RetroModDreams Of A Ward

News regarding lack of updates

2010-08-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I now work with Mikey D Pirate at OnePieceAtATime which is a blog dedicated to reviewing anime, manga and various interations of the famous series One Piece. Do NOT expect too much updates here, in fact I may stop posting here entirely and move onto other stuff. Sorry guys

Best Thing of the Week #8

2010-03-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

According to this, i'm a pervert...sweet.

Take the One Piece Character Quiz!

Final Fantasy XIII First Impressions (Xbox 360/Playstation 3)

2010-03-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

After 4 years of development, Final Fantasy XIII has finally been released (no pun intended). As a FF fan myself, I've been fairly disappointed with the main installments in the series since Final Fantasy X was released & I did not have very much high expectations for this installment at first, but ever since last year I started to get my hopes up & I was ready to buy the game once it was released...& I did. So what do I think of it?

It has exceded my expectations...so far. I've only played this game for like an hour or 2 so far, so I can't give you a full review of it as I've yet to explore every single feature of the game as I would've have to play it for HOURS. I also chose to buy this for the 360 as I don't own a PS3. I know I'm not getting the full Blu-ray, HD experience, but heck I don't even own a HD TV to begin with. But even if you're just playing the game in standard definition, the graphics are GORGEOUS. Square-Enix always seems to be putting TONS of effort nowadays, into ensuring that their games look beautiful & realistic. Final Fantasy has probably some of the best graphics of this generation of gaming that I've seen so far. Also the soundtrack was unexpectedly kick-ass.

Our main character Lightning with the 2nd official playable black guy in an FF game, Sazh.

The battle system, was probably the most unexpected aspect of this game. At a first glance, I expected it to be complicated & you've gotta really use your brain in planning strategies, but I was HALF wrong. The battle system is actually really to use, but you still have to assign strategies to your characters and stuff like that but its just....fun.'Nuff said. Oh by the way, some of the monsters you face are HUGE.

SEE! THAT'S MASSIVE! That may not even be a boss....crap.

There is more to this game than I'm mentioning but I suggest that you go out & buy it. Whether you own a PS3 or a 360, GO BUY THIS GAME. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

My Thoughts on Viz Media's One Piece Manga Speed Up

2010-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

For almost a year now I've been a fan of popular japanese series One Piece. Although I was a hater at first (due to the notoriously bad 4Kids dub) after watching the ALMOST THE ENTIRE SERIES in Japanese....yeah I was hooked '^_^. By this point I'm pretty much up to where the Japanese are at currently both in the manga & anime. As for english distribution the handling of the anime has been treated and viewed exactly the way it should be in english thanks to Funimation. Also, the manga has been distributed by Viz Media for a few years now, but they have been pretty slow before this year (more on that in a bit!). As of now, the American Shonen Jump are currently publishing chapters of the manga (in which the content is pretty much where the anime is at right now) and Funimation simulcast the recently released episodes on their official One Piece website. Also starting from 2 years ago, Funimation starting releasing DVDs to offer OP fans & noobs the way the anime should've been presented years ago. Although I've only seen clips, this dub is excellent & I highly recommend it.

ANYWAY! Starting from this month, Viz Media are releasing 5 manga volumes a month in order to catch up with the Japanese. It'll occur from January to June (after that it'll continue with 1 volume on a dependable basis). I own ALL the manga volumes that have been released in english so far & I'm absolutely loving them. Mainly because I can't buy DVDs in the UK since they aren't available. I COULD import them, but I want to support my own territory y'know. I believe I'm doing so by buying all of these manga volumes (especially the speed ups). If you want to try out the manga or anime first, you can view the first 3 chapters on Viz Media's website & you can also view the first few anime episodes on loads of websites (like Hulu, Funimation, e.t.c.) You can search for them at onepiecelegally.com.

Go to WatchOnePieceLegally.com

Go to Viz Media's One Piece Website

Go to Funimation's One Piece Website

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Director's Cut (DS Quickie Review)

2010-01-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

Ever since I played Secret Of Monkey Island, I've been plowing through all the games (except for the Tales Of Monkey Island episodes for some reason) & so I decided to check out classic point & click games that I've never played before. One of these was Broken Sword. I've been aware of the series for a while but I never actually picked up any of them. So one day I saw the DS remake in a shop for £10 & I bought it, went home & when I played it after 10 - 20 minutes, it was very interesting. But I haven't played through the whole game yet so I can't give a proper score for this so for these "Quickie reviews" I'm going to leave verdicts into 3 categories: Buy it, Rent it or Leave it. If you are a fan of point and click games such as Sam & Max, Monkey Island or the Ace Attorney series, then you should definitely pick this up. Another good reason to pick this up is that it's cheaper compared to a lot of DS games, but if you own only a Wii & not a DS then pick up the Wii version. The only reason NOT to buy this game is if you DON'T like point and click games (it may even fit into the category of interactive novel).

Happy belated 2010!

2010-01-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas was awesome, its over: MOVE ON!

I got: Trigun The Complete Series

Cowboy Bebop The Complete Series

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2

Super Mario Bros Wii

Legend Of Zelda Spirit Tracks

I also bought s'more manga, games & DVDS with crimbo money:

One Piece (Still don't have all the current volumes or the speed up volumes. But they will have a review soon. I only need Vol 2, 8, 9 & 12 apart from the speed ups).

Bleach (I now currently own all the volumes that have been released in English so far)

Bobobo-bobo-bobo (Vol 2)

Gin Tama (Vol 2)

Sgt Frog (Vol 18)

Jan issue of Shonen Jump (2010 obviously)

Ed Wood (DVD)

Nightmare Before Christmas (DVD)

Tales Of Symphonia Dawn Of The New World (Wii)

Expect reviews of these soon & much more in the future. Lets hope this year this turns into a good one!

