Video Update - 11/13/08

More cool videos:

Zero Wing Rhapsody


New Super Mario Bloopers (Once again, made by me.)


Zelda Twilight Princess could've been on the Game Boy

Video Update - 11/8/08

I found a bunch of cool videos. Ill update this regularly with new videos.


LittleBigPlanet - Kick The Cheat


Louie Armstrong sings "Super Mario World"


Strong Bad: Behind The Bad Chapter 2: The Heist


Super Mario Halloween (Made by me. So what if it's after Halloween?)

Post Lack/No Posts

Sorry for the lack of posts this month. I've been really busy. And also, I'll be on vacation this week, so no new posts.

Sam and Max: Season 1 Review

Sam and Max: Season 1
Rating: T
For: Cartoon Violence, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Platform: PC, Coming to Wii.



Sam and Max save the world in this six part episodic game for the PC.

Story: Sam and Max, a pair of Freelance police discover a hypnotizing scheme and have to save the world in six hilarious, action filled episodes. You'll travel everywhere from the White House to the Moon, to Sam and Max's office in New York City. These games are some of the funniest (maybe even the funniest) games I've ever played. In every corner in the game, there's a huge element of hilarity in it. There are about 20 secrets in every episode, kind of like "Easter eggs", giving the game more replay value to go back through and try to find them. The story is very rich and there never is a dumb moment. It's very addictive too. I beat all 6 episodes in less then a week. You always have a clear idea of what you you have to do and what's going on in the story. The episodes are tightly wound together, but all have separate stories.


Music: The music is pretty much great. There are 40 (maybe 50) tracks in the game, so it's not hard to find some tracks that you like. Overall, the songs are very good sounding and catchy. The songs really have a feel to them about your surroundings. (For example, Sam and Max's office has a New York-ish/Detective like song.) Most of the music is instrumental, but some have words, which usually have a bit of comedy in them. The songs are very high quality, and very nice overall. The game is also completely voice acted.

Characters: There is a huge cast of characters with more introduced in each episode. The characters each have a very unique personality, and almost all of them are usually funny. From the paranoid shop owner Bosco to Sybil the therapist, everyone has a very developed personality. Once a person is introduced in an episode, they usually come back for other episodes. Since there really aren't any boring characters, this is a good thing. I really didn't dislike any character. As I said, their great personalities and sense of humor make them hard to hate.


Controls: The game is very simple to control. You click the mouse where you want Sam to move, and interact with objects by clicking on them. To use an item, you don't have to go into a special menu like in most games. Just click on the "box" onscreen, and your items come onto screen. So you don't have to pause the game, navigate through menus, and find it, which is really convenient. Using items is easy too. All you do is click onscreen where to use it, and yay, it works. Items are needed to progress through the games, so making them easy to use makes it better.

Overall: Sam and Max: Season 1 is a great game, and for $20, a bargain. You get many hours of game play, while meeting great characters, hearing great music, and laughing almost all the time. Controls are easy, and the episodes are all tied together by a great story.

Since the game is made up of episodes, I shall grade each one separately.

Episode 1: Culture Shock = 9.4
Episode 2: Situation Comedy = 9.2
Episode 3: The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball = 8.8
Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die! = 9.7
Episode 5: Reality 2.0 = 9.3
Episode 6: The Bright Side of the Moon = 9.4

OVERALL = 9.4

I really enjoyed the game. I can't pick out anything I didn't like about it.

Thanks for reading!

Sam and Max: Season 1

From producer TellTale games comes Sam and Max: Season 1. Now, there used to be a comic from Sam and Max's creator about the pair, called Sam and Max: Surfin' the Highway. And TellTale made an episodic video game series about it. (Telltale should sound familiar, I've been ranting about having to wait for their newest game, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.) So far, there are 11 episodes, 6 of which are season 1. A season 3 is also in the works, and episodes are released about monthly.

Now, I only have the first 6 episodes so far, and I have beaten the first 5. I plan on starting the 6th, "The Bright Side of the Moon" today. Season one also includes "Abe Lincoln Must Die", the highest reviewed and my personal favorite episode of season one so far.

The games are point and click adventures, where you use items you find to progress through the game. They are also INSANELY funny. I actually found myself laughing out loud a lot during the games.

