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~BlackHawkOmega

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Journal 007: Lucky Star (HA!)

Fri Nov 20, 2009, 7:56 PM
  • Mood: Tired
  • Listening to: My Music Gallery
  • Reading: Nintendo Power #248, Fairy Megane
  • Watching: N/A
  • Playing: N/A
  • Eating: N/A
  • Drinking: N/A
“We’ve got a legend on our side.”

After being two months lost at sea, I ran into a small little dude. His name was Starfy, and he--yeah forget it, let’s review The Legendary Starfy for the Nintendo DS.

==Story==
This is the first Starfy game released in the US, and the fifth released in Japan, but the story is made in a way so that it doesn’t matter if you played any of the previous games.

The story begins high in the clouds, in the Kingdom of Pufftop. The prince of the kingdom, Starfy, is taking his nap, when suddenly, a loud crash wakes him up to find a huge hole in his wall, and three goons chasing after a rabbit in a space suit. Starfy seems to be pretty pissed by this, and he helps out the bunny dude by taking out the three thugs. He tries to calm down the rabbit, but he falls into the ocean, as Starfy’s best friend Moe, comes to the scene. He tries to hold Starfy back from jumping off the clouds into the sea, but he fails, as both heroes go plummeting into the deep blue below. Who is the astronaut rabbit, and why was he being chased by those three goons? Starfy’s gonna find out as he heads towards his next journey…

==Gameplay==
One of the reasons why The Legendary Starfy stands out more than other games on the DS, is the gameplay. There are two ways to play; underwater and on land. Underwater, Starfy moves a lot faster, and can swim in all 8 directions, while on land, he’s a bit slower, but can use most of his abilities he obtains throughout the game. Those moves include various upgrades of Starfy’s signature move, the Spin Attack, the ability to glide, and swim through heavy currents. At one point in the game, Starfy gets the power to don costumes, such as a dragon, seal, & a ghost. Each one comes with it’s own special attacks and abilities, and can be leveled up by finding special treasure chests throughout each stage. Treasure Chests contain health upgrades, journal entries from various characters you’ve met in the game’s story, and extra levels. Most of the treasure you’ll find are costumes and accessories that can be used to dress up Starfy (and his sister Starly). While the clothes can’t be used in the game itself, it’s a nice little touch. The game has a ton of extra features aside from the main game, such as the Dress-Up feature just mentioned, five mini-games (two of them must be found in-game), including fishing and dumpling making, a boss rush mode (which must be unlocked), and even a talk show with various characters from the story, with the show’s host being…Moe, the clam.

The game’s story is told with a span of 8 worlds, each with 10 stages or more, including a boss stage for each world. Each world, of course, has it’s own theme, such as a beach (pretty obvious), volcano, arctic lands, and a sunken pirate ship. Each stage has a certain amount of treasure chests inside, and with over 100 levels, including the extra levels, there’s a ton of replay value to be had. As for bosses, I can say none of them provided a real challenge. The only one that caused a tiny bit of trouble was the second phase of the final boss. The game as a whole is pretty easy, but it doesn’t detract from the game’s fun factor.

==Audio & Graphics==
The game’s visuals are a sight to behold. Each world has it’s own graphical charm, with vibrant colors and textures that do the DS major justice. The game’s cutscenes are done in a comic book fashion, and unlike Sonic Chronicles, they don’t suck ass. Like the rest of the game, they’re vibrant with color. The only gripe I have about the cutscenes is the dialogue at points. While characters like Moe give the game humor, some (especially towards the end of the game) is pretty corny.

While none of the music in The Legendary Starfy is too memorable, I wouldn’t say it sucks. Each track provides the levels with it’s own special feeling, like the arctic lands’ music give the feeling of “ice” and “snow”.

==Final Thoughts==
While The Legendary Starfy isn’t a fantastic game, it’s still a lot of fun. It’s not legendary by any means, but more like…”it's pretty great”. If you’re a plat forming fan, I’d recommend that you’d give it a try.

