Oh noooooo
30 November 07 | 16:53 | Posted by:
category: games | forums |
60 comments |
§
Support the Site:
GameSpite in Print:
Year One, Vol. 2 Standard | Hardcover
GSQ4 Standard | Deluxe
GSQ3 Standard | Deluxe
GSQ2 Standard | Deluxe
GSQ1 Standard | Deluxe
Year One, Vol. 1
Thumbnail Theatre
Metroidvania Chronicles
Online Vol. 5
Online Vol. 4
Online Vol. 3
Online Vol. 2
Online Vol. 1
Jul 2010
Jun 2010
May 2010
Apr 2010
Mar 2010
Feb 2010
Jan 2010
Dec 2009
Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Sep 2009
Aug 2009
Jul 2009
Jun 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
Dec 2008
Nov 2008
Oct 2008
Sep 2008
Aug 2008
Jul 2008
Jun 2008
May 2008
Apr 2008
Mar 2008
Feb 2008
Jan 2008
Dec 2007
Nov 2007
Oct 2007
Sep 2007
Aug 2007
Jul 2007
Jun 2007
May 2007
Apr 2007
Mar 2007
Feb 2007
Jan 2007
Dec 2006
Nov 2006
Oct 2006
Sep 2006
Aug 2006
Jul 2006
Jun 2006
May 2006
Apr 2006
Mar 2006
Feb 2006
Jan 2006
Dec 2005
Follow the RSS feed
Also I am on Twitter for some dumb reason
Last Comments
Schmidt (Koji Igarashi jus…): My wallet needs this to n…Eusis (Koji Igarashi jus…): It's worth remembering th…
Parish (GSQ4: We all go h…): They're still there. Not …
NevznachaY (GSQ4: We all go h…): Jeremy, could we have the…
Acosta02 (Koji Igarashi jus…): I don't know that people …
Refa (Koji Igarashi jus…): Heck, I'll take an SD ver…
Ryonin (Koji Igarashi jus…): This kinda makes me want …
Mudron (Koji Igarashi jus…): I would suspect that peop…
Refa (Koji Igarashi jus…): How is this game going to…
SonicPanda (Koji Igarashi jus…): So, this is going to be m…
Full Archives
Aug 2010
Jul 2010
Jun 2010
May 2010
Apr 2010
Mar 2010
Feb 2010
Jan 2010
Dec 2009
Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Sep 2009
Aug 2009
Jul 2009
Jun 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
Dec 2008
Nov 2008
Oct 2008
Sep 2008
Aug 2008
Jul 2008
Jun 2008
May 2008
Apr 2008
Mar 2008
Feb 2008
Jan 2008
Dec 2007
Nov 2007
Oct 2007
Sep 2007
Aug 2007
Jul 2007
Jun 2007
May 2007
Apr 2007
Mar 2007
Feb 2007
Jan 2007
Dec 2006
Nov 2006
Oct 2006
Sep 2006
Aug 2006
Jul 2006
Jun 2006
May 2006
Apr 2006
Mar 2006
Feb 2006
Jan 2006
Dec 2005
Miscellany
This is the archive, folks. The current stuff is on the main page.
The site -- this site -- is supposed to be going offline for a few hours tonight while my webhost relocates the servers or something. So if it vanishes, don't worry. It wasn't fired over a disagreeable review or anything.
Also, I'd like to take a moment to assure all GameSpite contributors that I, as owner of this site, will never bow to advertiser pressure and sack you for a negative review, no matter how critical it may be.
Hey kids, it's the second issue of the GameSpite online magazine. Which is slowly transforming into a replacement for the lost-to-life's-unhappy-changes ToastyFrog Zine, it would seem. This issue has mutated dramatically over the past week or so, transforming from a big round-up of all sorts of things to something very specifically centered around Final Fantasy's 20th anniversary (which happens in about three weeks on the the Japan side of the ocean). This ties in neatly with next week's big-ass retrospective at 1UP, I guess, and also tidily frees the site up to talk about less obvious things. It also means the third issue will be along quite soon, since I had to push a bunch of completed articles aside to make for a nice, tidy theme. So! Let us begin.
The Final Fantasy series hub page isn't quite complete, but it's off to a decent start. Which is something, I guess.
Final Fantasy
Us old-timers remember well Nintendo Power's (vaguely manic) determination to hype the living insanity out of the original Final Fantasy. Mightyblue kicks things off by revisiting the game in a quest to determine whether hype in 1990 translates to playable goodness in 2007.
Final Fantasy Portmania
And as a side stop on the Final Fantasy retrospective route that MapQuest planned out for Mightyblue: A look at all the various and sundry ports of Final Fantasy. Which (if any) are worthy of the series' legacy? And which are pretty much complete crap cashing in on a big name?
Final Fantasy III
Next, wumpwoast pontificates on the merits of Final Fantasy III. Mainly he focuses on last year's DS remake, although a cosmetic downgrade is available for those who prefer the original Famicom edition.
Final Fantasy IV
A journey into the mind of Torgo to study the merits and demerits of the game that effectively defined what the Final Fantasy series would be. Don't worry, it's safe. He's not the Torgo from Manos: Hand of Fate." Or is he?
Final Fantasy IV Advance
Nah, he's not. He also provides a detailed analysis of the good and bad of the most recent iteration of the game, its GBA incarnation. Note that this is only "most recent" for another couple of weeks, when the DS remake arrives in Japan. Ah, Square. Also: a look at FFIV's genre-defining cast. How many stereotypes can you spot?
Final Fantasy VI
Next, bobservo reevaluates fan-favorite entry Final Fantasy VI with the cynical eye of grim adulthood. Does the game wither under his baleful gaze, or does it flourish? Only by reading will you know for sure.
Final Fantasy VIII
Our look at the eighth Final Fantasy comes from chud_666, who, despite the name, is not actually a man-eating hellbeast hiding in America's sewers. Or if he is, he does a pretty good job of keeping abreast of and writing about video games.
Final Fantasy IX: Fantasy Made Reality
Kolbe sent a carrier pigeon from Mexico (it was cheaper than using post). Attached to its leg was not a full-fledged review of Final Fantasy IX, but rather a specific look at the game's strongest elements: its characters and themes. I was never that crazy about FFIX, but who doesn't love Vivi?
Final Fantasy XII
And finally, I decided to contribute something myself. Unfortunately, it's merely a long, rambling and ultimately pointless discourse on Final Fantasy XII -- and not even one as fun as that old Advent Children review, since all the vituperation has been replaced with something akin to glowing affection. A nice reminder of why the word count limits at 1UP and EGM are such a good idea.
