Mysterious Journey

The Mysterious Journey series is a very good science fiction puzzle adventure game series. The first game in the series is titled SCHIZM (Mysterious Journey). This game is a first person perspective game that has real actors in front of a green screen to put them in the graphics. I feel that the graphics in this game are some of the best available. All of the surroundings have been made to look like they are photographs taken with a low grade camera. The story line is very interesting and exciting. It takes place on a planet far away that is being investigated by scientists from earth to see if there is intelligent life on the planet. The main characters Sam and Hanna are piloting a ship to bring supplies to the scientists but lose control of the ship and crash on the planet which appears to be uninhabited. Sam and Hanna have to work together to figure out what happened to the scientists and the scientists and then find a way off the planet. The puzzles in this game can sometimes be too difficult for some people to figure them out without using a walkthrough. I am one of those people. Even though the puzzles may be a little too hard for some people handle, I feel that this game can be very enjoyable for many players that enjoy a good science fiction story.

Mysterious Journey II (Chameleon) is the next game in the series but has nothing to do with the first game in the series. The characters Sam and Hanna are not in this game. The graphics for this game are completely computer generated and uses a first person shooting interface. The storyline for this game is about a man named Sen Geder who awakens from a cryogenic stasis pod in a derelict space station. After he awakens a recorded hologram message tells him that he has been imprisoned on the station 214 years before he woke up as a punishment for causing a war on the nearest planet. But Sen has lost all of his memories, including his own name, and cannot remember anything about the crime. The message also tells him that the station will crash into the nearest planet in sixteen days and that will be his punishment. Sen has to then find a way off of the station and then try to find out what really happened all of those years ago by exploring the planet that he has been blamed for causing a war on. The puzzles in this game are for the most part exactly like the puzzles in the first game and most people will probably end up needing a walkthrough to finish the game. I again was one of those people. However I feel that this game will be very enjoyable for anyone who enjoys a good science fiction story.

Cameron Files

A very good detective computer game series is The Cameron Files. The first game in the series is Secret at Loch Ness. This game has a very exciting and suspenseful storyline that works well with the Scottish music that is played in the background. It is a first person perspective game with graphics that I feel has a rating of 8 out of 10. This game has several dead ends, so it is always important to save your game constantly and to think and act quickly when it is necessary. The plot of this game is mostly about a powerful crystal that was broken into three different pieces and given to three different families to protect them and to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. The plan failed, and Alan Parker Cameron has to find the crystals.

Pharaoh’s Curse is the second and most recent game in this series. This game, like the first one, has a very exciting and suspenseful storyline that mixes well with the Egyptian music that is played in the background. This game is also a first person perspective game like the first one. I feel that the graphics in this game has a rating of 10 out of 10, unlike the first one which only scored 8. Like in the first game there are several dead ends so it is important to save constantly and to think and act quickly when it is needed. The plot of this game is about an evil powerful pharaoh that has been brought back to life by German spies and is trying to take over the world. It is then up to Alan Parker Cameron to put him back to rest and to once again save the world.

Response to DRM

I feel that the DRM is a really bad idea. In order to protect copyright laws they had to cheat millions of people out of using their technology that they own for private usage the way that they want and should be able to. I am not entirely sure what would make a good replacement for DRM, but I do know that the replacement plan would have to work for everyone and also be fair for everyone. It would also have to make more legal sense than DRM does. I think that it is a terrible thought that the kids that are born today will never own a real CD, DVD, or book. I think that it is terrible because if they never own the solid objects they will miss out on a large amount of information that they would probably like having. When someone downloads a song they only hear that song and never hear all of the other song from the album that they would probably like, and they also miss out on all of the information about the band and album that would have come with the actual CD. This is the same problem with movies and books that are downloaded from the internet. All three of these have another problem. When a person owns a real CD, DVD, or book they have control over them. They have a feeling that they have enough power to do anything that they want with these three objects in their own homes with friend and family. To explain this whole thing to a parental figure I would say that it makes it so that you don’t own the media; you just own the rights to view the media online. If I suddenly found that I wasn’t able to listen to the music that I had bought because of DRM, the only way that I could do anything about it would be to go to congress and try to change the system legally. It seems that the only way anyone can own music or art is if they created it and never sold the rights to it. Anyone else can own a copy of it, but they can never actually own it.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes has had a lot of different games made about him. I will be focusing on the series made by the company Frogwares. This series so far has five different games made. The first game in the series was Mystery of the Mummy. This game is a first person perspective game with a 160 degree rotation screen. The game is divided into five levels. Almost every single level has its own music playing throughout the level. I feel that this game has great music. The plot is very interesting, but unfortunately I have never been able to figure out how it ended because the ending video skips and then and then crashes. The graphics are okay, but it is not the best in the series. Some of the puzzles in this game may require a little extra thought for some people, but for the most part the puzzles are easy to figure out in a short amount of time. Even though the graphics are not the best there is, I feel that it is perfect when it is combined with the plot and music.

