SONIC’S 23rd ON THE 23rd OF JUNE!!!!

Wow, so it’s Sonic’s 23^rd on the 23^rd of June!  How does that happen?!  It’s happening.  As I’m writing this I am listening to Sonic Radio on iTunes.  As long as I am home on the 23^rd 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.

I did this last year too.  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.  I was able to listen to a lot of Sonic music remixes that I’ve never heard before.  It was an amazing experience, so amazing that I tried to find some Sonic-related podcasts that contained a lot of those remixes.  I was on a crazy search for really cool Sonic remixes.

I am still collecting remixes. Mostly from iTunes podcasts, OC Remix and the Sonic Stadium Music Depository of remix albums.

Lately I’ve been distracted with another fandom: Transformers.  I have been neglecting my Sonic games for the last few months.  But seeing as it is Sonic’s 23^rd, I am brought back to appreciating my favorite childhood video game character again.  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.

Last year I was playing Sonic Rivals 2 at least two times a week.  I always played as either the three hedgehogs Sonic, Shadow and Silver, or Espio the Chameleon.  It is a nice escape.  But I haven’t touched my PSP for quite a few months now.

Ah…!   Gamma E102's theme song is playing now!!! Yay!!!

Sorry, I had to say that.  I love that robot.

I’ve tried to get back to Sonic Unleashed.  I didn’t earn any new medals for daytime or nighttime.  I played “Dragon Road—Day” a few times and had fun, but didn’t improve score by too much.  The music track for this Day Stage always makes me smile through my fails.  Hah hah. 

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.  And I may visit some of the Sonic websites to see what other people say about Sonic’s 23^rd.

Oh, "Symphonic Ruin" is playing now!!  This is the remix that made me want to collect more Sonic remixes!! (see post here to read more...)

Well Sonic, it’s your 23^rd birthday/anniversary today, so Happy Birthday, I love you, and keep on runnin’!

After thought: a link to the post about my first true encounter with the Sonic the Hedgehog video game.

1991—Sonic the Hedgehog
http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-sonic-fan-girl-chronicles-chapter-1.html

The Gaming Historian: The History of Sonic the Hedgehog

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 here), and after watching the video, YouTube recommended several more videos, and I decided to check one out.  The Gaming Historian did a four-part series on Sonic the Hedgehog—from his SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive days to his SEGA Dreamcast days and a bit beyond.  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!).  I liked how he talks about how Tails was created and the introduction to Knuckles the Echidna.  There were even a couple of Sonic video games I’ve never heard of until watching the second half of the series.

 

Here is Part 1, about 10 minutes long.   If interested, you can watch the other three parts of the series too (they are between seven to nine minutes each).  Also, check out more of the videos from The Gaming Historian YouTube channel. He may have some nice history lessons on your favorite childhood video games!

 

Starting a Series of Posts about my History as a Sonic the Hedgehog Fangirl

I want to take this opportunity, this post, to announce that I will be starting a series of posts that will chronicle my history as a fan-girl of Sonic the Hedgehog.  It starts all the way in spring of 1991 and goes just about to the present, whenever that is going to be.  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 do currently play.  There will be an occasional “regular” post.  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:  My reaction to watching the PewDiePie video for Sonic.exe =O!!!! )

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.  I want to rekindle the nostalgia factor of all the old Sonic video games I’ve played and some I’ve known about.  It’s sort of a healing process now, psychologically.   It will be good for me.  I have a lot of memories playing the SEGA Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games.  The music, the laughing, the bosses I finally beat, the gameplay, the stages, so many things that made me love this little guy.  He was a big part of my gaming life.

 

There are going to be some 20-odd posts in this series.  I will include them all in the label for the series of posts, and for the series and the label “Reminisce”.   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 Galaxy Force II, and the first time I saw Espio the Chameleon, and yes I have to write about starting to be a NiGHTS fan too because I would say that was love at first sight as well.  All that purple.  I couldn’t miss it.  Hah, both Espio and NiGHTS are purple, is that why I liked (still like) them so much?

So, brace yourself?  Because there is going to be a whole lot of Sonic-related posts coming up very soon.

Should I Return to Playing… Final Fantasy X?

Friday on February 15^th I finished playing the Story Mode for Tidus in Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy.  I enjoyed watching how even though Tidus hated his father Jecht, he also respected him and wanted to fight him when he wasn’t already beaten down by, uh, the Emperor of FFII.  It was then that I had this thought:

I should get back to playing Final Fantasy X.  Should I?

