Psychotic Informer - 8/23/11

 

 1. You know what’s always fun? Official modular game controllers. It’s amazing to have full customizable control over your controller for maximum comfort to get that edge that you can’t get with just a regular controller. And today, a new Xbox 360 customizable controller has been announced by Mad Catz. It gives you amazing customizability as well as weight control. Called the MLG Pro-Circuit Controller, it will be usable on the 360 as well as the PS3, but it mostly resembles an Xbox controller so let’s just call it that for the sake of writing. The controller comes with four joysticks, two PS3 and two 360 in case for some reason you like both on the same controller, and two d-pads, a PS3 and a 360. There’s also a weight pack in the center where you can add up to 70 grams of weight if you’re into that kind of thing. What do you think? Would you buy this Mad Catz controller? (For more information, read the full article) 

 

2. Stop for a moment. Think with me. Could you imagine...a 3DS without the 3D? Yes, a console called the S. No, not really, but it sounds like something Nintendo would do. I’ll get back to that in a second. Usually around this time Nintendo has their annual press conference in Tokyo before their big release season, and this year is no different. But this year, according to various sources, it’s just going to be a 3DS conference. People are speculating that they’ll be announcing a bunch of new games and a new 3DS model. The ‘new model’ is rumored to take out the emphasis on the 3D, or even take the 3D completely out of the system. It would also have a 2nd analog pad. If this is true, I will rage so freakin’ hard. If it’s true then basically Nintendo is screwing early adopters of the 3DS so hard with a new model. But this is just my opinion. What do you think? (For more information, read the full article)

Psychotic Informer - 8/21/11

 

 

1. Wow, first post in a week. First up, some Sony news. Almost directly a year after the last price cut, the PS3 is being marked down by $50 again! The new price of $250 is already in stores, so if you don’t have a PS3 you should buy one. There are a few games I’ve been wanting lately that are PS3 exclusive (God of War: Origins, anyone?) so I might pick one up myself sometime. This news comes after the fact that a new model of PSP has been announced. The E-1000 as it’s called will be like the regular PSP line, except it won’t have any Wifi connection which will mean no Internet Browser or PSN. Now why would you want this? Because it’s only $99! That’s a really good deal considering DSLites run for $120 and don’t have Wifi. What do you think? Would you buy the E-1000 PSP for $99 even though it doesn’t have Wifi? (For more information, read the full article)

2. More new console announcements, but this time from Nintendo! Nintendo has announced that it will be remaking the Wii, sort of like the toploader for the NES. The new version will lay horizontal instead of vertical and will lose Gamecube compatibility. The bundle will come with Wii Party and Wii Sports, a Wiimote Plus and a nunchuk. No price was given in the announcement. What do you think? Would you buy this Wii without any Gamecube compatibility? (For more information, read the full article)

 

 

3. Xenoblade news! The game has gone on sale in Europe, and there is some good news for people who want it in America. The game is being sold out in stores all across Europe and it will be a few weeks until there is enough copies for everyone. So Nintendo has underestimated their fans again and didn’t make enough copies. Excellent. But this is good news for people like me who really want the game, because as I said last week they would sell the game in America if they sold enough copies in Europe, and it looks like that is bound to happen! But in the meantime, you can always import the European version and use custom homebrew to play it. What do you think? Will the game get released in America? (For more information, read the full article)

 

4. Just Dance 1 and 2 are very popular games. So popular, in fact, that 2 was the #1 3rd party Wii game of all time. But this game is going to be better because it is going be on PS3 for the Move and 360 for the Kinect. The game comes out fairly soon, October 11th to be precise. The tracklist for the game has now been revealed! The artists include Kiss, Katy Perry, Queen, Tommy Sparks and Nelly Furtado. For the songs they have in the game and all the other songs, read the full tracklist here.

