Mray901 Blog

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Video Review

2013-03-07T17:21:00Z

Hey everyone, you know that Metal Gear game I was super hyped over and thought was going to be the greatest game of all time? I reviewed it!

Spoiler alert: It isn't the greatest game of all time. :(

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Personally, I thought I did a much better job with this review than the last one. Unlike my Final Fantasy XIII-2 review, this one was fully scripted, in case you couldn't tell. I think I'll be going that route for that rest of my regular video reviews. However, if something like the MGR Demo review comes up again, it'll just be another freeform discussion. But that's beside the point. REVIEWZZZZ

[UPDATE]

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This video is Episode 20 in our Saints Row: The Third series! Admittedly, not a lot gets done, but hey, you're already here to just hear us talk about things and stuff anyways. Right?

My brain's a little fried today, sorry.

Thanks for reading/listening/watching!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Video Review

2013-02-13T19:13:00Z

You know, I liked Final Fantasy XIII. It wasn't the best game ever, but it wasn't awful, at least, not in my opinion. After finally beating it a few months ago, I figured it was necessary to buy and play though Final Fantasy XIII-2. Going into it, I expected to completely hate it. Did I hate it? Well...

I didn't not not not not hate it. I think. What did I just say...?

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And once you're done writing an angry comment about my review, you can check out the newest episode of our Saints Row: The Third Let's Play!

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In this episode, we go to The Grid, destroy a bunch of fences for money, and then go to a party. It's so much fun ya'll.

That's all for now, I'll be back next week with some more Let's Plays! And maybe even a new review...

Actually, I can guarantee that that's not happening. But the NEXT week...

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Demo Video Review And Some Let's Play

2013-02-10T00:48:00Z

Man that was a long title.

Hi folks! Been awhile. You probably already know why, though, but I'm not here to talk about why I haven't posted a blog in five months. Thanks to the blessings of the great Mr. Mojo, I am instead here to force feed you all of the videos I've worked on in that time!

First things first, since this is what you're probably here for. Myself and two others recently did an impressions/review thing of the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo. We went over nearly every plus and flaw of it, along with a few "amusing" off-topic discussions. I also added some funny pictures to the mix just to spice things up, so be on the look out for them!

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(And if you want to know who did the sweet drawing up there, that's none other than a awesome dude named Jack. You can meet him in this next video!)

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Our current, ongoing Let's Play is a co-op playthrough of Saints Row: The Third. It features Raiden from Metal Gear (I don't have an obsession!), Black Widow from The Avengers, shark hats, Proton Packs, and I'm pretty sure there was a Gunblade at some point.

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And if you aren't interested in any of that, we have completed Let's Plays of Super Mario World and Kirby's Dreamland, ongoing Let's Plays of Kingdom Hearts (that one's postponed for a little while though) and Spyro the Dragon, and we even played the Resident Evil 6 demo!

Obviously, we'll be doing more videos as the days go by, and if you guys on GIO like them, I'll be posting a blog weekly detailing each video posted that week. Currently, videos are being posted every Tuesday and Thursday, and there will likely be more in a week if we can everything figured out.

If you watch them, I'd love your feedback in the comments below! Should we improve our banter? Should we do more editing? Do we just plain suck? All of your criticism is allowed!

That Winning Feeling

2012-08-24T17:00:00Z

You ever get that feeling when you know you’re about to finish a game, and want more than anything to be done with it? Not because you dislike the game, but because you want the satisfaction of that “The End” screen. And then, once it’s beaten… it’s over.

You’re filled with sadness and regret because the magic of the game is gone. You saved the world, you beat the bad guy, and there’s nothing left to do. Even with the extra collectibles and Achievements, the game isn’t as fun because the story’s over. Or maybe that’s just me.

The weirdest thing is, I’ve gotten this feeling numerous times, and I never manage to catch it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s like I want the satisfaction of finishing the game more than the game itself at times, but I don’t dislike the game at all. In fact, the games I’ve experienced this with recently are some of the most fun I’ve had with gaming. The game had its flaws, sure, but I still enjoyed nearly every minute of it, and I want more than anything to best that final boss in a one-on-one battle to the death. It’s just that, when it actually happens, when I manage to defeat the big bad and his cronies… well, I’ve beat the big bad and his cronies. There’s nothing left for me to do here. But now I’m just repeating myself.

I’m sorry that this blog is a little short, but I really felt like writing this and couldn’t think of ways to go on without repeating myself. Now I'm curious, and I hand it over to you, the readers. What are some games you’ve played that you really wanted to beat, and hate beating it afterwards? The most recent I can think of for me are Skyward Sword and Brutal Legend. Comment below and let me know!

My New Project - Super Banter Bros!

2012-08-23T01:23:00Z

First of all, sorry for the long lack of blogs lately. I've been really busy lately, and when I'm not busy I'm trying to focus on getting through some games or movies I never got around to. But, this isn't about me. Or, it is, but it's not about... nevermind. Just keep reading.

Behold, the project I, and a few buddies of mine (Zonified and JakandRatchet79) have been working on for the past couple of months, Super Banter Bros!

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In case you didn't watch the video, Super Banter Bros is a Let's Play/Commentary channel starring yours truly. It's inspired by the likes of PeanutButterGamer, Game Grumps, and BrainScratchComms, and hopes to bring laughter, intriguing banter, and fond memories to those who watch. In our first series of videos, we're playing through The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap. So far we have 4 episodes up, and the channel has a new video up bi-daily, so every other day. If you watch it, leave a comment and tell us what you think!

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The Platinum/1000 Club: My List of Perfected Games

2012-06-15T04:25:00Z

Before I say anything, I’d like to make sure everyone knows I did not steal this idea from Joe Juba. I stole it from my friend... who stole it from Joe Juba, but details aren’t important. The point is, I’m proud of my Achievements and Trophies, the little rewards you get for completing certain objectives in a game. Obviously, everyone on this site knows what they are, so I’ll just cut to the chase.

These are the games I’ve played enough of to get every single Achievement/Trophy. Some were tons of fun, some were annoyingly difficult, but all were satisfying. (Disclaimer: This list is in no particular order.)

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (The Sly Collection)

I used to really like the original Sly game. While it wasn’t the greatest PS2 game, it was still pretty fun. Going back to it, I wasn’t as big of a fan. Others disagree with me, and that’s perfectly fine, but I just couldn’t get much entertainment out of it. However, I still managed to get every single trophy, mostly because it was such an easy task.

Borderlands

This is a game I bought purely on a whim. I had heard good things about it, and just decided, “What the heck?” I was not disappointed. I got an incredibly fun game filled with loads of guns, great writing, and addictive gameplay that had me coming back for more until I had every single trophy. Most of them were easy, but it began to become a drag trying to get all the way to level 50. Still, I managed to pull it off (with the help of my buddy Zonified, of course), and am excited for Borderlands 2!

Portal 2

Portal 2 is a game I was hyped for since its debut, and it fully exceeded my expectations. It would have been my Game of the Year if not for Arkham City and Skyward Sword. The gameplay was as fun as the original (that was pretty much a given), but the writing was what made the game. Valve took the interesting world and funny character of the original Portal and cranked it up to eleven. The trophies, while not that hard, added a pretty fun challenge to the game, especially in the co-op. Unless your co-op partner sucked. Then it just became frustrating. Curse you Lowery.

PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX

After hearing numerous good things about this title, and playing a bit of the demo, I decided to finally download it. What I got was a very sweet, albeit a tad short experience that felt like the perfect sequel to Pac-Man. Everything about it is so fast paced and fun, while still having the original feel that makes Pac-Man so iconic. Most of the trophies came by just playing the game, and there were only a few I had to try for. Still, it was a lot of fun getting them all.

inFAMOUS

inFAMOUS holds a very special place in my heart for not only being my very first Platinum Trophy, but the game that completely sold me on a PS3 in the first place. It was everything I had wanted in a superhero game since Spider-Man 2, and it did not disappoint. The story, the characters, the gameplay; all of it mind-blowing. I wanted to do everything I could to spend many, many hours with this game. And I did. Every stunt, every mission, every blast shard, all of it completed, and I loved every second of it.

inFAMOUS 2

Obviously I was excited for inFAMOUS 2, since I was such a big fan of the first game. While certain elements of the game were… disappointing, the gameplay and characters (for the most part) remained top-notch. Considering most of the trophies were basically the same idea as the first game’s, I figured it would be a piece of cake to Platinum this one. And it was, but like the first game, I still had fun doing it.

LittleBigPlanet

Along with infamous and Uncharted 2 (more on that later), LittleBigPlanet was one of the first PS3 games I ever owned. And boy, was it ever a great first impression to the system. The platforming may have been a little iffy at times, but the sheer amount of charm and creativity that oozed out of the game’s figurative pores was enough to keep me hooked. While I did end up having to carry out some shady deeds to get the final few trophies, most of them just required skill, luck, and a little help from my friends.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Completing my three PS3 starter games is Uncharted 2, the only Uncharted game I’ve Platinumed so far. I do love the series, but beating these games on Crushing is incredibly frustrating. Heck, beating Uncharted 1 and 3 on Normal was frustrating enough due to some really rough patches, but I digress. Uncharted 2 blew me away with its fun gameplay, amazing setpieces, and great writing. I honestly just wanted to spend a lot of time with it, so I did. Not much else to say.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time

This was definitely the easiest Platinum trophy I’ve acquired, as I got it in a mere 5 days. You see, I had rented A Crack In Time mostly because all of my friends were big Ratchet fans, and everyone was egging me on to play it. I didn’t have the money or interest to buy it at full price, so I put down the $10-ish at Blockbuster and somehow managed to beat it twice in that short time. The hardest trophy for me was completing the secret boss fight, and even then it only took me about thirty minutes. That said, I hope I don’t come across as disliking the game – I loved it. It was just easy. Plus it had a Back to the Future reference, so how can I not love that?

These next few games are the ones I came incredibly close to perfecting, but missed the mark by just a couple of Achievements or Trophies. They make me sad.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Missing trophy: Demolition Man

At its release, I played this game a lot. In fact, I played it a little too much. You see, I was playing this game’s multiplayer every night for at least an hour and a half for two months straight. There was literally no other game I wanted to play every night than Bad Company 2, and you all know what happens after you play a game too much. At least, I hope you do, or else I’ll seem a bit foolish with that assumption.

You get burned out. You just stop playing said game because you’ve played it to the point of sickness. You literally cannot stand to see the sight of the game anymore. That’s why all things must be done in moderation. Anyways, the trophy I was missing was a difficult one; you had to kill twenty people by making a building collapse on top of them. I think I had about five or so, and knew I was never going to get it, especially in my burnt-out state. I sold Bad Company 2 and to this day only slightly regret it, because having 98% on a game is like having your teeth cut out with a rusty fork.

