Doom 3 Review

Everybody, it’s getting closer & closer to Halloween. The air is getting colder, the nights feel darker, and there’s always that feeling that something is watching over your shoulder. These feelings are often found in the realm of videos games: some games pull off the theme of horror quite well, while other games try to be scary, but come up short. Then, there are the games that sit on the razor’s edge of horror. It’s these games that do manage to manipulate the genre, yet for some reason fail short at the same time. Of all of these games, Doom 3 is perhaps one of the more popular games that sits on the razor’s edge of horror, and without further interruption, here’s the review.

Story
Unlike Doom 1 or 2, the third game is a retelling of the events of the first one. You play a lone marine, who’s just recently arrived on Mars as a replacement for another marine that died or was transferred (it’s never really explained). Right away, the marine can tell that something isn’t right, as he comes across a meeting between 3 of the primary characters, UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) members Elliott Swann and Jack Campbell, as well as the Mars base’s head scientist, Dr. Malcolm Betruger (the obvious main villain). Swann and Campbell have come to investigate the numerous accidents, deaths, and transfers that have been happening all over the base, and Mr. Swann claims that Betruger knows more that what he’s telling the two. After a few minutes, it’s safe to say that Betruger has shit thrown against the fan, and causes the base’s main portal to go haywire, and the worst of hell spreads all over, killing just about everybody and begins to fold the base into itself.

While a little bare bones, it’s still nice to see the story of Doom fleshed out. In the original Doom, we’re given next to nothing as far as the story is concerned. With Doom 3, we’re given a clear bad guy, an anonymous good guy, and two characters that make the player question where their loyalties lie. On top of that, the player is stuck on perhaps one of the most desolate environments in the universe: a base on the surface of Mars, overrun will all manners of demons, beasts, and secrets that are better left in the shadows.

Setting
Much like the first Doom, Doom 3 takes place within the Mars Base, as well as a trip through the underworld of Hell, which is perhaps the most visually appealing of the places you explore. The graphics really make these environments alive, and add to the game’s personality. Before Hell arrives, the Mars Base is a clean & efficient complex, with the various workers, scientists, and marines moving around & doing their duties. However, there’s just some underlining feeling of corruption, as if the demons have already invaded, but decided to not reveal themselves until the time is right.

When Hell has broken loose, things change dramatically. Gone is any sense of control & order, as the forces of chaos & death have completely taken over, leaving behind a tiny group of survivors for the player to come across, wondering if they’ll make it or not. There’s a constant feeling of dread as you move throughout the base, as many areas have broken down due to demonic activity. The evidence of their terror is seen everywhere, with blood splattered all over, and bodies (Intact and in pieces) strewn throughout the base.

Hell itself is a place in and of itself. I can’t say how it looks & feels, but I will say that it is one of the most surreal levels in gaming history. From the moment you step into Hell, it is a place that you’ll never forget.

Much like the story of the original Doom, the setting has been greatly improved in D3. The original game is still atmospheric (I still get creeped out when I first encountered the Hell Knights), but Doom 3 fleshes things out to a higher degree. In addition to making things look better, the D3 engine also happens to make things seem believable, despite it’s few flaws (More on this in a bit).

Characters
Unfortunately, this is one of the big weaknesses of Doom 3. Granted, there are plenty of characters in this game, many of which you can interact with. Problem is, just about all of them die, and the few that are left behind serve little to no purpose (The few that do serve a purpose just lead you to items, but there’s at least a fraction of the tiny few that do progress the story along). Luckily, we do have 3 characters that we can talk about.

Dr. Malcolm Betruger is the first character I’ll talk about. From the moment you meet him, you can tell that he’s the bad guy, and he’s going to cause the base to go to Hell...so to speak. What makes him such a great villain is just how sinister he is: as you traverse the Mars Base, and the bowels of hell, his presence can be felt throughout the journey. When something breaks, his laughter can sometimes be heard, mocking the player’s actions. If the situation requires him, his haunted mug appears on screen, giving a speech about how doomed the player is (Pardon the pun).

Elliott Swann and Jack Campbell are the next characters I’ll talk about. Unlike Betruger, these two are far more mysterious, and aren’t quite as obvious. Although their purpose & allegiance are eventually revealed, the player isn’t quite certain as to why they are on Mars, nor is does the player know what their purposes are. There’s times where they apparently do good things, but at the same time they do things that make them look like the bad guys (Not as bad as Betruger, but still bad). They really add to the mystery of Doom 3's story, and they contribute to the game’s atmosphere quite nicely.

Gameplay
First and foremost, Doom 3 is a balls-to-the-wall action game. You got a arsenal of guns (Most of which are old, and some are new), there’s an assortment of monsters of kill with said guns (Like the guns, most of the monsters are old, but there’s a few new ones to spice things up), and you move through atmospheric level after atmospheric level. Despite this familiar setup, there’s been a few changes.

