Evilhead

For me it's the Minecraft soundtrack, extending to C418's work in general. Looking at my playlist it seems I've listened to the entire album at least 50 times. I put it on while I'm translating. It helps me concentrate for some reason and relaxes me as well. Usually I can't concentrate on other things, especially writing, when I am listening to music but it's different with this soundtrack. And I ended up falling in love with the soundtrack long before I ever played the game itself. It's just great music to have on. Listening to it right now in fact.

Yeah, I'll get it for sure. Diablo II is my favorite PC game of all time, so I don't see why I wouldn't want to check out D3. The great thing about the series is that there is no way you HAVE to play the game, you can just do it your own way. So I don't see what all the bitching is about. Don't like the auction house? Don't use it. Be a man and find your own damn items!

Not OCR but I listen to the Minecraft soundtrack on loop a lot of times when I translate. Helps me concentrate for some reason. On a related note, make sure to only play instrumental music. I'm sure you're aware of this as you've chosen game music, but anything with singing or spoken words in it is really distracting when I am trying to read or write.

He already found it! It's Formation Z. Cool little game! I have a 76-in-1 for Famicom with hilariously bad label. It's like Deep Space nine mixed with star wars. Then I got a PowerPak, which is pretty much an 8500-in-1, plays hacks, etc. Highly recommended!

I was totally into anime during that era (actually the stuff was always late coming over Stateside), but completely stopped watching it after it went digital. Maybe I grew out of it, or maybe I just love hand-drawn/colored animation the best. When I go back and watch some old series out of boredom or nostalgia I always end up enjoying it a lot more than anything I happen to see these days. Some my favorites back in the day were Ninja Scroll, Gunsmith Cats, Vampire Hunter D, Fist of the North Star, Slayers, Ghost in the Shell, etc.

Just bought it for my iPad as I've been looking for a game kind of like this. Thanks for the heads up!

As far as anime goes you can't get much better than Cowboy Bebop in my opinion... Just perfect!

Get Afterburner

Wow, if people whined about snaking (which I thought took some legitimate skill to pull off) then I'm sure we'll hear no end of these. It is possible for Nintendo to put out a non-broken Mario Kart game?

Going to have to fire this one up. Love horror themed games.

HELL YES. More iOS shooters PLEASE!! And yeah, kupernikus, I agree. Virtual d-pads and buttons suck. Most games designed with standard controllers in mind play better with standard controllers, aside certain exceptions such as the aforementioned shooters. But there's nothing that a touch screen could really add to Chrono Trigger for instance. I know because I played through it again on the DS already and barely ever used the touch screen except when selection techniques on the bottom screen which was superfluous.

I recently picked up an iPad 2, and I use it almost solely for gaming. And I have to say that the iPad is a solid next gen gaming device. Personally I think it succeeds where the DS fails. Nintendo had a great idea integrating touch screen technology with gaming, but in the end the hardware limitations and the poor execution of so many games left the touch aspects to be pointless gimmicks in a lot of games. But the iPad with it's fantastic multi-touch screen, beautiful resolution, and advanced graphical hardware really make it a gaming powerhouse. In my opinion it totally crushes any other portable gaming system out there, including the Vita. Here are some games I've been playing the most so far that I think are worth checking out. ESPGALUDA II HD Smartphone Version http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/espgaluda-ii-hd-smartphone/id450426784?mt=8 2D shooters are probably my favorite genre, and the first thing I thought of when I got the iPad was how to get Dodonpatchi on there. Well, I was pleased to find that Cave is developing directly for iOS and already has several of it's insane shooters available. Of the group I'd say Espgaluda II HD is the best for the iPad so far mainly due to the graphics. Some of the other releases still have grainy upscaled graphics, which while don't detract from the gameplay, just don't match up to the beautiful HD graphics of Espgaluda. All of their games, however, feature amazing control. I own many dozens of shooters for various systems, but I've never experienced anything like this. Every slight twitch of your finger is registered, which allows you to skillfully weave your character through the intricate waves of projectiles famous in these bullet-hell shooters with relative ease (doesn't mean you're not going to get your ass handed to you from time to time!). It's almost mesmerizing. A slightly more expensive game, but well worth the cost especially considering how much it costs to buy a copy of this for PS2. Air Attack HD http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airattack-hd/id383659024?mt=8 Another overhead shooter, but featuring fantastic 3D graphics while maintaining 2D gameplay. Featuring a WWII theme that I personally love in shooters (thing Strikers 1945, Metal Slug, etc), great control, weaponry, upgradable planes, and an epic soundtrack that gets you feeling like you are in a Hollywood war movie. A steal at $0.99. Dead Space http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dead-space-for-ipad/id396019894?mt=8 Haven't had a chance to spend too much time with this one yet, but it's graphically very impressive and has great controls. Ditching the virtual d-pad in favor of free controls is a route that a lot of developers are thankfully taking for iOS first and third person shooters. A brand new chapter in the horror series, not a port of the first game. On sale for a limited time for $0.99 from it's usual $9.99, so grab it quick! Infinity Field HD http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/infinity-field-hd/id391766089?mt=8 I loved Geometry Wars on the DS and it was one game I thought implemented the touch controls well enough to enjoyably play for long periods. And I spent many hours on that game. Infinity Field is very similar to Geometry Wars, with upgraded graphics and sound, and and many added gameplay elements. Fans of GW will love this one, as I do. Battle Squadron ONE 2-player http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/battle-squadron-one-2-player/id486449697?mt=8 A classic Amiga vertical shooter brought to iPad but with a twist. You can play 2-player co-op with an innovative split screen control scheme. Worth it for the soundtrack alone! Zombie Gunship http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombie-gunship/id435797419?mt=8 A simple but highly addicting game. You circle around an area destroying zombies and saving civilians, but the presentation is very unique. It's almost exactly like a military gun ship display with the somewhat grainy black and white display and targeting system. I play this one a lot, as it's very satisfying to blow up a crowd of 20 zombies with your Howitzer or pick them off one at a time with your Gatling gun. Puzzle Quest 2 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puzzle-quest-2/id398687544?mt=8 Another game I poured hours into for the DS was the original Puzzle Quest. It's a game that naturally works perfectly for the touch systems. This newer installment is very good, with great sound and presentation, and although I thought the story aspects of the original were more interesting, the added spells and gameplay elements make this a must-have for fans of the original. And if you've never played these games, give it a shot. It's an insanely addictive combination of an RPG and puzzle game, building up your character as you battle various monsters and demons.

Just finished rereading The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and was about to rewatch the movies next. Seeing the trailer got me pumped!!

Nah, if you go to hipster record stores around LA and other large cities there are tons of new cassette releases. The generation who grew up with them are having a nostalgia trip for them. In the same way I believe CDs will return at some point. Some bigger bands are also still releasing cassettes. Of Montreal recently released a cassette boxed set of all of their studio albums on tape:

The DOA games were never meant to be serious anyway. I love VF for it's purity but if you just want to have some fun casual matches with some friends the DOA games always satisfied.