Gamer Interview-Anthony Pickens

Question #1: When did you first start playing video games and what was your first game?
Answer: I started when I was about 5. The first game I played was the original Mario Bros. You know? The one that was hard as hell. It wasn't my console it was my brother's but yeah my brother or sister always had a console for me to play.

Question #2: What was the first console that you owned?
Answer: It was the Sega Genesis. It wasn't mine at first but gradually it was passed on to me by my brother and sister. I remember playing Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter 2: Hyper. For the most part that's about it we had other games but those we're probably the two I played most.

Question #3: What is your favorite genre of video games and why?
Answer: Action/Adventure. Anything along the lines of Assassin's Creed, Batman: Arkham City or Legend of Zelda. I like them so much because they're so versatile, you know, they can encompass many different things in one game. One of the most memorable moments in an Action/Adventure for me would be getting past the Water Temple in one of the Zelda games. It's so doggone difficult to beat those things, most of the time just because of how confusing they are.

Question #4: What are your top 5 favorite video games?
Answer: Resident Evil 4, Batman: Arkham City, Ocarina of Time, Silent Hill 2 and then Pokemon: the original Gold & Silver.

Question #5: What's the most agitating thing to you about the video game community nowadays?
Answer: The fact that most young gamers don't know the history of video games. It's like most of the games are changed to the action/adventure genre, which diminishes the strength of other genres. While action/adventure is my favorite genre I don't want everything to be blended together. Shooters too, I mean heck, lately they've just been combining the two because of the popularity of both genres. A perfect example of this taking away from an already great franchise is Resident Evil 5. It's just that I expected the game to actually be scary, or at least closer to Resident Evil 4 where action and horror were blended together in an acceptable way, not 99 percent action and 0.5 percent attempt at horror. The other 0.5 percent they just kind of gave up.

Question #5: Most disappointing aspect of video games nowadays in your opinion?
Answer: Just the fact that it seems like while games are more able to become an art form and be creative, developers are just taking the easy way out and making something they know will do well in this market. There's no innovation right now because developers want to make games they know will yield a strong profit and because of that so much creative potential is being wasted. A perfect example of that would be call of Duty. When Modern Warfare 1 came out it was interesting and new, but ever since they found a formula people responded well to they've just been milking it ever since.

Question #6: What's one of the best indie games that you've played in the past year?
Answer: It didn't come out a year ago, but I'd have to say Limbo. It really brought back the sense of the old days when people were playing nothing but platformers and added in a darker vibe.

Question #7: What are you looking forward to most, game-wise, in the next year?
Answer: It's between Resident Evil 6 and Assassin's Creed 3. I expect Assassins's Creed 3 to be game of the year, enough said. I expect Resident Evil 6 to bring much the same to the table that RE4 did in terms of blending horror with action so fans of both RE4 and RE5 have something to look forward to.

Question #8: What's the game you feel you are the most skilled at?
Answer: I'd have to say Street Fighter because I've literally been playing it since childhood. I'm also really good at first person shooters, whether it's Halo or Battlefield and the only reason I'm good at them is because I put the time in, I mean, shooters aren't terribly hard to get good at as long as you put a little time in. Being good at fighting games is harder though because you have to go beyond the instruction booklet. You have to know such technical aspects like frame advantage and specific match-ups so you're almost never fighting with the same style or mindset, especially with all the online players.

Question #9: Why do you still play games? What about them draws you in?
Answer: Out of all the art forms out there, whether it be TV, Movies, paintings, music or books I feel it is the one form that is growing quickly and ascending to a point where other art forms are not. Movies seem to be generally getting worse every year and even though many people think games aren't art you can definitely tell by the amount of people games draw to the type of creative minds working for game companies that gaming is truly grabbing people's attentions.

Question #10: PC gaming or console gaming and why?
Answer: Console gaming. I never really had a strong enough PC to fully appreciate what PC gaming has to offer and I've always felt more comfortable with a controller in my hand than a mouse when it comes to controlling a video game.

