Gentlemen and Hand Grenades

A New Start?

2011-04-14T11:59:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, it's been over a year since the last post. I've been thinking we need to revitalize this blog, so hopefully I can post some more. Short post, end!

I'm (Sorta) Back!

2010-03-08T16:02:00.003-05:00

And ready for action! Sorry I haven't posted in a LONG while, since I had some stuff (gaming and otherwise) to do. As promised a long time ago, here's another prize post! Unfortunately, this is only for members of the ACC (Asian Culture Club), since it's a PHYSICAL PRIZE! What is it, you ask? Well I'll give you a hint: It's for the Playstation:

Yep, it's Final Fantasy Chronicles for the original Playstation! In celebration of the release of Final Fantasy XIII tomorrow, I've been generous enough to give my copy of these two hot games away to a lucky winner! Stay tuned for details!

Gotta Mod Them All!

2010-01-31T22:30:00.000-05:00

How Japan Views Politics

2010-01-29T19:23:00.003-05:00

Something someone showed me from CollegeHumor.com

Some of you may have noticed GaHG pretty much being dead for the whole month. Well here's news: IT'S ALIVE AND KICKIN'!

Yeah, pretty much all of this can be blamed on post-Christmas Break laze

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:27:00.000-05:00

Yeah, can't think of anything to write, so I'll just say that!

Tears Up

2009-12-26T13:08:00.004-05:00

Wow, this video is priceless. This kid's reaction shows that not all kids out there are spoiled brats. I wonder how many of us were like this when we were little.

Last Minute Christmas Post!

2009-12-24T21:10:00.004-05:00

Like the title might suggest, I've been kinda neglecting GaHG lately. I've had some things going on, along with break-induced laze.

But without further adieu, here's some gaming related Christmas sights and sounds (like the really well done Mario Christmas Medley below):

And last but not least, it turns out our good friend The Heavy was Santa all along:

Heavy Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-09T21:16:00.001-05:00

It appears that the Heavy is having himself a good Christmas:

Ah! The Krampus!

2009-12-05T18:36:00.003-05:00

Before I begin, I do realize that this is not a video game related post. However, 'tis the Christmas season.

All fear the Krampus!

And for you Venture Bros. fans:

Delayed Reaction!

2009-11-27T11:37:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know Youmacon was a little under a month ago but it appears that Post Con Depression has finally gotten to me.

Honestly, I'd have to say that Youmacon this year was one of the happiest moments of my life so far. Those were the shortest three days I've ever seen before. To all the awesome people I met and hung out with there: I miss you all so much!

This video made me tear up a little bit:

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

2009-11-26T13:17:00.003-05:00

We all here at Gentlemen and Hand Grenades would like to wish everyone a happy Turkey Day.

We're not the only ones having a good Thanksgiving, as it appears that Mega Man is too:

We Have a winner!

2009-11-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

Congrats to all of you who entered the contest post earlier last month. The winner was contacted and the code was given. The answer was Super Paper Mario, by the way. (One of the better Wii titles out there, by the way.)

As a consolation, I'm gonna run another code contest soon. The prize will be a God of War III demo code, yay! Keep your eyes peeled for another opportunity to win!

As another consolation, here's an AMV I made a couple of months ago for a Koei contest.

It's-a Him!

2009-11-17T22:26:00.000-05:00

I never knew Mario lived in Renaissance Italy!

I Said Young Man...

2009-11-16T18:42:00.002-05:00

Honestly, this seems like a weird dream I'd have one night. Not that it's not entertaining to see Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain and That Guy From Muse all sing YMCA though... mostly because it is. I'd only pay to see it only if there were also Jim Morrison, Barry White and Scatman John all singing In The Navy.

Super Mario Beatdown

2009-11-12T23:25:00.001-05:00

Some of you may have heard the story about the two men in New York dressed as Mario and Luigi on Halloween that were caught on camera beating up a cab driver.

Well, it turns out there's an audio track of the incident as well, provided by the nice folks from The Wooden Nickel Shorts

The That Guy With The Glasses Panel from Youma

2009-11-05T16:38:00.003-05:00

AngryJoe just posted up the video he recorded of the That Guy With The Glasses panel from Youmacon (which Vic and I were at). It was a blast to attend, and I'm so glad I managed to get my question answered (I almost got skipped over).

I was the one that asked about the shirts and if there will ever be an actual bum off the streets doing a Bum Reviews. That, and shouting "YOU'RE A LIE!!!" when people started shouting "the cake's a lie!".

Something I Did at Youmacon

2009-11-01T22:49:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry for not posting stuff every day like I said I would. I've come to realize that it's really hard to try to cover a convention if it's something that interests you - you get distracted too easilly. I'll work on that some more. In the meantime, feel free to watch my fail at doing Dan Hibiki's Super Taunt.

Shameless Contest Post! (And something else)

2009-10-31T23:43:00.005-04:00

So anyways, if you want to take a break from Youmacon news, here's what I'm cooking up (By the way, I can't attend, since there are some scheduling issues I needed to work on.)

Do you like Goo? How about a world of it? Don't like to pay? Missed 2D boy's anniversary sale? Am I asking too many questions? Of course you do, did, and yes, there are too many rhetorical questions in this sentence. But anyways, since I did get an extra code of World of Goo, I'm passing on the savings to all of you prospective bloggers.

The contest will go as follows: If you can tell me the answer to a simple gaming question I ask first, then you will receive the code!

Send all answers to Phill_GaHG@yahoo.com

The question is: What was the first Nintendo published Wii game featuring Mario?

See? Simple! Now all you gotta do is post the answer in the comments portion! Good luck everybody!

By the way, I'm working on a hidden gems article, five games you probably haven't played. See you then!

Assassin's Creed: Lineage Part 1

2009-10-27T16:38:00.003-04:00

The first installment in the Assassin's Creed: Lineage film series just came out, and is fairly exciting.

I remember when I went to the Assassin's Creed II panel at Comic Con they talked about this and how they were going to be using the backgrounds from the game in this. Honestly, then I was thinking "Wow, that kinda sounds stupid and it'll look out of place actually". Turns out I was wrong.

Princess Robot Bubblegum

2009-10-26T21:03:00.003-04:00

It was inevitable that mainstream media would eventually take notices of the cliches rampant in a lot of anime. Here's part of the first wave.

Still Not Convinced About Youmacon?

2009-10-25T12:50:00.002-04:00

Yeah, yeah, some of you are thinking "SHUT UP ABOUT YOUMACON ALREADY!", but trust me, it's worth babbling on about. You'll also probably never hear a word of it again a few weeks down the road.

If you're still wondering about Youmacon, here's a video put together by the local Detroit news:

Mama-Mia, That's-a Big-a Mario!

2009-10-25T11:33:00.003-04:00

This reminds me of when I was younger and tried to make Lego versions of a lot of my favorite game characters... and failed horribly.

Anyways, the Lego Mario above stands at 6 feet tall and weighs roughly 110 pounds.

Some of you out there might be wondering, "Why would someone build that?" Oddly enough, "too much free time" is not the answer in this case. It's for a Dutch Ronald McDonald Foundation and is up for auction.

So, if you've got a few grand lying around and have always wanted a giant Mario, then bid quickly!

[eBay, via Gizmodo]

L4D2 Trailer

2009-10-22T17:03:00.002-04:00

Wow, I have to admit that this trailer is pretty epic. It looks less like a trailer for a game and more of one for a movie.

Warning: Not for the faint-hearted*

*Or as I like to refer to them as, "Pansies"

More Youmacon!

2009-10-21T18:14:00.004-04:00

Remember that Youmacon I was talking about a bit back? Still not convinced you should go to it? Then think again!!!!!