For starters, there’s the guns. You still have your fists and the chainsaw, as well as the pistol, shotgun (The double-barrel makes an appearance in the mission pack), chaingun, rocket launcher, plasma rifle, and the iconic BFG9000, but we also have the introduction of the machine gun, grenades, and the alien Soul Cube. The original guns feel very welcome in the game, and for the most part, the new weapons are welcome as well (The grenades are the strangest of the new weapons. Don’t get me wrong, they’re deadly, but considering the tightness of some of the levels, they can backfire if you’re not careful). There’s one other weapon that’s been added to Doom 3, but it has a more sordid place in the game, and it’s...

The flashlight! Of all the items that’s generated the most controversy, it’s the flashlight. Serving more as a tool, it can be used as a melee weapon when there’s no choice. The biggest complaint about the flashlight is that it took the place of a weapon (Most players demanded that there was a flashlight attached to the gun, and with the BFG Edition of Doom 3 released not to long ago, Id caved into the demands), and when you were in a fight, you had to switch it out for a gun. I don’t completely agree with this, as I think that having to switch between tool & weapon adds to the tension of the game, but it is a little irritating when you come across some of the larger enemies.

The next component of the gameplay are the monsters. Let me say that the new incarnations of the classic monsters (Imps, Lost Souls, etc) are some of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen. The Imps are no longer these brown-skinned, spiked cannon fodder, but have become these grey-black skinned terrors, with some of the most blood-red eyes I’ve ever seen. The Lost Souls have transformed from horned skulls wreathed in flame, to a more human looking head that trails fire when it moves. The new monsters are fearsome as well: we have these spider creatures with upside-down human heads with compound eyes for their own heads, and these corrupted cherubs with the upper body of a baby, with the lower body & wings of a fly. Totally gruesome, if you asked me.

An interesting aspect of Doom 3 is the PDA, or Personal Data Assistant. This basically acts as a information holder, holding onto other PDA information, video disks, and e-mails from terminals you come across. This feature changes the pace of the game somewhat, but doesn’t greatly slow things down. At the same time though, some of the PDAs you come across don’t have anything useful to them, as they’re filled with poor attempts at humor (perhaps the one that got the most attention was a e-mail from Betruger about how to perform the proper human sacrifice, and it falls short somewhat).

The last thing I’ll talk about is the horror component of Doom 3. If there was one aspect that caused the most controversy, it was the scares it generated, citing “Monster Closets” as the main thing that ruined to scares. For those who don’t know the term, Monster Closets are small enclosed spaces, in which monsters are contained for the player to pass by, and get scared by them. I can somewhat understand why people complained about this: when it was the first few times, it was genuinely scary. After about halfway/three-fourths through the game, these kinds of scares don’t quite have as much oomph to them, but there’s still a little bit of fear within them.

Even with the Monster Closets, Doom 3 is a scary game. Relying a lot on physical scares (copious amounts of blood & bodies, monsters feasting on corpses, etc), the game does the best it can to make you shit your pants. Despite playing Doom 3 a bunch of times (and I do mean a bunch of times), I still get scared by what I see & hear. Speaking of what I’ve seen & heard...

Graphics & Sound
Despite coming on 10 years (The game came out on August 3, 2004), Doom 3 still looks rather good. The only problems it has are a few dated textures (Some look okay, while others look a little grainy when you get up close to them), and the NPCs can appear a little rough around the edges (For some odd reasons, the hands look especially blocky, and not all of the fingers move), but over and all, the engine manages to give D3 some depth and personality. Again, the limits of the engine are pushed when the player enters Hell, and again while I won’t say anything about the dimension, I can say that some of the more mesmerizing effects created by the game’s engine can be found in the fiery domain.

The sounds within Doom 3 are some of the most crystal clear effects I’ve ever heard. The guns feel like they have more weight after you’ve heard them go off the first time. Even the pistol sounds like a stronger weapon when you compare it to the original (I will say that despite sounding puny by today’s standards, the original Doom pistol sound is memorable). The monsters have had life breathed into them with sounds they make. The imps aren’t the ape sounding creatures you once knew once you hear their shrikes & howls, and the lost souls scream like banshees when they charge right at you. The levels themselves also have atmosphere as well, Hissing steam coming from pipes, glass shattering after a demon crashes through, doors rising up and down when you go through them, and a host of other audio effects that add to the ambiance.

Overall & Rating
At least for me, Doom 3 is a horror masterpiece. Sure it has a lot of Monster Closets, and the graphics have some small problems, but there’s still plenty of scares to come across. The settings are scary, the monsters are scary, and the sounds are scary. It’s a very atmospheric games that’s been somewhat bashed by gamers, some of which have used wrong reasons in their attacks. Until the day I die, I’ll always consider Doom 3 to be a fun game, as well as a game that deserves to live on the mountain of horror.

Doom 3 gets a 8 out of 10.

See you all next week, when I'll review one of the wackiest animes in the world. Until then, stay Otaku!



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I know I said that I went back to 1 review (and other things) a week, but Hurricane Sandy is coming, and I'm putting this up before any possible electrical outage comes my way. Batten down the hatches!

