Video Game Genres: Interactive Drama

No need for fancy graphics or fast gameplay; the story that these games tell is what makes this genre so special. Interactive drama games are often called adventure games, but I don’t think that represents the genre to the fullest. “Adventure” implies that you yourself are walking around in an open world and seeing things as you see fit. But in reality, you are walking down a predetermined path setup by the developers and you are interacting with the story and changing it based on your own morals, thoughts and opinions. These games ask the player “What would I do here?” “Is this right to do?” and “how can I solve this problem?” To me, there are different types in the interactive drama genre that make up it’s sub-categories, but they all prioritize its story over everything else. 

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution Review

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is a revolution that no one asked for. Yes, the Storm games needed a change to its system because it has gotten really stale since Storm 2, but this change regresses the series back to an era that has never even existed. The series has taken 54 ninja dashes backwards and as a result, Storm Revolution is one of the worst Naruto games ever made.

Instead of recapping the main story that the previous Naruto games have done in the past, a weird Ninja World Tournament is the main attraction here. In this mode, you fight in 4-person battle royals that tasks you with hitting orbs out of your opponents. There is no health bar, so person with the most orbs wins. So I guess this was supposed to be the Revolution in the game, right? The mode is downright boring. It does nothing new besides put two more characters on-screen, who by the way fight like brain-dead giraffes, and says “hit me until you have enough orbs to win.” At best, Ninja World Tournament should have been a side mode for a nice change of pace, but instead it is the “meat” of the game, and it is awfully stale. 

Video Gamers Suffering from a Spring Drought?

“The two months before E3 usually suffers from a major drought in games.” WRONG. This used to be true, but this is the perfect time to dive into multiple titles. Developers and publishers usually stay away from releasing games around E3, so the spring to early summer drought used to be rough for me personally, but not this year. This year, I have a backlog of games to play during this time and I welcome this “drought.” Actually, you can argue that the drought doesn’t exist this year.

Y’Know What? Capcom isn’t so Bad!

I know Capcom gets a lot of crap for recent DLC methods such as having on disc content that you need to pay extra to access. And I’m not saying that is in any way okay to do, but they aren’t as bad as certain video game publishers like, umm… I don’t know… EA and Activision. Capcom doesn’t use the same approach as certain other companies do (even though they can) when it comes to releasing games. They don’t add a year behind the name, give it a paint job or add new modes and call it a “new” game. They cater to the hardcore fan base with constant updates instead of catering to the masses by creating a new title every year. For example, Street Fighter 4 came out in 2008. Since then, it has received many forms of DLC and patches. Even though I’ve seen people make fun of Street Fighter 4 for having so many versions, at least Capcom doesn’t charge you $60 for an update. The majority of people who still play SF4 aren’t asking for Street Fighter 5 just yet; they’re asking for an update for SSf4. Ultra Street fighter 4 is set to come out in June and Capcom is using fan feedback to fix and change things that same hardcore fan base has been asking for. Besides Super Street Fighter 4 being non-compatible with vanilla Street Fighter 4, and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 being non-compatible with the original MvC3, it seems like Capcom has handled DLC quite well. Capcom has kept the fighting game community alive and embraces and celebrates its hardcore fan base in a way that most developer or publisher cannot match. If you don’t believe me, here is some video evidence to back up my claim.

The video was uploaded to Youtube by Capcom Fighters.

Call of Duty Ghosts Review

Call of Duty Ghosts is appropriately named, since this series has now become a shell of its former self. Ghosts goes through the motions and barely establishes itself as a Call of Duty game. Over the years Call of Duty has manages to change just slightly enough to warrant a purchase for some (not me), but this entry in the series is just doing the same old song and dance.

“New” things always include a different story, better maps, re-skinned guns and a cool co-op mode. But when it accomplishes nothing to move the franchise forward, what is the point? For the past few years now, the three pillars of a basic Call of Duty game has been centered around single player, multiplayer, and co-op. In Call of Duty Ghosts, these modes are all here in some form, but they all fail to do something remarkable; or even memorable.

Bioshock Infinite Review

Bioshock Infinite was being hyped up to be one of the greatest games of this generation. A game that receives that much hype usually doesn’t live up to expectations. While Bioshock Infinite didn’t live up to being the best game of this generation, it is still one of the best games this year. Infinite strives to be more than a video game with its ambitious story. The game tackles many sensitive topics in an elegant way that is just satisfying to watch as a gamer. Bioshock Infinite succeeded in creating one of the most intricate and complex story ever told in any form of media.

Playstation and Advertisements

It’s not a secret that Sony’s advertisements for some of their games are non existent for the past few years. Besides promoting Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a Playstation commercial that promoted a game.  Games like Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Puppeteer went under the radar simply because no one knew about them. Sony didn’t run TV Ads or put up posters on buses, in train stations or buildings; they just simply released them. Of course the core video gamers found out about those games, but some of the casual audience didn’t notice. Sony is getting better at it though. I mentioned The Last of Us getting a T.V trailer, and it was great. No doubt showing those T.V spots during commercial breaks for The Walking Dead boosted sales. Same thing with GTA V, Ads were smartly placed all over the city of New York and TV spots came on during Breaking Bad. GTA V didn’t even need to advertise, but that’s how you boost sales. Beyond: Two Souls, another highly anticipated Playstation 3 exclusive, will be getting a TV Ad. Sony has been showing signs lately that they are trying to turn their advertisement game around, and so far it’s working. They know how to make great Ads for their systems, that is no doubt. My favorite commercial of all time is an advertisement for the Playstation 3 released back in 2011. Their commercials for the system itself are always amazing, but don’t take my word for it, have a look for yourself.