Heh. "Extra Credits," one of those shows what uses lots of big words, gave "The Game OverThinker" a plug at the top of their newest episode.
I'm sure The OverThinker is totally grateful - or, at least he would be if I hadn't exiled him to a haunted forest in rural Minnesota ;)
Kamis, 30 Desember 2010
Rabu, 15 Desember 2010
Selasa, 14 Desember 2010
MobileDev.1.upload.@utopost.security.652.v.ep43.
low sig. no bars. dont no time.
do not bleve him. do not let win.
not lose hope
--TGO
do not bleve him. do not let win.
not lose hope
--TGO
Senin, 13 Desember 2010
Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver Review
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Role-Playing
Developed By: Game Freak
Published By: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver are remakes of Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver made in 1999. The games take place in the Johto and Kanto Regions. The player controls the protagonist, who is from New Bark Town. In that town lives a man called Professor Elm, who asks for a favor from the player. The professor thinks that walking with a pokemon increases the pokemon's friendship with the trainer. He asks the player to help him with this experiment. While he talks, the professor receives a "urgent" email from his friend Mr. Pokemon. Because Professor Elm can't leave the lab, he asks the player to choose a pokemon and go in his place. When the player gets to Mr. Pokemon's house, he receives the item, and meets Professor Oak who gives the player the pokedex. As soon as the player leaves the house, they receive a frantic message from Professor Elm to return to the lab immediately. Before the player gets there, they battle a mysterious trainer, and after defeating him, continues to the lab. There the player finds out that the trainer he fought stole a pokemon from the lab. After giving the name to the officer who is reporting the crime, the player talks to Professor Elm, who recommends that they should battle the gym leaders of Johto, and try to be the best trainer of all time. Thus, the player's adventure begins.
Single or Multiplayer: The game itself is a single player game. However, you have the option to battle and trade with other people through the DS connection or through Nintendo WFC. This can be used to get pokemon that you can not obtain and to battle for fun. There are other things you could do with other players as well, like playing certain minigames.
Difficulty: The game is not really that difficult. It's really easier for people who have played a pokemon game before, but even new people can understand and learn quickly.
Age: The game has nothing in it that someone can consider inappropriate for young children. But you do need to know how to read, and understand how to do certain things that may be a little too difficult for the young audience. So the game should be played by kids 8+.
Game Length: The game is extremely long. The player is suppose to defeat the gym leaders of Johto, but gets side tracked many times. And after you think you have beaten the game, there is even more to unlock. And don't forget trying to collect all 493 pokemon available.
Replay: The game would be a very good game to replay. However, many people get really far in the game, and put a lot of time and effort into it, so many choose not to start a new game, but get the other version instead.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are amazing. The adding of the beautiful 3D world into a 2D game was a brilliant idea. The colors and the looks of the whole world is amazing, and adds a lot to the game.
Star 1 through 5: ***** = 5 stars
Final Thoughts: Pokemon Heartgold and Pokemon SoulSilver are two of the best Pokemon games of all time. Whether you are new to the series or been around since Red and Blue, you will enjoy these games either way. With all the new things to do, you will be entertained for a long time, and will not stop playing until you catch them all.
Genre: Role-Playing
Developed By: Game Freak
Published By: Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver are remakes of Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver made in 1999. The games take place in the Johto and Kanto Regions. The player controls the protagonist, who is from New Bark Town. In that town lives a man called Professor Elm, who asks for a favor from the player. The professor thinks that walking with a pokemon increases the pokemon's friendship with the trainer. He asks the player to help him with this experiment. While he talks, the professor receives a "urgent" email from his friend Mr. Pokemon. Because Professor Elm can't leave the lab, he asks the player to choose a pokemon and go in his place. When the player gets to Mr. Pokemon's house, he receives the item, and meets Professor Oak who gives the player the pokedex. As soon as the player leaves the house, they receive a frantic message from Professor Elm to return to the lab immediately. Before the player gets there, they battle a mysterious trainer, and after defeating him, continues to the lab. There the player finds out that the trainer he fought stole a pokemon from the lab. After giving the name to the officer who is reporting the crime, the player talks to Professor Elm, who recommends that they should battle the gym leaders of Johto, and try to be the best trainer of all time. Thus, the player's adventure begins.
Single or Multiplayer: The game itself is a single player game. However, you have the option to battle and trade with other people through the DS connection or through Nintendo WFC. This can be used to get pokemon that you can not obtain and to battle for fun. There are other things you could do with other players as well, like playing certain minigames.
Difficulty: The game is not really that difficult. It's really easier for people who have played a pokemon game before, but even new people can understand and learn quickly.
Age: The game has nothing in it that someone can consider inappropriate for young children. But you do need to know how to read, and understand how to do certain things that may be a little too difficult for the young audience. So the game should be played by kids 8+.
Game Length: The game is extremely long. The player is suppose to defeat the gym leaders of Johto, but gets side tracked many times. And after you think you have beaten the game, there is even more to unlock. And don't forget trying to collect all 493 pokemon available.
Replay: The game would be a very good game to replay. However, many people get really far in the game, and put a lot of time and effort into it, so many choose not to start a new game, but get the other version instead.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are amazing. The adding of the beautiful 3D world into a 2D game was a brilliant idea. The colors and the looks of the whole world is amazing, and adds a lot to the game.
Star 1 through 5: ***** = 5 stars
Final Thoughts: Pokemon Heartgold and Pokemon SoulSilver are two of the best Pokemon games of all time. Whether you are new to the series or been around since Red and Blue, you will enjoy these games either way. With all the new things to do, you will be entertained for a long time, and will not stop playing until you catch them all.
Minggu, 12 Desember 2010
Harvest Moon Animal Parade Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Simulation
Published By: Natsume
Developed By: Marvelous Interactive
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Harvest Moon Animal Parade is another game part of the Harvest Moon Series. It is the second game on the Wii and it has the same character designer of Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility. When you start a game, you get to choose between playing as a male or female, and there are two designs for each gender. The game begins with you on your way to your new farm. Cain, the man who is bringing you there, asks you several questions, like your name and birthday. Finn, a harvest sprite that is with you through the whole game, also reminds you that when you get to the farm, to go visit the Harvest Goddess. Soon, you arrive at your farm, which isn't in good shape. Mayor Hamilton comes to welcome you, and explains a bit to you. After seeing the inside of your house, you finally gain control of your character. Then, after meeting the Harvest Goddess (takes some work), you are told about the problem in this land, and how you are the only one who can fix it. While the object of the game is to do this, you also can focus on other things, like raising a successful farm/ranch. This gives you many different goals while you play the game.
Single or Multiplayer: The game is mainly a single player game. However, you can have another person with a second Wiimote, help you raise your friendship with characters and animals in the game. This can help you raise the bachelor/bachelorettes who you wish to marry.
Difficulty: The game is not difficult at all really. The game is mainly focuses on the character life, which is easy once you learn all the basics. Also, everything that you have to do is explained, either by a character or a book, so it is easy to learn or remind yourself what to do next.
Age: The game is rated for everyone, however the game might be a tiny difficult for younger children. With all the things having to be done, it also can get confusing for them, and even older children. Therefore, the game should be played by kids 12+.
Game Length: The game's length can either be short or long depending on how you decide to play it through. If you focus more on the main quest, then the game can be a little shorter. However, if you focus more on making a successful farm, then the game can be longer, because you would need money to start you off, and have a good friendship with your farm animals, and able to spend at least half of the day taking care of crops. This gives you the choice on what to do during your farm life.
Replay: This Harvest Moon is not really a replay type of game, due to what happens after you beat the main storyline and get married. There are some people who do play the game over after that though.
Effects/Graphics: The game's graphics are pretty good, though they are basically the same as Tree of Tranquility. But the effects, such as the sound, are better, comparing to previous Harvest Moon games.
Rating 1 through 5: **** = 4 stars
Final Thoughts: This game is a great addition to the Harvest Moon series. People who didn't play Tree of Tranquility should have a different experience if they have played other Harvest Moon games. Though if you did play Tree of Tranquility, then the game might be seem a little similar, with the same characters and the same looks. But besides this, it is also I big improvement, with all the new features, and a good storyline. Therefore, the game is another similar, but unique addition to the series, and to one's collection.
Genre: Simulation
Published By: Natsume
Developed By: Marvelous Interactive
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Harvest Moon Animal Parade is another game part of the Harvest Moon Series. It is the second game on the Wii and it has the same character designer of Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility. When you start a game, you get to choose between playing as a male or female, and there are two designs for each gender. The game begins with you on your way to your new farm. Cain, the man who is bringing you there, asks you several questions, like your name and birthday. Finn, a harvest sprite that is with you through the whole game, also reminds you that when you get to the farm, to go visit the Harvest Goddess. Soon, you arrive at your farm, which isn't in good shape. Mayor Hamilton comes to welcome you, and explains a bit to you. After seeing the inside of your house, you finally gain control of your character. Then, after meeting the Harvest Goddess (takes some work), you are told about the problem in this land, and how you are the only one who can fix it. While the object of the game is to do this, you also can focus on other things, like raising a successful farm/ranch. This gives you many different goals while you play the game.
Single or Multiplayer: The game is mainly a single player game. However, you can have another person with a second Wiimote, help you raise your friendship with characters and animals in the game. This can help you raise the bachelor/bachelorettes who you wish to marry.
Difficulty: The game is not difficult at all really. The game is mainly focuses on the character life, which is easy once you learn all the basics. Also, everything that you have to do is explained, either by a character or a book, so it is easy to learn or remind yourself what to do next.
Age: The game is rated for everyone, however the game might be a tiny difficult for younger children. With all the things having to be done, it also can get confusing for them, and even older children. Therefore, the game should be played by kids 12+.
Game Length: The game's length can either be short or long depending on how you decide to play it through. If you focus more on the main quest, then the game can be a little shorter. However, if you focus more on making a successful farm, then the game can be longer, because you would need money to start you off, and have a good friendship with your farm animals, and able to spend at least half of the day taking care of crops. This gives you the choice on what to do during your farm life.
Replay: This Harvest Moon is not really a replay type of game, due to what happens after you beat the main storyline and get married. There are some people who do play the game over after that though.
Effects/Graphics: The game's graphics are pretty good, though they are basically the same as Tree of Tranquility. But the effects, such as the sound, are better, comparing to previous Harvest Moon games.
Rating 1 through 5: **** = 4 stars
Final Thoughts: This game is a great addition to the Harvest Moon series. People who didn't play Tree of Tranquility should have a different experience if they have played other Harvest Moon games. Though if you did play Tree of Tranquility, then the game might be seem a little similar, with the same characters and the same looks. But besides this, it is also I big improvement, with all the new features, and a good storyline. Therefore, the game is another similar, but unique addition to the series, and to one's collection.
Super Mario Galaxy Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Platform
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Super Mario Galaxy is a very unique game in the Mario Series. It has many features and abilities that older Mario games to do not have. The plot begins with a small story involving the Star festival that occurs every 1000 years. The game then starts showing Mario's letter from Princess Peach saying that she would like to give him something at the Star Festival. Mario is shown, pretending to fly and heading to the festival. He meets several Toads along the way, and seeing pieces of star bits falling all over the place which he can grab by touching or with the cursor. When Mario gets close to where Princess Peach is located, fireballs from the sky suddenly start shooting down towards the land. The fireballs come from several flying ships, all led by Bowser. Bowser then uses an ufo shaped ship to draw a beam of light around Peach's Castle. The ships then attach several strong hooks to the grounds of the castle, which pulls the castle out of the ground and into space. But before that could happen, Mario had reached the castle's entrance. Unfortunately, Bowser's assistant realizes Mario is there and attacks the ground beneath his feet, which knocks Mario unconscious and sends him drifting off into space. He reaches a small planet, and after a quick game with some cute bunny-like creatures, he meets a young woman name Rosalina, who tells him how to save Princess Peach. Mario learns what Bowser's plan was, and what he has to do in order to save the Princess. Mario is sent on a long and different journey, one that he has never experienced before, that will take him to many types of worlds, in order to stop Bowser's disastrous plan, and save the Princess once again.
