Monday, December 20, 2010
System Stasis #1 - Super Nintendo
I was three months from turning two when it got released in America as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 23, 1991.
I would not receive a SNES until 1993, but up until that point I was anticipating it. When I was three I started playing my old Game Boy and my older sister Heathers NES. But when I did get the system, I knew I wanted to be a gamer from that point on.
Its hard to talk about one of your favorite systems and NOT gush over every single thing about it. From the fantastic library of games, to the easy-to-use controller, even down to the mentality of just having the thing. If you had a friend who didn't own one, that's what you would do that day, play some SNES.
Lets start with what I remember, what I liked, loved, and hated, and also what I think of the system now, in greater depth. This console, born into the fourth-generation of game systems, kindling to the 16-bit era Console Wars, is here to stay.
The Super Nintendo launched in North America with one game included, Super Mario World, and what a game. I can attest to many sleepless nights, just staying up playing this amazing platformer. Not only did it have an amazing soundtrack and awesome level design (one of the best over-worlds ever), but it was Mario, and at this point in gaming, Mario was king.
From that point on, it was an endless blur of either one of two things:
1. Amazing, top-notch original titles.
2. Crappy, crappy games.
I'll give you just a small teaser of some of the worst I've owned. Ever hear of the game 'Mario is Missing'? It was a game that starred Luigi, trying to save Mario. I was excited at first, I though "A game where you play as Luigi? Cool!' But I soon found out the horrible truth. It was an educational game. Ugh. Another shit-stain in the pants of my childhood would have to be Wayne's World. I don't wanna talk about that one...
Well, No more, I can't think about those shitty shitty games anymore, even though there were a few more (Bebe's Kids, Shaq Fu) NO, NONONO DARRIS. No more!
Well, lets talk about amazing Snes games. Its not, in any way, a hard list to come up with. Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario RPG, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Gradius III, F-Zero, Mega Man 7, Mega Man X, Super Castlevania IV, Super Star Wars, Street Fighter 2: Turbo, Pilotwings, Super Mario Kart, Killer Instinct, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out, Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, & 3, Final Fantasy III (aka VI), Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound and The Legend of Zelda: Link to the past, just to name a few.
Any one of these titles were a sure-fire hit, and would assure you months and months of gaming glory.
This console was not only a revolution in what video gaming was, but what it could be. It turned video gaming into a proper business, and gave tons of developers a start in the industry. It was not only one of the greatest gaming consoles of all time, but it made so many people today into gamers, and gave them that gaming mentality. I'm slightly worried about today's 'gamers'. I wanna say to them, "just because you got an Xbox and a copy of Halo, that doesn't make you a gamer", but that's the wrong thing to think.
We all start somewhere. When a kid sees the Star Wars movies as their coming out, 70's, 80's, learning that Darth Vader was Luke's father was an amazing an unbelievable twist, but a child watching the movies today for the first time might not have the same experience. Would you let them watch the prequel trilogy before the older ones, or make them watch the originals first? If we, as gaming adults, want our kids to be exposed to video gaming, what should we do? Let them play with their friends on Xbox Live, or hand them a SNES controller? It's very hard to say, as part of being a gamer is playing with friends, and sharing those experiences.
As some of you in our group know, I've moved closer into my local town, now being just a short walk to get on High-Street. Located there is a vintage video game store, filled with games and game systems of all kinds.
I can assure each and every one of you that as soon as money allows, I shall rebuild my glorious gaming collection, and own this fantastic system once again.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Rant - Dreamworks is a Fucking Slut
Dreamworks Animations has always been three steps behind their main threat, Pixar. Every once and a while, they will stumble across a good script (How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda) and get lucky as hell.
Well, now their going to fuck those series up as well.
Jeffery Katzenburg, the chief animation director at Dreamworks just hinted at the fact that 'How To Train Your Dragon' could get two more movies, and that 'Madagascar' might get two more as well. And that's not all. 'Kung Fu Panda' could be up to six movies long. SIX.
It seems like Dreamworks just wants to milk their franchises for all their worth before even attempting to try something original.
