Games of 2010

Here's a list of the games that I started playing in 2010.

That's: 9 Xbox 360 titles

5 Wii titles

5 DS titles

2 PC/Mac games

10 Downloaded titles

6 FPS

6 Role playing games

5 Platformers

2 Adventure

2 Beat-em-Up's

1 Strategy

Best game of the year? Monster Hunter Tri. The music, the characters, the challenge, and it's multiplayer just had no equal.

"Thought of You" by Ryan Woodward

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

This was posted on Cartoon Brew a while ago. For those who haven't seen it, enjoy

Disney Double: Hunchback and Brother Bear

Firstly: Hunch back of Notre Dame. A good movie in my opinion, one that I only watched for the first time last night. It pleasantly surprised me - there were great characters amongst the (obviously) incredible animation and set pieces. The songs weren't bad too, an especially good one being Minister Frollo's about his lust for Esmeralda.

The film gets bonus points for trying to tackle some tough subject matter. However, it is Disney, so any strolls into the realms of cold hardreality are short and colourfully resolved. Take for instance the scene where Quasimodo is first revealed to the public, he is taunted and barraged with rotten food. Esmeralda then leaps onto stage and stops this incident with much light hearted high-jinks at Frollo's expense.

That is the unfortunate Disney curse - the need to balance out ever serious incident with cutesy, colourful, or clumsy characters. Then there are the inevitable comedy relief characters, the Gargoyles, who I was really not impressed with. The Disney curse requires many mandatory stock figures to please the kids. I know it's necessary to have them in order to make it marketable to young 'uns, but they just seem so out of place, especially in this film with a story about bigotry, racism and lust.

I quite liked Phoebus, as a male "prince" type character, he was relatively interesting. It's just a shame his background wasn't really fleshed out - he was a war hero, surely there was plenty of story to beef him up a bit?

Esmeralda was stunningly animated at times, and is pretty kick ass too. Resourceful, smart, cunning, and easy on the eyes. Not much to say.

Quasimodo was pretty good, but he just seems to blunder about and not really do anything. He's the only character who really interacts with the gargoyles, and that makes me like him even less. I would have been more satisfied had I seen Quasimodo actually put an end to Frollo, throwing him off the cathedral or something like that. I guess he was just too "nice".

Brother Bear

This film lacked a little of the oomph that Hunchback had, and alot of the classic Disney oomph that surrounds such titles as Jungle Book, Pinocchio or 101 Dalmations. I felt it was missing something like a major character, or at least a much more substantial performance from one of the main actors. It's missing Cinderella's Lady Tremaine, Aladdin's Genie.

I did like the relationship between the 3 brothers, including the obvious death of brother X. What I enjoyed more was how brother Y became the "villain". It added an interesting layer of complexity, the whole film should've been built around that in a similar fashion to the Prince of Egypt. Instead, the second half is more or less let down by the cute but tiresome Koda. I didn't find myself enjoying this character, and unfortunately the plot hinges on the assumption that this guy is lovable. He's definitely not awful - (e.g. Penny from the Rescuers) - he just doesn't have much of a personality other than "naive bear cub". Perhaps I need to watch it again.

I liked brother bear, the animation was impressive and the bears were convincingly weighted and enjoyable to watch. The comedy relief moose weren't as awful as the gargoyles, but they're nothing hilarious either. I did really enjoy the stereotypical "big black guy" character, especially because he was a bear. And bears are awesome.

Out of Sight

Beautiful Taiwanese graduate animation that never fails to raise a smile

Sonic 4: Episode 1

Sonic 4 isn't really much of an update, more like a fan reconstruction of the first 2 (with elements of 3). I don't like the 'new' sonic design very much, and I'm not too keen that 3D models replace classic 2D sprites. How good would this have looked if it was all HD 2D graphics, like the Scott Pilgrim game? Very good actually and I don't want to listen to your protest words.

So you run around 4 very nostalgic zones which are pretty much every stage from the first 2 Sonic Mega Drive games pulped into total familiarity. The similarities make up for everything in the game, which of course include the boss battles that are pretty much copy-pasted from previous titles. Although it gives me a mildly fuzzy memory massage, if I wanted to fight these bosses I'd play the respected games they feature in! And that way I'd get the complete experience of nostalgic energy.

