In honor of the outstanding new Mega Man 9, I've decided to take a look back at the series... to find the Top Ten Dirtiest-Sounding Mega Man Villain Names of all time!
For the uninitiated, Mega Man is a robot who, in every game, must set out and defeat 8 different "robot masters" and acquire their unique weapons in order to defeat the evil Dr. Wily and his other robotic creations. These robot masters always had some type of "theme" associated with them, so Ice Man's stage would feature cold things, Fire Man's stage would have lava, etc. All of the robot masters had simplistic names like these: " _____" followed by "Man." Once the obvious choices were used up, the creators of later Mega Man games started to come up with some rather odd choices, such as Dust Man, Charge Man, Tomahawk Man and Cloud Man. Inevitably, some of these names end up sounding pretty dirty when taken out of context. So, to honor a fantastic new addition to a line of wonderful video games, I present now The Top Ten Dirtiest-Sounding Mega Man Villain Names to-date (and see if you can guess each robot master's "theme"):
#10 - Flame Man (Mega Man 6)
#9 - Quick Man (Mega Man 2)
#8 - Plug Man (Mega Man 9)
#7 - Flash Man (Mega Man 2)
#6 - Snake Man (Mega Man 3)
#5 - Drill Man (Mega Man 4)
#4 - Burst Man (Mega Man 7)
#3 - Wood Man (Mega Man 2)
#2 - Splash Woman (Mega Man 9)
And the dirtiest-sounding Mega Man Villain Name of the entire series so far:
#1 - Hard Man (Mega Man 3)
Thank you! Good night, everybody!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Some of my favorite music in Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Part Three
My lack of posts since the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl attests to the fact that it is fantastically awesome, incredibly fun and astoundingly deep with all manner of modes to keep one busy: the standard multiplayer brawls, a single- or co-op-player adventure mode, coin launcher mini-game to obtain trophies, spectator mode, and on and on. But I'm taking a brief rest now to let my thumbs cool down and post a few more of my favorite songs available in Super Smash Bros. Brawl:
Super Mario Bros. Underwater Theme - Super Mario Bros.
There are some tunes in Brawl that are unchanged from their original games. The main theme from Delfino Plaza is one such song. This, the "Underwater Theme" from the original Super Mario Bros. sounds like it is unchanged, until about 25 seconds in when it begins launching into a variety of remixes of the song in different styles. There's a nice orchestrated version, but my favorite is probably the frantic harmonica-infused remix. This is a hidden song that ends up playing the hidden Underground version of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage that's well worth uncovering.
Super Mario World Title / Ending - Super Mario World
Super Mario World is one of my all-time favorite video games, so it's no surprise that this is one of my favorite tunes to hear popping up in the Delfino Plaza stage. It's a frantic take on the opening titles and closing credits music from the game and it fits perfectly with a manic, all-out brawl.
Mario Golf / Mario Tennis - Mario Golf & Mario Tennis
I'm not exactly sure what to say about this song, other than it's awesome and it plays on the Mario Kart stage--it plays on my Brawl's Mario Kart stage A LOT.
Mother 2 - Earthbound
Here's another Earthbound tune that was previously in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the same Onett stage and it's just as great as that first Mother theme. It think it's pretty same to say that the Onett stage is my most played of all the Melee stages that returned in Brawl, and it's all because of the music.
Final Destination 2 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
This song came as perhaps the biggest surprise to me. It plays on a rather boring stage (the merely flat Final Destination) and is the only tune initially available on it in My Music. Yet, it got a hold of me and is now one of my favorite songs in the game. It's a remix of the main theme that you can hear throughout the game and its menus (and what a great tune it is), here with the Latin lyrics and a balls-to-the-wall rock sound. My favorite part? In the stage it's when the cloud layers open up revealing a shimmering golden ocean at twilight. You can hear that moment in the music at around 1 minute and 40 seconds. Awe-inspiring.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm headed back to play more Brawl. Bye for now!
Super Mario Bros. Underwater Theme - Super Mario Bros.
There are some tunes in Brawl that are unchanged from their original games. The main theme from Delfino Plaza is one such song. This, the "Underwater Theme" from the original Super Mario Bros. sounds like it is unchanged, until about 25 seconds in when it begins launching into a variety of remixes of the song in different styles. There's a nice orchestrated version, but my favorite is probably the frantic harmonica-infused remix. This is a hidden song that ends up playing the hidden Underground version of the Mushroomy Kingdom stage that's well worth uncovering.
Super Mario World Title / Ending - Super Mario World
Super Mario World is one of my all-time favorite video games, so it's no surprise that this is one of my favorite tunes to hear popping up in the Delfino Plaza stage. It's a frantic take on the opening titles and closing credits music from the game and it fits perfectly with a manic, all-out brawl.
