Books and Gaming: FNaF

What Are We Really Talking About?
It's really pretty simple, I love video games, and I really enjoy the written word. I find myself listening to books more often than reading them of late, mainly because that's just easier. I can listen while I work out, while I jog, while I play games, while I hunt Pokémon and while I drive. So why not listen to books instead of read them? But, we're not technically just talking about my method of reading.

What I'm talking about, is game-books. Books based on the content of games, and there are tons. Seriously, for every epic RPG, massive scale gaming universe, and terribly convoluted plot, there's a book, licensed or fan written, that attempts to explain something or extrapolate some new story. You can see this in basically everything, JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts; science fiction shooters like Halo and Mass Effect; high adventures like The Legend of Zelda and Infinity Blade; strategy games such as Command & Conquer and StarCraft; stealth games like Assassin's Creed and Metal Gear Solid; and yes, even indie games like Five Nights at Freddy's, a.k.a. FNaF.

Which is actually what has brought this to the forefront of my mind. I adore the FNaF games, I'm not particularly good at them by any means. I haven't even fully beat the second one, and refuse to play the third and fourth ones until I do (doesn't help that I've had to restart because I swapped form mobile to PC and wanted to beat the first game anew). FNaF has this weird rich lore to it, mostly crafted through the fanbase's relentless insistence that there is one. I mean, I'm sure Scott Cawthon wanted there to be some internal story to the original FNaF, who doesn't want their game to have a plot? But, the series has exploded, spanning across four core games, a spinoff rpg, a fifth sequel game (and possible series), an upcoming movie, several fan made games, and yes, a book.

Don't misunderstand, I haven't read the book (past the first page), but it has drawn me to the point that I now own it, and have begun to read it. Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes is a book that promises to expand on the lore of the series, while establishing it's own sort of existential lore. Let's face it, FNaF already has so much crap going on that writing a book on it would be hard without breaking a few twigs. So no, I don't have an opinion on it, but I will.

It's the oddest thing, there are games with far more developed plots out there (such as Metal Gear Solid) that I love to play and study, but I don't find myself reaching out for their books. Something about FNaF just draws me to it, makes me want to know more. Maybe it's because the game was made by an independent man just pursuing his dream. Perhaps this is all the result of a lot of internet hype around a simplistic, if entertaining, game. Who knows.

As a side note (which I seem to have more and more often): Just a few days ago I found myself in our managing editor's office, explaining the mechanics of Pokémon Go to him, and I thought to myself, "This is the job I truly want, to explain video games to people." Wouldn't that be fantastic? Best. Job. Ever.

When Mario Kart and Smash Bros Just Aren't Cutting It: MODS

Late on the draw...

Are you tired of playing single player games by yourself?

Yeah...
Do you grow bored of slaughtering your friends in multiplayer death matches?

Yeah...

Then have I got news for you, there's a modding scene that exists for multiplayer hacked single player games. That's right! Now you too (two?) can adventure as both Mario and Luigi in the original Super Mario 64, or gallantly save Zelda as Link, Link, Link and Link.

 GamesRadar has the scoop too!
 Vizzed.com too!

These are by far some of the most iconic games from my childhood, and I am crazy excited to try them out with friends behind the other wheels! I haven't yet though, but I've watched some short videos on them and already figured out some details on their draws and such.

Ocarina of Time Multiplayer features four links each with identical inventories to player 1. Part of the problem here is that they can't all take advantage of the inventory, but they will drain it. Players 2-4 do not have access to the bow or slingshot, or rather, they can't make use of it, but they certainly can fire off rounds and deplete your resources. There is also a lack of Z-targeting and some shield related glitches that present themselves with the "Four Swords" version of Ocarina of Time, along with the fact that the game was designed with a focus on the first player, and the camera continues to center on player 1. Plus...I think you can't push blocks...unless that's been patched...but that and a lack of Z-targeting and first person aiming can be crippling...

Super Mario 64 Co-op mod on the other hand offers a very smooth multiplayer session, with Luigi taking nothing away from the game and being able to fully interact with the game. There are still some issues, for instance, first person cannon sighting is no longer an option with Luigi tagging along. But the other problem might be seen as more beneficial than harmful. The AI do not detect Luigi, this immediately leads to an advantage in boss fights, since Mario can just lead the baddies around while Luigi sneaks around behind them and does...whatever need be done. Plus, the camera is NOT centered on Mario. As the two move further away from each other and closer together, Lakitu (the flying camera guy) adjusts the camera accordingly! Plus, if it comes to a head where Luigi needs to do something but can't be seen, or the two need to split up temporarily, they can focus the camera using an assigned camera control button!

So yeah, plus I'm sure there are others, like Sonic Classic Heroes, where you get all three members of the Sonic team in one party. I'll be on the lookout for more of course, I can only hope some day I find Donkey Kong 64 or Banjo-Tooie Co-Op mode!