Life Lessons from Video Games: Finding a Good Player 2 in a Beat em Up World!

On January 22, 2014January 22, 2014 By James CastroIn Games, Opinions, Random FunLeave a comment

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but a recent conversation with my muse of a RevPub partner provided inspiration. A lot of stock is placed on “multiplayer” in video games nowadays. I admit, I don’t care for the feature for one simple reason: Anonymity. Playing a game online to me is playing a video game in a chat room from the 90s. Everyone is anonymous, which for some reason increases the a-hole quotient by 75% in about 85% of people.

In the arcade days, you had jerks that ran the machine, kids that tried to step up, and challenges face-to-face, but in the skating rink I played arcade games in people would get cocky, talk trash, and laugh about it later. Even losing didn’t seem so bad. With online gaming now, the lack of a person to play face-to-face with just makes a lot of people act 12 even if they’re 30… With the prevalence of online gaming, it seems we’ve started missing out on one of my favorite kinds of gaming: two player games…the kind you play when you’re actually IN the same room as your player two.

When I first started home-gaming this was THE way to play many games — my favorite of which was the side-scrolling beat ‘em up. My best friend Mike and I (friends for over 20 years) became good friends during games of Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter II, and Final Fight. My lovely but vicious RevPub counterpart, Raven, and I played the new Double Dragon Neon and proved how effective we could be as a fighting team, as well as a writing team. You learn a lot about the people you play with during the course of these games. I submit that you can tell whether someone could be a good friend, fair-weather friend, or mortal enemy based on how they behave during a side-scrolling beat ‘em up. It’s the basics of life in a microcosm of 16-bit simulation. Here are some benefits to playing these games with perspective friends, co-workers, mates, whatever. It’s a great relationship barometer. So just some basic thoughts on finding (and being) a good player 2 in a beat ’em up world:

Cardinal Rule of two-player side scrolling beat ’em ups: NO friendly fire! Working as a team is pretty easy. You can even do team moves, but you start punching me on purpose in the game someone’s getting hurt out of game!

Axel is whacking Blaze…with a weapon no less. Breaking the cardinal rule of co-op beat em up gaming!

1.) Does everyone share the Found Food? There’s really an etiquette to this. Found food power ups go to the person with the lowest health, or failing that, the one with the weakest constitution (usually the girl or kid character…sorry PC people) if a player rushes in to take that roast turkey when you’re in the red and they’ve got nearly full yellow they might be the “out for themselves” type.

Streets of Rage 2 Turkey — Roasted fowl found on the street. It’s good for everyone!

2.) Similarly, how are found weapons treated? Did you know weapons can be found EVERYWHERE? Trash cans, mail boxes, phone booths; everything hides a weapon. Two players with weapons are a juggernaut of insurmountable proportions. Beware the second player who drops his or her pipe (thereby maybe making it mysteriously vanish) to grab the recently found sword rather than keeping his pipe so you can have the sword and making a stronger team.

From the SoR remake. Axel with a pipe, Blaze with a knife. Life is good.

3.) A good friend won’t leave you in the midst of a multithug pummeling. Even if it means taking half the damage, the idea behind two player co-op is twice the enemies, twice the damage. Good player twos are there to thrash and get thrashed in turn right there with you.

Streets of Rage 2 bosses…and yep good player 2’s would be right there with you!

4.) If player two ever says “Ok, I’ll let them target me…it’ll give you the chance to take them out…” they’re a keeper. We all need more friends like these. As long as they don’t hog all your shared continues…

Shiva…anyone willing take take hits from this guy for you is a true friend…

5.) Real friends will avenge your untimely demise by viciously beating your assailant into blinking pixels. If you drop dead from a well-placed punch, kick, pipe, sword, barrel, whatever, a good player two should turn into Wolverine in a berserker rage and, in the words of Mack from, Predator cut your name into them!

With Wil Wheaton’s Table Top bringing tabletop gaming back into vogue, I can only hope Felicia/Ryon Day’s show Co-Optitude can do the same for playing video games in person!

