New Art Pieces and Project

I plan on uploading a new podcast regarding my view of the gaming community at this point. But that is beside the main point, which is that I have been working on my next musical project titled, "Religion." Hopefully, it will be completed by the end of the year, or early next year. As the years go by, I am more and more focused on tightening my approach, and getting new sounds. Sometimes, I draw blanks and hit writer's block.

  I've also started painting again. I've been very inactive as far as work goes, because I have been writing music somewhat, and studying more on the horn, as well as piano, and tin whistle, which I just started learning. Also, to be honest, I took a few months of playing games to cleave through the immense back log of games I have yet to beat. I've made a dent in it, and I've been putting up reviews on this site. I also have to get back to work on the novel. As it stands, I may be doing some travel that will actually aid quite a bit in the writing of the novel, which I look forward to. I've also been purchasing and listening to a lot of material from Miles Davis and Bill Evans- particularly, "Getting Sentimental," "Dingo," and "Freedom Jazz Dance." I've been trying to learn the material, as well as some of the pieces from La La Land, which I feel was an amazing movie, that I should review here as well. It was well composed by Justin Hurwitz, and is heavily nominated for Oscars, which it deserves.

 In the mean time, here are a couple of new pieces, as well as a link to a small track from the Religion project.

https://soundcloud.com/jokatech/bounce

Psychodelia Obsession- Gravity Rush- Review

  Okay. This is a fresh review. I just played and beat Gravity Rush for the Playstation Vita. This was one of the very few flagship titles for the system that came out around launch in 2012. It actually began development way back in 2008 as a PS3 title, and it was put together by Sony's development studio in Japan. It uses cel shaded graphics, and utilizes a control scheme that focuses on manipulating gravity while playing.

 When the game came out, I was on the fence, and felt that it was somewhat gimmicky. I however, still purchased it relatively soon after finding it. It was a game with a heroine, which used to be rare, but if you notice, almost all IP games today have heroines as the generation of gender blurring continues. I didn't mind that, and I never do honestly. Metroid has a female lead, as well as Beyond Good and Evil, and I loved both games. I usually only have a gripe when there isn't some male mascot that I can relate to. Aside from Uncharted, which doesn't really count, I always thought it sucked that there was never a Mario-esque, male lead game like Gravity Rush released for the Vita.

 Nonetheless, it starts off with a scene of an apple falling off of a tree and then down a deep chasm. Then a scene opens up which I can't fully recall. When the game starts, the heroine- Kat, as she is called, awakes with amnesia in a town called Hekesville. For some reason, the Japanese get a kick out of doing a Japanese game where the characters appear to speak French, with Japanese writing all over the settings. This makes it a bit difficult to connect with the characters. English voice-overs would have been appreciated. You quickly meet a cat creature that seems to be made out of dark energy, which follows you around, and is responsible for your powers. It is never made clear who the girl is or where she came from, but she is quickly involved in the town's affairs and saves the day often. Hekesville has been under the attack of dark gravity creatures called Nevi, that have split the entire world into fragments and sunk areas off it into the depths. Kat goes on impromtu missions to recover parts of the town, but seems to only draw their ire as a result of their fear of her powers.

 You have a move set of gravity moves and combos that you can execute. Pressing square will use standard attacks. You have a jump button as well. Pressing circle generates a gravity field, allowing you to pick up objects or people if needed. Pressing the shoulder buttons initiates a gravity shift or disengages it. When this is done you can do moves like a gravity kick, switch the polarity of gravity, and special attacks that do a lot of damage. The enemies are tough and move very quickly. During cutscenes, Kat can fly around, but when playing the game, it isn't like flying at all. The camera is not stabilized, and it feels like a psychodelic trip when moving around, since the screen will tilt uncontrollably as you shift, causing you to have to fly and fight with very awkward to no view at all. This made things so much harder than they had to be.

 During the game you meet another girl named Raven, who opposes Kat at first, since they have noble reasons, but colliding goals, until they realize the purpose of not only the Nevi, but the government, who are harnessing their power. After saving a city of lost children together, Kat and Raven team up, and have to fight against a misguided government that is going about the eradication of the Nevi in a destructive way. The game utilizes interactive comic strips to tell the story, which are well drawn and moveable. Some of the comic frames will contain motion videos, which I thought was very artistic and cool. The music also assisted this, as it had a very serene soundtrack, that used large string sections and a had a very classical sound.

 The bosses were very challenging, but not really impossible feeling. I just wish the camera was done better, as it made navigation very annoying. A game like this should have felt like Spiderman, Bionic Commando, or the Hulk, where your movement makes you feel free to  explore the city. But often, I got hopelessly lost due to how the camera goes so wild while shifting. During the game, there are side missions that challenge you to set records, and repair different functions of the town like elevators, bridges, and street lights. It took me altogether about 20 hours to beat the game, which is pretty solid for an action adventure game. There is still more to explore and do afterward. The towns are very huge, but it doesn't feel like there is a whole lot going on, or for you to do. Also, when you shift, people around you will get sucked into the field and scream for their life as they are launched in the sky. This makes you reluctant to freely shift around the cities, but there's no other way, besides walking slowly which would be ridiculous with how much ground there is to cover.

  During the ending, the story got very deep and convoluted. the government officials are still preparing for a huge and pending Nevi attack, and even Kat and friends are aware of a huge coming danger, but are enjoying the time of peace. It is revealed that the world is a dream of sorts, but whose it is, they don't say. The corrupt mayor is injured by his Nevi destroying weapon, that ends up almost committing genocide on the city. I actually thought he died, when Kat threw it into his face. One of the scientists looks into some crystal ball and shockingly discovers who Kat really is. It shows a silhouette that looks familiar, but it is very unclear. His reaction makes you really wonder about it though. The entire ending seems like a simple interlude into the second game. The sequel was suppose to be on the Vita, which the game was designed for. But guess what? The Sony company that I have grown to hate, saw how good of a game it was and pulled it onto the PS4, barring the sequel from the Vita. One of the many attacks on their own product that I will never understand.

 I would like to get the sequel to see what happens, but honestly, I don't feel that super compelled. It's a very good game, to be clear, but I felt at ease when it ended. Solid effort by SCE, that could benefit from more fleshing out, gameplay wise and setting wise. A solid 8/10

The Underrated Leo Santa Cruz

 This was a spectacular event on Saturday. Leo Santa Cruz ripped the belt at Bantamweight back from the hands of the ever scrappy Carl Framptom. The first fight was a mental lapse for Leo, who didn't have his sick father in his camp. Not to make too many excuses, Carl has a very difficult style to deal with. He fights like another version of Frank Edgar, with the same punch absorbing and busy infighting style. He leans forward into your chest and keeps side to side movement, hooking off 3-4's to the body and head. He doesn't really have any dangerous jab game. And he also would benefit from adding in uppercuts to his attack.


