Please, under no circumstances should any of you attempt what I have done in this video.

You hear me, Internet? What the hell are you waiting for? Why are you reading this? Why aren't you downloading RunMan: Race Around the World instead? While I'm of the opinion that the above video should be all of the proof that you need that this is one of the finest indie games ever made, I'll humor you.

RunMan is a game where you run to the right, sometimes to the left. You kill enemies. Always running. The game features very innocent looking graphics that resemble something a child would dream up while he was daydreaming in class. GO DOWNLOAD RUNMAN.

Want more? Here's a list of features ripped straight from the site:

Run through 35+ levels across 6 unique and preposterous zones!
Complete ridiculous feats of speed to earn shiny medals!
Unlock 4 lovable secret characters and probably some other stuff!
Colorful, bright, crude, colorful graphics!
Classic tunes courtesy of masters like Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Blind Blake, and more!

This blog has been a long time coming. Fresh off of completing Final Fantasy VI on the SNES, III if you're one of those people, I assumed that the denizens of Destructoid would like to know what I thought of the experience. Conceited of me, isn't it? After a failed blog attempt that I have now hidden in shame, several sleepless nights, and a few kilos of cocaine, I'm finally ready to tell you all about it.

As an experience, Final Fantasy VI is fantastic. It doesn't do much to hide the fact that it's a traditional JRPG, but honestly, it doesn't need to. The Esper system provided enough variety to keep me engaged, and the diversity of the fourteen character party provided more than enough unique abilities to sate my lust for complex battle systems. I'm getting ahead of myself though, why don't we start with the basics?

As some of you know, Final Fantasy VI takes place in a steampunk setting, throwing you, the player, into the middle of a war between an evil Empire and a resistance faction known as the Returners. Sure smells like Star Wars in here, doesn't it? The Empire has recently acquired a new weapon known as Magitek armor that has allowed them to stamp out most all resistance and declare itself ruler of the free world. The story centers around Terra, a young girl whose mysterious ability to use magic has helped fuel Magitek's development and the Empire's rise to power. After a few dozen hours of epic adventuring, we come to find out that Espers are the source of magic, some things about the War of the Magi, Terra is half human, half esper, and after a continent is raised into the sky by Emperor Gesthal and Kefka, Kefka destroys the world.

Is that enough plot summary for you? It had better be.

Personally, while I found the overall story of Final Fantasy VI interesting and engaging, the little moments nestled inside it are what kept me coming back for more. Though I was perfectly happy to infiltrate a Magitek research facility to learn more about the evils of the Empire, I found the death of Cyan's family, a moment that takes up mere minutes of gameplay, more compelling. Sure, defending the Esper Tritoch against the Empire's army and battling Kefka atop a cliff was satisfying, but it pales in comparison to discovering the truth behind Shadow's past.

What about the opera house scene, Krow? Uh, what about it? Sure, it's entertaining, and it's a break from the relatively typical fantasy fair the rest of the game off , but I don't understand why people laud this scene as one of the finest moments in Final Fantasy VI, let alone the series as a whole. It didn't have near the impact on me that the aforementioned little moments in the game did, and when it was all over with, I shrugged and moved on with my quest. Please don't beat me to death king3vbo.




More than the story, I greatly enjoyed the combat. To be honest, I can't give you a very clear reason as to why, suffice it to say that I did. Perhaps it was giving Locke the ability to kill any enemy in one turn? I can't say for sure. What I can do is show you how I fared against Kefka's monument to pain and the Godly magician himself in the videos at the end of the post.

Final Fantasy VI helped to confirm a few things for me as a long time fan of the Final Fantasy series. For one thing, I learned why I can play any of the titles in the series nearly endlessly like some people play Gradius III and Ikaruga, and not feel like I'm wasting time. It's a little weird, possibly a bit stupid, and it's very likely you won't understand it. Each Final Fantasy title is familiar to me, regardless of whether or not I've played it before. There is a system in place that I've experienced before, a musical style I've grown fond of, and a sense of working my way from a level one wimp to someone who can kill a God without flinching. Aside from satisfaction via gameplay, the cast of characters in each title is one I'm instantly familiar with. When I pop in a Final Fantasy, it's like I'm visiting old friends. Is this sad and nerdy? Fuck yeah it is, but it's also true.

