The Healing Process

This undoubtedly sad excuse for a film is now available on digital versatile disc today. I'm sure I'll get around to reviewing it eventually, unfortunately I'm still reeling from that Transformers movie to work up the energy to rip apart a bad film. Maybe someday. And yes, I am absoultely positively sure that it will suck. It's a videogame movie. That can't ever be a good sign, no it can't.

Revenge of the Fallen Standards

Since the time I've seen Transformers last Thursday, over the weekend many other people have been given the chance to watch the movie and many find that I've been a little too hard on the film by pretty much declaring it to be a total pile of crap. It's not that the film is totally devoid of merit or anything, its just that I figured there'd be no point in pointing out the obvious stuff that would be good, like say, the special effects. I mean, if there's anything good about Michael Bay's films its that you know there's gonna be really good production values behind it. The problem is, someone decided that things like character development and good writing need not apply, they took it a step further and decided that simple common sense need not apply. I'm really not even sure why they bothered with dialogue, the whole film could have been giant robots beating the crap out of each other while Megan Fox poledanced in the background. But I guess the writers wouldn't get to flex their comedic muscle and write such witty dialogue.

Currently, on the IMDB this film has a rating of 6.8 with a little over 20,000 votes. This overall rating doesn't really jive with my overall beratement of the film, I'd give it no higher than a 3/10 personally, because at least the film was visually pleasing and there were a few moments where I actually said, "hey, that was neat". But anyway, I blame this discrepancy more on the fact that people have lowered their standards of quality rather than me being too hard on the movie. That being said, I do realize I may have been too hard on some films in the past, and I now owe a public apology the following films that everyone else seems to love but I hated....

Pirates of the Carribbean Dead Man's Chest and At World's End

Spiderman 3

Hulk (2003 ver.)

Final Fantasy Advent Children

Twilight

I now realize these movies could have been far, far worse.

I promise to get off the subject of death after this.

It has just occured to me that it's been exactly two years since the unfortunate death of Chris Benoit, which reminds me of an article of sorts I wrote up a day or two after the incident. My feelings on this and pro wrestling in general have surprisingly remained largely unchanged in two years, although I figured that I would never be able to watch a Chris Benoit match ever again although I think recently I'm finally able to seperate the performer from the man behind the scenes and appreciate his in ring work. Sadly, I just don't have the emotional attachment to his classic matches like the championship match at Wrestlemania XX like I used to. I no longer get excited at seeing HHH tap out, I just watch indifferently and merely respect his good matches for what the are. And no, I'm not reposting something I wrote two years ago as a lazy way of putting up some worthwhile content on this blog after not having anything of merit in almost two weeks. Ahem. Why would you ever think that? Anyway, the article....

Originally written: June 27,2007

I've spent the entire day thinking and reflecting over the news concerning Chris Benoit. I've noticed that this has bothered me more than I would have likely expected; in fact, it's bothered me more than just about anything else in professional wrestling. Pro wrestling unfortunately has a dark and shady underbelly beneath the arena and lights and this tragic ending to no doubt one of the greatest performers to ever step into the squared circle all too well supports this statement. Wrestling is a sport like no other in which someone seems to die all the time. Sherri Martel in fact died hardly a week before this incident occurred. Hell, I still remember vividly the day when I discovered the news of seeing Eddie Guerrero die. I sat in my chair, staring at the screen in a vain attempt to make heads or tails of it all, mind spinning with all the possibilities and causes of his death, yet regardless of the cause, the outcome was still the same; he was dead. That is just one of many examples of times where the realization that one of my favorite performers would never, ever set foot in the ring again. I would never be able to witness them compete. The only time I would ever see them would be in archive footage. As a result, every time one of my favorite wrestlers passes away, a part of my love for wrestling seems to dwindle a bit as well, that is nothing new. But this….this is different.

