It has come to my attention that my final days at PCHS are drawing closer. As this was originally designed as just simply a blog for a Creative Writing class I am enrolled in, it would seem as if this would become dead. Well, even though it has been slowly dying its death, it is due partly to a lack of motivation and decent games to talk about.
And for some games, it is more or less just a lack of words to say that has already been said.
With my transfer to a different school drawing near, I feel as if there is a change to be made. Rather than try to keep this blog alive and change it to the direction I see fit, I'm going to let it continue on its path to being defunct, and start a new blog, link to be posted soon (here)
Wanna find out what it's about? Well, go and find out ;D
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Legend of Zelda CDi Games
Oh boy, this was fun. It was in fact so fun that I nearly started drinking trying to even play the game.
The three CDi games were rather difficult, and annoying at times. However, the popularity of it stems from the cutscenes. In fact those cutscenes summoned forth many internet memes, which are rather funny. (Though getting a tad old)
One of the three released was Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. This game featured Princess Zelda on her quest to save her father, King Harkinian. I could go on trying to explain the plot, but it rather confused me. Rather, I'll talk about some of the many flaws with it.
The bosses are ALL ANTI-CLIMACTIC! Each one takes ONE hit from each respective weapon to kill them. One such boss defeat leads to a cutscene where he melts into a pool of a blue substance (not water, at least I don't think) leaving his heart behind, saying "YOOOUU'VEEE KILLLLLLEEEEEEED MEEE!!!!", in which Zelda responds with a weird, rather goofy smile, "Good."
At which point I stopped playing. This game simply was atrocious enough with the terrible controls and mechanics, but that?! Wow. That's messed up.
But the cutscenes are simply hilarious because they're just so bad, that's the thing. Those cutscenes brought some notoriety to the series, but it still didn't convince anyone to spend over $600 just for the system, and the games are about $100 each! F*ck that noise man.
Even Gan(n)on dies to one hit from the Wand of Gamelon (Book of Koridai in Faces of Evil).
Which brings me to Faces of Evil, featuring Link. It had a similar concept, only saving Zelda and conquering the Faces of Evil. But one character standing out in my opinion is...Militron. Not only is it a possible Transformer reference, but it sounds like he says "Worthless Korean, you must be hardened with fire! Go and Kill!" rather than Koridian. HAHAHAHA! This is so appalling it's funny, no joke either.
In fact, both games are appalling, as if pretty much no time and effort was put into them. The cutscenes are hilarious because they're THAT bad. That's the only reason they have any notoriety, even if for a bad reason. Hell, Nintendo refuses to acknowledge their existance.
Before I go on about how terrible most of it is, I'm going to end it with 2 Triforce of Wisdoms that are nothing like the actual Triforce out of 5, only for the cutscenes providing humor.
The three CDi games were rather difficult, and annoying at times. However, the popularity of it stems from the cutscenes. In fact those cutscenes summoned forth many internet memes, which are rather funny. (Though getting a tad old)
One of the three released was Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. This game featured Princess Zelda on her quest to save her father, King Harkinian. I could go on trying to explain the plot, but it rather confused me. Rather, I'll talk about some of the many flaws with it.
The bosses are ALL ANTI-CLIMACTIC! Each one takes ONE hit from each respective weapon to kill them. One such boss defeat leads to a cutscene where he melts into a pool of a blue substance (not water, at least I don't think) leaving his heart behind, saying "YOOOUU'VEEE KILLLLLLEEEEEEED MEEE!!!!", in which Zelda responds with a weird, rather goofy smile, "Good."
At which point I stopped playing. This game simply was atrocious enough with the terrible controls and mechanics, but that?! Wow. That's messed up.
But the cutscenes are simply hilarious because they're just so bad, that's the thing. Those cutscenes brought some notoriety to the series, but it still didn't convince anyone to spend over $600 just for the system, and the games are about $100 each! F*ck that noise man.
Even Gan(n)on dies to one hit from the Wand of Gamelon (Book of Koridai in Faces of Evil).
Which brings me to Faces of Evil, featuring Link. It had a similar concept, only saving Zelda and conquering the Faces of Evil. But one character standing out in my opinion is...Militron. Not only is it a possible Transformer reference, but it sounds like he says "Worthless Korean, you must be hardened with fire! Go and Kill!" rather than Koridian. HAHAHAHA! This is so appalling it's funny, no joke either.
In fact, both games are appalling, as if pretty much no time and effort was put into them. The cutscenes are hilarious because they're THAT bad. That's the only reason they have any notoriety, even if for a bad reason. Hell, Nintendo refuses to acknowledge their existance.
Before I go on about how terrible most of it is, I'm going to end it with 2 Triforce of Wisdoms that are nothing like the actual Triforce out of 5, only for the cutscenes providing humor.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Mega Man II (NES)
Back in the good old days, before the advent of such terrible games like Gears of War, and other related titles, there were good games. And the late '80s/90's brought some of the best titles out there.
Back in '87, Mega Man was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It followed a robot known as Mega Man as he ventured out to stop the evil Doctor Wily. (of course, it has to be a German villain, but I digress) Doctor Wily stole eight of Doctor Light's creations, reprogramming them to follow his orders. Wily and Light apparently worked together long ago, as friends, but things went downhill for the group, specifically Wily. But that's another story. Upon defeat of a "Robot Master" as they're called, Mega Man obtained their power chip, gaining their special ability.
Mega Man eventually went to Wily's Castle, one of many in the series, funny how he always manages to build a castle in between games. In the main series, he's had ten castles. Each different in design, to some extent. Wily was defeated, and the world saved.
About two years later, Mega Man II was released, also for the NES. While I was disappointed with the gameplay of the original, Mega Man II was far more better.
It opens up in a city, nighttime setting, telling a brief story of the first game, and a brief bit of the plot of this one, such as Wily creating eight more Robot Masters to defeat Mega Man, rather than steal them from his old companion. It seems to me that Wily has so much time on his hands, creating a new castle each game and creating eight Robot Masters each new game. It's no wonder the man's crazed; he doesn't do anything but try to stop Mega Man and take over the world, rather than living life with a woman, living by the beach.
But I digress.
Mega Man II, as with most if not all other titles follow the similar plot of "Wily's at it again with eight more robots. You gotta stop him!", with this title pitting you up against Wood Man, Air Man, Metal Man, Heat Man, Crash Man, Quick Man, Flash Man, and Bubble Man. Wood Man summons deadly leaves, Air Man summons whirlwinds, Metal Man sharp round metal blades, Heat Man lobs out molten lava, Crash Man shoots bombs, Quick Man throws boomerangs while darting about, Flash Man stops time and shoots you to death, and Bubble Man shoots...bubbles..-.-
And the boss fights follow the same pattern of each one being weak to another. Metal Man kills himself with his own weapon (only exploitable later in the game), Wood Man jams Air Man's fans, Air Man whisks Crash Man to Oz, Crash Man doesn't hit any primary weaknesses (but still somewhat hits some opponents for decent damage), Flash Man slows Quick Man to dust, Quick Man is in a similar vein to Crash Man, Heat Man incinerates Wood Man, and Bubble Man takes out Heat Man
Wily's Castle is a "long" five stage journey, defeating Wily's creations, as well as all eight Robot Masters again, until finally you face Wily himself. Three phases, one being a large mecha, the second that very same mecha, until finally you reach his inner sanctum, and he turns into...ET?!
...
Well not exactly, he appears to turn into an alien floating in a predictable figure eight, and is only defeated by Bubble Man's weapon. It may take awhile, but finally once its health is reduced to nothing, you discover that the alien was in fact a robot, and Wily is there, on his hands and knees begging for mercy.
(..Not until he scrubs all the floors in Hyrule, THEN we'll talk about mercy.)
So that's it, really. Mega Man II was probably the reason why we have so many of them now. It was a great game with great music, and that's why I give Mega Man II 4.5 Wood Men out of 5.
Back in '87, Mega Man was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It followed a robot known as Mega Man as he ventured out to stop the evil Doctor Wily. (of course, it has to be a German villain, but I digress) Doctor Wily stole eight of Doctor Light's creations, reprogramming them to follow his orders. Wily and Light apparently worked together long ago, as friends, but things went downhill for the group, specifically Wily. But that's another story. Upon defeat of a "Robot Master" as they're called, Mega Man obtained their power chip, gaining their special ability.
Mega Man eventually went to Wily's Castle, one of many in the series, funny how he always manages to build a castle in between games. In the main series, he's had ten castles. Each different in design, to some extent. Wily was defeated, and the world saved.
About two years later, Mega Man II was released, also for the NES. While I was disappointed with the gameplay of the original, Mega Man II was far more better.