 Leo Santa Cruz made this fight harder than it had to be by fighting inside yet again in the rematch. However, he fought with intensity and determination, making airtight and precise decisions. He said, around the time the rematch was made, that he would retire if he lost this fight, and that he never should have lost. He backed every word of that up in this rematch. I had the fight 8-4 for Leo at worst. I really see it 9-3. A lot of people are saying that they had no idea that Leo could box, and I laugh. When I talk about how retarded the world is getting, I'm waived off, but the proof remains regardless. Look how quickly the Mares fight is forgotten, where he boxed the stuffing out of Abner Mares for 12 rounds. Leo has always had skills and amazing abilities. He adjusts to his opponents.

 Leo is not just a good fighter. He is a rare gem. I can't think of more than a few fighters over the last few generations, that had Leo's physical gifts of power and length with great movement and boxing ability, along with incredible infighting ability. You just don't see it often. Yet the haters mount. When I heard the commentary and saw the fact that Frampton was still undefeated, I was worried that they would steal this fight from Leo. It was not a close fight. Leo won almost every single exchange. And Frampton tried to utilize the front running, arrogance game that everyone has adopted from Mayweather. He thumbed his nose at every combo or shot and plodded forward. He did get stronger as the fight went on, which is why Leo had to manage his stamina. Frampton goes for haymakers in the later rounds, and sits down for knockouts. To aid that, he has a huge head and can eat shots like a little pit bull. He is already short, and fights even lower like a mini Tyson.

 Leo should have kept spinning Carl and letting the straight go at the end of combinations like he did early in the fight. Carl stopped respecting his jab and timing his way in. I did like the body punching that Leo implemented. It slowed Frampton down and did good damage. He visibly stopped him  in his tracks on several occasions. That left hand of Leo's is beautiful. And he's orthodox. That's what I like about him. His uppercuts were well thrown and set up. his 3's and 5's to the body did a lot of the work for him, with the sniper right hand in his back pocket for him.There was a knockdown in the 3rd round or so, that was ruled a slip, and I am still disgusted by that. The entire agenda was to either protect Frampton with a win, or at least fuel a rematch for him. Leo clearly lands a well timed left hook, and Frampton falls back and waives his gloves after clearing his head, and referee Kenny Bayless jumps in as he is going down and rules it a slip. The commentators quickly chime in saying it was a slip. That was one of the most suspect moments I have seen in sports. Even when a knockdown isn't clear, but dicey, there is a pause to assess what happened by looking at the condition of the downed fighter and possibly a replay. Their feet did not look tangled at all. If your feet are positioned poorly and you eat a hook and go down, it's a knock down. You don't get a do over because of an error.

 The fight was excellent. It was tagged as a step down from the last fight which was more of a war, but that doesn't surprise me. Look at the boxing match that continues to get fight of the year. People don't understand chess. If there is punching with purpose, it annoys viewers, who don't get what's going on, and would rather see two fighters swing like crazy for 36 minutes, and not defend themselves at all.

The rematch will be in Ireland, which is fair as Carl came over to defend. I respect that he agrees with the decision, but he knows that it was a blowout. He had this clause in place from the start. He was hoping that he could fight Leo close and get the nod and move on. He got torched, and the media assists him in calling it close, to set up a rematch for monetary purposes. He even accused Leo of stealing rounds in the last 15 seconds. What a laugh. Go back and watch the fight, and you tell me who was hooking off at the end of rounds and bullrushing the entire fight. And what did you see Leo doing. He never had to steal a round, because he controlled every one of them while tatooing Carl's face. That's the reason Leo looked fresh after the fight, and Carl Frampton's face looks beat like Mrs. Doubtfire. He's a clown in that regard.  Great event though, and Leo once again proves himself.

Thank You For Being A Friend- Crusader No Remorse- Review

It was 1999. I'll never forget it. A lot of friends were getting their dreamcast. I was looking on in envy. I was also a freshman in high school. Rather than a Dreamcast, I had just recently bought a Sega Saturn off of my friend Salim, who I had math class with. Salim was a cool and laid back dude. There's actually a funny story surrounding the whole thing. I had biology with a dude who used to go back and forth with me with wise cracks during class. At times, it got heated, but he was a guy who loved to be the life of the class. At a point, it got to where he was pretty upset, but I didn't really realize it was serious at the time. On the day I got my Saturn, I was itching with excitement. I followed Salim home, hoping that the system would work, and that he wasn't going to change his mind. He said he didn't play it, and that he would sell it to me for a price I can't remember.

  We got to his apartment, which wasn't too far from the middle of town. The place smelled like I expected. You see, he was a weed smoker extraordinaire. I think he used to light up on the high school courtyard as well. Although, I have no idea how he got away with it. I used to hang with him and other courtyard pot heads on occasion, just to play hackensack.  Anyway, I had to hold my breath while he got the system, because it was so strong of a smell. I also began to wonder if the thing still worked. He told me I could return it if it didn't, but I just didn't want the hassle. So I paid him and sped out of there. As I approached the middle of town, there was the dude from my class, standing there with a couple of friends. If you know me, you know I'm not capable of fearing human beings. In fact, I figured he was just chilling. Then he comes up and starts talking to me about the issue he had from class, and asking if I wanted to square off right there. In my mind, I was laughing, because I really didn't think he was serious. But then he kept insisting. The thing about me, is that I've always been worried about what I would do if my switch flipped. That's one of the things that kept me from enjoying altercations at school. Every fight I got into in high school was off of school grounds, and I tried to squash it as quickly as I could, because I knew deep down what I was capable off, and wanted to avoid that. Frankly, I've been studying martial arts and combat since the age of 9, and it's never been an issue for me to put a dude to sleep. I often gave another impression, because I respected the teaching that you should avoid conflict. I looked down at my huge bag with the Saturn, and down at the large trench coat I was wearing, and I was partly annoyed that he was picking that time to ask for a fight.

  He threatened a couple of times under his breath, that he felt like doing something anyway. If he was sincere about that, I wouldn't have objected, as I've never been built to refuse a fight, but he didn't. One of his buddies tapped the back of my head as I was talking to him, and jumped back as I turned around. It was actually a kid I knew since kindergarten, which was funny. I thought a couple of times, and then he asked if we could squash out beef, which I didn't know existed. I told him that we were cool, and he took his leave. I only tell that story, because it happened to be on the day I got my Saturn. The whole time, I was petrified of the idea of getting into a melee and looking up to see my Saturn gone, because that happened to be before. I don't think he ever knew that I was a kid who could fight, but I didn't really care. There are a lot of kids in school that fortunately never saw that side of me. I did see him years later at the gym, as we had a mutual friend, and all was forgotten, since it was a such a small thing anyway. His friend who was there that day, I saw as well. I was rolling with a crew on the main street one day, and he ducked into a store, scared stiff that I was going to jump him. The fact is that if it was that important to me, I would have fought that very day, but I didn't because I was excited to have my Sega Saturn.

