Sonic Unleashed: UNLEASH THE KRATHOG!!!

2006-2007 is a part of a time most Sonic fans would rather forget. Sonic hit rock bottom at that point and his 15th anniversary was "celebrated" with disgust. There was Sonic Riders; which is probably the best Sonic game released at the time, Sonic Genesis; put it this way, a fan actually made a rom called "Sonic 1 on GBA done right", don't believe me? http://www.sonicstadium.org/2008/08/finally-sonic-1-on-gba-done-right/ . SONIC the Hedgehog (more commonly referred to as Sonic 06), which is one of the two contenders for the title "Worst Sonic game ever made", Genesis being the other, and Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii early in its life cycle (and that should be all you need to know on it). That time period was so bad for the franchise that another bomb would kill the franchise permanently.

Hidden reviews: The Bookworm

Don't expect these to come out often. As a part of my course work, I wrote a review of a play I worked on a few weeks ago. If this kind of medium is enjoyed, then I'll try and do more and make it a constant review type if I can. Understand though I have a low budget for this site at the moment so don't expect plays and musicals to appear often. 

When most people think of a play, they normally think of shows that go for several hours, standard 5 act structure ect. Short plays aren't common as most people don't think its worth the investment nowadays, combined with the domination of the musical, and you have a structure that is few and far between. However there are times when less is better and the short play The Bookworm is evidence of it.

So what's the story of The Bookworm? You know the stories of medium addiction? the stories of people becoming so invested in some sort of medium that they can no longer tell the difference between what is fiction and what is reality, this is one of those stories. The story focuses on the character Paige Turner (its not the worst pun name I've herd) as the play delves into her back story as to why she is the way she is, so obsessed with literature, with stories, that she can't tell the difference between stories, not even her own. The writing always has that dark overtone to it as a result of the concept and the character.

The set has that feeling of "done on a budget" but never in a way where it becomes obvious. The set makes use of the venue's limitations well and you do feel like you're in this woman's home...room as I doubt she's seen a hallway in some time. The set has more books in it then I've seen almost anywhere (not including libraries). And with the primary lighting being standard lamps, it adds to the cozy, yet creepy feeling that the play itself uses. 

The writer of the play, Belinda Campbell, acts as Paige Turner for this and it shows just how thought out the character is. Campbell can pull of the character perfectly, further adding to that cozy yet creepy feeling. There are points where the script can get scary in a disturbing way simply because of how well the character is portrayed, the voice the character has, the movement on stage, its beautiful in a disturbing way.

If you have a chance to see it (should it ever get shown again), I would recommend seeing it, its short but worth it.

Mini Project: How to be a Game Designer Part 1: Structure and the mind

Every now and then, I hear people ask "how can I be a game designer?" with a conversation that tends to lead to more and more questions. Combine that with a large portion of fan games not having a competent game designer, if not one at all, I thought I'd try and lend a hand with it. Every now and then I'll be posting to here a few tips and tricks I taught myself, and the way I approach my reviews. I should note, this fist post is going to be a long one and may ruin people's ability to enjoy games and to that, I'm sorry. If you're still curious, lets begin.

The first thing that needs to be covered is the best tool at any person's disposal if they want to work in IT, and even other fields: the Problem Solving Methodology. Whenever you're designing anything, you should always keep this tool in mind. The Problem Solving Methodology is devided into 4 parts:

Note: System= any form of hardware/ software

1. Analysis: What is your problem? how is it caused? Before you do anything, you must know what it is you're going to do, analyze every aspect of the problem. Analysis is what this part is going to primarily focus on.
2. Design: before you even boot up a piece of development software. Design your system. Have a physical copy of your design documents which should have everything to do with the project, including testing and evaluation requirements (more on that later). Your final product may look nothing like what you design, which is fine, but you shouldn't be designing it on the fly.
3. Development: The "fun" part, making your system. Your code, your renders, this is when you get to finally see your project take shape. One thing though I can't stress enough, TEST EVERYTHING! this isn't the time to use your testing and evaluating requirements, you're job in this phase is to make sure your system works, not if it does its job. Your testers see if it does its job and your testers should not have any hand in the development of the system (as in they shouldn't be working on it, their job is to test, not make). You are actually the worst person to test your system as you know how its supposed to work.
4. Evaluation: So your system is out to the public, now is the time to bring out your evaluation documents. After your system has been in the public for some time (a good base is six months after release), you need to look at the public feedback, see how its being used, the common errors people have, find more problems and go back to analysis.

The big thing to remember when working in the IT industry is "Fail Faster". Every fail costs you money, but it also makes your system better. The later into development your failures show up, the harder it is to fix and the more it costs. Fail faster, don't be afraid to fail, it happens. Its better to fail during the design phase then it is to fail in the development and evaluation phases.

So now you have those tools in mind, now its time to play some games... but if your a designer, you not playing them just to have fun, you're analyzing them. You always have to ask yourself "Why did they do this?" "What would it be like if it was like this?". Remember, everything in a game is done for a reason.

