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Megas

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  1. Megas
    So I for the last couple of years I've ran into a new hobby, collection 3rd party Transformers.
    For those who aren't familiar, 3rd party Transformers are unlicensed toys of Transformers often aimed at high-end collectors(those who usually collect Masterpiece TFs), however they are not knock offs, knock-offs are usually counterfeits and bootlegs of existing official toys, some times try to get away with it by oversizing them in hopes of getting away with it. 3rd Party figures, while unlicensed, are usually original molds of existing characters and selling them without emblems and different names, which usually enters a copyright grey area, though is not too different from buying fan-made plushies, statues, etc., of existing characters. And while some 3rd party companies can get pretty cocky and/or dumb and release or reveal figures around the same time as Hasbro which usually can get pretty bad with Hasbro not being afraid to go down hard on them(one example being Unicron), otherwise they're surprisingly lenient on them(though they don't like them), usually still supporting online retailers that sell them, or even attending cons that usually features them.
    What makes these figures so special? Accuracy, not just of the G1 cartoon, but also the likes of Beast Wars, the Japanese G1 continuity, the IDW comics, and even the Bayverse shockingly enough being home to some of the best. Some figures feature some complicated but at the same time very impressive engineering while still retaining the integrity of the character's designs, sometimes outclassing the official thing, and 3rd party companies come in many shapes and sizes, and I want to focus on a few (mainly ones I own, though I'm not gonna post pictures of my own because I'm too lazy to go through every figure I have lol)
    One of my favorite companies has been Mastermind Creations who both make great figures(mainly base on the comics) with some pretty good transformations and engineering, my first introduction to them was from their Ocular Max series, namely Saltus, their take on Springer. He isn't the only one who exists as other companies have done him, but he's one of my favorite figures and I don't see myself replacing him any time soon

    Another one is Azalea, their take on Arcee

    One of the better Arcee's on the market, mainly because the company doesn't focus too much on sexualizing her to a creepy degree
    Next up, we have one of their most well regarded figures, Sphinx, their Mirage

    As far as my collection, one my main focus has been completing the original 18 Autobots from S1, and with Hasbro releasing their figures in small spurts of different lines(between G1, Beast Wars and the Movies), it's gonna be a while before they release that entire line(especially when they try to license real cars, which is why some characters are much harder to get like Porsche being difficult to work with, making fan favorites like Jazz and Cliffjumper unlikely for a while). And since I don't see Hasbro releasing Mirage in a while, this guy does a good job of filling that gap.....or did, but more on that later
    Lastly there's their Assaultus, or their Combaticons/Bruticus


    What makes this group so special is that Ocular Max decided to go with an All-In-One gimmick that avoids "parts-forming"(bits you have to add after transforming). While there are some drawbacks(namely Onslaught is a chunky boy) the limb bots are fantastic, and while the combined mode has some issues(some weak ratchets and stability, to the point of needing an upgrade kit), the end result looks bloody awesome
    Another company I'm familiar with is DX9, a company that's one of the more mixed out there in terms of quality, but when they get it right they knock it out of the park.

    Another Mirage, this time named Invisible, is from DX9, and while there are some things I like about it(love the transformation), but it does look really skinny and doesn't go as well with the MP figures like Sphinx does, and lastly it has trouble standing and unlike Assaultus it doesn't have enough pluses to forgive it.

    Chigurh is their Astrotrain and like Sphinx it doesn't mesh well with traditional MPs, however, it's a lot more fun to play with and does the job well enough, and goes well with alternative collections with other lines. Though he's not the only Astrotrain and certainly not the best

    But now we're getting to the good stuff, their absolute beast of a Blitzwing, Gewalt. He has issues like being bigger than Megatron, but damn everything about this guy from his size to his alt modes just screams Blitzwing. There are other Blitzwings(KFC Ditka) out and coming out soon(Fanstoys Berserk), but damn this guy just feels perfect for the character


    Now for something more interesting, a T-Beast Hot Rod of him as a lion. T-Beast is a fan interpretation G1 characters giving them animal inspired alt-modes ala Beast Wars, and Ancestrod is not the only one of these(other companies have done them of several characters such as Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Starscream)

    Lastly from DX9 we have La Hire, their Bayverse Hot Rod, and this guy rocks. Despite The Last Knight being a fairly shite film, some of the things 3rd parties have done with these characters are truly something special. He has a fun transformation, better than those of the official toys, a gorgeous car mode, and lots of poseability and fun to play. If you ever want to give the movie figures a chance, this one is a good start
    While on the subject of the movies, let's look at Unique Toys, who some fans have called black magic when it comes to their figures

    Challenger is their Age of Extinction/The Last Knight Optimus Prime, and to think this guy actually transforms is insane. To this day I still love messing with this guy from time to time. And not only can it transform, it's surprisingly easy yet involved


    However, their Dragoon is even more insane. Their TLK Megatron, this guy is Challenger on steroids. Not only is there a ton to the poseability, much like Challenger, through black magic this guy is capable of transforming.
    After Unique Toys though, we have Toyworld

    This time going to the Bumblebee movie, they made their Optimus Prime from that movie, this time called Freedom Leader(or Tactics Waistcoat). This figure looks awesome as someone who really wanted this version of Prime and despite some issues like the lack of ratchets and ballpoint joints on the hands, this guy is insanely fun to play with and really looks the part to satisfy. Unfortunately Toyworld doesn't have the black magic of Unique Toys so the transformation is kind of a nightmare, so it's not easy to recommend unless you want to keep this guy in robot mode, which I can easily do
    And it looks like that's it for now. I want to do more of these in the future because there's a ton more to talk about, such as Transform Element and their fantastic Optimus Prime, the like of GCreation and Generation toys, Fanshobby and Newage, Zeta Toys, Badcube and especially 3rd party darling Fanstoys, but I'm trying to avoid making a bloated blog and I kinda want to dedicate more of these to certain companies, so I hope to keep this a regular thing, though I'll probably spread this out especially since this collecting hobby can get.....really expensive
     
     
  2. Megas
    Quickly after the success of the first Ace Attorney game, Capcom quickly followed it up with Ace Attorney: Justice For All. After establishing an interesting world and cast of characters in the first game, everyone was excited to see what they could do with the second game. However, with the bar set high on the first one, will the second game be able to meet those expectations?
     
    Also much like the first Ace Attorney, Justice For All is a remake of the second game on the GBA, and was the first time the game was released in the US. And again, there may be spoilers, though mostly from the first game
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Gameplay

     
    The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the first game, with two key differences. One is that unlike the first game, this one had no new cases added, so it doesn't use any of the new gameplay additions from "Rise from the Ashes" and Apollo Justice. However, one new addition it does comes with is the addition of Psyche Locks, which helps make the investigation sections a little more interesting. Maya gives Phoenix an item called a "Magatama" and with it Phoenix can use it to uncover deep secrets from different witnesses throughout the game, and will help you in the trial. Many witnesses have several locks, and some are harder to unlock than others and may require more evidence than others, and using the wrong evidence will deplete your "penalty bar". Speaking of which, the Penalty Bar(which is basically your life bar) replaces the Penalty points from the last game, and it's much better. Instead of losing points, you "health" whenever you make a mistake, but one thing that separates this from the penalty points is that the amount of "health" you lose depends on what you screw up, and some penalties hurt more than others, and unlike the points, your "health" doesn't recover after the trial, and breaking psyche locks will recover "health"
     
    Story

     
    The game takes place a year after the first game, and most from the first game comes back as well as several more new characters. The most notable characters include Pearl Fey and Morgan Fey, Maya's cousin and Aunt respectively, as well as Franziska Von Karma, the daughter of the first game's villain, Manfed Von Karma, and serves as the game's main prosecutor after Miles Edgeworth disappears, and is probably my favorite character in the game(and is totally my waifu). Most of the main cast from the last game including Mia and Gumshoe, and a few minor characters like Will Powers(awesome), Lotta Hart(ughhhhh....) and Wendy Oldbag(...UGHHHHH). Unfortunately Larry doesn't return for this one(though I'm sure some people may not have a problem with that :/). Most of the new cast is, admittedly, a step down from the first game, though most of them are stuck to one case, and there are still many memorable characters that are some of the series best, like Maggey Byrde and Adrian Andrews.
     
    One interesting thing the game does an interesting job with the story though is how it makes you care very little for most of your clients(with the exception of Maggey Byrde) and the murder victims, as a few of them turn out to either be dicks to straight up scumbags. Inversely, it does a good job of making you feel really sorry for a few of the criminals.
     

     
    As for the cases themselves, it's a mixed bag. The first case(The Lost Turnabout) involves Phoenix is to defend officer Maggey Byrde, a clumsy but cute officer(and one Gumshoe has an obvious interest in) who is charged with murdering her boyfriend, the case serves as a tutorial case, but it's handled in a really dumb way as Phoenix is struck in the head and suffers from amnesia during most of the trial until the end. It sucks. The second trial(Reunion and Turnabout) revolves around Phoenix reuniting with Maya(who left in the end of the first game) while bringing a client to get a spirit channeling to right a wrong. However the client ends up killed and Maya is once again framed. This one is really interesting as it brings us a closer look to the mystique surrounding Maya's culture and abilities, and introduces several key characters. The third case is the infamous "Turnabout Big Top", which where you must defend the famous magician and "Master of Flying", the fabulous Max Galactica, who is accused of murdering the ringmaster of the Big Berry Circus. This case is easy the worst in the game, if not the entire series, I can understand why this case is so unpopular with fans. Positives I will say is that enjoyed some of Max's antics, and the the murderer reveal was a huge heavy hitter, but despite the fact that the case is circus themed, the rest of the characters introduced here are some of the most pain in the ass witnesses I have dealt with in the series, they're all incredibly annoying, really difficult to deal with and are absolutely no fun at all. The final case(My Farewell, Turnabout) on the other hand, is the highlight of the game and is right up there with the final cases in the first and third game as the one of the best cases in the series. It involves Phoenix having to defend the star of the hit new "Nickel Samurai" series, Matt Engarde, who pretty dorky and airheaded in a why(though there is more to him than he lets on), meanwhile Maya is kidnapped by an assassin and will not release her until Phoenix meets his demands. This game definitely lives up to the game's subtitle "Justice For All" with all the events leaving you at the edge of your seat and having one of the best plot twists in the series, but for me, what makes this one special is how it's one of the most realistic cases in the series.
     
    Visuals
     

     
    Again, mostly unchanged from the first game. Most of the areas are well-detailed and the sprites are as over the top and as expressive as ever.
     
