Author: controllerstruggle

American History X

~ controllerstruggle ~ Leave a comment

We all really need to watch “American History X”. As I watch (and partake in) political discussions and arguments going back and forth between people, who for all intents and purposes view each other as enemies with whom to do battle and score points, that movie keeps coming to mind.

We have a lot of problems and issues in our country that are continually sparking debate. While there are important issues to address, the one I’m most concerned with is the way we are so divided over these issues. So many of us see the other side as the enemy, with obviously nefarious motives. We don’t even actually listen to what each other are saying, we attack and call each other names as soon as someone questions or challenges our point of view. Its as if politics is not about changing minds and winning people over, but about winning period, at any cost.

This is the problem. We no longer assume the best in people, we automatically assume the worst. There have always been very divisive issue, such as abortion,  that elicit an emotional response from the people on both sides. These emotional and often vitriolic responses are now attached to nearly every single issue. Take mass shootings for example, what ever side of the debate you fall on, the other side sees you as some type of evil person, that is driven by some selfish motive. In reality, most people want the same thing, to find a way to stop these things. However, we get into fights not about the common goal, which is all but lost in these discussions, but about the means and the projected motive behind them. Even when it comes to abortion, how can you fault someone for having compassion for the woman. How can you fault someone for caring about the unborn child? So many people fail to consider that, because it doesn’t suit their narrative. Instead, they project motives onto each other and attack those. We want to win these arguments, and shame our opponents and in the meantime get likes and retweets.

The problem with this is that these arguments are no longer about the actual issue, they become about defending our honor. Many times from politicians, political pundits, friends, relatives, etc. we hear “This person wants to do X because of Y” and we believe it. Articles, videos and posts get shared and retweeted ad nauseam.  Instead of going to the source for their reasons behind their beliefs and ideas, we get our information second hand. And then even when we do hear it from the source, we don’t believe it because we have already made up our minds on what their motives really are. Now, when we should be debating the merits of an idea, we are debating the motive behind it and how does one convince another of their true motives? They either do or they do not. Again, since there is so much weight in being right and the accolades that brings, its much more common to try to discredit others and beat them into the ground rather than accept them at their word and assume the best intentions.

Its this type of thinking that will ensure that the issues we face as a nation, will never be solved. And we better believe that there are people out there who will benefit from keeping us divided and making sure these issues stay in place. These are the people we need to stop listening to. We need to stop trying to beat down those who disagree with us and listen to them and implore them to listen to you. Like it or not, we need diversity of thought, no matter how repugnant it may seem in some cases. If we were to all think the same way, if we were all “liberal” or all “conservative” this country probably wouldn’t exist today. Our goal needs to be to change minds, rather than win arguments, or at the very least try to show the value of our ideas without beating each other over the head with them. Even some people we may view as the very worst humanity has to offer, can be affected by a positive approach and can be changed for the better. This is where American History X comes in.

The movie is about a man, Derek, who is a neo-Nazi that goes to prison for brutally murdering three black men who were attempting to steal his car. Long story short , while working at his job doing laundry in the prison, he meets a black man and has his whole worldview turned upside down. This is not accomplished by the black man belittling him, or attacking who he is, but simply by the man being a decent person. He’s funny and charming and doesn’t seem to care about who Derek used to be. This man along with the black principle from his brother’s school, who visits and sends Derek books to read, change Derek’s mind about what he used to think about people of color.

What makes this special, is that its based on a true story. What makes it important now is that by not beating each other up over ideas, and simply being the best examples of our own beliefs and ideas, we can at least learn to accept that others might have a different view, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the enemy.

We need to have discussions and debates in order to make our country the best place it can be. We need to think differently and we need to express our thoughts, no matter how uncomfortable they may be to someone else. If we seriously want to work towards fixing all the issues that plague us, we need to talk and we need to listen. We have to be willing to take each other at our word. If someones telling you John Doe thinks a certain way, its probably a good idea to go and see what John Doe actually has to say and make up your own mind. If you’re 100% sure your views and beliefs are the right ones, you might want to take a step back and remember, even Hitler and the Nazi’s thought they were the good guys.

Stop trying to win. Be kind, stick to your priciples and just be a good person and people will take notice. Hold your side accountable. Hold those people you choose to represent you accountable.

