Final Fantasy Noodles?????????????????????????????
I see Lost Sphear isn't here. You still playing it?
On 03/05/2018 at 12:04 AM by Cary Woodham See More From This User » |
February is usually a bad month and I’m ready for it to be over. But this year, February wasn’t TOO bad for me, but it’s still nice that it’s March now and we know Spring is coming soon. So to celebrate, here’s a new blog with game reviews I’ve written recently over at GamerDad.com. Please click on and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a like or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK, let’s begin.
As you may all know from my last blog, recently I got Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. When I opened the box, it came with an advertisement for Cup Noodles, an instant ramen brand. The packaging had Final Fantasy characters on it, and you could get a download code for a goodie in the Dissidia game. I love weird promotions like that, so I got some and wrote a little article about it. I have to say that ramen noodles are CHEAP! No wonder why college kids eat them a lot. I would’ve probably had to learn to like them when I was in college, but instant ramen noodles were not as commonplace back then. But that’s OK, I’m not a big fan of instant ramen anyway. I don’t HATE it, but it’s one of those foods that I never crave and if instant ramen ceased to exist from this world tomorrow, I wouldn’t be upset at all. I heard that in FF15, there is a cooking mini-game and one of the things you can fix is Cup Noodles. I wonder if there was a similar promotion with that game, too? Anyone know? Anyway, if you’d like to read more about this promotion, be sure to check out my article!
Back when SEGA was Service & Games, they made mostly slot machines. And now they’re going back to their roots with this mobile app. It has slots based on favorite SEGA characters and games like Sonic, Super Monkey Ball, Shinobi, and Golden Axe. Too bad they don’t have a Space Channel 5 slot, so I can see my pretend girlfriend Ulala again. (ha ha, just joking) The game is fun for a short while, but like all free-to-play games, there is a wall where you just can’t progress any more without spending money (or playing for years). It’s a shame, too, because Tyris Flare on the Golden Axe board looks really cool! The only off-putting thing for me is that SEGA made a slot machine game with characters that kids love, just kind of rubs me the wrong way just slightly. But oh well, that’s why I write these reviews so parents can see them and make their own decisions!
Speaking of SEGA and Sonic, I wanted to briefly tell you about a Pac-Man/Sonic crossover that SEGA and Namco are doing on a couple of their mobile games. In Pac-Man, you can play a Sonic Green Hill maze where you play as Sonic, rings are dots, monitors are power pellets, and the ghosts are Eggman’s robots. And in Sonic Dash, a 3-D continuous runner, you can play as Ms. Pac-Man. The Pac-Man game is a better deal, because in order to unlock Ms. Pac-Man in the Dash game, you have to collect about 600 fruits, which takes a long time. But they did add ghosts and Pac-Man sound effects so that’s kind of neat. The promotion doesn’t last very long so that’s why I’m posting it here and not at GamerDad.
This game has been out for a while. At first I had no interest in it until I heard they were making a version of the game with Portal characters and themes. The company that made these games was at PAX South, and they gave me a copy of the original Bridge Constructor. They said I didn’t have to review it, but I said, “Oh yes I do! If you give me a free game, I’m going to review it. That’s how these things work.” It’s an all right game, kind of reminds me of Lemmings meets The Incredible Machine. I recently got finished playing and reviewing Bridge Constructor Portal, though, and I like that one much better. You’ll get to read that review in a couple of weeks. And I have to add that the guy on the box of the Bridge Constructor game looks really ‘derpy’ for a lack of a better word.
The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk (PS4)
This is a sequel to a point and click adventure I reviewed not even a year ago. It’s pretty much more of the same, except the adventure is slightly longer and you can switch characters more often. It has the same problems, too, such as logic defying puzzles and an awkward control scheme. The only reason why I played through it is because, like the first game, the characters and plots are pretty interesting and charming.
And speaking of sequels to games I reviewed less than a year ago, here’s another one. It’s a unique blend of twin stick shooting and platforming, and kind of reminds me of some of Treasure’s games. It’s more of the same from the first game, but I like the sequel better because I was actually able to beat this game, but not the first.