    Sound
     
    Sound design is, again the same. The music however, while still great, is a step down from the first game. On their own, the music still adds to the game's atmosphere very well, but key songs like Phoenix's "Objection 2002" and the "Cornered" aren't as pumping as the first game's. On the other hand, the Great Revival themes for Miles and Franziska are easily some of the series best as well as Matt Engarde's theme and
     

     

     
    Conclusion
     
    Admittedly, the game is my least favorite in the original trilogy, but it's still fun to play and a must for fans(flaws and all), especially for the final case alone. Much like the first game, if you have a 3DS the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the way to go
  3. Megas
    3rd Party characters have always been an...interesting subject to say the least when it comes to Super Smash Bros; ever since Solid Snake's Introduction in Super Smash Bros Brawl, people have been speculating and giving their thoughts on what 3rd Party characters they would want to see, ranging anywhere from Banjo-Kazooie to Sgt Cortez of Timesplitters, to Master Chief, to F***ing James Bond, and with Megaman's introduction in the new game, discussion has sparked once again. In this blog, I give my personal opinion on what 3rd parties I'd be interested in seeing(a lot of bias, so don't take this to heart). I'd also like to point out that I don't expect all of these characters to appear, only about 2-3.
     
    Since It's opinionated, I'll throw in a few things:
    - One per franchise: So no Knuckles, Raiden, Protoman, etc.
    - I'll still have more characters per company: So I'll still throw in some characters if they still belong to Sega or Capcom for example
    - Have to have had appeared on a Nintendo console as a major character in that game(so no Cloud, Morrigan, etc.)
    - No Sony or Microsoft characters(so no Rare unfortunately,even though Banjo & Kazooie and Ratchet & Clank would rock)
    - I originally was going to include Pac-Man, but at this point he's probably already in the game
    - No Movie, Comic, TV, Cartoon, or Anime(just because it's Namco Bandai doesn't mean anything) characters.....however, I am willing to make one exception
     
    10) Wreck-It Ralph

    From: Wreck-It Ralph
     
    I know about what I said earlier about "No movie characters" and whatnot, but Ralph just feels so perfect. In what could be taken as "The Roger Rabbit of Video games" and as the ultimate Video Game movie, Ralph blends really well with the Nintendo casts especially after appearing alongside the likes of Bowser. And after making a guest appearance on "Sonic Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed", I feel like anything is possible.
     
    9) NiGHTS

    From: NiGHTS into Dreams and NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams
     
    With Sega and Nintendo's new deal, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sonic back, and while I also expect some of his friends to appear, I'd be more satisfying with someone more unique, like NiGHTS. NiGHTS has a certain appeal that, for some reason, reminds me quite a bit of Super Mario Galaxy, and the series's long awaited sequel for the Wii certainly helped that . And while the sequel certainly isn't as popular as the original game, NiGHTS has a lot of appeal and demand that could help push for a spot on the Roster
     
    8) Klonoa

    From: Klonoa Wii, Moonlight Museum, Empire of Dreams, Dream Champ Tournament, Densetsu no Star Medal
     
    First off, the guy looks like Mascot Material, which means he goes well with the characters like Mario, Sonic, Megaman, etc. He has also been given some exposure on Nintendo's platforms through various 2D platformers on the Gameboy Advance as well as a ground-up remake on the Wii, the only reason he's much lower on the list is because he's a very obscure character(though having more games than NiGHTS puts him higher)
     
    7) Viewtiful Joe

    From: Viewtiful Joe, Viewtiful Joe 2, Red Hot Rumble, Double Trouble
    Along with Megaman, Viewtiful Joe is also popular among many Nintendo fans, with his franchise kicking off on the Gamecube. His zaniness and goofiness makes him a popular fit in the Smash roster, and both Tatsunoko Vs Capcom and MvC3 both help mold him into a strong fighter along with his own series, using time based attacks that could help him take the advantage. Nintendo's recent alliegence with Platinum games also makes him a good contender for the roster(though the decision is ultimately up to Capcom
     
    6) Sora

    From: Kingdom Hearts series(mainly Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, Re:Coded, Dream Drop Distance)
    Not gonna lie, at first I was never a fan of having the guy in Smash, but seeing him gain more titles on Nintendo's handhelds and seeing the Nintendo fans on the Kingdom Hearts Fandom grow, I began to accept him and even embrace him. It's hard for me to deny that it would be awesome to see him fight alongside the likes of Link and Marth. It would also be nice to see him show up in the game alongside the announcement of a Kingdom Hearts III Wii U port(why that game is on the Xbone and not the Wii U, I will never know). Though truth be told, having to make a deal with both Disney and Squeenix would be a bitch.
     
    5) A Final Fantasy Character

    From: Too damn many games
    One thing that always bugged me about SSB character spectulation was the absolutely absurd idea of using a character from a(albeit good) Mario Spin-off*coughGenocough* over a character from Square's flagship franchise. Before Final Fantasy VII, the popular JRPG franchise was one of the NES and SNES's top dogs, and there has been plenty of fans clamoring for a Square Enix rep, and what better way than to use a character from their top franchise? Though the problem is deciding which character to use, with suggestions ranging from generic classes like Black Mages and Warriors, to Moogles, to Cloud Strife. In my opinion, I feel Cecil from Final Fantasy IV(which seems to be Square's favorite game besides VII and XIII) and Terra from FFVI(which seems to be the fans favorites), though I'm leaning towards Terra do to the potential of another Magic heavy character
     
    4) Lloyd Irving
    From: Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World
    The main character of one of the popular games in the Tales franchise, one of the few RPGs on the Gamecube, best selling Tales game in the West, the list goes on. While the Tales series is one of Namco's most popular franchises in Japan, the series didn't get any recognition in America until they teamed up with Nintendo to make this game a huge success. Like Sora, I've also wanted to see him team up with Link to kick some ass
     
    3) Phoenix Wright

    From: The Ace Attorney series
    Since his introduction on the GBA in Japan and the DS in the US, Phoenix Wright has become one of the most popular Capcom characters yet, with many people shouting his famous "OBJECTION!" and "HOLD IT!" all over the internet. And while it does seem ridiculous for a Lawyer to be in a fighting game, Capcom already did that in Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, with hilarious results.
     
    2) Simon Belmont

    From: Castlevania series
    As a massive MGS fan, I have to face the facts, unless by some miracle Phantom Pain and Ground Zero end up on the Wii U(which would be freatly appreciated by the way), there's very little reason for him to come back. However, I could se him passing the torch to Simon Belmont of the Castlevania series. As one of the most brutal platformers of the NES and SNES era, Simon bring some whipping action(well that didn't sound right at all) to the fight, and his high nostalgic value is very welcome among many fans, myself included.
     
    And now this is where my biased fanboyism kicks in
     
    1) Travis Touchdown
    From: No More Heroes, Desparate Struggle
    If you know me well enough, you probably saw this coming light years away. But yeah, Travis would be both hilarious and awesome to see. His realistic appearance makes him look like an intimidating character, but behind that is a goofy and zany assassin who's in it to win it. His swordplay mixed with professional wrestling moves also makes him look like a very strong and intersting fighter. Plus if he does get in, it would definitely help raise my spirits for a No More Heroes 3
     
    Honorable mentions:
    Banjo and Kazooie
    Bomberman
    Rayman
    Earthworm Jim
    Ryu(Street Fighter)
    Ryu Hyabusa(Ninja Gaiden)
    Leon S Kennedy(Resident Evil)
     
    The characters mentioned above are here because I a) never played much of their games, never got interested in them, or c) the characters on my list were just more appealing to me. However, I do acknowledge these characters as highly important in the Nintendo community and would still love to see them in the game, despite personal preferences.
     
     
     
    Now let the hate comments commence
  4. Megas
    Some cartoons are pretty successful, some aren't. Some are even successful enough to warrant a theatrical adaptation, and that's what this list is for. Only two things to note
     
    - Full theatrical releases, so no TV movies(like Fairly Odd Parents Channel Chasers or MLaaTR's Escape From Cluster Prime), Direct-to-DVD movies(like Wakko's Wish) or limited releases(like Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks or DBZ: Battle of the Gods)
    - Animated Adaptations only, so don't worry about seeing those horrific movies like The Last Airbender or Dragonball Evolution
    - Only including movies I watched, which will explain why the Power Puff Girls movie isn't on here
     
    10) The Wild Thornberrys Movie

     
    Genuinely surprised that the movie(or the show for that matter) doesn't get much attention as I feel both it and the show was some of Nick's best(as well as Klasky Csupo's last good efforts, Rocket Power was eh and As Told By Ginger was boring).
     
    9) The Rugrats Movie

     
    Surprisingly heart-tugging, from what I remember this was the first and one of the very few Nicktoons to get it's own movie. It introduced Dil and while the show wasn't as great as it used to be before the movie(though imo Dil was All Grown Up's saving grace), the movie itself was still a fun romp. Spike being a badass, And that one scene with Tommy and Dil in the rain is still really powerful
     
    8) Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius

     
    This one's kind of cheating since the movie was really more of a pilot than a movie adaptation, but the movie wound up giving us the 3rd of what I like to call, "The Big 3 of the 2000s", which included Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, and Jimmy Neutron. The movie itself was really fun and gave us some great characters to look forward too despite some...really impractical science when you really think about it(and lets not forget that they were able to breathe in space freely)
     
    7) The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

     
    Before you youngins had "A Sponge Out of Water" this was the first Spongebob movie and boy was it awesome. Originally planned as the series finale, the movie encompassed everything that made the show great while putting our heroes on a huge adventure, giving us one of the
    , Patrick's crush on Mindy was adorable, and best of all

    6) Rugrats in Paris
     
    Last Nickelodeon Movie, I promise!
    In my opinion the best Nickelodeon movie(or at least the most memorable), this time starring Chuckie as he tries to get a new mom. Not gonna lie, some of the scenes are...really heartbreaking. On top of that you get moments of Chuckie being awesome, you get see mechs sorta fight each other, and you even see a moment of Angelica actually feeling guilty for being a shitty human being and actually trying to make up for it(including humiliating the movie's villain)
     
    6) A Goofy Movie

     
    It was a tough choice between this and An Extremely Goofy Movie, but when I realized that An Extremely Goofy Movie was a Direct-to-DVD movie(which was actually really surprising considering the quality of most DtDVD Disney movies). Plot is nothing too special, Max and Goofy want to do different things for Summer, with Goofy going camping and Max wanting to go to a concert. But the parts surrounding Max and Goofy is what makes this movie for me
     
    4) South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
     

     
    This movie is basically what happens when South Park doesn't hold back. It also has some of the
     
    3) Beavis and Butthead Do America

     
    Much like South Park, this movie is what happens when Beavis and Butthead don't hold back(though I prefer this one slightly more). It involves the duo doing what they usually do, this time on a national scale, while trying to find someone "to score". It also features a pretty insane music video.
     
    2) Recess: School's Out

     
    This movie imo, is how you both make a series finale. The movie returns to the "getting rid of recess plot" but this time the stakes are higher, with a crazy madman trying to make a permanent winter and trying to get rid of the biggest Recess of all, Summer vacation. Everything that made the show good is here and then some, you get to see some good buddy to buddy interaction between TJ and Prickly, heartwarming moments between the gang, and you get to see Gus, Prickly and Ms Finster being badass
     
    1) The Simpsons Movie

     
    Released during the times when everyone was saying the Simpsons was far passed its prime, this movie comes out and proves that the Simpsons still has it in them. Pretty much in development hell for a long time, much like Recess and Spongebob, the movie has everything that made the show great and then some. It also has a ton of heart and genuinely heartwarming moments and tons of laughs. Apparently the show's creator says that if he ever gets the chance, he wants to make another movie and use it as a series finale, and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way, if this movie is anything to go by, I wouldn't have it any other way
  6. Megas
    Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations is the third and final game of the original Ace Attorney trilogy(and was originally intended to be the final game period). After the first two games, this one had the role of wrapping up Phoenix's story line as well as several character arcs that were present during those first two games. Does the game live up to the expectations set by the first two as well as serve as a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy?
     
