If there is an anime convention, there will be cosplayers. If there is a game convention, there will be cosplayers. Many a nerd dressing up as their favorite anime / video game / comic book characters. From Final Fantasy's Cloud to Gundams and even Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters. But here we have a cosplayer for my indie game of 2010, Super Meat Boy. Its simple yet so hilariously awesome at the same time. Brilliant. I remember having the same reaction when I saw this guy.
Ok, so I'm officially on the Pokemon bandwagon again since I started Pokemon White which I am really getting into. I'm 5 hours and 30 minutes in now that may not seem much to all of you who have a dozen level 100's and clocked in at 80+ hours and what not but I am just starting and I can already say that my playtime with Pokemon White is already interfering with some of my day to day tasks.
However, I'm not here to talk about Pokemon Black/White. I'm here to talk about Gold, not Heart Gold, just Gold. Pokemon Gold came out on the Gameboy Color back in 2000 and takes place in the region of Johto. Back then there were only 250+ Pokemon and before it came out, we only knew 152.
Now most people from my generation would say that their favorite Pokemon game would be Red/Blue. Most of my friends had the Blue version since it was the "superior" version. I joined the Pokemon craze pretty late in the game when everyone had already finished it and kept talking about it on the school playground. By the time I started playing Red, the fad was dying.
Pokemon Red/Blue was a great game and I had my fair share of "gotta catch em all" with it and my missing no. item duplicating madness. When Gold/Silver was released, I didn't have a copy of it on day 1. And again most of my friends got the Silver version cause it was the "superior version" and they though the rainbow bird (Ho-Oh) on the box looked stupid. When I went on a family trip to the US one summer, I was able to convince my uncle to get me a copy of Gold. My face was glued to the GameBoy Color screen for most of the vacation.
I enjoyed playing Gold more than I did playing Red and one of the reasons for that would be the games length. It felt like two games since you aside from exploring Johto with all the content it offered, you also had access to Kanto which was the region from Red/Blue. You ended up collecting 16 badges instead of the regular 8 and with the added 100 Pokemon to collect. That's almost double the number from Red/Blue.
I liked most of the new Pokemon and I enjoyed seeing and catching some of the old ones but what set this game apart from Red/Blue and what made really develop a special connection with Gold was that final battle you have at the peak of Mt. Silver after beating Pokemon Champion Lance. And that battle would be the showdown between you (Gold) and the most badass trainer, Red.
"You'll S#1* bricks"
Since I had the Gold version, the name "Red" would be listed. He would be named "Blue" if you had the Silver version. It was a coincidence that I had Red and Gold so the names matched up perfectly. I felt like I was seeing myself, my old character, the hero in my past life. When you see him standing on the rock platform, he had his back turned. When you speak to him, you recognize the sprite as he faces you and then the music plays. When you see his close up and more detailed sprite. Instant fully realized "OMG" moment.
He throws out his first Pokemon and its a high level Pikachu, then I thought "No, that isn't me. Its Red". I started recognizing him as his character, the character that was meant to be portrayed by the creator of the Pokemon manga. Red, the trainer that catches them all.
Coming from the Anime and then playing the game, you'd obviously make a comparison of Red to Ash. But Ash is not Red. Ash gets his butt kicked constantly by new characters, meets all these legendary Pokemon but never catches them while Red just stuff every Pokemon in those little red and white balls.
To quote some random person on the internet;
Ash believes in friendship. Red believes in kicking your ass.
And I can assure you that is 100% true as I got creamed by Red's Snorlax and Blastoise during my first battle with him,
"Gotta catch em all, bitches"
I've since played through Ruby, a bit of Diamond and Pearl and some of the 3D Pokemon games on home consoles but none of those games gave me the same sense of bliss, amazement and sheer terror as that one battle on Mt. Silver. I'm glad that Gold/Silver got a modern remake for the newer generation to experience.
Pokemon White is somehow giving me a drive to keep playing it which I have not felt since the days of Gold on my old GameBoy Color. A fresh new experience seeing a whole bunch of new Pokemon with new towns and areas to explore. It feels fresh and familiar at the same time. Fresh is something I haven't felt in a Pokemon game in a long time.
Gold / Silver
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ixY6Da0g8&w=480&h=390]
Heart Gold / Soul Silver
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tzw5GtBSQc&w=480&h=390]
"I am going to shove this lance up your righteous ~!"
Random Gaming Post #9
I originally had something else planned for RGP #9 but after hearing this for the first time in game I just HAD to share it.
I acquired a copy of of Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]: Final Fantasy the other day and as I was going through the first section of the story, I fought a mannequin of Kain from Final Fantasy IV. Going with the just the PSP's speakers on mid volume, I didn't notice the music right away. When I did, I was so astounded that I literally stopped for a moment to hear it. With my idiot self not controlling Lightning, the Kain mannequin got in a free hit. Lucky for me it wasn't an HP attack nor did it put me into break status.
