BlazBlue is out for Arcades...

Aksys Games, the folks that made the Guilty Gear games, has finally released BlazBlue to various arcades at Japan and the U.S. BlazBlue is basically a HD Guilty Gear with new characters and new storylines, but still plays it at its core with crazy air combos, supers, distortion finishes, and other technical stuff. The nearest arcade at SoCal that should have the game by now or in the coming days is Family Fun Arcade over at the San Fernando Valley for now (who knows if Arcade Infinity over at Diamond Plaza or Super Arcade at Walnut will get it either). Actually, I'm not that good at the Guilty Gear games (I use Ky as my main), but I'm willing to learn BlazBlue if I feel like it since the protagonist, Ragna (I think that's his name), is pretty awesome especially his Gambit Royal-Flush like super.

On the Fence: Lips

Lips, Microsoft's new karaoke game and potential SingStar killer, is already out for 70 bucks with two glittery microphones. It has been getting mixed reactions from just being other singing game to arguably one of the better ones around. At least it is the 360's best karaoke game with lame competition with such games like Disney Sing It! and the Karaoke Revolution American Idol series. The video quality of the music videos is pretty good and the soundtrack is not bad as I'm posting some favorites from the bunch that would be in heavy rotation if I bought this thing. Featured in this post are "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis and "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco, but there are other songs that makes Lips worth it like "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai, "Umbrella" by Rihanna, "With You" by Chris Brown, and more. Downloadable content is already out for Lips as well with "The Remedy" by Jason Mraz and "Violet Hill" by Coldplay ("All Star" by Smash Mouth and "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton is also announced). The other big feature Lips has is the ability to sing any song via portable devices like the Zune and iPod, but supposedly this feature wasn't executed as well as it could have with no music video support and lyrics (either know the song or try to BSit).



Microsoft's casual approach this fall had a rocky start with Scene It! Box Office Smash and You're in the Movies, but Lips is the best one of the bunch which gives them potential to do better if Lips becomes a "platform" like Rock Band (those mics need to be compatible with RB2 and GH World Tour anyway sooner or later). I guess if you're tired of singing rock songs in those mentioned games, Lips is worth the purchase for the diverse selection of songs across all genres.

Wanted on GameTrailers TV

The Wanted game is the cover feature in this week's GameTrailers TV revealing more of it since its initial announcement. The subtitle is called Weapons of Fate and it hopes to execute the experience of curved bullets well during Winter 09.

The other major game shown is F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, which is coming out on February 10 (another big month for FPSs with that and Killzone 2) and looking great so far. February is already turning to a stacked month with my favorite Street Fighter IV, the two FPSs, and the GTA IV DLC.

Other trailers that debuted in this episode are for Batman: Arkham Asylum (below) and The Punisher: No Mercy.

The 10th Anniversary of the Ocarina of Time...

10 years ago, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released on the Nintendo 64 and became to many people like me the greatest game of all-time. It was the beginning of a new era for the Zelda franchise being in 3D for the first time and also defining perfection for its time. It was considered the first "perfect" game in the Internet age of our society with 10s in nearly every game site in existence and still the #1 game in Gamerankings. You can read a detailed history of the game before its release in this NeoGAF thread made by TSA, perhaps the most known Zelda fan today. Otherwise, read on for my memories and thoughts of Zelda OOT.

Honestly, Ocarina of Time was my first Zelda game due to all the hype before its release on the N64 courtesy of Nintendo Power mostly. I remember that day 10 years ago in 6th grade getting the game at Toys R Us expecting something special and different as I wasn't really into the action adventure genre at that time. Unfortunately, I didn't get the infamous gold cartridge, but I was happy just having the game period back then. 

The intro just grabs you right away explaining the epic storyline involving the Triforce and being some nobody, which is Link, and then becoming somebody at the end of the game. It was a great beginning in the Kokiri Forest being introduced to your fairy friend and guide, Navi, and then realizing you're playing a 3D Zelda. Even the first dungeon, The Deku Tree, is only the beginning of the true adventure after getting the first Spiritual Stone and then seeing the tree die. Once you leave the forest, the first of many touching and emotional moments with Saria giving Link the Ocarina was amazing. Hyrule Field allows the game to have that openness the 2D games provided with the hub world filled with hidden secrets (all those holes for more rupees and heart pieces), important spots (Hyrule Castle, Lake Hylia, and Death Mountain). The day/night cycle is also one of many breakthroughs OOT had changing the perspective on things happening. Okay, I feel like I'm going to describe every aspect of the game now...