Single or Multiplayer: The game is mainly a single player game, however another player can help the first one by using another wiimote. This will place another cursor on the screen, which can acts as the first player's cursor. It can grab star bits, and shot them at enemies, so they will not attack Mario, so the first player can complete the levels without getting too much distracted by the enemies. However, this is not necessary, but it does make the game slightly a bit easier.
Difficulty: The game's first few worlds are pretty easy, and they show the player what to do and how to do it for the first time. But as you progress through the game, the worlds and puzzles tend to get extremely harder, especially close to the final boss. And after you complete the main storyline, the new improved worlds are even harder then the old worlds. But if you complete all of them in the game, there is a very great prize at the end, which shocks most first time players.
Age: The game has been rated for everyone by the ESRB. Though this game can be played by anyone at any age, the game can be harder to young children, and as the game progresses, they get even more difficult to beat due to the many puzzles. So, the game should be played by kids around 10+.
Game Length: The main game is pretty long, especially for first time players. But even experienced players take long to complete the storyline because of the many worlds, and the puzzles you have to do in order to beat them. Plus, after you complete the main storyline, there is more challenges to unlock, like completing every world in the game. But for those player who stick, as said above, there is a prize at the end that many people enjoy.
Replay: The game is not the type of game to replay, due to the prize at the end, but some people due tend to play the game all over.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are amazing in this Mario game, and the unique levels and characters really add to the fun and design of the game. The effects are great as well, with Mario's new moves, and new clothes which change his moves, is definitely a plus.
Rating 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Mario Galaxy is an excellent game, whether you are new to Mario games, or an old time player from the very beginning. There is no other Mario game, or anything game like it, and will keep you busy for a long time. With all the different features and abilities new to this game, no Mario game can compare themselves to Super Mario Galaxy, and this game will be an excellent addition to any Mario or video game collector's collection.
Genre: Platform
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Super Mario Galaxy is a very unique game in the Mario Series. It has many features and abilities that older Mario games to do not have. The plot begins with a small story involving the Star festival that occurs every 1000 years. The game then starts showing Mario's letter from Princess Peach saying that she would like to give him something at the Star Festival. Mario is shown, pretending to fly and heading to the festival. He meets several Toads along the way, and seeing pieces of star bits falling all over the place which he can grab by touching or with the cursor. When Mario gets close to where Princess Peach is located, fireballs from the sky suddenly start shooting down towards the land. The fireballs come from several flying ships, all led by Bowser. Bowser then uses an ufo shaped ship to draw a beam of light around Peach's Castle. The ships then attach several strong hooks to the grounds of the castle, which pulls the castle out of the ground and into space. But before that could happen, Mario had reached the castle's entrance. Unfortunately, Bowser's assistant realizes Mario is there and attacks the ground beneath his feet, which knocks Mario unconscious and sends him drifting off into space. He reaches a small planet, and after a quick game with some cute bunny-like creatures, he meets a young woman name Rosalina, who tells him how to save Princess Peach. Mario learns what Bowser's plan was, and what he has to do in order to save the Princess. Mario is sent on a long and different journey, one that he has never experienced before, that will take him to many types of worlds, in order to stop Bowser's disastrous plan, and save the Princess once again.
Single or Multiplayer: The game is mainly a single player game, however another player can help the first one by using another wiimote. This will place another cursor on the screen, which can acts as the first player's cursor. It can grab star bits, and shot them at enemies, so they will not attack Mario, so the first player can complete the levels without getting too much distracted by the enemies. However, this is not necessary, but it does make the game slightly a bit easier.
Difficulty: The game's first few worlds are pretty easy, and they show the player what to do and how to do it for the first time. But as you progress through the game, the worlds and puzzles tend to get extremely harder, especially close to the final boss. And after you complete the main storyline, the new improved worlds are even harder then the old worlds. But if you complete all of them in the game, there is a very great prize at the end, which shocks most first time players.
Age: The game has been rated for everyone by the ESRB. Though this game can be played by anyone at any age, the game can be harder to young children, and as the game progresses, they get even more difficult to beat due to the many puzzles. So, the game should be played by kids around 10+.
Game Length: The main game is pretty long, especially for first time players. But even experienced players take long to complete the storyline because of the many worlds, and the puzzles you have to do in order to beat them. Plus, after you complete the main storyline, there is more challenges to unlock, like completing every world in the game. But for those player who stick, as said above, there is a prize at the end that many people enjoy.
Replay: The game is not the type of game to replay, due to the prize at the end, but some people due tend to play the game all over.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are amazing in this Mario game, and the unique levels and characters really add to the fun and design of the game. The effects are great as well, with Mario's new moves, and new clothes which change his moves, is definitely a plus.
Rating 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Mario Galaxy is an excellent game, whether you are new to Mario games, or an old time player from the very beginning. There is no other Mario game, or anything game like it, and will keep you busy for a long time. With all the different features and abilities new to this game, no Mario game can compare themselves to Super Mario Galaxy, and this game will be an excellent addition to any Mario or video game collector's collection.
NEW EPISODE Coming Soon
Alright, I know, I let it go longer than a month again. But this time there's an explanation. A good one.
I can't really say too much right as of now. The new episode is coming, hopefully this week. See... it WOULD'VE been up two weeks ago. We had it all set to go - but something happened. The research into that week's topic, which I honestly thought would be a quick fun/jokey episode, turned up something pretty startling that I don't think anyone has ever reported on before. So we had to do some further work - some of which is still underway - to work this new information in.
Again, I can't say too much; but rest assured that everything you THOUGHT you knew about The Game OverThinker, the gaming scene and even the very nature of the universe is about to change - perhaps forever.
Stay tuned.
I can't really say too much right as of now. The new episode is coming, hopefully this week. See... it WOULD'VE been up two weeks ago. We had it all set to go - but something happened. The research into that week's topic, which I honestly thought would be a quick fun/jokey episode, turned up something pretty startling that I don't think anyone has ever reported on before. So we had to do some further work - some of which is still underway - to work this new information in.
Again, I can't say too much; but rest assured that everything you THOUGHT you knew about The Game OverThinker, the gaming scene and even the very nature of the universe is about to change - perhaps forever.
Stay tuned.
BREAKING NEWS: Spike VGA's Dominated By American Games, Shooters and Fan-Service! ALSO: Water Wet, Grass Green!
I'm sorry, but Music Games should not be qualified for a "best soundtrack" award. They don't let a Greatest Hit's compilation compete for a Grammy, do they?
Nice to see Epic Yarn at least nominated for Best Graphics.
Incidentally, YES there will be a new episode coming soon - hopefully this week.
Nice to see Epic Yarn at least nominated for Best Graphics.
Incidentally, YES there will be a new episode coming soon - hopefully this week.
Sabtu, 11 Desember 2010
Super Paper Mario Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Platform, Role-Playing
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Intelligent Systems
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Super Paper Mario is the third installation in the Paper Mario Series. Originally designed for the Nintendo Gamecube, it was released on the Nintendo Wii. The story begins with Mario and Luigi are in there house talking about how peaceful it has been lately. They then decide to visit Princess Peach at her castle, but right when they leave their house, a Toad comes running to them saying that the princess has been kidnapped. Mario and Luigi automatically suspect Bowser, but when they go to his castle, they realize that Bowser did not do the kidnapping, but the true one was a person calling himself Count Bleck. Mario tries to attack Count Bleck, but Count Bleck is surrounded by a shield which Mario can not penetrate. Count Bleck then attacks Mario with some kind of shadow attack, knocking him unconscious. Count Bleck decides to take Bowser, his minions, and unfortunately, Luigi as well. Mario is left all alone in Bowser's Castle, where a weird type of fairy like creature called a Pixl, named Tippi, awakens him and takes him to a unique town called Flipside. There, he learns about Count Bleck's true intentions, and that Mario is the only one who could stop him. Mario is set on a quest to find eight Pure Hearts and stop Count Bleck from completing his evil plot.
Single or Multiplayer: The entire game is a single player game. However, you can have up to 4 different save files.
Difficulty: The game is easy at first, you only know how to do a few things, and they tell you how and what to do next. They also explain a lot of the story through talking, so the only thing you really need is to know how to read. But as the game continues, the enemies get harder, and the puzzles are longer to do.
Age: As stated above, the only thing you need to know is a reading level, so the game can be played by anyone. Though some of the bosses are a little creepy looking, so young children (7 or below) should not play the game.
Game Length: The game is pretty long, depending if you don't know how to play it. Even if you have played it before, it is sometimes difficult to remember the answer to all the puzzles, so to beat the game's main storyline, it should take several hours.
Replay: This game is the type of game you would want to play again, due to the humor throughout the game, and the storyline is very interesting, so you would like to play it at least one more time.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are very unique because the ability take turn the 2d world into 3d is a interesting feature, and the effects are good as well. But the use of the Wii's motion control is barely used, unless to use items and little stuff like that.
Star 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Paper Mario has been seen as a great and unique game, with a storyline that will keep you busy. It has had great reviews on popular gaming websites, and in game magazines. Other people has have an excellent experience with this game, especially the humor adds more fun into. However, the game doesn't really feel like a Wii game because of the lack of use of the motion controls. But even though it the doesn't have this feature, it is still a fun game, and should definitely be added to a Mario fans collection.
Genre: Platform, Role-Playing
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Intelligent Systems
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Super Paper Mario is the third installation in the Paper Mario Series. Originally designed for the Nintendo Gamecube, it was released on the Nintendo Wii. The story begins with Mario and Luigi are in there house talking about how peaceful it has been lately. They then decide to visit Princess Peach at her castle, but right when they leave their house, a Toad comes running to them saying that the princess has been kidnapped. Mario and Luigi automatically suspect Bowser, but when they go to his castle, they realize that Bowser did not do the kidnapping, but the true one was a person calling himself Count Bleck. Mario tries to attack Count Bleck, but Count Bleck is surrounded by a shield which Mario can not penetrate. Count Bleck then attacks Mario with some kind of shadow attack, knocking him unconscious. Count Bleck decides to take Bowser, his minions, and unfortunately, Luigi as well. Mario is left all alone in Bowser's Castle, where a weird type of fairy like creature called a Pixl, named Tippi, awakens him and takes him to a unique town called Flipside. There, he learns about Count Bleck's true intentions, and that Mario is the only one who could stop him. Mario is set on a quest to find eight Pure Hearts and stop Count Bleck from completing his evil plot.
Single or Multiplayer: The entire game is a single player game. However, you can have up to 4 different save files.
Difficulty: The game is easy at first, you only know how to do a few things, and they tell you how and what to do next. They also explain a lot of the story through talking, so the only thing you really need is to know how to read. But as the game continues, the enemies get harder, and the puzzles are longer to do.
Age: As stated above, the only thing you need to know is a reading level, so the game can be played by anyone. Though some of the bosses are a little creepy looking, so young children (7 or below) should not play the game.
Game Length: The game is pretty long, depending if you don't know how to play it. Even if you have played it before, it is sometimes difficult to remember the answer to all the puzzles, so to beat the game's main storyline, it should take several hours.
Replay: This game is the type of game you would want to play again, due to the humor throughout the game, and the storyline is very interesting, so you would like to play it at least one more time.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are very unique because the ability take turn the 2d world into 3d is a interesting feature, and the effects are good as well. But the use of the Wii's motion control is barely used, unless to use items and little stuff like that.
Star 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Paper Mario has been seen as a great and unique game, with a storyline that will keep you busy. It has had great reviews on popular gaming websites, and in game magazines. Other people has have an excellent experience with this game, especially the humor adds more fun into. However, the game doesn't really feel like a Wii game because of the lack of use of the motion controls. But even though it the doesn't have this feature, it is still a fun game, and should definitely be added to a Mario fans collection.
Kamis, 09 Desember 2010
Super Smash Bros Brawl Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Fighting/Action
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Ad hoc development team
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Super Smash Bros Brawl is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros Series. Many things improved from the switch to the Wii console. Brawl has more playable characters then Super Smash Bros. Melee, and it is the first in the series to allow the player to control a third-party character. Brawl also brought a more longer single player mode known as The Subspace Emissary (SSE). And of course included a Multiplayer mode, and is able to be played with a choice of four different controllers: Gamecube Controller, Classic Controller, Wiimote, Wiimote AND Nunchuck. The game also brought a brand new item that unlocks a character's final smash move. This move can do a variety of things depending on the character, but mainly it causes enough damage to send the foe off stage or raise the foe's percentage higher. This and many other new items have been brought into the game and has made Brawl a bit more challenging.
