When McDonalds and garbage are your only options, what do you choose?

To make a “hardcore” game, clearly these days all you need to do rehash an old FPS engine, like say, the Unreal Tournament engine. Next, you rehash the story, like alien bugs invading Earth. Nobody’s thought of that one before. Now, add online and with some pretty bloom lighting and there you have the majority of today’s hardcore FPS games.

Unfortunately most of today’s “casual” games are just as bad.

And other then those two categories, we have shovelware… yeah.

So I’m really at a loss here. There are still some gems, but honestly every generation gets worse and worse. I thought Nintendo’s Wii would finally revive it and show developers that a great game takes time, dedication, and originality; not bloom lighting, an FPS genre, and online multiplayer. Well, unfortunately, when the green started flowing into Nintendo HQ, somewhere along the lines they forgot their original fanbase.

I’ve honestly considered lowering my standards these days due to the lack-luster performance of most games. World of Goo, Braid, LittleBigPlanet, and some others have been some truly great, original, and innovative additions to our collection. But every generation I see less and less of these gems. And even less actually become a franchise because nobody will give them chance.

What is wrong with gamers these days?

When Banjo Kazooie came out on Xbox Live Arcade, even with the enhanced graphics, people still said “Games looked that ugly back then?” Have they forgotten their history? Their roots? Has Microsoft’s blatant Nintendo-bashings [see: the very end of BK Nuts&Bolts trailer and Microsoft's statements regarding the Mii clones of NXE] turned everybody with a 360 or PS3 into a “HATE WII LOVE FPS; UH HOW I SHOOT? WHERE X BUTTON? WHAT IS STRATEGY YOU SPEAK OF??” stereotype that we vowed so hard not to become?

And has Nintendo’s lack of any real games since Brawl (Mario Kart was practically a remake) turned everybody with a Wii into a “I guess bad games can be good!” type of person who has spent so long begging under the table with no food that they have moved to the garbage can.

So either we are starving mutts or cavemen.

What do we do now? How can we change the course of a fledgling industry?

We as Nintendo fans know this is true. If you as a Nintendo fan or fanboy don’t, you are in denial. But the rest of the gamers have been too caught up in crap to know. When they finally start losing interest in FPS games they will start begging for something new, and it won’t be there. Then they will learn of what we know. Notice how all the hate Halo 3 got? And now Gears 2? It’s already starting. The people who have been hating on it are huge 360 fans! (Maybe not fanboys though). They hated on it because it was very repetitive, and after 15 years of the same games, it’s understandable why.

So as you can see it’s starting. The industry was briefly revived when Nintendo showed the Wii’s games for the first time. But now, they have abandoned the industry. And Microsoft is just a giant bag of hot air now, and Sony is just reconciling what they once had.

If only hardcore gamers weren’t so blinded by this blatant sight of shit in front of them! Abre los ojos

LittleBig Tautologistics

While passing through Kotaku, I stumbled upon a simple, yet deft, Youtube video of LittleBigPlanet. LittleBigPlanet is the PS3’s biggest and, besides Metal Gear 4, only hypefest. Well, a rather Mathmetically inclined individual decided to construct a calculator within LBP’s level editor limitations. The calculator can only add or subtract two double-digit numbers, but this is easier said than done. At the end of the video, the player shows you what went into this little calculator. Never have so many XOR, AND, and OR gates been seen in one multiplexer. Using Over 9000 around 600 pistons, connectors, and spinners, the man was able to construct an entire working bus of buffers, adders, half adders, and an I/O stream of Carry flags. Impressive work. Video below:

Well, that’s blows off some cobwebs. I’ll be back in another month when I have more worthwhile information. In the mean time, keep masturbating.

Gaming: Spore Is Released Tomorrow (Plus Rant)

I feel terrible about not being able to do updates like I used to. It’s very hard with my current time restrictions. It’s not an excuse any more, it’s the truth. And it’s not just that, but my emotional moral has been somewhat low lately.

Not to go too in depth (well, so much for that), but let’s just say that I am pissed off at society’s mediocrity. I wish people would stop taking things for granted and actually try. And work. I’m sick of people not trying and getting admired for it, when others work their asses off almost everyday (and night) and get no recognition. And you know who you are. All of you. Deep down, you know if you are lazy or not. So think about it, think about how good you’ve got it, if you are reading this, then it probably means you do have it good. So don’t bitch like I am right now; instead, pull your balls down and start working. When you’re not working, why not study? I don’t get why people hate learning. I find it absolutely fascinating. I live in America. And despite the shit going down right now, I’ve got it better than most people do. So you know what? I’m not gonna take that for granted. I’m gonna use my gift to study, learn, and generally better the world. And when somebody knocks me down, I’m gonna get right back up. Nothing more needs to be said. They are the weak, and I am the strong. And don’t let love fuck with you. Love is great, but knowledge is greater. Love is candy, and knowledge is meat. Which is better for you?

So yeah, Spore comes out tomorrow. Looks really fun, especially for the casual gamer. According some reviews, the game is VERY good. Except for the gameplay. The kicker is that it is just too shallow. I myself haven’t played it, but I will let you guys know how it is when I get it tomorrow. You can, however, download it from Pirate Bay (I’m not giving a link) if you don’t want to wait or have other problems. Keep in mind that EA heavily cracks down on pirates. And that this is an online game.

