This post is directed towards anyone who is a brony. I am a new up and coming brony and I'm proud of it. What is a brony? A brony is someone who likes the TV show My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. As absurd as it sounds, My Little Pony has a higher male fan-base than female, hence the term brony. The show started in 2010 on a TV channel called The Hub. The fandom however started on 4chan and made its way across the internet from there. What is it about this TV show that makes guys (and girls) gush over it?
My Little Pony is a breath of fresh air compared to other TV shows nowadays. Most shows directed towards children treat their audience with little to no intelligence, a perfect example is Dora the Explorer. Bear in mind this is my opinion but Dora the Explorer is an obnoxious insipid TV show with terrible pacing even for a kids show. A good kids show should appeal to kids and adults alike, examples would be Sesame Street, and Spongebob. The way I look at it, these two shows have layers. The first layer is what the kids understand and the second layer are the subtle lines of dialogue that adults understand. My Little Pony takes everything great about kids shows and puts it into one amazing package.
In order for a TV show to accomplish the aforementioned 'layer' metaphor, it needs good writing. Lauren Faust is the writer for many of the episodes. The writing is very creative, humorous, and imaginative. It doesn't stoop do the most basic elements of humor like farting or sex jokes (I'm looking at you Two and a Half Men). Good writing combined with likeable characters makes for a strong TV show. The only other modern show that I can think of that has great writing and great characters is The Big Bang Theory.
Many people say that the characters make the show. I agree sort of. Likeable characters are created by good writing. In a sense, it's the writing that makes the show. Characters should have diverse and unique characteristics. My Little Pony is no exception. The main characters are Twilight Sparkle, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike. Each character is well written, comedic, and well designed.
Being a kids show, it undoubtedly contains the one thing that turned me off of kids shows when I was younger. The moral. All kids shows have some sort of moral to them, that's good. However, it brings the episode to a screeching halt in pacing. My Little Pony has the forced moral about friendship but it is well done. The last minute or so of each episode ends with a letter to Princess Celestia. The lesson in the letter is always quick, simple, and not shoved down your throat.
I've gushed about the show for awhile but where am I ultimately going with this? I want to give a message to non-bronies. Watch one episode, just ONE before you make a judgement about bronies. Bronies tend to sometimes face ridicule and judgement from parents or other friends. I feel that it almost portrays a stereotype, if a guy likes a show that is intended for girls that makes them gay. This doesn't stop my dad from dropping gay joked periodically :/ Ultimately there is only one way to close this off.
Dear Princess Celestia,
This is moonlitumbreon saying that I hope other people learn to not judge a book by its cover.
A TV show, or movie may have a misleading or strange appearance on the outside (box art to Megaman 1-10 come to mind) but on the inside there can be something wonderful. What is on the inside of a community is what counts, not what's on the outside (CLICHE!).
Your faithful brony,
Moonlitumbreon
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Top ten Sonic the Hedgehog Stages
Growing up, I played Mario games on the Game Boy but when I was about 10 years old, I discovered a wonderful series of games. Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog was/is Mario's rival from the late 80's through the mid 90's. What Sonic had over Mario was speed. While Mario was the original platforming game in 8-bit paradise. Shortly after, Sonic made his debut on the Sega Genesis in all of his 16-bit glory. While Mario was still in 8 bit (mario 2 & mario 3), Sonic was running around in full color landscapes with glorious music to boot. I want to share my top ten favorite sonic levels (2d and 3d). Keep in mind, I've only played Sonic 1 to Sonic Adventure 2 (not Sonic CD though), in other words the GOOD sonic games (though I haven't played Generations yet). Let's get started!
10: Green Hill Zone
On the very few lists of top ten Sonic levels, Green Hill is always at number 1. You know what? It's not that great of a level! There I said it. It's simple but it makes for such a great stage because of it. What makes it stay on this list, is the freaking music! The music is so good, it's an absolute classic.
9: Chemical Plant Zone
Sonic 2 brought more levels that make Sonic, Sonic. Speed. The perfect example of speed, is Chemical Plant Zone. That level has a lot of loops and ramps and at some points you can actually almost outrun the screen! Granted, that's kind of a glitch but that's how fast Sonic moves in the level. Do I need to mention the music? The music is also a classic.
