Silvercublogger

Welcome to another installment of Blog Banter, involving Hawty McBloggy’s community responding to a topic - this month’s being:

Digital distribution of games vs. buying physical boxes and discs, which do you prefer and why?

I was attending a Halo 3 launch party in September, waiting anxiously for the clock to strike midnight. But at the same time, I was enjoying my time surrounded by gamers at my local Gamestop. What were we all waiting for? The Halo 3 disc of course.

How could we do that for a digital download? All of the fun in waiting for a video game would be gone. There would be no pretty box cover to look at while awaiting to open the disc, no instruction manual to look at…no special exclusive editions.

If all games were to be digitally distributed, we would miss out on all these things. But what if the disc were to be scratched, or if you were to misplace it, or even have your disc stolen? That’s when the digital copy would be preferred, as it would be safely stored in your hard drive.

But then you could not share the disc with a friend - instead you would have to bring over a memory card or hard drive and install it into their console.

There are pros and cons to both distributional means, and you have to decide for yourself what you would rather prefer. Spending $10 dollars on an arcade game through Xbox Live Marketplace is not too bad, but what if Microsoft started selling games for $50 on Marketplace?

Would people still buy the game? I can’t justify it - because I would not be able to sell the game, or trade it in for credit once I downloaded it. Plus, not everyone has access to internet to download digital games - therefore discs will be around for quite awhile.

For those that do have internet, perhaps if the companies allowed us to “trade in” a downloaded game for credit, it might be worth it, but for now, buying game discs is what I prefer and my bookshelf looks great because of it. : )

Check out these other Blog Banter articles! Living Epic, Silvercublogger, Mahogany Finish, Video Game Sandwich, thoughts and rants, weblog.probablynot.com, XboxOZ360, Zath!, Delayed Responsibility, Gamer Unit, Hawty McBloggy

Welcome to another wonderful addition of Blog Banter, which involves Hawty McBloggy’s community responding to a suggested topic.

This month’s topic is:

Discuss one game you quit before completion because of a particular perceived flaw it had. What was that flaw and how could it have been fixed where you would have finished the game?

When I thought of this question, the only game that popped into my mind was Beautiful Katamari.

What was the game’s flaw?

Well, it was the first time I had ever played a Katamari game, and unfortunately the learning curve was not easy at all. For those unfamiliar with the Katamari series, it consists of rolling a ball around picking up things - and over time it grows really big to the point of picking up buildings and things of that nature.

I had a very hard time struggling with the controls, and to make matters worse each mission usually had a time limit - an idea so archaic that is laughable by today’s standards.

The problem was that after a few missions, I could never get the size of my ball to be the required size by the end of the time limit. I re-tried the mission over and over again, but alas, to no avail, my katamari skills could not for the life of me produce a ball big enough to meet the developer’s standards.

While I loved the artwork and music soundtrack to the game, the gameplay (primarily because of the annoying time limit) really halted my stay on Beautiful Katamari.

If the developers had taken out the time factor, this game would have been much more enjoyable. Perhaps I might return back to the world of Katamari someday, but as it stands, this game has been sitting on my shelf for a few months now - and that’s where it will be until I roll over to the game and try to play it again. : )

Anyone else despise time limits?

Take a look at other blogger’s responses: Unfettered Blather, Triage Effect, Gamer Unit, Delayed Responsibility, Man Bytes Blog, CrazyKinux’s Musing, Zath!, Draining Souls.net, Game Couch, 8-Bit Brigade, thoughts and rants, Hawty McBloggy

Welcome to another addition of Blog Banter, which involves Hawty McBloggy’s cozy community of enthusiastic gaming bloggers, a common topic, and a week to post articles pertaining to said topic. The results are quite entertaining and can range from deep insight to ROFLMAO.

This month’s topic is:

What, in your opinion, is the biggest stereotype about gamers? Do you fit it or not?

