The 4D Slip - The Best Of Mega Man!

Keep up the trend of one post a month (at least), here's another entry.

Since I had posted what I consider the worst Mega Man games ever, I figured it's only fair to post on what I consider the best ones. Mega Man has a history of being some of the tightest designed games ever, as well as some of the hardest. But there are some that clearly stand above the rest, and are rightly regarded as classics. Now with the impending release of Mega Man 10, I think talking about these classics is only the right thing to do. Like my other list, I can't rate the RPG seres since I never really got into them and they can't really be compared with the platformers, but if I was going to reccomend one, it would be Battle Network 3.

So let's start at ten and work our way forward!



10. Mega Man

Where it all started. Putting the original on the list might seem strange since it's not quite as polished as the rest, but despite the fact it's not quite as spit shined as the rest doesn't change the fact that it's still a great and inventive action game. There are a few others I might prefer to make the list in it's stead, but the fact that this early NES game is still a blast to play is a testement to it's quality. Mega Man featured only six bosses instead of the eight that would later be featured, has shoddy colision detection, and no save/password feature, yet still has the tight and challenging platforming and shooting you'd expect from a Mega Man game. If you don't want to deal with the technical problems, play Mega Man Powered Up for the PSP instead. It's just as great, but has a seperate mode with new stages, a level creator, and additional playable characters. MMPU shows that despite the flaws of the first, it's still at it's core a great game.


9. Mega Man X4

I personally prefer Mega Man X3 to X4, but couldn't in good conscience put it on the list over X4. Mega Man X4 is simply a much less convoluted and tighter game than X3 is, and showed that the Mega Man X series could really work in this new fangled CD age. Featuring tightly designed levels, a rocking soundtrack, two playable characters, and a steady challenge, Mega Man X4 is inarguably one of the best. My only gripes are minor. The art design is rather plain and empty (the intro level really spoiled everything) and some of the sprites are not as fluid or fast as one would expect from an X game. But those are minor, X4 is easily on par with the SNES trilogy and showed bright days ahead for the X series. (Which unfortunately never came to pass, as since then the only title to live up to X4 was X8)


8. Mega Man Zero 2

Ah, the oft-overlooked Mega Man Zero series. Whether because it's portable, difficult, or starring Zero instead of Mega Man, this series never gets the respect it deserves. The first game was a really difficult but inventive addition to the series, and was the start to probably the highest quality series in the Mega Man canon. But the first game wasn't perfect, you basically had one life, the mission structure was messy, and the game was hard to get used to. Zero 2 is equivelant to the improvements MM2 gave to 1, the difficulty was balanced fairly, the structure was straightforward and not as convoluted, and the game eases you in instead of throwing you into the challenge. Mega Man Zero 2 is simply one of the best Mega Man games despite it's portability, and should be played by any fans of the series.


7. Mega Man 9

Capcom came roaring back with the classic series with Mega Man 9, after around 10 years of silence. Inticreates (makers of the excellent Zero series) crafted the best Mega Man game since the original NES trilogy acting amost as if the weaker games in the NES series never existed (it does feature Proto Man despite not giving Mega Man the slide from 3) and kept the classic simplicity the series is known for as well as featuring one of the best soundtracks in the entire series. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the soundtracks to most of these games. The entire Mega Man series features perhaps the best music in all of gaming, and 9 is certainly no slouch in that department. The controls are tight and fluid, the challenge is perfectly balanced, the boss weapons are all brilliant and extremely useful, and the game is as perfectly crafted as any of the best Mega Man games. Inticreates should be the only company allowed to touch Mega Man platformers from now on.


6. Mega Man X2

Higher than most would expect, the sequel to the classic series reinvention (or sequel) is actually almost on par with the original. Unlike Zero 2, or MM2, MMX2 does not feature any real improvements in the formula, since MMX was pretty much the first (and only) time Capcom got a series dead on in the first go. Instead it features more of the same with a little bit more. More challenge, more extras, more bosses, and harder to find upgrades. Back when it came out it was kind of seen as a disappointment, but now playing it with fresh eyes, it's hard to argue with it's quality. It's not quite as overstuffed as X3 is, nor as dead simple as X1 or X4. It maintains a great balance of classic X gameplay with some new features to keep the series strong.


5. Mega Man Legends 1/2 (tie)

It was hard to pick one Legends game over the other, so it seemed only fair to include them in the same place. Legends was a new breakthrough for Mega Man, featuring the jump to 3D as it's main selling point. The game had a light atmosphere, great characters, and some great additions to the series. Unfortunately, some people hated this new series and complained how it was too new, obviously forgetting that Mega Man 8 and new X games were still be released alongside this at the time. It was a successful experiment for those who actually gave it a chance, which unfortunately was not many. The sequel improved several aspects such as the controls and the interface, but for all intents and purposes it was simply an extension of the first game. Both games are fantastic additions to the Mega Man series and could definitely use remakes on more current systems in order to flesh out the more rough areas. Rumor has it that Capcom game Lost Planet was made using an engine meant for the Legends series, but nothing has yet to come of it. Shame. This series deserves much more than it gets.


4. Mega Man 2

Wha? Only #4! How can this happen? Mega Man 2 is the best Mega Man game ever, right?!? Well... There's no denying it's not an excellent game and well deserving it's stature, but there are a few reasons why it's not at the top here. The first reason is that I typically look beyond nostalgia when I make my lists, and the games that outrank it are simply better games, second is that the controls are not quite as tight as what was to come, and third is that I just never thought it was the best Mega Man game. Not to say it isn't great. Mega Man 2 features one of the best soundtracks ever, some of the best level design ever to hit the series, and a decent challenge (when not played on the default difficulty). A greatest Mega Man game list without 2 is simply wrong.


3. Mega Man Zero 3

The peak of the great Zero series, Z3 is actually comparable to MM3 in the amount of subtle changes that drastically improve the formula. The level design is one of the best ever in a Mega Man game, the challenge is pinpoint perfect, the variety of moves, unlockables, and powers is the strongest they've ever been, and the bosses are brilliant (the final boss is the best final boss in any Mega Man game), this is one of the best games in the entire canon. For those still unwilling to jump into this series, you missed out on some excellent gaming. Somehow managing to top the ridiculous improvements to the forumla MMZ2 made, MMZ3 is one of the best games the entire series and must be played for lovers of action platforming.


2. Mega Man 3

Yes, even better than 2, somehow Mega Man 3 managed to top 2 to become the best game in the classic series. More stages, tighter controls, better stages, and the introduction of the excellent slide move, Mega Man 3 is not just one of the best Mega Man games, but one of the best games ever. The introduction of series staples Rush and Protoman help to flesh out the universe and add a bit more of a story to the games then players are used to. Endlessly replayable, Mega Man 3 is at the top of the heap in the Mega Man canon.


1. Mega Man X

When Mega Man X came out, the Mega Man series had seen better days. The series had all but dropped out of sight, and with the release of Mega Man 6, people just didn't care anymore. But with Nintendo's Super Nintendo system, suddenly things were looking bright again. Those that picked up the intriguing looking Mega Man X were treated with a fast paced, flashy, and superbly crafted action platformer surpassing what many thought was possible for the Mega Man series. Not only one of the best Mega Man games, but arguably one of the best of all time (and certainly on the SNES). For those interested, Capcom released a remake on the PSP featuring remixed locations for items, different difficulties and Vile as a playable character. But still, Mega Man X was perfect in every area, story, music, sound and graphics, there was nothing it was lacking in. Still regarded as one of the best, if not the best, MMX is certainly as good as it gets in the Mega Man series.



Funny how Mega Man X both had what I consider the best and worst games in the entire franchise, and how Inticreates is so consistently brilliant when it comes to Mega Man platformers. All put together, I'd say the Zero series is the highest quality series, but that's not to say the other series are lacking in any way. Despite a few weak titles, the Mega Man series is still the high standard in action platforming even after being around for over twenty years! Once again, we at TSC salute you for being one of the best, Mega Man!


Note: I would include images, but that's a bit too much of a hassle for this list.

The 4D Slip - Difficulty In Gaming

Those that I talk to about video games might think I have an unnatural obsession with tough difficulty in games, but that's not really the case at all. I find the balance of legitimate challenge in gaming on top of clever level design a sort of zen experience. Not that I can't find joy in a lack of challenge and a streamlined experience, as long as the game design is still strong (Super Mario Bros. 3, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and TMNT4 fall into this category), but there is something magical about throwing yourself into a seemingly inescapable situation and coming out on top.

