tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56373099016954735232024-03-12T20:47:56.957-07:00Cyborg Haven: Blog of a Gamer GirlThere are more female gamers than ever before nowadays. This blog will let others in the blogosphere know that I am another girl who loves to play video games. I will write about my recent gaming experience as well as doing some reflection on video games I've played earlier in my life. There will also be the occasional reaction to video game-related news.Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.comBlogger281125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-64678345826384178862015-02-20T15:47:00.000-08:002015-02-20T15:47:00.638-08:00Where Have I Been? Announcement 02-20-2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've been following along, I haven't updated this blog since September. I hope to end that dry spell now. I have a new announcement.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am leaving my medical coding and billing career.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a hard decision to make. I spent two years preparing for that career. It became a problem when I realized that if I were to continue and get a job in that field, my writing would suffer. It has been suffering long enough. For months I was depressed about it and wondered if I should stay in that path. As I tried to prepare for a certification exam, the career was suffocating my writing and creativity outlets and I was losing sight of who I am and what I truly wanted. I know now that medical coding and billing is not the right career for me.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Writing is. I am good at typing/word-processing, and I love the computer. I love being expressive and creative. My writing may not be at its best now, but I am willing to learn more and improve my writing skills so as to write for professional purposes. I can exercise my curiosity more often now and not feel like they are distractions. I should still have a day job, but in the long run I would like to write for a living.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So on that note, I am going to attempt to keep Cyborg Haven going. I am sorry for those who thought I gave up on it. I simply was letting life take control of me, when <em>I</em> needed to take control of my life. It's time to move on and be happy. Look forward to the future instead of dread it.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Happy belated new year, and welcome to more possibilities!</span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-11654773404514252292014-09-05T21:50:00.001-07:002014-09-05T21:55:01.467-07:00Regarding plans for Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles, + My Love for Video Games <span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">It is just as I
feared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have become ambitious in
trying to finish My Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles and just didn’t get back to
putting up new chapters for quite some time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">As I may have said
before, pursuing this My Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles project was a way for me to
heal after I watched that video about the <em>Sonic.exe</em> computer game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to rebuild my appreciation of Sonic—not
that I didn’t have it already but, just to strengthen it I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had chapters of different points in my life
where I first played a new <em>Sonic</em> game, and I looked forward to updating Cyborg
Haven with these posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But lately this
project didn’t seem so important to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hate to say that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what’s
worse:</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I haven’t played a
console <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic</i> game in months. Not
even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Rivals 2</i> on the PSP.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">This year, new
priorities came up that are related to my new career, and for that my Sonic
writing project suffered. I still want to continue writing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really want to write about how I got
interested in Shadow the Hedgehog and what I thought was so cool about him back
then, in 2001.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shadow still deserves a
special post about him from me because though I love all three hedgehogs to
pieces—Sonic, Shadow and Silver—Shadow is ultimately my favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I at least want to do that before I stop
writing more chapters.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Maybe it won’t necessarily
be part of the project, but since I haven’t been playing any other video games
lately, then from time to time I would be writing mostly about my memories
playing Sonic games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have games
like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prince of Persia (2008)</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Devil May Cry 4</i> that I can return to
playing and write about when I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
can’t forget <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams</i>,
because<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love NiGHTS as well and still
vow to someday get the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NiGHTS into Dreams</i>
HD on Steam (I don’t have a Steam account; I plan to get one after being a
little more financially established).</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Perhaps along the
way I can also share links to YouTube videos that contain content from video
games I’ve enjoyed, or soundtrack songs from games I appreciate the music
from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Unleashed</i> has plenty of that. I love the soundtrack to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i> as well, especially
Shadow’s stages, Knuckles’ stages, and even the music for Rouge’s stages
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OMG, I can’t forget <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Final Fantasy VII</i> too!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe also I might share links to music
tracks from video games I haven’t played but have heard some of the music and
appreciate the musical score, like from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journey</i>
or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Assassin’s Creed</i>. And of course, if there is news about any new video games coming up such as <em>Final Fantasy XV</em>,<em> Kingdom Hearts 3</em>, or a new Sonic game (or even the <em>Sonic Boom</em> cartoon, y'all!), I'll write my thoughts on those too.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">No question I still
appreciate video games. Even though I am not playing them as much as I used to
before I changed my career, I want to share the joy video games give me with their gameplay, their stories, their music and their characters.</span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-21871027911180470802014-09-03T01:56:00.000-07:002014-09-03T02:24:45.227-07:00CYBORG HAVEN: 5 Years On The Internet!!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well guys,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can't believe it's been 5 years since I started writing this blog.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want to make a proper celebratory post on Cyborg Haven 2.0, but it will have to wait a bit longer. For now, I at least have a new cyborg drawing to go with a much-needed revamp of this blog. Either a revamp, or a bit of some changing up to refresh it's novelty.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still wanna keep this baby alive. :)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: red;">EDIT:</span></strong> It seems I am having trouble customizing this simple template. Maybe it is something to do with my Internet browser? It if comes to it, I may just have to change the <em>entire template itself</em>, and I don't wanna do that because I like how simple the layout is and where I can find everything. Bummer, man!</span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-64923185922607659832014-06-23T14:37:00.000-07:002014-06-23T15:09:18.573-07:00SONIC’S 23rd ON THE 23rd OF JUNE!!!! <span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Wow,
so it’s Sonic’s 23<sup>rd</sup> on the 23<sup>rd</sup> of June!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does that happen?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I’m writing this I am listening to Sonic
Radio on iTunes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As long as I am home on
the 23<sup>rd</sup> of June, each time I will celebrate part of the day by
listening to Sonic Radio on iTunes to some favorite remixes, favorite OST
tracks, and new ones I’ve never heard before that make the experience such a treat. I get so many smiles from this pastime.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
did this last year too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year it was
an event called Project 24, where several SEGA online radio stations were
scheduled to host a radio show each hour playing specifically remixes of music
from Sonic video games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to
listen to a lot of Sonic music remixes that I’ve never heard before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an amazing experience, so amazing that
I tried to find some Sonic-related podcasts that contained a lot of those
remixes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on a crazy search for really
cool Sonic remixes. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
am still collecting remixes. Mostly from iTunes podcasts, OC Remix and the
Sonic Stadium Music Depository of remix albums.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Lately
I’ve been distracted with another fandom: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Transformers</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been neglecting my Sonic games for the
last few months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But seeing as it is
Sonic’s 23<sup>rd</sup>, I am brought back to appreciating my favorite
childhood video game character again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sonic the Hedgehog has been a big part of my childhood and I don’t want
him to stop being a part of my life.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Last
year I was playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Rivals 2</i> at
least two times a week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I always played as either the three hedgehogs Sonic, Shadow and Silver, or Espio the Chameleon. </span>It is a
nice escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But </span>I haven’t touched my
PSP for quite a few months now.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Ah…!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Gamma E102's theme song is playing now!!!