TMNT

Missing Achievement: Winter’s Secret

I admit, the only rented this game for one reason: for the Achievements. And yet somehow, I managed to screw up not getting all 23 of them. The one I missed was… beating the game. That’s it, that’s all I had to do was beat the final level of the game. Not on a special difficulty, not with a special weapon, not with a certain turtle, just…. Beat the game. And I failed that. Talk about your all time backfires. However, in my defense, the last boss of the game was really hard and I had no idea how to beat it. I got so frustrated with it that I just said “Screw it” and took the game back to Blockbuster. Still, I was only one simple Achievement away, and I blew it.

Assassin’s Creed 2

Missing Trophies: Vitruvian Man, Show Your Colors, & In Memory of Petruccio

After loving the first Assassin’s Creed, and hearing so many good things about the second game, I was eager to give it a shot. However, I was pretty broke at the time with no way to actually get money, so I had to resort to renting the game at Blockbuster yet again. What I got certainly didn’t disappoint, and I spent as much time as I could with it. But five days still wasn’t enough to get all of the collectables, and I had to return the game without having gotten the precious Trophies. Perhaps I’ll rebuy it one day just to have it in my collection and get those trophies, but until then, I remain featherless, capeless, and video…less.

Bulletstorm

Missing Trophies: Anarchy Master, Team Player, Final Echo, & Environment Master

Bulletstorm is a game I was hyped for since its debut, and it fully exceeded my expectations. It would have been my Game of the Year if not for Portal 2, Arkham City and Skyward Sword. Woah, déjà vu. Let me start that over. Bulletstorm was a big hit with me at the time of its release, and I loved every second of it. So much that I desperately wanted all of the Trophies just so I could spend the maximum amount of time with it. Then, on my last four trophies, I hit a snag. These were trophies that I’d have to play an extensive amount of multiplayer to acquire. And the problem with that was no one was playing the multiplayer. And honestly, that’s the only excuse I have. It saddens me, but there’s nothing I can do about it really.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Missing Trophies: Abstergo Employee of the Month, Role Model, & Download Complete

Like Assassin’s Creed 2 before it, I was excited for Brotherhood and wanted to play it all. However, this time I actually could buy the game, so I wasn’t strapped for time. HOWEVER, Brotherhood introduced something that is the bane of every Achievement/Trophy hunter in existence: multiplayer Trophies. Unlike Bulletstorm, these Trophies were possible for me to get if I had tried hard enough, but I wasn’t very good at Brotherhood’s multiplayer and it became frustrating. Eventually the people who did play the multiplayer got to be such a high level that it became infuriating to play with them, so I moved on. Maybe I’ll get it one day, but it’s unlikely.

Halo 3

Missing Achievement: Overkill

For starters, I do have 1000 Achievement Points in this game. But, some of that comes from the DLC, and I’m missing Overkill, which means I haven’t actually perfected the main game yet. The only real reason I wanted to perfect the game in the first place was because you got the katana piece for doing so, and with the DLC, it was a bit more complicated. Beating the game on Legendary didn’t net it for me, and by then I was starting to lose interest in Xbox Live, so I just became indifferent to the whole thing. Like Bad Company 2, I sold Halo 3, so now there’s no going back.

Braid

Missing Achievement: Speed Run

Braid is my second favorite downloadable game of all time, and not having that last Achievement pains me. And I’ve tried too, numerous times, it’s just never going to happen. For those of you who don’t know, the Speed Run Achievement in Braid requires you to beat the game in 45 minutes. To beat the game, you don’t just run through the levels and get to the end. No, that’d be too simple. You have to collect every single puzzle piece in every single level. Have I mentioned that some puzzle pieces require you to not do anything for a few minutes just so it won’t be locked out? And that the only way to stop the timer is to pause the game? Yeah, screw this Achievement.

…I WILL GET IT ONE DAY I SWEAR.

UNO

Missing Achievements: Devotee & UNO Shark

I love UNO. So much that I actually bought the Xbox Live Arcade version; I didn’t just get it for free with my Xbox like most people. I had fun with it, for sure, but the only thing that kept me playing extensively were the fun Achievements. Then, after a little while, I just stopped playing. If I went back to it, Devotee probably wouldn't be too hard, but UNO Shark may be a little tougher. Does anyone even play this online anymore?

Sonic 4: Episode 1

Missing Trophy: Untouchable

Lastly, we have Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. The Trophy I’m missing for this game suuucks. You have to beat the final boss (which is a combination of all the bosses up to this point and a new, super cheap boss) without taking a single hit. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve come close to doing so too, and then getting hit by an attack I couldn’t even see coming. My buddy JR and I had a race to see who could get every Trophy in the game first, and that jerk managed to beat me by that single Trophy. I will have my revenge! And you know, probably get that trophy, eventually.

And that, dear readers, is every perfected and nearly perfected game I have on my PlayStation Network and Xbox Live accounts up to this point in time. Unless all of my gaming systems somehow spontaneously combust all at the same time, I plan to expand this list as I go along. It could take a few days, or it could take a few years, but there will always be that one game that, with enough perseverance, you finally perfect. And when that day comes, it’ll be glorious, and it’ll sit on your list of perfected games, and you’ll look at it, and you’ll smile. Or regret wasting the time and effort that could have been used for important things. I’m not a mind reader.

Big thanks to PIZZAKING92 for looking over this for me and helping me keep it fun to read!

Missteps of the Blue Blur

2012-04-07T04:36:00Z

Perhaps this may be slightly incriminating to say, but Sonic the Hedgehog was my idol when I was younger. I’m extremely hazy on when I first encountered the series, whether it was from one of the original Genesis games, the cartoon show, or even as late as Sonic Adventure. Whatever my introduction to it, the fact of the matter is that I was hooked. This has actually come back as of late, but to a very lesser extent.

Incidentally, the game that re-hooked me was none other than the nostalgic romp known as Sonic Generations. Seeing the once two-dimensional levels reimagined in 3D was mind-blowing, and vice versa for the formally 3D centric levels being 2D. Plenty of wonderful memories flooded back to me; I was experiencing the pure definition of fun.

That is… until I hit Seaside Hill. Suddenly, there was an influx of terrible, terrible memories.

For those of you who don’t know, Sonic Generations is a collection and reimagining of levels from Sonic games’ past. The level choices range from the very first Sonic the Hedgehog all the way to the latest original game in the series, Sonic Colors. Seaside Hill is the level taken from Sonic Heroes, which is when the series started getting notably terrible.

Of course, Sonic wasn’t a perfect series until that point; quite the contrary actually. There were numerous spin-offs for systems such as the Sega Saturn and Game Gear that were quickly forgotten by the public, and for the better. In the core series, you had Sonic Adventure, which is marred by control issue, glitches, and so-on. But, for the time, Sonic Adventure’s flaws were overlooked by many because it was Sonic’s first legitimate step into 3D. It also looked pretty.

With Sonic Heroes, the series went from critically acclaimed to critically mixed. Apparently, critics were bored with the same old tricks being reused from the Adventure games, and the addition of teams wasn’t exactly a plus. The series only declined from there.

Yes, the next game in the series was the dreaded Shadow the Hedgehog. Have you ever wanted to hear Sonic and his friends swear? How about see them use guns? Do you want generic aliens in your Sonic story? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re what’s wrong with the world today.

According to Sega, people wanted all of that and more, so they gave us Shadow the Hedgehog. Admittedly, Shadow was a cool character to me in Sonic Adventure 2 (and only Sonic Adventure 2). However, he was cool because he was mysterious and dark but not extremely forced, unlike the games following it. I think a comment on YouTube put it best: “In Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow was bad*** with emo tendencies. In every game following, he was emo with bad*** tendencies.”

Fans thought it couldn’t get any worse than Shadow. Sega accepted that challenge.

There’s hardly a point in me telling you about SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, or Sonic '06 as some call it. You’ve all heard of it. It’s infamous for its terrible gameplay, its seemingly infinite amount of glitches, and its ludicrous story. Yes, a princess kisses a dead hedgehog. To quote the Angry Video Game Nerd...

(Warning: The following video has an f-bomb. )

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I think SONIC THE HEDGEHOG was the point where most fans drew the line. They were done with this series. If this was how Sonic was debuting on current-gen consoles, people wanted no part in it, and you really can’t blame them. However, some fans couldn’t stay away, as just two years later…

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Sonic… gameplay that actually looks… somewhat decent?! …Well, until the stupid beat-em-up stuff, but who cares! Sonic actually looks fun again! I wasn’t big into the internet when this trailer was released; I had just seen it on my Xbox 360 one day and decided to download it. I had no idea what others thought of it, but I loved it. I was pumped for Sonic Unleashed.

Then I just sort of… lost interest. I guess I was more burned by SONIC THE HEDGEHOG then I thought. I didn’t really think about Sonic Unleashed until it was released, and then I only rented it (on the Wii… for some reason.) I thought it was just okay, and that was that. I was just… uninterested at that point.

Two years later and here comes Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Sonic Colors. Sonic 4 was trying to bring back the Genesis idea of nothing but speed and side-scrolling, and Colors had yet another gimmick, albeit not as tedious looking as Unleashed’s. IGN’s reviews are what sold me on those two games, because I otherwise didn’t care. They just looked like more Sonic to me, and I was afraid of getting burned again. Thankfully, I had fun with both games, and was glad that Sonic was finally coming back, slowly but surely. Both games had their flaws, obviously, but Sonic Team had finally figured out a good formula for modern Sonic games, and Sonic 4 was just a neat little bonus for fans.

One year later, and we’re back at Sonic Generations. In all honesty, this is the first recent Sonic game I’d recommend to people without an ounce of hesitation. There’s something here for all kinds of Sonic fans, new and old. Unless you excessively hate a certain style of Sonic gameplay, you’re almost guaranteed to enjoy at least parts of Generations.

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise certainly suffered a lot, but it’s finally getting back on track. With SEGA’s promise to only release quality titles, perhaps we’ll never have to deal with another Shadow the Hedgehog or SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. But, only time will tell.

However, just because I think Sonic Generations is good does not mean it’s perfect; quite the contrary actually. In my opinion, the Unleashed style of gameplay, while great for Sonic, is very flawed, mostly for one reason. The controls. Ironically enough, it’s not like Sonic Adventure where the controls are so loose that you run into walls constantly, but it’s the lack of control that’s annoying.

