Twas the Week Before Black Ops

‘Twas the week before Black Ops and all through the clan,
Not a soldier was stirring, not one single man.
The controllers were hung by the Wii with great care,
In hopes that much greatness soon would be there.

The members were waiting by Gamestop that night,
While visions of Headbanging gave them no fright.
And Eagle on wings and d in his cap,
Had just settled down for a long boring nap.

When out in the world there arose such a clatter,
Uber sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the store he flew like a flash,
Tore open the doors and grabbed for his cash.

The clerks in the store stared out in wonder,
At so many guests who started to blubber.
When what to their wondering eyes should appear,
But a shiny new game beside the cashier.

With a grumpy old man behind the store counter,
Wearing what else but large reindeer antlers.
With disarming speed so lively and quick,
He beat them all back with his giant boomstick.

Now Eagle, now Gunbar, now d and fine Uber,
On Nemesis, on Cat, nothing else matters.
To the top of the counter he stood mighty tall
With his lovely boomstick, fighting them all.

With many dry bones he made that stick sing,
Giving us all far more than a tap, more than a sting.
At the top of his lungs, above the high wall
He said “Take you your game, and dash away all!”

So out of the store the customers all flew,
With Black Ops in hand, all shiny and new.
Back to their house, and by their TV,
They inserted the game, right into their Wii

The old man in his store, waiting again
Ordered the doors shut by his trusty doormen
We still heard him exclaim, ‘ere the doors were shut tight,
“Happy Black Ops to all, and to all a goodnight!’

MHT: Monster Weaknesses

I decided to make a post about MHT Monster Weaknesses. Sure, you can find the information on the MHT Wiki, but it takes a bit of time to go through it all. This post is intended solely for the purpose of a brief but informative list of what the monsters are weak to, an "At a Glance" guide, so to speak. I hope it is found to be useful. I am not going to concern myself with the minion (little) monsters, for two reasons. For beginners, it would be irrelevant due to the fact that even if they did have elemental weapons to use on small monsters, they would not be very strong yet. And for experienced hunters, the elemental weaknesses of small monsters are irrelevant because experience and skill more than make up for what kind of weapon is chosen to fight them with (in other words, if you're good, it does not matter what weapon you use on the small monsters). I am also not going to list the weaknesses for Great Jaggi and Qurupeco, for the same reasons stated above. I am going to begin with Royal Ludroth, and go on from there. I will list the monster, followed by a colon, after which I will list the weakness for that monster. So here we go.

Royal Ludroth: Fire, Thunder

Barroth: Water, Fire

Rathian: Dragon, Thunder

Gobul: Thunder, Fire

Great Baggi: Fire

Gigginox: Fire

Barioth: Fire

Uragaan: Water

Rathalos: Dragon

Diablos: Ice

Lagiacrus: Fire

Agnaktor: Water

Deviljho: Dragon, Thunder

Caedeus: Dragon

Jhen Mohran: Ice

Alatreon: Paralysis, Dragon (In Flight), Ice (Ground)

There you have it. Happy Hunting!!

MHT Room Names

Either my understanding of room names is way off, or people just have a total lack of respect and consideration of room names. I guess it could just be me. Maybe it's just that people like me so much, even though I am not on their friend roster, that everyone wants to be my friend in rooms created for Friend Roster play. Or maybe when I create a room for solo play, they think I am lonely and am desirous of companionship. Maybe someone here can help me decipher what's really going on.

Here are my questions. Why do folks enter a room created for friends who is not on my roster, then complain when I politely explain that the room is for me and my friends? I just don't get it. Or why do people enter a room I created for solo play, and leave after a few minutes when they get bored because I am on a lengthy solo quest? What did they expect when they entered? That I would just be sitting in the tavern, waiting for three more players to show up for a party? Is that the real definition of solo play? I don't know. Someone help me out here, because I really don't get it.

But the strange thing is, the reverse does not happen. When I create or go into a room for everyone (Everyone Welcome), I run into all sorts of folks not on my friend roster looking to create a party for quests. That's kind of what I expect, so I guess I am just not getting what the real etiquette should be.

Unless I am way out there in my understanding of room names, GET A CLUE PEOPLE. Don't enter a room for friends only if you are not on the friend roster of someone there. If you enter a solo play room, don't expect to form a party. I don't know about anyone else, but when I create a room for solo play, that's exactly what it means.

Get a frigging clue folks, and respect room names.

Video Games ARE Good For You: Part III

So, here we are on the last leg of this three part series. If this were a horse, it would have been shot and put out of its misery long ago. Fortunately, no angry parent has come chasing after me with a gun, so let’s wrap this up. In this final post, I’ll discuss how video games can help with visual development and look at a real life application as a result of playing video games. And finally, I will provide a brief summary of what we have learned.

Visual Development

According to one study, “Action video games may train our eyesight so we have a better contrast sensitivity function (CSF), which is our ability to detect shades and colors that differ from the background”. The study goes on to explain how video games may even help improve the physical process that take place in the brain behind the eye balls. In another study, it has been shown that playing video games not only helps with the physical process of visual development, but they also contribute in a positive way to increasing visual attention. In other words, playing video games might also help improve focus for people. Unless, of course, a child is sitting in a boring math or history class, and all he or she can think about is playing games after school. But don’t worry parents, as long as your child can graduate, regardless of the grade, playing video games can be a step in the right direction for young people entering the work force. We’ll look at that next.

