Point of Contention: Making Games Fun Again

 Analysis, Video Games  1 Response »
Mar 062013
 

Hey everyone. It’s been a good long time since I’ve sat back and really gotten a chance to look at the industry, culture, and playing population behind the games from a broad point of view. Lately I’ve been trying to paint myself a picture of what we are and what it is, just so I know that what I’ve gotten myself into is worth the time, money, and soul dedication. So today, I’m going to play doctor. And instead of making you remove your pants behind the village oak tree I thought I’d diagnose a problem and offer my own homegrown prescription.

But Tarabisu!, some of you are eagerly saying, There’s nothing wrong with games culture at all! We’re perfectly healthy. Well much of my “research” has been sulking around the comments sections of Kotaku, IGN, Gametrailers, The Escapist, etc looking for common trends, because, you know, the internet provides such a good estimation of humanity. Nonetheless, I’ve deduced that we take our medium to a number of dangerous extremes, and I think it’s makes for a valuable discussion.

Source - IGN.COM

Source – IGN.COM

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Point of Contention: The Collector’s Habit

 Analysis, Video Games  6 Responses »
Feb 272013
 

We’ve all seen them. They haunt our dreams and they sadden our realities. Huge, overstocked, obsessive video game collections can be beastly sights, and the internet has proven to be a prime method for showing off what was once a deeply personal habit. Some guys really go all out for their beloved game splurges, and to many the hobby is just as much about finding the rarest items from the medium’s history and maintaining a massive stock as it is actually playing games.

In the recent months, I’ve noticed a percentage of my gaming attention slowly get dedicated to sowing the seeds to what may someday be a rather large collection. I’ve been buying up retro consoles, pulling old games and memorabilia out of hiding, and reading up on lists of various consoles’ rarest titles, from the Sega Saturn to the Game Boy. Even if I have a limited amount of my college living-expense budget to humor this newfound interest, it’s really quite fun to become acquainted with the history and lineage of video games. But there’s a small, wormy distress that’s nagging in the back of my mind. Are we slowly losing our ability to maintain history? Is game cataloging slowly becoming a thing of the past? Let’s talk about it.

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Point of Contention: The 5 Best Console Slimlines

 Video Games  No Responses »
Feb 202013
 

I always find it extremely interesting the degrees to which consoles change throughout their lifespans. Occasionally consoles stay fairly static (the GameCube, Xbox, N64, and others saw no great change from beginning to end), but others managed to reinvent themselves in both form and public perception. Sometimes, slim lines reinvent the image of the console. Other times, they make necessary functional improvements. Here’s a list of the best 5 Console Slim Lines that managed to combine the two.

PS3 Slim - TRAVIS - 1 Continue reading »

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Point of Contention: Do We Need New Consoles?

 Analysis, Video Games  No Responses »
Feb 132013
 

Let’s pretend for a day that everything I talked about last week on the egregious problems surrounding rumored plans by Microsoft and Sony to block used games are not coming to fruition. Let’s assume that the next gen consoles will be extremely desirable in terms of power, game variety, and implementation of interesting new game mechanics. And let’s understand that no matter what we might say right now regarding whether or not a next gen set of consoles interests us, Sony and Microsoft are going to do their damnest to make the PS4 and Xbox 720 (assuming those are the names, of course) extremely shiny and new. A part of you will want one, even if it’s small and tucked away. No need to be defensive about that fact. We all love us some new technology boxes.

But is now the right time? Aren’t we only just getting settled comfortably into the PS3 and Xbox 360 graphical pillow? Or is it getting old playing in 720p almost exclusively? Or witnessing the HD illusion break apart as soon as you stand even a little close to the TV? Of course, graphics aren’t the only area that will improve with greater console power, and time will tell if such improvements stand to change gaming or perpetuate its forward growth. I’m willing to discuss amicably, if you are.

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Point of Contention: The Fight for Used Games

 Video Games  15 Responses »
Feb 062013
 

They started out as what seemed like the most ridiculous of rumors. Next gen consoles blocking used games? Preposterous! Such a flaming claim could only be made to point out the competitor’s desire to scheme its sheep customer base out of as much money as possible. Those fools at Microsoft/Sony will be crying themselves into early graves, long live the PS3/Xbox!

Well here we are, and there have been reports of Microsoft implementing a one-time use pass on all retail games, and Sony filed a patent for something similar not too long ago. Of course, very little information is currently in our grasp as far as next-gen tech, and much of this must be taken with a teeny tiny grain of salt. Nonetheless, it’s an issue and needs to be discussed.

Used Games - TRAVIS - 1 Continue reading »

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Point of Contention: 4 Great Looking Games of 2013

 Commentary, Video Games  3 Responses »
Jan 302013
 

Here at Moarpowah we try to be on top of our schedules. As to be expected from a site the regards video games as a cornerstone of the “nerd three” (video games, anime, and comics), it’s important we discuss what will grace our gaming palettes, both in terms of expectations as well as what we already know.