My favourite sonic games were always 2, 3, and Knuckles, and are still among my most cherished gaming memories. It's nice to see them somewhat updated, although with inferior character sprites, music, stage design and content, it feels more like a step back from the main canon series. The foreseeable gradual increase of content across new episodic releases is a great marketing scheme, but not very fair on my wallet. I'll still buy them all.....
videogames...my one weakness...

The Comet Song

I've never listened to Bjork for extended periods, but I do love the mystery and darkness that this song emanates. Like a minimalist, black fog. The film is cool, too.

Quebec

One of Ween's more accessible albums, Quebec is worth a buy if you enjoy creative, genre swapping artists. It just shows how interesting music can be when truly skilled instrumentalists step between styles like a dance. Each song is separate and unique; how many times have you listened to an album for the first time and it just blends into one big, hour long track? Perhaps it's time to enter the world of Ween. (And Mr Bungle if you have time.) Stand out tracks for me include Zoloft, Transdermal celebration, Chocolate Town, Among his Tribe, and The Argus.

For me, the real enjoyment of listening to Ween comes from their humour, which stems from each and every song basically poking fun at the genre it is mimicking. However, you'd be forgiven to not notice this, as they perform each style so successfully you'd easily think otherwise.

This video was animated by the same excellency who runs Bitey castle.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

This is a very pretty Wii title that features fast paced 2D brawler + RPG action, ninja style, against a variety of mythical Japanese opponents. While the plot, I'm afraid, remains only mildly interesting as a nice break from the hectic action, the characters are excellent, and are wonderfully rendered in all their 2D glory.
Sound design is perfect, with highly satisfying cut n' slash SFX, and the music excellently sets the right tone for every scene.

Can be pretty difficult, however it is made easier with the mostly optional RPG and sword gathering elements. Each sword has it's own super move, correct utilization of which is integral to success in battle. Opponents range from the classic Ninja to the Mt.Fuji Dragon, Evil Shogun, and even GODS. If you play on one of the two story paths (1 for each character) you will end up meeting Buddha!...haha..




AWESOME.

Jellyfish

How come nobodies heard of Jellyfish? Sure, I only know of them from a flash animation for their Mario themed Ignorance is Bliss track, and Lynsey has heard of them through me, but for some reason they are unknown to most others. In my opinion, their music is fantastic, and should be heard by all. They are a 90's band who never got famous, in a time when it seemed anyone could. Far inferior bands are remembered to this day, countless boy bands, girl bands, band bands, crap bands; and somehow these guys sank to the bottom. Well, I suppose gold is heavier than shit.

Their sound is a mixture of pre Sgt. Peppers Beatles, Queen, Beach Boys, intelligent lyrics, and extremely catchy songs. Like any of those bands? If you don't, try getting some new ears. And while you're at it, pick up their Best! album. At least give it a listen on Spotify.

Halo: Reach

I didn't start getting excited about Reach until about 1 month before it's release. And even then, it wasn't the same excitement as say, a new Zelda game (Top tier, platinum level excitement). But, I was still excited. And then it happened, and I really enjoy it. Having stopped playing Halo 3 a while ago, due to IRL friends vacating the country, it's nice to play what is basically a brand new game but with the same mechanics.

The multiplayer feels very fresh, as it should considering this is not just an expansion like ODST. Abilities like jetpack and sprint change the gameplay significantly for the better. The new weapons also took me a few hours to get the hang of, namely the DMR and Needle Rifle, but have quickly become my favourite weapons.

The campaign is pretty good fun, once again making sure you encounter just about everything possible in the game, and giving you the opportunity to use all the weapons and equipment. The story, however, is pretty lousy, due to the characters. It's not that they aren't likable, it's just that they aren't likable enough. Many people have been saying that there isn't enough time for their development (8 hour-ish campaign, on heroic/legendary difficulty) but I say tish and fimsy. I played through COD4 - Modern Warfare, and really liked the Captain Price character, who was developed even less than the cast of Reach. This is because the interaction between you and Cpt. Price was incredibly intimate at times, and really brought you into the game.

