gaming – Very Nerdy Curly

Pikachu… the Great Detective

Just in case you were worried there wasn’t enough nerdy content on this blog, we’re going to talk about Pokémon. You know it, I know it. The pocket monsters from Japan were my generation’s first great obsession. And the world’s.

My sister and I were enamored, and frankly are still; I got her Pokémon earrings for Christmas for Charmander’s sake! It was something we both really enjoyed and consumed at an alarming level, like most kids our age. We watched the anime, we collected the cards (she still has a binder full of holographics), and we both still play the games on our DS systems. I beat her all the time in Pokémon Stadium on N64 and she’s still angry about it.

It’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it?

One of my crowning achievements, to this day, was when I went to see the Pokémon movie in 7th grade with friends; it was the black out just before it started and in an impulsive move (quite shocking for very shy and awkward 12-year-old Kristina) I went “PIKACHU!” in a perfect impression of the electric mouse. Everyone cheered and clapped. They thought it was part of the movie. Nah. It was just me. I’m still proud of that.

So with the 20th anniversary of the franchise this year, I am excited for all the ridiculousness that will be coming, and I mean that in a very genuine way. The fact Pokémon Go, where you can use your smartphone to see, battle, and catch Pokémon out in the wild, is a thing still blows my mind. And with the first Superbowl commercial being released being a very epic Pokémon one… I’m expected great things.

As I’m sure many of you know, one of my great loves is Sherlock Holmes. Soooo, when images and the trailer for Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth Of A New Duo dropped, I may have gasped.

Pikachu!

In a deerstalker!

Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth Of A New Duo won’t be getting a 2016 release in the US, considering it’s only just being released in Japan on February 3rd, but I expect hilarious things.

Watch the trailer below to see what I mean.

For one… Pikachu talks! As in, he has a seiyuu and has a surprisingly deep and smokey voice. There’s some relief in that there’s another Pikachu who blurts out its name like what we’ve expected and heard for twenty years. But hey, this isn’t Pikachu Pikachu, this is Great Detective Pikachu, and it seems the latter is just more… eloquent. And slightly scary. But that’s cool.

Also it seems GD Pikachu is a coffee drinker.

The music in the trailer definitely has some elements of Sherlock’s soundtrack, doesn’t it? I wonder, given all the new Holmes out there, that the Pokémon peeps wanted their iteration to follow in the same footsteps and be an anti-hero. I mean, I wouldn’t want to piss Pikachu off, he can electrocute you dead. But hey, let’s hear it for Pikachu Cumberbatch, eh?

Screenshot 2016-01-27 14.36.52 — credit: melon-con-carne.tumblr.com

Whatever Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth Of A New Duo brings, I look forward to it. It’s gonna be the very best… see, it’s stuck in your head again!

Dress Like The Fade With The Dragon Age Fall Collection

Cole: Your clothes look like the Fade, Dorian.
Dorian: The stuff of dreams? An explosion of color and sensation wrapped in an enigma?
Cole: It’s shiny.

If you follow me on twitter or tumblr, then you know I am epically obsessed with Dragon Age. It’s BioWare’s fantasy baby and was a HUGE part of my life last year when I didn’t really have anything. I dove in without knowing anything about the series and fell, as my friend Ardy put it, “heart first.”

And I really did. I’ve clocked an alarming amount of hours on Dragon Age: Inquisition between my current FIVE playthroughs and I’ve beaten the first two in the series multiple times as well. The lore is rich, the characters well developed and interesting and complex, and everything is pretty with lots of magic. I like magic. It was instrumental in getting me back into gaming and has broaden my horizons considerably in terms of the media I enjoy. Long had I thought my love of fantasy was dead when the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy ended, but I’m back to being fantasy loving trash. And I mean that in the most sincere way possible. It’s a great genre and is endless in its possibilities. So thanks for that.

One of the first things I do when I fall in love with something is scour the internet to buy things to show how much I love it. So finding official and fan made Dragon Age merchandise was my number one goal for a good few weeks. I initially got my hands on the Cullen tank and Tevinter hoodie and more stickers of the characters than I care to admit, and that was fabulous. And then rumors started spreading that BioWare and ThinkGeek were creating some new items. Eventually these were revealed at a fashion show at PAX Prime to much delight and squeals and much of the internet opening their wallets. Everything looked amazing, and better yet, it looked unique. These weren’t just the run-of-the-mill t-shirts with the logo on them, no, these pieces were actually conceptualized and reflected the characters. And they were interesting pieces in terms of their construction as well. I was immediately impressed and the more I learned about what BioWare and ThinkGeek were working on, the more jazzed I got.

DorianHoodie — Dorian Hoodie! Look at those buckles and drool along with me.

The Dragon Age Fall Collection dropped today at the Bio Ware store and immediately my timeline exploded. And it’s not had to see why. The stuff looks stellar. These were all created in conjunction with ThinkGeek Solutions, and it’s a partnership I never want to see die.

