RIP Nintendo Creators Program

Ding dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The Nintendo Creators Program witch! And I think I speak for everyone when I say, it's about frickin' time.

The Nintendo Creators Program was like a noose around the neck of any YouTube content creator that wanted to make videos featuring the Big N's games. The gist of it is that, anyone that wanted to make videos with Nintendo's games had to give a good chunk of the money they made off their videos over to Nintendo. And that's IF you were a part of the program. If you weren't you pretty much weren't making any money off of any game that Nintendo developed. This draconian stance towards content creators and YouTube as a whole, actively encouraged many to not even touch Nintendo's games on the platform. I guess Hell must have frozen over, because in what appears to be one of the best decisions the company has ever made (outside of making excellent games) they have decided to ax the Nintendo Creators Program. Sure, there are some basic guidelines content creators have to follow but the good and great thing about it is, the Nintendo Creators Program is DEAD!

I'm not even a YouTube content creator and I've always thought the Nintendo Creators Program was bullocks. Nintendo is a game company that is filthy, disgustingly rich and since 2015 with the establishment of this program, they were taking money away from those that had far less cash than they did. One of the channels I started watching a year ago had to stop making let's plays with Nintendo's games because they weren't part of the stupid program and that came as a low blow because seeing them play and comment on a lot of Nintendo games never failed to make me laugh. With the program going bye-bye, hopefully, the channel brings back Nintendo content.

Not only is the good news for current YouTube content creators , but this is also good news for future and up and coming content creators. Nintendo makes outstanding games it it was such a shame that many people weren't able to cover them due to Nintendo's moronic policies. Whoever decided to finally pull the plug on the Nintendo Creators Program, my hats off to you. It will not be missed.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Beware of Leaks

We're very close to the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. My copy of the game is paid off and I have the 6th and 7th of December off so I can go to the midnight release and enjoy the game all day on Friday. Hype levels are through the roof. Yet, as excited as I am to play Smash Ultimate, I'm content to wait until release day to experience the game and see so much of the new material first hand. However, because we cannot have nice things, the game was leaked and some that have gotten their hands on game were all too eager to stream it and uploads all kinds of spoilers on the interwebs.

I hate leaks. Like, I really. Freaking. HATE. LEAKS. Because people so desperately want to have 15 seconds of fame, they've leaked as much info about the finished game that they possibly can. Ughhhh. Is short lived fame really worth putting spoilers out there? Personally, I don't think it is, but this is just coming from someone that loathes leaks.

Thankfully, I've managed to avoid these leaks but the fact that they are out there is nonetheless, upsetting. I've read comments from some saying that World of Light cut scenes have been uploaded, and even some music was leaked on YouTube, which has resulted in the termination of channel administrators Cruchii and Dystiyzer, which were some good sources for game music. I've even done my best to refrain from being spoiled by avoiding music, though some newer remixes have popped up in my recommended video section.

Anyone that is heavy into the gaming scene knows much of an iron grip Nintendo has when it comes to protecting their IPs. If these people thought there would be zero consequences for  pirating Smash Ultimate and leaking info on the game, they couldn't have been more wrong. Judging from Nintendo's swift action dealing with this situation, I'm gonna guess that some of the famous Nintendo Ninjas are in the offices as well as out on the field.

These leaks also suck for the developers of Smash Ultimate. Masahiro Sakurai and his team have worked so hard on this game but because people are thirsty for views, they hop on the bandwagon and spread the leaked info and music tracks like wildfire. I think Daddy Sakurai would want us to wait until the game releases and discover all this content for ourselves on our own and not flock to a YouTube or Twitch channel and have someone else ruin the experience. Unfortunately the "can't wait" mentality is just too strong, especially in the digital age where information is dished out so quickly. 

I consider it a miracle when something about a game isn't leaked. Do you remember how hype the Smash Ultimate portion of Nintendo's E3 was? "Everyone is Here!" That video that revealed to the world that everyone from every Smash prior was gonna be in Ultimate. How much of our enthusiasm would have been deflated had we already known about what Sakurai showed us along with freaking Ridley? There would be quite a number of dull reaction videos on YouTube, I can tell you that.

If you're something that is trying to avoid these leaks, use your social media accounts with caution or just follow Omni's advice and stay off the internet.

