This is a blog mostly centered on upcoming video games that I am interested in and it may evolve over time to feature my other interests as well, such as animé, manga, or movies. I typically enjoy RPGs, FPS, and some puzzle solving games. I am a connoisseur of many different games, but I update this blog rather infrequently, so please be aware. I try to post roughly once per month or more often, as time permits. The information I provide is accurate with cited sources.
Hey everyone! I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or everything in-between. More importantly, I hope you all have been spreading cheer and goodwill towards your fellow man,woman, & child.
I will see you all hopefully bright eyed and bushy tailed in the new year!
During an earnings call, Activision determined that within the last quarter sales for Destiny 2: Forsaken have not lived up to expectations. The game had been heavily promoted and was even offered as a free title for PC gamers (available until November 18, 2018). It was also made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers as part of the free games line-up for the month of September. Nonetheless, the game has been under-performing in terms of player engagement as well as market performance.
During the call itself, Activision COO Coddy Johnson stated that “Some of our other franchises like Destiny are not performing as well as we’d like...” This could be a result of the core fanbase from Destiny 1 being deterred from purchasing the sequel and subsequent expansions because of poor business practices in the past which are just now starting to show repercussions. He seems to affirm this theory as he continues claiming "We have not yet seen the full core re-engage in Destiny, which has led to the under-performance against expectations to date.
Some players are in 'wait and see' mode. If you're in, you're deeply
engaged. If not, we think now's the time to bring players back."
Some players and critics alike believe that Exo Cayde-6's death in the overarching storyline however, may now have proven to be a critically severe tactical error from a business standpoint. As the only character with significant personality, acting as comedic relief, the tone of the franchise has perhaps become forever marred in an edgier, grittier manner. As such, it may be that players (such as myself) have lost interest and immersion considering that the character has survived the "Red War" of the main base game, only to fall victim to Prince Uldren and his Skorn underlings immediately afterwards. This may have deterred current players from purchasing the latest DLC in a denial of cycle sort of way. By not purchasing Destiny 2's Forsaken, Cayde-6 still "lives", albeit metaphysically.
Cayde-6
Unfortunately, what this means for Activision's long-term plan is that they intend to have future content released more frequently, and most egregiously, ramp up the
monetization for the game. This most definitely is NOT a strategy that will be met with welcome arms from their players as it was clearly evident with the introduction of Eververse's costly "pay-to-acquire" exclusive items.
One potential monetization alternative would be a subscription fee on top of the $60 fee for the base game and the $40 fee for the expansion packs. However, I would suggest perhaps customizeable reticles (perhaps with clan tags as a feature?) or possibly adding "bases" where players could customize furnishings and hang out with other members of their group? There are less aggressive and invasive means of increasing revenue and player engagement.
Personally, I want to know more about guardians themselves. What do they do in their free time when they are not protecting the last city from enemies of the Traveler? What do they do for amusement that doesn't involve guns? Can they even reproduce considering that they were dead and then resurrected? What effects of resurrection on the anatomy does this have? Do guardians need to eat too? During a strike mission, the Ghost casually alludes to the fact that guardians are immune to Tetanus when entering a rusted water purification plant teeming with Taken spawn. Clearly, Bungie and Activision have room to ponder these aspects of their eververse-expanding world. Given enough time, they can create content that would make the game far more enticing to hardcore and casual players.
My greatest complaint with Bungie and Activision is the constant lack of transparency as well as a distinct habit of miscommunication of goals and ideals. There have been some gross violations of player trust such as when there was an Experience Level scaling issue for hardcore grinding players. Bungie & Activision have managed to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again by not communicating clearly and effectively with their fan base and it always reflects in their revenue. It's a hard lesson to learn, but a very necessary one to abide by. Treat your customers with respect and integrity, do not shortchange them, and listen heavily to feedback (both constructive and negative).
Works Cited
Schreier, Jason. “Activision Says It's Not Happy With Destiny's Sales.” Kotaku,
Kotaku.com, 8 Nov. 2018,
kotaku.com/activision-says-its-not-happy-with-destinys-sales-1830322804?utm_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow.
