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Watch, donate and support AGDQ 2020!!!!!
The older I have gotten the more I suck at video games. My reflexes are off. I die a lot. I throw a lot of controllers and yell at the TV as if the fake video game characters can hear me. You know who doesn’t suck at video games? The speed runners currently playing at Awesome Games Done Quickly 2020 (AGDQ 2020).
These gamers aren’t playing for fame or to simply show off their awesome skills. They are playing for charity. This year’s charity is The Prevent Cancer Foundation. My mom has beat cancer for 18 years. Her mother was not so lucky. Cancer took her life at age 51. Many people out there have lost or seen a loved one suffer due to cancer.
Cancer blows. But these awesome gamers kick cancer right in the ass! If you have never seen a speed run, you are missing out on tons of fun. These gamers make the hardest games look easy. Some of the glitches are as comical as they are amazing to watch. And all of this for a good cause.
You can tune into the runs on Twitch here and watch live! Please donate for this great cause. To add, I am not paid or endorsed by Twitch or anyone from AGDQ. If anything, you would donate to not watch me play games.
The Legend of Zelda – 9.7 out 10
What can I say about the Legend of Zelda that hasn’t already been said? The game is a classic. A masterpiece. The story and plot is perfect. The simple controls are spot on. The music is legendary. I can’t even say enough good things about the game. It changed a lot of Americans’ mindset on what a video game is, and should be.
Before the Legend of Zelda, most video games were like this. You control a character. Your goal was to get from point A to point B without dying. Repeat again and again until you beat the game. Of course this concept worked well. Super Mario Brothers’ games and Donkey Kong are prime examples of this. But this method got old to a lot of gamers.
The Legend of Zelda changed that. Besides simply beating levels, the game was an open world to explore. Secrets to be found. You even came across bad guys that would tell you secrets once you bribed them. The diversity of enemies was awesome. Certain areas contained different enemies. Deserts had enemies that would differ from enemies in the woods or dungeons. Certain weapons only worked on certain enemies. Very few games did that before the Legend of Zelda.
Now, I never rate games a perfect 10. You can always find things wrong or not perfect with anything. While the Legend of Zelda changed gaming in America, there are some weaknesses. The graphics are inferior when compared to games like the Super Mario Brothers, Mega Man and even Contra games. Before the internet and Nintendo Power, this game would have been difficult for younger gamers. I first beat this game around age 10 in 1991 with the use of a Nintendo Power that included maps of the entire game. Not sure how far I would have got without it back then.
It’s crazy to think this game originally got reviews in the high 70’s out of a 100. Now this game is universally praised as a classic. Link and Zelda are as well-known as Mario and Donkey Kong. Later Zelda games are also considered classics. That little gold cartridge changed the video game world forever. I give the Legend of Zelda a 9.7 out of 10. To me, no 8-bit game is better.
Life is Strange Before the Storm – 6 out of 10 (a major let down)
I discovered the original Life is Strange by luck. I downloaded episode 1 from the PlayStation store for free, knowing nothing about it. At first all I could think was “Man, this game is geared toward teen girls and dudes who think the Notebook is a good movie.” Lucky for me I kept playing and gave the game a chance. This game became the sleeper hit of 2015. The game even to this day has a radical fanbase and following. I may or may not have a tattoo of Max Caulfield.
The story and plot had many loopholes. There is an excellent video on YouTube showing this seen here. With that said, there are so many reasons people like me fell in love with the game. First, look at Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, the main two characters. They are fun. Cute. Funny. They are so different and yet, so very much alike. The game has a very nostalgic feeling to it as you watch Max and Chloe reconnect as friends. Most of us have lost a close friend due to them moving away. The majority of us can relate to Max and Chloe in one way or another.
For those that have never played it, let me sum it up quickly. The game starts with a dream with Max waking up during the worst tornado in history. She then wakes up in class. Goes to the bathroom and witnesses Chloe getting shot. She then discovers she has the power to rewind time and change things. The entire game is based on choices, which all effect the game. Some in minor ways, while others effect the game in major ways. The game is based on the butterfly effect. Got it? Good.
Now, let’s fast forward to Life is Strange before the Storm which plot and story actually takes place before the events of Life is Strange. You play as Chloe and lead her on her journey with another girl named Rachel Amber. No special power. Just you sneaking into concerts, uncovering the truth about Rachel’s parents and fight a few drug dealers along way. Sounds neat, but far from it.
- I find way too many loopholes with this game. Many characters that we know from the original Life is Strange are so different in this game, it’s like the writers had no clue about the original story. Frank Bowers is seen as a mean drug dealer in the original. This game shows him as very calm, mainly toward the females. David Madsen, Chloe’s stepfather, is portrayed as mostly easy going and caring. In the original he is very sexist and strict, even smacking Chloe during an argument. Nathan Prescott is seen as shy and timid. He is a bully in the original.
- Rachel Amber is a boring side character. When Chloe tagged along, I enjoyed her company in the game. Knowing how the game started, all I could do was think about not letting her die. With Rachel, I could care less if she was in the scenes at all.
- In the original, you felt like your choices mattered. You can either save or not save a girl from suicide. You can help people from dangerous situations. In this game you backtalk people which leads to some of the laziest video script writing in history.
- The original had a sad ending, no matter what you choose. You can either save Chloe and watch the entire town get wiped out by the tornado or spare the town by sacrificing Chloe. This game, you simply tell Rachel about her dad’s murder plot or not. Sounds cool, but its hella not.
- The original has more chapters and takes longer to play. This one is a major letdown.
- The game really doesn’t explain anything. What made Rachel save Chloe at the beginning? Why did she all of a sudden want to be best friends with her? In the original, we know that Max and Chloe grew up together and were like family. We know that when Max moved, Chloe went through a downward spiral.
Now for some praise. I lost my father in 2017. He had dementia for the final three years of his life. Unlike Chloe’s father who died young and suddenly, my father lived to be 84 and we watched his decline. I can relate as I have dreams almost weekly of my dad. Most are about him and me watching sports, comedy or fishing. We talk and joke just like we did when he was alive. The Chloe dream scenes with her father hit home with me, as I’m sure they do with a lot of people.
I did think the downward spiral of Chloe is done well in this game. Early in the game we see that Chloe is still pretty close with her mom. Overtime their relationship falls apart. We know from the original that Chloe hardly even speaks to her mom, as her mom talks to Max about losing her. We also see Chloe slowly become the punk rocker chick that we as fans love. That part was well done.
Overall, this game isn’t terrible. Just a major letdown for me after loving the original. It has some great moments but falls way short of what made Life is Strange awesome. I give this game a 6 out of 10.
Father O'Malley's Gaming 