Oops. Anyway, to the points!

1 point each for SoJTuna, Lawofthermaldynamics, Smurfee McGee, and HandsomeBeast!

2 for DynamoJoe!

And 3 for Occams Electric Toothbrush!

You know the rules, and you know what you're fighting for. On to the post!



I have been stuck for quite a while in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I have been stuck on the ice palace, and it's been a month or two by now. I should really just give in and get tips from a walkthrough or YouTube on how to figure the part out, but I'm a stubborn sumbitch. Speaking of horrible segues, it's time for...

REXWWOOOOOOLLLLLFFFFFF... TRIVIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

What is the special item that may be found in the ice palace?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNDDDD...

GO!

So, we here at Rex software have decided that, even though you fellas love RandomWolf, it needs a reboot to appeal to today's children. So, expect fewer colors, less Nintendo, and hard rock to replace the planned jazz and chiptune for this edition's music. Also, it will feature a younger, angsty Rex. Enjoy!

Champions: The first word I saw
Random Thoughts are back with a vengeance!


Champions. We are the champions is a Queen song, which I don’t especially care for anymore due to overexposure to it, which is the same with We Will Rock you. I like Queen a lot. They can rock hard, or be light and airy, often within the same song (Innuendo is an amazing example of this). One of my favorite parts of that song is the Spanish guitar. I speak limited Spanish, and so does Talia Edit: That was phrased badly. Talia is a native Spanish speaker. . Hi Talia! Does anybody else speak Spanish? I really haven’t seen many people on chat recently. I tried to talk to what’s-his-face with cutter Kirby as an avatar (sorry, I can’t remember your name right now and I’m typing really quickly!) this weekend, but I don’t know where he went, because he never continued the conversation. The continue screen is something I see relatively often in Street Fighter IV when I’m playing arcade mode. I love the 3DS, it’s pretty nifty and I’m a bit worried about Cave Story 3DS, because the screens have been mixed with whether I like them or not and my mind is just blank right now- I like bagels! I had a plain bagel straight up the other day, and it was great! A bit of it was charred so I had to throw it out, though. Okay, now I feel like finishing. I’m going to go get a bagel.

Edit: Sorry, Venus! I got your name mixed up with somebody else’s, and couldn’t untangle my mind. Here are some cookies to make up for it.

Doctor Horrible
Or, an attempt to once again siphon votes from Whedon fans. (And possibly PixelSith64)


Do you like musicals? Neil Patrick Harris? Joss Whedon? Super heroes and villains? Wait, what? None of those? What do you mean I'm asking too many questions? You're one to talk. I don't see how you can dislike all of those things. Anyway, now that that's over, I'll chat about Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Quite a few factors contribute to me considering it one of the best things ever. It tells the story of a villain who is really a pretty nice guy, his superhero nemesis who is kind of a dick, and a philanthropic woman who is the object of affection. The cast is fantastic, and each person fits their parts marvelously. Catchy songs with great lyrics are helped by the great singing voices of the main characters. The entire thing just feels genuine and heartfelt. You will laugh, cry, and sing along- and I sound a bit too much like an advertisement. Just watch Doctor Horrible, okay? You won't regret it.

Games, games, games!
Or, what I've been playing.


This baby showed up as a 620x350 image. It was too adorable not to use.

Super Mario RPG is a game that I've been playing, and I couldn't be very much happier with it! While it may be the precursor to every other Mario RPG, I find it to be one of the best, if not the best! The battle system is fun, and landing an attack right is extremely rewarding. Add in funny dialog, cool characters, and snazzy graphics, and you've got yourself a winner! Possibly one of my favorite parts is the grind-friendly nature of death- you get to keep all of your experience! There's one part right before a boss where that can be majorly abused, and abuse it I did. I never said I was perfect!

Super Metroid is another game that is quite excellent, and I've been making slow progress in it. The gameplay is still excellent, and the boss fights continue to be superb as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to utilize the cool grappling beam method of killing Draygon that Chad featured in The Memory Card.

What I've probably been playing the most is Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition. Such an excellent game, it is. As I continue to play, I find more and more secrets and strategies that help me improve myself. I also find it amazing that nearly every character I've played as feels badass and powerful. Right now, I have a small hit list going of people that irk me. Ibuki, Adon, and Hakan could really go without their voice boxes, and I have to give C. Viper brownie points for calling Hakan annoying during her rival fight with him. Not long ago, I played a few matches online with SteezyXL, who claimed to be "rusty." It was quite fun, and marks the first time I've played anything against a Dtoider. Final note: While you're supposed to do trials to improve your skills, I'm mostly just doing it for the adorable cartoon-head icons that you can unlock for each character by beating 16 levels.

