Best Music of the Year 2015

2015 is almost at a close and it was a hefty year for video games and music alike, but before I write my piece on the best albums of this year, I would briefly like to talk about some of the best music I've listened to this year. 2014 I had primarily listened to rap and hip-hop instrumentals, but this year my findings were a lot more diverse. Going from the likes of Ghostface Killah's 12 Reasons to Die II to Wiz's french rock, and the classical sounds of Distant Worlds III the palette was quite diverse. Oddisee and Akua Naru's Fly were the ones most often playing in my ear as well as ChocQuibTown's Salsa & Choque. While going back to review my list I came to re-appreciate some of albums I had listened to briefly since release. Though I felt that Hip-Hop this year was somewhat disappointing, overall the medium was great this year. Below I have posted a playlist of 32 of my favorite tracks from this year along with a list of every album in consideration for this year. Some great stuff are missing, but I omitted some for the sake of variety. I hope you enjoy.

Best of 2015 Playlist

Tracklist

1. Andra Day - Forever Mine - Cheers to the Fall
2. Kali Uchis - Call Me - Por Vida
3. Aaradhna - Burn You Down
4. Inspectah Deck and 7l & esoteric - Czartacus - Czarface II: Every Hero Needs a Villain
5. Stereo Nasty - Interstellar - Nasty By Nature
6. Oddisee - First Choice - The Good Fight
7. Kendrick Lamar - How Much a Dollar Cost? ft. Ronald Isley - To Pimp a Butterfly
8. Vanilla - Dreamcatcher - Origin
9. Andreya Triana - That's Alright With Me
10. Zion I - Trippin' - The Rapture: Live from Oaklandia
11. Beach Baby - Ladybird - Ladbybird
12. Joseph Jacobs - City of Nostalgia (Ecruteak City Remix)
13. ChocQuibTown - Una Raza Llamada Sabor - El Mismo
14. Christian Scott - TWIN - Stretch Music
15. Erykah Badu - Cel U Lar Device - But You Caint Use My Phone
16. Cookin Soul - Them Gangstaz (Eazy-E Remix) - Them Gangstaz
17. Grace - The Honey - Memo
18. Lianne La Havas - Unstoppable - Blood
19. Mickey Guyton - Better Than My Last
20. Nneka - My Love, My Love - My Fairy Tales
21. Noveliss - One Time - A3C Festival
22. Pete Rock - Heaven & Earth - Petestrumentals 2
23. DJ EFN - Paradise (feat. Talib Kweli,Wrekonize, & Redman) - Another Time
24. Destiny aka Princess Nokia - Orange Blossom - Honeysuckle
25. Sheisty Khrist x Lo Fidel - Havanna Nights f. Natti - Cold Winter
26. Snakehips - Forever Pt. II ft. Kaleem Taylor - Forever Pt. II
27. Timecop1983 - Tonight (Instrumental) - Reflections
28. Yung Bae - Distant Love - Japanese Disco Edits
29. Alice Smith - I've Put a Spell on You - Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone
30. Small Professor - Wish cops would stop killing unarmed black people - Mixed Jawns III
31. Akua Naru - Fly ft. Ben L'Oncle Soul - The Miner's Canary
32. Arnie Roth & Nobuo Uematsu - Not Alone - Distant Worlds III




Albums Reviewed for the Year

20syl - Motifs II
Action Bronson - Actin' Crazy
Akua Naru - The Miner's Canary
Andra Day - Cheers to the Fall
Andreya Triana - Giants
Arnie Roth & Nobuo Uematsu - Distant Worlds III: More Music from Final Fantasy
Bambu - 5AM in Manila
Bambu -The Comrade's Sessions
Beach Baby - Ladybird / Bruiser
Brock Berrigan - Chapter 10
Camille Safiya - 24K
Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin
Chinese Man - Sho-Bro
ChocQuibTown - El Mismo
Christian Scott - Stretch Music
D.R.A.M. - #1 Epic
Daymé Arocena - Nueva Era
Deacon The Villain - Peace or Power
Dead End Hip Hop x Salem Psalms - The Joint
DJ EFN - Another Time
Dragontime - Dragontime
DUCID - VISTANT
Dutch Rebelle - Kiss Kiss
Erykah Badu - But You Caint Use My Phone
Esbe - Bloomsday
FKA Twigs - M3LL155X
Gavlyn - Breakup to Make Up
Ghostface Killah - 12 Reasons to Die II
Goblin Rebirth - Goblin Rebirth
Grace - Memo
Handbook - Botanicals
I Am Kawehi - Evolution
Ibeyi - Ibeyi
Jazmine Sullivan - Reality Show
Jean Grae - iSweatergawd
Jean Grae - Saix
Jedi Mind Tricks - The Thief and the Fallen
Jill Scott - Woman
Jojo Abot - Fyfa Wota
Kali Uchis - Por Vida
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Kirby's Dream Band - Pink Sells
Knxwledge. -  H​.​S​.​PRT9_
Knxwledge. - Hexual Sealings Pt.8
Knxwledge. - Hud Dreems
Lianne La Havas - Blood
Linn Mori - invisible vision
L'Orange & Kool Keith - Time? Astonishing!
London Symphony &  Katharina Treutler - Final Symphony
Mavis Staples - Your Good Fortune
Mega Ran and Storyville - Soul Veggies
Method Man - The Purple Tape
Moderator - The World Within
Mura Masa - Someday Somewhere
Nacho Picasso - Stoned & Dethroned
Narcy (The Narcicyst) - World War Free Now!
Nneka - My Fairy Tales
Noveliss - Toonami Tsunamis
Oddisee - The Good Fight
Onra - Fundamentals
OverClocked ReMix - Final Fantasy IX: Worlds Apart
Papa J. Ruiz - HR - 1955
Pete Rock - Petestrumentals 2
Pharoahe Monch - Lost in Translation
Pineapple - Pineapple
Poetic Death (VON POE VII) - The Purity of Love and War
Pumpkin  & Vin'S da Cuero - PEINTURE FRAICHE
Rapper Big Pooh - Words Paint Pictures
RED PILL - Look What This World Did To Us
Rock + Roz (Rocky Rivera & DJ Roz) - Rock & Roz Present: Rose Gold (Hosted by Irie Eyez)
Sadistik x Kno - Phantom Limbs
Sahtyre - LSD
Sa-Roc - Extra Terrestial
Sa-Roc - The Legend of Black Moses
Sean C. Johnson - Circa 1993