Yay!!!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Sorry,
I had to say that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love that robot.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I’ve
tried to get back to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Unleashed</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t earn any new medals for daytime or
nighttime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I played “Dragon Road—Day” a
few times and had fun, but didn’t improve score by too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music track for this Day Stage always
makes me smile through my fails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hah
hah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I’m
listening to Sonic Radio now, and then I’ve got other things to do, then later
in the day I’ll log in and listen to it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I may visit some of the Sonic websites to see what other people say
about Sonic’s 23<sup>rd</sup>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Oh, "Symphonic Ruin" is playing now!! This is the remix that made me want to collect more Sonic remixes!! (see post <a href="http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/09/on-mission-to-find-remixes-from-sonic.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read more...)</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Well
Sonic, it’s your 23<sup>rd</sup> birthday/anniversary today, so Happy Birthday,
I love you, and keep on runnin’!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: cyan;">After thought: a link to the post about
my first true encounter with the Sonic the Hedgehog video game.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">1991—Sonic
the Hedgehog </span><br />
<a href="http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-sonic-fan-girl-chronicles-chapter-1.html">http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-sonic-fan-girl-chronicles-chapter-1.html</a>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-23430856929727766002014-03-30T14:40:00.001-07:002014-03-31T13:17:43.808-07:00My Anniversary of Beating the Game: Sonic Adventure 2<span style="color: orange;">I meant to post this on March 22, but life got in the way. So here it is,...the beginning of a thorough reminisce of my favorite Sonic game of all time, <em>Sonic Adventure 2</em>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">May
22, 2002.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this was…12 years ago!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man, I feel so old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in 11<sup>th</sup> grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on a Friday night, and for dinner I
had buffalo chicken wings and the “Mr. X” episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Simpsons</i> was on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
time did I start?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My spring break was
starting the next Monday and I was looking forward to basking in the joy that
is beating the game, but I ended up being depressed not only because I beat
this game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was depressed because
Shadow’s story ended in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Or
so we thought!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
still think about it every once in a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was probably one of the most triumphant—and bittersweet—finishing of
a Sonic game I’ve ever experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">The
reason why I am posting this little bit of my memory about the night I finished
the game, is because I am going to refer to my diary and document my writings
about what I thought or liked about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
Adventure 2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, Shadow the
Hedgehog is the #1 reason why I needed the SEGA Dreamcast in the first
place—the reason why we got one at all, thanks to Archie Comics' <em>Sonic the Hedgehog</em> #98..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the TV ad for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA2</i> aired,
we didn’t have a Dreamcast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then
we realized we needed to upgrade from SEGA Genesis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“Throw
It All Away” is still my favorite theme song for Shadow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was different from the usual rock music
that would be associated with Sonic. The first part is not sung, it is said,
and it made me nervous…but like a good nervous? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what to call the genre/style of
Shadow’s theme here… a cross between electronic and eclectic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Techno mix?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I dunno. But it certainly was a
different mood you don’t get with theme songs of other characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
am also watching the cut-scenes again from the game to have a direct refresh of
memory, since I haven’t touched this game for um…about 10 years. I can watch
them knowing now that Shadow is okay (at least maybe 75% of Sonic fans think so) but
I will also be reminded of how shocked or surprised I was when I witnessed what
was in my opinion the biggest moment for me in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA2</i>: Sonic and Shadow joining forces and turning
Super together!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">[Sigh]…so
the last two weeks of March always feel different because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i> was the video game that changed me the most as a
Sonic fan-girl. It is significant to me in the fact that this was around the time I finished the game. And I don't think I shared a lot of my feelings or experience about this game because I wasn't presently playing it. Plus there were other games I was playing. But I have to share them soon, because <em>SA2</em> is an important part of my gaming history, my gaming experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Should I make this part of the Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles? I probably can. I meant to do it as part of the series anyway, but it's just been delayed for a long while. It's finally coming. Too bad I couldn't post it toward the end of March. It will have to be in April, then. I have to still document and collect some more memories/journal entries about my time playing <em>Sonic Adventure 2</em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Come back again soon! I'll have some treats to share. ^__^</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-9279248709587470722014-02-06T14:56:00.000-08:002014-02-06T14:56:02.466-08:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Chapter 9—2001, Sonic Adventure
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: orange;">A long time coming but here it is, the next main chapter to my chronicles as a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog (and Shadow the Hedgehog, as you shall soon see...)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh my goodness, oh my
goodness <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
blown away by the beginning intro movie. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And jeez the rock music! There’s singing in
it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Singing!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The graphics were so amazing and fluid and
Sonic was…Sonic was uh…different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very
different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean I knew for a couple of
years, but…dayum, Sonic’ s longer quills, green eyes and…yeah, I’ll stop right
there before it gets weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
fifteen years old, and then sixteen years old when I got the SEGA Dreamcast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">This excerpt is from July
4, 2001.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hah, an Independence Day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t remember!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "MS Gothic"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="color: cyan;">★</span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">4<sup>th</sup>
O’ July</span></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yeah, I played </i>SA<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I began a little later than I [wanted to] cuz there was something extra
needed to plug in the Dreamcast machine with (or into the TV).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to help Dad with it cuz I was
definitely interested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, while Dad went
to Best Buy to get the extra cable, I read the instruction manual for </i>SA<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and I found out some cool stuff about the
game—‘bout Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Gamma E-102, and Big the Cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realized that this video game was more than
just collecting 7 Chaos Emeralds, freeing animals and busting up RBNK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact I think it was TOO MUCH!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I should be able to handle all of
that, but boy is this game something or what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is actual dialogue in the game… unlike the games for the SEGA
Genesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, I’ll write more tomorrow…</i></span><span style="font-family: "MS Gothic"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Gothic";"><span style="color: cyan;">★</span></span></div>
<br /><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">According to what I wrote the next few days after I
started playing the game, I seemed to have been in love with Sonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At my age of 16, w</span>as that weird?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And with Shadow too.</span> </span>I got a chance
to play <em>Sonic Adventure </em>pretty much almost every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helped me wait for the advent of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was before I had my own computer, let
alone experience the Internet (except for a few weeks in 7<sup>th</sup> grade
computer class elective).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I couldn’t
learn too much about Shadow at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, as for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure</i>, I
needless to say started with Sonic’s story in the game, and then little by
little tried out the other characters like Tails and Knuckles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knuckles’ story was especially interesting
because of the past with the other echidnas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were other echidna characters appearing in a Sonic game, it was bizarre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Supposedly Knux was the last of ‘em.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tougher than lava!....See what I did
there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His theme song was a rap?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A rap?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just cuz he has dreadlocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister
was a big fan of Knuckles; she was happy to play through his story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She enjoyed making m him run around in the
Mystic Ruins.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">And then…and then the
robot Gamma E-102.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still need to
write about him for my other blog Cybernetic Dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His story wasn’t very long, but it was a
nice story; he worked for Dr. Eggman and then eventually turned good and helped
out Amy Rose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But…but his story is
sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gamma E-102 is one of the robot
characters that led me to my fascination with robots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that is another story, maybe to be shared
on Cybernetic Dreams.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Gosh, there are so many
things to say about both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventures</i>,
but I don’t want each game post to be a whole book!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I‘ll mention some things, a few of which
might have its own post: The NiGHTS Pinball game OMG... And of course…the
new Super Sonic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yikes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>:O</span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-15121642101666159682014-01-19T21:46:00.000-08:002014-01-19T21:51:41.838-08:00My Sonic Fangirl Chronicles, Bonus Chapter: My Least Favorite Stages of Sonic Games<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ah, sorry guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next main chapter of my Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles
will have to wait a little longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, I’ll share
the stages that I liked the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">least</i> in
the games I’ve played.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): </i><u>Marble
Zone</u></span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2: </i><u>Aquatic Ruin</u>, <u>Wing
Fortress</u></span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3: </i><u>Carnival Night Zone</u>
(least favorite, not most hated—also, love the catchy carnival music,
though!)</span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic & Knuckles: </i><u>Sandopolis
Zone</u></span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast: </i><u>Spring Stadium
Zone</u></span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure: </i>Um…<u>The Skydeck</u>
stage in Sonic’s story</span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i>: Knuckles, <u>Meteor
Herd</u> (love the music; hate the frustrating search for Master Emerald
shards)</span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Unleashed</i>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the moment it might be <u>Arid Sands</u>
(I love the music but I want to get an A or S rank in this stage so bad!!)</span></span></li>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
</span>
<li style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Generations</i>: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>Crisis City Act 1</u> and <u>Planet
Wisp Act 1</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-15125141623305654042014-01-01T23:47:00.000-08:002014-01-01T23:47:08.555-08:00Happy New Year! New Year, New Beginnings<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy New Year, dear readers!! It's a new year and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for reading <strong>Cyborg Haven</strong> and for those stopping by for the first time, thank you! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Of course, I've still got a lot of my Sonic the Hedgehog history to share, but I'll see if I can fit in some other video game topics as well in the coming months.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am looking forward to the new year! Aren't you?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Is Mega Man X? We'll see...he's getting comic book exposure very soon! More on this later!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQS3jIPoVd4Dyi-jA4Jiy1y9V7oZC5KKyl4K6h0SAMk518UNiNhNxJ5nVNIpuY3yRet3nKmVZSdVhg6v3NfNrZM4RmI0ZmLRefOyFGxXxmkvC0VSkYvyLpqszpOoTe_xrqtZlRkeYA_WQ/s1600/MegaHead1b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQS3jIPoVd4Dyi-jA4Jiy1y9V7oZC5KKyl4K6h0SAMk518UNiNhNxJ5nVNIpuY3yRet3nKmVZSdVhg6v3NfNrZM4RmI0ZmLRefOyFGxXxmkvC0VSkYvyLpqszpOoTe_xrqtZlRkeYA_WQ/s320/MegaHead1b.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by AmethystAnne<br />
Mega Man X belongs to CAPCOM</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-43570802386915957782013-12-20T22:37:00.001-08:002013-12-20T23:54:52.642-08:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Bonus Chapter: Favorite Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog Games I’ve Played<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog (1991):</i> <u>Green
Hill Zone<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></u></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Sonic the Hedgehog 2: </em><span style="color: orange;">TIE: </span><u>Oil Ocean Zone</u> and <u>Metropolis
Zone<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></u></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Sonic the Hedgehog 3: </em><span style="color: orange;">TIE:</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em> </em></span><u>Hydrocity</u><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and </i><u>Ice Cap Zone<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></u></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic & Knuckles: </i><u>Lava Reef Zone</u> for
both Knuckles and Sonic<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast: </i><u>Diamond Dust Zone </u>(the music makes me smile)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure: <u>NiGHTS </u></i><u>Pinball
Game!!!</u> (I know, it’s not a stage, but…it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">NiGHTS</span></i>!)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Sonic Adventure 2: </em><span style="color: orange;">TIE: </span><u>Green Forest</u> for
Sonic; <u>White Jungle</u> for Shadow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Unleashed:</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>Dragon Road-Day</u> (sometimes frustrating
but the song makes me happy <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Rivals 2:</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: orange;">TIE:</span> </span><u>Mystic Haunt Zone Acts 1 and 3</u> (and Act 2 is my favorite Battle stage in this game because I like the music; I often have Sonic, Shadow and Silver fight there.) And the <u>Chaotic Inferno Zone</u> because I like the level design and music there too.</span></div>
</li>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Generations:</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>Green Hill Zone Act 2 </u>(gotta go fass!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next bonus chapter may be about my least favorite stages from Sonic games I've played.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Does anyone have a favorite Sonic stage they want to share and why?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-8601017900808492632013-12-10T19:13:00.001-08:002013-12-10T19:14:22.526-08:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Chapter 8—2001, The Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure: It’s Archie Comics’ fault!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In late June 2001 at the end of
our tenth-grade school year, my sister and I received #98 of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i> comic book from
Archie Comic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Issue #98 featured a tie-in with the story for
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very curious
about this other male hedgehog that was added to the cast of characters. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is this Shadow? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course not all hedgehogs are blue (ha ha)
but I wondered why Shadow was colored black and red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, in the comic book he was more like
dark navy blue and red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh no, an evil
hedgehog who looked like Sonic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually
if there was any kind of Sonic doppelganger, it would be a mechanical version
like Robo Sonic or Metal Sonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this
was a flesh and blood character, not a robot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Issues #79-84 featured the tie-in
with the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we read the comics before we got a
SEGA Dreamcast, so we were already exposed to the new form of Super Sonic
before playing the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA</i> Last
Story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wrote about my SEGA Dreamcast
experience often in my diary—just those three Sonic games, because those were
the only games we played for that console.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, I don’t have too good of a memory for what happened about getting
the new Dreamcast and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Shuffle</i> and later, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fortunately</b>,
those memories are kept secure in my diary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was able to find it, and I’m going to share an excerpt from it
here…since I’m so brave ;)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: SimSun;"><span style="color: lime;">★</span>
</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">July 3, 2001</span><span style="font-family: SimSun;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OHMYGOD,
I cannot sit still, in fact I couldn’t even eat my breakfast this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanna know why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll tell you know I can’t contain myself…WE
GOT DREAMCAST!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay—it all began when Sunday
[July 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>], I saw this BestBuy sales papers thing and, I looked in
it and saw a sale for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I looked above that, and I noticed
something even bigger…a Sonic Pack, complete w/ the Dreamcast machine including
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Shuffle</i>, as well as a playable demo of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SA2</i>!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahhghh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The perfect opportunity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told [Sis] that perhaps if we put our own
money into all that and ask our parents if we can buy it, maybe there’s a
chance that…well…we can own the new Dreamcast system after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So [Sis] [and I] secretly talked to each
other about any pros and cons of those games—a lot of pros, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was decided that Monday would be the day
to tell our parents about it, so yesturday (sic) right after dinner, I brought
it up, and [Sis] and I told them about the stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And guess what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They approved!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[Sis] and I were absolutely
overjoyed and excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We beamed “Oh my
god, this is GREAT!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is soooo
cool!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hard for me to sleep calm,
keeping in mind it was really warm in my room last night, plus I was really
excited ‘bout gettin’ Dreamcast and 2 ¼ Sonic games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think what kind of music/songs are gonna be
heard,
and everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I <span style="color: #d99594;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">love</span></span> </span>Sonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just knowing the fact that sometime this week we will own [the] SEGA
Dreamcast [console] made me the happiest girl in the neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Well,
this morning didn’t start out so hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was so nervous that when I started having cereal, I got gas that was bad enough
for me to run to the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned
to an upset stomach and I was forced to vomit my breakfast—what little of it I
ate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt much better after that, and
after a shower and clothes, I went with Mom and [Sis] to BestBuy to get the
Sonic Pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: lime;">★</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next main chapter, Chapter 9, will be about <em>Sonic Adventure</em>.</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-47516155826857732362013-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:002013-12-02T17:06:00.297-08:00The Gaming Historian: The History of Sonic the Hedgehog <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The other day I was
trying out how my link worked for a 1992 TV ad of the handheld LCD Sonic game,
(I posted about it <a href="http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/11/sonic-hedgehog-commercial-1992-tiger.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and after watching the video, YouTube recommended several more videos, and I
decided to check one out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gaming
Historian did a four-part series on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
the Hedgehog</i>—from his SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive days to his SEGA Dreamcast
days and a bit beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion,
this is an entertaining and well-organized presentation on Sonic’s history,
mentioning the names in SEGA and Sonic Team who brought Sonic into the video
game world and into many gamers’ hearts (like mine!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked how he talks about how Tails was
created and the introduction to Knuckles the Echidna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were even a couple of Sonic video games
I’ve never heard of until watching the second half of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Here is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M55Bpm38qqE" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, about 10 minutes long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If interested, you can watch the other three
