Saskatchewan Fanboy

Sonic CD Fusion

2011-11-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

First post in years is a Sonic-related thing, well, I should say, DUH. Before I get into things, here's a little story, to help understand my motivations, and the title.

Back when I was 8 or 9, around the time my youngest sister was born, my parents got our first computer. We got several games with it - I can't really remember all of them, but the one I remember the most is Sonic CD. As everyone knows; I have always been a HUGE Sonic fan, even back then, and I KNEW I was lucky as hell to find the PC version of Sonic CD back then, especially where I live. It swiftly became one of my favourite Sonic games, mostly because of the soundtrack. So like most people, I grew up with the American soundtrack.

Fast forward a few years, to where I managed to find Sonic & Knuckles Collection - a collection of the Sonic 3 series, with a bonus Sonic Screensaver on it. My Genesis was on the Fritz at the time, so I got it for the games, and the screensaver WAS a bonus. The screensaver itself, had files for music from Sonic 1, 2, 3, &K, and CD (the Japanese version.) I was a little confused about this new Sonic CD music I was hearing, but it didn't take long to put 2 and 2 together. While I could never really think of Sonic CD without the American soundtrack, I started to warm up to the Japanese soundtrack, and there are several songs I enjoy.

There have always been flame wars on the internet over which ost is better for years (as I understand it). Fans of both soundtracks come from everywhere, and, of course, will defend their preference to the death. Amusingly, this can sometimes break the fanbase up just as much as Shadow, the 4Kids actors, Silver.... You know everything Sega screwed up in the years between Adventure 2 and Unleashed. With Sonic arguments I usually take a neutral standpoint and argue both sides (except when it came to the 4kids actors...), but the Sonic CD ost argument I've never been able to do that with.

Now, most recently, I've been considering putting together a little list of which songs from which soundtrack are the best. This came to me because of a couple things. First there's the re-release of Sonic CD on PSN and Xbox Live. While I'm mad as all hell that it's not getting a Wii Virtual Console release, I'm actually intrigued by the fact that it's pretty much the debut of the Japanese soundtrack in America. Although I'm sure I'd feel ripped off if there wasn't an option to switch between the two. The second thing that brought this on was a feature in Sonic Generations. You can change the music in levels first of all, and then my surprise when I unlocked a remix of the American version of the Stardust Speedway, and immediately supplanted the Japanese version used in the Metal Sonic fight. Both worked just as well the way the fight played out, it's like the developers thought SPECIFICALLY of that.

So that really got me thinking. What if you could do that kind of thing with this Sonic CD re-release? What songs would I choose to play in which stages?

That's what this "Sonic CD Fusion" thing is all about. I decided to fuse the Japanese and American soundtracks into what song works best for what level. There might be a bit of favourite-ism especially in the close decisions, but I played each version of the song, with the levels in mind, and imagined what felt more natural. I went over EVERY track too, so without further adieu, here's my list;

Note: The Past Music is the same regardless of soundtrack.

Title Song - Japanese. The shortened Sonic Boom always kinda annoyed me as a title song, it just didn't sound right cut down like that. Meanwhile a shortened Sonic - You Can Do Anything sounds more like a genuine Sonic title theme.

Opening Movie - American "Sonic Boom." The Animated movie in the intro syncs up almost perfectly with Sonic Boom. I was listening to the full version of Sonic - You Can Do Anything, and it just didn't do anything for me.

Palmtree Panic

Present - American

Good Future - American

Bad Future - American

Overall, I just like the sound of the American versions better. The music fits the look of the zone better, especially in the future versions which look VERY futuristic (with the bio-mechanical trees) and the future songs manage to capture that better. The cheering in the japanese version gets annoying too.

Collision Chaos

Present - Japanese

Good Future - Japanese

Bad Future - American

Maybe it's because I'm fed up with the American version, but I find I enjoy the Japanese Present song better, especially with the zone in in mind. Same goes for the Good Future Japanese song and especially because it portrays the good future better - the American version is too much like the bad future song. The guitar in the American version of the bad future, however, just sounds amazing, and the song makes the future sound like everything went to hell.

Tidal Tempest

Present - American

Good Future - Japanese

Bad Future - Japanese

This would be a little more fair if the American version of the present theme wasn't so damned addicting. It's that BEAT, even when I'm playing I can't help but want to dance to it. It also manages an appropriate instrumentation and style for a Sonic water level. Both good future mixes really don't sound super level appropriate, so the Japanese mix wins out cause it's a bit better both as a song and it wins in inches for how it fits. The Japanese bad future mix sounds most appropriate for both look of the zone, and for how the zone plays; considering the first half is a chase level before the boss, and it's great chase music.

Quarz Quadrant

Present - Japanese

Good Future - American

Bad Future - American

I'm going to have to agree with like everyone on the internet for this one. Present QQ sounds MUCH better on the Japanese ost. It fits the level better, and the overall sound is just great. Both Future mixes go to the American version, although I'm pulling slight personal bias here, I fell in LOVE with these songs a long time ago. The B mix does sound a lot more fitting for sure, like Collision Chaos, it sounds like the future is indeed bad.

Wacky Worckbench

Present - American

Good Furute - American

Bad Future - Japanese

Present Goes to the American version for how Industrial it sounds - perfect for this level. Good Future goes to the American version because it has the same industrial sound as present, and manages to sound more advanced with it, but still (if not more) somewhat upbeat. Bad Future meanwhile... actually sounds BAD in the Japanese version compared to the American (same applause I gave to Collision Chaos and Quartz Quadrant.)

Stardust Speedway

Present - American

Good Furute - American

Bad Future - American

This goes to the American version for much the same reason Palmtree Panic did. It just sounds better with the level design; it sounds like a speedway song, and the Japanese version doesn't. The Bad Future was probably the CLOSEST decision, however. The Japanese version does manage to sound like a speedway song, but the American version still wins out.
Just for posterity here's the Sonic Generations mix of the bad future.

Metallic Madness

Present - American

Good Furute - American

Bad Future - Japanese

Okay I wasn't sure how to call this at all. Both versions of every mix sound awesome. In the end I picked Amercian for Present and Good Future because of the industrial sound, and because of how eerie they sound too. While the eerie-ness is at times out of place style-wise, the songs as a whole capture the "last level" and specifically the "Robotnik's Base" feel the best. Also the Japanese good future song sounded way too different, way too happy, and the American good future manages to play up the "good" without losing the sinister. Japanese bad future reminds me of Scrap Brain Zone plus 11, and that's why I chose it. Especially the Robotnik voice in the music taunting Sonic throughout the level. It's like the American versions of the two other mixes - captures the "last level" feel much better.

"Boss" - American. It's creepy as hell, mechanical, really intense (almost too intense for the pinball boss at least) and it SCREAMS "Robotnik is a serious threat" and "This boss WILL kill you."

"Final Fever" - Japanese. Not just because the composer was lazy and used the same damn tune for both boss songs in the American version (though considering the last boss was barely even a "final boss" it kinda works either way.) What I like about this song is that it just sounds like a Final Boss song, it's a shame it was wasted here.

Speed Up - American. While it maybe isn't as fast tempo-wise, it just sounds faster. The guitar in it has a really good way of wanting you to move fast, and same goes for the percussion.

Invincible - Japanese. This was super close. Honestly. They both sound like the best invincible songs in the SERIES. The Japanese version wins out for being a shorter mix of the title theme (which is a classic staple of older Sonic games), and for that countdown at the end.

Special Stage - American. I can chalk this decision up to personal bias from nostalgia, and falling in love with the song (as I had the Quartz Quadrant Future Songs). Also, there's a certain... Alien element to the american version that makes it sound out of this dimension and therefore GREAT for the special stages.

Ending Song - American "Sonic Boom." This again might be a bit of personal bias. The Soft Rock version of Sonic Boom used as the ending to the American version just sounds really cool, it's a nice slow song to wrap up a game, and the instrumentals are wonderful. There's also the fact that try as I might, I CAN'T bring myself to enjoy Believe in Yourself, so there might be some personal bias there too.

Other Stuff:

Little Planet (the Sonic Boom Instrumental) sounds much better for the Time Attack Menu. Meanwhile the Japanese version of Little Planet, sounds great for the DA Garden default music. The Game Over song for the American version is automatically better because there's a slight hint of nightmare fuel in the maniacal laughter, and it sounds like Robotnik is laughing at you for sucking. The American Zone Clear song just generally sounds better than the Japanese one.

So, I've got the Sega CD version of Sonic CD lying around, and there are instructions out there on how to rip and burn Sega CD games. I'm thinking of burning myself a new copy, but substituting the Japanese songs that I like better.

These are my personal choices for the best songs. I'd like to hear others. I would not like to start an argument.

Until next time!

3.2 PTR patch notes thus far

2009-07-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_3.2.0
The latest PTR Patch notes on patch 3.2.0, some of these look like they're pretty much gonna stand, some of them look like they're still being tweaked. Either way there are some things about them I need to get out there.