Shayna Steele - Rise
Sheisty Khrist x LoFidel - Cold Winter
Sheisty Khrist x LoFidel x Dr. Dundiff - Cold Winter Remixes and Instrumentals
SkyBlew - Jazz For Autumn Kismet
Slime Girls - YUMEMI/LONELY PLANET GIRL
Slum Village - Yes!
Small Professor - Mixed Jawns III
Small Professor - Tiny Jawns
Snakehips - Forever Pt. II
Soulchef - Good Vibes
Stereo Nasty - Nasty By Nature
Sugarz - Natural High
Tairrie B -Vintage Curses
Timecop1983 - Natural High
Undogmatic - The Philosophy Of Nature
Vanilla - Origin
Various - Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone
Various - WIZZZ! french psychorama Vol. 3
Various - A3C Festival Volume 5
Various - Tummy Touch: Best Of 2014
Via Tania - Via Tania and the Tomorrow Music Orchestra
Yung Bae - Japanese Disco Edits
Zion I - The Rapture: Live from Oaklandia

G: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

When I wrote my segment on the celebration of the Super Nintendo 25th anniversary this year, one game in particular popped out to me among the images and it was Zombies Ate My Neighbors. This may be one of the lesser known titles from this era. I heard of it prior to this year, but it didn't come up quite that often in conversations in SNES greats that usually included Mario games, A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Mega Man, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc. That lack of popularity was partially why it interested me, so I decided to give this game a try going in pretty much blind.

Immediately this game gives off a vibe unique to it. You play as one of two characters who must save their neighbors from being eaten from you guessed it zombies! But zombies aren't nearly the only enemies in this game. The game features a ton of enemies from 80's to 50's sci-fi and horror. You'll find yourself fighting possessed dolls, werewolves, martians, mummies, and much more in this game. Your weapons throughout this game are quite strange. You start with a water gun, but have the likes of weed whackers, Popsicles, soda cans, bazookas, and baseballs in your arsenal against these monsters. The levels are short, but numerous. This game has a total of 55 levels, 45 of which are required to beat the game. The main objectives of these levels is basically to try and save as many neighbors as you can to get a high score and unlock the exit. This game can be quite difficult even if you're not aiming to save every neighbor. I highly doubt you can beat all 45 levels in one sitting and even with Password usage it's hard because you're ammo is going to be reset since there is no saves in this game. I personally have yet to beat this game.

The game is very fun with the shooting mechanics being intuitive enough to make for an enjoyable experience and the challenge can be frustrating sometimes, but it's worth playing. I feel that this game would've served better being about 15 levels long instead of the enormous 45. It's a good game and I wish this game wasn't published by Konami so we may see a remake or sequel some day.

7.5/10

Street Fighter V F.A.N.G. Reveal Trailer

Today at the PlayStation experience conference, Capcom unveiled the latest character to the upcoming Street Fighter V. F.A.N.G. appears to be a spoof of the common Chinese Kung Fu character that appears in countless Kung Fu films and 90's cartoons. He's lean, tall, and sports a long flowing outfit with long sleeves, round glasses, hat, and a thin beard. He's eccentric and menacing at the same time warning his victims that he'll end them in two minutes time.

Playstyle-wise he seems to very poke heavy. His reach is long although not Dhalsim long and he also has two forms of projectiles: a set of two that arc in the air and another that remains on the ground for a short period like Dhalsim's.  These projectiles also make the character purple for a little bit on contact which could hint at additional damage on contact like a poison status in an RPG. His critical can be performed while airborne though for now there is confirmation if it works in the air only. The animation has F.A.N.G. flapping his arms like a bird going for full goofiness. The trailer also reveals that F.A.N.G. is also a new member of M. Bison's Shadoloo syndicate by the stage in the background that depicts him as a statue along with the dictator himself, Vega, and Balrog. Overall I'm attached to F.A.N.G.'s strangeness and will definitely be giving him a try once Street Fighter V launches for PlayStation 4 in February.

The Game Awards 2015

The Game Awards was last night and with it came some good and some surprises. This was the second Game Awards after Geoff Keighley decided to take the Spike Video Game Awards away from TV and Spike to have more control over the event. One of the most talked about events of the night was the reveal from Geoff Keighley that Konami prevented Hideo Kojima from attending the awards show because he is still under contract. Kojima was supposed to accept the award for Action/Adventure game of the year for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Earlier this year Kojima was forced by upper heads of Konami to quit and had his named removed from the copies of Metal Gear Solid V. In honor of his absence a performance of Quiet's Theme from Metal Gear Solid V was performed on stage.

This wasn't the only repose given at this year's award show. Jade Raymond and founder of Electronic Arts Motive Studios had given some slam towards Keith Sutherland. Before she presented the award for best performance she said "Who could imagine Metal Gear Solid without the voice of David Hayter? Sorry, that was a bit mean,". That last line clearly directed towards Keith Sutherland who was attending the awards show. There was some confusion when she presented the award as she named Viva Seifert for her performance in The Witcher 3. It was later revealed that it was a misprint on the card as Seifert performed in Her Story. Aside from those instances the awards show was tame though Shaquille O'Neal's joke of giving everyone in the audience a copy of Shaq-Fu was amusing.
Naughty Dog had notably revealed a new trailer for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End that features a new character in the series, a bold female Black British woman by the name of Nadine Ross. She's voiced by Laura Bailey and it seems she's after something that Drake has. CD Projekt Red ended up taking Developer of the Year and they also won Game of the Year for The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. For a list of all awards and announcements presented at the show this year, read below.