Anthony Pickens is a Journalism major from St. Louis that attends Southern Illinois University. He hopes to someday be a video game journalist and write for the magazine Game Informer not just doing video game reviews but write cover stories that are featured on the front page of the publication. He wants to write gaming articles nobody else has knowledge of because he believes it carries more weight than just the typical review. He can be reached at apickens5@siu.edu and will be writing a Madden review for this blog as well as some other game related pieces in the near future.

Nintendo hopes old solution fixes new problem

The following is an article printed in the August 30 Edition of the Daily Egyptian

As companies grow older and mature, often times so do their business practices, but Nintendo fans can rest assured that some things never change.

About a year and three months after the March 27, 2011, release of the 3DS, the 3DS XL was announced to hit store shelves by Aug. 19 of this year. The device was said to be a beefed up version of the original handheld with a 90 percent bigger screen, a longer battery life and minor aesthetic enhancements. After its release 11 days ago, consumers are left wondering to themselves, “Is it worth it?”

The conclusion consumers come to could greatly affect Nintendo’s finances.

Nintendo is no stranger to the frequent face lifts it gives its handhelds. The company released its first portable system titled Game Boy, back in August 1989.

Provided Photo

This quickly became popular with the help of iconic games such as Mario, Tetris, Mega Man and Pokemon, the game that started a world-wide craze.

While the Game Boy did remain standard for seven years Nintendo released a slimmer version of the system in 1996 called the Gameboy Pocket. The company released the Game Boy Color two years later.

Within a nine-year timespan, the company released three different versions of the same system with specific modifications such as a size change or the ability to display colored images.

This proved successful as the company reported $120 million in total sales for just the hardware. Thats more than any other console or handheld they’ve ever released, with the exception of the Nintendo DS which generated more than $150 million for the company.

Nintendo would then go on to release other handheld systems such as the Game Boy Advance, the Nintendo DS and finally the Nintendo 3DS.

Each of the separate portable systems had multiple transformations in their lifetime with the Game Boy Advance having three different versions in a four-year timespan, the Nintendo DS having four iterations in a five-year time period and the 3DS with two varieties released in a little more than a year.

All of these upgrades created a steady cash flow for the company in the past, and in light of some recent profit losses — a net loss of about $220 million in the company’s 2012 quarter one sales reports — Nintendo will depend on a boost in sales with the release of its super-sized 3DS.

However, some technical and packaging issues could lead to a less-than-impressive quarter two sales turnout for the Japan-based gaming company.

When the 3DS was first released, many consumers were upset with a few features the system hyped up such as the 3D visuals the system is named after.

After the device was on the market for about six months, games were also released that would greatly benefit from the addition of a second analog stick. When Sony, Nintendo’s competitor, released its new handheld, the PS Vita, gamers were not only given the second analog stick they wanted so badly, but they also got enhanced graphics with a bigger screen to enjoy them on.

Although the 3DS outsold the Vita by more than 400,000 units, Nintendo still struggles to please its fans with the release of the XL, a move that could drop its sales even further.

The first issue fans have with the 3DS XL is its lack of a second analog stick. Even after much feedback from fans through emails and comments on the company’s YouTube page, Nintendo still neglected the possible addition.

According to a report by slashgear.com, a website for technology reviews, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the addition of a second analog stick would not have been possible in combination with a longer battery life and an overall size that kept the system portable.

The second problem consumers have with the 3DS XL is one not seen in America.

The system does not come packaged with a charger in Japan and Europe. Nintendo states this is being done to cut production costs, but this limits sales of the handheld to Japanese and European people who already own a 3DS, or people who are willing to shell out the extra $10-20 for a charger.

This alienates a large portion of consumers in Japan and Europe, and it leaves the people who have already bought the original 3DS as the target selling audience. While the XL does offer some great upgrades, it doesn’t justify spending another $200 out of the bank, especially with the issues that still remain.

This isn’t to say the XL’s redeeming qualities aren’t worth a mention.

The bigger screen and longer battery life makes for a great experience that enhances the 3D effects in a longer, more immersive way.

