I guess I'm doing okay. It's been nearly three weeks, and I'm..well, I guess it's starting to sink in more. Once again, I just stopped and kept thinking, "I'm really going to miss him." It's beginning to feel real. My only brother is dead. That's...yeah. You probably won't be seeing any other tributes, since I put my all into the behemoth from the other week. Nonetheless, Michael will be mentioned if he was involved with a game in some sort, so you can keep on the lookout for those cameos.
Before I move on, I have to give a big shoutout to the massive response to my tribute. Aside from the comments, I had a bunch of heartfelt replies on Facebook and tales from my parents of coworkers who were incredibly moved. It should go without saying that I'm incredibly thankful for all of you being there for us during this time.
In any case, you can think of this as a quick "What's going on in my life" post. In other words, some of the things I might have promised on my very first post. Plus, I really gotta get these things out there. Let's get this thing rolling.
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You might've been wondering if, after everything that's happened, I'm going to end up writing about this year's Otakon. In truth, it's still up in the air. On one hand, obviously having to deal with the death of my only brother is going to take away my enthusiasm of a convention. Plus, I'm starting my first year of college next week, so I'm not really sure if I have the time for it. On the other hand, there are so many things I really want to go over and share with people that I can't just let it go to waste.
Unfortunately, things might suffer on the aesthetic side. Very shortly after the convention, I realized that I had taken all the photos AND the videos sideways, which I was really cheesed about. I can fix the photos, but I'm getting the sense I can't do the same for the videos. Even worse, this all depends if I can salvage my phone,which I broke the other day and had stored said photos/videos. It's a stressful time, to be sure.
I'm thinking that in the event in case everything is safe, I might end up writing up a seperate entry showing off all the cosplay/wacky fire alarm hijinks on tape/awesome swag (the posters I got kick ass! I gotta hang them up soon). As for the con itself, I think in this situation a brief overview might do the trick:
-Of course, the whole con was a blast. Didn't have the same shock value as last year did, but I think I ended up having more fun this year.
-Cosplaying as Lloyd Irving (the character up above) was a pain in terms of getting dressed, but it was worth it seeing people recognize my costume. To the Raine Sage who ran up to me with a Monster Book in hand, you're still in my nightmares!
-Of all the famous anime guest stars that came this year, I only got to meet Maile Flanagan (voice of Naruto Uzumaki). I'll be honest in saying I'm not really into Naruto anymore, but as someone who had his first taste for the series from the dub (a fact that surprised her), it was really cool meeting up one of the dub actors I used to read about. I got her to yell a quote my Mom made up when she watched the first fifty episodes with me ("Mommy Hug Jutsu!"), and I recorded it on my now deceased phone.
If there is anything I can salvage from it, please let it be that.
-The Dealer Room was as huge as ever, but I didn't end up spending a lot like I thought I would. It was kind of more of the same from last year. Still had a really good selection, though. Come to think of it, they had these really neat dragon figurines I wanted to get. Maybe next year..
-On the brighter side, the Artist's Alley was MUCH better then last year. They had everything from awesome posters to the softest plushies ever. If only I had more dollar bills with me...yeah, heads up to you newbies. Most of the guys there don't use cards, and they really don't like it when you take pictures.
In any case, to whoever won the giant Shadow of the Colossus piece in the bidding area...you have my jealously until the end of time. At least I found a Mother 3 poster. -I met several friends that I knew online at the convention! I'll be referring to them by their net names. I met Baka (Of fellow amateur gaming blog, Insert Disc), who I met at the absolutely huge Barnes and Noble down the harbor and we joked over how much the "Manga Cows" had ripped through the manga aisle. Then there was lwelyk (also of Insert Disc), who proved to be my superior in Mario Kart. Lastly, there was Shyguy, a fellow One Piece fanatic. Still wish we got to play Brawl together. Nice meeting all of you!
*Manga cows are a term for readers who simply plop down in the manga aisle and read through the volumes while not buying them and simultaneously obstructing broswing space. Many people complain about this online, but surprisingly enough I've never encountered them in the bookstores I shop in. Was I in for a rude awakening in Baltimore...*
-I went into the video game room and played Super Smash Bros. Brawl. This is something I'm going to get into much detail later, but I really do not care at all for the competitive scene for the series. Maybe it's different in real life, but I absolutely cannot stand the pretentious mindset that I've seen online. Man, those freaking Melee fanatics...
Not here. All of the guys I've battled with both of my years at Otakon are incredibly friendly and have amazing sportsmanship, one of who told me that handing him a ticket I had purchased earlier was "the nicest thing ever anyone ever did for me." Best match by far this year was a really close match (In the Pictochat stage, of all places!) with the last two players being me (as Olimar) and a guy wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog hoodie (guess who he was playing as?) I lost, anyway, but man...super fun match.
Browsing around the room, I also sat down and played the eccentric Battle Stadium D.O.N, a goofy Japanese crossover fighting game featuring the cast of Dragon Ball, Naruto, and (my favorite!) One Piece. And then lwelyk and I sat down to play Mario Kart: Double Dash!! along with a girl who believed Ness was from Paperboy. I'll be seeing her in a dark corner later.
-Much of the cosplay was great this year, aside from a rising increase in male crossdressing. Highlights include a pack of Pikmin, a 2D cutout of the walking Chozo statue from Super Metroid, and astoundingly enough, Usopp's Chopperman alter ego, Usobadaba, from One Piece.
-I attended two panels. Bad, Anime, Bad!!, of which the goal is to present obscure, horrendous anime, was a huge hit with the audience. Our dose of comedy was some godawful adaptation of Frankenstein that featured hilarious commentary by the host. We enjoyed it so much that I wished he had showed more pieces of torture, but time constraints wouldn't allow it. Hope he'll be back next year!
Then there was Ten Things You Didn't Know About Dragon Ball, hosted by veteran Dragon Ball fansite Daizenshuu EX. It was a super fun panel that actually touched upon certain issues I was wondering about (mainly the "Budhiyasa" character and a certain tidbit about Android 17). A particularly cool moment was that one of the hosts, Meri, was the webmaster of "Temple O'Trunks." On that site were the infamous, "Trunks Feature Films", of which were screenshots depicting the lives of Dragon Ball action figures. These little skits actually had a huge impact on the games my friends and I used to play down in my basement in terms of, what else, humor! So essentially, someone who had influenced my life was right there on stage. Wish I got the chance to say something.
And while I'm at it, the way they went about the "Dragon Ball AF" rumor can only be described as genius.
Thanks to them, I've been on a huge Dragon Ball kick. Just what I needed...Budokai 3, here I come!
-Someone pulled the Fire Alarm. The crowds were huge. I can only imagine the reactions of drivers in traffic witnessing people in fairy costumes prancing along the street. Super crazy stuff.
So yeah, really fun time.
I'll have a big writeup next year, promise.
-------
So I found out something the other day that really pissed me off.
Smash World Forums, a once beautiful place now ravaged by douchebag tournyfags, had the brilliant idea of archiving every post and topic prior to 2007 as of last month. In other words, if it existed before that period of time, you can't view it anymore.
Ugh.
I understand the issues of space, but holy shit, did they really have to resort to doing that? Man, I remember back when Smash Boards was actually tolerable to mingle in, was populated by some really charismatic personalities and had an awesome sense of humor. Now it's just a haven for discussing competitive Smash, not to mention it's filled with douchebag tournyfags frothing at the mouth at how much Brawl was an insult to all of humanity.
No matter what anyone there now would tell you, the true highlight of Smash Boards were the miscellaneous ones. I don't think I'm ready to discusss just about every one of them, but did I love the Creative Minds board or what? This was back when, as far as I knew, fanfiction wasn't used to craft fangirls' effing disturbing fantasies. The Endless SSBM Story. Kirby's Quest. Academy of Smash. Not to mention all the ones my friends and I made. Now most of those fanfiction are locked away, and it would've been all of them if one of them hadn't been bumped up by a stray poster two years back.
