Five Years of Slick Gaming!

Time moves fast, doesn’t it?

To put it into perspective, I went into this article thinking it was going to be a four year anniversary, but in fact it’s been five years since I started this blog! Five whole years! In terms of major gaming news alone, Slick Gaming has seen the end of the seventh generation of consoles, gotten half-way through the eighth generation, saw the 3DS rise to power from it’s humble beginnings, and is officially older than Minecraft!

And as strange as this is to say… Slick Gaming is ending.

Well… not really!

I’m happy to announce that I’ve officially found hosting and a true domain for my blog, and am no longer using WordPress.com for my content!

I know it won’t have the blogroll and backing of this site, but I implore you all to continue to follow my adventures on my new official site:

www.DownStab.com

Here you’ll find every post from this SlickGaming site, and then some! If you were wondering why I’ve been quiet on here, it’s because I’ve been focusing on creating content over there! Just like this blog, it’s a work in progress, and I’m enjoying finding what the site and theme can do, and how I can use them in new, creative, and different ways!

While this is the end for SlickGaming, it isn’t the end of Jason! I’ll keep on writing, I’ll keep on making videos, I’ll definitely keep on collecting games, and I’ll for sure be enjoying games for a long time to come!

To all the friends I’ve made while working here, I ask that you still follow me at DownStab! I’ll still hang around here to read your content, and I love chatting with all of you! But if you want to hear more from me, check out the new site!

And who knows, maybe I’ll still post some good stuff on here, just for kicks! Thanks guys, you’ve all been great!

Laters,
Jsick

 

May the Force Be With You in Video Games

May the Force Be With You.

On this fourth of May, 2016, the fan-dubbed Star Wars day had me thinking all things Jedi and lightsabers. I’d venture to guess most gamers have likely seen all of the movies and know a think or two about the Force and what have you. The blending of interest between the sci-fi film genre and video games makes a lot of sense, so I’d also guess a lot of gamers who’ve seen the films may have dabbled in a few Star Wars video games as well. When discussing with a coworker today I discovered I’ve actually played a good amount of Star Wars video games! More than I had actually thought, actually! And you probably have too! I started thinking about all the games I’ve played in the Star Wars universe, and decided to reminiscence with you all! Here are my favorite Star Wars video games from decades past!

 

Top Ten Series that Need amiibo

Something I’ve touched on surprisingly only a small bit are Nintendo’s NFC amiibo figures. To put into perspective how I feel about amiibo, let’s just say I have had friends shop around for me to get the more expensive ones back when amiibo were the hottest toys this side of Furby and Tickle Me Elmo. Out of all the toys-to-life options out there, I feel like Nintendo’s offerings are the coolest, if only because I (like many others) grew up with a lot of these characters. Also, while I love me some Skylanders, I think amiibo have a wider function in games, making them more of an investment than essentially an extra life or character in Skylanders and Disney Infinity. That being said, and in typical Nintendo fashion, there are more than a handful of series’ deserving of the amiibo treatment that haven’t seen the light of day. Though most of these will never happen, we can dream, and I can wish for some of these games to come out sooner rather than later!

 

Ten April Fools’ Day Jokes in Gaming

Don’t be fooled!

Keeping with tradition, April first of every year is the time where video gamers can no longer read blogs or watch their favorite videos because they’re full of lies and jokes. Of course I’m talking about April Fools’ Day, and for the past couple decades many video game developers, news publications, and even video games themselves have taken the opportunity to trick their fans into thinking something that isn’t true. Oftentimes these instances are so hyperbolic you can tell quickly they’re a joke, but every now and then there are a few jokes that walk the line between truth and deception with exquisite flair. Here are ten of my favorite April Fools’ Day jokes for you to get angry at for not being real.

 

Nintendo’s Miitomo App Launches Today

With the launch of Miitomo today on the Apple and Android app stores, Nintendo has officially ventured into the mobile game market! Promising to release content exclusive to the mobile market, and not just re-release they’re games for smart devices, Nintendo and Miitomo are hoping to get loyal fans, 3DS, Wii U, and even PC and other console gamers on board with their type of games. Before you jump into the game, here’s some quick pointer to get you started in the right direction.

Have you set up your My Nintendo account? If you haven’t you’ll want to get that started first thing! If you already have a Nintendo ID (which you would have created if you own a 3DS or Wii or Wii U system), then you can link it to your account easily! If not, you can go through the initial and easy set up to create your account. You’ll want to do this, as having an account linked to your Miitomo game is the only way to earn and collect points.

After you download the app, you’ll need to create your Mii. this won’t be anything new to someone who has played a Wii, Wii U, or 3DS in the past: it’s essentially the same idea here! Play around with it and have some fun!

