When it’s game time it’s pain time! 

 Is it just me or are more people adapting to what seems to a growth in our gaming culture? As a kid and now Adult I still love and enjoy games and the distance places they take me to where I can find my zen. You know frag the shit out of that sniper on Call of Duty 4 you know the one.  Just as I think of it not even half the amount of people now played video games as much as today.

        I recall I’d go to a friends house we would play either nes or snes then go outside later and play. Just it was not all devoted to gaming but it seems in todays world that’s not the case. Our youth is picking up on games faster and taking them down with ease as 10 years ago it was just starting to unfoil. We were getting the fondations to set up the big picture.

         The rise of the internet was our big leap as we made great strides in. Then we had our very first console to go online the Sega Dreamcast with it’s built in 56K Modem. This was once again setting up the big picture. This would lead to the PS2 having online gaming and the ever so popular Xbox Live.  PC also already had years on the consoles but it’s growth is substantial with games like WoW that has celebrities talking about it’s 10 million subscribers. I mean who can say no to Mr.T and William Shatner?

        With Xbox live it’s great and it’s getting better with the millions of subscribers it has as well. It’s service has set a foundation of what most gamers compare other online services to like Sony’s Playsation Nework.

With all these people moving in online gaming and if not going to a lan party. All of a sudden the Lan party is the hip thing now Halo anyone?  That and everyone is getting in now it’s not just a male dominate world in gaming now. While games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band set up everyone to hop in who is not a gamer but wants to have a quick good time. Those games give you that, or amazing story telling those turn to Bioshock. Just also with the growth and how much our culture has adopted it we also get the bad.

 It seems every big murder done by anyone from the ages of 11-30. Get blamed on violent video games. As it will flood our news, also we also have more movies getting made from games then ever. Hitman, Dead or Alive, Doom and the successful Resident Evil. It’s not just News and movies it’s also comics as well and more of a natural thing. Our culture just loves games and it will continue to grow. 
                           
  Until then this is Shawn out!

 I’ve been spending alot of my dear sweet time on the 4th installment of Advance Wars DoR it’s so now, I’m going to give you my impressions after playing the previous installments.  So with out futher due lets get started here.

Ahhh you want McDonalds?

 

Now first of all say good bye to Andy, Sami and Max for they are no longer in this game. Now it’s all about Will, Brenner and Lin as the story is pretty grim and more story driven then previous installments. The story is a huge meteor strike hit earth and killed almost everyone on earth so now surviors lie in thosands at that. Will wakes up in a pile of wreckage and realizes not must people survived, later Will gets saved by Brenner of the 12th battalion. After that you go on various rescue missions or just searching for surviors or just food. The grim setting is a whole new look and new setting something I didn’t think nintendo could pull off with it’s once little kid friendly war game from before.

 

The new units make things feel more tactial then ever before. Don’t get me wrong AW has always lied on it’s tactics just some units make the option of capturing a building far away to secure it for futher base advancements or getting near by citys and factorys for quick loot and ability to make units faster. During the battles I find myself constantly using the bikes which is basically your average infantry unit now with more moving space power so you can capture buildings faster then ever. Some of the other great units include the Anti Tank as you you will use this alot the more you play. It is a must for the new super tank called the War Tank, with the Neo Tank gone, it is basically the same tank different name.

 

Epic indeed! 

 

The mutiplay has always been a huge factor to this series and it got even better. The ability to go online is quite epic or just trade maps as you can hold up to 51 maps in your game very impressive. Last night I played my friend who I shall call Belmont, had a two hour battle which I rose as the victor of course! Just one thing is tough about mutiplay is that in order to use a CO power you have to have him in a unit on the field, and no if he/she gets destroyed you do not lose the game. The same rules applie destroy all the units or capture he/she HQ building. Just if you do Mutiplay use fog of war makes it even more fun adds that element of surprise then seeing what your buddie makes and then countering to his weakness and so forth.

 

While the single play is good you can’t use CO’s during the single play only mutiplay. Also you can’t buy maps, or CO’s from before so that might be a shock to fans of the series. Overall the game is great and top notch and best reason to have a DS bar none.

Until then this is Shawn out!

 

 

 

  

 Hey everyone I like to talk about a game you may know as Final Fantasy IV which came out in 1991 developed and published by Square now Square Enix. They released it the North America as Final Fantasy II, which would later get cleared up in some of the many remakes on Final Fantasy Chronicals as Final Fantasy II is really Final Fantasy IV. It would later get made Wonder Swan Color and the GBA.

Active Time Battle very ahead of it’s time.

 Just this was a game way ahead of it’s time. It brough big inovations to gaming, with character development as the story starts as you are a dark knight named Cecil from the city of Barron. You soon set apon a quest filled with struggles heart break and one hell of a ride. What made this game so great was the (ATB also known as Active time Battle.) This was a huge ground braking moment for Final Fantasy as it’s been used in many more Final Fantasy games. You go out to find Crystals and fight the evil Goblez, with the help of Kain Cecil’s friend, his lover, and ryida a summor, and many others you meet later like a Ninja Prince named Edge, a very powerful monk named Yang. Oh and of course how could it be a Final Fantasy game with out the ever so classic Cid as your airship pilot.

Just Epic nuff said!

 The music also has always been a big part of the success of this francise and how they tell you a story. Once again the music is top notch it seems every Final Fantasy game they out do themselves. The Presentaion was another great thing with it’s serious moments to it’s silly humor. This game was nothing but amazing. I didn’t just play this game oh no I played this game with a passion. Yes this game is by far my favorite Final Fantasy game. I mean the fact that you can fly to the flipping moon screams PLAY ME!

 Now with the DS version out in Japan I just hope they launch a North American launch soon that way I can get sucked in and enjoy the ride. The game is nothing but breath taking while the grahics may not be what you usually see now in a game for it’s time it was the one game to rule them all. This is by far one of the greatest games of time and on that we cue the music, take care everyone shawn out