Honestly, “gaming” has taken up less and less time in my life lately, so I’m not really sure what to do with this space. Maybe I’ll just brain-dump here while I try to dust off my long-neglected writing skills. If I end up unemployed this year (a very real possibility!) then I’ll at least have a head start on that starving artist thing I was working on back the first time I went to college (College Prime? Alpha? 1.0?).

See you around. Or not. Who knows.

-M

Er, yeah.

So I think that Netflix streaming video may be the key for me getting into shape. Specifically, the disc-less streaming on the Wii.

I finally got around to getting an extra set of cables, so now I can quickly and easily move my Wii from the TV I game on to the one in the room with the treadmill. Because the only way I can stand exercise is if I dull the pain with mindless entertainment.

Plus, since my poor choice in career has kept me from watching prime-time TV for the better part of a decade, I have TONS of quality shows to catch up on and I can ignore the stuff that turned out to be crap! I’m currently catching up on season two of 30 Rock.

I’ve already reached my goal of being in the best shape of my adult life at age 30 by virtue of not being a chain-smoking fat-ass, but let’s face it, that bar was set pretty low.

In a good way.

I was always interested in this game, but I had a conversation about it that included the word “postmodern” a few too many times,  so I didn’t rush to play it. Not having a system it was available on at the didn’t help.

But I got an e-mail from Playstation to tell me that it was one of the half-price games on PSN this month, so I jumped at a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Bottom line: It’s a very good puzzle platformer that’s pretending to be something “deeper.” I haven’t finished the game yet, so I don’t know what that something is yet, but it seems to be a story of redemption and regrets. I don’t know. I read the bits of text before the levels and get how it’s connected to the pieces of the life I’m trying to put back together (many layers there), but if this was just Mario with a reverse button I wouldn’t think it any less of a game.

I think the thing I like the best about this game is that you can’t die! Not for long, anyhow. There are no “lives,” no real game over. Death mechanics are still a stumbling block for game designers, left over from the arcades. This game handles it better than just about any other game I’ve played. You don’t get sent back to the start, and you don’t pop back where you were without much penalty. You just hit rewind and try again. Brilliant! (Though I have gotten myself caught in some pretty serious loops).

My biggest worry about this game is trying to play it with my wife in the room. The sound of time speeding backwards can get grating on me when I’m playing; I imagine it would be the worse game in the world to just watch.

(PS: Please ignore the fact that I haven’t updated in seven months. Life got in the way.)

infendo.com

This was shown at E3, and we got a bit of information about the upcoming Zelda game for the Wii:

• Made specifically for the Wii.
• Will probably use (and may even require) MotionPlus.
• Link is a bit older than he was in Twilight Princess, though it’s likely on yet another part of the timeline.
• Note that Link doesn’t have a sword. Early speculation is that his new friend has something to do with that. Maybe this is a Master Sword origin story.
• Also notice that he is right-handed. This makes sense after they flipped the world for TP, though it might upset some of the purists. I’m hoping that there is an option this time around for the true lefties of the world.

Nintendo says that they hope to show this off early next year, so we probably won’t see it before Holiday 2010, or even spring 2011.

All your pads are belong to us.

This looks like a retro gamer’s dream. It’s a hub that connects each of your original Nintendo controllers to your Wii for playing VC games. It is love.

Set to come out in July for $20, it’s a tasty looking accessory for anyone who craves the most authentic experience, short of blowing out an old cartridge.

The problem I see, though, is that there appears to only be the one port for each system’s controller, so there’s not really much you can do for a multiplayer game other than to buy more than one of these dongles, or just make your buddy schlep with wiimote/classic/Gamecube controller. And of course there is always the matter of having working retro controllers.

Even still, it’s a very cool looking accessory.

As far as I know, this will make it the first game to make MotionPlus mandatory as opposed to an option (besides Wii Sports Resort, I guess, but I’m viewing that as a glorified tech demo for now), and it’ll prove to be an interesting test. Will the add-on sell enough to compel folks to get games made specially for it? Will Red Steel 2 sales suffer because of it? Will the improved control spark interest in a sequel to a wholly unremarkable game (that’s to say, not bad controlling, but just bad)? Who knows?

My advice? Make like Tiger Woods and pack in a MotionPlus if you want to stand a chance.

Lennon's signature Rickenbacker 325 - image 1up.com

Harrison's Gretsch Duo Jet - image 1up.com

I will confess, these look pretty sweet, and if I was going to replace an old guitar, I might spring for one of these. And I’m sure there are people out there who will buy the whole set.

I just want to see Ringo’s tiny fake drums.

Parasite Eve is an odd little game. It’s sort of like Square saw Resident Evil and said “Hey, we should totally do that, but with numbers.” So they got a license from a Japanese sci-fi / horror book and made a very loose sequel. Which, come to think of it, may be a first: a video game as a sequel to a novel.

The plot is ultimately a meaningless mess of genetic mutations and cellular rebellion. All you really need to know is that bad stuff is going down in the city and for some reason you — a spunky blond cop with a pistol and the world’s loudest shoes — are the only one who can stop it. Seriously, everyone else keeps catching fire or turning into orange ooze.

The action is pretty fun. Fights take place in real time using the good-ol’ “Active Battle” system. The twist is this game takes place in New York in the 90s, so instead of waiting to use your sword, you are waiting to shoot somebody in the face. Your primary weapons are all guns, though it wouldn’t be an RPG without some kind of magic system. Your Parasite abilities are mostly used for buffs and healing, though you do get a few offensive spells. The battles are random, but they are location triggered, so you get the feel for when they are coming and exploration doesn’t get interrupted as badly.

The visuals hold up well. Like most PS1 games, you move your character around on top of static prerendered backgrounds. The funny thing about going back and playing games from this era is that I find that I almost prefer the games in this style, while at the time I thought that the N64 and its fully 3D graphics were superior. Now I find that the 64’s flat polygons and overly stretched textures haven’t aged nearly as well as the detailed environs of Square’s post-Nintendo efforts.

Of course, the big flaw with the static backgrounds are the occasional pixel hunts. The makers of PE seem to have taken a bit of pleasure in this, hiding treasure chests containing the best loot in corners and behind foreground objects. You’re going to want hit every nook while tapping the check button

PE came out in an interesting time for Square. Final Fantasy VII had just made JRPGs cool in America (ironic since it’s the worst in the series), and this feels like a sort of side project. My used copy even came with a demo disc including a movie for Final Fantasy VIII. It’s interesting to see what kind of left-field projects Square could come up with before most of their output became a sequel or remake in its headliner series (and I guess Dragon Quest, too, but I still tend to think of Square and Enix as separate entities – a belief supported by the conflicting approaches to the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy remakes on the DS).

I like the idea of survival horror, but I’m pretty crap at it. PE gives you just enough of a creepy vibe, but with the ability to grind if you get stuck. It’s perfect for someone like me who can’t hack it in a Resident Evil. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes actiony RPGs, creepy hallways, and/or B-grade late-night sci-fi.

I give Parasite Eve 4.5 mutated rat carcasses.

Just wants to be loved.

Not that I think I have legions of loyal readers (or any, for that matter), but I just wanted to pop in and say that this project is not dead. I’ve just been busy trying to get a job and haven’t been feeling very “gamey” for a couple of weeks.

I’ll be posting something snarky about Nintendo again soon, promise.

-McClain