Introductions are in order

Hey guys, I'm Corvus. Some of you may have found me or recognize me from some of my work with Rites of Battle, and I'm really excited to have been invited to participate in The Gamer's Code. My interests are varied, and I'm a PC gamer first and foremost, and I follow the LoL esports scene very closely, keeping track of NA, EU, LCK, and LPL. I've got a background in game design and development, so I try to separate well made games from games I like, since I know those two things don't always overlap. I enjoy comparing and contrasting traditional gaming elements (tabletop or pen and paper) with video games, and seeing how the two media play off one another. So, here's to the games!

Corvus Sanguine

Courtesy of an Introduction

As a fledgling content creator, I find it only necessary to give you a taste of what I aim to be about. Partly as a warning but mostly as a heartfelt invitation.

As a voice, I doubt I could come anywhere close to the critical inspection of Corvus, or the nostalgic knowledge of our Doc because those aren't my passions. Now even as I write this, I know that sounds like a very poor opening painting; me as a gawking idiot, but what I love and hunger for is story. Whether the game gives it straight to me on a dish, or if I have to cook it up myself with what they have in their, hopefully well stocked, pantry makes no real difference. Now if I can have fun while I'm being told these stories all the better. In my blogs you'll find what are functionally hybrid cliff-notes-meet-review style posts, with an occasional fond look at beautiful games that just fell short of what they could be.

Now if you want to know what makes the games I enjoy good games, I can't help you and wish I could. However if you want to know what makes the games I enjoy truly enjoyable well that's a little more doable, but hopefully we'll have a story together all the same.

Fish

Games 2 Go - A Mobile Game Review Vol. 1

Hello Readers!

We are back again, this time with the first edition of Games 2 Go. This article will be dedicated to mobile games of all types, such as App Store games, Portable Consoles, etc. today we are looking at a free to play mobile game released by Square Enix, called Final Fantasy Record Keeper.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper is a Active Time Battle based game, where you play the role of a young scholar named Tyro. Tyro begins to read and uncover the stories from classic Final Fantasy worlds. However, Tyro and Dr. Mog notice the records are now missing from each world. Tyro must enter the world of the records, recruit allies, and defeat each dungeon boss to restore the record. Through the your journey you will recruit allies from the different worlds to help you.

Here are just a few of the many characters that are unlock-able. 

Cloud from Final Fantasy VII

Tidus from Final Fantasy X

Terra from Final Fantasy VI

Rinoa from Final Fantasy VIII

Kain from Final Fantasy IV

Snow from Final Fantasy XIII

The game is free to play with purchisable features through the form of Gems. Gems can be used for many things. The game operates on the stamina system. Each dungeon level requires a certain amount of Stamina to enter. Once you are empty you must wait for it to recharge at a rate of 1 stamina per 3 mins, and will recharge outside of the app. You may use Gems, to refill your stamina or in game items called mythril (you will want to save these). As you complete dungeons you will gain stamina shards. Once you have 5, the stamina count will permanently increase by 1. When I started playing the game I believe I had 10 or 15 stamina, and I'm now up to almost 90 stamina.

The next feature to discuss is customization, this game features a lot of customization, which is awesome for a free to play game. You may upgrade, weapons, armor, and abilities with the items you collect in the dungeons. While the game doesn't allow you to customize to the level of Final Fantasy VI, you still can teach each character several abilities, and level up weaponry to make dungeons easier.

The next point of discussion is the relic draw. Every day players gain 1 free relic draw, which can either be a new weapon or armor. There is also a rare relic draw, which requires mythril or gems to do, and you can receive higher quality items. If you manage to gain some 5 star equipment, you may be able to teach new limit breaks to characters.

The game will also immerse you into each of the Final Fantasy classics with music, characters, and enemies from each of the Final Fantasy games, and honors those true memories with a very easy to learn combat system.

Positives
   -   Classic Memories from various Final Fantasy games will make you feel right at home
   -   Lots of customization, to make the game feel like a unique experience
   -   In app purchases go towards a lot more than just stamina boosts, and make you feel rewarded for in app purchases
   -   Very enjoyable game, that you will find yourself devoting a lot of time to.