Let’s also take a moment to really commend Bio Ware for catering to us ladies. Women are the majority of gamers, despite what G4merG4te wackos preach, and it’s nice to see that recognized in terms of merchandise.

But what’s even more important it supporting this, because the more merch women gamers buy, the more that will be generated. It’s a win-win for us really because we get more stuff and thus they will continue to make more for us. Bio Ware is really great at listening to its fan base, especially in comparison to other studios. Players have always had the option of playing as a man or woman and they’ve been including more homosexual, bisexual, and transgender characters, story lines, and romances in recent games.

Templar bae Cullen hoodie. Look at that adorable flared out waist!

And these characters have become very popular; case and point with Dorian Pavus getting his own hoodie! That sort of representation in terms of merchandise is still very rare today, so it’s great to see. Not to mention, I know the vast majority of my timeline is gunning for that hoodie because of their love of Dorian. That’s telling.

It’s important to support studios who do this, so make your voices heard and wear cute things as well!

You can pre-order the fall collection goodies at the BioWare store.

How 2014 Became the Year I Returned to Gaming

So it turns out when your mother buys a new house that needs a lot of renovation, that you sort of lose track of time and every day turns into a mix between sleeping and painting. So. Much. Painting. What horrible person decided you had to paint stone 5,000 times to make sure it’s mold and water proof?

So that’s basically where I’ve been… covered in various types and colors of paint, and it’s not even done yet. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy helping my mom out, but I think I will forever have claw hands.

To relax after days of hard(ish) labour, I’ve been playing a lot of video games. Be in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Nintendo 3DS or The Sims. At first I picked up my old Harvest Moon: Animal Parade game. Got hitched. Had a baby. Tended my crops. I love Harvest Moon to pieces because it’s a farming simulations and it’s charming and sweet and SO ADDICTIVE.

Continue reading How 2014 Became the Year I Returned to Gaming

Rebranding Drama for Harvest Moon Series

By Kristina Manente

If you follow me on twitter, you’ll have noticed I’ve been tweeting a lot about Harvest Moon as of late. It’s a series of games that my sister and I have been addicted to for years, and it’s easy to see why. They’re farm simulations, and before you go BORING, let me tell you something, these games are like crack. Beautiful farm raised shining crack. You’re typically given a arm that you have to revive, as well as the town around it. Along the way you can get married, have kids, have the best farm ever. Let me tell you, there are few things more rewarding then having the best damn farm ever and making thousands and thousands of gold. Also it’s been going on for eighteen years. EIGHTEEN!

Trust me, it’s ridiculously fun. If you’re a simulation fan, be it The Sims, Halflife, etc, you will loooove these games. Chances are if you’re reading this I’m preaching to the choir anyways.

So like any addict, I was looking for my next hit and was seeing what the newest Harvest Moon title as going to be… and then I found… two? Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley and Story of Seasons. Now, two at once isn’t unheard of for the series, but they were just so… different looking. Lost Valley looked more like Minecraft than the anime-styled art the series is typical of while Story of Seasons followed the normal pattern as of late. So I did a bit of research [1][2] and oh boy I didn’t know what I was in for. There’s drama in the Harvest Moon world and the biggest part of it?

It’s not called Harvest Moon anymore! Nope. There is a rebranding fiasco happening, so allow me to explain so you’re not caught out buying the wrong game.

Continue reading Rebranding Drama for Harvest Moon Series

NYCC: Kingdom Hearts ReMIX 2.5

Getting the invite to the Square Enix media suite was a joy and a half. Since my Assassin’s Creed binge extravaganza, I’ve been desperate to really throw myself into gaming. Square Enix was the first company to win my heart with Kingdom Hearts back in the day, so when I saw they were offering a chance to play with ReMIX 2.5, I jumped at the chance. I also noticed they were offering demos of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, and so I lept at that as well.

I gush a lot, so let’s talk about ReMIX 2.5 and what’s new about it~

Continue reading NYCC: Kingdom Hearts ReMIX 2.5

My Accidental Assassin’s Creed Obsession

When I moved to my new flat in London town, we didn’t have the internet for a few weeks. I know. It was a hard time. Thank you for your belated sympathy. What we did have though, was an XBOX and some games that my flatmate hadn’t gotten around to playing. We would have nightly sessions of watching her run around in Skyrim or murdering a few cops in Grand Theft Auto V, and sometimes I’d even get a go. Turns out I’m really good at not being caught by the police… and head shots. Take note NSA. (please don’t take note)

But there was one game that was lingering on her shelf that had caught my eye. It was Assassin’s Creed II. I’d heard a lot about these running-jumping-stabby games and everyone I knew loved them. So I asked and we popped it in. She had started it a while ago but hadn’t played it in ages.

We finished it in four days. Continue reading My Accidental Assassin’s Creed Obsession

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