christmas Archives • The Lifecast Network

Have Yourself, a Merry Little Switchmas: Why you should pick up a Switch if you haven’t yet

November 28, 2017 Sydney

The other day I was in Target with my dad buying Christmas lights as we started prepping for the holiday season. At 21 I’d gotten used to gambit of “What do you want for Christmas?” over the years my selection grew more mature and sophisticated (I think I actually wrote Roche Brother’s gift cards so I could get groceries), but I don’t feel that way this year. This year, I’m hopped on the band wagon and told my dad I liked the Nintendo Switch and thought it was a really cool system– he scoffed at me and brushed it off, saying he preferred the PS4 to, “just another Mario system.”

While he’s not wrong about that, I felt hurt that he brushed it off so callously. Not a sort of, that’s nice or you can buy that with your own money, but an answer filled with… almost disgust. I know it’s silly to get all worked up about something so trivial, but when I backed up my case, saying a ton of my friends play the Switch, he again just gave me rude remarks.

I’ve played bits and pieces of the Switch library thanks to some friends:

Mario Odyssey is incredibly fun and the worlds are gorgeous. The base game isn’t too long, but with 999 moons to collect, you’ll be busy for a while.

Snipperclips is silly and cute. That’s really all I’ve got. As the younger sibling, my childhood was filled with backseat-gaming and begging for co-op modes. Snipperclips delivers in a cute little package.

Stardew Valley is on the Switch. Let me say that again Stardew Valley is on the Switch. It’s similar to Harvest Moon apparently (I never played Harvest Moon), but I’ll take people’s word for it. Anyways… farming? Mining? Romancing? Building friendship? Betraying your loved ones for corporate greed? Any of that sound interesting?? Get it!

Just Dance 2017 made me want to get up and move for the first time in years. It’s not a secret, I’m a little tubby, but the only exercise I ever really enjoyed was dancing, problem is, it’s incredibly hard to get over that anxiety hurdle and actually do it. Now you’re saying there’s a game that only gently judges you AND has choreography already made? Sign me up!

And finally, Zelda.

I don’t like Zelda. We didn’t really click much when I was growing up.

As stated above, my dad really isn’t fond of Nintendo so while everyone else grew up on the Gamecube and Wii, I had the Playstation 1/2/3 and Xbox (360)… I should confess I did own a Wii and a Wii U, but had no one to really play with.

So I never really had a chance to play Zelda. It was always daunting and massive and I frustrating. I attempted Ocarina of Time and after sinking 10 hours into the game (9.5 of which were accompanied with a walkthrough), I gave up.

I did enjoy A Link Between Worlds, but from what I gather, it’s hard to dislike that game. Now, back to Zelda.

Breath of the Wild is a fantastic game. It’s still hard and frustrating and massive (oh boy is it massive), but if you’re stuck you’re not locked into a certain area. I personally struggled with the Zora guardian so just said fuck it and went to the Rivali. Now I can make air shafts under where I stand and it’s pretty incredible.

I would love to have a Switch if only for Zelda. I only got my one guardian freed, but my experiences up until that point solidified it as one of my games of the year.

Without getting too in-depth about that, because maybe you’ll hear from me again on the subject (MAYBE), I leave you all with this. As someone who doesn’t own a Switch… it’s worth it. It made me like games I didn’t before, gave me an opportunity to play cooperatively, and made me want to get up and move. And let’s not forget that Pokemon will be phased out of 3DS in the next generation, finding its new home on the Switch. Fire Emblem game coming soon? Access to more triple A titles and (N)indies galore.

Original Art by: Cuteosphere

If you can, buy a Switch. Take it from someone who doesn’t have one.

Let It Die, Pokemon, Nier, and Question Time | Ep.45

December 29, 2016 The Lifecast

“Some would call it a food coma, I call it a vision.”

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Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures: Infected

December 23, 2016 colin

Image courtesy of GameFAQs.

Infected maybe the only zombie shooter set around Christmas time

Infected is one of the earliest titles on the PlayStation Portable. Developed by Planet Moon Studios back in the mid-2000s, Infected is a twisted and darkly humorous third-person shooter in the backdrop of a zombie-infested New York City around Christmas time. It is also one of the more creative games to be released for Sony’s ill-fated handheld, making use of online play in a creative manner.

Infected was released right in the middle of the holiday 2005 season, where the release of the Xbox 360 was imminent and the handheld market was still dominated by the Nintendo DS. Needless to say, Infected was dead on arrival (pun completely intended) and it sold very little.

Image courtesy of Giant Bomb.

Looking at Infected today, gamers can see an experience something that should have been a cult hit. The image of a zombified charity Santa Claus is enough for anyone to give it a shot. If they do, they will play a fun, if not a little mindless, shooter that had a little more personality than most early PSP games.

Ho, ho….no. Image courtesy of Cheat Code Central.

Infected is the definition of a “popcorn game;” turn your brain off and have fun
A few weeks before Christmas and the Big Apple is hit with a zombie outbreak. Instead of families enjoying the magic of the holidays, they are being slaughtered and eaten by the flesh-eating horde. The game portrays this tragedy with a wicked grin and comes off less Walking Dead and more Dead Alive. Players take the role of Officer Stevens, whose blood can be used as an antidote against the monsters. The character is fully customizable with several ridiculous costumes, including Rayne from Bloodrayne and all nine members of Slipknot. Stevens is given the task to eliminate as many zombies as possible, in increasingly gory ways.

Infected PSP Pizza guy's campaign screen

If you want, you can make Stevens look like a total dweeb. Image courtesy of Moby Games.

The tongue-in-cheek treatment of the horrifying scenario is bookended with raunchy faux-newscasts and over-the-top cut scenes. Stevens’ wardrobe also adds to the zaniness of the game. Zombies are still scary, but have an overtly animated feel to them where laughing at them is more appropriate. Again, it is dark humor so it is not for everyone.

Gameplay in Infected is simple and has a barebones control set up tailor-made for the PSP’s awkward control set up. The two shoulder buttons are for firearms, and the single analog stick allows for basic aiming and movement. Quick-turnarounds are the norm in Infected and it keeps the gameplay fast-paced. It’s a blast to play and feels similar to a rail shooter, where bullets and blood are flying all over the place. The game has a list of missions for Officer Stevens to complete, but it mostly involves shooting, blowing up, destroying, etc. the living dead.

Well, this certainly is a strange Christmas. Image courtesy of Giant Bomb.

Infected’s most interesting feature is the use of online play. Players can engage in typical deathmatch modes and creative ones where one player vs an army of zombies. However, one unique social feature is the ability to jump into a player’s game and infect them. It’s entirely juvenile, but what did anyone expect from a game like this?

Rayne in all her non-Uwe Boll glory! Image courtesy of Hardcore Gamer.

Infected also contains a varied soundtrack. Slipknot not only makes cameos in the game, but have more than a few songs. Metal bands Chimaria and Fear Factory fit in right next to techno/EDM songs done by Junkie XL and Pimp X. It very much screams mid-2000s, but it certainly fits Infected.

One of Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures
There aren’t many games that take place during Christmas time, much less combining the zombie apocalypse. Infected fills in this oddly specific void. The senseless violence found in its facile gameplay will make many gamers grin and laugh at the December dismemberment.

Infected is not expensive to buy new or used. Any Vita owner looking to play something different this holiday season, Infected is worth checking out.