Lets remember some of the craptastic attempts at squeezing in on Pixars originality. First there was 'ANTZ'. This movie wasn't bad at all, but it was practical made to compete with Pixar's 'A Bugs Life', a movie that started development shortly after 'Toy Story' was finished. Next there were a few 2D animated movies that weren't too bad, and actually had some originality. Then came 'Chicken Run', a movie that actually had a lot of charm and great animation (thanks to the fantastic British studio Aardman Animations, who unfortunately went on to make CGI dump Flushed Away... ugh).
Then comes many more movie, ranging from 'meh' to just plain bad. How To Train You Dragon was actually a very well made movie, and Megamind was passable. But this is nothing compared to what Pixar's been up to.
Well, let them whore themselves out. I don't care anymore. If anything, Pixars has shown that animated sequels don't have to be phoned in shambles. Toy Story 3 was fantastic. A sequel is being made to Cars as we speak., and even though Cars wasn't my cup of tea, I'm sure it will be as top notch as the rest of their works. Hell, while they work on Cars 2, they also have Monster's Inc. 2 in the works (a movie that definitely deserved a sequel) as well as working on an all new original movie, 'Brave'.
So Dreamworks... six Kung Fu Pandas? How about you do five and make something original again.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Taste My Comic Goodness
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Comic of Dillon
Frankie is working on some commissions he didn't do and he needs done soon, therefore, he had no time to work on a comic. SO! Instead, I shall be posting one. I have been working on sprites and just threw this together in about 15 minutes as a test, not proud. So here it is. Halo based.
On a side note, I am about done coloring the rest of the comics released, so I shall replace them with full color ones soon.
*Note, WEIRD BLURRINESS AHOY!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Column - DraconisTheory's Best Column Ever : McDonalds
McDonald's head is far up their golden arches they don't even realise how much people hate their god damn food! To say that eating at McDonald's provides some sort of "joy" is to say that the Holocaust was kind of fun. I haven't been happy to eat at that hell hole since I was young enough to enjoy the cheap ass plastic shit toy thing they passed off as their latest marketing attempt to get people to buy their shit by getting their kids to say "I WANT THAT NEW GAY ASS SHIT TOY AT MCDONALDS 'CAUSE THERE IS A MOVIE OUT RELATED TO IT!" I hate kids but that's a rant for another time. Sorry about the caps lock, really that shit is retarded but it's the only way to properly convey my proportional rage other than this: FUCK.
To tell the truth I absolutely hate myself every time I eat at McDonalds for forcing my body to digest whatever shit they pass off as food. Ask anyone you know what their favorite fast food joint is. If they say McDonald's they're fucking insane and are lieing to themselves and should be forced to give up their first born son to Ronald McfuckingDonald's zombie corpse. Might as well! There needs to be a damn Krystal's in Hawaii...
News - More 'Darris' Columns Ahead!
Ok, here's the deal. I am planning 2 new segments in addition to my 'Darris Talks About Games' smash-hit.
These will be:
"Darris Reviews..." - In which I, Darris, review said item. Could be a videogame, could be a movie, could be a new flavor of gum. Whatever I give the product in my review will be law. So, if I say to burn it to the ground, I expect everyone to go grab their lighters.
"Darris Talks About Anime" - Could also replace 'Anime' with 'Manga' when if feeling a bit cheeky. In this segment I will discuss anime, manga, and everything to to with them. This could mean a new series coming out, a collection I recommend, or the artstyle of certain artists. It could literally cover any topic to do with the medium of anime or manga.
So, I'll be working feverishly on making these projects a reality, and expect another 'D-TAP' sometime this week.
Thanks,
-
Darris
Monday, November 29, 2010
News - Future Project Announced
We're making a game, nothing special just something that works to see if we can do it. It'll be a shooter but not like Call of Duty I'm talking Galaga or 1942, ya dig? A whole bunch of enemies and your main guy just mowing 'em down. We'll all be taking part in this with music, level design, enemy design, programming, the works and it's gonna be time consuming and hard but totally awesome in the long run to have something tangible that we can show off.
