Discovering The World Of Video Gamming And Their Consoles For The FirstTime... Again

Contra... A particularly violent game... Definitely one that boys enjoyed back in the day!

When I was a kid, one of the things that I discovered at a very young age (as a matter of fact, I think I may have been in either 3rd or 4th grade when I first discovered these, but till then I was still so young that I was still mostly playing with toys... That was till I discovered the world of video games!

The way this happened was... Well it was when I was in Elementary School or so... You see, one of the things that the Principle of the School let kids do on Fridays, was get off School a bit early and one of the kids would bring in one of their Video Game Consoles (back then we are talking, Nintendo... Sega Genesis... etc...) And all of us kids got to play...

Well in the end, this gave me the opportunity to dive in to the world of video games at a very young age... And I will say, that video games...  As a kid growing up, gave me loads and loads of fun, I got introduced to some very awesome video games, such as: Final Fantasy (1987), Contra (1987) as well as, Space Harrier 2 (1988), as well as so much more!

A truly classic game, and was one of the ones that I am happy to say helped me to truly enjoy the world of video games when I was a kid!

 Well... I hate to say it, but as time went on, I came to stop playing video games all together... Considering the fact that I developed a website that has to do with reviewing and blogging about video games that this might be a little odd... But it is true!

You see, I happened to be in Colorado with my wife a few years ago visiting the inlaws, and her brother (who fancies himself a bit of a, 'gammer',) introduced me to the world of the, 'XBox 360'... And well to say the least, I was hooked like I was back in the late 80s through the 90s!

Well when my wife and I got home, of course I wanted to get me an XBox 360... Couldn't do so at the time... (At the time, the XBox 360 was still a bit pricey...) The first system though I was able to dive in to was Microsoft's original, 'XBox' video game console, and the few games I was able to get my hands on when I bought the system and games from a friend of mine who was selling his!

The first, 'XBox' video game console that Microsoft released.

 The XBox 360... A video game console that was released by Microsoft, and is one of two of probably the most prolific video game consoles to have come in the 21st century!

In the end, I was able to get my XBox 360... And I have not looked backs since!

Now you might be wondering why I am writing this... Well if you are some one who has any doubt about the value of a kid's first video game system... Well let's put it this way, coming from a gammer of many years... Engaging in activities outside is important for everyone, no matter what age they are, and so... The reason that I write this, is that yes, it is a toy... But you never know... Some day your kids could do what I did, and turn their love of video games in to a worthwhile career!

The Evolution Of The Video Game Soundtrack: From Analog Music ThroughMovie Styled Video Game Soundtracks

A program used by Mac computers to create computer generated music.

Most people recognize that video game soundtracks in the modern day are becoming more and more like Movie or TV soundtracks... But before this really began to take shape, at the beginning of the world of video games... well as it turns out, most video games had computer generated music, and before that, Cassette or LP generated music.

Some of the music that has been computer generated... Well in the early days was pretty horrible, and well, if you really dig in to it, there are some truly fun scores (such as: Super Mario Bros. (Believe it or not, it is a fun soundtrack) and even Final Fantasy 7!)

To really understand this progression, lets really start with the progression of computer generated music (I mean after all, computer generated music is where video game music got it's start.)

In this case, the first computer to generate music was a computer called the, 'CSIRAC', (which stands for: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Automatic Computer.) Now I can give you all the technical jargon if you want (but that is probably not much use for what we are working toward in this blog.)

The earliest known computer to play music.

To say the least, this computer (which is one of the oldest first generation electronic computers ever built,) was built in Australia in the late 40s by Trevor Pearcy & Maston Beard and which in the early 50s would be programmed by a mathematician by the name of Geoff Hill to generate music.

Since then, there has been many advancements in the programming for computer generated music, leading up to, and for our purposes, the first video game to ever play computer generated music...

Now before I continue on I should also mention the direct predecessor to computer generated music for video games...

Like movies, in the case of video games, early video game music was played on independent systems separate from the video game itself.

You see, in the 1970s, when arcades were really having their Golden Age, video game music would be played in analogue form (on cassette tapes, or on LPs.) Well to say the least this proved to be unworkable, and the age of computer generated music was born!

You see, it turns out that a more workable solution for this was to insert a computer chip that would create music from electric impulses created from the games code in to analog music.

Well to say the least, starting with Gun Fight (1975)... A game which proved to be one of the earliest examples of computer generated music for games, we find video games getting better and better computer generated music... Leading to (what I would say), would be some great early computer generated music from such awesome NES games as (well besides what I mentioned above,) such stuff as: Contra (1987), Mega Man (1987) & even Castlevania (1987), to name a few!

Castlevania... A fun game, with a fun computer generated soundtrack! 

And you know what? This music just kept getting better and better, with the passage from, '8 Bit' games to, '16 Bit' games, as well as the advent of the first Playstation, etc... I am going to go so far as to say that the height of singularly computer created music format for video games was with the advent of the first, 'Playstation.'

