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By vidiot 8 Comments
WOWZERS
By vidiot 5 Comments
Yeah, I'm not used to this.
Yesterday my review of Yakuza 3 I wrote a few weeks ago, became the featured review on the site. I had done a few reviews before, but nothing the likes of this. I really took an effort to cover just about every facet of what I played, to an admittedly almost OCD level . I didn't think it was even in contention, seeing how after I posted it there have been a bunch of other featured reviews. I was also concerned that parts were too editorialized, even though I couldn't get away at the context surrounding the game's release.
For those of you who are clicking on this profile page for the first time, I think I should have something that's less immediately confrontational as a deceleration of my biased personal politics. :P
A few things: I have gotten the usual increase in followers, although it's nothing to really write about. If you have decided/decide to follow me, I wouldst mind a PM to go along with it. I like talking to users here and I'll feel more comfortable following you back, I'm kinda swimming in inbox notifications that don't seem to go down.
Another thing: Really, three people out there didn't like this review? I'm not upset that you didn't like it, I would just like some feedback to why.
A few people I want to thank.
First guy is jlrm01. When GiantBomb was giving me headaches not giving me headers, he suggested I made my own. Subsequently, when Giant Bomb decided not to show the transparency, he talked me through it as if I was some pathetic sap who never touched HTML in my life. (My HTML skills were not the problem, had to fight the way GB defaults when it applies images.)
Next is... this person....Who initially suggested I write the review in the first place.
...
...Moving on....
Oh, and enfriz, who I think was the mod who recommended it. Thanks.
And thanks to viewers like you. PBS joke. Do people outside the US understand that joke? Whatever.
No seriously, everyone I have gotten to know for the most part is awesome in this community. I guess the only thing to do now is to write another huge review. :P
Fox News is the "Lupus of News"
By vidiot 12 Comments
For those of you who watch The Daily Show, specifically last nights episode, you saw something special. So much so that I couldn't contain myself, specifically because it has quite possibly the best even-handed description I have ever heard describing Fox News. Remove the gospel choir. Remove the pathetic rebuttal Bernard Goldberg (fuck that guy.) for some stupid reason, actually talking down to Jon Stewart and saying is worse than Jay Leno. (Moron clearly hasn't watched either show.)
Just read this, for it almost encapsulates my entire feelings about the news network. Something tells me that "The Lupus of News" is going to catch on.
You're criticizing me for not living up to your tagline. And you dismiss any criticism as further evidence of how the rest of the media persecute you. You like to pretend, Bernie Goldberg and Fox News, that the relentless conservative activism of Fox News is the equivalent of the disorganized liberal influence you find at NBC, ABC and CBS. But Fox News, you may be able to detect a liberal pathogen in their bloodstream, however faint. But Fox News is such a crazy over-reaction to that perceived threat, you're like an auto-immune disorder. I'm not saying the virus doesn't exist in some small quantity. But you're producing way too many antibodies. Fox News, you're the lupus of news.
Why haven't they figured it out yet? Do not go against this guy. Jon Stewart practically single-handedly ended the likes of CrossFire. He ruined CNBC's reputation. He's made an absolute mockery of Glenn Beck. The man has debated and destroyed the likes of many mouth pieces who are never questioned in the 24hr news cycle. Bernard Goldberg, when Jon Stewart was telling you jokingly he doesn't want to fight with you: He's throwing you a life-line, you don't want this type of attention.
Too late.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bernie Goldberg Fires Back | ||||
| ||||
Infinity-Tastic
By vidiot 6 Comments
I was really taken aback from the rather large positive response concerning my Yakuza 3 review. I was quite concerned that it might have rubbed certain individuals the wrong way, specifically over what I thought was too much editorial regarding the confusing straights that the Yakuza franchise is released in the west. I don't normally do reviews, but I think that might change. It took a while to write that review, but the pay-off was impressive. Whether the positive praise was spurred on because of Giant Bomb's quest system, I could care less. Thanks for the kind words.
I should be playing Final Fantasy XIII.
But I'm not.
I've been bouncing between the game, but in all honesty I'm actually looking forward in tackling Yakuza 3's ridiculous mini-game master trophy than jump back and continue playing XIII. It doesn't help that I recently picked up a little game called Resonance of Fate, and I've been, to use the a less technical impression: Enthralled with it. I don't hate or dislike Final Fantasy XIII, and it's been quite mind-numbing to continue to read thread after thread of individuals who have discovered that over twenty years of game development: There might be large general differences between Japanese RPG's and RPG's made in the west. It bothers me when an individual jumps on to the forum, generally believing that this is some sort of brand new revelation, unspoken by the masses. I don't know whether they're uninformed, trolls, idiots or all the above.
