Toontown Rewritten: Keeping the Dream Alive

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Source: Disney Interactive

The End of an Era… or is it?

Do you remember Disney’s Toontown Online? It was a family-friendly MMO game where you could make friends, play minigames and beat up corporate robots with the power of slapstick comedy. Toontown was a staple of my childhood; it wasn’t the only kid’s online game I played, but it was definitely my favourite one.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With the game losing subscribers and, therefore, money, Disney decided to close the doors to Toontown in September 2013 after 10 years of service.

That would have been the end if the fans of Toontown Online didn’t have anything to say about that!

Source: Disney Interactive

When it was announced that Toontown would be shut down for good, many determined and tech-savvy players got to work on preserving the game that they loved. In the months after the original game shut down, a handful of private servers were created and entered the testing phase. Most of the original servers are no longer available to play on, but one has risen above the rest and continues to be the most popular fan-run server: Toontown Rewritten.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

The History of Toontown Rewritten

The person who started the project that would become Toontown Rewritten was a teenager named Joey Ziolkowski. He gathered up a team of other talented fans, and, together, they began to work on Toontown Rewritten shortly after the announcement of Toontown Online’s closure. By October 2013, Toontown Rewritten entered its alpha phase of testing, which was playable by anyone who was lucky enough to get their hands on an alpha key.

The end of Rewritten’s alpha phase reintroduced the corporate robots known as the Cogs in a cinematic event known as “Doomsday”. After a couple of more months in closed beta, Toontown Rewritten officially entered open beta for all fans to play in September 2014.

Over the next few years, the Rewritten team worked hard to reintroduce everything that was in the original Toontown Online and squash all the bugs that came with the updates. As much as I love Toontown, I will admit that it was never the most stable video game to begin with, and some bugs took much longer to fix than others (looking at you, physics-breaking golf balls!). Toontown Rewritten finally reached the end of its beta phase in 2017.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

New and Improved

Although Toontown Rewritten’s development has slowed since the end of beta, the Rewritten Team continues to maintain and update the game. Notable updates include an improved Options menu (with the ability to change keybinds) and a month-long event where the toons raided one of the Cog HQs.

Source: Toontown Rewritten, Original Concept by Disney Interactive

On December 3, 2021, Toontown Rewritten released its biggest update and the first game expansion to include brand new story content exclusive to this private server.

One of Toontown Online’s old game modes, known as Sellbot Field Offices, were never implemented in Rewritten due to how unpopular they were. Instead of abandoning the idea completely, however, the Rewritten team remade these Field Offices from the ground up. The new Sellbot Field Offices are tough-as-nails challenges for the strongest of players that end with a unique boss battle.

Alongside the Field Offices, veteran toons can enjoy a new storyline where they join a secret organization who are on the front lines of the battle against the Cogs. Every secret organization also needs a secret hideout; can you find the hideout’s entrance?

We may never know if we’ll ever see Toontown in an official format again, whether from Disney or another company buying the rights to the IP. Maybe a spiritual successor will come around one day. Either way, I’m glad that there’s still a way to play this gem of a game, and it’s all thanks to the work of Toontown’s most dedicated fans.

Toons of the world, unite!

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

Ghost of Tsushima got a standalone release and it’s all we wanted!

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Ghost of Tsushima got a new game mode on September 3, “Rivals”, which expanded the gameplay into a supernatural world from the Japanese mythology. It’s a completely free add-on, which is now available as a standalone title; however some of the unlockables are only available if you finish the single-player story campaign

PVP or PVEVP?

In Rivals you compete with another team in order to win. You control a team of two competing against another team to defeat waves of enemies. With each defeated foe, you’ll collect Magatama that you can use to harm the other team.

Both teams start in their own identical gauntlet. You hunt the demonised Mongol soldiers, who drop the in-game currency Magatama when killed.

This ethereal currency can be spent in shrines where you can drop distractions and curses upon the enemy team. For example, you can spend Magatama on Shades to block your opponents’ purchases, Curses (health drain, exploding bodies, etc), Hwacha fire, and more.

Each of them will vary as you rotate between the Rivals maps currently available.

You also can not just hold onto your Magatama. To progress to the second half of a Rivals match, you and your partner need to spend a total of 65 Magatama. This will unlock a control point that you need to defend for three waves, each wave packing stronger foes.  

Complete these before the opposing team to win!

From 110 to 120!

Rivals introduces a new mastery gear mechanic to the game. This is a new expansion of the progression systems and rewards for Legends. Players who’ve earned 110-level gear will now be able to bind it to a class and activate “Mastery Challenges.” This will allow a piece of gear’s Ki level to be upgraded to 120 and eventually unlock a second perk slot! As you activate Mastery Challenges, you can also unlock a new Ability and new Techniques for each class

Uncover the Tale of Iyo

“The Tale of Iyo” also came with the update, a three-chapter raid that will require four players who are geared up and ready to coordinate. However, “The Tale of Iyo” will not support matchmaking, so players will need to find their group outside of the game, either through online meetings or real-life friends. Also, your gear level needs to be at a level minimum of 100.

This raid rolls out with a new set of weekly challenges. There will be two-player story missions and four-player survival missions with weekly modifiers. Those missions will reward gear, which is a great way to get ready for the Tale of Iyo raid and leaderboards. These missions can also get tougher if players complete bonus objectives, and they reward better items in return.

Rivals builds on what is already such a groundbreaking PlayStation hit, and game producer Sucker Punch Productions has promised there’s even more to come!

J.V

João Victor, most commonly known as JV, is a Brazilian writer and musician who currently lives in Ottawa. He loves Basketball, good vibes and sleeps way too much. Twitter: @blognotfortnite

Why Spartan-IVs Suck

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The Stench of 343

The last decade has seen 343 Industries inflict unimaginable horrors upon the Halo universe: from the hated Prometheans to the massacre of Halo’s once iconic art style, 343 has thoroughly ravaged this once beautiful and immaculate franchise.

None of these, however, can stack up to the atrocity that is the Spartan-IV program.

