Mr. Dave Pizza - The Gaming Pizzeria

The Truth About Writing Characters You Love

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:December 4, 2021
Post category:GUIDES & MODS

Making a character seem real is essentially the sport of writing in a nutshell. The irony of it is most people have built into them everything needed to assess the realness of others in the real world. But what you might have in practical people skills, gets filtered into unbalanced gray areas, in the field or on the page. At times, I find myself with a slew of important characters without consistency. Do not worry, that is okay. Or, perhaps, you've mastered this skill. In either case, the aim of this article is to help you apply what you already know with "a character profile." Today, I'll give you the tools you need to make a unique character, in motion if you like!

The Last Friend is a Great New Game With Dog Buddies Out Now

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:December 3, 2021
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS

In between monitoring my every action, eShop suggested I check out what demos were out. I had really been looking for them though! So, this game The Last Friend showed up as a demo out. The art looked cool and didn't seem too derivative of anything course. So, I downloaded it and loaded it up. The Last Friend is a brawler kind of game with some turret defense mechanics. Most importantly, however, is all your sidekicks are dogs! WHAT. I think this is actually going to be a pretty cool game because of the variety of levels, learning curves, gentle humor, and wonderful dog companion fun. So, let's do this.

The Ultimate Truth on World Building

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:December 1, 2021
Post category:GUIDES & MODS

As a matter of urgency, Mr. Dave Pizza--for as long as I muster it--will bear witness to a fusion of game dev stuff and book/writing stuff. It's already begun really, but I'm scrambling to realize this vision. So anyway, this article is going to be a how-to on "writing about place." You guys are going nuts over some of the How-To's, so Joseph M Tapdancing Kwisatz Haderach, I'm gonna deliver the goods. This article is equally accessible to creative writers, visual novel devs, and game devs. The devs are, of course, in the worldbuilding phase, but perhaps there is even another application I've overlooked, screenplay writing maybe. If you don't even know what I'm talking about? Don't worry! This is a general concept here. So, with that, let's get you started.

The Lightbringer (Demo) is What I Played Today

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 29, 2021
Post category:DEMO REVIEWS

This is kind of random. No, really, it is. Might as well roll for initiative. Anyway, I've been spending a ton of time on the Switch lately, since I was traveling with the handheld recently and got kind of used to it. However, I recorded it while playing on my TV, so I don't know. Anyway, was looking back through some of my YouTube videos and realized a lot of you like demos for some reason. So, this one was on the eShop and I gave it a spin. Here we go again with this kinda cute boomerang whirling puzzle solver: The Lightbringer.

Date Night Bowling is a New Dating Game by Way Down Deep

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 28, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS VISUAL NOVELS

For the record, I am a big fan of Way Down Deep and their dating sim releases over the last year like the socially distanced romance sim Romantic Distancing and the popular release Half Past Fate. I've been eyeing Date Night Bowling since I first saw it in an upcoming games roster. So when the opportunity to play it on Switch arose, I snagged it and slipped on some bowling shoes. Eww, digital ones! I jest. Anyway, what we've got here is a combination of a very pleasant to look at video game with plenty of replay value and a pretty darn decent bowling simulator for the Switch. It's about $8 right now on sale. I decided to play through a date and flip through the options, I'll tell you what I observed here. Overall, to begin with, it's a good game.

The Comic Book Story of Video Games Review

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 28, 2021
Post category:BOOK REVIEWS

I've had this graphic novel sitting on my shelf for too long, setting aside a good time to sit down with it. These past couple of days, however, I've been flipping from page to page this excellently illustrated and narrated journey through the history of video games. I completed it last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. I never knew that so many unlikely events lead up to the powerhouse of video games that exists today. Seeing as the website I run here is currently undergoing a blend of games and books, I think this is a perfect topic for us all here. So, without further ado, let's light some diodes and insert a quarter with The Comic Book Story of Video Games: The Incredible Journey of the Electronic Revolution. "Let's a-go!"

You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 25, 2021
Post category:BOOK REVIEWS

While the industry in the gaming business model changes, Adam's family's pinball arcade and Whitney's eSports Cafe are in direct competition with each other, and consequently Adam and Whitney. You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith is a November 2021 release YA book about two childhood friends, Adam Stillwater and Whitney Mitchell. They have gotten knee-deep in running their parents' businesses as their parents are either too busy or in Adam's father's case, not there. Through firey tweet threads and a plot that takes place almost entirely in the market area of Old City Philadelphia, the two find out that maybe they can restore their childhood friendship after all--or try at least. I truly adored this book, and I'll tell you all about it here.

The Ghostbusters are Back and Even Better in Their New (remastered) Game

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 18, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS HALLOWEEN GAMES

Nobody asked for a Ghostbusters Video Game Remastered review in 2021, it's sure to be overshadowed by the mega Afterlife release coverage, but maybe, just maybe, you weren't sure who to call. So, that's where I spawn my digital specter presence and declare, "No, Mr. Parker, no I ain't 'fraid of no ghosts." I'm not sure if there's anybody on the planet who has never seen Ghostbusters, so to those who want to know more, let me indulge you in this review of an updated Switch version of a game that revived a great continuation of the Ghostbusters universe.

City of Shattered Light is on the Edge

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 17, 2021
Post category:BOOK REVIEWS

From the author, Claire Winn, is a debut young adult science fiction novel that teeters on a megalopolis moon colony with a cast of fierce--and glittery--femme Fatales, their fierce cohorts, and an action-packed ride of cybernetic combat mayhem. It's got everything you need in a cyberpunk novel really, especially for this audience. This is City of Shattered Light. And still, the main characters are simultaneously relatable yet may be out of their league young folks who are exceedingly clever and capable of taking down any enemy turned foe with teamwork.

Alchemic Cutie is a Bright, Colorful, & Adventurous RPG

Post author:mrdavepizza
Post published:November 12, 2021
Post category:GAME REVIEWS

Update: Alchemic Cutie is, once again, a game running across my desk, slated for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 for June 2023. I really have no particular context for describing it after so long, but when I tested it on PC I felt that it fits into the few neat descriptors of bright, colorful, cute. It's an RPG. In all fairness, it is a monster collection game, à la Pokemon-style games. In the realm of indies, it bridges stylistic notes of games like Arietta of Spirits as well as Potion Party, but goes a little more Zelda in its cutesy…