Don't get me wrong: Final Fantasy XIII has a multitude of problems, many of which are not acceptable for an over five year development cycle. It seems though, that once again, the topic of accepted critical conversation is not with things that immediately demand it. Although I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll write about my complicated relationship with Final Fantasy XIII later. I've played, and beaten, every entry in the main series and I don't intend to break that trend.
It goes without saying, but why SteamPunk isn't commonly used in games these days is a concept that is beyond me.
Which brings me to Infinity-Ward.
I have no segue, it's called a "Brain Dump" for a reason. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!
Have you been following what's been going on at Infinity Ward? I have a follow up question to that: Do you really care?
Relationships with developers and publishers are usually rocky at best, at least that seems to be the general consensus with gaming blogs and news outlets. The business side of the gaming industry is just as cut-throat as any general entertainment industry, but there is...a naivety...(Struggling to find the right word here.) for a lot of people when it comes to the internal politics of these multi-million dollar companies that make their entertainment.
What's happened at Activision and Infinity Ward both interests me and at the same time perplexes me. Gamers crying foul that the Modern Warfare franchise will now flounder. Every new day it seems Kotaku is plastered with more news about what exactly happened. People being fired. People not getting paid. People suing each other. People counter-suing each other. It's pretty damn complicated at this point.
When Jeff was let go from Gamespot, it was pretty clear who the victim was. Not necessarily Jeff, but the Gamespot community as a large with multiple staff heads jumping ship. While I still like Gamespot, I rarely visit it these days as the fallout of the what transpired still flounder a bit. The site is simply is not what it used to be.
The heads at Infinity Ward jumped ship from the Medal of Honor franchise years ago, to venture out and expand their imaginations with...Call of Duty. Watching the decline of the MoH franchise, it's clear that they're influence was instrumental. There are different factors that are in play this time: Modern Warfare 2 is the most commercially successful thing since people printed money and stopped using rocks as usable bartering means. Perhaps I'm wrong: But I don't see this franchise biting the dust just yet.
This idea that a few individuals make up the creative vision of Modern Warfare is something I don't understand either, because I don't think Modern Warfare has creative vision.
Soul-less, would be the nicest way I could describe Modern Warfare 2's singleplayer campaign. The writing credits run like a laundry list of people's names, enforcing a concept that the game was written by committee. ("I WANNA HAVE A LEVEL IN WHICH YER ON SNOWMOBILES", "I WANNA DO A LEVEL WITH A TERRORIST ATTACK", "I SAW THE MOVIE RED DAWN CAN WE HAVE A LEVEL LIKE THAT?!", "HEY! I WANNA DO A LEVEL LIKE THAT AND THEN THERE WAS THIS ONE MOVIE I SAW".... etc, etc.) I think whatever future for Captain Price and Soap has will be bright, and equally confusing as the last outing.
While I'm upset that these talented guys were let go, I'm more concerned whether or not they were paid correctly like the initially stated they weren't versus anything happening to the franchise. I don't get the same feeling that, let's say Hideo Kojima leaving the Metal Gear series without any form of supervision. Or Sakaguhi's departure from Square. I'll be more concerned about what the level designers decide to do, or multiplayer designers....with their no dedicated servers, overpriced map packs and glitch-tastic multiplayer...or is that all Activision's fault?... I can't keep up with this.
It's just difficult for me to take sides, if any with this case. Given the money involved and my personal ambivalence to the last Modern Warfare, what's transpiring feels more like a slow moving car crash, versus anything overtly despicable. Were not going to know what actually happened until all this goes...or doesn't go to court, and until then it seems like every new news article seems to be piling on a generally bigger mess with no end in sight.
It's never a good thing when a publisher exploits it's developer. If the allegations are true, I hope the right thing will prevail. My best regards to the talented individuals who are leaving.
Obligatory quest blog thing.
By vidiot 4 Comments
Hey, look, I'm writing a blog.
Yeah, I've written quite a few before but I get a cool "achievement" thingy if I type a new one. I recently spent a bunch of time writing a review for Yakuza 3. You should read it. I also printed a custom cover for Yakuza 3.
Hell, I even want to do some more video streaming. Anyway, fun stuff is gonna happen in the future.