Real Life Application

So here’s the crunch, the punch line, the benefits of having played video games in a very real and concrete way. Mom and dad, listen up. Guess who wants children who have been raised on video games: none other than dear old Uncle Sam. That’s right, the military has found that those who have played video games adapt very well to their electronic world. A report put out by CBS states: “In short, video games made better soldiers and sailors faster, safer and cheaper.” So while some may say that video games today are violent (and I would not disagree), these same violent games, the war games especially, are actually teaching our young people the same military tactics that the armed forces teach.

Summary

Ok, so this is where I put the stupid disclaimer stuff and provide a summary. I should probably mention that there could be just as many studies found that portray the negative side of video game addiction as there are that show the positive side. I didn’t do that, because I didn’t want to. I could say that if you play too much, you may end up with thick, black rimmed, coke bottle glasses, hands permanently cramped as if holding a game pad, and a bottom that has become irrevocably numb from sitting in the same position for hours on end. I should also mention that many of the studies included in this three part series did suggest that not all video games provided the benefits as discussed. In terms of the benefits, some games are more beneficial than others. You can read about this for yourself if you really want to. So…for the rest of the summary:

1. Cancel your Prozac prescriptions.
2. Find a way to convince your parents that you are doing your homework by playing video games.
3. Understand that you will actually be more social and have more friends as a result of playing.
4. Who needs an eye doctor? Just play video games – it will do your vision a world of good.
5. Continue to play video games, and get a job.

P.S. For some reason that is beyond me, I am having a problem with the links in this post. The links for the studies mentioned in this post are as follows:

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/03/action-video-games-improve-eyesight.ars

http://powerusers.edc.org/materials/Green-BavelierQuestionAbstract.pdf

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/08/eveningnews/main672455.shtml

Video Games ARE Good For You: Part II

Last week, we began this three part series by examining a study that showed the medical benefits of playing video games for those struggling with depression and other health issues. This week, we are going to look at how playing video games help children learn and develop social skills.

LEARNING

Let’s move on to the area of learning. In an article entitled “Why Video Games Make You Smart”, “According to some scientists and academics, video games can actually make you smarter. The strategic thinking and problem solving involved in video games makes them good learning machines.” The article goes on to explain a little bit about how video games work, how the brain learns, and how video games make learning fun. The study goes on to say: “Gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. "'Probing' refers to the strategic thinking and complex problem solving of video games, according to James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gee says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, the hidden treasure is in the castle. They engage in an action by hunting for the treasure. Gamers discover if their hypothesis is true or false when they search the castle. If they don't find the treasure, they revise their hypothesis the next time they play."

Well DUH!! Who wants boring? If I had a choice to learn logic and puzzle solving through textbooks vs. video games, I choose video games any day. And moms, think about it. Wouldn’t it be easier to get your kids to do their homework if it was a video game? Rather than fighting to get them off the games, you could actually be proud of what little Susie is learning with a game pad and joystick in her hot little hands. You may read the full article I reference in this section by clicking here. Let’s move on to social development.

SOCIAL SKILLS

How many times have you heard anyone say, or read somewhere, that playing video games can harm social development and social interactions? That sitting in front of a television or computer playing a game is harmful because it leads to a more solitary life and will stunt social growth? WRONG ANSWER!

"By providing places for social interaction and relationships beyond the workplace and home, MMOs have the capacity to function much like the hangouts of old," they said. And they take it one step further by suggesting that the lack of real-world hangouts "is what is driving the MMO phenomenon" in the first place.” In addition, MMO games can provide a deep, rich, entertaining, and valuable social structure for those who embrace them. “The researchers, Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams, claim that MMO’s function not like solitary dungeon cells, but more like coffee shops or pubs where something called ‘social bridging’ takes place.”Furthermore, MMO’s “reward players for cooperation and the formation of long-term player groups or “guilds”, (and) is part of the game. Game play in MMO’s is not a single solitary interaction between an individual and a technology.”

In fact, from personal experience, I can tell you that I have have met folks of all ages from across the globe. Video games can also help make the generation gap disappear, and bring people together who otherwise would never meet. There is also something to be said in learning to work together in teams to accomplish a goal impossible to achieve in solo play.

So mom, listen up – while sweet little Johnny is sitting in front of the television beating up bad guys, he may very well be doing it with online friends, meeting new people from different cultures, and reinforcing what he was taught in kindergarten. That is, how to share and play nice. Again, you can read the full article I reference in this section by clicking here.

I will wrap up this three part series next week when we look at how video games can help with visual development, and then finally examine a real life, ADULT application as a result of playing video games.

