Show Me Your Poker Face! Poker Night at the Inventory (1 AND 2)

Titles: Poker Night at the Inventory 1 & 2
Genre: Card Game (Poker)
Developer/Publisher: Telltale Games
System: PC, Mac OSX (both games), PS3, 360 (Poker Night 2 only)
Release Dates: November 22, 2010 (original), April 23rd, 2013 (2)

Poker... with characters from various video games and other big franchises... well, now that's something to think about.

Poker Night at the Inventory puts you against four notable characters in a battle of cards, Texas Hold 'Em style (with the second game adding Omaha Hold 'Em in the mix). The first game features you going up against Max from the Sam & Max series, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, The Heavy from Team Fortress 2, and Tycho from the Penny Arcade webcomics.

In Poker Night 2, you opponents this time are Brock Sampson from the [adult swim] animated series The Venture Bros., Claptrap from Borderlands, Ash Williams (not to be confused with Ashley Williams of the Mass Effect series) from the Evil Dead movies, and Sam from Sam & Max. GLaDOS from the Portal series also makes an appearance in this game, serving the role as the dealer.

The cast of Poker Night 2. 

The general gist of Texas Hold 'em poker is this: each player is dealt two cards, turn by turn each player can choose to call the amount the previous player put out or raise in order to earn more money. Players can fold if they feel that their hand is inferior to that of the others.

After all bets are done, the first three cards of the river go out, and the process repeats until there are five cards out on the table. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

And just when you think the game is all about money, you best think again. Each character has a special item that you can obtain which can be used for another game.

In the case with the first game (and probably the second), each of the character has a special item that they can put up as part of the bet, and if you win the bet, that item is yours. In the first game, obtaining a special item will grant you bonus weapons and gear in Team Fortress 2.

Winning more poker matches allows you to unlock extra tables and cards based on each character's series. In Poker Night 2, they made special areas/maps for all 5 characters.

If you're looking for something fun and/or want to learn about playing poker without using real money, then both Poker Night games are a choice for you, and both are $5, with pre-ordering Poker Night 2 (on Steam) will grant you the original Poker Night free of charge.

Thanks again for reading!
-Anthony-

Gotta Conquer Them All! - Pokemon Conquest (Part 2)

Hey everyone, and welcome to part 2 of my discussion on Pokemon Conquest!

As a brief reason for why there's a part 2 was mainly due to me not feeling very well over the course of the last blog's posting, and there's plenty of things that I feel that I didn't cover in the previous part, which will be rectified as of this post.

Oichi and Jigglypuff, your first partners in the game.

One of the first things you'll notice that (with the exception of the hero/heroine) every major character's name is Japanese. Every warlord in all of the nations of Ransei is based on a particular person in Sengoku-era Japan, or has some involvement in Japan's history. Oichi for instance is the younger sister of one of the warlords. Who is it? Well.... you'll have to play the game to know for yourself.

Pokemon, as well as the warlords have unique abilities that can assist their own Pokemon and others in battle.

Even though I did mention this previously, the warlords, like their Pokemon have their own unique abilities that they can use during battle. Some abilities can increase certain status such as Attack or Defense, increase the range of attacks, or even heal.

Pokemon, since the third generation of games (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, & LeafGreen) have special abilities they can use during battle (and some outside of battle). Some abilities from the main games (such as Static, Torrent, and Overgrow) are featured, along with some that are only exclusive to Pokemon Conquest.

Obtaining new Pokemon to your party is different from the main series.
 

Normally you would use Poke Balls in order to acquire new Pokemon to your party, however, Poke Balls are absent in Conquest. The only way to add new Pokemon to your party is by forming links with them.

On the bottom screen of your DS you'll notice yellow orbs and small gauge. When the yellow orb reaches the dotted circle, you press A at that moment and it will increase the gauge. Missing the timing will cause the gauge to be lowered. Even if you don't fill it all the way up in one attempt, you can still try again until the bar is full.

In every kingdom, there are areas to find other Pokemon, a shop for buying items such as Potions, and a Ponigiri shop.

Even though that Poke Balls are absent, items like Potions and Antidotes are still available for to buy at item shops (buildings with blue roofs). Ponigiri shops (buildings with red roofs) will allow you to feed ponigiri to your Pokemon, which can increase their energy level for upcoming battles.

These buildings can also be upgraded and they'll be able to provide you with more powerful items for you to use.

