Now apparently, from what I heard from 66se7en, who is probably laughing his ass off right now, I have created a forced meme that I didn't think would arise.

It is called the "Dancing Owen".

This is the Newgrounds topic where my picture originated from.

This was the end result.

All I have to say is, holy shit. I now know that one selfless image goes a long way to being spammed on the Stickam NG chatrooms by random users I had nothing to do with. I am currently laughing my ass off right now.

I want my cookie now fellas.

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

Rollercoaster Tycoon

Supported Consoles: Microsoft Xbox, PC

Makers: Infogrames, Chris Sawyer, Atari

If I can recall, the first ever PC game that I could ever play on my 16 MB, 500 MB hard drive tank of a computer would have been Rollercoaster Tycoon. I can still remember buying this game for the first time at the Radio Shack; a trade for my Train Simulator game that didn't work. I looked upon the shelves for a game that met my old computer's standards, and when I stumbled upon RCT, I was surprised to see that it actually could, and quickly asked my mom if we could get this game instead. Oh boy.

As soon as we got home, I ran upstairs, waited for my clunky computer to load, then popped this game in, did a full install, and counted the minutes that went by until the game finally installed and loaded. I got to say, these were the most memorable moments of my PC gaming life. It makes me what I am today, and it's why I am a simulation fanatic. When the chainlift sound came on, I knew, from that point on, I would have played a masterpiece of its kind, and it was only 1999. The funky, carnival sound came on, followed by screams of joyous riders, as they soared down the coaster hill.

At first, I didn't know what to do, but the tutorial saved me. Chris Sawyer saved me. In no time, I had finished three scenarios, and was on my way to unlocking more scenarios, more places to discover, and what rides I could use and build. It was the most exciting thing a kid could do. Or perhaps it was because I had a lot of patience, unlike most of the kids in my neighborhood at the time; them and their faster computers, and SNES consoles, oh no. THIS was the real deal. Rollercoaster Tycoon can eat Maxis' heart out, and spew it across their Sim Cities for all I care. And I care a lot.

Now, enough of my storylife, I can honestly say that Rollercoaster Tycoon was the biggest PC game to date, if you were into building theme parks, lots of rides and coasters, and stocking up on money from all the admission sales and food. It ain't no Sim City, but it was most definitely easier than that. It also boasted some of the best peep deaths in simulation history (but that was only if your main goal was to drown them all in a lake, in which shame on you :p). The point is, Rollercoaster Tycoon is massive.

There isn't really a plot, unless you count building a giant theme park at your own desire a plot. And for what? What happens at the end? The fun thing is, there isn't really a forceful story to this at all. It's just build, build, and build to your heart's content. And if you didn't have enough space, you could just build OVER the existing ride for even more wackiness that comes out of your cranium. You could say that this game allows the player to make up his/her own story, and share it for generations. Rollercoaster Tycoon has that ability to make the kid out of anybody. Even now, people who are probably well in their forties would be playing this game. It's just too much fun. The scenarios offer simple goals, and like many other games, progressively get harder by each scenario you unlock. But by then, you're probably a master at RCT.

The stuff includes numerous rollercoasters to build with, small rides and transports, water rides, food and information kiosks, and much more! There's also scenery that you can add to the park, to make it more lively and realistic. Along with staff that can be commanded with a simple "drag and drop", anywhere on the map; a cleaner to pick up the trash or water the gardens (or mow the lawn, but there's no point in that), a mechanic to fix and renew your rides, and entertainers to make the peeps (your guests) cheerful and happy to increase the park's rating.

