December 18th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
I was looking through some old anime music I had and found the soundtrack to The Legend of Black Heaven. I’d forgotten just how much that show and it’s soundtrack rocks! The opening theme, Cautionary Warning by John Sykes, should seriously be played in Guitar Hero. I’ve seen tons of videos where people create custom tracks in Guitar Hero 2 (my favorite being Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way by Spectre General from the original Transformers movie) and Cautionary Warning feels perfect for one of those. I searched YouTube in case someone had, but alas…not yet.
Well…? You heard me, Internet! Get started!
Posted in Anime, Games | No Comments »
December 17th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
I started this site up mostly to learn how to actively manage operating a website. But sometimes I like to entertain the idea that I could be a professional blogger or even journalist. Even when it feels like I’m getting better at it, I look around me at people who are already out there and I feel discouraged.
It’s cool, though… I’ve come to understand that even if I did achieve that goal, there are heavy prices to pay. That can be illustrated with this guy’s latest 1UP blog entry. I’ve noticed a lot of similarities in those that I look up to as being more successful in this field. Most of them are guys who (even at my age) live in apartments with one or more roommates. They usually have difficulty keeping steady girlfriends. And despite all the cool swag they may accumulate, they still have money troubles.
Seeing that makes me appreciate the things that I have accomplished. I live on my own. I have an amazing girlfriend whom I clash with rarely. And even though I don’t live in extravagance, I ain’t starving… The key is being able to wisely define what is success. I may not be satisfied with myself in the now, but I’d like think that I’ll fare better than many of them in the long run. Whether I should be genuinely concerned or if my discouragement is based in envy. It’s quite the dilemma deciding whether to seize life while I’m young or invest in my later years.
Heh, we all wish we were Batman, but no one wants to have Batman’s life, you know?
One thing that I do have to acknowledge is that the benefit of living with a bunch of buddies is good for keeping your wits sharp. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t think that I’m as funny as I used to be. I feel like I peaked when I would see my best friends on a daily basis. In the past few years, I haven’t had (arguably, made) the time to see anyone socially more than once every couple weeks. Whatever the cause, it’s dulled my wit drastically, which has also stunted any talents I’d like to nurture.
My hope is that in the coming year, with my transition into working on web content full time, I’ll be more free to expand my social life. Maybe then I’ll feel more fulfillment, regardless of how my blogging career is (or isn’t) going…
Posted in Site News | No Comments »
December 16th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
Recently I was exploring my memories of my arcade experiences, particularly the amount of dorks I’d run into. Now, granted, in any geeky community, there are bound to be it’s batch of losers. And most of them can be pointed out by the ones that recurrently ponder which two unrelated fictional characters would win in a fight. Back when Capcom started producing the “Versus” series of their fighting games, I witnessed these hypothetical proposals increase by folds.
It pisses me off because for over a decade, that’s the most common response when I hear fighting game fanboys talk about what they’d like to see in the future of fighting games. Is that really where the limits are drawn in our imaginations? Can we not think outside the box, beyond just more of the same that we’ve been handed in the past? Are we limited to only sequels or crossovers? If that were really true, would we have such great new series out there like Guilty Gear or Melty Blood? No, of course not! Can we please openly put the blame on ourselves for expressing the demand for more sequels/crossovers, which lead to the abomination that is Capcom Fighting Jam?
The most common, as you may easily guess, was the constant longing for a Marvel Vs. DC fighting game. To this day, fucktards in fighting game message boards across the web long to see this video game come to be. Well, thank goodness that it’s no longer (if ever) a legal possibility, because no matter how one could try, it could never happen!
The only reason why Marvel characters work in a fighting game scenario is because most of their characters are defined by their powers. And while nerds may argue endlessly over the mathematics of their individual stats, you can easily bullshit around that and create a balance. You can’t do that with DC characters because while many of them do have fantastic powers, their characters are defined by the skills they possess and the application by which they use their abilities. So in the DC cast, you have an obvious unbalance of raw superpowers.
The two perfect examples of this reside in their two most popular characters: Superman and Batman, of which you can’t have any DC-centered ensemble cast without. Superman is nigh-invulnerable and possesses powers from almost every corner of the spectrum. If he doesn’t have one specific power, he can use the ones he does have to accomplish the same task Superman doesn’t even need the rest of the Justice League other than to keep him company. So there’s no way you can have a fighting game with him in it and ever hope for it to be believably balanced.
