Friday Night Retro: Jet Force Gemini

Once upon a time, video games used to be difficult. Now, I’m not talking about difficult in terms of faulty controls or infuriating design. I’m talking about the fact that gameplay used to actually be a challenge. Let’s face it, today’s gamers are soft because today’s games are too easy. (With the possible exception of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls) Gone are the days when you had to spend hours trying to master a game, progressing inch by slow inch through an area as hordes of enemies tried to end your character’s puny existence, replaced with games that baby you, and the only danger is that you might accidentally fall to your death. Strategy and intricacy have taken a back seat to beautiful graphics and brute force, and even when you beat a game, it doesn’t seem to mean as much because you didn’t really have to try too hard. So let’s take a look back at one of the hardest games I recall from my childhood, Jet Force Gemini.

Music Review: Super Ponybeat

Before I review this music album, I have a confession to make. I am a Brony. For those of you who are unaware of the term, a Brony is a person, usually male and in their teens or 20s, who watches the TV show “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” You may gasp, you may ask, “But isn’t that a show for little girls?!” Yes. Yes it is. The whole purpose of the Brony movement is to prove that just because something is marketed to a certain audience doesn’t mean a completely different audience that has nothing in common with the first group can’t enjoy it as well. It’s about shedding off the limitations of stereotypes and what is considered “right” and “wrong” for someone to do. Me, I just love the characters, and the story, and the animation… pretty much everything about it. But I digress. As the fanbase for a show grows, it only becomes natural that those fans become more and more involved with the show on an independent scale, which is where the album for this week’s review originated from T. Stebbins, entitled “Super Ponybeat.”

Maniacal Monday: Seymour, from Final Fantasy X

The Final Fantasy game franchise is widely regarded as one of the best RPG series’ of all time.  And with over thirty game titles to their name, it’s certainly one of the largest. The first Final Fantasy was released in 1987 in Japan, as a last-ditch attempt to save the Square company from bankruptcy, and it quickly grew one of the largest fanbases in videogame history. Each new title in the main series brings an entirely new story, a new battle system, and new characters. Like any good story, however, it needs  good antagonists. And one of the most intriguing is Maester Seymour, from FFX.

Rondelet on Autumn

Autumn comes now,

A pleasant chill pervades the air.

Autumn comes now

That summer is gone and winds plough

Through the light clothes we once wore. Fair

Is the breeze that harkens winter.

Autumn comes now.

Friday Night Retro: The Lion King

Disney certainly has quite a relationship with animals, in many different ways. Sometimes, they can talk. Sometimes, they help the protagonist clean a house. Other times, animals will take center stage. When they do, Disney will be pushing the message of the wonders of nature, while wooing us with wonderful art and scenery. They give us equal amounts of laughter, awe, and sadness, as we learn the tough reality of life. No movie better exemplifies this than Disney’s The Lion King.

Maniacal Monday: Gilderoy Lockhart, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

What can I say about the Harry Potter books besides the fact that I think they are some of the best things to ever happen to this world? Well, I guess that says it all, really. And like in any decent story, Harry Potter has his fair share of enemies. From the maniacal Lord Voldemort to the control freak Dolores Umbridge, the villains of the Wizarding World are diverse and colorful, each bringing their own brand of evil to the table. And before we return to the more sinister villains that I love, I thought it would be nice to end our little trip into the world of humor with the wonderful character known as Gilderoy Lockhart.

Eidolons of Gran Pulse - Brynhildr

By the grace of Etro, warrior maiden be drawn by the fires of battle.
Come forth, wreathed in blazing glory.
Your Rousing Inferno terrorizes all with your fury,
Discouraging those who would seek to quarrel.
The Ethereal Blaze that surrounds your vessel
Shall burn to cinders any who provoke thee,
And with ease, your enemies shall swiftly foresee
The demise of those who with Eidolons meddle.

