On The Podcast Episode 5 - Vladimir Putin Is Pac-Man

 
It's Friday so that means a lot of people with decent jobs are in their last work day of the week. Why not celebrate that fact by listening to a podcast starring your favourite Jacob and Tyler?

We talk Vladimir Putin, games, more games, video game music, and we even tell some stories about our lives. Don't miss this um, action-packed extravaganza.


Youtube: http://youtu.be/XYuvp6MKjCY

Listen Here:
Download MP3: https://archive.org/details/onthepodcast5

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - I Did It All For The Bananas (C'mon), The Bananas (C'mon)

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: Wii U (YES THERE ARE GAMES)

Rating: 9/10
Verdict: Tropical Freeze is an outstanding platformer that doesn't quite reach the heights of Mario 3D World but has its own brand of intense that would make Nicolas Cage proud.


When Retro Studios announced that they weren't making a new Metroid and had instead decided to focus on a new Donkey Kong Country, there were a lot of disappointed people. I don't think it was because people don't like Donkey Kong... I think it was because Metroid is Metroid and it's hard to compare. Despite the fact that I'm not as in love with the Prime series as some (I'm more of a side-scroller Metroid guy), even I was a little disappointed. You see, I've really enjoyed every Donkey Kong Country that I've played but for some reason I never get excited for a new one. I genuinely have no idea why that is.

Whereas Super Mario 3D World was more of a slow, cerebral platformer, Tropical Freeze is more akin to an action flick. It throws a lot at you at pretty much all times. You would think it would be the opposite as Mario has a timer each level and this doesn't, but most of your time in Tropical Freeze is spent running/carting/flying/swinging/jumping for your life while the environment explodes and destructs around you. Because of that, the levels are often exhilarating but often stressful.

Yes, this is a difficult game. There were some levels that frustrated me, but victory never seemed unattainable. Whether it was riding the rocket barrel and watching obstacles pop up in the blink of an eye, or battling one of the elaborate bosses, the game constantly kept me on edge. It is to Retro's credit that they managed to keep things relatively fresh throughout the entire game even in a familiar intellectual property.

They do this by offering new twists in each world. This isn't an original feat, but it's an appreciated one. Every world will throw new things at you, and Retro did a great job of introducing these at a good pace while never becoming overwhelming. It just adds to the unexpected nature of the game. Mario had this to, but as I said, it was slower. You don't have time to stop and think in a large portion of Donkey Kong Country.

Of course, there's a supporting cast here because what fun would it be without Cranky Kong (the OG Kong), Diddy or Dixie? They all ride on your back and offer special abilities, though I ended up solely using Dixie. I don't know why anybody would use Diddy, but maybe that's just me. They aren't game changers but they give you an extra boost to get through the many challenging levels. The rhyno makes a return and I found some of his sections the hardest.

Besides the characters there are little boosts but these are strictly one use, one level only things. You don't get permanent boosts, and I never bought any of them. I did buy some red balloons though so I could afford to die more.

If you want replay, it's pretty much par for the course at this point. Collect the letters, spell out "Kong" and collect the puzzle pieces. It does unlock bonus levels though so completionists will be rewarded with more game time.

I was pretty impressed with the music a lot of the time. The boss battle music was fittingly aggressive and I loved every time I jumped into the rocket barrel just because I wanted to hear the music. The fact that the track got faster as I got into the later level was a nice touch because it added a sense of urgency to it all.

Visually the game shows what the Wii U is capable of. People will scoff it, especially since Retro recently said that the Wii U is a "powerhouse," but it is capable of good graphics if developers know how to use it. No, the Wii U will never have the realism that other consoles (or God forbid the PC) has, but Tropical Freeze feels right at home on the Nintendo system. The character models are gorgeous and there's a lot to appreciate about what's going on around Donkey Kong. For example, there's always something neat going on in the background and I sometimes found myself gazing at the events taking place behind all the action. Then I died, but that was nothing new at that point.

People can mock the technical prowess of the Wii U, but Retro used it extremely well and made a game that's incredible to look at. The game is colourful, crisp and animated fluidly, which is essential considering all the shifting that the environments do within each stage.

If you are on the fence about picking up this game, don't be. If you like platformers, it's one of the best current examples of the genre.

My Top 40 Games of 2013, 10 - 1: R.I.P. 2013

Written By: Tyler Selig

                Hello everybody and Happy New Year! To start the year off, let’s remember the ten best games of 2013, according to me of course.

10: The Wonderful 101

                I’m going to rage a bit here. This Platinum Games superhero action game should have sold systems. People bitched about how the Wii U doesn’t have new IP and this interesting fast-paced beat ‘em up comes out and people don’t seem to care or even acknowledge that it exists. It’s one of the best games of the year and does something different with the genre, allowing your superheroes to form things like giant hands and whatnot. From the visuals, to the silly over-the-top humour, to the intense action, The Wonderful 101 really is wonderful and people shouldn’t sleep on this.