For you see, wrestling at its core is entertainment. The man you see stepping from behind those curtains is a different persona than the one that goes back behind the curtain and unlaces his boots after a long match. Hulk Hogan was much different than say, Terry Bollea. Dwayne Johnson is much different from the man we know as The Rock. Wrestlers passing away is nothing new, especially these last couple of years, I could just rattle off a list of who's who in the wrestling business that is no longer of this Earth. Mr. Perfect, Road Warrior Hawk, Davey Boy Smith, Lex Luger, The Big Bossman…..the list goes on and on. While their deaths were particularly tragic, no doubt, the death of Chris Benoit is about 10 times more devastating to my love of the sport than probably all of those combined. Even the passing of Eddie Guerrero, while hard, was something a bit easier to deal with and move on. But Chris Benoit was different. The man who walked out to step into the ring was also the man who stepped behind the curtain after a match. The man off camera was the same man as on. Chris Benoit was not given a character; he had one of those rare gifts that only a select few wrestlers have. He managed to entertain and give the people a show just based on pure wrestling talent. That was his character. He was a guy who went out there and put on a good match. As a result, the fans eventually embraced him and thanked him every night for his efforts, which resulted in him getting over. He didn't need a gimmick. Chris Benoit was enough. And honestly, when someone is given little to no breaks to get ahead in the business they love, yet still succeed on hard work and determination, how could you not respect and cherish them? Hell, when people used to ask me why I still bother with wrestling even though I find most of it to be stupid nowadays, one of my answers would have been Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit was a shining example of the good in wrestling; amidst the sleaze and childish storylines, wrestling was still an art, and boy was he a man of his craft. He was a man who made wrestling respectable. He had a good image and a good family. In short, he was the perfect example of a positive role model in professional wrestling for anyone to look up to, which is why it bothers me so deeply that I can no longer make that statement with a good conscience.

What would drive a man to do such a thing? A man who seemingly had a good career? A man who was financially secure? A man who seemed to love his family? The part that bothers me the most I think is that we will never know. He took himself from this world before anyone could make that answer. Also, think of how telling it must be for the wrestling industry itself. It gets worse and worse. Wrestler deaths become more and more frequent with each passing year. When a man who is driven to commit a brutal double homicide and then take his own life is scheduled to compete that very weekend, and seems to be perfectly fine otherwise, the WWE and wrestling in general needs to take a very long, self-reflective look at where it's going. This came as a shock to everyone in the industry as not one negative word has been ever said about Chris Benoit in his twenty year history. Yet here I am discussing the fact that he just committed the worst crime any wrestler has ever committed, ever. Perhaps mental evaluations as well as drug testing is something they should look into. I can only imagine the kind of stress these guys go through having to compete in a different town week in and week out. After awhile you probably get burned out, no matter how much you love the business. Chris Benoit may have been no different, in fact, if one reflects; perhaps Benoit may truly have been playing a character, or a "gimmick" like everyone else. He just stayed in character even if the camera wasn't on him. He was no doubt a man hiding with a lot of emotional pain inside. Chris Benoit was a man that truly loved wrestling. He didn't particularly care for storylines or fame or fortune; he went to Japan to train and make a name for him, mostly because he knew that he could put on better matches there. As he puts it himself, he left America because it was the 'big man' era at the time and the country just wasn't ready to embrace the idea of a Chris Benoit, a man who saw wrestling as an art form and a craft to be perfected. Over the course of time, the US was ready for a Chris Benoit, culminating in his Championship victory at Wrestlemania XX. However, I think that while the rest of the world was happy, Chris Benoit wasn't. I truly think he despised the spotlight and could care less about being 'the guy'. I'm not so sure if the added pressure of entertaining the fans and making sure they paid tickets to see him sat well with him. I also think that many of his friends in the business, who helped him through the hard times, were no longer there for him. Men such as Owen Hart, Dean Malenko, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero, hell even his mentor Stu Hart passed away just a few years ago.(Bret and Dean didn't die, but don't travel on the road with Benoit like they used to.) I think Benoit, who must have been having trouble deal with this and most likely a myriad of other problems that we don't yet know about, or perhaps ever will, likely felt alone and finally caved under pressure. Some people just aren't meant for fame and fortune. Benoit seemed to be a man that had no idea of how to deal with it. It definitely explains his reasons for leaving WCW all of those years ago, despite being their champion. He didn't want the spotlight. WCW didn't get it. He wanted respect was all. It wasn't to be had in WCW, so he left for greener pastures. It seems the WWE may not have gotten it either. While he was given oodles of respect, I think he found too much of the spotlight thrust upon him perhaps.