In the 3D segments, it just feels like you’re holding forward or square when you’re running. It takes forever to turn, and there’s really no point. In the 2D segments, the jumps are floaty, but you can’t actually go very far with them. These controls drastically need tweaking. I assume that getting the speed and control down to where they can co-exist with each other with little error is a heavy task, but I believe that the current Sonic Team can pull it off with a little time.

It takes a blind man to not see that SEGA was playing it incredibly safe with Generations. They already have the acclaimed 3D formula from Unleashed and Colors that they only tweaked just a bit. They already had the level ideas, they just had to rework and rebuild them. Heck, the fact that they brought back classic Sonic just shows that they were only playing to the fans. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s certainly a genius idea from a business standpoint, it’s time for SEGA to show us what they can do. It’s obvious that they’re trying to take good care of the franchise now, so why don’t they show it? Don’t take that the wrong way, Generations had a ton of effort and care put into it, but why can’t we see that in a completely original game?

As I said earlier, only time will tell if Sonic comes back as a powerhouse name, or if he continues to be the butt of the joke. Who knows, maybe one of these days he’ll finally have a game that’s better than Mario’s.

I'd like to thank Stranger for proofreading and helping me out with this blog.

The Legend of Zelda: Music of the Goddesses

2012-03-31T21:44:00Z

With the Legend of Zelda series, music has been a key factor to the experience since the beginning. From the early and simple NES tunes to the epic orchestrations in Skyward Sword, this series has seen its fair share of atmospheric and amazing songs. These songs not only add to the immersion and scale of the games, but are guaranteed to stick in your head hours after you turn the console off.

With this blog, I hope to open the eyes of casual and even hardcore Zelda fans to the astounding music that each entry features. While gathering the songs for this article, I discovered some extremely catchy tracks that I hadn’t paid attention to beforehand.

Before I start though, I’d like toss out a few disclaimers. First, I wasn’t entirely sure how to do this blog when gathering the information I needed, and still am not entirely sure how well it will go over. I settled on posting all of the music I’ve picked out, a little blurb about each game, and then some comments on the music itself if I see it necessary. Please, if you have any critiques with how I’ve set this up, don’t be afraid to tell me in the comments below.

Secondly, this will be a long blog, especially if you try to get the most out of it. I’d like everyone, if they have the time, to listen to each music track posted and hear for yourselves just how good they are (although you don’t have to listen to the entire track if you don’t feel like it). I’ve limited myself to at most 15 tracks per game, and please tell me if even that’s pushing it. I’ll lower it for the next part.

Lastly, while I do believe is the best music of the series, it’s still drowned in my own opinion and tastes. If your favorite song isn’t in my picks, I’m terribly sorry, and would love for you to tell me what it is in the comments.

Now, without further rambling for me, I give you what I believe to be the definitive list of the top Zelda music (In no particular order though. Narrowing down the songs was tough enough). Get your headphones ready.

(As a side note, I will be marking my personal favorite tracks in red. Just in case you were wondering.)

The Legend of Zelda (NES)

It’s the game that started it all, and most of the music nailed it on the first try. Heck, most of the music and sound effects are being constantly remixed and remade in Zelda games to this very date. It’s iconic, and for a good reason.

Intro:

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Overworld:

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Ending:

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As you can see, there are only about three songs worth mentioning. The others are either just jingles, or they're so repetitive that they start grating your ears after the third loop. These three tracks, however, you can listen to over and over and you still won't be sick of them.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

In a surprising move, Nintendo decided to make the sequel to the top-down, adventure focused original into a side-scrolling RPG. This is debatably an awful or genius move, depending on who you talk to about it, but one thing’s for certain: they upped the ante in the music department. While not as iconic as the originals by far (possibly due to the lack of popularity the game has), I believe it’s catchier than the first game’s. There’s at least a lot more to listen to.

Overworld:

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Battle:

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Palace:

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Great Palace:

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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

This was the series’ first venture into the 16-bit era, and dear Lord was it amazing. Once you stepped outside of Link’s house and heard the music for the first time, your heart filled with desperation. You had to save that princess, and you had to be fast. From that point onward, your ears were bombarded with the beautiful 16-bit midi that didn’t let up until you turned off the system. Whether you were exploring the overworld or fighting with Ganon, it all fit wonderfully.

Overworld:

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Kakriko Village:

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The Goddess Appears:

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Forest:

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Dark World:

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Crystal:

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Dark Mountain Forest:

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Battle With Ganon:

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Triforce Chamber:

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Ending Theme:

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The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Gameboy Color)

A cult classic among Zelda fans, Link’s Awakening is adored by nearly everyone who plays it, including myself. However, it’s more for the gameplay, story and characters, as the music is severely lacking when it comes to the series’ standards. Don’t get me wrong, the music is good, but it lacks a certain… punch that the other games have. It’s just not as memorable to me as the other soundtracks in the series. Perhaps you, the reader, can decide what you think.

Player Select (Zelda):

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Sword Search:

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Overworld:

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Boss Battle:

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The Ghost's House:

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Southern Shrine:

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Color Dungeon:

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(Link's Awakening DX gets bonus points for bringing back/remixing the dungeon theme from the original.)

Mt. Tamaranch:

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Ballad of the Wind Fish:

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Staff Roll:

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Link: The Faces of Evil (Phillips CD-i)

Haha, just kidding. You couldn’t pay me to listen to that filth for over ten seconds.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)

Like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time was a gigantic leap forward for the series. With the Nintendo 64 console, Nintendo developers were allowed a ton more memory to work with, and they must have used all of it with Ocarina. It’s not only filled with a huge three-dimensional overworld and plenty of quests and side-quests, but it had a huge soundtrack to boot. This soundtrack is what many consider to be the gold standard for a Zelda soundtrack, and I don’t blame them. When collecting the tracks for this blog, this was the only one that literally hurt my brain to pick from.

Title Theme:

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Kaepora Gaebora:

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Castle Town:

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Princess Zelda:

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(You may notice this as the Crystal music from A Link to the Past.)

Kakariko Village:

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Temple of Time:

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Sheik's Theme:

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Windmill Hut:

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Minuet of Forest:

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Bolero of Fire:

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Nocturne of Shadow:

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Gerudo Valley:

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Requiem of Spirit:

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Last Battle:

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End Credits:

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo 64)

Definitely the darkest of any Zelda game, the soundtrack follows suit with some of the most deceiving songs I’ve ever heard. Don’t understand what I mean? Just listen to the first track in the game.

Title Demo:

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(At first it lures you in with its cute and catchy tones, then... it gets sinister.

Majora's Theme:

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Clock Town Day 2:

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(There are three versions of this song, and it's actually pretty genius with the way it's handled. On the first day, it's as upbeat as possible. On the second, it gets a bit more fast paced and loses the warmth; it sounds a bit emptier. On the third day, the music is incredibly fast paced and there's some added sounds that make you realize that the end is near. It's heartbreaking, really. Personally, I enjoy the second version the most.)

Manager's House Council Room:

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Song of Healing:

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Termina Field:

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Deku Palace:

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Goron Race:

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(Fun fact: this is actually a remix of the horse race from Ocarina of Time and here.)

Breman March:

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Sharp's Curse:

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Music Box House:

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Stone Tower Temple:

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To The Moon:

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Majora's Wrath Battle:

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(All of the Majora battle tracks are great, but I picked Majora's Wrath due to how fast paced and frantic it is. Majora's Incarnate is my second favorite of the trio of songs.)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Gameboy Color)

Possibly even more obscure than Link’s Awakening, Seasons and its sister game (we’ll get to that next time) are very unique. Not only in their code sharing and story carrying gameplay, but in their music styles. Neither of them necessarily scream “Zelda” to me, but that’s not a bad thing.

Two Quests of the Triforce:

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Title:

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Din's Dance:

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Horon Village:

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That Popular Subrosian Dance:

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Dancing Dragon Dungeon:

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The Windmill Theme:

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(Well would you look at that, the Windmill guy gets a cameo in Oracle of Seasons! I believe this is his last appearance in a Zelda game though, or at least where he's playing his windmill... box... thing.)

Pirate's Gigue:

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Pirate's Game:

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Ending Theme:

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And that’s it for this part! I hope you enjoyed the blog, and while it may take awhile, part 2 will definitely exist soon. I have the will, I have the want, and I have the way. With that said, I can confirm that it won’t be the very next blog I post.

As for you, dear reader, I’d love if you’d sound-off in the comments below. I need you to help me make part 2 two times as good!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Dual Review And Discussion

2012-03-25T04:27:00Z

Due to the popularity (and I do use that word loosely) of our last dual review, JR and I decided to do it again. This time, however, it's with a topic that's a bit more relevant.

Just like last time, I'll be playing the role of the Zelda superfan. JR, who just got into the series two years ago, is... well, I wouldn't call him the casual fan, but I'd say he's less of a fan than I.

Anyways, I'll let the reviews and discussion speak for themselves.

Mray's Review

I’m going to say it right away; The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a heavy contender for the name “greatest Zelda game of all time”. That, in turn, gives it a chance to be the greatest game of all time. While I personally wouldn’t go that far, other people will, have, and should.

When it was first announced, I can’t say I was much hyped for Skyward Sword. It didn’t look like it was adding anything new to the series, and after being burned by Spirit Tracks, I was hesitant. Obviously I was going to play it eventually, but I was in no hurry to pick it up on launch day. Then people started talking about it.

Ten. Ten. Ten. Everywhere I looked, there were tens being handed out. “The best Zelda I’ve ever played!” some said. “Game of the year, hands down,” others said. I instantly regretted my decision to wait.

Fast forward to a few weeks before Christmas. After getting some money as a gift, I made sure to make Skyward Sword my first priority. Once I got the game, I couldn’t pop the disc in sooner.

The introduction cutscene set up nearly everything I was in for: A gorgeous game with an interesting story, likable characters, and a great sense of humor. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with the most important part of any game: the gameplay.

Thankfully, the motion controlled swordplay in Skyward Sword is not only a blast to play with, it also feels extremely accurate. Hardly was there a time where I swung my remote and Link didn’t respond the way I wanted.

The only problem I had with the control was with some of the pointing items (the Beetle, the Slingshot, etc.), and those could easily be straightened out by one press of the D-Pad.

The additions to the overall gameplay are also a huge plus, like Link’s ability to sprint instead of just jogging and rolling everywhere. With this, not only can Link get around faster, but he can also parkour up walls. This adds a whole new element to movement on the ground, and it’s such a subtle yet helpful addition that I hope sticks around for the Zelda games to come.

