A-Z Challenge Letter G

G is for Grand Theft Auto!

Grand Theft Auto (commonly abbreviated GTA) is a multi-award-winning video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by British developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design) and published by Rockstar Games. The name of the series is derived from grand theft auto, a term referring to motor vehicle theft.

The series is set in fictional locales heavily modelled on American cities, while an expansion for the original was based in London. Gameplay focuses on an open world where the player can choose missions to progress an overall story, as well as engaging in side activities, all consisting of action-adventure, driving, occasional role-playing, stealth, and racing elements. The subject of the games is usually a comedic satire of American culture, but the series has gained controversy for its adult nature and violent themes. The series focuses around many different protagonists who attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in each game. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or his organisation, or characters who have the most impact impeding the protagonist's progress.

Video game developer DMA Design began the series in 1997, and it currently has ten stand-alone games and four expansion packs. The third chronological title, Grand Theft Auto III, was widely acclaimed, as it brought the series to a 3D setting and more immersive experience, and is considered a landmark title that has subsequently influenced many other open world action games and led to the label "Grand Theft Auto clone" on similar games. Subsequent titles would follow and build upon the concept established in Grand Theft Auto III. Film veterans such as Michael Madsen, Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Danny Trejo, Gary Busey, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn, James Woods, Joe Pantoliano, Jenna Jameson, Frank Vincent, Robert Loggia, Kyle MacLachlan, Phil Collins and Peter Fonda have all voiced major characters, and the series is critically acclaimed and commercially successful, having sold more than 114 million units, as of September 2011.[1] The fourth era of Grand Theft Auto included lesser known actors, such as Michael Hollick, Jason Zumwalt and Scott Hill.

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Okay we all have heard of one of the unlimited amount of GTA games. I first played this game on PS2 (have not played any PS3 versions of the game) And although I am not a huge GTA fan I do think the game has some good and bad qualities to it. It is fun driving around being the bad guy of the town stealing cars, killing people, running people over, and out running the law. But you have to be sure people know that the world is not like this. You need to not let people think this is how they can act and you need to not let people think this is how people do act. It is a video game people. It is ment for fun and enjoyment not to mimic real life.

 

A-Z Challenge Letter F

F is for FallOut 3!!

Fallout 3 is an action role-playing open world video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It is the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277, 36 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear apocalypse that devastated the game's world in a future where international conflicts between the USA and China culminated into a Sino-American war in 2077.

The player character is an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect up to 1,000 humans from the nuclear fallout. When the player character's father disappears under mysterious circumstances, the player is forced to escape from the Vault and journey into the ruins of Washington, D.C. to track him down. Along the way the player is assisted by a number of human survivors and must battle a myriad of enemies that inhabit the area now known as the "Capital Wasteland". The game has an attribute and combat system typical of an action strategy game but also incorporates elements of survival horror games.

Following its release, Fallout 3 received very positive reviews from critics and a number of Game of the Year awards, praising the game's open-ended gameplay and flexible character-leveling system. The NPD Group estimated that Fallout 3 sold over 610,000 units during its initial month of release in October 2008, performing better than Bethesda Softworks' previous game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which sold nearly 500,000 units in its first month. The game has also received post-launch support with Bethesda releasing five downloadable add-ons. The game received controversy upon release, including the use of morphine in the game for Australia, religious and cultural sentiments in India, and sensitivity in Japan due to a mission involving the detonation of an atomic bomb.

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I own the game of the year edition of this game so I had all the awesome extra downloads that you could download from the playstation network. That being said I have beat the story line in ONE of the millions of way that I could. That is right you make tons of choices, tons of missions, tons of wrong and right turns. You could do so many things in this game. I don't remember the exact number of trophies I have for this game but I am pretty sure I don't have even half of them. Addicting!!! I would play this game every single moment I was awake. For hours upon hours of choices. I am not a big shooter fan so giving this game a try was a stretch for me but it turned out to be the best chance I took. LOVE LOVE LOVE this game. 

