Otomata is a program created by Batuhan Bozkurt. The idea of the program is to create a random series of events that generate sound. The program is built in a 9x9 square in which there are highlighted squares called "cells". Each cell has an arrow assigned to it. You can add more cells or simply change the direction of the cells already in there. When you press the play button the cells begin moving in the direction assign to them. When they bounce off the wall they generate sound and immediately switch direction. This creates an endless stream of music that will never, ever be replicated. The program is a lot of fun to mess around with and makes for some great background music while, say, writing a blog post.
If you happen to find a mix that you enjoy quite a bit there is the ability to copy the link and save it for later. I haven't tried this particular part out myself, since I enjoy the random aspect of it so much.
You can find Otomata here. I think you'll find yourself rather addicted after playing around with it for a few minutes.
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Daily Challenge:
I'm gonna go with a really simple one today: Make someone laugh. Tell a joke, show them a funny video, whatever. It feels good to make someone else laugh, trust me.
===================================================================
Contact Info:
Steam: Superman1138
Twitter: Peter_Freeman
AIM: bigbossextreme
PSN ID: Rising_007
StarCraft 2 ID: Rising (Character code: 145)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Portals Lead to Amazing Television
Alright guys, I'm back. I took a bit of time off from posting (though I was still lurking/commenting) to gather some inspiration and come back swinging! I have a few cool posts in the works that I hope you guys will enjoy. One is using all the "data" I got from my post on PCs or consoles. The others are a review of Portal 2 and Revenge of the Titans.
As most of you know by now, Portal 2 has been out since Tuesday. It's gotten rave review from pretty much everywhere. I finished the campaign on Wednesday and so far it is the best game I've played all year, and probably of last year as well. There are only two games that could rival that this year and that's either Uncharted 3, or Mass Effect 3 (if it is released this year). I have a very high opinion of Portal 2, but I'll save my in depth impressions for my review.
Another thing I've been doing lately is watching a lot of new TV. Game of Thrones premiered on HBO last Sunday and so far I'm enjoying it. The Stark/Lannister storyline is the only interesting one thus far, but I'm hoping the rest of the show will pick up.
I've also been watching The Killing on AMC. Currently it's one of my favorite TV shows. It's basically a season long murder mystery. It's extremely well done. There are only three storylines in the show and each one is enjoyable to watch. If you love a good mystery, I highly recommend you check out The Killing.
Lastly, I just got into 30 Rock. I'm not a huge comedy show person. I watch Psych on USA but that was as far as it went. I don't watch Community (I hate Joel McHale *shrug*) and I don't watch The Office. 30 Rock though, is amazing. In the past two weeks I've burned through all four season available on NetFlix and am working my way through the fifth season episodes. Alec Baldwin is a genius and - for me - is the biggest draw of the show. I've really come to like Tina Fey though as well. Overall the show is a lot of fun to watch.
The IGN Pro League has been going on since Thursday. It's a StarCraft 2 tournament where everyone entered is competing for $5000 and four people get picked for immediate entry into season 2 where the winning prize is $50,000. It's been a lot of fun to watch these players go at it and the casts (when I can get it to work) have been enjoyable to listen to.
Speaking of SC2, I just got promoted to Silver League! This brings me one step closer to fulfilling my 2011 goal of reaching Gold League. I placed in the top 5 of my division when I started Silver so my hope is that it won't be long before I can get promoted to Gold.
===================================================================
2011 Goals:
Here's what I've got done so far and whether or not I think I'll be able to complete them by the end of the year.
Read 25 Different Books: Completed 1/25. I've become an extremely slow reader this year. I have no idea why. I'm highly doubtful I'll be able to complete 25 different books by the end of the year.
Finish the Dark Tower Series: Completed 1/7 . Still burning through book 2. This could take a lot longer than I thought.
Complete 20 Different Video Games: Completed 1/20. This goal only counts for games I've bought in 2011. MvC3 is a fighting game so there's really no "completing" it. Currently the only game on there is Portal 2. There are plenty more games coming out throughout the year that I'll no doubt buy. I still think I can pull this off.
Write 25 Reviews: Written 2/25. While so far I've only written 2 reviews, as time goes on I'll be seeing more movies and playing more games. So I still think I can pull this off by the end of the year.
Watch 50 Different Movies: Watched 8/50. Once I run out of 30 Rock to watch and most of the shows I watch go off the air for summer this number will skyrocket. This one will be no problem.
Reach Gold League in StarCraft 2: So far so good. Like I said above I've just reached Silver League so I've got plenty of time to make it to Gold.