If you’re a veteran Zelda player, prepare for Skyward Sword to throw you for a loop. Unlike other games in the series where progression is formulaic, this game has you going through hours of content before you even get to an actual dungeon. In fact, a plethora of memorable moments Skyward Sword has to offer doesn’t even happen in the dungeons, but in the segments outside of them. Of course, the dungeons themselves are still great, with one in particular sticking out in my mind due to the incredible boss fight.

Aside from the gameplay is the fantastic story, which I would credit as one of the deepest and maturely handled stories ever told by a Zelda game. The relationship between Zelda and Link is a touching one, and really adds a ton of weight to the story. It’s not just a story of saving the princess any longer; it’s a story of finding a lifelong friend. Even Link, a silent and previously one-note character, shows believable emotion in every cutscene.

You, as the player, also feel emotion throughout the game. You’ll feel sorry for Link, you’ll feel anger at the main villain Girahim, and you’ll feel joy at the light-hearted cutscenes.

Of course… you’ll also feel the wrong kind of emotions as a player too: anger at the actual game. Yes, Nintendo tried to throw in many brand new elements to see what would stick, and a lot of it feels out of place or is just downright frustrating. Not to spoil too much, at one point you’ll be swimming around an entire map trying to find colorful collectables, and there’s an escort mission at another. As stated, these seem incredibly out of place for a Zelda game, and the escort mission is extremely frustrating due to the small margin of error and less than stellar NPC AI.

The experience is also marred by the annoying obviousness of your partner, Fi, and the constant explanation of sub-items you pick up. If you’ve played Twilight Princess or Phantom Hourglass, you know what that latter flaw is. Anytime you pick up a collectable item such as an Ember Relic or even rupees, you’ll be reminded of what that item is. It does that whenever you get an item in the current play session, and there’s no way to turn off the notifications. I can’t tell you how many times I saw the explanation of what a Goddess Plume was.

Getting back to Fi, she’s not even that bad of a character, it’s just that she points out the most obvious things continuously, and it gets extremely grating after the umpteenth time. You have to get at least twenty hours into the story before she becomes even the slightest bit helpful, and that’s not a good thing for a game long companion.

And, while I may sound extremely harsh on a few of these aspects, it’s because they add flaws to what would have been a nearly perfect Zelda game. If it weren’t for the issues I pointed out, this would hands down be the best Zelda game of all time. It’s got everything you’d want from the series, but so much more too. If you’re only going to play one Wii game, make it this one.

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JR's Review

When Skyward Sword was first announced I was passively interested. I was expecting it to be more of the same, I suppose. Then I read GameInformer's cover story for the game, and I started to get excited for it. Fast forward to its release; tens are being handed out left and right, and everyone is talking about how the motion controls are actually really good. By the time Christmas rolled around and I finally got the game, I was wanting to play the game as soon as possible. Did the game deliver? For the most part yes, but there are some small areas of the game that definitely could have used work. But I'll get to that later. For now, the gameplay.

It seems like Nintendo tried to experiment with a lot of things, and they succeeded with many of them. The swordplay works very well, and while I still prefer buttons over motion controls, it's just that: a preference. I still had a ton of fun with the combat and I had no technical problems with it. The sprinting mechanic, which allows you to sprint and climb platforms, is also very fun and I really hope it stays with the series, because I can't imagine a Zelda game without it anymore. Shields also now have durability meters, which I'm really not sure about. As your shield takes damage, its durability goes down, and the only way to fix it is to have it repaired at Skyloft (you're hometown). It didn't seem to add much, and I think there may have been only one time that my shield broke completely. Besides, the Sacred Shield, which you can get about a third into the game, regenerates its durability over time, which pretty much eliminates any need for the meter.

Another thing they tried to experiment with is the structure of the game. You have the hub/overworld, which is actually disappointingly small, and then you have areas like Faron Woods that you dive down to on the surface of the world. These areas have sort of mini-overworlds that you quest around on before actually going to the next dungeon, which does kind of make up for the small main overworld. In terms of overall structure, the game takes on a more sandbox-type approach in the sense that you find yourself going back and forth to these different areas a lot. I have mixed feelings about it. While I thought it felt a little drawn out about two thirds into the game, it does make the world feel more real, and they do a very good job of mixing it up.

Moving on, let's talk about the boss fights. For the most part, the boss fights are typical Zelda quality--which is to say, extremely fun. However, there were two bosses that I feel I should mention, one that only slightly annoyed me, and one that greatly annoyed me. The first was fine in every aspect except for the fact that I just thought it was a little drawn out. The other, however, I thought threw too many things at you. Now apparently I was the only one who had a problem with this, so while I think it's worth mentioning, you should take it with a grain of salt at the same time.

As for the cut-scenes, characters, and story, Nintendo tried a lot of new things with them as well, and all of them are for the better. The cut-scenes look as amazing and cinematic as ever. Every character from Zelda, who has an actual personality, to the lowliest of NPC's are amazing characters. Ghirahim is a truly great villain, probably one of my favorite in gaming now. Even Link, although he's still completely silent, has a lot of amazing speech choices, rather than just saying "yes" or "no" all the time. The only character I can think of that's remotely bad at any point is Fi, your new companion in the game. While she starts off as one of the most annoying characters I've come across in gaming, about halfway through she started to grow on me, and by the end I thought she was actually a pretty good character. The plot itself is also great, and it even throws a few very unexpected twists in near the end (for the better).

All in all, while I don't think it's perfect by any means, it's still a very great game, and it's nice to see Nintendo trying new things.

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And now for the discussion. Be wary, there are SPOILERS later on. I'm in red, JR's in blue.

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Mray: Now that you've read both of our reviews, you'll know that we both love this game. Just like last time, we're going to discuss what we liked, disliked, and what we want going forward with the thing we reviewed. And, just like last time, I'm Mray. And I'm joined by...

JR: JR!

Mray: Let's get right down to business. Do you believe there will be a sequel to Skyward Sword?

JR: As in a direct sequel? I wouldn't be surprised. That seems to be the pattern Nintendo’s been going with their handheld Zelda games, and I don't think it would be hard to implement story-wise.

Mray: I would love a 3DS sequel to Skyward Sword, but I'm a bit wary on that. If you hadn't noticed, Twilight Princess never got a sequel (not counting Link's Crossbow Training) on the original DS. That was most likely due to the graphics being far too advanced for the DS to handle. The 3DS is the first Nintendo handheld that could come close to copying Nintendo's current home console.

Maybe, just maybe, they'll make a Twilight Princess sequel on the 3DS as the next handheld Zelda, or it may be the very first fully original 3D Zelda on a handheld. But personally, I don't think they'd jump onto a Skyward Sword sequel soon, but hopefully they do it eventually.

Story wise, it certainly wouldn't be too hard.

JR: I think you could argue both sides. I wouldn't be surprised if they made one, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next handheld Zelda is completely new either.

Mray: If a sequel were to be made, would you like a full console sequel, or a handheld one?

JR: I'd prefer handheld. I think the console games should be reserved for core games. Whether I think they actually would make it on console or not, however, I have no idea, considering Zelda II and Majora's Mask were on console.

Mray: I could care less either way to be honest. Both would give Nintendo a ton of interesting concepts to work with, but the concepts themselves are fit for a brand new game. The 3DS obviously can't do the same kind of motion control as the Wii, and it would be cumbersome with the Wii U. Unless they bring a sequel purely to the Wii, which I doubt, I'm not sure what they could do with it that would fit with the main theme of Skyward Sword's gameplay.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't be opposed to a handheld title with a similar art style and some similar mechanics. A spiritual successor, I suppose. Flying in 3D would be stunning.

JR: I never really thought about the issue with the gameplay style, but you have a good point there.

While we're on the subject of future Zelda games, though, do you have any ideas on what the next core game could have? The only thing I can really think of that I'd want from it is having it be the latest in the timeline.

Mray: I don't really care when it takes place, but I do want it to be on the Wii U, and I want it to look like the tech demo from E3. It doesn't have to be that exact style, but at least make it look as detailed.

JR: I think it's a given that it would be on the Wii U, and I agree with you about the tech demo. It would be awesome if it looked like that.

Mray: What do you think the gameplay would be like? Obviously they're going to use the Wii U controller's screen for item management, but do you think they'll also use the Wii remote for motion control? Or would they go for more traditional controls, in turn taking a step back.

JR: I'm really hoping the motion controls were a one-shot type of thing. Like I said in my review, I think they're great, and they manage to still be fun, but I don't want that to become permanent.

But to answer the question of what I think they'll actually do, something tells me they'll make it to where you can choose between the Wii U controller and the Wii Motion Plus controls. It just seems like the most logical thing for them to do.

Mray: Has Nintendo ever done what was logical?

I'd love if they stuck with motion controls due to the accuracy and strategy that comes with it, and I believe they've said they are sticking with motion controls, but I believe it'll just be extremely uncomfortable. Unless you use your feet, you'll constantly be switching between controllers.

But your idea is a good one.

JR: If they stick with motion controls, fine, but they'll either risk not using the Wii U controller entirely, which is dumb, or they'll have you choose between setups. Trying to make you use both at the same time is the stupidest design choice ever.

Mray: Now that we've finished that discussion, let's get back to the topic at hand; Skyward Sword. What did you think of the story and setpieces?

JR: No spoilers?

Mray: All the spoilers!

JR: I think the story was probably the most complex Zelda story yet, and I love it for that. The three twists of the game help the story a lot, and I don't think I was really expecting any of them. Zelda being the goddess Hylia was completely unexpected, and it added to Zelda's character. Ghirahim being Demise's sword was another unexpected and very nice touch. And Demise's defeat did an amazing job of setting up the games that come after Skyward Sword in the timeline. I even though the last scene with Fi was a bit touching. It made me hope that she appears in a later game. Also, ZOMG YOU ACTUALLY FIND THE ENTIRE TRIFORCE IN THIS GAME.

Mray: Am I mistaken, or is this the first game where you actually have to find, piece together, and use all three pieces of the Triforce?

JR: I'm pretty sure it is. Definitely the first time in a 3D Zelda. The only game that you could really argue did it first is, well, the original, but even then you could say that was just ONE piece of the triforce.

Mray: You didn't even get the complete Triforce there though, just the two pieces. The third wasn't introduced until the second game.

JR: Two pieces? You have me confused now.

Mray: The whole game revolves around you finding the shards of one piece, and Zelda has the other. There's no third.

JR: Oh. You don't actually collect the second piece, though, do you?

Mray: No, Zelda has it.

JR: Anyway, we're getting off topic.

Mray: Right. The most memorable moment for me, and that's saying something, was the sea of sand. It fit so beautifully with the art style, and the whole ride was amazing because of it. Seeing the coral come to life as I got near it was a little but amazing touch.