Video Games ARE Good for You: Part I

The original home video game, “Pong”, was developed by Allan Alcorn and released for consumer consumption (can a video game be “consumed?) in 1972. Thirty-eight years and multitudinous consoles later, I can hear echoes of my mother’s voice in the voices of thousands of other modern day mothers of young children across the globe: “Playing those video games so much is not good for you – you need to stop, take a break, and do something better with your life”.
I have the IGN RSS Wii News Feed in my Favorite Bar on my browser. This post was prompted by a headline I saw there about a week ago. The headline is as follows: “Drop the Prozac and Pick Up a Game”. The title intrigued me, so I checked it out. As I was reading the article, which discusses the benefits of video games for those who are depressed and/or physically handicapped, I thought: “Are there any other studies out there that that support what I, and those like me, have known for years? Are there more studies out there that espouse the benefits of video games in other areas of life?” To the possible dismay of aggravated mothers everywhere, the answer is a resounding “YES”. My next three posts will cover the benefits of playing video games in the following areas of life, based on articles and studies I have found by browsing the web.

1. Medical Benefits
2. Learning in Children
3. Social Skills Development
4. Visual Development
5. Experience Towards Real Life Applications

Links for each article will be included in each section that article addresses. Feel free to use the articles in their entirety when you encounter a situation where you must defend yourself against an aggravated mother.

MEDICAL
Let’s begin with the IGN article that first caught my attention, about the benefits of video games vs. Prozac. The article states “Interactive entertainment can be a . . . place where players are not seen for their disabilities first. And not just physically disabled people, [but] people with depression, anxiety, and stress have found that games are just what the doctor ordered.” Furthermore, “In a six month study of 134 people, they (the researchers) found that playing Bejeweled reduced stress by 54% compared to a control group. The games also help lift participants’ moods, particularly with Peggle (a researcher) where there was a massive 573% improvement after playing.”

WOW – 573% improvement. Let’s put the Prozac people out of business folks. If there was a better reason for Wii Unite than this, I sure as heck don’t know what it is.
I will continue this series next week, where we will look at the positive impact playing video games can have on learning and social skills development in children.

Goodbye Game Crazy

An IGN article, authored by Jim Reilly, stated recently that Game Crazy would be liquidating its remaining stores and shutting down. This is sad news for me. Game Crazy has been around for a long time, and it was the only video game store, strictly speaking, in the Wenatchee Valley when my wife and I moved here 10+ years ago. A few years after that, Game Stop opened a new store in our Valley right across the street from Game Crazy, creating serious competition for the franchise. Not long after that, this particular Game Crazy went out of business. It was sad to watch. I loved Game Crazy. I loved the spacious store and the ability to browse without being pestered by sales people. Most of all though, I loved that you could try out a game before buying it. It was hard to watch the gradual decline and eventual fall of this one store. I resented Game Stop for quite a while after that. I also hated that Game Stop did not let you try out games before buying them. Being the mature adult that I am now, however, I eventually got over it, sort of. A lot of my "getting over it" had to do with the fact that Game Stop now had a captive consumer base, and they were the only choice for me if I did not want to drive 20-30 minutes to find another place that would have as wide a selection of video games. And to be honest, Game Stop has now earned a place in my video game addicted soul. The store has grown on me: it's still hugely convenient (I drive right by it on my way home from work every day), the atmosphere of the store is pleasant, it's clean, and the store manager now knows me by name (how sick is that?). Seeing that I am a regular, he takes care of me now, enabling my addiction in the most considerate of ways. Still, having said all of this in praise of Game Stop, I am sad to see Game Crazy go. After all, it was my first true video game store love, and I don't think anyone else can fill that particular hole in my heart quite the same way.

MHT Common Sense

So I was playing MHT in the am before I had to go to work, having joined a party of three others online. One of the other three players had chosen a quest, and when I looked on the quest board, I discovered that the quest chosen was to capture Baggi. Generally speaking, I do not like capture's, but I wanted more Baggi hides, bones, or whatever else I might get from this particular quest, so I decided to participate. When we entered the map to begin the quest, two of the players explained in chat that they were going to do some mining. My biggest concern at this point was whether or not one of these two had the trap(s) needed for the capture. I was hoping this was not the case. Yin (the on-screen name of the person I was with) and I proceeded to begin the attack on Baggi to wear him down. Not more than five minutes into the quest, one of the "mining" players fainted while Yin and I were in a completely different zone battling the giant Baggi. He and I had not fainted yet. I was like, what the - - - -?

So Yin and I continue our attacks, and to my complete and utter surprise, about two minutes later, the other player who was mining fainted. Not more than ten minutes into the quest and the two mining players had each fainted once. The question in my head at that time was "How the heck do you faint while mining?" Sure, the little Baggi can attack and harm you, but it's not hard to get away from them. It only takes a little common sense to see your health is less than half or so. Not too hard in my opinion. Needless to say, one of these two players fainted again a few minutes later, and we failed the quest.

So we get back to the tavern, and another quest is chosen by one of these other players. I gently remind everyone that they might want to bring extra potions. When I look on the board, the quest chosen is once again to capture Baggi. At this point, I failed to exercise common sense myself, because despite what happened the first time, I joined them again. Stupid me.

At least no one went mining this time, and no one fainted. We were all getting along quite well, doing an excellent job of putting the screws to Baggi, working as a team, having a jolly old time. We made Baggi leave the first zone, but he still was not limping, or even drooling. We followed him as he entered another zone. Shortly after we got there, one of the other players laid down the only trap we had among the four of us. Baggi fell in it, but it was much too early. I asked if anyone else had a trap, and they all said no. I immediately abandoned the quest, as it was impossible to complete at this point.

