Sonic The Hedgehog: A Legacy Of Brilliance From A Failed System - #VideoGame #Blog

Sonic maybe running around in different video game consoles, but that wasn't always the case...

These days, 'Sonic The Hedgehog' is known for the video games that have been done for such systems as, 'Playstation', or, 'Nintendo Wii', but before Sonic became mostly a secondary character on various cross-platform systems,  Sonic brought to prominence the, 'Sega Genesis', in the same way that, 'Mario' brought to prominence the, 'Nintendo'!

And speaking of that... 

Ok, so not only did Sonic help bring the, 'Sega Genesis' to prominence, but one of the other things that it did was to make Sega dominate the video game market from the early 1990s, really up to when Sony released the, 'Playstation', and Microsoft brought to the world, the, 'X-Box'! 

The Sega Genesis was so popular in the 1990s, that it gave, 'Nintendo' a run for it's money!

And yet another thing that Sonic really did kind of help do very well, was to do with merchandising and cartoons for the 90s, what Mario did for the 1980s! 

Now to speak about the series... Ok, so the fact is, is I have connected Sonic and Mario very close together, and the truth is, is that, 'Yes' they have some connection, but the truth is, is they are two very different video games and let me explain what I mean by this: 

1. Sonic is an animal in a world that has mostly animals in it. Mario is a human that was transported to a world with his brother that is sort of a mix of both humans and various animals. 

2. In the Mario games, the big bad is a dinosaur, while in Sonic The Hedgehog, the big bad is a human. 

3. In most of the Mario games, Mario and Luigi are trying to save a, 'Princess' and Sonic and Tails are trying to save the Animal populace of his world. 

Sonic & Mario have their similarities and differences, but in the end, one of the main things that they both did is to bring to prominence their respective video game systems they started off with, and the companies they came from!

Now as far as the franchise itself goes, Sonic The Hedgehog... The best things about this franchise, is that in no matter what platform the current, 'Sonic' game is under, the characters are always kid friendly, and the games are always fun for all ages... And the truth... Sega may have failed in it's video game system design, but the truth is, is Sonic will always translate to the next generation! 

Golden Eye: Rogue Agent (2004) Video Game Review

This guy may not have made it in MI6 but he is gonna kick some ass for the bad guys! 

007... Those movies have been entertaining audiences all over the world for literally generations, with there non-stop thrills technology, and what not!

But it wasn't until the late 1990s that I was able to partake in a side of the series that I didn't know existed... That is the games that were based on the series!

And you know what? Golden Eye: Rogue Agent (2004) is one of the few games that I know of that is based on this series, but doesn't have much of Bond in it!

The box art for: Golden Eye: Rogue Agent (2004)!

 Published by: Electronic Arts for the: PlayStation 2, XBox, Nintendo GameCube & Nintendo DS. This game told the story of a former MI6 spy known as "GoldenEye", who works for Auric Goldfinger against Dr. Julius No.

Protected or not... This guy is gonna kick all of their asses!

Now considering when this game was released, the graphics were pretty outstanding, (honestly though, they are still good, but I have seen better at this point...)

The effects though are still pretty excellent... The game is really hard, (which is always fun!)

The only problem though that I had with the game is that it didn't have the staying power to maintain being fun often and for long periods of time!

In the end though, it is worth trying out at least once!

Tweet

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 First Home Video Game System... wracked With Controversy

The Magnavox Odyssey... The video game system that started the revolution!

We all know video game systems like, 'The XBox One' or, 'The Playstation 4', but before that, and even before such classics as, 'The Sega Genesis', or the, 'Super Nintendo', or even before, 'The Atari 2600', or 'Commodore 64', there was a video game system that could be said to be either directly or indirectly the mother of every thing we as gamer's treasure in our current video game systems!

What I mean by this, is that the first home video game console, a video game console, which was released back in 1972, and which sold 100,000 games in it's first year was Magnavox's 'Odyssey'!

A blast from the past right... I mean when was the last time you bought something that had that label?

Two people playing one of the oldest video games ever made for a home console!

But the truth is, is that like every great innovation, there are others that will quickly come out with their own versions of it, trying to make it better...

Well the truth is, is rather it is right or wrong to do that, for everything to go ahead, we always need to be putting out better product right... Well with Magnavox being the first to make it in to the home video game market, they had competition almost immediately!

What I mean by this is that Magnavox started protecting what was theirs when they sued Atari for patent infringement, when Atari released, 'Pong' as it looked extremely similar to Magnavox's, 'Tennis' game...

The Odyssey's 'Tennis', and the Atari 2600's 'Pong'... 2 very similar games that caused some friction at the dawn of the home console games!

Well ultimately, they settled out of court, but in the following years they would end up suing other big name companies such as: Mattel, Coleco, Seeburg & Activision... They would either win or settle these cases!

Ultimately, 'The Odyssey' line would continue to come out with fresh consoles until 1978, when, 'The Odyssey 2' was released... Now apparently this was the first of it's type to be a fully programmable system... Since then, in 1997, an emulator was created for the Odyssey 2...