Usher, William. “Apparently, Destiny 2 Has Been A Disappointment For Activision.” CINEMABLEND,
CINEMABLEND, 9 Nov. 2018,
www.cinemablend.com/games/2461140/apparently-destiny-2-has-been-a-disappointment-for-activision?fbclid=IwAR2dJVpFdJ2kFvhtA2Dzz4T7T-UQulrXE2_Fenx-5usyUYfMbw2n6XEHVsk.
Wood, Austin. “Destiny 2 Director Assures Players Bungie Is.” GamesRadar,
GamesRadar The Games, Movies and TV You Love, 10 Nov. 2018,
www.gamesradar.com/destiny-2-director-assures-players-bungie-is-not-disappointed-with-forsaken-despite-activisions-sales-concerns/?utm_content=bufferc8f1a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_grfb.
In an opinionated article for GameInformer Magazine, titled "Gamers Should Be Voting, So Why Aren't We?" Senior Previews Editor Matthew Miller attempts to entice readers and gamers alike into getting politically active.
This is a critical recruitment time as the November 6th, 2018 Mid-term Election is just around the corner. Midterm elections in the United States are held in November every four years, near the midpoint of a president's four-year term of office. They are considered to be general elections that affect the offices of members of the United States Congress, including all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, and the full terms for 33 or 34 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate.
Unfortunately, midterm elections usually produce a significantly lower voter turnout than most presidential elections. As such, Miller appeals to gamers' sense of choice and their drive for social change. Gamers provide a youthful and unique demographic. Miller cites a 2017 Pew Research Center Study which determined that "60 percent of Americans between [the ages of][sic] 18 to 29 said that they played video games regularly" Yet, in combination with data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, "...only 19.9 percent of people aged 18 to 29" voted in the last mid-term election cycle which was held in 2014.
So, based on these separate studies, one can infer that there is a severe lack of young adults participating in the general elections.
Now, granted that both sources of data come from different sources and their respective studies, but it does illustrate a curious discrepancy between voter turnout and the number of potential voters in that age category that were gamers, who actually went to the polls, and voted, albeit, more information would be necessary to establish a better correlation. A proper study should be conducted asking gamers in that age category whether or not they actually voted in the mid-term election.
One of the possible explanations for a lack of voter participation is that there is a longstanding belief that one vote does not make a difference or that it won't change the status quo, but that is far from the truth. Miller appeals to the current state of affairs circulating online forums and many other media outlets that are of the utmost importance to gamers. For example, he cites the issues of Net Neutrality, and mass shooting related to gun control and the blame placed upon violent video games. He also cites the terrible tragedy that befell the people of Jacksonville, Florida, on August 26, 2018 during a Madden tournament. One must also consider that there is strength in numbers and that if friends and family come together on an issue, it can make a monumental change. Miller mentions that Epic Games' Fortnite title has 125 million players. Even if a fraction of those were U.S. citizen eligible to vote and did so, the turnout would be extraordinary.
I heartily encourage my friends and family (gamers and non-gamers alike) to vote and I provide a link to the Video Game Voters Network right here on my blog to garner positive changes in our American Society. Let your voices be heard!
Works Cited
Miller, Matt. “Gamers Should Be Voting, So Why Aren't We?” GameInformer, Oct. 2018, p. 32.
With only a couple days remaining, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is set to release on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. As such, major video game journalism outlets such as Kotaku, Polygon, and IGN have presented their reviews of the upcoming title, with generally favorable accolades.
Players begin the game on the continent of Erdrea as the Luminary, a
reincarnation of the legendary hero Erdrick (or Loto if you go by
Japanese naming). Accused of being a fraud, he is hunted down by agents
of the kingdom and must team up with other unique characters in order to
rid it of the dark influence lurking just beyond the bend.
Kotaku journalist Tim Rogers makes the bold statement that "This is the best Dragon Quest game" in the series. Granted, Rogers himself mentions that he has had prior exposure to this particular iteration of the franchise in that he's also logged well "...over 300 hours, starting with the release of the Japanese version in July of 2017". As such, he may be a bit of biased commentator, but perhaps noting that very fact, in and of itself, is a recognition, no, a testament that this game lives up the high standards of longtime fans. Despite this praise, another contender in the video game journalism corner reports that this game may not live up to the hype or current expectations of most other games.