While reading through the Academy of Smash, I found that while there was an obvious childish tone in the writing, I still found myself enjoying it. A harsh contrast to what I thought I had learned over time. It's true that except for our true passions, many of the things we enjoy as children often lose their effectiveness as we grow older. We can never really play with toys again, and we can't be expected to just plop down and enjoy an episode of Sesame Street. Yet here I was, engrossing myself in a piece of fanfiction I used to read when I was eleven years old. Twelve years old. And it faded into disuse after that.
The author's living it up as a well-known artist on DeviantArt. I hope he's doing well. It's been a while since we talked.
I think what I'm trying to get across here is that though much of what we enjoyed as children might not entertain us the way they used to, I'd still like to keep them around. I'd like to look back on them, just point and say, "Hey, I used to really love that. It inspired this piece of my life." I mean, granted, The Endless SSBM Story was a really funky piece of work (If it ever sees the light of day again, oh the joy I'll have discussing its virtues) but damn I remember how I looked forward to reading to reading a new entry every morning. The value of patience!
In any case, there's a ray of hope. The announcement regarding this states, "I hope as technology progresses/our server farm expands/and mainly VB improves itself to restore it at some point." Somehow, I get the feeling they're not really going to care whether or not these posts remain archived, but one can only pray.
Childhood was the greatest. It's best, however, that we move on with the feelings and memories we can craft today.
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So, what's gonna happen next?
I'm not too sure, at this point. I can can confirm that the long-awaited Kirby's Adventure will be making its debut on here next month, and I'd like to write a review for that neat Tales of Vesperia game I've been playing through. I think what I really need at this point is a more consistent schedule, both on here and in real life. I don't want to be stuck talking about just one game all the time!
So I guess what I'd like to say is that I'd like to update more.
I remember I was somewhat upset at the condition of the basement. There was some sort of leak with the air conditioner or whatever and it got onto the floor, so we had to pull back the carpets and crowd all of my game consoles and furniture onto one side of the room. There wasn't much space after it was done.
"I can't play video games in this condition," I mumbled. It had been a stressful week, and I intended to play Tales of Symphonia and Kirby's Adventure for the rest of the day to let it all out. After pacing back and forth, I realized there wasn't much point in fretting over this. There'd be plenty of time to play games. I'd just have to find something else to do.
It was an entertaining morning. A friend and I were texting inside jokes from our visit the day before, and I was chatting with another friend about the glory days of the Super Nintendo. It's so surreal how I wasn't around for it during its time, yet I still believe it's the greatest console ever made. I thought back to how my brother Michael used to play Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country. "He sure used to love games," I commented, thinking back to how we played Goldeneye, WWF Warzone and Mario Party together. The technican guy came over later and took a look at our dilemma. It turned out he had a misinformed report, but he still had the necessary tools in order to the job done. Real friendly guy. All in all, it was a fun day.
Then Dad called.
There was something in his voice. I couldn't tell...he was just asking me if the guy came over. If I took Carlo out. He was weary with sighs. He hung up. I didn't really think much about it.
I was hanging around downstairs with the dog when Mom arrived home. She was staring at her phone. The moment I said hello, she told me to have a seat on the couch.
I recognized that tone instantly.
As I took a seat down on the ottomen, my mind raced with possiblities. Was everything okay? Did someone die? Was a grandparent in the hospital?
My mom took a deep breath and looked at me. "You know about your brother's drug problem..."
I flinched, then closed my eyes solemnly and my head drooped. It was just like the time when I was told back in May he had relapsed. I waited, preparing once again for the flood of details. Back to rehab, some douchebag friend sold him drugs, he committed some sort of backstabbing act. I was ready.
"He had an overdose."
My eyes shot back open and I stared back at her, unbelieving. It was so silent. I could feel it in my throat. Was he alrig-
"He's dead."
It was then I noticed how red her eyes were.
Then I took in what she just said to me.
I could feel my head shaking. I just stared at her face. My mind was repeating that over and over. He was dead.
Michael was dead.
"Let me look into your eyes," I begged her.
She choked up. "I wouldn't lie about this, Anthony..."
I wanted to say it. I wanted to say that I did believe her. I just wanted comfort. I didn't get it out.
I sighed. My eyes darted up and down and back to her. Then I just accepted it. Just like that. Michael's dead. All of a sudden, everything didn't matter anymore. I told Mom that I would live every day in his memory. I'd do it for him. We hugged so hard. I went upstairs to inform the world.
My brother is dead.
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It's been seven days since Michael's death.
A whole week. And it has gone by so fast since then. And life will go on. It will go on tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and so on.
In all of this, I keep thinking of back to when I was nine years old. I was an excited little boy, hyped up in preparation for the Gamecube console, recently introduced to the wonders of Cartoon Network, and had begun reading the newspaper. Thanks to two of those elements, there were a couple of thoughts that raced across my mind, of which I silently assumed would come true: I would play Super Smash Bros. Melee every day after it came out, and I will cry every single day after a family member dies.
I was wrong about both things. I haven't genuinely had fun with Melee in over six years, and it took me three days to shed tears over my brother's death.
It's weird. Through so many forms of media, whether it be the news or movies or books or games or television, it's been expressed so many times that losing a family member can be the worst thing to happen to you. And you know something? Until the viewing the other day, I was very composed about this situation, despite that this is the first death I've experienced in the close cluster of my family tree.
The fact that my first experience with death is my older brother is heartbreaking enough. I'm going to have to start my first year in college with this hanging over my shoulders, and my first job, and my first date, and throughout the rest of my life. And yet, I'm just sitting here. As of this writing, I'm sure it still hasn't really sunken in. Maybe it has to do with my brother being in and out of the house over the past five years. Maybe I'm just resilient and refuse to go down. All I know is that my brother is dead, I'm probably more in denial then I think, and everyone in my family, particulary my parents and those over fifty, are devastated.
I've decided to live in his memory every single day for the rest of my life. But that's not good enough for me. I can't just go on living and not forge some sort of tribute for someone who was in my life for eighteen years.
This is a tribute to my brother Michael. Someone who I thought would be with me my entire life.
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I remember a ton of facts about Michael when we were younger, and they're still sprouting up one by one. Batman was his childhood hero. He held a brief fascination with Wallace and Gromit. He played with Legos. He liked watching The Simpsons until "kids started watching it". He used to read Calvin and Hobbes. We adored forbidden material in South Park and Spaceballs.
And, of course, staying true to his title as a big brother, he teased the crap out of me.
I remember when I was planning up my imaginary video game, Anthony Pelone 64. I drew a poster for it and when no one was looking, he put "Rated R" on it. He warned me that the fire alarm in the basement would blow up the house. He imitated the creepy death notice from Oregon Trail. He'd sneak into my room late at night and say, "Hey, Anthony. It's me, Jonathan. I live in the attic."
Then he drew a picture of a robot stating, "Anthony is cool!" It's hanging up on the stairwell heading down to the basement. I still think it's a trick.
Michael never stopped at just pestering me. He would take jabs at virtually everyone else in the family. He delighted in mimicking my father's mannerisms ("HEAVEN ALMIGHTY GOD FORBID NEVER IN ALLLL MMYYYY LIFFEEE") and found it particularly hilarious when I would copy his every move during church. He liked to imitate voices of our grandparents, and our mom commanding us to "Sit on the step!" He wasted no time into twisting something around and reverting it to toilet humor. He even picked up on some of my own traits, taking part in the "Morning Dad/Evening Mom" gag, and of course the "Smelling Noise". He was the typical jack-of-all-trades smartass.
