Shooting Star Dreamer

Gaming comes across to some as mindless button mashing, but there's a deeper meaning to it all. Whether it's building values, connecting with characters, or learning real life concepts, there's much more going on under the surface when it comes to video games. The Super Mario Bros. Series (or any Mario game) is a game that this applies to. It's outreach spreads so far that most people who have picked up a controller have given it a try. The game outright is a pretty simple platformer, with various elements to make things more interesting. To the average gamer, collecting coins and stomping enemies is what Mario is about, but perhaps we're learning life lessons subconsciously as well. Below I'm going to list a few lessons from Mario that I picked up. Let me know in the comments if you've recognized any others or have a different take on things! Money is beneficial, but it will only get you so far! Coin collection is huge in Mario games. Wi...

Credit to the artist: Balitix With the immense popularity of Splatoon behind us, the sequel is off to a similar start. Although the game hasn't officially released, players have gotten a taste of what's in store through various previews. What's most interesting to me though, are the fan's responses to the new musical characters: Pearl and Marina. Although both characters are loved, I'd like to focus on Marina; specifically because she's drawn the most attention out of the two. Marina At a Glance In the game of Splatoon , Marina is a creature known as an Octoling. She differs greatly from the usual squid-kid characters called Inklings. She has octopus tentacles for hair and slightly different facial features. The reason why her inclusion is so shocking to players is because the Inklings and Octolings were pretty much enemies in the previous game. It's odd for her to appear and be welcomed into their civilization. Marina is also described ...

Out of all the current titles featured on Nintendo devices, Fire Emblem has caught the attention of many at this time. With the release of Fire Emblem Heroes for mobile devices and the launch of Fire Emblem Echoes for the 3DS, the series is better than ever. However, with the addition of various new mechanics and characters, the games have been well-received or disregarded depending on who you talk to. It all boils down to an old vs new debate with Fire Emblem, which has led to a clear divide in the community. When it comes to creating a video game, there are many factors that are required. Gameplay elements, graphics and sound, character development, and similar aspects. Although technical details are important, nothing can beat a clear understanding of the consumer. (This is especially true in a multiplayer environment, as the consumers are a part of the gameplay!) Yet, this can become convoluted when your consumers want different things. Since the game series may not be w...

Support the Artist One year ago, a great game known as Splatoon released. Splatoon was an interesting game; it was quite different and filled with a childlike charm. It stood out in the genre of shooting games, with it's vibrant visuals and not-so violent gameplay. At first glance, people had written off Splatoon as a simple children's game, but it proved to be so much more. Splatoon became a new Nintendo exclusive and gained immense popularity. No one saw it coming, but Splatoon had taken the hearts of many and still holds it's popularity to this day. When I first saw Splatoon, it felt like a game from a different time period. Outside of references, graphics, and all of the technical things, a game's design can bring out different emotions in players. Splatoon, was a game aimed towards those of the past, as well as those in the present as well. Featuring wacky colors and graphics, an underwater theme, combined with a new sense of coolness, Splatoon feels...

Social media was booming last weekend due to an event known as Evo 2015. What is Evo you may ask? Evo, or  Evolution Championship Series , is one of the biggest fighting game tournaments in the world. Every year certain games are selected to represent the main tournaments. They feature hundreds of entries, and each part of the lower and higher level play is streamed for viewers at home. It is such a big event, that people do whatever they can to see it, such as taking days off from work and other efforts. Before we begin, I'd like to clear a few things up.  No, I'm not going to be going over the numerous matches that took place and giving my commentary over them. Instead, I'm going to take a focus on the big picture, because that's how posts work on Shooting Star Dreamer. If that kind of post is not for you then, please accept my apologies. My Experience with Fighting Games First and foremost, before I start talking about the fighting game community and a...