Rollercoasters are a real pain to build in this game, since you'll need a lot of money. space, and skill to build one properly, and I mean properly. But no worries, there's always room for a coaster you want. And with simple tutorials, whether on the Internet or from a friend, you'll be a pro in no time. Rollercoasters can be as simple as a lift hill, drop and brakes, but can also be as complicated as multiple drops, tons of loops and corkscrews, with money to spare. Either way, you'll have a blast making one. Same goes to any other ride you build that can be manipulated into your dream ride. The color, vehicle, tons of things can be changed in a ride. Also, after you've built and tested the ride, there are easy-to-understand stats that the ride gives you, along with G-Force ratings, etc. Simply put, if the ride is too High on the Excitement rating, that's good. However, if the ride has a Very High rating of Nausea, better check your ride over. Peeps will not ride your creation if it is too nauseous, or is too intense. They're picky like that.

There are downtimes throughout the game, that could be as simple as a breakdown of a ride, to as big as a rollercoaster crash. It's basically like if you were in charge of a REAL theme park, there always comes along problems, which can be easily repaired. The worst accident you can have could be if your best coaster (that you've put time and money into) crashes, or breaks down constantly. It may mean the ride is too old, and you'll have to choose either to edit it (i.e. putting brakes on the track to slow the train down), or demolish it all to build another ride. That's just the facts. But with every demolish, there's always a seed left behind, or at least a memory of that ride. Now I might take things too serious, but building a ride should be all about pleasure and patience; soon after, you won't have to worry about your dream ride breaking down.

In short of all of this, Rollercoaster Tycoon is a giant recommendation for those who want the biggest of simulation and creativity. And it goes to show that what you've always wanted to build, you can build it. There is always a memory of every ride you've built over the years, and each one just hits you. Right there, in the heart. To me, this a game I most cherish; that and its multiple Add-Ons and sequels over the years, I'll never forget the glory days of isometric viewpoints in a game. Now we have the technology to make three-dimensional games, with tons of information, but nothing beats the classics. Nothing does.

TOEZ' Rating of Rollercoaster Tycoon:
Graphics: 8.5/10
Story: 8.5/10
Sound: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Audience Appeal: Anyone who loves to dream the impossible, but it's never impossible for this game.
Overall Rating: 9/10

Pros:
- Seemingly infinite stuff to choose from
- Simple, easy to learn stats and controls
- Real life manipulation of physics throughout the game
- Memories to be passed on

Cons:
- It makes Sim City look like a dwarf

If you post down YOUR Birthday, I'll add it to my notes and I'll make sure to remember it whenever it pops up! Then, when it does, I'll PM you or make a thread about your Birthday!
I will edit this news post from time to time; I may decide to just post all your Birthdays on the actual News Post.

Upcoming Birthday(s): VespeneGas (November 24), CarChaseCityMan (November 25)

LIST OF BIRTHDAYS:

Last Edited: November 22, 2008

Total Birthdays Listed: 81

January:
TacoFreak- January 7
SaltshakerClock- January 19
Slayer3751- January 19
UberKuri- January 20
Sunglasses- January 21
greensucksbluerules- January 25
Nessbeatsfox- January 31

February:
ForcedDj- February 8
Infinite-one- February 16
hereforrock- February 27

March:
Brainoggin- March 6
Grimfenix- March 13
Ziggy-Stardust- March 27

April:
Zoraxe7- April 3
gamerpeepinpa- April 8
Underking2- April 11
link-011- April 12
knightsofthecircle- April 14
masterguy-1243- April 23
snapper5- April 25
JoeisCooler- April 27

May:
submit1- May 5
BonusStage- May 7
X-Naut- May 7
Earthshine- May 8
TwilightFox- May 15
skemmtun- May 22

June:
Kurofelis- June 1
Gmagnum- June 4
ripoffhitman- June 5
firemario1 - June 6
ShinigamiRem- June 7
Psycho-Simple- June 9
Skat0r- June 15
KittyKat87 - June 18
Cheekyvincent- June 22
Animetal- June 24

July:
thingymabob- July 2
Strength- July 4
APOPHIS57- July 14
tails4president- July 15
KillerClam- July 18
TECh2o - July 22