Here's a small exercise. I want you to play a game, any game of your choice, for this example, I'm going to use Pokemon Red and Blue versions. Once you've selected a game to play, set yourself a point to finish analyzing, for this example I'm going to go up to (and include) Pewter City, though you can go as far as you want to. Now in Pokemon Red and Blue, during that time, what can and can't you do?

1. You get the opening intro.
2. You can choose the name of your character.
3. You can choose the name of your rival.
4. You can get a free potion from the PC.
5. You are given a basic guide of the controls.
6. You cannot go into tall grass.
7. You are given your starter Pokemon.
8. You are introduced to the battle system (when you battle your rival).
9. You are introduced to NPC's.
10. You are introduced to Tall Grass and wild encounters.
11. You are introduced to the Pokemon Centre and Pokemart.
12. You are introduced a Gym you can't enter.
13. You are given the Pokedex.
14. You can choose to have another rival battle.
15. You can choose to be taught how to use a Pokeball.
16. You are introduced to dungeons.
17. You are introduced to eye contact.
18. You are introduced to Trainer classes.
19. You are introduced to type match up.
20. You are introduced to "loot".
21. You are introduced to Pokemon Gyms.
22. You are introduced to the concept of Fossils.
23. You are introduced to Gym Badges.
24. You are introduced to the concept of TM's and (hinted at) HM's.

Once you have a list of introductions, now its time to ask why and if needed, how?

Note: these are basic investigations on the matter, the more complicated analysis you can provide, the better. I'm just using minimalistic as a example.

1. Why is there a opening intro? To get people excited to play the game and provide some basic knowledge of the game for first time players.
   
2. Why can you choose the name of your character? To make Red the link between the player and the game, so that the player can feel that its them doing these tasks and not another character.
   
3. Why can you choose the name of your rival? To make the game feel more unique. It's your adventure, not another's.
   
4. Why can you get a free potion from the PC?To reward and encourage exploration along with introducing the player to PC storage.
   
5. Why are you given a basic guide of the controls and how? You are never told how to, you are encouraged to look. When you are told, its hidden away to give players a chance to figure it out for themselves, making the tutorial a more rewarding experience.
   
6. Why are you denied from going into tall grass? To ensure you get your starter Pokemon, giving you access to the combat mechanics.
   
7. Why are you given your starter Pokemon and why can you choose what your starter is? To introduce players to the concept of Pokemon and to give players a stronger bond to the Pokemon, to act as the first step in the player thinking of them as a friend, a partner more so then a tool.
   
8. Why are you introduced to the battle system (when you battle your rival)? To allow for players to grasp the basics required to make it through the game and to build up a rival in their minds, more so then just allowing the game to tell them "he's a rival".
   
9. Why are you introduced to NPC's? To help encourage exploration and to make the world feel more alive.
   
10. Why are you introduced to Tall Grass and wild encounters? To help enforce the skills learned in the Rival battle before introducing the player to the catching mechanic along with showing players places where they can find wild Pokemon.
    
11. Why are you introduced to the Pokemon Center and Pokemart? To introduce the player to the different kinds of buildings and what buildings you should be looking for in new cities and towns.
12. Why can you not enter the Gym in Viridian City? Foreshadowing for the plot
    
13. Why are you given the Pokedex? To give the player a in game way of tracking all the different kinds of Pokemon.
    
14. Why can you choose to have another rival battle? It is a reward, adding to the intensives to explore before you get to the first dungeon.
    
15. Why can you choose to be taught how to use a Pokeball? To allow players who know how to catch a Pokemon to skip it while giving the players who don't know how to the intensive to ask NPC's, adding to the exploration.
    
16. Why are you introduced to dungeons? To introduce players to the concept of the game's mazes, along with Trainer battles and introduce the concept of them before taking off the "training wheels" in Mt Moon.
    
17. Why are you introduced to eye contact? To allow players the chance to avoid trainers and showing them how far they can see the player, where their blind spots are.
    
18. Why are you introduced to Trainer classes? To encourage the player to use a variety of Pokemon, as each class uses different kinds of Pokemon.
    
19. Why are you introduced to type match up? To hint to the player that each Pokemon has weaknesses, encouraging the player to investigate each Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses and hint to the player to have different kinds of Pokemon on them at all times.
    
20. Why are you introduced to "loot"? To introduce the player to the item system and to encourage exploration.
    
21. Why are you introduced to Pokemon Gyms now? To introduce the player to the concept of "boss battles" and provide a ideal point for the player to be at in terms of levels.
22. Why are you introduced to the concept of Fossils? To foreshadow the event in Mt Moon and eventually the Fossil revival system.
    
23. Why are you introduced to Gym Badges? To show the player how to progress to new areas in the game, because you cannot leave Pewter City without Brock's Badge.
    
