The Monster Hunter Series

Although it is a difficult series to jump into, the Monster Hunter series is a fantastic time waster. Classified as a action RPG, the first Monster Hunter was released in 2004. The mechanics of Monster Hunter are not straightforward and just like any real skill, the player must adapt to the game mechanics and learn how to be a hunter. For instance, there are several different kinds of hunters. There's the classic sword-wielding type- then you've got the Hammer Hunting Horn class. Playing your horn gives you buffs and increases your strength, but to substitute this the player could carry similar items. However, these items must be made through combinations of other items. In other words, the player must learn to be a gatherer.


Monster Hunter offers the player the choice of play as well as many different levels to explore. The game isn't free roam, but it makes up for this with strategically placed areas. For example, one area may be filled with Anteka, while another will be filled with Aptonoths. Aptonoth are fairly common, however the player needs them for meat, which provides the player with health. The Anteka on the other hand give the player horns which can be used for crafting.


Although at times the mechanics of Monster Hunter can be confusing, once the player understands the basics they can begin to fully enjoy Monster Hunter. The more the player puts into Monster Hunter, the more they'll feel comfortable with branching off into individual classes and skills to home their talents. The recent Monster Hunter also provides online connectivity, so the player can join up with friends to create a hunting guild. The limits in Monster Hunter are few while its gameplay remains timeless.

Once Upon a Fairy Love Tale

Hello gamers of the world, I hope that you all have had a wonderful Valentines Day and having a good week.  So far there are so many games that I have downloaded, it is difficult to remember the different story plots that it is beneficial to take breaks from different stories to give your brain a rest.  Moving along to the different stories, I took some time to explore Once Upon a Fairy Love Tale which is another fairy tail story that puts a different spin on the stories that we all know and love, without the genderbenders.  In the story you are choosen to be the next princess and you are to choose your own king to rule at your side.  Some of the interesting characters that I have come into contact with is Harold, the White Rabbit, and King Luca, or as some might recognize as the big bad wolf.  The characters are all so interesting and the design of the game is beautiful, creating a romantic setting with gentle colors.  The one downside so far was the prologue, and I love the prologue.  The prologue was so long it took me a few days to finish before making a choice on my future king, the game throws out so many characters at once so it was a difficult decision choose one character.  After the prologue I had to take a break from the app in order to soak up the story, however I can't wait to reemerse myself into this world of magic and romance. 

FIRST LOOK: No Man's Sky

  In video games, as in all media, the world in which the story takes place can make or break an entire concept. The setting and place of a game or story can add emphasis and personality to the actions made by the characters. I doubt that the film TRON: Legacy would have been as interesting if the setting was a beach in San Francisco, or if Fallout had taken place in the arctic tundra!

   Today, we’ll take a look at an upcoming game called No Man’s Sky, an ambitious indie game slated to be released by Hello Games in June of this year . This game will boast multiple worlds and planets for the player to enjoy, with the gameplay mainly focused around exploration. Let’s jump right in and see whether or not this game deserves the amount of hype it has received, and discuss how the game’s world affects the player experience. 

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   I suppose that a more fitting word would be “worlds” plural, for there are a great many to be found in this game. 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 to be exact, or roughly 18 quadrillion. Each planet is not only relatively earth-sized, but each world is fully explorable with new vistas and secrets for the player to discover. The player is an unknown being who begins life on a planet close to the outside of their galaxy, armed only with an object called the “Multitool.” This tool can mine resources and used as a light firearm in case of danger. The player is instructed to mine resources and earn enough money to purchase a ship, allowing the game’s literal galaxy open up a little further for exploration. The more the player explores, the more resources and animals can be found, and the further the player can progress. Since the planets are procedurally generated, or stored in a mathematical form that takes up less space, the game has no loading screens to hamper an otherwise seamless experience. 

With a wide variety of terrain and creatures to explore, No Man's Sky promises to be visually magnificent

   While there is no “endgame” per se, the developers have offered a goal to strive for: If the player can reach the center of the galaxy, a great surprise will be revealed. The player isn’t required to reach the center, however. In fact, the player doesn’t even have to leave their starting planet. The player is entirely in control of how they experience the seemingly infinite universe. One could be an explorer, another a pirate. Another could be a valuable space warrior or a peaceful explorer. The story is up to the player to tell. 