Single or Multiplayer: A player is able to play the game in either single or a multiplayer mode. A player can do SSE by themselves, or battle through one of the traditional single modes. However, even if a player has no one around to play with, the game can connect to Nintendo WFC, where the player has a choice of fighting someone (s)he exchanged friend codes with, or a random player who is also connected to WFC. This makes each WFC experience different.
Difficulty: In almost all of the game modes, you have a choice of what difficulty level you play in. They range from easy to intense. The higher the level, the more aggressive they get and harder to defeat.
Age: This game is recommend for young teens (14+). The reason for this is that it is still a fighting game. However, there is nothing inappropriate shown throughout the entire game. The crude humor and cartoon violence is nothing to worry about if little kids happen to see it.
Game Length: The only part of the game where there is a certain length is The Subspace Emissary Mode. There, the game takes a few hours to complete, shorter if you are an expert at the game. The rest of the game is just random fighting, so there is no real goal except to test your skills and gain new items.
Replay: Like before, the only part of the game where you would want to replay is The Subspace Emissary. The other parts of the game you can also replay using different characters to master their strengths and learn about their weaknesses. This can help when you are playing an actual person.
Effect/Graphics: The graphics of the game is amazingly good for a wii game, and very advance compare to the other Super Smash Bros games. Also, the sound effects is very realistic, and it is fun to sometimes push the buttons that make the character you are playing as gloat at your opponent, especially when you are fighting an actual person. The Final Smash Moves Graphics and Effects are even better then the other parts, and the stages based on other video games are almost exact the same.
Star 1 through 5: ***** = 5 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Smash Bros Brawl added many new features and elements to the Super Smash Bros Series. With all the different ways to play, different courses, and many characters to choose from, each time you play the game will always be different from the last. This game has the ability to keep you entertain for hours, and is rated high in other review companies. Super Smash Bros Brawl is good for a single person or, even better, a group of people challenging each other just for fun. Overall, the game is a must have for anybody who has a Nintendo Wii.
Genre: Fighting/Action
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Ad hoc development team
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Super Smash Bros Brawl is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros Series. Many things improved from the switch to the Wii console. Brawl has more playable characters then Super Smash Bros. Melee, and it is the first in the series to allow the player to control a third-party character. Brawl also brought a more longer single player mode known as The Subspace Emissary (SSE). And of course included a Multiplayer mode, and is able to be played with a choice of four different controllers: Gamecube Controller, Classic Controller, Wiimote, Wiimote AND Nunchuck. The game also brought a brand new item that unlocks a character's final smash move. This move can do a variety of things depending on the character, but mainly it causes enough damage to send the foe off stage or raise the foe's percentage higher. This and many other new items have been brought into the game and has made Brawl a bit more challenging.
Single or Multiplayer: A player is able to play the game in either single or a multiplayer mode. A player can do SSE by themselves, or battle through one of the traditional single modes. However, even if a player has no one around to play with, the game can connect to Nintendo WFC, where the player has a choice of fighting someone (s)he exchanged friend codes with, or a random player who is also connected to WFC. This makes each WFC experience different.
Difficulty: In almost all of the game modes, you have a choice of what difficulty level you play in. They range from easy to intense. The higher the level, the more aggressive they get and harder to defeat.
Age: This game is recommend for young teens (14+). The reason for this is that it is still a fighting game. However, there is nothing inappropriate shown throughout the entire game. The crude humor and cartoon violence is nothing to worry about if little kids happen to see it.
Game Length: The only part of the game where there is a certain length is The Subspace Emissary Mode. There, the game takes a few hours to complete, shorter if you are an expert at the game. The rest of the game is just random fighting, so there is no real goal except to test your skills and gain new items.
Replay: Like before, the only part of the game where you would want to replay is The Subspace Emissary. The other parts of the game you can also replay using different characters to master their strengths and learn about their weaknesses. This can help when you are playing an actual person.
Effect/Graphics: The graphics of the game is amazingly good for a wii game, and very advance compare to the other Super Smash Bros games. Also, the sound effects is very realistic, and it is fun to sometimes push the buttons that make the character you are playing as gloat at your opponent, especially when you are fighting an actual person. The Final Smash Moves Graphics and Effects are even better then the other parts, and the stages based on other video games are almost exact the same.
Star 1 through 5: ***** = 5 stars
Final Thoughts: Super Smash Bros Brawl added many new features and elements to the Super Smash Bros Series. With all the different ways to play, different courses, and many characters to choose from, each time you play the game will always be different from the last. This game has the ability to keep you entertain for hours, and is rated high in other review companies. Super Smash Bros Brawl is good for a single person or, even better, a group of people challenging each other just for fun. Overall, the game is a must have for anybody who has a Nintendo Wii.
Guitar Hero III Legends Of Rock Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii/Playstation 2/Playstation 3/Xbox 360/PC/Mac OS X
Genre: Music
Published By: Activision
Developed By:
Neversoft (Xbox 360 & PS3)
Aspyr Media (PC & Mac)
Vicarious Visions (Wii)
Budcat Creations (PS2)
RedOctane (PS2)
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Guitar Hero III is the third main game in the Guitar Hero Series and the fourth title overall. The game has over 70 different songs, many of them are master tracks. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version can also download songs. The game as a single player Career Mode. There, the player can unlock new songs, clothing, characters, guitars etc. by playing scores. The higher your score and star rating, the more money you gain at the end of the song.
The Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii versions also have a multiplayer mode where you can play against players through the system's network service. Multiplayer mode can be played with up to 2 players. The final song in the game has been rated the most difficult of all songs in the Guitar Hero Series.
Difficulty: When in Career Mode, you are able to choose the difficulty of the songs you will play. Easy is the Easiest and Expert is the hardest. The higher the difficulty you choose, the more use of the other buttons and the song's notes go much quicker. At any given difficulty level, as you progress in Career Mode, the songs do tend to get harder.
Age: The game is rated teen due to mild suggestive themes and some of the lyrics being slightly inappropriate. The audience it is mostly likely targeting is young teens (14+) who would not take the suggestions seriously. The lyrics are not very inappropriate, and can be played without worrying about them.
Game Length: The game can be long or short. It depends all on your skill in the game. If you are new any Guitar Hero game, then you might have some trouble starting out, especially if you start at a high difficulty level. However, if you have played and succeeded in Guitar Hero before, then the game should be shorter, but it still depends whether or not you are able to play at the level you choose.
Replay: After you beat all the songs in one difficulty level, you have the option of going to another level. You will play the same songs, but they will be harder or easier depending on the level you choose. This lets you be able to play the game for several hours, as there are a certain amount of songs in Career Mode. Also, in Multiplayer mode, you will rarely get bored, due to the 3 different modes, and able to play with anyone else in the world through the console network service.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are pretty good and realistic, and the main singer changes when the song is sang my a male or female. The Star Power Effect is very helpful when you are starting to fail a song. It can help you get you Rock Meter a little higher, which gives you more time to raise it yourself.
Out of 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Guitar Hero III is an excellent addition to the Guitar Hero Series. With the ability to play with other players and the new Career Mode, the game has a options depending on what type of player you are. Even if you played a previous Guitar Hero game, you will still be able to get an enjoyable experience with these new features. This game is good for people who are into music and singing, or just wants to try a unique video game then the common games on today's consoles.
Genre: Music
Published By: Activision
Developed By:
Neversoft (Xbox 360 & PS3)
Aspyr Media (PC & Mac)
Vicarious Visions (Wii)
Budcat Creations (PS2)
RedOctane (PS2)
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Guitar Hero III is the third main game in the Guitar Hero Series and the fourth title overall. The game has over 70 different songs, many of them are master tracks. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version can also download songs. The game as a single player Career Mode. There, the player can unlock new songs, clothing, characters, guitars etc. by playing scores. The higher your score and star rating, the more money you gain at the end of the song.
The Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii versions also have a multiplayer mode where you can play against players through the system's network service. Multiplayer mode can be played with up to 2 players. The final song in the game has been rated the most difficult of all songs in the Guitar Hero Series.
Difficulty: When in Career Mode, you are able to choose the difficulty of the songs you will play. Easy is the Easiest and Expert is the hardest. The higher the difficulty you choose, the more use of the other buttons and the song's notes go much quicker. At any given difficulty level, as you progress in Career Mode, the songs do tend to get harder.
Age: The game is rated teen due to mild suggestive themes and some of the lyrics being slightly inappropriate. The audience it is mostly likely targeting is young teens (14+) who would not take the suggestions seriously. The lyrics are not very inappropriate, and can be played without worrying about them.
Game Length: The game can be long or short. It depends all on your skill in the game. If you are new any Guitar Hero game, then you might have some trouble starting out, especially if you start at a high difficulty level. However, if you have played and succeeded in Guitar Hero before, then the game should be shorter, but it still depends whether or not you are able to play at the level you choose.
Replay: After you beat all the songs in one difficulty level, you have the option of going to another level. You will play the same songs, but they will be harder or easier depending on the level you choose. This lets you be able to play the game for several hours, as there are a certain amount of songs in Career Mode. Also, in Multiplayer mode, you will rarely get bored, due to the 3 different modes, and able to play with anyone else in the world through the console network service.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are pretty good and realistic, and the main singer changes when the song is sang my a male or female. The Star Power Effect is very helpful when you are starting to fail a song. It can help you get you Rock Meter a little higher, which gives you more time to raise it yourself.
Out of 1 through 5: **** = 4 1/2 stars
Final Thoughts: Guitar Hero III is an excellent addition to the Guitar Hero Series. With the ability to play with other players and the new Career Mode, the game has a options depending on what type of player you are. Even if you played a previous Guitar Hero game, you will still be able to get an enjoyable experience with these new features. This game is good for people who are into music and singing, or just wants to try a unique video game then the common games on today's consoles.
Rabu, 08 Desember 2010
Animal Crossing City Folk Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Simulation
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Nintendo EAD
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Animal Crossing City Folk is the third installment in the Animal Crossing Series. Like the previous games, the game takes place in a town which the player gets to name. Each town looks slightly different then other ones. The player then answers several other questions, which determine what their character will look like. This all happens on a school bus headed to the town. After you get there, you head to the Town Hall to get a map of the town, which helps you locate one of the few houses in the town. Once you find the house for you, a raccoon like animal name Tom Nook will appear and tell you how much how the house cost. He will then say that he will hire you part time to help you learn about living in this town. This "tutorial" has been used in all of the Animal Crossing games. After you finally finish the part time job, you are released to do basically anything you want in the game. There is no real main object, but several small things that you can try to accomplish, such as catching all the fish and bugs in a town. The main thing that makes this game different from the previous games was the addition to a city. In the city, there are unique shops and characters that only appear there. You can take the school bus there anytime. Also, like the games before it, the games' clock is based on real life time (or the time set on your wii system), and has the four seasons that last for about 3 months each. This helps because some insects and fish can only be captured in different times of the day and different seasons. What happens in the game is completely up to you as the player.
Single or Multiplayer: The game can be played with just a single player. Up to four players can live in one Animal Crossing Town, but those four players are unable to see each other at any time. However, if you register somebody's Animal Crossing friend code, you can visit their town (or vice versa) when both you and your friend is on using Nintendo WFC. The game originally came bundled with the Wii Speak accessory, which is used specifically through Nintendo WFC. This is used to talk to the player as if they were in the same room as you.
Difficulty: Animal Crossing City Folk, like the other Animal Crossing games, are fairly easy to play. Since there is no main objection in the game, you can choose any path you want to, some being easier then others. The thing you mostly need is the ability to read. Other then that, you do not need any other skill to play this game.
Age: The game is rated E for Everyone having only comic mischief. The game can be played by young children and as long as they have a basic reading level, they can 'master' this game like everyone else.
Game Length: The game has no real ending. The game continues for several years, whether you are playing it or not. Due to this, there is no way to actually beat the game. The game is complete when you say. So you can choose whether the game is going to be long or short.
Replay: Animal Crossing City Folk is not really the type of game that you replay. Since there is no way to complete the game, it is not necessary to start a new game. You do have the option however.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are very childlike. The player looks nothing realistic to a normal human being, and the neighbors are all talking animals looking nothing like a real animal as well. The effects, like the graphics, are also non realistic, but the ability to decide what your character says or acts does make the game feel more lifelike.