Yes, I still need to finish Final Fantasy XIII. I know, I'm bad.
The Vidiot Show Episode 1...Yes, I'm serious.
By vidiot 4 Comments
You read that right. I have made myself a show. The end is nigh indeed. Not going to post this on the forums yet. Scroll down.
I don't know why LiveStream is so weird when it comes to video playback. I've had nothing but trouble trying to get this to work. I'll look for places where I can host or stream the video elsewhere.
What is it?
It's me. Playing a game I've never played before. People come in with chat, it's a bunch of fun.
What game are you playing?
The never released outside of Japan, Hideo Kojima adventure game known as Policenauts.
I go to your site, I hear it looping but all I see is a black screen!!!!
I don't know what the hell is going on. Just click each clip on the bottom manually.
When will you be doing this again?
I'll give about an hours warning before hand. Check around sometime between 10.00-12.00 pm PST. I have no real schedule down in stone, I'm going to try and complete a chapter per episode.
This show has changed my life
Yeah, I know. I have that effect on people.
Holy shit! Is that your voice?!
Probably. That or someone broke into my house and is impersonating me.
What beer are you drinking?
Usually some type of amber ale.
Things you should know beforehand:
This is unedited unscripted footage, and thus can be a bit boring time to time. There are actually a few times while playing I kept my voice down, there were other people around of whom I did not want to disturb.
The beginning is pretty funny. After suffering trying to get the capture software, and the emulator to run in tandem it broke down the moment I tried to start it. I will be using PSX and not ePSXe sadly.
So without further ado:
The Vidiot Show: Episode 1
Part 1
vidiot on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
Part 2
vidiot on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
Part 3
Watch live streaming video from vidiot at livestream.com
Part 4
Watch live streaming video from vidiot at livestream.com
Live stream website:
http://www.livestream.com/vidiot/
I hope you enjoy it.
Final Massive thoughts, and I complain about Square
By vidiot 5 Comments
Thought I would at least type a private blog, for those of you who are remotely interested in why the hell my usual updates have practically dissipated.
Life is a go!
What a cop-out excuse for a lack of blogging. I could sit here and state that my school work has increased, which it has. I could sit here and state that a cornucopia of family issues have impeded my ability to sit and just write, which has happened. I could sit here and state that my current job stress work-flow has increased, with a variety of people who were apparently my "boss" finding themselves totally unemployed, keeping my mind preoccupied being stressed on things I have no business in thinking about.
My excuse
The alien Taxtillion army of the Sha'Nacka'tick'tack'toka quadrant raided downtown Seattle. A rag-tag group of freedom fighters known as Burning Icecream started an insurgency against the Lizard Invaders as they enslaved the populace. The victims, brought down into giant holes bored into the earth, were subjected in the Taxtillion underground cities to all manner of abuse both mentally and physically. I was contacted less than a month ago by the insurgency, to aid in their cause. I was confused, mostly do to the fact that I didn't understand why alien invaders would make/have underground cities, and regarded it as a concept that: "Totally sounded awesome in my head, retarded out loud". Regardless, I have spent the last few weeks raging war against these reptilian overlords. I lost friends, gained enemies, and probably made love to an evil reptilian's overlords daughter. That part is kinda sketchy.
Regardless....again.... I saved the planet by detonating a nuke in outer space.
Thanks to a poorly written plot device that written by a mentally challenged man child, who's only knowledge of the world is 80's action films, the nuke knocked out the power in Seattle...allowing us...to win...Or something...I'm not exactly sure how it worked, or why we haven't all died from nuclear fallout, the plan was written with macaroni and glued to a piece of paper.
Rahm Emanuel (NO SEGWAY, JUST DEAL WITH IT) for some reason is being attacked by Sarah Palin for using the word "retarded". For anyone who has any basic knowledge of this individual knows that "retarded" is the least offensive thing he has been quoted on saying. I stand behind using the word, not for political purposes but because the goddamn Batman says so.
So that's my excuse.
Either that happened...Or...I have been drinking. Can't tell.
Final Thoughts Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2 has the best ending I've seen in a videogame in years.
I'm so tired of seeing games being released with hacked up endings. As if games are made in a linear nature, with one part being made one brick at a time. The reality is vastly different, although of course subjective game to game. Portions, are of course developed at multiple time frames, a poor ending is usually due to a budget constraint or just general lack of planning. This is not the case what-so-ever with Mass Effect 2, a game in that has a narrative focused on preparing for a suicide mission, a sequence that does not disappoint. I honestly have no memory of being so emotionally entrenched in a video game scene. Telling certain individuals, some characters that my Shepard had been friends with since the first game, do specific tasks knowing that there was a chance I was sending them to their deaths was perhaps the most gut-wrenching story moment I've seen in a game for years. The fact that I was able to walk away with my entire team intact didn't take away from the sequence, a sequence that was also busting by the seams with sheer palpable epic-ness.