The Law Corner
Or, you brought this upon yourself, Matt.


Lawofthermaldynamics, you've given me so many things to talk about, they need their own section. Here goes!

You may remember Law's blog about Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, and I know I do. Because of this recommendation, I checked it out, and found myself enjoying it immensely. I do not read much manga, but I know good stuff when I read it, and Lucifer is good stuff. You can read Law's blog for more information about it, but I'm going to post my thoughts about it here. The plot is amazing and well-paced, and I always was clamoring for more information about the characters, backstory, and everything else that was to come. The characters are excellent, and every one is important in their own way. Even those that I didn't initially like, I came around to understand and enjoy. Also, the fights are amazing.



Baccano! is another thing that I enjoyed. Having remembered that Law liked it, I looked it up on Netflix, and lo and behold, it was there! From the very beginning of the opening (which I included above), I was laughing, and easily fell in love with the series. While the number of characters may seem intimidating, by the end I knew every single one, each of whom had a unique story to tell. The period setting of the 1930's goes amazingly with the soundtrack, which is quite fun, indeed. Now for my favorite part of the series: Isaac and Miria. The two lovable thieves may possess the intelligence of children, but they are just as lovable and optimistic as them, too. Nearly every seen they're in is hilarious, and they made the show for me. Watch Baccano!

Just this weekend I read The Importance of Being Earnest on Law's recommendation, and it is brilliant! Extremely witty and funny (the muffins stand out, in addition to any mention of Bunburying), the play by Oscar Wilde is a must-read, for any fan of literature.

Finally, I cracked a joke on Twitter (follow me @Rexwolff2!) yesterday about him giving me fashion tips, to which he replied that red was in this year. When I opened my dresser drawer this morning, the first thing that I saw was a red shirt. The man is a genie, I tell you!

Supply of Blue
Or, I lied. Here's the regularly planned musical selection.


It's no secret that I love Anamanaguchi, but this is the first time that I've ever been able to review one of their albums, which I am excited to do. Power Supply is their first album, released for free online, which I didn't know until I Googled it about a week ago, resulting in an instant download. Being their first album, I expected a little bit less polish and shine than what I was used to, and while that came true, the music blew me away. Each song is unique, and has something to say. Fast Turtle, for instance, has a great melody, which is made even better by a sudden and effective slowing of tempo in the final third of the song. While all chiptune sounds somewhat like it's from a game, Airbase sounds especially so, and I am genuinely sad that it isn't in one. The last song that I will analyze, Flora/Fauna is a beautiful and fluid tune, which I find to be more genuine and natural than most music made with "conventional" instruments. At seven songs long, it's a bit short, but well worth the memory it takes up.
Rex Rating: About this level of AMAZING!

Kind of Blue, from the great Miles Davis, was recommended to me by KRA1D after I admitted that I had no jazz in my collection. Upon download, I found myself listening to a real gem of an album, with great songs that, for once, I could use purely to relax and feel good. Also, I found out that listening to this kind of jazz makes playing Street Fighter at the same time nigh impossible. If you have any good suggestions for other jazz, tell me! I'm always eager to expand my collection.
Favorite song: So What
Rex Rating: Fabulous

A Random Finale
Or, thoughts to take with you.


This image was actually from Dtoid, it seems that 620x350 is the site standard.

I love Spongebob.

What irks me is rappers who use others' music to rap over. The other day, I thought I heard My Sharona, but it was just somebody rapping over the tune. I just want to listen to My Sharona, goddammit!

I promised another Rex, PI a while back, but I have been quite, quite, busy. This week especially, because of a play that I was in. The final week of production leaves one with little to no free time. If you haven't ever participated in a theater production, I highly recommend it. I've been doing it since I was a freshman in high school. It may consume time, but it's quite rewarding in the end, and quite fun, also.

I think I'll do several trivia installments this week.

Also, don't forget to fap! I've spent three hours on this post!

Due to my current distance from a computer, you are just going to have to imagine the picture.

Currently, the point total stands at:

1 each for Tuna, Law, and HandsomeBeast!

2 for DynamoJoe!

And 3 for Occams! (who I may just have to give an extra point for introducing me to Hellsing. But if I did that, I'd have to give Law two for Baccano.)