JR: Yeah, that was pretty good. Ironically, though, I think the most memorable moment for me is Fi's last scene. She may have made me rage at first, but as I've said before, she just started growing on me half-way through the game.

Also, the Groose arm pat.

Mray: The timing was so perfect!

JR: It was so amazing!

Mray: Last but certainly not least, the bosses.

JR: Ugh.

Mray: In my opinion, some of the bosses were the best and most creative in any Zelda I've played. I know you're not so keen on them.

JR: I actually agree with you, but I cannot get over the second Imprisoned fight! It takes way too short a time for him to make his way to the sanctuary, his stomp shockwaves constantly hit me, and his arms, which ADD NOTHING, get in the way of trying to go around him when he's down. It's so stupid.

However, Ghirahim's boss fights are probably my favorite Zelda bosses ever, along with Demise's.

Mray: Ghirahim's fights are amazing, and they actually lesson the fun of the final boss fight against Demise. There's not a ton of strategy with Demise, you just hit him. ...Unless you use the Lightning Strike technique, which I didn't know you could do.

JR: Lightning Strike? What?

Mray: If you use the Skyward Strike against Demise, lightning will hit your sword and power it up, giving you the chance to throw lightning at him.

JR: ...That sounds awesome.

Mray: It looks awesome. GI did it in their Spoiled video.

JR: Although I do agree with you. After Ghirahim's amazing last boss fight, Demise's felt admittedly anticlimactic. But I think it redeems itself by setting up the future games so well.

Mray: So true. And that about wraps up everything I wanted to say about it. Do you have anything else to add?

JR: Nothing really other than the obvious fact about the orchestral music being amazing.

Mray: I'm working on something involving that. It's coming... semi soon...

How I Write

2012-02-24T02:27:00Z

Let’s play pretend. I want you to pretend that you’re interested in the process of how I think up, write, and publish my writings here on GIO. Pretending yet? Good! Now I want you to pretend to read the rest of this blog.

Today, I’m going to show you how my brain works when creating blogs and reviews. I will detail to you the step-by-step process of how I come to the idea of the typing, its conception, and figuring out what words to use. So yes, this is a blog about blogs.

Firstly, I must get the idea of what I’m going to write about. This usually involves a session of me brainstorming for a good ten minutes or so. If I get an idea during that period of time, I write it down and let the idea sink in over a few days. Sometimes the idea is simple and easy to execute. Others take a bit more thought, time, and research. I can also get inspiration for an idea from outside sources, or they just come to me as a natural thing to do.

Once the idea sits with me and I feel it’s worthy enough to be read by dozens of people, I’ll start thinking about how it should unfold. If it’s a straightforward blog like this one, I tend to just sit and start writing, usually finishing it in one sitting (which takes about two hours). There’s not much preparation needed. If I’m doing a list, review, or controversial topic however, I do my best to take as many notes as I can and try to touch on everything I’ve written down.

Ironically enough, carrying out the deed of writing is possibly the easiest and definitely the simplest part of crafting a blog/review. Since I know exactly what I want to say about the topic, I just have to let the right words come to me.

Next, I review the blog's quality and spellcheck it, then hand it over to my proofreader to analyze. Once he lies to me and tells me it’s good, I post it into Game Informer’s blog system from Microsoft Word.

Once I’m finished skimming over it once more for any errors, I look for pictures to break up the paragraphs and links to references I made. While finding the links and posting them into words is a slightly tedious process, I actually find it to be incredibly satisfying and almost relaxing. I think it’s the mentality of being in the home stretch of posting a brand new article.

Lastly, after everything I want to say and do with the blog is ready, I click the “publish” button and wait for the views and comments to come in.

My Top 12 Nostalgic Games

2012-02-09T06:52:00Z

Greetings faithful readers! Do you remember those games you played at an early age? Those games that, throughout the years, have stuck with you due to its sheer impact upon your life? I know I do, and that’s why I’m bringing you my top 12 nostalgic games!

(I'm definitely not ripping off the Nostalgia Critic this time! Even if it is about nostalgia, it's a top 12 list!)

With this, I'll be taking a look at the games that occupied most of my time as a child, as well as seeing just how well they hold up.

While I do love each and every one of these games, keep in mind that this is not a list of my favorites, or what I perceive as the best of all time. Any crossovers between this list and those (which I have not written yet…) are pure coincidence. Or bias. However you want to classify that.

Without further rambling, I give you my list!

12: Twisted Metal Series (PS1)

I’m going to be completely honest here; I never actually owned a Twisted Metal game until I bought the second on PSN. I did play a lot of Twisted Metal however, because I had a friend who absolutely adored the games. I think that reason, along with the creepy characters and the innovative concept, is why the game had such a big impact on me.

Once my friend and I parted ways, I had never really thought about the series up until Game Informer’s Replay of it. Upon seeing that, a flood of memories washed over my mind.

I could never really get the hang of how to play these, so I’m not sure if I can fairly critique how they hold up. If you want a fair analysis of the entire series, be sure to check the Replay.

11: Super Smash Bros (N64)

Smash Bros is one of those games where the concept is a million times better than the execution.

While still a fun game, it’s dated by the clunky controls and lack of well-rounded fighters (granted, you can blame that former complaint on the controller).

Smash Bros was an amazing game back in the day, and one I sunk much of my game time into. However, going back to it, my eyes were opened by just how far the series had come along with Melee and Brawl. Still, playing the original brought back wonderful memories, and that’s all you can really ask for when it comes to nostalgia.

10: Sonic Adventure Series (Dreamcast)

I want to get this out of the way right now: THESE GAMES ARE TERRIBLE. The voice acting is horrid, the stories are sub-par, the characters are uninteresting, and worst of all, the gameplay is as unpolished as an old boot. In fact, the only really good thing about these games is the music. And I love them both so much.

Yes, this is a series where I know I should hate the games, but my younger self just won’t allow it. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 just have some dumb charm to me that won’t let me hate them. When I talk bad about them, I’m doing so with love. …If that makes sense.

Though I am a bit disappointed since I haven’t actually gotten to play Sonic Adventure 2 recently, but I’ve seen enough to know it’s not much better than the first.

If you would like to see a more extensive look at the first Sonic Adventure, be sure to check out the Replay.

9: Spider-Man (PS1)

How I came into contact with this game is blurry, as I’m not sure if I was a fan of the character of Spider-Man before or after playing it, but it increased my obsession either way. However, I was awful at this game, and always had to use cheat codes if I wanted to get through it. I still remember the password to unlock everything by heart; it’s Eel Nats, or Stan Lee spelled backwards.

As I started replaying Spider-Man, I was shocked to realize just how well it held up. While the camera is awful and the draw distance is atrocious, the combat system is actually a lot of fun. The story and writing are exactly what you’d expect from a quality Spider-Man tale too. There are interesting twists, there are cool cameos, and there are a lot of funny jokes.

While it most likely will never make anyone but my own top PlayStation games, Spider-Man is still worth a look back at in my opinion. I will be going through it, without cheat codes, soon.

8: Pokémon Snap (N64)

Easily a contender for one of my favorite games of all time, Pokémon Snap was and is some of the simplest, yet most compelling fun you can have with your Nintendo 64. Albeit with a few variables thrown in here and there, there’s literally only one thing you do in the game: take pictures of Pokémon.

While playing Pokémon Snap, you’re always relaxed, but still on the edge of your seat the whole time. It’s hard to explain, but fans of the game should understand what I mean. The calming music and surreal visuals balance out the tension of getting that one snapshot you need perfectly.

I’ve never tried to beat the game in one sitting, so I’m not entirely sure how long it takes to beat, but it’s certainly not long.

There’s really only one complaint I have about Snap, and even then they’re just nitpicks. I hate how the camera’s default is set to inverted, and it’s annoying that you have to reset the console to get to the title screen and options menu.

Be sure to check out the Pokemon Snap Replay.

7: Mario Kart 64 (N64)

This is the Mario Kart that got it right. Super Mario Kart was fun, but held back by the SNES’s limitations. Mario Kart 64 took the idea and brought it up to what, in my opinion, is still the most fun Mario Kart to date. Really, that’s all there is to say.

The only thing I find severely wrong with the game is its rubber band AI. If you’re in the lead on anything above 50CC, you can’t make a single mistake or else you’ll be passed by the CPUs going at super speed.

Be sure to watch this Replay of Super Mario 64, with Mario Kart as the Roulette.

6: WCW/NWO: Revenge (N64)

While it was my brother’s game, as he was the only wrestling fan in our family, I still played plenty of Revenge even though I never really understood it. I’ll be honest, the only reason I was interested in the game in the first place is because Rey Mysterio Jr. looked like Spider-Man.

He was, and still is, the only person I play as. I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing anytime I play WCW/NWO: Revenge, but I still have a blast playing it. I think the main reason I put Revenge so high on this list is due to the multiplayer, as I played a lot of it with my brother and our friends and still remember it fondly.

5: NFL Blitz 2001 (PS1/N64)

There is absolutely, without a doubt, nothing wrong with this game. The controls are tight, the player designs are amusingly over-the-top, and the announcers are hysterical. This game is pure perfection, and you’re lying if you say otherwise!

Seriously though, I cannot find much, if anything to complain about with NFL Blitz. It’s arcadey, its over-the-top, it’s hilarious, and it’s oodles of fun. It doesn’t help that while trying to look back at the game for this blog, my brother came in and started playing with me.

As if I wasn’t already being hit with nostalgia, my brother and I playing Blitz together made me feel like I was just a little kid again. But, I digress.

Even for an eleven-year-old game, Blitz remains fun and intense at the same time. When I was only 6 points behind my opponent and there was just 10 seconds left on the clock, I literally started sweating out of nervousness.

4: Goof Troop (SNES)

Easily one of the first Disney products I ever came into contact with, Goof Troop was the only licensed game I owned on the SNES. Stealing the top down perspective, items, and puzzles from a Zelda game, Goof Troop is very similar to A Link to the Past, just without swords. That may be why I loved it so much – well that and the co-op.

I didn’t actually get a very long look at the game first-hand, as my SNES isn’t working anymore and it’s not available on Virtual Console. I did watch John Carson play through the entire game on a livestream, and although nostalgic, it looked extremely basic and slightly boring. I wouldn’t mind playing through it again, but I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way to do so anytime soon. I’ll just let this one stay in my memories.

3: Goldeneye 007 (N64)

When compared to the other games on this list, I think Goldeneye is the one that is the most significant in its “you had to be there” legacy. If you’ve never played it before and are only used to today’s first-person shooters, it may take hours until you finally get close to learning how Goldeneye works. Not to mention if it wasn’t for the extremely generous auto-aim, the game would be nearly unplayable.

