" For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." -Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics
Practice makes perfect. You wouldn't try to run a marathon the day you decided to start doing marathons, just like you wouldn't try to paint a 50,000$ dollar painting the first day you started painting. If I'm really interested in working with some friends to create a game-loving group that shares videos on a regular basis, I would like to work on some videos of my own.
Above is one of Chas's, or Zerbraxi as he goes by in the gaming world, videos on his youtube channel. If you took the time to watch it you'll notice he has a nice flow, and is enjoyable to watch. He puts a lot of time into his creations, and they are enjoyable to watch. I'd like to get a to a point of polish as chaz has gotten with a lot of the videos he has made.
So what kind of videos should I start with? Just anything? I think it would be easier to gauge how effective my videos are becoming if I pick a series and stick with it. That way I can see the improvements, and take advice for future videos. I may start other series, possibly one about speedrunning or similar, or maybe just random videos. Either way, I'd like to do this new series regularly, maybe even on a weekly basis.
N64 Game of the Week
So, I found my self playing replaying Majora's Mask for the first time in the better part of a decade. It had literally been so long, I didn't remember any of the puzzles, dungeons, boss strategys... nothing. Let me just say: It was AWESOME.
The Nintendo 64 is often crowned one of the greatest, if not the greatest, gaming console ever made. And there are so many great games I either haven't played in years and years, or haven't played at all. So I think it would be fun to play a game on the N64, and sort of review it in a video. I won't give it a number rating cause I think that's silly, but perhaps all give a recommendation or something at the end of the video.
I've already compiled a list of games I plan on doing for this series sometime in the future. If you can think of a great game on the N64 that is not on this list, let me know!
007 - Golden Eye Banjo Kazooie Banjo Tooie Bomberman 64 Bomberman 64 - The Second Attack Bomberman Hero Conker's Bad Fur Day Donkey Kong 64 F-Zero X Glover Kirby 64 The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time The Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask Mario Kart 64 Mischief Makers Quest 64 Rayman 2 - The Great Escape (Randy says I need more Rayman in my life.) Star Fox 64 Super Mario 64 Super Smash Bros Yoshi's Story My first video will probably be out in the first week or two of November. As for what game I'll be doing? It'll be a surprise until I release it, and I'm not entirely sure at the moment which I'd like to start with. Either way, you better believe I'll make a new post about it when I do! Game on, Andrew
A few months ago, around August I believe, I discovered something by accident. At the time I had no idea just how much my finding was going to effect how I enjoyed video games. Video games I hadn't touched in years, but still loved, felt like I had done everything I could do playing them.
In Ocarina of Time, I had beaten the game countless times, I had found every heart pieces, beat every side quest and gotten every item. In Bomberman 64, I had gotten every gold card, every custom costume piece, and beat the whole game on hard mode difficulty. Several other old games I had been playing since childhood fell under this catagory. What else can you do with these games? Sure, I could play through the story again, and for many games like this I have. I had only wished to go back to the day of my first time playing these games so I could experience the whole game from scratch again. It seemed like that was the only way to get something new out of it.
Or was it?
During one of my late night surfing expeditions on YouTube, I was looking up Zelda videos. I can't remember why I was, or what I was looking for, but I do remember what I stumbled upon.
Discovering Speedrunning
This video introduced me to a guy named Cosmo Wright, a very popular person in the speedrunning community. Watching this video for the first time, I had never heard of speedrunning before, and was totally awe struck seeing the game beat in roughly 22 mins. I highly suggest you watch the video.
I was dumb founded. I continued to do more research and look through more of Cosmos videos. I wound go on to find out this speed running thing was not just in Ocarina of Time or just in Zelda games. It was a style of game play found in a grand majority of old school games. I continued to look through Speeddemosarchive.com to look for games I might be interested in speedrunning.
Okay, I just brought up a lot at once. Let's break it down and talk about a few of the things I mentioned in the past paragraph or so.
What is speedrunning?
Speedrunning can be defined as a play-through of a whole video game or a selected part of it (such as a single level) performed with the intent of completing it as fast as possible, optionally under certain prerequisites, mainly for the purposes of entertainment and competition.
In short, speedrunning became a new way for people to play old video games and added replay value to games that have been out for a while. Games like I had mentioned in my introduction to this post.
Speedruns are often broadcasted on Twitch.tv, where viewers watch people play video games.
What is AGDQ?
I later found out that the specific video above was recorded at AGDQ, or Awesome Games Done Quick. AGDQ is a bi-annual gaming marathon, it's summer counter part dubbed Summer Games Done Quick, where a bunch of the famous and world record holding speedrunners get together and speedrun video games. They put up a donation button where views can donate money for charity purposes and is often highly successful. Last January's AGDQ raised $448,423.27 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Just shy of half a million dollars.
