SmashBro722 Blog

Favorite Spike VGA Moment?

Ben Deckert — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:37:00 GMT

I was actually kept awake by this year's VGA special. Last year's was a complete mess, but it was actually comedic in its setups, it had great stage presence, funny little skits, a variety of celebrities and bands, and not to mention, some of the best game trailers I've seen in my life. After watching it, I can safely say the best part for me personally would have to go to the scene where Neil Patrick Harris played the piano in memoriam of all the dead game characters that we've left behind us. Priceless gaming humore at its finest. Of course one fantastic twist in gaming choices was that Mass Effect 2, the game practically expected to win every award, especially Game of the Year, lost upsettingly to Red Dead Redemption. I have to agree with the choice, though: everyone loves Mass Effect 2, but I was bored after 3 full playthroughs and we've all seen every possible conversational line in Shepard's linguistic arsenal. Aside from its great gameplay, detailed cutscenes, and its large fight scenes, it just doesn't have the effect that Red Dead Redemption had on me. Red Dead Redemption was more leveled for the general audience of gaming, and it had a lasting campaign, plus a great twist ending that anyone could expect from a classic spaghetti Western. Plus, it has a multiplayer that anyone can find fun in. Who can argue with that fact? But enough about my best thoughts of the show. What did you think of the VGA ceremony this year? Did you have a favorite moment? What did you hate the most about it?

Yet 5 More Games That I Think Should Have Sequels (Part 2)

Ben Deckert — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 00:33:00 GMT

Oh man, this week was hell. Pure laziness got to me; I just got out of high school this summer and I've taken one easy season break. Phew. Well, time to accomplish something this week; here's the next five in my 20 choice list for game sequels (what a mouthful). If you missed the first 15 choices, you can check 'em out here in these two links:

1. 5 Games That I Think Should Have Sequels

2. 10 More Games That I Think Should Have Sequels

The first 5 to this 20 are here:

3. Yet 5 More Games That I Think Should Have Sequels

You don't have to read through all of those old blogs, but you could at least check out the choices. So, without further ado, let's start this up:

15. Painkiller

The idea of religion-based games doesn't sound very enticing, does it? Well, make one little exception for this twisted FPS. Yeah, a holy FPS, in fact. In the game, you are brought to Purgatory after a fatal crash with your girlfriend and you have to prove your worthiness of entering Heaven, so you must kill some hellish baddies with some crazy weaponry in order to redeem your soul. It's an obvious DOOM clone, but it still tries to deter from the typical fast-paced run n' gun scenarios of iD. For example, the battles aren't always as one-sided and rigorous as DOOM might be, but it still keeps you moving around or else you'll be shredded into pieces. Speaking of shredding, the PAIN engine is rather stunning for its time. If you fire grenades at your enemy, he explodes in a gory burst, like a gusher that doesn't gush. Other guns can even dismember limbs in one hit and can turn a demon into an organ donor. Another thing about Painkiller is the death metal music. It is some of the sickest music I have heard on a video game. But, it completely mixes with the frantic nature of the game. I will admit I haven't beaten it, so I can't truly say I know what happens at the end. But, any game that reminds me of the classic Quake can earn a spot on my list. Speaking of which...

14. Quake 4

Every day in my junior high school year was difficult: I chose the hardest classes just to get them over with, and I had to put up with ACT and CATS studying all while trying to boost my grades. It was a terrible year, and one teacher finally gave in to our wishes. He will remain anonymous, but he was one heck of a teacher. For the last month, he decided to add a hidden .exe application in our laptops. He gave us a hint and said that we could only play it if we finished our schoolwork, but he also joined in the game: Quake 3 Arena. Everyone loves a good serving of Quake, and playing it right after a tedious Science class was relieving some stress. The campaign is fun, but when it comes to Quake, the only importance is multiplayer. The priceless feature is the free-for-all struggle with your friends, gunning your way through rocket blasts and railgun beams, hoping to get that quad damage first. It had a great arsenal of weapons, like the human-based shotguns, miniguns, and rocket launchers, and the alien plasma guns and railguns. And when it comes to id, level design is outstanding yet tactical. Everything about Quake 3 and Quake 4 was purely amazing. These are two amazing games, but we all know it's because of that great multiplayer. I'm sure this game will be made, but there is no indication of when it will be available to us. Quake 5 will be epic, though.

13. Spyro the Dragon

Remember that small period between the late 90's and the early 00's, where almost every famous game was similar to Super Mario 64? It was a simpler time, without the need for guns and violence. I'll try to refresh your memory a bit. After Super Mario 64 came a variety of kid friendly games that involved exploration and fun level-based challenges. Banjo-Kazooie started it off, and Naughty Dog kept it going with Crash Bandicoot. Then, Insomniac stomped in with a cartoony ideal by releasing Spyro the Dragon. As laughable as this series is in story retrospect, this was one heck of a classic childhood game. This revolutionized the simple style of roaming each level for collecting some random number of objects. Instead, it included more attacks, like fire, ramming, and even gliding to scour the levels for other dragons or eggs. Each level is unique; the enemies seem to change on every map, and some levels have tougher challenges. One is even focused on skateboarding and another involves air tunnels. The playability is endless and the game is classic with its hilarious plot and funny characters, as well as memorable enemies. Unfortunately, it has completely lost its charm after Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Insomniac decided to sell their game to another company by the name of Equinox, and that was when the series took a turn for the worse. It tried to be serious about the story, which was impossible, and it had too many glitches and long loading problems. It was a terrible addition to the Spyro series, and I hope Insomniac takes ahold of this project again. They can't live off Ratchet & Clank forever...I think.

12. Perfect Dark

Goldeneye 007 is a standard for every N64 game collector. If you wanted a hardcore FPS at the time, you'd be stuck with that and Medal of Honor, but Rare threw yet another work into the N64 library, hoping to add to the FPS revolution. Soon, they would take the gold with its fantastic Perfect Dark. What could it possibly bring to the table that hadn't been done before, though? Well, I'll be honest, since it was made by the same company that was famous for Goldeneye, it could be considered a spiritual successor (Wikipedia quote), so it really is about the same, but it came with a killer story and great developer collaboration work. Solid controls and great detail remained a canon, but they also created a plot about aliens and data. At the time, it was quite complex, and more focused on how alien races planned to kill each other on our planet. Basically, you are the perfectionist "Perfect Dark" who works with Carrington Institute in order to disable DataDyne's attempts at wiping out the Maians. The gameplay is overwhelmed by large and challenging levels as well as enhanced by cool weaponry, which would come with secondary functions. Every mission brings up a new battle, so constantly upgrading to new weaponry is key. The story went for a big turn and made it a classic hit in the late 90's, but the solo play wasn't the only important premise to this game: the multiplayer said it all. Although playing games with friends was not as common as online multiplayer, the gameplay on the updated version for XBL arcade was phenomenal and featured great graphical enhancement. It's equalized and fair compared to one-sided FPS's like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2, but the real letdown was the sequel to Perfect Dark. It was mediocre compared to the gameplay of the first, and it just didn't live up to its charm. The story made little sense and just make an impact on the series. Hopefully, Rare can make another worthy sequel to this game and give us a matured FPS.

