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.
So E3 yesterday was a big event. It was great we heard from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. I also released my prediction about the Xbox’s chances moments before the reveal. All I can say is WOW I mean…WOW. Sony basically watched Microsoft dig its own grave and effectively shoved them into it on E3. Microsoft might as well rename it D-Day on their calenders. The day the real gamers packed up their controllers and headed over to Japan and with them they shall take the interests of the non gamers who deem it necessary to purchase a console. I’m not even going to talk about Wii U because…I mean it’s Wii U what’s there to talk about?
I can’t lie to you, I’m pretty upset Microsoft. I mean I’ve been a die-hard Xbox fan since the original console broke free in 2001. I got that console as a Christmas present and began dutifully building my game reserve including titles such as Halo (obiviously), Madden, Legacy of Kain, Advent Rising, and the like. Ever since then I was Xbox all the way. I worked hard to save up enough money to get my 360, then proceeded to get Halo 3 and 4, Gears of war 1-3, dead space, lost planet, stranglehold, and more. I paid for my Xbox Live subscription and played the games online and watched netflix. I even got the Kinect and three games for it. I marveled at how I could wave my hand and it would cycle through the options. I could speak and it could hear and take commands. I loved my Xbox and I loved my 360 so when I heard news of a new Xbox console on the horizon after oh so many years I was quite enthused to say the least(why am I talking like that? Its late forgive me).
However news of the Xbox1 was all bad in my eyes from the boxy VCR style design to the “always online” issue(has to be connected to the net every 24 hours), to the no games from friends(has to be through the cloud system, you must be signed in to get to your game). It seemed like they put all of the resources not into making a better system(the xbox’s pure power pales in comparison to the PS4’s) but into making a box that would suck up the money from your wallets, pockets, and couch cushions. FOR SHAME Microsoft. That’s exactly where my prediction came in. My line of thinking was that if Sony was smart they’d focus on what historically sells consoles, power, games, and compatibility. Everybody buys used games, its just the way things are. Its not really hurting the companies pockets because at the end of the day the amount of people that buy the used games would never buy the games at full price anyway. They are literally only buying the games because they are used and at a reasonably lower price. Yet Microsoft insisted on going with a “perception profit” style instead of a “realistic profit” style. Realistically the reception of this E3 has been nothing short of the worlds roughest knockout blow.
Uh yeah sony’s the one doing all the flips
See Microsoft forgot what this entire industry is really based on, gamers. Nintendo didn’t forget with the Wii who apparently they are trying to emulate in terms of grabbing an audience that doesn’t really use consoles. Yet in reality most of Wii’s sales were motivated by gamers who loved the new spin. The new spin just happened to be something that was extremely accessible to those who don’t usually play video games. This whole Television thing is not going to do Xbox one any good. Why pay extra for something I already have a box for?
So basically Sony let everyone question their motives on why they were staying silent and they let Microsoft feel smart by talking and talking. Then they took the stage and delivered death blows to their competition. “Yes you can buy used games.” The crowd exploded which is funny because that’s really the bare minimum we really want to know about backwards compatibility but because Microsoft set the bar so low its just something that needs to be cheered for. We can take our games to our friends house and play them on the Ps4. Which after the amount of time they’ve spent making everything a co-op and everything multi-player you’d also think THAT was bare minimum as well. Then we get to the price…Xbox’s hefty 499 price tag for something that everyone is already have MORE than second thoughts on is going to be a huge obstacle to conquer whereas PS4 right now has all the positive press and media generated AND a 399 price tag. A hundred bucks cheaper and an already better looking deal if the Xbox was exactly the same price, that comparison alone is enough to warrant switching your preferences. If there was anyone in the middle they’ve probably shifted to Sony just based off the price.
The only thing that can save Xbox at this point is the games. However to tell the truth they are on their fifth halo their fourth Gears of war…I don’t know if there is anything left for them to do that will be so amazing that I’d have to get THIS console. Even still Sony announced Kingdom Hearts three. KH3! PEOPLE! First that game is one of the best ever with one of the best sequels ever. If you go back and watch the original intro movie the graphics more than stand up and that was on the ps2. Imagine what they are going to do with the ps4! That’s just one game people, they also have series over at Sony that will be coming back bigger and better on the ps4. Xbox has a few good games coming but none so much that will make it so that those who must make a choice between the two will choose them.
Xbox…you just got KNOCKED OUT.
Sony walks the boulevard of broken microsoft dreams while pondering how to save a life
I’ll be reserving my ps4 as soon as I get the money. So sad I really was looking forward to you Xbox1 but…I just can’t throw away money like that. R.I.P Microsoft gaming…maybe try the hand held arena?