 After we parted ways, I went to the local video store and got NHL 98', and  Crusader No Remorse. I played the crap out of the hockey game, as I was a huge fan back then, and followed the Philadelphia Flyers. When I got into Crusader, I immediately recognized it as the type of espionage action game that was right up the alley of my best friend at the time- Kenton. As soon as I got a chance, I rushed over to his house to show it to him, and he was equally impressed. I think we played most of the game at his house. And I eventually beat it there as well.

  I have to start with the fact that nostalgia really drove me to get this again. I had fond memories, and it was a game I remember being worth a replay. However, the game has a small number of flaws, albeit major in their scope. First I'll give a synopsis. You are a rebel soldier- Silencer, who has defected from the Consortium regimen. Tell me that title isn't cool. The Consortium is a global conglomerate of national leaders that oversee and regulate the world, in a Star Wars Empire type of manner. They even regulate and control water consumption. They treat the citizens of the planet like chattel, and even experiment on them with cloning and nuclear weapon strikes. It's never clearly explained, why you defected, but oddly enough, in the opening movie, you and a few comrades are assaulted by one of the Consortium's drones, and you alone survive. After that, you turn on them and join the rebel force. It's hard not to sound like I'm talking about Star Wars, but I'm not. The story is tied together well, with many different cutscenes with horrible acting, yet effective dialogue. If you remember this era, you remember all of the awkward acting that was done back in the 90's era of espionage games. Soviet Strike was another prime example. When I say horrible, I don't mean off-putting. They do put in some effort, and it is very memorable, just cheesy.

  The political and technical jargon used throughout the game is very accurate, believable and engaging. Partners of the Consortium begin to have doubts as to some of the investments that are going wrong, and corrupt individuals weave their way into the Senate. All of this happens behind the scenes, while you experience the fallout of it all. There is a nice hub world, that I totally forgot about, where you restock on ammo, and check your emails. This adds life to the game, as it is the hub of the Resistance. I actually like the email function, because much like Assassin's Creed, it follows the arc of events and fills in gaps in the story. There is also some very funny emails that add life to the game, like the warnings about bringing guns into the base's bar, and an ongoing joke about an old lady buying meat from a butcher. The email runs for just about the whole game, and it was very funny. The game doesn't do a great job at all of explaining the inventory. There are several items that you can use on missions like EMP devices and stuff. None of these devices have descriptions at all, and cost an arm and a leg. Where you get all of that money is beyond me still. You can't replay missions and forage either. This is a straight ride of a game. I ended up sticking to the same basic weapons and running into many ammo issues, almost nailing me in a corner at the end of the game.


  The game runs in an isometric view. Right there, I will get into the most mind numbing issue. The screen is not controllable. And it does not scroll until you are at the edges of the screen. There are mechs and tanks that can kill you in one shot, that you won't see until you are literally in front of them, due to the shape of the iso view screen. This resulted in innumerable cheap deaths. Save often. Some of the levels are actually quite huge and long. There is some ability to back track. There are also some secret areas which can really help with the scant supply issue sometimes. One secret area played a trick on me. I fount it through a hidden switch, only to get locked into training course for Consortium troops, that was deathly difficult. I had to complete the course to continue the game. But I did get much needed items at the end. There are a lot of key card, and code switch activations in this game. You must go through the dozens of office rooms, looking through computers for the access codes and to take down shields and blockades. Sometimes this web can be so hidden and convoluted, you can spend half an hour looking for a switch that will open keypad that will get you an access card to get through the door. Often, that was okay for a break in combat, as gun fight situations can be annoying at times. The way your character moves is like the Resident Evil engine. You have tank controls- press the sides to turn, and forward and back to advance or retreat. Fortunately, you can roll and duck behind crates. Be warned- this game has an insane amount of explosives. This can help take out rooms of troops, but can also mess you up, and destroy much needed supply boxes. I can literally say, I had a blast.

  The aesthetics of the game are adequate. When in the hub, between missions, you see your captain for instructions before heading out. It's in a movie format, where they sit at a desk and tell you what needs to be done and to consult your data link for further information. Some of the dialogue annoyed me. Near the end of the game, I was told that I was the only one who could carry out an intel job in the factory where they manufactured the clones. Before saying that, they told me that the other agent wasn't up to it and was at the base. Then, they said it would be heavily reinforced, and that they wish they could spare a troop to assist me. This is after just telling me that my counter-part was going to be chilling at the base! You take your orders from Commander Ely in this game, until he is kidnapped by the Consortium. This happens after a scientist you went to retrieve is killed while being transported back. There is a traitor in the base, and it winds up being the person who supposedly found the traitor. There are some interesting plot twists.

  It was about as long as I remember, and a bit more difficult, since I was playing on my PSP with much more uncomfortable controls. I never realized the loose ends that were left until now. You never find out what became of Commander Ely. Wizard, the tech head who gave you information during missions, and provided extraction, was killed, and the base is completely destroyed. In fact, you have to carry out the last couple of missions without being able to stock up with the merchant, which was insane to say the least. It doesn't really feel like a true victory.  You manage to shut down and destroy the Vigilance Platform, a nuclear weapon launching base, used as a leverage tool by Consortium to take controll of the Senate. But the leader is unharmed, and assures you that he has already done damage control for his Senate hearings, and will regroup to find you. The last boss you kill is the traitor from your base, but they are no more than one of the leader's flunkies. There is a lot of loss, for a little gain. I expected an epilogue, and most definitely a sequel, but we got neither, as far as I know.  There was a nominal sequel- Crudader: No Regret released on PC only in 1996, but it doesn't tie up these events, and is only an expansion pack. Rest assured the game is solid and involved enough that after playing through, you will be as invested as I am to see the conclusion to a pretty interesting story.

Worthy of 7.5/10- Thank you for being a friend. Traveled down the road and back again. Your heart is true. You're a pal and a......... okay, I'll stop there

The Beast Season 4: Episode 3- Monster Hunter Let's Play

Hey Guys. This is my first let's play. I'm trying to improve little by little. I will keep working at it. Currently, after completing the campaign for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, I have been embarking on a quest to complete an armor set that I have wanted for quite a while, called the Narga Armor Set. I have every piece except for the helmet. I need one item to complete the helmet- the Narga Brain Stem. In this video, I will display what is called a tail run, which is a hunting mission of the Nargacuga designed to sever the tail and try to harvest the brain stem from it. It has an 8% drop rate, and some people, including myself, have hunted it for many hours and never gotten it. I am trying to nail the science of the tail run. As every item you use on a mission is gone, I am trying to learn how to complete the tail run with the very basic of items, which is challenging.

