Thoughts On: Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Trailer

When the words "live action" were grouped together with "Sonic the Hedgehog movie" a few years ago, I don't think it is an understatement to say that red flags went up in fans minds across the globe. We've seen what the live action treatment has done to the Smurfs and Alive and the Chipmunks, Double Dragon, Super Mario Bros. and recently Dumbo. That isn't to say video game or animated properties can't work in live action. The upcoming Detective Pikachu looks to be a real winner and I can't wait to see that movie. But leaked teaser images did nothing to quell fan's fears, showing Sonic with human proportions and a lot of fur. When one of Sonic's daddies is chiming in to say he does not like Sonic's proposed design, you know you screwed up. Well, those leaked images ain't got nothin' on Sonic's actual appearance. Yes, the trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog live action movie has landed and if you listen closely, you can hear fans all over letting out depressed sighs and saying "Whyyyyyyyyy?"

One of the biggest problems fans are having with this trailer is the look of Sonic himself and I share their disgust. Like, what the heck even IS that thing? Yeah, he's blue, has green eyes, exaggerated hedgehog quills but that thing ain't Sonic. I'm honestly not even bothered by the fact that Sonic has blue arms. I didn't even notice until someone pointed it out. That is the least offensive thing about live action (LA) Sonic. and they gave him blue arms in Sonic Boom and it wasn't the end of the world. As we feared, he does have human-like proportions and fur for months, maybe even years. LA Sonic has so much fur he looks like some kinda dang exotic carpet.

There is absolutely no reason for LA Sonic to look the way he does in this trailer. He can be furry to drive the point home that he's an animal but it shouldn't be so blatantly obvious. On close up shots of Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you can tell that Sonic has fur, but it looks more combed back and kept up. With all the video game and CGI examples the makers of this film had to go off of, it is inexcusable for LA Sonic to come out of the oven looking like the monstrosity that he does. For crying out loud, the Sonic fan film by Blue Studios had a Sonic that was more faithful to the source material than this abomination sin.

Blue Studio's Sonic looks a million times
better than the Sonic running to theaters
this November.

Is it all bad? Well, no. They cast Jim Carrey as Eggman and he looks like he's doing his best and they have him sporting a far more Eggman-like look at the end of the trailer. The way Sonic's speed is portrayed looks pretty impressive so it is looking like LA Sonic will be the fastest thing alive, Yes, despite the fact that LA Sonic makes me question my faith in humanity, I still don't think this movie is going to be the worst thing ever. Do I think the movie will be good? PA HA HA HA HA! Of course not. Thing is, we live in rage critic culture and after seeing this trailer, they are already sharpening their blades to stab this movie 1000 times over. Without question is gonna plenty of bad things about this movie but probably not enough to make it the worst video game adaptation. Still, Sonic has always had shaky reputation and this so-so-looking film isn't gonna do him any favors.

Favorite Tunes #264: Black Sabbath Invades

You read right, Black Sabbath, the hit 70s rock band has taken over this week's Favorite Tunes. Don't worry, Favorite Tunes isn't going "real music" on you. There's still plenty of game tunage to be found and even if you aren't a fan of the band, I think you'll still get a kick out of my Black Sabbath song choice.

Marionation Gear - Chosoju Mecha MG (DS)

I love the Super Smash Bros. games for exposing us to music from games that didn't make it outside of Japan, such as the Nintendo DS game Chosoju Mecha MG. Brawl introduced an outstanding remix of the Marionation Gear theme and it has been in every Smash game since. I'd wondered what the original tune sounded like. That piano is killing it and that guitar solo sounds as rad as ever even on the DS.

Over the Hill - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)

Kirby Star Allies just might be my favorite Kirby soundtrack but there's still a lot to love about Return to Dream Land's score. It has several beautiful arrangements of old themes and plenty of quirky, catchy new beats. I do wish more of Return to Dream Land's soundtrack was used in Ultimate, but you can't have everything.

At Doom's Gate [E1M1] - Doom (PC)

Good, well paced stories are all fine and dandy but sometimes you just wanna run around and shoot stuff. The original Doom from 1993 did that extremely well and so did the 2016 version. For any Doom head, this is sure to get your head banging. An arranged, slowed down version is even used for Doom 2016.

Paranoid - Rock 'n' Roll Racing (SNES)

I guess Doom put in a mood for some rock jams. With a name like Rock 'n' Roll Racing, you better go hard on the music or go home. Thankfully, the soundtrack to this game was not a let down, consisting of classic rock sounds like Bad to the Bone and for me, one of the greatest versions of Paranoid. I'm surprised the SNES sound chip didn't melt playing this sucker.

