The best selling game of all time, “Wii Sports” changed video gaming forever and seven years later on the Wii U, “Wii Sports Club” makes those classic games even better. Buyer beware however- your wallet may hurt a tad if you’ve been on all these rides before.

For those who have stuck by Nintendo for its entire new millennium run, you won’t find yourself running for updated versions of classics that have stood the test of time, but will enjoy the online capability added to the games and the other various bells and whistles. Those who have young kids have never experienced “Wii Sports” however will find themselves falling in love all over again.

The surprises are few for veterans of the series, but golf especially, is a pleasant one.

Simply put, the golf game in “Wii Sports Club” is probably the coolest and most realistic of the games available in the series to date and in spite of its stiff learning curve, can provide hours of fun.

The GamePad integration is easily the game’s biggest selling point. Unlike the other titles in the series that play remarkably like the older games they are based on, golf requires gamers to put the GamePad on the floor and use the Wiimote to swing at the ball at the GamePad screen. Simple and intuitive, your swing strength and posture are all measured on the GamePad screen.

As long as you don’t have a hefty cat, large dog or wild toddler that’ll stomp out your GamePad, the tablet integration is a welcomed plus to a game that used to be considered the worst game on “Wii Sports.”

That being said, the learning curve here is no joke. For that reason, many gamers won’t last more than a few rounds. Those who stick with it though and use the various mini-games, which stress different facets of the game such as driving, chipping and putting, will get the hang of things in time.

Things change a bit once you get to bowling however. With the changes made to golf, you’re expecting some type of second-screen experience while on the alley and what you get instead is a new coat of paint on a classic. Although bowling on the Wii U in “Wii Sports Club” is an enjoyable endeavor, it appears to be the same mini-game we fell in love with seven years ago, if not for a few tacked-on, but nifty features.

Graphically, the game looks incredibly similar to the updated version of the game in “Wii Sports: Resort.” Because of that, you’ll instantly become comfortable with the presentation of the game, but you won’t be wowed. If you’ve played the game in its other versions before, the “Wii Sports Club” version won’t be a memorable experience.

Luckily for Nintendo, the addition of mini-games and online play is what makes the game worthy of the $9.99 price tag. Online features and mini-games that help you make spares and Miiverse messaging make the experience a fun one that is free of drama and annoyances you’ll often find while playing your favorite first-person shooter online. The new version of the classic 100-pin game also will manage to steal your attention for a few hours.

The tennis game in “Wii Sports Club” is kind of a compromise of bowling and golf. Although there’s no second-screen experience, the control has been fine-tuned and the graphics are better. It’s safe to say this version of tennis while appeal more to hardcore gamers and will even cause you to break a sweat.

But a first glance, it’s easy to ponder how similar tennis on “Wii Sports Club” is to the other versions of the game on “Wii Sports” and “Wii Sports: Resort.” After a few games however, you’ll notice several key improvements that make it the best of the Wii Sports tennis games to date.

There’s a lot to do in tennis, from silly mini-games to online play. Although this is nothing new for the series the camera and controls have been super tightened to the point where you’ll want to play more than you did before. This has everything to do with the control. In older versions of the game, players could simply swat the Wiimote in any direction and the game would register a swing and a volley vest would ensue.

This time around, the Wii MotionPlus control is so much more intuitive that it’ll recognize your hand’s posture and will make sure you take the correct swing, or else. For example, if a ball comes at your forehand and your hand is positioned in the backhand position, you’re not going to be able to get the ball over the net. This seemingly small improvement makes what is often considered the redheaded stepchild of Wii Sports titles easily one of the more enjoyable ones on “Wii Sports Club.”

All in all, with a host of improvements to their predecessors, “Wii Sports Club” manages to win you over. Even in the case of bowling, where there aren’t many new things brought to the gameplay table, the online options make for a more modern and well-rounded gameplay experience.

The Good: All three games that are a part of “Wii Sports Club are an upgrade over their original versions. They look better, play more responsively and have more features.

The Bad: Considering the fact that “Wii Sports” can be found for less than $10.00 on any used game shop on the web and the Wii U features backwards compatibility, the game isn’t exactly cost-effective.

The Bottom Line: If you’re a fan of “Wii Sports” or Wii Sports: Resort,” “Wii Sports Club” is a game you will play by yourself and with the friends and family. The addition of online play adds a new element to the fun as well.

The post Retro Review: Wii Sports Club appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

With the release of the M64, most hobbyists concern themselves with the technical aspects of the machine. How does it compare to the Analogue 3D, or original Nintendo 64 hardware? Worthwhile questions to be sure, but I prefer to try and evaluate the console on its games and how they play. To start out, let’s take a look at Xeno Crisis, one of ModRetro’s four inaugural launch titles for the console. As is the case with the Chromatic, ModRetro isn’t just releasing hardware, they’re also publishing physical software that we can buy in cartridge form and own forever, instead of being tied to an online account.