You’ll likely want to link some of your social media accounts to the Miitomo app. The game won’t publish anything without your say so (or at least it hasn’t yet), but by linking your accounts like Twitter and Facebook you can easily see which of your friends are also playing the game! Also, this action will give you lots of in game currency as well as My Nintendo points, which we’ll get to later!

When you’re in the Miitomo app and are listening to the answers your friends have give, be sure to favorite (heart) the answers you like, and leave comments! Doing so will reward you with points you can use later on your My Nintendo account. Also, it’s a fun way to interact with your friends! Speaking of answering questions, each time you’re asked to listen to a friends response, you then have a choice to hear a different response from a different friend, or to stop hearing about your buds. If you choose to stop, your Mii will ask you a question, which you can then answer for your posse of friends to hear later in their game!

Have you played Tomodachi Life on the 3DS? If you haven’t, and you are enjoying Miitomo, you might want to check it out. Both Miitomo and Tomodachi Life have a lot in common, but Tomodachi Life seems to be the more fleshed out game. If you’re liking the odd voices or the weird interactions you’ve been having with friends, you should definitely check out that game as well. Spoilers: it’s addictive!

Remember Club Nintendo? The service Nintendo provided which allowed you to enter codes from games you bought or downloaded into your Club Nintendo account to earn coins which could then be used for both physical or digital game-related rewards? My Nintendo is the replacement program for that, and it functions in nearly the same way. You’ll earn Gold points by purchasing or downloading Nintendo games across all platforms. By completing non-platform specific “Missions”, such as linking your Facebook account to My Nintendo, you’ll earn Platinum points. Gold points can be used to download actual games for your Nintendo consoles or coupons to purchase more games. Platinum points can be used to purchase other digital content like 3DS or Wii U themes, as well as some digital games. Presumably more content will be available each month.

Interestingly, you can perform special daily or weekly actions in the Miitomo game to earn Miitomo points. These points appear to be identical to Platinum points, but the method in which you unlock them is exclusive to actions you do in the Miitomo app. So if you’re liking lots of answers or making lots of friends you’ll unlock Miitomo points which you can use on the My Nintendo website later!

Nintendo’s offical My Nintendo terms state points expire after 6 months if they aren’t used, so make sure you check out the site and spend them eventually! If it’s anything like Club Nintendo, eventually there will be a game or goodie online you’ll want to spend your hard earned points on! Here’s hoping My Nintendo is just as good!

Have you started playing Miitomo yet? So far I’ve been enjoying my time expanding my wardrobe and learning what my friends across the country have been up to over the weekend. And how some people have bizarre favorite foods. I am a huge Nintendo fan and am very excited about the future of the game company as well as their mobile endeavor. How do you feel about the Big N’s first mobile game? Let me know in the comments.

And add me to your game! We should all be friends!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Worth Playing vol. 10: Mega Man Games

A recent pickup of several Mega Man Star Force games has had me thinking about my favorite video game character recently. Mainly, why Super Smash Bros for Wii U, of all things, is arguably the best version of the character we’ve received in the better part of a decade. For a character so prominent in the 90s and early 2000s, it’s a shame we don’t see him around any more. And then I took a look at all the games he’s appeared in and suddenly I’m no longer questioning why we don’t have anymore Mega Man games. There were so many games with Mega Man in them, and many of them so drastically different from one another, we as gamers just couldn’t keep up. But don’t sweat, Blue Bomber fans, I am here to point you in the right direction! There are, believe it or not, several excellent Mega Man games outside of the Classic and X series for you to sink your time into!

 

Virtual Reality Headsets and a Giant NES Controller at this year’s CES

A common trend while walking this year’s Consumer Electronics Show floor was, without a doubt, virtual reality. We largely have the success of Oculus to thank for the recent boom in VR tech, but I had to wonder what it meant for the video game industry seeing all those headsets at every booth. Alas, I was only able to demo one headset personally, but picked up some information about many others.

The one set I tried was by Razor, and it is called the Open Source Virtual Reality headset, or OSVR for short. Razor is doing something great with OSVR: instead of having a static headset with all the features already on it, the OSVR is modular. So if you want to customize the display with different eyeware or a different virtual reality hardware altogether you can do so, and the OSVR software will incorporate what you are using into the control of the game. Of course there’s some limitations on what you can do with the headset your using and the compatiable games, but it is nice having that freedom to not be tied down with one headset, like Oculus, when others are coming out and you might want to play their games too. Speaking of games, OSVR didn’t have a game to demo, but instead a 3D rendered cinema to watch with the OSVR headset. It was pretty amazing to be honest. The headset reacted well to movement, the sound was clear, and it really felt like I was slowly moving towards a city-destroying robot! Fun times!

Other VR options included headset mounts for your smartphone. These were neat in concept, but not as cool as a full blown headset for VR. Essentially, you could hook up your iPhone to the mount, place it really close to your face, put on some headphones, and use the gyroscopic sensors to simulate 3D tech movement. It’s a great approach to the VR scene, but didn’t look or feel as impressive as Oculus, Sony’s PlayStation VR, or the OSVR.