• Best Family Game: Super Mario Maker
• Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat X
• Best Multiplayer Game: Splatoon
• Best Mobile Game: Lara Croft Go
• Best eSport Team: Uptic Gaming
• Best eSport Player: Kenny
• Best eSport Game: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• Most Anticipated Game: No Man's Sky
• Best Narrative: Her Story
• Most Trending Gamer: Greg Miller
• Best Indie Game: Rocket League
• Best Sports/Racing Game: Rocket League
• Most Impact Game: Life Is Strange
• Best Fan Creation: Portal Stories
• Developer of the Year: CD Projekt Red
• Best Art Direction: Ori and the Blind Forest
• Industry Icon: Westwood Studios
• Best Action/Adventure Game: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Best Soundtrack: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
  

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (new character is introduced)
• Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn trailer reveal
• Batman from Telltale Games announced.
• First gameplay footage of Far Cry: Primal.
• Psychonauts 2 announced. Crowd funded at Fig.
• Quantum Break with a brand new trailer. Coming April 5.
• Rock Band VR coming to Oculus Rift in 2016.
• Shadow Complex: Remastered is now available for free on PC. Coming to PS4 and Xbox One in 2016.
• Rocket League comes to Xbox One with Gears of War and Halo cars in February 2016.
  

Other Announcements:

• New Tron Run/R game announced.
• Geoff announces 3 short films with focus on up-and-coming indie studios. Watch at: madewith.unity.com
• Lego Avengers coming January 26
• Bethesda announces, that they're giving away $1 million to someone playing Elder Scrolls: Online.
  

M: But U Caint Use My Phone

Erykah Badu's awaited mixtape But U Caint Use My Phone has released today and as Erykah Badu being my favorite vocalist, this was highly anticipated for me. This eleven track project is radically different from Badu's albums. While it does have some of that Erykah Badu strangeness to it, it also seems to be appealing more to the fans of modern r&b and rap. Majority of the beats tend to have that generic drum and slight EDM sound to it that is overly present in the mainstream today. I did quite enjoy the "Hotline Bing" remix Erykah Badu released before the mixtape dropped, but the second half the deviated from the original beat and was more tranquil is the part that really hooked me in. Unfortunately, the rest of this mixtape did not appeal to me. On my first listen I had strong adversity to it, but I've only come to tolerate it in my following listening sessions.

I find that auto-tune has few uses, but I never preferred it on artists who have strong vocals and thus the presence of it on "Phone Down" is unappealing. I find it more tolerable in "Mr. Telephone Man", but I particularly don't listen to Erykah Badu for it. I also don't find anything interesting in the lyrics of any of these songs, but that's not a major knock to it as in general Erykah Badu doesn't have thought provoking lyrics. Also, a cover of one of Usher's worst singles is baffling decision to me. The featured artists on the mixtape also don't provide anything to the experience. Drake's flow and lyricism is as mundane as usual and sadly I feel the same in regards to Andre 3000's performance in "Hello". I'm not sure if that is Andre singing the hook of that track, but the vocals are off key and off putting. I really wanted to like But U Caint Use My Phone, but unfortunately the result leaves a lot to be desired.

G: Pokemon Black 2

After Pokemon Soul Silver I was eager to play some more pokemon, so I decided to immediately boot up Black 2 as recommended from someone I know. One of my primary criticisms of Soul Silver was the lack of Pokemon from post generations, but this is assuaged in Black 2. Upon starting the game my initial reaction was that this game is a lot uglier than Soul Silver. The modeling resolution is a step down from Soul Silver and pokemon use 3d models instead of sprites and these models have a blurred look to them like a stretched out image. Gameplay is what matters most to me so it's not a hindrance of any sort.

A good thing that I noticed immediately is how fast the battles are this time around. Coming from Soul Silver, the battle speed is lightning fast and at first I thought it was a bit too fast. Over time as I got used to the game the speed became less noticeable. I can't imagine going back to a previous game after getting used to these battles. As far as other changes to the gameplay, there are now triple battles and rotation battles. Triple battles are basically three pokemon vs three pokemon. Certain attacks can hit two or three pokemon dependent on placement and some can also affect your pokemon that are adjacent to the pokemon performing the attack. Rotation battles have three pokemon out at once like triple battles, but the functional similarly to a single battle meaning only one pokemon can attack or be attacked at a time. Instead of switching a pokemon from your reserve you can switch between the three that are out and as your opponent can do the same it makes for a bit more strategic play more so than single, double, or triple battles. It requires a bit into reading what your opponent will do next turn. You have an electric pokemon out, but your opponent has a water pokemon in the front, but a grass, and a ground in reserve. You could stick with your electric hoping the opponent keeps the water out or switch your electric for a grass or ice to handle the grass or ground in case the opponent switches. Most of the rotation battles in the game aren't difficult enough to require a lot of thinking and guesswork, but on the occasions that they do they can be quite challenging.

Another improvement in this game is the utilization of HMs. HMs are moves that can be taught to your pokemon, that once taught cannot be removed until you meet the move deleter. HM moves have functions in the overworld usually used as a way to remove an obstacle or scale terrain. In the previous pokemon games I played I didn't like them because I felt most of them had little use in battle and as such I usually wouldn't have a pokemon in my party with the necessary HM move to get pass a particular path. In Black 2, HMs with the exception of Surf are optional for getting through the main game and are now limited to accessing items and creating shortcuts. This makes traversing the world far less tedious. TMs (Technical Moves) have also received an improvement in this game. TMs can now be used infinitely where as in previous games they were consumable. It takes away some of the pressure of using a TM and also provides for a bit more choice when having difficulty with a particular boss. It's a vast improvement.