Widely seen as the face of 343-era Halo, the IVs have spent the last decade urinating all over not only the legacy of the previous generations of Spartans, but of Bungie-era Halo.

Sheer Hubris

In the words of Tywin Lannister, “Any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king.” Clearly the IVs have yet to learn that lesson, if Halo 4’s Spartan Ops is any indication. If you took a shot every time Palmer says the word “Spartan” or “Spartans”, you’d likely send your liver into the fourth dimension.

“Commander” Sarah Palmer, Dalton, Miller, Fireteam Majestic — these are all children who play at being soldiers in their parents’ backyard. This isn’t my opinion, this is something that is plain to see from the way they conduct themselves, both on the field and off duty.

Palmer doesn’t even carry a rank, she’s just called “Commander” despite the fact that she doesn’t “command” anything. Oh wait, actually (and this is something explained in expanded universe material, so thanks Halopedia) she does carry a rank! Not a real rank, mind you, but she carries the newly made-up rank of Spartan. And you know what the kicker is? So does every single Spartan-IV in existence. So, what exactly qualifies Palmer to “command” the Spartan-IVs? Don’t know!

To make their generation of super soldiers feel special, 343 decided to create an entirely new branch of the UNSC for the Spartans, literally just called Spartan Operations. In the process of doing this to the previously logical and realistically portrayed UNSC, someone in the writing room had a stroke and accidentally removed all semblance of rank and hierarchy from the Spartans. So, now we’re left with an entire military branch (consisting of about 300-500 members) which is somehow organized around soldiers who are literally all equal to each other.

Right…

We Were ODST

Anybody remember the ODSTs? The Helljumpers? Those crazy SOBs who’d be dropped behind enemy lines from orbit in these defenseless little pods? I know I do, and by the prophets do I ever miss them.

While the ODSTs technically still exist within Halo canon, they’ve not been seen in any mainline game since Halo: Reach, since they’ve essentially been made obsolete by the Spartan-IVs.

The ODSTs were so cool, and so beloved, because they were normal people who did these insane things; they didn’t have hyper advanced power armor to protect them, nor did they possess any physical augmentations. All they had was their courage, their training, their rifles, and each other; and they got the job done, because they were mean, green, killing machines.

They were ODST.

But don’t worry, at least the Spartan-IVs can ground pound rocks really hard — some real heroes we’ve got on our hands now.

The Safe Spartans

The IVs are just adults who are picked from the branches of the UNSC. That’s it. The augmentations are not as extensive as the IIs, but they’re safe. I feel like I don’t even need to explain how boring that is. We went from 12-year-old kids being able to kill Elites with their bare hands to grown adults who throw temper tantrums and punch things when  they don’t get their way.

The Spartans also used to evoke a strong sense of myth, of being literal living legends. Spartans Never Die was the old phrase used in-universe during the Bungie days, and it was awesome. It made you imagine how the marines must have felt upon seeing a Spartan in the flesh — tall, imposing, and utterly invincible.

But there’s nothing invincible about the IVs, save their ineptitude, their unprofessionalism, their entitlement and their arrogance. They are regularly disrespectful to the marines and to their legendary predecessors. They throw around the word “Spartan” at every opportunity, seemingly in a vain attempt at appearing fearsome or noble, when they are anything but.

All of this, and so much more, is why the Spartan-IVs suck.

Ladies…

Kyle Michaud

Kyle is an aspiring writer at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. Bad (but great) at Halo, comedian, and plays guitar sometimes.

Bring Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to PS4, Aspyr!

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The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

 

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the greatest role-playing games ever made. I can’t even count how many times I have completed this game. I beat it on the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and currently playing it on the Nintendo Switch. There’s just one problem… I haven’t played it on my PlayStation 4 yet! Aspyr released the game on the Nintendo Switch and said nothing about it coming to PlayStation 4, and I can’t help but cry. Let’s inspect my despair.

 

If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

 

Over the last few years, Aspyr has released several classic Star Wars games on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Even Microsoft released a few of them on the backwards compatibility list for the Xbox One back in April 2016—and I was more excited to play Battlefront (2004) than the new God of War. A few titles that have made their way to PlayStation 4 include Star Wars: Republic Commando, Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy 1 & 2, Bounty Hunter, Jedi Star Fighter, Racer Revenge, and Episode I: Racer. The games have upgraded frame rates, graphical enhancements, and PlayStation Trophies. Aspyr has released so many! So, why the delay, Aspyr? Release Knights of the Old Republic already. This is outrageous! It’s unfair!

 

The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

 

I want this game on PlayStation 4 for an obvious reason: it gives me another chance to play the game on a different console. But there’s also another reason: I want to platinum the game. I want trophies, damn it! The only reason I haven’t completed Knights of the Old Republic on the hardest difficulty on the original Xbox is because there was nothing I got out of it except bragging rights. If Aspyr released the game on PlayStation 4 and included a hard difficulty trophy, then it would be worth my time. I just want trophies. Trophies, trophies, trophies. When Republic Commando released on PS4 earlier this year, I was excited when I saw the Marshal Commander Trophy. Beat the game on hard difficulty, you say? No problem!

 

I have a bad feeling about this…

 

Will KOTOR come to PlayStation 4? I have a feeling it will… eventually. Unfortunately, the dark side clouds everything—impossible to see the future is. Aspyr announced Star Wars: Republic Commando’s release for Nintendo Switch back in January, and it took another month before they revealed the PlayStation 4 release date. When they announced the Knights of the Old Republic release for Nintendo Switch in September, I figured they would do the same thing… but they didn’t. November 11 came along, and they said nothing about the game being on PlayStation 4… and to this day, still nothing. It’s a strange situation because Star Wars: Jedi Academy 1 & 2 were released for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on the same dates—September 24th, 2019, and March 26th, 2020. So, why the hold up for Republic Commando and Knights of the Old Republic? Maybe it takes more effort to port bigger games? The situation isn’t very clear, and I don’t have the answer. It just makes me so mad. Why, Aspyr? Why?! I must remain calm, for anger is a path to the dark side. I can only hope this beloved title will come to PlayStation 4 and reunite with its Star Wars brethren soon. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

Styles HD

Styles writes funny stuff and is a funny guy. Or so he thinks. He writes novels, lives in Hangar 11, and plays a lot of Halo. He’s pretty good at it - message him for 1v1’s.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. Worth it?