===================================================================
Daily Challenge:
This is something I thought I would try out. I'd give out a little challenge for you guys to complete throughout the day, and you can tell me how it went, even if you didn't do it. My hope is to be posting a bit earlier in the day so that way you guys have most of the day to complete them. So to start off I'll do a simple one that could be completed at any time:
Put your iPod (or MP3 Player) on shuffle for awhile. Most people I know have a set of list of songs they listen to for months without changing. Try to mix it up a bit. You may remember how good the other songs are.
~Enjoy!
===================================================================
Contact Info:
Steam: Superman1138
Twitter: Peter_Freeman
AIM: bigbossextreme
PSN ID: Rising_007
StarCraft 2 ID: Rising (Character code: 145)
As most of you know by now, Portal 2 has been out since Tuesday. It's gotten rave review from pretty much everywhere. I finished the campaign on Wednesday and so far it is the best game I've played all year, and probably of last year as well. There are only two games that could rival that this year and that's either Uncharted 3, or Mass Effect 3 (if it is released this year). I have a very high opinion of Portal 2, but I'll save my in depth impressions for my review.
Another thing I've been doing lately is watching a lot of new TV. Game of Thrones premiered on HBO last Sunday and so far I'm enjoying it. The Stark/Lannister storyline is the only interesting one thus far, but I'm hoping the rest of the show will pick up.
I've also been watching The Killing on AMC. Currently it's one of my favorite TV shows. It's basically a season long murder mystery. It's extremely well done. There are only three storylines in the show and each one is enjoyable to watch. If you love a good mystery, I highly recommend you check out The Killing.
Lastly, I just got into 30 Rock. I'm not a huge comedy show person. I watch Psych on USA but that was as far as it went. I don't watch Community (I hate Joel McHale *shrug*) and I don't watch The Office. 30 Rock though, is amazing. In the past two weeks I've burned through all four season available on NetFlix and am working my way through the fifth season episodes. Alec Baldwin is a genius and - for me - is the biggest draw of the show. I've really come to like Tina Fey though as well. Overall the show is a lot of fun to watch.
The IGN Pro League has been going on since Thursday. It's a StarCraft 2 tournament where everyone entered is competing for $5000 and four people get picked for immediate entry into season 2 where the winning prize is $50,000. It's been a lot of fun to watch these players go at it and the casts (when I can get it to work) have been enjoyable to listen to.
Speaking of SC2, I just got promoted to Silver League! This brings me one step closer to fulfilling my 2011 goal of reaching Gold League. I placed in the top 5 of my division when I started Silver so my hope is that it won't be long before I can get promoted to Gold.
===================================================================
2011 Goals:
Here's what I've got done so far and whether or not I think I'll be able to complete them by the end of the year.
Read 25 Different Books: Completed 1/25. I've become an extremely slow reader this year. I have no idea why. I'm highly doubtful I'll be able to complete 25 different books by the end of the year.
Finish the Dark Tower Series: Completed 1/7 . Still burning through book 2. This could take a lot longer than I thought.
Complete 20 Different Video Games: Completed 1/20. This goal only counts for games I've bought in 2011. MvC3 is a fighting game so there's really no "completing" it. Currently the only game on there is Portal 2. There are plenty more games coming out throughout the year that I'll no doubt buy. I still think I can pull this off.
Write 25 Reviews: Written 2/25. While so far I've only written 2 reviews, as time goes on I'll be seeing more movies and playing more games. So I still think I can pull this off by the end of the year.
Watch 50 Different Movies: Watched 8/50. Once I run out of 30 Rock to watch and most of the shows I watch go off the air for summer this number will skyrocket. This one will be no problem.
Reach Gold League in StarCraft 2: So far so good. Like I said above I've just reached Silver League so I've got plenty of time to make it to Gold.
===================================================================
Daily Challenge:
This is something I thought I would try out. I'd give out a little challenge for you guys to complete throughout the day, and you can tell me how it went, even if you didn't do it. My hope is to be posting a bit earlier in the day so that way you guys have most of the day to complete them. So to start off I'll do a simple one that could be completed at any time:
Put your iPod (or MP3 Player) on shuffle for awhile. Most people I know have a set of list of songs they listen to for months without changing. Try to mix it up a bit. You may remember how good the other songs are.
~Enjoy!
===================================================================
Contact Info:
Steam: Superman1138
Twitter: Peter_Freeman
AIM: bigbossextreme
PSN ID: Rising_007
StarCraft 2 ID: Rising (Character code: 145)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Captivate Opens Up a Cafe
This last week has been crazy with video game news. Lots of amazing things have been announced/rumored/shown in general. First there was Captivate, Capcom's media event. They showed off several games, some new, others old, but everything was awesome overall.