And yet, Michael would always be willing to lend a hand. He'd assist me with math he himself had done years earlier. He helped me get my amateur webcomic site up on Geocities. Every now and then, he'd help me get through a tough stage in a game. He'd always be serious about helping me, being honest and even blunt about what we could and couldn't do.
I think looking back, that was what I admired most about Michael. I've always felt insecure about voicing my concerns in fear of being criticized. I would always cower in an argument. Very rarely did I ever stick up for myself. That wasn't Mike. If he had a problem with something, he'd let it be known. He was headstrong about his beliefs, and yet at the same time he would feel guilty about his mistakes. He could admit he did things wrong.
..Most of the time.
I noticed Michael grew a lot more serious in his teens. It was weird. He could still joke around, but everything seemed to be serious business for him after his first brush with drugs. As the years passed by, his tone grew deeper, his speech slurred. The only things that really seemed to matter to him were going out with friends and listen to music. Maybe that's why it became hard to approach him over time.
But even then, there was a certain warmth to Mike. He wasn't always around for me, but I knew he loved me. He cared deeply for his parents. He had a large number of friends, many of which I know he had fallen out with. Being around Michael, one could be themselves and laugh and be happy.
I could. It felt nice to hug him.
-------
There's a song I've been listening to over the past week. It has, for some ungodly reason, helped me more than any other song in dealing with Michael.
And here it is.
The theme song to the cartoon adaption of Pokemon.
Yeah.
I have a large history with this song. When I was seven years old, I was an absolutely rabid fan of Pokemon. The games, the toys, the show, the movies, the card game, I loved it all. I pretty much ate, slept, and breathed Pokemon. My brother held a neutral interest in the series, sitting comfortably at the sidelines only dabbling into the card game every now and then. Of course, his smartass nature wasted no time in making fun of the anime origins of the show (and yes, you too, Dad), but thanks to a certain practice of mine, it was taken to the next level.
My grandmother gave me a radio one Christmas, and I think around the same time I received a CD that was based off of elements from the Pokemon cartoon. Track numero uno was the full version of the theme song. Every day, I'd turn it on full blast, and listened to that one song for hours on end. In no time at all, everyone in the house had memorized the lyrics. This, of course, included Michael.
And then he started singing it. It would drive me insane! Not only was it embarassing, it was supposed to be my song! He would receive a quick smack in the gut or on the back in retaliation. That never stopped him, though. It became a well-known running joke. Long after I outgrew the cartoon, he wouldn't stop. The song had grown into an abomination in my eyes, and he knew it. Mom told me the other day he'd crack up to himself before heading off to perform it, no doubt foreseeing my reaction beforehand.
When I visited him in rehab back five years ago, he said he drew a card for me. When I took a look at it, it was a crudely drawn picture of series protagonist Ash Ketchum, who sported a dopey look I'll never forget, telling me we had to go on an adventure. I'm pretty sure he belted out the song lyrics, too.
Looking back, that was probably my favorite moment of Michael. He was going through a period of suffering and even then he still found the time to poke fun at his younger brother. Classic.
I listened to this song for the first time in ages a few days ago on Youtube and surprisingly enough on iTunes, and no sooner did Mewtwo leap across space I was taken back to the days of 1999. Back when the only things that mattered to me were Nintendo, Pokemon and Nickelodeon. Back when Michael was still a troublemaker but was still a valuable member of the family. Back when everything was just right.
Back when Michael still liked wrestling.
-----
You know something? Once upon a time, Michael had a hobby other then music. It's an activity that's phased out over the years. It was wrestling.
The room I'm sitting in right now was filled to the brim with wrestling memoribillia. Posters of Steve Austin plastered the walls, various magazines made their home in Mike's growing closet, and I think maybe he even put some of the action figures on display. He was just as hardcore about wrestling as he was about his eventual permenant hobby, I'm dead serious.
Oh, and by the way, it was back when it was still called WWF.
Aforementioned "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was Mike's favorite wrestler. I still don't see the appeal, he looks like every other muscular guy out there. Now Kane, there was a badass. Anyone who is decked out in complete red and black and wears a mask has my approval. Naturally, those were who we played as in the Nintendo 64 wrestling games. He'd always beat me. In one of them, Warzone, there was a Create a Wrestler mode I spent a lot of time with. Another thing that amused Mike was that I'd always end up making big fat guys dressed up in a gaudy white outfit with glasses and high heels.
Michael would talk about wrestling all day. I remember while scanning through one of his magazines, he'd tell me how you can actually send fan mail to the wrestlers and they might even write back. I wanted to send one to Kane. I still might want to. I'd say, "Hey, back when my brother was really into wrestling, I thought you were the coolest guy ever. If you see Steve Austin, tell him how much my brother Michael admired him. He was his favorite."
One special memory I have with Michael and wrestling was about twelve years ago. We headed out with Dad to watch a WCW match, and I still remember being in awe of the size of the stadium. We could barely see the wrestlers from our seats, they were like ants. There is one, and only one thing I remember about this match. Goldberg, who I always thought had an uncanny resemblance to Austin, had performed an upset that sent the crowd wild. Cheers quickly arose, "Goldberg rules! Goldberg rules! Goldberg rules! Goldberg rules!"
I didn't like Goldberg, either. Before I knew it, I yelled out, "Goldberg STINKS!!!!"
We joke about that every now and then. Wrestling, good times.
And then ten years ago, all of that disappeared. Posters were in the trash, the magazines were gone, and I never saw those N64 games ever again. I asked him, "Why don't you like wrestling anymore?"
"Because it's fake," he replied. And that was the end of that. I don't think I heard him mention wrestling ever since.
-------------------
Everyone who knew Michael in real life shared some sort of connection to his one and only hobby: Music.
Michael loved music just as much as I love video games, and that is a hell of a thing to say. After his obsession with wrestling ended, Michael started picking up various bands like he had known them his entire life. The Get Up Kids. Jimmy Eat World. Alkaline Trio. Wheezer. Green Day. He even inherited our folks' love of Bruce Springsteen and started a band.
And you know what? I can't tell you a thing about any of them.
I largely ignored Michael's passion, and I could tell the feeling was mutual. He liked music, I liked video games. We were interested in each others hobby in one way or another (He preferred retro games, I like video game music), but we never made an attempt to dive into each others world. And we were cool about with that. We didn't try to force our hobbies onto one another.
When my brother was lodging in my uncle's apartment four years back, he took me out to see a concert for what I believe was for Saves the Day. It was an interesting experience. Michael got to take a photo with Chris Conley and later commented how stupid his face looked. I didn't see what the fuss was about, he looked like the same old Michael to me. Kind of like Mom and her reaction to my bed hair.
I've talked to quite a few of Michael's friends since the viewing and read the consistent stream of mourning on his Facebook wall, and they've told me how much of an influence Michael had on them with their music experience. Through this one hobby, Michael had touched so many people I never knew about. My cousin Joe, who had grown up with Michael, told me the very same thing.
It is for this reason that I am so proud of him. Thank you all for being there for my brother.
-----
I suppose considering that this is a blog about video games, I'd have to include them as well.
One of my very first memories is playing with Michael's Super Nintendo. We had Super Mario World. Donkey Kong Country. Earthworm Jim. Super James Pond (Yes, Pond). Mario's Early Years: Fun With Letters. Back then, he was always the one playing games. He played Mario World and Country daily. I wasn't very serious about them. Video games were just another toy to me.
Then he received a Nintendo 64 for his birthday in 1998. Everything changed. Before I knew it, the console gripped me into its clutches and I converted into a Nintendo freak for life. Michael began ordering from Nintendo Power magazine. The very first issue we ever received is lying shredded somewhere in the basement. Many issues from that era are, actually. I've begun replacing them.