Favorite Tunes #246: Gaming's First Vocal Track

It only took 246 entries but at long last, we have a Favorite Tunes that features the very first vocal track in the history of video games. Some of you may already know what game it comes from but for those of you that don't you just may be surprised. Or not. *shrugs*

Psycho Soldier Theme (ENG) (JPN) - (ARC)

Gaming music with vocals is common place today. The very first game to feature a vocal track was SNK's 1987 arcade release, Psycho Soldier. If you've played the King of Fighters games, you've probably heard an arranged version of the Psycho Soldier theme. The lyrics are cheesy and the singing (especially in the English version) isn't great but the song itself is pretty catchy and I've caught myself singing it recently. With the release of SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, I suspect this song will reach the ears of even more people.

China (Psycho Soldiers Team) - The King of Fighters '94 (ARC)

The first entry in the long running KOF series. KOF games brings together characters from SNK's numerous franchises both post and pre NEO-GEO era. They may be sporting new designs and different clothes but make no mistake, the members of Team Psycho Soldier are the very same from the 1987 arcade game, Psycho Soldier. I imagine KOF '94 might have been the first time some gamers ever heard a variation of the Psycho Solider theme.

Celadon City Theme - Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Evee (NS)

I don't think there has ever been a more divisive Pokemon game. You've got those looking forward to this gen 1 remake and those that want nothing to do with it because it caters to the Pokemon Go crowd. Let's Go brings about a number of changes such as the removal of random battles and overall makes the game easier, which doesn't sit too well with the core Pokemon fanbase. I'm just happy to her some more arranged Pokemon music. I don't think Celadon City as ever sounded so good.

Turquoise Paradise - For  Foilage Furnace Act 1 - Sonic After the Sequel (PC)

Considered one of the best Sonic fan games, Sonic After the Sequel (the sequel to Sonic Before the Sequel) plays a lot like the Genesis games but has audio that is far outside of the 16-bit system's limitations. I haven't played it but I have listened to the soundtrack numerous times and it is on par with Tee Lopes' work.

Megalovania - Undertale (PC, PS4, NS)

I haven't been checking around, so I gotta ask, is it still popular to hate on Undertale? Not that I really care, I'm just curious. Anyhoo. Saying this particular track is a huge fan favorite would be a massive understatement. I mean, this sucker is about to crack 70 million views in the link that I've placed above. It probably isn't a spoiler at this point, but I still like to avoid ruining things for people, so if you wish to play Undertale unspoiled, don't click the song link above. But if you want to hear this track in game, you better be prepared to kill everything and everyone you come across.

Main Theme: Lifelight - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

Piranha Plant was one of the biggest reveals during the final Smash Ultimate Direct. Thank Daddy Sakurai killed off (almost) everyone and hit us with this oh-so lovely lyrical version of the game's main theme. This isn't the first time the Smash games have gotten a main theme with vocals. There was one in Brawl that was sung in Latin, but this theme, man, THIS THEME! I did not think it was possible for me to get anymore excited for the release of Smash Ultimate but this theme has me beyond jazzed. I am so ready for World of Light.

Favorite Tunes Database

EVERYONE IS DEAD

"EVERYONE IS HERE!" These are the words that kicked off the hype train for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during Nintendo's E3 showing in June of 2018. Every single character that had been playable in the the Super Smash Bros. series prior to this game would be playable in Ultimate. Needless to say, this news was met with thunderous applause. Whether you had a favorite or a main from Melee, Brawl or Smash Wii U, every single character would be present and to throw down in what is shaping up to be the biggest crossover in the history of video games.

During the closing of the Smash Ultimate presentation, a character fans had been desiring for a long time was finally being added to the roster, Samus Aran's, arch nemesis. Ridley. The winged nightmare made his debut by killing Mega Man and Mario. Sure, the beast was probably just showing off and taunting Samus by offing her crew, but the following Nintendo Direct, which was Smash Ultimate focused had Luigi get taken out by Death from Castlevania. The same direct ended with King K. Rool offing King Dedede. Fans had come to the realization that with each Smash Direct, a character would be killing. With the final Smash Ultimate Direct scheduled for November 1st, fans were left to speculate who would die in this last Direct. Sakurai had an answer for us: everyone.