Call Me Tonight Review

Hi everyone! Well, we’re getting closer & closer to Halloween, the holiday of candy & spirits. Around this time, children, younger lovers, and adults gather in cinemas or around TVs, and watch some of the best or worst that the genre of horror has to offer. Most of the time they give some genuine scares, but every so often we get a b-rated title that makes us shake our head, laugh out loud, give us an occasional scare or two, or some odd mix of what was previously mentioned. The genre of horror isn’t just classified within film: Anime is filled with a variety of shows that, in one form or another, are girded in the darkness of horror. Some shows are truly frightening, while others take the campy, almost comedic approach to terror. That’s where this obscure OVA I downloaded back in June comes in. Without further ado, here’s a review for Call Me Tonight.

Now, I haven’t done this in a while, but I’ll be doing the negatives first instead of the positives. To start things off, and perhaps the biggest negative of this OVA, is that it was never released in the United States & beyond. I’m actually quite surprised it wasn’t released in the US, especially since companies like ADV Films were bringing in a lot of OVAs in the late 90s to about the mid 2000s, many of which have fallen off the radar, which is probably why noone didn’t try to acquire it. Again, surprised it wasn’t brought over to the states.

To complicate the situation further, it’s incredibly difficult to find a link for Call Me Tonight. I only know of one place where I found it (I have the link at the end of the review if you’re interested), but there’s only two ways to download it: four Megaupload links, and four Rapidshare links (The file is split among four links, and can only be extracted once you have all the pieces). Since Megaupload was canned way back in January, the only way to download it is through the Rapidshare links. Luckily, it is English subbed, so there’s that positive.

The second negative of Call Me Tonight is the predictable nature of the characters. Now, if you haven’t seen the OVA, I suggest you stop right here. If you have seen the OVA, or if you haven’t seen it and just want to spoil it for yourself, then keep reading!

Okay, the predictable characters. We’ve got the callgirl with a caring spirit, a man with a monster hiding inside of him, the tough girlfriend and the wussy boyfriend (I got these two characters confused, but not for the reason you think), and the school slut with a vendetta. From the moment you meet each of these characters, you know right away what role they play in the story, and you’ll also know right away what may or may not happen to them by the time the OVA is done playing.

The final negative of Call Me Tonight is how the OVA presents itself. Despite the campy nature of this feature (Read below about that), the director decided to present Call Me Tonight as a somewhat serious horror anime. It clashes with the campiness that Call Me Tonight provides, and actually doesn’t belong in the OVA, at least not completely. With that out of the way, here are the positives.

I have to admit that the story is surprisingly good! To sum things up, Rumi, the head of a callgirl agency, gets a phone number that leads to a young man who has weird experiences masturbating. Not necessarily sexual problems, but problems none the less. After hooking up with the man, she discovers the problem, and leaning towards her good side (Actually, she always has a good side. It just that she acts sexy a fair majority of the time), decides to help him overcome his problem. Unfortunately, there are dark forces at work, as Rumi’s high school rival takes notice of the young man, and wants him to herself. Despite the fact that there’s not a lot of depth, I like this story! It’s campy, full of 80s cheese, and feels a lot like many of the horror movies that were released at the time.

The next positive of Call Me Tonight is the characters. Despite their predictability, I really liked them. The two characters I liked the most were Rumi the callgirl, and the man she comes across. At first she acts all sexy and tries to get a rise out of the man, but once she understands his predicament, she tosses her sensual antics to the side (partially, at least) and honestly tries to help the man, developing sincere feelings for him in the process. The man is very shy & nervous at the beginning, and he wasn’t quite certain if he would be cured of his problem. He eventually gets cured, becomes a strong individual, and gains Rumi as a companion in the process. Even the bad guys are likable, especially Rumi’s school rival. I won’t get into what her rival’s plan was, but I can say that it was one of the more original plans I’ve seen in quite some time.

The final positive to Call Me Tonight is the music. I just found the soundtrack to the OVA about a week ago on youtube, and I have to say that I really liked it! It’s only four songs, and finding the vinyl for it is almost impossible. The way I found it was on youtube, where at least two or three profiles have the whole album posted up. The songs sound very cheesy and very 80s, with the third tune dipping a little bit into the 50s style love song. I’m usually not a fan of anime music, but there was some charm to Call Me Tonight’s soundtrack, that I just had to enjoy it. All of the music is right below, so take a listen:




Call Me Tonight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUg_33A8w8

Your Rainy Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss99qosP1iA

My Little Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awClyTdC1dI

Anxious Jealousy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v5sU3wZ33A


Call me Tonight gets a 7 out of 10. It wasn’t released in the US & finding a download link is hard, the characters are very predictable, and the serious presentation of the horror elements clash with the campy nature of the OVA, but it has a surprisingly enjoyable story, the characters are also surprisingly enjoyable, and the music is fun to listen to.

See you all next week, when the horror knob gets turned up a little more. Until then, stay Otaku!





