Hirō Isono 1945-2013

Sad news today for fans of the Seiken Densetsu (Mana series in the US) series. Hirō Isono, the main illustrator for the franchise who worked on the series since the first game in 1991, Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Final Fantasy Adventure), and as late as Seiken Densetsu HEROES of MANA in 2007. Isono passed away on May 28th due to heart failure and services were held on May 31st. He was 68.

Isono was an accomplished artist, not only working on art for video games but also doing work as a painter and artist for picture books and visual novels. Isono will be missed and we here at Blistered Thumbs hope he rests in peace. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Anime News Network

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Well this is going to get messy.

Life is too short to sift through a million different posts. That is why we here at Blistered Thumbs regularly combine gaming videos into one article for your viewing pleasure. *sighs* I suppose having at least one sort of post-apocalyptic story go by without some variation of zombies was too much to hope for. Oh well. Still a great game.

Defiance:

God of War: Ascension:

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate:

Toro’s Friend Network:

Disney’s Planes:

Marvel Heroes:

Link’s Shadow (Legend of Zelda Fan Film):

Telltale’s The Walking Dead:

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Despite the incredible variety of games that have been released over the years, there are some that I still question how the idea of the game came to light in the first place. I have played many such games with strange concepts for actually playing through, one such example being the subject today: the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I don’t know who brought up the idea of playing through a game as a lawyer solving court cases, but whoever did can have the satisfaction of creating one of the most well-written and enjoyable series I’ve ever played. Nearly every aspect of the game comes together perfectly to create an enjoyable experience that is hard to match, but only the strong writing comes anywhere close to how surprisingly good the music is.

At its core, any game has to have ways to keep the player engaged throughout the entire play-through, be it through immediately satisfying gameplay, a good story that urges the player forward to see the next plot development, or some other means. The Ace Attorney series has a bit of a handicap in this department despite its consistently impressive stories: most of the game takes place with very little movement and player input. Although the player has to pick out the inconsistencies in witness testimonies and present the correct evidence to prove their points, a large portion of the game isn’t so much played as it is watched. To solve this possible issue, the developers have used the music to keep up the game’s pace with spectacular results.

Throughout Phoenix’s many difficult cases, the situation is constantly changing. At one moment, Phoenix can be boxed into a corner with no apparent solutions. The next, he can have a break in the witness’ testimony that allows him to point out an inconsistency that gets him that much closer to the truth. After that, he might find a huge hole in the prosecution’s case that gives him a solid foothold and empowers him to move forward (shown below). For all of these moments, the game will provide an appropriate song to go along with the mood, as demonstrated in the links provided above. These different tracks are quickly associated with progression and, subsequently, become an integral part of the game that can tell much about the current situation, such as if there’s a long way to go with a certain witness or if they are hanging on to their lies by a thread. Regardless of situation however, the music does more to empower or depower the player than almost any game I have ever played.

Of course, the courtroom themes aren’t the only ones that have such a profound impact. Nearly every location and character has their own theme that perfectly reflects the circumstances or personality of the subject in question. For example, “Turnabout Sisters 2001,” the theme for Phoenix’s plucky assistant Maya, perfectly characterizes her as a cheerful, bubbly girl who can always be counted on to brighten up the situation. Meanwhile, “Police Cell ~ Jailer’s Elegy” is a slow, sad song that perfectly demonstrates the feelings one would have being locked up in prison accused of a crime they didn’t commit. These songs are so heavily tailored to their individual locations and characters that taking any of them away would nearly feel like depriving the game itself of character. It would simply not be Ace Attorney without them.

It’s also worth considering the “Reminiscence(or Recollection)” series of songs, a set that play over specific flashbacks to past events that have bearing on the current cases. Every important flashback event has its own unique “Reminiscence,” although they all share the same melancholy feel to them. After all, none of the flashbacks in question are ever remembering something pleasant. Regardless, they all perform their job admirably, with particular mention going to “Reminiscence ~ True Evening of Grief” for sounding truly and utterly despondent.

