Sorry for my absence, but y'know. With the school finals and all.

NightFox313 returning from leave and reporting for duty here at GS ;)

Just this week-end I've purchased Jeff Lynne's latest album, Long Wave, released about a month or two ago I think. Overall it's a pretty good solo album. It features cover songs from the famous songwriter and producer, Jeff Lynne - the musical genius behind the band, Electric Light Orchestra.

TRACK LISTING:

01) She

02) If I Loved You

03) So Sad (to Watch Good Love Go Bad)

04) Mercy Mercy

05) Running Scared

06) Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

07) Smile

08) At Last

09) Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing

10) Let it Rock

11) Beyond the Sea (Bonus Track)

I myself got the version that included the song, "Beyond the Sea". Never knew it was a bonus track either, but it's a plus.

REVIEW:

Long Wave is pretty good. Jeff Lynne's voice hasn't aged a bit since his ELO days and his warm, mellow tone is a wonder to hear in this album. Lynne's way of constructing the harmonies has never disappointed me and its effectiveness can be seen in songs such as "She" and "So Sad". This song really does have some variety as well - some songs are nice 'n' slow love songs, while others are traditional ballads and a few upbeat rock 'n' rollers here and there. Overall, the album's got great variety and the sound's top-notch.

According to Lynne, he grew up with these songs as a kid in Birmingham - in the United Kingdom. His father was pretty fond of "long-wave" radios and had it on almost non-stop. Naturally, the songs got into Lynne's head, and after all these years he's finally been able to express them through this album. It really makes this album feel special, with Lynne giving it his all to relive his childhood memories by singing the songs he grew up with.

There are quite some notable tracks on Long Wave, but in all truth they're all simply stunning. Some songs have orchestral backings that are a sort of flashback to Lynne's older ELO days, which were notable for their uses of overdubbed and real orchestrated backings to their songs, along with a synthesizer or two. Lynne's talent as a producer has really shown here, with each and every sound carefully panned to get each and every drop of musical goodness.

If you're a fan of songs from the olden days, a fan of Jeff Lynne or an Electric Light Orchestra fan, you owe it to yourself to pick this little gem up. Lynne has never ceased to amaze me, and his stunning ability to transport the listener to a sort of alternate universe of sound has always captivated me. If I'm correct, I got it for around $11. Not sure how much it might cost anywhere else though, but in my opinion it's a good purchase, even if some might consider the some-odd 27 minutes short.

Well here we are, at the final part of this blog entry series entitled: "The Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming". If you want to recap on the previous songs, you can click here. Otherwise, let's get on with the No. 1 Final Boss Theme in Gaming... PERIOD! Click the "Spoiler" tag to reveal.

No. 1

[spoiler]

"Megalith (Agnus Dei)" - Ace Combat 4: Distant Thunder/Shattered Skies

The Final Boss: Megalith (Click for gameplay footage)

MERITS EARNED:

"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.

"Stirring" - Dude, this makes me want to cry. This merit is earned by being able to stir sad emotions into the player. The song is able to attach the player in a way that movies or music would never be able to do. It's what makes video games so great to play in the first place.

BOSS SUMMARY:

In Ace Combat 04: Distant Thunder (or Shattered Skies as it's known in the States), you play as a legendary flying ace known only by his callsign, "Mobius One". You are never seen or heard as a character, and you are a silent protagonist just doing his job. The story is told through a man who once heard of Mobius One's legacy, and so tells the story to the player through picture stills and dialogue. Some backstory to this: As a kid, the narrator has memories of seeing shooting stars and enjoying them fly past, until cannons were built to shoot them down. One of the cannons was named "Megalith", which was designed as a Planetary Defense System that destroys incoming asteroids to protect Earth. Megalith was constructed after a tragic accident involving an astroid that shattered into multiple fragments that impacted the earth, killing many people. And so, the Megalith was built. And you have to stop this superweapon - a huge base with numerous cannons that were meant to shoot down stars, armed with nukes and lasers.

As you fly into this hellhole, your comrades are beside you (and I will never forget the lines spoken here), ready for battle - to destroy this monstrosity of a weapon. The setting is perfect too as it introduces this weapon, Megalith. A cloudy day with the sun up. The sun reflecting its bright light on the ocean below. Seagulls flocking from the oceans, and shooting stars are seen falling from the sky. Lasers are pointed, searching for targets. Nukes are ready to launch. And while you, Mobius One, are up in the sky, soldiers on the ground are doing the same thing - fighting against all odds to take this weapon down. And then your fellow comrades begin to speak, their static-y voices barely audible over the radio...

"SkyEye here. All Mobius aircraft report in."

"Mobius 2 on standby."

"Mobius 3 through 7 on standby."

"Mobius 8 on standby."

"Preparations are complete; ready for battle. All aircraft follow Mobius 1."

Clouds are thick and shooting stars are seen falling from the skies ahead. And then the clouds disappear, and you see your first glimpse of the target that you've sought to destroy for so long: Megalith. You speed ahead of all the other Mobius pilots, and you dive beneath the clouds, lower and lower. And then. The choir. And this game, Ace Combat 04, was the first game to make me truly feel like a hero, a flying ace. It's like saving the world, but not as cheesy as the phrase says. And you head in, shooting down everything in sight, dead-set on destroying Megalith.