Back to what I was saying - there's a little over a week left until it happens. If you're not convinced yet, maybe this ad'll change your mind:

Yeah, I realized it's a tad bit on the creepy side. Remember though, it's happening on Halloween weekend so that's why...

If not, that would explain some of the weird stuff I saw last year.

Youmacon 2009 News + Contest

2009-10-18T20:03:00.004-04:00

It is officially one week (well, not date exactly) until Youmacon will be happening. Pretty much all of us here at Gentlemen and Hand Grenades will be there at least one of the days there. So if you see us, feel free to say "hi". I'll be Dan Hibiki on Friday, Keroro from Sgt. Frog on Saturday and The Hunter from Left 4 Dead on Sunday.

In fact, stopping us will tie into a contest we're having. If you talk to us and want to be part in the contest, stop us and say "Marmalade" and mention the contest and you'll receive a random prize from us. Could be anything ranging from a copy of Norton Gaming Edition to a little vial with a Boxelder Bug in it to an old hard disk I have lying around to last year's program guide. And if you want (though I doubt we're to this point yet) we can sign it for you.*

Along with the contest, there will be a plethora of videos and pictures taken by us at the con and maybe an interview or two with one of the guests.

If you're interested in going, the entry fee is $20 for Friday and Sunday and $25 for Saturday. Thursday night is free though. See you there!

*People I know are exempt, offer not valid in Hawaii, see back for details.

Modern Warfare 2 Poll

2009-10-18T19:46:00.004-04:00

Many (such as my self) consider the Left 4 Dead 2 controversy pretty much over now. However, there is a new one coming to shake up the games industry a bit.

As some of you may have read, Infinity Ward is doing away with dedicated servers for the PC version of Modern Warfare 2. Instead, they are implementing a matchmaking system similar to that on console versions.

Some are praising this as a way to make Modern Warfare 2 simpler to non-hardcore gamers out there. On the other side of the debate, a petition among gamers has started that has managed to gather more than 20,000 signatures in slightly over a day.

Feel free to voice your opinion on the subject in either the poll to the left (beneath the chatbat) and in the comments section below.

How To Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

2009-10-13T16:56:00.002-04:00

It looks like the How-To YouTube channel, VideoJug, has gotten into the Halloween spirit and made a tongue in cheek video on how to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Sure, it's technically not gaming. However, if you look closely around 4:57 (right when the elevator opens), you'll notice a zombie with a Wiimote. I take it the undead like to play video games.

GentleMentleMen

2009-10-11T12:05:00.001-04:00

Yeah, I know it's technically not news, but this is pretty darn catchy:

Let's Tap Review.

2009-10-10T23:45:00.002-04:00

Bonus post! (Since I know this has been on my computer for a long time)

Rhythm Heaven Review

2009-10-10T23:42:00.004-04:00

Sorry bout the wait guys. School's started, and I've had a very big backload of games, but I should be posting biweekly from now on.

Oh man, do I love my Japanese games. From the absurdness of the Katamari series to the charm of Dance Dance Revolution to the quirkiness of Space Channel 5, I can’t get enough of the games from the land of the rising sun. However, all of those aforementioned games actually came here in North America.

The music is utterly catchy. You’ll have a fun time just listening to the songs in the game, from the horribly dubbed pop songs to the simple rhythms of Built to Scale. Music, as well as sound, is vital to a rhythm game’s success, and Rhythm Heaven nails it.

The structure of the game is simple. You play through more than 50 rhythm based minigames that have a little sequence which you must complete using a simple action (Okay, it’s really 24 base games, 10 remixes, and 16 harder versions. There are also some endless minigames and rhythm toys you can unlock.) For example, in Built to Scale (the collection’s first game), you must line up two washers together with a screw. It may not sound like much, but it’s plenty addictive. There are also some unusual ones, like controlling a synchronized swimming team and training a monk in the ancient art of dumpling feeding. It’s a wacky collection that will induce some laughs (and maybe some coos, as you’ll probably notice from the charms of Glee Club, a trio of rhythm inclined singer children.)

The games are incorporated into columns of five games, with each one consisting of a remix. The remixes are a little bit of each of the previous column’s games, dubbed with another tune. It’s a blast to play these, as it’s kind of like a little test to prove your rhythm skills.

The graphics are pretty interesting, as the style differs from each one. There are some 3D looking games, but most are different styles of 2D animation, from the game show vibe of the Dazzles (budding television stars), to the roughly drawn styles of Glee Club. The animation moves very fluidly, and it really fits the tone for each game.

The first major problem with Rhythm Heaven is the control scheme. Whereas the first Rhythm Tengoku had just a single button press (occasionally two buttons were needed), this iteration uses the DS like a book in order to utilize the touch screen. Most games utilize a flick command, which is a straightforward method at first, but it can get awfully imprecise, often not registering movements (which is double trouble due to the next problem.) This hurdle will likely keep you from reaching maximum enjoyment of the game for a couple of hours, so just hang in there. The tap method (which is used in a few games) works perfectly, but they are few and far in between. Both tap and flick are used in most minigames, so you must also utilize the hold feature (in order to hush up a choir boy or stay underwater, for example). However, the worst offender of the controls is the tap lightly command. While it’s a blessing that only a couple of minigames utilize this feature (Moai Doo Wop and its harder version) it cannot be used properly, as the game will always confuse a light tap with a tap. It gets very annoying, and I really hated the minigames that used it.

The second glaring flaw in this game is the (dare I say it) ‘Asian’ difficulty. Don’t get a perfect? You’re disowned. I’m over exaggerating it, but this game will become unforgiving at times. During some levels, even missing one flick or press will cause your grade to fall from a superb to a just ok. This problem is even more elaborated in the perfect challenges the game gives you, in which you have to complete the minigame with no flaws whatsoever to receive a music track or a piece of writing. I think this is the hardest thing to do since the likes of Mega Man 9 (and I mean the challenge in where you have to beat the game without taking damage once), and the incentives after completing the perfect runs are less than rewarding. Sure, an explanation of the world of backbeats is exciting, but I’d rather read it before I try to perfect my performance on Lockstep, thank you very much.

So in ending, I believe this is a marvelous game to hit the Nintendo DS. While I do disagree with the difficulty and slightly off controls, the music and graphics (as well as the quirkiness of the game itself) well make up for it.

Rating: 8/10

Snake Eater

2009-10-09T23:24:00.003-04:00

Not too long ago, Little Kuriboh of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series fame made a video I like to think of as "Metal Gear Solid 3 in 5 & 1/2 minutes"

If you're a fan of Little Kuriboh and live in Michigan, I've got some good news for you: He will be a guest this year at Youmacon.

I Was Frozen Today

2009-10-09T14:59:00.004-04:00

While browsing remixes of various Mega Man songs (eh, I'm in a mood for it), I came upon this awesome little remix of Freezeman's stage music from Mega Man 7.

If you like what you hear, and want to download it along with other metal covers of game music (for free to, even better!) then go right here my friends:

http://www.last.fm/music/Benevolent+Demise/Video+Game+Metal+Volume+1

Bleh

2009-10-09T06:16:00.002-04:00

Sorry there haven't been many posts lately, even on weekends. However, pretty much assume from now on that all the posts (by me at least) will be on the weekends.

That being said, I don't really have much for this post - seeing as I'm half-awake and sick. The most I could scrounge up was a great remix of one of my favorite video game themes. Enjoy.

Blog Contest Over

2009-10-05T20:15:00.003-04:00

As you know, I made a post detailing a contest several weeks ago. The contest was to find out what letter I was thinking of. And nobody found it out! SO, without further ado, I present the winning letter.

