Glad Nintendo are doing their best to keep leaks to a minimum. I want to play this game just like the first – not knowing anything about it!
Sinead O’Connor pens open letter to Miley Cyrus: ‘Don’t let the music business make a prostitute of you’
Don’t Blame the Victim: Freshers’ Week Sexism
Yesterday, after I launched a blog series on sexism in freshers’ week, I received the comment below. I didn’t let it through moderation, as frankly I didn’t want it to put off other people from sharing their experiences. I’m reproducing it here because I think it demonstrates attitudes which unintentionally sustain sexism at university, and direct criticism towards the victims of harassment instead of the men who harass.
Dear Blogger,
It is incredible how, 3 years after my first fresher’s week at University, only now I find out about this sexist culture in Universities, about the psychological and social pressure girls go through everywhere because of their desire to fit in. Fit into what? A culture that encourages sex, drugs and alcohol under this tag name? I have never liked clubs because I know what happens there, I know how all girls and women are treated there, and yes…
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Pokemon X and Y – New Pokemon Revealed: Fossil Evolutions + New Gameplay
2 brand new Pokemon have been revealed for the current 6th generation line-up. Both Pokemon are the 1st stage evolutions of the previously announced fossil Pokemon Amaura and Tyrunt.
Aurorus
First up is Aurorus which evolves from the basic Pokemon Amaura. It’s said to be able to expel air from its lungs at a freezing temperature of -240 degrees Fahrenheit . It has the ability Refrigerate, and is 2.7 m tall and weighs 225.0 kg.
There’s also the addition of a new Ice Type move known as Freeze Dry. Ice moves are not very effective against Water-types but Freeze-Dry is super effective against Water types, so this might see a mix up of type effective moves. Perhaps some moves will have specific types they are effective against now. The move can also leave a target frozen.
Tyrantrum
Second up is the Tyrannosaurus-based Pokemon Tyrantrum who evolves from Tyrunt.
Other information presented also indicates that Pokemon will also gain EXP at the end of a battle even when the opposing Pokemon is caught in a PokeBall. There will apparently be no new Pokemon introduced in gen 6 that can mega evolve, and Pokecenters will now also include areas for the player to change their outfit.
A video has also been released for the Japanese 3DS eShop showcasing over 3 minutes of new footage for the games. The trailer shows new areas of the Kalos region and further footage of character customisation.
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Crash Bandicoot: A Review
Crash Bandicoot
Released: 1996
Platform: PlayStation
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Naughty Dog
Genre: Platformer
Crash might not seem as much of a seminal video game character in current times, having not had a proper release for five years now, but back in the day he burst onto the scene in an exceptional way. Video game companies in the 90s were in heated battle to dominate sales of both consoles and games, and one thing that seemed to be selling well was a good mascot. Nintendo had Mario, who they could throw on to a game about paint drying and it would still probably sell well, and Sega had their blue blur of a hedgehog Sonic. It looked like Naughty Dog had just what Sony needed – a marsupial mascot known as Crash Bandicoot. The bandicoot may have later expanded to other platforms, but for his heydays the furry little creature ruled the PlayStation.
The basic story of the game isn’t that far flung from ‘brave character rescues his dearest love interest’, but with a few interesting twists along the way. Initially Crash was just an everyday bandicoot until the series’ antagonist, Dr Neo Cortex, uses his ‘Evolvo-Ray’ to ‘force evolve’ him into the character we see on-screen. Cortex then attempts to control Crash with the help of his ‘Cortex Vortex’, which ultimately rejects Crash, leading Cortex to chase him out of his castle and plummet to the island below. Crash must brave through 3 separate islands and return to Cortex’s castle in order to save his love interest Tawna from being experimented on by the evil Cortex.
Boxes. On of the most perilous obstacles Crash must overcome
In its day Crash Bandicoot was phenomenal, not only did it look exceptionally good on Sony’s relatively new PlayStation, but it also melded together new ways to of approaching and viewing the platform genre. Infamously, the common perspective that the player sees of Crash’s behind was dubbed the ‘Sonic’s ass’ view – for obvious reasons. Platforming now had a new twist to it, but Crash didn’t abandon some of its older roots in the form of more traditional side scrolling platforming. It didn’t reinvent the genre, but it did add enough to it to make it feel refreshingly new. The object of each level is simple enough, find your way to the end. Along the way you have to jump, slide and spin our way through various obstacles. That however isn’t the totality of the gameplay. There are boss battles thrown in their along the way, secret areas and bonus areas to uncover and challenges to complete like smashing all the boxes in a level and finding all of the coloured gems. Crash Bandicoot has enough hidden away to make sure you go back in your attempt to complete the game, and it has incredibly good replay value which still holds up pretty well today.
