Earth Day, and games with great grass

When I think of Earth Day, I think of grass. No, not the kind often celebrated in that counterculture holiday from two days ago. But the green stuff that proved such trouble in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and yet feels simply wonderful to walk through barefoot. Don’t deny it. Grass is great, and not just because it’s green.

Not surprisingly, grass shows up in a bajillion videogames, too. First-person shooters, epic fantasy RPGs, farm sims, you name it. It’s there. Graphically, herbaceous plants have come a long way, and here’s a couple of games  I believe do grass well.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Link could use his sword to swipe at bushes and find hidden rupees (as well as really ticked off enemies). It was great fun and always hard to resist doing so, especially since the bushes themselves respawned after entering/exiting a building. Phantom Hourglass, however, made it feel even more rewarding to slice up the earth. Now you could swipe at tall grass, and thanks to the touchscreen controls, it was quick, breezy, and rewarding. Hearts and rupees galore! My favorite tactic was to stand in the middle of a bunch of grass and do the spin attack. Seriously, if Link ever got tired of saving Zelda, he could totally make it as a lawnmower.

Eternal Sonata

Now, I’m not here to argue whether this is a good game or not. It’s most likely not. I’ve mentioned before that I got stuck on a pirate ship and would have to grind for many hours just to be strong enough to beat the current boss and move on. -5 to fun factor. However, both via cutscenes and in-game graphics, Eternal Sonata rocks the grass and meadows and vibrant scenery. It’s just so pretty and colorful, and you totally get the impression that the earth here is healthy and well-cared for.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

You could seriously get lost in this kind of grass. In fact, I most certainly have. Going up a hill, your perspective slanted, all you’ll see is grass, a hundred thousand blades swaying with the wind. Considering the size of the world and its forests, it’s mighty impressive…except when you are trying to find a dead body to loot. Then it’s just maddening.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

After two games of sneaking around inside buildings, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater threw a wrench at us. Remember, if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. In this one, a majority of the game is played outside in the open wild. Here, tall grass and camouflage are your BFFs. Such a change of pace, but so awesome, too. I really loved the tall, thin blades, and popping from them to take a sneak shot on a soldier sure beat stuffing them into a locker any day.

Every Pokemon game ever

Grass is where it’s at in Pokemon. Actually, grass is where Pokemon are at in Pokemon. That’s where they hide, and you’ll spend a lot of time traipsing through it to find the right ones or just get to your next destination. Grass is so important to this series that it is even a type of Pokemon class. Huzzah!

Fallout 3

I’m sure this will be a spoiler to some folks, but there’s a location in Fallout 3 unlike every other location you’ll come across. This one is alive with…life. Plant life, more specifically. I’m talking about Oasis, a small settlement tucked away into some boulders that is not affected by radiation and has actual grass and healthy trees sprouting up from the ground. Your first visit there is a total headturn, and you really begin to see the importance of your quest to purify the water of the Capital Wasteland. Oh sure, on occassion you’ll find a single flower somewhere and be amazed at its stubborness, but here is proof that life goes on through it all.

Everybody’s Golf series

While this series may feature cartoony golfer avatars, the grass is always serious. Seriously good, that is. Look at that divet mark above. As one who divets it up like crazy, I can say that it’s pretty authentic-looking. Actually, most golf games nail grass. They kind of have to. It’s 90% of the screen. The summery discoloring is perfect above, too.

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Got a favorite grassy game yourself? Tell me about it in the comments below.

In-game relationships need to get out

Unless I’m playing The Sims, I don’t really want to do buddy-buddy things like playing darts and going for a walk and having a beer with someone in-game. Especially when we’re talking about Grand Theft Auto IV, where the majority of the focus is on…well, shooting drug dealers in the mouth and running over hot dog stands. Nor do I want to go on dates, but that mostly has to do with Niko Bellic not being the suave gentlemen your dates might think he is. Seriously, how can anyone be charmed by this masochistic, hollow shell of a goon? His response to every demonic task put on him is: how much will I get paid? Right.

I wish there was a way you could lose your cell phone in GTA IV and then have to go to a local Sprint store (I bet those Rockstar devs would be hilarious and call it, I dunno, Splint) to get a new one. After losing it, I would never get another. I don’t even care if that meant no more missions; I just want to walk and drive around in peace, listen to the radio, take in the sights. No, I don’t want to get shit-faced with you, Roman; you’re a horrible human being, possibly less horrible when drunk, but horrible nonetheless, and to have some drinky drinks with you would take up the following:

1. Time
2. Money

Plus, these in-game friends always call at the worst time ever. Like, you’re sneaking around a building, getting ready for a shootout, and then you have Little Jacob mumbling something about hanging out in your ear. Sorry, can’t. Why didn’t you call me during the 15 minutes it took me to get to this location? Chump.