Omega!

That's right, the secret letter was Omega! Too bad for all of our contestants. The prize was really awesome. Guess it can wait until next time.

Shh...

2009-09-29T22:48:00.000-04:00

My Dream Computer

2009-09-27T19:40:00.002-04:00

I've entered into the contest in the video below, and I think some of you might like my dream computer. It's a gaming notebook with, get this... side-mounted guns.

Feel free to take a look at it here.

Man, I'd Love To Have That Jacket

2009-09-27T14:19:00.005-04:00

I don't know who won that tournament, but whoever did is one lucky (expletive deleted).

More Dead Rising Stuff!

2009-09-26T03:31:00.000-04:00

You know, I'd probably watch that.

This is No Time For Oglin' Pretty Games

2009-09-23T23:16:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's official - Frank West is a playable character in Tatsunoko vs Capcom (which, by the way is coming out January 26th, 2010)

And this... this is a prize post!

2009-09-20T13:47:00.005-04:00

I'm thinking of a letter. Whoever can guess said letter will win a mystery prize. Please submit your guess into the comment's section.

Bad Post

2009-09-20T13:45:00.001-04:00

This is a bad post.

Good Post

2009-09-20T13:42:00.003-04:00

This is a good post.

Captain Jack + WoW = Awesome

2009-09-20T12:29:00.002-04:00

For those of you not versed in WoW, they're referring to The Emerald Dream in it.

Dive Into More Detroit Police Tech

2009-09-15T22:59:00.002-04:00

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

While this isn't technically Gaming or Anime related, but we're all from around Detroit.

Woah!

2009-09-13T22:45:00.002-04:00

Real or Fake - you decide.

Then Again

2009-09-13T20:58:00.002-04:00

While I am not feeling very great, I'll leave you all with something: something awesome from the Soul Blade soundtrack.

Enjoy

Just a notice:

2009-09-13T19:46:00.002-04:00

Because I'm really not feeling good, the next "So that's why..." will be delayed until tomorrow.

New Column: So That's Why...

2009-09-06T13:27:00.005-04:00

Going by the history of this site, you'd probably expect (with good reason to) this column to be recurring for a week or so and then die off and never be heard from again. I will be doing my best to keep that from happening to this one.

Now, as for what the whole point of this. The point of "So That's Why..." is to explain some of the purpose of some of the more confusing things that this site covers. This week, I'll be explaining the reasoning behind Region Locking (with a little bit about Japanese Bonus Tracks).

Region locking - the annoying thing that keeps us from importing games (among other things), becoming an Otaku's major enemy, but also keeps us from playing games we buy somewhere else. Say I travel out to Germany, and while I'm out there, I see a great deal on Batman: Arkham Asylum and decide to buy it. When I try and play it back at home, it won't work.

In the old days, most TVs could only read the PAL or NTSC encoding systems, so companies would have to make separate versions for the different encoding systems.

Today, most TVs can read both. So that leaves many wondering why we still have Region Locking if there's no technical rational behind it. The cause for Region Locking is to keep people from buying cheaper games somewhere else. If there were no Region Locking, there would have to be one universal price for a certain game, which would not work.

One scenario is: The Halo franchise is infamous for selling pretty lukewarm in Japan. So, if there were no Region Locking, a few clever people would simply import Halo 3 from Japan where it would have a bargain bin price.

Because it kinda fits in with Region Locking, I'll explain the reason for Japanese Bonus Tracks.

Some of us may notice on "special addition" albums of our favorite musical artists we occasionally see a "Japanese Bonus Track". See, CDs have no real Region Locking on them and CDs in Japan tend to be a bit more expensive then other places. The bonus track is there as incentive to keep Japanese people from simply importing cheaper CDs from elsewhere.

Deal of the Month: Labor Day Madness

2009-09-05T12:08:00.008-04:00

For the next two days, GoGamer is having a massive sale with some games going as low as $.01. You read right, a penny.

The sale ends soon, so get them while they're cheap.

More about Disney and Marvel

2009-09-04T20:43:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, some of the folks from the Funny Music Project (also known as FuMP) made up a parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Merry Poppins, talking about Marvel being bought out by Disney.

The Ballad of Gay Tony Trailer Released

2009-09-01T23:11:00.008-04:00

Earlier today, Rockstar games released the first trailer for their upcoming GTA IV episode, The Ballad of Gay Tony. And I must say, it looks fabulous.

You'll play as Luis Fernando Lopez, a member of the Northwood Dominican Drug dealers and the personal bodyguard of Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince. And if the past game and episode are any indication, it will be the basic rag's-to-riches story, this time focusing more on the club scene and Central American Drug Trade.

Also, MOTHER-FUCKING SKYDIVING.

Disney buys Marvel

2009-09-01T17:34:00.012-04:00

A few days ago, Disney entertainment announced that they would soon be purchasing Marvel for 4 billion dollars. Let me repeat that.

DISNEY PURCHASED MARVEL.

Now, let's not jump to conclusions. I'm sure this could end wonderfully. Let's just take a look at some of the possibilities...

Next week on The Jonas Brothers!: The Jonas Brother's get a little help from billionaire Tony Stark when he builds them Rock and Roll robots to help them on stage! But when these boppin' bots get a little to into the beat, it's up to Iron Man to stop them!

Ummmm... that actually sounds awful. Well, I'm sure I can think of something better.

Next week on Wizard's of Waverly Place!: The Wizards visit their Uncle Xavier at his Institute for the Gifted for a family reunion. Here, Jerry rekindles a feud between him and his brother, Wolverine! But when Magneto and his nasty friends try and crash the reunion, the brother's must lay down the hatchet and remember their family values.

Holy shit, that's worse. OK OK, c'mon, there has to be something!

Hanah Montana dating Peter Parker.

May God have mercy on us all.

Gold 4 Jetpack

2009-08-31T18:35:00.003-04:00

You know those annoying "Cash4Gold" (which according to my Earth Science teacher when I was a Fresheman, are scams) ads with the stiff acting you always see? Apparently Gamestop does, as they've done a parody of it for a perk for pre-ordering from them.

If you pre-order Dark Void from them, you will receive a special in-game gold jetpack that not only looks fancy but will give you unlimited boost.

Is it me, or does one of the guys in the ad look a lot like Vince Offer, of Sham Wow fame?

And sorry for no posts for the past week, we were having an unofficial, school-related hiatus.

No More Tf2

2009-08-23T21:45:00.004-04:00

What I mean isn't that tf2 is shutting down. What I mean is someone on fpsbananna.com made a tf2 scout skin of No More Hero's Travis touchdown.

I've Finally Done It!

2009-08-23T04:01:00.002-04:00

Yep, after a little over two weeks I finally finish the TF2 dub I said I would. Well, off to work on another one, and I'll try to keep it on schedule

Craziest Audiosurf I've Ever Seen

2009-08-18T15:49:00.003-04:00

This was something I did last night. Sorry for the quality, but that's the best I could do.

This came about basically from James and I playing Audiosurf, and I randomly picked a song from "My Music" folder. I really didn't realize that I had a bunch of Soundboard Prank Calls in there too, and I randomly picked this little number, thus making one of the weirdest games of Audiosurf I've played.

And sorry for the delay on the TF2 dub, it's provided to be a lot more complicated that I thought it would be.

Bill Needs Help

2009-08-16T16:30:00.002-04:00

Apparently, a user over at prank call site, RealmOfDarkness.net not only made a Bill from Left 4 Dead soundboard, but also made a prank call with it.

Mega-Marathon

2009-08-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

Right now, the charity fund raising group, The Speed Gamers are doing a live marathon of all the Mega Man games to raise money for The Earth Day Network.