Here’s the link to download the OVA. Enjoy:

http://www.garoo9.com/elevator_kart/?s=Call+Me+Tonight


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Oh, I forgot/left this out in the review. When I first watched this, I was conflicted by the OVA’s animation quality. On the one hand, you can tell that it’s old (1986, to be exact) and looks dated. On the other hand, it’s aged surprisingly well. Despite it’s release date, I think that it’s aged enough so that it might trick people into thinking it’s a show from the early 90s (91 to 94, take your pick). The quality isn’t a negative, but it isn’t a positive either. I think I’ll leave this one up to you guys. Let me know what you think.

** (Update: 5/25/2013 | East Coast Time: 8:13 PM)
There's somebody on youtube who's posted up the OVA for all to see! Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kC4oWpS5Ws 

The Top 5 Songs & Or Videos That Make You Go WTF---For All The Wrong Reasons

It’s a safe bet to say that, at some point in our lives, we’ve come across a music video or song that, for whatever reason, has bewildered the mind. A video or song so out there, it causes mental damage that can’t fully be healed. I’ve seen a horde of music videos, and a good majority of them have left me scarred for life. So, to share some of that misery with you all, I’ve selected just five of the brain scorching videos I’ve bore witness too, some of which have been accompanied by some ear-raping music. So, for your viewing displeasure, and to get into the spirit of Halloween, here are the top five songs & or videos that make you go “What the Fuck!!!”.....for all the wrong reasons.

5) Men Without Hats - Pop Goes the World

Ironically, I just discovered this video a week or two ago, right after I watched Todd In The Shadows’s One Hit Wonders analysis of The Safety Dance (Click “***” to watch that video). Adding to the band’s irony is that Pop Goes the World is their only other hit song, which Todd In The Shadows also covered in the video, but I’m getting off track.

Compared to the other choices on this list, Pop Goes The World is a bit more tame, in terms of the video, and the song to a lesser extent. The video is presented in a rather cutesy manner, complete with soap bubbles floating around constantly, a baby in a carriage “playing” the keyboard (the effect is done rather poorly, hence the quotations), and a theme of worldwide dreams. The video really isn’t that bad, but the only things that’ll make a brain cell or two fry is the inclusion of a rather poor Elvis impersonator (blonde hair anyone?), an appearance by a weird looking snowman that just creeps me right the hell out (he kinda looks like the Rape-Puff Marshmallow Man, a distant and lesser known relative of the State-Puff Marshmallow Man), and the lead singer dancing around like he’s having a fit, and just acting childish in general. This childish feeling increases when a small group of kids appear about halfway through the video (insert Michael Jackson joke here), and act as crazy as he is.

If there’s anything wrong with this, it’s the song that really throws things off. It tries to be cute, as well as 80s pop should be, but I can’t help but feel a lot of cynical thinking within the lyrics, perhaps to the point of apocalyptic. It really clashes with the otherwise happy feelings that the video produces, and just makes watching said video a weird experience. Not necessarily WTFy, but it does stick in your mind, and it’s definitely in the ball park. Hence it’s place at the number 5 spot.

4) Rammstein - Sonne

Let me start out by saying that I love Rammstein. Having listen to their music for about a decade, the band has gained my respect & fandom through their oddities & personalities, not to mention their antics on stage. With the exception of one album, I’ve liked everything they’ve produced. However, that doesn’t mean that they haven’t produced any WTF material. In fact, they’re known for producing some of the most out there music videos, not to mention some equally out there music.

Which is where Sonne (Sun) comes in. This is on the Mutter album, which is the first that I bought from them back in 2002. Although the first song I ever heard from them was Ich Will, Sonne was the first song off the album that got stuck in my head. Originally created for Vitali Klitschko, a Ukrainian boxer, the song got it’s title from Vitali’s surname, and many of the lyrical choices fit with the whole boxer theme. The video, however, is a story in and of itself.

Supposedly going through 40 ideas, which included a story about a boxer (which would continue to fit with the boxer theme) and the bombing of Hiroshima (which would have matched the lyrics and the depressed-sounding vocalization), the band finally decided to make a Snow White video for Sonne (they got the Snow White idea from watching the original Disney movie while the song played in the background. Bassist Olliver Riedel make a crude version of the video by putting clips of the movie together, and adding the song in. This in turn inspired the band to make the video Snow White based). Given their nature, the band warped and twisted the innocent Snow White, and created a sadistic yet beautiful tyrant. She constantly abuses the band (who are the seven dwarves in this video), forcing them to dig for gold, and even spanks them at one point. Making the video more warped is the fact that she sniffs gold dust like it was cocaine, and apparently dies from her addiction. To spoil it further would be a crime.

Unlike Pop Goes the World, the song & video meld more effectively. There isn’t as much of a contrast between the two, but this is compensated by being far more bizarre and WTFy. Speaking of WTFy...