The second game in this series is The Silver Earring. This game is a third person perspective game. The graphics are a tiny bit better than the first one but it still is not the best there is. The plot for this game is a little bit hard to follow at first, but it is still pretty exciting. This game is a murder mystery where you have to narrow down the suspects by using the clues that you find throughout the game. These clues are the conversations with the suspects and any physical objects that have something to do with the story. I really enjoy the plot of this game. I have always enjoyed murder mysteries. I feel that the voice acting, plot and music make a very exciting game to play over and over again.

The third game in the series is The Awakened. This game is where all of the games in the series start to get a lot better. The game is in first person perspective and has graphics that are a lot better than the previous two games in the series. I really like the plot of the game. The story of the game is dark and creepy. The music for the game mixes perfectly with the story to make a very suspenseful and exciting game. Some of the puzzles also add to the suspense very nicely.

My favorite game in the series is the fourth one. The game is called Nemesis (also called Sherlock Holmes vs. Arsene Lupin. I like this game because throughout the entire story you have to solve riddles in a giant treasure hunt by using both common sense and logic. The music in this game mixes perfectly with the story for every single location of the game. The story is exciting and is very fun to follow.

The fifth game in the series is Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. This game like the third game has a very dark story. It goes out of order from the rest of the games and seems to take place before the third game. In this game they answer the question of who Jack the Ripper really was, by using real theories. I feel that in this game all parts of it mix perfectly to make a very suspenseful and exciting game

Amber

One of my favorite classic games is Amber Journeys Beyond. This game was made originally made for the Mac and was never remade for a newer system. So it is pretty much impossible to find a playable version of this game now. It is a first person adventure game that has computer animated graphics combined with real actors. The game had what I feel a very interesting and exciting plot. The storyline has to do with ghost hunting and trying to help each ghost that inhabits a certain piece of land to cross over to the other side. Each ghost has a reason for not being able to cross over; some of them don’t even know that they are dead. One of my favorite parts of the game is the soundtrack. All of the music is from the 80’s and fits in nicely with the settings. This game has very entertaining and challenging puzzles that I really enjoyed. This particular game combines the graphics, music, and the plot to create a suspenseful and exciting adventure game. Another interesting thing about this game Is the game’s slogan “Death Is Not The End.”Even though this game is full of ghosts and suspense there is no fear of anyone or anything attacking the player of the game. I would really like to be able to play this game again in the future. I hope that come out with a new version of it for a more recent computer system someday in the near future.

Photoshop Repairs

The person who made this Photoshop edit has made a very clear and obvious mistake when they made it. The person who made this Photoshop edit made an extra hand on the middle person’s left shoulder. The extra hand belongs to the guy that is wearing the red and black vest and it is a duplicate of the hand that he had already put on the middle person’s right shoulder. The duplicate hand was probably intended by the creator of the Photoshop image to be a hand from the man that was wearing the blue shirt and silver wristwatch on his left wrist. Unfortunately if this is what the artist was planning to do, the creator did not realize that if the guy on the right put his hand on the middle person’s shoulder he would not have his wrist watch facing forward.