Another trend I saw was two screen VR and one screen VR. From what I experienced, having one screen was ideal for someone in my condition (I have a lazy eye, if you didn’t know, so I can’t see out of my left eye), as it most easily let me view the action on the headset. With two separate screens it was difficult for me to see the entire playing field because the headset would require both eyes to see the two screens, blend them together, and give you the 3D effect. I demoed a random booth using a headset (I forgot which one!) and played Xbox One’s Killer Instinct (my first time playing it, as well!). I couldn’t see the far right and far left of the screen because of that aforementioned issue. But if you have no eye issues, then having two screens will probably be fine for you.

Removing VR tech altogether, there wasn’t much else I saw in terms of gaming. Sony was there, and I was actually able to play the Street Fighter V beta for the first time. I picked up a controller and naturally selected Ken, but was surprised to see how different he played! Aside from the new design, his Hurricane Kick with fierce kick is redone, his reach seems different, and in general he just plays differently from his Street Fighter IV days. Regardless, I’m even more excited to pick up the game when it releases. There was a line behind me to play, so I couldn’t get around to playing anybody else. I want to try out Necali and Laura, two new characters for the series!

Sony also had the new Ratchet & Clank on display. I didn’t get a chance to play it personally, but watching the game in action was gorgeous. I really love a game with tons of color and an imaginative world, and though Ratchet & Clank can be dark and brooding, it still looks great. With an upcoming April release date I’m hoping the game is a worthy entry in the series and not just a movie tie-in cash-in.

Not at the Sony booth but still using a PS4, I demoed PS Now once again. The entire concept of PS Now is great, but I just don’t like the pricing. I played Street Fighter IV on PS Now and didn’t see any lag at all. The show’s Wi-Fi could (and probably was) have been outstanding and that affected the gameplay lag, so I took that with some hesitation. And that price point, ugh!

Lastly, I stopped by a booth that really just sells video gaming cables, controllers, and swag, and they happened to have a gigantic NES controller running the original Super Mario Bros on a big screen. Naturally I jumped right in, took the warp pipe in World 1-2, warped to World 4, got to level 4-2 before dying, all before turning around and seeing a sizable crowd of jolly nerds watching me! It was like the good ol’ days of the arcade, only in a convention center with a console game and a comically large controller! It’s like the same thing!

This year’s CES was great, but I felt a sort of familiarity with everything present. Virtual reality, at this point, is nothing new, neither is streaming games, huge TVs, or novelty video game controllers. That being said CES is hardly a video game convention. It’s a tech convention, and video games happen to be featured in one small corner of a one big hall, and part of an even bigger convention. Still though, with each new CES I’ll be sure to check out the video game tech. Who knows, perhaps next year there will be something even more amazing!

Happy New Year,
Jsick

 

A Quick Update

Hello there, loyal SlickGaming followers! If you’ve been wondering what’s been going on with the blog and why there’s been nothing posted for a few weeks, it’s because WE’RE MOVING!! More accurately, we’ve already moved! Laura and I jumped from a tiny 2 bedroom apartment to a full fledged house! We’re both really excited for a new place and were hard at work making it our home. 

Unfortunately that means not a lot of downtime for writing. However, when I have gotten a few extra moments I’ve been spending it on Fallout 4I’m happy with the game so far: it’s been a long time since a game has had me wanting to just explore the world quite like this one! Have you all been enjoying the Commonwealth Wasteland too?

Outside of Fallout, I played a new board gane with some friends over Thanksgiving Break called Dead of Winter. It’s a zombie survival game, but the focus is on survival more than killing zombies. Think the later seasons of The Walking Dead and you’ll have a good image of what I mean. Either way, it was fun and I look forward to playing it with my friends again over their Christmas Holiday. 

I also dabbled in the Wii U’s Animall Crossing: amiibo Festival. While the game isn’t anything like a Mario Party game like I wanted it to be, it is a fun, simple tilted for Animal Crossing lovers. Also, I took the plunge and bought all the amiibos for Laura and myself. Even if the game isn’t extraordinary, the little Tom Nook and company sure are!

I’m hoping to get back into the full swing of things here soon. Likely a few Game of the Year candidates, then the annual yearly roundup. Until then, have a great day!

Laters.

Jsick

 

Games I Wish I Were Better At Playing

While growing up, I idolized how well my brother played fighting games. Mortal Kombat II, Killer Instinct, and Street Fighter II were way too tough for me, but seeing Phil take on M. Bison and come out victorious, or somehow land Killer Combo after Killer Combo in KI was like watching a professional basketball player land 3-pointers one after another. I’d try my hand at the games, and while I did develop some skill (even enough in some games to overcome my brother/rival), I was never able to get where I wanted to get. And after a couple of decades I’ve added even more games to that list of games I wish I were better at. So here they are, and in no particular order, the video games I wish I were better at.