Psychotic Informer - 8/14/11

 

1. Here’s an interesting question: What if you had a multiplayer game without actually having other players? Sounds kind of dumb, right? Well, everything has to happen eventually, and today it has! Nintendo has filed a patent for ‘Massively Single-Player Online games’, or MSPOG for short. Basically it will work like this: everybody belongs to one big world, but you can’t see anybody else playing. If someone would build a house, you would see the house, but not them building it or living in it. They can add or destroy your world but you never actually see them doing anything. This sounds kind of interesting, and I might pick up the first game Nintendo makes out of this. People have been saying it could be a Pokemon game, where a person’s team of Pokemon gets placed into the game just as a trainer at the side of the road. Or a Harvest Moon game, where everyone has their own farm and you can trade crops or animals. What do you think about the MSPOG? Does it sound interesting to you? (For more information, read the full article)

2. Sonic 4 is a game that people have been waiting for forever. Episode 1 of the game was a success, but now people want more! What’s been taking so long for Episode 2 of this game? Well, that hasn’t been announced, but Sega still says the game is on the road! Some information about the game is supposed to be coming out in the next few days, so just hang tight! Some people were speculating the Sonic 4 project turned into Sonic Generations, but according to Sega this is not true and that is a completely different project. What do you think? Would you want Sonic 4 Episode 2? (For more information, read the full article)

 

3. Operation Rainfall is an organization that is trying to get certain games localized to America, like Xenoblade, the game I featured in my last post. The first phase of it is complete, and that was signing petitions and other stuff like it. But phase two is about to start, and some of you should get in on it! Basically, phase 2 works like this: All Europeans will buy Xenoblade when it comes out in Europe on the 19th, and then all Americans will buy Final Fantasy 1 for Virtual Console on the 19th and make a massive sale peak so Nintendo will notice that there’s a love for RPGs in America. If you already have FF1 for VC, you’re just supposed to gift it to a friend or donate the $5 you spent on it to Child’s Play. So yeah, you should do that if you’re into those games. Or just want Final Fantasy 1. Or something. (For specific details, read the full article)

VGM of the Day #24: Disco a GoGo

I haven't hopped on the First Person Shooter bandwagon. I've never seen the mass appeal in the genre, nor do I find entertainment in playing such a game. With the influx of FPS's that have been crowding the video game market as of late, I should think that there's something that I'm missing here, some driving factor that fuels people to buy installment after installment. Maybe it's that I don't like dying without ever seeing my assailant. Maybe it's that I don't like cooperating with a team, or having an outcome determined that's largely out of my control. I don't get it.

As with most anything I say, there are of course exceptions to this rule. One FPS series that I love to death is TimeSplitters. It's not really an online experience of any description, but more just a great gather-around-with-a-bunch-of-friends-and-kill-each-other kinda game. The plot is fresh, funny and entertaining, the gameplay fast-paced and exciting, and it has great music to boot.

(Speaking of which, I noticed that many FPS's nowadays don't have much music at all, at least during online sessions. I understand that this is mostly so you can hear either the gunshots or footsteps or whatever, but can you freaking throw in some ambiance at least?)

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect's Disco stage is one of bright lights, hectic action and close quarters, nicely accentuated by this groovy number by Graeme Norgate. It's like the '70s all over again, and it captures the vibe it's aiming for in spades. Adding to each firefight in a way I can't really describe, I would pick this stage every time when I had friends over. Good times.

Future Perfect was the third installment in the TimeSplitters series, and to my knowledge the last. Maybe if a fourth entry were released I'd have less to complain about in this genre.