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Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl dropped for Nintendo Switch on November 19th

What is new?

The game remains faithful to the original Diamond and Pearl: the camera is overhead and the characters remain presented in their chibi models.

However, everything else has been remade. There are new 3D models, new textures and Pokémon features. The new textures make the game feel more alive - especially when your Pokémon is always strolling behind you, which they had previously implemented in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee and the Sword and Shield downloadable content (DLC).

The Pokémon Super Contest Show is also returning with different categories. The developers could have made the mini-game more complex since this release is on the Switch, but it remains a simple rhythm game. During the competition win, you can use a pre-chosen move to “wow” the judges.

I was very happy with the Pokémon battles being 3D, and also glad that my trainer was full-sized and not the chibi model during the battle sequence. EXP Share still applies to all Pokémon in your party once the battle is over. I know some people wanted a more faithful game but I’m happy with these changes. They make traversing the region easier and I can enjoy the ride instead of grinding and having to battle every single NPC I find.

The Bidoof effect

Another change that I’m happy with has been the use of a Bidoof as an overall HM move instead of equipping that move in each different Pokémon. Honestly, it makes no sense whatsoever, but I will take the convenience over wasting move slots that could surely come in handy.

Character customization is in the game, which is more than welcome. It’s a great feature especially when you play online and everyone is not looking the same. Customization shakes things up a bit. However, it’s not perfect. You have pre-determined looks to choose from, but I will take that over no customization at all.

The Grand Underground

The Underground becoming the Grand Underground has been a great addition to the game. Players can still excavate items, but now you can find Pokémon statues to decorate your secret base. These affect which Pokémon you will see in the wild Underground rooms that are now called Hideaways. If you’re lucky enough, you might find a rare shiny statue! You can also capture Pokémon you couldn’t in the earlier games. The level of the Pokémon scales to your current badge total as well, which helps if you want to add a new team member.

If you just got the game, you have until February 21 to get your Manaphy in the mystery box, and if you have a save file from Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee or Pikachu you can get gifted a Mew. Also if you have a save file from Sword and Shield, you can get gifted a Jirachi

Overall, the game is great! I definitely would struggle to play the original versions. Trainers that are supposed to be a challenge do feel tougher; they use heals and have a sense of strategy this time around, which makes the combat feel fresh. However, enemies can spam the same move, and it gets annoying very quickly. The game feels like it definitely worked overall and it’s a definite catch, so what’re you waiting for? Start shiny hunting.

J.V

João Victor most commonly known as JV, is a Brazilian writer and musician who currently lives in Ottawa. He loves basketball, good vibes and sleeps way too much. Twitter: @blognotfortnite

How a Pokémon Spinoff Game Made Me Love Storytelling

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Although the main Pokémon games are developed by Game Freak, the game publishers at The Pokémon Company often give the Pokémon license to other game companies to let them create the spinoff titles. This has been done since the early days of the Pokémon franchise; did you know that Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap was developed by HAL Laboratories, the creators of the Kirby games?

This time, the license was given to the company Chunsoft, who were best known for their work on the first five Dragon Quest games. The mission was to create a crossover game with Chunsoft’s roguelike series Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer.

 

Source: Spike Chunsoft

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Thus, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team was created, and it was released in North America on September 18, 2006. Two version of Rescue Team were released: Red Rescue Team for the GBA and Blue Rescue Team for the DS.

I got Red Rescue Team as a Christmas gift that year, and, as a young Pokémon fan, I enjoyed this new take on a favourite franchise a lot. Getting to be a Pokémon, exploring procedurally generated dungeons and rescuing other Pokémon from peril felt like a grand adventure to eight-year-old me.

The Rescue Team games were a pretty good time all around, but this story isn’t about those games. Greater things were coming for the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series: we’re here to talk about the sequels.

 

Sequel Detected!

Source: Spike Chunsoft

On April 20, 2008, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness were released in North America for the Nintendo DS. I was now nine years old, and I was excited for a new adventure in the Mystery Dungeon format. What was waiting for me in the journey ahead?

It turned out that the sequel was everything that I wanted and more. The main story in Explorers was twice as long as the one in Rescue Team. This made for an even bigger adventure, not only across the Pokémon World, but through time as well. Smaller missions also made a return from Rescue Team with a fun new addition. Not only could you save Pokémon in need, but now you could take on outlaw Pokémon: minibosses that gave rewards should you beat them in battle. That’s just scratching the surface of new things that Explorers introduced.

 

You might be thinking, “It sounds like you had fun with the game, but how did it make you fall in love with storytelling?” I could tell you about the narrative while treading carefully around spoilers. You wake up on the beach and meet a Pokémon that ends up becoming your team partner. Together, the two of you learn how to always be brave, no matter how big the challenges are. I could talk about the excellent plot twists that shocked me when I was a kid, and I believe that they still hold up well.

But what really made me love the story was the heart that was put into it. The storytellers behind the game really knew when to pull at the heartstrings to further engross players into the game’s world. They knew exactly when to make the player laugh, how to rile up their anger, and when to have a more introspective moment. This all lead to an ending that left me and many others in tears. It was clear that a lot of passion was put into the story, and it made me want to create stories with just as much heart poured into them.

Source: Spike Chunsoft

 

Source: Spike Chunsoft

Wynaut used Encore!

That wasn’t quite the end of this tale. A year and a half later, a definitive version of the games known as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky was released. It contained brand new content, including a sub-story involving the Pokémon Shaymin, many new dungeons, and five “Special Episodes” that put the player in the shoes of the supporting cast.