Xeno Crisis is on-brand for ModRetro in that Xeno Crisis is a retro throwback title made by an Indie developer, Bitmap Bureau. But it’s off-brand for the M64 in that Xeno Crisis isn’t a throwback to the crude 3d modeling that defined the fifth generation of console gaming. Xeno Crisis is a top-down room-to-room shooter game with arcade sensibilities much closer to the fourth generation. Designed for the Sega Mega Drive (Bitmap Bureau is an English company after all), Xeno Crisis looks fantastic in the 16-bit style. But it doesn’t exactly push the limits of 64-bit hardware.

And to be entirely frank, Xeno Crisis warrants a bit of a re-evaluation at this point. Coming out in 2019, it’s nearly old enough to be a retro game in its own right now. With new games on older platforms being less of a novelty now, its flaws are that much more glaring. The lack of native save files, for example, particularly rankles as one of the Nintendo 64’s few advantages over its CD based competitors was save batteries. Even if you argue that the difficulty curve of Xeno Crisis, and the whole gameplay tradition it represents, should eschew the very concept of save files, I can think of no good reason why this version of the game doesn’t at least save the high score. There’s almost certainly a save battery on the cartridge that just isn’t being used.

On the topic of difficulty too, Xeno Crisis is too tough for its own good. The problem is less that the game is particularly unfair so much as the enemies are unreasonably tanky. Xeno Crisis is borderline unplayable unless you make a point of getting the weapon power up upgrades as quickly as possible. If you don’t, even on the second level, every room becomes a marathon because it just takes too long to kill anything such that soon there are a dozen enemies breathing down your neck. With the ones that have projectile moves, the game feels less like an action shooter and more like a bullet hell, which isn’t the best genre to play with friends.

For what it’s worth, Xeno Crisis does play better with a friend, as the added firepower goes a long way to preventing enemies from quickly amassing an outrageous numerical advantage on the field. The revival mechanic is also much appreciated as a way to keep less skilled friends in the game when they keep dying. Annoyingly, this mechanic doesn’t function in the boss rooms. It would be no more overpowered there than it is anywhere else and serves little purpose except to force your teammate to watch as you struggle to survive the boss’s attack pattern long enough to achieve marginal damage against its huge health bar.

Cheat codes might have helped, but I couldn’t get the Nintendo 64 ones I found online to work. Incidentally, they really should have been in the manual anyway, and that’s such an obvious asset to having a physical edition I’m honestly surprised they weren’t in there. While there is an easy mode accessible from the options menu, it doesn’t help as much as you’d think either, because the creators of Xeno Crisis don’t seem to quite understand why the game is hard. An extra hit point and slightly less spread on certain attack patterns doesn’t help that much with overwhelming numbers of tanky enemies. Xeno Crisis badly needs to even the scales with more firepower. Despite featuring a bevy of special weapons that do just that, the drop rates for them are quite low. Annoyingly, the game will often provide useless medpacs or grenades.

It also rather awkwardly forces the player to empty their guns at the end of a room instead of giving them a free reload, or else they run the risk of running out of ammo at the beginning of the next room with the ammo pack more likely than not spawning in a place overrun by enemies that can’t be killed owing to the lack of bullets. This isn’t even a critique of the difficulty, it’s just a basic quality of life improvement. A similar one would be displaying the bullets, grenades, and hit points of the space marines when the game is paused, instead of making this yet more information that’s all too easy to lose track of in the ongoing chaos.

From what I can tell, despite Xeno Crisis being a ModRetro branded rerelease, this is just the 2019 version of the game that Bitmap Bureau themselves released on Nintendo 64 cartridges a few years back. It’s possible that there’s a contractual reason why ModRetro wasn’t allowed to modify Xeno Crisis, although it’s disappointing in any case because it would only take very few tweaks to significantly improve this title to a genuine party game. Even something as mildly ambitious as upping the coop play cap from two players to four players would upgrade Xeno Crisis from a mere gimmicky rerelease to a genuinely impressive update that warrants the fifty-dollar price tag. The Mega Drive might not have been able to handle that much action, but the M64 certainly could, and again, one of the central features of the Nintendo 64 was making a big bet on four player couch co-op play being the future of gaming.

This particular version of Xeno Crisis is one of the better ones, incidentally, if only because it takes advantage of the goofy yellow C buttons to allow players to easily shoot in a different direction than the one they’re facing. Despite eight direction movement being standard, I often found myself wishing Xeno Crisis only had four directional movement since the roll move, essential for getting out of danger, almost always defaults to diagonal movement even when using the control pad. This might just be an issue of the M64 Pro Controller being too sensitive for its own good. Whatever the cause, more controller customization options would have gone a long way to improving Xeno Crisis, a game that’s good for what it is, but could have been genuinely great with just a bit more polish.

