You. Me. Outside. Now

Some gaming deathmatches I would like to see:

Kratos (God of War) vs Amaterasui (Okami)

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7) vs Kefka (Final Fantasy 6)

Samus Aran (Metroid) vs Femshep (Mass Effect)

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) vs Nathan Drake (Uncharted)

Kratos (God of War) vs The Master (Actraiser)

Morrigan (Dragon Age Origins) vs Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)

Shodan (System Shock 2) vs GlaDOS (Portal)

Wander (Shadow of the Colossus) vs. James Sutherland (Silent Hill 2)

Vaan (Final Fantasy XII) vs. Vyse (Skies of Arcadia)

Aerith (Final Fantasy 7) vs. Nei (Phantasy Star 2)

Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7) vs. Taki (Soul Calibur 3)

Duke Nukem vs. Sonic the Hedgehog

People will see me and die!

Those who've been following my posts on World of Warcraft will note that I've had some trouble with the various classes - in that I'm having trouble trying to stay alive. After trying a few classes, it has become clear that if I keep dying too easily then the class itself ain't worth it.

Therefore, my Blood Elf mage Naesandra has hit level 37 - in that time she, according to her stats, has died 151 times.
By way of comparison, I actually took note of the other Blood Elves when they were at a similar level. Therefore, Rithendal, my Hunter, had died 80 times at level 40 - now at level 64, he's died 108 times.
And Beldrath, my paladin, had died 76 times at level 31 - now at level 50, he's died 115 times.

So what does this mean? Well one would think that if I've had little luck with a mage then I should pack it in. But strangely enough I'm not ready to. As indicated above I've enjoyed success with the Hunter, had mixed success with the paladin and fumbled with the other classes - as well as the mage. Therefore one would think the stupidly high death rate of my mage would be a good enough reason to quit. But for some reason I'm still willing to hang onto Naesandra. Not sure why: Maybe it's because she has a role making glyphs for the guild she's a part of. Maybe it's because she has a sense of history having come from the Alliance. Maybe the fire mage is some fun value in playing (and the polymorph spell will never stop being amusing). Or maybe I'm just sick of starting over again.

But whatever the reason I'm still sticking with Naesandra - sure I tend to lose hp faster than I get them back but hey - with me and RPGs that's nothing new. So in order to stay alive, I've taken up cooking and, more recently, first aid. This has netted me some food and bandages to use and keep my hapless mage alive.
Mind you I'm still not sure how Naesandra can eat so much and still retain her figure...

All For What?

I heard through the grapevine (and I'm just about to lose my mind) that a new God of War game is in development:



I've already made clear my exasperation of how Kratos has been handled in every game that's followed the original God of War - but to see him in yet another game strikes me that, again, Kratos is being handled by people who aren't sure what to do with him. Yes they got off to a great start with the big brute having being tricked into murdering his family and going to extraordinary lengths to undo it all but the end of the game (Kratos defeating Ares and taking his place) concludes a self contained story and seems unlikely to get a sequel out of it - thus the concluding line 'Kratos will Return' seems awfully presumptuous.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Kratos had a decent enough motivation in the first game in achieving redemption so to have him commit so many atrocities in the subsequent games comes across as more puzzling. Kratos now is just violent for the sake of it, he's motivation now becomes and excuse and his whole insistence on some revenge now suggests he can't function properly as a human being. More importantly, the Kratos of GoW2+3 seems determined as possible to move away from whatever made him compelling in GoW1 - and this is a character who was first introduced to us by committing suicide. Some may try to defend the Kratos from GoW2+3 by a) saying the Greek gods were being jerks b) the plot is trying to replicate the plays from Ancient Greece and c) once a character scores revenge they have no further right to exist - but I don't buy that primarily because I choose not to turn my bullshit detector off.

