Joe Gamer

So as those of you who read Joe Gamer on a regular basis know, I fight real hard for the acceptance of 4th edition as a suitable form of D&D.  Fighting against cries of “it’s just a wargame” and “might as well play World of Warcraft,” I sometimes get exasperated and flustered trying to make sure people know I’m not just a “pretend” gamer, but someone whose opinion matters in the public square (good luck on that, eh?).  Well today, while picking up the Campaign Guide for 4th Edition Dark Sun, I saw a new book from Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood!

For the whole 2 of you that don’t know, Forgotten Realms is the premier Dungeons and Dragons setting.  It is an idyllic world of high fantasy and magic, often beset by evil deities, monstrous creatures and vile masterminds.  The Realms had always been protected by its legendary heroes, such iconic fantasy heroes as the wizard Elminster and the drow (dark elf) Drizz’t Do’Urden.  However, with the release of 4th edition D&D the mechanics of the game changed a good deal and (to the developers) required the Realms to change.  Thus a catastrophe called the Spellplague erupted with the death of the Goddess of Magic, Mystra.  Now the world is scarred and the massive amount of deities vying for power has been cut down drastically.  Faerun (the continent most of the Realms’ stories take place on) is a darker place, the roads between the cities much more dangerous.  Needless to say, many people were upset with the changes to their beloved setting, and it was one of the many reasons people bring to me against 4th edition.

I’ve long since wondered what Ed Greenwood, the creator of the Realms, thought of the new version of the setting.  Despite being on the cover as an author of the updated setting, there were rumors he was unhappy that his beloved world had been harmed.  I am here to tell you, this is not true!  He has recently begun writing articles for Dungeon and Dragon magazine called Realmslore, where he describes an event, person, group or item in the new Realms.  By that I mean Ed Greenwood not only created the Forgotten Realms, but he was integral in the newest update as well as continues to support this new product!  I read this interview relating to his newest novel, Elminster Must Die! that shows just how not angry he is with the new setting:  http://www.flamesrising.com/elminster-must-die-greenwood/

I’ve heard people say the new edition in general spits on the traditions and ideas of the past, but Greenwood’s continued support of the Realms gives me hope for the future.  It’s nice to know I am not the only fan of the edition or at least the background info that accompanies the edition.

Am I completely off base?  Is Greenwood just pretending?  Have I made a good point?  Tell me in the comments!

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

…a boy enters Limbo.

So goes the only story you get in the new Xbox Live Arcade game Limbo.  Released July 21, 2010, Limbo is a minimalistic puzzle platformer that is a dark, often violent take on the theological idea of “Purgatory,” or “Limbo,” as well as a boy’s love for his sister.  I am not kidding when I say Limbo is one of the best games I’ve played in the past couple of months.  Its dark, silhouette-heavy art style and pared down control scheme make this little game from Playdead Studios as much of an experience as a game.

As the game begins, our young hero’s white eyes flicker as he lay in a dreary forest.  He stands and the player urges him forward.  There is no fanfare, no opening scene.  Just the overwhelming sense of “wrongness” as you guide the child through the empty woods toward an unknown and likely violent fate.  The statement above (“Uncertain of his Sister’s Fate a Boy enters Limbo”) is taken from the download screen, not mentioned in the game at all.  The lack of story is one of the huge draws for the game which is odd since I play games almost specifically for the story.  Just knowing the bit about the sister intrigued me and made me want to see the boy’s journey through desolation.

The art of the game is beautiful, every scene like a black and white painting.  The screen darkens here and there depending on the mood of the particular area (the moods being: dark and darker) giving Limbo a claustrophobic feel as you, the player, wonder what horrifying fate hides in the shadows for the boy.  Locales change once in a while, starting in the forest the boy wakes in on to what seems to be a city and then to a factory setting.  There is no other form of life except that which desires the boy’s death.  From silhouetted children that try to kill you with cleverly placed traps to the scariest spider I have ever encountered in a game, the denizens of Limbo are lethal and uncaring, paralleling the nature of the world in general.

Limbo’s gameplay is part puzzler, part platformer.  No jumping on monster’s heads or shooting lasers, the boy simply has to figure out how to get from point A to point B.  This is accomplished with the simple use of the “A” button to jump and the “B” button as a universal “action” button for hitting switches and pulling levers.  Limbo definitely has a difficulty curve, with few stumpers at the beginning.  However, as I entered the last portion of the game I had to pull out the walkthroughs to try and make sure I could make it through.  The brilliance of the game is that I’m sure someone cleverer than me would have made it fine.  Several of the more hair-pulling puzzles were solved by standing on the other side of the object I was using, or trying that one thing I hadn’t tried yet.