Music: More Than One Voice

On January 12, 2014January 11, 2014 By R. PettyIn OpinionsLeave a comment

The Voice. American Idol. The X-Factor. Three shows with one common theme: singing.

As reality shows about singing competitions flood our culture, it made me wonder what happens to all those people who do something equally, if not more so, important: play an instrument. Why don’t they get the same hype and attention?

I read about music programs getting cut. My son and most of our friends don’t play instruments. Music is not just a good voice and “the look”. Music gets inside you, moves you, and there’s very little as sexy as a good bass line or guitar solo. We need to get our kids off the electronic devices and away from popular TV, and show them there’s more to music than a voice. As Paul Adelstein says in Be Cool, “everyone can siiiing.”

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve come across several talented kids – thanks, YouTube – and I’ve been blown away by how well these kids play. And they’re playing some complicated stuff. I’ve seen covers of TOOL, System of a Down, Iron Maiden, and many more. (Yes, I’m sticking with metal because that’s my favorite). These kids put in the dedication and work to cover some great metal songs, all of which were written by well-practiced, adult musicians.

So, take a few minutes and check out these videos. If a random song about a fox can get 300M+ views on YouTube, these kids deserve three-times that. Enjoy and spread the love!

Off the Top of My Head: On Self-Improvement

On January 8, 2014January 8, 2014 By James CastroIn OpinionsLeave a comment

There’s a lot of talk this time of year about “resolutions” and self-improvement. I took a moment to look back at things over the last year to review a big change I made and see if it can help others in a similar situation.

I spent nine years, 2003-2012, giving everything I could to an organization. Though it was a government organization and not known for productivity, I did pride myself on doing everything I could to be the exception to the stereotype of “lazy government workers.” I wasn’t alone; there were a lot of us there actually who worked very hard to ensure our overall mission was accomplished. I always felt doing the job well was more important than minor rewards, and it wasn’t until I began speaking with people who didn’t work where I did that I realized how bad things actually were. I had been there nearly a decade, was essentially a group leader, volunteered to be a committee chair, accepted lots of extra work and challenges, and had received praise for work I’d done in all aspects of my job…and still made about 25K a year.

My last year there I felt things became clearer. Maybe I was naïve for a long time, or maybe the environment changed. I was told a lot of conflicting things about why I could be moved into a semi-supervisory position but not paid for it. I found out how much money was wasted around the place on silly things like mobile electronic devices, new staff, and PC replacements. All while people were doing hard work for little money and others did very little work for quite a bit. I became pretty angry, disillusioned, and disgusted with the place. I was told, point blank, “We can’t do what we do here without you” only to be immediately told, “You aren’t qualified for any more money,” but I WAS qualified to do the work…just not get paid for it.

I soon realized that maybe I shouldn’t be angry at the place I worked. Yes, they were taking advantage of hard workers by paying them peanuts, piling them up with work, and telling them they wish they could provide raises…but never doing it. That all seems like grounds to be angry…but really I was angry with myself. I complained a LOT about the situation…but never did anything to change it. So when I had the chance, provided by the all-too-important contact who knows something, to break free and start, day one, making more than 10k a year more than I was at the previous place, I surprised everyone, including myself by taking the chance. I was nervous. I don’t deal well with change. I didn’t know much about the job, but I was still confident. I was still me. I’d still give my all to learn it and do it as well as I could. And within my first few weeks at the new place, a supervisor from another department came to see a database I built in my spare time that my supervisor mentioned to him. He came over saying “I was told you made something for us I just had to see…” No one claimed credit or tried to take possession, they just came by to see how it could be used. My first evaluation at the new job I was told how much I was appreciated and even rewarded for the work I do. It CAN happen.

