The Pause Screen: Scott Pilgrim

So earlier this week, Bryan Lee O'Malley's indie comic epic Scott Pilgrim concluded. "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life" started the series off in 2003, and over six volumes tells the story of how Scott falls in love with Ramona Flowers, only to find out in order to keep the woman of his dreams he must defeat her seven evil exes. The story is humorous as well as endearing, and is unlike pretty much anything else in comics today. Don't worry, this will try to be as spoiler free as possible.

Scott Pilgrim is likely more well known due to the upcoming Edgar Wright film "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" starring Michael Cera, named after the second book of the series (though the movie will go through the entire series). Alternately, the upcoming game may also have retro gamers in for a surprise, with its chiptune soundtrack done by Anamanaguchi and pixel art graphics done by Paul Robertson; with several gaming references and tributes made in game (including exit animations that look to resemble Mega Man, Mario, Kirby, and Toejam & Earl), the River City Ransom style gameplay should be addictive to play.

Just one of the game references shown in the upcoming game, "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game"
However, we're here to talk about how the comic relates to gaming, not vice-versa. So how does Scott Pilgrim relate? How about a plethora of references or spoofs? Take the band names, to begin with: Scott is the bassist of his band, "Sex Bob-Omb," after the well known bomb enemy from the Mario series. Likewise, a flashback hints at his high school band, titled "Sonic and Knuckles." He was in a band in college named after the game "Kid Chameleon." In the last book, Scott states he's always wanted to name a band "ShatterBand," a reference to the game Shatterhand. A rival band of Sex Bob-Omb early in the series is "Crash and the Boys," after Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge on NES, and another rival band is named "The Clash at Demonhead," named after the NES game of the same title. This is just band titles, guys.

Me too, Scott. Me too.
During his fights, Scott also makes gaming references. First off, during his first fight that interrupts the band's gig, there's a dance-style sequence that's VERY reminiscent to Space Channel 5. Scott and his foes also pull off fighting game moves, such as Shoryukens and Double Hurricane Kicks, while others pay homage to Chrono Trigger and Ninja Gaiden. Some fights include flavor text like "REVERSAL," "VS.," or "FIGHT!!" Upon defeating his rivals, Scott's enemies disappear and turn into coins, much like River City Ransom.

Other events may have victory text that's not necessary, such as "Scott Pilgrim wins his birthday!" As if this isn't enough, spoken lines pay tribute to games as well. Scott says to himself at one point "I GOTTA BELIEVE!!", the main slogan of PaRappa the Rapper, while Ramona says in another fight upon being grazed, "How appropriate. You fight like a cow." Her line is taken directly from The Secret of Monkey Island. Scott also mistakes evil ex-boyfriend twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi as "Randy and Andy Katamari." There's also smaller things, such as the drummer for a rival band being seen gaining skills through Konami's Drummania, or Scott wearing a Rock Band t-shirt, and later wearing a Mother 2 t-shirt, along with shirts showing Mario's mushroom or Dragonquest's slime.

If only growing up really worked this way
Mr. Pilgrim has also picked up items, like a Mithril Skateboard, which also displays its stat boosts, taking a page from RPG equipment. During and after fights he also levels up, complete with stat gains, and gains experience points from getting a job; while looking for one, however, he makes a reference to a Job Class System, a la Final Fantasy and some tactical RPGs. Upon the worst of things happening, a "Game Over screen," and later a "Continue? screen" appear; status bars revealing necessities like thirst, cash, or a "pee bar" show Scott's condition, and upon winning one battle the 23-year-old protagonist manages to get an "Achievement unlocked!"

At least he doesn't have a timer...
Think I'm done yet? Not hardly. Ramona travels from one destination to another through the Subspace Highway, marked by a door with a star on it, much like Super Mario Bros. 2's Subspace. The drummer of The Clash at Demonhead has a bionic arm, similar to Nathan Spencer of Bionic Commando fame. Evil ex Gideon Graves opens a club at one point, where the logo is his initials, "GGG", drawn in a way to form an upside down triforce. Many book titles resemble game title screens or logos, such as Bonk's Adventure, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Double Dragon. And, as if all of this wasn't enough, characters can be seen playing or talk about playing Tony Hawk, Bomberman, a Sega Genesis, a GBA SP, and a PSP, among MANY others.

