Hello.
I'm deep in the middle of final projects, papers and exams - as I was a year ago. Music May (2013) was such an exhilarating escape from life's hardships. It was one of the best collaborations with my brother, writing and designing the entire project. Today while I'm supposed to be finishing a research project, I am immersed in some of the music from last year. I wonder how some of the tracks I'm listening to today didn't make our cuts a year ago! I will share one (maybe more!) that I found today.
This is a live version of "Baba Yetu" by Christopher Tin. It was featured as the main anthem for Civilization IV. His original version won a Grammy award in 2011 and was the first piece of video game music to ever win a Grammy. I have always loved the original, but I found this today and was blown away on this original take on the piece.
Here is the original for any who have never heard it.
Many years ago, I had the pleasure to speak briefly with Chris Tin. I appreciate all he's done to bring video game music like "Baba Yetu" to a wider audience. I've been interested in his music (video game and otherwise) ever since then.
- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
I know it's been a long time since I've spoken to you, world. I miss you. I miss blogging and I miss my faithful readers here and on Twitter. I look forward to a return and I'm sorry I've been away so long. At this time, however, I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. I just want you all to know, I think about you every time I play a game - which I promise is still quite regularly. It breaks my heart that this is my first post in 2014! You guys deserve better.
Showing posts with label Civilization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civilization. Show all posts
Friday, May 16, 2014
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Week in Review - 2/16/2013
PC
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| Dragons make the best pictures. |
The saga of Toki continues for another week. Check out all the great pictures I've been taking in the picture blog at Toki the Dragonborn! Toki's fought a second dragon, cleared Shroud Hearth Barrows and is currently in Windhelm seeking to join the Stormcloaks in their rebellion. He has a good heart and is constantly delayed by people in need, but he has no sympathy for Imperials or their supporters. He slays them on sight if he isn't vastly outnumbered.
Playstation 3
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| For the Kingdom of Shu! |
Last week in Bunker Hill Bros. I talked about our long nights tearing through the battlefields of China. It really got me pumped up to play a "Warriors" game, so I fired up DW7 for some solo action. I looked through my trophies to see what I could work on and realize I never beat the game with my favorite faction: Shu. So I took my fight to the Story Mode and spent an evening clearing it. DW7 really has a great Story Mode, even though it is lacking in several other modes.
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| My name is Splash I have metal joints. Defeat my fish friends Earn Laser Trident points! |
I've been avoiding this game because I got stuck (again) on Splash Woman's stage. After not being able to beat Jewel Man's stage for several years, it was discouraging to get stuck so soon on a different Robot Master's level setup. There is a part of her level just before you get to the boss room that's literally moving platforms over walls and floors of spikes. Timing is everything and no matter what I tried it was not happening. Then one night I only had 30 minutes to play a game so I opted to try one quick time and finally made it through to the end. Concrete Man is all that stands between me and Dr. Wily.
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| Bad kitty! |
I really hit a roadblock in this game. I believe I'm very, very close to the end, but I'm stuck in a tough boss fight with very limited consumables. If I had enough coffee to fuel Oliver's magical attacks through these two fights it wouldn't be a problem, but I only have one or two. There's no way to leave and resupply (that I know of) so I either have to tough it out somehow or start over near the beginning. I'd rather win than admit defeat.
- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Visit the Bunker Hill Bros on Tumblr: bunkerhillbros.tumblr.com
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| My Mighty Egyptian Empire! |
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Civilization was one of the earliest computer games I was ever exposed to. I watched enviously as my father and brother conquered the world. My first introduction to the series was Civilization II, which remains my favorite computer game of all time. Fifteen years after its launch, I was making friends in college with other Civ II players. It was a no-brainer that TOP and I would get into Civ V in order to play over the internet. It's also a no-brainer that my brother always kicks my ass even to this day.