As you burst forth swiftly, racing through
Your enemies, they will with dying groans exclaim,
As you follow your powerful master's bidding.
Múspell Flame, burn those who dare challenge you.
A name in blood, a pact of flame.
Brynhildr shall rise, her bond eternal and unyielding.

Eidolons of Gran Pulse - Odin

By grace of Etro, let thunder herald your arrival.
Come forth, sunderer of falsehood.
Allow no evil to remain, struck down by good,
Struck down by you, thou lightning-bound angel.
The world remains in a state of peril,
Besieged by enemies vicious and crude.
They tremble before thee, bright-shining, and hued,
As they wait for a punishment cruel.

Gallop into the sunset swiftly,
As the story follows in futile pursuit.
The end will nigh find itself coming.
Zantetsuken, annihilate all those unworthy.
A name in blood, a pact of truth.
Odin shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding.

Friday Night Retro: Mario Party

Within the seemingly endless number of videogame and videogame sequels popping up this year, it’s nice to fall back on familiar classics that everyone knows. And easily the most recognizable videogame character is Mario, that pudgy Italian plumber that’s always one step behind his eternal rival Bowser and his lovely lady Princess Peach. He is Nintendo’s poster-character, and is synonymous with old-school gaming. He has aged quite a bit better than most of his 8-bit friends like Sonic, but we all remember and love him during his early years. Nintendo has always been about multiplayer games, and so it’s no surprise that their most famous franchise has dozens of games designed specifically for party play, even one that literally calls itself that: Mario Party.

Maniacal Monday: Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast

Disney is full of the most wonderful stories of our generation. But “The Happiest Place On Earth” certainly has some of the most frightening villains as well. From the insane Cruella de Vil to the pious Minister Frollo, Disney certainly knows how to play to the fears of all people. However, not all Disney villains are quite as obvious as the audience is led to believe at the beginning of their films, at least not until they show their true colors near the climax of the movie. Many times, they seem like a genuinely good guy, or just an annoying character that serves to set the events in motion. “Beauty and the Beast” illustrates this perfectly with Gaston.

Friday Night Retro: The Powerpuff Girls

Cartoon Network was my deity while growing up. The sheer number of animated television series they had during the 90’s was amazing, and I enjoyed watching nearly all of them. While some of the shows annoyed me to the point where I wanted to punch my TV – like Ed, Edd, n Eddy – the vast majority of these shows were entertaining to watch, and had such personality than more recent television series can’t seem to match. Whether it was merely an explosion of animated talent or that today’s writers adhere to stereotypes, sacrificing quality for ratings, I do not know, but I can certainly thank Cartoon Network for the show The Powerpuff Girls.

Maniacal Monday: Dr. Nefarious, from Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

This week, we’ll be taking a break from the heavy, terrifying villains in favor of a more comedic villain. When it comes to bad guys in the world of comedy, their actions tend to be over-the-top and farcical. Their plans are crazy, and are usually either horribly convoluted to the point where you have NO idea how it works, or so spectacularly simple that you wonder where they learned how to be evil in the first place. Just like normal villains, however, they have just as varied and deep a background as any other (usually) and are the driving force behind the plot of the story. Enter Dr. Nefarious, from the Ratchet & Clank game series.

Friday Night Retro: Fiddler on the Roof

Growing up, many of the things to which I was exposed was as a direct result of my parents rather than what was popular at the time. When other kids were watching Power Rangers, I was watching Monty Python. When they were listening to N’Sync, I was listening to The Beatles. And by far, one of the more memorable movie/musicals I recall from my childhood was the epic tale of The Fiddler On The Roof. The tragic story of a Jewish family in the small Russian town of Anatevka, as the main character, Tevye, struggles to hold onto the traditions of his faith in a rapidly changing world around the turn of the 20^th century, from his daughters to the oppressive regime of the Russian Tsar. Phenomenal casting and a wonderful script combine to create an experience that is difficult to forget.