According to his testimony and that of
Jeffrey Parkin, Polygon journalist, the main game takes approximately 70-80 hours to complete.
Tim Rogers praised the game for its depth and intricacy. In particular, he noted that the game has a dubious amount of hidden arithmetic and structure.
Jeffrey Parkin claims that Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age "...is the best example of a Japanese role-playing game", yet criticized the overall length of the game, noting, that at times, it felt "shallow" and limited in scope. Ironically, Parkin admits that he "found himself [sic] rushing past intricately detailed locations just to get to the next waypoint." Thus, he wasn't truly taking the time to appreciate the aesthetics of the world before him.
His main argument is that many of the cities felt too similar in structure and that the NPCs tend to only provide "vague hints of where to go" and broad descriptions of the town or city in which they reside. However, this is typical of most JRPGs and despite his arguments that "Dragon Quest 11 is a linear game" most games have a beginning, middle, and end like any other linear plotline.
His further arguments seem to be that of a person whom is not particularly fond of turn based RPGs or those that involve certain nuisances or tropes. Instead, he seems to chastise that very aspect claiming that "frivolous dialogue" and text based menus bog down the experience as a whole. It's rather confusing that he states that "fighting monsters becomes an annoyance" even though there are no random encounters. That's a monumental change from typical RPGs! You can dictate when you want to hit the grind hard before and after a boss fight!
He even concedes that "It’s been a long time since I played a turn-based JRPG,". With this in mind, Jefferey Parkin perhaps was not the most appropriate candidate for this genre of game to review. Even so, he seems to at least acknowledge that those with an appreciation for Dragon Quest games will enjoy it nonetheless.
Nonetheless, I myself will be posting my own review upon completion and I for one, am excited to play this tantalizing title. (especially considering that I have only ever played one game in the DQ series, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS when that first came out in 2010. It's been eight long years. I need my JRPG fix.)
Quantic Dream’s latest IP (Intellectual Property), Detroit: Become Human is a complex and intense game with multiple branching storylines that will conform to your choices with surprisingly meaningful results. A first playthrough of the game will run an average player roughly 10-12 hours so, on the outset, that doesn't seem like a very lengthy story, however, with so many alternative paths, the game has a significantly high replay value and it's incredibly fulfilling just to see what could have occurred had one of the other protagonists decided to make a different choice in an unfolding scenario.
There are three main protagonists: Connor (portrayed by Bryan Dechart) a
prototype model that acts as an investigator/negotiator whose assignment is to discover the root cause of
androids becoming "deviant", Kara (portrayed by Valorie Curry, recently seen as "Dot" in Amazon’s live action revival of The Tick), a housekeeper android who must care for a little girl named Alice, and Markus (portrayed by Jesse Williams whom is well known on Grey’s Anatomy) another caretaker model who looks after Carl, a renowned painter. Markus eventually believes androids should share
equal rights with humans based upon the teachings of his mentor.
In Detroit, it’s the year 2038. The CyberLife corporation (largely responsible for the events that transpire) has invented affordable, lifelike androids that perfectly mimic people in appearance and capability. They can wash the dishes, fold the laundry, cook, tend to your children...they are the epitome of working class labor. However, over time, "deviancy" begins to rise and the androids begin to acquire free will. As such, the player will interact with these characters and discover their personal journeys and role in the grand scheme of the sentience movement.
Based on your decisions, you can change each androids personalities or motivations as well as the tone of their individual stories. The plethora of options are vast and numerous between chapters and checkpoints. How much control you have over the narrative varies wildly from moment to moment, from traditional and clear branching paths to more linear sections where you’re simply providing flavour (sincere, direct, or sarcastic responses).
My favorite character by far was Connor. He inevitably partners up with a human Lieutenant, named Hank Anderson (Portrayed by Clancy Brown). The initial relationship was somewhat hostile at first, but in my first playthrough, I intended to be the best partner I could to the Lieutenant and he eventually warmed up to me. He ended up being a great ally and one that was surprisingly supportive, especially in the final act. I grew very attached to both of them as they carried out their investigation. A grizzled cop and a cheerful android.