parts of the series too (they are between seven to nine minutes each).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, check out more of the videos from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/mcfrosticles?feature=watch" target="_blank">The Gaming Historian</a><strong> </strong>YouTube
channel. He may have some nice history lessons on your favorite childhood video games!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
</span> </span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-1288490940388062382013-11-19T18:08:00.000-08:002013-11-19T18:16:28.093-08:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Bonus Chapter: Espio the Chameleon—The reason I like chameleons
<br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So….purple is my favorite
color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I guess in 1995 it helped me notice this
chameleon character from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knuckles Chaotix</i>,
a purple chameleon named <span id="goog_1992217179"></span></span><a href="http://info.sonicretro.org/Espio" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Espio<span id="goog_1992217180"></span></span></strong></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually
I learned that his name is part of the word “espionage”, spying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makes sense; chameleons blend in with their
immediate surroundings, so that name totally goes with him, and nowadays, he’s
been portrayed as a ninja character, sporting ninja stars and ninja leave-blades
and others of the sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think it
makes him cooler than before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">See…way back in 1995 I thought he
was a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was reading a video game
magazine and found a description for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knuckles
Chaotix</i> video game for the SEGA 32X system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it mentioned controlling the characters, it used the pronouns “
him/her.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must have confused me,
because if all the other characters were male then it must mean that the purple
character is a female.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Really it
doesn’t matter, there’s nothing wrong with males wearing purple at all).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The peach-colored area of this chameleon’s
chest was heart-shaped like a female character in the Sonic universe might have
(think Sally Acorn of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic SAT AM</i>
fame).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for a while, yeah, I thought
Espio was a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very kinda naked,
very cranky-looking girl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used to give him a nickname,
because I’d get nervous (shy, blush) whenever I said his name, so for a while I
called him “Metrio.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rhymed with
“Espio” didn’t it? Around then I’ve heard of the word “metro” before but I
didn’t understand what it meant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was…lessee, 1996…I was around 10 or 11 years old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made up a song about the
Chaotix Team too, or was it just Espio?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Actually
a lot of Sonic-related characters or stuff had inspired original music from Sis
and me…all of which we now both agree is stupid, but hey, we were kids and had
fun with it.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Years later when he makes an
appearance in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Heroes</i>, his voice
sounds pretty masculine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it
helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is his actual age,
anyways?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was sort of disappointed that his voice
sounded as deep as it did, but over time I got used to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even now I like his voice in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Rivals 2</i> and then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Generations</i> when Sonic has to
shine searchlights on him and do a homing attack to progress through the
challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s funny…ever since I was
fascinated with Espio, it became apparent over time that the chameleon turned
out to be my favorite lizard, really my favorite reptile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, if someone asked me if I had a
favorite <u>dinosaur</u>, I’d say mine is a triceratops—because it reminds me
of the chameleon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey…maybe the
chameleon might be a distant descendant of the triceratops, but I dunno.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is a job for research at a later time, I
suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They certainly didn’t have skin
that blended with their surroundings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought
it was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so interesting that chameleons
can do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sort of makes me want to read up on
chameleons now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How they do dat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do they change the color of their skin to
match the color on the thing they stand on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Didn’t a couple of TV ads this year feature chameleons?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(A paint commercial and one other company.)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So…that’s
my history on how I became a fan of Espio the Chameleon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty cool, huh? …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whichever is closer.</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-14237528219338060582013-11-08T14:05:00.001-08:002013-11-08T14:05:55.009-08:00Sonic the Hedgehog Commercial 1992 -Tiger Electronic Game-<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iLIA4wP22Ds?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=Ol46rsYnd4DN4_DO3BOOcQ">http://www.youtube.com/v/iLIA4wP22Ds?version=3&autohide=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1&autoplay=1&feature=share&attribution_tag=Ol46rsYnd4DN4_DO3BOOcQ</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Hey readers,<br />
<br />
Remember the handheld Sonic video game that I posted about in Chapter 2 of my <span style="color: cyan;">Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles</span>? Well, here is a TV ad from 1992 uploaded from YouTube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/xexyz/videos" target="_blank">E Tank</a>. This is the <u>very</u> video game I was talking about in Chapter 2!!! I'm so excited to find it here!<br />
<br />
You curious? If you haven't seen it yet, see it now! <strong><span style="color: #ea9999;">:3</span></strong> It's a blast from the past.Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-39381080021033726542013-11-05T14:04:00.000-08:002014-03-26T01:02:20.284-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Chapter 7: 1997—Sonic 3D Blast, for good grades, straight A’s in fact<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first time I knew about Sonic
3D Blast (or anything of it) was when Dad rented the game from Blockbuster
Video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on a school day, and like I said in an
earlier post, we didn’t want to associate Sonic with anything school-related—even
a school <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">day</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess Dad thought it was a nice surprise
for us, but we were too “shy” to even try it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So while we were doing homework at the dinner table, Dad tried out the
game himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard the music of what
I found out later was Sonic using an Invincibility item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually Dad called us in to listen to
something that was on the Sound Test, which turned out to be the music from
Volcano Valley Act 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought it
sounded nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in the back of my mind
I knew I still had some more homework to do, so I got out the den, pulling
myself away from the world of Sonic once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I forgot what the exact date was
(probably not important), but I know it was after I finished sixth grade that
our report cards showed we had straight As.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It may have been the only time we got all “A”s on our report card, but
it was a memorable one too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course
our parent saw the report cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few
days after the last day of school for the school year, our parents gave us a
gift we were to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were confused
because it was some few weeks after we turned 12 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What kind of present was this going to be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it was at night,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tore the wrapping paper together
and saw that it was a Sonic game—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D
Blast</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were so excited to have a
fourth Sonic game for our SEGA Genesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It meant new Sonic music to look forward to, another instruction manual
to read (I still enjoy reading instruction manuals for video games), basically
more Sonic games to choose from when we want to play a video game (I think by
then we just about stopped using the Nintendo).</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are my favorite tracks from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Sound Test/soundtrack is one of the best
in the Sonic SEGA Genesis era, next to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
3</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was more variety
instruments used in the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love
the music for Rusty Ruin Act 1, Volcano Valley Act 2, both Acts of Gene Gadget,
and both Acts of the last stage (Panic Puppet?), and Dr. Robotnik Boss #2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh oh
oh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the song for Final Fight!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its rhythm was so different than those used
in other boss battles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite hard
to fight Robotnik in the Final Fight the way Sonic has to move in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast</i>, but once I memorized the
patterns, it was almost a piece of cake.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast</i> was a blast—except—NO SUPER SONIC!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where the $@&%!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was Super Sonic in this game?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got all the Chaos Emeralds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All seven of them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reached the Final Fight stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So where was Super Sonic?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d think after <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">3</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3 & Knuckles</i> we’d get a Super
Sonic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>>:(<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the next disappointment:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the end credits music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No medley?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No upbeat song that makes me wanna shake my buns?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Well</i>, that was
anti-climactic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me it meant that
there was not much of a reason to finish the game anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so used to having a Super Sonic since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i>. But—and I think it makes sense—it may have been difficult
to incorporate Super Sonic in a video game that allowed Sonic to run in any
direction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>U_U<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hmm…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise the thing that