It opens up in a city, nighttime setting, telling a brief story of the first game, and a brief bit of the plot of this one, such as Wily creating eight more Robot Masters to defeat Mega Man, rather than steal them from his old companion. It seems to me that Wily has so much time on his hands, creating a new castle each game and creating eight Robot Masters each new game. It's no wonder the man's crazed; he doesn't do anything but try to stop Mega Man and take over the world, rather than living life with a woman, living by the beach.
But I digress.
Mega Man II, as with most if not all other titles follow the similar plot of "Wily's at it again with eight more robots. You gotta stop him!", with this title pitting you up against Wood Man, Air Man, Metal Man, Heat Man, Crash Man, Quick Man, Flash Man, and Bubble Man. Wood Man summons deadly leaves, Air Man summons whirlwinds, Metal Man sharp round metal blades, Heat Man lobs out molten lava, Crash Man shoots bombs, Quick Man throws boomerangs while darting about, Flash Man stops time and shoots you to death, and Bubble Man shoots...bubbles..-.-
And the boss fights follow the same pattern of each one being weak to another. Metal Man kills himself with his own weapon (only exploitable later in the game), Wood Man jams Air Man's fans, Air Man whisks Crash Man to Oz, Crash Man doesn't hit any primary weaknesses (but still somewhat hits some opponents for decent damage), Flash Man slows Quick Man to dust, Quick Man is in a similar vein to Crash Man, Heat Man incinerates Wood Man, and Bubble Man takes out Heat Man
Wily's Castle is a "long" five stage journey, defeating Wily's creations, as well as all eight Robot Masters again, until finally you face Wily himself. Three phases, one being a large mecha, the second that very same mecha, until finally you reach his inner sanctum, and he turns into...ET?!
...
Well not exactly, he appears to turn into an alien floating in a predictable figure eight, and is only defeated by Bubble Man's weapon. It may take awhile, but finally once its health is reduced to nothing, you discover that the alien was in fact a robot, and Wily is there, on his hands and knees begging for mercy.
(..Not until he scrubs all the floors in Hyrule, THEN we'll talk about mercy.)
So that's it, really. Mega Man II was probably the reason why we have so many of them now. It was a great game with great music, and that's why I give Mega Man II 4.5 Wood Men out of 5.
Friday, October 1, 2010
SPECIAL: "Nerfing" In Video Games
With the advent of Black and White, and the unveiling of all new information about new move mechanics and the like, there was one thing that stood out. Selfdestruct and Explosion (Normal-Type 200 Power/250 Power/Deals massive damage but causes the user to faint) had a very beneficial effect removed from them. In previous generations, when the move Selfdestruct or Explosion is used, the damage is calculated as if the opponent's Defense was effectively halved, making it to where instead of both moves effectively having 400/500 Power, they are reduced back to their original base power, effectively making it just about useless. Whereas before it was a staple in causing hellish damage to very hardy opponents, it hardly dents them as much, for the same cost of the user fainting afterwards.
Which brings me to the topic of "nerfing" or reducing the effectiveness of something in order to bring more balance into the game. It's quite common in games where a single aspect stands out as being near broken, or simply too-overpowered in its environment. For example, the original nerf was the transition between Pokemon Red/Blue and Pokemon Gold/Silver. Back then, the combined Special stat proved rather broken, giving some a very large advantage over another. Mewtwo stood as the King of Special back in the day with base 154. Special moves could hardly touch him. Same is said for many others with high Special. So to bring more balance, Special was split into Special Attack and Special Defense. Some with rather high Special obtained either high Special Attack, or high Special Defense, some having drastically lowered stats in one of those areas unlike the previous installment. Mewtwo still retained base 154 Special Attack, but its ability to take Special attacks was lowered drastically. Move effects where changed to, whereas Amnesia no longer effectively raised Special Attack and Special Defense, now just raising the new Special Defense stat. This brought on more balance within the game.
In the Fire Emblem series, there was an spell known as the Luna Tome, which was an extremely effective item bringing a very high advantage to the user, making them a deadly unit in battle. It negated enemy resistance, making the damage from it equal to your Magic power. It also had a very high Critical ratio and accuracy, effectively ending boss battles in two phases, or turns. The creators saw fit that this spell was definitely overpowered for that reason alone, and in the next installment lowered the critical ratio and the accuracy by a large amount, bringing in much balance.
In the Super Smash Brothers series, characters have taken many a "nerf". In the Nintendo 64 Version, some characters had a gross advantage over the others. In the transition into Melee, those characters had changed mechanics, or simply altered move mechanics to lessen their effectiveness. The same happened in the transition from Melee to Brawl.
However, most nerfs are actually justified, while others feel out of place. Some nerfs aren't even implemented in the physical games. A prime example is, again, in the Pokemon series. Being a game that has a large competitive aspect to it, there are of course going to be things that stand out. And things that stand out are usually those that tend to be overpowered.
And that is why the tier system was put in place. As a means of nerfing things the competitive community find either overpowered or overcentralizing that are also overpowered. These are placed into a tier of their own, above all others. A "no man's land" if you will, that's still very well playable. This tier, known as the "Uber Tier", is pretty much a banlist, or simply nerfing the standard metagame in its present state. Other tiers below standard. such as UU(Underused) can either be used in standard, or can be played in their respective tier, and those below it, banning those in standard and in Ubers. And even lower than that, there is one last final tier, NU(Neverused, although the name is rather ironic, as the members are used, however usually not in standard), whose members are playable in all other tiers, but can also work as a standalone.
Nerfs are usually argued by groups that centralize on that particular game, usually whether or not the nerf was really justified or simply unnecessary. Others give praise to the nerf if the thing in question was really wanted by most, if not all. Others, known as "buffs" are improvements to something, however it can still be considered a nerf to those that benefitted from the weakness of the thing in question.
In conclusion, nerfs are an essential part to the way competitive and casual games are played, changes forcing the birth of new thought on how to play it, rather than continue the exact same style of play as before. While it may be argued on whether or not it was really needed, perhaps, in a sense, it has justification in the fact that change is for the best.
Perhaps why Explosion and SelfDestruct had their key effect removed was due to the fact that in the Pokemon Video Game Championships, an annual event sponsored by The Pokemon Company International, the use of those two moves were overcentralizing in the key style of play used then, which was Doubles. With the advent of Triples, it is assumed that they feared that play would centralize upon those moves even further, causing matches to not be as fun, and rather, who survives the most Explosions/SelfDestructs is the victor. This way, people must develop a new perspective of how exactly to create teams, and how exactly to use them, rather than focusing on Explosion/Selfdestruct decimating the opposition.
Which brings me to the topic of "nerfing" or reducing the effectiveness of something in order to bring more balance into the game. It's quite common in games where a single aspect stands out as being near broken, or simply too-overpowered in its environment. For example, the original nerf was the transition between Pokemon Red/Blue and Pokemon Gold/Silver. Back then, the combined Special stat proved rather broken, giving some a very large advantage over another. Mewtwo stood as the King of Special back in the day with base 154. Special moves could hardly touch him. Same is said for many others with high Special. So to bring more balance, Special was split into Special Attack and Special Defense. Some with rather high Special obtained either high Special Attack, or high Special Defense, some having drastically lowered stats in one of those areas unlike the previous installment. Mewtwo still retained base 154 Special Attack, but its ability to take Special attacks was lowered drastically. Move effects where changed to, whereas Amnesia no longer effectively raised Special Attack and Special Defense, now just raising the new Special Defense stat. This brought on more balance within the game.
In the Fire Emblem series, there was an spell known as the Luna Tome, which was an extremely effective item bringing a very high advantage to the user, making them a deadly unit in battle. It negated enemy resistance, making the damage from it equal to your Magic power. It also had a very high Critical ratio and accuracy, effectively ending boss battles in two phases, or turns. The creators saw fit that this spell was definitely overpowered for that reason alone, and in the next installment lowered the critical ratio and the accuracy by a large amount, bringing in much balance.
In the Super Smash Brothers series, characters have taken many a "nerf". In the Nintendo 64 Version, some characters had a gross advantage over the others. In the transition into Melee, those characters had changed mechanics, or simply altered move mechanics to lessen their effectiveness. The same happened in the transition from Melee to Brawl.
However, most nerfs are actually justified, while others feel out of place. Some nerfs aren't even implemented in the physical games. A prime example is, again, in the Pokemon series. Being a game that has a large competitive aspect to it, there are of course going to be things that stand out. And things that stand out are usually those that tend to be overpowered.
And that is why the tier system was put in place. As a means of nerfing things the competitive community find either overpowered or overcentralizing that are also overpowered. These are placed into a tier of their own, above all others. A "no man's land" if you will, that's still very well playable. This tier, known as the "Uber Tier", is pretty much a banlist, or simply nerfing the standard metagame in its present state. Other tiers below standard. such as UU(Underused) can either be used in standard, or can be played in their respective tier, and those below it, banning those in standard and in Ubers. And even lower than that, there is one last final tier, NU(Neverused, although the name is rather ironic, as the members are used, however usually not in standard), whose members are playable in all other tiers, but can also work as a standalone.
