Originally posted in three parts on the original DTM Blog. Naturally, this archive version has been edited into one single post. I don’t recall the context, but I think it has something to do with some poll to air popular episodes on the old ABC Family channel or something.
Category: Musings
My Top 6 Star Wars Games Not Named X-Wing Or TIE Fighter
Here’s a list of my top 6 Star Wars games that doesn’t include the incredular X-Wing or TIE Fighter games, because those are beyond reproach… well, mostly TIE Fighter is beyond reproach; the X-Wing stuff, I can take or leave… but there’s plenty of other Star Wars games worth playing. Here’s six of them… because there’s six movies in this saga. Maybe if they make a sequel trilogy, we’ll adjust this to nine or something, I don’t know…
Listed in no particular order…
Game #1 – Dark Forces
Here’s a brilliant idea. Doom was a popular thing, so let’s make a Star Wars version. And it was awesome. Great weapons, great atmosphere. … And then they’d make the Jedi Knight games, which I heard were also good, but I haven’t played those yet. Hope to change that soon.
Game #2 – Empire Strikes Back (2600)
It’s simple stuff; you fly a snowspeeder, you pick off AT-ATs with your guns until they blow up, lather, rinse, repeat. It’s a daring campaign to pit one snowspeeder against an infinite fleet of walkers, but it’s easy to pick up and play. And there’s a whole bunch of variations for you to try out if you want to spice things up a bit.
Game #3 – Super Star Wars Trilogy
I’m cheating a bit here because I’m including three games under the list, but Factor 5’s Super Star Wars trilogy of SNES action games have always been top-tier stuff. Yes, it might rough and tough in some places and liberties are taken with the source material, but damn if they don’t make good action games. If I had to pick one, Super Jedi takes the cake; multiple characters with different playstyles, some solid action bits, and some of the vehicle bits aren’t too shabby, either. Play them all, though. They’re great.
Game #4 – Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (1998 Arcade Game)
A rail shooter that has you partaking in major battle sequences of each of the three Star Wars films (we only had three, boys and girls) and with bonus stages featuring duels against Boba Fett and Darth Vader. When the newest Capcom fighter was indisposed, this was usually the other go-to arcade game for my money. Incredibly fun yet challenging fare.
Game #5 – Star Wars Racer Arcade (2000 Arcade Game)
Not one to be left out of the whole Prequel hype, Sega followed up Trilogy Arcade with their own version of the Podracer game. Not sure if this is the same thing you play on the consoles, but I’d say this arcade game is tremendous; featuring a control layout similar to a podracer, bringing that extra bit of detail and authenticity. Whatever you want to say about The Phantom Menace, at the very least, its racing games are top notch.
Game #6 – Star Wars (NES)
Another Star Wars platformer on NES that takes liberties with the source material; hell, the first chunk of the game where you’re on Tatooine is practically non-linear stuff where you can theoretically leave the planet without recruiting any of the usual suspects, thus turning it into a true adventure of Luke Skywalker and no one else. Yes, it can be difficult as hell with falling damage and some spotty moments, but if you can put up with the rough spots, there’s a damned fine game to be found here. And how many NES games based on movies or TV shows can you count that aren’t total garbage?
Oh, and on a sidenote, there’s also a Famicom version from Namco that’s not the same game as this. I’ve not played that one, but I’ve seen some of that in action. The less said, the better.
And that’s it. That’s my list.
REVISITING… The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
Contrary to what many claim, Mario’s first initial cartoon appearance was NOT the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Rather, it was in an obscure Donkey Kong cartoon that aired as part of Saturday Supercade during the early-1980s, before Nintendo rose into prominence. You wouldn’t have noticed, because in that cartoon, Mario was a generic guy who pursued the big dumb ape. But that’s irrelevant, because before 85, Mario wasn’t a big deal. After ’85, he practically salvaged the video gaming industry and got a cartoon out of it.
Every Mario cartoon had the same basic plot; evil King Koopa (Bowser, although he never goes by that name in the cartoon) wrecks havoc in various worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom and it’s up to Mario, faithful brother Luigi, loyal Mushroom Retainer Toad, and the Princess (when she isn’t kidnapped) to spoil his nefarious plans. Rinse, lather, and repeat.
