Finish Him!

Mortal Kombat was one of the first game franchise I fell in love with. Although Street Fighter 2 was very popular at the time, I wasn't a big enough fan of the genre to completely enjoy it. I think the all-time great games converts non-genre fans into fans. Games like Resident Evil for example turned countless gamers into survival horror fans. Mortal Kombat was the game that made me get into beat-em-up games even though I sucked at playing them. There were several reasons why Mortal Kombat resonates with me so much as a young gamer.

1. The comic book influence

I was a comic book nerd before becoming video games so comic books influenced a lot of my collecting habits. Stuff like variant covers that permeates into the DVD and video game market all stems from the comic book market I believe. Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias was an inspiring comic book artist who created rich backstory for each Mortal Kombat combatants. It was fascinating to learn about Scorpion and Sub-Zero origins through the comic book panels included with the game. It draws you into the characters and the world before you even pick up the controller to play. 

2. The Van Damme factor

The 80s action movie genre was all about beefcakes, namely Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Then you have the lower tier action stars like Chuck Norris, Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme (JCVD). Somehow me and a bunch of friends always gravitated towards JCVD more than any of these action stars. Van Damme was leaner and more agile than his peers, he could actually do splits and flying kicks. JCVD later bridges the gap between Hollywood and Hong Kong movies which led to an entire new obsession for me. But also I think we were just a bunch of horny teenagers and JCVD movies always had sex scenes compared with other action movies lol. Anyway, Mortal Kombat famously have a JCVD type of character in Johnny Cage, arguably still one of the face of the MK franchise. 

3. The Hong Kong movie influence

HK movies influenced a lot of the design on the original Mortal Kombat. The plot was more or less Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon and the background music on Select Your Fighter is distinctly oriental. You could say the series began to lost its appeal once it started to stray from its eastern influence in MK3. I was just getting into the HK cinema obsession when Mortal Kombat appeared. It was like a weird fusion of all my favourite things in one. 

So imagine as a young boy my only option of playing Mortal Kombat was on the Gameboy. The monochrome version lacking the Johnny Cage character in the roster! I remember buying this game at the video shop next to my tuition center on the street behind the arcades that I frequented to play SF2. The Gameboy version of Mortal Kombat played like it was on molasses. It's always a love hate relationship when it comes to handheld gaming for me and MK is a prime example of that.

Against the Odds

Where do I begin with the Super Nintendo (SNES) ?

I supposed I can't talk about the SNES without talking about my first ever system, the Gameboy. You could say the Gameboy is my first handheld and the SNES is my first console although my experience with both systems are remarkably different. So much so that I practically forgotten I had the system tucked under my window all these years!

I can't remember when exactly I got the SNES but it must be sometime after 1994. Why 1994? Because that's when Nintendo introduced the SNES peripheral called the Super Gameboy. It was a device that allows you to play Gameboy games on the SNES using this cartridge adaptor. I was immediately smitten by the idea of such a device, the ability to play handheld games on the television screen was pretty revolutionary back in 1994. Even more so when Nintendo released Donkey Kong 94 for the Gameboy as a showcase for what the Super Gameboy can really do.

The only problem was my strict parents would never entertain the idea of having a home console seeing how bad my grades were. In fact if you take away the SNES, the Gameboy was my only game system throughout my childhood until I graduated from university.

Sad but I suppose that's what makes this a great story - how I got a home console and keep it a secret despite strict parenting

Kept You Waiting Huh?

Time flies, I haven't had much to muse about in terms of games and 2 years passed since my last entry. Yikes

I loved writing and also reading my own blog, all these blogging are really meant for myself which some might find odd or ashamed to admit such. So while reading back some of my past entries recently, I stumbled upon a lie. Well not a lie actually but not the true for sure.

I do and still have a Super Nintendo.

Somehow when writing about Iwata passing in 2015, I have seemingly forgotten this and said I have always longed for a Super Nintendo. The Super Nintendo was not mentioned before unlike my early childhood years of playing the Nintendo Gameboy. Earlier this year while spring cleaning I stumbled upon my Super Nintendo. It was a great feeling especially when powering it up again, like finding a lost Christmas gift after all these years.

Sometimes certain memories just get buried away in some dark corner of the mind.

So now I have something to write about again.