I've made it my goal to one day go to this event and contribute, as I firmly believe it is quite possibly one of the greatest things that has ever happened to video games.
Becoming a speedrunner
In early September, I started to practice speedrunning one of my favorite N64 games via livestream on Twitch.tv, Bomberman 64. Within a month I got myself just 4 mins off the world record, and plan to continue until I break it. I still want to speed run other games such as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Paper Mario, Metroid II, and other games I truly enjoy.
Since I started speedrunning I've met a few famous speedrunners. I met Animeowzerz shortly after creating a twitter account around my speedrunning, and FootBigMike during one of my speedrunning broadcasts. Both of which are AGDQ veterans and Bomberman 64 speedrunners, with Mike holding several Bomberman 64 World Records.
For those interested in seeing more of cosmos videos or watching me speedrun, I'll provide some links.
A screen shot of Skyward Sword. Provided by Game Informer.
Not so long ago, one of my best friends Chaz (Who goes by Zerbraxi on youtube. Check him out.) did a video of his top 10 favorite Zelda songs. Ever since I watched that video, going on 2 months now, I've done nothing but thought of my own top 10 list. I thought of how it compared to his, while being vastly different in it's own right. For those of you who didn't see his video I suggest you watch it before reading the rest of this post, as it serves as a second opinion for a top 10 Zelda songs list.
Without further delay, I give you my own personal top 10 favorite Zelda songs!
DISCLAIMER: Just a heads up, I have no qualms about revealing spoilers, so natrually they exist in this Top 10.
Number 10 - The Palace of Winds (The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap)
Let me just take a second and say that Minish Cap, like Chaz said in his count down, is an extremely underrated Zelda game. I can see why because it picks up kind of slow and the first few dungeons range from 'Meh' to almost 'This is boring'.
It wasn't until this dungeon, which was like the 5th in the game, that I was able to sit back and realize how amazing this game really was. The Palace of Winds stands out as one of my favorite 2D Zelda Dungeons ever, and the music that supports it is really unique in a way where it knows it's place; It's not trying to be overly epic, its simple and melodic, and all at the same time it still has that hint of anxiety that you need to find the last element hidden here to save Hyrule.
Number 9 - The Shadow Temple (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
Holy sweet owl feathers... When I was around 12 years old I had finally gotten to this temple, and boy did it give me nightmares. Of course, now it stands out as my single favorite temple in Ocarina of Time and quite possibly one of my favorite dungeons, period. How much Chaz likes the Spirit Temple is my comparison for this place. It is captivatingly creepy and sends thrilling chills up your spine several times during your tour of the so called "The House of the Dead". (As Sheik puts it.)
The music here really sets the tone for how creepy this place is, and even has an edge of mystery that helps suggest you aren't really sure what this place was used for when the Sheikahs weren't extinct...
Number 8 - Sacred Grove (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
The events that lead up to getting the Master Sword are among my favorite in the Zelda games, and I think it's fair to say Twilight Princess does it the best. For a long time I didn't understand why I thought it did until I realized something, because it reminds me of getting the master sword in A Link To the Past, which makes it incredibly nostalgic.
In fact, I'd go as far to say that one of the many reasons why Twilight Princess is one of the best games in the series is because of how many times it nods to it's previous games. The whole game feels like a nostalgic overload of the entire Zelda franchise.
Seriously. Example time.
-The Forest Temple: Although completely different, The Kokiri Emblem is on pretty much every door.
-The battle with Possessed Zelda is very similar to the fight with Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, which uses the reoccurring "Deadmans Volley" strategy.
-Both the Sacred Grove and The Gerudo Desert have a very similar vibe to the Desert of Mystery and the Haunted Grove in A Link to The Past.
There are many other of these "vibes" that can be felt or seen while playing the game. Next time you do a play through of Twilight Princess I urge you to watch out for these.
But yeah, anyway, back to the song. In short, it's an offical remastered version of the Lost Woods theme from Ocarina of Time. The song itself invokes a sense of wonder and mystery the expands on the already impressive Lost Woods theme.
Number 7 - Stone Tower Temple [Inverted] (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask)
I still remember how I squealed in gamer glee the first time I flipped the Stone Tower Temple upside down. The whole concept for this temple was genius. This music is creepy and sinister while having that almost mountain tribal feel and sticks to the style of the dungeon really, really well.
On a side note: As much as I love Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and The Minish Cap, none of the songs from these games made into my top 6. My top 6, in fact, is entirely dominated by just 3 games...
Number 6 - Ancient Cistern (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
Holy crap the music in this game is awesome. While many aspects of Skyward Sword seem to pale before it's predecessors, it's music does not. In fact, I might go as far as to say that Skyward Sword has the best music in the entire series as a single game.
