Video Games Archives | Page 39 Of 43

Remembering Final Fantasy VI, an RPG Masterpiece

Final Fantasy VI is one of my all-time favourite games. I was still in high school when it was originally released for the Super Nintendo back in 1994 and I can still remember how wrapped up I was in the story.

Otakunoculture welcomes a new member to our staff.
Meet Shawn Trommeshauser. He will be our resident video game guru.

Final Fantasy VI is one of my all-time favourite games. I was still in high school when it was originally released for the Super Nintendo back in 1994 and I can still remember how wrapped up I was in the story. Back then, the game was known as Final Fantasy III in North America. Most of us didn’t know we were missing half of the games in the series until the internet made that sort of information easy to access. We wouldn’t get official releases of the three missing titles for several more years.

It was one of the defining titles of the 16-bit era and one of the first to show such ambition. Where most RPGs at the time were still focused on traditional Tolkien-style fantasy, Final Fantasy VI gave us a dark and gritty steampunk setting mixed in with the swords and sorcery.

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Fond and Retrogaming with the C64 Enthusiasts Club, an Interview with Kevin Casteels

Kevin Casteels leads the Commodore 64 Enthusiasts of Victoria, BC and he’s taken over most of the chores in a society once headed by Steve Carpenter and Andrew Anderson since moving to this garden city.

C64 Reloaded — The C64 “reloaded” to sport more than just a translucent case.

Back in 2011, the Commodore 64 (C64) was to make a comeback with modern parts while sporting a retro look. While the 64x briefly sold, interest by other companies deciding to use the Commodore name was still wrought with problems.

The original operation died in 1994 and other businesses got the patents to continue the legacy with varying levels of success. Commodore USA was a rebranded Florida firm and they fell to hard times after its founder, Barry Altman, passed away in 2012 — the enterprise ultimately folded. A UK version of the brand is focussing on a smartphone. Fortunately, interest for the original machine remains alive in the form of clubs.

These societies have emerged since this device’s original inception in 1982 and a few are remaining strong — like the Toronto PET Users Group. While these types of groups do not number in the hundred like Macintosh or PC clubs, the love is very clear. Kevin Casteels leads the Commodore 64 Enthusiasts of Victoria, BC and he’s taken over most of the chores in a society once headed by Steve Carpenter and Andrew Anderson since moving to this garden city.

This club is still relatively young. It’s existed as a Facebook entity for over two years, and open meetings started early in the year at venues like Lucky Bar for retro video gaming parties and at Cavity Curiosity Shop for other fun. Their first meeting was held May 13, 2015.

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Deconstructing Pixels Bit by Bit, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

pixels_pacman.0

When considering Pixels was originally an animated short by Patrick Jean and the movie of the same name was re-conceived by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, the only person to blame for this travesty on the big screen is simply in the fact that Adam Sandler‘s production company is involved, he’s one of the many producers calling the shots, and he is starring in it. Couldn’t someone else star as the hero?

Sandler’s trademark lowbrow sense of humour is not popular anymore. When you tune him out, and mentally filter out his scenes, there’s a germ of a good idea that director Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone) is trying to bring forth. That’s not necessarily with conjuring forth feelings of nostalgia for the 80’s, the decade when arcade games was popular.

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Star Wars and TRON to enter Disney Infinity 3.0!

The videogame Disney Infinity 3.0 is putting emphasis on bringing Star Wars to its sandbox world. The sculpts for the figures themselves look great, and that alone makes buying the game in part worthwhile. Nor does everyone wondering how the figures will look will find a version that they will like. Some eyes are wondering if this version of Leia will be as perky as the one Gentle Giant made (most likely not).

Also, not everyone has to own the game or buy a “complete” package. That is, Infinity 2.0 players do not need to buy another base to use and software upgrade at the same time. One or the other is all that’s needed. Blind packs are being done away with. For expansion powers, gamers can pick and choose how to improve their Disney character.

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There’s a Shoggoth Rising, A Review

Shoggoth Rising

Some clichés can surprisingly work under the right situation. In Shoggoth Rising, an iOS / Android / Windows Mobile arcade game, the danger arrives in a dark and stormy night when the beasts from underneath the sea takes interest in a derelict ship that runs aground. Ned is the only survivor and he’s stranded on a little isle after his ship capsized during a lightning storm. Locked away, high atop a lighthouse tower, there’s very little he can do other than to blast away at everything coming at him. The light is his only shining beacon of hope. Will rescue come? In this game’s case, never!

This arcade game uses what’s classic in games of yore to make gaming endless. When he dies, the game dies. Although this game has been out for a little more than a year, early versions were not all that stable on certain platforms, and this update offers two levels, each of them with 30 stages of play. At the time of this writing, the fifteen stages have been accomplished. When considering how tough each segment becomes, that’s an achievement.
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MogaPro Power Controller Zaps the Competition

MogaPro Power Controller

I’m the type of person who carries a lot of tech and when I’m getting ready for a convention, I also want some games on the go to enjoy. Emerald City Comicon is right around the corner and I need to do something while waiting in line! When I carry a tablet, smart phone, Bluetooth headphones, a dedicated digital camera and portable gaming device, reducing the load is a must. When I have everything with me, one of these devices is guaranteed to be nearly drained by the end of the day.

With MOGA’s Hero or MogaPro Power Controller for Android devices made by Power A, an all-in-one smart phone is all I need. It can keep running like an Energizer Bunny thanks to MOGA’s Boost technology; the controller doubles as a spare power charger. As a bonus, the company now has the MOGA Rebel which works for Apple devices. That took a while to come and I’m glad, but for now I will focus on the Android version to review. They all operate similiarly, because I feel that they all can can recharge not only my smart phone but also my Bluetooth headphones. Not every device that uses a USB cable for recharging can be charged with the MOGA, but I feel that since they can, and I’ve tested it with my tablet and headphones, my life is made all the more simpler than to carry different chargers with me during my trips.

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