motivated me the most was hearing the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the 3-D-ness of it all, I guess.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-32428095210244616032013-10-28T00:33:00.000-07:002013-10-28T00:33:00.710-07:00An article about reflection on Sonic the Hedgehog, from Videogameologists.com <div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve got another treat for you Sonic fans out
there—I’m not the only who reminisce (and still is reminiscing) about my
experience/thoughts/memories on playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
the Hedgehog</i> video games!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other
day I came across this article by Videogameologists.com writer Erik G. about
the 21 years that Sonic has been around (the article was written in 2012, but I
still find it relevant).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it was
because I am also doing my own reminiscing of Sonic games on Cyborg Haven, but
I was so spazzed to read this article and it made me smile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The article is titled, "<a href="http://www.videogameologists.com/2012/06/23/looking-back-at-21-years-of-sonic-and-what-made-him-great/" target="_blank">Looking Back at 21 Years of Sonic And What Made Him Great</a>". I have to highlight one of Erik’s sentences in this
post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made me nod my head for some
seconds because it is sooo true!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic games
aren’t about speed, but flow. Yes Sonic runs fast, but you aren’t running fast
when you run into an enemy or get poked by a spike trap. Instead, you get
through the stages the fastest by knowing where thing are ahead of time and
knowing what to do.</i>”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Yes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trial and error, baby!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An excellent learning tool when playing video
games! <span style="font-size: 12pt;">In order to get the best rating I can (so I can get an
S rating and/or a medal), I need to play the stage once through and then
subsequent times afterward while the layout is still very fresh in my
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I’m lucky if I haven’t played
the game for a while, I’d know the lay out of the stage better because I had
Sonic run through it enough times to know when to jump or turn or activate a
Boost.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Anyway,
in his article Erik goes through his thoughts on Sonic’s 21 (then) years in the
video game universe, mainly the console games (SEGA Genesis, SEGA Dreamcast,
the Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 3).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a nice read and made me feel good about being a Sonic fan. If you
read it and like his article, I suggest you share it with other fans of Sonic
as well, those who love him and especially those who need to re-appreciate the
Sonic video game franchise for what it was, what it is now and what it will
become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe there will be less
Sonic-haters out there…?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.videogameologists.com/2012/06/23/looking-back-at-21-years-of-sonic-and-what-made-him-great/">http://www.videogameologists.com/2012/06/23/looking-back-at-21-years-of-sonic-and-what-made-him-great/</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span> </div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><span style="color: orange;">BONUS BIT:</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really like
that I am not alone with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure
2</i> being my favorite game for the SEGA Dreamcast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, it’s all because of Shadow—it was
just so interesting that there was another hedgehog for Sonic to get to know
besides <s>that</s> Amy Rose, let alone another <u>male</u> hedgehog. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was new and mysterious and perpetually
frowning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nyawww, so cute (there goes my
fan-girl self, going all gaga).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I want to write a separate Bonus Chapter for my
thoughts/memories on Shadow the Hedgehog, because I love him so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #d99594;">:3</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He deserves a post or two from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Did you see my list near the bottom right of
Cyborg Haven?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cried after I beat <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Adventure 2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because Shadow.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span> </span><br />Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-31872152612773101952013-10-20T22:32:00.000-07:002013-10-20T22:32:00.152-07:00Cyborg Haven Update 10-20-2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another
Cyborg Haven Update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember
those?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, this update is going to be
more of a teaser than an update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is
a list of topics for Bonus Chapters that I am planning to post in between the main
chapters of my Sonic fan-girl chronicles:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-<em>Galaxy Force II<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Favorite Stages of
<em>Sonic the Hedgehog</em> games<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-The Music of <em>Sonic
3<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Shadow the Hedgehog,
from <em>Sonic Adventure 2</em> and beyond<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Espio the Chameleon<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-NiGHTS craziness
begins<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">These
have special places in my memory’s heart where SEGA Genesis and SEGA Dreamcast
memories are kept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are things that
are pleasant and hard to forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
make me happy when I think back about the early days of owning a Genesis and a
Dreamcast.</span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-35687872711416284122013-10-18T00:02:00.000-07:002013-10-18T00:02:00.045-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Chapter 6: 1994—Sonic & Knuckles
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #ffc000;">Note</span></b><span style="color: #ffc000;">:
I am posting my memories about this game today because…well, it’s the
anniversary of the release date for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
& Knuckles</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Booster shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hated them when we were kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we were due for one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister and I decided that as a reward for
going through with getting a booster shot, we’d buy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic & Knuckles</i> (or at least Mom and Dad would buy it for
us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our parents thought it was a good
idea to have that to look forward to after a scary event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Tch, I’m not afraid of shots anymore if I
ever needed more.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic & Knuckles</i> was released October 18, 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember mainly because of the instruction
manual for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Mega Collection Plus</i>,
but I can confirm it because I remember seeing an ad for it in a video game
magazine Dad bought for us a couple of months before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our appointment for a booster shot was on Halloween
day, October 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>, so it was on that day that we got <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic & Knuckles</i>—so that we wouldn’t
have to worry about renting it or returning it to Blockbuster Video or the
Warehouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than the handheld Sonic
game we got in Hanukkah 1992, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic &
Knuckles</i> was the first console Sonic game we played without renting
it—because duh, it was Sonic the Hedgehog, the only video game series we
loyally played on the SEGA Genesis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ha hah, as awkward would have it,
we were too “shy” to try the game out, so Dad tried it out first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The longer we watched him play the first
Zone, the more we wanted to play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
a Sunday night, I remember; maybe that’s why we were nervous about playing the
game because the next day we had school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were the kind of fangirls that if we saw a boy wearing a Sonic the
Hedgehog T-shirt (yeah, boys, not girls for some reason), we’d turn away
bashfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, I know, it’s
weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything Sonic would belong in
our home, so if we saw Sonic at school, it totally made us nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like, “What’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i> doing here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I played as Knuckles first, maybe
because he had the ability to glide and climb, and he could break more barriers
than Sonic could here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the game was
shorter than in Sonic’s mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last
stage was the Sky Sanctuary, which featured the final boss, Metal Sonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uh, Mecha Sonic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I dunno anymore, I’m pretty sure he was
called Metal Sonic because of a funny song Sis sang about him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s how I remember he was called Metal
Sonic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t Mecha Sonic from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic CD</i> (another classic Sonic game I
never played and may never, sadly)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The synths for the music of Final
Boss fight part one….awesome!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
Doomsday Zone?!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>:O!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed the music thinking I’d never hear
it again; at the same time, I had to keep Sonic alive, so I was distracted
often by the concentration of not losing a life, or at least keeping my rings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I played as Sonic the game
was longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was the full Sky
Sanctuary and then the Death Egg Zone, and then when you get all 7 Super
Emeralds, the last zone was the Doomsday Zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The music from the Death Egg Zone gave me the same feeling/tempo as the
Metropolis Zone from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Oh my goodness…the Lock-on feature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I gotta say, we only experienced <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2</i>
before we got our very own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i>
and played <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3 & Knuckles</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot how long it took for me to beat <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3 and Knuckles</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I needed a guide for the 7 Chaos Emeralds
and the 7 Super Emeralds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot what
magazine I used, but it had a map of all the blue balls—I mean, blue spheres,
red spheres and bounce/star spheres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trial
and error too—lots of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hyper Sonic
was a new thing for us because we were like: there is a Sonic faster than Super
Sonic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whut?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he had his limitations: he could still
run out of rings, which means that if he does, he changes back into Sonic and
falls, consequently losing a life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Didn’t want dat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.</span></span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-65223666979099080602013-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:002013-10-13T18:28:00.121-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles: Chapter 5...1994—Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and OMG Tails Could Fly!