Gotham

~ controllerstruggle ~ Leave a comment

I’m a pretty big Batman fan. Some may contest that since I only dabbled in the comic books, but I lived for the Michael Keaton movies, the Adam West TV show as a kid (reruns of course. I’m not THAT old), Batman the Animated series and especially the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy. Man oh man, those movies are fantastic. Anyways, I consider myself a pretty big fan. I named my old dog Batman if that tells you anything. I miss the look on people’s faces when they would ask me what his name was.

That being said, I was super stoked about the idea of the new TV series Gotham. Now, Gotham gets a lot of slack. I read reviews knocking some of the characters such as Nygma, and especially Jim Gordon, who for all intents and purposes is the star of the show. I might be stupid, and maybe I don’t know anything about quality entertainment, but I think the show is Fantastic.

The villains in Batman have always been a bit twisted and silly and over the top, yet with a subtle darkness. The Dark Knight Trilogy basically did away with the sillier aspects of the franchise, instead opting for a darker, grittier take on the caped crusader and his enemies. I think that may be where a lot of the criticism comes from. Maybe people have forgotten that Batman wasn’t always so serious. I think the characters in Gotham are phenomenal. Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin), is incredible. His goofy, ridiculous appearance played against the sadistically evil and ruthless actions he takes, is just so bizarre and fun to watch. Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney is incredible. The fierce look in her eyes, her smoldering yet calm demeanor is just done so well. She steals every scene she is in. The relationship between David Mazouz and Sean Pertwee as Bruce and Alfred is so good. To see the impact that Alfred has on a young Bruce Wayne and his hand in molding him into Batman is so compelling. We have always seen Alfred as an accomplice to Batman, but I love the idea that he basically got him started.

I could go on forever about each character, but I really want to address both Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma (the Riddler) and Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon. in most reviews I read, these two guys get beat up the most. A lot of people think Ed Nygma doesn’t fit into the show. That he’s not a realistic character. But he is a typical Batman character. Just not of the Dark Knight variety. The Riddler is a ridiculous character. He always has been. I think the weirdness that Nygma exudes on the show fits the character to a tee. I really do think that most of the critics of this show really are stuck on wanting a serious, gritty take akin to the Dark Knight. But that’s just one version of the universe.  Traditionally the Batman universe is more like this show than like the Dark Knight.

Then there are the Jim Gordon haters.  I have heard that Ben McKenzie is a terrible actor, that he is wooden, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well let me tell you something, Gotham’s Jim Gordon is a character, that is one tract minded. He sees police work as an honorable job, and he wont be shaken from that belief, he is socially awkward and doesn’t relate well to other people, he definitely has some anxiety issues, and he is extremely literal and doesn’t “get” a lot of humor. I think that Jim Gordon may fall somewhere on the autism scale. Maybe something like Asperger’s syndrome. That is the Jim Gordon character in Gotham. If you can look at it from that perspective and tell me that Ben McKenzie is a terrible actor, well then… I don’t know. I don’t think anything will ever reach you. Because he nails that character.

Anyways, Gotham is shaping up to be one of my favorite shows on television. I look forward to it each week even more so than some old mainstays such as the walking dead. There are so many exciting possibilities and directions this show could go in that i hope the critics start seeing it for what it is and it gets a chance to tell its story. It’s exactly what it is supposed to be. A story of Gotham told in the traditional Batman style and its wonderful

So much to do

~ controllerstruggle ~ 2 Comments

Its a beautiful, albeit cold, day today (-15f this morning). There is a lot going on lately so lets get to those updates.

Alienware Alpha:

I recently picked up the Alienware Alpha. You might remember it as  Alienware’s Steam machine from CES 2014. These are small form factor PCs that are made to be connected to your TV like a  regular old console. Well since Valve is still screwing around with its OS and controller, Alienware jumped the gun and released its hardware without Steam OS. The unit now comes with windows 8.1, along with a custom, controller friendly UI that basically takes you right into Steam’s “Big Picture Mode”. The package also includes a wireless XBOX 360 controller and USB dongle.

Ever since the announcement of the many Steam machines, there have been a lot of questions about who this PC/console hybrid’s target audience is. Let me tell you, the audience is me. And people like me. I like to try all of the games. Well most of them anyways, and that can get expensive. With the limited time I have with being a dad, husband, employee and student, I will usually only stick with a game if it really grabs me right away. With Steam’s massive catalog and weekly sales, you can get many games, very cheap. Last year I bought The Witcher 2 for $3. You cant beat that.