215 Hours- Monster Hunter Freedom Unite - Review

215 hours. That's how long it took me to clear this game's main quest mode. I had to really hold back from writing this review prematurely. There is so much to say about this game, and I really had to reign my emotions in until the end and reserve judgement. The entire monster hunter series is a cult favorite, and will generate mixed emotions in whoever gets involved with it.

 I have to start by stating that this game is the definitive fraternity adventure RPG. I've covered reviews on fraternity games in the past on this blog, and my opinion has lightened over time with those games, which has been well documented. To reiterate, fraternity games are usually series that require foreknowledge in order to navigate through the universe. Armored Core was one of the other types that I reviews. To start off, I must say, it was hard to make it to the end of the game for various reasons, and I felt myself both appreciative at times and disgusted with the game. Monster Hunter is both the realized dream of all gamers, and a mountain of issues. I'll start by breaking down the insane depth the best way I can. I know fanatics of the series will scoff at me for this.

 Gameplay wise, Monster Hunter has been called an action adventure, especially due to the lack of character stat building. However, it is very much an adventure RPG. In this game, you create a male or female character with attributes of your choosing and your own name. Your class of combat type is up to your preference, but still open for being adapted throughout the game. I must say the depth of character creation was more than adequate, and that was refreshingly new for this type of game. You have the following weapon types- Great Swords, Long Swords, Sword and Shield, Hammer, Bowgun, Gunlance, and Dual Swords. These also have subdivisions in the select classes. As far as levels of quests, you start with performing quests for the village elder in preparation to take on quests for the village's guild in the future. These quests more than prepare you. You have armor sets that are designed based on the hides, and remains  you harvest from monsters in the field, which are quite extensive, and the ores and items you procure from the field in various settings and location.

  The armor sets also have levels, and will depend on the rarity and complexity of the items used to forge it, which become available as the depth of the quest increases. One person put it very well when he said that the difference between this game and so many other RPG's is that rather than the character leveling up, the game is based on player skill and the evolution and leveling up of the person playing. That is extremely true about this game, and what makes it fascinating in its intent. I had to get into the gameplay first because that is where the heart of the greatness and nonsense lies. Of the weapon types I mentioned, there are various elemental inclinations for some of them. You have the standard elements of fire, water, ice, thunder, poison, and dragon type. The monsters you face will have susceptibilities to various elements. Also, many weapons have no affinity to an element and just do raw damage. Hammers specifically, are weapons engendered towards this. Besides these elements, you have various skills that can be added to weapons and armor that increase other combat and non-combat skills.

   In this game, every little thing comes into consideration. Your character has a stamina gauge, health gauge, and weapon sharpness gauge. There is a scale uploaded online that shows the many factors that calculated into the damage dealt for a weapon. The sharpness contributes, as well as the area of the enemy, the affinity of the weapon, the element, and the weapon type itself. It is very deep, and not something you can calculate on your own mid battle. The armor sets are designed to be completed for attribute boosts. A particular monster will have abilities that can translate in some way to an armor set if you complete one by building each part of the particular monster armor type. For instance, one of the monsters is a Blangonga. His particular armor set, when completed will include- for a blademaster- A Blango Helm, Blango Plate, Blango Vambraces, Blango Greaves, and Blango Tasset. Once the set is complete, the abilities and drawbacks will take effect when the set is worn. This particular set gives you immunity to cold.

  In this game the character is affected by hunger, temperature, fear, tremors, multiple blows, repeated use of a weapon, as well as poison, sleep, burning, freezing, blinding, and other effects. You have to take into consideration, where you are going, and what monster types are present. In the early parts of the game, you will be on location at a snowy mountain range with cliffs and snow elemental monsters. Amazingly, falling is not an issue in this game. You can actually jump from any height without care, other than the animation of slowly standing from a crouch at the end. Being in the cold affects your stamina negatively, unless you have a hot drink, and vice versa, in the heat, your health is affected without a cold drink. Regardless, over time, you character will lose stamina, to the point of being almost unable to move. This can be sped up, by being unprotected in the cold for long, or exertion for extended periods. This can only be remedied by sustenance. This can come in the form of rations, which can only be provided by the guild and elders, depending on the conditions of the mission, or by hunting creatures for raw meat, which must then be cooked by the player, either in the field on a barbeque set, or at home, ordered through your kitchen.

 You will usually be given enough rations to last through your missions in the early outset of the game. In the later stages you will receive delayed supplies, which include rations and a map of the area, or you will receive nothing until you complete the quest, which requires your own preparation of supplies. Of the many weapon types, I particularly started with the dual swords when I saw the speed of the weapons. However, this is where things begin to explode. Everything in this game has an animation. Your character moves excessively slow. Even when using the dual swords, which are the fastest weapons in the game, you will be open for attacks after combinations, when sheathing and unsheathing your sword, and at various other times. To heal in this game, you must consume potions, and elixirs. Your character has a long, and elaborate animation that he does while throwing back the drink, that makes it almost impossible to do during battle at times. Some of the monsters are so fast, that you will simply need to be in another area to heal. When eating a steak, your character goes through the entire motions of eating, swallowing and rubbing his stomach before being able to move again. When drinking a health potion, he gulps the potion, swallows, and then flexes in a cocky pose before continuing. You can't do anything to shorten this.  He also has the ability to rest at the landing site of each mission, where there is a bed and also containers with guild supplies and a collection box for mission items. You only recover the maximum of your current health and stamina threshold. So if your stamina is deathly low at max at that point, you will only recover what it is. Eating is the only way to regain the maximum threshold, which is done in levels according to how substantial your meal is.

 To assist you in combat, you also have bombs that can be crafted from supplies you get in the field. In this game, you can fish, catch bugs in nets, mine, and dig in mounds and hills, as well as harvest from plants and wildlife. The items you receive, and creatures you catch can be used to either cook at home, or build and fuse items. Using an alchemy system, you can combine and craft items and ores. This is not spoon fed to you. There are endless combinations that you have to find, or go on the internet to learn. As you learn them, your character logs them in his book. You can combine materials to make gunpowder, bomb material, and several other catalysts. You can then build flash bombs, smoke bombs, sonic bombs, poison bombs pitfall traps and stun traps using the materials fused with animal parts you carve from monsters. Depending on the monster, it may be weak to certain types of bombs or traps. I hope you understand at this point, all I'm telling you is merely skimming the surface as a what they call a "newbie" player. There are endless more circumstances- some I'm forgetting.


 On your quest, you have a comrade known as a Felyne assisting you. At this time, I'll back track to give you an idea. You start the game as a hero who was out on a quest to retrieve some items. In your journey, you ran into a creature know as the Tigrex, who was feared by many. He almost kills you, and you are found and rescued by villagers who bring you back to town. They narrowly escape themselves. You wind up in Pokke Village, where you are nursed back to health. The village is inhabited by little cat people known as Felynes as well as humans. You are given a house, and are allowed to hire Felynes to help you get on your feet, by working in the kitchen at your house. One of the Felynes will be your partner on hunting quests. You can hire additional replacements for him, but you really won't use the reserve in the beginning of the game, because he won't be as powerful. When at home, you can have them train in the meantime between quests, and learn abilities. They have limited attack and defense, but can learn to heal you, attack, throw bombs, raise your stats, and also distract the monster during combat to give you windows to attack or flee if need be. The village elder wants you to prove yourself and complete quests to assist and save the town to prove you are hero. Then you can be of use to the guild.

