MOVIE: Pacific Rim

I have been waiting for a movie that features giant robots all of my life; but this movie not only delivers awesome mechs, it also features giant monsters, which borrow inspiration from icons like Godzilla, that threaten all of humanity, and throws machines and monsters into a cinematic showdown of epic proportions. 

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who is known for movies such as Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim is about the invasion of inter-dimensional creatures known as Kaiju (Japanese for "Giant Beast") that arrived through a portal beneath the Pacific Ocean. After conventional military weapons prove to be inefficient, the nations of the world pool together resources and construct giant mechs known as Jaegers (German for "hunter") to fight the Kaiju. There's more to the story but that is the basic premise behind Pacific Rim, and I'm not one to spoil things.

This was the first trailer released. I got so HYPED off of it!

For a film that lots of people are dismissing as just a stupid block buster, assuming that those same people ON THE INTERNET aren't just a bunch of trolls, this movie is actually very good! 

"Oh, but the story is going to be so stupid.": It's a film about giant robots beating giant monsters to death; what more do you need? 

"The science won't add up or match up to happens in real life!": It's a movie about BIG ROBOTS AND MONSTERS; if that stuff could exist we would have seen it already. 

"The acting isn't good": Sure, the acting might not be the best or win any Oscar Awards, but it certainly doesn't take away from the product over all. Bad acting won't make the fight scenes any less enjoyable.

I'm kind of worried now that some people just don't know how to enjoy something good that is right in front of them.

This trailer reveals a lot more, but doesn't spoil too much.

I can't really say that this movie is the best thing ever made; it's not perfect, nothing ever really is. It could have been better, but it is still so good! In my opinion, Pacific Rim is better than all three of the Transformers movies combined. The biggest problem I have is that for some reason not many people are excited for this as I have anticipated. And for reasons unknown, Pacific Rim's main competition is Grown Ups 2. How many of you guys grew up watching Power Rangers? I'll admit, I didn't like Power Rangers as much as most kids back when I was young, but I always thought that the Mega Zords were cool. How many of you watch mecha anime? Oh, right, the trolls are too busy comparing Pacific Rim to Neon Genesis Evengelion for anyone to actually care about it being something new and a movie of it's own.

Guillermo Del Toro grew up watching kaiju films and mecha anime, not including Neon Genesis Evangelion. While he certainly took inspiration from the shows and movies he watched and also implemented homages that knowledgeable fans of the genres can recognize, Del Toro stated that he wasn't going to reference anything and that the designs for his Kaju and Jeagers are created for his own movie. In a time when people are complaining about nothing being original or that something is just based off of something else or that the movies coming out are simply film adaptations of books, people are failing to accept Pacific Rim as an original franchise, a title that stands completely by its self. Del Toro crafted this film from his heart, so that he can see something that he loves and show it to the rest of the world. I admire him for that, but I'm disappointed that the rest of the world doesn't appreciate it. Instead, the robots are competing against an "All-Star Cast of comedians" and apathy.

For some reason, Coyote Tango was the least to leave an impression on me.

With three arms and one eye, Crimson Typhoon had one of the most eccentric but original designs.

Striker Eureka, compared to the other Jaegers in terms of stats, is completely over powered.

Gypsy Danger with a simple and charming heroic design brawls with the Kaiju to protect earth.

Initially I wasn't too fond of Cherno Alpha's design, but after watching the film I grew really attached to him.

 

I really like the music that plays for the main trailer...

The first thing that I heard about this film was that "The voice of GLaDOS is in this movie." That same evening I checked out the original trailer which was the only one at the time and I knew I was going to watch this movie. Ellen McLain, the voice actor for GLaDOS from the video game Portal, lends her voice for Gypsy Danger's computer AI. I saw Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D; it was the first time I've seen a movie in that quality, but for what I paid it was worth it! Whether you're a seasoned fan of Kaiju films or Mecha anime or just like the idea of seeing a movie about giant robots and monster, you are going to love this film. With the amount of work, effort, and love put into this movie, Pacific Rim is definitely worth seeing it on the BIG screen!

MOVIE: Wreck-It Ralph

Well it's been a while since I've last posted. In the past months I've been trying to get some things done and have also been quite busy with other projects. Between the goals I am striving to accomplish and the handful of projects I have yet to finish, I regret that the focus on my blog has lowered in priority. There are plenty of things I'd love to talk about but finding time to sit down and carefully think about what to say and how to say it hasn't been easy. But today, I decided to take a step back from every thing else for just a little while and write a new post.