   Perhaps No Man’s Sky is attempting to emulate titles such as Elite: Dangerous, or games that rely on the player to construct the story of the game. Personally, for a game that has no end or beginning, I think that the lack of narrative works well for an infinite open-world style game. Other games that try to balance an open-world style and a rich story fall flat on both, since a tight focus needs to remain on the story for it to work, and a loosening of the reigns needs to take place for the player to really enjoy an open world. 

   However, there are a few quibbles that I have with No Man’s Sky. Due to the lack of a story, there may not be anything left to engage the player after the wonder of the explorable galaxy wears off. Sure, new scenery is nice, but exploration usually takes place once a player has a need to do so, e.i. an end goal. Also, there is a distinct possibility that the planets may start to see similar the more you explore. This issue was relevant when Spore was released, and with a bigger playable universe No Man’s Sky is even more susceptible to this stagnation. 

With a map the size of a literal galaxy, will No Man's Sky be the perfect exploration game, or will it be too big to handle? (Image courtesy of www.gameinformer.com)

   Nonetheless, No Man’s Sky will truly be a marvel of both artistic and mechanical merit. Sean Murray, the CEO of Hello Games, mentions that his love for science fiction storytelling was what originally inspired the game. “You’re living out your sci-fi fantasy,” he says, “And when you tell me your story of what you’ve done in the game it sounds like a legitimate science-fiction story.”

Dinosaurs and red grass? What else could possibly be out there? (Image courtesy of no-mans-sky.com)

   Will No Man’s Sky be the marvel that everyone claims it to be? Or will it be the bust of the century? Discuss below in the comments, or at our Twitter @GamerGweek!

   Written by Spence

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing (or ACNL for short) is a portable version of the classic Animal Crossing which came out on Gamecube in 2001. Animal Crossing has had a few sequels but none had ever featured a playable human character until this point. Not only this, but in ACNL the player can mold their town as mayor with public works projects.

Animal Crossing is a title that offers many customization options to the player including dress, home furnishings, and the choice to landscape their town as they desire. In ACNL, these options are expanded. There are now pro designs, which means that instead of a copy-paste design offered as clothing, the player can actually customize front and back designs to their outfit. New home styles have been added, including a 7/11 exclusive furnature style and a Monster Hunter style. For landscaping, public work projects are offered, including lighthouses, bridges (brick, fairytale, greystone, wood), and much more. There are around 456 villagers with different personalities to meet and befriend in contrast to the 218 initially introduced.

Animal Crossing also recommends daily interaction to unleash its full potential, so the portable convenience of the 3Ds can be utilized. This is what makes Animal Crossing highly addictive and enjoyable, as each interaction with the game adds up between days. Animal Crossing is a game to leave the player feeling productive and satisfied.

BALDIES: Hair Loss is No Longer an Issue.

First published in 1995 on the PC and then on the Playstation 1, Baldies is definitely something special, Imagine playing civilizations except the player must lead an army of bald guys while the npc governs an army of hairy guys. Probably one of the quirkiest games out there, the player must utilize traps and strategy to defeat the enemy. Build up from tiny houses to castles, learn the mechanics to unleash full gameplay potential. For example, rain brings threatens the player's strength (or energy) required for expanding your army. The player can cannon enemy harries into the depths of the sea, but first the player must have enough energy to do so!



Baldies has many secrets for the player to discover. First, the player needs to throw a skunk or fox into the sea, then grab a fish and throw it into a scientist house. Then they must select the option on the blackboard. The fish rain will recharge based on how many scientists are available to process the request. When engaged, it will rain fish! The baldies will eat the fish they catch and then will eat them. There are all kinds of secrets in Baldies, but the player will have to discover them as there is no online guide or official guide available for assistance.


There are many levels to baldies, and after several levels are worlds. Each world changes how gameplay is done. For example, the last world is a lava world. Each world is filled with secrets and different strategies waiting for you to discover. Not only are there different worlds, but the game contains four different types of baldies. There are workers, builders, soldiers, and scientists. Each baldy is assigned to type to tell the game how the player would like them to behave. The builder for example will build homes.

Baldies is not meant for everyone but for a casual gamer looking for some time to relax, Baldies is a great place to start. A level can take from a few minutes to a few hours and will leave the player feeling engaged. There are many different ways to play and Baldies offers the player a variety of choices.

REVIEW: Crashlands

   Let’s get straight into it, since I have quite a bit to say. First off, let’s have a chat about derision. When something is derivative, it is blatantly stealing or copying a design from an already existing object. This practice, as one can deduce, is harmful to creativity since it fails to introduce new ideas to the medium or genre, therefore stagnating the medium. 