As far as the dungeon goes, Ancient Cistern is one of the highlights of the game. The temple is really well designed and the concept was incredibly unique, even by Zelda standards.
Number 5 - Sword Search (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening)
So you just started your adventure on the dream island Koholint. You wake up and get your shield back, and find out you have to work your way to the wreckage of your ship on the beach in order to find your sword. During that entire sequence this music plays. It really sets the tone for the entire game, and it goes to show that one of the many strengths of the Zelda series is how well they set you up for adventure from the get go.
To me, this song is comparable to how Chaz reviewed the Hyrule Castle Town theme from The Minish Cap.
I love this game with a burning passion. Like seriously. It's amazing.
Number 4 - Fi's Farewell (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
All my feels. This song. Seriously, this song makes the song of healing sound like freaking elevator music, and that is NOT easy to do. This song is simply gorgeous, and is easily one of the greatest touchy-feely songs in the series.
I really don't have much else to say. Chaz's review on this song was spot on.
Number 3 - Makar's Prayer (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
If I had to pick one scene in the entire game, which contained this one song, which was the sole reason for me replaying the game over and over it would be this song. The twin violins and the deep vocals in the background when it drops is absolutely awe-inspiring.
I know it's only 30 seconds long, and I know it's only a piece of the Wind Waker main theme, but this version of the famous main theme of Wind Waker left it's impression on me more than any other song in this game, and it goes to show how powerful it is considering it's length.
Number 2 - Tal Tal Heights (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening)
Remember how much I said I loved this game a few spots ago? I wasn't kidding. In fact it just might be my favorite game in the entire series. I truly feel like if someone asked me "Hey, I've never played Zelda. What game should I play first?" I would throw this game at them.
Now, about the song. After 6 grueling dungeons, you're on your way to the final real test (Eagle Tower in the East and Turtle Rock to the West) before you go to the Wind Fish's Egg. The entirety of your climb up the hazardous Tal Tal Heights is accompanied by this 8-bit master piece. It's hard to believe this song was on the original Game Boy. Not the Color, the FIRST Gameboy, you know, black and white and stuff.
Anyway, I always looked forward to this part of the game. Simply for the music, and I feel that's saying a lot for my favorite game in the series.
Number 1 - Lanayru Mining Facility [Past] (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
Maybe, I'm biased. Maybe, I love mallet instruments such as the Marimba, Xylophone, and the Vibes. Regardless, these instruments give a really toned sound that I've always thought would be perfect for a Zelda dungeon. And I apparently I was right: this song is literally flawless. I could listen to this for hours...
No seriously, I've used this song to listen to while working on stuff in Minecraft, spriting, and even while writing KH: Concrete Hope. I freaking love how well this song meshes with exploration, discovery, and adventure.
So anyways, for any of you that read this far thanks! Leave some comments as to what your favorite songs are from this beloved series, and remember, I'm never trying to make a point, I'm just cooking food for thought.
Being out here in Yuma, I don't have access to my bad ass desktop computer or most of my consoles. I have just my old, falling apart laptop and my 3DS. Being someone who plays Video Games pretty much constantly, (I love it.) I'm always looking for new games to try and get addicted to. A lot of people in the shop have been talking about 'Casual Gaming'. Things like games for your iPhone, Android, Tablet, Laptop... pretty much anything that is a portable. It wasn't until I got bored and decided to try a few games on Google Play did I notice that 'Casual Gaming', in my experience, has changed.
For the longest time I always thought of games like Mafia Wars, tower defense games, and the such as casual games. They were games that you could play during lunch break, while you were waiting in line, and beating them either wasn't the goal or it was really easy. It was simply meant as a means to entertain you while you waited for something else, unlike console games or what many would call 'Hardcore Gaming.' I really think the lines between these to categories are starting to blur a bit. Most noticeably, games made for Nintendo consoles have been catering to all age groups, giving an immerse, yet non-gamer friendly feel while still hitting some hardcore gaming aspects. The other side of the spectrum are phone games which are becoming more and more intuitive and have more depth. Some phone games are literally full, feature length games made by Square Enix and other popular gaming companies.
So what does this all mean? I think there is a large selection of game designers that are starting to find that happy medium between being a grossly difficult game with rewarding experiences, and more laid back games which aren't very stress inducing and are fairly easy to understand, but are still fun. It's not really a bad thing, and depending on how it's done it can be an absolutely brilliant.
Galaxy Defense - An Android based game.
I have two examples I'd like to share from both ends of the spectrum.