I'm in no way excusing what he did, either. I'm just trying to find some sort of rationale into why a man I looked up to just two days ago completely pissed it all away in a matter of moments. Try as I might, I can never, ever look at Chris Benoit ever again, despite his many accomplishments spanning two decades of wrestling. It's one thing to die of a drug overdose, or a freak accident, but to murder others in cold blood is devastating. At least with men such as Owen Hart or Eddie Guerrero, their deaths are a little easier to deal with because they died as martyrs. They died in a positive light. They will always be remembered and respected as good people, who did everything to make sure people got a good show. Hell, Eddie Guerrero's story of redemption is remarkable. He will always be seen as a legend for that alone. Chris Benoit also has a legacy no doubt, yet unfortunately, although his many accomplishments in wrestling are great and should be commended, he will no doubt be remembered for this hideous blight on his life and that's sad. Not that it shouldn't be this way, but it's still sad.

Wrestlers always seem to die these days. They're almost dropping like flies and my interest in it along with it. I remember fondly the days before Owen Hart plummeted to his untimely death and still wish wrestling was the innocent entertainment we all knew and loved. As ever year passes since that incident, a little bit of the innocence is scraped away, this latest chapter scraping away the hugest chunk yet. It may have just scraped away too much for me. The thought of watching any of my DVDs or even playing a game just makes my stomach churn, right now. I'm not saying I'll swear it off forever, but I know that I'll never be able to look at it the same as I did even a year ago, and that makes me a little sad. Nonetheless, thank you Chris Benoit for years of entertainment. I won't judge you, that's God's job, but may you, your wife and your son all rest in peace.



Anyway, I plan to have a review or two up sometime next week. The key word here is plan to, kids. Don't hold your breath. Both of you.

R.I.P. Mr. King of Pop

I was actually a pretty big fan of his back in the day when I was a kid. I know his personal life was always kinda weird, but I'm not gonna deny, he was an excellent musician.

Here come the Jordanians.....

So, I managed to catch Transformers 2. You know, I could just totally write a well versed review expounding upon the merits of said film, but sadly, I figured I would put as much effort into my synopsis as Michael Bay did into his script. To put it bluntly….

Do not under ANY circumstances watch this horrible, fetid pile of absolute garbage.

Just take my word for it. Please. I mean, I could go into great detail about how absolutely silly it is two see two dogs humping during an action scene or watching Sam’s mom get high and act like a complete idiot in front of everyone at the university or expound in great detail about how utterly, fucking retarded of a decision it was to include two ghetto-talking Transformers with gold teeth…..But honestly I think this crap just speaks for itself. I mean, its not like I expected a masterpiece, after all, this is a big budget summertime flick, one where action takes precedent over character development and such but I mean come on Mr. Bay, I expect at least a modicum of writing ability and common sense to be exhibited here. This movie honestly felt like a spoof of the Transformers at particular points, due to the fact that many of the jokes were so out of place and fell so horribly flat. Never in my life have I seen such a cosmic waste of two and a half hours. This movie was nothing more than a 30 minute cartoon episode of the TV show with two extra hours of bad, inappropriate toilet humor and cheap pandering of Megan Fox tacked on for good measure.

And yes, I really do mean it when I say that there are ghetto Transformers with gold teeth. How the hell could I make this crap up?

Guitar Hero: Arrogance

Man, some companies can just get too arrogant for their own good sometimes. What Microsoft rep. paid him off to say that shit? I honestly can't imagine Activision actually making good on a threat that stupid but you never know. What, you mean I won't be able to play Tony Hawk 285? I can't play another stupid WWII rehash? What's that you say, I won't be able to play Guitar Hero Ver. 129? Oh no, does this mean no more crappy superhero movie tie in games?