Michael was big on the 64 during its first year in the household. We both played Bomberman 64 together, and he always beat me as the White Bomberman. Then we played Mario Kart 64. I stunk at it, I'd always end up at last place in Yoshi's dust. I'd always throw a hissyfit when I lost in the luck-based Mario Party. "It's just a game," he'd tell me.
"YEAH, BUT I LOST!!!" I'd scream back.
I think something changed after Super Smash Bros. came out. Kirby was his character of choice, but he was no match for Ness. I could beat him in a video game for once! Then Michael stopped playing. Michael slowly lent the reigns for the console to me, and it was pretty much just myself playing for a while. When the Gamecube came out, video games had become a thing in the past for him. He did participate in Animal Crossing, in which he created a girl character named "anthony" and his sole purpose was to piss off a grumpy bird neighbor by the name of Admiral. During the Gamecube/PS2 era, he watched me play a couple of games and made sparse comments on them, on which my personal favorite was on Donkey Konga ("Look at Diddy Kong, doing his gay little dance down there"). He seemed fascinated with the Wii, commenting on how cool it was you could download old games.
On August 4th, he spent the night at our house. He texted me at night, saying that he was playing Goldeneye downstairs and asking me to tell him when I got off the computer so he can do his business. I replied saying I was just about done, and he came back up. Before I went to bed, I told him he could use my computer as long as he wanted. "Thank you, good night," he told me.
I went back downstairs the next morning and saw that his favorite video game was still inside the Nintendo 64. The volume was turned down, just the way he liked it. It was the last video game he ever played.
And that was the last time I ever saw him.
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The day after Michael died, I walked downstairs and Mom was waiting for me with his laptop.
"I think he'd want you to have this."
Amazingly enough, it had been one of the few precious items he hadn't sold off.
I took it upstairs into my room. One of the first things I noticed was that he was still active on his Facebook. I logged him out for the last time. It runs okay. The web browser repeatedly freezes, and it's a pain. It could be a virus, his Norton service expired. We're thinking we should wipe the data off of it, but I'm not so sure.
His wallpaper is pure white, except for a photo in the middle of an ocean, baked in sunlight and accompanied by a cursive subtitle, "I want to remember how this feels". I wonder who took that photo, if my brother had a history with that picture. If you look it up on Google, it's on there. I'll never know.
I looked through his documents. There is a plethora of music tracks. His iTunes has played at least 15,919 songs. Joe tells me he has listened to so much more then that. Many of them aren't saved and don't play. Looking closely, there's still a CD inside: "The Best Of" by the Gin Blossoms. I listen to it for a bit, it's nice.
There's quite a few written notes and excerpts for school. One of them documents "Substance Abuse" and I shuddered when I read it. In it, Mike writes about a chapter in his textbook that covers the use of drugs. He rarely mentions his own addiction. He states the various categories of drugs, warning signs, the relative ease of locating drugs, and the supposed harmlessness of marijuana in comparasion to other drugs, a subject he once talked to me about before.
It was written five months before he took me on vacation.
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I've said this over and over again. There's a lot about Michael I don't know. I don't know all of the bands he listened to. I'll never know the true meaning behind his computer wallpaper. I'll never know why he did drugs.
But there's a bigger, more universal question that I've been asking all of my life.
Why do people use drugs?
To the younger generation out there, do you recall the D.A.R.E officials that would come over to your school? I remember them. They would carefully detail the effects of drugs. drunk driving, and smoking. The big three hazards. They'd write on the board, show (admittedly incredibly trippy) videos, and have us act out skits. Drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Don't use them, they'd say.
And I listened to every word.
To this day, I remain clean. I've never bothered with a cigarette, never even been near a harmful substance, and tested out beer under the watch of my father only to spit it out immediately and declare it to be the worst thing I've ever tasted. I'd like to think I'm still right. And yet, a lot of people out there didn't listen. People are ruining their lungs and gaining absolutely nothing while smoking, teenagers host drinking parties without supervision, and human lives are warped by drugs in the worst ways possible.
I want to focus on why teenagers abuse these hazards. I've asked the same question over and over to friends, acquaintances and family members: Why do kids do drugs?
"To be cool," they'd answer back. The lone exception was Mom, who'd say it was to relieve stress. It was the same answers for smoking. It was the same answers for drinking. I still don't get it.
I'm not going to pretend I know how drugs work. I'm not interested in looking the effects up, and I sure as hell don't want to find out for myself. But it all seems to be centered around in the pleasurable feelings these poisons provide. Knowing this detail, I gotta ask you drug addicts a question: Was your normal life not good enough for you?
I'm talking about your interests, your hobbies, friends and family. The things that mattered and were actually productive and made you feel good and have fun without hurting yourself. Instead, you abandoned all of that and decided to engage in substances that damage your body and kill you. Is this a joke? Are people so desperate to fit in that they'd resort to using drugs despite knowing the danger?
Being cool. I laugh. I want to tell you all a story.
I'll let you on to a little secret: I was one of the most popular kids in the 6th grade, and the one reason for that was I was a great storyteller. I could make my classmates howl into laughter by producing wacky voices, making rapid movements and create some really fantastic characters. It was one of the funnest periods of my life, and some of my finest school memories are erected in that era.
Then I stopped. I realized that popularity and being cool didn't mean shit. I slowly began to catch on how kids my age were treating me as if I was a preschooler, and then I caught the rumor that there was the belief I was mentally retarded. I stopped talking, I moved to the back of the classroom. Just about everyone forgot about the glory days of Anthony, and you know what? I was fine with that. If my middle school only saw me as the little kid who's sole worth was to act like a buffoon and not for who Anthony Pelone really is, then there really was no point. I never bothered to reenter my student body until 12th grade.
Being popular, while fun, did nothing for me. In fact, it hurt me. And I never once thought of using drugs to get me back on track or to relieve pressure.
The fact that teenagers are throwing away their well being by using drugs and cigarettes for the prospect of something so worthless pisses me off more than nearly anything else.
I don't know why Michael decided to use drugs. Did he think he'd fit in? Did he feel it'd ease the pressures of college? Did he do it for the sake of trying it? Whatever it was, it was a horrible miscalculation that sent him on a road of false bliss, deceit, guilt, and finally to his death.
If I see a drug dealer on the street, I am going to beat the living shit out of him.
-------
I celebrated my 18th birthday last year on November 12. How did I feel? Like a piece of shit.
My senior year was not turning out the way I thought it would. I clashed with members of my IEP team regularly, whom I had difficulty working with and I'm sure they found me tough to deal with as well. Looking back, only in a time of grief do I accept that half of them were new at their job and were probably just as scared as I was. Relationships gradually turned sour with certain friends online, and after some unusually insensitive arguments that really hurt my feelings (not to mention made me feel incredibly inadequate about myself for months), I realized it wasn't worth it anymore and I stopped hanging out with most of them. People, I thought, weren't taking me seriously.
Mom told me that Michael heard about the rough times I was going through and felt bad about it, so he proposed taking me out to New York City around a week after my coming of age. I jumped at the possibility. NYC is up there with Sea Isle City as my top favorite vacation spot, and while I'm someone who prefers the tranquility of the countryside, I feel like I can never get enough of that fresh city atmosphere. Most of all, I got to spend quality time with the brother who had been absent for several months. We could get to connect again.
He arrived the day before. We discussed our game plan and got up early. We arrived downtown via train and he started cursing out some bus driver, I smiled, knowing that he was the same old Michael.
New York City was just as big and frantic since my last visit three years ago. We once again nabbed a quaint hotel suite. The pretzel stands were as delicious as ever. I stared intensely at how tall the buildings were. I soaked in so much of the atmosphere.
