Monthly Media Review Nov 2011: Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword + Wii

The Explaining: 

So I have recently brought myself the limited bundle of the Skyward Sword game. I feel that in this review I may need to explain two reasons as to why I brought this game, firstly I am an avid Zelda fan and secondly because of this video on YouTube...

I know it would be weird to have only watched a spoof trailer and then based on that decided to buy not only the game but a limited edition bundle of it and also (out of necessity) HAVE to buy the accompanying console but somehow this funny video fired up in me the desire to buy it, it reminded me how much I genuinely enjoy the Zelda games. 

I should also probably explain why I haven't until now bothered to buy the Nintendo Wii... I am very much into retro gaming (odd for someone that likes the idea of augmented reality so much I know) and in my misguided youth I was adamant that video games were to be played sitting down with a D-pad style controller! (In fact this belief was why I opted for the previous Zelda title 'Twilight Princess' on my game cube instead of getting a Wii.) So naturally it was with a considerable amount of apprehension that I brought my newest addition to my horde of consoles. 

The Wii:

So what do I actually think of the Wii? Well allow me to lay my nostalgia goggles to the side for a moment... It is fun! Plain and simple, yes it is gimmicky but so what? I enjoy the gimmick now that I have stopped griping about it long enough to do so.  One of the things that strikes me about it is just how sociable it is, lots of my friends have played it with me, including most notably my friends' children who are around 4ish. It has also on occasions resulted in us laughing together so hard that we can't breathe! Having said this I am glad that I did not buy one when they initially were launched! I remember my friends Wii as being very overrated, mainly because of the utter lack of sensitivity in the motion sensors. This problem seems have to have been solved with the new Wii-motes as mine not only actually respond (something my friends first ever Wii failed to do on a regular basis) but they respond brilliantly, Also I think a noteworthy addition to the Wii-motes are the new rubber grip sleeves; Nintendo obviously learned from the number of Wii-mote related accidents and injuries that happened on first release.   

  

So on to Zelda! 

Graphics:

As far a graphics go this one is a winner for me right from the get go. The art is a wonderful fusion of the Wind Waker's cell shading and Twilight Princess's more adult style. The blending of the two styles gives it a very rich painterly feel that is not to childish and not too serious but very visually pleasing. Also the water looks lovely! (Yes I judge games on water graphics...)

Sound:

Sound wise I have rarely ever been able to fault a Zelda game since Ocarina of Time since in terms of sound this game set a high benchmark that has always been upheld. It sounds like a Legend of Zelda game should and that is generally adventurous and altogether epic! It is beautifully scored like I expected it to be.

Game play:

Game play wise they have mixed things up a fair amount. Starting with six hearts instead of the normal three made me instantly worried that they had made the game far too easy, however to my complete relief this was not the case and the extra hearts came in handy as I clumsily hacked at Moblins. The controls were new to me and although strange were instantly smooth and terribly satisfying for something I had always held to be gimmicky. Cutting down enemies is so much more satisfying when you are physically swinging for them and the 'flailing' proved to be very intuitive and actually fairly true to life. The new level of skill this requires personally only heightens the level of enjoyment for me. I haven't got very far in the game if I am honest because I can't play it as much as I want too... but I have been pleasantly surprised so far with the array of items they have included with some brilliant new ones alongside classic favorites such as the slingshot. The story so far has also been very engaging and has included (in a good way) a lot of fan service although the main character reveal was done very quickly making me thing that there will be some dramatic plot twist somewhere. The world environment of Links home Skyloft is stunning and swan diving off of it into the clouds is incredible fun. The puzzle element plays like any other Zelda title apart from the Wii-mote waggling dependent puzzles (putting a key in a door has so far been THE HARDEST thing in the game I have ever done!) There are a few familiar faces in the people that inhabit the game world (good gods Nintendo why inflict Beedle on us AGAIN!? ;p) but mainly the people are original to this title which is nice.         

So overall this game is a fantastic game if you're a fan of Zelda, if you're not objectively I would say it's a very nice game to start with. (Nostalgia goggles in place I would demand you start with Ocarina of Time) It is a good solid Zelda title that proves to be enjoyable and involving.

About the Special Addition Extras:

Included in the bundle was the Golden Wii-mote and the 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD. The CD is awesome and not what I expected at all. It has a mix of tracks that covers most of the titles where I was thinking it would just be orchestral versions of the Ocarina songs. The mix is good enough to appeal any Zelda fan and maybe even some classical music fans to. I am not sure whether others would like it but I love it! As for the limited edition Wii-mote (or the Golden Wii-mote of Doom as it has become known) I am not sure what to say... I am not a fan of the colour Gold overly and consider it tacky in consoles yet I love my golden Wii-mote of Doom... maybe it's because its limited I am not sure or maybe just because it appeals to the fan side of me... the point is it works and it is very nice looking despite my hatred for gold controllers.

Am I happy I got the limited edition? HELL YES (but I'd have liked a few stickers or artwork in there too)   

   

Winterspring Cub - An MSPaint Study.

Just playing with MSPaint a while back I decided to try and do a study of the new Winterspring Cub that I have on World of Warcraft. He was too cute not to draw and I wanted just to play with a simple art program.  

Old Sketches!

I found some old sketches and scanned them in!

Somthing Worth Sharing:- Sarah Kay

Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter ... | Video on TED.com

I was blown away by the opening poem.

Monthly Media Review: The Endless Forest

This is my first of (I hope) many 'monthly media reviews' I have started this practice because it's relevant to my Degree. I am open to suggestions of what to review so please feel free to email me. This month I have decided to review a free to play, Arts Project / MMO / Game that I randomly found a while ago called The Endless Forest.