I have some critiques though:
- Get rid of the mission level design. I don't mind having a mission ending screen, although it's jarring to see in an RPG. What I mean "mission level design" is the obvious change and layout of an area from a populated environment to a "combat zone". When you reach an area that's going to have fighting, you clearly know what's about to happen. All of a sudden barriers and obvious signs of cover appear, it's not natural and cohesive to the overall environment and it feels a bit jarring.
- Bring back a drivable vehicle. The Mako was horrible, but there was a ton of fun driving around on a planet and generally exploring. If this concept can be brought back without the poorly implemented mechanics it would be phenomenal.
- There was an overabundance of loot in the first game, hampered by one of the worst item menu's ever devised by man. The answer to this, is thankfully a better item list on par with...every other game...but also a complete lack of any loot to speak of. Armor pieces are way to sparse, and while the weapons all handle differently, there is something very jarring to get through half an RPG, even one so action prone, with the assault rifle you started with.
It's a great game.
2010
It's a year. It's going to rock. For gaming. Thanks to Modern Warfare 2, and a realization that perhaps we shouldn't stick every shove out every big name release during the holidays, it seems the next few months are going to be jam-packed with games. I love it. Who knows, perhaps we could get some big name summer releases too? I can dream can't I? There's a few which have my interest specifically peaked, both strangely enough from Sega. Yakuza 3 finally get's the international release it so rightfully deserves, and then there's Tri-Ace's downplayed End of Eternity aka Resonance of Fate.
I played the Japanese demo when it was released about a month ago and it peaked my interest. Tri-Ace has been all over the place regarding solid releases recently. Counter to that, I've been aching to play a new JRPG recently. White Knight Chronicle's reviews made me depressed, especially given the fact that Level 5 has made, personally, some of my favorite games of all time, specifically Dragon Quest VIII. Tri-Ace as a company has always intrigued me. Ever since their when certain members were apart of Wolf Team creating Tales of Phantasia, their interest in making active style battle systems has been carried diligently over a variety of games. RoF looks no different, with players running around a battle field, one at a time, doing executing unnecessary flips and general gun havoc. I really want to play this thing in English.
It also has towns.
Dear Square: Hire people to talk for you
Square-Enix is trying to win an award for "most stupid statements stated publicly in an allotted time period".
That's the only conclusion I can muster myself to personally make myself agree with. Game developers always say the darnedest things. John Romero once told everyone he was going to make them his bitch...in a magazine ad no-less. A few weeks ago, the internet became uncomfortably confused when someone at Bioware dived into the raging storm, that is the debate between the quality of Western and Japanese, proclaiming that JRPG's were the same game but with "different dressing". At the same time he acknowleded that they were inspired by Final Fantasy XII.
Hell, Peter Molyneux says that Fable 3 is going to piss you off. Not the best way to get people interested in your product.
Square though, is different. Their statements lamenting the higher work-flow to compensate technical progression, doesn't make sense not only from a technical level, but doesn't make sense...in reality. Apparently the bubble that they have been encased has become increasingly more potent. Everyone has lamented over their recent statement that the reason that they don't have towns in Final Fantasy XIII, is that doing populated environments is difficult when working with HD. I have talked enough about that point specifically, but the show goes on. In a recent interview they with Playstation Europe they dropped a few more bombshells. None of which make any means of tangible sense.
Regarding Higher-Def re-releases of previous Final Fantasy games:
How am I supposed to even acknowledge that as even a viable opinion, after playing the likes of Mass Effect 2?If it’s just a case of attaining high resolution graphics, only, then that wouldn’t be that difficult, but if we were to achieve the same graphical standard as in XIII with a PS1 title, then that would be a huge, huge task. Almost unrealistic. Even with a PS2 title it would be difficult. In the case of God of War, there weren’t really that many characters in the game — the main character and some monsters, maybe ten people or so. That would not be unachievable.
As with Final Fantasy titles in the past, like on PS1, even just the main characters amount to around 10 people. Then you have all the NPCs, you’re probably looking at about 200 characters total. All with individual textures for the skin, plus costumes, facial features and everything. That would be a really tricky job.