If you'd like to fallow the live stream, you can watch it right here

*Correction*: It's not starting until 6 pm Central time, which means it's 7 for me

Yep, I was Paronoid

2009-08-13T20:27:00.004-04:00

The TF2 Classless Update has come out today and... no tricks from Valve, just a modified version of cp_Sawmill. Now Sawmill has a Capture The Flag version, and according to Valve, the intelligence is "made entirely out of microfilm. Or possibly nylon."

Along with the new maps are several changes that are no doubt going to be controversial with fans. One such change is that Ubercharged players cannot be stunned by The Scout's Sandman anymore. Along with that, the Sandman's negative attribute has been changed from "no double jump" to less health.

Maybe this is just to lull us all into a false sense of security for the next update.

[TeamFortress.com]

Deal of the Month - Epic Indeed

2009-08-13T04:00:00.005-04:00

The site Xoxide is currently having a massive sale until the end of the month. On sale are tons of computer-related goodies including: Gaming mice, those fancy cases with all the lights, computer power supplies (also with fancy lights), fans (also with fancy lights), headsets, CPU cooling units. Sadly, no fancy lights are currently for sale.

TF2 Classless Update: Day 2

2009-08-12T20:27:00.006-04:00

The next part of Valve's trickery announces a new gameplay mode for TF2; King of the Hill (KotH). KotH games consist of one point that begins locked for a minute or two. After a while, the point unlocks. When one of the teams is capping the point, a timer begins starting at 3 minutes. If the other team manages to move all their opponents from the point and begin capping it themselves, another timer starts at 3 minutes and the team that was previously on the point's time freezes at the time they had left.

The update also had one new KotH map, Koth Viaduct, and two previous maps converted into KotH, Nucleus and Sawmill.

While I'm not too happy with no new class update (though that's not guarunteed), KotH looks fun, and with more hats I'll have a better chance of getting one

Cool Thing Of The Week

2009-08-12T17:11:00.002-04:00

The cool folks down at ThinkGeek.com just added this cool little thing that I've been wanting since I was a wee lad.

What this is, is a little terrarium/tadpole tank themed around Yoda's home planet, Dagobah. It includes a mail form for tadpoles and food is only $40.

Hopefully, the frogs you get won't try to take over Pekopon

I could be next.

2009-08-12T04:18:00.001-04:00

Well, I guess I was wrong

2009-08-11T19:43:00.005-04:00

Remember how on the poll, one of the options was "Valve will do something crazy"? Those of you that voted for that are right... for now.

I'm still having a hard time trusting Valve ever since the Spy vs Sniper update. I'm always ready for them to pull a fast one on us all.

According to the TF2 Blog, the next update isn't going to be for any of the classes at all, in fact, they've even dubbed it the "Classless Update". The only thing that's really being done is that everyone's getting two new hats and the release of a popular community map, much like what was done with pl_hoodoo.

A patch does seem a bit much for only hats and a map... Or I could just be paranoid.

Do Not Be Alarmed

2009-08-10T03:04:00.004-04:00

Some of you may have noticed a few changes to the site, like the little chat box to the left, and how the stuff at the top reads the headline first and the site info second. I'm also working on setting it up so that you get a "Read More..." on the articles, as opposed to one long one taking up half the page.

Another new thing we've got is that I just made us a YouTube page. By Monday or Tuesday, the TF2 Dub I've been promising should be up and we should be working on other videos (and yes, I mean that seriously) this week.

P.S., I really am serious.

-Phill

This is why I love Nintendo

2009-08-10T00:18:00.002-04:00

I was browsing Kotaku recently when i stumbled across this peculiar video of someone opening a peculiar package from Nintendo.

I was very surprised by what was inside

I need to get this Dan

2009-08-09T14:41:00.004-04:00

Looks like someone got creative in MUGEN with Dan Hibiki's Otoko Michi - an attack where he grabs his opponent and blows up both of them and leaves him with 1 life point left.

This one, however, takes out both of them.

The best part is Dan giving the thumbs up at the end.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Review. Believe it!

2009-08-07T22:56:00.004-04:00

Are you ready for a storm? How about ninjas? How about if we put those two things together and have an ultimate ninja storm? Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm for the Playstation 3, you too can experience the joy of being a ninja with special ninja powers fighting other ninjas for the position of being the best ninja ever.

Okay, that’s probably not really accurate. While it does not really give real ninjas justice, this game will be good if you like Naruto. If you don’t like the license, well… Just don’t read this then.

If you happen to not know the anime, Naruto is about a boy who strives to become the top ninja in his village, also known as a hokage. However, he has a demon fox that pretty much gives him powers when he’s in a pinch. Over the course of the series, he makes a lot of friends, and blah. That’s pretty much all you need to learn at this point.

This is because the people over at Bandai Namco and Cyber 2 Connect decided to put the story of this game in the first series rather than the later, much more mature, second. From episodes 1-135, this game is pretty much a refresher course for fans and a primer for newbies or (if you’re like me), people that miss a bunch of episodes and want to know what happened in a nutshell. You’ll find the whole story in its mission mode (separated by its arcs).

The main mode (as there are really only two, the latter being a versus mode) is Ultimate mission mode, in which you control Naruto to explore the vast Leaf Village (the main hub) and complete missions. You can either play flashback missions (which, as aforementioned, are basically a retelling of the series), or free missions (which are unlocked by talking to various people). Unfortunately, instead of successively completing flashback missions (which are the only way you can unlock other characters), you must play free missions to fulfill the “experience needed” requirement. This builds into artificial length, which I don’t really like. However, some of the free missions are creative, such as playing a game of hide-and-go-seek or fighting matches under special conditions. Because of the length added (my English teacher told me never to start a sentence with because, but oh well), the story mode will easily take 8-11 hours to complete, and another few to complete every free mission.

The graphics, in short, are truly amazing. This is the equivalent of what would happen if the creators of Naruto decided to change the animation to 2D. It just looks stunning and fluid, as I only experienced frame rate drops a couple of rare times. The character models look really detailed as well (I mean, as detailed as anime can get), and the scenery is just gorgeous.

Unlike its predecessors (the surprisingly decent Ultimate Ninja PS2 series) that had you fighting on a 2D plane, this game has two players fighting it out on a 3D arena. Most of the attacks are performed by mashing the circle button, which I find pretty easy to learn, which equals more accessible. However, there are other techniques you can use as well, such as throwing projectiles, or summoning support characters. While the size of the playing fields can cause many time outs in two-player games, it can be fun solo.

The main meat and potatoes of the fighting are the jutsus (special attacks). Provided you have the energy (chakra, which can be charged up), using the triangle button followed by the circle button, players can use signature attacks from the anime. Pressing the triangle button a second time enables the ultimate jutsu, which are cutscene based super attacks. Both players must enter a string of buttons (or you can change this to spinning the control stick or mashing a button), and if the attacking player wins, he or she gets to continue the attack. If the defending player wins, he or she dodges the attack and suffers little to no damage. While I did enjoy this, I found that only one ultimate jutsu per character was limiting, and later matches were won just by spamming the ultimate justu button.

The other problem I had were the lack of new characters. I know that this is the first series of Naruto and everything, and the publishers were focusing on flagship characters ( the game has a roster of the 25 most noticeable characters in the series, from the obvious genin 9 and most of their mentors to just one of the sound ninja five, Kimmimaro), but I was really hoping for more. While some of the other characters are available as downloadable support (free, I might add), I really felt that the game could have easily put in five to ten more to tell the story correctly. An inclusion of the rest of the Sound Ninja five as well as perhaps Haku and Zabuza would have been great.

