Gaming Memory Fridays! and August 7th, 2014

Gaming Memories

(larger post at my gamer blog)

Vega was the wall that stopped me and my friends from seeing the ending to Street Fighter II.  This monster had several unfair advantages(though memorable) that were "cheap" by the developers.  He had the ability to be immune to attacks while he climbed on his stage's wall.  No other person had the ability to interact with the background, and no other characters had weapons either.  He would climb on his wall, be immune to attacks, jump off and hit you for almost 75% of your health bar, and if you lived, he would do it again.

My main was Ryu, but I put him on the bench because I got a plan.  I learned Guile, and played him and played him until I could work my way up to Vega with him.  I was patient and whittled down his health enough to make him start his bullshit wall climb.  He jumped towards me and I jumped back and pushed the grab buttons and my plan came together and worked; I grabbed that bastard in the air and slammed him.  He immediately got back on the wall and tried again, but again I grabbed him.  Vega was broken.

Using Guile we would switch out on the next boss and watch the endings of all the other fighters in the game.  Eventually we got good enough with other characters to beat Vega with them, but for a long while Guile was our key to finishing the game.

August 7th, 2014

Studies are coming out that are claiming that today's teens are more interested and have a higher opinion of Youtube "celebrities" than the "traditional" celebrities; and I am extremely happy about it.  Youtube celebs are more approachable, and are more like real people.  Nothing makes me happier than this "cult of celebrity" dying, this mentality that grows out of the 80's and 90's generation that venerates people like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian and worships fame above all merit.  It is just the cable vs netflix thing playing out again.  The people that pay for cable and love the shit out of reality TV are generally the less computer savvy people that just want something on TV to numb their brains.  People that use the internet to get their visual entertainment tend to be better educated and watch a higher proportion of documentaries and long story form dramas.  Celebs like the ones mentioned are famous for getting rich doing nothing, and that's exactly what the Kardashian fans wish were happening to them.

Super Metroid is a game that I have played, but never gotten in to or beaten.  There was never save space on my cousin's cart, and besides, when it comes to Metroid I like to be immersed.  So before I started this blog, probably a year or two before, I played through the first Metroid in retro fashion.  I got graph paper, colored pencils, and I played it without help or guides.  I drew rough maps while I played, and then after each session I went back and made color coded and annotated maps of the areas I went to.  I was sort of shocked by how short the game was once I finally played it properly, but I enjoyed doing it old school immensely.  I need to find that map, I have it somewhere.  I started Metroid II but did not play beyond the first section of it.  I know how this one ends, but I never went through it as I was never a fan of the Gameboy.  I feel like to understand and get Super Metroid, playing Metroid II is a must, so that's what want to do.  I'm putting that on my list to do soon.  I think it has built in maps, but I may map it anyway, I found it fun to do so.

Dungeons and Dragons player handbooks are hitting store shelves early and we're getting some great new information.  I was seeing some art that looked like 3rd and 4th Ed throwbacks, but for the most part they are doing the "solid" style the covers are done in.  The rogue art in particular looked really really good.  The thing about making a new world for a new edition of D&D is that you include all you can of the player's book when it comes to races, classes and stuff like that.  Later, after a rule set is matured you get to do things like play around with class and race availability, but your players want all the options when learning the new system.  This lets me do some "cliche" stuff in the world that I find fun, and the players kind of wink and nod, because that's how it is, and you get a pass for being a little less unoriginal.  I have only begun enjoying Halflings as a race in the past couple of years, yes, even as a Hobbit fan I never cared for halflings in D&D.  So I am having fun creating "my" shire in the new game.