Aesthetic changes such as a fingerprint-resistant matte finish and smoothed corners help alleviate some comfortability problems presented by the original device as well.

In all, the 3DS XL is a wonderful opportunity for gamers who missed out on the 3DS to immediately upgrade their gaming experience for an extra $30, but people who already own the original will most likely stick with what they have.

The real question is whether the 3DS XL will save Nintendo from its lowered sales. The answer, as it seems right now, is no.

Although it may have worked for the company defined by a mushroom-munching plumber in the past, Nintendo may have to wait for the release of the Wii U to get its financial issues sorted out.

Sometimes it’s not all 1-ups and saving princesses, and Nintendo might have to find that out the hard way.

Well, regardless of if you guys agree with me or not I hope you like the article nonetheless and I really hope Nintendo turns their problems around. I'm not too worried though, I mean, it's Nintendo. They always bounce back. Right? 

Gamer Interview - Ben Bayliff

Question #1: What is the first video game you can remember playing?
Answer: Mario on the NES when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I remember being at my Grandma's house playing it and just feeling joy. I don't remember all of the game but I remember the feeling.

Question #2: What's the game that got you really seriously playing?
Answer: I would have to say the "Pokemans" got me into gaming. It was really the first game that I just sat there for hours on end and played straight through. It was a game I played with my friends and we built somewhat of a community and it was the game that got me looking out for sequels and into the mindset of "what's the next best game that's going to come out. I looked up information on the game, that was really the first game I cared enough to do that with.

Question #3:  What games are you really seriously playing now?
Answer: Guild Wars 2, NHL 13 the demo (lol) and Minecraft and those'll be my top 3 for the next 5 months. And when I say seriously play Guild wars 2 I mean it. The game has been out for less than a week and I've already logged 54 hours into it sooooo....

Question #4: Tell me about your time with Minecraft and why you think its become so popular.
Answer: I started out with Minecraft just like everybody else. I heard about it and me and my friends started a server. Long story short my friends got tired of it and I wanted to keep playing so I entered a building competition hosted byFyreUK, which is a pair of british gents who create intricate Minecraft structures, and won which allowed me to play and help build these great works. FyreUK is pretty well known within the Minecraft community, especially for their amazing time lapse videos. Honestly, I think Minecraft is just so popular because the community behind it and the modification aspect to the game. There's a huge creative community behind the game that continually posts content so the game is always fresh even for people who've been playing since day 1.

Question #5: What's your favorite video game?
Answer: Can I pick a franchise? Can I pick a developer? Hahahaha, oh this is going to be hard. Um, if I had to narrow it down to two franchises I would say Ratchet & Clank and Kingdom Hearts. Ratchet & Clank because of the ability of the game to be awesome no matter how many times it comes out and Kingdom Hearts because of the story line. In my opinion, you don't get much better than Kingdom Hearts as far as story line goes. All NHL games get an honorable mention.

Question #6: What's your least favorite thing about video games, the industry or the community?
Answer: It's heavily around the Call of Duty franchise and how it's gone to shit and how we've let it go to shit. People have bought the game year after year and we don't question the fact that they change next to nothing about the game. It's one of the most profitable games and they seriously don't change anything about it. We're just going to let developers get away with that and let them keep making money off of their lack of hard work and creativity. I just want to shoot Activision in the face with their poorly designed weapons. A close second though is the immaturity of online gaming. I mean, it's all about trashing the other player, there's no more respect.

Question #7: Who's your favorite video game character? Why?
Answer: Riku, from Kingdom Hearts. I like him because of the inner turmoil he has to go through to save his friends while satisfying the curiosity he has at the beginning of the game. The character development in that game is insane so choosing someone from Kingdom Hearts is an easy choice. You could say Mario, but you don't connect to Mario in the same way. He's just a face at times, like, you know he's in the middle of a struggle but you don't really know why. The only thing that keeps you playing is the gameplay for the most part and that's why I say Riku because even though I din't play as him I had a strong connection to him as a character.

