The Foundation
Setting up the foundation of a new project is always a fun time, filled with creativity and notes; tons of notes. With this article series, I want to highlight recent videos that I have found engrossing and expound on them with my own thoughts. The topics may vary, but the overall theme will touch on something gaming, anime, books, comics, or another nerdy niche. With this one being the first in the series, the format isn't set in stone and suggestions are always welcomed.
Currently the format will go as follows Video Name (Length) - followed by some thoughts from me, and then the video will be linked. Not all videos linked will be family friendly and without further ado let's begin.
What RUINED 4Kids? - The Fall of an Anime Empire (26:01)
Studying business while in college and being an entrepreneur at heart, the rise and fall of different businesses is a fascinating subject to me. Add in the fact that this video has an early 90's, nerdy slant, and that makes for a great watch and a stroll down memory lane. 4Kids TV broadcasted shows such as TMNT, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and One Piece. While 4Kids had such powerhouse shows, they eventually faded into the oblivion.
The Absolute State of Unfinished AAA Game Releases (17:56)
We no longer live in an age where video games ship completed and arrive to the customer in a polished condition. If you have played one of the many AAA game releases recently you understand the pain of the age and the problem of unfinished games. While there are many benefits to patches post launch; recently it feels as if developers use them as a crutch to meet deadlines and ship something held together with duct tape and hope. This trend and my insane backlog have actually led me to waiting on games to go on discount and be fixed before I finally decide to buy, a small silver lining, I guess.
The Sad Decline of Madden - FULL DOCUMENTARY (47:44)
Having played many throughout my life, sports and their video games will always hold a special place in my heart. ESPN NFL 2K5 was, in my mind, the best football game ever made. I spent hours as a kid completing all of the challenges in-game and filling those glorious trophy cases. While I have enjoyed Madden games since their monopoly began, the current iterations have been watered down cash grabs, in my opinion. The monopoly status that EA enjoys in the "simulation" football category has not been good for the consumer nor most of the professional players unlucky enough to grace the cover of the game.
Five Favorites: Video Game Worlds w/ Travis Gaffird and Brandon (34:24)
This is a great duo for a video game conversation! I have played and loved many video game worlds, for many different reasons but stories are usually what hook me. While Brandon and Travis have very little overlap, some of my favorites show up on their lists. Choosing my top five favorite video game worlds right now would be:
1. World of Warcraft (Wrath of the Lich King)
2. Final Fantasy (X)
3. Tales of (Symphonia)
4. Pokémon (Blue/Silver)
5. Ni No Kuni (Wrath of the White Witch)
Notable mentions: Persona(5 Royal), inFamous, Daunte's Inferno
The WoW Effect was a real thing for me and I got sucked into the world of Azeroth. There was a plethora of reasons the bug hit me so hard - WC3, deep world lore, an amazing guild full of great people, fast internet and a capable pc made for a
Final Fantasy X is a favorite in the series for me because it's the first iteration I got to play solo and had some amazing characters and Blitzball.
Tales of Symphonia was the first of the Tales series for me and had me thinking some deep thoughts for a younger kid. I can't wait for the remaster to release soon and I will try and get a review up quickly!
Pokémon Blue or Silver - was a childhood obsession of mine and will always remind me of car trips and late nights under my covers trying to catch them all!
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has almost everything I love in a game series smashed into one. A great RPG with a monster collection and battle system,check. Lovable characters with and endearing storyline, check. Last but not least, Studio Ghibli's participation makes this a must play just to experience interactive art in their unique style.
Bank of America - CRUSHES HASBRO AGAIN (11:35)
Hasbro has been having a really tough time figuring out what the fan base wants, and been having issue after issue. Some of these lapses in judgement have hit the mainstream news which is never a good sign. Dungeons & Dragons had the OGL update and cancelled subscriptions as a result and Magic the Gathering is dealing with overprinting, and 30th anniversary drama. Bank of America has confirmed its underperform rating due to "Within its Wizards segment, Hasbro continues to destroy customer goodwill by trying to over-monetize its brands."
Thanks for joining me on this the first post in the Nerd Video Roundup. Hopefully these topics interest you, because more content in this vein featuring other creators and in-house will be coming very soon. Let me know what you thought of the videos and other topics that have caught you attention recently. Have a gloriously day you Gnerd!