X6 And The Cursed High Max

Damn, this game is kicking my ass more than I thought. I have no idea how many times I have tossed my controller in frustration to getting my ass kicked by the final battle with High Max. I swear, I've gotten soft. I used to be so good at these games, but now I'm just really rusty!

Curse you, High Max!

I guess that's what happens in an era where platformers are rare. But once I'm done with this, I'm already selecting my next retro challenge.

Megaman X5

Out of all the games in my entire X Series Challenge, the first one to be beat was X5. Why that one? First off, X5 is my favorite of all the Megaman X games. It's got a lot of throwbacks to previous games of the series, as well as throwbacks to the original Megaman series.

One of my Top 10 games of all time.

So it's no surprise that it's the first one I beat. However, I'm still tempted to replay it already in Hard Mode, but I have yet to finish the other X games yet. X4 has been done so many times, it's stuck in my memory, but hasn't been passed this time around. X2 is still in the process of getting all the items, while X3 is in similar steps just so I could get the Gold Armor. And as for the first X, I'm still trying to jump over to try and get that head armor. It's a nasty jump, that one.

Best armor for this boss.

But for some reason, X5 was that one game I was really into from start to finish. Something about it (besides the throwbacks) made the game quite the experience every time. Plus, I have learned to love the Gaia Armor. Even though you can't use other weapons and have reduced speed, your increased toughness and power make it for quite the armor that makes you want to challenge the game with nothing but it. Well, except the first Virus Stage.

I saw this game from a different strategical point of view that just might tempt me into playing it in Hard Mode sooner rather than later. But for now, I'm trying to pass X6 (even though we all know the real ending was in X5).

Toonami's April Fools Return

(I originally posted this on my humor blog, but it also applies to this one so I will post it here too.)

Last night was just like any other, me struggling in my bed as I tried to find some sleep. And suddenly, at midnight, I get a message from La Barba.

"Dude, TOM is on TV!"

I didn't know what to make of it, especially since that character hasn't been on TV in ages. For those who don't know TOM is a character from the old Cartoon Network who hosted the Toonami block of japanese animation, as well as other cartoons based off comic books. During the 90's and early 2000's, it was the best time to be watching TV while we were growing up. So when I heard it was back, I was a bit skeptical.

And behold, I turned on my TV and saw that some shows I watched in high school were once again airing that night. I quickly celebrated, but was somehow surrounded with confusion. I started to get skeptical. Especially when earlier in the night, I was almost the victim of someone else's April Fool's prank. So I watched on to see if it was true.

And time passed, giving me more signs of hope. Dragonball nearly gave me a seizure, as I quickly realized why I never watched the show in the dark. The rest of the shows continued my nostalgia trip, but also started to fuel my slumber. And so, eventually my slumber won and I was asleep. And once I woke up, I see a message from La Barba which read: "worst prank ever!"

Turn the lights on! This scene is gonna make my head explode!

April Fools wasn't even starting, and already we had fallen to a massive prank. I gotta say, everything for the rest of the day will be assumed it's a prank. I'm even gonna be watching Wrestlemania with expectations of someone coming up and shouting "April Fools" at the end of the show! Gotta love April 1st.

Megaman X Series Challenge

Ever since starting my replay of the Megaman X series, I quickly realized why these games kicked so much ass. For one, they are extremely difficult platformers. Secondly, the strategy that goes into them. I entered my challenge with great rust.

I remembered most of the boss orders, but my timing with many of the games has been a bit off. I'm not doing as well with some bosses, taking longer on levels, and arriving to Sigma with a bigger weakness than usual. That just goes to show you how brutal these games can be if you're not prepared.

For someone who has never played these games, they might throw the controller at the screen before even getting to X2. And even veteran gamers like myself are still throwing the remote, but probably with more fury because we did better before.  Going back to these games with rust has added a new level of difficulty that's quite interesting.

But no matter how, I'm realizing how good these games will always be. Not many series will stand the test of time, but this series does. I'm still trying to finish any of the games on my replay, but I won't stop until I've finished them...so it might take me a while.

And I will be chronicling my challenge as it continues to transpire.

Wind Waker Replay

Last week I managed to finish my replay of Wind Waker after not having played since it's original release in 2003. At first, there was a bit of rust, but I quickly found myself remembering what to do. In about 2 weeks or so, I had completed the game. And even though I passed it quickly, I had enjoyed it a bit more for both the nostalgia effect and having a greater appreciation for the story this time around.

This time around, I was using better battle tactics, solving puzzles quicker, and doing things I wouldn't have done in my original run. But then again, I was only 16 so I probably didn't think as critically as I do now. My battles now involved a lot of thievery via the grappling hook, as well as a wiser use of all my weapons. Back then, I used to just hack and slash, but now I was calculating my every move. Same goes for the dungeons. I was clearing out the puzzles a lot quicker, as well as finding an easier time with bosses.

For some reason, 2012 seems to be a year of gaming flashbacks for me. I have already cleared KH1, Chain of Memories, and Wind Waker. And I have done better now than then. Now I'm thinking of taking on the challenge of the Megaman X series (games 1-6) to see how it goes. Perhaps I should chronicle my journey as I tackle these older games. Who knows? Could be fun.

The Doctor's New Companion

In an attempt to avoid spoilers for the upcoming season of Doctor Who, I have strayed from fan sites and such, just to be safe. However, on the BBC America page and the Doctor Who FB page I stumbled upon some information regarding the Doctor's new companion.

This new companion (actress name Jenna-Louise Coleman) is stated to meet the Doctor in Series Seven. I assume they will meet after the departure of Amy and Rory, but who knows. If I learned anything from this show, is the unpredictability of the show's very nature. So we will have to wait and see.

Until then, the anticipation keeps building as I count down to the return of the Doctor.

Gokaiger VS Gavan: Movie Review

I finally got around to seeing the latest Gokaiger movie, and I gotta say...it's an awesome movie. I dig the concept of the crossover movies, especially during anniversary years. This just makes me look forward to Super Hero Taisen even more. And I love all kinds of crossovers, from the Jetsons/Flintstones movie all the way to the Kingdom Hearts series. So this was no different, filled with all kinds of goodness.

The movie starts right in the middle of the action, which is a great way to get one hooked. Right away, we see Gavan attacking the Gokaigers and quickly start with more questions than answers. Why is Gavan attacking the Gokaigers? Isn't he a good guy? Is is the same case as when the Dekarangers tried to arrest Captain Marvelous? Perhaps, but we don't know until a bit later in the movie.

Overall, the story was pretty standard. It wasn't bad, because it actually had a pretty good backstory. However, it wasn't as deep as 199 Hero Battle. But that's okay, since the movie was still pretty awesome. The fight scenes were awesome, as usual. However, I do wish we could have seen Bootleg Gavan battle the Gokaigers at some point. Regardless, the action was fun to watch.

And one last note. What an impressive way to introduce the Gobusters. To have them wear down Basco so easily, it gave a good first impression of how strong they can be. However, they still didn't seem as overpowered as the Gokaigers (owning everyone with Final Wave) but rather a more strategic team. They knew how to disable Sally and had Basco cornered. Good showing by the new team.

Just a very good movie overall. And before I finish, I gotta note that the old school multi-angle shots of Gavan transforming was a pretty nod at older series. Kinda wish they still did that from time to time.