Don't get me wrong, there has been a ton of fun video game soundtracks to come out before this, but some of the video game soundtracks that came out with the first playstation were truly... Amazing! A great example again is, Final Fantasy 7! I mean the music for this video game was truly prolific , to the point where one could have been said to be a, 'Computer Generated Opera!'

Now I don't exactly know when the change first started occurring (I unfortunately had a bit of an absence from the world of video games,) but I did notice that as time has gone on, and leading (at the very least up until the XBox 360,) that video game soundtracks have become less computer generated, and more like movie soundtracks!

Crackdown for the: XBox 360 is a great example of a video game that has an almost, 'movie' like sound track to it!

I reckon that as long as video games keep getting better and better and the lines between movies and video games get more and more blurred, that in the end, the soundtracks will as well!

For more information, please check out these examples:

Contra 3: The Alien Wars (1992) - Video Game Review

Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils 

In horror movies there is something that is kind of interesting... You see in horror movie series they frequently start off with awesome original movies... (As a matter of fact, some of the original movies are so good that they help to make the villains of the piece in to American icons, a couple of examples being: 'Freddy Krueger' & 'Jason Voorhees.)

Well the reason that I mention this is because in video games, (at least in my opinion,) for the most part they tend to get better with age (an example of this of course being, 'Duke Nukem'...)

Well there is one game that seemed to me to at least initially head down that path that so many of the classic horror movies tended to run... That series being, 'Contra'...

Now the truth is, is the first Contra game was truly legendary as far as classic video games go, Contra 2 (1988)... A decent enough game, but Contra 3... phew, what a stinker...

 Contra 3... meh...

I found this to be rare, because I have to be honest and say that where as I did enjoy the original NES and the games that were produced on it, I found that I enjoyed that much more the, 'SNES' and most of the games I played on it... except this one!

I found the game control lame, The music was alright, and the sound effects were alright, but the game play was boring, and ultimately not a whole heck of a lot of fun...

Ultimately guys, I hate to say it, but I never played another Contra game after this, (A situation that I would like to remedy...) But this game was just not one that I liked, if you try it, well... Like anything I suppose you got to try it at least once right?

5 Classic Video Games That Should Be Made In To 5 Blockbuster Movies

Over the decades there has been a lot of great video games that have come out that have entertained audiences all over the world as movies. But with the failure of, Super Mario Bros. (1993), the fad seems to have faded in to the background!

Well with the movie industry just more or less essentially going through and remaking just about every movie that has ever been made... And oft times butchering the remake, I thought that I would give some suggestions to tap in to a sorely neglected, but extremely plentiful area... The video game!
So without further adieu:

5. Mega Man.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="256"] Mega Man... A great game that could be total block buster![/caption]

Now this game was a truly classic game that came out for the, 'Nintendo' back in the 1980s, and when it did come out, it was a monumental sensation! And with it still maintaining it's cult status decades later, and with the, 'Super Hero' movie being such a hot ticket item right now for the box office, Why not bring this super hero to life?

For more information on this game, please check out this clip from: Mega Man.

http://youtu.be/GnGfx0dfi7g

4. Super Maro Bros.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="440"] Doing a remake of the movie, could be a great blockbuster![/caption]

This is a remake that I certainly would like to see! Don't get me wrong, I did like the original movie, but if the studios do it right, not only would it be a great movie, but it could potentially make up for the failings of it's predecessor!

For more information on the game, please check out this clip from: Super Mario Bros.

http://youtu.be/PsC0zIhWNww

As for the movie, please check out this trailer:

http://youtu.be/wtMZKYnLg5c

3. Battletoads.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="444"] Bringing these guys back to life as a big screen film, would be freaking awesome![/caption]

A great video game from the Super Nintendo era, and a fun cartoon... Why not make it in to a movie? I mean they are bringing the Ninja Turtles back, why not bring these fighting frogs back to life?

For more information on the game, please check out this clip from: Battletoads.

http://youtu.be/idZ9C0Qtj2A

As fort he show, please enjoy this clip:

http://youtu.be/hLYCgvQhBro

2. Halo.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Halo would make for a great movie![/caption]

Now this one isn't exactly classic per-se, but it still applies, this game is to the XBox, what Super Mario is to Nintendo, and is well deserving of it's own movie!

For more information on this game, please enjoy the trailer for: Halo: Reach.

http://youtu.be/-YQZ_-qUYWk

1. Contra.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] A classic game that I still think would make for a fantastic movie![/caption]

If I have said it once, I have said it 100 times, this game was truly historic, and if they turned it in to a movie, I imagine it will be truly epic!

For more information on this game, enjoy this trailer for: Contra.

http://youtu.be/uzQKF9LUQ90

I am sure that there are a lot more, but these are the ones that I was thinking would be truly the best of the batch!