I can't stress this enough: Kratos in every that game that isn't GoW1 strikes me as being handled by people who can't grasp what made him the work the first time. There was a tragic element in GoW1 that was interesting but someone must've thought it made him a pussy because since then he's degenerated into a killing machine. Thus, maybe it is fitting that the new GoW game be a prequel (as the video above suggests) because the psychotic Kratos would make more sense.

So do I think can do better? Of course. If I was given the opportunity to do something with Kratos I would continue the themes of remorse and redemption commenced in the first game. I would place Kratos in positions where his murderous/psychotic instincts are challenged. Say.....
 - He gets banished by Zeus to a desert with him being the sole inhabitant. It would be fun to see how long Kratos lasts with no one to kill.
 - Considering how much GoW3 seems to about Kratos destroying the world, wouldn't it be fun if he, in a brief moment of respite from the combat, suddenly forgot what he was fighting for?
 - Or better yet, have him challenged by someone whose wife was cut down by Kratos?
 - One of the ideas from GoW2 was him being met by heroic figures from Greek Mythology - so to me it was something of a wasted opportunity that he didn't meet Orpheus. After all, Orpheus went down to Hades to retrieve his wife Eurydice but failed. So it might be interesting to Kratos to find something of a kindred spirit - at least before he shoves Orpheus' lyre up his orifice (Oh Mamma!)

Arcade Fire

Inspired by this week's edition of Good Game, I thought I might take the time to talk about some of my favorite arcade games. I played a lot of arcades during my youth and have fond memories of them all - some of which I still play today. So without a further ado....

Mighty Bombjack
Growing up in the eighties I always viewed Arcade Machines with some degree of awestruck reverence. Whereas I was used to playing games on the Commodore 64, Arcade machines were something else: They were technologically superior, they attracted players of all ages and it was games being played in public! I recall seeing them in certain locations and seeing them always sent a rush of excitement through my young mind.
They say you always remember the very first arcade you play and in my case it was the Mighty Bombjack. Of course it wasn't anything special in it's day but, as the saying goes, ya gotta start somewhere...


Aero Fighters  (Sonic Wings)
It was during the early nineties that my interest in arcade machines racked up - most likely to me growing aware of something called consoles. Seeing how gaming was expanding into something beyond what I thought I knew, I made it a point to check out an arcade game the instant I saw it. Now whilst there were several genres available, the one that interested me the most was the horizontally scrolling shooters. For some reason there was appeal of controlling a war machine and going around blowing the shit out of anything dumb enough to stand in the way with spectacular spread shot and homing missiles.
For this reason I do recall Aero Fighters quite fondly. Sure it was a tough game to play but I recall being nine years old and playing this game a lot - not to mention just how exciting it was, playing an arcade game with my own money.
And admittedly, at the time I thought the intro was kinda cool too:



Street Fighter 2
Whilst I gave the shooters more attention than any other arcade genre, there was however the fighters - they were there and they couldn't be ignored. And no roundup of arcade games would be complete with mentioning Street Fighter 2. History has decreed that arcade games were in something of slump before Street Fighter2 came along and breathed new life into them. From the outset I'd heard of Street Fighter 2 and people spoke of it in awe-struck tones, as if they'd just discovered the Holy Grail. I myself only got to see it through my brother playing it and I was quite impressed with what I saw. He used Blanka a lot and I recall seeing how the electric attack inspired a unique skeleton - and through watching him play I picked up a lot. Of course, it would be years before I got to play it myself and it was a damn fun game. Indeed, SF2 was a big deal I remember a lot of excitement when Super/the New Challengers showed up. And I still play SF2 to this day and even now I'm impressed by how many people also played it when they were kids.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Well I loved the cartoon back in the day and seeing an arcade game based on it was sweet as. Of course, part of the appeal was the whole 4 player and that was pretty cool too. Of course I never saw four people playing it at once (although it may have been a bit hard to see the screen when four people are crowded the machine) this is definitely a high point in my arcade game history.