== Point/Counterpoint ==
+ Fun Gameplay
+ Quirky Humor
+ Beautiful Visuals
+ Tons of replay value

- Low Difficulty

Please comment on your thoughts on the game.

1 Comment

Journal 6.5: What the FUCK, Tokyo? (And Updates)

Mon Oct 5, 2009, 1:07 PM
  • Mood: Outraged
  • Listening to: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Soundtrack
  • Reading: Fairy Tail, Nintendo Power Vol. 247
  • Watching: N/A
  • Playing: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • Eating: N/A
  • Drinking: N/A
Well, I'm back. Yeah, hooray, etc. So, to start; WHAT THE FUCK TOKYOPOP? I'm most likely late with this news, but it turns out Japanese manga publisher Kodansha expired their contract with Tokyopop, which means they can no longer publish ANY of their stuff, AT ALL. Why? I don't know. But this pisses me off to the extreme. This means Rave Master, one of the first manga I ever discovered (thanks to a friend, but that's another story), is NOT going to be finished by Tokyopop. Thanks to much better American publisher Del Rey, they've been given the rights to several of Tokyopop's lost titles, most importantly, Rave Master. While that makes the situation better for me, it turns out the last THREE volumes, count 'em THREE, are going to be publishing as one Omnibus volume in SEPTEMBER of next year. Yeah. What the fuck guys? This better not happen to Del Rey, because if they lose Fairy Tail, I'm going to be pissed...well, more pissed than I am now.

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

As for updates:

~ Well, I'm back in school (last year), so I'm gonna be kinda busy. But, I'll still update as much as possible.

~ The 150th deviation has been officially canceled. Mainly because I forgot some of the owners of some of the characters that were requested, because my journals were mysteriously erased.

~ I still have a ton of stuff to upload. Mainly just random stuff I drew over the summer and beginning of the school year.

~ I'm currently working on my 5th MMV (on Youtube). My personal deadline is October 12th. I don't plan on revealing the subject nor the song. If you're interested, just follow along.

~ I've been sucked into the phenomenon that is Twitter. Right here.

~ I still plan on rewriting my Sonic Unleashed review, along with the Legendary Starfy. I plan on making Journal 7 the Starfy review, because I made a really goofy title: Lucky Star. See? Lucky, 'cus it's a seven? And Starfy's a star? And Lucky Star is an anime? See? Haha!

~ I plan on interviewing random artists here on dA for no reason. I thought it'd be fun. It's most likely gonna be people on my watchlist, though.

That's all for now.

~ BlackHawkOmega

2 Comments

Journal 006: It's Dark in this 'hood Brother!

Thu Jul 23, 2009, 12:01 AM
  • Mood: Depressed
  • Listening to: "Fuu Fuu" by Yuko Hikasa
  • Reading: Sonic Select Vol.1, Fairy Tail
  • Watching: K-On!
  • Playing: Sonic Chronicles, Animal Crossing DS
  • Eating: N/A
  • Drinking: N/A
"Who cares about Knuckles?" ~Sonic the Hedgehog

What's this? BioWare is developing their first portable RPG for the DS? It must be Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III: It's the same as the First Two!! Nope, it's an RPG starring our favorite blue hedgehog (If you have another favorite, I question your taste), Sonic!! How does Sonic and friends fare in their first RPG? Join me as I review Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, for the Nintendo DS.

==Story==
Not unlike Sonic Unleashed, Chronicles also begins at the end of an unseen adventure, as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy infiltrate Dr. Eggman's latest Egg Carrier (Which suspiciously looks like the airship from Heroes). Proving Eggman can't build machines worth a crap, Tails rips out a few wires, and the Carrier crashes down into the city with a giant explosion, with Eggman in it...

Several years have past since then, and the gang has split up to go their separate ways after Eggman's (assumed) death. As Sonic runs blindly around the world, he receives a distress call from Tails. It turns out Knuckles has been kidnapped, and the Chaos Emeralds have been stolen! After meeting up with Amy, the two rush off to Central City to see Tails, but what's in store may be more than our heroes can handle!