8: Hydrocity Zone
What?! A water level?! Here me out, if you get and keep the bubble, it's not so bad. Even if you don't, there are lots of shortcuts too. Oddly enough, I think this is the level that defined speed in Sonic 3 (second perhaps to Ice Cap). The above water parts of the level are like roller coasters. Sonic goes upside down, underwater, and all different directions. A level that definitely makes your head spin. The music is meh.
7: Pumpkin Hill
In general, I detest Knuckles' levels in Sonic Adventure 2. Pumpkin Hill is an exception, the level itself is frustrating oh yeah! I hate looking for emerald pieces. What this level has above all is atmosphere. Pumpkin Hill is a surreal, vast, empty landscape with giant mountains with pumpkin faces. Given the context of the game, how did Knuckles get from his starting point to there? How does he get in a mine afterwards? We may never know, Pumpkin Hill is a level that is surreal and creepy, and has one of those Knuckles raps!
6: Speed Highway
This is another level that takes a page out of the surreal book. Almost all of the levels in Sonic Adventure make sense. You go on the beach, you end up in Emerald Coast. Go up a mountain, you're on Red Mountain. Go in an ice cave, you're in Ice Cap. Speed Highway is out of place for that reason. You go in an office building and end up in...
A city at night with killer robots, upside down streets, and helicopters! What?! That's why I love this level! It has the most speed in Sonic Adventure, it's great to play through and it has a freaking rock song!
5: Marble Garden Zone
Sonic 3 brought longer levels, more speed, and the ability to play as Tails. Marble Garden Zone is on here mostly for the boss fight. The boss of Marble Garden Zone Act 2 is very creative (and challenging). Eggman appears in his robot that you've seen throughout the level (very similar to the one from Mystic Cave in Sonic 2) and drops down. You hit him a couple of times and something different happens. The floor's gone! If you're playing as Sonic, Tails swoops in and picks him up, making this an aerial battle. Eggman flies into the background, giving a hint to which direction he'll appear from and you can attack him. The level itself is also fun because it's very hilly, you can outrun the screen a couple of times but because of all the spikes and enemies, it isn't advised. I'm not terribly fond of the music, I think the music from Hill Top Zone would be more appropriate...
4: Flying Battery Zone
Sonic and Knuckles is such a great game. When I was younger I could never get past Flying Battery Zone. Why? It's hard! But it's soooo good! You're running around on (and in) a giant airship. There's loops, killer robots, and magnets! The music is catchy, and what else do you need from a Sonic level?
3: Twinkle Park
What can you say about Twinkle Park? It has damn near everything a 3D Sonic game should have. Speed? Check! Awesome background and environment? Check! Fun things to homing attack? Check! That's about it, it also has a cart racing part, and bowling! What else do you need? The music is jamming as well!
2: Final Rush
The hardest level in the game takes number 2??? Yes, I love Final Rush. Challenging? Yes. Frustrating? Yes? Aggravating? Good Arceus yes! Why do I love it? SHORTCUTS! Sonic games have always been linear, that's fine. Sometimes the linear path takes too damn long. That is the case in Final Rush. At the beginning, you can see another part of the grinding rail that you're on, you can actually jump and free fall all the way down there. There are a few other shortcuts like this in the level. I love Final Rush because I like to challenge myself to see how fast I can clear it. My personal record is 3:34.
1: Sky Rail
Did I say I loved Pumpkin Hill? I love Pumpkin Hill, but I hate Knuckles. Remove Knuckles, add Shadow, add epic music, add grinding rails, enemies, and epic speed! BAM! You have Sky Rail! Sadly, it's the shortest level in the game but you're Shadow running around the Pumpkin Hill area at ridiculous speeds. This level is short, sweet, and challenging, definitely my favorite. I cleared this level in 1:45.
Till Next Time
10: Green Hill Zone
On the very few lists of top ten Sonic levels, Green Hill is always at number 1. You know what? It's not that great of a level! There I said it. It's simple but it makes for such a great stage because of it. What makes it stay on this list, is the freaking music! The music is so good, it's an absolute classic.