11. P.N. 03

Oh, the games that come from Capcom. From Megaman to Street Fighter to Resident Evil, you can't go wrong with this company. These are all classic gems from the series, but Capcom tried to create a new style of gameplay yet again. Unfortunately, it was not as popular as they had hoped. Still, it earns a valid spot on a sequel list for sure: P.N. 03. Some gamers may not even remember this, but thankfully, I wish to bring it back into the limelight. The story goes about a bounty hunter who hunts down "rabid" AI robots. The controls are stunningly perfect. The auto-aim is flawless. It snaps onto targets that you want to aim at, and the gameplay is simple to get used to, even for a simple gamer. The levels can be a bit repetitive, but it still holds a lot of excitement and enemies to fight. They also get progressively tougher, so you're always being careful with your dodging moves. The game also included some of the most memorable boss battles, such as a train-like robot full of bombs, a 5-story tall AI with claws, etc. The game also pushed you to the extreme with some crazy one-sided battles, but with the help of your special abilities, you could use homing missiles, or even a complete shield array which could block you and blow everything else up. It would kick your ass, but it was well worth it to pull off some great combos on the enemies. With great bosses, awesome gameplay, and some fun maneuvers, this game deserves a better shelf life and a sequel. That is, if Capcom would quit focusing all of their attention on new versions of Street Fighter 4.

Thanks for reading this through, at least I hope you did. The next blog about this will be out next week.

-- Ben Deckert

5 More Games That I Think Should Have A Sequel (Part 1)

Ben Deckert — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:35:00 GMT

So many games are worthy of second chances. There are some that either don't sell well enough, or just don't have the luckiest of developers. Or, maybe the company didn't realize their unnoticed success, and cut their losses too early. Well, many say that living in the past is unhealthy, but there are some games from better days that belong in the present, showing what they can do with their well-earned, yet fictitious, sequel. Oh, if only they could get their necessary encore. Well their time has come, thanks to the world of blogging. Since I took a 6-month hiatus from all internet forums, I couldn't finish some of the discussions I really wanted to. And one particular blog series I made about games that require sequels always needed its own sequel. Finally, though, I gained a free summer, and since there's time on my hands, I have decided to finish this up once and for all. Since I have already picked 15, I might as well include 20 more to wrap up the blogs. I do know for a fact that most of you probably haven't even read the first two, so their links will be available below; at least study the choices I made in both:

1. The first blog.

2. The second blog.

I'll wait...

*Jeopardy theme song*

Took you long enough. Now, this will only be the first part of the last 20; just 5 for now. I'd rather keep it in small bites than blindside people with my expansive writing. Now here are the rules, in case you were still too cheap to read the others: remakes do not count as a sequel to me. Touched-up and refurbished titles do not count either, since they are still the same game. Unless the new game has something interesting compared to its predecessor, it does not count as a sequel to me. If it turns out a sequel to the game exists, yet it has been too long since its release, then it too can require a sequel. Now, let's get this blog going, shall we?

20. Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Understand that I've already gone through 15 worthy games, so 20 is a challenge for me. I normally focus my attention on priceless novelties of our childhood, but if there would have to be a present generation game that decently WOW-ed me and could deserve to be on the list, it would have to be Wanted: Weapons of Fate. Who would have thought that a shooter movie would actually turn into a good shooter game? Although I admit I still haven't seen the critically acclaimed movie, I decided to rent it via the godly Gamefly and give it a go. Unfortunately, the story made little sense to me, but it followed a classic "What happened to my family?" dramatic ploy that I enjoyed. But how can I put a game on here if I don't comprehend the story? Well, it's not the story that grabbed me; it was the gameplay. After checking out the tutorials and being told I was a *** by Wesley Gibson, I was intrigued to finally play the game and test my assassin abilities. At first, I guessed it would end up as a major disappointment, considering the reviews, but once I started pegging baddies in the head and curving bullets, I was amazed to learn that GRIM did a great job of making the game exactly like the movie. The bullet tricks and the slow motion effect of the adrenaline attacks make you feel like a fluently controllable superhero, but it also limits you to a feeling of realism. In other words, you feel like a badass, but you won't be able to survive an onslaught of hits. The campaign was actually quite enticing but after 5 hours, I soon realized that the game was over. Yeah, that's MW2 standards. I frantically went back to the menu, hoping for a multiplayer button but to no avail. There was nothing I could do extra; no special hidden missions or co-op mode or anything. This game should have had more than a disappointingly short campaign, and it pained me to learn that I would not be gaining anything else out of the game. But, that's all the more reason to give it a sequel. It is worthy of making a second game, but only because of its wasted capability. So, if they create a larger campaign, come up with some side missions, and if they can manipulate it into a multiplayer, I might be up for buying it instead of renting.

19. Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Back in the 90's, life felt...rad. It was the decade of enjoying life; trust me, it was. Everyday, I would get to watch Rugrats, Doug, Angry Beavers, etc. Then, when I finished playing soccer with my friends, I would take a break sitting down in my gaming chair, with an SNES controller in my hand, and a new game in the other. I had finally beaten Super Metroid's massive campaign one day, and I was looking for a brand new game. I was sick of hearing about "Super" games, so my friend gave me Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It sounded simple and cliche, but the difference is that it was simple and cliche. You would predict a game that just focuses on killing zombies would be a boring failure, but instead, this game provided a childlike theme instead of attempting to scare me to death. This game is a classic arcade style shooter that somehow took me by surprise. Basically, you're a radical dude on a mission to save suburbia from the incoming horde of zombies. You have to save babies, cheerleaders, and lazy stereotypical parents from becoming minions of the undead with your vast arsenal of weapons, including a rocket launcher, TNT, liquid nitrogen, and of course, your trusty mini-UZI. Oh, and don't forget your radical 3D glasses, too. You can't leave a stage until you save all of the neighbors lying around the level, but it can be a challenge enough just to find them. It feels very loose and free when it comes to controls and gameplay, making it easy to pick up and play. The non-linear style makes the detail and levels stick out, the music is great, and it keeps you searching for new secret places to find and helps take care of those pesky zombies. The best part about this whole game is its notorious appeal to children. It's as if the protagonist is the coolest kid in town, saving everyone from the zombie apocalypse. It gives you a feeling of total awesomeness, and it wouldn't really work that well if it had a mom and dad as the main characters, would it now? This is a great arcade classic worthy of another title, at least on say...Xbox LIVE Arcade, PSN, or Virtual Console. It does have a spot on Virtual Console, but that is only the original game. We seriously need a new installment of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, whether it be a small arcade game, or a complete $60 remake.

18. BLACK

Remember the classic shooter games? Yeah, you do. Every encounter with the enemy brought forth a new challenge. Some soldiers would hide behind thick-plated cover that you just couldn't get a clear shot into. Everytime you held down that right trigger, it would just bounce right off, leaving the CPU alive and you pissed. Some games even included wood as a good hiding spot; since when is it safe to hide behind a thin mahogany desk when bullets are scattering past your skull? The Criterion development team dared to question this broken detail of first person shooters. They chose to take a forbidden idea of gaming and turn it into one of the most necessary elements in present shooter games: destructible environments. At first, when I saw Black's demo, I thought it was just another classic run 'n gun, that is, until I saw the player go up to a door. I expected a typical door opening with no hands actually touching the knob, but instead found a shotgun taking out the hinges and blowing the door wide open. I was amazed, yet a bit confused; it was as if my expectations of gaming had been set a bar higher, and I thought I would be asking too much out of the game. I had to learn what else could be obliterated, so I popped in the disc and found what I was looking for. From doors blasting open, to cars exploding with the naive enemies hiding behind the engine flying a good distance back, to towers crumbling to pieces from explosions gone awry, there is always something you could destroy in this game. It also took forth the use of modern weaponry, such as SPAS shotguns, AK-47s, M16s, and frag grenades. Bearing a gaming resemblance to Halo, it focuses on collecting health packs as well as finding ammo and new weapons. Another part of the game superior to other shooters is the sound. The gunshots and explosions sound mind-blowing and realistic, and the graphics were above average at the time, which made it the most realistic shooter before Call of Duty 4 was released. The game's story begins with an interrogation cutscene reminiscent of Hoodwinked!, describing all of the events you played as flashbacks. The big bad enemy faction, Seventh Wave, has been causing havoc in Russia and as a black ops soldier, you have to destroy arms factories and weapons caches. The leader turns out to be a rogue black ops agent, who tries to convert you to his cause. But, of course, you bring him down, and the game ends by saying you have a new assignment. Aside from having some repetitive fighting scenes and bullet shells flying into your face, I find it to be a great game, as well as a good example of the new idea of destroyable cover and objects. It brought a new way to play to the table and it set itself up for a sequel, so where is it? Come on, Criterion. We know you're definitely capable of making great games, but we just haven't seen you come up with anything new in forever. Time to make your name famous again, and a new sequel for BLACK.

17. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

Near 1999, I would seldom buy a game for either my PSone or my Game Boy, playing hit-or-miss and hoping I wouldn't end up wasting a good chunk of my allowance. I never kept up with video games because at the time I was just growing up and figuring out that people reviewed them. In 2001 I received a GameCube along with Super Smash Bros. Melee for free because my grandma won a Kroger's sweepstakes. After playing such a great game, I started jumping into gaming, and I started reading Nintendo Power, where I got what I craved for. After studying who the characters in the game were, I started running into a third party video game character, and an icon to Sega's great legacy. A speedy blue hedgehog named Sonic had already swept the nation, and I missed the memo. I looked for his latest game, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, and put it to the test. I soon found out how fast Sonic really was; he was not screwing around. The instant he fell out of a hovering chopper and used part of the inner plating as a discount skateboard, barreling down a street that even B.D. Joe would fear speeding through (if you got that reference, skip down to the next choice), I knew this was going to be one hell of a ride. I thought including superspeed as an element of a video game would utterly fail, but I shockingly ate my words when I saw the blazing speeds that Sonic and Shadow were cruising at. Whoa, wait, who's Shadow? And who's Eggman? And who's Knuckles, Tails, Rouge, and Amy? It was the first series I ever bought. As in, I bought the first Sonic Adventure just to understand the story. I admit that the concept of the series is strange, but the second game is completely superior to the first. There are so many brand new features to the Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, like, well...battles. Everyone has a unique ability to add to the team: either you can play a speedy mission with Sonic or Shadow, a treasure hunting search with Knuckles or Rouge, or an infiltration objective with Tails' and Eggmans' mini-Gundam suits. Everything about this game is unique and challenging, always keeping your adrenaline pushed to the max. If you're not speeding at 500 mph, then you're either flying around or blowing stuff up, which everyone can enjoy. The levels stand out in the creativity factor. Some include giant fans in your way, and some have special GUN robots that add to the challenge of the game. They might have water that rises and lowers in order to find parts of the Master Emerald, or even a room where you must evacuate by breaching hulls, or even rolling down a giant tube after letting go of a rocket, all while listening to some kick-ass fast-paced music. The missions can be repeated, and if done correctly, you can receive special features like go karts, Chao World, and even a special Green Hill Zone easter egg. There are so many little additions to the game that add to the playability that I still haven't collected all 120 emblems. Seriously, though, I understand that many people would choose the 2D Sonic style instead, but they're already planning a 2D version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and besides, I mainly grew up in the early 3D era, so naturally my choice would be biased to Sonic Adventure. Shadow the Hedgehog was also an interesting game, but it had a strange story and I never got into it, and Sonic Heroes was dull and easy. With some of the best battles, levels, and features available for a game at the time, I'd say Sonic Adventure 3 could be an interesting possibility.

16. Crazy Taxi

Heyheyhey, it's time to make some crazy money, are you ready? What could be better than driving some customers halfway through a town with a high traffic alert? The game is a test of endurance, finding big-spending customers and driving them anywhere they see fit. The time limit is thinned out after each completion, and the stakes get higher the more people you transport. The higher paying citizens are much tougher to finish their missions, and the crazier yet somehow safer you drive, the more money you can earn from the crazy adrenaline rush. The music soundtrack mainly consists of The Offspring and it mixes perfectly with the rhythm of speeding across town. It first began on Dreamcast, but the best form of the game has to be the arcade version. The turning doesn't feel too loose and the momentum of the car keeps you moving even if you happen to crash too much. In the end, a game like this doesn't come around very often, and I think the newer versions of this have been lacking majorly. I'd love to see an interesting new version of this game; it may have gone up to Crazy Taxi 3, but they are all the same redundant endurance test of collecting cash off desperate suckers. If it included a competition mode, like the arcade could, then you could have a versus where you try and earn more cash than the other player. Or, there could be a race mode, since they're actually in cars. I admit, though, that I have not played all of the game's variations, so if there are special modes in the newer versions, let me know, but that won't change my decision. Maybe if they added an interesting feature that would add to the gameplay, I'd gladly purchase it, but if it will just be another form of the original, then I'll have to let it pass.

Well, those are my first 5 choices. I understand that I write too much, so if you just skipped through the choices, I get it. Just be creative and post your ideas for games that should earn sequels. They may be ones that I've already chosen, that is, if you can guess them. What game would you choose for this list? Be ready for the next installment, same bat time, same bat website! (Yeah, stupid joke, I know.)

--Ben Deckert

X L R --> <-- A B? Sorry, But I Don't Speak Geek...

Ben Deckert — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:05:00 GMT

Games are lacking these days. You heard me, they’re lacking. Oh sure, the majority of games these days have superb graphics, flawless controls, heightened realism, and beautiful storylines. It’s terrible, am I right? Whoa, whoa, don’t try and disagree with me. Everytime I start up a game and attempt an honest single player campaign, the pattern is the stale “accomplish-task, add-to-story, move-to-next-level, rinse, repeat” method. In the Call of Duty series, you instantly receive an objective, cap a few Nazi/Taliban baddies, finish the objective, then you’ll be dropped off at another level. In the Legend of Zelda series, you enter a dungeon, slice and dice ‘em with a couple of combos, solve the room’s mysterious puzzle, acquire a prized Hylian object, and then slay the dungeon’s boss with the new weapon’s aid. In the Assassin’s Creed series, you pick your future mission, plot out an infiltration technique, hope to God it works, assassinate the leading Templar, and walk away in style. How redundant and dull can gaming get? Am I the only one who sees what’s wrong with games these days??? Seriously, do I have to spell it out for you?

C-H-E-A-T C-O-D-E-S!!!

Now that is a cheat code list.

I remember when I first started console platform gaming. The Sony PlayStation was the craze at the time, and after seeing the vast library of games that were available for it, I was instantly hooked. All those years of Game Boy were in the past by the time I held an actual controller for once in my life. But, the truly greatest feature was the game: Tony Hawk Skater 2. It may not have been the best game for the PlayStation, but it was well worth calling the best in the entire Tony Hawk game collection. The gameplay was fun and fast-paced, as well as the mission setup, considering you could only finish certain missions in 2 minute intervals. Each level was large and brilliantly unique with its own different missions, including the classic SKATE letter objectives. Almost everywhere you go, something hilarious will ensue. Whether you hear diarrheal sounds when next to the bathroom, or the golf cart driver speeding furiously, or even the crapping bull. Bonus levels and costumes were included, too. Oh sure, playing as original pro skaters like Bucky Lasek and Grif Campbell may be fun for the first few times, but we all would like to skate as SPIDERMAN! But, after playing the game and making so many levels with the level editor it got a little dull. That is, until I got my hands on some cheat codes. After punching the buttons into place, the characters had large heads, slow motion, and were in wireframe mode. There were so many cheats for it that the playability of the game for me doubled.

