Blog Posts from "ThunderBlog"

Ninjas Vs. Pirates: The Climatic Battle

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:47:08 -0400

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here to finish off what I started with my Top 10 Ninjas & Pirates in Gaming list (thanks for the spotlight, by the way, it’s awesome!). But I promised a battle scene to finally end this debate and I plan on delivering, even though I must face the harsh reality that this is probably going to be just awful.

And also, keep in mind that the winner of this battle is not necessarily who would win if these specific characters fought, but just which side, ninjas or pirates, I think is more awesome. So before I get to the battle, let’s just refresh our memory of the two sides.

First up, the ninjas. We have: The Spy, Ryu Hayabusa, The Camping ******* in Modern Warfare 2, Strider, and Meta Knight.

Now the Pirates. This side has: Link (Wind Waker Incarnation), Ruby Heart, Wario, Salsa, and Balrog.

With the sides in order, now all we need is some sweet battle music. Hit It!

Ruby Heart’s flying ship soars over the Great Sea, with its brave captain, Ruby Heart at the helm. Assisting her are Wario, Salsa and Balrog. Link rides underneath the ship on the King of Red Lions. Everyone is preparing for battle, Ruby Heart ties up her boots, Balrog adjusts his gloves, Salsa makes sure her hat won’t fall off, and Wario makes sure his colon is charged for attack. With a twist of his conducting stick, Link directs the mighty wind towards Dragon Roost Island, following the brave captain’s orders.

The two ships charge forward onto the island. Upon docking, Link gets off the King of Red Lions and draws his sword as his pirate brethren line up behind him, ready for battle. Seconds pass. Link looks around awkwardly for a moment, before Salsa finally drops her weapons, exasperated.

“I thought you said they would be here!” Salsa said, complaining to Ruby Heart.

“Oh they’ll be here alright…” Ruby Heart replies. And as if on que, a black shadow takes over the island. While everyone is wondering what is going on, Ruby Heart quickly shouts out, “Everyone, DOWN!” Everyone jumps out of the way as Meta Knight appears as if out of nowhere, slashing with his sword, almost decapitating Balrog. Instead, he left a gash on his left arm.

Immediately after, a hail of sporadic gunfire came from the bushes, as That Modern Warfare 2 ******* had found a hiding spot, and was now spraying ammunition all over the island. Then Ryu Hayabusa came in from the trees, jumping down and cutting through the King of Red Lions in one swift motion. Link was aghast; his boat, his companion, his friend was now nothing more than kindling. But Link had no time for grief, the battle was about to begin as Strider had now entered the fray, brandishing his uber-sword, and with his small army of robot animals along side him.

Instantly the two sides began battle, their blood boiling from the sight of the opposition. Meta Knight and Salsa began an intense sword vs. circle blade thing fight, with the sound of steel crashing against still ringing through the air. While they were engaged, Ruby Heart had set down a treasure chest near the Modern Warfare 2 *******. Thinking that it must be some kind of powered up airdrop package, and not familiar with Ruby Heart’s abilities, he sprang out of the bushes to claim it. As soon as he opened the chest, hoping to get a chopper gunner or pavelov, one of Ruby Heart’s ghosts came out, entangling the sneaky bastard and leaving him wide open for Balrog’s fist first assault. Charging at the douchebag, Balrog grappled him and bull rushed him into a giant tree trunk. He then proceeded to beat him violently until he was no more.

Ruby Heart was admiring the work of her mate Balrog when she heard a branch snap behind her. She turned around, anchor drawn, ready to kill, but instead just saw Wario sizing up the competition. Ruby Heart was about to turn around when a familiar scent hit her nose. Cigarettes. Being French (those people smoke more than a factory chimney), Ruby Heart knew a good cigarette when she smelled it, and she knew that someone was smoking in this general area. Walking calmly up to Wario, she quickly drew her anchor and sliced his throat. As Wario fell to the ground, bleeding to death, his gold and purple outfit slowly turned back to blue. The Spy. Ruby had prepared for this, and she knew that the spy had to light one up to disguise himself. The count was now 5 to 3, in favor of the pirates.

More battle music!

Mean while, Meta Knight and Salsa were still engaged in a brutal sword fight. There seemed to be no clear superior; Salsa’s double circular blades were proving just as effective as Meta Knight’s short sword. But Meta Knight was starting to get backed into a corner; he was being worn down. All of a sudden however, Salsa let her guard down for a split second to catch her breath, and Meta Knight took full advantage. Quickly advancing, he used precision strikes to push Salsa back, and then with a quick teleport, ended up behind Salsa and quickly stabbed her through the stomach. After cleaning the blood of his sword on his cape, Meta Knight went off to stalk more pirates. The count was now 4 to 3, pirates.

The real Wario was battling off Strider now, and with limited success. Strider’s combination of quick sword strikes, robot animal attacks, and teleportation was proving too much for Wario’s simple battle skills. Even when defending against his attacks, Wario knew that there wasn’t much time before he would be worn down. He had only one option. Summoning up all his strength, Wario let go a massive fart, one that shook the very foundation of the island. Strider, being closest to the cosmic blast, was shot backwards and upwards into the trees of the island. However, he was able to deftly latch onto a tree trunk and get a bird’s eye view of the whole island, while still remaining undetected. To Wario and everyone else’s knowledge, Strider had been disposed of.

Strider looked downward upon the island, looking for his target. He quickly found one in Balrog, who was still mercilessly beating the body of That ******* in Modern Warfare 2. Strider teleported down, and after summoning his orourbos, started a massive combo against the boxer. Balrog, who was completely caught off guard, had no defense as the energy rings and Strider’s deft blade made mincemeat of his muscular body. The count was even at 3 fighters a side.

At this point, Link was in a dramatic sword fight with Strider, Ruby Heart was battling Ryu Hayabusa, and Wario and Meta Knight were duking it out. Link was using every item in his arsenal to keep Strider and his Ubersword at bay, bombs, arrows, a boomerang, and more. So far, they were proving to be a good match, with Strider’s teleportation abilities limited by the vast foliage in the area. If he missed his mark, he could teleport straight into a large tree. Ruby Heart was on the defensive against Ryu Hayabusa, as his ninja stars, katana, and insane ninja abilities were starting to wear down the pirate captain’s defenses. Even turning into a giant fireball didn’t do much against Ryu, he would just jump over it and start his onslaught again.

Meta Knight was also looking strong against Wario, as his sword and extensive move set were proving too complex for the brutish Wario to stop. As Wario attempted to dodge the attacks of Meta Knight, he luckily found his one saving grace. A clove of garlic. Quickly munching down his snack, Wario turned into his near-unstoppable alter-ego, Wario Man. His unlimited jumping and attacking ability was bearing down fast on Meta Knight. However, pirates are not always the most educated group of people, and in the rush of the battle, Wario forgot the cardinal rule of turning into Wario Man. Never take out your bike. Seemingly pulling out his motorcycle out of his pocket, Wario quickly realized his mistake as he rocketed out of control at an incomprehensible speed. Meta Knight happened to be caught in the path of the bike, and was dragged under the tires violently. Meta Knight then crashed into a tree face first and fell like a rag doll to the ground, blood seeping out of his mask. However, Wario, still with no control whatsoever over his bike, flew off the island into the great see. The weight and speed of his bike dragged him to the bottom of the ocean, and the weight of the various treasures and trinkets in Wario’s pockets weighed him down.

There were only 4 left. Link and Ruby Heart stood side by side, facing their opposition, Ryu Hayabusa and Strider Hiryu. Link’s eyes burned with a white hot rage as he started at Ryu; the crimes commited against the King of Red Lions were unforgivable in his eyes. Ruby Heart felt the same disdain towards Strider; years of being a rarely used middle tier character, while Strider enjoyed top tier success had taken its toll on the captain’s psyche. The final battle had begun.

The last battle music! And it’s short, but just restart it if it ends too early.

With no time wasted on staredowns, the final battle between ninjas and pirates was underway. Swords clashed against swords, robot tigers were beaten down with anchors, arrows flying everywhere, smoke bombs clouded the scene. It was a hectic display of fighting prowess on both sides. Link shot forth a plethora of arrows towards the two ninjas. Ryu was forced to spend all his energy and attention deflecting the arrows through acrobatics and careful use of his katana. In all the commotion, one of the arrows struck Strider’s scarf and pinned it to a tall and mighty tree. The arrow was stuck deep within the wood, and Strider struggled to get it out, or get his scarf untangled from the arrow, but his efforts were all in vain. Ryu Hayabusa was still dodging Link’s endless barrage of arrows, Ruby Heart set another ghost trap. Ryu was powerless to avoid it, and once he was ensnared, both ninjas were lined up perfectly. Ruby Heart summoned her airship, and it came through, striking both Strider and Ryu, pumping their bodies full of cannon shots.

As the two ninjas lay motionless on the ground, Ruby Heart turned to Link, as they both realized that the pirates were finally victorious. As the airship flew off into the distance, Link looked back at the island, and the pile of firewood that once was the King of Red Lions, and he knew nothing would ever be the same.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 3: PekoponTAS vs. Milkjamjuice

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:56:22 -0400

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here for another MVDS match! Let's just skip the annoying intros that no one reads and get to the songs:

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (15-11)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:19:33 -0400

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

If you missed entries 40-36, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-40-36

If you missed entries 35-31, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-35-31

If you missed entries 30-26, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-30-26

If you missed entries 25-21, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-25-21

If you missed entries 20-16, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-20-16

And with that, let's get to the list!

Now You’re the Hero – You Have to Burn the Rope

Oh god, I love this song. It’s so simple and hilarious. Just like You Have to Burn the Rope! And who’s to say that 5 minute long flash games can’t have amazing music? Now You’re the Hero is such a genius song, that I barely need to explain it. Why is it so genius? Because the lyrics double as an in-depth walkthrough to the game, and I have never seen that in any other piece of video game music ever. This song is so awesome, that it might actually take longer to listen to it than beat the game.

I know this description might be short, but I really don’t need to say anything about this song. There’s a ton of humor in the song, and that’s really why it’s on the list. That’s it. It’s a hilarious song from a hilarious game, and because it accomplishes something that no other video game song ever has, I had to put it on the list. And it’s so damn catchy! And the video is a sing-a-long!

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (20-16)

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:46:11 -0400

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

If you missed entries 40-36, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-40-36

If you missed entries 35-31, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-35-31

If you missed entries 30-26, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-30-26

If you missed entries 25-21, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-25-21

And with that, let's get to the list!

20. Ending Theme – Super Mario Bros. 2

Note: The real song starts at about 50 seconds, sorry, but it’s the best video I could find.

Wow, this is a fantastic song. It’s so simple, yet so beautiful. There is only one instrument used, what sounds like a keyboard, and only two tracks. Yet there’s a kind of magic to the end theme of Mario 2 that just gets me. It’s kind of similar to the same elusive magic of Mario 2 in general. The game is unlike any other Mario game, just as this song is unlike every other great video game song due to its extreme simplicity. Yet both the song and the game really stand out.

It’s fitting that this song was used as a backing to one of gaming’s most disappointing scenes in history. Many gamers are mad to this day about Mario 2’s cop out “dream” ending, but I really don’t see what the big deal is. Anyway, this song just sounds dream-like, with it’s light hearted melody and backing, and the fact that it is so simple, it sounds like it’s just melting into the background, as if you’re imagining the song.

The song’s melody has only two parts, which just adds to this less is more mentality of the track. I don’t know why I love this song so much, it does feel pretty empty, but so sweet at the same time. It’s a perfect song for endings in general, as Sidescrollers can prove, and it just works so freakin’ well in the context of the game. If you want more explanation for Mario 2’s ending theme being on this list, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more I can say about this. It’s just such a simple song that, while there isn’t much to say about it, there isn’t much to be said about it.

19. Aeris Death Theme – Final Fantasy VII

This song is short, but what it lacks in length, it more than makes up for in overall quality and emotion. Aeris’ death in Final Fantasy VII is considered one of the most shocking and heartwrenching scenes in video game history, and is so emotionally powered that it moves some people to actual tears. And while some of this emotion, heck, most of it is attributed to the actual death of the character, I feel that a lot of it must be placed on the music.

Aeris’ death theme is just so… sad. There’s really no other way to put it whatsoever. I haven’t even gotten far enough in the game to even really meet Aeris, let alone see her die, and the music is sad enough that I can completely understand certain people weeping at this cutscene. I think that a lot of this song’s beauty is in its buildup. It starts with just a piano, but quickly swells to this sort of grand sound, and then before you know it, it drops back down. Now I know these last two entries have had not a lot of description, but they are both songs that are perfectly described by the term “short and sweet”. Aeris’ death theme is beautiful, sweeping, epic, and yet very sad and emotional all at the same time. It’s an effect that I rarely see in video game music.

Maybe some of you will find it some kind of blasphemy that I’m talking about this theme without experiencing it in the game, but I think I can do that. This is a theme that some of you might think I put too high, and I could see that, but I just think it’s so damn beautiful, one of the most beautiful themes I’ve ever heard in a game, and I’m completely serious. I could never leave this off the list.

18. Overworld Theme / Level 1-1 – Super Mario Bros. 2

Sure, maybe I’m biased because I wrote lyrics to this song after seeing Brentalfloss do the same (a video of my version of his “Truth about Toad” video will be up as soon as I have the opportunity to make it), but I freakin’ love this song. It’s so much better than the original Level 1-1 theme that it actually makes me a little angry when people say that Level 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros is better.

Sure, the original Level 1-1 is great, it’s memorable and all that cool stuff. But Mario 2’s Level 1-1 is so upbeat, so cheery, and just so awesome that it surpasses its predecessor in every conceivable way. I have no idea what instruments are used, it’s just a generic synthesizer, classic 8-bit stuff, but it’s done to near perfection. The song has a few sections, each just as happy and upbeat as the last. One awesome thing about this theme is that if you pause the game, instead of the music stopping, it just switches to the bass track. Now that’s cool, because you get to hear and appreciate the awesomeness of the bass.

This is a song that kind of falls into the background of whatever you’re doing when you’re listening to it. The bridge and melody kind of blend into each other because they’re both so great and have a similar sound. Once again, I know this installment of 5 is quickly just turning into songs I like for no apparent reason, but I really can’t describe why I find this song so awesome, it just is to me.

17. Dr. Wily’s Castle Stage 1 & 2 – Mega Man 2

Oh yeah, finally a song in this installment worthy of this place. I just want to apologize for my little detour of songs that everyone else doesn’t like as much, so here’s one that everyone loves. Fast paced, 8-bit, and just pure, concentrated awesomeness, the Dr. Wily stage 1 & 2 theme is one of the most beloved in the entire Mega Man soundtrack, as well as the NES’ library of music.

But really, what is there left to say about this song? The rapid drum beat and bass line anchor the amazing melody. The melody switches sounds a lot between the main part and the bridge. The main melody has this awesome steady rock & roll feel, while the bridge has a sort of floaty sound quality to it. The two come together perfectly, and it creates on hell of an 8-bit song.

