Dealing With Dragons by Patricia Wrede is a really really great story! If you like Adventure, Dragons, talking amphibians, or even a rebellious princess, this is the series for you! A wonderfully brave princess Cimorene travels from her homeland fleeing being betrothed to a somewhat idiotic prince. Cimorene could be a good example of a jack of all trades, master of none, she knows some fencing, how to turn herself invisible, and best of all how to make a mean cherry jubilee!
This book has a sarcastic flair as well which can be hard to find in fantasy novels,but it really helps progress the storyline. The rest of the series is just as amazing so far! There are a total of four books so this can be a great way to spend a long weekend! I hope you all can make the time to read sometime soon!
Dr. Stiffler came to talk to us about atomic structure and he was a phenomenal presenter! He brought a variety of hands on equipment to illustrate his points the video below is two of the teens getting to play with sound waves!
*Note: The following
review is centralized around what is often thought of as the most
successful Juvenile Fiction franchise in the market. If you like these
stories, I would recommend not reading these reviews as they may cause
you to a) stop reading this series, b) grow extremely angry at Jax, or
c) grow a beard shaped like an anchor. Well, maybe not that last one.*
I
finally got around to reading 'Wimpy Kid 9: The Long Haul' after months
of waiting for my hold on it to be processed. I thought it was fairly
average. It was defenitely better than Hard Luck - my personal pick for
the worst in the series - but it still had a lot of dead weight from
previous titles 'Hauled' onto it. I thought that maybe it was just a
thing where sequels are worse than the originals because authors run out
of ideas, so I decided to go back to read the first in the series.
That's when I remembered something that I know a lot of people are going
to torch me for...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid was never a AAA book to start with.
No,
it wasn't even like a 6 outta 10 kind of bad, but rather a really bad
book. I know a lot of people call these some of the most influential
titles in recent Juvenile Fiction history, but all of that is just
because of the audience in mind: stubborn readers.
For
anyone who hasn't read anyone of the Wimpy Kid books, Diary of a Wimpy
Kid can easily be summarized as the Call of Duty of Juvenile Fiction. It
was popular enough to cause so many other authors to copy and paste the
same formula Kinney started just as a way of cashing in. So, let's dive
in to this mosh pit of a book, shall we?
I
usually start a review by looking at the positives of a book, but
that's where Diary of a Wimpy Kid fails. The only quality it gets right
is comedy. There are a few funny points here and there, but the rest of
the comedy comes in the form of toilet humor. I know that's the kind of
humor kids like most, but do you know why kids like that? Because the
authors always right like that.
It's
a case of the media controlling kids into believing something is
cool/bad/funny/hip just because everyone else does it. That's why 70% of
5 year old girls like 'Barbie', as it's just a case of the media
shoving that kind of product in the face of the consumer - but enough of
this. Let's get back to the book.
The
art style these books have are 'charming', but lazy. Jeff Kinney is a
talented man that has had a lot of experience working on Poptropica.com,
so I know he can make his illustrations much better. Goodness, even
'Dork Diaries' - a shameless rip-off of the 'Wimpy Kid' formula - has
better looking illustrations than this series!
Now, I know what you're all thinking; "Oh, but Jax, you shouldn't judge a book by the illustrations in it!"
Oh,
well, YES I CAN. If a book's main story is centralized around the
pictures telling most of the story with snippets of dialogue between
each picture, then it's fair game in my line of work. In fact, the Wimpy
Kid series feels more like a comic than a book.
I've
mentioned this before, but the central reason I hate these books is
because of Greg Heffley. He's our main character, so I should care about
him and sympathize for him and feel happy for him and all that jazz,
right? No. Honestly, everyone, Greg is not only a very snooty and
immature character, but the story is told from his perspective and
constantly reaffirms that Greg doesn't care about anyone else. Here are
little bits from the book where he messes up in being a character I
should care for:
-He
works on a comic strip with his friend Rowley and ends up quitting on
it because he runs out of ideas, leaving all responsibility for the
comic strip in Rowley's possession. Then, when Rowley gets popularity
for the comic, Greg gets mad at him because he didn't credit him for it -
despite the fact that Greg had no involvement in the revival of the
comic strip.
-Greg
tries to run for school Treasurer. His campaign posters involve nothing
but insults towards the other people running for that office.
-He
breaks the glasses of another character - Patty, to be exact - by
throwing apples at her. The reason why is because he wanted to 'get back
at Patty for stopping him from cheating on a state capital quiz.'