P.S Nintendo has a new Zelda coming out for the hand held based on a link to the past also the Smash Bros for the Wii U has been announced.
P.P.S or whatever you’re supposed to say. As I finished writing this and casually clicked over to my Facebook page I saw an update from IGN saying that “Mad Max” has been announced for the PS4…ok Sony…now you’re just being mean the ref already counted to ten why are you still hitting him?
Ok so if you haven’t heard the Xbox One was shown awhile ago at a large demonstration in Seattle and London. I was following the show and made an article which you can view here. With the rest of the world tuned in on their television sets Microsoft rolled out their plan for the new Xbox console which can be broken down to Television and Xbox equals Chocolate and Peanut Butter.
Ugh it always goes straight to my hips, then my gums bleed out, but its totally worth it
They spoke about the new Kinect which will come with the Xbox, the compatibility with the television, and the Halo show. However in their little presentation they neglected to mention some of the flaws (outside of the name) but our friendly neighborhood Sony was more than happy to tweet shady remarks about them until we could finally see them ourselves. However before we get into strictly Xbox problems, the need to address the state of the gamer nation is high so this I shall do.
Ok the trend of the industry moving away from the gamers has been long documented. We’ve seen it and especially with the advent of the Wii, we’ve lived it. I mean they really were able to capitalize on people who never would have played games before. That’s great, whoop-ti-doo great for you Nintendo really, but who do you think introduced these foreigners to the games in the first place. That’s right, the hardcore gamers. If you piss off these people NOBODY will buy your product because WE are the experts, not your fancy advertisement campaigns with your clever phrases and puns. Not your millions of dollars that you spent developing the product. No it is US the Gamer Nation that holds the fate of your company in our hands…and we…are a butterfingery bunch. Why the slightest aggravation could cause us to lose our grip!
Just try us
Even deeper down the rabbit hole you’ll find Gamestop which uses the slogan “power to the player”. Yeah I remember when that actually used to be TRUE for them. I’d get a game maybe it was already scratched, maybe somehow it got scratched the same day I bought it, either way it was “Power to the player” and I got another disc. Now they try to swindle even more money out of you by requiring that you buy an insurance policy. That’s right they now want you to pay for something they used to do for FREE. The reason this messes with me is because it is one of the MAIN reasons I went to them because lord knows I wasn’t selling them any of my games. However this is just another facet of the move away from hardcore gamers. Microsoft sees this and is going right along with it so now that you have that back story, let’s get into the issues with the one they call….the one…for whatever reason.
Dude just call it the first thing that comes to mind and lets move on
KINECT MANDATORY
First off it comes with the Kinect which sounds great BUT that’s probably going to drive the price up. Now if later on I discover this is not the case and the price is around the same price as the 360 was (plus inflation) then I shall retract this statement. However any way to make an extra buck seems to be Microsoft’s saying these days so I doubt I’ll be doing that. Also the reason that the Kinect comes with it is that it will be MANDATORY for ALL GAMES. Now that doesn’t mean that you will have to use it as a controller in every game. I’m sure they won’t have you leaping about the room to the next Final Fantasy game. However it will be used for everything from turning on the Xbox to in-game controls by reading your game controller. It can be a good or bad thing however I’d love to have a choice in the matter. Don’t get me wrong I totally went out and bought a Kinect and thoroughly enjoyed all three games I ever played on it. It’s a great concept and it’s nice to see that they have enough dedication to it to do something like this. Yet it just seems to be a bit of a stretch just like…
The Xbox1 Look
Ok so many people around the net noticed this so I’m glad I’m not the only one. Does it look like a 90s VCR to any of you? For those of you who don’t know what a VCR is…grow up and stop making me feel old. The Xbox1 looks big and clunky, a direct opposition to what they pushed with the curvy (kind of) 360. I loved the look of the 360 and to replace it with this mess just seems crude. It looks like a generic box, and not much fun. Usually in advertisement you DO judge a book by its cover and this one looks like some boring book about the growth cycles of worms.
Sounds fascinating!