-Deez
@Deezer509
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Educational Value of Gaming - Sengoku
It was one week ago, January 28th, that I attended my first, official college course since 2001. I am reluctant to admit that I was unprepared. The entire experience completely overwhelmed me physically and mentally. My first day of school greeted me with well over 200 pages of assigned reading to be finished by Wednesday. My classes didn't exactly ease me into this transition of being a full time student. I was thrust into it head first. I spent every free moment of my day reading (and taking notes) on this mountain of homework that I was given. Mixed in with that was the responsibility to find suitable daycare for my children and celebrating my daughter's fourth birthday (twice). I had every intention going into last week to put up a blog, but my hopes were dashed upon the rocks.
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| Darth Oda, Lord of the Sith Unifier of Sengoku Period Japan |
The most demanding class I'm taking is also the most exciting to me. It is a look at Japanese history starting at 1800 up to present day. The bulk of all the reading assignments come from this course, but the content is extremely fascinating to me. When I was a student back in 1999-2001, I was a Japanese language and culture major, but I never got around to taking any history classes in the short time I attended. That means I have a basic level knowledge of much of this history, but I've never actually read about most of it in depth. I find that I still have a sincere interest in the Japanese people and their history. Although the class is focused on the year 1800 and beyond, I decided to do a bit of extra reading about the events leading up to the Tokugawa Shogunate which was in place in 1800. I wanted to read what the history text had to say about Sengoku jidai - the Warring States period of Japan.
During this time there is over a hundred years of civil war until the eventual unification of Japan by Tokugawa Ieyasu (building off of his predecessors' and allies' efforts) which ushered in 200 years of peace and prosperity for the country. As I was reading through all the information about Japan's most turbulent time, fraught with constant military campaigns between rival warlords, I realized that I was pretty familiar with most of the major players and events, despite never having touched a history textbook on the subject. The Sengoku jidai is arguably one of the most popular events in Japanese history and it is retold over and over in film, anime and video games. It's through these literary mediums that I learned so much about this time period.
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| In Sengoku Japan, Pokémon catch you. |
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| This is how I like to picture Myamoto Musashi in 1612. |
This all began to snowball in conjunction with my growing love for anime into an increasing awareness of samurai history and culture. The interest in Musashi drew me in to a deeper understanding of a comic series I had loved since I was a boy, Usagi Yojimbo. In turn, this led me to various works of Kurosawa Akira, legendary Japanese film director responsible for Seven Samurai among other great works. Kurosawa's films about samurai cultured a deep love for the video game Way of the Samurai and its sequels which are told in styles very similar to a Kurosawa film - with multiple endings and various perspectives on your enemies depending on how you play through it. Way of the Samurai led to an introduction to the Meiji period, which is the end of the samurai as a ruling class (something we'll be discussing in class in the coming week or two) and the anime Rurouni Kenshin.Shogun: Total War was given to me as a gift from my father in 2000 when I was a student of Japanese in college originally. The gift was important because it marked the end of a long-standing grudge my father was holding against me regarding giving me computer software and hardware. It was also touching because it was an unspoken support and acknowledgement of my interest in Japan, and given to me on a medium I'm sure he knew I would enjoy - video games. I've said before that I'm a complete "noob" when it comes to the real-time simulated battles of the "Total War" series, but despite that this game was my first foray into real historical simulation in Japanese history, incidentally simulating the Sengoku jidai. I soon learned that if I pushed "Auto-Resolve" through the actual battles (which almost defeats the purpose of the meat and potatoes portion of the game) I could focus on what I was much better at - the strategic overlay of troops and logistics. Not unlike the "Civilization" series, Shogun: Total War allowed me to build up my infrastructures, train troops and march them into my rivals' domains to unify Japan under my banner.