With the shocking news concerning the death of Satoru Iwata , many fans of Nintendo and gamers have been expressing their love for the man and the company. There are numerous videos, blog posts, and other media resources that talk about the CEO. All in all, the whole situation is very saddening, but a comment I stumbled upon gave me another outlook on the situation. Although I do not have the exact comments, I can provide a brief description of them. One comment stated that "Iwata would rather have us celebrating and having a happy time, instead of crying over his loss." Another comment reminded us of the fact that "Iwata left Super Mario Maker for us to make our own games, in his absence." Although its easy to feel sad, things like this we tend to overlook. So using that as my inspiration, I decided to write a post about the positive things we can learn for Nintendo, in honor of Iwata's passing. For one, Nintendo has a very important place in my hear...

Today is June 23rd, which marks the birthday of our favorite blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog! Sonic the Hedgehog is known for his huge collection of fast-paced, platforming games, and more-so for being the mascot of Sega. Although Sonic has had his ups and downs, he still holds a special place in the heart of his long-time fans. There are a few interesting traits about Sonic that make him pretty unique. For one, his ability to run and crazy speeds is his trademark. He's gone faster than the speed of sound at certain points. He also has a fair personality, which leads to him always taking the side of the weaker ones, protecting them and keeping evil at bay. Upon his older incarnations, he is mostly shown with his love of freedom and adventure. With his birthday being on June 23rd, his astrological sign is Gemini. An air element of the zodiac. This goes hand in hand with his love of freedom and the constant theme of his personality being somewhat like the wind. With being s...

Artist Credit Splatoon has been the latest craze when it comes to Nintendo games and perhaps gaming in general. Some people thinks it's a little silly and others are in love with it, but what does Splatoon really mean for the gaming industry? This simple series that might be blown off as a children's game has captured the hearts of many, seemingly infiltrating the "hardcore" genre of shooting games. Before reading more into this post, if you're unfamiliar with Splatoon you should try checking out a few of the following links below. If you understand what Splatoon is and the gameplay, feel free to skip over this section and get straight to the rest of this article! Splatoon Website Splatoon Reddit Splatoon Tumblr Splatoon on Amazon Differences and Similarities Between Other Shooters Although Splatoon is not a legitimate first person shooter, it shares many of it's elements. For one the "guns" are modeled after realistic models...

Artist Credit Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) are usually wonderful tales, filled with diverse characters and wide open worlds waiting to be explored. However, sometimes these games can be a hit or a miss for the general populace. Many companies highlight on different features that make each game unique to it's publisher, which attracts a certain community to each one. Still, a key feature that is usually best in any JRPG is often overlooked. This is simply the act of giving the game an immersive feel, one that is suitable for a JRPG. So you might ask what exactly do I mean when I say "immersive feel?" An immersive feel is one where the person takes over the persona of the character. They aren't simply an outsider viewing the world from the comfort of their home. Instead, they are a part of the story, they are friends with the cast, and they feel the need to progress further in the game. This seems like a common trait that would go into designing a game, but...

Good news and bad news Nintendo fans! If you're one of the lucky ones who own a Club Nintendo account, you're in for a potentially busy day. Tomorrow is officially the last day to earn coins and register products through the Club Nintendo service. After this, the program will be available until July 1st , which will be the official date of complete closure.  So if you've been saving up a few of those codes that come with the games, it's time to break them out. If you've recently purchased any games that released before January 20th , you have time to complete the surveys for them as well. Downloadable games will not require a code, and newer games have codes printed on the back of the cover, so definitely don't forget them while searching! For those who are wondering what rewards are in store, and don't really feel like checking out the site, I can say that there is a big variety . There are posters featuring Smash Brothers characters and other v...

With the release of the new anime, many people are wondering what's all the rage about this series called Kantai Collection. One could relate it's popularity to something like Touhou , a game series featuring many diverse characters. Like Touhou, the catch is that they're all female. So what separates this series from all the others? Well, there's a lot to talk about when it comes to Kantai Collection, so first I think a brief summary is a great way to explain the concept. Basically, during World War 2, many Japanese ships (and a few German) were used in battle. Kantai Collection (or Kancolle for short.) takes these ships and turns them into a massive cast of anime girls. Each girl is based on a ship, and usually their design takes bits and pieces from the ship's history and aspects. The Basis For those who have seen or heard of Strike Witches , it's a similar concept. In Strike Witches, the girls are based on the pilots, and their Striker Units rep...