Psychotic Informer - 8/11/11

 

 1. Two 3DS stories are going to be condensed into one clump! First off, getting sick of your black or blue 3DS? Good news, everyone! A new color of 3DS has been announced! Flame Red will be the new design color for the 3DS. As you can see in the picture above, it looks pretty cool. It will be $170 and will hit the shelves September 9th, the same day as Star Fox 64. There are no plans for a Star Fox 64 package, but oh well. The other news is that Nintendo has said that there won’t be a 3DS Lite for a many number of years, if at all, probably because of the crappy sales so far, but they didn’t give a real reason why. So, Flame Red 3DS (It totally would’ve been Fire Red if not for Pokémon) and no 3DS Lite. What do you think? What other 3DS colors should they release? Would you want a 3DS Lite? (For more information, read the full articles here and here)

2. Investors have told Nintendo that they shouldn’t focus so much on their own consoles and games for their consoles but instead focus on making games for the iOS platform. They are saying they should be porting their existing content and making new games for iPhone and Android shops. Other companies already do this, like with Lego Harry Potter and Sonic 4 Episode 1. Nintendo has responded and said they will never make or port content to consoles that they didn’t create themselves. What do you think? Should Nintendo make games for iOS? (For more information, read the full article)

 

 

 3. Does anybody in America want Xenoblade for the Wii? Devastated by the fact it has been said many times that it won’t be released here? Well, after months of protest from gamers, Reggie Fils-Amie (the president of Nintendo) has said that there might be a chance the game will be released here, but only if the sales are extremely good in Europe. So the pressure is on those Europeans to make the game extremely successful so we Americans get it. I really hope the game gets released here because I really want it. What do you think? Will this game ever be imported here? (For more information, read the full article)

4. For people who own 3DSes, this is just a reminder to go onto the eShop today to register yourself for the Ambassador program and get the 20 free games later this year. So go do that. Or go to Wal-Mart, buy a 3DS, then do it. Just remember to do it by tonight or you won’t get your 20 free games!

VGM of the Day #23: Taskmaster's Theme

Marvel vs Capcom 3. The smash hit series that had lied dormant for a decade emerged back onto the scene earlier this year, and the fans couldn't be happier. Two completely different universes coming together to do battle once again in one of the most hyped up sequels of all time. The game doesn't disappoint, introducing both new fighters to the series and bringing back old crowd favorites. And Phoenix.

The music for the most part left me hanging. Lots of grating techno abound, both uninspired and largely forgettable. There are exceptions to this however, as I was taken aback by the themes of Amaterasu, Arthur, Taskmaster, and Haggar, to name a few.

Taskmaster's a professional criminal / supervillain with the powers of photographic reflexes. Anything you can do, he can do better. He sees something once and can do it himself with the greatest of ease. One could only imagine what would happen were Taskmaster to enter a fray full of the Earth's greatest fighters and heroes.

His moveset's really quite impressive, taking moves from Captain America, Spiderman, Hawkeye and even Viewtiful Joe. BUT ANYWAYS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THEME

Taskmaster's theme is the perfect fit for the character. Surely it's only fitting for a villain who can easily copy the moves of crime fighters to have a really heroic theme? Bass and percussion that mean business fight for attention with the main melody, neither wanting to be overlooked. The piece overall is dramatic and catchy, and I really like what they did with it.

I don't use Taskmaster in Marvel vs Capcom 3 myself, but I've faced many a Tasky player online, enough to tell you that he's a dangerous force in the right hands. His addition to the roster is a memorable one, and hopefully he'll show up in more games with this under his belt.

VGM of the Day #22: Treasure Trove Cove

I remember when I got my N64 for Christmas way back in the day. I only had three games at first, as I recall: Pokemon Stadium, Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. It was like a whole new world; pumped up graphics, better audio, three dimensions, and for the most part (at the time) a more enjoyable experience than the preceding generation of consoles. THE CONTROLLER SUCKS TO THIS DAY BUT MOVING ON

Banjo-Kazooie was the one game out of the three that caught my attention the most. Mario was old and stale to me, and Pokemon Stadium required too much thinking for my juvenile brain to handle, whereas Banjo-Kazooie was a simple adventure between a bear and a bird. The graphics were crisp and colorful, the gameplay and controls tight, and the music. Dude, the music.

