Flashback Fridays... Missed a week!

    Apologies for missing a week of posting a review, school was hectic and work gave me a ton of hours. And the Bengals were busy winning another game, so it was a busy week!

    This week's review is a review that I have gone back and  edited a couple of times throughout the years; my Dead or Alive 2 review for Dreamcast. It is a VERY polarising game, with many hailing it to be the best fighter on the DC, but when stacked up against Calibur for example, it just doesn't compare on any level, aside from graphics. Its the truth. As well, the counter system was really flawed, and even after my aptitude at playing the game improved toa  fairly high level, I still had trouble with the counter move; frustrating. Anyways!

"Overrated, Visually Stunning Game."

When people think of DOA, there are many words that come to mind. Fighting game, looks amazing, sound is pretty good, Women etc. This game is very popular with the masses, however that can be largely attributed to the incredibly good-looking women in this game. This little game was recommended to me by many people, and by a few of the reviews on this site, and I won't say that I am disappointed because I am not. My review will explain how I feel about this game. As always with the reviews by Truck, let us commence with game play.

Game play: 6/10

The game play in this game had a lot of potential, and could have made the game A LOT better in this department, however some flaws cut it short. Firstly is the counter move. This move could have had endless opportunities to improve the game, however it rarely works, and your timing has to be impeccable, otherwise you will miss, and you will leave yourself prone to attack. This counter is also not very noob-friendly, and takes a very long time to perfect, unlike the original Dead or Alive, where the counter system worked almost perfectly. The moves that are executed though look very nice, and are very cool. Another flaw is that the game is very jerky at times, and not very fluid. Soul Calibur is fluid, this game is not. Another great aspect of this game's game play is that you can pull of insane combos easily and effectively, which still makes for an enjoyable and fun time. The levels also have no boundaries, and if you are hit off the edge, you will land at a different part of the level, and the fighting continues. As far as game modes, this is by far the best part of this game's game play. It has story, vs, team, survival, tag (which is great and a lot of fun), and practice modes. The tag option is fantastic, and the main reason why I play this game. From so-so game play to so-so story.

Story: 5/10

The story mode in this game is very minuscule and very undeveloped. Each character has his or her own motives for winning the Dead or Alive tournament, and some of them are unclear, and some of them are just downright silly. Half-sisters Kasumi and Ayane have probably the best storyline in that they must defeat each other, and they must rescue their brother, who was mysteriously kidnapped. Silly ones, such as Leon's, are, "to win the tournament so that I can be the strongest man in the world to cherish the memory of my wife." On to Graphics, you are in for a real treat.

Graphics: 10/10

Wow. That is all I could say about the graphics. Just stunning, absolutely stunning. The Characters look fantastic, and very realistic. The women in the game are also very very good looking, and I mean very good looking (Tina is a good example, a VERY good example). The backgrounds also look perfect. They are large, sharp, crisp, and are also very beautiful. The transition when your character moves from level to level also runs flawlessly, with no slowdown. Whoa I'm getting shivers. On to sound.

Sound: 9/10

The sounds in this game are second to none for the fighting genre (well, second to Soul Calibur that is). The hits sound great, the screams/grunts/groans etc. are also very crisp and sound realistic. Like Soul Calibur, the voices are in Japanese with English subtitles. The music is also outstanding, however it does get a bit repetitive after a while. The opening theme is a very good and catchy tune. Next is replay ability, prepare to be disappointed.

Replay ability: 5/10

This game has little to no replay value. I play it all the time, however casual gamers will not find much to play after the game is beaten initially. There are no unlockables, the extra modes can be dubious (except for tag which I say is worth playing with 3 friends over and over), and the only real reason to replay the game is to see each fighter's story when you play them in story mode. As someone else said replay ability is DOA.

Buy or rent?

As with almost all Dreamcast games, you cannot rent this game. You must buy this game, or if you just want to play it, you can borrow it from a friend. Initially, you shouldn't be disappointed.

Well, another day, another tournament fighter. I like this game, and I always will like this game, however its few flaws will always put it second or third on the, "Dreamcast tournament fighter depth chart." This is still a good game though, and every person who has a Dreamcast should give it a try. "Everything...Is My...Delusion!"

That's all, will be back next week!