Same goes for Twisted Metal: there were plenty of codes for that game, too. Robo-Pit was not as well-known, but it had its share of cheat codes, too. Almost 1/4 of every game in the second-to-last generation of gaming had some sort of cheat code system. Last generation games still kept the faith, too. Take Freedom Fighters for example. It had the classic special level cheats, but it also included a rare ragdoll mode, allowing you to kill people in a Havok physics engine style. Mix that with slow motion and you’ve got the most beautiful grenade kills ever. Cheat codes make every game twice, if not, three times more fun, but they have gone rogue this season. Face it; there may be easter eggs, there may be funny gaming innuendo, there may even be glitches if programmers are that bad these days, but cheats are a truly rare specialty to come by. The only game I’ve owned that still sticks to the cheat code roots is GTA 4. And thank goodness, because it’s one of the best games for such a feature. Unfortunately, most of the cheat codes involve spawning weapons, but it’s better than none at all. Halo 3 also can count, since you can make your gun disappear, but it wastes what could be cheat code hilarity into strange and uncanny easter eggs. At least Call of Duty 4 and World at War did the job in some ways. With the help of intel and Death Cards, the game would kindly hand over the cheats, but they only seemed to effect bullets and difficulty. Those don’t cut it for me, especially the cheats that are clearly just filters. They sound cool, but they’re only cheap propositions compared to slow motion and ragdoll physics. Games today are splendid at first glance, and they pack a powerful campaign/multiplayer punch, but whatever happened to giving the gamer full control of the game every once in a while? Only a select few games seem to care about cheats, and even so, they do a piss-poor job of making cheat codes. The strangest part is that no one seems to remember what cheat codes were. I bet that you haven’t looked up Cheat Code Central in a long time. I’m surprised those websites are still alive, but they’re mainly turning to game trailers to keep their community’s tastes satisfied. In fact, G4’s once loved show Cheat! disappeared a good while ago, only because cheat codes turned into special achievements and trophies. It stands today on Attack of The Show every time and again, but it never has cheat codes anymore, so why call it Cheat?

And what really makes things nonsensical is that they don’t affect the disc’s memory space. Unless they put real effort into making cheat codes and add a whole different style of gaming fun into the disc, making cheats for the game would take up little to no extra memory at all, but unfortunately people today don’t seem to understand the significance of the classic cheat code system. Instead, they stock it full of the same old stuff that we would expect. Present day games just focus on realism and cutting-edge graphics mixed with story, but once that game is on your “Finished Campaign List”, you’re out of playing options. You’ll have to deal with a $60 game that was worth only 3 days worth of fun because gaming companies today have lost touch with their own market. But, it’s not just they who have changed ways; it’s us as well. After they stopped providing us with cheat code input, we didn’t even notice they had disappeared. We just assumed that hidden easter eggs counted and we forgot about them. Those priceless memories faded away and we didn’t even catch on, at least until I became one of the few who noticed.

Cheat codes and special abilities in games are becoming a dying breed that’s soon nearing extinction. We might lose a key factor of our long forgotten childhood just because programmers don’t feel like adding a few more lines of code in their work. If I’m paying $10 more than the price really should be for a video game, then why do these titles seem to fare worse than the games I played as a kid? All the programmers need to do is input a developer console ideal in their games, like Valve. Let’s say if I complete the campaign of the game, it gives me the ability to use the developer console. Normally, PC gamers have this in the bag, but instead of making it something as simple as noclip, input passwords could be related to the game. Then the player could truly master the game, and that’s what every gamer wants to have; full control. Games are for giving the player a sense of supernatural prowess and amazement which can’t be provided through any other medium. So why not let cheats and special hidden tricks live again, so we can really be in control? We’re already psyched for the best graphics, the best story, and the best gameplay, but in the end, what we forget to look for is, a game.

--Ben Deckert

Blast From The Past...

Ben Deckert — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:22:00 GMT

Man, it's good to be back on GI again. Oh, wait, I guess none of you even know or remember me. Thanks. Just what I wanted to hear from you guys. Seriously though, I haven't been on this site in about 7 months, and all that time was spent studying for a directing career. Now, don't worry, I'm not going to give a life story blog like the lot of you already have. I'm just surprised how little this site has changed. After all that time, it looks like this site has stayed the same. Well, except for the light switch in the top right, and we all know how useful that is, am I right? Okay, so most of you still don't remember me or care, I get it. I'm just coming back to the site to get back into my roots of blogging, as well as exclaim that I'm creating a Youtube channel dedicated to short films and possible film series that I plan on directing soon. But, this isn't important news compared to the gaming agenda. Not to fret; I'll be making blogs every now and then about gaming as I always used to, and they'll be good, don't you worry.

But, since this is more of an announcement blog, you pretty much read a chunky paragraph that probably wasted a few brain cells. Well, why not rot more of your brain with these two videos? These are part one and part two of my short film, Number 15. Yes, there are lots of flaws, most of them acting, and the weather kept changing on us, and we had to recycle the same people over and over again. Yes, it's bad. But, this was 13 minutes, and we produced it in a week and a half. I directed, edited, and even starred as the main character. This is more of a test video, anyway, not a serious video. And, like I said before, I'll be making gaming blogs in the near future. Thanks for at least reading!

My new Youtube channel: TheDiscountFilmmaker

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Also, my newest film, a small GREAT documentary about a friend of mine:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

A Quick Recap

Ben Deckert — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:33:00 GMT

I'm back!!! I haven't made a blog in a while, and it's mainly because I've brushed up on my film class skills and made some interesting yet fun short films. All editing was done by me, and I actually acted in one of them and was a reporter for our news video, but that's on a different video. Whatever, it's weird that I'm even posting this, but it took me forever to get these to look great and I just feel like everyone should see it, so just watch 'em.

Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard

This is my best work so far, and it came out really well. It got about 2nd-3rd (we don't really rate) when it came time to watch our films on DVD, but I did get a cool award for Best Editing. By the way, I made it glowing to make it a bit more abstract from real lighting. Just to go with the song. Credit to Jac and Marleigh.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

The Game

You'll have trouble understanding it, but it had to be stop-motion, and just so you know, the background changes for each channel they change it to.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

I have a few others on my Youtube channel that I've already made, so if you wanna see them, go ahead. Now to answer some of the blogs that have recently been made.

To Meta77: I completely agree; why is it that the more mature games get, the less mature the players act? It seems like mature games are being bought for those who actually aren't age appropriate at all. I think true maturity goes to those who can both handle a mature title and adult persona.

To Candle_Light: Here's 5 of my own random questions.

1. Where is Waldo?

2. Will dogs and cats ever reach harmony?

3. What happens to the people who stay on the bus after you get off?

4. I hit a baseball with a bat at 100 mph. The ball flies up at an angle of 45 degrees respective from the horizon. If gravity is still on the ball, where will I be?

5. Spell silk. Say it three times fast. What do cows drink?

Top 5 of 2009

Ben Deckert — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:23:00 GMT

I'll keep it brief since I have to leave in a few minutes. Anyone else enjoy the top 10 staff picks, too? Well, I have my own as well. Just so you know, I tried Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 this week at my friend's house.