Just kidding. This update contains exactly zero puppies. It does have a kitten, though. Can you find it? Better get to clickin', mateys.
Add to Queue: Weekly DVD Column
The Add to Queue DVD column gets top billing this week, because it brings with it a miracle of human joy: more Futurama. Unfortunately, even the best things have their downside. So let me ask: what the hell is wrong with you, Internet? Half the results I received for my Futurama image searches were cartoon porn. Are you really that hard up, Internet? Seriously?
Anime Blues: Weekly Anime Column
And for once I'm actually kind of intrigued by the anime on offer this week. Paprika's supposed to be complete great in the usual Satoshi Kon style -- which is good, maybe. Seven years later, I'm still shell-shocked from Perfect Blue. Also, I've given the anime column a new title. It's a lame name, admittedly, but that is what happens when the writer is insufficiently proactive about it. Tsk.
New Game +: Weekly Games Column
Aaaand at the other end of the spectrum is the weekly game release column. We are clearly past the pre-Black Friday salad days of yore, that's for certain.
This morning I saw a hunk of turkey carcass laying in the street. A small team of pigeons was eagerly picking away the meat, heedless of their vaguely cannibalistic actions.
I believe the tone for the coming week has been well and truly set.
I've decided to carry on the grim momentum with a new vow to myself: I shall learn to enjoy the SaGa games, or I will die trying. To that end, I ordered a copy of Unlimited SaGa as soon as I got to the office. On the plus side, it was only $2.80. On the down side, I could have bought a coffee for that money, and its brief caffeine perk would probably be more happiness than any SaGa game will ever bring. But by cracky, my mind is set. At least until my short attention span shifts to something less personally harmful, anyway.
In happier news, GameSpite Issue Two is shaping up to be so freaking epic that I'm gonna have to cleave it in twain. Forsooth, verily, etc. The first half should go up Wednesday. Unless it doesn't! Enjoy the crap shoot that is life.
Holy crap, I've run out of things to blog about. Here I was all set for a grand revival of the illustrated blog tradition and... nothin'. My brain is out of ammo and now I have to punch all those demons to death instead.
So long everyone, it's been real, etc.
Wow, are Sonic fans crazy or what?
Well, OK, maybe "crazy" isn't entirely fair. But their reaction to Sonic the Hedgehog 3's thumbs-down in this week's Retro Roundup surprised me with its vehemence.
I know, I know. I should know better by now. Open your mouth about a video game and someone's going to get their feelings hurt. And probably tell you to die of AIDS in a fiery car crash. But was my evaluation unfair? I'd never really spent any time with the game prior to this past weekend; back in the day I found that the first Sonic and its sequel were all I really needed to see of that particular style of gameplay unless some interesting changes were added to the formula. Sonic 3 didn't really look to add much. Now that I've played a good chunk of it, I stand corrected: it did add some things! All of which, alas, ruined the fun. The level designs are the worst offender, clearly having been crafted to impede any sense of speed or momentum -- the series' most essential fundament. Am I wrong? Please let me know in the comments; extra points for disproportionately bilious hatred!
Hey, look. I kinda wrote a review, sort of.
It is a review of the Zelda limited edition DS Lite. It is about what you'd expect: a wholly meaningless piece of commentary about the color gold. Right-o. Well, at least I have formal art training on my side? Er, yeah.
Anyway, it couldn't have arrived at a better time: my DS is in really terrible shape, what with me being the go-to guy for DS reviews these past three years. I treat my consoles like they were precious babies, but most babies don't suffer through three iterations of Elite Beat Agents and those stupid Lost in Blue games -- amounting to the poor thing's inevitable doom. (I don't get to keep it as my own, of course, but I will be using it for my DS reviews and previews for as long as I work at 1UP. And, uh, maybe using physical force against anyone who touches it.)
Your usual weekly celebrations of consumerism are here once again. Enjoy 'em while you can -- beginning next week, gaming goes right back into the crapper.
You might notice that the games column now has a title. I can't remember if this is what we actually agreed on or not, but I'm an arbitrary jerk and decided to go with it regardless. It's got moxie.
I was going to post a link to the big Wii anniversary edition Retro Roundup I wrote this morning, but then 1UP went offline so the tech team can add a new backend and database structure to make the site work better, or something lame like that. Feh.
Hey! I reviewed Revenant Wings. A couple of days ago, in fact. Sadly, this review score is much too close to the median to incite hatred or wrath.
I have to say, this is a game of ups and downs. My feelings about it have been all over the place: from high hopes (a sequel to Final Fantasy XII!) to atmospheric hopes (a sequel to Final Fantasy XII emphasizing gambit and summons!) to grim foreboding (it actually looks to play like Heroes of Mana) to crushing disappointment (it does play just like Heroes of Mana) to pleasant surprise (it's actually quite a bit different after you clear the first chapter or two).
So if you enjoy having your emotions toyed with, I can't recommend this game enough.
The failings in this week's episode of Retronauts can be pinned entirely upon me.
I was so occupied trying to quash Atari VCS cross-talk while wordlessly directing people to speak up (or pipe down, or wait their turn, or move their face closer to their mike) -- all while half-asleep -- that my role as a participant is downright disastrous. Especially since the topic is outside the purview of my own personal experience (through no fault of my own, but still.) So please forgive my aimless digressions, awkward interjections and frequent insertions of downright erroneous facts. I am a moron, but everyone else does a fine job.
In short: listen to them, ignore me. Thank you for your cooperation, citizen.
(Well, OK, it's not my fault Jenn arrived late and didn't have her own mike.)
I feel like I've posted about this before, but my research suggests that it would have been long before I switched over to this blog backend, which means any mention of these "mushrooms" would be lost to the aether. But yeah, scattered about San Francisco's downtown are these little water valves which someone has cunningly painted to resemble Mario's red-cap mushrooms. Charming! Nerdy! What a heckuva town, etc.
Or so I thought! Upon close examination this afternoon I realized that those white spots look much less like paint than they do bird droppings.
I assume this was the inspiration for the poison mushrooms in The Lost Levels.
Bonus joke: It was probably also the inspiration for the rest of Lost Levels' crappy gameplay, too.
I haven't written anything genuinely dumb in a while. So I figured, hey, why not celebrate the release of one of the best games in recent memory with something utterly stupid? That is how we roll in these parts, you see.