The payoff, the climax is brilliant.  Without spoiling the ending, the event after the final chapter is a watershed moment, simple enough to give you a feeling of completion, but the event itself is enough to spark (and has sparked) a multitude of internet debates on what the heck just happened.  Watch after the credits.  The background moved me in a way that was not entirely pleasant, though I admit feeling torn like that from a video game does much for the industry’s desire to be art.  This game is art, no questions asked.

In conclusion, Limbo is absolutely worth it.  The price is a little steep (1200 Microsoft points) but the experience of having played it was well worth the asking price.  Will I play it again?  Probably, for completion’s sake (there’s an achievement for dying 5 times or less.  It’ll be tough), and the game’s 5 to 6 hour play time makes an additional play through entirely possible.  Lately I have been wanting shorter games that provide a complete experience and Limbo definitely delivers.

TinyRating: 9 (9 is an excellent game that has at most one or two minor flaws that prevent it from being “perfect”)

© 2010 – 2011, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

Sometimes when you are bored, you look around for things to do. Personally I have a rather vivid imagination in as much as whenever I endeavor to do something, I like to picture myself in the ‘universe’ that my activity takes place. It’s the minute storyteller in me. For example, when I play either version of Warhammer I like to name my commander and flesh out the stories that my battles tell to me. A game isn’t fun unless I can immerse myself in it. That’s where Pokemon comes in.

Pokemon, for the un-initiated is/was a hugely successful roleplaying game series that started in 1996. As a child, it captured my imagination because you play a 10 year old child that partakes an adventure around the world (or your particular region) to befriend the varied creatures called Pokemon. 13 years, several games and remakes later, I haven’t exactly kept up. I started the game when I was nine years old! Why would I keep wanting to play it as a 22 year old? It is because of the immersive nature of the game. Each game builds on the last. New Pokemon, regions and features are introduced each time, increasing the mythology of the game. There are numerous “trainer types” that the player fights, giving the idea that you can be whatever trainer you want to be, from the innocuous Bug Catcher, to the versatile Cool/Ace Trainer.

No player has the same team, and even if they do that doesn’t guarantee their Pokemon have the same moves and abilities. That makes it worthwhile to me. Look anywhere online. You will find people roleplaying in forums, designing “themselves” as trainers on Deviantart, making “Trainer Cards”. I love it all. Still not sure what trainer I would be classified as, but that is but one source of identity related to the game.

Now I recently delved back into the Pokemon world due to a bit of insistence on my part to my wife Elizabeth. When she was younger the only video game she played other than a Volleyball game on Game Boy was Pokemon Yellow. Now she plays as many or more video games than I do. She has a Dsi my mom bought her for her last birthday, so in order to see if she’d like Pokemon still, I convinced my parents to buy her one of the newest iterations of the Pokemon Series, Pokemon Diamond. Well long story short, she got it and now that’s almost all she plays. Not to be outdone, I picked up Platinum, the companion piece, to compete against her.

Let’s just say she has around 20 hours while I’m clocked in around 9 and a half. So with the hobby gaming scene a little light around Hattiesburg, I find myself drawn to the Pokemon Trading Card Game League that runs in Brandon, Jackson, Laurel and the like. I feel like a kid, but it’s not such a bad thing. Therefore I posit if you are interested in an immersive experience that can spark imagination (at least active imaginations like mine) then don’t hesitate to play Pokemon again. It caters to the role player, the level grinder, the OCD collector. I did and I’m glad of it!

© 2010, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

Hello everyone and welcome to the odyssey that will be the gaming habits of one Tiny King Jeff.  I am your Royal Shortness, Jeff, also know as Jeff Hollingsworth.  I promise I’ll try to make this as painless as possible.  I’m 22 years old, married to the most wonderful woman in the world, a Christian (because that’s important to me), and a dedicated gamer.  I don’t have as much experience as JoeGamer or LynnGamer, but I’ve got passion and that’s got to count for something right?  Right?  …right?

Anyhow, I play a good amount of video games as well as D&D and Warhammer.  I’m a huge fan of the sometimes bashed D&D 4th Edition so there will be a few posts here and there about new developments on that realm and why I care so much.  So here’s to what I hope becomes a beautiful friendship!

© 2009, Jeff Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.