-He
terrorizes a group of children and Rowley gets framed for it. Even
worse in this instance is that Rowley ends up telling his teacher that
Greg was the one who caused the problem. A quote from it: "I can't
believe Rowley went and backstabbed me like that. I need to remember to
give my friend a lecture about loyalty." -_-
Oh,
and that's just a pinch of the problems. He does much more than this -
so much, in fact, that I would have assumed Greg was the antagonist of
the story if he wasn't the one TELLING the story.
Even
outside of Greg's morality issues, the story revolves way too heavy on
stereotypes. In my book, the only good stereotype that should ever be
consistently used to a point of 99% of books making use of it is 'The
Five Man Band': A trope that says that any team or group of lead
characters should be comprised of 1 leader, a brainy guy, a tough guy, a
rival/crush of the leader, and a team pet/friendly guy. Every other
stereotype out there is bland and repetitive and really doesn't feel as
fresh when everyone and their mother is making use of it. All the 'best'
ones in the Trope Bible are here. "Jerk older brother", "Bullied best
friend", "Teacher with no defining traits"...
Speaking
of which, that's another thing. This book - despite featuring over 50
different characters - makes no attempt to try and delve into the
individual personality of anyone but Greg. Why would they do that? I
don't want to read a book where the only character with any individual
traits is a jerk! Average teachers, average classmates, average family,
the gang's all here. Whoop dee doo.
Does the term 'Wimpy' even do justice to Greg's characteristics? The defenition of a wimp is 'to show timidityorcowardice; chicken out.'
Yeah, sorry Dictionary.com, but I don't think I would use that term to
describe someone who chases kindergarterners around with worms stuck
onto a stick. I'm not really feeling it.
Bottom
line, people need to stop encouraging Kinney. The more praise the
franchise gets, the less time Mr. Kinney will spend trying to ensure
quality. This will result in more and more new Juvenile
Fiction franchises dropping to the same level of quality as
these. People need to start speaking up about this franchise and how
it's ruining everyone's perspective on how to appeal to a youth
audience. Maybe someday I'll write a book. If I do, I can guarantee that
I'll be using Wimpy Kid for reference on what NOT to do.
In my more recent of years of
gaming, I really haven't played a 'new' game that really blew me away.
Sure there were a lot of titles that I loved, like 'Super Mario Galaxy',
'Portal 2', and even 'Super Smash Brothers 4'. However, I ended up
receiving Sonic Generations for Christmas of 2014, and it was defenitely
one of the grandest experiences of my gaming life.
Let
me momentarily say this: Sonic Generations is not a perfect game. There
is no such thing as a perfect game. That said, however, Sonic
Generations does such a good job of combining old school Sonic
conventions with the new that it ends up feeling so close to perfect
without actually reaching it.
I
would touch up on the plot of this game, but it's defenitely the
weakest point of the experience. It's every crossover plot ever written:
A portal appears out of nowhere, sucks Modern Sonic and his friends up,
and then they get Time Travel'd all the way to 1991- or more specific,
Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic The Hedgehog game. Modern Sonic
teams up with Classic Sonic to defeat Modern Dr. Robotnik, who has
allied himself with Classic Dr. Robotnik. Yeah, it's predictable on
every corner, but a Video Game honestly doesn't need to have a story to
be good.
Sonic
Generations is split up into 2 gameplay styles. Act 1 levels are played
as Classic Sonic and feature 2D Side-scrolling gameplay. These levels
focus on tight platforming and run at a fairly smooth pace, providing a
solid experience that is just as good as the original Genesis titles.
Act 2 levels are played as Modern Sonic and focus on a combination of 2D
AND 3D platforming. The Modern levels also focus primarily on speed
rather than tight platforming, making the game feel like one long
marathon.
The beauty of
Sonic Generations and it's gameplay is in replay value. While the main
game is rather small, featuring only 18 Acts and a few Boss battles, the
game makes up for this in the level design itself. Every level features
multiple routes that encourage playing through certain levels over and
over to find the route that is the quickest and/or most enjoyable to
play through.
Speaking
of beauty, Sonic Generations features a really well done graphical
display. Everything is colorful and feels distinct within each level.
Even levels with similar appearances have enough color variation to feel
like fresh each time. The character animations do end up feeling a bit
out of place in certain cutscenes because of how they incorrectly
contrast the level they are in, but because of how the story means
nothing to the actual gameplay, this is easily ignored.