You can hear the voices of men fighting down below. As they speak, you can hear the gunfire in the background, and the screams of men dying in fierce combat. Friendlies descend from an elevator, only to notice that there's a man with a flamethrower as soon as the elevator stops. Everyone is heard screaming, shouting orders in confusion, and you're up there. Safe. In the skies. Until a nuclear bomb is launched from Megalith. And you have to destroy it before it reaches its target.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Like I said earlier, Ace Combat 04 was the first game to make me truly feel like a video-game hero. A flying ace. That, and the music and how it sets the mood is just unforgettable. Also, did you know that the lyrics (which are in Latin) are taken from Mozart's final song Requiem, a song about the apocalypse and the end of the world, along with the Second Coming of Jesus? Not to be so overly religious here, but the lyrics are actually relevant. Here they are, for reference:

LYRICS AND TRANSLATED TEXT:

REX TREMENDAE (Intro to Megalith):

Rex tremendæ maiestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.

King of tremendous majesty,
who freely saves those who should be saved,
save me, source of mercy.

AGNUS DEI (Megalith Theme):

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem,
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them rest,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, grant them eternal rest.

The lyrics have actually been taken from this song from Mozart and the melody has been changed, but if you actually compare the lyrics to the actual song in the game, you might find it pretty relevant. Even if it is religious. Also, make sure you listen to the whole song, because there's a really good part in the middle where everything's all quiet all of a sudden, and the lulling of the choir is just amazing. It's just that the song just strikes a chord inside me. It's like the requiem for a hero, and yet it's like the final moments of the hero as well. It's like that moment when the hero has fulfilled his destiny and must decline. And when you watch through the credits of Ace Combat 04, you look back on everything you just did as the legendary flying ace, Mobius 1. And you never feel the same way again. [/spoiler]

The end is even closer than last time. This is the second-to-last blog entry in this series. This is my list of The Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming, and this'll cover Songs No. 3-2. No. 1 will be announced tomorrow. And by the way, if you arrived here by mistake or something, or if you want to recap on the previous part, then here's the link. Now, without further ado, let's continue.

THE FOLLOWING PLOT DETAILS CONTAIN CRITICAL PLOT INFORMATION. DO NOT VIEW UNLESS YOU'VE ALREADY PLAYED THE GAME IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT PLAYING IT LATER ON. TRUST ME. YOU'LL THANK ME LATER WHEN YOU PLAY THESE GAMES FOR YOURSELF (however it sort of is a spoiler within itself to listen to the final boss music without having actually played the games, so watch out for that too - VIEW/LISTEN AT YOUR OWN RISK!).

No. 3: "Malus: Demise of the Ritual" (Shadow of the Colossus)

MERITS EARNED:

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

"Stirring" - Dude, this makes me want to cry. This merit is earned by being able to stir sad emotions into the player. The song is able to attach the player in a way that movies or music would never be able to do. It's what makes video games so great to play in the first place.

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT DETAILS
[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Malus (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Again, some backstory. You're playing as this boy named Wander. In the beginning of the game, he travels across a land on a horse, along with his dead girlfriend named Mono. He brings her to this shrine and lays her there. However, he encounters some shadow-y creature things and pulls out this awesome sword from its sheath. The shadow creatures all of a sudden disappear, and a spirit begins to speak to Wander from above. The spirit is named Dormin, who says to Wander, "Thou posseses the ancient sword?" Like a boss, Wander says yes. Impressed, Dormin says that he can revive Wander's girlfriend if he destroys sixteen individual colossi, or giant monsters. Willing to do anything to save Mono, Wander instantly agrees without hesitation. But when you kill your first colossi, you begin to take a step back. You begin to ask yourself if killing all of these innocent creatures in their natural habitat is worth it, just to save one mortal human being. But you can't give up now. You have to press on.

So then Wander does go off, killing each colossi, one by one - some with the help of his horse, Agro, who remains his only friend throughout the whole game. Thing is, after he kills a colossi, these weird black snake-things start to sprout out from their dead bodies, chasing Wander. After every boss he kills, this happens and he gets struck by the snakes, which make their way into his body. However, as he kills around four or so, the player will probably notice some weird things about him as they progress through the game, killing more and more colossi. Wander starts to get scratches all over himself. His skin gets paler as usual. His normal red hair color begins to change. The snakes that he keeps absorbing into his body after he kills a colossi is changing him into something other than human. You might begin to wonder, at this point in the game, if going through the trouble of killing sixteen colossi is worth it...

And then the sixteenth one. The final colossus. Wander travels on his horse Agro as per usual, with his awesome sacred sword that he kills colossi with, and he reaches a bridge that apparently leads to the last one. Wander and Agro ride through the bridge, but then the bridge collapses. Agro falls through, along with Wander, but with all of Agro's remaining strength she thrusts herself towards a ledge so that Wander can grab on. Wander does grab on to the ledge and climbs to safety, but Agro isn't so lucky. She falls to the bottom of the crevasse and Wander never sees her again.

