The Road to Ruin: My experiences as a Videographer pt1

I love making movies. Whether it's making the cheesiest horror film possible for a school project, or just combining a soundtrack to a gameplay video that I recorded, I'm always eager for a new opportunity to see what I can do with whatever I've been assigned.

My earliest experiences started off when I was about 13 years old, playing Adventure Quest (awesome game, by the way). Spending some time in the games forums, I decided to look up some powerful techniques that could be used on Youtube. As soon as I hit the search button, I happened upon a gold mine of information that would help me step up my game. Suddenly this single player, browser based RPG had all the community of any decent MMO. These videos and these other players gave me better ideas of the uses of powerful armour and weapons, cool skill builds, and solid strategies for some of the strongest bosses at the time. I decided that I would become like these people, and so I started making some videos of me using whatever strategies and builds that I came up with.

Of course, my family's desktop wasn't exactly a powerhouse. Eventually the simple act of using an unregistered Hypercam became too much for my old computer, and eventually I decided to stop recording altogether since I was running out of ideas as well as interest. Then I got into high school and joined the media arts class. The course challenged me to use different styles of film that I've never known before, and as a result I've become more familiar with the styles while becoming more versatile myself. All throughout high school I spent my lunches in the library expanding my imagination and in the computer room editing whatever footage I had filmed while jotting down whatever shots or scenes I still had to take.

In my final year of high school, I discovered a method of recording console gameplay. Being the avid gamer and videographer that I was, I couldn't resist...

Metal Gear Solid 5 (!)

I'm not sure what to think of the recent announcement of MGS5.

On one hand, if anyone can make a sequel to a grand finale work exceptionally, it's Hideo Kojima. On the other hand, I feel like making another Metal Gear Solid game is unnecessary, especially after the epic send off that was MGS4.
Back in 2008, Kojima did the seemingly impossible by successfully tying up all the loose ends of the entire MGS franchise in the final hours of Guns of the Patriots. The Patriots were defeated, old feuds were settled, and cryptic secrets were finally revealed. Why should we reopen the wounds that took a painfully long time to heal?
The reason I was so excited for Metal Gear Rising was because I was glad to see the franchise breathe some fresh air rather than continue to milk something that worked until it gets old. Now, I'm not saying that MGS5 will simply just be a "milking" title, but I just felt that stepping into completely new territory in the form of Rising was the step in the right direction for the series.
According to a recent article on Gamespot, the developers are considering adding story trees, meaning there will be dialogue options in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid game. Personally, I'm a little skeptical about this addition. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE role playing games, especially whenever they involve branching storylines and dialogue options. It's just that Metal Gear has always been more like a film to me (an excellent one, mind you!) and I sort of see that as a MGS staple.

Since the game isn't out yet, no one can really say for sure if this  game will be terrible or the next big thing. All we can do is just wait for it's eventual release, and give the game a fair chance for when it comes out. You know, like any game.

ASTR: A Summer To Remember

Summer is often overhyped. Last year, a lot of my friends were disappointed because it didn't live up to their expectations. All I can really say to that is "Of course nothing happened. You didn't do anything!" And even if you do something, you'll still end up feeling empty because it still doesn't live up to the hype. To me, summer is what you make of it. Personally, last summer was the best I've ever had and this summer is going to be no different, if not maybe even a little better.

So what exactly made last year so enjoyable for me? The pleasant surprise that came in the form of the fighting game genre. Prior to last summer, I was a little intimidated by the technical proficiency that was required in players. All I ever knew about fighting games was button mashing, and anyone can get bored of that. And then Mortal Kombat came out in 2011, and it single handedly gave me a fascination with fighters. Naturally, that took up a huge chunk of my summer, and I still hunt tirelessly for stronger opponents online and offline.

This summer I'm hoping to hang out with some friends and build stronger relationships with old and new friends alike. There are also a few games I'm hoping to play, such as Dragons Dogma and the Uncharted series, just to name a few.

This summer, I'm really just looking for some adventure every once in a while, whether they're big or small is immaterial to me.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 - My impressions

Say all you want about Capcom trying to milk every beloved franchise they own, they know how to make an exciting game. UMvC3 is a well polished, frantic fighting game that's every bit as tasteful as any other fighting game out there. Bringing an additional 12 characters to the already staggering roster, there's more than enough fanservice to keep even the biggest comic book geeks satisfied, and the well defined art style makes each fight a spectacle to enjoy. The soundtrack and voice work is also exceptional.

