Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters: Revised 2013

It's Black History month and its time to honor and remember all the Black people that have made and impact in history. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. I made a list in 2011 but since then I have played a couple of new games with characters that have claimed their spots on this list. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

9. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

*8. Clementine – The Walking Dead – Clementine is a tough little girl. She survived a zombie apocalypse on her on until she was rescued. She had to grow up quickly and she is also a very good shot. Her self-reliance and toughness for a little girl get her a spot on this list.

7. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

*6. Lee Everett – The Walking Dead – Lee is a character that came out of left field for me. Lee has tons of responsibility thrown on him he come across a little girl named Clementine and he ends up being her guardian and he does a good job taking care of her. He has to make a lot of tough decisions good and bad. He knows when to make the tough decision which earns him a spot on this list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn't a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2, Balrog –  Street Fighter Series, Dee Jay –  Street Fighter Series, Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

*New Addition to the list

Games of 2012

Well another year has come to an end. So lets talk about the games of 2012. I didn't really get a chance to play many new games this year due to the fact that my budget was tight and not too much came out that tripped my trigger this year. I am not going to do a top games countdown this year because I didn't play to many new games this year. Instead I'm just going to talk about the games that come out this year that I played and liked.

The first new game I bought this year was:

Mass Effect 3: This has to be my favorite release of the year I love this trilogy and this game didn't disappoint me. It has a great story and awesome battle system. The slogan of the game is "Take back Earth" and you must do that. The Reapers are attacking Earth and you must save earth but getting as much support as you can and building a great team like in previous games. If you have transferred a game save from Mass Effect 1 and imported into Mass Effect 2 and then imported that file into Mass Effect 3 you will have an awesome experience. Your choices in previous games will effect how people view you and some of the events. If you are a fan of RPG and/or Shooters this is a must buy. If you have the game on the Xbox 360 and you have a Kinect it truly is better when using the Kinect. You can call out commands to your party and they will do it. You can also switch to a weapon by calling its name. I also head if you say "boomstick" and you have a shotgun you will switch to you shotgun. The Kinect add a new element of game play letting you use your abilities with out worrying about pulling up a menu. For me the game is awesome with out the Kinect but using the Kinect add so much more to the game (It also adds so much more to the Xbox 360 over all). You should get a Kinect for this game its worth it I suggest starting with Mass Effect 1 so you can import your files into the sequels for me doing that give you the full experience of all the games. They recently released Mass Effect 1 for PS3 and the Trilogy in a 3 pack for PS3 and Xbox 360 (I'm not Sure about the Wii U but you can get ME3 on it).

The next game I got was:

Diablo III: I have been waiting for this game for a long time and It is amazing. I was so happy when this game came out. In fact I bought the collector's edition (Blog Post: Diablo III...Yeah its that good!). Fans of Diablo rejoiced when we heard the announcement for Diablo III. I was so pumped for this game unfortunately when i got home my video card in my laptop was unsupported. That bummed me out but lucky for me my wife had recently got a new laptop before launch and I was able to play the game on her laptop so all hope wasn't lost. This game is awesome with new characters and new enemies. I chose the Monk to play first I have also played a Demon Hunter. The game is so much fun and with very diverse characters, harder difficulties with a new one added Inferno difficulty and game updates the replay value is very high. It is another great game from Blizzard. There are some gripes but I can over look them because the game is genuinely fun. If you are a fan of Diablo and other hack and slash RPGs you need to get Diablo III its so much fun.

Other games I played this year were:

Halo 4: Another game in the Halo series and once again is delivers. A new enemy has awaken the Promethean. This game has awesome single player campaign and awesome Multiplayer. Just like any other Halo is awesome. If you are a fan of the series you must by this game. This is the first Halo games that Bungie had nothing to do with. 343 Industries did a great job with the game. They removed all purple from the game so anything that was purple is now blue which isn't a big deal. There isn't much more to say is a Halo game and its lots of fun. If you played the other games you will be able to jump right in

Borderlands 2: If you have played Borderlands and liked it Borderlands 2 is that times 10 its awesome. New character, more guns, a better story line and more twist. The first Borderlands was a great games and tons of fun. Borderlands 2 to me is an even better game. Borderlands 2 takes what is great about the first game and just builds on it and makes it better. The characters you choose from now are The Commando, The Gunzerker, The Siren, The Assassin and the Mechomancer (DLC - Add On). Each character is unique and added to the replay value. I have played with the Commando and he is tuns of fun. He is like Roland the Solder from the first game his special is a turret as well. Its different the Commando doesn't heal like the Solder does but I believe his turret does more damage (from what I've seen I believe this to be true). This game is awesome and with the DLC out and coming out its just adds to the fun.