Internet Connection
So apparently you will HAVE to have the internet to use this system. Every 24 hours it must be connected to the internet which SUCKS. I mean seriously to play a game that I bought, with my money, from your company, I have to then pay another company 25 plus bucks a month to get access to play it??? What sense does that make? None and yes it’s been confirmed that even offline activities will require this. This leads me to believe that Microsoft has a very narrow view of economics. See if you buy something one time that means you saved up for it. Even if you couldn’t afford this Xbox every month, you can afford it maybe once a year or maybe once every two years, but now that you have to factor in the additional internet costs…it’s just not going to work for a lot of people. Especially for people outside of America who you do realize, are also an entirely large market. I know people take it for granted that internet access is there for everyone but that’s just the problem, when making a multi-million dollar investment, you can’t just assume.
No Used Games
As per their new philosophy of get every penny out of their pockets no matter how much it pisses them off, they’ve outlawed used games. Simply put you will have to pay for every game even if your friend brings over his copy of the game. Say little Johnny is all excited about Halo 5 and you plan on going through it on the co-op modes which by the way for YEARS they’ve been making so much more intricate because we’ve demanded it. Ok so he brings the game over you pop it in and because you are connected to the internet they immediately recognize that this is not a game that you have paid for and they shut your share happy butt right down.
Pictured: Bill Gates
Yep not so much fun for you and little Johnny is it? This is a shameless attempt on Microsoft’s part to stem the tide of people moving from brand new purchases to second-hand gaming. See games have always been on the expensive side but ever since they jacked the price up to $60 a game people have been throwing money at Ebay and Gamestop to get their games. Ever since that explosion happened the console creators that be have been scheming to get their paws on some of that sweet sweet cash. It wouldn’t be good enough to cut down the price about five dollars to see more people buy directly from them. They want to make it so that we the gamers have no choice but to crawl to them with our hands out begging.
sigh…it’s never enough is it?
No Backwards Compatibility
This one just doesn’t make any sense. I tried to make it make sense by saying “maybe they think everyone will just buy second-hand” but even that doesn’t fit because nintendo released Zelda on Gamecube and Wii and both did extremely well on both systems. This has been the case for many systems, Sony was still releasing titles on the ps2 for quite a while after the ps3 was released. Xbox one really through me for a loop. I’m supposing (if one will allow a supposition) that this was merely a side effect of the programming used to keep people from playing second-hand games. I mean we haven’t forgotten that red ring mess Microsoft so you are really going to have to prove yourself this time, and this mess isn’t helping your cause at all. I’m a die-hard gears of war, Halo fan but man this is ROUGH territory right here.
So Microsoft I love my Xbox 360, I loved my Xbox, and I really thank you for everything you’ve done with both. I mean I had about 90 games on the Xbox and 2 original Xbox consoles with 8 controllers. I sold all of it for the 360 and currently have about 50 games on that. I really do hope that I’ll find some reason to get this Xbox1 but as a gamer…I can’t see it. However I’m still going to keep my excitement and hope up for this console because I want it to be great.
C’mon get it together pleaaasseeee!
Prediction
Yet my official prediction for this system hinges on the oh so little knowledge of the competition. I really know nothing about the Wii U and plan on keeping it that way. The ps4 isn’t backwards compatible either but its a more powerful system but they still never fully utilized the ps3’s full potential. I’d say the fields are pretty even and after ps4 is rolled out we’ll really see. Right now I’d say Microsoft is going to take a loss, they’ve put the ball in Sony’s court, if they play along and do what Microsoft did then the gamers are screwed and we won’t have a choice. But if Sony gives in and keeps the used games as an option then Microsoft loses everything.
Thanks for reading! I hope you found it informative and entertaining as usual you guys are the best!
I haven’t always been a fan of the survival horror genre…but that was only because when I was younger my parents wouldn’t allow certain games in the house. So yes I missed out on the first resident evil, silent hill, ok and the second resident evil. However eventually I was exposed to a little known game called “The Suffering” and my life changed. Resident evil 4 came after that and solidified my love for the genre so much so that I went back and played catch up with some of the other games. Since then my affair with these games has been a strained one. Many games claiming to be survival horror are at best action games with a few cheap jumps thrown in there. A few stand above the rest like Dead Space (oh how I love that game) Alan Wake, and Siren 3(I was lucky enough to play on a friends ps3). Now it seems with the critical failure of RE6 people realize they need to get back to their roots with this thing and now we are seeing a few games with some really good promise on the consoles and on the PC they are REALLY exploding(but we’ll cover those later). So without further ado let’s get into the list with…
#3 Until Dawn
This game takes the age-old tale of promiscuous teenagers in a cabin and a killer and puts you in control. Seems straight forward enough, the thing is they’ve made this game 2 player and it looks pretty interesting. You use a flashlight and a torch via the Playstation’s move controller which seems like a newer take on the Alan Wake formula. The thing about that is it can be tricky. If you had told me before Alan Wake was teased(forever ago I know) that a flashlight would be my only weapon, I don’t think I would’ve had too much hope for that title. I mean variety is one of the best parts of any game but Alan Wake pulled it off with various upgrades and a few choice other weapons. So with this one I’m holding a little torch of hope.
inSANE
Ok you got me…so not much is known about this game but from what we DO know, it looks like it will be amazing. See its a game by none other than academy award winning and freaky creature creator, Guillermo del Toro.