Making Masculinities: Booty Call

    This week’s ramble has to do with how masculinities are depicted/accepted in the world today. Masculinities have been created and have changed as time as gone on. For example, a man in the late 1800s, early 1900s was considered a man when he turned 16; he worked to raise money for the family, he began to start a family of his own and he displayed “manly,” qualities (had little femininity, did hard, physical work without complaining about pain and basically did not complete tasks that a female traditionally completed).

    In the film Booty Call, (1997) we see a sort of changing of the role of masculinity for both the males and females in the film. To begin, Jamie Foxx’s character, Bunz, is very much concerned with his hair and goes out of his way to make his hairstyle unique. This is traditionally a female way of thinking, as well as the fact that men are not too concerned with their hair unless it is shaved or they would like a design; very few males in this day and age are concerned with long hairstyles. As well, when both Bunz and Roshawn are trying to sleep with the girls in the film, Lysterine (played by Vivica A. Fox) and Nikki (played by Tamala Jones), we see a gender role reversal; the men become subordinate to the women, agreeing to their terms and cooperating with what the women want, performing the tasks they want them to and travelling to the places they prefer to travel to: all qualities, actions and behaviours that traditionally women are thrust into. On another side of the coin, the guys (Bunz in particular) can be considered comfortable in their masculinity, as they can perform in this, “subordinate” role.

    The gender role reversal is not only seen in Booty Call; it is seen in a multitude of films, television shows and other forms of popular media. Take a drag queen (RuPaul) for example or even a transsexual pornstar (Kimber James); these people do not have gender questions at first glance, as they are perceived to be a specific gender, even though they are the opposite. If one were to simply take a quick look at a photo of either individual, they would both appear to the viewer as female, even though both are male.

    Masculinities have changed drastically from where they were one hundred years ago and they may continue to change as time goes on; humans are constantly changing. As time goes on as well however, we may see more transsexuals or drag queens, let alone Homosexuals, that will further skew the “male image,” or, “traditional male behaviour,” as well we will probably see more men comfortable in their masculinity that they will be comfortable with performing female tasks more often than normal. Masculinities should be in the eye of the beholder and NOT a societal-based construction.

Girls and Gaming

    This week on the Ramble, we’re going to take a look at females in the video game world; from gamers, to characters, to the women behind the games. A certain “hard-core gamer,” acted as a guest speaker and detailed her journey throughout school, with video games (her name is Kelly Bergstrom). Being a hard-core video gamer myself, I rather lapped up every word that she spoke about, with a generous portion of the presentation I found to be inaccurate, biased and/or dismissive.

    The speaker did highlight a certain daily blog site, known as “Fat, Ugly, Or Slutty,” in which crude and harmful comments are thrown at female gamers, and then posted on the blog. This is a somewhat eye-opening forum of debate in regards to attitudes towards female gamers, with each being a negative post (usually sexual in nature). While the blog is effective in portraying the inherent sexism in our online gaming communities, after the second page or, each post becomes redundant; there are only so many ways one can read text that merely says at its core, “I want you to perform sexual favours for me” (now I realise this is not a common statement, colloquialism or other, I simply wanted to point out what is said). This blog was also highlighted in an article by female gamer Elisa Melendez, who is an advocate for female gamers’ rights and is a member of the Frag Doll Cadettes, an all-female gamer group/clan (the article speaks about roughly the same concepts and problems that the speaker spoke about). The speaker is also an advocate for these same rights, though I am not sure if she is a member of this group as well. Regardless, her presentation I found, among others, to be lacking highly.

    To begin, she was sure to define a “casual,” and “hard-core,” gamer, in order for the attendees to further grasp her terminology and ideology. While this was correct in a general sense, her description and example of a hard-core versus casual GAMES were incorrect; she stated first person shooters to be hard-core games, even though the majority of them (especially the popular ones) are indeed casual games, such as the Call of Duty series. Her justification was that hard-core games are “inherently difficult,” and that, “they require a lot of time to master and perfect.” Is that so? Well then I guess then that myself being able to complete Golden Axe on the Sega Genesis when I was five years old, which requires just three buttons, and uses only two for 99% of the time, makes it a casual game? Absolutely not. The definition given is not apt, as many pick-up-and-play games are indeed hard-core, and they do not require years of mastering. Furthermore, while many of her assertions and points were indeed apt, they were all stated with a MAJOR slant on post the sixth generation, and from a dual-platform perspective.

