the Batman character, while still leaving it open for a different super hero. Hint hint. Sure hope they use him since Nolanverse is a great version. Well this has been Pokematic signing off and bu-bye.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
A Pokematic and Happy Gamer Wreck It Raph review
So Disney made a movie about video game characters, how will it turn out?
If it's not a good game or...WAIT A MINUTE! It may not be a good game, but it's about good games. I'm Happy Gamer, and this is Pokematic, here to talk about Disney's Wreck it Ralph.
So as you can see, Happy Gamer will be helping me out on this review, because while it isn't a video game, it's about video games. He'll talk about the gamer aspect later. But now I'll talk about, well, everything else. So as you probably know by now, Wreck it Ralph is about a villain from an old arcade game, and he's tired of being the bad guy, so he goes to other games to try to be a good guy, or something to that extent. Here's a better synopsis of what happens.
So Ralph is the bad guy in the arcade game Fix It Felix Jr. According to HG, the game Fix It Felix Jr. is kind of a cross between Donkey Kong and Rampage. You got a guy wrecking the building, Ralph, and a guy who needs to fix it, Felix, and once Felix fixes all the windows and stuff and gets up to the top, the level is completed and the inhabitants of the tower rejoice and throw Ralph off of the building. This has been going on for 30 years, and while Felix is given the hero's treatment, Ralph lives in the dump next to the building and no one in his game likes him, because he's the bad guy.
On the 30th anniversary of the game, everyone is celebrating at a big party in the penthouse apartment in the building, all except Ralph. He sees the fun, and goes up to see if he could join in. After some awkward small talk with Felix, Ralph is invited in. He causes a bit of a ruckus, accidentally, and after a series of events, he and the owner of the building make a deal that if he can get a medal, he could live in the penthouse, since heroes get medals and villains don't. He proceeds to getting one in a new game called Heroes Duty but things happen to cause him to lose it in Sugar Rush, a racing game similar to Mario Cart. That's all you need to know for the time being. There are some plot twists, so any further would ruin it.
The characters are quite entertaining. Our main characters, Ralph, Felix, Vanellope, King Candy, and Jane Lynch, are all very interesting. OK, Jane Lynch is voice behind the character Sergeant Calhourn, but who's going to remember her character since the character looks so much like her? We already know who Ralph and Felix are, so lets talk about Venellope and Jane. Venellope is a "glitch" in the racing game Sugar Rush. She refers to her glitchness as "pixlexia." Her dream is to be a racer, but she doesn't have the necessary coin in order to pay the entry fee. She lives in an unfinished track in the game called Diet Cola mountain. Ralph ends up helping her race. King Candy is the king of Sugar Rush. He ends up being the antagonist of the movie, but his intentions are pure, as it would seem. Sorry, spoilers after that and I really don't want spoilers. But he does have access to the game's programing, and how the programing is handled is quite interesting. Jane Lynch is the Sergeant of the First Person Shooter "Hero's Duty." She's out to fight the cy-bugs. She's a no nonsense leader, and has a rather depressing back story. She was programed as having lost her would be husband to a cy-bug. Right as she was getting married, a cy-bug flew through the stained glass window and ate her fiance. Everyone from real video games aren't given much screen time or development, but who cares, we already know who they are, and while they are mostly there to add realism to the movie concept, they are handled quite well. When only given a few lines, or none at all, there isn't much room to screw them up. But they aren't the main characters.
I don't usually mention the marketing, but this movie is worthy of the mention. Aside form the usual trailers, Disney made actual, playable versions of the games that our main characters come from. On the Wreck-It-Ralph web site, there are flash versions of Fix it Felix Jr., Sugar Rush, and Hero's Duty. Take it from Happy Gamer, they are fun. Our favorite is the Fix It Felix Jr. game since it's incredibly reminiscent of classic arcade games, and not only has the 8-bit graphics and repetitive background music, it also has the increasing difficulty of classic arcade games. Hero's Duty is a decent FPS that's kid friendly. You're shooting bugs with minimal gore and no blood. I hope these games get released for download on home console or handheld. They're on android/apple products, but I want a real controller in my hand, and they are well made. Plus Sugar Rush isn't available from what I've found, Hero's Duty isn't the same, top down perspective instead of first person, and not sure about Fix It but it's probably not the same either. I don't know since I don't have mobile devices to get them on, but they're free so if you have the devices, why not get them?