   Frustratingly, this can easily be describing Crashlands, a game recently released for PC and mobile systems. I apologize if I sound a little displeased with this game right off the bat, but I’m afraid that this feeling only continued as I tried to play. The story, for one, is a little anemic. You are an intergalactic deliveryman who is attacked by a monster and crashes on a planet. Scavenging for supplies is soon revealed to be a major mechanic, along with crafting and other survival elements. When these are introduced, it soon becomes apparent what this game really is: A Sci-Fi Don’t Starve clone. 

A quick glimpse of combat within the game. Unfortunately, the game's interface doesn't allow for the quick execution the game requires of the player. (Image courtesy of the Google Play Store)

   Sure, the aesthetic and storyline are different, but only in the sense that they’re somehow more bland than the game they're trying to ape. Don’t Starve at least had a delightfully grim art style, with thick scratchy lines and simplistic features. Crashlands has brighter and more cheerful graphics, but in a very by-the-books generically “cute” fashion. The combat is genuinely fiddly, especially when your character has little health and even less armor, and the different “attacks” are awkward to deploy at the quick pace the game demands. The menu is somewhat unintuitive, with slow loading times and a cluttered interface that conveys a lot of information in a very scrambled manner, making it a genuine pain to use.

   With all of these issues, it became harder and harder to find the will to continue playing the game, and the core gameplay certainly wasn’t helping. Scavenging and crafting works well if implemented properly, as seen in games like Minecraft. You wanted to build a strong house in case the zombies come knocking, and the need to eat necessitated farming and hunting for survival. Crashlands fails on both of these fronts by offering these options without giving us a reason to use them. Sure, you could build a house, but what would the point be? You'll only be leaving to scavenge and quest anyway, so you'll be away more than you'll be here. You can hold all they want in their roomy pockets as well, meaning you don’t even have to go back to unload your inventory. Sure, you could cultivate healing items, but you'll be able to find these items wherever you go, and in greater quantities as well. 

Though you can build as big of a house as you like, it still begs the question: Why would you set up a base of operations if the game requires you to be continually on the move? (Image courtesy of the Apple App Store)

   On the whole, I’m afraid that I can’t recommend Crashlands. With the unintuitive interface, generic and somewhat irritating graphics, and mechanics still bloody from when they were ripped off of other, better games, Crashlands is something that genuinely has no reason to exist. Even a game like Thomas Was Alone, with dull graphics and non-challenging gameplay, had some wit and a good story to redeem it. Crashlands just feels like a Free-To-Play game that excludes the micro payments to make room for token, niche-appeal gameplay elements. While I try to remain optimistic, I’m afraid Crashlands would have to do more than build a house for me to be favorable in my sight. 

   Want to defend or discuss Crashlands? Write a comment down below or on our Twitter, @GamerGweek!

   Written by Spence

Frustrations

Hello to all the gamers and readers out there.  This weekend was so much fun playing on my phone and all the romantic stories.  One of the things that I have found difficult about these games is that you have to log in everyday in order to get rewards such as "money" or "gifts" that one would need to go through the game.  If you do not log in, you have to start over from "Day 1", even though you get to keep the rewards from earlier.  I discovered that it is a good idea to make time for you and your "guys" such as in the morining or at night, even if you dont have time to play it is always good to log in to recieve "gifts".  I personally log in at night or in the morning because that is my time and I don't have to worry about interuptions such as pestering siblings or persons of no personal boundaries.  Another thing that is frustrating about the games is when you have to meet a checkpoint.  A checkpoint, for those of you who don't know, is a barrier where you must have a certian amount of "money" or "style" for your avatar in order to continue with the story.  This can be even more frustrating when you don't save your money or do activities to build up your "style" or "charm", such as in Fairy Tales you can work on your cooking or flying.  I encourage the gamers out there playing to keep at it because the stories you get out of playing are worth your patience and frustration. 