The games are currently only for PC, but shall be coming to Wii as a season (or WiiWare, I'm not sure.) But you should really check it out if you like funny games.

Actually, I shall go start episode 6 now.

Official Sam and Max Site
Another Official Site, mentioned in Episode 4's credits.

Top 3 Pokemon Ranch Toys

So, Pokemon Ranch, the WiiWare game, is somewhat fun. What makes it even more fun are the random toys you get everyday. Unfortunately, they disappear after the day is over. So, here are the 3 coolest toys in the game.

3. Balloons

The balloons lift any Pokemon in the air, despite having wings or not, and lets them fly around.

2. Snowman
The snowman freezes any Pokemon who touches it in a block of ice, giving them a surprised look on their face. Oh, and it works on your Miis too.

1. Poke Mic
The Poke Mic is definitely the coolest item in the game. It looks like a radio microphone, and when you pokemon comes up to it, their unique sound comes out of the Wii remote's speakers. Pretty nifty, if you ask me.

Nice job, Nintendo.

So, I decided to put a little faith in Nintendo's WiiWare decisions yesterday, and check the shop channel for Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. Well, I wasted my time, seeing as Frat Party Ping-Pong came out. Seriously... what? I doubt it'll be out next week, either.

WiiWare Weekly? Joy.

So, Nintendo has only been releasing one WiiWare a week. Now I have this to say.

Come on Nintendo! Release more than one a week! It is so annoying if you are waiting for a game to come out, like I am. So, last week, I bought 2000 Wii Points waiting for Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive people. But what happens? We get Pirates Freaking Dream Adventure. WHAT?! Come on! So many people are waiting for a specific game, so release them when you get them! Is only one regular Wii game released a week? NO. So release them as you get them! Now Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People has 5 episodes. So I have to go through your waiting process 5 times! Who knows how long it will take you to even release the first!?

That is all.

The 5 hardest levels in Super Mario Galaxy

So, I recently finished Super Mario Galaxy with all 242 stars, so here are the 5 hardest levels.



5. Underwater Cosmic Luigi Race
Location: Sea Slide Galaxy

I really dislike this level. You have to get the time of your remote shakes perfect to swim, and then ride a shell, throw it, and run to the finish.


4. Ghost Ship Daredevil Run
Location: Deep Dark Galaxy

This level really can get hard, and you need to concentrate on what you're doing. If you don't, you're going to get killed by a fireball.

3. Red-Hot Purple Coins
Location: Melty-Molten Galaxy

This level can get annoying at times, because you really need to stay balanced if you want to win. Since Luigi drifts, staying on the little platforms proves quite a challenge.

2. Bouldergeist's Daredevil Run
Location: Ghostly Galaxy

NO. I can't stand this level. It's so annoying. You either get hit by a flying rock, or hold onto the Boo for too long, and it's game over. And later you need to hold onto multiple Boos, making it harder.

1. Luigi's Purple Coins
Location: Toy Time Galaxy

Well, here's what I think is the hardest level in Galaxy. If you haven't gotten to it, beware. If you have beat it, good job. But it must of took a few tries.

You have to be very, very exact in this level if you hope to get 100 coins. Plus, you have to long-jump your way over the dark matter, air,flipping and dissepearing tiles. Not fun. And to make it worse, there's a time limit.

So, there you have it.




Luigi Coins, Volcano Coins, Bouldergeist Daredevil, Koopa Witch Daredevil, Sea Slide Galaxy Luigi

Next Week's Schedule

There probably won't be any posts for the next week, since I'm going to be busy. See ya soon!

Totaka's Song

So, in a few video games that a music engineer Kazumi Totaka worked on, you can find his song scattered all over the place. appropriately named Totaka's song.

But, I'll let this video I found do the talking for me.

Totaka's Song

just thought that was a cool little thing I'd share. If anyone finds anymore, send it to that guy!

Nintendo Conference Impressions

I was terribly upset with this year's E3. Animal Crossing was the only good thing, really. I was sure there would be more announcements. They only showed 3 DS games, one of which had already been announced, Pokemon Ranger 2.

Wii Music is okay, but the demonstration sucked. Wii Sports Lodge? Meh.