One last thing to add is the inclusion of a Japanese audio track. If you’re a Japanese purist (I, by all means, am not), you’ll love the addition of Naruto… in Japanese! While the English audio works, you could try out the wonders of other voice actors saying their lines.

While limited special moves, artificial length, and a basic lineup of characters (not to mention this is Naruto) may limit appeal for this game, it’s perhaps the most definitive version of an anime license I’ve seen. If you’re a fan of the series, like anime, or even remotely care about pretty graphics, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is right up your alley. And even if it isn’t, hey, you’ll always have Street Fighter 4.

Score: 8/10

Yeah, We're Doing These Too....

2009-08-07T18:16:00.002-04:00

It appears that one of the members of the Gentlemen and Hand Grenades team (Vic) has made one of those TF2 Dubs.

The TF2 dub is of the Japanese film, Battle Royal, where a bunch of high school students are put on an island and forced to fight until only one remains. So think of it as like a cross between Manhunt and Lord of the Flies.

I might make one too, come to think of it.

Enjoy.

HEY YOU MAGGOTS

2009-08-06T01:13:00.002-04:00

SOME PERSON WHO IS MORE OF A MAN THAN YOU WILL EVER BE HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A TF2 THEME, THE SWAMP SET. NOW GO AND MAKE ME PROUD, BOYS.

"No Swimming" Sign In case you need to warn people to stay out of the water.
Reeds and Cattails Swamp shrubbery.
Mushrooms We don't recommend eating them.
Crocodile Cutout Good for scaring off people who can't tell it is wooden.
Lightpost We don't recommend eating this either.
Intelligence Sign For alerting your enemies as to where you're keeping it.
Buoy For keeping boaters in line.
Buttress Tree It's a big tree. Really big.
Jetty It's like a dock, but smaller.
Buttress Stump It used to be a big tree. Really big.
Oar Being in a swamp without a paddle is just as bad a situation.
Cracky Crate Once proudly used for shipping Cracky Pop, this crate now rots away slowly.
Rowboat Because some people like floating on top of murky, alligator infested water.
Swamp Tree Some scraggly foliage.
Chainsaw More rubble, less trouble!
Mounted Deer Bust All you friends will know how big that stag was.
Railings If you're a nice person and want to keep people from falling into the water.

Materials

Swamp Rockwall A rockwall for swamps.
Swamp Mud A swamp wouldn't be a swamp without it.
Swamp Grass For less muddy places where grass would grow.
Swamp Mud #2 If you didn't have enough already.
Dirt to Grass Blend For that transition from dirt to grass.
Swamp Mud Blend For going from one mud to another.
Dirt to Grass Blend #2 For that other transition from dirt to grass.
Swampy Concrete It's not very pretty.
Swamp Water Definately not for drinking. Or swimming. Or anything, really.
Vine No swinging.

Overlays

Algae All ponds need critters.
Wade Canoes Sign In case you happen to sell canoes and be named Wade.
Water Level Marker For determining the height of the water.
"No Swimming" Sign Didn't we cover this already?
Bayou Shipping Sign For shipping on a bayou.
Hazardous Environments Sign To warn people that the environment is hazardous. Of course it is.
"Do not Feed the Gator" Sign Because some people think feeding the gator is a good idea.
Freeman Airboat Tours Sign We hear it's dangerous.
"Watch Your Step" Sign Who knew there would be slippery stuff in a swamp?
TF2Maps Sign Uh, how'd this get here?
"Out of Order" Sign When things aren't in order, you can tell everyone.
"Area Prone to Leaks" Sign For maps which have leaks.
Spawn-N-Go Sign Did you know that fish "spawn"? Neat, huh?

Skyboxes

Starry Night Skybox A starry sky for a swampy night.
Cloudy Night Skybox A cloudy sky for a swampy night.
Hazy Daytime Skybox A hazy sky for a not-so-clear day.
Hurricane Daytime Skybox A cloudy sky for a stormy day.

Detail Sprites

Swamp Detail Sprites To give swampy grass some dimension.

Particles

Bug Swarm They bite.
Buoy Flash Alert!
Water Drip If you want your map to have a leak.
Goo Bubble It's a sticky situation.
Swampy Smoke To add to the fresh aroma of the swamp.
Lightning If a storm is rolling in.

Scripts

Swamp Soundscape To add ambience to this horrid environment.

Source Files

Swamp Theme Zoo A VMF library of everything in this pack.
Website Vignette The VMF and BSP for the swamp vignette at the top of this page.

Oh Hai

2009-08-04T16:37:00.003-04:00

As you know, I have not posted in a long time. Why, you may ask? I am lazy. So to make up for it, I will post two vids today.

"DO WANT" is the only way to describe my emotions about this:

A good U.N. Owen YTPMV I discovered the other day.

Trust Me, it's Worth It

2009-08-03T17:45:00.003-04:00

Video Game - E3 2009 - Wii

In an interview with G4, Tatsunoko vs Capcom producer Ryota Niitsuma talked about the licensing issues facing them with bringing it to the US.

While at Comic Con, I spoke to one of the Capcom representatives about that. To paraphrase him, "It was a pain in the ass, but we got through it". Then later, at the Capcom Fighting Games panel I went to, I believe it was Ryota that said that they had so many things to deal with. Not only did they have to get the licences for the characters, but also their theme songs and their catchphrases.

However, he did love my Dan costume:

Next TF2 Update?

2009-08-02T17:13:00.003-04:00

The recent post on the Official TF2 Blog moderately hints that the next TF2 update could be for the Soldier. Also speculated by nerds on the internet is the possibility of a new "King of the Hill"-type game mode.

Now, this is purely speculation. For all we know, Valve could pull a fast one on us and make it be for the Demoman, and only wanted us to think it was for the Soldier.

However, we want to know who you, yes you think will be updated next. So, until August 20th, there will be a little poll box in the upper-left hand corner of this site, feel free to vote and if you want, leave why you voted how you did in the comments below.

Sometimes, Valve just makes my head hurt.

Video of the Day

2009-08-02T15:10:00.001-04:00

A great remix of the Sand Canyon background music from Kirby, with none other than Ashley J. Williams

The Do's and Don'ts of Comic Con

2009-07-28T01:10:00.007-04:00

This was my first year going to Comic Con, and I feel it's kinda my duty to share the stuff I learned with all of you guys.

Saturday Panels: The panels on Saturday are kinda a double-edged sword so to say. On one hand, some of the best panels of the week are done on Saturday. On the other hand, you have some of the biggest lines you may see in your whole life. So, there are three things I suggest:

-a) Go to one or two before it. Even if you don't care for it, going to the panel before the one you really want to pretty much guarantees that you get in, because they really can't kick you out of the room (or at least most don't).
-b) Commit, and I mean commit. Like for example, I went into the line for Mythbusters two hours in advance, thinking I'd get a good spot, but when I get there, I see that I probably wasn't getting in.
-c) Do a group line wait thing. What you do is, you go in a group of at least 3 people, and every hour or so you switch off. But this is something you should avoid doing as it usually pisses of the people behind you. What I suggest is that you make a deal with the person behind you that if you or someone in your group are the last people to get in, they can switch out with you.