    Warning, there may be some spoilers.....and this may turn more into a Godot Gushing blog rather than an actual review
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Gameplay
     

     
    It's the same as the first two games. Investigation(with some Psyche locks) and the trials.
     
    Story
     

     
    The game's story focuses a lot on Mia Fey's past and serves as the final chapter in Phoenix's character arc in what it means to deliver justice. The first case(Turnabout Memories) is the game's tutorial case, but a surprisingly strong one at that, and one that is very important as it introduces the game's main villain. The case is a flashback about Mia Fey's earliest cases where she defends none other than Phoenix Wright, who is accused of murdering fellow college student and his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, Doug Swallow. The second case(the Stolen Turnabout) returns to the present day where Phoenix has to defend Ron DeLite, who is accused of robbery, and then murder. This case also reveals the game's prosecutor, everyone's favorite coffee loving prosecutor Godot who is totally a sexy badass easy the best character in the game. The third case(Recipe for Turnabout) involves Phoenix defending Maggey Byrde who is accused of murder once again, though unknowing to Phoenix, he supposedly already defended her and did a terrible job of doing so. Despite being a filler case like Turnabout Samurai and Turnabout Big Top, this case is surprisingly a lot of fun with despite an odd ending. The fourth case(Turnabout Beginnings) is another flashback, this time being Mia's very first trial where she, along with her boyfriend Diego Armando, defend death row convict Terry Fawles, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend's sister and detective, Valerie Hawthorne. This trial is pretty much the one that started it all and serves as a prologue to the final case in the game, it also shows to be one of Miles Edgeworth's earliest cases as a prosecutor. The final case(Bridge to the Turnabout) centers around a girl named Iris, who reminds Phoenix of someone in the past, who is accused of murdering children's book writer Elise Deauxnim. However an accident causes Phoenix to get sick and Godot goes missing so Miles Edgeworth(as the Defense) and Franziska Von Karma(prosecution) has to take it to court and fill the roles for the first day, meanwhile, Maya and Pearl also go missing. This trial pretty much goes all out in the best way possible as most of the major characters in the trials were main characters in the first two games, we get to see more backstory behind Mia's family and the connections she has to the game's villain, we get to see Godot hates Phoenix so much, and despite some parts being a bit complicated, serves as the best possible send off for not just the game, but the original trilogy as a whole. And I'm just gonna get this out there, but the game had me bawling at the end.
     
    Also there's a small part where Phoenix and Franziska do the investigation together. And it is hilarious.
     

     
    The cast in this installment is arguably some of the best in the trilogy. The main characters from the first game(Phoenix, Mia, Maya, Edgeworth, Larry and Gumshoe, and even Marvin Grossberg) as well as a few from Justice For All(In particular, Pearl, Franziska, Adrian Andrews, Maggey Byrde, and to a lesser extent, Morgan Fey). And several of the new characters introduced are really hilarious(though I can see some being more annoying with others) with more depth than they let on. And I'm not exaggerating when I say one of the villains is one of the most evil characters I've ever seen in a video game. Though the highlight character is easily Godot. Hot Shot, yet cool and collected(even when he's losing), setting his own guidelines, and his unabashed love for coffee, he's easily the coolest character in not only the game but the entire series, and a very quotable guy.
     
    Also I couldn't help but notice that love is a running theme in this game, as romance can be a focal point in every trial.
     
    Visuals
     

    Much like the first two games, visuals are great. Very detailed backgrounds and very funny and expressive sprite animations.
     
    Sound
     


     
    The sound design is again, as great as the other two games, tons of "Hold it!"'s, "Objection!"'s and "Take that!"'s everywhere.
     
    The music is something else though. I'm willing to go as far as to say that the OST up there with the first game as the best in the series. Phoenix's theme and the Pressing Pursuit theme rivals those of the original game's, and almost every character in the game gets their own theme song, making them a bit more memorable than some of those in the past, with my favorite themes being Godot's and Furio Tigre's themes.
     
    Overall
     
    This is easily one of, if not the best, game in the series, and has easily become my favorite. Great music, strong characters, both new and returning, and one of the most emotional stories in the series, it is easily the best possible send off for the Phoenix Wright trilogy. And again, if you have a 3DS, the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the best way to go. Though I highly recommend playing the first two games before trying this game.
  7. Megas
    "On my business card, I am a company president. But in my mind I am a Developer, and in my heart I am a Gamer."
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Earlier this week, the gaming industry and community lost an important figure, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away at age 55 from a bile duct tumor. His tragic passing is felt around the world as fans, friends, and colleagues in the industry mourns his passing
     
    Shigeru Miyamoto:
     

    Reggie Fils-Aime
     

    Shigesato Itoi
     

    Masahiro Sakurai
     

    Shuhei Yoshida
     

    Phil Spencer
     

    Iwata was a rarity among most corporate heads in the gaming industry, becoming president in 2002, handpicked by former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi. He was incredibly humble and would take responsibility for the companies mistakes and apologize, and would take a pay cut by half so he wouldn't have to lay people off. He was also one of the very few company presidents who also understood the development side of things.
     
    Speaking of which he was also a programming wizard. When he was working at Hal Laboratory, he was responsible for working on many beloved Nintendo titles such as Baloon Fight, Earthbound, NES Open Tournament Golf, and the Kirby series. He then became president of Hal Laboratory and turned the company around when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. He also was responsible for bringing Earthbound to life even after running into so many issues in development. He also had a hand in Pokemon Snap and Stadium, the latter of which he single-handedly ported the source code of the Red/Blue battle system to Stadium. While we're on the subject of Pokemon, he also was able to fit both the new Jhoto and Kanto regions into a single GBC Cartridge. And he and his team also had a hand in bringing the original Super Smash Bros to life, and I think that success story speaks for itself.
    During his time as president he brought forth many consoles that many gamers still love to this day such as the Wii and the DS, both of which are two of Nintendo's biggest success stories of all time.
     
    One thing that Iwata will always be known was his directness, character, and his quirky-ness. Iwata Asks was a segment where he would often interview other devs on upcoming games revealing the thought processes that went into certain game design and going in depth into the game's mechanics. The man would also often deliver news "Directly" to gamers via Nintendo Directs which are very popular in the community, and within those directs he would often present himself in very humorous and fun ways, whether it'd be holding bananas, duking it out with Reggie or doing goofy stuff with Mario and co.
     


     
    The most recent instance was when he was "Muppet-fied" for Nintendo's recent E3 conference. Regardless of your feelings towards the conference, I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say the Muppet-fied Nintendo leads were among the best and most memorable parts of E3.
     


     
    And I feel this shows a lot of what kind of man Iwata was, and what represents Nintendo, fun and having fun. And you could definitely tell the man had a lot of fun doing what he did, acting and doing goofy games, demoing all of the games they would have to showcase.
     
    Nintendo and the Gaming World lost an important man, who was taken too young, but his legacy will live on in history, and in gamer's hearts. Godspeed Mr Iwata, may you rest well.
     




  8. Megas
    Title is pretty self explanatory. After Square-Enix's troll-tastic reveal yesterday about Final Fantasy VII is returning to the PS4(only for it to be a port of the more inferior PC version in HD...which won't do anything). Ever since their little PS4 tech demo back in 2005, people have been clamoring for a FFVII remake for ages now, and for good reason, as there are plenty of things that could do good for the game, the Final Fantasy franchise, and Square Enix themselve, if they ever decide to remake it
     
    1) The game's visuals have aged horribly
     

     
    I'm not gonna mince words here, while the CGI cutscenes still look alright, the in-game visuals look fugly. The blocky style of the characters just look weird and jaggy, and it doesn't help with the story, which itself is pretty serious. The
    shown in 2005 obviously shows that the game could use the visual upgrade, especially, again, with the more serious tone of the story. 
    2) The Game could use a new translation
     
    Early games never really had the best translations, especially in regards to Final Fantasy game, like FFIV or FFTactics, and VII is no exception. Translation errors galore, like "I see. So that'll how you'll fool them" or "Bizzarro Enegy" and who can forget "This guy are sick"?
     
    3) It would make Squeenix tons of money
     
    Obvious reason is obvious. Final Fantasy VII is insanely popular, often credited for the JRPG boom around the PS1/PS2 era. Sure it'll cost a lot to make(the original game is the 4th most expensive game made, behind GTAV, CoDMW2, and Destiny), but everyone can guarantee that it'll make it's money's worth and then some. If they never make the game, that'll just prove that Squeenix hates money.
     
    4) It could help the Final Fantasy franchise recover
     
    Lets be honest here, this generation hasn't been kind to Final Fantasy. Between the divisive reception of Final Fantasy XIII(along with two unwanted sequels), the poor launch of FFXIV, the negative reaction to the FFVI port on the iOS, no localization for Type-0(thankfully that's actually being released this gen)and the disaster that was All The Bravest, Final Fantasy has seen better days. I mean it's sad when the best received Final Fantasy games this generation were spin-offs, granted they were awesome like Dissidia and Theatrhythm, but the main series sure did take the beating. While FFXV and the HD update of Type-0 look promising, seeing Squeenix fully remake VII with the quality we expect would definitely help reinvigorate faith in the franchises
     
    5) Would be a good appitizer before FFXV
     
    Of course, assuming FFXV DOESN'T take for ever to come out, a remake of FFVII would definitely keep people occupied before the game ever comes out
     
    6) They could tie in Crisis Core and Advent Children
     
    This is probably just another way of me saying that I want Crisis core, but I would love it if they remade the game, that they could also tie in Crisis Core and/or Advent Children in some way(even if AC wasn't the best movie out there). Hell, maybe they could include Dirge of Cerberus too, even if that game could use some fixing
     
    7) It can use a few touch ups to the story
     
    And what I mean by that is that they could do some changes to the story that would otherwise be beneficial to the game's overall story. A good example of what I mean
     
     
     
     
     
    While some people often decry FFVII of being an overrated title(personally I think it's a great title, even though it's my least favorite of the PSX trilogy), it's hard to deny the impact the game's had on the industry. It's still a legendary title, but unfortunately it hasn't stood well against the test of time. And ultimately I feel a remake would be a great thing to happen, Square Enix would get some profit from the game, and the game itself would be completely revamped into something both older fans and newcomers can enjoy
  9. Megas
    There was a point in time(between 2001 to 2007) where the Simpsons began churning out a few games that were very unsubtle rip-offs/clones of other very successful and popular games at the time(like wrestling games, Tony Hawk, GTA, etc.) with mixed results to say the least, ranging from great, like Hit & Run and The Simpsons Game(2007), to outright abysmal like The Simpsons Skateboarding and Wrestling. The Simpsons Road Rage is very different on the other hand, it's easily the least subtle rip-off of the bunch. Is it a gem like Hit & Run, or a car crash like Wrestling? Let's find out
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    The Simpsons Road Rage
    Platforms: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube
    Developed by Radical Entertainment
    Published by EA
     
    Story
     

     
    The story is, erm, underwhelming to say the least, though pretty par the course for Simpsons games. Mr. Burns buys out the Bus Transportation Systems in Springfield, and replaces the buses with ones that run on nuclear power. And this is obviously a threat to public health, so the Simpsons and a few other members of Springfield ban together to raise money($1 million) to buy it back from Burns. Of course, one has to wonder how $1 million is enough to change Burns' mind considering he's a billionaire. And to go along with that, the delivery isn't very interesting or funny enough to be invested in it, not to mention Burns' motivation for buying the transportation system is never explained.
     