Then there’s Batman, who is the exact opposite. Batman has no super powers whatsoever. His abilities are based in his intelligence and skills. Pit him in a fist fight with just about any superhuman character, and he’s toast. Of course, many geeks out there will quote, “Yeah, but… In The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Batman almost kills Superman!” Yes. If given a week to formulate a plan, gather the necessary tools and resources, and also enlisted a couple other superhero buddies to give him a hand, Batman could in fact kill Superman. But that’s not how a Street Fighter style game works… Fighting games are one-on-one, on the fly.
Think of it like a bar fight. Say both Superman and Batman are in a bar one night and Batman slaps his hand down and says, “Alright, fuck it, let’s go!” right in Superman’s face. Superman would shatter Batman’s body with his freeze breath while simultaneously melting his face before the caped crusader’s beer mug hit the floor. Superman wouldn’t even have to get up from his stool; the most he’d have to do is turn his head! And if Superman was feeling sporting enough to use his fists, he would fuckin’ destroy Batman! One punch and Batman’s done…no contest. In a physical fight, Superman could fucking eat most of the DC characters.
Come to think of it… I don’t know why Superman doesn’t do that. Why doesn’t Superman eat people?? I mean, he’s a figure of righteousness, so he stands firm on his policy of not killing, no matter how dangerously twisted his villains may be. Wouldn’t that be an acceptable loophole? Cuz it’s not like he’d be murdering Lex Luthor if he simply used him as a food source. And it can’t be considered cannibalism, because remember that Superman isn’t human…he’s an alien being from another planet. God dammit! I want to see Superman eating more people!
Anyway, that tangent aside… While you can take a decent selection of DC’s characters to make a balanced video game, you can’t do it using the most essential of heroes and still maintain any credibility. And for those geeks eager to point out the Sega Genesis game, I’m aware of it and I think it proves my point.
Posted in Games, Rants, Street Fighter | 2 Comments »
December 15th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
While wrapping up my Christmas gifts, I found a handy tip that others might find useful. Let it first be known, cutting out wrapping paper is a pain in the ass for me. Even with the sharpest of scissors, paper will often bunch and tear. If I’m cutting it on the floor (which I normally do), the scissors sometimes snag on the carpet, which again causes the paper to bunch and tear. Also, the outward motion of cutting with scissors causes me to frequently make cuts that are crooked.
So, my solution? Box cutter. With a box cutter, I get a nice, smooth cut through the paper. And using an inward motion makes it easier for me to make my cuts straight and level. As long as I don’t dig deep with the blade, I don’t worry about cutting while on the floor, either! So I hope that’s a tip that helps other people in a season that’s already stressful enough…
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
December 14th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
Taking a break from not sharing details on Street Fighter IV, producer Yohinori Ono gave fans the final word on the gender of Final Fight’s vixen, Poison. When Final Fight got ported to home consoles, hair band-clad hottie Poison was altered with a tweaked outfit, voice, and became a transgendered male. Ever since, fans have apparently bickered over what his/her official sex is.
So officially, we have two stories. In Japan, Poison is a pre-op transgendered male. In North America, Poison’s post-op. Either way, buddies are going to be razzing each other for getting turned on by a dude. A sad day for fanboys worldwide.
If you ask me, though, I’m a purist. I consider only the original material to be truly canon. Since in the original arcade game of Final Fight, Poison was a female, then a female she’s remained in my eyes…and pants. And with Capcom being intentionally ambiguous with Poison’s gender over the past 20 years, I can’t say that I can be proved wrong. Though, even if Ono’s right…I’d probably still hit it.
Posted in Games | 1 Comment »
December 12th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
In the past several months, it looks like those who blame violent video games for actual violence in young people have been taking some heavy blows. The first shock hit when it was discovered that the Virginia Tech shooter from last spring–while initially accused of being influenced by violent games–in fact did not own any! Now today, we’ve learned that the recent church shooter from Colorado was apparently forbidden from playing video games as he was growing up.
To most of the video game community, this sounds like empowering news. But if you ask me, this is a very empty victory, if you can call it a victory at all. Remember, while we bicker about the affects of video games, people have been murdered. Though I agree that the fight against censorship is a worthy one, to applaud this news without appreciating the loss that’s taken place is a lot like exclaiming, “How many more people have to die before people will stop saying that video games are dangerous??”
