Delicious Deals: Sonic Unleashed

CC, MM, now DD. I’m sure you noticed the pattern here, but whether you find it creative or cliche will be up to the individual. Probably like today’s deal.

With my Delicious Deals posts, I’ll share with you some of the awesome deals I come across. I could just give you the link to Cheap Ass Gamer and leave it at that, since it’s the ultimate repository for every kind of online deal that goes on, but whenever I spot a deal that’s just too good to miss, I’ll do my part in creating immediate awareness.

For today only (11/29/08), Amazon is having an absolutely ridiculous deal.

Sonic Unleashed for $15 (PS2), $20 (360) and $25 (Wii).

But wait, enter the code UNLEASH5 and you’ll get another $5 off. That’s a 360 game less than a week old for only $20!

Like many gaming veterans, I highly enjoyed the original 3 Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, but absolutely hate what Sega has done with him in his last several 3D adventures. He’s like one of several celebrities you used to love in the old times, but have despised their regression over the years. Unfortunately like those celebrities, the general public still loves Sonic and buys whatever stupid thing Sega puts him in.

But could Unleashed actually be the title that breaks the Sonic curse? Opinions have been somewhat mixed, but ultimately optimistic: At the very least, it’s an enjoyable adventure that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to like, even if it isn’t a complete return to form for Sonic.

Me? I’m going to give it a shot. Videos like this have convinced me that Sonic might still be worth caring about.

Look at it this way, $20 is an easy investment. There are XBLA games that cost more than that. You get a lengthy adventure, a rocking soundtrack, achievements, some very pretty graphics, and a whole lot of speed. And hey, as incredibly stupid as the Werehog concept sounds, I hear it’s actually pretty fun. Not Sonic-Speed fun, but not something you’ll hate either.

Who knows, this could be the first step to Sonic’s return to glory.

Don’t doubt what he can do, Soniiiic the Hedgehooooog!

Musical Musing: Chrono Trigger

In addition to Character Corner, I’m also adding another category to my blog: Music!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a big RPG fan, so it’s only natural that I would have a fondness for the rich and varied music that these games can produce. After all, before 3D polygons, full motion videos, or even voice acting, it was the soundtrack that usually created the illusion of playing a video game like an interactive movie.

So during these posts, I’ll share some of my favorite videogame melodies, mostly in the form of Youtube clips. I’ll even throw a link to the songs in mp3 format, if available.

But don’t expect this blog to be a resource to download soundtracks, because that isn’t happening. Searching for music is the easiest thing anyone can do on the internet, and a google search can instantly turn up some well known sites. I’ll only be sharing individual songs, but keep checking and you might find an arrangement of a favorite song that you might not have been aware of.

Today, I’ll be sharing the two orchestral arrangements found in the pre-order CD for Chrono Trigger DS.

Download the mp3s here and here.

Chrono Trigger DS is available in stores now. If you’ve played the game before, you’ve likely already bought it. If you haven’t, and are skeptical from all the fanboy claims how it’s one of the best RPGs ever (along with a handful of other highly lauded titles), I’ll tell you straight up: It deserves the praise it gets.

What, you want reasons why? What do I look like, a reviewer?

I hope you answered “yes”, but you’re only getting three reasons regardless.

1. It created gameplay elements that current RPGs have yet to fully emulate (such as avoidable encounters and diverse party members).

2. There’s no part of the game that feels like a tacked-on sidequest or filler to artificially increase the length; each area flows together seamlessly.

3. It has one of the coolest “extra” characters ever. Yes, that guy.

And that’s not mentioning the time travel, the tech combo system, the protagonist who lacks a voice but not a personality, the wonderful soundtrack, the fact that you can take on the final boss any time, the multiple endings, etc etc just go buy it already.

Character Corner: Zangief

For this blog, I have decided to add a few categories that pertain to a certain subject. One of these categories will deal with videogame characters, in which I dedicate a single post to whichever character I feel like dissecting with praise, pondering, or pity.

With the recent release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (if you had time to read that title, then you have time to go download it off your PS3 or Xbox 360 if you hadn’t done so already), I’m dedicating the first character watch to Zangief.

No, no, I’m not a big fan of him. Consider me part of the crowd that likes his Shotoclones and badass moe cuties. Sure, I like to have fun with the big, muscular guys now and then (that sounded really wrong, but I already dug myself a hole by using the term “moe”), but if it’s a serious match, then I always stick to good ‘ol reliable down+down-forward+forward+fierce.

So why am I talking about Zangief today? Because well…I don’t get Zangief.

I know what you’re thinking: “What is there to get?”. Not like the giant steroid characters ever have a deep story, right?

Well that’s the thing, most of them do have a story, a motivation for fighting. Nothing big, usually it’s something to prove there’s a heart hidden under all that muscle mass, like protecting their homeland, girlfriend, kitty cat, whatever.

What the hell is Zangief’s reason for fighting? In the original, it was to represent his beloved homeland of Mother Russia.