But shortly afterwards, Wander sees it. The final colossus. Malus. A towering... tower of destruction that has a face, arms, hands, and has the ability to shoot fire from its hands. Usually you'll get hit a couple times at this point, but then you remember Agro. And Mono. And then you find the determination somewhere deep inside, and you tell yourself that you're going to kill Malus. All of these snake things that you've taken into yourself from the other colossi has turned you into a demon. Your whole appearance has changed and you look as sick as a dog. Your pupils are a bright white, and horns have begun to sprout from your head. It's the last colossus and you can't turn back now. Unlike other colossi that you've ever fought, this time there's nowhere to run. This is it. Mano. A. Mano.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Considering how I think that Shadow of the Colossus is the absolute greatest video game of all time that I've ever played ever, I think that it deserved a spot on this list. Not only was it a great game, but it had some of the best video game soundtracks ever. Especially this one. It just made me emotional, this one. It made me think about the death of Mono (which is never shown in-game) and the death of Agro, your only friend who sacrificed herself to save yours. Then it hits you. Survivor's guilt. PTSD. Everything. Then the taps turn on and you're filled with tears, streaking down your face. This game truly is an emotional experience, because it makes you think about the things that make us human, and how the choices we make will determine our future. It also reminds us of how far a person would go to save someone they love. It's not a love story, but Wander as a video game hero has gone through things that no-one else will ever be able to replicate. This song just sets the perfect mood. It's rainy as hell, the clouds are a dark gray, and the only thing you hear is the sound of thunder crashing, the lightning flashing, and the eerie choir that just screams epicness. It's just so atmospheric - otherworldly, even. [/spoiler]

No. 2: "Larry 'Pixy' Foulke [Galm 2]" (Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War)

MERITS EARNED:

"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.

"Dancey" - This merit is earned for being able to invoke an awesome, catchy final boss theme that manages to give the player the sudden urge to dance to it. See, the song's not only awesome, but it's ridiculously awesome, 'cause it's catchy.

"Stirring" - Dude, this makes me want to cry. This merit is earned by being able to stir sad emotions into the player. The song is able to attach the player in a way that movies or music would never be able to do. It's what makes video games so great to play in the first place.

[spoiler]

NOTE: By the way, this picture's from the Ace Combat Wiki, and this image already had the YouTube player thing in it. Sorry about that if it ruins the view or anything.

The Final Boss: Larry "Pixy" Foulke [Galm 2] (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: I don't own this game, but my friend showed it to me and I was able to see this final boss. It was epic. Allow me to tell you how the game goes based on what he told me about it. Some parts may be inaccurate, so I apologize in advance if I'm incorrect anywhere. Larry "Pixy" Foulke is a mercenary pilot that served during The Belkan War (which is a fictional war - Ace Combat has an entire alternate universe that's basically Earth but with different countries). Pixy has a notable reputation for having one of his wings on his F-15 blown clear off, and being able to land safely at base with only one wing. Eventually he got it replaced, but has the replacement wing painted red to remember his other half by.

You play as a mercenary pilot yourself - a flying ace known only by his callsign "Cipher" and "Galm 1". The whole game is told through fictional interviews of different flight mercenary teams. Cipher is the flight leader of the 66th Air Force Unit of Galm, and Pixy is your wingman through part of the game. Pixy and Cipher start a friendly relationship, a brotherly one, with both of them partaking in flight operations throughout the Belkan War. Pixy establishes his identity, however, with a catch-phrase that he's relatively fond of: "Yo, buddy, you still alive?"

The two were really good friends. That is, until Pixy defected. He betrayed Cipher to follow his own beliefs, but still considered him as a good friend. You see, Pixy does participate in war, but he hates it too. He accepts that war is a part of life, but he aspires for A World With No Boundaries, a terrorist group that he initiated to reform the world - even if it requires killing people and bringing destruction.

Your mission now, as Cipher, is to kill Pixy. To take him out of the skies that he loves so much. And to take him down. Eventually you two face off in a friendly battle, which eventually tenses up and then you two start fighting to the death. And then Pixy says something. "You and I are opposite sides of the same coin. When we face each other, we can finally see our true selves. There may be a resemblance, but we never face the same direction."

And then it hits you. Pixy takes a hard turn and makes a U-turn, seeming to be flying away from you. You give chase, but his new plane is way too fast for you. Then he turns around again, coming at you this time. Then you two engage head-on, and he nearly blows your face off with a missile. Then shortly after, you know what you have to do. You make a U-turn just as Pixy did, and he does the same. Following this, both of you ride away from each other for awhile, and then you turn around again, and as soon as you two reach the sufficient distance to shoot a missile, both of you fire at each other.

Yup. Jousting. With planes. Apparently, this game makes a lot of references to the King Arthur story and the Knights of the Round Table thing. It even features Spanish-themed music, which makes it all the more epic. But don't relax yet. Pixy then launches a V2 nuke that will finally bring his "A World With No Boundaries" reformation to life. But you, as the legendary ace Cipher, know that you have to stop him. Your buddy. Your pal who saved your life several times. And the only way you can thank him... is to kill him.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: I'll never forget the day my friend brought Ace Combat Zero to my house and we played it. We played through a couple missions, then he told me that he'd show me the final mission because it was epic. I was hesitant at first, because I didn't want spoilers, but then I agreed. Then he showed me. One of the most beautiful moments in gaming was this - Ace Combat Zero. The final boss just instills a feeling of sadness that you have to kill your friend, and that's the only way you can save him from his delusional thinking that he can change the world.

The lulling of the choirs, the ringing of the Spanish guitars, and just the whole darn orchestra bring this epic moment to life. It's two aces, pitted against each other in a dogfight to the death. You don't want to shoot down Pixy. But you have to. And when you do take him down, you start wishing that you'd never met him. It's just the most epic bromance I've ever seen, next to the French film "My Best Friend", but that's besides the point. Ace Combat Zero is an epic game of mass proportions. Having to kill your friend is always sad, but this game goes the extra mile, building up your friendly relationship with Pixy and making you kill him in the end. And then you hear "Mission accomplished, Cipher" - but you feel that nothing's been accomplished. It's only now - after you've taken Pixy down - that you realize what he truly meant, about the evils of war and how it causes things to fall apart. [/spoiler]

Up next: No. 1. Song No. 1. Prepare for - in my opinion - the most epic final boss theme in gaming history. EVAH!

