GITim Blog

Dracula Deserves More Than Castlevania

Tim Turi — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:23:00 GMT

Last night I finished reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the original vampire novel from 1897. My interest in picking up the book was linked directly to the ending of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, my longtime interest in Castlevania in general, and my fascination with classic movie monsters. Discovering his renowned literature via a video game is not likely the way Stoker intended folks to enjoy his novel, but I’m happy I got around to it. Now I’m not only a fan of Castlevania’s iconic last boss, but an enthusiast of Dracula proper. My appreciation of the Count has me thinking he deserves to be more than a recycled enemy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved the idea of Dracula being the ringleader of evil since the NES Castlevania. Even though I didn’t defeat the Prince of Darkness in the original 1986 title until relatively recently, I was enamored with the idea. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night reinforced my appreciation by allowing me to face off with Dracula right away as Richter Belmont, lending that much more drive to Alucard’s quest to kill his father.

Spoiler Incoming!

Upon seeing the ending (Spoilers!) to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, I fell in love with the idea of Belmont becoming Dracula. I’m very excited to see where the series takes the character, especially given that the next entry is hinted to take place in present day (I hope Konami saves it for a sequel and doesn’t blow it all on some lame DLC, though).

Before Castlevania became Castlevania, it was Haunted Castle. And it needed some work...

Castlevania has done much in the way of making Dracula a fun, love-to-hate bad guy, but it doesn’t pay due tribute to Stoker’s monster. Van Helsing, Harker, and company set out on one of the most intriguing and harrowing adventures ever told. Quick wits, incredible foresight, and ingenuity were paramount in defeating the undead Count, to a degree that hack-n-slash and side-scrolling action games just can’t do justice.

Dracula made one of his first appearances in King’s Quest II, an early PC adventure title. In it, you must creep through Dracula’s lair and find him sleeping in his coffin. Though the appearance is little more than a cameo within the context of the King’s Quest series, the feeling of sneaking through the Count’s estate and catacombs was atmospheric and tense. Finding his coffin lid open meant that he was free, which caused imaginations to run wild with the cruelty he could be planning.

How could so few pixels be so terrifying?

The point and click series begun by Dracula: Resurrection attempted to expand on the afterwards of Bram Stoker’s tale with little luck. Too-easy puzzles and an overly brief playtime couldn’t be made up for by moody environments and memorable characters. A fourth adventure game in the series, Dracula 4, is reported to be in development, but if the past in any indication we should look to new horizons to hope.

A decade of subpar adventure games may have you thinking Dracula can only exist as an interesting character when someone is lashing a whip at his undead face. I say we shouldn’t give up on adventure titles. Telltale Games has succeeded in handling well known licenses expertly. They have successfully turned properties like Wallace & Gromit, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, and Back to the Future into fun games, and have carried the adventure game torch for beloved series like Sam & Max and Monkey Island. They have their work cut out for them with the untitled Jurassic Park game, but if they succeed in capturing the dark, oppressive, moody atmosphere of the first film then I have faith they could develop a retelling of Bram Stoker’s original story that would be to die for.

Even in the game adaptation of the movie adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula the Count morphs into a giant beast. Why!?

I want to explore the dark and decrepit Castle Dracula as Harker, experiencing his terror and fear as he evades the Count and his mistresses. I want to step into the shoes of Van Helsing as he works to discover the cause of Lucy Westenra’s mysterious maladies and eventually plot against Dracula’s London migration. Adventure games have always been about using uncommon means to necessary ends. Doesn’t shoving Holy Communion wafers into the hinges of a mausoleum to block a spirit’s passage sound perfect for an adventure game? How about interviewing the lunatic Renfield in a claustrophobic asylum cell as Dr. Seward? There are many possibilities, and Bram Stoker’s novel is paced so well and divided into such distinct acts that episodic entries would be absolutely possible. Taking note of Amnesia: The Dark Descent’s treatment of first-person horror could do wonders for exploring the castle interior.

If you appreciate vampires at all or have an appreciation of Dracula sparked by his role in popular culture, I recommend giving the original novel a read. Hell, you can read it for free right here. Make sure to at least get through the first four chapters before passing judgment. I’m sure you’ll be dying to be immersed in Stoker’s world and see Dracula in his true form as much as I am.

My First Day Back In Azeroth

Tim Turi — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 04:37:00 GMT

If you read my previous blog you know that I was worried about returning to World of Warcraft. I've done it, and now I want to tell you about my first eventful day back in Azeroth.

First off, I owe my reintroduction in part to Miller and Joe. I also owe much to my best friend Dave. The man sent me a “refer a friend” invite, so that he and I might enjoy triple experience points with our new characters, instantly teleport to one another, and get a special two-seater mount. It’s as awesome as it sounds, even though it means I have to repurchase a few expansions.

