Listening to 8-bit versions of modern video game tunes on YouTube inspired me to attempt to make one of my own. I once tried out using a MOD tracker program, but it didn’t sound authentic enough (too many sound channels, for one). That’s when I stumbled upon FamiTracker, and after a few hours of experimenting with the program, I came up with this: a song from the video game Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome, which has one of my favorite soundtracks out of any game Nippon Ichi has done so far. I’m quite satisfied with how it turned out…it kinda reminds me of something I heard in Gargoyle’s Quest II.

I’ve uploaded both the original FamiTracker module, and the same song as an .nsf (NES Sound Format) file. In order to play the .nsf file, you’ll need a utility that allows you to play them, but the FamiTracker module can be played within the program itself. Both can be accessed from the Downloads page.

Download Makai Kingdom: Sabat (FamiTracker module – NSF File)

Category: Computers, Music, Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: famitracker, makai kingdom

Amidst all of the mini-gaming and face-bashing action in Yakuza 3, there’s one game mechanic that immediately struck me as weird, but at the same time, kinda awesome.

Near the end of Chapter 4, you get the opportunity to take part in what the game calls “Revelations”, which are sequences where Kazuma learns combat maneuvers by looking at and taking cell phone camera pictures of other people doing things on the streets of Tokyo and applying it to his own field of expertise. For instance, the first Revelation he has involves a woman riding in the street on a scooter and colliding with an oncoming taxi because she’s distracted by a poster of an actor. Miraculously, she is able to do a full forward flip in the air and land flat on the ground (provided you hit the correct button combinations in time; otherwise, I’m assuming she messes up by either saying something stupid or not landing the jump properly, which would be tragic instead of funny).

Another instance happens shortly after Kaz arrives in Tokyo, where if you look around the street closely enough, you’ll see a schoolgirl get attacked by a guy who’s had one too many drinks at the bar. After he grabs her breasts, she attacks him and then flips him over her shoulder before running away scared.

Once the photos have been taken, Kazuma then chooses one of the three photos to use as his inspiration for a new attack (I’m guessing each of the three photos teaches a different move, but I could be wrong), and uploads it to his blog. It’s a somewhat amusing approach to learning new techniques, and I guess it’s Sega’s way of saying, “Welcome to the information age, Kaz”. I just wonder what other kinds of weird sights and sounds will pop up in Kamurocho just waiting to be committed to memory.

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: combat, game mechanics, yakuza (game)

Now that Mega Man 10’s been out on WiiWare for two weeks (and PlayStation Network for about three days), I don’t feel bad in saying that I just finished the game on Easy mode. When the game showed the map after the obligatory Mega Man Boss Rush (and the line just kept going and going and going, like a little Energizer Bunny), I thought my console had gone on the fritz. But nope…the short final stage and likely longer last battle take place in space! (say that last part in your best Muppet Show narrator voice)

Wily still packs a punch close to the end, even on Easy. This time, he has an obvious Robot Clone backing him up. This Robo-Wily can be shot at, but not damaged (and I expect the differences to be not-so-subtle on Normal or Hard difficulty), and its shots are very hard to dodge. Even so, Wily still falls prey to the weapon in your arsenal you’ll probably use the least (I won’t tell you which one it is…you’ll have to figure that out for yourself).

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: dr. wily, mega man

Oh, right. In addition to being able to see Shutter Island on Wednesday, I also managed to score Final Fantasy XIII, Yakuza 3, and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth all in one run. The first two were preorder-heavy games, so I almost was unable to get them at all, but I’m glad that I have them in my collection. My sister’s already close to finishing AAI, since she’s wanted to play that game for X knows how long (and thus, I gave her a first crack at it). Meanwhile, I’ve already progressed through the first two chapters in FFXIII and Yakuza 3, which are mostly set-up chapters for the stuff that happens during the rest of the game.

Some first impressions:

• Final Fantasy XIII:
  • I can’t help comparing this game’s “Crystogen” character development system to the “Sphere Grid” in Final Fantasy X. Even though you’re spending points to unlock new abilities instead of collecting spheres, it’s mostly the same concept. I’m quite sure this was intentional on the part of the developers.
  • The Active Time Battle system flows a lot more smoothly than any game (that uses a similar system) I’ve seen so far. Final Fantasy X-2 was pretty good about it, too.
  • I have a feeling that I’m going to be comparing this game to FFX a lot more than any other game in the series.
• Yakuza 3:
  • Kazuma isn’t very good at golf. At least in this game, you only have to play three holes.
  • I wonder why Kaz gets so hyped up for his special HEAT attacks against the bosses, when they don’t quite have enough attack power to finish them off all the way. Maybe it’s time for me to start beefing him up.
  • The karaoke booth mini-game is pretty fun. Then again, I tend to like rhythm mini-games in general.

I’ll have more to say once I get past the third chapters in these games. See ya!

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: ace attorney, final fantasy xiii, first impressions, yakuza (game)

I’ve played through about half of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom thus far, unlocking 13 of the characters’ total endings (I may pick a team of Frank West and Zero, just to see how well they’d work together; I didn’t have much success with Karas and Casshern).

After you complete Arcade Mode, there’s a mini-game that you play during the end credits with Yatterman villain Doronjo, and you have to ride across a series of bumpy hills on a bicycle with her and her henchmen in order to collect all of the gold letters that are placed in the credit names (they spell out “THANK YOU FOR PLAYING”). Accomplish this, and you unlock another mini-game called Ultimate All-Shooters, which is a fixed-scrolling shooter (kinda like Commando) where you control Ryu, Ken the Eagle, Tekkaman Blade, or the PTX-40A mech suit and shoot down Akrids (the beasties that infest the Lost Planet universe) and other bug-like creatures through four stages. So far, I’ve beaten it with Tekkaman Blade, but I’m not sure how the path selection works, so I guess it’ll be a while before I achieve 100% completion in that mode.

My next goal is to finish Arcade Mode with all of the secret characters (Frank West, Zero, Joe the Condor and Tekkaman Blade – the last one I think I already finished with) in order to unlock Yatterman-2, Yatterman-1’s girlfriend and partner-in-buttkicking. This journey should be…interesting, to say the least.

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: mini games, tatsunoko vs. capcom