As for the actual pokemon in this game, I love the diversity in this game. Immediately you can acquire pokemon from three generations and pokemon from all generations are sprinkled throughout the region. There are some interesting designs in the game, but I found a lot more that I disliked than I liked. Your pokemon in the front slot no longer follows you around which is a slight bummer, but doesn't take away from the overall experience.

This is the first pokemon generation taking place outside of a Japanese inspired location. The Unova region is based on New York and you can see the inspiration is some places as there is a bridge that resembles the Brooklyn Bridge and Castelia is full of the skyscrapers that the city is known for. Despite this being based on a US city, there isn't much racial diversity in the characters. Before the post game I encountered a total of four black characters and one Latino. There were a couple at the end and post game that surprised me because I barely saw none through my journey, but on the subject of the post game, the content is quite large rivaling that of Silver/Soul Silver. There are about five cities you can access after you beat the Elite 4 and the final challenge in the game The Black Tower is an excellent test of your skills. I found the conclusion a bit dissatisfying as after beating it you get a pokemon for a reward, but since I decided to tackle the Black Tower last I had no use for this new pokemon. Overall this was a stupendous experience and a mark of not only a great pokemon game or JPRG, but a great game period.

Super Nintendo 25th Anniversary

November 21st marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most influential consoles, the Super Nintendo (SNES) also known as the Super Famicom. The SNES managed to sell 49 million consoles in its lifetime. I was among many of the children that grew up playing this juggernaut of a console. My memory of just how I came upon a SNES is a bit hazy, but what I think was that it was purchased from my mother or father from a K-Mart from my hometown in the early 90's. It was the first console that I spent a lot of time with. I had a NES prior, but that time was short lived and I had only played about three games on it, none which I beat. The Super Nintendo probably contains my second largest library of games, along with some of my favorites. To commemorate 25 years of history, here's an excerpt on my favorite games and memories associated with the system.

Super Mario All-Stars
This came packaged with the Super Nintendo. This was a remaster, before remasters became a popular thing. The three Super Mario Bros. games graphics were redone to match the quality and aesthetic of the Super Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, a Japan only game at that the time was also included and given the same graphic overhaul as the others. I spent quite some time with this collection with most of my time on playing the classic Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Mario Bros. port that was included with it. I'm not sure if I actually ever beat Super Mario Bros. 3, but I had a hell of a time playing it. My memory is a bit hazy about the majority of the levels in the game, but I recall them being vastly unique.
The Mario Bros. remaster I played a lot with my brother and the Super Mario Bros. 2 port was my introduction to one of the weirder entries in the franchise. That game was bought from Nintendo from a game called Doki-Doki Panic that was developed from a smaller company and Nintendo turned it into a game of their own. The game had a bit of an Arabian theme to it that was brought over from Doki Doki Panic and it was the first game that Mario could pick up objects and throw them. Mario in fact was in fact joined by someone other than his twin brother this time around. Toad and Peach also came along for the ride and they provided their own unique abilities to the game. Toad was faster than everyone else, Luigi had a slightly higher flutter jump, and Peach known as Princess Toadstool back then, cover float in the air for a couple of seconds.
This game was mechanically different than most Super Mario games with only 3D World from my experience, feeling similar, but although not quite the same, which is understandable given the game's origin. Elements of that game would be included in later titles, like the ability to pick up and throw objects, Shy Guys, and Peach having a turnip throw in Smash Bros. I managed to beat this game years later and found it satisfying. I also beat the original Super Mario Bros. years later and I'm still not sure if I ever actually beat 3, but I will eventually make sure of that in the coming years with a replay.

Super Metroid
I played this game for the first time this year, so there's no nostalgia to reminisce over. This was also my first foray into the Metroid series and I found it to be a great experience. The game had to take some time getting used to. I found movement to feel a bit loose and float heavy, but I got used to it. The music was also something I wasn't used to. I've been playing a lot of games with more orchestral and upbeat melodies and this game's music is more foreboding and atmospheric. This game turned out to have some stellar level design and boss fights, though some boss fights still fall under the same tropes that the majority of games have. This game has become a great influence to the Indie market and it along with Castlevania stemmed the sub-genre Metroidvania. I had an enjoyable time with the game and if you'd like to read more of my opinion on the game, you can check out my review here.

Super Mario World
I feel like I can't write this list without including Super Mario World. This along with Super Mario Bros. 3 are often regarded as the best entry in the mainline Mario games and while I enjoy it I can't place it on that high of a level. I was among the same mindset for a while however, but when I replayed the game a few years ago I found the game to be too easy. I think the secret levels were a bit more challenging, but the main levels required to beat the game were way too easy for me. As a child it provided some challenge, but as an adult it was a cakewalk. It's still a well designed game, but the enjoyment has diminished when I can stroll through it.

Kirby Super Star
This was and still is my only experience with a Kirby game. I played a good bit of this back in the day with my older brother. This game was advertised as 8 games in one and while that is true, I actually see it as one long campaign, with a few mini games attached. I was often the second player back then along with a lot of games I played back then with my brother. These days however I play it alone and it's quite not as enjoyable. The level and game design is stellar, but playing with a friend or family member is a lot more enjoyable. I still wonder til this day why the Gourmet Race mini game was the only game mode that didn't support multiplayer. If it did it would be the best of the mini games. There was a remake of this game made for the Nintendo DS back in 2008 which updates the graphics and offers even more game modes. I haven't played it myself yet, but it will certainly be on my list.