The post Testing the M64: Xeno Crisis appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Did you know at the time when Pac-Man fever was released, that it would be such a smash hit?

No not at all. We were just hoping it would get played locally and help our jingle business.  When we were in L.A. doing some TV shows we were driving through Beverly Hills when our song came on the radio. We looked at each other and laughed when Gary said, “Not bad for a couple of guys from Akron.”

Where did you meet your partner Gary Garcia?

Gary and I met in junior high school in Akron, Ohio. We played in several local bands including The Outlaws and The Rogues.

What was the first song or album you created together? 

The first song we ever recorded together was called “Gotta Hear The Beat.” with the artist name Animal Jack. It was meant to be a joke aimed at the record business, but it received radio play and ended up being released on 3 different record labels.

What is your favorite kind of music today and how do you compare music to the 1980’s?

I lean towards pop, rock, blues, and R&B but pretty much most music if it’s good no matter what genre. I’ve even grown to love some opera music. I don’t really compare today’s music with the 80’s. Music evolves, and styles change and I’m cool with that.

What are some of your other favorite songs you have created?

I liked two cuts we did on Steve Carlisle (singer on WKRP In Cincinnati) called Don’t Hang Up and You Told A Lie. I especially love the adaption we did for the Footprints in The Sand poem. But I think my favorite was E.T. I Love You. It was an emotional song with beautiful music and words. Unfortunately, it got caught up in record company politics and licensing issues that cut short its successful release.

Do you remember your first video game / arcade you played and what do you remember about it?

First video game I played was Pong. We were playing in an Atlanta hotel bar. I remember thinking how cool and different it was.

If you can design your own video game, what would it be about and who would be the main character?

Actually, we are working on a mobile game right now which I am not at liberty to reveal. Keep checking our website for details when it will be released. www.bucknergarcia.com.

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games?

I think many are too violent, but the technical/graphics effects are amazing.

Do you believe some Video Games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

As I previously mentioned, yes, I do think some of them are too violent. Whether that contributes to the violence in this country or not I don’t know but I do think they can desensitize kids towards violence. On the other hand, when I was a kid, we played army and shot each other up with toy guns quite convincingly but it didn’t turn us into mass murderers, so I think there is a lot more to the violence then just kids playing video games.

Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a Video Game Trading card?

No never! I was humbled by it and grateful to Walter for including me.

Have you ever received any media coverage for your appearance on the Trading Card?  If so where?

Not so far but fans love the cards. I always have a few with me at personal appearances to autograph and hand out.

When did you first meet Walter Day and where was it at?

I met Walter in 2014 at The Southern Fried Game Room Expo in Atlanta. He presented me with a cool poster that is framed and hanging on my office wall along with several others.

If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would that word be and why?

Kind.

What is your favorite movie you have created music for and why?

Wreck It Ralph. To sit in a theatre and see your name in the credits of a Disney movie is beyond words

When writing the Pac-Man Fever song, were there other versions before the final result?

Yes, there was a set of original lyrics that we ended up not using. I wish I had saved them but other than a few minor changes the chorus remained consistent from the beginning.

How much did you play Pac-Man back in the day and is it still a favorite of yours?

I played it a lot in 1981 and 1982 but slacked off as time when on. I have never been really big on video games. Gary was into them more than me and was better at them although because we were both very competitive anytime we played against each other it could get crazy.

You have written other video game music on the Pac-Man soundtrack, other than Pac-Man Fever, which one was your favorite?

I loved Donkey Kong and Froggy’s Lament, but my favorite is Ode to A Centipede

If you could own one arcade game or pinball game, what would it be and why? 

Asteroids. Love the action and SFX.

What does it take to be a successful musician today?

Practice, patience, persistence with a little talent and a lot of luck.

What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?

The only video game I play consistently is Solitaire on my phone. My favorite game is Backgammon

What was your favorite decade from the past and why?  60’s, 70’s? 80’s 90’s?

I would have to say the 80’s for the obvious reason but the 70’s would be a close runner up. My least favorite was the 90’s.

Who is your favorite video game character, other than Pac-Man, and what makes that character special?

I like Ralph (from Wreck-It Ralph). He’s a nice guy with a good heart and hasn’t shot anybody

What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘Video Games’?

I think mostly of the classic games although I do like to play some of the games on my mobile phone like Angry Birds.

Are you still involved with music today, and what role do you play?

I continue to write pop songs because I love to do it, but I have been working on some Contemporary Christian music too lately that I like a lot.

Where do you see the music industry in the next 20 years? 

I really don’t know. I guess it will be up to the robots.

Where do you see Video Gaming in the next 20 years?

I think the sky is the limit. I hope the entertainment value increases but not the violence.

www.bucknergarcia.com

This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.