Oh my God, please Mr. Kotick, please don't do this. Reconsider!

Considering that sales figures of the PS3 only continue to rise, to make a decision like that now would only be foolish. I'm positive Activision would lose more in the end than Sony. I mean, its not like there aren't other games just like the ones Activision makes. I'm not trying to come across as some Sony fanboy or anything but I just can't stand it when a game company grows too damned arrogant and almost makes threats to others in the industry if they don't do what they say. If things were up to them they would be the only game developers on the planet and would only release the same three game franchises every year with a minor graphical update and some minimal gameplay tweaks until the end of time. Now I'm not naive enough to not think that every game company wouldn't do the same thing if they could get away with it, but Activision is one company in particular that makes it so glaringly obvious to the point that it becomes irritating. (also see: Electronic Arts)

Heed my words, companies like this are going to be the death knell for the industry. Don't listen to 'em.

PSP Owners

Preorder this or I'll egg your house.

I mean, it's not like shit else is on the PSP. Be glad a decent game is being released on the thing for once.

Videogame Humor

This is an interesting article that I really got me thinking about something I've never noticed before. Harold Ramis is right, it's very difficult to interject humor into a game and still make the game fun to play. I suppose that's why those Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force games were absolutely atrocious even though they both had me howling for the short time frame that I actually did play them.

The Gex games are a good example also, as they were all fairly playable, yet because of the repetitious nature of videogames, many of his jokes grew tiresome and you just wanted to strangle that damned gecko by the time you reached the end of the game.

That's not to say that a great game with good humor has never been done at all, I mean look at the Disgaea series. This gives me a new appreciation for those games, they're excellent strategy RPGs yet at the same time manages to interject loads of humor.

Metal Gear Solid 4: One Year Later Part 2

This is the second part of this Metal Gear Solid 4 retrospective. This will cover in more detail the storyline aspects of the game, which I felt needed to be discussed seperately from the game mechanics itself due in large part that indeed at least half of the game is dedicated to fleshing out the plot. Again, many spoilers are contained within and you're a complete doofus if you read any further without having beaten the game first.

Metal Gear Solid 4’s tale in every way is for the fans. If you are not a fan of Metal Gear Solid then this story, and indeed this game is not for you. Hideo Kojima scripted this story in every way with the fans in mind. This is to be Solid Snake’s swan song, the finale, the end to everything. As such, heavy knowledge of the previous games past is not only recommended, it’s mandatory. After all, this game has the daunting task of trying to explain the plot holes and gaps left behind in Metal Gear Solid 2’s wake and to do such over the course of just one game is nigh impossible. In fact, it really took two games to properly complete the story. So many elements introduced in MGS2 were either vaguely confusing at best, (how did Vamp survive a bullet to the head, anyway?) or at worst, not even explained at all, (Who in the hell are the Patriots?) that it took an entire side story detailing the history of Big Boss as well as the of the founding of the Patriots organization before MGS4’s tale could even be told. Looking back on it, Snake Eater served 2 purposes.

1. Fans were quickly growing restless at the lack of any explanation presented in Metal Gear Solid 2. They demanded a new Metal Gear that explained some of this stuff.

2. The game served as a foundation for game design choices that were ultimately refined and perfected in MGS4.

The stage has now been set. It’s time to tell the final tale.