The campaign also doesn't feel nearly as epic as Halo 3's, or even Halo 2 and Combat: Evolved. But, screw it, it's still fun to play, especially on co-op, and Reach now tracks your progress in so many mind boggling ways you feel totally convinced that it's worth it (commendations and credits). Multiplayer is excellent fun, especially at the moment when most people are still learning the maps, modes, weapons, vehicles and abilities.

And of course, you can track all your stats online. Here is my service record: Carpish

California

California is my favourite album, ever (and I mean it.) I would have sex with this record if it were possible. Mr Bungle are like the antithesis to stale, lifeless music. They're comprised of extremely skilled musicians, utilizing just about every single instrument in the galaxy, yet making their use sound perfectly logical. Imagine if Sgt. Peppers was mixed with the Beach Boys and Frank Zappa, but it actually sounded amazing.

Each song is drastically different. Sweet Charity brings the album to a slow yet booming start with sweet miami style guitar-tistry, and the vocal prowess of Mike Patton is revealed. By the end of the last track, Goodbye Sober Day, you're listening to a crescendo of apocalyptic noises such as women screaming and cars being smashed to bits.

Each track also has some of the best lyrics I've ever heard (and read.) The thing I like best is that although you can hear the words clearly, you will have to read them in order to actually know what Mr Bungle is conveying. I shat bricks the first time, I was like - really? That's what Patton's singing? Personally, I had never heard a band mention phased array diffraction nets, let alone bitic qabalistic trees. I love how they can sing so adeptly these intelligent, well written and researched lyrics, whilst making it sound like a Beach Boys style doo-wop, or Elvis rock n' roll.

Even the most up-beat sounding, ska/jazz/rock bending track Vanity Fair is actually about castration (although not solely!), referencing the Skoptsy. Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy is a very playful track about the coming of the new Golem (computer A.I.) referencing the clay wrought constructions of Jewish tradition, rendered in, as songwriter Trey Spruance called it; "Sesame Street/Muppet Movie style'. Brilliantly this isn't their most bizarre album - that title goes to Disco Volante. It is also excellent, but only for big fans of MB, whereas their first and self titled record is a mixture of Ska, metal, and sex-rock. It also contains samples from videogames like Super Mario Bros and Smash TV, as well as numerous movies and pinball machines. Fantastique!

Oddsac

Wow, so, today I watched Oddsac alone, with only this months ONM to comfort me. It reminded me alot of stupid time based art films which often depict people doing mindless acts with apparently no purpose (though I'm sure they make up a very convincing "reason" as to why they are rubbing feathers on their face for 5 minutes). But dare I say it...I...liked this? Think of Oddsac as time based art executed successfully.

Oddsac is a visual album, where what you see is what you...hear. So they go really well together, both sound and film. Each "track" features some very odd, often intense, psychedelic imagery which I believe goes along the theme of 'frustration'. One film has a group of folk sitting around a campfire - they eat some marshmallows which swell and plaster themselves across the campers' mouths. Then some white faced chap arrives and tried to bite their necks...he then runs off to evaporate in the sunlight! Hah, I dunno. It did give me a slightly sore head, what with all the flashing visuals, so I became partly engrossed in my magazine. It included some really awesome Nintendo facts - for example, did you know that the first ever Pokemon to be designed was Rhydon?

I really do love Animal Collective's music, Oddsac takes them back from Merriweather Post Pavillion to their earlier albums which are far more experimental; and this is slightly more sinister. Still enjoyable, but is only half the experience without the visuals.

Scott Pilgrim (Comic, Film, Game)

I got really into the hype surrounding Scott Pilgrim recently, for like, a few days. I read all the comics at once, played the game at the same time (not actually the same time) then braved the outlands of Dundee with Lynsey to go see it at cineworld.

The comic I really enjoyed, probably the most out of all 3 mediums. I liked the drawing style, simplicity in characters easily pleases me. All the characters in the story pretty much look the same but with different hair and clothes, so it could be mildly confusing at times when someone starts to wear different attire. But the way they are drawn makes them so expressive. Moods and emotions can be conveyed so effectively, and altered with the slightest variation of line. Some panels made me laugh because of the textual content - others just because they were drawn so funny. The rest a combination of both.