Nerfs are usually argued by groups that centralize on that particular game, usually whether or not the nerf was really justified or simply unnecessary. Others give praise to the nerf if the thing in question was really wanted by most, if not all. Others, known as "buffs" are improvements to something, however it can still be considered a nerf to those that benefitted from the weakness of the thing in question.
In conclusion, nerfs are an essential part to the way competitive and casual games are played, changes forcing the birth of new thought on how to play it, rather than continue the exact same style of play as before. While it may be argued on whether or not it was really needed, perhaps, in a sense, it has justification in the fact that change is for the best.
Perhaps why Explosion and SelfDestruct had their key effect removed was due to the fact that in the Pokemon Video Game Championships, an annual event sponsored by The Pokemon Company International, the use of those two moves were overcentralizing in the key style of play used then, which was Doubles. With the advent of Triples, it is assumed that they feared that play would centralize upon those moves even further, causing matches to not be as fun, and rather, who survives the most Explosions/SelfDestructs is the victor. This way, people must develop a new perspective of how exactly to create teams, and how exactly to use them, rather than focusing on Explosion/Selfdestruct decimating the opposition.
Monday, September 27, 2010
PREVIEW: Mega Man II (NES)
Ah, now that the travesty of a movie-to-game adaptation gone wrong is over, I can focus on a good game. Rather than review the original, which I did not care for at all, I decided to go for a classic title in the good old days. You're out to stop Dr. Wily (again) and the eight Robot Masters he created, using your arm cannon, and weapons obtained from the Robot Masters you defeat.
A classic platformer in the great era of the NES, Mega Man II truly set a fine precedent for the next games to come.
As to not reveal anymore about it, stay tuned for next week's thrilling review of Mega Man II.
A classic platformer in the great era of the NES, Mega Man II truly set a fine precedent for the next games to come.
As to not reveal anymore about it, stay tuned for next week's thrilling review of Mega Man II.
Back to the Future (NES)
Back in the mid '80s, a wonderful movie came forth from Hollywood's big green ass. And that was Back to the Future. Starring two wonderful actors of the era, it was a big hit; it still is even today. And as with every big movie of the time, there came the game version. While some movie-to-game titles were decent, Back to the Future didn't fit the bill.
People expected much out of it, seeing how it's based off of Back to the Future. It must be great, right? Well, they were wrong. The Back to the Future game was God-awful. Considerably a disappointment.
The game starts off with the title screen, lacking any recognizable tune from the movie, albeit 8-bit, instead something completely different. Upon starting, you play as Marty, who apparently cannot stop walking...seriously, no button combination makes him stop other than to pause the game. You collect clocks, avoiding some of the most random obstacles known to man. Everything knocks him over other than just the basic payment. Even small insects knock him over. Random women hula-hooping knock him over, hell, benches knock him over, something that makes more sense, seeing how benches are more common than people and insects, some even walking in the middle of the streets! What the hell? As if that wasn't enough, it just goes on and on.
A note about Marty, he isn't wearing any recognizable outfit from the movie, that doesn't make sense either. And he isn't walking the streets for clocks and dodging random objects. No, he wanted to get back to 1985 with the DeLorean. Where's Doc Brown? Where's Biff? Where's, well anyone that actually looks like they're from the damn movie?!
The second stage is in the cafe, where you have to move about, throwing drinks at oncoming goons. At least here he can stop walking if you simply release the D-Pad. Afterwards, it's back to the streets with RLS Marty, who hardly even looks like the real Marty from the movie, on his quest to dodge random objects and collect clocks. I guess in a sense, it's taking the concept of the movie literally. Collecting clocks, of course, time. And throwing drinks, oh the classic scene where the Marty's father gets his chocolate milk slid over to him. Apparently glass containers with drinks in them defy gravity and slide through mid-air. And that brings us to the next thing, the classroom.
"Break Lorraine's Heart"
Oh boy. For starters, Lorraine is shooting off a constant stream of hearts at you, and you have to use a book to absorb them, as a means of breaking her heart. So this game takes things so bloody literal.
After going through the same walking level, only with a different color palette, more of the same levels as before, including the guitar act (also terrible), the final act to this total travesty begins. The DeLorean actually makes an appearance. Lightning strikes everywhere, and you have to drive to the end, reaching 88 mph for several seconds, and you have to avoid the lightning. Wait...didn't he need that lightning to generate the 1.21 gigawatts to send him back to the future? WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!
Simply put, it could have actually given the movie justice, but the developers did such a terrible job that it doesn't deserve the title "Back to the Future"...but then, oh you'll never believe this...they made a sequel game to follow with the sequels to the movies. Both of those were god-awful as well. Those were just as atrocious as this piece of Glenn Beck. And that's putting it nicely.
But over in Japan, developers decided they'd take the second movie adaptation into their own hands. Super Back to the Future II is a Japanese-only title, for the Super Famicom...and was actually...good?! So America gets three terrible games, and Japan gets one better than ALL THREE?
Well hell, as Marty said himself, "Everything's better in Japan." Well I guess the Japanese took that to heart when they made this.
Back to the Future for the NES gets 1 Falling Marty impersonator out of 5.
People expected much out of it, seeing how it's based off of Back to the Future. It must be great, right? Well, they were wrong. The Back to the Future game was God-awful. Considerably a disappointment.
The game starts off with the title screen, lacking any recognizable tune from the movie, albeit 8-bit, instead something completely different. Upon starting, you play as Marty, who apparently cannot stop walking...seriously, no button combination makes him stop other than to pause the game. You collect clocks, avoiding some of the most random obstacles known to man. Everything knocks him over other than just the basic payment. Even small insects knock him over. Random women hula-hooping knock him over, hell, benches knock him over, something that makes more sense, seeing how benches are more common than people and insects, some even walking in the middle of the streets! What the hell? As if that wasn't enough, it just goes on and on.
A note about Marty, he isn't wearing any recognizable outfit from the movie, that doesn't make sense either. And he isn't walking the streets for clocks and dodging random objects. No, he wanted to get back to 1985 with the DeLorean. Where's Doc Brown? Where's Biff? Where's, well anyone that actually looks like they're from the damn movie?!
The second stage is in the cafe, where you have to move about, throwing drinks at oncoming goons. At least here he can stop walking if you simply release the D-Pad. Afterwards, it's back to the streets with RLS Marty, who hardly even looks like the real Marty from the movie, on his quest to dodge random objects and collect clocks. I guess in a sense, it's taking the concept of the movie literally. Collecting clocks, of course, time. And throwing drinks, oh the classic scene where the Marty's father gets his chocolate milk slid over to him. Apparently glass containers with drinks in them defy gravity and slide through mid-air. And that brings us to the next thing, the classroom.
"Break Lorraine's Heart"
Oh boy. For starters, Lorraine is shooting off a constant stream of hearts at you, and you have to use a book to absorb them, as a means of breaking her heart. So this game takes things so bloody literal.
After going through the same walking level, only with a different color palette, more of the same levels as before, including the guitar act (also terrible), the final act to this total travesty begins. The DeLorean actually makes an appearance. Lightning strikes everywhere, and you have to drive to the end, reaching 88 mph for several seconds, and you have to avoid the lightning. Wait...didn't he need that lightning to generate the 1.21 gigawatts to send him back to the future? WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!
Simply put, it could have actually given the movie justice, but the developers did such a terrible job that it doesn't deserve the title "Back to the Future"...but then, oh you'll never believe this...they made a sequel game to follow with the sequels to the movies. Both of those were god-awful as well. Those were just as atrocious as this piece of Glenn Beck. And that's putting it nicely.
But over in Japan, developers decided they'd take the second movie adaptation into their own hands. Super Back to the Future II is a Japanese-only title, for the Super Famicom...and was actually...good?! So America gets three terrible games, and Japan gets one better than ALL THREE?
Well hell, as Marty said himself, "Everything's better in Japan." Well I guess the Japanese took that to heart when they made this.
Back to the Future for the NES gets 1 Falling Marty impersonator out of 5.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
SPECIAL: Striving for the Wrong Goal
Back when video games first came into existance, they were simple in concept, mainly due to hardware restrictions of the time.
The Atari was a revolution in the industry, coming out with various consoles such as the 2600. There were also many other consoles that came into play, and eventually faded into obscurity. For example, the Intellivision and the Commodore.
The early to mid '80s brought the great gaming crash. Nothing came forward. Then Nintendo came and brought it back forward with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Since then, games have evolved from the simple creations they were to greater advancements. A short while back, it was a war over better graphics. Since the Wii was released, directions have turned to motion-control. But, what game developers have missed is the concept of a good game. Back in the late '80s-early-to-late '90s, there were great games, albeit there were still terrible titles in that era, but regardless. Series such as Mario, Pokemon, and Sonic all set the bar for their respective series.