If you haven’t played the Explorers games before, this is the version I recommend playing; the additions are worth it. If you are a Pokémon fan, or just enjoy roguelike games with a good narrative, then this is a great game to give a try.

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

Godzilla vs. Gamera: Battle of the Monsters

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The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around. Let them fight.

The following contest is a fight to the death for the Ultimate Kaiju Game Championship. Introducing first: released for the GameCube and original Xbox and developed by Pipeworks Software… Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee! And the opponent: released for PlayStation 1 and developed by Surveyor Corp… Gamera 2000! It’s the battle we’ve all been waiting for. The God of Destruction versus The Friend of All Children. King of the Monsters versus The Guardian of the Universe. Godzilla versus Gamera!

I will be the puny human caught in the middle of this extravagant battle and will crown a winner based on each title’s gameplay and features. Two classic video games… two beloved Japanese kaiju… but only one winner. Which title will be the new Ultimate Kaiju Game? Ladies and gentlemen… let’s get ready to rumble. No cities were flattened in the making of this blog post.

Admiral, we must keep our faith in Gojira.

In the red corner is Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. This smash ‘em up game lets the player choose between 11 playable kaiju to appease their city squashing desires. The gameplay is full-blown destruction—there are giant monsters, freeze tanks, Mothra airstrikes, beam attacks, combos, throwable objects and kaiju madness. Power orbs also spawn throughout the city, which provide additional health, energy and rage. However, the highlight of this game is the four-player couch co-op. I had friends over almost every weekend just to play this game, and it was always a race to pick Godzilla because he had some of the best combat moves.

For example, he could pick up any monster, spin them around, throw them into the air and finish them with a tail strike to the sternum. King Ghidorah was another monster who had some razor combat moves; the 10,000-Year-Old Dragon can fly, shoot laser beams out of his three mouths and kick you in the chin while he’s flying around. Now, picture that kind of mayhem with four of your best friends. There’s laughter, cursing and fun. Good times!

Gamera liked you. Gamera must have a good heart.

In the blue corner is Gamera 2000. The gameplay is quite similar to Panzer Dragoon but has one key element separating the two: kaiju freaking madness. The game features eight levels of crazy flying maneuvers, retro FMV sequences and a classic Japanese 90s soundtrack. Gamera teams up with the player to drive alien invaders off Earth using a variety of weapons like plasma fireballs, vanishing plasma fists and ultimate plasma mana cannons.

Gamera 2000 also has some sweet level designs. You could be in the middle of a mega city battling a massive alien death ship on one level, and then in the heart of a volcano duking it out with a robotic kaiju killer the level after. The stages are fast paced, so you’ll need quick reflexes to survive the alien onslaught.

Unfortunately, you never get the chance to play as Gamera, which is the game’s biggest flaw. Why have a Gamera game if I can’t even be Gamera? It’s crazy! However, I am a huge Gamera fan, so it’s a dream come true fighting alongside the friendly beast. Watching him fly around in his rocket powered shell is amazing too… but it’s not enough to declare Gamera 2000 as the winner of this contest. The game is also a single-player experience, which is another major hit on The Friend of All Children.

And the winner is…

This has been one heck of a contest, folks! Each kaiju has their frigging razor features and—wait… what’s this?! Godzilla just picked Gamera off his feet, spun him around, tossed him and whacked him with his tail?! Godzilla now has Gamera in a pin! 1… 2… 3! Ding, ding, ding!

The winner of this match and new Ultimate Kaiju Game Champion… Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee! Sorry, Gamera. I’ll always love you more than Godzilla.

Styles HD

Styles writes funny stuff and is a funny guy. Or so he thinks. He writes novels, lives in Hangar 11, and plays a lot of Halo. He’s pretty good at it - message him for 1v1’s.

Achievement Unlocked: Go Outside

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Achieve What Now?

I love video games, I really do. I’ve been playing them my whole life, and they constitute a lot of my best memories. However, I’ve found that in recent years, I’ve needed a little something more from games.

I found this more in the form of achievements, which are these little challenges you can accomplish in many games. Achievements can range wildly in difficultly; some are incredibly easy, taking only a few minutes or even seconds; some are unbelievably difficult or time-consuming.

Obviously, for bragging rights, the harder the better. I think I was physically changed as a person after finishing the LASO campaigns for the Halo games.

Why the Hunt?

This is probably a good time to bring up the different systems of achievements throughout gaming. There are quite a few, actually, but the main ones that most people use would be Xbox’s Gamerscore system, which is great; Playstation’s trophy system, which I admittedly know nothing about, but I hear it’s pretty cool; and finally Steam achievements, which doesn’t have a system of score or anything like that — you do get a blue ribbon for completing a game though.

Ask a lot of achievement hunters why they do this stuff, and they’d likely tell you, “It’s the numbers, man.” This is likely referring to Xbox Gamerscore, and is definitely the most widely used achievement system, due to how well it works and because it actually gives you something for achievements, a number, a score. And if there’s anything people love, it’s arbitrary numbers.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that if you game on PC like me, then the actual value of achievements is a bit up in the air. Steam has by far the worst achievement system I’ve ever seen, with zero scores of any kind being attributed to achievements (seriously, how cool would it be to gain profile XP for completing games? Just something better than a blue ribbon would be nice), so it’s up to individuals how they value their achievements.

Personally, I like going for achievements because I feel like it allows me, or forces me, to experience certain games in ways I would never have thought of. Being forced to walk through levels like the Ark from Halo 3 allowed me to notice little details I’d never seen before, since you’re meant to speed through a lot of it.

I think it’s also a great way of ensuring you get your money’s worth from a game. Nowadays, when games can be so darn expensive, it oftentimes simply isn’t worth it to play through it once. Think about it, if you pay $80 for a new AAA game (That’s a generous price, it’s more like $90 for us here in Quebec), and your single playthrough comes in at around 30-40 hours, is that really worth it? Achievement hunting is a great way to get that hour/dollar ratio up.