Stars 1 through 5: *** = 3 stars
Final Thoughts: Animal Crossing City Folk is a good game for those who have never played any Animal Crossing game before. It is different from other games, focusing more on life situations then fiction themes. However, for people who have played any other Animal Crossing, the game seems like a repeat of the previous games, just adding some new details here and there. Also, if you are the type of person who likes games more fictional, then this game is not for you. Even if you are a fan of Animal Crossing, the game could get boring at times due to the same elements playing in each game of the series. But if you are ready to repeat the Animal Crossing life, then by all means go and grab this game for it is a little more advanced then the average Animal Crossing world, but not so much different then then the others.
Genre: Simulation
Published By: Nintendo
Developed By: Nintendo EAD
ESRB Rating: E
Overview: Animal Crossing City Folk is the third installment in the Animal Crossing Series. Like the previous games, the game takes place in a town which the player gets to name. Each town looks slightly different then other ones. The player then answers several other questions, which determine what their character will look like. This all happens on a school bus headed to the town. After you get there, you head to the Town Hall to get a map of the town, which helps you locate one of the few houses in the town. Once you find the house for you, a raccoon like animal name Tom Nook will appear and tell you how much how the house cost. He will then say that he will hire you part time to help you learn about living in this town. This "tutorial" has been used in all of the Animal Crossing games. After you finally finish the part time job, you are released to do basically anything you want in the game. There is no real main object, but several small things that you can try to accomplish, such as catching all the fish and bugs in a town. The main thing that makes this game different from the previous games was the addition to a city. In the city, there are unique shops and characters that only appear there. You can take the school bus there anytime. Also, like the games before it, the games' clock is based on real life time (or the time set on your wii system), and has the four seasons that last for about 3 months each. This helps because some insects and fish can only be captured in different times of the day and different seasons. What happens in the game is completely up to you as the player.
Single or Multiplayer: The game can be played with just a single player. Up to four players can live in one Animal Crossing Town, but those four players are unable to see each other at any time. However, if you register somebody's Animal Crossing friend code, you can visit their town (or vice versa) when both you and your friend is on using Nintendo WFC. The game originally came bundled with the Wii Speak accessory, which is used specifically through Nintendo WFC. This is used to talk to the player as if they were in the same room as you.
Difficulty: Animal Crossing City Folk, like the other Animal Crossing games, are fairly easy to play. Since there is no main objection in the game, you can choose any path you want to, some being easier then others. The thing you mostly need is the ability to read. Other then that, you do not need any other skill to play this game.
Age: The game is rated E for Everyone having only comic mischief. The game can be played by young children and as long as they have a basic reading level, they can 'master' this game like everyone else.
Game Length: The game has no real ending. The game continues for several years, whether you are playing it or not. Due to this, there is no way to actually beat the game. The game is complete when you say. So you can choose whether the game is going to be long or short.
Replay: Animal Crossing City Folk is not really the type of game that you replay. Since there is no way to complete the game, it is not necessary to start a new game. You do have the option however.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are very childlike. The player looks nothing realistic to a normal human being, and the neighbors are all talking animals looking nothing like a real animal as well. The effects, like the graphics, are also non realistic, but the ability to decide what your character says or acts does make the game feel more lifelike.
Stars 1 through 5: *** = 3 stars
Final Thoughts: Animal Crossing City Folk is a good game for those who have never played any Animal Crossing game before. It is different from other games, focusing more on life situations then fiction themes. However, for people who have played any other Animal Crossing, the game seems like a repeat of the previous games, just adding some new details here and there. Also, if you are the type of person who likes games more fictional, then this game is not for you. Even if you are a fan of Animal Crossing, the game could get boring at times due to the same elements playing in each game of the series. But if you are ready to repeat the Animal Crossing life, then by all means go and grab this game for it is a little more advanced then the average Animal Crossing world, but not so much different then then the others.
Bully Scholarship Edition Review
Platform: Nintendo Wii/Xbox 360/PC
Genre: Action
Published By: Rockstar Games
Developed By: Rockstar Vancouver
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Bully Scholarship Edition is an enhanced version of the original Bully for the Playstation 2. The Scholarship Edition included several new missions, new classes, new characters, new rewards, and also Multiplayer Mini Games for 2 players. The game takes place in a fictional boarding school in New England named Bullworth Academy. The player controls a young 15 year old boy name Jimmy Hopkins, who has been expelled from previous schools because of his mischief. His mother and new stepfather places him in Bullworth Academy while they go on a year long honeymoon. Throughout the game, you go through several chapters, each focusing on trying to control one of the several cliques. In order to beat the chapter, you have to go through missions, some needed to be done in order to move forward in the game, and some are optional that are just there to unlock new things. After you successfully complete a mission, you will get rewards, including money, clothing, and also new items/weapons. Also, usually in a mandatory mission, some or one of the cliques respect for you will either increase or decrease. The lower the respect level, the more likely the clique members will bully or even attack you when you are in their sight. While you have to complete missions in order to continue through the game, you have the option of attending classes in order to gain new and improved skills, clothing, or items. When you are skipping class, prefects/cops will go after you, and if they succeed in catching you, you are sent straight to class. The more pranks and fights you start, the higher your trouble meter goes, which raises the authority figures attention on you. If caught, you may have to serve detention.
The main object of the game is to gain the respect of all the cliques and fight the final boss by doing the mandatory missions.
Single or Multiplayer: The main game is for one player with an option of playing mini games with up to 2 players
Difficulty: The game is easy at first, but as you progress through it, some of the missions started to get trickier. There are missions that are later in the game that are extremely easy, but mainly they get difficult as the game goes on. The classes work the same way as well.
Age: The game is meant for mid age teens (15+). The game is not as violent as other Rockstar games, but it is not meant for young kids. This is because throughout almost all of the missions, you have to fight or use weapons against other people. There is also some sexual themes and the use of alcohol and smoking shown. The game is not recommended for children or teens without a certain mental maturity level.
Game Length: If you are playing Bully for the first time, the game is significantly long, especially when doing the tricky missions. If you choose to try and complete the entire game, with all stats to 100%, then the game will be even longer, taking up to many game days to complete. However, if you have played Bully several times before, then the game length will shorten a little.
Replay: It is a good replay game, whether if you are trying to get 100% this time, you just want to see the funny cut scenes again, or just like beating up everyone in general.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are decent, but the movement of the characters is more realistic. The sound effects however are much better, and since almost everyone says something in the game (whether in missions or just walking around), the game does seem almost lifelike.
Out of 1 through 5: **** = 4 stars
Final Thoughts: Bully Scholarship Edition is a very unique game, and the game experience is unlike any other game on a Nintendo Console. The game is worth buying and keeping because even after you beat it the first time, there is always the want to complete it with 100% in all stats. If you are looking for a game that is humorous but also for young mature audiences, then this is the game for you.
Genre: Action
Published By: Rockstar Games
Developed By: Rockstar Vancouver
ESRB Rating: T
Overview: Bully Scholarship Edition is an enhanced version of the original Bully for the Playstation 2. The Scholarship Edition included several new missions, new classes, new characters, new rewards, and also Multiplayer Mini Games for 2 players. The game takes place in a fictional boarding school in New England named Bullworth Academy. The player controls a young 15 year old boy name Jimmy Hopkins, who has been expelled from previous schools because of his mischief. His mother and new stepfather places him in Bullworth Academy while they go on a year long honeymoon. Throughout the game, you go through several chapters, each focusing on trying to control one of the several cliques. In order to beat the chapter, you have to go through missions, some needed to be done in order to move forward in the game, and some are optional that are just there to unlock new things. After you successfully complete a mission, you will get rewards, including money, clothing, and also new items/weapons. Also, usually in a mandatory mission, some or one of the cliques respect for you will either increase or decrease. The lower the respect level, the more likely the clique members will bully or even attack you when you are in their sight. While you have to complete missions in order to continue through the game, you have the option of attending classes in order to gain new and improved skills, clothing, or items. When you are skipping class, prefects/cops will go after you, and if they succeed in catching you, you are sent straight to class. The more pranks and fights you start, the higher your trouble meter goes, which raises the authority figures attention on you. If caught, you may have to serve detention.
The main object of the game is to gain the respect of all the cliques and fight the final boss by doing the mandatory missions.
Single or Multiplayer: The main game is for one player with an option of playing mini games with up to 2 players
Difficulty: The game is easy at first, but as you progress through it, some of the missions started to get trickier. There are missions that are later in the game that are extremely easy, but mainly they get difficult as the game goes on. The classes work the same way as well.
Age: The game is meant for mid age teens (15+). The game is not as violent as other Rockstar games, but it is not meant for young kids. This is because throughout almost all of the missions, you have to fight or use weapons against other people. There is also some sexual themes and the use of alcohol and smoking shown. The game is not recommended for children or teens without a certain mental maturity level.
Game Length: If you are playing Bully for the first time, the game is significantly long, especially when doing the tricky missions. If you choose to try and complete the entire game, with all stats to 100%, then the game will be even longer, taking up to many game days to complete. However, if you have played Bully several times before, then the game length will shorten a little.
Replay: It is a good replay game, whether if you are trying to get 100% this time, you just want to see the funny cut scenes again, or just like beating up everyone in general.
Effects/Graphics: The graphics are decent, but the movement of the characters is more realistic. The sound effects however are much better, and since almost everyone says something in the game (whether in missions or just walking around), the game does seem almost lifelike.
Out of 1 through 5: **** = 4 stars
Final Thoughts: Bully Scholarship Edition is a very unique game, and the game experience is unlike any other game on a Nintendo Console. The game is worth buying and keeping because even after you beat it the first time, there is always the want to complete it with 100% in all stats. If you are looking for a game that is humorous but also for young mature audiences, then this is the game for you.
Rabu, 17 November 2010
Masters of Paradise City
Finally, i've figured out how to combine my two favorite things from the 80's!!! I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!
Prints available soon from my Etsy store.
Selasa, 16 November 2010
Getting Up and Leaving
It has been quite some time since my last blog update. I had attended the SCBWI conference in LA and it was an excellent experience. I met with quite a few people that were able to give me some great feedback on my work. It was my first venture into the world of Children's Books and the publishing industry, and it was very informative. You can hear me sum up my experience in 32 seconds right here on youtube
Since the conference, several great opportunities have come up. First of all, I recently signed with East West Literary Agency. They are representing me as both an author and an illustrator and i'm very excited to be working with them. I have already started work on two books, and it's been a great experience so far.
Earlier this year I was in a gallery show at Gallery 1988 where I entered a piece based off of the cult tv/film series "Firefly" and that thing caught internet fire and spread like a bad case of herpes... or a good case of herpes... This clip came to mind when I started seeing my name on the internet
anyway, my work was featured on many of my favorite websites. The actual artwork itself was purchased at the gallery by Seth Green He is awesome! Kenny Fisher, Scott Evil, Oz, Chris Griffin, etc. etc. etc.
It was awesome having having Seth Green buy my artwork and meeting him. I didn't think it would get much better than that. About a month later I got an e-mail from River Tam herself, A.K.A. Summer Glau. My girlfriend Kristin and I had a chance to meet her, but I'll save that for a whole other blog post. There's some exciting things happening that I can't share yet, but it will be awesome!
As a result of the success of that gallery show, i've been invited to 5 gallery shows next year for Gallery 1988 that i'm pretty excited about. Most of the shows have excellent themes that I'm really looking forward to doing something for. More on that later as well.
I've started working on two new books. Last year I spent quite a bit of time working on my first book, and while it was a great learning experience, I think of it as more of an exercise in storytelling and illustration as opposed to an actual product. I've put it in the vault for now, but here are a few page layout sketches.
Since the conference, several great opportunities have come up. First of all, I recently signed with East West Literary Agency. They are representing me as both an author and an illustrator and i'm very excited to be working with them. I have already started work on two books, and it's been a great experience so far.
Earlier this year I was in a gallery show at Gallery 1988 where I entered a piece based off of the cult tv/film series "Firefly" and that thing caught internet fire and spread like a bad case of herpes... or a good case of herpes... This clip came to mind when I started seeing my name on the internet
anyway, my work was featured on many of my favorite websites. The actual artwork itself was purchased at the gallery by Seth Green He is awesome! Kenny Fisher, Scott Evil, Oz, Chris Griffin, etc. etc. etc.