When I had first entered the World of Ruin, and it dawned upon me that I was going to be marching around looking for my lost comrades, that the overall plot had come to a griding halt, I was initially discouraged. As I traveled the world, peering into the shattered lives of my lost companions, I realized that I was grateful. I'd been given an opportunity to understand the fictional people I had been traveling with for so long, a brief glimpse into their tiny, pixelated lives. Of course, Final Fantasy IX was brilliant enough to weave moments like that into the overall plot of the game, but we're not talking about that right now. We're talking about final Fantasy VI, and it's a damn fine game in its own right.

You should play it if you haven't, and if you have, you should play it again. So sayeth I.

Welcome, welcome! After hearing that the Chronotorious album by The Bad Dudes was receiving a limited run of 1,000 copies made, I rushed to make a purchase. I had such confidence in the people behind this project that I didn't even bother checking out the samples before I made my purchase. Was that confidence well placed? Is Chronotorious worth it? Read on soldier; I'll tell you all about it.

Before I tell you though, why don't we have a picture fapfest?



Here we have the shiny cover of the Chronotorious album, featuring artwork by the very talented Brianne Drouhard.



Here we have the back of the Chronotorious case. It features the full track listing with the original songs from Chrono Trigger in brackets next to the new mixes.



Is that a Nu? I think it is! Written underneath our lazy friend are the words, "All life begins and ends with Nu." I'm giddy that they managed to sneak in one of my favorite, cryptic quotes.



Wait, there's more? Upon unfolding the insert, we're treated to even more artwork by Ms. Drouhard. This one sees the ensemble dancing Charlie Brown style around a campfire, bringing to mind the famous scene where the group questions the nature of the rift in time. Notice that Magus is scowling. He's always so grumpy!



To the left of the campfire dance party, we have an introduction to the adventure we went on all those years ago.

"It all began aeons ago, when man's ancestors picked up a shard of strange red rock.
It's power, which was beyond human comprehension, cultivated dreams in turn, love and hate were born.
Only time will see how it all ends."




Up next we have the CD itself. It shows off the party in its entirety, each doing a pose befitting their character and storylines. It makes me happy just looking at it!



Not only has everything we've looked at so far been amazing, but there's even more to gaze upon! Here we have the pack in poster, drawn by Steph Laberis. It's a depiction of Zeal, and it's going up on my wall immediately.



Here's a zoomed in shot of Chrono, Marle, Lucca, and the Nu.





Ah, what do we have here? There's more to this poster than meets the eye. Here we have a description of each song by the artist who wrote it, as well as a cute rendition of Gato. As you can see in the zoomed in view of Gato, the girls go wild for him.



Finally, here's a picture of my shaggy head holding Chronotorious up for the camera. Why? Because.

If you'd like to read the descriptions on the poster, check out the gallery for the larger sized versions of all of these pictures and even more tasty shots.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get into the meat of it. Chronotorious features sixteen different tracks by various members of The Bad Dudes, each with his or her own style and flair. If you're a fan of diversity in music, Chronotorious has it in spades. I'm going to list out each of the tracks below, along with my thoughts and impressions on my favorites. It almost feels wrong talking about music this good, as I'm no musician, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

1. CHRONOTORIOUS - The album starts off with this electronic/funk arrange of Chrono Trigger, the original games main theme. It features an eclectic mix of various instruments, including the piano and an electric guitar. It's good stuff.

2. Castle Rock - A remix of the theme that played within Guardia Castle. More than any of the other tracks on this album, this song scream Chrono Trigger. It's a nice song to kickback to.

6. B.A.M.F. - An arrange of the battle theme that plays when you confront Magus, this may be my favorite arrange on the album. Composed by Dhsu and Mustin, the track switches between a more electronic/funk sound and the tones of a piano. My opinion may be biased by my love of Magus a character, but that love tells me they couldn't have captured him any better than this.

14.Forest Steppin' - A remix of the theme that plays in Guardia Forest, this is the other contender for my favorite on the album. I can't quite put to words just why I love it so much, other than to tell you that I do.

Should you purchase Chronotorious? Yes, you most definitely should. For a mere $12 you'll be getting some of the best Chrono Trigger mixes out there, high quality art work, five bonus songs, and you'll be supporting some of the best video game musicians in the business. Without a doubt, this is a must own for any Chrono Trigger fan.