November's final Direct ended with one heck of a bang. We saw the entire roster, cliff side, about to wage the mother of all battles against an army of Master Hands. Beams of light assault our heroes and while the bravely try to fight against these unbelievably fast beams, it quickly becomes apparent that they are locked into a losing battle. When such heroes as Link and Samus are bested (quite hastily, I might add) many of the heroes try to escape. Alas, it is hopeless. Sonic is vaporized trying to help save a fleeing Pikachu only for the cute little rodent to meet the very same fate. Falco, swift of a pilot that he is, is quickly overtaken in when flying away in his Arwing. For some reason, Snake thought he would be safe if he hid in his cardboard box, but his vaporization proved to be one of the most amusing. We don't see how every single character was taken out (I shudder to think of how my dog waifu Isabelle was taken out) but we are shown how a good chunk of the cast got eliminated. It was pretty much a no holds bared beat down for our heroes (and villains). They did not have a freaking chance. EVERYONE IS DEAD.

Well, almost everyone.

The Galeem Light (what disposed of our heroes and Villains) was chasing Kirby, but thankfully he wasn't fleeing on foot, but on this Warp Star and he managed to escape. Now anyone that knows Sakurai can understand why Kirby, out of a cast that huge got away. The little pink blob is his baby and after everything he's done for Smash Ultimate, I have no problem with him showing favoritism towards his creation. Besides, somebody had to get away so everyone else could be saved.

It turns out killing everybody was Sakurai's way for introducing us to the game's adventure/story mode, World of Light. Starting out alone, it will be up to Kirby to reunite everyone so they fight back against this mysterious foe. I kinda feel sad for Kirby. All of his friends were killed and he's got to venture out into this big world. But then I remember that Kirby once went on a rampage because someone took his cake. This time, someone took his friends. So yeah, mysterious foe is gonna get it.

Killing off (almost) the entire cast? Now that is how you get someone excited to play adventure/story mode! I really liked Subspace Emissary in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, both the the many fights and the character interactions during cut scenes. We don't know if Ultimate will have as many cut scenes for the adventure mode as Brawl did but I really hope it does. Sakurai didn't do an adventure mode for Smash Wii U because the cut scenes for Brawl were uploaded to YouTube, but Brawl released ten years ago so perhaps he feels differently now. Even if World of Light doesn't have a wealth of cut scenes, the world we'll be traveling looks positively massive and there will be bosses to fight as well as a skill tree for us to upgrade our characters. It's pretty cool to see Sakurai do such an ambitious story mode again and I cannot wait to play World of Light.

Favorite Tunes #245: Vania Mania

I binge watched season 2 of Castlevania on Netflix (I thought it was freakin' good, FYI), and I've been playing through Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night on the PS4 via Castlevania Requiem. Needless to say, I'm in a major mood for Castlevania so this week's Favorite Tunes is all about Akumajou Dracula.

Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)

The first Castlevania has been remade/re-imagined a few times over, yet the game that truly needs a makeover, Castlevania II, has yet to be touched. Unless you already know what to do, trying to get through Simon's Quest is impossible without a guide and as such, is often viewed as the weakest of the NES trilogy. Thankful, the music is still aces.

Beginning - Akumajou Densetsu (FC)

Known as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse outside of Japan. The plot of the first two seasons of the Netflix Castlevania takes clear inspirations from this game. I really do like the NES version of this game's soundtrack but I cannot deny that the Famicom's extra channels do make the soundtrack have that extra pop.

Den (Stage 7) - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PCE)

What is widely regarded as the best traditional (non Metrovaina style) Castevania game, this game was stuck in no export for you status for the longest time. Over the past 11 years, it has recieved several re-releases outside of Japan, with the latest one being bundled with it's sequel, Castlevania Symphony of the Night on the PS4 until the title Castlevania Requiem. As fun as Metrovania style Castlevania games are, it's nice to return to the series more liner roots from time to time, which was one of the reasons Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon resonated so well with me. Rondo of Blood gives you multiple paths in many of it's levels, two characters to play as (as long as you collect the key and unlock Maria's cell in stage 2) and killer soundtrack.

Snake Head Medusa - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (PS2)

From what I gather, most are in the camp that Castlevania should never go into the third dimension ever again. Leon Belmont, the protagonist of Lament of Innocence makes a portrait appearance in the Netflix Castlevania series on top of being mentioned by Trevor Belmont. If you've seen the dubbed version of Naruto and played this game, you might recognize Leon's voice actor. He also voices a famous copy night.

Marble Gallery - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS)

The fact that this game is not going to be available on the PS1 Classic system coming out next month is criminal. Yeah, I imagine that you've heard countless others say something along those lines, but I do believe the game being omitted from the list is a travesty. I've been going through this game on the PS4 and despite not having played it in years, it still holds up beautifully. Michiru Yamane's soundtrack to this game is a wonderful contribution to the series outstanding music.

