http://www.gamespot.com/users/Madmangamer364/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25758288&tag=all-about;blog1

^Official Online/FC entry, for those who are interested.

This is where I will say whatever is on my mind. It probably won't be often, but when I have something, you'll know that it almost had to be to the point where I had to speak. I'll try my best to keep it video-game related, but I might throw in a few other things for kicks.

• 18Feb 13

  I feel bad for Elise...

  Howdy! Again, I post another blog entry after a considerable time of absence on this blog. It's official: My productivity is almost non-existent nowadays. *sighs* Enough about that, though. Over the weekend, I managed to pick up a couple of games, Fortune Street (Wii) and Sonic Generations (PS3). Both games have had moments of imperfections, but I'm glad to that my collection has to solid additions. As a matter of fact, I've already beaten the main story of Sonic Generations, which brings me to the topic of this entry.

  Generations was no doubt a tribute to the history of Sonic, and in some ways, manages to show the good and the bad that the series has gone through over the years. However, that's not to say that this tribute is a shameless one. During the end credits, a certain someone caught my attention and got me pondering a few things. This certain someone was Princess Elise, the human co-star of the oft-panned Sonic the Hedgehog game from 2006. Personally speaking, I don't know much about her as a character, seeing as how I've never play Sonic '06 and probably never will. The only memories I have of her would be an interview with her voice actress, a few images, and to a lesser extent, that infamous scene where she plants one on Sonic. And to be perfectly honest, that's what bugs me. (I know, who wasn't disturbed by that last bit, but that's not what I meant... lol)

  I bring this up being admittedly ignorant as to how her tale in Sonic '06 unfolded and exactly what Sega/Sonic Team's plans for her ever really were. Nevertheless, I feel as though this is a character whose fate has been sealed by the fact her initial role just so happened to be part of a disasterous game. No, I'm not about to make some 'equal rights' rant about the whole thing, but it still bums me out that the chance of seeing her again in a future Sonic game are probably slim to none now. Ironically enough, one of my favorite stages from Generations just so happens to be Crisis City from Sonic '06, so perhaps I feel a little sympathy for Elise, being a part of that game that hasn't gotten the same exposure as a character like Silver. Not to mention when I think about games like the Mario&Sonic series, I think she would have made at least a great cameo.

  The fact that seeing a half-second image of her during a montage video was the first time in years Elise has even come to my mind made me realize that she's pretty much has become a forgettable part of Sonic history, and that's a bummer. So until further notice, I think I'm going to challenge myself to keep Elise in mind and hope that her Sonic-related future doesn't always remain blank because of a train wreck. Of course, this could have easily been a topic about Big the Cat, Fang, or some other long-forgotten Sonic character(s) that Generations failed to acknowledge, but you don't get many opportunities to stand up for a princess.

  • Posted Feb 18, 2013 1:41 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 21Dec 12

  My next act: ...you decide! :P

  So much for my increased activity, huh? As usual, I have desire to put together things on my GS page, but I'm stuck between different ideas. So, I thought I would see how things would fare if my decision was out of my hands. Simply put, I'm going to leave my next journal entry AND review in the hands of whoever reads this blog entry. I'll leave the choices now.

  Journal possibilities:

  • Top 10 video games of all-time (my favorites, that is)
  • Top 10 Wii games of all-time
  • Gaming guilty pleasures
  • My Nintendo assessment post-Wii U launch

  Reviews:

  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Kirby's Epic Yarn/Kirby's Return to Dreamland/Kirby's Dream Collection
  • The Last Story

  I think that'll do for the moment. If this doesn't work, back to Plan A, obviously...

  • Posted Dec 21, 2012 7:20 pm GMT
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• 23Nov 12

  An unusual Monster/Zombie pairing spicing things up.

  Yo! Hope everyone is doing alright and enjoyed their Thanksgiving/Black Friday endeavors, provided that you had any. The past few days, I've actually had a few topics of discussion on my mind, but instead of creating a more serious blog, my most recent gaming activity has inspired me to simply speak about a couple of games that I'm currently playing. They both involve a healthy dosage of monsters or the undead, as the title suggests, but they're also night and day in terms of atmosphere and intended appeal.

  To be honest, though, it's really the first of the two games that's the mold breaker here, but for me, it's also a venture into a familiar land and an even more familiar series. That game would be Pokemon Black 2. I would have gotten Black 2/White 2 sooner, but I was actually held up by my indecision over which version to get. Yeah... I still do that after all of these years. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed my return to Unova a lot over the past week. Honestly, I've found this gen's Pokemon games to be more challenging and deeper titles than in the past, even though I'm more familiar with the core game than ever, which is kinda cool. I actually felt the need to grind through most of Black 2 to this point in order to keep my team strong enough, but now that I'm at Victory Road, things are finally starting to take form as usual.

  The game as a whole has been great, though. As a fan of the series since the late Red/Blue early Yellow days, I can appreciate the subtle refinements and tweaks the series has made over the years, even as many gripe about the series not evolving. Black 2 is no different, and I've actually gotten a kick out of things like the more individualized Gyms, new side activities, and even things like using multiple Repels without going to the menu screen each and every time. And while I'm at it, while Victory Road is usually one of my least favorite areas in a Pokemon game, I'm loving Black 2's so far, as it feels more organic than any other Victory Road in the series. Again, longtime Pokemon fan here...

  On the other hand, there's that game that features zombies where I have no familiarity with at all. As a matter of fact, my history with Lollipop Chainsaw's developer pedigree has not been very enjoyable at all. I've actually mentioned the fact that I've had trouble finding what makes Suda 51's games worthwhile from strictly a gameplay point of view. I managed to play Killer 7 for about 10 mintues before realizing that its control scheme simply didn't work for me, and I only got through one of No More Heroes' levels when I just knew that the game's action wasn't going to keep me engaged. Therefore, to play a Suda 51 game past the first stage where I'm actually looking forward to playing more is a shocking [and pleasant] experience.

  Just as shocking is despite the fact that the game's nature is very explicit, something that's usually a red light for me, it hasn't bugged me much to this point. By comparison, Bayonetta's whole demonic vs. [supposed] angelic angle bugged me a lot more. And honestly, I find myself enjoying Lollipop Chainsaw more at this point, albeit still quite early at the moment. It's no Ninja Gaiden, nor would it be the kind of game I'd pay $60 for, but at the more modest price of $25, I think I actually found a nice addition to my PS3 collection, which is starting to come along nicely.

  Well, there you have it. A couple of games that have made my gaming life more interesting, all of a sudden. In other semi-related news, I'm still trying to decide what game(s) I'd like to review. I have a few in mind, but that first step's the hardest, you know? As always, though, I'm open for suggestions. And I think I'll call it an entry now. Thanks for reading and later!

  • Posted Nov 23, 2012 6:47 pm GMT
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