Another example of bad cell phone usage in videogames: Pokemon HeartGold. During your course across the many regions, you will meet a bunch of trainers and strangers all eager to give you their phone number. In return, you must offer them yours–and your very soul. Seriously, if I could turn back time, I’d give my phone number to NO ONE. Not even my mother, that money-tossing fiend. Stand still for a minute or so, and ring ring ring, it’s Joey to tell you all about his RATTATA. Great. Just about every phone call I’ve gotten has been pointless; there’s no reward, no missions, just a bunch of BS and wasted time tapping through. I’m guessing this is the game’s way of making you feel connected to more than just pocket monsters, but it is an empty mechanic, beyond annoying, and a waste of precious time.

Dragon Age: Origins handles in-game relationships better…but not great. For one, thanks to Ferelden’s serious lack of technogadgetry, the Grey Warden does not have a cell phone. Instead, he/she has a mouth and two ears, and using them they can affect how other characters feel. Some might grow to hate the Grey Warden, others will fall in love, and a couple will remain indifferent no matter what you do. You can give gifts and listen to their stories to maybe pick up an important sidequest. Also, depending on who you are traveling with, certain key events will lead them to voicing their opinions, and it’s up to the Grey Warden to decide how to react. At least there’s rewards here: useful skills are unlocked as companions grow in friendship.

So unless in-game relationships do more than just annoy and waste time, they need to get out…and get out fast.

Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, like the cookie

…or a penguin. Or a tux. Or a penguin in a tux eating a black-and-white cookie.

Either way, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White are next two titles for rabid fans to stew over. No reference to specific gems or stones this time around, but I also can’t help and think it has something to do with LOST‘s mysterious black and white rocks that occasionally show up, often as symbols for good and evil. Very little is known about these next generation games, but rumors speak of Zorua and its advanced form Zoroark, a dark Pokémon. I hope they continue to implement the Pokéwalker.

Might be a 2010 release for those shmucking it up in Japan. No idea for the United States. I’d wager early next year. Chances are I won’t even complete my Pokédex for HeartGold before Black/White arrive. I’m, um, pretty slow at catching ’em all. Tara and I tried for probably over an hour to obtain a Jigglypuff, but alas, that pink puffy bastard eluded every single Safari ball we threw at its face. Waaah!

Episode #5 of The First Hour podcast, now with more Paul

Good job, Brock. Where’s it at specifically?

Oh, right. The First Hour. Head on over to listen to episode #5 (don’t ask where #4 went; I think a demon ate it) of their podcast and you can then hear me talk about Pokemon HeartGold, what it’s like to be a n00b to the series, and just how many steps I take roughly on a workday. It’s not a lot. Also, at one point I couldn’t remember the word “collar” when talking about clipping the Pokewalker to one’s cat…oh well. It was still fun all around, and I’d love to be back on the show in the future!

Just, y’know, maybe not talking about Pocket Monsters again…

Making it last with Pokémon

According to my save data for Pokémon HeartGold, I’ve now invested over 15 hours into the game. The amazing part? I’ve only made a really small dent. My Pokédex says I’ve seen about 75 Pokémon, of which I’ve caught around 30 or so. I just earned my third gym badge, now finally moving past Goldenrod City to the National Park and the Pokéthlon for some Pokélympic games (side-note: that was way too many pokés for one sentence). A good portion of this time has been spent on grinding my team towards a better balance, as well as just meandering about the world.

But still. Fifteen hours and only a little bit through. For some games, that’s their entire length…or not even. I’m looking directly at you, MySims Agents.

It’s just nice to know that HeartGold is in it for the long haul. And so am I. And so is Abigail:

I might be on a podcast, yo

So, last night, I spent about twenty to thirty minutes chatting with Paul Eastwood from The First Hour for the next episode of their podcast. It was my first ever involvement with a podcast, as well as a lot of fun. We chatted about videogames in general, and more specifically about Pokemon HeartGold and my take on it as a Pocket Monster n00b. I hope I didn’t sound too silly, and I managed to actually go the entire time without trying to say some of the crazy Pokemon names. Honestly, I have no idea how to safely pronounce Quilava or Buizel or Girafarig. There were a couple of topics that I thought about discussing only after the fact–such as how I’ve grown attached to the first few ‘mons I’ve caught and have no idea who is good to use and who is a waste of time–but that’s okay.