Back at the tavern, one of the others once again chose a quest. When I looked at the board, it was to capture Rathian. I actually laughed out loud. No common sense. They couldn't even capture Baggi. I told them I would not join them. At this point, I was getting smart. They asked why. I explained that if they couldn't even capture Baggi, what made them think they could capture Rathian? The response I got at this point in chat was "lol". So I guess they thought their lack of common sense was funny. Actually, I thought it was funny too.

So what is the point of this blog entry? Simply this: use common sense when playing MHT online, especially if you are in a party with others. Don't fail a quest out of stupidity or out of a lack of common sense. Bring potions, bring traps, bring whatever tools you need to succeed, and then use them wisely. On top of that, watch your health. Let others know what you are doing, and be smart about it. One other piece of advice – if you don't' want to use common sense when you play MHT online, at least have enough consideration of others to play that way by yourself.

Game dis-Informer Part 2

……continued from previous post.

In the December 2007 issue, GI laments the lack of online games for the Wii. At the time, SSBB was the only online option for Wii players, so the point was valid. However, in the following eight issues I looked through, Game Informer does a very poor job of touting the success of online Wii games like CoD: WaW & Reflex, as well as the Conduit for online play.

In the July 2008 issue, GI bashes Smash Brothers series pretty hard (and I quote), "The gameplay itself is designed to be fun for all ages, which basically means skill has nothing to do with winning or losing…" Excuse me, but there are some very tough, very skilled, very hard-core SSBB players who do not play with available items. Anyone who has spent any time in the SSBB arena knows this. I challenge any of the folks at Game Informer to stop by the All Is Brawl web site and pick up a 1 vs. 1 match with someone there. I have a feeling their arses would be handed to them in short order.

In the September 2008 issue, GI wrote an article describing a recent Nintendo press conference they attended. It was largely negative, and some of the points they made were valid. I thought to myself, "Hmm, when was the last time GI did a largely negative article on X-Box or PS?" Through the remaining seven issues I had to go through, I couldn't find a single one, and believe me, I looked.

The February 2009 issue addresses the hardcore gamers guide to the Wii. They site Metroid Prime 3, MK Wii, and a few other noteworthy games, but, even in its praise of good Wii games, GI still has Wii bashing on the mind, as can be seen in the following sentence taken from the article: "While there's no doubt the Wii is drowning in a deluge of party games, there is still a good number of…..well made games ….for the system." What is so hard, GI, about focusing solely on the good for Wii when goddness happens, rather than framing the positive things you say about the Wii within negative statements?

The magazine also laments the potential and ability of the Wii for good game development. I would argue this point. While I am not a great fan of The Conduit, in many ways, the game, and High Voltage Software, revolutionized the potential for future Wii games with their Quantum engine. Monster Hunter Tri, which will be released April 20, 2010, is another Game where the developer took the time to develop a game properly for the Wii. I would suggest to the folks at GI that it is not the Wii that is lacking in the ability to produce so much as it is lazy developers who do not want to put forth the time or the effort to produce a quality, Wii worthy game. I would like to see GI shift their focus more from Wii bashing to game developer bashing when developers fail to push the Wii to its full potential.

So now, decide for yourself wether or not GI likes the Wii. I could most likely continue this thread with future issues of GI if I chose to do so, but I think it can be clearly seen that GI has it's favorites, and the Wii is not one of them.


 

 

Game dis-Informer, Part 1 of 2

I am going to be painfully clear from the outset of this post, so that those who may become angry with what I have to say will have facts to back up their back-bashing of me should they feel the need to do so, rather than bashing me for inaccurate or unfounded assumptions. First of all, I love the Wii. Call me sick in the head if you wish, but it's true. Even if I had the money to do so, I would not buy an X-Box or a Playstation. In fact, at the writing of this post, I could fork over the money for one of these systems if I wanted to, even without the use of a credit card. But I don't want to. Some would respond that I do not know what I am missing. Since this post is in no way intended as a console war discussion, or a bashing of the other consoles, I am not going there. Everyone likes different systems for different reasons, so let's just leave it at that.

As the title of this two part series indicates, this is nothing more than a Wii lovers Game Informer Magazine bashing party. So let the games begin.

I decided to tackle this topic after perusing month's worth of the Game Informer Magazine (referred to going forward simply as GI). I have been a subscriber for a few years, solely for the benefit of the discounts it gets me at Game Stop. It seems to me that GI does not like the Wii, or even Nintendo, very much. I thought to myself, "This could just be me, or not." So I decided to look through the issues I had on hand to see what I could see. After doing so, it seems even more obvious to me. You can decide for yourself at the end of this post.

I looked at nine back issues dated from December 2007-February 2010. Nine months of issues spanning three years. Read on.

First of all, with very few exceptions, GI devotes 80%-90% of its game related articles to X-Box, PS, and/or PC games. Very seldom does a Wii game get a large spread in the magazine. Admittedly, my estimate could be off, as I did not do the actual cold hard math, but if the estimate is off, I don't think it's off by much. Two notable exceptions are the August 2009 issue, as well as the latest issue (May 2010) where GI devoted an eight-page spread to Conduit 2 and a three-page spread devoted to Monster Hunter Tri.

To be continued…..