Question #8: Least favorite video game character?
Answer: Mr. X from Resident Evil 2. When he popped out of walls... it scared THE SHIT out of me.

Question #9: Favorite video game quote?
Answer: It's either Ansem when he says "Why do we hate the darkness so much when it is half of everything?"or Sora when he says "That's not true! The heart maybe weak and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down there's a light that never goes out!"

Question #10: PC gaming or console gaming? Why?
Answer: I mean, it's always nice to sit in front of a TV and play your favorite game, but with PC gaming there's just so much more to offer for everyone. Developers can add so much more to the game, gamers can mod, more customization is available and the graphics are pretty much always better and the community is better because of the amount of social tools available online. I've met a lot of really cool people online I wouldn't have been able to interact with had it not been for a computer.

Ben Bayliff is a senior at SIUC from St.Louis studying Information Systems technology. You can see some of the FyreUK videos he's helped plan at FyreUK.com. Some of the works he's played a large part in are "Huge Train Station", "Aquila", and "City of Mages". I seriously recommend you guys check out what this guy has done because it really is amazing, even for people who are well versed with Minecraft. This is The Tin Man Flynn signing out. Until next time everybody, take it easy.

Darksiders 2 First Impressions Interview

Spencer Cordts, a previous poster on this blog, has bought Darksiders 2 for the PS3 and he and I thought it would be a fun idea to do an interview about his first impressions of the game. He's only put in about 10 hours so take the information as you will, just keep in mind there will be periodic updates throughout the next week or so.We're going to try and keep this short and sweet so enjoy and tell us what you thought about it in the comments below.

Question #1: What's the biggest improvement from the first game?
Answer: Not all items in the game are unlocked through progression of the game or purchasing from vendors but rather through leveling up and overall character progression. I like it because in the first game you had to beat a boss to get abyssal form and other such items, this took a while. Now you can get great items if you work hard enough at leveling your character.

Question #2: What's the biggest disappointment about the game so far?
Answer: Weapons are way too easy to upgrade and you're constantly getting better ones so doing side quests seems pointless since you're just going to get something better in 15 minutes anyways.(It's almost as bad as buying an iPhone). Also, the world is much bigger overall and there's a lot more content because of that, but the world can be a pain in the ass to travel around in sometimes, it's hard to figure out where to go and how to get there because the puzzles can be a pretty cryptic at times. I enjoy puzzles, but the ones in Darksiders aren't frustrating because of the challenge but rather the confusion of how the game presents them.

Question #3: How are you liking the story line so far?
Answer: It's good. I mean, it's a great continuation of the original story despite being a different main character. Being true to a story line and successfully building upon it is something that's important to me and clearly it's something that's important to the developers. If you just look at the amount of time they put into the look and environment you'd be able to tell they care very much about the title and the story is no exception to that.

Question #4: What do you think about the main character, Death, in comparison to War?
Answer: I like him more. War was a really good basis for the gaming or starting character, but Death is more interesting because everyone knows him in the game. His popularity is pretty funny in the game because some NPC's are like 'oh shit it's Death', which gives the impression that some people can die more than once and still be apart of the universe. It can just be a comical interaction at times while still giving in to that persona everyone sees the Grim Reaper as.

Question #5: Do you think Death looks like a member of Slipknot just a bit too much?
Answer: No, I don't think so. I think he looks a bit less like the Grim Reaper, but seriously, I think he looks way more bad ass than Slipknot. He makes them look like a bunch of crybabies?

Question #6: What would you want to see addeed?
Answer: The different customizable weapons and abilities give the game a nice RPG feel while still staying true to the original Darksiders. You don't have to customize anything in the game, I mean, you'll progress just fine without it, but just giving players the option to makes the game that much more enjoyable.

First Impression 3DS XL

Well, Nintendo decided to make a bigger version of the 3DS. If anyone says they're surprised right now they are either A) lying or B) trolling or C) unfamiliar with common Nintendo business practices. Either way, my job is to tell you guys whether or not it's worth buying and even though I feel like a sucker for picking up this thing I'd have to say it's absolutely worth it.

