Hello all, tonight is the night I finished playing Megaman X2. Megaman X 2 is the follow up(obviously) to the wildly successful and critically acclaimed Megaman revamp, Megaman X. So without further ado, let’s get this show started!
STORYLINE
Its been six months since the storyline of the first Megaman X game. Sigma has been defeated however a few of his followers, “Mavericks”, are still very active. A group of them have stolen the parts to Zero’s body and have set up an elaborate plan to cause the downfall of X. Several reploids have joined together to for a team in order to help Sigma’s followers to complete their heinous plan. It’s up to X to find Zero’s parts, infiltrate the reploid’s bases, and stop the robots from starting war with the humans!
Cast of Characters
The good guys
Megaman X
Zero
Dr. Cain
Dr. Light
The Mavericks
Wheel Gator
Bubble Crab
Flame Stag
Morph Moth
Magna Centipede
Crystal Snail
Overdrive Ostrich
Wire Sponge
X hunters
Agile
Serges
Violen
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is a simple, yet effective evolution of the first game. You still have the charge shot, you can jump off walls, and this time (thankfully) you start off with the dash. There are 8 bosses and as you beat them you will be upgraded with their special weapon. If you are attentive and have a little skill you will find secret capsule and health upgrades provided by Doctor Light. As with any good games, the gameplay forces you to adapt. Its a side scroller with many “secret” areas and wave after wave of enemies.
Graphics
Huge colorful levels with memorable bosses. Starting from the beginning you have larger than life bosses and enemies. Everything looks amazing especially giving the fact that its SNES. Capcom developed a new chip they called C4 to up the graphics capabilities of the SNES. Everything looks great.
MUSIC
You can’t talk about Megaman without talking about the amazing music. Great music is one of the staples of this series, something the fans always expect when purchasing the game. X2 delivers on all accounts. Each level has its own theme song and each boss has his own music as well. Well done, well thought out and each theme properly fit the level that it was used on.
STAND OR FALL?
Definitely stand! You can pick up this game at anytime and I don’t think it will EVER seem old. The story, the music, the gameplay all mesh together to make one amazing experience. Plus you can do this!
Shoryuken!
(you have to know where to look)
FINAL SCORE
Five stars!
If this game were released today it would sell out. Games like this are a little under appreciated these days. However I believe with word of mouth and the internet, it would be a HIT.
“Children, I can hear ya whisperin’ down there. I can feel myself gettin’ awful mad.”
Chills, right down my spine. Robert Mitchum who once famously said there’s only two kinds of acting, “one on a horse, and one off,” is off his horse and terrifying children in this thriller.
A down on his luck father robs a bank so that his children can have the life he never did. However in doing so he ends up killing someone. He gets all the way home with the money and hides it with his children without telling the mother where the money is. The father is then arrested and sent to prison where he is cell mates with Reverend Harry Powell a serial killer and self-appointed preacher. Self appointed, which means he kind of takes the bible and warps it to fit his needs. So while the father is in the cell he lets slip that “the children shall lead you to it.” The reverend knows that the “it” he’s probably referring to is the 10,000 dollars which was a LOT of money back then. He then takes it upon himself to go out and find the wife of the father after he’s released and the father is put to death for his crimes.
Ok that’s all the plot you’re getting out of me! Moving on to the look and feel. I love pretty much everything about this movie. The casting was great, Robert Mitchum’s voice alone was enough to scare me and I didn’t see this until I was grown. He effectively plays a man who you immediately know is crazy as soon as you see him. In fact its mind-boggling to me that these people can’t see it. Even when he does his love vs hate speech (he has them tattooed on his fingers) it’s completely different from later incarnations. His speech about love winning over hate is somehow sinister in nature.
Then we have the atmosphere which is set up by superb lighting. Drawing from german expressionism lighting techniques they made a chilling atmosphere. Basically its like the dark decco style but in real life. Its the shadows and not the light that really create tension and fear. It’s what you CAN’T see that you’re looking at and it sets up for some amazingly artistic shots.
beautiful
The juxtaposition of religion and psychopathic tendencies is well done and everyone is well cast. The story (derived from a book) is well written and the characters are terrifically developed. This movie has inspired directors all over the world including me! So I give this movie-
Five stars! If you haven’t seen it you can view it on youtube for 2.99 I think or you can rent it if you can find a store that rents old school movies.