Let's start with mounts.

What I like about the changes? The speed buff for regular flying mounts. Most of the time going 100% (120% with crusader aura) on the ground is actually faster than regular flying, which is pretty rediculous. Also flying, cold weather and epic flying costs being affected by reputation levels with your expedition factions (Outland; Honor Hold, Thrallamar Northrend; Alliance Vanguard, Warsong Offensive.)

Flying mounts at 60? I've got mixed feelings about it. It'd be easier for people to level through outland, but it'd be weird.

Regular mounts at 20? Epic mounts at 40? What the fuck? While trying to make it easier to get to 80 is good and all, this is just rediculous. You're making it TOO easy blizz. There are some areas that are ruined by this. It doesn't take as much time, sure, but the overall experience of leveling (and i don't mean game experience, I mean what it's like) is going to be changed by this. You're just spoinling the babies with candy, and doing that makes them cry more when they don't get what they want, like retardins and dks, they're so used to being powerful, that they qq everytime a class they wouldnt expect to (i.e warlocks, the butt end of nerfs since 3.0) comes up and owns them, which is more a skill thing than a class thing, which they don't realize. Soon they're going to demand mounts at level 10, or you'll hear too many complaints from this and keep it 30/60/70, either way, even giving us a preview is bad enough.

The ultimate twink option; turning experience gain on/off (for a price ofc). Actually, that sound's very cool. Not just for twinks, but for people who want to stay at level 60 and do old world endgame content like it was supposed to be done. Of course, missing out on 40-man old world naxx is still a downside, but it would be so cool to down c'thun and whipe on him super often, or have a paladin stuck speccing holy because that's all his gear allows him to do.

Battleground changes... I kinda like. Experience from battle grounds? Ehh... But I suppose that's been dealt with as stated above. Time limit to Warsong Gultch... Yes... I like it. Randomizing which faction starts attacking/defending on SotA, I thought that it was originally supposed to do that. Reducing time on Arathi Basin and EotS? Nah... You screwed up there. It worked with the resource win at 2000, that just makes it more frantic and that's never good.

Druid Changes.
Only three things on my mind.

1) Does king of the jungle still restore 80% of my energy when I use Tiger's Fury in addition to moving the mana cost changes?

2) Cat and Bear forms are gonna look soooo much smexier now. That in itself is a buff.

3) Why are you nerfing my kitty ;.;? I suppose it's understandable, especially for pvp, but I'm still having problems with pve dps and this doesn't help. Although it doesn't look like that big of a deal, but it's still disappointing.

Paladin Changes.

This one really caught my attention, remodeling the protadin to be a good main tank again.

1) Righteous Fury lasting til cancelled or death. THANK YOU! I buff 3 things before I start doing anything; my seal, my blessing and righteous fury. As long as I can stay alive, not having to buff it keeps me from dropping under 50% mana.

2) "Fourth, we are removing Seal of Blood and Seal of the Martyr. The damage recoil increasingly felt like a liability in PvE, and wasn’t serving to offset the massive burst damage capable in PvP. We are buffing Seal of Vengeance / Corruption and redesigning Seal of Command with the expectation that these are now the seals of choice for PvP and PvE. Righteousness can remain a tanking seal."

Okay, this was actually a quote from the paladin changes thread in the forums. Vengeance getting a buff would be cool, as long as tanks can use it too. Righteousness tanking seal? Righteousness was a seal for tanking pre-wrath, but leveling now, its a seal as long as its our only seal. Seriously, I don't see ANYONE using it, so unless you're going to buff that a bit to make it look like a seal anyone would actually use, no thank you.

3) Hand of Reckogning, not sure how I feel about that... I like having it damaging no matter what, makes it so I use that to pull first though, so maybe it'd work?

4) Exorcism being a 1.5sec cast, now useable on players. Single target threat, this is no problem, with buffs to block value, and a 30% nerf to Shield of Righteousness as a result, it just causes me to wait a tiny bit longer before I can use a move again. at really disapWhpoints me is how I pull, and how I deal with multiple ranged targets. Since exorcism could be cast on all but players (which I assume was both a buff to dps and to tanking for Ulduar) some tanks have really got used to it. While now, it's only instant on a chance-to-proc talent (art of war) in the retardin tree. I've even read through the forums and other protadins are unsure about how this is going to affect them, and some are pretty disappointed (although 80% of the complaining on the forums are retardins.)

I'll use Halls of Lightning as an example (this is how I tank anyway). In the hall with the statues, I move into the area that makes the first ones come alive with my back turned, lay down a consecration so that the guy who charges at me still charges at me then taunt one, exorcism the second, and I've got all 3 without them touching my part members. Essentially I use it as a second taunt in every situation that calls for it, because it works very well that way, and I don't have to waste a holy shield that should be used against more than one mob.
Against ranged mobs I LOVED this, because I find that, in some pulls, it's hard to kite into the ranged, so to keep the ranged on me, I use exorcism, even if they were already targetting me, just to make sure I still had threat. Not only does losing exorcism hurt, but if they're targetting and I taunt, I want that damage, and with Hand of Reckogning losing damage if they're targetting me, that hurts even more, cause it's a waste of a taunt.
And for a single target pull. Taunt - Exorcism - Holy Shield. Works wonders.

When I say "losing exorcism" I mean as a viable move as a tank, because, hell, why the fuck would you cast as a tank?

So yeah as you can tell, the protadin in me is super pissed, while the drood in me is... Well... w/e
3.2.0 is still on ptr, devs are still working on it, so we'll see what it's like when it's out. These are just me own concerns.

Feral Druid - A subclass?

2009-06-02T12:14:00.001-07:00

As almost everyone who plays WoW knows, each class has a general playstyle, which gets built upon and specialized (more specific combat styles, differences in gear, different glyphs, socketing, and/or enchants) based how they spec their talents. For instance, a warlock fights mostly with dots and a pet, but their spec determines which spell school they'd use more often (fire for destro, shadow for afflic,) which pets they'd use (felhunter for afflic, felguard for demo, imp or maybe succubus for destro,) their socketing/gear would have some subtle, but important, differences for each spec, and their fighting would be slightly different in each spec as well. Druids, while the difference between balance and resto isn't much different from elem and resto for shammies and shadow and holy/disc for priets, have one spec that makes a HUGE difference, feral. Which is why I tend to argue that a feral druid is a spec so unique, and the change in fighting style and gearing so drastic, that it can almost be considered a subclass, rather than just another spec.
Druids are certainly not the only class that can spec caster/melee/healer (the other being a Shaman) but they are the only class that has an arguable forth spec (at least as far as pve rolls go); caster/melee dps(kitty)/tank(bear)/healer. For pvp they still stick to the three specs, melee most often being a hybrid between kitty and bear. The change that is the most drastic for druids either way is how they fight in melee, because unlike Shamans and Paladins, you don't use mana for melee fighting, but instead use Rage (bear,) as a Warrior would use, and Energy (kitty,) as a Rogue would use, effectively giving the druid 3 of the 4 different types of (spell energy bars or w/e one would call it) used by players, making the spec incredibly unique from their others. And while Paladins and Shamans have some small differences between their other specs, they do have many similarities (fighting with totems for shamans, seals + judgements for pallies), and though there is one similar move between specs (fairy fire, though thats also changed slightly in bear form) and Druids can use balance and resto spells regardless of spec, bear and kitty fighting is completely different from its casting counterparts, and even use rage and energy differently than how a warrior or rogue would use them.
Gear-wise a Druid in balance or resto have the same difference in stat priority that any dps caster/healer would have. A boomkin would want spell power -> int -> hit -> crit -> mana regen (spirit along the same lines) -> stam while a traee would wnt mana regen -> spell power -> int -> crit -> stam. Feral gear is a TON different from that. I've seen some pvp gear sets with intellect on it (probably so we can shift and heal more often) but basically, depending on whether you're a bear or a kitty, the only thing you want in common with other druid gear is the armor class (leather) and the stam. As a kitty, I personally prefer agi -> ap -> crit -> str(through socketing) -> hit (also expertise) -> haste -> stam, while as a bear (especially compared to other tanks) the stats would be stam -> dodge -> agi(for dodge) -> def rating -> str -> hit -> crit(mostly cause of savage defense). Now the spell power mana regen to agi stam and str is a drastic change. From what I've seen of enhancement shaman gear (like I said the only other caster/melee/healer in the game, so im comparing a lot) it's basically a mail version of retardin (err... retribution paladin... lol) gear with maybe one or two differences, giving it many similiarities with elem and resto gear, while most other classes have super similar gear (only differences are in socketing and enchants, or lesser ones for classes that can tank and dps.)
I like to think of Kitty dps as a mix between a warrior, a lock (if a lock were melee,) and a rogue, with its own little quirks. Like a rogue, they use energy as stated above, and combo points + finishing moves, but they fight with a bunch of dots (up to 4... maybe 5 if one wastes the time and mana to switch to bear for lacerate and back) like a lock or an arms warrior. They have talents that enable burst damage moves to increase in attack power based on those bleeds (again much like warlocks.) And stuns that are very useful to pvp. Being geared right always gives them an insanely high crit rate and attack power (compared to most other classes.) Bears are potentially the best tanks in the game. They fight like warriors, but for tanking require more dodge rating and stamina than any other tanking classes, unlike a warrior the move they use to generate rage doesn't coss anything, and they have a rage into health move rather than the warrior's health into rage move, and they have both an AoE taunt and an AoE attack that enables them to pick up threat. Both of these different styles, though similar to other classes, are much different than both their other specs fight, while other classes only have subtle differences between specs.
Between drastic difference in gear and combat style, that far outdo the differences that most classes have between specs, and the fact that the talent tree can be specced for two different major melee pve rolls, I'm still of the opinion that a feral druid is a unique subclass of a druid rather than just another spec. It's hard to go from feral to healing/caster without a lot of practice on either spec and vice-versa. It's one of the many reasons I love being feral.