Who decided that every NPC must be given the same amount of attention to detail as a main cast of characters?
What do you mean "even with a PS2" it would be difficult?!?! What the fuck was Final Fantasy X?! Final Fantasy XII?! Unrealistic?!?! UNREALISTIC?!?!?! YOU HAVE DONE IT! HOW THE FUCK IS IT "UNREALISTIC"?! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS?!?!
Apologies people. I hope I haven't turned you off with that statement. Kitase is one of my hero's, hell I would be lying if I said I wasn't some type of Final Fantasy fanboy. I've played and beaten every entry in the main series, I've been contemplating doing a write-up of the Final Fantasy series in general, a blog post for each game. I love Final Fantasy, and I'm sure to be picking up the newest when it drops in March. These recent statements like this, have allowed other uninformed individuals point as examples to further the illustrate the giant disconnect between Japan and the west. Rightfully so, they are a big name company that makes quality products, these comments are...dare I say...Retarded. Proclaiming that these people should be sighted as examples or speak, of the entire Japanese gaming industry, is buffoonish. While the potency of these statements are admittedly idiotic, western game developers have already won the award of "most stupid statements stated publicly in an allotted time period", I can assure you.
Instead, they seem to be Kitase and Toriyama are products of what usually happens when a company becomes too big and bloated. While I hope that Final Fantasy XIII sells well overseas (which it will) a part of me would like to see this company get some form of reality check. Just stop making excuses to remaking Final Fantasy VII. We all know such a task would be difficult, specifically to a design and mechanic perspective. Why don't you cite the elephant in the room instead of making up problems.
For the love of god.What are your feelings about the current state of the game industry in Japan, compared with the West and what Western games have you been most influenced by?
Some people have been saying that the Japanese game industry is dead, and all that… I dunno. I will say that Final Fantasy XIII is one really epic title for high definition consoles. With this game, we are going to resurrect the whole thing. As for Western games that have influenced us — FPSs mostly. The Call of Duty series, for example.
Minor game update
By vidiot 4 Comments
Just a very small update, nothing fancy. I began writing a big blog, but my virus software went off and I lost everything....again...
Were all at the beginning of the precipice people. I've already begun my plunge.
Instead of bundling a bunch of releases for the holidays, the next few months is going to be a series of titles. If you play games, in general, it seems there will be multiple titles for your tastes till the end of March. I'll be, of course, periodically chronicling my thoughts if my opinion has weight.
Assassins Creed 2 DLC is a stinker
Skip it.
The Battle of Forli is appropriately priced, your eye's do not deceive you: it's the price of a coffee at Starbucks for a reason.
Sadly, I am torn between deciding which is better: a Cinnamon dolce Latte, or playing through this DLC. It's upsetting for numerous reasons, this DLC really does feel like something left on the cutting room floor, and quickly salvaged. I beat the chapter (Sequence) in under and hour, if I ran and didn't do the typical random exploration of stuff that's already there, I can see speed runs of this under 20mins easy.
I'm not bothered by length, but the manner of what you play here distracts me. You kill two very uninteresting targets, then you learn about the real target that set up the first two, complete with complimentary video dossier...and then it just abruptly ends. That's it. It's half a plot point, why this wasn't bundled with the second part of the planned DLC is beyond me...It feels...amateurish in nature, although there's a great wealth of fun to be had with Caterina Sforza, a character I wish the game spent more time with.
Regardless if anything, it's more Assassins Creed 2 which is always a good thing. Plus, I'm learning to say more terrible things in Italian. Seriously, turn on subtitle's while playing through this one if you do: Some of the stuff she says is amazing.
There are no achievements also, (Mega bummer) although if you missed the kick the dude while flying achievement, you can with this DLC.
Initial Mass Effect 2 Impressions
Like Uncharted 2, this game's initial impressions are really messing me up. I am waiting to strike on this game, to find some problem or blemish to reign opinionated death upon. I don't think I'm going to find one, or if I do, it's going to be so minor it will redefine the term "nit-pick". This is a polished game. This is a very polished game. The production values are through the roof and back.
The general consensus is that the first game was more of an RPG masquerading as a shooter, while this game is a shooter masquerading as an RPG. I think it just goes to show you how versatile the term "RPG" can be utilized. At first I though such a "dumbing down" of not just mechanics, but design was a detriment. Not so. This is still an RPG, with skills and levels to gain. The classes do feel very different from one another, and the constant change of ammo types for different enemies reminds me of using the correct element for the right enemy or situation.
