» 2007 » November

• Top 5 Video Game Soundtracks

  

  Written by Zeromage 29 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 30, 2007

  When a video game has great music, it usually points to the care in creation that’s needed to be make one of the better games of all time. As you’ll notice, the games on this list are also some of the greatest games ever made. You won’t be finding “Paperboy” or “Ghouls n’ Goblins” on this list. Only the best games have the best music. They go hand in hand. When you travel the world of a great RPG, great music is a necessity for identifying the different lands. When climbing up a dark, shadowy castle, appropriate music is needed to instill a feeling of unease in the gamer, and this all must be done in a unique way to give the game its claim for greatness, an ambition that’s not necessarily sought after in modern gaming. After close inspection in our listening sessions, we have chosen these 5 video games. The music in these games reminded us of playing them at younger ages, and sometimes overcame us with a sense of forlornness, in knowing that these games can’t hit us again like they hit us the first time we played them. Nonetheless, the music in our top 5 video game soundtracks are the best examples of great music in great games, music so great that they are often instinctively listened to even when not playing the game, maybe even in your car when you’re around the right crowd of nerds who could appreciate such a thing.

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• Super Off Road

  

  Written by bug 1 Comment
  Last Updated:: November 29, 2007

  Super Off Road. First introduced to me in the dimly lit corner of a Burger King Castle in Meriden, CT. The machine stared me down, flaunting the three primary colors, each assigned to a black steering wheel. I don’t remember if there was a gas pedal for each of the three players, but I do know for sure each of us had our own NITRO button. The three players were able to, of course, toss quarters into this machine and drive their tiny little truck around a beaten dirt course on the 20 inch color screen. Taking on the yellow truck, I began my adventure into Off Road nitro-filled racing, battling with three other vehicles on the muddy and worn pixilated track. At times these vehicles were driven by humans, at others, the computer inside this amazing stand up interactive video game would control the relentless trucks. I played course after course, winning money for finishing each race. With this money, I was allowed to upgrade my truck over and over, in many different ways. Sometimes it was the tires, others it was the engine, turbo or shocks; and so on. At first I experienced some initial shock spending $70,000 for a set of tires, but they proved to be well worth every penny. After some time, there would be random green money bags that would just show up on the dirt track. If you aimed for them, and ran them over, you collected the cash. However, the amount of money in each money bag was just as random as its location and timing on the track. It’s as if the system would taunt me, sometimes when I got the moneybag it would be $1,000. When I saw the other computer controlled trucks get the money bags, they would get $100,000. I’m sure it was rigged, but nonetheless, I carried on. This was the type of game I could play for a very long time off of just one quarter. I played until the birthday party at that Burger King Castle was over, and I had to be dragged away.

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• Mario Pary 4 : Domination Mini-Game

  

  Written by bug No Comments
  Last Updated:: November 28, 2007

  Mini games. Mini games were the name of the game in Super Mario Party 4 for the Nintendo Gamecube. Wandering through the digital world of psychedelic Japanese programmers, we were sent off onto little detours. Forced to play games that had nothing to do with our main goal: beating the full game. Most of the time these so called mini games were just a pain in the ass, but we came across one that was just completely pointless. It goes by the name of Domination. It was the one where you faced a never ending line of stone figures, shaped and stacked like domino’s. The only point of this mini game was to smash the A button on your controller as fast as you possibly could in a certain time period, and then it would knock down the corresponding amount of stone domino’s. Highest count of downed stone domino’s wins.

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• Comic Book Review: World War Hulk Issue #5

  

  Written by Zeromage 7 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 17, 2007

  The first thing I noticed about World War Hulk #5 was how terrible the artwork was. This is perhaps the worst Romita art I’ve ever seen. It was sloppy and inexorably sketchy. Not only was the artwork irritating, but the storyline was abominable too. The issue opens up with Mr. Fantastic on his way to killing Iron Man (Tony Stark) thanks to the Hulk’s obedience disk, and then seemingly without cause, the Hulk deciding to spare them, with Mr. Fantastic’s mace hitting the ground beside Tony’s head. So he decides not to kill the Illuminati after all, which was okay, but then why the hell did he give a thumbs down at the end of issue #4? Did he get confused about the signal? Was he planning on laughing at the expressions on their faces? In any event, when Rick Jones takes this as a sign that he was right and the Hulk wasn’t a killer, the Hulk responds by saying that although no one on Earth died at the hands of Warbound or himself, he plans on destroying New York City and leaving the Illuminati to their shame. Remind me how were the Illuminati wrong again to send the Hulk into space?

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• Ding! Fries are Done!!

  

  Written by Zeromage No Comments
  Last Updated:: November 15, 2007

  It is getting close to Christmas. Yes, its hard to believe, but December is already upon us. I along with many people have these rules in place where I won’t think about the “holidays” until after Thanksgiving. Its a common standpoint. Lots of people think that way.