I was really hoping for a Mario or Zelda title, both of which are in the works but weren't showcased. I was surprised the Kid Icarus Wii wasn't shown. Also, I can't believe there wasn't a new channel. Are they running out of ideas?

The biggest shocker?: NO HARD DRIVE. Come on Nintendo! If you release all these games you are , PEOPLE WILL NEED A STORAGE SOLUTION. Man....

Oh... and Cammie scares me.

Rambling over.

Animal Crossing: City Folk overview

I wrote this overview for The Nintendo Pipeline, thought I'd post it here, because I did promise an overview once it was revealed.

There were some announcements today as E3, but few stood out as much as Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii, apparently coming sometime this year.

Animal Crossing: City Folk, as the name implies, adds a City to normal gamplay, where you can go to see The HRA Building, Gracie's fashion studio, among other things.

AC: CF brings back some of the classic holidays we missed in Wild World, such as Halloween, and brings back an updated version. Other holidays include Bunny Day, where you dig up eggs. And of course, New Years was also shown.

A new element of online play, Wii Speak, was introduced. Wii Speak is a speaker that goes on top of your sensor bar, rather than a headset, which lets everyone in the room talk into it.

On the subject of homes, there probably is a home for every playe, like there was in the origianl. My inference coming from the bedroom only has roomfor one bed. From what I've seen, the size/shape of the homes has stayed the same, and that probably means no backyards. Or, at least none in the house they showcased.

Sadly, there was no glimpse of Tom Nook's store in the showcase, but there was a brief glance into the Able Sister's, which sadly hasn't changed. Also, you can buy masks that look like your Mii.

You can look forward to Animal Crossing: City Folk sometime this year.

E3 2008 - Soon!

So, E3 20008 starts Tuesday. I already made my predictions, but I'm sure there will be more. Like a new peripheral (Balance Board, Wii Wheel, Zapper) or something. A peripheral would be cool, if they could think of anymore. Plus, some new Wii channels would be nice, if they have anymore ideas. Right now, I'm even hoping for a few channel update, hopefully for the Mii Channel. WE NEED MORE OPTIONS. Even Gameboy being added to the VC would work.... actually, that'd be a pretty cool idea.

Maybe a Mario game, some Mario sports games, whatever. They know we really want Paper Mario 3. Some people, including myself, would like to see a Luigi's Mansion 2, or even a longer remake with Wii controls. Paper Mario DS would be pretty neat, too. Or if neither Paper Mario happens, maybe Paper Luigi? A whole new story would be nice, or even the Waffle Kingdom story would sort-of work. Also, Super Mario Sunshine with motion controls would work. There was a mini-game of it in Wario Ware Smooth Moves, and that worked out pretty well. Or a Super Mario Sunshine 2 (Like, not called Sunshine, but it would have FLUDD in it.) work be nice, also.

I'm also hoping for a Zelda title, whether it be DS or Wii, but Wii preferably.

Some news on Professor Layton 2 may be announced- we already know it's coming, but a release date would be nice.

It has been confirmed that Animal Crossing Wii will be announced, so 'll worry about that after it is.

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Wow. Longest article I've ever written.

Rambling Over.

Jobs you can get from Games

If you play a certain type of game, you could probably get a job from it. (Yeah right) But, if you could, here would be some jobs you could get.

Plumber

Well, kind of. If you played the original Super Mario Brothers, you may be able to get a job as a plumber. Oh, who am I kidding? All you did was squash things that came out of pipes.

Ace Attorney

So, if you have played a Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice game, you may be able to get a job as a defense attorney. The game teaches you everything: How to cross-examine, examine crime scenes, use fingerprint powder, and most importantly, laugh at the cracking murderer.

Oh wait.... Ace Attorney is based on the Japanese legal system.

Mario's Floating Head

So, maybe some of you have heard of another internet trend, Mario's floating Head, and some of you have not. Well now, all of you will have after reading this.

Mario's Floating Head appeared in Mario Teaches Typing 2, between levels. Mario would talk to you and try to be funny.



Here are some of my favorite parts.

Mario Destroys American Advertising

Mario Says a Funnie

Mario Moves On The Ground

Mario Displays Wario-ish Tendencies

Enjoy!

Another Animal Crossing Wii idea

Yay, another Animal Crossing Wii idea.