It was awesome having having Seth Green buy my artwork and meeting him. I didn't think it would get much better than that. About a month later I got an e-mail from River Tam herself, A.K.A. Summer Glau. My girlfriend Kristin and I had a chance to meet her, but I'll save that for a whole other blog post. There's some exciting things happening that I can't share yet, but it will be awesome!
As a result of the success of that gallery show, i've been invited to 5 gallery shows next year for Gallery 1988 that i'm pretty excited about. Most of the shows have excellent themes that I'm really looking forward to doing something for. More on that later as well.
I've started working on two new books. Last year I spent quite a bit of time working on my first book, and while it was a great learning experience, I think of it as more of an exercise in storytelling and illustration as opposed to an actual product. I've put it in the vault for now, but here are a few page layout sketches.
Selasa, 09 November 2010
Episode 42: "Worst Person"
Senin, 08 November 2010
NEW SHOW debuting tomorrow at The Escapist!
Big news, everybody!
I've got a BRAND NEW video series making it's debut at The Escapist tomorrow: "The Big Picture."
I'm pretty excited about it. This is be a show with an entirely different style and vibe than "Game OverThinker" or "Escape to The Movies" - there's no "set" subject other than no-punches-pulled commentary on the broad nerd-ephemera, so various installments will delve into everything from video games to comics to politics to pop-culture to whatever else strikes my fancy. If pressed, I'd describe the approach as Walter Winchell meets Randal Graves.
The debut episode should be up tomorrow (11/09) around Noon ET. I'll put up a link as soon as I can (aka once it exists) but check out The Escapist tomorrow and it should be there. I hope you like it.
I've got a BRAND NEW video series making it's debut at The Escapist tomorrow: "The Big Picture."
I'm pretty excited about it. This is be a show with an entirely different style and vibe than "Game OverThinker" or "Escape to The Movies" - there's no "set" subject other than no-punches-pulled commentary on the broad nerd-ephemera, so various installments will delve into everything from video games to comics to politics to pop-culture to whatever else strikes my fancy. If pressed, I'd describe the approach as Walter Winchell meets Randal Graves.
The debut episode should be up tomorrow (11/09) around Noon ET. I'll put up a link as soon as I can (aka once it exists) but check out The Escapist tomorrow and it should be there. I hope you like it.
Kamis, 04 November 2010
Deja Vu Moments Part 2 - Mega Man series
For the next set of deja vu moments, I think it would be appropriate to talk about the Mega Man and Mega Man X series. Both series are loaded with deja vu moments and in this blog post, I will talk about some of them.
Overview
Do you ever get a sense of deja vu in the video games? Two game series I find with lots of moments of familarity are the Mega Man and Mega Man X series. They are both loaded with several deja vu moments, and in this blog, I will talk about them. Note: this blog post is only based on both the classic mega man series and the Mega Man X series. I haven't played through Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Legends or Mega Man ZX yet or the gameboy verions of the Mega Man series, so I wouldn't know of they have the same formate as the original 2 series. Of course, if you have played the later series, you are welcome to fill me in on them.
Deja vu moment #1 - Facing 8 Robot masters
video description: watch a video where Akutare defeats all 8 robot masters from Mega Man 3 (does not include the ones from Mega Man 2, which you face after defeating the first 8 robot masters in the game)
For the first moment, you will know that you have been playing many mega man games when you see the classic stage select screen where you have to fight at least 8 robot masters (the only exception to this that I am aware of is in Mega Man 1 where you only have to fight 6 robot masters before going to Dr Wily's Castle). In just about every Mega Man and Mega Man X game, you can expect to go through 8 of Dr Wily's or Sigma's (if you are playing the Mega Man X series) minions before going to either Dr Wily's castle or the Sigma Missions. Of course, in the old school games, if you were lazy, you could always look up passwords to warp directly to Dr Wily's castle or the Sigma levels. Of course, since Mega man 8, most of the games have done away with the password system and replaced them with the a save feature, making it so you have to play through all 8 robot master stages before moving on. Mega Man 3 actually takes the robot master fights to the extreme as not only do you fight the ones from Mega Man 3, but later you will also fight clones of all 8 robot masters from Mega Man 2 (with 2 boss fights occuring in each of the 4 levels you face the clones), though Mega Man 3 is the only game in both series that I am aware of where you fight all 8 robot masters from a previous mega man game in addition to the initial 8 (Mega Man 7 only has you doing a rematch against Guts Man).
Deja Vu Moment 2 - Teleportation rooms
Video description: watch Cetega23 take on all 8 of the Maverik robots from Mega Man X4 as Zero. I decided to use a Mega Man X game to illustrate this deja vu moment. You will be doing similar levels in just about any other Mega Man game shortely before you take on the final boss(es). In Mega Mans X4-X8 you can actually play as Zero by the way (advanced players will like playing as him of course with his close range and lightsaber abilities).
Ah, you know that you have played too many Mega Man and/or Mega Man X games when you encounter the all too familiar "teleporter" room during the final stages of the game (usually twoards the end of the Dr Wily/Sigma stages and shortly before the final bosses). Yep, that is right, you fought all 8 of the evil robot masters/mavericks (depending on the series), and now you will be going up against the same 8 foes once again (by the way, the only three Mega Man and Mega Man X games I am aware of where there is no teleportation room are Mega Mans 1, X1 and "Megaman and Bass" , though in those games, they spread out the boss rematches across the final stages). On the positive note, all of the bosses are weak to certain weapons you get from another boss (for example, in Mega Man 4, Bright Man is weak against Toad Man's rain bombs, and Toad Man is weak against Drill Man's Drill Missiles), so it helps to know each robot master's weakness during the rematches (of course, you can always just use the good ol' mega buster, but the matches will be much more challenging that way). By the way, in the classic series, you usually fight Dr Wily for the first time after the initial boss fights (such as the case for Mega Mans 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8), and some times the final boss occurs in those stages as well (as is the case for Mega Mans 7, 8, and 9).
Tips for teleportation rooms if you are not familiar:
- make sure that you know each bosses's weakness. The boss rematches will be alot easier this way.
- It helps to try and conserve your energy tanks since sometimes the final boss lurks in those stages (especially in Mega Man X4 as Sigma is a very tough enemy in the game, especially in his 3rd form, and you will be hurting without those precious energy tanks).
- You might consider getting the hard robot masters out of the way first, and then moving to the easier ones later.
- In Mega Man X4-X8, you can play as Zero, but many of the bosses will be more challenging (especially in X4 as some of the Mavericks do not seem to have any weaknesses against Zero's weapons, such as Magma Dragoon).
Top 5 Favorite Teleportation rooms of mine:
- The one in Mega Man X8 - this one is probably my favorite as you are on the moon and the teleporters come in a tower format.
- Mega Man X5
- Mega Man 7
- Mega Man 3
- Mega Man 4
Deja Vu Moment 3 - Dr Wily's Castle
You know when you have played too many classic Mega Man games when you encounter Dr Wily's Castle(s). Yes, in just about every classic Mega Man game (except for Mega Man 1), after you beat all of the robot masters , you will be treated to a scene with Dr Wily in his typical flying saucer as he flies to his castle, and then as you go through each of the stages, the game shows your progress through the castle. Of course, at the end of the castle are the final bosses. BTW, the Mega Man X series have final stages too, but Sigma does not have a castle like Dr Wily does. Also, in Mega Mans 4 through 6, you will actually be going through 2 castles (the first one being an imposter villian, such as Dr Cossack in Mega Man 4, and then the real villian, Dr Wily).
Tips for the castle stages:
- practice makes perfect, as some levels will probably take several tries (the hardest castle in my opinion is probably the one in Mega Man 2 as some of the levels did take several tries, such as the 3rd to last level where encounter the infamous turret room boss).
- Weapon energy tanks are your friend as most of your sub weapons are limited and some are bound to be used more than others. Some levels will require you to make use of your rush units (such as Rush Jet, balloon lifts, etc).
- Most if not all of the bosses in these stages have weaknesses to certain weapons (for example, in Mega Man 4, the first Dr Cossack level boss is weak against Ring Man's weapon).
- Some castles have short cuts in them that have extra power ups and are usually easier to get through.
My top 5 castles:
Deja vu moment 5 - Dr Wily's Final Form
*Sigh* if you have played through any of the post Mega Man 3 games, you should probably know about this typical encounter with Dr Wily himself. Usually Capcom gets creative with the first half of the battles against Dr Wily (which varies in each game). However, eventually you get to his final form, where you are usually in a dark room and Dr Wily plays "hide and seek", where he teleports around the room and you usually have to hit him with his weak weapon as he appears and prepares to attack before he teleports again. This may sound confusing, but if you have played through Mega Mans 4 through 8 (and probably 9 and 10 too), you probably know what I mean). Of course, Dr Wily's final form is always the very final boss in the game and you get the ending after you beat Dr Wily. On the positive note, they do seem to change things a bit in each game as in some games he is more challenging than he is in others and his weakness usually changes as well.
My favorites are: the one in Mega Man 4 (the first of its' kind), the one in Mega Man 6 (this is a 3 part boss battle by the way) and the one in Mega Man 8. By the way, I shared a video above showing the 2 part final boss in Mega Man 7 (by the way, this one was the hardest in my opinion, as his weapons are very strong and nearly impossible to avoid and you are doomed in the fight if you don't have all of your energy tanks in store, unless if you are an expert or are cheating of course). The easiest version was the one in Mega Man 5 as you can simply use Beat against him and Beat simply attacks Dr Wily each time he appears and all you have to do is to try and avoid Dr Wily's attacks, thus making quick work out of him. By the way, it has not always been this way as Capcom was much more creative with the Dr Wily boss fights in Mega Mans 1 through 3 (such as the Dr Wily "Alien" in Mega Man 2, as well as the Gamma Dr Wily in Mega Man 3).
Deja vu Moment 6- Vile and Dynamo
It is no secret. In the Mega Man X series, you can expect to fight one of 2 of Sigma's notorious vile henchman: Vile in Mega Manx X, X3 and X8 and Dyamo in Mega Mans X5 and X6 (he is actually an optional boss in Mega Man X6 that you will encounter if you visit the hidden areas during the Maverick levels that you can enter via special portals and after you have beaten Nightmare Zero and High Max). Vile is basically the Boba Fett look-alike that usually comes in a ride armor (though not always as is the case in most of Mega Man X8 prior ot the final level of the game). You first fight Vile in Mega Man X1 and initially, a weak X is nearly defeated by Vile (only to be saved by Zero), but later on in the game, X becomes strong enough to beat Vile with Zero's help. Of course, Vile does get resurrected in X3 and X8 and goes up against X and Zero again, only to be defeated once again. Of course, by Mega Man X3, X has become much more powerful (to the same calibur as Zero) and can easily take out Vile without Zero's help, and by the time X8 rolls around, Zero is now a playable character (yes, starting with X4, Zero becomes a playable character throughout the games) and you can defeat Vile either as X, Zero or Axle. In addition to Vile, in Mega Man X5 and X6, Dynamo takes the place of Vile and his mission is mainly to annoy X and Zero (though in X6, he is an optional boss, though you would have to fight him if you are trying to max out your nightmare gems).
Well, there you have it, just about all of the major deja vu moments I can think of. By the way, there are bound to be more in the Mega Man and Mega Man X series, but this list would be too long if I tried to list them all. By the way, this list is mainly based on the Mega Man and Mega Man X series. I have yet to play through some of the other series, such as Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX (though you are welcome to fill me in on those).
So what do you think of all of these deja vu moments?
Image description: robot masters from Mega Man 2. In most (if not all) mega man games, you can expect to fight 8 different robot masters before going to Dr Wily's castle (Sigma levels in the Mega Man X series).
Do you ever get a sense of deja vu in the video games? Two game series I find with lots of moments of familarity are the Mega Man and Mega Man X series. They are both loaded with several deja vu moments, and in this blog, I will talk about them. Note: this blog post is only based on both the classic mega man series and the Mega Man X series. I haven't played through Mega Man Zero, Mega Man Legends or Mega Man ZX yet or the gameboy verions of the Mega Man series, so I wouldn't know of they have the same formate as the original 2 series. Of course, if you have played the later series, you are welcome to fill me in on them.