 (I play on PS3 if you have a PS3 Network name and want to be friends hit me up on comments and I'll hit you up on the PS3) 

A-Z Challenge Letter E

E is for EyePet

EyePet is a game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, developed by London Studio and Playlogic Game Factory. The original PlayStation 3 version was released in Europe on 23 October 2009 and in Australia on 27 October 2009. This version of EyePet was originally scheduled to be released in North America on 17 November 2009, but was held back. Instead, a newer version of EyePet adapted for the PlayStation Move motion control system was released in North America on September 5, 2010, where it is available in a bundle. In October 2010, the Move-adapted version was released in Japan and Europe, with the European edition entitled EyePet Move Edition. The game also supports 3D on 3D enabled TVs. The PSP version of EyePet was released on November 2, 2010.

The game uses the camera to allow a virtual pet to interact with people and objects in the real world. Using augmented reality, the simian, gremlin-like creature appears to be aware of its environment and surroundings and reacts to them accordingly. The player can place objects in front of the animal and the game will interpret what the object is and respond to it.For example, if the player rolls a ball towards it, it will jump out of the way to avoid being hurt. It will also react to the player's actions and sound allowing the user to, for example, tickle the animal or clap their hands to startle it. A trailer shown at E3 2009 shows the pet being customised with outfits and colored fur and interacting with virtual objects including a trampoline and bubble machine. The trailers also demonstrate users drawing custom objects (first trailer shows a car, E3 2009 trailer shows an airplane) which are scanned by the camera and converted to virtual objects which the pet can then interact with. The pet can also be fed, as in the trailers, it is shown eating cookies and a type of pet food.

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I will first admit the only thing I did with this game was play the demo but it was an adorable and cute demo and I love animals so it was win win situation.The only problem I had was the way my living room was set up I had to fool around with the camera and where I sat. This CAN be fun or it COULD be boring. Like I said didn't play the whole thing. But I think this is an awesome idea for young children that want pets but your not sure its such a good idea. It gives them the thought of having a pet but no mess and when they bore of the pet in a week your not stuck buying dog food.

(I play on PS3 if you have a PS3 Network name and want to be friends hit me up on comments and I'll hit you up on the PS3)

A-Z Challenge Letter D

D is for Donkey Kong 

Donkey Kong is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular characters.

The game was the latest in a series of efforts by Nintendo to break into the North American market. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's president at the time, assigned the project to a first-time game designer named Shigeru Miyamoto. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations, including Popeye and King Kong, Miyamoto developed the scenario and designed the game alongside Nintendo's chief engineer, Gunpei Yokoi. The two men broke new ground by using graphics as a means of characterization, including cut scenes to advance the game's plot, and integrating multiple stages into the gameplay.

Despite initial misgivings on the part of Nintendo's American staff, Donkey Kong proved a success in North America and Japan. Nintendo licensed the game to Coleco, who developed home console versions for numerous platforms. Other companies cloned Nintendo's hit and avoided royalties altogether. Miyamoto's characters appeared on cereal boxes, television cartoons, and dozens of other places. A lawsuit brought on by Universal City Studios, alleging Donkey Kong violated their trademark of King Kong, ultimately failed. The success of Donkey Kong and Nintendo's win in the courtroom helped position the company to dominate the video game market in the 1980s and early 1990s.

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I do not believe I ever beat all the levels of Donkey Kong but I do remember I would play this game forever. It was so much fun. Jumping over barrels, out running fireballs, zapping them with that weird wand thing. I have to admit I love Nintendo, I love Nintendo games. I wish I still had my classic Nintendo and all my games. Maybe one day I'll buy them again. Blow out the cartridges and play me some classic awesome game time. 

A-Z Challenge Letter C

C is for Crash Bandicoot 2

(OLD SCHOOL PLAYSTATION!!! Yes I have been a PS fan from the get go lol)

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a platform video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment, produced by Universal Interactive Studios (now the defunct Vivendi Games) and developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation. Originally released for the PlayStation in 1997, it was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits and Best for Family line-ups in 1998, for the Platinum Range in 1999 and for the PSone Books line-up in 2001. The game was later released on the European PlayStation Network on July 26, 2007, but was withdrawn as a precautionary measure when other PSone Classics MediEvil and Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, failed to function properly. The game was released on the North American PlayStation Network on January 10, 2008 and again on the European PlayStation Network on February 2, 2011.