The
sheer amount of fanservice this game features (I don't mean in the
filthy kind of way) is absolutely crazy. There are tons of unlockeable
music remixes, some of which from the more obscure titles in the
franchise. Remixes are featured from games varying from Sonic Advance 3
to as far as Knuckles Chaotix, and there's even a remix from Sonic Mega
Collection, which was just a compilation title!
Oh,
but Sonic Generations is not perfect, like I mentioned. In fact,
because of how much good there is in the game, it makes the bad portions
feel even worse!
First
off, all the levels in the game are inspired by levels from previous
Sonic games. For the most part, that's fine, because the level selection
is fairly strong. Chemical Plant, City Escape, Planet Wisp, and more
are all good choices, but WHY IS CRISIS CITY IN THIS GAM-
Sorry,
lost my train of thought. Now, Crisis City from Sonic '06. This level
is beyond broken. It is just way too flip-flopped and there is little
consistency. This is especially true to the Act 2 version of the level,
because of how the level keeps switching between speed-based platforming
and precise platforming. A good analogy for it would be riding your
bike at 20 mph down a straight path, but out of nowhere there are a
bunch of precise turns you have to make, meaning you need to slow down
and lose that incredible experience of speed.
Also,
this game introduces a very unenjoyable mechanic called 'Skills'. They
act as sort-of power ups that you can equip that give you bonuses. The
problem? Most of Sonic's trademark moves from previous games can only be
accessed by using these 'Skills' the one that angers me most is the one
skill that prevents you from having to take time to get up after taking
damage. Sonic is the fasting thing alive, why would HE need to take his
sweet time just to recover?!? He doesn't do that in any other Sonic
game in existance, not even Sonic '06 or Sonic Shuffle, so why does he
have to here?!?
Challenge
Mode is also a thing here. Every individual Act has 5 Challenges that
are 'optional' to play through, meaning that there are a total of 90 of
them in the game. They keep the game lasting long enough so it doesn't
feel like an unsatisfactory purchase, but some of them are really bad to
play through.
Ones that come to mind are the Doppleganger races.
I
normally like rival races in games, but in these races, it's just to
see who gets to the end. Since your doppleganger isn't affected by
anything you do, and you aren't affected by it, it turns the missions
into average Time Trials with a shadow running alongside you to show if
you're doing good or bad. That's boring.
Also, I say 'optional' to
play through with very loose air quotations because the game requires
you, once every few levels, to beat a few of these Challenges in order
to reach the next leg of the game. It throws off the pacing so much that
I just end up completing all the Challenges for that Act at once, just
because I don't like to have to leave missions un-finished. My
Completionist side is ruining my Sonic experience :(
And
finally, the boss battles. There are a few cool rival battles within
the game that act as a sort-of 'Sub Boss', which are really enjoyable,
but the rest are just average. Many of them often involve waiting, and
more waiting, and MORE waiting. As Arin Hanson once said: "Waiting isn't
hard, but it gives off the illusion of difficulty because it causes the
battle to become an ordeal."
Still,
don't let any of the above issues derail you from getting this game.
It's otherwise perfect, and on the same level of quality as Sonic 3
& Knuckles, which is my favorite game ever! I wouldn't say that you
NEED to get a PS3 or XBOX360 just to have this game, but anyone who ever
gets either of those consoles needs to make sure that they get this
title to go with their bundle.
Sonic Generations earns my seal of approval any day.
Big Hero 6 is a really great movie. Yes, it is. I'm not trying to butterscotch up this movie as a joke, it really is quite good.
The
premise is, as strange as it seems, not so simple. It's about a young
boy named Hiro Hamada, who likes to compete in a special kind of sport
that involves combat between small robots. Kind of like Pokémon,
honestly. His older brother, Takeshi, creates a special kind of robot
for healthcare named 'Baymax', and Baymax later inspires Hiro to create
his own personalized robots that can benefit mankind, outside of the
robot combat that he's so familiar with. I really can't say much about
the story and the plot without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that. It
may seem straight-forward at first, but it really isn't the obvious
"Good vs Bad" plot you would expect.
For being an animated movie
about robots, Big Hero 6 is actually quite emotional. There are many
sudden tear-jerking moments, and the plot can get a bit difficult to
follow if you are a younger viewer.
This movie also has a lot of
comedy. A lot of it. The best part about it is that the comedy is
usually used for relief, allowing viewers to quickly get a bit of a
chuckle after a tense moment.