That being said, there are actually a number of websites that offer their own scores and rankings for Steam achievements. My personal favourite is a site called Steam Hunters, which I find has the most appealing user interface. Completionist.me and Astats are some others worth checking out. I still don’t think these sites actually make up for a lack of basic achievement features on Steam itself though, but they provide a decent method of coping with the inadequacies of Valve.

Begging the Achievement Gods

One of the lamest thing’s about achievement hunting on Steam is the fact that many older games tend to not have achievements, despite having them on other systems. Here’s a quick little list of games I would appreciate achievements in:

Visceral Games / Electronic Arts

-    The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion — You know what? Get Morrowind in here too, while we’re at it. Oblivion is my favourite Elder Scrolls game, and as an open-world game, I feel it only suffers from a lack of achievements.

-    Dead Space 1 and 2 — Great, classic horror games that for some reason were given steam trading cards a while back, but not achievements? Thanks for that one, EA.

-   The GTA Trilogy — Because I will likely not be touching the gangrenous stain that is the Definitive Edition, achievements in the original versions would be nice, even if I know it will literally never happen.

Please and thank you.

Ladies…

Kyle Michaud

Kyle is an aspiring writer at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. Bad (but great) at Halo, comedian, and plays guitar sometimes.

Indie Game Spotlight: Wildermyth & Omori

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https://indiehellzone.com/2021/02/09/omori/

https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22638600/wildermyth-review-pc-proc-gen-worldwalker-games-strategy-mac-linux

Triple A titles may have plenty of spectacle and larger-than-life attitude, but some great games with lots of heart can come from smaller teams. I have always admired indie developers for their creativity and passion. In a market when the big companies often seem to only make games to turn in a profit and fulfil an obligation to consumers, I can turn to indie developers, who genuinely love making games, for games with real heart poured into them.

From tough-as-nails roguelikes such as The Binding of Isaac to calming farming sims like Stardew Valley, there are plenty of fun indie games for any type of gamer. I want to shine a spotlight on two games that came out in within the past year that I enjoyed. Perhaps you’ll find a new favourite to add to your collection.

 

Wildermyth

Developer: Worldwalker Games LLC.

Release Date: June 15, 2021

Link to the Official Website

In the mood for a tactical RPG with procedurally generated maps and quests, a unique storybook-like art style, and an expansive character creation system that feels like the start of a game of Dungeons and Dragons? Then Wildermyth might be just what you’re looking for!

https://www.ign.com/articles/wildermyth-review-indie-rpg

Choose from one of five main story campaigns crafted by the developers or set up your own campaign; the world map is then yours to journey through. Between battles, characters will come across many tough choices that can change their stats, relationships with others, or even their physical form. In one of my campaigns, a character became part raven!

In battle, party members under three categories: warriors, rangers and mages; however, every time a character levels up, a new skill out of a randomly chosen group of three can be learned. The total amount of skills available is quite large, and these paired with a variety of weapons to craft, allows for more unique builds than initially meets the eye.

Fight in many battles to become great heroes and save the land. Does your party have what it takes to become legends?

 

https://omori.fandom.com/wiki/OMORI_(GAME)#STEAM_SCREENSHOTS

Omori

Developer: OMOCAT, LLC.

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Link to the Official Website

*Major content warning: This game goes into heavy subject material that can be triggering, including trauma and suicide. As a psychological horror game, be prepared for frightening images and mostly visual jumpscares (some have audio, but I never found any of them to be very loud). *

Welcome to White Space. In this story-based RPG with inspiration from Yume Nikki and Earthbound, follow along with a boy named Omori and his group of friends on a strange yet heartfelt adventure across a vibrant world.

When one of Omori’s friends mysteriously goes missing, it’s up to you to figure out where he went. Travel through vast forests, glamorous castles, outer space and more while bumping into charming characters; could they be friend or foe? Synergize with your friends in battles with the help of individual skills and follow-up team abilities, and wield the power of your emotions to turn the tide.

Not everything is as it seems, however. Something is always watching, and an uncomfortable truth might be bubbling just below the surface. Saying too much more will spoil the game, but if you are intrigued by this, I highly recommend giving Omori a shot. By the end, this game will make you cower in fear, laugh along with its silly side, and cry through its emotional moments.

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

The Lack of a Sequel to Republic Commando Disturbs Me

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A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

Star Wars: Republic Commando was released way back in 2005 and instantly became a classic in the FPS genre of games. It is still, to this day, regarded as being one of the best and most unique Star Wars games ever made, due to its darker take on the Star Wars universe and its innovative squad-based mechanics.

Its incredible soundtrack, memorable single-player campaign and surprisingly fun multiplayer ensured the game’s success, at least among Star Wars fans.

Star Wars: Republic Commando - Lucasfilms

What Happened to Sev?

By now, this is a question that’s been on our minds for years: what in tarnation happened to Sev? Republic Commando ended on a cliffhanger, and I’m sure that at the time, many people just assumed a sequel was already in the works. Technically, there was a sequel planned, even before Republic Commando was released, and it was called Star Wars: Imperial Commando.

sev - Lucasfilms

This proposed sequel was supposed to take place during the era of the Empire, and would tackle its predecessors ending and the fate of the character Sev in particular. It would have placed players in the boots of soldiers serving the newly risen Galactic Empire, and for me , that’s good enough on its own. There simply aren’t enough games where you get to play as the bad guys.

Unfortunately, there was some corporate shuffling going on at LucasArts around this time, and many projects — including Imperial Commando, which had only gotten to the concept art stage — were cancelled. It’s also worth noting that Republic Commando didn’t live up to commercial expectations; this was likely in part due to the outrageous success and popularity of Halo 2, which had released only a year earlier on the Xbox.

For many people, myself included, the most significant reason why Republic Commando needs a sequel is closure.



