PHB Specials

PHB Sunday Special: Why You Should Like SUIs

HPuterpop

Hi Gs,

Before you think I’m going crazy, let me explain:

I’m going to initialize the official name of the updated/sound improved islands.  I’m sick and tired of not knowing what to call them whenever I need to… so without further ado, the name shall be “S-U-I”, for sound updated islands.  I’m counting on you viewers to pass it on. 😉

Time Tangled1

So, onto the main subject of this post: why you should like SUIs.  I know most of you don’t.  I certainly didn’t at first either.  Virus Hunter really did it for most people.  It was such a bomb that you guys are scarred for life.  But I hope I can explain to you why I am now rooting for these new islands.  And it’s NOT just because they have soundtracks. 😛

We all know that SUIs are different from the old islands.  Most of you don’t really like any change, and I’m with you.  It takes some time to get used to.  But you really have to open your eyes and try something new to get anywhere.  Poptropica is  an experiment, and one that is working.  And, I acknowledge that the experiment is very popular, and that in most cases the creators don’t really listen to us (the player).

But we also have to acknowledge that the whole game, to most of you guys, is free.  Of course, you can buy extra stuff, but most don’t spend money on this game.  For the most part, Poptropica is a free game.  There are 35 islands to explore and enjoy for free.  You get a whopping 75 credits when you sign up, and you don’t have a barrier if you don’t.  It’s popular because it’s genius, and you can’t deny that.

At first, I was sort of shocked about the new player.  It seemed as if they had made a better game 6 years ago than they did now.  They’re really getting the hang of it, though.  I mentioned in another post that the new islands are becoming stabilized.  It’s starting to feel like Poptropica again.

Pros

happy

  • The new screen really helps.  The islands are supposed to be stories where you are the main character, and thus theatrical, and one way to do that is a bigger screen.  They fixed the “fuzziness” of it in 24 Carrot, and it really lets you appreciate the art more.
  • The gameplay is smooth, and getting more and more life-like.  One major switch with the format is that the islands are separated (the backgrounds and objects have separated layers and overlays now).  This is fun to look at, but it also gives a smoother feel.
  • The soundtrack is amazing.  A page will be up soon with the complete soundtracks of everything.  Stay tuned for that.  I don’t think I need to elaborate on this much, because I’ve expressed my enthusiasm in other posts– and many. 😉
  • The dialogue speed can be adjusted, which is a MAJOR pro.
  • Also, you can access the blimp at any time, which is very nice.

Cons

sad

  • The inventory is not as fun as it used to be, and it’s also very glitchy.  I like the old one better!  Who’s with me?
  • The costumizer STILL isn’t working, and that’s super annoying.  Hopefully they’ll get it up and running soon.
  • Also, the skip dialogue cheat doesn’t work anymore, which really is annoying.
  • And, SLANTING PLATFORMS.  The feet don’t slant when the platform does!  It doesn’t really affect the gameplay, but it is so annoying!

platformmadness

~

Basically, I think we all need to chill.  I think we all need to sit down, read this post, and forgive those horrid creators for giving us something new. 😆  But in all seriousness, I want the community to settle down.  I DON’T want a war to be started, with two sides; one being for the new format, the other for the old. 😛

-HP

Poptropican Portraits

Poptropican Portraits Round 3

HPuterpop

Hi Gs,

You’ve all been waiting for them, and without further ado, round three of Poptropican Portraits!

Also, I have typed up a sort of criteria for the requests, so if you do not follow them, I will not make them;

  • This is how the system works: you leave requests on the post that has the portraits requested last week.  I will only take requests that are left on the latest portrait post.
  • Requests must be made by the owner of the account.  I really would like if people would stop requesting portraits for their friends; if the friends really want them enough, they can come on here and request them.
  • I must have either a username or a link to the avatar studio included in the request. Otherwise, I will have to use a low quality photo from somewhere on the web, which makes the colors different from the actual character.
  • No requesting two times for the same character unless its a specialty.  Sometimes, I will make another one, because I wasn’t pleased with it.  Please tell me in the comments how you liked your portrait!  If you are not pleased, I am very sorry.
  • And whenever you get the portrait, please do something with it?  I really enjoy people enjoying my art, so distribute!  Of course, please credit me, but tell everyone you know about these Poptropican Portraits!
  • Keep in mind that I need you to keep the outfit that you want to be drawn from the time that you request it to the time that it is published.  Otherwise, I will draw something you may not have been expecting!  So please keep that in mind.

If you follow these rules, your request should include a link or username to your character,  perhaps what you are planning to do with it, and of course a please. 😉

Thanks,

-HP

H.P.S. – I’ve been working on a signature, but haven’t perfected it yet. 😀  I’ll start using it soon though.

Mocktropica Island

Mocktropica’s Trash Bin

HPuterpop

Hi Gs,

The cliche trash can rummage was rehashed yet again in Mocktropica, but this time the contents were quite interesting (thanks Nameless UnDEFiNed for the following photo):

the-trash-can-previews

First, they had something I like to call comic relief… and it was VERY comical. 😛 Check out these trashed characters:

But then, they got into some pretty touchy areas. Silver Wolf was the first to point out that one of the folders said plainly: Monster Carnival, NOPE! Does that answer the age old question? It’s a pretty sad answer… I don’t want it to be true…

monster carnival nope

Next, there were two blue print pages scribbled with perhaps scrapped ideas. One of which was promised, although scribbled up…

balloon boy return battle arena

If you play to the end of the game Legendary Swords, a screen pops up that says “Battle Arena, Coming Soon!” But this page is scrunched up. It seems as if they will never continue the Legendary Swords game, which is sorta sad. The game was a cool idea.