August:
Cericon- August 11
ricksed- August 12
Jake- August 18
KeithArrowhart- August 25
KipptheCool - August 31

September:
AwesomeX- September 6
Ledgey - September 6
robattle- September 7
gibleto- September 18
Grade-Zero- September 20
Mechabloby- September 24
Sarcasm- September 24
ShadowWest- September 27
LiquidSapphire- September 30

October:
TheRadicalOne- October 10
Onion-fusioN - October 11
Psycho- October 13
LOLZILLA- October 20
Hebacheba- October 21
squidly- October 24
Maverick-Alex- October 25
TOEZ- October 30

November:
Funkybob2- November 5
silentkat- November 7
verycoolguy - November 8
NinjaPirateMaster- November 14
BlueZombieClock- November 16
VespeneGas- November 24
CarChaseCityMan- November 25
LampFace- November 26

December:
Greth-of-choas- December 8
Shadow0fDeath- December 12
Neiliomedeilio- December 13
spite-skater- December 21
Greenskullkid- December 25
mastergurosp- December 26
kra-zgangsta- December 27
Sanity-of-Insanity- December 29

Discuss.

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

True Crime: NYC

Supported Consoles: Microsoft Xbox, Playstation 2, PC, Nintendo Gamecube

Makers: Activision, Luxoflux, Microsoft, Exakt Entertainment

For anyone who has played the excellent but explicit sandbox, Grand Theft Auto, you can arguably say anything after that is a ripoff. Not was the case of the True Crime series, that only has two games mind you; True Crime: Streets of LA, and the latter True Crime: NYC. First off, LA (I'm going to refer either or as LA or NY) was as good of a sandbox game as you could get on an Xbox, without ripping off GTA. Its leeched sequel, on the other hand, was a rather disappointment to some, including myself. Some say it was probably the worst sandbox game of 2005. Now three years later, I once again open the case, and take a big whiff of the foul memories that were. Here we go.

First of all, and I want to get this out right now, if you have this game, look at the title of it. It says "True Crime: New York City". And some of us are thinking, all of it? That includes Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and everywhere else in the entire metropolis of New York. Instead, it was a big fuck you to those who were dumb enough to think that an Xbox disc can possibly take the entire New York area compiled into one. What we REALLY got was just the biggest chunk of New York, and I quote: "twenty-five square miles of crowds, concrete, crime so cold, they wither the soul". Oh okay, so let's NOT call it "True Crime: Manhattan Island". Let's name it into something more familiar, so unsuspecting kids get their money taken away by sellers and their grubby big hands. It's not like I was ripped off; I bought this game and another for a combined total of ten dollars at a pawn shop, hoping to get one of the biggest games EVER. Boy was I wrong.

Sure, NY has probably a great storyline and all, but the plot is simple: you're a gangster turned street cop named Marcus (fuck me) who goes around and solves crimes at free will. Nothing different from the last game, except instead of beating chapters to move on, you have the choice to go around and do whatever the hell you want. That's good and all, but I'm just not liking it. The mood of NY really bears you down, as you're greeted to darkness, tons of taxi cabs and metro buses, and tons and tons of rain, whereas in LA, it's sunny, beautiful, and NEVER rains. Sort of sounds like... reality New York. But it's sort of like the programmers put too much into the graphics (albeit sometimes it's too dark to see a damn thing anyway) than they did with the game play. Then again, the eye candy is that it takes place in New York! Holy shit, a paradox! Better sit down.

As about the graphics, they're pretty decent. But like I said, in most parts of NY, the area seems darker, and if your TV is not as bright, you won't be able to see much. And my TV is fine; it plays any other game nicely in brightness without having to edit. It's almost as though the programmers were trying to hide something. As for detail, it's almost spot-on. One knack I have is the size differential in man vs. vehicle. If you go up to something let's say, a metro bus. It looks vastly different than in LA. It probably has to do with the crummy camera angle, but whatever. For me, I've always said that graphics don't make a good game, but in this game, it's hard to tell. Why? Because the game play also flaws; really, there's nothing you can say about this game that stands out besides new weapons...