Street Fighter II (series) & Street Fighter Alpha 2
Street Fighter IV was the game that got me into the competitive gaming scene, but my roots with the series goes back to these two games. My first exposure to Street Fighter II was the arcade, but most of my time with it was spent on the SNES. I had Championship Edition for the SNES and rented Turbo one time. I found the game to be cool and enjoyable, but it didn't really stick with me like other games. I don't deny how influential this game was however. I was just playing Shaq-Fu about a week or two ago and spot the similarities in inputs and character portraits. I later played Alpha 2 and the first thing about that game I remember was my brother telling me a lie, saying that Sakura was Ryu's little sister. I overall found Alpha 2 to be a better game though I don't remember much about it other than the characters and the game looking better than II.

Mortal Kombat II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
The Mortal Kombat games were the rival to Street Fighter in a sense back in the day. While Street Fighter was colorful and wacky, Mortal Kombat was dark and gory. Mortal Kombat shared the spotlight in influencing the genre just like Street Fighter with Killer Instinct and Thrill Kill being two examples. I played the first Mortal Kombat, but II and Ultimate 3 were the ones I spent the most time with. II I have a bit more affection for primarily because I spent more time playing it due to actually owning it. The stages and certain fatalities are vivid in my mind even after all these years and I still memorize Reptile's by heart. Back, Back, Down, B. Mortal Kombat's combat has always felt rigid, even til this day, but I had a lot of fun playing with Mortal Kombat II and the improved Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
I believe this was my introduction to the rpg genre. My father had randomly this as a rental for my brother and I when I was a child. I'm not sure why he did. We weren't with him and my brother didn't mention asking him for it. It was probably a random choice, but after playing it, we ended up renting it multiple times. This game starts Mario in his typical adventure, Princess Toadstool was kidnapped by Bowser and Mario heads off to save her. This time around the game pits you at a confrontation with Bowser from the start and after rescuing the princess, a sword falls from the sky taking over Bowser's castle and kicking the king koopa out of his home. The appearance of this sword causes trouble across the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario sets off to correct everything. The game was very friendly to newcomers of the genre, because as I recall in my last playthrough, this game was very easy; too easy for me now. The game does have an excellent soundtrack and cast of characters to make it enjoyable and although the game is easy, the mechanics makes it fun. I remember in all the times my brother and I rented it, the one time we found a cartridge where the last player had a save file that contained 99 red essences and Princess Toadstool had a frying pan weapon. Red essences are rare items that makes a character invincible for a period of time and the frying pan I believe was Toadstool's best weapon. These little things were neat to find and an experience that you won't find today in games.
There was also a secret in the game that referenced the game Final Fantasy IV, that would end up becoming an important game to me later.

Final Fantasy IV (II)
This game was released as Final Fantasy II in North America because Square didn't want to confuse consumers who played the first game on the NES. I didn't play this game until much later on the PS1 when it was ported with Chrono Trigger in the Final Fantasy Chronicles package. I actually have not played this game on the SNES, but since the only difference between the two from what I read, is an opening FMV at the title screen, and some translations, I pretty much played the same game. This game is often switched with Final Fantasy VIII as my second favorite Final Fantasy game so there's a lot of love here. The scope of adventure here in this game is great and there were a lot of tense moments in this game for me. Not to spoil the game for those out there who haven't played it, but I thought it was an interesting and fun tale that enriches the experience. This game could have done without some of the insanely rare items like Pink Tail, but it's only a flaw if you actually know any of those exist.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
This sequel to Super Mario World was actually a prequel as it had you play out the events of Mario in his infancy. You actually had control of Yoshi in this game, in fact a whole race of Yoshi. This game was like Super Mario Bros.2 in the fact that it was very different from the rest of the games. That, along with the Super Mario part of the title being small compared to the Yoshi's Island part, makes me consider it a spin-off and not an entry in the main franchise. This is game has vividly great aesthetic to it and one of the most beautiful games I've seen to this day. The backgrounds in this game have a crayon look to them that give off the vibe that a bunch of kindergartners were involved in its creation and has a child-like innocence to it. It makes it standout among the thousands of games out there. On the point of gameplay, this game stands among the best crafted platformers out there. The egg throwing mechanic requires finesse and thought to overcome puzzles and obtain out of reach items. The level design offers a lot of variety in the actions that the player performs and not to mention the boss fights steer away from game tropes for the most part and offer for some spectacular set pieces. This music is phenomenal as well. As a child I think Underground was the first video game song, I sat and listened to.

Earthbound
I played this game for the first time as well, but it's been a game well within my knowledge for a while. I recall seeing this game often at the Blockbuster that my family used to rent games along with other stores that sold games. It stood out so vividly to me, because it was the largest in the store. It's large box with the gold character on the front draws attention, but despite this I never ended up playing it until just now. I suspect the game was highly expensive because it came with a guide on top of games generally being more expensive back then. When I played Smash Bros. for the first time and asked my brother who Ness was, he told me and said he had played the game. I'm pretty sure if I asked him about this now, he'd say that he doesn't remember this, but I vividly do. Anyway, I have played it now and I can finally talk about its content. I expected this game to be good, but it ended up becoming one of my favorites period. The game is so strange and different from most I've played, that it really resonated with me despite its shortcomings. It was a real treat for me and it has me eager to play Mother 3. If you want my full opinion on the game read my review here.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest
To end this off, I'd like to talk about one of my most recent playthroughs. Donkey Kong Country 2 I had rented back in the day and never beat due to difficulty and for years I thought it was my age, but more than a decade later I found myself still struggling with the game. This game doesn't get enough mention when discussions of best platformers come up. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World are almost always regarded as the best 2D platformers, but Donkey Kong Country 2 beats all of them. The game provides superb challenge from beginning to end and its level design does a great job at testing your reflexes and analyzing the environment. The game also has secret levels that even more challenging than the ones in the campaign. The game might have a bit too many objects to collect, but other than that, it's a phenomenally crafted game that a developer should look when looking to reference games that accomplished their goals well.

