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OST #10 - Music Takes Command


This handheld old-school mini package probably has the least amount of music tracks of any portable game I've ever played, but what's there is gold. The music you'll be listening to isn't found as gameplay BGM, but rather, is situated as menu themes and "stage clear" jingles. Often, developers of compilations put little thought into original standalone music outside of emulation, but that's not the case here. It's one of the few games in the genre that I've played that doesn't feel "cheap", even though only two oldies are available for play.

A taste of the Asteroids theme. Isn't it catchy?


Awesome Portable Soundtracks - A Daily Top 10


Everyone else has done a Top 10 list at some point, so I figured I'd start mine. Most of them I've seen focus on games as a whole, but this one will dwell solely on portable game music and its greatness, and I'll be drawing only from my personal collection. Granted, my handheld software library isn't very extensive to draw from, but I hope you'll find my daily list interesting, nonetheless. Here are my nominees...

(Keep in mind that I've played very little of many of these listees, so as I dig into them and listen to them more and more, my favorites are sure to change.)


Asteroids / Missile Command (GB)

Frogger (GB)

Game and Watch Gallery (GB)

Ms. Pac-Man (GB)

Play Action Football (GB)

Tetris (GB)

Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics (GB)

Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II (GG)

Batman Returns (GG)

The Berenstain Bears: Camping Adventure (GG)

Chuck Rock (GG)

Disney's The Jungle Book (GG)

Junction (GG)

Mortal Kombat (GG)

Ms. Pac-Man (GG)

NBA Jam Tournament Edition (GG)

PGA Tour Golf '96 (GG)

Shinobi (GG)

Sonic the Hedgehog (GG)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GG)

World Series Baseball (GG)

X-Men (GG)

Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2 (GBC)

Looney Tunes: Twouble! (GBC)

Mega Man Xtreme (GBC)

Pokemon Trading Card Game (GBC)

Rocket Power: Gettin' Air (GBC)

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GBC)

Astro Boy: Omega Factor (GBA)

Battlebots: Design & Destroy (GBA)

The Bible Game (GBA)

Bionicle: The Game (GBA)

Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django (GBA)

CIassic NES Series: Xevious (GBA)

Disney's American Dragon: Jake Long, Rise of the Huntsclan (GBA)

Drill Dozer (GBA)

F-18 Super Hornet (GBA)

F-Zero GP Legend (GBA)

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA)

Frogger's Adventures Temple of the Frog (GBA)

Golden Nugget Casino (GBA)

Gunstar Super Heroes (GBA)

Iridion 3-D (GBA)

LarryBoy and the Bad Apple (GBA)

Marble Madness / Klax (GBA)

Mazes of Fate (GBA)

Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue (GBA)

Metal Slug Advance (GBA)

Namco Museum (GBA)

Sega Smash Pack (GBA)

Snood (GBA)

Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)

Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (GBA)

Star Wars Episode II: The New Droid Army (GBA)

Super Monkey Ball Jr. (GBA)

Wade Hixton's Counter Punch (GBA)

ZOE: The Fist of Mars (GBA)

Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)

Bomberman (DS)

Custom Robo Arena (DS)

Elite Beat Agents (DS)

Metroid Prime Pinball (DS)

Nanostray (DS)

Polarium (DS)

Snood 2: On Vacation (DS)

Sonic Rush (DS)

Sonic Rush Adventure (DS)

Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll (DS)

Exit (PSP)

Sonic Rivals (PSP)

Wipeout Pure (PSP)


Each day, I'll add my own thoughts on the chosen soundtrack, provide music samples, and perhaps link to my review of the game, if one's available. Feel free to comment on the soundtracks yourself as I choose them.


Un-Tracking... Goodbye...


I've just downsized my friends list. No offense intended, but there are certain friends here who I wish to spend more time with on their blogs, and looking into the future, I'm sure I won't be able to manage that time with over forty users, so it was imperative that I cut back. Many of you who are still on my list are guys I've known for a while and continue to update their blogs often. (Unlike me. Ha ha.) Others I simply wanted to keep because I see them frequently and like what they've been doing around the site. Those who have been removed, I'm not angry or annoyed with you, so don't think I'm doing this out of spite. GameSpot's a great community with great people... Perhaps too many great people than I can handle!

So I part ways with a friendly goodbye, and wish you the best with your experience at GS. Thanks for contributing to my personal experience, and perhaps we'll meet again sometime.


Game #200: Tetris. Go "Figure".


I never could've guessed that the 200th game I'd add to my GS software collection would be the legendary Tetris for the original Game Boy. Freaky. It's oft-considered one of the best games ever, for those of you who happen to be unaware, and supposedly immersive at that. I haven't tried it for myself as of yet, but, being the fan that I am of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

So, I depart tomorrow to get my molars extracted. What fun. It seems that the orthodontist is going to knock me out with gas and hook me up with intravenous lines and all that jazz. Super fun. As with most post-surgical operations, I'm probably gonna be sore afterwards, so hopefully the pain doesn't persist for very long. Any prayers would be kindly appreciated. ^_^

I'll leave you all with a review I recently made. One for LarryBoy and the Bad Apple! Oooh! Now there's a food I'll be unable to devour come tomorrow! "What a low score for a VeggieTales game?!", you say? Yeah, that's right. I betcha didn't know I was bias against cucumbers in spandex, now did you? XP


One Year Older! Cake, Anyone?