My character choice was heavily influenced by my current obsession – Dracula. I’ve been reading and loving Bram Stoker’s original novel, and I wanted to craft a character as similar to Count Dracula as possible. The result? An undead warlock named Wampyr, Stoker’s original name name for his monster. I figured that siphoning mortal’s life essence, summoning demons, charming foes, and stealing souls was all too similar to Count Dracula.

I haven’t played an undead since my first character, an Forsaken warrior back from when Vanilla WoW launched. A little has changed since then, including Valkyrie-like beings which reanimate new undead, new quests which require you to round up dead bodies for rebirth, and some minor aesthetic changes. All in all, it’s a good starting spot, but I didn’t stick around long.

My friend Dave rolled a tauren druid named Orinus, and I decided to warp over to Kalimdor to grind the early levels on his turf. We hopped in the tree-harvesting machinations of Horde newcomers, the goblins, and began our work. The shredders were a fun distraction from the usual cursing and shadow bolt-casting I was becoming accustomed to. I loved launching grenades and saw blades at packs of foolhardy Night Elves.

The levels were flying by like mad with the triple xp and before we knew it we were in the mid-teens. I decided to focus on speccing Wampyr for affliction, because I love loading up mobs with oodles of crippling curses. After selecting our professions and training up, we entered the random dungeon finder.

Our first stint in Ragefire Chasm was fun, if not a bit rocky. Almost everyone was attempting their classes for the first time. Fortunately our tank only perished once. I had a blast tabbing between enemies and rocking them with afflictions, then raining down shadow bolts and fireballs from my wand. I scored a lot of nice blue gear in my time there, and didn’t do too poorly when it came to dealing out damage. After that we tackled the Deadmines which were even more fun. I only accidentally pulled extra mobs once, but I resisted my urge to flee or use fear, tapped my healthstone, and weathered the storm while the tank saved me.

When we finished our two dungeons Dave and I had been playing Warcraft for 9 hours without pause. We were each level 20 and as it stands I am only a handful of silver coins from having my first mount already. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity I have to commit to the game for such a long stint.

As of now I am feeling the itch to log on, but I believe I’ll restrain myself. I don’t want to get too far ahead of Dave or else Wampyr and Orinus won’t enjoy the triple xp (they must be within four levels of one another). Anyway, I’m fairly certain that I’ll be continuing my excursions, especially with my new computer around the corner. I am still a little worried about this game leeching time from other awesome games, but I hope I have enough discipline by age 25 that I can juggle WoW with greatness like Dead Space 2, Portal 2, the 3DS, and a life.

Also, any seasoned warlocks out there want to give me some tips?

I Want To Rejoin WoW, But I'm Scared...

Tim Turi — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 21:52:00 GMT

I've played World of Warcraft on and off since it launched in 2004, but tt's been more 'off' since about two weeks after Wrath of the Lich King's release in November of 2008. The recent release of Cataclysm has me thinking, though. I'm strongly considering resubscribing to Blizzard's stupidly-addictive MMO. But... I'm scared...

I love video games, if you can't already tell by my occupation. I like to play a ton of them. If a game has a multiplayer component, I’ll usually only dabble with it after completing the single-player campaign. I can hold my own in Call of Duty, but something about the repetition gets to me. Focusing on single-player allows me to absorb as many unique experiences as possible. However, sometimes, my fond memories exploring the vastness of WoW and leveling my orc warrior creep back into my mind, usually when playing a single-player RPG that emulates MMO characteristics.

Vanilla WoW’s initial impact on me was huge. I remember scarfing down Thanksgiving dinner and rushing home to explore Silverpine Sepulcher as my first undead. I loved how deep you could dive into the nitty gritty of mining and blacksmithing, not to mention the rush of excitement when reach the top of a mountain and discover a brand new territory. I miss that. With the noob-friendly Cataclysm altering the Azeroth I came to know and love, I find myself enticed by the thought of revisiting nostalgic areas that have been changed. Deserts have transformed into lush gardens, and Deathwing’s flames have razed once thriving communities. I want in on that so bad, and to eventually slay that mother ******. I’ve always loved the lore of Warcraft, from Warcraft II to the novels, and don’t want to miss out on some of the best solo questing to date.

I spent the other night carefully examining the copy of Cataclysm I picked up. My computer is out of commission right now, so jumping through that portal isn’t going to happen immediately. However, I have beefy back log of games that reaches back to Super Metroid, and I’m anticipating a lot of guilt over putting them off further. I love using my holiday break to catch up on old titles I missed, but sinking some good time into WoW with some friends sounds like a lot of fun, especially since coworkers Joe and Miller plan on taking my more casual approach. I definitely want to have company if I’m going to start this up again.

Anyway, that’s about it. I’m excited by the prospect of starting up a new character, but I’m nervous about falling behind on everything else. Perhaps I’ll find the perfect balance. Perhaps this time my quest mates won’t all leave me in the dust while I take a break to play BioShock Infinite or Metal Gear Rising. I just want to have it all. Is that asking too much?