Don’t Let Optimism Get You Down

Optimism is a wonderful thing, except for when it bears the heart-wrenching fruit of disappointment. Case in point: The Conduit (yes, that again). When it comes to the subject of The Conduit, I realize I am in the unfortunate position of trying to be objective while discussing a game I hate. (Hate – such a strong word, but it proves the point of my opening statement.) So while I am sitting here in the midst of my musings on the subject, I have to be brutally honest with myself and fair to the game while not holding back on the admitted and obvious flaws of the game.

Let's begin with pre-release expectations of the game.

Prior to its release of The Conduit, the following statement was made about the game in an IGN article dated, June 11, 2009: "High Voltage says it is, "... fusing fast and fluid gameplay with an advanced set of visuals intended to squarely establish the Wii as a true next-generation gaming platform." To that end, the title uses dynamic environment mapping, interactive water with real-time reflection and four-stage texture composition, including gloss, diffuse and bump-mapping."
That's pretty high praise indeed. The entry for The Conduit in Wikipedia further explains the force behind the hype: "The game makes use of the Quantum3 engine, a game engine designed by High Voltage Software specifically for the Wii. The engine allows effects such as bump mapping, reflection and refraction, and gloss and detail mapping to be implemented in the game. High Voltage Software created the engine to make The Conduit a comparable experience visually to games on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 despite the Wii's hardware limitations."

I could go on, but I believe this is enough to show the high expectations folks had of The Conduit. Those who live in the Wii World, and I am one of them, were excited beyond compare for the revolutionary gameplay we would experience in the Conduit.

Now for disappointment, and before I address the very real flaws of The Conduit, let it be known that these are very real flaws rather than the rantings of a sucky Conduit player. First of all, there is the glitch which sometimes leaves you in limbo when you try to enter an online game. This drove me nuts. And if it happened to be a marathon match, then the player it happened to was well and truly screwed. This is the glitch where you can see your weapon spinning in circles, and you are powerless to do anything but turn your Wii off to unglitch yourself. Other glitches taken advantage of by online players are invincibility, infinite rocket launches, and shooting through the walls of buildings in a map. The disappointment as compared to the hype was felt by all. Stevie Smith at play.tm says: "Despite considerable pre-release expectation built on the back of favorable tradeshow chatter and preview appraisal, The Conduit quickly reveals itself to be a quite shocking disappointment on a number of levels." Matt Casamassina with IGN makes the following statements: "In various matches with upward of eight or 10 players, I noticed that in some cases everything ran beautifully. However, I also encountered situations overrun with lag in which on-screen characters would skip around erratically, making maintained matches virtually unplayable." To be fair to The Conduit, IGN and Matt Casamassina, I will also include the following quote in the same article by Matt: "Meanwhile, the technology powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead of most third- party offerings for Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great."

So where am I going with this? You may be asking yourself if I am lost. I assure you I am not. Going forward, we have been informed by High Voltage Software that a sequel to The Conduit is in the development stages. Nintendo Power released an eight page layout on The Conduit 2 in their May 2010 issue. The article describes all the goodies Wii owners can expect in the second round of The Conduit; more weapons, larger maps, online co-op mode, interchangeable armor, big bad bosses, even some under water Atlantis adventures. As I read the article, I found myself getting (dare I say the word) excited. My next immediate thought was, "Yeah, but I felt this way about the first one before it came out, and look what it did to me." I've heard rumor, as well, that High Voltage Software will be tightening up their servers to improve online gameplay. The question I have is this: if we were to be so bold as to take all this hype at face value, will we be rewarded with the fruit of fulfillment, or will our eternal optimism just bring us down one more time when we bring the game home and pop it into our Wii?

RS2 Note

I am going to continue the RS2 thread as intended. However, at this time, I am going to write the complete series before I continue any further. When I am done writing the series, I will then post one installment per week. This will help to keep the story fresh and moving forward. Thanks for your patience.

5 Reasons to Buy a Wii

I recently came across an Article online spouting 5 good reasons for buying a Wii. The 5 reasons, according to the article, are as follows:

1. Controls are intuitive.
2. Everyone loves it. (I would argue this point. "Everyone" is a big word. Throughput my gaming experience, I have spoken with many people who do not love the Wii. More on this in a moment.)
3. It's Nintendo.
4. Less expensive games than other systems. (Mostly, but sometimes not.)
5. It's family friendly. (Since it's inception, maybe too family friendly.

So there you have it. Umm, actually, no. I would like to offer my take on 5, no, actually 6,  good reasons for buying a Wii. Ready?

1. Red Steel 2.
2. Monster Hunter Tri.
3. Metroid Other M.
4. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
5. The Conduit 2
6. As can be seen by the list of games above, game developers are recognizing the need for developing hard core games for the Wii utilizing it's full potential, as well as the fact that it can be done with the Wii.

Now, as for those who do not love the Wii, I believe that lack of love is due to the family friendly thing, and the fact that the Nintendo arena has been severely lacking in hard core gaming development, and too much time spent on family friendly games. I believe that is changing, as stated above. So, for those of us out there who are Wii and hard core gaming lovers, get the word out. The Nintendo world is changing.