What is a “Gamer” anyways? Dictionary.com defines it as “a person who plays games.” So technically speaking, many people are gamers. You don’t need to own a video game console to be one. I never really knew there was a stereotype for them. Usually the most common thing is that they might be fat and/or ugly. Maybe only those that play World of Warcraft are.

Seriously speaking, for the educated individuals, we know that gamers are people. People are from all different kinds of backgrounds.. and body sizes for that matter. You can’t really stereotype “gamers”. Some might be laid-back, while another might be very competitive. Either way, all gamers possess unique qualities that make them special.

Perhaps in the olden days, it was thought that gamers were nerdy.. but times have changed, and the era we now live in is that video games are a “cool factor”, thanks to games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution which helped bring gaming to a whole new level.

Do I fit the gamer stereotype? Well I am not fat (I only weigh 138), ugly, or nerdy… so I suppose not. I don’t really know any gamer that is any of those. Maybe then the real target is female gamers. Perhaps then I might have something to say about them.. but I don’t. They have every right to game as much as men do - if not more. No one should degrade them for playing games. It’s arrogant and ignorant.

What it really all comes down to is the old saying “the masses are asses.” Meaning stereotypes get created thanks to the wonderful people out there who are missing a few “light bulbs”. Bottom line is, who cares what other people think? Don’t let anyone stereotype you, and if they categorize you that way, prove them wrong - or better yet, don’t even waste your (gaming) time on such childish trifles. : )

Here are the following participants. Take a look at what they said: The Average Gamer, shinybento, Unfettered Blather, Boom Stick Brigade, Gamer Unit, Zath!, Man Bytes Blog, Game Couch, Video Game Sandwich, Delayed Responsibility, thoughts and rants, Hawty McBloggy

In the blogging world, there is only one Hawty McBloggy, my wonderful friend bs angel. She has a “blog banter” where she, along with other fellow bloggers, blog about a certain topic. This month’s topic is:

“What games would you suggest someone play if they wanted to get to know you better?”

This question is certainly very deep, and I spent quite awhile thinking of what games defines me the best. No, its certainly not Halo or Team Fortress 2 because I am not a violent person.

However I recall a long time ago I was playing a few games on Halo 2 with a few of the Cavegirls, and I said “You can tell how a person is by the way they play Halo.” When I said that, one of the girls chimed in “Absolutely!” By seeing each person and the actions they do in the game, it can relate very much to how they are in reality. Such as my infamous “Indecisive Warthog Driving,” which caused confusion. However I am more confident now, so those Warthog mishaps are less frequent. Anyways - Halo 2 is a good example if you have Xbox Live - but if you do not - here are some that really define me, and can be played offline.

When I came to a conclusion on what games I would suggest someone play if they wanted to know me better, I immediately thought “that makes sense.” I could not choose a Care Bear game (even though I wish I could) because I have never played one. So without further ado, here are the games. Enjoy! ^_^

The first game I ever played on the PSP was Lumines. It began on the song Shinin’, the song that began my journey through the game, and also into my life of unique music. I always thought the song had words to it, and just a few months ago I found a video on YouTube that proved there was. The avatars you could select were so cute and perky (I even have one for my Xbox gamertagpic). When I saw the Silvercube avatar available in the game, I thought that was odd but really cool.

The name “Silvercube” originates from when I was a child. My twin brother believed that we were going to create a video game company - just the two (Cube in square roots) of us, and decided to take part of our last name (Silver) and forged the two names together. It was not until about ten years later until I realized that Cube is three in square roots, and that actually it should be Silversquare! But Cube does sound better, so the “mistake” became legend.

Anyways, the reason why Lumines would make people know me better is because its a music puzzle game. It combines two things - music which is essential (especially trance), and puzzles - which everyone has in their own lives. I am in a maze, trying to solve the many puzzles in my life, trying to find the answers and perhaps make it to the “finish line.”

Not to mention the game is amazing, and I have spent only about 400 hours over the three different Lumines games I own. Lumines II was a life saver for me when I was away from home. I spent so much time on that game immersing myself in the music - particularly the song Breezer, and Heavenly Star. Before my memory card was erased, I had amassed more than 200 hours on that one game. The songs in the Lumines games are either mysterious, perky, ambient, or random - all like me. Who can forget when I heard Shake Ya Body, a perky upbeat song that made me laugh hysterically.