Naturally, there are some songs I feel stand above the others on the soundtrack that I’d like to give special mention to, besides the already-mentioned and obvious choice of “Cornered.” First, “Search ~ Core 2001,” a song that plays when you’ve started uncovering the real meaty evidence in your investigations, stands out as having one of the best baselines in the soundtrack. It really does sound as though you’ve stumbled onto something and energized because of it. “The Steel Samurai” also gets tons of points for being an energetic and enjoyable tune that proves to be incredibly catchy. So much so in fact, that Phoenix actually makes it his ringtone for the rest of the series. However, one of my favorite tracks in “Turnabout Sisters’ Ballade,” shown above, which manages to really impress me for turning such an undoubtedly happy song into a somber, beautiful piece that evokes both longing and familiarity.

It’s hard to think of a game series that uses its music as effectively as Ace Attorney and even harder to think of a more unlikely place such a result could have spawned from. Faced with a clear issue, the designers of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney performed a complete 180 degree turn on the issue and transformed one of the game’s most crippling weaknesses into one of its strongest qualities. I’m sure I’ll be talking about this series again on Music Mondays someday, but we’ll just leave it here in the meantime. For now, I’m eagerly waiting for the day I can play Dual Destines and see my favorite lawyer in action once again.

Music Mondays is a weekly column by Austin Yorski and Robert Heck dedicated to discussing the most interesting audio experiences in electronic interactive media. Tune in every week for more original game soundtracks that you need to hear. Feel free to disagree with, add to, or question everything. I welcome your feedback.

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Although exceptions most definitely exist, licensed games don’t have the best track record in video gaming, in any aspect. However, the worst part of a vast majority of these failures is that they simply do not carry the spirit of the license they are built for, something that defeats the entire purpose of making the game in the first place. Thankfully, there are games that accomplish that goal rather well, one such example being Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!! While not one of the best games I’ve ever played, it was very admirable in its many successful attempts to emulate the show it was based on, most notably through its impressive soundtrack.

I can’t say that I watch Adventure Time more than the occasional odd episode when I see that it’s on, but I’ve seen enough to have a good idea of what the show is all about. As such, I can say that the mishmash of music types and genres on display in this soundtrack fits quite well considering just how varied the show can be. Normally, a soundtrack has an overarching sense of cohesion that ties all the individual songs together to create a solid flow between the tracks. However, despite the consistencies in some tracks, the lack of unification for many others actually works in this game’s favor.

While a good portion of the soundtrack does have at least a slight amount of similarity to tracks that serve the same purpose, such as overworld themes, other songs use assorted genres, and vocal styles to fit their particular locations and battles. Besides the obvious goal of making good music, the most important aspect of the soundtrack is how well each song fits both its in-game situation and the general world of Adventure Time.

If there is one consistency throughout the soundtrack, it’s that a good number of them have a chiptune-like edge to them. While it usually isn’t an overwhelming presence on most tracks, the designer deliberately made many sound like they came from a video game to go with the very aware nature of the game itself. For example, many of the overworld and path themes in the game, notably “Ice Kingdom Overworld” and “Grassland Action,” are immediately noticeable as older generation-inspired game music, despite their updated feel. However, even within that niche, the tracks vary greatly, with some having high-energy instrumentation and others keeping with a notably dark mood to coincide with the dark undertones of the show in question.

Of course, the differences show even more clearly when considering the tracks not inspired by video games, most obviously the vocal tracks. This is where the small amounts of consistency is thrown away entirely, as practically every vocal tracks is starkly different from every other. “FEAST! FIGHT! BE MANLY!” is mostly based around consistent beat-boxing to form the entirety of the backbeat while the title words are repeated whenever appropriate. “Who’s In Charge Here” features heavy guitar and has rather intimidating lyrics to show the power of the boss in question. Even “A Hero is Made,” the final boss theme that probably couldn’t work any better for its situation, is something rather… different, to say the least. However, all these very separate songs have two things in common: they fit perfectly and are great songs besides.