It's just not technical.
The first Mass Effect tried to mesh Gears of War cover tactics, with very strict RPG concepts. It resulted in stuff, like, you shoot a guy four times in the head: and he's still alive. Acceptable for an RPG (looking at you Fallout series), not at all for a shooter. It couldn't compromise, let one design philosophy co-exist with the other. By comparison this is a more focused product, when the shooting starts you know what to do. You also never feel being mobbed en-mass by enemies. Some fights in the first game bordered on chaos, I have yet to run into an issue similar to that.
(Note: I #S Ranked the first Mass Effect....you know...jus saying.... << >>)
I've seen some people complaining about how Final Fantasy XIII has dumbed itself down from a mechanical standpoint. This doesn't always have to be viewed as a sin. I loved System Shock 2, but I know it wouldn't appeal to the larder audience like Bioshock did. If the game has a strong identity, and knows what it is, then you should at least give the gameplay mechanic adaptation a fair shot.
The presentation is also superb, and if you played the first game...wow, you are in for a treat. Nick Shepard was a rad dude :P I'm really kinda taken aback that Bioware tackled the complexity of continuing the story of all your decisions from the first game. They don't take reservations or hold back either, they really committed to making everything carry over with a unbelievable level of thought, detail and polish. Meeting up with Garrus, who became a vigilante against crime, after I kinda set the seed for his idea of righteous justice from the first game. Convincing Tali I was back from the dead, by referring to the way I helped her in the first game, and my personal favorite: Watching Udina being essentially to go fuck off from Anderson. Yes, nominating Anderson at the end of the first game was the right decision. Nobody like's you Udina.
Yes, it's all an illusion. It's not truly non-linear (we will never achieve such a concept, I could go on, and on about that subject but it's 2:41 in the morning and I want to wrap this up.), every decision is still funneled into a pre-written narrative, but for me: It's the small things, the little references that stand out, versus the large decisions like deciding whether or not the council burned at the end of the first game. Bioware deserves to be commended for not just an artistic accomplishment with narrative, but a technical one as well. I see a lot of people talking about how this game is very personal, it's a valid statement.
P.S. The Sniper rifle has no waggle or movement to really speak of, making it a perfect killing machine.
My Birthday Blog
By vidiot 13 Comments
It's my birthday today. I'm somewhere in my early 20's.
My license also expired today, so I went to renew it this morning. A few things happened, first I discovered that the a bunch of license offices had closed in the last few years in my state. Then, I actually was pulled over by a cop. I knew it was coming: I saw the car following me a few blocks, it was one of those cop cars without the lights or markings of a cop car.
Feeling doomed and prepared to show my expired license, my attention quickly changed as the cop got out of her car.
I won't lie. She was attractive. With few options dwindling, I turned to plan B and hoped for luck. Because this just happened a few hours ago, here's an accurate verbatim write up of the opening exchange, as well as what was going through my head at the time.
Me:
"Wow. You could pull me over any day of the week."
(WHAT?! THAT'S MY BEST OPENING LINE?! WHAT IS THIS?! AN EPISODE OF SCRUBS?! NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MING WOULD.....)
Attractive supermodel blonde cop:
"HAH! Thanks. So cutie, you know why I pulled you over? *giggle*"
(HOLY SHIT IT WORKED????!!!!! OF COURSE IT WORKED, THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL ICE BREAKER. I FUCKING ROCK.)
So yeah. I hit on the attractive blonde police officer.
It worked and I was able to drive away without anything. No license asked or anything, aside from an apologetic refusal to not have coffee with me "while on the job", and how the police in Washington State are awesome and are heroes. (We have had a few traumatic incidents with police being shot and killed recently.)
Thought I'd share this today. :P
Best Game Soundtracks of 2009
By vidiot 41 Comments
Start this blog off with a quick gaming update:
Been playing a ton of Assassins Creed 2. Hated the first game, absolutely love this one. Not only that, but unlike before I look forward to this becoming a huge highly popular franchise. Heard a bunch of people want the next game to take place in World War 2. I already thought we have that. Instead, In my mind I would want the next game to take place in Japan. Smoke bombs? Throwing knives? Let's show the Tenchu series how it's done.
