Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
Hopefully this will jump start some much needed action.
Released in 2018 as a spiritual successor to Top Gear, Horizon Chase Turbo is a racing game reminiscent of the classic arcade racers of old brought up to date with a nice coat of paint and some intense speed.
Pros
Genuinely fast game
Such a spiritual successor they got the composer of Top Gear to do the soundtrack
Unique set of locations and tracks
Good selection of cars
Endless replayability
Not that difficult to master
Cons
Colliding with other cars is really annoying
Having to stick with a refuel system
Having to collect easily missable coins to progress
We get it, you're from Brazil!
Overall
A colourful retread of old racing games from the era of Outrun, Top Gear and Lotus Turbo Challenge, it's worth your time investing in such a fast intense racing game with such a good soundtrack.
On my quest to see what I can get from Videogames, I sometimes run into some unique subjects even I've never heard of, so for this post we look at Satellaview.
Back in 1995, Nintendo created a modem for it's Super Famicom or Snes if you prefer called Satellaview; this device allows anyone in Japan who owned the Satellaview to download and play games during select broadcast hours along with other features such as news, weather and magazines that weren't seen again until the Wii. The system required subscription charges but what you got was access to games that are now considered lost media today most notably Legend of Zelda.
The notable difference between this and the actual Legend of Zelda is Link wearing a baseball cap, there was also an option for a red haired girl with a pony tail, the choice was made so kids can put themselves into the game.
Other Nintendo properties such as F-Zero, Mario, Kirby and Fire Emblem got their own games as well, along with titles like Wario Woods offering prizes for high scores, the downside is that because these games were beamed in via satelite they were only available during the broadcast times live not 24/7. A modern comparison would be X-Box Live's 1 vs 100 game which uses a similar broadcast format.
The service went defunct in the year 2000 and was considered a commercial failure mostly due to the arrival of Playstation Sega Saturn and Nintendo's own N64. Also not helping was the Snes being at the end of it's run and a less enthusiastic attempt at reviving the system on the infamous N64DD.
To take something positive from Nintendo's experiment it paved way for the online gaming of today, X-Box Live, PlayStation network and Nintendo's Current Online Service wouldn't be possible without Satellaview testing the waters.
As for it's games, you'll be lucky to see them with only the Zelda games getting fan recreations.
Some of the best known protagonists are silent here are ten of the best.
Honourable Mentions
Classic Sonic from Sonic Franchise
This was kinda added in to distinquish between the classic and modern Sonic and it's canon status is sketchy at best.
Amigo from Samba De Amigo
He speaks in music apparently.
10. Byuu from Bahamut Lagoon
Squaresoft's hidden RPG classic is a turn based strategy RPG, Byuu acts as the lead but surrounded by way more characters than most RPGs, Byuu is hardly a stand out.
9. Rookie from Halo 3 ODST
Now's one of those times, pays to be the strong silent type. A quote uttered by Dutch in the ODST spinoff, the Rookie ultimately ends up being the survivor among the team.
8. Chell from Portal
Valve like to make their protagonists silent but in Chell's case it's better to hear the dialogue from both GlaDOS and Wheatley.
7. Gordon Freeman from Half Life
Valve's arguably more famous silent protagonist, a no nonsense scientist who likes playing with physics to kill head crab zombies.
6. Sergei Dragunov from Tekken
Remains completely silent to the point of surprise when he utters as much as a word or a sentence. What's more hilarious is that singing is one of his hobbies.
5. Crash from Crash Bandicoot
Probably a more interesting case with this one as his actions and personality hint at Crash having communication disorders associated closely with Autism rather than an unexplained silence.
4. Link from Legend of Zelda
For someone who never utters a word, Link is surprisingly noisy for a so called Silent Protagonist, his constant grunts keep him away from number one.
3. Red from Pokemon
The Pokemon franchise ran with the idea that Red was a silent protagonist as early as Gold and Silver, in each game he's appeared since, even Pokemon Masters who give most of the Player Pokemon Trainers voices, remains a silent protagonist.
2. Crono from Chrono Trigger
Crono is an interesting case as he could easily be voiced if not for Chrono Trigger being a Snes game, yet there are many moments in the RPG that are way more effective without dialogue. The Dragon Tank being one, another is the first meeting with Lavos.
1. Doomguy from Doom
Proves to be way more expressive with his facial expressions rather than any voice and barely beats out Crono in that regard. Made unintentionally more hilarious when paired with Animal Crossing's Isabelle.
Now a game about a Goose.
Born from a chat between colleagues of Aussie game developer House House about Geese, Untitled Goose Game released a couple of weeks ago is simply put; you are a goose, now do what you want to this small sleepy British village.
Pros
Does exactly how I explain it.
Decent length for an Indie title.
Always more than one way to do a task.
Throws a few hidden tasks in for those hoping to discover more from exploration.
Genuinely makes you happy.
Now has Coop.
It's done in one week what most games this year couldn't match in over a month!
Cons
Feels like there should've been at least two more areas to explore.
Turning the Goose is like turning an SUV sometimes.
House House don't seem prepared for the hype this has generated.
Overall
I think something has been started here, although clever indie titles have been propping up the game market for a while now, so expect more like this from now on and less like whatever trend was happening before Geese happened.
Were back with Games Menu with a look at Streets of Rage 4.
After many failed attempts to revive the franchise, Streets of Rage 4 finally arrives after over 20 years of waiting continuing 10 years later as the children of Mr X attempt to retake the city. Drafting in Axel, Blaze and Adam along with a couple of new fighters to stop the new threat in a return to the streets of rage in this epic side scrolling beat em up.
Pros
Easy to pick up and easy to get better at.
The art style is beautiful, blending in 90s street style with modern graphics.
Music soundtrack is a masterpiece.
Adding the pixel characters as unlockables is a nice touch.
No one character feels too powerful or too weak.
Cons
Coop isn't fun with strangers especially if they aren't very good.
Felt like there was supposed to be fully voiced cut scenes.
Could've pushed for more characters as opposed to pixel versions from old games.
Costumes would've been great.
More in depth story would be welcomed as well.
Overall
This is the best franchise comeback since Sonic Mania; it's by far the best game I've played this year.