I had so much fun when we set out on our seven-hour trek. We visited, where else, the Nintendo World Store and I ravaged everything in sight. We noticed a set of Mario wall decals we absolutely had to purchase, and that was the highlight of our day. We visited various Japanese-oriented stores and I browsed/bought anime DVDs/manga volumes. He bought me a calendar. I watched my brother enforce his street smarts numerous times to beggars. I loved it.
It was night when we got back. Michael told me he needed to get some rest, so he lent me his laptop and wandered off to his room. Not a problem, I thought, I had all of my new things to keep me company. I started watching Gurren Lagann and everything was okay for a little while.
It then became eerily quiet inside that apartment.
Abruptly, the room became hot. I didn't feel well. None of what I had bought satisfied me, for I had suddenly become incredibly lonely. I couldn't read, I couldn't watch, I couldn't play, and I couldn't browse. All I could think about was Michael. I had to check on him.
He was just lying there. Not moving. I was scared. I raced back to my room and called my parents and exclaimed how frightened I was. They told me to go wake him up. After several attempts, he swiftly rose up and panted like he had seen a ghost. After a brief talk with Dad, he informed me I should talk to him instead if there was a problem. He went back to sleep.
The rest of the trip went by uneventfully.
------------------
What happened after that absolutely broke me.
Michael went up to my parents a week later and admitted he had relapsed and used drugs behind my back. Off he ventured once again to rehab, and I sat in my room, thinking of another problem. I had been checking through my gaming library recently, and titles were mysteriously absent. It was something I had begun noticing in the summer, and it was only then I had realized a disturbing pattern had begun. A third, if not nearly half, of my Wii library vanished; three of my DS games had gone missing; and even Pikmin 2 (GC) and Tales of the Abyss (PS2) disappeared as well.
It was then I realized a couple of the missing titles hadn't been touched since I had beaten them over two years prior. Games like that don't just slip away. They aren't taken to a friend's house. They aren't placed into a backpack somewhere, and they aren't shoved underneath a couch. I had kept them on display and they were gone. Someone was stealing my games, and I was intent on finding out who.
My parents weren't so sure about my deduction, and my brother was unbelieving when I told of him of my suspicions. "Who could have stolen them?"
But I knew. I took the games closest to my heart and hid them in a bag. I took pictures with my phone of my shelves, so I'll remember their exact order. I shuffled through my memory, trying to figure out who could possibly have done such a thing. Then it hit me.
It couldn't be him. It couldn't be. I spent a month and a half trying to convince myself it wasn't him. My life had become total hell. My school life still sucked, the echoes of the arguments repeated in my mind over and over, my brother was in rehab, and now the sources of entertainment that kept me close and comforted me during rough times and were just there were being taken one by one.
It was two days after the new year that Mom told me the newfound truth.
A week before he took me out on vacation, right after my birthday, and I'm sure even before then, my brother barged into my rooms and nabbed roughly 15 of my games and sold them off at Gamestop.
I was shocked. I was mortified. I was crushed. I...was heartbroken. The brother I had loved and trusted and stood by used my favorite things in the whole world as tools to further his addiction. All I did was lie in bed that day. I talked with Michael on the phone later. He talked, and talked, and talked, and talked, and he didn't let me have a word in. Not once.
The next morning, Dad called me. He had a talk with Mike about our chat, and he said that he "got a lot of things off of his chest". I reacted in rage. HE was the one who got to vent? HE was the one who had to get it out of his mind? HE was the victim now? I screamed. I cried so hard and screamed and pounded on my bed.
I began to go back. Michael first began using drugs back in 2005, which I'll always remember as the worst year of my life. The days where I spent withdrawn in my room, never interacting with the outside world, slowly made their way back to me.
It was like that for a whole month.
---------
I don't think I ever forgave him.
I tried to avoid him, long after he apologized to me in person and sat down and I finally got to speak from my side of the story. I asked him, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" "Did you think about the consequences this would bring?" Even when he answered me honestly, even when I told him I wanted him home, I still couldn't forgive him.
Michael slowly drifted out of our lives after that. He lived in an apartment nearby a rehab center, and he looked okay, he seemed happy. But I still held a grudge. I didn't want to be near him.
It was only after our last family night out together, going out to see Toy Story 3 last month, did we all truly enjoy being together. Maybe this could work. Maybe I can just move on and improve our relationship.
I'll never get that chance.
-----------------
Tuesday was the viewing.
I'll never forget when I saw his body. It was just lying there, looking so thin. I calmly made my way over and took a good look. His eyes were closed. Guitar picks were cradled into his hands. He felt cold. He looked like he was sleeping. This couldn't be my brother, I thought. It looked like someone had made a wax mannequin of him.
I felt tears come to my eyes. But I sent them away. "Not yet."
It still didn't feel real.
Cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles filled the rooms. Some of them were crying, others silently looked on. I only just stared. Before I knew it, dozens of neighbors, family friends and so many people I didn't know were sitting down. The decon gave a sermon. He told us that we shouldn't be thinking of this as a time of Michael's death, but more of as if God had a special job for him to do. His speech ended quickly, the viewing went on. So many friends came by.
I stared at Michael's body. I looked back at the crowd of total strangers. I singled out people I knew. I gazed at the pictures of Mike, of his days as a child, teenager and young adult. I was looking at pictures of my dead brother. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get some fresh air.
Joe and his girlfriend escorted me out. We took in the evening air and walked around to the curb. We sat down, I was in the middle. No one said anything. My head dropped and I stared at the ground.
"It only feels worse," I said.
"Yeah?"
It was the truth.
It was still silent. People walked by and gave me their condolences. As an aunt walked off, I remembered something.
I took out my phone, entered my messages folder and handed it over to Joe.
"Look."
-----
Six days ago.
It was August 4th, and I was worried.
I had decided to go visit a friend's house, and since my parents weren't available to drive me over, they thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to take the bus by myself for the first time. I was educated on where to wait, how much money I should have, and scheduling. Even then, I couldn't help but worry.
Michael walked in on our conversation and showed me a neat gadget on my new phone. If I typed in an address, I could actually find out bus times heading out to that location. It was definitely a great help.
The next morning, I sat at the bus stop and waited. And waited. It was ten minutes late, and I was beginning to worry it'd never come until it suddenly appeared in view. It was a fun experience, and unlike how I was told, there was hardly anyone aboard and I had plenty of room.
Later that night, I texted Michael about it. This was his reply.
"Good I'm glad it was successful. And remember you can always find out bus times on your captivate like I showed you!"
------
Joe studied that message with keen eyes.
"That was the last thing he ever said to me," I told him.
"Oh, really?"
I started shaking. The tears were coming, I couldn't stop. "Even..even until the very end..."
He hugged me.
"Even until the very end...he was still looking out for me. He loved me."
Even after all of the horrible things Michael had done to me and my family, even after all of the suffering and guilt and pain he went through, he still loved me. He was looking out for me. Like a big brother should.
-----
I've been told so many times throughout my life that when someone goes to heaven, everything is automatically okay. They're at peace, they are no longer suffering, and are in the warm embrace of God watching over us.
I don't know. It's one thing if someone knew they were going to die, but what if you died in an accident? What if you didn't want to die?
I know Michael. When he went to heaven, the gravity of the situation must have hit him. I'm sure he was scared. He cried, cursed at himself, and realized he wouldn't be able to see me or his parents or anyone else he knew for a long, long time.
One of the things that Dad told me about this stuck to me. He felt that God realized Mike had suffered too much on Earth. He was embedded too much in his addiction, suffered so much guilt and shame that it was time for him to go. Maybe that decon was on to something. Michael was unable to continue living with us in life, but maybe up in Heaven he'd find his true purpose. I know that right now, he's looking down at us, just watching. He's helping God and the angels listen to the proper music, and guiding every one of us to the right path in our lives.