Love Bug

Hello people of the internet and Happy (almost) Valentines Day!! For those of you about to grab your bae and celebrate I am going to celebrate with my baes from all the new dating sims I've downloaded spending time in the stories.  Some like Love Tale give you Holiday log in bonuses every day.  Ok so far Fairy Tails has been by choice game this month because who doesn't want a prince to come and sweep you off your feet on Valentines Day?  As I said in my last post I chose Seanwhite and went on about how he was a womanizer, well its not just ladies of the human species... its the entire female gender that is attracted to him; birds, mammals, reptiles, women, dwarves (there are two), and other female counterparts that exist in this digital world I'm living in with him.  Its fun to see how you, the main character, thinks and how you/she responds to him as you are indifferent to his charms, and its cute how his face changes when he doesn't understand why you don't understand that being with him really is all that he wants from you to be happy.  Its funny how they don't have voice actors or fluid motions that you would get in some games but reading and taking your time to look at him and notice the little changes that happen in his face is fascinating.  In a sense you are making this world your own and more personal especially when you start making your choice s with these characters and I have learned that the more choices that you make to make you "love" stronger the more opportunities you get to make choices.  I personally get butterflies when I get to make a choice of my own and pick what I want to do or say to him/them because it almost feels like a real person getting the heart string orchestra to play and want more.  I love this game and cant wait to curl up with a full battery and big box of chocolate and just relax.  Happy Valentines Day!!

MOBILE DOUBLE BILL: A Review of Westport Independent & The Room 3

   In my previous article, we discussed the diversity and impact that is found in mobile games. These portable delights range greatly between Triple-A shooter games to interactive text adventures, with more ideas coming every year. Today I’d like to review two different mobile games that I played last week, namely Westport Independent and The Room 3. 

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   First up, Westport Independent, or as I’ve come to call it, “Censorship Simulator.” This game relates the story of a 1940s newspaper publisher that is under the power of the totalitarian government. The government trusts the editor in chief (the player) to censor articles that might spark rebellion and promote wholesome messages. It is up to the player to promote the governors or the rebels before the Government seizes total control of the paper within 12 weeks. 

Putting together the paper was rather tricky, since the position of the articles changed what demographic was reached.

   The game was developed by Lucas Pope, the creator of Papers, Please, which explains the look and feel of the game. The graphics are terribly bleak and pixilated, portraying paperwork being filed and sent with an emphasis on story and choice. Although, after playing the game twice through, I’m afraid Mr. Pope failed to bring his A-game this time. For one, the game is disappointingly short; reading all the text and responding to situations carefully granted only an hour of play. The game also feels terribly redundant, relying on the player to make the game more interesting by chopping articles to bits and putting them back together. 

   However, I think the harshest blow to the game was a lack of stakes. In Papers, Please the player knew that accuracy and speed meant life or death for your family. Moral choices had impact, since you could choose to follow the rules or let exceptions occur. In Westport, however, there is no payoff for your actions except a two-minute text scroll that lists what happened after the paper was seized. Sure, you can choose to incite rebellion, but you never have to deal with the consequences, so all impact is lost. Articles are manipulated, but the effects that come because of it are arbitrary at best. 

The censorship mechanics at work

   With repetitive mechanics, a glitchy interface and bleak graphics, the game was only made more annoying by its $5 price tag. I’m afraid I can’t recommend Westport Independent unless they added 200% more fun in the next patch and refunded my time and money from the last playthrough. 

   Moving on to The Room 3, the newest and final installment of the Room series. These games are most famous for their mind bending puzzles and stunning graphics, all of which are back and better than ever. While the game could get by without a story, with each new room comes new exposition about a scientist that has discovered a way to bring the back the dead. The player must solve riddles and puzzles to progress, each one uncovering shreds of the scientist’s former life and experiments. Each of the puzzles usually fall under one of two categories: finding the right pieces to fit into a mechanism, or deciphering riddles and codes to get another piece. Helpful hints are given to the player upon request to ensure a successful playthrough, making the puzzles a greater joy to encounter. 

Each building on the table above housed a secret, but only to those clever enough to unlock their true potential.

With thirty massive levels, the game rounds out a nice length but doesn’t overstay its welcome. The push-pull-press interface is intuitive and is easy to pick up on for new players. The graphics are incredibly pretty, if a little murky at times, though it emphasizes the dark underlying tone of the story. The Room 3 is a game that one simply must play, if only to feel the rush of satisfaction as you watch a complex mechanism fall into place and reveal a new secret. 

Just another piece to a grand design... what secret does it hide?

   While it does cost the same as Westport, I’d rather pay $5 for The Room’s meaty challenge than Westport’s insubstantial pastry. Games are meant to offer a challenge with solid payoff at the end, and I’m pleased to say that whatever disappointment I felt from Censorship Simulator was abated by Glorious Puzzle Extravaganza. Take a look for yourself, and I’m sure that you’ll come to agree with me. 