Deja vu moment #1 - Facing 8 Robot masters
video description: watch a video where Akutare defeats all 8 robot masters from Mega Man 3 (does not include the ones from Mega Man 2, which you face after defeating the first 8 robot masters in the game)
For the first moment, you will know that you have been playing many mega man games when you see the classic stage select screen where you have to fight at least 8 robot masters (the only exception to this that I am aware of is in Mega Man 1 where you only have to fight 6 robot masters before going to Dr Wily's Castle). In just about every Mega Man and Mega Man X game, you can expect to go through 8 of Dr Wily's or Sigma's (if you are playing the Mega Man X series) minions before going to either Dr Wily's castle or the Sigma Missions. Of course, in the old school games, if you were lazy, you could always look up passwords to warp directly to Dr Wily's castle or the Sigma levels. Of course, since Mega man 8, most of the games have done away with the password system and replaced them with the a save feature, making it so you have to play through all 8 robot master stages before moving on. Mega Man 3 actually takes the robot master fights to the extreme as not only do you fight the ones from Mega Man 3, but later you will also fight clones of all 8 robot masters from Mega Man 2 (with 2 boss fights occuring in each of the 4 levels you face the clones), though Mega Man 3 is the only game in both series that I am aware of where you fight all 8 robot masters from a previous mega man game in addition to the initial 8 (Mega Man 7 only has you doing a rematch against Guts Man).
Deja Vu Moment 2 - Teleportation rooms
Video description: watch Cetega23 take on all 8 of the Maverik robots from Mega Man X4 as Zero. I decided to use a Mega Man X game to illustrate this deja vu moment. You will be doing similar levels in just about any other Mega Man game shortely before you take on the final boss(es). In Mega Mans X4-X8 you can actually play as Zero by the way (advanced players will like playing as him of course with his close range and lightsaber abilities).
Ah, you know that you have played too many Mega Man and/or Mega Man X games when you encounter the all too familiar "teleporter" room during the final stages of the game (usually twoards the end of the Dr Wily/Sigma stages and shortly before the final bosses). Yep, that is right, you fought all 8 of the evil robot masters/mavericks (depending on the series), and now you will be going up against the same 8 foes once again (by the way, the only three Mega Man and Mega Man X games I am aware of where there is no teleportation room are Mega Mans 1, X1 and "Megaman and Bass" , though in those games, they spread out the boss rematches across the final stages). On the positive note, all of the bosses are weak to certain weapons you get from another boss (for example, in Mega Man 4, Bright Man is weak against Toad Man's rain bombs, and Toad Man is weak against Drill Man's Drill Missiles), so it helps to know each robot master's weakness during the rematches (of course, you can always just use the good ol' mega buster, but the matches will be much more challenging that way). By the way, in the classic series, you usually fight Dr Wily for the first time after the initial boss fights (such as the case for Mega Mans 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8), and some times the final boss occurs in those stages as well (as is the case for Mega Mans 7, 8, and 9).
Tips for teleportation rooms if you are not familiar:
- make sure that you know each bosses's weakness. The boss rematches will be alot easier this way.
- It helps to try and conserve your energy tanks since sometimes the final boss lurks in those stages (especially in Mega Man X4 as Sigma is a very tough enemy in the game, especially in his 3rd form, and you will be hurting without those precious energy tanks).
- You might consider getting the hard robot masters out of the way first, and then moving to the easier ones later.
- In Mega Man X4-X8, you can play as Zero, but many of the bosses will be more challenging (especially in X4 as some of the Mavericks do not seem to have any weaknesses against Zero's weapons, such as Magma Dragoon).
Top 5 Favorite Teleportation rooms of mine:
- The one in Mega Man X8 - this one is probably my favorite as you are on the moon and the teleporters come in a tower format.
- Mega Man X5
- Mega Man 7
- Mega Man 3
- Mega Man 4
Deja Vu Moment 3 - Dr Wily's Castle
You know when you have played too many classic Mega Man games when you encounter Dr Wily's Castle(s). Yes, in just about every classic Mega Man game (except for Mega Man 1), after you beat all of the robot masters , you will be treated to a scene with Dr Wily in his typical flying saucer as he flies to his castle, and then as you go through each of the stages, the game shows your progress through the castle. Of course, at the end of the castle are the final bosses. BTW, the Mega Man X series have final stages too, but Sigma does not have a castle like Dr Wily does. Also, in Mega Mans 4 through 6, you will actually be going through 2 castles (the first one being an imposter villian, such as Dr Cossack in Mega Man 4, and then the real villian, Dr Wily).
Tips for the castle stages:
- practice makes perfect, as some levels will probably take several tries (the hardest castle in my opinion is probably the one in Mega Man 2 as some of the levels did take several tries, such as the 3rd to last level where encounter the infamous turret room boss).
- Weapon energy tanks are your friend as most of your sub weapons are limited and some are bound to be used more than others. Some levels will require you to make use of your rush units (such as Rush Jet, balloon lifts, etc).
- Most if not all of the bosses in these stages have weaknesses to certain weapons (for example, in Mega Man 4, the first Dr Cossack level boss is weak against Ring Man's weapon).
- Some castles have short cuts in them that have extra power ups and are usually easier to get through.
My top 5 castles:
- The one from Mega Man 3 (the only downside to this one is that I thought that the bosses were too easy, especially once you get their weaknesses down)
- Dr Cossack's castle (I remember when the first time I played through Mega Man 4, I was made to think that Dr Cossack was the new villian in the series).
- The one in Mega Man 7 (I liked the fights against Bass)
- Mega Man 2 - this one was a classic for me
- The one in Mega Man 8.
Deja vu moment 5 - Dr Wily's Final Form
*Sigh* if you have played through any of the post Mega Man 3 games, you should probably know about this typical encounter with Dr Wily himself. Usually Capcom gets creative with the first half of the battles against Dr Wily (which varies in each game). However, eventually you get to his final form, where you are usually in a dark room and Dr Wily plays "hide and seek", where he teleports around the room and you usually have to hit him with his weak weapon as he appears and prepares to attack before he teleports again. This may sound confusing, but if you have played through Mega Mans 4 through 8 (and probably 9 and 10 too), you probably know what I mean). Of course, Dr Wily's final form is always the very final boss in the game and you get the ending after you beat Dr Wily. On the positive note, they do seem to change things a bit in each game as in some games he is more challenging than he is in others and his weakness usually changes as well.
My favorites are: the one in Mega Man 4 (the first of its' kind), the one in Mega Man 6 (this is a 3 part boss battle by the way) and the one in Mega Man 8. By the way, I shared a video above showing the 2 part final boss in Mega Man 7 (by the way, this one was the hardest in my opinion, as his weapons are very strong and nearly impossible to avoid and you are doomed in the fight if you don't have all of your energy tanks in store, unless if you are an expert or are cheating of course). The easiest version was the one in Mega Man 5 as you can simply use Beat against him and Beat simply attacks Dr Wily each time he appears and all you have to do is to try and avoid Dr Wily's attacks, thus making quick work out of him. By the way, it has not always been this way as Capcom was much more creative with the Dr Wily boss fights in Mega Mans 1 through 3 (such as the Dr Wily "Alien" in Mega Man 2, as well as the Gamma Dr Wily in Mega Man 3).
Deja vu Moment 6- Vile and Dynamo
It is no secret. In the Mega Man X series, you can expect to fight one of 2 of Sigma's notorious vile henchman: Vile in Mega Manx X, X3 and X8 and Dyamo in Mega Mans X5 and X6 (he is actually an optional boss in Mega Man X6 that you will encounter if you visit the hidden areas during the Maverick levels that you can enter via special portals and after you have beaten Nightmare Zero and High Max). Vile is basically the Boba Fett look-alike that usually comes in a ride armor (though not always as is the case in most of Mega Man X8 prior ot the final level of the game). You first fight Vile in Mega Man X1 and initially, a weak X is nearly defeated by Vile (only to be saved by Zero), but later on in the game, X becomes strong enough to beat Vile with Zero's help. Of course, Vile does get resurrected in X3 and X8 and goes up against X and Zero again, only to be defeated once again. Of course, by Mega Man X3, X has become much more powerful (to the same calibur as Zero) and can easily take out Vile without Zero's help, and by the time X8 rolls around, Zero is now a playable character (yes, starting with X4, Zero becomes a playable character throughout the games) and you can defeat Vile either as X, Zero or Axle. In addition to Vile, in Mega Man X5 and X6, Dynamo takes the place of Vile and his mission is mainly to annoy X and Zero (though in X6, he is an optional boss, though you would have to fight him if you are trying to max out your nightmare gems).
Well, there you have it, just about all of the major deja vu moments I can think of. By the way, there are bound to be more in the Mega Man and Mega Man X series, but this list would be too long if I tried to list them all. By the way, this list is mainly based on the Mega Man and Mega Man X series. I have yet to play through some of the other series, such as Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX (though you are welcome to fill me in on those).
So what do you think of all of these deja vu moments?
Rabu, 03 November 2010
Just started playing through Sonic 4
Hey everybody, just fyi, I recently bought Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and will review the game within the next few weeks. The game takes on an "old school" feel and will play a bit like the classic sonic the hedgehog games (prior to Sonic Adventure), with a new look of course.
Selasa, 26 Oktober 2010
and the fandom rejoiced
Independent filmmaker Eddie Lebron, whom you may remember from the pretty-solid feature length "Mega Man" Fan-Film last year, has formally announced his production of a "Sonic the Hedgehog" Fan-Film.
The best parts of "Mega Man" were Lebron's grasp of action, scene composition, not-bad-at-all use of visual effects and clever narrative compromises toward realizing the game in live-action (and on a budget) so the notion of him tackling a feature built around a main character (and presumably several others) realized wholly through CGI is encouraging as far as I'm concerned. The BIG news, of course, is who he's landed to provide Sonic's voice...
Way. Past. Cool.
The best parts of "Mega Man" were Lebron's grasp of action, scene composition, not-bad-at-all use of visual effects and clever narrative compromises toward realizing the game in live-action (and on a budget) so the notion of him tackling a feature built around a main character (and presumably several others) realized wholly through CGI is encouraging as far as I'm concerned. The BIG news, of course, is who he's landed to provide Sonic's voice...
Way. Past. Cool.
Senin, 25 Oktober 2010
Started a new video game videos blog
Hey everyone, just fyi, I decided to start a new Video Game Videos blog. It will be a part of my website at http://www.xboxfreak.ws/ and has a growing collection of game play videos, trailers, and othe videos relating to video games. You can see my new blog at http://www.xboxfreak.ws/gamevideosblog. I will still post to this blog, of course, but for now on video game videos will usually go in that blog. Of course if you have videos you like to share, I'd be happy to post them.
Jumat, 22 Oktober 2010
Top 10 Deja vu moments in video games (part 1)
Do you ever get the feelings of familarity when playing video games (where things seem to repeat themselves)? You are not alone. In this blogpost, I will talk about at least 10 deja vu moments that I have encountered as a gamer.
#1- Bowser boss fights in Super Mario Bros 1 - to demonstrate the Bowser fights, here is a youtube video I found:
For the first deja vu moment, we go all the way back to the first Super Mario Bros game. This game launched the Super Mario bros series as we know it today and is perhaps one of the first games to have boss battles in them (can't think of any games prior to SMB1 that have boss fights). Anyways, when you fight Bowser at the end of the dungeon levels (the 4th level in each world), the boss fights are always the same. Bowser (who is usually an imposted until world 8) is on this draw bridge, spewing fire balls at Mario and Luigi, and there are 2 ways you can beat bowser: 1) getting past him and touching the axe icon at the end of the bridge or 2) shooting fireballs with him (assuming you are able to keep the fireball power up for the whole dungeon) until he dies. Of course, you will fight these exact same "boss battles" in all 8 worlds. The only things that change are the dungeon layout and some of bowser's attack patterns (such as shooting hammers at Mario and Luigi in worlds 6-8). Another deja vu moment is that prior to world 8, "Bowser" turns out to be an imposter (such as a goomba) and Mario/Luigi encounters Toad, who tells him that she is in another world.
