Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #195 (Inspiration Manifestation)

     My entire past week revolved around a game that wasn't mine for once. I took the time to play the newly released followup to my favorite indie game of all-time (Undertale, in case you didn't know) and it was time well spent.

     I came out the other side of those credits re-energized, inspired to work harder, and pumped up on well-designed RPGs and quirky/interesting fantasy worlds. Overall, a nice reminder of why I love gaming so much.

See what notable new design elements are coming (without getting too specific) along with some Earth-Shaking indie dev news down below.

Gushing About: SPORE

     This game... Is a lot of things. From what I hear most often it was mostly a disappointment. Spore was hyped up for years and it became my first PC game. That was when I found out it didn't quite live up to the spectacular industry changer I thought it would be. It released in 2008 (geez that feels like an eon ago) at a time where I wasn't allowed to  play video games on school nights (parents, right?). I was allowed to play this because I convinced my parents that it was educational and tied into evolution and space exploration which were two things I was studying in science class.

     Because of all the hype and my video game starvation I was able to make the most out of this game. It wasn't perfect but I didn't care because like all the people who remember having an NES and a library of 6 games, it was all I had. My old computer was slow and clunky even on the lowest settings, but the game still looked beautiful because it wasn't a sheet of paper or news program. I liken this feeling to how hungry I get at a cross-country meet. After you run the fastest 5K in your life you dive for any kind of nourishment you can get. I used to hate gingersnaps until I finished a race and end up wolfing down an entire box of those rock-hard cookies on the way home. When you're starving for a game it tastes that much better and that's what Spore is to me.

     With Spore being my only weekday video game I was able to make the most out of what it did have to offer. A fun creature creator, an amusing cell stage hunting game, and a gigantic galactic conquest system. Even now I can play Spore for those reasons and still have a blast for a short while. Skip over the features I didn't like and dive right into the good stuff. Spore actually has a nostalgic value for me now because of this history I have with it. I wonder if anyone else has a game they forced themselves to love forever?

Gushing About: InFAMOUS

This week's is a short one, but it's what has been on my mind.

     I've been replaying a lot of InFamous lately. Actually, just the first game and the second one's demo since I don't have anything else from the series. I really love the superhero origin story feeling it gives me and I noticed how my goals to become more powerful and save the city from chaos fit the theme so well. I also noticed some parallels with with Unicorn Training's goal of becoming strong enough to beat a looming threat.

     The way it introduces new powers had me analyzing how when you're going through the game you'll find some aspect of combat or traversal cumbersome, then two missions later you get a power that makes that aspect a lot of fun and the game gains a rush of interest. You can really make a game feel new the whole way through by not showing all your offerings at once. I'll take that to heart when designing my own titles.

Gushing About: Game Dev Story

     This here is a fun little app that taught me a thing or two about what it's like running a game company. You start small and grow big, you have setbacks and unexpected booms, you choose how to spend hard earned money, you see your work compared to others, you keep up with popular platforms, and you face difficult human situations like replacing a friend with someone who can help the company thrive.

       It's the simulation of the  blood, sweat, and tears that goes  into game development. This is Game Dev Story.

Gushing About: Glover

     If you remember this game, give yourself 10 cool points. I assume you grew up in a time where Pokemon was the greatest thing ever and Spongebob was actually funny. Glover is a pretty obscure game by good ol' Hasbro and is responsible for numerous nightmares and impacting my imagination. to find out how and why, read on below.

Gushing About: Gunstar Heroes

     For those unfamiliar, Gunstar Heroes is a game full of explosions and  stunning 16-Bit visual effects. For those who are familiar with it, you probably know the excitement I'm talking about when I recall playing it for the first time. I played this at a friend's house in 9th grade on the Wii's virtual console and my jaw dropped as I realized such an awesome game has been out of my life despite being around when I first discovered Sonic.

Gushing About: Hack n' Slash Games

     Ever since I was a kid I've been enamored by games where you get to run around as a guy with a sword and tearing hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies apart. But despite how fun it is,when there's nothing to do but that in a game, it gets really old very quickly. This topic came to mind when I was thinking about Hyrule Warriors and how it could take what I like about Dynasty Warriors and making it refreshing and interesting for more than one level.

Gushing About: The Tekken Series

     If there's one thing that sticks out about the Tekken games it's the diverse cast of characters. This is one of those games where you just accept the fact that a panda bear and an old scientist are street fighting with a raptor wearing boxing gloves and a fire breathing ogre with snakes for an arm that in no way resembles Shrek in the slightest. Each character has a unique and interesting fighting style and the game was a fun way for me to learn button mashing in order to beat my brothers.

Gushing About: Spider-Man 2

     Everybody liked the Spider-Man 2 game right? One of the greatest licensed movie games ever right? But people only remember the most fun parts. The free roaming around New York and stopping crimes. Do you think a game with only that in it, fleshed out of course, would stand on its own?

     With the new Spider-Man movie coming out I got to thinking about how an HD game with just the free roaming of Spider-Man 2 would be. There is something that feels great about that game that I wish was expanded upon. This could work with Superman too even. Maybe I should make a 3D open world super hero game someday. Then of course there's Sony's inFamous which I think handles the idea really well already.