I bought the base model, which is $500, and while the specs on it may not blow anyone’s mind, it can handily keep up with the PS4 and Xbone. Not only that, but you can easily upgrade all the components with the only slightly painful exception being the custom GeForce GPU. That being said, at this time it is perfect for what I want it for: A plethora of indie and early access titles and basically all the pc games you can’t get outside of that ecosystem. And it works like a charm. If I can spend a few bucks a week on a game that holds my attention for a weekend, it’s a few bucks well spent. Especially for someone like me who like to check out all the latest and greatest, but can only commit to one or two at a time.

“new” Nintendo 3Ds:

So I’m just going to throw this out there. The 3Ds is my favorite current console. I have sunk more hours into more games on that little thing than probably all of my other systems combined. Handheld consoles are an essential tool in any gaming parents arsenal. Usually on weekends or evenings there are times when my kids want to watch whatever dumb show it is they watch, and I’m stuck there with nothing to do (To be fair, my kids do happen to watch some pretty great things most of the time, but there are a few stinkers in there). But with a handheld system, I can turn it on and I’m right where I left off. The pick up and play aspect of a handheld device is perfect for my lifestyle. 15 minutes to spare equals 15 minutes of hunting monsters.

So obviously I bought myself the new 3Ds. The added analog nub and improved 3D are enough of a reason for me, but its also faster with a better processor and there will eventually be games that can only run on the new system. I’m sure that will not confuse anyone :). So, I’ve been starting to dig into Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and my nephew will be picking up his copy today, so I see some co-op monster slaying in the future.

So. Many. Games.

Seriously. There are so many games either out, or coming out, that I don’t know what to do with myself. It’s times like these that cause reality to set in that I will never play some of the games  I want to.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t know about you, but a 5-6 hour game is super appealing to me if its a good 5-6 hours. The Order 1886 is still intriguing to me regardless of the mixed reviews. Its a game I would love to sit with my kids and play, but alas, it is very gory by all accounts, so I guess I will be skipping that one for now.

Anyways. Enjoy your weekend. Hopefully it’s fun and full of doing what you love to do.

Is it Too Violent?

~ controllerstruggle ~ 2 Comments

Yesterday afternoon my six year old daughter called me out for what she thought was stealing in Far Cry 4. I went into a house in one of the opening areas of the game, walked up to a crate and proceeded to pick out a pistol and while I did pay for it, she didn’t realize it. It was kind of a strange setup for sure, I had just previously walked into a shop of sorts where there was an NPC (non-playable character) to interact with, but this just looked like a crate inside someone’s house and there was no one home. As soon as I was finished she cried out “Dad! You just stole that gun from that house!”

I told her I didn’t “steal” it, since it actually cost me in game currency to take it, but I could understand why she thought that and I was proud of her for understanding that stealing, even in a game is wrong.

While Far Cry 4 has made it possible for us to have this exchange, many people might think she shouldn’t have been watching me play in the first place. I would have to agree with them for the most part, though in my defense I wasn’t really doing anything. I was just kind of checking out the town and driving around on an ATV. I wouldn’t actually play any of the missions or engage in dialog with certain NPCs, due mostly to the language and more adult themes in the game. Not so much because of the violence.

This might seem strange, but unless its completely over the top and graphically gory (which is relative, I know), my wife and I are not overly worried about our kids seeing violence on TV and in games. My kids have seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first two Hobbit movies countless times. They seem ok afterwards and we talk about what happened and why. They also watched me play Shadow of Mordor and there IS quite a lot blood in that game, but it’s mostly black, oily looking Uruk blood. Once when my character took the head off an uruk, my daughter was watching and said “Gross!, you just cut that Orcs head off!” I paused the game and said “Yeah… you probably shouldn’t have seen that. Does it bother you at all?” She said “No, it’s just a game and Orcs are not real.”

