The Final Post of the Decade

As the final post of the decade, here's a list of major releases from the year 2000. Back in 2000, we were all still playing N64 and Playstation, the number of Pokemon was just expanded to a radical 250 as Gold and Silver prepared to release, PC gaming was still going strong, and the Dreamcast was still around, and the PS2 was the new big thing. The list sure takes me back. 2000 was actually quite a year in gaming.

The End of an Era

As the year draws to a close, it brings along with it our anual BOOTY awards. No biggie. But this year also happens to be the end of a decade. And so we face the daunting task of summing up 10 years worth of, well, life. My how things have changed. And so, we turn to you, our readers. How would you like to see us sum up the last ten years? Lots and lots of lists I would assume (though other ideas are quite welcome). So I challenge you to challenge us. Drop you ideas in the comment box and we'll pick the best one's along with our own. We'll even give you credit for the idea! So stay tuned for Installation 04's year and decade in review!

Facebook lol

I thought our readers might enjoy this.

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All Points Bulletin

All Points Bulletin, also known as APB, is a sandbox MMOFPS set for release in spring of 2010.

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Christmas Roast: Super Smash Brothers Brawl

A new feature and holiday tradition here at Installation 04: the roast.

Our Birthday!

I always forget because we were started a mere three days before Christmas, but it's our 2nd/5th birthday! Huzzah! It seems like it's been forever and yet it seems like it hasn't been that long. Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Plooh-ha!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Or, if you prefer:



Merry Christmas everyone!

My Favorite Orchestrated Game Tunes

Well... I don't even know. I could have made a list of epic songs, or the best songs, but I just couldn't decide what to call this list. Best game themes didn't seem right, because some of them aren't. Most epic didn't seem right because some of them aren't epic in the traditional sense. And I couldn't just add "all time" to the end of it because, well, it didn't encompass games from all time. What they did have in common was that they were orchestrated. So I made a list of my favorite orchestrated game tunes. Epic, beautiful, mellow, doesn't matter because they're all awesome. And in no particular order. The only rules are that the song must be orchestrated (sorry Metroid Prime!) and I can only choose one song from any given game.

Battlefield Heroes

Last summer, EA released Battlefield Heroes as a free to play online FPS. After playing this game for the last two days, I can sincerely say it is one of the best free online games period. Don't let the cartoon style graphics turn you off, the game was specifically made in this fashion so that even low end computers could run it well. In terms of violence this game features no blood or gore. Parents if your comfortable with letting your children play shooting games, then this would be the perfect online game for them.

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CHRISTMAS DOOOM!

As soon as I finish being busy for Christmas, I'll post something interesting. Until that, here's this:

Really Random Video for Today

Halo Reach: For Realz

For really realz!? For really realz. I was going to wait for SUPER MEGA MIND 'SPLOSION HD™ except it's taking to long. So you'll have to settle for MODERATELY GOOD™ for now.



It's, uh... pretty much as expected. Except I'm a bit bummed. I wanted to play as Blue Team!

Scrumpadoochous!

Reminder: HALO REACH

The first footage of Halo Reach airs tonight. 8pm Spike VGA's. Check it out. Or, you could come check us out as soon as the footage hits.

Which version of the Metal Gear Solid theme is the best version?

I was going to do a feature relating to game music. What exactly that feature would be I do not know. What I do know is that the MGS theme would be on that list. The problem is, I can't decide which version is the best version that deserves to be on the list. So I gave a listen to the theme song from each Metal Gear Solid game to rank them in order of greatness. Let's start in order by game, analyzing each so we can compile the final list.

Must Find

Very freakin funny, not sure if its real, but still freakin hilarious. I'm gonna find it if it is real.

Apparently Anyone Can Make a Game Now

WTF!?

VGA's? More like VGC's!

What the snarf has happened to the Spike Video Game Awards? Not that anybody really ever took them seriously anyway, but still! Honestly, I'm not sure exactly why this awards show was created. I'm thinking it's a publicity stunt because a lot of the nominations are a joke. But this year, it's all gotten out of hand. Spike is acting more like this is a conference than an award show, probably in an attempt to gain more viewers. Instead of focusing on bad awards presented by big name celebrities acting like idiots, they've secured themselves some big name game announcements instead. It's starting look like E3, and it's starting to piss me off.

Impressions: Bayonetta

So I read a preview of this game a few months back that said this:

So we're Bayonetta in this city and we're kicking monsters and shooting things with our boot guns and all of a sudden this giant statue comes to life we're dodging and our clothes are disappearing and then there's lava everywhere so we run on the skyscrapers and fight angels and we're chased by a tsunami and then we're in a cathedral and there's a dragon coming through the window and we're fighting it and then it lifts off and it's flying and the cathedral is flying and everybody's flying and fighting and shooting and what is going on.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up how awesome this game is. 

PSA: Spike VGA's this Saturday

Spike's Video Game Awards are this Saturday. Why should you care? You shouldn't... normally. But this year's show is packed with more exclusive videos and announcements than an E3 press conference. Included is the first footage of Halo Reach, among many, many other things. So, remember to check it out December 12th at 8 pm. Or, you know, you could just wait till it's over and watch all the cool stuff online without the crappy award parts. I sense a rant incoming...

Halo: REEEEEEAAAACCCHH!!

The first trailer. Here it is:

BitMob

So I found this new gaming website the other day called BitMob. I wonder how I missed it before because it was founded by ex-EGM employees Dan Hsu and Demian Linn after EGM was canceled and they were fired from 1up. Anyway, I love it. It's run by a bunch of industry veterans but the majority of the content comes from the community. Have an interesting story or opinion? Write up the article and hit submit. Your article will be edited then added to the "mobfeed" where member's articles can be read by other members and the world. If the crew likes your article enough, they might even add it to the front page. Its a genius idea, really. Definitely check them out. I'd even go so far as to suggest you become a member and submit content! Needless to say, I've added a link to them in the sidebar. Or you can click on the giant picture. Your choice.

On a related note, the guys at BitMob have apparently joined the new EGM crew in some form or another. As you know, EGM is supposed to relaunch this month. Actually, I believe three days ago was the promised date. In any case, it's coming soon... ish...

MicroMovieReview: 2012

Every year around the Holiday season, Hollywood always comes out with a couple of "feel good" movies to get you into the joyous spirit. Then there's 2012. This is the depressing film of the Holiday season. Seriously, it makes you feel down. Why they would release this weeks before Holiday is anyone's guess. Nothing is happy about this movie. Not even the ending is happy. I'm sure it's supposed to be uplifting, but it's just not. Although the movie studio really dug themselves in a hole with this one. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to make the end of days any happier.

The top ten things the PS3 doesn't do

Sony claims it's new slim machine "only does everything." I disagree. I think it only does some stuff.

Oh God... Why did I do it!?