1. Modern Warfare 2

I'm an FPS guy when it comes right down to it. Don't get me wrong, I love practically all game genres, but I know that in the long run, I'll be playing FPS multiplayer, and although I love stories more than just that, this game will definitely be one of my top played games for quite some time.

2. Uncharted 2

First off, that's a creepy picture. Second, despite the tiring fact that I don't have a PS3, I was able to play some of that awesome Uncharted 2 campaign, and the commercials saying it's like a movie did not lie. Thumbs up to Naughty Dog for great action, great multiplayer, and a great story.

3. Assassin's Creed 2

I honestly thought this was one of the greatest games I've ever played. Just the pure fact that the free-running feel and the assassin tactics blend perfectly just makes me wish there were more missions. Oh wait, there are: another thing that made this is improvement on Ubisoft's part. Never have I seen a game sequel that rivaled far better with its predecessor. Sure, MW2 is up there, but both were about the same rating. This one's a good 20% better than the first.

4. Borderlands

The co-op is quite an astonishment. There's no time lag or delay when you come right down to it, and the fun is neverending. Addictive campaign play incorporated with teamwork; now that's a game.

5. Dragon Age: Origins

I normally don't get into these types of RPG's, but this one caught me by surprise. I found this to be a fun campaign, and although leveling up is a hassle for me, I found this game quite enjoying. Hope to see a sequel from BioWare soon.

Well, that's my lazy top 5 of '09. In fact, I'm coming out with a blog about the top 50 they made in the future. What would be your top 5 of the past year?

Professional Freerunning...on AC2

Ben Deckert — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:57:00 GMT

It's been slow. That's all I can say about the web battle service featured in AC2. Supposedly, on the PS3 version, it works like a charm, but for Xbox-tards like me, we're stuck in this very unusually slow setup. It's cool when you get it to work, especially when you race against one of your friends, but unfortunately, only a few of my friends play it occasionally, and the ones that do are so lazy that creating a Uplay account takes too much out of their schedule. Still, it's better than I thought it would be. The stats system is impressive to say the least, since it doesn't only provide the main details like most typical leaderboards, yet it doesn't force you to go to the website to see them, which is pretty cool. The game itself records everything for you to see while you're playing, so I don't have to drag my laptop upstairs to see what I've got. Still, I've only gotten about 3 clean races out of 10 attempts accomplished over the web battle system only because:

1. I don't understand how to use it.

2. I don't have anyone to help me out and play with me.

3. MW2 trumps it.

It's tough to get used to this new service since I've never seen anything like it, but it's quite fun once you get it to work. It raises another question, though. Could there be professional racing on AC2, as in MLG? Think about how that would really change the idea of major league gaming. It's always about the FPS's when it comes to professional gaming, but think about it: if the developers were to create a special map only available to contestants, they would give them three tries to make it from point A to point B and count down an average of their time. Whoever wastes the least amount of time wins, duh. Professional gaming does not always have to rely on how fast you can no-scope someone with your Barrett including Steady Aim and Stopping Power. It could include more than just a nerdy battle between people who have practiced their entire lives; what about just having some races in Assassin's Creed 2, pro style? Whatever, it's just an idea, doubt it would ever happen. Here's some fun facts and techniques I learned that you can try the next time you can play Assassin's Creed 2. Note: I found most of these, but some I learned on the interwebz.

FUN FACTS

1. Select your double blades, hold X after you kill someone, and while holding it, loot their body. Ezio does this weird hover over the dead person. Just looks funny.

2. Try running while holding X and again, he does this weird run.

3. When sneaking up behind an archer, just WALK behind him and you can A. grab him and throw him off the edge, B. hit him with a throwing knife and then punch him, C. hold RT right before you reach him and assassinate him (looks cool) or my personal favorite, D. sprint and jump in their direction so you shove him off the edge without doing any damage or doing anything wrong.

4. Try poisoning a few guards or citizens and let them unleash the fury of dance for a while.

5. Do the same thing as #4, only throw cash on the ground after you poison someone, so then the person poisoned can knock out the people distracted. Funniest stuff ever.

6. If you are able to grab an enemy while being under multiple attacks, aim him in front of your attacker, and you now have your very own meatshield!

7. Get ground units to chase you up some roofs, not too high. Hide on a ledge and let them leave when they head back. Odds are at least one will fall to their death out of pure A.I. randomness.

8. I don't know how I did it, but on an assassination mission, I used courtesans to distract guards and when I killed the target, the guards started attacking the courtesans. At first, I was confused, but then I left and thought to myself, They're screwed.

9. The coolest thing I've ever seen in the game: supposedly, if you go into the watery tomb where you must go through a large free-running sequence in one large time limit, if you wait about 30 seconds and stand in front of the starting point, a tentacle will come out of the water, and a squid will swim by. Check it out for yourself. Look it up on Youtube yourself because unfortunately I can't find it right now.

I'm Level 10!!!

Ben Deckert — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:04:00 GMT

I couldn't resist. Everyone has made one about this so far, so why not? If only it was supposed to be 9,000 points instead. Then I could say it's over 9000!!! Still, complimentary funny video just because you showed up.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

What Demo Are You Playing?

Ben Deckert — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:25:00 GMT

Well, a lot's going to be happening in 2010, and it's already started now. New demos for the next hot games have been slowly picking up speed, and they've started off with some clinchers. Here's the ones I've been playing so far, and some of them are from 2009 as well, so it's just the ones I'm enjoying.

Bayonetta

I'm not gonna lie, she's hot. And that's not the only reason this demo is awesome, it's just that this provided something I've never seen before; guns attached to shoes. I've never seen that before, and that kind of innovation makes me happy. But let's not get too hasty; the graphics are stylish, the music has that fighting spirit tone coupled with a Japanese singer (I think), and the action as well as the moves are amazing. It's Ninja Gaiden 2 without the ridiculous difficulty and way better selection of weapons, as well as some awesome torture finales and huge bosses. Although it's reminiscent to Devil May Cry's gameplay, the combos are so addictive as well as adrenaline-pumping. Unfortunately, it's a confusing story, but I might buy it just for the action. By the way, doesn't she look a bit like--

OH GAWDD!!!1!

Dante's Inferno

Now this game is totally similar to Bayonetta in that it fits in the same category. Bloody, brutal, and gory combo streaks just to reach the next boss. I don't know if I would consider these types of games fighting games. They're more like what I would call BASS games; Bad Ass Super Swordsmen/Swordswomen. Whatever, the demo starts out with you ridiculously fighting a bunch of underpowered prisoners with scimitars, and you are told to kill them all with your awesome combos of destruction. The combos aren't as numerous and heart-stoppingly gorgeous as Bayonetta's, but the fine detail they put into everything, including the deformed and atrocious enemies, make the game look a bit more worthwhile than Bayonetta. Plus, it looks like a way better story than it, considering that it is strictly based off the 9 Gates of Hell. Plus, there is a naked chick in the demo. Only from the waist up, nothing below. If you were to buy the game just because you saw some topless video game babe, you should be ashamed -_-

Shadow Complex

I should have bought this game a long time ago. This demo is addictive. I've probably been through it about 10 times so far. From what I can tell, it's a conspiracy about the vice president being killed, as well as a special suit that has been developed. Two hikers find a cave and one disappears while the other searches for them. Then, you hear her in trouble and two guys take her into a secret base where you must break and enter secretly. The fact that it's a platformer is fun, but it completely changes in the sense that you can aim the gun you use unlike other games that have trouble perfecting the art. It's actually well done. The graphics are great, the story is a bit choppy but understandable, the gameplay is phenomenal, and it feels like Pitfall only with guns, bosses, and mechanized weaponry. It is a great demo, as well as a great game.

