JohnnyBGamer

The Creeps!

“I always feel like

Somebody’s watchin’ me…”

-Rockwell, Somebody’s Watching Me

Press Start:

As a child, bedtime always seemed to send a signal for my imagination to go into overdrive. With the lights turned off in my room, I remember the world suddenly becoming a very scary place. Normal shadows and sounds quickly became monsters preying and lurking within the darkness. Super Squawk Software’s, The Creeps, demonstrates that our imaginations did not lie. For indeed there were monsters trying to get to us; monsters even our parents could not help combat until now. The Creeps! is an imaginative tower defense app that allows players to protect an innocent child from the horrors of the night. Do you dare to combat the human imagination at its worst?

Ideology/ Worldview:

Monsters are real. No joke.

The Creeps! Gameplay Screenshot

Interaction/ Gameplay:

Boomerangs, glue, and laser turrets are but a few of the tower choices at your disposal against the creeps. Strategic placement as well as tower choice determine the outcome of the battle.

In the End:

The Creeps! (link will open iTunes) is a fantastic addition to the App Store that revels in its unique art direction and imaginative game design. Priced at $2.99, The Creeps! deserves a spot on the iDevice in your life.

– DEFCON Score- Just buy it already

– Level of Impact –

Medium: Casual play. Does not require large chunks of time.

Wolfenstein RPG Released!

Feeling the need to rid the world of a few virtual Nazis? Was that a yes? Good. Wolfenstein RPG (link will open iTunes) was released today for the iPhone/ iPod Touch for $4.99.

Surf Report – 8/10/09

Welcome to a Monday edition of the Surf Report.

.: God :

This week I have been going through a book entitled The Answer Is In the Questions by Kenton Beshore. The book discusses constructing questions to progress dialog in a Bible study setting (ie the book is about getting people to talk!). I’ll let you know what I think when I finish. A review could be in the works…

.: Life :

Sometimes a new perspective on life is what we all need.

.: Gaming :

3 Guys (Ages 25-28).

3 Games (Pokémon: Platinum, Diamond, and Pearl)

A Summer Filled with Pocket Monsters.

Join JohnnyBGamer.com as we explore what happens when guys in their 20’s engage in the world of Pokémon.

So far:

Bryan (Platinum):

Oreburgh City’s Gym Leader, Roark, proved to be more talk than action. Revolver quickly dispatched this pathetic excuse for a trainer, and I obtained my Coal Badge! Revolver is now at level 15. Hopefully I will have more time to adventure forth in Sinnoh this week. I should note that I have yet to meet up with Shooter and Scotto in-game.

Shooter McGavin (Diamond):

Shooter has enjoyed the dialogue in Pokémon.

“My Karate awesomeness will pulverize you!”

“I’m a big man! And you’re just a little kid, this should be easy!” “Ga ha ha. You’re a little kid, but you beat me!”

Scotto (Pearl):

Has entered the world of Pokémon!

That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!

R.I.P. Paperboy

Paperboy Menu

Growing up, the theater in my hometown had an arcade that was above the concession stands. I clearly remember the smell of popcorn mixed with games of Afterburner, Super Hang-On, and Paperboy. Killing time, both before a movie and afterwords, was never so much fun! Fast forward a decade…

Paperboy

My memories of Paperboy were recently rekindled when I came across vNES, a website that hosts Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games. Dodging skateboarders, runaway tires, and unsupervised children recalled a time when videogames were more simple. However, please don’t read the word simple as meaning easy. Paperboy was never easy for me. Everything in the world of Paperboy seemed built to kill. Hitting common fences, dogs, and even construction workers meant a loss of life. I truthfully do not know how the nameless paperboy portrayed in the game kept at his job. I would have quit long after the old lady ran out of her house in newspaper delivery rage. Perhaps the silent paperboy was well paid? I doubt it. More likely a virtual slave to programming. I dedicate this post to him, the 80’s, and memories of waiting to be picked up at the local theater. Thanks Mom!

Addiction

Addict 1

*The month of February is most popularly known as being the month in which Valentines Day co-exists with a holiday dedicated to a stack of dead presidents.

Circle of Life theorists no doubt rejoice and hold massive parties on the savanna (in the shadows of Pride Rock) during this prelude to spring. A sweeping trend in both the mainstream and gaming presses this month (2/06) has been on the topic of gaming addiction. Long the whipping boy for politicians and presidential candidates, vide games have once again come to the forefront of the pathetically bored American Press. Love, candle-lit dinners for two, and discounted cars are all topics for another time and place. The topic of gaming addiction rules the day, and I wish to wade forth into this “dreaded” territory. I will warn you dear reader, we are about to enter a virtual abyss of stupidity. So please pull up a chair, and continue this adventure below.

Every new form of media has been met with intense scrutiny by the generations introduced to them. Radio at one time was probably called a great evil; television, a sign of the impending apocalypse. Scrutiny and distrust generally apply to the nouns we have failed to be properly introduced to. Nearly a decade since the inception of videogaming, the mainstream press continues to poke, prod, and accuse a media format they themselves know nothing about.

On the almighty chopping block of media’s grand altar, World of Warcraft (WoW) is actively being examined. Known for destroying many a marriage, this massively multiplayer online (MMO) game has claimed the lives of nearly 8 million subscribers. I don’t think that addiction is the problem here. I believe that the outcries from small African governments, who quake in fear over WoW’s powerful economy, have become too great for the media to ignore. In an age in which Hollywood often sets the political tone of the nation (or so they would like to think), WoW is soon to be the next campaign against Aids or even Darfur. Whispers that I have personally heard from the Internet (yes, it talks to me) have even gone as far to say that Al-Qaeda has integrated the games leveling concepts into their terrorist training camps. Addiction should clearly be the media’s last worry in the face of the global threat that is the World of Warcraft behemoth.

In closing, videogames indeed can be addictive. Although I would argue that they are just as addictive as any other hobby or recreation. Moderation and self-control are key to living. So wise up dear readers and learn to control yourselves! Otherwise, the government might soon be doing that for you…but that is a topic for another day.

*A note to our readers: This article was originally written/ posted to JBG in February of 2006.