Grant Kirkhope did an amazing job on the entire soundtrack, but I'll just use Treasure Trove Cove in this case. Usually if a xylophone would be in a song at all, it would have a minor role in the piece somewhere, but here it freaking steals the show. It serves as the main melody in some places, and the background in others. It's all over the place and breathes life into the track, which does a splendid job of delivering that day-at-the-beach feel. The xylophone's a recurring element throughout the rest of the soundtrack, and the entirety of it is catchy and delightful.

You know what? I still haven't beaten Banjo-Tooie. Maybe I oughta get on that, if only for more tunes like this.

ps nutsandboltsdoesntexist

Psychotic Informer - 8/9/11

 

 1. Release dates, ahoy! Well, not dates, but release periods. The highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is coming out ‘as soon as possible in 2012.’ Also in that time frame will be Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, so look forward to that! But now, some KH3D news. The game is supposed to have “the flashiest motion in the series”, fully utilizing the 3DS engine and the graphics. They’re worried it might not sell well because it might be hard for new people to get into it, because the first game came out almost 10 years ago. They’re planning to stop this problem in whatever they make for their 10th anniversary. They said they’ll be making an “HD Tactical test”, which could maybe an HD remake of KH1 and 2. We’ll find out soon! What do you think? (For more information, read the full article)

2. Talk about a good way to earn money! Wal-Mart put their 3DSes on sale to $170 three days before everyone else. What does this mean? People can buy the 3DS for cheap AND still get the 20 free games. Talk about a rip-off for the people who bought it at full price. But it was a pretty smart move for Wal-Mart, because everybody is going to buy 3DSes there instead of other retailers for obvious reasons, thus giving Wal-Mart a lot more sales. Smart move, Wal-Mart. Just don’t rip pre-existing 3DS owners off anymore, thanks. (For more information, read the full article)

 

3. Now, some of you may not know this, for reasons I’ll explain in the next few sentences, but last week was Metroid’s 25th anniversary. What has Nintendo got planned for us? A new Metroid game? How about a 3D remake of the original Metroid? ...At least porting the Game Boy version to the 3DS eShop? ...Nothing? Really. Nothing was planned by Nintendo for Metroid’s 25th Anniversary. What losers. But really, because of this, a group released their CD of Metroid music remixes. The best part? The download is absolutely FREE! There’s even a perfectly legal torrent of it, and that never happens in this day and age. But for you people without computers (how you are reading this I have no idea) or just like collector’s items, you can get the physical copy that comes with several posters for only $12! I’m listening to the album as I write this, and it’s pretty legit. So go download it here. NOW.

Psychotic Informer - 8/7/11

 

 1. Some Cave Story 3D news for today (that’s right, back to the old 3DS shtick)! The developers squashed some rumors about the game today in an interview. When asked about how much the game was going to vary from the original version they said that there weren’t going to be any new stages, but the existing stages would contain more secrets (more Curly panties, anyone?) and they would be extended. In Nintendo Power it said the original game would be unlocked after you beat the 3D version, but now they say there wasn’t enough space on the cartridge so they had to remove it. I hope they really used the extra space to their advantage and made a great remake of Cave Story. What do you think? Are you excited for this game? Is it good that they’re adding more secrets and extending the stages? (For more information, read the full article)

2. Everybody loves it when Sony blows things out of proportions, right? Today in South Africa a man was arrested in the world’s first “PS3 circumvention raid.” During the raid the South African police officials went to this guy’s house and took $14,000 worth of computers, PS3s, hard drives, and jail broken systems. All because the guy wanted to jail break his PS3. That’s just crazy in my opinion. Instead of focusing on good games and services all they care about is that no one jailbreaks their console. He wasn’t, you know, hacking PSN or anything. What do you think? Is it right to barge into a person’s home and arrest him for jail breaking his console? (For more information, read the full article)

 

 