Well that's my portion, now for Happy Gamer to talk about all the gaming aspects. Take it away HG.
Oh man, that was so cool. When the citizens of Fix It Felix Jr would move it would be jerky like the animations of an old arcade game. When a quarter was put in a game, there was this "Quarter Alert" thing that told everyone to get ready for the game to start. The characters were awair that there was a world outside theirs, and could see into that world through the screen. Game Central Station is a power strip that all the arcade games are plugged into. Wow.
Then after hours, the characters were able to go between games though their power cords. The villains anonymous meeting was held in the pac-man ghosts hub thing. The bar in their universe is the classic arcade game Tapper. They had real characters from real video games. They had Bowser, Q-Bert, Frogger, Clyde from Pac-Man, a mushroom from super Mario brothers, and so many more. Before the movie played, the Disney Animation Studio's logo was done in an 8-bit style. They included The Konami Code! And this is just the tip of the Ice Burg. If you do see it, be sure to stay after the credits, because Disney throws in something special for you hardcore arcade gamers out there. It has to deal with the Disney Logo at the end. Be sure to catch it.
Thank-you Happy Gamer. Now my family has been putting off getting a blu-ray player for some years now, movies still released on DVD and we only got a real HDTV last year. This movie though, I'm going to make sure we get a blu-ray player so I can enjoy this movie in all it's greatness. I should also mention that I saw it in 2D because most of the time you don't miss much so I can't give a verdict on if the 3D is worth it or not, but since I know I will be seeing this again, next time I think I might try 3D, cause even if the 3D is bad, it's still worth the extra price. Well this has been Pokematic, and Happy Gamer, signing off and game on and have fun.
If it's not a good game or...WAIT A MINUTE! It may not be a good game, but it's about good games. I'm Happy Gamer, and this is Pokematic, here to talk about Disney's Wreck it Ralph.
So as you can see, Happy Gamer will be helping me out on this review, because while it isn't a video game, it's about video games. He'll talk about the gamer aspect later. But now I'll talk about, well, everything else. So as you probably know by now, Wreck it Ralph is about a villain from an old arcade game, and he's tired of being the bad guy, so he goes to other games to try to be a good guy, or something to that extent. Here's a better synopsis of what happens.
So Ralph is the bad guy in the arcade game Fix It Felix Jr. According to HG, the game Fix It Felix Jr. is kind of a cross between Donkey Kong and Rampage. You got a guy wrecking the building, Ralph, and a guy who needs to fix it, Felix, and once Felix fixes all the windows and stuff and gets up to the top, the level is completed and the inhabitants of the tower rejoice and throw Ralph off of the building. This has been going on for 30 years, and while Felix is given the hero's treatment, Ralph lives in the dump next to the building and no one in his game likes him, because he's the bad guy.
On the 30th anniversary of the game, everyone is celebrating at a big party in the penthouse apartment in the building, all except Ralph. He sees the fun, and goes up to see if he could join in. After some awkward small talk with Felix, Ralph is invited in. He causes a bit of a ruckus, accidentally, and after a series of events, he and the owner of the building make a deal that if he can get a medal, he could live in the penthouse, since heroes get medals and villains don't. He proceeds to getting one in a new game called Heroes Duty but things happen to cause him to lose it in Sugar Rush, a racing game similar to Mario Cart. That's all you need to know for the time being. There are some plot twists, so any further would ruin it.