The animation quality is just as
stunning as Frozen, which was really the only part of Frozen I
enjoyed.(It's a long story, but anyone who hasn't heard my Frozen
opinions can see them here: It mixes just right with the cartoony vibe of the movie and the
serious tone of the plot, though it stays away from the realistic tone
used in things like 'The Adventures Of Tintin'.
So,
I finally found something to review that's perfect, right? No. I mean, I
did do a review of Tangled back in the day that I gave a perfect score,
but that was prior to me moving to my writing phase. I didn't really
have a good concept of critical reviewing at the time, and now I've
grown to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect
game/movie/book. So, what are the biggest flaws in Big Hero 6?
First
off, the comedy can become grating in many spots. There are at least a
total of 3 parts in the movie where an entire movie is dedicated to a
slow-moving joke. It really throws off the pacing of the movie, and
while the jokes are still quite funny in those parts, they do overstay
their welcome.
Oh, don't even get me started on the 'Supporting'
characters. Y'know, pretty much everyone that isn't the hero, his robot,
or the villain. Many of them have one-sided personalities that can get
quite annoying, especially since this movie follows the obvious trope of
a 'Five-Man Band' plus a robot.
Lastly, the music. Unlike Frozen,
Big Hero 6 doesn't really have a song that just 'sticks' to it. Yet, I
personally like that choice, because I do NOT need a second 'Let It Go'
in my life. Thankfully, the choice of outside group music is still good,
especially a quick joke revolving around 'Eye Of The Tiger'.
Even
with the decent amount of flaws it has, Big Hero 6 is still a great
movie. It comes to home video pretty soon, so if you're around the
library in the next month or so and you see a copy of it, pick it up.
It's defenitely worth your time.
Around here, I'm usually known
as 'The guy that only reviews things he doesn't like', and it isn't a
lie. Like I've mentioned, I prefer to tackle things that I think are
bad, because comedy is richest when it is derived from something that
isn't pleasing.
However,
instead of being the usual me, I want to step out of my comfort zone
and do something different. Something that is, dare I say it, ENJOYABLE!
(dun-dun-duuun) And, honestly. I don't think that I can find anything
more enjoyable than Video Gaming.
I've
never personally done a Top 10 here before, but like I said, that
comfort zone is pretending to be on a coffee break today. He isn't here,
so I can make this list however I like. So, my personal Top 10 Favorite
Video Games I've ever played! Any rules for this list? Just one. I'm
only list 1 game per franchise, so don't expect to see 2 or more 'Sonic'
titles on here.
So, as 'The Black Eyed Peas' always say, "Let's get it started in here!" Top 10, go!!!
#10 Pac-Attack (SNES, GENESIS)
Pac-Attack
is nothing more than a simple puzzle game. Think along the lines of
something like 'Tetris' or 'Dr. Mario', and you should get the picture.
Tiles
and Ghosts are falling down, and you direct them to the bottom of the
screen. Once in a while, a Pac-Man will start falling, and it will eat
any ghosts in his way. The game is simple, relaxing, and absolutely a
blast to play with friends, thanks to the inclusion of a nifty 1 on 1
mode. Combine it with a catchy soundtrack, and I'd say that Pac-Attack
is quite a pleasure.
My family has owned the game ever since the
days of the original Sega Genesis, and I've played it ever since I was
three. Any age should be able to find out how to play quickly, and even a
grand-parent could learn it, earning this number 10 spot easily.
#9 Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (PS2, ARCADE)
Music
games, you love 'em or hate 'em. Me? Love 'em. It is kind of hard to
grasp them if you aren't talented in the rhythmic category, but DDR
Extreme is still a blast.
All you have to do is hit notes as they
rise to the top of the screen, while following the beat of music. The
reason I chose DDR Extreme over any other DDR game for this list is
because it has my personal favorite selection of songs to play to,
including 'YMCA'.
The more curious thing about DDR Extreme is that
even though the Arcade version was Japanese exclusive, many spots in the
USA have cabinets for the game, including Six Flags Great America. If
Six Flags can import DDR, you KNOW they have good taste. Don't question
it.
Many
games can take a huge team to develop. Some games even require the work
of several companies! How many people made Cave Story?
Just one man, named Daisuke 'Pixel' Amaya.
While
the game does have a very simplistic art style, this can be forgiven
easily thanks to pretty much everything else in the game. As the name
implies, Cave Story has a very grand tale that contains many
heart-warming moments, along with even a few plot twists that might jerk
a tear out of you.