Ending Theme - Super Castlevania IV (SNES)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Super Castlevania IV's soundtrack is INCREDIBLE! This is an early SNES releases and the music still sounds amazing to this very day. Well-loved tracks from previous games like Vampire Killer, Beginning and Bloody Tears sound great but the new music is also just as grand. And speaking of grand, check this finale track!

Favorite Tunes Database

How to Mega Man 11 (In 7 Steps)

I was reading a post from fellow blogger Cross-Up about his time with Mega Man 11. While I was delighted to find that yet another person had picked the game up, he wasn't having the easiest time with the game.

Saying Mega Man games are hard is like telling someone water is wet. Everyone already know this, bu there's a huge difference between being told something and actually experiencing it. Reading his post reminded me how much I struggled when I played a Mega Man game for the first time. It was death after death, after death. Nevertheless, I persisted and now, playing a Mega Man game is like breathing to me. In an attempt to lighten the load for up and coming Mega Man 11 players, I've compiled a seven step mini guide. Hopefully,

01. Slide and Charge

Sure, Mega Man is known for jumping and shooting but after having two of his mainstay abilities striped from him in Mega Man 9 and 10, they have thankfully been returned and our blue boy can Slide and Charge once more. Charged shots are better than they have ever been in any Mega Man game piror. Yes, you have to sacrifice a few seconds to unleash a fully charged blast, but it is well worth it. Enemies that have shields can be temporarily stunned and exposed, leaving them open for an attack. Sniper Joes and Mets, enemies that are notorious for hiding behind armor are now much easier to take down. Sliding not only lets you travel levels a bit faster, but it is great for avoiding enemy attacks or putting distance between you and an enemy and there are some speedy mofos in this game so anything that lets you go a bit faster is a muster. As much as you'll be jumping and shooting in Mega Man 11, make sure you Charge and Slide just as much.

02. Use The Double Gear System

Mega Man 11 has something that no other classic Mega Man game has. The Double Gear system a marvelous invention of Dr. Wily that is being used by all of the bosses. To level the playing field, Dr. Light installs the same tech into Mega Man. If you are struggling with Mega Man 11 or this is your first Mega Man game, use. This. Power. You can power up Mega Man's firer power with the Power Gear function, which really comes in handy for step 3 below, but by far, the best use out of the Double Gear system is the Speed Gear ability. Speed Gear let's you temporarily slow down time to spam hits so you can make mincemeat out of mini bosses or do away with that pesky mook that has been blocking your path. Speed Gear is also great for helping you navigate those really tricky sections of a level (like the instant kill scrolling fire in Torch Man's stage.) Yes, it is entirely possible to play Mega Man 11 without using the Double Gear system but it is so good that I can only see the most hardcore Mega Man fan that wants to play the game with as little assistance as possible wanting to do so.

03. Use Your Weapons

The special weapons in Mega Man 11 are some of the best in the whole series. Block Dropper is great for crushing those out of reach nuisances, Bounce Ball unleashes bouncy chaos that has a higher damage output than you might expect and Pile Driver lets you perform an air dash, great for skipping parts of those blasted Yoko Block sections. There's even more fun to be had when you factor in the Power Gear. Chain Blast turns into a huge bomb with explosive power that would make Michael Bay jealous, Tundra Storm becomes a freaking screen nuke and the powered up version of Block Dropper has you raining down so much concrete you may as dropping a building on some poor sap. It takes up more weapon energy when using special weapons with Power Gear but the end result is magnificent. Special weapons are great for making boss fights easier but I advise you to use them during your trip to these bosses to make the journey less stressful. Mini bosses are highly susceptible to whatever the boss of that stage is weak to and with the Power Gear in use, you can make short work of them.

04. Try, Try Again

If this is your first time playing a Mega Man game, the game over screen will become an all to familiar sight. It was something I was greeted with time and again when I first played Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 years ago. Like playing a fighting game, getting bodied is part of the learning experience. Defeat can be more instructive than victory sometimes. Reflect on your loss, get back out there and give it another go. You get knocked down so you can get back up.