Trials HD

Again, this is another game I should have bought by now. Finally, a motocross game that is nothing like a typical motocross game! I love the challenges. These courses are fun but tough. I love how you can edit your own map using special bits and pieces, and you can customize as well. Do we need a real story for this? No. Is the gameplay good? You betcha. How about the graphics? Good enough for me. This one's just one of those games you play when you just feel like taking it easy for a bit. It's the enjoyable, yet lax game that I enjoy, and that's why I love this demo.

These are only the successful demos out so far for Xbox 360, but I would also love to try ModNation Racers as well as the MAG demo. But, those are just the games I've been playing so far? Do you guys have any demos that you enjoy playing? Even old ones count, so post what you've been playing.

My Birthday!

Ben Deckert — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 08:43:00 GMT

It may be a waste of a good blog, I know, but there are some fun facts about my birthday none of you know.

1. My birthday is 2 days after Christmas, which gives me twice as many gifts to receive than all of you hahahaha.

2. I'm 17 today, but I'm also a senior. I'm even the youngest in my class, which is somewhat uncomfortable, but I fit right in.

3. My cousin and I both supposedly look like twins, but he's older than me by a few months, yet he's a junior. Confused?

4. I still can't drive because I'm too lazy to get around to it. :(

5. I got a ride from my friend, walked up to Gamestop, stormed in like I owned the place, dusted myself off, grabbed MW2 off the counter, said "I would like to purchase this please." The guy looked at me and asked for ID. Boom, 17, on the spot. I walked away with a Mature game without parental permission. That's how I roll!

Now, I wonder what 21 will be like...

From Starfox To Battlefield?

Ben Deckert — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

I just want to start off with Happy Holidays to everyone! But, this is just a short idea/blog that I had a while ago when working on my sequels blog. And, just so it's out there, I plan to become a video game designer/developer, so that's why I try and create these ideas. Anyway, back to the point: so I've noticed that people have been psyched for a good Wii FPS title, that actually incorporates multiplayer. Well, I think it could work as a third-person shooter, especially on a new Starfox game. Starfox Assault has a third-person infantry system where you can leave the cockpit and shoot 'em up, and you can use Landmasters and Arwings. My thought was to include a multiplayer to Starfox (if they ever make another one) where Nintendo's Starfox team would combine all of these vehicles and features into a decent yet realistic shooter for the Wii. In a way, I think it would come out a lot like Battlefield, but that's only in theory, plus they would have to successfully fit all that data in a game with non-HD graphics. But, mainly I just want a new Starfox game. It's due for a real title unlike the last three they've supplied us with. And besides, the Wiimote can act like a steering wheel (for example, Excite Truck, Mario Kart Wii) so it could obviously handle a campaign, but honestly a Starfox multiplayer would do me good. Just a thought.

What'd You Get For Christmas?

Ben Deckert — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:50:00 GMT

I shouldn't have to explain this one, guys. This was the earliest Christmas for me, and my family decided that money upfront might work better than giving me games they think I want. I didn't get any games, but I got $100 as well as about $100 extra from the rest of my family, and I also got a webcam as well as some good clothes and a watch I'll never use. Oh, well, I enjoy my chance to go on a spending spree, but I'm curious to know what everyone else got. List your present list below.

10 More Games That I Think Should Have Sequels (Part 2)

Ben Deckert — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:23:00 GMT

Okay, my sequel to the topic of video games that deserve sequels is finally here. I thought over my choices for a while on this one. Just remember that some of these games might already have sequels, but if I find their sequels to be exactly the same as the original, or it has been a very long time since the sequel was released, then I don't count it as a sequel. The problem with the first five was that I was too focused on shooters and RPG games. Let's try to stem away from that path if we can. Time for the choices:

10. Too Human

Now, this was one of the coolest RPG's I've ever played because it's not like the rest. It's not like WoW where you just watch your guy swing at the enemy until he dies. It's not like turn-based fighting like Final Fantasy and Super Mario RPG. And it's certainly not like Fallout 3 because Fallout has V.A.T.S. It created its own breed of RPG by actually giving you the freedom to hack and slash in cool attack combos, which are completely similar to Ninja Gaiden 2's gameplay. These combos are amazing, and the innovative part is that you control your swing with the right stick instead of a button. It's hard to get used to, but once you have it down, the game is so much fun. The enemies are dangerous and tough, not to mention unique, and there are even large enemies that you have to jump on the back of just to ram a giant sword into their back. Not only can you use a sword, but you even receive pistols that you can use to get some long-range shots before you start a melee battle royale. The special armor permutations that you can find in the game are cool looking and they can practically make you invincible, but one setback is that I never learned what all the RPG abbreviations are for each characteristic. Sure I know SPD is speed and DMG is damage, but there are some confusing abilities that I can't comprehend. It was still a great game, nonetheless. It deserves a sequel, and hopefully, they'll make it a little more like Fable, so you can explore more.

9. Grim Fandango

I never really heard about this game until 2 weeks ago, and my cousin literally has about every PC game, so I tried it out, and it was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played. Despite its strange skeleton look, it actually made one of my pet peeves, pointing and clicking, feel very entertaining. Its great characters as well as story were brilliant and fun to watch. The opening was quite hilarious as well. I admit I don't know much about this game because I couldn't play it very much, but I know that the guy who made this, Tim Schafer, also made Psychonauts, which is a sign of a good video game developer, and if he's made two successful yet underdog video games, then one of them is bound to return as a sequel. This one definitely has a chance.

8. Beyond Good and Evil

Now, I admit, I've only played this game a bit. This was mainly my cousin's opinion, and he thinks it's one of the coolest games out there. Its over-the-top sci-fi feeling is pretty interesting, and the fact that it is a mixture of great fighting as well as conspiracy plots, all blended together with a new take on Pokemon Snap, I found it really enjoyable. Now, I honestly didn't follow its outlandish story very well, but I like the characters, and I caught onto the reason why it was titled Beyond Good and Evil really quickly. The conspiracy that the IRIS team provides for you is interesting, and the coolest part about the game is that people actually provide screenshots to their online community as we speak. As unpopular as it was, it's a cult classic that should definitely deserve a sequel. In fact, in a Nintendo Power issue of November '07, Michael Ancel (the guy who made Rayman) claimed that they were working on a secret new project, which many people believe is the next Beyond Good and Evil. Hopefully, it'll come up in future topics, but for now, let's just hope there is one in the works.

7. Skies of Arcadia

Oh, how badly this game deserves a sequel! The Dreamcast game featured an intuitive style of adventure as well as fighting that made you feel like a true pirate sailing the seas (actually, it's the air, but nevermind) for another quest. From dungeons to travelling to large unique worlds, the game had a graceful and beautiful charm as well as a wonderful gaming style that I couldn't get enough of when I was a kid. The characters are fun, the detail was above average, and the storyline itself was phenomenal. The fighting was a little too frequent, but putting that aside, I think they could make an MMORPG out of this game. I think it could work, especially as a name: Skies of Arcadia Online. Why hasn't this been thought of yet? If you've played it before, can't you picture a Skies of Arcadia MMO? It'd be perfect for it!

