I was recently remenicing my eariler days with Apple. I just upgraded to a 2017 MacBook Pro and this new laptop signaled the final days of my first personal computer. My little 11″ MacBook Air had entered retirement after 4 short human years and (what feels like) 500 long computer years.
The Air line of MacBooks always struck me as significant. They are undoubtedly “Apple”—slick, modern, and suave. These little computers did quite a bit and said even more.
Which brings me to my remenicing…
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is nearly upon us. Hyrule is in danger once again and in mere days we will set out to find the Master Sword, aid Zelda, and defeat Calamity Ganon.
It has been a long, winding journey just to get to the game’s launch on March 3, 2017 though. Zelda fans love timelines, so I thought it would be worthwhile and interesting to look back at the history of the development of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It is easy to forget where a game has come from and exactly what it took to get to a launch.
Breath of the Wild mirrors The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by launching across two game systems and promises to be the largest Zelda game to date. Since hindsight is 20/20, let’s take a look back and see how Nintendo’s foray into open world game design came to be. Continue reading “The History of Breath of the Wild”
Nintendo’s brand new home console is upon us. I have written quite a bit about the Switch these past few days. I have already written one blog post about my diagnosis of the negativity surrounding the Switch. For this article, I wanted to present a more through and rounded look at the Switch itself and what Nintendo announced last week. Now that the dust has settled from the event and consequent live streams, here is everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch.
Continue reading “Everything You Need to Know About Nintendo Switch”
New consoles are always exciting in the video game industry. When a new Nintendo console makes its debut there is always a buzz. Whether consumers observe with tentative curiosity or feverish fandom, the discussion around new Nintendo hardware is electric.
It is an incredibly exciting time to be a gamer. Virtual reality is taking off and the market is in the golden years of two home systems with more powerful iterations out or on the horizon. What amps me up the most though, is impending launch of a new Nintendo console. Nintendo is where quite a few people cut their teeth on gaming and a new generation is gearing up. It’s hard not to be excited.
The Switch touts the ability to take home console game experiences on the go. The entire system is portable and playable on the go. The promise of playing the new, open-world Zelda game or a full-fledged 3D Mario adventure on the big screen or on the go is enticing. It is the fusion of Nintendo’s home and portable market.
Continue reading “What Nintendo Needs to do for the Switch to Succeed”
We are just days away from a total news blowout on Nintendo’s next home console, the Switch. It has been no secret that Nintendo has been working on a new console for quite some time. Codenamed “NX,” this new device has been the carrot at the end of Nintendo’s stick for months.
Wow. What a day in the gaming world for me. Today, on Dec. 3, 2016, The Last Of Us Part II was revealed at PSX.
As I lie here in my bed writing this up, eight hours after the reveal, a panel, and writing two news stories, the announcement still doesn’t seem quite real. Naughty Dog is my favorite developer in the business. This year they released my new favorite game of all time Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which bumped my previous favorite (you guessed it), The Last Of Us down to number two. Which is such an unfair and dumb thing to even do or say. Both are utterly incredible experiences. I even reviewed The Last Of Us here on the blog.
If you want to read what the game is about, check out my two news stories: This one is about the reveal itself, while this one is about the panel the director and cast later in the day. You can watch the trailer for the game above.
This post is more to acknowledge my feelings about the game and its announcement. I’m a mess. Continue reading “Reaction to The Last Of Us Part II”
Let me tell you, the OG Legend of Zelda is HARD!
It also is so SATISFYING!
From starting the game last week, I have died more times than in any Zelda game I have ever played before. All before the first dungeon. It’s direction in subtle: totally open for you to explore. I wandered and fought my way to the fifth dungeon in the game, before finding anything else. I couldn’t solve the puzzle or beat the enemies so I had to leave, swearing I would return to conquer it. Then I died.
A couple of weeks ago, I had an idea for a video game resolution for 2015. The idea may have been late for the start of the new year, but better late than never.
It’s 1:00 AM in the morning and I have finished the series finale of The Legend of Korra. I am having a tough time putting words to how I feel at the moment. When Avatar: The Last Airbender ended, I never imagined I would get to revisit that world again. The world created my Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko always was and is real to me. It was filled with people I have grew to care for and stories that I cherished.
Continue reading “A Thank You Letter to The Legend of Korra”
Folks, here it is! The moment you have all been waiting for. For quite a while now, I have been teasing a big project for this summer on my vlogs. Shrouded in mystery, this project has teased your minds for quite some time. I am pleased to announce that the project was to create a Let’s Play.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a Let’s Play is a video series that has a person or persons play a game through from start to finish with commentary. It shows off the game while providing commentary, which is usually comedic. For a long time now I have wanted to create a Lets’ Play. There are plenty of games that I would love to share my passion for with others. The Sly Cooper games, Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door, and others come to mind as projects I would love to create. Hopefully one day I can, but those titles will require way more time.