CD Clan

As many of you know, Monster Hunter Tri is coming out this month. And by all accounts to date, it is going to be an awesome game. From what I understand, there will be a great meeting hall in the game online where you can meet up with strangers to form parties for quests. But how much more fun might it be if you had folks you know you could meet up and play with? How much more fun would it be if you could plan parties strategically with online friends? Many of us in Clan CD will be getting Monster Hunter Tri. So if you would like to meet up with others on PC chat as well as in the game, stop by and check us out.

RS2, Part 5

Most of the Kusagari believed I was banished for a dishonorable act towards my father and my clan. Nothing could be further from the truth. And it was because of family and clan honor that my father and I were able to not divulge details of my banishment to others. Even Jian was kept from knowing the truth, as much as that hurt my father and I. My father knew what was happening, He was a visionary with an uncanny sense of what the future would bring. He saw the day coming when the Katakara would be strong and brave enough to attack Caldera and the Kusagari clan. He saw that their strength might one day surpass our own. For many generations, Caldera belonged to us. But people forget about honor, about truth, about the need for strength to maintain peace. At one time, the Kusagari were sought after for their wisdom and strength, for their prowess with the sword and gun. We valued these things more than gold and silver. Our treasures ran deeper than that. But over time, people became greedy. They saw in the Katakara clan the same things they wanted: wealth and power. So rather than seek out the Kusagari, they began to seek out our enemy for the things they desired. And finally, we became too weak as a clan to defend ourselves, our homeland, any longer. My father saw this day coming long ago. So he sent me away with our most treasured possession, his katana, for safe keeping. He knew I would need to be absent for many years. He knew it was important for the Katakara to become comfortable in their victory over the years. He knew there would be a day when one, lone Kusagari master would have a great chance of defeating the Katakara on his own. This is the secret of my banishment, the secret not even Jian knew. It is to my honor that I must appear shameful and rejected by my own clan, and even my father. He and I discussed this plan on many nights in secret, when everyone was deep asleep in their beds, even Jian. This deception has not been easy, especially knowing there may be no one left of my clan upon my return. But this is the way of honor, the way of bringing back the Kusagari after apparent defeat. And the Katakara will rue the day they dared challenge my clan, my father, and the ways of the Kusagari.

How to Play RS2

Here's an awesome Video on how to play RS2 by Ubisoft. And FYI, from here on out, in my Red Steel 2 blogs, I will reference the game as RS2, both in the body of the blog as well as in any blog titles.

The Conduit 2 Confirmed

The Conduit 2 for the Wii has been confirmed (see image at left). You can read about it HERE.
I will try to keep folks updated on it here as well. I was not a big fan of the first one, for two reasons.The first reason is that I sucked at it. The second reason is because of all the glitches in the game,and the dorks who took advantage of the glitches. If you glitch in video games, you're a dork, end of story.So, between the glitchers and my lousy game play, I hated the game. Believe it or not though, I am getting a bit excited about a sequel.If the game is developed as stated to date, it might actually be good. If they also improve security on the serversto help eliminate glitching, it might actually be great. I will probably get the game. I will, however, refuse to stay in a Conduit gameif a glitcher is present.

Red Steel 2, Part 4

The Jackals are nothing but fools, Payne being the most foolish of all. He thought he would have himself some fun tying me up to his motorbike and taking me for a ride at the end of a rope. To be honest, I was very nearly done for, especially when my head nearly became nothing but mush on the tracks of a passing train. But still, luck, or fate if you will, was with me. Payne was not thinking when he dragged me through fire. My great coat protected me from the worst of it. The same could not be said for the rope that bound my wrists. I managed to free one wrist, and then I was able to pull out my gun and shoot through the rope at the end of the bike. Payne's fun was then over. He charged me like a mad bull and clocked me good a couple times before I was able to kick him away. Then something exploded big time, and he could no longer get to me. He was just a little bit angry. I guess our duel to the death will have to wait, for now. I recovered my gun, which I dropped in our tussle. Now all I have to do is find my katana. I have not yet begun to fight, as Payne will soon discover.

Monster Hunter Tri Update

This game continues to razzle dazzle. Take a look at this Trailer posted on the site on 04/01/201, and no, it's no April fool's joke. Oh yeah, I decided to include my hunting license in my blog, just for the heck of it. I wanted to see what it would look like. More later. Happy Hunting!

Qurupeco is History

I finally brought the overgrown chicken down. The only monster it called when I beat it was the little and the big Jaggi. Rathian never made an appearance. If he had, I would not have beat the Qurupeco quest. The demo disc was a great idea, because it allows players to learn the controls and get somewhat good with them in plenty of time for when the game comes out in April.

I did not know until the other day that when Qurupeco hits its wingtips together three times in a row while dancing side to side that right after that, it will either call a monster or heal itself. If you can hit its song sack while it's doing this, before it is finished, you can either interrupt its monster call or steal its healing power for yourself. So I began to focus on this. The first two times I tried the quest today, I opted for the long sword character. I got close to beating it those two times, but ran out of time just when I had the chicken in its coop. I then tried the hammer character again, and I applied the skills I had learned with the long sword character to my use of the hammer character (i.e., rolling, interrupting it's call, doing a power smash on the Qurupeco when it was on the ground, maintaining my health, sharpening my weapon, etc….). As a result, I beat the thing, finally, after almost a week of playing the game. Apparently, there is hope for me yet in the MMO game play arena. It was tremendous fun, and I can't wait for the game to come out in April. Thank goodness Red Steel 2 will be here shortly. This is probably my last post on the MHT Demo disc. I will blog regularly about my MHT journey come April 20.