Skylanders Giants: This game is so much fun. I was able to get this game during a Black Friday sale and I wish I played a Skylanders game sooner. I haven't played the first one but I'm sure is great based on what I've played of Skylanders Giants. Beware this game is a money pit because you will want to buy more and more Skylanders. Lucky me I found sales at JCPenney during Christmas so I save a ton of money. I also won lots of gift certificates during JCPenney's Christmas button contest. So I barely spent any money on most of my Skylanders. If you get this game 1 giant and 2 normal Skylanders. you will need at least 1 of every element and there are 8 Elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Tech, Magic, Life and Undead. All you really need is 1 of every element but you can buy as many as you want. The Skylanders have built-in memory so you can play them on your friends games and they keep their levels, gold, and skills. You also get a code with your Skylanders when you buy them. You take the code and put them online and you can play with other people with the online Skylanders game. So you get two games for the price of one. This game is very fun and addictive.

Street Fighter X Mega Man: A great free game. This was made by independent programmers with contributions from Capcom. It is an 8-bit Mega Man game with the Street Fighters as bosses. Each level also has the music of all the Street Fighter bosses in 8-bit Mega Man form. If you are a fan of Mega Man and Street Fighter you must get this game. Its free you have no excuse (Download Street Fighter X Mega Man).

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2: Another fun Pokemon game. This is the first special edition that is actually different game. Pokemon Yellow was the same as Red and Blue except you starting Pokemon was Pikachu and you fought Jessie and James from Team Rocket. Not to say the special edition games are bad they are very good and add extra goodies and if you collect games like me you usually get all the Pokemon game (I don't have them all yet but hope to have them soon). These games take place 2 years after the events in the previous games. You get a new story line, new hero/heroin, new gym leaders and more. A great Pokemon game for all the Pokemon fans.

The Walking Dead: This game is awesome if you are a fan of The Walking Dead you must get this game. This game follows a different story line and its very good. You get to see the struggles of another diverse group of survivors. You take control of Lee who for some reason is in a the back of a cop car. You end up getting out of the car and encountering Walkers. You come to a house where you find a little girl and you start traveling together. That is all I'm going to say about this story because I don't want any spoilers in this post. The game style is an adventure type game maybe like a point-and-click adventure. I compare it to Myst but its more like the new p&c game Back To The Future. This game is separated into five episode and at $5 each its totally worth it. Sometimes you can find deals I got all five episodes on Xbox 360 for $10. Its also available of PS3 and Steam (and Steam will run deals on the game too).

Happy Wars: Happy Wars is a fun free game on the Xbox Live Arcade. Its a very good online game of fun war and fun destruction.

Kinect Party: Another fun free game on the XBLA. If you have a Kinect download it and you can get some  quick achievements.

E3 2012

E3 has already past a few weeks ago and I've finally pulled myself away from Diablo III long enough to write this post (Diablo III Rules!!!!). I didn't really get to watch much of E3 this year but what I saw I liked. I an excited about Halo 4 and the Xbox Smart Glass looks cool. I also really like the Wii U and I will probably purchase one. I haven't been too focused on getting new games I have actually only bought 2 games this year so far that are brand new Mass Effect 3 and Diablo III. I've been more focused on old school games lately and you will see some more posts focused on old school games. It is still my goal to go to E3 at least once in my life and I will hopefully have more time to pay closer attention to E3 next year.

Music of Video Games - Covers: Castlevania SOTN, Ninja Gaidan and Mega Man 2

 

Photo taken from beatportal.com.

Checking out YouTube I found some awesome covers of music from some awesome video games. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night - Dracula's Castle




Ninja Gaidan - Level 4 - 2, Basilisk Mine Field




Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily's Castle Part 1

Top 10 Video Game Series That Have Stood the Test of Time

These are games that came out in either the 8-bit or the 16-bit era and are still going strong in the current generation of video games.

10. Mortal Kombat – This fighting game series is an awesome series. This game series was ground breaking in the fact that is the first game to include blood and be very violent. This game also was the reason the ESRB rating system was created. The system needed to be created and it works great. So may disagree but it does work. This game have come out on almost every system.

9. Donkey Kong – This is the game that got Nintendo’s foot into the door of the gaming market. Donkey Kong is an awesome game it also introduced us to Mario who was known as Jumpman at the time. Donkey Kong has gone on to make many different times of games and they are all good games.

8. Street Fighter – Probably the most popular fighting game series. It all started with Street Fighter in the arcade but the series took off when Street Fighter II was released. Street Fighter II also had many remakes and people would buy the games multiple times. Capcom is still doing this with the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter IV came out and Capcom released Super Street Fighter IV which had a few more characters and some extra modes and not they have Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition with a few other add ons and characters. Lucky for us today we have high speed internet with Xbox Live and PSN so we can download the extra features for a lot less than buying the game. Capcom’s ability to keep releasing the same game with more stuff and keep gamers coming back for more Street Fighter is why this series is on the list.

7. Castlevania – This is another series that is still awesome. The Belmonts may not be as well know outside the gaming world but in the gaming world they are the most famous family of vampire slayers. This series of games has been going strong since the NES. Some games may not been as good as other. The old 3D games weren’t as popular but with the Castlevania games on the handheld system the series stayed alive. Then Lords of Shadow came out and showed us there is such a thing as a good 3D Castlevania game.