However, with the release of Modern Warfare 2 (which I have not played, but I have heard remains an issue) and NSMBWii (which brings back 'Nintendo hard') I would like to bring up the idea of different styles of difficulty.


1. Quarter Muncher Difficulty

For those that have played a hard arcade game, you know what this means. Developers in the old days would pretty much throw the player into situations where unless you were basically a 'God of Gaming', you would need to keep pumping quarters into the machine to keep going. Very rarely was it 'impossible' to beat a game, but quite frankly it was infuriating to try in most cases, and instead move on or just accept your defeat and put in another quarter.

Somehow this style still lives on in games like Street Fighter 4 with crap like Seth. A random spike in difficulty made to make you go to the continue screen and try again. Even OCCing (One Credit Complete) these types of games is tough because you frequently have to exploit bugs and dumb design decisions to get past them. SNK Boss Syndrome was made purely for the reason of getting the player to do just that. (I love you SNK, but I hate you so much)


2. Old School Difficulty

Named as such because it's been at the forefront of gaming for a long ass time (also known as 'Nintendo hard') and still remains active in gaming, this is my personal favorite style of difficulty. The difficulty revolves around the developers testing the player by deliberately making challenges the player has to work their way through, and challenge themselves to get better at the game. This is different from quarter munching difficulty in that its frequently (but not always) less frustrating and more forgiving with the chances it gives you to conquer an obstacle, since you're not pumping quarters in, there's really no need to bother.

My favorite example of this is Contra for the NES. A seemingly impossible game full of one hit deaths and screen filling chaos. However, after playing the game enough, and getting used to the rules of the world, you can navigate yourself through without much of a challenge at all. This is, in my opinion, true difficulty. Unlike the other examples of difficulty, these perfectly designed games test only your skills as a gamer and when you die it is ONLY your own fault.


3. Bad Design Difficulty

This is by far the worst kind of difficulty, in my opinion. Difficulty made because the developers made a bad decision in the making of the game and made things much harder than they're supposed to be.

But not just that. Some games are designed specifically with strange design issues or control quirks in mind, (Castlevania and GnG come to mind) and base their difficulty on the player working around these issues instead of any challenge the actual game may possess. Heck, some include that too (Ninja Gaiden has the damn birds, but still remains challenging for other reasons such as legitimate level and boss design), and this still remains a popular style of difficulty to a lot of retro games. Even if it feels archaic to most newer ones.


4. Fake/Cheese Difficulty

This is probably the most controversial one, and the one I'll receive the most flak for (who am I to judge difficulty and whatnot), but I will say it anyway. Fake Difficulty is when developers simply kill or harm you and there is no way to avoid or work around it. There are multiple forms of this cheese in gaming, but it is by far the worst form of difficulty, one that punishes players simply for the hell of it. There are many games I could include here, but the one I will focus on is Call Of Duty's veteran mode.

Call Of Duty is well known for being a game that has "no AI". The enemies always know exactly where you are and will spray bullets over your location no matter where you are. You can't sneak around unless it's scripted and when you blow your cover, enemies instantly know where you are and fill you full of bullets. COD is known for the 'wall of death' difficulty that simply kills you for walking where the developers don't want you to go, without any warning, and spam instant kill grenades that you simply can't avoid (and in a certain level in COD4, it's basically up to chance if you can even make it through) all the while pouring enemies out that only stop when you walk over an invisible switch. Sort of like a shooting range.

Enemies can't be worked around, or strategized around. You simply need to shoot them until they fall and hope you have enough cover so that a grenade or a wall doesn't find you first. It's not difficulty you can overcome, merely put up with.

I hope you enjoyed this look into my thoughts on game difficulty, I always wanted to write it down somewhere, and now I have.

Static Prevails: Malcolm In The Middle (And The Importance Of Likability)

As some of you may or may not know, I watch a lot of Nick At Nite. Why is this, you may ask? I enjoy watching light and relatively harmless sitcoms at night before I go to bed, or so I can write incomprehensible gibberish like this. Believe it or not, I think this is the best time for sitcoms. Well, that and the morning hours. Anyway, I've noticed something strange while watching it recently.

When the show Everybody Hates Chris was announced for the block, I rolled my eyes. This show was made based on the success of Malcolm In The Middle and looked like nothing more than a cash in, Malcolm In The Middle is a show that always rubbed me the wrong way, and until recently I could never figure out why. The previews Nick showed for Chris didn't help either. But then I gave it a chance as I always do for N@N shows, and this is the weird part.

I liked it.

This confused me greatly; a show with a very similar layout and characterization (the hateful mom, misunderstood kid, and adjusting to the world around them), and it is the clearly superior show? Yes, easily.

Everybody Hates Chris

I won't throw this to the 'better writing' bin as I usually do. The quality of writing on the two shows is actually very similar, the acting is better on Chris but Malcolm is no slouch either. So what's the difference? Why is Chris the clearly superior show and one I would rather watch if given the chance?

Well, I struggled a bit to figure it out. But the characters are actually likable in Chris. The first few episodes of Malcolm were fine in this aspect too, but something seemed to happen. The characters became unlikable, malicious, and caricature's of stereotypes. This is why Malcolm always frustrated me and why now people are realizing the show is not as great as they once thought. Reruns of this show unveil the hateful characters they are, and despite what the writers try to do (and they try some pretty neat things), it all falls apart simply because the characters are never likable.

It would be fine if it was like Seinfeld and Married With Children where we weren't made to care for them and the writing was built around that, but the writers keep telling us we're supposed to care about these characters, but never give us compelling reasons why with the characterizations.

In Chris, every character is a person. They aren't all one sided, or cardboard cut outs, and they aren't all out to screw someone over. In fact, characters rarely get mad at others without reasons (in Malcolm people scream for the hell of it), and frequently try to do the right things. I'm not saying characters never get like that in Chris, but I'm saying that it isn't blown up to eyerolling levels like in Malcolm.

In fact, thanks to this discovery, I can say that this was a large problem with a lot of late 90s/early 00s shows like That 70s Show, and even recent shows like The War At Home. If the audience is supposed to care for the predicaments of these characters, then don't they have to like them? I mean, for all my faults with Friends, this was never an issue for it, and probably a factor for it's success.

This might have been some sort of experiment left over from that era of making sitcoms 'badder' and 'more extreme', however without heart it's simply meaningless. The sitcom Titus was a dark show with heavy themes from the same era, but the writers NEVER made us stop caring about the characters, and never pushed them over the edge. There was a reason for everything they did, and it was better for it.

All I can say is that I'm truly thankful the era of empty, loud characters are over. It's just too bad we seem to be in the era of 'no characters at all'... I can't decide which is worse. Either the sitcom based on the latest trends (look, a Facebook joke!), Hollywood movies (You mean she's pregnant? And the guy's a loser? OMG!),or reheated leftovers from the early 90s. The sitcom is still is a bad way, but it doesn't seem like this is a problem with them anymore.

Follow The Sound - The Go! Team

Bit of a break, but this time I'll pick an album that always seems to affect me on a spiritual level. By that I mean one that always makes me feel something in my very depths, it moves and shakes me, and there are a lot of different emotions that flare up when listening to this album. The album would be this:


1. Panther Dash (2:50)
2. Ladyflash (4:16)
3. Feelgood By Numbers (1:56)
4. The Power Is On (3:14)
5. Get It Together (3:28)
6. We Just Won't Be Defeated (2:45)
7. Junior Kickstart (3:32)
8. Air Raid GTR (0:39)
9. Bottle Rocket (3:32)
10. Friendship Update (4:00)
11. Hold Yr Terror Close (2:18)
12. Huddle Formation (3:11)
13. Everyone's A V.I.P. To Someone (5:08)


Yes, the band was an indie band of the month at one point, but don't hold that against them. So were Andrew WK and Scanners, and they are still awesome, while stock indie rock shit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! float to the bottom where they belong.

The difference between this album and other "indie rock" albums, is that this does not confine itself to that increasingly stagnant and boring genre. The songs do not follow a strict genre guideline, yet remain perfectly accessible and an easy listen. Every song sounds totally different, with raucous drumming (I love the drum sounds on this album), explosive horns, chanting, record scratches, and about anything you can think of. The songs are the type that rockers can see themselves rock out to, or even dance (or skank, if you're feeling nutty) to. The weird part is that, the lyrics are rather sparse, there's no questioning that the vocals are not the attraction here (even though they sound phenomenal), which is usually what every 'serious' music listener focuses on (hence so many idiots thinking there hasn't been an instrumental since the fucking 60s), making me question why the music elite even bothered with this album at all.

