I keep to be quiet for a long time without saying anything unless you also follow me on Twitter or Artstation. I am busy working on a few projects and they keep me from being active….like very active…..like my YouTube channel is crickets active….I hope this does not discourage anyone who reads or follows me into thinking something is wrong.
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Hey guys!!
Do not think that I have forgotten once more about posting here! I have been busy with mastery work and a bit of FNAF Sister Location. I have some things in the works regarding a FNAF topic where I will discuss all that has transpired up to now and how I believe the timeline should be. So stay tuned for when that comes up. Normally I would avoid this type of topic but the fact is that Scott Cawthon is a mad genius with this mystery horror series. I cannot wait to see what else he has stored for those who played his games and read the book. Anyways write to you all soon!
~ShadowMagnus
EDIT 1: Still working on documenting this entirely.
We have all played FPS at some point in our lives. FPS have been one of the modern gaming achievements of the era. Most of these types of games revolve on historical events and allow the player to experience, in a way, what countless of soldiers experienced during those troubled times.
Call of Duty: World at War
In most instances one would consider these historical simulations a sort of educational type of game. However, not all is well in paradise and this post intends to put some light on the subject. But before I begin to discuss that I need to give some credit where it is due.
Shooter games have been out for a while but the Call of Duty series gave players a new perspective into learning history. These games started out as simulations of events that had transpired during World War II and told stories from GIs who lived through these events. Unfortunately, most players only care about killing enemies and multiplayer ranking and not about the story that inspired the games creation.
So where is the educational purpose in war video games? According to the research in the article Brutal Games: Call of Duty and the Cultural Narrative of World War II, games like Medal of Honor and World at War offer a re-calibrated view of what was known in the history of the World War. The opportunity for players to see that war through the point of views of other key individuals during that war and “feel” what they felt during those moments. Even Veterans who lived through that experience agree that men love war games because it is a brutal and deadly game. One would argue that if a Veteran truly says those things then one would have to be concerned over their health.
Now that the educational purpose of such FPS is revealed, let us focus on the other part of the problem. The problem that lies in most FPS is that played who play such types of game excessively end up suffering from gaming addiction. Then, because they are immersed in such games they are prone to becoming violent towards other players or anyone around them. This is a reality that most people deal with as I myself experienced it during my freshman year in college.
We know for a fact that playing an FPS awards players with ranking statuses and other achievements. It is also considered an e-sport which those who dedicate time hope to become famous and join the ranks of those who have played in tournaments. But the fact still remains that playing too much FPS can have a negative effect on ones own mind. And we have met these type of players in some way or another.
In the research paper titled Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play, FPS games were found to have a high rate of increasing aggression in players due to losing or other score factors. The more violent the FPS is the more a player will be likely to become hostile. One may argue that this is true, more specifically, for those who play multiplayer mode.
Online multiplayer in FPS is filled with all types of characters. Some are just kids who somehow are allowed to play such violent games for “fun”. There are other players who tend to be more aggressive and take the game way too seriously. The thing is, all of these players show different levels of aggression and if we should be able to perceive when someone needs a “time out” from that sort of environment.
In conclusion, FPS games are both entertaining and promote some sort of educational view into the insights of war. However, there should be more studies done in order to definitively say that FPS can lead to social problems or if its a case of negligence from the player or the parent. So my advice for those who are gamers like me is, play your games and enjoy them without overdoing it.
I remember when I first played Super Mario Bros on the NES back in 1990 where Mario was this simple 2D bit giant mustached character. As time progressed, his character evolved to feature more detail during Super Mario Bros. 3, more distinctive characteristics in Super Mario World and finally a defined look and form in Super Mario 64. Now, Mario is fully portrayed with visually anatomical characteristics that define his character and in full blown 3D. This demonstrates how the technology evolving affected the way a character was portrayed in a video game.
However, each year, as technology advances so does the gaming industry. Back in the 70s video games were very simple in programing and was still considered unexplored territory by many. Today, video games are complex in every single way possible and express an artistic view of the world they inhabit in which we, the players, are immersed. This would never have been possible if the gaming industry had never succeeded way back in the 70s.
In the article, GamesPeoplePlay, Robert VerBuggen explains that video games are now a form of expression rather than just something to pass the time. He continues to explain how the evolution of microprocessors, motion-capture and other technologies that are also used by the film industry shaped the world of video games. Furthermore, he mentions examples and comparisons with other games in terms of artistic view and technological advancement view. One would argue that his opinions in some of the discussion in his paper are biased but that is up to the reader to say.