    Gameplay
     

     
    If you're already aware of the game Crazy Taxi, then you already know what the game plays like. You drive around 6 different levels of Springfield picking up different locals an take them to the destinations in a certain amount of time, and the amount of money you receive from the passenger depending on how fast they get there. The more money you raise the more characters and locations you can unlock.
     
    There are 6 locations of Springfield, consisting of the usual spots like Moe's, the Kwiki-Mart, or the Android Dungeon, to more obscure places fans will recognize like Springfield Gorge or The Box Factory, and the places characters are either places they normally visit or places they've visited in past episodes sometimes with a a quote related to that episode. There are also 17 playable characters to choose from(including 3 versions of Homer). There is also a Sunday Drive mode with is more or less a "Practice Mode" which is mostly just for you to explore different locations, looking for shortcuts that can benefit you in the main game, there is also no time limit or money earned, so you don't have to worry about any penalties. Lastly there is a Mission Mode where you play missions with certain stipulations and finishing them all gets you a reward, The Car Built For Homer. There's also a multiplayer mode where you race against another player to get your passengers quicker.
     
    Overall, the gameplay, while not awful, is not amazing and gets old quickly. The cars themselves drive very quickly and turn quickly, though perhaps to quickly, there are many moments where you take a corner to quick and lose your path and must recover often wasting time. There's also some very sketchy hitboxes between cars, items, and buildings, as there are many times where a small piece of debris can get you stuck and you must mess with your car or reset your position to get out of it, same with buildings, as hitting corners can also get you stuck. Raising money's not very difficult, as in each playthrough you can get a good $10000 if your quick enough, and it's not very difficult to master either. Thus the easy difficulty makes it very tedious. There's also the lackluster mission mode, no clever mission, with all of them consisting of you hit X amount of Y in Z amount of time. Only three levels really take advantage of the game's main gimmick. The mission's aren't very hard either, as you have enough time to complete them and there's usually an infinite amount of items to destroy, and whether you accomplish them depends on where you are if you're in a lucky place. The absolute worst mission is Lisa's mission, which consists of her destroying groups of tree's in a small amount of time, and unlike the other mission's there's a finite amount of logs to destroy as well as a fork in the road, with both roads containing a group of logs, and there just isn't enough time to get through the other fork and is near impossible to make. I swear no matter how I approached the level I could never find away to complete it in time. Then there's also the fact that if you lose/restart a mission enough times you can skip it completely and move on to the next one, and unlike The Simpsons Hit & Run, these DO count as a completed mission, thus making doing these missions a waste of time.
     
    There's also the problem with the characters, they all feel the same. Some exceptions like Mr Plow, Plow King, and the Canyonero are mainly due to their size, and cars like the Hover Car, Apu's Sports Car, and the L'il Bandit due to being sports cars/high tech, but even then the differences are negligible, especially once you get going.
     
    Visuals
     

     
    As you can see, the game doesn't look very good. While not awful, the game could look better, character models look very strange and, at least for the year the game was released, it still could look better. The buildings also have very saturated colors, as a lot of them look a lot darker than their TV show counterparts. Also, why is the Simpsons house red? On the bright side, the vehicles look great, while some of them do have saturated colors, it's no where near as bad as the buildings, and they really benefit from a bit of cel-shading.
     
    Audio/Music
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZLCbPlUaoo
     
    The Simpsons usually relies on humor, dialogue and jokes for its main source of entertainment. Unfortunately very little bit of it is there, as 90% of the time they just throw out one-liners that get old and annoying quickly. There are some funny exchanges between certain characters(which happen rarely unfortunately), or towards the locations they're attending, but both of these are very rare and not really worth sitting through everything else. The music is really nothing special either, there is a nice jazz tune played during Sunday Drive, but otherwise the OST is pretty uninspired and forgettable.
     
    Summary
    + A lot of playable characters
    + Easy to start
    + Some funny jokes here and there
    + Some decent fanservice and with lots of locations to see
    - But gets dull very quick
    - lackluster visuals
    - Lots of annoying one-liners
    - Little to no diversity between characters
    - Weak multiplayer
    - Weak Story
    - Awful Mission mode
     
    Overall, to reiterate, the game isn't awful, it's playable and can be fun in short bursts. But as I've repeated, it gets old very quickly, there's not enough diversity between the characters, and while the levels can be interesting, it can't carry the game. The mission mode is also a complete waste of time and the story just isn't interesting enough to care. I can really only recommend it to Simpsons fans who might enjoy some of the dialogue/jokes and the references, but even then it won't keep their attention for long.
  10. Megas
    Nowadays, it's expected for a game to have decent voice acting, and in a AAA game's case it's almost always required to have Hollywood level VAs working on your games, with popular actors like Peter Dinklage, Kiefer Sutherland, Patrick Stewart, and etc., often lending their voices in various different titles, but back then, it wasn't always the case. Somewhere in between the 4th and 5th gen developers finally began to focus on what more things they can do with the extra power they had, and were able to record better quality sounds with led to more authentic sounds, soundtracks recorded with real instruments, and being able to record voices for voice acting. However, in the case of voice acting, even with the extra power they had voice acting was always an afterthought, and they would always find people almost literally from the streets, with absolutely no experience to do the voices for the characters in said games. This would either lead to said 'actors' to either not try at all, or try so hard that they would deliver their lines terribly, but in some cases this would lead to many unintentionally hilarious moments in the game, and some of the most memorable quotes in gaming, just due to how hilarious they were delivered. Even some of the games with better voice acting and more experienced VA would often drop a few hilarious lines every now and then(ex. "We've managed to avoid drowning!" .All in all, the voice acting would often lead to a much more enjoyable experience, regardless of whether the game was good or not.
     
    Though all the games on this list is pretty good at least
     
    5) "YOU FLAMING IDIOTS!" - Dynasty Warriors 3

     
    Definitely the more underrated on the list, but one that should be experienced. Dynasty Warriors isn't as well known of a series as the other games on the list, so you shouldn't expect any quality voice acting. For starters, it took until the sixth game in the series for them to actually begin pronouncing the names properly. Before then, the names would be pronounced in ways that would often lead names to sound unintentionally hilarious. Most notably, for Cao Cao would sound like "Cow Cow" instead of "Ts'ao Ts'ao", his son Cao Pi though had it worse. Besides mispronounced names, the VAs would often make normal lines sound hammy and ridiculous. In the montage above, you can see many lines delivered more hilarious than the needed to. Some of my favorites include a simple "Yes" said by multiple characters, "A dike? Oh no!" by Sima Yi, and just about everything Zhang He says
     
    4) "USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH!" - Starfox 64

     
    Almost every line in Starfox 64 is a meme itself. In short, Starfox 64 is a YouTube Pooper's wet dream, having almost every single line in the game delivered in such a way that it gives them enough material to make several dirty videos.
    . Falco(HEY EINSTEIN I'M ON YOUR SIDE), Fox(ANDROSS WON'T HAVE HIS WAY WITH ME), Wolf(You're good, BUT I'M BETTAH) and several of Andross's officers have some pretty hilarious lines itself. Though it's not all sunshine and laughs though, as some characters like Slippy(though he has his moments too) and Andrew, can actually be pretty cringeworthy. Some may argue that the VA was meant to be cheesy, but I disagree, because these guys gave the original game a ton of charm, and I felt that more after I played the 3DS remake, where I couldn't help but feel they tried too hard to be cheesy in that version, and led to the lines being more cringeworthy and uninspired, rather than hilarious and memorable like the original game. 
    3) "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOUUUURRRR!!!" - Megaman X4(feat. Dr Wah Wee)
     

     
    Most Megaman games seem to have bad habit of having very bad voice acting. Apart from the first Megaman Legends, I'd say it took until Megaman X Command Mission for their games to have at least decent voice acting. Megaman X4 in particular had some pretty serious moments made hilarious just to how hard they were trying. It helps though that almost every VA from this game was also from Megaman 8, which led to some familiar voices. Roll and Iris shared the same voices. Megaman and X shared the same voice, probably because who ever was the voice directer thought they were they same person, which is the only explanation as to why X sounded like a little girl(though the fact that it was still better than his X7 voice is really depressing). Most notably, the two game's premiere badasses Duo and Zero ended up sounding like complete wimps trying to be badass, though it led to one of the
    . A particular mention for Dr Light as well. . 
    Still high quality compared to X7's VA though(no I will never let that game go)
     
    2) "DIE MONSTER! YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!" - Castlevania Symphony of the Night
     

     
    This was kind of an odd one, but I'll explain it. A lot of what makes Castlevania's VA is that they also try to be old fashions. A lot of times it leads the dialogue sounding even cornier than usual. But it also leads to a very memorable opening for the game, with Richter Belmont and Dracula's exchanges with comments like "It was not by my hands that I am once again given flesh. I was brought here by humans who wish to pay ME tribute!" and "Tribute? You steal men's souls! And make them your slaves!". Though my favorite, and man other's is Dracula's famous,
    (which I'll admit, as cheesy as it is, it's also kind of badass). As much as it disappointed me that they decided to redo the entire game's VA and dialogue in the PSP re-release in "Dracula X Chronicles" it probably would've lost its charm had they just redid the original script, much like Starfox 64 did with the 3DS port. 
    1) "YOU WERE ALMOST A JILL SANDWICH!" - Resident Evil

     
    You all knew this was gonna be here, but can you really blame me. The original Resident Evil was more funny than it was scary for a lot of people. Sure, it had its scary moments, but with such voice acting, it was hard to take anything seriously. But that's why everyone loved it so much. The voice acting was such a big deal that even Capcom loves to reference them(I'm pretty sure that Capcom restaurant in Japan has "Jill Sandwich" somewhere in its menu). And while I'm glad they changed the dialogue in the REmake and improve the VA(especially since it improves the scare factor), I still find myself coming to the original game just to hear things like "It's especially effective against living things!" and "You ARE the master of unlocking!" among other things.
     
