Even though I wrote a negative review, I'm still not totally convinced that this game is asbad as it seems to be. I feel like I'm doing something wrong in the game. My biggest hang up is that I get trapped in certain areas of the game, and I can't escape. Whether it's little pockets in the walls or I'm trapped in a corner between a wall and an over hang, I keep running into problems. So far my only solution has been to reset the game entirely. Come on people, especially all you people who love this game! What am I doing wrong, or is this a problem you all have just chosen to over look, because of your nostalgia for the game.

Hey guys, two more reviews! Thanks for reading.

Hey guys, I just finished my review for Ys Book I and II. Please tell me how I can improve! Thanks.

I've pretty much had it with how game developers are making their games harder and harder to read with texts sizes so small that you spend your time squinting at the menu options, and the bad news is: It's getting worse! What? Do game developers expect everyone these days to now have a 60" HDTV in their basement or something. I loved Batman: Arkham Asylum, but my biggest hangup with it was how the font size during the menu screen and in-game insturctions was barely readable. But as newer games are being developed, the problem is getting worse! I've been greatly anticipating the arrivals of Dead Space 2 and Mass Effect 2 for the PS3, so I downloaded the demos for each game and was greatly turned off by them. Not only was comprehending the starting menus extremely difficult, but the game play was extreme frustrating when trying to pull up a menu and instead of words, you have white blurrs. Now, It's been a year or so sense I've had my check-up with the optimologist. But back then, I had 20-20 vision, and I doubt my eyes have gone bad that quickly.

What is the point in making nearly elligible font sizes? I thought Fallout 3 was pretty bad about it, but EA has taken a bad thing and made it worse! Why? What are they trying to accomplish? It doesn't make for a better gaming experience, because it distracts rather than adds to the gameplay. Thank God for the Nintendo Wii! You have to be legally blind not to be able to read those games. Maybe EA could learn a thing or two from those guys.

Yuzo Koshiro

I love music. Peter Kreeft, in his book TheBest Things in Life: A 20th century Socrates Looks at Power, Pleasure, Truth, and the Good Life, documented that Socrates once called music "the language of the gods." The beauty of music is that it is the closest thing we have to a universal language. It is something that can be appreciated by all nations, races, ethnicities, and ****s. Through the power of music emotions can be evoked or manipulated to the composer's wishes. It can melt the hardest of hearts, or strengthen the faintest of hearts. Composers, producers, directors, and any thinking artist is aware of this obvious fact, which is why music is used for all sorts of mediums. From the stage performances to the movie houses, music is used to incite emotion, and video games are no exception.

Being a musician myself, I enjoy composing as well as listening to the compositions of other great artists. Some of the greatest muses in my life come from a wide variety of mediums with most of them originating from Japan. Like many other things that the oriental culture has established, Japan is overflowing with a wealth of creativity. From Joe Hisaishi to Koji Kondo to Nobuo Uematsu; but one figure who has continually impressed me and I would like to distinguish today is Yuzo Koshiro. Other than the works of Koji Kondo, I really haven't paid that much attention to the composers of the video game medium; but one name that kept reappearing when I was researching some of my favorite game music was Yuzo Koshiro.

Now, I love music, and I love gaming. So nothing gives me a greater euphoric feeling then when the two compliment each other in a polished and defined way. Game music has come a long way since the days of the 8-bit era, from the Final Fantasy series to BioShock, yet there is something undeniably charming to the ****c bleeps and blips of the songs of yesteryears. NPR has already on multiple occasions given tribute to the 8-bit, MIDI musical genius Koji Kondo with his works with the ever-so-popular Super Mario Bros. games (his works will always withstand the test of time), so I felt it important to recognize some one who I believe is on par, if not greater than Koji Kondo.

Whether you're incinerating "goons" in the land of Esteria, or beating up thugs on "Mr. X's island," or defeating Spider-man and Batman with your Ninjutsu, you can not deny that part of what made these games so great was in fact the soundtrack that accompanied them. While my ever-so-gorgeous girl-friend and I were playing Streets of Rage 2, she pointed out that one of the reasons she remembered the game so well was that her and her cousin both loved the music. It's true the music is that good! And on top of all this, I recently finished Ys Book I & II for the Turbo Grafx-16 CD, which was one of the prime reasons for gamers back in the 90's to dish out $399 for the TurboCD extension. Hearing the soundtrack for Ys Book I & II with crystal clear CD quality is nothing short of euphoric and a crowning achievement of some of Yuzo Koshiro's best works.

