Category: Video Games

Taking a mind dump. Excuse the odor

The coolest thing happened to me yesterday. So I’m at Subway, right. I’m done eating, so as would be the natural thing for me, I pull out my DS and get my game on. And then all of a sudden, this dude sits down across from me and starts asking stuff about it, and going on about how he finds it so amazing. I found it cool, because I don’t know a single person who is interested in the DS (nobody I know can handle its pure awesomeness), and it was nice to for once have a little chat about it. Just thought I’d bring it up.

My bro’s hockey team got creamed 8-4 last night. They started off real strong, with two goals in the first five minutes, but then it just went downhill. It was pretty bad, but the defencemen were really slacking. Can’t say he was having the best game of his life either, though. But then again, guess letting in eight out of like seventy billion shots isn’t so bad.

Three days until Musashi!

Following GDC 2005, we’ve got some things to look forward to on the Nintendo front. Seems the Revolution is gonna be some hardcore online business, and Gamecube backwards-compatible. PGC has a bunch of info, so check that out if you’re interested. Again, I’d like to bring up the new Zelda. There’s a poster of it in the Minish Cap player’s guide, so I’m thinking maybe I’mma buy that. What can I say? I need a Zelda poster.

I’m also considering getting Madden 2005 for the DS. Any time ago, this thought would never have even crossed my mind, but for reasons I cannot properly put into words, I want to own some sort of sports game, and there aren’t any hockey games for the DS yet. It’s Madden or Tiger Woods, and I don’t like the way Tiger is pointing at me so condescendingly.

How is it that I’ve gone 18 years without ever listening to Duran Duran? I can’t imagine how such a good band has gone under my radar until just recently.

iMesh 5 is pretty. Probably coated in spyware (they claim to be clean, but…), but my God is it pretty. And efficient. At least 76 times moreso than the last version. Say what you will about the spyware issue, I still like iMesh. I’ve got plenty of cleaning utilities.

I added a little hit stats dealie down on the sidebar. Click it for more info.

Is it wrong to try to win over a girl who’s currently seeing someone by pretending to be much more awesome than you are? (Not like it gets much more awesome than me) We’re still cool, even after the incident, but I’m thinking maybe I should cool the engines for a while. TV has tought me differently, so I’m not sure what the proper protocol is for this situation. Advice is appreciated.

Why is it that not a single store around here carries either Firehouse or Tesla? Best Buy and Future Shop I can see, but HMV? Come on! I guess I’ll be having to make that dreaded venture downtown if I hope to secure any music from either of these awesome bands. I hate downtown.

Speaking of Firehouse, they’re pretty much kicking ass on the ol’ AudioScrobbler list. You should totally sign up for an account there, even if you never use the thing, just so I can add more people to my friends list. And it’s just a neat little thing to have.

Is there a Corner Gas DVD? Amazon says no. Dammit. That’s an awesome show. If you don’t watch it, you so very totally should. I can’t stress enough how hilarious it is. Best show I’ve watched in years. Upon further investigation, the official website says yes. Flippin’ sweet.

Back to good

I probably won’t have an article up this week. I’ve been doing a lot of gaming and being out these past nights (which has been a nice change from the sitting in front of the PC all night I had been doing for the past few weeks), and I’ve finally fully recovered from that horrible bout with emotion I was having. It’s nice to have the old me back. Now on to why I’m making this post. I have three very important orders of business.

1. NEW ZELDA TRAILER! Here’s the link. Prepare your drool buckets, nerds, this is the greatest thing ever.

2. MUSASHI! Yep. Only five days until Samurai Legend Musashi comes out. I loved the first one, and from what little info I’ve gleaned from the site, the sequel looks to be kick ass. I know I usually don’t have many words of praise for samurai, but Brave Fencer Musashi is my second favorite Playstation game ever. The first being Final Fantasy Tactics.

3. BROKEN! It seems that old Edwin’s site is brokies at the moment. Oh, wait. Stroat. Stroat’s site. I wasn’t orginally gonna say anything, but he figures maybe some people visit both here and there. It’s possible.