“Take Offensive Formation”

Another reason this game deserves a sequel would be because of how unique it is. Let’s face it, there aren’t many Star Wars FPS games out there, and most Star Wars shooters are meant to be played from the third-person perspective.

delta squad - lucasfilms

Obviously, when I talk about Star Wars shooters, the most recent examples would be DICE’s Battlefront games, which are… certainly something. If this was a blog about the Battlefront games, then I’d have a lot more to say on the topic of those games, but, ultimately, they’re just not what I’m personally looking for. As I said earlier, Republic Commando was dark; it was gritty, it didn’t have any larger-than-life Jedi or Sith, and it was something totally unseen before. As it turns out, dark and gritty Star Wars works very well, and it’s a niche currently left unfilled in the modern-day.

Republic Commando is a tactical squad-based arena first-person-shooter based in the Star Wars universe, and to this day, it is the only tactical squad-based arena first-person-shooter based in the Star Wars universe; for many people, that’s the issue. But can this issue be resolved?



A New Hope

Early in 2021, Gamers everywhere rejoiced when the Empir- I mean EA, lost their exclusive rights to make Star Wars games, 

This is very good news for fans hopeful of a sequel, or at the very least a spiritual successor, to Republic Commando. Already, in the very same year EA lost their exclusive rights, a remake of the classic and universally beloved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has been announced.

I’m not the most optimistic of people, especially when it comes to entertainment, but I’d honestly say the future looks brighter for Star Wars games. Hopefully, in a few years, we’ll finally find out what happened to Sev.

Ladies…

Kyle Michaud

Kyle is an aspiring writer at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. Bad (but great) at Halo, comedian, and plays guitar sometimes.

Bring Cheat Codes Back!

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The Planet’s Source for Games, Cheats and Hints!

Remember when you could hop on Cheatplanet.com and print loads of gaming cheats for Playstation 2 and the original Xbox? Do you guys remember unlocking all the duel characters in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, or playing as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man (2002)? Did you ever have to worry about Half-Life’s health draining drop-kick in Hulk? I bet you didn’t because you decided to be invincible! Did you spawn a tank in Grand Theft Auto III and wreak havoc across Liberty City just because it was fun? Those were the days, huh? What happened to cheat codes? Why did game developers stop releasing them? Beats me! I just know cheat codes were frigging bolt thrower, and we need them back. Now!

 Why Were Cheats so Fun?

A cheat sheet I wrote when I was seven years old. That writing is… yeah.

Cheat codes were fun because they gave us the chance to mess around without having to worry about real, substantial consequences. They also extended the life of a game by a sheer mile with some of the crazier codes, letting the player do all kinds of things. Want infinite ammo in Max Payne? Just type GetInfiniteAmmo on the cheat code screen. Boom. Done. Can’t stand the thought of losing to Hex again in Mad Dash? Well, all you’d have to do is pause the game, hold down the left trigger, then press X, B, B, Left, Left, Y, B and bam—you’d never have to deal with him smacking you around during the final race ever again! Cheat codes were an effective way of getting ahead, and they made the game even more enjoyable. I mean, c’mon, do you really want to buy all the combat upgrades in Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, or would you rather punch in a code and unlock them all now? Don’t lie to me.

 

Where Are They Now?

Cheat codes are mostly dead and buried—online multiplayer, achievements and trophies hammered the nail in the coffin. However, there are a few modern games still rocking the classic cheat sheet tradition. For example, opening your cellphone in Grand Theft Auto V and inputting 1-999-3844-8483 lowers your wanted level by one star. In Call of Duty: Black Ops, inputting the code 3ARK UNLOCK will unlock all campaign and zombie missions right off the bat. Alas, these codes deactivate achievements/trophies. If you’re a trophy hunter like me, then you may want to reconsider those nifty, short button combinations. Damn. Using the One-Shot cheat during my Grounded playthrough in The Last of Us Part II would have made it so much easier.

 So… What Now?

Now that we know how awesome cheats were and that they’re dead, what do we do? Will we prepare a funeral for them and say our goodbyes? No. That’s just weird. Will we forget cheat codes and move on with our lives? Not a chance. I’ll tell you what we’ll do—we’re going to riot in the streets and demand their return! There will be bloodshed and weapons and… oh, am I taking this too far? Ok, I’ll dial it down. I think gaming companies should use cheat codes more often because they’re fun. Plain and simple. Until gaming companies like Electronic Arts, Sony and Nintendo give us our hearts’ desires, the best thing we can do is plug in our retro gaming consoles and search up a few codes and cheat until we’ve had our fill. Happy cheating!

P.S. Don’t cheat on your girlfriend.

Styles logo.jpg

Styles HD

Styles writes funny stuff and is a funny guy. Or so he thinks. He writes novels, lives in Hangar 11, and plays a lot of Halo. He’s pretty good at it - message him for 1v1’s.

Back 4 Blood and Left 4 Dead, what's new?

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Is Back 4 Blood really something new or just a remastered left 4 dead?

Back 4 Blood is a game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by Warner Brothers.

If you were looking for more Left 4 Dead, then look no further. Sure, Back 4 Blood might have more objectives and a new gameplay, but it feels more like a large Left 4 Dead DLC rather than a unique zombie game.

The game has a huge emphasis on ADS, but a lot of guns can be hip fired. The weapon feedback is good, but i had to spend a lot of time adjusting the settings just to find a comfortable controller sensitivity. Everything felt slow and clunky.

apps.19877.63183727176145146.d84d29ef-df3a-4a5d-96b4-f1a7d9797aec.jpg

Character movement feels quick enough to make you feel competent, but also restrict enough to make some encounters or bad positioning feel pretty dangerous.

The game feels like it needs some strategy and preparation for some levels but sometimes it feels like it doesn’t matter because the game will throw chaos right into your lap. For example, the game spawns multiple enemies from thin air, or lets you fortify an area so the enemy comes from the side that you didn’t need to fortify.

The biggest differences

meet-the-cleaners-trailer.jpg

Its not to say the game isn’t good, I have been enjoying my time with it and there is different mechanics from its predecessor.

The card system is the biggest thing that separates the two games, it allows the player to build a character and play any way they want.

You can choose up to 15 cards some of them can give you boosts to your health, reload speed and more. This system allows you to take on the zombie horde in a way that feels best for you, which is awesome.