Stamp Collection - NES Remix (Wii U)

With Nintendo's runaway success of the Switch, it is almost hard to believe that a few short years ago, they were struggling with the Wii U. There were numerous reasons why the system failed but the console still had a solid lineup of games. One of the earliest titles to hit the Wii U was NES Remix, a game that offered new takes on Nintendo's classic NES titles in the form of bit sized challenges. It was later given a physical release along with the sequel, NES Remix 2 via NES Remix Pack.

Meta Crystal - Super Smash Bros. (N64)

As of yesterday, it the 20th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. American release. The fact that so many of the original game's tracks are included in Ultimate makes me so giddy and nostalgic. Metal opponents are always annoying to fight but none took a beating like Metal Mario from Smash 64. That dude could last was past kill percent.

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The Original Super Smash Bros. TV Spot is (Still) One of Nintendo's Best Ads

Mario slugging it out with Samus is such a common sight today that no one bats an eye over it. However, two decades ago, such a sight would make people stare in disbelief.

Let's rewind. The year is 1999. Microsoft hasn't thrown their hate into the ring. SEGA is still making video game consoles. The internet is still in the infancy stages so word doesn't travel anywhere near as fast as it does today. You're watching your shows on TV instead of a streaming service. When your show breaks for commerial, this is the ad, the channel plays.

This is you after that ad is finished.

Alternatively, this could also be you.

Or this.

Like, did that really just happen? Did I really see Nintendo characters beating the crap out of each other?! Yes. Yes, you did.

Being a regular reader of video game magazines and game websites (things I rarely partake in these days), I was well aware that Super Smash Bros. was punching and kicking its way onto an N64 near me, so I had myself a hearty laugh when I saw that ad for the first time. But for anyone else, I imagine that was quite the eye opener.

Nintendo is far more relaxed these days but twenty years ago, this was not the case. We never imagined we'd have a game where the Big N's characters would pummel each other senseless, but because the game's co-producer Masahiro Sakurai wanted the cast for Nintendo's brawler to have a broad appeal, this is exactly what we were given.

Everything about this ad works so, so well. The fact that Nintendo's icons are represented by people in costumes. That sprawling flower field. Everyone is holding hands, walking jollily as The Turtles Together plays. All of it paints such a lovely picture of Nintendo's family friendly image. And then, without warning, Mario goes and wrecks it by kicking Yoshi in the kneecap. Cue record scratch, narration by the late great Don LaFontanie as Nintendo icons duke it out. It is completely out of left field, hilarious and glorious. I would give anything to see the look on people's faces if this commercial was how they found out about Super Smash Bros.

Sure, we've had great Super Smash Bros. ads like the one for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. But none of them come close to topping the original. They may be vastly superior games but Smash 64 far and away had the best advertisement. The ad is just as good in 2019 as it was in 1999 and still manages to make me laugh. Whoever the person or persons were that came up with that ad, I hope they got an absurd amount of money for it because it was freaking brilliant. Ditto for the people that wore those costumes.

By now, I'm sure most are aware but about a year go, behind the scenes photos were posted on Twitter for the commercial shoot. You can can a gander at the rest of theme here.

Built to Smash

The 3.0 update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has landed, bringing with it a wealth of content. Among the goods was the highly anticipated Joker from Persona 5. I think most were looking forward to Joker more than anything. Having not touched Persona 5, even I got hyped for the character the day before he dropped. Joker isn't a character I'll main but he is a fun character and a fine addition to the Ultimate roster. My favorite thing about update 3.0 is the return of Stage Builder.

When news leaked that Stage Builder would return in Ultimate, I thought this was good for those that were missing the mode when the game launched back in December. Stage Builder has been a series staple since Brawl but it was never a feature I was really into. I think I may have tinkered with trying to build a stage in Brawl for five minutes before I gave up. I never even touched the feature in Smash 4. It was until Nintendo showed off what we would be able to do with Stage Builder that I began to take serious interest in this mode.

Daddy Sakurai and company have given us way more to work with this time around. We can make numerous shapes on multiple layers, giving stages a much more vibrant look than previous Stage Builder options. Even better, we can upload our creations for our fellow Ultimate players to see and battle on. Over the past week, I've been playing on exclusively custom built stages, checking out the shared content section on an hourly basis to see what new creations have been added.

Now when you give players any sort of creation tool, there are always going to be those that make inappropriate material. I've seen twerking anime characters, waifus with back breaking assets and I think I was fortunate enough to see only those things thus far. Yes, Stage Builder has made those with lewd minds shift into turbo, but for every stage that makes you wonder why someone would upload it, there are dozens of imaginative and just plain fun levels that you'll come across.

