Top Ten Games with Awesome Music

The basis of this is as follows:
The theme has to be from a game first so no crossovers like Naruto or DBZ.

Only one tune from each game series.
It is a personal opinion of mine, but its probably right and better than yours.
I'm going on how memorable each tune is to me and of I can recall the majority of it. 

I'll leave a link for each one so you can have a listen.

10. Final Fantasy VII: Boss Battle Theme.

Okay so you've been whooping ass all over Migard and you've been hearing that same old music for a while. Then BAM! In your face with a giant mech robot on wheels with some killer guitars to open up the battle. This shit always got me excited to fight anyone in the game. It made the boss battles that more personal when they were accompanied by this cracking tune. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U84zAfb4b58

9. Super Mario World.
Want a happy cheery song to hum and sing when you're playing possibly the happiest and best game ever??? You do!? Good! Super Mario World's music was like chocolate for my ears. It's Happy, colourful and fun. Just like the game! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH8mQRXemuo

8. Battlefield 1942. 

You're in a trench and see the enemy 200 metres to your front. Above you a dog fight is taking place, with machine gun fire like the humming of birds. You look through your scope and take aim on the enemy. You press the trigger and down goes your target just as an explosion rattles to your left. Just before all of this was the hammering of drums and meaty bass. If Battlefield 1942's music didn't make you feel like you were about to step into a warzone...you're in the wrong game son. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq0iRO7rH_0

7. Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty.

I have nothing to say except. Snake?? Snake?? SNAAAAAAAAKE????

... Cool tune bro. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiPon8lr48U

6. Halo: Combat Evolved.

I love the halo music. When the London Philharmonic Orchestra did this, I listened to it intently for about a week. It manages to capture that feel of being in space and fighting for survival. It genuinely is a great piece of music. Listen and you'll know what I mean.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sjvo0SPAOiQ

5. Elder Scroll V: Skyrim.

Skyrim was an epic quest, delving into the deepest parts of fantasy. Dragons. Trolls. Wolf men. So when I saw the trailer and heard,"in his tongue he is dovakin....dragon born!" accompanied with the music. All I wanted to do was pick up my shield and sword and go and slaughter the troll king...and dragons! And explore all that Skyrim had to offer. Obviously though the first thing I did was scream "Fus-Ro-Dah!" At everything in sight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clcHxg9l5Bk

4. Megaman II.

Fast paced and constantly on the edge of your seat. The Megaman game and music has always been a personal favourite of mine. I'm not going to explain... Okay maybe a little. The developers -only using 8-bit bearing in mind - still manage to give the feeling of a faced paced game solely by the music. Also... look how funny the box art is! Hahahah! He doesn't look remotely like that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiGbAC7f4Ro

3. Pokemon. 

I wasn't going to add this but remembered that this came before the anime so it counts! Every person who's played pokemon can remember this tune. Everyone. It's just so...cool! A big part of my - and many others - childhood. Definitely deserves a top spot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKoBnv96PM

2. Donkey Kong Country.

This could be a nostalgic thing but I don't care. It's cooool. To those that have read my previous blogs will know I love this. My favourite tune is definitely against King. K. Rool. But even the opening song, as the intro - played on a phonograph - reminds us of old school sound and  is interrupted by fresh new beats from a boombox! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA5Wc1_Zghk

1. Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past.

Here it is. This game. This fuuuuucking game! Its just perfect for me. And the music is nothing short of a masterpiece. Even though made with 32-bit sounds still manages to (here's the word of the day) convey (sexy ain't it?) of fantasy, peril and some hardcore questing! UGH. Take it Zelda!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkH2zETKqws

Okaaaaay. There's a top ten of musical epicness. I'm sure a lot of you will agree and thanks for reading. If you don't...leave a comment, and tell me YOUR top ten!

Cheers,

O.E.G. 

@theOEGamer 

Home: A Unique Horror Adventure

Now just to make you all aware I recently bought a new iPhone. I can hear the applause already! And since my wifi is down and I'm working away from home I can't play any retro or my GameCube. But fear not! For I have bought games on the App Store! What games?? Well I'll give you a hint...the title maybe. 

                  "I hope that's jam."

