Summer of Sploosh - It was an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head since winter of last year. The idea stemmed from a dinner conversation with friends, thinking about what games I’d love to stream when the seasons change. When the topic of summer came about, all I could think about was water. But then again, that’s usually all I think about when I play games.
"How does the water graphics look?"
For those of you who may be new to Paradigm Gaming, I’ve got a thing for water. Oceans, lakes, rivers, swimming pools, you name it. It’s been a thing with me my whole life. I don’t know what it is exactly. All I know is that I just love being near it. It’s one of those things that just makes me feel at total peace, both within myself and the world that surrounds me. What’s been pretty awesome when it comes to playing video games for over thirty years, I’ve had the privilege to witness the graphics and the gaming experience get better and better with each new console release.
From swimming underwater in the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, to the underwater levels in Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, or exploring the Water Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64, the graphics and the experiences just kept getting better and better. And when you combine my general love for water with years worth of graphical improvement and experiences in the games I play, I guess that’s where my obsession or water graphics came about.
Blue Loves Water
So naturally, I genuinely get excited when I see all the water in all the games I’m playing. And when I started streaming on Twitch a few years ago, my love for water kinda became a thing.
So much so, that this is the reason why I have my very own water emote on Twitch: paradiSploosh - Designed by Kokaiju Arts.
Over the years, so many of you have joined in the fun and celebrated my love for water with me. It’s been nothing short of amazing. It’s been so cool having many of you share with me your own findings of amazing water graphics in the variety games you’ve been playing. Through all the clips, screenshots, and tags on Discord, not to mention, all the photos you’ve shared of the real waters surrounding your own areas on this planet, it’s been an absolute joy and delight. And it makes me smile when I visit other channels and I see so many of you using the water emote to spread across Twitch as well.
So here I am, hanging out with friends, discussing games to stream while thinking of summer. Water is on my mind, and, out of nowhere, a friend of mine just says: “Summer of Sploosh”. The next thing I know, I’m thinking of games with all the water graphics and thus the event was born!
My first notion was to start out with a list of games. There’s a lot of games out there with great water graphics. But I wanted to have the experience spread out across a variety of consoles and platforms. After all, variety is the spice of life. Plus, I felt this was a great opportunity to play both personal favorites, as well as experience something I may have never played before. Mix it up a bit, ya know? Summer started in June. But since I was to attend E3 2019 for the first time that same month, I didn’t want to start this event, only to have to put it to a halt while I was attending E3. I would imagine that I would need some time to recuperate after I got home as well. So I decided that I was to begin this event right after E3 2019 and chose the first week of July. My goal was to start there and continue to play all the water games until we reached the very end of summer. For months I mapped it all out. I compiled a list of games and I created a schedule. I created promos and videos to spread mass awareness across the internet. I also created stream giveaways to celebrate the event. We were fully locked in and committed and my excitement was through the roof! Once I got it all together, it was time for the kick off!
Summer of Sploosh Kick Off
Summer of Sploosh! Let the games begin!
Bioshock (Steam) – I never had an opportunity to play it when it was first released. I’ve played Bioshock Infinite when it was a free Playstation Plus title on the Playstation 3 back in the day. Having that be a free game gave me the opportunity to discover what Bioshock was all about. I had no idea what I was in for when I played it. But needless to say, I was blown away. The game was fantastic. But I still missed out on the series origins. Considering that the first two games takes place underwater, I thought this would be a great opportunity to start from the beginning. We kicked the event off with this game and it ended up being a perfect addition to the Summer of Sploosh! I had no idea what kind of ride I was in for. But it turned out to be an amazing experience I’ll never forget.
Blue Discovers Rapture
Blue Has Fun in Rapture
Blue Accepts True Rapture
Super Mario Sunshine (Nintendo GameCube) – The first game that came to mind when I was thinking of games with amazing water graphics was Super Mario Sunshine! So this was a no-brainer and a must play for me. What’s even cooler is the fact that the company Hyperkin, came out with an affordable HDMI cable that works on the SNES, N64, and GameCube consoles. I pre-ordered it immediately. I was extremely happy that I would have the ability to easily stream my GameCube with this new HDMI cable. I was used to using a Hauppage PVR2 with component cables and it involves so many different variables. Having the ability to use one cable direct to my PC was going to make my streaming life much easier. What I didn’t account for, however, was how hard this game actually is...