The gameplay is incredible, mixing up
Metroid-Vania exploration with the brilliant projectile combat from the
Mega Man and Contra franchises. The worlds are varied, the weapons are
all unique, and that soundtrack.
THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
Cave Story is
brilliantly composed, with a varied amount of tracks that always mix up
the tone of the game in just the right way. Some are catchy, some are
dark, and others just feel so nice.
If you haven't played Cave Story
yet, there is literally no reason not to. The original japanese game is a
free download from the creator itself, and you can probably find a
translation patch for it without much difficulty. The game has also seen
several re-releases on WiiWare, Steam, and just a few years back, a 3D
remake was released for the 3DS. All the versions are great, so pick up
at least 1 of them!
#7 Gunstar Heroes (GENESIS)
Most
of my descriptions for the other games on this list have all been
because they mix solid gameplay with a very nice atmospheric feel.
Well, Gunstar Heroes takes those games and throws them into a First Class airplane sent to Norway, because this game is crazy!
Gunstar
Heroes is a mess, in a good way. It was developed by Sega alongside
Treasure, a company that is famous for many cult classics like Dynamite
Headdy, Sin & Punishment, and even Alien Soldier.
This game is
truly madness incarnate. The game starts up quickly, you choose a weapon
and level, and then go. Enemies are all over the place, the soundtrack
pumps up every moment of the game, and everything is just, WOW.
Literally, the best word to describe this game is with the word 'wow'.
Oh,
and the boss battles. If you want to play a game just for boss battles,
play Gunstar Heroes. Right now, guys. The boss battles are awesome.
Couple
everything I just mentioned with a fantastic 2 player mode, and I don't
really think anyone can call this game 'bad'. It may not be my favorite
game on this list, but is probably one of the most flawless of the
bunch.
#6: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GameCube)
Mario
is the Mickey Mouse of gaming, really. Pretty much every Mario title
out there is great, and Paper Mario TTYD is my favorite.
I'm not
really an RPG guy, but I can really say that Paper Mario TTYD does an
excellent job of mixing story telling, unique art styles, and swell
combat. Everything is user friendly, and isn't hard to learn at all.
Experience
Grinding is nowhere to be found here, which really allows the user to
control the pace of the game. Do you want to continue your quest, or do a
side quest first to obtain a new item? The little choices like that
help make the game feel fresh in spots that would normally feel mundane.
Paper
Mario TTYD (I should stop calling it that) is almost like a children's
pop-up book. Everything is so delicately crafted, and anyone that can
still afford a copy of this game should defenitely play it. It is worth
it in every way.
#5 Pokémon TCG 2: Here Comes Team Great Rocket! (GBC)
If
it wasn't painfully obvious by the constant notes I leave at the end of
my entries, then I'll say it again: I love the Pokémon Trading Card
Game to death. So much so, that this game is the only entry in the list
that was exclusive to Japan!
So, if this game is Japanese, how have I been able to play it? Simple. English Patch, works every time.
Onto the game itself, it's the Pokémon TCG, no duh.
Here
Comes Team Great Rocket features Base Set, Jungle Expansion, and Fossil
Expansion from the first game, and much more. The biggest addition to
the game is the inclusion of Team Rocket, the set released after Fossil.
In addition, many cards that were originally Japan exclusive, like the
Vending Machine cards and promos from the Ivysaur vs Wartortle Deck Set
are available, and it really helps make the battles feel varied, based
on the kind of deck you choose to play.
Outside of the cards
themselves, many of the players you fight against in the game have their
own rules on how to play against them, such as Lightning Types doing
more damage, or Special Energy not allowed. The little things like this
help this game go from a simple TCG to a curious melting pot full of
lots of creative ways to play.
#4 Little Big Planet 2 (PS3)
If my 6-year old self knew what LittleBigPlanet was, he probably would have fainted from happiness.
I
love Level Editors. A lot. I've always wanted to make my own game, and
thanks to Little Big Planet 2, I've been able to create so much.
Little
Big Planet, as a franchise, isn't about the main campaign and the
standard platforming it features. It's about that amazing Creator mode.
I'm serious when I say that if you can think it, you can probably make
it in LBP2 in one way or another. An battle tank? Sure. A jet-propelled
sled? Probably. An entire castle to explore through? Go right ahead.
I've been able to create a headset that fires blobs of glue that cement
themselves into traversible platforms. Yeah.
There is nothing else
like Little Big Planet 2 in terms of creativity scale. There is so much
you can do in this game, if you know how to.