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| Did I mention my favorite board game is Risk? |
- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Here's a few other games that got me swept up in Japanese (samurai) history:
- Samurai Warriors series
- Nobunaga's Ambition series
- Civilization series (among many other histories)
- Onimusha series
- Sengoku Basara series
Friday, January 4, 2013
Week in Review - 1/4/2013
PC
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| Eco City! |
I picked up this game for Christmas. I had my eye on it since it launched on Steam Nov, 2011, but I wasn’t sure if I’d like it despite heavy research. It really took a hands-on experience to realize how much I do like the game. The game is a mix of Command & Conquer, Sim City and a dash of Civilization. Earth is largely underwater in the year 2070 and you vie for control of islands across the map. There is heavy emphasis on infrastructure in order to prevail.
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| My Humble Beginnings! |
I was looking for a free MMO to play when I found Mabinogi. I was skeptical at first, but it was free so I downloaded it. I’m really enamoured with this game despite its simple graphics. I like the anime style, but its the character development that truly shines. Your character is made up of skills rather than levels. If you want to be a warrior, you train the skills associated with warrior. You could also choose to be a farmer, or a carpenter. This game is a mix of what Final Fantasy XIV should have been (with much worse graphics) and Harest Moon. It’s very enjoyable and free!
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| I am partial to White & Green. |
I played the original Duels of the Planeswalkers on XBox 360 a few years ago. I really enjoyed it, even though the deck building was extremely limited. The pre-made decks were decent and unlocking all the additional cards was addicting. No less so in the sequel, or 2012 version. The decks are all new and it has some additional features. If you like Magic: The Gathering or enjoyed the original game then this is a fun addition to the classic gameplay.
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| Shailud oversees Hulud Forge! |
My addiction to Minecraft has dwindled (somewhat) but my thirst for sandbox adventure burns strong. I’m dying to get my hands on Starbound, but in the meantime I picked up a copy of Terraria for my wife. She was skeptical at first, but now we’re happily building a new life together on a randomly generated Terraria world. She has built a candy-cane village while I worked on a forge and a deep mine. Our current plans include a lumber mill and tree farm.
- Terraria - "The Legend of Red Cloud"
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| Red prepares for the battles ahead. |
I thought this deserved its own entry. “The Legend of Red Cloud” is a fan made adventure map for Terraria. There is no building, so it plays more like Metroid or Castlevania. You create and play the character “Red Cloud” as he sets off on an adventure to avenge his family. The attention to detail is unbelievable. I highly recommend anyone who loves side-scrolling action adventure games and owns a legitimate copy of Terraria download this adventure map and play it.
Playstation 3
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| Take an arrow to the knee, Demon! |
This will be my third attempt to conquer this game. If you’ve heard anything about this game, you’ve probably heard that it is extremely difficult. The crafting system in “Legend of Red Cloud” is based on Dark Souls (successor to Demon’s Souls) and so it got me thinking about this game again and how I’ve left it unfinished twice before. I’ve heard New Game + is even more challenging, but I have to beat it once to gain access to that challenge. I’ll let you know how this current attempt goes.
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Related Links
Friday, August 3, 2012
Week in Review - 8/3/2012
DS
I’m still pushing through Hideyoshi’s episode. I had spent a
lot of time evolving Pokémon and their Warlords. All the while Kotaro and
Nobunaga were dueling it out on the east coast. As a result of many triumphs
over Nobunaga, Kotaro was incredibly difficult to defeat. I tried to lure his
army into Terrera which is very easy to capture without battling head to head,
but he would have none of it. Eventually, I took my newly evolved Yoshihiro
with a fully evolved Conkeldurr to take down Kotaro’s monstrous Dark Pokémon.
Now only Nobunaga remains and I push him back to Dragnor.
PC
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| Kotaro & Zoruark |
PC
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| My military is over 9,000! |
I’m fighting off the impulse to buy “Gods & Kings” for Civilization V. I want to get it when it
goes on sale or the price lowers, but I want it pretty badly. The game now
feels incomplete when I read about the tales of religious intrigue and
espionage from other players. At any rate, I finally loaded up the (incomplete)
game in an attempt to rule on high as Arabian sultan. It didn’t work out. I
lost by score to the unbelievable Egyptian empire. At one point a military
rating came out which placed me around 2000 and the Ottomans (my closest
rivals, but allies) at 4000. Egypt was at 15,000. I’ve never seen anything like
that before.