With work all summer and a few surprise trips, I needed a shorter title to share with my viewers. Then Shovel Knight came along! My love for Shovel Knight is no secret. As my Game of the Year for 2014, Shovel Knight holds a special place in my heart. It also happens to be shorter than the games I originally wanted to show. It’s a win-win!
Finally the Let’s Play is done! From the recording phase all the way to the uploading process! Check out the YouTube playlist below with all 12 episodes!
Now my biggest goal with this Let’s Play is not ad revenue, view counts, or praise. What I would love to gain from this experience is constructive criticism! Why? So I can make better videos in the future! So please, if you have any thoughts on how I can make a better product, please comment below or on the YouTube videos in question! Thanks everyone and I hope you enjoy my first Let’s Play!!
Let me be clear: I was not excited for Destiny.
I admired Bungie’s goal and mission for their new space saga. A vast digital universe filled with unique, diverse players that are constantly connected is something to be admired in the gaming space (ba da chhhh). The game just did not appeal to me.
I am not a FPS fan. I don’t care for character creation. I certainly prefer to play alone for most games.
What made my passive attitude toward Destiny even more surprising (to myself) is that a vast majority of the gaming community is eagerly awaiting destiny to let them play Bungie’s newest game (last one, I swear). People are stoked to shoot aliens in first person vicariously through their own, user generated character with friends and strangers alike.
When Sony gave all the attendees of the “E3 Sony Experience” access to the brief and PS4 exclusive Alpha for Destiny, I challenged Destiny and Bungie to make a lasting first impression. They met that challenge with an alarmingly fierce sense of direction, beauty, and wonder.
I am sold on Destiny.
From Thursday, June 12 at 12:00 PM PST through Sunday, June 15 at 11:59 PM PST Bungie granted a small pool of PS4 owners the ability to try a slice of Destiny. Featuring one story mission, a few side quests, a raid, a public event, the central hub, and one VS mode, the Destiny First Look Alpha took me by the hand, like a child in a theme park, and decided to give me the grand tour.
Here is the final schedule for the live stream and giveaway. The trivia for the prizes will happen during the show itself; not during the pre and post shows. Winners will be emailed there codes after the show.
March 4, 2014
All of the times below are EST
5:00-6:00 PM- Pre-Show; Multiplayer and general discussion
6:00-9:00 PM- Show; A full live stream of the Left Behind DLC for The Last Of Us (end time subject to changing if play through takes less or more time)
9:00-11:00 PM- Post-Show; Multiplayer with fans and friends!
If you would like to play factions after the main stream with me, tweet at @GoLeftGaming your PSN and I can add you into the party. If the list is larger than four, a rotation pattern will be implemented. Microphones are encouraged for multiplayer! Hope to see you on Go Left Gaming’s Twitch channel
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Here are the official rules for the Giveaway!
Throughout the Live Stream I will ask trivia questions about The Last Of Us! The first person to answer by tweeting @GoLeftGaming will win the prize. The first question will be for the third place prize and so on. The trivia may be about any part of The Last Of Us!! From the game itself to the development process! So brush up on your Naughty Dog knowledge! As a refresher, here are the 3 prizes-
Prize 1) The entire American Dreams prequel comic series (4 issues in total, digitally)
Prize 2) The Left Behind DLC
and the grand prize-
Prize 3) The Last Of Us season pass (which includes Left Behind, all the multiplayer DLC, and the documentary) AND the American Dreams prequel comic series
How the questions will be asked-
As I mentioned before, the questions will be trivia based on The Last Of Us and Left Behind. The trivia will be hard!!! All the answers are widely and freely available though. I will ask the questions on the Live Stream with a heads up and mention what prize is associated with that question. I will also Tweet out the question! You may either tweet @GoLeftGaming or reply to the tweet with your answer!
Rules for contestants- Only one answer per person per question! You must have The Last Of Us to win the DLC. One prize per person. How I will verify this- you must add me on PSN (mudkip143) and I will check your trophy list to see if you have completed the game. Thanks in advance for tuning in and GOOD LUCK!
Notice anything different about the Go Left Gaming home page? No. Here, I’ll point it out for you.
There is a new page for you to visit!! The “Vlog” page!
The Vlog page is very simple. It has just one video embedded into its page-y goodness. That video is a playlist for every single episode of Go Left Gaming’s weekly Thursday vlog! From that video playlist, you can even visit Go Left Gaming’s YouTube channel and subscribe to see new vlogs every Thursday! Vlog 012: Next-Gen Multiplayer was just posted! Check it out and any other vlogs you may have missed. And always remember to…Go Left!