I haven’t played that video game since, well, since maybe 2009.  I need to check the memory card data to confirm that, LOL.  But I think the reason I haven’t played it so much the last uh, TEN YEARS, is that I…I dunno.  I still have the BradyGames Official Strategy Guide for FFX.  Ah, yes….I absolutely HATED the BlitzBall game going on in the middle of things.  Hey, I don’t play football, I don’t watch football, so why do I want to play Blitz ball which is kinda the same thing except underwater?!  It just really turned me off and I put the game away for some years.  There are so many stats and rules for the game it just didn’t make the actual video game fun.  I wanted to play more into the story, darnit!  Let me f#!%&^n’ go!

Oh, here’s another thing that made me lose my patience for the game:  the Sphere Grid.  Yuck, it is frustrating because I don’t get the necessary Ability Points and Grid Spheres fast enough to level up the characters.   EDIT:   It’s a little easier to work with now after getting back to it a couple of weeks ago.

Looking back though, at some point I did go through with the BlitzBall, as frustrating as it was, and I think I did defeat the boss Oblitzerator.   I also think I left off right before the party was going to go somewhere else.

I had to go to iTunes and find this battle BGM that I remembered but didn’t know the title to it.  I looked and it’s called “Enemy Attack.”  I always loved that music track from the game.  I preferred it from the other battle BGMs I’ve encountered so far into the game.  It would have been cool if Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy had this as an unlockable extra Battle BGM.  At least, that’s my opinion.

Note:  My favorite weapon Tidus uses is the blue longsword called Brotherhood.  I realize that now after seeing that Bartz uses this weapon when he mimics Tidus.

Playing Sonic Generations: City Escape Act 1 !!!!!

I returned to Sonic Generations and, I was excited about having another opportunity to feel nostalgic about something that came from the SEGA Sonic games.  And I gotta say, during this session the one that had the most nostalgic impact on me was Act 1 of City Escape.  It was quite the experience playing as Classic Sonic in City Escape, considering it is Classis Sonic in a Modern Sonic stage.   I love the Act 1 version of the City Escape song, and it has SEGA Genesis Sonic-game musical elements in it.  What blew me away was that the beginning of the second verse of the song had a different but familiar melody to it—one of the songs from the 2-Player mode in Sonic 3.   Hardcore Sonic the Hedgehog fans who’ve played the old Genesis titles will recognize it and get a kick out of this!   I certainly did J

 Songs I Unlocked:

ü  Green Hill Zone (Original)

ü  Emerald Hill Zone

ü  Sonic Boom

ü  PalmTree Panic

ü  [First Stage music from Sonic Spinball]

Stages I Beat

ü   Challenge: Sky Sanctuary Doppleganger Race

ü  Defeated Boss

ü  City Escape: Act 1 and Act 2

ü  Partner Challenge: Amy’s Piko Piko Hammer (helps Sonic do high jumps)

I left off at the Sonic Heroes first stage, Act 2.  Boy is it difficult! Most of the time when Sonic loses lives, it is because he falls into the water.  Okay, I can’t help making Sonic run faster than my brain can process and lose control of him, to the point where I don’t realize he’s doomed until it happens.  It does get frustrating, but I’ll get through it.  I just need fresh fingers, which means I need to start playing the game with this stage.

Playing Sonic Generations for the first time

So I finally finally finally started playing Sonic Generations last week and I gotta say, it blew me away as much as Sonic Unleashed did.   To elaborate, I had so much fun I could play on it for hours if I didn’t need to eat :D  The nostalgia factor was very strong; though of course it was different playing classic Sonic in a very 3D version of Green Hill Zone.  The colors in the game are very beautiful, of course…

I love how the music for Act 1 of the Green Hill, Chemical Plant, and Sky Sanctuary zones stayed true to their versions and were given only a slight face lift (or “sound-lift,” if you will).  Then for Act 2 of the zones, the music is made for the modern, green-eyed Sonic, and those versions of the songs aren’t all that bad.  I especially really like the Act 2 edition of the Chemical Plant Zone music.  As for the classic/Act 1 editions of music, the Sky Sanctuary Zone Act 1 is my favorite so far.

Another cool thing I noticed was that in the Chemical Plant Zone, in either Act when Sonic falls into the purple water, the zone music sounds as if you really are underwater.  It’s neat; it like letting you know that you are in the water and need Sonic to get to a big bubble or reach the surface for air.  What other video game even does that?!  It’s jenius! (I spelled the word “genius” with a “j” :D ).

