I'm absolutely floored by this fucking game! The physics and level design are absolutely mind boggling, and the controls are rather intuitive for a Wii game. I first played this game for a little while back last Christmas at my cousin's house. I'm the first to admit that I wasn't all that impressed with it at first. I felt that the controls often worked against you, and that the camera angles were nausea inducing. Yet, almost a year later I got to playing around with it on my roommates Wii. I've had a complete change of heart; the game is a fucking work of art, and really did desrve the game of the year award for 2007! Don't get me wrong, I still think that Bioshock and Mass Effect were just as good, but in their own ways. Bioshock was the Mario Galaxy of FPS's, offering some of the most well-designed and breath-taking environments in a game, ever. Meanwhile, Mass Effect had likely the most immersive story ever put into a game, and also involved running around the universe kicking serious ass!
Now, don't think I've softened up on the Wii; I'm still not a big fan. It's just that this time, Shigeru Miyamoto was in top form!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I've found a new favorite blog
I'm sure we've all heard one of the now nightly reports on the worsening obesity "crisis" in the United States. I'm wondering if anyone else has watched these and began to grow skeptical with all the hoopla? If you have, then have I got the blog for you!
This is just one of the many articles on the website that works daily to wake people up to the truth about this supposed crisis that is affecting us all. According to the nightly news, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE HERE!!!
Here's a very disturbing article about something that's going on in the UK right now.
It reminds me of something my buddy JV over at Spaceworlder said back in January about what's going on with the relationship between government and peoples' daily lives. This is all scary, and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning. Anyone else getting that pre-eugenics feeling???
This is just one of the many articles on the website that works daily to wake people up to the truth about this supposed crisis that is affecting us all. According to the nightly news, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE HERE!!!
Here's a very disturbing article about something that's going on in the UK right now.
It reminds me of something my buddy JV over at Spaceworlder said back in January about what's going on with the relationship between government and peoples' daily lives. This is all scary, and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning. Anyone else getting that pre-eugenics feeling???
Ghosts and Goblins is a pain in the ass!!!
I've downloaded that game on Gametap, and I can tell you that the game is simply ball-bustingly difficult! From the moment you begin it tries to anally rape you with it's fucking enemies appearing everywhere and traps coming out of nowhere. The very first level took me about an hour to finally complete! Now, maybe it's because I havn't played a platformer in ages, but the game just kicks my ass!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Rankin and Bass: Mad Monster Party!!!
Why was this movie not shown every Halloween like all of the Christmas specials? This is probably the most awesome thing I have seen in my life; a cult film by Rankin & Bass starring Boris Karloff as Victor Frankenstein and Phylis Diller as The Bride of Frankenstein! It contains all of the classic Universal monsters, even including The Hunchback and Dr. Jekyll. It was written and designed by the original creators of Mad Magazine (hence the film doesn't feel as heartfelt as the other R&B classics, but uses more gallows humor). It's awesome, and I find it sad that this, and for that matter Peter Cottontail, are not shown on T.V. every season like Rudolph, Frosty, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and The Little Drummer Boy. I really wish it was. You can catch the movie here...
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
The guys putting up more each day, so just watch for it daily if you wanna see the whole thing.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
The guys putting up more each day, so just watch for it daily if you wanna see the whole thing.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Nostalgia Critic's Top 11 Animated shows.
Basically, I would agree with this list, but if it were mine I would swap G. I. Joe and TMNT out and add in Alladin and Men in Black. Both of these shows could have been cash-in shows of their respective movies, but like Ghostbusters did they went the full nine-yards. Both shows built a respectable mythos (Alladin using near-eastern and mediterranean folklore and imagery, Men in Black using the comics), and developed their characters further than was possible in the film. I know that I still try my best to catch Alladin when it comes on Toon Disney every once in a while. I would also switch out Transformers (because that was also before my time) and probably add in Darkwing Duck. Why? Because, in my mind, it was pretty much Batman in the Duck Tales universe; couldn't be beat. It also had an array of awesome villains like Megavolt, Bushroot, Steelbeak, and Negaduck. So yeah, that's what I'd do.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Top 5 Horror games of all time
I know that I havn't made one of these in ages, but in light of the season and the release of Silent Hill: Homecoming and the upcoming Dead Space I figured it would be appropriate. This list is not about series of games, nor is it about scary moments in games in general. It is simply about the games that traditionally fall under the umbrella of "Survival/Horror."
5. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, Playstation 2, PC, Wii)
This is a series that really needs no introduction, and this particular entry makes it onto the list for it's revolutionary take on Horror games. Traditionally, horror games tended to involve a lone hero with severely limited ammo and supplies facing off against a few scattered enemies in closed spaces. They also involved solving a series of puzzles that ranged from the painfully easy to the aneurysm producing. Resident Evil 4 was designed in order to produce a far different experience; something that many had been asking for after the much maligned RE0 came out. Capcom decided to design a game where the player was given all the ammo and supplies that they could want, but also added more enemies than they could ever hope to handle. Players couldn't avoid fights like they used to, as the enemies were smarter and made a habit of pursuing the player wherever they went. A camera was placed just over the shoulder of the protagonist, which gave the player a less disorienting experience when it came to the often ridiculed "tank controls" so prevalent in horror games. The old system of aiming involved just holding down the "aim" button and moving left, right, up, or down. It rarely made a difference, as the character usually just fired at the enemy's chest anyway. RE4 dropped that for a more precise aiming system that involved a laser sight and the ability to target specific body parts and do damage to such. Shoot a weapon out of their hadn, take out their legs so they fall on their ass, or just decapitate them completely. The boss fights also took an interesting turn, as you no longer just ran around and fired away at the enemy. You now had to target specific areas, develop strategies, and press certain buttons at specific times in order to avoid major damage or even sudden death. All in all, the series is better off now that RE4 has changed up its playstyle.
4. Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360)
What would happen if you threw Streets of Rage, Silent Hill, and CSI into a blender. Few games are as capable of creating such horrifyingly tense moments as Condemned was; it's rusted, broken backdrop, it's filthy hobo from hell enemies, and it's interesting take on melee combat in a first-person game all worked to create a unique experience. Condemned was a fantastic launch title for the 360, and if you have a 360 without this game you should probably consider picking it up. You could likely get it used for under $20 at this point. The game featured a visceral, hyper realistic art style, gritty atmosphere reminescent of films like "End of Days," and some truly frightening scenes. This one scene that takes place in an abandoned school... it will just stay with me. It's cheap, it's fun, it's worth every penny.
3. Resident Evil: Remake (Gamecube)
Before RE4 smashed the old mold for horror games, Capcom perfected it with their remake of the game that kicked off the whole genre. Even though it was "Alone in the Dark" which started the survival horror genre, it was Resident Evil that brought it into the mainstream. However, the graphics system for the original game is so dated that it's not remotely scary anymore. Realizing this, Capcom decided to remake it with the latest technology, and add in things that the team wanted to place into the game in the first place. One of the best additions to the game was the "Crimson Head;" a form that the stock zombie took after the player traveled through the room it was killed in one too many times. This enemy was faster, stronger, and more frightening than it's more familiar counterpart. The only was that their presence could be averted was if the player manged to blow the zombie head off while fighting it, burn it with kerosene after downing it, or allow the zombie to continue to live in it's current form. The player didn't have the freedom to burn every zombie's corpse, either. This was due to the fact that kerosene was very limited; the player had to decide which halls were most likely to be passed through again and burn the zombies in those rooms so as to avoid any possible "Crimson Head" encounters. The game was also no slouch when it came to atmosphere, either. Thanks to the power of the Gamecube, the lighting effects were some of the best to ever appear in a game. Swinging lanterns and burning candles helped put the player on edge when they entered an area for the first time, not knowing what to expect when they rounded a corner.