Hopefully our chat makes the cut! I think the episode is planning to go live…next week. Not sure on that, but stay tuned to find out.

Really silly, alternative title for this post that I still might use down the line: Gotta podcatch ’em all!

Super Effective…is super effective!

That was an easy blog post title if I ever came across one.

As you dear blog readers are aware, I’m just now getting into Pokémon thanks to HeartGold. And you know what that means? Super Effective, the side comic from VG Cats‘ Scott, finally makes much more sense to me. It’s a funny stab at the game’s world and characters. Check out the first comic below, and then head on over to hit up the archives:

Hopefully it’ll be updated again soon (and more regularly).

First stroll with the Pokewalker is a success

I’ve been wanting to try out the Pokewalker since I got HeartGold, but it rained all day yesterday. So I figured I’d bring it to work in my pocket, fully knowing that since I work in an office and sit at a desk for 90% of the day there would be few steps taken. I loaded in my LV. 2 Spinarak nicknamed Aragog since he’s my lowest level critter at the moment and not very strong. See:

Don’t frown, buddy! Anyways, after eight hours I’d taken a total of 2,837 steps, a number that surprised me. Guess it’s all the back-and-forth to the copier. What’s neat is that stuff is happening when you’re not even paying attention, which is nice. While walking, your Pokemon accumulates Watts. You then use these Watts to play two mini-games and open up new paths to stroll down. The one mini-game has you searching bushes for wild Pokemon, and I ended up catching a Duduo. You can also play a dowsing/guessing game for hidden items. When all is said and done, I zipped Aragog back into my DS, and all the items and Pokemon I’d caught came with him. Then he went up a level. Easy peasy.

The device definitely works, and it’s something I look forward to exploring more. If I can get a level a day for my Pokemon while at work, that’s not too shabby. Playing the game without playing it, y’know. I’ll take it.

Also, sidenote, I know nothing about Pokemon and who is good to use and who is a waste to level up. Any tips are greatly welcomed.

PURCHASE OF THE MONTH: Pokémon HeartGold Version

Okay, this is going to need some explanation.

Ever since enjoying the badunkadunk out of Monster Rancher, I’ve always had a soft spot for creature-raising gameplay. It’s addictive, and there’s a sense of fatherly pride upon seeing one’s little critter grow stronger and more powerful. That said, Pokémon has never appealed to me. I will freely admit that I watched the cartoon show now and again back in the day, mostly as background noise, and therefor know some of the basics of the world, but otherwise…I stayed away.

But then I started noticing a lot of gamers falling in love with Pokémon. Some were my age, some were older. Was I missing out on something great just because I scoffed at it as nothing more than a child’s plaything? I’m actually a very open-minded man hobbit, but I wanted a better consensus on the state of things. I asked via Twitter if there were any Pokémon-fashioned games out there for the Nintendo DS worth pursuing? I got two answers: Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Dragon Quest Monsters. Of them, DQM seemed to be a better fit for me so I headed to the local GameStop over the weekend…

…to purchase Chrono Trigger!

See, while browsing, my eyes get real big and I suddenly see a bunch of games I want to play and quickly forget why I journeyed outside that day. So, seeing that Chrono Trigger was a cool $20 and knowing the sad fact that I’ve only ever played an emulation of it and even then gave up pretty early because I loathe playing games on the computer, I marched up to the counter, ready to make a deal. And then it happened:

Clerk: Hmm, I’m really sorry, but I can’t find any copies. We don’t have any more in stock right now.
Me: …
Clerk: Did you know that Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver just came out?
Me: …
Clerk: They’re pretty great.
Me: …tell me…more.

And so, yes, the salesman did his sale thing and got me. In actuality, as silly as it sounds, the Pokéwalker, the pedometer that comes with Pokémon HeartGold, was what intrigued me most. I already enjoy going for walks after work, and now these walks can count double for me: 1) being healthy and 2) leveling up my monsters. Can’t knock a game for trying to get its players to be active.

I’m definitely interested to see if this will get me addicted hard and good, or if I will play for a bit and just find it so-so. I already named one of my fire Pokémon…Balrog, and care for him deeply. So, y’know, that’s good.