Kara’s story is deeply personal and intimate, taking on a very materialistic tone, one that is somewhat refreshing when compared to the machismo, adrenaline-fueled, and testosterone packed stories of Connor and Markus. It's a nice change of pace that provides a welcome contrast to all the running around and explosion dodging you do with the other characters.
All of the characters portrayals show a stunning amount of non-verbal expressiveness. The level
of detail you can see in their faces is simply remarkable; facial hair,
blemishes, freckles, and smile lines are all rendered in captivating detail with the animation showing just as much dedication. Even the weather effects are elloquently designed, with both the snow and the rain coating the
characters and environments in a delicate manner. This game's environmental effects have to be some of the best
implementation of weather to date. This game truly is a great experience to partake in.
One of the reasons I enjoyed Connor's storyline so much was due to the implementation of the "detective mode" allows players to scan the environment to reconstruct crime
scenes, and fast-forward or rewind possible frames of time,
Markus in particular has a different ability that allows him to ‘pre-construct’ scenarios before executing them. I would have liked the opportunity to play around with this ability just a bit more, but even so, it was a neat feature that kept the gameplay fresh and unique.
SPOILER WARNING!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Chloe at the main menu screen and it was nice that she greeted you each time you booted up the game. (In my case though, I didn't realize she would comment upon your progression. I played through the entire story all in one sitting and set her free). I was disappointed that she left and that the main menu screen would not have any replacement assistant or greeter.
My biggest gripe was that Markus gains a romantic love interest in North (portrayed by
Minka Kelly), and I felt like that was very forced. It wasn't quite as gradual of a progression as one would have hope and I honestly didn't like her character to begin with, so when the option came for me to kiss her on screen, I turned her down EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I didn't like that she was so negative and unsupportive of my pacifist approach towards gaining android freedom. As such, I was taken aback with shock and utter disgust when she attempted to swoon Markus. I simply didn't ask for any of it to happen, so it felt largely out of place.
Another issue I had was with the elevator scene at CyberLife with Connor. There were no non-lethal options and it infuriated me that up until this point I had ensured that he would not use a firearm to arm innocents nor would he disobey the android laws with regard to an unauthorized concealed carry of a handgun. Yet, the game and story would not allow me to pursue my anti-gun ideal. This even happened during the raid of Jericho and I kept asking myself "Where did he get the gun from? Who gave my RK 800 android a gun?!?" It sort of broke the immersion for me just a bit.
The characters can be quite robust and during play, gamers will grow attached to them over time, so much so that it becomes a real challenge to keep the androids away from danger and a sort of pseudo-fear creeps in during the quick time events that a character may not make it out of the scene alive with each failed button press.
The stakes were suitably high - particularly in its final
act and I was adamant about Connor in particular. So much so that I was frantically trying everything I could to prevent what I would have considered to be an utter betrayal of my sanity.
Quantic Dream was extremely clever in allowing players to see the multitude of paths
transparently through flowcharts introduced at the end of each chapter. This allows players to picture just how differently an intense scene could have played out if you had failed at certain points, enticing you to play through again.
Detroit: Become Human is an astoundingly interactive sci-fi drama where your choices can truly impact events to a
greater and more satisfying degree than in most games of this genre.
Score:
8.5/10.0
B+ Solid storytelling with strong emotionally engaging characters
ReBoot: The Guardian Code is a Canadian animation/live-action adventure produced by Netflix and Mainframe Entertainment Studios involving four teenagers enrolled in a technocratic high school, complete with unnecessary teenage drama. The four intrepid heroes consist of Austin aka Vector (Ty Wood), Tamra aka Engima (Sydney Scotia), Parker aka Googz (Ajay Friese) and Trey aka D-frag (Gabriel Darku).
The original ReBoot aired in 1994, and was a bit of a landmark milestone in animation. This was a CGI cartoon that was released one year before Toy Story hit the big screen which set the standard for the medium and propelled it forward. Several characters from the original make an appearance in some form or other (at least in the last half). Despite the acknowledgement of its origins and nostalgia, I felt like, the new series was fairly cringe worthy.
