The Sunday Reflection: 8/28/11

Rising Action

Hey, everybody. It’s been an awesome couple weeks for games. First Gamescom and then PAX. It’s too much to take in at one time. Not to mention the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year: Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Adam Jensen sits down to play Deus Ex for the first time. “Man, if only I were this cool in real life.”

Augment Your Life with Deus Ex

I picked up the Augmented Edition of the game, because I love soundtracks. I wasn’t sure at first, but I think, in the end, it will be worth the money. I’m not going to spoil anything, but the game starts off a little slow, as games are want to do these days. It seems like almost every modern game I sit down to play needs to hold my hand for an hour. I’d like to ask the developers a question, though. Just who are these tutorials supposed to be catering to? Casual gamers are not going to pick up a game like Deus Ex and play it on the hardest difficulty, so why not cut out the crap in the beginning and just include a digital manual inside the game? That would free up a lot of design space and make for a better game overall. Hard-core gamers DO NOT NEED tutorials to figure things out. Within a few minutes of experimenting with the game, they will intuitively discover how to move and what each tab in the menu is for. Anyway, this discussion is really for another article.

DX:HR's take-downs are some of the most satisfying moments in gaming ever.

What really matters is that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a damn great game. If you have access to a console or suped-up PC, go buy it now. The best version is obviously the PC version, but not just for looks. One of the most annoying parts of the game on the PS3 is that you cannot change the control scheme, and the built-in control scheme is stupid. Why can’t people understand that the FPS layout HAS BEEN DEFINED? It’s set in stone. We’ve already discovered the perfect layout. L is for aiming, R is for shooting. There is no excuse for going against the norm and NOT including alternates. End of rant.

The Rest of the Deluge

I’m swamped by games right now. Every time an enticing sale comes up on GoG or Steam I just have to have it. I even paid six bucks for the Humble Indie Bundle 2 (if you didn’t, you missed out). So, if I can’t finish any games right now, I might as well tell you which ones have my attention at the moment.

Deus Ex is my first priority.

Minecraft is getting updated soon, so I expect I’ll be spending a lot more time on it in the coming month. You can find some new information from PAX about the update here.

The Triforce

I just bought Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor: Overclocked for the 3DS and the game is surprisingly fun. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to utilize the 3D very often, but that’s not such a big deal.

One of the most exciting games on GoG just came out, and that is the legendary Dungeon Keeper 2. It is absolutely a must-play and I was thrilled to buy it for a measly six dollars, DRM-free. Going back to it is like putting on a well-worn, comfortable pair of sneakers.

I also rebought Demon’s Souls, because I just couldn’t live without it anymore. After I finished the game the first time, I didn’t want to play it anymore because I’d seen everything the game had had to offer. Maybe I’m just getting caught up in the excitement of Dark Souls, but I think I want to platinum Demon’s Souls first. I don’t know if I will, but I do know that I’ll greatly enjoy going back to it. It’s definitely my favorite game of this generation and possibly the best action-RPG.

One word. Floss.

In addition, I’m still working my way through Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, which is still charming. I’ve meant to play more Black Ops, but my PS3 is having trouble with the update and I don’t care to spend time messing with it right now.

Finally, I’m still working on Let’s Plays and getting those onto YouTube. I have half of my Donkey Kong Country Let’s Play up already and the first part of my Mega Man X Let’s Play is as well.

Whew. That’s a LOT of games! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A Day in the Life

A few readers may know already, but I figured I should tell the rest of you. This week, I’m moving into my first apartment ever in Iowa City. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long, drawn-out ordeal, so I may not be posting much this week. But after this week I will have a LOT more time on my hands to do what I want. A little of that time should boil down to more blog posts.

I should also inform you that I recently acquired a Tumblr account. I like it so far, I just haven’t put too much work into it. Still, if you’re interested, you can find me at Nick Tumbles.

That’s a Wrap

Pretty exciting week, eh? Stay tuned.

Later.