Yes Home! After perusing many sites on which games work well on the iPhone, this gem kept on making the lists. So I decided to take it upon myself to check it out. Home takes place (oddly enough) in a house where the player wakes up, unable to determine how he got there. So it's up to you to search the house and other areas - from factories, forests and sewers - find clues and ultimately escape. So the game mechanics are simple enough. To walk left, touch the left side of the screen. To walk right, touch right. Double tap to interact and up makes you...yup...look up. 

It's done in an 8-bit fashion, so to all you retro fans, this is already definitely worth the buy (I mean come on its only 2 British pounds...less than a pint!). The developers have made it so you just have a flashlight which gives off a small radius of light, so you must delve into the darkness to understand and solve the mystery!

Now at the start of the game it tells you to put in headphones and turn the lights off. So like any decent gamer, I obliged. It was the middle of the day though, so I just sat in a cupboard for two hours. 

"But O.E.G! Can a 8-bit game really be classed as a horror game?? And seriously you sat in a cupboard?" 

            ...I don't wanna play anymore! 

...Yes! I seriously did. And yes. It totally can! I'm not going to lie. I jumped a lot and felt genuinely nervous about walking anywhere! The sound of wooden doors creaking open. The wail of rusted steel. The echoing footsteps down a hall. All these things add to the tension in the game. As you near the end of this nightmare, there's a constant rattle of bass, booming in the background, making everything feel more ominous. Simple yet effective. 

I've been told it has three endings, and on my play through I think I missed a few bits so I'm definitely going to play it again. It's intriguing and draws the player in. It makes you want to find out what's happened. This game is like if dead space and monkey's island had an 8-bit baby. I definitely recommend this to all. See if you can solve the mystery!! And try not to shit your pants. 

P.S. Here's the link to it on iTunes. 

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/home-unique-horror-adventure/id656723874?mt=8

Cheers. 

O.E.G 

@theOEGamer

Oh Luigi!

Since I'm still loving my GameCube at the moment, I have thought of a new game to ramble on about.

Luigi's Mansion! Let me level with you here reader. I actually played this for the first time last week when I acquired said GameCube. I had only seen this briefly on adverts so everything I say about this is fresh and not from memory, unlike the former twelve posts. The game follows (if you hadn't realised) Luigi for a change instead of Mario. It turns out this lucky chap has won a mansion in the arse-end of nowhere! Scam you say? Probably. But an excited Luigi can't tell the difference and goes to rub it in his brother's small face, and asks him at the same time to come celebrate...Oh Luigi...that's low. Anyways, Luigi arrives at the mansion only to find its haunted by ghosts! And they've taken Mario! Enter the player to capture ghosts and solve the mystery of where the hell Mario actually is.

So the first thing I noticed and probably fell in love with is the music. Nintendo I don't know how you do it but keep pumping these tunes out! O.K. So Luigi's Mansion's main theme isn't exactly raising the roof but it manages to be quirky and creepy. This is done by just having Luigi - and only Luigi - whistle the tune when there's nothing going on or you are exploring the mansion.
Until you meet a spoooky ghost and the bass kicks in followed by the violins. This gives the sense that the player truly is alone in this gigantic house. Even the noise of the creaking floorboards, Luigi's footsteps and the occasional lightning strike manage to keep the game dark...for a Nintendo/ Mario game. Oh and another little cool thing is if you press A Luigi will call out for his brother. I think its cool!

 Who ya gunna call????

Next is the presentation. Let me tell you. It looks great. All the different coloured ghosts are neatly drawn. The backgrounds to each room are well filled. Obviously Luigi looks amazing. Seriously; Nintendo know how to make a game stand out. The best part of the presentation though seems to be the shadows. When you go into one of the rooms with the mini-bosses and see its shadow slowly floating on the wall, its creepy. BUT its the good kind of creepy where you can appreciate what the developers have done. The worst (not worst as in bad mind you!) is the baby though. With the combination of the quiet jingle of a creche, a calm wind blowing against the drapes AND a floating baby shadow...Yeah, freaked me out.

Trick Doors are uuuuuurvvvywhere!