    The speaker completely dismissed console and games of the past, as well the examples she gave were only conducive to the Nintendo Wii, and the Microsoft Xbox 360; Sega, arguably the second biggest console hardware manufacturer ever, wasn’t even hinted at, let alone mentioned. While that is more a pet peeve from my perspective due to being a Sega-centric gamer, I still find it unacceptable to dismiss any of Sony’s consoles or brands. While the session was not inherently bad, there were many flaws and inconsistencies that could have been corrected. Still, it was good to hear a female’s perspective on video games, as we males are dominant in the medium from all aspects.

Flashback Fridays... on a Sunday :(

Apologies for the lateness, however this week's version of Flashback Fridays was delayed due to me not being around a computer. This week, I'm featuring one of the many Mortal Kombat reviews I wrote initially, as it used to be my favourite game franchise.

"The Best, "Fourth Generation Console," Version of MK."

Part 4: The Best, "Second Generation Console," Version of MK.


I completed my Genesis MK collection last year with this fascinating game. I expected it to be very plain, and bland (unlike the other games) because it was basically a combination of the previous 3. Boy was I wrong. This is the best version of MK for the SNES/Genesis days by far. While being very similar in many ways to the third installment, it is different in its own right. As always, on to Game play.

Game play: 9/10

As with the other Mortal Kombats, the game play is a 9. The controls are identical to MK3, and there are new combos and moves for the fighters that are not in MK3. The, "Choose your Destiny!" "towers," are the same as in MK3, only the game is much much more difficult (can't figure out why...). Ah well, its still outstanding. One thing was added though that makes the game a bit more fun: The Brutality. Pretty much it is a combo just repeated until your opponent blows up. Very cool On to story.

Story: N/A

The story in this game is identical to MK3, and I will not repeat it here. Therefore, let us venture into graphics.

Graphics: 9/10

Even though as a whole the graphics are the same as MK3, the characters that were not in MK3 look a lot better than their MK2 versions (if they were in MK2). Also the animations of the moves were bettered just slightly, and the brutalities look great (as do the animalities). On to sound.

Sound: 9/10

The sounds are still fantastic in this game, like they are in every MK. There are also new sounds for certain things (such as Scorpion's spear), and they sound great. My one beef is that certain sounds (such as Shao Khan's naming of the fighter, and the round number) are taken away, but it does not affect the game at all. The music is the same in MK3, which means its good. On to replay ability, oh boy you are in for a treat.

Replay ability: 10/10

I wish I could give replay ability an unlimited, because there is just so much that you can do. Aside from the 3 different one player modes you can do, there is the one on one versus your friend or someone you want to schillack. There are 2 added modes though; The 2 on 2, and the 8 bracket tournament. The 2 on 2 is great, and is good for playing with 1 or 2 friends, but the 8 bracket tournament is fantastic. Up to 8 different fighters can fight, and what's best is the winner can pick from a variety of endings. You can see the Brutality/Friendship/Fatality/Babality demonstrations, the full demonstration (which has all of those aforementioned demonstrations), an extra fight, a fight against Smoke etc. Its quite-fun.

Buy or Rent?

Again like I always say, if you can find this game to rent, tell me, because the chances of that are slim to nil. But buy this game anyways, it is a timeless classic, contrary to what others may say.

This is my favourite MK (and always will be), and for good reason. It is THE best second generation MK, no matter what. The MK series is one that is fantastic, and I will never stop playing the games, ever.

I still believe that the game is a 10/10, though the amount of praise I have for it now is not what it was back in 2006.

Still my favourite 16-bit MK game :)

Flashback Fridays... Kinda

Since I'm doing this blog thingamagig, I will make it a point of posting a "classic," videogame review every Friday (if you do not know already, I write reviews on gamefaqs.com).

Since this is the first, I will start off with my first ever accepted review on that site; a review of Bleemcast! Tekken 3 for the Dreamcast. I had written two previous reviews that were rejected (for Tommy Lasorda Baseball and Sonic 3, both on the Genesis; I wrote reviews on both games that were accepted a couple of years later lol), thus I was mighty relieved when this review eventually was accepted.