Don't be afraid to ask cosplayers for a picture: Some people might be a little shy when it comes to asking a cosplayer for a picture of them in their costume, but this probably couldn't be more wrong to do. See, your average cosplayer actually likes flaunting the thing they put all that time and effort making.
Plan out what you want to do in advance: It really helps when you plan out everything in advance. What I recommend is that you also plan a backup activity in the event of you not being able to get into a certain panel or the Exhibitor Area is way too crowded. In my opinion, the best place for backups are usually the Anime Rooms, even if you don't care for anime. It's great because 1) it's rarely crowded, and 2) it's a great place to just sit down (other than on the floor) and relax.
Don't be afraid to talk to the guests: Many of us (myself included) are or were at one point kinda afraid to speak to guests at conventions such as this. But many don't avoid (if not enjoy) talking to the people that pay their bills. On Saturday, I was waiting for my ride, and guess who walks by me? Rocco from Mega64. He looked pretty busy, so I simply said "Hello!" to him, and he gave an even simpler "Hi" back with a smile.
Guests have to sign your book for free: You know that little souvenir book you get at registration? A little known fact is that Comic Con requires that all guests have to sign that for free. So, if you want someone's autograph, but don't want to fork out $50 or so for it, have them sign that. Though, not all people charge for autographs. Heck, I got a free signed mousepad from the producer of Fate/Unlimited Codes (even signed as "To Dan")
Feel free to ask for as much swag as you want: Funny story, I was on my way into the convention center, and at the crossing is where a lot of the swag is given out. One person is handing out these huge Mythbusters buttons, and I jokingly say "Hey, can I have like 5?" and she actually hands me five of them!
Get the big bags: While you are given a good sized shopping bag with the book and other stuff, try and get one of the big bags for free. One of the things I really regret is not getting one of those. They're these huge 3' bags to put all your loot in that typically have stuff like Mythbusters, or Chuck or Doctor Who on them and they are supposed to be given out for free.
Get used to the area: Even small detours can really screw you up. On Sunday, I was going down to the convention center, and one of the freeways was closed for whatever reason, and we were literally driving around pretty much in circles for two hours.
Find a "hang out" spot: If you get tired, or separated and need to meet up, it's always a good idea to pick out an area for that. My brother and I picked out the east part of the second floor (where the anime is screened). We actually met some cool people and saw some awesome costumes there, along with being in a giant Caramelldansen.
If you need water, go to Anime Rooms: Let's face it - with thousands of people packed in an area, no amount of air conditioning is going to keep every area cool. If you're looking for a nice drink of water to help cool you down, do not, and I repeat, do not try and get it from the drinking fountain. The water from those will typically be either a) warm, b) have really low water pressure, or c) both. What I do suggest you do is quick run into one of the Anime Rooms, as they should have a water cooler tank with cups set up, just outside of the door.
The closer a booth is to a door, the more crowded it will be: Companies often fight over who gets the booth closest to the entrance, and have the best view coming into the Exhibitor Hall. So, if you're looking for a place with smaller crowds, I suggest you go towards the back of the hall.
Bring your own food: This is a bit of a no-brainer, not only for Comic Con and other conventions, but also for movie theaters and museums, because chances are that the food there will be ridiculously overpriced. I saw a sandwich going for $8 there!

That's about it for my Do's and Don'ts of Comic Con. I'll probably update it next year if I learn some more stuff.

As for conventions, next up: Youmacon.

I'll talk about the contest more when I get home and look at shipping rates. Plus, I'm staying with relatives out in CA, and I take it they don't like it when I hog up their computer.

Woo!

2009-07-27T21:05:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Comic Con sure was fun, but now it's over.

Sorry for not posting stuff like I said I would, I was encountering issues with my laptop. See, I was reinstalling XP on it the day before I left, and after I installed it, I didn't check anything really. Days later, at the hotel, I get a little message when I tried to connect to the internet. The message said something along the lines of "Could not connect, one of your drivers is not properly installed". Yeah, I forgot to put in all the drivers for the laptop that usually come with it when it's installed.

I'm still kinda relaxing a bit from Comic Con. Trust me, you all do not want to see (or even worse, smell) my sandals after pretty much 5 days straight of walking around in them.

I'll do a quick post on some Do's and Don'ts of Comic Con later (either tonight or tomorrow) and right now, I'm thinking about giving away some swag in a contest. More about that tomorrow.

I see I'm all over the internets now, so if anyone sees me, let me know (my email is Phill_gahg@yahoo.com)

-Phill

Reviews-a-palooza! aka an Apology

2009-07-27T18:00:00.004-04:00

So yeah, I pretty much fail. First off, sorry about not posting for a couple of weeks (even if I said I would), so a big apology to Phill. On the other hand, congratulations on being in the Maximum PC website!

Next off, I'd like to say the reason I haven't been posting: A flood of games (and maybe laziness, but whatever). Anyways, I just finished about three reviews,and I'm currently writing a few more in the near future.

The schedule as follows:

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (Complete)

Let's Tap (Complete, but some more revisions)

Rhythm Heaven (Near Completion)

Mirror's Edge (I just finished the game, writing the review now)

Space Channel 5 (I really need to finish half of it)

I'm hoping this will make up for the absence of posts.

P.S. I did opt to get the Punch Out download. More on that when Nintendo releases it.

Take a Look At a Hands-On of Left 4 Dead 2

2009-07-20T17:06:00.004-04:00

GameSpy recently had an exclusive Hands-On of Left 4 Dead 2's level, Swamp. One of the improvements upon Left 4 Dead 2 is the inclusion of "Common-Uncommons", or special common zombies. The special common zombies seen the Hands-On were a kind that could walk on all fours, run significantly faster than others, and go undetected in the bayou, which is sure to make players watch the waters like crazy.

Stay tuned (or whatever the correct term for a blog would be) later on this week, as I will also be demoing Left 4 Dead 2 at the San Diego Comic Con.

Why I Need To Get Street Fighter IV For The PC

2009-07-20T15:58:00.001-04:00

Yeah

2009-07-18T20:09:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, I'm back!

Contrary to what James said, I did not go to Comic Con, which is next week. I was at a Scout (not the kind that says "Boink!") camp. I had fun (and found out I was a pretty decent shot with a rifle too) while I was there.

-Phill

Pick your poison: Club Nintendo prizes announced!

2009-07-14T15:26:00.003-04:00

OMG it's finally here:

Okay, it's really small and all, but what's important is the content of the message. If you were one of the lucky ones that registered enough games to reach gold or platinum status on North America's iteration of Club Nintendo (released last year), you can get a choice of one of three (if you managed platinum) prizes! While gold gets a pretty calendar featuring a new game every month, platinum members get the choice of a plush mario hat or a downloadable Punch-out! match against Little Mac's mentor, Doc Louis. Better pick them soon, as they'll all be delivered on November 1st.

Now what to pick? While the mario hat has some resale value, I don't really know if I should get it. (I'm a sucker for downloadable wiiwares, especially if it's exclusive.) Find out what I pick later!

Gaming Gripes: Free 2 Play games

2009-07-13T17:14:00.003-04:00

Alright, I'm just gonna start out by saying that this really pisses me off. In case this is your first time on the internet, free to play games are games that are free to play, but require real life money to obtain any good items. Even Worse, most of these items disappear after a set time, so you're forced to buy it again and play nonstop to get your money's worth. Worst of all, these items don't just enrich your experience, they give you an unfair advantage over people (like me) with no money to spend on them. I don't know how many games have been ruined to me for that reason.

Sorry for a short post, I'm much lazier than Phill.
More Tomorrow!

Fillers

2009-07-13T17:09:00.004-04:00

Well, it looks like Phill has left for comic con so now it's up to me to keep the site alive. Gaming Gripe tomorrow.

P.S. MEGAMAN 9 IS REALLY FUCKING HARD

Ok Fine, One More For The Road

2009-07-11T02:26:00.005-04:00

I know I said that I would be going today (and I still am), but I'm having some problems sleeping right now. See, I fell asleep around midnight. When I awoke, I begin having thoughts of "Well, time to finish packing" and "Time to make myself some breakfast". About that moment, I decide to see what time it was and looked at my clock (which is about 20 min slow because of a power outage) and see something I did not expect: 2:00 am.