So what was the point of this semi-rant? I know a LOT of people are where I was in 2012. They’re stuck in a situation they don’t like but put up with it because it’s what’s “familiar” or easy. And it is easy. It’s MUCH easier to talk about how you need to change and what you wish was better. It’s harder to do something about it. But you CAN do it, and if it’s affecting you to an extent that it intrudes on your life outside of the situation no one can change it but you. No one owed me anything at my old job. I allowed it to be what it was. No one owes me anything at my new job or anywhere else. Changes occur for those who seek them and stop talking about how they need a change and actually change.

I’ve found it works in all aspects of life. So the next time you start to think “I hate my job/situation/whatever” stop thinking and start doing something about it. If someone as riddled with crippling OCDs and neuroses as me can do it, anyone can!

So happy New Year, RevPub readers. Here’s to a fresh start for those who want it!

RevPub Christmas Special Favorites: Part 2

On December 25, 2013December 24, 2013 By R. PettyIn Opinions, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Merry Christmas from Revenant Publications!

If you’re reading this, you must have needed a break from the chaos and holiday cheer. I’m happy to help! In the spirit of the season, here’s my continuation from yesterday’s Christmas specials list:

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): I’m mean like Lucy and think Snoopy is the most smart-ass dog ever, so of course this is on my list. This is the only Peanuts special I really enjoy, and it’s message is very sweet. In fact, James even found a “tree” that reminded me of the one the kids took home and loved. The music is fun, too, and it’s a heart-warming little special that delivers a great message.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966): My amazing grandmother used to read this book to us all the time. It’s a terrific story and probably my favorite Christmas special. The Grinch and I are a lot alike: our shoes are too tight, our hearts are two sizes too small, and we hate the whole Christmas season. And like the story goes, our hearts grow, we see the meaning of the season, and have the twinkle in our eye. The TV special comes alive with wonderful, catchy songs and colorful images, and who can forget the Grinch’s evil grin?

Wings – A Terminal Christmas (1990), Twas the Heist Before Christmas (1995), All About Christmas Eve (1996): Wings is one of my favorite shows ever, and I don’t get to work it in nearly enough! The Christmas specials are fun and quirky and real. There’s not much fake Christmas cheer – it’s like watching a group of people deal with the holidays with jokes and lots of sarcasm. Families annoy them and people freak out. Of course, shenanigans occur but everything works out in the end, in its own way.

Spongebob – Christmas Who? (2000) and Fairly Odd Parents Christmas Every Day (2001): Being a parent rocks most of the time, and I’ve enjoyed these gems with my son for years. Once Spongebob learns about Christmas, he tries to bring it to Bikini Bottom. Squidward is the Scrooge character, and it is a fun episode with lots of good songs and sweetness. In Fairly Odd Parents, Timmy wishes every day is Christmas and the repercussions of that wish are awesome. His parents become slugs, the other holidays riot against Santa, and the fairies lose their powers because they have to give them to Santa. The people are exhausted as they sing, “On the 15th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” Both shows are great for kids and adults.

Psych – Gus’ Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy (2007), Christmas Joy (2008), The Polarizing Express (2010): It’s hard for me to pick a favorite from these three; they’re all good for their own reasons. If you haven’t seen Psych and enjoy random fun with a little crime fighting, you should check it out. These specials stand alone, and all are SO funny. One of my favorite consistent themes is the competition between Shawn and his dad to guess what they got for Christmas. There’s nothing like a little game to spice up the holidays!

We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday! Eat lots of food and laugh – it’s almost over!

RevPub Christmas Special Favorites: Part 1

On December 24, 2013December 23, 2013 By James CastroIn Opinions, TV ShowsLeave a comment

Back in October, we here at RevPub shared are favorite Halloween specials. In the spirit of that, we decided to share our favorite Christmas/holiday specials as well. Though Halloween still has most of our favorite specials, Christmas isn’t entirely left out and can produce some great, memorable moments as well. Here they are:

Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987): This is one of the most memorable from my childhood, though I only remember seeing it once, maybe twice. It was the height of claymation in the 80s after the California Raisins hit it big in their TV commercials. I loved this special — doo-wop, camels, the self-striking bells, and the “wassailing” lyrics runner. Of course my favorite, being the person I am, were the dinosaur hosts, Rex (the actor sounds like he’s doing a George Plimpton impersonation) and Herb the Styracosaurus. I just rewatched it for the first time in probably over 20 years, it’s still a great show.