Ah, this is a brief, stupid, random blog, I guess. Smiley madness! :-) Haven't done one of these in God knows how long...

It's my birthday today. Yippee! Cake for all! *does the chicken dance* =D Other than that, it's Free Comic Book Day, and I hope that all of you managed to find the Sonic republication. I haven't yet. :-(

I was aiming to go to GameStop and pick up Metal Slug Anthology today, but instead, I finally bought a Game Boy Player for my GameCube. (Remember the GameCube? You know, that cool console preceding the Wii?) I've wanted that thing for several years, and now, it's mine! Mwahaha! >X-] Drill Dozer with Gamecube controller input FTW! And rumble feature! Yes! Win! Victory! X-D The GBA is the bestest handheld EVAR... Well, not really. >_>

A week ago, I brought some cavies home from the pet store. They're incredibly cute. =) My first pets in a very long while, and I'm enjoying their company. Oh! And did I mention that they're babies? :'-) I might post some pics of them in the near future, so watch out for them.

Lastly, a game review for all of U! ^_^ It's for the Sonic Championship (a.k.a. Sonic the Fighters) arcade release, and arguably my longest one yet. Critique, criticize constructively, and "thumb" it up if you think it's deserving of one. X-) Think of it as a b-day gift... without the questionable hugging! =D Click the colorful image below, pwease. :] Thanx!


It's a Nintendo Kinda World Out There...


On Wednesday, I traveled to the Big Apple for the first time! Courtesy of my cyberschool, the main purpose of the "field trip" was to visit Broadway to see The Phantom of the Opera musical. I had *ahem* other plans, too. Namely, Nintendo World Store had something to do with them.

Yep, I gots meself to Nintendo World... only to stay for five bloody minutes. Hardly any time to take it all in. Ah, well. It was an enjoyable experience for the brief time it lasted, but I was so irritated that I had to leave so soon. Proof? That grumpy guy above.

The place was a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but perhaps I overlooked a few areas. (Which is entirely possible, in my case.) It had cute little plastic cases with Nintendo memorabilia inside them, like that infamous Gulf War Game Boy and even prototype NES's. There were several Wii's and DS's set up for quick demos and such, and I was surprised to see Sonic the Hedgehog (Virtual Console) on display, seeing that it's been available for download since the Wii's launch. A small apparel section was welcome to browsing, as well as some plushies, an outdated Nintendo Power magazine rack, and broad selections of recent Wii and DS games... but no Okami. *pouts*

Downstairs was of insignificant interest to me, but Pokemon fans would've been satisfied. There's still evidence left over that the place was, in fact, a store dedicated to Nintendo's second largest franchise at one time. On the topic, this brings me to an event which has never occurred to me at any previous time...


The day before I departed to New York City, I walked into one of my local GameStops with the intention of purchasing Pokemon Red. It's been a decade of witnessing Pokemon's popularity, and I always regarded it as a "bad" series. I wanted to see for myself what the fuss was about, and what better way to take a sample than to try out one of the series' first games. After all, my favorite GBA game, Drill Dozer, was produced by Game Freak, Inc., the maker of the Pokemon series.

The first store supposedly didn't have Red in stock anymore, the second didn't either, as well as the third. So, I decided on "Pokemon Trading Card Game". (More creativity with the title wouldn't hurt.) So far, so good, with my limited hands-on time with the game. I've barely begun the first battle, but the general gimmick of dueling with cards doesn't seem nearly as difficult as I assumed beforehand.

And the music sounds Drill Dozer-ish.

Me likes that.

Um, not much else to report, other than that I've obtained all Chaos Emeralds in Sonic Advance 3. I've also defeated the disappointingly unchallenging final boss as well. (At least it has a cool twist to it.) Who here agrees that the last Chaos Emerald's course is painstakingly difficult to navigate? I must've attempted to beat it two dozen times before I finally succeeded! Agh!

Finished!

~~~


Okami - An Upcoming Wii Masterpiece?


Okami's getting a port on the Wii, if you haven't heard already. This title was very well-received by critics, and many consider it to be the swan song of the PlayStation 2. Praised for its artistic graphics, awesome gameplay, over-the-top OST, and so much more, this was a game that I would've bought instantly, that is, if I owned the system it was made for.

Now that it's coming to the Wii, instead of using a traditional controller input method to execute brush strokes via the "Celestial Brush", the Wiimote and Nunchuk are implemented for what's sure to be a truly immersive experience, perhaps even more so than the PS2 original. The graphical quality (which was already at peak on the PS2) has been heightened on the Wii through a few small improvements, and the option to skip over cutscenes is present in the port. Other than those, nothing new has been introduced, but considering that Okami (Wii) will be priced at a reasonable $40, that's nothing to get angsty about. In comparison, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition didn't contain many additional features from the PS2 version, yet many say the Wii port was the best because the player was physically involved with the game, as should be the case with Okami (Wii).


Here's GameSpot's On the Spot preview of Okami for the Wii.

(Note that the "March 25th" release date is no longer valid.)

[video=6187008]


I hope you'll choose to look further into this game. It's already gotten very positive reviews from critics, and is sure to be one of the Wii's finest for 2008 and beyond. Here's some links to get you started...

>>> Okami's Official Website

>>> Okami Article at Wikipedia

>>> GameSpot's PS2 Okami Review

>>> GameSpot's Wii Okami Page

^^(You may wish to track the game and/or add it to your GS Wish List.)

The game ships in North America on April 15th and in Europe in June.


I have Kbaily to thank for blogging about the port a while back. I allowed my interest of the game to slip out from under me for quite some time, and then I stumbled upon it again just recently. (Thankfully.)