The game does have it's faults, of course. Though the game is simple enough for all sorts of players to ease into, it also makes it easier for more experienced fighting game players to find and exploit some very dangerous and frustrating tech. Some of said tech is found in the annoyingly long combos, which cannot be interrupted until it finishes after what feels like forever. While this is very much part of what the game is about, it will be difficult for newer players to adapt, and likely result in a few broken controllers. The only real solution to this is to adapt and to ensure that one is never caught in these combos, which takes patience that very few players have. It is very annoying to have to pay big time for one mistake in one's blocking, so as a result lucky reads play a larger role in this game than in most other fighting games.

All in all, it's a great game. While most beginners might want to avoid online until they've gained some offline experience (against other players, of course), it's every bit as rewarding as any other fighting game out there. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D review

I picked up a 3DS almost a week ago, and me being the huge Zelda fan that I am, purchased the remake of the critically acclaimed N64 title Ocarina of Time. For it's time, there were many great things that could be said about it. Not only was it the successful first jump into the 3rd dimension for the ever popular Legend of Zelda series, it was a technical marvel on the N64, perfecting third person gameplay with it's revolutionary Z targeting system, and is to this day considered one of the best games out there.
And now, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo has remade this game with some visual improvements for the 3DS.

Personally, Majora's Mask is my favourite game in the series, but it was Ocarina of Time that helped ease me into the series when I first started out. One of this game's biggest strengths is around it's tightly paced main story. Every once in a while you may be forced to do some backtracking, especially early on in the game, but for the most part you'll feel like you're covering a lot of ground and enjoying yourself while doing so. A good chunk of the fun is found in the games dungeon exploration, which always involves a good blend of puzzle solving and combat. One minor complaint that I have for the game's combat, and for the whole game in general, is that maneuvering the 3D world using the 3DS's stick takes quite a bit of getting used to, although I feel like that at the beginning of every Zelda game sometimes. Complaints aside, it's great to be able to play a console sized game wherever I go, and I'm looking forward to similiar experiences on the 3DS.

In terms of differences between the remake and the original, Nintendo has definitely addressed some of the concerns made by the fans. Some adjustments have been made to bypass level design issues, such as a camera focusing on the location of a possible hidden plan, and much care has been put into the infamous Water Temple so that players won't get lost as often (I personally have only gotten lost once in the remake, as opposed to the 5 bouts of wandering in my first playthrough). Hint videos are also available ingame, which is a great way to welcome newcomers to the series while at the same time staying true to the original level designs that players have grown to love and cherish.
The music and sound design is largely the same as they were on the N64, as well as the original art style. Although, all these things have been touched up a little in the remake, which is great because we get to see and hear like it was new while still retaining what the developers had in mind back in 1998.

This game is quite an adventure that players won't soon forget. It has certainly aged better than other games in the past, and will probably still be remembered after most of the games in the 90's have been forgotten. While the game certainly looks prettier, the core gameplay that we all know and love is safely intact. And for those that have played this game in the past, you'll all know how valuable this information is!

First post: This is just to clear things up!

This actually isn't my first blog. I made my first blog last year for an assignment in my high school media class. What started off as a desperate attempt at making easy marks became a very enjoyable past time for me. Now I find it to be a great way to keep my writing skills in use, a fun way to pass the time, and a suitable outlet for whatever stress/frustrations I may encounter in my life (think of it like a punching bag but with letters and articles).

So what will this blog be about?

For the most part, it'll be mostly me talking about current events from my perspective, just like a typical blog. This blog will outline my opinions on music, movies, books, the occasional newspaper/online article (I'm a sucker for controversy), and my personal favourite: video games! Of course, these are simply just my opinions, and I'm sure plenty of readers have opinions that are far different from mine.

Can we share our opinions with you/ask you questions?

Absolutely. You can either contact me by Twitter, my Youtube channel, or simply just drop a comment in one of my posts. All my contact information can be found in to the side of this page. If I find your opinion fascinating enough, I may even dedicate a full post to address whatever questions you may have about me. I'm not all business in this blog, so we're all allowed to have fun with this!

One of my personal issues with my previous blog was that I was inconsistent. Sometimes I'd feel motivated to write several posts at once, other times I wouldn't touch the blog for weeks. A big reason why I decided to start this blog was not only to have a clean slate, but to train myself to turn in good writing whether I was up to it or not. I guess you can say it's a sort of ambition...

That's all for my intro post for now. Until next time, enjoy the Shocker!