Michael once confided to Mom that he felt as if he never had a proper relationship with me. He won't be able to get the chance to improve it. I won't be able to introduce him to Video Games Live. I won't be able to show him the new Donkey Kong Country. I won't be seeing him for an extraodinary long time. But Michael's suffering is over. And he can watch over me. And that's what counts.
Mike, I just want you to know that even after everything you did...I still considered you my brother. I still thought of you as part of my life. And even when I tried to avoid you, I sincerely wanted you to get better. While you might not be here with us..as my uncle said, in our hearts you will live forever.
Hey everyone, how's it going? Before I begin, I'd just like to say I'm very humbled with the positive response to the review. It means a lot to me. Personally, I'm just glad to be done with it! I was doing nothing but working on it for a week.
As you may have noticed, the increasing slew of posts of this summer slowed to a halt about a month ago, and it's all thanks to an ESY internship I've been chilling at. Lemme tell you, working with autistic kids for about six hours really brightens up your day, but it's exhausting work, and I haven't been able to really focus on the blog because of it. My final day is tomorrow, but right after I'll be heading down to Baltimore for....oh, you guessed it...OTAKON!
For those not in the know, Otakon is the biggest anime convention in the States, and it's basically just this gigantic three day party celebrating Japanese cartoons, manga (Japanese graphic novels/comic books), video games and various corners of geek culture. I was there last year, and I was completely bowled over by the enormous selection of things to do, all of which include costume meets, a gigantic dealer room (why people thought the selection was disappointing last year is beyond me), voice actor/anime director autographs, video game tournaments, announcements from various figures in the industry, previews for upcoming titles, and from my experience, an incredibly friendly crowd of congoers. One of my favorite moments is that I left a backpack full of purchased items in a theater, and came back to find a woman had held on to it for me in case I came back. Isn't that just fantastic? And we even crossed paths a few times after that (she was at my hotel!).
My goal for this year is to take in more of the sights. For example, I didn't get a chance to meet most of the voice actors last year, so I'll see if that's possible last year (I've read that the line are long for those.). I'll also be meeting up several longtime friends from cyberspace at the con, so I'll be on the lookout for you guys. Then there's the matter of cosplaying, a practice in which you dress up in costume of an anime/video game character. Last year, I was Ness from Earthbound, and lemme tell you, finding a shirt like his was surprisingly hard to find. Anyway, it was a really fun experience and I met some great guys (or rather, ladies) at the Earthbound cosplay meet. And who could forget the climatic battle between the Super Smash Bros./Gurren Lagann cosplayers? And what's this? Someone recorded it on video!
I'm the kid in the red hat next to the girl with the orange hair...and hey, we won!
I won't be Ness again this year, but this time I'll be in a much more elaborate costume in the form of Lloyd Irving from the spectacular Gamecube RPG Tales of Symphonia. As a huge fan of the game (one that you can expect me to go over), I'm incredibly excited to, like Ness, dress up as one of my favorite video games characters and meet fellow Symphonia fans. Interestingly enough, I only spotted pairs of Zelos and Sheena last year...let's hope the character count/variety from the game is higher this year!
So why am I telling you this? Because I'm going to be writing up my experiences, of course! I'm still conflicted as to whether or not write a massive one post review or a three-post one, but in any case, it's something I didn't get a chance to do last year and I'm pumped to do a write up. Oh, and of course, pictures will be included!
Otakon starts on July 30th, continues on July 31st, and concludes on August 1st. You can expect a regular writing schedule very soon after, and after I'm finished with this review, you'd better be on the lookout, because a certain pink puffball is aching for some screentime...
Notice: This review does not meet my current quality standards and will be superseded in the future. A link to the appropriate review will be provided whenever it arrives. It is the year 2007, and fall is entering its final stages. The Wii had made its enormous impact on the video game market. Thanks to its state-of-the-art motion control, the ability to download old games, and the appeal of the simple yet party favorite Wii Sports, it became clear that for the first time in over ten years, Nintendo had once again taken the top spot.
Not everyone was happy with their success, however. There was a gradual, yet slowly rising discord that accused their once-beloved company of abandoning their gamers, what with the advent of what became known as "casual games". Third parties immediately realized the huge cash potential in the new console, and pumped out low-quality trash game after trash for the system that were eventually dubbed as "shovelware". Many devout followers grew jaded, whether it was screaming and moaning because they weren't getting what they wanted in the upcoming mega hit Super Smash Bros. Brawl or confiding in the ever-prominent notion that, once again, their latest console was undeniable proof that Nintendo was not up-to-date with the times (as in, the console was much, much less powerful then it's Xbox/Playstation counterparts and had ported over the "faulty" friend code Wi-Fi system that the DS provided).
This reviewer was one of those gamers, although for different reasons. I actually had reasonable expectations for Brawl and ended up tremendously satisfied, and I really don't care if the Wii isn't up to standards. It's the games that count. And yet, I wasn't happy. Perhaps it was due to real-life issues at the time (Try having to adjust to reconstructive foot surgery for about seven months), but I was not impressed with what was being offered to gamers this year. The latest entry in the goofy Wario Ware series,despite its absolutely ingenious controls, did not last thanks to its lack of features. Metroid Prime 3 failed to capture the haunting beauty the original Prime was so well-known for, and I still shocked to see that the Mario sports games and Pokemon spinoffs were just as bland and uninteresting as they were on the Gamecube.
Weren't we supposed to be experiencing a revolution?
It was for this reason that Super Mario Galaxy, released on November 12th, 2007, fell short of whatever expectations of what I had for. While the game was gorgeous in its own right, it didn't have the same sense of "new" Super Mario Sunshine had provided years earlier. The linearity of the levels was also a huge turnoff for me, and I longed for the wide-open territories of Super Mario 64. I could not obtain the same magic, the same joy everyone else had captured while playing this new game, and in my eyes, it quickly became forgotten.
A year later I gave it a second chance, and I quickly realized my error. I was thoroughly sucked into its spell and fell in love with not just its out-of-this-world absurdity and gorgeous soundtrack, but its wonderful use of the space setting. I honestly hadn't spent much time with Mario in the years beforehand, and this game reminded me why I fell in love with his games in the first place. It was as if my first playthrough never happened, and the game quickly became one of my favorites of all time. And the greatest birthday present I've ever received.
When the sequel was announced at last year's E3, my mouth dropped to the floor at the plethora of new features they had added. I had thought they had reached their limit with the first Galaxy, and I waited with contained excitement as to see what Nintendo could do with what was essentially the perfect game of this generation.
It's finally come out, and I've been playing it for the past month and a half.
I'm still not done playing it.
-----
In a surprising twist, this sequel does not pick up where the original left off. Rather, it's a retelling. And it begins in what is the most charming opening sequence I've seen in a game in quite some time.
Via a "storybook" motif, we learn that Mario is heading out to the Star Festival, a momentous occasion in which shooting stardust graces the presence of the Mushroom Kingdom, and is heading to the castle to share some cake with, who else, Princess Peach. This all happens when you're controlling Mario in a fashion not unlike Super Mario Bros. We scamper by ecstatic Toads attempting to catch the stars known as Star Bits, and even the Question Mark blocks and warp pipes of old dot the landscape. Along the way, Mario stumbles across a baby Luma, a living species of stars from the previous game, who takes an instant shine to the plumber and makes his home underneath his trademark cap. Of course, it's not long before an absolutely gargantuan Bowser crashes the party, and whisks away with Princess Peach into the galaxies. Nearby Lumas, who were caught up in the destruction, witness the event and provide Mario with a Launch Star to give chase.
And so another adventure begins.
Here's a video of the whole scene below:
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As I've said in an earlier entry, there's no need to focus on a story in a Mario game. The meat and the potatoes are the gameplay, and I don't need to tell you how rich it is.