It's safe to say that O'Malley is quite the fan of gaming, as well as music, as there's a few music references in the comics as well. I nailed quite a lot of references here, but I can honestly say I didn't get them all. Gamers will love this series, but it's not just made for gamers. The story is an amazing one, the conclusion leading me to re-read the series again to make some sense of some things I missed the first time through, and upon reading it I've only managed to hype myself up even more for the upcoming movie and video game. To anyone that appreciates the classics, I recommend this comic series to you.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World hits theaters August 13th, while the game hits the Playstation Network August 10th and XBox Live Arcade August 25th!

Rant: The Red Ring of Death

There's not too much I can say on this topic: everyone that's truly into gaming know about this issue, especially XBox 360 owners. Three blinking red lights, known as the Red Ring of Death, signifies the end of Microsoft's second console's lifespan. This sight is like seeing a hospitalized love one flatline right before your eyes.

I got my XBox 360 before they were released - that's right, that Mountain Dew contest in 2005? I won a 360 and received it about four days before the general public. Playing Kameo and Need for Speed: Most Wanted was a blast, and due to my time with the console, I've really grown attached to it. Which is why I was confused when I first saw the video game equivalent of a tombstone one day.


A description of the error lights

It happened four months or so after getting the console, meaning the console was no longer under the company's original 90-day warranty. However this must have been a recurring problem even before the media went wild with it, because the customer service representative I spoke with lied during the registration of my console to allow me to still receive the warranty. I have had no issues with customer service since.

About a week passes and I get my second XBox. I'm playing it and just over a a year and a half passes when Peter Moore announced a three-year warranty and promptly leaves Microsoft. Douche move, sure, but it really helps out this Red Ring of Death issue. By this time, no one has still really figured out the cause, but stories ran rampant - overheating, cores breaking down, insides melting - and the stories to manually repair them were just as absurd, such as taking off the cover and leaving the circuitry in the freezer overnight.

Nearly three years in and I get my second Red Ring. This time, there's so many call-ins that I'm told it may be two months before I get my console back, but they're still very friendly to me about the issue. Thankfully it was only three or four weeks without my console, which once again is earlier than the expected arrival time. I've been on XBox number three now since. Until the day before Alan Wake's release. I'VE GOT ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKING RED RING OF DEATH BRICK OF A CONSOLE.


Achievement unlocked. ...THREE TIMES.

When it happened, I thought to myself that it wouldn't be a big deal. I had gone through this process twice. So upon calling Microsoft's tech support and customer service hotline, I'm greeted with a message stating if you have the Red Ring, not to bother calling. Instead, I need to consult the website. Fantastic; I understand the online way is easier and they only have so many agents to take care of issues, and that this cuts down on holding periods, but it doesn't make it any less of a pain to the customer to have to navigate the website.

So I move onward to the website, where I find the tech support instructions for the Red Ring. I'm walked through several steps that I've not only tried in the past with actual people on the phone, but have remembered and done myself before going through the site's instructions. Normally, these steps don't work anyways. Finally, after it's all said and done, I'm told I need to login with my Windows Live ID. This hotmail or msn email address I got JUST to get an XBox Live account is long gone, and I have no idea how to login in order to request a repair kit. So, in the end, I'm left to call XBox's support crew anyway.

I call them and they offer to perform the repair request. Thankful of the ever polite XBox crew, sour news suddenly struck my ears as I'm told that my three-year warranty is no longer valid, as it expired last year. My warranty apparently didn't roll over through the other consoles. What a pile of shit! I remained polite, however, as I understand this man is just doing his job.

So I feel as though I'm at a dilemma. Do I stick it out and shell out some money to repair or replace my XBox 360? I AM really stoked about Natal, which seems much cooler than the Playstation Move, but I risk getting another Red Ring, which is the most frustrating console issue I've personally experienced.


The other option

The other option is to scrap the idea of another 360 and shell out the money for a Playstation 3. While expensive and with not nearly as many titles that I'm interested as the 360, it does have some exclusives that I've REALLY wanted to try, mainly ModNation Racers, but also including LittleBigPlanet, Uncharted, Disgaea 3, and more. The free online is also an added bonus, which is better than having to pay for an internet service that I can not use until I get a new console. Very. Upset.