There are some very popular stages like the the excellent recreations of Bob-Omb Battlefield, Whomp's Fortress from Super Mario 64 and the desk from the original Super Smash Bros. and those are all fine stages. However, I highly recommend you use the search function to enter key words. I've come across a ton of awesome stages that haven't appeared in searching by popularity. There are so many recreations of the Highway intro stage from Mega Man X. One level even replicated the collapsing bridge after the mini boss fight.

I was a bit discouraged when trying to build a few stages using Stage Builder. The Highway from Mega Man X. A desktop screen with a moving mouse icon. The first half of Guts Mans Stage. Every single idea I had for a stage, someone had already done and came up with designs for them that I hadn't thought of. But then I realized that many of these stages all bring something unique to the table. One Mega Man X Highway stage is quite small with a single, large central platform to stand on. Another is a walk off but lets you jump onto the helicopter mini boss. Same deal  with the many Super Mario Odyssey Steam Garden stages. So many of them function differently that I felt it would be criminal to limit myself to downloading only one of them.

Some levels may look generic from a thumbnail point of view, but you've got to test a stage out before passing on it. There are some real gems lurking under those simplistic designs. As much as I love the details people have put into stages, Ultimate's Stage Builder is really helping me embrace the more minimalist look.

I wouldn't say Stage Builder for Ultimate is as in depth as something like Super Mario Maker, but it certainly is the best the mode has ever been and the ability to share stages adds even more replay value to a game that was already dripping with it. Even if you can't come up with a stage, you can still have endless fun playing other people's creations.

Favorite Tunes #263: Joker Steals the Show

For the five of you that were not aware, Joker dropped in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Wednesday. He's a pretty fun character and I very much love the selection of music that he brought with him. Along with music from Persona 5, there's music from Cuphead, Yoshi's Crafted World as well as the super hard SHMUP, Devil Engine.

Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There - Persona 5 (PS3, PS4)

You know what I love about the Super Smash Bros. games (among many other things, that is)? They often serve as a gateway to other games or other game soundtracks. With Joker having finally dropped in Ultimate, that means more music joining the game's already superb soundtrack. As happy as I am to have Last Surprise be one of the songs on Joker's stage, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite tunes from Persona 5. Which reminds me, I should probably get around to listening to that game's soundtrack. Along with playing the game.

Elder Kettle - Cuphead (PC, XBO, NS)

The duo of Cuphead and Mugman have arrived on the Switch and I am loving it. I've died plenty of times already but I haven't had the urge to break my Switch yet. I'm still in the early stages of the game so I imagine the difficulty will pick up soon enough. And that throwback jazz soundtrack is just soooooo gooooood!

Waku Waku - Yoshi's Crafted World (NS)

Yoshi's Woolly World just may be a my favorite Yoshi game. After trying out the demo for Yoshi's Crafted World back in February, I was excited to get my hands on the finished product and it is just the kind of fun and adorableness one would expect from a Yoshi game.

First Attack - Thunder Cross (ARC)

Thunder Cross is one of the games on the Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection that I never played prior to purchasing the compilation. It definitely takes several cues from the Gradius games but still feels like its own game. Like the Gradius titles, Thunder Cross is plentiful with catchy music.

Katana ZERO - Katana ZERO (PC, NS)

I'm not sure what it was about April 18th, but every just decided to let all of their games release on that day. Cuphead, Hell is Other Demons, Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection and Katana ZERO, a game where you play as an assassin who makes kills in style. You can slow down time to deflect bullets or pick up objects to hurl at your targets. One very nice touch about this game is that each time a level begins, your characters turns on some music to listen to. Even assassins got kill to some sick beats.

Jazzy NNYC (STAGE 2) - Devil Engine (PC, PS4, NS)

There are so many wonderful games that have dropped this past week alone that I feel bad for neglecting the games I haven't finished. Devil Engine feels like a love letter to Technosoft's Thunder Force game from the ship design and the power up system. The game looks and sounds magnificent. I haven't even progressed far enough to hear the game's entire soundtrack and I already love it.

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Thoughts On: Capcom Home Arcade

Plug and play consoles are certainly nothing new but every since Nintendo released their NES Classic Edition and followed it up with the SNES Classic Edition, we've seen a greater push for more of these retro consoles. AT Games has been plugging away (no pun intended) at this for some time now but Nintendo's aforementioned releases showed that half baked efforts were no longer going to cut it. I think Sony learned this lesson the hard away when they released the PlayStation Classic back in December. Before the console released, word quickly got out that it was not a great product and avoided it like the stench of a skunk. Now Capcom is throwing their hat in the ring in quite an ambitious way with the Capcom Home Arcade, which will be available on October 25th and is up for pre-order on Capcom's European online store.