Games I'm Looking Forward To

2009-05-20T02:24:00.000-07:00

Alright... So I needed to get some good blogging done, and I thought I'd write this... I'll probably do it now and then, before major releases.

The Conduit: Once again! If House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld weren't enough proof. I'm a huge fan of Sonic, and I've always tried to stay loyal to Sega, but wow... Thinking of the Wii as a console suitable for Hardcore Gamers these days? Actually, The Conduit might just pull it off... It seriously looks like a pretty good game. A refining of controls, making it a (surprisingly, from what I've seen) more stable FPS for the Wii. A graphics engine that can make the Wii compete with the 360 and the PS3 despite the hardware limits. Everything about it looks sweet. Except maybe the story. I don't know what I find so wrong with it, but it just doesn't look all that... Cool... But I still really wanna see how it turns out, and maybe it will spark my interest in the Wii again!

Ghostbusters: So when I first saw this was coming out. I laughed so hard. When I saw the trailer, I laughed even harder. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis reprising their rolls FOR THE GAME. It's set in the FREAKIN 90s, nostalgiagasm. Like, how can this not be cool? Yes, I know, it's for the Wii... And two games for the Wii I'm looking forward to in one year? That's a miracle. But I digress... the gameplay in this actually looks cool, the actors returning is awesome, and... I really wonder what the story is gonna be like. This looks to retain all the charm the movies had, and I can't wait.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
That trailer is the only thing I could link at this time.
So basically it's under the year of 2009 for release, but that's probably wrong.... HOWEVER, it looks AMAZING. I always loved the idea behind Kingdom Hearts. The gameplay is something I could get used to, the story is great, Disney characters make it HILARIOUS. Watching the trailer made it look more epic then I thought a Disney-related game could get. Then the very end made me shout; "YES!" Seeing Mickey Mouse pick up that key blade just instantly made me think "YES! THIS IS DISNEY!" My favourite thing about this is it's coming out for the PSP, a system that, at least for me, currently has a drought of good games (and the good ones are rare) and is stuck as an MP3/Video player for me atm.

Thrilling news and an unorthodox post possible spoilers

2009-05-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

First, the news. The BEST news I have heard in a looooooooooooong time. It basically put my faith back in Nintendo's ability to actually listen to their fans (though said faith is still shaky). Last Tuesday (May 5th) serebii.net posted a news article saying, this gave me a heartattack when I read it, the Japanese official site has confirmed Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver are coming to the Nintendo DS. Remakes of the best pokemon games ever (imo)... As soon as I heard of diamond and pearl I was expecting, and looking forward to this. Although my spirits were lowered over the years, I heard this, and soon, pictures have begun to crop up on Serebii and it just makes it all the more real! I'm guessing it'll be released next year, the 10th anniversary of Gold and Silver, in both Japan and America, so I am waiting impatiently.

Also, a little unorthodox, but I've got a little bit to say about the new Star Trek movie. I said in one post that I'm a huge trekkie, and while this is mostly a gamer's blog, trekkie = star trek fanboy, and therefore, I can kinda get away with it. :P
So the best way I can describe what I felt after I saw it is quoting a trekkie's blog; "I feel like I've been left with a broken heart and the keys to a shiny new car."
But now, after some clear thought, calmed from the rage I began to feel the day after seeing, and the excitement I felt in the theater and during the movie, I have several problems with it. 3 of them major, a bunch of them minor, most minor problems are continuity problems that I'm gonna complain about.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=90866964160&comments - a link to a friend's review about the movie, I agree with a lot of it. I have yet to see it a second time myself, still feels a bit too soon, but yeah.
Okay small major to big major.
1) Using a COMIC BOOK as a prequel. They barely explain anything about Nero, old Spock, the Narenda, why/how they came back in time, anything. Because they used a fucking comic book as a prequel. Which kinda goes against Gene Roddenberry's rules of canon; anything not on screen is not canon. Which they decided to ignore because "it's a prequel to the movie, written by the staff, so why shouldn't it be canon???"
2) Romulus being destroyed. After reading the comic prequel. I can understand why they did it, but was it really all that necessary? I'm a big Romulan fan, and I don't like the idea of that. I read a discussion about how if Romulus was destroyed, would the empire survive, and personally, with the majority of the population whiped out, and the senators and praetor all murdered in cold blood, no, I don't think they would ever really survive it. They can survive a shift in government, but not if the capitol world is destroyed. And that is bad news for me. It just wasn't necessary to screw around like that, an arrogant breach of creative liberties, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks so. Although it made me angrier cause of how I thought it would affect my fanfic, however, I realized, my characters all existed before Romulus was destroyed, and managed to solve it by bending a few plot points of the comics and through the wonders of time travel.
3) In an attempt to sell Star Trek to a much wider audience, they Star Wars'd it up. What I mean to say is, it DID NOT FEEL LIKE STAR TREK. Star Trek has always been (even in its darker moments) about exploration of space, self, science and mankind. An optimistic view of the future where humans are united with several other alien races, whether it be through the federation, or just alliances, who share the common goal; betterment of their species and exploration of the universe. The movie didn't have anything like this, no spirit of exploration, no real optimism, nothing. Futhermore, as a YOUNG trekkie, I was insulted by one of the previews. "This is not your dad's star trek." No it's not, it's not even Star Trek, it's got similarities, same characters, setting, same name, but it's still NOT Star Trek, and newer fans of the movie should really look into Star Trek to see what it's actually about. what's worse is that paramount, and the ppl who took over star trek after gene roddenberry died, seemed to let this pass. paramount i can understand, more examples of companies who don't listen to diehard fans (or listen to the wrong ones) and would rather make money than make a work of art (the plague isn't limited to video game companies after all). but what of those who took over for gene? did they have a say? were they even allowed near it? and what about the only one who could speak for gene; majel barret? she died of cancer recently, but did she get to see what was being done at all, did she get to approve of what they were doing to her late husband's work?

Minor Problems;
So a whole bunch of these were cut off, cause, it IS an alternate universe, and officially (as official as memory alpha, the star trek wiki, gets) the original timeline isnt affected (save the destruction of Romulus), just this one is, so a lot of it can be blamed on the timeline, so I've dropped it. the things that annoy me are just stuff that i feel the staff had overlooked.
-the soundtrack lacked one big thing. the enterprise fanfare as I call it. they played it at the end, fair enough, but in EVERY SERIES AND MOVIE, the moment an enterprise appears on screen, it's accompanied by the theme. and i felt robbed by not seeing it when the enterprise did first appear
-the phasers didn't look right. they looked too rapid-fire-esque. phasers have always been one long beam, firing from the banks, not multiple ones from multiple turrets. there were multiple phaser banks on a ship but no more than 2 could fire at the same time depedning on the ship. also the phaser pistol used by kirk was more like a disrupter, firing one burst laser, when phasers all worked the same way, pistols were just on a smaller scale. also regarding weapons, why were the ships so well armed? a constitution class cruiser, a ship built for exploring the galaxy, was as well armed as a klingon d-7. it didn't make sense, especially because, even with the dominion and the borg threats in the 24th century, the federation has always been lax on the weapons, because they shouldn't ever need them
-uhura was in the wrong style. she's supposed to be a strong female character. originally a symbol of equality, for blacks AND women, but also a strong character. the writers should have asked for Joss Whedon's help with the character, cause he knows how to make strong female characters. this one just came off as the usual boobs and butt that every "good action movie" needs
-the language started to annoy me after a little bit. modern slang and, how did spock put them in Star Trek 4... "colourful metaphors" weren't used all that much by the end of the 22nd century. there were a few common phrases here and there that would be used, but never as much as they used. though that could be put on the "selling to larger audiences" type deal
-one continuity problem i had is that there were no visible tellarites or visible andorians. they were 2 of the 4 founding members of the alliance that would become the Federation, you'd think there'd be at least 2 or 3 of both races in Starfleet. You have all these new aliens, you even have a fucking orion in starfleet, but none of those?
-now this is my smallest problem; in the bar scene, uhura orders a cardassian drink, which kinda overlooks the fact that the federation didn't have first contact with the cardassians, let alone anyone who traded with them, for at least another 75 years

I still did like the movie though. It was good. From a general movie goer standpoint, it's exactly what critics are calling it; this year's "Ironman." From a trekkie standpoint, I am very disappointed with it. "Revival" doesn't seem like the right word for it. If it really was a "revival" to sell to new fans, it should be a more modernized and epic version of the greatest space adventure ever told, not some jazzed up generic sci-fi space fight film, that's what Star Wars is for.