6. Pokémon – Pokémon is probably on of the most popular hand held games ever made. It's not just popular with kids is also popular with adults. The theme of the games is "gotta catch em all". That was on of the main goals making it a very addicting game to play. You also had different versions of the games like Red and Blue and each version of them game is pretty much the same but each version had exclusive Pokémon which meant you had to have a friend with a different version of the game to get all the Pokémon. You would have to link up your Game Boy to your friends Game Boy so that you could trade Pokémon or you could battle with your friends. Today with the DS we have Wi-Fi we can get only and find random people to trade with making its easier to trade and with the growing number of Pokémon its nice to have. There are also games on the consoles that allow you to transfer Pokémon to the console games like Pokémon Stadium. The Nintendo 64 had a Transfer Pak which allowed you to transfer your own Pokémon to the game. This is a game where you may not like the TV show or anything else to do with Pokémon, but you seem to really think these games.

5. Kirby – One of the most popular character from Nintendo other then Super Mairo. Kirby games are always awesome the game was designed to be a game for Kids and was meant to be easy. As the series evolved the game stayed somewhat easy but they added some things to make it more fun for hardcore gamers and fans of the series. Kirby is a little blob but he is a very popular blob named after a brand of vacuum cleaners.

4. Mega Man – The Blue Bomber is the most popular Capcom series out there and there are still games being made with 8-bit graphics. Mega Man also known as Rock Man in Japan is such an awesome game series. It has had is fair share of spin off games including Mega Man X which became its own series. I remember spending so much time as a kid playing Mega Man and I still have so much fun playing the games. You know a game has stood the test of time when you can have your graphic enhanced for newer games and then go back to the 8-bit graphics for the latest games in the series and people still want to play the game.

3. Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy was Squaresoft’s (SquareEnix now) final attempt at succeeding in the gaming market. Final Fantasy truly met Final Fantasy because if this game failed Square would have gone under. Final Fantasy is the most popular RPG game series out there now. They have 14 games in the main series (two of them being MMORPGs XI & XIV) along with many spin off series. These series include: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Legend and a few sequels and prequels to some of the games in the main series. Final Fantasy has evolved over the years but you know when you are playing a Final Fantasy game.

2. Super Mario Bros. – Everyone knows who Super Mario is even if you have never played a video game. Super Mario is an awesome game he was one of the main reason the video game crashed. There have been so many types of Mario games. The most popular is platformers. He has also been in racing games, fighting games, party games, sport games and RPGs. Mario has his experience with all types of games. I don’t know if I've even know someone who doesn’t like to play Super Mario game who is a gamer.

1. The Legend of Zelda – This is a series the truly hasn’t lost any its luster. Every game in this series is awesome and I don’t count the CD-i games because they are not part of the series because they don’t have The Legend of Zelda in their names anywhere. This series is so awesome the time line can be very hard to follow but that really doesn’t matter. The game play is awesome and the stories are usually good also. No matter which game in the series I play it always feels like the Legend of Zelda. Technology gets better but the Legend of Zelda will never change. It was awesome when It came out in 1987 and its still awesome now with Skyward Sword (which I’m getting for Christmas). This is truly the game that has stood the test of time the best.

Honorable Mentioning

Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, Metal Gear, Madden, Virtua Fighter and Sim City (and its many spin offs).

Want to learn more about the Legend of Zelda time like check out this video by the Angry Video Game Nerd.

To see more of the Angry Video Game Nerd check out Cinemassacre.

E3 2011 Summary

This E3 was great this year. The Big 3 showed some cool things this year. I’m going to start with the one who stole the show Nintendo: They announced their new system and it’s called the WiiU. Nintendo has never been good at naming their systems but it still looks awesome. The controller has a screen on it so you can watch TV and play games by using the screen on the controller. It also backwards compatible with Wii games but I’m not sure if it will be for the GameCube but I hope it is. I am also very excited about Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The additions to the 3DS look awesome as well. Microsoft’s press conference was ok I am totally pumped for Modern Warfare 3 I love that series. I am also pumped for Gears of War 3. I’m also excited to learn that they are making a Halo: Anniversary Edition with Xbox Live multiplayer. I love the original Halo it is one of my most favorite games and the best Halo games in the series. The biggest surprise was the announcement for a new Halo trilogy starting with Halo 4 and being a fan of the Halo series I am very happy they are making more Halo games. This is a big deal Halo 4 will be the first Halo game without any influence from Bungie. I only can hope the integrity of the series stays intact. Microsoft is also expanded the with the Kinect library. The coolest thing I saw it that you will be able to use the connect along with the controller while playing Mass Effect 3 which is a game I can’t wait to get a hold of. I’m not sure if I will have a Kinect when Mass Effect 3 comes out (I would really like to have a Kinect thought) but I will be getting the game never the less. If I do get a Kinect after I have beaten Mass Effect 3 I will probably go back and play it again because Mass Effect 1 & 2 have such a high replay value I’m pretty sure that Mass Effect 3 will also have a very high replay value. Sony had some good things. I don’t own a PS3 yet so I won’t say too much. Uncharted 3 is coming out and that is one series I would really love to play and I would like to play Infamous as well. It was nice that Sony apologized to all the people who used the Playstation Network about the outage. But the thing I’m really excited about is Sony’s new handheld coming out the Playstation Vita. It looks awesome and it definitely an upgrade to the next generation. I have to say Sony is doing a good job with their handhelds they are the only company that has been able to compete with Nintendo’s handhelds and still be selling their own handhelds. Nintendo at one point owned the handheld market but with the PSP and the PS Vita Nintendo doesn’t own it anymore. Nintendo still has the upper hand and may dominate at times but Sony knows how to make a good handhelds. Again this was a great E3 so many good games are coming out and I can’t wait until I can try them. The only thing I didn’t like was during the Ubisoft press conference there was a guy known as Mr. Caffeine he was so annoying I may skip Ubisoft’s press conference if he returns next year. Other than that it was awesome and I hope to attend E3 in the near future.

