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.
Well Sonic Boom has been out for a while now and the overall verdict is overwhelmingly negative as many note it as Sonic's greatest failure since Sonic 06, but on my personal opinion, the game is nothing more than a half arsed Rayman game with numerous frustrating moments but at the very least functional game but being 28 Years old and older than the franchise itself I can think of ten moments that trump anything Sonic Boom ever came up with.
10. Early Sonic Concepts
Think about what Sonic could've been before Sonic 1. The idea was that he would have his own band and a human girlfriend looking like a strange fusion of Betty Boop and Jessica Rabbit. Other early concepts including those for the TV Series depicting Sonic as a bit more scrappy in design were also turned down and don't get me started on the headaches that the early Sonic Boom concepts caused. Speaking of human girlfriends.
9. Princess Elise
Sonic 06 could've been forgiven if not for the introduction of Princess Elise, a character so into the damsel in distress part that it would make Princess Peach slap her. However her creepiest moment is kissing Sonic back to life which the Sonic Shorts web series put into context by saying "I don't know what's creepier? The fact that she made out with an animal or a corpse". Speaking of humans again.
8. Chris Thorndyke
I get that humans have been in the Sonic Universe before but they don't need to be the main character. Sonic X, the only proper Sonic anime. (Wait Sonic OVA?) The only proper Sonic anime! Chris Thorndyke didn't need to happen, this even more jail bait Sora from Kingdom Hearts knockoff is annoying, obnoxious and a little too attached to Sonic.
7. Tails Sky Patrol
A poor Game Gear spinoff featuring Tails using a hook ring to navigate stages and fight bad guys using precise gameplay and harsh difficulty curves that really punish you if you make one mistake. One would hope for a dogfight game with a name like Sky Patrol but sadly Sega forgot that Tails is a pilot.
6. Sonic 3D
With all the complaints about Sonic being in 3D many overlook his first attempt; using an isometric view and painfully slow gameplay along with a mechanic that forces you to fight enemies is not a good start for a 3D series, even Sonic R was fully 3D which many consider a weaker game.
5. Sonic Lost World
I consider this worst than Sonic Boom. They used gameplay from a cancelled game called Sonic Xtreme, then most of the story is calling out Sonic on how much of an arsehole he is and finally the stages are so long that you need an hour just to get through the entire first level set and that doesn't include all the times you die.
4. Sonic Free Riders
Should never have been attempted. Sonic and extreme sports is a good thing but using an X-Box Kinect that has barely had time to get going isn't. Sonic Riders have always been a mixture of painfully hard to easy, then again going back to hard, there's never been consistency with the series and the dialogue is very painful.
3. Sonic Shuffle
In Mario Party you destroy friendships, in Sonic Shuffle you destroy Dreamcasts as the computer is programmed to troll you every single time you roll the dice, not to mention that it insists you watch the whole mini game even when you lose first.
2. Sonic Labyrinth
Another shoddy Game Gear game, this time supposedly based on the old Marble Run games, to this day this is the slowest Sonic game ever made.
1. Sonic 4
But this game was the ultimate betrayal to the fans. Sonic 4 was meant to be a true sequel to the classic games, but what we got was a polished Sonic Advance title. The fact that they went to so much trouble to try and convince us that Sonic is back to his former 2D glory only to pull the rug from underneath the fans and give us this. Other games have their problems, the Werehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Boom, Sonic Drift and every cartoon not SatAM and even the unmentionable Sonic OVA but we knew what to expect from those things, what we got from Sonic 4 was a lie, a betrayal of trust that has not sat well with the fans since and will never get back.
Bonus: Still the treatment given to Knuckles in Sonic Boom is still worst than everything I've just listed.
Wow, a second post in a row and it's a top ten list. Yes I'm feeling okay.
Now this list looks at those fighting game characters that just seem odd. To put into context when your fighting game is packed full of the deadly serious, there's always at least one character that reminds you it's just a game.