However, as the industry fought over better graphics, they forgot what made them so great. While some have stuck to the main elements, others lost their way. An example is Mega Man. The NES titles were fantastic, however, as the "Bit Wars" started, they started to lose their way, starting with spin-offs that simply lacked the shine that the originals had. It almost seemed as if the series was heading into obscurity. And for a time, it seemed as if it would. However, in recent years, Capcom went back to the basics with Mega Man 9 for the Xbox 360 Arcade. The title was in 8-bit, such as the classic titles in the series. It was a fantastic game, with added features to compliment the better hardware, along with a more developed storyline. Along with that, it also featured a "Classic Mode", with the "flicker" that would occur whenever several items/enemies were on screen. That was due in part to the NES processor. That revived the series, and fans along with new players came to it. Mega Man 10 continued along with the precedent of Mega Man 9. It also failed to disappoint.
That in mind, developers had began to somewhat go back to the basics while embracing the new. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Split into Episodes, the 1st is out, the other two aren't) went back to the basic sidescrolling action that the original had, while embracing newer graphics and some new additions.
Others, such as Pokemon, have occasionally released remakes of earlier titles in the franchise, the first set being FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of Pokemon Red and Blue(Green in Japan, however, Blue was released as the third title) for the Gameboy Advance. However, whether or not it was meant to act as a way of sticking to the classic way of doing things or to make up for the lack of Gameboy <-> Gameboy Advance connectivity, preventing one from fully completing the Pokedex (although due to some event-only Pokemon, it still couldn't be done unless you had access to the Japanese events, such as Celebi)
As a final word, developers, rather than fight for better graphics/motion control/which one is more violent and into war, they should fight for the better game as a whole. And it isn't going to get that far if developers just release games like Call of Duty.
The Atari was a revolution in the industry, coming out with various consoles such as the 2600. There were also many other consoles that came into play, and eventually faded into obscurity. For example, the Intellivision and the Commodore.
The early to mid '80s brought the great gaming crash. Nothing came forward. Then Nintendo came and brought it back forward with the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Since then, games have evolved from the simple creations they were to greater advancements. A short while back, it was a war over better graphics. Since the Wii was released, directions have turned to motion-control. But, what game developers have missed is the concept of a good game. Back in the late '80s-early-to-late '90s, there were great games, albeit there were still terrible titles in that era, but regardless. Series such as Mario, Pokemon, and Sonic all set the bar for their respective series.
However, as the industry fought over better graphics, they forgot what made them so great. While some have stuck to the main elements, others lost their way. An example is Mega Man. The NES titles were fantastic, however, as the "Bit Wars" started, they started to lose their way, starting with spin-offs that simply lacked the shine that the originals had. It almost seemed as if the series was heading into obscurity. And for a time, it seemed as if it would. However, in recent years, Capcom went back to the basics with Mega Man 9 for the Xbox 360 Arcade. The title was in 8-bit, such as the classic titles in the series. It was a fantastic game, with added features to compliment the better hardware, along with a more developed storyline. Along with that, it also featured a "Classic Mode", with the "flicker" that would occur whenever several items/enemies were on screen. That was due in part to the NES processor. That revived the series, and fans along with new players came to it. Mega Man 10 continued along with the precedent of Mega Man 9. It also failed to disappoint.
That in mind, developers had began to somewhat go back to the basics while embracing the new. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Split into Episodes, the 1st is out, the other two aren't) went back to the basic sidescrolling action that the original had, while embracing newer graphics and some new additions.
Others, such as Pokemon, have occasionally released remakes of earlier titles in the franchise, the first set being FireRed and LeafGreen, remakes of Pokemon Red and Blue(Green in Japan, however, Blue was released as the third title) for the Gameboy Advance. However, whether or not it was meant to act as a way of sticking to the classic way of doing things or to make up for the lack of Gameboy <-> Gameboy Advance connectivity, preventing one from fully completing the Pokedex (although due to some event-only Pokemon, it still couldn't be done unless you had access to the Japanese events, such as Celebi)
As a final word, developers, rather than fight for better graphics/motion control/which one is more violent and into war, they should fight for the better game as a whole. And it isn't going to get that far if developers just release games like Call of Duty.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Pokemon Black and White Versions
Whew. I just finished the main story of Pokemon White Version. First impression? This game is f*cking great. I highly enjoyed the plot, the new Pokemon, everything. Albeit it is a little difficult translating the text due to my neglecting to finish learning the Japanese alphabet. Regardless, the gameplay is excellent. I plan on getting the North American version of White when it is released Spring 2011.
New Pokemon, let's see. About 156 of them, new typings, new concepts, all bringing new life into the series. The starters, Tsujata, Mijumaru, and Pokabu are apparently based off of styles of art. Mijumaru is based on Western styles of art, Tsujata European, and Pokabu Eastern. Truly a nice concept for them. Although there was one thing about the starters that ruffled my feathers. Pokabu's first and final evolutions are of the Fire/Fighting type, the typing of the fire starter since Generation III. Rather than recycle the same thing over and over again, perhaps a different secondary typing could have been used.
The final evolutions of the starters were enjoyable. Jaroda, the final form of Tsujata, is a large cobra like creature with a leaf cuff around its neck, and an angry look upon its face. Daikenki is based off a sea lion, with shells covering various parts of its body. A large spiked sea shell rests upon its neck and head, and can even wield it as a sword-like weapon. Enbuoo, however, is my least favorite of the three. The design is overly reminiscent to two fourth generation Pokemon, Magmortar and Rhyperior. That and I never cared for Pokabu's base design. /end Enbuoo rant
Aside from the starters, a great batch of Pokemon came to be, and this time around more inanimate objects were the base of the designs. For example, there is an ice-cream line, a garbage bag line, and a large, intimidating snowflake. I found the Ice-Cream Pokemon to be very humorous, starting as an ice cream ball, then an ice cream cone, then a deluxe ice-cream cone.
The version mascots, Reshiram and Zekrom, are based upon the concept of yin and yang. Reshiram is the White Yang Pokemon, whilst Zekrom is the Black Yin Pokemon. Reshiram is a Fire/Dragon type, and is the mascot of Pokemon Black while Zekrom is an Electric/Dragon type and is the mascot of Pokemon White. Both get the exclusive moves Cross-Thunder (Zekrom) and Cross-Fire(Reshiram) along with two other moves, Lightning Strike (Zekrom) and Blue Fire (Reshiram)
There are also three Pokemon based on the Raijin trio, Torunerosu, Borutorosu, and Randorosu.
But there is more to Pokemon than just the Pokemon themselves. There is the plot.
You start off at your home in Kanoko Town, along with your friend Cheren. It is your birthday presumably, as noted by the large gift on your table. Your other friend Belle comes up the stairs into the room, and dialogue is exchanged. You then walk up to the gift and unwrap it. Inside are three Pokeballs, and a letter from the local Pokemon Professor Araragi. Inside are the Grass Snake Tsujata, the Sea Otter Mijumaru, and the Fire Pig Pokabu. Once you've chosen your starter (for those that are interested I picked Mijumaru), Cheren will pick the starter with the type advantage, and Belle will get the remaining Pokemon with the type disadvantage to yours. Cheren then stands aside, acting as a referree for your battle with Belle.
After your victory (or loss, I won this battle), Cheren will heal both of your Pokemon, and then will proceed to battle you. Again, after you either won or lost (I won.) you will then head on out. Upon attempting to leave, your mother gifts you with the equivalent to the Pokegear in HeartGold/SoulSilver (I was unsure what it was, to be honest) and you then leave your home. Cheren goes off to Professor Araragi's lab, and will remain outside until you retrieve Belle from her home. Once inside, her father will yell at her, as he is against her going off on a Pokemon journey. After all is said and done, you and Belle will meet up with Cheren, and all three will head inside. After some dialogue, all three of you will get your Pokedexes, and you all head off for Route 1. Cherry blossom petals will be falling, and after some dialogue, you head onward.
Shortly afterwards, after being tutorialed on how to use a Pokemon Center/PC by Professor Araragi, you meet the evil Team Plasma, as Geechisu, one of the highest ranking officials of the group, is proclaiming how Team Plasma is going to free the Pokemon of trainers across the world, or something to that effect. People are confused, and after Plasma leaves, the people all scurry off. You then meet N, a mysterious man with green hair, and you battle him. After winning, dialogue will be spoken, and he heads off.