Vendetta
I'll always have a soft spot for this game. Beat-em-ups were definitely popular back in the early nineties and this was one of the stand outs. Yes it was Konami trying to replicate the four-player style that made TMNT a hit but Vendetta was special to me largely through showing a sense of humor rarely seen in a beat-em-up. Aside from the player characters resembling Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan, Jean Claude Van Damme and Mr.T, there is heaps of character interaction, weapons, and slapstick to make this one of the finest games of it's day. The fact that this hasn't appeared on XBLA is a travesty but you know what? I'll take this over XMen Arcade any day.

Raiden 2
I had a soft spot for shooters and I think this was the best of the lot. Somehow it did everything right with the power-ups, bomb varieties, inventive bosses and detail with graphics. I still enjoy this one my Playstation and I believe I'll still be enjoying it years later.

Darkstalkers
I never played Street Fighter 2 that much during my youth but I do recall playing Darkstalkers quite a bit. It was a fun beat-em-up and I really enjoyed the creativity gone into it with a fighting roster made up of b-grade movie monsters getting stuck into each other. But really I should go ahead and admit it: It was all because of Morrigan Aensland. But then again what guy wasn't sold over?

Alien vs Predator
Forget the lame movies: This game was the shit! Predators? In a beat-em-up? With the Aliens? And shooting sections? And Arnie's character from Predator 1 thrown in for good measure?! HELL YES! So there was a whole lot going for this game and I particularly enjoyed how the shooting sections were integrated into a beat-em-up (which was something unique at the time). The graphics were mind-blowing to behold and it was indeed intense to be continually swamped by hordes of the aliens. Not much else I can say except this was one of the finest arcades I've ever played & someone should get this on the XBLA and NOW.

Daytona USA
Well what can I say? Everyone played this in it's day and no doubt still play it now. It was, and still is, a great game to play against friends and goes to show that if an arcade game is designed well enough it can have incredible lasting power. And you haven't played a game of Daytona USA with seven other people you haven't lived.

Virtua Cop 2
I never thought much of the 'gun' games during my time in the arcades but this was an exception. Not sure why though: Maybe it was the graphics, maybe it was the presentation or maybe it simply damn fun to play.
But whatever the reason, this is another game I still play when I get the chance and shooting the crims never gets old. I've even tried playing it with both guns in each hand! So yeah Virtua Cop 2 is great fun and I liked it a lot.

Metal Slug
Yet another game I still enjoy playing to this day. Just when I thought that games were getting too serious and someone should make something humorous, along comes Metal Slug. Everything about this game is class: The stupidly big guns, the absurd voice announcements and the delightful graphics that are still fun to watch even now. A lot of care and attention to detail went into this game and it shows - it makes even a compelling game years later. And, in a rare case, the sequels took a winning formula and made it even better!

So there you go. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Now whilst people may say the arcades may be something of an anachronism I however maintain that if an arcade game is fun, is well designed and can be enjoyed with more than one person then the game will have staying power - which is impressive seeing that video games tend to have a limited lifespan and are often outclassed by technological superior successors. And if I'm still willing to spare the change for the likes of Virtua Cop 2 and Daytona USA then something must've worked better than originally hoped for.
Until next time...

See? No Blade Chronicles

Last year I was feeling pretty chuffed about Xenoblade Chronicles. Finally we Australians were getting some recognition by the gaming industry! We were getting a game well before the places that actually matter (the U.S.)! And hearing many a good thing about Xenoblade Chronicles only made me more excited.

But the release date came and went and I've never saw the game available anywhere. Puzzled, I looked around constantly but came up with zip. Eventually though I got in touch with a friend and he filled me in: Yes Xenoblade Chronicles was released in Australia before the U.S. BUT it was only one shipment. Needless to say, it sold out quite quickly.

Mere words cannot describe this disappointment. I really thought we Australians were finally being taken seriously as a gaming market but all it amounted to was just another kick in the nuts.
So, in the vain hope that some distributor is reading this, may I say the following: You know why people go on ebay and buy imported games? Yeah there is a reason for that....