That’s correct Del Toro is getting into the video game field and the first game he’s making is a survival horror game. With his track record I’m sure at the very least the story will be compelling. The gameplay however is still up in the air as I’m not sure who the developer will be. Its still in production but he’s looking for a developer. The game is rumored to be based off the writings of H.P Lovecraft. Lets hope this one makes it!
#1 The Evil Within
Created by the originator of the Resident Evil series, this games trailer alone got me excited. I randomly clicked on the video while browsing facebook and was extremely impressed with what I saw. The game looks extremely dark, the trailer itself is scary and doesn’t look like the thrills will get old either. Everything looks eerie and the atmosphere is really what gives you the most scare in any horror venue be it a Stephen King novel or a haunted house. Here’s the plot of the story I found
When Detective Sebastian and his partner rush to the scene of a gruesome mass murder, a mysterious, powerful force is lying in wait for them. Witnessing the killing of fellow police officers one after another, Sebastian is then attacked and loses consciousness. Waking up in a land where monsters are wandering about, he has to fight his way through a world of death and his close friend’s madness in order to understand what’s going on. Sebastian has to face his fears in order to survive on a journey to discover what lies in the shadows of that mysterious force.
The plot seems like it will put you right back into the ORIGINAL survival horror driver’s seat. This means low ammo, hard times, and extreme scares. I can’t wait for this one to terrify me!
That’s my list for now I’ll keep you updated! Thanks for reading!
Well the year is now 2013, movies are being made and remade almost literally to death. Fast Furious 6 is coming out, Die Hard came out again, and they are filming the fifth Spiderman movie. Yes we are truly living in the time of the remakes, when producers have become so terrified of the idea of making something original, that they’ve become content to shove last decades crap down our throats. So with all of the movies being made that SHOULDN’T be (yes you Total Recall) lets look at some movies that SHOULD get their first shot at the big screen.
Starting with…
#5 Black Panther
He is the Black Panther, king of a technologically advanced, hidden empire in Africa. One of the most popular black comic book heroes of all time he boasts a P.H.D from Oxford and the ability to lift over 700 pounds. This is a movie that’s been teased for FOREVER. We’ve gotten looks at who could play him, sets they could use, locations they’ve picked. It seems every year there’s some news about it and it never really comes through. I’ve almost given up on it. However the man himself Stan Lee whenever asked what comic book hero he’d like to see made into a movie ALWAYS says the Black Panther and also can not understand why it hasn’t been done.
I agree with him, I mean any chance to create an entire new place should be jumped on by any company if for no other reason than licensing and toy profits. A quick search for Black Panther movie on the internet will show tons of fans willing to support it no matter who makes it(well except for Tyler Perry). Marvel, Disney if you’re out there and you ever come across this blog hear our plea! Please make this movie a reality, it would be nothing short of epic.
#4 Gears of War
Just look at that picture and tell me you wouldn’t want to see Marcus and Delta squad running around on screen Lancering up some grubs! You can’t! Boasting one of the most innovative forms of gameplay Gears of War burst onto the scene November of 2005 to great acclaim. Everything about this game was new right down to the concept and that’s where the movie comes in.
Set 14 years after E day, the day when the locust horde declared war on humans and began killing them. Gears of War is the story of Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Damon Baird, and Augustus “Cole Train” Cole as members of the COG. The military composed of all the governments on the planet. The story has many twists and turns, from emotional to political. There’s plenty of things to build off of and pull from to make an amazing action movie. The only thing to worry about is casting, as long as hollywood goes for quality over box office drawing names…who am I kidding? Lets just cross our fingers and hope they actually get this one off the cutting room floor, unlike the next one…
#3 Halo
This is another Xbox title…wait am I biased? Maybe I should throw kingdom hearts in here? Just kidding I’m an objective blogger and proud of it! You see Halo is another blockbuster action game. Starring a Spartan with great armor and killer reflexes it was the beginning of a new wave of First person shooters. It completely changed the game and in doing so garnered an entire fan base that will buy basically anything with the spartan logo on it.