Well, I just finished categorizing every post ever. Literally. It took me hours. You can now click the categories in the side bar and find every post from Gameweb, Gameweb: Viewpooint, Total Randomity, Shups and Croids, and Installation 04. What did I learn from this experience? Well, for one, never to do it again. Also, we really did used to post news almost exclusively. It was interesting to see how our content and writing evolved over the years. Oh, and there's a bunch of new categories as well. I didn't go re-categorizing all the already categorized posts, in case you were wondering. I'm sure many of them would also fit in some of the new categories, but I simply don't care any more. Remember what I said about never again?

Anyway, now you can easily read our wonderful old words!

Worth Watching: Claymore

I don't watch a lot of anime. Ask the other guys, I just don't. My problem with anime is that they're like soap operas. I simply don't want to watch the same same show for ten years, no matter how good that show may be. The Dragonball saga is the one exception for me. Why? Well, because everybody watched Dragonball. Yeah, that reasoning sucks, but that doesn't make my statement false. Anyway, I like it when animes (or mangas for that matter) have an end in sight, that way I know what I'm in for. I don't want to get invested in a show that goes on for ever and ever because 1) if I miss some episodes here and there I'm screwed and 2) if I like the show it'll cost too damn much to collect all 300+ episodes. So I'm always on the look out for reasonably sized animes (preferably ones that have finished because I know just how many episodes there are). But I will say that the good thing about anime is that they actually do go on forever... until they eventually conclude. Here in America we often run into the problem of shows with ongoing plot arcs getting pulled off the air before their story concludes. It's infuriating. Perhaps that's where my phobia stems from. If it's already over, then its safe to say I can enjoy the story in its entirety.

Anyway, like I said, I'm always on the lookout for new anime. I'll actually watch anything good, I just prefer that's its on the short side. I'll often watch the first few episodes of a show to see if it grabs me. Almost always, they do not. Well, a while back I stumbled across this anime called Claymore. It just so happened that Claymore met my criteria in the length department, coming in at just 26 episodes. So, I watched the first episode and was amazed. It just happened to be my lucky day.

Review: Shadow Complex

Welp, I finally finished me some Shadow Complex and I'll say right out of the gate here that it's awesome. In fact, it's become one of the highest rated and most popular Xbox Live Arcade titles to date. You want to know why? Because this game is just like Metroid. No, this game is Metroid. In the absence of any 2D Metroid games for years, you're going to want to pick this up if you're a fan of that kind of stuff.

MicroMovieReview: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Well, it's Tuesday December 1st and you know what that means: time for new content. I have no idea what those two statements have to do with one another but yeah, content time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks that your Thanksgiving isn't like this...

Here ya go: Today's Update

May God Damn iPods @ the Apple Store

Alright, let me begin by saying that anyone who gets an iPod is making a mistake. Within the past 2 years I have gone through four iPods, and for shitty reasons. My first iPod was a mini, witch was pretty cool. About four months after purchase I am on a flight, having purchased the ultimate protection case and all that crap. Then my iPod literally slips off my lap and lightly bumps the floor. I immediately pick it up and look at the screen to find there is a picture of a file with a "!" mark on it. When I take it into the apple store, they tell me that the hard drive is fried and there is nothing they can do and will not replace it. So, the ignorant slob that I am, I buy a new U2 iPod, which is very cool. This works for about five months and then for no reason, stops working. The screen just won't turn on so i say, "Fuck this iPod shit I am going to just use CD's. However, upon hearing that my iPod is broken, my friends pitch in together to buy me the new 120 gig iPod classic. I am truly touched. So then about two months later I am sitting on yet another flight using my brand new iPod with its brand new headphones. I go to take out the headphones and the plug breaks off inside the iPod. I take it into the store with an appointment and proceed to wait. Two hours after my appointment time they call me up and try to pull the piece out with pliers, bending and cracking the input for the headphones. They then tell me that there is nothing they can do. I LITERALLY EXPLODE!!!! I tell them the story I am now typing, so they decide to replace it for free. A very nice gesture. I go home and plug it into my computer and it works fine. I then transfer all of my music to a new laptop and authorize the computer, but when I update the iPod it decides to stop playing all my music, both purchased from iTunes and ripped from CD's. So now I am siting in the Apple store with yet another appointment waiting to talk to one of their overly cheerful bozo technicians who will tell me there is no fucking thing they can do.

P.S.- Even though this was written in a time of extreme rage, it doesn't make my opinion of the Apple corp. any less true.

*To that I say, opinions are not true or false- that's what makes them opinions. It's an opinion because you hold it to be true.* -Fuzunga

True.

Halo Reach, is that you?

Some images leaded online yesterday from a man who calls himself ToM MoReLLo that are apparently from Halo Reach. These pictures were posted on the MLG forums and have since been removed, but what they show is clearly Halo looking. Microsoft's official word is that they "don't comment on rumors and speculation" which is no surprise. Although I'm not sure that makes sense in this context. There's nothing being rumored or speculated about. These are actual pictures of... something. In his own word's MoReLLo (by the way, not the actual Tom Morello) claims, "these pics are VERY recent. As in taken this week recent. and no bungie employees have it at home as I heard someone post if anyone wanted to play you have to play here. I played on November 1st..." What's that? You'd actually like to see the images? Oh, well then check after the break... if you dare!

I would totally see it if it was a movie

One of the best short films ever. EVER.

The Unfinished Posts Post

Unsurprisingly, we've had a lot of posts over the years that... well, never were completed. Surprisingly, the number is substantially lower than I thought it would be. There's a grand total of 15 unfinished posts between Doegab and I dating all the way back to the GameWeb era of 2005. So, for you're amusement (or something) here they are:

Happy Hall- oh crap, I missed it didn't I?

Well, it's not technically Halloween any more but I won't get caught up in technicalities. Happy Halloween anyway, and enjoy this comic that made me literally laugh out loud for some reason.

36,000? Why, that's... that's...

Over 35,000 hits! Damn that's a lot of hits! As a thank  you, here are the first six images that popped up in Google when I typed in 35,000:

WTF EVER HAPPENED TO SPLIT-SCREEN!?

Nostalgia has hit me over the past week after playing the 10-player-on-the-same-screen Bomberman for the Sega Saturn at Infinite bits. Wtf happened to the days when I could invite over my pals and we could gather around with our 12 packs of Mountain Dew and boxes of pizza and play games on the same system at the same time? I blame Xbox Live for this. Before the advent of online gaming, all we had was four player split screen (although the PS2 never had this for some reason). Nowadays, it seems almost pointless to have your system compatible with four controllers at once. Dammit game companies, stop making us antisocial!

Review: Full Cricle by Creed

Creed has finally returned! But are they any good these days? Can they at least be as good as they once were, or are they even better? The answers lie within.

Gamin' Where it Don't Belong

You may call them "casual" games. I call them ridiculous. The two biggest culprits here are the iPhone and Facebook. Remember the good old days when cellphone gaming consisted of Pong, Tetris, and Pac-Man? Whatever happened to those days? Remember when people would visit websites specifically for flash games when they were bored? I do. I miss those days.