DVD Wishlist

2009-12-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yeah, ANOTHER wishlist. I know its getting redundant but I have a lot more than my Manga one so...why not?

Coraline

Ed Wood

Beetlejuice

Slumdog Millionaire

Mars Attacks!

Sleepy Hollow

Evil Dead Trilogy

Bruce Campbell Collection

The Muppets Christmas Carol

District 9

Black Adder the Complete Series

Father Ted The Definitive Collection

Inglorious Basterds

Goldfinger

Die Another Day

From Russia With Love

Goldeneye

The World Is Not Enough

Austin Powers Shagadelic Box

Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Yes Man

The Mask

Liar Liar

Dumb & Dumber

Nightmare Before Christmas

Edward Scissorhands

Godzilla (1954)

King Kong Vs Godzilla

Tron

Demolition Man

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Wayne's World

Ace Ventura Pet Detective & When Nature Calls

Rocky: The Complete Saga

Labyrinth

Batman the Movie (1966)

Batman Animated Series Vol 1

Batman Animated Series Vol 2

Batman Mask Of The Phantasm

Batman Returns

King Kong (1933)

The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters

Home Alone

Superman the Movie & Superman II

My Neighbour Totoro

Kiki's Delivery Service

The Cats Returns

Elfen Lied The Complete Collection

Cowboy Bebop The Movie

Akira

Gremlins 1 & 2

Ren & Stimpy Series 1-3 and a bit

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Jurassic Park

The Lost World Jurassic Park

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary (Series 1-2)

The Real Ghostbusters Season 1

Jaws

The Karate Kid

2001 A Space Odyssey

House Of Wax (1953)

Wizard Of Oz

Return To Oz

The Neverending Story

Schindler's List

Big Trouble In Little China

Spaceballs

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Dune

Blade Runner

Forrest Gump

Blues Brothers

The Wrestler

The Godfather Trilogy

Fullmetal Jacket

Superbad

40 Year Old Virgin

Matrix Trilogy

Robocop

Bonnie & Clyde

El Mariachi

Deperado

Scarface

City Hunter

Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Gurren Lagann

Creepshow

Psycho (1960)

South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut

The Great Escape

Goodfellas

Willow

Casablanca

Alien

Top Gun

Ducktales

One Piece Volume 23 Review (Manga)

2009-12-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my very first manga review. Here I will cover graphic novels and maybe sometimes chapters based on japanese comics. Today we are looking at One Piece. Ever since its first serialization in 1997, One Piece has been a phenomenal hit in Japan becoming the most popular Japanese manga and anime series of the modern age. English speaking audiences however had to wait until 2003 until they got their fix. However it was not as big as a hit as it was in Japan due to the infamous 4Kids dub that aired from 2004-late 2006/early 2007. Suffice to say, it was total garbage & was pretty much a mockery of the franchise that contains tons of dramatic & awesome moments. So...the manga volumes were released quite slowly. However ever since Funimation took over, things have definitely looked up for the franchise with a much more well handled/uncut dub with DVD releases coming in like clockwork. So Viz Media (the guys that help distribute One Piece) decided to up the releases of the graphic novels so that english speaking audiences can catch up to where the Japanese are currently at in the manga. This will happen by having 5 volumes a month being released from January-(approximately) June 2010. Viz Media was also kind enough to release the final volume under the Baroque Works Saga before the end of this year, meaning you One Piece fans will get your Skypiea crack on in about less than a month from this post. If you're confused by what I meant by "Baroque Works" & "Skypiea", just Google it guys...'kay? ;)

Anyway lets get started! The cover is ok but nothing too special. Its basically Vivi right in the centre looking happy as hell. Heck it makes sense when you read the finale to this saga so its appropriate. You also get small panels of the Straw Hat pirates looking all bad ass and beaten up, as how they looked during their fights against the Baroque Works agents. Since theres SPOILERS GALORE HERE I'll just sum up why ANY One Piece fan should pick up this volume:

1). The fight between Luffy & Crocodile ends in probably one of the most memorable fights in the series. Definitely satisfying.

2). The character of Vivi is developed very nicely in this volume, as well as her relationship with the Straw Hats.

3). The Straw Hats are a much bigger threat to the World Government now due to these recent events, thus them gaining more recognition.

4). Almost all of the loose ends are tied up, resulting in a perfect, emotion driving, satisfying conclusion to one of the series' longest arcs.

The only reason I can think of why you shouldn't get it is, if you haven't read any of the previous graphic novels then read those first in case you don't understand the current events.

Overall

This is a perfect conclusion to the Baroque Works Saga & will tug at your heartstrings sometimes either due to the character's emotions or the sheer awesomeness of the final battle between Luffy & Crocodile.

9/10

By the way, this leads right into the next Saga, so stay tuned for next year's manga reviews where the Straw Hats gain a new crewmember, gold hunting ensues & pirate ships falling out of the sky...wait...WHAT?

Manga Wishlist

2009-11-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah thats right, another wishlist. Sorry about a lack of recent updates but I've been pretty busy recently. But expect SOMETHING around Christmas.

Tsubasa

Sayonara Zetsobu Sensei

Haruhi Suzumiya

Lucky Star

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Crayon Shin Chan

All New Tenchi Muyo

Dragonball Vizbig

Ace Attorney

Dr Slump

Cowa!

Sand Land

Yu Yu Hakusho

superneku's Top Ten Anime Openings & Endings

2009-11-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

This is it. My favourite anime openings & endings of all time. Of course you're not going to agree with my choices & just a warning, I don't actually explain my choices. This is due to the fact that...I still don't have a microphone T^T. I promise that an updated edition w/commentary will come in the future though so for now, sit back & enjoy the video.