A Garfield Christmas Special (1987): I still love all things Garfield. While this one has a more sappy ending than most Garfield stories (even the orange feline himself acknowledges it!) it is still one of my childhood favorites that still holds up. From the “gift that keeps on giving,” to the “doc boy, doc boy, doc boy” runner, and of course Odie’s gift exchange. Even the music’s good! I hope they still show this one every year!

Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989): It’s not the strongest episode of the veritable TV family, but it was the first time they broke out from shorts on the Tracy Ullman Show and had their own 30 minutes to fill. It’s still a great episode, and because it’s early in their lifetime, it feels more like an animated sitcom than a zany cartoon. The voices are still works in progress and the animation a little primitive, but it’s still a great show and takes you back to the basics of what made the Simpsons a hit.

MST3k Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1991) and Santa Claus (1993): I have distinct memories of watching these two episodes on Christmas Eve night during that “can’t sleep” phase of Christmas. Martians is completely absurd but perfect for riffing, and contains a number of hilarious runners, my favorite being “head butt” when the martians touch heads. Santa Claus is a goldmine of humor, from the creepiness of Santa’s cloud-spy lair, his horrible laughing reindeer, and the weirdo antagonist, “Pitch” the devil. It also has a quote that sticks in my mind, “Santa has the power to reverse film!”

Futurama Xmas Story (1999), A Tale of Two Santas (2001), Futurama Holiday Spectacular (2010), and the holiday song in Bender’s Big Score (2007): ALL of Futurama’s holiday episodes are brilliant shows about the nature of the holidays. They are also so dark that even the creators comment during the audio commentaries “wow, we shouldn’t have been able to air this!” But they are so wonderful. Where else can you see a robot Santa who judges EVERYONE to be naughty and tries to gun them down? Or Hanukkah Zombie (voiced by Mark Hamill) or Kwanzaa Bot, voiced by effin’ Coolio! (who’s been giving out the same book What the Hell is Kwanza? for 647 years!) Watch them with a sense of humor and they won’t disappoint.

Honorable Mention: AVGN’s Bible Games (2006), Bible Games II (2009), and Bible Games III (2012): I found the first of these episodes RIGHT after I found AVGN. They are some of the best and most entertaining Internet videos out there. They have throwing baby Moses in the water, “Sunday Fun Day,” and the great word search in the Game Boy version of the King James Bible. Definitely give them a watch to lighten the holiday mood!

My Christmas List

On December 19, 2013December 21, 2013 By James CastroIn Music, Opinions, Reviews, TV ShowsLeave a comment

My lovely and talented RevPub colleague posted her favorite and least favorite parts of the holiday season. In the same spirit, I thought I’d do a short and less creative list of my top five favorite holiday films, with a little bonus of holiday music at the bottom.

Christmas movies tend to follow a typical pattern, usually revolving around the “miracle” of Christmas and/or togetherness. That’s all well and good, but like any cliche it can get less entertaining as it’s used repeatedly in both movies and TV specials. Of course any “Christmas” movie will have that theme somewhere in it, but the ones I like tend to be the ones that either give that a twist (without devolving into pure anti-holiday, which seems like an easy way out in films) or use the holiday premise to make what might seem like a NON-holiday movie. Here they are, my top five Christmas movies!

5.) Die Hard: I used to say this was one of my top Christmas movies in high school and people looked at me like I was crazy. “That’s not a Christmas movie!” Since then, it’s kind of become accepted as indeed being a Christmas movie. The whole movie is set around the holidays (that’s why John McClain went to visit his wife after all) and references are made to Christmas all throughout (“It’s Christmas, Theo, it’s the time for miracles,” Run DMCs “Christmas in Hollis” at the beginning, and the holiday tape John uses at the end). Though the sequels diminished the premise, the original stands as one of the best action movies, and one of the most non-traditional, but still traditional, holiday films.