The variance in the soundtrack leads me to like many different songs for many different reasons. I can really appreciate “Candy Kingdom Overworld” for growing on me as the most frequently heard song in the game and just being an upbeat, enjoyable thing. I love how the Ice King’s battle theme is a remix of the title theme that manages to add so much energy to an already energetic song. Above all else however, I absolutely adore the energetic chiptune perfection seen in the track shown above, “Party in the Clouds.” In all honesty, I can’t help but be reminded of Anamanaguchi, the band that did the music for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and that’s about the best praise I could give to any chiptune song these days.

It’s not exactly common to find a licensed game that’s even alright in the first place. It’s even more difficult to find a licensed game that excels above and beyond the norm in any category. However, that’s exactly what Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage managed to accomplish. Despite the numerous genres and song types on display throughout the game, all of them turned out at least okay. In fact, I can’t think of a single song in the game that I outright disliked, and that’s always a happy occurrence. I can’t say that I have any significant experience with the composer, Jake Kaufman, but, if this game is any indication, I need to start paying more attention to the man. In fact, he’s set to compose the soundtrack for the upcoming Ducktales: Remastered and if this game is any indication, that will be another soundtrack to see its day here on Music Mondays.

Music Mondays is a weekly column by Austin Yorski and Robert Heck dedicated to discussing the most interesting audio experiences in electronic interactive media. Tune in every week for more original game soundtracks that you need to hear. Feel free to disagree with, add to, or question everything. I welcome your feedback.

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Avenger’s (and Deadpool) Assemble!

Lego Marvel Super Heroes, the next big Lego game from TT Games coming down the pipeline, is one title that honestly I never really expected to see. After Traveler’s Tales has long been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment whose parent company of course currently owns DC Comics lock, stock, and barrel. And while the inherent profit to a Lego Marvel game was obvious that has never stopped Marvel, DC, Disney, and Warner Bros. from setting aside such opportunities in the past. Thankfully it seems that cooler/wiser/greedier heads prevailed and we will indeed be able to play a game featuring adorable versions of the Hulk, Iron Man, Spidey, Wolverine, and even Deadpool among many others. And a newly released CGI teaser for the game showcases just how big the threat bringing together the heroes of the Marvel Universe (and Deadpool) really is. Check it out below.

For those of you who do not recognize that silhouette (and for shame if you do not) that was of course the planet eating force of nature known as Galactus and his presence means that shit just got very real. Also released today where details on the preorder bonuses set to accompany the game and they break down like this: Walmart will be offering an exclusive Iron Patriot Lego mini-fig with the new armor that is likely going to be very popular following its use in Iron Man 3 this summer.

GameStop meanwhile will be offering gamers an exclusive Lego mini-fig Spider-Man keychain plus Power Up Rewards members will also receive an exclusive (and as yet non-detailed) DLC pack for the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game. Sorry PC, DS, 3DS, Vita, Wii U owners I guess Gamestop just does not love you enough to put equal effort on your behalf. Finally anyone whose chooses to go the Amazon route for their pre-order will be credited back $10 once the game launches. Lego Marvel Super Heroes should arrive for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U, DS, 3DS, and PS Vita this holiday season. Stay tuned to Blistered Thumbs for continuing coverage of the game and be sure to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

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Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct was littered with exciting announcements that had a lot of Nintendo fans talking, and rightfully so. With a host of games from popular franchises, not to mention a long-requested JRPG in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, the 3DS looks primed to have an incredibly strong year. Admittedly, I haven’t been this excited about a Nintendo system and its lineup since I was learning my multiplication tables. I recently broke down and picked up a 3DS with Fire Emblem: Awakening. To say the least, I’m absolutely loving this system. Allow me to share with you how the 3DS has made a Nintendo kid again.