Being one of my first reviews, especially being in Grade 11 in High School, it is a bit primitive in writing style compared to my later efforts, however I feel it to be ok still, even though it could be improved.

Anyways, enough of the rambling, here it is!

http://www.gamefaqs.com/dreamcast/566176-bleemcast-tekken-3/reviews/review-97190

"Don't be fooled by other Reviews, this game is still, and always will be, AMAZING!"

We all know the Bleem! story (well some of us do), and in the end, they jumped ship because they could no longer compete with the giants of video games (also though, because they were probably very immature about the whole Bleemcast! issue). Before they left though, they made a disc that enabled you to play Tekken 3 (For PSX) on your DC. All that was needed was a boot up disc (the Bleemcast! disc), and the Tekken 3 disc, and you were on your way. Thus, I will pretty much be reviewing Tekken 3. On to Game play!

NOTE**: I have no idea why this game has been given such bad reviews. It is an upgrade over playing it on the PSX in virtually every way.

Game play: 10/10

Namco is the King of fighters in terms of features, and game modes etc. You have your standard Arcade mode, and VS. mode. However, there is a team battle mode (one of the first games to have this mode), a Time Attack mode, a Survival mode, Tekken Force mode (which is essentially a platform game), and Tekken Ball mode (which is a refreshing change of modes {if you wish to change, the fighting in this game is what makes it good} in which you play beach volleyball, and if a special {or an attack that requires more than one button} attack is used, the ball will turn dangerous, and attack the person you are facing. Also, if the ball drops in for a point, then you also lose health). These modes are ALL fun to play. Is the story as good? Lets find out.

Story: 9/10

The Tekken story is not the same as other Tournament fighters (like SF or MK) where, "a bunch of warriors fight in a tournament to save the world." Each player has his or her own individual storyline, and each is very intricate, and pertains to the game. The reason it gets a 9 instead of a 10 is because the videos for each character (unlocked once you beat the game with them in Arcade) really have nothing to do with the storyline. Ah well, big deal. Controls next.

Controls: 7/10

The controls are what lack most in this game. Because it isn't an original PSX system etc., the programming must be off a bit, thus the controls **SOMETIMES** (not always like the other reviewers posted). Also though, if you try to do a move (on certain levels) that is flashy or takes a long time etc. (Ogre's fire breathing for example), the game will lag a bit (not really a control issue, but its related). Anyways, on to graphics.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics in this game are astounding. Almost as good as Tekken tag. And for those who say that the graphics are no change form the PSX version... there is WORLDS of difference. They are MUCH sharper, the colours are more vibrant, and the motion is very fluid and there are no errors (unlike what other reviews say). On to Sound.

Sound: 10/10

Besides features etc, the best aspect of the game. This is the only game whose music is on my iPod (besides Total Annihilation, the score in that game is better than any other game ever ever ever). They are very upbeat, mainly dance/electronic music, with a touch of rock added in here and there. The fighters voices are usual voices for this genre; grunts, groans, screams etc. Now onto the final section, replay ability.

Replay ability: 10/10

Oh man, like all of Namco's fighting titles, the replay ability is up the wazoo. There is so much you can do to keep yourself busy (or if you are like me, beat everything in two nights, and just hone your skills) for weeks at a time. You can unlock every character's video, and you must beat Gon in Tekken ball mode to unlock him, and beat Dr. Boskonovitch in Tekken Force to unlock him. Not to mention you can play with your buddies for hours on end in VS and Team Battle.

Buy or rent:

#1. You will not find this disc anywhere to rent, you can only buy.
#2. The same applies with the Tekken 3 disc.
#3. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.


I still have no clue why people gave this game such a crummy rating (4 or 5 out of ten), while at the same time, they will rate Tekken 3 for PSX (which is this game. Exactly. There is no difference, except that this is better) a nine or ten out of ten. Namco did it again, and it shone with flying colours. Bleem! may be childish and immature (if you read their comments on the cover of the game case, you'll see what I mean), however I am glad that they were able to have gamers play this game on the DC. Kudos to you both Bleem!, and Namco, and shine on.