The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Jerry Buckner appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Our next Trading Card Spotlight features Zach Kaczor, who is displayed on card number 99, from the Superstars of 2011 Collection.   Zach is one of the youngest gamers to appear on a Video Game Trading Card.  When the card was produced, Zach was 11 years old.   He took over the world record on the arcade game Ice Cold Beer which was first achieved in 1984.   His score was 350,000 which still holds today as the current world record on Twin Galaxies scoreboard. Zach also loves the current games of today like Call of Duty and other games for the XBOX.  He holds the world record on Gunstringer for the XBOX 360.    Zach is proud to be a part of the gaming community and hopes ones day to set more records and be a top gamer for his generation.

Are you still involved with gaming today, and what role do you play?

I used to be, I was one of the original Minecraft servers that existed right when the game was being released to the public. That ran up until about 2014-15 when I quit and had other people run it for me. I would like to believe I had an important role in the way servers were ran and continue to run. I often interacted with many other server owners of larger communities and would often find ways to manage and handle large amounts of people. It was a fun learning experience.

The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Zach Kaczor appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

According to a Press Release From Bethesda Game Studios today, remasters of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 classics, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas are on the way.

Read a Part of the Announcement Below:

THE FUTURE OF FALLOUT

Fallout is one of our biggest priorities today. Fallout 5 remains our long-range destination, and we have multiple Fallout projects in active development right now.

 

Fallout 76 continues to be home to millions of players exploring Appalachia together. With nearly 70 free updates released to date, the journey is far from over. In fact, we have a major Fallout 76 expansion planned for next year: Raven Rock, a prequel story to Fallout 3.

 

Fallout 4, the most award-winning game in the franchise, just celebrated its 10-year anniversary and recently passed over 35 million copies sold, continuing to attract a new audience every year.

 

We also know many players want to revisit previous Fallout experiences. While we’re not announcing any dates today, we have been working on remasters for both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.

 

Fallout Shelter continues to be the most popular way to experience Fallout on the go, with more than 250 million players. There’s more ahead for Fallout Shelter, including new Seasons. An unscripted Fallout Shelter television project is also in the works with our partners at Amazon Studios and Kilter Films.

 

We’d like to congratulate Kilter Films and Amazon Studios on the 10 Emmy nominations for Fallout Season 2. Production on Season 3 is already underway.

 

And while we won’t host a traditional Fallout Day broadcast this year, we’re already planning something special for Fallout’s 30th anniversary in 2027, when Fallout Day will be celebrated live in Washington, D.C.

 

STUDIO COLLABORATION

The wasteland continues to expand as we team up once again with our longtime friends at Obsidian Entertainment. We’re happy to confirm they’re working with us on a new Fallout project. We’ll have more to share in the future.

Remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas have been on the wishlist of gamers for over a decade. The next question has to be, when will they be released and what other extra content will be packaged in?

How do you feel about the news? Sound off in the comment section below.

The post Fallout 3 and New Vegas Remakes Confirmed By Bethesda appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Regardless it doesn’t change the problems that have plagued the series since its birth.

Simply put, if you loved this series before, your affection for this game will be more passionate than a fox with nine tales or a killer whale with a moustache (if you don’t get those references, you haven’t played the game yet). Regardless of several aesthetic and gameplay improvements, if you weren’t a fan before, this title won’t change your mind.

Like a great TV drama, the Phoenix Wright series requires you to fall in love with both the story and the characters. More an electronic and immersive graphic novel than a fully-fledged video game, the series isn’t for casual button mashers. Just like some gamers prefer first-person shooters over RPGs, the group that prefer this hybrid title will instantly fall in love with “Dual Destinies.” Those who would rather spend their time looking through a sniper’s scope, than reading a plethora of text can’t and won’t appreciate what the series has to offer.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t appreciate the look of the game though. For the first time in full 3D, there’s more than the signature story telling that makes “Dual Destinies” shine. The courtroom and the characters look beautiful, as well as the many cinemas that help put the pieces of the story together. You won’t expect the game to look this good. Considering its narrative-heavy diet, it certainly doesn’t need to either. Nevertheless, it’s easily one of the game’s biggest selling points.

The story continues the game from the plot developments of the last game in the series and has Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice team up with a new lawyer, Athena Cykes, who can use a device around her neck and her unique skills to see into the hearts and souls of those on the witness stand, in order to find discrepancies in their testimonies you wouldn’t normally have been privy to. While it’s certainly a cool addition to the title, it also forces the gamer to use their stylus a bit more, breaking up the monotony of reading for most of the gameplay, Capcom has integrated the new gameplay elements seamlessly, allowing veterans of the series to quickly feel at home with them. The end result is a breath of fresh air in a series that for a long time feature scare new gameplay improvements.