As previously mentioned the graphics are exceptionally good considering this was in 1996. The environments and enemies are exceedingly bright and colourful. That being said, some of the larger boss characters do appear rather blocky, but its certainly no Pierce Brosnan’s face in GoldenEye. The game handles the colours well and the increased capabilities of the PlayStation make for an overall better feel for the games’ environments. Water looks like water and leaves look like leaves. What more could you need? The game still looks good enough when played today, even if current gen graphics have come along in leaps and bounds.
Hey, hey Crash, who told you you could platform like that?
The music sounds increasingly good as you play through the game. Each level’s music is matched perfectly to it’s feel and gameplay – when you’re running through a jungle, the beat of the music is exactly what you’d expect to come out of a jungle (if there were a tribe there playing instruments that is). When you’re in the middle of a dark temple and the music playing is alarmingly slow, you know that you’re about to be tested with your jumping and platforming abilities. The music is slow most likely to match your progress through the level, and quite often this occurs in the darker levels of the game. Other sound effects in the game accentuate the feel and play of the game. Crash’s spin feels all that bit more cartoony, boxes feel satisfying to break and the ‘shoop’ of the wumpa fruit makes you want to collect them all. This might be a small game by today’s comparison but with the help of the music and sound, the game feels so much bigger and expansive.
Crash Bandicoot isn’t the hardest platforming game out there (either of current or from 1996), but it does provide enough of a challenge with its collectibles and bonuses to leave you wanting more. There are some parts that are definitely a little frustrating to get past and will see you wasting many of your lives, but it’s still a game that can be completed in one (maybe quite long) sitting. It certainly has its charm and the speechless nature of the titular character makes it all the more fun. To this day it remains a favourite of many, which is highlighted by the fact the game became one of the best selling on the PlayStation. Crash’s popularity may have died out in recent years (nothing shy of a crime!), but without a doubt the bandicoot still holds his own in his debut game.
Verdict:
8.9/10
You Can’t Reflect Upon A Mirror – Poem
Man, time goes by
In the blink of an eye
Quicker than anything you’d expect
It won’t make it clearer
By standing at the mirror
So we ought take time to reflect
Free up your mind
and then you might find
There’s light in the dark after all
If you take advice,
You should always think twice
And remember to rise when you fall
Let’s not fake it,
‘Cause we might just make it,
We’d better not give up the fight
Guidance bereft
As we’re all looking left
When we’re trying to make things right
The stars might find us
In their attempt to define us
And with that I bid you goodnight
Pokemon X and Y Starter Evolutions Officially Revealed + More Pokemon Revealed
A new Pokemon X and Y video dropped today showcasing the latest additions to 6th Generation’s main entry in the franchise.
Starter Evolutions:
First off is the reveal of the second evolutions for all three starter Pokemon.
Quilladin will be Chespin’s second evolution which is still a pure grass type. It clocks in at a height of 2′ 4″ and a weight of 63.9 lbs.
Next up is Fennekin’s second evolution, known as Braixen. Again this evolution is said to keep its pure fire typing and has a height of 3′ 3″ and weight of 32 lbs.
Last but not least here is Frogadier, Froakie’s next evolution. It’s said to be pure water type and is the lightest and shortest of the evolutions with a height of 2′ 0″ and a weight of 24 lbs.
Mega Evolutions:
Also officially revealed were two new mega evolutions – Mega Mewtwo X (which gains a fighting type) and Mega Garchomp. The previously announced mega evolution for Mewtwo is now known to be Mega Mewtwo Y, with the two mega evolving whilst holding the Mewtwonite X or Mewtwonite Y – with Mewtwonite X and Y only being available in their respective games.
Mega Mewtwo X
New Pokemon:
Several new Pokemon were also revealed in the latest trailer. The first two being the fossil/dinosaur Pokemon Tyrunt and Amaura – who both will be restored from ancient fossils. Next up is a new normal type Pokemon known as Furfrou, which was revealed to also have a customisable groomable appearance. The next Pokemon shown is a feline Pokemon named Meowstic which is a psychic type. It’s shown that this Pokemon can change forms depending on what gender it is.