Good Old Fashioned Fun

Satoru Iwata, the beloved CEO of Nintendo has sadly passed away last weekend. It's hard to understate the impact of his passing because he was such a public figure for Nintendo. Having possessed all the Nintendo systems released during Iwata's reign, I do feel the desire to talk about what makes them great, or even superior to their peers.

I loved how Nintendo games has no difficulty class. This may create a perception that the games are easy but personally, attaining 100% in any one of these games is probably harder than any platinum trophy I have earned. The lack of difficulty class puts everyone on the same page, how far you decide to take it is up to you. In some ways, Nintendo is teaching you to let go of your elitism and all just co-exist as one. There are no casual or hardcore gamers, just the love for the game. Playing games is not an entitlement, I can play anything I choose without someone making a funny comment.

I also loved how Nintendo games speaks to their audience in a way other games just don't. Most games treat you as a dumb ass who can't remember what you learn in the first 5 hours and are content to hold your hand all the way by spoon feeding you. Metroid and Zelda teaches you the basic tools and expect you to apply them throughout the game. When you get stuck in the game, there are no hints to help bail you out that will just magically appear. It can be frustrating at times but the feeling of finding your own way out is unlike anything. It also speaks of the level of confidence Nintendo have to deliver a game and expect gamers to "get it". Like a masterful filmmaker who doesn't do unnecessary frequent flashbacks because all the cues are there.

I didn't have many Nintendo systems when I was younger due to strict parenting. I did get a Gameboy but have always long for a Super NES during my childhood. While modern games strive to be cinematic and forget gameplay, Nintendo never loses sight of what's important. Some may find that old fashioned but sometimes we just need a little old fashion. Right, agent Coulson?

The Foreigner

I have a very unique history with the Castlevania series considering I was more familiar with the handheld games than its console brethens. My first Castlevania game was Belmont's Revenge on the original Gameboy a game far too easy back then to seriously considered a classic.
Then on, I have pretty much possessed or played every Castlevania handheld game before and after Belmont's Revenge save perhaps the legendary Castlevania Legends. I even have the Tiger handheld game system of Simon's Quest to indicate how far my roots with Castlevania portable goes.

The Castlevania fan in me had little interest in any new Castlevania without team IGA participation like the recent reboot, Lord of Shadows. That was until I decided to try the demo on PSN network and discovered how polished the game was. Castlevania most prominent features like the art design and music remained as striking as ever despite the absence of series mainstays Michiru Yamane and Ayami Kojima. Ultimately when the Red Dead Redemption GOTY edition announcement turns out to be a little premature, I decided to get Lord of Shadows instead. The Limited Edition was still readily available on local game forums and being priced at a standard game was just too good an offer for me to resist. I have learnt to be more open-minded about foreign developers working on big Japanese game franchise after taking the chance and being pleasantly surprised with Dead Rising 2. At the very least Lords of Shadow looks like a really good horror-themed action game, whether it can do justice to the franchise would be icing on the cake for a long time fan like myself.

I Got your Back

As great as NBA 2K11 is, it's lacking the core emotions of the game which makes the real games so compelling to watch. Now before you call me a sadist for sports violence let me make it clear that when I said compelling to watch, I was referring to the bond between team-mates to stick up for one another when they get into a scruffle or in the players' words " I have got your back brother".

I remember playing the 8-bit games on Ice Hockey on the Gameboy and you could actually engage in a fight with your opponent after getting tangled up at the side. I don't watch enough of ice hockey to know how prevalent is violence in hockey but things can get real testy in a heated NBA game because players are always in such close contact of one another. Perhaps 2K sports should step up their game in making the games as realistic as possible? If the games are already simulating in-game injuries then I don't see why suspensions and technical fouls are out of the question.

State of Panic

You can probably tell by now that i use my Wii to play Gamecube games more often than Wii games these days. A pair of AA batteries can last me for a great deal of months, even more so now that i sort of drifted off playing Oneechanbara on a consistent basis. Yup i replaced my AA batteries so rarely that the thought of getting re-chargables AA has never occur to me, i had a terrible experience using them with my first Gameboy and would really like to avoid them as long as i can.