Best Thing Of The Week #7 - Inazuma Eleven

2009-11-08T14:42:00.000-08:00

According to some sources, the popular JRPG Inazuma Eleven is coming to Europe. Basically its an RPG based on Soccer (or football as we Brits like to call it :]). Not much to it but it looks really fun. Its already become a franchise in Japan with 2 DS games, 1 Wii game on the way & an anime series with over 100 episodes (by the way thats coming as well:]). The anime will air when the '10 World Cup starts but the game will be announced "when the time is right".

But just for the hype, heres the original Japanese trailer for the first game.

Also, heres the source of infro ;)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=379195

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)

2009-10-21T14:56:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning, the Kingdom Hearts series has been enjoyed by millions of players worldwide, from RPG fans to others that love & reminisce on Disney movies. I'll admit I like the series ever since the series's debut, although I'm not so big that I'll go to conventions dresses as Sora or write fanfictions about Riku & Xehanort (I'll stop there....). Anyway, the latest game 358/2 Days, is set to reveal more in the story & hopefully many fan's questions will be answered like "What's the big deal about Sea-salt ice cream?". Now my own question, is the first DS outing worthy of improving on the series or is it just a flop?

Design: The main character of this game is Roxas (who is also a main character in KH2). I won't reveal too much about him except for this, his connection to Sora (our usual hero in the games) is very strong. The entire game follows his 358 days spent in Organisation XIII, whose goal is to create Kingdom Hearts, a large residue of hearts taken from the Heartless (who are creatures that basically manifest on hearts). Since the members don't have hearts, this is the only way to

get them. The story also follows his relationships with fellow members like Axel & the new member Xion. Their relationships alter a lot throughout the story causing them to question why they don't have hearts or why they're having emotions in the first place. I'm leaving the story at this point since there are LOADS of spoilers. Expect great revelations about future points in the series although no all of them will be answered. I just wanted to point out that unfortunetly, the story of this entry is original. Expect complaints in the following paragraphs :P.

The most talked about feature of the game, multiplayer.....& I haven't even used it yet.....crap.

Gameplay: I'll try to make this short, the gameplay is VERY similar to the battle system used in KH1. Although, unlike in KH1 & 2 the "free roaming" element has been thrown out of the window in place of a mostly linear Mission system where you basically perform a specific task in order to complete it.You'll gain rewards after missions like items, weapons, materials, e.t.c. I'll admit that the system is appropriate due to your character's siutation & setting although I preferred the free roaming system. But at the same time, the missions suit the portability more really. Lets say for example, you wanted to play for a bit during a bus journey, you can do so without having to wait to long for a cutscene to finish or loading times. Theres also the option for side missions for extra goodies & even

replaying missions in multiplayer. Although I haven't used this mode yet, it is apparently really good so you should give it a try if you get the chance. The controls are a bit odd at first but you can adjust them to your suitability. After a while, you'll get used to them. Also admittingly, the camera can also be a wee bit frustrating sometimes but again, you can adjust it to your own liking & will get used to it. One big complaint is that there aren't any new worlds which is....laaaaame. But, theres so much to do, so it'll be a while before you get to the end.

Visual/Audio: Almost EVERY song in this game is taken from KH1 & 2 (except from some minor variations). The music from the series is good, but again...laaaaaame. 'Nuff said about the audio. Anyway the graphics are some of the best seen on the DS. There also cutscenes done in the style of the PS2 graphics engine, the compressions not that good though ;(. The voice acting is also very good, even though theres not a lot. Considering the DS isn't that powerful, I'm impressed by how this game looks & sounds.

Ahhh friendship...sux for them later on WHOOPS!!

Overall: Although newcomers & fans of the series probably won't mind the gripes that I made, this sequel should've been a bit more original. Sure, the story is but the gameplay has just been recycled & thats the biggest disappointment. Don't worry, this is still a good game, but I think if more time was put into this, it would've made a great sequwl, or is it technically a prequel?Hmmm. Whatever. Hopefully Birth By Sleep for PSP will be better since it looks a LOT more original.

7/10

Quickie Review: Tarboy

2009-10-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

What is Tarboy? Its a flash animation. But you wouldn't really think that it you came across it without knowing this fact, but more like a short movie. Why? Its because Tarboy is possibly...THE GREATEST FLASH I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE! I've seen tons over the years, but this is the cream of the crop. A lot of effort was placed into making this & trust me, it REALLY shows. But I digress, I really can't do this animation justice. Just watch it & witness the AWESOMENESS that is Tarboy!

Better Quality Here:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/509092

Best Thing Of the Week #6 - Brütal Legend

2009-10-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Do I really have to explain? Its friggin Tim Schafer!!! That my friends, automatically makes this game awesome. Expect a review of this heavy metal epic in the future! Also Pyschonauts ;)

In fact, I'll let Angry Joe show how he felt when picking up his copy of the HARDCORE, BODACIOUS, EPICNESS that is BRUTAL LEGEND!!!
See more at: http://angryjoeshow.com/

Another shout out to...a comic reviewer?

2009-10-08T13:22:00.000-07:00

Okay I just had to bring him up! I'm a fan of Atop The Fourth Wall. Whats that? Fuck you. Naw but seriously its a series of reviews by Lewis Lovhaug AKA Linkara where he basically rips bad comic books a new arsehole. I think this is very clever considering theres TONS of bad movie & videogame reviewers out there like the Nostalgia Critic, the Angry Video Game Nerd, The Spoony One & many more. Although I'm not a big fan of comics, I do enjoy some stories like Watchmen & All-Star Batman & Robin . But Linkara has shown the internet series I never even heard of...most of the time I wouldn't want to see them. Not to mention pop cult icons like Mr T, the Kool-Aid Man, even the big superheroes like Spiderman & Superman have had their fair share of crappy comics. He analyses why the comic sucks in great detail, but doesn't make it boring. Thats pretty hard to pull off if you ask me. Enough rambling. I urge everyone to check him out, even if you aren't a fan of comics!