So what do you think? Do I stick with the XBox 360 and Natal? Or do I finally convince myself to get the Playstation 3 and it's Blu-Ray drive? Give opinions without the console wars, and let me know what you think!

Rants: The Console Wars

So I got into an argument yesterday that I not only should've known better than to get into, but one I didn't WANT to get into and found myself in it anyway. Upon playing the new Super Street Fighter IV, which I really enjoy, a friend played and nearly immediately dismissed it as garbage because M. Bison's moves are not completely identical to how they are in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. It began as defense for the game - convincing to try other characters, counter-arguing with valid points, and so on. The problem is, an argument cannot be handled validly with a drunk man who "knows" a ten year old game is better because of one character's moveset. The defense ended up turning into pointless insults about each other and the games we were each defending - my excuses were that he had to have assists to win his battles because he couldn't do good enough on his own, and his excuses were that my mind couldn't "comprehend" a battle with more than one person at a time. Forget the fact he can't handle TvC while I can, and that I can play Brawl teams tournament style, can play Starcraft with multiple people (which I'll do my thoughts on the Starcraft II beta when I get the chance to play it), and one of my all-time favorite games is Team Fortress 2, which can become sixteen against sixteen.

My point of this article is not to slam my friend, because honestly shit like that didn't need to be said to one another. It is also not to insult Marvel vs. Capcom 2, because the game is a fun game and I have no issues with it personally. I'm merely mentioning this because as I had this argument with this drunken friend, it only reminded me of one thing, one thing that I've hated for years more than anything else, and that I still manage to find myself stuck in constantly: the Console Wars.


I couldn't have said it better myself...
Let's start by saying that I TRY to have a non-biased opinion in the Console Wars. It's really fucking hard when you don't own all three systems, which I hope to remedy someday, but I still try. And there's NEVER a winner until a system or company completely dies off. We'll miss you, Dreamcast...

Let's get down to business though. I'll go over hacks and burns to each console that I hear the most, and not only attempt to counter point it, but further prove that these fanboy debates are completely fucking ignorant, and yet grown men STILL get into them constantly.


XBOX 360

"XBox sucks! They have so many problems, especially the Red Ring of Death!"
Many systems have issues. Sure, the RRoD is among the worst in gaming history, but it's not like this was the first time a system has ever mass malfunctioned. Look at the Playstation 2. I knew people that couldn't have theirs on the floor because they'd overheat, they'd have to elevate one side with a book or something in order for the disc to read, there were countless laser problems and disc tray problems, and then there were memory card problems that would either cause data to erase randomly or wouldn't save data at all. And then when the slim models came out, the additional power box in the first shipments would ignite and catch fire, burning up living rooms across the nation. I've yet to see an Xbox or Red Ring do that.

"I'd never get one, because they don't have (insert random franchise) on it!" or "I hate Xbox, why do they have to get (insert random title) too?! It belongs on PS3!!"
So what if XBox doesn't get Metal Gear Solid 4? There's plenty of other titles it's gotten, and plenty that weren't given to the PS3, like the first Dead Rising (though the rival console IS getting the sequel). The only worse argument is bitching about a title going from exclusive to multi-platform. Really? You're bitching because more people get to enjoy Tekken 6 or Final Fantasy XIII? Why are you fucking complaining? Because they should've shelled out extra money for the same console as you to enjoy it? Grow the fuck up!

"The 360 controller sucks!! The D-pad is atrocious!"
I understand the D-pad on the 360 is not good for fighting games. The PS3 controller is better for fighters, but the 360 controller is FAR better for shooters. Besides, most of you fighting game kids just buy the arcade stick anyway, which NO LONGER USES A D-PAD AND INSTEAD USES A JOYSTICK, WHICH THE 360 CONTROLLER HAS IN A BETTER POSITION THAN THE PS3 CONTROLLER DOES!! Fucking ignorant!


PLAYSTATION 3

"The PS3 doesn't have ANY good games on it!!"
News flash, this just in: Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance, Killzone 2, Uncharted, and LittleBigPlanet, to name some off the top of my head, are no longer considered "good games."