It’s just a twin stick shooter. Not very original, but I do like the retro style and graphics that remind me of Robotron. It has a story mode, but all the text you have to cycle through really breaks up the action abruptly. This game is available for Switch and even Wii U for some reason.
Atomik: RunGunJumpGun (Switch)
This is one of those hard as nails 2-D platformers like Super Meat Boy that are so popular right now. Although in this you fly a jetpack like Jetpack Joyride, so there’s not a whole lot of jumping. But I guess RunFlyGunFly just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Not a fan, but I did like the retro graphics.
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows (PS4)
And last is this top down, isometric viewed RPG. The story goes that there are these Phantom of the Opera styled masks that give the wearer magical powers, but if they die with the mask on, the mask disappears. So now these masks are becoming more scarce, and has started a civil war. The lady at PAX South told me it’s like a linear Baldur’s Gate, and while I’ve never played that game before, the game certainly reminded me of PC RPGs from the late 90’s to early 2000’s era. So if you miss those kinds of games, you may want to check this one out. The overbloated long winded storyline just didn’t reel me in, though.
And that’s all for now! Before I go, can I just say that we may all have different views and opinions on the recent school shootings, but can we all agree that violent video games didn’t cause them? Even close relatives of mine are starting to believe that, and it just busts my chops. Especially considering where I write reviews for. Anyway, sorry about that rant, I just had to get that off my chest. Anyway, thanks for reading and posting comments! I do appreciate it. Later! --Cary
Yes, really, Final Fantasy Noodles. Go read it. :)
I'm still playing Lost Sphear. Sometimes I play games and don't review them. But only if I don't get a review code. I probably could've gotten one for Lost Sphear, but I wanted a physical copy of it and I doubt Square-Enix would've sent me one.
FFXV had product placements from Cup Noodles (there were was even a Cup Noodle truck in the game), American Express, and Coleman camping products every time your party made camp, among other things. I do remember seeing Japanese Coca-Cola commercials promoting Final Fantasy games on YouTube. Speaking of product placement in games, one of the earliest placements I can remember is that the billboards in the US arcade version of Pole Position II advertised things like Dentyne gum and Marlboro cigarettes.
When my lady friend and I went to Vegas on my birthday, I saw quite a few Pac-Man slot machines in casinos. I think I saw some at casinos here in Arizona as well. The Arizona Lottery also sells Pac-Man scratch-offs, and I've seen them doing that off and on. I'm surprised I've never seen Nintendo-based slot machines, since Nintendo did get involved in gambling in the past and a lot of Mario and Zelda games have casino mini-games, but Nintendo is also kind of careful in how they license out their properties.
I think my favorite use of product placement in games in Crazy Taxi. Seeing the recognizable logos like Pizza Hut, KFC, etc., actually made it easier to spot those locations while you're driving, and I never really noticed it until I played one of the versions of Crazy Taxi where they took all the product placement out.
When I went to Vegas, I didn't see any Pac-Man slot machines, and I looked. But then, that was nearly ten years ago. We had Pac-Man lottery scratch-off tickets in Texas a long time ago, too.
I remember that, too, and I know what you mean. I remember the same thing when the ports of Pole Position II in Namco Museum had the Dentyne billboards taken out and replaced with generic Pac-Man and Galaga billboards. The different versions of Tapper I've seen had interesting product placements. The original version of Tapper was licensed by Budweiser, but some of the home versions, including the PC version and the Atari 8-bit version which was actually ported by Sega, replaced Budweiser with Mountain Dew.
That said, I'm generally not in favor of in-game advertising. I don't want to see Link shopping for bows and fishing rods at Cabela's outlets or staying at Best Western motels in Hyrule, and I'm not interested in seeing Mario in Dickies overalls and Justin workboots.
I think as long as it fits in the game, it's fine. I don't mind it in sports and racing games, since if anything that's just more realistic, and Sonic getting chili dogs makes sense for his character. The old Sonic Spaghetti-Os pasta not so much, but those ads were just on TV.
In fantasy settings though, yeah, it would kinda ruin the aesthetic and immersion.
What gets me is very close members of my family are starting to get on the video game violence bandwagon, and usually I agree with my family politically, but not this time.
Yeah I don't think ramen noodles are very healthy.
Thanks for reading my reviews and commenting!
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