Check out Atop The Fourth Wall at:

http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/

Best Thing Of The Week #5 - Final Fantasy XIII

2009-10-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

I guess I could've put this up for any week before next spring since thats when Final Fantasy XIII will eventually hit US &/or European shores on Xbox 360 & Ps3. However the Japanese get this December....dammit. I wanna know Japanese... ;(

But at least I know that when we do eventually get the game, it will have not only fantastic graphics but fantastic dubbing as well. Seriously. Square-Enix's voice acting talents have vastly improved since the dark, early days of Final Fantasy X. Just check out the dubbed TGS trailer. You won't be disappointed.

P.S. Yes I love Final Fantasy & the RPG genre in general. ^-^

Video Games | Final Fantasy XIII | TGS 09: Official US Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Best Thing Of The Week #4 - Okamiden

2009-09-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okami was the most beautiful videogame I have ever seen. In a generation of realistic, HD graphics, gorgeously rendered Japanese art from the last generation was still enough for me as well as a lot of other gamers. Its upcoming sequel Okamiden for the DS seems to be following in its predecessor's footsteps (only its on a handheld). Despite its beauty, Okami was generally ignored in the West, so heres hoping that Capcom will bring the sequel to the West & hopefully make a wider audience of Okami fans.

Scribblenauts Review (DS)

2009-09-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

Its exactly as the slogan says! Hooray! No lying for once!

This is a good example of a game when despite the fact that it seems so simple, its a really fun game.

Design: Scribblenauts is perhaps the best game developer 5th Cell have put out so far. I mean I know theres only like 3 so far (the other 2 being "Drawn To Life" & "Lock's Quest") but its a really fun & addictive game for all ages. Even the story is so simple. Basically you play as Maxwell (who wears a neat Rooster hat) who has to collect these items called "Starites". Why? Who cares. Are there any antagonists? Technically no. And you know what? Thats ok. You don't need to have an emotional, plot-drivven story to make a good game. Sure, that seems to be the norm for games nowadays, but Scribblenauts basically refers back to games of the old arcade/Atari era of games where all that matters is the gameplay. Speaking of which...

Gameplay: The main game of Scribblenauts can be played in 2 modes: Puzzle & Action. Theres not much of a difference between the two although you'll obviously have to use your brain more with Puzzle mode than Action mode. The main aspect of Scribblenauts is the ability to use a notepad & write...anything you want in order to solve the mission. You want to use a tank? There you go. Want some ice cream? Its right there. Want a piano playing cat?...errrr yep its there...really. The game contains over 22,000 words that you can type in. But of course to market the game for family friendly audiences, you can't type in anything like "naked ladies" or "buster sword". You still get weapons & thats all that matters really. The objective of each level is always different (e.g. sneak past the guards or celebrate the newly-weds) but after every one, you'll gain a Starite. You'll also earn "Ollars" which are basically points/currency you earn depending if you went over the limit of items you made or if you use new ones. You can use Ollars to buy new worlds for more levels, music tracks & avatars (alternative characters for Maxwell). But the point is, the entire game will have you busy for a while & is a satisfying experience.

Visual/Audio: The art style for Scribblenauts is both cute & impressive. While the game's graphics aren't exactly the best seen on the DS, again it doesn't matter. Every item is distinguishable from what it would usually look like only giving it a cutesy twist. Now I can't really say the same for the audio. While the game's music is quite good & sometimes quite calm, its not exactly memorable. But yet again, thats okay (ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I won't say it anymore geez!) Not really much left to say...

Yeah I could've used an axe to chop down the tree but Choppers are cooler.

Overall: Scribblenauts may seem way too simple to some people but don't let it fool you. This is probably the game for ALL gamers. Theres innovation, challenge & most importantly...a piano playing cat...I MEAN FUN!!!......yeah, just fun. Get it. NOW.

9/10

Best Thing Of The Week #3 - Project Needlemouse

2009-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sega may have FINALLY come to their senses & realised what fans of Sonic The Hedgehog want after years of failure: A brand new 2D style Sonic game. The new game is codenamed "Project Needlemouse" (this was most likely due to the fact that Mr Needlemouse was a proto-name for Sonic before his very first game hit the Sega Genesis/Megadrive back in 1991). It will apparently have HD style graphics although only this fact & the teaser trailer at the bottom is all we have as of now since the game won't be released until 2010. Will the blue hedgehog finally regain his status as one of the best videogame characters ever? We'll find out next year. ;)

Also I wanted to make a mention that "lukemorse1" on Youtube has not left after all, which is a great relief since a lot of Youtube viewers really like his stuff. Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lukemorse1

Videogame Wishlist

2009-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many games that I want to buy over the next few weeks/months & also since the UK is going through financial problems at the moment I decided to make a list of games since I can't get all of them simultaneously.