Not only this, but Dark Souls is kind of a big deal around our house. I have spent many hours making my way through those games with my kids right next to me using the beautiful, hardcover guide trying to look up monsters that will be in the area I’m currently in. While its not a very bloody game (most monsters just disappear into dust when defeated), there’s still some scary imagery and lots of fighting. But my kids LOVE it. So much so, that I have to make them swords out of foam so they can act it out in the yard. My oldest daughter once had to draw a picture of what she did over the weekend, and of course she drew a picture of Dark Souls. The teacher may have been slightly disturbed, but I’m not going to deny the pride I felt.

My daughter being worried about stealing in a game, but not killing is what made me start to think. Is it ok for them to be seeing this stuff? I totally understand why a parent wouldn’t want their kid seeing some of these games, but I just haven’t seen any harm in it. I think the reason that she was upset by the perceived theft is because it’s not something she sees all the time, but killing enemies in a game is commonplace. Whether its by guns or stomping on walking mushrooms, usually there’s some sort of violence in games. Violence is a means to an end in a game. Sometimes the only way to progress. That’s understood in our house. But stealing? No way!

I’m not sure if I’m looking for an answer or someone validating my actions in any way. I do know however, that my kids seem pretty well adjusted. They wont touch real knifes (including butter) because they think they will get cut. They are kind and loving and besides a few pushes, some slaps here and there and hair pulling, are not in any way disturbingly violent towards each other or anyone else. I know a lot is made of violence and what kids should be subjected to, but I think it depends on the kid. The only thing I can do is make sure I’m involved in their gaming and consumption of media and discuss with them what they are seeing. It does make me think a bit though. My 6 year old daughter honestly wouldn’t know a swear word if she heard one. She once freaked out because I forgot to delete a song off of her ipod I had told her had a swear word in it,  but she’s totally cool with me beheading an orc.

(image credits http://thecoinslot.thefwoosh.com/2013/04/top-5-ways-to-die-in-dark-souls )

What I’m Playing

~ controllerstruggle ~ 2 Comments

You guys, the struggle really is real. My 3DS was sitting there begging me to finish mapping out this dungeon (Persona Q), but instead I spent an hour playing with kinetic sand with my daughter. It was time well spent.

For starters I am playing Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth for the Nintendo 3DS. I just want to stress something before I get into talking about this game. As a parent, handhelds are a Godsend. My PS4 is basically a very expensive Roku box spouting a never-ending stream of Team Umizoomi and My Little Pony among other things. So having something I can just turn on and play for a few minutes, right where I left off, is maybe the greatest gift ever given to a parent gamer. SO please support the 3DS and the Vita, so they continue to make handhelds.

Anyways.. Persona Q.

I am a big Atlus fan and 2 of my favorite franchises are the Persona and Etrian Odyssey series. Persona Q is a mash-up of the two games. It’s basically Etrian Odyssey with the Characters from Persona 3 and 4. Persona Q is a first person dungeon crawler, and like the Etrian Odyssey games, you actually have to draw out the map on the lower screen as you progress. It’s very important to make sure you are accurately marking out paths, doors and secret passageways, because if you don’t, it could make that dungeon, or in this case, labyrinth very difficult to complete.

“That sounds like total garbage!” you might be saying. “Why in the hell would I want to stop what I’m doing every few seconds and draw maps?? I have no interest in cartography!”.

Maybe you’re right. Why the hell would you want to draw maps when you could be shooting guys in the face? Well, because it’s a lot more fun than it sounds. Drawing out that map happens to be very satisfying. It lends the game a true feeling of exploration and progress that you just don’t get from other games. It’s a difficult game as well, so progress is made in small amounts. This is especially true in the beginning as your party can be wiped out pretty easily. Being able to see that progress and be so intimately involved in the visual aspect of it, just gives it that much more weight. It really scratches an itch for the completionist types. Not only that, but there are rewards for exploring every  inch of each floor of the labyrinth. Once a floor has been completed, there is a treasure box that contains an item that can help you on your journey.

Battles are played out in a traditional jrpg turn based style. Like the Persona series, the enemies have weaknesses you must figure out and exploit. Unlike those games, hitting an enemy’s weakness doesn’t provide the character with another turn, but gives the character a “boost”, where on the next turn, that characters action wont use any sp (magic/skill points) or hp (hit points). This lends a bit of strategy to the combat. Enemy encounters are semi-random. There’s a gauge that changes color as you move through the labyrinth. Once it turns red an encounter is imminent. There are also visible enemies called FOEs.  These enemies are usually too strong for the player to face in their current labyrinth. FOEs provide a puzzle element to exploration as players will usually have to figure out a way to get around them.