I know I have considered Metal Gear Solid 4 a disappointment from a game design standpoint, however, looking at solely the story itself I will say that it is an absolute marvel and has significantly raised the bar for storytelling in a videogame. To those that argue that this game doesn’t have enough or no character development at all, I seriously have to wonder if you’re even playing the same game that I was. MGS4 easily has the more character development than any other game Kojima has produced, be it Metal Gear or otherwise. What many people fail to see is the underlying subtlety of the game; the ability to send a message or get a point across without actually having to say anything. And thus do we realize the brilliance of the game’s plot. Never have I seen such sheer emotion portrayed from the facial expressions of the characters in a game; you just understand what many of the characters are thinking or feeling without them even having to speak or say anything. The plot manages to achieve what many movies try to do, but ultimately fail in as they beat you over the head multiple times with unnecessary plot points by having characters deliver pointless exposition to the point that it resembles a soliloquy from a play, and a bad one at that, insulting your intelligence as a result, insinuating that you’re too stupid to figure out what’s going on. (see Revenge of the Sith, The) Kojima challenges the player to think about the plot and understand the subtle messages he is trying to send without flat out saying it. Sure some people didn’t get it and did cry foul, but who cares. MGS4 will not slow the bus down for these idiots that need everything explained to them outright.

But really, the subtlety of the game serves another purpose besides being a more effective way to tell a story. Because really, the creator himself has a message he wants to send to the fans. Here is where the plot can really be appreciated. It’s easy to see the parallels between the story of MGS4 and the story of Hideo Kojima. Snake’s personality mirrors that of its creator. He has grown old and apathetic toward the events of Metal Gear. He cares less and less but does what he does anyway because his fans (Otacon, Campbell) beg him to do so. “I don’t want yer money….” Snake growls at the beginning of the game when asked to do another job. Likewise, Kojima doesn’t design games for the love of money (no doubt he collected a hefty sum for making this game), but rather for his own personal reasons. He simply enjoys making games. It’s obvious to himself, if not others that he is ready to move on from Metal Gear Solid and create new and fresh ideas. He is ready to retire Snake because he is growing increasingly more and more apathetic. The fans rejected the idea of making a Metal Gear game without Snake as its main star. How dare he. Raiden was promptly tossed back in his face by the fans. Sure, one can bring up many negative points about MGS2, but the fact that Snake was not the main star isn’t really a legitimate one. Thus do we get one of the lessons of MGS4. Kojima will not continue making games with Solid Snake as its focal point simply because the fans demand it. To continue making Metal Gear games for profit and not because the man himself genuinely wants to make it is something Kojima will not do. He will not “Nintendoize” his brain child and continue to whore out game after game after game by doing essentially the same thing with a gimmick or two attached in a poor attempt at making it seem fresh and different. It’s clear he’s ready to move on and he portrays this emotion no better than by slowly and painfully killing off his main star.
Snake, much like the entire Metal Gear Solid story arc, is old, battered down and broken, looking for a place to die. Kojima subtly expresses his own personal desire to end the series by forcing Snake to undergo an insane amount of pain and anguish. He is asking the fans to please let Snake go, he’s had enough. No more does this lesson come through than in the game’s fourth act, the return to Shadow Moses. The flashback at the beginning serves not only the purpose of giving you a reminder of what the first game was, but a more underlying purpose of preparing the player to let go. This is a clear message sent to the fans that continue to crow about how Metal Gear Solid is teh gratest game EVAR and there will never be anything better until the day they die. The Shadow Moses that Snake remembers is clearly different from what Shadow Moses has become in “reality”, a broken down, dilapidated place that was once great. Kojima has you actually play what it was like to relive MGS1, bad graphics and shoddy controls and all, to remind players that we’ve come a long way from MGS1 and its time to move on. To continue to cling to it and pretend that the game is still just as glorious as it once was all those years ago is pathetic. Kojima shows the player the reality of the situation. Shadow Moses is a destroyed ruin that is ready to sink into the sea and be forgotten forever.

The Patriots organization could be a reflection of the Metal Gear Solid series in itself. What began with the noblest of intentions eventually spun into a monster that inevitably spiraled out of control. So much damage had been caused by Metal Gear Solid 2 that it took an entire game dedicated solely to back story and then a massive cutscene laden game with a finale that lasted over an hour long to explain everything. I believe that Kojima does his best work when he just doesn’t care what the fans want. Metal Gear Solid 4’s failing in regards to the plot, if there is any, would be its concentration on attempting to please the fans. Kojima went through great lengths to explain absolutely every last trivial little detail about what was simply an action game series that has been taken wayyyy too seriously. Hell, they even explain Dr. Clark for cryin out loud. Big Boss says it all in the end. With his death, it can all finally end. The S.O.P. system will cease to function. So too, does the story of Metal Gear Solid. Much like Major Zero, who sat in his wheelchair barely staying alive on life support, this series has finally had the mercy plug yanked out from it so it may finally, finally be allowed to rest. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Metal Gear Solid 4 is storytelling at its finest and one of the greatest stories to ever be told in a videogame. I just wish it were more fun to play.