To fix this I would first zoom in on the duplicate hand that needs to be removed. Next I would carefully and slowly use the clone stamp to erase the top section of the hand. Then when I got close to the shoulder I would shrink down the size of the clone stamp to carefully erase the bottom part of the hand. After the hand has been erased completely I would next zoom in on the outline of the shoulder and repair any damage that I may have caused when the hand was being erased. Then after that I would zoom out to see the whole picture and see if the color of the brown jacket near the shoulder looks off at all. If it does, I would use the clone stamp again to smooth it out. I would do the same to the wall that is behind the three men. After that the picture would then be completely repaired and there would be no mistakes in it.

Answers to video questions

From watching the video about Sir Ken Robinson’s belief’s on education and human creativity I can see that I agree with him. Sir Ken Robinson said that he felt that the education system in the world kills the human creativity that every person in the world should have access to. The education system kills human creativity by causing everyone to constantly worry about being wrong. This fear of being wrong causes people to be less motivated to try out their own ideas and theories because they are too afraid that those ideas and theories will end up being wrong. I however am very sure that a very large portion of those ideas that were never even heard of due to the fact that the people that thought of them were too worried about failure would have been very helpful to most of the population in the world today. The reason that most people are constantly worried about failure in the education system is because a large portion of academic programs have their standards raised too high for anyone to not worry about it. The schools in the world today kill the creativity by constantly overwhelming their students with tight schedules that leaves absolutely no time at all for the students to even try to work on their own ideas or theories.

From watching the “Did You Know?” video, I got some interesting thoughts about it. My first initial reaction to the video was surprise. It was very surprising how far that technology has come over the past few years. With all of the fast changes that we have made over the past few years, I am pretty sure that in the next five years everything will be even more different and advanced than they are right now. It is hard to tell what is going to happen ten years from now, but basically the same it will be even more advanced then than they are after the original five years. The future seems that it will be very exciting when we reach it. Everything we do should be easier and faster to do. However, the future can also be a little frightening. If all of our technology gets too advanced people could get lazy and start to depend on it too much. Then when something happens to it and they lose all of it, everything would start to fall completely apart at the seams. So, it is exciting that everything is getting more and more advanced, but it would probably be a better idea to not let it take complete control of everyone’s life.

Dark Fall

This game series is one of my favorite British horror game series. All of the games in this series were written and created by Jonathan Boakes, a self employed writer from England. He wrote the stories for all of the games and also used his voice for some of the characters in the game (dead and alive characters). The first game in the series is called Dark Fall: the Journal. It takes place at an old abandoned train station/hotel that has a very bad reputation for its guests to go missing. It has been abandoned since World War 2. The object of the game is to find clues left behind by the former guests that went missing to find out what really happened to them all of those years ago. The game has a very haunting soundtrack that blends in perfectly with the locations to heighten the suspense of the story. The voice acting that was used to make the ghostly characters of this game also help in heightening the suspense.

Dark Fall 2 Lights Out is the next game in this game series. This game takes a break from the original storyline of the first game and focuses on another mystery. It takes place in 1900 on New Year’s Day and is based on the mysterious disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers of the Flannan Isle Lighthouse that took place December 15th 1900. This game, like the first one, has a very haunting and creepy soundtrack that with the creepy voice acting mix perfectly with the locations and plot of the story to heighten the suspense to a desirable level to those who enjoy this kind of game. This storyline is very good because it gives an answer to an old question, even though it is very farfetched. It helps to understand what really happened to the three lighthouse keepers on that dark night when the lighthouse light went out.

Dark Fall 3 Lost Souls is the next game in the series that has not yet been released. The game has been announced for release on Halloween, 2009 in Europe. The American date I do not think has been set yet. This game returns to the original storyline of the first game. In this game more information about what had happened to the guests will be revealed. The origins of the thing to cause the disappearances will be discovered. But, be careful if you choose to make the journey, because there is an evil force at work. An evil force is at work in that old decaying hotel. It is waiting for you and it knows your name.

I think that one of the best parts of this game is its creepy introduction that can be found on the main website for the series.