3) Aphex Twin - Windowlicker

...This has to be one of the most mind raping videos I’ve ever seen! Aphex Twin (aka Richard James) has always been known for being weird, enough to the point of putting his face all over his videos (even within the music notes themselves...don’t ask), but this video has to take the cake. Bennett the Sage did a top 10 most WTF music videos back in March (Click “***” to watch the video), and put Windowlicker right on the number 1 spot. While definitely disturbing in it’s own right, it doesn’t deserve to take the number 1 spot on this list (the number 1 spot has been taken by a group that’s more...sinister than anything on here). Again, I’m getting off track.

Windowlicker ramps up the disturbing factor by having Richard’s face put onto the faces/bodies of some otherwise lovely black dancers, effectively removing any sex appeal they have. Ironically, the video itself is a parody of what Rap/Hip-Hop was becoming, and Richard James just goes with it. Lasting 10 minutes and 35 seconds, the video begins with a black guy & a Latino guy driving around L.A. looking for, as the black guy says, some “Motherfuckin bitches yo!”. They come across two fine ladies, and proceed to crudely try to get them into the car (this process takes about 4 minutes). It almost looks like they succeed, until Mr. James bumps them out of the way with an incredibly long Limousine, effectively starting the song. Speaking of the song...

I actually like it. It’s not at all disturbing (although Mr. James’s girlfriend at the time provided some of the vocals for the song, such as “J'aime faire des croquettes au chien” and “J'aime faire des cracottes au chien”...I’ll leave the translations up to your imagination.), and while not as intense as Industrial music, the Electronic beats in Windowlicker are rather soothing, yet they still provide some heavy sounds. Unfortunately, the song cannot save you from the horrid images that the video provides, and will more than likely scar you for life. Not even getting drunk can help!

2) Genesis - Illegal Alien

Among the many things I hate in the world, chief among them is racism. This is ironic, since I’m a white guy that hates white people (a long story that I won’t put up here). If you’re some random jackass that starts acting up, I might heckle you for a moment, but I’ll just leave you alone and put you out of my mind. If you’re a famous person, however, I might keep some interest in your moment (or moments) of idiocy. This is where Phil Collins, Genesis, and this video come in.

Released in 1983, Illegal Alien started as a joke by Phil, as he related his difficulties of getting into the U.S. with that of Mexican immigrant workers. Yeah that’s a bit of a stretch (to the point of being unbelievable), but considering the weirdness that was the early 80s, who knows. In any case, this is perhaps the most offensive video I’ve ever seen (besides my number 1 selection), and the most offensive song I’ve ever heard. Why you ask?

For starters, the video is filled to the brim with Mexican stereotypes. For starters, Mr. Collins and the rest of the band are wearing brown face, in a futile attempt to mask themselves as Mexican. To make matters worse, Phil is using a fake Mexican accent when he’s singing, and partially manages to pull it off. As for the rest of the video, the stereotyping of Mexicans continues, with the band drinking, sleeping, smoking, playing Mariachi music, and wearing huge sombreros and serapes towards the end of the video.

While the video is incredibly offensive, the song isn’t necessarily as bad, but still very racial. Taking a more lighthearted and comedic approach, Phil laments about the frustrations an illegal immigrant faces. This all leads up to the chorus singing:


“It's no fun/Being an illegal alien”


If that’s not whiplash inducing, then take a look at this bit of the song, which has since been taken off of the radio edition, and has also been taken off of the video edition as well:


“But I’ve got a sister/Who be willing to oblige/She will do anything now/To help me get to the outside”


If you’re not mortified, and bashing your head against a brick wall, then you must be a brainless bastard or bitch. Sorry about using that last word.

The worse fact about the video & song is that...I like it. Much like the live-action Street Fighter movie, this whole thing is so awful is hard to not like. The song has a catchy beat, and is as lighthearted as the lyrics. Even the video has a warped charm, despite all the racial stereotypes it contains.

1) B4-4 - Get Down

If Racism is one of the biggest things I hate, the thing before it is boy bands, and the thing after Racism...is Pedophilia. Anyone, whether man or woman, that touches a child in the wrong way, deserves to get a wooden stake shoves firmly up their ass, ala Vlad the Impaler. Though they might get off from it, but at the same time they’re feel the pain that their victims felt from them. Another video that Bennett the Sage covered in his top 10 WTF music videos (Get Down was placed at the number 7 spot. In all honesty, it should have take the number 1 spot. He also covered Illegal Alien in his Top Ten Worst Songs By Good Artists video, placing it at number 4 on the list. Click “***” to watch that video). Given his analysis of the video, I’ll quickly go over some of the more obvious points.

1) “They also beat Jersey Shore to the douche spray-on tan look by over a decade.”. I got no complaints about that statement. Hell, they look like mutated Oompa-Loompas to me. Complete with life-jackets, no less.
2) “It also doesn’t help with the painfully obvious innuendo.”. Sage is right: in the video, B4-4 is singing about trying to do a kid...a black kid. It’s so disturbingly wrong, I won’t even put down the lyrics he showed, lest your brain might explode.
3) “Also, why the hell does every woman in the video think the kid is hot shit!?”. I don’t think I can answer that Sage. I just can’t!