"%@#$%!", I exclaim. It appears that I was only asleep for no more than two hours. I tried going back to sleep, but I eventually gave up as the thing that keeps me awake more than anything is sleep itself.

Out of boredom I begin browsing the internet, checking my email, facebook and the such. During my browsing, I come upon and article from Kotaku (and yes, one of my goals is to diversify my gaming news sites) about something I wrote of not too long ago.

It appears that the IRL Gundam built in Japan has also taken a step into the virtual world as well. To celebrate the 30th anneversery of the Gundam franchise, a virtual replica of the Gundam statue will be added to PS3 Home from today until July 23rd.

Hey I'll get to play Left 4 Dead 2 at Comic Con...

(Story originaly from Inside-Games.Jp, Via Kotaku)

Bye, Paisanos!

2009-07-11T00:01:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm leaving today. I'm sorry if I'm getting a bit repetitive with the reminder, but I'm going to be putting Elisha (Katamaris4Ever) in charge while I'm gone.

I get back on the 18th, and three days after that, I will be flying out to San Diego to go Cover Comic Con. If anyone sees someone cosplaying as Dan Hibiki or Sgt Keroro in the crowd behind G4, that may be me. I'm definitely going to record some videos while I'm there, but I might not post them until I get back home (probable hardware issues with my laptop. But I'll try).

I just hope Vic and James don't do anything stupid...

-Phill

Deal Alert! aka EB Games/ Gamestop Price Drops

2009-07-10T21:23:00.004-04:00

I love being a deal hunter. It's really cool to see a 60 dollar game drop to 20 or lower. However, even I know that some titles will never drop their prices, as they usually sell out at a high price anyways.

Which is why I almost wet myself when I saw the EB Games drop list this month. While they are having a sale on a bunch of new titles (Prince of Persia and Infinite Undiscovery are the most noteworthy, as they're 20 bucks each) this month, I didn't realize that two DS RPGs dropped to a low price of 20 bucks too. Chrono Trigger and Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume are being reduced, and I strongly urge all of you to buy these titles. Chrono Trigger is regarded as one of the best RPGs in the genre, much less for the SNES. I also have a soft spot for Valkyrie profile, as it was pretty great on the original playstation. Plus, Square Enix rarely drops prices this soon on recent titles! Get a move on!

http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=73020 (for Valkyrie Profile)

http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=72012 (For Chrono Trigger)

http://www.ebgames.com/browse/ProductMerch.aspx?groupid=531 (Link to the sale)

Dragon Quest IX Gameplay

2009-07-10T03:12:00.004-04:00

The above video is footage from the Japanese show television show, Joudeki!! Geinoujin Kodawari Ou Kouza Iketaku, showing the co-op gameplay for the upcoming DS game and latest installment in the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest IX.

While I have honestly no clue what exactly they're saying, I'm aware that 1) the people playing it are Japanese celebrities, 2) this is the first time gameplay of it has been aired on network television, and 3) that the guy at the end with the fancy graphic and called "Gamu disihna" is the creator of the Dragon Quest Series.

And in minor site news, I'd just to like to remind everyone that I will be gone for the next week, but about 4 days later I will be heading out to Comic Con and getting good coverage of it. I don't know if I'll be able to post videos of it from my hotel, but I will definately be able to post pictures from it.

[Story originally from Kotaku.com]

New Column: Video Game Gripes

2009-07-06T18:52:00.007-04:00

Ok, before I begin, I'll admit it - I'm a bit lazy with this site. I said I was going to have the video up the day before, then I say I'll have it up yesterday and still don't. It's summer, pretty much all I want to do is sit around playing video games. But I'm going to try and keep doing this. I'll work on my next "The Meh, The Bad and The Weird" tonight. I was going to the game Justice League Task Force for the Genesis... except I can't find any of the cables for it. I was going to do one for the SNES, but for a while I can't find one of the cables for that either. It's like I've got some little Gnome that's going around, stealing all my cables.

Now, onto the column, "Video Game Gripes". Video Game Gripes is a colum that talks about all the annoying things in games, some of which are pointless today but still are around for one reason or another.

This week, I'll be talking about Random Battles.

Random Battles are pretty much a staple of all JRPGs out there, like Final Fantasy for example. They can be extremely annoying at times. Now, don't get me wrong. I understand the point of them - to level up your character to be able to fight bosses. There's pretty much two kinds of setups for Random Battles out there: the kind where you walk and eventually fight monsters after a short while and the kind where you can actually see the monsters roaming around and avoid them if you're lucky enough (thus gets rid of the whole "Oh God, I hope I don't get attacked. Just a little farther" scenarios). I don't know what excactly to classify Pokemon as, becuase it's one where it only happens in certain areas. Random Battles can occasionally be much more than annoying because there have been times where I've literally taken only two steps and had to go through one. This is even more annoying when you're low on health or mana and need to rush back town, only to encounter a Random Battle that wipes out your whole party.

Yeah, most games that do that let you flee, but besides making you feel like a little coward, a lot of times you can't. You know, the whole "You try to run... but enemies block the way!". I swear sometimes I can hear some evil laughter in the background when that happens.

There are also usually items that temporarily make monsters not attack you, but 1) you have to buy that (thus spend money you could on other stuff, just to make them not attack you) and 2) it usually doesn't last very long.

Random Battles usually result in you facing weak little monsters (like Slimes) that can easilly be killed in one hit, the whole time just spamming the A (or X or whatever) button until you get carpal tunnel.

One last time, I realize the importance of Random Battles. However, it'd just be better (at least in my oppinion) to be able to physically see them and avoid them with some skill.

Next time, I'll be talking about the dreaded Invisible Walls.

Just as a heads up, I won't be posting anything next week. I'll be gone until the 18th, and hopefully this site will be in good hands.

New Video... Sort Of

2009-07-04T19:22:00.002-04:00

I've got some good news and some bad news. Typically, I give the bad news first. However, the bad news won't make any sense if I give it first, so I'm starting with the good news.

Good News: There will be a special 4th of July video about games with the number 4 in their title.

Bad News: Due to some technical issues, I'll only be able to post that tomorrow. Thank you all for being patient.

And If You Thought The Spanish ShamWow Version Was Bad...

2009-07-02T01:15:00.001-04:00

And I Thought He Was Annoying In English

2009-07-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

Deals of the Month - July 2009

2009-07-01T15:38:00.000-04:00

One of the things I've been thinking about doing for a while now was do a monthly post about deals with Video Games, Anime/Manga, Computers Parts & Software and other cool things. Sort of like what LifeHacker does, except not restricted to tech stuff.

Right now, Borders is having a BIG sale on CDs and DVDs. The DVDs are going on sale for about $7, and the CDs for about $8. I'm going to just talk about the DVDs right now, just because what exactly is on sale.

Basically, the deals for this month are anime:

First up is Dragon Ball Z: Vageto Saga II - Saiyan Invasion
Next is Hellsing Volume 1: Impure Souls
Another good one on sale is Samurai Champloo Volume 1
If you're into Basketball, then you'll like the famous Slam Dunk series
I've never watched Air Master, but I've heard some good things about it
Lastly is the infamous Rozen Maiden anime

Hawwwhhhhhaaaaa!??!?!?!?

2009-06-30T01:22:00.000-04:00

We all know that Hollywood is coming up with a bunch of silly ideas for films, what with the Bazooka Joe (yes, the guy from the gum comics) movie being made. It also appears that it's not just Hollywood that's doing that, as there is currently a Spider-Man Broadway Musical in the works. Yes, you read right and the calendar is not April 1 - this is for real. It appears that Bono and The Edge from U2 are writing all the music for it.