Another defining moment was the first meeting with Zelda in the castle revealing more of the storyline and how Ganondorf is one bad dude with a plan of world domination. More emotions and memories were there as I was watching that cutscene on Thanksgiving Day in 1998 and you couldn't skip it if you're in a hurry, which was the case that time before heading to a family party. The game simply opens way more than expected after getting Zelda's Lullaby for the Ocarina as well as Saria's Song. The ocarina was also a revolutionary game mechanic for its time being key to gameplay progression and even its customability when just randomly playing. Being Young Link in the first three dungeons (Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu) felt like a great warmup of what's yet to come when you get the Master Sword in the Temple of Time.

Becoming Adult Link was another crazy moment in the Ocarina of Time. It opened up the game to a whole different level and a different aspect of the storyline with the time travel and Ganondorf taking over Hyrule. It almost became a whole new game with playing as Adult Link transversing through challenging dungeons like the infamous Water Temple. The different gimmicks these dungeons that challenged the player felt great and natural when dealing with the elements and having the neccessary equipment to navigate through these places. Even the boss battles turned up to 11 when being as Adult Link with Phantom Ganon, Volvagia, Morpha, Bongo Bongo, and Twinrova with the challenge and scale. When getting all the medallions, the final stretch truly begins in Ganon's Castle and the infamous Sheik reveal as Zelda was also another memorable moment and a WTF at that time when many people didn't expect it at all. The culminatic finale against Ganondorf (The castle escape) and eventually pig Ganon defined epic in every way as you feel like you want to kick his ass. After defeating Ganon in the end, I felt like I achieved something totally amazing and the ending felt perfect with the final blow along with what happened to Link and Zelda at the end.

The core gameplay of Zelda OOT was unique and original for its time with the combat system and the revolutionary Z-Targeting. Melee combat felt natural and precise as if you're in a real battle despite its limitations. Even projectile combat with the Hero's Bow, Hookshot, and the magic had that sense of precision when trying to aim at certain spots or switches. Yeah, the auto-jumping was awkward for something like this, but most people didn't mind it. The exploration and the completionist mentality also pushed players to new heights getting every weapon, heart piece, and everything else from the Gold Skulltulas, upgraded wallets, and bottles filled with blue potions. I unfortunately didn't 100% the game as I remembered missing two full hearts for the 20, the Ice Arrow (it wasn't a neccessity compared to its purpose in Majora's Mask), and the Poes.

I actually beaten the game in February 1999 because I was stuck in the Spirit Temple for a while and took a month break from it (I was playing F-Zero X at that time as well). I remembered doing the final stretch with Ganon's Castle on a Saturday and then the final boss battles on the next day after many attempts. It was kind of frustrating at that time for me deflecting Ganondorf's projectiles without Z-Targeting counting seconds to time the sword swipe. After beating the castle escape and pig Ganon in one attempt, I felt glad not doing it again without dying even though I was down to less than three hearts (with double life) and out of healing items. Stastically, I died only once at the Redead area getting the Hylian Shield getting the game over screen. After dealing with that, I was driven to never see a game over screen again as if I feel like I will die, I just reset the system and try again, which is the case in some areas.

Back in 1998, Zelda OOT was the best looking N64 game with many diverse locales that felt iconic. In addition to that, it had an amazing soundtrack and perhaps my favorite gaming soundtrack till Super Mario Galaxy. As for Nintendo games then and now, the lack of voice acting was noticeable, but no one cared being the silent hero. Many iconic tracks were in this game from some of the ocarina songs, the Hyrule Field BGM, and the Ganon battles. Other than that, OOT had amazing music and graphics (The music is still relevant, but the polygonal graphics had its run in the late 1990s).

I feel like I'm missing a lot of other stuff why Ocarina of Time is amazing as I could write about this all day. It established a core formula that was used for Wind Waker and Twlight Princess as those games couldn't match OOT's quality (Majora's Mask was a great departure, but I never finished it). Many memorable moments throughout the lengthy campaign has even touched people's lives. Its legacy continued to live on with speed runs of the game being beaten in three hours thanks to many exploits like the infamous power crouch stab and sequence breaking. I can't believe this game is already ten years old being out in arguably the greatest year of video games (Half-Life, Tekken 3, Metal Gear Solid, Starcraft, and many more) in 1998. To me, it was an one time and one time only thing as I beaten it once and never wanted to play it again (like Portal, Braid, and Super Mario Galaxy). You will never get the same feeling playing it multiple times compared to the first time which is the case for Ocarina of Time. I tried to play it again on GameCube with Master Quest (the harder version), but it didn't as special as it was the first time around.