E3 2011

It’s that time of the year again it’s time for E3. I will be watching on G4TV (G4TV.com) all the coverage this week. So far I have heard Nintendo will be announcing a new system, Microsoft might be announcing Halo 4, and there will be a more footage from Gears of War 3. I am pumped as usual to see what the future of gaming will hold and I can’t wait. E3 starts today and like I said I will be watching it on G4TV (G4TV.com) because I’m unable to attend E3. To the lucky people who got to go to E3 this year I envy you. One year I will attend E3 that is my goal. I am going to keep you posted on what I see and hear. I hope everyone enjoys E3 this year.

PlayStation Underground

Video game magazines are an awesome thing. They let you know about the past, present and future of video game. In 1997 Sony tried something different and came out with a CD magazine call PlayStation Underground.



The first issue came out exactly 14 years ago today. It was a quarterly CD magazine that was a very great Idea. They also would release PlayStation Underground Jampacks which would give you a taste of what certain issues had to offer. The best part of the Jampacks is they would only cost $4.99. You could get 4 issues for $29.99. The PlayStation Underground was an awesome thing. It had two disks. Disc one would have interviews, codes, downloadable content and much more. Disc two would have game demos and preview videos of games. You could also unlock Easter Eggs if you hit the right button combination. On disc two of Issue 2.4 you could see the music video “Got the Life – by Korn”. In issue 4.1 there was an unlockable video tutorial for Syphon Filter 2. You had to enter a code to unlock the video and to find it out you had to look through the two discs and it would occasionally show you part of the code. When I unlocked it I found a few parts of the code and then I just guessed at the rest and got lucky. PlayStation Underground was a great idea. We had access to tons of codes, demos, videos and DLC before we had internet available on game consoles. The last issue was issue 5.1 and it was released in the 3rd quarter of 2001. The last issue was also the only issue exclusive issue for the PlayStation 2.Sony had an awesome idea realizing a CD magazine. Today we have internet magazines like EGMi (which is an awesome magazine). We can also download demos of games from our consoles. So in a time when we couldn’t do that PlayStation Underground was there.

To learn more about PlayStation Underground and what the issues had to offer click here.

Top 11 Best Black Video Game Characters

Check out my revised list.

Black History Month is a time to reflect back on all the great black people who made a different in the world. People like the North Carolina A & T Four, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and many more have made a huge impact on the world today. In Honor of Black History month I have made a top 11 list of the best black video game characters that have made an impact in video games. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Adam/Skate – Streets of Rage Trilogy – These guys are rock. Adam was in the 1st Street of Rage and he gets kidnapped in Streets of Rage 2. That is when his 11 year old brother Skate joins the team to save his brother. Skate is also in Streets of Rage 3 on his roller blades taking out bad guys. These brothers tie for the eleventh spot on our list because they are hardcore fighters.

10. Balrog/Dee Jay– Street Fighter Series: These guys are awesome Balrog is a Boxer who is a tough brute I remember the first time I fought him he tore me up. Dee Jay is a cool Kickboxer from Jamaica. These guys both differ in personality Balrog being a bad guy and a stone wall, and Dee Jay being a cool guy who can fight and loves to have fun. They tie for the tenth spot because they are both great boxer and great characters in the Street Fighter series.

9. Mr. Sandman – The Punch-Out!! Series: This guy has been in every punch out that I can remember he is very notable for having very fast and explosive moves. He is one of the toughest guys to fight in any of the Punch Out games. I remember in Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES after knocking him down twice he jumps up and comes at your with a barrage of attacks and you have split seconds to get in and hit him. If you are not quick to dodge him you will get knocked out even if you haven’t been knocked down once.

8. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: If you have ever reached Iron Mike Tyson in this game you know how bad ass he is. He can knock you down with just two punches and that’s only if you have full health. Tyson is beatable but its takes and lot of trial and error and I have yet to beat him. I will defeat him one day though. He was a great boxer in real life and he is a great boxer in the video game world.

