• 2Sep 08

  15 frustrating minutes at Gamespot Wide

  Well, when Gamespot has liberated the Beta version of the new site I walked into it just to see how it would be. I thought it was beautiful, despite being a little bit confusing; but I understand the need for the changes and after all the confusion is just a matter of getting used to it. I've noticed that the column for the blog has been 'wided' a little (5 pixels as said in the 'preferences' screen) and I did another blog's header for the time the site would change.

  But now that it's wide for sure things started to get really annoying. Starting with this blog's header thing: there's no use in fitting the image to the width of the column, since it stretches when you click in the 'see all posts' link. It will look fine in the profile screen, but it will not in the blog screen. Anyway I've tried in every way to change my header image, without being successful.

  And there's much more. The 'tracked blogs' window is smaller (I dislike it, I would like to see more blogs at a glance), I can't download videos anymore (the window that expands there is empty), I've entered a link in my 'updates' screen to read a review, but in only led me to the text without the score and merits (I had to go to the 'summary' screen of the game, and then click 'reviews' to see the 'real' review) and the tags in my posts has disappeared. The only thing I can totally agree is the main banner of the user that now can be clearly seen without those 'profile' or 'contributions' buttons above it.

  So, I'll quit posting my 'game of the month' article for some time until I can make the things work properly and look better.

  Sorry for bothering, we'll see again anytime soon.

  • Posted Sep 2, 2008 6:03 am GMT
  • Category: General
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• 22Jul 08

  'Old-Is-Cool' Game Of the Month [Jul '08]

  

  Back in the 'Old-Is-Cool' game of March I talked about Sunset Riders, the Old-West-Contra released by Konami for the SNES. Now I'll talk about a real Contra game that for some reason didn't become the official 3rd episode in the series (but it should): Operation C for the Game Boy.

  . .

  Operation C is a great game simply because it runs smooth.

  I say that because there was a known problem on GB: the system couldn't handle big sprites very well. So the games that run faster have tiny, hard-to-see sprites (look at older games, like Super Mario Land or Batman); but games with big sprites run slower (look at one of my favorite GB games, Gargoyle's Quest or the first two games in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series).

  Konami has realized that and started looking for balance in the sprites' size. The problem is perfectly solved in TMNT III (1993), but Operation C (1991) works pretty fine already.

  The game itself is a little bit easier than other installments of the series especially because of the "H" Gun's advent, which bullets seek the enemies - you'll stay alive the much you can survive with this weapon in your hands. And fights with whole-screen-bosses are still there and kicking.

  . .

  Operation C is a game that remains a little bit obscure maybe because people can't associate its name to the Contra series. Some may say that it isn't even called Contra to be counted in; but it follows Super C for the NES, that is considered the 2nd episode. Aside that all that alien stuff we saw later in Contra III - Alien Wars for the SNES starts here. So I really don't get why this is not the 3rd episode in the series.

  

  GAME OF THE MONTH: OPERATION C (GAME BOY, 1991)

  • Posted Jul 22, 2008 9:44 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 14Jul 08

  My Own Game Music

  As a musician I was always influenced by game music. Mario, Zelda, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Megaman, ActRaiser, and many other series made me learn a lot and I felt from the beginning that real music was there, not only beep-beep-beeps (the games used to sound this way at the time).

  Now I'm working a little with soundtracks composition, and I started wandering 'why not to make some game music'. And I did a little piece in tribute to James Banana (Kinuyo Y. for real), who was the composer of the astounding first Castlevania's soundtrack, back in 1986. And I sent it to her at Japan. And she liked it! And she gave me some encouragement.

  Maybe I'll try to get at job at Ubisoft since they just opened an office in Sao Paulo...

  

  Listen to the pieces here.

  • Posted Jul 14, 2008 6:58 am GMT
  • Category: Music
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