Like previous games in the series, the stories are laced with anime-styled story elements and pop culture references. The characters aren’t perfect. Phoenix bluffs his way through cross-examination, a prosecutor keeps tapping his hairpiece on his head and the judge is as aloof as ever. This bizarre, yet completely enthralling environment is anything but a realistic interpretation of an actual courtroom. But that doesn’t mean it won’t lock your hands on your 3DS for hours at a time. With a cast of eccentric but relatable characters, “Dual Destinies” quickly wins you over.

Much like “Dungeons and Dragons” and even “Pokemon,” the Phoenix Wright series is a niche game and in this case, a very small one. That shouldn’t deter gamers looking for something new or fans of the series from “Dual-Destinies”, especially since so much has been added visually and from a gameplay element to make the game current and worthwhile. Overall, it’s a polished title with a strong narrative that continues to add credibility to a cult-favorite series.

The Good:

Tons to do: Each case can take around three hours and with five of them and one via DLC, there’s plenty to do and experience.

Attachment to Characters Still the Game’s Strongest Feature: All of the characters, from Phoenix, to Apollo and even the judge are silly, quirky and endearing. You’ll often forget you’ve been mostly reading and pressing a button or two here and there. Like a TV sitcom, “Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies” hits the player in the chest in terms of plot and character development.

Awesome Anime-Esque Cut Scenes: The 3DS visuals make the already brightly colored characters pop that much more. Seeing the courtroom in 3D is also a cool experience. The short cinemas that play in-between, before and after cases is a nice reward for continuing the story. It’s some of the best looking video work on the system to date.

Rewarding Gameplay: Finding clues and solving a case is still a blast. Between the attachment to the characters and the deep story, the payoff at the end of every case is still there.

The Bad:

Drawn-Out Stories Lose Casual Gamers: Even though the stories are well-written (aside from a few missing words and typos), they develop at the speed of a novella. Younger gamers looking for action will not get their fill here. The same thing goes for impatient button-mashers who want their fix quickly. Simply put, “Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies” is a game that will captivate those who appreciate it’s storytelling style, but will bore more “casual” gamers.

Less Skill and Critical Thinking Needed than You Might Expect: The first playthrough, “Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies” forces you to think, but after a while you’ll realize that can make mistakes and simply use process of elimination to solve the more complex cases. Incredibly linear, there’s no way to move your questioning in another direction. This robs the game of some of its authenticity and allows you to get through extremely challenging segments by simply replaying them until you find the right answer.

The post Retro Review: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Regardless of if you’re a gym rat or a couch potato, there’s something for everyone in “Wii Fit U.” The standard strength building exercises come with a virtual personal trainer, who will guide you in maintaining correct posture and form while completing exercises. While it seems like a novelty at first, being able to see that you have incorrect balance and hearing the personal trainer tell you to relax and breath- can be quite comforting. After a few gameplay sessions, it’s easy to forget that you just did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise and burned off a few hundred calories.

A lot of that has to do with the ingenuity behind the games. One game has you move your hips and burst bubbles to solve math problems. While it sounds childish, after about five minutes, you’ll feel the burn. Another exercise has sitting on the Wii Balance Board and maneuvering through a luge course. Fun, but simultaneously intense, this game will get you to activate muscles in such an easy and noninvasive way that you’ll want to try again. With the game keeping count of your calories burned and rewards given for certain milestones, “Wii U Plus” makes it simple to set fitness goals and accomplish them.

The ability to play with the Wii U GamePad also adds another layer to the playability. Even when you cannot use the GamePad to play, the GamePad camera serves as a mirror of sorts, allowing you to watch yourself perform exercises. Anything but a bell a whistle, it makes sense considering the game will often show you that your posture is off during an exercise. Being able to correct your posture and balance and see, for yourself, what it’s supposed to look like, continues the trend and example “Wii Fit U” stresses- education through practice and fun.

When you add in the addition of the Wii U Fit Meter, the game truly begins to shine. Just a small device that clips on to your waist, it does so much more than count your steps and calories burned during gameplay. Able to take it wherever you go, the device also syncs up to your game to give you a far more comprehensive evaluation of your overall health than the original game ever could. Simply put, that little “trinket” is the cherry on a sundae of health gaming goodness.

With so much to do, so many numbers to track and so many different ways to play, “Wii U Fit” could have been a mess to navigate through. But with intuitive tutorials, easy to navigate menus and for the most part, intelligently crafted mini-games that force you to move your body, “Wii Fit U” is a definite improvement over its predecessor and a game that will demand hours of your time.

The Good:

So Much to Do: With over 80 games, you’ll most likely always find something new to do. The fact that all of the games use the Wii U GamePad or controller in different ways makes each their own unique experience.

Pure Fun: Exercising isn’t supposed to be enjoyable for those out of shape. It takes time, energy and dedication to lose weight and tone up and “Wii Fit U” manages to take out a lot of hassle and frustration by offering silly and innovative games that help trim your body.

Can be Incorporated Into an Exercise Regimen: Combined with a healthy diet, a few minutes a day with “Wii Fit U” and you will absolutely feel a difference in your body after a week or so.