Also, 76% of woman comprise the casuals. So do you think that most woman will love Spore and idolize it as the greatest game ever? It won’t happen if they release a game called “The Heartbroken.” Also, I thought the irony of the dominatrix used as the main picture in the article was funny.

PS: Christian Screamo is real.
No, I didn’t believe it until I heard it.

Video Game Music That Never made it to NG — Part 2

Finally. I am writing this. Sorry it took so long. But first off, I would like to say: WOW! Thanks for the view spike! 27 hits in one day! It may not sound like much, but my last two blogs I had were lucky to get 3 hits in a day! Thanks a lot people for reading! It really helps motivate me to write these. Anyways, here’s part deux, enjoy.

Teehee Valley Theme (Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga) — I liked this one a lot. Didn’t take me long to make neither. The lead is a synth string combined with a flute, and it begins with some marcato strings too. The percussion is some conga samples I found searching the netz.

Ayla’s Theme (Chrono Trigger) — SNEEK PEAK GUISE!!! This one I shall upload this one to NG very soon. Why not now? I want to upload it when Chrono Trigger DS comes out as an homage to it. I am very pleased with the overall outcome…except for the compression. The trumpet is in the -3DB no-safe zone for starters, and I didn’t even throw in Limiter or Maximus. Maybe I shall change that before I upload it to NG.

Big Blue (F-Zero Melee Remix) — A remix I did…for a remix. I made this one a long time ago, and as you can tell, the age shows. It’s not horrible, worth a listen, but that’s about it. You might like it better than I do…A lot of people have. You can’t beat that guitar solo, but man, if only I knew what I know now… I could make it sound so much better. I could always go back and update it, but I rarely do that, because I have a firm belief that once you finish it, it’s done.

Zeal Palace Remix (Chrono Trigger) A little hip-hop, synthy remix of Zeal Palace. Another homage I’ll be uploading to NG soon for Chrono Trigger DS’s release! So here’s your sneak peak. The sitar is recorded midi. If only I could afford Sounds of India…

Some Kirby 64 Theme — Yeah, I don’t remember what it was! LOL! I made this is one a long time ago so that’s why! How do you like the synths though? Are they delicious? Hm? Hmm? HMMM? Mah wooden synth is delicious!

Metroid Techno (Brinstar Melee Remix) — You can understand why I don’t upload remixes OF remixes, right? Anyways, this one is just awesome! It works so well! I would kudos myself, but then I would look like an arrogant fool. My only complaint is that weak snare…but I think everything else makes up for it.

Alright! That’s it! I guess I should upload some of my OWN work now huh? Then the haters won’t get mad me… Well, look forward to that soon!

Analyzing: Wind Waker Ocean Theme

The first 8 measures at least. I’m pretty sure it’s 8 measures.

One thing I do for fun, as you know, is try to recreate music. Some themes like the Wind Waker Ocean Theme are pretty complicated, so for those, I just do one part. In this case, the intro. And I must say, this intro is genius. Kudos Koji Kondo, kudos.

First off, let’s break it down. If you have the game, fire up your GCN and set sail and start listening to the theme…lol.

Okay, so the main thing you’ll notice is that repetitious string theme. It repeats eight times, once per measure, before it goes into the brass part. I must say, these 4 notes — just 4 notes — are played so perfectly and fit so well with the game it’s absolutely incredible. If you want to play it yourself, the theme looks like this:

Holy fucking shit. A wave. A fucking wave. What in this game is not a damn wave?!

Can you believe that the theme is actually a wave? A fucking wave?? What in this game is not a damn wave! Everywhere you look — waves! Yes, the main intro theme indeed resembles an ocean wave…Wow. That is so awesome on so many scales. And it sounds so good. Damn that Kondo; damn that man!

When I heard it using headphones, I noticed it was panned about 25% to the right; however, it had a very “full sound” to it. After some further, deeper listening, I noticed there was a deep brass playing the same wave theme about 25% to the left. Pretty sure that’s a tuba, but it could be a very low brass ensemble.

Of course, the same thing repeated 8 times does get dull, even if it is awesome. Some strings were added as harmony to negate this and establish mood. And the mood was set pretty well. The chords gave it a very “It’s a bright and glorious day!” kind of thing, lol. These were panned pretty extreme to the left, like 50-60% probably. To put the icing on the cake harmony, a french horn plays on the extreme right. Very extreme. 70 to 80% territory no doubt. It plays a constant note, A probably, and kind of sets a feeling of…peace. It plays on the third wave melody thing, and then restarts every two wave melodies…if that makes any sense, lol.

Lastly, what better way to represent waves crashing against the boat then with percussion! Both involve hitting something, after all. The timpani plays a simple “dummm” every measure, and on every other measure a “du-dummm” which really gives a feeling of hard waves hitting the boat. It is also accompanied by a snare drum, which emulates the lighter waves hitting the boat…all while retaining awesome music!

Can you believe that not only did Koji Kondo create such an awesome tune, but one that fits so well with its setting?! I mean, wow. Pretty damn awesome.

I took the liberty of remaking this first part too. Not quite as good as the actual theme, but I did try.