   Want to discuss or defend Westport Independent? Leave a comment here or at our Twitter, @GamerGweek!

   Written by Spence

ON THE GO: The Merits and Detriments of Mobile Gaming

   Ever since the Microvision was released in 1979,  video game developers have been trying to find a way to let customers take their games anywhere they want. Sadly, most handheld consoles were bulky, inefficient and difficult to handle. 

   However, when the iPhone was released in 2007, a reinvigoration of what is known as “mobile gaming” came to be. Inspired developers soon realize the true power of intuitive gaming in the palm of a hand. Let’s take a quick look at how games have changed and evolved on the mobile platform, as well as the Pros and Cons of mobile development 

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   Games for the iPhone and other smart devices have been around almost as long as the devices themselves. The first handful of games that were originally released, such as Angry Birds, were graphically and mechanically simple games that made use of the touch-sensetive screen and other tools found in a smartphone. Adding the camera into the mix only maximized the chances for gameplay innovation, and developers took this to heart when creating these fascinating interactive apps. For instance, the multiplayer experience Ingress used GPS tracking to bring the game to the real world, elevating multiplayer gaming by allowing players to collaborate in real life and focus on real-world landmarks.

In Ingress, players choose a faction and fight to obtain digital control over real-world landmarks. This requires the player take their device with them, necessitating a mobile format (Image courtesy of activewirehead.com)

 Local multiplayer is easier on mobile as well, what with Bluetooth and WiFi connections being expedient and easily used. Call of Duty: Zombies was an app that offered the Zombie Mode from previous titles to be accessible to all with a smartphone, while also allowing for others to join in through local connections. Even simple console/PC games like Rayman and Minecraft were able to be converted into apps, allowing fans to take their favorite titles wherever they went. 

   However, while most of these games were functional and somewhat cathartic, they were more casual in their execution and failed to offer anything by way of real story or narrative. Controls had to be displayed on-screen, obstructing the content with interfaces and other info. The screen itself is smaller than that of a TV or computer, so detail and visibility is reduced dramatically. Heavy screen and processor use devoured battery life, making gaming sessions short and less than fulfilling. All in all, early mobile gaming seemed somewhat shallow: Short, snack experiences with little to no impact in story or mechanics.

   Yet, what with recent devices now clocking in with 1-2 gigabytes of RAM, games have a little more room to grow and evolve with better graphics and mechanics. Moore’s Law has blessed smartphones with smaller and more powerful processors, and battery life is longer than ever before. This allows for bigger and more complex game files to be processed, including better graphics and environments. Many apps even support gaming peripheral for those that wish for a dedicated controller. 

A chart representing the increase of processor power of Apple's iPhone devices. (Image courtesy of Apple) 

   There’s no doubt that mobile gaming will only improve as the years go by. Already we have luminaries like The Room and Infinity Blade, games that boast console-grade graphics despite growing up on mobile platforms. Even conversions from console/PC to mobile is more sophisticated, allowing complex games like Transistor and Five Nights at Freddy’s to enter the app store. 

With stunning graphics and fluid animation, Infinity Blade boasts a console appearance while remaining in the pal of the player's hand (Image courtesy of videogamer.net)

   Mobile gaming also allows for some interesting artistic choices to be made in development. Device 6, a heavily text-based puzzle game, makes use of the touch and sound mechanics to manipulate puzzles and provide more ways to experience the rich story. Thomas Was Alone offered an engrossing story while remaining simple enough for new players to enjoy, essentially being a sliding-tile puzzle with an excellent narrative. 

Device 6 contained literary pages of text to offer the story, while requiring the player to scan the "environment" for clues to progress the story. One such puzzle is pictured above. (Image courtesy of simgo.com)

   With technology constantly marching towards improvement, mobile gaming will only get more intuitive and enjoyable. Perhaps in the future we should stop looking for innovations in labs and focus instead on what’s in our own pockets. 

   Have your own opinions on mobile gaming? Why not continue the discussion in the comments below, or at our Twitter @GamerGweek! 

   Written by Spence

Be A Pro Mode Update

So turns out the playing goalie on NHL16 due to all their more accurate movements, it complicates it and makes it somewhat harder. It is still a lot of fun tho. My team's record so far this season sits comfortably over .500 (14-6-4), which is good.
One of my favorite and most enjoyable feature of this game is the fighting, who doesn't love to see two goalies going at it on Center Ice. Everybody stops to watch, no matter what you were doing you are now about to experience one of the most entertaining and rare moments ever.