These are the Top Ten Strangest Fighting Game Characters.
Honorable Mentions
Necro from Street Fighter III
An escaped stretchy experiment that can sing some decent opera.
Kankichi Ryotsu from J-Stars Victory Vs
Apparently a regular 30 something Japanese Police Officer can fight alongside Goku, Naruto, Ichigo & Luffy and beat them.
Fat Princess from Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
Because PaRappa the Rapper wasn't quite a joke character.
10. Meat from Mortal Kombat
While it may not seem all that shocking to fight a fleshy corpse in a game that defined fatalities, it's still hilarious what Mortal Kombat comes up with for fighting character ideas that isn't a palette swap ninja.
9. Arale from Dragonballz: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
First off Arale isn't really a Dragonballz character, although she's same artist and did appear in a couple of episodes she really shouldn't be there especially with such a lousy move pool which consists of blindly charging into things.
8. Duck Hunt Dog from Super Smash Bros Wii U & 3DS
You could make a hundred different predictions for characters in Smash Bros but I bet no one expected the Duck Hunt Dog. To describe Duck Hunt as a fighter, it's the dog alongside a duck backed up by gunman. In fact much of his move set is avoiding gun fire.
7. Voldo from Soul Calibur
He's been a staple of the series since Soul Edge, the ever loyal servant Voldo, still clads himself in bondage gear as he continues to belt up his mouth and eyes, even if you customize him with hair, he'll always have covered eyes and mouth. And his moveset is still creepy not helped by his heavy breathing.
6. Phoenix Wright from Marvel vs Capcom 3
He was pretty much placed in as a joke character but if used properly he can silence everyone by sneezing on them, sending in Maya Fey to flay her arms about and presenting hard evidence. Then again this game also has Rocket Raccoon and Deadpool so strange characters aren't unusual.
5. Akamaru from Naruto
Kiba's puppy from Naruto Pre Timeskip, fighting on it's own with nothing but it's own pee and literally just launching itself into the other ninjas, imagine the amount of characters overlooked to put this puppy in.
4. Roger Jr from Tekken
Tekken has lots of these but I went for Roger Jr as it offers two boxing kangeroos for the price of one as Jr fights inside his mother's pouch.
3. Eko from Arcana Heart
Eko is a kindergartener whose fighting partner is her own drawing that comes alive which can turn into many things including trains, castles and paddling pools. It's utterly adorable in a game packed with some lethal ladies.
2. Ushi from Fighters Destiny
Nintendo 64 game Fighters Destiny took a different approach to what Tekken tried with Roger by using a fighting cow named Ushi. Apart from being one of the best characters in the game, it has an awesome victory dance.
1. Pojo from Mace: The Dark Age
Midway worked on a weapon based fighting game called Mace: The Dark Age which had Mortal Kombat's violence crossed with Soul Edge weapon fighting set in medieval times. The character Pojo is a Chicken, not a giant chicken but a normal sized one, all it does is peck you to death, definitely the lowest a fighting game has ever sank but made slightly better when you realize that Pojo is small enough to avoid most of the other characters attacks and can pretty much win the game no problem. He's the Oddjob of the Fighting Game world.
It's a day late but hopefully we can catch up now with the Top 10 Best Nintendo Characters.
Honorable Mentions
Mario: Because Nintendo would probably sue me if I didn't mention their favorite plumber.
Donkey Kong: Just missed the list.
Starter Pokemon: Choosing one from 18 starters is hard.
10. Bowser from Mario Main Series
There's got to be a medal for respect in regards to Bowser, I mean name any other villain who would be so willing to do karting with their mortal enemy, or any sport for that matter, yet in the main games he's still a tough villain to defeat.
9. Yoshi from Yoshi Series
Yoshi has always been the go to character for any Mario Kart or Sports title, he always seems to have the best stats and is usually lucky, plus he's interesting and turns people into eggs by eating them, what's not to like?