For some context, let me share with you my history with Nintendo. Like most kids growing up in the 80′s and early 90′s, I grew up playing the NES and SNES. The NES provided me with a lot of fantastic gaming memories with series like Mega Man, Mario, and a litany of other silly NES sidescrollers. However, the system that really got me into gaming was the Super Nintendo. The gameplay of Mega Man X was near perfect. The graphics of Donkey Kong Country were unlike anything I’d ever seen. Kirby Super Star also provided endless sleepover memories. The system had everything going for it. Then Sony stepped into the console market and I discovered the PlayStation.

the system that started it all for me. good times.

A friend of mine was a staunch PlayStation fan. He had every worthwhile game and even had a subscription to PlayStation Magazine. I was quite jealous, to say the least. One fateful day I came over to his house and he showed me a little game called Final Fantasy VII. In short, it blew my mind. After this I would never look at games the same way again and Sony would be my console manufacturer of choice for the next decade plus. Sure, I had a Nintendo 64 and GameCube for a few select games, but PlayStation was definitely my brand of choice above all others. My loyalty was quite strong and I saw no sign of changing.

Fast forward to present day and my PlayStation loyalty is as strong as ever, bordering on fanboyism. I purchase a game on PC here and there, but the majority of my HD gaming collection is on PS3. I never purchased a DS, Wii, or Wii U and I didn’t really even think of a 3DS. I played a game here and there at friends’ houses but never seriously considered purchasing the system. Then a funny thing happened: Nintendo got their act together and a bunch of games started releasing that really caught my attention. Theatrhythm was a game I couldn’t put down whenever I went to my friend’s house, Fire Emblem: Awakening reminded me a lot of Final Fantasy Tactics (one of my favorite games of all time), and then Namco announces they will be localizing Project X Zone, a game that frankly has no business getting a Western release. Okay Nintendo, you sold me. Where do I sign up?

Fire Emblem: Awakening was the Trojan horse that got me to buy the system, but I also purchased Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. I’ve been completely glued to both of these game this last week. I’m in this honeymoon period with my 3DS where everything is perfect and lovely. Making my wishlist for games has been really fun as I think of the next adventure I’ll embark on. Could it get any better? It could. At the early peak of my enjoyment with my system Nintendo holds this mega ton Nintendo Direct and announces every game ever. What’s coming in the next year for the 3DS? Oh, just a (sort of) new Donkey Kong Country game, a new Pokemon game, a new Zelda in the vein of A Link to the Past, and a slew of other JRPGs that will keep me occupied for hundreds of hours. I also want to say that I haven’t played a Pokemon game since the original Blue and Red, so I am beyond excited for X and Y.

This week of 3DS madness has not only got me pumped for future releases, but has also changed my mindset in regards to future purchases. I spent $60 on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and got about 12 hours of game time after beating it twice and playing a number of the VR misisons. I spent $15 on Professor Layton, played it for well over 25 hours and would have gladly paid full price. I simply see little reason to pay the full $60 amount for games anymore (except for The Last of Us. I’m not going to work that day!) Not even a month ago I was spouting garbage like this, yet today I was fully engrossed in Fire Emblem: Awakening, a game where characters don’t even have feet! That’s the power of Nintendo.

Whether this was a perfect storm of random events or Nintendo has masterminded the greatest marketing campaign of all time I’m not sure. What I do know though is that I feel like I’m 9 years old again and Super Nintendo is the best thing in the world. Charm and gameplay outweigh pretty graphics once again. I’m actually excited for a Zelda game for the first time since Ocarina of Time, I can’t wait to catch ‘em all in Pokemon X and Y, and that whole DS backlog is smiling at me with open arms. Outside of Ni no Kuni, games haven’t truly captured my childlike wonder in a long long time. That time for me is now once again and I couldn’t be happier. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go play my Nintendo.