It's the little things in NY that stand out in comparison to the LA version. Call me a bitch, but I feel a lot of things have changed or have been horribly manipulated. Firstly, the camera angles in this game are a complete cluster fuck. It's ridiculous. Try getting into your vehicle, and you'll see. They go all over the place. Second, if you've played LA, you'd know that you could change the control scheme to fit your needs. But in NY, you can't. Also, you cannot look behind you while driving (aka the Y button), which means you'll have to use common sense to tell if a car is right behind you, if you're trying to back up (but 9 times out of 10 there is). Opening up the map screen with the "back" button was also scrapped, but then again, you could just open up the menu with "start" and there it is. What really bums me out is the fact you can't put your own soundtracks into the game, something the LA predecessor had. And the music isn't as great as it was in the first one. Could be that I have bad taste, but I liked the older ones better than the newer one, but I guess if they fit in with New York City....

Now, there's one controversial thing that has kept this game low in ratings, and I'm not one to say otherwise; the glitches in this game are everywhere. You almost want to say that NY was rushed out to meet some sort of time line, and the programmers never bothered to proof-read this game. The biggest glitch in this game happens in the latter missions against the triads. You know, the one where you have to push off the Chinese guy off of the pillar? It's not like you can't beat it, you just have to be patient. And if you're not, I don't blame you. It took me about ten minutes smashing buttons trying to beat this bastard, who apparently either has the strongest leg muscles, or defies gravity. Or it could be "Marcus" is just too weak to do shit. Anyway, it's glitches like these that really bring a game down.

In short, NY can go both ways. Now I could of said a lot more about this game, like the commentating (voice acting), traveling across the city, and various missions like street racing and fight clubs, but I'll let you be the judge of that. In conclusion, True Crime: NYC is hard to comment on. It's neither good, nor bad, but you WANT to say it's bad, but it has some good things that keep you from saying that. I'm not sure if I'd recommend this game, but I will say one thing: I liked True Crime: Streets of LA better.

TOEZ' Rating of True Crime: NYC:
Graphics: 7.5/10
Story: 8.5/10
Sound: 6/10
Game Play: 4.5/10
Audience appeal: Homie gangsters that imitate real crimes without ever leaving the premises of your own home...
Overall Rating: 6/10

Pros:
- Nice storyline
- The detail
- Weapons, freelance missions
Cons:
- The camera angles
- Brightness/Clarity
- Glitches Galore

Yeah, I'll be turning 16 in late October (the 30th to be exact). I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to suck cock to the person who makes a thread about my special day. Someone better, because right before that, will be my mid-terms. Fuck.

Also, one week from now, I'll be going on a "Riverwatch" trip; basically my Biology class, we all go down to the river, get on some rafts, and head down the river, while collecting samples, and research. Should be fun.

In smaller news, I FINALLY reached LV 17 just a couple of days ago. Now only about 350 EXP to go for LV 18.

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

Toy Story

Supported Consoles: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis. PC

Makers: Sega, Disney Interactive, Pixar

Toy Story is and always will be a classic. Really, anything that comes out of Pixar's laboratory is great. This is movie-wise though. Are the games good enough to match the movies? Most of the time, movie-based games aren't, but if you look at Toy Story (the game), you can go both ways. The game itself has its positives, and its negatives, but I won't get too harsh on that. The point is, the game is apparently made for kids (I believe), so let's put it at that.

The story follows each step of the movie (kind of pointless if you've already seen the movie, but can be turned off in Options), in proper order, and if you've seen Toy Story, you'd already know how the story begins, what happens in between, and how it ends. There are a few parts where the designers decided to throw in some random boss battles (which are sometimes easy, and sometimes really hard) to prolong the game, but I find it really unnecessary.

