Author: Ruth

Lora Fox a creative writer and a tech geek. She is fascinated by the evolution of technology and its integration in the casino industry.

Do You Know MonkeyPaw Games – The Video Game Publishing Company?

Ruth

Monkeypaw Games is one of those companies that many of you know of their projects, but may not know of the company itself, what it represents, and is all about. In short, Monkeypaw Games is a digital publishing company bringing fun, unique, and even crazy games into your living rooms that may have never otherwise found their way there. You might have played card games on websites like Judi Online but with Monkeypaw games you will see a fun version of all those games that you can enjoy with your family members. 

As of right now, their titles have been solely downloading titles for Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, and DSi. That is not to say they will not consider it in the future, (as there was once a Kickstarter campaign in hopes to make a Deluxe Box Edition of Class of Heroes II) but Monkeypaw Games thus far has focused only on download titles.

Their earliest and probably one of their craziest titles they have brought to the states is Chou Aniki. Other games included on their publishing list are great RPG titles such as Alundra, Arc the Lad, and Vanguard Bandits.

Do some of these sound familiar to you now?

Their most recent release, on June 19, 2012, was Tomba!, a platforming adventure.

But there’s more to Monkeypaw Games than just their niche and crazy titles they bring. What makes this company, really special?

At E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2012, I got the opportunity to speak with John Greiner, the President of Monkeypaw. We chatted on what MonkeyPaw Games was all about, their games, their future projects, and what impact they made on the Playstation Network.

On the Company, MonkeyPaw Games:

If there is anything one can know about MonkeyPaw Games is that it is a fan-driven publishing company. Not only do they want to bring life back into a niche, fun, and interesting titles but, they also listen closely to their fans and what they want to see.

In the interview, John Greiner goes on to explain this:

“I think the basis of the company is built around fan eccentricity. Because one of the reasons we started this is because we knew so much about the Japanese games that haven’t seen the light of day. So we started listening to what people were talking about, what games they wanted, what kind of crazy stuff is out there. By crazy I mean, just wacky Japanese stuff that we kind of like to brand ourselves with. Things like, Chou Aniki or Tomba! or any of those games that are like wow, that’s weird, that’s cool, a little bit different. I think that one of the strengths that we have acquired over that time is being able to get people to talk to us…

“Everybody wants this and that, or whatever, but they don’t always convey that well or bother to contact the publisher. We have a lot of people contact us directly, whether that be through Facebook or Twitter, or our website. That’s really important for us because that’s how we communicate with our fans, and that’s how we go after our licenses. So, when we hear, people want this license or that license, I’m going to drive that and go to those publishers and talk to them about those deals. And I can sometimes even show them letters that people have written…

“A lot of that is driven by fans. It doesn’t always work out but we always put those games on the list and then talk about them with the perspective publishers in order to gain that kind of deal…

“The reason why we brought over Chou Aniki because Sony said when we were discussing the import store, they said, ‘Bring over the wacky stuff, the crazy stuff, just go hard. Anything that’s different, that’s not the same, that hasn’t seen the light of day in America, that’s what we want’. And that was a good suggestion because you don’t want 100 games that are ‘me toos’. You want 20 that are solid, that people will say, ‘Ok’, and I think you see that in all of our games. We really try to choose, really really good games. They might not be well known, but they all play really well, they all have something unique and something different about them…”

About Their Import Games on Playstation Network:

Essentially there are three categories that they publish at this time: direct imports, classics, and re-envision of titles. An example of each would be Chou Aniki for import, Arc the Lad for Playstation Classics, and Burger Time World Tour as a re-envisioned title.

If there’s anyone to thank for bringing import games to the Playstation Network, it would be MonkeyPaw Games and Sony working together with them.

John Greiner on the import store:

“Sony has been great, they’ve done everything, bent over backward, to really give us this ability and reach. So if you go to Playstation and go under PS1 and then you’ll see Imports, front and center, almost all those games are ours. We created that category basically. They’ve allowed us to do something very unusual, which was to put out games without a translation. Because a lot of these games are too small, you couldn’t translate them. And so, you know we have a little ‘buyer beware’ at the bottom of the game description so you know it’s going to be Japanese. It’s not that hard, you can get through, but if you have any problems come to our website. Here at our website, we have a big explanation of every game and what to do and have some cheats. But we have never had a complaint that the games were in Japanese.”