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TOP FIVE CALL BACKS IN SMT: STRANGE JOURNEY

This week brings us the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers on the 3DS, the re-release of one of the only two games from the prolific franchise to grace the Sega Saturn. The game is notable not only for coming out on the Saturn, but for its role in the franchise. You see, the game was initially released on the Saturn on the tenth anniversary of the entire Megami Tensei franchise (1997) and the game took full advantage of this, putting in plenty of old monsters from past games including everyone’s favorite female chariot-riding phallic symbol, Mara. The game also was easier than other titles, allowing new players to have some breathing room before the game crushed their souls. This re-release came out in Japan on the 25th anniversary of the franchise and not only contains voice acting and a remastered opening but also 30 new demons, some of whom have never appeared in any MegaTen game, and even an appearance by Raido Kuzonoha XIV. Will this re-release be a chance for a new generation of gamers to bask in the glow of some retro goodness or will the gameplay not gel with our expectations? Well, we won’t find that out until our review goes live on Tuesday, so today let’s talk about Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

That may seem like a rough segue, but the two games actually have a lot of similarities. First, while both are spin-offs of the main series, they don’t take the Persona or Devil Survivor routes and instead stick to the old fusion system and first-person dungeons for which the main entries are known. Strange Journey is also a lot easier than Nocturne, with the ability to recruit demons regardless of your alignment and the demon co-op system replacing the “press turn” system that was present in Nocturne. The game also had a TON of callbacks, both to the MegaTen franchise, and rather obscure bits of folklore and mythology from around the world.

So this week, in honor of Soul Hackers and the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei IV, we’re taking a look at the obscure tidbits from one of my favorite DS games. There aren’t any real rules for this list other than the reference needs to be a callback to the franchise’s lore. So let’s get started, shall we? Also SPOILERS for SMT II, Nocturne, and Strange Journey.

5. Jimenez and Zelenin = Chaos and Law Heroes

All right, let’s go old school. In Strange Journey your two main NPC allies are Zelenin, a Russian scientist who is terrified of demons to the point that she refuses to ever use the Demon-summoning program, and Jimenez, a cynical mercenary who eventually prefers the company of demons. As the game progresses, two huge events take place that change the two of them into supporters of the angels or demons respectively and by extension, the Law and Chaos moralities. Depending on your final alignment, the two will either be your, ally, your reluctant foe, or your arch-nemesis. As a fun bonus, the game even foreshadows their alignments by making the color of their demonica (the suits in the game) bands red (Chaos) and blue (Law).

While this is one of the less subtle moments in the game, it is also a reference to the Chaos and Law Heroes from the original Shin Megami Tensei. In that game you also had two allies who traveled with you until they broke off to pursue the path of Law or Chaos and they even become transformed like Jimenez and Zelenin, with the Chaos Hero fusing with a demon (though for much more selfish reasons than Jimenez) and the Law Hero getting divine help to reach his new form (which resembles Zelenin’s dress). It’s a nice callback to the games of old while taking things to the next level by making Jimenenez and Zelenin capable of becoming the final and penultimate boss respectively, with screen-filling forms to boot. Of course, Nocturne also tried this out with NPCs supporting different reasons and SMT IV looks like we’ll have new versions of the Chaos and Law heroes, continuing the callback to the first SMT.

4. THE FIENDS RETURN

While Strange Journey isn’t numbered, it is usually considered part of the main series. While it does lack some of the trappings of 1, 2, and 3 (Lucifer only makes a cameo, for example), the game has more than a few winks toward continuity. We’ll get to the bigger connections later, but for now, how about the return of the most memorable bosses from Nocturne? Hidden within the game are all of the candelabrum-carrying fiends from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne with the exceptions of Daisojou, Hell Biker, and Dante/Raidou. While it may have been some time since these fiends got to do things with their own two hands, they are just as deadly as ever, with even the easiest one among them (who is ironically Matador) being a dangerous encounter.