This is one of those songs that gets called overrated a lot just because it’s good. It’s so amazing that people are quick to call it overrated and point out underlooked Mega Man songs. And while this song can get a little too much praise at times, it’s still an absolute classic, and fully deserves to be on my list.

16. Moon Theme – Duck Tales

Another absolute classic that gets called “overrated” far too easily, the moon theme is the only reason I’ve played Duck Tales. Yeah, I heard the song and then decided to try the game. The game is alright, but this song is easily the best part. I’ve only played the other levels maybe once or twice, because I can’t stop trying to beat the Moon level (I’m bad at this game) just because of the awesome music. I think a fellow g1 and my british Colombian doppleganger PekoponTAS said it best in an episode of the hugely underappreciated Podcast 7.9, when he said something along the lines of “While there’s other great music in Duck Tales, the Moon Theme is still by far the best. No matter how much it gets overrated, it’s still an amazing song”.

Perfectly said, guy who looks way too much like me. God, I’m still creeped out by that, man. We look far too much alike, like he looks more like me than my identical twin brother. Seriously. But I’m getting sidetracked.

One of my favorite things about this song is the build up. It starts slow and then explodes out of nowhere. It starts off with just an innocent synthesizer, but soon, an epic track is playing that inspires me to get **** done. This is one of those songs that makes anything you do feel epic and important. And awesome, that too.

God, even while just writing this description, I feel so damn awesome because the Moon theme is playing. That’s its amazing power. It’s so catchy and upbeat that it will get in your head and never leave you alone. But one thing, try not to listen to this song on bad speakers; this is a song you will want to blast as loud as it will go. Trust me. Anyway, the moon theme is one of the most memorable songs in video game history, and because it makes everything infinitely more awesome, it had to be on my list.

Thunderbird's Top 10 Ninjas & Pirates

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:05:54 -0400

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here with another Top 10 for all of you! Today I’m going to settle one of the oldest feuds in the history of the world, a debate that will rage on forever, I’m talking of course, about Ninjas vs. Pirates.

So what better way to celebrate this great feud than with a list? I present to you all, the top 10 Ninjas and Pirates in gaming. Now keep in mind, while there are a few actual ninjas and actual pirates on the list, I was looking more for characters that embodied the spirit of either the ninja or the pirate. The ninja, with his stealthy ways, can sneak around undetected, and can kill you in more ways than you know how to die. Always honorable, and always dangerous, the ninja is a true force to be reckoned with.

Pirates on the other hand, are always on the search of treasure. Brutish, brutal, and crude, nothing stands between a pirate and his loot. Now before I get to the list, let me say that I chose these people because I wanted to be a little clever with my picks, and I wanted this list to be entertaining. I’ve also not played a lot of games with either ninjas or pirates in them. So don’t complain because that guy from Shinobi or someone else isn’t on the list, because it means I probably haven’t played their games, or I couldn’t think of them. So with that said, let’s get into the top 10 Ninjas and Pirates in video games!

First up, the Pirates.

The Spy

Yeah, the spy from Team Fortress 2, what a freakin’ ninja. Really think about this. Yes, he can only really kill you in two ways, stabbing you or shooting you. But what is the primary characteristic of ninjas? Their ability to be unseen, sneak around, and leave the opposition never guessing, but always fearing their inevitable attack. Who better fits this description than the spy? No one, that’s who. Not only can he turn completely invisible for a limited amount of time, he can make himself look like anyone else, on either team, just by lighting a cigarette. Now that’s ninja like. If you really can’t see my reasoning, you need to play Team Fortress 2.

So that’s my list, I know I made it kind of short, but this is not the end of this blog, oh no. I’m cooking up something special. It won’t be out today, but just you all wait. Soon the world will have the winner of the eternal feud between Ninjas and Pirates. I will compile an account of an epic 5 v 5 battle between these 2 teams of the greatest ninjas and pirates from gaming history, and the winner will be crowned as the permanent winner in this feud. Alright, basically whoever I write in as the winner will just tell you guys who I think is more badass, but it’ll still be awesome. Until then, I’m Thunderbird, and I hope you enjoyed this list. In the meantime, I encourage those reading this now to voice your opinions on this debate; start arguments, call people out, I don’t care. Let’s start a debate over who is really more awesome, ninjas or pirates?

Thunderbird's Top 10 Female Characters

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:54:59 -0400

Hey everyone, I’m Thunderbird, and I’m here to bring you another top 10 list! All of us must be aware by now that gaming is a man’s world. But that doesn’t mean that a female character in a game can’t stand out from the pack of hyper sexualized, overly slutty characters that most females are reduced to. Finding the perfect balance between attractiveness and true character and personality in the character is hard to do, and as a result, truly excellent female characters are hard to come by in video games. So I have decided to countdown the best. What am I judging them by? By their strength, personality, and femininity. I often feel that so many female characters have no shred of femininity (Cammy from Street Fighter), and that this makes them almost indistinguishable from their male counterparts. It’s easy to make a cold, near silent female character; it’s hard to make one that is not only feminine, but also strong. So with that, let’s get into Thunderbird’s Top 10 Female Characters in Gaming!

Bayonetta

That’s right, Bayo-freakin’-netta is the greatest female character in video games. And yes, I can hear the arguments against me now, how dare I put Bayonetta ahead of Samus, but my reasonings are two-fold.

Basically, I consider Bayonetta a sort of cross between a character such as Samus, and one such as Sakura. She has Samus’ raw power and ability to completely take charge as the lead character in a game, and Sakura’s femininity as a core component to her character. Let’s begin with the Samus aspect of Bayonetta’s character.

Anyone who’s played Bayonetta can testify to the character’s raw power. Apparently, in this game’s universe, Umbra Witches (for those who haven’t played Bayonetta, that’s what she is) are the most powerful thing ever. And when I say ever, I mean it. I won’t spoil all the things that Bayonetta does throughout the game, because they get pretty awesome, but I will say that you have to be one strong character to pull these things off. Just look at any clip from the game, particularly the climaxes to big fights and the torture attacks. The way Bayonetta controls her demon hair into giant dogs, pidgeons, a whole lot of fists, and more things is just a small example of her awesome power. For a look at her full abilities, just look at the final boss fight. I won’t ruin it, because it’s amazing, but yeah, if you’ve played Bayonetta, you know what I’m talking about.

But now for the second part of her character, the part that I most liken with Sakura from the Street Fighter series. Sakura is the only character on this list whose character is absolutely essential to her character, and Bayonetta’s femininity is even more important to her character than Sakura’s is. This is just as obvious as Bayonetta’s power. Everything she says and does just oozes femininity. You grow butterfly wings when you double jump, when you’re sprinting as a wolf, flowers quickly sprout up beneath your feet. And just the way Bayonetta acts, walks, talks, and just everything she does in the whole game is incredibly feminine.

Now some people may have noticed this by now, but I actually share these feelings about the strength of Bayonetta’s character with The Game Overthinker. In fact, I loved his Bayonetta video. But his latest video… ehh, let’s not get into that.

Anyway, a lot of you might be asking at this point what this all means. Why does Bayonetta surpass the great and mighty Samus, the normal number 1 selection for a list like this, just because she’s more feminine? Well that’s not the only answer. Not only is she clearly more powerful than Samus, her femininity makes her a much stronger and more interesting character, and that’s what this list is judging. I feel that by saying that characters like Chun-Li and Samus are the greatest female characters in gaming is, whether it be intentional or not, sending out a message that the best girl heroes are the ones that display no female characteristics, and are just women in disguise as men, quite literally in the sense of Samus. Bayonetta sends a different message, one that women don’t need to be cold, uncaring people that abandoned any shred of femininity long ago, to be powerful, and to be a great video game character, but instead can still be feminine and still kick ass. Seriously, this has been the least decision making I’ve had to make about the end of a list in a long time. Well, maybe not, it was pretty easy for the last one. But this was still really easy for me. Sorry Samus, but you didn’t even have a chance. You really didn’t. You’re cold personality wise, and Bayonetta still beats you in terms of raw power.

So because she’s not only insanely powerful, more so than any other female character I can think of, but has a great personality that is dripping with femininity, Bayonetta is the clear choice for me as the greatest female character in video game history.

Thunderbird's Top 25 Favorite Movies (21 & 20)

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:22:55 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here, and I've got another 2 entries in my top 25 favorite movies list!

If you missed entries 25 and 24, they're here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-25-Favorite-Movies-25-24

If you missed entries 23 and 22, they're here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-25-Favorite-Movies-23-22

And with that, onto the list.

21). The Princess Bride

Ahh, the second of Rob Reiner’s simply amazing romantic comedies. Once again, there was once a time when romantic comedies were also comedies, and The Princess Bride is an absolute classic. It’s filled with comedy, action and romance, and it’s one of my all time favorite movies. Now before I get into the synopsis of the movie, just keep in mind that I haven’t seen this movie in years, so please excuse me if I get a few details wrong and don’t remember all of the names.

The movie starts off with a grandfather reading a book to his sick grandchild. The book the grandfather is reading, is of course, The Princess Bride. This is where the story picks up. The movie is really about a princess named Buttercup and a stable boy that works for her named Wesley. Buttercup is madly in love with Wesley, until he moves away to join the military or something like that, I haven’t seen this movie in years, I can’t remember all the details.

Anyway, Buttercup receives word that Wesley has been killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and thus the real adventure begins. After a little more backstory and such, the real plot kicks off when these three guys kidnap Buttercup with plans of killing her to start a war. Among these three men, there is a literal giant, played by none other than Andre the Giant of professional wrestling fame, a short, smarmy man who is the leader of the group, and the Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya… Oh man I love Inigo Montoya, trust me, you guys will see him later.

So Andre the Giant, the annoying short guy, and Inigo Montoya kidnap Buttercup and start executing their plan, when a man dressed in black starts following them. This man is revealed as the Dread Pirate Roberts, the same Dread Pirate who killed Wesley. Slowly, Roberts starts tracking down the three men, slowly and mathematically eliminating all of them, finally killing the short smarmy guy in what is one of the funniest scenes in the movie in my opinion.

Oh that scene just gets me. Now let me just say that while even up to this point my recollection of the exact events in this movie has been spotty at best, it’s about to get worse. I remember a few scenes here and there but really not much coherent story or any particular progression of events. I know that Wesley and Buttercup go through some sort of trials or something, Wesley gets attack by a giant rat, there’s all sorts of stuff going on, but I haven’t seen this movie in so long that I really cannot remember much. But what I do remember is hands down THE. BEST. PART. OF. THE. ENTIRE. MOVIE.

But first, some context. When Wesley is swordfighting with Inigo Montoya, Inigo mentions that his father was killed by a man with six fingers on his right hand, and that Inigo has sworn to kill him someday. He tells Wesley that when he finds this six-fingered man, he will say to him “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”. So sure enough, Inigo Montoya eventually runs into the six-fingered man, and…. Just watch the scene!

Man, that is just pure awesomeness. But I am really sad that I cannot remember much of this movie, it really has been years since I’ve seen it last. Unfortunately, I’m looking at my list ahead, and there’s a few other movies where I won’t be able to thoroughly explain the entire thing, but I’ll do my best. Anyway, The Princess Bride is an absolute classic, one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, and a movie that really, everyone should see.

20). Snakes on a Plane

Oh. My. God. If you didn’t experience it first hand, I cannot explain the crazy amounts of hype surrounding this movie back when it came out in 2006. First of all, it has Samuel L. Jackson. Second, it’s called Snakes on a Plane. Third, that’s what the movie is about. Snakes. On a plane. This is obviously the single greatest idea for a movie ever.

But I know I sound like I’m being sarcastic now, and I’m not. I think that this is an amazing idea for a movie. The simplicity around it is just genius, and how no one thought of it before bewilders me. Actually, wait… it doesn’t. Actually, I’m not sure. This is the kind of plot where I can’t really decide between “finally someone made this movie” and “who the hell thought of this?”. But I digress. One of the best things about Snakes on a Plane is how much they kept it under wraps during the filming and promoting of the movie. People made fake trailers, the buzz around the movie was huge, whatever it was, the campaign worked. I remember being in a movie theater and seeing the most simplistic trailer for this movie, but it was probably the single greatest movie trailer I’ve ever seen. Let me paint a word picture.

A black screen. White, standard font writing slowly appears on the screen with the words “Many movies this summer will have action, comedy, romance. But there is one thing that none of them will have. Snakes. On a plane”.

That’s it, that’s the whole trailer. Some people reading this now might not understand how awesome it was, but seeing that in the theater was just amazing.

But it’s time to get to the actual movie. The movie starts off in Hawaii, with some calm music playing as one of the main characters, Sean, is driving his motorcycle around the island. Soon however, the happy feeling of the movie takes a dramatic shift as Sean witnesses a brutal gangster named Eddie Kim killing a prosecuting lawyer with a baseball bat. Sean flees the scene, accidentally catching the attention of Kim and his men. Later, Sean is in his house when he notices that Kim’s men are trying to break in.

Enter Samuel L. Jackson A.K.A. The biggest badass in the entire ******* world. I don’t even need to tell you his character’s name, because that doesn’t matter. It’s Samuel L. ******* Jackson! He tells Sean “Do what I say, and you live”, as he escorts him outside the building and kills the gangsters. Jackson takes Sean back to the police department (it is revealed shortly before this that Jackson is an FBI officer) to convince him to testify against Kim. They agree, and next thing we know Sean and Jackson are off to take a plane back to Los Angeles. They take over all of first class, as we see the former first class seat holders being informed that they are in coach. We immediately hate so many characters here, mostly if the viewer knows the horrors of flying coach. How dare they complain, us normal people have to do it all the time, we deal.

And I keep digressing. Well, soon enough, the snakes join in on the fun. After first attacking a group of young lovers trying to join the Mile High Club, all hell starts breaking loose as the movie just puts one action scene after another. At this point, there is no use explaining plot. It goes like this: Snakes everywhere, snakes killing people in funny/gruesome ways, a guy gets trampled to death (high heel breaking off in his ear, ouch), Samuel L. Jackson kills some snakes, etc. In between the chaos, there’s some plot about finding who did this, and this guy selling illegal snakes, and all this ****. But it doesn’t matter, this is just a guilty pleasure action movie. That’s it, that's all it is.

I know I’m not explaining plot, but seriously, do you expect me to? It’s Snakes on a Plane! Just look at some of these scenes….

...Damn it, there’s no random scenes from the movie on youtube! Just clips of the one scene that everybody knows (and don’t worry, I’ll get there)!

Urg… I wanted some more scenes. Anyway, some more crazy stuff happens, the rest of the FBI find the guy who sold Eddie Kim the snakes and arrest him on the most hilarious charge ever, possession of illegal snakes. I’m not kidding, not attempted murder, but they actually say “We’re arresting you for possession of illegal snakes”. ILLEGAL SNAKES!!!

But, back on the plane, it’s the next morning (the flight was a red-eye), and the plane is nearing an airport. An emergency landing needs to be done, so all the snakes have to be cleared out of the cockpit. The passengers and crew wonders what to do, when Samuel L. ******* Jackson comes to the rescue with quite possibly the single greatest line in cinema history. Everybody, say it with me!