Infinite Fails

Installation 04 will be at Infinite Bits in Miami, Florida Friday (today) from 5pm to late. We will not be hiding under cover at the Analog Hype booth and will not be there all weekend or even advertising ourselves. Do not look for us. There will be no coverage. Still, we got that awesome banner out of it, right? For the record, I blame Analog Hype for this. I have no reasoning. I just hate them.

Fancy Shmancy

Check out the fancy new promo image I created for Infinite Bits! I liked it so much, I made it the header. Also, we apparently have a tagline now. There's another, more pathetic one that may never see the light of day due to being... pathetic. Nope, I can't center it more. And, nope, I can't get rid of that tiny white line on the left side. You didn't notice it? Now you will. Forever. Also, winter colors. Oh, and double sidebar.

L4D2: Buy It

If this trailer had come out a few months earlier, it would have made my list of best game trailers.



Basically that trailer translates to: Left 4 Dead 2. Buy it.

I4@IB

Installation 04 will be at Infinite Bits this weekend in Miami, Florida! Come find us! How will you know it's us? You will. You just will.

The Koalas are Loose Again

"Nagdabbit! The koalas are loose again!"

Tatsunoko VS Capcom Impressions

Don't even pretend you know what Tatsunoko is. You will have no idea who the characters in this game are, so don't even try. You will never know. But that doesn't matter because Tatsunoko vs Capcom is one hell of a fun game. Some people complain because they can actually tell what the hell is going on, and say the game is "slow as shit" but, personally, I like my shit slow. That's an actual quote from somebody about the game, you know.

Transmissions will resume...

Whoo! New stuff!

New Features have come to Installation 04! Find out what they are... after the break!

Halo 3 ODST: The Review

I feel that I can't properly review this game without first addressing some pressing questions that other reviews leave to the end. First, Microsoft was right and Bungie was wrong. Bungie originally said this game was an expansion not worthy of the $60 price tag full games receive. Microsoft thought differently and created outrage when they set the price point at $60. Microsoft was right. This game is not an expansion and it is worth those $60. Second, it's not short. It took about seven or eight hours playing through on Heroic with a buddy. I would imagine that, with just one person playing, you could get upwards of 10 hours out of this game and that's not even going for 100% completion.

By now you must get the impression that the game is good because it's worth what some would say is a high price tag. But just what makes it so good?

MicroReview: Worms 2: Armageddon

Worms 2: Armageddon is an apology to Worms fans for that godawful "Worms" game released for the arcade a few years back. That game was extremely stripped down to the point where they ended up releasing most of the game's content as optional download. In short, it sucked, and they charged far too much for far too little. Armageddon, you may remember was and old Worms game from way back and the most popular game in the series. It's no wonder that they borrowed the name as if to say, "Look! This one's good!" And it is, actually. It's a lot like an HD, online version of Worms: Open Warfare 2 for the PSP which, much like this game, was a far superior sequel to the original. It incorporates many of the features that made that game great including lots of the weapons and customizations you know and love. The game also plays great online and is, as always, a blast with friends. This game, overall, is a solid title and a great addition to your Xbox Arcade library. I only wish they brought back the optional six-worm teams and had more landscape themes.

It seems Worms will live on forever as a classic, fun party game that withstands the test of time- even if we've played it a hundred times before. Bomberman, anyone?

Muse Album Review: The Resistance

So being a long time fan of Muse I was excited to hear that they where coming out with a new album. In this posts I'll be looking at The Resistance song by song, breaking it down, and giving the entire album a final score.

Top 10 Weakest Superheroes

Hi everyone it's been a while since I've posted anything. College has kept me quite busy lately so I've been tight on time. For this post I will be looking over the top 10 weakest superheroes of all time. I originally made a list like this but I've decided to redo it this time with lamer and weaker heroes. You'll see a few familiar faces from the first list, but a good number of new weaklings as well.

#10 Howard the Duck



Howard the duck comes from another dimension where ducks evolved to become the prominent species on the planet. One day when fighting an arch enemy of his, Howard was teleported to our world in Cleavland Ohio. Ever since then, Howard the Duck has tried to return back to his home world, but all his attempts have ended in failure.

So lets see why is this hero weak?

Well to start off he's a duck....from another world. He is versed in the art of Quack Fu however, which gives him an edge over normal humans and ducks alike. He could probably hold his own against your average Joe. However put him up against any normal hero with no powers such as Batman or Dare Devil, and he is definitely screwed.



#9 Infectious Lass



Infectious lass...wow. If this was a list of heroes with the worst names of all time she would be at the top.

I can't find too much info on this heroes background. What I do know is that she tried out for the Legion of Superheroes and failed, so you know that she's bad already. Then she ended up joining the Legion of Substitute Heroes, which makes her even worse.

So why is this Superhero weak?

Well she has the power to "infect" people. But apparently she can't aim if her life depended on it and her powers fail constantly. She never really defines what infect means. So for all we know she just gives you a bad case of crabs. Annoying, yes, but life threatening? No, not really, nothing modern medicine can't fix anyway. The fact she couldn't join the Legion of Superheroes means there's definitely something wrong with her.

vs Howard the Duck: Well the fact that she misses quite often, and that her powers merely annoy people, Howard could probably take her. At worse he might get slightly annoyed, and itchy.


#8 Long Dong



Long Dong was one of fourteen freshman that was endowed with a Super power during an explosion at their college campus. That's about it...

Can't say I'm exactly jealous of this guy, a fifteen foot penis is just a bit too big for me. It is indestructible though, so that's a plus I suppose.

So why is this Super Hero weak?

It can't be easy to handle a 15 foot indestructible penis. I mean if you could hit someone with it I'm sure it would do some damage, but it seems cumbersome to wield. Once Long Dongs enemies get around his mighty sword he's pretty much a sitting duck. And while his penis is indestructible the rest of him sure as hell isn't!

vs Howard the Duck: Long John has to get his weapon out of his pants first, then he has to try and hit Howard with it. That would take too long and Howard is a master of Quack Fu with slightly above average reflexes.

vs Infectious Lass: Infectious Lass may not be able to destroy Long Dongs penis, but it's a pretty big target for all the different types of infectious diseases she can throw at him! Especially STDs!


#7 Matter-Eater Lad



A strapping young Lad from the planet Bismoll. He is part of the Legion of Super Heroes and has the ability to eat through any type of matter!

So why is this hero weak?

Well unless your a cannibal, this power basically has no offensive use! In fact writers had trouble incorporating him into the Legion of Super Hereo stories because well...lets face it he was useless. It might serve for some odd situations, but in the end if Matter-Eater Lad is not willing to eat his enemy, how can he possibly hope to defeat anyone?

vs Howard the Duck: Quack fu would make short work of this matter eating fool.

vs Infectious Lass: I'm sure she could give him a nasty case of gum disease, rendering his power pretty much useless. Or mouth herpes! That could work as well.

vs Long Dong: So if Long Dong stuck his long dong into Matter-Eater Lad's mouth would Matter-Eater Lad be able to chew through it? Apparently he can eat through any type of matter. Then again has he ever tried to eat through something that was indestructible? I say it creates a paradox and kills them both. But Long Dong still wins since his power has more offensive use.


