#gameovereasy

It’s Easter and whether you celebrate the holiday or not, one thing that we are all left wondering on a yearly basis is what colorful eggs have to do with the holiday? It has something to do with eggs that Mary Magdalene brought to the tomb of Jesus turning bright red or something to that nature, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. Since that advent of video games, developers have been putting in hidden messages and points of interest that players have delighted in finding. We now call them Easter Eggs, in honor of the hunting of Easter Eggs done every springtime.

Now, if you read any type of video game website articles you have already seen an Easter Egg article on each one of them. I’ll be the first to admit that they are fun to read and to go and find the hidden messages in the games that they feature. But I’m trying to do something a little different here at Game Over Easy, and since our name is based off an egg dish, I decided to talk about some of the biggest Eggs in all of games. I’m not talking Easter Eggs or flops. I’m talking literal eggs that can be found with in the games itself. Only rule for this list is it has to be an egg…that’s it.

1.Yoshi’s Egg (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door): We start the list with an obvious choice, Yoshi. Since the dawn of the 16-bit generation, Yoshi has been a main stay of the Mushroom Kingdom. The first time you see him, he bursts forth from a green polk-a-dotted egg and starts eating everything that is attached to a bush. Yoshi has been around for a long time so pulling one instance of his appearance is a tough feat, but I’m going with the Paper Mario sequel, The Thousand Year Door. About a third of the way through the game, you are entered into a tournament against wrestlers. Mario has hit a roadblock against an invulnerable enemy. Just before you are about to give up, an egg that Mario saved from a hungry hotdog cart salesman, hatches and out comes a spunky newborn Yoshi who can break through the armor of your enemies. After the battle, the Yoshi joins your party and you are able to name him…in my case, he was named Dragon.

2.Mr. Egg (Burger Time): Amongst the G.O.E. staff, we all have games that we are obsessed with that the others just shake their heads at and move on with out even giving it a friendly insult. One of the games that I am known for is Burger Time. For those who don’t know, Burger Time is an old school game that had a similar level design to the original Donkey Kong, but instead of trying to ascend the scaffolding, you ran around it trying to assemble the components of hamburgers by running across them. The only things standing in your way are human sized components of food that are jealous that they cannot be apart of the burger. One of these, and in my opinion the most terrifying, is Mr. Egg. He is a fried egg that runs along side Mr. Hotdog and Mr. Pickle in effort to stop you from creating your food. Your only defense against them is the super accurate pepper that you shoot like mace. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the a main character named Petey Pepper.

3.Egg of the Wind Fish (Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening): In the Legend of Zelda’s first foray into the handheld world, we find Link traveling abroad to gain more training. His ship is swept up in a storm and he crashes onto an island. He wakes up in the home of Tarin and his daughter Marin. After regaining his equipment, Link is confronted by an owl that says he must awaken the Wind Fish to be able to go back home. The only way to do this is to collect all of Siren instruments and break the Egg that the Wind Fish is currently sleeping in. While moving across the map, the Egg can be seen at the top of a mountain peak to the north. It is by far, the biggest egg on the list.

4.Robotnik…sigh, Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog 3): Back in the day Sonic battled against an insane mad scientist that took the cute animals of the Green Green Zone and turned them into lifeless violent machines. That man was known as Dr. Robotnik. The name is menacing and is something to be feared. Then, we made a cartoon of the popular game series and Sonic and his friends began referring to Robonik as Eggman, and it stuck. The once scary evil genius turned into a bumbling overweight joke of a character. This concept really went over the top in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 where he was not only referred to as Eggman, but the main weapon that he used was called the Death Egg. I know this is a list of eggs through out games, but this is one I would warmly embrace if they went back to the original name.

5.Rolling Eggs (Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg): In 2003, Sega was in limbo. They were coming off of the flop of the Dreamcast and their brand mascot, Sonic, hadn’t been put into a positively reviewed game for about 5 years. It was time to tread some new water and the water came in the fashion of Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. In this game you play Billy, a boy with no real power, but who is entrusted with the care of a Giant Egg. With the giant egg, Billy is faster, stronger, and has powers unlike any he had ever had before. This game is chalk full of eggs that give you different powers and even have cameos from some of the other great Sega characters i.e. Sonic and Nights.

6.Exeggcute (Pokemon): Pokemon is has been one of the most popular games in video game history. Every facet of pop culture and even everyday life has been integrated into the games. So it is no surprise that eggs find themselves as being a big portion of the game. The main facet that you see them is in the breeding process when you leave two Pokemon at the daycare. They have even made a few of the move egg based for example Egg Bomb. But we’re going all the way back to the beginning. There was a Pokemon that all it is is a group of eggs, Exeggcute. This Psychic Grass type could only be found in the Safari Zone and was tough to find at that. In the early games, this Pokemon could be a powerhouse as it was one of the few Pokemon that had two very different types all in one package.