If you do know how Goldeneye works, it’s certainly not too hard to pick back up. Then again, I may only know how the game works so well due to how much I played it with my friends and family in the N64 days.

Goldeneye is a bit like Sonic Adventure (albeit Goldeneye is a much better game) where it doesn’t hold up, but there’s no way I can bring myself to dislike it.

Be sure to check out the Season 2 pilot of Replay for a very extensive look at Goldeneye 007.

2: The Legend Of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

It feels weird putting A Link to the Past as #2 on this list, as it’s my favorite game of all time. However, as much as I loved it back then, I love it even more now for different reasons.

When I was a kid, I loved it for the excessive feeling of adventure and discovery I got whenever I played. Finding brand new secrets and going through the incredibly large dungeons only added to this feeling.

Today I not only appreciate A Link to the Past for the nostalgic memories, but for the extremely high quality the game has. The graphics are gorgeous, the music is amazing, and the gameplay is top notch. Not only is this arguably the best Zelda game, but easily one of the greatest games of all time.

Check out the very first Super Replay, A Link to the Past!

1: Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Here it is, my most nostalgic game! This is the game I spent the most time on as a lad, and technically one of the first games I ever “beat” (curse you fake-out credits!). My father and I spent countless hours on this game trying to make it to the final boss. I went back to it many times over the following years too.

If it wasn’t for Donkey Kong Country, I may not have ever gotten into video games in the first place! ...Or I may have just devoted more time to A Link to the Past, I dunno.

Today, Donkey Kong Country is a slight mess. The graphics, unlike a lot of SNES era games, look blurry and smeared thanks to the 3D rendered character models and backgrounds. The platforming is also off, making it inconsistent and frustrating.

If you’ve never experienced this game or its sequels, you’re better off sticking to the fantastic Retro developed Donkey Kong Country Returns. It’s easily the best of the series, and a contender for one of the greatest platformers of all time.

If you want to see Donkey Kong Country in action, watch the Replay.

And there you have it! Like I said, I do love these games, but this list is only to reminisce about the games that had an impact on me, or the ones I remember the most. If you share any of these games, or would like to share your most nostalgic games, please do so in the comments below. I would love to read each of your thoughts on the subject, since I’m a sucker for nostalgia! Hope you enjoyed the read!

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) Dual Review And Discussion

2012-01-22T19:53:00Z

Remember when I said I was going to review every movie in the Nightmare On Elm Street series? Yeah, that failed. It's not that I didn't want to do it, and it's not that I couldn't do it. In fact, I had every Nightmare movie reviewed and ready to be posted, but I lost them. I was using Game Informer's blog system and only Game Informer's blog system. I had no back-up in Microsoft Word, I didn't copy and paste it into Notepad, the only thing I had the review on was that blog system. Apparently when I was writing it, GI signed me out without my knowing. When I actually tried to post it, it gave me an error message. When I tried to go back, I got an empty space. You can imagine how I felt after this.

Let's just say I learned from this experience.

Anyways, I had vowed to at least re-review the Nightmare On Elm Street remake, and I even had an idea to include my friend JR as a second opinion on the film. I figured I could review this from a Nightmare and horror fan's perspective, and he could be the average movie-goer. That's also how we'll be handling our discussion about the film and its inevitable sequel later on.

So, without further adieu, I give you our reviews!

Mray's Review

Warning: This review does contain spoilers.

As you all know, I love the Nightmare On Elm Street series. You should also know that, originally, I hated the remake. I had seen trailers, heard about it from my brother, and seen the ending of the movie once it was on TV. I thought it was just stupid and unnecessary.

And, of course, they changed actors for Freddy, and the way he looked. I had no interest in seeing the remake at that point, because I knew I was in for disappointment, so why bother? I was scared to see how badly they screwed up my favorite horror character, so it’s kind of ironic in a way.

After actually seeing the full movie, I want to take back everything I said. Well, mostly everything.

First, I’d like to talk about the story. While the basic story is almost identical to the original, they give an incredibly deep backstory to Freddy Krueger and what he was actually like before killed, unlike the original where it’s just explained a little.

He was a groundskeeper at a preschool, and he was great friends with all of the children. He played hide-and-seek with them, he colored with them, and he was just an overall cool guy to hang around. That is… unless he took you to his “secret cave”.

Yes, unlike the original where Freddy was a full-on child murderer, here he’s a… well, you get the picture. That was something that was subtly implied by the original, but they beat you over the head with it here. But wait, he may be innocent! Apparently the only proof the parents had of Fred’s actual wrongdoing was the children’s word, and that was all they needed. They burn Fred alive after chasing him out of town, and that’s why he’s killing the teenagers of Elm Street now. Revenge.

The teenagers assume that Freddy is after them because they lied and got him killed. That would’ve been a nice plot point and twist if they had stuck with it, but no, they find out in the final act that Fred did actually do those horrible things to the children.

This is my biggest problem with the movie, the extremely unnecessary “plot-twist” that we could all see coming a mile away. If they stuck with it and actually made Freddy innocent, he would actually be a hero in a way, albeit that is an extremely odd choice for a horror movie. It would have made him less scary, and sacrificed it for a better story and character, and I honestly can’t tell which one I want more.

Speaking of which, the characters are pretty good here. You’ve got the socially awkward and almost gothic teenager as Nancy, the dorky love interest as Quentin, the likable best friend as Kris, and her “tough guy” boyfriend Jesse. (Fun fact: A lot of those names stem from the original Nightmare On Elm Street series. The only returning names from the original movie that I noticed are Nancy and Freddy.)

If you’ve seen the original movie and know which characters are meant to replace which, you can call most of the deaths, and it lacks a bit of the element of surprise because of it. However, since the creators know you know which characters are going to die, they try to set them up as likable people, and it adds a layer of suspense and emotion. You know that most of these people will eventually die, and you don’t want it to happen.

Along with the main cast, you’ve got the supporting actors who also do a fine job. There’s nothing amazing about their performances, but they get the job done.

And, of course, the main reason any Nightmare On Elm Street fan is watching this is to see the new Freddy in action. I can proudly say that I was wrong in my previous critiques, and Jackie Earle Haley isn’t a bad Freddy at all. Is he Robert Englund? No, but he never comes across as trying to be. He hardly cracks any jokes and he tries to bring a lot more seriousness to the character. However, this makes Freddy lose a bit of the charm we’ve come to love over the years. Of course, we probably shouldn’t be rooting for the psychotic killer in the first place…

With what’s he’s given, Jackie does a fine job at bringing something fresh to the role of Freddy Krueger, and that’s really all you can ask for. His design, however, is still a little… well, off.

They say they tried to make him look like an actual burn victim in this one, but shouldn’t his face be irritated and peeled off rather than just melted? I’m no doctor, but I feel like there should be less skin on his face then there is. Aside from that, his eyes look almost alien-like. That just looks weird.

My biggest complaint with the redesign however is actually just with how much the make-up restricts Jackie from actually showing emotion. His mouth barely moves, you can hardly see his eyes, and I feel like it even limits his speeches and laughter a bit. Sometimes it’s alright, but a lot of times it almost seems like he’s out of breath.

Nitpicks and criticisms aside, the movie is very good, and almost stands up to the original. The only thing that knocks it down is the overuse of jump-scares and lack of subtlety. It makes up for that with the story, acting, characters, and the revival of a fantastic franchise that I’m very excited to see more of. I give it 4.5/5.

_________________________________

From there, we move on to JR's review. Super fanboys, abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

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JR's Review

(Quick note: this review will have spoilers, so if you don't want anything spoiled skip over to the last paragraph for my spoiler-free summary)

Okay, so quick confession, I had never seen a horror movie until Mray got me to watch the original 1984 Nightmare (and Scream, but that's another movie). I was a very easily scared kid, so I had never dared watch any horror movies, and when I grew older I just never felt like watching any.

So with that in mind, I saw the original Elm Street, told Mray what I thought about it--that it was okay overall, didn't scare me, but I liked the idea of the dream world--and he thought I should watch the 2010 remake to see what I thought of it. And now, here I am.

I thought the remake was actually kind of good. I didn't hate the original, but the only thing I found particularly good was the concept of the dream world and the villain (or monster?), Freddy Krueger. Whereas this remake, while not necessarily great, was actually pretty good. It still didn't get me legitimately scared, but I have a feeling that it wasn't going for that. It felt like it was just going for something creepy and engaging, and the movie succeeds with that for the most part, especially with the creepiness.

The story is okay. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but there were a few aspects I didn't like. The teenagers are okay characters. They're not really anything special, but again, they're not bad. The kids' parents, though, is where I start to have problems. It is just really hard to believe that they want to murder Freddy. Now I guess you could say this argument applies to the original as well, but in the original the parents knew that Freddy was killing (or was it trying to kill?) their kids. In the remake, they don't. The only thing they have to go on is what the kids are telling them. I'd understand if they called the police, but they don't even do that! They just chase Freddy into an abandoned building and burn it down! It just makes the parents look like psychos, especially the dads, since Nancy's mom actually tries to stop them.

But anyway, before I move on to the other thing that bugged me, I should probably get Freddy's backstory out of the way, which I actually liked a lot. It's much more in-depth than the original, and actually has full-on flashbacks. It's very creepy as well. Freddy apparently worked at a daycare center, which is where the main characters went when they were five, and while they were there he did...bad stuff to them. It's never clear, but it was bad and involved cutting the kids, I think. Very, very creepy.

Now the other thing that bugged me. Halfway through the movie, they find out that they were probably wrong about Freddy. That he was innocent, and now out for revenge on the kids for lying to their parents about their scars. This in particular I thought was pretty cool. Sure, it made not only the parents, but also the 5 year old kids look like psychos, but it was still very creepy in that they might have gotten an innocent man killed. And then, near the end of the movie, they found out that NOPE, Freddy did do that stuff to them. He's after the kids because they told their parents. Kind of unnecessary, and definitely not as interesting as it could've been.

With all that said though, the movie still managed to be creepy and actually engaging to a certain extent. I know it probably sounds like I hated the movie, but the things I didn't like aren't entirely big concerns, and the atmosphere is still creepy throughout the movie. And Freddy and his backstory are great. As for the acting, it ranged from meh to good, but that's more than the original can say, where it ranged from meh to straight-up bad. All in all, I thought it was good but not great, and I'm actually glad I saw it. Rating it on the GI scale (I'm sorry, I just can't work with 5 stars), I'd give it a 7.75/10.

________________________________

Although the fanboy inside me wants to hit JR right about now, I feel like he makes some very valid complaints, and many I can kind of agree with. Not to mention the fact that his review is a nice contrary to mine.