This is my character just feeding Jake Allen (St. Louis Blues goalie) some dinner. Even though this is one of the most fun features, you can't be fighting every game... Sure you can do it, but it affects your overall "grade". The coaches basically grade you every game in three different main categories, based on your grade you will either get another start or sit out for a couple games, which is ok. It's never the end of the world when that happens! They have a really "funny" way to let you know when you are sitting out...

It's a bad feeling, but unlike the real world you can just SIM right past it and get back to your net! 

One of the classic movements as a goalie is when you flash the leather and make an unreal windmill glove save. This game has no problem in allowing you to make those kind of saves. 

Come back next week to read about how I overcame my slump and managed to stay in the big leagues. 

Sloth King

Updated Gear Customizer

Hey guys, here is your long awaited gear update. In NHL16 you can create your own player wether it is a skater or a goalie. With this option it opens the door to a whole new world, the equipment world. I am going to be focusing my articles in goalie equipments, due to the fact that I am a goalie as well.

You can now use the most recent lines of every brand as well. They have released the CCM Premier line and it is out of this world amazing. The SubZero 3's from Brian's are also out there and they are a hell of a lot of fun to mess around with. In order to give my Be a Pro player a new look I spent over 3 hours just in the customizer messing around with all the different color options and different lines and brands. This were my two top options for my Chicago Blackhawks Color scheme. (You have to have matching colors... you just have to).

SubZero 3's

In this case it took me a while and I decided to do something no goalie has ever done for Chicago, to add yellow details. Even tho their primary colors are Red/White, they have some yellow in the feather and the face of their logo so I decided to try it out. However it wasn't my favorite look so I decided to go and keep the one below, the CCM Premiers. 

CCM Premiers

I decided to keep this one for now. To finish off with this post I am going to show you guys my actual equipment, the one I am using this season. My teams colors are similar to the Edmonton Oilers. 

I'm using the Bauer NXG with Vintage Sock Graphic and the CCM 760 stick. I created a whole new goalie to show this gear, without the Chicago Blackhawks jersey. That's why his overall statistics are so low, they haven't been tampered with yet. 

I will be showing off some of my new sets next time so make sure you come back to check them out!

Also, if any of my readers have any favorite team they'd like to see me do please comment below and I will make sure I get a couple sets done for you!

Sloth King

Maintaining Gaming Life

Hello my lovelies, BookLife here and giving you the latest summary of some of the games that I updated you on last time. 
Fairy Tales is an app where you are a wizard in training and are zapped into another world where you have to make someone happy by using magic.  Easier said then done when some people don't want your magic but want you.  Through the final test of your training, or the prologue, you get to pick a door based on the Prince charming that you want to be with in the end.  There's Seanwhite (male Snow White) a man who doesn't want the crown for his own gain and doesn't want to let you go even if he attracts all of women gender to fall in love with him. 
Cindo (male Cinderella) basic run of the story his mom dies after marrying his stepfather and two sons who make him their servant.  He is desperate to marry rich and powerful to get his life back even if it means to have two different personalities, kind and sweet versus proud, mean, sadist.  But after meeting you will he be willing to change?
Ocean (male Ariel) wants to know what its like to live on land like other mortals.  After almost being beached, you agree to help him gain his wish.  But there are evil forces working against you.  Can you help change his fate?  Or will he be lost to the witch forever?
Thumbelina (male Thumbelina, although there is no difference in their names so ya)  a thumb size man born in a flower has the power to give off a pheromone to entice women to his whim.  But even with all these women flocking to him like a chocolate shop, he doesn't seem to know what true love is.  Your different, even after you become shrunk down to his size you still don't fall for his sweet smelling charm.  You become his new interest, but can you help him find true love?
Gretel (male from Hansel and Gretel)  a novice in art, as is his brother Hansel, and an admirer of his father.  After you find him lost in a forest, he becomes embarrassed because you are so beautiful.  Shy but reliable, can you get him home safety?
So far I have chosen Seanwhite, or Sean, as my prince charming and he is such a cutie.  Although it is annoying how much of a womanizer he is, he is always true to you.