That being said, there are new Metal Gear games coming down the tubes and hopefully some fresh new ideas with it. As said before, Kojima often does his best work when he doesn’t have fan expectations in mind, so hopefully he will have free reign to do what he desires. I for one, am happy to see that he is unwilling to lower the standards of his series; he could have easily taken the easy route and just create a bunch of different Metal Gear stories with Snake as its main star and no doubt still make a ton of money, but Kojima is a truly creative person and if his creativity is not challenged then his series will slowly lose the standards of excellence we’ve come to expect from this series. So here’s to Metal Gear Rising and Peacewalker. May you both continue the excellence of this franchise and may the Solid series rest in peace.

Metal Gear Solid 4: One Year Later Part 1

So, Metal Gear Solid 4 is officially over a year old now. I figured I’d spend some time looking back and reflecting on it a little bit. This retrospective will be broken up into two parts. In the first part I’ll take look at simply the game itself, its design. Part 2 will focus mainly on the story. And yes, there are massive spoilers within, read at your own risk if you haven't beaten it yet. Anyway, ultimately I found myself coming to a startling conclusion in regards to the gameplay aspect of this game for this first part of this piece.

Metal Gear Solid 4 just really isn’t that fun to play.

There, I said it. Believe me, I don’t hate Metal Gear Solid 4 and believe me I really wanted to just fall in love with this game and call it the greatest game of all time. But unfortunately, looking back on it after a year I have to come to this inevitable conclusion. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the game. Honestly, the fact that MGS4 was going to be a PS3 exclusive is one of the reasons I finally ran out and bought a PS3 over the other next gen consoles. And truth be told, initially the game lived up to every one of my expectations. The game boasts one of the most heart pounding openings to any videogame in history as you’re instantly tossed into the middle of the battlefield frantically trying to find a hiding spot and evade a constant slew of enemy Gekkos. The brand new control scheme is a perfect refinement of the previous games, taking the things that worked and excising the things that didn’t. Despite the lengthy cutscenes, the game managed to avoid the problem that many of the other Metal Gear Solid games before it had; namely the somewhat imbalance between plot revelations and gameplay, with Metal Gear Solid 2 being easily the worst offender. Kojima finally got wise and eschewed what could have been some very lengthy codec conversations by providing much of the back story for the missions in the form of little (well not exactly little considering some of them are well over 30 minutes long) briefing videos detailing the operation in lieu of watching two animated avatars move their mouths while plain text scrolls at the bottom. The game’s pace never seems to slow down and there is always a fresh objective and something new to do…

……for the first two chapters.

And so now do we come to the point of this portion of the article, where exactly MGS4 went wrong and why it’s overall a disappointment. See, the first two chapters get everything right. The second chapter is easily the apex of the awesomeness of the game and at its conclusion it seemed that this game could do no wrong. Then along comes along the utterly soul crushing third act that seemed to reverse all of the good from first two chapters. We go from liberating captured soldiers to then storming an enemy camp with said soldiers, to a wilderness rescue operation, to an epic chase scene that finally culminates with a Gekko showdown in a crowded marketplace in Act 2. The means to achieve this end are often open ended as well. Sure, you can opt to go for the sneaking route but I tend to prefer to utilize run and gun type tactics, systematically assassinating my enemies with ruthless precision. Stealth?! Bah, real men face their enemy head on. All that seems to disappear in Act 3 as the bulk of the stage has you following a person from screen to screen while making sure you stay well hidden when he decides to randomly turn around and take a break from his incessant, downright annoying whistling. Yay. Honestly, after all of that sheer coolness from the first two stages it’s just such a massive letdown to realize that we get to do the same thing we’ve already done way back in Metal Gear 2 (the original, not Solid) only this time stretched out to four times the length. God forbid you mess it up or you’ll have to follow him all over again. There were so many differing ways you could solve a problem or approach a situation in the first two chapters, once the game begins the shift to Act 3; it offers less freedom at which the player can approach situations. The level designs are more restrictive and branching paths become fewer and farther between.