The end is near! This is Part Four of this blog series entitled, "The Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming". Come here by mistake or want to recap the previous list? Head on over here for Part Three. Otherwise, let's carry on. This'll cover Songs No. 6-4.

No. 6: "Hellfire" (Soul Calibur II)

MERITS EARNED:

"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT DETAILS

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Inferno (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: The picture is actually Inferno from the first Soul Calibur, but I couldn't find any decent pictures of him in Soul Calibur II. So here it is. Like Shadow the Hedgehog, there really isn't a way to describe the events of this boss fight, because the nature of Inferno is so ambiguous and vague in this game, and there's about more than twenty characters, and each fight him at the last stage with a different purpose. But all of the fighters in the game are interested in this sword called Soul Edge. Some characters are devoted to the sword's destruction, because it's evil and all, while others seek the sword in order to use its power for their own reasons. It's pretty much a fight to determine the fate of the world, which lies in the hands of whoever grasps Soul Edge's hilt. However this entity that embodies Soul Edge - Inferno, apparently lives in Hell and wants to defend the sword. So it's a one-on-one, single-match fight (as opposed to the standard two-matches). If you lose, you lose. And Inferno's hard as hell. He's got three effing phases and a secret moveset that's hella fast that no-one else can use.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Well, considering how this is the best fighting game I've ever played (I really haven't played many fighting games other than Super Smash Bros. and Street Fighter). The game does set a good environment for this final boss, which is fought in arcade mode. The whole fighting arena is widely expansive, and it infinitely stretches as far as the eye can see, with flames everywhere. You're literally in Hell itself fighting Inferno. It does show the desparation of the character you're playing as, to get the Soul Edge sword and use it to destroy or destroy the sword itself. The song is also pretty encouraging, it's almost uplifting actually. Like that feeling you get that your long journey of around ten minutes (about half that if you're really good) is about to end, but you have to jump over this last hurdle before you start to celebrate. Know what I mean? [/spoiler]

No. 5: GANON (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

MERITS EARNED:

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: GANON (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Link kills Ganondorf in his own tower and watches the whole tower crumble around his ears. Link and Zelda escape, and lie at the base of the ruins at ground level. All of a sudden, Link hears this noise. This eerie, ominous growling noise. Zelda tells him to look, and he does, but as soon as he steps closer, a ring of flames appears around him, and a sick, twisted form of Ganondorf empowered by the Triforce of Power appears in a last-ditch effort to kill Link, ending the bloodline once and for all. Ganon screams a deafening, ridiculously loud cry of rage in his anger and his evil determination to kill Link in the most brutal way possible. It's a battle to save Hyrule. The world too. And... Zelda. Hell yeah.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Other bosses are fought in this game, but before you fight them, they're introduced with their name and some weird subtitle underneath listing their job description. Like the Water Temple boss: "Morpha: Giant Aquatic Amoeba". But when you fight this form of Ganondorf, it's not "Ganondorf: King of Evil" or "Ganondorf: Wants to Forever Kick Your @$$", but it's just "GANON". In CAPS. There's no subtitle or anything. Just GANON. Makes you scared as hell, thinking it's all over, until you hear this freaky growling noise underneath the rubble of Ganondorf's castle, then you go to investigate just because Zelda told you to (and you know you don't want to and you hope to God that you don't have to). And then flames appear out of nowhere and you then you see him. You feel like you're screwed and you wet your pants, realizing that you have to fight this monster - a severely demonized form of Ganondorf himself, in his last-minute effort to take down the Hero of Time who screwed up his evil master plan. It sure made me scared, that's for sure. Then I remembered everything that Link had to go through. He went through a crappy childhood, bullied as a kid in Kokiri Forest, only to find out that he's destined to be a hero. And then he goes through a bunch of temples, the freaky well, the Shadow Temple and the whole nine, and now he has to spend his adult life slaving his way to fulfill his destiny. It sure made me feel like Link and I felt pity for him. He was fighting for his life, for goodness sake. That's just what makes this battle so epic. Everyone's depending on you and you know you can't screw up. Definitely one of the greatest video games of all time. A great childhood memory. [/spoiler]

WARNING: VIEWING THE PLOT DETAILS OF ANY GAMES BEYOND THIS POINT MAY RUIN YOUR EXPERIENCE OF ACTUALLY PLAYING THEM. READ ONLY IF YOU ACTUALLY LIKE SPOILERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OR IF YOU'VE PLAYED THE GAME BEFORE. THANKS.

No. 4: "Snake Eater" (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)

MERITS EARNED:

"Stirring" - Dude, this makes me want to cry. This merit is earned by being able to stir sad emotions into the player. The song is able to attach the player in a way that movies or music would never be able to do. It's what makes video games so great to play in the first place.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: The Boss (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: A little backstory here: You're Naked Snake. Or Solid Snake's dad. But wait, you're not really naked. You're just called "naked" because you don't have jack for equipment, and you have to find it all yourself. Well, that's how The Boss puts it. The Boss is Snake's mentor and his master. Both of them developed CQC (Close-quarters-combat) together, and she raised him as a mother would. When Snake starts to work for an espionage organization called FOX, he is sent into the country of Russia to gather intelligence of the Cold War efforts, and to rescue a scientist. As always, The Boss is there to back him up, however she defects during the operation to the Russian side, right in front of Snake. She beats him up and they fight each other with CQC, the very own fighting style both of them helped to create, and Snake loses to her and she is able to defect and betray the United States. Snake's heart is shattered, really. For a good friend of his to switch sides during the war? Yeah, that hurts.