After that, you head on off on your grand adventure, capturing Pokemon, training them, and collecting badges all throughout Isshu. You also encounter Team Plasma and N throughout your adventure, and eventually you discover that N is actually a part of Plasma, giving orders to Geechisu to free your Pokemon. Eventually, you face the eighth gym leader. They tell you of the legend of Reshiram and Zekrom, and two brothers. The two brothers founded Isshu. They began to argue about which direction they wanted to go in. Reshiram and Zekrom came forth and began battling. They would continue their battle until Isshu was destroyed. To prevent that, they were put to rest, never to be awakened again. Team Plasma (mainly N/Geechisu) vie to reawaken Reshiram and Zekrom. After hearing of all this, you head off for the Pokemon League.
After defeating the Elite Four, you head into the Champion's room to discover the champion Adeku and....N? N and Adeku converse, and then from the ground comes an ancient castle which attaches itself to the League. N then flees into it, and Cheren comes in. Dialogue ensues, and you head into the castle. The six sages of Team Plasma, all met at previous areas, are all there ready to attack, when Yakon (the 5th Gym Leader) comes in. Dialogue is exchanged, and 7 more of the 11 leaders (2 other Gym Leaders head the first, and the eighth Gym has two Gym Leaders, one per version) They each distract the sages while you go to find N. He stands in a room, where dialogue is exchanged between you and him.
(If you are playing White Version...)
N will awaken Reshiram, who appears from the skies, unleashing a wave of flames. It stands by his side, then moving behind him. From the Dark Stone, Zekrom comes forth, unleashing electrical bursts. It then goes and faces you, and you have the opportunity to catch Zekrom at Lv.50
(If you are playing Black...)
Pretty much the same only N awakens Zekrom and Reshiram comes forth from the Light Stone to fight you.
After capturing your version mascot (which the developers ensured would happen), you face off against N one last time. After your victory, he seems to be very complacent, accepting his loss. However, Geechisu is not. He reams N for losing to just a simple trainer, after he awakened the dragon for N. Geechisu was the true villain all along, using N as a puppet. You then face off against Geechisu.
After your victory, Adeku comes and asks N if he believes Pokemon should still be separated from humans. Geechisu spites N, calling him a monster incapable of being able to relate to normal humans. Adeku ignores Geechisu, forgiving N and wonders if N is sick of being controlled. Cheren and Adeku lead Geechisu out afterwards. N is downcast and says he isn't fit to call himself a hero. He then admits that when he first met you, your Pokemon told him how much they loved being with you, and he hasn't been able to reconcile that with his own beliefs that Pokemon should be separated from humans. He decides to continue his journey around Isshu, searching for answers, and leaves the castle with Reshiram/Zekrom.
End main-story.
Final thoughts:
Pokemon Black/White are excellent games, with a wonderful storyline coupled with great new Pokemon. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out in America in Spring (or if you are impatient, just import the games from Japan)
I give Pokemon Black/White 5 Team Plasma insignias out of 5.
New Pokemon, let's see. About 156 of them, new typings, new concepts, all bringing new life into the series. The starters, Tsujata, Mijumaru, and Pokabu are apparently based off of styles of art. Mijumaru is based on Western styles of art, Tsujata European, and Pokabu Eastern. Truly a nice concept for them. Although there was one thing about the starters that ruffled my feathers. Pokabu's first and final evolutions are of the Fire/Fighting type, the typing of the fire starter since Generation III. Rather than recycle the same thing over and over again, perhaps a different secondary typing could have been used.
The final evolutions of the starters were enjoyable. Jaroda, the final form of Tsujata, is a large cobra like creature with a leaf cuff around its neck, and an angry look upon its face. Daikenki is based off a sea lion, with shells covering various parts of its body. A large spiked sea shell rests upon its neck and head, and can even wield it as a sword-like weapon. Enbuoo, however, is my least favorite of the three. The design is overly reminiscent to two fourth generation Pokemon, Magmortar and Rhyperior. That and I never cared for Pokabu's base design. /end Enbuoo rant
Aside from the starters, a great batch of Pokemon came to be, and this time around more inanimate objects were the base of the designs. For example, there is an ice-cream line, a garbage bag line, and a large, intimidating snowflake. I found the Ice-Cream Pokemon to be very humorous, starting as an ice cream ball, then an ice cream cone, then a deluxe ice-cream cone.
The version mascots, Reshiram and Zekrom, are based upon the concept of yin and yang. Reshiram is the White Yang Pokemon, whilst Zekrom is the Black Yin Pokemon. Reshiram is a Fire/Dragon type, and is the mascot of Pokemon Black while Zekrom is an Electric/Dragon type and is the mascot of Pokemon White. Both get the exclusive moves Cross-Thunder (Zekrom) and Cross-Fire(Reshiram) along with two other moves, Lightning Strike (Zekrom) and Blue Fire (Reshiram)
There are also three Pokemon based on the Raijin trio, Torunerosu, Borutorosu, and Randorosu.
But there is more to Pokemon than just the Pokemon themselves. There is the plot.
You start off at your home in Kanoko Town, along with your friend Cheren. It is your birthday presumably, as noted by the large gift on your table. Your other friend Belle comes up the stairs into the room, and dialogue is exchanged. You then walk up to the gift and unwrap it. Inside are three Pokeballs, and a letter from the local Pokemon Professor Araragi. Inside are the Grass Snake Tsujata, the Sea Otter Mijumaru, and the Fire Pig Pokabu. Once you've chosen your starter (for those that are interested I picked Mijumaru), Cheren will pick the starter with the type advantage, and Belle will get the remaining Pokemon with the type disadvantage to yours. Cheren then stands aside, acting as a referree for your battle with Belle.
After your victory (or loss, I won this battle), Cheren will heal both of your Pokemon, and then will proceed to battle you. Again, after you either won or lost (I won.) you will then head on out. Upon attempting to leave, your mother gifts you with the equivalent to the Pokegear in HeartGold/SoulSilver (I was unsure what it was, to be honest) and you then leave your home. Cheren goes off to Professor Araragi's lab, and will remain outside until you retrieve Belle from her home. Once inside, her father will yell at her, as he is against her going off on a Pokemon journey. After all is said and done, you and Belle will meet up with Cheren, and all three will head inside. After some dialogue, all three of you will get your Pokedexes, and you all head off for Route 1. Cherry blossom petals will be falling, and after some dialogue, you head onward.
Shortly afterwards, after being tutorialed on how to use a Pokemon Center/PC by Professor Araragi, you meet the evil Team Plasma, as Geechisu, one of the highest ranking officials of the group, is proclaiming how Team Plasma is going to free the Pokemon of trainers across the world, or something to that effect. People are confused, and after Plasma leaves, the people all scurry off. You then meet N, a mysterious man with green hair, and you battle him. After winning, dialogue will be spoken, and he heads off.
After that, you head on off on your grand adventure, capturing Pokemon, training them, and collecting badges all throughout Isshu. You also encounter Team Plasma and N throughout your adventure, and eventually you discover that N is actually a part of Plasma, giving orders to Geechisu to free your Pokemon. Eventually, you face the eighth gym leader. They tell you of the legend of Reshiram and Zekrom, and two brothers. The two brothers founded Isshu. They began to argue about which direction they wanted to go in. Reshiram and Zekrom came forth and began battling. They would continue their battle until Isshu was destroyed. To prevent that, they were put to rest, never to be awakened again. Team Plasma (mainly N/Geechisu) vie to reawaken Reshiram and Zekrom. After hearing of all this, you head off for the Pokemon League.
After defeating the Elite Four, you head into the Champion's room to discover the champion Adeku and....N? N and Adeku converse, and then from the ground comes an ancient castle which attaches itself to the League. N then flees into it, and Cheren comes in. Dialogue ensues, and you head into the castle. The six sages of Team Plasma, all met at previous areas, are all there ready to attack, when Yakon (the 5th Gym Leader) comes in. Dialogue is exchanged, and 7 more of the 11 leaders (2 other Gym Leaders head the first, and the eighth Gym has two Gym Leaders, one per version) They each distract the sages while you go to find N. He stands in a room, where dialogue is exchanged between you and him.
(If you are playing White Version...)
N will awaken Reshiram, who appears from the skies, unleashing a wave of flames. It stands by his side, then moving behind him. From the Dark Stone, Zekrom comes forth, unleashing electrical bursts. It then goes and faces you, and you have the opportunity to catch Zekrom at Lv.50
(If you are playing Black...)
Pretty much the same only N awakens Zekrom and Reshiram comes forth from the Light Stone to fight you.
After capturing your version mascot (which the developers ensured would happen), you face off against N one last time. After your victory, he seems to be very complacent, accepting his loss. However, Geechisu is not. He reams N for losing to just a simple trainer, after he awakened the dragon for N. Geechisu was the true villain all along, using N as a puppet. You then face off against Geechisu.
