Flashback: Vacuums Suck

Yes. Oh yes. I have been waiting for this one for a long time now. All I have to say is that this game right here is probably the only reason I still have my Gamecube, because I'd feel like I was cheating if I played it on the Wii. This game's series is the only reason I'd ever get a 3DS, since its sequel was announced at E3 2011. This is the first game I had ever completely beaten, and it is probably the best Mario Bros. game to come out for the Gamecube, (I may have loved Sunshine, but this blew it out of the water.) What I'm talking about is the immortal Luigi's Mansion.

I may have mentioned before my opinion about Nintendo's 3DS-- I'm not a big fan. Ever since the DSi came along and tried to take away my precious Gameboy slot, I haven't forgiven Nintendo, to the point that I didn't even buy Black or White, as my own little form of Protesting. But what I didn't know until about a week ago is that at E3 '11 (while I was too busy watching out for Valve to hopefully announce Half Life 3: Rise of the Hats) I completely missed out on seeing Luigi's Mansion 2 being announced. Luigi's Mansion was, to be completely honest, the best game released on the Gamecube. I may have spent more time on MKDD or SSB Melee in the long run, but my real gaming hours went into Luigi's Mansion. Hunting Boos and yelling 'Mario' until I was sure Luigi was just plain stop. It didn't matter that Luigi knew that Mario had been kidnapped by King boo, he was going to yell his brother's name 'till the end of time, and nobody would stop him!

Armed with a Gameboy Horror, flashlight, and his magical little vacuum given to him by the renowned inventor E. Gadd (who also created FLUDD from Sunshine, made smoothies in Superstar Saga, and has appeared in many other Mario games over time) which allows for Ghostbuster-esque adventures through the Mansion you have somehow won, probably from a Nigerian Prince or something.

Later on into the intense adventure, finding the ability to shoot fire from your vacuum, sucking up giant rubies, sapphires, gold bars and 100 dollar bills which are randomly stuffed into corners throughout your new 'mansion' and enough frights that little 10-year-old-me had nightmares for a good couple of months gave me reason to respect this masterpiece of gaming. To this day, I still refuse to play Deadspace or Doom or Resident Evil, and I do believe its because I got so afraid from when little smug ghosts who would decided it'd be a great laugh to just wait underneath a chair or something, and then pop out and ruin my day, thanks for killing the survival horror game series for me.

--Santa

League of Legends: Big Daddies and OP Ninja's

Looks like Riot's been hard at work this week making Nautilus, but I can only wonder, how many AP Tanks is enough? Don't get me wrong, I do like Leona, Volibear (Whom I've lovingly re-named Roli-Poli-Voli) and now Nautilus (who also may be one of the first releases in a while who could be underpowered, or just plain useless) but I would love it if Riot would just take a step back from all these new characters, and take a bigger focus on in-game items, or new mags, or just general game changes. Champions are cool an all, but let the rest of the game catch up to your 100,000+ champions.

Looking through the patch notes here, I can see that all Shen players are going to dominate for a very long time. Not to say that Shean was not needing a buff, but more that an OP Tank can really ruin my day. Once again, I think it would be fun for Riot to play around with more characters, and not add more to the League, give us a chance to settle in a bit, and really get to know our champions.But enough om my persistent nagging. Here's the Free Champions!

Champions for Week 12, Season 2

• Alistar- Giant support tank, pretty cool guy, especially when you want a bullish tank. (GHET IT? HE'S A BULL!)
• Ashe- 450 IP gets you one of the best known champions in the LEague, tons of AD, and an ult that can annoy anyone. Also fairly easy to learn.
• Gangplank- My first champion. Melee AD Carry. Has the only sex joke in the game. What a guy.
• Heimerdinger- My SECOND champion. Like a midget Schrodinger-Einstein mix, with the ability to put down turrets like the Engineer.
• Janna- Elf-thing who controls wind.
• Malphite- Giant golem tank with annoying slows/stuns.
• Lee Sin- Blind guy who destroys everything. Enough said.
• Sivir- One of the other really cheap champions. Ranged AD and enough harass to make little Ezreals everywhere cry.
• Volibear- Roli-Poli-Voli loves to harass, jungle and eats Yordles. Probably the strongest AD Tank in the League, and one of the most annoying to counter, unless he goes straight Warmogs.
• Ziggs- Newest champion. Who wants to try out a bomb toting Yordle with a high-explosives ult? I know I do.
  

Enjoy the rest of your day, internet, I've got some LoL to play.