YEEEEEES! IT’S SO GLORIOUS! That line, oh man that line. I don’t have to say anything more, just rewatch that one clip 8 or 9 times and that will perfectly explain why Snakes on a Plane is on my list. If you haven’t seen it, then what the hell man? It’s Snakes on a Plane, what’s not to love? Oh, and it proves Surf Ninjas wrong, Samuel L. Jackson surfs at the end of the movie.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 3: Elmo 3000 vs. Biggyzoom

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:35:02 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird again. It's the next match of the My Voice Doesn't Suck contest today, so let's not waste any time and just get to the songs.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

Thunderbird's Collection of Personal Philosophy and Thought

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:52:47 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here, and I have something for you today that’s pretty far outside of what I normally write. This past semester in high school I enrolled in an English class that ended up being fairly philosophical. Feeling inspired, and because I had been trying to find ways to help some friends of mine through rough patches in their lives, as well as find some answers for my life, I ended up writing 5 pages of hand-written, personal philosophy notes. I’m actually fairly good at helping people, I’ve helped a few friends through some pretty serious stuff, so I figured I’d post these notes just in case there’s anyone out there on Screwattack who’s having a hard time in life and needs a little help. And while there are some occasional problems with the logistics of my metaphors, just bear with it, as I feel that the lesson makes up for any logical errors. The following is the entirety of what I have titled “A Collection of Personal Philosophy and Thought”. Not all of the ideas are connected, as it is a collection, so keep that in mind as you read these.

*Ahem…*

Any part of life can be related to a sort of race. Not necessarily one you need to win, just one that you need to finish; a marathon if you will. The starting line of this marathon is where ever you are right now; the finish line is whatever you want it to be; getting into college, getting your dream job, getting married, etc. But before you start this race, you have a premonition, you see yourself crossing the finish line, so you know that you’ll eventually get there. The only problem is that right in the middle of this marathon is a very big mountain. It’s tall, cold, very ominous and scary-looking.

This mountain is called Life. It sucks. A lot. And if you stare straight up at it, it’s pretty intimidating, and can be very overwhelming. But if you approach the mountain in small increments, it gets easier. Take things day by day, do what makes you truly happy, find happiness and joy in the little things in life, and that mountain starts seeming smaller and smaller, and that’s because you’ve started climbing it, even if you never noticed.

And soon you’ll notice that you’re making some real progress climbing this mountain. Now a lot of people might try to avoid the difficult challenge of climbing this life mountain and find a way around it. But the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line, so those people are only cheating themselves by not going straight over the mountain. If you aren’t direct about approaching your goals, whatever they may be, you will end up forever walking around life looking for a shortcut to the finish line, and you will end up taking more steps walking in that endless circle than it would take to climb the entire mountain. So start climbing, bit by bit, and soon you’ll reach the top.

In terms of dealing with the past, confrontation is the key. Either direct or through self-reflection and though, you must confront your demons in order to rid yourself of them. Most people think that their demons still haunt them, but it’s really just an illusion. Think of an oven. If you’ve been baking a cake, even after you turn the oven off, it’s still going to be pretty hot in there. And most people have been baking their demon cakes for years and years at 450º F. Which means that it might take a while for that oven to cool down. But if you can confront your demons face to face, you can rapidly cool down that oven. But first you must realize that you are already past your demons, and that any hardships you are experiencing that you think were because of your demons are just an echo of them. They’re just a side effect of your oven still being hot. Confront your demons, and you may find that they aren’t even there.

Don’t try to be someone that you’re not. While this sounds simple, many people do not apply this idea to many aspects of their life. In a social aspect this idea is very important. I’ll be honest, in my high school I’m not what you would call one of the popular kids. I’m a ghost, a bit of a parasite. It’s not pleasant. Anyway, for years and years I would constantly try to get into that circle of popular kids, but time and time again I was rejected. Then earlier this year really, through the help of some good friends who gave me some great advice, I realized that there was nothing wrong with me as a person that caused me to be a social outcast, it was that I was just different. Observe any group of good friends, and you will notice that they all share common personality traits, common interests, similarities, etc. This is something that you will notice among any group of friends. This is because people have a general ability to instinctively seek out people with these commonalities, and these commonalities are the basis of friendship.

If you don’t fit in with any particular crowd, it’s because you do not share the same commonalities with the people you happen to be around at this given time, the people you go to school with, the people you work with, etc. It’s not your fault and it’s not theirs. If you be honest to yourself, and act the way you truly are, you will naturally seek out, and be sought out by people that share those commonalities with you; people that think, act, talk, walk, and express themselves in similar ways as you do, making them compatible people for you.

I cannot stress enough the importance of being true to yourself, in any and all aspects of life. Don’t be bound by any restrictions of society. Don’t just follow your interests, actively pursue them, discuss them with people with the same interests. You will find that both your interests, and your as a person, will grow exponentially. If you are 100% honest with what you want out of life, and you actively pursue that, then you will by happier with your life, because you will be truly living.

While it is a trait better off avoided in many situations, arrogance can be a great personal tool to deal with self-doubt, depression, and most other personal problems. I have dealt with many personal problems in my life, most of them stemming from my school and my social status within it. It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself and blame yourself if you have these issues in life, but arrogance is a great tool that I still use to deal with this. If you think to yourself “I’m awesome. I’m perfectly fine. If they don’t want to associate with me, that’s their problem”, coping becomes much easier. Understanding of life first comes from understanding of yourself, then of the small world around you, then of general life tendencies. If you can be at peace with yourself, then you can be more confident, which leads to happiness. And if your social life has been impeded, through bullying or teasing at an early age, it creates a subconscious feeling of self-worthlessness. This creates a vicious cycle where you can’t feel good about yourself, which only generates more negativity. It’s hard to get out of this cycle, but arrogance can start to provide a way out. If you can convince yourself that the problems in your life are not your fault, then you can start feeling better about yourself. This is an essential step to self-acceptance, happiness, and accomplishment, because it is impossible to climb this mountain of life without being at peace with yourself.

In addition to using arrogance as a tool to better oneself, I find that thinking as if the world revolves around you can be very effective. It all comes down to perception; if you are insistent on worrying about how others perceive you, and constantly trying to adjust yourself around the people and situations that surround you, then you are wasting your time. When you are with the people that are your true friends, companions, allies, loved ones, etc. you don’t have to adjust yourself because your natural self is attractive to them. If you spend all your time changing your behavior to suit surrounding that would otherwise shun or forsake you, even if you are successful at blending into this environment (I was not able to do this in my own attempts), you will be caught in a cycle of constant self-alteration, and as a result, won’t meet and be attractive to people that normally would, or you will ignore someone that normally could become a true friend, a like-minded person.

But if you imagine the world revolving around you, then you can start becoming concerned about how you perceive the world, instead of the other way around. Then you start seeking the situations that you naturally thrive in, instead of seeking a way to change yourself to fit into the situation that you are randomly placed in. Now when I promote arrogance, and this idea of perceiving the world as revolving around you, I intend this as a temporary crutch to help develop the self-confidence and proper perception that is needed to conquer life and its hardships. Don’t carry arrogance with you, as it will not benefit you in social situations. But when trying to help yourself, an arrogant mentality, not actions, can help create that self-confidence and help achieve the proper perception to see the world as what it truly is. You don’t try to climb the mountain of life with random people and attempt to get along with them; you gather your friends and climb it together. People shouldn’t be searching for true friends within a confined environment, they should be searching for the environment and situation where those friends are. So until you find that place full of like-minded people, your true friends, people who like you for you, never stop searching. Because there are endless environments and situations out there, and if you follow your heart and your dreams, and you be true to yourself and who you really are, you will find that place with the people you are meant to be with. And that’s how you climb the mountain, and that’s how you finish the marathon of life.

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (25-21)

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:12:43 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

If you missed entries 40-36, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-40-36

If you missed entries 35-31, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-35-31

If you missed entries 30-26, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-30-26

And with that, let's get to the list!

25). Theme Song – Puzzle Bobble

YES! It took a while of searching, but I was finally able to find the right version of the puzzle bobble theme song on youtube! But really, the puzzle bobble theme song is pure glory, no matter which version you’re listening to. But I will be talking about this version, because that’s the one I know best and love most.

First of all, it has steel drums, and anyone who knows me knows that if a video game song has steel drums in it, I’m gonna love it. Really, what is it with me and steel drums? I don’t know, I just love the instrument, I think it gives songs a really nice sound that few other instruments provide. But anyway, the puzzle bobble theme song has this really unique island-like sound that no other song has. The closest I’ve heard to it is The Search for the Fearsome 5 in Paper Mario, but that song isn’t nearly as awesome as this one. It’s not even close. There’s just this amazing upbeat nature to everything in this song. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Every piece of this composition just exudes happiness. I have to start with the melody, which is just amazing. But the bass line is so perfect for the melody that it’s just as effective. The steel drums are fantastic, the backing lines are fantastic, everything in this song is just fantastic.

The instrument choice is also impeccable. I’ve already mentioned the steel drums, but the bass is at just the right mix between bass and treble, the flute is a great choice, especially with the horn section in the background, and the… I think it’s a xylophone, is a really cool addition to the overall sound. Plus, I just can’t get enough of those steel drums, OOH they’re so awesome! So the Puzzle Bobble theme song has not only got to be one of the happiest songs in a video game ever, but one of the greatest overall.

24). Choco Mountain – Mario Kart 64

Ok, to hell with the Puzzle Bobble theme song, this is waaaaay happier. Where do I even begin with this song? The backing to by far the best course in Mario Kart 64, Choco Mountain’s music is just perfect. It’s the perfect music for racing, and just has such a great sound. It starts off with what has to be some kind of horn, although I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s an oboe? I know those are high-pitched and kind of squeaky, but I’m getting off topic.

There’s this great high-hat/snare rhythm that anchors the whole song, as well as a great banjo line in the background that sounds like it’s been ripped straight out of Banjo-Kazooie. I swear, this has got to be one of the catchiest melodies in gaming music history. You hear this once and you will be whistling it all day. I’m whistling it as I type right now! That’s the supreme power of Choco Mountain!

Within the somewhat boring score of Mario Kart 64 (most of the musical tracks are used more than once), there are two great ones. Rainbow Road, which I’ve already touched on in this list, and Choco Mountain, and Choco Mountain is just infinitely better. Halfway through there’s this really cool breakdown where the main melody and instrument cuts out, leaving just the backing instruments for a while, and then the main part comes back in. Just something about this song to me makes it absolutely perfect for Mario Kart. So when you not only fit perfectly within your own level, but are the perfect song for your entire genre of games, that’s saying something. And that’s why Choco Mountain is here.

23). Ocarina of Time Medley – Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Oh wow, now this is a piece of music. Among Brawl’s many pieces of amazing music, this is one of the best. Combining many songs from one of gaming’s greatest soundtracks ever is no easy feat, but Nintendo hit the ball out of the damn park with this terrific medley.

The medley starts off with Zelda’s Lullaby (I think), but played over guitars that sound a little like the backing to the Gerudo Valley theme. The ocarina then moves into playing a few of the songs that you play while on your quest through Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any cooler, the whole orchestra starts playing those melodies that so many of us treasure. I cannot stress how ******* cool this song is. It’s not the most epic song, but it’s just so damn cool. This is one badass song!

And right when the musical badassery is at its peak, everything cuts out and the ocarina takes the melody again. It’s an amazing transition that works perfectly. Now to be fair, I can’t recognize every song in this medley, but that just makes it better for me because all the pieces intertwine so much more fluidly and in such a better way.

I really do love this song, and it is hard to not put it higher. But the music isn’t original, and while the arrangement is, and it’s definitely awesome and creative, it’s not original. But I do love the Ocarina of Time Medley, it’s one of the coolest songs I’ve ever heard, and it definitely deserves to be on this list.

22). The Mediocrity Sought out by Everyone – Eternal Sonata

Oh wow, I really do need to finish Eternal Sonata already. The toying I do with that game is just insane. Almost as insane as the game’s soundtrack, but good lord are there some amazing songs in Eternal Sonata. I figured that a game about Chopin would have good music, but I am continuously blown away by the high quality of music in Eternal Sonata.

The Mediocrity Sought out by Everyone is the theme that plays when you are in the city of Ritardando. And I really can’t describe my emotions the first time you are in the city and the first time you hear this song. You basically are forced to stop playing just to listen to the amazing music playing in the background. The violins, the piano, just everything about this piece is magical. It really sounds like a true composition by a real classical musician. In fact, a lot of Eternal Sonata’s music sounds like this, and I’m starting to really love the effect that it creates. It creates total immersion into this game that is about a famous composer after all, and the fact that the game’s composers could create such beautiful original music is a stunning accomplishment.

This song has a certain pacing, or flow to it that almost demands that the player take notice of the song. It’s so smooth and eloquent in the way it plays. I really do believe that The Mediocrity Sought out by Everyone is one of the most beautiful songs ever created by a video game, and I can’t stress enough how much I love that it actually sounds like a composed piece, not just the soundtrack to some level in a video game. All these factors combined are why The Mediocrity Sought out by Everyone is one of the greatest songs in video game history.

21). Onett – Earthbound

Why do I love this song so much? Even listening to it right after The Mediocrity Sought out by Everyone, I can tell that the song from Eternal Sonata is a better composition, but why do I love this so much? Probably for the same reason why I love Earthbound as a whole so much; I can’t describe it, I just do.

But from the chunky beginning, to the upbeat melody, to the horns blaring in the bridge, I love the Onett theme. And for all the people that only know Ness from Smash Bros, yes this is the real Onett theme, not that piece of trash in Melee. This song is so simple, yet so great. I think some of its quality lies in its simplicity. There are only three or four parts to the song, and they just repeat endlessly, so why do I love this song so much? Like I said, I just do.

The Onett theme just screams Earthbound to me, the same unique charm that this song has is the same unique charm that Earthbound has, and it’s rare that you see a song represent the game it’s from so well. For being great, even though I don’t know why, I had to find a way to get Onett on this list.

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (30-26)

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:47:16 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

If you missed entries 40-36, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-40-36

If you missed entries 35-31, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-35-31

And with that, let's get to the list!

30. Dance Music – Harvest Moon 64

Oh wow, this song. It’s such a simple little diddy, but just like the whole game, it means so much to me, and is permanently burned into my memory. I played the crap out of Harvest Moon 64 when I was younger, and this scene was always one of my favorite parts of the whole game. For one thing, this festival was one of the first in the calendar year, so it was very close to the beginning of the game. So it was always a song that nearly every player heard, no matter how much they stuck with the game.

The melody is just so upbeat, I find it impossible to not eventually whistle or hum along with it. The backing track, while very simple and stagnant, is still very effective at giving the song a backbone. And yes, while this is a very short song, it’s only about 50 seconds long, the memories I have of it are so strong and so wonderful that I have no choice but to put it on my list. Many people will probably disagree with this selection, due to it’s simplicity, length, or other reasons, but I have to have it here because of how prevelant it was in my early life as a gamer. And that’s why it’s on the list.