Those are a few SNES games that stand out to me. There are a lot more as I consider this console the second best one out there and I still have a lot more games to play from this era. Happy 25th birthday Super Nintendo.

My Favorite Games of the Fifth Generation

1. Final Fantasy IX 
My absolute favorite game of all time. Final Fantasy IX is very dear to me. It was given to me by unconventional means and ended up becoming the game that made me so interested in video games in the first place. Final Fantasy IX showed me what video games can provide beyond gameplay and it made an impact on my life, that I'm not even sure what I would be doing right now if I never played it. Final Fantasy IX is the reason why I want to own a game company, it was the reason I took up writing, it was the reason I took up drawing, and it was reason why I am into music as much as I am. I owe a lot to this game. This game has been duly noted from both Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu as their favorite entry in the franchise and frankly it's mines as well.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This is my favorite Legend of Zelda so far. While Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time were my introduction to the series, this game resonated with me so well because of the amount of side quests in the game and the mask transformations that added a lot of diversity to the gameplay. The world of Termina is one of the few games that felt real. Characters had personality and they all changed and attended to their daily lives sometimes interweaving with each other and you also had an impact on the effect of all of them.

3. Final Fantasy VIII
I think this was the third Final Fantasy game I played. I remember there being a lot of issues the first time around that I played it. I borrowed it from a friend at Middle School. I got to the part of the invasion and then the game froze. I went to school the next day to tell my friend that the disc was scratched, but I came to find out that he switched schools. I had to get my mother to get his info because I had let him borrow my Game Boy Color/Advance in exchange for VIII. Went over his house,there was a strange exchange, but I got my Game Boy back and gave him his copy of VIII back. I think a year or two later I was able to buy my own copy and I got to fully appreciate the game. I loved the environment, the characters were okay, but I grew attached to Squall loved the moments when shit really went down, liked Laguna, and the end sequences of the game. Ultimecia's Castle is still among my favorite final dungeons. This is overall a great game.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The first Zelda I actually got to have my hands on. This was a magical experience for me. I still remember playing the opening sequence for the first time. The dungeons in this game are designed so well. The combat is simplistic, but efficient. This game really shines in the atmosphere and level design department. Rightly deserved of the many game of the year and all time awards out there.

5. Banjo-Kazooie
This was my first 3D platformer. Most people's were probably Super Mario 64, but mine's was this game right here. This game was silly and weird. It had some great level design challenge and those fun transformations. I'm disappointed I never got to play Banjo-Tooie, the spin off Conker game, and that the series died, but at least we're getting Yooka-Laylee. A great game.

6. Diddy Kong Racing
Other people had Mario Kart 64, I had Diddy Kong Racing. While to be fair, I didn't even know there was a Mario Kart game for the 64 until years later, but this was the number one racer for me for quite a while. It's more balanced than Mario Kart since all the weapons are not randomized and I like how they power up by getting multiples of them like in Firepower 2000. The game was also very fresh to me coming off of Super Mario Kart. You had an open world campaign, mirrored tracks, secret characters, different takes on battle mode, Rare characters, and multiple vehicle types. I say that this is still one of the best racers out there.

7. Tekken 3
One of the best entries in the Tekken series. I started with the first but Tekken 3 was first one I owned and this game was exceptional coming off of the original and the Tekken 2 demo I played frequently. The game was faster a little prettier and it gave me my main Hwoarang who I never dropped. He was reduced to my 2nd main when 5 came out, but I never got rid of him. The game was a blast to play and one of the best fighting games ever made. I'd be hesitant to play it now though. I can't go from playing 6 or Tag 2 to 3.

8. Threads of Fate
My, my, my. Threads of Fate is a special little gem for me. I first played a demo of it at a Game Stop when Game Stop didn't have the monopoly on the used game market and this little game I had find quite intriguing it was colorful and the first action rpg that I played. It wasn't not long after that I got a chance to play it as it was part of the bundled set that my brother's father had bought out of some man's car trunk. The game was contained in this mystical world that had its share of dark secrets and you get to play through the tale as one of two people. Rue, a shapeshifter with a troubled past and armed with a pizza cutter sword and you had the rambunctious and spoiled Princess Mint who was a spellcaster. The two characters played wildly different from each other and there was one dungeon unique to each of them. Though you were playing mostly the same game as them, you weren't because Mint and Rue's stories were different from one another and you truly see how different things become in the story for each towards the end. This offers a lot of replay value and if you beat the game with both of them you are given a special ending that hints to a sequel. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever be seeing it. This game would benefit hugely from a sequel.

9. Perfect Dark
I played Goldeneye first, but I had only played a little bit of the multiplayer and just watched other people play parts of the campaign, but I did however get to play the sequel (from a gameplay perspective) Perfect Dark. This game had style. You got to play as bad ass Joana Dark who was basically a female James Bond, but in the future. The environments and setting was great. You had a great arsenal of guns to choose from. I personally liked the blue shotgun and the phoenix pistols. My brother and me never did beat this game back in the day. When you got to the part where you had to fight that four legged alien queen/king on another planet we had no idea what to do because the alien was impervious to all types of ammo and melee attacks. We thought we have had to cut off the head, but that didn't work and gave up. Years later I replayed it and looked it up and turned out you had to shoot the pillars in the room. I was like "the fuck?", but I did end up beating the game finally though I can't quite remember what the concluding level was. This is a terrific game however with a stellar campaign and multiplayer to boot.