Mario Golf / Mario Tennis - Mario Golf & Mario Tennis
I'm not exactly sure what to say about this song, other than it's awesome and it plays on the Mario Kart stage--it plays on my Brawl's Mario Kart stage A LOT.
Mother 2 - Earthbound
Here's another Earthbound tune that was previously in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the same Onett stage and it's just as great as that first Mother theme. It think it's pretty same to say that the Onett stage is my most played of all the Melee stages that returned in Brawl, and it's all because of the music.
Final Destination 2 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
This song came as perhaps the biggest surprise to me. It plays on a rather boring stage (the merely flat Final Destination) and is the only tune initially available on it in My Music. Yet, it got a hold of me and is now one of my favorite songs in the game. It's a remix of the main theme that you can hear throughout the game and its menus (and what a great tune it is), here with the Latin lyrics and a balls-to-the-wall rock sound. My favorite part? In the stage it's when the cloud layers open up revealing a shimmering golden ocean at twilight. You can hear that moment in the music at around 1 minute and 40 seconds. Awe-inspiring.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm headed back to play more Brawl. Bye for now!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Some of my favorite music in Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Part Deux
Wow, video game music sure has come a long way since the days when my dad would mute the sound on our TV while I was playing with my Sega Master System because he just couldn't stand all the beeps and blips that comprised the "tunes" in old games. Here are five more selections of my favorite music from the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl:
Mother - Earthbound
This song is actually a direct carryover from Melee, along with the stage it accompanies. Often while playing Melee, I'd decide which stage to play on not necessarily based on the design of the stage itself, but because of the music that played on it. This was probably my favorite piece of music from that game and I'm glad to hear it's back for Brawl. The stage it came with, "Onett" from the U.S. Earthbound game (called Mother 2 in Japan), always felt a little clunky design-wise to me, but I'd play it just to hear this great tune over and over again.
Ice Climber - Ice Climbers
The level dubbed "The Summit" in Brawl is inspired by the nearly-forgotten NES game Ice Climbers, though it bears little resemblance to the original game. Here, this remix of the standard Ice Climbers theme belies the cool, changing nature of the level itself. The battle begins atop a giant iceberg but then, at about 26 seconds in, suddenly the music changes as the tip of the iceberg breaks off and begins racing, sliding down the side until it finally splashes down into the freezing water below.
King K. Rool / Ship Deck - Donkey Kong Country
When Donkey Kong Country was released for the Super Nintendo, I would often find myself leaving Donkey or Diddy Kong standing around in a safe spot on a level so that I could listen to the music in peace for a bit. It was the first video game I knew of to get it's own soundtrack album, and I can see why: the music in the game was, and still is, awesome. This track would play during the final boss fight onboard a pirate ship in the game, and I seriously dig this remix and that it's in Brawl. Seeing as how the main Donkey Kong stage in Brawl, "Rumble Falls," is a vertically-scrolling (read: headache) level for brawling on, it's not terribly likely I'll be choosing to play it all that often, but, like with the Earthbound level from Melee I mentioned earlier, anytime I do end up playing it, it will probably be because I want to hear the music playing on it, namely this particular tune.
Angel Island Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog
It's great to see Sonic making a guest appearance in this game (I guess all of us who saw the two biggest game mascots in the '90s--Sonic and Mario--being bitter rivals will now get to really see who would beat who in a straightforward fight) and it's also great to hear some awesome music from the Sonic franchise make an appearance as well. This track in particular remixes a tune from Sonic 3 in a very fun, fast and upbeat way that sounds indicative of most early Sonic game music, giving it a feel that's both retro and new at the same time.
Sonic Heroes - Sonic the Hedgehog
Another Sonic tune, this one from a later game in the franchise's history. I'm not a big fan of the songs with vocals in Brawl so far, but I do really like this one. There seems to be three ways of acquiring songs in Brawl: either 1) they're already available as of the first play, 2) they're unlocked by achieving certain, specific goals, or 3) they randomly show up as CDs during matches and you have to grab them manually. I have a feeling this song will be in the latter group, so who knows how long it'll be until it randomly shows up in my game.
I'll continue posting my favorite tunes after the game comes out, if I can pry myself away from it long enough to post something here, that is.
Mother - Earthbound
This song is actually a direct carryover from Melee, along with the stage it accompanies. Often while playing Melee, I'd decide which stage to play on not necessarily based on the design of the stage itself, but because of the music that played on it. This was probably my favorite piece of music from that game and I'm glad to hear it's back for Brawl. The stage it came with, "Onett" from the U.S. Earthbound game (called Mother 2 in Japan), always felt a little clunky design-wise to me, but I'd play it just to hear this great tune over and over again.