I really want to write more, but I’ve got nothing. I guess it’s back to listening to Beck for me. Alt-rock is sweet.

Starting from zero, got nothing to lose

The February archive is now up. Or, it will be shortly after this post is completed. Maybe I shoulda done that first. Oops.

I’m not sure if I ever mentioned, but I saw Jacob’s Ladder a while back. It seems a bit of an obscure title, and you know how I love the obscure. Truth be told though, I only hunted it down because I heard that the Silent Hill games draw a portion of their creepiness from it. And boy, is it true. Well, it’s not quite as big an influence as I was led to believe, but you can definitely see the similarities. Oh, and it was a pretty good movie as well. Confusing as all Hell until the end (which was a cop-out to boot), but I would certainly recommend it to those who like movies that are out of the ordinary. Oh, and if you didn’t know by the title, you probably wouldn’t pick up on it anyway, but there are lots of biblical references here. Good movie. Wouldn’t buy it, but good movie. It’s really hard to find, but there’s a torrent for it over at Novatina. It’s under “mystery”, but it’s really more of a thriller. Not that I’m championing piracy or anything…

On a related topic, I got Silent Hill 3 and 4 the other day. I’m about halfway through 3 and haven’t even started 4 yet. Such good games, and the only ones I cannot play with the lights off, even with my newfound policy of facing my fears. Creepy stuff. And the best part is that I got ’em for $15 and $25, respectively. I picked up I-Ninja for $10 as well. It’s totally worth $10. this whole “buying preowned games” thing is working out really well for me and my wallet. Three good, slightly used games for less than one new one? Sounds like a killer deal to me. And as an added surprise, SH3 comes with the soundtrack packaged in! I didn’t know that! Ah, material posessions: my one true love.

Oh yeah, and I updated my profile page, for those who care. While I’m at it, I’ll mention that I lost like seven pounds over the last week. This is alarming, because I was in no way trying to lose weight. All these people on TV working so hard to drop the fat, and then I come along and start losing it without even trying. Ah irony, thou art a snide bastard indeed.

Exhibiting uncharacteristic behaviour

I really don’t have much to say today. I watched those charming Don Hertzfeldt cartoons again today. If you’ve never seen ’em, or just haven’t watched in a while, I recommend doing so. Sometimes making no sense is the best way to go about it.

I’m totally making a “silly hats only” sign for my room. Oh, and if you don’t have them immediately available, the media archive at GorillaMask has them all. I’d host them for you myself, but you know, the no webspace thing.

As a bit of a follow-up, I got the full version of MegaMan X8. After the atrocity that was X7, it’s really nice to see that X8 turned out to be excellent in every respect. It’s rather tough, the graphics are great (the cutscene style is beautiful), the sound is awesome, and it’s much more fun than its predecessor. All this, and there are unlockable things! Like characters! And weapons! Most amazing of all is the fact that after inputting a code, you can face off against an 8-bit CutMan! They even remixed the old boss theme. It’s absolutely hilarious, and it’s just in there because some Capcom dude thought it would be fun. You get nothing for finding it, and it lasts all of maybe 10 seconds. I love it. I’d take a screenshot, but hooking the PS2 up to the PC is a rather complicated production, and you know how I am about doing stuff. After all the Battle Network E-Card bullshit, this game has restored all of my faith in Capcom.

EDIT: I was in the neighborhood, and, well, here’s your damn picture. It’s tiny though.

I can see her in my head

The other day, Gabe from Penny-Arcade stated that “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman is the best song ever written. I’d like to point out while that it is an excellent contender for the title, I have to disagree that it takes the top spot. The greatest song ever is Duran Duran’s cover of “White Lines” (original by Grandmaster Flash). It’s an awesome song that is this prefect mix of rock, rap, techno, and even a litle dance. Also noteworthy is Kansas’ “Perfect Lover”, if only because it’s about a guy who’s in love with am imaginary girl, a scenario I know all too well.

So It’s Friday. You know what usually happens a couple days after Friday? That’s right. A new Steve article. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This one is the most anticipated Steve article of all time. Well, in the little circle here, anyway. Ouside readers have no idea what I’m going on about. So that’s up.