Anyways after he's deployed to another mission, his mission is to not only gather intelligence of the Russian Cold War efforts, but to kill The Boss. His very own master. After a loooong series of cutscenes and gameplay videos later, Snake finally meets The Boss once again in a field of white flowers. She tells him how she doesn't hate him, and how they're not enemies, and that she's taught him everything he needs to know. Both of them then fight for their own countries. Their own beliefs.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: This boss is really an emotional experience. To fight against your own master who taught you everything, and the only way to thank her is to kill her, to show her everything that you've learned is pretty emotional. It's even worse because after you do beat her, she tells you to pull the trigger on her and kill her. Thing is, it's not a cutscene, and rather gameplay footage. So what does that mean? It means you, as the player, and as Snake himself, have to do it. You have to press the Circle button and you have to kill her yourself. You have no idea how long I waited to press that button. I didn't want to do it. I just wanted to unplug the lousy controller and just think about it. But then after a minute or two, Snake pulled it himself automatically. That killed me. It really did. Made me feel lifeless.

It's really amazing how much a game can change you. It really is. It's the magic of Hideo Kojima and his fine work, Metal Gear. [/spoiler]

Well, didn't mean to make you cry there, if you did read the Snake Eater part, but I'll see you next time. The next blog entry will be songs No. 3-2. Later!

As you probably know, I promised to have one blog entry in this series uploaded every day until it was finished, however I got pretty sick and now that I feel a lot better, I've decided to continue. Sorry about that. Here's Part 2 of the series, if you want to recap or if you missed it. This blog entry will cover songs No. 9-7.

No. 9: "Final Fury"/"Final Fever" (Sonic CD Japanese Verison)

MERITS EARNED:

"Dancey" - This merit is earned for being able to invoke an awesome, catchy final boss theme that manages to give the player the sudden urge to dance to it. See, the song's not only awesome, but it's ridiculously awesome, 'cause it's catchy.

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT DETAILS:

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Final Fury/Final Fever (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Dr. Robotnik continues his mass-plot to take innocent animals to turn them into Badniks, or roboticized animals to do his bidding. Thing is, this time around he's kept a small planet called Little Planet leashed onto a chain where he can build his empire with all of his Badniks serving him. Naturally, Sonic comes in to save the day. Robotnik unveils his ultimate weapon to stop Sonic from foiling his plans once and for all. Apparently his machine is a giant, rotating D-Pad. The two face off in a final battle, with Sonic desparately trying to save Little Planet. Seen in this video is the Good Ending version, while the Bad Ending contains a much darker, creepier atmosphere.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The Japanese soundtrack really kicks the American soundtrack's butt in many areas, though the American soundtrack has its good share of music too. However for the final boss theme in Sonic CD, I chose the Japanese version. Wanna know why? It's because the US version just re-used the normal boss theme as its final boss theme. Anyways it lacks in comparsion to the Japanese version, because this version has an epic opera singer, a techno-dystopian vibe, and it's just a lot more epic in my opinion. Makes your hands sweaty too. This does manage to creep me out though. And don't even get me started on the creepy Japanese easter egg. Look it up. It's spooky. [/spoiler]

No. 8: "Black Doom" (Shadow the Hedgehog)

MERITS EARNED:

"Dancey" - This merit is earned for being able to invoke an awesome, catchy final boss theme that manages to give the player the sudden urge to dance to it. See, the song's not only awesome, but it's ridiculously awesome, 'cause it's catchy.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Black Doom (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Well, considering that this isn't really the final boss, but the last boss in the normal Story Mode, I guess this kind of counts. Also, there isn't really a way to summarize the events during this boss fight because this game features hundreds of endings. But it's pretty much Shadow versus this maniac who wants to rule the world. Oh, and he has three eyes. Of course that's not freaky.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: This song is just really cool. It's got a neat intro with all of the horns and the orchestral backing, and the drum'n'bass percussion is really neat too. It just shows you what you're up against, which is a large alien with severely disfigured head proportions. [/spoiler]

No. 7: "Final Demise" (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

MERITS EARNED:

"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

[spoiler]

Final Boss: Demise (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Link and Demise face off in a battle to destroy evil. That's all there is to it, but this game has just so much to explain in order to actually tell you what's going on in this game. Trust me. Play it for yourself or something and you'll know.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: This really does give you the feeling that you're Link. You're the hero. And you're actually just a normal kid against this really large dude with fire for hair. It's epic. It makes you feel like you have no chance, but after all you've been through, you have to press on. I'll never forget the first time I heard this song. [/spoiler]

Well, that's all for now folks. But tune in next time for Part 4 of this blog series, which will contain No. 6-4.

This blog entry continues the second part of my list, The Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming. If you haven't seen the first, or if you want to recap, you can click here. This blog entry will cover songs No. 12-10.