The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations (DS)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360)
A Boy & His Blob (Wii)
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
The Legendary Starfy (DS)
Assassin's Creed II (Xbox 360)
WarioWare DIY (DS)
Red Steel 2 (Wii)
Pokemon Soul Silver (DS)
Dragonball Z: Attack Of The Saiyans (DS)
Golden Sun DS (DS)
New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii)
Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Tales Of Symphonia: Dawn Of The New World (Wii)
Avalon Code (DS)
Muramasa The Demon Blade (Wii)
Psychonauts (PS2)
Brutal Legend (Xbox 360)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor (DS)
Shin Megami Tensei Persona (PSP)
Retro Game Challenge (DS)
Legacy Of Ys: Books 1 & 2 (DS)
Super Robot Taisen W (DS)
Blazblue Calamity Trigger (Xbox 360)
Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All Stars (Wii)
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)

Dragon Quest VI (DS)

Dragon Quest IX (DS)
Chibi Robo: Park Patrol (DS)
Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
Nostalgia (DS)
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road (DS)
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
Hammerin' Hero (PSP)

Okamiden (DS)
Half-Minute Hero (PSP)

A shout out to 2 ex-reviewers

2009-08-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Over the past 2 weeks, 2 gamers on the internet whos videos I personally loved watching have both left reviewing for their own personal reasons. These people are lukemorse1 on Youtube & The Gaming Historian on Retroware TV. Its inevitable that reviewers aren't going to stick around forever but its really sad to see them go so soon. But its their lives after all.

Check out all of lukemorse1's past videos at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/lukemorse1

I would post a link for The Gaming Historian's stuff but unfortunately all of his stuff was taken down from RetrowareTV.com & Youtube.

All I can say is good luck guys & I hope each of you will both get through your personal dilemmas.

Best Thing Of The Week #2 - The AS-KR1

2009-08-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

Now what is the AS-KR!? Well its a weapon for an upcoming game called "Army Of Two: The 40th Day".

Yeah thats one sweet motherf*%@er ain't it?

Now you have to admit that looks awesome. The designer of this was Angry Joe, host of "The Angry Joe Show". If this picture isn't enough to convince you, then check out his celebration vid.

Also check out more Angry Joe at:

http://angryjoeshow.com/

http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/

3-part Special Coming...

2009-08-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yes its true. I will be doing a 3-part special review on a certain underappreciated videogame series that has spanned 3 games over 20 years. I'm actually pondering over whether this sort of review will do justice in video or in just the regular text reviews like before. All I can say is, look out for that, I'll ensure that you'll all get full enjoyment out of all of this & "No crying until the end" (hint! hint!).

My thoughts on Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver

2009-08-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. Ever since Pokémon Red & Blue came out for the Gameboy 10 years ago I'm a fan of the main games not only because of what you can acually do in the games, but the fact that it was the first portable game I had ever played. I mean sure when I was younger I was into all different sorts of Pokémedia (as I'd like to call it) not only the games, but the anime series that runs even to this day & even the Trading Card Game which has also stood the test of time but my likeness for that was the shortest. Inevitably I bought the later sequels that would come like Silver, Ruby & Diamond, but after a few years my love for the series was dropping; I got rid of all of my cards, I stopped watching the anime series & I really only got the main games in the series from that point on. I hate to sound like a nerd, but after (pretty much) doing EVERYTHING in Pokémon Diamond on DS, I just ignored it & moved onto some other games.

But earlier this year Nintendo gained my attention by announcing that Pokémon Gold & Silver for the Gameboy would be getting remakes for the DS. I was excited for 2 main reasons: first of all Pokémon Silver was probably my favorite game in the series despite the sequels having more Pokémon to catch & more things to do (its actually hard to explain why so I don't really want to get into it). Secondly, I was very interested to see the new graphics & features included in this updated version & it may respark my love for the game. The game will be released in Japan in September & it will be released in North America & Europe in Spring of 2010.

Will this remake do justice to my favorite Pokemon game or will it seem like just a graphical update? Look out next year for a review, but if youcan't wait that long, just wait until the game comes out in Japan & get some early impressions from many other gaming websites :)

Regarding Final Fantasy VIII

2009-08-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Before you flame me, be aware that this is just my opinion & if you have different opinions on the game, thats fine (you'll be seeing this a lot throughout my slight rant)

Recently I was looking back on all the Final Fantasy games that I played & one of them that really stood out asone I didn't like very much was Final Fantasy VIII. Back when I first played it, I liked the music, the graphics were very impressive at the time & I liked the boss battles. However, there were some aspects of it I didn't like. First of all, the characters didn't seem to have any development or any aspects that interested me at all. Secondly the storyline was a little confusing, I mean sure, the whole "central love story" thing between our 2 main heroes Squall & Rinoa had good intentions but I didn't really feel it had an impact on me at all since their personalities are basically opposite (i.e one is pretty much the definition of an emo & the other is pretty much an idiot even though she doesn't really look it) & they have a spontaneous romance. Finally the Junction system is just way too complicated. Instead of learning magic in a lot of RPGs you have to "draw" it from draw points located on the field, draw it from enemies, use Triple Triad cards to gain magic to & many other ways. You also need magic to "junction" various attributes (e.g health, luck, strength, e.t.c.) to your characters. The characters themselves don't have any particular abilites except for their Limit Breaks. I really don't like having to do all of this stuff just to give my characters attributes & abilities. I mean sure, some of you may prefer this system & thats fine although you can't deny that this is a lot to take in.

Overall Final Fantasy VIII isn't the worst FF game or RPG game I ever played but they expected the player to do so much to get good at/beat the game. I'll admit I still like the music & graphics though, but still I believe Squaresoft should'nt have made this game so complicated. Again, some of you may like/lve this game this is just my opinion & if you don't like it, thats fine.

By the way check out TheSpoonyOne's 11-part review of Final Fantasy VIII. Its very funny & even if you like the game, you can probably agree with some of his more in depth opinions on the game's features.

Video Game Music

2009-08-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

I love to listen to music, but what genre? While I like to listen to good ol' Weird Al or Motley Crue every now & then, I have a special place in my heart for VG music.
I love it from all kinds of series from Mario to Mega Man almost every game that I play (even the ones I don't like) have a good soundtrack. I believe now is a good time to unveil my Youtube account. My username is "superneku" which is partly taken from Neku from "The World Ends With You" for the DS (an awesome game go out & get it. NOW!!) But enough of that. Heres a short story, a few months ago I found a sample OST of Mario & Luigi RPG 3 (AKA Bowser's Inside Story) & I really liked it even if it was only 5 tracks. The person that ripped the songs allowed me to post the OST on my account so check it out. Before I sign off, keep in mind that at the time of this post, I don't have a lot of good stuff on my account at the moment but stay tuned for some awesome content coming in the future :)

Oh yeah & if you're a fan of Top Ten lists check out this one from PawDugan.

