Name: Ryan
Email:
AIM: TheRyanFace
Bio: Ryan is Reviews Editor of SideQuesting. In 2004, he began writing about his video gaming experiences in a blog that he kept at 1Up. He began writing for SideQuesting upon its inception in the Spring of 2009. Ryan hopes to get readers to think critically about video games through his reviews and editorial pieces.
Posts by Ryan:
SideQuesting’s Best of 2011 #6: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
January 11th, 2012
I think that there are two main genres of daydreaming that geeks today subscribed to while growing up: science fiction and fantasy. For me, it was the latter that helped shape the geek that I am today (I didn’t discover Star Wars until college. I know; I’m awful.) I loved the Middle Ages as a kid. It was the only unit in social studies that I cared to learn anything about. As the timid, straight-A Asian kid in class, there was something about the Middle Ages that really appealed to me. Maybe it was the heroics, chivalry, and saving the lady that I really fell in love with because that was the furthest thing from who I was in real life. Either way, this is what I day dreamed about as a child.
Running around with a sword, slaying monsters, and saving the princess were all ideas that never would have touched my five-year old mind if it werent for The Legend of Zelda. Before I even knew there was such thing as the Middle Ages, there was The Legend of Zelda. Before I even knew what a dragon was, there was Aquamentus at the end of Level 1. At that age, if I wasn’t playing Zelda, I was out in my backyard in Long Island with a wooden paint stirrer from Home Depot killing imaginary monsters and smooching up on imaginary princesses.
As a kid, I wanted to be Link. And today, as a grown-ass man, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has allowed me to interact with that fantasy at a deeper level than I ever had before.
I would like to think that anyone with a heart would give anything to be able to vividly experience a childhood daydream as an adult. It’s a chance to truly forget and remember. That’s what Nintendo offered me in the form of Skyward Sword. And I bit.
Hard.
Two summers ago, I was the SideQuesting staffer who wrote the preview for this game after the Nintendo presser. I cold-heartedly broke down each mechanic that an item brought to the experience as a Wii Sports Resort mini-game. This assessment still holds true, but it’s hard to dismiss it as just that. After securing a finished game and playing through it in its entirety, this is one of those cases where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Skyward Sword was successful because it provided the “backyard experience” of playing as (pretending to be) Link and filled in the blanks — normally sketched in with my imagination — with a colorful rendition of Hyrule and a story that would satisfy the most rabid Zelda fan.
For someone like me who fears getting old, playing Skyward Sword and being able to daydream like I did as a kid in a world that I love was an incredibly therapeutic experience.
Review: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
December 21st, 2011Taking over a successful videogame franchise is probably a lot like being a long-term substitute teacher; it’s got its ups and downs. I know this because I’ve lived it for the past few months. For instance, lesson-planning is much easier because the original teacher leaves behind unit plans so that the students continue to learn the curriculum at the intended pace. This is also important because when the original teacher returns, the students are right where they need to be. Another example, albeit a little “inside baseball,” is that paperwork and signing up for district e-mail accounts is all taken care of. You’re given all of the original teacher’s username and passwords, so there’s no need to be bogged down on that. Ideally, a long-term substitute is given all the tools they need to hit the ground running and execute the curriculum as planned.
It’s not without its downsides, though. The pay isn’t as good — but that’s okay because you’re teaching, and you’re still getting paid to do what you love either way. More importantly, there are high expectations. During September and October, I worked maternity leave for a beloved, high-caliber teacher in a small suburb of Chicago. Meeting the expectations of the community and overcoming this stigma of “just being a substitute teacher” is overwhelming at first. You want to fit in and continue carry on the record of excellence that was set before you, all while earning the respect of those you work with and work for. This must be what 343 Industries feels like at the moment as they’re tossed the keys to the Halo franchise.
In the education business, if your principal asks you to do something, you do it. So if Microsoft charges you with remaking Halo: Combat Evolved, you better do it well. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a successful remake, but it does little to showcase what 343 Industries will be bringing to the franchise.
Comparison between the game's visual modes
Fans of the original title will be happy to know that, conservatively speaking, Halo: CEA is a more-than-competent remake. It runs on the same game engine as the original Halo. In fact, hitting back on the controller switches between classic mode and the improved HD visuals mode. This also has its ups and downs. I was still playing through Halo: CE, but it just had HD skin, designed to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Halo 3 or Halo: Reach. On the other hand, this showcases the fact that nothing new was added to the gameplay. I was playing through a game that was released ten years ago, and the gameplay I was enjoying was Bungie’s doing — not 343′s.
Of course, since the gameplay was not touched fans will not be getting a glimpse of what innovative tweaks 343 Industries may be offering to the franchise in future iterations. The feature of being able to switch between classic and HD is only intriguing once per level, and it only highlights how little was added to the experience. Considering all of the additions to the “Halo formula” that have been added to the series over the past ten years, playing Halo: CEA was a lot like going camping — which is a lot of fun until the first time you have to wipe your ass with a handful of leaves (or hit LB to sprint or rocketpack only to find that it only turns on your flashlight).
This sort of thing is not only true for the campaign, it’s true for the multiplayer as well. The multiplayer components (non-CoOp) of Halo: CEA are all based on those of Halo: Reach, and again that’s more of Bungie’s work. “New” offerings include remade maps (with new nooks and crannies) from Halo: CE and Halo 2 and a new Firefight map. Outside of the small terrain changes in the remade maps and “re-sizing” of levels to make them appropriate for Reach’s abilities, nothing new has been brought to the table.