9: Chemical Plant Zone
Sonic 2 brought more levels that make Sonic, Sonic. Speed. The perfect example of speed, is Chemical Plant Zone. That level has a lot of loops and ramps and at some points you can actually almost outrun the screen! Granted, that's kind of a glitch but that's how fast Sonic moves in the level. Do I need to mention the music? The music is also a classic.
8: Hydrocity Zone
What?! A water level?! Here me out, if you get and keep the bubble, it's not so bad. Even if you don't, there are lots of shortcuts too. Oddly enough, I think this is the level that defined speed in Sonic 3 (second perhaps to Ice Cap). The above water parts of the level are like roller coasters. Sonic goes upside down, underwater, and all different directions. A level that definitely makes your head spin. The music is meh.
7: Pumpkin Hill
In general, I detest Knuckles' levels in Sonic Adventure 2. Pumpkin Hill is an exception, the level itself is frustrating oh yeah! I hate looking for emerald pieces. What this level has above all is atmosphere. Pumpkin Hill is a surreal, vast, empty landscape with giant mountains with pumpkin faces. Given the context of the game, how did Knuckles get from his starting point to there? How does he get in a mine afterwards? We may never know, Pumpkin Hill is a level that is surreal and creepy, and has one of those Knuckles raps!
6: Speed Highway
This is another level that takes a page out of the surreal book. Almost all of the levels in Sonic Adventure make sense. You go on the beach, you end up in Emerald Coast. Go up a mountain, you're on Red Mountain. Go in an ice cave, you're in Ice Cap. Speed Highway is out of place for that reason. You go in an office building and end up in...
A city at night with killer robots, upside down streets, and helicopters! What?! That's why I love this level! It has the most speed in Sonic Adventure, it's great to play through and it has a freaking rock song!
5: Marble Garden Zone
Sonic 3 brought longer levels, more speed, and the ability to play as Tails. Marble Garden Zone is on here mostly for the boss fight. The boss of Marble Garden Zone Act 2 is very creative (and challenging). Eggman appears in his robot that you've seen throughout the level (very similar to the one from Mystic Cave in Sonic 2) and drops down. You hit him a couple of times and something different happens. The floor's gone! If you're playing as Sonic, Tails swoops in and picks him up, making this an aerial battle. Eggman flies into the background, giving a hint to which direction he'll appear from and you can attack him. The level itself is also fun because it's very hilly, you can outrun the screen a couple of times but because of all the spikes and enemies, it isn't advised. I'm not terribly fond of the music, I think the music from Hill Top Zone would be more appropriate...
4: Flying Battery Zone
Sonic and Knuckles is such a great game. When I was younger I could never get past Flying Battery Zone. Why? It's hard! But it's soooo good! You're running around on (and in) a giant airship. There's loops, killer robots, and magnets! The music is catchy, and what else do you need from a Sonic level?
3: Twinkle Park
What can you say about Twinkle Park? It has damn near everything a 3D Sonic game should have. Speed? Check! Awesome background and environment? Check! Fun things to homing attack? Check! That's about it, it also has a cart racing part, and bowling! What else do you need? The music is jamming as well!
2: Final Rush
The hardest level in the game takes number 2??? Yes, I love Final Rush. Challenging? Yes. Frustrating? Yes? Aggravating? Good Arceus yes! Why do I love it? SHORTCUTS! Sonic games have always been linear, that's fine. Sometimes the linear path takes too damn long. That is the case in Final Rush. At the beginning, you can see another part of the grinding rail that you're on, you can actually jump and free fall all the way down there. There are a few other shortcuts like this in the level. I love Final Rush because I like to challenge myself to see how fast I can clear it. My personal record is 3:34.
1: Sky Rail
Did I say I loved Pumpkin Hill? I love Pumpkin Hill, but I hate Knuckles. Remove Knuckles, add Shadow, add epic music, add grinding rails, enemies, and epic speed! BAM! You have Sky Rail! Sadly, it's the shortest level in the game but you're Shadow running around the Pumpkin Hill area at ridiculous speeds. This level is short, sweet, and challenging, definitely my favorite. I cleared this level in 1:45.
Till Next Time
Sunday, January 1, 2012
A tribute to Egoraptor
To those who don't know who Egoraptor is, I'll give a brief explanation. He does primarily comedy videos on youtube relating to video games. He's released two videos called Sequelitis comparing and contrasting video game sequels, he did Castlevania vs Castlevania II and Megaman vs Megaman X. Now I would like to do a compare and contrast of Kingdom Hearts 1 and Kingdom Hearts 2.
