Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Virtual Console Wish List

As you may be aware, I have a Wii, got it on launch day. Wii has a channel called the Virtual Console, which is much like the X-Box Live Arcade. The Wii's Virtual Console has a library consisting of games from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), Sega Genesis (SGEN) and TubroGrafx-16. Quite the library of games. On Monday, January 29th I bought my first game from the Virtual Console: Mario Kart 64. So in other words, I was playing a Nintendo 64 game on my Wii with a GameCube controller. Odd isn't it? Today I came home from school, played Mario Kart then dug around my Lego collection. Yeah, felt like I went back in time. No wonder why they used to burry people alive if they felt nostalgic....

Anyway, back to the main point. With my first Wii purchase being Mario Kart 64, what other games would I buy...?

NES:
2 (or 3) in 1 - Super Mario Brothers with Duck Hunt (and World Class Track Meet) - I'd be great to own these two. Super Mario Brothers with Duck hunt was my first NES game. I already have Super Mario Brothers on my GameBoy Advance, so it'd be better if it got bundled with Duck Hunt or World Class Track Meet.... but I wonder how you'd control those games? You could use the Wii-mote as a light gun, but World Class Track Meet came with a giant pad to run on...

Darkwing Duck - I have to admit, I liked this old game, but never got a chance to beat it. I'd be great to own it for 5 bucks or less.

Dr. Mario - The great puzzle game. I liked this game, but never owned the original, I have the N64 version, which is just a SNES game with 4 players.

Dragon Warrior 1-4 - These games are legendary, some of the best ground work for RPGs to come. I have yet to play them, you'll find out what was my first RPG later.

Star Tropics - Dubbed the Legend of Zelda set in the present, I've seen ads for this game when I was younger, but never got to play it. (Released on January 7th, 08)

Super Mario Brothers 3 - Considered to be the BEST game of all time, as well with one of the best selling games of all time. I've spent countless hours playing this game and it would be great to play it again. (got on Nov 5th, 07)

Tetris - The big puzzle break out smash! This game revolutionized that puzzle genre. No one can forget the music or the shapes. Try it!


SNES:

Chrono Trigger - Yet again, another legendary RPG I have yet to play.

Earth Bound - A game with possibly the biggest cult following ever. I've been curious about this game ever since Smash Brother for the N64, but now I REALLY WANT TO PLAY IT! And it's prequel and sequel..

Final Fantasy 3 (6 now) - See above.

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja - Give it up for Goemon and his blue pineapple hair! I own the N64 version and know that this game will be just as silly and as fun. (released on April 30th, 07)

Mario Paint - There's a Wii version coming, you know it! The original Mario Paint had lots to do and was a blast.

Ogre Battle - The original Ogre Battle, the series is epic and very tough. Never got to play this one either!

Super Mario All Stars - An even better combo, Mario Brothers 1, 2, 3 and Lost Levels all rolled into one. Chances are we'll have to buy all 4 separately. Le sigh.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Once again another RPG with huge acclaim and cult following. I didn't have an SNES! (released on September 1st, 08)

Super Mario World - My cousins did have a SNES and got to play this game a lot. Sadly, they would always complete the game and I never got to myself. (got on Feb 5th, 07)

N64

Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage - A game I saw advertised near the end of the N64 life, but being in a small town with only locally owned video store, I never got to play it.

Battle Tanx + Battle Tanx: Global Assault - What could be better then driving tanks and destroying other tanks and buildings?! It was a blast.

Beetle Adventure Racing - A fun little racing game about the VW Bug. It has been spotted on the ESRB site...

Bomberman 64 + Bomberman 64: The Second Attack - One of my first 10 (out of 26) N64 games that I owned and played. Bomberman 64 is a blast to play with 4 players. Much like Aidyn Chronicles, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack came out late in the system and never got to play it.

Castlevania 64 + Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness - You must think I'm crazy right? I do admit, Castlevania in 3D has problems... But it was still fun to play with some interesting music. I never got to play its sequel Legacy of Darkness.

Cruis'n World - A very fun racer, my sister and I beat it, but it'd be great to take another spin around the world and to the moon, oops, spoiler.. Never got to play Cruis'n Exotica..

Destruction Derby 64 - A Surprisingly well done racing game. My sister and one of my cousins were watching TV one night and sure enough a Destruction Derby was on TV and we were getting into it and wonder who would come out on top. 6 months later this game comes out.