Free Will revisited

Now that I've played Bioshock all the way through, I'm reminded of that post I made about the deconstruction of free will. So how does the idea hold up now I've taken the plunge into Rapture?

Well much of the success of Bioshock can be attributed to it's handling of free will. The player spends most of the game being guided through it by Atlas on the basis that he knows exactly what's going on. Thus the player follows an instinct that he is the game's entry point and the more they follow, more will be revealed about this game and the rules it hands the players. However, halfway through the game, the rug is pulled from under the player and it becomes clear they've been played for fools. Whilst not to give too much away, the eventual confrontation with Andrew Ryan involves him chastising the player character (ie YOU) for following Atlas' guidance without question. Thus the phrases 'would you kindly' and 'a man chooses' come across as having more weight than first realized.

So how does my idea stand up? Well I can see some similarities between my idea and Bioshock. But I should stress that I came up with my idea well before I sat down and played Bioshock - and even then my knowledge of the world of Rapture was based on scraps of information (ie Bioshock = System Shock gone steampunk; Andrew Ryan = We R Ayn Rand).
But I can see a difference in that my game has a named character whilst the character in Bioshock is pretty much the Player - and this makes a huge difference in building a connection, and a personable one at that, with the players themselves. Thus the choices presented to the player encourages them to seriously think and having moments taken out of the player's control, ie the afore-mentioned confrontation with Andrew Ryan, will certainly create an impact on the player.

So is there a place for my idea? Well, I can't see any where that Bioshock did better - still the idea of a guy mistakenly gunning down his liberators has at least some potential. And said guy refusing free will for a fabrication could be put to good use...

Shine On

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Sega is really doing itself a disservice through not re-releasing some of the Saturn games. We can get Playstation1 games off the PSN and N64 games off the Virtual Console so why not the Saturn games? I hear stuff like the Saturn’s complex circuitry makes for a difficult emulation and the difficulty of obtaining rights to certain games as many developers who worked for Saturn have scattered into different avenues but I don’t know: All I know is that within the Saturn library there were more than a few diamonds in the rough and it would be a travesty to have them claimed by the march of time and not preserved for future generations. What’s so wrong about making Saturn games readily available? Surely doing so may recoup some financial losses for Sega? Indeed, I like to imagine that Nintendo/Square being initially reluctant to finally release Chrono Trigger for Australian gamers via the Virtual Console – only to be surprised when it turned out to be a big seller.

But I digress. Whilst there are a number of Saturn games I myself would like to play, there are two in particular: Panzer Dragoon Saga (which now looks set to forever be the Holy Grail of gaming) and Shining Force 3. I’ve played, and enjoyed, the Shining Force games on the Megadrive so I really want to play SF3. I've seen footage on youtube and I've seen how it works in 3d, the improved mechanics and the new features added to the formula. Plus the opening cinematic shows a lot of promise and indeed makes me even more keen to play it:

But what intrigues me the most about Shining Force 3 is it's sense of ambition. For those not in the know, Shining Force 3 was split into three separate scenarios that were available separately. Getting all three of them will ultimately tell a story all the way through. Scenario 1 introduced a guy named Synbios as he leads an army into a war as his home, the nation of Aspinia, is threatened by the neighboring nation of Destonia. Scenario 2 then introduces a second army, lead by a guy named Medion and tells the conflict through the eyes of the Destonians. And in the third scenario, another army is introduced, led by a guy named Julian, and eventually accumulates with all three armies recognizing the real threat and joining forces to stop it. It was an ambitious game and, in a way, years ahead of it's time: Throughout certain points in the scenarios, the player had to make decisions that could effect outcomes in the future.