 

--Santa

Ironic Animals and Viewing Screens

If you spent your time growing up in a similar fashion as me, you probably have spent a good chunk of your life of the internet. I personally feel right at home on the internet, my head is a vault filled with metric gallons of memes. I really have been far even as decided to use even go want do more look like. I remember when YouTube was a year old, deviant art was full of idiots (and to some point, still is) and icanhascheezrger was no more of a conglomerate as there were fails on the internet. I remember so many things from my days of randomly browsing the internet. But I wasn't a regular on sites like YTMND or Funnyjunk. My upbringing was more on AlbinoBlackSheep, and eventually, Youtube. 

For those of you who may not have heard of AlbinoBlackSheep just imagine a mix between Newgrounds and AddictingGames, flash games and flash videos without the ranking system, it feels like a more casual site. ABS (similar to the break system) was the site to first introduce me to memes, and from there, my love of the iternet. The flash videos on ABS range from completely random to down right stupid, only adding to and shaping my own sense of humor.

What I got most from ABS was Animutation. (Use care while watching some of the videos, some are quite NSFW)  Animutation was created by Neil Cicirega, you may have heard of him, he made the Potter Puppet Pals series and is quite popular on YouTube. Hyakugojyuuichi, which is riddled with so many refrences and memes (most of which are ancient) that going back and reviewing them now almost baffles me. But, I remeber this flash video well. Although you may not have heard of Animutation, you can be certain that if you've watched enough flash videos, you've seen the style. You know when you cut out the obttom of the mouth on a picture, and then move it back and forth to show speak? Just one part of 13 year old Cicirega's brilliance.

For those of you who have been to or have now viewed ABS, you may find it quite odd, or just think of me being an idiot for liking what makes absolutely no sense, and you know what? I really don't care. There is a reason that I can't look at JJ the Jetplane, the Smurfs and Mr. Bean the same way anymore. There is a reason I break out everyrime I hear the word Ixofalxonigl, and there is a reason that I enjoy memes, and it all started with these random few videos, and if you got the time, brainpower (or perhaps lack of) and stomach to watch (some of these videos do contain child-ruining content. You have been warned) then go on ahead, and you know what? Welcome to the internet.

--Santa

Flashback: Flash Games and Destruction

I may have grown up a hard-core Nintendo fan, but that didn't stop me from going out and trying other systems. I had played on the other competition's best games (keep in mind this was the 6th generation of gaming, so it was back when graphics like Halo 2's were supreme) I had my first taste of Halo, one play of GTA, and didn't think a computer was a gaming device, it was just the internet, which back then was only a series of tubes, and didn't even have any LOL cats on them just yet. I was young, and so was my appreciation of gaming, but I soon found out about one of the internet's many secrets, and one that is the chagrin to many computer teachers everywhere: Flash Games.

Many of you probably know what I'm talking about, I mean really. You ARE on the internet. Sites like AddictingGames, Kongregate, notdoppler and many others were fantastic for idly wasting time while you were supposed to be doing some big project. We've all been there. Games like The Impossible Quiz, Kitten Cannon, Sunny,  SCGMD (Super Crazy Guitar Maniac Deluxe series) have made me stop doing some reading assignments in favor of chucking kittens out of cannons to playing crazy guitar riffs. But, lets narrow our focus. There is one series of games that still makes me check these websites, even though I've got games like TF2 and Terraria to play instead. I am of course referring to one to monkey, and their balloons.

To be more precise, Bloons, in the form of the original "Bloons" where you played as a monkey with an intense hatred for balloons, and an immense love for the sound of their popping, and would go on genocidal bloon-killing rampages. But there was another version which turned your monkeys into towers, and made my all-time favorite tower defense game, the Bloon Tower Defense series.

Its as simple as it seems. Elements shown throughout the series of the original Bloons would be used for the destruction of side-scrolling Bloons on their path to destruction. You build the tower you so desire, update it, and watch the mayhem unfold. It really was a very amazing idea if I do say so myself. Recently Ninja Kiwi (the developer of  this all-mighty game) released the 5th version, with new towers, upgrades, and maps that I care to explain. Just click and try it out for yourself. Its a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours (which can very quickly turn into a whole day escapade)

Other than this, I think I have my weekend all planned out. TF2, Terraria, and Bloons TD 5, oh my! But, before I leave for this weekend, have you seen the new comic for the Big Daddy-esque champion entering the League soon? I'm not quite sure what to think just yet, but I want more AD champions. The last new champion released that was AD was Graves, I think he could use some company.

--Santa