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