Checker Knights

I've gotta say, the best piece of music composed for a video game is Checker Knights from Kirby Air Ride. If you haven't heard it, check it out.

Reggie Fils-Aime Would be the Worst Politician Ever

"By now, you all know how Nintendo chose a fundamentally different path," said Fils-Aime. "Instead of competing for the very best players, we decided to shoot for the most players."

So basically, rather than making games for people who care about games, Nintendo wants to make games for the masses; people who don't care about games. I understand this money-making concept, but being a long-time Nintendo fan, this really hurts. He said many times before that he's not forgetting the core-gamers. This means that he outright LIED to us.

Hopefully with this new economy, there will be less casual gamers buying games. Nintendo will start hurting and they'll deserve it. Then they may finally see their wrongdoing.

My Ideas for the Next Generation

With just a couple years left of this gaming generation (still called "next gen"), I'd like to cite a few things that the next consoles have to do in order to keep things fresh. I think we've seen basically all we need of good graphics. That needs no improving. Here's the list of my top 3 hopes for the next gen consoles.

1. Complete Backward Compatibility

Is it really that hard to do this? I think that they don't even need to have slots for past games. I have plenty of old Nintendo games and Playstation games that I'd love to play on my Wii and PS3. Problem is, the Wii can only play Gamecube games while my PS3 is one of the models that can't play past games. My proposal to fix this is to have a fairly complete library online of games from past consoles. This being pretty much done anyway, all that's left is typing in the product code and you get a free download of that game. Fair, simple, and people will have more reason to buy a second controller. (And if they're real cheapskates, they could charge 10 cents. I wouldn't mind.

2. Small Size and Ability to Plug into Your Computer

Ever since the beginning of the Gamecube, I had wanted to console games on the go. So I bought one of those tiny TVs that attach to the top of your Gamecube and plug into the car. Now this wasn't TOO bad until I found that the screen is thin plastic that scratches, there are way too many parts that get lost, and it turns off when the car gets turned off. This could all be remedied by simply having a USB cable attached to a relatively small console (Wii sized is good) and an application that turns your laptop into a TV. Never again would you have to forfeit console games on a long trip.

3. Bringing Back the Nintendo Seal of Quality

Not just Nintendo, mind you. Sony and Microsoft need to make their own seal of quality. Far too many crappy or quick-cash-in games are being allowed to run free on today's consoles. Now that I think about it though, Nintendo has been allowing the most atrocities recently. Each game on the next gen consoles must be thoroughly tested and be made sure to not get below a 50% score on Metacritic. If they don't meet quality standards, then the game will be sent back or canned. Of course, it will cost a lot of money to be constantly making high-quality games, so I suggest that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo should give a flat amount of money to every game that passes the quality test (on top of profits of course).

Earthbound Live-Action

I don't know why this is hilarious, but it is.

Behind the Bad

Well, Telltale and Homestar Runner keep on delivering with content. I found this on their site today.

Video Games Haven't Failed Me Yet

Me: See? If I drift around the turns, I don't need to slow down.

Instructor: Why do you need to go so fast!?!

Me: So I can finish the test within the time limi...

Instructor: AAAAAA!

Me: Crap. I fell off the bridge. I'll never finish in time now. Where's the retry button?

Instructor: THERE IS NO RETRY BUTTON!!!

Me: Oh. I guess we'll have to wait, then. Where the hell is Lakitu?

And that's how I failed my driver's test.

Little Big Planet Beta is Closed

I got an email address at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival to someone in the beta. I emailed them and asked for help to get into the beta. They told me that the beta was now closed. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to wait a couple months to play it again.

Little Big Planet "Spline Rider"

Somebody asked for a video from Little Big Planet. Here's the first one.

Little Big Planet at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival

Yesterday I went to the Edinburgh Interactive Festival with two and a half hours and nothing to do but play and talk about Little Big Planet. Literally. Everything else there was actually pretty boring.

Last month, I asked visitors of Libipl.net to give me questions to ask the representative at the festival, and, surprisingly, got all but one answered.

1. Are there plans to have machinima tools available?

No. None.

2. Can there be a flying machine?

No, but there is floating material.

3. Can you place a sackboy NPC?

No.

4. Can you create an unbeatable level to put online?

Yes. No testing is required.

5. Is there a fedora or a kilt?

There is a fedora and there once was a kilt, but he's unsure of it coming back.

6. Is it possible to make a machine as easy to control as sackboy?

You can make a machine easy to use, but you cannot use it as easily as sackboy.

7. When is the demo/beta coming?

No idea.

