Triad Orion

A bit late to the party myself, but happy birthday, man. Sorry I was behind the curve in wishing it to you. Hope it was great.

Kudos to Taucer and Mephisto for attempting such an arduous undertaking in ReMixing a true, modern classic. I feel the vocals for the main chorus were a little on the weak side, but the "shanana" stuff actually didn't bother me much. I think there needed to be a little more passion in the main chorus, but that said, the vocals there aren't bad by any stretch. As for the rest of the song, the arrangement is interesting, dynamic, fun, and sounds great. Instrumentation (particularly in the flute) is superb, and I confess the electric guitar treatment is quite awesome. You guys did well, and produced a great work!

Late to the party, but I wanted to put down my two cents. I gotta say, the only part of this song I didn't like was the very first organ hit. For some reason, that first hit is really piercing, and not in the good way. But after that one initial organ hit, every other use of it is excellent, sinister, and awesome. I'm not going to mince words. I love this piece. Dark, brooding, amazing use of source tune, and masterful use of timpanis to back the organ and other instruments. It's purely evil sounding, and when you get to the Castle theme from NSMB, it just all comes together in a positively sinister package. Very cool. A must-listen, and a must-download. Bowser would be proud.

Going into it expecting a pulse-pounder would lead to disappointment. Thankfully, DJP's writeup warned about the ambiance of this track and it's a good thing it did. I don't think I would've appreciated it as much if it hadn't, especially considering the source was Aeropolis, which was the stage I played by far the most in F-Zero GX. On to the mix. Ambient to an extreme, with a sort of meandering sense to it. Normally straight synth-ambient tracks don't really do it for me, but given the sparseness of the Aeropolis track, it's relatively fitting. I can't complain about the synths here, and I love the bells that ring the main part of the theme. The synths backing up the bells mesh well and sound nice. The only thing that sounds a little off to me are the notes halfway through the song. I know those are a stylistic choice, but I can't really dig it. Overall, I can't really call this ReMix a favorite of mine. However, I do really appreciate the interpretation and the polish put through the majority of the song. It's an ambient song done quite well, which I think is pretty hard to do. Worth a listen, definitely.

This song stays remarkably close to the source material, which can normally be a distinct minus. That said, the instrumentation is smooth, and really plays well to the actual theme. When you split away and went into the calmer original stuff, it made for a fairly compelling listen. I wouldn't mind seeing more of your own original interpretation in this sandwiched between the two verses of Wily's theme. In terms of instrumentation, your horns and brass section sounded a little on the weak side. This isn't in terms of sampling, however. The thing I take issue with is the volume in the punchier parts of the song. They just don't come off as powerful as they should. I'm not really sure if I liked the snare sample either, but it's so far in the background it's generally unobtrusive. Overall, though? I love the source track, and I love your arrangement of it. It's faithful, it's smooth, and it's instrumented well with plenty of depth. Well worth the download for a job well done.

Not to be a broken record, but I catch what people are saying about some of the synths sounding a little limp. And honestly, I agree that the drums sound fake and weak. The drums are probably the weakest part. I like DJP's suggestion about switching over to Toms, that would probably fit the retro feel better. All that said, your interpretation of the song was fantastic, and kept the (admittedly common) source tune interesting. It has a good sense of workmanship, even if the instrumentation could've been improved some. But you know what? This was a fun song, and I like it quite a bit. Congrats on a successful, unique submission on a well-worn source tune.

Well, the question had to be asked: is anything McCracken responsible for now relevant to the network's interests anymore? Yes, he created some great shows, but if he's not producing any new programs or isn't working with current projects, they are within their right to let him go. If McCracken isn't creating anything new and marketable, he's just dead weight. That said, personally? I like the guy and what he's contributed to modern animation, and I love his art direction. I'm sad to see him go, and I honestly hope that he can prove to Cartoon Network just how stupid of a move they probably just made. I'm sure he'll continue to be successful, but this may actually be a good for his career. If he works as more an independent animator for a different company, we may see more of what he can do, and he may be given more freedom over what he creates. Who knows?

Happy belated birthday, Jose! Hope it was fun, and hope the year to come's great too.

I too enjoyed Plants Vs. Zombies, even though it was on the easy side and I never had my brains eaten except on Survival Endless. I remember playing a few of the Tower Defense things in Warcraft 3, but I wasn't too deep into it like a lot of people were. Still, it's a neat genre and I wouldn't mind playing more in it.