2. Bioshock (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC)
I have yet to purchase this game, but I did rent it a while back. Don't take that the wrong way, I loved this game! It was frightening, intense, haunting, and engrossing. The story follows a lone man who's plane crashes into the mid-Atlantic. He notices a tower standing out in the middle of nowhere; seeing it as his only hope for survival, he swims to it and goes inside. He enters, and finds himself on an elevator to a lost civilization. The game educes from the player a sense of sadness and despair in a way few games can ever hope to; at times, the enemies' lost humanity breaks forth in these sad scenes of men crying for safety, lost hymnals croning in the dark from those begging for salvation, and women wailing in pain for the loss of their children or lovers. The enemies are frighteningly human, and yet they are not. In their quest for their individual desires they tossed out what made them human; they became somthing else. As frightening as the splicers can be, you also feel a horrible sense of sympathy for them; you feel that they may have once been good people. It's that sense of tragedy that truly makes effective horror; making someone jump is one thing and it's very easy to do, leaving someone emotionally drained is something else altogether. The horrible crying that the little sisters do after the player kills a Big Daddy is another example of using horror to tug at a player's heart. 2K understood what it was doing with this game; this and Mass Effect were the reasons that I bought my 360.
And now...
1. Silent Hill 3 (Playstation 2, PC)
This is a tough choice, because I had to choose between this and Silent Hill 2. Still, whe it came to the raw scare factor, Silent Hill 3 is head and shoulders above Silent Hill 2. It shares with the other games in the series, as well as the second game on this list, a great appreciation for story telling. The game also was loaded with some of the best "haunted house" moments in all of gaming. The bleeding walls in Brookhaven Hospital and the Church, the disembodied scream in the store room, the knocking from the inside of empty stalls, the empty wheelchair in the hallway beyond the glass in the Department Building, and countless other scenes which just make the player question if they heard or saw what they thought. The story and the themes will also haunt the player, dealing the with issues such as vengeance, misplaced altruism, and reluctant motherhood. The enemy design for the game is also the best in the entire series, containing plenty of nasty demons to haunt your dreams with their cries and the sickly sound of their movement. Silent Hill 3, I feel, also has the best villain to ever appear in a video game. Claudia Wolf is more complex than the vast majority of movie villains. Her motives for getting Heather to remember her past life are deeply human, tragic, and believable when placed against the backdrop of her personality and past. Her abusive father, her alienation due to her faith, and her loss of her one friend in the world at a young age all lead her to make some bad decisions. The other three major characters in the game are also well thought out and feature great backstories that enable the player to gain a better understanding of who they are.
5. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube, Playstation 2, PC, Wii)
This is a series that really needs no introduction, and this particular entry makes it onto the list for it's revolutionary take on Horror games. Traditionally, horror games tended to involve a lone hero with severely limited ammo and supplies facing off against a few scattered enemies in closed spaces. They also involved solving a series of puzzles that ranged from the painfully easy to the aneurysm producing. Resident Evil 4 was designed in order to produce a far different experience; something that many had been asking for after the much maligned RE0 came out. Capcom decided to design a game where the player was given all the ammo and supplies that they could want, but also added more enemies than they could ever hope to handle. Players couldn't avoid fights like they used to, as the enemies were smarter and made a habit of pursuing the player wherever they went. A camera was placed just over the shoulder of the protagonist, which gave the player a less disorienting experience when it came to the often ridiculed "tank controls" so prevalent in horror games. The old system of aiming involved just holding down the "aim" button and moving left, right, up, or down. It rarely made a difference, as the character usually just fired at the enemy's chest anyway. RE4 dropped that for a more precise aiming system that involved a laser sight and the ability to target specific body parts and do damage to such. Shoot a weapon out of their hadn, take out their legs so they fall on their ass, or just decapitate them completely. The boss fights also took an interesting turn, as you no longer just ran around and fired away at the enemy. You now had to target specific areas, develop strategies, and press certain buttons at specific times in order to avoid major damage or even sudden death. All in all, the series is better off now that RE4 has changed up its playstyle.
4. Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360)
What would happen if you threw Streets of Rage, Silent Hill, and CSI into a blender. Few games are as capable of creating such horrifyingly tense moments as Condemned was; it's rusted, broken backdrop, it's filthy hobo from hell enemies, and it's interesting take on melee combat in a first-person game all worked to create a unique experience. Condemned was a fantastic launch title for the 360, and if you have a 360 without this game you should probably consider picking it up. You could likely get it used for under $20 at this point. The game featured a visceral, hyper realistic art style, gritty atmosphere reminescent of films like "End of Days," and some truly frightening scenes. This one scene that takes place in an abandoned school... it will just stay with me. It's cheap, it's fun, it's worth every penny.
