Showing posts with label Pang Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pang Man. Show all posts
29/05/2014
28/05/2014
★"Pang Man Part 8 – Gaming Memories: Double Dragon"★ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite
When I was a kid I remember going to the Toys R Us and looking at the games consoles and computers in the glass display cabinets.
In those days there weren’t any of the interactive displays that you would find today. There were no Game or HMV stores . The only way to get my gaming fix was to watch the demos play in an endless loop.
Luckily my parents got me a Sega Master system for Christmas.
(Although, I would have happily accepted an NES as well. After all those adverts for Rob the Robot and Duck Hunt on TV were pretty cool!)
One of the first games that I got was the awesome Double Dragon!
Although pretty unimpressive by today’s standards, at the time I loved it.
26/05/2014
☆"Pang Man Part 7 – Cool Collectibles" #GamersUnite #Retrogaming☆
Our resident wizened old gamer has travelled the worl in search of cool collectibles and has some stories to tell aswell as some C☆☆L pictures to show you of his finest video games related acquisitions!
Put your feet up and relax as we bring YOU
"Pang Man Part 7 - Cool Collectibles"
13/02/2014
☆Pang Man Part 6 – "My visit to the Square Enix store in Tokyo"☆ @SquareEnix #GamersUnite
Pang Man is one of the coolest dudes we know and he's knocked our socks off again this week by telling us all about his trip to Tokyo and in particular his journey to the Video Games Mecca that is the Square Enix store.
As usual we are very jealous of The Pang Man's exploits.
Luckily for you Pang Man has taken some pictures just for the Freezer Fraternity!
Let's see what the Man has to say in PART 6......
"One of the coolest places for a gamer to visit in Japan, was the Square Enix store.
Located in Tokyo, it was the perfect place to pick up some gaming collectables.
Square Enix is a software company formerly made up of the 2 gaming RPG giants Squaresoft and Enix.
Squaresoft was well known for creating the Final Fantasy series of games, as well as the beloved SNES RPGs, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger.
Whilst Enix brought us Actraiser, as well as the long running Dragon Quest
The store itself was located in Shinjuku and was located within a short walking distance of the station.
(Update: the Shinjuku store has recently relocated to and has now developed into café/bar/store hybrid)
Dragons Quest merchandise was prominently featured, with King Slime front and centre of many of the displays.
His smiley face was everywhere! In fact I think it was the most smiles I have seen in one place!
Not to be outdone, Chocobo and Cactuar merchandise from the Final Fantasy series were also given significant store space.
There were at least 5 different varieties of Chocobo plushes(!)
Besides Final Fantasy and Dragons Quest, there were also quite a few figurines from Kingdom Hearts.
(I even saw Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. Not sure if he is from the game though?)
Huge posters of Lightning , Vanile and Serah from Final Fantasy XIII, Cloud, Aerith and Tifa from Final Fantasy VII and Yuna from Final Fantasy X adorned the walls.
The highlight of the store was an amazing lifesize Sephiroth statue embedded within a transparent tomb.
On the top floor of the store, the more, high end figurines, costing thousands of Yen (which sadly I could not afford!) were showcased.
Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII
Cloud Strife and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII
A lifesize Vincent Valentine Final Fantasy VII costume!
Back on the ground floor my eye was drawn to the display of mini trading figurines from the Final Fantasy series.
I was keen to buy them but the shop assistant informed me that each box contained a random figure so I would not be able to find out which character I would be getting, until I had purchased them.
In the end though I could not resist and I went ahead and bought two of them at random anyway.
Imagine my delight when I discovered I got the Ninja Yuffie as well as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII!
I also got a Chocobo just ......because......
Overall I was extremely chuffed with my purchases and I would highly recommend a visit for anyone planning a trip to Japan.
Thanks for listening."
Pang ManBIG Thanks To The Pang Man For Filling Us In With The Cool Details On The Square Enix Tokyo Store Experience......
We LOVE The Final Fantasy Series Mini Trading Figurines!
What Would You Buy If You Were Let Loose In The Square Enix Store?
10/02/2014
☆Pang Man Part 5 - "Why I Love RPGs"☆ @ian_livingstone #RetroGaming #GamersUnite
Pang Man Enters The Freezer Again To Talk About All The Brilliant Influences That A Lot Of Us grew Up With Which Means That We All Love The Role Playing Game Genre
Hopefully When We Mention Fighting Fantasy You Will Know Where The Pang Man Is Going With This One......
