General Thoughts

Been a while! I've been busy (but not busy enough to procrastinate here on zOMGamer!) but here I am again.

Sad to say, you have not missed much at all in the last six months in the gaming world. Yes, the 3DS was released and don't get me wrong - it's great. HOWEVER! There are NO. DECENT. GAMES. At all! Even OoT (which was not out on release ANYWAY) was just a port. What was the point of releasing with no games? Nothing decent coming out soon either. Sure there are good 'upcoming titles' (e.g. paper mario, luigi's mansion 2, professor layton, etc) but this is no good to me right now with NO games. We picked up Nintendogs and Street Fighter. Could have played these games without 3D - so what is the point?

Have gotten myself an Xbox 360 (urgh...) - did inherit it for free but had to fork out $150 for an adapter (it's a US box). Again, most games you can get on other platforms. Fable 3 - disappointing sorry. Gears of War 1+2 - disappointing also.

Nintendo Wii down to about $150 AUD - wow what happened. Yes, more accessible, but what a ridiculous price! Guess they are the only ones reflecting the true US price though (in AU, we are ripped off hideously with RRP of games across the board at about $99 with DS at $70). This just means we have 'sale price' more often atm even though shelf price is the same.

Also with the announcement of the Wii U as well as the pretty demos of the new Zelda game, I am looking forward to picking it up! Compared to the new PSVita which undoubtedly will be huge in Asia, will be received poorly everywhere else. Sure I had a PSP - hell we had 2 in the house. But besides Patapon, Loco Roco and Metal Gear Solid games - it is quite dry in terms of games.

All in all - I want a new game to sink my teeth into. Something charming, interesting, strategic; with a good soundtrack! HURRY UP AND MAKE IT ALREADY!!!

10% Discount - WaiCon11

This is a special shout out to our facebook friends. If you aren't part of our facebook network, but are one of our loyal friends, please send an email to zOMG.ah [AT] gmail.com with your full name by thursday night to be added to our list. Thanks very much, WE LOVE YOU!

Making plushies - gamer amigurumi fun

Craft should not be considered, 'girly', but I don't often seen guys hawking their hand crafted wares you know? Anyway, this month (you know, while the shops are all closed) we have been spending time making lovely hand made plushies! There are many toys in progress (especially the ones so hard I can't stand looking at it any more - takes so long to piece pieces together T_T).

Here are some pics!











If you're interested in purchasing, please send us an email at zOMG.ah@gmail.com ^__^

A comment on 'Life Electronica'

As we move forward, technology in all shapes and forms are more accessible to the common man. Gone are the days of being nerdy for knowing how to use a computer. Many of us will use a computer once a week, once a day, once an hour. If not a computer, then a tv, phone, microwave, - life's modern conveniences. But at what cost? When we gain, what are we giving?

In the context of communication, there is a huge trend to personal impersonal sharing of information. We tell everyone the little things in life over many mediums - facebook, twitter, etc. Creating a micro-network of friends and acquaintances can easily replace time spent on a friend over coffee or dinner. The trade off being of course, time. The promise of update-en-masse is so appealing to many of us today. A way to peek in to the lives of so many others. To keep in touch with people you might not even speak to all year. Networking sites are such a powerful tool due to the endless possibility of 'what you might read there'.

As we present a more superficial version of ourselves, what happens to what lies beneath? The here and now of our society may be leaving our goals, aspirations and inspirations behind. Why are people so trivial about life online? Why is it so easy for us to type something out and tell hundreds of people what we have spent the morning on, versus telling a close friend that you just don't like their boyfriend, cussing, or drinking? What do we rate as 'just for laughs' compared to 'just between us'? How blurred that line is becoming - the separation of personal and impersonal information.

Available information about you all over the www. The internet used to be about anonymity - you were free to be whoever you wanted to be without telling anyone where you were from, what your name was, how old you were, your schooling background. Now, wetype your name into google and get pictures of you, your friends, your house, your dog - voila.

Sorry to say - I blame n00bs. We have equipped the n00bs. And we (the humble nerd) are now the slaves of humanity. The free tech support of 'IRL'. Fixing phones, computers, dvd players... But we keep making it easier and user-friendly - why are we adding n00bs to our digital world?

I am all for it - technology supremists - let's start a revolution.

Recommended in 'Gifts for Gamers'

Sneakycoon has added our Chocobo Scarf to 'Gifts for Gamers' item list!

Check it out here on etsy.

A shoutout to our friends at AniCu for showing a little appreciation for our scarves at their recent meeting! Thankyou ver much we love you all <3

I am still waiting for games to come in the mail :( When will they come? WHERE IS MY KIRBY GAME D=

At the moment, I've fired up Oblivion GOTY edition for PS3. Scored it for $20. Even though I've played it before (didn't like it much at the time either) it seems a bit better now. But I still think it needs more direction. I thought the 'quicklist shortcut keys' made no sense (diagonal for a d-pad = fail). But there are a lot of game options (so many races, classes, etc @_@)

Anyhoo. I am off to finish my NCIS episode :)

Munchkin - A Card Game

I always had this weird preconception about 'role-playing'. You know, the stereotypical DnD game.
I've always been into gaming - be it board game, card game, mind game. But never really considered role-playing games. Maybe because the stereotype comes with those guys with beards. Me being neither a guy nor a beard wearer.