    Seriously, Barry Burton's quotes alone are worth playing the original game, even when you've already played the REmake
  11. Megas
    I lucked out on getting the Special edition of Xenoblade X, but I'm glad I did because it's awesome(and I'm gonna show it off because I'm such a show-offy sack of crap anyway)
     

     
    Everything that came with it(USB drive with all a few notable songs, artbook, art-card and the game obviously)
     

     
    At first I was sad it didn't come with the Steelbook like the EU version did, but the reversable cover more than makes up for it
     

     
    The art-card is smaller but nicer than expected. A picture worth framing
     

     
    USB is also surprisingly surprisingly nice and meaty-looking, I was expecting something really cheap looking
     

     
    The artbook is also a beast and I fucking love it
     



  12. Megas
    Earlier it was revealed that first games inducted into the recently created official Video Game Hall of Fame by the Strong National Museum of Play. These inductees include iconic games and franchises like Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros, Tetris, Doom and World of Warcraft, and it's not hard to see why for these have been some of the most impactful and legendary franchises in not just video games, but in all of media, and each have helped revolutionized gaming in one way or another, from gaming's conception(Pong), to the rise of Arcade Gaming(Pac Man), to flat out saving the gaming industry(Super Mario). Sometime down the future however, hopefully we'll see more games and franchises earn their spots in the Hall of Fame
     
    Keep in mind that I'm going with entire franchises rather than single games to make my life a lot easier
     
    Legend of Zelda

     
    Legend of Zelda actually barely missed out on being inducted. However, even with that said, this just means that it's inclusion is inevitable in the future, as nearly every game in the franchise has always left an impact on gaming in some way or another...yes even those historically awful CD-i games
     
    Metroid

     
    Another franchise known for it's high quality. The Metroid franchise was one of the first of it's kind for it's mixture of adventuring and platforming, one of the first known for having atmosphere as it's appeal, and introduce who is easily one of gaming's most iconic female characters through one of gaming's biggest twists
     
    Pokemon

     
    Pokemon is one of the most notable franchises that helped portable gaming become as big as it is now, as well as introducing some of gaming's most diabeetus-inducing creatures out there. It was also one of the biggest world-wide crazes ever, and one that's still going strong.
     
    Half-Life

     
    If Doom was responsible for being one of the first gaming's earliest PC games(as well as popularizing FPS games), then Half-Life sure as hell helped popularized PC gaming. The game was one of the first for PC gaming juggernaut Valve and had a huge influence on the FPS genre as a whole
     
    Goldeneye 007/Halo

     
    Putting these two together since they had a similar effect on gaming. If Half-Life and Doom helped popularized the FPS genre on PC, then the same could be said for these games on consoles. Not only that however, but these two were also responsible for popularizing Multiplayer in FPS gaming, and in Halo's case online gaming, which would influence many developers to include an online mode in their games. As for Goldeneye, it's what happens when developers put love and care into a movie-licensed game
     
    Street Fighter
     

     
    One of gaming's most iconic fighting games and arcade games along with Mortal Kombat. The Street Fighter style of fighting games would eventually become the basis of many fighting games in the future
     
    Mortal Kombat

     
    Mortal Kombat is a game known for its excessive violence and gore and everyone loved it for it as well as being one of the most beloved Fighting games along with Street Fighter, and along with a game called "Night Trap", it was responsible for creating the ESRB. The only reason I'm including MK in this and not Night Trap in this is because Night Trap is awful
     
    Metal Gear Solid

     
    One of the best examples of the stealth-genre, Metal Gear Solid was also known for it's cinematic approach in regards to both it's story and its gameplay, which would influence many, many future developers to adopt a cinematic approach to their games, for better or for worse.
     
    Grand Theft Auto

     
    When it comes to Sandbox and open world games, the Grand Theft Auto series definitely set the standard for what kind of game they should be like, full of exploration and the ability to do anything you want. It also helps that the GTA series is one that loves to get itself into some of the most controversial moments in the gaming industry.
     
    Final Fantasy

     
    One of the premiere examples for not only Japanese-Style RPGs, but for the RPG genre itself. The series, also lauded for it's visuals, character, and music, single-handedly saved Square from bankruptcy
     
    I know there are plenty of other games people would love to see included in the Hall of Fame, so feel free include your ideas in the description
  13. Megas
    *Game review is based on the 3DS version*
     
    Ever since Super Smash Bros hit the N64 in 1999, a new style of fighting games were born. Since then many companies have tried to emulate the Smash Bros style, with games like Playstation All-Stars Battle Royal, TMNT: Smash-Up, Jump Superstars(and its sequel Jump Ultimate Stars), DreamMix TV World Fighters, etc., each with varying degrees of success.
    By 2011, the higher ups thought it would be a good idea to make a Smash-style fighter featuring various characters from Cartoon Network's line-up, and on paper it does sound like a pretty awesome idea.
     
    Unfortunately the execution left a lot to be desired.
     

     
    The game starts with your standard modes with Story and Battle modes, as well as an Options menu and Vault(where you can view records, character stats, movies, etc.). The Battle mode has a normal and custom mode, and can be played between friends and/or CPU. Despite the game being a multiplayer heavy game(like most fighters are), there's not an option to play online, so you better hope you have friends that have this game and are willing to play this with you.
     
    The game's visuals are nothing really to write home about, though there isn't really anything wrong with them either. The games follows the character designs fairly well, and seeing some of the different show's worlds recreated in 3D is pretty neat to see.
     

     
    The game's music moves between dull and generic to outright non-existent. Even when I played the game with headphones and having the 3DS at full blast, I could barely hear any of the game's music, and if I did, it would be nothing worth noting. The game also features voice acting, but unfortunately hearing them yell the same lines over and over can be grating, especially considering some of the characters don't have their original voices. On the bright side, the ever awesome George Lowe(Known for Space Ghost Coast to Coast fame), and he sounds as great as ever(despite a few cheesy lines.)
     
    The story is pretty much what you expect from almost any other crossover: A bunch of characters are bunched together and must travel into each other's worlds in order to beat the bad guy. One thing I'll give this game over Smash is that it actually used the character's universes to the story's advantage(which was one of my main problems with Subspace Emissary). Unfortunately it is also here where the game's biggest problems start to unravel. The story is mainly played through a series of platforming fighting several enemies along the way, the controls feel slippery and awkward. Jumping would feel loose and slippery and fighting enemies proved to be nuisance do to poor hit detection. There would also be moments where that moved you away from the main gameplay and placed you in different gimmicks like turret sections, cannon sections, slingshots, and etc. And for some reason the cutscenes aren't animated, and feel like they were poorly made through MS Paint
     

     
    Going back to the main gameplay, it definitely feels like a Smash Bros game, but if feels like one if it had all of the precision, effort, and fun removed. Again, the controls feel very slippery and clumsy. Much like Smash, damage is determined by percentage and the more damage you receive, the farther you'll be knocked back. The game also features Super Attacks(like Final Smashes) that can be initiated by filling up a power bar(like PSASBR) that's filled by obtaining these power gems that appear after an opponent is attacked. Activating the attack then initiates a cutscene of the character using the attack, rather than the character using the attack in game(like in SSB or PSASBR), which can get very old and annoying quick. Also, for some reason, rather than having the camera zoom far enough to see all the characters(like Smash and PSASBR) it's zoomed into the character your using instead, which makes following your opponents a pain since more likely than not you won't have enough time to detect your enemy's attacks. Also one thing that's expected to see in a fighting game is too see your enemy's status, in this game you only have access to your own status and one opponent's status, fighting multiple enemies and the enemy status will alternate when ever the opponent on your screen is KO'd, which makes detecting opponent's progress difficult on top the camera issues.
     
    The roster feels feels really small and underwhelming despite some notable fan favorites. The roster mainly features 18 characters from the "Golden Age of Cartoon Network" with characters like Bloo and Mack, Dexter, Grim, Billy and Mandy, Numbah One, Samurai Jack, all 3 Power Puff Girls, as well as some more recent characters Flapjack, Chowder, and Ben Tennyson and even features Captain Planet. Despite having some notable fan-favorites, the game also has various glaring omissions:notable shows include Ed, Edd N' Eddy, Courage, Johnny Bravo(who was included in PS360Wii Port), Scooby Doo, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, Juniper Lee, Megas XLR(personal Bias ), Generator Rex, Symbionic Titan, and most notably Adventure Time and Regular Show(the game appeared after these two aired, and in a year where the 2 hit their stride), and even Toonami's Tom. The console port bumps the roster up to 26, but the only character worth noting was Johnny Bravo as all the other characters appeared in the 3DS game as bosses(and are from shows already repped)...also apparently it was a better idea to have a second version of Ben 10 as a playable character
     
    The characters also play like Smash Bros characters, each character has 4 normal and special attacks, several air attacks, grabs(though grabbing opponents feel sloppy), blocking and dodging. Unfortunately the roster is unbalanced with some characters being overpowered and having unfair advantages over others(Ben 10's side special in particular is ridiculously strong)
     
    There's potential for a good game here, but there's a ton here that needs to be fixed before that can happen. Instead it's a very unsubtle Super Smash Bros clone that lacks the polish and excitement that that series is known for. From what I've heard. the console version addresses a couple of issues I had with the game(Online, display for all fighters, etc.) but until I try that version for myself, I'm still not sold
     
    Final Verdict: I can only recommend this game to those who are huge Cartoon Network fans(added that it's pretty cheap), and even then it's a hard sell, especially with the limited roster. Otherwise your better off sticking to Super Smash Bros(or PSASBR if you like the Smash style, but aren't sold on Nintendo characters)
     
     
     
  14. Megas
    Earlier this week Konami, a former gaming giant, officially announced the cancellation of Silent Hills, after a weeks of speculation of the game's unknown status. Around the same time it was found out that Hideo Kojima, of of the last driving forces of the companies, would be leaving the company with Metal Gear Solid V being his last game. Along with that Konami delisted themselves from the New York Stock Exchange. Now Konami said that it was a move made to save money, and they are not in any financial troubles. This doesn't surprise me since in Japan they're also known for Pachinko and other Casino Machines, as well as fitness. But being a gamer, it's their video game division I'm worried about especially since outside of MGS all they have is Pro Evolution Soccer, Yu Gi Oh, and tons of lost IPs
     
    The Future of Silent Hill
     

     
    After disbanding the team of the original developers, Team Silent, and several attempts by Western Developers to make a Silent Hill games, each with mixed results, and the series was in hard times. Many hoped for a grand comeback for the series after the reveal of the Playable Teaser(dubbed PT) however, especially with the team of Hideo Kojima, Guillermo Del Toro, and Norman Reedus, it felt like a match made in heaven. The PT demo alone was considered by many to be one of the scariest games made, became a viral hit. Unfortunately the game will never come to light with the issues between Kojima and Konami. Also the fact that Konami that it would continue making MGS games instead of re-affirming the status of Silent Hills set its fate in stone. One month later Konami said it will continue working on the Silent Hill series, but after everything that's happened, no knows for sure.
     