The issue with that is it would be excessively difficult to program all that into the old game. You're not merely transferring over models or creating something that only players use. Infected require entire AI routines to function properly and the director's use of AI in L4D2 might not be compatible at all with the previous game. Moreover, the old maps in L4D aren't balanced with the new Infected types in mind, so therefore they could potentially break the old game in favor of the Infected. This is more of a concern in Versus mode, but it is a viable one. New weapons will also throw off the game balance if added in on their own; Infected have to deal with brand new (and probably more effective) ways of being killed while they would have nothing new on their own to throw at the Survivors. Integrating all these gameplay improvements would probably take almost as much time as making a new game to begin with. And though Valve said they would support Left 4 Dead with new content, you have to buy it expecting that they won't. A company's promise for content means absolutely nothing until that content is sitting on your hard drive ready to be played. And besides, I think most people who are complaining got their fifty bucks worth out of the first game and are just sore because they thought they were entitled to more. And now Valve adds another campaign, and then there's the Source SDK out for it. So if people want L4D content so badly, they can make it themselves. That tirade aside, I *am* looking forward to the new official campaign in Left 4 Dead. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Wonder if they used the executive powder on the people at Fox. ...What? It's supposed to kill all sorts of fungus among other purposes, right? XD

With all respect, I must disagree here a bit. I don't think the Wii is bad for the industry at all. First of all, the Wii has opened the industry to a great many more people and has created a significantly wider audience for it to sell and cater to. This, in a business aspect, is a phenomenal success. As a social aspect, it is also good because video game society becomes accepted as more mainstream. Though the games that come out on the Wii might not be typically associated with the classical definition of our perception of video games, it acts as a gateway. Those who play those Wii games may expand their horizons and look at other options, and thus invest in other titles or even systems. Though it may temporarily pull focus away from games I personally may desire, I see this as only a temporary issue. The so-called "casual" (however loosely defined and asinine the term may be) market will continue to exist beyond the scope of the Wii, but I don't forsee it being a big deal to the "classically defined" areas of video games. Though the Wii has outsold both the PS3 and the 360, to say that the other two systems are faltering would be a flat-out lie. The Casual market hasn't hurt the sales of the traditionally "hardcore" systems or games. If anything has done that, it's been the evolution of the gaming industry itself: the demands for more realistic, bigger, better games have led to bigger budgets, higher prices, and greater degrees of risks in producing games. This progress is a double-edged sword. That said, I'm not one of those people blinded by nostalgia and would look back to older days as periods of better production. Because they weren't necessarily, strictly speaking. My point is, the Wii will not stunt technological growth because, simply, people demand it. They always want the next best thing, and the "new control" sensation is just part of it: before long, people will expect these with increasingly photo-realistic, big budget games, and we'll be right back on the path we once were. Ultimately, what's made investors of the Wii suffer as gamers is not the system itself, in my opinion. It's been the lack of proper support by a lot of third party developers which is a constant problem for Nintendo to begin with. Though the Wii Hardware is nothing resembling perfection, it seems many companies simply don't put the effort into making motion controls that are simple, intuitive, and work. Again, part of that has to do with the imperfection of the technology, but Nintendo themselves have proven capable of seamlessly integrating the controls as part of the game experience, while other developers seem to be continually baffled by them. Ultimately, while the Wii is making a big splash now, I don't see Nintendo's marketing tactics for this generation to become the gold standard of the industry from here on out. Though the Wii will continue to be big for awhile longer, eventually people will stop buying the lack of increase in power as a sacrifice for one particular aspect. Eventually, consumers are going to demand a well-rounded, powerful, innovative product. They always do.

Hey! Congratulations, you two! I'm glad everything went off without a hitch. Though we missed you at Otakon this year, I think I can speak for all of us when I say how happy we are for you two. Nice Marriage indeed.

Happy birthday to my fellow Virginian! Hope your birthday's very awesome, dude!

Yeah, and that whole line with Varian Wrynn? Yeah. I really, really wish some of that comic stuff wasn't canon. But it is. Nothing can be done about it. I really, really hope the movie isn't about Varian, though. Thrall: The Movie, on the other hand, would be a pretty damn good flick. I'd watch it.

It's funny because it's true. XD

Sounds like good additions. The Spitter sounds like a quick, practical way to prevent turtling, especially in Versus Mode. I like how it produces a DoT effect rather than just being like a gun. It means shot placement is going to matter and you'll have to think ahead on your attacks. Moreover, I'm stopping to imagine just how awesome these things will be when you have a Smoker or a Hunter as a spotter for your long-range attack. Between the changing events and trying to shake up the pace for the stages, Left 4 Dead 2 sounds like it'll be a blast. I'm just wondering about a few other specifics, like if you have limited ammo for your handguns now, forcing the use of melee weapons. And it sounds like you have a choice of carrying a health *or* ammo pack and either pain-pills *or* adrenaline. This could lead to some interesting changes to the core dynamic. From the sounds of it, they're probably going to make ammo concerns more of an issue for the survivors which I think is a good idea for the shotguns and the Hunting Rifle. The Assault Rifle and especially the Uzi already had some ammo issues, but... it sounds like there's more tradeoff in the gameplay now in terms of what utility you bring to the group, and that sounds pretty cool.