Directed by
Charles Laughton
Robert Mitchum (uncredited)
Terry Sanders (uncredited)
Writing credits
Davis Grubb (novel)
James Agee (screenplay)
Charles Laughton screenplay contributor (uncredited)
Cast (in credits order) verified as complete
Robert Mitchum … Harry Powell
Shelley Winters … Willa Harper
Lillian Gish … Rachel Cooper
James Gleason … Birdie Steptoe
Evelyn Varden … Icey Spoon
Peter Graves … Ben Harper
Don Beddoe … Walt Spoon
Billy Chapin … John Harper
Sally Jane Bruce … Pearl Harper
Gloria Castillo … Ruby (as Gloria Castilo)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emmett Lynn … Birdie Steptoe (scenes deleted)
Corey Allen … Young Man in Town (uncredited)
Paul Bryar … Bart the Hangman (uncredited)
Cheryl Callaway … Mary (uncredited)
Michael Chapin … Ruby’s Boyfriend (uncredited)
Mary Ellen Clemons … Clary (uncredited)
Kathy Garver … Child (uncredited)
James Griffith … District Attorney (uncredited)
John Hamilton … Townsman Who Greets Rachel (uncredited)
Kay Lavelle … Miz Cunninghan (uncredited)
Gloria Pall … Burlesque Dancer (uncredited)
George Wallace … (uncredited)
Ok so my parent’s got me this game and I always thought it was interesting. Interesting here being a very subjective word as this game induced several incidences of hair being ripped out, curses being said, and the occasional kitten being kicked across the room. This review will be extremely brief.
DON’T PLAY THIS GAME. It sucks. Seriously the controls suck, the actions you can actually do when you figure out the asinine controls, suck. If you manage to get through the first extremely boring level, you won’t make it out of the haunted house. There is almost no way to figure out how to get through it and if you DO figure it out then you just wasted 40+ hours of your life you could’ve spent doing something vastly more important. Maybe like clipping your toenails or staring into the mirror and saying bloody mary three times.
The music is repetitive (hey yo *pause* hey yo! Bebe’s kiiiids for 24 hours straight), graphics are decent but its hard to tell where you are in terms of depth on screen.
This gets no stars, I’m not even going to upload the pictures of gameplay or the pictures of no stars I’m just going to repeat, DO NOT GET THIS TERRIBLE GAME!
A few years back I had an aversion to anything anime. Not because I thought it was a lesser form of storytelling or I thought it was childish. It was because I know myself, if something’s good I want to see all of it, I’ll become a fan and I will spend countless hours tracking down information about it to further expand my knowledge. I was under the impression shows and games that are based in the anime genre tend to go on forever. (Found out later that isn’t ALWAYS true Gantz,Bebop,FMA:B,VampireD etc). I also refused to play any turn based games besides pokemon and shining force (No I don’t know what was wrong with me, don’t judge me).
So somehow I was talked into trying out this game titled Tales of Symphonia, a two disc,turn based, anime style, game on the gamecube. Here we go!
STORYLINE
The game takes place in the world of Sylvarant, a lush beautiful world with plenty of Mana which is magical energy. There world is run by the church and by people called Desians. Desians have a strange hatred towards elves and half elves. We come in at the point where the “chosen one” must go on their journey of world regeneration. As everything in their world runs off of mana, a chosen one must break the seals on five different temples.
The chosen one and her group head off to start the process of regeneration. When she arrives at the first temple they see a priest dying who warns the chosen one to be careful. Desians fall upon the group and they are saved by a mysterious swordsman. He offers to stay for a fee, but when he hears the name of one of the members he tells that member not to come.
The Member is eventually allowed to join and they move on. Eventually they discover that there are two worlds vying for mana. This regeneration process robs the other world of its mana, therefore sending it into decay. The chosen one of Sylvarant and friends try to find a way to make the quest work for both worlds.
Now there is quite a bit more to this story than I just put in to that last paragraph. That’s because the story is the BEST part of this game. It’s deep, philosophical, and has so many twists and turns that I can’t really say too much past the first few hours of gameplay. Suffice to say this story is one of the best, well developed, and executed storylines I’ve ever seen in a video game. To prove that point they have made a few seasons of a television anime based off of the game, which usually happens the other way around.
CHARACTERS
Lloyd Irving-The main character, he was raised by a dwarf that found him and his mother. His mother died and imparted to him a stone. He’s stubborn and doesn’t like studying anything but fighting. He’s good hearted and never gives up. Dwarven vow #9 fall seven times get up 8 best describes his character.
Colette Brunel-The chosen one of Sylvarant. A sweet, innocent, sometimes naive girl. She is very strong though and is willing to accept whatever fate she must in order to make a better world for everyone. Her favorite Dwarven vow is #7 “Goodness and love will always win.”
Genis Sage-Llyod’s best friend, magic user, and extremely studious. He is the younger brother of their schoolteacher. Often Llyod’s intellectual foil (especially since his sarcasm sometimes goes right over his friend’s head). His favorite Dwarven Vow would be #16 “You can do anything if you try.”