8. Mr Game & Watch from Game & Watch Handheld Series
Before Mario became Nintendo's everyman, Mr Game & Watch held the title and he did everything from being a gas attendant, to being a fireman, a deep sea diver and a chef. He was doing all these and a whole lot more, before it was cool.
7. Rosalina from Mario Galaxy Series
If the Mario series was ever going to evolve it's female cast beyond Blondie McKidnap and Miss No Indoor Voice, then it needed a lady of grace and that is Rosalina, her motherly caring mixed with her serene grace has earned her a bigger following than her two princess counterparts, so much so that she's playable solo in the latest Mario games.
6. Samus Aran from Metroid
I think even today, when most now know that Samus is a girl, the reaction to the big reveal is still very effective, although it's lost a few places on this list for Metroid Other M but credit to Nintendo for at least still keeping her core features.
5. Zelda from Legend of Zelda
It's called Legend of Zelda for a reason and that's because she's the best character of the series, for the simple reason that every incarnation of Zelda manages to be interesting and more diverse each time. Of course Smash Brothers earned her infinite points when Zelda disguised in her Sheik clothes took down an Arwing with her bare hands and then proceeded to fight Fox McCloud hand to hand before maintaining her composure when offered a cup of tea. Can Link do that? That's what I thought.
4. Wario from Wario Ware Games
Wario at first could be considered an evil clone of Mario but really he's a loveable anti-hero. When not adventuring for treasure he's making good business with Mona and the rest of the gang of Wario Ware. He's probably the only video game character in history to make a ten second game seem so cool.
3. Pokemon Trainer from Pokemon Series
Yes you as the Pokemon Trainer, bit of a cop out but justified as there are too many Pokemon to pick just one so why not just skip them and go for the one person who catches them all, none other than the trainer that you command.
2. Kirby from Kirby Series
The pink round ball with the unlimited stomach is Mario's best alternative for platforming and with the nature of Kirby's powers it doesn't get boring any time soon, not to mention one of the most colorful video game worlds in history.
1. Palutena from Kid Icarus
Now this character speaks in my language, I love the snarky ones and Palutena is just legendary, in one game she turned an old overlooked Nes game into one of the best 3DS games ever and most of that is down to the humor and Palutena really lays it down.
After finishing a long season of reviews, we end with a double top ten list of best and worst Nintendo characters, unfortunately due to outside commitments, the best list will be posted on Sunday. So we begin with the worst list.
Dishonorable mentions
Luigi: Mainly for the WeeGee meme but it's not enough to be on this list as recent form has redeemed his shortcomings.
Princess Peach: Proven time and time again to be the worst ruler ever but again, recent form has redeemed some of her shortcomings.
Donkey Kong Family: Outside Donkey Kong and Diddy the rest of the Kong family are just bland.
10. Ike from Fire Emblem
Yes he looks bad ass but loses so much credibility when he speaks "I fight for my friends" in such a dorky voice, something like that can really knock a character down, especially when he's such an awesome character to use in Smash bros.
9. Pikmin from Pikmin
I guess I never understood Pikmin, then again I played Lemmings, Pikmin's spiritual ancestors. The difference is I want to save the Lemmings, but I don't want to save Pikmin.
8. Mii from Tomodachi Life
Yes, the Mii you create of yourself is a needy little so and so. They will never like the same foods, keep demanding things and ultimately make you look more weird than you already are. I draw the line at worshiping the Virtual Boy.
7. Eggplant Wizard from Kid Icarus
There have been plenty of joke villains in video games, this one seems to take it up to eleven. Seriously what were they thinking?
6. Black Shadow from F-Zero
Speaking of joke villains, while not a joke villain per say, Black Shadow is the laziest character ever designed, an unoriginal name with an unoriginal design with barely any characterization.