Other than not writing a new post in a whole month, it's been quite a long time since I've seen a really great movie in the theaters. Over the weekend I finally got to see the film I was anticipating since last year: Wreck-It Ralph. Now, I know I am practically three whole months late with just barely watching this film, but at least I was able to see it in a theater before its release on DVD and Blu-Ray; better yet, I got to see it with my family.

I admit that my expectations for this film were not very high when it was first announced. The trailers had current pop-culture songs that I had heard too many times in very unfavorable circumstances, I had a feeling that the story might not impress me and the plot would be no more significant than a children's cartoon with a cheesy moral strung at the end, and most of all, although the idea featuring official video game characters was interesting, I hoped that the film would not have to rely on those cameos alone to carry on the story. As the film's release to theaters neared my pessimism slowly dwindled and I actually became curious to see the movie and to find out how it delivers. One of my friends saw it before me and wanted to discuss film, but I asked him not spoil any of the important plot points as I planned to watch Wreck-It Ralph eventually. Three months after the initial theatrical release I was greatly impressed with the work. Maybe I am just easily impressed at times, but Wreck-It Ralph is far better than what I had expected out of it.

Wreck-It Ralph is a 3D animated film about a video game antagonist, named Wreck-It Ralph, who is tired of playing as the bad guy because he is feared and unappreciated by the other characters in his video game world. Determined to prove that he can be just as good as the good guy, Fix-It Felix, he leaves his own video game world and dives into the dangers of different video games to earn his title as a hero. Wreck-It Ralph was created by Disney Animation Studios with a similar style to an earlier film, Tangled. Pixar was not involved with production of this film, which is really impressive since the animation is smooth, beautiful, and lively, but is also a 3D CGI animation, which is what Pixar is notable for. The different [video game] characters are well written and animated, and since they originate from different eras and genres in gaming, each is stylized with a unique look and personality as well as their own story which makes them highly likable. Although we weren't able to see as many video game worlds as I had anticipated, each world that we visited was interesting to look, including the surge protector itself. I've heard some complaints about being restricted to very few worlds, namely the "Candy land", Sugar Rush, but this restriction on the game jumping actually works to the story's advantage as it not only drives the plot but we also see a great deal of Disney's original characters interacting with a specific environment. In addition to a more defined exploration of a whole new world, this also allows the audience a greater chance to become more invested with these new characters they are presented with. The movie's phenomenal soundtrack also strengthened the emotional delivery tenfold with appropriate scene themes and leitmotifs building up tension to an incredible climax.

As I said before, I worried about the cameos; and so it turns out that this film implements the cameos of official video game characters quite well. Sure, they used characters like Zangief, Dr. Robotnik, Boswer, and Clyde the Ghost, but they were not needed to actually carry the story along. The cameos are probably the strongest point made in the advertisement for Wreck-It Ralph, which is genius because the posters and trailers immediately inform the audience that the movie is about video games. (The actual video games themselves.) After watching the film, I looked up some videos about Wreck-It Ralph and lots of people wished that their familiar favorites had played a larger role in the story. But I want to remind everyone that this movie is all about Disney's Original Characters and that the focus is around Ralph and his friends, not Sonic and his rivals. Cameos proved to be great advertising and are lots of fun, but the vast amount of hidden video game culture references should not outshine the well written story this movie tells.

One last thing I would like to add concerning the video game cameos, although I am a big Mario fan, I am glad that he did not make an appearance in Wreck-It Ralph. (He is mentioned, but not shown.) I did not grow up playing Sonic games and as a result I'm not very fond of Sonic the Hedgehog. (It also doesn't help that some percentages of his fan base sort of tarnishes his image.) Even if Sonic wasn't given much screen time, along with the rest of the cameos, that actually earned him some respect from me. Sonic the Hedgehog's role is to appear for a short moment to deliver an important PSA to the characters in universe. Admittedly, I believe that Mario would not be able to deliver the same message with same kind of importance. The cameos did not overstay their welcome and that really works in the film's favor. Also, Mario's face isn't plastered on screen for the sake of a quick cash grab.