3 of Furfrou’s different grooming variations
One final Pokemon was revealed in the form of Pyroar which is said to be Litleo’s second evolution. This Pokemon’s mane and body shape vary depending on the gender of the Pokemon.
Trainer Customisation:
The newest trailer also shows off the different styles a trainer can have by going to a boutique or salon to change their outfit and hairstyle. You can change your clothes, hat, shoes, and accessories in the many boutiques in the cities throughout the Kalos region.
One of the many variations of looks a trainer can now have
Team Flare:
More information has also been revealed about the main antagonists of them game; Team Flare. It’s said that thre are five Scientists that are “the driving force behind this mysterious group, each one identified by a different hairstyle and unique outfit.”
4 of the 5 main Team Flare scientists
The orange-haired woman is known as Aliana, the green-haired woman is Bryony, the purple-hair belongs to Celosia, and the blue-haired woman is Mable. There is only one man among the Scientists called Xerosic, who has red goggles and hair. Their focus is meant to be world-changing, but quite what they are focused on is yet to be revealed.
More in-depth information on the newly revealed Pokemon at: Pokemon X and Y Pokedex – new Pokemon – Official Nintendo Magazine
Saul Goodman’s Breaking Bad Spinoff is Officially Happening
Hoping this might mean the return of Mike!
Tetris: An (Un)Healthy Obsession
A set of oddly shaped blocks, all made from four squares, falling from the sky. Who ever thought that would catch on?
Tetris is one of the most addictive games of all time, and it’s also one of the best selling games ever. So much so that it is in fact the most widely ported (both legally and illegally) game ever created. There aren’t many people you will come across that haven’t played, or at least heard of Tetris. It’s multicoloured puzzle solving nature has reached millions upon millions of people spanning ever corner of the globe.
Probably the main reason why Tetris is so addictive is because it’s deceptively simplistic. Anyone can play through the first couple of levels and get a few Tetris’ along the way, that’s not so hard. But when the speed increases the difficult definitely ramps up. It gets incredibly hard to place the right pieces in the short amount of time, and you have to think at least a few moves ahead of where you already are. But you ca get better at it, there’s always room for improvement (well for some who aren’t Grand Masters at it). You can always play some more and try and better your score. The game play gets you hooked because there’s no complex learning curve – and it’s always satisfying when that mystical line piece finally arrives and you firmly place it in its place securing four beautiful lines, or a tetris as it’s known.
I’ve got quite the obsession with Tetris, I can seem to play it for hours and hours. There comes a point when you play it for so long and get to a certain level of concentration where by, you completely stop thinking about where you’re going to place your pieces, or even stop thinking about Tetris altogether. I find myself many times thinking about other things that occupy my time instead of where that annoying Z piece should go. It’s almost as if you start playing Tetris from your subconscious, you don’t really register it in your upper brain – it’s a strange experience. It’s like your brain assumes a memory mode where it already knows what to do with the pieces. It’s gained the knowledge man times over of where you would regularly put certain pieces, so it just does it on auto-pilot now.
laying Tetris is meant to be beneficial in many ways; it’s meant to increase brain activity and ‘make you smarter’, it makes you more alert, improves your reaction time and puzzle solving skills and it can even help people recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by allowing their brain to focus on the puzzle aspects of the game. I feel that there must be some deep psychological rooting to playing Tetris, at least more ‘obsessively’ playing Tetris if it can have such an affect on someone in that way. Playing the game must be rooted in the subconscious or psyche at some stage in order for it to relieve a player from the trauma of PTSD.
I can play Tetris pretty well, I’m not at Grand Master level by any means, but I did once clock the score counter on Tetris DS (you’ll have to trust me on that because I didn’t have a camera to take a picture at the time)
I did manage to take a picture of this which is my high score for today (I’ve had higher) but it’s technically the world record for the PAL version of Tetris on the SNES [According to: Tetris & Dr. Mario | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | PAL – Tetris [Points] | Twin Galaxies International Scoreboard | Twin Galaxies – The official keepers of video game World Records for over 30 years]
So for now I can feel like I play an OK game of Tetris. Like I said, there’s always time to play more, and get better!
You don't know what you can't 