So there you have it. Eggs. When I first came up with the concept of this article, I didn’t think I would be able to come up with enough material to put out a full piece. Boy was I wrong. It’s almost surprising the amount of crossover between eggs and gaming without copping out to games like Cooking Mama. Hell with a little bit more research; we may see a sequel coming down the pike.

If you liked this article or you think I drastically missed something, shoot us a comment down below or tweet at us @gameggs.

On Wednesday morning, Democratic California State Senator Leland Yee was charged and taken into custody for Public Corruption and Transpiring to Traffic Firearms. This comes as part of massive group of arrests across the San Francisco area including Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow. Chow is the Dragonhead, or leader of the Chee Kung Tong, an organized crime gang based in San Francisco. FBI agents raided Yee’s offices early in the morning and were seen carrying a giant circular saw into the building, possibly to gain entrance into a safe. They also pulled about 10 boxes and several bags of evidence from the office in the early afternoon after a few hours inside. Yee is currently being held without bail by the state of California.

So what the hell does this all have to do with video games? Well, Leland Yee has been one of the loudest voices in the fight against video games. Whenever Grand Theft Auto: San Andres was pulled from shelves due to the “Hot Coffee” content embedded in the game, Yee wrote the law making it illegal to sell or rent violent games to minors. This law was endorsed by the Governator, Arnold Schwarzengger, and was taken to the Supreme Court. It was decisively defeated 7-2 and over ruled by the judges citing that it violated the 1st Amendment, Freedom of Speech. He also came out and, in a very classless move, used the shooting tragedy in Newton, Connecticut to help push his agenda saying, “Gamers have got to just quiet down. Gamers have no credibility in this argument. This is all about their lust for violence and the industry’s lust for money. This is a billion-dollar industry. This is about their self-interest.”

I find it funny that first we had Jack Thompson, who decided to fight video games so vindictively that others individuals who fight for this cause wanted nothing to do with him and received a restraining order from Rockstar Studios after his slanderous diatribes. Now we have Leland Yee. For the most part, even though he seemed misinformed on the industry as a whole, it felt like he had what was best for the public interest in his intentions. Now we see him being cuffed and indicted for crimes connected to mafia bosses and others are still to believe in this man’s cause. I don’t support the censorship of games. I think parents should watch what games they by for their kids, but that is at the responsibility of the parents. I would love to see someone who opposes violence in games who understands the industry and can rationally give an argument that has supported facts and studies.

All we ever hear is that gamers are more prone to violence and are couch potatoes. Gaming is destroying the real world. But, I work, associate, and help mentor fellow gamers and none of them have ever committed a major crime, let alone a violent one. Most of the games being played by these people include, Minecraft, Portal, Tetris, and Mario Kart which has little to no violence. Maybe we should start looking at other things other than video games for the source of all of woes in this life.

Sources:

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_25423273/bay-area-fbi-serving-multiple-arrest-search-warrants

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/26/anti-violent-gaming-politician-leland-yee-indicted-for-corruption

Kaz

Earlier this week, Ubisoft confirmed the existence of a new Assassin’s Creed that is in the works. Just a few days later, they released a teaser trailer and confirmed the name of the name release.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity.

This is the first of two different titles in the series that is supposed to be released this year. The other, code named Assassin’s Creed Comet, is said to be a title exclusively for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Unity is set in Paris during the French Revolution. The trailer begins with some scenery shots. The inside of a French villa and an abandoned market street are shown with the sounds of a crowd gathering in the distance. The camera comes around a corner and we see a man standing atop a building wearing a hood that is associated with assassins. He is gazing at something in his hand. His concentration breaks as he pockets the item and camera rolls over top of him to reveal a mob in a town square. In the center of the square stands a guillotine. The camera jumps to the base of the execution device. After a moment, the blade drops and the new Assassin’s Creed symbol is shown.

The game is set to release at the end of this year. I am a little disappointed that it is not set in Japan like the rumors were pointing. I think everyone wanted to see samurais and ninjas involved with the series, but I do like the alternative that they decided on. The French Revolution is a chaotic time that can really add to a story, especially in a series like Assassin’s Creed. There a lot of historical events that you can tie into and exaggerate.

