Friday, October 10, 2014

WORD OF THE DAY! 10/10/14!








gegenschein [gehy-gen-shahyn]
noun
1. A patch of very faint nebulous light sometimes seen in the night sky opposite the position of the sun. It is thought to be the image of the sun reflected from gas and dust outside the atmosphere.

Source: oxforddictionaries.com

EX. Sometimes German provides some particularly beautiful and nuanced words for the English language and gegenschein is an excellent portmanteau of the German words for "counter" and "shine" that provide an excellent term for something we observe in our natural world.

The Sun is a pretty good candidate for worship, I must admit, if there are any good candidates for such a thing.

Heck, my first 5th Edition D & D character is a cleric of Pelor (or the Morning Lord since the GM hasn't gotten back to me on which would be most appropriate) named Geth Dawnbreaker andwhen he does something badass afforded by his OP ability scores me and friends shout...

Also, I really need to play the copy of Dark Souls I downloaded onto my 360 for free...

Thursday, October 9, 2014

WORD OF THE DAY! 10/9/14!

shovel [shuhv-uhl]
noun
1. An implement consisting of a broad blade or scoop attached to a long handle, used for taking up, removing, or throwing loose matter, as earth, snow, or coal.

EX. It is no secret that I dig Shovel Knight.


Not only did I give Shovel Knight a great review but, as of right now and since its release, it has been a hot contender for my Game of the Year up against Mario Kart 8 and a few indie titles that I need to complete. The game isn't just a great action platformer in the style of Mega Man or Duck Tales, it is one of the best action platformers of all time.

And that's how I wanna start my argument for why Shovel Knight should be a DLC character in the new Smash Bros for Wii-U and what his moveset might look like.

In his titular game, he must defeat the Knights of No Quarter and acquire new skills in his quest to stop the Evil Enchantress from corrupting the land.

All along the way, Shovel Knight has dreams about his beloved long lost love Shield Knight falling from the sky. In the dreams, Shovel Knight must fight through hordes of enemies and every dream ends with him trying to catch Shield Knight. This side of Shovel Knight gives him just enough pathos to stand out from your average "save the day" types and really makes you feel for the little guy.

As for his method of combat, his "shovelry" is pretty unique and, despite having plenty of sword wielding guys in the new Smash, we don't have any knights and we especially don't have a Shovel Knight. Unlike most of the characters, I also imagine that his design focus would be about speed and mobility over power/reach. Furthermore, he has a lot of unique platforming ability and spells he can learn in the game that would lend to an exciting moveset built around digging and hopping.

And lastly, the dude has already made cameos in a bunch of indie games including Hex Heroes, Aegis Defenders, Story Wars, C-Wars, Super World Karts and so many other indie titles that he has a lot of cross representation across enough games to be fairly recognizable. And, if we've learned anything from the Smash series, a cameo in Smash can take a character from the niche market to the international market (just look at Fire Emblem).

Now, if that doesn't convince you of his value, let's take a look at what his extensive moveset might be and how it might set him apart enough to be a real interesting contribution to the series (there are a lot of moves so please hit the link below to read on):

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

WTF WED! SNICKERS AND CHURROS AND LIGHTBULBS GALORE!


Let's start with something a little sweet in the form of the latest Snickers commercial that combines the slapstick shenanigans of Mr. Bean with the majesty of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style string work martial arts films.


And, much like the combination of "happy peanuts soar[ing] over chocolate covers mountain tops and waterfalls of caramel, prancing nougat in the meadow sings a song of satisfaction to the world" that make Snickers so special, this advertisement is a delightful treat.


Don't worry. This isn't that godawful horrifying mask commercial from Snickers a few years back. That combined an adult guy's voice in falsetto and a mask that Buffalo Bill would find creepy with the fictional scenario of little rascal neighbor kids trying to trick a lady. Presumably, they don't find the body.

No, this is the latest video from Sky Williams and it is a funny bit of League of Legends gameplay between himself and his friends. And it is pretty good. OH YEAH.

I'll never look at churros the same.


Lastly, we have the sensual stylings of a GE light bulb commerical.

What's that?

Light bulbs are pretty much the least sexy thing you can imagine. Fools.

This is a commercial for the light bulb of the future directed by Tim & Eric and starring Jeff Goldblum.

And that's a beat we can all dance to.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

WORD OF THE DAY! 10/7/14!


gung-ho [guhng-ho]
adjective
1. Wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, eagerly, zealously and/or loyal.

EX. You gotta love the gung-ho community of AMV fans and creators behind the latest AMV Hell.

I can't say the same about this uninspired blog article. But there ya go.

Monday, October 6, 2014

MUSIC MON! A CHALLENGER APPROACHES! DUNKEY WEO WEOS INTO THE RING! MARIO... BEWARE!


First up, we've got an comic by Daiki Sugimoto put to music, called Old Super Mario.

The work presented is highly stylized but manages to illicit wistful and regret ridden emotion with each panel. The story is a simple one. Two brothers, one girl. Flash forward. An old and lonely Mario gets a chance to be there for the princess one last time.

Fin.


Apparently, in this animated music video for Dunkey's "I'm Going to Kill You", by Magnivez and
Ryanimation , Dunkey thinks Mario needs to be put out to pasture.

For a very cynical series of videos by dunkey, check out his Super Mario 64 series.


VS. 

Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World are my favorite Mario games since Super Mario Galaxy. To be completely honest, while my heart will always have a special place for Super Mario World, I am a much bigger fan of the 3D platformers in the series (sans Super Mario Sunshine) and Super Mario Galaxy 1 (or maybe 2?) is probably my favorite 3D platformer.

I love Super Mario 3D World so much that my friend snagged my this amazing Super Mario 3D World display piece (pictured above).

One of the elements that make the last two Mario games in the series stand out are the incredibly catchy tunes that mix elements of jazz and big band music in with the orchestral work of the Galaxy series.

My question, for you guys, is which main theme is better?