Kratos Aurion-The mysterious swordsman that saves them in the beginning of the game. He’s extremely adept at fighting and eventually becomes an unwilling mentor to Lloyd in this respect. His favorite Dwarven vow would be #5 “The more you add, the worse it gets.”
Raine Sage-The Older sister of Genis. She is an avid historian and a great teacher. She is also a magic user. Very calm and likes to think things through, unless historic artifacts are involved. At that point she forgets where she is and will run in headfirst. She’s also a TERRIBLE cook. Her favorite Dwarven vow would be #43″never forget the basics.”
Sheena Fujibayashi- An assasain from the neighboring world vying for the mana called Tethe’alla. Haunted by failures in her past, she has sworn to stop the chosen one of Sylvarant. However when she discovers that Colette is willing to help her world she concedes to helping find a better way for both worlds. Favorite Dwarven vow- “a bad workman blames his tools.
Zelos Wilder-The chosen one of Tethe’alla. He is snobbish, spoiled, and believes he is god’s gift to women. Constantly hits on just about all of the female characters in the game. Actually if you walk around as him women will give him different items. Favorite Dwarven Vow- #10 “Play hard, Play Often.”
Presea Combatir-A twelve year old lumberjack. Sound odd? It is but her story is being shadowed by the things in the story that would be huge spoilers. Just know she’s very quiet but very strong. Her favorite Dwarven vow would be #14 “Even a small star shines in the darkness.”
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay to this game is pretty cool. You can decide which character you want to control. Usually you will be in a group with about four members and the ones you don’t control will do whatever you assign them to do. For example if you want someone to just use magic attacks and stay on the back lines, you can program them to do that. If you want them to conserve said magic and rush their attackers, they can be programmed to do that as well. There are seemingly endless ways to customize not only the actual fighting styles IN the battle but outside of battle for preparation. As is the custom with RPGs everything contributes to the battle from the shoes on your feet to the bandanna you can put on your head. Also there are things called exospheres that can add to your strength and abilities.
Another thing that makes this gameplay cool is that its not 100 percent turn based. You have control over your character’s movements and timing often is key. You can utilize a variety of magic spells that can do anything from heal to summon lightning. The swordsmasters and hand to hand combat characters are able to do many different charge attacks. When you get the gauge at the bottom of the screen filled you can release a hard hitting team attack. You fill the gauge by doing combos with individual characters, of which there are a LOT of.
Also there is a large variety in gameplay with mini games and puzzles found often throughout the worlds that you traverse.
GRAPHICS
For a Gamecube game the graphics are great. It keeps its anime style during the entire world. When you are in battle stylized magic attacks and strike attacks are touched up to look pretty good. Amazing artwork with subtle touches throughout. A nice style and very good attention to the characters. One thing I like in other platform RPGs that is absent here however is the changing of clothes when you equip different items. That’s a nice touch that I wish I could see visually in this game. Other than that great looking enemies, great looking characters, and great looking worlds.
MUSIC
The music is good. A good score for the game they were trying to make, though it does get a bit repetitive. Here’s a clip I found on youtube.
Just imagine that over and over and you have just about every fight. But its not as bad as it seems, it changes up when you go to a different world.
RATING
Five stars for this game. It effectively merges the RPG world with live action gameplay. Not only is the full strategy concept there, but the action is as well. With hours of gameplay and secrets to unlock you’ll be replaying this for a long time. The story never gets old, the characters personalities come to life in every cut-scene and battle. The story keeps you engrossed to the point where you won’t want to stop playing just so you will know what happens next.
If you haven’t played this game, you really should. Its amazing and you are doing a disservice to yourself!
It’s funny that a lot of the real origin stories for beloved characters remain buried under years of speculation, when the truth is out there lurking, hidden in the brush, but there nonetheless for those who will look for it.
It’s in there, go ahead, don’t be a wimp!
Well this time I’ve searched the depths of the “Internet” to bring you the origin story of one SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. Ok to be honest I read it in a comic book when I was younger but I didn’t fully remember all of the details so I DID search the internet a little. It was released as an advertisment/mini comic book.
I actually like the story. It has Sonic starting off on his homeworld of Mobius, that’s the name of the place every Sonic game takes place. Well, until perhaps 1998 whenthey revamped the story for Sonic Adventure, however this origin story still fits.
In the beginning of the comic Sonic is being chased by one Dr. Ivo Robotnik AKA Eggman. Sonic is too fast which leads Eggman to crash his ship in his haste to catch him. Sonic then attacks all of the Badniks he has with him, releasing the animals inside. After Eggman flees the other animals suggest they should go see Dr. Ovi Kintobor surely the good doctor could help sort this guy out? No silly animals don’t you see what they did there? With the names? Dr Ovi Kintobor is just Dr. Ivo Robotnik spelled backwards!