After we reviewed the movies, we decided to discuss a few very specific points about the movie, as well as what we'd want to see in a sequel. We thought it would be best if we "borrowed" the format from Clone Wars, a blog series run by our friends PR and Stranger. With that said, JR thought of it first, so go after him if you guys decide to sue. Let's get to it. Warning: This discussion will contain many, many spoilers. Beware.

________________________________

Mray: Say hello JR.

JR: Hello JR!

Mray: Let's jump right into this discussion. Everyone knows your thoughts on the remake now, but how do you think it compares to the original?

JR: I thought that it was better in nearly every aspect. The acting, while still nothing really special, was better. Freddy's backstory was better. The atmosphere, and then of course the effects, I thought was all better. Although I did have issues with Freddy himself sometimes, like in the classroom scene he didn't look very intimidating. But still, that's close to nitpicking.

Mray: I think every Nightmare On Elm Street fan will want to stone you due to that statement, including myself. However, you are right about the effect, except one. The coming out of the wall scene. Do you think the original's was better or worse?

JR: Oh yeah, the coming out of the wall looked pretty cheesy in the remake, and... Now that you mention it, I think the original's WAS better, which is kind of sad considering the time gap between the two movies.

(Remake)

(Original)

Mray: The reason it looked better in the original is because it was done with practical effects. Just a spandex sheet and clever lighting/camera work. In the remake, it was pure CG.

JR: Yeah, that makes sense. Still, you'd think 2010 CG would look better.

Mray: Sometimes, but I've always thought practical effects were much more clever than CG. To the remake's credit however, not a lot of CG is used, and it's only really noticeable during a few scenes. Moving right along, how to the characters in the remake stack up against the originals?

JR: Actually, that's another thing I forgot to point out. I think that I actually cared about the original's Nancy and her father more than the remake's. I don't know why exactly, maybe it's just the fighting attitude that the original's Nancy had near the end of the movie. Although I thought Freddy's character is better in the remake

Mray: That's exactly what I was thinking. The original's Nancy had plenty of charisma and charm, and her father was extremely believable in the role. The remake's Nancy is a much more socially awkward and intentionally boring character, and although that's common with many people, it doesn't make for an interesting or very likable character. She does get a little better by the end though. Freddy's character is better in the remake when only compared to the original, yes, but that also means he's not mysterious at all, so he loses some intimidation points because of it.

JR: Eh. I think that's more of a personal preference. I personally don't think he's any less intimidating in the remake, but I can see where you're coming from. Plus, the guy was such a psycho before he died. That made him more intimidating for me.

Mray: True, but that was also the case in the original. Even more so, debatably.

JR: It was never explained what exactly he did other than try to kill the kids. In the remake, they show that he was like Victor Zsasz from Batman or something. Or at least that's what I got out of it.

Mray: What do you mean? And in the original, it's not really explained until the other movies, which is what I mean by mysteriousness.

JR: I interpreted the flashbacks and stuff in the remake to say that he was a psycho who enjoyed cutting kids. The original movie just made it seem like he was a murderer and that was it.

Mray: Yeah, that's basically it, actually. In the sequels, he's explained to be the "*** son of 100 maniacs", and he's really just a sadist. I'm not sure how much they were thinking of that with the remake, but he does seem to have a big sadistic side.

JR: Also, this is a kind of random aside, but I could not get over this. What kind of search engine is GigaBlast?

Mray: It's the kind of search engine where you don't want to pay copyright royalties or add product placement to your movies, of course.

JR: Also the kind of search engine that looks dated, apparently.

Mray: So Yahoo? Anyways, aside from Nancy and Freddy, what did you think of the side characters: Kris, Jesse, and Quentin?

JR: Looking back on it, while I don't think Quentin or Jesse stood out much, I kind of liked Kris. I almost thought she was going to be the main focus of the movie at the beginning, and honestly, I wouldn't have minded that. Although the scene where Jesse's killed is amazing.

Mray: That was a great scene. And I completely agree with you about Jesse and Kris. Jesse was the obvious d-bag boyfriend, and Jesse was a million times more likable than Tina from the original. I wouldn't have minded if Kris was the main focus either. In fact, that would make the movie seem even less like a remake and more like a reboot. With that said, I have one thing to touch on, Kris's death. Does it make me a bad person if I say I laughed at it?

JR: Haha, no, it was kind of silly. I think they were trying to sort of recreate the death of...ah, I forget his name, but Johnny Depp's character in the original.

Mray: Glen. And yeah, I guess I can see that, although I felt the scene where Nancy fell onto the bed in her school dress was more of a reference to that. But the main part where I laughed at Kris's death was where she rolls on the side of the ceiling and it makes that almost cartoony rolling and "Thu-thu-thu-THUNK" sound. That also helps lead into another topic, the callbacks. From what I could spot, there were about five memorable callbacks to the original series.

JR: Yeah, the bathtub, the...really weird licking, the wall, Glen's death, the scene in the original where Tina was tossed around the ceiling, and the corpse in the school. I think the only one that ended up working is MAYBE the corpse. Everything else, particularly the really weird licking, just seemed out of place or corny.

Mray: I thought the corpse scene and bathtub scene were alright. The corpse scene especially was pretty scary. What was wrong with them? And what do you mean by Glen's death?

JR: The amount of blood spewing everywhere, which like I said earlier you could say was what Kris's death tried to recreate. As for what was wrong with them, the bathtub scene just seemed corny, although it wasn't too big a problem. The wall's effects didn't look as good. It's really just when Freddy licks the side of Nancy's face that irks me. But I don't know, maybe you could argue that it just adds to his creepiness.

Mray: That was pretty unnecessary, but it was an obvious callback to the phone in the original.

JR: So now a quick question for you. Why do you like the original better? Nostalgia maybe?

Mray: That's a big part of it, but I also feel like the original should get points for originality. At the time, there was absolutely nothing like it. While it was indeed based around the slasher genre that Halloween and Friday the 13th established, the original Nightmare brought a whole a whole new idea with a killer that not only kills, but takes immense pleasure in it, and has an actual, deep personality. I also feel like that sadistic personality is a lot more fleshed out in the original, and actually makes Freddy intimidating and funny, while at the same time being extremely arrogant because he knows the teenagers can't fight him. It makes for a really entertaining character to watch. I also feel like Nancy is much stronger in the original, and you actually believe she would learn survival techniques to fend for herself. Plus, the original gets a point for subtlety, as I touch upon in my review. And those sentences probably make me sounds extremely morbid, and will most likely incriminate me. I'd like to say I am not a psycho. Well, not really.

JR: Those are all very good points. But as someone who saw the two movies just a month or two apart, I think the remake simply got the job done better. Like I said, Freddy's much creepier, and the overall atmosphere of the movie is much more apparent.

Mray: I will agree with that, the atmosphere and cinematography is much more immersive in the remake. And now, onto the big question: Will you watch the inevitable sequel?

JR: I can't believe I would ever say this, but honestly, even though plot wise I don't think there should be one, yes I would. The remake was just good enough and engaging enough that I would see a sequel if it came out.

Mray: I believe that if there's a sequel, like the originals, it'll be for the people who like the characters and idea, not for the story. And I agree, I will most definitely watch a sequel, in theaters. TAKE MY MONEY, MICHAEL BAY AND NEW LINE!

JR: Haha, I really have no clue if I'd be able to watch it in theaters. It'll all depend on the circumstances. But if I get the chance, I will.

Mray: I will force my way into a theater if I have to. There is no way I'm missing out on seeing a Nightmare On Elm Street movie in the theaters.

JR: Now, I'd be interested to see if they went the same route as the original movies, because while I haven't seen them beyond the first, they sound like they get...interesting, from what I've heard you talk about them.

Mray: That's... a word for them. We digress though. How do you feel about the rumors going around about the sequel? From what I hear, I believe they're working on a script, and Freddy will wear two gloves like in his Mortal Kombat appearance, and his face will deteriorate throughout the film. Personally, that just makes me angry.

JR: ...If I said that sounds kind of cool, would you kill me?

Mray: Which part sounds the coolest to you?

JR: The face deteriorating. If done right, it sounds like it could be pretty interesting.

Mray: Lie down so I can stomp your face in. He's a burn victim, not a zombie!

JR: I don't know. It really depends on how it's handled. The two gloves thing also sounds kind of cool.

Mray: That does sound kind of cool, but I can only imagine gore-porn scenarios if it's the case, not clever horror.

JR: True.

Mray: However, if they make another Freddy vs. Jason movie, I'll be all for double gloves.

JR: Haven't seen that movie, but I agree. It seems like two gloves is more fit for fighting then preying on kids.

Mray: And that's why he's awesome in Mortal Kombat. With that said, I think we've covered every topic possible with this discussion. Thanks for participating with me JR, I hope it was fun.

JR: It was! I had a lot of fun doing this.

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When I found the link to those Nightmare 2 rumors, I discovered that everything had been changed about the entry. It was from a Wikia, so take that for what it's worth. But hey, it's still supposed to get a release date soon, right?

I hope you had fun reading our reviews and discussion, and since this is technically the cap on Nightmare-A-Thon, I hope you enjoyed that too. Goodbye, and sweet dreams.

Nightmare-A-Thon (1/2)

2011-12-30T20:41:00Z

I've been teasing it for awhile now, and if you've talked to me at all in the past week, you've been bombarded with it. For those of you who don't know, I love the Nightmare On Elm Street series. I loved it the first time I saw it many years ago, and I love it even more today. And now I bring to you, my faithful readers...

(Why yes, I DID make this in Microsoft Paint! How kind of you to notice!)

Let's set up a little atmosphere, shall we? Go ahead and listen to this while you read.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

This Nightmare On Elm Street kick first started back in Halloween, but came in at full force when I recorded and watched Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Then, when I realized how close Christmas was, I became dead-set on getting every Elm Street movie. And I did.

Because I like to review things, and I wanted to watch all of these movies back-to-back-to-back, I figured, "Why not review them all in a blog on GIO?" So here we are. Let's take a look at the first film, shall we?

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! If you would like to watch these films, please, do so, I highly recommend them. If you want to go in completely fresh, do not read these reviews!

I reviewed this already a few months ago, and I stand by the review now, for the most part. The movie is still chilling, but some of the special effects look so silly. One thing I didn't point out in that review however, was the acting. John Saxon (Nancy's dad), Robert Englund (Freddy), and Heather Langenkamp (Nancy) all do a fine job as their respective characters, but the supporting actors don't have nearly the amount of charisma and believability as these three standouts. Nancy herself doesn't even become all that interesting or believable until the second act!