Scott Pilgrim Is The Best Video Game Movie Ever

Tim Turi — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:34:00 GMT

As I settled into my seat at the theater last night at midnight, my expectations for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World were high. As a fan of the comics and a lifelong gamer, Edgar Wright had a lot of work to do in order to win me over. No movie has ever made me so happy to be a gamer, and few films transpose the source material to the big screen so faithfully. It’s simply the best video game movie ever made.

Scott Pilgrim opens with the sound effect from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past’s intro as the Triforce assembles. The crowd cheered at the familiar melody, and it set the tone for the rest of the film. Tons of gaming references made it from the book to the movie. Enemies explode in a shower of coins. Scott acquires a 1-up. Points are earned for defeating his girlfriend Ramona’s seven evil exes. Fights unravel like a perfect Street Fighter film. But what really got me were the sound effects that could never be communicated in the book. Chimes and chirps from Sonic the Hedgehog were like candy to my ears, and familiar sounds from Zelda punctuated pivotal scenes. Throw that on top of some of the soundtrack’s 8-bit sensibilities and you’ve got a gamer’s audio dream.

After I got over the initial rush of excitement from experiencing quality, non-cheesy gaming references, I started paying attention to the characters I adore. Before entering the theater I was worried about Cera’s ability to portray Scott, a character simultaneously despicable and charming. At first it seemed like just another Michael Cera role, but as the film progressed I realized no one could have done it better. Cera’s large, expressive eyes convey the nuanced, shifty-eyed nature of Scott perfectly. His lines are delivered in the dry, aloof manner I imagined when reading Bryan Lee O’Malley’s books. It is a solid performance that should skyrocket Cera in the upper echelons of geek godliness.

Everyone else making up the cast nailed their parts, too. Mary Elizabeth Winstead delivers the cool yet distant personality of Ramona Flowers. Kieran Culkin expertly assumes the role of Scott’s bluntly hilarious mentor and gay roommate, Wallace. Ellen Wong nails her part as Knives Chau, deftly evolving from Scott’s swooning underage girlfriend to a psychotic ex. Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh, and Chris Evans were the perfect casting choices for their respective roles as Ramona’s exes Gideon, Todd Ingram, and Chris Evans. A special nod to Mae Whitman as Roxy (one of my favorites from the book), who absolutely killed her role as an insecure ninja assassin. My only complaint regards Alison Pill as Kim Pine, who delivered the jaded drummer’s lines well enough, but didn’t quite look the part in my opinion, though I could just be sour that her character’s back story and role weren’t fleshed out.

Scott Pilgrim is a fun, visually assaulting movie, even if you have only a cursory knowledge of video game culture. Each character, situation, song, and battle sequence has so much stylish flair and punch that the 112 minutes fly by. I was too busy marveling at characters being punched hundreds of yards into walls, telekinetic vegans using Super Sayan-like powers, and electricity rippling from instruments to ponder how this movie was made. For a book that’s drawn in black and white, you’ll be amazing by how colorful and pleasing to the eye this movie is. Not since Sin City have I seen a film that delivered all the pop, personality, and arresting visuals of its source material.

This movie is a celebration of video games, geek culture, music, creative film-making, and of course, the Scott Pilgrim books. If you or anyone you know had a shred of gamer in you and loves a fun, hilarious film, don’t miss this one.

Also, Scott Pilgrim vs.the World is a game. A really, really good one. Read this review by fellow Scott Pilgrim fan and coworker, Bryan Vore.

Why Final Fantasy XIII Is My Least Favorite In The Series

Tim Turi — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:02:00 GMT

WARNING: Spoilers approach

Last night I successfully completed Final Fantasy XIII. After nearly 50 hours of invested game time, I faced off with Orphan, saved Cocoon, and reunited Snow with Serah and Sazh with Dajh. Before the ending credits began rolling I realized I was lacking the sense of elation, of absolute relief and accomplishment, that I have associated with beating past Final Fantasy games. I’ve come to realize that Final Fantasy XIII may be my least favorite game in the series.

I probably should have heeded the red flags early on. Some people told me the game doesn’t really pick up until about five hours in, others said that after 15 hours the game hits full stride. I shrugged this off, thinking it’d be foolish to judge any RPG by the introductory hours. Heck, Final Fantasy 7 didn’t really “start” until you left Midgar, and FF VII’s first dozen hours were not breathtaking. Little did I know that I would sit through almost 50 hours simply waiting to experience that defining moment. It never came.

If I had one wish for the awesome battle system, it would be for summons to be more useful.

The Final Fantasy franchise doesn’t hesitate to drop you into the middle of the action without any briefing. Many games in the series thrust you into a wonder-filled, perplexing world populated with strangely named characters and a rich yet convoluted mythology. Final Fantasy XIII does this in the most abrasive way possible. Not only must you get to know a brand new cast and setting, but you’re suddenly expected to know what Fal’Cie, L’Cie, and C’eith are. I apologize to any raging fans of FF XIII’s lore, but I simply couldn’t get into this game’s plot. I read every single datalog entry, I know the minutiae inside and out, but I just couldn’t get into it. It contained all the tired JRPG tropes, but this time with confusing, apostrophe-riddled jargon. If a worthwhile kernel of a story lies within FF XIII, it is too buried in nonsense to notice.