I for one have been trying my best to expand my gaming literacy in the past few years, which has entailed playing lots of different games from all sorts of genres. It’s forced me to avoid soul-suckers like World of Warcraft and League of Legends in order to maintain variety, even if it means missing out on some of the most defining game experiences to be had this decade. A few games I’ll play this year will likely leave me hooked for more hours than I care to think about, and I’m sure to lose some much needed productivity. But I’m trying to stick with games that have a clear beginning and end, while only occasionally sinking some time into the always entertaining Sins of a Solar Empire or even Roller Coaster Tycoon, if I just up and decide to one day.

Regardless, here are some of the most interesting titles that will see releases in the near future. Most of these I will end up playing. Some may lose their grip on me before they come out and avoid my hard-earned money, and others will join the list, but as of right now, these are the games to look forward to in my perspective (in no particular order).

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Point of Contention: The State of the Consoles

 Analysis, Video Games  2 Responses »
Jan 232013
 

Let’s say, for all intents and purposes, that all industry soothsayers in their little business suits in their little towers are wrong and consoles are not on their way out. Mobile and PC? Hah. Silly distractions from the true spirit of video games, in which Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are the kings of warring nations and their subjects will fight to the death to defend their consoles choice in the great wars of flame.

Ok, not really. Console wars are dumb and you shouldn’t participate. But in the grand scheme of things, consoles are likely not going to die anytime soon. In my mind there are still legions of consumers willing to shell out for another console, Pokemon will always outsell the bible, and Sony is a profitable, highly rated company with no chance of failure. Any sign to the contrary is a threat to my carefully defensed sentimentality designed by the sadistic devils at Kotaku and the like who wish to destroy the hearts of console gamers everywhere(note: I play PC and mobile games every now and then and do in fact function in the real world and recognize when change is happening).

So without further ado, here’s a look into the current and future statuses of our beloved/cursed consoles. I promise not to be too facetious (not really). Continue reading »

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Point of Contention: The Game Review

 Analysis, Video Games  1 Response »
Jan 162013
 

The internet has brought our humble race a wealth of benefits since its immaculate conception. Besides the obvious, it’s given our fresh new medium a powerful platform on which to discuss issues and raise a (usually) healthy and strong community. I would guess that the internet has allowed video games to enjoy more general discussion and self-reflective insight in its first thirty odd years with us than film did in its first seventy-five. It’s free unadulterated opinion and access to the tools for expressing them. Hell, I’m doing it right now. I didn’t get an English or media studies degree, and I certainly didn’t work for years to gain any reputation to convince people to read my work. Blogging and opinion piece-writing today is much like writing on a sheet of paper and throwing it into the wind, only some people might actually read it.

I mention this to put what I have to say into perspective. I am just a guy, sitting in bed, thinking up some opinions I might have tucked away from which to encourage debate. Game reviews are not written by a legion of angels or demons who live to satisfy your expectations or lie to you face while grubbing bribe money under the table. Game Reviews are placed in far too many inappropriate contexts these days I hardly ever see anything constructive coming from them. What with Metacritic dictating the games that get made, worthless arguments that solve nothing, and reviews that focus too much on the immediate experience without looking into anything deeper, the entire realm of game reviews could use a whole lot of looking at. Here’s some humble recommendations on how to write reviews, read reviews, and remember the time and place for emotion.

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Point of Contention: Why 2D Games Are King

 Analysis, Video Games  6 Responses »
Jan 102013
 

In the past few weeks, I’ve been revisiting quite a few old games with greater interest than usual. From complete playthroughs of Metal Slug X, Aladdin on SNES, and Halo: Combat Evolved, to some dabbling in EarthBound, for whatever reason I felt it necessary to revisit some classics that I missed out on long ago. It’s been a fun adventure into the past, and it really helps to put current gaming into perspective when you see the facets of yesterday’s gaming and how they evolved.

One game in particular brought on a realization about the transition from 2D to 3D, specifically how most of the early forays into the third dimension failed to capture the same control ingenuity that had been honed in 2D for so long. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a game beloved by many. Allow me to (attempt) to put it into a negative, yet realistic perspective.

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Point of Contention: Was Super Mario Sunshine That Bad?

 Commentary, Video Games  2 Responses »
Jan 022013
 

This Christmas I got a heap of new games from the last year under the tree and I can’t wait to dive into them. Dishonored is likely the first I’ll get to, but in the midst of the holidays I got the weirdest urge to revisit some older games. Among Earthbound, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the original Mass Effect, I tried paying Super Mario Sunshine a visit after nearly eight years. I’ve played a lot of Mario since then and it’s been an interesting experience seeing how it holds up in the modern context.

A lot of people were down on that game when it came out, despite incredibly high critical success, and while I was too young to be critical when I first played it, I’ve been trying to give it an objective yet comparative look. After all, it is a strange Mario game. With no goombas to be found, Super Mario Sunshine exudes interesting development choices on the part of Nintendo, and it’s really worth looking back at.

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