So yes I would really like to play Shining Force 3 - I like the series, I like RPGs and Strategy games so a combination of the two sounds sweet as and the ambitious nature of the game is certainly worth a look. But with no interest from Sega to resurrect their Saturn games (despite strong interest from the fans) it looks set to remain lost to the ravages of time. Which is shame because, from a narrative perspective, I personalty feel that the idea of playing through three separate casts of characters only to have them converge is an idea that has potential. But does anyone think so?

Apparently so.
You see in recent weeks, I've heard that Bioware is busy with working on Dragon Age 3. In this early stage they have stated that this is a new story featuring a completely new player character. But whilst Hawke and the Warden from Origins may not be playable characters there does exists the possibility that they may turn up.
It may be a bit of a stretch but hearing this news reminded me of the the three separate scenarios of Shining Force 3 and how putting them all together told a story of three forces fighting many battles before uniting together. I mean who wouldn't want to make decisions one game that will effect another party in the next game? Who wouldn't want to see familiar faces appear across a number of games in different roles? Who wouldn't want to see party characters from three games interact with each other? (Aveline clashing with Morrigan? Hell yes).

So I guess whilst the Saturn games may never be dusted off and reissued to the public, that's not to say that the ideas behind them can be dusted off and given a new coat of paint.
It may not be much but it'll do.

Rewriting the Ending

I still have yet to pick up Mass Effect 3 - the day will come when I'll play it true but for now I'd rather wait for a price drop or, better still, when a Special Edition is released with all the DLC readily available.
But maybe I should go ahead and admit it: I find the outrage over the ending to ME3 far more fascinating than the actual game itself. It may be a disturbing thought but I have never seen fans grow so outraged over something that it's creators have to make drastic changes.

So yes whilst Bioware may have given in and produced a DLC ending, it does place an interesting spotlight on game endings and how makers have been forced to change it. This does suggest that an ending CAN be changed - which is fascinating to me as gaming history is littered with games that have been challenging and demanded effort but have ultimately yielded an anticlimactic ending (Xenon 2 anyone?).
But ultimately, this is one more chapter in the relationship between the developer and the gamer - where the developer has made a decision and the fan's reaction it is one of disgust that changes are made. That being said, here some anecdotes to ponder on:

In 1990, the Sega Megadrive was blessed with a rare RPG game: Phantasy Star 2. It was a followup to a popular game on the Master System and expanded on it's predecessor in more ways than one. One thing PS2 set out to do was to do things unique to RPGs at the time to set itself apart from the crowd. One telling sign is the permanent death of a party member partway through the game: The artificial human Nei is confronted with the truth of her genesis and attacks the scientist who created her with reckless abandon. She is subsequently killed - forever - and her death inspires her comrades to win even more. It was a bold move that saddened many players to a point where denial crept in and rumours began circulating that there was a way to resurrect her. All of which proved untrue.
Interesting enough is that years later, PS2 players finally got their wish: As part of the Sega Ages revamp for the Playstation 2, Phantasy Star 2 was dusted off and given a new lease of life - and as part of it, Nei could be resurrected (and effect the plot) once players accomplished a laundry list of requirements that were anything but easy to achieve.

In 1997, Final Fantasy 7 did the same thing: The permanent death of a major character in the form of Aerith Gainsborough. Like Nei, the player reaction was the same. Unlike Nei, the scale of said reaction was much, MUCH bigger. Some gamers cried, some gave up playing and some are STILL talking about it a decade and a half later. But most importantly, the denial was much bigger and, with the rise of the Internet, much easy for rumours to get about. Many methods were tried but all failed.
There was some demand to Sqauresoft to bring her back but they refused - for it was their plan to kill someone in the party off partway and Aerith was their choice - and she did the job better than anyone could've hoped for. And thus Squaresoft have resisted any demands - even her role in (admittedly fanwank) movie Advent Children was a small one. But if the rumours of a new FF7 continue to persist, it seems doubtful the Aerith will ever be left to rest in peace.