"The PS3 only steals technology from (insert source)!"
This is NOTHING new. Nintendo created the N64 controller with analog stick, and then later added the Rumble Pak. Sony "stole" both ideas with the Dualshock controller, adding both features. Nintendo created a first party wireless controller using radio waves instead of infa-red, the Wavebird. Sony uses Bluetooth as its first party version of the same controller. Fuck, even shoulder buttons were used by Nintendo first. Now, the Playstation Move controller, looking like a near DIRECT version of the Wii remote, which Sony also took ideas from with the Sixaxis controller, using the tilting technology of the Wii remote. While this is nothing new, this same approach can be said of Microsoft, as the 360 controller has shoulder buttons, rumble, analog sticks, wireless capability, and will be using Project Natal for motion gaming, though the concept is much different from Nintendo and Sony.

"There's no backwards compatibility in the newer models!"
Nothing before the Playstation 2 had backwards compatibility. Stop being spoiled. While it's a luxury, it's not a necessity, and you can get a PS2 for cheap if you really need to play your PS2 and PS1 games again, even though we both know that you won't touch them again.



WII

"The Wii is for babies!"
Say that while playing MadWorld, Resident Evil 4 and Umbrella Chronicles, No More Heroes and its sequel, Dead Rising, Dead Space Extraction, and Mortal Kombat. Those are just a few M-rated titles, that's not including other gems like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, the Metroid Prime Trilogy, Muramasa, Punch-Out, Okami, and Zelda's Twilight Princess, and that's just the beginning.

"The graphics are awful!!"
Good games aren't based on graphics alone. PaRappa the Rapper and Rhythm Heaven are a few examples. Sure, it may not look as nice as the 360 or PS3, but find a game on either system that can rival Super Mario Galaxy or Super Smash Bros Brawl in fun, nostalgic, replayable, and easily remembered and I will likely call you a liar. There are plenty of great games on all three systems, no matter how they look.

"The motion control is stupid!"
Can't really complain too much about that since the PS Move looks almost identical to a Wii Remote with a light bulb on top, and Natal will move to full body motion play. The PS3 also already had the Wii's tilting controls. It's something you're gonna have to live with, buddy.



Now, I didn't even GET into PC gamers and their elite abilities to shun the console crowd, because at times they can be even worse than console fanboys, but this is just an example of what I constantly hear, and what I get sick of not only explaining and defending, but of getting caught up in the whole mess to begin with. And it's been around for generations: PS2 vs. Cube vs. Xbox. PS1 vs. N64 vs. Saturn. SNES vs. Genesis. We've been hearing it for two decades, and sadly it's something we'll NEVER hear the end of...

War... War never changes...

Mega Man 10

Mega Man 10

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom/Inti Creates

Consoles: XBox 360, Playstation 3, Wii

Very few need an introduction to Mega Man. Back in 1987, would anyone have guessed that not only would they continue to be made today, but that with the exception of two titles they'd all stay in their 8-bit retro glory? Would anyone have guessed that countless sequel series and spin-off series would have been created, or that several animated shows would be created? Mega Man's fan base is incredible, from the fan artists to the musicians, the latter of which is mind-boggling in itself - songs from the series have been sung or rapped over by the likes of Brentalfloss, The Adventures of Duane and BrandO, and a slew of remix artists on Overclocked Remix, not to mention some that solely devote their talents to the Mega Man series, such as The Megas and Mega Ran. We'll learn about a lot of, if not all of, these guys in later editions of The Pause Screen.

It was a shock to see the classic Mega Man series return in its original 8-bit format in 2008 with Mega Man 9. The music was fantastic, as most all music in the series is, the bosses were memorable, including the first female Robot Master Splash Woman, and the difficulty most of us haven't seen in games since the 8-bit era has returned. It did so well, Capcom decided to jump to a sequel in less than two years.


Oh, look, a Mega Man Soccer sequel!

That brings us to Mega Man 10. Released in March for the Wii and April for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360, the game returns in its 8-bit format once more. The game is classic Mega Man look, style, gameplay, and difficulty, with several new additions to change play up a bit in the slightest ways.

The game starts with Roll passing out, and revealing a robot-only virus called Roboenza has swept over robots the world over. Shortly after, the robots become violent, and even Dr. Wily crashes his UFO near Dr. Light's labs, where he reveals he can create a cure. Mega Man is sent in to rectify the problem, but is stopped by Proto Man, claiming he'll need his bro's help, too.