# 2- Count Dracula's first form in most of the Castlevania games -
Here is a youtube video about a boss fight against Dracula on Castlevania Dracula X. This boss fight is the classic and perhaps one of my favorites.
If you have played most of the games in the Castlevania series, you would know that the main villian in the series is the Count Dracula, who is the evil vampire that wants to destroy the human race (only to be stopped by the Belmont clan and its allies). Anyways, at the end of the game where you fight Dracula, usually you fight him in at least 2 forms (though not always), and while the developers usually get creative about Dracula's demonic form (such as the Gargoyle in Castlevania Dracula X), the first battle with Dracula is almost always the same. In his first battle, the evil lord teleports around the room and hurling fireballs and other projectiles at he hero (sometimes he also tries to suck the hero's blood as well in some games, such as Castlevania 64 when you fight the imposter version of Dracula) and you usually get a short period of time to attack him before he teleports again, and the battles play out this way until you defeat him, after which he usually transforms into his monsterous form that you also have to defeat. Of course, this type of boss fight with dracula can be found just about any Castlevania games, with two exceptions being Curse of Darkness (I thought that Dracula was much more animated in that game doing more than just teleporting around the room and attacking), as well as Symphony of the Night, when you go up against Dracula as Alucard (the traditional Dracula boss fight actually takes place when you fight him as Richter towards the beginning of the game, and when you go up against him as Alucard at the end of the game.
Usually, once you beat his first form, he turns into a hideous beast that you also have to defeat, though in some of the games, that is the only form you fight as is the case in Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest and Castlevania 4 (I thought that one was a bit anti-climatic when I played that game given the extra bosses you fight in the "room of close associates" that you go through towards the end of the game where you fight Death, Gaibon and Slorga). Also, in Castlevania 64, you will actually do the traditional Dracula fight twice (first with the imposter Dracula and later with the real Dracula, who is actually the boy, Malus if you remember that game of course). Even in some of the newer Castlevania games, where there is a new villian in place of Dracula (such as Walter in Lamment of Innocence), the new guy often mimics dracula as he too does the teleportation moves while attacking as well.
Here is a short youtube video about the boss fight against Walter in Lamment of Innocence (posted by megagrey). As you can see, in this battle, Walter actually mimicks Dracula. BTW, Lamment of Innocence is actually a prequel of the series.
#1- Bowser boss fights in Super Mario Bros 1 - to demonstrate the Bowser fights, here is a youtube video I found:
For the first deja vu moment, we go all the way back to the first Super Mario Bros game. This game launched the Super Mario bros series as we know it today and is perhaps one of the first games to have boss battles in them (can't think of any games prior to SMB1 that have boss fights). Anyways, when you fight Bowser at the end of the dungeon levels (the 4th level in each world), the boss fights are always the same. Bowser (who is usually an imposted until world 8) is on this draw bridge, spewing fire balls at Mario and Luigi, and there are 2 ways you can beat bowser: 1) getting past him and touching the axe icon at the end of the bridge or 2) shooting fireballs with him (assuming you are able to keep the fireball power up for the whole dungeon) until he dies. Of course, you will fight these exact same "boss battles" in all 8 worlds. The only things that change are the dungeon layout and some of bowser's attack patterns (such as shooting hammers at Mario and Luigi in worlds 6-8). Another deja vu moment is that prior to world 8, "Bowser" turns out to be an imposter (such as a goomba) and Mario/Luigi encounters Toad, who tells him that she is in another world.
# 2- Count Dracula's first form in most of the Castlevania games -
Here is a youtube video about a boss fight against Dracula on Castlevania Dracula X. This boss fight is the classic and perhaps one of my favorites.
If you have played most of the games in the Castlevania series, you would know that the main villian in the series is the Count Dracula, who is the evil vampire that wants to destroy the human race (only to be stopped by the Belmont clan and its allies). Anyways, at the end of the game where you fight Dracula, usually you fight him in at least 2 forms (though not always), and while the developers usually get creative about Dracula's demonic form (such as the Gargoyle in Castlevania Dracula X), the first battle with Dracula is almost always the same. In his first battle, the evil lord teleports around the room and hurling fireballs and other projectiles at he hero (sometimes he also tries to suck the hero's blood as well in some games, such as Castlevania 64 when you fight the imposter version of Dracula) and you usually get a short period of time to attack him before he teleports again, and the battles play out this way until you defeat him, after which he usually transforms into his monsterous form that you also have to defeat. Of course, this type of boss fight with dracula can be found just about any Castlevania games, with two exceptions being Curse of Darkness (I thought that Dracula was much more animated in that game doing more than just teleporting around the room and attacking), as well as Symphony of the Night, when you go up against Dracula as Alucard (the traditional Dracula boss fight actually takes place when you fight him as Richter towards the beginning of the game, and when you go up against him as Alucard at the end of the game.
Usually, once you beat his first form, he turns into a hideous beast that you also have to defeat, though in some of the games, that is the only form you fight as is the case in Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest and Castlevania 4 (I thought that one was a bit anti-climatic when I played that game given the extra bosses you fight in the "room of close associates" that you go through towards the end of the game where you fight Death, Gaibon and Slorga). Also, in Castlevania 64, you will actually do the traditional Dracula fight twice (first with the imposter Dracula and later with the real Dracula, who is actually the boy, Malus if you remember that game of course). Even in some of the newer Castlevania games, where there is a new villian in place of Dracula (such as Walter in Lamment of Innocence), the new guy often mimics dracula as he too does the teleportation moves while attacking as well.
Here is a short youtube video about the boss fight against Walter in Lamment of Innocence (posted by megagrey). As you can see, in this battle, Walter actually mimicks Dracula. BTW, Lamment of Innocence is actually a prequel of the series.
Mega Man 9 Speed Run [0:26:30]
I was watching youtube videos and decided to watch a speed run on Mega Man 9. I was playing the Mega Man Anniversary collection earlier today (did Mega Man 3) and thinking about getting Mega Mans 9 and 10 at some point.
Every NES Game Ever in 15 Minutes
If it turns out there's no heaven, and instead just a longer-form loop of THIS... I think I'd be okay with that.
Happy 25th, old friend.
Happy 25th, old friend.
Kamis, 21 Oktober 2010
Awesome kid and awesome family make awesome Metroid halloween costume
Hat-tip: KOTAKU
Joe DeRosa, age 11, wants to be Samus Aran - the armor-suited lead character from the "Metroid" video-games - for Halloween. Not exactly something you can buy at Target, and not exactly simple on a design level. Fortunately for Joe, based on the DeRosa Family Blog, he comes from a whole family of DIY tech-wizards and MakerFaire afficionados... and they're building a Varia Suit from scratch.
Below the jump... MAGIC.
Here's the video, from the kid's YouTube Channel, of him and his father making the Arm Cannon. I say again: Here's a kid and his dad, building the Arm Cannon from Metroid in the garage.
I'm literally speechless - it's like if Norman Rockwell illustrated an issue of Scott Pilgrim.
The rest of the project (still in-progress) can be seen on their Family Blog, which also shows their construction of a previous project: An animatronic replica of the dragon from "Eragon" - yes, it breathes fire.
Obviously, the final layer of coolness/interest in this is that the one thing "everybody knows" about Metroid is that, under the armor, Samus Aran is a woman. This fact does NOT appear to be a big deal (or even matter at all) to Joe, his father, or anyone else involved (it's not mentioned anywhere on any of their sites.) That shouldn't be surprising or even worth noticing, but, let's face it: It is... and it's all kinds of kickass. Gender-role-ignoring cosplay as a father/son bonding experience for a postcard-perfect American Family... it's like a time-traveling transmission from a better tommorrow.
There is NOTHING about this video, this project, this kid and his family that is not just incredibly awesome. I'm going to sleep now - I haven't gone to sleep feeling good about the human race in forever, and I want to try it.
Joe DeRosa, age 11, wants to be Samus Aran - the armor-suited lead character from the "Metroid" video-games - for Halloween. Not exactly something you can buy at Target, and not exactly simple on a design level. Fortunately for Joe, based on the DeRosa Family Blog, he comes from a whole family of DIY tech-wizards and MakerFaire afficionados... and they're building a Varia Suit from scratch.
Below the jump... MAGIC.
Here's the video, from the kid's YouTube Channel, of him and his father making the Arm Cannon. I say again: Here's a kid and his dad, building the Arm Cannon from Metroid in the garage.
I'm literally speechless - it's like if Norman Rockwell illustrated an issue of Scott Pilgrim.
The rest of the project (still in-progress) can be seen on their Family Blog, which also shows their construction of a previous project: An animatronic replica of the dragon from "Eragon" - yes, it breathes fire.
Obviously, the final layer of coolness/interest in this is that the one thing "everybody knows" about Metroid is that, under the armor, Samus Aran is a woman. This fact does NOT appear to be a big deal (or even matter at all) to Joe, his father, or anyone else involved (it's not mentioned anywhere on any of their sites.) That shouldn't be surprising or even worth noticing, but, let's face it: It is... and it's all kinds of kickass. Gender-role-ignoring cosplay as a father/son bonding experience for a postcard-perfect American Family... it's like a time-traveling transmission from a better tommorrow.
There is NOTHING about this video, this project, this kid and his family that is not just incredibly awesome. I'm going to sleep now - I haven't gone to sleep feeling good about the human race in forever, and I want to try it.
Senin, 18 Oktober 2010
The NES is Silver today
25 years ago today at FAO Schwarz in Manhattan NY, the first Nintendo Entertainment Systems went on sale in the United States. Home video-gaming had died completely in the U.S. three years earlier in The Crash of 1983, and Nintendo had to package the device with a toy robot in order to convince retailers to carry it.
The system launched 18 available games: Balloon Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman, Wrecking Crew and, of course, Super Mario Bros.
I still have mine.
The system launched 18 available games: Balloon Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman, Wrecking Crew and, of course, Super Mario Bros.
I still have mine.
Jumat, 15 Oktober 2010
Podcast Interview (Armchair Thinkers)
Chris and Kyle, aka "The Armchair Thinkers," had your's truly as their guest on the Podcast this week. I thought it went pretty well, Judge for yourself.
Armchair Thinkers Facebook Page.
Armchair Thinkers on iTunes (I'm on EPISODE 9)
Armchair Thinkers Facebook Page.
Armchair Thinkers on iTunes (I'm on EPISODE 9)
Rabu, 13 Oktober 2010
Minggu, 10 Oktober 2010
X-Men Arcade Preview
Here is an interesting video game preview I stumbled across on on youtube, posted by IGNentertainment about the upcoming X-men arcade game
Commentary about this video:
If you have been to various arcade establishments, I am sure you have come across the X-men arcade game. Now, it appears that Konami is planning to do a whole remake of the game for consoles (possibly Xbox live, Nintendo Wii Ware, etc). This game is sure to rival the hit, Castle Crashers.
Bawl of Reach
Alright, so to answer a few readers who kept asking, I finally managed to rent "Halo: Reach" over the weekend. No, it's not getting an episode because it didn't really leave me with anything to think about or talk about and I'm unable to summon the interest to finish the campaign. I've got no real affection for first-person shooters to begin with, nothing about Halo's story, universe or design has ever really appealed to me, and it was quickly evident that I was in for more of the same so... no thanks. I played an evening of the online multiplayer, which did nothing to assuage my dislike for online multiplayer at least in the case of FPS's.
So... yeah. NOT a "review," since I didn't finish it, but didn't really do it for me.
So... yeah. NOT a "review," since I didn't finish it, but didn't really do it for me.
Rabu, 06 Oktober 2010
GoldenEye: 007 - Weapons, Choices, Villains
Watch a commentary about the New Golden Eye 007 game, posted by IGN.
Commentary:
It appears this game will be the official remake for the popular Golden Eye game from the Nintendo 64 with some completely new elements, such as the current Bond (Daniel Craig). This game could become a potiential rival to games like Modern Warfare 2, Halo Reach, etc.
Just added a new Xbox 360 game reviews blog on my website
picture of my blogYou can check out my new blog at:
http://www.xboxfreak.ws/gamereviewsblog?post=Call_of_Juarez:_Bound_in_Blood
Kamis, 30 September 2010
Brave and Bold, indeed
Oh, look, a video-game trailer...