After your victory, Adeku comes and asks N if he believes Pokemon should still be separated from humans. Geechisu spites N, calling him a monster incapable of being able to relate to normal humans. Adeku ignores Geechisu, forgiving N and wonders if N is sick of being controlled. Cheren and Adeku lead Geechisu out afterwards. N is downcast and says he isn't fit to call himself a hero. He then admits that when he first met you, your Pokemon told him how much they loved being with you, and he hasn't been able to reconcile that with his own beliefs that Pokemon should be separated from humans. He decides to continue his journey around Isshu, searching for answers, and leaves the castle with Reshiram/Zekrom.
End main-story.
Final thoughts:
Pokemon Black/White are excellent games, with a wonderful storyline coupled with great new Pokemon. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out in America in Spring (or if you are impatient, just import the games from Japan)
I give Pokemon Black/White 5 Team Plasma insignias out of 5.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Shining Force (Genesis)
Hello world,
I apologize for the late review, but remembering that I hadn't played the game in several months, I felt I had to do it justice by going through it again. With this experience fresh in mind, I present Shining Force on the Sega Genesis.
The prologue describes the war between the Ancients and the evil Dark Dragon. The Powers of Light sealed it away, and how Dark Dragon vowed to return in 1,000 years. 1,000 years later, the Kingdom of Runefaust attacks Rune, shortly afterwards a small elvin girl is shown to be reading the book. She askes you for your name, and then the difficulty, and the story begins.
You play as Max (or whatever you named him), a Swordsman in training. You apparently took a beating, and are told that it was a good time to stop fighting. Knights approach your mentor, and you follow him to the castle. The character learns of how Runefaust has been threatening the land, and that you are to take a group of followers to help stop Runefaust. As soon as you leave the castle, you are met up with a small group, and the game takes off.
Like Final Fantasy, there are character classes, only instead of there being only six base classes and six stronger versions of those, there are actually 13 base classes and 13 stronger versions of those. Rather than try to explain them all, I'll list them from the Shining Force Wikia:
I apologize for the late review, but remembering that I hadn't played the game in several months, I felt I had to do it justice by going through it again. With this experience fresh in mind, I present Shining Force on the Sega Genesis.
The prologue describes the war between the Ancients and the evil Dark Dragon. The Powers of Light sealed it away, and how Dark Dragon vowed to return in 1,000 years. 1,000 years later, the Kingdom of Runefaust attacks Rune, shortly afterwards a small elvin girl is shown to be reading the book. She askes you for your name, and then the difficulty, and the story begins.
You play as Max (or whatever you named him), a Swordsman in training. You apparently took a beating, and are told that it was a good time to stop fighting. Knights approach your mentor, and you follow him to the castle. The character learns of how Runefaust has been threatening the land, and that you are to take a group of followers to help stop Runefaust. As soon as you leave the castle, you are met up with a small group, and the game takes off.
Like Final Fantasy, there are character classes, only instead of there being only six base classes and six stronger versions of those, there are actually 13 base classes and 13 stronger versions of those. Rather than try to explain them all, I'll list them from the Shining Force Wikia:
Basic classes
- Swordsman or abbreiviated in game to SDMN. This sword-orientated offensive class is given to the pre-promotion Human, Bowie, and later leader of the Shining Force.
- Priest or PRST - a class given to pre-promotion magic users who specialize in healing and defence magic such as Khris, Gong, Lowe and Torasu.
- Knight or KNTE - a class given to to pre-promotion male Centaurs such as Arthur, Ernest, Mae and Vankar.
- Warrior or WARR - a class given to pre-promotion males of short stature yet hardy resolve who specialize in blunt instruments and which include the Halfling Jaha and the Dwarf Randolf.
- Mage - a class given to pre-promotion male Elvish magic users who specialize in offensive magic, often calling on the elements or forces of nature. Examples of this class inlude Kazin and Tyrin.
- Wolfman or WFMN - a specific class given to pre-promotion Beastmen such as Zylo.
- Birdman or BDMN - a specific race and a specific class combined, given to the pre-promotion Amon and Balbaroy
- Archer or ACHR - a specific range-based offensive class often seen in Elves such as Rick or Janet.
- Assault Knight or - a specific range-based offensive class seen in the female Centaur Lyle.
- Wing Knight or WGKT - a specific class given to the pre-promotion of Kokitchi.
- Magic Creature or MGCT - a specific race and specific class combined, given to pre-promotion and post promotion Domingo.
- Steam Kight or STKT - a specific class given to pre-promotion Guntz.
Promoted Classes
- Hero - the promoted version of Swordsman class
- Vicar or VICR - the promoted version of the Priest class
- Gladiator or GLDT - the promoted version of the Warrior class
- Paladin or PLDN - the promoted version of the Knight class
- Wizard or WIZ - the promoted version of the Mage class
- Wolf Baron or WFMN - the promoted version of the Wolfman class
- Bird Battler or BDBT - the promoted version of the Birdman class
- Sniper or SNIP - the promoted version of the Archer class
- Bow Knight or BWNT - the promoted version of the Rnager class
- Samurai or - there is no non-promoted class as Musashi comes already promoted
Advanced Clsses
- Robot or RBT - a specific race and advanced class combined in the character Adam
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
SPECIAL: Looking Forward - Poketto Monsutā Burakku & Howaito (Pokemon Black and White Versions)
Last review I did was on Pokemon Red/Blue, the first titles in the series. In less than a week from now in Japan, Pokemon Black/White will be released on the Nintendo DS system. With new Pokemon, new attacks, new abilities, and aesthetic changes to the game, it will sure to be fantastic.
I've been watching as news of it sprung up back in the middle of February, when a silhouette of the new Pokemon Zoroark popped up on the Japanese TV show, Pokemon Sunday. From then, it was revealed, and the road to Generation V began. Since then, it had an international announcement, the first time any of the games were ever announced internationally. The announcement revealed the Pokemon Reshiram and Zekrom, the mascots for this particular title. Since then, many rumors have popped up, some turning out to be true, some not however.
With many new Pokemon unveiled and many more yet to be seen, Black and White is sure to deliver the goods. And if the rumored plot/new kinds of Pokemon prove to be true, I'll find this game far more enjoyable than the start of the fourth generation, Diamond and Pearl. (Platinum came back to make up for it, though). But if it proves to be true I'm sure it'll be toned down for the American version, due to allusions to Christianity. If it does, then for one, shame on Nintendo/Game Freak for letting a religion affect the storyline of a potentially fantastic game. If they don't, it could prove to be controversial, that and how there's a black woman dressed similarly to Aunt Jemima, apron, different type of head wear, and big dark green hair. Even the Pokemon could be wrongly interpreted. Baffuron is a buffalo...with an afro. And gets a move inspired by that afro, which is Afro Break. African Americans could possibly take offense as they did with Jynx pre-artwork redesign.
(For those of you not in the know, Jynx's artwork was considered as offensive due to appearing akin to "blackface", where an actor paints their face completely black, a very offensive and now nearly non-existant practice. Thusly Jynx's black skin was changed into purple skin.)
All in all, the title looks to be a fun, refreshing addition to the series, which I plan to import and attempt to play. Possibly even review. Just keep your eyes peeled.
Till then, have a nice day/night.
I've been watching as news of it sprung up back in the middle of February, when a silhouette of the new Pokemon Zoroark popped up on the Japanese TV show, Pokemon Sunday. From then, it was revealed, and the road to Generation V began. Since then, it had an international announcement, the first time any of the games were ever announced internationally. The announcement revealed the Pokemon Reshiram and Zekrom, the mascots for this particular title. Since then, many rumors have popped up, some turning out to be true, some not however.
With many new Pokemon unveiled and many more yet to be seen, Black and White is sure to deliver the goods. And if the rumored plot/new kinds of Pokemon prove to be true, I'll find this game far more enjoyable than the start of the fourth generation, Diamond and Pearl. (Platinum came back to make up for it, though). But if it proves to be true I'm sure it'll be toned down for the American version, due to allusions to Christianity. If it does, then for one, shame on Nintendo/Game Freak for letting a religion affect the storyline of a potentially fantastic game. If they don't, it could prove to be controversial, that and how there's a black woman dressed similarly to Aunt Jemima, apron, different type of head wear, and big dark green hair. Even the Pokemon could be wrongly interpreted. Baffuron is a buffalo...with an afro. And gets a move inspired by that afro, which is Afro Break. African Americans could possibly take offense as they did with Jynx pre-artwork redesign.
(For those of you not in the know, Jynx's artwork was considered as offensive due to appearing akin to "blackface", where an actor paints their face completely black, a very offensive and now nearly non-existant practice. Thusly Jynx's black skin was changed into purple skin.)
All in all, the title looks to be a fun, refreshing addition to the series, which I plan to import and attempt to play. Possibly even review. Just keep your eyes peeled.
Till then, have a nice day/night.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Pokemon Red/Blue (GB)
Pokemon.
The game of champions.