The voice acting is okay.  I am not going to make a big deal out of the voice acting.  I dunno why some people have a problem with Sonic’s voice.

There are trophies for Sonic Generations too!  I’ve never earned a Trophy in my PS3 before (because I hardly play on it, besides Devil May Cry 4 where I’m stuck.  I don’t know if that video game even has trophies).

Classic Sonic doesn’t talk.  That is okay, you know why?  Classic Sonic never talked.  So it makes sense to me that he doesn’t say a word, and we players rely on his facial expressions and actions to read him.

Stages I’ve Completed

ü  Green Hill Zone, Act 1 and Act 2

ü  Chemical Plant Zone, Act 1 and Act 2

ü  Sky Sanctuary Zone, Act 1 and 2

ü  Sonic vs. Metal Sonic: The first Chaos Emerald

ü  2 Challenges = 2 Boss Keys

Where I left off: I am about to get the third Boss Key.

Nostalgia: Mega Man X on March 1st

On Tuesday, I returned to Mega Man X. It has been a really long time since I played a Mega Man X game, so after a short hour of playing the game my thumbs were feeling overused. I beat four bosses; Chill Penguin, Launch Octopus, Storm Eagle, and Sting Chameleon.

I tried to get through Flame Mammoth first, but the level was too difficult without the leg upgrade. So after some failed attempts, I skipped over to Chill Penguin because I remembered that the leg upgrade was in that stage. It helps soooo much.

I tried Armored Armadillo next, and got a sub-tank, but didn’t beat the boss. So then I had X go over to the Spark Mandrill, and I wasn’t lucky in that one either. Annoyed, I went to Launch Octopus and got a heart tank and defeated him with the help of the sub-tank I got earlier.

Next I went to Storm Eagle’s stage and got a Mega Head (extra life :D), the helmet upgrade and defeated that boss. After that I went to Sting Chameleon and got the body armor, another Mega Head, and defeated Sting Chameleon with the torpedo weapon. Then I called it a session.

My hands are rusty having not played a Mega Man X game for a few months.

Nostalgia: It's the Sonic the Hedgehog Cheerios Commercial from 1994

OMG, I forgot all about this commercial, and now I remember it!  It was great to see it again.  Yayyy!

Cyborg Haven Update Jan 7th: Older Games

Tuesday afternoon I was watching videos on YouTube with my sister.  Earlier that day we were reminiscing about the NES games and the SEGA Genesis games we used to rent way back when we were eight years old.   We decided to watch some playthrough videos of some of these games. They refreshed my memory of the titles of these games.  Hence, this Cyborg Haven Update #8.
The following items are added to the list of Video Games I've Played...(not necessarily finished):

• The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World (NES)
• The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man (NES)
• Krusty's Fun House (NES)   sucked a**
• Zoop (SEGA Genesis)  I used to own this one
• Star Trek TNG: Echoes of the Past (SEGA Genesis)

A few sample links to these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJQYme9ztI   Bart vs. The World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pur4x2L98g&feature=related  Bart Meets Radioactive Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGnie-hwnGE&feature=related  Bart's Nightmare

The YouTube videos helped me remember what the title of these games were.  I would have put them in the list if I already knew.  Krusty's Fun House, well, I am almost embarrassed to put this on the list because that game was a waste of my time.  I only rented it once and didn't care for it much after that.
     There is already two other The Simpsons games on the list: Bart's Nightmare and Virtual Bart.  Between both of these games, I really enjoyed Bart's Nightmare becasue I liked the BG music that plays when Bart is walking in the neighborhood trying to find his homework.  I think I rented that game four times.
     As for the Star Trek game, I watched my dad play it and he beat it twice.  I attempted to play it to the end too, but I don't think I made it even halfway through the game.  Oh well ^.^;;
     I should do a Reminisce post on Galaxy Force II.  It's my favorite "non-Sonic" SEGA Genesis video game.  I love its background music.