Street Fighter X Tekken
I love both Tekken and Street Fighter. Tekken has been with me as a gamer since Tekken 2 on the original PS1 and while Street Fighter only really entered my life last year I love the game almost as much. Seeing the new trailer for SFxT was pretty awesome. The line up of characters isn't too bad right now, but I am still hoping to see some other characters show up (like Asuka from Tekken or Juri from SF). In the end though I'm still very excited for this game and the accompanying game, Tekken X Street Fighter that's supposed to be released in 2012 some time.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
While I'm slightly annoyed at the price of the DLC ($15), I believe Arcade Edition to be a must buy. Not only does it include four new characters (one slightly more broken than the rest), a ton of new replay features, but it also has several balancing fixes for the original set of characters. Now many of you probably aren't as nerdy as I am and may not even recognize the difference when you download AE, but for someone like me this is a big thing.
From what I've heard though, the character of Yun is a bit broken. He has several high priority moves and he has the ability to juggle (a huge problem in the Tekken series). So hopefully a patch or two will be released shorty after AE to fix all that.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
Now here's an interesting title. If you haven't heard of it already it's basically Dead Rising 2 remixed with Frank West instead of Chuck. They're supposed to add a better save/checkpoint system, new bosses, and better difficulty. Originally I thought this was a fun idea, but the problem - again - lies in its price. At a full $60 retail game I just can't see this being worth it. If Capcom was doing what they're doing with Super Street Fighter and pricing its rereleases at $40, this would make sense. Alas, I could never justify such a purchase and will more than likely be ignoring this game in the future.
Dragon's Dogma:
I just finished watching the trailer on this game and I have no idea what to think so far. It just looks like an Oblivion rip off. Maybe once I hear more on the story I'll be interested.
Asura's Wrath:
Asura's Wrath looks... very Japanese. But to me that isn't a bad thing. I really like the visual style and if the bosses and as crazy in game as they are in the trailer we could have something very interesting on our hands. Not too sure how I feel about the whole "last time on" thing, but I'd have to see how it fits in the overall story to judge. I also like to see that Capcom is experimenting with new IPs.
I believe that's all the big stuff from Captivate. If I've missed anything you're free to let me know in the comments. If not, I'm going to move on to the next big thing that happened this week.
Nintendo Reveals Project Cafe:
The biggest news of the week is all about Nintendo's newest console. Sources close to IGN and other outlets have been saying a lot of different things about it. Some people are saying the controller with have a touch screen, others are saying it's going to be as powerful (or even more so) than the PS3. How much of this is true, no one knows for sure as Nintendo refuses to comment on anything. Even so, they're supposed to make some sort of official announcement before E3 and then fully show off a prototype during their E3 conference.
For the possibilities on what this kind of controller could do, I direct you here. There's some good analysis there as well as a piece of cool concept art.
While I've been pretty down on the Wii throughout its life cycle, I'm actually very excited for the potential of Nintendo's new console. If they can get the 3rd-Party support they need then they could have yet another hit on their hands. Switching to bluray and getting a consistent online profile in there would certainly help attract people to the console. After all, most of these claims are saying that Nintendo wants to be more "hardcore" now.
My only worry is price. My gut reaction is to say $400 all things considered, but I imagine that Nintendo will probably price it at around $300-$350 to stay competitive. They already got the 3DS and they've made a killing off the Wii so they could afford to lose a bit of money on the console in the beginning.
What are your thoughts on Nintendo's newest console? Are you excited? Worried? TELL ME! Please. :D
Street Fighter X Tekken
I love both Tekken and Street Fighter. Tekken has been with me as a gamer since Tekken 2 on the original PS1 and while Street Fighter only really entered my life last year I love the game almost as much. Seeing the new trailer for SFxT was pretty awesome. The line up of characters isn't too bad right now, but I am still hoping to see some other characters show up (like Asuka from Tekken or Juri from SF). In the end though I'm still very excited for this game and the accompanying game, Tekken X Street Fighter that's supposed to be released in 2012 some time.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
While I'm slightly annoyed at the price of the DLC ($15), I believe Arcade Edition to be a must buy. Not only does it include four new characters (one slightly more broken than the rest), a ton of new replay features, but it also has several balancing fixes for the original set of characters. Now many of you probably aren't as nerdy as I am and may not even recognize the difference when you download AE, but for someone like me this is a big thing.
From what I've heard though, the character of Yun is a bit broken. He has several high priority moves and he has the ability to juggle (a huge problem in the Tekken series). So hopefully a patch or two will be released shorty after AE to fix all that.
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record
Now here's an interesting title. If you haven't heard of it already it's basically Dead Rising 2 remixed with Frank West instead of Chuck. They're supposed to add a better save/checkpoint system, new bosses, and better difficulty. Originally I thought this was a fun idea, but the problem - again - lies in its price. At a full $60 retail game I just can't see this being worth it. If Capcom was doing what they're doing with Super Street Fighter and pricing its rereleases at $40, this would make sense. Alas, I could never justify such a purchase and will more than likely be ignoring this game in the future.