Remember, the prize is the ability to give me a prompt for a special blog. If you don't want it, you can drop out any time. (which is recommended, only seven people may compete.) The first to five points wins!

-------------------------------------------

I've talked about Street Fighter before. It's pretty darn awesome. My two best characters are definitely M. Bison and Ryu. And now it's time for...

REXWOOOOOOOLLLLFFFF... TRIVIAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Interesting fact: Bison is called Vega in Japan. M. Bison was originally going to be the name of a different character, and the M actually stood for something. What did the M stand for, and what is the current name of that other character?

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnddddd...

GO!

[Yeah, sorry about not posting this. I’ve been busy. Very busy. Anyway, this is the fifth installment of RandomWolf and… I have no idea what fifth installments are supposed to mean. Let’s get on to the ramble.

Yet another addition of random rambling
Or, letting my mind wander on too long of a leash


Today I will talk about… Salamanders. Salamander, charmander. Charmander is pretty awesome, and so is Charizard, but I’ll always love Typhlosion the most. Speaking of Typhlosion, I can’t find my copy of Heart Gold, and that makes me a sad panda. I also lost my copy of Platinum, too, but that was before I even got far in it. I’m going to stop talking about Pokemon now. I am super stoked for Cave Story 3D! I am also stoked for OoT, too. I did like Majora’s Mask a bit better, though. It had awesome masks, like the Goron mask, which let you roll around really fast. I want a dinner roll. I love rolls of all kind and- OH YES! I just realized that I have some Hawaiian sweet rolls! Those things are amazing. If you haven’t tried any before, fix that. *Temporary mind jam* Also, I like Hawaiian pizza. Not everybody else does, though. Pineapple is delicious. All right, now I’m hungry. I’m going to… break out in song and dance! I have no idea where that thought came from. I am working in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, though. Community theater=very fun. Now somebody’s talking about paper near me. I like Paper Mario. The second is probably my favorite. Bye, I’m going to go eat some rolls!

THE 3DS!
Or, it runs on unicorn shit and rainbow tears


I got my 3DS about a week ago, and it is such a fantastic piece of tech. The pack-in games, while entertaining, lost their luster quickly. I did find the Star Pics app or whatever it’s called to be very entertaining, though. My favorite picture is that of Kirby flying towards Samus on a Warpstar while she fires a laser at him. The 3D effect is fantastic, and while it’s not super-amazing, it is still quite nice. Nearly everybody I showed it to had commercial-worthy reactions (except the guy that said “Holy shit…” something tells me that Nintendo wouldn’t put that in a commercial). The viewing range wasn’t very bad, and I’ve even had people see it while watching over my shoulder.

The thing that I show to most people to showcase the effect is M. Bison’s Nightmare Booster. Quite a few of the Ultra Combos in Street Fighter look amazing in 3D, and they're really the only thing that I use 3D for. I am a fighting game novice, so the touch screen combos are amazing for me. While I can and do actually perform the combos by hand with characters like Ryu and Akuma, for the life of me I cannot pull off Bison's combos. The graphics of the game are fantastic, and so is the gameplay. Right now, I'm mostly playing with Bison and Ryu. With Bison, I use an alternate costume and color that are best described as "gay space ranger," and seeing him in said outfit getting his rear handed to him by the barrel minigame amuses me to no end. Also, I love how one of Zangief's alternate outfits is Robo-Zangief. That makes me very happy for some reason...

Ghost Trick
Or, the end of some awesome


So, I finished Ghost Trick a while back. It was an AMAZING game! In the levels near the end, the music changed ever so slightly to make the game feel more intense, and it worked! The characters became more and more compelling as the game went on, and mysteries became tangled, interweaving into a beautiful spider web that may be seen clearly once one nears the end. A certain gameplay change (no spoilers here!) that happened was absolutely fantastic, and quite fun to use. The ending is a bit surprising, and does not lack charm. Finally, MISSILE! Oh lord, he is such an adorable little puppy, and his presence is simply a gift from the gods. My one complaint: The final chapter was far too easy. If you haven't done so already, buy this game!

Super Metroid
Or, I guess atmosphere is one word for it...