Character skill progression is handled through buying or finding armor and weapons as well as,  stat upgrades via leveling. From there, typical to the Persona series, characters can bring “Personas” into battles with them. Personas are demons that are controlled by each character in battle and have their own stats and leveling mechanics. These are the devices through which each character can use magic and other physical attacks. Each character has a main persona as well as an equipable “sub” persona. These sub personas can be changed out for new personas as well as “fused” with others to create even more powerful and customizable personas.

The cast of playable characters is large. Like I said before, it’s the cast of both Persona 3 and 4. While this is pretty great, it causes me some issues. If I had all the time in the world (I don’t), I would be swapping out characters left and right and building them all up to lean, mean fighting machines. I really do love most of the characters from each series and there really isn’t a wrong way to set up a party. This is because the sub personas can provide any member of your team the necessary skills to succeed. That being said, to use all the characters would take an immense amount of time. I haven’t had to do any unnecessary grinding yet, but I only barely beat the first boss. I was victorious by throwing all I had left at her in a last-ditch effort. If she had one more turn, she would have wiped me out.  So I have to choose 5 characters and stick with them. Actually 4, because in the beginning you choose to play as either games main protagonist and they cannot be removed from the party. If I would have tried using all the characters, I wouldn’t have had anyone that was strong enough to win that fight. So far I chose to play as Persona 3’s protagonist and thus, in the first labyrinth have only had the characters from 3 available. I have been using Akihiko, Mitsuru, Aigis, and the new character that shows up in the beginning of this game. However now it seems I will have access to all of Persona 4’s characters as well. It’s a bit much. One good thing: no matter who you use in your party, the other characters show up in vignettes and cut scenes as though they are exploring with you. It might even show them walking through a door you just opened, spouting a line of dialog.

I have only put 10 hours into it so far. I just completed the first labyrinth and there are supposedly 3 more to go. I have never finished an Etrian Odyssey game, not for lack of quality, but because they are immense. I easily have over 100 hours into Etrian Odyssey 3, and at least 50 into 4. I got my fill of those games. I’m 10 hours into Persona Q and haven’t felt the urge to slow down, so who knows, if it’s a 40 hour game, I would gladly see it through. That’s glowing praise from this time strapped gaming dad.

As a side note, I also wanted to talk about Zelda, a Link Between Worlds, but I have gotten a little long-winded. Another time, another post.

The Struggle is Real

~ controllerstruggle ~ 8 Comments

Hello Everyone!

My name is Jeff Vandenbossche and I would like to welcome you to ControllerStruggle. I have been playing games for as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of being at my Grandma’s house and spending the whole time in my Uncle Terry’s room playing “The Empire Strikes Back” on his Atari 2600. Or, how about sitting on the floor of my living room listening to Paula Abdul’s “Straight up” and playing Super Mario Bros. 2. I didn’t even know being a gamer was a thing. I just knew that I loved to play games and I still do.

Now I am in my mid 30’s  I have a wife, three kids, two dogs, a job and I’m pursuing a degree.  Let me preface this by saying that spending time with my family is something I want to do. I don’t see it as something I have to do. That being said, there are other activities and hobbies that I have and balancing those things can be very difficult. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have other hobbies, because when I’m doing the things I have to do, such as homework, I can feel those things pulling at me and it can be frustrating. I mean, Fry Cry 4 has just finished downloading and I still have 2000 words to write on some stupid paper and the freaking dog is scratching at the door to go out for the 20th time.

So, with all of that going on, I have decided I am going to start writing. I still love to play games, it’s just that the way I play them and when I play them has changed. I love to talk about games, but as some of you may know, when you’re at this stage in your life, maintaining and making friendships is hard work. I’m hoping that this will be a way for me to reach out to like-minded people and give me an avenue to discuss some of the things that make me happy.

The purpose ControllerStruggle is to talk about the games I am playing, share my thoughts on gaming news as it breaks, and discuss with others what its like being a gamer and an adult. Readers can also expect original video content such as weekly children’s game/app reviews with one or more of my kids. There may even be some non-gaming related items in regards to music, TV and movies.

Enjoy!