Now the positives in this game are by far, the graphics. I am surprised, and at the same time, not surprised with how good the graphics are on this game, both the SNES and the Sega Genesis, albeit on the SNES, the color texture looks different. It is after all, made by Pixar, so you'd have to have some three-dimensional effects to make it look like you're playing on the Nintendo 64 (or at least a Nintendo 32 lololol). In short, the graphics are great. The voice clarity is the second thing Toy Story boasts. Unlike "Awesome Possum", this game doesn't bombard you with phrases from the movie, just about once or twice, or if you're in a boss battle. It's decent, and has the original voice rips from the movie, crisp and clear. The music on its own is fair, but I can be too judgmental; it's just a Genesis.

The cons in Toy Story mainly have to do with the little things, if you're that much into it; there are a lot of enemies that were never seen in the movie (trains, planes, and a whole lot of sharks, since Andy has like a million of those...), some levels that are loosely based with the movie (like the boss battles, and almost every other level in between), but this is based off a movie after all; you can't be so consistent with the movie the whole time, or it'd get boring.

When you compare the two different versions (SNES and Genesis), there's really not a whole lot of difference. For instance, the first boss battle, you face off against Buzz Lightyear (again, not in the movie, and not really important, but whatever), and the laser that he shoots has a longer beam in the Genesis version, rather than the SNES version. Also, another thing to note is that the SNES version has one less level then the Genesis version. So apparently, the Super Nintendo version is easier not just with these examples, but others too, then its Genesis clone. But I could be wrong, it could be just as hard (at least, in the mind of an 8 year old).

Anyway, in the end, Toy Story is a decent game, let alone a great movie. It's follows its story well, throws in some extra stuff, and edits most of the levels into something worth while; unnecessary but still useful. I could say a lot more, but I'm sort of not feeling well (must be AIDS I got from that damn Sonic Labyrinth game), but hey! I don't want to ruin it for ya. Go play it yourself, and see if you like it.

TOEZ' Rating of Toy Story (the game):
Graphics: 8/10
Story: 7/10
Sound: 6.5/10
Game Play: 5.5/10
Audience appeal: To infinity, and BEYOND!!!
Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Pros:
- Great and Smooth Graphics
- Voice Clarity
- Follows the Storyline

Cons:
- Addition of useless boss battles
- Some levels are also useless
- So....many....sharks...

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

On a more brighter note: This was one of my older reviews that got processed, but then ignored. I found the Notepad I saved it in, and finished the review up. Hope you like what I have to say.

Sonic Labyrinth

Supported Consoles: Sega Game Gear, Xbox/PS2 (Sonic Mega Collection)

Makers: Sega

Ever since I did my Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games review, I wanted to find out more about some of the worst games for "them" respectively. Luckily, I dug out a Sonic game that was at the bottom of the pile, literally. Sonic Labyrinth was the one (that's right...), and I was really, really disgusted by this game. This is how it went down.

To tell you the truth, I never really got the chance to play this game much, and after hearing about how much it sucked from FAQs, Forums, and word of mouth, I decided to take a try. Now, according to all these rumors, this game is one of, if not, the worst Sonic game, EVER. Unfortunately, I couldn't play my Game Gear version, because it doesn't work, and my hand held just expired. May it rest in peace. Don't think for a minute I'm going to show some mercy to this game, just because I'm playing it on the Sonic Mega Collection.

The plot for this game, like any other Sonic game, is that Eggman (or Robotnik, depending on where) is up to something, with a rather ingenious plan to destroy Sonic. What's his plot now, you ask? Well, it's something he should have done a long time ago, and BOY, isn't it the best idea EVER? He steals Sonic's speed shoes. Oh my GOD, that's the most amazing idea he's had yet! Now Sonic will face a really difficult challenge to try and defeat Eggman. Well, that's good right? I mean, we needed a twist sooner or later. Well, actually, it's more of a "good for them, bad for us" sort of thing. Now, WE, as the player, have to beat the game as Sonic, without his speed shoes, meaning he won't run as fast. And that takes the whole point of Sonic games right out of it. Speed is a no-no in this one. That fucking sucks.