Gotta say, that weapon was awesomely made. I saw that at the panel and was impressed with both that and your costume, Deia. Also, that shot where she killed everyone is funny. Wish I could've been there. ...At least to laugh at Wes who got finished by a Critical Hit himself. >>

I think a major problem with modern Sonic games is an ironic one. In a rather strange twist of fate, Sonic often goes *too* fast compared to his older counterparts. The Genesis Sonics were fast, yes, but they had precise control and enough field of vision to be able to react to incoming threats. That's being seen less and less because Sonic's so fast you can't really see what's coming until it's on top of you, and slowing down isn't really an option. The Sonic Advance games after the first were particularly bad about this in that you needed to be going full-tilt to make life or death jumps. The first Sonic Rush had this in a couple of places as well, though many of my complaints about hazards are mitigated by the enemy destroying boost. Now, don't misunderstand. I do love the rush you get when you're going full tilt through a level and you make Sonic look good for it. As a gameplay mechanic, it's Sonic's greatest enemy; stages have to be designed so hazards can be reacted to, and many of the more recent Sonic games haven't done as good a job on that as their older counterparts. That's my two cents on a core Sonic problem, not going into the cast, the games specifically, the "plots", voice acting, and the rest of it. I still think that if a competent studio outside of Sonic Team could actually get independence enough to make a true Sonic game, we could see it work. Ultimately, I think it's Sonic Team and SEGA killing the franchise, not because the concept is out of date.

Wow, that was a blast. I would've posted sooner if my internet hadn't been wonky all day yesterday. The panel was a lot of fun and it was good to meet and shake hands with a lot of the people up at the panel. It was also nice not to get blown up by Wes. >> Wish I could've stayed around longer after the panel to talk, but the people I went to the con with called me shortly afterward and needed me with them. So, sorry I couldn't stay longer and talk. And yeah, I agree that Wes did quite well for talking in front of a big audience for his first time. Larry was really funny, though all the booing he got was funny too. When he threatened to go in front of the giant speaker again, I was the one who shouted "He'll do it! He'll really do it!" Big thanks to everyone who set up the panel and participated in it. That was worth going to the convention for itself, I think.

Is it too late to see Batman ascending a flooding tower to defeat a giant bird thing with a huge hammer? ...Because that'd be awesome!

Sad I missed some of the others there, but the concert was a fricking blast! How about that Guitar Hero segment? The crowd went wild. Personally? I loved the Castlevania encore amongst other sections. I've loved the soundtracks to that series for a long time. And seeing the Video Game Pianist live was something else. AND SID FREAKING MEYER. I love me some Civilization, so that was a huge, pleasant surprise. Just a great time in general!

Nintendo Power has more recently begun to refer to their competitors in their articles, usually with a degree of both ribbing and professional respect. They didn't mention Lifestream because it's Final Fantasy VII, which while they acknowledge, they don't play up both because it's competition, and it's for space, as Kyle said. But damn, this is pretty awesome. Wonder if that's going to up the traffic for the arrangement album. If nothing else, it gets the word out about this site, and it's always good to get positive press.

Batman: Brave and the Bold was something of a guilty pleasure for me. I admit I was skeptical of it at first, but it proved to be a fun cartoon, which is what matters. I'll admit to not being the biggest Flapjack fan. I see the appeal, definitely, but something about the show doesn't click with me. Some might say it's because the show is too cynical, but I'm a professed fan of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law and *Metalocalypse*, so cynicism's not really it. I am sad at the possibility of Chowder ending, though. Chowder's given me a fair share of laughs because of how silly it is. However, Chowder and Flapjack are both pretty good cartoons and actually play well off of each other. Flapjack's darker, more cynical humor and animation style with Chowder's brighter, zanier humor, and goofier character designs really create a very interesting one-two creative punch that provides something for just about any cartoon viewer between the two of them. But I too miss the older cartoons like Courage, and *especially* Ed, Edd, n Eddy. I'm no small fan of the Eds, mostly because the layered humor. On the surface, (especially with Ed) that it's just another cartoon with squigglevision and a "random" sense of humor. But actually, the characterization was quite good in it, and Ed's non-sequitirs actually made contextual sense most of the time. Sure, it wasn't the most brilliant cartoon around, but if you actually sat down and thought about the comedic timing and use of sound effects, it became much funnier than its face value. That long tirade being said, I'm extremely disappointed in Cartoon Network taking the easy path and making reality shows with kids in them. I understand they're competing with the Nickelodeon demographic, and the idea is the shows are low cost and might turn in some ratings, but after the genuinely negative reception of showing live action movies and Out of Jimmy's Head? You would've thought they'd learn their lesson. The network is about cartoons. Stick to that, and pick out the good ones, and use them. Really, if they want to compete, fund some better cartoons, get creative, or bring back the weekday Toonami block. They shouldn't be trying to follow the lead of the vapid live-action shows Nickelodeon plays, they should be playing their own strengths to win this fight. And I'm really surprised they haven't realized just how much pull they could potentially have if they just opened their eyes and used what was around them.

You know it, bro. I'll be watching my back. XD