The Goomba
When was the last time you really stopped to think about this humblest of enemies, and what its role in the grand scheme of things really is? Never, I'll bet. You monster. This article endeavors to make up for your insensitivity, although it generally fails. But at least it means well. Which is more than I can say for you. I hope you're proud of yourself.
Well, maybe not "speaking in," but speaking of, certainly. Tongues are the common thread that joins this week's release columns -- well, that and DragonBall. But let's focus on tongues instead, as they are much less likely to make me hate the human race. How precisely tongues play into the images below I leave as a exercise for the reader:
Actually, come to think of it... Westley and Buttercup's kiss was the "most pure" ever, so I guess it's probably just lips for them.
OK, this post is built on a stupid, tasteless foundation. Almost as stupid and tasteless as DragonBall. I quit.
I'm sure a bunch of people are going to scream at me for thumbs-downing Axelay in the latest Retro Roundup... and honestly, I'm a bit surprised myself. When I heard it was on its way to Virtual Console last night, I dug up my copy and played a bit of it in anticipation. I was promptly stunned by how poorly it holds up compared to a whole lot of other shooters already available on VC. I mean, yeah, sure, the pseudo-3D effect is still pretty cool, but it's easy to see through the chicanery now that we have years of true 3D as a reference for comparison. Mode 7 makes for a pretty thin visual veneer these days, and when the underlying gameplay isn't all that great, what's the point?
I'm embarrassed to admit my affection for the game was entirely based on its graphics. I now make amends by means of a thumb pointing downwards against a field of angry red.
Also, to everyone who sent me money via PayPal for my spring cleaning project, I will be mailing your goods in the next couple of days. I just need to round up enough boxes, basically.
The only reason the high-definition format wars aren't the stupidest thing happening right now is that the rest of the world is even stupider and more screwed-up at the moment. If this Blu-ray/HD-DVD crap had gone down a decade ago, there'd have been riots in the street, public lynchings, who knows what else. The fact that companies are duking it out over the future of packaged content, heedless of the fact that digital downloads will completely obsolete both formats within a few years, is all the worse when you consider how many people will eventually end up with an obsolete player and expensive movies to go with it. Well, that's assuming one format or another actually wins out. Even Sony's execs call it a stalemate. Awesome!
But... watching Ratatouille in HD almost justifies the whole stupid ordeal.
The movie looks even better than I remembered, and I remembered it being the most beautifully animated film I've ever seen. I'm speaking as some who generally hates CG and would prefer hand-drawn animation over computerized 3D any day of the week. Ratatouille sidesteps my gag reflex by being gorgeous, lush, packed with detail and warmth and soul -- basically, by offering the things that are always missing in CG. It's one of those movies that moves at such a pace, with such energy, that your eye doesn't have time to process everything; I'm confident that I will watch this movie dozens of times, and that I will notice something different each time. Last night what caught my eye was the way the sodden copy of Anyone Can Cook! really and truly looked like wet pages. The dead leaves on the sidewalk along the Seine. The way that everyone on the kitchen staff is performing their assigned duty at their station during Remy's manic first foray into the restaurant, a detail you couldn't really appreciate the first time through since you weren't familiar with the characters.
My one complaint about having my own copy of Ratatouille is the inevitable weight gain. About halfway through my viewing last night I found myself in the kitchen digging up grapes, flatbread crisps and some smoked gouda. Audience participation.
It's also an even better movie than I originally thought -- an amazing pastiche of classic cartoons that brilliantly employs the tropes and types of the form without succumbing to cliché. So basically, CG and Blu-ray are stupid, with this glorious exception. The end.
I finally let myself give in to my curiosity and tried my hand at an after-hours Rock Band session. Since I have no sense of timing and no ability whatsoever to play anything even slightly resembling a musical instrument, I had to do the vocals. Which was painful for everyone... especially when I somehow nailed the high notes in "Tom Sawyer" perfectly. I don't think I'll have a voice for the next week or so.
I might actually be the only person at 1UP who doesn't have any sort of musical training or talent. It's kind of depressing! The closest I ever came to taking lessons was... well.
Yeah. I used it just enough to discover that computerized lessons are no substitute for an actual teacher. So, I suppose I will be sitting on the sidelines for the coming Rock Band frenzy, watching regretfully as everyone else ROCKS THE HELL OUT WOOO \m/
Edit: Huh, I just noticed that GameSetWatch linked here... for musical reasons. Is that irony? I can't tell. Anyway, if you are linking in I encourage you to check out GameSpite Issue 1. It's quality!
It's that time of year again -- the time when I take a look at my shelves and realize I own too much crap. Way too much, really. I'm clearing things out and taking a vow not to let it clog up like this ever again. Anyway, this means I have a stack of things to sell that I thought I'd list here before dealing with eBay. Two stacks, actually! Today is just the first one, the one in this here photo:
If something catches your eye, drop me a line at toastyfrog@gmail.com. We can work out shipping or whatever.
I suppose this is one way to monetize the site... but not a very effective one. Whatever. The list of crap I want to get rid of is behind the link below.
Also, I've reproduced the Retronauts "sorry we didn't make a podcast this week" Metal Storm blog in GameSpite form. You don't need to read this if you've already perused the 1UP blog, though.
Post continued after link >>
At long last, I can debut the fruits ofmy many people's labor: GameSpite Issue 1. Rather than continuing to post a single article everyday, which more or less transformed the entire site into a link aggregator, I've decided to try publishing reader contributions in batches. Issues, I'm calling them, because my mind is still locked in outmoded print-media paradigms. Really, though, lumping several articles together seems to work for HG101, and GameSpite is pretty much nothing if not a shameless ripoff of all of Kurt's work. So: Welcome to the MIMICRY. I haven't decided whether these will work best bi-weekly or monthly, but I think you will find things to enjoy regardless.
First, RedHedgehog launches a page dedicated to the MacVenture graphical adventure titles that Kemco-Seika ported to NES back in the day. We're still missing Uninvited, but everything else is present and accounted for, I think. Begin here for some background, and then move along to the following:
Déjà Vu
This is about as noir as it gets with the NES's candy-like color palette. The game's not as art deco-looking as the box, but Déjà's hardboiled quality mostly comes through in the gameplay and the terse text. Who knew strict 8-bit cartridge space limits could be a good thing?
Shadowgate
Shadowgate is the only one of the MacVenture games I ever bothered finishing, which is a shame because according to these articles it was the least interesting (and most clumsily-designed) of the bunch. I guess there's also something to be said for the pig-headedness of youth.