At first, I didn't end off my reviews with my traditional "post a quote that is humourous and/or integral to the game without spoiling," and take note that due to Gamefaqs default language of US English, I cannot use spelling and the like of Canadian English! :(

That's all, will post more of my VG stuff here and there, so keep an eye open; Peace!

Wife Swap Analysis

 

    Wife Swap is a reality television show that highlights two families who have the mothers switched around (both are sent to each other’s households to live with their respective families) and they must live in these households for two weeks. The first week is an observation week, where the mothers also must take on the duties of each other, while the second week is a week where they are permitted to implement their own rules of the household, as well as having their “host,” families follow their rules as well. Of course, the show is constructed in a manner that borders on farce, which calls into action just how “real,” the show actually is.

    Regardless, the show is actually highly anthropological, almost a human version of Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee study, just televised! The inherent differences of the majority of the families on this show, display just how different each family unit is, as well as how challenging it can be for an outsider to truly and fully acclimatise themselves into their host families. With the show being titled “Wife Swap,” however, it is only natural that the meat of each show is the mother of each family and how they can assert their dominance/feminism.

    On that note, the show is actually quite positive in my opinion, in the display of the female and their roles in their families/society. To begin, the females may be thrust into the subordinate role of “quiet housewife,” at first though they are able to be the dominant wife of the household, just a week later. This dynamic of both sides of the spectrum of women in the family unit, makes this show stand out amongst other reality shows, as it displays this notion of black and white that can occur between families.

    More so than black and white, is the notion of many different views of the nuclear family; the families are “happy,” with their own mothers, the sense of a patriarchy is there as the fathers of both families are the flag on the top of the mountain of each family and the women are judged on the traditional notions; the notion that they are judged on their success (the more wealthy mother in the subject episode, is the cooler, more socially “with it,” of the two mothers), cleanliness = “goodness,” (the less clean, harder working mother is seen as inherently crazy or evil, also reinforced by the fact that she will kill the house pet for food), and finally the notion that their respective houses are a reflection of the women (with drab and few clothes, the harder working mother is seen as less caring and not dependant on appearances, while with a stocked wardrobe of highly-priced clothing, the more wealthy mother is seen as materialistic and more mindful of the quality of their lives).

    The episode in question was moderately entertaining and even though there were moments of dubiousness in terms of reality, the episode displayed the massive differences between families that different in region, class and possessions.

Crookyln Analysis

    Crooklyn is a 1994 Spike Lee Film that takes place in New York in the early 1970s (most-likely 1973). The film is centered around a lower-middle class black family, and their various struggles with everyday life (the family is based on Spike Lee’s own family). There is emphasis placed on the daughter (Troy, played by Zelda Harris) especially, as she is the only girl in a house that is filled with five children.

    Troy is often overlooked in the house, as she is the second youngest, and the only female. Her interests seem to be secondary to her brothers, and as a result she has to resort to dishonest (though not necessarily “evil,” or illegal) actions in order to achieve what she desires, such as stealing from the local convenience store (as she is not given money to do so), or stuffing her shirt to make her appear as having breasts (which most nine year-olds have not developed yet).

    In today’s modern family, situations like this are few and far between as almost always, all children in a family are treated equally, however Crooklyn in my opinion accurately reflects the way females were treated at the time the film is set (not necessarily how a female is treated in a family setting, merely how women were treated in society; the workforce, on television, in the media). Surrounded by males, the woman slips through the cracks, and less time is spent on them, while the woman herself struggles to develop her own persona/life. While this struggle takes place though, Troy never forgets who she is, and what her background is.

    Even with her struggles, as well as having a Hispanic (Puerto Rican?) friend whose hair every girl in the neighbourhood is envious of, Troy never forgets that she is a black girl in a lower-middle class family. Spike Lee accurately portrays the depiction of the black female as Bell Hooks states in her notion of the “Oppositional Gaze.” Troy never desires to look as her Hispanic friend does (though it can be argued that someone of Hispanic heritage is not inherently “white,” as many forms of media have no doubt portrayed) and she asserts herself as female, avoiding to play in any of the games her brothers play.

    Crooklyn is an enjoyable film to view and is especially worthwhile for students who are studying cinema; I feel it should be required viewing. Spike Lee has a knack for accurately portraying the black community and his films include many concepts that film students will no doubt come across.