29. Fantasy Impromptu – Eternal Sonata

In this entire list, this is probably the most musically impressive song. Why? Because it’s a simply astounding classical composition by one of the greatest composers who ever lived, Frederic Chopin. It just happens to be in Eternal Sonata. I had to keep it low on the list because it wasn’t originally composed for use in a video game, but by sheer auidial quality alone, Fantasy Improptu had to be here somewhere.

Do I really have to explain why this is here? LISTEN TO THE FREAKIN’ SONG! The speed, the precision, the melody, everything in this song is absolute genius. It’s one of those rare compositions that not only shows off the talent of whomever is playing it, but is also pleasing to listen to. Many songs that are meant to show off pure talent, such as Jaco Pastorius’ transposition of Charlie Parker’s aren’t the most pleasing songs to listen to. But Fantasy Impromptu is just beautiful. It’s probably my all-time favorite piano composition, and while I’m not an aficionado of classical music by any means, it’s just a song I really love.

I love how the song goes through several incarnations, with varying speeds, tones and feelings, and yet still manages to sound like the same piece. There are blazing fast sections of rapid-fire notes, and then slow and ponderous sections that truly show the genius of Chopin. And they switch back and forth seamlessly at the drop of a hat. That’s a lot of the reason why I love this song so much. The natural beauty and grace, as well as technical prowess and skill needed to perform this piece is just out of this world, and that’s why it’s on my list.

28. Intro Theme – Mega Man 3

I… am Mega Man… I’m blue and cyan… oh sorry, I just love this song. And yes, I did discover it from the awesome Brentalfloss version, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Mega Man 3 intro is just amazing. If you haven’t seen what is possibly Brentalfloss’ best video, here it is:

But I’m not putting the Brentalfloss song on the list, it’s the original song. This song has one of the greatest build-ups in history, or at least out of the songs on this list that I can think of immediately. It starts off very slow, melodic, and very pretty. There’s a great simple bass line with a very high-pitched melody in front of it, and they both play very well off of each other. Then the song slowly starts building up and soon explodes into techno glory. The sounds used in this song couldn’t be more appropriate. They’re vintage Mega man sounds, the ones we know and love, and no other instruments aside from this clunky synthesizer would be a better fit.

I also think that this is a very appropriate style for a Mega man intro, as it kind of describes the game very well. All old Mega man games start off a little slow as you find out what the best boss to beat first is, but once you get rolling, it becomes a very addictive experience, much like this song.

In short, the Mega Man 3 intro music is some of the best intro music ever, has an amazing vintage and unique sound, a great build-up, fits perfectly in the context of the game, and has a great remix. What more could you ask for?

27. Pokemon Lab – Pokemon Red/Blue

Wow, does more nostalgic music exist? Really, that’s a hard question to answer. While I feel that there are some tunes that are more nostalgic than this one, it’s a hard contest. This is another more personal pick of mine, because while it isn’t that impressive, and it’s very short and relatively simple, it’s just a song that’s engraved in everyone’s memory. Doesn’t everyone remember these docile tones that we all heard while walking into Professor Oak’s lab to get our first pokemon? And then that bastard Gary had to choose the one that would be most effective against it, that prick… but anyway, I like how this song fits in the context of the game. Just imagine, you’re at the start of this vast adventure, and both the character, and probably the player, imagine the target audience of the first pokemon games, are young children. What better music is there for the start of this fantastical journey than this? The pick up to the main melody really says it all. Those 8 or so notes are just perfect.

This is a song that also manages to have a nostalgic effect within the own game. After playing through the massive quest in Pokemon, does anyone else remember going back to Pallet town for some reason or another and going to Professor Oak’s lab, hearing this, and just being flooded with nostalgia about a game that you’re still playing? That’s power that is rarely seen in any video game theme, and that’s the power of the original Pokemon soundtrack. It isn’t the best song in the game, but Professor Oak’s lab music is easily one of the best video game songs of all time.

26. Song A – Tetris

Yes, another song that Brentalfloss has put lyrics too. And while his Tetris video is funny, it’s nowhere near as awesome as the Mega Man 3 video, and also I knew this song before Brentalfloss, so I’m not going to link his tetris video.

But oh man, do I really have to explain why the Tetris music is awesome? It’s one of the most memorable songs in video game history, and for good reason. The most important thing to know about Tetris is that it’s one of the catchiest songs in video game history. Everyone knows how it goes, everyone loves it.

Damn, this is becoming a hard song to write about. It’s very simple and repetitive, and that mimics the gameplay of Tetris perfectly, but it makes the song itself very hard to write about. There’s really not much to say, so I hope you all forgive this short entry. I mean, IT’S FREAKIN’ TETRIS. THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY!

Thunderbird Wants Some Answers

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:36:51 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here, and while this might be too late for many people to say it, I have something on my mind that I wanted to share.

My problems with the Screwattack Spotlight have been well documented now. My fury has decreased since it started being filled with quality on a pretty much constant basis, and while this might seem like whining, I do have 1 problem with it. Why the hell have I not gotten there yet?

I know, I know. I've said this before, and I just sound like a ***** because I haven't gotten in the spotlight, but damnit I really feel like I deserve it! I put more of myself into writing for Screwattack than I do anything else in my life. I spend the majority of my day on the site, talking with other g1's, trying to help out new g1's when I see the oppertunity to, and working on multiple projects all at the same time. And let me tell you, balancing that with a social life, senior year of high school, and some very serious personal problems with on of my very close friends that are going on right now is no easy task.

I am writing this to ask the Screwattack community, and hopefully someone at the Screwattack HQ if they're reading this, what haven't I done? What have my blogs or videos not achieved that other things on the spotlight have? Have they not been enough about Screwattack? Because it seems like there is always at least one thing in the spotlight that promotes the website, whether it be fan art, or videos from the Screwattack Throwdown, or a picture of a snowman with a Screwattack hat on it. How is a picture of a snowman more worthy of what should be a prestigious honor than top 10 lists with either an interesting subject that hasn't been done before (Top 10 Sequel Leaps) or a somewhat unoriginal topic with unconventional choices (Top 10 Boss Battles)? How is that better than elaborate, 10+ minute reviews of 2 impeccible games (Earthbound and Harvest Moon 64)? Better than detailed discussions on the varying difficulty in games, their effect on the overall ability to enjoy the game, and when games get too hard in the same style as Daniel Floyd and The Game Overthinker (both of whom have been on the spotlight)?

I'm not comparing myself to The Game Overthinker, or Daniel Floyd, here, they are both better than me, but I truly feel like I have given way more than enough to this community since I came year over a year ago. All I'm asking for is a little recognition beyond what seems like the same g1's who read my stuff.

Now before anyone starts yelling at me for this post, let me apologize in advance if I offended anyone. If I may be truthful, the real reason that I get so obsessive about the spotlight, why I'm such a point *****, is because I suffer from extreme self-esteem issues that cause me to constantly seek affirmation from outside sources. So if anyone is looking for reasoning behind this post; it's that.

To close this out, I really want to ask everyone and anyone reading this: Am I truly not good enough for the spotlight? I know my work has never had the most original topics, but I always thought that the detail that I went into, and the eloquence that I put into my writing compensated for that. Am I really not that good? Is the praise I've received and the successes I though I had all in my head? Or is there just some cruel running joke where I don't get the spotlight. I'll end this post with one final thought. If the top 100 list I've been working on for months and months, and has eclipsed 41 pages and 16,000 words in the master file doesn't get some sort of recognition, then I don't know what. My patience is wearing thin for this, it really is.

So if you think that I really do deserve a spotlight, tell me, let me know so I know that I'm not just crazy. But if I'm wrong, tell me that too so I can stop complaining and stop expecting the damn spotlight.

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (35-31)

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:38:15 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

If you missed entries 40-36, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-40-36

And with that, let's get to the list!

35). Leap the Precipice – Eternal Sonata

Holy crap, this is one freakin’ epic song! Seriously, this is one of, if not the greatest battle themes in video game history, and I’m completely serious. But if you really listen to this song, you’ll understand where I’m coming from. From the fast pace, to the amazing string instruments, to just the whole scope of the song in general, Leap the Precipice is one giant, epic piece.

True, you will hear this song a lot in Eternal Sonata (I believe that it’s the only battle theme in the game, and if not, it’s the only memorable one in the game), and you’ll get a little tired of it, but the battles are so much fun that it never really bothered me. And yes, you won’t always hear the whole song because your battle might end quickly, but that doesn’t detract from how great this song is. It eventually delves into a Legend of Zelda-like violin bridge, which gives the song a great little break, but soon it’s right back into the epic action.

I’m starting to get to the point on this list where I really don’t need to defend anything because of how awesome the songs clearly are. I mean, just listen to this track! Everything about it, the scope, the epic feeling, the instruments, and how it fits with the game makes Leap the Precipice one of the greatest video game songs ever.

34). Pokey Means Business – Earthbound

And it finally arrives, the only song that literally 100% of the people reading this list knew would be on here at some point. Many people consider Pokey Means Business to be the greatest song in Earthbound, and while I disagree, it’s certainly one of the most entertaining. Why? Because of how freakin’ metal it is! I don’t even like metal, and yet this is just so damn awesome. The song starts off all 8-bit and chunky, and then in what has to be one of the worst transitions ever, the song just abruptly switches into 16-bit double bass kicks and power chords. It’s so awesome!

I was completely stunned by the switch in this song the first time I heard it, and listening to it again just reminds me of how sweet that boss fight is. Earthbound has a very diverse soundtrack, with songs with many different qualities, tones, and overall sounds, but there is no song in the game that sounds quite like Pokey Means Business. It’s definitely the most metal song in the game, and it’s easily one of the strangest. There are all these little weird noises going on in the background that make the song one hell of an experience.

About 2 minutes through the song, the tempo drastically recedes and the song enters this weird bridge that normally is not very appealing, but when you consider how it works with the strange Giygas fight, it works very well in the game, and that give Pokey Means Business a lot of bonus points for this list. Anyway, it’s clear that Pokey Means Business is one of the best songs in Earthbound, as well as one of the greatest songs in video game history.

33). Level 1 Theme – Kid Icarus

The music to level 1 in Kid Icarus achieves something that I’ve rarely seen in video game music: it’s simultaneously relaxing and epic. Most of the time, epic pieces grab your attention and don’t let go. They’re awesome, but all your attention is focused on the awesome music that you’re listening to. Level 1 in Kid Icarus does something different. It’s unquestionably epic, but it’s epic in a low-key way, and it’s very calming.

I think that some of this can be attributed to the kinds of songs the NES was capable of producing. The limited technology is the reason that the tones of Kid Icarus’ first level are so docile, yet so epic. The song feels both big and small at the same time, if you can follow me. On one hand, it feels like it’s the soundtrack to a vast, epic journey, but on the other hand it’s so relaxing that it feels like it was just meant for a small setting. I know I might not be making much sense, but hopefully at least one person understands what I’m saying.

Anyway, I’ve always considered Level 1 in Kid Icarus to be one of the defining songs on the NES. Not one of the best, because it’s not incredibly exceptional, it didn’t push the audial boundaries of the system, but it just sounds exactly like what an NES track should sound like. It’s a similar phenomenon to the Brinstar theme from the original Metroid. Anyway, for achieving both and epic, and calming feel, Kid Icarus’ Level 1 music easily makes it onto my list.

32). Wind Scene – Chrono Trigger

Yeah, it’s somewhat low on this list, deal with it haters. Yes, Chrono Trigger has an amazingly memorable soundtrack, and this is by far my favorite song from the game. It’s soft, serene, and absolutely beautiful. The song starts off with just a few simple notes of melody with an equally simple backing line. But it slowly starts to build, and as the song becomes more complex, the emotions that it emits become more pronounced, and the true beauty of the Wind Scene music starts to shine through.

One remarkable thing about this theme is that while it sounds like a complex arrangement, it’s very simple when listened to closely enough. There aren’t many instruments, the melody is very simple and it doesn’t move around much, but the whole soul of this song, the emotion it carries makes the song seem much bigger and much more complex than it actually is. The Wind Scene really is one of the most beautiful songs in video game history, and it achieves its beauty in such a wonderfully simplistic way, that I have to admire it. There was no way I could leave this masterpiece off my list.

But a lot of people probably think that it should be higher, and in my defense, while I know I just said that the emotion of the song makes it sound bigger and more complex than it actually is, the truth is that at its core, it is a very simple song. And with such beauty, I just wish that it would have a little more variation to it. But still, the Wind Scene is a perfect example of beauty through simplicity, and truly is one of the best video game songs ever.

31). Level 1 Theme – Gradius

Oh man, do I ever love this song. Even more so than Level 1 in Kid Icarus, this just defines NES music to me. And while it isn’t my favorite song from the system, I think of it in a very high regard. The theme from the first level in Gradius is one of my favorites just because of how freakin’ happy it is. Just listen to it, it’s so upbeat and cheery! And part way through the level, the music completely switches to a very different, but equally awesome theme. This combination of two amazing songs create one amazingly upbeat piece, and as a result, the music for Level 1 in Gradius has left an impression on me since I first played it.

However, the song doesn’t have a whole lot of emotion, which downgrades its quality to me. It is fairly complex, with the melody going through a lot of changes, and the initial backing track being really awesome, but the whole song just feels kind of empty, as if it’s missing something. It’s kind of the polar opposite of the Wind Scene music; Level 1 of Gradius is flashy, catchy, upbeat, and fairly complicated, but it lacks emotion, while the Wind Scene has plenty of emotion to spare, but just isn’t technically impressive enough for me to really love it as much as others do. But regardless, Level 1 in Gradius is really awesome, and one of my all time favorite video game songs. It just makes me so happy!

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 3: DanteElDiablo vs. Thunderbird

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:11:01 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here for another MVDS match! Before we start, DanteElDiablo has been given a bye due to lack of giving-me-a-song by both Tren and Darklinkdude77. So he goes up against me. It's looking like a great matchup, but I want to remind everyone that this is the Quarterfinals. Things are starting to get serious. Let's get to the songs.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 2: ThatCanadianDude vs. Brakywaki

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:22:59 -0500

Hey everyone, sorry, no text intro here, not a lot of time, and I say everything in the recording.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

Thunderbird's Top 10 Sequel Leaps

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:26:21 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here and I have another top 10 list to bring you! Now if there’s one thing that gamers love, it’s a good sequel. Isn’t it just awesome when a sequel not only matches the quality of the original game, but adds onto it in new and interesting ways, going above and beyond what anyone expected? These games, which I like to call “sequel leaps”, are some of the most enjoyable games in gaming just because of how exponentially better they are then their predecessors. But which are the best? I’m here today to hopefully answer that question. Now before we get into the list, let me just state my rules. Either the game had to be the second game in a series of games, or have the number 2 in it when another game in the same series had the same title, but without the 2. And example of the latter would be Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. By the way, Modern Warfare 2 will not be on the list. Just a fair warning, I haven’t played the original Modern Warfare enough to justify that. So with that, let’s get to Thunderbird’s Top 10 Sequel Leaps of all time.