24. Why are you introduced to the concept of TM's and (hinted at) HM's? To show the player another way to teach their Pokemon new moves.

That's a analysis of the first three routes, dungeon and towns/ cities in the game, and where I end this for now. But as a fun activity, either use your list or the one I provided here and imagine what the game would be like if something was changed or removed, imagine how it would have effected the game.

Kirby Triple Deluxe: Nintendo does have more then one Platformer mascot

Yeah, contrary to popular belief, there are actually more Platformer mascots from Nintendo that aren't Mario. For clarification, a Platformers is a gameplay style, often seen as very arcade in nature as it is getting from point A-B while jumping over obstacles, its the father of Parkour in short.

With every new Nintendo console, you're going to get your staple franchises. You're going to get your new Mario (sometimes 2 in the case of the WiiU), you're going to get your new Zelda, your new Mario Kart and your new Smash bros (I'll get to that one later), Kirby is one of the franchises you don't hear a lot of because it either gets very little publicity or it appears closer to the end of the console's cycle. Kirby didn't get a main series game on the Gamecube (instead we got Kirby's Air Ride) and didn't appear on the Wii until Kirby's Epic Yarn. Portable consoles have been kinder to Kirby as we got 4 Kirby games for the DS. During the wait for Smash 4, Nintendo was kind enough to release Kirby Triple Deluxe, the pink puffball's first appearance on the 3DS (that doesn't include the Virtual Console), how does it compare to its predecessors? Time to see just how big his black hole of a stomach is this time.

To Boldly Flee: Because everyone hates plot holes

The year is 2012, Doug Walker has decided to stop writing Nostalgia Critic episodes, but not without leaving on a high note. The team still has a anniversary to release, and what better way to finish the character then with a 3 and a half hour long sci-fi movie. Time to, for the last time, re enter this world, To Boldly Flee.

So how does one go from... whatever you call Kickassia, to medieval in the form of Suburban Knights and then To Boldly Flee? Well...

Suburban Knights: When a sequel isn't really a sequel

What's the first rule of a sequel... more often then not its keeping the same theme as the first film. One year after the release of Kickassia, the Channel Awesome team bring out a new film that... somehow connects to Kickassia (in other ways besides mentions). The hunt is on for a power of old, time to delve into fantasy with Suburban Knights.

Disclaimer: I know its not the cover, I couldn't find a good image of the cover

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Seasons 1-4... This is going to be a long week...

When I started this reviews site, I knew this would come up sooner or later. This is one of the reviews that I’m not sure how it’s going to be taken, not by fans of the show or by you who read this, but by people I know in real life. This is also something that I have quite a bit to say so this is one of the reviews that are going to be spread over several posts (five to be precise). I am willing to review other aspects of the franchise at a later time if I get the request for them, especially while I look to see what sticks and what doesn’t. But until then, let’s get this underway, to whatever it gets, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Seasons 1-4.

Disclaimer: No, I am not a Brony and I'm definitely not a Pegasister (though I'm hoping that last one is obvious...)

I would insert a cover here, but I couldn't find a good one so...

Mario Karts 7 and 8: Time to burn rubber again... and again...

With every new Nintendo console, we are guaranteed a new Mario Kart at some point. From its debut on the SNES, Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's safe console sellers with every iteration managing to push units. While I said I was going to do just Mario Kart 8 (even though I still lack a Wii U, thank you to EB games Swanston Street for having the full version available to play), if you're familiar with the Mario Kart iterations, you'll see why I'm grouping Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS in this review as well. Time to hit the track.

Batman Assault on Arkham: I never thought I'd see people breaking into Arkham...

It has been 75 years since Batman first appeared to the world. One the two mascots of DC Comics and one of the most well known superheroes of this day an age thanks to the overall success of his appearances in other mediums (including the Adam West TV show nowadays, the animated TV shows including Batman the Animated series, Batman Beyond and Justice League, the Nolan films (in particular The Dark Knight but I'll save that one for latter) and the Arkham games) it isn't surprising that DC would want to celebrate it somehow. Several animations have been released this year to celebrate the anniversary including the one below...

and the subject of this review: Batman Assault on Arkham. Time to let the Rouges out, the madhouse is open.

The Lego Movie: No I WILL NOT sing that song

While I can’t speak for everyone, I wish that there was more stop motion animation. I applaud people who go out of their way to make high quality stop motion animation and use the style to their advantage along with the material. Why do I say this, because Lego is generally the standard Stop Motion material as people tend to make their sets, characters and props out of Lego, because its so easy to do (in comparison to other stop motion styles like using Transformers toys). Movies made by Lego on the other hand are... forgettable for the most part. I only know of five other Lego movies, one of which I couldn’t name off the top of my head to save my life. To my knowledge, all of Lego’s films have been direct to VCR/DVD/Blu-ray and none of have come to or launched at a cinema (at least not where I live...)... until The Lego movie. So how does the Lego movie hold up?