Ice Climber - Ice Climbers
The level dubbed "The Summit" in Brawl is inspired by the nearly-forgotten NES game Ice Climbers, though it bears little resemblance to the original game. Here, this remix of the standard Ice Climbers theme belies the cool, changing nature of the level itself. The battle begins atop a giant iceberg but then, at about 26 seconds in, suddenly the music changes as the tip of the iceberg breaks off and begins racing, sliding down the side until it finally splashes down into the freezing water below.
King K. Rool / Ship Deck - Donkey Kong Country
When Donkey Kong Country was released for the Super Nintendo, I would often find myself leaving Donkey or Diddy Kong standing around in a safe spot on a level so that I could listen to the music in peace for a bit. It was the first video game I knew of to get it's own soundtrack album, and I can see why: the music in the game was, and still is, awesome. This track would play during the final boss fight onboard a pirate ship in the game, and I seriously dig this remix and that it's in Brawl. Seeing as how the main Donkey Kong stage in Brawl, "Rumble Falls," is a vertically-scrolling (read: headache) level for brawling on, it's not terribly likely I'll be choosing to play it all that often, but, like with the Earthbound level from Melee I mentioned earlier, anytime I do end up playing it, it will probably be because I want to hear the music playing on it, namely this particular tune.
Angel Island Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog
It's great to see Sonic making a guest appearance in this game (I guess all of us who saw the two biggest game mascots in the '90s--Sonic and Mario--being bitter rivals will now get to really see who would beat who in a straightforward fight) and it's also great to hear some awesome music from the Sonic franchise make an appearance as well. This track in particular remixes a tune from Sonic 3 in a very fun, fast and upbeat way that sounds indicative of most early Sonic game music, giving it a feel that's both retro and new at the same time.
Sonic Heroes - Sonic the Hedgehog
Another Sonic tune, this one from a later game in the franchise's history. I'm not a big fan of the songs with vocals in Brawl so far, but I do really like this one. There seems to be three ways of acquiring songs in Brawl: either 1) they're already available as of the first play, 2) they're unlocked by achieving certain, specific goals, or 3) they randomly show up as CDs during matches and you have to grab them manually. I have a feeling this song will be in the latter group, so who knows how long it'll be until it randomly shows up in my game.
I'll continue posting my favorite tunes after the game comes out, if I can pry myself away from it long enough to post something here, that is.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The Smurfiest game ever on ColecoVision
The first video game system my family ever had was a ColecoVision, and I can distinctly recall spending a lot of time playing this game in particular on it:
I was nuts about the Smurfs when I was a little kid, to the point where not only did I have Smurf bedsheets and an army of Smurf figurines (which probably lead to my eventual love of collecting action figures) but I also had the walls of my bedroom painted Smurf blue.
Looking back at this game now really makes me marvel at how video games have changed over the years. Not only was this a game that a person could, apparently, beat in less than two minutes (somehow, I always remembered it being much longer) but the point values clearly being a part of the terrain itself and the simplicity of the obstacles in the way, especially the spiders in Gargamel's castle, surprise me now. Though I was very young when I played this, I can still recall the awkwardness of the phone-like controller and the fact that when the Smurf jumped in the cavern it sounded like he was farting. Ah, childhood memories.
I was nuts about the Smurfs when I was a little kid, to the point where not only did I have Smurf bedsheets and an army of Smurf figurines (which probably lead to my eventual love of collecting action figures) but I also had the walls of my bedroom painted Smurf blue.
Looking back at this game now really makes me marvel at how video games have changed over the years. Not only was this a game that a person could, apparently, beat in less than two minutes (somehow, I always remembered it being much longer) but the point values clearly being a part of the terrain itself and the simplicity of the obstacles in the way, especially the spiders in Gargamel's castle, surprise me now. Though I was very young when I played this, I can still recall the awkwardness of the phone-like controller and the fact that when the Smurf jumped in the cavern it sounded like he was farting. Ah, childhood memories.
Some of my favorite music in Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Part One
Anyone who knows me really well knows that I cannot wait until Super Smash Bros. Brawl is released for the Wii. Melee was my favorite game on the GameCube, and the additions made to its sequel, Brawl, are simply amazing. Be it the stage creator that lets gamers design their own battlefields to play on, the eye-popping graphical enhancements, the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog and R.O.B. are playable fighters...the list goes on and on.
But one of my favorite new additions to the game is called "My Music". The Super Smash Bros. series has always been a kind of melting pot of Nintendo's video game history, mixing its characters, locations, games and music all together at once. With the expansive history that's covered in Brawl, along with the vast array of characters and franchises referenced, creator Masahiro Sakurai decided that having just one tune per pre-built stage was not enough and so implemented "My Music," a feature that allows not only for multiple tunes to find a home on a stage but actually lets the players determine which will be played and how often!
