Well to say the least, we had a bombshell dropped on us last night. The good kind, of course, that brings happiness and warm, fuzzy feelings to everyone. But before I go into that, let me be sure to thank all the people who came and checked us out during our concert and in the the hallway/gameroom at Youmacon 2008, as well as the awesome staff members for all their hard work once again. We all had a great time at Youmacon, just as we have every year in the past, and have all made it back to Chicago in one piece. Be sure to keep an eye on our forums as well as YouTube itself for videos of our various performances if your thirst for video game and anime music wasn’t quenched over the weekend or if you weren’t able to make it.
In regards to the bombshell, I wish I had some long, twisting, climaxing story to lead into this announcement to make things more dramatic, but I don’t think there really is one to accompany it, so I’ll just come right out and say it. We have been invited to play at Video Games Live when they make a stop here in Chicago on 11/15 at the Chicago Theatre!
Words can’t express how excited we all are to be included in such a huge event. We only heard about it ourselves late last night and we don’t yet know all the details of what exactly we’ll be doing, but as is par for the course, I will certainly bombard you all with the specifics of the event as soon as we know them.
What I CAN tell you, however, is that the Chicago Theatre and it’s box office are located at 175 N. State Street in Chicago, IL (60601), and tickets are, according to the VGL website, still available. I can assure you that this will be a great show packed with all sorts of classic and legendary video game music performed by a full orchestra and choir with all sorts of video and lighting effects, and if you’re visiting this site in the first place, it’s probably gonna be something you’ll wanna see. Plus, The Spoony Bards! =D
In addition to all that overwhelmingly exciting news, I wanted to give a shout out to My Dear Disco, an amazing band out of Ann Arbor, MI that we were fortunate enough to share the stage with at Youmacon this past weekend. I was totally blown away by them as soon as they started playing the first song. They really put on a fantastic show and they will be playing around here on Friday 11/14 at S.P.A.C.E.in Evanston. Give ‘em a listen!
The band leaves for Youmacon tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited about finally putting an end to the 5.5 month draught we’ve endured since our last convention, Anime Central. We’ve all had plenty to keep us busy, but it’s really weird to think that so long has gone by, and it’s been even longer since we’ve actually made the road trip to a con, since Acen is right here in Rosemont. It may seem like kind of a pain to be driving all those hours to get there, but (especially when I’m not the one doing the driving) I actually kind of enjoy it for some reason. You can just sit there and socialize and listen to a bunch of music and talk about lots of interesting stuff. I’ve had conversations about all sorts of nerdy things like Star Wars and comic books that have lasted several hours, after which I find myself astonished at how much time has passed.
One notable driving experience was with myself, Andrew and Chris. We were driving in Andrew’s car to A&G Ohio this past February, and the full soundtrack for Super Smash Bros. Brawl had just been leaked all over the Internet. As a testament to the sheer size of the game’s soundtrack, we listened to NOTHING but Brawl music the entire way there and the entire way back. That’s about 6 hours each way. Folks, we did not finish the soundtrack. And we even skipped like most of the Pokémon stuff and started going to the next track whenever the song’s loop came up at some point. 12+ hours of driving and we barely got into the Subspace Emissary category by the time we pulled up to Andrew’s place. And it’s not as though we were switching the music off every so often. It was on the whole damn time, I assure you. That was a very memorable trip though. Listening to all that music for the first time was really an extraordinary experience. I’m obviously very accustomed to the game’s music by now, but the drive there and back was like 12 straight hours of opening presents of Christmas morning. Unfortunately that’s not really something that is easily duplicated, since you can only discover something for the first time once. But I suppose each trip is it’s own unique adventure and there are plenty more tales to be told.