Although not spectacular and groundbreaking, the comics are certainly worth the read to fans of video games (and dare I say it, hipsters) but they've got pretty serious flaws. I'm not big on reading stories about hipster relationships, as they all just end up looking like trendy cool-geek knobs. The characters are often blatantly mean to their friends, and constantly seem to cheat on each other. Damn hipsters




The film was pretty good. I read all the comics before hand, and part of me wished that I hadn't. I knew everything that was about to come up, and since they were so fresh in my mind, I knew most of the jokes too. Only the things that were fresh to the movie stood out for me, although most of the gags had been adapted so well that they still made me chortle a bit.

There were frequent references to Zelda in the opening 10 minutes or so, which was pretty cool, since Zelda rocks.
Other nods to geekdom were a little bit more awkward, however, including the opening 8 bit rendition of the Universal theme which seems to go on for a little bit too long - why wasn't it animated? Some other references felt a bit forced, alienating one of the main audiences the film is targeting, gamers! But were they targeting gamers? Or just cool-hipster geeks? They also missed one of the best quotes, (from Monkey Island's insult sword fighting), which was present in the comic book, a line which any Lucas Arts or classic adventure game fan should recognise.

I also don't think Michael Cera brought the true lovable, forgetful Scott Pilgrim from the comic book to life. He did however bring himself to the role, so it works (but only if you like Michael Cera) and he's also Canadian, so good choice of actor I feel. I'm probably doing such a bad job since I'm comparing the film to the book so much, but for the first half of the movie, it's pretty much exactly the same, from dialog to location.




The game really has some of the nicest pixel graphics I've ever seen, as well as a good soundtrack by Anamanaguchi (they have an excellent album called Dawn Metropolis), and some fairly satisfying gameplay. A standard scrolling beat em up on the face of it, underneath it has some RPG-esque elements such as leveling up via EXP points (which unlocks new moves) and the gathering of money to buy upgrades for your stats.

The controls are rather dodgy at times, usually not a problem, but some levels require you to do a bit of platforming which the game just doesn't feel designed to accomodate. It's quite hard to distinguish between a long jump and a short jump, and characters often have low traction, so you'll be sliding about without meaning to. Mix that up with a few small platforms nestled between a generic spike pit, and you can imagine the false difficulty you're going to face.

More unfortunately are the frequent glitches, sometimes getting stuck in holes left with no option but exiting to the map, but worst of all is when the game freezes, which has happened at least 3 times to me on separate occasions. The only other thing I have to complain about is the difficulty of certain bosses, which varies greatly. Some later bosses are much easier than, for example, the second one when he picks up a skateboard. If that happens, and you're unfortunate enough to be in his midst unprepared, you can be killed in a matter of seconds with no way to escape.

Enough of the badness, the good side is that it's really fun when playing with others, and it's really satisfying to beat enemies with the wide variety of usable objects. Characters and environments are designed really well, reflecting both the comic and the film accurately. It's certainly worth the fiveish pounds.

The Illusionist

I had been waiting to see this film for months, and finally got the chance today. I wasn't disappointed, the animation, backgrounds and music were all superb. It's very easy to like the main character, Tati, and his impeccably good nature. While the film shows off Scotland in warm, humorous tones, there is a real melancholy which starts to set in past the half way point.

Tati picks up a female companion near the start, who after watching the film, Lynsey and I felt she was abusing his good nature for personal gain. Then I read wikipedia, where director Sylvain Chomet has been quoted to say "A young lady actually thinks he's a real magician." This was apparent at the start of the movie, where she expects him to be able to fix a young lad's stuffed bear that had burst at the neck, also the community in which she resides has little to no touch with the outside world. So now it makes more sense, as the money he gives her is always pulled out of the air, and the gifts he bestows are always via magical tricks (and in one case, it was perceived to be magical.) I guess this must have been really obvious, but as I said, there was a moment where I thought that she believed him to be an actual magician, just that later on those thoughts were dispelled.

But anyway, it's an excellent film, probably the only animated one which depicts Scotland both realistically and respectfully.

My Neighbors the Yamadas

A really interesting film, it's like a Japanese Simpsons. A fairly dysfunctional family go about their daily lives, where the film depicts this as vignettes. One of these vignettes' features their accidental abandonment of their youngest member, Nonoko, in the local shopping mall, where another involves the eldest family members confronting some antisocial youths. The film refuses to play up the drama for any situation, instead taking a lighthearted and comical approach, some times switching styles which change the mood quite dramatically.