What is Kingdom Hearts? If I had to explain it, I'd say that Kingdom Hearts is Final Fantasy and Disney having a baby. That's right, Kingdom Hearts is Final Fantasy and Disney. Together. I have no idea how this idea came to be but can such a farfetched idea succeed as a video game? Let's see.
Pros
1. Challenge. Kingdom Hearts 1 is very challenging which is a good thing. You can't exactly plow through it, you have to observe your enemy's movements, dodge and counterattack.
2. Combat system. I love the combat system of this game. As silly as it sounds whacking enemies with a giant key (yes that really is your weapon), you equip abilities to pull strings of combos and other devastating attacks. There's also a shortcut system to provide ease of use for magic but not items (more on that later).
3. Plot. The plot to this game is amazingly solid. You really want to know what happens to the characters (I won't give anything away) and it makes sense that you're traveling to different Disney worlds.
4. Enemy variety. Every world has a few enemies (called Heartless) exclusive to that world alone (usually). When you travel to a new world, you don't encounter the same enemies you have before, you encounter new ones! Usually the new ones offer some more challenge particularly in the late game.
5. Cameos! Oh my goodness, the number of Disney/Final Fantasy cameos in this game are almost countless. It's one aspect of the game that makes it so quirky but so good! Your main character (Sora) travels with Donald Duck and Goofy (I couldn't make that up if I tried). The three of them are traveling to find Riku and Kairi (Sora's best friends) and King Mickey. Along the way they stop into different Disney worlds from movies such as: Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.
6. Optional bosses: This game has a whole slough of optional bosses that are more difficult than the final boss. This just adds another level of challenge to the game (you need to beat all the secret bosses to get the secret ending).
7. OLYMPUS COLISEUM! My very favorite part of this game is the coliseum. It is the most challenging part of the game (it is optional) and it's the best way to level up. Only the first game does the Hercules world right!
Cons
Those were an awful lot of pros am I right? This game isn't pure gold.
1. Difficulty. You know how I said difficulty was a good thing? It's also a bad thing! This game is filled with normal enemies that are very difficult/annoying to defeat (and you usually face 5-6 at a time). There are many hard bosses. The only thing that makes the difficulty a bad thing is the next problem.
2. In battle menus. If you want to use an item in battle, good luck, you'll probably die. If you want to use an item, you have to basically stop what you're doing, scroll to the "item" box (this means you can no longer attack), scroll until you find the item you want, select who you want to give it to... Oh wait I'm dead already. Sadly the shortcut system only works for spells (thank God for cure).
3. Camera. This is a minor issue but sometimes the camera can be against you. In the middle of a boss fight, the camera will sometimes glitch out and the boss will kill you because you don't know what's going on.
4. Tricky platforming. I know it's an action rpg game and there's supposed to be platforming but some places in the game are ridiculous. The biggest culprits are Halloween Town and Hollow Bastion. There are a couple of areas where you need to get on a platform, or jump precisely to an area and there's tons of enemies in the way. Just kill the enemies right? Not really, in these situations you're bombarded by enemies that fly, you have to jump up to attack them. Attacking in the air makes you travel in the air, and the enemies like to float over the area you don't want to fall down to. This usually results in you revisiting the same area several times because the freaking enemies make you backtrack!
5. Atlantica. Underwater... Ugh.
Kingdom Hearts was a big success and it begged for a sequel. We got Kingdom Hearts II a few years later. It built on everything that made it good and added a few more things.
1. It was easier. It had a difficulty selection at the very beginning, Normal mode was significantly easier than normal mode in the first game.
2. Reaction Commands. A brand new aspect to the gameplay, in battle if you see triangle on the screen and you push it a the right time, you can do all kinds of fancy things depending on who or what you're fighting.
3. Plot. Just, so good.
The second game had one big flaw to it...
IT'S TOO EASY! I replayed this game recently and it was just too easy. Granted, I was on normal mode but still it was nowhere near as hard as the first one. It's also a lot shorter. I cleared that game in 13 hours, I'm replaying the first one and I think I'm at the 40 hour mark and I just got to the final boss. Which one is better? The first one for originality and difficulty.