The layouts of each level are in a sort of three-dimensional approach, but again, very flawed. You can't really see where you're going, the colors all blend in together, and sometimes, you think you can go on that platform that's on the same floor, but nooo, it's higher, and you have to use springs and such to get there. The main goal is to get three keys (or more, I guess), to open the gate and go through to the next level. But it wouldn't be THAT bad if the levels weren't so fucked up!!! You may have to, forcibly destroy enemies to find keys, jump on higher platforms, or conveniently run into one with your <sarcasm>"blazing speed"</sarcasm>. The way you control Sonic in this game is ridiculous; you have to hold the "A" button instead of "down" to make him do a spin dash. Hold it for a brief time, and the power is varied. Trust me, you don't want to go full blast. You'll be bouncing off the corners like crazy, and eventually stopping at least anywhere BUT where you're supposed to go. You CAN walk (that's right, walk), but here's the problem. You are ALSO on a time limit, so forget about taking your time. Being slow never sucked so badly. However, your timer increases as you collect keys, but there's really no point. If you get hit by an enemy, you lose your rings AND the keys you collected; meaning you'll have to find them, wherever they landed, wasting more time on the clock to find them. You don't get more time if you have to find the keys AGAIN. What bull shit!!!

The boss battles aren't all against Eggman, but really, you WISH they were. You better pray to GOD himself that you won't die of random fire, glitches, or bad isometric view, since Sonic Labyrinth has TONS of this shit. You'll be lucky to pass the third or fourth levels with all that's going on. BUT, it's not all of them that are hard; some are very cake, while others are bastard hard. Worst of all, it's at random. You may breeze through the first level like nothing, but the second level's going to be harder! Then the third level's easy, and it just repeats itself. Of course, they could ALL be easy, but it's just the goddamn fucking controls and graphics that make this game bad!!! Usually, I don't critique graphics because they're not important, but this game says otherwise. For a Game Gear, it's disappointing. For my Xbox, it's like someone smeared diarrhea blue raspberry slushies all over my TV screen!!!

Well, that was me playing Sonic Labyrinth for the first time, and I want it to be my last. All I can say is, Sonic Labyrinth is fucking piss. Don't play it unless you want to die of AIDS. Don't worry, I got my vaccination. *cough*

TOEZ's Rating of Sonic Labyrinth:
Graphics: 1.5/10
Story: 3/10
Sound: 2/10
Game Play: 1.5/10
Audience appeal: Sonic and his turtle speed.
Overall Rating: 1.5/10

Pros:
- A GREAT plot, no joke.

Cons:
- Everything and Anything of that is Sonic Labyrinth, except that GREAT plot. For the Win.

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

Odama

Supported Consoles: Nintendo Gamecube

Makers: Nuance, Nintendo

The mightiest weapon is at your disposal. Towering over your soldiers, the mighty Odama rolls a path of destruction over all it touches--friend or foe. Direct your soldiers with voice commands, and guide them out of harm's way and on to victory!

Sounds exciting right? That was the teaser at the back of the case. But is it really? Well, to be honest, it's a joke. This game, only for the Nintendo Gamecube, is nothing but a pain in the ass. There are thousands I can say about this lousy game that are negative, but according to my "characters remaining", I probably wouldn't have enough. Odama is a very weird and a challenging game, but has no back up of being good. In an Angry Video Game Nerd sort of way, this game brings my piss to a boil. Hell, I'll be like Armake and piss on this game, because it's so bad. After all, it only cost me ten bucks, and I'm not even getting my money's worth! Except for the microphone that came with it. I could use that for Mario Party or something.

