Fun Times in Steelport

            I spent the last week playing Saint’s Row IV.  I am gonna be honest with you internet.  It.  Was.  AMAYAYAYZING!  So much so, that I decided to tell everyone.  If you’re my Facebook friend, you have already been beaten over the head with how much I have enjoyed this game.  Do I recommend it?  Strongly.  That is of course if you like humorous games where you can jump/run around the city with super powers.  So yeah, play it if you enjoy fun. 

            I’m obviously a bit biased, especially as of late.  I have been playing a lot of games that put humor and pop culture references into their story.  From Triple A titles like Borderlands 2 to the Indie game Gunpoint.  It seems I have become smitten by the humor infused within these games.  It reminds me for a brief moment that it is okay to laugh again. 

            This may be the root of why I like Saint’s Row IV.  It also may have something to do with loving Saint’s Row the Third.  A game that is so outrageous on its own that the only way to top it is to add super powers to your character.  (And to make that character the President of the United States).  I know… I know… it all makes perfect sense now.  We’re all saying that now. 

            One of the things I do enjoy most about the game, actually, is the fact that the super powers do feel so much like a natural transition for the game series.  After playing it, you may even wonder why it hadn’t happened sooner.  The gameplay feels so natural with it incorporated into the game.  The game also gave me things to play with that I didn’t know I wanted.  Like a Dubstep Gun.  Who knew that I wanted a Dubstep Gun.  Cause I sure as hell didn’t know.  Not to mention the countless Sci-Fi references made as if they are the most normal thing in the world.  They even have Captain Mal’s pistol as a customizable option!  I know!  That alone is worth a nod.  I could probably talk about everything I love about the game for hours.  But I won’t keep you that long.

            In fact, I just want to go about saying that I would like to see more games like it.  Not specifically with the super powers, and the open world gameplay (Though they were done in top form).  Just more games that embrace such a comical standpoint on the world of video games.  They even poke fun at their own game history. 

            I won’t say I don’t enjoy a serious game that marvels at the capabilities of their engine and the groundbreaking writing.  But there is something to be said for a game that was made for the sole purpose to be fun.  To be enjoyed by people all over.  Well written, and also well executed.  The video game industry is flourishing.  With that, I hope to see more games that embrace humor in their storytelling and in their gameplay. Of course not at the expense of said gameplay.  We still want it to be good. 

                                                                                               

                                                                                                LAZY Rhino “CEO”

                                                                                                            Andrew

(If you enjoy reading my blog, feel free to follow me on Twitter @ANDCauthen.  Where I talk about how much I miss my sisters, and other stuff.  Like video games!  Also feel free to leave a comment.  I would love to hear what games you think did humor right or where they go wrong.)

Old School

            So, I was sitting around drinking with the ROOMIES when I was hit with the sudden urge to share my life and opinions with people who probably don’t really care.  Hopefully, if I am funny enough, you guys and gals will keep coming back for more!  More more more!  Well, now that you understand why I am approximately 30 years late to the blog game… where to begin.

            My name is ANDREW, for those of you who don’t know me and don’t happen to be sympathy reading this blog:  I am an avid video gamer.  I also do other stuff, like write a blog!  And lately I’ve been doing a lot of YouTube watching.  Hmmm… not much more to tell that you won’t learn about me (or don’t already know). 

            A few weeks back, after a couple hours at Chili’s with two of my Roommates, we three conquerors sat down and began to play old NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) games on ALEX’s Retron.  Alex is one of the roommates (now former) that I was speaking of.  The other is CHRIS.  Chris is my best friend and also (former) roommate.  If you’re wondering why I capitalized the first time I wrote their names, it’s a script writing thing to indicate an important introduction of a character.  So, since the people I will mention in my blogs are important to me, they will be capitalized the first time I ever mention them. 

            Alex, Chris, and I started off the night playing Spider-Man: The Return of the Sinister Six.  Where you play as Spidey, and you guessed it, you fight the Sinister Six.  The game lacked a lot of the Spider-Man powers you expect in a Web Head game; like web slinging.  Now we didn’t get very far, we beat Electro.  Then, in the second stage where you’re chasing Sandman, all three of us fell in a hole that you can’t get out of, because Spider-Man is easily trapped in holes and can’t ever get out of them.  Proven by all the times it didn’t happen in the comics.  It must have been a bathtub or something. 

            Needless to say, we quit playing that to play Batman!  Who I might add was far more agile than Spider-Man, and was very well represented in his game.  Alex played first and died horribly.  Then Chris played, and then I played, and I got the farthest to start by learning from their mistakes.  The game was really enjoyable.  It might have been the beer, or even the nostalgia of it all.  Batman rocked!  The flipside to this is that the game’s difficulty spiked after the first level.  And not just a little bit.  It went directly into testing all the skills you were forced to master in the first level.  It was gaming at its finest.  I don’t know how closely the storyline mirrored the movie as I suppose it was marketed.  Since, in the third level we fought a ton of Battle Toadesque enemies who were all pretty much unstoppable.  I didn’t even try. 

            We ended the night playing Dr. Mario.  Now, I’m personally unaware of the school Mario attended to obtain said doctorate.  But, I know he is a doctor that caters to one of two specific problems.  If you have a fever or the chills, he will prescribe the right pill.  Unless you’re Alex or Chris who probably killed more patients than I can count.  For those who don’t know Dr. Mario on the NES, it is akin to Tetris.  The difference being that you only play until you have eliminated all the viruses in your bottle.  And it has versus mode.  Another fact you may be lacking is that I am quite good at Dr. Mario.  Not because I like puzzle games, or because I like Tetris (Hated It!).  When I was but a young lad, my sisters (3 to be precise) and I used to play against my MOTHER.  She is a super Dr. Mario Amadeus.  We had to get good and we had to get good fast if we wanted to actually eliminate a couple of viruses before she piled a ton of useless pill pieces on us.  It was bitter sweet to take Alex and Chris respectively to the cleaners.  When the other Roomies (also former) came home from their respective nights, even my drunk sister (MIRANDA) was better than Chris and Alex.  So this one goes out to Mom; thank you Mom, for making me better than Chris at a game (Finally).

            That night reminded me of the good old days.  A time when games were simple and to the point.  From point A to point B.  No tutorials, no helping hands, just a lot of failed attempts at success.  And eventually the sweet satisfaction of a job well done. 

                                                                                                            LAZY Rhino “CEO”

                                                                                                                                    Andrew

 

(If you enjoyed my first blog, feel free to follow me on Twitter @ANDCauthen or just keep reading my blog!  Also if you have an old school game you love feel free to leave the name in the comments section.  And even tell me what you liked about it!)