Right so how did this happen? How did Ovi become Ivo? Well without further delay, here’s the full comic I dug out of the internet just for my too cool readers!
I actually really like this story. It explains why he’s collecting the rings and why he’s this bright blue color. The fact that Eggman is contributing to his own terrible condition by making Sonic drop the rings he’s only collecting to help him is great in my eyes. I’m a sucker for tragic bad guys and heroes who want nothing more than to save them(i.e Batman and two face’s relationship in the animated series). If you didn’t know the origin to Sonic before, well, now you know!
Oh also there’s something floating around called the Sonic Bible which is basically the same story but its a novel and talks more about Sonic’s family. I might upload that later if you guys want me too :).
Thanks For reading!
I remember when I first picked this game up for 2 dollars at a pawn shop in college. My friends and I came back from band practice (all music majors at the time) put it in the Xbox and sat back to see what a crappy game I’d purchased.
Immediately we were blown away by the composition of the music. I mean epic is basically the bare minimum for the term you’d have to use to describe it. It caught us so off guard we actually laughed.
This wasn’t what we expected.
STORYLINE
Almost immediately we were thrown into a new world where the stars were no longer the limits and humans were being sent out as ambassadors to meet an entire species that thought of them as holy creatures. Soon after they meet them, the aliens that want to destroy them attack their ship. The main character Gideon uses previously unknown psychic powers to help stop the attack and then he is sucked through a wormhole. That’s where the game really starts.
I’m big on character driven stories. I think everyone subconsciously is, I mean you can’t really care about what’s going on in a story if you don’t care about the characters. In advent rising they really push the dynamics between the characters. Gideon is the younger brother of a hot shot war hero. His brother basically gets him a job just off of his charisma and Gideon is left wondering if he is completely worthless. There are many other characters that add to the drama and feel of this game. Overall this storyline just gets 5 stars from me, this is what I love to see from my video games. Take it seriously, develop those characters and subplots!
Characters
Gideon Wyeth (voiced by Will Friedle) — The main character of the game. He is a member of one of the last human outposts. Ethan Wyeth — Gideon’s hotshot older brother. Because of his celebrity following the Independence Wars, he is assigned the role of pilot for the mission of first contact with the Aurelians. He used his connections to instate Gideon as his co-pilot. Olivia Morgan (voiced by Vanessa Marshall) — Gideon’s fiancé, a scientist assigned to Luriam space station. Marin Steel — A decorated pilot from the Independence Wars, she encounters Gideon as he attempts to escape Bahr Han on her ship. She is captured by the Seekers and unsuccessfully imprisoned on the island of Teran, having developed her own psychic powers. Kelehm Farwaters (voiced by Dwight Schultz) — A ninth-tier Garhgon (an Aurelian religious caste), he has trained himself in the telekinetic arts. Kelehm belongs to “the old faith” which states that the discovery of humans is part of a prophecy and the Aurelians will gain greater psychic power through them. Enorym Tenspur (voiced by Michael Bell) — Ally to Gideon and the most highly trained of the Aurelian elite fighters, Enorym serves as a commander of the elite Felidic warriors. Enorym leads an assault on a Seeker ship shortly after Gideon learns how to use his psychic powers. Bud – A troublemaking Marine that starts a bar fight with Gideon and later challenges him and Ethan to a training match. After losing, Bud fires a blaster at Ethan. The player then has the choice of either using a stungun to disable Bud or picking up a blaster and killing him, which determines whether his squadmates help you or abandon you in a later gameplay segment. K’Chell — A Seeker ambassador who interrupts the planetary ruling council and demands that the Aurelians hand over Gideon and Marin. When Kelehm refuses, K’Chell kills him, then escapes to the ansible to inform the Seeker armada.
Sevan — A council member on Aurelia, he leads a rebellion to give the humans to the Seekers and avoid retaliation. After staging a coup, he co-opts the council, gives Marin to the Seekers, and puts Enorym on trial for treason. Banath — Originally serving as Enorym’s best warrior, he is revealed to be a double agent for Sevan. Having planted a Seeker ambush inside the ansible, Banath becomes visibly angry after Enorym orders him to escort Marin back to the Aurelian capital. He returns with a dropship manned by other rebels after giving Marin to the Seekers and announces his betrayal by killing one of Enorym’s warriors. Gideon kills Banath shortly after Enorym is put on trial.