Super Metroid is a marvelous game. I downloaded it on... Friday, I believe? ...and I've been playing the hell out of it. The amount of awesome that the game throws at you is impressive. A definite highlight is using the speed boost in conjunction with a ramp to literally fly across a room. One thing that many people talk about is atmosphere. The game definitely has that. One thing I love is how it constantly kept me on my toes at the beginning. Want to get a morph ball and missiles by revisiting a place from the original? Fine, but now our planet is suddenly alive and full of lightning-shooting robot mantises. Want some bombs? Well, this Chozo statue is going to fight you for them.

Now, we must get to another point: The game kinda scares me. I was fine until the battle with Crocomire (shown above). After losing a few times, I finally figured out the strategy, and was rewarded by the image of Crocomire's flesh melting away as it screamed in agony. Let me just say that I'm glad I never played it as a child. After that, other than a small scare from Crocomire's skeleton (did I say small? I meant large), I advance undaunted. Until the wrecked ship. Upon entry, it feels eerie, but not overly so. I move into the save station. Hm. It doesn't wor- HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT?!?! Yes. A floating ghost orb formed of rotting skulls. Luckily, I died, which was a perfect excuse to go play Super Mario RPG instead. I am a wuss.

The Stranger is Dead
Or, music! Yippee!


So, my first album of the post is "The Stranger," a fabulous record by the talented Billy Joel. Funnily enough, Law suggested I download a few BJ (damn! I told myself I would stop using those initials!) songs, The Stranger being one of them. Somehow, the entire album was on my computer without my knowledge. At first, I disliked some of the slower songs, but after many re-listenings, I realized that it was because I was simply in an overenergetic caffiene-fueled frenzy at the time. While short, this album is not lacking in any way, with a great volume of awesome packed into nine songs. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) is a marvelous opening, and when it is followed by the eponymous track, they form a nigh unbeatable pair of amazing songs. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant and Only the Good Die Young are also two great tracks.
Rex rating: It's Billy Joel! Of course it's amazing!

Now, there is also a story behind this album, too. Apparently, somebody that my brother and I know is The Decemberists' manager. Since I had heard of them on occasion, I decided to download their newest album. Apparently containing much more country than their other music (which I have yet to hear/download), "The King is Dead" is quite the entertaining record. A few tracks that I consider the cream of the crop (or at least the ones I like the most) are "Rox in the Box," "Down by the Water," and "This is why We Fight." Also, death seems to be mentioned pret-ty often in the lyrics. Rex Rating: Great!

MiniMusings
Or, stuff not big enough for its own category

So, I recently had a third Dtoider invade my dreams. The first two were Law (We met, he was cool, the plot turned video game-y) and HandsomeBeast. (He was a slight dick and we fought it out Street-fighter style) This time, in only a small cameo via text message, it appeared that Talia was both in trouble with the law, and part of an underground fighting/boxing ring. My dreams are an odd place.

Watching Code Monkeys on Netflix, I can say that it's... alright. It is successful in making a TV show/retro game hybrid, but a lot of its humor doesn't appeal to me. Although, I caught some Retro City Ransom and Mega Man in some of the actions of the characters' sprites, which makes me happy.

I couldn't retrofit it into my paragraph about SFIV3D, but I tryed out C. Viper earlier today, and I like her. She's got an interesting style (With easy to pull off moves! Yay!).

Sunday was my birthday, and I was planning on having this post ready by then for a big birthday blowout, but things fell through. However, I did get enough cash to finance the purchases of my next few must-have 3DS games!

I made this in about twenty minutes when I was bored.

I'm hopefully going to get Rex, PI #4 up by next Friday. I'm also planning a super-secret blog that requires me to finish a certain game...

Blogging again feels good.

So, I'm not recapping the post this time because I'm tired and want some sleep!


This turned up when I tried to find a 620x300 picture of "sleep." No. Friggin. Way.

GOOD NIGHT!

Sorry about the absence of trivia lately; I've been busy. I've been busy. I'm going to keep this short, because there's a RandomWolf I'm working on that'll be up by today or tomorrow.

Law and (Not-so)HandsomeBeast each have one point!

DynamoJoe has two!

And Occams has THREE!



So, I downloaded Super Metroid yesterday. It is marvelous. Details can be found in the RandomWolf, but I can say this: I can see why it fights A Link to the Past as Chad's favorite game. And now it's time for...

REXWOOOOOOLLLFFFFTRIVIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Anyway, the above suit is the Power Suit. There is another suit, though, that is better, orangeier (thatis a word!), and has larger (and more awesome) shoulder pads. Name it.

Also, tomorrow is a special day for me. Naming what it is will also net you a point if somebody else hasn't already scored and you can't name the suit..