 

Also for an old school game its has some good mechanics for gameplay. To my knowledge, this is one of the very few games (of 2002) that uses a vacuum/ hoover, where you can suck up sheets or balls. They integrate well into the game making the player use it at certain points to complete an objective. Or to use it to uncover a BOO! Now combine this awesome hoover sucking/blowing (phrasing) ability with a torch system...baby you got yourself a game! The player uses the torch to shine onto a ghost which will stun them, then uses the vacuum to suck the blighters up! Sounds simple yes. But trying running round a room sucking up ghosts when more appear...yeah. Like herding cats...with a hoover. When a room is cleared, the lights come on and give the player the sense of security, because lets be honest, when you were a kid and you couldn't sleep you either; a) had a night light or b) but the landing light on...just me?

Lastly there's a few things a missed which I think deserve some mention:
1. The trick doors are a clever way to make sure the player is using the map to navigate. Smart Nintendo.
2. The Way Luigi moves in the game is priceless. He walks on his tiptoes, he's constantly bricking it! And when you find a key/object his little spin is awesome (accompanied by some awesome music once again).
3. Using the Gameboy "Horror" as a Boo finder, coin counter, map and a plethora of others, is an extremely nice touch. 


Now I haven't played this all the way through but its definitely deserves a mention. This is one of the few games I've picked up and instantly enjoyed. From the music, to the gameplay and even the quirky comments made throughout. Nintendo surely know how to make an interesting yet addictive game. Its even fun to watch someone play this game as I find out when my buddy just sat and watched me play the first hour or so without moving. Or maybe he was watching me and planning to kill me??!!?


O.E.G.
@theOEGamer


P.S.
Comments would be appreciated and I'll get back to you all...you might even get a kiss.

My Top Five Games I Hate...With Additional Swearing

So I know I call myself optimistic and I suppose I am. But sometimes I lose my shit with games...like completely. Just to make you aware I am gunna be swearing my tits off here solely for the fact I'll wind myself up about each game. This was also a ball ache and took me ages because I was trying to rack my brain so I had to search EVERY game on the PS2 (yes every title AND I couldn't even find one!). Also you'll have to bear with me on some of them, I will explain! So... here we go. Hold on tight. (Warning: Spoilers).


5. James Bond 007: Nightfire - GameCube/ PS2/ Xbox.

This is only being placed at no. five because it came with the GameCube I acquired and I don't like trying to rate something without seeing/playing it all the way through...however. This game sucks. I could only withstand 15 minutes- TOPS - before I turned it off in a rage. The graphics are fucking awful! I've seen better Playstation games! And for that matter a SNES games! The cars look like literal squares. And the sounds....the FUCK!!!!! I'm done.

To sum up. It is awful.








4. Deus Ex. Human Revolution - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Right. So Deus Ex. Its an awesome game. I loved upgrading my character into a stealthy dealer of death, and attempting to just ruin everyone's day by playing as a complete bastard. Whats that? You've been promoted to "crummy desk Sergeant?" GIVE A FUCK! So like I said its awesome. What isn't awesome and actually changed my entire perspective on the game was the ending. Eidos you cheap bastards. Instead of some brilliant cut scene where I thought I'd see Jensen killing himself or choosing whatever, I'm "treated" with black and white footage of Earth???? No no no. I play games to get away from this shit, not to be dropped right back in it during the fucking game!!!!!!
Ruined.







3. Rise of the Robots - SNES.

If you haven't seen any footage of this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYUeO_yk9To
Continue sum this up perfectly, "nothing about this game was entertaining or fun at all". Yup. I remember my dad getting me and brother this. The title screen had me super excited! We then had a fight and my smiling face went straight to a "da fuq is this??" The game uses pre-rendered C.G.I sprites rather than pixel art or digitized sprites. Essentially it just looks buals (balls!). There is limited moves and even then it feels super slow. My problem with this game is....why was it made?