#6 Arm Fall-off boy



Arm Fall-off boy is a time traveler from the 30th century. He tried out for the Legion of Superheroes but was rejected.

Why is this hero weak?

Being from the 30th century you would think he would have some totally kick ass technology like Booster Gold does. Nope, all he brought from the 30th century was his prosthetic arms that he can remove at will to beat people with. He looks pretty muscular to say the least, I think he would be a much better hero if he just punched people instead of removing his arms and attempted to use it as a club.

vs Howard the Duck: Well being a martial arts master I'm pretty sure Howard knows some disarming moves (no pun intended). Once Arm-Fall off boy's arms are gone what can he possibly do?

vs Infectious Lass: Infectious Lass could just blast this lame hero with diseases until his arms disintegrated.

vs Long Dong: Long Dong has more reach than Arm-Fall off boy. Also his penis is indestructible, while Arm-Fall off Boy's arms are not.

vs Matter-Eater Lad: Those arms aren't even real looking I'm sure Matter Eater Lad would have no problem eating them. Arm-fall off boy doesn't stand a chance after his arms are gone, so the fight pretty much effectively ends.


#5 Chlorophyll Kid



Chlorophyll Kid fell into a vat of Chlorophyll as an infant. After this unfortunate accident he gained the power to make plants grow really fast. Wow...

So why is the hero weak?

Well he can make plants grow...that's about it. Chlorophyll Kids powers are limited to planets that have life on them, and they can be blocked by an object, any object actually. Oh and he was rejected from the Legion of Superheroes. He has no type of combat training either...

vs Howard the Duck: A few karate chops the kid would be down for the count.

vs Infectious Lass: Her disease powers work on plants as well, she could probably make Chlorophyll kid and his plants sick enough to be unable to fight. Not that the plants could fight in the first place.

vs Long Dong: Long Dong's penis can mow down any tree Chlorophyll Kid springs up, and thus mow down Chlorophyll Kid as well.

vs Matter-Eater Lad: Matter Eater Lad eats the kids trees. The he punches Chlorophyll Kid in the face and wins.

vs Arm-fall off boy: Technically, Arm-fall off boy's arms are prosthetic, which means he can block Chlorophyll Kid's powers. Once he does that he just beat the stuffing out of Chlorophyll Kid with one of his mighty club arms.


4# Brother Power the Geek



Brother Power the Geek is a hippie mannequin who was brought to life after being struck by lighting.
He has "super speed" and "super power" (WTF does that even mean?).

Why is this hero weak?

Well first off, they don't explain what "super power" is. None the less he does have "super speed", but his "super speed" is hardly something to brag about. In the end he is just a quick footed mannequin.

vs Howard the Duck: One blow would send the mannequin flying into a million different pieces. Might take a few minutes to catch Brother Power, but Howard would get him eventually.

vs Infectious Lass: Actually infectious lass can't affect Brother Power because he is non-living. None the less she would be able to take him in hand to hand combat.

vs Long Dong: A mighty dick slap would send Brother Power flying.

vs Matter-Eater Lad: Brother Power is non-living matter, Matter-Eater Lad would simply eat him.

vs Chlorophyll Kid: Brother Power is a damn tree huger, do you really think he would hurt any of Chlorophyll Kid's creations? The Kid wins this one.


#3 Color Kid



Color Kid obtained his unique and useless power while he was helping out a scientist in a lab. He was struck by a beam of colors that the allowed him to transform the color of any object. He was rejected from the Legion of Superheroes

Why is this hero weak?

Well all he can do is change the color composition of an object! The only useful ability of his I've actually seen is that he can temporarily blind his opponents. He has no combat training.

vs Howard the Duck: In hand to hand combat, Howard would ultimately win, even after being blinded.

vs Infectious Lass: A few disease bolts would take care of Color Kid

vs Long Dong: Well color Kid can change the color of the long dong, shortly before being pummeled by it.

vs Matter-Eater Lad: Matter-Eater Lad won't eat Color Kid, but he can still take him in hand to hand combat.

vs Arm-fall off boy: Arm-fall off boy beats color kid unconscious, but not before his costume color changes several times!

vs Chlorophyll Kid: Chlorophyll Kid summons an acorn tree, and uses acorns as a projectiles against Color Kid. Few acorns are lost in the fight, but Chlorophyll Kid ultimately wins.

vs Brother Power: Brother Power is fast enough to evade the color beam...not that it would do much anyway. Then he can use his "super power" to defeat color kid.


#2 Cypher



Wait a hero we might actually recognize? Who is sometimes seen in modern comic books? Impossible how is he on this list? After all Cypher is in the X-men.

So why is this hero weak?

Like all mutants Cypher obtained his ability at birth through mutation. Unlike all the other mutants he was graced with a completely useless power. He has the ability to translate any type of language whether it be computer code, french, or alien. That's it. He has no combat training.

vs Howard the Duck: Howard takes it, at least he can hold his own in a fist fight.

vs Infectious Lass: The lass takes it, whether she uses her powers or not.

vs Long Dong: Long Doing's penis is impervious to the translating powers of Cypher!

vs Matter Eater Lad: Same deal, hand to hand fight Matter-Eater Lad takes it. He might take pity on Cypher and eat him.

vs Arm-fall off boy: Actually Arm-fall off boy could probably take him even without his incredible arm detaching abilities.

vs Chlorophyll Kid: Tough call, but I have to give it to the Chlorophyll Kid. He can probably create poison ivy to irritate Cypher and swing the battle his way.

vs Color Kid: Color Kid's unique ability to blind opponents for a short time swings the battle in his favor.


Now introducing the weakest, and possibly most pathetic Superhero of all time...

































#1 DOORMAN



Little is known about Doorman's past or how he obtained his powers. His sole and single power is the ability to teleport ANYWHERE....as long as it is in a room next door. That's right, this amazing hero has the singular ability to be able to transport you one room over.

Why is this hero the weakest hero off all time?

Look if I was a hero, or even an average person and wanted to get to an inaccessible room, I would blast it open. Or I would find a more capable teleporter like night crawler to help me. Outside of this singular amazing ability door man has no other powers. He has been recently upgraded however so that he can fairy dead souls to Oblivion. This ability hardly helps him in a fight however

vs Howard the Duck: Doorman would teleport, and Howard would probably give up chasing him.

vs Infectious Lass: Doorman would teleport in fear of a potential std. He might be able to escape if they are fighting in an enclosed room with no doors.

vs Long Dong: I'm not sure if even doorman could out teleport the reach of Long Dong's fifteen foot penis.

vs Matter Eater Lad: Well Doorman would try to fight, and realize he can't win. Matter-Eater Lad can probably catch him by simply eating through the walls Doorman teleports through.

vs Arm-fall off boy: Doorman stands no chance against the mighty meaty arms of Arm-fall off boy. He can probably escape from him however.

vs Chlorophyll Kid: I'm not sure if doorman can teleport through trees. None the less, Chlorophyll kid could probably restrain him with roots or vines.

vs Brother Power the Geek: Brother Power is simply too fast for doorman and would take him out within a matter of minutes.

vs Color Kid: Color Kid would blind doorman and make him unable to teleport to the next room.

vs Cypher: This is probably the one battle Cypher can win in hand to hand combat.