Next, Mightyblue kicks off a comprehensive look at the Breath of Fire series by alternately praising and damning the first two installments. Which one is praised, and which damned? I do not want to spoil this amazing surprise -- much like the Matrix, you must see it for yourself.
Breath of Fire
A lot of people harbor a deep and abiding resentment for the original Breath of Fire because they believe Square localized it in the place of Final Fantasy V. Be that as it may -- and indeed, it may be -- Square did at least give it a solid localization. Which is more than can be said for....
Breath of Fire II
Supposedly, Breath of Fire II is host to a damn fine RPG storyline. Some people say it's among the best of the 16-bit generation! I say, "Who can tell?" Regardless of BoFII's other qualities -- and Mightyblue expounds upon those in some detail! -- its English translation is among the absolute worst ever inflicted on a game. Quite a legacy!
Rhythm Heaven
I couldn't shut up about WarioWare's brilliance back in 2003. And while Nintendo has pretty much squandered the series' creative capital in a most Katamari-like manner, its inventive freshness lives on in Rhythm Heaven. Which, of course, never came to America. You oughta know by now:who needs a house out in Hackensack Nintendo hates your yankee guts so hard.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Lumber Baron takes another offbeat look at a gaming mainstay -- this time Twilight Princess, seen through the lens of the complaints that have been leveled in its direction over the past year.
Marvel Super Heroes
And Kolbe wraps it up for us with a gushing tribute to Marvel Super Heroes, that brief moment when Capcom found itself poised between the depth of DarkStalkers and the hyperactive stupidity of the Vs. games. That brief moment where all was well.
In Japan, ladies love Dr Pepper.
Maybe... maybe a little too much?
Oh dear.
It's another week, which means another batch of weekly release columns. This endeavor is shaping up nicely as a comfortable routine, a sort of clockwork project by which you may set your watch. And debit card.
Weekly Game Roundup
The fall release blitz is almost, almost over. Almost. But that means about three more weeks of holy crap how can I afford (let alone afford time for) all of these games, and that includes this week. My advice? Skip these and play Mario 3.
Add to Queue
When I saw Ratatouille, the first thing I thought after leaving the theatre -- besides "That was brilliant," -- was, "I absolutely cannot wait to see this on Blu-ray, as it will finally justify the high-definition format." Oh, and some other stuff is out this week, too. But, Ratatouille.
Weekly Anime Roundup
With this week's release of volume four, I think The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is finally over. I could be mistaken, however! I don't really pay close attention, even to the very few shows I actually follow. In any case, Haruhi has been a fun show -- nowhere near the masterpiece that its most fervent fans claim, but certainly not the Death of Art as its detractors would have you believe.
Hey guys, you know that Fun Club thing we do 'round these here parts?
You should jump aboard the Mario bandwagon this week. It's fun! In club form.
(See also: the latest Retro Roundup, now with even more obscure prog rock references.)
You know, the saddest thing to come out of all the Mario Galaxy hubbub over the past few days is the revelation that not enough kids know what West Side Story is. Bone up on your classics, kids.
Despite remaining confident that singing a bastardized song from an old movie musical about Mario is a terrible idea, I've decided not to go into hiding after all. I shall face up to the music, so to speak. 1UP Show producer Ryan O'Donnell let it slip that the whole thing was my idea, so I can't pretend I was coerced, either. So, yeah. Just my luck to toss out a stupid idea that fell into line with something he's wanted to do with the show for ages -- an all-singing, all-dancing episode. I drew the line at dancing, though. Looking all mooney-eyed, Tony style, was disgraceful enough.
Yeah. D'oh.
Still, I like the idea of "Second Street Story," detailing the bitter feud between the Nets and the Sharkeys -- employees of rivals C|net and Ziff-Davis, thrust by fate into a narrow corridor of the same block in the ghettos bordering San Francisco's cutthroat financial district. On one side of the dividing line, the Nets believe that videogames are consumer commodities and should be evaluated accordingly, without regard for individual passion or interest. On the other side, the Sharkeys are hard-livin' ruffians who see gaming as a personal, social experience to be extemporized upon from the heart. And the forbidden romance that tears them apart.
Of course, there will be songs.
When you're a Net
You're a Net all the way
And your tone's corporate
When you write about games
See? Pure gold in the making.
The rest of the Internet is free to argue itself sick over my Mario Galaxy review, which is probably enjoying a little too much attention as it's bizarrely the only review currently available from a major site, so far as I can tell. Personally, I'm happier with that article than with anything else I've written this year, so all the petty snipery the Internet has to offer can't prevent me from taking satisfaction in having drafted an acceptably eloquent evaluation of an exceptional game. Besides, I'd much rather focus my energy on appreciating a little thing I like to call "The reason they invented American money." Which in other circles is known as....
Pimp Daddy Destro.
If bizarre obsessions with the numbers on videogame reviews is one of the more obnoxious failings of Internet culture, Pimp Daddy Destro is one of its more notable (albeit useless) triumphs. The story goes like this:
Many years ago, Hasbro designed a really garish version of villainous G.I. Joe mainstay Destro and actually went so far as to manufacture and ship a few hundred of them before coming to their senses and realizing, "This is a horrible idea." And it was! Just look at it. Thus was "Destro" upgraded to "destroyed." But, the Internet being what it is, this misbegotten toy has become a thing of folklore among a small Internet circle of fans, celebrated in verse and interpretive dance. So Hasbro inexplicably decided that the best way to celebrate their toy line's quarter-century anniversary was not to focus on something that most fans would recognize from, say, the cartoon or movie or comic book. No! Rather, the company has chosen to recreate the Pimp Daddy Destro toy. It is a gloriously stupid decision and a marvelously garish piece of plastic.
I'm keeping mine in the package, but only until I can find a feathered hat and cane in the proper scale.
I had an amusing idea for a Mario Galaxy preview the other day -- 10 reasons the game could maybe be a "perfect 10." A harmless way to get people talking about whether or not it's really that good, I figured... utterly failing to take into account that on the Internet another person's every utterance about a videogame is immediately assumed to be fraught with bias and conspiracy. Also, there's the thing about the 10 score not actually meaning "perfect" at our site, which the text clarified but was inevitably confusing to people who aren't really familiar with 1UP's way of doing things. So yeah, bad idea, and I am contrite for my lapse in judgment. Please to enjoy instead 10 reasons why, uh, Mario Galaxy could be incredible.
Of course, the new title is, in my opinion, even more disingenuous. Because while Mario Galaxy could turn out to be a 10, maybe, anyone who's played a fair amount of the game can tell you that it is very definitely incredible. But what can ya do.