Odd thing was that this had more in common with Super Mario Bros. 2 (Mario USA to Japanese folk – the less said, the better) than it did the original game, but I’m not complaining.
The way I see it, the cartoon (and even the Captain Lou Albano live skits) was what truly defined Mario as an Italian plumber from Brooklyn who enjoyed eating pasta rather than this fat plumber who ate mushrooms, something that the games depicted. The cartoon stayed true to the original games, as opposed to the later movie which was a bastardization of what was good and wholesome. The stories are rather cheesy, crude, and cheap parodies of certain series and movies, but who cares? They were fun and back then, that’s all you really needed.
The animation was decent for its time. You have some minor technical errors here and there (sometimes Mario would be speaking with Luigi’s voice, or his hat would be the wrong color), but these things happens in all the old cartoons (see the old Ninja Turtles as a good example – yes, you know who you are!) The voices were pretty good; nothing great, but alright nonetheless. Characterizations were pretty good (even though it’s based off a video game and you actually had no frame of reference as far as characterization goes).
Of course, the cartoon is only part of the show. Bookending the cartoon are live-action skits featuring Captain Lou as Mario and this other guy as Luigi, in their Brooklyn basement, where they have to deal with these guest stars’ problems. I’m not just talking nameless hacks looking for a quick buck, but actual stars whom were popular at the time. Like the cartoons, the skits were cheesy but fun. And it’s always a welcome sight to see Captain Lou make an idiot out of himself by doing the Mario. (Now, if the REAL Mario were to have done that in any of the modern Mario games, it would have actually prompted me to buy a modern Nintendo system.)
Every Friday, they’d throw in a little Zelda cartoon. Back then, when I first saw them, I never touched the original game, but still enjoyed them nonetheless… although these days, hearing Link whine “Excuse Me, Princess” every fifth minute irritates me to no end.
After some time, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show changed its format and became Club Mario. While you had the same IL’ good cartoons, instead of live Mario and Luigi, you had two ‘hip’ guys in a messed-up apartment with lots of stuff that boggles the mind. Every once in a while, they have actual ‘storylines’ such as one guy’s evil twin trying to take over the show. Sometimes, I wish good IL’ Koopa showed up during the Mario Bros’ off-day and took over the show so he could cancel it, because even back then, it was bad.
Even today, it’s still a good wholesome cartoon that’s good for a few laughs and maybe can be genuinely enjoyed. I think you can find them on Yahoo somewhere, who airs the shows online. Check ’em out if you have the chance.
Is Dino Thunder An Apology For Ninja Storm?
I woke up one morning and waited in anticipation of Ninja Storm, the newest incarnation of Power Rangers and the first one under the belt of Village Roadshow productions. The usual questions comes up, the usual spoiler info is leaked, but all in all, that wouldn’t stop me from having high hopes for this thing.
At eleven thirty, the show begins and I watch with an interested eye.
An hour later, I’m asking myself what the fuck that was.
After about ten episodes of Ninja Storm, I completely shut out on the show. I’ve glanced on a couple of eps late in the series and the quality seemed to have improved somewhat, but not enough for me to stick with it.
For the first time since following the Power Rangers franchise in the very beginning, I’ve turned away from the show, not watching a majority of the episodes and quite frankly not caring. Didn’t even stick around for the finale. That had the makings of being a shitty product in comparison to those before and after. Yes, this show sucked more than Turbo and I’ve seen enough Turbo to know it.
I don’t blame the actors; they played their roles well considering what they had to work with.
I don’t blame the Jap footage; it’s blends nicely with the U.S. footage, even moreso than Wild Force.
I blame it on crappy writing.
It’s a kid show; I know that. On the other hand, you watch some other kids shows and realize that there’s more sophistication than what Ninja Storm had to offer. When an episode of a cheap-ass cartoon such as Superfriends is more sophisticated and provides more entertainment than Ninja Storm, you know something is wrong.
Apparently, Doug saw something wrong and decided to fix it.
DinoThunder seems to be Doug Sloan’s way of apologizing for the crapfest that is Ninja Storm. From the initial episodes, the show looks very promising. The addition of Jason Frank (who reprises his role as Doctor Tommy… how did that happen?) is an interesting move and the current cast of Rangers seem watchable and bearable.