Museum Gift Shop

So, what if the museum had a gift shop? You would be able to buy things exclusive to the museum. Posters of dinosaurs, fish, and more! It wouldn't be just posters, though. Also shirts and some exclusive furniture!

Ōkami

I just beat one of the longest and best games I have ever played- Okami.

Ōkami is the story of the Sun god, Amaterasu, trying to restore peace all over Nippon (The previous name for Japan.), by defeating the darkness called Orichi, the 8-headed dragon.

The game looks beautiful. It is celled shaded, and looks absolutely gorgeous. It kind of reminds me of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

The game also plays very much like a Zelda game. You go into dungeons, solve puzzles, everything.

The game's music is also very stunning. Taking place in Japan, you'd expect the music to be Japanese themed. Well, it is. And that's a great thing.

So, if you like Zelda games, you should try this.

Weegee

Weegee, the terrible Luigi sprite, has made it's mark on the internet. Weegee is from the oh-so terrible "video game" Mario is Missing. The Luigi sprite used in the game is very... odd. Just look at it...



It stares into your soul...

Now, there have to be hundreds of Weegee image edits on the internet, but a few stand above the rest. Here are my favorites.



Yes... Weegee IS infact running for president.



Damon Gant can stare into your soul, but Weegee does it better.

You gotta love Weegee.

More Animal Crossing Wii Ideas

1. Hey! Look! Up there!

In Animal Crossing DS, you were able to see the sky. So, why not have a way to just turn the camera up to look at the sky?

2. Look! Up there! On the ceiling!

You can have lights on the floor in the first 2 Animal Crossing games. Yay. But now, what we need are lights that hang on the ceiling!

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Will add more as I think of them.

The Top 5 Video Game Soundtracks of All Time

Happy 4th of July!!!

Today, I'm going to list my favorite top 5 video game soundtracks of all time. Hopefully I don't forget any. Music games DO NOT count.

----

5. Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Professor Layton has a great soundtrack. There are 19 songs in all, and only one or two of them are boring. The credits theme and Professor Layton's theme are absolutely brilliant.

4. Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

All of the Phoenix Wright games music is good, but Trials and Tribulations really tops it all. The songs sound more realistic, plus there are some really catchy songs in it.

3. Paper Mario Series

The Paper Mario series has absolutely stunning music. There are songs for every mood, and every level, plus some extras. Though some songs can get tedious, most of them are amazing.

2. Super Smash Bros Brawl

For the most part, Super Smash Bros Brawl has an amazing soundtrack. My only problem is that only half of them are remixes. All of them should have been. It's a shame Delfino Island wasn't remixed....

1. Super Mario Galaxy

Ah, yes, couldn't you have guessed? Super Mario Galaxy, with it's amazing soundtrack. Around half of the songs are remixes, but excellent remixes at that. The songs made for Galaxy itself are even better. Plus, they're all orchestrated! You gotta love that.

Animal Crossing Wii Ideas

Yay, 10th post. So, here are some ideas for Animal Crossing Wii.

1. More in depth Neighbors.

It would be pretty cool if some of your neighbors were rich, and could upgrade their house. I'd also like to see neighbors shopping. Also, animals need to have different things to talk about, instead of all repeating the same things.

2. Mr. Resetti's House/Animal Island

In the Japanese versions of Animal Crossing, you could go to Mr. Resetti's house. but English? Nooooooo.

Also, Animal Island was a cool feature in the GCN version, so why not bring it back?

3. Visit Other Towns

In my Pokemon Ranch, people programmed into the game will come on random days to ask you if you want to come to their Ranch. So, why can't characters come to your town and invite you to their town?

More as I think of them.

Professor Layton 2

Professor Layton was a great game. And every great game deserves a sequel, am I right? Well, Professor Layton is getting a sequel. Professor Layton and Pandora's Box.

This game takes place in 2 towns, and a train. Obviously, it somehow revolves around Pandora's box. It have more puzzles than the original, plus bonus puzzles.

I can't wait for it to come out. ^^

Hotel Dusk: Room 215

Yay, another good mystery game.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is about an ex-cop named Kyle Hyde, trying to find his long lost partner, Brian Bradley.