9: Fire Emblem: Awakening

From here on, you could switch any of these around and I’d be okay with it. It ultimately only came down to the mood I was currently in, since a lot of these are so entirely different than one another.

This is the first Fire Emblem game I’ve ever played and I was blown away.  I love tactical-RPGs, I love ‘job systems,’ and I love how deep the combat is in this game. One of the best RPGs of the year, by far.

8: Shin Megami Tensei 4

                This was also the first time I’ve played a Shin Megami Tensei core game. I also bought that other one that was finally release over here, but that was a tad dated. I loved what it was offering me though so I got really excited to play 4. It didn’t let me down at all… part Pokemon, part old-school RPG, it’s got incredible depth and a great story.

7: Batman: Arkham Origins

                I don’t care how many people want to say it’s too similar to Arkham City, or even that it sucks, this is another fine entry in an epic and legendary Batman video game series. Glitches aside – in which there were many when I played – it’s everything you could want from another Arkham game. Great villains, a logical story for why Batman is fighting so many villains at one time, and awesome gameplay that in some ways redefined the genre. No, it’s not a complete overhaul of the series, but since we don’t get one every year, I’m completely okay with that.

6: Bioshock: Infinite

                I think the first one may still be better, but this is another great Bioshock game. Wonderful story, solid game mechanics and dat mindfuck of an ending. It’s an accomplishment on pretty much every front.

5: Super Mario 3D World

                This game is just fun incarnate. It’s hard not to play this without a smile on your face, from all the references to games past, to the way the game works, it’s all on point. People can hate on Nintendo and all the Marios they release, but when Mario is at its best, there isn’t a platformer on the planet that can beat it. This is one of the best of the series, and that says a lot.

4: Path of Exile

                Free-to-play means shit right? Nope. Path of Exile is one of the best ARPGs of all time. It has your classic hack n’ slash action, but it does a few things different within the genre, such as having a barter system, or levelling up on something that is like the Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid. There is an incredible amount to love about Path of Exile. Did I mention it’s free?

3: The Last of Us

                It’s important to note, again, that from 9 on, any of these games could be number one but I believe in the integrity of the list so there has to be winners. The Last of Us was number one until right now, but I did a quick switch up. The Last of Us, like Bioshock: Infinite, is an accomplishment on everything. One of the best told stories of recent years, with memorable characters. One of the best soundtracks of the year. While some criticize the gameplay, I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. The Last of Us is one of the best PS3 games ever.

2: Killzone: Shadow Fall

                The bias is strong with this one. Killzone is my jam, I say it all the time. It’s a game I can sink hours into. I don’t know if this is the best one or not, but it does some things amazingly well, and they released a patch that fixes some of the issues I had with it. If you want a slower, Sci-Fi shooter, Killzone is where you should go.

1: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

                That’s right, I moved The Last of Us so I could put Animal Crossing: New Leaf as my number one. It’s mostly because it was a game I kept going back to for a couple months, whereas I basically only played The Last of Us for a while. Animal Crossing was my first real go at the series, since I only played the first one for a little bit, and I’m a huge fan now. But like I said, The Last of Us could be here, Super Mario could, Killzone, Fire Emblem, etc. Just depends on what genre I felt like playing at the time.

                And that’s it folks. I don’t know what 2014 is going to bring for me or this blog, but I hope you enjoyed my end of the year extravaganza.

Aw Look At the Cute Cat Suit - A Super Mario 3D World Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Rating: 9.5/10

Verdict: Super Mario 3D World doesn’t re-invent Mario, but embraces everything that brought Mario to the dance. That -- and some really clever and fun level design – makes this one of the best Mario games ever.

          

               I have a long history with Mario, much like I’m sure a lot of “old school” gamers do. I remember the NES packaged with the first solo Mario game. I remember Donkey Kong. I remember playing Mario pretty religiously through my youth, to the point where I would dream of playing Mario 3. I would sneak over to my older brother’s room, where the NES was, and play it at five in the morning. For some reason he still likes me.

                But the thing is, as much as I love Mario and I honestly feel no childhood is complete without Mario, I don’t follow Mario as much as I should. There are amazing installments that I just haven’t played, such as Galaxy. I hadn’t even played Super Mario 3D Land, which this is a sequel to. I generally just for a while without playing any of the games and then one day I think, “I should play the latest Mario.” So that means I miss some. But there was no way I was going to miss this one. It’s also because of this that I may not catch every reference to older games so forgive me if I act like something is new when it isn’t.

                And I’m so glad I didn’t choose to ignore it, because it’s easily within the top three of all Mario games for me. Maybe it’s blasphemy that Super Mario 64 isn’t in my top three, but Super Mario 3D World joins the likes of Super Mario World and Mario 3, with honourable mention to Mario 2 and yes, Super Mario 64.