Do you know limitless
this game is? I found a playable level that recreates the entirety of
the first dungeon from the first Legend Of Zelda game.
There. Is. No. Comparison.
#3 Super Smash Brothers (2014) (Wii U, 3DS)
Nothing can even begin to descripe Super Smash Brothers, and it is honestly the greatest Nintendo franchise in existence.
Super
Smash Brothers has a perfect blend. Unlike more complicated fighting
games like Street Fighter and BlazBlue, Super Smash Brothers plays out
more like a platformer game where you fight other players. The controls
are really simple to pick up and learn, allowing for pretty much anyone
to start winning within a round or so.
Because of the near-endless
amount of customization, you can change the game from an ultra
competitive 1 on 1 match, to a randomized 8-player brawl with randomly
spawning items. On the more technical side, Wii U/3DS Smash excels over
Melee and Brawl because of how much balance there is in the speed. Melee
was too fast, Brawl was too slow, but this one is just right.
Oh,
and the character roster? Probably the best of any video game ever made.
You have your popular guys, like Mario, Link, Sonic, Pac-Man, Pikachu,
but then there are the more obscure ones and fan favorites, like Mega
Man, Robin, Ness, Shulk, Wii Fit Trainer, and more. The sheer amount of
diversity in the choice of characters is so grand, that pretty much
anyone could find someone that they can cling to.
The soundtrack may
just be one of the most diverse ever written. In addition to several
original compositions, the game features several remixes of songs from
other games, of many vary genres.
Super Smash Brothers for Wii U and
3DS is kind of hard to really give a true opinion on, because you
really have to go into the technical portions of the Smash chronology to
really be able to make opinions about it. So, I will leave you with
this:
Super Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS is my favorite Nintendo game ever made.
#2 Mega Man Battle Network 6 - Cybeast Falzar (GBA)
When
I started getting older, I'd say about 10 years old, I went through a
phase where I started noticing flaws in video games much easier. Many of
what used to be my favorite games, like Mario Party 5, Sonic Adventure
2, and movie tie-in games. Yet, there was one game that I could just go
and play any time, and I would feel nothing but happiness...
As I've
said before on this blog (An obscure DS vs PSP post) and elsewhere, I
really love Mega Man Battle Network 6, more specifically the Cybeast
Falzar version. The gameplay is kind of like an RPG, but throws so many
curveballs into the mix that the game ends up feeling like nothing else.
Battles
are done on a 6x3 grid, and fights are played through in a complex
formula revolving around 'Battle Chips', which are kind of like Pokémon
cards to a certain extent.
Just like the Pokémon TCG, the huge
amount of Battle Chips is what allows for complex design when building
your strategy, and the game has a very futuristic art style and
soundtrack that compliments each of the characters very well.
The
story is very difficult to understand if you haven't played through 1-5,
but it is quite an interesting conclusion to the series.
Mega Man
Battle Network 6 is a greatly underrated game, and it's a shame that not
many people have played it. Considering that Battle Network 1 and 2
have already come out as downloads for Wii U, it's just a matter of time
before the eShop sees the release of this one. It's defenitely worth
the price, as I've spent 100+ hours on this game already!
#1 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (Genesis, PC, GameCube, Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox360, DS)
Sonic
is a great platformer series. It combines complex platforming with
incredible speed that can literally be found in no other game. On the
top of that Sonic pyramid is Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which is my favorite
game ever made.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was originally planned to be a
complete title, but it had to be cut in half because of release date
deadlines. The second half was later released as a sequel called 'Sonic
& Knuckles', which featured a special bonus cartridge slot that you
could connect many other games to. So, what would happen if you
connected Sonic 3?
Boom, now you can play Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Not
only does it allow for the entirety of the game to be played in 1
straight save-enabled file, but it allows you to play as any of the 3
characters, along with many new soundtrack changes and slight variations
to certain levels.
As for the game itself, It's brilliantly designed
to the point of near-perfection. Every level is unique, and none of
them are dull. Because of the endless supply of alternate routes in each
level, the game allows for lots of creativity in the choice of
traversing through each level.
Just like every other game I've
listed, the soundtrack is great. However, what makes it so great? Well, a
very special person helped compose it. A fellow you might know by the
name of Michael Jackson.
I
have already played through and Completed Sonic 3K at least 7 times,
and I would be willing to do it again any day. In fact, I think I might
do that right now.
If
you happen to have a favorite video game, leave your thoughts below.
The viewership is what helps this blog stay alive, so all opinions are
appreciated!
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