“There is a place, in every village, in every town and in every city where the people never go. They are forgotten places, the dark places, the abandoned places. Rust, mould and rot have taken up residence, in those secret places which continue to decay, invisible to the eyes of the living. They are thought to be empty places, where no one has set foot for many decades. No light nor life can be expected in such hopeless locations. But some form of life remains...an echo, a memory, a ghost. What would draw you to such a location? The loss of a loved one, an inquisitive nature or an unhealthy interest in the dead? Whatever your reasons, you know you should not be here. All the signs... whether real or imaginary... are telling you to 'Turn Back', 'Do Not Enter' or 'Keep Clear', yet still you progress forward, drawn by some unexplainable desire to seek the truth. The dead are waiting. They have stories to tell. Tales of darkness, loneliness and despair. Be careful you do not join them, as it could be an eternity until the next curious visitor opens that old, rotten door, to find you within. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. What tale would you tell? Would you know how to explain what happened, that dark night when your curiosity got the better of you? Would you be able to speak it's name...the ancient name...or would you simply warn the new arrival to beware...to beware the Dark Fall.”

Riddle of the Sphinx Series

The Riddle of the Sphinx series has got to be one of my all time favorites in the world of computer games. The game was mostly released by I think Dreamcatcher Interactive. This game is a first person perspective game that falls into the adventure/puzzle genre. Like MYST, this series contains multiple endings depending on the players choices throughout the game. But, only one ending is the happy ending. This game takes place at the Giza Plateau in Egypt. You are able to explore the Great Sphinx, the campsite of the archeologists, and the Great Pyramid. There are several other places to explore, but if I tell everyone about them now it would ruin the surprise for them if they should decide to play it themselves. This game is in my opinion one of the most exciting games there are. This series mixes computer graphics with live action actors just like in the MYST series. The graphics in this game are about the same as in RIVEN, the sequel to MYST. I thought that the music in the game was placed perfectly throughout it to match every single surrounding music was played in (everywhere). What I like the best about the game is the plot. It gives everyone a very entertaining story that helps to give a new theory to a legendary historical event that none has ever been able to explain, and will probably never be able to explained.

The Omega Stone is the sequel to The Riddle of The Sphinx. It is my favorite game in the series so far. It takes place at the Giza Plateau like the first game, but also five other locations that all seem to be connected to the Giza Plateau. The connections are found near the end of the first game. This game has less music in it than in the first game. But, the music that is played at proper points of the game adds to the suspense and to the plot of the game. The graphics of this game are like the third and fourth games in the MYST series. I like plot best about the game. I feel that the plot of this game is about several hundred times bigger than the first. Like in the first game “It gives everyone a very entertaining story that helps to give a new theory to a legendary historical event that none has ever been able to explain, and will probably never be able to explained.” but this one answers a bigger question . It links a predetermined date in the future with a forgotten past that just about everyone whishes they can discover.

THE MYST Series

MYST is a first-person perspective computer game series that has real actors with a virtual background behind them with the use of a green screen. This series falls into the adventure/puzzle genre. Every game in the series has multiple endings that depend on what the player decides to do in the game. The name of the game came from Jules Verne’s’ novel Mysterious Island. The first game was originally released the Macintosh system. It was created by “Cyan Worlds” in 1993. I felt that the game had a good storyline with interesting characters. The game had different music for every setting in the game. The graphics were not so good, but that is to be expected with the older games. The only other problem in this game that I saw besides the graphics was that the puzzles were too easy. This game has had a remake made of it in 2000 titled MYST Masterpiece Edition, which was a revised version of the original and was a bit better, but was pretty much the same. In 2002 another remake titled Real MYST: Interactive 3D Edition was released. I have not been able to play this one yet, however it seems to me that from the trailers it is going to be the best version of the game possible.

RIVEN, the sequel to MYST was kind of similar to it. Although the game had slightly better graphics, better acting, and a better and longer plot you could still tell that it was an older game. The music was also a bit better than in MYST. It still only played at certain locations in the game, but the soundtracks were put together in a much better way. Also there were more puzzles and they were more challenging.