Overall, Wreck-It Ralph is a touching story. It is funny, but it isn't all about laughs. There are serious moments that can be very emotional and the plot eventually unfolds into something big. You don't need to much about video games in order to enjoy this story, but the more knowledgeable you are with your video gaming trivia and history, the better chances you have of catching the many subtle references which can make watching this movie more fun.

Megaman's 25th Anniversary + Game review: SFxMM

2012 was not kind to Arm Cannon users...

So, here we are 25 years later. Megaman is officially 25 years old and I just want to take a moment to talk about my favorite video game hero and what he has gone through. But first, let's take a quick look at his legacy.

That video is five years old. Obviously. That video showcased the main line Megaman games, the "important" games for every Megaman series. Forget that Battle Network, Zero, ZX, and all the rest of the Megaman series are SPIN OFFS of the ORIGINAL MEGAMAN SERIES. Megaman today is practically just a name now, sort of like how there are MANY "The Legend of Zelda" games. It's a Legacy. Megaman here, Megaman there. Tron here, Tron there. The name passes down, and that's all that matters. Right? [But I'll get back to this sometime in the future.]

Let me tell you Capcom and Megaman. Since that time, 5 years ago, the times have been very harsh for my favorite hero. It's depressing. Since then there have been 3 major Megaman games cancelled, including an MMO and the highly anticipated and longly awaited sequel: Megaman Legends 3. Not to mention, that in addition to the cancellation of major Megaman projects, X was not even allowed to rest in peace or be put down with a shred of his remaining dignity!

It seems like all we can do is just ask the same questions: "Capcom, what the heck is going on? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Megaman's 25th Anniversary officially began on December 17th, and I know I'm a little late to the party... well, actually, I'm not, because there was no party! But anyways, before 2013 officially kicks off, I'm going to take some time to talk about Megaman and his "25th Anniversary". Which brings me to my game review of Megaman versus-, I mean, STREET FIGHTER X MEGAMAN!!!

Street Fighter x Megaman is a fangame created by Seow Zong Hui, a Singaporean fan of Megaman. It was officially released as a free download through Capcom via the Capcom Unity website on December 17th. The game pits Megaman against 8 Street Fighter characters, each with their own levels and enemies inspired by their own themes. Defeating each fighter grants Megaman a new weapon just as traditional Megaman games have allowed Megaman to copy the Robot Master's powers in the past. All of the animations are solid and the boss fights are actually quite impressive presenting a fresh unique look when it comes down to it. Music uses tunes from classic Megaman titles combined with the theme songs of their respective fighters.

There probably isn't much that I can say about this game alone, other than "it's good". Honestly, it is a good game and is very well crafted for a fan work. It's simple, fun, and appealing and it does a great job of drawing influences from both the Megaman and the Street Fighter franchise. References are thrown throughout the game, gameplay emulates a real Megaman quite accurately, and every Boss has their own "SUPER" meter that fills up when they are hit so that they can attack using their Super Attacks.

One glitch I encountered. I-It's not like I needed that E-Tank!

Of course, it's not the most amazing thing ever made. SFxMM might have some glitches, one of which causes dropped items like extra lives to drop within a wall rendering it unreachable. The game might also play slowly; however, I actually attribute the terrible slowdown and ear butchering sound blending to my own computer, since just about everyone else I've seen seems to be able to play it smoothly on their computer.

If you want to play the game you can download it from here: http://www.capcom-unity.com/mega_man

You can also watch Two Best Friends Play Street Fighter x Megaman as they share in their keen insight. Although, it will spoil most of the surprises as they do clear most of the levels.

As good as it is, Street Fighter x Megaman is far from the greatest thing to happen to Megaman, much less, a fulfilling way to celebrate his 25th Anniversary. But, that's just it. It's not the game's fault, it's the context of the situation. Capcom as of late has really been disappointing many people and it seems like they are just toying with the hearts of Megaman fans as they nickle and dime the Street Fighter Audience with their Street Figher x Tekken DLC, that was already on the disk. An 8Bit crossover game that they didn't even create does not make up for a cancelled sequel people have waited over a decade for! But I do congratulate the guys who made SFxMM and I'm happy that their hard work gained recognition. It's sad to see Capcom continue on like this because when I was younger I admired that company for producing high quality games. But now, most people believe that they've lived long enough to become a villain. I hope that they will eventually change back to how they used to be. As Matt and Pat said, this game is just a roller coaster of emotions for Megaman fans, and I don't think the ride is going to end.