2. Rage - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

 This follows the same trend as Deus Ex but it wound me up even more, if its even possible (hence why its no. 2). Same applies, this game is a sexy looking game and they even got some decent folk to do some of the voices (like John Goodman!) and considering it was sold as a similar game to Fallout and boasted about Mad Max style world, which it did. But in my eyes it fell short. Super short. Yes, there was opens worlds but they seemed linear. How do you manage to make something openly linear??? HOW? The game was put onto two discs which I expected to make the game huge, and it did. But wait, the player wants to go back and explore the first area? Na fuck that, limited freedom is where its at! Like I said, the game is amazing but like @mattaconda (https://twitter.com/Mattaconda) said,"there's only so much lipstick you can put on a pig."
When I finished it I just stared at the credits and genuinely thought,"well that was a fucking waste, think I'll go outside." And it didn't even take that long and I was attempting to make it last...Fuck you Rage. I'll show you some RAGE!!!!!





1. Red Faction: Armageddon - Xbox360/ PC/ PS3.

Here it is. Possibly my most hated game. THIS FUCKING GAME! I don't think I've ever been so disappointed at a game. This is probably because I was, and maybe still am, a huge fan of the first two on the PS2 and Guerrilla on the 360. The first two for the ability to smash the environment and getting the rail gun to shoot through walls and kill enemies. Guerrilla because they took the destroying environments to the next level. They gave you all of Mars to go crazy with. Here's a giant hammer. See that building? You can flatten it! One of my favourite things was just wielding this super hammer and just fucking shit up. Then they released this one in 2011. And ruined everything!!!! Why the fuck would you decide to put the player back in the ground on a linear path after giving them the freedom of the world?! I know the first two where underground but they worked because they probably didn't have the capacity on the PS2 to attempt what they did with Guerrilla. But seriously. Even at the start they give the player a little teaser. "Oh remember all that cool shit like blowing up buildings and smashing pipelines with hammers? Yeah none of that anymore." If I had to compare this to anything it would be a stripper. They both had me super excited when they started but at the end I'm left disappointed. And all alone...again.

Addendum: If you haven't notice I do like open games, so when a games is labelled as such, I will probably try it out. But when it undersells like the above, I tend to lose it.

Now I know the majority of the games on the list are from the "next-gen" era, but it's because I couldn't find many from the retro era that I hated. Maybe because there wasn't as much choice and the developers had to make sure the game was perfect so they could make a profit. Or maybe because back when I was a young'n, I thought everything was amazing and colourful (except Rise of the Robots). And now I'm older and wiser and can see more faults and I'm more skeptical. Or its that the game developers don't seem to spend as much time on certain games. Whatever it is these games above...pissed me off massively. 

If you have any different or agree with me let me know!

Cheers,

 

O.E.G.

@theOEGamer.

Return of the King

I know what you're thinking and this ain't a LOTR review. For those of you who follow me on twitter, you'll be aware I've recently got a GameCube! Literally, all my new consoles - 360, 3DS and my PC - have all be shoved to one side to make way for this hero. The rest of this month and probably next will contain reviews from the GameCube and what's going to start us off?

Super Smash Bros. Melee! Now I know that pretty much everyone in existence has played this game. But I've never owned a GameCube so this is all new to me and obviously I've played it but I've never had one to call mine. The game is a beat em up and a sequel to super smash bros. on the N64. 

Mostly a multiplayer game but it does have an arcade mode and adventure mode. It has a wide variety of playable character from throughout the nintendo world. This ranges from Donkey Kong, Link, Pikachu, and Captain Falcon to just name a few. 

Each character has their own special moves and attacks. This can make the game extremely tactical if you know how to use the character up close and at range. The aim is too damage the opponent enough to send him flying off the screen and to his speedy demise. The games can be done either on a timed basis or how many lives you have. But I'm sure EVERYONE knew that. Hahaha! 

So first thing. The music and sounds. Since this game uses characters from all over the nintendo world, you hear a variety of music, each fitting to it's stage. All seem as if they have a fully orchestrated band playing on each arena. My personal favourites are Hyrule (for the intro music being played on one or two instrument, slowly building into a masterpiece) and the Pokemon stadium (cause it's Pokemon). There is also a crowd that cheers for their favourite combatant, and gasps at close calls and near falls (unintentional rhyme!). It makes you feel as if you are on the main stage of this spectator sport. Even the small ping as someone is flung into space makes the entire game come together. I also think I could listen to the character select music for a prolonged period and not get bored. Even though this game is essentially about killing and beating up people, Nintendo still manage to make you feel happy!!