Dragon Quest
But like I said in the beginning, video games are not just evolving to be just in a console, they are expanding towards virtual reality and in that same line, augmented reality. The creation of the Oculus Rift and modern mobile phones has given game designers a unique opportunity to explore the possibilities in such technology. Games like Pokemon Go and Edge of Nowhere have given the opportunity for players to experience these environments either on the go or at home.
In the article, The Promise of Virtual Reality in Higher Education, it is implied that VR will be the next step in the evolution of video games. Not only is it possible for gamers to experience fantastical worlds in a virtual environment where they think they are truly in there but also has potential educational purposes. This last part has the most promise as it can allow students to experience what could only be explained as theories.
Decades after they first appeared, video games have made a mark in the history of human technological achievement. The ability to create virtual worlds filled with anything our imagination desires has never been more satisfying among gamers and designers. As technology advances, so do video games and our ability to experience them. One might argue that the fact that some consider video games a type of art makes the experience of playing video games an enjoyable one.
Hey everyone! I am back from that long long hiatus. Hopefully you will be seeing new content little by little. YouTube wont be moving much at the moment until I am ready to return to making reviews or doing something new. But with all the crazy things happening there, I will wait till everything becomes less troublesome.
Anyways, hope to write something new in the next couple of days. Stay tuned!
Gaming, for some of us, has been a method of passing the time with friends and family. For others, a way to relax and have fun after a hard day of work or studying. However, for some, it is a way of life and a means of escaping the reality of the world they may live in. They are called game addicts.
These types of people play video games for a passion and have almost absolute knowledge of the game they are playing. They research every single aspect of the virtual world they explore and create social networks to share such knowledge with others like them. Wikis are created each day which are populated by these individuals who share a passion for the games they play.
All of this might seem like there is nothing wrong, however it’s the complete opposite. They are shunned by society standards, bullied and used for satirical purposes throughout media. Some may argue that the problem lies with others who allow such a behavior to take root. However, there are other factors that make these type of people behave the way they do.
Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs for short, are one of the primary examples of gaming addiction followed by First Person Shooters or FPS. According to studies made by Kuss, Louws, and Wiersin in the article Online Gaming Addiction? Motives Predict Addictive Play Behavior in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, the research allowed to differentiate the types of gamers who played online games. However, one would argue that the true emphasis of the research was to conclude that gaming addiction should be considered a mental illness.
During my search for more evidence to support the topic, I came across a post on Psychology Today, where they classify gaming addiction for online games as internet gaming disorder. In it they explain this disorder as one that needs further research before fully classifying it as a mental problem. In said article, there was a list of identifying factors to know if the person has such a disorder. The symptoms are the following:
- Preoccupation or obsession with Internet games.
- Withdrawal symptoms when not playing Internet games.
- A build-up of tolerance–more time needs to be spent playing the games.
- The person has tried to stop or curb playing Internet games, but has failed to do so.
- The person has had a loss of interest in other life activities, such as hobbies.
- A person has had continued overuse of Internet games even with the knowledge of how much they impact a person’s life.
- The person lied to others about his or her Internet game usage.
- The person uses Internet games to relieve anxiety or guilt–it’s a way to escape.
- The person has lost or put at risk and opportunity or relationship because of Internet games.
Furthermore, Dr. Lemmens’ abstract of his paper, Addictive Online Games: Examining the Relationship Between Game Genres and Internet Gaming Disorder, gives deeper meaning to what game addicts do. In it is explained that those who suffer from these types of gaming addiction tend to spend more time playing MMOs and FPS than any other type of game. Unfortunately, I was unable to acquire a full text copy in time to make further discussion on this post.
There is more research that can be done in order to diagnose a reliable solution to the problem and we cannot blame game addicts entirely for their predicament. The fact is that the gaming industry is taking advantage of these type of gamers in order to increase their profits. Most AAA studios ensure that their product has some sort of online mode in order to reel in those potential addicts into spending time, and in most cases, money in their games. Unfortunately, the way the economy is shifting makes it almost impossible to prevent this sort of behavior.
Well, about time I returned with another review….
The Mobirates, for those who dont watch Gokaiger, is their main method of transforming into their Ranger forms as well as the only way to access the powers of the Ranger keys. Once more, the use of a Phone type changer or morpher is used for this 35th series of Super Sentai.