Review - Resident Evil 5 Spoiler Warning

2009-04-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

*Edited: Sunday, May 3rd, 2009*

Another game released by Capcom, between this, Street Fighter 4, Megaman 9, Dead Rising, and the Megaman Maverick Hunter X series (remakes of the first 3 X games) for the PSP, they seem to be on a roll with good games lately (spread out over several years). As I've mentioned before, they're definitely my favourite game developper right now. I was never really into the Resident Evil series, barely even knew it existed back in the day. Then in mid-2007 a friend introduced me to Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition. It took me a little while to get into it, but I loved it, and found myself reading up on the Resident Evil storyline shortly after. When I heard they were releasing Resident Evil 5, I was crossing my fingers for a Wii Edition, but decided to get the Xbox version first, since there's no guarantee of a Wii edition, and because, I was actually looking forward to the game. Just a warning before I start, I believe that this game has some big shoes to fill from Resident Evil 4 (wii edition or otherwise) so I'm gonna be comparing them a lot.

The music in this game is epic at times, but kind of repetitive at others. The opening music and the music in the cutscenes and boss fights are amazing, gives you a really sweet feel for the game. However it suffers the same problem Resident Evil 4 did with it's music - repetitiveness. In some areas it's not bad, but they've got a lot of start and stop music (starts when battle starts, ends when all enemies are dead, which is sort of useful I guess) and it's almost always the same thing, an it gets really tiring after awhile, and it's not really the catchiest of music either. The battle music does help to creep you out though, and considering this is less "horror survival" and more "horror shoot-em-up" it needs help retaining the horror.
Music - 1.5/3

The graphics in this game are so good, I don't think it's possible to make a port to the Wii without ruining the feeling of the game. I suppose Sega pulled it off with Sonic Unleashed, and Capcom -tried- with Dead Rising, but I'm not quite sure this game can be changed like that. The best thing about the graphics in this game is how realistic the terrain looks. Characters and vehicles kind of look samey, like you can tell for sure that they're 3D models, which would be fine, but it looks like they're out of place. In the first bit of the opening scene the camera is flying over the savana and wow, it looks like the real thing. Even the clouds look super-realistic, it's all just one big nerdgasm after another.
Graphics - 3/3

Basically after the fall of Umbrella, the employees left (save maybe Wesker) started selling B.O.W.s to terrorists, specifically the ones in the African area you're in, who are angered by the change in government. The international pharmaceutical organization (all the pharmaceutical companies in the world) decided to start up B.S.A.A. in order to stop terrorists from obtaining B.O.W.s. Just prior to the game (maybe in a previous one, but I don't think so) Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine were sent on a mission (their first as B.S.A.A. operatives) to track down and kill Oswell E. Spencer, the last remaining founder of Umbrella, they found that Wesker beat them to it, engaged him in combat, and Jill, saving Chris' life, tackled Wesker out a window, both of them falling to their deaths. Chris was sent to Africa and was assigned a new partner; Sheva. And they go out from there trying to stop a buy, realize they've been set up (later figuring out that Tricell, another pharmaceutical company that is/was in league with Umbrella, sold them out.) They eventually discover the origins of the progenitor virus (it's present in a flower that grows in some ancient ruins under Africa) find out that both Wesker and Jill are still alive (Jill being controlled by Wesker against her will by some device) and learn of a new B.O.W. called Uroboros, who the director of Tricell calls "the next step in human evolution." And they eventually kill Wesker (though killing Wesker and continuing the series from there would be like watching Death Note after L dies; everything goes downhill. But knowing Capcom, he's probably the Sigma of Resident Evil and will keep reviving.) It seems epic enough, my only problem about it is that it is -very- rushed, and that can be partially due to the gameplay, and while it ties up some loose ends, so far I've seen that it's been leaving more unraveled.
Story - 3.5/4

So the gameplay in the game.... It's really hard to describe... In some cases it improved the gameplay from Resident Evil 4, and in some cases it made things worse. Some of it is probably just me being spoiled by Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition's Wiimote+Nunchuck controls (for instance, I don't like having to hold a button to swipe a knife when on the wii you could just swipe the wiimote and you were good... And also quick time events are easier on the wiimote, though they make your arm sote), but some of it is generally just basic gameplay stuff. Generally, the game was way too fast imo, there weren't a lot of paths (off track) that you could to find treasure (like in RE4, how after every major battle I'd stick around in the area pretty much saying "let's search for treasure!") and ammo, combat was far between (but when you got to it you'd be overwhelmed, partially due to the lack of ammo) and the puzzles were waaaay too simple. There was no need to upgrade your health, few treasures, and none that you could combine with other treasures for something more expensive, and worst of all no Merchant (>.<), instead you bought things at the start/end of each chapter or when you continued after dying. There were no minigames either. There were vehicle sections though that I actually found kinda cool, like riding on the back of an army SUV and mowing down African biker gangs, and a newer version of the El Gigante. *My favourite aspect of gameplay was the later levels where the manji started getting guns. My brother dubbed them "time crisis" levels, where you run somewhere, take cover, and shoot from the cover. You could do it on walls to check around corners and it made me feel professional when I got the hang of it. Also using a goldeneye satellite laser (pretty much) to take out a boss was very original and very fun.* Other then that I'm gonna list the different aspects of the game that was either made better or annoyed me to hell. Inventory: This was the most annoying aspect of the game. You had no room in the inventory for anything (only 9 slots, 18 between the two characters.) The weapons were decent, but between having no room in your inventory for heals, guns AND ammo, you ran out of ammo and heals really fast. Sure you could upgrade capacity for a quick reload, but you didn't get a lot of money either. Like, remember in Resident Evil 4, where if you played the game properly, and/or was just really lucky, you would have more money and ammo then you'd know what to do with? Complete opposite in this game. Being able to find different guns here and there throughout the game was a plus though, didn't have to spend too much money. There was also an extra inventory for stuff that didn't fit in your bags, but I'd rarely use that. One thing I enjoyed though was the controller shortcuts to pull out certain weapons. You could only have up to 4 weapons on the shortcuts, but I found it was actually better then pausing to switch, much quicker. *And my gosh, you'd think this would all be made better by co-op but it was almost made WORSE. Kinda disappointing.*
Enemies: The enemies were more or less improved. The A.I. was a lot smarter, and the enemies were a lot tougher to handle. While some were just the simple one-shot to the head, it explodes, dead. There were random fat melee guys that took a full clip of the shotgun or the machine gun to take down. The bosses and mini-bosses were more or less the biggest threats (but every now and then you'd come across a really cool one.) The dogs don't ever go down, and the enemies use new and different weapons (annoyingly enough, they even get guns at one point.) What was disappointing though were the enemies whose parasites had matured. There were three really hard ones to deal with, one was in the dogs, and an improved version of the bugs from RE4, but the third didn't show up until the last few levels; basically a clamb with a tail on legs. You waste a full clip on the tail, it goes down, then kill the inside of the clamb, BUT he gets too close and would "eat" you, getting you down to dying in one shot. I found myself missing the parasites the Ganados had (specifically the ones that could bite your head off if you left yourself open) and some of the special Ganados themselves. *Although, remember J.J, the big guy with the chaingun from RE4? He makes a reappearence in this one, it made me laugh when I first saw it.*
Co-op: The A.I. is -very- retarded. I could only really trust her with heals (because she actually knew how to do that.) She would go through handgun ammo faster than I would, and she didn't know how to use ANY other guns, except maybe a machine gun, but rapid fire is my thing. She didn't know how to fight on her own either, so if I wasn't right beside her, it was usually gg. But I have to admit, she was a hell of a lot better then Ashley. *Playing with another human player is glorious though. You get so much more done, can co-ordinate with better. Having 6 to 8 different weapons between the two of you rocks, although there are times where you'd want the same weapons to get the job done. Having one on healing and the other on grenades is still a necessity, but you usually don't die as much. Split screen hurts, but you get used to it, and I've noticed that there's such thing as system link, which I can imagine is a lot better.*
Gameplay -20/25