Also, this cool idea was introduced: the afro guy as a Poptropica toy! That would be epic.

undefined guy

There were two seemingly binary letters in the trash bin. They were the same thing, and translated to English, they didn’t really mean anything:  n73Y

code

But I sort of wonder if this is some sort of code. It didn’t redeem anything in the Store, and it wasn’t a Multiverse room code. What do you think? If you find anything interesting, tell us! 😀

Lastly, something sort of strange…

when pigs fly

I’ll leave you with that to muse over. 😉

Also, a note for the Poptropican Portraits this week: I’ll be posting them on Saturday, because of the holidays yesterday, and because I have a derp load of requests to draw! 😀

There’s more trivia over on our Mocktropica Island page, so be sure to check that out!

-HP

Viewer's Showcase

Viewer’s Showcase!

HPuterpop

Hi Gs,

For some of you viewers, your ultimate goal is to get featured in a post for finding a glitch, or alerting us about something new… but some of you never get the chance — the once a month Viewer’s Showcase doesn’t require anything but some handy hands!

spotlight

I will be showcasing some of the most awesome art, stories, and blogs in the Poptropica universe on these posts — but I will be the one deciding!  I’ll scour the web to find the best, then let these geniuses have the spotlight!

Art

Silver Wolf, PHB viewer and PTFP owner has took off lately with her sensational new art.  It is quirky but cool, and you can marvel at it for hours.

Looks like I have some competition. 😉

Stories

Comics qualify as novels, and novels are stories.  Cool Berry the Unicorn Cat has been hard it work creating funny little gems that are awesome!

Blog of the Month

This month, We-Love-Poptropica deserves some credit.  It’s not a regular blog, it runs on DeviantArt, and can also be called a group.  Or, a cool and artsy community.  It’s really awesome and I suggest you check it out. 🙂

http://we-love-poptropica.deviantart.com/

Also, Spotted Dragon is having a Christmas and birthday party for her blog over on the PTFP chat; I hope you can come!

—

That’s it, I hope you enjoyed some awesomely unique creativity.  I hope you got a fill of something fresh and new.  😀

-HP

Merchandise, Nintendo DS Game, Reviews

Poptropica Adventures for Nintendo DS: HP’s Review

HPuterpop

Hi Gs,

A while back, Poptropica and Ubisoft released a DS game called Poptropica Adventures. I have a feeling this was an experiment, and also a feeling that this is the first and last one. This was one of the first things that started to get Poptropica to what it is today in a drastic way. Not many online games can say, “Yeah, we have our own DS game.” I finally got to play it, and the results are in! Let’s get to it!

Design

The fact of the matter is, Poptropica didn’t make this game. Ubisoft did. And even if they are game designers, it doesn’t mean they are the Creators.

Character Design

My take on it is, it’s adorable, but it’s not quite right.  The placement of the eyes are strange, and their creepy smile gets to me. But I think it’s adorable because I can’t believe Poptropica has come this far. I don’t know why, but these avatars sorta symbolize that.

Material Design

Nothing much to say about this except it’s the same as the islands.  One thing that’s nice, though, is that the background isn’t pixelated like the actual characters.  I’m not a big Nintendo fan, so I don’t know if this is normal, but it’s still pretty cool.

Story

One thing I can say about the story — it’s definitely Nintendo. Even I know enough about it to recognize it. It doesn’t feel like Poptropica, and the quests are very – not simplistic, but not as intense as the online game. Instead of finding the six magical items for Zeus, you deliver packages for Hermes. Instead of an epic battle between you and Zeus, you have a race with him. Then he’s all like, “Boo hoo, you’re faster than me.” I do see an effort made here, though, like they wanted the connect-the-dots sort of game play to be in there, but just to drown it with little quests…

If you’re wanting the stories for each island, here they are –

Museum Island – A museum is in crisis.  You have to travel to three islands to find artifacts and things to put on display while the curator cleans up.

Super Power Island – Someone has stolen Ned’s comic books. You battle different villains, who each give you a comic book if you defeat them.  But none of them are the ones who stole the comic books. You finally figure out who this thief is… Betty Jetty, after finding pieces of a picture of the thief that were torn up (but by who?).

Mythology Island – Hermes (Zeus’s son) has lost his flying hat. He is the postman of the mythology world, so you get sent to deliver packages to Hades, Poseidon, and lastly Artemis — but she can’t take the package until she can catch and give a deer back to its owner. When you catch it, you will obtain Hermes’s hat, which you bring back to Hermes.  Then Zeus will show up, and you will race him, and that’s the end.

Astro-Knights Island – The king has been acting strange ever since a strange visitor from the sky visited. You are sent on a mission to find out why. He turns out to be a robot droid, and you have to rescue the real king from Binary Bard (who is totally cute in this version!). You defeat him by, you guessed it, racing him, then leave the king there, because he won’t go back… then you have to deal with the robot king that does a little dance when you talk to him… yup.

Controls

The controls are surprisingly similar to the online game. They are exactly like they should be for a Poptropica arcade game. They use the control pad (obviously), and the character bounces around perfectly!

Soundtrack

This was the first time that Poptropica ever had sound affiliated with it, not counting trailers! I think it may have sparked some ideas leading up to present day, but what about the soundtrack itself? The word that describes it best is “lonely”. I don’t know why, but it just feels lonely. They are good soundtracks, but 1) they get annoying after a while, and 2) there are not many.  They are awkward, but they seem to fit in a sad way… but let’s just say that Jeff Heim does a better job.

—

So there you have it! Is it worth getting?  It depends on who you are. If you are a die-hard Poptropica fan, then yeah, you’ll enjoy it. If you are not… I advise getting something else. I finished it in two days. Did I enjoy it? Slightly. What do you think?

-HP