The Mobirates itself is big and bulky, due to the fact that it must be able to allow the use of the shows gimmick, the Ranger Keys. Its neatly detailed all around though with both very good paint apps as well as molded details. Of course since its a phone toy the screen is non-functinal. The keypad is there and its nice to see once more that the numbers function. However, there are four non functional buttons which are the call, end call, asterisk and number symbol buttons. The enter or center button does work and is needed when inputting the codes.
Mobirates comes with three DX Ranger Keys: Gokai Red, Shinken Red and Go-On Red. The Ranger keys themselves are nicely detailed like in the show and have unique head sculpts to match the helmets of the individual rangers to identify them better. Their chests are stamped with the designs of each of their suit outfits as well as their legs. Even though the designs and paint apps do not make them look all that appealing, they look show accurate in my opinion. Turning them into key mode requires flipping the hands up and folding the legs up into to cover the upper body. Doing so reveals the key that is individually shaped for each ranger for the Mobirates to recognize from which Super Sentai team they belong. Flipping them into key mode also reveals the individual teams symbol or logo behind the legs.
Once in key mode you can put them into the keyhole of the Mobirates and by twisting them you activate the transformation sequence. Pressing the Enter or center button will shout out the individual rangers color and their battle cry. One thing to note is that only the Gokaiger Ranger keys will identify the rangers by their colors. The rest will just shout out their battle cry for their individual teams. That is it for the normal features of the Mobirates.
However, not all ends there. The Mobirates also has a Versus Mode feature where you insert two ranger keys (place one first then take out and place another key). This will give result depending if the ranger in particular had a cameo or a movie which featured another Sentai Team. One example is Shinkenger Vs Go-Onger so placing Shinken Red key and then Go-On Red key will acknowledge both of them with the title of the movie they were featured. A neat little bonus that Bandai and Toei provided.
You can also input numeric codes into the Mobirates. Depending on the 4 digit code that you input and pressing Enter button you may get a different response. For example code 5501 will result in “Hasshin! Gokai Galleon!” or “Launch! Gokai Galleon!” and depending which code you put in, it will give a different result. Some codes I know off the bat are from 0001 to 0035 which will call out the names of each of the 35 Super Sentai Teams from Goranger to Gokaiger. For a List of Codes you can use with the Mobirates you can check here for a detailed List. I suggest using Google chromes translator in order to read what each code will say roughly.
Thats it for my review of the Henshin Keitai Mobirates. Thank you for reading and please subscribe to the RSS Feed for updates!
When Bandai first announced they would be making Sentai Figuarts I thought to myself that they would end up looking bad. Figuarts was known by us to make awesome looking figures of Kamen Rider, Garo and Anime characters with great precision. How could they be able to replicate the Sentai uniform in a highly detailed figure? Was that even possible?
We got our answer with the release of S.H. Figuarts Shinken Red from the Super Sentai Series, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Everyone was at awe when they saw how Bandai had managed to replicate what a spandex suit looked like in the form of a figure. Forget the Super Legend figures from Bandai America or even the modern MMPR figures, these figuarts were amazingly sculped, detailed and most of all well designed.
I cannot begin to say how much they incorporated the details that a spandex ranger suit has when it’s worn. It has wrinkles in the areas where it would normally be when seen on screen. The gloves are nicely detailed just like the real in show gloves are. The suit even has a zipper line molded into the back of the figure and the back of the boots which also have the folding appearance when leather boots are worn. Those details are some of the things that make this figure amazing.
The helmet is nicely sculpted and polished to look like it did on the Shinkenger show. The paint applications are also well done. The Shiba Clan symbol is well made and painted. Even the Shodou Phone holster is nicely detailed as well as the Shinkenmaru’s holster. Again these are little things that Bandai Japan gave focus into.
Articulation with this figure is outstanding. It can mimic all movement that a human being would be capable of inside a spandex suit. There are some minor nitpics like the 1st release problems with the shoulder “sleeves” that broke when moved. So far I have had no problems with my figure. However, they fixed that issue with later releases.
Accessory count is also wide. Shinken Red comes with holding things hands for his Rekka Daizanto which also comes with the figure, a holding hand for his Shinkenmaru, Shinkenmaru with detachable hidden disk, Shishi origami in both Symbol and Lion modes, a pair of relaxed hands, a hand to hold Shishi origami, a hand to hold the Shodou Phone in pen mode and a Shodou Phone in said Pen mode. Once again Bandai makes our money worth the purchase price.