What is Kingdom Hearts? If I had to explain it, I'd say that Kingdom Hearts is Final Fantasy and Disney having a baby. That's right, Kingdom Hearts is Final Fantasy and Disney. Together. I have no idea how this idea came to be but can such a farfetched idea succeed as a video game? Let's see.
Pros
1. Challenge. Kingdom Hearts 1 is very challenging which is a good thing. You can't exactly plow through it, you have to observe your enemy's movements, dodge and counterattack.
2. Combat system. I love the combat system of this game. As silly as it sounds whacking enemies with a giant key (yes that really is your weapon), you equip abilities to pull strings of combos and other devastating attacks. There's also a shortcut system to provide ease of use for magic but not items (more on that later).
3. Plot. The plot to this game is amazingly solid. You really want to know what happens to the characters (I won't give anything away) and it makes sense that you're traveling to different Disney worlds.
4. Enemy variety. Every world has a few enemies (called Heartless) exclusive to that world alone (usually). When you travel to a new world, you don't encounter the same enemies you have before, you encounter new ones! Usually the new ones offer some more challenge particularly in the late game.
5. Cameos! Oh my goodness, the number of Disney/Final Fantasy cameos in this game are almost countless. It's one aspect of the game that makes it so quirky but so good! Your main character (Sora) travels with Donald Duck and Goofy (I couldn't make that up if I tried). The three of them are traveling to find Riku and Kairi (Sora's best friends) and King Mickey. Along the way they stop into different Disney worlds from movies such as: Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.
6. Optional bosses: This game has a whole slough of optional bosses that are more difficult than the final boss. This just adds another level of challenge to the game (you need to beat all the secret bosses to get the secret ending).
7. OLYMPUS COLISEUM! My very favorite part of this game is the coliseum. It is the most challenging part of the game (it is optional) and it's the best way to level up. Only the first game does the Hercules world right!
Cons
Those were an awful lot of pros am I right? This game isn't pure gold.
1. Difficulty. You know how I said difficulty was a good thing? It's also a bad thing! This game is filled with normal enemies that are very difficult/annoying to defeat (and you usually face 5-6 at a time). There are many hard bosses. The only thing that makes the difficulty a bad thing is the next problem.
2. In battle menus. If you want to use an item in battle, good luck, you'll probably die. If you want to use an item, you have to basically stop what you're doing, scroll to the "item" box (this means you can no longer attack), scroll until you find the item you want, select who you want to give it to... Oh wait I'm dead already. Sadly the shortcut system only works for spells (thank God for cure).
3. Camera. This is a minor issue but sometimes the camera can be against you. In the middle of a boss fight, the camera will sometimes glitch out and the boss will kill you because you don't know what's going on.
4. Tricky platforming. I know it's an action rpg game and there's supposed to be platforming but some places in the game are ridiculous. The biggest culprits are Halloween Town and Hollow Bastion. There are a couple of areas where you need to get on a platform, or jump precisely to an area and there's tons of enemies in the way. Just kill the enemies right? Not really, in these situations you're bombarded by enemies that fly, you have to jump up to attack them. Attacking in the air makes you travel in the air, and the enemies like to float over the area you don't want to fall down to. This usually results in you revisiting the same area several times because the freaking enemies make you backtrack!
5. Atlantica. Underwater... Ugh.
Kingdom Hearts was a big success and it begged for a sequel. We got Kingdom Hearts II a few years later. It built on everything that made it good and added a few more things.
1. It was easier. It had a difficulty selection at the very beginning, Normal mode was significantly easier than normal mode in the first game.
2. Reaction Commands. A brand new aspect to the gameplay, in battle if you see triangle on the screen and you push it a the right time, you can do all kinds of fancy things depending on who or what you're fighting.
3. Plot. Just, so good.
The second game had one big flaw to it...
IT'S TOO EASY! I replayed this game recently and it was just too easy. Granted, I was on normal mode but still it was nowhere near as hard as the first one. It's also a lot shorter. I cleared that game in 13 hours, I'm replaying the first one and I think I'm at the 40 hour mark and I just got to the final boss. Which one is better? The first one for originality and difficulty.
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