3. When I picked up a Kinect a few weeks ago, I immediately noticed one problem: there isn’t enough space in my game room for this thing! The Kinect recommends standing 6-10 feet away from the camera. Who has that kind of room? I have about 7 feet, and that’s IF I move all the furniture around, it’s crazy. But with this new product called the Nyko Zoom, it cuts out the space necessary by 40%. Now this could be a great thing, except that it is going to cost $30. Basically $30 for a camera lens that you stick to the front of your camera. I’m not sure if I want to pick one up because it is possible to play, I just gotta move all the furniture around and $30 isn’t a good alternative to laziness. The Zoom comes out Sept. 13th. What do you think? Is the Nyko Zoom a good deal? (For more information, read the full article)

VGM of the Day #21: Planet Wisp (Act 1)

I grew up with Sonic. I've been there with the little blue furball since his debut on the Sega Genesis, so it was pretty painful for me to see his fall from grace. Sonic The Hedgehog '06, Sonic Unleashed...it was like one big shit-storm game after game, and even I haven't dared swim in that unstable current. With Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1's relatively poor reception, I had feared that that was the final nail in the coffin of one of my favorite gaming mascots. Then Sonic Colors came out.

Sonic Colors was actually...good. It was down to business again; no need for this extensive cast of drab characters and convoluted plot, it was just Sonic and Tails thwarting Eggman's plans like the good ol' days. I was ecstatic. Turns out the rest of the world was, too, as the game was received with largely positive reviews. Sonic was back from the dead, so to speak.

The game's music is amazing as well, like this track from Kenichi Tokoi. Solid piano work throughout the piece keeps my inner chillax mentality satisfied, while the driving beat still manages to hold its weight to the fast pace of the game. It's a great combination of action and leisure, and I love that in a song. It's one of those tracks you can just chill to, maybe do your homework, or just fill the dead air around you.

Sonic Colors was a step in the right direction, but the blue blur's got a lot of ground to make up if he wants to get back in this race. With Sonic Generations coming out soon, maybe, just maybe, he'll be back on the scene for good. I certainly hope so.

Remember that you can send any VGM requests you have to vgmoftheday@yahoo.com , and it may be selected to face the wrath of my critique!

VGM of the Day #20: Puzzle Plank Galaxy

FREAKING RODEOS IN SPACE WHAT IS GOING ON

Now, I've never played either Super Mario Galaxy game, so it's possible that I'm missing some context here, but this track is pretty silly to me. There's nothing wrong with that by any means; in fact, that's the best thing about it. It's like a freaking square dance in space, a combination so unorthodox that I can't help but just roll with it.

Being the violin aficionado that I am, it's refreshing to see it being used in an upbeat manner every now and then, and the supporting bass is bouncy and cheerful. It's a mix of several unlikely qualities that when combined together totally work out, and knowing Nintendo it's probably implemented to great effect.

Maybe I should go and get the Galaxy games. Of course I've heard great things about them, and have read a review here and there, but music's one of the key things I base my opinions on. Super Mario Galaxy's got some great music, from what I can see.

Psychotic Informer - 8/5/11

 1. Woo hoo, Skyrim news! I am pumped for this game! The collector’s edition just makes be even more pumped. For a gruelling $150 (it’s all good, though, it’s sort of worth it!) you get a leather-bound art book, a DVD about the making of the game, and a freakin’ 12 inch high dragon! ...Alright, I lied, all that isn’t worth $150, but it’s a dragon! How can you refuse a dragon? All of these can be seen in the image above (click it to see the full-sized image!). What do you think? Are all these things awesome? Is this package worth $150 compared to the regular $60 pricetag? And most of all, are you excited for Elder Scrolls V? (For more information, read the full article)

2. When Notch filed a trademark for Minecraft, he also filed another trademark for a future game called ‘Scrolls’. Well, the team behind the Elder Scrolls series (Bethesda) is threatening Mojang with a lawsuit over their trademarked title, you guessed it, the Elder Scrolls series. They will sue Mojang if they don’t change the trademark to the game. What do you think? Does Bethesda own the rights to the word Scrolls? Do you think it is right for them to sue a company just because their titles share the same word? (For more information, read the full article)

3. Whatever happened to Spyro the Dragon? The first one was perfect. Just a simple little collect-a-thon game that was fun and had good mechanics. The second was more of the same, and it was amazing. Then they started getting crappy. And I mean really crappy. The new trailer for the new game Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure...it makes we want to cry. It’s just really horrible. Who thought of this, really? But what do you think? Is it as dumb as I think it looks?