10. Paper Mario

I’m putting Paper Mario on the list as the sequel to the SNES classic, Super Mario RPG. Now some people might have expected this higher on the list, given how much I love Paper Mario. I named it the third greatest game of all time, and yet it’s only number 10 on this list? How can that be? Well, because when you compare the difference between Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG, it’s not as dynamic of a difference in quality as the other games on this list.

While Paper Mario is a better game, it still doesn’t change the fact that Super Mario RPG is a fantastic game, and one of the best RPG’s on the Super Nintendo. But still, it’s impossible to ignore all the ways that Paper Mario is superior to Super Mario RPG. The timed hits system first seen in SMRPG, while innovative, is kind of random. However, in Paper Mario, you know exactly when to hit a button or move the analog stick, which is a big improvement. Also, the supporting cast is expanded greatly, with Paper Mario introducing all sorts of colorful and creative characters. And overall, the game is just more fun to play. All of these reasons and more are why Paper Mario is the 10^th greatest sequel leap in gaming.

9. Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Oh boy, everyone knew this would be here. I freakin’ love Marvel vs. Capcom 2. If my videos of me playing the game, LP’s of the arcade mode, and the first episode of Killroy vs. Thunderbird weren’t an indication, I really love MvC2. In fact, it’s not only my favorite fighting game ever, but I believe I placed it at #6 on my top 100 games list. So needless to say, it’s an improvement over Marvel vs. Capcom. The roster increased exponentially, as well as the speed of the game, and the combo system got much more lucrative and insane. Basically, the original Marvel vs. Capcom may have been a bit simpler, but once you learn what you’re doing, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is infinitely more fun.

MvC2 as a whole is a much smoother game than the original MvC, and when I look at the original MvC, as well as any other game in Capcom’s Vs. Series, it just looks slow, primitive, and clunky compared to Marvel vs. Capcom 2. That says a lot about a game if it can make the entire rest of the series look bad by comparison, and MvC2 is one of the only times I’ve seen this in a series. Also, the game has Amingo, who just needs to be in more games damnit! Anyway, it’s painfully obvious why Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is one of the greatest sequel leaps of all time.

8. Super Mario Bros. 2

I am perfectly aware that I will receive a bit of heat for this, but I think that Super Mario Bros. 2 is better than the original Super Mario Bros. The music is better, and I really like the altered game engine. I can’t really explain this pick much, because on a fundamental level, both games are so simple that there isn’t really much to talk about that hasn’t already been said. And while the original Super Mario Bros was far more important to the history of gaming than its sequel, I really feel that Super Mario Bros. 2 is a superior game. You can play as four different character, each with their own different characteristics, which I actually can’t recall seeing in a platformer other than Donkey Kong 64. Also, unlike in DK64, you don’t have to character swap in order to beat Super Mario Bros. 2, which I feel is a good thing because it adds replay value in the long run.

The major reason I prefer Super Mario Bros 2 to the original game is the engine. In the original Super Mario Bros, when you landed on an enemy, you killed them and bounced off. The only problem with this is that sometimes it left you in a precarious place. This problem is fixed in Super Mario Bros. 2 by changing the game formula so that you now landed on an enemy and proceeded to “ride” them, and you waiting for the ideal time to pick them up and toss them to their demise. You also started out with 2 hits instead of the normal 1, and in Super Mario Bros. 2, you could even get 3 hits, which I haven’t seen in many, if any 2-D platformers.

But the thing that comes up most when Mario 2 is being discussed is the fact that it isn’t really Mario 2. Now I think that this really does not matter. Miyamoto worked on both Super Mario Bros and Doki Doki Panic, so it’s not as if Mario 2 was made by completely different people. I think that so many people are scared off by Super Mario Bros. 2 because the game is different, and because of the cop-out “dream” ending, but those are no reasons to not play the game. Super Mario Bros. 2 took some brave leaps in changing game design, and I feel that it succeeded. That’s why it’s on this list.

7. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

While I prefer the last generation of Tony Hawk games such as Tony Hawk’s Underground and American Wasteland to the original Pro Skater series, the original series definitely had the best, and most dramatic sequel leap. The Tony Hawk series has 2 possible sequel leaps, but obviously Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 will not be on this list (God I hate that game…). However, Pro Skater 2 took everything that was awesome about the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and made it exponentially more awesome. Crazier levels, better controls, more playable skaters, and great arcade style gameplay. The biggest and best change from Pro Skater 1 to Pro Skater 2 is the ability to manual, which was first introduced in THPS 2. This let players string combos together much more easily, and was the first real step towards the crazy combos and lines made possible in later Tony Hawk games. And while Pro Skater 2 didn’t have the revert ability like in Pro Skater 3, the manual ability is much more important than the revert ability on its own, as the revert is only valuable when combined with the manual.

Another thing that Pro Skater 2 had that Pro Skater 1 didn’t is a crazy number of secrets. Unlockable costumes, characters, courses, and crazy cheats like low gravity mode. This helps the freewheeling style of the game, and by increasing the crazy factor with all these secrets, later games in the series were able to increase this even more, even if Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 almost went overboard on the secret characters. I mean Darth Maul? Was that really necessary? But regardless, the change in gameplay, style, and secrets from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is gigantic, and simply cannot be ignored on my list.

6. Earthbound

Yeah, everyone knew this was coming. How could I leave out the greatest game of all time from this list? I think I have a medical condition; every time it’s even slightly applicable to my topic, I have to mention Earthbound. It’s a sickness, it really is. But all joking aside, there is a little bit on controversy that will probably arise with this entry. You see, I had to break a rule of mine to put Earthbound here, but I do have reason. I actually have not played the original Mother, and I came really close to leaving Earthbound off this list. But I eventually realized that no matter how good Mother actually is, it cannot even begin to come close to matching my perception of Earthbound. To me, Earthbound is actually a perfect game, so there is no way that Mother could ever top it. When a game that basically defined my childhood, and that I played for years and years on end like Harvest Moon 64 can’t top Earthbound, I don’t see how Mother realistically could.

Also, I’ve heard that Mother isn’t that great. And yes, I know that the Japanese hail Mother as one of the greatest games on the Famicom, I’ve seen bits of it, and I’ve heard from people that it’s a ridiculous grindfest, and that it can’t match the style of Earthbound, or the emotional strength and power of Mother 3. So that’s my reasoning, if you have a problem with it, I’m more than happy to hear your complaints. But really, Earthbound is a perfect game, and I doubt that anyone will have a giant problem with me putting it on my list. After all, everyone here saw it coming.

5. Mega Man 2

Oh man, here we go. What an amazing sequel leap Mega Man 2 is. First of all, Mega Man 2 is one of my favorite games ever, and my personal favorite NES game. The run and gun action, the impeccable music, the perfect controls, and the crazy difficulty all combine to create a one-of-a-kind experience. The first Mega Man game however, has a much different experience. Less bosses, no password system, and higher difficulty all turn me off.

The change in difficulty is one of my personal favorite things that changed in Mega Man 2. The game is still very hard, it’s not a cakewalk by any means, but it isn’t as hard as the original Mega Man, even though there are 2 different difficulty settings. Most of the difference in difficulty is attributed to Mega Man 2’s added password system so you can beat the game over multiple sessions, not in one sitting. But there is still a difference in actual game difficulty. I feel that making Mega Man 2 makes the game much more accessible to a wider audience, myself for example. Look, I’m not very good at video games. There are a few games that I’m fairly decent at, like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and any Tony Hawk game that has flatground manual tricks (I’m not sure if it was introduced in THPS 4 or THUG, I never played THPS 4), but for the most part I’m not great at games. I’ll be the first to say it, the original Mega Man is way too hard for me. I’ve tried every level and I can’t beat any of them. Mega Man 2 however, has a perfect difficulty curve for my skill level; hard, challenging, and frustrating, but also easy enough that I can quickly learn from my mistakes and gradually improve. Mega Man isn’t a game I can develop the patience to beat, but I’ve gotten up to the third stage in Wily’s Castle in Mega Man 2. By the way, there is no reason for Mega Man 2 to abandon the password system for the stages within Dr. Wily’s castle, it makes no sense.

But wrapping this all up, Mega Man 2 would seem like a natural pick for the number 1 spot. I’m not going to do that, mostly because Mega Man, while I have my problems with it, is still a pretty good game. All the other games on this list either are a great game that followed up a not so great game, or even if the original was good, just had an amazing upgrade for the sequel. So that’s why Mega Man 2 is at number 5. It’s still awesome, and a perfect pick for the middle of this list.

4. Street Fighter 2

Now this is where some people might be getting confused, just because they might not know what Street Fighter 2 I’m talking about. And while it isn’t the best version of Street Fighter 2, I’m putting on the first Street Fighter 2, not Turbo Hyper Fighting. While there are less characters and it’s slower than Turbo Hyper Fighting, it is the true sequel to the original Street Fighter. Not a whole lot of people know about the original Street Fighter, but it is essentially nothing like the Street Fighter 2 that revolutionized the fighting genre. Special moves with patterns so exact it becomes nearly impossible to pull them off, an extremely limited character selection, and for some reason, no matter who you won with, the game had the exact same ending no matter what, and it always used Ryu’s name.

For me, what makes Street Fighter 2, in all its incarnations, so amazing is it’s extreme playability. It’s one of those games that nearly everyone can pick up and play, as well as throw some fireballs. And therein lies the problem with the original Street Fighter; it’s not easily playable. So for taking a very mediocre game with some very frustrating controls, and turning it into the central birthplace of modern fighting games, Street Fighter 2 must find a way onto my list.

3. NBA Street Vol. 2

Hell yeah, this game rocks! Now this entry might be a little misplaced because I can’t remember much of the gameplay of the original NBA, as I didn’t play it much. I do remember that it wasn’t as smooth as the sequel, but I don’t recall much being added to Vol. 2. But while there might not have been a lot of gameplay changes, there are more style changes in this sequel leap than in any other game on this list possibly. NBA Street was a very dark, dreary game. It tried to be “Street” and ended up being a little stupid. But the developers either learned from their lesson, or just made a rash decision about the appearance of the sequel. Whatever the source of the change was, it was a great move. NBA Street Vol. 2 is one of the most colorful games I’ve ever seen, and has an amazing tinge of flash and style that makes the game pop. For my top 100 list, I described NBA Street Vol. 2’s color pallet and overall visual style like “walking into a closet full of 1980’s baseball uniforms”, and I still stand by that description. Bright colors, flashy animations, and because the game aimed more for the stylized look than a photorealistic, it stopped short of the uncanny valley that I feel a lot of games that tried to be photorealistic in that generation fell into (Thanks Daniel Floyd for the vocab words!). And while the game doesn’t hold up now visually; like most games from that time period, the faces look really strange, it’s still a blast to play.

Now I do have to say that I played NBA Street very briefly, but from what I could tell, both the overall game and the single player mode are both inferior to the sequel’s. Going to the single player create a player mode, I don’t remember much about the original’s except that your character started out very underpowered, and made the game not a whole lot of fun. Vol. 2’s however, has a great difficulty curve, as well as a lot of replay value. Fully customizable stats, as well as 1 use of a gold crown for 1 statistic, which encourages players to play through it more than once, and a large library of nicknames automatically given to you at a certain point based on your play style. That is awesome. I haven’t seen a game do that before or since. Imagine playing a game like Fight Night and halfway through the campaign, having the game nickname your boxer. That would be awesome!

But finishing this up, NBA Street Vol. 2 has everything that the original didn’t: an amazing visual style, better gameplay, and a great single player mode. What else would you want in a sequel?

2. Star Fox 64

This is a game that should be on anyone’s sequel leap list, if they made one. To me, this is pretty much the prime example of a great sequel leap. Star Fox 64 took a game that I really don’t like that much, and turned it into one of my favorites. The original Star Fox I feel tried to do too much from a visual standpoint. The technology just wasn’t there in the Super Nintendo, and while it looked great for its time, I don’t feel like it holds up. Star Fox 64 however, is one of, if not the best looking game on the N64. Seriously, the game is amazing graphically. In my opinion it looks a full generation ahead of it graphically. I think that Star Fox 64 could have been on the Gamecube and I probably wouldn’t have noticed. Also, the controls of Star Fox in general are much more suited for an analog stick, not a d-pad. This is because you need all 360 degrees of movement in order to play effectively, and trying to control 360 degrees when you only have 8 options of holding a d-pad doesn’t work as well as actually having an analog stick that can match that 360 degrees of movement.

Whenever I’ve tried to play the original Star Fox, it just ended up pissing me off. I would die a lot and never really know what to do. But in Star Fox 64, I just feel more at ease. I know what to do, I know how to do it, and it’s just more fun in general. Also, because of the technological improvement of the N64 to the Super Nintendo, Star Fox 64 was just able to do things that its predecessor couldn’t; crazier fights, bigger bosses, and just more action all across the board. Star Fox 64 is a prime example of a sequel leap, and therefore it is the perfect selection for the number 2 spot on this list. It’s just about the greatest sequel leap ever, but it just can’t match…

1. Super Smash Bros. Melee

Yeah, I’m so predictable. But really, really ask yourself before any one of you start criticizing me for being predictable. Is there any other game, any game at all that better fits the description of a sequel leap than Super Smash Bros. Melee? The answer is no. No. That’s it, there is no sequel leap greater than the one between Super Smash Bros on the N64 to its sequel on the Gamecube.

Yes, the original Smash Bros was fun. It was a revolutionary fighting game, it created an amazing franchise based on different franchises beating the crap out of one another, and it was wildly successful and beloved. But the sequel, oh god the sequel. Melee is such a great game that many people think that it is far superior to Brawl, Melee’s much-anticipated sequel. The original Smash had 12 characters. Melee had tons more, and yes, I can’t remember the actual number, and I have no internet right now, so I’m not looking it up. The original Smash was very unbalanced, and had limited variation in both the moves and stages. Melee added a ton of stages, and implemented the side-B move, which added a whole lot more strategy to the game, as well as mostly balanced it out (Fox is still cheap).

I really feel like I don’t have to say anything for this entry, I mean everyone knows why Super Smash Bros. Melee is here, everyone expected it, and I’m pretty sure that mostly everyone agrees with me. So why don’t I leave it at that; Super Smash Bros. Melee, the greatest sequel leap of all time, because really, what else would you put there?

Well that’s it for my list, I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you agree, disagree, hate me now because of something I said, whatever, just leave a comment. I’m Thunderbird, and thanks for reading.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 2: Biggyzoom vs. Krisi

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:36:17 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here, and today I finally have another match in the second round of the My Voice Doesn't Suck contest! Before I get to the match, I have a quick announcement. As according to the rules I've created when relating to people not getting me their songs, Krisi has officially replaced tastelikemocha, so mocha is eliminated and now Krisi will take on Biggyzoom. So, with that out of the way, I still need songs from Darklinkdude77 or Tren (whoever gets theirs in first will go up against DanteElDiablo), Brakywaki or Oneshotfinch (same deal as above, except they will go up against ThatCanadianDude). If I don't receive a song from either person in the above mentioned pairs by next Wednesday, I will turn their slot into a bye, essentially a forfiet. So if I don't receive any songs, Dante will move into round 3 to go up against me, and ThatCanadianDude will move into round 3 to take on SuperChunLi89. So, with that said, let's get to the match!