Upon starting the game, you can choose to play between Mega Man or Proto Man. Mega Man can run, jump, and shoot, and can take considerable damage. Proto Man can not only run, jump, and shoot, but he can also dash, charge his shots, and can pull his shield out while he's jumping if he's not firing his arm cannon, however he takes damage like a bitch and dies much easier. Bass can also be downloaded, but we'll get to that later.


From left to right: Top: Pump Man, Chill Man, Solar Man, Strike Man
Bottom: Sheep Man, Nitro Man, Commando Man, Blade Man

The eight Robot Masters this time around are Blade Man, Solar Man, Sheep Man, Commando Man, Pump Man, Strike Man, Nitro Man, and Chill Man. Some of the designs here are pretty cool, while Commando Man and Pump Man in my opinion are two of the worst looking Robot Masters to date. I won't say that most of them are as memorable as most of Mega Man 9's villains, but Nitro Man and Sheep Man are definitely winners in my book.

Blade Man can cling to walls and shoot three blades at a time, Solar Man can create an artificial sun above his head and bounce it around the stage, and Sheep Man can turn himself into a cloud and use static electricity. Commando Man can shake the ground and use controllable missiles that have a big explosion area, while Pump Man can create 8 water spheres around him to protect him, as well as shoot them spiraling outward. Strike Man can turn himself into a bouncing baseball, and can pitch balls around the room, Nitro Man can not only send out sharp razor wheels, but can ALSO TURN HIMSELF INTO A MOTORCYCLE, WHICH IS BADASS, and lastly, Chill Man can shoot ice spikes to walls and floors, and can freeze Mega Man.


Nitro Man looks so badass in motorcycle form!

The game has an easy mode, which covers most pitfalls with platforms, lessens the number of enemies, and makes the Robot Masters much easier to fight against. Newcomers to the series might wanna try this, but long time veterans to Mega Man would likely rather get frustrated with normal difficulty instead. After completing the game, you unlock Hard Mode, in case you thought Normal was too easy.

The game is fairly difficult, and seems like a contrast to Mega Man 9. Mega Man 9 seemed to have easier levels and Robot Masters that seemed to be harder - for example, Magma Man was much harder without Tornado Blow to lessen the flame atop his head. Mega Man 10, though, seems to have levels that are a bit harder than the boss fights, especially when it comes to disappearing platforms, a certain "see-saw" platform first seen in Blade Man's stage that you must use to progress, the waterfalls in Pump Man's stage, almost everything about Chill Man's stage... Meanwhile, with the correct power, Solar Man can be killed in three hits. Many of the Robot Masters can be taken out with incredible ease if you just know where to be or when to jump, as many of them, including Blade Man, Strike Man, Sheep Man, and a couple others have boringly repetitive patterns that are incredibly easy to read.


This part isn't so bad, if there weren't enemies trying to knock you down...

This isn't to say the game is bad or easy. On the contrary, the game is still a lot of fun in that Mega Man throw-your-controller-across-the-room-after-dying-in-the-same-spot-forty-times-in-a-row way we've been enjoying since '87. And if that wasn't enough, they've added downloadable content, as well.

They've brought back an endless stage like in Mega Man 9, as well as additional bonus stages that bring back three little known classic bosses known as the Mega Man Hunters - Enker, Punk, and Ballade. Lastly, there's Bass, as I mentioned earlier. He dashes similar to Proto Man, and instead of charging, he can fire rapid fire blasts in 7 different directions, but sacrifices being able to move while doing so. Also, instead of having the Rush Coil and Rush Jet (or in Proto's case, Proto Coil and Proto Jet), Bass can call upon Treble, where upon touching his canine companion Bass grows three-pronged metallic wings to fly around with, and can fire forward, diagonally upward and diagonally downward at once. Definitely one of the coolest powers in the game, and as if all of that wasn't enough, upon downloading Bass, his portrait is added to the title screen alongside Mega's and Proto's.


Battuh SWING!

VERDICT: Buy it. Especially if you're a fan of classic games, platformers, excellent music, difficult lasting gameplay, and most importantly Mega Man. If you're new to the series, try out the demo, and try Easy Mode, as they make the game playable for newcomers.