VGM of the Day #19: Ieyasu Tokugawa's Theme

Ever heard of Sengoku Basara? Great, me neither.

It wasn't until the third entry in the series (subtitled "Samurai Heroes" in the US) that I caught wind of its existence, taking place in feudal Japan. It's a lot like Koei's Samurai Warriors series, only hyped up to the eyeballs on crack; ridiculous moves and combos, off-the-wall characters, a convoluted storyline loosely based off of real events and a distinct style in telling it. Fun game.

The main plot seems to revolve around the famous warlords Ieyasu Tokugawa and Mitsunari Ishida. In Samurai Warriors, the direction they went in with the story made Mitsunari come off as a pretty likeable guy, with Ieyasu being kind of a jerk. That angle has taken a complete 180 in Capcom's Sengoku Basara, starring Ieyasu as the protagonist trying to unify Japan and bring with it an era of peace. Mitsunari is portrayed as an addled general hell-bent on getting revenge for the death of his ruler, Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Ieyasu's theme embodies that burning drive to achieve his goals with flying colors, the dramatic air of the piece marking an end of an era when this finally plays in the final battle of his storyline. It's an all-or-nothing battle to determine the fate of the country, and this expresses the urgency of the situation very well. The brief guitar riff in the beginning let you know that shit's about to get real. It doesn't disappoint.

I wonder if the first two Sengoku Basara games were ever released Stateside. This game's got my interest piqued, and tracks like these keep me coming back for more.

The Verdict: Did my homework to this shit once. Got an A.

Psychotic Informer - 8/4/11

  
1. Great news today for Borderlands fans! Just announced, there is going to be a Borderlands 2! For the 360, PS3 and PC (I’m surprised no Wii U, since they said the game will be coming out in the 2012-2013 range), the game will continue right where Borderlands 1 left off. Adding new abilities and characters you will exploring the previously unexplored areas of the mysterious land of Pandora. Not a lot is known about this game yet, but in a few weeks the game will be featured at Gamescom in Germany, so stay tuned for information about Borderlands 2! I honestly know nothing about the series, but who knows? Maybe I’ll pick them both up someday! What do you think? Is Borderlands worthy of a sequel? Would you buy it? (For more information, read the full article)

2.  Since the recent Norway slaughter the Norwegians have been taking a lot of precautions, including taking video games off the store shelves. Not all video games, of course, just the ones Breivik used for his ‘training-simulations’. These games include: The Call of Duty series, World of Warcraft and other war FPSes. The officials say that the removal will only be temporary, but they might have to think twice about what games they let into the country. What do you think about this? I personally think that this is kind of wrong and people should be able to buy whatever games they want. It’s adding insult to injury, in my opinion. But I want to hear your opinions, because it’s a very interesting topic. (For more information, read the full article) 

3. Because everybody rips off of Nintendo, Sony is doing it again! Their new Playstation Vita will have the ability to double as a Playstation 3 controller. Sound similar to anything? How about the Wii U? Well, in Sony’s defense the Wii U controller is actually a controller, not doubling as a controller. But using a touchscreen to play games on a console and having the ability to stream the Vita games to the PS3 and vice-versa sounds oddly suspicious. But they couldn’t have possible copied Nintendo, because no one knew about the Wii U until a few weeks before E3. Unless they’re time travelers, but now I’m just being dumb. But what do you think? Is Sony copying Nintendo? (For more information, read the full article)

There, I did an entire post without mentioning the 3DS! ...crap.

