Day 56 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Pikmin 3

FINALLY managed to get my hands on a copy of Pikmin 3 this past weekend. Seriously, this has to be one of the most hard-to-find games on the Wii U. I placed an order with Amazon at the beginning of July, the stock was supposed to replenished at the beginning of August, but it was never dispatched.

When starting Pikmin 3 it's easy to see why the game is so desirable. It's easily the most beautiful looking game on Wii U with the Pikmin universe leaping from your television screen in gorgeous high-definition splendour.

This time we journey to the Pikmin world with 3 brave adventurers from planet Koppai, a fruit-mad society that's running short of grub, so they travel to the world of the Pikmin to see if they can russle up something for lunch. Upon arriving however, their ship malfunctions and our 3 explorers end being scattered across the planet. Isolated from one another they must enlist the help of the Pikmin in order to reunite and press on with their mission to restore Koppai's food supply.

There's a slight learning curve when using the gamepad to control your Pikmin, but I've now been playing for about 20 in-game days and I think I've got the hang of it. It's proven to be an invaluable device as it helps immerse you in the Pikmin universe by offering a real-time map, data log and acting as a communication device between characters.

Pikmin 3 is probably my number one game on Wii U at the moment; I've become so addicted to it this post nearly didn't materialise. It's a must have for Wii U owners, and for those that don't know whether to pick up a Wii U, give Pikmin 3 a try because you might just change your mind.

Day 55 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Poster

What's so special about a poster? Well, I'll tell you.

I got this by going to Play Expo a couple of years ago where Konami were demoing MGR: Revengeance. We stood in a queue for what seemed like forever where Konami had about 15 PS3's set up with a 10-15 minute demo. Konami were apparently demoing Zone of the Enders as well but I don't remember seeing it...

Anyway they had a tutorial mode involving the carving of watermelons, which was fun for a couple minutes, but I wanted to see the mission mode that Konami had brought with them. It was awesome dashing around slicing up bad guys and demolishing mechanical monsters, I had to restart at one point when I got shot to pieces, but I managed to finish the demo with only seconds to spare and one of the reps gave me this holographic poster.

It may not seem like much but getting to play a game months before it's released is fantastic, and getting a little something to take home with you makes it even more awesome. Can't wait for Play Expo 2014. ^_^

Jules the Penguin

And here's Jules, the happiest penguin in the southern hemisphere.

I'm really pleased with the way Jules turned out, but I still need some more practice on poses and proportions. I also want to make it look as though his scarf is fluttering in the wind, it looks a bit stiff in this picture. So far so good though. ^_^

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Bobby the Penguin

This is Bobby the Penguin, the most short-tempered penguin in the southern hemisphere.

I picked up some sketching and colouring pencils as I got a bit tired of using the copic pens for everything, plus I always like the effect of using pencil (it's much more relaxed). The only problem was I couldn't get the sharp outlines I like, so I used a fineliner for those and I'm quite pleased with the result.

I've also been watching 'How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way' (it's on Youtube), so I constructed Bobby using their methods and I'm really happy with the outcome. I was able to get a much more natural pose but I still need to work on my proportions (Bobby's arms look a little thin). 

Artwork created and owned by Andrew Gardner © 2014

Day 54 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Project Zero II Crimson Butterfly

I finished Project Zero II (also known as Fatal Frame II) over the weekend and I have to say this game scared the bejeezus out of me. I found It much more terrifying than Silent Hill or Resident Evil.

The story revolves around twin sisters (Mio and Mayu) who return to a forest from their childhood, days before it's due to be destroyed with the construction of a new dam. While they reminisce Mayu is spirited away by a strange crimson butterfly so Mio goes after her. They're eventually led to a village that appears to have been abandoned; but the sisters soon discover the village is crawling with the tortured souls of the past who have brought the twins to the village for a terrifying purpose.

The game revolves around exorcising ghosts using the Camera Obscura, a device that allows the photographer to see and defend themselves against spirits. It's quite a unique mechanic and it makes a change from the standard pistol/shotgun/machine gun etc routine often found in survival horror titles. The camera can also be used to solve puzzles; for instance you may encounter a door that's been sealed shut, but photographing the door will reveal an objective that you need accomplish before proceeding.

I feel the key to a successful horror game is the audio, and clearly the developer has the same philosophy, as Project Zero II has some of the most chilling effects I've ever heard. When your camera locates a ghost for example, a distorted noise will wail about you and amplify when the spirit gets closer. I imagined I would find it annoying after a while, but even after 8 hours of playing I was still sufficiently freaked out.

I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't played this before, but for those looking for a  classic survival horror title they should certainly check out Project Zero II. The game was released for a number of systems, I played the Directors Cut version for the original Xbox (it also runs on 360), but it was also released on the Wii with all of the features from the Directors Cut version along with an extra ending. All in all it's exciting, terrifying and it gives you nightmares, exactly what a good horror game should do.

Bowser

I had a late shift at work so just a quick post for today.

Here is a drawing of Bowser copied from the manual for Super Mario World. 

I drew this about a week ago as I wanted to practice my colouring, and I also wanted to fix the colouring of the tail as it's green in the manual for some reason.

I don't think I did too bad, the proportions are a little funny in places but it was fun to experiment with the copic markers, and also the copic glitter pens I used to outline Bowsers hair.

Day 53 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

Throughout the nineties there was a wealth of great educational games being made for kids on PC, and they often included some wonderful animation and storytelling. And the most memorable game for me from this era has to be the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis.

The Zoombinis are cute little creatures who have fled their homeland as it's been taken over by the nasty Bloats, so you must guide them through numerous puzzles until you find a new place for the Zoombini's to settle down. 

The puzzles are geared towards helping children improve their mathematics and thinking skills. There's 4 different paths of varying difficulty with a total of 18 levels to complete. My favourite is the Pizza Pass level where the Zoombini's have to figure out which toppings the 3 monsters would like on their Pizzas, if you get it wrong the monsters beat up your Zoombinis.

When the Zoombinis eventually make it to their new home they'll construct a different building depending on which route you've taken. Some examples include a swimming pool, library and even a stage where they can chill out and listen to some music.

Apparently the Logical Journey of the Zoombinis is being remade for iOS and Android with a planned release for 2014, here's a link to the Facebook page if you want to check it out. It's a fantastic game with an undeniable charm...I might see if I can get my original big box version working on my PC this weekend. ^_^