Well, anyway. Speaking of Mario, I think this link should lead you to a Retronauts episode about the little guy's 8-bit games. Yeah, we managed to record one late yesterday, despite our Tuesday conflict. I also recorded something intensely humiliating for Friday's 1UP Show, something so ridiculous and foolish that I will never, ever live it down. I'll be moving to a remote cave over the weekend in order to hide from civilization. It's been fun, everyone, but after today you will never hear from me again.
System's twilight
30 November 07 | 10:46 | Posted by:
The site -- this site -- is supposed to be going offline for a few hours tonight while my webhost relocates the servers or something. So if it vanishes, don't worry. It wasn't fired over a disagreeable review or anything.
Also, I'd like to take a moment to assure all GameSpite contributors that I, as owner of this site, will never bow to advertiser pressure and sack you for a negative review, no matter how critical it may be.
category: blog | forums |
17 comments |
§
GameSpite: Issue 2
28 November 07 | 12:36 | Posted by:
Hey kids, it's the second issue of the GameSpite online magazine. Which is slowly transforming into a replacement for the lost-to-life's-unhappy-changes ToastyFrog Zine, it would seem. This issue has mutated dramatically over the past week or so, transforming from a big round-up of all sorts of things to something very specifically centered around Final Fantasy's 20th anniversary (which happens in about three weeks on the the Japan side of the ocean). This ties in neatly with next week's big-ass retrospective at 1UP, I guess, and also tidily frees the site up to talk about less obvious things. It also means the third issue will be along quite soon, since I had to push a bunch of completed articles aside to make for a nice, tidy theme. So! Let us begin.
The Final Fantasy series hub page isn't quite complete, but it's off to a decent start. Which is something, I guess.
Final FantasyUs old-timers remember well Nintendo Power's (vaguely manic) determination to hype the living insanity out of the original Final Fantasy. Mightyblue kicks things off by revisiting the game in a quest to determine whether hype in 1990 translates to playable goodness in 2007.
Final Fantasy PortmaniaAnd as a side stop on the Final Fantasy retrospective route that MapQuest planned out for Mightyblue: A look at all the various and sundry ports of Final Fantasy. Which (if any) are worthy of the series' legacy? And which are pretty much complete crap cashing in on a big name?
Final Fantasy IIINext, wumpwoast pontificates on the merits of Final Fantasy III. Mainly he focuses on last year's DS remake, although a cosmetic downgrade is available for those who prefer the original Famicom edition.
Final Fantasy IVA journey into the mind of Torgo to study the merits and demerits of the game that effectively defined what the Final Fantasy series would be. Don't worry, it's safe. He's not the Torgo from Manos: Hand of Fate." Or is he?
Final Fantasy IV AdvanceNah, he's not. He also provides a detailed analysis of the good and bad of the most recent iteration of the game, its GBA incarnation. Note that this is only "most recent" for another couple of weeks, when the DS remake arrives in Japan. Ah, Square. Also: a look at FFIV's genre-defining cast. How many stereotypes can you spot?
Final Fantasy VINext, bobservo reevaluates fan-favorite entry Final Fantasy VI with the cynical eye of grim adulthood. Does the game wither under his baleful gaze, or does it flourish? Only by reading will you know for sure.
Final Fantasy VIIIOur look at the eighth Final Fantasy comes from chud_666, who, despite the name, is not actually a man-eating hellbeast hiding in America's sewers. Or if he is, he does a pretty good job of keeping abreast of and writing about video games.
Final Fantasy IX: Fantasy Made RealityKolbe sent a carrier pigeon from Mexico (it was cheaper than using post). Attached to its leg was not a full-fledged review of Final Fantasy IX, but rather a specific look at the game's strongest elements: its characters and themes. I was never that crazy about FFIX, but who doesn't love Vivi?
Final Fantasy XIIAnd finally, I decided to contribute something myself. Unfortunately, it's merely a long, rambling and ultimately pointless discourse on Final Fantasy XII -- and not even one as fun as that old Advent Children review, since all the vituperation has been replaced with something akin to glowing affection. A nice reminder of why the word count limits at 1UP and EGM are such a good idea.
category: games, gamespite | forums |
23 comments |
§
Master of puppies
26 November 07 | 15:09 | Posted by:
Just kidding. This update contains exactly zero puppies. It does have a kitten, though. Can you find it? Better get to clickin', mateys.
Add to Queue: Weekly DVD ColumnThe Add to Queue DVD column gets top billing this week, because it brings with it a miracle of human joy: more Futurama. Unfortunately, even the best things have their downside. So let me ask: what the hell is wrong with you, Internet? Half the results I received for my Futurama image searches were cartoon porn. Are you really that hard up, Internet? Seriously?
Anime Blues: Weekly Anime ColumnAnd for once I'm actually kind of intrigued by the anime on offer this week. Paprika's supposed to be complete great in the usual Satoshi Kon style -- which is good, maybe. Seven years later, I'm still shell-shocked from Perfect Blue. Also, I've given the anime column a new title. It's a lame name, admittedly, but that is what happens when the writer is insufficiently proactive about it. Tsk.
New Game +: Weekly Games ColumnAaaand at the other end of the spectrum is the weekly game release column. We are clearly past the pre-Black Friday salad days of yore, that's for certain.
category: blog | forums |
fifteen comments |
§
An omen
26 November 07 | 10:48 | Posted by:
This morning I saw a hunk of turkey carcass laying in the street. A small team of pigeons was eagerly picking away the meat, heedless of their vaguely cannibalistic actions.
I believe the tone for the coming week has been well and truly set.
I've decided to carry on the grim momentum with a new vow to myself: I shall learn to enjoy the SaGa games, or I will die trying. To that end, I ordered a copy of Unlimited SaGa as soon as I got to the office. On the plus side, it was only $2.80. On the down side, I could have bought a coffee for that money, and its brief caffeine perk would probably be more happiness than any SaGa game will ever bring. But by cracky, my mind is set. At least until my short attention span shifts to something less personally harmful, anyway.
In happier news, GameSpite Issue Two is shaping up to be so freaking epic that I'm gonna have to cleave it in twain. Forsooth, verily, etc. The first half should go up Wednesday. Unless it doesn't! Enjoy the crap shoot that is life.
category: games | forums |
37 comments |
§
The well is dry
24 November 07 | 17:16 | Posted by:
Holy crap, I've run out of things to blog about. Here I was all set for a grand revival of the illustrated blog tradition and... nothin'. My brain is out of ammo and now I have to punch all those demons to death instead.