Oh Luigi...What are you DOING?!?!

Next up is the graphics. 2002 this beaut came out and it still looks good. All the models of characters look well finished, even the ones intended to look 8-bit. I personally enjoy when you collect another trophy and you can view them all in your collection, a proud moment for any gamer! Another personal favourite is just playing as Kirby solely so I can make him look like a cute Samus or D.K. Each stage, is vibrant and although beautiful and eye drawing, doesn't take the players attention too much. 

I am trying to think of something I don't like about this game but I honestly can't. This is one of those games that manages to do everything right from the get go. It's fun and enjoyable. The music is well orchestrated. I could go on and on but I fear no one would actually read it to the end! Nintendo have managed to have everything going on all at once but not clutter the screen. I know I haven't mentioned much on gameplay so I'm just going to list my three favourite things: 

Kirby...Just eating bros.

1. Having a Pokemon battle where you just put on Poke ball drops. 

2. Managing to slowly make my way back on the platform only to roll and smash the opponent into oblivion and win! 

3. Making Game vs Game matches. E.g. Mario and Bowser vs Link and Ganondorf. 

If anyone has any comments please leave some! Let me know your favourite Super Smash Bros. Moments! 

O.E.G 

@theOEGamer

Oo There Goes Chicken Chaser!

So with the release of Fable Anniversary I thought it was only fitting to do a review/ blog/ ramble about how much I love this game. I'll mention the changes that I've noticed first then finish with some gameplay and story, considering not much has changed in those aspects.

Fable Anniversary is a reboot of the 2004 release of Fable: The Lost Chapters. Not much has been changed from the original in the way of gameplay but the graphics and sounds have all been upgraded. The story follows you, starting off as a young boy and slowly growing into a hero, either for better or for worse. The phase as a young boy gives you a feel for the game and what to expect (a tutorial if you will!) but the consequences of your actions do still appear later on in the game. 

From the get go one of the big stand outs of this game is the voice. It's clear, even back in 2004, that LionheadStudios spent time on perfecting the voices. And obviously they sound much clearer on Fable Anniversary. Even the villagers who mock or cheer for you as you walk past sound genuine. When you first hear the Guildmaster speak to you through the Guild Seal, the small reverb and echo makes it sound magical! He does still ramble though. I know my health is low, I'm aware of the blood loss! 

The music as well compliments each area as you'd expect. If it's a village or town the music is happy and joyous. A battle, the sound of a deep bass rumbles throughout. An eerie house, creepy violins. These little things helps make the game complete. 

Even the creatures sound larger than life. When I first heard the Balverine howl, it sent shivers down my spine! The squabbling of Hobbes in the caves is both humourous and terrifying! (N.B: I haaaaate Hobbes). But one of my favourite sounds is the torque of a bow being held. It just sounds right, and just as the shot is released, something is gunna die. 

The next big change is the graphics (obviously). All the character models are crisp. The armour, especially the bright and dark varieties, look magical! I mean look above at the small intricacies on the shoulder pauldrons! The green cloth even has patterns running through it! Another big change is the demons doors. They now look part of the wall and, dare I say it (DARE!) some sort of real. The environment as well has had a massive face lift! The shimmering water does look real, the ivy and moss actually seem like they've been there for years growing! Last thing I want to mention is the magic. My favourite is the force push. Remember that scene in Matrix where the helicopter crashed into the building? It reminds me of a sped up version of that when I use it! I could rattle on but as the old saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. It is safe to say though, all the models, be it the water, a Balverine or a fireball, look fantastic! 

 "Bandit...Meet Death!"

 

 "Pants...Filled!"

 So lets get down to it. The gameplay. Like mentioned, not much has changed. And honestly...thank Christ! It didn't need changing. X is attack, and the player holds it for a strong attack. Y is your bow. B is magic. The player can cycle through his magic by holding RT and unleash some destruction! For each type of kill you'll get additional XP which you spend to upgrade your character and make him a muscle bound freak. Because, if I'm honest, I wouldn't want some skinny little pushover arriving at my village if it's getting overrun by Balverine's! Get your ass to the gym and come back once your benching 220 (although...everyone would be dead...). When your not out saving the world you can do other things like; buy a house, get married, massacre an encampment. The list goes on!