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNDDDD...

GO!

As I read through this month's series of musings about difficulty, I think about the games discussed and chuckle to myself. "Hell, I'd never be able to play through those games," I say.

While I may be a bit hard on myself, I do have a point: I'm not exactly what you would call a "skilled" gamer. Years of easy games and uneven genre exposure has made sure of that. When I play a game, I'm not generally looking for a challenge or frustration. Sure, I may enjoy getting my fix of adrenaline-pumping difficulty once in a while (Bit.trip RUNNER comes to mind, having dethroned the dreaded miner Non Trotski after over a month of efforts not long ago), but I usually enjoy easier games. I can't think of any series that is both so fun and so fabulous as the Kirby franchise is.

The Kirby series was created specifically so that anybody, casual or hardcore could beat the games. While a series engineered in that way may result in a shallow, boring experience in the hands of some, the exploits of our favorite ball of pink fluff have been anything but. Somehow, the fellas at HAL managed to create and maintain a series that is known for not only its low difficulty, but is also a boatload of fun.

So, how could this be so? The phrase "no pain, no gain" often comes to mind when talking about video games in terms of difficulty and fun. Many people think that for a game to be engaging and entertaining, it has to maintain a delicate balance of difficulty without being too easy or too hard. Kirby bucks this trend by starring in games that are simply entertaining, no matter how big or small the challenge is.



Not only does our courageous puffball have appeal to some gamers despite being easy, but I'd say that being easy is one of the reasons that Kirby is so fun. Let me expand on that: the fun comes not from being easy, but it comes from the feeling of pure power that many abilities give you. Nearly anybody who has played a video game can tell you how satisfying it is to land a huge hit. Kirby deals out huge hits left and right. Many of his abilities (hammer and UFO are prime choices) can kill foes in the blink of an eye, and nearly all of them are completely different and fun to use.

One of my favorite Kirby abilities of all time, Master from Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, is a perfect illustration of how power is so damn fun. This is the legendary sword wielded by Meta Knight we're talking about here, so you know it's going to be some amazing shit. It was designed to be the end-all be-all of weapons in the game. Need to pound in a stake? Master can do that. Need to light a fire or cut a rope? Master can do that, too. The description even says that it can solve any puzzle in the game. As if this wasn't enough, the moves you can do are amazing. A charged up wave of energy, a flurry of slashes, and a move where Kirby turns into a spinning torpedo of death are just a few things you can do with this veritable swiss army knife of death, and they are all extremely satisfying.



When Kirby isn't blowing through enemies with an overpowered fire sword, he makes sure to throw in a bit of creative fun, too. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror had a nonlinear, fully explorable world, something never attempted before or again by a game in his series (but similar to the Maze in Brawl's Subspace Emissary mode). With a group of friends only a phone call away and a large expanse of levels to explore at your leisure in any order you choose, the game set itself apart from other platformers (and cuddled up a bit closer to Castlevania and Metroid). Also, one of the boss fights in the game, the Mega Titan, found me coming back again and again. In it, you find yourself in a room with a giant floating robot, with four flying fists. Normal attacks don't hurt him, but by returning the stars created when his fists hit the ground, you can knock him into the electrified walls and kill him.

Another boss fight, this time from Kirby Super Star (Ultra) is one of my all-time favorite fights ever. Computer Virus, arguably one of the most meta boss fights a Nintendo game has ever featured, pits you against three enemies (slime, puppet, and wizard, or wizard, knight, and dragon depending on when you fight), but there's a catch. There are several old-fashioned computer "windows" up, showing the enemy's HP, the enemy himself, and the best part, a message bar that describes what's going on. It plays like an RPG, with Kirby and the characters taking turns to attack. The best part is the end. After the death of the third enemy, windows start to close, and the game awards you EXP (not that it really matters) and powers up stats such as "squishiness," "courage," and "eye sparkle." Was the fight hard? Not really. Was it fun and entertaining? You bet your ass.

All of the fights described above are quite easy, and the abilities overpowered. While that may sound like a dealbreaker for a game, it's what makes a Kirby game a Kirby game. Sure, there are parts where you may be challenged, such as any boss rush or the always exemplary duels with Meta Knight, but they make up the minority of the Kirby experience. The little fella has never been about challenging fights or balanced abilities, but these things are instead made in a way that's just fun to play. In my mind, Kirby is one of gaming's greatest badasses, and after reading this, I hope you know why.