10. Resident Evil 2 (N64)
The first survival horror game I've played to completion, Keji Inafune's Resident Evil 2 was a remarkable entry in my gaming journey. I didn't play much of the first Resident Evil, but I clearly saw the improvements made between the two. Resident Evil 2 looks better and plays just slightly better than its predecessor. Like the first you had the option of playing with two characters in the beginning and your choice will be locked for the duration of the game. This offered a lot of replay value as the story changes a little bit between the two. Continuing the game with one character and then replaying it with another and you can spot the differences. If you chose the machine gun over the upgraded pack as Leon then in your next playthrough, Claire will have access to the pack. It's a small feature, but the little things like this help distinguish a game. As for the horror elements, this game was one of the first I legitimately felt fear for growing up. One might remember the infamous two way mirror event or the hulking Mr.X that appeared in the Scenario B campaigns. This game has a special place in my heart and though I felt that Resident Evil 3 was a bit better mechanically, Resident Evil 2 edges it out due to atmosphere and keeping a stronger hold of the survival horror elements.  This game is also getting a remake and I'm looking forward to playing it.
Honorable mentions go out to:
x. Super Mario 64 ;
x. WCW vs nwo Revenge
x. Dino Crisis 2
x. Super Smash Bros,
x. Resident Evil 3
x. Yukon Trail
x. Pokemon Silver
x. Metal Gear Solid

Empire's Suicide Squad Covers.

 New covers of the December issue of Empire magazine were recently released featuring cast members for the upcoming DC film Suicide Squad. The four covers consist of Joker, Enchantress, Deadshot, and Harley Quinn, portrayed by Jared Leto, Cara Delevigne, Will Smith, and Margot Robbie respectively.

The Joker cover comes off as a bit too vibrant for the character and the small white text that reads “Psycho Killer” feels tacked on. The alternate cover that features Leto on a purple background is more visually alluring.

Cara Delevigne looks stunning as the Enchantress. The costume design and makeup makes her look fittingly creepy and the blue electric background is a nice contrast.

The Deadshot cover is pretty standard in terms of presentation, but it does have remarkable lighting and the background does its job of separating the character from the page.

The Harley Quinn cover has a great sense of color. It takes blue and pink from the character's design and it applies it to the background in halves with a nice pop that immediately catches the eye. The Harley Quinn costume is as great as ever, though the jewel encrusted gun is a bit much. Great covers all around.

G: Pokemon Soul Silver

Pokemon Silver was the last game I played in the long running series since I had took a long hiatus from the franchise. Three years ago I played Emerald which I found okay and a bit too easy and this year I was nostalgic for the early days of the series and decided to play Soul Silver so I could experience both the new and the old at once. This DS remake was released back in 2010.
As being a remake that came after Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum it features mechanics, updated graphics, and pokemon from that generation. Game Freak re-stylized the game with 3D models, but movement is still confined in a 2d environment. The female character model from Crystal has been replaced by a girl named Lyra, the pokemon in your front most slot follows you around while you're walking, and new moves added from generation iv has been added to TMs, an HM, and movesets of pokemon in this game to name most of the differences.

Having not played Silver since 2000, the game felt mostly fresh while at the same time brand new thanks to redone graphics and new additions. As the premise of all the pokemon games, you play as a trainer who collects eight badges across a region to challenge The Elite 4 and then the champion. What makes these games enjoyable is the combat and collecting as many different pokemon as you can along the way. The battle system still utilizes the rock, paper, scissors format with the type weaknesses. Water beats fire, fire beats grass, grass beats water. As simplistic as it can seem once you remember each weakness, this game makes it challenging by having trainers that fight better, with pokemon that hit harder and utilize moves that are outside of their type. I lost quite a few times in my playthrough even when I concentrated on exposes weaknesses. You may think you might win when you have a fighting type against a steel type, but once that steel type hits you with a psychic move you find yourself on the defensive. That's just one of the many examples I found through this playthrough. This might not matter as much if the game gave you more experience points during battles. At every gym in the game outside of the first I found my pokemon to be below the level of the gym leader's strongest. Having bosses above your level did make for challenging fights, but at the same time it felt frustrating and as if I wasn't where I was suppose to be. Grinding for levels is difficult because of the experience output. Wild pokemon hardly give experience and trainers give just enough. Some trainers can be fought multiple times depending on the day of the week if you've collected their number. Despite that experience problem I didn't feel for the most part that I had to do a lot of grinding. The only time where I felt this was necessary was for the Viridian City Gym that's available after the main game.

As for catching pokemon, this game offers many ways to catch pokemon. You can do it the standard way by running into them in the wild, you can fish, go to the Safari Zone, trade, evolution stones, and breeding. As varied the methods are for catching these creatures, I think they should have integrated generation III and IV pokemon better. You will not run into any pokemon from those generations until you have beaten the Elite 4 and the few that you can are mostly tied to listening to a radio station on a specific day while in a place that triggers a random encounter. I was expecting a more natural integration of pokemon from those generations since this is a remake that uses the engine of Diamon/Pearl/Platinum and it would have been fun to mix some of my old favorites while finding new favorites.

I did discover too late that there is a great hack of the game that adds more pokemon to the game, gives more experience while also making the game harder, adds a bit more story content, and makes some items more accessible. As the game is I found it great, though flawed and frustrating at times. The content after you beat The Elite 4 is great. I remember being astounded by it when I was a child, but replaying through Kanto this time around was a real experience. I loved how they progressed the events from Red/Blue/Yellow and made Kanto feel like a living breathing world. You can encounter characters you met and played as in that game and see what they have been doing since then. The battle against Red was one of the most exhilarating experiences I had in a game. This is a great entry to the pokemon series and if you haven't I would recommend it and if you can play one of the hacks titled Sacred Gold & Storm Silver. I certainly will when I plan on a replay.