Apology accepted, Doug. Don’t fuck THIS show up.
Predictions For Enterprise Season 3
We’ve seen the Ferengi show up. We’ve seen the Borg show up. So with season 3 coming up in a month or so, let’s see what crazy stuff awaits us in this supposed Trek prequel series that’s feeling like something else being pulled out of someone’s ass…
Ninja Mild Wind
I’ve been largely silent on this matter for quite a while, but for whatever it’s worth, I’d figure that I would give my thoughts on the current Ninja Storm run of Power Rangers; the first whole season to be released under the Disney era – though some would make a case for Wild Force actually being the first, but I’d consider that a transitional season of sorts; a passing of the guard, if you will.
So I saw about a dozen or so episodes of Ninja Storm… I think up until the Thunder Ranger guys joined the team. It feels like a regression of what came before. The last few seasons before this really kicked their storytelling into high gear; Time Force is often considered one of the best Power Rangers seasons due to its tight storytelling, well-rounded characters, and even its tease of mature content about as far as it could push on what is still considered to be kids stuff. And even Wild Force had its moments.
Ninja Storm dumps all of that and goes back to the simple, campy storytelling style of the early Power Rangers seasons. Granted, you have teenagers talking and acting like teenagers. That’s to be expected. You have a delightfully hammy villain in Lothor. A strange mentor figure – a talking gerbil – fills your Zordon quota… I don’t want to call it bad or anything… but it feels like when Doug Sloan came back to Power Rangers – he had been involved in the early MMPR stuff, which kinda explains a lot – he basically jettisoned the last several years of narrative progress and went back to basics. You know, the stuff that made Power Rangers a household name in the first place.
Bare in mind this is coming from someone who is a year away from hitting his twenties. I am probably the farthest thing from the target audience that this series that I’ve followed since (almost) the very beginning is largely aimed towards. I’m sure that whatever Doug Sloan does here and in subsequent series going forward, he’s doing what he feels is best to try and maintain that young audience. For the older fans, however, who have seen the series evolve past those early days of camp and simplicity, Ninja Storm may very well feel like ten steps back and while some can easily accept the new paradigm and even grow to love it, it might be a hard sell for others.
Right now, Ninja Storm does feel a bit juvenile, but maybe it’s less a series issue and more a matter of I’m getting older and maybe this stuff isn’t for me anymore. That’s when it hits you.
This was something I wanted to get on written word. Who knows? I may feel differently down the road, but for now, those are my thoughts on Ninja Storm. Wish everyone there nothing but the best and hope I can give this show another chance when it’s over.
Nostalgia Does NOT Equal Ratings
Something is filling the air of World Wrestling Entertainment since the purchase of World Championship Wrestling from AOL/Time Warner back on March 2001. Vince McMahon should be living the time of his life – after a long struggle, he had beaten the last major wrestling federation and is the only big-time league in North America. With the possibilities of a new and improved WCW on the horizon and potential inter-promotional matches that were only the stuff of dreams, it seemed like McMahon was ready to begin a new era with a bang and take his wrestling company to the next level.
Of course, things did not exactly work that way.
No More Wrestling Rants
“When’s the next Wrestling Rant, Dave?”
There is none.
If you want to read my thoughts on wrestling, just read the Bite. I don’t have the energy to keep up with two features at once, especially if the other feature is talking about this awful wrestling that’s on TV.
That McSon-In-Law versus Steiner match nearly broke me.
That was so bad.
I’m amazed how much damage a single Panda did to the direction of this company… but then again, whether they got the F out or not wouldn’t have made much of a difference because they were headed for shit, either.
I’d go for TNA… but do I really wanna pay ten bucks a week for more Vince Russo on my TV?
I’ll bare the WWE product because it’s better than the other one… but not by much.
A Short Comment on Chris Jericho And The “Internet Marks”
The following piece was taken from The Bite edition 06/30/2002 in a subject called “Chris Jericho’s Bashing of the Internet Marks”
“I am browsing through the wrestling webpages and I find this link which contains Chris Jericho’s comments about the dirtsheets and critics (or as he calls them, “marks”) who gave his match with Rob Van Dam negative reviews. If that was the case, then explain to me why this match was the second most-enjoyed match in the King of the Ring (according to a WWE.com poll on June 26th 2002 – 7:49 AM Eastern Time, for those who want to be technical). Explain to me why I actually enjoyed watching this match… It seems to me lately people are more interested in picking out the bad points of a product (in this case, the WWE) than to be entertained by it. They want to check for low ratings of the product and figure out what’s wrong with the product.