Oh, and there’s finally a game that makes me truly consider buying a PS2. Follow the link to see more.

I’ve got nothing else. Go download all the songs I mentioned above. They’re all great. Rangdangdiggitydangdadang.

Drat. They were just contacts

But if you wanna see something that is just as beautiful and just as blue, but not quite so artificial, click on this link here. I’d have just posted the pic, but my sentence plays out better as a link.

In related news, I’ve got no balls. Testicles, yes, but the ballage is at a bare minimum at best. I only mention this because I’m that ashamed of myself. As I once said, “You can’t get pussy if you are a pussy.” I think I was talking about myself then too. I don’t deserve my pimp name. (But I’mma keep it anyway).

So getting away from that paragraph I can’t believe I’m going to let stay, I’m pissed at Capcom again. Remember when I told you about the Rockman.EXE 5 Forte Cross deal? If not, you’ll get really lost here, but anyhow, my story goes on. So the only way so far to get the valuable card that unlocks the Forte Cross ability, is to go to the Rockman.EXE movie. I mean, it doesn’t matter much to me, cause by the time the game gets here they’ll have gutted it of any E-Reader compatibility, but I still hate when you can only get stuff by promotional offers! This is why I loathe Nintendo’s “You can only get the uber-rare Pokemon from promotional deals that only take place in New freaking York” bullcrap. Everything to be unlocked in video games should be unlocked by skill and the amount of time you invest in the game, not by stupid promotions. You should have access to all of the game, including the really cool stuff. You paid for the thing, you deserve to be able to play 100% of it. Sure, it’s a great money-making scheme for them, but I’m sure it’s turned away at least one player for every $100 it makes.

Lastly, StarFox: Assault kicks ass. I’d like to say more, but this one is definitely article material. After I get some more multiplayer time in, I’ll have that up for you. And the new Wario Ware game is getting one too. My plan is to review every Wario Ware game that comes out, so that guarantees at least two more. Woo hoo. Shit, I was supposed to keep that a secret. Crap.

Oh, and I fixed the broken Steve article of two weeks ago. I might have done so earlier, but nobody frickin’ tells me these things! When you see a big problem like that, send me a goddamn E-mail! Yeah, so now the asshole article is actually there, and not simply a copy of the vegetable article.

Much apost about nothing

Well, I’ve got nothing to do at the moment, and I really don’t know why I’m posting. I’ve got nothing overly important to say, and I’ve no new junk to review. I could review old junk, but bah to that. Too much work. Oh, I did the coolest thing at work yesterday, and I’ll tell you more of it as soon as I can recapture the magic in picture form. While I’m on the topic of work, I’ve been applying for jobs at other places, so if I’m lucky, I won’t be working at Timmy’s much longer (“Roll up the Rim” season is just around the corner).

I guess it there’s anything to talk about, it’s Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I rented it, and wasn’t overly impressed. The dudes at Penny Arcade whined about how Prince is no longer the great charcter he once was, and I was surprised that they do actually explain the reasons for change in the manual. Nevertheless, his new persona is much less likeable than before. -2 points. The game is now more heavily based on fighting, and it’s damn hard too. It was nice and simple in The Sands of Time, and while the new system is nice, I wish it were more centered around the swinging and jumping stuff. -1 point. The bosses I’ve faced so far have been really dull block-fests. It’s just block, block, block, and hope maybe there’s an opening here or there. -3 points. The soundtrack is all hard rock/metal, and while I like it, it doesn’t go from the arabic ambiance to battle rock. It’s just always shoveling metal into your ears. -1 point. The nice thing is that there are plenty of secrets to be found, and some hilarious secondary weapons, like a hockey stick and a plastic flamingo. +2 points. I can’t be certain, but I think the graphics actually got worse… No points awarded/lost. Overall, it’s a solid game, but you’ll probably want to go with The Sands of Time if you’re only gonna get one. At least the story is pretty cool and fits in well with that of the first.