What the SNES Means to Me

Today is a very special day. On this day, twenty years ago, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System hit U.S. store shelves. And the rest is history. No doubt, most of you have fond memories of the system and its amazing library of games. If you didn’t experience the SNES back in the day, you are to be pitied. Grab a friend with the console, find one yourself, or download an emulator. As a gamer, you haven’t lived until you’ve played SNES games, some of the best games of all time.

But you’ll hear all about how great the SNES is this week on countless sites and podcasts. So, instead of wasting your time, I just want to share a little story with you all. It’s the story of how I got my SNES.

Disclaimer: my story is not this epic...it does not have opera

First of all, before the console got into my house, I didn’t want the thing. By the time I was interested in getting something to replace our old NES, around ’96 or ’97, the Super Nintendo had had its day in the sun. Or so I thought. The N64 had just come out and it was all I could think about. Who wanted to play 16-bit, 2D games anymore? I wanted the hot, new thing. I wanted the beauty of the N64′s polygons (which, ironically, are not so beautiful today).

My brother, Sean, though, didn’t. He wanted the good, old SNES. So, when Christmas rolled around, it was a tossup. We had no idea if we’d be getting a new console at all, let alone the one of our choice. But when we woke up Christmas morning there was a large, wrapped box sitting under our tree, in just about the right shape. I can’t remember which one of us tore the paper off first, but I do remember Sean bursting into tears. Can you guess why? I’ll give you a minute…

DISTRACTION!

Sean was upset because he thought we’d gotten something we didn’t. The revealed object was a Super Nintendo, but it was in a misleading box. The second-biggest hit on the platform, Donkey Kong Country, had been bundled with the system, and, when we saw the box, Donkey and Diddy Kong were staring back at us, in full 3D glory. It must have been easy for a six-year-old to make the mistake, but Sean was under the impression that we had gotten an N64. I quickly explained to him that the reality was otherwise, that he had gotten what he wanted, but I’ll always retain that moment in my mind, when Nintendo’s sly marketing scheme almost ruined Christmas.

The object of my obsession

Having just averted disaster, we proceeded to play the SNES nonstop. In all honesty, I was bummed the N64 hadn’t arrived, but, hey, a new system is a new system. And I became enamored with Donkey Kong Country. For the next few months, it was my first priority. We got new games and played the heck out of them too, but DK Country would always be a thorn in the back of my mind. I was never able to conquer it until much later, just this year, in fact. And, to be frank, I cheated. But it was worth it to see the credits roll by, at long last. DK Country will always be one of my favorite games, and I’ve spent a ton of quality time with it.

*the first part of my Let’s Play of Donkey Kong Country, fully annotated for your viewing pleasure*

Over several years, we amassed a humble amount of games for the system and eventually sold everything off in order to upgrade. After all, the SNES is extremely easy to emulate and ROMs are just as easy to find. So why keep the system? Well, in retrospect, I wish we had kept everything. Money comes and goes, but great memories are forged in singular moments. And it’s nice to have the objects to go with the memories.

But I’m not too choked up about it. I still go back and play SNES games often, and there are many I have yet to experience. I suspect the same is true of you. So, this week, I challenge you to play ONE Super Nintendo game you’ve never played before, as well as go back to your favorite Super Nintendo game for a little while. I know you won’t regret it.

And if you think the SNES is completely dead, then have I got news for you. Hyperkin, the makers of many retro devices, are putting out a new handheld SNES, christened the SupaBoy, later this year for a price of just $80. As well as being able to play all SNES games, the handheld will have two SNES controller ports and you’ll be able to play it on your television.

The SupaBoy is supa fly!

Even with the unusually incredible lineup of modern games coming down the pike this year, I’m more excited about the SupaBoy than anything else. I can’t imagine anything better than being able to play the original version of Final Fantasy 6 or Chrono Trigger on the go. There’s just something about the thought of playing on the bus with a huge cartridge sticking half-way out of an enormous handheld retro game system that makes me grin. I’m interested to see if Super Game Boy will be supported; I wouldn’t mind an excuse to go back and play Pokemon Blue in full color.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for today, folks. I hope you learned and laughed a little. Please rate and comment to your heart’s desire. I may be publishing some more SNES related content this week, we’ll see. Until next time, may you know the joy of walking a familiar neighborhood.