Replaying this game was a lot of fun. But considering the last time I played this game was during its original release (which was about 2002), I almost forgot how difficult it was. The controls and camera angles were more challenging than I remember. But we were up for the challenge, we endured, and we ended up having a fantastic time.
Blue vs Everything
This game makes Blue sweat
Hanging in the Sunshine with Blue
Blue Completes the Game!
ABZÛ (Steam) – This game was recommended by friends. I have never played it before. But after seeing a game trailer for it, I was immediately hooked. The whole game takes place underwater with graphics and gameplay that are akin to the game Journey. And apparently, it’s not a very long game to complete. So I figured, why not? The more games we can play, the merrier! To my surprise, this game was an absolute joy to experience. Words cannot express how much I loved this game. And that’s just it. There are no words, just emotions. This game has all the feels and take you on an underwater adventure. And it was an adventure that will stay with me forever. If you have never played it, I highly recommend it!
An adventure worth experiencing
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS) – In the spring time, I had the opportunity to play The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the Nintendo GameCube with my friend Omega_Apex128 over at his Twitch channel. He controlled Link via the Nintendo GameCube controller and I controlled the Tingle Tuner via the Gameboy Advance link. Playing Wind Waker as a co-op stream was an amazing experience and we had an absolute blast!
Wind Waker co-op was a lot of fun!
Because we had so much fun, and because we already played Wind Waker together months prior before this event, I thought it was fitting that I continue the game with its sequel on the Nintendo DS! What's even cooler is I have the ability to stream Nintendo DS and 3DS games on Twitch thanks to my modded Nintendo 2DS handheld console. And I always love having any excuse to stream with my modded 2DS. I really do enjoy it. Partly because there’s not a lot of people who have the ability to stream DS games, and also because you get to see a game normally found on the smallest of screens become larger than life on your television. So yeah, with the DS there’s an opportunity to play games you don’t normally see on Twitch. But I wouldn't just stream the game. I also really enjoy getting creative and designing templates in Photoshop for the games I’m playing. I got really creative with this game as I found an app that gave me the ability to make sill picture move! It’s the coolest thing ever! Check out the backgrounds behind both me at the top, and the game’s title at the bottom.
The DS was an amazing console!
Fun on the high seas
Icebergs and winter folk on the high seas
Blue completes the game!
Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Xbox) – For me, water graphics started to become very noticeable and beautiful looking when Microsoft came out with their first Xbox console. I had fond memories playing Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball with Derptaku when we were in high school. I wanted to play it again and rekindle some old memories. But sadly, my Xbox wouldn’t read the disk. I even went out and purchased a second copy of the game just in case it was the disk that was the issue. But it turned out that it was my Xbox all along. There were some games it would read well, and, many others including this one, that it would not. Omega_Apex128 was kind enough to offer his services in inspecting the unit for me. He ended up going above and beyond the call of duty as he not only inspected the unit, but he even took it apart on his Twitch Channel live, allowing myself and many others a viewing of the whole process. It was actually pretty awesome to see. It’s not everyday you get to watch your old console get taken apart in front of you on your television!
After his investigation, it looked like it needed a few parts to get the unit back up into better shape. He ended up refurbishing the unit for me and I can’t thank him enough. (This guy is amazing and you should totally go follow him on Twitch.) But in the end, as much as it ran better, it still wasn’t able to read some of my discs including Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Digging even deeper, I also found that this was a game that is not on the backwards compatible list on the Xbox One, nor is there a digital purchase available for this title anywhere either. So, I was sadly sold out of luck on that one. But all was not lost as I came up with a better idea to close out the Summer of Sploosh event.
By going back to where we originally started!
Bioshock 2 (Steam) – I felt that since I started this event with the first Bioshock, it would be fitting to end it with the sequel. And boy what an ending it was! I felt that Bioshock 2 was a great companion to the first game and added even more story and lore to the series. Having the ability to control a Big Daddy this time around, definitely mixes the series up and forces you to look at the same location of Rapture, but through different lenses and different perspectives. I absolutely loved how this game turned out and I even found it splooshier than the first one! The water graphics were abundant and impressive. A perfect way to end the event on a high note.
Welcome Back to Rapture
Summer of Sploosh was an idea. An idea that stemmed from my love for water and was turned into a celebration for amazing games. It was met with great company, lots of laughter, lots of twists and turns, and lots of love and support from you guys. Thank you all for joining in the fun these past few months, making this event something I will always remember.
Sincerely,
BlueNile101
Comments