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

Thunderbird's Top 25 Favorite Movies (23 & 22)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:03:41 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird back again, and today I have another 2 entries in my top 25 favorite movies of all time list.

If you missed entries 25 and 24, they're here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-25-Favorite-Movies-25-24

So, with that out of the way, let's get onto the list.

23). Knocked Up

Oh god I love this movie. This is the best movie that Judd Apatow has made yet (and yes, that means that the 40-year old Virgin will not be on my list). While 40-year old Virgin was incredibly hilarious, and simultaneously launched Seth Rogen’s career and rejuvenated Paul Rudd’s, it wasn’t very deep. On the other side of the spectrum, Funny People was a drama that had some funny parts to it. It was very plot driven and deep at parts, but not very funny. Judd Apatow struck comedic gold with his second film, Knocked Up, by managing to find the perfect balance between his other two films. How is this done? With great writing, for both the comedy and the characters; each character, even the minor ones, really shines through with their own personality. And I love how the personality of the more minor characters isn’t shoved down the viewer’s throat, but rather presented subtly, as if to make sure that only the people who would appreciate such good writing would notice it.

The movie stars Ben Stone, played by Seth Rogen, and Alison Scott, played by Katherine Heigl. These two characters are basically the complete opposite of each other, and while that’s a movie cliché that is done very often, it’s done well here, so I don’t really mind it. But really, the two characters are like a roll of pictures and its negative, almost complete polar opposites. Alison is a workaholic reporter for E!, while Ben is a lazy stoner who “works” from his house with his four friends on a not so pornographic porn site that just lists when celebrities have nude scenes in films, and how long into said films said scenes occur. Alison is played by the beautiful Katherine Hiegl, and Ben is played by Seth Rogen. Nothing more needs to be said.

So the movie opens up by introducing the viewer to the two main characters, and the important parts of the supporting cast. We see Ben’s four friends, who regrettably are all named after the actors that play them. This really annoyed me about the film, I mean come on, can the writers not come up with original names? That just seems like sloppy filmmaking to me.

But anyway, the movie starts off by introducing the characters. We also see Alison’s sister Debbie, played by Leslie Mann, and Debbie’s husband Pete, played by Paul Rudd. Both groups of characters go about their lives until we see them both end up going to the same bar, where they are so obviously going to meet. They meet up, get some drinks, and before you know it, Ben and Alison are hitting it off. They eventually go back to Alison’s house for a night of sex, all to the awesome soundtrack of the B-52’s Rock Lobster. Never has a more appropriate song been played during a movie.

But this is where the movie’s plot starts up. We fast forward a few weeks later, and through a really funny scene involving Alison interviewing James Franco, with Bill Hader as a cameraman reveals that the workaholic Alison is pregnant with the lazy stoner Ben’s baby. So Alison calls Ben to tell him the news, and Ben thinks that she’s asking him out again. So naturally, there are some really funny lines in the scene where Alison breaks the news to Ben.

But I’m going far too slow to finish talking about Knocked Up anytime soon. Ben and Alison grow closer as the movie progresses, and we see Pete and Debbie’s marriage falling apart, providing a good contrast of relationships, and we see Ben and Pete become closer as friends, even taking a hallucinogenic mushroom-fueled trip to Las Vegas to see Cirque De Soliel together.

But let’s talk about how my opinion of this movie has changed over time. Yes, I put this below When Harry Met Sally on my other movie list, but while I think that When Harry Met Sally is a movie that I can watch on a more frequent basis, Knocked Up really is better overall. It’s much funnier, has a much more widespread audience that will appreciate it, and while the writing isn’t as great, it’s a more recent movie, and I think that writing has generally gone down in quality in recent years in terms of comedies (for the most part), so Knocked Up was a very refreshing change of pace, and it’s one of my favorite movies ever.

22). Dazed and Confused

I present to you, the only good thing Matthew McConaughey has ever done in his whole life! Dazed and Confused is really a great movie, and it’s real strength is in its setting, its pacing, and its plot, or lack there of. Seriously, nothing really happens in this movie. But more on that later. By the way, I won’t talk about the acting outside of McConaughey, because I feel like his performanc the only one worth noting. And yes, Ben Affleck is kind of funny, but he's not very memorable. Nearly every time I see this movie I realize that I've forgotten that he was in it. That's not really a good sign.

So the movie opens up on the last day of high school during some year in the 70’s. The movie centers around the graduating senior class and the incoming freshman class. Early on in the movie we learn a lot of this school’s traditions involving the last day of school: The older girls psychologically torment the incoming girls, mostly using various condiments, and the senior guys chase down the incoming boys and beat them with cricket bats. And the school completely turns a blind eye. Weren’t the 70’s amazing?

But in all seriousness, that leads directly into another one of my favorite things about Dazed and Confused, the setting. Now I wasn’t alive in the 1970’s, so I don’t have a reference, but this movie seems kind of accurate, at least for a movie. Basically, all of social life revolves around drinking, smoking, driving, and great music. To me, that sounds pretty amazing. I don’t know exactly why, but I just love the setting of this movie; I’m not sure if it accurately represents what the 70’s were really like (by the way, I would love clarification on whether or not this movie accurately represented the 70’s, if anyone grew up in that time and has seen this movie), but they sure make the 70’s look like an awesome time.

But getting on to the plot, it’s so amazing because, well, because it isn’t. What I mean by this is that if you re-watch this movie, and really examine it, NOTHING HAPPENS. People get high, drive around, drink, play pool, drive some more, and then probably do more driving. Aside from the beginning scenes and a few scenes part way through the movie, nothing really happens. And I love it for that, it just makes the movie this atmospheric film that just depicts and time and place, and it makes me appreciate the setting that much more because it feels real. Things don’t always happen every night in real life, it’s like the movie cameras started filming the day before all that crazy stuff happened in one day like you see in so many other movies. It’s great because the movie makes it seem like this is just another average day.

However, pretty much everyone’s favorite part of Dazed and Confused is Matthew McConaughey. I don’t know why his character is so funny, but he just is. Just look, he’s in the movie for about 5 minutes total, yet he’s so damn funny!

And that’s pretty much it. Those two scenes are the ones most remembered about his performance. But he’s hilarious in a completely undefinable way. So how do I sum up Dazed and Confused? It’s certainly an interesting movie, and it’s very entertaining, especially after smoking some weed. If you’re high, the soundtrack and low-key atmosphere of the movie makes it very entertaining. But it’s also a movie that’s hard to actually explain why it’s good, but you still know that it is good. Anyway, I love it, and I had to have it in my list.

Important MVDS Contest Update!

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:07:55 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here. I have a very quick announcement to make involving the My Voice Doesn't Suck contest. The deadline I have posted for the 3 people who still need to get me their songs has passed, so I am declaring it an open competition thing between the slated enterents and their slated replacements. Whomever gets their song in to me first will stay in the contest. So, I need a song from either Tasteslikemocha or Krisi, Darklinkdude77 or Tren, and Brakywaki or Oneshotfinch. The first song I get from any person in those pairings will be in Round 2. I hope this wasn't too confusing, but I can't think of a better way to describe this. I will keep this up for a little over a week. I will give you until a week from this coming Monday. So, basically, a week and 2 days from now. After that I will declare a forfiet for whatever participants don't have a song in for me. This is a FINAL WARNING. Alright, so that's it for now, get those songs in quick, and good luck to everyone in the rest of round 2 and onward to the rest of the tournament.

Thunderbird's Top 25 Favorite Movies (25 & 24)

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:35:53 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here, and I’m bringing you a brand new multi-part list! Now I don’t talk about them much here on Screwattack, but I love movies. Absolutely love them. But just like my tastes in games, my tastes in movies are kind of skewed. I can’t really describe it, but for some reason I have not seen a very large amount of classic movies. I’ll give only one example, but I actually have not seen The Godfather. Not once in my life have I seen what many people consider the greatest movie ever. I’ve also never seen Citizen Kane, another consensus pick for “greatest movie ever”. So because my movie going experiences are so limited, I figured that it would be very unjust to try to make a top 10 movies list, or top whatever movies list. So instead I’ve compiled a list of what I consider to be my top 25 favorite movies ever. These aren’t the greatest movies ever, just my personal favorites. Now if I wanted to take the time and do so, I probably could have extended this to 100, but I really didn’t want to. Now keep in mind, if I don’t mention a movie that you feel should be in everyone’s top 25, then I’ve probably never seen it. Or I forgot it. It’s probably one of those. So, with that out of the way, let’s get right into Thunderbird’s Top 25 Favorite Movies of All Time!

Oh, and I’m calling automatic spoiler alert on this whole list. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. And I'll be putting installments up 2 movies at a time up, up until the end (I've mapped it out, the last installment of 2 is going to be movies number 2 & 3), where I'll just repost the whole list, but have the number 1 favorite movie in at the top. I'm not going to waste time just posting a list of 1.

25). Funny People

The critical reception of this movie really pisses me off. I have heard so many reviews say that Funny People is “the least funny movie with the word funny in it”, or “the least funny comedy ever”. Let me get one thing straight. I don’t consider this movie a comedy. I consider it a drama. Sure, it has Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen, two very funny people (damnit, I really didn’t want to say that in this description…), but this movie is for the most part, a serious drama. The movie is about a fictional comedian named George Simmons, but essentially it’s about Adam Sandler. George is a comedian/actor whose career strikingly resembles Sandler’s, started with standup, eventually made a ton of money doing silly, stupid movies. All of this changes when George finds out that he has a very rare, and very serious form of leukemia. His doctor tells him that the disease has progressed too far for conventional treatment to have any effect, so they ship in a lot of experimental medicine from Canada and begin treatment. The other side of the story is centered around a young aspiring comedian named Ira, played by Seth Rogen. Ira lives with his two friends, played by Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill. Both of them are more successful than him comically. The Schwartzman character is the star of a truly terrible and unfunny sitcom called Yo Teach!, and the Hill character has a video on Youtube with over 7,000,000 views of just him doing thing that cats normally do. Trust me, it sounds weird, but it’s actually a very funny scene in the movie. By the way, the movie that Jonah Hill's character made is below. This isn't a scene in Funny People, just making that clear.

But I’m rambling. Through a series of events, Ira starts working for George as a writer, and they eventually become friends. George confides in Ira about his health, and Ira, having never dealt with death before (all his grandparents are alive), wants George to talk to people about it. Most of the movie is chronicling how the relationship between George and Ira grows, how the relationship between Ira and his roommates goes through some troubles, and relationships between a whole cast of people. In the end, this whole movie is about relationships. It’s a very human movie, and that is its strongest asset. The humor seems like it could really happen, the drama seems like it could really happen, every situation seems real, and that’s something that you don’t see in a lot of movies.

This is also one of those movies that gets better with a second viewing. Not so much a third, but a second viewing shows a lot of things about the characters that I know I didn’t catch the first time. Knowing the ending, how everything works out, and how everyone changes over the course of the film reveals some things about the character’s actions in earlier scenes in the movie. One of my favorite lines in the movie, and in my opinion one of the most powerful, is when George is first taking Ira to his giant Malibu house. Ira is looking out the window with a very genuine, excited look on his face. George asks him if he is excited, and when Ira tells him yes, George replies, “Good, good. I used to be excited”. Knowing the self-loathing that George feels for himself and his life that is revealed later in the movie, this line speaks volumes. Especially in the way George says it; he delivers the line not in a serious, morose way, but in a sort of nostalgic tone. It states George’s wasted life not in a tone of regret, but in a matter-of-fact tone, which I feel is much more powerful.

However, Funny People is not without its faults. The movie is really long, over 2 hours, and while that’s not always bad, this movie really drags in the last third. It shifts into a whole other plot, that while it’s not terrible, I just don’t really like. It introduces some very unlikable characters, and some really bad acting by Leslie Mann. Now I think that Leslie Mann can actually act, she wasn’t that bad in Knocked Up, but she’s just atrocious in this. Maybe it’s that her character, who was an actor, is supposed to be a bad actor, but I just don’t buy that, that’s not an excuse to be lazy. And even times when she’s not trying to act, I just don’t like her character. But, while the movie really drops in quality near the end, it’s fantastic up until that point, and I would recommend it to anyone.

24). When Harry Met Sally

Yeah, go ahead and make fun of me, but this is one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made. Believe it or not, there was actually at time when Rob Reiner made some really hilarious movies, and this is one of his best. The story is centered around two people, Harry Burns and Sally… Albright I think her name was. I haven’t seen this in a while, forgive me if my memory isn’t perfect. The movie opens up with what will become a common theme throughout the movie, a (presumably) real life married couple, long into their marriage, talking about how they met and got married. It’s sweet, but also a little corny at the same time. Anyway, that running transition is quickly done with, and the real movie opens with Billy Crystal macking on some girl. Ahh, what a lovely image. Isn’t that a perfect opening for such a light-hearted comedy? And yes, I’m being sarcastic. Actually, this scene led to a really awkward situation over the summer when I brought the dvd over to my now ex-girlfriends house. I forgot about this scene and said that except for the really famous part that everyone knows, the movie was pretty PG (she had a 9 year old brother or something like that, I don’t remember). So then it opens with the aforementioned scene, and awkwardness ensues.

But getting back to the movie, it starts off at the University of Chicago, as Harry and Sally are both driving to New York City. They are traveling together, even though they don’t know each other very well. I actually think that the movie’s first scenes in the car are some of the funniest in the movie. We quickly see that Harry and Sally are two vastly different people. Harry is a strange mix of carefree and horribly depressed, and Sally is, as Harry puts it, “the worst kind of person. You’re high-maintenance, but you think you’re low-maintenance”. That’s harsh. Anyway, there’s a really funny scene that I love near the beginning of their road trip together. Harry starts eating some grapes, and when he tries to spit the seeds out the window, we see that it was rolled up. It’s a subtle joke, but it sets up one of my favorite jokes. As Harry and Sally start arguing about the kind of people they are, how Sally thinks that she has a dark side, to which Harry replies, “every time I start a book, I read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish it, I know how it ends. That is a dark side” (sorry, I just like that quote), and every tense moment, and there are quite a few of them, Harry spits some grape seeds out the window. The slightly jarring sound has this weird effect of breaking the tension, yet making things even more awkward. I apologize if I don’t give this brilliant scene justice, but once again, my memory isn’t great, and its something that you have to see to get really.