I have nothing to say to you people!

I haven't posted anything in quite some time, but I really have nothing to post. In short, I have nothing to say to you people.

ODST is out next week so expect a review of that soon and perhaps Arkham Asylum as well. A Shadow Complex review is probably also coming because I'm sure many of you have still not played it. Beyond reviews, I have article block at the moment and can't think of anything article-y to write.

Perhaps it is time for a story soon?

Let there be Brawl!

There's a lot of fan series out there, especially when I comes to video games. I've seen my fair share of them. Some good, some not so good. I stumbled across one the other day that absolutely blew my mind. Not many fan series can achieve the caliber of awesome that There Will Be Brawl achieves. I urge you to check it out. It may seem cheesy in some places, but it's just so believable anyway that it sucks you right in and you're able to look past some low- budget costumes. The acting is surprisingly great, too. And it's well written. It's almost like Nintendo's own Dark Knight. Just watch it and you'll understand.

District 9: A Review

I don't often review movies for whatever reason, but this one is just so unique it actually warrants one. I want to get the word out to as many people as possible to go see this movie. There are not enough unique movies coming out of Hollywood these days and this one needs your support!

Do you get the idea I liked it?

yea im here

11 Halo songs you've never heard: 10 rejected ideas and one lost track

• "To Arms" is a short, yet intense piano sketch cut from the final game.
• "Fast Sketch" is an extremely short piano piece.
• "Tron" is a track that was cut from the game, but I can see how it would fit in.
• "Familiar Themes" is a string sketch of the Halo theme. Pretty good, actually.
• "Knockin' Beats" also known as "What" is an odd piece. It's monks... with a beat.
• "Shreddin'"... Yeah, I can see why they cut this.
• "Pomp, Circumstance" Marty O'Donnell was quoted as saying he never thought this song had even a chance of making it in the game. I totally disagree.
• "Seriously" is not as bad as Marty thinks, but still not so great. It's getting there, though.
• "Club" Marty describes it as "club sounds." Not far off, but it sounds more Tron-y to me than "Tron."
• "Love Theme" is actually pretty good, but Marty ran out of steam at the end.
• "Lost Song" Finally, is the self proclaimed "Lost Song." This song actually appeared in the first Halo game during the level Assault on the Control Room between a corridor with four stealth Elites and a room with a pair of Hunters. For unknown reasons it was not included in the official soundtrack, but was uploaded on Bungie's website for download after a fan complained it was missing.

So, there you have it. The last song is a definite download if you have the soundtrack, simply to complete your collection. The others will be cool to have for die-hard Halo fans.

The story of Nintendo's comback.

This video is surprisingly awesome. Plus, it's always cool to see Luigi in a lead role.

The 7 Best Modern Game Trailers Ever

Everyone knows that a good trailer can really build up the hype for a movie, but games are no different. Typically, people don't think of game trailers in the way that they think of trailers for movies. The truth is, though, that they can have just as powerful an effect on the viewer. I've noticed that in this console generation, game trailers have become much bigger and more professional, even riving movie trailers (hence the launch of gametrailers.com). So, let's take a look at the very best game trailers in the last few years.

7. The Conduit- "Story Trailer"
I'm not just putting this one on here because I'm a fan of the game. This trailer honestly surprised me with its production quality. Although it shows actual gameplay, which most of the trailers on this list will not, it has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster trailer including a gravely-voiced announcer and epic trailer music that appears no where in the game. It certainly builds up the hype, though, and it actually shows you what the game plays like, which is a plus.



Also check out the trailer for The Grinder. The Jason Statham sounding guy makes the trailer at least 30% more epic.

6. Metal Gear Sold 4- "War Transforms Us"
This was not an official trailer from Konami, but God knows Kojima doesn't make the most exciting (or short) trailers for his Metal Gear games. This trailer, however, is downright epic and did its job in really making me want to play this game. It uses various scenes with Beauty and the Beast characters and ends eerily enough to leave you wanting more. It pinpoints the brutality and intensity of the scenes with the excellent choice of music.



5. Assassin's Creed- "Lonely Soul"
Ah, game trailers with licensed music. Nothing like them. When it's done well (more on that later) it really hits home. When it's done poorly, well...
In any case, this trailer does more right than wrong. The song goes very well, especially accompanied with the slow motion gameplay. This trailer in particular, caught my attention about the game as it did with many other people.



4. Gears of War series- lots of stuff
Since its launch, the Gears series seems to have become somewhat famous for its trailers. It seems to be for a reason that most other trailers lack. Whereas most of the time the trailer tries to ignite intrest with a tour-de-force of epic action, the trailers employ another tactic- emotion. While the choice of theme or music may seem strange it does leave you thinking. In short, you remember it. There are may fine examples of this, but the most famous is the first and most memorable trailer using Gary Jules' version of the song "Mad World."



But there are many more unique trailers from the Gears series. Check out "Rendezvous" which makes effective use of poetry and "Last Day" which is also quite emotional.

3. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep- "Birth By Sleep"
Little did players of Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix know, but the game's secret ending was actually a trailer for the next game. And what a trailer it is. The game still hasn't been released, yet I've been anticipating it ever since this secret ending was discovered. Not only is what is happening considerably epic, but so is the original score in the background. It is definitely one of the best teasers ever, in my opinion. It doesn't explain what is going on, but it makes you wish it had. Here it is, translated and in HD.



2. Dark Sector- debut trailer
I cannot possibly put together this list without mentioning Dark Sector. You may not know that Dark Sector was the first "Xbox Next" and PS3 game ever announced. It was no surprise that when the trailer premiered, it caused quite a bit of buzz. It looked fantastic, maybe not by today's standards but at the time it was running on the first true "next gen" graphical engine- Unreal Engine 3. Not only that, but the trailer provided a decent look at how the game played. It looked awesome, to say the least- perhaps the start of a great new sci-fi series. Anything that mixes science fiction and tradition Japanese music has to at least catch your interest, right? Unfortunately, the game over went a major overhaul and became extremely generic. It's really too bad we'll never get to play that original version because it looked really good.



And finally, the number one game trailer ever made....


1. Halo Wars- "Cinematic Trailer"
This trailer was never intended for release. It was an internal promotional thing at Microsoft that somehow leaked onto the internet and was consequently pulled down. Fortunately, many curious eyes watched it in that short time. It's too bad that Microsoft never released this trailer publicly because, frankly, they would have sold more copies. Trailers typically build up hype for something that is already anticipated or they announce something new in a grand way. It was different with Halo Wars. Many, many people, Halo fans included, were skeptical about buying the game. This trailer was so good that it actually sold copies. People that were on the fence changed their mind and people who had no interest whatsoever felt compelled to try it out. It's that good. I imagine that if a Halo movie was ever made, the trailer would be something like this. The trailer was completely cinematic (with the best CGI I've ever seen- literally!) and used music from the movie Transformers. There is only one good copy available on the internet that I know of, and I have it for you. Enjoy.