Maybe it wasn’t the ludicrous story, but the characters that prevented me from getting into the game. In my opinion, FF XIII contained the most one-dimensional cast in the series so far. My white mage from the first Final Fantasy had more personality than Hope, and HEAL didn’t even have any dialogue (not to mention she whined even less than Hope despite dying constantly). Vanille’s over-emphatic moans and sighs had me cranking down the volume, Snow’s forced bravado made my stomach churn, and Sazh’s dubious comic relief made me miss Selphie. Not to mention all their outfits make me wonder if Square now designs all their characters’ costumes as a big middle finger to cosplayers. Lightning is definitely the best of the bunch, both in character design and personality. Imagine my disappointment when the climax of the game hinged almost exclusively around Fang instead of the main character. What a missed opportunity. Once Lightning came to terms with her anger and frustration the story all but abandoned her.

And the winners for stupidest face are: Snow in first place, Hope in second, and Vanille in third. Also, honorable mention to Sazh.

Where Final Fantasy XIII’s did get it right is in its standout combat system and character progression. Fighting never became boring, and I think it did a great job of parceling out tutorials. I never felt the game was too easy or too complicated. Complementing the battle system’s emphasis on speed and constant motion, the Crystarium is a perfect way to deliver a steady drip of motivation to players. When nearly every battle concluded I excitedly checked my Crystarium to see what I could level up. I anticipated each new skill and relished having complete control over my characters’ development. Additionally, shifting paradigms made me feel like an absolute pro by the end of the game (despite the everyone’s stupid role change flourish). Final Fantasy XIII proves that fighting in RPGs can be fast paced and fun without sacrificing necessary strategy and challenge.

Despite the combat system’s success, I can’t help but wonder how earlier Final Fantasy games would have fared if their only redeeming qualities were on the battlefield. Would you have really fought that nasty EvilWall in Final Fantasy IV if it didn’t mean finally seeing Kain and the gang showdown with Golbez? Do you really think you would have tooled around in the Gold Saucer with its broken arcade games if you weren’t trying to impress Aeris? The gameplay of past Final Fantasy games may have been compelling, but the true motivator for almost any fan I’ve talked to has been story. Final Fantasy XIII does not deliver on this front. No amount of compelling combat can make up for lackluster characters and story.

Roaming Gran Pulse, questing, and leveling my characters provided the most fun I had in the game.

Perhaps Square’s effort to modernize the series has backfired, resulting in a loss of identity. While the the battle system works well, relying purely on voice acting leaves players checking the Datalog for insight that would have otherwise filled text boxes. Wouldn’t you have rather explored towns and talked to NPCs to learn about the world rather than reading encyclopedia entries? (I understand the L’Cie are considered pariahs, but come on.)

Final Fantasy XIII managed to take one big step forward, then take two hefty steps back. It simply doesn’t live up to the standard established by earlier titles.

Here’s crossing my fingers for Final Fantasy Versus XIII…

Horrifying Moments In Gaming: Mannequin Murder

Tim Turi — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:22:00 GMT

I love horror. I love horror movies, books, games, and even those stupid Halloween CDs I listened to as a kid. Over the years I’ve been exposed to so much dismemberment, evisceration, and blood splatter that I’ve become desensitized to nearly everything. Horror is like a drug. I keep going back for more hoping to relive the last heart-stopping moment. Most of the time my quest for terror ends in disappointment, but sometimes… even the most hard-boiled horror gamers can be rattled.

One such moment was in Silent Hill 3…

How I ended up in that derelict office building I can’t quite recall. All I remember is coming to on a soiled mattress surrounded by rubble and junk. After trekking across some shaky scaffolding and climbing into the window of the next store building, I found myself in an equally neglected set of offices. Locked doors and broken elevators made my struggle to get home a challenge.

I had pumped the last of my handgun rounds into a giant, obese monster that looked like a sinner straight out of the Gluttony circle of Hell, so it was down to the brass tacks with my rusty pipe. Each encounter with the twisted creatures populating this world felt like it was going to be my last. I needed a better weapon so I was checking every door hoping for something, anything better.

Coming upon the end of an empty hallway, I entered what seemed like a storage room. I prayed for a better weapon to be inside. Instead, what I found was a cache of mannequins piled to the ceiling. Shelves were packed with torsos, heads, and limbs. One exception stood at the end of one aisle. The torso of a half-completed mannequin stood, silently watching me with its arms outstretched.

I carefully approached the silent sentry. I had faced demonic dogs and towering pendulum-armed beasts, but somehow this lifeless mannequin still managed to creep me out. I expected its plastic hand to be clutching an old key or other obscure object, but it simply stood before me, expressionless.