VGM of the Day #18: Gluttony Fang

There comes along every so often, a character in a video game that's just that perfect kind of evil. Be it demented psychopaths like Kefka from FFVI (Suck it Sephiroth), or more direct evildoers like Bowser or Ganondorf, they find a way to weasel into our hearts, for better or worse. BlazBlue's got one of those guys. His name is Hazama.

Hazama, although having a generic plan to destroy all existence as we know it, has won fans over for a different reason - he's a complete dick.

Yep, he's a real silver-tongued bastard; always has the perfect thing to say to press the BlazBlue casts' buttons, and then laughing in their face about it. Quick with one-liners and even direct quotes from other popular media (WHY SO SERIOUS), it's easy to hate the guy, but easier to love. He's the closest thing to a video game troll we've seen in years, and he's captured the hearts of fans and other trolls alike with his outspoken antics.

With the introduction out of the way, we can talk about his theme song. Daisuke Ishiwatari's got his name written all over this track, going crazy with the guitar, complemented with fast-paced bass and the occasional death metal scream. My personal favorite bits are the piano bars, adding flashes of color to the piece no matter how brief they may be. I don't expect much else from Ishiwatari, but he's an expert in the craft, even if predictable. It fits Hazama quite well nonetheless; hardcore and a little crazy, but well planned out and one of the more memorable tracks in the game.

Playing every time Hazama enters the room, this track can grow on a guy pretty quickly. Hazama's much the same way himself, and if you disagree, umad.

The Verdict: Some of Ishiwatari's finer work, and one of the best songs in the game.

Don't forget to drop your VGM requests at vgmoftheday@yahoo.com , and your song might be chosen for my next blog post!

Psychotic Informer - 8/2/11

 

1. Remember last week when I said that Namco-Bandai’s new game ‘Pac-Man And Galaga Dimensions’ had save data that wasn’t erasable? Apparently they were being dumb that day, because they confirmed it there. But now it turns out you actually can! "There has been a miscommunication at our level. Thanks for understanding," said the company’s publisher. The way to remove the save data is to simply press all the face buttons and the triggers (XYBALR). Sounds simple enough. So how come everyone thought it was impossible? Because apparently everyone is out to destroy the 3DS for who knows what reason, so everyone thinks the worst possible thing. What do you think? Why did everyone think it was impossible to remove the save data? (For more information, read the full article)

2. Some sad news today. Chris Staniforth, a lovely 20-year-old chap from the good ol’ country of England died back in May. It’s been announced that he died of blood clots from playing too many video games. Apparently, he had 12 hour gaming sessions everyday and his blood started to clot. This type of blood clot usually occurs when you’re on long flights or car rides, but it happened to him because he played games for 12 hours. Usually when you play games for that long of time you get up to get food and go to the bathroom, so it shouldn’t happen. Chris, however, had suffered from former blood problems, so he clotted easily. What do you think? If the guy had former blood problems, do you think he should’ve been sitting down for 12 hours a day? (For more information, read the full article)

 

3. Some more sad news concerning Mega Man Legends 3. Their spokesman said that even with all the fan support they still have no plans to bring back MML3. This really makes me angry. The reason they closed the freakin’ project in the first place is because of lack of fan support, now they have tons and they’re not reopening it. That’s just dumb. They said they were aware of the 100,000 Strong petition I posted last week, but they didn’t even care. What is wrong with them? What do you think? Is this seriously dumb of them, to deny thousands of their fans a game they want? (For more information, read the full article)

VGM of the Day #17: Ice Scream

Ice Scream, you scream, we all- I'm not fucking making that reference, screw this.

Sega Genesis. Unlike an alarming amount of gamers in my generation, I grew up on this little number instead of the assuredly more renowned Nintendo and Super Nintendo. Sure, I've played Mario and Mega Man and all that good stuff as well, but the majority of my childhood memories reside in games like Sonic. Games like Beyond Oasis and Dynamite Headdy. Games like Comix Zone and Ristar.

Now you might be thinking "Well Dean, I haven't heard of any of those besides Sonic!", and that's okay. I'll help you out, but only a little bit.