My favourite thing about the game is how they link Resident Evil 4 into the main series. There are hints here and there that the B.O.W.s are controlled by some kind of parasite, the bigger of the hints is when Chris links the Manji to the "Ganado from the Kennedy report." Eventually it is confirmed by Wesker (kinda) and files here and there that these are indeed an enhanced version of Las Plagas. Although while it linked Resident Evil 4 as the origin of the Plagas, it is still more or less a side story. *They don't play as big a role as I originally thought, pretty much just stock zombies and the first few bosses are Plagas-related, nothing else seems to be.*
Also I was confused at how Wesker would have obtained them, he hired Ada to collect a sample of the Master Plagas from Resident Evil 4 (Lord Saddler had a master within him) but Ada betrayed him and sent it to "The Agency." Maybe he just got his own samples and bred a few Queen/Controller Plagas, and found a way to control them without the Master.
One thing for sure is that Capcom wasn't exactly being racist at all. Sure you were in Africa, but you learn that Umbrella was pretty much using it as a test ground for B.O.W.s. It was also a realistic portrayal of how a change of government there could lead to some very bad decisions. Even the "primitive" tribes didn't seem very racist to me. And, according to a journal entry I found in one of the villages, the tribes were tricked into getting the plagas injected into them, and only went prehistorically tribal because of the plagas.
*Another one of my favourite things in this game is the voice acting. Definitely the BEST voice acting in the series. Albert Wesker is played by the same guy in Umbrella Chronicles, and is probably the best voice of them all. None of the scenes sound entirely lame, it all flows naturally, which is good.*
8/10

Total: 36/40
So yeah, I thought it was pretty good. It didn't quite live up to Resident Evil 4, but it was still sweet. And I'm still kinda crossing my fingers on a wii edition (though the co-op wouldnt work so well.) After the edit gameplay scores came up by a bit

My Top 10 Favourite Games of all Time (thus far)

2009-04-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm gonna be doing some Top 10 lists and I'm gonna start with my 10 favourite games of all time (thus far.) I say thus far because there might be some pretty sweet games in the future.... But you'll most of the games on this list to be fairly... Retro...

10) Pokemon 4th Generation (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Pokemon Battle Revolution, *wishful thinking; Golden Sky, Silver Sea, please Nintendo???*) - Nintendo DS, Wii
First of all, don't go bawing about Ranger and Mystery Dungeon; screw you those are spin-offs NOT the real 4th gen. When I finally got into the third generation I had managed to get 381/386 pokemon on Fire Red... This game came out and I noticed the pokedex had jumped to 493. "Oh joy!" I said with glee when I realized my job wasn't done. Aside from the collecting, the 493 pokemon, the extra moves, and the new physical/special element added to the 4th generation really bolstered the fun of raising and breeding pokemon for competitive battling. The graphics (especially from what screens of the Torn World from platinum looks like) are the greatest they've been in the series, and the Wi-Fi trading and battling is probably one of the best things I've experienced (I actually have the Pokedex for a few of those event-exclusive legendaries thanks to wi-fi.) And the music, though not as good as the 2nd generation, is still great. However... The story involving Team Galactic kinda got lame, and Platinum almost looks like a completely different game rather than a different version, but its enough to bare.

9) Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny: OMNI vs ZAFT II Plus - Playstation 2
Well, an example of how my top 10 favourite games tend to change. This USED to be WarCraft 2, but I realized that this is much better. Anyway, this is a japan-only arcade game that was ported to the PS2 and probably the best arcade port I've played. Between me and my friend playing on arcade mode we've unlocked EVERYTHING, and all we have to do is button mash (for the most part.) It's so much fun on the harder modes, especially because on the later levels we fight 2 trash units, then we're usually screwed. The battle system is entertaining, the game in general is entertaining, and I am very glad my friend spent ~$120 for the game and the PS2 mod to play it, he'll agree, it was totally worth it.

8) Star Trek: The Next Generation - Sega Genesis
I'm a trekkie so I needed a game on this list. And this game is probably one of the reasons I've been such a trekkie growing up. This game is my second favourite Sega Genesis game. Basically about an adventure along the Romulan Neutral Zone, that leads you into perilous battles (sometimes you can never win unless you're -really- good, and even then its deep magic.) The gameplay is basically why I'm such a fan of this game. If they could improve upon it a little, it would make an excellent star trek game system. There are basically 3 modes. The bridge, basically the hub, you can check sensors to see what a planet is like, check the computer to do a (limited) save or look at an extensive database, go to the ready room to see what you need to do next, hail ships with the comm system, set and pre-set priority repair on cerain systems, and navigate around the sector. The next mode is ship-to-ship combat. When you encounter a vessel, there is a conversation when you hail. You basically choose out of 2 responses, and can either make it last forever, or cut it really short. Either way, if you say the wrong things, you'll end up fighting. And it fights like you're actually in space. "Tank" movement, no friction, and very hard to get a hang of. The 3rd is an RPG-style trip to the surface, you choose up to 4 away team members to solve puzzles and fight. The game is really fun, really hard, and, of course, it's one of my favourites.

7) Sword of Mana - Game Boy Advanced
Music excellent, story amazing, graphics great for the game boy advanced. Made by square enix, I can't think of what specific points I like this game for, but I know the main reason I loved it. It was the very first game I ever used the names "Sorin" and "Andrea" in. The two lovers from my Sierra series pretty much had their name origin here. And I'm pretty sure ever since I started playing this game and using Sorin in it, I started using Sorin everywhere, to the point that its a nickname now. While the story is linear the gameplay is half Zelda, half Final Fantasy. There's a class up system, the magic gets more powerful with each spirit of that element you collect. It's crazy complicated, but it's a great game.

6) Sonic Adventure 2 - Sega Dreamcast
This had to be on this list. It's the game that really got me into the newer Sonic games... Or even the newer gaming scene to begin with. 130 Hours to try and collect all 180 emblems (im at 178 right now...) It's the ONLY good game with Shadow in it, and I actually liked the story a lot. I like how even though light and dark game play was similar, they both had different puzzles. And I liked the gameplay, the Sonic/Shadow levels were fast, but the platforming was intense. The Tails/Robotnik (freakin playable Robotnik, thats enough for me to like it) were really fun shoot-em ups. The Knuckles/Rouge levels were actually vastly improved over Sonic Adventure 1's lousy treasure hunting. The last level where they all work together still remains the hardest in the game, and the last boss as Super Sonic/Hyper Shadow was really fun. Playing versus and trying to unlock the bonus costumes, bonus characters, and game modes kicked ass. The music is great, the voice acting is actually better than most games in the series, and it is one of the last dreamcast games to see the light of day. Raising Chao is just as rewarding and maybe even better than raising pokemon, and yes, because of the bonus 10th anniversary 3D remake of Green Hill Zone, it definately is. Gamecube version though kinda sucks imo, cause it's easy mode, and thats never good.

5) Tales of Symphonia - Nintendo Gamecube
Namco's Tales series started with Tales of Phantasia on the Super Nintendo (released only in japan until the remake for GBA) but was never widely known. Until they brought this little Gamecube exclusive gem to America. It's almost a prequel to Tales of Phantasia, set in the same world (for the most part), filling some plot holes (creating one or two more though), and even the world maps are eerily similar. The music is beautiful (and can almost be used as an example of why they called it "symphonia") and the story and characters are all so deep that this game is a true work of art. The characters are all also -very- unique fighting style-wise. Sure, Lloyd, Kratos, Zelos, and Raine are kind of cliché, but Genis with, what's essentially a ball-in-a-cup, Collete with bladed frisbees, Presea, a little girl wielding a HUGE axe, Regal, fighting only with his legs, and Sheena, fighting with cards, are actually very interesting. The battle system has laid the groundwork for the best RPG battle system ever (in my opinion) that Tales of the Abyss boasts. It has good voice acting, a few bad points, but great at least. A ton of branching paths depending on the order on which you do things, with sort of a butterfly effect, you do something in one order, and it does affect at least the next couple parts of the game. There's replayability in an "item collection" book, tons of subquests and titles (that affect the way the character levels up), a cookbook with recipes to collect (and use after battle for minor healing or stat increase for the next battle), a sort of "pokedex" for monsters. And to make it easier, collecting enough "grade" which is increased or decreased depending on how well you do in battle you can purchase a buff that will give you x10 XP as you go through the game (as well as other buffs). It's 2 disks so it's (the fastest you can go through it is maybe 50 hours if you tried.) It's an excellent game that should never be overlooked.

4) Sonic CD - Sega CD, PC
I've said in a review that Sonic Unleashed had the best soundtrack ever? I obviously wasn't thinking of this. Argue as you may, I found the soundtrack in the American release to be amazing, and addicting, every time I hear it I think; "damn, I wanna play that game again." That's not the only reason I love it though. The timetravelling gameplay was a very good addition, and if you know the level by heart, you can kill all the robots in Act 3 without actually getting to the level. And, it's probably one of the only Sonic games with a difficulty curve that can be compared to running into a brick wall or climbing a mountain. Sure the first level is easy, and the second is okay, but they just get harder from there. Couple that with the special stages, the first one, piece of cake once you learn how to do it, the other six? That's running into a brick wall. Even now I don't exactly know how to do the last few. What's worse... or maybe best, is that they taunt you when you beat it without collecting all timestones. There's actually some great unlockable content (through time trials and beating the game) and a cartoon opening, and two cartoon closings (one for a "good" future and one for a "bad" future). Also, it has, in my opinion, 2 of the best boss fights in the series; a race against metal sonic, and the most rediculous eggmobile boss ever (3rd level boss).

3) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Duality (Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons) - Game Boy Colour/Advance
I believe that this is actually a rare gem, and I'm happy I have both games and that both are in perfect working condition (for the most part). These were actually the last 2 games ever released for the Game Boy Colour, which is shown by their bonus feature with the GBA; the Advanced Shop and associated items. The games each brought puzzles and challenges that definitely surpassed Link's Awakening (an earlier game boy installment), also rings that either increased your attack, defense, or gave you a Moblin costume, Gasha seeds that could cultivate rings, fairies, potions, Maple, a flying witch who often dropped cool stuff when you run into her, loveable characters from the N64 games, and linkability (where, either through a password or a link cable, you could continue your game on the next one, bringing with you an extra heart piece, all your rings, new unlockable content, and Twinrova/Ganon as a final boss, which is why I count this as one game.) And that feature alone is what makes it my favourite. The music was pretty sweet too, and Subrosia (an underground land from seasons) will always be in my heart. Although collecting rings is fucking hard, I can still beat it, all 4 games (Seasons, Ages, Hero Ages, Hero Seasons) practically 100% in one weekend, only missing maybe 1 or 2 rings. I miss this game actually... I'm probably gonna play it later.

2) Pokemon 2nd Generation (Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokemon Stadium 2) - Game Boy Colour, Nintendo 64
This remains the real reason I stayed into pokemon. While everyone was off playing their new "Ruby and Sapphire" games when they came out, I was still working my way at this. Not only is it pretty much the reason for my 3 favourite Pokemon in the series, but it's the best generation. The "competitive battle school and library" in Stadium 2, the challenge cup (the random pokemon style of battling is still my favourite cause through it really shows off certain pokemon that I would never consider), the battle tower in crystal, the music in all the games in the generation. What's TERRIBLE about this series is that the internal battery supported both a real time clock and the save file, and because of that, most, if not all the batteries in the world have died and these games will no longer save. It's possible to charge or replace, but it's deep magic, but still, it sucks that it can no longer be played properly anymore. Recently though I found a way to replace the battery. Bought both a silver version for my friend and gold version for myself (my brother's crystal hasnt died yet) and so all 3 of us are playing through the games again.

1) Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Sega Genesis
This is probably no surprise but it is my favourite game ever. Sonic 3 was originally supposed to be longer then it turned out to be. However, there wasn't enough space on the cartridge, and the last few levels were still being tweaked. Those last few levels were released as Sonic & Knuckles, which also had lock-on technology. Sonic 1 gave you a special stage generator, Sonic 2 gave you the ability to play through the "best-selling" genesis game with Knuckles, and Sonic 3 brought you a more complete version of the events. 14 emeralds... About 13 or 14 stages, some of the best music in the series and the BEST gameplay in the series (especially with Tails as Sonic's partner). This game has always been number one since I played it. Also this gets bonus points for the WORST death trap in the entire Sonic series (until you figure it out or somehow glitch through)... Carnival Night Zone Act 2, you know what I mean....

rant on the current generation

2009-04-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so I've pretty much decided that, right now, Capcom is my favourite game developper ever. Even in the repetitive genres and sequels they're able to cover the most important things for games; Uniqueness, Difficulty, Simplicity and most of all; FUN.
To explain these 4 most important things;
Uniqueness - from story concept to gameplay, the game has to be unique. Whether it be some random story or characters, such as a black tiger pirate who finds himself in the middle of a war between elephants and monkeys. Or building on a gameplay element brought forth in an earlier game. Capcom manages to staple more rediculous stories together, leaving a very incomplete world, but leaves for more. I think their only game series that actually would have had an ACTUAL ending would have been Megaman Legends, which is probably why it got cut short. And, it's hard to say something's totally unique gameplay wise because its probably all been done, but they've managed to improve (or in the case of the resident evil 5 inventory system, ruin) gameplay aspects enough to make the game unique.
Difficulty - no hardcore gamer likes an easy game. if you can get from start to finish without dieing at least once along the way (shooters don't count) then it's not worth the time. personally, i love a hard game. if the difficulty is akin to climbing a steep hill or running into a brick wall, its actually fun. difficulty usually walks hand in hand with gameplay, or just the style of the game. Just put me and my friend in a room with the game, give us some beers, we'll have loads of fun with it, and maybe even beat it by the end of the night (depending on the difficulty) 3 games capcom recently released have been really good. From the demo (i have yet to buy it), resident evil 5 was made harder by both the co-op thing and the inventory thing, but also more entertaining. Megaman 9 is a BIG one, the hardest megaman game in the entire series, and my friend and i actually have done "a 6-pack of beers and a rockstar vodka each" night with this game and we still dont have it beaten, and street fighter 4
Simplicity - not to be confused with difficulty... its the learning curve of the game. if you have a complicated but easy game, fair enough, if you have a simple but difficult game, you're getting there, if you have a complicated and difficult game, now THATS a game. examples? simple but easy; Wii sports, simple but difficult; Guitar Hero, Halo, other random shoorters, megaman 9 (VERY DIFFICULT) complicated AND difficult; any resident evil game, and, the two big ones i can think of, Half Life 2 and Portal. while capcom has a little trouble now and days with the complicated and difficult stuff, Valve's main series, half life, and it's spin-off portal, though shooters, are the hardest shooters ive ever played because of the two best puzzle-solving guns (or maybe the physics engine puzzles to begin with) the Gravity Gun and the Portal Gun respectively
Fun... I don't have to explain what fun means. They're games they're meant for fun. If you're losing it's fun, if you're winning it's fun. As long as you're having FUN.
Honestly, I was looking forward to this generation being the best with the Wii's revolutionary controls, and the Xbox and Playstation competing to see who has the best graphics (forgetting the gameplay > graphics) and who can be the most expensive. But in reality, this generation sucks. Sure there are the occasional gems, but this doesn't even come CLOSE to the peak of console gaming, the 4th generation, and it barely manages to tie the 6th generation. It's mostly because of the games released for the consoles really.
Nintendo brought out Twilight Princess (which was really a wii-enabled gamecube game... only Link was right handed, which from a zelda buff point of view, is blasphemy) Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, then they were like; "hardcore gamers, those are your games, now gtfo." All they're really making are casual games, which is good but doesn't give much variety. Other then gamecube games I have 3 games that I actually play. And only 1 of those is made by nintendo. Casual games... while they're simple, fun (to some people) and unique, its not the kind of fun i want. The learning curve might be flat but so is the difficulty and thats whats terrible. Even the harder difficulties get easy after awhile. All the other games I play for my Wii i play on virtual console... and if i knew i would be paying $300 for a system to play older games on, i woulda said; "fuck it!" and just downloaded a bunch of emulators and roms and bought myself a gamepad for $20, at least with those you can get translated versions of jap-only games, and games that aren't even released on virtual console. somehow i did know it though, but i suppose the 3 games i have are kind of worth it (4 when i get Sonic and the Black Knight, and 5 when i get Ghostbusters).
Xbox 360.... That's a console thats serving hardcore gamers.... just not my kind of gamers! There are some good games for it, and coming out for it (Final Fantasy XIII... thats all i can think of)... Some that others would say are good, but i wouldnt try them because their premise is really samey (im looking at you grand theft auto). The rest are just fucking shooters. Even the Halo series bores me. Shooters are 100% better on the PC, better controls, more gimmicks, better graphics (sometimes), playing online is usually FREE. Although if you want a challenge playing shooters on the 360 works, cause the 360 controller has more limits then a biodome filled with Amish people.... But other then Valve, does anyone make GOOD shooters now, or do they pretty much go around ripping eachother off? And the day i pickup a sandbox game is the day Yahtzee Crosshaw's idea of a sandbox game where you play as a super villain gets released, cause that would be sweet, unlike all the others out there that are shooters wearing a fancy dress.
Playstation 3.... Final Fantasy XIII.... Honestly I haven't heard anything other then that from them for like a year now. What the fuck. Do they even make this anymore?
Most other games that are available over all consoles.... Primarily the guitar hero and rockband series'... while unique for awhile, are just getting boring now. It's (once again) the same thing... They stopped improving gameplay when they both got to the "full band" level, now they just see how many bands they can get to sign onto their games.

Street Fighter 4 review

2009-03-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

This was on my to do list and now I think im going to finally get around to it ><. For starters I've decided that this is my favourite fighting game ever, and part of that is cause I hate it so much sometimes. But I'll stray away from my opinion of the game... Critical reception first.