Pokemon Red/Blue started a wonderful series filled with spinoffs, anime series, and wonderful concepts. Back in those days, you knew that there were 150(Or 151 depending on if you knew about Mew) Pokemon.
Pokemon is exactly why the Game Boy survived. Akin to Final Fantasy saving Square Team from total bankruptcy.
Back then, there were fifteen types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, although the Psychic type was dominant due to having strong moves/Pokemon (Alakazam) and the one weakness it had being too weak to actually be exploitable.
You start off in the town of Pallet, where the resident Professor Oak lives. Upon an attempt at leaving, he stops you, brings you to his lab, where your rival awaits. You pick your starter, either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, and your rival picks the starter with the type advantage. What a jerk! Jokes.
You do battle with him, and after beating him or losing to him, your adventure begins. Catching Pokemon, training them, you take on the Kanto League, facing Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and the secret Gym Leader Giovanni (Also the leader of Team Rocket)
The goal is of course to "catch them all", but you can't do it on your own. You need a friend with a Game Boy, a Link Cable, and the version opposite yours, requiring you to interact with others to complete your Pokedex.
You also have to catch Mewtwo, the strongest Pokemon of the time, and go to a Nintendo Event (or abuse a glitch) to obtain the rare Mew.
All in all, the main part of Pokemon is the battles. Ingame the goal is to simply defeat your opponent, requiring little-to-no skill. However, facing real-life people is where the real excitement is. Casual playing doesn't take much to do, but competitively, this is the truly exciting aspect, thusly why I play. Some Pokemon are more useful than others, for example Starmie > Blastoise. While Blastoise may have its niche nowadays, back then it had a terrible movepool which prevented its true potential from shining. Starmie however, had a better typing (Water/Psychic), better stats, and a much better movepool.
Competitive Pokemon is quite fun, a fun alternative to casual play. But I digress.
The point is, Red/Blue were two wonderful gems in the series that spawned forth greatness, controversy (Mostly from the anime series, but also including Jynx, which was accusedly racist due to its artwork at the time) and a source of enjoyment for many.
For those remotely interested the main series goes:
Red/Blue/Green(Japan Only)
Yellow (Based off of the Anime)
Gold/Silver
Crystal (Enhanced version of Gold/Silver)
Ruby/Sapphire (First to the Gameboy Advance, newer game mechanics with no connectivity with previous titles)
FireRed/LeafGreen (Enhanced remake of Red/Blue, LeafGreen due to it being Red/Green in Japan with Blue as the enhanced version of R/G)
Emerald (Enhanced version of Ruby/Sapphire with minor changes such as "new" locations/additions) Diamond/Pearl (First to the DS, changed game mechanics)
Platinum (Enhanced version of D/P with new locations/additions, also new formes of previous Pokemon)
HeartGold/SoulSilver (Enhanced remake of Gold/Silver with the storyline of Crystal with D/P/PT mechanics)
And coming soon,
Pokemon Black/White
To wrap this up, I give Pokemon Red/Blue 5 Thunderbolts out of 5.
The game of champions.
Pokemon Red/Blue started a wonderful series filled with spinoffs, anime series, and wonderful concepts. Back in those days, you knew that there were 150(Or 151 depending on if you knew about Mew) Pokemon.
Pokemon is exactly why the Game Boy survived. Akin to Final Fantasy saving Square Team from total bankruptcy.
Back then, there were fifteen types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, although the Psychic type was dominant due to having strong moves/Pokemon (Alakazam) and the one weakness it had being too weak to actually be exploitable.
You start off in the town of Pallet, where the resident Professor Oak lives. Upon an attempt at leaving, he stops you, brings you to his lab, where your rival awaits. You pick your starter, either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, and your rival picks the starter with the type advantage. What a jerk! Jokes.
You do battle with him, and after beating him or losing to him, your adventure begins. Catching Pokemon, training them, you take on the Kanto League, facing Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and the secret Gym Leader Giovanni (Also the leader of Team Rocket)
The goal is of course to "catch them all", but you can't do it on your own. You need a friend with a Game Boy, a Link Cable, and the version opposite yours, requiring you to interact with others to complete your Pokedex.
You also have to catch Mewtwo, the strongest Pokemon of the time, and go to a Nintendo Event (or abuse a glitch) to obtain the rare Mew.
All in all, the main part of Pokemon is the battles. Ingame the goal is to simply defeat your opponent, requiring little-to-no skill. However, facing real-life people is where the real excitement is. Casual playing doesn't take much to do, but competitively, this is the truly exciting aspect, thusly why I play. Some Pokemon are more useful than others, for example Starmie > Blastoise. While Blastoise may have its niche nowadays, back then it had a terrible movepool which prevented its true potential from shining. Starmie however, had a better typing (Water/Psychic), better stats, and a much better movepool.
Competitive Pokemon is quite fun, a fun alternative to casual play. But I digress.
The point is, Red/Blue were two wonderful gems in the series that spawned forth greatness, controversy (Mostly from the anime series, but also including Jynx, which was accusedly racist due to its artwork at the time) and a source of enjoyment for many.
For those remotely interested the main series goes:
Red/Blue/Green(Japan Only)
Yellow (Based off of the Anime)
Gold/Silver
Crystal (Enhanced version of Gold/Silver)
Ruby/Sapphire (First to the Gameboy Advance, newer game mechanics with no connectivity with previous titles)
FireRed/LeafGreen (Enhanced remake of Red/Blue, LeafGreen due to it being Red/Green in Japan with Blue as the enhanced version of R/G)
Emerald (Enhanced version of Ruby/Sapphire with minor changes such as "new" locations/additions) Diamond/Pearl (First to the DS, changed game mechanics)
Platinum (Enhanced version of D/P with new locations/additions, also new formes of previous Pokemon)
HeartGold/SoulSilver (Enhanced remake of Gold/Silver with the storyline of Crystal with D/P/PT mechanics)
And coming soon,
Pokemon Black/White
To wrap this up, I give Pokemon Red/Blue 5 Thunderbolts out of 5.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Zelda II - The Adventure of Link (NES)
Oh, now this one was interesting....
...
...
And EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING!
I've played this game several times, and I technically beat it once, but it didn't quite get to the: "You saved Hyrule and you are a real hero!" scene, due to a power surge shutting off my computer. Such is life though. But many people believe that this game is terrible, but there are also those that love this game. I like how they did it, and how it poses a challenge but it does get frustrating.
Trust me.
After the events of the first game, where you defeat Gan(n)on and restore the Triforce, saving Zelda, time passes, things happen, and a magician puts Zelda to sleep. So you must find the Triforce of Courage to wake her from her sleep spell. But to do that you have to conquer six palaces to break the barrier to the temple where the Triforce of Courage was hidden.
Meanwhile, Gannon's followers try to bring him back by killing Link and pouring his blood over Gannon's ashes to revive him, thus giving us some antagonistic force. That and the fact that the townspeople either a) know nothing at all (literally, some say "SORRY I KNOW NOTHING") b) have typoes/errors or just say their name (i.e. "GET CANDLE IN PARAPA PALACE, GO WEST" when it's actually in the east, or "I AM ERROR" the most famous quote from this game if memory serves) or c) send you on sidequests to get spells. For example finding a trophy, a mirror, a...kid?, etc..
So unlike all other Zelda games, this one is a side-scroller, barring the overworld map. You fight randomly encountered enemies, gain EXP, and level up in either SWORD, which is Attack power, and the hardest to level up because of that, MAGIC which is how much Magic points you have available to use, the second hardest to level, and LIFE, which is the arbiter of how many hits you can take, and the easiest to level.
You can obtain large magic containers, adding another bar to your MAGIC meter, and heart containers, adding a bar to your LIFE bar. In addition, you can find "Link Dolls", which are even rarer, due to the fact that it adds to the amount of lives you have, one use only, so it's best to collect them before going to the Great Temple, the final dungeon of the game.
So you go through the game, fighting various enemies with some of the oddest names, conquering palaces, interesting bosses, Horsehead, Helmethead, Reubenok, Carock, Gooma, and Barba. You also have to go through Death Mountain halfway through the game, the source of much of my frustration when it comes to this game, and then after conquering the six palaces, venturing through the Valley of Death. Which is even more frustrating.
And lastly, the Great Temple. It's kinda long, but that's to be expected of the final challenge. Fighting bird-like creatures, walking through walls (literally, one section there's a spot where you walk through the wall), and at the end, fighting Thunderbird and your Shadow.
And after all of that is over with, you get the Triforce of Courage, and you awaken Zelda, and are told you are a real hero.
And that's game.
So really, when all is said and done, it's a great game, but frustrating.
I give Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 4 Downward Thrusts out of 5
...
...
And EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING!