Red Steel 2, Part 3

The Jackals who hold me captive are amoral and ubiquitous. They care for nothing more than quick money, quick drinking, and violence. I am sure that if it were not for the strength of their leader, they would have cut one another's throats long ago. I am patiently waiting, still ready to pounce on the slightest opportunity to secure my freedom. They believe me to be weak. They are wrong. They are not as disciplined as the Kusagari clan. As a result, they do not know the power of the mind, nor do they understand the techniques we have been taught to preserve and marshal our strength for times of need. This, perhaps more than anything else, causes me to wonder that there must be something more to the absence of my clan than the mere presence of these animals. The Jackals alone, even with their leader, would never have the strength to defeat the Kusagari on their own. I do not know where the rest of my clan has gone. I was returning home after my five years of banishment when I fell into the hands of the Jackals. Something is very wrong, and now my home town is filled with scum. I know my sword and my guns are still nearby. I see the Jackals playing with them in the evening. One of them, in his carelessness with my sword, managed to slice off the arm of one of his brethren. Idiots, all of them. Now, whenever one of them brings my sword out to play, the others stand far away to watch the theatrics. Soon I will teach them that my sword and my guns are not toys to be trifled with. Soon, I will be free, and they shall know true fear. I will teach them to fear me, to fear the Kusagari once again.

Monster Hunter Demo Part III

I was more successful yesterday in my attempts to defeat Qurupeco. I mostly used the long sword character again.
Finally, after three days of playing this game, I discovered what the whetstone that is given in the demo disc is used for. Apparently, beating up on monsters weakens your weapon. A message is given stating that your weapon has decreased in power. When that happens, you can select the whetstone out of your pack, and when you activate it, it sharpens your weapon which restores its power. Very Cool!
I have typically NOT been an RPG or MMO gaming fan. But so far, I LOVE this game, and I am so looking forward to getting it when it's released in April.
I mainly used the long sword in my hunt again yesterday, and did pretty well, until......Qurupeco called Rathian into the frey. OH MY GOSH - Rathian is HUGE, and I really had no hope of completing the quest with that beast involved. He tossed me around like I was something less than a rag doll. I tried to avoid him and stayed focused on Qurupeco, but it was not easy. Now I had two monsters with projectiles offenses. Qurupeco spits green slime balls, and Rathian shoots fire balls. Oy - what a challenge. Still, I stuck with the strategy of staying close to Qurupeco so that Rathian would have a hard time getting me. It seemed to work a litle bit. I actually managed to knock Qurupeco down three times in the same quest. Each time, when it got up, it had a nasty limp, so I figured I was close to beating it down for good. Alas, that never happened. Maybe today.
I did try the switch axe again. Now that I am used to the controls, it was a bit easier to use a different weapon. The "Switch Axe 1" character has a pretty good combo going, but it does take some time to wind up the combo. Also, in sword mode, it has what looks like electricity or fire running up and down the blade in mid-swing. In addition to that, its reach is pretty good. It has the ability to hit enemies beside and behind the character using it, which sometimes came in handy. It was slow however, and Qurupeco man-handled me while using the switch axe. Maybe woman-handled would be a better term, as the character using it was a woman.
I also successfully deployed a flash bang at Qurupeco, which caused the beast to be dizzy for about 30 seconds. I thought I would be able to just walk up to it and wail on it in it's confusion, but I was wrong. While affected by the flash bang, it thrashes wildly in defense until it recovers. It's hard to get close to it to attack while it's doing that without getting damaged.
All in all, I had another enjoyable day of hunting. Like I said, I still did not beat Qurupeco yesterday, but I am not giving up. That beast is going down.....sometime.

Monster Hunter Tri Demo (Cont.)

I finally brought down the mighty Jaggi with my massive hammer weapon character. Actually, maybe not so mighty Jaggi - I am thinking it is probably one of the smaller monsters in the game.
I forgot to mention in the previous post that you get two continues in the game. If the monsters thrash you bad enough, you faint, and then are placed on a cart and brought back to your hut (the original spawn point in the demo version). Then you get to try again.
I managed to set a shock trap for the Jaggi which he readily fell into, to my surprise. A shock trap freezes any monster that falls into it for about 10 seconds. While frozen, it also damages them by causing what looks like bolts of electricity to swarm over the hapless creature. You can also attack the frozen monster during this time, inflicting even more damage.
I can't believe I actually managed to bring this creature down all by myself. It only took me about 100 tries. Not really, but seriously, it does take a while to get used to the controls and the characters.
Immediately upon my successful Jaggi quest, I went after the Qurupeco. I tried using both the medium blowgun and the light bowgun at first. You can actually aim by pressing the "R" button if you are using the classic controller. Aiming is a bit herky-jerky though, unless you scope in, which you can do by quickly tapping the "R" button on the game pad. Even scoping in, it seemed to me that the bowguns are fairly inaccurate, especially at distance. And if the Qurupeco flies, you can only aim so high with the bow gun before the monster is beyond the bowguns scoping capabilities.
After failing twice with the bowgun, I switched to the long sword. My attack and dodge speed significantly increased and I actually did pretty well, although I still failed the Qurupeco quest. At one point in the same zone, I was fighting the Qurupeco, a Jaggi, and a pack of baby Jaggi all at the same time. It was not easy. I discovered that if you get up close and personal with the Qurupeco, it can not hit you with it's slime spit, and under it's body and wings, the Jaggi could not reach me. So for about a minute I was able to attack it untouched.
I even managed to lure the Qurupeco from flight by placing raw meat on the ground in the zone I was in. This was better than trying to follow it in the air.
I also discovered that if you kill one of the harmless, vegetarian monsters in the demo version, you can then harvest meat and bones from them by pressing the "A" button while standing over the dead body. This was very exciting for me, and I must give credit to a friend of mine for suggesting I try this. You know who you are. I plan to continue the hunt for the Qurupeco again today.
All in all, it is an extremely fun and challenging game to play.