I’m sorry if I didn’t go into more detail. If I did, then I’d probably pull a Kurt Cobain, and put a shotgun in my mouth. If the song & accompanying video were a joke, it was a humorless, spiteful joke. If it wasn’t a joke, then Canada, place these bastards in front of a firing squad! Yeah I said shove a pole up their ass, but shoving some wood into them (no pun intended) is just a waste of time.

Honorable Mention) Tomboy - It’s Okay To Be Gay

First things first: I am not a homophobic in the slightest. I’m bisexual (I do prefer girls over guys, however), and have plenty of friends that are gay & bi. However, even I have my limits, and this video, and accompanying song, is a good example. It definitely belongs in the “What the Fuck” category, although it’s not on the list since I discovered this just last week, but I figured it at least deserves to be mentioned.

I’ll start with the song. Taking a rather humorous approach, the song is basically about homosexuality, and that it’s okay to be gay. I will say that the song is also somewhat stereotypical, as it has the kind of techno/electronic beats you’d hear in a gay bar or club. Given that fact, It’s Okay To Be Gay is rather addicting, and has some very catchy lyrics, complete with perhaps the funniest yet mind-warping chorus I’ve ever heard:


“It’s okay to be gay let’s rejoice with the boys in the gay way/Hooray for the kind of man that you will find in the gay way.” 


The video, on the other hand, is like a nuclear rainbow bomb going off. It’s still funny like the song, but it’s filled with nothing but gay guys. That’s understandable, given the nature of the video/song, but at the same time some love should’ve been given to lesbians! On top of that, they’re taking a stab or two at straight people, which is also understandable, but a little spiteful at the same time.

See you all next week, when I’ll review perhaps the campiest anime I’ve ever seen. Until then, stay Otaku, and Happy Halloween!



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These are some of the scariest rants I’ve ever seen. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBRz-uB5e7s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHVQ9g6qDSo

Torchlight 2 Review

Hi fans. About a couple days ago, I recently completed Torchlight 2, and I really enjoyed it. I’m quite surprised at how long it actually took me, considering that I was playing Borderlands 2 at the same time (I’ll post that review in a few weeks, cause I need a little more playtime with the game to have a better grasp of it). In the meantime, here’s a review for Torchlight 2.

Story
Taking place years after the original game (it’s never specified), the town of Torchlight is assaulted by a familiar figure, who’s come looking for the still beating heart of Ordrak. I won’t say who this familiar figure is, but I can say it’s someone that you’ll recognize if you player Torchlight 1. Without going into more details, this figure takes Ordrak’s heart, then proceeds to journey across the land, terrorizing it’s inhabitants, and siphoning energy from the six guardians of the elements in a mad effort to destroy the world, and to heal itself.

Ironically, Torchlight 2 doesn’t suffer as badly in the story department as the original game did. There’s a larger threat to the world (true, the threat in Torchlight 1 was big, but it didn’t feel like a big threat), and the player is thrust into a situation that he or she might fail at preventing. However, the story still takes a backseat to the gameplay, but this backseat is a bit closer to the center stage.

Setting
The setting in Torchlight 2 has been improved over the original game. While the original Torchlight had a variety of dungeons to explore, there weren’t that many, and they got repetitive quickly. With the new game, the dungeon variety increased, and introduced outdoor areas to the player. In fact, here’s a group of statistics taking from Runic Games’s website on the area differences between the two games:


Unique Areas: Torchlight 1: 7 / Torchlight 2: 44
Room Layouts: Torchlight 1: 330 / Torchlight 2: 1200
Room Pieces: Torchlight 1: 1860 / Torchlight 2: 5665


As for the areas you explore, you come across dark caves & wilderness, haunted ruins, ancient deserts, etc. Even more impressive is that the various environments feel more real & alive, thanks to the variety, and to the improved graphics (see below).

Characters
This is perhaps the only thing that Torchlight 2 & Torchlight 1 have in common. Just like the first game, T2's gallery of character have next to nothing in terms of character, and thus saving them feels like a waste of time. This time around though, there’s a sense of urgency within many of the characters, and that adds to the tension of the situation within the game, so I guess the characters are as bad as they were in the first Torchlight.

Gameplay
Thankfully, this is the one aspect that hasn’t changed. Not heavily at least.

