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Nico

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  1. Nico

    Peachy Keen

    By Nico,

    Okay, so it's time to express my gratitude to yet another person who has showed me love and changed my life drastically from here on the forums! This time it's not a bald man, so don't worry, guys! It's a lovely lady! But she's taken, so there's nothing to get excited about, either! This time around I'm expressing my thanks to the lovely @@PeachPalette!
     

     
    When I first stumbled upon Peach, it was just as she joined the forums. I was a moderator back then and stood watch only over the quaint (read: horrifying) little chat room we had. Peach caught my eye due to her amazingly designed OC pony of the same name. (Here, have a cuteness overload. You're Welcome.) I saw her skulking about in the chat room one day and hadn't honestly given much thought beyond: "Hey, that's a cool looking OC!" Did that stop me from opening up a private chat with her, though? Of course it didn't!
     
    I started chatting with her for a bit in the MLP Forums chat room and quickly we traded Skype info so that we could get onto a legitimate IM tool. I mean, it's not like we had any reason to not want logs of our conversations to be available to the staff or anything.
     
    But, seriously, we got to know each other pretty quickly, and it blossomed into a rather close friendship. She was a great friend of mine for quite some time, though recently we have grown pretty distant (I should really put in more effort to fix that). Things originally started out with us just being buddies who talked about various interests with one another and such, until it reached a point where I felt unnaturally embarrassed about a certain subject. A good bit of time was spent with her helping me to understand that some things aren't worth being embarrassed about and that it's simply for the best to be yourself rather than hide things.
     
    After that bridge was crossed I felt the need to express my gratitude to Peach, because by this point not only had she helped me sort out some personal issues, she had also drawn me an OC based off of my actual appearance. So, in return I did my first ever collaborative work with her, vectoring the original image of her OC. This led on to what would become a partnership between the two of us in which she would draw something, and I would vector it. We would call ourselves NicoPeach, because we're so original.
     

     
    This partnership of ours, however, pretty much came to an end as both of our lives changed drastically. I haven't been nearly as into vectors since I got my job, and she has gotten her own job, too. She does, however, still take commissions, one of which she is making for me soon. I would like, however, to build our friendship up a bit more again to resemble what it used to be. I miss her as a friend, honestly, and nowadays it feels more like she's some kind of celebrity that I order pictures from. So wish me luck in rectifying my mistake of letting us grow distant, and maybe you'll end up seeing more NicoPeach works in the future!
     
    For now, though, I'm just incredibly thankful to have had her as such a great friend when I did. No one person has ever turned my views on things around so distinctly before, and she helped me dig out a bit of a personality flaw that would have, ultimately, just hurt me later had I kept it around. On top of this, she was good to me and listened when I had problems, and I tried to do the same in kind and help her if I could. She is an excellent person and I'm glad that in the little I've talked to her recently she seems to be quite happy.
     

     
    Regardless of whether our friendship can get back to where it used to be, I know one thing for sure: I would have regretted not talking to this talented lass in the chat room that day.
  2. Nico

    Thank a Bald Man

    By Nico,

    Hey there! If you're reading this you've stumbled across my latest blog, which is dedicated to expressing my thanks to the people of the forums whom I call my friends. What better way to start this blog out than with the first friend I had here on the site?
     

     
    That's right. None other than our forum's great and benevolent bald Administrator, Zoop. When I first joined this place there are a few things you just might not believe about this man. First off, this guy would not make his avatar a pony. It wasn't until I found a rather interesting picture of Berry Punch that he caved in and swapped out his animu for pony goodness. That's right, folks; he may love Fluttershy, but it was Berry Punch that brought him to his glorious bald knees.
     
    But I digress. Another thing is that this man was (DRUM ROLL)... NOT AN ADMIN when I joined! Okay, so I'm sure a lot of you might already know that. But yes, this guy used to be an average every-man like the rest of us. Now he's an administrative every-man, so yeah. That changed relatively quickly, actually, but his bald, beating heart remained as lukewarm as ever.
     
    Oh, and also, his name makes me think of an old Super NES game. Just sayin'.
     