I saw this image many months ago. Tragic.

When I first saw this I thought this was some bad fan art. To my horror, it's official artwork.

I guess 2012 just wasn't a good year for Arm Cannon users. I doubt Samus had any luck receiving a Happy Birthday. There is a lot more I'd like to talk about, but I will have to save those topics for another day. In the future I will review some other Megaman games and talk more about Megaman, but in the mean time here is some of the 25th Anniversary Music made to commemorate Megaman. [At least the music is good.]

Until next time, I'll try to enjoy the remainder of Megaman's 25th Anniversary. Happy New Years Everyone...

It's... It's X-OVER!!!

GAME(S): Merry Gear Solid/Merry Gear Solid 2

It's been quite a while since I have played one of my favorite seasonal games. It's the MERRY GEAR SOLID SERIES! That's right, this holiday season, it's about MERRY GEAR. Not that incredibly lethal bipedal nuclear missile launching tank, METAL GEAR!

METAL GEAR SOLID is one of my favorite games and every time when Christmas is nearing I like to open up a parody game called MERRY GEAR SOLID. Created by Arthur Lee and Duncan Roberts, Merry Gear Solid is an obvious parody of the original Playstation game but modeled with an entire Christmas themed story around it. There are two games in this series: the first is titled Secret Santa, and the second is titled The Ghosts of Christmas Past. Both games capture a sense of the original stealth game requiring the player to sneak through the building unnoticed, but they also make many references to the real video game series and even break the fourth wall intentionally [with a couple of C4 Explosives.]

Merry Gear Solid: Secret Santa:
The first game uses the basic sneak-by "guards" and knock on walls mechanics with an overhead view of the map. It also uses a similar Item/Inventory system that the original MGS uses. Items hidden throughout the building allow the player to sneak past the children in order to reach the Christmas Tree and deliver the presents undetected. You will play as Santa Claus himself in this title.

Merry Gear Solid 2: Ghosts of Christmas Past:
The second game is actually made better. It is more fleshed out, is slightly more complicated, has more features than the first game, and plays almost as a full-length game of its own. MSG2:GoCP uses the basic sneak-by "guards" and knock on walls mechanics with an overhead view of the map, with a similar Item/Inventory system as the original MGS game, but this time it also features the Radar Map in the corner of the screen that shows you the enemies' field of vision. MGS2:GoCP also features even more items than the first game, Boss Encounters, and plenty of references to the actual Metal Gear Series and some of Hideo Kojima's other works. In this game you will play as snake, dressed up like Santa Claus.

I found out about these games years ago and since then I've played them during the Christmas Season. I downloaded played through the second game first and eventually I downloaded and played through the second one. Although I played the second game before the first, I was still able to enjoy the story. Even though MGS:Secret Santa is short, details from that game are crucial to the story of MGS: Ghost of Christmas Past, so I highly recommend playing the games in order. Although, I also highly recommend playing the REAL METAL GEAR SOLID GAMES first to get a greater laugh out of all of the jokes they throw at you. Unless you follow Kojima's works closely, most of the allusions will fly over your head. Regardless, I trust that you may still find the game enjoyable whether or not you've played the Metal Gear games.

Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!

Both games, as well as some other games, can be downloaded for free from this website: http://www.superfundungeonrun.com/?page_id=256

Old Spice Saved the World

4 1/2 Weeks later we are still here, and the world is saved thanks to the power of Old Spice Deodorant Sticks and Friendship.

The Marketing department for Old Spice Deodorant products have done a great job in the past in making some clever advertisements to catch consumers' attention, and this year when it was said that the world was going to end they did not hold back. Instead, Old Spice gave the people hope for the dawn of a new day in the form of a 16-bit flash game. It was a mission against the clock to carve more time into the Mayan calendar.

Instead of a traditional commercial, Old Spice made a flash game starring the retired basketball player Dikembe Mutombo with the responsibility of saving the world. Released in the middle of November of 2012, Dikembe Mutombo's 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World provided players with a new level to play each week. Each level had its own game play and story providing as a social commentary on current trends in popular culture and despite the obvious pop culture references, Dikembe Mutombo's 4 1/2 Weeks to Save the World is actually a quite enjoyable video game. Although this game isn't highly polished or crafted like a major title, it is funny, the sprites are detailed beautifully, and the music is enjoyable.

The final level is designed like a level of the shooter game Raiden.

