edmundus

I've watched Dan's previous attempts at this with Game Informer, and you're right, it's hard to tell how long it might go for. I never owned a Nes but Tyson looks like no joke, I can see why the fight has a reputation for being super difficult.

It seems like the guys have really been knocking it out the park these past few weeks. The steady stream of content has been great, so much so that I forget that I'm craving MGS3. Drew mentioned a possible new show on the last Bombcast, any word on what that could be?

It's also been cool to have GBEast putting out content again, the Raven's Cry QL in particular is one of the funniest things I've ever encountered on this site. As of typing this I've still got about 9.5 hours of video to enjoy, largely from this week alone.

I rarely post on the forums, but I just wanted to express my appreciation, cheers duders.

@subwayd: Unfortunately it's not that, but thanks for searching dude! The visuals in the game I'm thinking of were a bit darker, and less cartoony. I'm starting to wonder if I could just call up my old school and see if they would have records for this sort of thing.

A children's point and click adventure game about Red Riding Hood that I played on a school computer (maybe Acorn?) around 1994. Possibly made in Britain. From what I recall it had 16 bit visuals, and there was a map screen where you could select which area to go next (the game may have been set in the woods). My most vivid memory of the game is being confronted by the wolf, who I think demanded food. Offering him a carrot did nothing, but clicking nuts made the player throw a nut at him, which caused the wolf's face to enlarge and fill the screen (as if he was lunging towards you), making the game say 'quick! throw another nut!', and doing so made the wolf scamper off.

@viciousanchovy: Wow, I had no idea that game's music was packed with classical works! Always interesting to see how pieces are used in a game, sometimes an unexpected context makes me think of the piece in a new light.

@dogma: I only got into classical in the past few years, so it's been fun going back to games I played when I was young and recognising classical pieces in them. I agree that it's a shame that classical gets an unfair rap these days, I reckon most people would find something to enjoy in there if they explored more. Even describing all western art music with the collective label 'classical' probably doesn't help.

It's interesting that a few pieces have stuck out as being exceptionally popular in videogames. In retro gaming it seems like polyphonic pieces from the baroque era were very useful for meeting the limitations of older sound hardware, so there's a lot of Bach in older titles. Others have mentioned Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which seems to get a lot of mileage as a result of its modern reputation as a 'creepy' piece. The melody from Chopin's famous funeral march is also used a few times as a death theme in older games, which makes sense since it's instantly recognisable and has the right connotations.

I have to admit, my gut reaction on hearing classical in a modern videogame is to assume it's being used as a quick injection of 'artiness'. But in a few cases there's something else going on (like the mention of Dvorak's 9th having a precedent for being associated with the moon), which is always really interesting to hear.

I wouldn't recommend starting with anything other than MGS1, and then doing 2-4 before playing 5. Even though it's chronologically set before 1, I'm pretty sure 5 will be designed for someone familiar with plot points from the other games, and so you'll enjoy it a lot more if you're filled in on all the story. If you don't fancy playing all the games, then as someone else suggested there are compilations available on YouTube. They're great games though, so check them out!

@wlleiotl said:

I'm Welsh and have to agree about the No campaign becoming increasingly desperate in recent weeks. The level of scaremongering in the mainstream media is disgusting, you'd think the world would come to an end if Scotland voted Yes.

For my own part, I'd be very pleased to see an independent Scotland as a knock against Westminster and the monarchy.

@vincentavatar: I found Witcher 1 a bit of a slog at times, but overall I enjoyed it, and I think you'll be glad you played through it when you get to Witcher 2 and import your save file. Even if it doesn't make a huge difference to the gameplay, it's a great feeling to recognise various characters and locations and feel further immersed in the world as a result. I might even say that it was worth seeing the clunky aspects of Witcher 1 so as to better appreciate the improvements in the sequel.

This is a great post.