The music and sound effects EXACTLY what I'd expect from an arcade fighter. They make the game interesting, put you in the locale you're in... Even though it's pretty much all electronic music, but it still pulls it off nicely. Having it really loud makes you feel like you're in an arcade.... With exceptions...
Music - 2/3

One of the big reasons this is my favourite fighting game ever is because of the graphics. Let me begin by saying; ever since Tales of Symphonia I fell in love with cell-shading. And this game pulls it off beautifully. Sure it's 3D but it looks, feels and plays like a 2D fighter. Of course cell-shading also makes it look mostly like a cartoon, despite being 3D, but that sinks nicely into most cell-shaded games, especially games like this with anime cut-scenes. On top of this all, the art director is my hero, he managed to make the game look hand drawn, and that makes it the BEST cell shaded game I have ever played (sorry ToS.)
Graphics - 3/3

The story is INCREDIBLY lacking. I never liked having a story in fighting games, it makes it a lot harder to follow, Soul Calibur -tried- to pull it off and half succeeded, but still it's hard to get it all in. Street Fighter 4 might have been able to pull it off, the movie (I have heard) kind of works as an intro, but still there is one obvious flaw. There are too few cut scenes (2 per character; an intro and an ending) and they don't explain ANYTHING. Take Vega's for instance; his first doesn't explain why he enters the tournament, someone just tells him that people are around, and he's like; "so.... HE is here, and interpol as well." Then it pretty much just ends that. His ending one... He hacks into a computer get's some data and says something about Shadaloo (M. Bison's organization) living forever, but still, it doesn't explain anything... Although there are exceptions, Zangief for one, his story just makes it seem like he's in the tournament for the lulz.
Story - 1.5/4

2D linear plane FTW! Apparently the designer wanted this to play like Street Fighter 2 (with some improvements) and they succeeded big time. I've already explained the graphics, it made it look like Street Fighter 2, but it felt like it as well. It's got the combos generally associated with fighting games, pausing the game even brings up an arcade-machine style move list. The additions were really cool; a focused punch (pressing MP and MK at the same time) that (if you're hit while doing it but still pull it off) heals you and/or does a ton of damage to the opponent. a taunt (pressing HP and HK at the same time... don't know why you'd do it though, you'd get killed in the process) a super combo attack (filling up a gauge whenever you hit, when it got to max, you go super combo) and an ultra combo attack (filling up a gauge whenever you got hit) it all works well. However, there's one thing I, and others can attest to and its the FUCKING CONTROLLER. If I got my hands on an arcade stick controller for my Xbox it wouldn't matter so much, but you can barely do ANYTHING with the regular 360 controller. Some characters can pull off attacks (cause they're easy button combos that can just be spammed) but others are doomed to failure. I play as Vega (my favourite fighter since SF2, and decidedly my favourite villain ever) and even my spammable attacks (the roll and the wall jump) can barely be pulled off, and I'd die before I'd be able to do any of my other attacks (pulling them off would be a miracle... And Vega misses a lot with his Ultra, but thats the character, not the game). I've only seen one character pull off their ultra combo perfectly with a human player, and that's Zangief... Who is pretty much the Death Knight of Street Fighter 4 (just spam 3 attacks and you'll be fine.) Even the most basic attack in the game; the hadouken, is hard to pull off. It's not that bad for VS i suppose, cause everyone else have the same trouble, but it's terrible for arcade mode, especially because the AI can pull off all their attacks INSTANTLY, and will rape you several times before you can actually pass the stage (to say nothing of the last boss... And Zangief; never give the AI control over a spammable character.) It's just as bad, if not WORSE than the Sonic Shuffle AI, and it's what makes me hate the game, but love it... When you have a difficulty curve that's akin to a brick wall (one that takes FOREVER to climb over) it can be fun. And it's still a great way to let off steam.
Gameplay - 20/25

This section won't be as long and drawn out as it was with Sonic Unleashed. Extra costumes, extra taunts, unlockable content, achievements, downloadable content, blah blah blah. Standard fighting game (or almost any game) stuff. One thing that does stand out though is the voice acting. It's better than 4Kids, I'll give it that, but half the characters sound WAY off, while the other half sound dead on. Zangief, Vega, Ken, M. Bison, Seth are pretty good, although imagine my surprise when I was looking up Vega (to see if he was played by any Resi4 voice actor, cause he sounded kinda like a cross between Lewis and Saddler) and apparently he's played by the guy who played T.K. in Digimon Adventure 02 (and the second half of the movie). I laughed so hard, but he manages to do the job. The other half are kinda iffy... Or lame. Chun-li kinda sounds good... And the announcer is just another thing that reminds you of an arcade... Lame but cool at the same time. The WORST voice actor though is Ryu. He sounds like a total retard, it's annoying. One thing they failed at though is the dubbing. I understand it's hard to dub over japanese but isn't there technology to make the mouth movements a little better? I always thought there was, Gundam SEED never seemed to have any problem. This though, it looks TERRIBLE. Chun-li's lips are forming completely different sounds when she sees Vega and says; "Shouldn't you be dead?" It makes me twitch every time.
Misc. - 7/10

Overall - 34.5/40
It was good, not great, but good. Good enough to be worth buying, and good enough to keep playing (trying to hold back from throwing the controller at the tv is fun too.)

Sonic Unleashed Review

2009-02-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, I did this awhile back on facebook and thought I'd bring it here as my second post;
At first I had mixed feelings about the game, especially in the months leading up to its release. Even seeing game play footage of the Werehog at E3 I was still worried this would be another Shadow/Next-Gen... And the series didn't need another kick in the balls. My reaction after I finished it? I'll get right to that;

Easy stuff first. Music = Beautiful. Of course, Sonic has always had beautiful music. The only thing Next-Gen got right was the music, and that was the best soundtrack in the series by far... At least, until I heard this soundtrack. From the eerie yet soothing night-time level songs for the werehog, to the absolutely amazing Orchestral theme that made this game feel like a "world adventure." This music was sweet. I'm disappointed the OST doesn't come out til January, but it gives me an excuse to scower every level so I can unlock the soundtrack for the game.
Music - 3/3

The graphics are amazing. Starting with the looks of the characters in the game, it looks cartoony. No more trying too hard to be realistic now that Yuji Naka is gone. All the humans look like they come straight out of a bugs bunny cartoon, so Robotnik actually fits in the world. Meanwhile.... The world is beautiful.... you can see SO FAR in every level, and the graphics of each level are so awesome. From running along an open tropical sea, to grinding down a vertical rail on the side of Big Ben. The "Hedgehog Engine" has an impressive draw rate and doesn't hinder load times like the graphics engine in Next-Gen did. Although... I did notice one or two frame rate slowdowns at some points, but nothing too bad. Meanwhile I managed to freeze the game once, but I believe that was the XBox that couldn't hangle it.
Graphics - 2.5/3

So, I kinda thought the story would be somewhat lame, but it actually turned out to be very good. While it had some serious points, it had a comical air about it that made me think; this is what they need to keep doing with the story. The interaction between characters was great, and there's even a point near the end of the game where Amy's like; "After you beat Eggman, can we go on a date?" And you pretty much either answer yes or no. I thought it was funny, and said yes for kicks. I'm not sure it could have been any better for this game, but it also kinda feels like things were lacking.... I'm not sure what, but still..
Story 3/4