~~~


The Drill Dozer Union

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Finally, no more confusion! LOL As strange as it seems, I've decided on creating a Drill Dozer union. The reason for this is that, well, Drill Dozer was so overlooked, and was such a superb game, I figured that not only would a union act as a tribute, but also as an effort to convince its developer to create a sequel. I know that sounds crazy. After all, how can a solitary GameSpot union persuade an official second-party developer to develop a sequel to a game that hardly anyone cares about? All I can say, is that it's a start. Please visit The Drill Dozer Union ("TDDU"/"D4" abbreviated), and consider enlisting.

I'd like to thank Dizzydennis and his friends for all of their help. Without them, the union probably wouldn't even be established yet. I appreciate it, guys! X-)

As promised, the NiD Video Review is coming soon, but there's a twist. I can't say why, so you'll just have to watch it for yourself when it's uploaded. Also, not like any of you give a crap about this, but I might just leave my current banner up until March. We'll see.

If you enlist at TDDU, I'll be so happy. If not, well... I'll cry. And you won't like it when I cry. X-(

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Charter Members Needed! [Update!]

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This might be somewhat spontaneous, but I've decided to form another union. What kind of a union? Ah, that's a secret for now! O_o Just keep an eye out for invitations, and if you receive one, PM me if you have any questions as to what *insert secret union name* means. I'm sure most of you will have no idea what the name relates to, which is only natural, because it's a very overlooked and unpopular game. And that's one of the reasons why I'm creating this new union. To raise awareness.

If you accept the proposition as a charter member, thanks in advance!

(P.S.: NiGHTS into Dreams Video Review and new profile theme coming soon!)

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UPDATE (-2/6/08-): I totally forgot that I can't directly create a union without replacing the one I'm already a leader of. Oops. :-( I've contacted Kbaily and asked her to create it for me, so if you receive a charter invitation from her, it's most likely linked to this new union. Please accept the invitation if you receive one. We only have the remainder of today to do this!

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1st GameSpot Anniversary! + Happy B-Day, STKR and Dizzydennis!

Yeah, me and Amigo have two things in common today. We're both happy and we enjoy yelling, "Yay!"

So, today, the 25th, marks the end of my first year on GameSpot. Thanks to all of you blokes for forbearing my antics for so long. XP No, I haven't prepared anything too special for this occasion, but I do have some things I'd like to bring to attention.

First of all, I'd like to send out a very belated birthday wish to my very good friend, Dizzydennis, with whom I've been exchanging PMs with for several months. (I'd like to resume our chat ASAP. Sorry for the delay.) Also, sorry I couldn't salute you on your actual b-day, dude. Apologies for that.

I'd also like to give the big birthday cheer to creative man, Stkr, who's birthday just so happened to reside on the date I joined the GameSpot community. Heh, as I'm typing this, he's probably listening to his iPod or formulating his latest Photoshop masterpiece. Have a great b-day, doing whatever you're doing. I appreciate all the help you've given me with my profile and The NiGHTS Union, and I hope that you'll stay online for many years to come.

Well, enough of the tear-eyed stuff. I know I haven't been active on GS. I wanted this month to be my most busy month yet, but ironically, it turned out to be one of the least productive. LOL I've hardly put a dent in my intended Sega Mega Drive tribute, and I've been absent from your blogs for a very long while. Also, if any of you are members or officers of TNU and are reading this, I apologize for my temporary abandonment of the union. I'll be back soon. I promise.

I'd like to finish my anniversary off with something I haven't done in nearly nine months. A GameSpot review. *falls flat on floor* And it's for... NiGHTS into Dreams! X-) I'm sure many of you are anxious of my final decision regarding a score after all of these months of me praising the game for how wonderful it is, and now's your opportunity to find out. I improved my review design considerably, so now it's much more than just a wall of text. The new layout looks a lot better, in my opinion, and I hope you'll agree, too. I love it when folks recommend any of my reviews, so I strongly encourage you to do the same, just as long as you truly concur with my opinion. I went to a ton of work typing up this review, so please don't be mean. X-]

(Here's a little fact: I actually began work on this more than a month ago so I could post it on December 18th. (NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams' launch date in America, as many of you know.) What timing! Due to a GS glitch, I wasn't able to submit it because my level was beneath the required level for uploading reviews. So, I decided to show it to you fellows on my anniversary instead.)