Belated News Update

For those who don't know, Random Ninja Attack has been removed from Blip TV effectively canceling the show. All of the episodes are currently unavailable to view on this Blog. I hope to eventually get them reposted either via YouTube or some other video server. It is not the end, however. The YouTube channel is still up and active, and our writers are working on more episodes, we just will no longer be available with Blip. For the time being, you can view most of the episodes on our YouTube channel @therandomninja5. 

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

After years of waiting fans finally get their hands on MGSV - sort of. Ground Zeroes is a prologue to the main game titled The Phantom Pain and is a separate game serving as both a demo and a plot set up. It gives players a taste of what MGSV will have in store for them. While the prologue does not contain the much touted dinamic time and weather change, it does off a wide open space to conduct Snake(aka BigBoss)'s operation. Only one map is available in Ground Zeroes: a Marine Base on a Cuban island where some of his comrades are being held prisoner. 

The plot for this story mission is straight forward, but the players' options are unlimited toward how they approach the objectives. Right from the start there is freedom to roam the entire base. Exploring is rewarded with secondary goals like other escaped prisoners and hidden items such as tape recordings which can be listened to in game and from the main menu. The controls are an improved form of the MGS4 and Peace Walker ones which have included ways to make a quick escape such as diving, sprinting, and jumping. Interrogation is back which can gain you important intel about your surroundings, where hidden caches of weapons are located, or where secondary objectives can be found. 

Players once again have freedom to choose between lethal and non-lethal methods to eliminated their enemies, but knocked out sentries can be roused. So choose wisely. Driving vehicles is another big addition to gameplay. Along with the open world, it should make for interesting tactical opportunities. 

New gadgets are at Snake's disposal as well. The iDroid replaces the once familiar Soloton Radar from previous titles, but rather than be a map in the corner it is brought up with a separate menu and displays tactical information such as known enemy locations, security cameras, armored vehicles, etcetera after Snake is made aware of them either by sight or interrogating a sentry. The binoculars are more useful than ever allowing Snake to "tag" enemies and objects of interest which can then be kept track of throughout the mission. Snake can also "sense" nearby enemies similarly to MGS4. A first aid spray has replaced the all too familiar ration and is accessed when Snake is severely injured. There is no health bar either which makes every tactical decision that more important. 

Upon completing the story mission, side missions are unlocked which still take place in the same base but at different times of the day to give players a taste of daylight sneaking. 

So far there is no word on whether the prologue will be included in V or remain separate. The Phantom Pain is yet to have a release date, but I'm sure that the taste from Ground Zeroes will only increase our appetite for the main course.

Update Ides of March

A lot of stuff is going on for RNA. With Bad Anime Night posted, it marks the official return of our reviews! Familiar faces will be appearing more often, and new video production will be more frequent, maybe not weekly just yet, at least monthly. Plans for an audio only podcast as well as collaborative YouTube videos with a new cohost are in the works. Not to mention our own Beanie becoming a father! Oh it's exciting times for team RNA! Be on the listen, be on the lookout!

Bad Anime Night - Defenders of Space

After a long hiatus, Beanie is Back! An evil race of Blue Aliens attacks the Earth Colony of Aurora. The only hope is a couple of teenagers and a giant robot! Can Beanie last in what is one of the worst animes he's ever watched. Be on the listen and be on the lookout!

Good News Everyone!

The long awaited return of Power On and Random Ninja Attack is imminent! At the end of February, Beanie will return with a new review segment called Bad Anime Night, wherein he suffers the horrors of poorly written, poorly dubbed, cheaply made (and cheaply procured) anime! He also pays homage to his favorite reviewers by (blatantly) using some of their gags. Rejoice at the pain he endures!

Christmas Movie of the Day, December 1, 2012

All through December, here at Random Ninja Attack will be posting the titles along with a quote from some of our favorite Christmas and holiday movies. Theses aren't reviews just a list of our favorite movies to watch during the season of peace, joy, and granny's fist-fighting in the Wal-mart over electronics.