     
    Castlevania

     
    Last year marked the year the franchises' head honcho, Koji Igarashi, would leave the company. Meanwhile the series was still in limbo after Lords of Shadows 2 bombed critically and financially. Lords of Shadows was a divisive game among, despite strong critical reception, while both Mirror of Fate and LoS2 were unpopular, and after that it seemed like Konami has been afraid to touch the franchise. Once one of the company's flagship franchises along with Contra, MGS, and Silent Hills, the series still has yet to see a new game
     
    Metal Gear

     
    Metal Gear is one of Konami's only IPs left that is still profitable, with Metal Gear Solid V releasing in September, and in light of recent events, this will be the last Konami game many fans will purchase, with some even going to buy the game used. It's likely that Kojima chose to leave the company so he can finally work on something new as for the past 10 years he's worked on almost nothing but MGS. The first thing Konami said after news of his departure broke out was "don't worry, we'll still make tons of Metal Gear games!". As a huge fan of this series I should be happy with this news, but if anything it has me absolutely terrified, as I feel Konami will try to milk the franchise and make money off the name alone.
     
    Contra
     

     
    Last major games were download releases, Rebirth for the Wii in 2009 and Hard Corps Uprising for the 360/PS3 in 2011, and the last physical game was released in 2007 for the DS. Other than that all they've been is iPhone ports of the first game. Much like Castlevania and Silent Hill, the former arcade hit has been in limbo.
     
     
    Konami's other IPs

     
    Konami has a plethora of other well liked IPs along with the aforementioned 4. Franchises like Suikoden, Geomon, Rocket Knight, Frogger, Gradius, and Zone of the Enders are just a few franchises loved by many fans everywhere. However, by the turn of the 7th generation, anything other than the Big 4 have been more or less out of commission and haven't seen any rereleases, let alone new games, say for a couple of exceptions like ZOE and Suikoden. Anything new they released were either unremarkable or gained a very niche standing
     
    Hudson Soft

     
    Hudson Soft has to be the most tragic casualty of this entire debacle. The company behind beloved franchises like Bomberman, Bonk, Adventure Island, unfortunately went under around 2012, and all of the company's assets were purchased by Konami, and needless to say Konami has done jackshit with any of them.
     
    Konami was once a giant among Japanese developers and to see all of these franchises go down with this sinking ship, as Guillermo Del Toro put it "breaks my fat, greasy heart"
  15. Megas

    Top 10 Playstation Games

    By Megas,

    The Sony Playstation is one of the most beloved game consoles among gaming, and it was what helped Sony become a gaming giant. From its beginnings as a SNES peripheral to it's continued success on the PS2 and eventually PSN, the original Playstation set tons of standards for the industry, including disc based consoles, dual analog, built-in rumble, and etc. It's also has had one of the biggest and strongest library of games, including some of the most iconic and classic games and franchises gaming as seen. The console itself played a huge part of my childhood, introducing me to some of my most favorite games ever, and this is what this list is about.
     
    10) Medal of Honor

     
    One of my favorite shooter franchises, Medal of Honor was one of the earliest console FPS games, and was heavily influenced from the N64's hit shooter, Goldeneye. It was also the first game to have a story from a movie director, as the game's story was written by one of the biggest out there, Steven Spielberg(who's also responsible for classic films like ET, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones). The game's music was composed by Michael Giacchino, which was what really made him big as a composer. The game's presentation and combat was great and would help set of the big WWII shooter boom during the 6th and most of the 7th gen console games.
     
    9) Syphon Filter 2

     
    Unknown to a lot of people, in 1996 Eidetic was involved in making Bubsy 3D, one of the worst games ever made. Yet Sony still saw some value in them, and in the end it looks like they made the right call. 3 years later they'd go on to make Syphon Filter, which wound up being one of the Playstation's most popular titles. And Syphon Filter 2 is exactly how you improve on an already great game, with better levels with more variety, a better story, and much more varied weapons compared to the first. And the air taser still kicks ass.
     
    8) Legend of Dragoon
     

     
    After getting introduced to Final Fantasy with the Playstation, I decided to try out other games like it. One game that caught my eye was Legend of Dragoon, one of the few JRPGs made by Sony themselves. This game was awesome, the Dragoon transformations and attacks, were awe-inspiring, I was amazed to see voice acting(especially with Final Fantasy opting out), the additions were fun and engaging and I absolutely loved the story. I'm still bitter that a sequel was cancelled...and that Dart was cancelled from PSASBR.
     
    7) Megaman Legends
     

     
    While many people prefer the second game to the first, the first still remains a much more special game to me. When it came out, seeing Megaman both in 3D and without a helmet was such a mind blower to me. And the radical departure was one of the biggest things that made this game special for me, I loved exploring the ruins just to find what goodies I could find, and trying out new weapons never got old, especially when you maxed out all of their stats. Even playing the game on easy with the overpowered Max Buster was blast. And it was probably one of the very few Megaman games that actually had a decent story to follow, and was full of character and charm. Also Megaman's voice wasn't lame like MM8, Legends 2 or X4
     
    6) Final Fantasy VIII

     
    Yes, Final Fantasy VIII is my preferred game in the main series, but can you blame me? FFVIII was the first game in the series I ever played, and was the game responsible for me getting into the series, which I still hold as one of my favorite franchises ever. I still remember my brother buying it,
    . Visuals were great, FMVs still hold up very well which says a lot with how ugly a lot of them can be. Squall, Edea and Laguna still remains some of my favorite characters in the series, the OST fantastic and is one of my favorites of all time. Yeah, it has its flaws like the battle system, the utterly broken junction system(which actually add to the game's charm for me personally, nothing beats overpowering yourself to godlike levels in the beginning of the game) and how the story goes to hell by disc 3(Disc 1 and 2 though are fantastic, as well as the final dungeon), but goddammit those do nothing to deteriorate the sheer happiness I get from playing it. 
    5) Megaman X4

     
    Easily one of the most fine-tuned Megaman games of the PS1/N64/Saturn era, as well as one of the best Megaman games, period. While Megaman X2 and X3 were well-liked by fans, they didn't have as much of an impact as the original Megaman X did which is still highly regarded as one of the best in the franchise, but X4 is the only game that could stand in equal footing to the original game. X4 took the best parts of X2(Speed) and X3(Zero playable), and took it to bigger and better things. The game was much more action packed and frantic than the last two, Zero opened up a whole new way to play with his up-and-front style combat, great music as usual for the series, and the bosses and characters were some of the most memorable since X1. And while the voice acting is atrocius,
     
    4) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

     
    Much like what games like FFVII, Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario 64 did for their franchises, Castlevania would become the new standard of what future titles in the series would be like. Unlike the more linear platformers of the past games, Symphony of the Night actually takes a lot of influence from the more unpopular Castlevania II(as well as the Metroid series, thus coining the term "Metroidvania) and would focus more on exploration. The game is has some of the most finely-tuned gameplay in the series and sports some insanely good hand-drawn sprite work, the music is, as usual, fantastic, and exploring Dracula's castle was a blast. Also, much like Megaman X4, the voice acting is also several kinds of terribad, but still gave us some of the greatest lines ever
     
    3) Metal Gear Solid
     

     
    This is probably the biggest surprise that this is only number 3 considering how much of a fanboy I am of this series, but I digress. Regardless, the original Metal Gear Solid is a fantastic game that set a lot of industry standards. MGS was one of the earliest games to take a cinematic approach to its storytelling and game design, as this would influence a ton of future developers to adapt that same cinematic approach, for better or for worse(admittedly for worse is more common). It was also one of the first games to have voice acting that...well, wasn't awful. The game's visuals and music do a lot to help the game's cold and metallic atmosphere.The story is very engaging and does a great job at making you feel for all the characters, including the villains. Speaking of which, the game also sported some of the most memorable boss fights in gaming, such as Grey Fox, Psycho Mantis, and the fist fight with Liquid.
     
    2) RESIDENT EVIL. 2

     
    After the massive success of the first game which also came out on the Playstation, Capcom decided to capitalize on that and make a sequel. What we got was a game that improved on everything that was great about the first game and then some. Improved visuals helped add a lot to the game's creepiness, the controls were more streamlined compared to the last, more weapon variety and tons more scares than the last, and tons of puzzles that block your escape. Story was a great follow up to the last despite using mostly new characters, though they were just as great as the last cast. The voice acting is still bad but not as bad as the first game. Sometimes I still have trouble deciding which is my favorite in the series, RE2 and RE4
     
    As usual, honorable mentions, since there's more than just the 10 games I listed that made the PS1 great:
    - Final Fantasy VII and IX
    - Chrono Cross
    - Metal Gear VR Missions
    - Resident Evil 1 and 3
    - Megaman 8 and Legends 2
    - Silent Hill
    - Syphon Filter 1
    - Grand Theft Auto 2
    - Xenogears
    - Soul Reaver
    - Tekken 3
    - Medal of Honor Underground
    - Die Hard Trilogy
    - Tail Concerto
    - Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
    - Misadventures of Tronne Bonne
    - The Spyro and Crash Trilogies
    - and tons more I'm forgetting
     
    1) Final Fantasy Tactics

     
    Best Spin-off ever. Best Final Fantasy Ever. Best PS1 game ever. Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the very few examples of how to do a darker take on generally light-hearted franchise without being "try-hard" or "edgy". It also takes the series to a new gameplay direction while incorporating almost everything from the Final Fantasy series fans know and love. The combat's great with tons of great and over the top spells and abilities, the story is fantastic and mostly refreshing in comparison to other Final Fantasy games, with tons of characters to love and hate. Hell, Cloud from VII is a hidden playable character which was mind-blowing at the time. The job system is one of the best in the series, and the OST is on par with other Final Fantasy games even without Nobuo Uematsu. The ONLY flaw I can think of with this game is that it can get a little grind heavy. Even with that said, it is still one of my favorite games and one, if not, the best game on the Playstation.
     
    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     
    Did your favorite game not make the list? What were some of your favorites?
  17. Megas
    So 2016 starts for WWE with their first PPV of the year, the Royal Rumble and for the first time in a long time I loved it, both the match and the overall PPV as a whole. It had a lot of great spots and nice surprises, and lots of great set-ups for future feuds. A lot of the wrestlers had their moments to shine. Seeing Braun Strowman eliminate Kane and Big Show put gave me relief that they weren't gonna pull the same shit they did last year with those two. AJ Styles was great to see and looked awesome, and while I wish he would've stayed in the match longer, having him eliminated by Kevin Owens was a good idea as the thought of a match between Styles and Owens sounds incredible. Sami Zayn from NXT also made an appearance and looked great in it too, though I don't know if he'll be joining the main roster yet or not. Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose were great as usual and I was pleasantly surprised to see Ambrose in the final two(though I still wish he won the Rumble). And while I'm still mixed on HHH winning, in the end I think among all other choices I think him winning was the right call. Overall the match was great and no one was really booked poorly...save for a couple of VERY glaring exceptions.
     
    You see, since the beginning of last year there was a guy that the WWE has been trying to build up to be their new top guy, Roman Reigns. Yet it seems that every time the WWE tries to build him up it usually manages to explode in their faces. For starters the guy still manages to get very mixed reactions. Now I like Roman, he works hard and has improved a lot since the beginning of the year, and when the WWE isn't screwing up he can really shine, but unfortunately nearly every attempt at making him strong has horribly backfired, and it was no different than in this years Rumble.
     