So imagine my surprise when i was about to replace my AA batteries last night after a long period of use and reached out to my supply of spare AA batteries only to discover that two have leaked! I have built up a healthy supply of AA batteries over time but it seems i'm not using them up fast enough for them to outlive their usefulness. This sends me to a state of panic because now i have to use the remaining ones as fast as possible so they don't leak like the last two. It doesn't help that i hardly any Wii games i'm eager to play right now, be it new or the ones i have completed. Guess it may be time to look for some new Wii games after all, there is only so much Oneechan one can take.

Eternal Sonata

Dr. Franken is a Gameboy game that i remember with fond memories, especially since i had to pestered my dad to buy it for me from his business trip to US. During those days, it's hard to any game to be scary with pixelated 16-bit graphics, much less a GB game with just six shades of black. Dr. Franken went above and beyond most standard GB game, sure it wasn't scary back then and it sure as hell isn't scary now. But the level of detail packed into each room in the mansion is unlike anything you will come across in a 8-bit game or even a 16-bit game. Coupled with a soundtrack of endless moonlight sonata, Dr. Franken was able to evoke a creepy atmosphere that makes it memorable even if it features a mundane task of gathering the body parts of your dead girlfriend. The game features an intricate password system to make up for the lack of a battery backed-up save and an indication of how massive and deep the game is, i never got the same password twice during my time of playing it. Of course, it's pretty hard to considering the password is easily 16-letters long !

Like most great handheld games, it eventually inspire a sequel on the 16-bit Super NES and another back on the GB platform but this is where it all started. I can't believe how naive i was when i first played Resident Evil and heard jill playing moonlight sonata, thinking that it was ripped from Dr. Franken. I immediately thought of Dr. Franken which i still credit as the catalysis for my fascination with the survival horror genre and the game that made me believe video games could be scary even in the 16-bit era. If you are in the mood for some portable horror this halloween, you need to play Dr. Franken.

Thank you for Okami

Thank you.... a lot of people take it for granted but certainly not Capcom. For as long as i remember, Capcom has always included a brief thank you note at the first few pages of the game manual included with the game. I remembered first reading it upon ripping open my Megaman for the Gameboy, the first ever Capcom game in my collection and finding this rather peculiar thank you in the first few pages of the manual. This has continued to be a tradition for Capcom games, as i would find this same note appearing future Capcom games that i got for my Playstation, Playstation2 and Wii.

While it's always the same few lines about how Capcom is proud to bring you this thrilling new addition to your video game library, i admit it lose some of its strength over the years of seeing it. Today when i got home and found my copy of Okami Wii waiting for me, I was happy to flip through the manual (full-color at last!) and discover that apart from the generic thank you note of the past, Capcom has also included a full-page note on how they have set out to create an exceptional game like Okami and are thrilled to present this to you (again). Though it wasn't personally written by hideki, it really made my day... it may not be much but Capcom is the only publisher that bothered to do this and i do appreciated the effort that went into it.

CERO to zero

I have a, some might say rather odd preference for japanese imports when it comes to games, given the fact that i hardly know any japanese at all despite attempting to learn the language twice. I guess it started way back when i got my Gameboy while i was with my dad on assignment in Japan and the japanese games came in cute little boxes (with better cover art too) compared with the rather clumsy US boxes. Even during the 32-bit era, one of my early favourite games Biohazard had the full uncut intro on the japanese release which sadly never made it to western shores after so many iterations including the most recent Deadly Silence on the Nintendo DS. Onimusha also lost a crucial scene and frankly, some of its' atmosphere when it was localised for the Western market. That was then this is now, things has certainly changed since CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) took charge of the age rating for the video games distributed in Japan. Biohazard 4 was one of the first games to suffer some cuts under CERO as the decapitation scenes were deemed too violent and had to be censored from the japanese version. In a reverse of fortunes, Resident Evil 4 was passed through without any of these cuts in the US, making the japanese version slighty inferior. I also recently had a unpleasant surprise when i played the US version of Dracula X Chronicles on my PSP upon finishing the japanese version earlier and discovered that some footage off the openning CG intro was cut! No doubt the work of CERO again, the shot of blood trickling off the coffin of Dracula onto his forehead was missing from the japanese version.

Play-Asia just had another Easter clearance sale where everything in-stock was going for 20% less and here i was facing the dilemma of whether to order the US, Asian or japanese version of Devil May Cry 4. All three were discounted and only a few dollars set them apart, after much thought i ended up ordering the japanese import as i heard you get a slighty different intro music on the openning cutscene of the japanese version. Some things never change i suppose....