Future Projects

Though as of right now it seems that everything is still under wraps because no official deals have been made, John Greiner was able to tell me this much:

“We have three games that are in the works that we haven’t said anything about yet because we still have to sign contracts, but pretty close. I think it’s all from one publisher. So if we get that deal it’ll be pretty big. You’ll know all the games, that’s for sure.”

MonkeyPaw Games brings to the table what you don’t often see from publishers in this day and age. They don’t thrive solely on mainstream titles. They search for those hidden gems, titles you may have never heard of, or just simply have forgotten about because they were buried deep below the sea of games. MonkeyPaw Games wants to listen to the fans, fellow gamers, and bring that unique title that plays well, is fun, and perhaps even a little insane back to life.

Though the company itself has only been around since 2009, they have already created a huge fan base, helped create the Import category on PSN, and brought great titles to the Western markets that otherwise wouldn’t have been seen. If you take anything from this article and about Monkeypaw Games, it’s that they listen and interact very closely with their fans. So, if there’s a title you’d like to see, don’t be shy and let MonkeyPaw Games know about it. If you want to see big-name titles as well, the best thing to do is to spread the word about them and contact them directly.

Sleeping Dogs Review

Ruth

Given Sleeping Dogs’ history, it would have been understandable and maybe even forgivable if it had turned out poorly. Originally an Activision-published reboot of the forgettable True Crime series and cancelled after delays for being “just not good enough1”, Square Enix rescued Sleeping Dogs from the brink of death and rebranded it as a new IP. With such turmoil and turnover, you might expect Sleeping Dogs to be a mediocre GTA rip off, but not only is it good, it’s one of my favorite games of the year.

As undercover police officer Wei Shen, you are tasked with infiltrating and ultimately bringing down the infamous Triad crime organization. This dynamic of a good guy doing bad things is a nice twist on the sandbox genre, and is reflected in duel Police and Triad progression points that you’ll earn throughout the campaign. Police points are lost by destroying property and harming innocent bystanders, whereas Triad points are earned by violently dispatching of your enemies, so there’s incentive to stay within the hazy limits of your undercover duties, even as you’re flying down the streets of Hong Kong trading bullets with rival gang members. These restrictions only apply to the missions themselves though, so you are free to destroy, steal and pillage as you please while roaming the city, which does take away from the immersion somewhat that you are always an undercover cop who must abide by the law.

Hong Kong itself provides a different backdrop than we’re used to seeing, and it’s refreshing to not take another trip through New York or Los Angeles. Kung fu movie junkies will love bombing through food stands and across rooftops with the game’s excellent freerunning mechanic, and hand-to-hand combat takes center stage with the player rarely even touching a gun for the first half of the story. You can also visit their page for more information. This will allow you to have an idea on how sleeping dos actually work. 

Fighting is similar to Arkham City and very tight, with light/ heavy attacks, counters and grapples mapped to the X, Y and B buttons respectively. Contextual environmental kills add an extra level of mayhem to the fisticuffs, and glow red when you initiate a grapple. These range from phone booths and electrical panels to swordfish heads and ice chippers, and you’ll find yourself constantly looking for the next interesting thing to throw your enemy over, into or through. When the guns do come into play, Wei can vault over cover and enter a slow-motion aiming mode a la Stranglehold or Max Payne, which adds to the cinematic feel of the whole experience and takes some of the tedium out of gunfights that has marred some sandbox games in the past.

What is most striking about Sleeping Dogs is the excellent voice acting, highlighted by Will Yun Lee’s standout performance as lead protagonist Wei. Wei’s history is revealed through cut scenes and unlocked police reports throughout the game, and it becomes apparent very quickly that he has a personal stake in his mission. Lee’s portrayal of Wei as a damaged hero is outstanding, and by the end of the story I was more invested in his personal journey than I have been with most video game leads in the past.

Grand Theft Auto IV has become the golden standard for action/ adventure sandbox games, and Sleeping Dogs takes a lot of queues from it. There are safe houses to unlock, street races and collectables scattered around the city, and even a cell phone that you use to call friends and activate certain missions. They might not be original concepts, but Sleeping Dogs provides enough twists and turns that I never minded coming across a few recycles ideas. And while GTA IV offers a more expansive world with more to do, Sleeping Dogs’ tight combat mechanics and engaging narrative are well worth the price of admission.