Dragon's Dogma:
I just finished watching the trailer on this game and I have no idea what to think so far. It just looks like an Oblivion rip off. Maybe once I hear more on the story I'll be interested.
Asura's Wrath:
Asura's Wrath looks... very Japanese. But to me that isn't a bad thing. I really like the visual style and if the bosses and as crazy in game as they are in the trailer we could have something very interesting on our hands. Not too sure how I feel about the whole "last time on" thing, but I'd have to see how it fits in the overall story to judge. I also like to see that Capcom is experimenting with new IPs.
I believe that's all the big stuff from Captivate. If I've missed anything you're free to let me know in the comments. If not, I'm going to move on to the next big thing that happened this week.
Nintendo Reveals Project Cafe:
The biggest news of the week is all about Nintendo's newest console. Sources close to IGN and other outlets have been saying a lot of different things about it. Some people are saying the controller with have a touch screen, others are saying it's going to be as powerful (or even more so) than the PS3. How much of this is true, no one knows for sure as Nintendo refuses to comment on anything. Even so, they're supposed to make some sort of official announcement before E3 and then fully show off a prototype during their E3 conference.
For the possibilities on what this kind of controller could do, I direct you here. There's some good analysis there as well as a piece of cool concept art.
While I've been pretty down on the Wii throughout its life cycle, I'm actually very excited for the potential of Nintendo's new console. If they can get the 3rd-Party support they need then they could have yet another hit on their hands. Switching to bluray and getting a consistent online profile in there would certainly help attract people to the console. After all, most of these claims are saying that Nintendo wants to be more "hardcore" now.
My only worry is price. My gut reaction is to say $400 all things considered, but I imagine that Nintendo will probably price it at around $300-$350 to stay competitive. They already got the 3DS and they've made a killing off the Wii so they could afford to lose a bit of money on the console in the beginning.
What are your thoughts on Nintendo's newest console? Are you excited? Worried? TELL ME! Please. :D
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
My Thoughts on the New Silent Hill Movie
Now let's begin with some disclosures. The first is that I'm a huge Silent Hill fan. The first game I played was SH 3 and from there I've been in love with the series. I recognize they've had some missteps... namely with Homecoming where they mucked with the gameplay too much and took out all the scares. The series' most recent game "Shattered Memories" was excellent though and hopefully Silent Hill 8 will follow in its footsteps.
The second thing is that I was not a huge fan of the Silent Hill movie. It's probably one of the better game-to-film adaptations (I also really dislike the RE films) out there in my opinion, but when I put it next to the games I see a lot wrong with it. That's just me though, I'm a nitpicker about these kind of things.
I'll be honest, I was surprised to hear that they were making a new SH movie. The first debuted to average reviews, but I'm not too sure how much money it made. Clearly it was enough to warrant a sequel. When the announcement came the biggest question I had was which game were they going to adapt? Were they going to go in "order" and go for Silent Hill 2? Or were they going to continue the story in the first movie with adapting Silent Hill 3. Unfortunately for me, both options were something I was afraid of. Silent Hill 2 easily has the greatest story in the series and Silent Hill 3 is my favorite of the series.
Alas, they chose to go with Silent Hill 3. Fine. I wasn't going to freak out yet because they'd chosen a different writer and director (who are the same person actually), but I was wary. The next thing that scared me was the casting. I love Heather. I dunno why, but I do. I also love Vincent. He's probably one of my all time favorite SH characters. He played both sides of the field all the time. You never really knew if he was helping Heather, or trying to get her killed. He also had some of the best lines in the game. Douglas, how could you not think he was awesome? He was always there for Heather.
I was worried about who they were going to get to play these characters. As of today, almost all the major characters except Douglas have been cast. Of course things could change and Douglas may not even be in the movie at all. They've also decided to bring Sean Bean, Rahda Mitchell, and Deborah Kara Unger back from the first movie. I thought Sean Bean was awesome so I'm glad he's back. I'm not too sure why the other two are back because their characters never appeared in the game, but then again Cheryl never had a mother in the first game either.
Anyways, like I was saying, they've cast most of the major roles now. Adelaide Clemens will play Heather. Now, I never had anyone picked out in my head to play Heather in a movie so I can't complain about this choice yet. At least she looks the part. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) has been cast as Vincent. When I saw this, I was skeptical, but figured I'd wait to see a photo of him in costume (an important part of Vincent). Now that I've seen the photo of him and Heather (below), I'm not pleased. They've got the vest, sure, but everything else seems off about him.