Take Galaxy Defense for Android as one. It's a simple phone game; it has 40 levels split across 10 worlds where you place, upgrade, and repair towers to fight off hordes of aliens. It's extremely simple at first but becomes insanely difficult at later levels and requires a lot of planning ahead, strategy, and logical use of resources. It's a casual game that quickly turns into a hardcore frenzy that had me spending hours playing the same 3-4 levels to get to the next world.
It's a really fun game with good looking graphics, music and game play, and if you have a droid, you should definitely give it a try.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - An addicting game for the 3DS
After playing 30+ hours of Pokemon Y in it's premier weekend, I needed a different game to play that didn't frustrate me from time to time. I wanted something that would be more relaxing, casual even. After looking on my phone and trying out a lot of the time-management games (Game Dev Story being one of the better ones.) I started to look into 3DS games since I had brought my hand held with me, and among the puny collection of 3DS games the PX on base supplies, I saw Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
Ohhhh man.
I started to have flashbacks of when my sister, Amanda, and I would spend hours playing the first Animal Crossing on gamecube. It was an absolute blast. I ended up getting the game in hopes they only had changed it enough to keep it fresh. In the past, I had always hoped they would make a sequel and until now I didn't realize they had made one for the 3DS.
I was not disappointed.
The game truly is a casual game on a Nintendo handheld. It's fun, has depth and length just like any other main series title, and has a lot more too it than a phone game. So what makes it casual? It's just relaxing. The game makes stuff you'd normally think of as boring in a game (Fishing, paying off debts, rearranging your house, pulling weeds, talking to citizens... you get the idea.) and makes it both fun, and rewarding.
I've only JUST started playing it last night but I look forward to finding all the Zelda and other nintendo main titles referenced in the game.
So what did I write this whole page for? To prove a point? To bring up and idea I had? Not really, it's just some food for thought to all the gamers out there~
So twice a year MCAS Yuma hosts a training program called WTI, Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course. It's mainly to train up Pilots and Crew Chiefs for their highest qualification, but maintainers, like myself, still need to go out there and work on the aircraft so there is actually something to fly for the training missions.
I've been out here before and not much has changed; the living conditions still suck, 12 hour shifts everyday, and there's not a whole lot to do out here in the middle of nowhere. One of the few perks, however, is working with people from other squadrants from around the united states. You get to meet new people and it's just kind of a nice change of pace. Last year, I met a few friends that went to bootcamp with some of the people I work with.
The airwing is a small world.
Burgers at Lute's Casino
The other cool thing about being down in Yuma this time of year is that my Grandparents come down here regularly! I haven't seen them in a while it was cool to catch up with them and check out some of the cooler places around Yuma. (Which I didn't even know existed.)
A lot of random trinkets and photos here!
Lute's Casino, our first stop, was a really cool burger joint fairly close to where I'm stationed. The atmosphere was really cool as the walls were lined with photos of stars, military, and Yuma history. One of the coolest things was a photo of an endurance flight that for a long time was a world record.
Inspired by the flight at Fullerton, later in 1949, Yuma, Arizona, decided to sponsor its own time aloft record attempt. The city needed publicity as it was experiencing economic hard times due to the 1946 closure of Yuma Army Air Field. Pilots Woody Jongeward and Bob Woodhouse piloted the City of Yuma, a Sedan borrowed from local owners, modified for the flight and painted with the slogan, “The City with a Future.” The flight began on August 24, with the aircraft remaining in the Yuma area throughout, and ended after more than 1,124 hours, or nearly 47 days in the air, on October 10. In 1997, the record-setting airplane was located and returned to Yuma; made airworthy again, it flew on October 10, 1999, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the record flight. The "City of Yuma" airplane is now on display at a museum in Yuma. (Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronca_Sedan#Record_flights)
Being a man who is obsessed with flight, this was pretty darn cool.
One of the prison cells at Yuma Territorial Prison.
We also stopped at the Yuma Territorial Prison, which is now a state park. I loved reading the stories of the past inmates and the history of the prison itself was rather entertaining. At one point the Prison was used as a school... That cracked me up.
Root Beer floats! First time I've had one in ages.
It was really cool to get a chance to see them and I hope I'll get a chance to see more family soon!
Well, I've never excelled at keeping in touch with family and friends. It's not that I don't care it's just me being who I am; unsocial. It isn't really a bad thing, it's just who I am.
Starting today, I'm going to create a blog where family and friends can see what I do from day to day so maybe they won't feel out of touch with me like they have in the past. I COULD just talk more of facebook, but I like my own place to rant and such where people only have to see and read my sarcastic gibberish if they want to. This blog will be a nice place for me to reflect, and for people to see how I'm doing.
Knowing me this blog will probably be mostly about video games... but that is just because it's my biggest hobby. It's what I love. I really hope I can keep this blog going for a while. I don't want to drop it after like 2 weeks like I always do.