GAMEPLAY
As Gideon you’ll be able to utilize his kinetic abilities. One of my favorite parts of this game is the fact that he is just learning them. Now clearly this something many games use in order to make your character weaker in the beginning so the game will be harder. However in Advent rising they really mean he is LEARNING and he doesn’t stop ever. You get new and exciting moves and upgrades all the way through until the last stage. The greatest part of this game is they always throw something new at you and honestly its not even when one thing gets old, they just do it. Oh you’ve got a gun? Here take this Kinetic energy, oh you’ve got kinetic energy? How about SHOOTING FIREBALLS out of your hands? Oh I see you’ve got a Jeep- HOVER CRAFT!
Pictured: The head developer
One of the more interesting parts of this game is the control system. They have made use of a “flick targeting” control system that utilizes the second joystick. It’s very cool once you get used to it. Basically you flick the stick in the direction of the offending enemy and all of your attacks then go directly to that foe. This really comes in handy as its a large cartoony looking world. A third person shooter like that would have been a hair pulling experience trying to aim.
The enemies are intelligent and vary in size and abilities. They all have several specialized attacks of their own. While one tries to over power you with its extra limbs, another might try to snipe you from a distance, while yet another will try and Rambo you with automatic weapons. All in all the controls and enemies you fight make for very exciting and fun game-play.
Here are the actual controls for the game.
GIDEON CONTROLS Left Thumbstick Walk. Run. Click In to Toggle Crouch/Stand Right Thumbstick Flick Targeting A Button Jump. Pull Up From Hanging Position. B Button Melee Attack X Button Arm Left-Handed Weapon (Hold). Dodge From Hanging Position. Activate. Y Button Arm Right-Handed Weapon (Hold). Reload Weapon. White Button Throw Grenade. Toggle Grenade (Hold). Black Button Select Alt Fire Mode (With Right or Left Trigger) Left Trigger Fire Left-Handed Weapon Right Trigger Fire Right-Handed Weapon Combo #1 X + A = Charge Jump Combo #2 Any Direction + X = Acrobatic Moves
Also there are vehicles! These are pretty cool
SCYTHE VEHICLE CONTROLS
Directional Pad Enter or Exit Driver Side (From the Left). Enter or Exit Turret Side (From the Right).
Left Thumbstick Up = Forward. Down = Reverse.
Right Thumbstick Turn Left/Right. Aim Turret Chain Gun.
A Button Jump
Right Trigger Turbo. Fire Turret Chain Gun.
SHIPS/SHUTTLES CONTROLS
Left Thumbstick Forward = Thrusters. Down = Slow.
Right Thumbstick Steering
Right Trigger Thrusters
ANTI-AIRCRAFT TURRET CONTROLS
Right Thumbstick Aim
X Button Activate/Release
Right Trigger Fire
GRAPHICS
Now the graphics are the only reason why any one would ever doubt this game. The director made the choice to have elongated limbs which made them look more like comic book characters. This is an artist’s choice, however it gave them a weird gangly look (the game was originally supposed to be a comic book which may explain why he wanted this so badly). The frame rate does lag in certain areas doing certain things, however it is never enough to detract from the game as a whole. Plus I mean look at it! It still looks AMAZING for an original Xbox game. It plays well and by well I mean its extremely exciting.
Music
Ok I have to come back to this music because…well it’s part of me! I love music and truthfully a game with poorly composed music will make me put it down just as quickly as bad graphics.
But here are two examples of the total and complete epicness of the music for this game.
Here’s another one which is used a few times during boss battles but they have more themes as well.
The music was composed by Emmanuel Fratianni and Michael Richard Plowman and performed by Laurie Robinson and Tommy Tallarico. Here’s the list of songs for the entire soundtrack.
Advent Rising Original Soundtrack (57:21)
No. Title Length
1. “Muse” 3:08
2. “Poeta” 3:36
3. “Bounty Hunter” 3:05
4. “Aurelia” 3:03
5. “Greater Lights (feat. Charlotte Martin)” 3:52
6. “Glorious Human” 1:46
7. “Stolen Transport” 2:15
8. “Canyon Encounter” 2:04
9. “The Rise Of Aurelia” 2:01
10. “Edumeas Last Stand” 2:04
11. “Aurelian Conflict” 2:04
12. “The Aurelian Movement” 2:21
13. “Luriam Down” 1:04
14. “The Human Movement” 2:09
15. “Human Demise” 1:35
16. “Seeker Assault” 2:05
17. “Midst Of The N’Kul” 0:34
18. “Seeker Horde” 1:04
19. “Fiery Arrival On Aurelia” 0:55
20. “Power Within” 2:11
21. “Fortified Strength” 1:01
22. “Mastery Of Self” 2:20
23. “Return To Humanity” 2:16
24. “The Seeker Movement” 2:09
25. “Seeker Unrest” 2:05
26. “Conquest” 0:36
27. “Greater Lights (Jay-J’s Shifted UP Mix)” 3:58
WHY ISN’T THIS GAME HAILED AS AWESOME?