But moving on, they bicker and bicker all the way through their trip, we see how it takes Sally nearly 5 entire minutes to order some food at a greasy diner (showing how high-maintenance she really is), and then there’s more bickering. Somewhere sandwiched in between all the quarrelling, Harry mentions something that becomes fairly important throughout the movie; his theory of why men and women can’t be friends. Harry claims that this is impossible, because sex, either the act or just the idea of it gets in the way. Even if the woman doesn’t want to sleep with the man, the man pretty much always wants to sleep with the woman, and this ruins the dynamic of the friendship. On a quick side note here, one thing I love about this movie is how openly it discusses sex without getting that vulgar. I think it’s because the movie centers around real adults, and it tries to have a certain dignity. There isn’t any talking of “*******” or other euphemisms, sex is pretty much referred to as either sleeping with someone, or “going home” with someone. I think that this allows the movie to be open about sex without being juvenile, and I think it pays off.

(God, I just cannot get to the freakin’ plot in this movie) Anyway, the two finally reach New York, and part with one of my favorite pieces of dialog in the whole movie. As they prepare to go start their lives in New York, Sally tells Harry, “It’s too bad we can never be friends. You’re the only person I know in New York”. If you aren’t impressed with the charm, wit, and humor in that line, then I hate to tell you, but you have no sense of humor. So, because this movie is very plot heavy and I would be here all night if I were to go over every damn thing, I’ll fast forward a bit, in montage form of course. Another married couple transition, it’s some random amount of time later, they see each other in an airport, they talk on the plane, some other stuff happens, and after I think one more fast forward in time, they end up becoming very good friends, apparently proving Harry’s rule about men and women wrong. Somewhere in this sequence of events is the infamous “restaurant scene”. I can’t even begin to explain how freakin’ hilarious this is, so I’ll just put the video right here.

Oh my god, that’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Good god I love that scene. Everyone reading this, if you didn’t watch the scene in its entirety, go back. Now. You’ll thank me later. A little note of interest though; the old lady who delivers the funniest line of that whole scene right at the end is Rob Reiner’s mother. Let me say that one more time. The. Director’s. Mother. Yeah, apparently this scene was shot during Take your Mom to Work Day. I’m not sure what’s funnier, the image of Rob Reiner asking his mom to do this scene, or the fact that she actually did it.

Moving right along, we see Harry’s best friend get married to Sally’s best friend, Harry runs into his ex-wife, some other stuff happens, and eventually Harry and Sally end up sleeping together. Yeah, bombshell, I know. Hey, this might seem predictable, but this movie was made in 1988. I wasn’t even born. My older brother was born that year. Maybe this wasn’t an obvious script writing technique, I’m not sure. Anyway, the two title characters start drifting apart, until the film’s amazing climax. And you know what, even though this whole list is on spoiler alert, I really don’t want to ruin this one. It’s a really, really good ending. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about.

But anyway, I placed this movie at number 3 on my old Top 10 Movies I can watch over and over again list, and with good reason; this movie’s light-hearted comedy, serious undertones, and just brilliant characters and acting make it a movie I can watch any day. It’s one of my absolute favorites. If anyone ever tries to tell you that because this movie is a romantic comedy that it’s bad, or that it’s only for women, stop right there, slap that person in the face, and then go watch When Harry Met Sally.

The Results of the 2009 Unoffical g1 Awards!

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:41:18 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here. Before I get to the matter at hand, I want to apologize if I offended anyone by my reaction to the DTT forum threads discussed in DJGrandPa and IHatePeace22's blogs. I had an incorrect perception of what the actual rule about off-site harassment was, and therefore I thought that those forums were considered harassment. I've gotten some things straightened out, so I would just like to apologize if I offended anyone.

Moving on, we all know about Moocartoons' Unofficial 2009 g1 Awards. Unfortunately, due to reasons that I think we should stop mentioning because it brings up too much fury in the g1 community, he is not able to post the results of said awards. However, I contacted him, got his permission to make this video, and got the results. So, I present the results of Moocartoons's 2009 Unofficial g1 Awards!

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (40-36)

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:11:24 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I'm here for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

If you missed entries 45-41, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46-1

And with that, let's get to the list!

40. Level 1-1 – Super Mario Bros.

………. I can’t believe I actually have to say something about this song. I mean really? Really? It’s Super freakin’ Mario Bros! Literally everyone knows this song. Everyone. If you think I’m exaggerating, I’m not. Really, just go up to anybody on the street and start singing this song, and then ask them what it’s from. Sure, they might think you’re crazy, but they’ll only think that because some stranger just came up to them and started singing the theme to Super Mario Bros. Like I said, everyone knows this song. So I really don’t have to talk about what actually makes the song great do I? Instead, let me explain why this song is so low on my list. Yes, the song is memorable, and is basically the theme of probably the biggest franchise in video game history, but if you actually listen to the song, and imagine that it came from just some random NES platformer that didn’t make it big instead of being in Mario, the song isn’t amazing. Don’t get me wrong, I love this song, and it’s lighthearted, catchy, and tons of fun, but it’s not epic, not beautiful, not complex by any means, so I had to keep it at number 40 on my list. But this is a song that literally everyone knows, so its reputation and classic sound get Level 1-1 to this point on my list.

39. Saria’s Song – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

It’s so happy! This song is so freakin’ happy, I love it so much! But really, Saria’s Song from Ocarina of Time is a fantastic song. And yes, I realize that I’ve gone a little overboard with the Ocarina of Time music in the last 2 entries, but that’s just how my list ended up, and Ocarina of Time has some great music. But getting back to the particular song at hand, Saria’s Song really means something special to me, and I have a feeling that it does to many other people as well. If you’re around my age, then you probably first played Ocarina of Time when you were around 6 or 7. And there’s a possibility that, like me, you really didn’t know what you were doing. Sure, everyone got through the Deku Tree, but after that I know that I didn’t really know what to do. But I still had fun because I was a little kid and I was just messing around. And when you first found Saria’s Song, the upbeat melody and feel of the song perfectly matches and represents that feeling of just messing around in the forest in Ocarina of Time when you’re 6 years old. And this tune has stuck with me ever since because of that. And that’s why it’s on the list.

38. Fever – Dr. Mario

There’s just something about this song, you know? Something about it that just bleeds nostalgia, and I’ve barely even played Dr. Mario. I don’t love the game, but there’s just something so catchy about it and so awesome that this theme can’t be ignored. The Fever theme from Dr. Mario is the game’s main music, and although there is a second song, it’s nowhere near as awesome. The clunky sound of Fever is what gives it its charm, and it just ends up having such a happy, upbeat sound. There’s not a whole lot to say about Fever, although there are some changes in the melody that the song goes through. After the main part of the song, there’s a bridge-like thing that has a really cool and fast backtrack that gives the song a kind of urgency that fits great with the fast-paced gameplay of Dr. Mario. The kinds of sounds that make up the melodies in this theme are so amazingly chunky and 8-bit sounding; I just love it. This song is a perfect representation of music on the NES, and that’s why it’s on the list.

37. Green Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog

When I did my original Top 10 Video Game Themes list, many people who commented on that failed mess of a blog were asking where this song was. Now you have your answer. While the Genesis didn’t have many great themes in its library, Do I even have to say how well the Green Hill Zone’s rapid melodies and fast-paced beats and backtracks fit the speedy gameplay of Sonic’s first platformer on the Genesis? The stagnant beats and bassline prove to be a perfect way to set up the memorable melody of this theme, and it creates a audial effect that Sega fans from the 90’s will never forget. True, the Sonic franchise has had some really cool themes, but is there any debate that the Green Hill Zone is the best song in the franchises history? I don’t think there is. A legendary franchise, a great song, and a perfect pairing of the two make Green Hill Zone one of the greatest themes in video game history.

36. Before Dawn – Music Catch

Not everyone reading this might know this song, but for those that do, they understand how it is one of the greatest video game songs ever. Before Dawn, which is just a piano piece composed and performed by Isaac Shepard, is the first song available in the online flash game “Music Catch”. Music Catch is basically just trying to move your mouse over as many musical notes as you can, to get the most points possible. It’s a fairly simple game, and while it’s pretty fun, far and away its greatest contribution to gaming as a whole is this song. I don’t think that it was composed for use in Music Catch, but the song is in a game, so I’m going to allow it. Before Dawn is one of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard on a piano. I don’t listen to a lot of piano music, but it really is amazing. It’s calming, soft, yet eventually becomes energetic, excited and frantic all while maintaining its natural beauty throughout the entire song. I can fairly say that this song would be much higher if it was actually composed for a video game, but because it’s an original song, I have to downgrade it slightly. But the beauty of this piece shines through, and because of that I have to put it somewhere on my list.

A Whole Year of Thunderbird

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:27:47 -0500

So I was looking at the date for some homework purposes today when I realized something. Holy Crap! It's been just about a year since I started posting here on Screwattack. I was almost paralyzed when I realized this, and I had to reflect on my amazing year here. So I present to you, in celebration of this glorious year of Thunderbird, a 3 part blog. The first part will be me thanking everyone I have to thank for everything I've accomplished in this past year. The second part will be all the memorable non-Screwattack/gaming related things that I can think of that happened to me in this past year. And the final part will be a list of my personal favorite blogs, and what I consider to be my best and most important ones. So here we go.

If I had to start with one person to thank, it has to be Killroy. True, I can't remember if the story I'm about to tell happened in 08 or 09, but it definitely affected what I did in 09. The reason I have to thank Killroy is that he showed me Earthbound. And he sent me the links to the roms and emulators that I used to play it. By the way, I'll take the time here to give my stance on the whole rom issue. If the game is in circulation, basically if it is easily purchasable, then roms shouldn't be used, and are technically illegal. But if they are used to play a game from multiple generations ago that wouldn't be bought otherwise, then why not? Super Nintendo consoles and copies of Earthbound are only available for sale through things like Ebay, hence not in a regulated forum, hence not easily accessible, hence roms are okay in my book. There, that's my opinion, flame me about it if you want.

Anyway, Killroy got me into Earthbound, and as so many of you know, the rest is History. Quite literally actually, a large majority of Earthbound I played during my junior year History class on my laptop, which I brought in to "take notes". Pam Boehm, if you're reading this, sorry about that, but thanks a lot for changing my grade from a D+ to a C- just because I knew all the states and capitals! But anyway, a lot of people might be asking why this relates to Screwattack. And to them I would say that while I'm sure if I never played Earthbound I would have eventually found something to write about, I became a g1 just so I could write blogs so I could spread the word of Earthbound. That's it. And that's why I say "the rest is history". Earthbound is directly responsible for everything I've done here at Screwattack. So thanks Killroy!

The next person I'd like to thank is whatever mod top posted my very first top 10, my top 10 games ever. I'm pretty sure that was Keavy Rain, but I'm not really sure. By the way, reflecting on that list, it was drastically different than anything I've done since. I had 2 honorable mentions, I actually put numbered scores out of ten for each game, and I gave the good points and bad points of each game I talked about. In many ways, that's a blog I still haven't eclipsed in terms of quality, but in many other ways I have. So thanks mod-whom-I'm-pretty-sure-is-Keavy. If you hadn't top posted that blog, I would never have thought to do another top 10, and we all know how that turned out. So thank you for that.

On that note, thanks to Old School Master. Not only is he really really awesome, (even though he's a damn ravens fan...) but he was actually the first person to comment on that list. And his hilarious comment of "No RE4? " made me lol. Especially since he complimented the list after that, but I'll always remember that one comment.

Let's see, who should I thank next? I think I'll thank PekoponTAS. You see, a large part of why I love Screwattack are the people. And using Skype, I talk to a lot of great g1s on a daily basis. PekoponTAS is responsible for that. After I found the genius that is and was podcast 7.9, I sent him a quick PM asking to be on the show. He told me to get skype, I added him and then Elmo, and we ended up just chatting on skype a lot. Soon more g1s added what became known as the skype crew, and now it's gigantic. These are all the people in the skype crew, unless I forgot someone: Me, PekoponTAS, Elmo 3000, DJGrandPa, Whitly, Wandering_Swordsman, Jerrywasaracecardriver, IHatePeace22, Srassy, MadMikeo14, Ultamite-Ninja, Darklinkdude77, Old School Master, Tremendous Tom, Waluigi, Terra_Corrupt, SuperChunLi89, Mnop, Biggyzoom, TheBertRam, SamPD, Serperoth, Flashpenny, Silent_Protagonist, Super Munkky, The-Sanguine, Ztifitz, BlueBlur91, Blaze, Ghostriderinthesky (Although I think he's Ghost King or something in v4...), and even the legend known as UrNotL33T for a while! That is a lot of g1s. And they're all really cool people. I don't think I would blog as much if it weren't for the connection I feel with so many g1s thanks to the skype crew. And in my opinion, it's all thanks to PekoponTAS. Also, it doesn't hurt that we look exactly the same. I mean exactly the same. Just look at these pictures!

This is Thunderbird:

And this is PekoponTAS:

By the way, that pic has a typo. It should way on the bottom "Our very own PekoponTAS! Congrats!" What it does say is "Out very own PekoponTAS! Congrats!" Just thought I'd point that out. Anyway, how freaky is that? I was really close to using Pekopon for my senior yearbook lookalike, but I realized that nobody would know who I'm talking about.

So phew, this list is getting long... um, I guess I would have to thank my parents next. I tried to keep my blogging a personal secret for a while due to the nature of it, but I decided that I should inform my parents of why I spend so much time on my computer. And I have to say, thank you so much Mom and Dad, you've been endlessly supportive of my blogging, and completely supportive even when I said that I want to pursue a career in video game journalism, whether it be reporting or reviewing or whatever. And even though they don't really understand video games, and even though my dad kind of thinks that video games are the devil, they really have been so great about supporting me. So thanks again Mom and Dad, you're awesome.

The next group of people I'd like to thank I already thanked in my induction into DJGrandPa's Screwattack Hall of Fame, so I'll just touch on this last one, but g1 community, thank you so much for being supportive and accepting of the darker and more illegal sides of my personality that I revealed in my Cloudy while Cloudy post/confession. It was really eating me up inside that I couldn't fully share myself with the community, and the fact that I can be completely open now is so damn liberating. Thank you all so much.

So that concludes the first part of my anniversary blog, lets move onto the part that will probably be the worst, the non-screwattack/gaming related highlight of 2009 for me.

In 2009:

I had the single greatest birthday of my life. I got a girl's phone number after taking the SATs. I started looking at colleges. I started senior year. I got a girlfriend. I broke up with said girlfriend. I almost got back together with said ex-girlfriend. I realized that we were just too different and ended it forever. I had a hilariously bad New Year's Eve. Me and my best friend were Wingmen for Halloween. I almost blinded myself. I discovered, and rediscovered, a lot of great music. I saw two of my top 3 favorite movies, and 3 of my top 6. I had a lot of fun in life. I realized what I want to do for a living. I heard the single greatest story of all time. I consoled my friends from incredible hardships. I was psychoanalyzed by a Golden Gloves boxer who was incredibly drunk off a bottle of Jameson; and he was really good. I had a possibly life-changing epiphany. I gave an incredible motivational speech to some friends, but the cops ruined what I had convinced them to do. And I'm sure I did a bunch of other things that I can't remember; a year is a really long time. But the most important thing I did in 2009; at least I'm pretty sure it was in 2009, was that I did the single hardest thing I've ever had to do, which was curing my broken heart and getting over the greatest love of anything I have ever felt. My love for a girl named Alice Bishop. But that's a story for another time.