So anyway, the plot takes place, not surprisingly, in Ancient Japan, somewhere in the 1500's. I mean, come on! If that's not been used in many movies, games, or commercials, then what is? A train robbery in the Wild West? How about fighting a dragon to save the princess? Or saving helpless little furballs from a mad genius? It's not something I'd take note of, but compare Odama to something like "Red Steel", or "Ninja Gaiden", except with less fun. Now, getting to the point. You are a samurai leader in charge of a ball called the Odama, You know, it sort of reminds me of Obama, or Osama. Yeah, it rhymes, no relation. Use this ball to annihilate your opponents in a pinball-esque sort of way, and evidently onto victory, and claim your right as leader! But that's not all you have to do. You have to being this bell that some fat drunkard chus are carrying over to the gate on the other side, and get some soldiers to safety at the same time. Without soldiers, you will probably be screwed for the next level, and trust me, this game gets VERY hard, VERY fast.

The game play is basically just that, but with weird and challenging layouts along the way, you'll have to complete some action in order to even get the bell to the gate. Like if a hill is too high, use a ladder. So, to make things more challenging, you'll need to use voice commands via the Gamecube microphone. With zany commands like "press forward", or "rally", you'll be yelling loudly in your mic for at least a few minutes before putting this game down in anger because they don't even listen to your commands. Or perhaps your little sister calls the medics and have you sent to an asylum for the insane. That's right, this game is SO hard, you'll go crazy! You'll want to go outside, or read a book after playing Odama. And if the cruddy, Japanese-Chinese language that the douchebag narrator spats out at you doesn't do the job, than this game play will. Odama is by far, the most challenging game I have played yet! Now you're probably thinking "Well this guy hasn't beaten the second level of Odama, what can he say about this game?" Well, you know, if you think highly of that, fuck you. Try this game for yourself. See how much you have to do to beat the first level alone. I guarantee, you'll NEVER beat this game on the first try. You WILL have to continue at least fifty times before finally getting things right on level 5 or whatever.

There is really no music in the game, just the title screen, and the repeating chants of your merry men as they carry the bell. That's pretty much it. After listening to that for at least a few hours, you'll want to put Odama down and not play it again for a long time. I could be wrong, but if you can get through the bastard hard levels, tell me if there is some. I'll like to suck your cock after, you GOD.

I can't critique the graphics on this game as much as the next guy since it is on a Gamecube. But they could have done better with you guys who look like skinny crayons that remind me of Pikmin, but so stale and stereotypical in a way. There are other enemies, like a spider dude with a big ass head, according to the case cover. There's probably WAY more enemies than that, but I don't have the patience to play this monstrosity.

In short, samurai sword fighting and pinball don't mix. It's like they drew out two names from a hat and put them together. Maybe a third sheet that said "piece of shit", and added that in too for laughs. To be honest, this game IS hard, but if you like to multitask, then be my guest. I don't recommend Odama, but go ahead and play it. To me, it's hard as fuck, but there is nothing I can say that makes me happy when I play this game. I barely beat a level, then realize there's just going to be a more challenging level coming up. There is no point, really. Except the microphone i got for ten bucks! Now my throat is sore, and hair is falling out of my head in chunks. I think I'm going to go outside.

TOEZ's Rating of Obama, Odama, or Osama (what the fuck ever):
Graphics: 5/10
Story: 2.5/10
Sound: 3/10
Game Play: 2.5/10
Audience appeal: Chinese Pinball with Samurai's and a big ass spider head.
Overall Rating: 3/10

Pros:
- A challenge for those who want it

Cons:
- The difficulty
- The voice clarity response
- The sheer idea of combining pinball with Ancient Japan. Seriously, what the fuck?

Introduction:
I just want to say that this will be a first of probably many reviews of games such as this, or possibly games that rule, rather than drool. If you have any problems with the game reviewed, please post in the same blog below. I'd like to hear your opinions.