I haven't been able to gauge what the general "fan-culture" reaction has been to "Batman: The Brave & The Bold" - currently wrapping up it's final season on Cartoon Network - but I dig it, and apparently it's big with the kids (as it ought to be.) If you haven't seen, the basic idea is HUGE helpings of Silver Age DC fan-service disguised as humorous, "all-ages" Batman cartoon. I won't say it's up to snuff with "Batman: The Animated Series," but the best of it ranks up there with the one-off "funny" episodes of "Justice League Unlimited" - think "This Little Piggy," same basic idea.
In a more general sense, think a more cleverly-scripted cousin to the Adam West "Batman," co-starring a big cross-section of DCU supporting-players and with a heavier emphasis on "get it past the censors" jokes for parents/older-audiences - for example, pay really close attention to the lyrics in this musical bit as the Birds of Prey rate the... "effectiveness" of their various male counterparts:
Unsurprisingly, you can thank Gail Simone [pause for fangirl squeal] for that one (which may or may not have aired in the U.S. yet)
Anyway, the GAME (Wii) is excellent, absolutely worth a buy (I'm told the DS version is good as well.) It's a side-scrolling 2D beat-em-up. The controls take a little getting used to, as it's built around a pretty deep combo-system for a kid-targeted Wii title, but overall pretty smooth once you get into it and looks like it'd be a lot of fun with two people. Developer was Wayforward Technologies, who've carved a niche for themselves as experts of retro-style side-scrollers with "Contra 4" and "A Boy & His Blob." Licensed youth-titles on the Wii are usually a red-flag for shovelware, but retrogamers and/or Silver Age superhero fans should absolutely give it a look.
I haven't been able to gauge what the general "fan-culture" reaction has been to "Batman: The Brave & The Bold" - currently wrapping up it's final season on Cartoon Network - but I dig it, and apparently it's big with the kids (as it ought to be.) If you haven't seen, the basic idea is HUGE helpings of Silver Age DC fan-service disguised as humorous, "all-ages" Batman cartoon. I won't say it's up to snuff with "Batman: The Animated Series," but the best of it ranks up there with the one-off "funny" episodes of "Justice League Unlimited" - think "This Little Piggy," same basic idea.
In a more general sense, think a more cleverly-scripted cousin to the Adam West "Batman," co-starring a big cross-section of DCU supporting-players and with a heavier emphasis on "get it past the censors" jokes for parents/older-audiences - for example, pay really close attention to the lyrics in this musical bit as the Birds of Prey rate the... "effectiveness" of their various male counterparts:
Unsurprisingly, you can thank Gail Simone [pause for fangirl squeal] for that one (which may or may not have aired in the U.S. yet)
Anyway, the GAME (Wii) is excellent, absolutely worth a buy (I'm told the DS version is good as well.) It's a side-scrolling 2D beat-em-up. The controls take a little getting used to, as it's built around a pretty deep combo-system for a kid-targeted Wii title, but overall pretty smooth once you get into it and looks like it'd be a lot of fun with two people. Developer was Wayforward Technologies, who've carved a niche for themselves as experts of retro-style side-scrollers with "Contra 4" and "A Boy & His Blob." Licensed youth-titles on the Wii are usually a red-flag for shovelware, but retrogamers and/or Silver Age superhero fans should absolutely give it a look.
Selasa, 28 September 2010
Jason Isaacs sells you a "Castlevania" game
"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" is setting itself up to be 2010's other divisive direction-change for a longstanding NES-spawned franchise. Turning Castlevania 3D has never worked out very well, but Konami put some serious money and creative muscle into this attempt - which started out as a game "like" Castlevania that eventually got co-opted into a kind of reboot. In this trailer, actor Jason Isaacs - at this point probably best known to most as Lucius Malfoy - gives us a very thorough rundown:
Obviously, this'll have to come down to how it plays, but so far I like what I see. Yes, obviously, there's a HUGE amount of influence being drawn from other recent successes - most notably God of War and, of course, Shadow of The Colossus. On the GoW front, at least, it must be taken into account that Castlevania invented the use of whip-like and/or "tethered" weaponry in action games. But the design is gorgeous, the subtle but unmistakable references to series mainstays looks nicely done, and I'm really liking those moments where it looks like you're using the ubiquitous chain-whip like such weaponry is actually used (i.e. two-handed and "full body" style like Gogo Yubari in "Kill Bill" - most Castlevanias have had you using a chain whip like a "normal" leather whip.)
The question has always been "will it feel like Castlevania," and from this the answer looks like "yes!" to me - I see a vaugely medieval European setting, I see classic gothic-horror imagery, I see an improbably elaborate castle and I see a Belmont wailing on stuff with a whip - that's Castlevania, as far as I'm concerned. Assuming it plays well, the BIG "to do" among fans will be the design. From about 1997 on (re: "Symphony of The Night" on the PS1) the series has largely kept to a more starkly Manga-esque "neo-goth" look; while this one seems to be a conscious return to the Universal/Hammer Horror by way of Frank Frazetta art-design that the series boasted from the original up through Rondo of Blood. For me, this is what I've always wanted/hoped a 3D big-scale Castlevania would look like, but for folks who started at "Symphony" or after I imagine this must look a bit jarring.
Obviously, this'll have to come down to how it plays, but so far I like what I see. Yes, obviously, there's a HUGE amount of influence being drawn from other recent successes - most notably God of War and, of course, Shadow of The Colossus. On the GoW front, at least, it must be taken into account that Castlevania invented the use of whip-like and/or "tethered" weaponry in action games. But the design is gorgeous, the subtle but unmistakable references to series mainstays looks nicely done, and I'm really liking those moments where it looks like you're using the ubiquitous chain-whip like such weaponry is actually used (i.e. two-handed and "full body" style like Gogo Yubari in "Kill Bill" - most Castlevanias have had you using a chain whip like a "normal" leather whip.)
The question has always been "will it feel like Castlevania," and from this the answer looks like "yes!" to me - I see a vaugely medieval European setting, I see classic gothic-horror imagery, I see an improbably elaborate castle and I see a Belmont wailing on stuff with a whip - that's Castlevania, as far as I'm concerned. Assuming it plays well, the BIG "to do" among fans will be the design. From about 1997 on (re: "Symphony of The Night" on the PS1) the series has largely kept to a more starkly Manga-esque "neo-goth" look; while this one seems to be a conscious return to the Universal/Hammer Horror by way of Frank Frazetta art-design that the series boasted from the original up through Rondo of Blood. For me, this is what I've always wanted/hoped a 3D big-scale Castlevania would look like, but for folks who started at "Symphony" or after I imagine this must look a bit jarring.
Senin, 27 September 2010
Texting of The Bread
Below, the trailer for "Texting of The Bread" - a new mobile game that marks ScrewAttack.com's first foray into game development:
The basic idea is it's a 2D spin on "Typing of The Dead" (re: "House of The Dead" as a keyboard-training game, cult-classic) with mobile texting and evil Gingerbread Men instead of zombies. I saw it in action back at SGC, and it looked like a lot of fun.
You can pick it up for your iPhone, iPad etc HERE.
The basic idea is it's a 2D spin on "Typing of The Dead" (re: "House of The Dead" as a keyboard-training game, cult-classic) with mobile texting and evil Gingerbread Men instead of zombies. I saw it in action back at SGC, and it looked like a lot of fun.
You can pick it up for your iPhone, iPad etc HERE.
Rabu, 22 September 2010
Guys...
Look, I appreciate and am grateful for people posting and linking the show throughout the web, but can I ask a small favor?
When you do, can we maybe NOT do it as part of an "eff you!" or "your opinion is WRONG, here's the RIGHT one!" thing on a forum or talkback or whatever? I appreciate the passion and enthusiasm, but when the show - and, by extension, *I* - get used in such a way, it reflects bad on the show and reflects bad on me. Y'know?
Especially since, regarding the "Other M" episode... I wasn't looking to "refute" or "take-down" any other game critic or site; mainly just respond to recurring message-board trolling and memes.
So... by all means, re-post... but let's all have some tact, eh? ;)
When you do, can we maybe NOT do it as part of an "eff you!" or "your opinion is WRONG, here's the RIGHT one!" thing on a forum or talkback or whatever? I appreciate the passion and enthusiasm, but when the show - and, by extension, *I* - get used in such a way, it reflects bad on the show and reflects bad on me. Y'know?
Especially since, regarding the "Other M" episode... I wasn't looking to "refute" or "take-down" any other game critic or site; mainly just respond to recurring message-board trolling and memes.
So... by all means, re-post... but let's all have some tact, eh? ;)
Minggu, 19 September 2010
EPISODE 40: "Heavens to Metroid!"
update: as of 9/13/11 this video is at THIS LINK
Because YOU demanded it!!!
Remember: ALL NEW Game OverThinker episodes appear
EXCLUSIVELY on ScrewAttack.com!
Because YOU demanded it!!!
Remember: ALL NEW Game OverThinker episodes appear
EXCLUSIVELY on ScrewAttack.com!
Kamis, 16 September 2010
BUMP
The "Extra Credits" folks graciously did me the honor of giving "Episode 33: Building a Better Gamer" an (unsolicited) plug at the tail of their new episode this week. Since that WAS about half a year ago, I'm popping it back up right her for anyone who's come looking for it:
Coming Soon: An episode about a Special Lady.
Coming Later: Revolution.
Coming Soon: An episode about a Special Lady.
Coming Later: Revolution.
Senin, 06 September 2010
Give "Other M" a shot
Alright, I don't generally use the "OverThinker" blog for anything but important stuff or new episodes, but I really want to jump into this whole thing:
If you've got a Wii, whether you're a "Metroid" fan or not, and if you ever take my advice on anything: Give "Metroid: Other M" a chance. Yes, even if you just rent it or buy it and sell it back right away if you hate it.
In this business, ANY game that takes a big risk deserves attention and respect, but taking a big risk with an established "franchise" deserves something close to a ribbon just for showing up. And make no mistake, ditching close to a decade of First-Person-Shooter "Metroid" games in favor of - think about this for a moment - a third-person 3D "Super Metroid" successor developed OUTSIDE the Nintendo inner-circle whose controls are mapped to what is essentially an NES CONTROLLER* is easily the biggest risk Nintendo has taken on a license since "Windwaker."
And though I've not beaten it yet, thus far I'm comfortable calling it dangerously-close to amazing.** So if my opinion counts for anything, I'm calling this a must-play - and it'd be a real shame if Nintendo and Team Ninja got the idea that this wasn't a direction they should continue pursuing.
So give it a shot, eh?
* Speaking of which, I would love someone from Team Ninja to explain to me exactly WHY this game - controlled with what amounts to an NES controller and, occasionally, an NES Zapper - controls better than any of their "Ninja Gaiden" games did with Dual Analogs and twice the buttons.
** Before anyone brings it up: YES, melodramatic voice-acting and YES, someone really should've caught what the unintended subtext of the narrative based solution to the "where do upgrades come from" problem might be to some people.
If you've got a Wii, whether you're a "Metroid" fan or not, and if you ever take my advice on anything: Give "Metroid: Other M" a chance. Yes, even if you just rent it or buy it and sell it back right away if you hate it.
In this business, ANY game that takes a big risk deserves attention and respect, but taking a big risk with an established "franchise" deserves something close to a ribbon just for showing up. And make no mistake, ditching close to a decade of First-Person-Shooter "Metroid" games in favor of - think about this for a moment - a third-person 3D "Super Metroid" successor developed OUTSIDE the Nintendo inner-circle whose controls are mapped to what is essentially an NES CONTROLLER* is easily the biggest risk Nintendo has taken on a license since "Windwaker."
And though I've not beaten it yet, thus far I'm comfortable calling it dangerously-close to amazing.** So if my opinion counts for anything, I'm calling this a must-play - and it'd be a real shame if Nintendo and Team Ninja got the idea that this wasn't a direction they should continue pursuing.
So give it a shot, eh?
* Speaking of which, I would love someone from Team Ninja to explain to me exactly WHY this game - controlled with what amounts to an NES controller and, occasionally, an NES Zapper - controls better than any of their "Ninja Gaiden" games did with Dual Analogs and twice the buttons.
** Before anyone brings it up: YES, melodramatic voice-acting and YES, someone really should've caught what the unintended subtext of the narrative based solution to the "where do upgrades come from" problem might be to some people.
Langganan:
Komentar (Atom)