The animation is very simple, all the excess is trimmed off so we can focus and what's important. Where there is simplicity, there is always added expression, so the characters emotions are communicated very well. The animation itself is very well done, and the style makes it enjoyable to watch.

The film is part 'slice of life', part surrealist, something which is made apparent within the first 5-10 minutes. I liked all of it, though I did fall asleep for about 15 minutes because I was really tired. Don't let that reflect poorly on the film because it's good fun to watch. I think the best bit was when the art style of the film changed very dramatically as the father, Takashi, reluctantly leaves his house in order to talk to some assholes on bikes. The characters are suddenly rendered very realistically, appearing to be rotoscoped, and it made me feel concern for Takashi's safety.

Shutter Island

Funnily enough, this also stars DeCaprio. And like Inception, it's very intense, and also pretty damn enjoyable. It's another movie which apparently has alot of people talking, although I haven't heard anyone speak of it personally. So that's good, because when people hype films up like crazy, it can quite easily bring you down when you eventually go see it (Avatar).

It's probably a good one to see for a second time, due to the nature of the ending. I suppose you'd call it a twist ending, except the film sort of keeps you guessing throughout about what's going to happen. Even up to the very last moment, I felt like it could go one way or the other, which was quite clever. It's dark, thrilling, and the films conclusion is satisfying. Not usually my type of movie really, I often prefer slightly more easy going films I guess; that, or really weird ones. Recommended, but don't go in expecting to be blown away; save that for The Borrower Arrietty.

Tekkonkinkreet

This is a pretty mad film about 2 orphans living in a large Japanese city, fighting for their district known as Treasure Town. The place is a decaying slum full of crime and oddballs, and these boys are pretty much the oddest of the lot.

Their names are Black and White, and they have unexplained supernatural jumping abilities. Conflict starts when the Yakuza moves back into town and attempts to take over - however, their defeat by Black only leads to the more dangerous and mysterious "Monsieur" Snake to arrive with his posse of 3 extremely tough "Foreigners".

The animation is great and I like the style of the characters, although the faces of Black and White can be a bit unappealing. This film was made by the same studio 4oC who animated a sequence in the Animatrix, the one called "Beyond". It features the same combination of complex and highly detailed backgrounds with relatively basic looking characters. Both also have children participating in lots of insane aerial high jinkery

Tekkon's soundtrack is by Plaid, of warp records, and it is a very good soundtrack. Warp are well known for their glitch genre of electronic music. The song played at the ending credits is especially awesome, I believe it is called White's Dream.

Towards the end of the film, the tone takes a darker turn. Without spoiling the plot, there's not much more I can say, but it deals with the relationship between White and Black and their deteriorating psychological states. One particular sequence is intense and quite disturbing, depicting characters in spasmodic movement and hanging school children, albeit briefly.

Overall it's a good movie. However, White can be a bit annoying at times.
It has some great characters in it, especially the more well rounded Yakuza members
and the soundtrack is ace.

The Legend of Mir 2: the Three Heroes

Mir 2 is an mmorpg currently still available to play, but is only now a shadow of it's former self. When I started playing, around 2001, it was with 3 real-life friends, the game was only a week or two into it's Beta stages and was free to play. It was really fun exploring this large, mysterious world, akin to that of when I played Zelda: Link's Awakening for the first time. I killed a few hens and deer, and started my slow progression through the game. At that time no-one knew what anything was, which made it so much more fun. Eventually I got bored, and stopped playing.

A while later, I came back, the game had been updated quite significantly by this time. I had lost touch with all the people I once knew, my RL friends were also long gone, which was quite depressing, but I quickly made new friends. It helped that I was now playing with my brother.

What was great about this game was the competitive element. You'd see the same people day in day out, which made it feel like a tightly knit community. The forums were like internet hollyoaks, only much more entertaining. I made some great friends, and some enemies, too. I then quit once again, and finally, so did the game, closing early 2009.

I still really like this game, because all you did was kill monsters with friends then fight enemies with them too. The new Mir isn't as good, and not really worth playing.