Happy Hunting!!

Monster Hunter Tri Demo

A demo disc was indeed made available to one and all on March 8. I got one for myself, as well as one for a co-worker who had but two games for his Wii: Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. I fully intend to indoctrinate him into the world of Wii gaming (he has not even gone online with his Wii yet - I feel that serious intervention is needed on his behalf).
The demo disc offers two quests, The Jaggi hunt and the Qurupeco hunt. Each quest is timed for 20 minutes. If you do not complete the quest in that time frame, the game is over. You get 7 characters with different basic weapons to begin with: Sword and Shield, Great Sword, Hammer, Bowgun, Lance, Switch Axe and Long Sword, and there are different varieties of each one (Light Bowgun, for example). You also get a variety of items to start with, thanks to Capcom. In the full version of the game, I am sure you would have to earn these items. You get potions, meat, projectiles, sonic and dung bombs, etc....
I tried the Hammer (slow but very powerful), the Great Sword, the Bowgun and the Lance. The Lance was HARD. I sucked with it. The Bowgun was a challenge for me as well. I did ok with the Great Sword, and even better with the Hammer once I was able to figure out how to plan my moves. I tried each quest, and failed at both. The Qurupeco hunt is very hard, because the danged thing flies, and calls other monsters into the fray. I only tried that quest once, because I could not figure out how to attack it since it was mostly doing air time.
The Jaggi hunt went a bit better for me. By the time I had failed at like my 7th quest attempt at hunting this creature, I think he was almost dead.
Potions restore your health (I always had to use all my potions - you get like 10 of them right off the start). I hit a Jaggi with a dung bomb once, and I'm not sure what it did to the creature but make it expunge noxious fumes like Wario does when he farts in SSBB. I also tried a sonic boom bomb - the bombs landed near the creatures with no effect that I could see, so I guess you need to get a direct hit with a sonic bomb to do any damage. I also tried the tinged meat (poisonous meat that paralyzes your prey). I layed the meat between the monster and myself to no avail. The monster passed right by the meat and went for me.
The graphics are great, and I am really looking forward to teamwork help in online play to bring these monsters down. This does not mean, however, that I am giving up on the demo disc quests. To the contrary, I want to kill the nasty little creatures all the more. Happy hunting!

MHT News

Apparently, there may be a demo disc of MHT made available at no charge on Monday, March 8. I guess I will find out for sure on my way home from work that day.

Monster Hunter Tri (MHT)

We will begin our journey, and the live blog of our Monster Hunting experience, on April 20, 2010.

Red Steel 2, Part 2

I do not know what form the act of my freedom will take. I do not know if there is a spy in the camp of my enemies, perhaps an unknown and unidentified friend, who will secure my release at an opportune time, or if perhaps my enemies will let their guard down and do something stupid that will present an opportunity for me to take advantage of their weaknesses so as to free myself. All I know for sure is that I can not let my guard down. I must be vigilant and ready, even in my currently weakened condition, to act quickly and without mercy. And believe me, when my freedom comes, I will show no mercy to these, my mortal enemies. I hate their fear, and yet I also know I can use their fear as a tool to destroy them when the time comes. I can almost taste their fear of me, a palpable, disgusting, rancid, almost living fear that makes them avoid me. In fact, they cast lots each night when we make camp to see who will get to bring me my meager portions of water and food. They are required to loosen one of my bound hands so that I am able to feed myself. They tried feeding me for a time, but soon grew tired of this practice, and the camp boss himself instructed them to let me feed myself. Perhaps they saw their own fear, and the depths of my hate for them, in the reflection of the camp fire in my eyes as they came close. The time is near, and when that time comes, their fears will be realized in the wrath of my hate for them.

Red Steel 2

My enemies have captured and bound me, but the day of my freedom is fast approaching. I hear my enemies whispering in the dark when they think I can not hear. I hear the fear in their voices, see the reflection of fear in their eyes by the light of their camp fires. The voice of my freedom is whispered to them in the dark of night, and I see them shake. But still, many of them are confident in their power and in my captured condition. They leave me cold, in want of food and water, providing only enough to keep me alive for their master. Yet the day of retribution is coming, for the same voice that whispers to them whispers also to me, and it won’t be long now. That day, 03/23 of year 2010, their fears will be realized as I seek my revenge.