The plot is this, the covenant a group of fiercely religious aliens are spreading throughout the world leaving destruction in their path. Earth and the covenant have been battling for years and the covenant has managed to destroy all but one Spartan. That spartan is the Master Chief and he basically wages a one man war against the covenant with temporary team ups with the rest of the marines from time to time.
This is another blockbuster action film that just needs the right push behind it. See Peter Jackson was supposed to make this movie before district nine, but after some arguments dropped out. Now they are bringing it back as a television show click the link for more info on that. I hope that this won’t stop them from making an actual movie.
#2 Luke Cage
Another extremely popular comic book superhero, Luke Cage is a hero for hire and sometimes antihero. He was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. A former friend turned drug dealer planted enough heroin in his apartment to be considered a dealer. This is all because he believes Luke stole his girlfriend. Luke Cage is convicted of the crime and in exchange for parole he underwent different experiments and tests. When a corrupt guard tries to kill Cage by messing with the equipment, his growth accelerates faster than expected and as a result he became super strong and bullet proof. He escapes the prison and goes back to his home in New York and opens a hero for hire business.
This is another movie that has been teased countless times, many actors have grown old while being mentioned for this role. However my favorite still remains Michael Jai White, the man is an amazing martial artist and could definitely bring the grit of the Luke Cage series effectively and believable to the big screen.
I could see this movie being our generations “Maltese Falcon.” With a dynamic character such as Luke Cage you never know what he truly wants. He says he’s in it for the money but he’ll change his mind if the reasoning’s right. Done properly this would be an amazing movie, would love to see it done maybe film noir to give it a great feel and really stand out.
#1 Batman Beyond
Seriously…please? Why hasn’t this been done? I can only assume that they are scared at the actual creativity, time, and effort it would take into actually making this. Terry has become the only other Batman that mainstream audiences really know and embrace as Batman. That’s not easy as even Bruce Wayne only called him Batman once and even then it was under duress.
Terry fought long and hard to be considered a true Batman and he not only succeeded in becoming a great Batman, he became his OWN Batman. One with his own villains, way of operating, and process that truly separated him from Bruce and endeared him to a generation. His attitude as well has his reasoning is totally different from Bruce’s, the writers embraced this fact and were able to recreate a beloved hero in Terry Mcguinness. Nowhere is this difference in character as prevalent as in the last fight with the Joker in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Here he utilizes the difference in character to drive Joker even more nutty and win the fight. Check out the opening sequence for the show and you’ll see just how cool a live action film would look in about five seconds.
This movie would have blade runner style visuals and several different bad guys to choose from. A large new age Gotham, gritty, but advanced. An elderly Bruce Wayne still trying to protect his city any way he knows how. Telling the story of Terry would take a little doing, but the first movie would be great and hopefully by the second we would be able to believe that he is truly a capable batman. Just off visuals alone this should be made into a movie, I mean that intro is amazing to this day. The new take on Gotham after the Nolan trilogy would be a great follow-up to everything that happened in the Dark Knight trilogy. I really hope that this can be made however this is one of the only one’s on this list that I’ve heard nothing solid about. With the Batman series being rebooted to Segway easier into a Justice League movie, my hope for this fan favorite is waning.
Honorable mention-Static Shock
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include the only guy who shares the title of my favorite DC hero besides Batman. Static shock came out in 1993 through Milestone Comics. He is the Brainchild of the late great Dwayne McDuffie and as such is an amazingly deep character. Static is a young man who was exposed to chemicals that killed many peoplein an event called the big bang. More people died than survived, but those that did were granted super powers. His power if you didn’t know is Electric generation and manipulation. He’s also extremely intelligent and curious which allows him to use his powers in ways that other electricity wielders never thought of. Most of his recurring villains are the other people who were in the big bang who are called Bang babies which actually gives the rare opportunity to say whoever you wanted was there and make up new villains all the time.
For a film this already has an audience, in 2000 it was made into a successful kids television series. It ran for four years, won a daytime Emmy and put Static on the map causing him to be included on the popular Justice League Unlimited show. It is revealed that he eventually becomes the most powerful superhero in the DC universe. Now just to jump into a feature length live action film might be a little iffy for now, but a DC animated feature would be great to see especially with Phil Lamaar voicing him again. After that I’d love to see a live action movie. Actually Static is so popular that people have started making fan films using his character. So Hollywood take notice!
Well that’s the list! If you have any ideas you feel were left off or just want to discuss the list, feel free to comment below! Thanks for reading!
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!
Five stars!
Wiseguy Industries Media 