Oh yes, and I finished Resident Evil 4 a while ago. Twice, in fact. And pretty far in my third game. The final chapters are very Resident Evil, contrary to some people’s complaints about the game. You know who you are. Not to mention it implies (as explicitly as possible) that RE5 will be along eventually. And the credits scene is really cinematic. When it was over, I got up and for a moment, thought I was leaving a movie theater. The unlockable bonuses are awesome. The mini-game Assignment Ada is cool, though a bit too easy. The Mercenaries, however, provides a great challenge and the opportunity to play as several different chracters, including the mysterious HUNK and long-time villain Albert Wesker. It’s all great fun and adds much to the replay value of the game, which is already unfathomably high.

Pretty good for a post that wasn’t premeditated at all. I guess the next time I’mma gonna post will be around the 15th or so, when I pick up the new Wario Ware game and possibly StarFox: Assault. Until then, here’s the SF:Assault soundtrack, in download form!

ADDENDUM- Oh yes, I forgot to tell youse (though some may already know) that the Mists of Avalon Online forum is now all prettied up. It’s got a starry background. …Yeesh. I usually don’t promote other people’s stuff so often… (at least not those who don’t have a widely known web presence)

And I found this thing out on the net and was sufficiently charmed by it, and couldn’t resist putting it on my own site. Don’t act like you aren’t charmed by it too.

It’s (still) aliiiiive!!

Not much to mention today other than the newest installment of the Work Blog is up. It’s called the December 2004 Edition, but it’s really not. It’s not even the Work Blog anymore, really. At least it’s a little more interesting than the first two entries. And it’s got four pictures.

If that’s not enough, I have a very short movie review for you. Here goes. “The Grudge” blows monkey nuts. The story is totally crap, with very little explanation of why stuff is happening, and lacks any ending at all. It doesn’t even hint at a sequel. The characters are all the dumbingest asses ever conceptualized, as they never, ever learn from their own or anyone else’s mistakes. They take the most obvious bait, and pretty much all end up dead because they’re fucking morons. And what’s worse, they all got scared to death. Only one of them actually got murdered, and that was just to open the “plot”. None of them even tried to defend themselves against the “zombies” (they really lack solid description), and instead just died huddled in puddles of their own bodily excretions. Oh wait, one of them just got sucked into nothingness. See, a zombie was chasing her, and she huddled under her covers. The zombie appeared under them, she got sucked under, and then they both just disappeared without even a hint of a plausible explanation. Urgh. It’s frustrating how terrible this movies is. At times it’s fun to laugh at, but most of the time it just makes your head hurt with its frivolous time-jumps and lack of any explanation of anything. I’d say you’d be a better person not to see it, but everyone should see it just so that the entire population of the world learns what a movie should not be like. I’m very disappointed in you, Sam Raimi. Such a respectable name associated with this filth… “The Grudge” killed at least thirty of my best brain cells.

But on the brighter side, I found and purchased all three TMNT movie DVDs today. I am contented to no end. Hooray for me.

Oh yes, and I was tolerant of the PSP before, but now I hate it because the president of SCE is a fucking egomaniacal douchebag. I’m not trying to tell you what to think, but read on and come to your own conclusions.

Band of the Month – February 2005

Before I get down to business, there are a few other things to report. Namely, the newest Steve article is up. If you don’t know where to find it by now, you’re a lost cause. Next up, working 6 to 2 is great, but causes much sleepiness. Third, Zoidberg rules! And lastly, I can’t actually play the game, but the intro video of Silent Hill 4 inspires a true fear deep in my heart. It’s freaky as hell, and I just wish the nerds at GameFAQs would tell me how to make my computer do pixel shading. I’d ask somewhere else, but then I’d have to sign up, and it’s just not worth the hassle.

But back to what’s truly important, my Band of the Month feature! this month, it’s Jimmy Eat World! You might have heard of their big singles “Sweetness” and “The Middle”. They was pretty everywhere at the time. And those are the ones that really put them on the map, as far as I can tell. I’d never heard of ’em before, and that’s as far as I care to investigate. Apparently, they had like three CDs out before those. It may have been two. I’m not doing any more reasearch than doing a search on Amazon.com. In any case, those songs are pretty much their claim to fame, even though they’re not exactly their best songs.