So long everyone, it's been real, etc.
category: blog | forums |
fifteen comments |
§
Spin-dashing into madness
21 November 07 | 08:00 | Posted by:
Wow, are Sonic fans crazy or what?
Well, OK, maybe "crazy" isn't entirely fair. But their reaction to Sonic the Hedgehog 3's thumbs-down in this week's Retro Roundup surprised me with its vehemence.
I know, I know. I should know better by now. Open your mouth about a video game and someone's going to get their feelings hurt. And probably tell you to die of AIDS in a fiery car crash. But was my evaluation unfair? I'd never really spent any time with the game prior to this past weekend; back in the day I found that the first Sonic and its sequel were all I really needed to see of that particular style of gameplay unless some interesting changes were added to the formula. Sonic 3 didn't really look to add much. Now that I've played a good chunk of it, I stand corrected: it did add some things! All of which, alas, ruined the fun. The level designs are the worst offender, clearly having been crafted to impede any sense of speed or momentum -- the series' most essential fundament. Am I wrong? Please let me know in the comments; extra points for disproportionately bilious hatred!
category: games | forums |
54 comments |
§
A bling to the past
20 November 07 | 21:25 | Posted by:
Hey, look. I kinda wrote a review, sort of.
It is a review of the Zelda limited edition DS Lite. It is about what you'd expect: a wholly meaningless piece of commentary about the color gold. Right-o. Well, at least I have formal art training on my side? Er, yeah.
Anyway, it couldn't have arrived at a better time: my DS is in really terrible shape, what with me being the go-to guy for DS reviews these past three years. I treat my consoles like they were precious babies, but most babies don't suffer through three iterations of Elite Beat Agents and those stupid Lost in Blue games -- amounting to the poor thing's inevitable doom. (I don't get to keep it as my own, of course, but I will be using it for my DS reviews and previews for as long as I work at 1UP. And, uh, maybe using physical force against anyone who touches it.)
category: games | forums |
ten comments |
§
How I spent my summer paycheck
19 November 07 | 22:34 | Posted by:
Your usual weekly celebrations of consumerism are here once again. Enjoy 'em while you can -- beginning next week, gaming goes right back into the crapper.
You might notice that the games column now has a title. I can't remember if this is what we actually agreed on or not, but I'm an arbitrary jerk and decided to go with it regardless. It's got moxie.
I was going to post a link to the big Wii anniversary edition Retro Roundup I wrote this morning, but then 1UP went offline so the tech team can add a new backend and database structure to make the site work better, or something lame like that. Feh.
Revenant, sans revulsion
16 November 07 | 16:58 | Posted by:
Hey! I reviewed Revenant Wings. A couple of days ago, in fact. Sadly, this review score is much too close to the median to incite hatred or wrath.
I have to say, this is a game of ups and downs. My feelings about it have been all over the place: from high hopes (a sequel to Final Fantasy XII!) to atmospheric hopes (a sequel to Final Fantasy XII emphasizing gambit and summons!) to grim foreboding (it actually looks to play like Heroes of Mana) to crushing disappointment (it does play just like Heroes of Mana) to pleasant surprise (it's actually quite a bit different after you clear the first chapter or two).
So if you enjoy having your emotions toyed with, I can't recommend this game enough.
category: games | forums |
19 comments |
§
Retronumbskull
15 November 07 | 12:15 | Posted by:
The failings in this week's episode of Retronauts can be pinned entirely upon me.
I was so occupied trying to quash Atari VCS cross-talk while wordlessly directing people to speak up (or pipe down, or wait their turn, or move their face closer to their mike) -- all while half-asleep -- that my role as a participant is downright disastrous. Especially since the topic is outside the purview of my own personal experience (through no fault of my own, but still.) So please forgive my aimless digressions, awkward interjections and frequent insertions of downright erroneous facts. I am a moron, but everyone else does a fine job.
In short: listen to them, ignore me. Thank you for your cooperation, citizen.
(Well, OK, it's not my fault Jenn arrived late and didn't have her own mike.)
category: blog | forums |
24 comments |
§
Magical dropping
14 November 07 | 15:11 | Posted by:
I feel like I've posted about this before, but my research suggests that it would have been long before I switched over to this blog backend, which means any mention of these "mushrooms" would be lost to the aether. But yeah, scattered about San Francisco's downtown are these little water valves which someone has cunningly painted to resemble Mario's red-cap mushrooms. Charming! Nerdy! What a heckuva town, etc.Or so I thought! Upon close examination this afternoon I realized that those white spots look much less like paint than they do bird droppings.
I assume this was the inspiration for the poison mushrooms in The Lost Levels.
Bonus joke: It was probably also the inspiration for the rest of Lost Levels' crappy gameplay, too.
category: blog | forums |
fourteen comments |
§
Consider the Goombas of the field
13 November 07 | 10:02 | Posted by:
I haven't written anything genuinely dumb in a while. So I figured, hey, why not celebrate the release of one of the best games in recent memory with something utterly stupid? That is how we roll in these parts, you see.
The GoombaWhen was the last time you really stopped to think about this humblest of enemies, and what its role in the grand scheme of things really is? Never, I'll bet. You monster. This article endeavors to make up for your insensitivity, although it generally fails. But at least it means well. Which is more than I can say for you. I hope you're proud of yourself.
category: games | forums |
33 comments |
§
Speaking in tongues
12 November 07 | 17:32 | Posted by:
Well, maybe not "speaking in," but speaking of, certainly. Tongues are the common thread that joins this week's release columns -- well, that and DragonBall. But let's focus on tongues instead, as they are much less likely to make me hate the human race. How precisely tongues play into the images below I leave as a exercise for the reader:
Actually, come to think of it... Westley and Buttercup's kiss was the "most pure" ever, so I guess it's probably just lips for them.
OK, this post is built on a stupid, tasteless foundation. Almost as stupid and tasteless as DragonBall. I quit.
category: film, games | forums |
seven comments |
§
Axe me no questions
12 November 07 | 12:18 | Posted by:
I'm sure a bunch of people are going to scream at me for thumbs-downing Axelay in the latest Retro Roundup... and honestly, I'm a bit surprised myself. When I heard it was on its way to Virtual Console last night, I dug up my copy and played a bit of it in anticipation. I was promptly stunned by how poorly it holds up compared to a whole lot of other shooters already available on VC. I mean, yeah, sure, the pseudo-3D effect is still pretty cool, but it's easy to see through the chicanery now that we have years of true 3D as a reference for comparison. Mode 7 makes for a pretty thin visual veneer these days, and when the underlying gameplay isn't all that great, what's the point?