     What are your thoughts on Spider-Man 2 and super hero games in general? Talk with me in the comments below.

Gushing About: Fighting is Magic

     This is the game that made me want to become an indie developer. This is the game that made me start looking up how to make games myself instead of relying on school to do it for me. This is the game that showed me that it's possible for a small group of fans to get together and produce a work with professional quality. This is the form off creative brony work that showed me just how powerful mixing my two favorite things in the world could be.

     This is a post about Fighting is Magic.

Gushing About: The Legend of Zelda ~ Twilight Princess

     Twilight Princess is an incredible Zelda game. While it's not everyone's favorite, it's a favorite of mine. This game will always be one of the most memorable Zelda's to me because of all the fond memories and experiences I'm left with. This game had new things to do at every corner and was the next-gen Zelda I always dreamed about after playing Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker.

Let's revisit this Wii Launch title after the break.

Gushing About: The Coolest Villains

   Antagonists are often just serving as an opposing force. Something to create trouble for the protagonist to overcome. But some stories have antagonists act as vital and interesting characters. Sometimes even stealing the show from the hero. Villains are the characters we love to hate. When thinking about the kinds of villains I want to design for my games I look back to my favorites. There are a multitude of types to choose from too. Some villains are chaotic, some are calculating, some are both. Villains can be sympathetic and relatable, a combination of reasonable justification and giving into primal human desires.

Gushing About: Yoshi's Story

     Yoshi's Story was the first game I've ever played. It was incredible. It made me into who I am today by introducing me to a new form of entertainment. Video games became my favorite thing to do. Video game characters became the ones I cared about most. Drawing pictures of video game characters led to me making comics about them to share with my classmates. That triggered the creative drive fueling my fiery passion that burns today. Today, I'm gushing about the game that started it all. Here is Yoshi's Story.

Gushing About: Godzilla - Destroy All Monsters Melee

     This game was my hidden gem. Nobody had heard of it when I brought it over to play. I had oh so much fun with this game. Countless hours of screaming with rage and roaring with excitement back in elementary school. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee was one of my first Gamecube games and it had multiplayer so others could play with me. With all the hype for the new movie (which I hope is really good) I think it's a good time to recall how I met the King of Monsters.

     Aside from the 1998 movie I barely remember (except for the toys) this was my introduction to Godzilla. The only giant lizard cooler than Charizard (or maybe just as cool). It was also one of those really hard games that I had to practice to get good at. Eventually I was wrecking all my friends in it and apparently developed severe stupidity because I traded it in to get Warioware: Smooth Moves a few years later. A decision I somewhat regret.

     Let's bask in memory lane and try to figure out why I would even do that.

Gushing About: Banjo-Tooie

     I'm talking about the sequel to Banjo Kazooie! Mostly because I didn't play the first one until 5 years later but whatever. Banjo-Tooie blew my mind and was a favorite game of mine, rivaling Smash Bros. in my little gamer heart. This game had it all. A huge world to explore, perfect controls, tons of secrets, memorable characters, amazing multiplayer, my favorite bosses, great humor, and unforgettable music that I still have on my iPod today.

    I freaking love Banjo-Tooie, and here's why...

Gushing About: Super Smash Bros.

     I'm not talking about any entry in particular, but the series as a whole. This is a game series that continues to have a strong impact on me with every sequel. Each game giving me something new to love, understand, and appreciate.

     When asked "What's your favorite game?" my go-to answer is the latest Smash Bros. game. There is something magical about getting all your favorite characters and cool ones you never heard of to run around and fight. This series means the world to me and I'm going to gush about why.

Gushing About: Pokemon Snap

     This game is just unconventional fun. Only Pokemon can make a safari photography game interesting for kids. This game had secrets, this game had uniqueness, but most importantly, this game had Pokemon. All of them... I made it my mission to find them all and document them for science!

Gushing About: Diddy Kong Racing

     Who didn't like this game? It was the only racing game that really kept a place with Mario Kart. And it did so by expanding what a racing game could be. It had exploration, secrets, challenges, mini-games, all wrapped up in a pretty layer of polish.

      Let's revisit one of Nintendo 64's greatest racers, Diddy Kong Racing.

Gushing About: Golden Sun

     I've decided to start doing weekly posts about cool stuff that inspires me and makes up who I am. A lot of stuff we thought was awesome as kids shape our creative minds as adults. It's good to look back and think hard about why you thought certain things were so cool.

      To start things off, I'm doing Golden Sun. These gush posts are not by any means a review. It's just me remembering things that I liked as a kid. Having only played Pokemon and Paper Mario before this, I had no idea that RPG games were a thing. I just knew I liked games like those and as soon as I experienced my first battle in Golden Sun, a game I expected to be like Zelda, I was hooked.

Pokemon X & Y Refresh the Franchise

     So, Pokemon is making a comeback huh? Well, it never really went away. This franchise has been going strong since I was born and something like that won't vanish without a lot of effort. No matter how popular it is though, there is no denying that a lot of people have burned out on good ol' Pocket Monsters. I was one of those people until a few months ago.  Looking at this game, I see a lot of my gripes being dispelled. If you loved Pokemon as a kid but feel sick of it now, I think I can teach you something that will let you relive those happy old times again. (At least as far as the games go.)