On some occasions, there may be a traveling merchant who will sell you items that are not generally in the item shops, such as evolutionary items.

Evolutionary items also work differently in this game. Rather than using it right away or having to trade in order for the Pokemon to evolve, the conditions are different. Pokemon who evolve that require these items need to either win a battle or win and recruit someone into the player's army.

Every one of the warlords has their own story to tell.

The last thing that I will mention is that after you clear the main story, you will get a series of side stories or "episodes" that follow around certain warlords, which unlock after fulfilling certain conditions. There were 5 extra episodes that are downloadable via Nintendo Connection, however, as of December 31st, 2012, those bonus episode are no longer available for download.

Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed my second part of Pokemon Conquest!
-Anthony-

Gotta Conquer Them All! - Pokemon Conquest! (Part 1)

Title: Pokemon Conquest
Genre: Tactical RPG
Developer: Tecmo Koei
Publishers: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
System: Nintendo DS
Release Date: June 18th, 2012

It's one of the VERY RARE events in which one of Nintendo's main franchises decides to have a cross-over game with another series of games that isn't the Smash Bros. series. Pokemon Conquest is a game that combines the game play and strategy/tactical adventure of Nobunaga's Ambition with Pokemon.

The story of the game takes place in an area known as Ransei, where a legend states that if one nation has control over all seventeen of the kingdom's regions (which are based on all 17 Pokemon types), that the creator of the region will return once more. 

The Ransei region, the setting of game. The landmass itself is based on the legendary Pokemon, Arceus.

As stated previously, the goal of the game is to conquer all 17 nations of Ransei. You start off as a hero/heroine of Aurora, an area that specializes in Normal-type Pokemon. Like in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, your starter Pokemon is an Eevee.

Unlike in Pokemon games where normally, you would send out a Pokemon and face an opponent 1-on-1 (or 2-on-1/2-on-2 for Double Battles), you and your allies each send out one Pokemon and that Pokemon is the only that can be used for that battle until all enemies are defeated. There is also a handful of different things that differ from normal Pokemon rules:

                             - Each character can vary in the number Pokemon the can have (most 8, least 2).
                             - Up to 6 characters can be in one nation at a time.
                              - Pokemon evolve when they reach a certain energy level
                              - Oddly enough, warlords themselves can also "evolve"
                              - Pokemon may sometimes leave a character's party
                              - Characters may also leave the army if not used at all
                              - All Pokemon will only have one attack to use.
                              - Warlords and other characters can use special abilities to aid the party

Now that's some of main things to look out for in this game. There's a lot, but once you start playing, you'll understand the mechanics quite easily.

A battle in the Fire Nation, Ignis, home to Fire-type Pokemon.

I think that I'm going to put a stop for now, and have a Part 2 for this entry as well, since there's a lot to talk about, and I haven't been feeling well. So stay tuned!

Looking Back -- New Info From Previous Tidings

Hey everyone. Today's blog is pretty much going over things that I did not get a chance to put and or update that status on certain blogs that I've previously posted on here.

If you've saw my post about Journey, you probably remember that the topic was on it's soundtrack being given a nomination at the 55th Grammy Awards earlier this year. Unfortunately, it did not with the Grammy, losing out to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's soundtrack, composed by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.

Still, for a video game that has gotten a lot of praise such as Journey, getting an Oscar nomination is just as awesome, even if they didn't win, which proves that video games can reach certain points it never could before.

Secondly, I will discuss the current events still going on with Shovel Knight and it's Kickstarter, which is still on for another two weeks. The developers have now reached their $75,000 goal, and have now decided to start up on "stretch additons" which are extra things they can add into the game, all at varying goals.

Some examples of these stretch goals include: a music player, achievements across all platforms, and a New Game Plus option.

If you haven't gotten already done so already, then check out the game's Kickstarter page, and read up on what's to come, and if you wish to do so, donate to get more things for the game.

Third, and most likely finally, I hope that everyone had a happy and safe Easter! Here's to April just not that far around the corner!

-Anthony-

Ground Zeroes And A Phantom Pain

Today's blog will be rather brief, as it is about something which is new information in regards to the latest in the Metal Gear series.

Title: Metal Gear Solid V (5): The Phantom Pain

Genre: Stealth, Action, Third-Person Shooter

Developer: Kojima Productions

Publisher: Konami

System: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 (other systems pending)

Release Date: TBA

Over the last year, there have been two major teasers that led up to Metal Gear Solid V's reveal at this year's Game Developer's Conference. It was initially announced through two separate games: "Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes" and "The Phantom Pain". It is also the first game to utilize the FOX Engine.