  When I mentioned the genre before. The fact is that it is stat based to a degree. You have certain weapon types, and items that can raise your attack or defense in combat. You also have certain elixirs that can fortify your stamina limitlessly for a period of time. All of these must be synthesized by you. The gems I mentioned earlier also must be fused and build by the town weapon smith by gathering certain rare items. These gems slightly raise a sea of different abilities. If you have a armor set like the Blango mentioned, you have a weakness to fire. You can fuse a Crimson gem several times if you have the supplies needed and attach them to the limited slots on the different pieces of armor to try to nullify that weakness a bit. You have many skills, such as Reckless Abandon, which raises a weapons affinity to increase critical hits, or the Earplug skill which increases resistance to monster screams. You also have quake resistance which gives resistance to the quakes a monster can generate when slamming the ground, which freezes your character when it happens. All of these skill attempt to nullify the many issues you will face in and out of combat.

 Now that the groundwork is set, lets get into where they lose control. In this game, the monsters move very fast. Some of them are slow, but overall, your character is overly human. It brought to mind when I played Lost Planet on the Xbox 360, and how slow the character moved while being chased and gunned down. It feels very intimidating and overwhelming to be either evading a monster in an open field, or trying to conserve stamina while journeying across a mountain map. Every step your character takes is ridiculously small. You hold the right shoulder button to run, but this rapidly pulls down your stamina, and if done excessively, it will begin to lower your stamina threshold. Some weapons, such as the hammer and dual swords, rely on stamina to attack with what are called spirit charge combos and specials. The hammer has 2 levels of charge which allow you to execute a double pound attack, or spinning combo special. The dual swords have a spirit gauge combo that switches the character to a hyper mode and allows customized combos. All of that depends on stamina threshold, so failure to conserve stamina can make a battle almost impossible. At times in the game, it feels like the character moves slower to assist the already difficult monster boss.


  When you are knocked down, there is yet another animation of your character gathering his wits, and slowly getting up. This animation feels like it has no place in this game, as often the boss has several combination attacks that he can execute which often translate to what I call a death combo. It feels like a movie of losing when this happens. You have 3 lives in most missions, but when you continue from the landing base, you lose all stat enhancements, and also have to find the boss again. In this game, the boss monsters can flee if they are being overwhelmed, and as I said, they move fast. So many times, you will be chasing them around an enormous map, hoping they haven't found someplace to rest and heal. The game does offer some assistance in that area. Using paintberries which you can grow in your farm, you can make paintballs by combining it with other ingredients. You will often be supplied with paintballs by the guild on your quest in the early missions. This can be thrown at the boss to mark it for tracking, if you manage to hit it. You also have psychserum, which is a drink that gives you temporary ESP, allowing you to sense the monster's location. Neither last long. The serum lets you know for a few seconds, assuming he doesn't move, and the paintball is rubbed off after a few minutes. Many times, you will be frantically running around the map, looking for the monster, wasting stamina in the process. This gets very interesting when facing monsters that hide in the water or in the very vast sands of the desert, which requires sonic bombs to force them up.

  The game has many elder quests to complete. When I completed the village elder quests, I assumed I had arrived, only to find that the Felyne elder was above her and had quests of her own. You will spend so many hours hunting to gather materials to make just a single component of an item. Each piece of armor or equipment, requires many different ores and monster parts. And you need several samples of each, meaning you will be fighting very dangerous monsters several times to gather them. The other issue with this is that, it is all based on probability. There is a small percentage chance of rare item drops when facing these monsters. If you fight it, and prevail, and don't get the item, you have to go back and fight them again, with all used items lost to you. This made it very tedious to complete armor sets. In the village, there is a Pokke Farm, where for a price of Pokke Points, you  can purchase land to plant your farm, construct a bee hive and modify it over time, set up and build mining points, construct and renovate a fishing pier to fish, and harvest bugs. All of this took a very long time to build, but was needed to harvest the many ores I needed. There is also a worker named Trenya on the farm, who is an adventurer. He will journey to many locations that you've visited, on his own and bring back what he finds, for a fee. This too is probability based, and you will find that you blow through you points with no worthy catch returned by Trenya often. The only way to get those points is to go on gathering quests and find materials that the farm's owner desires.


  As far as mechanics, there too I had issues. When in battle, many times, I would throw a precious flash bomb into a monster's face, only for him to charge through it and kill me. Many times, a monster would lunge in a desperation attack and kill me after I clearly dodged the attack. Many times, I found myself close to winning a fight, and then pinned under a monster's body like a glitch, unable to move, while he charged up a killing spin attack. This was infuriating, and this was probably one of the toughest games I have ever played due to that. I must say, that along the journey, I lost a Vita system due to the rage this game induced. The bosses in this game have what is called a rage mode. When agitated or hurt, they will go crazy, and get stronger and faster. They become absolute nightmares in that mode. One crucial thing to take note of is the armor sets. As hard as it may be, you must construct armor sets that suit the level of the enemies your are facing, or you will find yourself in one hit kill scenarios. The game was actually designed for multiple players to cooperated and play together. I played solo, and I feel that the game overly punishes you for doing so. Many of these gamers online who cheese about the game, have a group of butt buddies they frequent the missions with, which makes a world of the difference. I beat bosses that people have given up on with help. That in itself makes me very proud. And when you think the pattern has been set, here comes the mix up. There are enemies in this game called Elder Dragons, and Colossal Monsters. Elder Dragons are high level monsters that have too much HP to take out in the normal 50 minute quest. They have to be battled and survived across several quests and terrains in order to take down.

  The colossal monsters, as I call them, are super huge monsters that you will tackle alone at a fort built by the town. This mission is to either take down the monster, or simple prevent him from destroying the fort and invading the town. You have several areas with  vantage points, blockades, and weapons set up to assist you, as well as a  final defense at the town wall. These missions were always tense, but also fun, and not as unfair as the usual bosses, yet equally epic.


  With all of that said, my journey has finally reached a point of completion. I must say, this is a game that is the wish of every gamer from childhood on. We all want a game that immerses you, challenges you, and never gets stale. This is a game where every decision is heavy, and every quest and objective feel meaningful. However flawed the execution, the premise of the game is absolutely amazing. I didn't spend the typical 215 hours of other RPG's. Every hour and minute was spent working tirelessly, and dangerously toward bettering my equipment and tackling epic monsters. Every victory I had, made me pound my chest uncontrollably in victory, because it was that big of a deal. Every day, I rushed home or into my pocket, to play more of this addictive game.