What it lacks in those departments, it makes up in the creepy, surreal story. You start to care for these characters because of what's happening in their lives, and you don't really want any of them to be killed. That's one thing I've noticed in this entire series; they set up their characters to be likable before trying to kill them off. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

There's really not much else I can say about this one. It's a great and classic horror film, and I can't recommend it enough. However, if you can't get over some of the goofiness that takes place, I have something I'd like to recommend to you. More on that later.

From me, Nightmare On Elm Street gets 4.5 stars out of 5, for being so original and frightening for the time, and in my opinion, for being a film that still holds up to this day.

The best death in the movie? Glen's, hands down.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Not only is it awesome and terrifying, it's also one of the most iconic kills in any horror movie. Fun Fact: Glen is played by Johnny Depp.

Oh, and here's one little thing I noticed while watching it.

(Nightmare On Elm Street did LOLcats before it was cool. And before the internet!)

And Nightmare On Elm Street's ending set up a sequel for Freddy's return, and he does indeed return in...

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

The story here is a little confusing, but it basically goes like this: Five years after Nancy defeats Freddy in the first movie, a new family has moved into their home. This family is the Walsh family, with the main character of the film being Jesse Walsh. He starts having nightmares about Freddy Krueger, and they get progressively worse throughout the movie.

Eventually, Freddy tries to make Jesse start killing for him, so he can come back into the real world. Being a normal human being, Jesse doesn't do it, but Freddy has ways of controlling people.

The acting is a little bit better than the first movie, but there's no really memorable moments or characters outside of Freddy and the two main characters, and even those last two aren't that great. They do their job, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing that really makes them stand out.

The story itself, while somewhat interesting, is kind of confusing and almost seems unnecessary. I can't think of any real connections it has to the third entry, so it's just sort of a one-off thing.

I only recommend this movie if you're a big Freddy fan, and want as much Elm Street as you can get. Otherwise, just skip it.

I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.

(Thanks for the help, Wikipedia!)

Best death? Grady's, though that's not really saying much. And I can't find a clip of it on Youtube, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The next entry is, from what I've seen of the series so far, the best one since the original.

This movie is amazing. The characters, the kills, the moments, the special effects, the... everything! Unlike Nightmare 1 and 2, I had never seen Dream Warriors before now, and boy was I in for a treat.

Wes Craven returns as one of the writers for the film, and it definitely shows. This movie has as much care and effort put into it as the first one, and it keeps you interested throughout.

The story is very well put together, and I wouldn't be able to do it justice by trying to explain it here. Just trust me when I say it's fantastic. Nancy also makes a return, which is a nice callback for the fans.

And while Nancy and every other character is great in the movie, the one that really steals the show is Roland Kincaid, played by Ken Sagoes. Everything he says is extremely harsh, but it's also awesome and hilarious.

I hate that I couldn't go more into detail with this review, but I feel it's almost necessary to go into it as fresh as possible. I'd only seen one review of the movie, and I got a ton of enjoyment out of it. Of course, I only recommend this film if you've seen and liked the first one. Otherwise, there's really no point, you're clearly not going to like it.

I give this entry 5 stars out of 5, even though the original is still my favorite. It has a nostalgic hold on me, what can I say?

The best death is a tie between Phillip's and Jennifer's for me. Watch these clips and judge for yourself.

Jennifer's death.

Phillip's death.

And now for the last movie in the first DVD collection I had.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. I couldn't find a large enough picture of the movie's poster, so here's a picture of Freddy in sunglasses.

If you couldn't already tell, this is where the series gets silly and confusing.

The story picks up about a year after Dream Warriors, and follows the surviving cast of that movie, while setting up new characters. Freddy's out for revenge against the remaining dream warriors, and won't stop until he kills them and collects their souls. Yes, Freddy collects souls now. Don't ask.

The dream warriors themselves, after defeating Freddy, have returned to normal life, and are now going to the same school. Here, they meet a bunch of new friends, which are obviously just being set up to be killed. Once Freddy kills off the remaining cast of the third movie, he learns that Alice, this movie's main character, has somehow gotten their dream powers and can do the things those characters did in their dreams.

Confused yet?

Freddy uses Alice to get to the new batch of souls, and kills them off one by one. As the characters are killed off, Alice collects their powers, and eventually becomes the Dream Master. If you read this summary without laughing, I applaud you.

Yes, this is the point in the series where it's going straight for fantastical elements, gore, and comedy. It's not that they aren't trying to be entertaining, because it's still very entertaining, it's that it's not trying to be scary anymore. Well, not unless you have insectophobia... *shudders*

Silly plot line aside, the characters themselves aren't bad, and the writing it pretty funny. The main problem I had with this movie was the way they killed off the three Dream Warriors characters. Two of the most likable characters and Joey are killed off extremely unceremoniously, and it almost hurts to see them die with little to no fanfare.

I give this movie 3 stars out of 5.

With that said, the best death in this movie is easily Debbie's.

*** bugs...

This would have been where this blog ended, but since I plan to review five movies in the next blog, I felt it'd be a bit uneven if I didn't review something here. That's when I had the brilliant idea of reviewing this!

When Freddy Krueger was first announced as a downloadable Mortal Kombat character, I nearly lost my mind. Two big elements of my mid-childhood were coming together at last, and I couldn't be more thrilled. Then I remembered I didn't have Mortal Kombat, and my interest started to fade.

Fast forward to Christmas, where I knew I could get Mortal Kombat and a $20 PSN gift card. Literally the first thing I did on Christmas morning was boot up my PS3, input the code on the card, and download Freddy. I didn't even put in the game before I doing so!

And I don't regret it one bit.

Freddy Krueger is a great fighter, who's both agile and deadly. As someone who usually plays with Scorpion, it was a fairly easy transition of characters, and Krueger will most likely be my main choice once I learn all of his moves. While his design is mostly based on Jackie Earle Haley's Freddy, most of the moves are reminisent of the original series (granted, there's only one entry in the new series, but I digress).

You can tell the team a NetherRealm are fans of the character, and weren't just putting him in as a cool novelty. If you have Mortal Kombat and five dollars to spare, I highly recommend downloading Freddy.

And that's it for this entry of the Nightmare-A-Thon. Tune in next week as I review five more films, and list the best-to-worst films in the series. Everyone loves lists, right?

I hope you all had fun reading this blog as much as I did writing it, and I'll see you all next week.

Buh-bye now.

Thoughts On Haters

2011-12-22T19:00:00Z

Have you ever had one person who has tried their hardest to make your life worse? One person, just one person who got an increasing amount of pleasure from attempting to ruin your day? No? Congratulations, you don't exist.

(Someone will get this reference.)

Yes, even if you're the nicest of guys, the swellest of fellows, or the dudeliest of dudes, there's always that one jerk who has it out for you, even if you have no idea why. It can be over something simple, like a little argument over opinions, with no true outcome, and one person continuingly trying to prove the other's opinion wrong. It can also be over things a bit more complicated, like a family feud that has gone on for years.

Whatever the reason, you've got someone that hates your guts, even if you don't know it yet. These people are called "haters". What do they do? They hate.

These "haters" make a job out of hating on you, whether it's in real life, or over the Internet. These dirt-bags apparently have nothing better to do than to argue with others and cause trouble. Heck, perhaps you are one of these "haters."

Recently, I've noticed an increase in haters, both of myself and my friends, and I've got one question to ask. Why? Can't we all just get along?

Obviously, it's human nature to argue, bicker, and disagree with each other. It's in our blood to think differently from others; that's what makes us unique. But once we're done discussing our differing opinions, why can some people never seem to set aside their differences and just look past the others' preferences?

Granted, I've gotten into plenty of arguments and fights due to a disagreement, and none I'm too proud of. Being someone who's both easily irritable and defensive, I've gone through this too many times to count. I want to be a better person, but it feels like you just have to fight sometimes.

I'm not saying people shouldn't stand up for what they believe in and what they like, but why not have an intelligent discussion about it instead of bickering? I'm sure most disagreements can be handled fairly simply if the participants just calm down and think before they speak. (And of course, I'm sure many people who know me we'll start screaming "PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH!" right about now. Like I said earlier, I'm trying to get better about my argumentative nature, and I feel I'm making progress. I can't recall any large arguments I've been in for the past few months.)

If there's one thing everyone needs to remember, it's this: No one is right. Unless it's a cold hard fact, like "water is wet", then there's nothing wrong or right about anything anyone says. I joke a lot about people's opinions being wrong or invalid, but I tend to throw that out in light hearted conversation - in a jokingly manner. Opinions are subjective, and no one's going to like or dislike something the same way you do. Ever.

(Yup. Wet.)

There's also an enormous difference between arguing one's opinion, and intelligently sharing one's opinion. If you couldn't guess, I love sharing my opinion, and so will any other writer you talk to. Most things people write are indeed just their opinions. Some people, however, will not take anyone's opinions but their own. They don't care what you like; they're right and there's nothing you can do to change their mind. These people are called "opinionated a-holes". (A close relative to the "cynical a-holes".)

Personally, I don't understand these opinionated beings. These people throw their opinion around as fact, and it gets incredibly irritating after awhile. Now that I think about it, most arguments I've been in were withopinionated people. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

(Oh well. Hi Reggie!)

Getting back to the topic at hand, I've actually witnessed people going out of their way just to mock someone, out of jealousy! I'm not going to name any names, but I will say that this incident was very recent, and in tremendously poor taste. It just goes to show you that some people will do anything to make another person mad, or start a fight.

What I'm trying to say with this blog is:

Why can't we be friends?

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Note: The topic of this blog, while based on things I've seen and noticed, is not based on any particular incidents. Any resemblance to such is pure coincidence. This is also not an anti-war blog, that's an entirely different topic altogether; one I don't intend to discuss in my writing.

Gameinformer Online Radio - Episode 31

2011-12-06T22:20:00Z

Here it is, after such a long, torturous wait, episode 31 of GIOR!

This week, Michael, Dan, Joel, JR, and Matt discuss such topics as Saints Row The Third, Skyrim, and why Michael is a biased fanboy hater of Sly Cooper and should die a horrible death. ...At least, I think we talked about that last part. Also, giant floppy purple... well, you'll see.

You can listen to this episode here: GameInformer Online Radio - Episode 31 (Warning: While there's not much language in this episode, we talk a lot about Saint's Row's... creative new weapon. Listener discretion is advised.)

And it will be on iTunes shortly. You can find the page here: iTunes Page

And there are no Shownotes this week, so onto plugs!

Staff Blogs:

The Halloween Hangover - Mray901

The Curse of the Backlog Parts 1, 2 and 3 - Mray901

Halo's Anniversary and My First Experience With The Series - Another Matthew

Groups:

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