==Gameplay==
Of course, what's an RPG without gameplay? A crappy one, that's what. Like every RPG, there's exploring your environment, and combat. The buttons are rarely used, as you use the stylus to traverse Sonic's world. Actions such as flying over gaps, running through loops, and smashing objects are performed by tapping the Action button near said obstacle. Some actions require a higher leveled skill ,which can be obtained in combat. You can also gather Chao Eggs that lie around the area, some which require certain characters to get. After an egg is collected it'll eventually hatch, and the Chao can be equipped to your Party Members to aid them in battle. As for battle, unlike RPGs like Pokemon, there are no random battles, as the enemies wander around the map. You can avoid them, but it's not gonna help you if you want to get stronger.

Speaking of the combat and such, Sonic Chronicles as a very unique combat system. Similar to other games of the genre, the battles are turned based, as you choose your actions and select your target via the touch screen (if necessary). Instead of Special attacks or Summons though, you get Power Moves, aka POW Moves. POW Moves can be gained after gaining levels and buying them with POW Points, and can be upgraded to be more effective. All POW Moves require Touch Screen Interaction (TSI) to be more powerful, let alone work. An example would be Big the Cat's "Battering Ram", where he runs into the opponent and flails is arms around like Parasite Cage from Kingdom Hearts. If you ignore the TSI, it'll barely do any damage. An perfect example of one that requires perfect movement is Tails' move, "Scan". If one bit is messed up, it does absolutely nothing, so you basically wasted your POW Points just dancing around like a moron in the middle of a battle. Some however, like Knuckles' "Uppercut", can still do a fair amount of damage, even if the TSI is messed up.

The touch screen is also used for avoiding enemy attacks. Like POW Moves, when an opponent uses own, you can use TSIs to avoid them, doing little to no damage. Some are pathetically easy to dodge (Full Auto, Crusher, Chaos Spear etc.), and some may provide a challenge, but I have yet to find one that's nearly impossible. You can also equip items to your characters, like sneakers and gloves, but to tell the truth, I never used them. You really don't need them. With the exception of healing items and POW point restoration items, you basically set. It's basically the same with the character classes as well; There's Power, Support, and Shifter classes. There's also no real strategy into forming your team of 4, either. I basically formed my team with characters I liked (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Omega).

Lastly, the dialogue. Like other BioWare games, you can sometimes select your response when another character speaks. It doesn't really affect the plot much, but can improve relations with other characters. I decided to be nice to Amy, and eventually thanks me for it...okay, it barely affects relations. Also, it's being a complete ass to some of the other characters too. After Shade reveals her face and motive, Tails suggests to me that I speak to Knuckles to help him cope with it. My response? Look at the quote above. If you ever wanted Sonic to be a jerk like he was in Sonic the Comic, this is your chance, and the closest you'll ever see him act like a dick. Some of the dialogue is quite funny, especially from Robotnik, but on the other hand, some is cringe worthy (Yes, Shadow, I know who Omega is, and DAMN it Tails, I remember Super Sonic! I was there!).

==Audio & Graphics==
The Sonic Franchise has had pretty good music over the years, hasn't it? You know, "Live And Learn", "Wave Ocean ~The Inlet~", "Volcano Valley", etc. Well, Sonic Chronicles isn't really going be one of those Sonic games. There are probably 2 tracks, I'd consider "great", but everything else is either "Meh" or "Ugh". This is also the first game I was introduced to Richard Jacques (I heard the music before I got the game), and it wasn't a good one. Thank the stars Steve Sims was there to compose "Battle Theme 4". He may have done the main theme song, but I'm unsure. There's also really cartoony sound effects during battle. I've always questioned why the SWATbots went "Doi-yoi-yoing!" when I blew them up. I actually find so stupid it's funny, but it does get annoying when it occurs every 4 seconds when each of your team members are defeated. Some actually sound like they were made by the producers themselves, not using actual technology. Since when has the Tornado had a constant farting problem?