Is it me, or does this sound like a stupid idea? Yeah, I can see Monty Python's Holy Grail and Young Frankenstein, but not Spider-Man. I mean, come on, really? Even it's title (Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark) sounds just plain absurd.

Well, we'll all have to wait until February of next year for this. Until then, I'll just hope there's nothing like this in there:

He's Doing the Big Pitch in the Sky

2009-06-29T03:09:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I know James already did a thing on Billy Mays (and no, James, I'm not trying to show you up or something), but I'd just like to say some things about him too.

I remember back when I was a kid and saw him on TV, and not really knowing his name so I referred to him as "That Shouty Guy". I liked his ads, not really because of the latest thing he was hawking, but more because I just really saw him as a crazy man that talked really loud. So I guess all that (for a lack of a better term, because he says that it's not for him) "shouting" and flashy colors sure caught my attention as a wee one. Heck, a TF2 Dub of one of his Kaboom! ads was the first real post on this blog.

The thing about the stuff he did ads for that set him kinda apart from all the other TV Pitchmen was that the stuff actually were fairly practical, and according to Popular Mechanics, worked more than you'd think they would.

One of the things I'd like to know about his death would be the cause. Some say it was a bumpy airplane flight, others blame Vince Offer (aka, the ShamWow Guy). Either way, he will be missed. One of the things I hear some people are doing as a sort of tribute to him is wearing a blue shirt like he had, kinda like how mourners wear black arm bands. In fact, I might do that myself if I can find one.

Another Sad Day

2009-06-28T19:31:00.000-04:00

Well people, another influential person in media has recently died. The infamous Billy Mays, king of direct-response advertisements was found dead in his house at 7:45 A.M. today. He will be remembered for the (probably) essential products he has pitched us, as well as the excellent show Pitchmen. Something seems amiss, though. I find it odd how two influential men, both 50 died within a few days. Just thinking

Now to finish with a tribute:

Parappa the Rapper Review

2009-06-28T01:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the long post time. Computer problems and laziness caused this.

Usually when people play or review sequels of video games, they always tend to gauge on how well it stacked up to its predecessor, which always leads to lower scores. The purists of a franchise tend to hate sequels (even though they are the reason developers make these), while first-timers are pleased to play an improved version of a series. But more often than not, a sequel falls flat on its face in terms of… well, overall quality.
Personally, the game I’m about to review, Parappa the Rapper 2, was on my ‘please get’ list, since I couldn’t find a copy in four years. Since I never played the original, and I don’t have a PSP, I decided to just get the sequel. Even though I’ve read forum topics that have said the second game is very inferior to the first, I shrugged those feelings off. No harm done, right?
Unfortunately, even without playing the original, this game is pretty disappointing. The game starts off with a rapping puppy named Parappa that just won a lifetime supply of noodles, which in turn, makes him sick of eating them. However, due to a recent diva tantrum at his girlfriend Sunny’s house, his maturity is questioned, and he must prove that he’s become a man. He also needs to stop the town from becoming victim to a noodle syndicate. The story is pretty crazy, but it’s kind of sub-par when it compares to recent fare, like Space Channel 5, or Katamari Damacy (yeah, these games came out after Parappa 2, but still…)
Gameplay is in the simple department. During a stage, Parappa will be doing a task with his rapping teacher (a spirit of a restaurant owner, an instructing cow, an ant, etc.). As the teacher raps, buttons will be corresponding with some of the words, which in turn, the player must imitate. If Parappa does not follow the line, the meter at the bottom-left hand of the screen turns from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ to ‘awful’, and after that will end the game. The player needs to get at least a good rating to move on. This scheme can get pretty easy, as one could just line up button presses with the layout.

However, in order to get the highest rating, ‘cool’, and thus allowing even more freedom to the player, he or she must improvise the line to make it sound better. For example, if the line is “cook those burgers,”, a player could manipulate the presses to say “ cook, cook, burgers, cook cook those burgers.” It sounds nice on paper, but this is the main flaw of the game. Sometimes I would make a perfectly good rhyme and the computer wouldn’t register it, but I could make a terrible sentence that sounded like a castrated cat and it would give me full points. However, the reason I’m really docking points for this one is because of the fact that even perfectly following the right phrases would be incorrect. I don’t mind losing points for being creative, but when I lose points for following the directions, I’ll get ticked.

There's also a versus mode that's pretty petty in terms of depth.
The music isn’t half-bad, but that means it’s only half-good. Some of them are upbeat and exciting, while some of them are mellow and quiet. They range from all different styles of rap, from a little upbeat pop rap of the military instructor to the reggae tones of the octopus (thing) barber. They all have distinct styles, but are kind of… common. Of the eight tracks that are in the game, I only really liked four of them, and while I did play through all of them, I only found three that were really memorable.
While it is fun to play for a couple of hours, it’ll be just that- a couple of hours. There are eight songs to choose from, and you’ll have to beat the game four times to experience everything, but after that, there’s not much there. True, I’ll put it away and then play it again, but I’d rather be satisfied that I finished it and wait for a month to eagerly play it again. While I do repeat some of the lyrics from time to time, it’s not something I’m going to remember for a long time.
If you’re looking for original zany gameplay that has top notch weirdness, you could try this game. However, if you’re looking for something that will eat your time up, I suggest picking up a copy of Katamari Damacy or the original Parappa (so I’ve heard).

Score: 6/10

P.S. Watch out for Space Channel 5 (in rememberance of Michael Jackson...)

Sorry...

2009-06-28T01:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of news yesterday, Vic, James and I were all out doing stuff today, including seeing Big Man Japan.

Comic: Hey Paisanos!

2009-06-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

(Click for better view. Blogger's being stupd)

This is the comic I've been talking about.

First off, for all you Sony fanboys out there, this is just a joke. If this will be a recurring thing (hopefully), I'll be probably making fun of the Wii Vitality Sensor next. So, if you're one of those people who take these sort of things too seriously, I have some advice: don't.

Second, for those of you that don't get the joke, I'm basically saying Sony's ripping off Nintendo and Microsoft with a "wand" motion-sensitive controller, and relies on a camera for interaction.

Lastly, I'd like to give a big thanks out to the artist of this fine work, Staffan. His deviantART account is: http://stengner.deviantart.com/

Once again, thanks Staffan!

(Note: I do realize it's a bit late, but Staffan says he's been busy)

R.I.P.

2009-06-25T21:19:00.000-04:00

Today, one of the most famous men in the music industry has passed away. That man is Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. All allegations of pedophilia and weird stories aside, this guy's death is pretty saddening.

He's not only been an influence on music, but oddly enough, Games too. Along with his own game, Jacko has been rumored to have written the soundtrack to Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (but uncredited).

Anyways, in honor of his passing, here's some of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker.

Other Site News

2009-06-24T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone reading this, I've got a few little announcements for the site:

I've recieved the rough draft of the comic I said would be on here a while back. According to the artist, it's so late because he's been busy lately, along with not being able to get to a computer with internet to send me it.
Along with Comic Con this summer, we'll also be down at Youmacon this fall.
Lastly, we're going to work on two or three videos sometime this or nextweek.

One thing that may not qualify as "Site News" but is still mildly important is about the next "The Meh, The Bad and The Weird". In the last one, I said that I was going to do a Sega Genesis game. Problem is, I can't find my power and video out cables for it, so I might be doing a PC one instead. I know that's not too important news, but I don't want to be a liar.

Oh, and the video below is in honor of Transformers 2 coming out today.

You've got The Touch
-Phill