One of the most important things to note about the release of any retro console is the games the system will house. So, what does titles are in the Capcom Home Arcade? Well, take a look.

That's not too shabby a list of games. Note that the much loved Alien vs. Predator is among the titles. I don't know what kind of voo doo Capcom worked to get the rights to re-release one of the greatest beat 'em ups of all time and I probably shouldn't care. I'm happy that players will be getting a chance to play the game legally on their TVs.

If you've kept an eye on Capcom's recent compilation games, you'll notice that a few of the games that will be featured in the Capcom Home Arcade have been re-released on consoles recently. Final Fight, Captain Commando and Armored Warriors were part of the excellent Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle and Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting was on the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. It may seem a touch strange to re-release games that are so readily available current hardware, but the Capcom Home Arcade system is meant to play as faithfully as possible to the original arcade stick hardware these games were released on so many years ago.

I really can't argue too much with the game choices (I'm not losing any sleep over the omission of Ghosts 'n Goblins) but rather the number is on the small side at a mere 16. Capcom could definitely have more games on here as their catalog of arcade titles alone is enormous. This is an especially bitter pill to swallow when you consider that other retro consoles have more games. Heck, SEGA's upcoming SEGA Genesis Classic mini is going to have a whopping 40 titles. and will cost far less moola.

Then, there's the price. No American price point has been announced yet but with the UK version going for 229.99 Euros, this sucker is not going to be cheap. True, the Capcom Home Arcade is cheaper (and much more friendlier on space) than owning 16 individual arcade cabinets, but at the end of the day, that is still over 200 bucks for a fancy two player arcade stick and as much as I'd love to play Alien vs. Predator on my TV, the entry fee alone is a deal breaker for me.

I get it. This thing is appealing to the hardcore arcade enthusiast and it is awesome that Capcom is thinking of that crowd of gamers. However, there are those that are fine with playing arcade games with a standard controller so I'm hoping Capcom releases these games to consoles and PC.

Favorite Tunes #262: Back to Saturdays

Favorite Tunes is back, back in the usual Saturday slot and I plan to keep it that way. Enjoy this week's selection.

Dark Forest Area 1 - Odallus: The Dark Call (PC, NS, PS4, XBO)

This Castlevania inspired indie title really took me by surprise and I'll have more to say about it in a Re-Releases post. The soundtrack is catchy and moody and a few tracks remind of of the Ninja Gaiden NES trilogy as well as the earlier Castlevania titles. 

Genesis ~Causing~ (Brave Men's Theme) - Gain Ground (ARC)

Gain Ground recently released on the Switch via the SEGA AGES line. It isn't what I was expecting but I don't regret purchasing it. SEGA arcade games usually have outstanding music and Gain Ground is no exception.

Ambush [BGM2] - Crack Down (ARC)

From one SEGA arcade game to another. There are a lot of games in SEGA's catalog that I've yet to play that I'd love to and some of them are based off the soundtrack alone. I'm a sucker for some good FM synth and Crack Down's soundtrack, although there isn't a wealth of it, has that in spades. Maybe M2 can work their magic and give us the arcade version someday.

Inside the Inverted Pyramid  - Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

Super Mario Odyssey brought back the much anticipated sandbox style gameplay of Super Mario games, something that was missing from the series since 2002's Super Mario Sunshine. That alone was awesome but the addition of more liner areas to explore and platform through and Mario's new ally, Cappy, whom Mario can use to capture various enemies, makes Odyssey one of the greatest Super Mario games in the past decade. The soundtrack is also kinda baller.

Rainbow Palace - Bomberman 64 (N64)

Sadly, we didn't get any Bomberman music on Snake's stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Still, its hard for me to gripe when Snake got an awesome selection of tracks and new remixes. Unlike Cloud's Midgar stage because Square Enix is so dang stingy. Besides, Bomberman is an Assist Trophy and a pretty good one and it always makes me happy seeing him show up on the battlefield.

Spring (It's a Big World Outside) - Stardew Valley (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

Spring has sprung and all that jazz. Stardew Valley has been out for some time now but I've yet to get around to playing it. I think I'd have a good time with this game on the Switch so I'll eventually get around to picking it up. I have, however, listened to the soundtrack and it has some of my favorite relaxing, soothing, peaceful jams and has quickly become one of my go-to soundtracks for mellowing out.

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