I want to mention the story and tell you all how amazing it is! And that some of the choices make you put down the controller and phone a friend (no 50:50 I'm afraid). Or that some of the set pieces will leave you gobsmacked! But alas, I'm not going to. It would ruin the surprise and the story and I hate doing that! All I'll say though, out of all the Fable's, this is by far the best one, in my opinion. I like the second (third...not so much) but I don't think it'll give me the same amount of joy that this one has given me!


Comment and follow me a twitter and give me some love, @TheOEGamer.
Cheers.

O.E.G.

Back to the Murder.

So after playing Viva Pinata and the past few reviews/ blogs I've been doing have been about happy happy games, I've decided to get back to my manly routes and play a game full of shooting, and killing. And chainsaw guns!

Gears...of...WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone's played this right? Unless: a) You're a Playstation fan boy b) You've been living under a rock  c) You're dead. G.O.W came out in 2006 a year after the release of the Xbox360 and this was solely the reason I (and I assume many others) bought a 360. The game is a sci-fi shooter for those of you that don't know...you know what? I'm pretty sure you all know the fucking plot! Made by Epic games it was, in my opinion, the first decent next gen game.

The story can be played singularly, local and online co-op. The game starts with Marcus Fenix (played by the great John DiMaggio...he did Bender as well!) in a prison cell being busted out by his long time buddy Dom. They are part of these nails mo' fuckas called the Gears. Kinda like the Special Forces of this universe. And then it's up to the player to control Marcus through the world stopping the Locust (sci-fi orcs?) using a wide array of weapons. The set pieces in the game were amazing. The combination of the over the shoulder camera, the sound effects and the areas just made me genuinely feel nervous! All I was thinking when getting chased is," I can't turn round to look because you have to stop to do that...so fuck that."

                 "Surprise! Cock fag!"

Presentation wise the game was, and still is sound. Sure there's a few frame drop issues but apart from that I can't complain. This ruined world, surrounded by death and war was beautiful to look at. Every time you fought in an area it felt like truly daunting, due to the seer size and scale of the place. I enjoyed the parts where the game slowed down for the plot and to show off the designs of certain areas. The character models were all unique and the Locust characters, especially the grenadiers, were fucking terrifying! But when you're controlling a dude wearing power armour wielding a chainsaw gun and you've cut that brute in half? That fear gets replaced with excitement (errrrrection!). And when you do it for the first time...you feel unstoppable. 

So with that in mind we shall delve into the combat. It's cover system was awesome. Simple to use. Hard to master. If there were two of you on co-op, you could have constant fire barraging the enemy. Obviously Epic covered the recoil of each weapon, so on extreme difficulty, your shots had to count! They developed a reload system that if you pressed at certain point, you would reload faster and have a small damage boost, which could be the decider in a multiplayer match. Then the best part. The fucking melee!!!!

                  "DOOOOOOOMMM!"

I know I already mentioned this but only briefly. In G.O.W's you can shoot the enemies legs to cripple them so you're able to get close (story and multiplayer) then, depending on the weapon, you can kill them in a sort of fatalility. Clearly the best was cutting someone in half with a chainsaw. Or you could equip a shotgun and smash their head in with a golf swing! Or attach a frag grenade to them and watch them blow up! OR execute them up close with a bolt pistol which made their head explode! 

Now if you aren't aware (but I'm sure the last paragraph has made it clear) the game was brutal. Limbs flying all over using grenades or the hammer of dawn (sorta like a light beam weapon from the sky). Heads left in pieces from a headshot from a sniper rifle or bolt pistol. It made playing online that more sweeter when you won, watching your foes explode or collapse from gunfire. 

So Playstation fan boys, and dead people/ ghosts/ zombies, with the release of the Xbox One the first Gears should be relatively cheap to pick up. Go out and get it and play through an Epic (no pun intended). I should also mention this is one of the very few games I played online so I highly recommend it to anyone! 

Hope you enjoyed! 

Leave me a comment! 

O.E.G.