There’s an evil and mysterious hacker called "The Sourcerer", an awkard villain that tends to talk to himself. He seems to be attacking random parts of the internet in order to bring about chaos and pandemonium for no real rhyme or reason. (Audiences are left questioning his motives. What brought him down this dark path? Why does he want to cause disorder and cyber-terrorism?) The only time we ever see the fruits of the Sourcerer's labor is when
the
supercomputer (NOVA X3J) is stolen from the POGO Computer Systems Tech
Lab. More processing power makes him formidable as a foil to the
Guardians, and that's the only time his actions are ever explained in a
cohesive manner.
Using his technological prowess, he revives Megabyte, a super-virus that the Guardians of the past sealed away. He then upgrades him with a new (albeit still distinguishable) look, and some formidable abilities with a built-in deletion code should he ever betray his new "master".
Audience members can easily determine that this nameless individual must be a malicious hacker because he wears a dark hoodie, with the cowl up, for the vast majority of the show’s 10-episode run. The trope that "Evil Makes You Ugly" exists here alongside a very dirty and poorly illuminated lair and thanks to a few lingering shots on his hands, we can see that he has absolutely filthy fingernails. He quite literally reeks of evil. To me, this is just poor hygiene and in poor taste. He scarfs Chinese food like a caveman and has absolutely no tact or manners. It's the kind of thing I do not want to see on the big screen.
The latest addition to the series has numerous faults, which include cheesy, outdated dialogue, problems with the acting quality during HUD (Heads Up Display) moments, and significant plotholes. (Granted, the first season is only 10 episodes, but with that in mind, more time needs to be spent addressing and fine tuning these issues.) Two episodes alone are spent trying to recover a spherical portion of data from Megabyte's throne room and the second attempt is rendered completely futile. (Why Austin doesn't pocket the orb and ensure its safety I will never know. It completely boggles my mind that he would be that irresponsible TWICE. Teenagers can act irrationally at times, but they CAN learn from mistakes.) It ends up only piquing Megabyte's curiousity even further than was necessary.
The show manages to have a nice clear shot of the "Gender Neutral" bathroom when Parker aka Googz (Ajay Friese) get a text alert from V.E.R.A the Virtual Evolutionary Recombinant Avatar, (Hannah Vandenbygaart), an Artificial Intelligence program that ends up with a humanoid body at the end of the first episode. I think this was to make the school appear more "advanced" or "progressive". It felt sort of out of place.
Personally, I feel as though the power outage in first two episodes was not made more dire and should have been. They needed to emphasize that even with backup generators, people could die without life saving medical treatments in hospitals, there would be traffic accidents caused by the blackouts, et cetera in order to really drive the sense of urgency and significance home.
Another particular concern of mine is that ReBoot: The Guardian Code just can't seem to get the tone right. One minute it's campy and cautiously optimistic, and the next it gets dark, intense, and drastic without proper gradual progression (this was clearly evident when Austin decides to visit his father's grave).
The potential risk of fatality was also something that should've been at the forefront when V.E.R.A was explaining to the rest of the Guardian what their mission objectives were. Why do they not have heart monitors in the software? Even if they're atomized into the code, (and can later bleed from wounds) there should be some monitoring visualization of increased heart rate or lack thereof.
Another complaint is that some of the terminology used is either horribly wrong, or a total mouthful when it should just roll of the tongue. D-frag has a weapon called Bashtagger? Why not just call it a Cyber Mace? They use the word "cyber" so much it's as if the term is going out of style...cyberspace itsleef is used so often that it feels as though you can make a drinking game based on every mention per episode. They also shouldn't be announcing every action or weapon they utilize. That's poor tactics.
The "Sourcerer" (terrible pun name by the way) constantly says "Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE!" during many of his botched attempts at taking over real world networks and he sounds like Asher Mir, the Fragmented Researcher from Destiny 2. (It's about as annoying as the loot drops in that virtual world.)