 

A Day of Arcade Games at California Extreme 2015

Captain America and the Avengers

In the middle of the summer, in the middle of California, in the middle of a draught, a small gathering of gamers come together for the greatest classic arcade convention on the west coast.

California Extreme.

In this, my third year of attendance, I played conquered more games than past years, played more pinball than ever before in my collected lifetime, and discovered some unique and fun games I’d never heard of before. If you fancy yourself a classic/retro arcade game fan, and you live close to Santa Clara, California or can make the trip, I highly recommend checking out this little convention. Here’s a link to the show’s page, so you can plan for next year’s visit.

This year’s show was extra special to me because my brother Phil and I were able to secure a special surprise birthday present for our eldest brother: a plane ticket and pass to this year’s show! Seeing as he’s the one among us who appreciates arcade games and (especially) pinball machines most, we owed it to him to make sure he was here to check out the show. And certainly, he was impressed.

Hercules Pinball

Pinball and classic arcade games all set to free play as far as the eye can see. Enthusiastic old game fans lining up to play their childhood favorites like Ms. Pac-Man and Robotron. Excited gamers trying out Gauntlet and Street Fighter II for the very first time. Arcade kings reminiscing about the good ol’ days of classic style pinball machines compared to their new-fangled and flashy counterparts. Young kids discovering how their parents entertained themselves in an age without the internet or portable gaming systems. A magical haven of nerd culture and discovery. And a kind of funky smell.

What would an arcade convention be without some great games? This year was absolutely no exception, with some new additions and returning favorites to make me and many others nostalgic and happy. X-Men Arcade and Captain America and the Avengers were two new games this year that I was pleased to sink an hour into and see through to the end. Midway game Cosmo Gang was constantly entertaining guests from young kids to eager adults. New and improved Killer Queen had a fully dedicated space to play the 5-on-5 multiplayer romp, with new levels and playable class. Dozens of pinball machines ranging from licensed machines like Metallica and Superman to the old classics with wooden cabinets and a Hercules machine that was easily the size of two machines combined.

Varkon Screen

Some new highlights for me were Tron Video Pinball, which was an amalgamation of physical pinball flipper buttons to press and a video screen displaying all the action. Another spin on pinball was Varkon, which was a vertical pinball machine; the ball moved fast and you had to react even faster. Both were really fun and unique!

Night Stocker was this weird driving and shooting game: you had to steer a vehicle with one hand while shooting down enemies with a light gun in the other. Really challenging but really fun. Blaster was a vector graphics gem that had multiple stages and goals, ranging from shooting space vampires to rescuing floating spacemen, to navigating through a veritable maze of pillars and enemy ships. And while I’ve played and enjoyed both Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. in the past, it wasn’t until this year that I really got to play Donkey Kong 3 and enjoy it. Uniquely different than the previous games but still a fun title!
In pinball land I got my hands on so many machines I was actually able to narrow down which pinball variant was my favorite: The fast and action packed games. Retro pinball games like Middle Earth (which has nothing to do with Hobbits) and The Hulk were fun and classic, but weren’t fast and flashy. Newer pinball machines like Super Mario Bros. and Terminator 2 were more fun but weren’t fast enough. Machines like Cyclone, which were incredibly fast in pinball speed and really dynamic on the board, ended up being my favorites. I also enjoyed some of the more “experimental” machines, like the gigantic aforementioned Hercules machines, as well as the dual-flipper game Roller Disco.

Tron Video Pinball Cabinet

And that’s just scratching the surface of what California Extreme had to offer. An entire room dedicated to smaller console games was available. If you thought you were skilled enough to win a tournament and take home a sweet trophy you could sing up. Heck, I didn’t even mention how there was an entire section (with a truly dedicated fanbase) of rhythm games like Pop’n Music and Dance Dance Revolution, or how I started playing the original House of the Dead and after making it to the third level before finally dying only to turn around and see a small crowd gathered around me like it was a decade ago at the bowling alley. Single player games, two player games, six player games, even ten player games were there, ensuring everyone met someone new and enjoyed a common interest all through the night.
Chalk up California Extreme 2015 as another huge success. With next year being the 20th anniversary of the show, I’m hoping it’ll be bigger and better than ever. Honestly though, they can (and probably will) do the same thing year after year and I’ll happily attend and get my nostalgic gaming fix. For the hundreds of gamers who enjoyed the show this year and can’t wait until next year, game on.

Laters,
Jsick

If you want to see all of my pictures from this year’s California Extreme, as well as a whole bunch of other arcade pictures and videos, check out my arcade-dedicated Tumblr blog by clicking here!