Well apparently there was a terrible marketing strategy of people being able to win one million dollars if they were able to decipher secret messages in the games various levels. Due to issues with security they had to shut down the contest which cost them quite a lot of money and advertisement. Also the first reviews for this game were way off, giving them five out of ten. Later they went back and fixed that with reviews like 8 out of ten or 7.8 out of 10 (IGN). Without advertising its hard to really get as big as you should be able to. However there is a core community online that knows about this game and they LOVE it. Its getting bigger and bigger by word of mouth, unfortunately it may be a little late for the company that produced it. However there are sites and Facebook pages online dedicated to this game and to creating a sequel.
SEQUEL
Will there be one? Who knows, it’s one of those things, teased forever but it’s anybody’s guess. Some things weren’t meant for sequels (Hangover I’m looking at you). However this game clearly was written to be given at least two more entries. Especially taking into account the terrific ending that happens AFTER the credits. Oh and that’s not just a cutscene there is GAMEPLAY after the credits. Yeah I had walked away (like a BOSS) after thinking I had beaten one of the best games ever made.
My face when I saw what was going on.
Suffice to say that last part was the icing on the cake. I mean that really let me know how much one, they respected this genre, and two knew about cinematic qualities being infused with video games. It was an amazing teaser for the next game which unfortunately never came out. Yet there are still those who are pushing for it.
On the plus side they have produced a line of comic books that I haven’t read but apparently they follow up so if you want to check those out here.
RATING
If you couldn’t already tell this is getting five out of five stars. The story is excellent, the music is amazing, the gameplay is exciting, fun and always advancing. It does a great job in making you feel what Gideon is feeling and all of these things merge together at the end to make one amazing experience. The replay value is VERY high on this as they’ve included a way to upgrade different abilities. Also if its ever NOT fun to dive through the air and force blast an enemy into a lake of lava please stop the planet because I’ll be getting off.
So the bottom line is, if you haven’t gone out and purchased this game, do it. Seriously it’s like 2 bucks and an original Xbox is like 30 bucks now(because its not backwards compatible sucks I know.)
Thanks for reading everyone! I’ll keep you up to date with new Xbox One news as well as PS4 news when they start delivering it. As always I’ll be bringing you old school reviews!
I’m back from playing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!
As I’ve recently discovered, MMPR is now on Netflix in its entirety. Sad to say the television series just doesn’t stand up AT ALL anymore. In fact I’m pretty much embarrassed to say I loved it as a kid. Bad acting, bad graphics, just loud noises and punching. It certainly appeals to children but makes no attempt to bring the parents in. Plus maybe I’m just getting old but why is it SO LOUD?
However this is about the game, and how it holds up. A classic 2D scroller for the SNES, it was produced for Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Sega Mega drive, and Gameboy as well. Yes MMPR was HUGE back in the day. Actually while Bandai handled production for Nintendo, Sega produced their version themselves. So I’ll do those reviews later because they were all QUITE different from the SNES version. So SNES 2D scroller everybody got it? Okay, ready, and GO!
STORYLINE
Honestly the story is…barely there. Apparently Rita has sent the putty monsters to different areas and you have to fight your way through to the boss at the end. No word on why, I’m assuming because she wants to take over the earth or something. All of the villains are based off the first season. However Rita’s full plan as to how all of these different areas being taken over is never revealed in the game. So it’s a generic beat em’ up story line with the power rangers in the driver’s seat. Not much going on here so it doesn’t get a high rating from me.
Side Note: I’ve always thought the power rangers could have great stories. 6 different characters give them a back story and watch it take off!
Cast Of Characters
C’mon if you don’t know the originals, sigh, we will have to do some post work on your childhood. It’s okay I think we will be able to save it.
Jason-Red Ranger- Power Sword
Zach- Black Ranger-Power Ax
Kimberly- Pink Ranger- Power Bow
Billy-Blue Ranger-Power Lance
Trini- Yellow ranger- Power Daggers
As soon as you morph you get to use the power weapons. Each character has a unique fighting style in both forms. This force you into to develop different techniques while playing.
GAMEPLAY
Players can choose from any of the original 5 rangers, Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink. You begin each area in their civilian forms, as you progress throughout the level you will eventually come upon the boss, then its MORPHIN’ TIME and you change into your ranger form. The Ranger form has stronger attacks, utilizing each rangers specific weapon. If you press up and attack you will get an attack that will knock the enemy to the ground (except the pink ranger she fires an arrow for long-range assault). Also each ranger can acquire a “bomb” which will wipe the screen clear of any enemies and/or cause heavy damage on a Boss.