05. Shop Til You Drop

The shop in Mega Man 11 holds more items than any other Mega Man game and bolt drops are much higher than in previous entries. Stocking up on lives should be a no brainer but I also think grabbing some E-Tanks and W-Tanks should be just as much of a priority. I've found myself using a few of those during boss fights, largely because I don't have a bosses strategy down just yet or I go overboard on the Power Gear and use up all my special weapon energy. Oh and pick up Beat! That metal bird has saved my can on so many occasions either because I didn't jump correctly or I was knocked into a pit. If you're looking for a good place to farm for Bolts (the game's currency) Block Man's stage is excellent.

06. Know Your Limits

If this is your first time playing a Mega Man game you've got the difficulty on Normal or Super Hero, you're gonna get your metal butt kicked over and over again. There is no shame on playing on Casual or Newcomer if you're fresh to the series. You gotta crawl before you can walk and when playing a Mega Man game, trying to prove how much of a man/woman you are should be the last thing on your mind.

07. Take Comfort

For a new player, Mega Man 11 may seem hard, and yeah, it does have some tough spots but as someone that's been doing these rodeos for a long time now, I can assure you that Mega Man 11 isn't even close to being the toughest game in the series. Mega Man 9 has a crippling overuse of spikes to inflate it's difficulty. In the first Mega Man game there are no E-Tanks whatsoever and there are some pretty hard hitting bosses as well as zero mercy invincibility on contact with spikes. Mega Man & Bass also has no E-Tanks, has bull-bull level design as well as bad game design making it one of the most frustrating experiences even for veteran Mega Man players. You can take some solace knowing that there are far crueler Mega Man games out there. I'd go so far as to say that Mega Man 11 is great for newcomers with the Double Gear system as well as adjustable difficulty settings, the later of which, very, very few games in this series even have.

Piranha Plants (and Other Things)

Pfffffftttt PA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Oh man. Sakurai, Sakurai, Sakurai. You are one of the greatest video game developers on this Earth. No, you are are one of the greatest people, walking this Earth. You and your very talented team work so hard on each new Super Smash Bros. game. For Ultimate, we have over 100 stages and over 70 characters to choose from. You've given fans characters they've wanted for years like Simon Belmont and Ridley. Annnnnnd you're also giving us Piranha Plant.

When you stop to consider that Piranha Plant, a basic enemy from the Super Mario series got in Smash over Waluigi, it's pretty freaking hilarious. Piranha Plant got into Smash Ultimate over that one character you desperately wanted. Salt is definitely in the air in the Smash community and I cannot help giggling like a school girl.

Like a lot of people, I was surprised to see Piranha Plant be revealed as a playable character. I stared back at my phone and said "WHAT?!" Sure, some people probably anticipated Ken being Ryu's Eco Fighter and an Alohan Pokemon rep. But Piranha Plant? That is something that nobody saw coming. Piranha Plant's inclusion in Ultimate is the definition of left field.

People wanted Geno and Banjo-Kazooie. They got a weed. You hear people across the Smash community screaming "NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS!!!" And yeah, on one did ask for  Piranha Plant. As much as the plant's inclusion makes me chuckle, the thing is yet another Smash reminder that Sakurai cannot please everyone.

Let's say we did get the character's mentioned above. Somewhere, someone would still be unhappy. I'm not saying to just accepting every single thing you are given. But when you've got a game like Ultimate, a game that is positively dripping at the seems with characters and content and people are still having a hissy fit because X character isn't in the game, well, those people really do seem like petty, entitled mofos.

Piranha Plant is a character I never knew I wanted until I saw it dodging attacks, shooting spikey balls and reaching across the stage to chomp fools. Real talk, Piranha Plant looks like mad, mad fun to play as and play as it I shall, no matter where it sits on the tier list.

As for non potted plant related things, I found it funny that Sakurai took several seconds out of the direct to blink and ponder if he'll ever get a break. I honestly hope he is sleeping well considering everything he does.

That killer cut scene where the whole crew is about to face off against an army of Master Hands before everything goes horribly wrong and everyone, save Kirby, gets vaporized? Man, that was awesome! Also awesome was that sweet vocal rendition of the main theme. That was about as unexpected as our sharp toothed plant newcomer.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a month away and my excitement for the game grows by the day. I cannot wait to collect Spirits and familiarize myself with the new characters and stages. I've been playing the Smash on the Wii U and 3DS to help pass the time and I'm doing my best not to rely on rolling so much. I don't plan to be a competitive player but since rolling is going to be far more punishable in Ultimate, I'd like to break a bad habit. December 7th seems so close and yet so far.