ExciteBike 64 - I thought the original ExciteBike was ok, but this one was a blast to play. Its print ad was simply a picture of a nutcracker on a white surface then 3 shots of the game and the name and the little legal blurb. So true. The game is also an awesome multiplayer game and has the original Excitebike on it!

Extreme G 1 + 2 - Fast and fun with some great tracks. Multiplayer is fun as well.

F-Zero X - A classic with great tracks and one feature I miss in F-Zero GX for my GameCube: Death Race. You had to get rid of the other 29 racers while going in a loop course. Unlimited time and laps. (released on June 25th, 07)

Goemon's Great Adventure - the sequel to Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon. I never got to play this side scroller.

GoldenEye 007 - This game revolutionized console shooters and is still considered to be one of the best movie adaptations ever made, as well as one of the best selling games as well. I've spent hours upon hours playing multiplayer mode. The joys of hunting...

Harvest Moon 64 - The best Harvest Moon ever. The quirky little farming RPG (still not my first RPG!) with characters that looked like Lego men. Almost anyone who plays this game gets addicted!

Hybrid Heaven - An interesting fighting game I never got to try, it'd be neat to download it and give it a try.

Megaman 64 - aka Megaman Legends. This game was the first Megaman game I really liked. It had adventure, RPG elements and an interesting story.

Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon - This game is proof that you shouldn't do drugs... A guy with blue pineapple hair, a ninja girl with green hair who can change into a mermaid, a giant peach spaceship, giant robots in feudal Japan, aliens trying to turn Japan into a giant theatre stage, a pipe is your main weapon and this game comes complete with music videos! It's insane and fun as hell!

The New Tetris - The best version of Tetris hands down! This game is awesome. The graphics are beautiful, the game play is tweaked so you can make boxes to clear more lines, and the soundtrack is absolutely stunning and is one of the best ever. Made in Vancouver too!

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber - An awesome strategy/RPG with an epic story. I didn't get very far in this game, but it was so fun.

Paper Mario 64 - The "sequel" to Mario RPG for the SNES. Paper Mario was a different take on Mario, where he was placed in a 2 1/2 D game (2D characters moving around in a 3D area in this case). The game has plenty of crazy jokes, the plot if fun and is a great game. I got through 70% of the game, and then I had to return it to the video store. (got on July 16th, 07)

Pokémon Puzzle League - aka Tetris Attack 64. This game really is Tetris Attack with a Pokemon coat of paint. The puzzles are fun and multiplayer is crazy. My sisters and I have 6 - 7 minute long matches! 6 TO 7 MINUTES! Play the game, see how long you last! (Released on May 5th, 08)

Quest 64 - Here it is.... my first real RPG..... Laugh if you must, but this game was a great introduction to RPGs. It was challenging and very adventurous.

Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA - A classic arcade game. The multiplayer mode is great. There have been several games where it came down to the last roll in stunt mode. My sister and friend Cole were playing against each other and my sister was winning and with just 1 second to go, Cole flung his car against one of the small square jumps in a last ditch effort to get some points. He took it and flew and begun to roll.... and roll and roll. The game ended 15 seconds ago, but he was still rolling into the uneven grounds. Cole, my sister and ..... whoever else was there... were all on the edges of our seats to see if Cole could possibly land this insane rolling spree. The car came to a slow and landed on it's wheels and Cole got 1425 points... I think. I have a picture of it somewhere...

Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth - Never released in North America, but it looked soooo cool! (got on September 12th, 07)

Starcraft 64 - Awesome game, I should really get it for my PC.... once I'm done school and have a job as an animator. Can't get distracted.

Turok 3: Shadows of Oblivion - In my eyes, the best Turok game yet. The game had a much better storyline and was more straight foreword and didn't require a ton of backtracking. Backtracking is interesting if done right (Metroid series). Too bad the raptors in this game looked horrible compared to Turok 2.

SGEN

(ummm.... Sonic? Actually, I never really got to play Sega Genesis or TurboGrafx... I guess the Virtual Console is a great tool to get to learn about video game history!)

What’s missing:
By now you’ve noticed some titles mission, like The Legend of Zelda series. I have Zelda 1, Zelda 2: Adventures of Link, Ocarina of Time (twice) and Majora’s Mask on a special collector’s GameCube disc. I also have Zelda: Link to the Past on my GameBoy Advance.