The game even makes this blast from the past extra tense as you don’t get to see the fiends before you run into them. Instead of them being bosses, they hide as scannable enemies. So, whenever you reach a pink point on the map and scan it, you have the chance of running into a fairly harmless UMA monster, a dangerous but manageable demon like King Frost, or one of the riders… or worse, the Trumpeter. The only exception is Mother Harlot, who has an excellent send-off in a special EX mission where she has been trapped by the Angels. Still, however you come across them, the fiends are just as threatening and intimidating as they have always been. Speaking of dangerous beings from the series’ past….

3. Alice returns

Alice and her trademark attack/line have made her one of the more popular monsters in the Shin Megami Tensei Franchise. While the immediate inspiration for her seems to come from Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, she is most likely a fusion of that Alice and an urban legend of the spirit of a dead girl who went mad with magical power and stalks naughty Scandinavian children, eventually killing them so she can become their friend. The fusion of the two can be seen in her design, which resembles the more common interpretation of Lewis’ Alice, and her backstory, which had her as a ghost in Shin Megami Tensei that Belial and Nebiros created a refuge for and cared for in the middle of a devastated Tokyo. That game also introduced her famous line of “Die for me!” as well as established her connection to Belial and Nebiros, who would both make cameos along with her in Devil Survivor 2, Shin Megami Tensei 2 (as dolls Alice carries around), the first two Raidou Kuzunoha games, and Persona 4 (they are her fusion requirements).

Her appearance in Strange Journey is an interesting one, not only because the mission perfectly captures her two origins but also how it ties back into the series’ lore. In the mission, “Catch the rabbit,” Alice asks your help in chasing down the Hare of Inaba (a Japanese myth about a hare that tricked some sharks, who then ripped its skin off and told him to go jump in salt water) as he pops into different holes, taking the two of you deeper within sector Fornax. The mission starts as a fun ode to Alice chasing the white rabbit, but then turns sinister when she catches the creature as she plans to do a twist on his legend by skinning him, dipping him in salt water and then eating him (if you want, you can even allow her to go through with this). After you defeat her, Alice will fade away, and the Hare of Inaba will sadly reveal that this Alice was merely a shade of the original Alice, a girl that was beloved by demons and given powers that drove her mad (a clear reference to Shin Megami Tensei). What’s extra sad is that creating her through fusion (which will also net you her “Die for Me!” spell) will make her ask for Uncle Black (Nebiros) and Uncle Red (Belial), which is a futile request because neither of them are in the game.

Hmmm, that was a real bummer. Let’s hope the next one is a bit cheerier, shall we?

2. JACK BREAKS THE FOURTH WALL

After Jack got hees purple cap and boots, he’s slowly wormed his way into the hearts hof Altus faithful everywhere. Heets Ho surprise, after all. Hees got a cute appearance and way hof speaking, as well as a number of heequally hodorable forms. Strange Journey heeven added Demonee-ho and Frost Ace. With all these different frosts running around, and his popularity I wonder if Jack’s realized how popular he is.

Ok, I’m done now.

1. What happened to YHVH?

After Shin Megami Tensei II, We haven’t seen much of the big floating head known as YHVH. There are hints that he still exists–either as a mastermind, not wanting to mix it up with humans directly after his defeat by Aleph in SMT II, or as a shade of himself, too weak to really be in control and biding his time while Satan, Mastema, and his other lackeys run things for him or even behind his back. The sad thing is, we actually do know what happened to Aleph, the human who slayed him… and it wasn’t pretty. In Nocturne, the character of Jyoji Hijiri is strongly hinted at being a reincarnation of Aleph (purple headgear, accused of an ultimate sin, etc.). After failing to get to the hospital in time, Hiriji died and he was put inside a manikin body to witness the creation and destruction of countless worlds, unable to change anything; the man who killed god to give humans their freedom is eternally locked in a position where he has no choice but to watch.