7. Eddy Gordo – Tekken 3 – He is an excellent fighter in Tekken 3. He is a master of the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira. He is also a break dancer which really helps his fighting. He can beat you up while walking on his hands.

6. Michael Jackson – Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker – Michael Jackson wasn’t only a great singer and dancer. He was an awesome Video Game character as well. He could use magic to make his enemies dance and after then dance they would die. He didn’t just defeat his enemies with Magic and Dancing he also was able to transform into Robo-Michael. When He became Robo-Michael he could fly around and shoot laser and missiles and annihilate his enemies. For this reason he claims the number 6 spot on the list.

5. Captain David Anderson – Mass Effect Trilogy – Captain Anderson isn’t a playable character in Mass Effect, but he plays a very important role in the success of Commander Shepard’s Mission. He also help Shepard in his pursuit of becoming a Specter. Captain Anderson is an awesome role model and Mentor to Shepard. Captain Anderson is also voiced by Keith David making him even more awesome because Keith David is awesome too.

4. Barret Wallace – Final Fantasy VII – He has a gun arm do I really need to say anything else? I will say something else thought he is an awesome party member for Cloud and he is very powerful as well. His limit brakes are awesome his level 4 limit brake is called Catastrophe and he pulls hot magma out of the ground into his gun arm and he destroys his enemies with it.

3. Roland the Solder – Borderlands – Roland is a true solder. He can regenerate his ammo and if a team member is low on health he has an ability where he can shoot his teammate and it heals them. He is a natural leader and he is an essential person you want to have on your team.

2. Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson – The Halo Series – Sergeant Johnson is a take no crap kind of guy. He always has a cigar in his mouth and will fight whatever is in his way. He once hijacked a Scarab and then teamed up with the Arbiter to take out the brute Tartarus. His one liner are awesome as well.

1. Augusts Cole a.k.a. Cole Train - Gears of War Trilogy – Cole is the best character in all of Gears of War. He is there so that you don’t shoot Baird because Baird is a jackass. Cole is by far the best character on this list. The first time you encounter him you know he is a true bad ass. He always has something cool to say and he it freaking awesome. He gets the number one spot because you can’t stop the train baby.

Other Notable Characters: Sergeant Foley – Modern Warfare 2, Zack – Dead or Alive Series, Coach – Left 4 Dead 2, Louis – Left 4 Dead, Romeo – Halo 3: ODST, Shaq – Shaq Fu, Doc Louis – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! & Punch-Out!!, Fortune - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Jacob – Mass Effect 2, Jax – Mortal Kombat Series, Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2

There are so many other characters that haven’t been named and there will continue to be more in the future so you may see a new list next year. We will just have to wait and see.

Final Fantasy VII remake rumors. Is it really coming out?

We have all heard the rumors about a remake of Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII is not only my favorite Final Fantasy game it is my favorite game of all time. I love this game and to see a remake of in my opinion the best video game of all time would be awesome. This game did so much for the series and it was the first Final Fantasy on the Playstation. It also has made a few spin-off games and a great movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This was the perfect sequel. I’ve been hearing rumors for a long time. I then came across a blog post today saying that a remake of Final Fantasy VII has been confirmed on the PS3 (to check out the blog post click here). The post says the game is expected to come out during the 4th quarter of 2012. That should give me plenty of time to save my money to buy a PS3. That’s right I don’t own a PS3 yet I would like one and if they release a remake of FFVII I will be getting a PS3 just for this game. I really hope the rumors are true and that this remake of FFVII is confirmed. I want a remake of FFVII made and it needs to be done as long as they do take away from the first game. All the game needs is a graphics upgrade the story needs to say the same. I came across a technical demo of a trailer for a remake of FFVII and it shows the intro of FFVII with upgraded graphics I hope you enjoy this video.

I hope this game is going to be remade I am optimistic that it will be but you never know. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed and I hope all you Final Fantasy VII fans are going to do the same.

My Top 11 Games of 2010

Well 2010 is over and we are in 2011 and it should be another great year in gaming. Here is a top 11 list of games that I thought were the best of 2010 that I played. Why top 11? Like the Nostalgia Critic I like to go one step beyond.

11. Lego Harry Potter Years 1 – 4 - I love the Lego games. I grew up playing with Legos and its great they makes games based on great movies and comic books like Star Wars and Batman. Lego Harry Potter brings you to Hogwarts in the Lego Universe and its tons of fun.

10. Super Street Fighter IV – This game is more than just an expansion of Street Fighter IV. It added more characters and more game modes it’s an awesome game from the Street Fighter series and it keeps its old school feel.

9. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Finally a 3D Castlevania that is very good. This game is awesome and Konami bringing on Hideo Kojima for this game was the best thing they could have done. This game is awesome and it has a very awesome battle system.