Also, don't expect anything ground breaking as far as a story goes. It looks like it's gonna be Shoe Dude off to shoot up random jerk faces. Also a character called JumpRocket. It's a jet that has legs and can jump. Get it? Not quite as awesome as a gun that shoots other guns that shoot explosions but... That's actually a good idea. I'm saving that one. We'll keep you posted as development progresses. Also, seeking out a good company that can make the shirts, not so easy and customink.com does good work, they're just a tad expensive for what we want. That is all.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Darris Talks About Games - Where's the Next 1998?
1998 was more amazing then any of us will ever know. In video gaming, it wasn't only the best year for creativity, but it was also the best year to be a gamer.
Pick any month (besides June... friggin' summer) and you will find an amazing, creative, original piece of art, even if you were not a PC gamer. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
1998
Jan.-
PlayStation owners got two amazing games, one right after the other. We saw the release of Resident Evil 2 and Final Fantasy Tactics.
Feb.-
Tekken makes a comeback with the 3rd ineration of the fighting game series, released for the PlayStation (three great games for the PS1 in a row in 1998, lucky bastards).
Mar.-
PlayStation owners celebrate yet another victory in getting an amazing line-up thanks to a little game called Parasite Eve, one of Squares best games. Also, PC gamers get an addiction started the old fashion way thanks to the release of Starcraft. man, it did take a long time for 2 to come out, huh?
Apr.-
The Sega Saturn gets its final masterpiece with the release of the Panzer Dragoon Saga, an amazing, and epic RPG based off of the rail-shooter series.
May.-
Wow, Epic games has come a long way since this month. Unreal gets it release, using the same engine that would power many games following it and influencing how game engines were created.
June-
Well, better late than never, Nintendo. They let Rare off it's chain for a second, and Banjo-Kazooie gets released to the masses, making everyone with a childhood near 1998 remember their name.
July- Uh, nothing to see here... No, really. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Summer game droughts have never been worse, especially when gamers knew what was coming out in the fall...
Aug.-
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes us rethink how shooters work in this team and tactics based game of skill and challenge.
Sep.- Spyro the Dragon was released this month. So was Fallout 2. But no one was playing those games for long after two little Game Boy games made their U.S. debut. Pokemon Red & Blue gets etched into our brains and hearts.
Oct.- Xenogears. Metal Gear Solid. Grim Fandango. Any of these games alone would have made a fantastic month. But put them all together? My god, your on to something... I feel a strange wind coming... It smells like... November.
Nov.-
Three incredible games, One amazing month. PC gamers get Half-Life and Baldurs Gate. Nintendo 64 owners get The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If you had any free time before, its gone now. These games, along with the latest Thief and StarCraft games made this a month to remember. It was a month to be a PC gamer, and a month to bet on Nintendo.
Dec.-
Lets close off the year with a fun little shooter. There aren't many games that allowed you to step into the shoes (or moccasins) of a Native American. Even fewer let you kill dinosaurs as one. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil was released for the PC and N64 platforms.
So, 1998. You were a good year. Very interesting, very cunning. Very original. These days the most innovation seen seems to be either through indie developers or on a handheld, but the games are still being made, thank god. But there will never be quite a year like 1998. Because of that, we should look back on it as a year in the history of gaming that will be remembered for quite some time. Until then, we still have one more thing to think about:
Where's the next 1998?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Comic - Raptor Inc. : Rocket Race by Frankie Sanabria 007
So this is of course a true story as all the Raptor Inc. comics are. This particular one being with myself and... well you can just put any other person from Raptor Inc. into there and you'd be accurate. Rocket Race is one of my favorite game types, once Shadonickles introduced me to the concept of "boosting" by shooting a rocket behind your mongoose to create an explosion that sends you flying across the map I became a changed man. Nothing got done from that point on. It was and still is amazing. For those of you who discredit Halo for whatever reason, there's no better way to have some physics related fun and cause some massive explosions than with a good ol' round of Rocket Race and I highly recommend giving a "boost" a try.
Comic - Shoe Dude : Got Sole Part 2 by Frankie Sanabria 006
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Dillon's Article of Assorted Assortments
Why?
Because I can.