What's real special is how the record makes you feel. This is one of the few records I own that stabs at my core, the way the instruments mesh together to form coherent song structures, the music is not complex at all, yet is able to make me feel such strange emotions while listening to it. In a perfect world, 'Ladyflash' would have been on the radio, 'Bottle Rocket' would have been on 120 Minutes, and 'Everyone's A V.I.P. To Someone' (this song is so beautiful) would have been playing in serious dramatic movies.

This album captures what makes us listen to music in the first place. It has the magic, the soul, and the passion of the best music has to offer, and is easily one of the best albums of this decade, if not of all time.

If you disagree with that, then I feel sorry for you, I really do. Few albums can make me feel this way, and I hope it would for you too. This is an album that just makes you feel great to be alive.

Been a bit slow recently...

I've been a bit dry recently, and Randy has been busy with dealing with his job, so I figured I'd make a simple list post to kill some time.

Since IGN did their take on the top 25 consoles of all time, I'd figure I'd try to do the same. Why not? I'm bored.


1. SNES

This system is so great that I'm still discovering great games I never played before years after it ceased being produced. It was the only system I owned besides the PS1 that was wall to wall greatness with absolutely no lulls in it's release history. From the first time I popped in Super Mario World, until discovering 'Gunman's Proof' on an emulator, their is no system that surpasses it's library and variety. Simply stunning.


2. Playstation

The only thing that keeps this a definite number two is that the 3D is so hard to adjust to nowadays. But this system is just the tops. The 2D (when not plagued by slowdown or missing frames due to ports that shouldn't have been made for the system) was the best I'd ever seen (and the last time they sold decently on a console) and the 3D was a true step forward for gaming. The library is so varied and creative that it's hard for to put this down at all, and just like the SNES, I'm still discovering great games for it.


3. NES

Probably the oldest console I can still play nowadays, the NES defined 2D gaming. While many games were vastly improved in the jump to the SNES, their are many others that never did make that jump. The system had a lot of creativity put into it's library, and lasted for so long, that there are still gems being discovered in it. It may get a lot of nostalgia love, but the games are still playable and still tons of fun, and for something so old, that has to count for something.


4. Sega Genesis

The flipside to the 16 bit war that I was never a part of (Since I rented games instead of bought, I had enough for two systems), the Genesis seemed like a different evolution of the NES style (I didn't know about the Master System until years later) and was faster and flasher than my big bright SNES. I find the ports between both systems negligible, but the originals for this system are still some of the best gaming has to offer.


5. Xbox 360

Might be a bit high for my list, but the 360 helped reinvigorate my love of gaming (with the Wii) by introducing the concept of downloadable games (and the return of 2D to the consoles!), making online play and community a surprising element in my play time, and yeah the games are pretty good as well. The Wii60 combo this gen lit a fire in my passion for gaming that the previous gen pretty much sucked out of me. I rate this half of the combo slightly higher since developers haven't been supporting the other half nearly as much as this one.


6. Sega Dreamcast

The last Sega system, and probably the most interesting one last gen. Arcade perfect ports became a reality, and companies like Capcom were showing us exactly how powerful it was. The controller was a bit awkward to get used to, but the originality in the games and the traditional games still keeping their original high quality, this was probably the best system (technically) last gen.


7. TurboGrafx

I played this system once as a kid, (the game was Keith Courage) and was mildly impressed. But it wasn't until the Wii VC where I truly understood this system. The system has a very impressive library, and the CD mechanic was highly revolutionary for the time. I still want to get one of these systems eventually. It needs more respect than it gets.


8. Playstation 2

I'm listing this purely for the niche and obscure games that were truly great. Otherwise, this probably wouldn't make the top 10. Normally it wouldn't be enough to make the list, but there were a LOT of them. So it makes the list purely for that reason. But I really felt this system was disappointing.


9. Nintendo Wii

The only thing keeping this low is the lack of games for the system. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a lot of good games for the system, and more on the way, but as it is now, it's merely on the cusp of greatness. I love the controls (though the classic controller should have been packed in) and the VC and WiiWare systems help add value to the system (the TurboGrafx games ALONE are enough for purchase of this console), the system is truly great with loads of potential.


10. Sega CD

This makes the list only because I've actually played games on it, but it's not that bad. The ports that made this system were typically the best of them all (beating the Genesis and the SNES) and the original games (that weren't FMV crapstains) were truly a step forward in gaming. The redbook audio was truly interesting and made for some fantastic soundtracks. You know, before game audio became as bland as it is now. The system is a bit underrated though, and should be respected more than it is.


The Gamecube, Xbox, and Jaguar do not deserve a ranking in my opinion. While they each had some truly great games, as a whole they simply do not stack up to the rest of this list. The Playstation 3, though, I'm not sure, as I haven't touched one yet.

Microsoft surprises...

I sent in my 360 for repair two days ago (first ever red ring in 3 years) and got it back already. Shocking, absolutely shocking.

The 4D Sound - Double Dragon II

It's a game I sometimes forget about (probably due to it not getting the amount of exposure it's prequel did, or similar games in the genre), but I would have to say that I think Double Dragon II for the NES has the greatest game soundtrack of all time. Almost every track is a home run and are among the most memorable you'll ever hear in a video game.

'But JD! What about insert modern/Mega Man/Sonic/Mario/Ninja Gaiden game here?' This is what you are thinking. I personally consider this above any of those and quite easily, I might add. Not only the original NES version, but the somehow just as amazing arranged version which brings the soundtrack to life using more than ye olde NES soundchip. Let's start this off on a track by track basis. I'll even throw in the arranged version for comparison's sake.


Opening: Dead Or Alive

Probably the most familiar opening theme in the series, next to the iconic opening from part 1. But to say it stands alongside the original is quite a testament to it's quality. As far as opening themes go, few games get it better. The arranged version is quite interesting, since it's a vocal edit(the only one in the arranged version, I might add) as it makes it sound like an 80s anime theme song. It works, but I think the original wins out for getting the Double Dragon feeling right on.


Level One: Unleashing The Ogre

Possibly the most underrated song in the game, while not as flamboyant in it's asskickery like the first game, level one of DD2 is much more subtle and restrained while still having a pulsating feel as well as managing to keep the feel of gritty street violence at the same time. A superb track. The arranged version retains this subtlety beautifully, and adds in a bit of seediness giving it an edge in it's back alley, post apocalyptic brawl. I'm not sure why most people don't talk about this one, it's truly great.


Level Two: Low Pursuit

Easily the most famous song in the game, and is just that great, the second stage of Double Dragon 2 is one of the best designed levels in gaming. A little bit of platforming, throwing dudes off ledges, avoiding helicopter gunfire, and closing it off with a brawl with two ninjas at the end, you've got everything. On top of that you got a song that just oozes seediness and really has the atmosphere of a brawl on a rooftop in the middle of the night, it's slower than the first level theme, but somehow more explosive in it's delivery. The arranged version manages to kick it up a notch making it sound not too dissimilar from something you might hear in an anime or old action movie, hell there are STILL games out there trying to ape this style and failing miserably.


Level Three: Night Sky Tension

Short level, short theme. Is more or less just ambiance anyway. Pretty disappointing considering the rest of the soundtrack. The arranged version is better, but that's not saying much.


Level Four: Advancing Towards Sunset

No other song emulates the feeling of storming a base to kick some butt more than this one does. It's incessantly catchy, hard driving, and just makes you want to hyper knee some dude in the face. The Arranged version is simply beautiful, modernizing this classic tune with a style and flair rarely seen in gaming, the song could easily fit in with other more modern action games like Viewtiful Joe or GodHand with no complaints from anyone.


Level Five: Escape To The Forest

The other song most people probably know from this game. Easily topping the forest theme from the first game, and brilliantly describing a foreboding feeling of danger (it IS the Forest Of Death after all), the theme crawls along your skin as you make your way through the mysterious forest before you. The arranged version adds some power to the track, giving it a sense of urgency instead of mystery, but this merely gives the track it's own flavor making the two essential listening when it comes to videogame music.


Level Six: Wicked God

A pretty average song in all honesty. It's pretty much a short theme of anxiety before entering the enemy base before you. It gets the job done, but it's not one you'll be listening to often.