One thing that was sort of bothering me as well is that the series is so
close to many of its predecessors that there's a lack of uniqueness
(It's as if they copied Code Lyoko and VR Troopers). There should be a trope of "Genius courts Cybergirl" because Parker is just like Jeremie Belpois trying to date Aelita Schaeffer (Code Lyoko). The situation only differs slightly in that V.E.R.A was born as an Artificial Intelligence made human whereas Aelita was a human girl trapped in a supercomputer. It's only one of several similarities between the shows, many of which I feel have been ripped off completely. Googz's Proto Blaster in the third episode titled "Fortress Command" is basically just War Machine's Gatling Gun. (Honestly though, I thought that was a cooler weapon than what he ended up with later on.)
Also, another deeply odd and out of place moment is when Austin's mom mentions that she has bacon chocolate chip cookies in the oven...WHY?!? Why would the writers subject us to such horrible culinary terror?!?
Some of the plot holes of the series are also never addressed. How do the guardians have access to the school during closed hours? That's something that always bugged the heck out of me.
There's also a lot of really, REALLY bad dialogue. For example, the Sourcerer says "We're just beginning, getting started." (Yes, that's what came up in the closed captions too.) It should've been "We're just beginning to get started." It's a classic line and if it's not broken, don't fix it.
The problems in the real world are never fully organized in a coherent fashion. In on episode, Trey aka D-frag (Gabriel Darku) is in hot water with his father due to having sub-par grades. If he can't maintain a B average, he'll be kicked off of the basketball team. However, at the end of the episode, he passes the test with no signs of increased effort on his part to study other than a small reminder about semicolons from Parker. That's not how studying and preparation works...you're supposed to show the added effort to memorize and practice.
There are some nostalgic moments from the original series.
SPOILER WARNING!!!
Bob, Dot, and Enzo make a brief cameo towards the end of the series along with their "user", some random fanboy of the Guardians living in the basement of his parent's home (wow, way to stereotype there, Mainframe Studios!).Yet we never see any sign of adult Enzo or AndrAIa, the two characters I was most looking forward to.
Hexidecimal returns at the end too in order to help stir up more trouble, but nothing gets really resolved. The Sourcerer is still at large, along with Megabyte, and no one is safe.
Overall, this gets a 6.5/10.0 D
The animation is pretty good (except for the "rubberized/plastic" looking Bob, Dot, and Enzo), but everything else leaves much to be desired. Reboot: The Guardian Code simply refuses to give a proper homage to the cult classic and if anything, acts as an insult to longtime fans of the original.
Last night, there was a Nintendo Direct special presentation which revealed a shocking teaser of Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo Switch.
The teaser provided a good look at the Inklings (from Splatoon) as they sprayed each other with ink along with closeups of Mario and Link (from Zelda: Breath of the Wild), as well as a brief glimpse of several other characters shrouded in shadow.
The last Super Smash Bros. game had 58 different playable characters total, so it's likely that the Nintendo Switch roster will be the same size or even larger. At the very least, we can confirm that the Inklings will be included the the fighting title.
As of yet, we don't truly know if this an enhanced port of the Super Smash Bros. Wii U version or a brand-new game entirely. If it is a port, it could follow the model of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Mario Kart 8 was originally released on Wii U
before coming to Switch which featured more content.
Both the trailer and a subsequent press release remain heavily ambiguous about
what form this game will take.
Nintendo hasn't announced a specific release date yet for the Smash Bros. game, but they did indicate that it will arrive later this year.
Since everyone is going to be making fan rosters, I might as well start off with my own top 15. I think honestly, that the roster could use more playable female characters and representation. It's become increasingly difficult to come up with new, highly desired additions to Nintendo's wide list of original IPs (intellectual properties).
Crash Bandicoot -
Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy | July 10, 2018
Following its release on PlayStation 4 last year, Activision's Crash Bandicoot remaster is coming to Nintendo Switch. As such, this can open up negotiations towards adding Crash to the third-party roster.
Magnus (Kid Icarus: Uprising) - The blade that Magnus uses is quite bulky in addition to being sharp,
yet he can swing it with great precision. The end of the sword's hilt is
also decorated with a curved piece of metal that matches the rest of
the blade.
Knuckles (Sonic and Knuckles) - The current guardian of the Master Emerald,
a powerful ancient relic which is his solemn duty to protect from
anyone seeking to abuse it. He is also the sole remaining descendant of
his clan. A trusted ally of Sonic the Hedgehog, he's gullible, but a fierce rival. He can trap the wind under his dreadlocks to glide through the air.