Pokemon Shiny Gold

Supported Consoles: N/A

Makers: Nintendo, Game Freak, Hack by Zel

Now to make myself clear, this is not a real game that you can buy here in Canada or USA in public. Unless you go to some foreign country where it's sold like every other game without permission. This Pokemon game is a HACK of its original, Pokemon Fire Red, sprites and all. But you know what makes this game superior than any other Pokemon game I've ever played? It's actually a good hack. Not just some random blotches of glitches, easy to find ubers, and yet impossible Pokemon trainers.

If you've ever played the original Pokemon Silver or Gold, then this game is almost exactly like that, just ported over to the GBA. And we wanted that before; screw you Nintendo. But graciously, some genius named Zel (or code named, whatever) decided to recreate this wonderful game into a 16-bit (or higher) masterpiece. Though it's not perfect, it's just what I, and the majority of the population were begging for. And it's not even made by the big guy.

For starters, to play this game, you will need to use an emulator. Though I can't post a link to the emulator, nor the ROM for the original Fire Red game, you will need this to play Pokemon Shiny Gold. To patch it, you'll need the actual Pokemon SG IPS (that I can't link to either), and an IPS Patchermajiggy. Then commence loading and play until your hearts desire.

This game plays exactly like you would of Fire Red, but with an amazing difference. You start off in New Bark Town, just like in Gold/Silver, and get everything you need (except your Mom doesn't save you money, she gives you a Amulet coin). Before you leave out of the town, you are encountered by a random dude named Carlos (Not in regular Gold), and he battles you. With that said, there are lots of different events from this compared to the original. Facing more trainers, and best of all, catching a whole variety of Pokemon in the wild, even Hoenn League- types, which are rare to find, but catchable! So, in short, the gameplay is not much different from any other Pokemon game, but in terms of what's different in events etc, there's a Hell of a lot.

The music is different, depending on what version of Pokemon Shiny Gold you have. The maker Zel updates rarely, but there's big differences among them. Version 4 (I'm using) has some rendered 16-bit music from town in Gold/Silver, and it's near perfect. Version 5 is more recent, but it's a beta version. Beta 5 has much more music rendered, and even has some Diamond/Pearl music toned down. So either or, you'll like them. Not surprisingly, there's still the same Pokemon Fire Red music (wild pokemon encounters, battling trainers), but you can't be perfect.

Finally, the difficulty of this game. Amazingly, it's spot on from what Pokemon Silver was, and there's no beef up whatsoever. There are sometimes where you'll face that Carlos guy right after a gym battle, or partly on your way to another city, and he can be a pain in the ass. But think of it this way. Many people were disappointed with the result of the Gym Battles, the Elite 4, and such, and said that it was too easy. At least in this hack, you'll face some more trainers to feed off of, and your own Pokemon get stronger, a no-brainer. Zel was kind enough to also make two different versions of Pokemon Shiny Gold, for those who want a little more challenge (titled Shiny Gold X). That version's WAY much harder, and if you're not ready, you'll be fucked so hard, you'll feel it for real. It's that hard.

In conclusion, Pokemon Shiny Gold is a great prediction of what a real remake of Gold/Silver would be if Nintendo decides to actually make it. There are some flaws, like the Map screen, that won't let you Fly every where. Just where you need to go to finish an event or so. Like I say every other time, there's a LOT more I can say, but I guess you'll have to play it to find out. If you ask me, I'd recommend this game to most of you. Just don't go off making an illegal copy of this to make some money; it is a free download after all. But who am I kidding?

TOEZ' Rating of Pokemon Shiny Gold:
Graphics: 8/10
Story: 7.5/10
Sound: 7.5/10
Game Play: 9.5/10
Audience appeal: Gotta catch them all!
Overall Rating: 8/10

Pros:
- Innovating
- Fair difficulty
- Satisfaction

Cons:
- The Map
- Some bits and Bytes here and there

The movie below is the first part of Pokemon Shiny gold (Beta 5). Try looking at the related videos too. Then you can probably find the other stuff you need to play this game.