     
    "What's the point of all this babbling, Nico?" you're asking, I'm sure. Be patient! I'm getting to it! I just wanted to lay down a bare-bones and bald history on things for this wonderfully bald man before I jumped into why knowing him is such a big deal to me. It's not really hard to understand, though. Hell, anyone who knows the guy can attest to the fact that he's awesome.
     
    But it's more than just knowing an awesome guy who happens to lack fur on his scalp. If it wasn't for Zoop, I literally wouldn't have stuck around with the forums, and then I would have never ended up meeting anyone else here, either, or have been changed so much by this place in general. Even though I've kind of had my moments with this forum where I just felt like the place was dead to me, and I haven't talked to a lot of my friends from here afterwards, Zoop is still around to call me 'brah' all the time. Because that's a baldass term.
     
    Seriously, though, I've shared a lot with this guy, and he's shared a good bit with me, too. We've had our serial conversations now and again, and he's been around to listen when I've had an issue, which is great considering I haven't been the best friend in always being there to return the favor. Despite that, however, I feel that my friendship with him is still good, even if we don't have quite as much to talk about in 2013 as we did back in 2011. This bald man has cozied himself up in my heart and made tracks all over it with his fuzzy pink bear slippers.
     

     
    Oh, did I mention the years 2011 and 2013 earlier? Hot damn, it's hard to believe that I've known this bald being of benevolent bear-footed ban-hammering so long! "It's only a year, Nico, chill out!" you might say. Shut the hell up, you, and quit interrupting my entry! A year of knowing a guy whom I befriended on a forum is pretty damn good, and the fact that he still loves me even though his likeness in my copy of Worms: Revolution dies constantly is great, too. That's right, this man is in my video games, too, kickin' shit up and accidentally leaping to his doom by way of drowning in a lake. But that's beside the point.
     
    This guy has been a great help for me, as he not only kept me here and listened to my woes, but his companionship is something entirely awesome on its own. Hell, without him in my life I'd feel bald. Here's to knowing you for many more years, you (arguably) beautiful bald man! Keep rocking those pink bear slippers, @@Zoop!
     
    (Images were totally not stolen straight from Kyronea's blog entry.)
  3. Nico
    Anyone who enjoys video games has surely seen the odd silly incident here and there while playing, especially with modern gaming. But there are some things which occur during a game that make you go from having a good time living out your completely sane fantasies of drowning people by way of pool ladder removal and grab you by the shoulders, shaking you violently as you scream and suck your thumb, just as you will every night as you go to sleep after having seen them.
     
    These are the soul tormenting, horrifying things that movie designers only wish they could create, and they are usually brought out as such unexpected surprises that they put all 'jump' moments to shame. If you are experiencing such abnormal game behavior, it's very well possible that your game may be possessed, and it is likely in that event that burning your TV or monitor is the only way to properly banish the images these daemonic apparitions bring upon you.
     
    Here are three of the most obvious signs that your video game may very well be possessed and you should likely consult Geek Squad's personal Exorcist:
     
    #3. Your Character(s) Clearly Become Daemons
     
    The Problem: So, you're just playing around in your little virtual world with your virtual little family, burning alive the virtual father of your virtual bundle of joy. All is well in the world of the Sims, when suddenly, having scorched his dear father, the bundle of joy transforms into an amalgamation of everything nightmarish.
     

     
    For those fortunate enough to be unable to watch the above video, just take one look at the creature in its still-frame. If that isn't enough to terrify you, then watching it as it slaps its horrific limbs across the ground in a scramble to the dresser should do the trick. This is not only no longer a human child, but the head has been entirely detached, now floating in mid-air as its body moves about on its own.  

    Don't let it fool you. Beneath that cover is all that haunts your dreams at night.
     
    As if this weren't bad enough, there are actually two children afflicted with this horrifying plague, and only you, the player, are unfortunate enough to witness their unseemly deformations, as the family goes on about its business as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening at all.
     

    Then again, perhaps this is what you get for giving them the family name of "Buttmutant".
     
    The Solution: If possible, calmly exit the game. Do not save your progress, and if possible, reload it at a point where the child no longer exists in the game world. If this is not possible, do not delete the save file, as it is too late. The child (or children) have already unleashed their plague upon the world and the only reasonable solution is now to burn the Hard Drive which contains the data for this whilst dousing the flames with small amounts of Holy Water and reading verses from the Bible in Simlish.
     