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(The box says <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">3</i>, but the title screen says <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SONIC
3</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Um…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next video game my dad rented
for me and my sister in the Sonic the Hedgehog series was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog 3</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
then the TV set from the den was moved to the living room because of the 1994
Northridge Earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would have loved
to own this game too, but… how much did video games cost in 1994?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it $40?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>$50?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to mention that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i> was hard to come by than time in
toy stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i> was rented a few times at least, for three days each time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to buy it later and, at our favorite
Toys R Us, they didn’t have it, but the salesman let us try a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Duck Tails</i> game and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mickey Mousecapades</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
ended up with the Mickey Mouse game, and it was okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I beat it at least twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I digress…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sonic started out as Super
Sonic?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow, that was interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We never saw Super Sonic unless he had all
seven Chaos Emeralds and at least 50 rings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We didn’t realize that it took place after the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i>—granted that one finishes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> with the conditions to turn into
Super Sonic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The thing that blue—I mean,
blew—us away about the game was the new player move that was given to Tails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was playing as Tails in Angel Island Act 2,
and at one instant I accidentally pressed the jump button twice, and then Tails
was airborne for a few moments, with his two tails spinning like a helicopter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was like, what? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s did that before, but not while I
controlled him during gameplay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought nothing of it until about another
minute or two later I did a repeat and kept pushing the jump button and—Tails
was flying?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was making him fly?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was so cool!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the rest of the time the game was rented
I looked forward to playing the game again just to play as Tails and make him
fly…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And swim!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tails could swim, too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course Sonic couldn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>have we ever had an argument over who was going to play as Tails or
Sonic during the co-op mode?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel like
we did, at least once if not any more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We also eventually learned that Tails could carry Sonic to a higher part
of the levels he can’t reach by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> co-op!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Man, I really loved making Sonic
run on top of the water in the Hydrocity Zone… there was something so right
about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like, he’s fast enough to do
that; because when he slows down he’s gonna sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I played in the Hydrocity Zone I
felt all was right with the world. I loved all the blues and greens that were used in designing the zone. It was a nice distraction from school stuff.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also loved the icy snowy environment
in Ice Cap Zone (and the music…!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
there will be a separate post about the music of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i> later in Cyborg Haven.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a Sunday night before a school
morning, the third night of the rental of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
3</i>, I was at the Launch Base Zone, Act 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was taking a while to beat the final battle against Dr. Robotnik.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was afraid we were never going to see the
end of the video game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time was running out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was on my last life…and beat the game with
one Ring and one second to spare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It…was…awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister and I
were thrilled to hear a new End Credits song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It wasn’t a medley of music from the video game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a stand-alone track altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember hoping that on
Christmas of 1995 we would get <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i>
as a present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did get a video game,
but it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zoop</i>, a puzzle–type
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, I mean we, were disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all that time that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i> was around, why didn’t we get a copy yet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I eventually asked one of my parents about
it and that’s when I found out that it was hard to find during those years).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">When
did we get it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had to have been on a
birthday because I certainly don’t remember receiving it on a holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll have to really think back or go back to
a really old journal to find out on what occasion we ended up getting our very
own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i>.</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-4048844610301979552013-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:002013-10-09T21:20:00.597-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles: Chapter 4—The Christmas of our very own SEGA Genesis and Sonic 2
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This chapter in my Fan-Girl
Chronicles for Sonic the Hedgehog is probably the most pivotal chapter of them
all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the rest of the year of 1993,
the SEGA Genesis and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> were
rented at least a couple more times, always on a weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty much the only video game we
played; nothing topped <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> for me
and sis for the rest of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean, we had some Nintendo games but we either beat them before or just were
not so amazed by them anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Golf…hockey…By
then <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Mario Bros</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was overdone and we still didn’t beat that
game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was holiday season 1993,
winter break for our 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>-grade school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were good girls and had asked for the SEGA
Genesis and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> for
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t very optimistic
about it, but it was worth a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
when my sister and I opened our presents, we were of course disappointed that
we didn’t get those two things we asked for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wait!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We missed a large present that was placed <u>behind</u>
the Christmas tree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was for both of
us, from Mom and Dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exchanged
glances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could it be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tore open the present…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">JOOOYYYYYY! (I think by then we
watched <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ren & Stimpy</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It turned out it was a SEGA
bundle:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a SEGA Genesis video game
console with a copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog
2</i> included.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sonic was on the
box!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Tails!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I forgot if I played the video
game that same Christmas day or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I forgot how
far I reached too, unfortunately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
long did it take for me to finish the game…?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For a long while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i> was
the only SEGA video game we owned, and from time to time we rented other SEGA
Genesis video games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soon we were able to get a second
controller so one could play as Sonic and one could play as Tails in co-op, or
we could play the 2-player mode and have friendly competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the way…I gotta say that I
loved it when I got all 7 Chaos Emeralds and when Super Sonic poses at the end
movie of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first time I saw that I thought it was so
cute that I planned to finish the game all over again one day so I can take a
picture of Super Sonic posing on the TV screen with my kiddie Vivatar
camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the kind of TV it was, all
attempts were unsuccessful, as the screen appeared gray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh yeah…one other detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The SEGA Genesis was actually hooked up to
the TV set in our parents’ bedroom, where our Nintendo was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we couldn’t play it whenever we wanted to,
even on a weekend.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This changed with the occurrence
of the ’94 Northridge Earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
the bedrooms, kitchen and the den were all a mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up moving the TV set from the den
into the living room, which was the least messy (less stuff to fall and break
from the earthquake).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then that
the SEGA Genesis was hooked up to the [den’s] TV set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I
think later the Nintendo was reconnected to the TV in our parents’ room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This way either game console had a TV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also remember playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine</i> while
the den’s TV was still in the living room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a beautiful Saturday morning, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister played this game while I blew
bubbles in the living room, and then I discovered something fun: I moistened
the bathroom counter and blew a bubble so big that when I placed it down on the
wet counter and it created a bubble dome, and we eventually called this bubble
game crystal ball (by the way, thanks Sis, for reminding me it was called crystal ball!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And it was also there, in the
living room couple months later, that we first rented and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">played Sonic the Hedgehog 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Would
you like to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>read the story of our
first taste of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will have to wait for another chapter in
my Fan-Girl Chronicles for Sonic the Hedgehog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Stay
tuned and stay cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong><span style="color: #ea9999;">:3</span></strong> </span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-11235961658574157892013-10-06T22:17:00.000-07:002013-10-06T22:17:13.634-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles: Chapter 3—The Summer of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">June 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 1993.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the last day of second grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> –grade class was having a
pizza party at Dearborn Recreational Park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the Bigfoot pizza from Pizza Hut. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know why I remembered those
details?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because this was the day that,
after the last day of school until the summer break, my sister and I came home
to find that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog 2</i> was
rented along with the SEGA Genesis!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
store called the Warehouse used to be near our home, where we could buy VHS
cassettes or video games, or rent them as well as video game consoles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From then on it became the go-to place to
rent video games or movies (and eventually buy music CDs when they were
popular, until the store closed in the early 2000s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had summer homework to do: we
had to work on these cursive workbooks over summer break because by 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>
grade we had to be familiar with cursive handwriting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We weren’t allowed to start playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2 </i>for the first time<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>until we finished a certain amount of the