8. Bioshock 2 – This is the sequel to one of my favorite FPS games. You take control of the first Big Daddy and you get to dual weld weapons and plasmids. It’s a great sequel to a great game with a great story line. Bioshock 2 keeps the eerie dark atmosphere that made me love the first Bioshock.

7. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies – The Dragon Quest series is a solid series and Dragon Quest IX is a perfect addition. Every Dragon Quest game has a similar party/battle system and that’s what keeps people playing these games.

6. Donkey Kong Country Returns – When I heard they were making a new Donkey Kong Country and E3 I was so happy. This game is just like the original games. The multiplayer is the best in this game you can play simultaneously with a 2nd player. This is an awesome addition and if you played the any of the older Donkey Kong Country games you will understand what I mean. me

5. Halo Reach – This is the Halo that was perfect for Bungie to go out with. This game was awesome with a solid single player campaign, but the multiplayer is where this game excels. With more options of game play, better matchmaking, and best of all a beefed up Firefight which is my opinion was the biggest improvement to multiplayer. I’ve been a Halo fan from the beginning and this is an awesome game for the series.

4. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – This is a great 2D Castlevania and the best part of this game is that it’s multiplayer. This game was designed to be played multiplayer you can play single player, but you should build up a character first before you play single player. You can choose from a great cast of characters which include: Soma Cruz, Alucard, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and Charlotte Aulin. You can also download an extra level and extra characters which include: Yoko Belnadas, Julius Belmont, Maria Renard, and Richter Belmont. Some characters may share similarities but there are have their differences. This is a great game for the Castlevania fans

3. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – When this game finally came out all the Starcraft fans flocked to the store to get this game. It took Blizzard long enough to release it, but if you know Blizzard Entertainment they will not release a game until they believe its fully ready for release. Even after its released they are constantly releasing update patches. This is a perfect sequel to an awesome RTS. If you are a fan of Starcraft you must game this game. If you aren’t a fan of Starcraft or Real Time Strategies you might want to check this out because it’s an RTS anyone can get into. The reason is not only does it have solid multiplayer it has a solid single player campaign and not many RTS games have the best story line for a single player campaign.

2. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn – This is the must own game for the Nintendo DS. This Golden Sun game is the best in the series. They have improved on everything in the game. The first two Golden Sun on the Game Boy Advance in fact Golden Sun is the reason I went out and bought a Game Boy Advance just so I could play Golden Sun. The battle system in Dark Dawn is better because if you played the first two games if everyone targets the same enemy and that enemy is defeated the remaining characters that haven’t attacked will just defend. In Dark Dawn they just switch to the next enemy and attack them. Golden Sun is a solid series you don’t have to play the first two Golden Sun games to get into Dark Dawn. Dark Dawn takes place 30 years after the 2nd game ends. Regardless of if you have played the first two Golden Sun games or not this is still a must own.

1. Mass Effect 2 – This is the best game of 2010 it came out in January 2010 but nothing could top it. This game is a masterpiece. The guys at Bioware really know how to make a game. Mass Effect 2 improves on the first Mass Effect in so many ways. The best part of this game is that you can import your character from Mass Effect and continue the story in Mass Effect 2. This is so great because people remember who you are I remember doing something good for someone and they said in the first Mass Effect they owed me a drink. When I bumped into her again she did just that. The Character development is so great and the great voice acting is awesome especially from Keith David (who is awesome in everything he does) as Captain David Anderson who depending on your choice in Mass Effect will be Councilman Anderson or Admiral Anderson in Mass Effect 2. You don’t have to play the first Mass Effect to enjoy Mass Effect 2, but in my opinion the game is much better if you import a character from Mass Effect 1 into Mass Effect 2.

There were many great games that were made this year. Sadly I was not able to play every game. So there are a few Games I haven’t played from 2010 that I want to play and demos don’t count. Here is a top 5 list of best games of 2010 based on looks and reviews alone.

5. Rock Band 3 – If you played Rock Band 1, 2 or even Lego Rock Band there isn’t too much of a difference between the games except a few upgrades and new playlists. Then Rock Band 3 comes along and added a keyboard and a pro guitar/bass. I really want to try out the keyboard and I’m not too crazy about trying out the pro guitar because it’s just another guitar to buy and I already have 2 guitars. It’s cool they are trying to make the game more realistic so that it feels like a real guitar. They have made a lot of innovations to this series and that’s why I want this game.

4. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX – I love Pac-Man. I have played the original Pac-Man Championship Edition and it was fun but this game looks awesome and it had very good reviews. I can download this game from the Xbox Live Arcade but I’m running out of space on my hard drive I still haven’t upgraded from a 20GB hard drive and once I do I can download this game.

3. Red Dead Redemption – This game have gotten perfect scores across the board. I’m not too big a fan of western games but this game might change my mind. The game looks awesome and what I’ve heard it truly lives up to the hype.

2. Kirby’s Epic Yarn – I love Kirby games. This game looks awesome and seems to be simple fun. The game has gotten decent reviews. I like Kirby games and I really want this game.