8. Can you make invisible objects or a very dimly lit room?

Yes. They've already made a level that's dimly lit.

9. Will level remakes be allowed?

Yes, but naming them after the real level might get them deleted due to copyright reasons. Media Molecule has already made Super Mario Bros. Level 1-1.

10. Can you make multiple spawn points?

Yes, but to respawn, you must be closer to the point you want to respawn from.

11. What will be in the first batch of downloadable content?

Mostly things to dress up your character and possibly some levels that were taken off the list. He says that they might also let you download songs for your levels.


The beta had plenty of glitches including spazzing characters and levels that can become incompletable, but not too much to be fixed in two months (they'll have to work hard, though!). They also haven't officially named the fluff yet.

One thing that I particularly liked was the mini levels. They could be anything from a marble puzzle to an infinite rodeo ride or Jetman clone. There was even a Line Rider-like level!

I was a bit disappointed in the control, though. I was expecting more of a Mario-like control in which the jumps are fast and are as easy to control as on land. It was not such and a bit floaty. You also have to tap the control stick up and down to change which depth sackboy is in, rather than free-running between them. Also, if there's a wall with empty space in a neighboring depth and you jump against the wall, Sackboy automatically jumps into the neighboring empty space. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does.

I also got to play the final boss; The Collector's Lair. It wasn't too hard, but it was well made and very cool. I'll post a video of it later.

I was saddened to hear that there would not in fact be any music importing, so all narratives in the game will have to be in text form. There will also be no picture importing, so everyone ready with picture files on their computer will have to resort to taking Playstation Eye pictures of their computer screen.

I am happy, though, to report that the game is confirmed for an October 24th release date worldwide.

Now, this preview may seem a bit negative, but I assure you that the game experience is amazing. I am convinced that Little Big Planet will become the Youtube for video games. It's just not quite perfect. The representative that I met was a graphic designer that got the game to test 3 months ago. He normally doesn't like or play video games, but he plays it every day with childish wonder, amazed at every nook and cranny of it. It's a definite system seller and revolution in gaming. I bought a PS3 for it already. Let's hope for a large and brilliant community.

The Game I Would Like To Destroy

Recently, ScrewAttack.com asked what game would you like to destroy. This is my blog entry.

If there was one video game that I would like to destroy, it would have to be Yoshi: Topsy Turvy.

I HATE THIS GAME!


You constantly have to recalibrate the motion sensor, the game is laughably easy, and no part of it is fun at all. Unfortunately, the worst part about it is that it's supposed to be a spiritual sequel to Yoshi's Island, one of my favorite games ever. They didn't even keep in egg throwing. I know. It's horrible. The only reason I beat this game is so I could confirm how bad it is, and I regret it now. I WOULD destroy this, but I'm now a collector and I hope to teach future generations just how bad a game can be. Even abominations need to be documented to better mankind.

Top Video Game Levels

Sure, some games are cool as a whole, but how come nobody discusses singular levels? Here are the top 5 levels that bring the most vivid memories.

5. Bottom of the Well (Ocarina of Time):
I shiver to think of this. It took me a long time to realize how easy this level was, so I fumbled around without the eye of truth, trying to memorize the invisible floors and falling over and over again into the redeads below. Their screams still haunt me at night...

4. Monstro Town (Super Mario RPG):
Yes, this technically isn't a level, but there are like 4 bosses in it, so I'll count it. Monstro Town was the biggest surprise to me in SMRPG. It made me realize that monsters had feelings and personalities. Then I would think back to all of the monsters I killed before just to level up. Even the creepy wolf was a cool guy when you had a conversation with him. And the tiny goombas were just adorable. The one monster I did not sympathize with was the sensei. That goddamn sensei kept killing each character with one shot and JUST WOULDN'T DIE.

3. The Last Level (Portal):
Sorry, I don't know what the last section of Portal is called, but it was really cool. I loved how you had to escape your fiery death, run aimlessly through Aperture Science, solve puzzles that look like they were never meant to be solved, and eventually fight GLaDOS in one of the most amusing boss fights ever.

2. Jumpin' Jack Flash (Elite Beat Agents):
I was boooooorn in a cross fire hurricane. Yes, my favorite level from my favorite music game was definitely the last. It was extremely hard, but awesome at the same time. I find this kind of embarrassing, but I actually think that they're cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash is better than the Rolling Stones' version. I never beat it on the hardest mode, but I got so close! Too bad my DS is screwed up now, because I'd replay that level anytime.

1. Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy (Yoshi's Island):
This was the coolest level EVER. You see the fuzzys around and assume that they're evil, so you avoid them. Then, eventually, you accidentally hit one and go into the druggiest video game experience this side of Katamari. It was supposed to be an obstacle, but I now see it as the best power-up of all time. Unfortunately, like the Kuribo Shoe, it was only used in one glorious level.

Tomba!

Has anyone else here played the Tomba! games? I beat the first a while ago and the second one today. When I checked if Whoopee Camp (worst name for a company ever) had made any more games, I had been startled to see that it broke up after Tomba! 2. I really like this series, but it's gone now and there's no possibility of it coming back... What if the Mario or Zelda series never made it past game 2? That's what this feels like to me. This already amazing franchise would have gotten better and better, but it never made it.

The creative director went on to make ICO. I've never played it, but I've heard many great things. He's still out there making the best of games! I just wish this man would one day look back on his past and say, "Hey, that was a cool game. Let's try and do that again."

Best Video Game Sequels that Hardly Resemble the Originals

A lot of video games have sequels, but most of the time they just seem to be expansions of the original. Fortunately, there are some games that wipe the drawing board clean and start anew with a game that is just as, if not more awesome. Here are my favorite sequels that do just that.

Super Mario Bros. 2: Sure, it wasn't originally planned to be a Mario game, but it tons of fun nonetheless. Four very different characters to choose from, hidden warps, creative bosses like Mouser and Birdo, and of course, plenty of vegetables to pick. This game might not have been on the list had there been no vegetables.

Donkey Kong Country: Although Miyamoto didn't like it, Donkey Kong Country was one of the best platformers out there. It had arguably better than N64 graphics and made an antagonist one of the most beloved game characters. It was so great when you rolled off a cliff for an item then jumped back onto land. Physics be damned! You wanted that extra life and you weren't going to let common sense stop you! To this day, it's still fun to watch a gorilla ride on top of a rhinoceros.

Paper Mario: Yes, a second appearance by Mario. He's in a lot of lists because he's been in a lot of good games. That's the reality. Paper Mario is the unofficial sequel to my all-time favorite game; Super Mario RPG. The original had a compelling story, some of the best music in a video game, and oodles of secrets. Paper Mario had none of these, but it did keep one thing; amazing graphics. While they may not be the most advanced graphics for its time, it was so cool to see how everything in a world was set up like a pop-up book. It made it even better when Mario fell and he floated down as a sheet of paper. The game wasn't thrilling during battles, but outside of them, there were a lot of puzzles to solve. I guess that's why there were no battles in Super Paper Mario...

Day of the Tentacle: In my opinion the best point and click game, the sequel to Maniac Mansion was hardly like the original. Only one of the playable characters stayed and rather than the evil doctor being the villain, he was your friend. Unfortunately, one of his pet tentacles drank toxic waste and became evil. To make a long story short, you and your friends get lost in time and you have toilets to communicate with each other. Although this sounds like a bad idea, it was actually a great story. The puzzles were cool to see play out. For example, if you get George Washington to cut down a cherry tree, it will disappear in the future, or if you put wine in a safe place, it can be found hundreds of years later as vinegar. All in all, it made you think, but it was extremely humorous while doing it. Maniac Mansion was so hard, that I couldn't beat it, though.

Yoshi's Island: Let's end with a Mario game, shall we? Yoshi's Island was the pinnacle of platforming. There were secrets, items to collect, an annoying sidekick, and the coolest bosses. In one you were shrunk down and eaten by a frog, another fighting a man-eating plant that surrounds you at all sides, and the last was shooting giant eggs into the distance while a giant Baby Bowser was inching towards you. Some may say that the game looked kiddy, but anyone who has played the game knows that it takes skill and willpower. This game was nothing like Super Mario World, even though it claimed that it was Super Mario World 2 on the cartridge. Super Mario World was a great game, but Yoshi's Island was just...epic.

230 Games!

I just beat Mega Man 4-6 (I want to beat them all before Mega Man 9 comes out.), I remembered that I played Mega Man: The Power Battle at a private school I went to (They had an arcade machine under the cafeteria!), and I recently started playing Viva Pinata, so that's 5 more than before. I'm steadily moving along here! I'm almost done with Lego Indiana Jones and I'm planning to play a lot of Mega Man, so I'll probably get to 235 pretty quickly. The list is at the title link.