So this month is gonna be different. I really haven’t listened to much of their stuff, but I have obtained their newest disc, Futures, and I’m pretty much going to be doing the entire review on that CD alone. It’s not like it’s all they have, but I haven’t listened to a single song off any other album (aside from “Sweetness” and “the Middle”), so I’d be making even more grand assumptions than usual. And even I have my limits when it comes to making stuff up.

So this Futures, it must kick quite a bit of ass if I’m going to be basing a whole BotM on it alone. Well, it certainly does. I bought it pretty much blindly, having no idea whether I would like it or not (I never liked “Sweetness” quite as much as everyone else. “The Middle” is pretty good). But it was an excellent buy in the end. Jimmy Eat World is easily one of the best bands of today. Their sound constantly shifts between hard and soft, but is always very powerful. While I generally don’t care too much for emotion in music, it just pours out of these guys. The strong music and vocals work perfectly together (as you might expect) and create some very enjoyable tunes.

The title track, “Futures”, is an excellent starting point, and the following songs “Just Tonight” and “Work” are almost as good. “Kill” is great, as it’s an almost prefect blend of hard and slow rock. “The World You Love” is my favorite song on the disc. It starts peaceful and soft, and kind of inspires a feeling of hope. The kind of song you’d hear during the end montage of a movie. The chorus is a little faster and harder, but doesn’t totally change the pace of the song. If this were the only song I’d heard from the CD, I never would have second-guessed buying it. The next song, “Pain”, is harder, more tense and does a good job of contrasting with “The World You Love”.

“Drugs or Me” is a really slow ballad, and brings about a mood of despair. A good song, but it would be more suited near the end of the album, rather than smack in the middle. “Polaris” is another slower one, but gets a little harder once the chorus comes into play. An great love song, if that’s what you’re in the market for. After the last two songs, the hardcore “Nothingwrong” comes stright out of left field, and features some kick ass guitar work. “Night Drive” is again, a slow song, but this time with the rarely seem theme (since the 80’s or so) of making out in a car. The final and longest song, “23”, is proably also the deepest. It’s another ballad, and kind of gives the message that you can’t hold onto the past forever, and you can’t just expect everything to happen for you. It’s a great song to go out on, for sure.

Like I said, stellar album. You should buy it. I think I urge you to do that every time, but this time I suggest it to everyone, and not just those who like yon specific genre. Maybe even look into their older stuff. It may be top-notch as well. No regrets here, just feelin’ satisfied. Oops, wrong band. Maybe I’ll review Boston next month. In any case, go read Steve’s article if you haven’t and tune in this weekend for my final impressions on Resident Evil 4.

The Funk Master is impressed

Normally, I don’t buy a lot of sports games. Hell, if it weren’t for the Mario sports line, I probably wouldn’t buy any. While I’m here, Mario Power Tennis rocks. But back to my story. I generally don’t buy the sports games not because I don’t like them (I love hockey games), but because they don’t really catch my eye as something original or overly impressive. But that’s all about to change.

EA and Nintendo have been getting rather cozy lately, and this collaboration is starting to spice up the GameCube versions of EA’s sports titles. First off is Fight Night Round 2. Not only is SNES classic Super Punch-Out!! included in the game, but if you manage to finish it, you can play as Little Mac in the main game. He looks terribly scary when rendered in 3D, but I love Punch-Out!! so this is a game that I’m definitely buying, if only for that.

Also, the GameCube version of NBA Street V3 is going to include Mario, Luigi and Peach as playable characters. They’re horribly misproportioned when compared to the regular players, but it’s a cool idea nonetheless, and warrants at least a rent. I’m quite excited to hear about what other stuff they’ve got up their sleeves, but I’m pretty sure this collaboration, along with Nintendo’s own licensed baseball game (as long as it’s good), is going to end up helping the GameCube get more into the sports genre, where it’s currently suffering pretty badly.

Oh yes, and there’s a new Steve article up. I’ve had it since Friday, but you know, the lazy.