Let's Hear What The Main Man Has Got To Say On All this........
"I am a huge fan of RPGs.
From the early days of Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System to the Final Fantasy series on the PS1, PS2 PS3 and XBOX 360, there have been many great games in the genre.
When I think of RPGs –I think of epic quests, immersive storytelling, awesome battles (magic and weapon based) as well as open worlds to interact with and explore.
The best RPGs have also produced some of the most memorable characters in gaming history. Characters who grew with the story and who we grew to love.
So with that in mind, I thought I would have a look back to reminisce about not only the games themselves but what influenced my love for of the genre.
So let’s start with what influenced my love for of the genre. What first piqued my interest as a kid was a cartoon made in the 80’s called Dungeons and Dragons:
Dungeons and Dragons
It was about 6 school friends (Eric the cowardly Cavalier, Presto the Magician, Hank the Ranger, Shelia the Thief, Diana the Acrobat and Bobby the Barbarian) who were transported via a magical fairground ride into a fantasy world of dragons and magic.
The show followed their attempts to return home (not sure if they ever made it back in the end?) and avoid losing the magical weapons (Shield, Magicians hat, Bow, Invisible cloak, Staff and Club) that were given to them by the cryptic Dungeon Master.
The show incorporated many of the elements we see in games today such as magical weapons, a memorable villain (Venger), dragons (Tiamet) and teamwork in battle to overcome adversity
Another huge influence was the Fighting Fantasy books written by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone (@ian_livingstone)
Fighting Fantasy
These were interactive novels such as Deathtrap dungeon and The Warlock of Firetop Mountain in which you were the hero or heroine of the story and could make choices which would influence the outcome of the adventure.
For example you might come across a sleeping dragon sitting upon a mountain of treasure and be asked to decide to:
Attempt to steal its treasure? Turn to 263
Attempt to slay the dragon whilst it is asleep? Turn to 28
Wake the dragon up? Turn to 401
Sneak quietly towards the exit on the other side? Turn to 112
Depending on your choice, you would then go to the appropriate page reference and see what fate had in store for you.
I found these books fascinating as this multi choice format meant the story could go down multiple branching paths, some of which had alternative endings (including death).
As a teenager I bought virtually every instalment in the series and eagerly looked forward to each new release.
RPG games today incorporate many of the same ideas today, for example epic quests, branching storylines, alternative paths to achieve goals, puzzles as well as turn based combat.
Another TV show with RPG/fantasy elements was called Knightmare
Knightmare
This was a children’s programme shown on ITV in the late 80’s. Knightmare involved a team of friends trying to successfully navigate traps and enemies and puzzles in a virtual reality blue screen dungeon.
One of the 4 team members would don a helmet (which impeded their vision) whilst the 3 others would have to then guide that player through vocal instructions.
Spells could be cast by spelling (for example “Spellcasting Fire, F-I-R-E!”) and directions could be given by instruction (“turn left, walk forward, stop” etc).
The show was hilarious as poor instructions, directions and decisions would often lead to death.
Today, dungeons, treasure hunting and puzzle elements are often seen in games such as The Legend of Zelda and The Elder Scrolls games.
Japanese Anime also contributed to my interest in fantasy and RPGs.
Anime
In the early 90’s it was extremely difficult to get anime in the UK.
Fortunately a company called Manga Entertainment began to release videos (usually dubbed in English) of some of the titles around at the time.
One example was an anime called RG Veda.
Although not critically acclaimed, I loved the storyline and incorporation of magic, prophecy and cool character designs.
Later other companies would follow suit in bring anime to the western world and soon we were able to get hold of great sword and sorcery titles such as Claymore and Record of Lodoss War.
Today there is a huge overlap between anime and the gaming world.
The Dragons Quest games are illustrated by Akira Toriyama who is the creator of Dragonball Z, whilst many games are based on an anime/manga themselves.(E.g. Naruto, Death Note etc)
So those were the key influences which steered me towards an interest in fantasy and in turn a love for RPGs.
In a future instalment I hope to cover the RPG games that I loved the most growing up. Thanks for listening!
Pang Man "
To Be Continued......
What Are Your RPG Influences That Led You To Love The Role Playing Game (RPG) Genre?
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