In general, Figuarts Shinken Red is an awesome looking figure and a must have for any Sentai enthusiast, Power Ranger fan or if you’re just into collecting Figuarts. For those who don’t want to import one from Japan, Toys R Us is now selling them along with the Power Rangers Samurai toyline. So if you want to buy one minus the import costs; hop over to your local Toys R Us and grab a Figuarts Shinken Red for yourself or for a Christmas gift.
I remember the days when I used to play the Mega Man X games on the SNES and the original PSOne. I spent hours playing those games and always wondered if a cool action figure toy would ever be made……I am glad I waited this long for Bandai to finally come through with a figure that does justice to Capcoms Blue Bomber.
The packaging is unique. Just as the D-Arts Digimon packaging was, the Mega Man X line features unique style and designs all over it. You have a nice X that crosses the front of the packaging. There is also tech specs around the images of the figure and even little windows on the back of the box. One of the most interesting aspects of the packaging is that on the back you can actually read the specifications of X. From the model of his X buster to the alloys used for his skin and armor, you can really tell that Bandai wanted this figure to be special.
The figure itself is incredible. Its neatly sculpted to the most minute detail. Every single detail X had in the animation clips and designs is there. However, as great as things sound the figure lacks die cast metal parts and that is where things start to hurt. You can pose X in any position you can think of and it pulls it off with elegance and magnificence. When you bend the elbows or knees, there is a small plastic piece that swivels and covers the gap that would be exposed when making the figure pose. I would recommend getting a stand since it would make your poses look awesome.
Accessories for normal X are as follows: a pair of open holding his X buster hands, a normal arm for when the X buster is not in use, a triple shot effect part, a charged shot effect part and a extra front barrel to hold the effect parts. The hands can be replaced via the ball joint socket system but on mine it seems that one of the hands was looser than the other. The extra front barrel can be placed on the X buster by unplugging the solid front barrel off of the X buster and plugging in the one that holds the shot effect parts.
The extra arm is quite cool to swap out. Its all part of the armor system which allows X to interchange parts with other figures from the line like Zero, Full Armor X and the newly announced Vile. This is done via a clip system inside each of the limbs(arms, legs, head, torso) that unclips or unplugs to interchange with any part of the other figures. You can mix and match parts to your hearts content but remember to do it gently to avoid breaking the clips that hold the limbs in place.
All this is great but why is it bad that the figure has no die-cast metal parts?
The problem lies with the charged shot. The shot is a solid piece of plastic, and heavy plastic to boot. Since X has no die-cast parts, he can easy topple over when you plug in the charged shot. In order to make him hold the shot and not fall over you need to position the legs and body in order to counterweight the weight that the plastic sphere has. This is one of my mayor complaints. Bandai could have at least try to give us a stand to hold the charged shot like you did for Full Armor X’s shot.
The D-Arts Mega Man X is one highly detailed and articulated figure and is also very accurate to what X looked like from the Anime-esque intros and game manuals. It surely is one figure line I definitely recommend getting if possible.
Finally!!! Review #7!! One week of Figuart Reviews is completed!!! I can finally rest……for the moment!!
The OOOs TaJaDol is certainly one of the most cool and awesome looking sculpts from the OOOs series not counting the PuToTyra combo since we all know that combo is really awesome. But nonetheless, TaJaDol also holds a special place in my heart along side DiEnd, Kuuga, Kabuto, Dark Kiva and Skull.
Once again Bandai captured the TaJaDol suit design in their figure. All of the intricate details that the suit had are transferred to the toy and the nice glossy red paint is also gorgeous looking. The head sculpt has the red visor over the compound eyes just as it was on the show. This to me gives it a Gatchaman like theme to the combo and if you dont know what Gatchaman is then look it up!
Articulation is the same as all OOOs figuart so there is not much there to talk. Although the QC issues that plagued previous releases are finally gone with TaJaDol. Unfortunately, its unable to perform the Giga Scan properly but it can be posed in preparation to do it. There are some details like the removable part in the back of the figure as well as the removable legs but that will be covered in a later review.
Accessory count features a Medaljalibur and a weapon holding hand that does not grip the sword at all so 2 useless accessories there. A pair of TaJa Spinner holding hands although he uses the left hand to hold it so another hand not for use. A O scanned holding hand for all the scanning charge and Giga scan situations, a pair of open relaxed hands for being all relaxed and finally the piece of the resistance, the TaJa Spinner. This little accessory is neatly detailed just as the show version and DX version were.
Overall the Figuarts TaJaDol combo is a awesome looking figure. I actually recommend getting it whether or not you have seen OOOs!!
The Magnus Zone 