6. Star Wars Battlefront II

Yes, I know that it's a sequel. I'm just saying that it's been forever since they've revamped the game, and I would really wish for one that could be playable on the 360 or PS3 by now. I love Pandemic, and it's sad that the company got shut down. At least some of their members are moving to UK into another development team, but let's focus on the topic at hand here. This was a great game. In fact, I believe this is the best shooter for the PS2. When I first got the game, I was skeptical since I never found Star Wars games to be that good, but when it started up I found out you didn't always have to play as a Clone Trooper or just a Jedi. In fact, there are many subclasses for each player you play as. Being the not-so-avid Star Wars fan that others might be, I had trouble following the storyline and the missions, but the way I played never got old. I love the space battles, those are the best! We even hosted a split-screen deathmatch of all Jedi's at my classic challenge last year. In fact, we might do that again, because the moves as well as the aiming and sensitivity are perfect. Pandemic nailed the perfect sensitivity to aiming for this game. I've never found a better aiming system on any game. It's perfect! If they made a third and included online play, I would never stop with it. The fighting is fun, the multiplayer is outstanding, and Pandemic, although dead, is one of my favorite video game companies. Please, LucasArts, give life back to this series.

5. Crusader

Guessing by how many Sega Saturn / PC owners that are on this site, you probably don't know what this game is. Let me explain what this is in the clearest way possible: this is basically the first Halo game. He has a *** suit, he's an elite warrior, and it's in the future. You don't notice the resemblance? This game is so underappreciated that I'm surprised I've even remembered it. But, I played it once when I was a kid since my friend had a Sega Saturn. You play as a guy stuck in a economically defective future, and since you were made into an elite super soldier from the boys who are wrecking the economy, you decide to help a resistance group named... Resistance. You are trying to stop the WEC from getting complete control of the economy by depleting their forces one at a time. The progression and level layouts were amazing at the time. The cheesiness was there as well, but in a way, you enjoy them a lot more than you would expect; from those annoying cinematic videos to funny easter eggs and sounds that the guards make when they die, I think this game has a great style especially since it was made by Origin games. All I can say is that it's like playing an isometric version of Halo with Duke Nukem action and comedy, all in a unique story that could've had a lot more potential if it tried this on a better console. I think it is quite worthy of a sequel, and the cool part about it is that they could make it cartoony or they could make it realistic, and the game would probably still be fun either way.

4. Tony Hawk's Underground 2

Man, if you want a funny video game, and you want Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, then buy THUG2. The first one is a way better backstory, but if you're up for the pure comedy, go for the second. Bam Margera and even some of the Jackass crew add to the hilarity of the game. But, it's not just the comedy that made me get the game. It's the well-rounded skating that is very similar to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. After all, it's the same company, so it's kind of expected. It's fun to keep those combos going, as well as collecting all the points for your team, and if you collect enough, then you can continue on through the game. From the funny sound effects to even a killer cat, and even a guy back from the dead on a tricycle, this game is fun and addictive. You can play as four important characters, including one special character that rides a vehicle, like a Segway, a Rodeo bull, and like I said before, a tricycle. The cutscenes are great, the missions are fun and challenging, and the overall gameplay is perfect. I enjoyed this game more than most people probably would, but this game incorporated everything very well. Destruction, comedy, stupid stunts, funny internet memes, challenging missions, graffiti tagging, awesome cutscenes, hilarious characters, and awkward moments, as well as a create-a-trick mode. It filled in all the things I would ask for in a Tony Hawk video game, but why stop at the second when they know that making a third is just what gamers want? Screw Tony Hawk's Ride, that's like that cheesy SSX virtual snowboard that was $80 for a piece of crap. Please, Tony Hawk, if you know what's good for your series, we need a third installment of THUG.

3. Jet Grind Radio

My thanks go out to Ric White for telling me about this game. I never heard of this game but once he told me about it, I have become instantly hooked. It's weird that I have two skating / combo games lined up for a sequel, but I love skating / combo games, and this one is no exception. The main difference is that it isn't skateboarding; instead, it's roller skating. I didn't realize how awesome roller blades could be. The game really set the skating trend other than Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. It provided a really rebellious tone to the campaign, such as graffiti tagging the city, finding great jumping spots, landing cool combos, and even accomplishing some sick wall jumps. I was shocked that there was a story to it. It looked more like a free-roaming kind of game, but its both free-roaming and a story. I love the characters, too; they are so personalized, as in they exemplify every unique personality out there. For example, Beat is the kid who's going places and doing what he loves. Mew's the weird chick that tries to stand out, Slate is the kid who looks like Bert from Sesame Street, Gum's a down-to-earth chick (even though the helmet makes her look retarded), Piranha's the energetic and exercising fitness chick, Garam is the social kind of person who tries his best, Yo-Yo's the strange nerd, Beat is the emo chick who still likes to do anything, Tab is the kid who keeps himself unique, and Combo's the guy who can't live without music. The character you play as really reflects upon yourself. That's why I play as Beat a lot. The moves are fun, the grinding and jumping feel airy but cool, the cartoon style makes me both laugh and find personality, the music for the game is perfect, and the graffiti tagging combos are so much fun. Even the way they dance when you select your character is amusing. All I can say about this game is that it feels realistic in its animations and motions, yet also stylish and artistic in its colorful layout and character design as well as its great soundtrack. I know that Jet Set Radio Future was made, but that one looks exactly the same compared to the first. This game should seriously be revamped so that it stays cartoon-like, but it should still be updated with more tricks, more characters, less graffiti tagging, and a larger map, as well as a make-your-own ramp style, just like in Skate 2. Speaking of which, could you picture a video mode of Jet Grind Radio? Now that would be tight! Make a better sequel, SEGA!

2. Starfox Adventures / Starfox Assault / Starfox Command

You might be wondering why this one's up here, especially since Starfox has a select bunch of titles. Well, I'm not going to disagree with that fact. Starfox had its moments, but let's face it: ever since Starfox 64, there hasn't been a game worthy of praise in the Starfox library. Remember the 64 version? It had some cheesy dialogue and some strange voice actors for each character, and everyone hates Slippy. But, it had its loving charm, as well as its cool transition to a land vehicle, and some epic battles that can't be forgotten. Now, Assault was innovative in the fact that you could leave your ship and go infantry-style against enemies. It added a little more of a challenge to the gameplay and the bosses, and the fluid controls made it feel more like you were actually piloting, but honestly, it was seriously lacking in unique style and just because you can move your character around and shoot at other people does not make it a good multiplayer. I've seen better multiplayer ability on the PSone. It felt like I was playing Starfox 64, only with graphics and different enemies. To me, that's not a sequel. Starfox Command for DS was impressive and it brought forth a new tactical way to play Starfox games, where you actually create a flight path to any objective and you must focus on your fuel as well as your turns left, making it more of a strategy just to start a game. It also offered more enemies and cool new moves, as well as a wi-fi battle royale, but it is laggy and generic on wi-fi, and other than the boss fights, everything was very generic on it. All in all, they have one of the two features I hope for in a Starfox game, but never both. I really don't feel like Nintendo is giving their all on this series. They should be thinking about making a version of this for the Wii. The Wiimote would actually be perfect for it, since it involves steering, but there's something that I've always thought Starfox should try. They have flying jets, they have Landmasters, and they've already included an infantry style of gaming. Although I think they should stick to a good storyline, as well as a fun and more innovative gaming style, I want them to include some sort of similar-to-Battlefield online multiplayer. Think about it: if they worked their asses off on a bunch of weapons like rocket launchers, assault rifles, special weapons and more, they could include a deathmatch mode online where you play as a soldier but you can get into any vehicle and attack either from the air, land, or just rush in for an attack. They should seriously try making a multiplayer as similar to Battlefield games as possible because it's a perfect match for it, and I really bet it could work. Am I the only one who craves not only the good old-fashioned Star Fox gameplay but a fun online multiplayer that could actually be successful for Nintendo as well? Hopefully, Nintendo won't let this one sink to the bottom of its grave. They need to spruce this game up and make us a real sequel.

