When you think of video games, what do you usually think of? The gameplay. Take Minecraft. A sandbox game with endless possibilities. How about Fortnite? A battle Royale shooter with casual and competitive players. But what do most people not really think of when you mention video games? Their stories. Don’t get me wrong, video games need a story. Even Minecraft and Fortnite have stories, despite how small or simple they may be. But as I’ve been going through school, I’ve been playing many games. Of course, most are just fun games, like Rainbow Six Siege or your typical world of Terraria. But I also went through a list of story-heavy games. Out of all the games I played, these games stuck with me the most. What Remains of Edith Finch What Remains of Edith Finch is a two hour walking simulator. You can’t lose, you have no freedom to tackle situations your own way: it’s just a two hour experience with very minimal effort required to progress. Yet, despite the game sounding like the most boring thing ever, it’s an amazing game. Like someone said to me, “It takes two hours to finish, and a lifetime to reflect.” The story is about you, Edith, a girl walking through the home of the Finchs’ – a now uninhabited mansion – and learning how each of them met his/her untimely demise some many years ago. As the story goes on, it progressively becomes sadder and more powerful. You see how each Finch died – in his/her own brutal way – as you discover the backstory of each family member. I’ve never seen so much care and love put into such a linear game. It’s nothing like I’ve ever played. Ever. Each section feels like a whole longer game of its own. This game excels at making you feel sad. I love how the game is never afraid to take risks. You see characters – young and old – facing relatable problems that lead to their death. It’s so brutal (despite it having little to no blood or gore) that every flashback to their death did nothing but hypnotize me as I stood there, thinking, “What the heck did I just witness?” It punched me in the stomach so many times that I felt like I was crying in my mind; I just wasn’t pouring out tears. The graphics are gorgeous, and the stories are so dark yet cartoonish at the same time. It’s like what would happen if the Joker made a video game. I remember just finishing it, watching the ending, and feeling sad. I want to learn more about these characters, I want to see more of them. I want… maybe a sequel? But at the same time, that could have a high chance of ruining the original. This is not the type of game where I can really explain how powerful it is. Buy it, and you’ll see why. Persona 5 Persona 5 is one of the longest games I’ve ever played. Ever. It took me about 100 hours to beat, and even after that, I felt like I missed so much. This game excels at story and world-building, while still having surprisingly fun gameplay. A young kid named Ren is sent on probation after a false claim of assault. While meeting some friends there, they discover the MetaVerse, another dimension with evil beings. After meeting some horrible people at the school, they discover they can change the hearts of those criminals and horrible people by taking their “Treasure” in the MetaVerse. Steal the treasure, and they will confess their sins in reality. This group becomes known as the “Phantom Thieves.” Obviously, the story is not as simple as that. If I had to explain everything, we’d be here forever, but even still, this game has an incredible story. The characters are all incredible and feel like actual high schoolers instead of cut-down video game protagonists. I should say this right out of the gate: if you don’t like long dialogue and complex storytelling, buy something else. This game is filled with dialogue – almost 60 hours of it, if not more. Normally, I find dialogue in most games to be slow and boring, but Persona 5 is an exception. The dialogue is so funny and perfectly resembles that of high school teenagers. The characters all have their own detailed backstories that you can learn over the course of the game. I think what I love most about this game though is how well it combines sci-fi with realistic fiction. The Phantom Thieves are powerful in the MetaVerse, but as reality starts slipping away from them, they start to realize just how much they want to go back to being normal high schoolers. The characters all face mental issues that are addressed over the course of the game, and while it is a bit samey samey, it’s still quite impressive. For me, Persona 5 is the type of game that immerses me into the gameplay so well that I don’t really pay attention to some of its crippling flaws. The music is amazing, but you’ll hear a lot of the same songs over and over again, so get ready for that. The gameplay and side activities could have been expanded upon a little more, and I personally believe they could have made the main character more interesting. Regardless, this game is a true work of storytelling with such a simple, yet effective story that satisfies fans of the series, and newcomers to it like me. I highly, HIGHLY recommend you try it out. A Short Hike I remember picking this game up and not wanting to do anything else. It’s such a cute and funny game that’s a much-needed breather compared to all the shooty-shoot games that have come out recently. It’s a simple, but cute game. The character tries to climb to the top of a mountain to receive cell phone service. Simple, but relatable. But
