(no title)

Pokemon Generational Analysis Part 3

April 20, 2018
Not BAMF

All right, for those you wanting a recap, here it is: This is a region-by-region blog series where I discuss various topics from each of the six Pokemon generation of games. I compare, on a scale of 1-to-6 (where a ranking of 6 means the games get 6 points as the BEST out of the six generations and a ranking 1 of means the games get 1 point as the worst in that particular regard), several categories where I’ve matched the generations up against each other. For a quick review:

Generation 1/Kanto got a score of 30 out of 42.

Generation 2/Johto got a score of 22 out of 42.

So moving on, this brings up:

3. Hoenn, Generation 3 – Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald (and, in remakes, Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby)

You know what I’ll always remember about Hoenn? It was the region that first KIND-OF disenchanted me from Pokemon. It just introduced a LOT of new aspects that, while in retrospect are fantastic additions to the game, I was not a huge fan of at the time. I remember getting bored with Ruby fairly quickly and going back to the Johto games… at least until generation three remade the original games as LeafGreen and FireRed, and then I was back on board, baby! So, heh, I was kind of an early genwunner. Darn, that is depressing.

5 Things I hated about the Sega Master System

April 19, 2018
GhostAndy

So, I asked my younger brother for blog ideas for today’s post. He came up with some great ideas such as: “5 things I pretended were cool to placate someone else” or “5 things I thought was cool at the time but later realized sucked”.

Although both of these were good ideas that I might pilfer the next time i have writers block, I decided to instead to take his third idea of “5 things I hated about the Sega Master System” because it had all the main components of a good blog: crapping on something from the past, fear, shame, abandonment, and ultimately redemption. Plus unlike the other ideas, which I would have had to think about, this topic is ripe in my mind for things I could readily talk about. Sure I know this is primarily a comics blog, but most comic book readers are also pretty avid gamers too, so I thought you’d cut me some slack if I delivered the goods on a decent article.

Some background first however. First, before any out there calls foul on this blog, let me remind you that I played the Sega Master system heavily growing up. In 4th grade instead of getting a Nintendo like the rest of my peers, I got a Sega. It remained my only system for 4 long years during which I played nearly every game I could get my grubby little hands on.

Second, I fully realize that the Sega Master system was technically a better system than the Nintendo. It had a better graphics engine, better sound, and as a result was quite capable of being flat out a better 8 bit entry to home gaming if it had been given a shot. Unfortunately, as the below list will reveal, the 5 things that I hated about the system are actually fairly close to the real reasons the system failed to kick Mario’s sorry ass around the block and back.

Stew’s Reviews: War of the Green Lanterns

April 18, 2018
Not BAMF

It’s another edition of Stew’s Reviews, and this week we’re answering the age old question, what is better than one Green Lantern? It’s not two Green Lanterns. It’s not even three Green Lanterns. Obviously, the correct answer is four Green Lanterns! And no matter whether you’re a Hal fan or a Kyle man or a Guy guy or a John nut, this week’s story up for review has your back. It’s the last major Green Lantern story before Flashpoint gifted us the New 52; it’s War Of The Green Lanterns.

I know the whole thing was a bit divisive amongst some fans, but I thought the introduction of the color spectrum of lantern corps was a fantastic idea; it really breathed new life into a title that, frankly, I gave up on after Kyle Rayner was shuffled off to the background. Yeah, Kyle was always my favorite Green Lantern; he was MY Green Lantern in my DC formative years. To me, Guy was the hot-headed joke who got one-punched by Batman once, and John was just Kyle’s friend and confidant. And Hal was the stodgy, boring, flavorless, Silver Age “say your prayers and drink your milk” hero; so when Geoff Johns went through his “Bring back ALL the old heroes!” bit, I tapped out on GL for a time. When I heard about all the new lantern colors being released, my piqued suspicion led me back to the book, and I thought it was a neat device to add some color (booo, bad pun) to the title.

Show 4.17.18: Ghosts Without Fear

April 17, 2018
GhostAndy

It’s a Packed house on this week’s episode as we cram more Ghosts than we ever have before in front of that mic, all for our loyal listeners!

4.17.18

Andy’s Read Pile: The Complete 13 issue run of X-51

April 16, 2018
GhostAndy

Back in the trenches again for another exciting review of something that was an dusty inhabitant in my never ending comics read pile, that is now a less dusty graduate.

For those of you that have been following my blog, over the course of the past couple of years, I’ve been fascinated with the adventures of a pretty obscure C lister of the Marvel Universe called Machine Man. This should come to no surprise to some given my long standing penchant for robot or robotic looking super characters such as The Vision, Doctor Doom, and Rom the Spaceknight.

However, really, my new found love for Machine Man started with decision to purchase a bad ass Machine Man t shirt with Jack Kirby art. After getting the shirt, it made me start thinking that if I was gonna wear this shirt, I should have knowledge about the character in case I get challenged to a Steel cage death match nerd trivia throw down (that’s trademarked by the way).