“On one of the dirtsheets Tuesday morning, I saw this article agreeing with Chris Jericho’s comments. He thought the June 24th episode of Monday Night Raw was one of the best he’s seen, despite the low rating. Sounds like this guy’s been entertained pretty well. He also says the people who claim that “without big guys like Austin, Rock, or Triple H, WWE is going nowhere” are also the same people who a year ago have said that “WWF (F the Panda) needs to get the limelight off Austin/Rock/HHH, WWF needs to create new stars.” These people are contradicting their own words by saying stuff like this now. If you’re going to review a card, review both its positive and negative attributes. To claim that the crowd was pretty much dead is a joke. I thought the crowd was into it, especially during the RVD/Jericho and Lesnar/Test matches, both of which I felt were highlights of the card.
“The ratings do not dictate whether the card was good or bad. It dictates how many people were watching the show with interest. You can have the absolute best quality television program that night and still manage to score a pathetic 2.9. That simply means in order to attract a larger audience, the writers have to do better than what they are providing.”
That pretty much sums up how I felt about the whole thing at the time. Two months later, I purchase a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated (referred to commonly as PWI) in which one of the magazine’s columnists (once again) agree with Chris Jericho’s internet tirade. (All the more interesting is the fact that Chris is true to his word about being done with wrestling on the Internet, as I have yet to see a new commentary posted… nor do I expect one.) The wrestling “newswires” and dirtsheets are nothing more than a source of negativity and bullshit rumors that may or may not happen. It seems that 10% of what’s out there actually holds some merit (mainly Smackdown spoilers – which is the only reason I go to these sheets in the first place), while the rest is “speculation” or “rumor.” I opt for the third option: bullshit.
These days, there is no true way to be entertained by wrestling because we are often tempted to go to these dirtsheets and check out the latest “backstage heat” or “potential future storylines.” And when they do happen in a wrestling card, we shrug it off and pass it as “predictable.” Of course, before you went on to the dirtsheet, you probably didn’t have a clue as to what happened.
On the other hand, though, wrestling hasn’t really changed much during the time it’s been around. Maybe some of the stuff is semi-predictable, maybe some of the stuff is the same shit, and maybe we’re getting the same match ups over and over again. You can call it whatever you want (wrestling, sports-entertainment, male soap opera, the fake sport), dress it up in any way you like, but it is the same product. It is the same basic principle.
Bottom line… who gives a fuck, really? I mean, if you are tired of the same old thing happening over and over again, THEN DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND STOP WATCHING THE FUCKING SHOW! Is there anything that is tempting you to watch something you don’t like in a negative light? If there is something I don’t like on TV or in the movies, I don’t watch it. It’s as simple as that. Find something you do like and go watch that. It seems as though there are people will just about bash anything and may very well like anything… that is something Chris Jericho has stated in his commentary. In some sense, that is true. Also in some sense, I don’t think there is such a thing as a true fan. In fact, I think these days, the definition of being a fan has changed to the point where the original meaning is lost.
A fan used to be someone who enjoyed the show… but now I think a fan has evolved into a mark… if you’re a fan, you will enjoy the product you’re a fan of. It’s alright to criticize, but enjoy the show too.
My Deepest Wish For Christmas
Well, it’s Christmas… or at least, it should be by the time I publish this page… assuming that I hadn’t forgotten to do so.
I’m writing this before the clock strikes midnight, which is usually when the family starts opening up all their gifts. I keep my expectations to a minimum. As I get older, I realize that we’re past the point of getting fancy gifts we might actually and instead settle for more clothes and possible knick-knacks. The only person whom I’d expect to get the fun gifts from is my older brother… that’s fine by me, though.
Honestly, no matter what gifts pan out, I just want to make it through this Christmas in one piece and in a good mood. Let’s hope nothing bad happens. Would be nice. For once.
Too dramatic? Maybe… but I don’t know… I always get a funny feeling.
Later.
dtm666 