Turning my back to it, I tried to ignore the oddity of being surrounded by so many headless mannequins. I checked farther back into the storage room, rifling through boxes packed with faux-human body parts. Nothing. Unless I was stupid enough to wield a mannequin arm as a weapon, there was nothing there that beat my mangled piece of plumbing.

I walked toward the exit, doing my best not to look at the only intact mannequin as it watched me leave. I opened the door and slowly closed it behind me, listening close for the click of doorknob. A blood-curdling scream rang from the room I had just left, followed by a dull thud on the ground. I gasped for air as my heart went into overtime. Firming my grasp on the pipe, I readied myself to reenter the room. Was there another normal person hiding in that room? Did I miss something?

I cautiously reentered the room, unsure what to expect. My eyes were immediately glued to bright red splotches on the standing mannequin’s breast. The human replica had been decapitated, and its still-expressionless face stared up at me from a large puddle of blood on the ground.

Thoughts raced through my head. “Who did this? Where did that scream come from? Why was I standing in blood from a mannequin?”

“I need to get the hell out of this place…”

What The Hell Did I Just Play? – Ecco the Dolphin

Tim Turi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:50:00 GMT

What would you expect to see when you pop in a video game about dolphins? Adorable squeaking sounds? Maybe some rainbows and beach balls? These are all reasonable answers, especially for the Sega Genesis era of sugary, kid-friendly games. Such is not the case for Ecco the Dolphin, however. With Ecco, you’re dealing with f*cking alien tornadoes and time travel.

Ecco the Dolphin starts out innocently enough, with you and your pod of carefree sea mammals swimming around your bay. Naturally, your dolphin friends challenge you to a game of “how high can you jump.” Being the spry young creature you are, you accept. After familiarizing yourself with the controls and a few test jumps, you finally go for the biggest vertical you can muster in an attempt to outdo the other fish-things. Speeding through the crystal-clear water of the ocean, you burst through the surface and trump the other dolphins’ jumps.

It’s at this exact moment of mid-air suspension that the serene tranquility of Ecco’s opening is rocked by a lighting-tornado storm. Ecco is suspended in mid air as the entirety of the sea is sucked through a tornado into the sky. Dolphins, jellyfish, bubbles, and seashells all float upwards as thunder rocks your sh*tty early 90’s TV speakers. Dear sweet lord, not the seashells.

After the storm passes you go back into the water and swim around a lot. Sometimes you ram jellyfish and tool around with a stupid sonar thing. Eventually, after hitting some talking crystals with your nose and singing to clams to restore air, you run into a creepy, screen-filling blue whale in the arctic that knows where the hell your dolphin pals went. The aptly named Big Blue says this ocean-cleaning storm crap happens about every 500 years, and that Ecco should probably talk to something called an Asterite.

Once found, the Asterite thing (basically a double-helix of orbs probably there just to show off Genesis’s stupid Vectorman-ballz technology) says it can help Ecco out. Problem is, the Asterite (which is also the oldest creature on Earth), is missing one of its balls.

Predictably, Ecco travels through time to recover the ball using an ancient machine found in Atlantis. Once he makes his trip 500 years into the past he learns that an alien race called the Vortex occasionally slurps up all the earth’s sea life because they don’t know how to cook, and that’s why that tornado did that thing. The next step for the spunky little finned-thing is to jump back in time 55 million years and find the dumb Asterite again. Wait, but this time it instantly assaults him in a surprise twist and Ecco nose-rams the hell out of it, thus scoring an awesome dismembered orb.

Ecco travels back through time, gives the ball back to the DNA-monster, and turns into a god-dolphin-savior. With the ability to breathe water, restore health, and destroy aliens the Christ-fish travels back through time to the moment when his pod and dolphin-friends were transfused from the sea. Ecco is then abducted with his pals and travels up a deadly space-tube into the alien craft, which is filled with a bunch of water. He fights green kraken-squids and does other stuff that dolphins don’t do.

Eventually he finds the Vortex queen and stabs her eyes out with his nose. She pukes jellyfish until Ecco tears off three or four of her jaws, and she explodes or something and vomits dolphins everywhere.

Then you and your friends escape and play in the water.

WOW

What the hell did I just play?

Our Top 200 Games List: I Think We Missed A Few...

Tim Turi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:02:00 GMT

Compiling a list of the top 200 games of all time is an undertaking. Favorites are missed, sequels are argued, and friendships are strained. Naturally, some games that I thought would be shoe-ins for the top 200 ended up on the floor of the GI vault, discarded until reconsidered for another list. I chose to scoop up those abandoned titles and pay tribute to them in the form of a list. My list. These are the 10 games I thought should have been in the top 200.

