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Ray Falling

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  • Location
    The Netherlands
  • Occupation
    Graphics Designer/Photographer

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  1. I'd have to say that those super crazy difficult levels (like some of the mines levels) become really easy after a while. Uhm, that is, after you've learned to memorize them... My initial tactic was to just complete a level as best I can, and later on I got the needed practice when trying to get the remaining puzzle pieces and KONG letters. On another play through it was really simple to navigate through these once dreaded levels. Patience is a good skill to have when playing this game My patience only last for a little while and I know it's time to quit when I start damning things. I finished the secret final level on my first try, using the banana potion. When I tried it again I failed miserably time after time, trying to get the puzzle pieces. I got them eventually, using the Banana potion again. I didn't keep playing after that. Unlocking the remaining image galleries is just not worth it. And I hardly feel like playing every level again in MM. Incidentily, this game gave me a renewed appreciation for Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
  2. There's also a Mr. Game and Watch character in the background of the steamy factory level Okay, so I finished the game today. Spent about 15 hours total I guess. Some levels are really, REALLY evil; I don't handle frustration well at all Overall, I dunno, I guess the game is alright. I was a little sad when I realized that there were no real surprises since the few trailers I saw pretty much showed every single level there is T__T; The roll thing definitely lacks the awesomeness of the original DKC. I get the mechanic, I just don't like it. Especially when I lose Diddy and I have to put an effort into making even the simplest jumps. I may try and get those last secret levels (one more to unlock, and one more that I haven't beaten yet).
  3. I saw the news this afternoon. ;_; My girlfriend and I were watching Spy Hard just last saturday. Leslie Nielsen was one of the few actors I actually appreciate. He's sure got some funny stuff. 'Wrongfully accused' is one movie of his I'd like to see again. I've seen most of his other movies more than a couple of times already. Now, to find some Police Squad clips
  4. Every trailer I see is so full of action 0_0; Which makes me a little worried that they're showing off a few of their awesome levels to give the impression that all the levels are like this. You know, kind of what they do with every movie trailer ever made I certainly hope there will be a good balance in pacing and action. Also, there is something about the visual style, the sounds, and the enemy designs that is really putting me off. I still want the game, but I can't help but feel that is not 'DK Country Returns' but 'DK returns...to a different country' IDIOT EDIT: Actually, after looking at some other gameplay video's I can say that there are definitely also more easy going levels that have plenty of charm in them I ish happy
  5. This immediately comes to mind Volley Fire (GB) : and some type of This song is so catchy I kept wanting to play it in my head over and over after having played the game over at a friend's place. I kept forgetting how the song went, but then I'd remember and woohoo! Party in my head I appreciate it for its great melody.
  6. Are people still going on about how Samus was totally ruined for them? The one thing I can't stand is how people keep saying "she was a badass". What does that even mean? A videogame character is only as "badass" as you manage to play through a game. You can't say "well, she killed this and blew up that so she shouldn't have this kind of emotion" because she didn't. YOU DID! You, the player. If you're a bad player, your so called "badass" character gets their ass handed to them by even the simplest trap or enemy. If you die too many times and quit playing the game out of frustration, Samus effectively never got anything done. Remember, you're in control of the character, but you're not going through the physical or emotional pain of your on-screen counter part: you're on your luxurious couch or whatever. You're not the one nearly dying dozens of times, or actually dying for that matter. You're not the one with the murdered family. It's a miracle Samus can get anything done really. With all that she's been through. Which is exactly the point where reality crosses into fiction. The thing with Metroid (and many games and movies really) is, it's crossed so far into the territory of fiction that any sense of reality (in terms of human emotion) just doesn't work anymore, it just doesn't seem real anymore. I still personally think the story and the way they made Samus' character is good. If only minorly overdone in some parts. MINORLY. That said, there is that cognitive dissonance, going from inside Samus' mind, back to my mind as a player and just continue blasting away at stuff with no fear, from the comfort of my couch. Now, a game would be really good if your character's emotion was your emotion and if that would actually affect gameplay. (I'm too tired to properly justify that statement with an example to pre-empt your misunderstanding of it).
  7. For me it is being able to listen to my favourite video game tracks without actually having to play the game, so I can listen pretty much everywhere I go Now, the appeal to listening to remixes of vgm is to hear someone take a soundtrack to a next level. A lot of songs can be made much more awesome by way of remix, which is exactly what people here at OCR do best I love to be surprised by what people make of an original tune. Listening to remixes also introduced me to "genres" of music I didn't know or appreciate before, but now do. I dunno how much nostalgia actually plays a part in it. I just want to hear already great musics being turned into even greater musics. No amount of nostalgia can make me appreciate a badly done remix.