It may not be as long or as thought out as Darris' posts, but hey! I don't really know how to finish that statement. Anyway, there isn't really much that comes to mind at the moment, other than that it appears we now fully exist. So as for right now, I shall leave you with this;
A video of someone who is ungodly at what they do.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Darris Talks About Games - Multiplayer Madness
Multiplayer has been a main focus in gaming in general for a long time, going all the way back to the paper-and-dice days of Dungeons and Dragons. Having a friend join you on a quest or journey is just more fun, especially when both of you have the same end-goal in mind. In fact, the first video game that was created electronically, Tennis For Two on an old oscilloscope, was built for two players.
For me, multiplayer wasn't ever a main point in my decision on purchasing a video game. I was always just interested in the game itself. But as of late, I find multiplayer to be more and more a thought to run through my head, that is, when it looks like a sort of innovation. Just a few days ago I purchased Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Not only am I enjoying the fantastic continuation of the main story, but the multiplayer always has me coming back for more. Even though none of my other friends has AC:B, I still find much to like from this fresh take on playing multiplayer.
I know that their are some gamers out there who only make decisions based on if their friends will be playing it as well, and I'm finding it harder and harder to judge them for it. The benefits of cooperative gaming far out weight the negatives at this point. I might love the single-player narratives out there more than ever now, but I have to admit that it will only last as long as the developers want.
Just do me a favor, Multiplayer-Only gamers. Go play Ico.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Column - Ian's Mountain : "Music for y'all"
Monday, November 15, 2010
Column - Darris Talks About Games : Thinking of the Past
Even though I might not be the oldest gamer (I was born in 1989) I still consider my upbringing with video games to be one that some younger gamers today might not fully grasp. There's always been console wars, title characters, and overused game types (yes, even zombies). But there is a few things that getting into video games early help gamers adapt to, and that's the constant of gaming.
It's easier than ever for anyone to get into gaming, and thank God for that. Back in the early 90's you were hard pressed to find someone who would have been just as into gaming as you. But I think that the ease of gaming today will make gaming slightly weaker moving forward. Back then you had to convert people, show them why gaming was great. Give them a controller and let them interact with something they never knew could be.
I remember my first gaming moments very clearly. I was three years old, and my older sister Heather had an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). I would spend time constantly playing Track and Field, Bart vs. the Space Mutants, and Super Mario Bros.. I wouldn't really know what I was doing, but I did know that I was in control. I had direct involvement with my character, and I could make them jump, run, and attack.
When I turned four I received my first Game Boy. That's when I started gaming. I would play just about anything, and I can clearly remember putting so much time into Ghouls 'n Ghosts that I knew just about everything about it. Then I received my SNES, and another evolution occurred. My gaming interest grew to a point that I would go out and find as much news and information about gaming that I could. My Super Nintendo collection was solid, and filled with amazing titles that I loved to play. The Super Nintendo also allowed for an even more engrossing collection of games that focused on something more than gameplay, and that's the narrative.
The Nintendo 64 would be that last system that I would receive as a gift, as every system after that I would buy myself. From my youth to now, I have always been involved in gaming in some way. Thanks to gaming I am now a fan of anime and manga. Because of video games, I now constantly think of stories and poems, and I push myself to think outside the box. Because of video games, I have a greater appreciation for what can be considered art.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Comic - Shoe Dude: Got Sole? Part 1 by Frankie Sanabria
Gaming - CoD:Black Ops Tournament
DraconisTheory (Myself) and
Demon1616 (Dean Alexander)
The prize is a share of $30,000 so wish us the best of luck! Also there is a 4 vs 4 tournament coming up so if any raptors out there want to put together a 4 man team to take on the rest of the pot drop an email to raptorincemail@gmail.com. For more info on the tournament go to: http://www.gamestop.com/gs/tournaments/codbo/default.aspx
Monday, November 8, 2010
Projects - Possible Future Ventures
Anyway at the last meeting we brought a few things to the table, things that were discussed were the finalization of the shirts, the upcoming Reach tournament we will be participating in, recruitment possibilities, soft sensual kissing, and the choosing of the next project after the shirts are done. I will now list said pruposed adventures so all my look and see and vote and decide and then seriously vote and move on. I'm not putting this as a poll because I want each vote to be a comment on this post so I can actually make sure no one is spamming the poll.