    About a 1/3 of the way in Reigns is dragged out from the bottom and gets the crap beaten out of him by the League of Nations(with Vince no less) and is supposedly injured. So of course paramedics come in and try to take him to the back. But you see he refuses to be helped by the paramedics, and insists that he....walks backstage on his own....You see, it's crap like this why people still can't get behind Reigns. It's the complete opposite of what you should do when trying to build a guy to be strong, instead makes them look like a complete wimp. There was no way the crowd would've been happy had he won the thing after that stunt. Remember with Daniel Bryan in WM30, where he's been repeatedly ambushed by the Authority and gets double teamed by Batista and Randy Orton, instead of being pulled out by paramedics, he literally crawls back into the arena to continue his match, and throughout that duration I was expecting the same with Reighs. Instead he eventually showed up during the last ten minutes to a chorus of boos throughout the arena. Hell it was probably the right move that they didn't have him be part of the final two, let alone winning, as I'm sure the arena would've burned down if he won.
     
    Also Brock's booking was dumb too, it was going well until he was eventually ambushed by the Wyatt family and eventually thrown out unfairly. So he then proceeds to....walk away sadly. I kept expecting him to beat the tar out of the Wyatt family outside the arena for revenge, or to run back in and proceed to rip Bray apart, but they never happened. Felt like a very unlikely thing for Lesnar to do, and a dumb move on the WWE's part.
     
    And then there was Rusev, whom I'm pretty sure his main event days are over.
     
    Other thoughts:
    - The Last Man Standing match was fantastic. Easily the match of the night, and a good indicator of why Owens and Ambrose are my favs in the current roster
    - New Day is still awesome
    - It looks like they're trying to turn Kallisto into the next Rey Mysterio, not that I mind. The US Match was great(despite a couple of bad botches) and I'm glad he won the title
    - The Diva's match was surprisingly solid, though Sasha Banks stole the show
    - Also thank you Triple H for another good reaction gif
     

  18. Megas

    In Memory of the PSP

    By Megas,

    I decided to make this in response to finding out that Gamestop is phasing out the PSP by September 1st, and to me it's pretty saddening. I always found the PSP to be the handheld version of the Sega Dreamcast or the Nintendo Gamecube, a great platform with a solid library that didn't do well as it deserved. For all it's shortcomings I had very fond memories of the handheld to the point where I consider it my favorite platform, with lots of games I loved to play where ever I went.
     
    Valkyria Chronicles 2/3
     

     
    Even if it was disappointing to see the series transitioning from console to handheld, the next two Valkyria Chronicles games were still excellent follow-ups to the first game, though it was still disappointing that the 3rd game never got a localized release
     
    Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops/Peace Walker
     

     
    MGS had a pretty strong presence on the platform, whether it be the AC!D games or the PS1 rerelease of the first game and VR Missions, but these two games were the MVPs, with them greatly expanding Big Boss's story
     
    Final Fantasy
     

     
    The PSP saw tons of love from the Final Fantasy series, recieving a lot of remasters from many of the older games such as the first two, the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection(including the new "Interlude"), a PSP enhanced port of FFIII, and an updated version of Final Fantasy Tactics(complete with added story, new characters, new weapons, and online features; though the slowdown unfortunately brought it down a bit)
     
    Crisis Core/Type-0
     

     
    The series also saw some new games as well, one being a prequel to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, which follows events surrounding Cloud's friend Zack Fair(who I found to be much more fun and likeable). The other was Type-0, a game that was part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series(which somewhat made it connected to FFXIII in some way) and shared similaritie to Crisis Core's gameplay. The game on the PSP was never released in the US unfortunately despite strong praise. Thankfully remasterd releases will come to the PS4/Xbone, which includes a localized release
     
    Dissidia
     

     
    The PSP also saw a spin-off fighting game called Dissidia, and a fighting game with a surprising amount of depth. The games mainly featured the main protagonist and antagonist of the first ten FF games(while the sequel Duodecim included the leads from XI, XII, and XIII, as well as a few support characters). The best way for me to describe it was that it was DBZ with FF characters, with tons of over-the-top and fun fights and a pretty hectic story
     
    Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
     

     
    BBS is another solid prequel and my personal favorite in the Kingdom Hearts series, which follows 3 new protagonists whom all have ties to several characters in the other series. Anyone who loves Kingdom Hearts should not skip out on this gem
     
    Megaman Powered Up/Maverick Hunter
     

     
    The Megaman series also got some love(something that unfortunately doesn't happem anymore). Maverick Hunter X and Powered Up are some of the best remakes I've played, with them both adding a ton of things to make them feel fresh while sticking true to the original game. It's a shame that they didn't do better, as it would have led to their series getting the same treatment as these two. I can only imaging how great it would've been to see a Powered Up 2, or a Maverick Hunter X4
     
    Tons of Capcom Classics
     

     
    Along with Megaman, Capcom gave the PSP a ton of strong support bring out some of the most strong titles such as Darkstalkers, Ghost and Goblins, Street Fighter Alpha 3(my fav. SF game) as well as the popular Dreamcast fighter Powerstone
     
    Monster Hunter
     
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a0/Monster_Hunter_Freedom_Unite.jpg
     
    Even though the PSP wasn't such a big seller in the US, it was a force to be dealt with in Japan, an it wouldn't have been possible without the Monster Hunter series, one of the most popular franchises in Japan with a cult, but vocal following in the West
     
    Persona
     
    http://www.otakustudy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/perpsp.jpg
     
    With the success of Persona 3 and 4 on the PS2, Atlus wanted to give fans a chance to relive the original games, releasing remasters of the original game on the PS1 as well as the never released in Japan Persona 2: Innocent Sin. The PSP also saw another version of Persona 3, which included the ability to play as a female protagonist and included new dialogue and interactions with the other characters
     
    God of War
     

     
    Sony released two games of their insanely popular God of War series, Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta. Both were excellent games that managed to successfully transition from console to handheld while keeping everything people love about God of War intact. Chains of Olympus also gets bonus points for getting me to actually like Kratos
    Syphon Filter
     
    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/08/PSP-SyphonFilterDarkMirrorUSversion-FrontCover.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Syphon_Filter_Logan
     
    After a fairly mediocre PS2 game, Sony decided to bring the Syphon Filter series to the PSP, deliver possibly 2 of the best games in the series(well, after 2 of course). These two games were great follow ups of the PS1 games and successfully brought modern controls to the series despite them being on a limited platform
     
    It's also worth noting that the PSP was a goldmine for other JRPG titles, and the handheld was also easy to hack which made it popular for a few people, as hacking it would allow them to play emulators and PS1 games that weren't availible on the PSN. PSN also worked well on it as it gave people the ability to play several download only titles as well as the ability to watch movies(also availible on UMD movies), tv shows and listen to music, making it a great portable multimedia device
     
    What did you think of the system? Did you have any fond memories? Any games you loved that I forgot to mention?(I know I missed a ton of great games on it)
  19. Megas
    With E3 being about a month away, lets take a trip down memory lane, as E3 has always been a huge even for gamers, as their always prone to both great and just utterly awful moments for gaming industry giants. But for the sake of this blog, lets just get the bad stuff out of the way
     
    Honorable mentions:
     
    UBISOFT E3 2011
     
    The actual conference wasn't actually that bad in terms of game announcements. But then I remember that Mr Caffeine was there
     

     
    5) E3 2012 in general
     

     
    For a showing that was set to reveal two new platforms(Wii U and Vita) you'd expect this one to be great, but surprisingly and unfortunately, it was very lacking. On top of Microsoft still being Kinect heavy and EA being EA, it's really sad when freaking Ubisoft had the best E3 showing that year with the reveal of Watch Dogs(which unfortunately didn't turn out the way people hoped)
     
    4) Microsoft E3 2010
     

     
    Why was this conference so awful? One word: Kinect. Microsoft's E3 2010 conference was the first and most infamous of many Kinect heavy E3 conferences. No one was interested in the Kinect, and none of the games they were showing were doing them any favors. Topped with bad actors, grown men asking the Kinect to put up Justin Beiber, and one of the most embarrassing showcases of Star Wars within recent memory, it'd be a while before Microsoft would be able to have another good conference.
     
    3) Sony E3 2006
     

     
    Many legendary memes were born from this trainwreck. Giant Enemy Crab, riiiiiidge racer! Five Hundred Ninety Nine US Dollars. The list goes on. Not only a weak showcasing of games, but the PS3's price point revealed is what hurt this conference as well as the PS3's launch, which delivered an awful blow to Sony's finances(who were already selling the PS3 at a loss), It wasn't until a $300 price cut 2 years later that the PS3's sales would finally improve
     
    2) Nintendo E3 2008
     

     
    Unfortunately Stong shows 2 years prior wasn't able to stop Nintendo from dropping this turd of a conference. 2008 was a dark year for Nintendo fans, which is inexcusable when earlier that year they release Super Smash Bros Brawl. But they couldn't keep that momentum going, as for this conference they went full-on casual, nearly every game spotlighted were mostly minigame collections, tons of peripherals, Cammie Dunaway and boring stuff like sales numbers. And to top it all off, they ended the show with Wii Music...let that sink in. The conference did a huge number to Nintendo's and the Wii's rep among the press, gamers, and fans alike
     
    The only announcement worth mentioning was GTA Chinatown Wars and maybe Nintendo cockteasing Skyward Sword
     
    It was such a disaster that Nintendo would hold an October conference later that year, formally apologize for the E3 conference, and then announce games that would've definitely been welcome then, such as a new Punch-Out(which is awesome btw), a new Sin and Punishment, Madworld, Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and etc.
     
     
    1) Konami E3 2010
     
    It was a tough call between this one and Nintendo 2008, but in light of recent events, I feel like giving it to Konami out of spite. Then I decided to watch it again and just though "wow...no wonder they're in such an awful state". Seriously, just watch, this video speaks for itself
     

  22. Megas
    But my computer shat the bed right when I finished, deleting everything I worked on, and discouraged me from redoing the entire thing...
     
    Besides it's mostly Konami, so here's instead another blog post with a bunch of Konami related pics
     








     

    Also, in case your interested, other things on that list include:
    - SJWs ruining games
    - EA messing up Star Wars
    - Activision with a lot of money to burn
    - An example on how not to do kickstarter
    - Nintendo hating youtube
    - Sony screwing up BC
    - Sony screwing up streaming
    - Gamergate bollox
    - Plastic Toys
    - Edgy games
    - More preorder bullshit
    - Crap PC ports
    - Tony Hawk 5
  23. Megas
    Title says it all
     
    BEST XBOX ONE GAME:
    SUNSET OVERDRIVE

    My favorite game from last year's Microsoft conference takes the victory again this year, I just feel like this game has a lot of what I feel is missing in most shooters nowadays(whether it be TPS or FPS)
     
    Honorable Mentions: Halo Master Chief Collection, Crackdown 3, Halo 5, Project Spark, Scalebound
     
    BEST PS4 GAME:
    THE ORDER 1886

     
    This was a hard one, since, in all honesty, I was least impressed with what Sony showed this year, but I have to give it to last year's winner, The Order 1886, as it's been one of the games I've been looking forward to most on the PS4, and I like the horror vibes
     
    Honorable mentions: Uncharted 4, No Man's Sky, LittleBigPlanet 3
     
    BEST WII U GAME:
    LEGEND OF ZELDA WII U/XENOBLADE CHRONICLES X

     
    This was also a hard one, though this time it was because there were a lot that impressed me here. I have to give it to Xenoblade Chronicles X(which was my fav. Nintendo game last year) and Zelda(the only game here that didn't win last year!). My reason being is that they do a fantastic job showing that the Wii U is capable of on top of just looking very impressive.
     