Win at Craps when Casinos Are Using Cards

Ruth

Craps is a game that is usually played with dice but some casinos use cards, which is why you will want to know how to win at craps when casinos use cards. Fortunately, you can actually learn how to beat the casinos whenever they do use cards. This is not difficult to do. Put $50 on the pass line. Make sure to choose full double odds. You must keep in mind whenever you are playing craps when casinos use cards that the card shuffler actually increases the likelihood that a 7 will be “rolled.” So, if you have $150, this is a great bet to make because the casino’s edge will be less than 1.4%. Even if you lose money by making this wager when you play craps when casinos use cards, you will still make out as long as your bets are consistent. If you don’t have this much money though, you can always decrease your bet. Although you always have the option of improving you game by playing online on gaming websites like situs poker online, where you can hone your skills and get better at different card games.

Wager $100 by placing $50 on the 6 and $50 on the 8. The idea is the same as the aforementioned idea about craps when casinos use cards. However, now the probability is increased for them to roll a 6, 7 or 8. This is a pattern that most dice don’t follow but it will allow you to win at craps when casinos use cards.

You wager to lose at most $150 when you follow this method and play craps when casinos use cards. This will only happen when 7 hits while you are playing craps when casinos use cards but remember that this is a very slim chance. The odds are actually in your favor if you play craps when casinos use cards and you use this strategy. Usually, you will hit the 6 and 8. This happens 10 out of 35 times. The 7 will hit 6 times.

When a 6 or 8 hits, take the other number down, along with its profit. If you do this while playing craps when casinos use cards you will only have $50 riding on the other number. The extra money that you have already made will cover the other number.

When another 6 or 8 hits, take the other number down. This leaves you with only $150 being risked on the table while playing craps when casinos use cards. If a 7 should happen to hit now while you are playing craps when casinos use cards, then you’ll only lose $50 since the 6 and the 8 will have already paid for the bed that you made while playing craps when casinos use cards.

This is how you win at craps when casinos use cards. If you follow this aforementioned formula for playing craps when casinos use cards, you could actually win more than $300. Once you win craps when casinos use cards, make sure that you tip the dealer.

Review: Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells

Ruth

A few weeks ago, I realized my wedding anniversary was coming up and, since it had been about three years since my wife and I got to go away on a romantic weekend vacation together, I decided to plan one.

I originally had planned on getting a room at one of the resorts a short driving distance from here. But, just before calling for a reservation, I remembered the Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells and decided to check out their web site to see if they had anything special going on. And, when I saw they had the band .38 Special performing with Bo Bice (one of my wife’s favorite singers); we made plans to go there instead.

I did not regret this decision.

Unfortunately, by the time I made my plans, the hotel attached to the casino was already booked and we had to make other sleeping arrangements. But, even though we didn’t spend the entire night there, we had an excellent time.

The last time we visited Ho-Chunk Casino was about three years ago (another anniversary trip); before my wife became pregnant with our second daughter. In that time, the casino really hasn’t changed a whole lot. There is a good mix of games ranging from slot machines (the only thing we played) to card games, bingo and even an off-track betting area (something I thought about visiting but decided not to).

One of the things I liked about this casino is it offers a selection that is attractive to people of all incomes. My wife and I focused on playing only the penny and nickel slot machines. But, there were also machines that allowed you to bet up to several dollars at a time. And, even though it was crowded in the casino at times, we had no problem finding at least one free machine.

My biggest concern entering the casino was obviously losing my money. Personally, the idea of losing it wasn’t all that big of a deal since I always stick to a set amount I’m willing to lose. But, I was afraid I would be out of money after only a few minutes. That, however, was not the case. We actually came out ahead (winning enough to pay for our motel room and meals) but, even when we were losing, it was at a slower pace so, even if we had lost it all, we would have at least had fun playing.

When we weren’t gambling, the casino offered plenty of other things to do. I mentioned before that we had concert tickets and, at 7 p.m., we watched the bands perform in the ball room and enjoyed every minute of that (my wife was thrilled when she was allowed near the stage and got to touch Bo Bice’s hand). There was also a gift shop (which had a limited selection but decent prices) and several restaurants to choose from ranging from an all-you-can-eat buffet to a fine dining establishment. And, if you couldn’t find anything in the gift shop, there were hand-made Native American items available in the main lobby area (I bought my wife a set of earrings for $15).