The apocalypse (which this time around feels like the apocalypse) is hard to deal with even in the easier difficulty or levels, Classic B4B is harder than any extreme L4D level; there are more enemies to deal with and ammo and healing items are extremely hard to come by. The player can even mess up and call the zombie horde upon everyone.

The final thing is how modernized it feels, and I don’t mean in just a graphic way. Back 4 Blood lets you climb, sprint, and vault, and it even has aim down sight, things we didn’t have in Left 4 Dead.

As I said before the game seems like a remastered version of Left 4 Dead but that does not mean the game is not fun. As a matter of fact I am having fun with it, and it’s definitely an apocalyptic game any flesh-eating zombie lover will enjoy.

J.V

João Victor most commonly known as JV, is a Brazilian writer and musician who currently lives in Ottawa. He loves Basketball, good vibes and sleeps way too much. Twitter: @blognotfortnite

Year One of Genshin Impact: A Retrospective Look

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In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

On September 25th, 2020, the hit game Genshin Impact was released worldwide. Whether you continued playing since then, dropped off the bandwagon early on or decided against trying it, Genshin Impact’s success and popularity can’t be denied. Now that the game has wrapped up its first year on the market, let’s look back at its budding legacy and take a glimpse into the future.

The First Leg of the Journey

Thanks to an excellent marketing campaign, many people flocked to try out Genshin Impact when the game first launched. According to an IGN article reported by Jordan Oloman, Genshin Impact reached 17 million downloads in its first week on mobile alone. With two beautiful nations to explore and a fun combat system to use against enemies, people were getting hooked.

Since the game’s release, the initial roster has expanded from 22 playable characters to 41; that’s almost double the number of characters to choose from, each with a unique playstyle. Many new quests were added, ranging from the continuation of the main story to choose-your-own-adventure style hangouts with some of your favourite characters. A challenging area known as the Dragonspine was added for the game’s toughest players; for players looking for a break from the combat, miHoYo also added customisable with plenty of furniture available to craft for them.

In July, Genshin Impact’s biggest update introduced players to a new nation: the island country of Inazuma. With inspiration taken from shogunate-era Japan, this new land opens a new chapter in the main story. In my opinion, the story just keeps getting better and deeper; what truth will we find at the end of the journey? As more islands are unveiled, new challenges and minigames are also unlocked to keep players coming back for more.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

The Gacha Debate

Some people are turned off from the gacha aspect of the game, where characters and some weapons are unlocked from a luck-based draw; getting more chances to pull a character means buying draws with real money. For a while, I was in this boat. If characters are locked behind a luck-based paywall, how much of the game is truly “free-to-play”?

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

In-game screenshot provided by Olivia Best.

Thankfully, almost all other game content is available for free, and you can enjoy Genshin Impact without paying a single cent. That means hours of exploring the world Teyvat, experiencing the rich story and engaging in combat against challenging enemies are available for all players.

Being concerned about game companies getting greedy with their monetization is fair and a wise thing to do, but I believe Genshin Impact is an enjoyable and complete game that anyone on any budget can immerse themselves in.

What’s Next?

Version 2.2 of Genshin Impact releases tomorrow evening, which includes the final island of Inazuma, new enemies, new minigames and lots of new furniture to add to the player’s house. Plenty more characters  are planned to be added to the game soon, with Pyro user Thoma to be released on November 2nd. miHoYo also have plans to release Geo user Gorou and Electro user Yae Miko as playable characters as well.

According to the official storyline preview, the next nation the traveller goes to will be Sumeru, home of the Dendro god. No playable characters with Dendro powers have been released yet, so players hope the nation’s release will introduce a new element to wield in battle.

 

Whether you are an active player or not, Genshin Impact is here to stay with many hours of content and more large updates planned. If you’re still sitting on the fence about trying out the game, it has never been a better time to take the plunge.

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Thoma

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Thoma

Danica Best

Danica “Dani” Best is a 20-something Professional Writing student that loves creating stories and worlds almost as much as she loves gaming. If she isn’t writing, working or playing video games, she is probably asleep. Can be lured out with tasty desserts.

Why Is There No Kung Fu Chaos 2?

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Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting!

Lights, camera, action! Kung Fu Chaos released worldwide for the Xbox in 2003 and got everyone who played it acting like a kung fu action hero. Just read and see how awesome this game is: it breaks the fourth wall, has a monkey god as a playable character, has couch co-op and includes Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas as the game’s theme song! If that isn’t awesome, I don’t know what is.

Face it, it’s frigging razor! Kung Fu Chaos is a four-player free for all fighting game that allows players to kick the crap out of their friends in various settings resembling classic kung fu films. The game doesn’t always follow this rule—hence the Jurassic Park look-alike mission, which makes it even more awesome than it already is. Everybody was kung fu fighting!

Well, gaming critics weren’t. They were on the teeter-totter. Kung Fu Chaos received “average” reviews according to Metacritic, yet it was included among the best Xbox party games by IGN in 2005. AllGame gave it 2.5 stars, and Famitsu gave it 30 out of 40. See what I mean? Teeter-totter. The question is, why was a sequel never developed? Was there not enough commitment to the project? Was there conflict within the Just Add Monsters ranks? Was their budget too low? What really happened? Time to solve the mystery!

Many Will Perish In Picturesque Agony

At the 2014 GCD Europe, Tameem Antoniades, co-founder of Just Add Monsters, released a massive 51 page PDF entitled “The Independent AAA Proposition” which discussed their evolution as a company, and within that presentation are 15 important words: But before Kung Fu Chaos hit the shelves, we were already working on a sequel. Sadly, Microsoft barely took the effort to advertise Kung Fu Chaos, which resulted in poor sales and no funding for the sequel. Just Add Monsters then ran into two problems: Microsoft owned the Kung Fu Chaos IP, and the coding was exclusive to Xbox. “We didn’t have the financial leverage to own the IP and take it forward, so it was effectively dead,” said Antoniades in the Proposition. Just Add Monsters was then forced to let the sequel die and begin anew with a spiritual successor.