And then we have the Mass Effect 3 ending - And the reaction/outrage has been incredible to say the least. The effort to persuade Bioware to change their mind has been unlike anything before it and the anger invested puts a lot of Star Wars devotees to shame. Fandom may have decreed Aerith to have eclipsed Nei but the fracas over the ME3 ending leaves the flower girl in the dust. Mind you, I can see and understand just how a delicate balance it is for a creator/writer in trying to keep true to one's vision and trying to keep the fans, the people who decide your success, hanging around - so credit for Bioware for handling this the way they have amid accusations of false advertising, betrayal, and spin doctoring (I'd sure hate to have been Bioware's PR person during all of this).

So yeah, three tales of fan outrage and how the company reacted - all yielding three very different outcomes. As said above, the outrage over ME3 has been mind-blowing - even to the point where similar outrages that have come before it seem pitiful by comparison.
Still, as this post has hopefully proven, one cannot forget the past - otherwise we are doomed to repeat it.

Do the Mario

This weekend, I had the pleasure of striking another game from my Hall of Shame. This time it's Super Mario Bros. 3.

I remember many games I played as a kid but this is one I recall more than others. For this game was hailed as the greatest of it's day. It was the game every NES had to have and everyone had to play. I myself didn't have a NES but my brother had a friend who did so thus I was able to see, and eventually play, this game of near monumental reverence.
Yet it is only years later through the Virtual Console, that I'm able to play SMB3 and see it through to the end. So what did I think of it?

Well, firstly I tell a lie: I didn't see it all the way through: I used the infamous Warp Whistles to skip the worlds 5-7 and take the fight straight to the last world with a bundle of power-ups in tow. But that counts: I trounced Bowser and saw the ending - and believe you me it does make a lot of difference getting there yourself as opposed to seeing someone else do it.
But what of the game itself? Well the legendary reputation of this game does carry an enormous amount of intimidation with it but I still had fun with it. It's interesting to see implementation of the open world map and the mini-games but, in a way, it does some rather quaint seeing as many other games have added mini-games and non-linear approach many times since. It's interesting to see new features to the Mario series added but some have left me wondering why they haven't reappeared since (Hammer suit anyone?).

And then there is the difficulty: I've often found the Mario games to be quite fiendishly tough when they want to be and SMB3 is no exception. The lack of a save feature is infuriating particularly when using a continue essentially forces the payer to go back over levels they tried so hard to get through - and, more often than not, on the hope of never repeating again. Indeed I encountered the same problem I had with Super Mario World: I had trouble with the tough levels that by the time I got to Bowser I defeated him in one go thus rendering the whole encounter one big anti-climax. Indeed, I'm beginning to wonder that if the minions give the hero more trouble than the Big Bad, then he isn't much of a threat...

Still I enjoyed playing SMB3 and it was good fun. It certainly has a level of addictiveness and, despite my grumbling about the difficulty, the challenge was one to rise up to. So yeah: Super Mario Bros 3 is one game that certainly holds up years later and I'm glad to have finally beaten it.

Now if I could only get my hands on Super Mario Galaxy.......

Republic Relations

I haven’t had much to do with Star Wars: The Old Republic. I saw the intro video and thought it looked silly largely due to a) one character looking too much like John Marston and therefore very out of place and b) showing a lot of ‘characters being improbably awesome’ sequences that plagued the prequel trilogy. Besides, attempting to usurp World of Warcraft on the untouchable throne of MMORPG? You would have to extremely insane or extremely confident - to the point of being extremely insane.

Nevertheless, earlier this week I had my real first exposure to Star Wars: The Old Republic in the form of a friend showing me some videos showcasing some of the classes available. Thus I got to see the Imperial Agent, Bounty Hunter and the Smuggler. And from what I’ve seen there is some degree of appeal – I like how the Imperial Agent offered the role of a sniper. I love how the bounty hunter seemed the offer both the tank role and gunning down dudes with a second thought. And even the smuggler looked interesting with the offer of ranged combat (even if, at one point, they end up looking like that out-of-place John Marston clone).