The characters are quite entertaining. Our main characters, Ralph, Felix, Vanellope, King Candy, and Jane Lynch, are all very interesting. OK, Jane Lynch is voice behind the character Sergeant Calhourn, but who's going to remember her character since the character looks so much like her? We already know who Ralph and Felix are, so lets talk about Venellope and Jane. Venellope is a "glitch" in the racing game Sugar Rush. She refers to her glitchness as "pixlexia." Her dream is to be a racer, but she doesn't have the necessary coin in order to pay the entry fee. She lives in an unfinished track in the game called Diet Cola mountain. Ralph ends up helping her race. King Candy is the king of Sugar Rush. He ends up being the antagonist of the movie, but his intentions are pure, as it would seem. Sorry, spoilers after that and I really don't want spoilers. But he does have access to the game's programing, and how the programing is handled is quite interesting. Jane Lynch is the Sergeant of the First Person Shooter "Hero's Duty." She's out to fight the cy-bugs. She's a no nonsense leader, and has a rather depressing back story. She was programed as having lost her would be husband to a cy-bug. Right as she was getting married, a cy-bug flew through the stained glass window and ate her fiance. Everyone from real video games aren't given much screen time or development, but who cares, we already know who they are, and while they are mostly there to add realism to the movie concept, they are handled quite well. When only given a few lines, or none at all, there isn't much room to screw them up. But they aren't the main characters.
I don't usually mention the marketing, but this movie is worthy of the mention. Aside form the usual trailers, Disney made actual, playable versions of the games that our main characters come from. On the Wreck-It-Ralph web site, there are flash versions of Fix it Felix Jr., Sugar Rush, and Hero's Duty. Take it from Happy Gamer, they are fun. Our favorite is the Fix It Felix Jr. game since it's incredibly reminiscent of classic arcade games, and not only has the 8-bit graphics and repetitive background music, it also has the increasing difficulty of classic arcade games. Hero's Duty is a decent FPS that's kid friendly. You're shooting bugs with minimal gore and no blood. I hope these games get released for download on home console or handheld. They're on android/apple products, but I want a real controller in my hand, and they are well made. Plus Sugar Rush isn't available from what I've found, Hero's Duty isn't the same, top down perspective instead of first person, and not sure about Fix It but it's probably not the same either. I don't know since I don't have mobile devices to get them on, but they're free so if you have the devices, why not get them?
Well that's my portion, now for Happy Gamer to talk about all the gaming aspects. Take it away HG.
Oh man, that was so cool. When the citizens of Fix It Felix Jr would move it would be jerky like the animations of an old arcade game. When a quarter was put in a game, there was this "Quarter Alert" thing that told everyone to get ready for the game to start. The characters were awair that there was a world outside theirs, and could see into that world through the screen. Game Central Station is a power strip that all the arcade games are plugged into. Wow.
Then after hours, the characters were able to go between games though their power cords. The villains anonymous meeting was held in the pac-man ghosts hub thing. The bar in their universe is the classic arcade game Tapper. They had real characters from real video games. They had Bowser, Q-Bert, Frogger, Clyde from Pac-Man, a mushroom from super Mario brothers, and so many more. Before the movie played, the Disney Animation Studio's logo was done in an 8-bit style. They included The Konami Code! And this is just the tip of the Ice Burg. If you do see it, be sure to stay after the credits, because Disney throws in something special for you hardcore arcade gamers out there. It has to deal with the Disney Logo at the end. Be sure to catch it.
Thank-you Happy Gamer. Now my family has been putting off getting a blu-ray player for some years now, movies still released on DVD and we only got a real HDTV last year. This movie though, I'm going to make sure we get a blu-ray player so I can enjoy this movie in all it's greatness. I should also mention that I saw it in 2D because most of the time you don't miss much so I can't give a verdict on if the 3D is worth it or not, but since I know I will be seeing this again, next time I think I might try 3D, cause even if the 3D is bad, it's still worth the extra price. Well this has been Pokematic, and Happy Gamer, signing off and game on and have fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)