No. 12: "Essence of Metroid Prime" (Metroid Prime)

MERITS EARNED:

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT DETAILS:

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Metroid Prime (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: To be honest, I've never played the first Metroid Prime on the GameCube, but I have heard this song. Talk about spoiling myself, huh? But that won't stop me from getting the game and playing it. I still need to get it though.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The opening tune - the game's main theme - is truly one hell of a way to start a final boss tune. The song's pretty intense, with that weird static-y screaming that plays in the background. It sure sounds sci-fi and tense though, I'll tell you that. [/spoiler]

No. 11: "Doomsday Zone" (Sonic and Knuckles)

MERITS EARNED:

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Dr. Robotnik in his giant Egg Robo (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Sonic has destroyed Dr. Robotnik (AKA Dr. Eggman)'s base but Eggman has one last trick up his sleeve. He plans to run off with the Master Emerald, a jewel with the ultimate power that can be granted to anyone who has it. Sonic takes the seven Chaos Emeralds and turns into Super Sonic to chase Eggman down. The problem is, is that the Super Sonic ability runs on rings to keep it activated. So basically this is a race against time and Sonic's number of rings. The rings are scarcely scattered around the screen, so each one counts. If Sonic can't keep his ring count up, and if he can't take out Eggman's machine, then the world's done for, because that would cause Sonic to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere violently. Scary, huh?

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: This has always been a childhood favorite. I remember the first time I reached this stage. You have no idea how much my palms sweated when I was playing this level. The song's frantic bassline and its frightening use of fast percussion really do get the "time limit" feel, similar to how Metroid did on the NES. I actually needed quite a lot of help from my brother on my first time through. Quite an unforgettable experience though. [/spoiler]

No. 10: "Live and Learn" (Sonic Adventure 2)/"Open Your Heart" (Sonic Adventure)

MERITS EARNED:

"Good solo" - A song usually nets this merit by having a great instrumental break or a solo worth noting in the song. These are hard to come by but those that earn it can expect to have a pretty neat solo somewhere in there.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: FinalHazard (Click for gameplay footage)/Perfect Chaos (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Basically this boss has a giant cannon shoved up its butt that is hurtling towards Earth at a ridiculously fast speed. Apparently the operator of this machine (and the giant lizard), Dr. Eggman, wanted to destroy the moon, but the lizard had other ideas. Sonic and Shadow turn Super Sonic and Super Shadow via the Chaos Emeralds and fight together to stop this thing from crashing into the Earth and killing everybody. Shadow was originally going to use the cannon himself to destroy the Earth to avenge his friend Maria, a human who was killed by some military jerks. But now Shadow realized that the only thing better than avenging Maria, would be to do what she would've wanted him to do in the first place, which was to protect mankind - the reason why Shadow was created in the first place. Yeah. It's epic.

The second boss is Perfect Chaos, or a water creature named Chaos with all seven Chaos Emeralds. He plans to flood all of the city to kill everyone, because he's ridiculously angry. Sonic still takes in all of the seven Chaos Emeralds though, by utilizing the positive energy of the emeralds, while Perfect Chaos utilizes the negative power of the emeralds. It's pretty much a good vs. evil thing. It was cool back in the 90s though. Back in the 90s.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: These songs were awesome to me back then, and they still are. These final boss battles were some of the first final bosses I even got the chance to fighting. Most times I wouldn't be able to reach final bosses in video games back then. It was pretty awesome though, getting to know how awesome final boss music could be. These songs just blow nostalgia out of the back of my head. I remember hearing them for the first time then immediately looking up a CD for them. They have some pretty neat guitar solos too, and the singing is top-notch. The harmony is awesome. [/spoiler]

See you next time, on songs No. 9-7!

Hello and welcome to another video game listing by yours truly. This time around I'm going to be listing the Top Fifteen Final Boss themes in my experience of video games. Let's just get this straight: Final bosses are - for the most part - ridiculously epic in the climax of the game. They can be remembered for their appearance, difficulty, and my personal favorite - their epic music. Ever been through a time where you're fighting the final boss of this game and you really like the music, but you kill the boss and after you sit through the credits you immediately head on to YouTube and look up the final boss music just to hear it again? I have. Countless times. On every single video game I've played, I've had the urge to look up the final boss theme just to relive how awesome wicked the final boss tune was.

And to save you the trouble (or to introduce you to some more epic final baddie music), I've compiled this list of final boss themes for your listening enjoyment. Please note that there are spoilers. I'll put up all of the music and all as per usual, but I'll also add a "SPOILER" tag for those of you who want to know the story behind the song, or what's going on in the game during the final boss. Also note that I'll be posting only three songs per day, so if you just want to hear No. 1, you'll probably want to check back in a week. Or you could just message me if you want to see it that bad.

And without further ado, I present to you the Top 15 Final Boss Themes in Gaming.

No. 15: "Escape" (Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes)

MERITS EARNED:

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT DETAILS

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Liquid Snake (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: At the end of the game, brothers Solid and Liquid Snake engage in a final battle in a jeep chase through the escape route of the base, Shadow Moses Island. The player (Solid Snake) drives with either his best friend (Hal "Otacon" Emmerich) or his lover (Meryl Silverburgh), depending on if they endured the torture or not. Apparently Liquid Snake is angry because he's the brother with the inferior genes and so suffers from an intense inferiority complex problem, and wants to kill Snake for it. After getting shot down in his helicopter with a Stinger missile, getting in the middle of an explosion in his cockpit of his Metal Gear REX, fighting on top of REXand falling from about fifty feet, yup - he's still going for it, folks. In Liquid's last-ditch attempt to kill Snake, he pulls out his FA-MAS assault rifle and attempts to kill Snake and his partner as they both drive like hell to escape the facility before it gets nuked.