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops – Some people would say I’m stupid for not getting this game the day it came out but I really couldn’t. I still haven’t played it but I really to play this game. I’m a huge of the Modern Warfare series and I’ve been told that Black Ops stays true to Call of Duty. Black Ops wasn’t made my Infinity Ward but most people don’t seem to care. I really want this game because Modern Warfare 1 & 2 are my favorite FPS games to play online. Once I can I will be getting this game and I hope I can get it very soon.

Well that’s the games of 2010 that made an impression on me. I’m looking forward to see what the games of 2011 will bring to the table. I will also not forget the games that came out in the past years. There are still many games I need to play and I hope to get to play all these games very soon. I hope you all are ready to play some games this year because there are some great games coming out like: Marvel VS Capcom 3, Pokemon Black & White, Mass Effect 3, Hopefully Diablo III, and many more. I hope everyone has a great year of gaming.

Video Game Music: Castlevania Series and Legend of Zelda Series

I was looking at some videos and came across these covers of songs from the Castlevania Series and the Legend of Zelda series. I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I did.

Castlevania Piano Medley

Another Castlevania Piano Medley (Most of these songs are from newer Castlevania games)

Zelda II: Adventures of Link Castle Theme - Guitar Duet

Legend of Zelda Piano Duet Medley

Great Finds: Legend of Mana and a Case of Sega Genesis Games

The other day at my local thrift store I had some finds that were not just great finds they were awesome finds. First I found a pencil box with ten Sega Genesis games in it.
When I was the pencil box I saw a price tag of $15. I was like $15 for a pencil box? Then I opened it up there were 10 Sega Genesis games which were (Listed Alphabetically):


Barbie Super Model (Yeah I know a Barbie Game someone out they must want this game)
Disney’s Aladdin
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
The Pagemaster
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic Spinball
Taz-Mania
Toy Story
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Hidden Treasure
Vectorman 2

Ten games and a pencil box for $15 isn’t a bad deal so each game's average price was $1.40 so I did good.

That’s not all though while looking through the music cds because sometime I find Playstation games with the disk in the case if you are lucky. Well I saw Legend of Mana with a black labeled case.
I grabbed the case hoping and praying that the game was in there and sure enough it was in the case. Man I was very lucky this game goes for between $40 and $60 on eBay. There wasn’t a price tag on the game so the cashier rang it up for $2 and it’s in great shape. I was so happy to get this game it’s hard to find and it’s a game on my list so scratch one more game off my list (to view my list check out this blog post: (Games I've found and games I'm still looking for).

I made out great on this hunt I hope my luck continues for next week’s game hunt. Wish me luck everyone and I also wish everyone luck in their hunt for games.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane: Final Fantasy VII Limit Break Montage

I was looking at videos on YouTube today and I came across this montage of Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII. This has all the Limit Breaks except for Cait Sith's Limit Breaks. This was a great trip down memory lane I hope you enjoy this video.

Games I've found and games I'm still looking for

This Labor Day weekend was a great weekend in games for me. Between going to Ed McKay and the Hillsville gun show over the weekend I made out well. Here are the games I was able to pick up that were on my list:

Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
Double Dragon III (NES)
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (SNES)
Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64)
Donkey Kong Land (GB/GBC)
Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB/GBC)
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)
Metroid Fusion (GBA)
Bushido Blade 2 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X5 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X6 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X7 (PS2 Black Label)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Shenmue II (Xbox)

Here are a few games I got the weren't on my list:

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road (NES)
Marble Madness (NES)
Smash TV (NES)
Yoshi’s Story (N64)
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1 Greatest Hits)
Croc 2 (PS1 Black Label)
David Beckham Soccer (PS1 Black Label)
Tenchu Stealth Assassins (PS1 Black Label)

Overall I picked up 23 Games. 15 of these games were on my list.

I have updated my list as well as added a couple of other games to the list that I’m looking for.

NES

Dragon Warrior II
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Pac-Mania
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Kirby's Dreamland 3
Kirby's Super Star
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards  
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Zero Mission

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Gear
Sonic Blast
 
Dreamcast
Shenmue
Power Stone
Power Stone 2

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
SaGa Frontier 2
Vagrant Story
Xenogears

Playstation 2
ICO
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for the Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Ninja Gaiden Black

I had some good luck finding games and getting them at great prices. I hope to keep getting games and great prices. I will continue to update you as I get more games on my list.

Games I'm looking for

I started making a list of games I’m looking for the other day and it’s a pretty long list. My luck the Hillsville Gun Show is this weekend and sometimes you find some people selling all types of games. Here is a list of games I’m look for. Not all the games are listed but the games I want the most are listed below.

NES
Donkey Kong 3
Dragon Warrior II
Double Dragon III
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission

Game Gear
Sonic Blast

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Donkey Kong 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Dreamcast
Shenmue

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Bushido Blade 2
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Cross
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
SaGa Frontier 2
Xenogears

Playstation 2
Mega Man X7
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Shenmue II

There are a lot more games I would like to get, but these games are the games I want the most. Wish me luck on my hunt for all these games.