It took me a very long time to get to the last song, Lights,but my determination paid off and I was rewarded with a beautiful song. So too in life I am determined to accomplished things in my life, and I hope that what I am doing leads to beautiful things.

In addition, by dropping the squares and making combos, you create a music beat, much like I am creating a beat to my own life. I am creating the combos in my life, hoping that what I do know will lead to bigger and better things. Lumines was and will always be a luminous light in my life, crossing into…

Animal Crossing, the best game in the world. You arrive in a place unknown to you, trying to make ends meet. You meet neighbors and live every day life trying to help and care for those around you. This game is me, because it is the most relaxing, cheerful, pleasant game I have ever played. In the game and in my life I love to help out others, and be in an environment that is supportive, caring, and respectful. The ability to have a job in the game and design your house really made me think of the future. When the game was released September 2002, I played this game for over 700 hours. This game was practically my life for two years. Since it used a real time clock, there was always an urge to check up on what was happening.

There was even a journal in the game in which you could write to your heart’s content. I have so many pages in my in-game journal, and its quite memorable looking back on my entries. My brother played this game as well, and we would visit each other’s houses every day. It was really the only sane thing my brother and I had at the time. We had both gone through many disasters during that time period, and Animal Crossing really helped during those tumultuous years.

Last but not least, is Kirby Super Star. Released in September 1996, I was only a kid when I played this game. (Maybe I still am?) Kirby embodies the ultimate in cute and perky. He is my favorite character in the world (with an exception of Silvercube Care Bear which closely resembles Bedtime Bear).

Kirby is a little kid, and I too am one as well - in the inside. I may be turning 20 soon, but I will always have within me the “Kirby” qualities. I can’t suck in my enemies and copy their abilities, but I can stand up for myself which I have done many times. Just has Kirby has many shapes and transformations, so do I.

I have gone through a few of them, from being a shy child to a more social adult. Kirby moves from level to level, trying to save his village. I also move, but from place to place. 15 times to be exact. Luckily the last six years has been more stable.

What can I say? Games have really made a huge impact in my life and helped me survive. I am quite a sentimental person and will hold on to all of these memories forever. When playing these games, one should feel they are peaceful - just like I am and want the world to be. But if you really want to know me better, you don’t have to play the games I enjoy - you just need to send me a friend request on Xbox Live.. or the Wii!

Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Pokemon Blue, (Because of storyline, characters, and the environment) Halo 2 (Because of Xbox Live - nothing to do with the shooting part), Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2. (My first DDR game, and one that has its own stories to tell)

Peace!

What video games would you suggest I play to get to know you better?

Over at Hawty McBloggy, my good friend bs angel has a “blog banter” (BB) where she, along with other fellow bloggers, blog about a certain topic. The topic suggested for this banter was “New Year’s resolutions as it pertains to gaming.” Seeing how practically my life is video games (besides college) I thought it was a perfect subject! I decided to write them in a satirical commandment form. Most of it is serious, while one or two is quite comedic. Enjoy!

Behold, here be lies my list of gaming resolutions!

10. Thou shall not shatter glass when I play Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore for Xbox 360.

9. Thou shall complete 227 more games of Bejeweled 2 on Endless Mode to unlock achievement!

8. Thou shall not cry or throw a tantrum if my Xbox 360 will smite itself with a dreaded red-ring.

7. Thou shall spam video game companies begging for a Care Bears video game on Xbox 360.

6. Thou shall not complain about people on xbox live. Behold, there be mute button!

5. Thou shall complete a few original Xbox games. Syberia II, here I come!

4. Thou shall spend more time taking pictures on Pokemon Snap for Wii.

3. Thou shall purchase a PS2, for it is calling my name.

2.Thou shall not make any Wii-lly silly Wii jokes.

1. Thou shall Wii-lly get a life. LOL