Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Upside Down Tomatoes

Here is a post that has nothing to do with video games.  It is all about how to grow tomatoes upside down.  If you are interested check out the website I made. Here.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Brutal Legend


Brutal Legend was released in 2009 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.  The game is centered around heavy metal and everything from the character’s clothing to the scenery and the soundtrack are all references of heavy metal.  As an added bonus Jack Black does the voice work for the main character.
The gameplay is a mix of action adventure and real time strategy games creating a unique experience.  The single player story mode consists of exploring the vast environment doing various missions to progress the story or side missions for fun and extra experience.  There are hidden items, buried metal, in the game the player can find to boost their abilities as well as add to the in game song bank.  There are over 100 heavy metal songs in the game.
Eventually the player learns how to engage in Stage Battles.  These are kind of real time strategy mini games.  The player protects one stage while the opponent protects the other.  They both have spawning vents that produce “fans”.  Once the player has enough fans they can summon various creatures to form an army and attack the other player.  One of the funniest types that can be summoned are the “headbangers”.  They stand there and constantly head bang their stretched necks.  Troops can target the other player’s troops, resources, or stage.   Planning and timing is the key to victory.  In the multiplayer mode players face off against each other in these Stage Battles.
Anyone that is a fan of heavy metal, Jack Black, or a good game with a unique style should pick up Brutal Legend.  It has laugh out loud moments and slightly more serious moments meshed in one awesome game.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Patapon


Patapon was released for the Playstation Portable in 2008.  It had a sequel soon after and is expecting another sequel this year.  The game is about a tribe, the Patapon, that have been defeated by the Zigoton Empire.  It is the goal of the game to take back the land that has been lost by using the power of the drums to control the Patpons and lead them to victory.
The player controls the Patapons by issuing commands via drum sequences.  Each button is a different drum note and together they issue different commands.  For example Square, Square, Square, Circle is Pata, Pata, Pata, Pon and commands them to march forward.  Circle, Circle, Square, Circle is Pon, Pon, Pata, Pon and commands them to attack. Repeatedly entering commands in time with the rhythm will lead to “fever” which increases attack and defensive bonuses.
Using the various commands the player must defeat various enemy forces and lead the various Patapon troops to victory.  This game gets the player into the rhythm and rocking along with the drums.