Story News

Hey guys, dolls, and readers BookLife here just giving you an update on the new romantic sims and their spell binding stories.  So far I have downloaded five ninja stories (NinjaLove, Destiny Ninja, Destined to Love, Ninja Assassin, and Mononoke) six Once Upon a Time or princess stories with dashing princes (Niflheim, My Sweet Prince, Fairy Tales, Midnight Cinderelle, Once Upon a Fairy Love Tale, and Wizardess), one love triange story (Love Tangle), and one vampire story (Blood Roses).  There was another vampire romance sim but it was a BoyXBoy, let me know if you would like me to download it anyway just to see what its like.   So far my favorite has been the Niflhem and NinjaLove along with Cinderella, the characters are dashing and the art is beautiful You can look toward my earler post about Ninja Love but here are my descriptions about my other favorites so far.
In the beginning of Neflheim you are awakened from your deep sleep and don't know where you are, suddenly you realize that your sleeping in your own coffin and you've been dead for almost two hundred years!! Three gorgeous men come to wake you  up and take you to the king who wants to make you his bride.  Orlando, the kings right hand man, Philip, the romantic poet, and J.J., the scientist, there are also others that you can choose from.  The goal of the game like the others is to find happiness with your undead  prince. 
Cinderella is the story of you are a teacher in a village and are on a mission to get a special flower for your student that can only be found in the royal palace garden but your caught by the palace men and are then choosen to be the next princess and you have to choose your prince!  How scary! You find love the most unlikely placecs, for instance I'm finding love with my tutor Giles Christophe.
These are just a few of the summaries that are yet to come and for those of you who don't know these are FREE games that I am downloading on my phone.  Around the app is a red liner and in the bottom right is a white butterfly, if you download the white liner and red butterfly then you are paying for it but its alright if you want to. 
Also Neflheim just brought out a spin off for Valentines Day called Love Ya Mafia and Heart Collections Valentine Vibes. 
Here is a link were you can see some of the art for the games that I will be talking about.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ninjalove&biw=1708&bih=814&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiR36aui9rKAhUU2GMKHVdJCAkQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.8#tbm=isch&q=shall+we+date+&imgrc=_

RETROSPECTIVE - Braid

   Video games, as I’m always eager to point out, are a form of art, and very few people have captured the spirit of this idea as well as Jonathan Blow. Blow is an independent developer with keen eye for nuanced story and complex, yet enjoyable game mechanics. His newest piece, titled “The Witness,” was released last week for the PlayStation 4 and Windows platform. This new title promises hours of peaceful exploration, elaborate yet intriguing puzzles, and pleasantly bright graphics for one to enjoy. 

A look at Blow's "The Witness," which contains some of the loveliest graphics and vistas that I've seen in a while, which beg to be explored. 

   For this article, however, I would like to offer a look back to Blow’s first title, Braid. Released in 2008, this small 2D platformer looked simple on the surface, but as the player plunges deeper into the story and gameplay a great deal of depth is revealed. Let’s take a look at what made this title truly great! 

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   First off, a brief description of how the game works. The story is about Tim, a pretty boy that has lost his princess and must go on a quest to recover her from an evil monster. If you think that sounded familiar, it’s probably because it’s an almost perfect description of a certain game Nintendo has been making for the past twenty years (There are even castles at the end of each stage, containing a character that states that he’s sorry, but “Your princess is in another castle." For crying out loud!) 

A reference to Mario, though that mushroom-addicted plumber could only dream of scenery this nice!

   However, this game is anything but derivative, which is evident by the way it plays its unique ideas skillfully. Honestly, the best way to describe a game such as this would be as a marriage of Mario & Doctor Who, or puzzle platforming combined with time manipulation mechanics. The Mario comparison becomes apparent from the outset, but the time manipulation is a bit more complex. In order to solve most puzzles in the game, the player is invited to hold down a set button to reverse time, which can be used to reverse mistakes and accidental deaths in manner reminiscent of Prince of Persia.
   This kind of easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay mechanic mesh seamlessly with the rousing soundtrack and lovely graphics that make up the game’s bulk, offering a peaceful yet intelligent experience. However, despite how lovely the game looks and plays, I’d like to take a special moment to recognize the nuances of the story.

A quick glance at the graphic style. From this screenshot, we can also see examples of the enemies as well as the platform puzzles that the player is expected to overcome.