Regarding "Lets Play..." videos

2009-08-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've seen so many of these kinds videos all over the internet. LOADS of them are boring & are basically walkthroughs with speech in them but some actually manage to entertain me, particulary the ones at thatguywiththeglasses.com with great ones from The Spoony One, Linkara, Paw & even Lee from Still Gaming. They're starting to inspire me to make my own (although I don't know which game to play, but not anything long like an RPG). These guys do "Lets Plays" of games I never even heard of (apart from Doom of course) but they still manage to entertain me. I say check them out & who knows maybe you can expect one from me in the future.

Check out the Lets Plays that I mentioned here:

http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/

http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/

http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/paw/lppaw

http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/bt/lee/sp

Oh what the hell, check out EVERYONE at thatguywiththeglasses.com. Its just an amazing site.

http://www.thatguywiththeglasses.com/

Best Thing Of The Week #1 - Epic Mickey: A possible GOOD Disney Game?!

2009-07-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Whats going on down there? A war? Please don't tell me its really Kingdom Hearts in disguise. Just kidding. Sort of. Anyway.

......I don't think Goofy has ever looked this cool....even if he's "dead"

...wait is that the Narwhal version of Monstro from Pinnoccio? The new Cloverfield is here ladies & gents. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! AARRRRGGHHH!

This concept art is for an upcoming Disney game called Epic Mickey. At this point all we have to go on is pieces of concept art (there are a couple more but I thought these 3 looked the most interesting) & that its coming to the Wii. This may look phenomenal for a game. Disney hasn't really had an interesting game since the SNES days in my opinion but this may prove that Disney can still make good games if they try.

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince Review (2009)

2009-07-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

A poster so epic that the name of the main character is cropped by about 80%

WARNING!! THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Ah Harry Potter. The franchise became a portion of my life when I was reading the books at 8 years old. But in 2001 the magical world of the books was brought into motion & that made me love the series even more. The characters, the stories & its feelings of light hearted nature were fleshed out in a way that made me wish that I could use the magical tricks & spells seen in the franchise. But I think that since the 3rd movie "The Prisoner Of Azkaban" the series has taken a really dark turn which makes everything much more serious & dramatic. That doesn't mean that the the movies from that point were bad, in fact I think its quite noble to see our heroes take on much darker & practically life threatening situations brought upon by the Dark Lord Voldemort. Personally though, I thought that the fifth film "The Order Of The Phoenix" wasn't really that good. But again, this is just personal preference. If you want to bash me about it, so be it. I had high hopes for this movie, hoping that it may overpower the last movie & make me satisfied. Was I satisfied? Yes.

But enough about that lets talk about the movie itself.

What happened to the happy-go-lucky magical child of yesterday?

The film starts off with the Death Eaters (the underlings of Voldemort) terrorising both the Muggle world (AKA The real world) & the world of wizardry. While this is going on, our main hero Harry is visited by Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore to encourage him to go back to Hogwarts (even though he was practically scarred for life in the last movie) but after a visit to Professor Slughorn, Harry decides to go back & reunite with his friends Ron weasley & Hermione Grainger. After some exposition of Harry/Gin Weasley love, the plot drifts back to the Death Eaters as Severus Snape has been forced to make an unbreakable vow to ensure that Draco Malfoy (Harry's longtime rival) will suceed in his "mission". After some more exposition with humor that you don't need to know, the gang are back at Hogwarts & are about to take some potion lessons under Professor Slughorn. Harry finds a book that was owned by someone called "The Half Blood Prince". With this book, Harry excels in Potions class & wins a luck potion. More exposition involving Ron being a Quidditch (a sport in the wizard world) hero & making Hermione upset (since its pretty clear that she likes him) by going out with a girl called Lavender Brown. As well as more Harry/Ginny exposition until finally the Death Eaters attack again. While everyones okay the Weasley's house burns down to the ground. After s'more expostion, Harry fights Draco in the bathroom at Hogwarts & severley injures Draco. Its clear that Harry is obsessed with the potions book, but Ginny convinces him that she should hide it where no one can see it again. Then they kiss. Perfect timing.

"Oh Ginny. Your blandness has made me spontaneously attracted to you"

"Shut up you & let me suck your dick"

Through most of the movie Dumbledore shows Harry memories of Tom Riddle (AKA Voldemort). Why? Well apparently these memories may hold the key to his defeat so Harry needs to get a memory of Riddle out of Slughorn which is apparently really important. At a certain point Harry finally manages to get the memory out of him using his luck potion (which by the way makes him really creepy) & reveals that Riddle wanted to know about Horcruxes. These are objects that are basically part of an immortal soul. If these objects are destroyed then the immortality will be vanquished. How is this impotant? Well apparently since Voldemort has made these horcruxes, they need to be destroyed, otherwise he becomes mortal. This leads to a journey of a horcrux taken out by Harry & Dumbledore. In order to retrieve it, Harry has to make Dumbledore drink a vile black liquid which makes him weak. The horcrux is revealed to a locket (by the way, the significance of these horcruxes & Hogwarts won't be revealed until the next film). Harry is caught by creatures called "Inferi" (which are pretty much zombies) but Dumbledore saves him with a fiery spell & they escape back to Hogwarts. When Harry is told to hide, Draco reveals himself as a Death Eater to Dumbledore & that Voldemort had ordered Draco to kill him. However, Draco couldn't bring it upon himself to do it so Snape goes up to Dumbledore & casts a death spell on him, thus killing him. After a very brief rampage through Hogwarts, Harry tries to attack Snape with the spells he learned from the book. But it doesn't work since Snape is actually the Half Blood Prince (again this will be explored more in the next movie). The people at Hogwarts mourn over Dumbledore's death by all raising their wands in honour. A bit later, it was revealed that the horcrux that Harry & Dumbledore found was a fake, taken by a person called "RAB". Our 3 heroes though, are determined to find the remaing horcruxes & ensures Dumbledore's death won't be in vain.