I did have a couple complaints about the casino. For one, even though there was a decent selection of restaurants, the Wo Zha Wa Sports Bar was the only one that seemed to be open when we were hungry. The one diner was only open for breakfast through early afternoon. The buffet would close for an hour or two between meals and the fine dining restaurant (which requested reservations on Saturdays) didn’t open until 5 p.m. If nothing else, it would have been nice if the buffet (which we did get to try the next morning at breakfast and loved) was open all day without shutting down.

Another thing I didn’t like about the casino was the large number of drunk people walking around it about 9 or 10 p.m and after that plays the 사설토토사이트 video games in virtual mode which gives an realistic experience of playing the game in a ground and the sound system is also fine of the portal.

This isn’t really a complaint because , as I said before, this was my fault for waiting until the last second to make plans. However, if you do decide to visit this casino and plan on staying overnight, make every effort to get a room there. Even though the motel I ended up staying at was cheaper (about half the price), I found driving to and from the motel (about a half hour each way) wasn’t a pleasant experience; especially at night and I would have gladly paid more for the convenience of staying right there (especially since we really didn’t stay at our motel all that much).
. I’m not sure if that’s a normal occurrence or not (some of them were likely drinking at the concert) and I don’t really blame the casino for them being drunk since people need to take responsibility for their own actions. However, I did wonder why there wasn’t more security around and more of an effort to remove some of the ones that were either about to pass out, being a little too rowdy or walking into the wrong bathroom (some guy walked into the women’s room when my wife was in there).

If you are planning a weekend vacation in Wisconsin and are looking for something fun to do; I would recommend the Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells. In fact, I’m making plans to go there again on our next anniversary.

Spots: a Unique Gambling Game for Your Home Poker Night

Ruth

Home poker nights have become very popular in recent years thanks to the popularity of the World Series Of Poker and other poker events on cable television. Here’s a game you can introduce to your group that involves gambling, and is a good change of pace for the evening. The game has some aspects of seven card stud included in it, at least in the way the cards are dealt. Meanwhile it also borrows part of the theme from blackjack. The goal of this game called “40 spots” is to have the closest total to 40 out of your opponents, without going over.

The game as stated above would be dealt in a similar manner to seven card stud poker. Everyone would start out with having two cards dealt to them face down, and one card face up. The trick of the game is not all of the cards will count towards your spot total of 40 and some will give you special options. The only cards that would count toward the total of 40 would be Aces (one spot) through tens (ten spots). Kings, Queens, and Jacks would all give the person who is dealt them a special ability.

If you were dealt a Jack, you had the ability to immediately discard one of your cards from your hand, including your hole cards, so they would not count towards your spot total. If you were dealt a Queen, you would have the ability to discard any face up card from your the hand or any opponent you choose. Finally, if you are dealt a King you could use it to do one of two things. You would put it in front of a face up card in your hand or an opponent’s hand. This would make that face card the negative value of the number instead of the positive. If at some point that face up card was discarded using a queen, both the king and the face up card would be discarded.

Betting would be a little different in this game because of link alternatif Sbobet that is quietly different in comparison to the results of land based casino or gambling clubs; where most of the gameplay are done for the cards game like the poker . There would actually not be betting until the last round when you receive your seventh card as a face down card. Until then, the amount you put into the pot would be determined by the card you were dealt. You would choose three chip values, a low value, middle value, and high value. For the cards A through 3 and 8 through ten the pay into the pot would be the low chip value. For the cards four through seven the pay would be the medium chip. Finally, for the honor cards you would have to pay the largest chip value into the pot. You would have the option to fold at any point that you wished as well and stop receiving cards, but you would be unable to win the hand as well.

This game is sort of unique, as I have designed it to have the play aspects of poker, but the goal similar to blackjack. The reason the low and high spot cards would be the cheapest is they could possibly be the least useful for the player as they could either bust them or keep their total too low. This is a game that is meant as a change of pace for you to play during your poker night with your friends. Give it a shot, and let me know what you think of it. Of course the game can be played without a pot as well, or for point values instead of real money if you prefer to play it on it’s on and not part of a home poker night.