But what was the spiritual successor? “After Kung Fu Chaos, we concepted a game called Kung Fu Story,” said Ninja Theory in a 2014 Twitter post. The game was supposed to be way more mature than its spiritual predecessor, and it had all the works of a great game—story telling, combat and flow. It even had a full-length concept stage cutscene, which tested the game’s art style, combat system and visualization.

However, video games releasing at that time had “realistic” graphics and weren’t as “artsy fartsy,” and Just Add Monsters realized that publishers preferred this. “A stylized game like Kung Fu Chaos was not appealing to publishers. Kung Fu Story was in the same boat,” said Antoniades in the Proposition. C’mon, guys. What’s wrong with an exaggerated, cartoon ninja? Once Just Add Monsters realized Kung Fu Story would flop, they scrapped the project. Sniffle. Another one bites the dust. After Just Add Monsters obliterated my hopes and dreams for good, they shifted their focus on developing video games for the next generation of consoles.

Oh, No! The End Is Near - 10 Seconds Near!

In 2004, Just Add Monsters vanished from the grid, re-established themselves as Ninja Theory and crafted a brand new IP—Heavenly Sword. Since then, they have released hits like Devil May Cry, Enslaved, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

So, there you have it. Ninja Theory’s choice to kill my childhood was a financial one and a strategic one. It is unfortunate that a classic like Kung Fu Chaos has no sequel, but maybe Ninja Theory will make a new spiritual successor inspired from the original spiritual successor, or cut a deal with Microsoft and make a direct sequel. C’mon, guys. Make this thing happen! The idea isn’t out of Ninja Theory’s mind, for Antoniades stated in The Independent AAA Proposition, "To this day, if we could work on a [Kung Fu Chaos] sequel, we would."

It looks like there is still hope, kung fu fighters! And that’s a wrap!

Styles logo.jpg

Styles HD

Styles writes funny stuff and is a funny guy. Or so he thinks. He writes novels, lives in Hangar 11, and plays a lot of Halo. He’s pretty good at it - message him for 1v1’s.

How Greed Undermines the Gaming Industry

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Falling from Grace

I’ve been playing video games since I was around 5 years old, and I can still recall with vivid clarity all the great new and original games that were coming out in the first decade of the 21st Century. Granted, I was young, and possessed no critical thinking skills to speak of, however it’s now with the power of hindsight (and being much older and wiser), that I’m able to look back and visualize how gaming has fallen from grace, especially over the last decade.

As you can probably tell from the title, insatiable greed on the part of developers and publishers plays a huge part in this tragedy. However, greed is manifested in many different forms, and in this post, I’m going to briefly take you through just a few of them.

Bug-Riddled and Barely Functional

Just a cursory glance at games released in recent years should tell you that something isn’t right. From Mass Effect: Andromeda to Cyberpunk 2077, and to the monument to all our sins that was the Master Chief Collection, it’s become crystal clear that developers simply don’t care about releasing working, fully functioning products.

This is a nefarious mindset that has developed alongside the rise of digital distribution. If a company can release a busted product now and fix it later, then why should they care — especially if they’re in line to make a ton of cash, like in the case of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077? Back in my day, this wasn’t the case, and developers would sacrifice their own health to ensure their fans got the highest quality product possible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_2

Flashback to 2004 and ask Bungie during Halo 2’s nightmarish 10-month development if they would have liked to release what they had now, and fix all the issues later. For better or for worse, Bungie didn’t have that option at the time, so they were forced to make the best product they possibly could in the time they had. The result was Halo 2, a game that while undeniably flawed in some areas, is widely thought to be one of the greatest games of all time.

An Obsession with Remakes and Remasters

https://metrovideogame.fandom.com/wiki/Metro_Redux

https://metrovideogame.fandom.com/wiki/Metro_Redux

Recently it feels like developers aren’t capable, or more likely, aren’t willing to do anything but sell you their old games with a new shiny coat of paint.

Remakes and remasters are certainly not always a bad thing, and they can do wonders for a game’s accessibility by updating it for modern hardware. Halo 2, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and even SpongeBob, among others, all received remasters that are generally considered to be fantastic. Just to be clear, I consider a good remaster or remake to be one that keeps the spirit of the original intact while having a slick modern look and feel. This is not easy to do, and it’s partly why plenty of these remakes and remasters are pathetically bad. The other reason is laziness mixed with a healthy dose of greed.

What’s happening is that developers seem keen to sell you their old games, some (like the ones displayed here) that are nearly identical to their original versions, instead of actually making new ones.

Complacency

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock_Remastered

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock_Remastered

https://www.pngitem.com/so/todd-howard/

https://www.pngitem.com/so/todd-howard/

“If you want us to stop releasing it, stop buying it ”
— Todd Howard speaking about the Skyrim re-releases

Will Bethesda ever stop releasing Skyrim? Will Rockstar ever make Grand Theft Auto VI? These are valid questions, seeing as both of companies have gained notoriety for simply refusing to leave their nearly decade-old games (Skyrim actually IS a decade old) in the past, and move on to new things.

As much as it might be slightly hard to admit, we as consumers have to acknowledge our roles in this complacency that has festered within the biggest names in the industry. As Todd Howard, director of Bethesda Softworks, said in an interview with gamesindustry.biz, just stop buying this trash and they’ll stop releasing it. We as consumers are absolutely enablers for this type of behavior.

Ladies…

Ladies…

Kyle Michaud

Kyle is an aspiring writer at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. Bad (but great) at Halo, comedian, and plays guitar sometimes.

Not Fortnite

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In Not Fortnite, we will discuss any game and any genre on your favorite gaming platforms. From Halo to Apex Legends to Pokemon and far beyond, we play and talk about all your go-to games… except Fortnite. We don't do that here.

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Patrick Smith

Patrick Smith is a professor at Algonquin College, a communications expert, a bass guitarist, a chicken wing aficionado, a die-hard fan of pop punk music, and an EXCELLENT curator of lists.