Carrie-Anne Moss and Malcolm McDowell were just announced today as Claudia Wold and Leonard Wolf. Carrie-Anne seems like a really good choice actually. She's a very monotone actress who I think could play a very quiet and dry villain (if that makes any sense). I had originally thought McDowell was playing Douglas - which would have been an awesome choice - but it seems that Leonard's role is being expanded a great deal for the movie. He wasn't in the game a whole lot so I'm not too sure what to think yet. McDowell is a fantastic actor though, so there is hope.
I admit though, that most of my opinions based off of a few pictures and what I thought of the previous movie. This is a different director and writer so there's a chance things could change for the better. Unfortunately they're going along with the whole 3D craze. It's even in the title which bothers me a lot. I don't see why they couldn't leave that off and just advertise it in posters and trailers.
In the end though, a large part of me is excited. This excitement is mostly driven by curiosity, but what can you do? I'm a huge fan of Silent Hill and will consume it in any form possible. So yes, that means no matter how bad the reviews of this movie are, I will wind up seeing it. How healthy I am after it's over though, I can't say yet (but it's looking grim so far).
Please God... Just give me a trailer.
What do you think about the movie. Are you a fan of Silent Hill? Are you a fan of the cast? Or are you wary and worried like me? Sound off in the comments below! I love a good debate!
Find me at: http://about.me/peterfreeman
The second thing is that I was not a huge fan of the Silent Hill movie. It's probably one of the better game-to-film adaptations (I also really dislike the RE films) out there in my opinion, but when I put it next to the games I see a lot wrong with it. That's just me though, I'm a nitpicker about these kind of things.
I'll be honest, I was surprised to hear that they were making a new SH movie. The first debuted to average reviews, but I'm not too sure how much money it made. Clearly it was enough to warrant a sequel. When the announcement came the biggest question I had was which game were they going to adapt? Were they going to go in "order" and go for Silent Hill 2? Or were they going to continue the story in the first movie with adapting Silent Hill 3. Unfortunately for me, both options were something I was afraid of. Silent Hill 2 easily has the greatest story in the series and Silent Hill 3 is my favorite of the series.
Alas, they chose to go with Silent Hill 3. Fine. I wasn't going to freak out yet because they'd chosen a different writer and director (who are the same person actually), but I was wary. The next thing that scared me was the casting. I love Heather. I dunno why, but I do. I also love Vincent. He's probably one of my all time favorite SH characters. He played both sides of the field all the time. You never really knew if he was helping Heather, or trying to get her killed. He also had some of the best lines in the game. Douglas, how could you not think he was awesome? He was always there for Heather.
I was worried about who they were going to get to play these characters. As of today, almost all the major characters except Douglas have been cast. Of course things could change and Douglas may not even be in the movie at all. They've also decided to bring Sean Bean, Rahda Mitchell, and Deborah Kara Unger back from the first movie. I thought Sean Bean was awesome so I'm glad he's back. I'm not too sure why the other two are back because their characters never appeared in the game, but then again Cheryl never had a mother in the first game either.
Anyways, like I was saying, they've cast most of the major roles now. Adelaide Clemens will play Heather. Now, I never had anyone picked out in my head to play Heather in a movie so I can't complain about this choice yet. At least she looks the part. Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) has been cast as Vincent. When I saw this, I was skeptical, but figured I'd wait to see a photo of him in costume (an important part of Vincent). Now that I've seen the photo of him and Heather (below), I'm not pleased. They've got the vest, sure, but everything else seems off about him.
 |
| Adelaide Clemens as Heather Mason and Kit Harrington as Vincent. |
I admit though, that most of my opinions based off of a few pictures and what I thought of the previous movie. This is a different director and writer so there's a chance things could change for the better. Unfortunately they're going along with the whole 3D craze. It's even in the title which bothers me a lot. I don't see why they couldn't leave that off and just advertise it in posters and trailers.
In the end though, a large part of me is excited. This excitement is mostly driven by curiosity, but what can you do? I'm a huge fan of Silent Hill and will consume it in any form possible. So yes, that means no matter how bad the reviews of this movie are, I will wind up seeing it. How healthy I am after it's over though, I can't say yet (but it's looking grim so far).
Please God... Just give me a trailer.
What do you think about the movie. Are you a fan of Silent Hill? Are you a fan of the cast? Or are you wary and worried like me? Sound off in the comments below! I love a good debate!
Find me at: http://about.me/peterfreeman
Friday, April 1, 2011
A Cold Induced Blog
I have a StarCraft 2 obsession. I realized this about two weeks ago when I gorged myself on replays and watching the T3SL champions ships. The rub? I'm not very good. I've been playing for many months now and I'm still in the top 8 in Bronze... Lately I've hit a horrendous losing streak. It's been extremely frustrating and I can't figure out what my problem is. My strategy used to work really well, but now I've been losing to all but the most retarded of players (like ones who attack me with their SCVs when I drop a squad of marines into his backyard).