Remember the Halo Graphic Novel? Yeah, it's like that but animated.

Microsoft revealed, on the very first day of Comic Con, the first project from the newly formed 343 Industries. It's called Halo Legends and it's an anime series in the style of Batman: Gotham Knight and The Animatrix. Microsoft has recruted the biggest names in Japanese animation to compile seven animated shorts set in the Halo universe. Like the afrormentioned series, these short films will range in style with the studios getting full creative freedom. The stories however, are being closely monitored by 343 lead by Creative Director Frank O'Connor, a former Bunige employee who joined MS to work further with the Halo property. Rest assured, Halo Legends is in good hands and will be cannon.

Personally, I loved the Halo Graphic Novel and think this anime compilation is a great idea. I was wondering when Microsoft was going to get Halo involved with the animated scene since they seem to love the comic book and novel medium. Perhaps this will pave the way for that oft-mentioned, yet elsuive, film or perhaps even a full fledged animated series. Who knows. It's all very possible and I'm sure it'll all happen at some point anyway.

You can find the very first teaser footage in the trailer below. Certain episodes will be available for preview this fall on XBL in the newly announced Halo Waypoint section of the dashboard (your one stop shop for everything Halo) and will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray early next year.

Indie games are win these days

Behold the next great indie game entitled Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet! With it's uniquely memorizing world combining the art styles of World of Goo and Patapon, this game looks to be just the thing to cure that side-scrolling adventure itch.



Between this and Fez, indie games have a bright future.

The Conduit: A Review

Simply put, The Conduit just works.

Happy America Day!

Best of their Time

Basically, in my opinion, these are the Top 5 games on each system that I had/have had a lot of time playing. Feel free to add your top 5.

SNES (my first system):
1. Super Mario All-Stars (this continued Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3, Mario the Lost Levels, and a few other games)

2. Super Mario RPG (as a kid, I hated this game but now I still go back and play because I appreciate what a fantastic game it was).

3. Now, I didn't play very manyRPGs and recently started playing Earthbound on my R4 which is great, but back in the day I loved playing Kirby Super Star (like Mario all-star, it was a college of several games).

4/5. This is a tie between Mario Kart (which I also hated back in the day), and my favorite kid games like Tom and Jerry, Aladdin, and Tiny Toons Whacky Sports.

Honorable Mentions: Porky Pig's Nightmare, Bonkers, The Lion King, and basically every kid game (they were all fantastic). I kinda miss the simple nature of this system, because it's games still rank with the best.
____________________________________________________________

PS1: I only played a few PS1 games
1. Metal Gear Solid

I'm planing on downloading Final Fantasy VII later this summer on my PS3

Other games I've played are all the Spyros (which I love), all the Crash Bandicoots, Croc 1 and 2, and that's about it

_____________________________________________________________
N64:
1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (imho, best game of all time)

2. Mario 64 (another contender for best game of all time)

3. Perfect Dark 64 (again, possibly best shooter of all time)

4. Golden Eye 007 (another best shooter contender)

5. I want to put a bunch in here, so Donkey Kong 64 (one of the most underrated games of all time), Banjo Kazooie, Mario Party 2, Mario Kart 64, Star Fox 64

Honorable Mentions: The N64 had the best games of any system all across the board, so honorable mentions would be many games but I picked these out: Mario Party, Jet Force Gemini, Super Smash Brothers, Silicon Valley, Paper Mario, Snowboard Kids 1 and 2, Mario Golf, Rayman 2, Gauntlet Legends 1 and 2
_____________________________________________________________

Xbox:

1. Halo (the first one redifened shooting games)

2. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (one of best rpgs I've ever played)

3. Splinter Cell (made the stealth genre mainstream) / Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow

Is it sad that I'm having trouble with more? Problem is looking back, no games really stand out. It's not like with the SNEs and N64 that I could fill pages with praise.

Now I'm not going to list 5 for systems still "open", meaning that games are still available (ie PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, PSP, etc ) for those I'll list top 3. I'll also list handhelds later.


NDS:
1. The New Super Mario Brothers

2. Mario Kart DS

3. Mario/Luigi Partners in Time


Xbox 360 (again, i'm hard pressed because now, games are available for every system and none really stand out. Sadly, I can't name many exclusive games for 360).

1. Gears of War

2. Call of Duty 4 (I consider it a 360 title because of live play)

3. Bioshock (great story line)


Ps2:

1. Metal Gear Solid 3

2. Kingdom Hearts 2 (very close to #1 spot) and Kingdom Hearts

3. Dragon Quest VIII.

4. Only obvious ones that come to mind are Onimusha 1 and 3.

5. God of War


Ps3 (I've only played 4 games, so this is really fair):

1. Metal Gear Solid 4 (this is pretty universal)

2. Ratchet Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

The rest I'll just say: Untold Legends (still playing with my dad), Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (see review), Valkyria Chronicles (currently playing also, it's between a 9 and 9.6)

Nintendo Gamecube I'll do later, and for Nintendo Wii:

1. Super Mario Galaxy

2. Mario Kart Wii

I g2g now so c y'all later

Random Rant

I feel like angry ranting so I will.

Most Overrated Game of All Time: Grand Theft Auto 4
Let me make this clear, the game is good, but it's the same crap over and over again with the GTA series. In my opinion, both Vice City and San Andreas were better than number 4. The only difference was a new character, a new setting where you do the exact same criminal stuff as in every other GTA game, and a new story with a few add-ons, yet IGN and the entire gaming world hail it as a Masterpiece and give it a 10. WTF is wrong with these people? I'd give it an 8, maybe a 9, but nooooo, GTA IV is the God of GTAs. I wonder what prostitute Rockstar hired to garner such high remarks.

Most Underrated Game of All Time: Dragon Quest VIII
Why is it underrated? No one has EVER PLAYED IT in the US except for me........The game is fantastic. Plain and simple. If you like rpg games or fantasy games, or just a heart-warming story, buy it now.

So, you want free music do you?

In my experience on the interwebs, I have come to discover what I believe to be the best free and legal music services in existence. Albumart.org used to have free mp3's to download but has since removed them and the website khinsider.com used to have a vast archive of game soundtracks to download but it hasn't worked in years.

Thus, I turned to something else: Internet radio. No doubt you have heard of the hugely popular Pandora Internet Radio. Well, it sucks in comparison to what I am about to show you. Don't get me wrong, check out Pandora if you want to find new music based on your listening style, but if you want a more random experience like something you'd find from a real radio, do I have a site for you:

It's called SHOUTcast Radio and it compiles Internet radio stations from all over the world. It literally boasts thousands, probably tens of thousands, of stations to listen to in a vast variety of genres ranging from decades to indie to pop to even anime. Not only that, but it goes hand in hand with my next pick:

Grooveshark. If you discover some new band that sounds good on SHOUTcast (or even Pandora, if that's your thing) Groovehark is just the tool you need to discover more. Simply type in the name of a band and Grooveshark's massive database will find and list albums and tracks by that artist that you can listen to, for free, to your heart's content. I like this system much more than Pandora when I just want to listen to the damn band I entered and not people like them. It's got a lot of playback options, too, and lets you create your own custom playlists.