Today's movie:
"Jingle All Tge Way" starring Arnold Scharzeneggar.
"Put that cookie down, now!"
Get into the Christmas spirit with the madness of consumerism! But in the end family and being kind and generous is what really matters.

News and such

Hopefully something fresh and new will be on its way to RNA. Plans are in the works for an all new show. Details will be kept at a minimum, and followers will already be rolling their collective eyes, because this kind of announcement has been posted before. Which is why this one begins with "hopefully."
We at Random Ninja Attack apologize for our lack of content in the past year. But we hope to be back stronger than ever with an actual schedule in the near future.
There will be reviews, comments, snarky remarks, puppets, and more. We are excited, and you should be too.
Keep a weather eye on the horizon.
The Random Ninja

Power On - Finale

Beanie, KB, and Francis have been trapped inside Videoland for a long time with no idea who their tormentor is. It is finally time for the enigmatic Wilhelm to step forth from the shadows and confront our heroes face to face.

The Time is Nigh

After two years the fabled finale of Power On is at hand! What will become of our heroes? Who is the devious mind at the helm of Videoland? Will there be wings!? Tune in next week to find out!

Gotham City Impostors

A short time ago the beta version of Gotham Coty Impostors went available for download on the PSN. Always wanting to test play games, I scooped up the opportunity instantly and have been having a blast. GCI is an online multiplayer shooter taking place in the DCU; more accurately in Gotham City. During the game you play as a member of either the Bats or the Jokerz, groups inspired by either Batman or the Joker. With a host of unique adhoc weapons and gadgets and colorful costumes, these groups take to the streets and wage war.
The art is stylized much like a comic, fitting with the DCU, and the graphics are quite impressive. 2D graphics in the menus add humor, showing the tone of the game. The control scheme is quite simple and intuitive, making the game easy to jump into. As you play through matches you gain experience and points with which to customize your character. There are several types of characters, each with unique load outs and special benefits; i.e. the "tank" character takes and deals more damage. However; you can create a custom load out, as well as appearance, voice and costume for both your Bats character and Jokerz character.
This being a beta, it may not completely represent the final product; but if it does, I would be greatly satisfied. Without divulging any further details, I will say that in some places the lip synching to dialogue was a bit off, but the action and gameplay were very enjoyable. This game appears to have a great comic book style and humor. If you have the chance, I suggest checking this beta out. It is a must play.

SOPA BLACKOUT

Update

I know it has been quite a while since I've had a post, but I hope that soon I will get back into the groove of regular posting.

I've just got a new computer with which to edit videos and such. Hopefully this means I will finally get around to finishing the videos I've fallen way behind on. The tech difficulties aren't done however. I still have things to deal with as well as my own personal situation.

Hopefully soon I will have a real post and even a review,

9-10-11

Today is 9-10-11!