Perfect for Small Children and the Elderly: It’s never been tougher for parents to keep their small children active and games like the Luge and Hula-Hoop feel like play, but also help burn calories and build core muscles. The same thing goes for the elderly. While some of the exercises in the game are intense, the yoga and beginner exercises can be used to keep the elderly happy and strong.

The Bad:

Doesn’t Replace Traditional Exercise: Although you can get a workout with “Wii Fit U,” it’s not the same as going for a jog, using weights and more traditional practices.

Final Thoughts:

“Wii Fit U” is a deep collection of mini-games, combined with a plethora of tools that make you more conscious of your physical well-being. It never makes you feel bad about any of your faults. Instead, it helps give you the confidence to change yourself and provides the fun and enjoyable atmosphere to make the necessary changes towards a healthy life.

The post Retro Review: ‘Wii Fit U’ appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

When did you write your book and what motivated you to do so?

I began the initial The Minds Behind the Games book in October of 2016. My wife was a few months pregnant and I wanted to do something different in terms of professionally. Something grand. Something bucket list-like. I had written for newspapers, sites, and magazines for over a decade and had never thought of a book. As I sat in my manacle with over 3,000 games, the decision essentially made itself. I decided to interview as many developers as I could and start to build a series of behind the scenes narratives of as many cult, classic and indie games as I could. Three years later and I’m working on book four, The Minds Behind Shooter Games. The second book, The Minds Behind Adventure Games, is set for a January 2020 release, while the third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games should be available in Spring/Summer 2020.

What is the best way to find your book and to order it?

It’s available on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble, Books a Million, Walmart, Target, wherever fine books are sold online. However, the best place to get it is my official site, PatrickHickeyJr.com. I personalize every book that is purchased through there and always slip in cool surprises like stickers, buttons, baseball cards for my customers. I want to create a one-of-a-kind experience for them.

What does it take to be a Video Game Journalist?

Lots of dedication. It’s so much more than liking games or being good at them. it’s about understanding the people that make them, respecting them and being able to be unbiased. Most importantly, however, it’s about writing, every day and making a constant effort to get better. If you can check off all of those boxes, you can do this.

What advice do you have for others who want to write about the gaming industry today?

Read gaming news and features every single day. Reach out to other writers. Learn from them. Then start developing your craft. Earn the respect of others. It goes a tremendous way.

Did you ever think when you were younger you would be on a Video game Trading card?  

That was always the dream. My initial goal as a kid was to be a pro athlete, but a serious car accident at 18 robbed me of that opportunity. To have this happen, however, is ten times as sweet.

When did you first meet Walter day and where was it at?

I have never met him, sadly. If I did, I’d give him a big old hug for everything he’s done for the industry and eSports.

If you could describe Walter Day in one word, what would that word be and why?

Timeless. He’s still killing’ it. He’s still making an impact.

Do you remember the first video game you played and what do you remember about it?

It was probably Super Mario Bros. RBI Baseball or Ice Hockey were the first games I actively have memories of. being able to play a game of baseball with my favorite players or get in a virtual hockey fight with my dad created hours of fun. I still play both RBI and Ice Hockey regularly. RBI is also featured in my upcoming book, The Minds Behind the Sports Games, where I interviewed the game’s programmer Peter Lipson.

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games? How do you compare them to older, classic games?

I think they have a more cinematic feel. The staffs are larger and sadly, they are usually far too easy. For me, nothing was better than playing a game with no cheats or walkthroughs and waiting for lunch at school to discuss strategy with my friends. Today’s games just don’t have that. That’s one of the reasons why I got involved in gaming as a voice-actor, Story Editor and writer.

Are you still involved with video gaming today, and what role do you play? 

Yes, I am. I was the voice actor of the main character and Story Editor for the 2019 Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Survival Horror game, The Padre. I am also the writer for the upcoming game, KROOM, which I am working on with Pete and Jeff Paquette of Orange Door Studios. It’s a love letter to all the amazing 8-bit games we grew up playing. It’s got an amazing soundtrack and is a blast. I can’t wait for people to check it out.

What is your favorite portable gaming device and why?

The Game Boy. Pokemon Red and Blue and Tetris alone should be staples in everyone’s library.

Do you prefer PC or Console gaming and why?

Console gaming, mainly because I didn’t have the money as a kid to afford a PC. I do love my Steam account now, but I will admit being somewhat addicted to my Nintendo Switch.

What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?

I play mainly indie games but have a soft spot for Fallout, NHL and Pokémon. Those are essentially the only games I really pay out of pocket for. Everything else I play is for book research (so tons of retro games), reviews and features for Review Fix and Old School Gamer Magazine.

What games form the golden years (the 70s and 80s) were your favorite and why?