From Act 3, the gameplay just seems to be one letdown after the next in general. The fourth act looks to be the coolest one initially, but it’s ultimately a disappointment as really all you do is infiltrate a broken down building and power up a few elevators while avoiding some very irritating drones from attempting to smother you constantly. There isn’t a single enemy soldier to be had in sight. The fifth and final act doesn’t fare much better as an infiltration aboard an enemy vessel a la “Under Siege” is teased yet never delivered. Great job making your way past Screaming Mantis Snake! Now you must battle through Liquid Ocelot’s most elite guard to get to him…….or not. How about you just mash the hell out of the “X” button till the damn thing near falls out of its socket and crawl your way there. You may argue that a ship infiltration was already done in Metal Gear Solid 2, but rehashing things already done in previous didn’t stop them in the infamous Act 3 either. Wasn’t that motorcycle segment essentially the end of Snake Eater with bomb dropping birds? No doubt that the final confrontation in the end was epic and lived up to the hype, but once the credits finally began to roll ultimately I just didn’t find it to be a very satisfying gameplay experience. I’ve only played and beaten the game twice, less than any other Metal Gear Solid game. But let’s put things into perspective here. I’m not saying that the game sucks or that it’s not a good game. I mean, let’s be honest, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a fantastic game when looked at comparatively. Graphically the game is a work of art and game design wise, it’s easily the best Metal Gear from a technical standpoint, and that ultimately is what is so disappointing about the game. You simply just don’t seem to get many opportunities to use it as much as I would have liked. Upon the completion of the first two chapters, which does a nice job of setting up the story, the game increasingly seems to focus less on creating memorable gameplay experiences and more on memorable cutscenes. Exciting game design takes a backseat to fleshing out the story. Many of the game’s most amazing moments are contained within the cutscenes. The most irritating example of which is being forced to watch Raiden have an exciting sword fight with Vamp on top of the destroyed Metal Gear Rex, only you can’t even get the satisfaction of even that as while they battle in a letterbox on the screen, you’re given the much more boring task of keeping the Gekkos at bay with a rail gun. That isn’t to say that there aren’t any nuggets of goodness to be found (the Metal Gear fight in particular was just plain epic), but overall I can’t just help but feel let down by the unrealized potential of the game. Call me a nitpicker, but dammit, Metal Gear Solid 4 just didn’t give me enough.

Thus do we conclude part one of this Metal Gear Solid 4 retrospective. In the final part, I will discuss the plot. How well did it fare? Did Snake receive a proper send off? These answers and more discussed thoroughly in Part 2.

Sega Vintage Collection-Gunstar Heroes

Gunstar Heroes

Developer- Treasure

Publisher- Sega

Originally released- 1993






Gunstar Heroes is now available as a downloadable game on the Playstation Network, Xbox Live and Virtual Console for a relatively small price. This release is essentially an extension of Sega’s Sonic Ultimate Collection of Genesis games released a few months before this. New features to the game include a scoreboard to compare with other players around the world as well as a new smoothing option to improve the graphical quality a little bit. Since its release in 1993, Gunstar Heroes has been considered something of a cult classic amongst the gaming community. It’s widely regarded as one of the best games of all time for the Sega Genesis. But that was then, this is now. So, the question remains, has Gunstar Heroes stood up to the test of time?