 

5 Great Video Game Series That Got Their Starts A Generation Ago

That's right folks, with all of the modern games that are coming out at such a rapid rate, that we some times forget where some of these staple franchises have come from, and so I thought that I would remind some of us out there where these modern games got their start:

At number 5: Castlevania.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2' (2014), and 'Castlevania' (1986):

http://youtu.be/ENSDrPpFp-Y

http://youtu.be/pJk-zhp8aA0

At number 4: Contra.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Hard Corps Uprising' (2011), and 'Contra' (1987):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzQKF9LUQ90

http://youtu.be/ZDOrp_TMGfA

At number 3: Mega Man.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Mega Man 10' (2010), and 'Mega Man' (1987):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGfx0dfi7g&w=420&h=315]

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaS1c-16frU&w=560&h=315]

At number 2: Sonic The Hedgehog.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Sonic Boom' (2014), and 'Sonic The Hedgehog' (1991):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAhNkZWvZJ4

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3ny0Pr09S8&w=420&h=315]

At number 1: Street Fighter.

For more information on this game please check out these scenes from, 'Street Fighter X Tekken' (2012), and 'Street Fighter' (1987):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_dM7SWLBTQ&w=420&h=315]

http://youtu.be/KLQ1aCOSQos

Bring Contra To The Big Screen!

You know, I hate to say it, but there honestly is a lot of garbage out there on the big screen these days... It has gotten better and better as the turn over from the 90s in to the 2000s has disappeared in to the turn over between the 2000s - 2010s, but there is still a lot of garbage out there!

With that said though, there is one genre that still not only seems to be doing really well, but seems to be getting better and better over time... That is the Action genre!

And you know what? With the success of the action genre still going very strong after so long, I ask myself this age old question... One that I have been asking since the late 80s... Why don't they make a big screen adaption of the classic NES game, 'Contra'? I mean they are still pumping out movies based on all sorts and kind of games... Some of them are good and some of them are crap... So why not bring back, 'Contra'?

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="519"] A scene fighting one of the bosses in the classic Nintendo video game, 'Contra'![/caption]

Now at this point you might be wondering about the game... Well for that, 'Click Here.'

But as for the reason why this would be just a completely amazing idea... Well simply put, for the studios, this movie would definitely cash in on it's success... I mean if, The Expendables 2 (2012) can do that good... Well hell, with the game being as good as it is, I am sure if you bring in the right cast and crew to bring this game to life then it will be a sure fire smash hit classic!

What I mean by the right cast and crew... Don't bring in some writer who has never heard of the game and won't appreciate the nuances of what makes the game great and even what would make this game in to a great movie... And don't just dump some unknown director who will try to turn it in to a newer version of, 'The Expendables', and drop, 'Channing Tatum' and some other dude that would be completely wrong for the parts in to the movie... No, if you get the right writers and director for this movie, as well as cast it with people who could really fit the mold, I think you will end up with a truly amazing movie that is not only capitalizing on the elements that truly do make modern action movies like, 'The Expendables' so great, but also is a fond reminder of what made movies like, Commando (1985) such a truly awesome good time!

And if you haven't played the game yet, then why not pick up a copy of it, dust off the old Nintendo, and give it a try... I am sure you will see what I mean!

http://youtu.be/uzQKF9LUQ90

Contra (1987) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="300"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

If you were born in the 80s or earlier then I am sure that you will remember playing classic NES games such as, 'Mega Man', 'Super Mario Bros.', etc... Well obviously the graphics in those old games by consideration of how far they have come with in the last 30 years would be considered to be crap... but back then I have to say that they were pretty exceptional!

But besides that there is another side to these old video games that has been to some degree lost in translation... And that is the 2D side view that all of these old video games had... Now don't get me wrong the more standard these day games that are getting closer and closer to playing movies is cool and all, but there was something to playing 2D side view games that were just truly spectacular and  you know what, Contra (1987) is definitely one of them!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The first player fighting one of the bosses![/caption]

Created by Konami on February 20th 1987, for  in this video game you control 1 of 2 Commandos as they are go from level to level fighting soldiers of the, 'Red Falcon Organization' and the various bosses that are in control of these areas! In Japan where this, 'run & gun' game is called, 'Kontra' the game takes place in the year 2633 on a ficitional archpalego near New Zealand!

In truth this game (which was called, Gryzor in Europe) was an awesome great time, as you go from level to level fighting off more and more bad guys, the levels get harder and harder and the bosses get harder and harder, and even though some times you might die a few hundred times and get frustrated, you end up continuing to play because... In the end I found that no matter how many times I died in the game, I just had to win!

Another thing  that I thought that I would mention here is that the game play on the NES is real smooth and not hard to figure out... And as a side note, this game is actually the first one that I found secrets in!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] The game play for, 'Contra' on the NES is real smooth![/caption]

And the last thing that I have to say that was really truly awesome about this game is the music, considering that it is computer generated, was actually a lot of fun.... So much so, that if there was a sound track available it would be worth checking out!

http://youtu.be/uzQKF9LUQ90