If you would like to see the trailer, just click the link below. And if you would like to see any other up to date news in the gaming industry, just follow on Twitter @gameggs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQng7EkJHOI

Once again we find ourselves amongst a subject list for video games, and this one is very close to my heart. When I was in high school, I had a group of friends who were into tabletop role playing games, and they wrangled me into the pool. I was in over my head, but found an almost obsessive love of the monsters from Dungeons and Dragons. I especially took a liking to the games namesake, Dragons. My collection of dragons has ballooned to epic proportions, including a number of McFarlane’s Dragons Series, a full size Reign of Fire poster, and even statues of three of the dragons that will be on this list.

These terrors of the sky have long been the subject of myth in history. Everything from Jormungandr to Quetzalcoatl have been depicted as dragons that would play a role in the end of the world. It was almost a given that these flying lizards would be created to fill some of the most iconic roles in all of gaming. This is a just a short list of some of my favorite dragons to grace the interactive screen. Only rule here is that I only could choose one dragon per video game series, no licensed dragons for us. And besides, I have to leave room for a sequel…I’m that much into dragons.

1. Rhindle (Adventure): Let’s start it off with the first depiction of a dragon in video games. There are three dragons in the Atari 2600 classic, and yes, they all have names. Rhindle is the red dragon that guards the white key and chalice. He is also the fastest and most aggressive of the three dragons. Although they don’t look like it now, these were very impressive sprites for the time of the release. This sprite would have faded into time if it weren’t for the Strongbad of Homestar Runner. One of the sites opening pages had the sprite chasing Strongbad across the screen with him screaming, “Get this freakin’ duck away from me!” That alone is enough to have it on this list.

2. Volvagia (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time): At this point in Ocarina of Time, you have been pushed 7 years into the future where you must undo the misdeeds of the evil Ganondorf. You have already defeated 4 bosses and have just opened the boss door within the Fire Temple. A platform rises above the lava pit below and it is eerily quiet. Then, without warning, a large dragon’s head pops out of a pool of lava on the platform and the giant fire dragon Volvagia begins his aerial attack on you. Volvagia, up to this point, was the biggest boss that had been encountered in Ocarina of Time. What makes him stand out from other dragons is that he doesn’t only breath fire, he is seemingly almost made of fire. He is also been engrained in the Zelda lore with ties to other creatures in Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.

3. Spyro (Spyro the Dragon): Dragons are supposed to be scary. They are the ultimate predator, flying through the skies taking anything they want. They hold onto the riches of the lands, making sure that their opulence and venerable nature is know by all those who it lets dwell in its lands. So when you hear the title of game is Spyro the Dragon, you expect to see something fits the aforementioned description, but Insomniac said nay. Spyro was a small purple cartoon dragon who could barely fly and only could breath enough fire to light sheep ablaze. So why does he make the list, because he saves all the other dragons from their crystal prisons. Because of Spyro’s diminutive stature, he was able to avoid the attack on the dragons. He would go on a whirlwind adventure saving all of dragon kind and defeating the evil Gnasty. He also did with some attitude, and we all love some late 90’s attitude.

4. Alduin (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim): Just the mere mention of this dragons name sends chills down the spines of Nords across Skyrim. Alduin is a giant black dragon that is said to be the greatest creation of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. Based off the Nordic beast Jormungandr, Alduin, also known as the World Eater, is destined to destroy the mortal realm of Nim. It isn’t until a new Dovahkiin, Dragonborn, is declared by the Greybeards that his plan begins to unravel. What makes him truly great is that you actually don’t kill him at the end of Skyrim. His spirit will forever live on and will some day rise up again to destroy the world.

5. Fracktail (Super Paper Mario): The first boss from the Wii’s Super Paper Mario, Fracktail is the only robot dragon on the list. This purple skinned hulk guards a pure heart that Mario requires to save Peach. While analyzing his database, which takes the form of the load circle from the Wii Shop Channel wait screen in his eye, he is blasted by Dimentio with a spell and causes him to attack the Mushroom Kingdom’s Savior. Mario must jump onto the beasts back while it spews nonsensical quotes at you including “Mario’s Threat Level” which is “Jelly Roll 1” and even says, “I am Error” in reference to the Zelda miscue. Once on his back you have to crawl along his back to his antenna, and then hit it for all you worth. A second incarnation of the character would show up later in the game, named Wracktail, at the bottom of the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials. His color pallet changes to white and black and becomes way stronger than Fracktail, making the first boss fight of the game nigh impossible.

6. Bahamut (Final Fantasy): The king of dragons, Bahamut has appeared in more games than any other dragon in history. Although he has been depicted in other mediums, the eidolon has made his biggest impact in the Final Fantasy series. He has come in many different colors, sizes, and forms. The one thing that has remained consistent, is he is the most badass summon. He swoops in from the sky and begins collecting energy. Once a giant orb is formed, he hurls it down at his target, obliterating anything its path. Even when he isn’t a summon, he is awesome. In the original Final Fantasy, you could not summon him, but after some fetch work, he would upgrade your classes making your characters gain abilities that no enemy could stand against.