I know practice makes perfect, and I even though I get really angry at myself for losing all I want to do is go back into the game and keep playing matches. At this time of night there isn't anyone worth talking to on FB and all the news worth reading has already been read. So I entertain myself by playing SC 2. I want to be really good though. I would love to be a pro player, but for some reason I can't get into a groove. All the other players are like the Borg. I get a really good strategy and then a week later it seems to have been adapted to. It's ever frustrating, but like I said, I can't stop.
I've even been thinking about casting my own replays and stuff. Of course I'd need a decent microphone and some actual quiet time without interruption (impossible to come by in my house). So those plans are gonna have to be put on hold for now.
This probably sounds like one large "woes me" post, but I'm sick and obviously not thinking clearly. So please, forgive me.
I'm gonna go watch more 30 Rock now.
I know practice makes perfect, and I even though I get really angry at myself for losing all I want to do is go back into the game and keep playing matches. At this time of night there isn't anyone worth talking to on FB and all the news worth reading has already been read. So I entertain myself by playing SC 2. I want to be really good though. I would love to be a pro player, but for some reason I can't get into a groove. All the other players are like the Borg. I get a really good strategy and then a week later it seems to have been adapted to. It's ever frustrating, but like I said, I can't stop.
I've even been thinking about casting my own replays and stuff. Of course I'd need a decent microphone and some actual quiet time without interruption (impossible to come by in my house). So those plans are gonna have to be put on hold for now.
This probably sounds like one large "woes me" post, but I'm sick and obviously not thinking clearly. So please, forgive me.
I'm gonna go watch more 30 Rock now.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Super Smash Bros. on the 3DS: Gameplay, Features, and Characters
Super Smash Bros. 3D
Many people want SSB on a Nintendo handheld but are divided on whether it could be done well. I’m in the section that wants it and thinks that it can be done correctly. In this post I’m going to explain to you how I would make a SSB game on the 3DS work and play correctly. I’ll then go into detail on the features, characters, and stages I would want in such a game.
How It Would Play:
To do so would utilize both screens on the 3DS. The top screen would be where most of the action takes place. Instead of the top screen showing a static camera shot of the entire stage, it would be a slightly zoomed in perspective on your character. It would leave enough real-estate to see characters approaching from any side. This way your character isn’t the size of a pin and impossible to see. It allows you to know where you are and still have some breathing room.
The bottom screen would have a map of the stage with markers tracking all four players. It would also display alerts for when items would drop or when the final smash lands.
I do think that assist characters should be left out of this iteration. I can’t imagine the 3DS having the power to handle them along with everything else at the same time. It would also take up a lot of screen space and confuse everyone playing. It would be much cleaner without them.
The analog circle is perfect for movement and the many face buttons would continue to be used as the attack buttons/jump buttons. The L and R buttons would remain as shield buttons.
Features:
I wouldn’t even mind seeing some new modes. Maybe team tag mode set up very much like an MvC3 game but with only two characters (and no assists). It’d be a nice experiment in my opinion. I would also love to see a “big head mode”, but that’s the nostalgia talking.
A co-op mode would be fun as well. It would have to be limited to two players so there’s still room for the actual enemies. Just amp up the difficulty of the opponents and everything is balanced. This way there are more options for people who want to play together, but don’t want to just play a simple versus match.
You’d select one character that your 3DS would use during a street pass battle. Winning would gain you coins that could be used to level your figurine or buy bonus content. This bonus content would include hidden stages or characters that you could alternatively unlock through normal play if you wanted to.
I would also like to see the game utilize the DS Download Play like Street Fighter does. It could transfer the game to those who don’t own it and play them online. Then if the host drops, the connection between the other players will remain intact, allowing them to continue playing.
The Characters, Items, and Stages:
It’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The next three sections will go on about the items I either want in the game or taken out, the stages the game should include, and of course the characters that should be playable.
There are many characters on this list that I would love to have removed. I feel that many are clones and others aren’t very fun to play. I do know though that a single subtraction to this list and nearly every Smash Bros player would go bonkers. Even so, the bolded characters are the ones I would remove if I had the power to.
Now, I will talk about the changes I want made to some of the characters and what characters I would like added to the list.
Toon Link/Young Link
I’m not a fan of Toon Link. I think he’s a redone version of Young Link and even less fun to play as. What’s surprising to me is that Young Link is ripe with the potential to become the most fun and diverse character. I am of course referring to Majora’s Mask. In Majora’s Mask there are plenty of – well – masks that Link uses to transform into various beasts and help him get places.