I’ve been passing the time until the con by playing Fable II. Though it may be more appropriate to note the unyielding grip that Fable II has had on me since it came out and how it has held me strong as the days passed by me, barely to my own knowledge. Indeed I haven’t been quite so immersed in a game since I first started playing WoW back in early 2005. And if you’d seen me back then you’d know that this is no small feat. I hadn’t played the original Fable, so I suppose I partially didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that the first game had fallen short of expectations, but that was about it. When this one arrived, I was a little skeptical at first, playing through the game’s prologue. But once the game actually hurls you out into the world to complete your quest, there’s no turning back. Without going into too much detail in regards to what some would consider spoilers, I can tell you that Lionhead did a wonderful job crafting Albion so that you could make deep emotional connections to various elements of the game. I find myself talking to the dog that is your constant partner in the game, encouraging him when he seems to lag behind, praising him when he finds me treasure, soothing him when he has become injured. Not to mention bringing a personal hell down upon those who would do such damage to him, be they villain or villager. I also found myself elated when I arrived home after a long absence to discover that my character’s daughter, who had been nothing more than a crib emitting infantile coos and giggles previously, had grown into an adorable, pigtailed little girl who proclaimed her love for me with a delightfully charming British accent. And I felt the utmost grief when an unfortunate glitch had robbed her of all interactivity, leaving her standing idly in the streets ignoring the world around her.
Indeed, the Lionhead forums are inundated with complains of the various issues of bugs, freezing and game-ending glitches, including the very same one that had stricken my poor Rachel.Tthankfully my issue eventually worked itself out, but unfortunately not everyone has been so lucky with their problems. Despite the game’s technical issues, I simply must tell you that this game is phenomenal and it comes with the highest of high recommendations from me. I suppose the only comfort I will be able to take in Youmacon ending Sunday is that Albion will be waiting for me when I arrive home. As well as all the money that I will have accumulated every 5 minutes even while my system is off.
On a slightly related note, the next episode of Penny Arcade Adventures is supposed to be out soon or now (I’m not sure which). I’m looking forward to seeing what improvements have been made over the first game and laughing my arse off once again. I’ll certainly get to that one when I’m done with Fable, but I can’t really give any assurance of when that will be.
Either way, if you’re heading to Youmacon, we’ll see you over the weekend. Be sure to check us out at 6:30 Friday evening when we open for My Dear Disco and Lemon Demon!
Until next time!
I had announced previously that we would be performing in a concert at Youmacon in some capacity, and I can now tell you that we will be opening for Lemon Demon and My Dear Disco on the night of Halloween! We’ll kick off the show with a set at 6:30 and we hope to see the place packed to the walls (within the limits of all fire ordinances, of course)! Be sure to stick around for the rest of the show when we’re done, too, because it promises to deliver. You even get to see Dave performing double duty as he performs later on with Lemon Demon! And then we fight to the death to see who gets to keep him! (I think we’ll be ok, we’ve got them outnumbered by like more than 2 to 1). And needless to say (though here I am, saying it), we’ll be around the con all weekend playing music as usual. I’m incredibly excited for Youmacon, and I know the only thing that will keep me sane until we leave on the 30th will be Fable II, which I will hopefully be playing later tonight!
I actually finished Force Unleashed a while ago but am only now getting to posting my thoughts about it. Keep in mind, the version I’m discussing here is the 360/PS3 version, as all the other versions are in reality different games and I haven’t played any of them.
When the reviews for the game came in a lot of people were very put off by what they saw. It’s sort of unfortunate that the reaction went that way, though I certainly understand what high hopes people had for the game (I had them too). The game ended up with a 74.1% (360) and 71.1% (PS3) average on Game Rankings. Now, keep in mind, that is an average score. So while it did receive a 2 out of 5 from X-Play and a few more mediocre scores from people who took the disappointment harder than others, it did also end up with a 8.75 in Game Informer and several other fantastic scores from some sources I’ve never heard of. And I’ve played and thoroughly enjoyed a lot of games that were generally even LESS well received than this (I.E. Dynasty Warriors), so what this game ended up with is definitely respectable and just about appropriate. I know it’s very easy to see something get a lower score than you were hoping for and be very disappointed, but you’re really gonna miss out on a lot of very fun experiences if you don’t open yourself up to judging a game for yourself a little bit more (assuming the price is right, of course). I would have never thought in a million years that Earth Defense Force 2017 would be an awesome game, but lo and behold, it is, despite how unapologetically cheesy and campy it is.