As per the classic 2D scroller mechanics, you move forward until you meet Putty patrollers or other enemies. Then you must defeat them all before you are allowed to proceed to the next part of the stage. Over all the gameplay is straight forward, beat ’em up style action. However the variations between the characters civilian forms and rangers forms, as well as the varying strengths of the bosses and enemies makes this gameplay pretty challenging and cool. You DO get to control the mega zord in this version. The last two stages feature you in the mega zord doing some heavy damage against large villains. There are different attacks based on the level on which your power bar is. This is what makes this version my favorite incarnation of this game.
Graphics
As per usual SNES style, the graphics are pretty good. Bright and colorful with an easily viewable HUD. The explosion you get through using the bomb results in a huge flashing symbol of your character’s animal on the screen. =
The bosses are well made and their attacks look pretty cool. Plus when you get to that last level and finally get to utilize the huge zord…Let’s just say it will make you feel like a kid again. The graphics merge seamlessly with the music and the attacks the bosses throw at you on screen. Meaning usually the music changes when the boss appears for the first time and when a certain attack is about to be levied.
For an old game it doesn’t look bad at all. In fact I think the graphics being simple but detailed help convey the overall approach the game makers took when they decided to make this game a reality.
Overall I’d say you can more than deal with these graphics even if you’ve been playing Call of Duty on a High Def/resolution screen everyday for a year. (Seriously get up and get some air, the game’s not going anywhere.)
Music
The music is pretty good. It is nothing more than several variations on the Mighty Morphin’ theme song. Which, if you can recall, is AWESOME. This is really the basic point of the game, they weren’t trying to be something they weren’t. This is a Power Rangers game and they weren’t shy about making it just that.
STAND OR FALL?
It is interesting. The lack of quality scroller games are what actually help this stand up today. The variety in the mechanics and levels completely make this playable in today’s industry. Multiple characters to choose from with different weapons and different abilities. That’s actually what is missing from today’s games. I really enjoyed the details and time they put into making each characters fighting style. The fighting styles reflected the actual personality of each character which is great.
FINAL SCORE
This one REALLY surprised me. I didn’t think I’d be giving it anywhere close to this score but here it is!
4.5 stars! The replay value is very high (I’ve already played it through two or three times now) and the ability to play with another player adds even more to the fun! Definitely one to recommend to your friends, especially since you can join in on the slug-fest! (only via passwords at the end but still, lots of fun!).
If it were released today.
Well, sad to say based on the utter failure of TMNT in time’s release (another 2D scroller), I’d say it would be a flop. I believe they would stray from the straight forward approach and add too much that would detract from the beautiful simplicity that is hitting a Putty Patroller in the head with an axe. No I believe we should be content to travel down memory lane and pick up that grey controller.
Thanks for reading! If you liked this review check out my others! Oh and this one! Thanks everyone for reading! I do hope you enjoy these and find them helpful in your quest for old school gratification!
Side note: Why’s the black guy the only one dancing??
This movie came out in 1957 and stars none other than Obi Wan Kenobi. (Alec Guinness, who by the way would have stopped reading right there, but you won’t because you know Star Wars is awesome). Anyway this is widely regarded as one of the best, if not THE best, films ever made. Let that sink in, Best….Ever…EVER. Yeah you should watch this and I’ll explain why in more detail…..NOW.
It’s world war II, British prisoners are sent to a Japanese prison camp in western Thailand. They are made to do manual labor and this is where the first conflict arises. Their leader, played by Guinness, informs their captors that according to the Geneva Conventions that all officers are exempt from manual labors. Saito, The colonel of the Japenese camp (Sessue Hayakawa) slaps him with the copy of the conventions. He then throws him into “the oven”, an iron box in the heat without food or water.
The entire film is an examination of the human condition, spirit, and performance under stress and pressure. How doggedly someone can pursue something under these terrible conditions that they may even forget who they really are.
Another side to this film is that one prisoner escapes this is Commander Shears(William Holden) of the United States Navy. His story is extremely interesting to say the least, and he eventually gets sent back in order to find and destroy the bridge that is being built.
Everything combines in a beautiful display at the end that leaves you satisfied but wanting to watch the movie all over again. Great writing, acting, directing, and the location looked amazing.
It won SEVEN Oscars read em and weep full house! Flush? (idk don’t play poker ha!)
Best picture, Best director, Best Actor, Best writing(screenplay based on material from another medium, Best Music, Best film editing, Best cinematography.