If you've played the original Super Mario Galaxy, you'll know what to expect here. Nintendo has poured every ounce of their creative, magical energy into these two games, and you can tell they kept their best ideas in reserve for this. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that they already had the necessary tools: the same game engine/developmental team and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.
Super Mario Galaxy 2, like it's earlier 3D predecessors, is constructed from the Super Mario 64 blueprint: You enter a world (or in this case, galaxy) and accomplish the goal set for you to earn a Power Star. These can range from the elementary, such as grabbing the silver shards of said star, to the grueling, which 90% of the time involves some sort of timed event/unusual control scheme/excruciatingly hard platforming.
If you haven't played a Galaxy game before, let me be the first to say that this game is a roller coaster. There is nothing that can match the thrilling sensation of being launched via launch star into a guided destination. Just like in the first game, you will want to keep moving constantly to discover and relish the wondrous marvels Nintendo has provided. Gravity defying jumps. Innovative takes on familiar level stereotypes. Treading on everyday appliances. Invading battleships. All of this is commonplace in Mario Galaxy. You really get the hunch that you're playing something out of a Disney film.
So how could you repeat this creativity in a sequel and make it feel new, let alone improve on it?
-----
Nintendo couldn't get away with just replicating the same old design of Super Mario Galaxy and place it on store shelves, so they've readjusted their direction. Super Mario Galaxy had several sets of levels that usually delved into space or took a creative spin on the typical platforming level (more on this later), but occasionally there would be the mind-blowing, brilliant anomaly such as Gusty Garden or Buoy Base, and I always found those to leave the biggest impression.
To my complete surprise, just about every level in this sequel is an expansion on that basis. Ever expected to run into an isolated cove in space? How about trekking Indiana Jones style, jumping over spikes and sneaking past giant boulders (or rather, millstones)? What about flipping in and out of a courtyard/kitchen area? Or guiding a giant Golden Chain Chomp to its doom in order to extract a Power Star?
Maybe you'll come across a familiar objective or two, but it's always spiced up a bit to forge it's own identity. Remember those annoying Star Balls you had to ride on? They're back, but this time you'll find yourself rolling around in a galaxy based on art, and there's traversing to be done on colored pencils and color palettes. Oh, and you'll also be accelerating down Rainbow Road (hello, Mario Kart!) with the assistance of near impossible controls, so gather up those 1-up mushrooms.
They weren't a slouch when it came to the tiny details as well, and I think this creates the ultimate contrast between the two games. For example, those stretchy Pull Stars, a once ubiquitous asset, rarely make an appearance this time around. The penguins and bees only make sparse cameos as the wooden, grammar impaired Whittles take the spotlight. You'll also run into Luigi, and he can take over as the playable character whenever you cross paths with him (take a gander at his jumping prowess!). Even the goofy Toad Brigade returns, and they're up to their usual antics.
A common complaint regarding Super Mario Galaxy was it's immensely easy difficulty, and Nintendo wisely decided to take the appropriate measures. While I still found myself plowing through a good chunk of Galaxy 2, running into a tough spot was no surprise. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I've noticed that most anything that was associated with the color purple was usually a sign that things were about to go very wrong. In particular, the Purple Coins are just as nasty as they were in Galaxy, and those shadowy Cosmic Clone doppelgangers will make your life a living hell (OH MY GOD FLIP-OUT GALAXY). The only exception to this is Stone Cyclone Galaxy, which I'll be visiting in my nightmares.
So what's the consensus on this? It seems to be mixed, but I learned a long time ago that doesn't really matter. Gamers are very, very fickle people.
On a last note, it's also worth mentioning that the dynamic between Mario and the Baby Luma is much stronger then in the last game, as there's a theme of friendship made clear through several cinema scenes. In fact, the whole thing is undoubtedly very sweet, and it leads to what is a heartwarming conclusion between the two characters.
---- Obviously, by far the most advertised feature to this wonderful sequel is the much-appreciated inclusion of Mario's dinosaur friend, Yoshi. Unlike his mess of a 3D debut in Super Mario Sunshine and his sparse appearances in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo has finally gotten a hold of the adorable critter and not only made him fun to play around with, but has tooled around with him enough that he is actually useful to your quest.
Super Mario World fans will feel right at home while handling Yoshi, and it'll feel like you never once stepped off his saddle. You'll find that, once again, his stretchy tongue has a taste for bad guys (nothing like ripping a Lakitu off of his cloud!) and he still has an insatiable appetite for tomatoes. And, what's this, he can digest power ups as well? And they're actually required?
You'll come across colored fruit at various points in your journey, and once eaten, they can temporarily transform Yoshi. For example, eating the Blimp Fruits inflates Yoshi into a balloon, allowing the duo to reach new heights. The Dash Pepper, my personal favorite, fires up the dino and rockets you across the stage. There's even a Bulb Fruit, where Yoshi can illuminate hidden walkways (or in the case of Sweet Mystery Galaxy, cookie roads). All are incredibly unique and are used creatively, but unfortunately, they're not as used as often as I'd like. Luckily, Yoshi more then makes up for that on his own merits.
Thing is, maybe my memory's fuzzy on this, but I recall that in Super Mario World, Yoshi was just a fun joyride you could pick up every so often and use him for the sole purpose of devouring everything in sight. Maybe you'd need him to locate a secret exit, but he was never really required to finish the game, and you couldn't even bring him inside fortresses.
Here, you actually do need him. He is a pivotal asset, whether it's swinging on floating flowers, shooting Spinies at a cage, or tugging at embedded platforms with his tongue. Did he serve the same purpose in Mario Sunshine? Well, yes, but this time it's actually fun and doesn't consist of barfing on sludge.
Is he used all the time? No, but that's okay. I suspect Nintendo didn't want the gimmick to get overblown and risk diminishing his freshness, not to mention I can't imagine him working well in many of the more creative levels. When he does appear though, you'll find that even the most ordinary errand is more fun with him along for the ride. Fighting a giant Lakitu boss who wields lightning? New idea, and it's one of those battles where you have to constantly alternate between attacking and dodging. Escaping a cascade of lava? Not new, but it sets the stage for one of the most heart-racing moments in the game thanks to the Dash Pepper.
In any case, it's great to see the green dinosaur back in a starring role that for the first time in a while, proves his worth as a supporting character. I can't wait to see where they'll take him next.
---------------------
Yoshi's not the only one who mess around with super powers, as Mario himself has quite a few up his sleeve.
I'll just come out out and say it: The Cloud Suit is the best! I'll admit, I thought it was a lame idea from the outset. Spawning clouds? I didn't see how it could be fun.
But yet it is. It's really astounding how Nintendo consistently comes up with what seem to be the most mundane ideas and have the ability to bring them to life. The Cloud Suit fits perfectly within the settings of Galaxy 2 and works wonders with the levels its emphasized in.
I think what makes it successful is that it's not as cheap as it sounds. See, you can spawn up to three clouds at a time, and once they're used up, you can restock your set of clouds when you seize a Cloud Flower. This is vital to know because you'll have to use your clouds wisely, or else you'll end up losing a life from falling to the abyss. Since the clouds only last for a short period of time, you have to quickly analyze your surroundings and decide not only what's the best trail to form, but where to land. And it's just so satisfying to use. I often found myself creating clouds just to see how high I can get while performing various actions (backflip!).
Unfortunately, that's about the extent of it when it comes to these enchanted costumes. There is a new Rock suit, in which Mario transforms into a boulder and can dash off crashing into everything in sight, but it's an element hardly explored. This also goes for the returning power ups (Bee, Boo, Spring and to an extent Fire Flower), which all hardly get in the fun thanks to the ever-shifting maelstrom nature of the game. Strangely enough, this was a problem in the first Galaxy as well, and I'm left wondering why Nintendo can't find a good balance for them.