Okay, here is the HUGE section. The game play. So there are 4 types of stages in the game. There's the village stages, you go to stores and buy random stuff you use for achievements or unlocking things, or perform random tasks for people. 2 special village stages called "capitols" is where the home base is usually located, where you can watch cut scenes, listen to music or look at art you've unlocked, while the professor is there to offer tips.
The second type of stage is the "entrance stage" You explore these to find the different acts of each level, you can also find unlockable things there, and get upgrades for new abilities (like the light speed dash.)
The third type; Sonic action stages. These are SO MUCH FASTER then any other Sonic game ever. So far the max speed I've hit on a level is ~2900mph but I swear it can go higher then that. I love how simple it is too, though I dislike how they put the homing attack on a seperate button. I got used to most of the changes pretty quickly. My favourite thing about boosting (if not the sonic boom effect show as soon as you start) is that, unlike Sonic Rush, you have to be smart about it. There are certain points you can boost, certain points you have to boost, and certain points where boosting usually = fail. I enjoyed the quicktime event parts where you had to press a combination of buttons, usually to take a faster, easier, more ring-filled path. And having the platforming sections, especially the 2D ones, made the game all the better. The camera isn't as bitchy as it is in other 3D games either. And I do love the wall jumping, and I'm glad I got to play Megaman X, cause the wall jumping in this is almost just like it. However, one thing I didn't like were some minor feel changes. The jump isn't as high as it was in other 3D games, and kills Sonic's momentum, which annoyed me because I'd usually use a jump and a homing attack to start myself off or speed myself off from a sudden stop if I didn't already start at full speed, but I like it for the control it gives on the 2D parts. Another very minor change is that for a little bit, the game felt almost a bit too smooth, but I got over that quickly.
Forth type; Werehog action stages. Most reviews claim these as repetitive and boring. Repetitive? Maybe, the combat really reminds me of a mix between God of War (especially with stronger enemies where you use your "F U" button and follow a combination of quick time events to take them down) and Gauntlet (but lets see you take out 10 different enemies in one blow WITHOUT using a turbo attack in gauntlet). Still the combat is repetitive, and only really starts to get good when you've leveled up your strength and combat skills. Meanwhile, the levels aren't all combat. There are puzzle/platforming sections, some of which are very difficult to get the hang of (i still can't stand tightrope walking.) And these sections are what made the werehog interesting. I mentioned in graphics that one of the day stages you got to grind down a rail outside the big ben? Well in a nighttime stage just before that, you get to climb the big ben from bottom up, and even walk along the hands of the clock. That was the highlight of the game as far as the werehog stages go.
They have a new "level up" element to the game as well. You get XP from most enemies you beat (you have a tendency to miss some as the werehog). You use the XP to add to different aspects of gameplay to extend gagues, or make Sonic faster, or add combos for werehog attacking, or make the werehog's attacks stronger. While tedious at first, I think it improved game play almost. They also have a level up for collecting sun or moon medallions throughout levels, which unlocks new levels. That one annoys me, you can't progress in the story without leveling sometimes, so I found it hard to get anywhere, but it gave me a chance to explore some new stages, and get a few of my first "S" ranks.
The final boss had 2 distinct phases; the first, you were a giant flying Stone Gundam. Odd, I know, but it was kinda fun. Mostly quick time events to dodge attacks and keep the final boss occupied, then on to a mini-stage where Sonic would run through as quickly as possible to hit its weak spot.
The second phase was the fun one. Supersonic flying a long side the gundam. You had to watch the Gundam's health bar as well as yours (which was weird, and started at half, but you could collect rings and get it to full as you made your way to the boss). Then, you had to fly a long a dome (the only part of the game the camera was really bitchy) and boost into several "eels." Then when you were done that (and it took awhile, especially because it was hard to get to them before the gundam lost all its health) had to do a series of quick time events to finally destroy the boss. This last boss was fun but could have been done a lot better.
Gameplay - 20/25

The little things now; I'm so glad some characters were never included. I was starting to get tired of Shadow and Rouge. And Knuckles never seemed to be where he SHOULD be in the game lore (guarding the master emerald on angel island) but turns out... THEY'RE ALL GONE. Amy's still around, and Tails of course has to be there (he's technically a playable character for a couple levels). I kinda miss Knuckles though. I'm so glad Sonic was pretty much the only playable character though. Robotnik made me laugh a lot. He's usually trying so hard to be a serious villain, and in this, he's definitely as comical as he should be. Meanwhile... There are 2 new characters, both look to be exclusive so that's fine. There's Chip... the "squirrel chao" as I've dubbed him, he's pretty much the entire comic relief in cut scenes, meanwhile he has the same role as Shara did in Secret Rings, that's as kind of a guide during levels whenever you need it. The other new character; the professor is actually kinda odd. He's got an asphyxiation with cucumber sandwiches and random souvenirs you bring him throughout the game to unlock new stuff, but I'm glad Tails, though smart, doesn't know EVERYTHING for once.
Disappointed for a couple things though... Unlocking movies, art and music... Gotta scower every level for stuff... I don't like the idea of that, at least not in Sonic levels. I just find it a waste of a good run to stop every so often to look for things. But I suppose it's worth it in the end. And the second is a very knitpicky thing... YOU DONT UNLOCK THE FUCKING LIGHT SPEED DASH TIL LEVEL 5. I thought this was a main staple of ALL 3D games, but NOOOOOOOO. It ticks me off, you'd think they'd just include it now without needing to unlock it. It makes me sad almost.
If there's anything I'm very thankful for it's the option of TURNING 4KIDS OFF. While I don't mind Mike Pollock... I HATE Tails' voice actor and... While I can tolerate Jason Griffith (now), he's still no Drummond, and I'd take japanese voice acting with english subtitles over him any day.
Misc. - 8/10

Overall - 36.5/45
I enjoyed it, yes. It's the first Sonic game in awhile I could beat within a week without the load times or the characters (or both) killing my interest in the game.
What could have been done differently;
This is a special section for just this game.... Cause I feel, while it's not necessarily a good game to revive the series, it's definitely a step in the right direction. Things I'd do differently; Put Tails in Sonic levels and for the 2D sections make it so there are certain places you can only get to if you have a second player at the helm to carry you places. (Although that might kill the flow of the level.) Second; lessen combat, speed up a little, throw in a couple shuttle loops and improve the puzzles, and you've got yourself some sweet Knuckles levels (as long as you keep the fucking treasure hunting out of it and make his climb a little more like Sonic Adventure 2 and a little less like the BS it was in Next-Gen)
....And they coulda made the light speed dash available off the start >=|

Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard ignoring their own story.

2009-02-24T16:17:00.000-08:00

Alright... First off, an introduction. My name's Anthony, but you can call me Sorin. I'm what's commonly known as a fanboy - the "lowest tier of gamers" in some people's opinion. Well, I say, screw them. I like to have my opinion voiced, and everyone deserves to have it voiced.
I'm gonna be doing reviews of games, as well as just yelling at things that annoy me... So... It should be fun.
First, some yelling.

So popular demand has it that more people wanted WoW to be more like WARcraft. That's fine gameplay-wise, but why do you have to fuck with the story? I've played through all 3 Warcraft games (including expansions) and that's primarily what got me into WoW. I only got into it recently, but it seemed to me that the two factions, though at odds, knew how to work together to take down bigger threats, as they learned how to do in WarCraft 3. I liked the story of them working towards peace (kinda) despite a few of the odd battles and disagreements (when it comes to a couple of them, they can both be easily solved with diplomacy)... The Cold War as you could call it. I liked that. I liked that some were at least trying. I like the relationship between Jaina (an alliance pseudo-leader) and Thrall (the main horde leader) that kept the world (mostly) at peace.
In fact, Onyxia could be to blame for a lot of the conflicts, having tipped the Defias Brotherhood off about the king going to sign a treaty, which resulted in his kidnapping, and eventual amnesia and the story the comics covered. Probably because she didn't want a treaty between the two sides to screw over her and Nefarion's schemes. But anyway...
Then Wrath of the Lich King came out. Well, actually, just before that. Thrall, imo representing the real story, intending to keep the peace, wanted to send scouts to Northrend, but not commit forces until he could speak to Jaina about what the Alliance planned to do. Garrosh, imo representing popular opinion, wanted to screw the alliance and commit forces right away... Leading to a battle that Garrosh almost won.
In Wrath of the Lich King, no one seemed really "at odds" for the first little bit. In fact, the start of the movie at Wrathgate, I thought was awesome. The Horde showing up to help the Alliance fight back the Lich King's forces. Bolvar and Saurfang the younger exchanging a friendly, almost rival-like (as opposed to enemies); "I was wondering when you would show up!" "I couldn't let the Alliance have ALL the fun today." And then seeing the Horde and Alliances forces standing next to eachother awaiting the battle with the Lich King.... That was awesome... Then everyone died because of Putress (who was serving Varimithras, who was serving... probably the Burning Legion still.) And all hell broke loose. It -seemed- like there wouldn't be too much trouble in Battle For Undercity... Jaina did talk to Thrall about how King Varian was kinda angered... But... The quest chain pretty much ended in Varian declaring war on the Horde, while Thrall gave up with peace and is emo that there can't be any. And... knowing those two characters... They were destroyed by popular demand. And having a pseudo-open war going on in Northrend while fighting the Lich King is kinda stupid. The broken front is another example of it, but can be blamed on assumptions and bad leadership (on the Horde's part actually.) The Argent Crusade understands the whole concept of devided they fall, why can't the Alliance and the Horde? The whole story is just getting stupid due to popular demand. I can't stand it, sure it makes it more like WARcraft, but it kills character and story development to this point. Just because WoW takes place in the Warcraft universe, doesn't mean there actually has to be war... Or at least... Doesn't have to be a big war.
If this open war thing happens, I propose this: Garrosh, wanting war to take place, overthrows Thrall. Thrall runs to Jaina in Theramore, Jaina, Thrall and Jaina's chamberlain (Aegwynn) talk about how the Alliance and Horde leaders are being retarded and propose a third faction to try and keep war from happening. From there players at 80+ have a choice to stick with their side, or join the third faction. It would be interesting to have a third faction in the game, and I'd like for my Nelf Drood to fight alongside a Tauren Drood or even an Orc Shammy or something, it would be cool.

Saskatchewan Fanboy

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3.2 PTR patch notes thus far

Feral Druid - A subclass?

Games I'm Looking Forward To

Thrilling news and an unorthodox post *possible spoilers*

Review - Resident Evil 5 *Spoiler Warning*

My Top 10 Favourite Games of all Time (thus far)

rant on the current generation

Street Fighter 4 review

Sonic Unleashed Review

Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard ignoring their own story.

Thrilling news and an unorthodox post possible spoilers

Review - Resident Evil 5 Spoiler Warning