I think the important thing to do in order to get a fair impression of TFU is to try and look at it as objectively as possible. Pretend for a moment that you’ve never heard of The Force Unleashed and are completely oblivious to any of the marketing that’s we’ve been exposed to for the past year or so. Is this a masterpiece of a game? No, not really. It’s rife with flaws and not really of the highestquality in certain aspects. But this is a good, solid, very fun game that makes an incredibly meaningful connection between Episodes III and IV in the Star Wars saga. Not to mention that the soundtrack has been described as the best Star Wars score since Return of the Jedi. I really enjoyed myself with this title and I definitely recommend it, though I would probably attempt to steer you more towards purchasing a used copy or maybe even a rental, because in the end, the fun doesn’t last anywhere near as long as you would want it to. Throwing around Storm Troopers and punting Jawas is definitely an enjoyable experience, but you can clear the story mode in about 8 hours. It is worth noting, however, that there are two drastically different endings (both of which unlock a unique costume that you can use for your next play through), and also that LucasArts has just announced plans to release DLC for the 360/PS3 version of the game which will allegedly include new character models and a brand new level, so take that for what it’s worth. I personally am very excited to hear that I may be able to play as Kit Fisto!
Back on the subject of the band quickly, I wanted to announce that we will be performing in a concert-type setting at Youmacon in addition to our usual hallway duties!. We don’t know the details on it just yet, but we will certainly post the hell out of them as soon as we do, so stay tuned for that!
…The mess of inactivity, that is.
Sorry, I think we’re all in a bit of a Star Wars mood lately, what with The Force Unleashed being released at midnight tonight. (I’ll be sure to post my thoughts on that one after I’ve finished with it)
There definitely has been a lull in activity since The Heartland gig (Thank you, BTW, to everyone who came out to see us and made the show so successful… I’ve never seen the place so packed). I guess this is sort of the calm before the storm, the storm in this case being Youmacon 2008, which we are all very adamantly looking forward too. We’re still hard at work preparing ourselves and our material. For now, I guess we all just have to count the days until Halloween. We hope to see you all there in a scant month and a half!
Don’t forget, our featured performance for the In-One-Ear Open Mic at the Heartland Café in Chicago is this Wednesday night (August 20th) at 10 PM! Cover is still a mere $3, and you get to check out all sorts of other great performers as well. We hope to see you all there!
Heartland Café
August 20th, 2008
7000 N. Glenwood
Chicago, Illinois
$3 Cover, Doors open at 9:30PM
EDIT: When I first posted this yesterday, my intention was to to make a quick post to let everyone know what we’ve been up to and give potential buyers of SCIV an idea of what to expect. However, after some input and spending some time looking it over, I decided the post was very poorly composed and came across and hurried and sloppy. Since this IS displayed prominently on the front page of our site and I didn’t want it to reflect poorly on the band, it seemed like a good idea to give it a bit of an overhaul and it turned into more of a full fledged review. I think it’s an improvement, don’t you? Enjoy!
As I’m sure many of you can understand/relate to, several of us have been very wrapped up in Soul Calibur IV lately. So, I apologize for the lack of updates. But I offer you, dear reader, in exchange for your forgiveness, my thoughts on that very game.
Let me first state that Soul Calibur IV is a phenomenal game, and it is absolutely a must-own title for any fighting game fans out there. However, that being said, it’s only fair to warn you that some corners were cut, such as original movesets for created/bonus characters, team battle, survival mode, a larger variety of stages (i.e. one for each character), and the usual Olcadon/Charade/Edge Master random moveset character (not to mention a particularly impressive opening sequence). All of these things were present and accounted for in Soul Calibur III. Not to mention that each character’s story mode in SCIV disappointingly short, lasting only 5 matches with a long scroll of text at the beginning to give you some context and a short movie at the end.
The game’s extended single player experience, called “The Tower of Lost Souls”, is also kind of a step backwards from what they’ve achieved in previous entries in the series, such as Weapon Master Mode in Soul Calibur II or Chronicles Of The Sword (which, in addition to the previously mentioned features, I miss dearly from III). It involves scaling the eponymous tower, fighting against a different foe under varying circumstances on each floor. Fulfilling certain requirements will unlock different pieces for the game’s creation mode, giving you a reason to scale the tower (or descend it, after you’ve cleared the first 20 floors), but there is no story or meaning behind it like there has been in the past, making you feel less involved in the goings on of the tower and the lost souls residing within its walls.
All that being said though, the visuals are wonderful, the music is outstanding, and the gameplay is as rock solid as ever.