The three masks I see being used in the game would be the Goron mask, the Zora mask, and of course, the Fierce Deity Mask. Link would transform into these much like Zelda transforms into Sheik or Pokémon Trainer switches Pokémon. This would offer various styles of play, as each mask would have its own move set and be powerful in different ways. The one exception would be the Fierce Deity Mask, which would make more sense as a final smash.
Mario
Mario has had very little changed in his move set. I would like to see some of the suit additions from SMG make into his character’s move set in Super Smash Bros. The cloud suit could help him jump higher; he could burrow through the stage with the drill suit, and the rainbow suit could be his final smash.
Alucard
For many years the Castlevania franchise was one of the prides of Nintendo. It would only make sense to include their staple character in the next Super Smash game.
Alucard would play as a fast character with decent range. I imagine as a combination of Marth and Ike. He’d have Marth’s speed and Ike’s range. His attacks would have to be subdued though, so he isn’t too powerful.
Isaac
The Golden Sun franchise is fairly new compared to most Nintendo franchises, but it certainly deserves to shine just as much. I know most of the characters here have swords, and so to make Isaac a little different his main attack should focus mostly on his magical abilities. His final smash would involve the ability to trap a single player in vines and attack them continually.
Mega Man
No third-party character aside from Sonic the hedgehog has been asked for more. Mega Man seems like an easy fit too. He’d play more or less like Samus, utilizing his mega buster. He’d be faster than Samus, but have less attack strength. His final smash would be a giant laser attack or something similar.
Ryu
In my opinion, nobody fits the Super Smash series better than Ryu. His moves are very simply and could translate very easily into the playing style of SSB. His hadoken gives him ranged (but limited) attack capacities and his final smash would involve a brief transformation into Evil Ryu, heightening his attack and speed.
And that’s the end! I hope you all have enjoyed reading this. I would also like to hear your thoughts on this piece. Do you have a wish list of characters or features you’d like added to the new Super Smash game?
If you have any constructive feedback on my writing, please feel free to leave that here as well. I’m always looking for ways to improve!
Many people want SSB on a Nintendo handheld but are divided on whether it could be done well. I’m in the section that wants it and thinks that it can be done correctly. In this post I’m going to explain to you how I would make a SSB game on the 3DS work and play correctly. I’ll then go into detail on the features, characters, and stages I would want in such a game.
How It Would Play:
- In-Game:
To do so would utilize both screens on the 3DS. The top screen would be where most of the action takes place. Instead of the top screen showing a static camera shot of the entire stage, it would be a slightly zoomed in perspective on your character. It would leave enough real-estate to see characters approaching from any side. This way your character isn’t the size of a pin and impossible to see. It allows you to know where you are and still have some breathing room.
The bottom screen would have a map of the stage with markers tracking all four players. It would also display alerts for when items would drop or when the final smash lands.
I do think that assist characters should be left out of this iteration. I can’t imagine the 3DS having the power to handle them along with everything else at the same time. It would also take up a lot of screen space and confuse everyone playing. It would be much cleaner without them.
The analog circle is perfect for movement and the many face buttons would continue to be used as the attack buttons/jump buttons. The L and R buttons would remain as shield buttons.
- Character Selection:
Features:
- Multiple Modes:
I wouldn’t even mind seeing some new modes. Maybe team tag mode set up very much like an MvC3 game but with only two characters (and no assists). It’d be a nice experiment in my opinion. I would also love to see a “big head mode”, but that’s the nostalgia talking.
- More Mini Games:
- No More Story Mode:
- The Return of Arcade Mode:
A co-op mode would be fun as well. It would have to be limited to two players so there’s still room for the actual enemies. Just amp up the difficulty of the opponents and everything is balanced. This way there are more options for people who want to play together, but don’t want to just play a simple versus match.
- More Boss Battles:
- Street Pass:
You’d select one character that your 3DS would use during a street pass battle. Winning would gain you coins that could be used to level your figurine or buy bonus content. This bonus content would include hidden stages or characters that you could alternatively unlock through normal play if you wanted to.
- Online Play:
I would also like to see the game utilize the DS Download Play like Street Fighter does. It could transfer the game to those who don’t own it and play them online. Then if the host drops, the connection between the other players will remain intact, allowing them to continue playing.
- Connectivity with the Wii 2:
- Downloadable Content:
The Characters, Items, and Stages:
It’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The next three sections will go on about the items I either want in the game or taken out, the stages the game should include, and of course the characters that should be playable.