 As far as asthetics go, this game shines even brighter there. I played this game on my Vita, and I must highly recommend that for all gamers. The game supports Dolby Digital Surround, and it makes great use of it. The sound is intense and epic. Not only is the music beautiful and varied, but the sound effects and roars of the monsters even shocked those who listened nearby as I played. I honestly loved the music. I found myself picking up my trumpet and learning along as the many bright compositions played in the game.

  The scenery is magnificent. As I stated, the worlds you venture out into are enormous. And they are not fillers. They are well put together. This game holds up so well over time. I kept thinking to myself that I would love to have seen what it would have looked like if it were a Vita game. Rainbows, waterfalls, beaches, shorelines, jungle foliage, trees, swamp and marsh, volcanic ash and magma, all look amazingly rendered and alive. All the smoke and ice crystals and mist and snow are almost tangible. There was even a time in the rainy forest where the light reflected off of the puddles of water, and it honestly didn't look like a PSP game. It was very current gen. And all of these settings change, such as the conditions and the time of day, making certain spots on the map accessible at times. This makes my initial reservations at having just the one hub town, disappear. This game is beautiful. This is the kind of world you always wanted to escape into as a child.

 When I first heard about this game, it was many years ago  after high school. Some friends were playing it, but I felt it was a Pokemon kind of game. The idea of fighting monsters seemed weird to me. I truly regret waiting to jump in. This is an RPG that was way overdue. This game is an absolute perfect 10/10

The Beast-Season 4- Episode 2- The Art of Jokatech

Just stopping in to update via blog, what's going on these days. It's been quite a while, but there are a few projects in the works.

Jokatech Podcast- Episode 16- Support Spotify

This is an important  petition for all artists, and to all listeners. Stay tuned for updates. I will have more material up on Spotify shortly, and more of my album reviews posted. I will also be posting a review of a game soon.

1 Review -http://ventsmagazine.com/2016/10/14/cd-review-jokatechs-self-titled-ep/

Another Review http://newsroom.indiemunity.com/2016/09/jokatech-standing-still-symphony/

Current Minds

 This is specifically to address how hypocrisy has stifled the entertainment industry. I want to focus on particularly the handheld gaming market. I own a PS Vita. I originally didn't subscribe to the system, because I thought it was a rash release, and I appreciated what was an exploding PSP library and system at the time. However, Sony specifically tailored the system to complaints that the fans levied against them concerning the PSP. Fans cried that while the psp was beautiful, it had a screen that was too small, and lacked a second analog, making it useless to them.

   I saw designs from Sony leaked early on that depicted a PSP Go-type model with a second analog nub. It looked very sheik and cool. But one thing that I kept discussing with people before the Vita even launched, was the fact that amazing gaming has existed both handheld and on home consoles, long before Sony released the dual shock expansion for their Playstation system. My question to them was why we were acting brand new, and like the PSP was not an amazing console from top to bottom. Yet, on the other hand, when I looked at the rhetoric for Nintendo's handheld joke that was the DS, it was like being in another universe. Still to this day, you will find people who loathe Sony's handhelds and praise Nintendo's as having better games, graphics, and  controls. In fact, from the first Nintendo handheld, I have seen praise lobbed at them for being technically great. You have to be retarded not to be aware that the PS Vita is light-years more powerful than the 3DS. They are held to different standards. I own both, and while the 3DS churns out kiddie gimmick after kiddie gimmick, Sony pushes their library with variety and depth, and gets vilified for it.


  This is what has killed the industry. And this trickles over to everything. In today's society, good is rarely seen as that, and whatever is loudest and most mundane, wins. Because of this, a lot of great projects, have been scrapped. Particularly a mech suit game that I was very interested in, was cancelled due to both lack of support, and Sony shutting down the project by force.

 Also, a lot of the games coming out reflect how androgynous society is becoming. I've never seen more gender meshing games than there are today. Of course, it's sacrilege to speak against that, but whatever. Anyway, they also wanted a bigger screen right. Well now, all you hear are reviews that bash the Vita for it's undersized screen, and lack of dual-screens like the DS. When I read these reviews, it really feels like they are being controlled and filtered by a pro-Nintendo entity. How big do you want your handheld to be. Would you walk around with a brick the size of the Wii U? Also, every time something is ported to the Vita from console or vice-versa, you hear about the so-called limitations hindering how high they would like to rank the game. Last time I checked, the Vita was a gem of a handheld capable of reproducing and exceeding PS3 games, and rendering and cross-playing PS4 games. When did that become not good enough as far as power? And if that's the case, how is it the all you hear about the 3DS is how amazing the games look and are?

  The other day, one Youtuber I follow was raving about Dragon's Quest for the 3DS, and how amazing it looks. You never hear negative talk, or even mentions of limitations with 3DS titles, yet it is laughable to hold one of their games next to a Vita title, if you have 2 eyes and 2 brain cells. My issue is that there is a separate standard for trash these days. Being better far from guarantees success now, due to backwards and retarded logic being so prevalent.


  In the movie industry, eclectic ideas are frowned upon and feared, so those films either won't see the light of day, or will tank. People want simple and mindless films. One of the best recent movies I've watched, is Miles Ahead- an independent film by and starring Don Cheadle, who I have immense respect for. If you even read the interviews, you will be amazed that the film even left the ground, with all of the opposition and discouragement that he faced getting it funded and supported. There are also stigmas he had to  contend with, being that he needed a white co-star in order to push it at all.

  The movie- Miles Ahead, is artistic, crafty, deep, and beautiful. None of that appeals to society today. The reason The Revenant won the Academy Award is because it played to the crowd. No matter how dumb people get, they will always understand basic emotion. That film deserved an award based on the job he did doing the simple nothings like breathing and looking. He did it brilliantly, and the videography was transcendent, so they brought it all together. But as far as script writing, ,there was none. Plot didn't really exist. It was how the story was told. But I would give more credit to a film like Miles Ahead, which blends those techniques with deep dialogue and personality. Yet, Miles Ahead was one step away from being straight to DVD.


  Whether game or movie, or music, the releases today are trash. And the few indie gems we get are bashed by the insane. Getting back to the Vita, I have never heard more complaints about controls for games than I'm hearing now. This makes me scratch my head, because Sony specifically tailored the Vita to the complaints of the fans. These people cried that if only the PSP had just a second analog it would be perfect. So Sony added a second analog stick for the Call of Duty psychopaths,and threw in a front and rear touch screen. Somehow, that has translated to less, and you have to read these reviews for yourself to see how stupid they sound. You can't please people that are self-destructively retarded, but in the name of money, the industry tries, to its own detriment.