So without further ado, here's the list:
Video game
Board game
Cook book
Graphic novel
Movie
Keep in mind this has to be fun but at the same time something we can potentially make some cash off of so we can fund future projects and work on improving our situation.
Recruitment - How to Join Raptor Inc.
Until we can come up with a more formal recruitment method any person interested in joining and engaging in company projects should do so by downloading Steam from http://store.steampowered.com/ and setting up an account. Once this is done you can look up the Raptor Inc. group, find all the members through the group page, participate in company meetings and contribute ideas through the comment section or the group chat therien.
If you can't get on the chat unless you download a game or whatever may be the reason go up to the search bar and type in Alien Swarm and download it. The game is free and once you have it you'll unlock all the features for Steam. You don't have to be a gamer to get into what we do, we're so eclectic we end up dipping our paws into pretty much everything, this is the most convenient way to communicate, come together, and hang out with all of us until we can get a website with a forum up and running which will come, oh yes, it will come.
If you don't feel like doing any of this you can email us at raptor.inc.email@gmail.com and tell us your interested and we'll keep you posted. Word.
Video - New Video Projects For December
In order to prepare for production we will need skit and script suggestions at least if we can't come up with some actual material to go on, if we have time we can even even storyboard them and grab some props before we have to do a mad dash into Wal Mart as usual for everything we could possibly need. Last time we got off with a giant paper bag of ketchup packets and a german shepherd. Don't worry about that if you don't understand it. Anyway, email your suggestions or post them as comments on this article and let's get ready for hilarity.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Art - Raptor Ink Commisioned Art
Raptor Ink is our commisioned art firm, if you need a conceptual piece, logo, tattoo design, or anything else 2d and drawable we can provide! Prices are by the hour of work, $18 an hour with 10% discount for military and 5% discount for students and seniors. Oh yeah, I went there. Most jobs take 2-3 hours for the initial penciling depending on the complexity of the request. Payment will be dealt with through mail order as we have no means of dealing with money online at this time. I won't go into a lot of description here since it's pretty self explanatory, instead I'll let the art speak for itself.
Go to this page to see some examples of the work I've done for commision. I have a lot of experience in tattoo design having done so for several years. I can draw anything, literally, with enough time and patience and I will work with you personally to achieve the look that you want. After the initial pencil phase is complete you can opt to have your piece transfered to one of our digital artists to finalize the product.
http://draconistheory.deviantart.com/
If you're interested email us at raptor.inc.email@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to helping you create some sweet art!
Steam - Raptor Inc. on Steam
Just go to the site in the top left corner you can see where you can download Steam and get it on all the granduer of it. It is free but in order to access vertain features you may have to buy a game on it. This isn't such a bad deal because all of their games are awesome, you can usually find a pretty sweet bargain since they have sales every week (huge ones around Christmas time i.e. Mass Effect was like $5), and it can manage any other games you may previously own.
We use Steam to conduct all of our meetings and it offers chat rooms and voice chat meetings which help out a lot. Our group name on there is Raptor Inc (abbreviated as RINC) and you can find me (DraconisTheory), Ogachi, Fat4all, Shadonickles, Gleamian, and Nerrage if you need anything. Word.
Email - New Raptor Inc. Email Address
raptor.inc.email@gmail.com
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Comic - Raptor Inc.: Offensive Material by Frankie Sanabria 004
Comic - Good & Evil: Everyone Loves Babies by Frankie Sanabria 003
Another reboot of an old comic I used to do. Bob and Jim was the first and I'm sure I'll bringing back all of my old creations but for now just enjoy the fact that these are even getting made.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Gaming - Game Classes
Right now our main Class 1 is Halo: Reach, we're building our 4v4 team up to take on MLG next year. It's gonna be brutal but it's what we're good at.
Other Class 2 Games:
TF2
Read Dead Revolver
CODMW2
COD:BO
Rock Band 3
Starcraft 2
Marvel Vs Capcom 3
CSS
Class 3 Games:
Limbo
Marvel Vs Capcom 2
Worms 2
CS 1.6