Negatives
  -  Can be a lot of microtransactions
  -  The simple design of dungeons doesn't allow you to really immerse yourself into a story, instead you just find yourself focusing on the battles.


All in all I give Final Fantasy Record Keeper a solid 4.5/5 Stars. Definitely worth the download if you enjoy the Final Fantasy Universe.

Until Next Time!
UltimateDave469

Throwback Thursday - A closer look at uncommon consoles

Welcome, one and all, to The Gamer's Code! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Justin (or DocOcarina for you internetting folk). I live in the Midwest region of the U.S., and over the past few years, collecting retro video game items and studying their history has became a passion of mine. Now I'm not saying that it's gotten out of hand, or anything...

Not an issue at all, as a matter of fact.

 I can stop any time I want.

Putting all these resources into games, however, means that there are limitations that I have to place on my budget.

 I feel like I forgot something at the store...Toilet paper? detergent? Toothpaste?...

So please do understand that if I can't show you close-up pictures of a console or game in particular that you want to see, it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't care about the same things you do. It may very well be the simple fact that I'm a cheap bastard. 

That being said, you came here to see games, didn't you? Well, you have come to the right place! This the first entry in what I hope will prove to be an entertaining series where we take a close look at some of the consoles through the 90s that you might not have heard about. The first entry shall be dedicated to studying the history and design of the consoles themselves, and then we'll take a look at some of the games for each system. 

And the first on the list is the early 1990s powerhouse console, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer!

Hitting the shelves of North America in 1993 (and the rest of the world in 1994), this console was an ambitious effort by the 3DO Company to enter the video gaming market. The first thing to note about this console is that the games were disc-based. Up to this point, disc-based attempts in the console market included the infamous Philips CD-i, and cd add-ons for the Turbografx-16 and Sega Genesis (Wow, look at all the possible consoles to look at later on!) It was also the first major 32-bit console, beating the Sega Saturn and 32X by a year, and Nintendo's Virtual Boy by two years. 

Even if this thing came out before the 3DO, would  you have taken it seriously? 

Not only that, but this bad boy played full motion video! The Sega CD boasted the same claim, but the videos only took up a small part of the screen, and usually had terrible framerate and poor color. Want a good example? Go to youtube, and look at footage of Sewer Shark on the Sega CD, and then the 3DO Go ahead, I'll wait...

See what I mean?! Man, those actors were TERRIBLE too, right? I miss the 90s... But wait, there's even more that this console had to offer! After the Atari 2600/NES age, people were beginning to realize that those rf boxes that you screwed into the back of your tv were both:

a pain to hook up

not as good quality as those good old component cables we know and love today

The 3DO consoles allowed rf, component cables (Any component cables would do. You could use the cords from your VCR, if you felt so inclined!), and even S-video! I've never heard of another console supporting this feature, and I even went back to look at all the consoles that I own. Not even one has replicated this feature.

So if this console is such an advanced piece of hardware for its time, why is it all but forgotten by gamers, today? When 3DO announced this console, the reception for it seemed very positive, to the point where the console even won Time Magazine's award for 1993 Product of the Year, stating:

"If you think you've seen graphics, wait till you check out the jaw-dropping visuals offered by this interactive system, which is bidding to be one of the main vehicles on the data superhighway. With its CD-quality sound and 32-bit processor, the Multiplayer is the most powerful video-game system yet."

However, 3DO Company did not have the means to manufacture its own consoles, so they were forced to reach out to other electronic companies. Their first choices were Panasonic and Sony. Sony declined, as they were already under way to release their first console in 1994. So, Panasonic began manufacturing the first model of the 3DO console.

The very similar Goldstar model

The Panasonic FZ-1 model

The first sign of problems? This console launched for $600-$700. True, the FZ-1 model's price dropped to $500, but that was after the console had already been out for half a year, and the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation were just about to be shipped out to retailers. Thus, consumers felt little desire to actually buy the (relatively) affordable console at that point, with equally advanced options like the Playstation for $299. A full year after the release of the 3DO (October of 1994, by this point, the Saturn and Playstation being released in 1 and 2 months respectively), the Goldstar model was released for "a mere" $399.