The Endless Forest feels more like being lost in a painting than playing an MMO but this is part of what makes it so appealing . The game itself is an art project from an independent games studio aptly named Tale of Tales located in Ghent, Belgium.

In The Endless Forest you play as a dear with a human type face that reminds me a little of Ooccoo (Picture left) from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. At first it was a bit odd to look at however it soon becomes very natural and the painterly quality of the forest is very absorbing. When you start off you are a faun for around a month in which time you can get a few different horns for a little while. When you have been a user for over a month you then mature into a stag with the potential to have lots of different horns, fur colours and masks. These are given player to player at random and the way to activate them is by eating special fruit.

One of the most impressive and quirky things is the way you interact with other dear of the forest, there is a set number of animations in a very easy to use interface that let you do things like; cry out, dance, bow, shake or nod your head, paw at the ground and so on. The lack of a text box is actually very refreshing and also means there are no such things as language barriers or spam. It is incredibly freeing!

You 'name' your dear with a little glyph that appears as a if a halo between your antlers this way you can be identified and when you 'call' for others or 'listen' their glyphs will also appear. This again is very freeing as there isn't a need to worry about a name yet it is also creative and expressive.

One of its main differences to a regular MMO is that it is completely free of the goal or quest driven monotony that has come to be staple and while I am not saying that the quest driven systems are bad it is refreshing to play a game where you do just that... play... no need to level grind or train skills, it is simply and wondrously just a place to play and explore.

Talking of exploring the forest has quite a few zones to wander around in and all of them are visually lush. It genuinely feels like walking around in a painting and in fact some paintings have been inspirational to some of the places you can explore.

The sound used in game further builds on the natural depth and beauty of the environments created, sticking with very natural or ethereal noises things that you would hear in a forest or expect to hear near a Fae circle! The sounds blend well together and offer a peaceful atmosphere, a sort of quietude that is still vibrant and alive with nature.

To summarise The Endless Forest is a very relaxing and innovative arts game, quite possibly the most interesting screen saver I have seen and something that is very much worth downloading. it's something I would consider more of an experience than a game since it's very possible to get lost in the immersive and changeable scenery. 

Here is me in game: 

Animated Troll...

I posted my old sprite sheet for my Troll character Rune a few days back. The good news is I decided to finally make her into a series of animated GIF's. I am really pleased with how she turned out.

I think she looks really good now she is moving and it was a lot of fun making her.

The program used was Photoshop CS5.

I think the ear of the original forward facing one looked a little odd. It looks as if the ear keeps shrinking so I changed it. I think the new one looks a lot better and works better.

Now it looks like she is just wiggling her ears a bit as she walks. Which is something the character does do.

Old Poetry: Vampires Sonnet

Oh sweet the pain that he gives me by night,
Makes my passion burn. The cuts made for him,
Sliced through skin, so my life bloods his lips.
The tender bite of death. In deep midnight
Our romance has breath, we un-dead.

Love's torture dances in the moon's wild heart,                 
And angel wings upon my back stained black.
The mark of evil love upon my neck
Now weeps for him. His crimson lips caress
And carve upon my heart his name.

In night's shroud we indulge the need of blood,
Souls dyed a lustful red by Tears of stars.
My forfeit. Pure flesh cut, you hold me tight
My neck is thine, marked by our bite

Old Sprite Work!

Was looking through old things I have made and found my first attempt at spriting. I must admit to using a human female base however it was an extensive re-colour and the ears and tail are all my own work.

The sprite itself is compatible with the old RPG Maker XP software and is fully working and useable.

So anyway... I am very proud of her as for a first attempt at sprite work she came out perfect. I should really turn her into a moving GIF at some point...

Update: I made her into a GIF check the blog post HERE. 

Rant- Retro Gaming and Nostalgia Goggles.

So wandering the interwebs as I am want to do I have come across a raging debate in the gaming community about retro games compared to the new games. Now I am not above the occasional "in my day we only had three lives and liked it" kind of comment or feeling (being raised in the era of Mega Drive and SNES) but it truly baffles me just how much some people get so angry about the fact games have progressed.

It seems a large amount of the gamer community is just so stuck in their ways that it sparks aggression just suggesting change.

I truly wonder if these people are the same ones that as children dreamed of VR-headsets and having personal robots... If they were how did that spark die?

Now this post was spawned by this YouTube vid:

It's witty and funny and part of me can't help but agree with the some of the sentiment. However having actually played Hart Gold I can say that I give full thumbs up for remakes!

I like the fact that games have and will continue to progress, its a good thing and gets me one step closer to my VR-headset!

Making a Meal out of Data

Just some old work I found to post today. In essence this old project was about:

a) Making a Photo-montage.
b) Interpreting data and then converting it into image.

This is the Original photo-montage made of many of the pictures taken during a picnic in a place called Mount Edgecombe. These are fairly sequential and work their way out as the day wore on in a rough time scale relative to the picnic. There was a lot of raw data to interpret here but I just broke it down into two categories:


1) Light/Shade.

You can see light represented very simply with off-white colour stars and shade represented very simply with dark indigo stars. 

2) Nature Sounds / Man-made Sounds.  

The red and orange spikes represent man made sounds the more orange the spike means the more likely it is to be things such as talking or breathing and the more red means the more likely the noise is to be of the objects making noise like crisp packets rustling or mobile phones ringing etc.
The green leaves represent the natural or nature noises such as the wind or birdsong.

Final Image:

The entire thing when layered together looks like its own mini country. Both the data-interpretation and the photo-montage make for an interesting and busy final image.

So that is how to make Data out of a meal :p

Edit:  I found the initial concept work for this project so I thought I would post it for brevity.