Archive for the 'Video Games' Category

Misunderstood youth

Published
by
Mark
on Saturday 3rd March 2007
in Entertainment, Movies, Music, TV and Video Games
. 0 Comments

Dr. Thiele comments on an Ars article regarding the gaming and violence connection. He sees the Ars article as the first of many articles fighting back against the "violent" label attached to video games.

Another thing to consider is that rarely have I found that those that label games as "violent" have actually spent any time playing those games. Rather, they see an ad for the game or hear about it loosely from someone else, and then they make their proclamation without any first-hand knowledge. They sensationalize their cause without any proof to support it.

It is very similar to those who call for the banning of books. For example, District 214 board member Leslie Pinney requested to have several books banned despite admitting to having not read them in their entirety. Thankfully, Board President William Dussling and the remainder of the board voted against the ban. Similarly, it is going to require individuals knowledgeable about video games to stand up against those who wish to blindly blame video games for the violence in today’s world.

Personally, as I have grown older, I have observed that society is no different today than it was fifty years ago, or even 2,000 years ago. Violence existed then, just as it does now. However, we are more exposed to violence now just because of the availability of news reports that both sensationalize violence and desensitize us to it.

While easy, it is inappropriate to blame just video games or movies or other pop culture for producing more violent youth. Some of the responsibility must be shared by the parents. Youth exposure to violence is inevitable, but it can be moderated. If you don’t want your kids playing violent video games, don’t buy them. If you are concerned about your kids playing violent video outside of the house, talk to them. So much energy is could be saved just by talking to your kids. We don’t need censorship. We don’t need legislation. We don’t need a small group of individuals with their own hidden agenda trying to spread FUD about video games, movies, music, etc. We just need to communicate.

Wii Boxing turns to breakdancing

Published
by
Mark
on Wednesday 31st January 2007
in Video Games
. 0 Comments

If you get just the right initial conditions, out of the chaos of Wii Boxing, you get breakdancing, if only for a moment:

Need For Speed: Carbon

Published
by
Mark
on Saturday 30th December 2006
in Video Games
. 0 Comments

Among the many gifts I received for Christmas was Need for Speed: Carbon for the Wii. Chris gave it to me because she knows how much I like the NFS franchise of games. Unfortunately, the controls are not quite as intuitive as other Wii games’ controls, or controls for NFS games on other systems. I wrote a short review for the game on Amazon.com:

Need for Speed Carbon

I haven’t played any other racing games on the Wii, so I was excited when my wife bought NFS: Carbon for me for Christmas. In the first few hours of gameplay, I struggled to get the controls down. The default controls (using just the remote) seemed unresponsive. I found that the alternate methods were just as unresponsive.

I wish there were an option to try steering with the nunchuk’s joystick, rather than having to tilt anything. The joystick is only used in the non-driving interface, usually to control the camera when viewing your car.

As for the rest of the game, I find it pretty entertaining and challenging. The last NFS games I played were Underground 1 and 2. The free roam of NFSU2 was a great addition to the franchise, but the ability to jump straight to a race from the map in Carbon is even better. Also, the reward cards add a different element to the game, allowing you to earn rewards for various gameplay events or actions.

Overall, it is a pretty good game.

I’m taking a few days off of work this winter break, so I’m going to keep playing to see if I get any better. What I wouldn’t give to be able to use a dual shock controller instead of tilting a Wii remote or nunchuk.

Update: So, on Thursday, January 4th, I finally saw the two controller configurations that allow you to steer with the nunchuk’s joystick. I swear that they were not available to me the first times I played. Oh well, I’m still not going to use it because I’m used to the default controller configuration now.

299

Published
by
Mark
on Saturday 9th December 2006
in Video Games
. 1 Comment

That number will haunt me. It will haunt me because that is just one pin shy of bowling a perfect game. That is currently my high score on Bowling for Wii Sports. That damned 7-pin wobbled, then stood defiantly against my hopes for a perfect game.

It’s a good thing I’m not going to the Madrigal dinner tonight. I may be able to obsess over this and keep trying for that perfect game. I’ll just have to remember to eat something, or else Chris might hide the Wii from me.

Import your hard-to-find Wii accessories

Published
by
Mark
on Tuesday 5th December 2006
in Video Games
. 1 Comment

I was reading over at Play-Asia.com that Japanese and US Wii accessories like the remote and nunchuk should work on either region’s Wii consoles. I found this out via a NintendoWorldReport post after a lot of searching. A certain travelling teacher not going to hell may be able to get controllers and nunchuks before returning to the States for a holiday visit.

A Wii bit of news

Published
by
Mark
on Sunday 19th November 2006
in Video Games
. 3 Comments

So, I have good news and bad news. First off, the good news: Bert and Toni were able to secure a second Wii after camping out last night, and they were gracious enough to sell it to me. And now the bad news: I don’t have any time for about a week to even unbox it and hook it up to play :-(

How sad is that? I have my first ever console acquired on launch day, and I can’t even use it for a week. Anyways, a big thanks to Bert and Toni for getting it for me, and another big thanks to Scott and Rich for transporting it from the Johnson residence to mine while I was out for my Mom’s birthday.

Oh, before I forget, and since Chris will recount this story an untold number of times, I was pretty damned excited about the offer from Bert this morning. I was sitting at my desk when I checked my voicemail. Then I burst out of my office and jumping up and down asking Chris if we could get a Wii. Then, when I called Bert back to tell him that I would greatly appreciate the Wii, I was all calm like the night. When I got off the phone, I was all smiles again.

Retro games

Published
by
Mark
on Monday 26th June 2006
in Video Games
. 0 Comments

Why is it that the games of our youth are making such a comeback? For a few of the franchises, you can’t even really call it a comeback, as they have been long-running and very successful (e.g. Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter etc.). To illustrate what I mean, a few weeks ago, Weise went to a show where they played scores from video games.

gprime.net has a video of an a cappella rendition of several Nintendo games’ songs. At Gordon College, a group performed the first world of Super Mario Bros. on stage!

Now you can get shirts and belt buckles, and even play the original titles on emulators or hardware clones! What factors are contributing to the growing popularity of old school video games? There is a point where the coolness becomes lame. Is that point coming up soon?