But lately it seems he only likes to fight for the sheer hell of it. As you know, Street Fighter has appeared as other forms of media, mainly anime, manga, comics, and that live movie everyone tries to forget, but can’t. In most of those situations, Zangief usually makes a brief appearance, sans dialog. Growling and roaring like the very bears he massacres on a daily basis, when Zangief shows up it’s usually to fuck up whoever is in the scene with him.

Take the Street Fighter Alpha OVA. We get an original character in the form of Ryu’s brother Shun.

This kid. And for you purists who haven’t seen it, keep the bitching down; he’s not really his brother. Duh.

Naturally, the kid wants to become an awesome fighter like his big not-brother. He signs up for a tournament, and guess who his first opponent is.

Good Lord, he’s so pumped up that he pops a vein just by grimacing. Holy shit.

As I mentioned before, the giant muscle character is usually a softy at heart, respectful of mother nature, little kids, and all that noise. But Zangief? He doesn’t say a word. Soon as the bell rings, he’s doing this.

Now to be fair, Shun isn’t a normal fake brother of Ryu (again, big surprise). He gets into a psycho rage when fighting, and he’s tough enough to give guys like Zangief a tough time.

But this was only partly into the fight. Before the match was even official, Zangief was tearing out the door to his steel cage and throwing it at Shun.

Also, ouch.

A similar scenario occures with Sakura, both in her Udon miniseries and manga miniseries. Sakura comes across Zangief, eager to test her abilities. Does Zangief show any restraint with the knowledge that he’s a seasoned bear wrestler and she’s just a naive high school girl?

Nope. “Bring it on!”, Zangief tells both Sakura and Cammy in the manga. “One arm to take on each girl!”

So basically, Zangief will fight whatever you throw at him. A chicken, an old guy in a wheelchair, the cub of the bear he decapitated, it doesn’t matter. Zangief will rip you apart.

It’s a bit disheartining, becuase in the earlier days I considered Zangief the gentle kind of giant. The kind of guy that loves to have a serious competition with you, but laughs off the match and has a beer with you afterwards. Just look at his ending from Street Fighter Alpha 3.

How awesome is that? The combined power of Zangief’s muscles and Honda’s blubber saved the day. Why can’t we have more stuff like that?

Even the live movie had Zangief start off as a villain, but his cartoonish stupidity made him hard to dislike, not to mention the fact that he switched to the side of good by the end. The USA cartoon went and made him a villain again, though.

At this rate, they should just make his Marvel vs Capcom incarnation the main canon one.

It fits his current bloodthirsty style much better. Also he gushes blood from his head in a faster and wider rate.

How’s It Going?

Welcome to the debut post of my new blog. Let’s skip the fanfare and get right to the cold, hard facts.

What’s this blog about? Videogames! Like many gamers, I began the journey on the NES in the 80’s with Super Mario Bros, and continued on to today’s current systems. I own all three major consoles, portable consoles, and a capable PC for PC gaming in all its incarnations, so there’s pretty much nothing I can’t play.

Why this blog? In hindsight, it’s so I can share all my random thoughts and observations I’ve gathered over the years playing games, and any reactions I might have to the current trend. You can expect to see posts where I might briefly comment on a certain aspect or cliche, recent news that may be “relevant to my interests”, or whenever I feel like waxing nostalgic on some of my favorite moments or experiences.

And maybe the occasional comment about anime or TV shows.

That’s All? Actually, no. Earlier this year I was given the opportunity to write videogame reviews for an independent website called Primotech. I was grateful for the oppurtunity, and wrote a decent amount of reviews until the site reached an “indefinate hiatus”. I now freelance for another independant site called The Armchair Empire, and I’m hoping that with this blog, I might be reached for further oppurtunities to anyone interested in my writing and work.

So Who Are You? My name is Jorge S Fernandez, a Floridian who goes by several online monikers, which you can find below, and are free to contact me or add me whenever you’d like. As long as you’re friendly, I’ll be happy to converse with you any time.

Penny Arcade Forums: Professor Snugglesworth

Steam: Primoman

AIM: Xngears

PSN: SOLDIER

Xbox 360: Dr Shizuma

Wii: 3457 5065 6822 4602

Final Fantasy XI: Jorginus (Midgardsormr Server)

Got Any Favorite Titles?

Sure do. Mario, Zelda, Street Fighter, Castlevania, Silent Hill, Resident Evil…I pretty much have a favorite series for every genre out there. I can’t pick an absolute favorite of the bunch without absolute certainty, but I will go on record saying I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy and RPGs in particular. I won’t say the majority of blog posts will be related to the latter, but knowing my internet history, it probably will be.

How Often Are Updates? I don’t have a set schedule in mind. I’ll just post whenever I feel I have something to share. If I get into the swing of things, I’d say two or more times a week, early afternoon or late night. Whenever one of my reviews pop up, though, they’ll definetely get posted here.

That It? That’s it. I hope I keep you interested enough to check back, but I mostly hope you enjoy reading my posting.
Also, if you’re a website owner, please hire me. I can has money plz?