Here they are in no particular order:

Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Genesis, 1994)

It‘s impossible for me to divide this amazing platforming masterpiece into two independent titles. Originally developed as one entire saga, Sonic 3 & Knuckles was fragmented into two separate projects because Sonic Team was on a strict schedule. The result was mind-blowing lock-on technology, which provided a Knuckles-packed augmentation to the already stellar Sonic 3. Fans of the series newcomer even had the ability to play through Sonic 2 as the edgy echidna. Anybody who claims that Sonic 2 is the best Sonic game never played through these two games back-to-back. Blazing through Sonic 3 and collecting all the chaos emeralds, only to then begin collecting the hyper emeralds and morph into Hyper Sonic or Knuckles was a dream for any fan of the series. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was such a massive experience that it truly instilled appreciation for the built-in save function. Not enough for you? How about a Doomsday battle against Dr. Robotnik in space? It was the apex of the series, and has become the standard to which I judge all other Sonic games.

Banjo Kazooie (N64, 1998)

Banjo Kazooie is one of the most fun, polished platforming games of all time. This N64 gem’s endearing characters, immersive worlds, and straight-forward item collection gave Mario 64 a run for its money in terms of gameplay variety. I was enamored with the game from the moment I popped the promo VHS into the VCR and heard Jon Lovitz’s voice insist I beg my parents for it. The game has aged surprisingly well, and is available on Xbox Live Arcade if you’re in doubt of the Rare’s ability to contend with Nintendo’s first-party quality in the past.

Resident Evil (GameCube, 2002)

The original Resident Evil made our top 200 games list, and deservedly so. However, there is no doubt that the GameCube remake was by far a superior title. Shocking both newcomers to the series and veterans alike, the game’s beautifully rendered backgrounds and creepy environments made every cautious footstep through the Raccoon mansion feel like your own. Capcom’s reimagining deserves a spot on the list just for successfully playing off well known scares from the original game and put a twist on them, such as a window cracking where an infected dog is expected to smash through. If new fans of RE4 and RE5 want to experience traditional, pure survival horror they should look no further than the remake.

Earthworm Jim (Genesis, 1994)

If ever there were a contender to usurp Sonic from his Genesis mascot-dom, it was Earthworm Jim. Zany, hilarious action practically overflowed from the little black cartridge. From escort missions involving a cuddly dog who turned into a raging beast if provoked to intergalactic wormhole races against Psycrow, Earthworm Jim was packed with something new in every level. Don’t dare think this was a watered-down, cartoony kid’s game either, as the spacesuited- megadrile’s shootouts offered a high degree of challenge to unsuspecting gamers. If you want to experience early ‘90s wackiness in condensed game form, this is it.

Rogue Squadron (N64, 1998)

At the time of its release, Rogue Squadron for the N64 was the best Star Wars game ever made. Expanding on the snowspeeder Hoth battle in Shadows of the Empire, this LucasArts title boasted polished third-person perspective flight set in iconic Star Wars locales. Taking full advantage of the N64’s expansion pack, the game was a visual-marvel to behold. Piloting the X-Wing, Millennium Falcon, and various other starships set to charming MIDI-esque versions of John William’s score is and experience nestled snugly in my memory.

Bionic Commando (NES, 1988)

NES platforming games revolving around jumping are a dime a dozen. What made Bionic Commando stand out was that it successfully managed fun, varied platforming with a protagonist whose vertical ups make Danny Devito look like Shaq (yeah, that joke contained both Danny Devito and Shaq - in theaters soon). Latching on to ledges and swinging through levels was an absolute blast, and blowing away Nazi-wannabes all the while made the experience even better. This game deserves a spot on the list for its incredible music alone. Bionic Commando is just another example of Capcom’s 2D domination.

River City Ransom (NES, 1999)

Genre-blending seems to be the talk of the town these days. River City Ransom already integrated two unique game types way back in the NES days. Who would’ve guessed that RPG elements would have fit so seamlessly into a side-scrolling brawler? In the game, conquered foes barfed coins that could be spent to unlock new fighting moves at local shops and restore health. The idea of grinding some cash by fighting a bunch of bad guys in a brawler was a genius way to spice up the mindless pugilism. River City Ransom’s smooth genre synergy remains to be seen in the brawler/RPG circuit even today.

Ghosts ‘n Goblins (NES, 1985)

Yeah, it’s another Capcom game. Ghosts ’n Goblins was definitely one of those games. Hordes of foes combined with the ability to absorb only a few blows resulted in a truly punishing, yet rewarding experience. Few games have managed to replicate the “aww, you gotta be kidding me…” moment of Ghosts ‘n Goblins false ending. Yes, after lancing the hell out of all those zombies, you were forced to do it all over again, only it’s harder. This would have resulted in more smashed controllers if the game wasn’t so damned fun.

Final Fantasy (NES, 1987)

Sure, it may not be the best game in the series, but as far as reshaping the video game landscape goes this game can’t be ignored. Final Fantasy received its name because it was perceived to be struggling developer Square’s last game. The classic RPG swansong went on to be a hit in both the Western and Eastern markets, acting as a shot in the arm to the still-budding console-RPG scene. It may be hard to imagine a world without RPGs inspired by Final Fantasy, let alone without Square Enix, but such would have been the case without Final Fantasy.

Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (GB, 1992)

Mario’s second full-fledged Game Boy title was the defining platformer for Nintendo’s new handheld. Emulating some of the best aspects of Super Mario World, the game featured a detailed, secret path-laden world map, detailed character sprites, unique power-ups, and fun boss fights. Super Mario land 2 also marked the first appearance of iconic Mario villain man-child, Wario. The sheer amount of Nintendo-magic stuffed into that tiny square cartridge ensured it would stay wedged in many a Gameboy for a very long time.

Agree? Disagree? Hate Sonic? Post your comments below.

Infinity Ward's Grenade Video

Tim Turi — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:23:51 GMT

The following is entirely my opinion and in no way reflects the entirety of Game Informer. Also, my opinion is subject to change based on the temperature and how much cheese I've eaten.

The video game industry is no stranger to controversy. What's more, Infinity Ward is up to its knees in its own private kiddie pool of the stuff. First terrorist-themed footage was leaked, which caused an uproar about whether or not Infinity Ward handled the issue appropriately. Then, just as that fervor diminished, the Modern Warfare 2 team released a video with a questionable acronym. It's a satirical video about the liberal use of grenade abuse, with a fake organization accredited at the end of the video called Fight Against Grenade Spam. You're smart; you can figure out the anti-homosexual slander. The internet picked up the scent immediately and cried foul, but was the aggressive responsive called for?

I'll be the first to admit that Infinity Ward's 'joke' was in poor taste. You can ask almost anyone I know -- there isn't a ton of stuff out there that offends me. This term, however, has always been up there on the top of my list of ignorant, belligerent words that I hate. However, I also believe that context goes a long way toward determining how traditionally offensive words are be received. I don't believe that the intention of the video was to offend anyone's sexual orientation, but given Infinity Ward's stature, it should have known better. When you're developing a game as high-profile as Modern Warfare 2, every action you perform is magnified.

That being said, I don't believe the word used in the context of the video is glaringly homophobic or anti-gay. Robert Bowling asserts that the use of the term was a "social commentary joke," picking out the ridiculousness tied to the online gamer "stereotype." I'm willing to believe Bowling here, and don't believe that Infinity Ward was out to gay bash, but more out to mock "Xbox Live Kids."

I do believe that Infinity Ward should have tread more carefully. They slipped up. I believe that everyone should be treated equally and fairly regarding sexuality, but raising a s---storm every time a bad word is used, regardless of who uses it, doesn't solve anything. Infinity Ward may have pulled the video, but that will never change that fact that it was made, or help anyone dissect why they think this language was offensive in that particular context. It's just a perpetuation of censorship.

In an industry forced to fight censorship tooth and nail every step of the way, what good are we doing by complaining so earnestly about a stupid joke at the end of a viral video for new video game? Is this really where everyone's energy should be directed? Truly malicious things are said on Xbox Live on a regular basis which are written off as "just being the internet." Perhaps the persecutors of Infinity Ward could save their stones for the source of the problem.

Zombie Pub Crawl 2009: A Left 4 Dead Hunter's Diary

Tim Turi — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:02:11 GMT

October 4th,

Woke up today with a bad cough. My fever is getting a lot worse. It’s already hit 102. I supposed met up with Meagan and some of the others today to get supplies. I wasn’t sure I was feeling up for it. I went anyway, even at the risk of getting the others sick with whatever the hell it is I have..

I cleared the cabinets of all the cold medication I could find. Anything to curb these symptoms. The drive to Meagan’s is like a fevered dream at this point, I don’t even remember it. We went to the Goodwill. The stench of desperation and mold was thick in the air as we hunted for supplies. I found a pair of brown pants. The button was missing and the seam on the crotch was in rough shape. I waited 10 minutes for a price check. $4.99. I hope it was worth it.

Next step was Target. Spent $15 on a blue sweatshirt. Size Large. It wasn’t the exact color blue I wanted. Whatever.

After that we went to the home depot. Something about foam insulation and duct tape. I just followed along and tried to avoid everyone holding up giant pvc piping to their crotches. I had everything I need, and my brain was starting to feel like mush.

After that all I remember is something about take and bake pizza, Mega Man 9 and cold beer. These are things I would have deeply enjoyed if had been feeling better. Meagan’s cat gave me a lot of attention. I think it could smell the small patch of necrotic flesh I found on my armpit this morning. I’m going to sleep like the dead tonight.

October 10th,

I woke up today with a massive headache amidst a sea of crumpled kleenix and cough drop wrappers. I still had to prepare myself for the meeting. Something about pub crawling downtown. It feels like I’ve spent the entire last week in a coma in my bed. I’m not up for this, but I must persevere.