workbook beforehand (I think I remember now that same summer was a second
cartoon series of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Little Pony</i>—no,
NOT Friendship is Magic).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“My little pony, my little pony,
my little pony tales…” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*shudders (Oh
my god we watched that?)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, yeah…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog 2</i> was the first console Sonic game I ever played,
personally (since my sister played <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
the Hedgehog</i> for a little while back in 1991).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I played it first before my sister, I
don’t remember exactly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ecstatic</i> to be able to play a console
Sonic game. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted it was rented for three days, but
still, our summer break was young and I was out of my second-grade teacher’s
sight, and no more homework to turn in, and everything was great (yeah, that’s
how I felt).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first level was similar
to the first level of the 1991 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the
Hedgehog</i>: blue sky, green grass and trees, water and mountains in the
background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the Sonic-franchise
tradition, I’m going to guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to the instruction
manual of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Mega Collection Plus</i>
(which I refer to for some of the facts like the release dates), the spin-dash
move was introduced in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 2</i>—the
first game didn’t have that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is
why whenever I try to play Sonic 1, I forget he can’t spindash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had this game rented a few
times (at least three times or so)…we only got as far as the Casino Night Zone
the first time we rented the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
the second time we got as far as the Hill Top Zone???? But then one night I
reached the Mystic Cave Zone …and then I was playing long enough (something
like near three hours), and maybe lost all my extra lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And back then there were no save points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O_O</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">If
we were going to beat the game, we were going to have to play the game in one
sitting—if it was going to take us three to four hours, we’d have to do
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By then we became just about pro
with handling Sonic’s spin-dashes and spin attacks and the patterns of the
badniks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to mention the patterns of
Dr. Robotnik’s multiple boss fights throughout the game.</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-82254583686888304582013-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:002013-09-30T18:30:00.744-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles: Chapter 2<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<u style="text-underline: thick;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1992—Sonic
the Hedgehog the handheld game<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hanukkah holiday, November
1992.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> My sister and I were in second grade. </span>It was one of the two years that we got presents on Hanukkah
as well as Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only one
gift, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was a really cool
gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both my sister and I each got our
own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i> handheld video
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The screen was LCD, which I, as a
seven-year old, thought it meant “liquid video game.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>XD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this point, I’ve never played
a Sonic the Hedgehog video game—not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic
the Hedgehog</i>, not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog
2 </i>since I believe it had yet to be released. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Needless to say, we were very
pleased to have any kind of Sonic game, not to mention our very own (I guess if
we wanted to play it at the same time, it was possible.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the game was in black and white:
the background was a pre-painted color of a sort but the moving characters
(Sonic, the badniks, Dr. Robotnik) were all in black digital form with
pre-planned moves. I forgot how often I played it, but I’m sure I was
entertained, as long as I got past at least the first level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I even finish the game?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe I beat it once, but never again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And oh—the music is the same for
all…six…levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Something bizarre happened with
both of our handheld devices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
bedtime, we heard noise coming from the bookshelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of our handheld Sonic games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music from the game was playing on its
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It played the stage music and then
a “tic” sound, then the game-over music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As if…it was haunted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was a ghost
playing it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still in my
afraid-of-the-dark age so it was scaring me that the handheld game would do
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think both of our handheld
Sonic games went through the same thing the same week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It turned out that the battery
power was low, and so the game looping the stage music and the game-over music
was just a sign that the battery needed to be replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, so that was all it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot how long ago we started playing and
when the freaky “automatic music” thing happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-27735866669628556222013-09-27T02:13:00.000-07:002013-09-27T02:23:03.702-07:00My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles: Chapter 1<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<u style="text-underline: thick;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1991—Sonic
the Hedgehog<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As fans of the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, my sister and I temporarily subscribed (our parents did, anyway)
to a magazine that was dedicated to those famous four turtle brothers in a
half-shell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: lime;">:D</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had to be, I dunno, maybe winter or spring
of 1991, that in this magazine there was a page or two about video games coming
up, and one of them was the very first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the
Hedgehog</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was at least one little screenshot of
the video game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a tiny picture,
one that my six-and-a-half year old eyes could see very well, and I saw a blue
character with red shoes trying to keep balance on the edge of the cliff and
trying not to fall off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know
what came over me; I could not stop staring at the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who is this little thing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I forgot if I saw the title of the game, but
even if I did, I never knew what a hedgehog was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the first time I ever came across that
word, and little did I know that we were about to have our young gaming lives changed
forever…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our parents had a friend who
hosted a pool party summer that same year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went along with them because other kids would be there too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We of course ate first, and then a little
while later we were in our swimsuits in the swimming pool. It wasn’t the first
time we were in a swimming pool; we had relatives in Canada we visited two
years ago who had a pool too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we had
a lot of fun in the swimming pool, needless to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I gotta say, too…I think after we got out
of the pool, we never went back in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because after we got out and wrapped ourselves in towels, we stepped
into the house and spotted some kids crowded around a TV set.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them was playing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All we could do was just stand
there, in our swimsuits and towels, and watch the game—watch the blue hedgehog
run across the screen and jump and attack the robots with animals in them, and
run and run some more, running in loop-de-loops and helixes and grassy moving
platforms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there is one phrase I can
use to describe this experience, it was “love at first sight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So this blue thing’s name is
Sonic and he’s a hedgehog, huh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was
neat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was—it was better than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Mario Brothers</i>—and just the
previous year we got the Nintendo Entertainment System and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Super Mario Brothers</i> for our sixth birthday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah okay, Mario and Luigi run from left to
right too, but…Sonic did the same thing and was freakin’ ten times faster!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the colors were so vivid and the graphics
so rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The video game music sounded way better to us
than the 8-bit music for Nintento.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our dad was talking to one of the
other adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went to them and, with a
feeling of guilt (I felt like I was asking the world, though I know Dad didn’t
think I was), I asked them, “Can, can I play, the Sunik the Hetchog game?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other man repeated “’Sonic
Hedgehog?’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then I guess from what I
remember, Dad explained what it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
may have seen that my sister and I were watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that’s how they knew we liked this
amazing thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think later after that was when
my sister got a chance to play soon after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One kid soon said, “Watch out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s a bad guy at the end.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That kid was referring to the main villain Dr. Robotnik, and back then
we didn’t know the name of the villain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t get a chance to play the game back then, but still, the fact
that we were watching or somehow experiencing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i> being played live was astonishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was that blue guy in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TMNT</i> magazine that I stared at for some
minutes before moving on in the magazine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
that’s where my history of being a Sonic fan-girl began, and it gets better…</span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-33073673902694431712013-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:002013-09-26T18:00:05.389-07:00On a Mission to Find Remixes from Sonic the Hedgehog games
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It started on June 6<sup>th</sup> this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One late night I was listening to one of the
podcasts—the Sonic Jukebox from the SEGA Jukebox, episode 8—and I heard this
really neat track called “Symphonic Ruin,” which was a remake of the music from
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D</i> (SEGA Saturn) “Rusty Ruin
Act 1”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and I fell in love with it
immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The artist goes by the name
Jivemaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was entranced by how it
began with the sound of a thunderstorm and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rewound the podcast to listen to it again
(because I was using my 4<sup>th</sup> Generation iPod).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love the beat, the bass, the melody, just the very
sound of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me to another
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could hear it like it was
playing on 94.7 the Wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was like,
there was a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is that different from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic 3D Blast</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music is
different from the SEGA Genesis version and the SEGA Saturn version, I
realized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man, what a treat it was for
my ears to hear this remix.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I was especially excited when I learned I can listen
to a radio station devoted to just music from the Sonic the Hedgehog video
games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic Radio</i></b> is the one I
use the most now; I tried <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">RadioSEGA</i>
too (which I got just in time for the Sonic Fan Music Festival on June 23<sup>rd</sup>
), but I’ve never played <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shenmue</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Panzer Dragoon Orta</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was something from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legend of Mana</i> that was nice, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually I heard the original version of
