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Posts tagged blue
Roger Von Oech’s Ball of Whacks Review
Jan 23, 2012
The other day I was walking through the mall and noticed that the Smithsonian Store was selling this interesting magnetic puzzle ball called Ball of Whacks. Being a sucker for these types of desk toys, I decided to pick it up and try it out. I was instantly hooked! The ball is made of 30 pyramid shaped magnets that can come apart. When you take this rhombic triacontahedron (a shape with 30 sides) apart, you will see that it’s easy to form other shapes including stars, spheres, blocks and even animals.
After reading through some of the 96-page booklet that came with the toy, it looks like this ball is supposed to expand your mind and get you into a creative mood. Even though this could spur up some great ideas, I also think it just makes a good fidgety toy for when you’re bored. The book could make a good reference but honestly I don’t think it’s necessary because once you get it in your hands you won’t care about what’s inside the pages.
When all the 30 pieces are assembled into the ball, it’s about the size and weight of a baseball. It has a nice feel to it and is made out high-quality plastic. When the pieces are taken apart however they feel a little cheap and flimsy. I don’t see the pieces ever breaking unless you try to break them or accidently drive over them. Although the ball is a lot of fun to play with, it’s a bit limiting due the the shapes and magnetic forces of the pieces. Yes you can make other shapes out of the pieces but they somehow always end up being the ball when all is said and done. Perhaps this was the intention of Mr. Von Oech.
Reading the reviews on Amazon.com, I see people saying that they play with the ball when stuck on a problem to find a creative solution. I can see how this could work for some people but I don’t see this solving any of my problems in the future. I’ve played with other desk toys such as BuckyBalls that have a more open-puzzle feel. Perhaps I just need to spend more time with my Ball of Whacks before I can unlock the power within. The Ball of Whacks comes in blue and red colors and can be had for around $25-$30. Overall I am pleased with this toy but it does leave some things to be desired.
Angry Birds Turns Two Years Old
Dec 11, 2011
Angry Birds has really been a defining game for the touch generation (iPad, iPod, iPhone, Android, etc). It’s hard to believe that it has only been out for two years when it seems like it has been so much longer. To celebrate, there have been some new levels released today for the iPhone. Here are my favorite Angry Bird characters listed from most to least favorite:
- Black Angry Bird – The black Angry Bird is my favorite because he’s basically a bomb that does a lot of damage. After this bird lands and causes a minimal initial damage, you can tap to make the black Angry Bird explode or wait a few seconds for his built-in timer do it itself.
- Yellow Angry Bird – Although the triangular yellow Angry Bird may not look like much at first, he can cause some serious damage by his user-controlled speed burst he gets when you tap the screen. If you do use him just right and aim properly he can cause some level-clearing destruction that will help you throughout the game.
- Big Brother Bird – This bird may not be the brightest bird in the bunch but he can cause harm due to his intense size. Once you see just how big he is compared to the others he will become an instant favorite.
- Blue Bird – At first you will think that this bird is a wimpy little guy but big things come in small packages. He splits off into three birds when the user taps the screen which when done properly can put the baddies in check.
Pokemon Blue and Red
Aug 8, 2008
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 Platform: Game Boy Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo NA Release date: Sept. 1, 1998 Genre: RPG Media: 8 megabit cartridge |
History:
The Pokemon franchise all started when game producer Satoshi Tajiri wanted to design a game based around his favorite childhood pastime of insect collecting. He thought the Game Boy would be perfect for his game concept due to the multiplayer aspects of the Game Boy via the game link cable. Tajiri made it clear th
at he didn’t want the Pokemon to die but instead faint because he didn’t want the game to be violent. The first Pokemon games were released in Japan in 1996 and Pokemon Blue and Red were released in North America in 1998.
Gameplay:
In Pokemon, The player controls their character as they collect and battle Pokemon. The Pokemon are usually caught by finding them in their area of origin, usually fields, woods, caves and water, and throwing a Pokeball on them while hoping it stays on them without them escaping. As the player collects more and more Pokemon and builds up their hit points, it gets to the point where
the player will be able to fight the gym leader of that town. Once the gym leader of the town is beaten, the players Pokemon will gain new abilities which will allow them to travel to new areas and towns in the Pokemon world of Kanto.
The difference between the red and blue versions of the game is that Pokemon Red has certain Pokemon that Pokemon Blue doesn’t have and vice versa. The plots in both versions are the same. By hooking up the Game Boy with a friend’s you can battle them and collect Pokemon that only they have in their version of the game. In addition, Pokemon from Pokemon Red and Blue could later be used to access Pokemon in later released Pokemon games on Game Boy and N64.
Review:
These original Pokemon games set the standards for the many Pokemon games after them. These games are very fun due to the addictive gameplay of trying to collect them all. The graphics in Pokemon blue and red are nothing special but do the trick for what the game is trying to accomplish. The sound and music used in the game could be summed up as inspirational.