Level Seven: Breaking The Barrier

Now THIS is more like it. Back to classic DD music full of kickassness. The song is almost like letting the tension out of the game after the dizzying platforming you went through and deadly traps you managed to avoid. It really feels like the main halls of an enemy stronghold. The arranged version pumps it up to 11, making a great song excellent. It's much meatier in it's sound, giving it an impression of some massive gang battle happening.


Level Eight: Entering The Enemy Base

The final stage. The journey is nearing it's conclusion, and it's almost time to face your demons. The foreboding music is perfect for this stage, you know you're near the end, you know the enmy is on the run, and now is your chance to stop them. The arranged version gives it a more industrial feel about it, rescaling the post apocolyptic theme the series tends to forget about after this game. In fact, it sort of reminds me of something you'd hear from a Ninja Gaiden game. It still retains the foreboding message, but twists it a bit to make it some almost like there's an urgency and fear in the air. Brilliant music.


Final Boss: Roar Of The Double Dragon

Okay, this is going to be really biased. This is the best final boss music in the history of gaming. There is none better. If you were to put this into ANY game is the final boss music (doesn't matter which version) the game would be 38% more brilliant. Statistically prove and all that. This song is as perfect as video game music gets and will ever get. The feeling of excitement and adrenaline is unleashed in this final moment before the end, as the final boss teleports all over the screen and turns invisible to kick your ass, the screen changes backgrounds and you have this epic music playing. Gaming doesn't get better than this. Forget Koji Kondo, forget any video game composer you favor, they will NEVER touch this music. You can add this into Mario 3's final battle and it will fit, you can add this to Sonic 3 & Knuckles Doomsday Zone and it will fit, you can add to to Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy, Hell you can add this to freaking Halo 3's final battle and it will fit. There is nothing that will surpass it. Sorry, there just isn't.


Epilogue: Miracle Of The Double Dragon

A heartwarming and yet sad song of how the Lee brothers killed the mysterious warrior without learning anything about him at all. They are are able to find Marion and disappear from history, saving the world and the girl.


Ending Credits: Rising Desire

Combining the epic win that is Roar, and the somberness of Miracle, you get probably the best closing theme in gaming. Hell, it wouldn't be out of place in a final fantasy game. A beautiful end to an awesome game, it's too bad the original team never made another DD game after this, but then I don't know how they would have topped it.


In conclusion, this is one of, if not the best soundtrack in the history of videogames. Kazunaka Yamane, who composed the music of the first two games is a genius, and it's thanks to him that we have all this awesome music in just one game. Not only one of the best games ever, but also he best sounding games ever, Double Dragon 2 is a total classic. If only this series could continue, but Million (who owns the IP) continues to only port the original, ignoring what many people consider the pinnacle of the series (II) and remaking a game that really, really needs it (III). But still, Double Dragon II is an all time classic that should be played (and heard) by everyone. We at the Slacker Chronicles salute you Million for creating some of the best game soundtracks (and by extension, games) off all time.

*Note: Image from lemonamiga
*Extra note: If you want to hear these, a simple title search on a certain video site can yield very tasty results.

The 4D Slip - 'Splosion Man

The "Summer Of XBLA" is here on Microsoft's X-Box Live service, and starting it off is Twisted Pixel's Platformer "Splosion Man". A game where you use your body to explode and propel yourself vertically in the air to reach great distances.

For gamers who enjoy the simplicity of old school platforming action, simplistic yet engaging gameplay, odd '80s references, fantastic N64 era Rare-style music and wonky humor, you can't go wrong with Splosion Man. Featuring 50 simgle player levels and a completely separate 50 levels for multiplayer, as well as an unlockable "Hardcore" mode, you will definitely be getting your worth out of 800 Microsoft points ($10) as well as some free gamerpics and a free premium theme for your X-Box 360.

The Summer Of XBLA to me, is a nice way of making up for the traditional "summer drought" of retail video games, and deliver high quality download experiences on par with those from the glory days of simplistic gaming. With more games like Splosion Man, download services are now becoming THE place to go for that new fresh old school gaming experience.



(Images from XBLarcade.com and Gamespot)

An Introduction to Randy’s Monthly Videogame Challenge

Every month I have chosen to focus on one game and play until completion. This doesn’t mean that I have to 100% it, this just means I have to beat the game from beginning to end. By undertaking to challenge myself each month, I agree to complete at least ONE GAME per month. The motivation behind this challenge is to clear out the backlog of games I've accumulated over the years.

My criteria for selecting the games are as follows:

1. I need to have easy access to the game in question. What I mean by this, is that I have to either own the game, know someone who will lend me the game, or in the case of older retro titles, have access to a working emulator.

2. The game has to be one I’m interested in. This means I will not force myself to play something like Superman 64, or E.T. the Extraterrestrial: The Videogame.

3. The game needs to be beatable within one month. There are exceptions to this rule such as for last gen or current generation RPGs which may take upwards of 60+ hours to beat or whole series of games.

I originally started this challenge back in March and have so far this year completed four challenges.

March - Bioshock (Xbox 360)
April - Earthbound (SNES)
May - Mother 3 (GBA)
June - Mirror's Edge (Xbox 360)

I'm taking the month of July off from the challenge to regroup and plan out the rest of the year. My schedule so far is:

August - Psychonauts
September - Ico/Shadow of the Colossus

If all goes as planned, I should be able to post once a week with my progress and impressions of the games. Since there is no challenge this month, I'll discuss what I'm currently playing to pass the time.

See you next week!

Static Prevails - Seinfeld's Appeal

Seinfeld is regularly considered one of, if not the best sitcom or comedy on television. For those who have seen it, it's hard to argue against it. The show could be fast paced and wacky, or slow paced and subtle, and the jokes could be crude or surprisingly high brow. The show was billed to be 'the show about nothing', but it somehow seemed more relate-able to people than the shows about 'something'. So what is it that makes people still love this show over ten years since it's end?

The characters are all rather selfish, they never learn a thing, and can be rather petty or vindictive when need be. Yet, the characters are widely loved and still quoted to this day.

It might be that it is a very realistic interpretation of the real world we live in. While obviously exaggerated and a bit more cartoony, the characters are very real and not too dissimilar from the people you might meet in real life. The plots are often very similar with very petty concerns that we deal with in our everyday lives blown up in importance just like we tend to do ourselves.

My personal favorite episode is 'The Serenity Now" from the eighth season which follows how stress over the little things can greatly impact your life and effectively ruin it. Despite there never really being a lesson to learn in Seinfeld (they made it a point to keep mentioning that), it found ways of reinterpreting things you already know but maybe don't think about too often. This episode and the existence of the 'Lloyd Braun' character (that person your parents/family constantly compare you to, despite the fact their own problems are large enough to exceed your own) is an example of being highly relate-able to the common viewer, and to entertain over the absurdity of the whole situation.

Seinfeld generally makes light of life, something we all tend to take too seriously way too often. It blows up those quibbling problems we all stress over and let ruin our lives by making light of them to show us that it really isn't all that bad. To me, this is the core ideal I feel that unites the audience to the show, and while that might not be that big revelation to anybody, it should be something to keep in mind when watching this show or when dealing with your own petty problems.

In my view, there hasn't been a sitcom since that has come close to how Seinfeld approaches the world and western society. And in the end, that's what gives it it's appeal and why it is still remembered as the best sitcom of all time.

No matter how many shows (coughFriendscough) ripped it off with lesser results, Seinfeld will always remain unique.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Better Late Than Never

Hello,

Long time, no see. Sorry for the absolute silence on my part the last few weeks, but I had come down with a cold of some sort. Basically, I’ve spent the last few weeks doing almost nothing but eating and sleeping, like my body was preparing for winter hibernation like some animal. Go figure.

So just a heads up, within the next 24 hours, I will be posting my inaugural post about my monthly videogame challenge. More on that then.

Damn MS Live Writer didn't auto-publish this post like it was supposed to. Gotta fiddle with the settings I think.

You know what?

Clash At Demonhead needs a sequel/remake. It's such a fun shooter/platformer, and the map system has a lot of potential. With a good fleshing out it could be so much better. Especially if they can somehow get WayForward on it, then I know it will achieve it's potential.

For those that don't know, (and somehow stumbled upon this blog) Clash At Demonhead is an old NES game that was very ambitious in it's execution. A shooter like Contra with a lifebar and multiple branching paths for every section of the map. You can buy upgrades, health, and what have you. It's story is typically messed up and confusing for an NES game, but the control is so tight you won't care.

I really hope someone revisits this sometime in the future.