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| Shai, Nimla & Elden as White Mage |
Final Fantasy XIV
has been a lot of fun the last two weeks. I’ve been working
really hard at getting all the new jobs unlocked. Completing those quests isn’t
a small feat. Just yesterday, I joined (and later re-organized) a pick-up group
into Dzemael Darkhold in order to get White Mage and Monk artifact armor. I’ve
been plugging away at side-quests and camp achievements when I’m solo. Pretty
soon, though, I’m going to need to set my sights higher. I need to defeat some
pretty fierce bosses, and conquer some dungeons. The relic weapons loom beyond
my reach as well.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Week in Review - 6/22/2012
Nintendo DS
When this game launched in Japan back in March, I was
extremely excited. My Facebook has had a picture of Kenshin and Mewtwo since
then (I should really change it). I never thought the game would see a US release,
and only three months later! I was going to write an entire article about how I
wish these niche games would come over here, but now that’s a moot point. I
bought it on a whim yesterday and I’ve really been enjoying it. So far I’ve
united Ransei with the Main Hero and I’m about to dive into the side-story
episodes.PC
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| I nearly cried shortly beyond here. |
I popped this game on a few nights ago because I couldn’t
sleep. Did I think this would help? No, not really. Fortunately I stopped
before it got too intense. That is to say, I came around a corner and caught a
glimpse of a strange bipedal beast-man just as he disappeared around a corner
and I nearly pee’d my pants. I play with the lights off and headphones on as
the game directed me. Yeah. Well, I’m enjoying it when I am in the mood to have
the pants scared off me. It is a great idea for a game.
With the release of Gods
& Kings just this week, I have had “Civilization” on my mind. I decided
recently that I would try and wait for the expansion to go on sale, but it
doesn’t stop me from picking away at the long list of achievements I have yet
to conquer in the original game and its downloaded content. I started up a game
as Arabia and am pretty well situated in the northeast of a continent. I have a
wall of City States protecting me from France, Mongolia and China. I will
strive for economic dominance. 
The last time I played The
Sims 3 back in March, I had created a small household that was made up of 4
cloned and killed Sims modeled after myself. I decided to pluck Electro Oliver
out of his home and make him a successful businessman in his afterlife, but I
got bored playing as a ghost and decided to boot up the original Sim Oliver
before death claimed him. For the first time since I’ve owned the game, I
managed to get Fishing to Lv5, Gardening to Lv7 and Cooking to Lv10 to make
myself Ambrosia and thus immortal.
Playstation 3
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| "This is ridiculous. Worst birthday ever." |
I’m still working on my analysis of the Final Fantasy XIII plot. I’m paying a lot of attention to the
Datalog and learning small tidbits here and there, but so far nothing is so
ground-breaking that the entire game suddenly makes sense. I’m waiting to get near
the end where all the rules established early in the game start to fall apart. I’m hoping this time things will add up. I’m part
of the way through Chapter 6 out of 13 so I’m making some good progress. I may
publish my notes when it’s said and done.
I did not play Planescape: Torment at all this week. I cannot get into it. Sigh.
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Friday, June 1, 2012
Week in Review - 6/1/2012
I apologize that my post about Chrono Trigger's Magus was published late, and this week's article has been postponed. I had some family in town, followed by Memorial Day weekend, and my scheduled has gotten all out of sync. I decided to take the week off and not worry about posting again until next Tuesday, June 5th. I should have thrown something up earlier explaining I wouldn't be writing this week. Please forgive me. I'll be back on schedule next week.