- Items:
- Stages:
- Characters:
Bowser│Captain Falcon│Diddy Kong│Donkey Kong│Falco│Fox│Ganondorf│Ice Climbers│Ike│Jigglypuff│King Dedede│Kirby│Link│Lucario│Lucas│Luigi│Mario│Marth│Meta Knight│Mr. Game & Watch│Ness│Olimar│Peach│Pikachu│Pit│Pokémon Trainer│R.O.B.│Samus│Snake│Sonic│Toon Link│Wario│Wolf│Yoshi│Zelda/SheikThe characters in a Super Smash Bros game are arguably the most important aspect. After all, these characters are what players are going to be using for many years after the game’s release.
There are many characters on this list that I would love to have removed. I feel that many are clones and others aren’t very fun to play. I do know though that a single subtraction to this list and nearly every Smash Bros player would go bonkers. Even so, the bolded characters are the ones I would remove if I had the power to.
Now, I will talk about the changes I want made to some of the characters and what characters I would like added to the list.
Toon Link/Young Link
I’m not a fan of Toon Link. I think he’s a redone version of Young Link and even less fun to play as. What’s surprising to me is that Young Link is ripe with the potential to become the most fun and diverse character. I am of course referring to Majora’s Mask. In Majora’s Mask there are plenty of – well – masks that Link uses to transform into various beasts and help him get places.
 |
| How badass would it be to play as Fierce Deity Link? |
Mario
 |
| Rainbow Suit FTW! |
Mario has had very little changed in his move set. I would like to see some of the suit additions from SMG make into his character’s move set in Super Smash Bros. The cloud suit could help him jump higher; he could burrow through the stage with the drill suit, and the rainbow suit could be his final smash.
Alucard
For many years the Castlevania franchise was one of the prides of Nintendo. It would only make sense to include their staple character in the next Super Smash game.
 |
| He'd be one of the more epic additions to the SSB roster, don't you think? |
Isaac
 |
| There's also room for more classic Nintendo characters, right? |
The Golden Sun franchise is fairly new compared to most Nintendo franchises, but it certainly deserves to shine just as much. I know most of the characters here have swords, and so to make Isaac a little different his main attack should focus mostly on his magical abilities. His final smash would involve the ability to trap a single player in vines and attack them continually.
Mega Man
 |
Ryu
 |
| HADOKEN! |
And that’s the end! I hope you all have enjoyed reading this. I would also like to hear your thoughts on this piece. Do you have a wish list of characters or features you’d like added to the new Super Smash game?
If you have any constructive feedback on my writing, please feel free to leave that here as well. I’m always looking for ways to improve!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Inception as an Allegory for Filmmaking
My friends and I are big fans on Inception. We see its faults, such as droves of exposition, but otherwise we think it is a spectacular movie. While sitting in the cafeteria at my community college, my friend and I were discussing the film. This was when he brought to my attention the fact that Inception was an allegory for film making. To my surprise, as he explained it, it made perfect sense. Now ladies and gentlemen, I shall share what I have learned with you all. Hope you all enjoy it!
Leonardo DiCaprio - Cobb (Director)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Arthur (Producer)
Arthur is the man who seeks out others to join the team as well as finds out all the information he can on the mark. He scouts the locations and is second to Cobb.
Ken Watanabe - Saito (Executive Producer)
Leonardo DiCaprio - Cobb (Director)
Leonardo's character, Cobb is the man behind everything that happens in the film. He's the one who assembles the team and calls all the shots. Like a director this is his tale and his goal is the one everyone is working towards.
Ken Watanabe - Saito (Executive Producer)
Saito the one who funds Cobb's expedition like a producer of a film would give money to the director to make his film.
Tom Hardy - Eames (Actor)
Eames is the method actor, cast in the part of the mark's assistant. He learns his mannerisms, inflections, etc. By the end he has literally become that person.
Ellen Page - Ariadne (Screenwriter)
Ariadne builds the world that the dreams take place in much like a screenwriter crafts the world in which his characters inhabit.
Dileep Rao - Yusef (Tech)
Yusef is the man with the tools. He creates and gives Cobb what he needs in order to sedate the mark for as long as they need and get the job done. A tech person is the one who create the tools needed for the director to get the shot he needs/wants.
Cillan Murphy - Robert Fischer (Audience)
Robert Fischer is the mark. The entire story has been crafted for his benefit. With a movie audience, it's the teams job to help the audience forget they are watching a movie and draw them into the experience and lose themselves in it.
Marion Cotillard - Mal
Mal's character has no predefined role in the crew of movie making. Instead she represents that a director must never put too much of himself into a project. There needs to be a clear, defined path for the movie to take. Putting too much of your own ideas and mucking with what's preset screws things up.
And that's all! I hope you found this relatively interesting. If you have any questions, I'll be sure to answer them in the comments section.
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