Follow The Sound - When I Come Around (Track Review)

'When I Come Around' by Green Day is probably one of the best singles of the 90s (one of my favorites for music) and one of the band's best songs. After recently being floored with disappointment from Green Day's latest album (as a fan since 1995, it really hurt to see them resort to stealing from other bands wholesale leaving nothing of their own sound) and preferring last year's side project (Foxboro Hot Tubs) immensely more, I had a listen to this track on one of my playlists while cutting the lawn.

The bobbing bassline that ducks in and out of the simple chugging guitar riff, the vocals delivered with just the right amount of snark, humor and emotion (something Green Day excelled at), the drums on a simple beat with perfect tom rolls and crash hits and a short guitar solo that fills me with orgasmic delight no matter how many times I hear it some 14 years later.

Whenever that opening riff pops up, you can bet there will be veterans of the 90s music scene poking their heads up looking for the source that's blasting this tune out. This is the song that gave them their popularity, their airplay, and their record sales. And for some fucking reason, classic radio stations would rather play Nickleback than this song.

This is the perfect pop song. Ever since 1992's Kerplunk, Green Day had mastered this art of simple, yet emotionally involving songs with quirks and personality all to their own. Finally culminating in their masterpiece Warning in 2000. An album full of perfect pop music with a rock n roll bite and the right level of emotion.

The band would later try something new with excellent results (American Idiot, despite being overpraised, is a great album) and lukewarm (The Network's Money Money 2020 side project) before forgetting the core of their sound on their newest flop, 20th Century Breakdown.

But forget all that, if you want perfect pop music, it doesn't come purer than this song, with Rob Cavallo's perfect producing and Jerry Finn's perfect mixing (the only man who could leave the bite on major label punk bands) and an perfect performance. Forget that Green Day has forgotten about songwriting and is instead focusing on convoluted 'statements' in some ridiculous 'voice of the generation' bullshit credibility grab.

Forget the shit the band is up to currently and remember the music they have left us over the last 2 decades. All the heart, emotion, blood, sweat, booze, weed, and bite are all there and they always will be. Forget the bullshit, all you need is the music.

Follow The Sound - The Undertones

This time I will talk about what is in my opinion (and anyone else who has heard it) the best pop-punk album ever recorded. Yes, better than Rocket To Russia, Milo Goes To College, Singles Going Steady, Dookie, My Brain Hurts, or whatever else you can think of. This album is the first by massively underrated band The Undertones, who had a few great albums before disbanding, but their first was definitely their best. This album is permanently ranked in my top 10 best albums ever.



1. Family Entertainment (2:38)
2. Girls Don't Like It (2:18)
3. Male Model (1:58)
4. I Gotta Getta (1:53)
5. Teenage Kicks (2:28)
6. Wrong Way (1:23)
7. Jump Boys (2:41)
8. Here Comes The Summer (1:46)
9. Get Over You (2:44)
10. Billy's Third (1:57)
11. Jimmy Jimmy (2:41)
12. True Confessions (2:23)
13. (She's A) Runaround (1:50)
14. I Know A Girl (2:38)
15. Listening In (2:26)
16. Casbah Rock (0:56)

Bonus Tracks:

17. Smarter Than You (1:40)
18. True Confessions (1:56)
19. Emergency Cases (1:58)
20. Really Really (1:52)
21. She Can Only Say No (0:53)
22. Mars Bars (2:10)
23. One Way Love (2:16)
24. Top Twenty (2:14)
25. You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?) (2:40)
26. Let's Talk About Girls (3:35)


Every band since this album has come out has swiped considerably from it. You've got Beatle-esque pop numbers, Ramones style ravers, and a dash of great songwriting that all makes it sound so unique. I'm not going to pick out favorites here, as that would take way too long with the amount of songs available, but let me say that if you don't think "I Gotta Getta" is one of the best songs ever written, you're crazy and I never want to hear from you again.

The emotions expressed are purely those of being young, and the simplicity involved in it. Although there are songs about girls and longing for them, they never dip into whining territory. It's all sarcasm, irony, self deprecation, and hope, and it's all in good fun.

Every song is perfect pop music with a hard punk kick, exactly like the Ramones intended, but perfect here. Their follow ups are actually almost on par with this (Sometimes I even prefer them), but their song writing is at their absolute peak on the debut. Feargal Sharkey's vocals are probably the most unique you'll ever hear on a punk record, and are able to make the stretch from "tough" to "sweet" almost instantaneously. Let me also note that the legendary John Peel himself once stated that Teenage Kicks is the greatest song ever recorded, and even made the man cry. It's no joke, this album is that good.

*Image from allmusic.com

Fucking hell...

So the day after I post my thoughts on worst Mega Man games, what does Capcom do but announce a new Mega Man game!

... Which turns out to be a Battle Network/Star Force crossover.

FUCK.

The 4D Slip - The Advent Of Mega Man

As far as video game series go, Mega Man and it's (many) spin offs probably rank near the top of the list for me. However, even though there are many gems (including the recent DLC only Mega Man 9) there ARE pieces of crap in the mix. In this blog, I'll be posting my thoughts on what I consider the worst Mega Man games that I've played. I'll try working backwards, from deeply flawed to unplayable garbage. Note that I will not be touching the RPGs as I dropped them once I hit the garbage dump that was Battle Network 4.

I also will be skipping the 'borderline' games, IE the games that just straddle the line of being good games. These include Mega Man 5, Mega Man X5, and Network Transmission (Though the last is debatable, as it's been so long since I've played it) which are good games that are not really very flawed outside of niggling issues.


First up are the decent games.


Mega Man & Bass



Mega Man & Bass is a fun game, but it suffers from a few problems. First is the radically unbalanced difficulty. The game is rather fun to play through as Bass, but playing as Mega Man is a real test of patience. The levels were clearly designed for players playing as Bass, and not Mega Man.

The game is also a stop gap in every sense of the word. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game (better than MM4, 6 and 8) but it doesn't feel like enough effort was put into it. Several bosses are reused from MM8 (though they ARE the best ones), the level design as stated before was not well thought out, and fighting the bosses as Bass is a real thumb breaker.

I'll say it again, this game is hard. Easily the hardest in the original series.



To me, it's simply too hard. This is coming from someone who has A ranked all the Mega Man Zero games multiple times and beats the X games regularly. I'm not the best Mega Man player, but this game really pushes players' patience. Try getting through the final boss unscathed if you don't believe me. In conclusion though, Mega Man and Bass is a solid Mega Man experience despite reusing so many assets (as well as the extremely lame MM8 sprites) and having a high difficulty. There is no reason a Mega Man fan should pass this up.



Mega Man ZX



I love Inticreates. I really do. They made 5 of the absolute best Mega Man games available (the Zero series and Mega Man 9) and are the masters at action gaming. They were also part of the team that made the first two X games. However, in between their masterpieces they released the ZX series, quite possibly the weakest Mega Man series overall. Now don't get me wrong, ZX is NOT a bad game it's simply flawed.



You see, for the jump from the GBA to the DS Inticreates, or maybe Keiji Inafune (series creator), decided it was time for a change. Time to make Mega Man "bigger" than it has been so far. Taking inspiration of the Metroid and Castlevania series, it featured a giant interconnected world map for exploration (fans of this style of play refer to these games as "Metroidvania" since they follow the template of Metroid, yet tend to use Castlevania's game play quirks), and started a brand new storyline.

Now, there are only two real flaws with the game. First is that the map system is a mess, it makes navigating the world extremely confusing and hampers enjoyment of the game. The second flaw is that there's simply nothing new here. If you've played a Zero game, you've played this game. This annoys me, since the concept of a Metroidvania Mega Man game is so HUGE. If you've played a Mega Man X game, you know about the hidden armor pieces, alternate paths, heart tanks to increase health, sub tanks, and hidden upgrades. This is what helped make the game great, and would have helped tremendously here as unfortunately, none of those are in the game (well, sub tanks are, but they are not hidden very well) and would have added to the exploration element.

You are also given 'models' (the ability to play as different forms based on characters from the Zero series) to transform into, but most of these are either useless or irrelevant compared to the ZX form you mainly play as. It might have helped to make these models unlockable as alternate playable characters to play through the entire game mode. It would have surely made it more interesting.



The game is way too straightforward and bland, and it doesn't help that the storyline is also the least interesting of the entire platforming Mega Man series.

Still, despite it's flaws, the game still manages to maintain the core Mega Man gameplay that everyone knows, so it is not exactly the worst Mega Man game out there. Heck, it's not even the worst portable Mega Man game. It's merely average.



