Back from summer

I had I hopes for this blog. They're back again, but I will admit they were fleeting when I first started. Let me explain a few things about myself. First, I get really excited about creating a website, a blog, a podcast, and then FIZZLE! it's gone. It's a horrible medical condition called Flashinthepanitus and I hate being the primary victim of it. Regardless, I do hope that every so often I can keep this updated, twice a week doesn't sound too horrible. Second thing, I hate editing with a passion reserved only for passionate things. My posts are typed right out from my head and then published. There might be a few hanging grammatical errors on there, but those can pass for web media. If there's something gigantically, glaringly wrong (like me referring to myself as a PC user) I will correct it as soon as I catch it, but I'm not one to reread my work. That is, unless it's particularly awesome. I don't make many things that are particularly awesome though. Lastly, I hate tagging but it's a necessary evil. I do want my posts to show up in search engines after all. I have no idea why I'm telling you all this because it doesn't necessarily matter to you, but just know in the future the posts will be a little easier to find.

Schools about to start, so maybe this blog will die again. But here's hoping I have time and the spirit to continue on. Long live the panda!

Picross 3D - DS {Review}

Most simple concepts are just that, simple and intuitive. Take sliced bread. A cliché example but damn if it isn't ingenious. Picross 3D is much in this same vein, providing tons of content in a simple, easy to pick up game. Old fans and new, like myself, of the Picross series will definitely want to check this title out. If you aren't a fan, you will be after playing this game for a little while. Overall, it provides an experience that, though frustrating at time, is very rewarding and requires you to exercise your critical thinking skills (not like Brain Age, this game is actually good).

The gameplay formula is easy to understand. Outer blocks show how many blocks belong in the puzzle in each row or column. Using problem solving skills, i.e. if there are six blocks in a row and five belong, you know that the middle four all belong in the puzzle, you slowly chip away at a giant cube until you have a finished product. Circles and squares also indicate how many groups the blocks are organized into. The game's pace is excellent and, if you go through the tutorial, you'll be ready for any puzzle, although the tutorial still continues through the easy puzzles. 

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - DS {Review}

 Before I get any further in this review, I must say that I am not a veteran of the Shin Megami Tensei series. I watched Giant Bomb’s Endurance Run of Persona 4 but that was just watching. This is the first title I’ve actually picked up and played, and I’m glad I did.

For those of you who have never heard of the Shin Megami Tensei (referred to as SMT for the sake of shortness) series, it’s an Atlus series that’s older than dirt. There have been so many sequels and spin-off series that even a die-hard fan would have trouble keeping them all in order. However, all of the series share one common thing. Demons. Lots of demons.

Let’s focus on Strange Journey now. The way demons are implemented is very interesting; they are almost similar to Pokémon. Basically, from a first person view, you dungeon-crawl each of the areas, with random encounters being, well, random. Depending on how many steps you take, a meter at the top of the screen will change from blue to yellow to red, signaling how close you are to the next battle. That’s where the demons come in.

Retro reviews and ME2

Happy Friday everyone, the weekend is almost here. There isn't going to be that much meat to this post, but hey, I like posting meatless things. Over the past year or so, I've created a few reviews over at Giant Bomb. As I mentioned in the Manifesto, I'd like to start a reviews section of the blog where I can post all of my thoughts on games. The games being reviewed aren't necessarily new (I like to wait a few months to go out and get the new titles), but perhaps a reader will come across on they hadn't even heard of before and want to pick it up. Or, likewise, know which older games to stay away from when looking for a new game to play. Anyway, expect a few posts going up today (I'll tweet whenever a new one goes up) that are just my reviews. Speaking of tweeting, I have added a little section at the bottom of the website called "Panda Chatter." Basically it's just a quick look at my most recent tweets (you should all follow me at twitter.com/maxveldink). I usually have interesting things to say, or not so interesting things. To me, everything I say is golden, so my viewpoint might be a bit skewed.

Two other things of note. First, I've started playing a game called Ranch Town on Facebook. It's a neat little game made by Meteor Games (I have a long history with that company, I'll blog about it in the future). Everyone should at least check it out, or send me a friend request on Facebook (Max VelDink), with a message saying you want an invite to the game from me. Lastly, I'm hoping to pick up a used copy of Mass Effect 2 today, so expect a lot of my time going into that for a few weeks, or maybe even expect a review in the future. Who knows. Have a safe weekend everyone!

Old games made new

When I play games, I play the crap out of them for one or two weeks, getting most of the achievements, doing about 80% or so of the game or an equivalent of one play through on hard mode. Unless the game is spectacular, I predominately use this play style. It suits me, I see all of the game's story, and it gives me the chance to experience the rest if I want to, or take a break from it. Now, I usually never have the chance to come back from these games, but two recent sequel announcements have me coming back to two games, inFamous on PS3 and Dragon Age: Origins on my 360.

Find out why after the break.

Dragon Age II. I already love you.

It's only been a few hours since they uncorked the web page of Dragon Age 2. The first one literally stole hours of my life away from me, especially with their crazy achievements (still working on this game, the various play through are kind of getting mind-numbing). The first one provided an RPG experience that I could get into. I'm not much into the reading department, especially on quests. However, a few of them I just had to sit down and absorb, and I swear I've read every piece of Codex in that game. Dragon Age: Origins was also the only game that I have ever bought every single piece of DLC, just wanting more of the game. I do, however, and forgive me, I'm a little behind, need to get Awakening. I hear it's excellent. I should probably experience it first-hand, preferably before the new game comes out.

Back to the new game. Not a whole lot of information is out yet but there is a little propaganda out there on the splash page. My favorite section is after the break.

The Elite Panda Manifesto

The Elite Panda is a blog devoted to bringing you the views and opinions of a certain teenager (that's me, in case you're slow) on today's technology and on video games. Since technology also encompasses video games, that first statement seems a little redundant on itself. However, so much of my childhood and current life has been centered around games, incorporating them into my own personal blog seems like a logical progression.

Posts located on this blog will be different and slightly random. Whatever I feel like writing about, I will write about, kind of like most blogs out there today. There is no schedule, so subscribe to my feed or check back often for new updates. Also, post will be in a format very similar to this one now; That is in first-person and very informal.  Formal writing is a great skill to have and more power to the people who like writing like that, or to the news sites whose journalistic style surpasses my own. You, the reader, most likely will not see much formality on my blog. I might change it up, go crazy for a little bit, but I write like I write, so if you don't enjoy it, this might not be the blog for you. Opinions can be expressed in any form, and this is mine.

(More of the Manifesto after the page break)