And though it’s missing a few things here and there, the character creation as a whole has improved. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’ve become something of a coinoisseur of character creation over the past decade (I believe my first extensive experience with it was in 1998’s WWF Warzone), so I hope my saying so can be of significance. You’re left with much less of the feeling that your characters stick out like a sore thumb, as the quality of the models is at least nearly on par with that of the normal characters. The additional ability to create your own costumes for the preexisting characters also helps everyone blend in together, and it adds a whole new dimension that will personally keep me busy for a very long time.
The gameplay’s undergone a few distinct changes from III, and ignoring alterations to the movesets of specific characters (I believe Jer had to learn how to use Ivy for a 3rd time), there are 2 that are specifically worth noting. The first of these changes (and the easiest to notice without even trying to find it) would be the ability to break the high, mid, and low armour right off any character (Star Wars characters excluded), affecting both their appearance and performance for the rest of the match. The second is the addition of the “Soul Gauge”. You’ll notice it right next to your life gauge as an initially green orb that will either turn blue if you are fighting proactively or red if you are being overly defensive. If the circumstances align correctly and you can max out your Soul Gauge at the same time that your opponent’s is diminished, you can cause them to be briefly stunned or “Soul Crushed” if they block an attack. When this happens, hitting all four face buttons quickly enough will end the match in style by executing your character’s Critical Finisher (or Final Smash as I like to call them). Unlike Final Smashes from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though, these are EXTREMELY hard to come by, since finding all the different conditions fulfilled simultaneously is very uncommon. So when you do see one, it’s a very exciting thing. It adds a great, epic flare to the game without affecting it in a drastic way.
One last point that I’d like to bring up would be the inclusion of online versus play. I, like many more out there, was left extremely distraught by the abysmal Wi Fi capabilities of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which I guess was probably the last big head to head fighting game released (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). I won’t go into that, because I fear the sun would explode before my ranting concluded. Soul Calibur manages to do what Brawl definitely should have and features a very competent online mode. You can either fight in standard or special versus matches (the latter of which includes the statistics and effects from different equipment and weapons that you can customize for each character), and have the option of either participating in ranked matches with anyone else playing online in order to increase your level and be matched up against more talented fighters, or to create a non-ranked game that can include up to four people total, friends or strangers, wherein the loser is swapped out and the people not participating in the fight are able to spectate and chat while awaiting their turn. The game’s connection isn’t always perfect. It’s been said that because of the generally minute discrepency in the game’s timing while online, Guard Impacting (essentially parrying) is rendered impractical, and even still you can end up with the occasional instance of a slight lag (enough to throw you off) or bouts of slowdown. But unlike a certain other game which was previously mentioned, the online is most definitely very playable and again, while not perfect, can easily be called solid.
Altogether, the game is a little rough around certain edges, but still manages to be a positive step for the series and one of the best fighting games you will ever play. It is very highly recommended by me, and I think I can also speak on behalf of several other band members. If you have a 360 or PS3, love fighting games, and your soul burns at the appropriate temperature, you should go pick up the game immediately!
Hey there, folks.
So, as you might have already guessed, the Spoony Bards keep pretty busy schedules when we’re not melting faces rocking out. My own has been very packed because, as some of you may have heard while at Anime Central 2008, I will be temporarily leaving the Spoony Bards for a year to go to graduate school in the United Kingdom. I’m very excited about it, and preparing for the trip has been somewhat nerve wracking. It has also been exceedingly amusing because of what I’m going to graduate school for: Japanese Studies.
Yes, I’m moving to the United Kingdom to study Japan. Makes perfect sense.
I am very enthusiastic about the school I’m attending, and the university has been welcoming and awesome so far. Every week, it seems like I get some new shiny, colorful pamphlet or guide. I think I deserve it though; taking on graduate school also means taking on a massive amount of debt. So, why not make look debt shiny and incredibly attractive at the same time, I say! It helps one live in denial about the amount they’ll owe in loan payments at the end of it, and I will enjoy my ignorance whilst looking at brochures for the university’s Student Union.
Ah, the rainbows and pretty graphic designs on the cover. Mm. I feel better already.
Joking aside, there is a lot of work to be done: securing student loans, going to the doctor, dentist (eek!), getting immunizations, applying for a student visa (costs about $200), buying a plane ticket (costs your first-born son), putting old student loans on hold, selling a car, moving out of an apartment, visiting friends, recording my vocals for our new album (to “be released some time this century”), and so on.