Mega Man 8



I'm going to be upfront with the fact that I thought Mega Man 7 was a great game. Yes it was a bit awkward and clunky, but as the NES-style Freeware game made by fans shows, it has great level design, music, and great weapons. It was a huge step up from the creativity deprived Mega Man 4, the bland and somehow overrated Mega Man 5, and is easily better than the NES series finale Mega Man 6. So my hype for Mega Man 8 was justified.

However, there are some problems with this game.

While not a bad game, again, it is quite flawed. For example, despite being a Mega Man game, it's MISSING core mechanics that the series is used to. You can only fight 4 bosses at a time (a problem MM7 had that was rectified in the NES remake) instead of the usual 8. I don't understand this decision, as all it does is cut down on the choices you can make in the game. Series are supposed to add features, not lose them.



The game is also ugly as sin. The graphics are way too bright and just plain uninspired, Mega Man's sprite is idiotic, and it just doesn't feel like a 'next gen' Mega Man game. The music is unremarkable as well, (Bland music in a Mega Man game is unforgivable, IMO) and the voices... The voices are just plain painful.

There are also other features missing. There are no e-tanks, which actually isn't a big deal except that they've been in the series since the second game. Rush is made into a complete joke (his powers are useless), Protoman is practically non-existent in the game and Bass might as well not even be in the game at all.



However, the two biggest flaws with this game are the following. The game's difficulty is inconsistent. By that, I mean that for most of the game, it's braindead easy. Mega Man games are rarely easy and for good reason, they are total borefests without any challenge at all. However, there will be random spikes of difficulty throughout (a certain snowboarding segment is aggravating as all hell), and despite easy bosses, the final boss is the only one I had to use a Rush health boost to get through... Yes, instead of e-tanks you use Rush to sprinkle random power ups from the sky which is asinine since you might not even get a powerup worth anything, and you have to to dodge the boss as Rush drops them. Highly inconvenient. However, other than the final boss, the difficulty of the game's bosses is alarmingly low.

In conclusion, Mega Man 8 is an unremarkable game. After this snooze-o-rama we didn't get a new installment in the series for over 10 years, and after playing it, one could see why. It feels totally uninspired, and every change made to the formula is for the worst. It's not a bad game, it's just deeply flawed.


Now on to the heavily flawed games.



Mega Man 4



My opinion has changed on this over the years. I used to enjoy this game as a kid quite a bit, however I no longer enjoy it nearly as much as I once did. The reason is that I've since played so many great Mega Man games that the flaws of this knock it down quite a lot. So I'll try to look past my nostalgia to give this a real look.

First, the newly added charge shot is broken. I've been an advocate of the charge shot in other Mega Man games where it fits, however, I feel it has never worked right in the classic series. The bosses in this game (which are already piss easy) are taken down so easily with the buster that it's a joke. However, if you do not use the charge shot, it takes FOREVER for them to die. This is a severe balancing oversight that the classic series never really recovered from until MM9 finally removed the nuisance.

The level design has taken a gigantic hit from MM3. It's like Capcom just ran out of ideas when they finished the third game, and just didn't bother to sit down and plan this out. The game has a rushed feel, from the useless powerups, idiotic boss designs (Skull Man is wicked, though), and just plain lack of difficulty. For a long time, MM4 was considered the staple in how not to make a classic Mega Man game and Capcom learned from their mistakes since (despite 6 having a mess of other problems) and now this just sits awkwardly in the Mega Man canon.



Oh yeah, and the ending is infuriating, too.



Mega Man 6



When I said MM4 was the staple of bad Mega Man games, I was sort of wrong. Despite being heavily uninspired, it still managed to be a solid experience. But I have no problem calling MM6 the worst game in the classic series.

I'm going to make this short, since this game contains ALL the flaws of the MM4 (Did Capcom forget about all the improvements in 5?) as well as a few new ones.

First new flaw, the bosses are the absolute worst in the entire series. They are the easiest they've ever been, too. The levels are short, and easy as well. The music is completely unmemorable. The story is the worst the series has ever had, and finally every new addition is poorly implemented and pretty useless (or broken in the case of the Rush Adaptor) overall.



This game takes everything wrong with MM4 and makes it worse. This is the first instance of a truly bad Mega Man game where everything in it is just poor and not up to standard with the rest of the series. However, bad as it is, it is not unplayable. That's what keeps it from being in the bottom rung of this list.


Finally, the flat out bad games.



Mega Man X6



What is it with Mega Man and the number 6? I've never enjoyed a MM title yet with a 6 in the title, in this is the number 1 reason why.

Where to start... Well, I'll start off with the positives. The Nightmare system in this game is quite interesting, and the stage changing shape depending on what order you fought the bosses in as also a decent feature. The negatives... Everything else.

The X series is one of the best series for action gaming, I think. The first three games on the SNES are perfect (while, X3 has a few quibbling flaws, but it's still a fantastic game) and X4 continues the trend with flashy graphics, music, more detailed storyline and tight game play. X5 was extremely ambitious, but falls a little flat in comparison, as the level design and graphics are not as inspired as everything else is. X6 just messes everything up.



Now for the biggest flaw with the game, and the one that simply destroys it. The difficulty is broken. Not broken like MM8 is, the difficulty is "cheap" here. Instead of relying on tight control and enemy onslaught like every good Mega Man game, the game gets it's difficulty from extremely poor level design (poorly placed spikes, pits, and instant death traps), it's near impossible to get 100% (too many one chance encounters), and the controls are borked. You'll find yourself dying as Zero, for instance, because the same button combo to grab onto a rope can send you into a diving attack into the bottomless pit below. That's just bad design.

The game is constructed in such a way, that you cannot complete it without certain items, and since these can be permanently missable, that alone breaks the game. That coupled with every other flaw makes this easily one of the worst games in the entire series, if not on the Playstation.



This is a bad game. If you manage to get a copy of this, get it only for collecting purposes (or if in the X Collection, just don't play the damn thing) and do not play this game. Your nerves will thank you.



Mega Man ZX Advent



I'll admit, this is probably due to personal preference, but I dislike this game quite a bit. Inticreates... WHY? You made 5 excellent games and a decent one. Then there's this stinker sandwiched in there somewhere. The positives are that it plays like ZX with a far better map and that Grey's story has potential.

The negatives?

....*Sigh* Here we go.

I'll be upfront. This is the type of game that doesn't seem bad or broken on the surface. It's all the niggling flaws that bring down the experience tremendously. For instance, this game basically renders ZX1's plot pointless. Everything gets thrown out the window for a story as by the numbers as they come (Ashe's story is TERRIBLE), even though Grey's story had the potential to really answer some questions about the game's world, his history is completely glossed over due to a storyline cliche you'll see coming a mile away.

The game feels like a hack of ZX1. The music is largely reused, sprites and enemies are pretty much exactly the same, and there is literally nothing new other than the fact that Model A is based on Axl from the X series despite what the ridiculous plot tries to tell you. Speaking of Model A, get used to using him! Since it seems about every two feet you instantly get switched back from whatever form you're currently in if you decide to talk to anyone, enter a new area, or get by certain random sections. This is infuriating since it happens all the damn time!



The voice acting in this game is hilariously bad. It figures that Capcom wouldn't continue the series that actually has good voice acting (the X series finally got a good cast by the end of it) and instead shovel voices onto this game. The acting is MM8 and X4 levels of awful. It would have saved time and effort if they just didn't bother at all.

The level design as well is a major downgrade from the prequel game. The stages are either filled with instant death traps (which add up a fake difficulty like X6) or are a cakewalk to navigate. The bosses are pretty much the same as the levels in their creativity and challenge. Oh, by the way, you can turn into bosses you defeated in this game! Isn't that great? Too bad, about half of the bosses are useless, and the rest are purely situational.



This game is a misfire, and might have actually killed Mega Man platforming series as none have come out until MM9 was brought out and brought the series back to basics. saving both the series and Inticreates' reputation. Like I said, it's not the worst game to bear the Mega Man name, but it's full of flaws that add up and drag the whole thing down. Mega Man 6 has more replay value than this game does.


And now the single worst Mega Man game.



Mega Man X7



This is easily one of the worst games I have ever played in my life. Despite the first few installments being among my favorite games of all time, this game is an abortion and is probably a candidate for worst game on the PS2.