4.) The Ref: During the height of Dennis Leary’s MTV/standup rant-off, this movie came out as a good vehicle for the fast-talking comedian. Starring Leary, Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis, and a great ensemble cast of character actors, the film revolves around a cat burglar who bungles a job and has to take the world’s most dysfunctional family hostage. You have bickering spouses, annoyed relatives, and the mother-in-law from hell; all while we sympathize with Gus, Leary’s character, trying to remain in control. It’s far from perfect, but full of SO many great moments (two words: Sink Sprayer), and is so much fun it has always been a Christmas favorite.

3.) Home Alone: I went through a period in high school of Home Alone hate. I remembered it as Macaulay Culkin running around screaming. It wasn’t until last year that I came full circle and realized what a great Christmas movie it is. Probably the “most traditional” (whatever that means) movie on the list, everyone knows the premise and knows it has the “miracle” ending, but in between there is so many hilarious and memorable scenes; Angels with Dirty Faces used on visitors, the “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” automated party, great dialogue exchanges (Marv: “Yeah kids are scared of the dark…” Harry: “You’re afraid of the dark too, Marv…”), and of course the booby trap bonanza at the end. Some consider it schmaltzy, but it is so much fun and emotional without being overly so it holds up better than ever.

2.) Lion in Winter: I came to this film relatively late. Obviously, a kid won’t be interested in a dialogue-heavy period piece from 1968, but college-me found how amazing this film is. Starring Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Dalton, and a bevy of other terrific English actors, it’s set around Christmas time at the court of Henry II. He lets his rebellious wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, out for Christmas and the two of them scheme over who will inherit Henry’s kingdom (the noble but devious Richard or the dimwitted but supposedly-loyal John, middle son Geoffrey is largely overlooked). Though the premise is kinds and queens, it is actually just another messed-up family at Christmas and that’s what makes it great. I’ve never had a kingdom to bequeath, but many of us have seen parents bickering, kids taking sides, and random shocking admissions during family get-togethers. It’s an absolutely brilliant film, and one of my favorite movies, in addition to being a great holiday movie.

1.) TIE Scrooged & Nightmare Before Christmas: Richard Donner’s great retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is still my favorite Christmas movie. Perfectly cast, perfectly acted, wonderful moments of both emotion and humor. My RevPub counterpart did a masterly review on it previously and rather than just say it all again, here are her comments. I’ll just add, “I agree!” Nightmare Before Christmas is great because it’s both a Halloween and Christmas movie. It has all the terrific imagery of a Tim Burton film and explores the nature of one’s true-self and personal happiness. Even though it doesn’t have the typical “Christmas miracle” message, instead substituting a message of finding your place in your own world. It has wonderful music, a great story, and is perfect for TWO holidays!

Christmas Music:

Christmas music tends to have a grating effect on my psyche. There are only a couple notable exceptions and here they are in no particular order:

3.) Anything Heavy Metal: Raven posted a hard rock version of my favorite traditional Christmas song on her Good Things About Christmas post, and I tend to like the heavy rock versions of Christmas songs.

2.) Tales from the Crypt: Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas: My friend Kate at my previous job introduced me to this album. It is ridiculous, goofy, and sometimes so bad it’s good (the Crypt Keeper was like that…his puns…) but it’s so dark and wonderful, and a great change of pace for the holidays!

1.) John Denver and the Muppets A Christmas Together: My family doesn’t have a LOT of holiday traditions, but this is one. Every Christmas during the present opening we played this album. I know Muppet versions better than original versions of almost all of the songs on the album! I still play it at least once every year, and it’s one of those things that truly takes me back to that time when the world was simple, and sparkling lights and decorations made the world that much better of a place.