the Sonic 3D track of Rusty Ruin Act 1 (I think the artist was Richard Jacques)
and I overjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where can I find that, where
can I find that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found it in another
Sonic-music-themed podcast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joyyyy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tried to find some more podcasts on iTunes that had
Sonic remixes so I won’t have to rely on the live radio any time I felt like
listening to Sonic music while not on the Internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I went to the website <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">OverClocked Remix,</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://ocremix.org/">http://ocremix.org/</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are remixes of video games that can be
downloaded for free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are several
of my favorite Sonic music remix tracks:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Symphonic Ruin”…………………Jivemaster<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Sonicquarium”
……………………..The Cynic Project<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Icecapped”……………………….McVaffe<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Hogtied”……………………………..Brandon
Strader, Rexy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Absolution Comes in
Dreams” ……………………… Cyril the Wolf, M-One<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Sonik Eletronik”…………………
PrototypeRaptor<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Chemixtrixx” …………………..…PrototypeRaptor<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“This World of
Absolution”………….………….TrickyWolfy (track found at </span><a href="http://www.newgrounds.com;/"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.newgrounds.com</span></u></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. She also has a YouTube
channel!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Walk on Water”……………………..housethegrate<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Blissful Eruption”…………….………LeeBro<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(aka Lee Brotherton aka Bentley Jones!!) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #d99594;">:3</span></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
realize that not all of the music that I hear in Sonic Radio is either in an
OST in iTunes or even in OverClocked Remix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was disappointed, but I understand that the artists are all over the
place on the Internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are other
websites where video game music aficionados share their arrangements and
remixes of many video games. I shall find some more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/"><u><span style="color: blue;">www.newgrounds.com</span></u></a>
is one possibility; it is where I found TrickyWolfy’s “Hedgehog’s Lullaby” and
“This World of Absolution.” What I really also wanted to do was go to The Sonic
Stadium and find some more music from my favorite remix artists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately I can’t listen to them on the
TSS Music Album website and I will have to download the whole album (if I
can)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and I’m not sure I want to do
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am having a hard time trying to
find the artist Gario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t been
disappointed with anything I heard from him so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I don’t know where his remixes can be
found.</span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-73979822691869895032013-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:002013-10-12T02:27:27.164-07:00Starting a Series of Posts about my History as a Sonic the Hedgehog Fangirl<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to take this opportunity, this post, to
announce that I will be starting a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">series</i>
of posts that will chronicle my history as a fan-girl of Sonic the
Hedgehog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It starts all the way in
spring of 1991 and goes just about to the present, whenever that is going to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the next couple of months
it’s going to be this; I don’t know what else to be posting about in the
meantime except for my progress in the games I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> currently play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
will be an occasional “regular” post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But for now, the thing that dominates my mind the most for this blog is
Sonic the Hedgehog—nearly a month after I watched a YouTube video of PewDiePie
playing Sonic.exe that scared me breathless. (see separate page from the list on the top left:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
<a href="http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/p/it-was-mistake-towatch-that-video-at.html" target="_blank">My reaction to watching the PewDiePie video for Sonic.exe =O!!!!</a> )</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
am writing my history as a Sonic the Hedgehog fan-girl because I’ve wanted to
do it for a while in Cyborg Haven. This desire is only pushed into urgency due
to watching that horrid video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to
rekindle the nostalgia factor of all the old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic</i> video games I’ve played and some I’ve known about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s sort of a healing process now,
psychologically.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It will be good for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a lot of memories playing the SEGA
Genesis <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sonic the Hedgehog</i> games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music, the laughing, the bosses I finally
beat, the gameplay, the stages, so many things that made me love this little
guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a big part of my gaming life.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There are going to be some 20-odd posts in this
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will include them all in the
label for the series of posts, and for the series and the label
“Reminisce”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will also be
occasional “Bonus Chapter” posts, in which I may write about other video
game-related topics in the SEGA universe, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Galaxy Force II</i>, and the first time I saw <span style="color: #7030a0;">Espio
the Chameleon</span>, and yes I have to write about starting to be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #7030a0;">NiGHTS</span> </i>fan
too because I would say that was love at first sight as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All that purple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t miss it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hah, both Espio and NiGHTS are purple, is
that why I liked (still like) them so much?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So,
brace yourself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because there is going
to be a whole lot of Sonic-related posts coming up very soon.</span></div>
</span><br />Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5637309901695473523.post-84198130983018221972013-09-03T17:00:00.000-07:002013-09-03T19:06:02.578-07:00Four-Year Anniversary of Cyborg Haven: Blog of a Gamer Girl <br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Four years ago on September 3<sup>rd</sup>, I launched
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cyborg Haven: Blog of a Gamer Girl</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had wanted to start this blog earlier than
2009, but while I was attending CSUN, I didn’t have the time to commit to it,
let alone know what I wanted to write about or how to design it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be my very first blog, so I didn’t
know the routine of creating a blog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">I first heard of a “blog”—web log—back in 2006, when
one of my instructors in my previous college suggested Blogger to students as a
method of writing journals for the reading we do for the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an interesting idea: an online journal
for reading assignments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was new to
doing that sort of thing, and I wasn’t comfortable with writing for the public
quite yet—not the World Wide Web, at least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think I just used a folder with fasteners to hold lose paper together
and used that as a notebook for my reading journal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Then in 2008 I was re-introduced to Blogger in a
Popular Culture course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was even a
book all about blogging as a recommended text for the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Rough Guide to Blogging</i> by Jonathan Yang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t required reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I knew that eventually I wanted to write
a blog of my own (because for the class we were going to have group blogs not
individual ones).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I at least read what I
needed for the blog me and my group would write and maintain, but after
graduation in 2009, I returned to the blog book and read up on Blogger, tags,
HTML, and design tips on things such as font, template and background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had to think about what topic I
wanted for my blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what topic or aspect
about my life would I be able to have something to write about more often than
most?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to write about my
everyday life:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted a topic I
thought would be fun to update progress or reactions to.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">I decided on Blogger as my host because I was
introduced to it twice before and it was one of the simpler ones, plus I
already had a Google account when I made my Gmail, so I just sign in with my
Gmail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">I forgot how exactly I came to the decision, but I
decided that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">videogames</i> would be the
topic of my blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Video games played by
me, a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what should I title it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, before I realized how much of a robot
enthusiast I was, I came up with “Cyborg Haven”, which made me think of a human
connected to a computer or a television set. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This online journal would be a place where one
who is a causal gamer girl (who feels out of place with other girls who don’t
play video games) can go to rant or reminisce or gush or fan-girl about topics
related to videogames, such as favorite characters or new videogames I’m
looking forward to trying out or owning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ultimately had to add the subtitle “Blog of a Gamer Girl” because I
didn’t want to confuse other geeks about what kind of blog it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the full title on the top of the blog
became “Cyborg Haven: Blog of a Gamer Girl,” which may be longer than it should
be, but I’m happy with it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Keeping the blog was also a way to keep my typing
skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, I had a way of
keeping a log of what video game I played and when, and what I did, and how I
felt at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love how I can search
for the video game subtopics by tags that I give them, such as Nostalgia and Reminisce,
Progress, Mega Man X, or Sonic the Hedgehog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">Then the design questions came up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to put a picture of my own creation,
not someone else’s picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent
about an hour a day for a few days on Microsoft Paint 2002 to draw a cyborg
girl specifically for this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: cyan;">NOTE:</span></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the 5-year anniversary of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cyborg Haven</i>, I may place an entirely
different drawing of a cyborg girl for the top of the page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe then my drawing skills will have
improved. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #93c47d;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span> </div>
<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
reason why the background color is a dark navy blue and the text light gray is
because I figure that if anyone is reading this late at night, it should be
easier on the eyes, rather than having dark text against a bright white
background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be dark green…or
dark red…but the blue is a bit more calming than the other colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even purple might not be bad if I give it the
right hue.</span><br />
<span style="color: #93c47d;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">As for how often I will be posting on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cyborg Haven</i>: I realize that some of my
posts have been few but big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think
from this point on, I might try something and post more often but keep the
posts down to two big paragraphs or three shorter paragraphs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I want to update what missions, stages or
tasks I’ve accomplished in a video game, I can list them and talk briefly about
one or two of them in detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually
when I start working, hopefully around mid-autumn, it may be harder to get a
chance to play a good video game session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t want to stop writing for Cyborg Haven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My interest in video games should survive
even when my lifestyle gets busier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #93c47d;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Here’s
to another year of blogging about my favorite childhood pastime: playing video
games!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, it’s not just a “childhood”
pastime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re never too old to try new
things.</span></span></span>Amethyst Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03900817680027044767noreply@blogger.com0