At this point, the damage had been done. But the 3DO company tried to make whatever money they could out of it, in the hopes of being able to release a successor to the 3DO (spoiler: it didn't happen). While Nintendo and Sega charged higher royalties for game developers to release products on their console, the 3DO only charged $3 in royalties per copy of a game that was sold. To put that in perspective, Sony charged $10, and Nintendo (on the N64) charged $20 for the cartridge.....AND THEN royalty.

As a result, many independent developers and small companies flocked to the 3DO. However, many of the big companies with big names and experience in development were wary to get their feet wet with the console. While Electronic Arts made many titles for the 3DO, that is almost certainly attributed to the fact that Trip Hawkins, founder of 3DO Company, had also founded EA. Other companies that worked with the console included Activision, Bullfrog, and Crystal Dynamics. For the vast majority of developers, however, this cd-based technology and the technical capabilities of the 3DO were too new for them to properly take advantage of. Owners of the console quickly saw an enormous rift in the quality of games for the system. And at that point, would you want to gamble on whether Phoenix 3 on the 3DO is any good since that internet thing hadn't really taken off, yet? Or would you like to play Crash Bandicoot on the PS1?

And the final nail in the coffin for this system was that while it did not have region locking, it also had no copyright protection. Good for any small developers trying to make a product, but bad for......anyone who knows anything about the video game market. It immediately became one of the easiest systems in history to pirate games for. By 1995, the console was only kept alive because of the Japanese 3DO market. What was Japan making for the 3DO?

Porn.

That's not a joke.

So what kind of games were released for the 3DO? We'll take a look next time. But not the porn titles. You do that on your OWN time. 

Event Announcement - Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ 2015)

Hey guys, Dave back again with another shameless plug.

Coming up next month is the second and final Games Done Quick marathon of 2015. In this marathon, over the course of several days. Gamers from across the world will come together and participate in a speedrunning marathon of classic and modern video games. This marathon will be accepting donations for the Doctors Without Borders Foundation.

The Event will run from 7/26-8/1. The marathon will also have donation prizes and incentives in place for donations as well. This is a great cause to donate towards, and I hope to see you all there!

Here are just a few of the couple hundred games that will be played throughout the week.

Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country 3
Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 4
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Ducktales
Ghouls and Ghosts
Streets of Rage 2
Bioshock Infinite
Metroid Prime 2
Hotline Miami 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Oregon Trail (yes the classic Oregon Trail from our childhoods)
F.E.A.R.
Super Castlevania IV
Fallout 3
Metroid
Kid Icarus
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros 3
The Legend of Zelda: WindWaker
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Portal
A 3 way Super Mario 64 Race (requirement that you must have ALL 120 STARS)!
A 3 way Super Metroid Race (Estimated Complete Time of 50 mins)
A Chrono Trigger Race

And MANY MANY MORE!

For all the awesome information go to The Games Done Quick Website

Cheers!
UltimateDave469

Throwback Thursday - A Weekly Classic Game Discussion Vol. 1

Welcome to the first edition of Throwback Thursday, where each week I will review a classic game from my childhood, and why it is still such an important game. This week we will take a look at the last of the classic RPG's from the Super Nintendo era.


Final Fantasy VI (Or Final Fantasy III for the SNES)

The game opens with an overview of three people in mobile armored units known as Magitek Armor. The game discusses an Ancient war between beings of magic and the people of the earth, known as the War of the Magi. When the player takes control, you control a girl with magical abilities, named Terra. Terra is enslaved by the Gestahl Empire, and its general Kefka Palazzo. Kefka has assigned Terra, Vicks, and Wedge with the task of acquiring an Esper, an ancient being of magical power in the Mines of Narshe. As the game progresses, you square off against the evil Gestahl Empire, and acquire several party members a long the way, until you have a massive square off on a floating continent with Emperor Gestahl and Kefka Palazzo. On the continent, Kefka succeeds in killing the Emperor and almost completely destroying the world leaving only a few hundred people left. When you awaken, you play as Celes, another one of your compatriots you meet throughout the first half of the game. Celes escapes the solitary island one year after the "end of the world" happens, and begins seeking out the rest of your friends. Once all of the party is reassembled, you split up into three parties and begin climbing Kefka's tower, where he rules as the God of Magic. Once the parties reach the summit, an all out battle for the fate of the world begins, in what is probably considered the longest final boss battle in Final Fantasy history. In the end, Terra, Celes, and their compatriots escape Kefka's Tower, and balance is restored to the world, and magic ceases to exist.