Yuzo Koshiro's most celebrated achievement was ActRaiser, in which several live performance of the game were conducted by him personally in Leipzig, German both in 2005 and 2006. Here is one of my personal favorites from ActRaiser called "The Music Gift:"

http://gamesounds.holycrap.org/music/snes/midi/a/armusic.mid

Here is a list of all the games Yuzo Koshiro is attributed to (compliments of wikipedia):

• Xanadu Scenario II(PC-88,PC-98)
• Ys(PC-88, PC-98)
• Ys II(PC-88, PC-98)
• Romancia(PC-88)
• Legacy of the Wizard/Dragon Slayer IV(NES/Famicom)
• Sorcerian(PC-88, PC-98)
• Algarna(Sharp X1)
• Bosconian(Sharp X68000)
• The Scheme(PC-88)
• Misty Blue(PC-88)
• Star Wars - Attack of the Death Star(X68000 arrangements)
• Crack Down(Arcade)
• The Stickman is Back(Sega Mega Drive/Genesis) - unreleased
• The Revenge of Shinobi/The Super Shinobi(Mega Drive/Genesis)
• Thrice (Slice)(Sharp X68000)
• Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle(Mega Drive/Genesis)
• ActRaiser(Super NES/Super Famicom)
• ActRaiser 2(SNES / SFC)
• Super Adventure Island(SNES / SFC)
• Sonic the Hedgehog(Sega Master System / Game Gear)
• Streets of Rage 2/Bare Knuckle II(Mega Drive/Genesis) - withMotohiro Kawashima
• Slap Fight(Mega Drive) - Japan only
• Miracle Casino Paradise(SFC) - Japan only
• Shinobi/The GG Shinobi(Game Gear)
• Shinobi II: The Silent Fury/The GG Shinobi II(Game Gear)
• Batman Returns(Game Gear, Master System)
• Streets of Rage 3/Bare Knuckle III(Mega Drive/Genesis) - with Motohiro Kawashima
• Beyond Oasis/The Story of Thor(Mega Drive / Genesis)
• Eye of the Beholder(Sega CD)
• Zork I(Sega Saturn/PlayStation)
• The Legend of Oasis/The Story of Thor 2(Sega Saturn)
• Vatlva(Sega Saturn)
• Culdcept(Sega Saturn) - withTakeshi Yanagawa
• Shenmue(Dreamcast) - withTakenobu Mitsuyoshi,Takeshi Yanagawa,Osamu MurataandRyuji Iuchi
• Wangan Midnight(Arcade,PlayStation 2)
• Car Battler Joe(Game Boy Advance)
• Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune(Arcade)
• Wangan Midnight R(Arcade)
• Amazing Island(Nintendo GameCube)
• Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 2(Arcade)
• Namco × Capcom(PlayStation 2) - with flair
• Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2(USA) /Dancing Stage Max(PAL) /Dance Dance Revolution STR!KE(JPN) (PlayStation 2) - provided the song "You Gotta Move It" with vocals byJulie Rugaard
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin(Nintendo DS) - withMichiru Yamane
• Etrian Odyssey(Nintendo DS)
• Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 3(Arcade)
• Fuzion Frenzy 2(Xbox 360)
• Warriors Of The Lost Empire(USA) /Lost Regnum(JPN) (PlayStation Portable)
• Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! Dream Hyper Battle!(PlayStation 2,Wii) - withTomonori HayashibeandMotohiro Kawashima
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl(Wii) - with many other composers
• Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard(Nintendo DS)
• Otomedius G(Xbox 360) - arranged theSalamandersong "Planet Ratis"
• 7th Dragon(Nintendo DS)
• Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX(Arcade)
• Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City(Nintendo DS)
• Dragon Ball Online(PC)
• Protect Me Knight(Xbox Live)

http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/

This is the website that I'm using to challenge myself.

I have a confession. I'm a critic. I've tried to quit. I've tried so many times. There's already to many critics in the world as it is. But just when I think I'm done criticizing, I run into a something that brings the old man out of me again. This time it was gamespot's list of the Greatest Games of All Time. My endeavor is beat every single game that was put on this list. I'm mostly doing it as a tribute to one of the greatest game critics of all time, Greg Kasavin. No other critic has made me want to run out and buy a game as much as Kasavin has.

Anyway I just beat two more games from the list today and was deeply impressed with both of them. I have just finished ActRaiser for the first time, which was surprisingly easy considering its contenders of the time. Super Mario World makes Actraiser look like an EC (early childhood) production when comparing the difficulty between the two, but nevertheless it was still a very enthralling, if not original, adventure with a very subtle yet beautiful theme at the conclusion.

My second entry of games to cross off the list of completion was Mega Man 2. This was my very first exposure to the Mega Man world (other than I remember as a kid seeing a friend play a full anime cut version of Mega Man for his computer), and it left me wondering why I was never exposed to this beautifully crafted world before. Even though, I lived in Africa for 15 years of my life, I still had access to an Nintendo at our neighbors house. So why has it taken me nearly 22 years to get acquainted with one of the greatest NES-era heroes of all time.

