Morning Funk for 10/13/15: How Splatoon is Keeping Online Shooters Fresh

I’ve always been a big fan of video games. While I didn’t get a console of my own until the Gamecube at the end of its lifecycle, I’ve had access to games all my life. But in the last few years I’ve felt the gap widening between what the gaming industry seems to think I want, and what I actually want.

My biggest gripe with the current state of gaming is the disappearance of local multiplayer. Online multiplayer has made local all but extinct, and shooting games lead the charge on that, eager to abandon the split-screen displays of the past. I understand this inclination: online allows for more players, “screen cheating” is now a thing of the past, and it encourages players to be constantly plugged-in for things like updates and DLC. But I can’t help but find this trend a bit sad. No online experience has ever been able to match the feeling of wondering if the person next to me is going to punch me for that last kill. Gaming used to be more social, and more fun to me as a kid than it is now, because the industry has skewed so hard toward a solitary experience.

Because of this, I’ve largely given up on shooters. More than any other genre, shooters seem to sell the online multiplayer as the primary game mode, and I have had little interest in investing my time into taking on the steep learning curve required to be competitive enough to enjoy most of the games.

Enter Splatoon.

Morning Funk for September 16, 2015

This is your Morning Funk! Every weekday morning, this will be your place to find the top geek stories from around the internet. Today we have news from Neil Gaiman, Charlie’s Angels, Super Smash Bros. and more!

Game Review: Super Mario Maker

Title: Super Mario Maker

Game Type: Platformer Video Game

No. of Players: 1

Publisher: Nintendo

Price: MSRP $59.99

Release: September 11, 2015

Review by Matthew Funk

There’s really no point in beating around the Piranha Plant here: Super Mario Maker is one hell of a game, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Ever since bringing the game home on Friday evening, my roommates and I have hardly been able to put it down. A level-creator unlike any other, this is a game that is somehow both infinite and infinitely accessible, providing endless challenges and laughs no matter who you are or how you want to play.

The most amazing thing about the game is how it teaches the language of the Mushroom Kingdom. Even if you aren’t a Mario expert, there’s hardly anyone who has played video games before who doesn’t know how to play through World 1-1. And with that simple sentence–the “see Spot run” of this language–as a foundation, Super Mario Maker effortlessly shows you how to make sentences into paragraphs and eventual magnum opuses of Mario magic.

Morning Funk for September 10, 2015

This is your Morning Funk! Every weekday morning, this will be your place to find the top geek stories from around the internet. Today we have news from Marvel Comics, AfterShock Comics, Preacher and much more!

Morning Funk for September 8, 2015

This is your Morning Funk! Every weekday morning, this will be your place to find the top geek stories from around the internet. Today we have news from Jurassic World, Spectre, Super Mario Bros. and much more!

Morning Funk for September 7, 2015

This is your Morning Funk! Every weekday morning, this will be your place to find the top geek stories from around the internet. Today we have news from Private Eye, Arrow, Pikmin and much more!