It is far easier to operate SHOUTcast within a program plugin rather than via their website. While you can use WinAmp if you use a PC, I recommend Songbird, an open-source media player that, not only has SHOUTcast built in but also supports iTunes integration as well as other plugins in addition to an Internet browser- perfect for running Grooveshark and SHOUTcast simultaneously. I'll become the only audio player you need.

Mergers and buyouts

Interesting news this week. It seems that, lately, game companies just can't keep their hands off other game companies. Earlier in the week, EA merged together BioWare and Mythic (developers of Warhammer Online). Eh? Who knows. EA is weird like that. That means that, although combined, BioWare, Mythic, and Pandemic will continue to operate separately. Then why merge them?

In weirder news, Bethesda parent company Zenimax Media purchased developer id. Yeah, i don't get it either. For those of you who need a refresher, id developed Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein. But, again, the two companies will operate individually.

Would someone like to explain just what the hell is going on here?

Ratchet Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty Reviews

I remember getting the first Ratchet Clank game a long time ago for my birthday. The game introduced me into a world where this talking cat, Ratchet, and his robot friend, Clank, went around traveling the universe and blowing/bashing stuff up. I loved the first game. Then came the second...well, same thing. Second was fun. Then the third...same thing again....okay this is starting to suck. This pattern went on until I gave up on the series and decided that, since the game was the same over and over again on different planets, that I would stop playing the series forever. Well, I have a friend who has owned a PS3 since it first came out, and he guaranteed me that this game was different. In his opinion, he said Ratchet Clank Future: Tools of Destruction was the best game on the PS3 (granted, this is pre-MGS4). Well, he's wrong. It isn't the best game, it's the second best. It is also the most fun game on the PS3.

Uncharted Drake's Fortune MicroReview

So first with an incredibly overrated game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Yes, that's right, I had very high expectations for this game and Uncharted did not come close to meeting them. This game let me down so badly that I'm not putting a picture up. Before I begin, a quick background. Basically, you play as Nathan Drake (relative of Sir Francis Drake) and the game takes place basically on one island the entire time as you search for Drake's treasure. Now on with the review, starting with everything that sucks.

A large part of Uncharted Drake's Fortune involved shooting enemies. No surprise here, but Naughty Dog violates a principle of enemy shooting game: Don't put too many enemies in too little space with too little cover and too little ammo. The entire game you jump distances that are impossible even for Superman to jump until you get to a courtyard with either pillars or pillars that have been knocked down. Then, you get about 30 pistol shots to kill 60 enemies or 60 machine gun rounds (which expire very quickly) to kill those enemies. Sounds easy? Well it would be if you could actually hit your target, for you see, the Rebel Mercenaries you fight in the game (as opposed to the Trained Mercenaries which I will mention later) dodge bullets! And not like the matrix, they just kinda move right or left and dodge. I even went through the pain of running up to a Rebel, aiming for the heart, and firing, only to have him dodge. Not only are the Rebels magical, but you can't shoot them twice back-to-back, meaning you have to hit them, wait, and then shoot them again. What's worse is that the game refuses to register head shots as head shots!? This really pisses me off. To get a head shot, you had to aim around the middle of the chest and hope the enemy didn't dodge, otherwise, what should be a headshot, will just be a bullet that hits the target for minor damage or is dodged. Apart from shooting, the game involves hiding behind cover. Yes, it basically tries to copy Gears of War but fails. If you hide behind a pillar, you will die. If you hide behind a knocked down (horizontal) pillar, you face 50% death rate. Compile this with the horrible gun mechanics and you get a repetitive game whose shooting fails. Oh, and did I mention that after you kill 60 enemies, often times 3-5 more waves of 10 enemies come in from all arround the room, so basically you get surrounded. I am very good at shooting games and I died more in this one than all my previous shooter experiences combined.

A quick word on Trained Mercenaries. As you progress through the game, you eventually fight well trained mercenaries, then undead, and then a mix of rebels, trained mercs, and undead. Somehow, the Trained Mercenaries that carry Dragonuv Snipers, Desert Eagles, and MP 40s with laser sight are incredibly easy to kill, whereas the rebels that only use AK-47s dodge bullits and can't be killed. This sucks because 85% of the enemies are the rebels, and only about 10% are the trained mercenaries. Damn.

So what makes this game good? Well the graphics are nice, but the only reason I give this game a high rating is the story. The story is basically a myster/treasure hunt tale along the lines of National Treasure and that entertained me a lot. The characters (well, the good guys anyway) are very endearing and you quickly like them and their adventure. If Naughty Dog made this game about puzzle solving, exploring, and adventuring, or if they did the shooting system right, it would be a great game. Sadly, they didn't, altough they did get another thing besides the story right: jet ski shootouts! Twice, Nathan mounts a jetski and armed with a grenade launched you blast the hell out of enemies.

Overall, I would not pay more than $20 for this game. If you are bored, $30 because, after all, the story is awesome. It has marginal replay value because there are 60 hidden treasures, but the rewards (cheat codes) suck for finding them and they are really easy to find (they sparkle and shine, literally). There are also Trophies, which are basically PS3's version of the 360's achievements.

Rating: 6.5 (the reason being the graphics, storyline, characters, and mild entertainment)

Second opionion: 5 (with so much emphasis on shooting, I can't give it a higher rating).

MicroReview: Wario Land: Shake It

Before the actual post, I think I should explain what a microreview is. It's something new I've created for the blog that's basically a mini review. I didn't call it a miniview because that sounds lame, nor did I call it a quickview because I'm pretty sure that's copyrighted. I'll microreview stuff that I think doesn't deserve a full review (for a number of reasons) or is old. Most movie reviews in the future will probably be in this format.

First of all, I realize the box has the wrong name on it. I used the PAL version because it looks better.

I both enjoyed this game and was annoyed by it. On the one hand, it's finally a return to form for Wario- a classic platformer after years of microgame crap. On the other hand, I wish it were better. The visuals are sharp, colorful, and lovely, but the music, while nice, doesn't seem to fit Wario. Likewise, the level design seems repetetive and uninspired. Wario's got his classic moves in addtion to some new tricks, but I feel like the levels make more use of motion control gimicks than classic Wario platforming and puzzle solving. Still, there's some nice homages to the Wario Land games of yesteryear. The game does get very repetetive after a while not just because of the level design, but because of a lack of enemy variety and the fact that your goal is always the same: get lots of money, free the little elf dude at the end of the level, then race back to the begining within the time limit. The game's saving grace is it's excellent and creative boss battles.

Overall, I'd recommend the game just for some Wario nostalgia but I wouln't pay more than $20 for it.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Game Review

Yes, it's a year late, but for many of us who are considering purchasing a PS3 or just bought one, this review will be very helpful. Why? Because this IS the game that makes the PS3. Plain and simple.