I love Dragon Age. I also have come to be annoyed by Dragon Age. The quick unnatural changes in difficulty in this game bother me immensely. I've been bouncing back and forth between "Easy" and "Normal" more times than I care to count. I heard the console versions are a walk-in-the-park compared to their superior PC brethren. Wit AOE spells not affecting anyone on Normal, and the combat more focused with the Tactic system. I haven't touched Tactics that much, because it simply doesn't replicate the level of micromanagement that is required of you on PC. You will literally be playing at a good brisk pace, only to hit a fight that will take you a bajillion times to accomplish.
It's a few days into January of 2010, but that doesn't mean my thoughts on the previous year are exactly over. While balancing work, my holiday gaming and going back to class I've been trying my best to compile a list of what I thought were the best damn game soundtracks of the year.
It's a little difficult to compile a all-encompassing list, or to give a list some type of tangible order to how "better" they are from one another. I will provide neither.
What I will provide is a list of games that I have played, that had original soundtracks that got my attention. Let me make myself clear: Feel free to add to the list. You might find this surprising, but I'm just one dude who, contrary to popular belief did not play the apparent 1,099 videogames released this year. I'm sure I've missed a few.
Halo 3 ODST
Composer: Martin O' Donnell ODST is not a "Halo" soundtrack many of us were expecting, which is why it's so great. I feel Marty O' Donnell too quite the risk when he decided that Jazz was perfect for an atmospheric track. While there was a ton of great experimentation to the soundtrack, there was still a sense of it still being "Halo", which is not an easy feat to accomplish by any means. Tracks like Air Traffic Control still capture the same soundscape of Halo, yet offer something new in the process.
This soundtrack could have been quite different to what was released. A compilation of similar to same themes could have been done and repackaged, but instead there was an obvious focus of adding more to the breadth of Halo's music, versus doing more of the same. It's also very listenable outside of playing.
You could almost see the progression of the composition between Halo 3 and ODST.
Halo 3 used piano a bunch to emphasize key sequences. ODST perfects this:
Resident Evil 5
Composer: Kota Suzuki Who the hell Kota Suzuki? I first saw his name attached to the soundtrack of Devil May Cry 4. If Resident Evil 5 is any indication, I think were going to see and hear more of this guy in the near future. Which is fine by me, because he most certainly proved himself with Resident Evil 5. Past Resident Evil soundtracks focused more on the subtle qualities of being alone. I always thought it was a bit awkward when any real composition was audible as strange as that sounds. Although the music that plays when you hit a save room is one of my favorite tracks of all time. There was also that awesome Biohazard concert CD a while back.
I take it back, Resident Evil has always had good music. Has it always been very memorable? Not necessarily.
This is not an "issue" in the slightest with RE5. Like the change of tone of the series, RE now has a very noticeable soundtrack. It's also AWESOME. The moment some of this stuff was played in trailers, I can remember seeing the comments all applauding the soundtrack specifically. For good reason too.
Not only that, but the vocal theme " Pray" (Oulimata Niang) was equally phenomenal. Amazing singer.
Standout theme had to be Wesker's Winds of Madness, which not only works perfectly as a character theme, but I would also argue as a theme for the entire series.
My favorite part of the soundtrack? Not necessarily the soundtrack itself but watching the composer listen to his music for the first time with a Hollywood orchestra.
(Note: This game has one of my favorite "Making of" videos ever, I strongly recommend people hunt it down and check it out.)
Bionic Commando
Composer: Jamie Christopherson Oh, Bionic Commando. You were such a conflicting game in terms of your quality. One moment I loved you, the second moment you annoyed the hell out of me. Why I have an #S Rank in this game is beyond me, it wasn't necessarily terrible but when this game was good it was great.
When it was bad...boy was it bad.
But this blog isn't about the quality of the game but of the soundtrack. Jamie Christopherson delivers with a soundtrack that's actually very reminiscent to the original Bionic Commando soundtrack on the NES.....Except it's 20 years later and the same music is now being played by a full orchestra. It's awesome. A lot of time and care when into updating these classic tunes, as well as making them sound original and new.
Speaking of which, even the original music is great, but there is something deeply satisfying with hearing that original tune being played. This game wins my "overlooked soundtrack" award, only to be replaced by a game I missed in this list by some other user.
It's a great soundtrack, and a phenomenal followup to Bionic Commano Rearmed's soundtrack.
Batman Arkham Asylum
Composer: Ron Fish.Question: How do you make a standout original soundtrack for Batman? You know, the same Batman that has had soundtracks the likes of Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard attached too? You go for the subtle, that's what you do. Arkham Asylums soundtrack is more focused on the centerpiece of the game (the Asylum) versus any one person or character. The end result is a very moving, and dare I say, poetic series of tracks that punctuate the environment and your actions. It's all quite well done.