Every level is a separate game that makes remarks about trends that are popular right now; a Korean dance song is keeping citizens of the U.S. distracted from voting, the influx of vampire romance fiction in the entertainment industry is too high, and internet memes are rampaging out of control. In the end, we are saved, we are still alive, and all of the characters from the game come together to sing in one last song: a parody of We are the World.

This is basically what the game is about.

But there are also some positives...

If the game was played before December 21st of 2012, the total score a player earned every time they completed a level was added to a pool of points that every player earned collectively as the clock was ticking. These points were used to "carve additional time into the Mayan Calendar" to postpone the destruction of the world. December 21st already past and the game seemed to do its job at keeping us alive. Unfortunately, it only added 15 Months into the calendar. [If only we had played more and added more time.] The game can still be played but the scores are no longer being tracked and written down.

Isn't this around the time you'll have to start paying for the Mass Effect 3 Ending?

If only I could be so grossly incandescent.

And let us not forget one of the most heartfelt sacrifices ever made. May we continue to play and enjoy this game in memory of one of our fallen friends.

R.I.P. in Peace ;_;

GAME: Cave Story

And now time for something completely different, which is similar to a few other well known games, yet retains such a unique feel of its own. It's Doukutsu Monogatari! I mean, Cave Story!

Legend has it that this game was created by one single man, Daisuke Amaya, who wasn't even specially trained in the many set of skill that are pulled together to create great video games. He wasn't a professional writer, heck, he didn't even know how to read or write music, and yet this game has some of the most memorable and catchy tunes I have ever heard. Even if that story turns out being fake, well, we are still left with an incredible story, a Cave Story.

Cave Story is an action platformer video game that was inspired by other classic NES games such as Megaman, Metroid, and Castlevania. Few similarities can be seen through the gameplay, yet Cave Story manages to capture its own feel and a slightly different style of play. It's a game about jumping and shooting... downward, and upward as well.


You play as boy robot. (But you don't know that, yet, because you woke up with AMNESIA!) You make your way out of the small cave that you found yourself in and you find a small village of bunny-like creatures called Mimigas. Turns out that there is an mad doctor who is kidnapping these people one by one and it's up to you to help them out.

I'll say that the story itself is quite engaging. Sure, it's a simple game at first but then you'll find yourself moving along just to find out what happens next. By the end of the game, you would have talked to many characters for such a small game and there will be several things happening at once in the plot. Though the game itself is quite linear, in terms of the levels you will play through, the game has multiple story endings, each affected by the responses that you give to characters in the game. In addition to the linearity, there aren't really any side quests, which helps the plot move along a lot faster. Pretty much every favor you carry out moves things along. Just as a forewarning, this game does feature quite a bit of back tracking.

Cave Story's gameplay is solid. As the boy robot with a gun, you can jump and shoot in both directions, aim upwards, and shoot down from above while you are in the air. Throughout the game you can find other weapons to utilize in your arsenal. The main mechanic that made this game stand out apart from the rest is the "Level" system. When you defeat enemies they drop Doritos, and eating these Doritos offers grants your weapon Double XP. Gain enough Experience for your weapons and they'll become more powerful. However, this "Level up System isn't simply a "nowhere but up" kind of deal.

Taking damage has more consequences than simply losing HP. Your weapons are also downgraded slightly and will "Level Down" if enough damage is taken and enough Doritos are thrown up in the process. (No, you cannot pick up barfed out food and eat it again. This isn't Sonic the Hedgehog.) But not to worry. Although the game is quite challenging, it's a very forgiving game. Some of the bosses aren't hard to defeat and they even spawn minor enemies that still drop Doritos for your weakened weapons and Hearts for your weakened body. But remember, this game is still challenging, and it'd be unwise to not save often as you will start out from your last saved state if you die. Making it through the stages is probably where most of the difficulty comes from as they are usually crowded by many enemies and there are many environmental hazards scattered throughout the game, especially in the later stages.

I recommend this game to everyone, especially since it's FREE! [It's a free game, and it's a great game.] That right, this game is a freeware game; well, at least the original is free. You can download the original version of the game, the version that I played, from this website. Cave Story is available for purchase in the remastered versions Cave Story+ [On the Nintendo eShop, Wiiware, and Valve's Steam Store] and Cave Story 3D [For Nintendo 3DS].

I still wonder why this game is called Cave Story.