     
    #2. Your Friends Forget How Necks Work
     
    The Problem: So, a local doctor just dug your sorry hide out of an early grave after you've had a bullet put in your head, and he's nursed you back to health. You awaken to a friendly voice and a fairly friendly smile from the bald man, and a feeling of safety washes over you. Suddenly, though, things take a turn for the worse as you realize this is no man who has saved your life, and he has only spared you for a time to devour your fresh soul while you're awake.
     

     
    This doctor will only be the start of your problems, however. You will see many more friendly faces along the course of your journey, and they will all see you, too, from the many angles at which their heads turn. Soon you will come to the realization that no place is sacred, no town is safe. Next thing you know you might run into a daemonic baby flopping its way toward you in the wasteland, but for now there's no time to worry about what-ifs when you have this to worry about:
     

    "I'll be seeing you in your nightmares."
     
    The Solution: Eject the disc, if you have one, and burn it. Meanwhile, cleanse the console or computer which you were playing on with a good old fashioned Alcohol Swab Baptism, ensuring to cleanse any data storage devices with extra care and attention, as they have been most afflicted. In the case that you are playing without a disc, simply skip to cleansing the computer or console and proceed to add a step afterwards where you plug in night-lights surrounding your device at all times in case of daemonic apparitions arising.
     
    #1. You are Chased by Undead Penguin Men
     
    The Problem: It should go without saying that penguins are extremely awesome, sliding around on their bellies to get around and such. It should also go without saying that zombies are a pretty common thing in this day and age, so seeing one in a video game isn't anything new. However, things go to eternally weird when penguin demons enter the souls of some men whom you've mercilessly launched off of a cliff and have them slide around on their bellies in an eternal ghastly pursuit of revenge.
     
    (Due to limits on media in blogs on the forums, the video for this entry is in a link below.)
     
    They slide around with wanton fury, hating only the man who has sent them to this tragic death. It starts out simple, with one lone penguin man simply keeping track of you, but as you brave the corpses of others that you have slain, you find that other penguin demons are more interested in haunting you for all of eternity, sliding along their undead human-host bellies in a desperate grab at revenge.
     

    This particular Penguin demon is confused, but he's still pissed off all the same.
     
    The Solution: There is only one way to escape penguins, and that is no way at all. It is in human nature to stay wherever penguins are near. You are now forever to be followed by the angry spirits of penguins embodied in the rigid, motionless shells of your former man, staring angrily at you as they go about your journey alongside you, instilling fear in your foes before you even unsheathe your sword.
  4. Nico
    So, here very recently, Valve thought it'd be a great idea to add a co-operative game mode to their Free-to-Play giant, Team Fortress 2, known as Mann vs Machine. You know, survive against waves of foes and purchase upgrades via cash earned from killing them. We've seen it all before, so what can Valve possibly bring to the table that others haven't?
     




    If you appreciate variety, you've got to love these guys.


     
    Well, Valve has class. Rather, Team Fortress 2 has classes. Nine of them, you know? This alone sets the game apart from the rest of the pack. With unique upgrades for all of the classes available for purchase, as well as the ability to use unlocked equipment from your time playing the game before this, there's room for a lot of variety in your team and how the matches can be played.
     
    Engineers can buff their turrets and amount of resources they can carry to maintain them, or they can upgrade a weapon so that they can be more offensive and leave their turrets to their own devices. Buff up your Scout with high damage resistances and you can barrel into enemy lines to decimate robot opposition, or you can boost his speed to get him in and out of the action quickly for guerrilla tactics, which are surprisingly effective against the rather obtuse AI in this mode (more on that later). There are a number of ways things can happen just by mixing up classes and their upgrades. When you add in the custom weaponry you can take into battle as well as new canteen power-ups, which can be used to grant temporary boosts such as invulnerability or an instant ammo refill, the diversity is far from what you find in other co-op shooters.
     