New Art Pieces by Jason K. Addae

These are some new pieces that I have completed, although I feel like that word never applies to me. I've been and am still in the ozaarks right now working on some things, and my next project is already in the works, but won't be released for quite some time. As more album reviews come in for Standing Still Symphony X, I will upload them. From now on, I'll refer to that album as SSSX.
Here are the pieces. Sorry. I am having scanning issues, so I'm doing my best to work on the quality of reproductions.

Bizzaa

 Drip

 Foudup

 Behind the Clothe and Thorns

Police Officer Nightmare

I just had a nightmare last night from the perspective of a police officer. It was weird. To set the scene, it took place in modern times, but it felt like a throwback at the same time. I was one of a group of police officers who were friends in our late 30's, partying at my apartment. We were there only briefly, and on duty, as we were in uniform. I don't know how that worked. Anyway, we were dancing to 70's style funk music and getting down. We were making some noise and commotion, so the neighbor underneath my apartment was knocking on the ceiling. He was an older guy who was a retired officer himself. As we finished up and made our way down the stairs, he was standing outside his apartment door. He pulled me aside at the staircase and said something to the effect of, "You guys are always making so much racket. I don't know why you don't just retire from your position and chill out doing something else...." I think he meant to serve in a different capacity. We were patrol officers or something. Those words were haunting.

 Shortly after, we were called to an area to respond to a minimal threat situation. Apparently, some locals were being harassed by two guys. I don't think weapons were mentioned. When we got the area, officers were already there. The thing is that some of us had on vests, and I was one of them. It turned out that it was two twin brothers, who were anti-police, and probably instigated the call on purpose. After the commanding officer began briefing, a shot fired from the distance. There were about 8 of us there at the time. I think 2 officers were inside the building. We dropped down and looked around the area, but saw no one.Whoever was shooting was moving from spot to spot. The shots continued to fire shortly after and were being aimed with precision. The officers without vests were struck. We were firing shots just to get time to get a better look, but still saw no one. More officers were struck, and the ones wearing vests were being shot in the head, as if the assailants were using scoped rifles. I was hit in the upper chest, and the last thing I saw was the two twin brothers closing in with machine guns to finish the unit off.

  I saw the scene play like 2 more times from the vantage point of the shooters, and it was terrifying. It makes you see how much danger officers have to deal with...

Experimental Music and its nature

Originally, I was going to do a podcast on this, but with so little time to record one, and a lot on my mind, I had to just get to writing.

 As some may know, I have a new record that is getting reviewed by some outlets, called, "Standing Still Symphony X." Over the years, I think to some people it's become sort of redundant hearing me address new projects and endeavors. In reality, from PR executives, I've been notified that I haven't done enough footwork. So I definitely have not been excessive. I think part of the issue has been that I reach out to mainly a group of people who have either worked with me or lived around me, and often times that can blight the reception of your work.

 I wanted to record this record for a long time. And before that, I was disgusted with the idea of it. You see, it has a couple of phases. It took me a while to understand experimental music, and then it took another period of time for me to get the confidence to perform it. As a matter of fact, in the review that I got from No Depression, he really did a good job of pointing out a lot of things that I didn't really realize about myself. I really gained a new respect for the art of reviewing material to be honest. It also got me to thinking... I started writing earlier today when I was reading the review, and I find that there are a couple of constants I've noticed in the critiques. This is what I wrote:



  "Experiment -the title and theme of many of my works, though it remained a stranger for so long. We all put on costumes. We all wear something. When we're naked, we can't be anybody else. We are then our flawed essence. Experimental music isn't what's only for some people. Vulnerability and honesty are. It's spacial music where we can't hide, and in a world of costumes and assumptions, it's hardly welcome.."


 After all of this time, I realize why I love this kind of music, and the fact that it was my destination all along. I personally think it is a genre that anyone can do. What comes out is what will be different. Experimental music is bare naked music. So many people and artists rely on hiding behind conventional structure. The truth is that experimental music does not lack structure- the artist has to create his own. I really like the way the critic brought out the point. In fact, he said things in there that I still can't put in my own words. I urge people to check it out. I think the review from No Depression is the review that the mainstream audience needs to see. In so many ways, the minute that I made this album, I said to myself that this is the album version of me. That is exactly what it is.

This is why reviews are so important

I have another review in, but it's very important itself. In fact, the critic made me really think about a lot of things. The way he did his analysis, I saw things about myself differently. Also, it reminded me how important it is for perspectives like his to be told. A lot of people browse by my stuff, and most just glance and move at times, but this here review, I sincerely urge you all to read. It will be more informative than just hearing about me from me.

http://nodepression.com/album-review/jokatech-standing-still-symphony-x

Jokatech Falls Flat On His Face in New Endeavor....

Alot of people think that my whole obsession is having my ego stroked and getting praise however possible. However, if you actually take time to get to know me and what I'm about, you'd know that is far from the truth. I set out to break boundaries, and I only wish to take all those who know of me, or are new to my work, on that journey with me. That's what it's always been about.

My new record, "Standing Still Symphony X," was briefly preceeded by "Standing Still Symphony," which was accompanied by 2 additional tracks. The album was an experimental foray, where I was determined to take risks. Albums like this also call for patience on behalf of the listener and the performer. It even took Miles several decades to dare to step into that territory, for the same reasons. You invite, and will receive backlash for that genre most times. And it's understandable. Because any true artist will tell you, as will I, that the aim is to get a reaction from the listener. What reaction is not the point. Just a genuine feeling.

  I give you the good and the bad. My first 2 records reviewed, received a 4/5, and a 3.5/5 respectively. That was the Magnum Opus series. But for years, I have always been afraid to abandon structure in my music, and stop being safe. Listening to old artists and new ones lately, who dare to do it, I really felt obligated to give myself that chance, whatever happened. Thus came the SSSX album. This album received a 1/5 by the first of several review sources. It may get high marks in the near future, but the reason I am most proud of this review, is because it evoked the most response from the critics. I've been asking friends and associates for some time to check out the material for themselves. When you read the review, you may laugh. But, it should make you wonder what he heard. I invite you to take a listen to the full album on my soundcloud. Be prepared to be toyed with and challenged, as the critics were. In fact, on their page, they invite listeners to agree or disagree with their analysis. But none of that can happen without a listen. The album is up for sale, but it's up on my soundcloud free of charge to listen, and on spotify. The full album is only on Soundcloud right now.


Without further ado, here is the link:
http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=18732

Jokatech Podcast Episode 14- Oh My

Jokatech Podcast - Episode 14- Oh My

Standing Still Symphony- Album

This is a link to my latest album - Standing Still Symphony. It is also on Spotify.
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jokatech2

Lebron on being the GOAT

This is a loaded topic- Is Lebron the GOAT. I thought it was unfair to  have the discussion after less than 10 seasons, but now with 13 in and the body of work he has put down, endearing many in the process, I believe it is now an intriguing debate. For the record, this is the comment I made on the First Take discussion board, following Stephen A Smith's rant.