So Happy 10th Anniversary I guess...

Remembering my 2007 GOTY: Super Mario Galaxy

This fall is just filled with many amazing games such as Gears 2, LittleBigPlanet, Left 4 Dead, and many more, but last fall was also considered one of the best seasons of gaming till this year. Even though last fall had many blockbusters like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, and The Orange Box, it was a Wii game that was my favorite game of the year and so far my favorite game of the decade, which is Super Mario Galaxy (check my review at the section to the right).

A year later, SMG is still one of my favorite games of all-time. With my disappointment for Twlight Princess and the enjoyable Metroid Prime 3: Corruption so far on the Wii, Galaxy is Nintendo's best game since Ocarina of Time (the first Metroid Prime doesn't count since Retro developed it). The core 3D Mario formula is still the same of collecting stars to unlock more galaxies, but the new approach with the platforming using gravity is simply amazing. The game just wants to put a smile on your face at every moment (This is the same feeling I have with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts currently). Sure, the game is the easiest of the 3D Marios (Mario 64 still remains the hardest of them while Sunshine has some tough moments, but still fairly easy), but the game does challenge completionists to get every star and even play the game differently as Luigi with his different characteristics. Like most of my favorite games of all-time, I felt happy beating it once and once only because I feel I won't the same feeling as I did the first time, and beating it as Luigi wasn't worth my time last year. Then again, I had to beat the last stage multiple times to show off little cousins, nephews, and nieces how amazing Galaxy is.

There are so many favorite moments in Galaxy that made me happy. Certain levels stand out as personal favorites such Battlerock and Dreadnaught to even Gusty Garden's wind concept. The other galaxies were really clever based by their concepts with Freezeflame and Toy Time. Even the Bowser levels from the Airships to the final stretch were memorable levels. Some decisions by Nintendo were a little iffy like beating the game once to unlock the purple coin challenges and then beating the finale again for all 120 stars. The controls felt perfect not being totally driven by motion control with the Nunchuk and Wiimote. In addition, I still think it is the best looking Wii game out now.

Galaxy's incredible soundtrack still remains one of my favorite gaming soundtracks of all-time. It is the perfect blend of nostaglic and orchestral tunes from Gusty Garden's BGM to the retro goodness of Toy Time's BGM. You truly feel like you're part of something epic when playing some of the stages with orchestral themes (mainly Battlerock and Dreadnaught Galaxies for me personally). The game's retro tunes brings back through all the Mario games from the past from the original SMB to Mario 64. I didn't mind the lack of voice acting which is expected for Nintendo games either.

Depsite all the games filled with violence driving the industry mainstream, a handful of games keep the violence out and still deliver satisfying and entertaining experiences. Last year, Mario Galaxy filled that void and still is one of my favorite games of all-time (probably in my top 5). It was a near perfect and polished product for a genre that used to rule the gaming landscape in the 90s and now it is a rarity. I hope this year Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Nolts and LittleBigPlanet fill a similar void to SMG being the best non-violent games (while having awesome humor), but like most people predicted, Banjo won't get enough sales despite its cheap price point while at the same time LBP won't get the attention it truly deserves and the majority of us would rather play Gears 2, Left 4 Dead, and COD: World at War.

Exccuuuussse Me Princess.....

The 10th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is tomorrow (special post on that sometime in the afternoon or during the weekend) as YouTube/NeoGAF/SRK user The-Switcher decides to honor this day by making a video tribute of the infamous Zelda cartoon. Actually, I didn't really watch this back in the day, but I guess it had its moments courtesy of this montage.

Link needs to stop excusing the princess eventually...

Music Video Catchup for 11/19/08

Another set of music videos to catch up on...

UPDATE - I'm adding another one to this post, which is the Mirror's Edge theme song "Still Alive" and there's actually an official music video of it (No game footage in the clip, but play the actual game anyway - I will hopefully next month).

Now to the original post...

50 Cent - New Music - More Music Videos

"Get Up" by 50 Cent...

Coldplay - New Music - More Music Videos

"Lovers in Japan" by Coldplay...

Okay, I'm listening to the Killers' new album now - impressions soon.