5. Falco Lombardi from Starfox
Say what you like about Slippy Toad, at least he has a purpose in the Star Fox team, Falco on the other hand doesn't, he's not even a good pilot as he's usually the first to fall, not to mention his jerkass tendencies have been done to death.
4. Mr Resetti from Animal Crossing
How do I judge Mr Resetti? Put it this way, he rips into you every time you reset without saving, it's a nice enough fourth wall scene but after the first time, especially if the reset was caused by a sudden power cut or a crash then it comes across as being mean spirited, especially when he's lecturing you for several minutes in an angry tone.
3. Link from Legend of Zelda
Oh boy I'm going to get a lot of hate for this but I will explain for you.
The basic setup for Legend of Zelda is that the Triforce constantly gets reincarnated into a new hero, princess and villain with every Zelda title, which of course is Link, Zelda & Ganondorf.
Ganondorf has gone through some interesting designs over the years.
Zelda to has had some interesting designs with some giving her a radical personality change, Tetra and Sheik come to mind.
Link on the other hand has looked like the same person in every game right down to the green clothes and grunting; I'm aware that iconic value plays a huge part in Link's popularity but I can't put my all into a silent protagonist that always looks and feels the same in every game yet I'm supposed to believe he's a different Link every time.
2. Waluigi & Daisy from Mario Spinoff Series
This was a tie as they're both on for the same reasons, they don't need to exist. Waluigi has no redeeming qualities and Daisy is just plain annoying with her ear grating voice. What makes it worse is that Wario is perfectly capable of looking after himself, while Luigi doesn't really take much notice of Waluigi while Peach & Luigi barely notice Daisy exists, in fact it was Mario saving her Kingdom so she really doesn't owe Luigi anything.
1. Toad from Mario Main Series
The people of the Mushroom Kingdom are stupid. They declare as their ruler an air-headed blonde human girl, she gets kidnapped all the time and I don't think she's made any serious law stand in the Kingdom other than occasionally turn some of the lands into race tracks and sports venues. Not to mention they keep misleading you into different castles with promises of the Princess only for them to tell you she's somewhere else, after which they conveniently escape leaving you to pick up the mess. Should we really call him Toad or shall we call him Troll instead.
Now we dive into a short history about Vocaloid.
Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesizer program developed by Yamaha with the idea of helping people practice their singing much in the same way they did with their keyboards teaching people how to play.
To do this they use an A.I with a distinct voice whether it be male or female, English or Japanese to act as the Synthesizer voice. Now this doesn't sound very spectacular does it? Well when the second version came out, history was made.
Hatsune Miku along with Len & Rin Kagamine and Megurine Luka became icons of the brand, later becoming virtual idols in their own right, with Miku leading the group.
These idols were created for the Vocaloid system by Crypton Future Media, with the idea of having a virtual person help with your singing; with Japan's industry of cute idols, Miku and the others were accepted members of the pop industry which would start the idol and mascot trend which still continues now.
Shows like Aikatsu owe it's existence to Vocaloid and Miku.
But what about Miku herself?
Well here's Cryton's profile of her.
Birthday: August 31
Age: 16 years
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Height: 158 cm / 5.18 ft
Weight: 42 kg / 93 lb
Suggested Music Genre: Pop, rock, dance, house, techno, cross over
Suggested Tempo Range: 70–150bpm
Suggested Vocal Range: A3–E5, B2–B3
Her career includes: Mascot for Super GT Championship with Good Smile Racing, Toyota, Sapporo Snow Festival and even Domino's Pizza to name a few.
There's even ongoing plans to get her into space, Britain's own fashion magazine "Clash" used her as a cover model, she helped Nico Nico Douga's popularity massively, Sega has a range of rhythm games dedicated to her, the thousands of homages in anime, most notably Black Rock Shooter where the lead is based off her design and to top off her ongoing achievements, she opens for international singing sensation Lady Gaga.
All this and still no anime series, she practically is Anime's mascot.
So that's Vocaloid, a simple voice program that has created the biggest virtual stars of our time.