Just like the first Torchlight, this game provides you with a small variety of classes to pick & play with. With Torchlight 2, we gain an additional class to using, adding a little more to the class variety. The four classes to choose from are:


Engineer (Melee/Summoning/Limited Spellcasting & Limited Ranged)
Outlander (Ranged/Limited Spellcasting)
Berserker (Fast Melee/Limited Summoning)
Embermage (Elemental Spellcasting (Both Melee Distance & Ranged Distance))


As you can tell, the classes do a lot more than the originals within Torchlight 1. Each of them can do a lot more than the originals, and they feel stronger as well. Another change between the classes is they skills they have: whereas the T1 classes have 11 active skills in 3 skill trees, the classes in Torchlight 2 have 7 active skills within 3 skill trees, and three passive for each tree, which are a new addition to the game. Unlike the active skills, you don’t need to put them into the skill bar to use them, and they are always on (much like the passives in Diablo 2 & 3). To sum up: Unique Player Skills: Torchlight 1: 60 / Torchlight 2: 120

You’ll need these new abilities, as the enemies you face are stronger than the ones you encountered in the first Torchlight. Not only are there new foes to fight, you also come across some more familiar beasts from the first game. If fact, here are more statistics from the Runic Games website:


Monster Models: Torchlight 1: 83 / Torchlight 2: 300
Unique Monster Variants: Torchlight 1: 52 / Torchlight 2: 183
Monster Abilities: Torchlight 1: 47 / Torchlight 2: 148
Boss Battles: Torchlight 1: 9 / Torchlight 2: 27


Just like the statistics in the setting section of this review, the ones here really show how improved Torchlight 2 is when compared to the original game. Speaking of improvements...

The collection of items in this game not only has been expanded, but new items have been added for the player to use. For melee weapons, you still have swords, axes, dagger, but you also have the addition of fist weapons, allowing the player to use fast-paced attacks. There’s also the addition of shotgonnes (that fire short-ranged cones, and replaced the rifles from the original game) and cannons (slow-firing weapons that compensate by having a chance to stun targets, and deal massive amounts of damage) in addition to the other established ranged weapons.

We still have the original items in terms of potions (both mana & health, and newer varieties), transforming fish for your pet (changing your pet into old monsters & new monsters), spells (including new spells & old favorites), and gems to put into socketed items. The gems are perhaps the only item that has changed for the worse in this game. Instead of finding multiple pieces of different qualities to upgrade into better forms, you can no longer upgrade gems, but instead you find better forms as you advance in the game. This was the only change to the gameplay that I disliked, and thought it was rather lazy.

So, here’s a quick recap of the item improvement in Torchlight 2:


Unique Wardrobe Sets: Torchlight 1: 33 / Torchlight 2: 85
Unique Weapon Models: Torchlight 1: 230 / Torchlight 2: 395
Total Item Count: Torchlight 1: 3080 / Torchlight 2: 5773
Item Affix Count: Torchlight 1: 730 / Torchlight 2: 1344


Another change, although not a big change, are the pets. In the original Torchlight, you only had a cat or dog to choose. In T2, you can choose from a wolf (redesigned from the dog), cat, bulldog, panther, papillon (modeled after Runic Games’s office dog), ferret, chakawary, and hawk (the only non-transformed pet that can fly). There’s no real mechanical difference between the pets, but the visual differences making choosing which companion to take with you adds some fun to the process.

The quests have also changed from the original game. We still have the main quest, but we also have side quests doled out like in Diablo 3. Some side quests are established, but most of the others are randomized so as to not completely repeat during subsequent playthroughs. Just like in the original Torchlight, it’s best to do all the side quests so you can gain extra gold, items, and fame, and bulk up your character more.

One final gameplay aspect I’ll talk about is the length of time it takes to beat the game. The original Torchlight will take about 8 to 10 hours, and while that’s a respectable time table, hardcore RPG fans will be able to breeze through all the content in a quicker time. With Torchlight 2, it took me about 18 to 19 hours to beat the game. This is a considerably longer time table, considering how big the game.

Graphics & Sound
The graphics have indeed improved since the original game, yet at the same time it hasn’t changed. T2 uses the same engine that Torchlight 1 did, but in this game things look smoother, and don’t quite have as much of a cartooney look that the first game had. True, Torchlight 2 still has a cartooney look, but it’s downplayed, and feels more mature than the original game. These new graphics also have the added benefit of creating more realism, and has a greater visual appeal.

The sound quality is one aspect that hasn’t changed for the worst. It basically sounds they same, but considering the newer content, there’s new sounds introduced. On top of that, We’re given an expanded selection of background music to listen to while we journey through the land. In actually, we have this nugget of info, straight from Runic Games’s website:


Musical Tracks: Torchlight 1: 15 / Torchlight 2: 62


Overall & Rating
Torchlight 2 is definitely more improved than the original game. It’s got a bigger story, the setting has been expanded, we have expanded & stronger classes, there’s more monsters with more abilities, a greater selection of items & treasure, improved graphics, more background music, and even increased playtime. The only things that are still bad are the characters, and the fact that you can’t upgrade gems, but they’re minor when you compare them to what’s been changed.

Torchlight 2 gets a 8 out of 10.

See you all next week, when I’ll unleash horror upon you! Until then, stay Otaku!

5 Historically/Environmentally Conscious Metal Songs

Hi everyone! With a return to my original format, it’s given me time to think about how to do things, and more time to play, watch, or listen to for my reviews and other postings. Even better, I might actually post up things (including this) right at the beginning of the week now that I've given myself more time to do stuff! With that little tidbit out of the way, it’s time for something a little new, so here’s a list of 5 environmentally/historically conscious metal songs.

