Online Gaming - MMOs

Recently, I've been remembering my childhood days when I was always searching for a new MMO game to play, specially 3D virtual world type games.  I loved the idea of having my own cool looking character, it always somewhat resembled myself, or what I would want to look like in the future. I started with 2D games and played game like Barbie Girls, Supersecret (I STILL MISS THAT GAME!), Fantage, Ourworld, Zwinky Cuties, actual Zwinky, and more that I just can't remember. I actually paid for all those games, I got premium memberships for all of them and I don't regret ANYTHING. I then moved on to 3D games when I got a slightly better computer and got tired of a 2D character. Toontown was my first MMORPG, although I didn't use the RPG part when I was younger. I still play Toontown often, they closed the Disney game but its reopened and run by a new team, >ToonTownRewritten< check it out! Anyway, I tried out Second Life, which was fun because it had a lot of cool looking worlds. The avatars don't look that great, though. I played Kaneva for a while, I liked going to clubs and playing the cool DDR-like dance game and talking to people. No one uses that game anymore, unfortunatley. There.com was really my favorite when i was around 10. I think you have to pay to play the game now, which sucks. Frenzoo was a favorite of mine until they closed out of the blue one day. IMVU is very similar to Frenzoo, they are both just 3D chat engines but IMVU is actually open. I then realized that I was not looking for a virtual world, but a MMORPG. I noticed that in MMOs I usually played the mini games they offered, and didn't really talk all too much. I started actually doing quests in Toontown and became a dedicated TTR player when the game opened back up. It wasn't until I started watching anime that I discovered my newfound love -- MMORPGs. It is an online chat engine, and you can have your own cool character, AND you play a cool fun game that feels way more productive than farming an arcade game for a new outfit for your avatar. Its just amazing. I watched SAO and many other action/fighting anime that triggered me to play MMORPGs. My first console MMORPG was Onigiri, which was actually pretty recently. I started playing in August, and all I kept saying while playing was "This is just like SAO!" this was before I played FFXIV. When I wasn't at home but I had my laptop, I played La Tale with my boyfriend, which is a 2D MMORPG and it was really fun. Once I got to level 73 on Onigiri I quit and decided to continue my search. I brought FFXIV and was amazed, I will never go back to Onigiri after experiencing that. It is such a big community, and it is a huge world that if I were stuck in it like in SAO, I would be good. I would love to be stuck  in Eorzea. Recently, and I mean last night, I downloaded a game called Neverwinter, recommended by Loot Crate. It is really cool so far and I am really excited to continue playing. I love swords, but I usually go for bow and arrow.
That's all for now.

Beyond: Two Souls Review

My 15th birthday just passed, and I was lucky enough to get a PS3 system. Of course, the first games I wanted to get were PS3 exclusives. I was able to get my hands on Beyond: Two Souls. From what I heard, it was similar to Heavy Rain (same game functions, emotional story, etc).

When I first turned it on, I let it update and I was in. When I started the game, I was taken aback on how realistic the gameplay was. Don't you hate when a game has amazing-looking cut-scenes and when you start playing, it all looks completely different? Not this game. I didn't even know when I was actually playing, or watching a cut scene. You start out as little Ellen Page, at some kind of testing facility. You're testing out these "ablilites" that you seem to have. I'm not going to spoil anything in this review, but the story is beautiful. 

At first, it's confusing. But the more you play, the more you understand what's going on. It's the kind of game where you won't get stuck anywhere, and it compels you to just keep playing until the end in one sitting. Of course, that's near impossible as it is a 10 hour game. I finished it in less than 10 hours in two sittings. The only time I stopped playing was when I was too tired to go on, and I had to sleep. 

Beyond: Two Souls is an extreme emotional game. Some parts may make you cry, some will make you laugh. But it's all mostly emotional, and dramatic. Towards the end is when it really pulls you in. This is when it starts giving you choices, and you choose how you want it to end. You are given two main choices; Life, or Beyond (Death)? Afterwards, you get to choose what she does with her life, if you chose life. I'm not sure what you do for Death, but I'm sure it ends there.

Beyond: Two Souls is an amazing game if you like stories, and doesn't mind a small amount of controls. This game is not really a "game" game, its more of a movie game. If you're not into that, you will probably find it really boring. Don't listen to some reviews saying it "won't live up to it's Hollywood standards". It's a great game. Play it.

Xbox One vs. PS4

The new Xbox One and Playstation 4, both to be released November 2013, both have great features. Unfortunately, most gamers are only choosing one console.