So what happened to YHVH? Did he get resurrected? Is he setting about another attempt at making a 1,000 year kingdom? According to Strange Journey, the old tyrant isn’t doing so hot. After you beat the game for the first time and take on a mission where you kill Aliat (goddess worshiped in Mecca before the creation of Islam), you can take on an EX mission titled “False God in Chains,” in which you’re guided by Metatron to seek out the Demiurge (in Gnosticism, an artisan “god” who is incapable of true creation and instead used existing material that was either always there or left by a true god). While you quest to find Demiurge within the deepest level of any dungeon in the game, you start to put the pieces together and what is revealed about YHVH is pretty entertaining. Namely, after being resurrected and recovering some of his power, YHVH tried to take on the mother goddess who ruled over the demons in Strange Journey and was torn to shreds. Now, hiding within Metatron (who is his voice after all), YHWH is completely dependent on the humans he tried to conquer to get his full power back.

Demiurge: YHVH’s mardi gras body.

Then, just to make things even sweeter, Demiurge (who is another segment of YHVH) slaps YHVH/Metatatron around before the fight and calls himself the supreme creator, meaning that he is beating himself up. What’s better, if you heed the voice that tells you to look away when Metatron, the power you unlocked from killing Alilat, and Demiurge all try to merge, the fusion will be ruined, preventing YHVH from obtaining even the small amount of power he hoped to gain.

The fact that Demiurge, a boss who was only used twice before in the MegaTen franchise, is YHVH in disguise is actually pretty brilliant since YHVH’s portrayal in the series up to that point has been more in line with Gnostic tradition than traditional Jewish/Christian/Islamic portrayals. In SMT 1 +2, he was obsessed with the material world, grew jealous of Lucifer when he started receiving worshipers of his own, and most of the Law endings in the franchise are set up to create a never ending stream of worship for himself, as though he has the universe’s largest inferiority complex, one that might be born out of the knowledge that he’s never actually created anything.

Still, even if that’s not the case, getting to see him brought so low is pretty entertaining.

Well, that was the list, please share your thoughts in the comments below. As for Strange Journey, it’s a pretty solid entry in the main series and is worth a look if you get the chance. Who knows, maybe it will get a callback of its own.

WELL, THAT WAS FAST.

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Here we go.

It has been a rough few months for the Wii U in terms of multi-console titles both being released and announced so it is nice to have some good news to report in this direction for once. Ubisoft today has confirmed that the rumors and speculation are true and Splinter Cell: Blacklist will indeed be released for Wii U alongside the previously announced other versions of the game. As is to be expected players will be able to use the Wii U’s GamePad for a number of functions including controlling drones, marking enemies, deploying the sticky cam, making weapon selections, and more. The Wii U version of the game will also apparently make use of the GamePad’s motion control functionality as well in some form or another. Splinter Cell: Blacklist will arrive on August 20 for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and now Wii U.

Meanwhile on about as far on the other end of the spectrum as one can get from Ubisoft’s M-rated stealth-action game, today the video game arm of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Interactive Studios, announced that the video game adaptions of their upcoming theatrical release Planes (which is made directly by Disney as opposed to Pixar despite being a spin-off of Cars will be coming exclusively to Nintendo systems. The game will feature a story mode that expands upon the tale of the movie, racing modes and mini games, and what are being described as balloon-popping challenges. The Wii and Wii U version of the game will let players pilot one of 10 characters and will also feature a free-flight exploration mode and an air-rally mode. Meanwhile the DS and 3DS versions of the game reduces the cast down to six playable planes, removes the free-flight mode and offers up an exclusive challenge mode to even things out. Planes the game will arrive for Wii, Wii U, DS, and 3DS on August 6, three days before Planes the movie hits theaters.

Finally let us warp things up with three trailers for the 3DS-exclusive prequel Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins, an eight minute interview with the producers of both Lego City games, and a new trailer for Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger.