Well we've arrived at the final part, my best and most important blogs. Lets waste no time and dive right in:

Obviously my first top 10 was very important, but one that I want to mention is the post I made right after that. I foolishly tried to start a series and named this blog "Thunderbird's Unheard of Game Reviews #1" I reviewed Super Back to the Future 2. It got one comment, hilariously enough, saying that they couldn't wait for more. I never made another. Unheard of games are to hard to find because, well, they're unheard of.

Obviously my top 100 games has to be here, as well as my three retrospective blogs, which while they were excruciatingly long and tedious, were a blast to write. Who knows, I might eventually make another, we'll see.

But the one blog I really want to talk about is my Top 10 Mario Kart 64 Tracks. I don't think this was that great of a blog. I thought it was good, and it deserved the top post that it got, but I was really surprised by the fact that a lot of people think that this is one of, if not my best blog ever. Whitly has told me this, and when Falconpunch3 named me the 4th best g1 in a top 10 of his, he listed that as one of my best blogs, along side my top 100 list. I mean seriously people, there are 16 tracks in the game! That top 10 was a complete joke, I can't believe I even finished it! There are so many top 10's that I don't finish, I've been sitting on top 10 comedians forever, and I have the order and everything, I just haven't worked on it in forever. I really don't think that my top 10 Mario Kart 64 Tracks list was all that good. But if it really is my best work, I guess I have to mention it, even if I don't see what's so great about it.

Well that's it. It's been one of, if not the greatest year of my life, most of it due to everything I've given and gained from Screwattack. I love this site, it takes up an alarmingly high percentage of my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm Thunderbird, and let's hope for another amazing year here at the single greatest website in the whole damn world: Screwattack.com!

Drawing of Jeff

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:39:51 -0500

Hey everyone, it's Thunderbird, and I made another semi-decent drawing! This time I made an original drawing of Jeff from Earthbound, and I decided to put it on Screwattack. I had Jeff examining his glasses in this drawing, which I liked doing because it allowed me to imagine what Jeff's eyes actually look like. Also, to get the teal color of Jeff's outfit, I had to combine a blue and a green pencil, so that's why it looks really scratchy. I hope you all enjoy!

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (45-41)

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:37:39 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here again for another installment in my list of the top 100 video game songs of all time!

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

If you missed entries 50-46, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-50-46

And with that, onto the list.

45). Dire Dire Docks – Super Mario 64

Ahh, one of the most relaxing songs in a video game ever, Dire Dire Docks is just astounding. Now I don’t love Super Mario 64, but I do really like the music, and this is the best song in the game. It’s so quiet and serene, but offers so much emotion at the same time. Very simple, but very complex and elegant at the same time. The song starts off with just some sort of keyboard, playing this weird music that sounds more like ambience than actual music, but that soon changes as the captivating melody comes in. The song builds and builds very slowly, but effectively. Eventually a drum beat comes in, and while I don’t like the song as much by this point because I think it’s too active and the piece loses its artistic value, it’s still a really good song once that drum comes in. But still, even though the song jumps the metaphorical shark halfway through, it’s still fantastic. One of the first songs on this list that I can think of that I would describe as truly beautiful, that is one of the things that will become clear as this list gets closer to the end. More beautiful songs like Dire Dire Docks will start showing up. I hold that kind of beauty in high regard, and that’s why Dire Dire Docks is on this list.

44). Kakariko Village – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Oh dear god. While Dire Dire Docks started off the more beautiful music on this list, Kakariko Village takes it to an entirely different level. One of the saddest songs in a game that I can think of, the main two reasons why Kakariko Village is above Dire Dire Docks is that not only do I just like Kakariko Village more, but it doesn’t almost ruin the song by putting in a drum beat halfway through. I really love the instruments used in this song, the violin is just perfect for the mood of the song, and what I think is a flute comes in and only enhances the mood. The Kakariko Village theme knows what it’s good at, and it doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is; a beautiful, heartwrenchinly sad song. But at the same time, this song is almost happy. You know what this song sounds like? You know how right after something horribly sad has happened, you mourn for a while, and then you finally start to get better? This song sounds like that moment when you realize that life goes on. You’re still sad, you realize that you aren’t completely better yet, but you realize that you will be. This song sounds like sadness with a bit of hope thrown in (I cannot believe I actually just said that, and I’m even more perplexed that I actually think that I’m right about that description). How could I ever forget Kakariko Village on this list?

43). Overworld 2 Theme – Super Mario Bros. 3

After one of the saddest songs on this list, how could I not have one of the happiest? That’s just the way things work, and damn it if the Overworld 2 Theme from Mario 3 isn’t one of the happiest tunes I’ve heard in a game. Sure, there are much happier ones, but this is just such a giddy song that it automatically picks my mood up. It doesn’t hurt this song that Brentalfloss made an amazing version of it with some kickass lyrics, but we’re just talking about the original song, so I’ll stick to that. The plain plucky nature of this song is perfect for Mario, and one of the greatest songs in video game history. Now I’m not going to give too many of my opinions on Super Mario 3, a lot of people think it’s the greatest game ever, obviously I am not one of those people, but it’s an alright game, but I don’t even think it’s the best Mario platforming game. In my opinion, it goes New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros, and after that I tend not to think about it. But regardless of you opinion about Mario 3, the Overworld 2 Theme is pure greatness.

42). Hyrule Field Theme – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

One thing I love about this piece of music is that there are two completely different, and equally legitimate reasons why this song should be on this list. One is simple; this song rocks. It’s epic, feels regal but also modest at the same time. It fits the context that it’s played in perfectly. And while I’ll get back to the song, the other reason that I can think of of why this song should be on a list like this is mainly just because of where it was placed in Ocarina of Time. Everyone who’s reading this, go back and remember the first time you played Ocarina of Time. Hopefully there are some people reading this that weren’t little kids at this time, because then they can really relate to this. One thing that everyone mentions when Ocarina of Time comes up is how much it changed the face of gaming. One example people commonly site is the first time they walked out into Hyrule Field and saw the sun slowly moving across the sky. And what song was playing during that oh-so important moment in gaming history? This one. The Hyrule Field theme is burned into countless gamers minds as the theme to when gaming changed forever. That alone makes this song worthy of being on my list. The song itself is awesome, although I don’t really like the section when it gets kind of dark, because I feel like that regal, epic sound is lost, but that’s besides the point. This is perhaps one of the most remembered, and important themes in gaming history. And that’s why it’s on the list.

41). Agent Cruller’s Sacred Hall – Psychonauts

Wow. This song is just… wow. It’s dark, ominous, and incredibly epic, epic beyond belief. This song kind of inspires me to actually do things it’s that epic. I never thought that I would find a song that is so dark, yet still so beautiful. This song really sounds like it came right out of a movie, with the simple bassline, the dark tones, and those fantastic choral singers that are just loud enough so that you can barely hear them. Everything in this song from Psychonauts comes together in such a fantastic way that I can’t help but really take notice. And here’s the kicker; nothing in this song is that spectacular, aside from maybe the choral singers, but when everything combines, it creates something greater than the sum of its parts. In a way, that’s what I think of when I think about Psychonauts as a game in general; greater than the sum of its parts. Sure, the visuals are cool, the writing is great, it’s very creative, and the characters are unique, but when everything comes together in Psychonauts, it creates an amazing effect. I don’t remember exactly where I placed Psychonauts on my top 100 games list, but it was probably a little too low, although I really hate having to find the deep arrowheads to get the mental cobweb duster because I really really hate dealing with those bears and other psychokinetic forest animals. That part alone stopped me from beating the game. But let’s get back on point. Agent Cruller’s Sacred Hall is an impeccable theme from an impeccable game, and it truly deserves to be on my list.

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Round 2: SuperChunLi89 vs. MadMikeo14

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:51:15 -0500

My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest: Hosted by This Is A Podcas...

Ethan Putnam's Podcast

I don't want to write an intro, I say all that stuff in the recording.

Thunderbird's My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest Update. All participants still in the Contest MUST READ.

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:43:49 -0500

Hey everyone. Sorry this will be short, but I needed to make an extremely important announcement about the My Voice Doesn't Suck contest. I haven't received songs from many round 2 participants. Below is a list of everyone who needs to get me their song:

Tasteslikemocha

Darklinkdude77

DanteElDiablo

Brakywaki

MadMikeo14

That's everyone, so please, you 5 guys, get me your songs as soon as you can. I don't want to have to eliminate anyone, but I will if I have to. I'm not going to give any deadlines right now, but I do need these songs soon, or I will start DQ-ing people. Well, that's it for now, hopefully soon we can get some songs in and keep going with the second round of the My Voice Doesn't Suck Contest. There are only 4 matches left in round 2, so this late in the contest would be an awful place to have to replace people, but make no mistake, I will replace you if you don't get your songs in soon. Thanks, I'm Thunderbird, have a good night.

Thunderbird's Top 100 Video Game Songs (50-46)

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:48:23 -0500

Hey everyone, Thunderbird here again for another installment in my list of the Top 100 Video Game Songs ever! Before I get to the songs, I am pleased to announce that starting now, I'll be putting in the links for old installments if people missed them. I will only put links for installments that were numbers 55 and up, I'm not going that far back and editing everything just so people can see something that they'll see in the final list post.

If you missed entries 55-51, you can find them here: http://screwattack.com/blogs/Thunderbirds-blog/Thunderbirds-Top-100-Video-Game-Songs-55-51

And with that, let's get to the list.

50. Route 24 & 25 – Pokemon Red/Blue

Oh god, Pokemon has such good adventuring music! It was really hard deciding between this and route 11, but route 24 & 25 just barely wins out because while the route 11 theme is very epic, it is also kind of slow and ponderous. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just that for the feel of the game I think that the more upbeat tempo, feel, and melody of route 24 & 25 just works better. Now route 24 & 25 isn’t the most upbeat song ever, but the whole sound of the song, mostly from the rote snare drum beat, makes the listener feel like it’s more upbeat than it actually is. I really can’t stress how much that drum line makes this whole song. It sounds like something out of a military drum performance or something. Just a snare drum, a very simple beat, but it works amazingly. And the melody is the perfect compliment, moving around the beat with precision almost flawlessly. There’s also a lot of great harmony in this song, with a constantly shifting harmony that really compliments the melody. Basically, while the route 11 theme is some really great adventure music, route 24 & 25 is a better adventure theme. It’s better in pretty much every single way, so it had to be on this list.

49. General Shy Guy’s Theme – Paper Mario

The first thing people might notice about this theme is that it has a very similar rote snare drum line to the one that I talked about for the Route 24 & 25 theme, and yes, they would be correct. I just love those kinds of drum beats, I think that they’re full of energy, yet they always seem like they’re building energy up for another part of the theme, which is a very hard thing to accomplish. So when the General Shy Guy theme really masters it, I take notice, and I realize how great this theme really is. The song has two different parts, the build up part, with that rote snare line, also featuring some really cool horn parts and different harmonies, and then the song shift into a completely different style, with lots of what sounds like tribal instruments (possibly even a steel drum!), and strange background sounds. There’s some xylophone in there, and then as soon as you get accustomed to it, the song goes back to the build up part, with it’s dark, sinister sound. So, in short, the General Shy Guy theme is two great songs rolled up into one awesome package. How could I not include this on my list?

48. Mute City – F-Zero

Hahaha, I just love the intro to this song. The staccato notes just blatantly show how blippy the music sounds. It really does make me laugh. But the joking ends as soon as the Mute City theme goes into its melody. Holy crap is this triumphant! Really, triumphant is pretty much the best word I can possibly think of to describe this melody. This song is insanely catchy, and is one of those themes that lays dormant in the recesses of your mind, and then you hear it and it totally ruins your day. Well, not really ruins it, but your mind is basically occupied with nothing but Mute City for at least a few hours. That’s the power that the F-Zero soundtrack has; catchy, rocking songs that are just plain good. And Mute City is the best song on this soundtrack, far and away. Now I almost put in Mute City’s track from F-Zero X, but I felt like, while that theme is awesome, it’s a little overdone, and so much of the charm of F-Zero’s soundtrack for me is that it is 16 bit music, which I mostly find to be much more appealing than N64 music. But yeah, Mute City = Awesome.

47. Protoman’s Whistle – Mega Man 3

This is yet another example of how great the Mega Man series is at creating amazing memorable themes. Protoman’s Whistle from Mega Man 3 is a beautiful, pondering theme that is truly amazing. It starts off with just the signature whistle, and it creates a very beautiful melody. Then the harmony comes in, complimenting the melody perfectly, and the tune just builds from there, with a secondary melody that has a really interesting complimentary sound. It’s actually almost surreal listening to this song, because most memorable Mega Man songs are very fast paced and high energy, yet this song is the complete and polar opposite of that, slow, ponderous, and a more emotional tint to the music than most of the series other famous themes. However, Protoman’s Whistle is a welcome change of pace to the formula, and a great choice for this list.

46. Geno Forest – Super Mario RPG

One of the more interesting songs I’ve heard in any video game ever, the theme for Geno’s Forest maze is a half silly, half epic piece. The instruments used give the song a kind of silly or kiddy sound, but if you really listen, the melody is very epic, and very awesome. This song in a way represents the whole game of Super Mario RPG. On the outside a very silly game, but surprisingly deep and complex when actually experienced, and remembered by all with incredibly fond memories. Even hearing this song makes me remember all the great times I had playing Super Mario RPG. Dang that was a good game. It’s too bad I got stuck beyond repair in Smithy’s Factory, but still the game was fantastic. There’s great scores littered throughout Super Mario RPG, and this is easily the best one. It’s also probably the one people remember the most, and that has something to do with the Geno Forest music being on this list. When a theme is remembered as possibly the best song in an unforgettable game with tons of great music, you know that it has to be one of the greatest songs in video game history.

Drawing of Amingo

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:57:34 -0500

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the positive feedback, and constructive criticism, on my last drawing of Ness from Earthbound. I've made 2 drawings since then, and this is the first one I've finished. I decided to move to a subject that didn't really have hands so I could avoid my problems drawing them, so I went to Amingo. This is an original drawing (No deliberate copying from a picture on the internet this time!), and I think it turned out a lot better than my last one. I hope you all like it. Oh, and by the way, I couldn't think of what other MvC2 character to put as Amingo's "opponent", so I decided to use the Sandbag from Super Smash Bros. Yeah, I know it doesn't make much sense, but Amingo never really made any sense. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Thunderbird on The New Jersey News, and a Call to Stoners.

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:27:33 -0500

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/nyregion/12marijuana.html

Gentlemen, it is time to celebrate. I'm starting the call. All my pot-smoking g1 brothers and sisters leave a comment. Sure, it'll be hard to get unless you have cancer or something. But this is a step in the right direction. This is only the beginning. What am I doing to celebrate? I can't smoke, but I might have to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs anyway. And yes, I bought that DVD, so worth the $25.