As for graphics, I'd say that the graphics aren't that bad for the DS. The hand drawn maps and areas are a really nice touch. The art style for the NPCs isn't that bad, as they're a bit similar to Unleashed, but nowhere near as well done. The art for Sonic and Co. is really good during dialogue, though. The character models aren't that bad either, but a close-up at their faces can change your mind. But the cutscenes, ho-HO, are AWFUL! The actually movement of them is fine, but the way they're drawn is practically terrible. They are some that look fine, but, like the music, why couldn't they get the actually artists from past games to do this?

==Final Thoughts==
Sonic's first foray into the RPG genre is a welcomed one, but it's more suited to rookie RPG players. It's fun nonetheless, however.

== Point/Counterpoint ==
+ Funny Dialogue
+ Unique Controls
+ Nice Story
+ Dialogue Choice System Is Fun

- Mediocre Music
- Mediocre Cutscene Art
- Cheap Enemies
- POW Moves Require Perfect Precession

Please comment on your thoughts on the game

11 Comments

Journal 005: Just Warming Up

Thu Jul 16, 2009, 7:38 AM
  • Mood: Pride
  • Listening to: "Toot Toot Sonic Warrior"
  • Reading: Sonic Archives Vol.10, Fairy Tail
  • Watching: Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • Playing: The Legendary Starfy, Animal Crossing DS
  • Eating: N/A
  • Drinking: N/A
"Since when is an asterisk swanky?" ~BlackHawkOmega

July 14, 2009

As I wander dA, a big-ass message shows up, telling me I've been around here for a year. Instead of congratulating me, they decide to tell me about the goddamn Premium Membership, and how awesome it is, even telling me I get a "swanky" asterisk next to my name. Sure, I'll pay my good money so I can put stamps in my journal. Yeah...screw that, I'm gonna buy me some Transformers.


Rants aside, I've been here a year!! And I've barely got anything done! Well, I've barely updated in a few weeks, and I still have yet to submit my 150th deviation. As for my life outside the internet...which is only 4% at the moment, I've been drawing VIZAR X for the past few days, and I'm only on the 5th or 6th chapter, and that of course means...major CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT and little PLOT ADVANCEMENT! Well, the plot is advancing, but slowly. It'll get there. It's just own of those chapters that doesn't have as much action as it should.

That's really all I have to say, except that it's also over a year I discovered School Days, and also one of my favorite anime characters, Kotonoha Katsura (Kyaaaa!).

That's all for now.

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

As for updates...

~ Now that school's out, I have a ton of hand-drawn work to upload. I still have to upload my 150th Deviation before I hit my 200th, and I'll probably do something similar.

~ I feel like writing another review, so expect one for The Legendary Starfy, Sonic Chronicles, and a rewrite for Sonic Unleashed.

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

Wait! Wait! WAIT!

Since I've been here a year, I've decided to check my stats to see my progress and what the fuck is this?

His deviation with the most comments is Retarded Sonic Fanbase Stamp with 36 comments, while his most favourited one is Sonic Unleashed Stamp, with 117 favourites. His most viewed deviation is Excalibur Sonic Stamp with 685 views.

Gee guys, thaaaaaaanks. I feel appreciated now that my actual art means nothing. I don't CARE if most of my gallery is stamps! Look at my other shit, too!

5 Comments

Journal 004: More Than Meets--Oh, You Get It!

Mon Jun 29, 2009, 6:23 PM
  • Mood: Excited
  • Listening to: "Lolita Strawberry in Summer"
  • Reading: Sonic Archives Vol.5, Fairy Tail
  • Watching: N/A
  • Playing: The Legendary Starfy, Animal Crossing DS
  • Eating: N/A
  • Drinking: N/A


"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing." ~Optimus Prime

"My father was a wheel! The first wheel! And do you know what he transformed into? Nothing!" ~Jetfire

I just got back from seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with :iconvladcarrion:, and goddamn did we have fun. I planned on doing another review, but I don't want to spoil the film for the those who haven't seen it. I will say this though; It was much better than the first movie, the action was easier to follow, and Optimus Prime went up 5 levels on the bad-ass meter. Instead of reviewing the entire movie, I'm gonna rank my favorite fights. Of course, there will be a few spoilers, so don't read it if you don't want to ruin it for yourself. For those sticking around, the following 5 battles will be ranked from lowest to highest:

#5: Mudflap & Skids vs Devastator
As soon as Devastator is formed, he immediately begins to destroy everything. He decides to open his mouth and suck up the civilians, and Mudflap along with them. Thinking he's dead, he goes after Simmons and Leo, but, amazingly, Mudflap busts out of its face! After escaping, the Twins team up, using Devastator's contraptions hanging from its body and help deal some damage to the beast, while still adding some humor to the scene. While the scene was short and although they didn't destroy Devastator, it showed that Mudflap and Skids can prove their worth as fighters.

#4: Sideswipe vs Sideways
At the beginning, the Autobots are on a mission after several Decepticon signals are detected and in comes Sideswipe (who is not voiced by Jason Griffith), who chases after Sideways, who does not last long. After 'Swipe jumps over and launches one of his blades into 'Ways, he lands grabs his blade back and cuts Sideways in half, completely down the middle. Again, the fight was short, but it shows what the side characters can do. Also because Sideswipe uses his wheels as roller skates. That's just bitchin'.

#3: Bumblebee vs Rampage & Ravage
When the Decepticon's army begins to grow and mobilize, Sam's parents are captured by Rampage, an orange construction vehicle. Using his mom and dad, Rampage uses them as bait to get the Matrix of Leadership from Sam. Unknown to him, Bumblebee is waiting to ambush him. He jumps on his back and beats the living shit out of Rampage. He then proceeds to rip off his arms and shoots Rampage in the back of the head, and Ravage jumps in, clawing at Bumblebee's Battle Mask, but also gets defeated, when Bumblebee takes his tail and rips out Ravage's spine. Even though neither of them didn't have a chance, it was a good fight.

#2: Optimus Prime vs Megatron, Starscream, & Grindor
After Megatron is revived by the stolen AllSpark shard, he goes after Sam when he begins seeing Cybertronian symbols. When the Autobots come to rescue Sam, Mikayla, and Leo after getting captured, Optimus takes Sam and Megatron chases after, in his new tank form nonetheless. Optimus Prime then begins fighting Megatron in a one-on-one duel. After a grueling fight, Starscream and Grindor (who is basically Blackout with a longer face) arrive to aid their leader. After Optimus puts up one hell of a fucking fight, including when he uses his double flame hooks to rip Grindor's face apart by catching the hooks in his eye sockets, and tearing off Starscream's arm and beats him with it, Megatron impales Optimus from behind, killing him. While Optimus fell during that battle, he kicked some major ass.

#1: Ultimate Prime vs Megatron & The Fallen
Okay, this was way too obvious. But it was fucking amazing. Optimus Prime became the biggest bad-ass in the history of all-time in this movie. No one can top him. After Jetfire uses his spark to combine with Optimus at the cost of his life, Optimus Prime becomes strong enough to take on The Fallen and Megatron at once. He blasts the fuck out of Megatron, sending him through walls, which also shows that the Transformers do not care for ancient architecture. Probably being fed up with The Fallen's dickery, he goes after him and decides to deliver the best robotic ass-whuppin' I've ever seen. He tears him apart, and rips his face off and stabs his skull with his own spear. When The Fallen dies, Prime utters the best motherfucking line, "I rise and you fall." Unfortunately, all of Jetfire's armor was gone by the time the fight finished. After getting their asses majorly kicked, Megatron and Starscream retreat. It was much more satisfying than the showdown from the first film. Who am I kidding? HOLY SHIT! THIS FIGHT WAS FUCKING AMAZING! I LOVED IT!

While many loved the movie, critics treated it like it was the spawn of Satan. They say every other shot is Megan Fox's breasts, yet there were none. NONE. No Megan Fox tits. One shot of her ass, which was filmed quite well. Overall, I fucking loved the fucking shit out of this movie, and I'll watch the fuck out of it when it's released on DVD. Oh, remember Barricade? WHERE THE FUCK WAS HE?!"

Please comment on your thoughts on my choices or the movie in general.

20 Comments
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