Huge list, isn't it? But that's not all. Original games are being developed for the Virtual Console, much like X-Box Live Arcade. So other brand new games will also be released. Who knows what else will come to the Virtual Console. Could Sony allow Square-Enix to release Final Fantasy VII on it? How about other PlayStation 1 games? Sega CD games? Gameboy games? PC games? This will be fun to watch.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Upcoming Events

In hopes of spreading good news and events I'm attached with, I've decided to add a new feature to my blog: An Upcoming Event box!

Look to the right side ->
See it? Pretty neat, eh?

Anyway, I'll be advertising little events like Double Screening Nights at the Center, Wii Parties, Film Festivals, and other events I'll be attending.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

New Semester

A new semester has begun and new goals are made and deadlines are set. This semester I shall pump out 3 shorts, maybe 4 shorts (depending on the time). I have 2 of the 3 planned so far.

The first one is well on it's way and every retro animation fan will love it. I can't say much more. The second will possibly be one of the darkest shorts to come out of The Center For Arts and Technology Kelowna yet. I will probably need a week of render testing just to get the look I want. Should be good. The third is still up in the air, I'm still mulling over some ideas and should plan it by mid way through the second animation. So stay tuned.

Of course I'll also post other things on here, like the Zelda Timeline and more Art School Survival articles.

I also updated my links section, I'll be adding even more as the weeks go by, so stop by those sites and see what's happening. Pay attention to the Digimill site, it has plenty of interesting articles and links. I'll be posting a few "How To.." lessons on Digimill by March.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Zelda Time Line Theory

Warning: This post will contain SPOILERS! If you don't want your Zelda experiance spoiled, then don't read on, look at the pretty animation in other posts.

I've been playing the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on my Wii since launch date and I've been wondering about the chronological order of the Zelda games. Is there an order? In the players guide for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (one of my favorite games of all time), states: "One odd thing about the legend is that it doesn't seem to have been written in chronological order, and scholars still disagree about which events came first."

So, let's break it down from what we know. First the games.

The Legend of Zelda [1] (NES - 1987)
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link (NES - 1988)
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES - 1992)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB - 1993)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - 1998)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64 - 2000)
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (GBC - 2001)
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC - 2001)
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (GBA - 2003)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN - 2003)
The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Adventure (GCN - 2004)
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA - 2005)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN + Wii 2006)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass (DS 2007)

Why isn't called the Legend of Link. But that's off topic.
Now we'll break down what we do know, the logical sequels.

The Legend of Zelda 1 was followed by Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, a span of a few "seasons" inbetween.
Ocarina of Time was followed by Majora's Mask which feature the same Link for Ocarina looking for Navi.
Minish Cap, Four Swords, 4 Swords Adventure are their own little trilogy.
The Wind Waker will be followed by the Phantom Hour Glass.
Oracle of Seasons and Ages happens one right after eachother, doesn't matter which one.

To better illistrate this, here's a picture:



Ok, not bad ok? Not loss? Good.

Now we have some troubles.
The Wind Waker takes place 100 years or more (mostlikely more) after Ocarina of Time.
Link's Awakening has Link training outside of Hyrule and get ship wrecked on an island and turns out to be a dream. Which adventure Link was on before or after is a mystery, but Ganon does show up as one of Link's fears he must overcome. In other words, he may have already faced Ganon in a previous game or is hinted at in legend.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has Ganondoft in human form being sentanced to the Twilight Realm.


So, what order do I think it happens? I think it goes like this:

Ocarina of Time = Majora's Mask - Zelda and Link meet, Ganondoft is human. Triforce is broken up.
\/
Twilight Princess - Happens decades after Ocarina of Time. Ganondoft is captured and sent to the Twilight Releam and his triforce is activated. Also, the Temple of Time is shown in Twilight Princess as ruins.
\/
The Wind Waker > Phantom Hour Glass > Link's Awakening - Happens hundreds of years after Twilight Princess. Momunment built in honour of Link in Twilight Princess at the bottom of the ocean. Gannon returns, after Link has died after a few decades after Twilight Princess. Floods Hyrule. Triforce is placed together at the end of Wind Waker, Hyrule is no more and search for a new Hyrule happens. Link gets shipped wrecked while looking for a new Hyrule (or heading back to the islands of Hyrule) in Link's Awakening.
\/
Minish Cap > 4 Swords > 4 Swords Adventure - Long after the events of the Wind Waker, most of Hyrule's history has been forgotten and lines begin to get blurred with the new land's legends (Our own culture is living proof of this concept).
\/
Link to the Past - Ganon can no longer revert back to human form and gets his paws on the triforce, again, and breaks it up giving him the power of the triforce of power. Link wishes away the Dark World. Returns Master Sword (could be the 4 sword) to it's place in the Lost Woods.
\/
Orale of Ages and Seasons. Once again, Gannon is trying to get back. These two happen at the same time, one after another.
\/
Legend of Zelda 1 > Adventures of Link - Ganon is somehow resturected and a new Link must be found. The new Hyrule is ruined by wars by Gannon who somehow got back. Link stops Gannon and his resurrection, again. Blonde hair has come to an end.


Here's an image, Blue is time:



So, there you have my theory. Is it right? Wrong? Is there even a proper time line? Only time will tell...
I wonder where the next Zelda Wii, already 1 year in developement will fit....?

Another theory is the Spilt Timeline Theory, which can be explained Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXN1BF65WjI (Also very cool to see the other 5 parts!)

Monday, January 01, 2007

Art School Survival: Music

The first in a series of articals that will help you, the reader, fit in at an art school. By the time you're done reading this you'll be able to blend comfortably into a crowd at an art school, just a bit more.

Your Favorite Band

If you're favorite band/singer is Justin Timberlake, Beyonce or some other sugary pop group then you've just failed right now. You'll be laughed at and ridiculed. They're ok as guilty pleasures...
The top 6 choices for favorite bands are: Nine Inch Nails, Tool/A Perfect Circle, Radiohead, System of A Down, Rammstein or Queens of the Stoneage. If you don't know these bands, learn about them. Other bands are acceptable, but if they are not obsure or too popular then you might be in trouble.

Other Bands to Know Of

With the top list you must also know about the following bands (in no order):

Joy Division/New Order, Skinny Puppy, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Ramones, The Clash, The Cure, The Smiths, The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Rush, The Tea Party, Muse, Korn, The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Religion, The Doors, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Guns n' Roses, Metallica
Audioslave/Rage Against the Machine/Soundgarden, Daft Punk, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Sour/Slipknot, Nobuo Uematsu, The Pixies, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Metric, .... to just name a few.

Bands to Avoid or Be Careful With

As mentioned before, any pop act should be handed with care, if you do enjoy boy bands and teen sensations then you may have a little bit of a difficult time. Punk rock is a touchy subject depending on the crowd you're with, for the most part people over the age of 20 don't listen to Simple Plan or Good Charlotte. Green Day and other successful punk groups are also a touchy subject. Most people feel that Green Day is an ok band, but is way over played, much like Coldplay and U2.

Be very wary on how much air play bands have on mainstream radio and music channels.

Nickleback for an example should be praised for their hard work and almost constantly touring, you may not like them, but still respect their hard work.
Emo is also a very touch subject, while most purest emo's will completely destroy anyone who listens to Fallout Boy or Panic! At The Disco, the movement can be seen in art schools. If you do listen to emo, be extremely careful when you tell what bands you listen to.
Metal Music is pretty hit or miss. If you listen to classic rock dinosaurs like Poison or any other hair band then you might be in trouble. However, obscure European bands such as Edguy or hard bands like It Dies Today, Andrew WK, or Nightwish.


Other Suggestions

It's very important to know your roots musically. So it is always a good idea to look at the older bands under the bands to know. The 1970's punk movement and the 1990 break out of alternative music is a must research.
Techno music, everyone needs to know a few techno/dance/trance/drum and bass bands.
To make yourself sound smarter, it's a good idea to look into Outsider Music, such bands include Wesley Willis, The Shaggs, Legendary Stardust Cowboy, and Jadnek.
Another thing to do is to check on indie or unsigned acts, these are usually a gold mine of talent, the more obscure the better.
Local talent is also hit or miss, but do keep an ear out for them.



Just remember, this is just a tiny little guide and the real choices are up to you. But do remember to be open to new bands and new sounds, you might just find something you love.