After a few months working as a long-term substitute, I know that there are good days and bad days. I also know the difference between executing someone else’s lesson plan, word-for-word, and taking a curriculum and making it yours. I’ve done both.
Unfortunately, it seems like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is more of the former than the latter. For all intents and purposes, Halo: CEA is a good game. But when the community you’re serving is the Halo fanbase and your administration is Microsoft, just “good” is unacceptable — especially for gameplay that’s bordering on being stale. I want 343 Industries to succeed because I want the Halo franchise to continue to thrive, but they really need to show me a lot more with the next trilogy. Otherwise, it’s just another game that’s about shooting aliens in the dick.
The Morning Report: It’s over NINE THOUSAND!!!
July 15th, 2011
We’ve got a lot of big numbers from yesterday’s stories. How big?
Sonic Generations preview: Sunny days for the blue blaze
June 26th, 2011
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog arriving on the Sega Genesis, and Sega is celebrating Sonic’s 20th birthday by bringing us Sonic Generations. Sonic Generations is the a tribute to the franchise that allows fans to relive the high-points of the blue hedgehog’s career via level design and gameplay.
With respect to the franchise, I’m not as much of a bandwagon jumper (if you can say that) as I am just late to the party. I’ve just finished the three original Sonic games sometime during the last two years on XBLA, and I’m in an on-again, off-again, love/hate relationship with Sonic and Knuckles.
I’m a series tourist. I’m may not live in Sonic-ville, but I sure like to visit when the weather’s right, and Sonic Generations looks to offer sunny days, blue skies, and two kinds of hedgehogs. Read the rest of this entry “
Zelda 25th Anniversary Review: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link [repub]
June 24th, 2011
Republished article from our 8-bit Week, highlighting a Zelda memory.
In a meeting room, somewhere at Nintendo of Japan HQ, Shigeru Miyamoto meets with his team to discuss the sequel to the wildly popular Legend of Zelda. Miyamoto sits at the head of a long business table, lined with his closest advisers and associates. The following has been translated to English for your convenience.
“Mr. Miyamoto, we’d like to congratulate you on your success with The Legend of Zelda. Right now, it’s the first NES game to sell over 1 million units. It would be wise to strike while the iron is hot and follow-up with a sequel while it’s still fresh in our fans’ minds.”
“Thank you. And I agree, we must release a sequel soon.”
“We’ll get the team on it. So, we put Link in a new land, scramble the overworld up, and insert new labyrinths. Save. Print. Right?”
“Well, that’s not quite what I had in mind. I was thinking of boxes.”
“Boxes, sir?”
“Boxes. Instead of hearts on top of the screen, we have boxes to represent Link’s life. Also, we need points! Lots of points! Like, if Link were to do something like vanquish a foe, he could get experience points that make him stronger… kind of like in these role-playing games they have now.”
“I see. I’ll make note of that. Is that it, sir?”
Little did Shigeru Miyamoto’s associates and yes-men know that that question would set off a myriad of “ohs,” “ahs,” and raised eyebrows. It’s fitting that in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, our hero would be in search of the Triforce of Courage because within this title is one of Miyamoto’s (and the 8-bit era’s) greatest displays of courage. But with this bravery comes one of the 8-bit era’s greatest flaws. Read the rest of this entry “
Mass Effect 3 preview: Once more, with feeling
June 23rd, 2011
Mass Effect 3 will be aimed towards a more mainstream audience. Recent reports claim as much regarding one of my favorite videogame franchises. That’s why I wanted to get to the bottom of things at E3. After reading this recent news regarding Mass Effect 3, I was concerned that it would be getting a makeover that would result in a Gears of War game with dialogue trees.
How much would BioWare be changing Mass Effect? Would it still look like the Mass Effect games I’ve fallen in love with?
After seeing the game at E3, I’m happy to say that the answer to that last question was a resounding “yes.” Although far from being Gears of War, Mass Effect 3 does deliver hard-hitting action that has yet to be seen in the series. More importantly, it does so without compromising what the series stands for. Read the rest of this entry “
E311 Hands-On: Rotastic is Fantastic
June 10th, 2011
Remember the scene in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade where Indy and the villain have to choose which cup was the Holy Grail? The villain chose the shiniest, most decorated cup because he felt that that cup would be best suited for the cup of the Messiah. Those who saw the movie know what happened to him; he aged into dust. Indy knew what was up. Being the thinking man, he knew that Jesus wasn’t a king in the literal sense. Jesus was a carpenter, so Indy chose the pauper’s cup. And he chose wisely.
Finding a good game at E3 is hard. Just like the chalices that Indy and his nemesis had to look through, they begin to look the same after a long day. Thankfully, a simple game like Focus Home Interactive’s Rotastic can really stand out in one’s mind after a grueling day at E3. And when it comes to gaming, simplicity can be next to divinity. Read the rest of this entry “
E311: My Wii U controller, my Wii U controller, and me
June 9th, 2011
While waiting to get in line for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, a Nintendo booth babe offered to let us get our hands on her Wii U controller. Although we normally don’t do booth babe posts here, we thought we’d make one exception with these pictures. Read the rest of this entry “