Capcom tried to shake things up with the transition to the PS2, so they made the game 3D. Interestingly enough, the graphics are quite nice. Vibrant and colorful, and full of interesting details. But that's my only positive with this game. The 3D controls are horrid, the camera doesn't work right, the "lock on" barely locks on at all, and the depth perception is hard to judge because of the bad angle the camera is at.



All that wouldn't be so bad, (okay, it would still be awful) if the 2D controls were fine. But when the game switches to 2D mode, it still doesn't work right. For a game as fast paced as the X series, the controls are sluggish to a fault (Zero is USELESS), and the game runs at a glacier's pace.

Because of all these issues, constant loading times, the fact you don't play as X until 3/4s of the way through the game (Yeah, you heard me. You don't play as X IN AN X GAME for the majority of the game), the level design is plain and dull, there is strange pop-in issues, and the voice acting is at about the level of X4 (Thank the lord above that Capcom got smart after this and got some decent actors), this game is flawed in every way.



Mega Man X7 is a failure on every level and an absolute chore to play. EVERY time I play I can never make it through a full level before quitting due to pure aggravation. The game is virtually unplayable, and every time I see someone on the internet try to defend this game, I'm left stunned. There is nothing to defend here. The game does everything wrong in a Mega Man game and manages to add bad 3D game play on top of that. Mega Man does not come worse than this.

I'm really glad Capcom made a great X8, because otherwise I would have given up on this series entirely.


Well, there's my look back at the lesser Mega Man games. I chose 8 of my least favorites in order to gauge how the rest of the series manages to hold up. Considering there are only 3 awful games in the bunch and despite a lot of mediocrity, in a series over 20 years old as of now that is impressive.

We at TSC salute you, Mega Man! Thanks for providing and continuing to provide us with so many great games past and, hopefully, future.



Note: All images from the Mega Man Home Page

Static Prevails - Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Yes, it's lowbrow. Yes, it's confusing. Yes, it's nonsensical. But that's what makes Aqua Teen Hunger Force great. It's a show about a bunch of mutated (?) food products who live day to day lives in a poor neighbourhood and try to deal with whatever insane plot device comes their way. Now, when I say insane... Well, I mean it.

The show got it's origins on the masterpiece of insanity itself, Space Ghost Coast To Coast (possibly a future Static Prevails) on an episode entitled Baffler Meal (The characters were totally different, though) which did not enter production until after the show had already premiered.

Now, the genius of this show is in it's controlled insanity. It's perfectly constructed plots with insane dialogue and non-sequitors filling random pockets of conversation throughout. You see, what separates this show from most of the drek Adult Swim produces nowadays, is the fact that the writers never forget the story (as insane as it may be) and the characters rarely ever act out of character for the service of a joke. Hell, the show may be more coherent than Family Guy is nowadays.

Adult Swim shows today (outside of a small selection... You probably know the ones) do not let their characters develop, throw random plots at the canvas to see what sticks, and are random to an extreme fault.

Non-sequitors do not make up for shoddy writing, guys. Unfortunately, ATHF is showing it's age this season with "extreme" plots and character turns. I was probably one of the few who enjoyed the previous season for it's risk taking and creative plot ideas, unfortunately, it seems they've thrown that away to be like almost every other Adult Swim show out there.

It's a pity, but Aqua Teen Hunger force remains a favorite of mine for almost 80 episodes, with a 15 minute run time, it really did show Adult Swim as something more than an 'experiment' and as something fresh and creative for the airwaves.

I hope you enjoyed this look at ATHF, as we'll probably be looking at other Adult Swim classics in the future.

(Note: Image taken from wikipedia.)

Site Updates

I'm gonna act like someone actually reads my posts and point out that there's something strange going on with the blog at the moment. The site layout doesn't work properly, so I'm gonna update it in a bit, maybe to something simpler and less colourful.

On to actual site news, I'm currently working on a post about my monthly self challenge, where I choose a video game, play and beat it within a month. I'll talk about this within the next few days. Second, I'm gonna write something up on "Burn Notice", whose Third season began airing last week, but I haven't decided on what yet. Am I gonna just do a very basic analysis of the show, a brief introduction to the show, or am I just gonna do an episode by episode review as they air each week? Really I just don't know yet. Might do something similiar for both "True Blood", which airs this week I believe, and maybe go over Mike Judge's "The Goode Family" and let you know what I felt. FInally, I'm gonna take a look at all the news out of E3 last week, and show what I'm looking forward to in the upcoming year.

Gotta figure out some sort of schedule for posting to this site, at the moment its all scattershot. This doesn't count as a post of any substance, BTW, just getting my thoughts out there.

GOOD NIGHT!

PS Wrote this Blog entry as a test using the SCRIBEFIRE Firefox extension, just to see if it works.

More on No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

Hello again,

Just a quick correction. In the NMH2 trailer, Travis isn't the one wielding the chainsaw in the trailer like I originally thought, its the henchman he's performing the Suplex on. Looks like the only other weapon Travis is likely to bear are different types of beam sabers. Had to go back and look after reading Gamespot's Interview with Suda51 regarding the game:

GS: Are there more weapons in your arsenal aside from the lightsabers?

Suda: Travis is a good assassin because of his beam katana, so don’t expect any other types of weapons in his arsenal.

The whole Q&A can be read HERE.

Back to work I go.

E3 is going good...

Yes Randy, while I do love the NMH2 trailer, I just can't get enough of Red Steel 2.

Check out the video on IGN:

More Red Steel 2 Info

What can I say about this? Well, other then that this should have been the first game.

Mon Aardvark N'a Pas de Nez

SO it looks like things are finally moving here at THE SLACKER CHRONCILES. Last week, JD posted TWICE showcasing, in part, what this site is about. In addition to our TV ("Static Prevails") and Music ("Follow the Sound") discussions, we shall also be exploring the worlds of Videogames, films, the internet, and literature. These features are yet to be named, and shall be appearing shortly.

So, how's tricks? Me? S'all good, y'know?. Watched some TV, films, played me some vidyagames, the usual.

...

*Cough*

Anyways with all the niceties out of the way, I should probably move on to something more interesting.

Pretty big week in gaming, as you should know. E3 starts tomorrow, though the Microsoft Press Conference is TODAY (1 June 2009). Supposedly they have this huge megaton announcement, and need extra time. I say its just another publicity stunt. Still I'm cautiously optimistic that there will be something good from the big three, though I expect to be disappointed.

Big thing for me this week was the release of a new trailer for "No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle":

"This isn't a battle anymore; it's a MOTHERFUCKING WAR!"

I love the original game (bought it the first week), so suffice to say, I am overjoyed. I can't wait for a solid NA release date, as well as more gameplay footage. A couple of things I noticed in the trailer that have me like totally stoked:

1) At around 1:20, we catch a glimpse of Travis wielding what appears to be a chainsaw and from 1:30 onwards, we get to see Travis dual wielding lightsabers (sorry, "BEAM KATANAS" :P).

2) SWORD BELT! (Around 1:20)

3) FLYING HOS (0:50)

So, I guess its time to wrap this up for the night. Just a few bullet points before I go, and a teaser for next time (Go ahead roll your eyes at me).

-Just watched both TAKEN and OUTLANDER, enjoyed both, though OUTLANDER dragged a little. Follow the links for plot synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia.

-In the last week, I've watched both the first and second seasons of BURN NOTICE, which I've just noticed has its third season premiere this Thursday, so you can probably expect something out of me regarding that.

-I would be working right now, if it wasn't so damn slow at the moment. Lucky you :P.

-I have completed Mother 3, and am pleasantly surprised.

NEXT TIME ON THE SLACKER CHRONICLES:

I talk about my monthly self videogame challenge, and bring everybody up-to-date on my challenges from March, April, May, and June.

I'll also post anything of interest to me coming out of E3.

G'night!

Music Discussion - The Cars

For this blog, the 3 of us will discuss music (mostly rock related) in it's many forms. It might be strange oddities, horrible audio bombs, underrated classics, or just stuff we like. For the first edition, I'll write about one of my personal favorite albums. I won't post download links, but it's not like this stuff is too hard to find. A search on youtube or google will yield results quite easily.

The Cars self-titled debut, released in 1978 (Arguably the greatest year in rock) is the perfect rock album, in my opinion. Capturing the spirit of the 50s, the dynamics of the 60s, and the just plain oddness of the 70s, The Cars basically invented the 80s music scene before it came to be (much like Devo). They represented a long forgotten time, when it was the strength of your songs that got you airplay and not the size of your record company's wallet. That's how the Cars gained their fame, they self-released 'Just What I Needed' and gained a cult following and had a hit all by themselves. A record deal soon followed, but no one can deny the band (as was the norm in the late 70s and early 90s) earned their success.