  Now, I love Christmas. I love getting gifts for people and scheming over stupid gift ideas that are as much a gift as they are an expression of my creative ways. So last year when everyone got a gift that had something to do with Dragons….yeah, that was planned. It also worked. Friggin’ brilliant. I also love the spirit of Xmas. I feel nicer to people. I want to sing more. I even hug my brother instead of punch him. I punch my grandma instead. I think its the music that gets me most festive. Alright already!

  So I have some Christmas music, but I didn’t want to listen to it until after thanksgiving. However, I love the Xmas season….so I was torn. My stupid life rule vs a good happy feeling.

  So I listened to some Xmas music. It was nice. Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing Christmas carols. I don’t know how they are sort of Siberian, but they are. Trans-sexual. I’m a trans-civil engineer. trans-continental divide. Trans-fur. Anyway, so I have started my jolly Christmas season early. I listened and I liked. I listened again with my sister and she called me a freak. Come see the bells! She is just having problems coping with listening to this festive music so soon. Her life rules are being broken too and its hard to come to terms. I wouldn’t mention this to her.

  I’m not going to give anyone advice. Its just not my way. Plus, I don’t know shit. But here’s my advice: if you like that warm fuzzy Christmas feeling, that same feeling you get when a stranger’s hand touches your naughty bits, then you should listen to some Christmas carols.

• The Phone Call

  

  Written by Zeromage 1 Comment
  Last Updated:: November 14, 2007

  Last night, I received a phone call at approximately 7:21pm. It was most disturbing. I missed the call, but the good ole caller ID came through and saved the number. I’m sure your wondering what was so disturbing about a phone call that I missed, so I’ll tell you. I should give warning though that the weak of heart probably shouldn’t read on. I looked at the number that called hoping it was some hot chick and this is what I saw instead:

  0000123456

  Yes. I kid you not. I almost personally wet myself. I laughed a hysterical crazy man’s laugh because I thought I was going to die. I called the number back and it told me the Nextel person I’m trying to call is not available. I also had a nightmare about it too. Anyway, thats my story. Anyone else get funky shit like this?

• Online Gaming

  

  Written by Zeromage No Comments
  Last Updated:: November 7, 2007

  Online gaming is so fucking gay. You’re playing against a bunch of 12 year olds that haven’t managed to grow a decent bit of peach fuzz on their nuts and run around screaming shooting at rocks. Tactical shit is sweet when you get to do it, but you can’t be playing with dumb ass morons. In an every man for themselves game, kill kill kill works fine, but after stroking myself while looking at my kill count, I find I would rather play a few intelligent people and do something cinematic and tricky.

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• Classic Video Game Review: Pac-Man

  

  Written by Zeromage 10 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 7, 2007

  Over the course of my quasi-centurion life I have dabbled with various substances to no true good effect. My brain being semi-addled as it is, it still doesn’t help me answer the question: “What the hell is Pac-man?” Off the bat you are playing as a 2-D profile of the Wal-Mart smiley, traveling through a darkened labyrinth consuming balls while being chased by four coloured specters. As if that wasn’t trippy enough the specters each have different names. Despite the flashback-inducing imagery, the game is highly addictive. There is a certain thrill in evading ghosts and a merciless retribution found when it comes to eating them. Hours can be spent challenging yourself to attain high scores and greater level achievements. Can you pass though the ghosts around this corner? Can you evade the Blinky and Pinky trap?

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• Death of a Gaming Store

  

  Written by Zeromage No Comments
  Last Updated:: November 5, 2007

  Doth thoughest knowest of thine Dragons Lair in yonder West Hartford? For many a fine yeareth, the writers of Old-Wizard hath gone to thine Dragon’s Lair for gaming supplies and found both supplies and stinkiness. Now those days are over as the Dragon’s Lair is empty with no Dragons or treasures. However the stink remains. All the halls are filled with its foul reek. Farewell to you gaming store we’ve been thrown out of, loved and hated for so long. Why you closed, we are uncertain, although our hearts will be forever open to your return. Plus it will save us gas by not having to drive so far for commons. Adieu.

• Movie Review: The Fantastic 4 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer

  

  Written by Zeromage No Comments
  Last Updated:: November 3, 2007

  Walking into the movie theater having seen the trailer for The Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer about 30 times, I was as giddy as a school boy. My anticipation for this movie had slowly grown to epic proportions ever since I first found out the surfer would be in a live action feature film. I re-read all my Silver Surfer comics, spent hours trying to unlock the surfer in Marvel Ultimate Alliance for Xbox, and I even broke out my Silver Surfer action figure in numerous staged battles between him and Beta Ray Bill on my living room floor.

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