Pulp Games

I just realized something today while playing Lego Indiana Jones. This isn't an amazing game with anything that wowed me or any depth whatsoever, but it was fun. I call this Pulp Games, as novels with no depth or real point are called pulp fiction. Although it can be debated, almost all games have some sort of depth or innovation; something new. Others are just updated from the last edition of it. The Lego games are all basically the same, except the settings, characters, and puzzles change. The story is completely taken from the movies, so there is nothing in that either. This idea can also be applied to sport games which simply change the roster and other small things every year, the first Mega Man games (okay, they had a bit of story, but they weren't exactly compelling), and Mario Party. Is there something wrong with this? Yes. While each game may be fun in its own right, the developers dig themselves into a hole which is not easy to get out. Just how many Guitar Heros are there going to be until Harmonix comes out with something original? Don't get me wrong. I love games like Katamari as much as the next person, but I want to see new things from those people! I love that feeling when something cool comes out, especially if I've never seen anything like it. Luckily, the original creator of Katamari is making a game for the PS3 that is not about Katamari at all. It's good to know that people can start anew, even after getting wrapped up in a hit.

Spore Creature Creator

Yes, it got leaked, but not for a Mac, which happens to be my computer. At least the official one is out tomorrow. I'm actually really excited for this. I love the idea of making an animal basically from scratch and being able to move it realistically. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to make with it, but it'll definitely have a lot of limbs. Actually, what I might do is try to make a realistic human. If I can make any animal, why not Man? I actually think it's not going to work, seeing as this version only has 25% of the parts. Ah, well. Anyway, I'm not actually sure if I want the whole game. The idea of making the animal is plenty for me. I don't need to conquer worlds with it. The only part of the game that really interests me other than the creature creator is the simple organism stage. It just seems like a cool idea to eat the smaller creatures and slowly increase in size. Well, I hope this will be fun.

Edit: Never mind. It's online already! I can't wait to play...

225 Games

I just realized that I had played Ms. Pacman and Galaga 3 (both with no ending), so that brought it up to 224 games. A minute ago, I beat Patapon, which I had staved off for a while. That brings it up to 225 games! Woo! The list is at the title link.

Video Game Burning?!?

Quote from a pastor:

We are considering having something similar to a rally where parents and children can bring CDs and video games that they consider are destructive to the mind set of our youth and have a burning, just like they had a gun buyback last year...

Young people are being influenced by what they see and what they hear. They are being influenced by television ... television and videos are telling young people a vision but something that's not reality...

[Violent media] has a tremendous influence on young people and violence. That's basically all they see. Most of them try to emulate what they see, when in reality, the people they see don't even live in those communities. Some of the rappers they see on TV portraying crime don't live in the urban areas — they live in the suburbs somewhere. It's all a facade.

Yep. It's a revival of book burning. Look how much society has evolved!

Rez HD Review

Wow. This game is epic. It's a rail-shooter that plays like a music game. It never really explained the plot, but I'm okay with that. It makes up for it in glamour.

You're basically in a computer that wants to kill you. You must use your human-like avatar to shoot and destroy all forces pitted against you. You can try and make combos by locking on or shoot directly by rapidly hitting the button (and destroying your thumb in the process). Your avatar flies around, delving deeper and deeper into this computer world to ultimately get to a boss. Probably the most interesting thing about this game is the world itself. The only solid objects are you (at full health) and the enemies. The rest is an imaginative freeform, sometimes in shapes of pyramids or sphinxes, maybe the Taj Mahal, but usually swirling and bobbing expanses. The music in the game is basically made by you. When you attack, you make a sort of clapping noise. When you hit, a buzz. Everything you do will orchestrate the game, making the game that much more amusing. Yes, of course the developers designed the levels to inspire you to shoot at these intervals and such, but there is room for creativity, and the idea that your gaming abilities are making music is quite amusing indeed. The bosses, although I have only played three so far, are very well made. The first is a sphere that throws a cluster of attacks at you while keeping hundreds of shields around itself. You must pick each one off. The second is a sort of monster that tries to shoot things through pincers at you. You must destroy each pincer, then go inside of it to kill the source. The third boss is a giant tower filled with turrets that shoots homing missiles. As you can see, this game holds back nothing and is a pleasure to just watch.

Graphics: 10 (They don't need to be real looking as long as they are stunning)

Story: 4 (Not much to go on, but the idea of destroying a computer from the inside out is cool)

Sound: 10 (When there's a game practically based on sound and does a great job at it, how can I rate it anything else?)

Gameplay: 9 (Most fun I've had in a shooter, but it loses a point for a slow cross-hair and it's irritating to restart a level from the beginning.) 

Replay Value: 8 (Keeps most of the fun in the second play, but loses a bit of the wonder of what's going to happen next.)

Overall: 8.2 (For $10, how can you miss out on this game?)

Pokemon Graduation Speech

The sad thing is that we all know exactly what he's talking about.