Posted in Games | No Comments »
December 11th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
Thanks to my Christmas bonus, I’ve finally been able to pick up one of those sonic toothbrushes that my dentists keep hounding me to get. I hope this thing gives me the help that my teeth badly need.
I’ve never doubted that the sonic toothbrushes work, it’s just that I could never find the extra cash to feel justified in buying one. What always gets me though is the poor argument that my previous dentists tried to counter me with. And this is something that you hear most physicians use: I tell them I can’t afford $100 for a toothbrush and they respond that it’s better than the thousands of dollars it will cost to fix my teeth. Uh…I don’t have $100.
You see, it doesn’t matter if it’s $500, $5000, or $50… If I don’t have it, it doesn’t matter. You might as well tell me that it costs 5 diamonds. Or 5 dinosaurs. Either way, I can’t buy the toothbrush. And if I can’t afford the toothbrush, chances are good that I can’t afford any of the corrective surgeries, either. It’s unfortunate, I appreciate the concern of my long-term health, but as things look at the moment, it’s gonna be bad times.
I did have some money that I was saving up to buy a sonic toothbrush as soon as I could. My recent deep teeth cleanings and Christmas bonus gave me the extra boost that I needed. So at least this story has a happy ending. But whenever I hear that wanna-be logic, it twists my titty.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
December 10th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
It’s been over a month and I’m still working my way through Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations… At least I can say that I’m about halfway through the last case and by the time I do finish it, it’s long not until Apollo Justice is released.
One thing I gotta comment on about the Ace Attorney games is the challenge factor in the gameplay. Other than the investigation mode where you gather clues, the main theme is taking those clues and pitting them against what characters tell you in order to expose lies. In the past two games, this was was incredibly painful. Many times I’d get stuck and when I looked up the answer in a guide, I was still left asking, “How the fuck are those two things connected?” In fact, most criticism I’ve heard from my peers against the game series is that you’re not playing a game as much as you’re really just following a walkthrough.
Not only that, but the game tries to create a challenge by using a penalty system. This being if you guess the wrong piece of evidence to find a contradiction, you take damage from a life meter. However, because of the long-winded nature of the game, they’ve designed it so that you can save at any time. This makes the penalty system completely meaningless, since all you have to do is save your game every single time you’re about to make an objection. If you guess wrong, just restart the game from your save point and you can survive the entire game with a complete penalty meter.
In Trials & Tribulations, they’ve made it much less frustrating. In fact, I’ve only had to look up a solution once and even then I felt like an idiot for not realizing it before. What’s helped most is that unlike the previous games where you’d get a prompt along the lines of, “There’s a contradiction here…find it,” they do a better job of nudging you in the right direction. You might get, “This is the statement that I think there’s a contradiction” or even something like, “The key here is to show what proves that this person couldn’t have been at the crime scene at the time of the murder”.
That along with the previous paragraph might make you think that T&T is way too easy… But there is one challenge left. The most basic challenge of all, in fact, and it’s that you cannot progress through the story unless you solve the puzzle. Thankfully, the mysteries themselves are intriguing enough to compel me to continue playing. Being able to progress through the stories is rewarding enough for me to want to solve the puzzles.
I’m really looking forward to the next game. Now that all these Game Boy Advance ports are through, I’m eager to see how they implement the functionality of the DS. If it’s anything like the bonus fifth case in the first Phoenix Wright game, then I know this could be awesome…
Posted in Games | No Comments »
December 6th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
We just got official confirmation that Street Fighter IV will in fact have 3D graphics with 2D gameplay! We even have some classic characters confirmed, like Chun-Li and Dhalsim. Hoo-dang! It does feel like Christmas!
I gotta say though, that EGM must have sucked some major dick in order to score the exclusive details that will appear in the next issue of their magazine, since it’s only that kind of content that can save printed publication sales these days…
Posted in Street Fighter | No Comments »
December 4th, 2007 by The Grey Ghost
As you may see (or not see…since nobody reads this), I’ve made this site a bit more RSS-accessible by adding feed links at the top of the sidebar. I’m using FeedBurner since it’s a popular service and it’s good at helping me track my readership. You can still access the source feed at the bottom of this page if you’d like. I’m not all that picky.
Posted in Site News | No Comments »