This system may have ended up having a little bit of a checkered past... But you can't beat the first of it's kind, and the generations of boy and girls that have been entertained because that system will continue on for generations to come!

Yesterdays Video Games Become Tomorrows Mobile Phone Games

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="398"] Apparently, 'The Legend Of Zelda' is one of the games that you can play on the iPhone![/caption]

You know when I was a kid, the main video game system had been the, Nintendo Entertainment System... It was sleek, it was beautiful... And for the most part it was still pretty new technology, (when I got to start playing video games, the, 'Nintendo' had only been around for a few years!)

Well as time went on and the, era of the 'NES' turned in to the era of the future of video gaming with such systems as the, 'Super NES' & the, 'Sega Genesis' and their successor systems started to take over these previous generations of systems, it started to become harder and harder for people like myself, who still really enjoy games like, 'The Legend Of Zelda', or 'Super Mario Bros,' or other such now ancient games to find them and the systems that had once been extremely popular!

Well with the advent of the the, 'Smart Phone' I have come to discover something extremely interesting... I came to discover that some of these ancient games are being brought back to life on the mobile phone, in their original format!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="429"] Mega Man 2 is just one of the examples of games that came out for the, 'NES' that you can now play on the Iphone.[/caption]

Now you might be wondering why this is so cool... Well the truth is, is that as the generations go by, there are lesser and lesser NES and other ancient video game systems to play them on... And it would appear that with the exception of, 'Mega Man' that for some reason that a lot of video game makers are instead of keeping the classics alive and well seem to be making the same mistake that a lot of movie studios seem to be doing, and that is, remaking the original video games!

A good example of this is the video game, 'Contra'...

Contra, in my opinion, this game was not just a game that helped keep the, 'Nintendo' popular through the 80s and the early 90s, (when the Super Nintendo would replace the system.) In the case of this game, This game you could almost say is not just a video game that helped to make 2D shooters what  they would be for the rest of their run, but I believe is something that helped make the first person shooter what it is today!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="504"] Contra... A true classic![/caption]

I recently discovered that there is a remade version of this game that came out for the XBox... So of course I got really excited about it and immediately picked it up... You know what? I hate to say it, but the game was freaking horrible! I mean besides the fact that the game's controls are absolutely despicable, the graphics were changed just enough to be a tease... (basically they changed just enough of it so that it looked different from the original, but not so different that you couldn't tell that you were playing a  bad 2D game!)

So if you have a smart phone, and are like me, and love ancient games, then give them a try on your phone, you might like it!

http://youtu.be/F6np9ub8uZI

http://youtu.be/XAhNkZWvZJ4

http://youtu.be/qsAkqFusYic

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (2002) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="307"] Official Score = 3 1/2 Devils[/caption]

You know what? I have to be honest... I am a little disappointed in the way that the buffyverse has been handled since the end of both, 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and, ' Angel'... The reason being is that, although I imagine Joss Whedon (The Avengers) has managed to do some pretty cool stuff with the 2 comics based on their signature series, but the truth is, is there is a wealth of fun and entertaining activities that you could just spend hours upon hours of enjoyment with, that is based on both of those series... And frankly a comic book series is just not enough!

Now you might be wondering why I mention this, and simply put, there was a video game that was made based on, 'Buffy' that when I firs got in to Microsoft's, 'XBox' video game system, I found I really enjoyed, 'and in my opinion is still one of the better games that has ever been produced for any of Microsoft's XBox line... That video game being, 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' (2002)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="256"] A truly fantastic video game![/caption]

Developed By: The Collective, Inc. & Published by: Fox Interactive, for Distribution by: Electronic Arts on Microsoft's, 'XBox'

Set roughly around the 3rd season of the TV series, this video game pits Buffy and the Scooby Gang in a quest to stop, 'Lybach' who taken possession of, 'Drusilla' and who has resurrected, 'The Master' (who now also inhabits, 'Angel' and who has forced Spike in to doing his bidding in an attempt to build a bridge between Hell and Earth... As if the Hellmouth wasn't enough right!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Buffy killing a Vampire at Sunnydale High![/caption]

The truth is, is this video game is a total blast, the only real problem that I found with this game is  the fact that this game suffers from certain difficulties with figuring out some of the controls with the characters... Also there is some points in the game that are so difficult to figure out, that it makes the game suffer... (I like hard games, but this made me put the game away a few times!)

In the end though, this game I have found is well worth the effort, and if you give it a try, you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/fUkT-quc8E8

 

Video Gamming... A Next Generation Closer To The Holodeck

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="618"] The Holodeck... The next evolutionary leap in video games?[/caption]

I will admit that I am a major trekkie, and well... As a gamer going back to the days of the NES, I am still excited to see how the successive generation of video game systems seems to be bringing us closer and closer to the Holodeck!

Now for those of you who don't know what a, 'Holodeck' is... A Holodeck was a concept that was first introduced in, 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', as a fully interactive, game/tool for the Enterprise crew that was created to simulate the real world in some capacity or another, using life like looking and acting holograms that were given their solidity by special created shielding.

Sounds like fun right?