    Honorable mentions: Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros Wii U, Splatoon, Starfox, Mario Maker
     
    BEST 3RD PARTY GAME
    METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN(PS3/PS4/360/ONE)
     

     
    Because I'm a biased fanboy
     
    Honorable Mentions: Batman Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat X, Destiny, Far Cry 4, Mirror's Edge 2
     
    BEST HANDHELD TITLE:
    CODE NAME: S.T.E.A.M(3DS)

     
    Seriously this shit reminds me of Valkyria Chronicles, which was awesome. Plus considering the developers in charge, I'm really looking forward to it.
     
    Honorable Mentions: Persona Q, Pokemon OmegRuby/AlphaSapphire, Monster Hunter 4, Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright, Super Smash Bros 3DS, Tales of Hearts R
     
    BEST INDIE GAME:
    NO MAN'S SKY
     

     
    Holy shit this game looks gorgeous
     
    BEST DLC:
    HOLY SHIT THAT'S A LONG TITLE(DEAD RISING 3)

     
    AKA HOLY SHIT CAPCOM ACTUALLY DOES DLC RIGHT. Seriously it's basically a love letter to fans of Capcom, with a just being an over-the-top zombie funfest, and it's great to see Capcom still remembers some of their old franchises(and don't worry Megaman's included too)
     
    BEST RERELEASE:
    HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION

     
    4(or 3 if you didn't enjoy Halo 4) of the best games remastered into one disc. Some developers were going overboard with rereleases, but this one sounds like it's actually worth it.
     
    Honorable mentions(or other remasters that are worth it): Phoenix Wright Trilogy(3DS), Bayonetta 1(Wii U, comes packaged with Bayo 2)
     
    ODD ONE OUT:

     
    I still don't know how I feel about these, but hey if they flop at least they'll make nice collector's items
     
    BEST NO SHOW:
    FINAL FANTASY XV
     

     
    I can understand Kingdom Hearts III, but quit holding back XV, no one wants to deal with the same shit back when it was Versus XIII
     
    Honorable mention: Last Guardian
     
    MOST NEGLECTED PLATFORM
    PLAYSTATION VITA
    http://cdn.us.playstation.com/pscomauth/groups/public/documents/webasset/ps-vita-3g-wifi-large.png
    It's a real shame because I love the Vita, and I think it's a great piece of tech, but I'm feeling like Sony's given up on the little guy, and the conference made it feel more like a peripheral more than an actual gaming platform. But hey, at least there were games announced for those who are into quirky Japanese titles(as well as Tales of Hearts R, which looks great)
     
    WORST OF SHOW:
    EA
    http://blogs-images.forbes.com/carolpinchefsky/files/2013/01/ea-logo.jpg
     
    This one seriously bored me to tears, a very uneventful show mainly consisting of their sports games that we always expect at the end of the year and a few cockteases like Battlefront, Mass Effect 4 and Mirror's Edge. I'll give them that Battlefield and Dragon Age look great though
     
    BEST OF SHOW:
    NINTENDO
    http://pokejungle.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/reggie11.gif
     
    When you open your conference with a Robot Chicken sketch, then lead to Reggie and Iwata beating the crap out of each other, then your in for a good time.
    Seriously the stakes were high for Nintendo this year, but they delivered, with new games, much needed release dates, and some well recieved surprises(Devil's Third becoming a Wii U exclusive). The 3DS is still as strong as ever, and the future of the Wii U looks promising
     
    Other mentions:
    Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Thrid is a Wii U exlusive, but I already said that
    Suda 51's Lily Bergamo was axed in favor of Let it Die, which is actually really disappointing since I think the former looks a lot more interesting
    Scalebound looks awesome
    Microsoft's conference really makes me want an Xbox One
  25. Megas
    The Wii was an...interesting console to put it best. It was the one 7th gen console to come out without banking on power like the PS3 and 360. On the contrary, it was severely underpowered compared to the other consoles, I'd say it was a little more powerful than the OG Xbox(or 2 Gamecubes taped together, as many people would say). It was all intentional as the Wii's main selling point was the Wii-mote and its motion-controls, which had varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, this would cause many developers to release an avalanche of shovelware, terrible party games, terrible children's games, etc., that all horribly implemented motion controls, relied on waggle, and overall made their games unfun experiences which unfortunately hurt the Wii's overall reputation. On the other hand, under the hands of talented and competent developers, the motion controls would help improve the game's experience and prove to be very memorable. Games like Super Mario Galaxy, Skyward Sword, the Metroid Prime Trilogy, Madworld, light-gun shooters, and ports of titles like Okami, Resident Evil 4, and even the Call of Duty titles proved to benefited from motion-controls.
     
    So what happens when you give the Wii-mote to one of the strangest video game developers in the industry? You get Suda51's No More Heroes, one of the most gloriously violent and over-the-top games on the 7th gen.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Story
     

     
    The game revolves around Travis Touchdown, a 27-year-old otaku/gamer/wrestling fanatic from Santa Destroy, California, who decides to become an assassin after he finds himself broke, thanks to a women he meets at a bar named Sylvia Crystal. When he succeeds on his first assassination mission against another assassin named "Helter Skelter", he finds out from Sylvia that he is now the No.11th assassin in the world, and he can become No.1 if he beats the other 10 assassins, to which he agrees. Speaking of beating, Travis also agrees to this in hopes of scoring with Sylvia.
     
    Yeah, the game is as goofy as it sounds. Most of the characters are a blast, and the story is loaded with references from various games(including a jab at Duke Nukem Forever development hell), anime(ganmen-like mechs and scantily-clad anime chicks galore), and wrestling(you'll recognize various popular moves like the DDT and the Tombstone). Travis Touchdown himself turns out to be a pretty likable and honorable guy the farther you progress, despite being a serious pervert. Most of the bosses themselves are both of odd and fun, each with their own interesting personalities and backstories, and the side characters are funny themselves, such as Naomi, Thunder Ryu, and the guy responsible for giving you your odd-jobs(and yes I mean things like mowing lawns and picking up trash). That said there's tons of content in the game that I could see not going well with the easily offended.
     
    Also Travis received his weapon, the Beam Katana, from an internet auction
     
    Gameplay
     

     
    It's a hack-n-slash game that utilizes motion controls for finishing blows and wrestling moves. Normal attacks utilize both the A-button for your Beam Katana and B-button for stunning enemies, with the c-button for blocking and dodging. Motion controls are used for executing finishing blows on enemies or using wrestling moves on stunned enemies(mimicking said wrestling moves). There's something oddly satisfying about delivering finishing blows, probably because of the gory aftermath that ensues. Sword combat in a whole is fun, though punching people isn't as fun as it sounds, as all you can do is throw one weak punch or charge and throw a really slow punch in hopes of stunning enemies, though using your grapples are more than worth it. There's also a roulette on the bottom that appears after every kill, sometimes it's a dud and sometimes you gain temporary powers such as throwing energy balls at enemies, becoming a "Super Travis" and slowly, but awesomely eliminate foes one by one, and etc. Also your Beam Katana is run on batteries, and when you run out of battery, you have to shake the Wii-mote to recharge it. It looks stupid, but hilarious. While we're on the subject of combat, the Bosses in this game are an absolute blast, and easily the game's highlight. Each boss are intense and require understanding of their attack patterns to beat them. Even ones that sound boring like Dr Peace(who fights with two simple revolvers) is surprisingly fun, and then there's the likes of Shinobu, Henry, Bad Girl, and even the intro boss Death Metal, who easily rank among the game's best. Only other problem with the combat is that most generic enemies don't have much variety, either they have weapons, guns or they don't have anything, and enemies with Beam Katanas are tougher than normal enemies. But it's not enough to diminish the fun of combat especially with how satisfying finishing blows and wrestling moves are.
     
    The other portion of the game is the world map, which is unfortunately where most of the game's problems lie. Before and after every fight you have the option to travel the city of Santa Destroy to earn money for the next fight registration, as well as money for various other things like clothes, or video tapes to learn new wrestling moves. There's also the bar where you meet Lolikov who teaches you new skills and manuvers after finding 7 Lovikov Balls, Thunder Ryu who trains you which helps build strength and health, Naomi, who upgrades your Beam Katana or buy new ones, the video store Beef Head where you buy your wrestling videos, Area 51 for buying apparel, and then there's the Job Center for jobs and the K-Entertainment for assassination missions. On paper this doesn't sound too bad, but the problem however is that traveling Santa Destroy is absolutely no fun. All of the interest points, apart from time trial assassinations and ranked fights, are all clumped together into one area making it needlessly large to travel with very little to do. Only thing to do with the large space is to look for is to either search for collectables, Lovikov Balls, and give you space to do your jobs. While we're on the subject of jobs, none of them are very fun, they're all mostly just trivial odd-jobs like mowing lawns, picking up trash, finding lost cats, etc, and are just really boring to do, thankfully they aren't the only way to gain money, as it's preferred just to just do assassination missions, which are more fun and you gain more money for every kill you make.
     
    Save points in the game are toilets, where Travis will go take a dump and the game will ask you to save. Because of this, every time I go use the bathroom, I say I'm gonna save the game.
     
    Visuals
     

     
    No More Heroes compensates for the Wii's low power by going for a cel-shaded artstyle which works in the games favor. The visuals character models and locations look great even with the Wii's limitations and the violent style of the violence, blood and gore makes gives it its charm. In contrast, I feel the the HD port of the game, "Heroes' Paradise" loses a lot of the game's original visual appeal, despite how "updated" everything looks.
     
    Sound


     
    Game's soundtrack is composed by Masafumi Takada, who's also known for other soundtracks like God Hand and Suda51's Killer7. I'll let the two songs above speak for the soundtrack, there are plenty of other stellar songs in the game like Mach 13 Elephant Explosion, Steel Python, and the game's main theme. The game also features some great voice acting, with notable voice actors like Robin Atkin Downes(Travis himself), Quinton Flynn(Henry), and Josh Keaton(Destroyman), just to name a few.
     
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Pros:
    - Fun Combat
    - Fun story and characters
    - Excellent boss fights
    - Great OST
     
    Cons:
    - Not for the easily offended
    - Terrible hub world
    - Terrible minigames
     
    Overall, despite some pretty notable problems, they're pretty easy to look over as the rest of the game holds up very well. If you have a Wii or a Wii U, I recommend giving this game a shot as I feel it's very well worth getting if you can look past it's blemishes.
     
    PS. I am aware about Heroes' Paradise on the PS3, despite having more content and an HD upgrade, I still say it's better to get the Wii version instead since from what I remember, the PS3 version preforms worse
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