To start, most of the comparison I offer comes from playing my friend's 3DS for about two weeks before the release of the 3DS XL and minor play with other friends 3DS's when the handheld was first released. I'm happy to report that while the 3D effect is still a gimmick and loses its appeal when one you're not facing the device squarely, when you are properly viewing the screen the 3D effect is quite a bit more engaging and fleshed out than what can be seen from the smaller screen of the original. It really made Star Fox 64 3D a fun play and made me enjoy a game I've experienced in the past for a whole new set of reasons. It also seems like the 3D illusion isn't ruined quite as easily if one does move around when playing, but onlookers will still  be unable to see the 3D at all so backseat gaming is a near impossibility with the device. Overall, the 3D has been enhanced a noticeable amount but will still be the butt of many jokes and criticisms for the remainder of its lifetime (A bigger screen can't fix everything).

The design is nice with smoothed corners and a matte finish that is pleasing to the touch. The stylus has also been moved from the back of the device to the right side, but is no longer retractable(not a big deal in my opinion). I'll talk in more detail later when I make more entries but for now I'm going to try and keep it breezy. However, I feel I must address the one complaint glaringly obvious when anybody talks about the upgrade for more than two seconds... the absence of a second circle pad. While I will admit that it does suck the second circle pad is missing I have to say the games I've played absolutely does not need it. The only games I could see the second circle pad pad impacting the game play in a big way is Resident Evil: Revelation, Kid Icarus and Monster Hunter 4. Also, I do agree only having one circle pad does limit what developers can do with the games they create and the kind of mechanics they can implement in their games, but I don't think Nintendo will be hurting too much from this one and I know the consumers will get over it. Nintendo will continue to make great games despite the limitations and hopefully when they release their next handheld they'll remember to add that second, pesky stick. Until then people can complain and talk trash on Nintendo and all those White Knights can come galloping up in all their glory.

The two games I've played for the handheld are Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, a rhythm based game similar to Elite Beat Agents made by Square Enix, and Star Fox 64 3D. The other game I own is Kingdom Hearts: Dream drop Distance and while I haven't played it I am looking forward to what I've seen. Controls are precise and fluid for the two games I have played with Theatrhythm using the touch screen more heavily and Star Fox deploying the circle pad and buttons more. I picked up the gameplay for both titles quickly, but I wouldn't expect any less from a Square Enix and Nintendo game respectively.

As of now this is all I have to report on the 3DS XL and while some of the information is vague this is just the beginning to all of the updates I'm going to put out on the device. First impressions though have exceeded my expectations and I have thoroughly enjoyed my roughly ten hours I've spent with the new piece of Nintendo hardware.

Stay tuned for more updates on the XL and much more. We have an article on the new Madden game coming up as well as impressions of Darksiders 2 and a duel review of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance with myself and a guest writer. If you have any questions about the XL just let me know and I'll try to address them in one of the next updates. Until then eat your mushrooms and keeping jumping on those turtles people!            -The Tin Man Flynn

Changes Are A Coming

Well, I usually don't write stuff like this but I'm trying to do an update on the blog and get some more frequent posts so here goes. This is my last year in school and I realized I need to post more on this thing so I get more coverage and get famous or whatever. There will hopefully be more writers coming on board and I'm looking into posting videos so get ready for more frequent posting hopefully and seriously, give me feedback and ideas, I need to be writing stuff people want to read so a little help like that can go a long way.

My other news is that I just got a 3DS XL woot. I've bought a few games for that and will hopefully reviewing that pretty often. I figured I can keep covering PS3 stuff and PC games too but hopefully I'll be getting someone a little more experienced with PC gaming to write about all the new releases(so pretty much MMO's lol).

Over the next few weeks I'm gonna try to feel things out and coordinate my school and work schedule to allow me to write more for this so if you've liked what you've seen in the past and were frustrated because I didn't post enough hopefully this will be enough to meet your needs. Look forward to that 3DS XL review in the next couple of days though. Tell your friends. HENSHIN A GO GO BABY!!!