Taking place on a fictional group of islands near Australia, Crash Bandicoot 2 follows the adventures of the anthropomorphic bandicoot Crash. Crash is abducted by series villain Doctor Neo Cortex, who has seemingly turned over a new leaf and now wants to save the world. Crash is then thrust into several parts of N. Sanity Island in order to gather Crystals and allow Cortex to contain the power of the upcoming planetary alignment and keep the planet from being destroyed. Crash is joined by his sister Coco, who is suspicious of Cortex's true intentions, and partially by Doctor Nitrus Brio, who tries to persuade Crash to gather Gems instead of Crystals.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back received generally positive reviews from critics and was considered to be superior to its predecessor. Much of the praise went to the game's graphics, control and music, with minor criticisms varying between the trial-and-error gameplay, lack of level variety, easy boss levels and lack of innovation. The game went on to become one of the best-selling PlayStation video games of all time and replaced its predecessor as the highest-selling Western title in Japan, selling more than 800,000 units in the country by April 1998.

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Okay it has been many many many years sense I have played this game. But from what I remember I did not ever finish the game... But I do remember spending hours playing it and how much fun it was and how hard it was. Of course I was like 11 when I played this game so...yeah...lol

A-Z Challenge Letter B

B is for Batman Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum is an award winning 2009 action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' superhero Batman. Released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, it was developed by Rocksteady Studios in the United Kingdom and published by London based Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were released on August 25, 2009 in North America and August 28, 2009 in Europe, and the PC version was released on September 15, 2009 in North America and on September 18, 2009 in Europe. The Mac OS X version of the game was released by Feral Interactive in November 2011.[1]

Arkham Asylum, written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, is based on the long-running comic book mythos, as opposed to most other Batman games, which are adaptations of the character in other media besides the source material. The Joker, Batman's arch enemy, has instigated an elaborate plot from within Arkham Asylum, where many of Batman's other villains have been incarcerated. Batman investigates and comes to learn that the Joker is trying to create an army of Bane-like creatures to threaten Gotham City, and is forced to put a stop to the Joker's plans. The game's main characters are voiced by the actors from the DC Animated Universe, namely Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprising their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. The game is played as a third-person perspective action-adventure game with a primary focus on Batman's combat abilities, his stealth and detective skills, and an arsenal of gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration.

The game received high praise from critics, earning a 92% average on GameRankings, a game review aggregator. The game also holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever', with an average score of 91.67 from reviewers. Several awards were given to Arkham Asylum, including a Spike Video Game Award and the Best Game BAFTA Award. A sequel, Batman: Arkham City, was announced at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards and was released in 2011. On May 11, 2010, a Game of the Year version of Arkham Asylum was released in the United States. This edition includes four new challenge maps and is packaged with a pair of glasses which may be used to play the game in 3D on any regular 2D television, using TriOviz, a new kind of anaglyph image technique.

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Okay I have beat the game on the easy level and it only took me roughly two or three days. Not sure how many hours. But a few I know. I am only 1/3 of the way through the trophies. There are three levels. Easy, Medium and Hard.  You can collect riddle trophies. You collect patient tapes. You find these little things that look like something out of spiderman. And look at the trophies a bit if your after them. There was one that I missed because I was suppose to do something at a special time and didn't. And so I missed the chance. (I play on PS3 if you have a PS3 Network name and want to be friends hit me up on comments and I'll hit you up on the PS3) 

Did you miss March Madness Blog?

Did you miss one of the March Madness Interviews? Want to quickly look up those you want to revisit or didn't see the first time? Here is a list of the Interviews with links!!! :) Enjoy!

Here is the wonderful lineup!!!!