Welcome to The Music Game, my rather uncreatively titled once a week segment on memorable games music. Requests for what games you'd like to see my tackle next are welcome in the comments below, any request will be added to my list. Unfortunately, I know very little about music outside of what I can hear and the feelings I associate with various songs. This will not be a professional analysis of the video game music genre as a whole, more of a look at the various memorable songs that have swung our way over the years.



Final Fantasy X was a landmark game for the series in several ways. It was Square's first foray into sixth-generation consoles, it was the first Final Fantasy to inspire a direct sequel, and it was the last Final Fantasy that Nobou Uematsu would work on before leaving Square and working freelance. Join me as I try very, very hard to forget that Final Fantasy X is mostly loved by thirteen year old girls. *blech*

Final Fantasy X is one of my favorite games in the whole of the series, thanks in no small part to the fantastic soundtrack. Composed in equal parts by Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu, with several tracks composed by Junya Nakano, it's a diverse soundtrack with an organic sound intermixed with the techno-beats Final Fantasy VII popularized.

Uematsu is definitely the most prominent composer on this soundtrack, churning out the battle theme, boss themes, and other standard Final Fantasy fair, as well as the memorable title track "To Zanarkand" and various character themes. As with all of Uematsu's Final Fantasy compositions, it has a very distinct sound that gamers have come to associate with Final Fantasy, while still holding true to the tone of the game.

The first set of songs I'd like to point you towards are the various "Hymn of the Fayth" compositions. Each Aeon has his or her own hymn, while these are accompanied by several event specific hymns. Each hymn gave me the impression of something divine; while the underlying sense of hope in the face of eternal despair of that pervades Spira remains present. After hearing these various themes throughout the course of Final Fantasy X, it was made all the more disconcerting to hear Yunalesca's hymn. The distorted vocals gave it a sinister feel, and made me question the goal I had been striving for through the course of the game.

Hymn of the Fayth


Though the end-game of Final Fantasy X can turn into a grinding nightmare if you allow it, the main battle theme was enough to keep my grinding heart going. The use of what synthesized trumpets alongside the underlying piano relaxed me and helped to soften the overwhelming grind the game had become. The other battle themes present are just as enjoyable, with "Fight With Seymour" standing out as my absolute favorite boss theme in any Final Fantasy. I should point out that Enemy Attack was not composed by Uematsu, it was instead composed by Junya Nakano. Final Battle was also not Uematsu's work, it was instead the composed by Masashi Hamauzu.

Battle Theme


Enemy Attack


Challenge


Fight With Seymour


Final Battle


Moving on, we have the various themes of Final Fantasy X, and standing at the forefront, "To Zanarkand". It is a very simple track featuring only a piano. It does its job of setting a tone for the rest of the game well, showing the player the overwhelming sadness that surrounds the entirety of Final Fantasy X and Spira. Also showcased here are the various character specific themes, of which my favorites are Auron's, Seymour's, and Yuna's.

To Zanarkand


Yuna's Theme


Auron's Theme


Seymour's Theme


I'll finish off with what's left, various environmental themes and event-specific tracks. Each is well suited to its respective area or event, with "Suteki Da Ne'?, "Assault", "The Splendid Performance", and "The Unsent Laugh" stealing the show. It's in these individual moments that the strength of FFX's soundtrack really comes through, banking on its diversity and inherent charm.

Spira Unplugged


The Sending


The Splendid Performance


Peril


Assault


Suteki Da Ne?


The Truth Revealed


The Unsent Laugh



The Final Fantasy X soundtrack resonated with me in several ways, especially after reading this wonderful article local Dtoider Altered Beets wrote on how FFX is a jungian masterpiece. As a player, the soundtrack instilled in me a sense of adventure, mystery, and hope. It's unfortunate that so many gamers write it off as Square milking the Final Fantasy cow dry, and I should hope that if you've been on the fence about playing it, that the music you've heard here will inspire you to give it the fair shot it deserves.

For those of you who have waited so patiently, here's a video to cool your burning eyes.

To Zanarkand + Intro

Fellow users of Destructoid, men, women, children alike, I have discovered the true identity of local community member Scary Womanizing Pig Mask. After much SCIENCE! and REASON! I have deduced that SWPM is the Rick Moranis. All five of you who remember the contest I teased last month will be happy to know that free games and Rick Moranis are related.

Stay tuned for more and remember to send your fan mail to scarywomanizingpigmask@gmail.com.