Attack on Multiplayer Shooters

This is an impromptu attack brought on by a recent experience playing an online multiplayer shooter. Online shooters can be really enjoyable; especially if you are having a great time playing with nice people who can take themselves seriously and have fun at the same time. Then you get people who just run around and shoot anything that moves (even if its a teammate) You "meet" all sorts of people playing online games, including the aforementioned. And people's skill levels will vary.
There will be inexperienced Newbies who want to have fun and get better at the game. You will find the moderate players who are pretty skilled, but don't play like a religion. Veterans are highly skilled due to hours and hours of hard work; and Hardcore Vets who eat breath and sleep the game until they have perfected their skill. Each of these usually want to have fun or even play a serious game; however, dotted amongst all of these classes you will find Noobs. Noobs are jerks who don't care about gaming etiquette, other people's enjoyment, or common courtesy. They are often boastful of their supposed prowess, and won't miss an opportunity to let everyone know they are "Tha Man." These are the people that suck the fun out of online gaming. Months ago I quit playing online because of Noobs and now that I am back into it, I'm fining that they still irk me so.
One of the most common offenses Noobs commit is Spawn Camping. In online shooters, multiplayer shooters/ adventure games each player spawns (or comes to life) at specific spots in the map called Spawn Points. Sometimes they can be anywhere on the map, or they can be in specified locations (like a team base or hub.) Camping is when a player holes up in one spot and stays there to pick off the others at their whim. While some frown at just camping at a serious offense, I have to remind you that Snipers work that way.
Spawn Camping is when a player holes up where they have an excellent vantage of a Spawning Point and kills the other players as they appear. The effected player has no time to react, they are dead on arrival. The offending player (or Noob) is only limited by their ammo. This has the effect of ticking off the other players. No one except the Noob will be having any fun.
A slight offshoot of this is when players run through the Spawning Points, killing the appearing players as they pass. This is less offensive, especially if the offending players don't linger.
But why is this such a problem? And believe me it ticks me off something fierce when this happens. To me, the level designers should have taken this into account and made it impossible (or at least very difficult) for the opposing team to reach the other's Spawn Point. This would cut down on Noobery and increase the enjoyment of everyone.
Noobs are no fun, and players like that should not be allow to play.
On the other hand, Newbs (Newbies) should be given a chance to gain experience and increase their skills and not made a mockery of.
Wow, posting this made me feel a bit better...but I'm still ticked (>.<)

Beanie Teaser Trailer

After the events of Power On, Beanie attempts to have a bit of rest, but is called in on an urgent task to begin his long awaited review show. I filmed this shortly after watching Clerks, hence the homage at the start. Due to technical difficulties the actual review is behind schedule, so I decided to use the episodes opening as a teaser for the new series. The episode should be up before the end of July. Special Thanks to Dizzy Lizzy for portraying the postal worker. The music heard is the "Twisted Nerve" from Kill Bill Part 1. The ending sound clip is the game over screen from Metal Gear.

Dizzy Lizzy Vlog 1 - Van's Warped Tour 2011

Dizzy Lizzy, the music-loving younger sister of self-famed internet personality Beanie, has just returned from her annual trip to attend Van's Warped Tour, and is ready to share her experience. Photos and Video are from Warped Tours 13, 16, and 17. Bands shown playing live are Every Avenue, Terrible Things, The Mighty Regis, and All American Rejects.
Music during the titles is "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
Other music is the property of the bands performing

Fairy Tale Theatre

What is "Fairy Tale Theatre" you ask? It is an annual summer camp geared toward entertaining and enlightening children on the ancient art of stage-craft. Over 3 weeks, dozens of children participate in either of the four plays for the production. These children will learn how to act on and off the stage. They will also learn the ins and outs of a stage play, from: taking direction, applying make-up, wearing costumes, and set construction. It is a fun program for children from the ages of 7 to 18.

Why am I showing this on RNA? Because this year I am one of the directors. The above video clip is a short advertisement for my play. I have had a wonderful time working with this group of kids, and we're going to put on quite a show.

A Brief Conversation With Tak Fujii

I sat down to Twitter today in a bit of a Bum mood because of some news which I won't go into detail about. For some reason I had been having a bad day even though (for me at least) nothing was going wrong. It could just be my pent up stress releasing itself in a negative way, but I've been down. Anyway, I log onto Twitter and I'm still in a bum mood. Nothing good is happening in the world--I'm not even eating my dinner of home cooked southern fried chicken with cheesy macaroni and boiled green beans (one of my favorite comfort meals.) I'm just about to log out for the night when a tweet pops up from Tak Fujii, a producer at Konami. Tak has been following me for a little while now--funny thing is: here I am, a talented artist in my own right, but otherwise a nobody in the world; and Tak Fujii starts following me. I'm pretty sure he began following me before I followed him. It was all around E3 so I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