And of course, the most important project of all: finding UK power adaptors for my PSP, Nintendo DS, and MacBook Pro. They are essential items.
I plan on making more blog posts via our site once I actually get ready to leave and then move to the UK, so keep an eye out!
Final Thought of the Day: I adore Lord of the Rings Online. I am taking an extended break from my 70 Orc Warlock in WoW, and have taken up a Woman Champion from the kingdom of Rohan. She is, as Ferris Bueller would say, so choice.
Let me start out today by saying Metal Gear Solid 4 is an absolutely amazing game. If you’re a fan of the series, you definitely have to play it somehow. I’ll give you all Dave’s phone number so you can bang on his door at 4:30 in the morning demanding to borrow his PS3. Needless to say, I don’t want to go into any specifics, but it’s a fantastic finale to this long and winding series and it really does wrap everything up very nicely (and I do mean EVERYTHING). It made me feel like as incredible as all the other games have been (some of my favorite games ever, period, don’t get me wrong), they were all just sorta there to lead up to this. If you’ve played the game and would like to share your thoughts about it, we have a thread in the video games section of our forums where you can do just that. We’d be happy to hear what you think. Beware of spoilers!
In other news, The Spoony Bards will once again be the featured performers at the Heartland Café on the night of 8/20! The In-One-Ear Open Mic charges a scant $3 for cover, and you would be in for lots of great music, poetry, comedy, and story-telling in a nice, intimate setting, as well as being able to catch us performing (also, there’s a bar)! We’ll be able to give you more details as they become available to us, but save the date and keep an eye on Facebook, Myspace, and right here for more info. Also, be sure to click the link on the bottom right of the page to find out more about the In-One-Ear open mic. We’ll be sure to keep you all posted.
Nearly 2 weeks later, my Rogue is 42 and my Blood Elf Mage has reached 70! He’s my first one to that particular level cap, though I have made it to 60 twice before. Shortly after I made the last update I began playing the mage, I guess because he was questing in areas that were still new to me after the 3 and a half years since the game’s release. I joined my friend’s guild as an officer and I’m still going. Sort of.
I took this weekend to pretty much do nothing but play Team Fortress 2, which was just updated with not only new abilities, achievements, and weapons for the lovable Pyro class, but the 6th entry in their character introduction series, “Meet the Sniper”. Sniper being my favorite class, this really got me excited about playing again. Though the same thing happened back when they released the 5th video, “Meet the Scout”, and the Scout is one of my least played classes all-around.
The problem with the way they’ve been implementing these updates is that it’s one by one every so often. So just like what was experienced when the Medic was updated, servers are flooded with eager young Pyros looking to earn their new unlockable weapons and it really upsets the balance of the game (especially for Andrew, who favors the incredibly flammable Spy). In addition to that, the developers were, as far as I’m concerned, entirely TOO generous towards the Pyro. The addition of a compressed air blast on the standard flame thrower I think was a fantastic idea, giving the very close-ranged class a fighting chance against the rockets and grenades of Soldiers and Demomen, whose projectiles can now be reflected back at their source by said compressed air blast. But the next level of the Pyro’s secondary weapon, the Shotgun, I think goes a bit too far. The Pyro can now ignite opponents at a reasonably long range using a flare gun. Granted, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to hit someone with, but in my opinion this makes the class really crooked and shifts the balance ridiculously in a Pyro’s favor. It’s particularly disheartening as a sniping enthusiast such as myself. I can only hope that future character updates shift the scales back more in the favor of balance. Until then I suppose the game is good enough that I’ll just have to get used to dodging flares.
In addition to the diversion that TF2 caused, I should be heading up to Dave’s place later today in order to pick up his PS3. He’s letting me borrow it so that I can finally play Metal Gear Solid 4. For those who don’t know, I’m a humongous fan of the series, and the time leading up to the game’s PS3 only release was particularly torturous, considering that I don’t have a PS3, don’t want to own one, and wouldn’t have the money for it even if I did. But thankfully Dave, also a huge fan, buckled under the pressure and used the power of trade-ins to get a PS3 for 200 some-odd dollars, from what I can recall. So that nightmare will soon be over. It’ll mean that my guildmates in WoW will have to go a bit longer without me around, but this seems like a far more noble pursuit anyways. A guy has to have his priorities, right?