Stay tuned to Blistered Thumbs for continuing coverage of Nintendo news and be sure to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

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Easter holds a special place in my childhood. In between sugar comas and egg hunts that usually ended with one of my cousins getting stitched up (my family rolls hard during egg hunts), there was always time for all of us to come inside and play some Nintendo. Whether it was arguing over whose turn it was to fail at beating The Legend of Zelda II or die playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we had a blast. So, in honor of those hallowed days of controllers being snapped over knees and as a counterpoint to my last list on Nintendo commercials, here are the Top Ten Nintendo Commercials. As always, feel free to share your own selections and be sure to have a good day whether you’re celebrating the Easter Bunny’s egg-hiding ability or not.

Here are the rules for the list.

1. The game doesn’t have to be a first or second-party developed title, but it has to be/had to be a Nintendo exclusive.

2. As always, this is completely based on my opinion.

With that out of the way, let’s get on with the list:

10. Super Mario All-Stars

What better place to start the list than everyone’s favorite plumber? What i like about this commercial is that it sums up the most common explanation for why Bowser never stays defeated and Mario and crew keep doing similar routines: they’re just actors and the games are just their jobs. Outside of that, they all just hang out and even go the premieres of their games. I like that we get to see all of these popular game characters in one place just hanging out. Really, if the Super Mario Bros. movie didn’t make an appearance, this might have ranked higher.

9. Kirby Mass Attack

Oh Whispy Woods, even when you’re up against normal children you still get your ass kicked. This is a fun commercial: it has a fun image, explains the game’s premise and shows just enough gameplay to let you see what the actual game is like. As an aside, Kirby Mass Attack is awesome.

8. Banjo-Tooie

You know, I think this commercial undersells the sheer epicness of Banjo-Tooie and the massive adventure you could set upon by playing it, but it also has Banjo taking an epic fall from a great height, which is both hilarious and a huge improvement over him killing people in the woods.

7. Metroid: Zero Mission

While the “Play it Loud” campaign of the 90s ultimately fell flat with most gamers, the “Who will you be” campaign was actually pretty enjoyable, creating a host of memorable commercials for Game Boy Advance titles. This example show what it must happens when you unleash some Chozo taught athletics on the gymnastics mat. Is this what will happen if you play the game? Well… no, but it is a nice mix of humor and badassness.

6. Secret of Evermore

I’ll be honest, Square has never been good at making commercials for its products. The best ad campaign it ever ran was probably for Final Fantasy seven and that was probably more memorable for the image of Midgar and the cutscenes they chose to show off. Secret of Evermore is something different. Much like the game itself (Squaresoft of America’s only game), it stands out among the pack. The cartoon playing between haunting chants of the title looks to be high quality and uses a healthy amount of 90s EXTREME while also showing off the game’s first boss and the fact that your dog could transform. The commercial also makes good use of gameplay footage, showing off the true appearance of the first boss, some peeks at later parts of the game, and even a look at some sweet mode 7 effect for the graphics fans (oh who am I kidding, Mode 7 blew my mind back in the day). All in all, it was a great commercial for an underappreciated gem.

The post Top Ten Nintendo Commercials appeared first on Blistered Thumbs.

That’s nice, but what type is sylveon?!?!

Are you still hard at work filling up your Pokemon Black 2 or White 2 Pokedex? Gamestop would like to help you with that. The retailer will soon begin a promotion for the event-only legenedary mon, Meloetta.

As you can see, this is yet another cute, little psychic monster in the Mew tradition. The gimmick this time around is that Meloetta can change into a “Pirouette Form,” which will alter its typing into Normal/Fighting. Either way, you will encounter the creature at Level 50, and it will already know Close Combat, Teeter Dance, Psychic, and Round.

The promotion will last from March 4th, 2013 until March 25th, 2013.

The post Gamestop is Giving Away Another Legendary Pokemon appeared first on Blistered Thumbs.