It won 3 BAFTA awards, Best british film, Best film from any source, Best British Actor.
It won 3 Golden Globe Award, Best motion picture, Best director, Best actor
It has also been selected for preservation in the U.S.A National film registry. An honor I actually hold higher than the Oscars (a topic for another blog).
SO the bottom line is, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT grab it on blu-ray or DVD today, get some popcorn and watch it several times to make up for not seeing a movie that’s probably older than you!
Here’s the full list of stars and directors etc.
Directed by David Lean
Produced by Sam Spiegel
Screenplay by Carl Foreman
Michael Wilson
Based on The Bridge over the River Kwai
by Pierre Boulle
Starring William Holden
Alec Guinness
Jack Hawkins
Sessue Hayakawa
Music by Malcolm Arnold
Cinematography Jack Hildyard
Editing by Peter Taylor
Studio Horizon Pictures
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)
2 October 1957
Running time 161 minutes
Country USA/UK
Language English
Budget $3 million (estimated)
Box office $33.3 million (in U.S.)
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I got a Sega Genesis rather late in the game…and by late I mean Dreamcast was out. Oh well I loved it nonetheless because my parents were awesome enough to get me one for my birthday. With it came Ms. Pacman, Jurassic Park, Sonic Spinball, and Toy story. I’ll get to the other games later I promise, but now we are on Toy Story, focus people focus!
This is a game by Disney Interactive Studios. It came out in April of 1996 on SNES, Sega Genesis, and PC. These versions were pretty much identical save one or two levels that Sega threw in so this review could technically cover those systems as well. First things first lets get to the story!
STORYLINE
So if you don’t know this storyline…Randy Newman’s piano gently weeps for your childhood. However I will give you the basis you sad misguided individual (Seriously why are you still here? Go watch this its 2013! Are you back? Great wasn’t it? You’ve got two more movies, the last one makes grown men cry, have fun). For the rest of you, the game storyline is exactly the same as the movie. Moving on to-
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Woody-The main character that you will control. His basic functions are pretty easy to grasp. A or C to jump and B to use his drawstring as a whip. This can disrupt flight patterns and tie up other enemies.
Buzz- You never play as Buzz but he has a new incarnation in the game. Nightmare buzz! He fires real lasers and is surrounded by fireballs. But usually he’s just you’re average, everyday, toy that thinks he’s a real “space rangeeeeeer.”
R/C-This is a nice change up, in the Sega version there are two levels where you control the R/C car. You must pick up batteries to keep the car running and complete your tasks. He is the only other character you control outside of Woody and technically Rex.
Rex- Rex is here and you ride on his back for one level.
The rest of the cast all make appearances and at one point are your enemies after you knock Buzz out of the window.
GAMEPLAY
A lot of variety here, usually it is a 2D scroller, however it makes a switch notably in the claw machine to a 3D format.
Woody’s whip doesn’t destroy anything, rather it wraps them up temporarily. This gives you the need to keep going forward as to go back would be to put yourself in harms way again.
For children this game may be rather tough. I remember when I first got the game I could not get past that 3D area in the claw machine.
The R/C controls are slippery but doable.
It gets a little repetitive around the Sid level, but the bosses and R/C mode move it along nicely.
Overall the gameplay is pretty good. I have a few gripes about the R/C mode, the difficulty regarding the target demographic. You can go into the options menu and add a few lives, and there is a option to take off the story leaving straight gameplay which is cool but, I have to have my stories. Overall a good time could be had by all.
GRAPHICS
Graphics are pretty good for a Sega Genesis game. Not as bright as the SNES version but still good. The 3d levels look GREAT though a little pixelated until you move Woody in closer.
DOES IT STAND OR FALL?
Well as I was playing this game several times I found myself a little bored, being used to high impact, shocking games from today that need a twist every two seconds, or a vehicle or a new way to destroy something. It had a few things thrown in to catch your attention but not quite enough. I’d say it kneels. It doesn’t completely fall on its face in today’s world, you can play it but you’d put it down before finishing it. I would still recommend it for a new gamer to play just for the reference that movie games CAN INDEED be good.
Four Stars! Not a bad game right? But still its starting to creak in it’s old age, we still love it but it just doesn’t grab that Frisbee out the air like it used to.
What would happen if it were released today?
Well lets just look at what happened when Toy Story 3’s video game was released. Positive reviews all around mate! Many were surprised but the game did really well on every platform except the Wii, which, is a whole ‘nother review for a whole ‘nother day.
So if you have someone who incessantly babbles on about how it’d be impossible to make a good video game from a movie, get a Sega Genesis with Toy Story, and turn it on.
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Five stars!
Wiseguy Industries Media 
