Hurray for Gameloft’s next rip-off! (Seriously)

A trailer for Gameloft’s next iOS game has been released, and as usual, we expect the game being made to be very similar to something that’s already made. This time, people are saying it’s gonna be a Legend of Zelda type of game. Now this has me excited. You know I’m a big fan of Zelda. I could be mad at them for the rip-off, but nah. Is there a way to play a 3D Zelda game on a hand held device? I think not. Do I want to play a 3D Zelda game on a hand held? Absolutely. Furthermore, do I want to keep myself from playing a good Zelda-like game? No way. Of course I’m gonna play this game. If it’s good, anyway. I don’t think I’ll play it if it turns out to be bad.

This dude seems kinda like the Great Deku Tree. Except, he's like, a spirit or something...instead of an actual talking tree...

But anyway, let’s find out what’s causing all this speculation of the game being a Zelda type of game. Go take a look at the trailer. What do we see in it? Well, uh, first there’s some magic-y stuff. Some lava. Mostly…a cool-looking fantasy world. And some peaceful music in the background. That high-pitched instrument kind of reminds me of Wind Waker. Just saying.

But to the point, what is making people make these connections? Perhaps it’s,

1. That spirit tree guy. He’s huge, he talks, and he spits out some shiny thing. Now am I crazy, or is that kinda like the Great Deku Tree from Ocarina of Time? I mean, that guy was a talking tree, and he gave Link the forest medallion or whatever!
2. The fact that there’s a horse shown for a few seconds. The scene looks very much like Twilight Princess; you have to admit it.
3. That UI which was shown for a couple seconds. I see a mini-map, a shield button…oddly, some sort of horse button. I don’t see how anyone is supposed to call their horse when there’s lava everywhere, but OK. I don’t know what that other button up top is. I wonder if this game has some sort of targeting system.
4. Well…the whole thing is in a fantasy world, so that at least helps the idea that it’s Zelda.

Hm, but really, that’s it? Man. It’s kind of weird that IGN was the one making the assumption here. I’d have thought that it would just be random people doing it.

Well anyway, I’m excited. I’ll probably get this thing. But of course, they haven’t named it or given us any real info on it. Hm. Well, I’m going to stop writing now.

-Tomtwelve

Games I’ve Been Playing Lately

The title is speaking quite literally, so I guess I’ll just get right to it.

iPhone/iPod Touch Games

N.O.V.A 2

This game certainly isn’t mind-blowing, I’ll tell you that. In fact, the campaign has disappointed me a bit. The story feels a bit lacking in…something. But some aspects of N.O.V.A have been improved. For one thing, the voice acting no longer sucks. Woo hoo! The game is significantly more challenging than the first one. But forget all that. The real show here is the multiplayer. What I love about it is that it’s so dang crazy! Being able to have 10 players in one game is pretty nice. Now, it has the ranking system. And that system is pretty annoying sometimes, because all those people who have been playing for a long time have the best weapons. Poo.

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus

This came out before N.O.V.A. 2. But it’s better. Better graphics. Arguably a better story. The multiplayer is a bit different because it gives you points for assists and vengeance and such. It has some different modes, of course. And it doesn’t really feel as crazy. But other than that it’s kind of the same. The campaign is good. And it has surprisingly good voice acting. I rather enjoyed playing through it.

Infinity Blade

Look man, this thing looks freakin’ awesome, but what’s important is the gameplay. And the gameplay is awesome as well. See, the game plays kind of like a movie about a guy walking really slowly into a castle and fighting a bunch of guys. That sounds kinda lame, doesn’t it… BUT IT’S NOT! I mean, it’s fun to watch and listen to, because it looks and sounds so awesome. But the actual fighting part is good too. You use your finger for swings of your sword. It’s very satisfying. And the game gets pretty challenging, too. So this is certainly worth your money.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I had fun with this one. But I bought it for 99 cents, and now the price has gone way up. Let’s face it. The multiplayer hardly works. The graphics could be way better. The controls can be very awkward at times. So really, it’s NOT worth your money. I still enjoyed the campaign, though, I’ll give it that.

Wii

Donkey Kong Country Returns

This game is awesome. It’s incredibly fun, it’s incredibly challenging, and it’s quite pretty. Oh, and the music is awesome too. I love it way more than I do New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I find that game uninteresting. This game is quite the opposite of that. The levels continue to fascinate me. Get this game, man.

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

This game is actually pretty fun. The humor is fantastic to any Harry Potter fan. I mean, you really have to love the cut scenes in this game. Gameplay in these Lego games has certainly improved since the first Lego Star Wars. Now when you’re in co-op, it actually goes into split screen when you’re trying to go separate ways. So yeah, I like this game.

Well, that’s all.

-Tomtwelve

This Makes Me Happy

The chances that you’ve already seen this video are high. That don’t matter. I like this story. I like to see good things happen. There’s not enough good stories or videos on the internet–things that are good in that they are about things that are genuinely good. What do I mean by ‘good’? Well, I like to hear about people helping those who need help, and I like to hear about people getting on the right path. I mainly wish we had more positivity around teh internets. I mean, I certainly know that I’m often negative, and I certainly don’t do much good for the world. But the thing is, when people hear good stories, they get inspired to do good things themselves. If they don’t get inspired, then their hearts have failed them–if they have hearts at all, I mean.