E3 '10 - The Wrap Up

E3 has been over for about a week and I’ve finally had time to absorb all that I saw.

There were a lot of game and gadgets I saw (via G4tv and G4tv.com) that got me very excited. I can’t talk about everything I saw so I will talk about what I really liked.

Microsoft

Microsoft has made some partner ships with Activision and ESPN. That mean with Activision any add-ons for their games come out first for Microsoft. With ESPN you will be able to watch all sports on ESPN on your Xbox 360 and it’s free for Xbox Live gold members. This was a great move on Microsoft’s part I think this will be a great thing for them. With Games of course Halo Reach and Gears of War 3 caught my eye but I have already talked about these games. Call of Duty: Black Ops looks awesome but the best game I saw for the Xbox 360 was Metal Gear Solid: Rising. This game looks so awesome you are a ninja and it strays from the traditional game play of the MGS series, but the game play looks awesome with a game engine that lets you cut anything into pieces. This includes cutting people into pieces and cutting random things like tables and fruits. Also the Microsoft Kinect looks awesome with the ability to recognize you and log you in just by waving at it. My problem with this gadget is that the price is going to be $150 which is way too much, but there is a chance they may change the price and hopefully make it cheaper. The Kinect looks cool but a price tag of $150 is way too much for this. They have also released the Xbox 360 Slim which looks awesome as well hopefully solving the Red Ring of Death once and for all.

Nintendo

Nintendo had announced The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This is a Zelda game design just for the Wii and it will use the Wii Motion Plus which will give the sword a more realistic feel along with Link’s other weapons. They also announced a new Goldeneye 007 game for the Wii. Fans have been waiting for this game for a long time and it looks amazing. I’m not a big fan of FPS games on the Wii, but this one should be different and maybe they will use the Wii Motion Plus as well. They also announced some other great game like a new NBA Jam game with controls exclusive for the Wii (a new NBA Jam for the the 360 and PS3 as well). Nintendo has also announced the Mario Sports Mix, Wii Party, Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Epic Mickey. They also announced the Nintendo 3DS which looks really cool and they have announced Kid Icarus Uprising and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. The game I’m most excited about for the Wii is Donkey Kong County Returns. It’s going to be like the old school Donkey Kong Country and it will have game play like the New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Sony

I don’t own a Playstation 3 but the Playstation Move look very cool. I saw 2 games that look really cool Infamous 2 is one of those games. I would get the first one if I buy a PS3. The next game is the new Twisted Metal and this game look awesome I still play Twisted Metal 2 on the PS1 and this new Twisted Metal is making me want to buy a PS3.

That covers the Big 3 now on to the software developing companies. Bioware is coming one with the Star Wars: The Old Republic. This game look amazing but I’m still not sure if it will pull me away from World of Warcraft only time will tell. EA games is coming out with a new Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. This game looks so freakin’ awesome. You can play are the racer or the cops. The online system they have in place for this game is awesome. You will have people on your list you are running from and people who you are chasing. You will also have a most wanted and when they log on to play and you can initiate the change. I’m not a big racing game fan but I and really thinking about getting this game when it comes out. Konomi is coming out with a 2 new Castlevania games. The fist is Castlevania: Lord of Shadows which will be for Xbox 360 and PS3. I’m a huge Castlevania fan and I am really looking forward to a brand new Castlevania and it’s not the only one that’s coming. Castlevania: Harmony of Despair which looks to be a 2D style Symphony of the Night style of Castlevania for the Xbox Live Arcade and maybe for the Playstation Network I can’t wait to try these games out. Capcom is coming out with a highly anticipated sequal Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. I’m again stoke because Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is probably one of the best fighting games out there and there are going to have tons of new characters and it will most likely be set up like Street Fighter 4/Super Street Fighter 4 and they are great games as well so Marvel vs. Capcom 3 should deliver another great experience. Last but not least Ubisoft has obtained the license to make Michael Jackson games and I’m hoping there re-release Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker the game on XBLA, PSN, and Wii Virtural Console. There were so many games I saw this year while watching coverage of E3 and all I know is there is a bright future for the gaming world there is something for everyone and all the companies are doing what they can to go over the top.

E3 '10

E3 '10 is this week and I think it going to be a big year. The game I'm the most excited about Star Wars: The Old Republic. I am very excited about the game because I love KOTOR. I wish they would have made a 3rd game to complete the game for us because the 2nd game left us hanging big time with the horrible endings it had. Bioware can't be held responsible for that because Obsidian made the sequel to KOTOR. They didn't do a bad job with the game but they got lazy with the ending. The question on my mind is will The Old Republic take the crown of top MMORPG from World of Warcraft and more importantly with it take me away from WoW? Only time will answer this question for us. I am very excited to see what everyone at E3 has to offer. I'll be doing my research and watching E3 Live on G4TV (G4TV.com). I'll have more to say when E3 is complete.