I've played this game several times, and I technically beat it once, but it didn't quite get to the: "You saved Hyrule and you are a real hero!" scene, due to a power surge shutting off my computer. Such is life though. But many people believe that this game is terrible, but there are also those that love this game. I like how they did it, and how it poses a challenge but it does get frustrating.
Trust me.
After the events of the first game, where you defeat Gan(n)on and restore the Triforce, saving Zelda, time passes, things happen, and a magician puts Zelda to sleep. So you must find the Triforce of Courage to wake her from her sleep spell. But to do that you have to conquer six palaces to break the barrier to the temple where the Triforce of Courage was hidden.
Meanwhile, Gannon's followers try to bring him back by killing Link and pouring his blood over Gannon's ashes to revive him, thus giving us some antagonistic force. That and the fact that the townspeople either a) know nothing at all (literally, some say "SORRY I KNOW NOTHING") b) have typoes/errors or just say their name (i.e. "GET CANDLE IN PARAPA PALACE, GO WEST" when it's actually in the east, or "I AM ERROR" the most famous quote from this game if memory serves) or c) send you on sidequests to get spells. For example finding a trophy, a mirror, a...kid?, etc..
So unlike all other Zelda games, this one is a side-scroller, barring the overworld map. You fight randomly encountered enemies, gain EXP, and level up in either SWORD, which is Attack power, and the hardest to level up because of that, MAGIC which is how much Magic points you have available to use, the second hardest to level, and LIFE, which is the arbiter of how many hits you can take, and the easiest to level.
You can obtain large magic containers, adding another bar to your MAGIC meter, and heart containers, adding a bar to your LIFE bar. In addition, you can find "Link Dolls", which are even rarer, due to the fact that it adds to the amount of lives you have, one use only, so it's best to collect them before going to the Great Temple, the final dungeon of the game.
So you go through the game, fighting various enemies with some of the oddest names, conquering palaces, interesting bosses, Horsehead, Helmethead, Reubenok, Carock, Gooma, and Barba. You also have to go through Death Mountain halfway through the game, the source of much of my frustration when it comes to this game, and then after conquering the six palaces, venturing through the Valley of Death. Which is even more frustrating.
And lastly, the Great Temple. It's kinda long, but that's to be expected of the final challenge. Fighting bird-like creatures, walking through walls (literally, one section there's a spot where you walk through the wall), and at the end, fighting Thunderbird and your Shadow.
And after all of that is over with, you get the Triforce of Courage, and you awaken Zelda, and are told you are a real hero.
And that's game.
So really, when all is said and done, it's a great game, but frustrating.
I give Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 4 Downward Thrusts out of 5
Monday, August 23, 2010
Final Fantasy (NES)
The other day, I heard a song that a group called Duane and Brando did. It was about Final Fantasy. Now I had never played the original, or even heard of it.
So, I happened to stumble upon an NES and a copy of Final Fantasy, and I put it in. Well. It didn't work so well. After this I decided to pick up an NES emulator, and started it up.
It starts off with a small prologue that goes like this:
"The world is veiled in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy...
.'When the world is in darkness, Four Warriors will come....'
After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an orb."
So our story begins, selecting "New Game" will bring you to a screen with four sections, each with a class of character. You are able to choose between the following:
Fighter - The Fighter is one of the best classes in the game; It has excellent HP and Strength, and is an excellent asset to one's team. Can upgrade to the Knight, which can equip the strongest weapons and some White Magic spells.
Thief - The Thief is a lesser version of the Fighter, being unable to wield as many weapons and armor as the Fighter and having less strength, but a higher hit count, agility, and luck. Upgrades to the Ninja, who is able to wield just about everything, and gets some Black Magic spells even!
Black Belt - The Black Belt is somewhat of a mixed bag. It has good physical strength and bulk, but isn't too effective with items equipped. You cannot equip heavy armor to it, but has decent enough defenses without it. Upgrades to the Master class, which is one of the best classes in the game; A team of four is able to defeat Chaos (The final boss) in about two rounds, a rather astounding feat.
White Mage - The White Mage lacks in offense, but makes up for it with the ability to use White Magic effectively. Upgrades to the White Wizard, who learns FADE (later called Holy), which is one of the best offensive spells in the game next to the Black Magic Spell NUKE (later called Flare).
Black Mage - The Black Mage also lacks in offense (moreso than White Mages), but gets Black Magic, which is a great asset to any team. Upgrades to the Black Wizard, who gets NUKE, which is an extremely powerful spell.
Red Mage - The Red Mage is not only offensive, but can get both White and Black Magic, although it cannot get very high-leveled, compared to the other Mages. Upgrades to the Red Wizard, who gets higher-leveled spells. Considered as a jack of all trades, but a master of none.
Now that that's been covered, the story starts with the team going to rescue the Princess from Garland, a good knight gone bad. Weak to Fire, and weak overall, Garland will be "defeated" and the princess rescued. As thanks for saving her, the king will order a bridge be built to the next continent. And thus, the Final Fantasy begins.
You must go through pirates, rough waters, corrupt elves, and a myriad of other trials to restore the four Orbs and defeat the four Fiends.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! MAJOR PLOT POINT COMING!
Garland had made a pact with the four fiends to summon him two thousand years in the past while they are sent into the future to cause destruction. This creates a time-loop allowing Garland to live forever. After defeating the fiends, the team returns with the orbs to the Chaos Shrine to travel into the past, where they find Garland, who remembers them and seeks revenge. In the process, he becomes the demon Chaos after absorbing the powers of the fiends. He is vanquished, destroying the time-loop and restoring the land. Garland is in the present, though, but whether or not he's still evil is unanswered.
All in all, the gameplay is excellent. Square-Team did an excellent job on the game, thusly why we are up to thirteen main series games and numerous spinoffs and remakes.
I give it four and a half Black Mages out of five!
Until next time, look to the skies, for hope burns bright!
So, I happened to stumble upon an NES and a copy of Final Fantasy, and I put it in. Well. It didn't work so well. After this I decided to pick up an NES emulator, and started it up.
It starts off with a small prologue that goes like this:
"The world is veiled in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy...
.'When the world is in darkness, Four Warriors will come....'
After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an orb."
So our story begins, selecting "New Game" will bring you to a screen with four sections, each with a class of character. You are able to choose between the following:
Fighter - The Fighter is one of the best classes in the game; It has excellent HP and Strength, and is an excellent asset to one's team. Can upgrade to the Knight, which can equip the strongest weapons and some White Magic spells.
Thief - The Thief is a lesser version of the Fighter, being unable to wield as many weapons and armor as the Fighter and having less strength, but a higher hit count, agility, and luck. Upgrades to the Ninja, who is able to wield just about everything, and gets some Black Magic spells even!
Black Belt - The Black Belt is somewhat of a mixed bag. It has good physical strength and bulk, but isn't too effective with items equipped. You cannot equip heavy armor to it, but has decent enough defenses without it. Upgrades to the Master class, which is one of the best classes in the game; A team of four is able to defeat Chaos (The final boss) in about two rounds, a rather astounding feat.
White Mage - The White Mage lacks in offense, but makes up for it with the ability to use White Magic effectively. Upgrades to the White Wizard, who learns FADE (later called Holy), which is one of the best offensive spells in the game next to the Black Magic Spell NUKE (later called Flare).
Black Mage - The Black Mage also lacks in offense (moreso than White Mages), but gets Black Magic, which is a great asset to any team. Upgrades to the Black Wizard, who gets NUKE, which is an extremely powerful spell.
Red Mage - The Red Mage is not only offensive, but can get both White and Black Magic, although it cannot get very high-leveled, compared to the other Mages. Upgrades to the Red Wizard, who gets higher-leveled spells. Considered as a jack of all trades, but a master of none.
Now that that's been covered, the story starts with the team going to rescue the Princess from Garland, a good knight gone bad. Weak to Fire, and weak overall, Garland will be "defeated" and the princess rescued. As thanks for saving her, the king will order a bridge be built to the next continent. And thus, the Final Fantasy begins.
You must go through pirates, rough waters, corrupt elves, and a myriad of other trials to restore the four Orbs and defeat the four Fiends.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! MAJOR PLOT POINT COMING!
Garland had made a pact with the four fiends to summon him two thousand years in the past while they are sent into the future to cause destruction. This creates a time-loop allowing Garland to live forever. After defeating the fiends, the team returns with the orbs to the Chaos Shrine to travel into the past, where they find Garland, who remembers them and seeks revenge. In the process, he becomes the demon Chaos after absorbing the powers of the fiends. He is vanquished, destroying the time-loop and restoring the land. Garland is in the present, though, but whether or not he's still evil is unanswered.
All in all, the gameplay is excellent. Square-Team did an excellent job on the game, thusly why we are up to thirteen main series games and numerous spinoffs and remakes.
I give it four and a half Black Mages out of five!
Until next time, look to the skies, for hope burns bright!
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