                Nintendo didn’t give us a completely new experience, but instead decided to jam everything Mario into one title. There are references to the other games all over the place, and while that may not sound as appealing to some people – considering some people hate the fact that Nintendo “milks” the Mario franchise – as it does others, it’s a positive in my book, because not only did they show old fans love, but they did include some awesome ideas like the cat suit. Who doesn’t love the cat suit, with how adorable the characters look walking around on all fours? Not to mention that you need it to get a fair share of the stars and whatnot in the game.

                Mario will always have that Mario charm. It’s undeniable, and it’s one of the reasons he is so loved in this world. Mario is a legend and it’s hard to deny that. Some Nintendo haters like to play Mario down like he’s overrated, but I think they’d be overjoyed if Nintendo stopped making consoles and just made games for their system of choice.

                Having so many Mario games can be a little much if they don’t do anything great with the IP, but when the Mario games are on point, they’re the best platformers of their kind in the entire world. Super Mario 3D World is on point with fascinating and genius level design that offers different and often intense experiences in each world.

                Super Mario 3D World does a glorious job of giving you classic platforming but Nintendo threw in levels that make you sit back and just say, “Wow, that was cool.” An example of this are the music based levels which provide a nice break and something refreshing. The game offers a lot of variety, be it speed runs for stars, the musical blocks, the racing levels or just the way they switch everything up. Instead of letting you feel safe and allowing everything to seem familiar, even late in the game they include things that you haven’t yet seen in the game. You never really know what you’re going to get from level to level. From beginning to end, it’s exciting, and they top it all off by having an intense and amazing final level/boss battle. It’s because of this blend of new and old, and this mixture, that the game is one of the most fun games of the year.

                I have to gush a little over the music because it’s tremendous. Yes, there are re-workings of old songs, and they are incredible. There are new tunes, and they are just as good. Even from the main menu, the music just works and puts you in the mood. My personal favourite is the Ghost House music, which is tragic and eerie, like y’know, a Ghost House should be. I know this is a short paragraph because I don’t want to go into every single song and all the intricacies, but the soundtrack is so, so good.

The game is extremely polished, and even the little things add to the experience. I know that the way it uses community, with the drawn pictures and whatnot, isn’t a new thing. It was in the last Wii U Mario game, and I loved it then like I love it now. It’s a joy seeing Miis standing around to “talk” to and having them present you with whatever the player wanted to draw. Then there are the Ghost Miis that are in levels if you go back and revisit them, which allow you to see how other people played the game. My friend made fun of my Mario skills on Facebook randomly one day.

It’s a small, but nice little touch, that the music muffles when you’re in water. It isn’t something that should get a lot of attention but it’s neat that it’s there.

                Or the fact that Nintendo does an outstanding job of balancing difficulty. Some levels are just hard. Some levels only get hard when you want to get all three stars. If you’re a completionist then I’m sure there will be moments that have you pulling your hair out. However, Nintendo is for the children (to quote ODB), and if you are having a difficult time getting through a level, they’ll throw you a bone and give you a power-up that makes you invincible, except for falling in holes.

Which brings me to the multiplayer. It’s not original, but it’s back. You play as one of four characters (it makes me happy that at one point Mario 2 was seen as the bastard son, but now the characters are openly influenced by that one in particular), and playing with a friend or three makes the game significantly harder. But it’s fun. The game somehow makes you want to work together but be competitive. Sure, you want everyone to get through because it eats up lives if one of you die, but at the same time, you need to fight for points (in which you get a crown no less), and it ends up becoming a matter of “screw you, I’m out,” as you watch your friend fall to his death. Some have criticized the camera, but it was never a huge problem for me. Maybe a minor issue here and there, but nothing worth kicking up a stink about.

Another negative I’ve seen in reviews is that the game doesn’t use the Gamepad as well as it should. I get the argument… Mario is a killer app and you would think they would have used Mario to show what the Wii U is capable of. They don’t really do this, outside of a few levels here and there where you use the touch-screen or blow into it. I suppose if you look at it that way, it’s a little disappointing. I think it’s more that they are smart enough not to force something in that doesn’t work. I don’t think Mario is the game to show that off. I think a Zelda or a Metroid is more likely to do so. I see the brief usage of the features on the gamepad as more of a welcome swerve here and there.

Again, it’s the care that they put into the whole experience that makes Nintendo the developers that they are. At their best, and I know I sound like a fanboy, they understand games perfectly. I can’t help it, once in a while something comes along that just has me smiling the whole time (like the most recent Muppets movie), so I can’t help but say it’s one of the best games of the year.

On The Gamely Episode 3 - PS4, Xbox One, Final Fantasy X and X-2 Remake, and More!

Hey everybody. Here we have another episode of On The Gamely, the show where we talk... VIDEO GAMES!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivk6Qs18Au0