But I don’t know about a Star Wars MMORPG. It’s not just the idea that the only thing to usurp WoW is to utilize an even bigger geek franchise. No – you see SWOTR is ultimately following the lead of the KOTOR in that it’s set some time before the original trilogy of movies. I see some problems in that a) how will this fit in with KOTOR? b) it is yet another reminder that the prequels exist no matter how many people try to deny it and c) whereas WoW had the Alliance and the Horde locked in an eternal stalemate, setting a Star Wars MMORPG in the prequel universe doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. I mean we all know what’s going to happen: The Republic will fall, the Empire will take over and eventually the Rebel Alliance will rise up – hardly a set up that invites some degree of longevity (as WoW’s continued existence has proven). 

 In fact, now that I think of it, I wonder why Bioware didn’t set it after the original trilogy? I don’t know about the rest of you but I would like to see the Star Wars universe once the tables have turned. I mean who wouldn’t want to see the Alliance in power and how they handle it? Who wouldn’t want to see the Imperial forces attempt to regroup and rebuild following the end of Emperor Palpatine?

Still, despite my cynicism, I have to admit there is some appeal to Star Wars The Old Republic so it may be worth a look.....

Planet of Sound (no.4)

Name: Evan Williams
Birthdate: 4th April 1984
Instruments: Drums
Affiliations: Demon Flower / Dire Tribe
Bio: Evan spent his first decade as an abandoned child on the Bronx: his parents disappeared for reasons unknown and left him in the hands of an uncle. Evan grew up never knowing his parents and resentment grew. Evan also had an older brother but it’s unknown what became of him.
When Evan’s teens came about, the resentment got the better of him and he decided to see the world for himself. Alas, he fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up living on the streets. Evan eventually joined a street gang and engaged in numerous anti-social activities. However things take a turn for the worse when the gang was involved in a riot where several of them were killed and Evan barely escaped with his life.
Upon entering adulthood, Evan was unable to find peace of mind. Eventually however, he answered an ad for a roommate and met a young musician called Spike. Through living with each other, Evan and Spike became friends. And eventually Evan learned a new appreciation of music and was inspired enough to take up the drums.
Through growing up on the streets, Evan has little respect for authority but, having achieved success as musician, he shows concern for the homeless. He is reliable to Spike and good friends with Sam.



Through growing up on the streets, Evan has little respect for authority but, having achieved success as musician, he shows concern for the homeless. He is an excellent drummer and known for being drinking buddies with Jasmine (if anything to keep her out of trouble).

Along with the Robin, Evan is part of the brains trust that Spike utilises for Demon Flower. He provides many musical ideas and suggestions as to how to handle certain problems. Evan insists on wearing his sunglasses so he doesn’t get blinded by the bright light of fame and such a cool head is something that Spike respects deeply and relies a lot upon. Evan is also known for drumming in the Dire Tribe during his downtime.

Not having a blast

Here's something I came across on youtube: Footage of Xenon 2000 - a modern rehash of the classic Amiga shooter Xenon 2 for Windows:



I've fond memories of playing Xenon 2 in high school - I remember, in particular, the organic/technical graphics, the upgradable ship and, of course, the rockin' soundtrack which accurately replicated Megablast by Bomb the Bass.
Looking at the above footage I have to wonder WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!?! Look at this! Everything looks stiff and dull, the environments are criminally boring, the ship looks dumb and the soundtrack is just something generic and lifeless! Did the Bitmap Brothers have a fall out with Tim Simenon or something?! Really, Xenon 2 without the Megablast just really isn't Xenon 2 at all (it made up half the title for fuck's sake!).

You know I never heard of this remake until I saw the above youtube clip - and it would appear for good reason. Still, I suppose it's another case of when a remake ignores what made the original work and the end result is a complete bastardization.

When will they ever learn?