There’s snow on the ground, I go outside to put dirt on my clothes. The weather penetrates my will, challenges it. I grab some zombie movies and beer and pit it in my car. Driving. Go to Annette’s house and start to change. Face starts to turn weird color. Blue, black, my eyes have red round them.

Walk to the park and its cold. People shout at us and take pictures. The bright lights and loud voices make me upset. Bite down on something in my mouth. Tastes bad. Attack an old man, biker, college girl, and office worker. They get away. Spend rest of the day following them.

Beer.
Mac n Cheese. Turkey Legs. Still hungry.
Still thirstyy

Getting so cold. The hoodie does nothing. Lost in the streets. Everything smells like dinner time. Attack office man in alley. Stupid girl stops me. hole rips in crotch of bad pants. cold.

Octber 11

Fever gone but itchy.
Hungry and eat doggie food.
itchy itchy Scott came.
Ugly face so killed him.

Tasty.
4
itchy. Tasty.

Now You’re Playing with Power Metal

Tim Turi — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:14:45 GMT

For many years I’ve been an appreciator of video game music. From the bleeps and bloops of Sonic and Mario to the symphonic glory of Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid, I’ve always known there is something special about game music. Alongside game music, the driving ferocity of metal has been the forerunner of my “conventional” musical taste for a comparable amount of time. This is the story about how those two worlds met in perfect harmony.

I fondly remember subscribing to Nintendo Power for the first time when I was about twelve. It came with a bonus, the Super Mario 64 soundtrack, which caused much excitement in my little mind. I was already enamored with the mystical 3D Mushroom Kingdom on my N64, and naturally couldn’t wait to pop the shiny CD into my portable disc-man (I thought I was awesome).

I recall family vacations, with the disc-man firmly tucked into my Game Boy carrying case while I grinned in auditory delight (now that I think about it, it probably looked like a little purse). Intrigued that I was lost inside my headphones, relatives sporadically inquired as to what I was listening to. When they pulled the headphones on, a look of confusion would cross their faces, and I would explain, “It’s from Mario! …It’s a video game.” They would usually smile politely, not having much to say about the matter. It never stopped me though, I listened to that disc forever (or at least until I traded it for the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soundtrack).

That's the one.

Around the same time I discovered my love for game music, my brother set up our computer with a service his university provided. It was called the “internet.” Intrigued, I began fiddling around and discovered www.vgmusic.com. On it I delved into a cornucopia of game music. I uncovered tunes that had long since outlived their games in my mind, allowing me to ignite the spark of nostalgia at the click of a button. Childhood memories of Sega Master System’s Shinobi and Alex Kidd in Miracle World came flooding back to me, fueling the desire to repurchase my pawned systems in coming years.

Just as my love for video game music became solidified, my infatuation with heavy metal was coming to a boil. From the classic riffs and gritty vocals of Metallica to the full force battle cries and blasting drums of Amon Amarth, I developed a nearly all encompassing love for metal. One of my favorite pass times was downloading guitar tablature for video game music, learning it, and then laying on thick distortion and metal-fying the hell out of it.

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Plucking away at guitars and listening to metal midis of Mega Man 2’s Air Man theme can only get you so far, however. Like a child who loves peanut butter and chocolate but only ever gets a nibble of a Reese’s, I needed something to sink my teeth in. Through the years I flirted with video game cover bands like The Minibosses, Mega Driver, and others, but none of them truly delivered what I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, all of them are incredibly talented musicians, but I needed something ragingly rapid and horrendously heavy.

One evening, I ran into an old friend at a local watering hole, and took note of his Zelda sweatshirt. Naturally, the conversation lead to video games in general, and he informed me he was taking a road trip to see a band called Powerglove. I shrugged in ignorance, unfamiliar with the band personally. In a mixture of excitement and alarm, my friend vowed to put the music of Powerglove into my ears.

Weeks passed and the exchange floated to the back of my mind. Then out of the blue, my friend materialized, burnt CD in hand. “Total Pwnage” and “Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man” were the two albums burned onto the solitary disc. Never until that day did I know so much face melting ass whoop could be squeezed into one little disc. Without a track list, I simply slid the CD into my car stereo and began listening. Immediately my ears were accosted by a power metal rendition of Dr. Robotnik’s theme from Sonic 2. Having been one of my favorite games, I instantly fell in love with what I heard. The volume was increased as I joyously identified each and every song that blared through the speakers.

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The damage had been done, and the dust had settled. In the end, Powerglove stood triumphantly above all challengers. I then faithfully went online and purchased legitimate copies of the CDs and cherished receiving them in the mail. The video game music supremacy of Powerglove has only been strengthened after seeing them live and fully experiencing the magnitude of their shredding video game passion.

So that’s the story of how two worlds converged in a clashing collision of charm. Metal and video games, together in the form of Massachusetts band Powerglove. That same burned disc has been faithfully lodged inside of my car’s CD player for an entire year, and I don’t intend on removing it. Now when non-gamers hear the video game music blast, the looks of confusion have been exchanged for nods of approval… and devil horns.

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