VISUAL/AUDIO: 9/10

PLOT: 7/10

ACTING: 9/10

Overall: While this movie has exceded my expectations with stunning visuals, great evolved acting & great plot elements leading up to the end of the series, the only problem I find is that the movie is padded with exposition involving humor & relationships of the characters. While the relationships isn't a bad thing, its been plastered all over & some long time Potter fans will want the plot to continue. There could've been a few more action scenes & some key moments from the book have been cut out but for what we get, its an enjoyable movie overall & I can't wait to see the 2-part series finale with "The Deathly Hallows" over the next 2 years.

8/10

The Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition (PC/XBLA/iPhone)

2009-07-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

One of the best PC games ever returns.....

Lets face it. In the 90s, Lucasarts was king of the Adventure genre on PCs. That could be owed to 1987s "Maniac Mansion". This game helped introduced the infamous SCUMM engine which would help redefine the Adventure genre of videogames. 3 years later, the use of the SCUMM engine was just taken up a notch when Lucasarts released "The Secret Of Monkey Island" for PC, MS DOS, many more computer systems & even the Sega CD (although that version supposedly sucked). The game was a smash hit & it remains a gem amongst many retro gamers. It was so big that it became a franchise with the follow ups: SOMI 2 LeChuck's Revenge, The Curse Of Monkey Island & Escape From Monkey Island. While each sequel improves upon the graphics, humor & challenges, the original game still remains as my favorite.

Recently, the adventure genre torch has been passed onto Telltale Games, creator of great series such as Sam & Max, Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People & even Wallace & Gromit. Their latest episodic game also happens to be the latest Monkey Island game "Tales Of Monkey Island". While that entry in the series will also be given a review in the future (when it comes to WiiWare) I'm going to cover the remake of the original Secret Of Monkey Island that was released shortly after the 1st episode of Tales Of MonkeyIsland was released. So lets do it.

Design: Enter Guybrush Threepwood (which is probably the funniest name for a main character ever) who comes to the mysterious Melee Island in dreams of becoming a pirate. Thats all we know about him. There is also a ghost pirate called LeChuck who sails between Melee Island & Monkey Island (where LeChuck's base is) who terrorizes the pirates of Melee Island, which makes them afraid to go out & loot or other piratey things (besides drinking grog of course!). While on Melee Island, Guybrush must master 3 trials to prove that he is a pirate. After this, Governor Elaine Marley (the love of Guybrush's dreams) is kidnapped by LeChuck since he is in love with her too. In order to rescue her Guybrush must face the terrors & challenges taht await him on Monkey Island. I could've revealed more of the plot, but I'm not going to just in case someone hasn't played this before & doesn't want to be spoiled. But expect a lot of thrills, challenges & a LOT more laughs.

Can you feel the lurve going on between these two?

Gameplay: The gameplay is simple point & click action. You can perform different actions on objects or people such as pushing, talking, e.t.c. This may sound boring on paper but trust me, it isn't. Sometimes, using certain commands on certain objects or people will ensure either hilarity or plot progression. In case you get stuck in a certain situation, there is a hint system that will give you helpful advice on how to progress in that cerain scenario. Theres actually only 1 way to die in this game & thats only in one particular part of the game. But its so simple to get out of, that theres no way that you'll die unless you have the brain the size of a lugnut. Also, this game contains swordfighting. In a point & click game?! *gasps* How is that possible? Well its quite easy. You basically have to come up with the best comments to insult your opponent & if you manage to keep up your insulting streak then you'll win the duel. You have to duel pirates in order to gain insults & their counter insults. Its quite redundant but it doesn't take ages to do & you only really have to swordfight in the first act of the game (I forgot to mention that the game is divided in 4 acts). The control is simple. Use the onscreen cursor to point where you want to go. You can use hotkeys to change your actions & access your inventory so its easy to change your actions on the fly. You can also save the game at anytime so its easy to pick up where you left off. Theres not really a lot to say about the controls other than its simple, its easy & its just classic.

Visual/Audio: I have to say, that the transition of an almost 20 year old game from 16-bit to stunning modern HD graphics has been very well done. It almost looks like an entirely new game altogether. Also for the first time, the game has voice acting. They are also fantastic. The voice actors all came from the previous Monkey Island games (except LeChuck's Revenge) so if you've played those games before & liked the voices in those games, then you'll love hearing those familiar voices playing out scenes in the original game. The music for SOMI is legendary. The new instrumentals in this version of the game are also very well done every classic song is played out through mostly brass which beats the old midi version in the dust. Now I've heard that some people don't like the new look of the game saying that they prefer the classic style, well the guys at Lucasarts went above & beyond by including the full classic version of the game. With the simple push a button, you can alternate from the new style to the old style. I believe that this is perfect for classic gamers that can't get a hold of a copy of the original game & is very innovative. Some people complain that remakes of games aren't as good as the original version. Well I think that this feature should be used in more remakes, just to quit their bitchin'.

Which version do you prefer? Can you see the 20 year evolution?