1. Shadow of The Colossus

The simplicity of characters as well as the large and expansive lands makes the symbolic yet spiritual and primitive story of Shadow of The Colossus the greatest so far. The great paradox in it is that it's real in some symbolic aspects, but it's just as strange and mystical as Legend of Zelda. By the way, am I the only one who thinks this was an attempt to be the Legend of Zelda for PS2 owners? If it was, then it certainly fit the bill. The story is a little scattered to me, but it adds up at the end. It's so simplistic that it's wonderful, though. The empty void of large amounts of characters, cities, and changing worlds adds to the overall quality of it by creating an actual forbidden land, making you feel like the only one who exists there. Well, maybe not, once a giant Colossus rises up from nowhere. It's a tough game to figure out at first. The gameplay is a challenge, as well as figuring each Colossus's weakness. In fact, to most, it's considered a puzzle game more than adventure and fighting. The fact that it's so detailed adds to the realistic feeling of the entire game, too. At the time, I thought the graphics were the best ever. I had never seen as beautiful of a cutscene as I did at the end of Shadow of The Colossus. One of the longest and saddest endings ever. Now some can say that Ico is the sequel to this and it almost definitely is. But still, in that case, that would mean there hasn't been a sequel to the game in over 8 years, which means this story's due for another thematic adventure. Honestly, the puzzle-solving as well as the demonic focus that Team Ico has provided is well done. The dark feeling of each of their games is astounding, each with the same inclination of "not all demons are bad", such as the demonization of the baby with horns. All I can say about the Ico Team's video games is that they all have an immense theme bundled with a simplistic yet innovative design. Bravo. I just hope they follow this one up as quick as possible.

These are my 10 other choices, if you missed my first five choices, check them out here:

http://gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/smashbro722_blog/archive/2009/12/06/5-games-that-i-think-should-have-sequels-part-1.aspx

Just remember that I will probably be adding to this list in the future, so there might be a sequel to this sequel of the blog that I made about sequels. But enough about my choices, what would you rate on my choices? Do you have any other choices that should have a following title by now?

Classic Challenge Weekly Standings 4!

Ben Deckert — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:29:00 GMT

Classic Challenge Weekly Standings 4!

Hey guys, I'm back. After not writing a blog in forever, I'm back! Well, this was a tough week for us, since it was not only exam week at our school, but also one hell of a packed week. The only good part was that about every senior was exempt, and my crew and I set up a PS2 in the theater room and just went to town on a big screen with some GH2. It was freaking awesome, but unfortunately, I was used to the Xbox 360's extra songs, so I couldn't find some of the good ones. I also lost because these controllers were downright terrible, but this didn't count on our classic challenge yet. If you've been keeping up with this blog series of mine, we are planning on lasting till the New Year starts instead of our plans to last only 4 weeks. In other words, 6 weeks. So, instead of making Super Smash Bros. Melee our finale tournament, we decided to go for something a little cooler, but you'll find out what game it was later when you reach the end. In the meantime, check out the games we played this week.

Me - This week I had a craving for Tony Hawk's Underground, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and some Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. For me, they were the only good Tony Hawk games; the rest just suck. Burnout 2 was on my list as well. I never get tired of crash mode! Whoever designed that is a marketing genius. I tried some more of that Jet Grind Radio, and it's almost getting more bland in my eyes, but it's still pretty fun and the detail for its time are still quite impressive. I decided to play Super Smash Bros. again, as well as Melee. What did you expect? This was really a slow week, so we couldn't play as many games as previously thought. This is all we could get.

Jake - Amazingly, he chose to do something out of the ordinary this week: not play a Sonic game. And for him, that was a Christmas miracle. He chose sport games instead, like NASCAR (I forgot which year it was), MLB 2006, and NHL 2005. I never got into sports; I mean, I understand some of football, but my parents never taught me how football stats work, and everytime he talks about football stats, I just completely zone out and try to ignore it to get off the subject. The only sport my parents care about, though, is soccer. They watch soccer like crazy, and it's kinda embarassing. I play soccer a lot, but I hate watching soccer. But I digress.... he also chose GTA Vice City, which was a random choice, but can you blame him? Who doesn't love that version? In fact, I think it's the third best of the series. I also think it has the best music out of the series other than GTA 4.

Grant - He got Goldeneye, and he hasn't dropped it since he rented it. This game is considered the most addictive FPS ever on the N64, as well as for the entire gaming generation of its time. In fact, its multiplayer deathmatch brought forth the most popular gametype for every best-selling FPS game to date. I knew he would be hooked, but unfortunately, he only played Medal of Honor Underground for about an hour, said "Nope, this one's better." and then went straight back to Goldeneye. We can't cure his FPS-itis, but at least this game can satisfy him for a while.

AJ - He helped Grant out most of the time by playing Goldeneye multiplayer with him, but other than that, he tried my SSX Dreamcast game as well as SSX Tricky, which is one of the best extreme sports games ever. Honestly, Tricky was so amazing, especially since the levels were large and everyone had their signature moves that never got old. He then stemmed to SSX 3, and was blown away by how huge the maps are. He didn't drop that one for a while. He then went on to play GH2 some more as well, and we all know he's a fan of the game anyway.

Jared - He got back on Duke Nukem 3D. It really is one of the greatest FPS games ever, especially since it's just so hilarious and sexist, and killing aliens never hurt anyone either. He also tried out Phantasy Star Online and he disapproved of it. He's just not really the RPG gamer, so he tried the classic games he was missing out on, such as Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. He realized how much he was missing the instant he played Super Mario Bros. 3, and after all, it's the best of the Mario NES series. He wasn't used to it, but he still found fun in it.

Alex - He decided to play some Pokemon games just because AJ wasn't using them. From Pokemon: Blue Version to Red Version to Pokemon Stadium to Ruby Version, he enjoyed them all equally. I honestly found Red Version better in some ways. Looking at a bluer screen just made it harder to see back when we didn't have backlights, so Red Version also helped in display as well. Anyway, Alex also played Pokemon Snap, which he completely forgot about, and he hated it. I can't really disagree with it, though, because it's really boring sometimes, and it doesn't really remind me of Pokemon. It just makes me think I'm taking pictures of animals; I start to forget they're Pokemon after a while. The only cool part back then was that you could actually take pictures out of your memory card and put them in a special booth to actually get the snapshots in real life. Now that was some Nintendo ingenuity!

After finishing up with our week of classic games, AJ had a good choice that I didn't even think of. Why not have a Tekken tournament? Luckily, he owned Tekken 4 for the PS2 which everyone agreed on, so we got our character combos ready and started up the tournament. Now, before I admit this, I'm going to be honest: I suck at fighting games unless the title is Soul Calibur, Tekken, and Super Smash Bros. So I brought the heat as "Jin for The Win" while AJ thought he could defeat me with Yoshimitsu. Just because he has a sword doesn't make him better, especially on Tekken. I defeated them all with my awesome roundhouse combo. The only challenging one was Jared, who went as King, and for some reason, I lost to him. I can deal with second place, though. I am literally unopposed, yay!

Here's the standings:

Jared - 10 points Overall Scores---> Me - 36 points

Me - 8 points AJ - 26 points

AJ - 6 points Grant - 25 points

Jake - 4 points Jared - 21 points

Grant - 3 points Jake - 14 points

Alex - 2 points Alex - 12 points