It’s a hard choice, but it must be made. Now, let’s compare the two and see which one is best for you.

Since both the Xbox One and PS4 are scheduled to be released in the same month, console wars are expected. Most people are going to buy the console that most of their friends are getting. I mean, it really isn’t any fun to play a massively multiplayer game with strangers all the time. If you decide NOT to get the same console as your friends, or don’t care what console your friends are getting, you need to decide on which one is best for you!

The Xbox One is to be released November 22nd, 2013, and the starting price will be $499. The Playstation 4 will be released November 15, 2013, starting at $399, and is smaller in size than the Xbox One. If you’re on a budget, the Xbox One probably isn’t a great buy for you, since after buying the console almost all the features of the Xbox One will be locked, unless you buy Xbox Live for $60 a year, or $10 a month. The Playstation 4 also requires a Playstation Network membership to use all the features, but will start at $50 a year, $10 less than Xbox Live.

The processor used for the Xbox One is the same as the PS4, except the PS4 has 18 compute units, while the Xbox One only has 12. This will affect performance on multi-format games. They will both have 8GB of RAM and a  500mb hard drive. (a fancy way of saying memory, which determines how many games it will hold). Unfortunately, the Xbox One’s hard drive is not removable, so you won't be able to add more memory or switch hard drives. The Playstation 4’s hard drive is removable, though. Also, Playstation 4 will not have a USB port, while the Xbox One does.

The PS4 can play 4 controllers at once, while the Xbox One can play 8 controllers at once. This is to be expected, since the Xbox 360 has been out before the PS3 was out, and the Xbox 360 has always had the ability to play with 4 people at a time, while the PS2 was always only 2 players. Playstation is taking it one step at a time, while Microsoft already had experience with simultaneous controllers.

Both consoles won’t have backwards compatibility, meaning you cannot play PS3 games on the PS4, and Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One. This time, the Playstation is coming out with it’s own sensor, similar to the Xbox 360’s Kinect sensor. They will call it the Playstation Camera, while the Xbox One will be coming out with the Kinect 2.0. The Playstation camera is starting at $60, being sold separately, unlike the Xbox One where it will come with the console.

Both consoles are seemingly good buys, both with pros and cons. Depending on the type of gamer you are, you can see which console will fill your needs. Like fast, great graphics, want to be able to remove your hard drive, and like Playstation Exclusives? Playstation 4. Like playing with large groups, plugging in USBs, don’t want to pay separately for the sensor, and likes Xbox exclusives such as Halo? Xbox One.

Top 5 PC Games on a Budget

A big problem today for gamers is that most cannot afford high-end PC gaming. Some reasons could be a slow, old PC/Mac or not enough money to get the latest Call of Duty or Halo game. Fortunately, there are fun alternatives to expensive high-end games that most people can afford.

It is unfortunate that most popular video games are $60 or in that price range. Most people just cannot afford them.One gamer at the iSchool, Anthony Velez, was asked if they would buy a $60 game, and responded, “No, I can get an entire chicken for less.”

Thainawan Medina, another student at the iSchool who likes video games, said, “$60 is kind of a lot...”

They probably do not know the many alternatives Steam has. Steam is a free platform used to buy games and communicate with other gamers. Download that, and you are one step closer to finding fun alternatives to high end games.

Indie games are probably some of the best alternatives to high end gaming. They are really inexpensive because they are not created by a widely popular company, and usually don’t require a large amount of memory to download.

This is the cheapest game mentioned in this article, and its a comedy game called McPixel. McPixel's objective in the game is to defuse bombs or "save the day" in 20 seconds each level. There are four chapters in the game, each with three levels and an unlockable level.

This game is guaranteed to make you laugh...or make you go “What the ...?” It is all about randomness and trolling. Best part? It is only 5 bucks.

Another Indie game is The Stanley Parable, a mod for Half-Life 2. The first version of the game is actually free, but they recently released a new, stand alone HD remake for only $15.

In this game, there are no combat or other action-based sequences. Instead, the player controls the protagonist, Stanley, through a surreal environment, with each step of the process narrated, voiced by British actor Kevan Brighting. The player has the opportunity to make numerous decisions on which paths to take, including going against what the narration is telling them to do, each choice leading to different narrations and endings. This game is really worth it, in my opinion.

Another indie game that is actually popular is Minecraft, a sandbox game which is only $26. The creative and building aspects of Minecraft allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world. Other activities in the game include exploration, gathering resources, crafting, and combat.