Krystal (Star Fox Adventures) - She made her first appearance in the series in Star Fox Adventures. Krystal is the latest recruited member of the Star Fox team. She joined the Star Fox team after the Plight of Sauria, taking Peppy Hare's place as the fourth pilot. She serves as the team's main telepath, acts as an additional fighter pilot, and is Fox McCloud's main love interest.
Impa (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) - She typically serves as a nursemaid and/or bodyguard to Princess Zelda and often offers guidance to Link. Impa is the Commanding Officer of the Hyrule Imperial Guard and a playable character in Hyrule Warriors. She is the attendant and vassal of Princess Zeld. That is the version I would like to play as she's got a giant sword.
Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe) - Viewtiful Joe is the red-costume Superhero version of Joe, an
average movie lover whose world was turned upside-down when he found
himself brought into the World of Movies.
Twintelle (Arms) - Twintelle is a dark-skinned woman with white hair and pink highlights. Her hair consists of two ARMS arranged in pigtails. She wears a black mask, a
white sleeveless top with her emblem on her chest, tight black pants
with a purple sideline all the way down, and a pair of sneaker heels. She
has an athletic yet curvy build. Twintelle is a mega celebrity, yet is unstatisfied with her awards and accolades, despite being a star of the silver screen.
8. Ribbon Girl (Arms) - She is a pop idol in the ARMS world. Her jumping ability has given her the nickname, "The Airess". Ribbon Girl has blue eyes, blonde hair, and a pink skirt. Both her hair and her arms
are ribbon-like and she has a pink mask on the top of her face. Ribbon girl
wears glowing dark blue earrings.
8. Spring Man (Arms) - Spring Man has blue hair stylized like a spring and blue eyes. He wears a
red and white tank top with his logo in the center and dark blue trims,
and his ARMS are composed of springs.
9. Shantae (Shantae) -The half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town, Shantae works tirelessly to thwart the plans of the nefarious lady-pirate, Risky Boots, or other forces threatening the town. The character was created by Matt Bozon and his wife Erin Bozon.
10. Geno (Super Mario RPG) - is a warrior from Star Road and one of Mario's partners in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. He is sent by "a higher authority" to restore peace to Mario's world. During the events of Super Mario RPG, he teams up with Mario's team, which consists of Mario, Mallow, Princess Toadstool and Bowser and helps them out on their quest to defeat Smithy, the main antagonist and final boss of the game. In battle, he has high attack, but lower defense.
11. Midna (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) - Midna, a member of the Twili, teams up with the protagonist, Link, to battle Zant. She has a playfully mischievous sense of humor, and showed a
somewhat cynical demeanor during most of the game.
12. Elma (Xenoblade Chronicles X) - BLADE colonel and the team leader of the Reclaimers Division. In the prologue, she is tasked with retrieving the Lifepods that were ejected from the United States Ark Ship, the White Whale.
13. Linkle (Hyrule Warriors) - Linkle has a courageous heart and heroic spirit, though she is far more
talkative (in contrast to Link's traditional role as a silent
protagonist), and has a deeply held belief that she is destined to be
the legendary hero. Her grandmother, gave her a magic compass branded with the Triforce logo that Linkle considers to
be proof of her status as the legendary hero, despite her fellow
villagers dismissing the idea (by pointing out this is just a folkstory that
everyone's grandmother says to their grandchildren). Upon hearing of the
Dark Forces' attack on Hyrule Castle, Linkle quickly dons a hooded green
tunic and equips herself with two crossbows that she normally uses to defend
her Cucco flock from Wolfos, determined to aid Princess Zelda and the Hyrulean Forces as the legendary hero she believes herself to be.
14. Lana/Cia (Hyrule Warriors) - Cia was originally the Guardian of Time tasked with watching and keeping the balance of the Triforce, Cia eventually began to harbor romantic feelings for the hero Link. These affections turned into jealousy towards Princess Zelda,
a close friend of Link's. As Cia's resentment grew, she became
vulnerable to the will of an evil being that was thought to have been
sealed away long ago. With the light half of her soul driven from her body, thus becoming Lana, Cia was corrupted by the darkness in her heart.