A friend had told me about Munchkin but I didn't really understand what it was about. She had described it as a, 'role-playing game' and that had deterred me plenty! One day though, she got it for a birthday present so we 'fired it up' as we say in computer lingo. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in quite some time.

So, what is Munchkin? It is what I would describe as a, 'complex card game not for children'. That is, a card game for adults (not to be confused with an adult card game). Where does the 'role-playing' come in? Well, that's better explained by telling you what the game is about.

You are a 'munchkin'. No need to get into a mindset of a character - it's just you. You don't have to be the munchkin. You can play as a munchkin (for all you Cluedo players, it's just like picking Mrs. Peacock or Prof. Plum - it's just a character). You start at level one and the point of the game is to get to level ten.

You proceed in levels by beating monsters (NO DON'T GO TO THE BEARD MINDSET - KEEP READING) or using 'go up a level' cards. How do you beat monsters? Your level, plus any bonus cards you have (e.g. a type of sword, an item of clothing, etc) is your 'attack level' and this needs to be higher than the monster's level. Plain and simple.

This game is not to be described as, 'fast pace'. It is not like playing blackjack. It is more like playing monopoly. It is a 'longer' process of collecting things to pwn other players.

Of course, there are many nuances to the game. I've described it at bare bones. For instance:
- the game is HILARIOUS - references to the internet, games, and pop-culture are all over it
- you can team up with, or against another player (which is mean, but HILARIOUS)
- it is unpredictable (gameplay progresses by drawing a 'door card' and drawing 'treasure cards' when you beat a monster)
- it is different every time (cards = randomised play)
- it is EXPANDABLE! That's right, you can buy more cards for your deck. You can buy different versions of the game, which are compatible with each other also (see this cthulhu version, and this pirate version)

So, why this huge plug?

Due to the aussie dollar being so great, it is cheap to buy it from their online website. Shipping is a flat $12.00 so if you buy one of the games (the original game is $24.95) it is only going to cost you about $40 instead of paying $50 or so at the store. And of course, the more you buy the cheaper since shipping is flat.

Also, I would recommend getting card protector sleeves since these cards will be handled a lot and over time it can damage them. I picked some up at milsims - 100 for $2.62 + flat $5.50 shipping (I picked up 10 packs so it works out).

Another thing, when you buy these, the decks tend to get giant. I would recommend getting some plastic boxes which fit the cards so you can put them away properly. The website sells 'boxes of holding' but I dunno they are just cardboard you can pick up something like this which is readily available at the shops for a pretty nominal amount (e.g. $3 from kmart).

Anyway, something to do when the power goes out huh? What about nerd parties! Or, just some good old fashioned card playing fun. With pwning involved :)

Honorable Mentions

Firstly, a big shout out to sammiemantha who featured out chocobo scarf in her blog about Chocobo Halloween! You can see the article here.

Secondly, let's hit up some honourable mentions in the last quarter game release! (Fall Out Vegas has already been mentioned so will not be reviewing today~)

Kirby's Epic Yarn [Wii] - 19/10/10 [~$80]
Assuming that all the DS games were fairly 'meh', this game is looking to be pretty damn good! What do you need to know? It is a platform game and although it will be colourful and pretty, I don't think you will feel hugely challenged by this upcoming title if you are a 1337 gamer.

- No eating, only whipping (... liquorice whip!)
+ 'Boy and His Blob' shape transformation!
- No use of nunchuck (think Warioland - sideways remote with up/down tilting features)

Unfortunately for me after watching the trailer it just struck me as a combination of Little Big Planet (PS3), Yoshi's Story (N64) and New Super Mario (Wii). If you haven't played any of these games then you will be happy but if you have played all of these games, I'm not sure if this game will measure up!

View the E3 trailer here.

Epic Mickey [Wii] - 26/11/10 [~$55-$80]
Let me start off by saying - Mickey's half-brother is a rabbit? WTF? Anyway, think of Fable a la Disney and you will have Epic Mickey wrapped up in a nutshell. It is a platform RPG with a karma system.

+ Essentially a 'choose your own adventure' style game where what you do affects the game (albeit limited)
+ New concept of 'painting' and 'thinning' the world around you shaping the gameplay
- Hopefully all the worlds aren't as dark as the ones in the preview - I hate it when games are so dark like this. Give us some light and shade please! So we can appreciate the beautiful graphics
- I wish this game was in HD :(

Don't bother sitting through the E3 'game preview' trailer it was very very very boring. That guy talking - wow boring voice. To me, it looked a lot like Crash Bandicoot style game play in terms of camera angle, collecting, etc. I find this style gives me a headache after a while but you might be able to lock the camera.

Little Big Planet 2 [PS3] - 19/11/10 $60 Asia Region
This is one of those games that just puts a smile on your face from the word go. This game is not easy - but it is marvellous to play from the music, to the graphics, to the subtle humour - it is fantastic. It is one game that you can play with your friends (there aren't many out there) or by yourself with equal tenacity.

It is half tempting though to wait for the 'Game of the Year' edition which will have all the downloadable content for free on the disc (like LBP1 GOTY edition).

This game may have been pushed back to January 2011, speculatively because of 'PlayStation Move' features being incorporated into it. If they bundle it with the Move I will definitely get it. However at this point in time, having the Move is absolutely a waste of money IMO. I would also like to get my hands on the special edition pack which features a sackboy, bookends and free avatars, although if they release it in Australia is another story (guess I will have to get the US one - depends on the price).


View the official Sony trailer here.