So now that the synopsis of the game is over, let's discuss a few of the positive points of the game. First, the game features depth in a way that has not been paralleled since. The game features 14 different playable characters, and all but two of them have their own place in the story to shine. The game also allows any character to be able to learn any spell in the game, however, different bonuses are given for each type of spell learned, so the game rewards you by teaching the right spells to the right people, however, there is nothing stopping you from teaching every character every spell in the game. The game's story lasts for well over 24 hours, and you will spend a few hours extra finding all the goodies to make the climb up Kefka's tower doable. The game even allows you to ascend the tower with only 4 people, however, you will absolutely need at least 12 to complete the tower successfully. The game's original soundtrack is killer, and one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, and each track fits the game so well. The game also has probably the best villain of the Final Fantasy franchise (in my opinion) in Kefka. Kefka is a sadistic Magitek Knight who's powers made him become deranged. He fascinates and lusts for death and destruction all over the world. Kefka believes emotions, hope, dreams are all meaningless, and the only thing that matters is the complete and total destruction of everything. The final battle is about a 17-20 minute encounter with the Esper Statues and ends in a climatic battle with the God of Magic himself Kefka. If you have a chance to play this game yourself DO IT. You are rewarded with the best final boss sequence possibly in video game history. If you don't have access to the game, look up the final boss on youtube sometime!

Now there are only a couple of negative points to this game that I could possibly find, that I believe would have taken away from the game, The first of which being that this game has a lot of depth and complexity, while a good thing, some times goes over board in customization, and sometimes makes the game feel confusing. In a similar note, While it is great that the backstory and character development was there for each of the characters, you had to do a lot of side exploration, and spend extra time that you would normally not have to do. Sometimes, it is really confusing to locate certain points on the map, and often found myself looking on google for a map of the world. One improvement I would make to the map system is to set it up like the system on Golden Sun and later Final Fantasy games. 

Final Thoughts and Grade: 9.5 out of 10. 

This game can be as deep and rich as you want it to be. You will find yourself, as a player immersed very heavily in the story, the game has a very memorable story, characters, and soundtrack that you will find yourself wanting to come back for seconds or thirds. This is definitely the defining chapter of the classic Final Fantasy games (1-6), and I would argue the best Final Fantasy of all the games. I recommend this game to all. This was one of the best games for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom System. 

P.S. Dancing Mad is the greatest final boss soundtrack of all (yes I'm looking at all you One Winged Angel fanboys out there).

We will see you all next week for our Throwback Thursday Post!

UltimateDave469.

Welcome to The Gamer's Code!

Hello all, and welcome to the first post from the staff here at The Gamer's Code! This blog will feature several bi-weekly articles throughout the world of video gaming. Here are some of the styles of articles that you can look forward to reading.

Throw Back Thursday, A look back at classic games
Modern Console Gaming
Video Game Development
ESports (In Particular League of Legends)
Event Annoucements
Our Streaming Friends
How Board Game Concepts Compare to Video Game Concepts
The Latest Mobile Games

Here is the writing staff for The Gamer's Code

UltimateDave469 (David Perry - Chief Editor, Content Writer)
Corvus Sanguine (Jacob Clark - Editor, Content Writer)
DeathMagus (Brian Bauman - Editor, Content Writer)
Jake (Jake Dials - Content Writer)
DocOcarina (Justin Kersey - Content Writer)
Fish (Kevin Fish - Content Writer
Aleo666 (Alex Weisner - Guest Writer)
Kondemned (Lemmy Saylor - Guest Writer)


This will be the first post of many to come, look for more content to be released in the near future!

Thank you so much for joining us, and we look forward to feedback, suggestions, and improvements!

The Gamer's Code Staff!