The battle theme from Final Fantasy IV is one of my favorite RPG battle themes. I loved both the original and DS remake of it and this Duodecim piano remix has also touched my heart.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3arTH1yHAw&w=640&h=390]
DS version [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c0ri2SLXSk&w=480&h=390]
Original version [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nh5QcbYvGM&w=480&h=390]
Around 2 months ago I revisited an old favorite of mine, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The 2D sidescrolling Castlevania RPG that made the term "Metroidvania" come to fruition. Different from the older 2D sidescrolling Castlevania titles, SotN (Symphony of the Night) has you running about Dracula's castle but instead of just going a straight path till you reach the dark lord, there is a ample amount of back tracking to previous areas. Usually areas you couldn't reach until you gained a certain ability. Similar to the 2D Metroid games.
Since SotN, Konami has spawned multiple Castlevania titles using the same formula and were released on handhelds such as the GBA and the Nintendo DS. Now I played most of those Castlevania games and I did enjoy some of them but they all don't have the same charm that SotN has that keeps me coming back.
"The looooong Library"
I'm not sure what exactly it is SotN has that makes me love it more compared to others sure as Circle of the Moon, Aria / Dawn of Sorrow or Order of Ecclesia but there's just something in it that gives it more appeal. SotN isn't a new game and is widely considered a classic now but its a game that,in my opinion, has aged well and can still be played by today's gaming audience without a problem. The music in this game is superb and has seem many covers on multiple instruments these past years. Another thing that I think SotN does better than the newer 2D Castlevania's is level design. The castle in SotN just feels more fun to explore compared to the newer titles. And *spoiler alert* the first time I gained access to the inverted castle, I obviously got the worst ending in my first playthrough, I was in awe. The words "there's another castle?!" came out of my mouth.
"My sword is bigger than yours"
Another thing I'd like to point out that makes SotN just feel different is Alucard's bizzare backdash ability. In that game, you don't walk. You SLIDE! Hammering the triangle button to let Alucard backdash became second nature in the game that walking normally just felt... wrong. Now walking / running isn't a bad thing, its the most basic way to navigate in the game and I sure as hell did a lot of double tapping of the forward button with Nathan Graves from Circle of the Moon. I haven't encountered a Castlevania game with Alucard's form of navigatiion since. I do remember that Juste Belmont from Harmony of Dissonance had the ability to dash forward when you pressed I think it was the R button, but it didn't feel the same.
Now this may just be a ramble post on how much I love SotN but I felt that it was just something I had to share especially after hearing this beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs from the game.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3yXAMiFgyI&w=640&h=390]
If you want to prove me wrong and think that the other 2D Catlevania games post SotN is better or just want to experience its greatness. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is available on XBLA, it is also unlockable in the PSP remake of Rondo of Blood titled Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles. It was also released on the original Playstation as well as the Sega Saturn, maybe find it in a used game store or ebay if you still have those systems. Its a great game and I encourage all of you to try it.
"What? I think he looks cool"
I finally popped in Pokemon White and the reason I chose Pokemon White is because I thought the black Pokemon on the cover looked cool. I start the game, the new professor briefs me in on the world of Pokemon like every other professor in every other Pokemon game. She releases one Pokemon to show off and I'm already impressed seeing it move and jump around. With gaming the way it is today, animated sprites isn't something new of ground breaking but after seeing hundreds upon hundreds of static Pokemon sprites. Fully rendered backgrounds is also a very refreshing addition to the game, it gives a great amount for depth that I've never felt even in Heart Gold. This is proof that Pokemon Black and White will be a different and very positive experience. It may sound shallow but it is something you have to see for yourself.
"The starter Pokemon, Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott"
Before you even get a chance to walk around, I was already hit disappointment. It may not be anything game breaking but it was enough to remove the smile I had from seeing an animated Pokemon. You cannot name your rivals. You can obviously name yourself and choose what gender your character will be but the two rivals they give you have fixed names. If you remember my post about Naming Characters in Pokemon, you would know how many kick you could get with the ability to name your rival. That form of control is not present in this game but I hope it will be in future Pokemon titles.
From the get go you're already given the choice of which of the three starting Pokemon you can choose from. No more having to go to the professor's lab or talk to mom or whatever, your two best friends, which will obviously be your rivals throughout the game, come over to your room to open a package that the professor has sent over holding the three starting Pokemon. I went with the fire pig Tepig because I usually go with fire first and since I'm not exactly the image of "physically fit", the pig matches me perfectly. And yet another wall appears, not being able to nickname your Pokemon when you get them. Apparently there is a name rater in another city but its sad that I can't give my new Pokemon a nickname. I already had one ready for him too. I'm not sure if the same applies to newly caught Pokemon but since I couldn't nickname my initial Pokemon, it's probably the case with the newly caught too.
"The 3D backgrounds and new camera angles work great"
Now these naming limitations is only a slight nitpick. Seeing the Pokemon move about in battle is very refreshing and is more entertaining than the static sprites with animated intros. I'll try to get more time into playing Pokemon White and from the looks of it, it seems I will enjoy the game.
[Update] I went to the professor's house and before she gave me my Pokedex, she asked if I wanted to give my Tepig. Thank god I didn't have to go a great distance before reaching a name changer. You can also rename a Pokemon right after catching it.
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