Cyborg Haven Update

The following game titles have been added to my list of Video Games I've Played:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
• Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic 2 and S&K Lock-on)

I wasn't sure if the TMNT game had some kind of subtitle, but thanks to the January issue of Nintendo Power (issue #250, the one with 250 reasons to love Nintendo), I found out it didn't have a subtitle.  Both my sister and I played that game.  I reached the part when my last Ninja Turtle had to rescue Splinter and the other turtles from this evil Ninja Turtle, but I lost.  My sister made it past that part, but had difficulty surviving the next area.  The captured turtles never recovered after they were rescued, so their health gauge was still very low. 
As for Knuckles the Echidna, that game was easy.  I mean, come on, it's Sonic 2, a game I've mastered, starring Knuckles.  I dunno if I might be able to play either of these games again.  I certainly can't play Knuckes the Echidna in my PSP's Sega Genesis Collection or the Sonic Mega Collection Plus.  Although, for the latter, I hope that at least it's unlockable.  Or maybe it isn't.

EDIT 1/2/10:  I want to add two more games to the same list.

• Wayne Gretzky Hockey (NES)
• Mickey Mousecapades (spelled wrong?...NES)

My sister and I still remember the intro music from the Nintendo hockey game and she remembered that's what the game was called, Wayne Gretzky Hockey.  As for the Mickey Mouse game...I've beaten it a few times, and it was an okay game at the time. You play as Mickey and Minnie (either one player or co-op) and fight a boss at the end of every level.  Maybe I'll give more details on any upcoming Reminisce posts.

My Nostalgia for Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

NOSTALGIA!!!!!
     I am still celebrating the release of the Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier video game for the Playstation 2.  I've decided to buy both the video game and the strategy guide, because the strategy guide has a lot of goodies in it (like character bios and the list of the game's secrets) besides tip for helping me play my best.
     But I couldn't help it.  It's been almost a decade since the first game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released--and it's been seven years ago (early summer 2002) since I first played that game.  I completed it in about three months (and then September 20, 2002 I bought Kingdom Hearts ^.^ ).  I'd like to play it again for a third run (yes, third), but I'm still finishing up Jak 3 for my second time playing it.  So I decided to see if the beginning of the first Jak and Daxter game was available on You Tube.  I found a bunch, but one in particular includes a couple of extra-nostalgic things:  the Playstation 2 logo, and the Naughty Dog logo (with Daxter dancing and Jak pushing the Naughty Dog logo into the screen.  Squeeeeeaallllll!!!!!)  Jak was a baby there!  Now he's a man with two girls chasing after him (Keira and Ashlin).  For those who want to see the video (in case you sold your old copy of Jak and Daxter, don't feel like digging your collection for it, or are just curious about it and wanna see it anyway :) ) then here's the link for this blast of nostalgia from this 2001 video game:

     Jak and Daxter: #01 Starting Movies 

Man, I love Jak's expression when he first sees that Daxter is turned into an ottsel.  His eyes were so wide, like "WTF did you just do to yourself?! (Oh wait...I did that ^.^ ;;)".   I still appreciate the music of this great game, especially from Sentinel Beach and, um... I really want to play that game again.  I'm starting to forget the names of the areas.  By the way, there are other videos that include some gameplay of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.  They should show up on Related Videos on the You Tube page of this video.

^,^

On feeling nostalgic with Sonic Mega Collection Plus: Sonic 3-D Blast music

   After playing Sonic Chaos yesterday from 11:30pm to almost 1am, I had to indulge myself in Sonic music goodness that is the Sound Test for Sonic 3-D Blast.
     I got the idea when I was browsing through the video game manual section of the Sonic Mega Collection Plus, and I happened to look at the one for Sonic 3-D Blast and I had this sudden urge to listen to my favorite songs from that game, so I went to the Games menu and selected it right away.  I listened to and danced to these Sonic tunes:

• level 2  Rusty Ruin Zone, act 1  (Makes me nod my head and dance.  Love the beat.)
• level 4  Diamond Dust Zone  (This one brings me in a cheerful, upbeat mood.)
• level 5  Volcanic Valley Zone, act 1  (I love the bass!)
• level 6  Gene Gadget Zone  (I love the bass here too.)
• Final Fight  (I love the percussion in this one!)
• Robotnik fight music #2  (Like it better than the #1 Robotnik song here.)
• level 1  Green Grove Zone  (A happy tune.)

     I had to sing along with the melody of the Green Grove Zone just to see how closely I remembered it after not hearing it for so long.  "It pays off to listen to the music over and over again while playing, GOL."     GOL= giggle out loud , by the way.
     I actually remember all the music to this game and can remember which level each song belongs too.  It's a nice experience to hear it again with my ears, rather than only my mental iPod (aka brain).  I ended up listening to the music from 1:10am to 1:45am.
      I love early Sonic music. :)