tegan

I Had a Random Thought (About Video Games)

Recommended Posts

I just read a game synopsis/blurb that was really weird because it switched from a theme and plot description to a feature list, which included at the end:

  • Unlock a great surprise by completing the game. Replayability assured.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is a weird thing, AKB48 (The mega-idol pop sensation in Japan) has an arcade game where you shoot them as zombies. There are also thriller-esq music rhythm sections where the zombie AKB members dance. And then you have to presumably shoot them in the face. Weird.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was watching the Teens React to NES video and was thinking about what an obnoxious piece of hardware the original NES was because of the push down mechanism. Almost every NES you require now unless it's a top down one either is faulty because the connectors are worn or pushed back or the pin connector was replaced with a cheapo one that didn't last too long. I tried fixing one for my friends recently because theirs was dirty and the pins were pushed back but I had a hell of a time pulling them back out with a dental pick and then it didn't work so well when I screwed it all back together. Also I tried breaking off the little foot of the region lockout as well.

 

So getting to the point, my NES that I had as a kid was plagued with the screen flashing and games not loading. My dad fixed it by disabling the console's ability to push the cartridge down and instead made it so you just insert the cart and play. I don't know what he did for sure as it seems like the OEM NES connector would not work this way without the pressure, so he must have tightened it or something.

 

Did anyone else's dad do this to fix their stuff? I somehow recall this may have been a fix many commonly used, but now I think he just did this to NESs of other kids in the neighborhood and messed up my perception.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It was a deliberate design flaw. The NES was redesigned for North America to look and feel like a VCR rather than a game console, hence the additional unnecessary step of pushing the cartridge down.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeh, but I don't think they really tested it long term to realize by doing that they wore out the pins very quickly. I suppose they realized by the time they finally released the top loader, but those models don't have A/V out, making them useless to me.

 

Sort of like how extremely cute the SNES 2 is but it is no longer capable of S-Video. ;(

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A new Humble Indie Bundle is out, with a good collection of games in it, but also a special $65 tier of physical goods they can send you. The pack includes a shirt, a vinyl record and a floppy disk. Also includes a book of tips and tricks, which to me sounds like stuff I used to get with old game magazines. I'm curious of whether this actually does well or its another case of people realising they don't want physical goods THAT much.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm finally going to be a real Idle Thumbs fan! (Just got a copy of Far Cry 2. ...also got LA Noire, Street Fighter IV, and Mario Kart 7.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Far Cry 2 was so great when I played it. It was like a first-person Mercenaries with only 20% of the power-fantasy. And I could go anywhere like in Oblivion. It was so amazing. I've spoiled myself since.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had a pair of dumb game ideas the other day.  They're both stealth games. 

 

The first would have the player take the role of one of those mysterious characters in a game who appears out of nowhere, delivers a message or item to the main character, then vanished when the camera is turned away.  The gameplay would be like Metal Gear Solid, except instead of trying to avoid being spotted by the enemy, you have to avoid being spotted by the hero to maintain your mysterious persona.  But you also have to follow them along and probably help them out because they're actually a terrible hero.  To summarize in one sentence, you play as Sheik helping out a shitty Link without him noticing you except when the story dictates you appear from the shadows.

 

The second was a variation of this where you have to sneak around and scare the crap out of AI controlled NPCs, but then I realized that this game already exists and is called Sneak King.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The first would have the player take the role of one of those mysterious characters in a game who appears out of nowhere, delivers a message or item to the main character, then vanished when the camera is turned away. ...you play as Sheik helping out a shitty Link...

 

Ha. When you set up the premise, I wasn't thinking of the player in control of a neat character. My brain went immediately to those couriers in Skyrim who interrupt you at the most inopportune times to deliver notes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ha. When you set up the premise, I wasn't thinking of the player in control of a neat character. My brain went immediately to those couriers in Skyrim who interrupt you at the most inopportune times to deliver notes.

 

It could probably become that if you were really bad at not being discovered.  Or maybe if you wanted to troll the hero.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My first thought was of the merchant guy in Resident Evil 4... You could add in some kind of shop inventory management from various weapon drops hidden in the levels... "What are you buyin? ...oh, sorry, I dont have any of those... oops."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That's a brilliant idea SAM, a kind of hero manipulation game.  You could probably also explore the idea through other mechanics, like a kind of overhead view god game, where you manipulate the hero's environment to ensure his victory. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've mostly been thinking about it in terms of Zelda games.  Like why are there rupees in pots and bushes?  How did these convenient hookshot points appear right where I needed them?  How come the monsters happen to be vulnerable to this item I found in the very dungeon they're protecting?  I think the game could be designed either as a RTS/God game where you have to create the world and place things such that your inept hero will succeed, or as a first/third person stealth game where you have to manipulate the environment without the hero being aware of your actions.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've mostly been thinking about it in terms of Zelda games.  Like why are there rupees in pots and bushes?

 

'Cause the Minish put them there!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Dragon Quest IV has a section where you play as an item merchant. You stand in one spot while heroes come in and try and buy items from you.

 

World of Warcraft has a quest where you play as a quest-giver. You get your very own yellow ! and a bunch of NPCs come in and take your quest. You have to go and clean up after one of them when you inevitably get bored of that.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Does everyone try to go through the boss door at the apex of a jump when playing Megaman?

 

I'm pretty sure everyone either jumps or jumps and shoots.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

DIANTHA SHINY CLONE TEAM COMPLETE!

 

 

rzP577e.png

 

 

I finally finished my stupid gimmick run: beating Diantha with an all-shiny version of her own team.

 

Now what?

 

(man, that 3DS top screen does not photograph well, even in 2D)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now