Overall: This is a very well done remake everthing about it takes the orginal game & fleshes everything out thanks to the better graphics & voice acting. For those that don't like the new look, well the original one is right there for you with a simple push of a button. Its great for gamers of all ages, great for noobs & fans of this classic genre & its just an all around enjoyable game.

10/10

Punch Out!! Review (Wii)

2009-07-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

A true classic in the sport genre of videogames

"Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!" is argueably, the best boxing videogame ever. Its quite amazing to see how a game thats 22 years old can still be considered one of the best classic games out there, especially with later boxing franchises coming along like "Ready 2 Rumble" or "Fight Night". However, its also quite strange to see how Nintendo didn't milk this cow dry like after other great classic games like "Super Mario Bros" or "The Legend Of Zelda". So far, the Punch Out!! series has only seen 3 games, one each for the NES, the SNES (not counting the arcade versions) & of course the Wii.

You had no right to be so ignored.... ;(

At this point some of you may be wondering either how come I never heard of this game? or what came after this? Well almost 10 years after the NES game, it finally got a sequel for the Super Nintendo simply called "Super Punch Out!!" the game resembled the arcade games a lot more & it also played great. While personally I prefer the NES game, this is still a good sequel & its quite sad to see how pretty much nobody seems to talk about this game anymore, although since the CD based/64 bit consoles were coming into the gaming market at this point in history, its a little bit easy to see why Super Punch Out!! didn't get the recognition that it deserved.

.....yeah. Little Mac was out of work when he agreed to take part in Captain Rainbow

Over the next 12 years, the Punch Out!! franchise was just plain ignored by Nintendo. Apart from cameos in games such as Super Smash Bros Brawl & the Japanese-only Captain Rainbow (both for Wii) , no entries were released for any Nintendo console apart from re-releases of the NES game in Animal Crossing for the Gamecube & the Wii's Virtual Console service. However in October of 2008, Nintendo announced that the Punch Out!! series would make a comeback on the Wii. After that, not only was I excited, but hundreds of retro gamers out there were pissing themselves with excitement in anticipation for the game to come out.

Finally our favorite champ has made a comeback!....nice hairdo

So eventually in the following May when the game was finally released you can bet that I picked up a copy the same weekend it was released. So, what do I think of the game? I'm going to base it in three categories: Design, Gameplay & Visual/Audio.

Design: The plot is pretty much the same as the NES game. As pint-sized boxer Little Mac, you are training to become the World Champion at boxing with the help of your trusty trainer Doc Louis. To win the world championship you must face off against 4 0r 5 boxers in 3 separate leagues that progressively get harder & more challenging, the more you progress. I'll go into what happens after you win the World Championship in the "Gameplay Section" of this review.

Gameplay: Punch Out!! has a few modes. First there is a standard career mode which is basically the regular single player mode, where you face off against several boxers from all over the world. Many classics from the original Punch Out return such as Glass Joe, Piston Honda (now Piston Hondo for legal reasons) King Hippo & many more. Only one new boxer comes to the Wii title called "Disco Kid". To be honest for the amount of boxers we get in this game is a fair amount, however it would've been nice to see more than one new boxer to fight in the game. n order to beat each boxer you need to figure out their "weak spot". Once you've got that down. you need to hit said boxer at the right time or else you go down. The TKO rule (Three Knock down rule) still applies in this game. If you or the opposing boxer goes down 3 times, then either one of you will win the match.

After you win the World Championship a new mode unlocks called "Title Defence Mode" which plays out the same as the regular single player mode only the difficulty is quite amazing. There are new weak points to figure out in each corresponding boxer to figure out which is actually quite clever & is great for those that like a challenge. There is also a Training mode which is quite handy in case you face off against one particular boxer whose weak point you can't spot or figure out. There is also a multiplayer mode which seems like a good idea, the problem is that each player can only play as Little Mac & none of the other boxers. If they were included in this mode, then it would've at least been decent but Nintendo could've done a lot more with this mode. Finally the controls. There are many ways to playthe game, but I find playing the game with the Wii Remote sideways (or as some players call it "NES style") much easier. You can also play with the Wii Remote w/Nunchuk or even those two with the Balance Board. I don't own a balance board but I heard that its quite bad, so just stick with the NES style or the remote & nunchuk & you'll be playing just fine :)

Visual/Audio: The graphics are very good. The game has a slight cel-shaded cartoony look & the characters from the previous games look great compared to their 8-bit/16-bit counterparts. They also have great expressions for whether they're taunting you to getting the crap beaten out of them & are scared to death of you. The music is also great. It consists of several remixes from the NES game in many different styles, especially when you're fighting an opponent since it matches to music & the instruments you would usually hear in that particular boxer's country.Retro gamers in particular, will love this soundtrack.

Overall: Punch Out!! for the Wii is a great comeback to the series. Even though Nintendo could've done a lot more with this game & improve some aspects of it it still stands tall with the fact that its just entertaining to play.

8/10

Welcome! :P

2009-07-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

'kay. My name is Joel Ward & those of you who have bothered to come here may be asking: What the hell is this all about? Well a little experiment I like to call RetroModDreams is a place where anyone can discuss all forms of media that I may question about or look back upon from the past, the present & the future.

Mostly I like to discuss TV shows, movies & videogames. Sure, this may seem like something thats not new to you since theres many people like this on the internet, but thats fine. I made this blog so that if I brought up a piece of interesting news based on the media, my personal life or if I'm just in the nostalgic mood.

But If I'm REALLY in the mood I like to type up text reviews based on whatever I was watching/playing thats either new or old. I also have a Youtube page & I do actually have a webcam, but it sux so I may or may not post video reviews up on Youtube in the near future but we'll have to see ;)

So anyway if you'd like to leave any comments based on my reviews in the near future, feel free to. Hopefully my first movie review will be Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince. So, look forward to that but until then have a great day! :)