7. Dragonite (Pokemon): This was a tough decision. Charizard is what most people think about when they think of dragons and Pokemon, but it isn’t even a dragon. Dragonite, however, is one of the only actual dragons from Blue and Red. Though it may look a little doofy, Dragonite is one of the most powerful non-legendary Pokemon in all of the games. The only way to get one in the original game was to catch a Dratini in the Safari Zone, which was not a simple feat. It is so strong that the leader of the Elite Four, Lance, uses up to three of them in his team. Dragonite is extremely versatile being able to use electric, ice, water, and fire moves on top of the K.O. inducing Hyper Beam. Since then, the dragon type has expanded greatly, and become one the most used types of trainers. But Dragonite is, and will always be, the original dragon king of Pokemon.

8. Ridley (Metroid): Probably the only dragon on the list that has a profession…other than being a dragon, Ridley is a space pirate with super intellect to match his extremely dangerous body. Even before he is shown in the game, Ridley has destroyed the home planet of Samus killing all of the inhabitants other than Samus, who was saved by the Chozo. Though he has been destroyed in every appearance of a Metroid game that he had been in, he has rebuilt himself using technology to make alternate versions of himself known as Meta Ridley and Omega Ridley. He is very much in contrast to the other Metroid bosses. Other bosses are usually giant and slow. Ridley is smaller in size, but his speed and ferocity make up for it for sure. By far and away, Ridley is the most vicious and resilient dragon on this list.

9. Phalanx (Shadow of the Colossus): So you have already destroyed 12 colossi and nothing can surprise you anymore at this point. You see the name of Phalanx and your thought is that it is something with armor or a shield, but you can handle anything that is thrown at you. You follow the light into a desert and off in the distance there is a buzzard flying in the sky. The light draws you further into the desert and the buzzards are getting bigger and bigger, and then you realize, that isn’t a buzzard. Phalanx is the biggest of the colossi. Each wing is 60 feet long and it remains in the air until you bring it down with your bow. It looks like an aircraft carrier flying through the air the way brick don’t (Thank you Douglas Adams). The real fight doesn’t begin until you get on it back. While trying to seal the sigils on it body, Phalanx flaps violently, does barrel rolls, and even dives into the sand to just get rid of you. Although you take it down just like all of the others, Phalanx stands out as the most intimidating of the Colossi and one of the coolest dragons in the industry.

10. The Ender Dragon (Minecraft): When I first started playing Minecraft with my nephew, I didn’t know there were bosses. Yeah, there were stronger creatures and things that could destroy you, but not bosses. So it wasn’t until I crafted my Eyes of the Ender and made a portal that my in game reality came crashing down around me. A pair of purple eyes were streaming through the darkness and before I knew it, a giant black dragon was on top of me. Nothing else in this build your own world game even begins to compare to the Ender Dragon. It’s bigger than any other creature and is much more destructive as well. The only reason you should even attempt to take this beast on is the fact that when it dies, it drops enough experience to take a player with no experience to level 78 in an instant. How about that for power leveling?

Dragons are the ultimate antagonists. They can take many different forms and can be put into any type of game. From the Atari 2600 to the Xbox 360, they have been giving players fits of controller throwing rage for decades, and, if my obsession says anything about the prototypical gamer, they won’t stop being in our games any time soon.

If you think I missed something or want to share some your memories of dragons in gaming, give us some comments on this page, or hit us up on Twitter @gameggs.

With the resurgence of the Pokemon franchise after the release of Pokemon X an Y, the series is about to take a step into a different stream of culture. Earlier this week, it was announced that the franchise mascot, Pikachu, will be the official mascot of team Japan at the World Cup in Brazil, which has an armadillo named Fuleco for the mascot of the entire competition. This makes the announcement of the partnership between Nintendo and Adidas, the company who designs the uniforms for the Japanese team, that was announced earlier in the week make a lot more sense. Pikachu will be joined by other Pokemon icons Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and many others as representatives for the video game company. The Fifa World Cup will begin on June 12th and run through July 13th.

This is a big step for Nintendo. Recently, Nintendo has taken a beating over their marketing of their current generation of systems. This will put their name on an international level where it will be seen by fans that may have never been presented with their product. This, combined with the free give away of Pokemon with newly bought 3DS consoles and games, will hopefully be the turn around that Nintendo needs. None of the actual gaming community wants to see Nintendo go to the mobile market, and this marketing salvo will help keep us from having to $.99 to make Mario jump just a little higher.

Also, if they sell Adidas jerseys with Pokemon on them, I’ll pay just about anything to own one… just saying.