Berzerk for me is still such an amazing shooter and one that I’d love to see revived in one way or anything. Its sense of atmosphere is unparalleled, and the simple shooting gameplay has aged wonderfully.

If you could own one arcade game or pinball game, what would it be and why? 

Probably Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. Too many memories there. It’s the best beat-em-up I’ve ever played in an arcade. That, or NBA Jam. Boomshakalaka.

Growing up were you team Sega or Nintendo and why?

I originally had a Genesis and got hooked on King’s Bounty, the NHL series, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, stuff like that. I then got a SNES and got bit with the Donkey Kong Country, Mario RPG and Super Castlevania IV bugs. I feel like real gamers never pick sides in console wars. Even now, while I appreciate the Switch and PS4 a ton, I’d never stray away too far from the XB1- there are amazing games on that console too and I will definitely get to them.

How does video game music influence games past and present? 

It sets the tone. Classic games, most of them, had amazing scores. Not so much today. I think it sets the bar higher for new franchises to try and create their own soundtracks, rather than use licensed soundtracks.

Are video games aimed mainly at children, adolescents or adults?

Anyone that says games are for kids, is simply put, a fool. I’m a full-time College Professor, have been one for over a decade and am surrounded by people that don’t take my work seriously. They say it’s kids stuff. Well, my response is, hmm, then why is it the leading form of pop culture in the world? The problem is, there are still millions of people in the world that weren’t exposed to games as a kid and those are the people signing checks for everyone else. In 20 years, it’ll be a lot different.

Do you believe some Video Games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

Absolutely not. I think people need to watch their kids more. Games have a rating system for a reason.

Do you prefer playing video games alone, against friends or online against the world and why?

I prefer to play alone these days, mainly because of how much little free time I have to myself. When I’m gaming, it’s to relax or to work on a piece or a book- that time is usually fleeting, and I don’t have time to wait for people to get into a lobby.

Which company makes the best games and why?

Ah man, that’s so difficult. It really depends on the genre. I love EA Sports games. Always will. Square-Enix made some remarkable RPGs that affected my life in a myriad of ways. And ah man, did Konami and Capcom make a deal with the devil in the 90s? They made countless amazing games.

Do you learn anything from playing video games?

Away from logic and problem-solving? Sure. I feel like every time I play a game, I get to play a game, I get a look into the soul of its creator. And the way I play it and experience it says a ton about me.

Are video games good for relieving stress?

Absolutely. NHLPA 93 was like my best friend as a kid, while Final Fantasy VII and Pokémon got me through those weird teenage years. Fallout 3 got me through my first year of teaching. New Vegas got me through Grad School.

Do you like it when Hollywood makes a movie from the video game?

I loved Detective Pikachu. Max Payne not so much, haha.

Who is your favorite video game character and what makes that character special?

Probably Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. He’s a pure badass.

What springs to mind when you hear the term ‘video games’?

Life.

What is your favorite single player game and favorite multiplayer game?

Single players deff any Fallout or Pokémon game. Multiplayer, any NHL game.

If you can design your own game, what would it be about and who would be the main character?

I’m co-designing a game right now that I actually wrote the story for, so once it’s out, you’ll have the answer to that question

Where do you see Video gaming in the next 20 years?

A lot more wide-open. More VR. More acceptance. eSports on TV every night and video game history meaning so much more.

http://patrickhickeyjr.com/

This is one of an ongoing series of articles based on the Walter Day Collection of e-sports/video gaming trading cards – check out more information at thewalterdaycollection.com.

The post Video Game Trading Card Spotlight – Patrick Hickey, Jr. appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

With a release date of 2015, Life Is Strange is another one of those games that’s kind of pushing it in terms of the “retro” designation, although if you’ve ever seen the game in action, graphics aren’t the strong suit and Life Is Strange certainly looks like it could come from an earlier era. Of course, the art style isn’t really the point. The story is. The five-episode adventure game follows the teenage Max as she returns to Arcadia Bay, finding evidence of disturbing crime all around her. In her Boss Fight book, Kaitlin Tremblay also has a novel take on the nostalgia aesthetic of retro gaming, likening Max and other characters to her own experiences as a teenage girl. Albeit a cooler one than the typical author of a Boss Fight book, as she would go to parties and drink booze.

I’m a little reluctant to discuss the plot of Life Is Strange in too much detail here because even relative to other Boss Fight books, Tremblay’s tome really hinges on the reader having some experience with the game. This is mainly because Life Is Strange’s gameplay revolves entirely around choices. As Max, the player has to decide the best choice of action to get to the bottom of the mystery. It’s not often obvious which choice is the right one and, as Tremblay notes, kind of the point of the game is that, as in life, there really isn’t such a thing as a “right” choice. There are always unintended consequences. And even the game’s time travel mechanic allowing you to pick different choices doesn’t help as much as you’d think.