3. Resident Evil: Remake (Gamecube)
Before RE4 smashed the old mold for horror games, Capcom perfected it with their remake of the game that kicked off the whole genre. Even though it was "Alone in the Dark" which started the survival horror genre, it was Resident Evil that brought it into the mainstream. However, the graphics system for the original game is so dated that it's not remotely scary anymore. Realizing this, Capcom decided to remake it with the latest technology, and add in things that the team wanted to place into the game in the first place. One of the best additions to the game was the "Crimson Head;" a form that the stock zombie took after the player traveled through the room it was killed in one too many times. This enemy was faster, stronger, and more frightening than it's more familiar counterpart. The only was that their presence could be averted was if the player manged to blow the zombie head off while fighting it, burn it with kerosene after downing it, or allow the zombie to continue to live in it's current form. The player didn't have the freedom to burn every zombie's corpse, either. This was due to the fact that kerosene was very limited; the player had to decide which halls were most likely to be passed through again and burn the zombies in those rooms so as to avoid any possible "Crimson Head" encounters. The game was also no slouch when it came to atmosphere, either. Thanks to the power of the Gamecube, the lighting effects were some of the best to ever appear in a game. Swinging lanterns and burning candles helped put the player on edge when they entered an area for the first time, not knowing what to expect when they rounded a corner.
2. Bioshock (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC)
I have yet to purchase this game, but I did rent it a while back. Don't take that the wrong way, I loved this game! It was frightening, intense, haunting, and engrossing. The story follows a lone man who's plane crashes into the mid-Atlantic. He notices a tower standing out in the middle of nowhere; seeing it as his only hope for survival, he swims to it and goes inside. He enters, and finds himself on an elevator to a lost civilization. The game educes from the player a sense of sadness and despair in a way few games can ever hope to; at times, the enemies' lost humanity breaks forth in these sad scenes of men crying for safety, lost hymnals croning in the dark from those begging for salvation, and women wailing in pain for the loss of their children or lovers. The enemies are frighteningly human, and yet they are not. In their quest for their individual desires they tossed out what made them human; they became somthing else. As frightening as the splicers can be, you also feel a horrible sense of sympathy for them; you feel that they may have once been good people. It's that sense of tragedy that truly makes effective horror; making someone jump is one thing and it's very easy to do, leaving someone emotionally drained is something else altogether. The horrible crying that the little sisters do after the player kills a Big Daddy is another example of using horror to tug at a player's heart. 2K understood what it was doing with this game; this and Mass Effect were the reasons that I bought my 360.
And now...
1. Silent Hill 3 (Playstation 2, PC)
This is a tough choice, because I had to choose between this and Silent Hill 2. Still, whe it came to the raw scare factor, Silent Hill 3 is head and shoulders above Silent Hill 2. It shares with the other games in the series, as well as the second game on this list, a great appreciation for story telling. The game also was loaded with some of the best "haunted house" moments in all of gaming. The bleeding walls in Brookhaven Hospital and the Church, the disembodied scream in the store room, the knocking from the inside of empty stalls, the empty wheelchair in the hallway beyond the glass in the Department Building, and countless other scenes which just make the player question if they heard or saw what they thought. The story and the themes will also haunt the player, dealing the with issues such as vengeance, misplaced altruism, and reluctant motherhood. The enemy design for the game is also the best in the entire series, containing plenty of nasty demons to haunt your dreams with their cries and the sickly sound of their movement. Silent Hill 3, I feel, also has the best villain to ever appear in a video game. Claudia Wolf is more complex than the vast majority of movie villains. Her motives for getting Heather to remember her past life are deeply human, tragic, and believable when placed against the backdrop of her personality and past. Her abusive father, her alienation due to her faith, and her loss of her one friend in the world at a young age all lead her to make some bad decisions. The other three major characters in the game are also well thought out and feature great backstories that enable the player to gain a better understanding of who they are.
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