My love for the Shining series

My love for this series stretches back to when I was a solid 3 years old. Still sucking my thumb and carrying my “blankee” around, I was not an obvious choice for becoming a gamer. I would watch my dad play all these bad ass games on Sega Genesis: Chakan, Phantasy Star, Miracle Warriors, Might and Magic, Rastan, etc. I was so fascinated by the concept of a different world at such a young age. My dad would let me play these games but I did not have good enough hand-eye coordination and the thought processes to do well enough at these games.

By about 5 years old, I started getting good enough to play these games I witnessed my dad playing through my young years. Among all the games, one series outshone them all for me: the Shining series. Some people know what this is from personal experience, some know from the high praises that I always seem to mention during every podcast for these games, and some have absolutely zero idea what I am talking about.

What initially struck me as amazing? Why was I so drawn by these video games? Why am I asking myself questions that you fuckers should be asking me? From what I can remember from recollection, what struck me by these games is the vast selection of unique characters. You have the main character, a hero. You have centaurs, mages, healers, a robot, a dragon, a monk, archers, a wolf man, and so many others. It was so exhilarating picking your own “all-star” team and kicking some enemy ass. There were only about 4 or 5 music tracks for the game, but they were all so epic. I loved every single one of the tracks and to this day, I can still hum them. I am actually humming them now, in case you were wondering which I know you were. Another reason was it was something to do with my dad. I loved spending time with my dad and being a bad ass with him, and one way for me to do that was play and watch Genesis with him. So there is huge nostalgia for me there.

There may be other games that have done strategy-based games better. There may have been games that have done this style way before Shining Force. But I quite frankly don’t give a shit. I fell in love with this series, so you are going to sit tight and hopefully enjoy me selling this vast series of over 25 games (28 to be exact) to you, the SPT listener, sympathizer, wondrous citizen of our community. I am not going to divulge into every single Shining game, but rather the ones I played a lot and had much experience with. I eventually want to get my hands on every game in this series, but that will take much money, much time, and much ambition.

I posted this in both my blog AND the dailies because my love for this series is personal, but I will be rating these games. I will give them the SPT treatment  while getting to share with you a very personal love that goes into my heart and soul. It was hard for me to write about this series because I did not want to do it injustice in any way, shape, or form. I am definitely somewhat out of my element because I have not played every game. How could I blindly love a series without playing every installment? To simply put it, when you find that first love, it is truly unexplainable. I will never fall out of this series and I will always feel a pull to it. You as gamers all know exactly what I speak of. So before you scoff at this and blow this off as another douche blowing his load about a sub-par game, please give me the time of day and read my love for this. Give it at least a chance. Read about it. Do research. Hell, if you like what you read, go buy a game. The Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection runs a whopping $10 at your local pawn shop. How could you honestly lose out?

Enjoy and happy tidings,

Shea Buttuh



Tron vs. Inception, or Morgan vs. Shea

Haha well I know this does not really have to do with video games very much, but for the past 2 weeks now Morgan and I have silently and fairly butted heads on which movie is the better movie of the year: Tron or Inception. Yes, there may be more movies that in your personal opinion were significantly better than these two but Inception I felt easily was the top of the line movie and Morgan felt the same about Tron. We really want to do a Movie Of The Year podcast but we don't really know if that is in the cards or if it would even be appropriate considering the fact that we are a Gaming podcast (albeit Tron does deal with video gaming to a degree and Inception came out coincidentally at the same time as Limbo, the Xbox Live Arcade Game, was released). So I wanted to go in to a huge rant and rave (without the ecstacy) about why I think Inception surpassed not only Tron, but every other movie to come out this year to nap Movie of the Year in my personal library of awards.

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. This bio was taken straight from IMDB. I put it here in case anyone who reads this has not seen this movie.

First point I would like to make is that this movie idea was cut from a whole new cloth, so to speak. In a world where movies or tv shows we see these days are usually ideas re-done or ideas "skeletonized" and then repacked with new "vital organs", this movie was a whole new skeleton with maybe the skull being re-used. I have always been fascinated with the prospect and idea of dreams; the meaning behind them or what they symbolize in one's everyday life. But this takes the idea of dreams to a whole new level. It attempts to use the concept of dreaming which is not entirely explainable and exploit that to make a whole new concept.

In the movie, every main or FOIL character is vital to the storyline. None of the characters feel tacked on or feel like they were put in the movie to "boost ratings". Obviously the character most people are going to connect with would be Cobb. He is trying to get back to his two young kids who want nothing but to see their father again. Periodically throughout the movie, you see informational flashbacks of his kids which makes your heart slowly melt more and more as you realize how bad these kids need their father.

Both movies do a fantastic job of making you feel involved with the world, almost as if you were in it: Tron placing you in a virtual, futuristic world and Inception placing you into all these diverse and naturally splendid worlds. As awesome as it would be to live in a virtual world, it fascinated me more to be able to live in a world where you could create. Many times after seeing a movie such as Avatar (I know, I know scoff at me), I feel like I wish I could live in that world because it would be such a new experience and so gratifying. However with Inception I never felt that way. Now some would say that is not a good thing. For me it was and here is why. I felt like through the 2 hours and 30 minutes I spent watching this movie, I went through the world and the whole idea. I feel like I lived it by watching this movie and the movie itself took me through the entirety of this grand adventure and did not leave me unsatisfied, whereas when I watch other movies, I temporarily long to be in that world for just a little bit longer. Situationally, both feelings can be good. I think that the director and the writer both realized that this world was meant to only be lived in this movie and that is it. They did not try to play out the longevity via imagination and they did not cut this movie short. Sometimes I feel movies try to play too heavily on possible imagination or do not allow us some room for our creative minds. But this movie knew exactly where to go. (I would like to note that I feel that the movies that try to play heavily on our minds should leave it to the books and the video games, where more creativity can be put in to those things).