8.5/10

M: Generation Now

Nitty Scott MC dropped the first music video for her visual album today and the track of choice is "Generation Now". "Generation Now" is the opening song from 2014 release "The Art of Chill" coming after the "Wanderlust Intro". The Art of Chill is a very tranquil, but spacey kind of project with deep underlining and this is present in the video. Nitty Scott is going with a majestic, yet sexy look in this video sporting a dress that extenuates her curves with a head wrap, tattoos, and jewelry of Buddhist influence. War and animal footage are the cutaways in the video and I am not quite sure the relation to them in regards to the song. The war footage I could see being a metaphor for the struggles that the current generation is dealing with, but the footage of the lion I am clueless on.

The shots are pretty clear, though they could be better, with slightly more even lighting and a crisper shine. The editing is simple, but suitable and digital effects aren't distracting. This is a pretty serviceable video and the song is still pretty decent, though not the best from the album. I look forward to seeing more of this visual album.

Laura Reveal Trailer for Street Fighter V

This fighter was leaked about a week ago through Japanese magazine Famitsu, but now Capcom has officially (semi-officially?) revealed her today with a trailer. Laura is the newest Brazilian fighter to the franchise succeeding Sean from Street Fighter III and Blanka from Street Fighter II. Like Blanka, she dawns the color green and has electrical attacks by a slow moving projectile that seems good for setting up traps and its also implemented in her critical art and v-trigger skill. She appears to be a hybrid grappler in her playstyle, but it's not apparent if most of the grabs in the trailer are command grabs. They look more like a special move rekka, ala Fei Long, that ends with a throw. Nevertheless grabs are implemented into her moveset. She is definitely a close range fighter opting to put pressure on the opponent. She has a move that allows her to absorb a hit while also attacking and moving in, a Sean's wheel kick, and an anti-air strike that ends with a throw. Her defense appears weak to make up for her strong offense game.
On terms of appearance I like her costume. The Prince butt-less pants look a bit silly and the green may be a bit too bright, but otherwise it looks fine. While I also in general don't like the half hairstyles, it looks good on Laura. She looks to be a fun character to use and will definitely be a consideration for a main once Street Fighter V drops next year.

Indivisible Prototype

 Indiegogo Campaign     Prototype for Windows

Lab Zero Games, studio creator of the indie hit fighter Skullgirls, just launched their Indiegogo campaign yesterday for their new game Indivisible and along with it came a prototype of the game. Before I go into my review of the prototype, I'd like to clarify a bit about what Indivisible is. Indivisible is a fantasy RPG influenced by Valkyrie Profile and Metroid. The game stars Southeast Asian protagonist Ajna and it also has a predominant Southeast Asian influence, but there will be other settings in the game to make it a bit diverse. The team is planning the game to be about 20-30 hours in length excluding side quests which puts it around the length of Super Nintendo JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV. An ambitious length for a small studio and it interests me even more.

A little after I visited the Indiegogo page I decided to download the prototype. Upon opening it, if you have a controller installed the game asks you to map the buttons to your controller immediately giving the player the option to make the controls suitable for him or her. After that the title screen appears showing Ajna standing by a cliff. I was waiting for the "START GAME" text to appear, but when it didn't I hit a random button, Ajna folded in her skirt, the title faded away, and I was put in control. It's a minor detail, but I found it endearing. After jumping off the cliff you follow a small creature into a tomb.

The first tutorial prompt is given here telling the player the basics of performing an attack which leads us into the battle system. This is where the influence of Valkyrie Profile comes from. Enemies appear on the same field that you traverse areas, but when you engage in actual battle in Valkyrie Profile, the battle takes place on a separate screen. In Indivisible, battles take place on the same field that you traverse, the camera just zooms in a little closer. Attacks are mapped to an individual face button for each character in your party and you can attack up to three times with each character. I have only played the first Valkyrie Profile, but there seems to be some changes in regards to the battle system. In Valkyrie Profile character turns worked on a standard turn based system, but in Indivisible it utilizes an ATB (Active Time Battle) system like in the Final Fantasy series. A bar a orange bar fills up and when it turns yellow the bar is fully allowing you to perform an attack and you can get up to three bars. It's as simple as that. There are three variations for your attacks. You have the standard button press and you also have the face button, plus pressing the direction, and the direction up. Up for most characters seem to be multi hitting moves, though that is not always the case in the point of Ajna's unarmed up attacking that's a single kick that launches an enemy.

Up attacks appear to be the most powerful, but I never felt the urge to only use up attacks. The player also has access to special abilities in combat. A separate multi color bar at the top of the screen fills up when the player performs combos appropriately. There are three bars for these as well. Pressing R1 or right shoulder button with a face button performs the special move for the corresponding character. The effect that the special move dishes out varies per character. When characters attack the screen gets an orange haze around the corners of the screen and the character that's about to be attacked flashes red. Hitting the button corresponding to the flashing character results in a successful block, but it's also noted that blocking preemptively results in a depletion of the special meter. The battle system is very enjoyable and differs enough from Valkyrie Profile to make it stand out.

For the gameplay outside of battle this is where the Metroid inspiration comes in. The level design is a large map that is interconnected and you can't access all portions of it immediately. In order to proceed you need to get a new ability that will allow you to get past that obstacle. It's a level design that creates a little bit of backtracking and exploration. It's way more ambitious than just making a linear path that most rpgs tend to have. Traversing the level felt very intuitive. Ajna controls smoothly and quickly. The ability you gain in the prototype also feels to have some weight to it and it also serves as a weapon.

The dynamic between combat and level traversal feels fresh and the demo progressively becomes deeper. The encounter with the boss at the end of the demo is quite a difficulty increase. It punishes you if you haven't quite grasped all of the mechanics so far and while I initially got frustrated with my failure like anybody else, it became easier and more satisfying once I actually concentrated and utilized all of mechanics available to me appropriately. It's a well designed boss that tests skill and strategy. This prototype was well put together and I will be playing this several more times. If you have money to support the game then I encourage it because it's looking to be quite the game.