   Despite the slight annoyance that comes when narrative is shown in blocks rather than weaved into gameplay, there’s a depth and complexity that was hard to match within the game’s text boxes. As mentioned before, the initial scenario is as box standard as one can get: Love Interest is in trouble, rescue Love Interest. After reading through the provided text, however, the player will soon understand that Tim had been making poor choices with his life, causing his relationship with the Princess to crumble with every passing day. Without wishing to spoil the ending, (I heartily recommend this game, so I shan’t give all of the plot specifics) the previous events of the game begin to fall into place and form a desperate picture of who Tim really is, and how his mind works. You get to see how truly flawed he is as he struggles to comprehend his own wrongdoings and obsession with turning back the past. It made me take a look at how I view the world, and left me emotionally drained and satisfied by the time the credits began to roll.

   With all of the pieces slipping neatly into place, Braid is easily one of the best indie games in recent past for its innovative gameplay alone. With the story being the true icing on this contemplative cake, you’ll wish you could reverse time to play it again and again. 

   Want to discuss the merits of Braid, and what your own interpretation was of the main points? Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments below, or on Twitter @GamerGweek ! 

   Written by Spence

STORY MODE: How Video Games Can Tell a Unique Story

   Ever since Mario set off to save his princess, video games have offered something previously unheard of in popular culture: Interactive Storytelling, or a story that the audience has a direct impact on. This method has been handled a great many different ways, and I’d like to talk about a few in the following article.

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   With a great many different games slated to be released this year, each has something new to offer in terms of entertainment: Gameplay, artwork, music and story. In a great deal of these releases, I’d argue that the story elements of a game are one of the most important elements, with the obvious exception being the gameplay mechanics themselves. The story is what can redeem an ugly-looking or difficult-to-play game, while an absent or poorly thought out story can be the final nail in an otherwise functional game’s coffin. Granted, there are games that function perfectly without a story, such as Minecraft and Cut The Rope, but story-based games can offer a far more memorable experience, allowing for the introduction of new ideas. Let’s take a look at how games can enhance storytelling as a medium and what video games are able to do that is impossible for other media to achieved.

   First and foremost, a game’s story provides valuable context to the tasks players are expected to preform. For example, Valve’s “Portal 2” gave the player clear motivation through a simple storyline, (You’re trapped in a  facility with something trying to kill you, get out!) and then built the complexity from that point onwards, allowing the player to understand the situation and react in a manner that was natural. Conversely, “Mirror’s Edge” lacked a strong motivation behind what it expected the player to do, therefor failing to hold my interest. This ambiguity was what ruined an otherwise impressive game for me, when a little context would have gone a long way.

A shot from Portal 2, where the player is confronted by GLaDOS, the game's antagonist. Knowing what you've done to anger her and how powerful she really is makes this a tense scene indeed. (Image courtesy of mobygames.com)

   Games can also allow for a player’s choices influence the story itself. These choices can be small, such as what a character says to another, or they can have a major impact on the endgame itself. A good example of was a moment in “Bastion” where the player is given the choice to either reverse a major calamity, (and risk it happening all over again) or escape your ruined home to start anew. Should the player replay the game after they choose to reverse the calamity, the narrator will reference the previous playthrough, claiming that he thought he already told you pieces of important information. This thought that stories can remember what you’ve done is something never utilized before by traditional media. 

A shot from Bastion, showing the major choice to be found at the end of the game. Choosing either will impact how the game is played later, thereby showing how content can be changed by the player.

   Lastly, games offer a far more immersive experience than films can due to their interactive nature. While watching a horror film may induce feelings of foreboding and fear, preforming the actions yourself forces you to invest much more in the story and actions of the game, therefore deepening the physical and emotional impact a game may offer. In my opinion, a game like Undertale is a perfect example of interactive story that really draws the player in. The story involves a central concept, (You’ve fallen into a chasm, get home!) and builds around that as the player moves further. The player will understand each character’s motivations and hopes, making the ending simultaneously frightening, saddening and heart-warming as they feel for the characters. 

A shot from Undertale, where the player is forced to leave a character they have grown to love. Truly getting to know the character made this a heartbreaking scene for the player.

   Being a believer that games are art, I’ve often heard the argument of, “Why did it have to be a game? Couldn’t it have been a film or a novel?” My response will always be that, since the player is able to perform the actions needed to continue the story, the player will have far more investment in the consequences than if they had watched a single path unfold. Some stories, such as Undertale, just wouldn’t be the same if the audience was unable to make the really difficult choices that come later in the game. 
   This, I believe, is what makes games special. With their ability to tell stories unlike anything ever seen before, video games will always be important for what they have to say, as well as how they play. 

   If you want to discuss your favorite video game story, feel free to do so in the comments below, or at our Twitter, @GamerGweek!

   Written by Spence