This guy, Ted Williams–his success over the last few days has filled me with joy. Pure joy, really. The kind of joy I rarely feel. And why? Well, I’m not completely sure. But let’s look at the aspects of this story that could possibly please me.

1. The man has an awesome voice.
2. The man got involved with drugs ‘n stuff and suffered the consequences.
3. The man got off of drugs…and stuff.
4. The man recognizes that he has a gift given to him by God.
5. The man got a job.
6. This has come as a result of a reporter filming him–now this was certainly a simple act of kindness, I’d say. Unless we want to be ultra-cynical and question the reporter’s motives. But that would ruin this all.
7. He sort of reunited with his mother, didn’t he? That’s just touching.

Now people didn’t throw around the original video of this homeless man in an effort to try and get him a job. They show it to their friends because:

1. It’s surprising
2. It’s entertaining

But despite their common intentions, the incredible speed at which this video has spread certainly has accomplished something. This man is going to get a home in no time!

Man, I am actually getting a little emotional while writing this. What’s up with me, anyway?

Perhaps the idea of a full recovery appeals to me. I mean, I certainly have never been homeless. I’m just a kid. I’ve always had a good life. I can thank my parents for that, and I can thank God for that. But if I ever found myself in some crisis, I know that in some way, there will always be hope. I can always emerge from the depths of sorrow somehow.

But then some troll might say, “Well how would you know?!!” Well, doesn’t this story sort of prove it?

I tell you, this life was meant to be enjoyed. Our circumstances can’t get so bad that we can’t find such a thing as happiness. So I guess happiness is the most important thing to have. If I couldn’t find that, then that would be the actual problem.

I’m thankful for this surprising source of inspiration. No viral video has ever been so uplifting.

Well, except for that baby preacher. That kid…MAN he’s great!

Heh heh heh heh, fun times. Fun times. Now we’ve gone off topic. I probably should’ve ended this post just now. Why is this paragraph even here?

-Tomtwelve

You think it’s OK?

see more Failbook

Make sure to click on the image. I mean, seriously, keep reading, it gets better. If there’s one thing I love, it’s imitating people’s comments closely to make fun of them. Again, click on the image to read the rest.

Significant Celestial Events

Man, a lunar eclipse and the winter solstice on the same day? Pretty significant. Especially in the world of Avatar the Last Airbender. What’s gonna happen today? An attack on the water tribe? A spirit world journey? I have no idea, but this would be a crazy episode of Avatar.

-Tomtwelve

Epicness

Yeah, so Ray William Johnson is the reason I saw this video, but don’t be hating for that. This video is hilarious! So enjoy it, fool!

-Tomtwelve

The fact that so many people now get so vocal over any perceived mistake the company makes just proves how incredibly central the idea of “Nintendo” has become to thousands – even millions – of us across the country and around the world. I absolutely love that people got so pissed about Samus’ portrayal in Metroid: Other M. It means that people actually cared enough in the first place, were invested enough in the character, to be truly effected when their nostalgic memories and decades-old perceptions of the hunter didn’t mesh with what they were seeing on the screen. I love that Nintendo has been around so long, has become so foundational to the industry that those kinds of opinions and debates are even possible.

You won’t find that anywhere else. Not yet, at least. Maybe not even for another decade, when the PSone generation becomes what the NES generation is now. God help the developer that tries to reboot Crash Bandicoot in 2020.

See, this article reminded me that 2010 was actually a pretty great year for the Wii. I’ve lost some interest in the system by this time, but I remember now that, well, there’s some pretty awesome stuff on Wii. And one of those awesome games, by the way, is Super Mario Galaxy 2. I’ve been replaying it since I have nothing else to do except for play Lord of the Rings Online. It’s pretty fantastic. I got 242 stars on my first file, you know.

But anyway, I need to go and do…the stuff…I’m supposed to do now.

-Tomtwelve

Source: IGN

Today is…well I forgot.

Today I shall just, you know, write stuff about what’s been going on in my life. Although…my life is generally pretty simple. I don’t have much to complain about. Heck, all my technology and crud is still working, so what more could I ask for anyway?

Well, I guess socially, life could be better. I don’t really care if I don’t have a ton of friends, though. The ones I got are pretty good, so I can stick with them. I don’t feel the need to get a girlfriend either. But I am quite attracted to plenty of girls at the same time.

So basically, life is pretty good. No complications, really. Except, you know what? I do not like school.

Well, I need to go to bed.

-Tomtwelve

Game Dev Story

This week, I was spending far too long playing a game on my iPod Touch called Game Dev Story. This game is friggin’ addictive. The idea of the game is that you are the boss of your own game studio. You decide what games you want to make, and your staff makes ’em. Then you see how well your game sells. And your sales depend on how you decided to make your game. That’s pretty much the main stuff you do in the game. It’s not boring, though. It’s a very addicting formula, actually. After you make one game, you’re bound to go right back and try to make another. You have to unlock the game genres and find out for yourselves which ones work, so you might be playing for a while.

There’s no time for a longer post, but I highly recommend Game Dev Story.

-Tomtwelve

Haha. I didn’t post.

There were no posts this week, because it was the week of thanksgiving. And because I was busy playing Game Dev Story, but I guess I’ll say more on that later. This wordpress app for my iPod was being pretty weird earlier, but I guess it’s all good now.
See ya tomorrow.

-Tomtwelve