Tremblay’s analysis delves a lot into the narrative purpose of choice in games, noting that it’s not something you can easily graft onto any random story. Her argument that Life Is Strange represents a uniquely effective utilization of choice mechanics is backed up, not just by her descriptions of the choices, but even the game’s own Steam statistics. You can find out how many players did what in their own playthroughs, and the numbers are likely to be closer to fifty percent than you’d think. This even applies to the notorious “Bae or Bay” choice that closes out the game, which itself is an excellent demonstration of other narrative arguments that Tremblay makes in regard to whether we care about characters or settings in a game.

For all this, Tremblay does have a foot firmly planted in the real world. The opening where Tremblay discusses her party girl lifestyle isn’t bragging, it’s to set up an anecdote about that time some creepy guy she didn’t know kept calling her at home, and it took a disturbingly long time to get him to stop. Assuming anyone even did get him to stop, as opposed to his just stopping on his own. The police were useless. To paraphrase another classic game, the lesson Tremblay took from this was to only trust her friends, the police will never help her.

And that’s why she (and plenty of other gamers) identified so strongly with Life Is Strange. Fundamentally, this is a game about how awkward and weird it can be to be a teenage girl. Which makes it kind of funny that apparently Life Is Strange was made by a bunch of French white guys. There’s a strong social justice bend throughout the book, as might be expected, although it feels surprisingly archaic given that the book came out earlier this year. A big reason for this is just that most Life Is Strange discourse happened several years ago, and this discourse is always changing. Although at the same time, some of Tremblay’s sources can be a bit arcane. I’m not even sure how she found this video by Shareef Jackson, which only has a few hundred views.

But all of the material Tremblay cites is interesting and relevant. Life Is Strange is a game that allowed her to understand herself better, both on a personal level and in terms of her own work as a narrative designer. But just on a broader philosophical level, this book has quite a bit to say about how the choices we make in games are, or should be, more about us than about the games themselves.

The post A review of Life Is Strange from Boss Fight Books appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private, Ph.D.-granting institution located in Chicago with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, design and law

Do you remember your first video game / arcade you played and what do you remember about it?

The first video game that I played was the Street Fighter. I was about six at that time. It’s an arcade that people can sit in front of it and play. Usually two players played the game, but surrounded by a group of people standing around.

What are your opinions about today’s generation of video games?  How do you compare them to older, classic games?

I think today video games are amazing at graphic, sound, and simulation. It provides people more real-life experience in the game, which is fascinating. I think older, classic games are also great. Though they don’t have great graphics like games nowadays, they still have great storyline and sound. Additionally, the feeling that you played games in the past is what new games can hardly give you. For instance, though I can play the new Super Mario Bros nowadays, I still love the classic one most.

Are you still involved with gaming today, and what role do you play?

I am PhD student, and game culture is one of my fields.

What is your favorite portable gaming device?

My iPhone.

Do you prefer PC or Console gaming and why?

I do prefer PC and Console gaming. The biggest reason is that I love big screens! I do love the feeling that I am just in the game and be a part. I really enjoy the fantasy world in games. Another reason is that, with big screens I usually can sit and play with others. So playing with friends is a big reason for me.

What games today do you play and what are your favorite genres of games?

My favorite game recently is the Assassin’s Creed on XBOX One. I love adventure games and MMORPGs.

If you could own one arcade game or pinball game, what would it be and why? 

Growing up were you team Sega or Nintendo and why?

Are video games aimed mainly at children, adolescents or adults?

I believe that there are different games for children, adolescents, and adults.

Do you believe some Video Games are too violent and lead to violence in America today?

I don’t think so. I think people who are violent can be lead to violence by games, but also by many other things such as bad traffics.

Do you prefer playing video games alone, against friends or online against the world and why?

I prefer playing video games with friends, no matter it’s against friends or online against the world. I love the feeling that people are playing together and talk about the same thing.

Do you learn anything from playing video games?

Yes! I enjoy playing games with rich background story such as Assassin’s Creed. I learnt about French history, culture, clothes, etc. I won’t be interested in reading a thick book or watch a long documentary on this topic. But through playing games, I do want to know more.

Are video games good for relieving stress?

I think so, at least for me. I’d love to play games after dinner when I have some time to do what I like. For me, playing video games is a way to escape from my work, entering to a fantasy world that’s totally different from my daily life. I need to do my work carefully but in games, I can try various ways to play a game. Even I do bad or I die, it’s not a big deal. I can always play it again.

Do you like it when Hollywood makes a movie from the video game?

Sort of, if it’s a supplement to the background story. Otherwise, I like the other way around more.

Who is your favorite video game character and what make that character special?

I don’t really have one. I do like several characters but no one is my favorite. I guess that’s because I care more about the experience in game rather than the character.

Where do you see Video gaming in the next 20 years?

Home and video game bars and IIT library.

The post Xi Rao – Student, Curator, Gamer appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.