Brawl is already out in Japan and some folks there have already unlocked the over 300 individual pieces of music in the game and uploaded them onto YouTube for the world's listening enjoyment. Here are a few of my favorites that have been revealed--songs that I've already picked to definitely play most of the time on the stages they'll call home in Brawl:
Lip's Theme - Panel de Pon
I have no idea who Lip is, what Panel de Pon is or what stage this song will play on; I just know that I love this tune and it will be set to be played as often as possible on whichever stage it gets attached to in the game!
Go K.K. Rider! - Animal Crossing
I'm pretty certain that the first stage I'll play on when Brawl comes out is "Smashville" and that I'll have this song set to play on it then. While most of the music in the Animal Crossing games is very serene and calm, this remix is the perfect blend of rustic town serenity and all-out brawling.
The Dark World - The Legend of Zelda
My favorite era of video games was the 16-bit era, before everything moved to sloppy 3D action and 2D gaming was at its peak, so it's probably not a big surprise that most of the music I really like in Brawl has been brought in or remixed from that time period. For the Legend of Zelda franchise, I think this song will get the most play for me in Brawl; it's the overworld theme for the "Dark World," kind of an "evil parallel universe" in the Super Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I can still recall the day I "unlocked" the Dark World and was amazed an excited to explore a whole 'nother land parallel to the one I'd been exploring for weeks in A Link to the Past already.
Tetris A Type - Tetris
Ah, Tetris. One of the greatest games ever on the original Game Boy. I really dig this remix of this great tune. Though it hasn't been officially announced yet, there's a strong rumor that this tune appears as a soundtrack option for the Luigi's Mansion stage in Brawl. That would be awesome, as the slightly creepy flair of this remix makes it a perfect fit!
The Underworld - Kid Icarus
When I first bought Kid Icarus for the Virtual Console I had been caught up in the hype and fanboy praise for this "classic," and perhaps my expectations were set too high. It's a TOUGH game! I still haven't cleared the second stage yet, and the frustration that's resulted has led me to scarely return to playing the game. One thing I will give the game though is that I love the main underworld music theme and I especially love this remix of it in Brawl. In fact, it may just be my favorite tune in the entire game so far!
Stay tuned, as I'll be posting more of my favorite tracks from Super Smash Bros. Brawl soon!
But one of my favorite new additions to the game is called "My Music". The Super Smash Bros. series has always been a kind of melting pot of Nintendo's video game history, mixing its characters, locations, games and music all together at once. With the expansive history that's covered in Brawl, along with the vast array of characters and franchises referenced, creator Masahiro Sakurai decided that having just one tune per pre-built stage was not enough and so implemented "My Music," a feature that allows not only for multiple tunes to find a home on a stage but actually lets the players determine which will be played and how often!
Brawl is already out in Japan and some folks there have already unlocked the over 300 individual pieces of music in the game and uploaded them onto YouTube for the world's listening enjoyment. Here are a few of my favorites that have been revealed--songs that I've already picked to definitely play most of the time on the stages they'll call home in Brawl:
Lip's Theme - Panel de Pon
I have no idea who Lip is, what Panel de Pon is or what stage this song will play on; I just know that I love this tune and it will be set to be played as often as possible on whichever stage it gets attached to in the game!
Go K.K. Rider! - Animal Crossing
I'm pretty certain that the first stage I'll play on when Brawl comes out is "Smashville" and that I'll have this song set to play on it then. While most of the music in the Animal Crossing games is very serene and calm, this remix is the perfect blend of rustic town serenity and all-out brawling.
The Dark World - The Legend of Zelda
My favorite era of video games was the 16-bit era, before everything moved to sloppy 3D action and 2D gaming was at its peak, so it's probably not a big surprise that most of the music I really like in Brawl has been brought in or remixed from that time period. For the Legend of Zelda franchise, I think this song will get the most play for me in Brawl; it's the overworld theme for the "Dark World," kind of an "evil parallel universe" in the Super Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I can still recall the day I "unlocked" the Dark World and was amazed an excited to explore a whole 'nother land parallel to the one I'd been exploring for weeks in A Link to the Past already.
Tetris A Type - Tetris
Ah, Tetris. One of the greatest games ever on the original Game Boy. I really dig this remix of this great tune. Though it hasn't been officially announced yet, there's a strong rumor that this tune appears as a soundtrack option for the Luigi's Mansion stage in Brawl. That would be awesome, as the slightly creepy flair of this remix makes it a perfect fit!
The Underworld - Kid Icarus
When I first bought Kid Icarus for the Virtual Console I had been caught up in the hype and fanboy praise for this "classic," and perhaps my expectations were set too high. It's a TOUGH game! I still haven't cleared the second stage yet, and the frustration that's resulted has led me to scarely return to playing the game. One thing I will give the game though is that I love the main underworld music theme and I especially love this remix of it in Brawl. In fact, it may just be my favorite tune in the entire game so far!
Stay tuned, as I'll be posting more of my favorite tracks from Super Smash Bros. Brawl soon!
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