PC
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
PC
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| She looks so friendly! |
I finally pulled off a Catherine (Russia) victory on Prince
difficulty. I’ve been choosing random map-types so I never know if I’ll be
playing on full continents or small islands. My Russian empire happened to be
an island nation which is an odd choice for a Russian victory, but I pulled it
off splendidly. My fleet of battleships was a force feared all along the high
seas and with them I crushed the mighty Spanish empire back into submission.
Taking Madrid sealed my victory. I then went on to win another Prince game with
Egypt. That time on Earth-map I controlled all of Europe and the Middle East.
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| Witch Doctor Mola Ram |
My adventures in Diablo
III continue, but I have recently taken Monk out of the picture. Don’t
misunderstand me, I love Monk but he’s becoming impractical in groups. When I
play with friends he spends more time dead than alive. I know I could throw
money into his gear to increase his survivability, but since he remains
untouchable when I play solo I think I shall put him on the back burner as my
solo class. I’m currently trying to catch up a Witch Doctor to join with my
friends. Although he’s creepy, I enjoy the class.
X-Box 360
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| I'm actually using a 1970 914. |
Although I typically prefer Gran Turismo, I had the urge for a race and this was the only game
I had on the shelf. I wasn’t interested in purchasing a new game. Although this
game is old, it’s still quite fun. Surprisingly, my kids love this game. They
love helping me pick which cars to race and what colors to paint them. They
even enjoy the first couple races before their attention spans wander off.
Since putting this on the first time, I’ve popped it on for a race or two just
to distract them from their perpetual toddler drama.
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
Friday, May 25, 2012
Week in Review - 5/25/2012
PC
I spent 6 hours over the weekend tearing through Shadow of the Colossus. I didn’t spend
my usual obsessive amounts of time hunting down lizard tails, so other than a
scattered sighting here and there, I managed to play through the game rather
quickly. It was my intent to highlight the battles which each of the 16 colossi
for a small audience. I love that game and I’m glad it’s back in my possession.
It feels good to take down a colossus every now and then. It’s a little bit
symbolic of the real world in that way.
-TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
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| Score Victory in Multiplayer! |
My brother was in town for the weekend. We decided to get a
few games of Civ V under our belt
since our internet connections won’t allow us a game longer than 10 turns. I
found new inspiration to knock out a few games after he left as well.
Particularly fond of my first victory on Prince difficulty (I know, I’m lame)
with Songhai. I drove for a Cultural Victory, but was ahead in Technology as
well. I also had the second strongest military which led to some interesting
stand offs against rivals. Victory could not be duplicated again with Russia.
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| Shai (Monk) at start of Nightmare |
This week marked my adventuring party’s triumph over Normal
difficulty in Diablo III. I’m really
excited to take my Monk into Nightmare difficulty, but I haven’t had the
opportunity yet. I’m learning to use the Auction House feature to my advantage,
but I am also constantly vexed that it is unavailable due to maintenance. I’m
still debating the possibility of a documented adventure in Hardcore, but I
continue to put it off to play with friends in Softcore and fight the good
fight on new characters. I am leveling all but Demon Hunter on Softcore at the
moment.
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| Dalziel at New Terra |
My brother was interested in checking out Terraria so I loaded it up and showed
him around. He made his own character and messed around in the early stages of
the game, building a shelter. We didn’t play too much, unfortunately. If we had
two copies of the game I could see us really tearing it up, but as it stands my
Terraria adventure is on indefinite
hold and I am awaiting Starbound. Diablo III is simply too distracting.
Playstation 3
I spent 6 hours over the weekend tearing through Shadow of the Colossus. I didn’t spend
my usual obsessive amounts of time hunting down lizard tails, so other than a
scattered sighting here and there, I managed to play through the game rather
quickly. It was my intent to highlight the battles which each of the 16 colossi
for a small audience. I love that game and I’m glad it’s back in my possession.
It feels good to take down a colossus every now and then. It’s a little bit
symbolic of the real world in that way. -TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
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