Gameplay in its commercial release has two principal modes: survival, which requires players to acquire resources and maintain their health and hunger; and creative, where players have an unlimited supply of resources, the ability to fly, and no health or hunger. A third gameplay mode named hardcore is the same as survival, differing only in difficulty; it is set to hardest setting and respawning is disabled, forcing players to delete their worlds upon death.

This is definitely a more expensive indie game, but its not as bad as some other price tags. This game is not available on Steam, but you can get it on the website, minecraft.net.

Now, for the last two, I cannot stress the need for these games enough if you like FPS games.

The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. All of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and are linear, narrative, single-player titles. Half-Life 1 and 2 are $10. They also have Half-Life Episode 1 and 2, which just continues off from Half-Life 2. Those are $8 each.

Garry’s Mod is a modification for Half-Life 2. It has no game objective and players can use the game's set of tools for any purpose whatsoever. Garry's Mod allows players to manipulate items, furniture and "props" – various objects that players can place in-game.

You can also play on different servers that people make, and even different game types online with others, such as Trouble in Terrorist Town, Prop Hunt, Stop it Slender, even Zombie Survival! You can play almost anything on Garry’s Mod. Plus, it is only $10 as well. I cannot recommend these two games enough.

Half-Life 3 Confirmed(?)

On September 29, Valve, a major gaming corporation, filed a trademark and logo for Half-Life 3.

Why is this so interesting, you may ask? The last Half-Life game released was 6 years ago, and for these 6 years Valve has denied any implication of Half-Life 3.

If you look into the history of Valve and their games, they apparently can’t count to 3.

Valve has never made a third game sequel for anything. For example, Portal 1 & 2, Team Fortress 1 & 2, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, and of course, Half-Life 1 & 2.

Unfortunately, Half-Life 2, Episode 2 ended with a cliffhanger, infuriating fans everywhere. Since then, various “memes” or jokes have been made about the seemingly impossible Half-Life 3.

Half-Life 2 Episode 3 was actually expected to be out by 2008, but now the date is said to be “coincident with the rapture” (end of the world).

Gamers in the iSchool have their opinions about Half-Life 3, and it’s possible outcome.

“I think Half Life 3 will come out because Half-Life 2 didn't really have a complete ending in my opinion. It left out some things I wanted to be answered”, said Oris Alberto, a student at the iSchool and a fan of the Half-Life series.

When Valve themselves registered a trademark and logo (basically bought the rights) for Half-Life 3 in Europe, the internet exploded. Of course, this was Valve finally starting to create the game, right? Well, the very next day, the trademark was removed. People starting developing theories...was it all a hoax, or is Valve just trying to cover it up?

There is no word from Valve yet on the situation, but Kristin Krolzik, a user contact service representative for the EU's Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, stated the Half-Life 3 trademark application "has been deleted from the database as it is in status 'deemed not filed' due to lack of applicant, mark representation, list of goods and services or payment."

Over the 6 years since Half-Life 2 Episode 2 came out, jokes have been circulating the internet about the impossible Half-Life 3 or Episode 3, even jokes made by Valve themselves.

In 2012, on April Fools day, Valve added Half-Life 2 Episode 3 in the Steam store. Of course, it was deleted the next day, as it was all a joke. Fans of course didn’t take this lightly. Another popular joke is “PS4 - Xbox One = Half-Life 3 confirmed”.

Ashley Thomas, another gamer at the iSchool, thinks “people will stop buying their games since they want Half-Life 3, and they will start riots,” while Oris stated, “I think Half Life 3 should come out so people can finally play a game that completes the series and answer some unanswered questions.”

So, even after 6 years, is there any hope for a Half-Life 3? Or will Valve decide to just keep gamers in anticipation for something that will never happen? People want Half-Life 3, obviously. But the question is, does Valve even want to make it? Maybe they don’t want to be like other companies, for example Activision. Activision comes out with a new Call of Duty game every year.

Maybe Valve wants to do something different. Maybe they see all the complaints about how bad the Call of Duty games are, and then they’re upset that we are mad about them not making Half-Life 3. Maybe Valve doesn’t want Half-Life 3 to be something that will end in another cliff-hanger, and then another, and just come out with a new Half-Life every year, only being able to play when you are online, having to log in facebook to play, being origin-only, even adding microtransactions!

Maybe Valve will get fed up, and say “You want Half-Life 3? You got it. You will be living your worst nightmare. You will be speechless. You will be living Half Life.”

Maybe gamers should take it easy on Valve.