game review
The Google Doodle Everyone Will Play
The Google homepage is something that everyone has been on, not once or twice. Many times. But it’s one of those things we don’t pay much attention to. It’s pretty easy to ignore it. It’s just a homepage, but one of the things that makes it so special to me are the little games or slideshows they have. Every day, Google has a new page on the home screen that will lead you to something special, whether it’d be a tribute to a famous man or woman, or just something fun. Most of the time, I never paid attention to them, but today (July 23, 2021), I found a cool game on the homepage. Not a slideshow or a tribute like Google typically does, but an actual video game. It’s a very simple game that anyone can play, called Doodle Champion Island Games (DCIG). A calico cat named Lucky is trying to defeat the 7 champions across an island (we never get the name of it) and collect the scrolls. That’s it. It may seem boring, but it’s actually really cool. I’ll tell you why. First, I love the art style. It has a Pac-Man, 16-bit style of gameplay similar to the old 1980’s arcade games, with actual hand drawn animated cutscenes that look super cute! These are not the type of games I typically play, but this one is so colorful and nice to look at; it’s breathtaking. It’s not just looks though. The actual gameplay is very diverse. The 7 champions you have to defeat all have their own mini-games. I’ll list them: 1. You have to hit the arrows at the correct time in a rhythm game. 2. You have to play rugby while enemies try to catch you. To win, you must pass the ball to your teammates quickly before any of your opponents touch you! 3. You have to play table tennis with one of the champions and score a certain amount of points to win. 4. You have to use a bow and arrow to hit targets. However, the enemy champion will also try hitting the targets. Hit the most targets and collect the most points to win. 5. You have to land different trick shots on a skateboard, which will give you points. Complete the required amount of points to win. 6. You have to climb a mountain while rocks and other terrain are hitting you down. Head up to the top before the timer runs out to win! 7. You have to complete a marathon. Win first place to progress onward. These are the games in DCIG, and while they may sound easy, they’re actually quite hard! Each requires some different type of skill to defeat them, and it all depends on you. I beat the table tennis one with ease, but I’ve seen people struggle with it like crazy! That’s not the only thing though. There are also side quests to complete like helping certain animals find their lost possessions. All of this is a tribute to the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (which are going on till August 8th), and I’m really impressed by the people who worked on this. They could have just made a slideshow talking about how the Summer Olympic Games got started, but they made an actual game that must have taken them hours! That’s crazy, and I applaud the team (a Japanese animation studio called Studio 4C) who worked on it. Not just because it’s fun, but because it actually shows how you can tell stories through video games. I’ve seen many people say that video games are “bad” and teach you nothing! I whole heartedly disagree. There are so many games out there that have intricate and interesting stories that can challenge you in multiple different ways, either by exercising your reflexes or critical thinking. DCIG proves this really well, and I’m glad people are finally realizing how video games are actually just as imaginative and exciting as books. Yes, games may not be educational—and I’m not saying to play video games 24 hours a day, but I feel they shouldn’t be completely ignored either. DCIG was a wonderful, unexpected find during my daily Google browsing. I expected something boring, but I got something great instead. It’s not long (I beat it in about 45 minutes), but it is still as fun as other games I’ve played that last hundreds of hours. For a Google game developed by a small team of people, this is insane! DCIG is a perfect tribute to the 2020/2021 Summer Olympic Games, and I can’t wait to see what the Studio 4C team will do next.