The third addition to the series was EXILE. In my opinion this is one of the better games in this particular series. It had perfect graphics that mixed well with the acting. I think that music for the series really gets good starting with this game. Most of the music includes sons that were written in the made up language that exists in this series. I also feel that the storyline and puzzles start to improve with this game.

REVELATION was the fourth and I think most exciting and captivating game in the entire series so far. The graphics in this game are better than all the others and so is the plot and music. The puzzles in the game are what I feel are the most challenging and fun in the entire series so far.

The fifth and final installment of the MYST series was END of AGES. I have not yet been able to play this game. But, I hope that I will be able to do so in the near future. I have a feeling that it will be the best game in the series ever.

Reflection of the computer class

I have learned a lot of useful information in this class so far. I have learned about how to use Twitter, Blogger, and del.icio.us and how they can be useful in everyday life. I have learned that with these new technologies information can be accessed and delivered by anyone all over the world more easily. They can also help to communicate with other people or allow someone to express themselves in any way that they choose.
I think that most of Clay Shirky's ideas are correct.

He believes that if someone spends all of their time playing online video games in their basement it's fine as long as they are doing something. I agree with this because if someone spends a lot of their free time playing a lot of online video games they are participating with the rest of the world. Something that they wouldn’t be doing if all that they did was just spend all of their time watching television in their basement. Participation is something that the word needs the most at this point. I agree that most people in the world today are just too lazy to participate with the rest of the world.

Games of The World

My blog is going to be dedicated to video games. It will mostly be about the computer games in the world. I will list my favorite recent games and my favorite classic games in the world. I will also list the most popular games. I will explain what I feel makes the games enjoyable to play. I will also explain what makes the games unenjoyable to play.
For example I really like the MYST game series. I like the series because it has a good storyline, good puzzles, good music, and good graphics.
My blog will also include class assignments, mostly reflections and answers to questions.

4th of July

This year for the fourth of July celebration, my parents and I went to a friend’s cabin in Alstead, New Hampshire. Our friend’s cabin is on the Eastern shore of Lake Warren. We have gone to their cabin for the fourth of July for the past three years. On the lake they have a metal slide on a wooden raft. Every year I go there I always go swimming.
The water is always very cold, but everyone still goes swimming because it’s there. After swimming they then have a barbeque for lunch. They normally have burgers, hotdogs, pulled pork, beans, and salad. When everyone is eating they play some music on the stereo from an IPod. During lunch everyone talks to friends and has a good time with each other.
Then, after it starts to get dark everyone watches the fireworks. There is no telling how the fireworks are going to be until it happens. This is because it is not an official firework show for the town. It is just the families around the lake setting off the fireworks that they brought to the lake. The last two years have not been very good with the fireworks. But this year the fireworks were the best that I had ever seen there.
This year it seems that this Fourth of July was the coldest one I have ever seen. The wind was blowing from the lake and it made it feel even colder. Even the swimming was colder than usual. I always enjoy going to our friend’s cabin for their annual Fourth of July celebration.

M Shanghai String Band

On Friday July 3 I went to see a free concert at Walden School in Dublin, New Hampshire. The name of the group was the M Shanghai String Band. This band has eleven members, but they never travel with everyone together at the same time. They said that many of them have to learn other parts to make up for missing members. I went to this concert two hours after I got home from Upward Bound. The show was about an hour and a half long and I got home at about ten thirty. The music was great. They have a variety of songs from sad to funny. One song was about zombies.
They were on a long stage but only used one microphone. They said that they used to mic everyone but when they played on a long stage it was hard to hear each other and sometimes they would not be together. They also played all of the instruments unplugged. When one player was doing a solo part they would move closer to the mic. The M Shanghai String band started in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York. It was their monthly show in the basement of a local Chinese restaurant, the M Shanghai Bistro. The group got their name when the crowd started calling them “M Shanghai” and the name stuck. The lists of instruments that the band includes are: fiddle, washboard, spoons, saw, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass. Almost every single member of the band has a vocal part.
This was a great concert. The Walden School has a summer concert series and will have other concerts during the summer. I would recommend checking it out.