The Cars balances classic rock n roll ('Good Times Roll', 'My Best Friend's Girl', 'Just What I Needed'), crafted some of the first punk-influenced new wave ('I'm In Touch With Your World', 'Don't Cha Stop', 'Bye Bye Love'), were not afraid to rock out ('You're All That I've Got Tonight' in particular, fucking RUMBLES), and even managed to get a bit spacey ('I'm In Touch With Your World', 'Moving In Stereo', and the proof that new wave could fill arenas in a better world 'All Mixed Up'). The Cars had it all.

It's no wonder after the band called it quits in the late 80s, so many bands wanted to work with Ric Ocasek. The man knew how to write a quality song, and knew how to make it sound GREAT on top of it. The band released a few other albums (the poppier but almost as rocking 'Candy-O' and the pure 80s zeitgeist 'Heartbeat City' being almost on par with the debut, quality wise), but nothing managed to surpass this effort.

There's a reason most of the songs from this album still get radio play (on classic rock radio, of course) while the forgettable shit from that era faded away. These guys showed what rock was all about in the late 70s, and even hinted where it was going years before the music scene did. Few other bands represented such a gateway and manage to sound so fucking good.

Tracklist:

1. Good Times Roll
2. My Best Friend's Girl
3. Just What I Needed
4. I'm In Touch With Your World
5. Don't Cha Stop
6. You're All That I've Got Tonight
7. Bye Bye Love
8. Moving In Stereo
9. All Mixed Up

Note: Image credit to Allmusic.com

Also, from now on the music blog will be titled "Follow The Sound", for future reference.

TV Discussion - King Of The Hill

For this blog, the 3 of us will weigh in our opinions on TV shows that we perceive to be classics or crap. For my first entry, I decided to focus on an extremely underrated program that somehow managed to last over ten years on television. King Of The Hill is regarded as a very 'simple' show with very 'simple' humor. Most people see the show for a single episode and think they got it down, and simply move on to the next show. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.

First, some info for the unfamilliar. Here's a short description of the show from the 'pedia we all know and are indifferent to.

"King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, for FOX. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Christian family in Texas. It attempts to retain a realistic approach, seeking humor in the conventional or mundane aspects of everyday life."

For an animated show airing on FOX (of all things) , it's quite a bit different from the network's usual fair. Which makes it all the more surprising that it lasted 13 seasons, ending this year.

King Of The Hill is a surprisingly deep show full of compelling and interesting characters that were originally nothing more than stereotypes. If you can find me a character on TV as deep and complex as Hank Hill (never mind on the damn FOX network), you're trying too hard.

Actually, the problem may be that it was sandwiched between shows such as Family Guy and The Simpsons which are such wildly different programs as KOTH, that viewers simply didn't like that it's not as rapid fire or blatant about it's humor. Especially in it's much more subtle character humor that goes deeper than simply 'Homer likes beer' or 'Peter said something stupid', and instead tries to bring up the reason for why Hank and his friends do the stupid/insane things they do.

Shows like South Park, Simpsons, and the rest of the FOX line up are not character driven shows. Yes, they have characters, some of which are very interesting, but the humor is not based around that (and if it is, it's rare), the humor is based around the crazy situations these characters interact with. At their heart, the characters are simple stereotypes and that works for the stories they tell. The thing is, KOTH goes deeper than just the stereotypes that The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, or American Dad do.

Let's just take a look at the characters:

Bill is a loser, but why is he a loser? His wife left him after cheating on him, his family is dead, his father abused him since he was a child, and he deals with that by shutting himself off from the world around him. He became overweight, lost his hair, and slid into depression. There are jokes and references to all of those events that contribute to him as a character. But Bill is more than a loser, he's a friendly guy, despite being socially awkward, and he's good with kids even if he's a bit of a pushover. He has moments where he just breaks down, but in all honesty, it makes total sense given what he's gone through.

Watch the episode 'Pretty, Pretty Dresses' and his character becomes all the more real.

Dale is a conspiracy theorist, but is that really it? Dale is clueless about the world around him, so he uses conspiracies as a way to make people think he's on the ball and that he knows things others don't. Despite the fact he's clueless about his son, and is probably more socially awkward than Bill. Dale puts up an act, but he's a coward and a weakling, he runs away from everything except when it comes down to putting his friends down and making himself look bigger than them. Despite all of this, Dale is a chipper guy who likes to cheer up his friends and family, and does try to do the right thing. It's his ignorance that is his downfall.

For Dale 'Soldier Of Misfortune' really nails his paranoia and his love of his family.

Boomhauer is dumb? He's probably the smartest of Hank's friends. Boomhauer leads a pretty shallow life that purely consists of one night stands and hanging out with the guys. The thing is, unlike Dale who is ignorant of his ignorance, and Bill who can't seem to rise above his depression, Boomhauer is aware of his faults and he doesn't care. But there are times when he longs for a bit more, this is why he randomly philosophies about the events happening around the guys, Boomhauer is a smart guy who's shallow life is dragging him down. His pointless drive to remain 'cool' and hip is what keeps him where he is, but he can't help it. My only gripe, is that the character doesn't get as much time to shine as the others.

'Patch Boomhauer' is a slightly more recent episode, but definitely highlights the major aspects of his character.

Hank is the most interesting of all. Yes, he's a hardcore conservative to a fault, and doesn't let his opinions change on issues, but that's only part of his character. As was mentioned in one episode, Hank doesn't really find anything wrong with Bobby even though he doesn't get him, Hank is surprisingly the most tolerant person on the show. His issues lie with his insane father who put unrealistic expectations into Hank and berated him at any chance he had, leading Hank to strive to be a perfect person. Hank is always trying to do what he thinks is proper and right because that's how he thinks he'll get the respect and admiration he's always wanted from his father. But his father has enough issues with himself that he can't even bring himself to give his son one word of praise. This is why Hank has such a tough time with Bobby. Because he doesn't know how a father and son are supposed to interact, he just knows that it's not the way his father did.

Hank is also, like most highschool jocks, ruled by nostalgia of the good old days. But, he slowly begins to learn that what he remembers happening and what actually happened are two very different things, just like we do in our lives. He pines for the days where everything was better, but the ironic part is that everyone he knew from when he was a teenage is exactly the same as they are now, Hank is the only one who grew to be a different person.

'Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men' is the best sumation of Hank there is. Though there isn't really a perfect episode to describe him.

Peggy is a know-it-all who actually doesn't know it all. She's ignorant and does not try to change because she has a way too high opinion of herself to even admit when she has done wrong. She's like this because of her demanding mother who, much like Hank's dad, pushed her hard to being a perfect woman. But Peggy is not attractive, she is not smart, her feet are oversized, and she has horrible fashion sense. However, much like Hank she acts the way she thinks she should to get the respect she always wanted from her mother. Other than this connection, Hank and Peggy do not really share many other similarities with each other. But, despite it all, Peggy is a very strong person, she can be witty and sneaky, and she does try to do the right thing. But her pride is on another level.

To see Peggy's insecurity reach it's boiling point, simply watch 'Lupe's Revenge' and watch her crumble under the pressure.

King Of The Hill is a show that dives into these quirks that you see from your normal everyday people and attempts to explain how they came to be and what drives these characters to behave the way they do. I find as I watch it more and more, and as I get older, I like the show more and more. I notice things I never did before, I notice the little things the characters do, and I start to realize just how surprisingly deep it all is.

I like this approach more, instead of the Simpsons/Family Guy way of crafting a wacky plot around the same old cliched characters, (Although I do like that, the Simpsons is still one of my most favorite shows) King Of The Hill works around every day events with a dose of the unrealistic to see where these characters go. Because that's why we watch King Of The Hill, to see where the characters go, not where the plot goes.

I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of this brand new crazy (or boring, depending on your position) blog on classic TV shows. I picked King Of The Hill first due to the fact that it is a long running show that many can't seem to understand, and that I thought it could do for a bit of an explanation on it's humor style and the reason it's fans will defend it to the death. Mike Judge is coming out with a new show called "The Goode Family" that premieres next week (on ABC... Ugh...), so let's see if Mike Judge can top his previous endevour or simply attempt something new. One thing's for sure, it'll definitely be different.

Note: The TV blog will be known as 'Static Prevails' from now on. Image credit to wikipedia.