Modern Warfare 2
Composer: Hans fucking Zimmer (You were waiting for this weren't you? :P)I think Hans Zimmer is the official movie composer to almost every movie I saw last year. For good reason, the guy is excellent. He was recently interviewed about Modern Warfare 2's soundtrack, and proceeded to make fun very uninformed statements like how he needed the graphics to help him compose and how emphasizing on how using real instruments was something new.
I'll forgive him. I want more big name composers to embrace games, and right now Hans is about as big as it gets. While Modern Warfare 2's soundtrack is excellent, screwing up making a soundtrack to something as over-the-top as the singleplayer to Modern Warfare 2 is as hard as it gets. Also, while there was quite a bit of buzz to Zimmer taking over, I think people initially sorta ignored the excellent work the previous game's composer Harry Gregson Williams did.
I'm not diminishing Zimmer's work at all. In fact, I would argue that out of the single player campaign his work was quite possibly the best thing to come out of that mess. The music of retaking the white house and the finale of setting off the green smoke is simply a roller-coaster for the ears. The lack of an official release of said soundtrack bothers me.
Killzone 2
Composer: Joris de Man It sometimes almost sounds more Star Wars, but when has that necessarily been a bad thing? Joris de Man delivers with a soundtrack that's heroic and subtle delivering on all cylinders. He updates the main theme the action themes all are great, and if you don't feel something emotional after hearing the end of " Last Flight of the New Sun", then there might be something wrong with you. (I'm talking about the piece of music separate from the actual game. :/) Killzone 2's soundtrack is blockbuster material, which makes sense regarding the game.
Fun fact, the soundtrack was recorded at Abbey Road studios. So there.
Persona PSP
Composer: Shoji Meguro (I'm adding this in because I think Pepsiman will kill me if I don't.)
More in line with the newest soundtracks with Persona 3 and Persona 4, this new soundtrack almost abolishes the original game's soundtrack. Which made quite a few purists a little upset.
I couldn't care less because the soundtrack is so damn catchy.
Tales of Monkey Island / Monkey Island Special Edition
Composer: Michael Land / Jesse Harlin I've stated that the revival of Monkey Island was perhaps my personal favorite surprise of last year. Michael Land reprized his role as composer of the series, and while there is a ton of new music, perhaps the best part of the Tales soundtrack is hearing bits and pieces of his old work inter-spliced with his new stuff. It's faint to hear, but it's most certainly there.
While Michael Land reprized his role quite naturally, Jesse Harlin could have screwed up royal remaking the classic soundtrack for the first game. He did not. There is something emotionally gripping for me, having had such a long history playing the original to hear those classic news remade and with such quality. It was like I was reliving my childhood.
Uncharted 2
Composer: Greg Edmonson Holy. Mother. Of. God.
Greg Edmonson is a name that fans of Firefly would remember, he did the music for the series. Greg returns to score the Uncharted sequel with an army of instruments, and a huge list of different styles. Want something that sounds like your in Tibet? Done. Want an excellent character theme? DONE. Want a good piece of music that gets you in the mood from running on foot from a tank?! DONE.
The music at times replicates themes from adventure themes, and no better example is Drakes Theme. To be fair, that same piece of music was in the first one, but this sequel didn't have " Among Thieves". If that track doesn't get you in the mood of going on an adventure....shit... I dunno.
Again, I have to stress the very exotic sound-scape of some of these tunes, specifically the choice of instrumentation. One of the hardest things for a game composer to do is establish music that goes along with gameplay, that captures a mood while your playing that's not specifically choreographed to actions on screen. Uncharted 2 accomplishes this so eloquently with it's instruments, not just specific to the scene but to the environment as well. Not only that, but it doesn't break it's action movie theme in the process.
Uncharted 2 is not just my favorite game soundtrack of the year for it's sheer listenable enjoyment, but for it's behind the scenes technicality that boggles my very fragile mind.
Uncharted 2's music was preformed by the Skywalker Session Orchestra.
I missed a bunch.
I know I did. I'm still playing through Assassins Creed 2 and Dragon Age, I can already hear the phenomenal work done in that. Brutal Legend probably had my favorite arranged soundtrack of all time for sure, that wasn't the point of this blog (Original music).
Are you boiling mad I missed a game for this year?
Too bad, my blog, go die.
Actually I strongly recommend you share.
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