    Team Fortress 2's classes also make up the foes you'll be facing off against in Mann vs Machine. Pyro bots come by the swarm, threatening to torch any players foolish enough to get too close to them, while Heavies throw up their fisticuffs, ready to box any player clear across the map (or to death, too, you know) should they cross their path. These bots are plentiful, and they're trying to carry a bomb into your base, which you clearly have to prevent. If they succeed, Mann Co. will be ruined, and then how will you ever get those snazzy hats?
     




    Face it, you're jealous of that hair.


     
    Stopping the bots from carrying the bomb into your base is harder than it sounds. Kill one who holds it, and they drop it, only for it to be picked up by another heartless, metallic comrade. Don't kill the one holding the bomb for a while, and they'll slowly build up bonuses, starting with higher defense, then health regeneration, and if you wait too long, they'll even start landing critical hits with every shot.
     
    However adamant they are with running this bomb into your base, however, they aren't exactly the brightest crayons in the box when it comes to pathfinding. Sure, this is intentional on Valve's part for sure, as they clearly denote the path the bots will take with the bomb before you even start a wave, but the fact that there's really no deviation whatsoever makes them a bit more prone to stupidity than they should be, and in my time playing the mode, there were even a couple of moments where they got stuck, and the bomb simply respawns at the beginning of the map again. Set up a turret in the right spot, and you're guaranteed they'll pour right into the line of fire. Guerrilla tactics are very viable, too, with running and gunning being an excellent strategy for fast classes just as it should be.
     
    Even though they have clearly basic AI when carrying the bomb, it is nice to know that certain bots, such as the boxing Heavies, Demoknights (Demomen with swords), Sentry Busters (robots that target Enngineer buildings and self-destruct on them) and Spy bots deviate from the given path in an attempt to shake things up, and this often is all it takes to make the game become savagely difficult.
     




    Don't worry, these guys will kill you often.


     
    Now, despite the straightforward AI in this mode, and the seemingly easy objective, this mode is unforgiving and difficult. Without a fully populated team of six, Mann vs. Machine might just turn into Man vs. Machine as you hurl your computer out the window in frustration. With no handicaps set for an incomplete roster, it can be very frustrating to lose a comrade in the middle of a run, and nigh impossible with any less than five players to even complete a single wave on some of the harder maps. With six players, it is possible to beat all of the maps, of course, and with a team of skilled players, can even be 'easy' on some of the maps, but more often than not, it still proves more difficult than most players would likely prefer.
     
    Regardless of the extreme difficulty, this mode is still very fun, and any players who were fans of Team Fortress 2 before will surely enjoy this new addition and find themselves putting in a lot of time. Community servers will likely be the most popular way to play, but special "Mann Up" servers, which require tickets to enter (that cost real money) do offer the promise of great in-game loot when played, with the best rewards accompanying success, of course.
     
    If you like first-person shooters and haven't tried Team Fortress 2, there's little reason not to give it a shot unless your computer simply can't handle the Source engine. If you haven't played TF2 in a while, maybe Mann vs. Machine is just what you need to get back into it. I recommend that everyone who has enjoyed the game before to try this out at the very least, and anyone who hasn't tried the game at ll I advise try it, too.
  5. Nico
    It takes a truly special story to have an emotional impact on a player, and a well-crafted journey is the only one worth remembering. The Walking Dead by developer Telltale Games is nothing if not a riveting, expertly designed and, most importantly, immersive adventure. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." This quote by Ursula LeGuin summarizes everything about The Walking Dead, as this is a game finely tuned to react to your decisions, though it all leads to one similar end. The destination is the same for all players, yet the journey itself is something that will be drastically different for every player, and it is this journey which will lend the finale its impact in the first place.
     
    Players take the role of Lee Everett, an ex-university professor from Macon, GA, who is just being incarcerated on charges of murder. With no distinct details about him given, the game quickly thrusts him into the harsh new reality of the walkers, or zombies, who now overrun the world. Shortly after his first encounter with the undead, Lee meets up with a young girl who has kept herself safe inside a tree-house. This girl's name is Clementine, and though it isn't directly stated, she is the heart of the game, as well as the one who most closely touches yours.
     

    This Clementine, tugger of heartstrings.
     