Note: I said 5 [insert subject matter] metal songs. This is not one of my “Top 5” lists, but rather a simple list of songs that I’ve listened to recently, and thought that they would be appropriate for something that isn’t so rigidly structured. The only reason that they're numbered is simply because of the order that I listened to. I may revisit this list a few months down the road, and convert it into a “Top 5” list, but I’ll have to think about it for a bit, since this list wasn’t structured for that type of post. Regardless, here’s the songs.

1) Sabaton - Primo Victoria

When I first heard this song, I couldn’t believe my ears. Heavy Metal bands have always had numerous sources of inspiration to use, but World War 2 is something you don’t often encounter in music, whether heavy metal or not. Regardless, Primo Victoria (First Victory, if my translation from Latan is correct) is perhaps the most iconic of WW2-based metal songs, based off one of the most iconic battles of the war. From about June 6th to late August of 1994 (I hope that I’ve measured the time properly), 12,000 out of the 156,000 Allied soldiers that landed on Normandy Beach, as well as a few other battles up until August, had died from intense fighting with the Germans. Yep, bloody conflict makes for good music.

2) Cranberries - Zombie

I’m stretching this next choice a little bit, considering that the band in question is an Irish Rock band, not a metal band. However, with the way they play their instruments (and to a lesser extent, the singing), I’m giving them a little break.

Anyways, the source material for this song is a bit darker than Primo Victoria. Zombie is a protest song about The Troubles, a period of time from the late 1960s to 1998 in Ireland (which also spread to England and Continental Europe), filled with ethnic & political violence. The song also takes into account a bombing in Warrington, England, in which two children needlessly died. Luckily, the violence eventually stopped, and peace between Ireland & England finally came to be in 2005. This is without a doubt the saddest song on this list, but it’s not only song that involves the death of children.

3) Ministry - 99%

If this was a “Top 5 Historically Recent Metal Songs”, then this song would be right at the number 1 spot. If you didn’t guess by the name, 99% uses the bank protests of last year & this year to create what is perhaps the most heaviest song on this list, and barely passing Primo Victoria in that regard (emphasis on the world “barely”). Unlike the first two songs, 99% is more basic in terms of instrumentation and vocals. It’s still a great song, but don’t expect anything remotely intellectual.

4) Iron Maiden - Run to the Hills

Although not tied to a specific event, Run to the Hills is perhaps the most famous of metal songs on this list. Taking influence from the conflict that occurred between European settlers in the New World and Native American tribes during the days of colonization and later westward expansion, Run to the Hills is a very powerful song. What’s interesting is that Iron Maiden made this song with both perspectives in mind: the Native Americans have their viewpoint in the beginning verse, while the Europeans take the rest of the song. Even if the song didn’t really have a subject matter, the 80s style of metal instrumentation and singing is so iconic of the time, it’s difficult to forget.

5) Rammstein - Donaukinder

If I made this as a “Top 5 Historical & Melodic Metal Songs”, Zombie would take spot number 2, and Donaukinder would take the number 1 spot. Rammstein is always known for making some of the most brutal & loud songs, but at times they’ve created some surprisingly beautiful music. The story of Donaukinder (Children of the Danube or Danube Children, depending on the translation) is rather interesting:

“The song deals with an accident near Baia Mare, in Romania, which occurred on 30th January 2000.

Extremely heavy rainfall on 30 January caused a dam to breach, causing 100.000 m³ of water to flood a goldmine and carry with it app. 100 ton of heavy metals and sodium cyanide into the nearby river Donau (German name for the Danube). The poison was carried along the river, causing havoc in several countries; drinking water became poisoned, and people fled the rivers’ surroundings to escape the deadly poison, which quickly destroyed all life in and around the river itself.

Lots of children were obviously affected by this disaster, but the name ‘Donaukinder’ (‘Danube Children’) more probably refers metaphorically to the fish in the river, seen as the ‘children’ of the Danube/Donau; the fish obviously suffered most directly the full force of this disaster and the absence of fish in the river is the most obvious consequence of the disaster. Hence, the song rhetorically asks: ‘Wo sind die Kinder?’ (‘Where are the children?’). Furthermore, the German name for Baia Mare, where the breach occured, is ‘Frauenbach’, meaning ‘Woman-River’, which sustains the metaphor of comparing River/Fish to Mother/Children.”*

* Taken from: http://en.affenknecht.com/lyrics/rammstein-donaukinder/
** I personally don't like the version on youtube. A better version of Donaukinder can be found on Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da's 2nd CD.

Although the parties in question were dealt with, and the land healed, things still haven’t fully recovered since then. In particular, fishermen in Hungary have said that their catch are only 1/5th of what they used to bring in. Quite tragic, actually.

See you all next week, when I’ll give you my review of Torchlight 2. Until then, stay Otaku!