March 1st: Designer and Author Mark Montano
March 2nd: Upcoming Author and stay at home mom Blandy Littrell
March 3rd: Author Douglas Brown
March 4th: Author J. B DiNizo
March 5th: Author Larisa Biyuts
March 6th: Harlem Ambassador member Tiffara Steward

March 7th: Author Vanessa Wu
March 8th: Author Xavier Axelson
March 9th: Author Lee Brazil
March 10th: Author Emily White
March 11th: Author Cherie Reich
March 12th: Author Shelly Meyer
March 13th: Author Oliver Frances
March 14th: Author, Educator, Book Reviewer, and Talk Radio Host Fran Lewis
March 15th: Author Dorien Grey
March 16th: Author Ruth Cardello
March 17th: Author and Wiccan High Priestess Deborah Blake
March 18th: Author Shay Fabbro
March 19th: Author Cas Peace
March 20th: Photographer, Singer and Writer Cath Barton
March 21st: Author Dawn Isu
March 22nd: Author G. R. Holton
March 23rd: Author India Drummond
March 24th: Author Karen Dales
March 25th: Model and Author Ciara Ryan/Ryan
March 26th: Author Susan McGeown
March 27th: Author Sheri Larsen
March 28th: Journalist and National Geographics Society Developer Adnilton Alves
March 29th: Author Gerry Burnie
March 30th: Author D. J. Kile
March 31st: Author Lindsay Downs

A-Z Challenge Letter A

So today starts APRIL!!!! YAY!!! And that means the A-Z Challenge is HERE!!! It took me forever to pick a theme for my challenge. I didn't want to do books or animals or foods (though I thought about it a lot). And no crafts. So my theme for April is.................... GAMER!!!! That is right I am going to do a different video game (over all the games I've played over all the years going all the way back to NINTENDO. The old one the lil grey box you blew into the cartridges to fix the fuzzy screen. Yeah that one forward .But no XBox I don't play that) So lets get the party Started!!!

A is for Assasian's Creed 2

(I've never played the first one, haven't beat this one yet so haven't played the rest of them either.) 
Assassin's Creed II is a historical action-adventure open world stealth video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It is the second video game installment of the Assassin's Creed series, and is a sequel to the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. The game was released for video game consoles in November 2009.

The frame story is set in the 21st century, with player-controlled protagonist Desmond Miles escaping from Abstergo Industries with an employee, Lucy Stillman, after being forced to relive the genetic memories of ancestral assassin Altaïr ibn La-Ahad through a machine known as the "Animus". After escaping from Abstergo, Desmond enters a device which is more advanced than the original Animus, the Animus 2.0, and relives the genetic memories of ancestral nobleman Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who lived during the Renaissance period of the late 15th century in Italy. The player controls Ezio, who becomes an Assassin after his father and brothers are murdered by a traitor to their family. While controlling Ezio, the player can explore game renditions of Italian cities, regions, and landmarks in open world gameplay.

Assassin's Creed II was met with widespread acclaim, garnering aggregated scores of 91% for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and 86% for the PC, from review aggregator Metacritic. The game was praised for its stronger emphasis on open-world exploration and interaction, non-linear gameplay and greater mission variety compared to the first Assassin's Creed. The game was also credited with improved non-player character AI and combat mechanics, and its new economic system allowing players to purchase accessories, armor, and improved weapons through the course of the game.

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Okay my take on the game is it is addictive!!! You have so many different quest and memories and puzzles and things to find and do and figure out. I'm currently at 44% of trophies completed. And I've already logged in a good 50 or more hours into this game. Time just seems to go by so fast once I start playing. It eats all the thoughts in my mind!!! I was going to start playing with the first one but a few people told me it was really a lot of repeating the same type of thing over and over which just sounded boring to me. So I went with game 2 and I couldn't be happier. When I get 100% complete I'll start Brotherhood, and then Revelations, and then the new one. And the new one comes out this fall so I better get started on beating these other games lol. (I play on PS3 if you have a PS3 Network name and want to be friends hit me up on comments and I'll hit you up on the PS3)