    It doesn't take long for Lee and Clementine to become wrapped up in something more than just a personal endeavor, though. Soon after meeting one another, they are whisked into a situation with more survivors as they desperately try to escape the oncoming walkers. It is in this situation where Lee's morals are first able to be bent to the player's will, and this is the first true glimpse of one of the game's most enthralling features. Each action Lee takes will beget a reaction from other characters, with them taking note of his words and choices for the future, sometimes all the way up through the end of the game.
     
    It is Clementine herself who most notes his actions, however, with her young mind being quite impressionable. Lee's choice of words and moral decisions can shape her throughout the entire game, lending for her to become a liar, a coward, or a strong individual. A player with loose morals could end up not only in trouble with other survivors, but also turn her into a poor person, too.
     
    Nothing is so black and white as to be simply 'good or evil' in the game, however. Seeing a stranger being attacked by zombies in the street while on a supply run, do you put her out of her misery and alert the walkers with your gun, or leave her as bait and a distraction to buy yourself more time? When two members of your group dispute each other's decisions in a bid for leadership, whose side do you take? They will remember what you say, and it may affect you drastically later on.
     

    They're not exactly ones you'd want to piss off, either.
     
    It is in this character build-up and interaction that you become completely enthralled with the story, learning to truly care about the fates of everyone involved. Helping one person at one point could lead to them returning the favor, or possibly saving someone else. Chide someone for their cowardice and they may become braver in turn to prove you wrong. These are important factors, as Lee is no superhero, and cannot do everything alone.
     
    During what action moments the game has, Lee is often not able to help everyone who needs it at once. Sometimes he simply has to protect himself, other times he has to defend another, and at the worst of times, he has no choice but to save one life over another one. These moments, despite how brief they are, have a level of tension that few other games ever reach, as you have no time to think things over, having to make the decisions in the heat of the moment just as if in reality. You may truly regret actions later in the story, and few games can say such a thing.
     
    This ever-evolving story falls into place depending on your every little reaction, and it will be drastically different for one player than it will be for another. However, despite the choices you make on the journey, it is true that the end is always the same, so relish what happens as you go, love the characters you can and do everything to keep them safe as long as you can. And most importantly, stay away from spoilers on the ending!
     

    It's hard not to be depressed in the end of times, so keep close those you hold dear.
     
    This game is not about action or kicking zombie ass. It is about survival, relationships, and horrifying realities. Despite having moments of intensity and truly thrilling action, the majority of the game is spent in dialogue to create an extraordinarily personal and immersive experience. This is not for everyone, but anyone who loves a good story would be missing out on a golden opportunity to not play this.
     
    No other game in 2012, or possibly any other year, really, has created characters who feel so real and generate such true emotions. This is a journey worth taking, and though it may end in tears, it will stick with you forever. Not playing this game is hard to call anything other than ignorant. Find a way to play it, and enjoy it. It doesn't last forever, and that is a good thing in its own right, but it and its characters will be remembered forever to make up for it.
  6. Nico
    Resident Evil, the long-standing survival-horror franchise from Capcom, is a game series that has had great success throughout its lifetime, but has suffered from a pretty severe loss of focus with its latest installments, basically shunting horror from the formula. Now, going on to its sixth numbered installment, Capcom is hoping to win both old fans and newcomers over alike by creating a game that is, by all means, a little something for everyone, provided you like shooting games, at least.
     
    Featuring three distinct campaigns right from the start, Resident Evil 6 will have a lot to offer from the moment you start it up. There has also been revealed to be a fourth unlockable campaign after completing the original three, as well as a couple of bonus modes, so there should be plenty of content on-disc.
     




    Leon's got the cure for arthritis: Bullets.


     
    Returning to the series for the third even-numbered installment in a row, Leon Kennedy is now accompanied by newcomer Helena Harper in his campaign. Capcom is bringing co-operative play back in full swing with this installment, with both online and split-screen offline play for two players, as well as special sequences when the main characters of your campaign cross paths with characters of other campaigns which allows up to four player co-op as well, though the extra two players can play online only and not locally.
     