According to this blog post, a film based on Mir 2 is currently being developed in China. Even if it's terrible and receives no translation, I will probably watch it. Back in 2001, the game had over 200,000 simultaneous users in China, and it is still very popular there and in Korea.

Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

I know what you're thinking: Gay? Surprisingly, no. Well, I'm not sure what the Japanese think of Tingle, he is undeniably camp, but this game pretty much confirms his heterosexuality. It's the first game to feature Tingle as the main protagonist, and it takes place before his excursions with Link (Majora's Mask, Wind Waker...etc.) And how does it prove he's as straight as a rupee's edge? Well, because he daydreams about bathing with naked ladies!
Seriously, that's about as straight as it gets.

Not like it's wrong for Tingle to be gay, I think it's just unusual to be gay in a Zelda game.

So this DS title is actually really good fun. Like DQ:Rocket Slime, it's pretty damn bizarre, although you could classify it as an adventure title. Adventure, yes, but it's nothing like a Zelda game.
You control Tingle, who starts off as a normal man, wearing normal clothes and acts....normal! In fact, his name isn't even Tingle, it's whatever you chose it to be.
So, whilst reclining at home, he hears an alluring voice, which turns out to be that of the Rupee God. The wizened currency deity mentions that Tingle can reach a place of infinite happiness called Rupeeland if he plops enough money into the magic pool behind he house. He must also don the garb of the Tingle...and thus, he remains cursed forever.

The gameplay is pretty unique - you go around collecting ingredients, mixing potions, and talking with all sorts of odd people. Really odd people! At first, no-one trusts you; then the games signature mechanic comes into play. You have to give them rupees - for pretty much everything - but you never know how much. You just have to guess. And should you guess wrong, that's it - the moneys gone, and you have to guess again. This wouldn't be so terrible, but rupees are Tingle's LIFE.
Literally. In place of heart containers, or hit points, your wallet claims all damage wrought upon you.

It has to be one of the least forgiving games I've played, everyone in it is a total jerk. You need rupees for everything in this game.
It is also a great addition to anyone's library, especially if they're looking for something out of the ordinary. I love how many odd games there are on the DS - it has to house some of the most strange and unique games I've ever played.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

So Dragon Quest IX has come out recently here in Europe, the latest edition in a series I've long been itching to give a try. And it's really good - sure, in terms of battle and overall presentation it's nothing new, especially to hardened DQ fans. But the characters and dialogue are excellent, so are the graphics and sound effects, and the amount of LOOT!

...but that's not what I'm wanting to post about. The Above game is one I only found out about when reading the latest issue of Edge magazine. It had a colorful, multi-page article about this quirky wee title. As soon as I saw the immensely appealing character design, and read the premise of the game - where you play as a Slime called Rocket on his adventure to save 100 of his friends and rebuild their home city of Boingburg, ravaged by the Plob, I just had to get it. What I got was one of the most original games I've played in a long time.

I'll admit, before I played Dragon Quest games I didn't like the design of the Slime character. He's an icon in Japan - in the lofty ranks of Pikachu and Mario's popularity - and it's only from playing the games that I see why. They are immensely appealing, the way they move and are animated, their sound effects, and dialog, would crack a smile on even a hardened criminals face. The amount of puns used in the game is on a Wallace and Gromit scale, due to some fantastically well executed localization.

The game itself is pretty damn unique - you bounce around the game world saving 100 slimes, all put in treasure chests which are scattered around each area by the plob, a race of platypus creatures. You also collect all objects you find, as well as enemies, and bounce up to 3 things at once on your head. Then these items (and foes) are placed on trolleys which head back to Boingburg. The items you find turn out to be used as ammunition in gigantic castle tank battles, and the enemies are your helpers if you collect enough of them. The battles themselves are frantic, with an outside view of the battle taking place topscreen of the DS whilst you run around frantically loading up cannons and defeating enemies on the lower screen. Hop into a canon yourself to blast over to their tank, where you can sabotage it from the inside - which you will ultimately need to do in order to destroy it's engine, the literal beating heart of the tank.

It's a bit easy, but there are more than enough difficult games out there if I want a challenge. It's just nice to play something that is so different, unclassifiable, genre defying, and as totally charming, as this title. Long live slimes! *slurp*



Jailcat!