Um……yeah! This game is still every bit as fresh and as fun to play in 2009 as it was some 15 years ago. This is a straightforward side scrolling shooter that was designed in the philosophy of games in the glory days of the Arcade in the 80s and early 90s. Short, but challenging levels with controls that are simple to pick up, but difficult to master. This is one of those games where learning and mastering the level design and enemy patterns are a must for success. Chances are if you were old enough to remember that era of game design, then you will love Gunstar Heroes. Those that do remember the game on the Genesis will find that the game is still pretty innovative for its genre, even for today. However, that being said, this game might not appeal to everyone, particularly newer gamers, as stated before, this game is quite difficult. The gameplay is lightning fast paced and enemies are unrelenting, constantly coming at you from all directions. There is never a dull moment in Gunstar Heroes. The player can get quickly overwhelmed by the enemies on screen and take a ton of damage in a relatively short time frame. With such difficult enemies, thankfully you are given an impressive array of moves with which to defeat them. For starters, you can choose between four different weapon types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, to fit your style of play. You can even combine two different weapon types. Give me a Force/Chaser gun combo and watch the carnage. The game even offers a variety of melee attacks such as the ability to toss the enemy, perform aerial attacks and slide kicks to offer a close quarters style of combat for those that prefer to do so offering a different style of play compared to many other games of its type. Try tactics like that with any of the guys in Contra or Metal Slug and enjoy a quick trip to the Game Over screen as simply making contact with the enemy warrants an instantaneous death. Wimps. Actually, it’s pretty forgiving with the difficulty in general when compared to other games of this kind. The game never seems to get too overwhelming. . Although you are not given multiple lives, you do have a pool of hit points that determine your life and health pickups can be obtained throughout to keep your strength up. You can replay the level as many times as you like and with the ability to save in this downloadable version, you’ll never have to replay a level again even if you want to take a break from the game. While this game only has but a handful of stages, each stage plays fundamentally different from one another. Game developer Treasure realized that it’s not the quantity of the stages you should be concerned with, but rather the quality. No stage plays exactly like the other and never does the game feel repetitive. One stage has the player riding on a mine cart as the screen auto scrolls and you have to avoid attacks by jumping from the top to the bottom of the screen. The most interesting of the stages has you using the character to toss a dice like a board game as you move from room to room landing on spaces that can either help or hinder you. But the real innovation of the game comes in the form of the impressive boss encounters. The bosses are where the real challenge of the game comes into play. But this is also where the game feels it’s most rewarding as each boss has a specific pattern and each fight feels fresh and different. The satisfaction of trouncing the tough bosses is perhaps the most satisfying example of fun to be had in the game.

Ultimately the best word to describe this game is fun. The game never takes itself too seriously, self aware of the fact that things like plot and character development ultimately an excuse for you to go from left to right destroying everything in sight. The game has the benefit of a strong presentation. Great music and sound effects accompany the levels and supplement the already crazy heart pumping action on the screen. Technically the game is one of the more graphically impressive game from the Genesis as the game often boasts multiple sprites on screen at once with very little flickering. The game has a great sense of humor providing many hilarious moments as many times you’ll find yourself switching from chuckling out loud to “ohmyGodI’mabouttodie” constantly. The game is surprisingly replayable for such a relatively short title due to the fact that it manages to strike a balance between boring and unchallenging and frustratingly hard. Many times will you die, yet many times will you find yourself saying “I quit” just before making that last minute decision to give it that one more try. Or two. Or three. Double the fun by going online and playing with a friend in the co-op mode. For the gamers who really want to test their skills, there is an option for a hard mode adding further replay ability. Truly fanatical people who utterly hate themselves can try the hardest mode. Treasure is a very talented game company able to squeeze an impressive game out for the Sega Genesis and this game deserves every bit of praise and adulation it gets for being one of the greatest Genesis games of all time. Old school gamers definitely need to check this out and get reacquainted and perhaps even some of you newer folks might give it a try. Who knows, you might be surprised. There’s a much worse way to spend $5.

To everything a beginning....

I plan to start posting something on this blog of merit, but I'm not exactly sure what yet. Yes, that should give you a clue as to what a disorganized type person I am. I created a blog and am not yet sure as of what to even say. I'm sure a review or two will be forthcoming shortly.