I'm embarrassed to admit my affection for the game was entirely based on its graphics. I now make amends by means of a thumb pointing downwards against a field of angry red.
Also, to everyone who sent me money via PayPal for my spring cleaning project, I will be mailing your goods in the next couple of days. I just need to round up enough boxes, basically.
category: games | forums |
sixteen comments |
§
"I once killed a man... with this thumb."
11 November 07 | 11:09 | Posted by:
The only reason the high-definition format wars aren't the stupidest thing happening right now is that the rest of the world is even stupider and more screwed-up at the moment. If this Blu-ray/HD-DVD crap had gone down a decade ago, there'd have been riots in the street, public lynchings, who knows what else. The fact that companies are duking it out over the future of packaged content, heedless of the fact that digital downloads will completely obsolete both formats within a few years, is all the worse when you consider how many people will eventually end up with an obsolete player and expensive movies to go with it. Well, that's assuming one format or another actually wins out. Even Sony's execs call it a stalemate. Awesome!
But... watching Ratatouille in HD almost justifies the whole stupid ordeal.
The movie looks even better than I remembered, and I remembered it being the most beautifully animated film I've ever seen. I'm speaking as some who generally hates CG and would prefer hand-drawn animation over computerized 3D any day of the week. Ratatouille sidesteps my gag reflex by being gorgeous, lush, packed with detail and warmth and soul -- basically, by offering the things that are always missing in CG. It's one of those movies that moves at such a pace, with such energy, that your eye doesn't have time to process everything; I'm confident that I will watch this movie dozens of times, and that I will notice something different each time. Last night what caught my eye was the way the sodden copy of Anyone Can Cook! really and truly looked like wet pages. The dead leaves on the sidewalk along the Seine. The way that everyone on the kitchen staff is performing their assigned duty at their station during Remy's manic first foray into the restaurant, a detail you couldn't really appreciate the first time through since you weren't familiar with the characters.
My one complaint about having my own copy of Ratatouille is the inevitable weight gain. About halfway through my viewing last night I found myself in the kitchen digging up grapes, flatbread crisps and some smoked gouda. Audience participation.
It's also an even better movie than I originally thought -- an amazing pastiche of classic cartoons that brilliantly employs the tropes and types of the form without succumbing to cliché. So basically, CG and Blu-ray are stupid, with this glorious exception. The end.
category: media | forums |
19 comments |
§
Catch the fish
10 November 07 | 09:41 | Posted by:
I finally let myself give in to my curiosity and tried my hand at an after-hours Rock Band session. Since I have no sense of timing and no ability whatsoever to play anything even slightly resembling a musical instrument, I had to do the vocals. Which was painful for everyone... especially when I somehow nailed the high notes in "Tom Sawyer" perfectly. I don't think I'll have a voice for the next week or so.
I might actually be the only person at 1UP who doesn't have any sort of musical training or talent. It's kind of depressing! The closest I ever came to taking lessons was... well.
Yeah. I used it just enough to discover that computerized lessons are no substitute for an actual teacher. So, I suppose I will be sitting on the sidelines for the coming Rock Band frenzy, watching regretfully as everyone else ROCKS THE HELL OUT WOOO \m/
Edit: Huh, I just noticed that GameSetWatch linked here... for musical reasons. Is that irony? I can't tell. Anyway, if you are linking in I encourage you to check out GameSpite Issue 1. It's quality!
category: games | forums |
ten comments |
§
Spring cleaning (in autumn)
08 November 07 | 07:00 | Posted by:
It's that time of year again -- the time when I take a look at my shelves and realize I own too much crap. Way too much, really. I'm clearing things out and taking a vow not to let it clog up like this ever again. Anyway, this means I have a stack of things to sell that I thought I'd list here before dealing with eBay. Two stacks, actually! Today is just the first one, the one in this here photo:
If something catches your eye, drop me a line at toastyfrog@gmail.com. We can work out shipping or whatever.
I suppose this is one way to monetize the site... but not a very effective one. Whatever. The list of crap I want to get rid of is behind the link below.
Also, I've reproduced the Retronauts "sorry we didn't make a podcast this week" Metal Storm blog in GameSpite form. You don't need to read this if you've already perused the 1UP blog, though.
Post continued after link >>
category: blog | forums |
19 comments |
§
GameSpite: Issue 1
07 November 07 | 10:00 | Posted by:
At long last, I can debut the fruits of
First, RedHedgehog launches a page dedicated to the MacVenture graphical adventure titles that Kemco-Seika ported to NES back in the day. We're still missing Uninvited, but everything else is present and accounted for, I think. Begin here for some background, and then move along to the following:
Déjà VuThis is about as noir as it gets with the NES's candy-like color palette. The game's not as art deco-looking as the box, but Déjà's hardboiled quality mostly comes through in the gameplay and the terse text. Who knew strict 8-bit cartridge space limits could be a good thing?
ShadowgateShadowgate is the only one of the MacVenture games I ever bothered finishing, which is a shame because according to these articles it was the least interesting (and most clumsily-designed) of the bunch. I guess there's also something to be said for the pig-headedness of youth.
Next, Mightyblue kicks off a comprehensive look at the Breath of Fire series by alternately praising and damning the first two installments. Which one is praised, and which damned? I do not want to spoil this amazing surprise -- much like the Matrix, you must see it for yourself.
Breath of FireA lot of people harbor a deep and abiding resentment for the original Breath of Fire because they believe Square localized it in the place of Final Fantasy V. Be that as it may -- and indeed, it may be -- Square did at least give it a solid localization. Which is more than can be said for....
Breath of Fire IISupposedly, Breath of Fire II is host to a damn fine RPG storyline. Some people say it's among the best of the 16-bit generation! I say, "Who can tell?" Regardless of BoFII's other qualities -- and Mightyblue expounds upon those in some detail! -- its English translation is among the absolute worst ever inflicted on a game. Quite a legacy!
Rhythm HeavenI couldn't shut up about WarioWare's brilliance back in 2003. And while Nintendo has pretty much squandered the series' creative capital in a most Katamari-like manner, its inventive freshness lives on in Rhythm Heaven. Which, of course, never came to America. You oughta know by now:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessLumber Baron takes another offbeat look at a gaming mainstay -- this time Twilight Princess, seen through the lens of the complaints that have been leveled in its direction over the past year.