WHY THI SMADE THE LIST: The feeling is simply epic. Sweaty too. The clashing of two brothers and how one feels explicitly inferior since birth truly gives off that familiar MGS-cinematic vibe. [/spoiler]

No. 14: "Tabuu" (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)

MERITS EARNED:

"Menacing" - This merit is earned by being able to induce a very scary feeling that the player is doomed. There's no hope of beating this final boss - either that, or the chances are ridiculously slim. 'Tis a very scary situation, what what.

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Tabuu (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: All of the fighters have been turned into trophies. However Kirby's able to revive everyone, one-by-one, and so all of the fighters stand again against Tabuu, this really weird winged guy who has a penchant for turning people into trophies. Tabuu's about ready to perform his cheap attack where he does this until - pow - Sonic springs into action and destroys Tabuu's wings, which is how he's able to turn everyone into trophies in the first place. All of the fighters gang up on Tabuu in one final clash.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The initial guitar chords are menacing as hell. It kind of makes you take a step back in the beginning, but when you realize how far you've come, you've got no choice but to press on. It has this "point of no return" feeling (hehe, Phantom of the Op- nah forget it). [/spoiler]

No. 13: "Ganondorf Battle" (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker)

MERITS EARNED:

"Epic" - This merit is earned by being able to induce the feeling of being the hero or heroine in the game, fully sucking you in and making you determined to take out that final boss and do your duty as the main character. And the gamer. Or both.

"Sweat-inducing" - This merit is earned by being able to make your palms sweat like crazy as you grasp your controller hard as you're fighting this final boss. Mad props, bro.

[spoiler]

The Final Boss: Ganondorf (Click for gameplay footage)

BOSS SUMMARY: Link wanders into Ganon's Castle, looking for Zelda, who has just been captured. Link, being the boss he is, goes in to rescue her. Little does he know that Ganon has her kept in the highest room in the whole place, and Link goes through multiple puzzles, boss fights, and a helluva lot of time building up all of those rupees to purchase a ton of Blue Potions in preparation. Link does indeed find Zelda there, but finds out that Ganondorf wants the Triforce for power and to rule the world. Link and Zelda work together to try to stop him.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The choirs are some of the most epic choirs I've ever heard in a song. It truly evokes the feeling of the evil that Ganondorf has inside him, and his desparation to kill Link and Zelda so his plans can follow through perfectly. It also shows the evil that Link is facing just so he can make the world a good place for his sister Aryll. [/spoiler]

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for No. 12-10!

Took me long enough, after a long hiatus, but I'm finally back on GameSpot. Hehe, missed you guys. Anyways I know I've been a jerk to put up a list of the best SpongeBob episodes ever and not even put up No. 1, so I think I'll do it now.

AND "THE BEST SPONGEBOB EPISODE OF ALL TIME" AWARD GOES TO...

CLICK "SPOILER" BELOW FOR A HINT

[spoiler] #1: [Click Here] (Season 1)

If you can recognize the beginning of this tune, then you should know what episode I'm talking about. [/spoiler]

CLICK BELOW FOR PLOT SYPNOSIS:

[spoiler]

PLOT SYPNOSIS: Bubble Bass is in Bikini Bottom and he's hungry for a Krabby Patty at the Krusty Krab. Being the picky diphthong that he is, Bass ruins SpongeBob's self-confidence as a fry cook by telling him that he forgot the pickles on his order, and that "You [SpongeBob] lose". Disappointed, Bob tries to retrace the steps to making a Krabby Patty, but his hurt pride prevents him from being able to work. Mr. Krabs sends Bob home and gets Squidward to replace the duty of fry cook. All goes well, initially, but since Squid can't make a simple Krabby Patty right, Mr. Krabs is desperate for Bob to come back to satisfy the angry, hungry customers. But when Krabs visits Bob's home, it is in shambles. Bob can't seem to do anything "because, pickles" and so Krabs is forced to have Bob re-learn the formula (or "formuler", as how Krabs would say it). Eventually Bob picks up on the formula again, and returns to the Krusty Krab, with a score to settle with Bubble Bass, western style. Once the town knows that Bob's back on the job, so does Bass and so he challenges Bob again by asking him to make another Krabby Patty, and "this time, don't forget the pickles."

"I didn't," Spongebob replies, twirling his spatula like a boss. Bass chews obnoxiously on the Krabby Patty, feeling for pickles in his mouth, but "still no pickles!" he exclaims. Bob is surprised at this, as he knows that the pickles were in there for sure. When Bass performs his victory laugh, however, Bob notices that the pickles were hidden underneath Bass' tongue the whole time. The crowd of customers is angry at Bass and so Bass flees the scene. [/spoiler]

CLICK BELOW FOR EPISODE TITLE

[spoiler] If you haven't noticed by now, the No. 1 Episode in SpongeBob SquarePants history is Season One's "Pickles". This episode has always been dear to me, as it's always been my favorite SBSP episode since I first saw it. The plot is so classic and it shows the manly side of SpongeBob, and the natural occurence of trial and error. In short: IT'S EPIC! [/spoiler]

This is Part Two of my list of the top twenty SpongeBob Squarepants episodes of all time. If you came here by accident or something, then you can read #20-10 here. Now, without further ado, I present to you the #9-2 best SpongeBob episodes ever.