I'll review both of these games in full detail later, but for now: Good-night, and Good luck!

It has been a long, long time since I've posted anything. This has mostly been due to the fact that I've been attending Bible school at Kentucky Mountain Bible College in Eastern Kentucky (no they don't handle snakes, but they are a cult as I've just recently discovered). But fortunately, I've quit school there and now I'm a freeman again. Well as free as can be when you have parents who think you have the capacity to buy a gun and murder some one simply because you enjoy FPS games. But, I'm back, and I've played some great games this semester. Games that you should check out if you already haven't are as following:

1. Metroid Fusion GBA (Samus at her side-scrolling goodness)

2. Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones GBA (It's like Pokemon, but with people! Gotta catch'em all!)

3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic & Knuckles GEN (poetry in motion)

4. Contra III: Alien Wars SNES (7.5? Gamespot! Are you for real?)

5. Samurai Showdown II NEO(I played this with a chinese guy!)

6. The Punisher ARC (by far the best arcade beat'em up ever!)

7. Streets of Rage 2 GEN (plenty of eye candy, and not a bad beat'em up either)

8. ActRaiser SNES (It's like SimCity meets old school Castlevania!)

9. Smart Ball SNES (How come no one ever told me about this platformer?)

10. Ikaruga (This is why Treasure is my all time favorite video game company!)

11. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (I beat this back in high school, and it was worth reliving)

12. Devil May Cry (Game Informer is wrong! Dante is far from lame!)

I know this seems like kind of a stretch, but in seems like there is a hidden anti-religious message in Fallout. I'm not saying this because the Cathedral blows up at the end of the game, but because of the more subtle things like the conversation with the Super Mutant Lieutenant. He talks about the "dipping" which could refer to baptism. And then there are the things like Prayer, Unity, One body, these could all refer to the church. I'm religious person, so none of this really offends me, but it does make me wonder a little bit if the super mutants are representative of the religious folks who try to impose their religious beliefs on others, making themselves look superior. I don't know, it's just a thought that occurred to me.

The Sensible World of Soccer has to be the most disappointing game that I've played from "Gamespot's Greatest Games of All Time." Granted, I played it on DOS instead of the Amiga so I can't give a completely fair account, but even with that in mind the game was still lacking at best. The gameplay was simple, using only one button to pass, kick, and slide tackle. While I liked the simplicity of it in concept in actuality the simplicity made the game quite frustrating. The passing was extremely cumbersome and often wouldn't go where I wanted it to go (especially when I was the goalie). Also, when moving in for the shot, I would try to pass to a player who had a better shot advantage, but instead of passing, my player would take a shot... URGH! One top of all this when you passed from one player to another, you automatically switch to the player passed to before he got the ball resulting in a loss of possession.

I grew up playing FIFA 98 on my Windows ME; so yes, I'm use to all the bells and whistles and "giant red arrows" that are associated with soccer-theme games. But at least in FIFA you had decent control and maneuverability with the ball. Sensible World of Soccer reminded me more of a pin-ball machine than an actual soccer game.

Overall, I am very disappointed with Gamespot for puttingthis gameon the "Greatest Games of All Time" list. Then again, I can't blame all of Gamespot for Justin Calvert's poor choices in gaming. Remember this is the same guy who said GTA IV "isn't perfect," complained about the AI, and then gave the game a perfect 10!!! Man, do I miss the good old days with Jeff and Greg Kasavin. Those guys actually knew what they were talking about.

Dear gentle reader, I actually started playing Lode Runner while I was bored on a plane flight from Israel back to the United States. I was super excited to find a 110v outlet under my seat where I could plug my computer in since the battery doesn't hold a charge anymore. Once I was all plugged up, I decided to start out with a round of Lode Runner which quickly became an addiction and soon developed into an obsession. Unfortunately, the arcade version does not come with a map builder, which in the long run didn't really matter because the levels in the arcade version seemed to go on and on and on. One of the things that really stuck with me about the game was how much strategy and quick decision making are actually involved in the game. Most of the addicting aspects of the game were involved in trying to out-smart the AI of the hostile units (be they cavemen or spiders or whatever). Mostly the AI just tries to corner you by coming up on both sides of the screen. Having this in mind can actually work towards your advantage and its a lot of fun to do so. The game didn't sucked me into this little world like Super Mario Bros. did. In fact, after playing it for 5 hours straight on the plane I eventually had to put it down as the game play just became a little too monotonous. Still... I can't imagine spending that much time on a game like Donkey Kong, so that is still pretty impressive for an early 80's arcade machine. A part from that I was still left with a satisfying experience and time well wasted.