Marvel Super HeroesAnd Kolbe wraps it up for us with a gushing tribute to Marvel Super Heroes, that brief moment when Capcom found itself poised between the depth of DarkStalkers and the hyperactive stupidity of the Vs. games. That brief moment where all was well.
category: comic, games, gamespite | forums |
29 comments |
§
TGS Backwash: Good! Taste!! (or not)
06 November 07 | 15:08 | Posted by:
In Japan, ladies love Dr Pepper.
Maybe... maybe a little too much?
Oh dear.
category: blog | forums |
27 comments |
§
Top o' the Week
05 November 07 | 20:54 | Posted by:
It's another week, which means another batch of weekly release columns. This endeavor is shaping up nicely as a comfortable routine, a sort of clockwork project by which you may set your watch. And debit card.
Weekly Game RoundupThe fall release blitz is almost, almost over. Almost. But that means about three more weeks of holy crap how can I afford (let alone afford time for) all of these games, and that includes this week. My advice? Skip these and play Mario 3.
Add to QueueWhen I saw Ratatouille, the first thing I thought after leaving the theatre -- besides "That was brilliant," -- was, "I absolutely cannot wait to see this on Blu-ray, as it will finally justify the high-definition format." Oh, and some other stuff is out this week, too. But, Ratatouille.
Weekly Anime RoundupWith this week's release of volume four, I think The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is finally over. I could be mistaken, however! I don't really pay close attention, even to the very few shows I actually follow. In any case, Haruhi has been a fun show -- nowhere near the masterpiece that its most fervent fans claim, but certainly not the Death of Art as its detractors would have you believe.
category: blog | forums |
seven comments |
§
Clubbing you with fun
05 November 07 | 11:00 | Posted by:
Hey guys, you know that Fun Club thing we do 'round these here parts?
You should jump aboard the Mario bandwagon this week. It's fun! In club form.
(See also: the latest Retro Roundup, now with even more obscure prog rock references.)
category: games | forums |
eight comments |
§
Around the corner, or whistlin' down the river
04 November 07 | 19:43 | Posted by:
You know, the saddest thing to come out of all the Mario Galaxy hubbub over the past few days is the revelation that not enough kids know what West Side Story is. Bone up on your classics, kids.
Despite remaining confident that singing a bastardized song from an old movie musical about Mario is a terrible idea, I've decided not to go into hiding after all. I shall face up to the music, so to speak. 1UP Show producer Ryan O'Donnell let it slip that the whole thing was my idea, so I can't pretend I was coerced, either. So, yeah. Just my luck to toss out a stupid idea that fell into line with something he's wanted to do with the show for ages -- an all-singing, all-dancing episode. I drew the line at dancing, though. Looking all mooney-eyed, Tony style, was disgraceful enough.
Yeah. D'oh.
Still, I like the idea of "Second Street Story," detailing the bitter feud between the Nets and the Sharkeys -- employees of rivals C|net and Ziff-Davis, thrust by fate into a narrow corridor of the same block in the ghettos bordering San Francisco's cutthroat financial district. On one side of the dividing line, the Nets believe that videogames are consumer commodities and should be evaluated accordingly, without regard for individual passion or interest. On the other side, the Sharkeys are hard-livin' ruffians who see gaming as a personal, social experience to be extemporized upon from the heart. And the forbidden romance that tears them apart.
Of course, there will be songs.
When you're a Net
You're a Net all the way
And your tone's corporate
When you write about games
See? Pure gold in the making.
category: blog | forums |
28 comments |
§
Destro sez: "Where's my money?"
03 November 07 | 11:40 | Posted by:
The rest of the Internet is free to argue itself sick over my Mario Galaxy review, which is probably enjoying a little too much attention as it's bizarrely the only review currently available from a major site, so far as I can tell. Personally, I'm happier with that article than with anything else I've written this year, so all the petty snipery the Internet has to offer can't prevent me from taking satisfaction in having drafted an acceptably eloquent evaluation of an exceptional game. Besides, I'd much rather focus my energy on appreciating a little thing I like to call "The reason they invented American money." Which in other circles is known as....
Pimp Daddy Destro.If bizarre obsessions with the numbers on videogame reviews is one of the more obnoxious failings of Internet culture, Pimp Daddy Destro is one of its more notable (albeit useless) triumphs. The story goes like this:
Many years ago, Hasbro designed a really garish version of villainous G.I. Joe mainstay Destro and actually went so far as to manufacture and ship a few hundred of them before coming to their senses and realizing, "This is a horrible idea." And it was! Just look at it. Thus was "Destro" upgraded to "destroyed." But, the Internet being what it is, this misbegotten toy has become a thing of folklore among a small Internet circle of fans, celebrated in verse and interpretive dance. So Hasbro inexplicably decided that the best way to celebrate their toy line's quarter-century anniversary was not to focus on something that most fans would recognize from, say, the cartoon or movie or comic book. No! Rather, the company has chosen to recreate the Pimp Daddy Destro toy. It is a gloriously stupid decision and a marvelously garish piece of plastic.
I'm keeping mine in the package, but only until I can find a feathered hat and cane in the proper scale.
category: blog | forums |
33 comments |
§
Also not the best day
01 November 07 | 12:33 | Posted by:
I had an amusing idea for a Mario Galaxy preview the other day -- 10 reasons the game could maybe be a "perfect 10." A harmless way to get people talking about whether or not it's really that good, I figured... utterly failing to take into account that on the Internet another person's every utterance about a videogame is immediately assumed to be fraught with bias and conspiracy. Also, there's the thing about the 10 score not actually meaning "perfect" at our site, which the text clarified but was inevitably confusing to people who aren't really familiar with 1UP's way of doing things. So yeah, bad idea, and I am contrite for my lapse in judgment. Please to enjoy instead 10 reasons why, uh, Mario Galaxy could be incredible.
Of course, the new title is, in my opinion, even more disingenuous. Because while Mario Galaxy could turn out to be a 10, maybe, anyone who's played a fair amount of the game can tell you that it is very definitely incredible. But what can ya do.
Well, anyway. Speaking of Mario, I think this link should lead you to a Retronauts episode about the little guy's 8-bit games. Yeah, we managed to record one late yesterday, despite our Tuesday conflict. I also recorded something intensely humiliating for Friday's 1UP Show, something so ridiculous and foolish that I will never, ever live it down. I'll be moving to a remote cave over the weekend in order to hide from civilization. It's been fun, everyone, but after today you will never hear from me again.
category: games | forums |
41 comments |
§