Well unfortunately we aren't quite to that level yet, but we are getting closer and closer as time goes on... What I mean by that is well... Look at what has been created with the, 'Wii' and, 'Wii U' special controllers that act and give the feel more and more like you are holding a, 'gun' or a, 'tennis racket'...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="384"] A light sword controller for the Nintendo, 'Wii'.[/caption]

Or what about the XBox's, 'Kinect'... I mean I personally have not tried it yet (I made the mistake when I got my XBox 360 of not getting one of those with it,) but with it's motion sensing technology, you are pretty much controlling the avatar with out a controller at all!

In the end I guess what I am trying to say is that as a gammer, we are living in exciting times, and with each successive generation of video game consoles that are released, we are getting closer and closer to creating a real life, 'Holodeck'... And trust me, if you haven't seen Star Trek, and so haven't seen one in action, trust me when I say that the experience is one that will be well worth it when the time comes!

http://youtu.be/vZ7CGBM4JJo

Flagship Video Games And Their Importance To The Systems They Help Sustain

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="470"] 'Halo'... A classic video game that has proven to be a, 'flagship game' for Microsoft's, 'XBox' video game consoles![/caption]

Over the decades now there have been quite a few video game systems and a slowly growing number of companies that are producing these systems that have such relevance in the pop culture of that time... But what is it that holds their sustainability as well as it does? What keeps throngs of people of most ages coming back for more? Well I am going to have to say that it is the flagship game that is keeping these systems and the companies that build them afloat...

What is a flagship game you ask?

Well simply put, in the Navy a flagship is a ship that distinguishes itself from the rest, (you know, bigger, faster, stronger, or whatever,) and a.'Flagship Video Game' does that for the system it represents, and is so popular that it helps cement the company that makes it for life!

A great example of this is, 'Super Mario Bros.' (1983), this game was so popular that it extremely out paced the competition (including the original, 'Donkey Kong' game, a game which was the first to ever to feature a, 'Mario Bro.')

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Super Mario Bros. (1983), a game which helped make the, 'Nintendo' video game consoles the consoles they are today![/caption]

Since the release of, 'Super Mario Bros.', Nintendo has been a force not to be messed with, both in Japan, and North America, having outlasted all of the Video Game companies that have come before it, and maintaining itself in the current world of Video Gaming between, 'Sony' (with the, 'Playstation') and, 'Microsoft' (with the XBox)!

And as long as, 'Mario' &, 'Luigi' and the rest of the, 'Koopa Troopa' maintain their popularity amongst fans of almost any age at this point, Nintendo will remain a force not to be messed with for ever!

That was an aged veteran of a Flagship game, I thought that I would mention a newer one that I thought that you guys might find to be interesting, and that is of, 'Master Chief' from the, 'Halo' series, and what that series has done for really the world of gaming in the whole!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="430"] Master Chief as he is about to kick as in the, 'Halo' video game series, A, 'Flagship video game' for Microsoft's, 'XBox' video game consoles![/caption]

You see, at the time that the, 'XBox' was first released it had some very stiff competition... What I mean by that is that this gaming system was released in 2001, during a time in which, 'Playstation' had already proved itself, having just released its second generation system, and had to go up against 2 seasoned vets like, 'Nintendo' and, 'Sega' (both of whom had by this point, several generations of Video Game systems that had been out for decades, and in which Nintendo was currently marketing their, 'Nintendo Game Cube' and Sega, (which unfortunately would end up being on their final video game system,) would be marketing the, 'Sega Dreamcast'...)

Well, the Xbox ended up doing so well, and with their flagship game like, 'Halo' it was no wonder that they were able to survive, and not only did they survive well, but I would personally say that the, 'Xbox' and, 'Halo' are probably the best of their kind to have been released in the millennium!

Unfortunately though, this would knock Sega out of making consoles (which is a shame seeing as their video consoles and the games that went with them were so much fun!) But for many years though, their video game consoles with the help of their Flagship video game, 'Sonic The Hedgehog', were so popular that I would say that they were barely out matched by, 'Super Mario Bros.' and the various Nintendo video game systems that beat them!

If you were born in the 1980s or before, you might remember the good old days, when you used to sit and run all over that Island as, 'Sonic' as you tried to capture the, 'Chaos Emeralds' from the evil, 'Dr. Robotnik' and his goons that were trying to destroy his world on the, 'Sega Genesis' int he video game, 'Sonic The Hedgehog', and some of the successor games and systems in Sega's repertoire of Video game consoles and games of the time!

[caption id="attachment_1743" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Sonic The Hedgehog is such a popular character and game that even after, 'Sega' stopped making video game consoles, 'Sonic' has still continued on strong![/caption]

 As a matter of fact, their Flagship Video game was so popular, that after Sega stopped making video game consoles and switched over to making Video Games for other companies, 'Sonic The Hedgehog' has continued to be an extremely popular character and video game!

So in the end the question is... Does the Video Game Console make gaming fun, or is it the Video Game that makes gaming fun... Well I will say that obviously that the system does help, but in the end I think it is the video game that makes the experience worth it!

http://youtu.be/xkD7L2QFwR0

http://youtu.be/5A54A2OoNoo

http://youtu.be/v0kHiEME0Vk