JohnnyBGamer

Ni No Kuni: Impressions

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, is an RPG on the PS3. Co-developed by Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, the game features stunning animation and a child-like story.

Ni No Kuni starts out on an UP note. This trauma inducing event propels the protagonist, Oliver, on an epic journey to a parallel world. It is there that an evil being, Shadar, is wrecking havoc on the lands denizens. Shadar is a dark menace who enjoys stealing parts of the soul. With every yin comes a yang–this is a Japanese RPG after all–, the showdown between Shadar and Oliver “the pure-hearted one” is only a matter of hours of leveling.

The Soul Connection

One of the core components of Ni No Kuni is soul restoration. Example: Say Shadar took a person’s enthusiasm, Oliver must now find someone else with excess enthusiasm, ask for it, and give it to the person who is lacking.

As a Christian, I cannot help but notice a similarity of sorts between Christ and Oliver. They both work on souls!

Christ Vs. Oliver

Christ

Son of God, restores/completes the soul when a person simply believes in him.

Oliver

Mere boy, completes souls upon request for quest rewards.

I have enjoyed Ni No Kuni so far but have to admit that the pacing is slow. The game reminds me of being at an idyllic summer camp by the lake. Not such a bad thing unless you hated summer camp as a kid.

Neighbors and Wise Men – Sacred Encounters in a Portland Pub and Other Unexpected Places by Tony Kriz

The Book of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus’ lineage included a prostitute, Rahab, and even an adulterer/murderer, David. The lineage of Christ was in no way full of perfect human beings and yet God was able to use each and every person to fulfill His purpose.

The core thought found throughout Tony Kritz’s Neighbors and Wise Men is that God often uses people of other faiths, cultures, and locations to speak to us; That God can use an old Albanian Muslim woman or even patrons of a pub to help heal and restore the soul. Tony constantly contrasts the church teachings he grew up with (sinners were only to be evangelized not socialized with) versus the truths God revealed to him.

Tony Kritz writes in the same appealing style that Donald Miller uses. Throughout Neighbors and Wise Men, I felt like I was on a personal journey with Tony. From the truth of Reed College not being anti-Christian all the way to the thoughts of how ingrained nationalism is in the American church, I was there with him. From Chapter 19 on, I felt like the tone of the book shifted. What had been a literary road trip with Tony suddenly became a series of random personal and political thoughts. In short, I felt like I was now being preached to. I did not like this change of tone.

The overarching truth that God uses people of different faiths, cultures, and in different locations resonated with me. I love that God is not confined to the walls of a church and that He can exist even in a pub.

I was given a copy of this book by BookSneeze. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Thinking Aloud: Growing Closer to Christ

Note: I could write an entire series on what it means to grow closer to Christ. I realize that I barely scratch the surface of this subject and wanted to recognize that. You are now free to read.

Last year, I read an article on a Christian video game site that extolled the virtues of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series. The article talked about how the game’s protagonist, Lee, was a Christ-like figure due to his sacrificial death at the end of the game. Spoiler. All I could think was that Lee was a murderer, Christ wasn’t.

As a Christian, I should be constantly growing closer to Christ. What does growing closer to Christ look like? Is it a combo of:

Giving up/walking away from things that are shrouded in helpless darkness? Perhaps coming to the realization that The Walking Dead, with its unimaginative curse-filled vocabulary, just isn’t for me?

Embracing the darkness and trying to find Christ’s redemptive story/ God’s redemptive plan in everything? An effort of trying to find the good, the light, that exists within the darkness we often consume?

Phillippians 4:8 comes to mind:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I want to be willing to give anything up for Christ. Even if this means walking away from a gaming series that I really enjoyed, like The Walking Dead or even God of War. I want to be careful with the games that I endorse because my endorsement, as a Christian, is like saying Jesus approves of this. I do not want to lead anyone away from Christ. A difficult road to trot down.

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure

I have a 3 year old. He likes to play video games with his daddy. Anytime the PlayStation 3 chirps to life, he comes running into the room asking what we are going to play. We? Yes, we.

In the haze of Thanksgiving evening, my stomach stuffed with Mexican food, my wife and I headed out to Walmart. Walmart was having some early sales and we wanted in. Walking into the store, my wife and I separated. She went to wrestle for a bike for our son; I went to buy an Xbox 360 bundled with Skylanders for myself. Sounds fair, right?

Skylanders

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is the game I wish I had growing up. Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders integrates action figures, NFC technology, and good old fashioned RPG mechanics. My son and I have spent hours playing the game. In fact, we have one more level to complete as of this writing.

Being 3 years old, my son has a hard time controlling games that use a 3D plane. So, we have worked out a system where he sits on my lap, I control the character, and he controls the fire button. Perfect solution. I will note that this solution crumbles any time Skylanders decides to become difficult (ANY boss fight). During those times, I take over and kick the crap out of Kaos.

Overall, I have enjoyed the game. Playing with my son has given us an activity for “Boy’s Club” and has certainly improved his video gaming skills. Skylanders represents the first game we will have beaten together. How cool is that? There is nothing better than sharing your hobby with your kids.

I’m Alive!

Woof, I have been sick since Christmas (20 days and counting). What started out as an innocent cold quickly mutated into something else. Fever, cough, and achy joints soon showed up for the party. Two rounds of antibiotics (one of which I am currently still on), a diagnosis of a sinus infection/pneumonia/mono, and I have pretty much been sleeping my days away. So, I haven’t vanished if anyone was wondering. Have just been a bit under the weather. Thankfully the drugs that I am on seem to be working. I can’t wait to actually feel well in 2013.