MAR131529

So I started doing my research and that’s when I found out that the original Machine Man series was not only drawn by Jack Kirby but then Steve Ditko took over after Jack left. I couldn’t argue with that kind of pedigree. That’s like the House of Ideas at it’s finest. So I read that series and then the follow up Machine Man 2020 mini series (which I read piled here: Machine Man 2020 Review )

Pokemon Generational Analysis: Part 2

April 15, 2018
Not BAMF

2. Johto, Generation 2 – Gold, Silver, Crystal (and, in remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver)

I’m a bit biased here, because I loved Generation 2 for a long time. Not only was Pokemon Crystal my favorite game in the series for years and years, but I still have a functioning copy of it to this day. I don’t own a Gameboy, but I’ve got an N64 with an adapter! Woo!

GAMEPLAY:

Johto may not have the BEST Gameplay, but i give it a LOT of credit for what it did: improve on so many of the flaws from Generation 1. The basic gameplay glitches I mentioned last entry regarding from the Kanto Generation (The annoyances of waking up and binding move mechanics, etc.) were all removed. What’s more, Johto introduced so many new mechanics that would go on to become mainstays of the series! Two new Types of Pokemon and moves were introduced (Dark and Steel) to help bring balance to the game; genders were added to [most] Pokemon, and breeding became a new way to get the Pokemon you wanted; shiny Pokemon were introduced (wooo!); friendship with your pokeys became a thing. Oh hey… breeding; can we talk about how awesome that is? You drop off a female and a male Pokemon at the Daycare (A DAYCARE!), and x-amount-of-time later, you come back and the daycare worker tells you that your Pokemon had an egg, but THEY DON’T KNOW HOW IT GOT THERE. This is the least responsible daycare system in the world! Can you imagine if you dropped off your kids at a daycare, and when you came back the employee was all “Hey, your kids had a baby while you were gone. We don’t know where it came from, but here it is. Do you want it?” Keep a better eye on my friends, Pokemon Daycare! Where was I? Oh yeah, Johto introduced a lot of fun stuff.

Wait, I’m not done. The best thing Johto did that no game since has replicated? You actually got to visit other regions and battle there! After you beat Johto, you got to travel back to Kanto and wreck their shit, too. How great was that? Why can’t any other games do that? I want to go smack up other regions, games! Make it so.

Also… heh. Remember the PokeGear? And the ability to call and be called by NPCs? Which only lead to one of the best Pokemon memes ever…

OVERALL: 5/6 (Scoring reminder: 5/6 means that Johto has the second best score out of all regions… the best region–to be revealed later–will be the one that scored 6/6)

Top 5 Favorite SNES Games

April 14, 2018
GhostAndy

Hit ya with the horn section right out the gates on this one. Been saving this list for just such an occasion as…well…not having any other comic related blogs to post at the moment. Sneaky little devil, ain’t I?

I have often thought that the SNES was superior in a lot of ways to the Genesis. I know many out there disagree for a variety of reasons including the lack of the extensive library the Genesis had. Yes, for all intents and purposes, the Genesis out gamed the SNES at the rate of 2:1, but for me, the SNES had the type of spit and polish to their games that I rarely found on the Genesis. Better RPGs, more engaging action and gameplay, overall brighter and more colorful graphics.

I also could be that like the SMS and NES previously, I didn’t have a SNES out the front gates. I had a Genesis mainly because my sisters loved the Sonic, and it was my older brother Dave that had the SNES. So getting to play it was regulated to holidays or summer visits to his apartment in Baltimore. So it could very well be a case of where it built up a mystique in my mind as something special.

Wrote previous posts on our Ghost Blog about my favorite Sega Master System Games, and in those I spelled out the rules for these gaming lists, so I’ll go ahead and repeat them here:

1) It had to be a game I personally did play (and preferably beat at some point)

2) It had to be a game that I would still play today (adding a real timeless quality)

3) The list is in no particular order (All these games I’d have at number 1 if I could)

4) Finally, this isn’t a list of the greatest games in terms of technical achievement or anything like that. This is a list of my favorites. So no belly aching about how Super Mario World isn’t on there. Blah Blah about how revolutionary it is…The only really Mario games I really liked were Donkey Kong and SMB 2.

Stew’s Reviews: Damage Control

April 13, 2018
Not BAMF

Welcome back to Comics From Yesteryear, fanboys, where we remember the stories that put the “comic books” in “Well, it makes more sense if you read the comic books…” Speaking of comic properties appearing on screen, how is it that Agents Of Shield is a TV show, but Damage Control isn’t? And yeah, I know, I’ve heard it: “Agents of Shield got good after the first 30 episodes, you just need to stick with it!” I get it; everyone who watches that show thinks they deserve a medal or something. The point is, Damage Control as a mockumentary style show a la The Office or Arrested Development would print its own money. Get on that, Marvel.