A few random final notes I would like to make is that arguably both are fantastically gorgeous films. I will not doubt the fact that Tron does look more appealing visually but the frustrating thing for me was in order to see it in theaters, I had to waste money on 3D. Yes I know that it is an extra 3 dollars but that is 3 dollars I could have saved to see another movie. The 3D in Tron to me was lacking and just tacked on. I would have liked to see them play a little bit more on the 3D than they did because what they DID have in 3D was invigorating. But Inception chose to stay out of the increasing Hollywood norm of tacking 3D on for more money or popularity, thus relying more on intricate plot and story than visuals

Also, I feel like when I watched Inception, I was not looking at my phone checking the time to see when it was going to end. When I watched Tron (even though I was enjoying the movie and the visuals) there were a few times where I started hoping it was going to end soon because I had other things to tend to. I think that speaks for itself.

The final point I would like to give credit to both is that both of these movies had TOP NOTCH soundtracks. Not a lot can be said other than I made a point to get both of these soundtracks because they are amazing. Oh and Morgan likes to constantly remind me every few days that he is STILL listening to the Tron soundtrack, and probably fondling his meat all the while hoping Jeff Bridges in his Jedi-esque robe randomly pops up and whisks him away into this world where visuals are the only thing that matter instead of an involving story and a much more heartfelt one at that.

A Boy's Fascination

My little brother likes to walk in to my room randomly while I am playing video games for a bit. Depending on how interesting it is to him is how long he will stay in my room and watch and want to try. One day he walked in to me playing Super Meatboy. He was instantly fascinated by the little red blob of meat hopping on wall to wall.

Naturally, he wanted to try the game. What was inpressive is that he eventually after a few days of trying, he was able to make it through the first world excluding the boss. My six year old brother was able to play this difficult game and actually get through it. I was thoroughly impressed to say the least. He likes it so much that he drew me a few drawings of Meatboy trying to get through some levels. I know that they are not the best quality, but you get the gist.

Happy Gaming

Shea

Random Tidings

So when I am playing my Xbox 360, I think of ideas that would optimize my enjoyment while playing. I had a few ideas, and I was considering writing to Xbox magazine to see what their opinions were on my subject matter. Before I did decide whether or not to do that though, I decided I would discuss my ideas with you guys that way I know if they are good ideas or I am just being nitpicky.

First off, I think it would be awesome if games were alphabetized when you are trying to compare what you have played to what somebody else has played. I cannot tell you the countless times that when I go to look at what someone else has played, I have to wade through 57 games just to find the 1 game I was looking for. It would be nice if they got rid of the god awful system they have now and replaced it with an alphabetical system.

Second, and I realize this would be very hard to accomplish, but I would like to see some sort of spectator system. I understand you generally have to have the game to see a majority of the content. Maybe even a sort of video system like Halo does. There have been times where I am in an Xbox Live party with a few friends when one spouts out, "Holy fuck! You should have seen what just happened..." It would be nice to actually see what just happened haha.

I want to know your guys' thoughts and opinions on this, whether it be I am too gripey or I am actually on to something. I respect each and every one of your opinions so let me know what you think please!

Stay classy SPT gamers,

Shea Buttuh

Dead Rising 2 Revisited

As you will hear in the show or have heard, I was fairly harsh on Dead Rising 2.  I still have been playing it ever since we recorded the show and I have spent a great deal more time with it so I wanted to hit a few areas I may have missed while also giving a somewhat more thorough and personal explanation as to why I did not give it a higher medal.
   

    First off, I did not divulge into the world of the Psychopaths that you experience in Dead Rising 2. Let me say that most of them are creepy and unnerving. Almost perturbing (to me at least).  For example, Brandon is a radical who thinks he is supporting you in the fact that he thinks you had a certain ultimate purpose for letting the zombies loose on Fortune City, even though you are not the perpetrator. But after your fight with him being that you defeated him, his ending movie is so violent in an unsettling way. Overall, I loved most of the psychopaths. They all had their own feeling, a good few words, fairly difficult, and were not in the game too long. I think the psychopaths were one of the game’s stronger points.


    Now I did ridicule the game for a couple of points that were very pinpointed. I dissected this game down a lot. Playing through it a second time has made me realize only one thing: I should have maybe given it a star or two. Maybe not though. This is the second installment to the Dead Rising series not counting Case Zero and while it was polished in a lot of aspects, I still feel the creators dropped the ball on some key issues. Dead Rising 2 was shorter and less challenging than Dead Rising 1 while still being a little buggy. Especially with the bugs, these issues should have been worked out. They had almost 4 years to work out the kinks.
   

    However, before I continue along a negative path, may I say I am completely addicted still to Dead Rising 2. For anyone who has a zombie fetish like myself, this is a wet dream for them. I have spent hours and hours with this game. The replay value for this game comes from the achievement hunting you can do. A plus for the game is that when you get an achievement on it, you feel very excited for a hard job being completed. 20 points may not seem rewarding, but it is more of the feeling of “I did it!”  This is where I think that most of what I am saying here is completely subjective. The rest of the guys at SPT are not concerned with achievements, while I feel compelled to devour every single Dead Rising 2 achievement I can acquire.


    So in summation, like I previously said, if you love zombies, you will love this game. If not, it may be a fun little romp but good luck getting used to wading through throngs of flesh-eating undead while having a time limit. But this game is NOT FOR EVERYONE, just for people who like to see cannibals eat other people…like me.