Songs of the Week #5 – Astromantic: The Album

I’ve already put up one song from this album as the very first SotW, and I probably would’ve ended up putting all the songs from this album onto here eventually. Instead, I’ve just decided to put up the whole album, because it’s all incredibly awesome. If you liked the first SotW, you’ll like the rest of this stuff (most likely).

Get the whole(!) album here!

Song of the Week #4 Codename wa Lady-X (New Lady & Best Hit 80’s MEGA-MIX) and quick E3 opinions

My friend sent this to me awhile ago. This song is a remix of the song of the same name (minus the parentheses), but it does a really nice job by spicing up the music with 8bit music that accents the main vocals really well. I’m pretty sure this is a…J-pop song? So, if you’re a fan of 8bit music, J-pop, or both, then this song should be perfect for you. The main chorus is ridiculously catchy and the main verses are pretty sweet.

Grab it here!

Also, quick comments on E3. I was really happy to hear about close dates for the localization of Mario and Luigi RPG 3 as well as KH 358/2 days. Another really cool thing was the announcement of Golden Sun DS (a.k.a. Golden Sun 3). Now if only we could get word on Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth that’s a little better than Winter ‘10. Mario Galaxy 2 would be exciting me if I owned 1, although I have wanted to play it for quite some time. New Super Mario Bros. Wii looks ok, although it looks pretty similiar to the DS version I already have with multiplayer added. However, the one thing I absolutely CANNOT wait for is Metroid: Another M. Holy shit, this game looks goddamn incredible. I’m actually going through the first Metroid Prime now and loving it, and this looks even better than that. The voice acting actually looks pretty decent, albeit the creepy but interesting Samus voice.

As for Microsoft, I didn’t follow them closely at all. Project Natal looks like an interesting concept, ok, whatever. Halo: Reach, no surprise there whatsoever. Metal Gear Solid: Rising, HELL YES. The one thing that really interested me was actually seeing gameplay of Alan Wake. I was curious about this game since I first heard about it, and had been keeping an eye out for it since. The quick demo in the conference did not disappoint, and it seems to be coming along very nicely. As they stated, I believe the wait will be worth it.

Sony I didn’t even pay attention to, although I hear it was the best. Whatever.

I’m happy that Nintendo had a slightly better E3 than last year, although I felt they could have had a little more. As much as I am eagerly anticipating Spirit Tracks, I was hoping Nintendo had a Zelda Wii title tucked under their sleeves. Oh well. Who knows what the rest of ‘09 and ‘10 will bring?

Status Update – 5/26/09

Oh god, I really need to stay more consistent with this thing. So, as school nears an end, so do my efforts. This results in a high concentration of senioritis, as well as a higher rate of backlog-fufilling. Anyway, gaming time. So, I actually have recently beat Rhythm Heaven. I have to say, the whole experience was fantastic, and I actually have 43/50 perfects . Expect a review on that hopefully in the future. Also, Taiko DS 2 has been tiding me over VERY well. It’s a phonemonal rhythm game, with a taiko drum that is…too cute. Like, I expect it to vomit rainbows any minute. Oh wait, IT DOES. So that’s going on. Also, I’ve been challenged by backloggery friends to complete Fire Emblem (GBA) and Metroid Prime (GCN). Fire Emblem had a rough start because I lost my previous save due to cartdrige problems, but the challenge is now going swimmingly. Metroid Prime is going alright, save for the fact I wasted an hour yesterday in an area I wasn’t supposed to be in yet . I’m also borrowing Paper Mario from a friend, so hoping to start that SOMETIME soon. Ugh. Anyway, that about wraps up this status update, I guess. I’m hoping to revive the SotW’s as time goes on (and when some opens up for me). Until then, keep gaming (like these Taiko players!)

Oh yeah. These guys are so fuckin' cool.

-Joe#2

Rhythm Heaven – a.k.a. How to have a really fun time

Ok so, I’ve had Rhythm Heaven for awhile, and foolishly let it collect dust in my collection for the past month(ish). I revisited it yesterday, and I couldn’t put it down. It’s pretty much Warioware mixed with timing touch controls, and the mix works…really well! It’s also made by the same team who made Warioware, so the art style and general tone of the game shouldn’t be surprising.

The game also has a very nice sorting mechanism. It sorts games into groups of 4, and at the end of the groups, you are present with a “Remix”. In these “remixes”, you are blitzed with parts from each minigame to complete, almost as a testing that you understood all the previous minigames in order to proceed to the next group. These “remixes” are set to a completely different song from the minigames, and normally carry a theme. I’m only starting group 4 now, but group 2 had a “hawaiian vacation” theme and group 3 had a “spaghetti western” theme.