I agree strongly with Stephen A Smith on so many points, yet there is a part of me that resents his notions, as well as the ignorant rhetoric below. I am the biggest Kobe fan, and one of the biggest Jordan fans. Normally, I would make each point that he made myself tack for tack. However, when I stepped back recently and really looked at Big Bro Lebron's career, it feels ignorant to ignore 2 key facts. 1. He is hands down, a better all around player than Kobe or Jordan ever were. 2. Neither of them really had singular impact that Lebron had on the league in his career, partially due to that. Really think about that last point. If you remove all emotion from your analysis, you have to realize that regardless of where you rank him, it's stupid at this point, especially with this last finals performance, to refuse to put him in the conversation. Bottom line, what is your preference? What it comes down to for me is that you were never concerned that Kobe or Jordan could hand out 15 assists while putting up 40 on any given night at will. You were never concerned that they could slice your defense up, or drop down and play with their back to the rim at any given moment at will. With Lebron you were. It's the same difference between Steph and Lebron. If Steph had 3 rings for 3 finals, I would still take Lebron, because I take championships with a grain of salt. There are athletically imposing player in Lebron's way to those titles. Mike was usually on another level athletically during his reign. I'll debate that all night, but I will always take a 1 man team over a guy who shines in a few areas. Lebron is the greatest 1 man team we have ever seen. Whether he is the greatest, I'm not set on that yet, as I still put Jordan there in most arguments, but he certainly has his case being made.

Super Mario 64- Long Awaited Review of a Classic

 Just look at this box art. There is so much I can say, and yet it's hard to think of just one at a time. It was 1996. The Super Nintendo was in full swing, as was the newly launched Sega Saturn, the Playstation, The Genesis, and even the older consoles of the 8 bit era.  In other words, it was as golden as the golden era could be. I remember at that time I was transitioning to a new school and a new environment. I was 11, and my family and I had moved to the Bronx. I had to make all new friends, but I soon fit right in. Me and a few friends would trade Gameboy games and talk about the latest Super Nintendo games, reading the game magazines together. In those days, the internet was scarce to non-existent. But we didn't care, because it wasn't necessary.

  Super Mario RPG came out the same year. I remember taking my time and playing through that game when I got it. I loved it, and all of the content they packed into that cartridge. When it comes to Mario 64, when it came out, I was aware, due to friends at the time having copies. They had it, but they never seemed to play it much. There was only one friend of mine, who was a year younger than I, who played the game thoroughly  and would convey his frustration to me during the time he was working on the game.  I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but I remember reading the Nintendo Power magazine which detailed the game heavily. That's where I saw the most of the game actually. I remember being blown away by all of the moves that Mario had.

 A couple of years later, I had Nintendo 64 myself. Oddly enough, I never got the chance or mind to purchase Mario 64. I don't know why to this day. I had every wrestling game I could want, and a few FPS's. But if I recall correctly, I didn't have a long run with my 64. Shortly after I acquired the 64, I used it as a trade in to get my Sega Dreamcast. I don't regret that, but I wish I had gotten a 64 back sooner. I ended up getting a Gamecube when it came out, and I played and beat Super Mario Sunshine, which was a spiritual successor to Mario 64. I loved that game, and still do, but I always resented how they got away from the combat controls and gameplay of the 64 game.


 By the time I got around to really considering Mario 64 again, I was into emulators, and determined to get a rom of it on my handheld. Eventually I did, and not long ago, I began the playthrough of the game. What really blew me away, is that even on a reproduced rom, the visuals are stunning to this day. They hold up extremely well, and are lush and vibrant with every bright scene in the game. This is something that others don't agree with, but that is the honest truth. This generation is full of tech snobs, who look at anything 4K and down, as ugly and inferior. That blows my mind. If you take Perfect Dark from the 64's final few games, and Black, which was a late Xbox release, under no circumstances are those games anything less than beautiful. If you look at Assassin's Creed Brotherhood on Xbox 360, how can you say that it's so ugly to look at, that it's unplayable? That's what these tech heads say. I guarantee you, you will be stunned by how Mario 64 holds up, if you take the game for what it is. I  was actually super shocked by how many varied worlds there are in this game. They're all lush, bright, and don't cheat you on area size. They all have tons of secret areas and objectives. I was playing through this game for quite some time, and put in dozens of hours. I could have put in twice as much. That's how huge this game is.

 I don't like the fact that whenever you start the game, you're outside the castle and have to go inside, all the way back to the dungeon or world you were working on. The game was actually super frustrating to play. I'm not sure how much of that is to blame on the PSP controls that I played it with. I honestly think the mechanics for Mario in this game, are about the stupidest I have ever seen. He moves like a friggin tank. Areas that require intricate movement in tight spaces, will have you dying randomly or having to sweat bullets while you crawl with Mario at -200 mph! There were some jump sequences in the game, where after carefully doing everything correctly, Mario would jolt additionally, as if he had turrets syndrome, and throw himself off of a ledge, ending the entire level. This often happened on stages that were already extremely long and dangerous. This frustration is where all my issues lie with the game, along with the idiotic camera, that positions itself to worsen whatever situation you are in. There are areas of the game where you are over a deadly cliff, and need to see where you are going. Not only will the camera zoom in and away from where you need to see, but it will flip, as you gingerly try to navigate a turn, causing you to throw yourself to your death.

  In all honestly, that's what made me eager to get to the end. I loved the game, the beauty of it all, and the depth of the adventure, but I can't see anyone having the patience to collect all 120 stars without sacrificing a system. Once I had the minimum of 70 stars, I bolted for the last fight with Bowser, which was insanely difficult as well. In each Bowser fight, you have to get him by the tail and throw him into one of the spiked bombs hanging around the stage. The timing you have to use to swing him into the spikes doesn't exist. At least it doesn't in the version I played. Bowser spins way too eratically and jerky to time the swing. In fact when he was lined up for it, my game wouldn't even have that instance within a frame, so I had to guess which time to let go. It took forever, and at one point, I had to resort to save states to get through this game. I hated doing that, but without it, I would have blasted the system.

 All in all, I'm glad I played and beat the game. It holds a special place in history, and this year marks its 20 year anniversary.  Better late than never. I would rate this game a 8/10

New Art Piece- Phases and Changes

I had a beautiful discussion with a fellow artist today that I won't forget. Not a whole lot was said. I picked up some pointers on shading and positioning of 3 dimensional art. But what I really loved about it was the atomosphere of the place and the stressing of the importance to break boundaries. It's so important to push the limits and then break them concerning any artistic idea you may have, regardless of the difficulty or time consumption in doing so. I had a few ideas, and this is one of them

Jokatech Podcast : Episode 13 - Win Lose or Draw

This is a podcast concerning some of the inconsistencies in sports and general, particularly boxing match decisions.