#9: "Something Smells" (Season 2)

SUMMARY: SpongeBob is hungry for a sundae in on a Sunday morning (wow, they were witty). Unfortunately he's out of ingredients to make a proper ice cream sundae, and so he finds some pretty nasty alternatives and so makes the most grotesque, foul-smelling sundae you ever saw. With Bob on a day off and all, he strides around Bikini Bottom to say hello to everyone, but to every person he greets, they are disgusted by his bad breath. Bob asks Patrick for advice on why everyone's acting so weird, and they go to a movie theater where Bob shares some of his sundae with Patrick. With their horrible breath...s, Patrick convinces himself that everyone's acting weird because Bob is ugly, and now he has "the ugly" affliction himself.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: What do you think?

#8: "The Secret Box" (Season 2)

SUMMARY: SpongeBob and Patrick are having some good-old fun fishing at Jellyfish Fields when Bob becomes curious of Rick's "secret box". Bob is annoyed whenever Rick looks into it because when he does, he breaks out in laughter. Intrigued by this, Bob plots to see what's inside the box and what is so funny about its contents, and this leads to some hilarious outcomes (and it even challenges their friendship). When Bob sneaks into Rick's house, he discovers that the box is an embarassing picture of him at the Christmas party.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Perhaps the second-most biggest challenge to their friendship, "The Secret Box" loses only to "Naughty Nautical Neighbors" in which Bob and Rick nearly tear apart their friendship. However, this episode's hilarious; especially the scene when Bob tries to pry the box from Rick's hands when he's asleep. Cracks me up every time.

#7: "Nasty Patty" (Season 3)

SUMMARY: Mr. Krabs is angered by the fact that a health inspector (in Bikini Bottom's case, someone that tests the health of food via eating everything on the menu) can get free food during the testing of a resturaunt's food health. In reaction to this he plots with SpongeBob to make the most obscene Krabby Patty ever made to scare him away from the restaraunt, but the plan accidentally kills the health inspector, forcing Bob and Krabs to bury him and become criminals.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The fact that a fly choked a fully-grown health inspector underwater rather than the poisoned Krabby Patty just knocks the ball out of the park.

#6: "Missing Identity" (Season 3)

SUMMARY: SpongeBob explains to two overnight deadbeats at a coffee shop on a rainy day on how he lost his identity (er, his Krusty Krab name tag). Hilarity ensues.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: It seriously has three of the funniest moments in the whole series: 1) When SpongeBob imagines how a burglar will use the nametag when he robs a bank ("ATTICA!!"), 2) The hilarious "retrace my steps" montage with Patrick, and 3) This and this.

#5: "Idiot Box" (Season 3)

SUMMARY: Squidward is annoyed by the fact that SpongeBob and Patrick order a large television just to play inside the box, implying that imagination is better than television (O RLY? Ya rly.). Bob and Rick then make strangely realistic noises, which annoys Squiddy even further and he tries to figure out how they do it.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: The statement "imagination is better than television" just makes this episode a golden one. It's so true and yet it's ridiculously ironic at the same time.

#4: "Patrick SmartPants" (Season 4)

SUMMARY: SpongeBob and Patrick are having fun in Jellyfish Fields until Rick falls off a cliff, which causes him to lose his head. Unfortunately his old dumb attitude is gone and he is suddenly smart. Bob tries to have some fun with him but due to Rick's intellect he is unable to even figure out what "fun" really is: jellyfishing or viewing speciments via microscope. Bob and Rick separate, and eventually both of them realize how bad they need to be friends again. Patrick desperately tries to figure out the aspects and meaning of fun via scientific research to get his friend Bob back. As a last resort he tries to fish again with Bob at Jellyfish Fields and falls off of the cliff again. This time, Rick is able to find his old head and allows Bob to take off his head (which was actually brain coral), replacing it with his normal head. The two become best friends again.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: It's touching. It really is. Seeing smart Patrick's desperate yet futile attempts to define "fun" makes it the best episode of the Fourth Season.

#3: "Krusty Krab Training Video" (Season 3)

SUMMARY: A documentary explaining the origin of the Krusty Krab, complete with interviews of the KK staff and an insight into the Krabby Patty. The Krabby Patty formula is almost revealed by the narrator, until it is censored out at the last second to prevent its exposure to the viewer and Plankton.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: It has some of the most mature humor, this episode. It shows armpit sweat, the "POOP" code - this whole episode is laughs after laughs. Quite the best episode of the season.

#2: "Frankendoodle" (Season 2)

SUMMARY: An artist at sea is drawing a landscape when he accidentally drops his pencil into the ocean and into the hands of SpongeBob. Bob and Patrick then start to draw things with it, only to notice that whatever they draw comes to life as a moving, living drawing. Bob then draws a picture of himself to prank Squidward, but then the Bob clone turns hostile, dubbed as "Doodlebob". Bob and Rick try to stop it from wreaking havoc. Bob confronts Doodle and kills him via erasing him. However, when Bob and Rick least expect it, Doodle strikes back due to his hand remaining intact after the rest of his body was erased. Bob fights with Doodle again and traps him into a book, and explains to Patrick that Doodle was never evil, and he was only angry because he was 2D while the world was 3D.

WHY THIS MADE THE LIST: Some of my most memorable times with the show came from this episode from an old VHS cassette tape. It still conjures up memories typing about it right now. Good times.

Stay tuned for #1 - THE BEST SPONGEBOB EPISODE OF ALL TIME!