    In trying to please all different kinds of fans with one game, Leon's campaign specifically will be oriented in a direction focused more on horror than the others, featuring the long-awaited return of Resident Evil's standard foes: Zombies. Despite the change from their more recent action-based focus for his campaign, the controls in Resident Evil 6 are tighter, more fluid and, most importantly, much more advanced for all campaigns, Leon's included. Expect to walk and shoot, dodge roll, slide along the ground (while shooting, even), melee at will and walk in any cardinal direction without turning like a tank. For the first time in the series, Resident Evil 6 not only doesn't feel like the controls are outdated, but almost feels ahead of the pack, really.
     
    Zombies will be more formidable against Leon and Helena, as well, coming in new shapes and sizes, including hulking fat ones which look reminiscent of Left 4 Dead's Boomers, but rather than exploding in one shot, they are bullet sponges and difficult to kill. Other zombies wield weapons such as fire axes and crowbars, which they'll mindlessly swing around or even toss at the player. Using the new counter mechanic, though, players with excellent timing will be able to steal the weapon from an attacking enemy and execute them with it.
     




    In case of emergency, kick ass.


     
    For players who have little to no interest in Zombies and are more fans of modern shooting games, perhaps even just fans of Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield is accompanied by newcomer Piers Nivens in a high-octane campaign. Facing off against new foes to the series infected by the C-Virus, known as the J'avo (pronounced Ju-ah-voh), expect to face off in large-scale combat sequences against other armed combatants. The J'avo will actively attack the players with their own guns, as well as mutate their bodies depending on where the players attack them.
     
    Shoot off the legs of a J'avo and wings may grow in their place, flying the torso around upside-down while it still shoots at you. Take off an arm, and a bigger, more disturbing one replaces it, ready to maul you. Blow off the head, however, and what do you know, for the first time in a few games now, the enemy just dies. A nice change of pace from random chance mutating heads popping out when you land a perfect headshot that should, by all means, be a kill.
     
    During large portions of his campaign, Chris and Piers will be accompanied by standard BSAA soldiers, making his story feel more like Gears of War than Resident Evil for a while. As his squad dwindles down over the course of the story, though, things get more intense as Chris and Piers face off against unsettling beasts akin to classic Resident Evil boss fights.
     




    "Uh, hey, dude. Look out."


     
    In the third campaign, with newcomer Jake Muller and Sherry Birkin from RE2, expect a sort of blend between the other two campaigns, though the focus is still much more on action. Jake Muller is the son of a long-standing Resident Evil villain, Albert Wesker, and his blood holds the key for solving some mysterious corporation's problems. Since his blood is so valuable, it's obvious that they're going to go after it, so this campaign finds the players hunted down by a towering monster known as Ustanak, whom they will encounter several times in their journey, Nemesis style.
     
    Jake and Sherry will also find themselves facing off against the J'avo in their campaign, the clear sign that action is what they had in mind for the most part. Jake also has a unique fighting style that other characters cannot access, in which he can fight purely unarmed with a large repertoire of combat moves. Sherry doesn't have the luxury of such things, but has a unique Stun Rod weapon which alters the way her dodges function to accommodate close-quarters combat.
     




    Hold on, I'll save you! Then kill you afterwards!


     
    For players who clear out the three campaigns and want more to do afterwards, there are some bonuses to be unlocked to keep you going. A fourth campaign, tailored for solo play, features Ada Wong and focuses heavily on more classic gameplay from the series with puzzles and zombies. A new mode will also be unlocked, known as 'Agent Hunt', which lets the player take control of a random enemy in a random player's game online. It's an interesting idea, but little is known about it, such as whether or not the player controlled enemies will have more health or otherwise be different from the AI controlled ones.
     
    If players tire of the campaigns at any point, Mercenaries Mode, Resident Evil's time-attack mode since Resident Evil 3 returns once again, unlocked from the very start. Using the characters from the campaigns (and probably others, but none have been revealed as of yet), you try to wipe out as many enemies as you can on set stages within a time limit, racking up more points for consecutive kills. You can see gameplay of Mercenaries Mode here, showing off not only the mode, but also the new combat mechanics as well as Leon's special ability to dual-wield pistols.
     
    Look for Resident Evil 6 on Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 2nd, and on PC soon after, though no concrete date has been revealed.
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