Lana is fiercely determined to put a halt to Cia's plans, even at the cost
of her own happiness. Despite her overly optimistic nature, her
natural athletic energy serves her well and allows her to quickly dive
around her enemies and attack with her book of sorcery, which utilizes
electrifying spells that her enemies never see coming. She has a bright
spirit and positive energy, dancing and striking cheerful poses in
battle.
Cia
Lana
15. Sans (Undertale) - Sans is the brother of Papyrus and a major character in Undertale. He first appears in the forest after the protagonist exits the Ruins. He serves as a supporting character in a Neutral and True Pacifist Route. is a short skeleton with a dimpled smile and large orbits. He wears an
unzipped blue hoodie, a white t-shirt/sweater, black shorts with white
stripes, and a pair of sneakers/slippers.
President Donald Trump will meet next week with members of the video game industry in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida which took the lives of seventeen people, on February 14, 2018.
In order to enact more concise guidelines on gun control and ownership, the president will be participating in continuous discussions and meetings with Congressional members.
Reporter Zeke Miller asked White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders why the president was having such difficulty in motivating a Republican majority Congress to “bend to his will” on matters of gun control.
As many are aware, one of the less often spoken powers that the President is granted, is the power to persuade and make compromises as a sort of negotiator between political parties, legislators, and constituents. This is among the more prominently known abilities to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinions of their Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant pardons, or host foreign ambassadors.
According to Sanders, "Next week, he’ll also be meeting with members of the video game industry to see what they can do on that front as well. This is going to be an ongoing process and something that we don’t expect to happen overnight, but something that we’re going to continue to be engaged in and continue to look for the best ways possible to make sure we’re doing everything we can to protect schools across the country.”
Video games have had a formalized rating system, administered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, since 1994. The rating system established by the ESRB is designed to inform and educate both players and parents in regards to the type of content featured in the game using generally applicable terms that can be utilized universally to all video games. Essentially, it provides parents with the power to be informed and dictate which games are appropriate for their children or other family members through easily identifiable icons as well as clear, concise content descriptions.
President Clinton (on June 1, 1999) requested that the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice conduct studies of the marketing of violent entertainment media to youths and designated $1 million dollars of federal funding towards such experiments (Grier 2001, 123).
The problem is that research in the past by the Clinton Administration has indicated that there is next to no causal link between violence in video games and school shootings. Blaming the media and the video game industry is but a mere scapegoat which will inhibit researching actual underlying causes of why individuals like 19-year-old Nikolas Jacob Cruz would pick up a gun and start attacks in the first place...if anything, these games and media portrayals of violence might enhance or exacerbate these feelings of rage or violent tendencies, but these games can not be considered the root cause.
I personally do not foresee new research indicating anything different. As it stands, it is already difficult to do longitudinal studies because of practical and ethical reasons. Researchers cannot force participants to play the same game for weeks months, or years on end without a multitude of repercussions (i.e. fatigue, monotony, etc.).
It’s unclear what role, if any, video games played in the Parkland incident. Nikolas Jacob Cruz allegedly pulled a fire alarm before gunning down his classmates with an AR-15-style assault weapon. Perhaps that act, in and of itself, was a last ditch effort to warn his peers, a sort of "cry for help" from an emotionally and psychologically disturbed individual.
After all, one must ask why would one try to alert others before committing such a horrendous crime? Perhaps some shred of human decency tried to grasp his consciousness before he fired that first shot. We won't truly know until we can investigate further into the human psyche and the events leading up to this devastating tragedy.
There are still, as of yet, no definitive studies available that adequately determines a causal relationship between violent video games and violent acts or crime. Yet, media journalists, political activists, and parents alike continue use violent video games as a political scapegoat for our violent culture despite a severe lack of etiological evidence.
Works Cited
PBSNewsHour. 1 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ0xWWlpwqU&feature=youtu.be&t=5m39s. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.
Sonya A. Grier (2001) The Federal Trade Commission’s Report on the Marketing of Violent Entertainment to Youths: Developing Policy-Tuned Research. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing: Spring 2001, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 123-132.
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