  8. I think it is safe to say that most people, even professionals, are into the internet these days and may or may not have an embaressing thing or two to hide themselves. I think that the more casual you are about it, the less likely you are going to get 'bitten in the ass' by it later. Remember, even your future employer may have embaressing nicknames online. Also, if anyone is going to not hire you because of that, yet you have an awesome portfolio or resume or whatever, you're probably better off. That said, I can't really imagine that happening a lot. I could be wrong. You can always decide to go with something new, a new nickname or artist name. Pick something you are happy with, and stick with it.
  9. There is truth in what you say. And there will always be a group of people who won't like what developers did to a franchise. Still, I think there could be a balance in there in regards to customer feedback (i.e. not just ask some 'hardcore fans' who are set on one aspect of the game only). I remember Nintendo doing questionnaires when you had purchased certain games... I thought that was at least a good start. The thing that bugs me the most about games failing horribly (not that I think Metroid was a horrible failure) is that said failure is likely going to be the last attempt at a franchise this console's lifetime. Didn't like Starfox? Too bad, yer not seeing another one the next couple of years. Didn't like Donkey Kong Jungle Beat? Too bad, we're done with Donkey Kong now too... This can be very frustrating. But like we've established already, there are risks involved. All that said, sure there are a lot of angles to consider when dealing with this topic. And of course I can keeping playing that game I love so much, if I love it so much; but every once in a while, I would like to really experience that joy again in newer generation games. And to be honest, I have not felt that with any game so far on Wii; this includes everyone's favourites like Mario Galaxy. Anyway, that's my side of it, and I understand everyone's opinion and respect them The industry certainly doesn't revolve around my wishes. Unfortunatly for me this does mean that one of my old favourite hobbys/investments has stopped doing it for me. That at least makes me a little sad ;_; But not too much.
  10. Having given it more thought, I guess we can best hope that new ideas work out at least some of the time. Either way, a new entry in a series cannot take away anything from the entries in the series that we do like. But to be fair, more often than not we are left with disappointment. I wish developers would reach out to "us" more by involving us in the development process. I realize money and time will always be an issue, but some sort of pre-final build feedback could really help improve a game. That is, as long as the group giving feedback is balanced and not of the "It needs more rockets!" mindset
  11. In that case, would you guys agree that it is sometimes better to not continue on a series at all to ensure that it keeps its original glory as a whole and never have it taken away? For me, certain franchises are just 'done' and I look back at them with fond memories. Like...Starfox has all Starfox ever needs in Lylatwars (i.m.o). And F-zero has all F-zero needs in F-zero GX (again i.m.o), just to name a few. Yet at the same time, I do hunger for graphical updates of my old favourite games...they just usually end up having bad gameplay instead. As much as I want to see Donkey Kong Country Returns, I'm already fearing it'll go down the same path of recent games on the Wii. Same goes for the new Kirby game. I guess the only way you could get away with repeat performances (like the return of Ridley) is when you make sure people get that the game is compeletely separate from any other Metroid game ever. Which they don't. Then again, maybe sometimes you just need to be honest with yourself, as a game designer, and admit that there's just not much more you can do with your initial idea. (Like Mario...and Sonic...and Metroid and Kirby...and Zelda...and Halo...)
  12. During the first hours of the game I found my appreciation for the original Prime growing. I sat there saying "well, it's not Prime", but then I figured it's probably best not to compare them. I found most "reviews" a little unbalanced and also see the pattern Overflow is talking about. My rating of the game would be somewhat positive, but at the same time I was a little disappointed and felt I didn't really get value for my money. I would say the downsides of the game are its shortness, the lack of challenge (most of the time the game was simply too easy) and the diminished value and use of collecting items. I personally did appreciate the story and the character of Samus in this context. Overall it felt like a sci-fi murder mystery movie; predictable yet enjoyable for the most part. There were the occasional moments when I thought I wasn't really playing a Metroid game, but I played on nevertheless. Other moments were really good and memorable I don't really feel this is the type of game I'd want to replay over and over though. Which is why I initially commented saying the two days (10+ hours) of entertainment were not worth the price I payed for it. In a closing comment, I'm afraid that a lot of games (on Wii) these days are heading in this direction: short, easy and not enough staying power. Which is why I'm more and more doubting future releases of even my favourite titles, and less likely to invest in these games anymore.
  13. It can easily be finished within 10 - 14 hours. To me that translates to two afternoons of play :S So two days of entertainment for 50 'bucks'...not worth it. Of course, if I could actually control myself and manage to play two hours a day, then I could enjoy it for at least a week.
  14. Out of curiosity: what purpose does the pinhole lens serve? Is it supposed to create a specific effect an ordinary lens cannot produce? Also: I've updated my website. Most of the content has yet to be written, but my photography gallery is already up and running. I also added an Animals category, which it didn't have before because I'm not particularly an animal kind of guy (for no particular reason). I did get some nice shots of some little bugz0rs the other day when I was walking around a nice natural environment with my girlfriend (+1 forum envy point):
  15. I didn't know him at all, but I remember reading the tragic news and feeling really sad about it. Every time a remix of his comes up on my music player I feel that sadness ;_;
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