Anyway, I reply to his post--mainly just for fun but genuinely concerned. Again, I was about to log off when another post by Mr. Fujii popped up. This time it was a reply to me! I was surprised. Rarely does anyone reply to my own posts, let alone someone in the gaming industry. Flabbergasted, I replied again--hoping that he would again reply. A few minutes later he did. This was unprecedented! Never before had I received two replies from the same person. That justifies a conversation! I replied once more with my fingers crossed; I waited and waited, but there was not a third reply. Eventually he tweeted again--this time not directed to me, but still relative to the conversation. This tweet effectively ended the conversation; and I would have continued, but I felt I'd be pushing my luck.

I have no idea why Tak Fujii started following me on Twitter. It could be that I follow Konami and other industry people, and that he's the kind of guy that actually follows fans; or it could be (but highly unlikely) that he's seen my videos or checked out my blog, deciding to follow me. For whatever reason, I am glad that he does follow me on Twitter and that he was kind enough to indulge me in a brief conversation. It greatly improved my mood. What was the conversation about? Hospitals. Don't believe me? Here it is.

I made this image in Twitter format so the conversation begins at the bottom and goes up.


He's quite a character, but then again, so am I :)

DOS Games

I'm fortunate to be part of a generation that grew up with video games. Many young gamers today have the same opportunity only with much more advanced games and consoles. In an industry that's really only been around for 30 years, there has been significant leaps in the technology--especially within the past decade. Here's an example of how gaming has evolved: Back in the 80s and early 90s computers were run on an operating system called DOS (disk operating system). From here you could run all of your computer's programs, including games. Games, as well as other programs, were on floppy disks which you could insert into the computer's modem and access. Now-a-days on either computers or on gaming consoles, video games are available in a variety of medium--the main two being disks in the form of CD, DVD, or BluRay format; or in a purely digital capacity. As a comparison to the memory taken up by games, Space Quest (a well-known DOS game) takes up 688 Kilobytes of memory or 688,000 bytes; whereas Infamous for the PS3 takes up 7 Gigabytes or roughly 7,000,000 bytes of information. And there is roughly a 20 year gap between the games. Ergo, within the last 2 decades the size of the average video game has exponentially grown tenfold. The popularity of gaming has also been on the rise since the turn of the millenium. This can be attributed to the increased availablity of games and their consoles. Everyone can be a gamer: grandparents, adults, teens, even young children. It is a fantastic world to live in.
But I'm rambling. When I was younger I was introduced to gaming through DOS. I would play Oregon Trail at school, Lemmings in my summer computer camp, and others at home or with friends. Of course this was long before the boon in gaming that came with the mid 90s--when the console wars began; and I didn't truly become (what I would call) a gamer until after Sony released the PlayStation. But I still have my roots in DOS computer games. Recently I've been pouring over the internet searching for programs and peripherals to download and play some of the old DOS games that began my interest in games. Finally my search has come to fruition and I have been granted access to many titles including but not limited to: The Elder Scrolls, the (in)famous Sierra games like the Space Quest and King's Quest series, and one of my favorite DOS games of all time--Scorched Earth. Having complete access to these games has given me a thought bubble--"I can do DOS Let's Plays now!" And I have every intention to follow through with that. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to have them as part of the Power On series or just as their own entity, but they will get done. Games that are not practical to do LPs of, I will still try to play and get footage to use for review purposes. I am excited about this. So be on the look out for the first DOS Let's Play (hopefully soon) when Beanie Plays: Space Quest!

Review Requests

With the season 1 finale (hopefully) close at hand, it is time to start thinking of the future. In the fall, Power On will be back with a vengeance. The episodes will actually have reviews in them. I know! Exciting right? So I'm going to ask if there are any reviews that my viewers would like to see. Any game, any movie, any TV show. Now keep in mind that I may or may not be able to capture footage for some. Either way, they will be done in some capacity. So please, if you have anything you want to get reviewed by Beanie or Random Ninja post in the comments.