Kyle winds up at Hotel Dusk because of a delivery job he is on, and soon finds many, many mysteries. There, Kyle meets an old friend, new friends, and new enemies. Is Bradley in the hotel? You'll have to find that out for yourself.

Hotel Dusk is a point and click mystery -you hold it on it's side, like a book- and talk to people, reveal their secrets, and the secrets of the Hotel.

You'd be hard-pressed to find this game now, but if you do, you have found an excellent game.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village Review

Professor Layton and The Curious Village
Genre: Puzzles
Rating: E
System: Nintendo DS
Developer: Level 5


Professor Layton is a unique type of game, where you travel about the town of St. Mystere, searching for puzzles, and solving 10 mysteries.


Graphics

Professor Layton has great graphics. The graphics look like an old European town when you are exploring, and in the puzzles, they are very colorful. All of the graphics in the whole game look amazing, from start to finish. I don't think they could be any better. Plus, the backgrounds are very beautiful. If there were a few more character animations, it would be perfect.

9.5
~
Music
The music for this game is very well composed and very catchy. As well as the graphics looking European styled, so do some of the songs. The songs are all orchestrated, ranging in a variety of instruments. The sound quality of this game is very good, too. Not just for the music, but for the voice acting too. I find myself humming Professor Layton's theme song a lot.

10.0
~
Puzzles


In this game, there are a total of 135 puzzles, ranging in difficulty of very easy to very hard. For every puzzle you beat, you get points called Picarats. The harder the puzzle is, the more Picarats you get for answering right. If you answer wrong, however, you lose picarats. After you beat the game, the number of picarats you have decides how many bonus features you unlock. You do not have to do all 135 puzzles to beat the game.

As I said, some puzzles are very hard. Luckily, you can unlock hints by using hint coins you find hiding in the town. The tips are usually very helpful.

Also, every week, Nintendo puts a new puzzle up for download via Wi-Fi. These also range in difficulty. Unfortunately, these puzzles are only available through Wi-Fi.

9.0
~
Story


This game has an absolutely beautiful (if somewhat sad) story. The story is great, and there are also many plot twists that make it even better. The characters are also great. By the end of the story, they really grow on you. This game may have one of the best stories on the DS.

10.0
~

Cut-Scene Movies

Professor Layton features cartoon movies that tell the plot. The movies are all fully voiced, and look beautiful. Plus, they add in some of the games best songs, making it even better. There are about 20 cutscene movies, all fully voiced, and animated beautifully. It's impossible to not love the cutscene movies.

9.9
~



Final Score: 9.6!!!

New Name, New Location, Yay.

Okay, so a new name and location have been decided. I changed the name from "The Ramblings of a Luigi Fan" To "An Octorok's Ramblings".

I also moved the location of the site, and hope to get more views.

E3 2008

So, E3 2008 is around the corner, I can't wait for all of the announcements. Here are my predictions:


*Animal Crossing Wii
*Maybe Apollo Justice 2?
*A New Mario Game
*A New Zelda Game
*A New Wii Channel

You?

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Okay, so I was at Wal-Mart the other day, and I picked up this game called "Professor Layton and the Curious Village". so, it's basically a puzzle game, an awesome puzzle game, at that. I didn't beat it yet, but I abosolutely love it.

PLUS, the cutscenes are voice acted, and fully animated, like a cartoon.

Now you go get it too.

Ace Attorney

Wow, I really love the little-known games, I guess.

Well, I shouldn't say little known, but not as known as Mario, unfortunately.

Anyway, Ace Attorney games are basically defending clients from being innocently thrown in jail. To do that, you have to search crime scenes, defend them in court, and find contradictions.

Yes, it may sound it easy, but it can be hard, too. Some witnesses are very hard to break.

...Anyway, I'm getting off track. Ace Attorney games are awesome. Good characters, awesome storylines, and odd hair. Yep, odd hair.

Go get one today!!!!


Oh yeah, and when the murderers crack, it's funny.

The World Ends With You, Kid.

So... yesterday I beat this awesome game from Square Enix called The World Ends With You.

Amazing game, if I do say so. Awesome characters, a unique battle system, and a great story.

Go get it. Now.

The Ramblings of a Luigi Fan

Um... what to say... I like this name I picked... The Ramblings of a Luigi Fan.
So... see ya around?