Ristar was a cute little platformer starring a little yellow dude of the same name, grabbing objects and enemies alike with his stretchy arms and ramming into stuff with his star-shaped face. It drew a lot of comparisons to Sonic that to this day I don't understand. I guess they just mean the art style or something, I dunno. But anyways!

From Ristar comes this upbeat yet extremely chill number (get it? chill? hah) from the game's obligatory ice stage. The stage itself is no Ice Cap Zone, but the stage and its theme are not to be swept to the wayside. The bass almost reminds me of something out of Streets of Rage, and it's a pretty damn catchy tune overall. In fact, Ristar was full of memorable tunes, it's just too bad it's not as well-recognized as some other games.

The Verdict: I had this on repeat for like an hour as I wrote this. I'm not sick of it yet.

Don't forget to drop your song requests at vgmoftheday@yahoo.com, and it may be chosen to face the wrath of my critique!

Psychotic Informer - 8/1/11

 1. First up today is a way to earn money for playing games! Oh yeah, I got your attention now. Though it’s not about being a partner on a video streaming site or anything, this is a way to earn money just by playing Diablo III. Diablo III will include an auction house feature, where you can auction off rare in-game items for real money! So basically you win a dungeon or kill a rare beast and get a super rare item, which you then put up for auction for other people to buy with real money! There is a transaction fee, though, so you should make sure the item you will be putting up isn’t worth less than the transaction fee. But for people who don’t like getting money (I don’t know who that would be, but just in case) there’s also a separate auction house for selling items for game currency. What do you think about this feature? Would you do this to make money? (For more information, read the full article) 

2. Coming soon to the 3DS (yes, yes, I know, more 3DS news, sue me) and Wii U (when it comes out) is going to be paid downloadable content (DLC)! Though it was used for Mega Man 9, 10, and some Final Fantasy games, it will actually play a bigger role for 3DS and Wii U. Nintendo said that they won’t be having DLC for their games, but some third-party games for the 3DS and Wii U will include it. Basically it goes like this: Sony and Microsoft are obsessed with money so they release half-complete games for full price then make you pay even more money for the other portion of the game. Nintendo is so cool that they complete games 100% before sending them out. What do you think? Will 3DS and Wii U DLC be a cool feature or just another way to blow money? (For more information, read the full article)

VGM of the Day #16: Fight Against Mario...No, Doopliss!

EVO weekend was thrilling. The fierce competitors had all the strength of a raging fire, but they were a spineless, pale, pathetic lot. It was up to them to find their centers, for they were sure to win if they did. In the aftermath of such a great fighting game event, time is racing toward us to get down to business.

But get down to business I will not, bringing you a sort-of-silly boss battle theme from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. This plays in Chapter 4 of the game, in which Doopliss the doppelganger steals Mario's identity, literally- like, took his body and name and everything, leaving Mario behind in nothing but a purple silhouette of himself- and Mario must fight his entire party and Doopliss to regain his former self. A pretty serious concept, but when paired with a clown like Doopliss it just comes off as comical.

There are traces of that silliness throughout the song (especially at the :40 mark), yet also has some elements that do well to remind you that it's a boss fight and an intense one at that. Both the joviality of the piece and the contrast in styles coming together suit a trickster like Doopliss, and it makes for one of the more memorable battles in the game. Well, that and you can finally jump on Goombella's face. Nobody likes a tattle tale.

Almost certainly the longest chapter in the game, the battle (actually 2 battles, but who's counting) with Doopliss is a great moment in the game with a great theme to add to the excitement. And speaking of excitement, with the hype of EVO weekend drifting off into the sunset, it's time to get back on track around here. Again. I'm really good at this.

The Verdict: A s_lendid _iece, one of my _ersonal faves in _aper Mario.

Don't forget that I now take requests at vgmoftheday@yahoo.com! Just send either an MP3 or a Youtube link to the song you'd like me to talk about, and I might do just that in an upcoming post!