I just finished Super Mario Galaxy last night. I should put a qualifier with that statement as I just defeated the final iteration of Bowser and so I have passed it in the traditional sense. All in all it was a fun game, probably would give it a 7.5 out of 10 on the fun o' meter. It was somewhat anticlimactic though as the final level was a little to easy. Made it through on the first try without losing a single life. Thankfully there was no "Spring Mushroom" requirement. Can I just say that the "spring Mario" was the bane of my existence for a few levels. It made Mario very hard to control, and when you have to navigate through some very narrow corridors with a character that bounces every which way....it is a recipe for a busted controller.
I have not unlocked every single level, nor collected every single star. It seems now adays making it through a game is not enough, almost every game adds extra little accomplishments that you can do after defeating the final boss in order to fully "complete" the game. Why? I guess some people find the game so much fun that they just cant stand it when the game ends.
Maybe there is even a little bit of bragging rights in saying that you found every single item, passed every single level, unlocked every single character etc. I don't fully understand it. As a moderate gamer I sometimes feel guilty about not fully completing a game...as if beating the final boss was not quite good enough....and then I realize that it is a computer game...something I do fore entertainment! I am playing this thing for fun!!!! If it isn't fun I am perfectly free to stop playing immediately and shouldn't feel guilty about it!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
On "Censorship"
Today marks the day that Little Big Planet was supposed to come out for the PS3. Alas, it was delayed because someone in their development team failed to realize that quotations from the Koran in the background music would be offensive to Muslims ac cross the globe. That person should (and will likely) be fired. Not necessarily because they did something so offensive, but because this is simply a gross oversite that will cost the company millions as all the offending discs have been recalled and will be reshipped next week.
Within the gaming community I have noticed a number of comments lamenting that such censorship could occure. It has even been suggested that this is just another example of how freedom of speech/expression has slowly been eroded; an utterly false statement. This has led me to realize a pet peeve of mine. Self censorship has nothing to do with freedom of speech. If the government stepped in and forced a recall, then we could lament the loss of freedom of speech. If for any reason, the makers were forced against their own will to recall a game because of said content we could rightfully begin to worry about the loss of some of our freedom. If a company censors itself in order to provide a more profitable product and avoid controversy it is not a freedom of speech issue.
Of course, I am also slightly bitter that I have to wait another week for Little Big Planet to come out.
Within the gaming community I have noticed a number of comments lamenting that such censorship could occure. It has even been suggested that this is just another example of how freedom of speech/expression has slowly been eroded; an utterly false statement. This has led me to realize a pet peeve of mine. Self censorship has nothing to do with freedom of speech. If the government stepped in and forced a recall, then we could lament the loss of freedom of speech. If for any reason, the makers were forced against their own will to recall a game because of said content we could rightfully begin to worry about the loss of some of our freedom. If a company censors itself in order to provide a more profitable product and avoid controversy it is not a freedom of speech issue.
Of course, I am also slightly bitter that I have to wait another week for Little Big Planet to come out.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Welcome
Welcome to my blog,
The name will probably change. The set up will probably also change as I learn more about set-up, blog creation, etc. I realized a few months back that there are some things I would like to talk about, discuss, rant about, but have no method to do so. Hence the blog. I will thus spout my opinions out into cyberspace and imagine thousands of nameless faceless readers being astounded by what I have to say.
Really, besides ranting about random issues there are two things that I will probably be discussing on a regular basis, burgers and video games. I love myself a good burger and will keep a list of all the burger places I have tried and my thoughts on all of them. I will also post (sometime in the future) my philosophy on burgers (yes, i have a whole philosophy on what makes a good burger) as I think it is usefull and comprehensive. I also like a good video game, and am a moderate gamer. Those aren't my only likes, but just two things which I often want to share my opinion about and don't really get the chance to do so.
You, poor reader, will also be subject to my thoughts on driving a scooter, my new son, marriage, religion, politics, family, education, life in the Northwest, you name it.
The name will probably change. The set up will probably also change as I learn more about set-up, blog creation, etc. I realized a few months back that there are some things I would like to talk about, discuss, rant about, but have no method to do so. Hence the blog. I will thus spout my opinions out into cyberspace and imagine thousands of nameless faceless readers being astounded by what I have to say.
Really, besides ranting about random issues there are two things that I will probably be discussing on a regular basis, burgers and video games. I love myself a good burger and will keep a list of all the burger places I have tried and my thoughts on all of them. I will also post (sometime in the future) my philosophy on burgers (yes, i have a whole philosophy on what makes a good burger) as I think it is usefull and comprehensive. I also like a good video game, and am a moderate gamer. Those aren't my only likes, but just two things which I often want to share my opinion about and don't really get the chance to do so.
You, poor reader, will also be subject to my thoughts on driving a scooter, my new son, marriage, religion, politics, family, education, life in the Northwest, you name it.
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