The best soundtracks of thier time

I will now attempt to pick the best original soundtracks from each generation of games. Why did that sound like a magician?

I'm not going to start at the NES (which could arguably be Mega Man 2) or do the following generation (though it would probably be something like Super Mario World) but I shall work my way from the first 3D generation of the N64 and the PlayStation all the way to this generation so far.

Era 1:
I almost gave this to Metal Gear Solid, but I thought the rest of the series had stronger soundtracks. It's a tough choice between Mario 64 and this game, but I ultimately chose Ocarina of Time because it has many timeless tunes from it that are instantly memorable and recognizable. The thing I think that sets it apart from Mario is that each Zelda game is totally unique, taking place in an alternate Hyrule with an alternate Link and, thus, having an alternate soundtrack. In short, these iconic pieces don't repeat. With the exception of Smash Bros., you probably haven't heard these tracks again. Mario games have been known to remix tracks and use them again, as evident in Galaxy.
There are so many good tracks, but here are a few:

• Song of Storms
• Gerudo Valley
• Lost Woods

Era 2:
Unfortunately, while MGS2 and 3 had excellent soundtracks, when I think of last generation's soundtracks one game immediately jumps to mind. Surprisingly, it beats out the Zeldas, Halos, and Metal Gears. The greatest soundtrack of last generation comes from none other than Shadow of the Colossus. When I first played the game, the soundtrack instantly caught my attention. It is simply unlike anything before or, quite frankly, after it. Unfortunately, the soundtrack is not available for purchase outside of Japan.
Pretty much every track is fantastic, but here's a small taste:

• The Opened Way
• Revived Power
• The Farthest Land

Era 3:
While it may be hard to choose the best soundtrack of this generation when we're not nearly done with it yet, I can pick the best so far. The honor goes to Super Mario Galaxy. It's simply beautiful, plain and simple. Have a listen and you'll see why it has the best music of this generation yet.

• Gusty Garden Galaxy
• Buoy Base Galaxy
• Melty Molten Galaxy
• Bowser Fight

Hooray! Time for another flame war! Agree, or not?

E3 Results

Well, E3 is over and I have the results because, apparently, E3 is some sort of contest. It took me a week to recover from it, but here are the results:

Regardless of what the Big Three had in store, this year's E3 was a true return to form for the year's greatest gaming event. This year's show was much bigger than last year's toned down show and much better than 2007's showing in a Santa Monica airplane hangar.
This year was games galore and even the return of booth babes! And who could forget the joy of watching Steve Wiebe fail at the Donkey Kong world record on national TV (that douche didn't deserve it anyway).

Let's take a look at how each of the Big Three fared:

Microsoft- A
Microsoft was first this year, holding their press conference before the event even officially kicked off. And they brought the big guns. Though the Beatles Rock Band wasn't the greatest kickoff ever, things picked up slightly with a demo of Modern Warfare 2 (mountain climbing!) but it wasn't until Microsoft got to the exclusives that things really got interesting. Alan Wake lives, and it looks pretty decent! Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 were both announced, which was pretty awesome. The illegitimate child of Contra and Metroid was revealed in Shadow Complex. FFXIII was demoed on the 360 and dated for 2010. Microsoft showed why Xbox Live continues to dominate by unleashing a slew of new features. ODST was demoed and dated for September 22nd. That got me excited. Probably the three biggest announcements for Microsoft were Halo Reach (!), Project Natal (!), and that they're finally taking away of Sony's final classic cornerstone of exclusivity with Metal Gear Rising and its Lightning Bolt Action! Overall, Microsoft pulled out all the stops this year for a stellar performance. They did everything right to build upon the momentum from last year and propel themselves forward with another stellar year of games.

Nintendo- A-
You know, Nintendo surprised me this year. When their press event began I thought it was just going to be another lackluster year for them, but they really stepped up this time. While their demos of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus were boring, and the announcement that I can now take my pulse with my Wii left me baffled, Nintendo proved they still care about the hardcore gamer. They even showed a short montage of all their core games coming soon! They announced a new Golden Sun for the DS and Final Fantasy for the Wii and COP: The Recruit, though the name remains uninspired, looks like a great alternate to a full GTA experience on the DS. They had a whopping four Mario games to announce, the highlight being Mario Galaxy 2, but didn't stop at that. They went as far as to announce their collaboration with Team Ninja: Metroid: Other M, which pretty much made the show for me. Not only that, but they announced and showed off the first artwork of the next Zelda (not happy train time Zelda) behind closed doors. Though they dragged a little, they had enough major announcements to warrant a low A.

Sony- B+
I'm not hating on Sony for the sake of hating on Sony, but come on, guys, don't let all your major announcements leak before the big show! The PSP Go, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and The Last Guardian all leaked out before they were supposed to be officially announced. That took a lot of air out of Sony's balloons. The only other downside was that their event was significantly longer than all of the others. Naughty Dog earns Sony bonus points, however, for having a stellar demo of Uncharted 2- the best demo of the show, in my opinion. The demos of GoW3 and Assassin's Creed 2 were also impressive. Mod Nation Racer also looked very promising. Unfortunately, though Sony showed they still greatly support Home, it still looks depressing. Come to think of it, the PSP Go is a ripoff at $250. I could buy a Wii for that. Actually, I could buy a regular PSP for less. What's the appeal here, again? MAG was demoed in real time, which was impressive, but unfortunately the game looks pretty generic and boring. The two big announcements not leaked were the PS3 motion controller and FFXIV. The controller shows a lot of promise, but sill doesn't seem that different from the Wii remote. FFXIV was not expected. Too bad it's one of those crappy online titles.

So, there you have it. Looks like it was Microsoft's year once again. This post is sure to start a flame war, so go ahead and argue in the comments.

Full Circle

Way back in 2004, the blog called GameWeb was born. I worked on it, Doegab worked on it, and Battsman worked on it. The site began to evolve and my good friend RaiderBear joined the team. GameWeb closed, and Raider and I went our seperate ways. Installation 04 was then born and now, 5 years later, the team is once again complete. A warm welcome back to an old friend of mine, RaiderBear! Huzzah!

And the team is complete once more.

Raider will be our main Playstation correspondant (because the other three of use don't own one...) with news, reviews, and previews (I assume) for the PS3, though I guess there is nothing stopping him from writing whatever he wishes.

Anyway, welcome to the team, old friend! We have come full circle.

Introduction and Review

Hi everyone. I'm new to the Installation 04 team and, as the title suggests, this is my introductory post. You can all refer to me as Raider, Raiderbear, or RaiderBear30, take your pick. Anyways, just a little background into my gaming experience, I got a Super Nintendo when I was six, seven, or eight; I honestly can't remember. Ever since then, I've loved games and have been a gamer. I still own that SNES, as well as an N64, Gamecube, PS 2, Xbox, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, Gameboy SP, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, the Wii, Xbox 360, and very recently (2 weeks ago) I purchased a PS3. My job here at Installation 04 is mostly going to be about me speaking on the PS3 and PS3 games.