All in all, the game plays incredibly well, and I noticed no glaring issues with it. The game utilizes taps, held taps, and flicks. I really loved how the people who made this game used these simple controls for some almost ingenious minigames. Every once in awhile, you might mess up a flick here and there, but it won’t happen so constantly that you’ll be going “GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS GAME?!!?”

The game also further tests your sanity by randomly offering chances to get “Perfects” on the minigames. When you beat a minigame, you get a rating for it. “Try Again” means you did very poorly, and haven’t grasped how to complete the minigame yet. “OK” means you did pretty good and get the grasp of the game, but you still made a few mistakes. “Superb” means that you did very well in the game and made little to no mistakes. (Some games require unofficial Perfects in order to get a Superb). And lastly, “Perfect” means that you make no mistakes whatsoever. As a reward for straining your mentality to get that Perfect, you can get songs or little pieces of writing to read/listen to in another area called the cafe. The song is normally the one that plays in the minigame, which is pretty awesome. The writing pieces are normally background info for a minigame (i.e. One game is about a racecar photographer, the writing piece is about his girlfriend who sneaks onto the track by disguising herself in a pit crew team).

Side notes:
-You have to hold the DS book-style to play this game. Those who have played games such as Hotel Dusk or Crosswords DS may be familiar with this style.
-If you don’t understand a game right away, I reccomend taking some time to cool off, OR using a set of headphones.

The first minigame you are introduced to, and one of the best, IMO. Note: The girl does NOT cover any part of the touch screen during gameplay.

All in all, it’s a very quirky but awesome game that will keep you occupied for awhile. Don’t pass this one up!

-Joe#2

Song of the Week #3 – Tight Wad

Tired Joe is tired. Can’t…type…description… It’s a pretty gimmicky song, but very catchy, to say the least. It’s by Nvoise, who I can’t find any other music from I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do.

Download Tight Wad!

Also, 2 random awesome videos.

Epic Megaman 2 rap is incredibly epic. The lyrics are really witty and made me lol. I also liked that they actually used the real game music. *gasp* Also, lyrics are mostly NSFW. You have been warned.

A neat little mash-up like song I found on another forum I visit from time to time. It’s actually not half bad.

-Joe#2

Song of the Week #2 – Running Fire

Holy crap, I’m actually maintaining this thing consistently. Anyway, this is a song that I’ve actually had for awhile, but just recently gotten back into the past few days. I think some Disgaea fans will know this song (but I’m not sure, got the word from a friend). This song is none other than Running Fire. It’s an epic song, filled with constantly changing BPMs and it’s just a good song to listen to. But don’t take my word for it.

Download Running Fire!

-Joe#2

Song of the Week #1 – I Wanna Be Down

I wanted to post something new, so I decided I would try out this concept that Mach uses. Pretty much, I pick a song I really like in the past week, and put it up for you guys to listen to. The first entry will be I Wanna Be Down by m-flo. This song is very glitchy and catchy, right up my alley heh. If you’re into glitchy stuff you’ll like it, I can’t say if others will. Anyway, music speaks louder than keyboards, so go have a listen.

Download I Wanna Be Down!

P.S. (I’m almost done with Retro Game Challenge. I’m on the final one. And it’s annoyinnnnng.)

-Joe#2

First Impression : Retro Game Challenge

My friend Mach over at discreaderror.wordpress.com told me about a new DS game called Retro Game Challenge. At first, I was expecting a really lame game, but I was pleasantly surprised. So far the game is looking really nice.

In this game, you are challenged by Shinya Arino, who is most famous for his TV hosting career. He sends you back in time to play classic video games, and to defeat the challenges of said games that he sets out for you. The only way to get back to the future is to defeat all his challenges. Also, you are helped with these challenges by a young Shinya Arino, who cheers you on and befriends you over time. Now, I’m only into the second of these games at the moment, but the first will remind you of a very awesome classic : Galaga.

A screenshot of Cosmic Gate on the top screen.

The challenges aren’t too over the top, but will definitely make you think twice before you make that next move. It looks very nice so far, and I actually really liked the concept of going back in time to beat down those old games that drove you insane. There’s a good chance I’ll do a full  review of this when I get the time, but I’d definitely say this is worth at least a rent. Retro gamers will love the call back to video gaming’s roots and new gamers alike will enjoy the challenges laid out before them. What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

- Joe#2