The Ground Zeroes trailer serves as the prologue for the game, which takes places after the events of the previous game in the Big Boss story line, Peace Walker. In the full trailer, it is shown that Big Boss has been a coma for nine years. How and why has yet to be known.

Trailer from GDC 2013:

Now to be fair, I've never played any of the Metal Gear games (unless counting the demos for Snake Eater 3D for the 3DS and Metal Gear Rising: Revengance count in any way), but I've always been interested in the series in itself for some reason. My guess is it's just the gamer instinct or something.

Anyways, more stuff will come in the following weeks and months until it's release, so until then enjoy the trailer!

-Anthony-

Rayman...Unvamped? Why You Need to Try Origins and Legends

Hello everyone!  This is a special edition post from yours truly, Rambo Covey, creator of The Gaming Athlete blog!  I'm here to amaze, wow and hopefully help you out in the gaming realm!

Now, please take a step back in time all the way to . . . the 1980s and 90s!  Forever ago, right?  Now, imagine how most games were set up.  Platforming games ruled back then and one certain game stood out, making a name for itself: Rayman.

A platforming game that should have stayed that way.

Rayman helped the platforming genre after its release in 1995 with it's colorful levels and fun-filled gameplay.  Unfortunately, platforming was about to enter its twilight years and Rayman went with it, as Rayman 2: The Great Escape moved over to a 3D format.  At that point, I thought one limbless hero might be gone forever . . .

However, at some point in 2010 and after many difficult attempts to recapture Ray's lost magic, some brilliant new minds at Ubisoft had decided to go back to the roots of the hero and bring a new title back to the platforming age!  On November 15, 2011, Rayman Origins was released, and the title couldn't be any more fitting.

Origins brought back the original style of 2D platforming and mixed it with a vivid new layout and wonderful HD cartoon graphics.  This also helped the gameplay look fresh and renewed, as some abilities had been added since the first game of the series.  Co-op is an absolute blast to play and it's definitely more enjoyable and entertaining when two people are playing instead of just one.

The funny thing about this screenshot is that it's in-game, not a poster.

The other great thing about Origins is that ole Ray hasn't lost his charm over all these years.  Add in the stunningly beautiful new visuals and you have a game worthy of being played over and over again.  In fact, the game was such a success that a sequel, Rayman Legends, is in the works.  It was to be originally released exclusively for the Wii U, but was pushed back so versions for the Xbox 360 and PS3 can be made.

What needs to be said is this: Rayman is back and he's better than ever.  Origins has brought this series back to life and Legends only looks to build on what was done right in 2011.  Often times, old ideas are best decisions to make and in the case of good old Rayman, a better decision couldn't possibly be made.

I would like to thank Anthony for this opportunity to post on his blog.  His information is rich and should be considered by any gamer and again, swing on by to my domain, The Gaming Athlete!!

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Like what you read?  Leave a comment on your thoughts and like this post and don't forget to read other posts from before for more gaming madness!  Also you can follow me on Twitter at @RamboCovey58!

Deuces for now bros!

Petals Through the Wind - The Life of a Flower

Title: Flower

Genre: Adventure

Developer: Thatgamecompany

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

System: Playstation 3

Release Date: February 12th, 2009

A game about flowers? What is this madness? Well, madness or not, a game of flowers exists. Flower is the second game created by Thatgamecompany as part of their three part original deal with Sony (alongside flOw and Journey).

If you're expecting a huge plot from this game, don't expect that.

The game conists of six levels (seven if you count the ending credits) which follows the dreams of each flower in a variety of different landscapes -- from meadows, near windmills, farms, and even a city.

At the start of each level, a petal will be plucked from the flower and carried away by the wind. You control both the wind and the direction of the petal and collect other flower petals along the way.

You have only two controls in this game: press any button on your controller to control the wind, and tilting the controller will change the direction the petals will go.

Rather than focusing on a major plot, the game is meant to show a variety of emotions such as happiness, which is done through the game's scenery and soundtrack, in which it would correspond with the player's actions in the game.

Flower is a game that's simple and has the ability to capture people's emotions as they play through. If you're looking for something that's affordable (at $7) and pleasing, then Flower's your choice here.