The Nintendo Switch: is it really worth it? A review by Daniel Zhu, 10
Nintendo has a reputation for making good gaming consoles. And when the Nintendo Switch came out, it introduced a whole new way of playing games, with the Switch’s revolutionary Joy-Cons and no-WiFi-needed TV connection port. Hosting a party? No problem; connect your Joy-Cons to your Switch by just sliding them onto the Switch (some party games support as many as eight players!). Want to play on a larger screen? Nintendo’s got your back there too; by just putting your Switch in a port specifically designed by Nintendo, you can experience your games like never before. But to many parents, a Switch is not worth $300; my own parents, in fact, still think that a $900 gaming PC is a better deal, even after they’ve fully experienced the Switch after we bought it. Yet there are 11 hidden secrets of the Switch that might just convince you that $300 is not too much, but rather too little to pay for a Switch. The Basics 1. Game cards. Although there is a Nintendo online eShop, many people prefer to have a physical copy of their game. Why? One reason is that you can exchange, lend, or give, physical copies of a game to someone else, but for the Nintendo Switch, there’s no way to exchange, lend, or give digital copies. For example, if you had the physical copy of, say, Super Smash Bros., and your friend has the physical copy of Super Mario Odyssey, you can swap games so that each can try out a new game. Or, if your friend has a Switch but doesn’t have any party games and is hosting many people at his house, you could bring a party game like Super Mario Party to his house so he doesn’t have to go to the expense of buying one. Though it is very unlikely that you will give a $50 Switch game to anyone for free, if you outgrow a game, if you have the physical copy of it, you have the option to sell it or kindheartedly donate it. In addition, most of the games on the eShop are more expensive. But that’s not it! My favorite thing about game cards is that you can borrow them from libraries. That way, if you are thinking of buying a game, you can borrow it to test it out first, then decide if you still want it. 2. Flexibility of play. For many video game consoles, the interface is either purely on the TV or purely on the console. Xbox, for example, can only be played on a TV. Although there is a small screen on the PS4 controller that you can play on, PlayStation is also mostly based on the TV. However, Switch games can be played on the Switch screen in itself (it’s nearly as large as a tablet) or a TV, and the switch (that’s where the name is from!) between the two is extremely easy; the only thing you need is an HDMI cable, since everything else is included with your purchase of the Switch. All you need to do to set up your Switch TV connection port is to first plug an AC adapter into the port that comes with the Switch, then use an HDMI cable to connect the port into the TV. After you have it all set up, if you want to take your Switch experience onto to the TV, all you need to do is slide the Switch console screen into the port; likewise, if you want to take your Switch games on a trip, just slide the screen back out of the port and put it in your travel bag. With the Switch, you’re all set for fun everywhere you go, however you like! Compatibility 3. Compatibility of controllers. There are two Nintendo-made controllers that are compatible with nearly every game on the Switch: the Joy-Con controllers and the Pro Controller. Both of these controllers’ appearances can be customized. The Poke Ball Plus is a Poke Ball-shaped controller that is only compatible with Pokémon games. In addition, there are accessories for the Joy-Cons, including a regular grip and a charging grip, both of which can hold two Joy-Cons, and a wheel for racing games which can hold one Joy-Con. There are also many third-party companies that manufacture Nintendo controllers, most notably PowerA. Many of these controllers actually look much cooler than Nintendo-made controllers, with many more customization options, are usually much cheaper, and have the exact same capabilities as Nintendo-made controllers. There is a PowerA Switch controller that is designed exactly like a Pro Controller, yet it costs just $20; $50 less than a Nintendo-made Pro Controller. In addition, it has a Legends of Zelda theme, with the game’s symbol, gold buttons on a black controller, and an engraving of Link on it. In addition, a company called Kinova made Joy-Cons that charge by USB instead of using some expensive charging pad or the Switch screen. So in conclusion, if you have a Switch and need more controllers, even if you are on a low budget but still want something flashy, there are still many options! 4. Compatibility of games. While you might think that the best game on a Nintendo console is going to be a game made by Nintendo themselves, to some people, this may not be true. Like basketball? No problem; NBA 2K is compatible with Switch. For fans of other sports, soccer (FIFA) and football (Madden NFL) are available on the Switch. For action games, a third-party game company called PlatinumGames is the ideal choice; they created the acclaimed game Astral Chain and, for those who play Super Smash Bros., the games Bayonetta is from; Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. Marvel fans are not left behind: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order sports nearly all the Marvel superheroes up till now. For those who like first-person shooters, Doom, developed by id Software, is one of the best ones, not only for Switch but among