Perhaps the reasoning is the same as it was for Yoshi, but this time I'd have to disagree on this. Not to say that the rest of the game wasn't fun enough, but I'm sure that they could have seamlessly inserted the other suits where acceptable (here's an idea: perhaps they should have taken advantage of the Prankster Comet challenges? The Spring Suit has humongous potential in terms of this). I can't help but feel it's a waste when they bring back an old suit, but only use it for one Power Star.
I guess it's not that big of a deal, but it was something I thought would be guaranteed to be improved upon in Galaxy 2. Here's hoping they can figure this out for the next big Mario game.
----------
So how exactly do you get around in this game?
Soon after you shoot off into space, you find yourself on a lump of a comet headed by a rather obese Luma by the name of Lubba. He introduces you to his humble abode, which he admits isn't much, "but it's home", he humbly affirms. Hearing the plight of the captured princess and noticing your special Luma friend, he decides to not only refurbish this ol' dump for his honorable guest, but to appoint you temporary captain of what is dubbed as Starship Mario.
This gorgeous beauty serves as our hub.
So to you non-gamers, what's a hub? Well, it kinda works like a train station. Imagine you're at a station, but instead of traveling by train you're boarding a Starship Mario, which will be your permanent form of transportation. Using the Starship, you can just steer on over to a galaxy of your choice. The more stars you have, the more galaxies you can access, and thus the farther you get in the game.
It is, however, a mistake to say that Starship Mario operates much like the hubs of the past. Previously, you actually had to run over to a designated spot of a hub, such as the magical paintings of Peach's Castle (Super Mario 64), to gain access into a world. Here, it's instantaneous. All you have to do head on over to the steering wheel, and viola, you have the world map at your disposal.
Some might cry foul at losing that sense of expedition on a hub, but I feel this is an absolutely essential addition to the game. It's no secret that Nintendo has been attempting to invite the expanded audience into our side of the gaming spectrum, and this is the perfect way to get them settled in without the overwhelming notion of having to find out where to go next. There are many gamers of old that still haven't adjusted to the open freedom our newfangled 3D games possess, and the small spherical shape of the Starship assures you won't get lost in your base of operations.
And you know what? It really is a piece of work. As you progress through the game, the Starship grows in prosperity. New friends you meet on your journeys will settle onto the comet, whether it's a bee handing you a piece of advice or robots having a tea party, proving that it's as much of a garden as it is a spaceship. You'll also find that the Toad Brigade has made their home here, and can offer you assistance, whether they're giving you mail or holding your quantity of Star Bits (check out the running gag with the Bank Toad). Yoshi and Luigi also chill here, and you can fool around with them here (perhaps switch with one of them for play?) any time you'd like. Even the music gets in on the action, as it increases in bounce and bombast the further you advance.
When I feel like taking a breather, I just lay back and appreciate the scenery. My favorite touch is the sky that rotates in scenery for each world map. You're first treated to an excellent view of a beautiful blue sky, then move on to a twilit panorama of distant galaxies to an outpouring of shooting stars.
It's all something to behold. You really feel like a speck in the universe.
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Another thing I'd like to commend Nintendo on is the spicing up of familiar level archetypes. In most Mario games, you'll always find yourself in a level with an abundance of grass, or under the sea, or upon the clouds in the sky. It's not that this is a bad thing, but it's not surprising to see the same pattern of stages in platforming game after platforming game, which may be why they've been in decline in the past few years. I still don't know how they managed to do this, but Nintendo has somehow revitalized some of these settings and made them feel new again.
The desert level is a perfect example of this. Dusty Dune Galaxy, the representative featured the original Galaxy, had some creative ideas but couldn't quite stand out from the rest of its herd. Slipsand Galaxy is a vast improvement, as Mario will trudge through currents of sand filled with bars of fire. That's not to mention the exciting escape from the avalanche of rolling cylinders and a section where you have to sail over quicksand.
And you thought the ghost houses were tricky before? Here, you'll have giant mobs of Boos chasing you over floating platforms and be forced to tread your way carefully over a poisonous swamp. Your typical forest stage is now composed of actually traversing its insides and sliding around on its spiky contours. Even the bee stages are improved, borrowing several elements from previous stages and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, unexpectedly adding a fast-paced emphasis to what was originally crafted as a slow paced level.
The only exception to this is probably the beach level (Starshine Beach), but as someone who grew up with the Gamecube, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic to see the nods to Super Mario Sunshine. There was just something special about seeing the Piantas (the burly residents of that game's Delfino Island) present for brief cameos. "Bwah hehehuin!"
Speaking of references , it was obvious that the first Super Mario Galaxy had taken some inspiration from Super Mario Bros 3. Here, it's Super Mario World. The comparisons where inevitable when Yoshi was revealed, but they've gone the extra mile and included touches such as the "athletic" music, a similar world map, and even the noise when you reach a checkpoint flag. Surely, however, one cannot miss the blatant throwbacks to Super Mario 64, the best of which is the Whomp's Fortress replica and the bone-chilling orchestration of Bowser's Road.
And while I'm at it, speaking of orchestras...
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When Super Mario Galaxy hit in 2007, it was unanimously accepted that the game had one of (if not the) greatest soundtracks ever composed for a video game. It was certainly a strange move on Nintendo's part, considering that Mario games are known for their catchy, upbeat music. However, Shigeru Miyamoto had felt that in order to properly convey this grand voyage into outer space, an orchestra was needed to complement the experience.
How right he was.
It'd only make sense for the orchestra to return, and returned it has. The orchestrations are much more prominent in this sequel, and they all take on a grander scale I didn't think was possible. While the first game's soundtrack properly conveyed the awe-inspiring adventure in space, composers Koji Kondo (Super Mario/Legend of Zelda) and Mahito Yokota (Donkey Kong Jungle Beat/Super Mario Galaxy) clearly went for a lighter, peppier feel (and in some cases with more sprinkles of fantasy) for most of the tracks, which in all honesty is more in tune with the Mario franchise.
Take the Fluffy Buff theme for instance, which exemplifies the tone of a stroll through a prospering park, perfectly fitting the stages it's set on. Melty Monster's booming soundtrack excellently accommodates the grandiose nature of that galaxy, and I'd like to think that the Arabian-styled theme to Slipsand is the funnest take I've heard on a desert level. On the more quiet side, the beautiful harp of Cosmic Cove is a flawless counterpart to it's stunning atmosphere, and you can't forget the looming beast that is Space Storm.
Furthermore, the synthesized songs are nothing to scoff at. The country jamboree of Puzzle Plank and the soothing air of Wild Glide plant a smile on my face every time, and you just have to dig the tunes borrowed from Super Mario World/Mario 64 (Throwback Galaxy!). Even the map themes succeed in impressing the player, whether it's a soothing, retrospective piece or a remix of Gusty Garden Galaxy.
I'd also like to give a special mention to the various music for the Bowser levels. They really did an outstanding job of building up the anticipation for the showdown against the King of Koopas, and once again I really have to mention the fantastic revival for one of my favorite Mario 64 songs, Bowser's Road, of which still gives me chills. The Galaxy Generator song I posted above is also the most satisfying final level music I've heard in forever.
It's too bad though that the soundtrack is once again only being released in Japan. Nevertheless, that's what we have eBay for.
In the video below, take a look at how the music switches from instrumental to a chorus due to the shifting tides of battle.
Geez, I can't even begin to describe how that fight took my breath away.
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So here's the big question: which game is better? Super Mario Galaxy? Or Super Mario Galaxy 2?
Thanks to certain interviews, we know that Galaxy 2 was originally intended to be a sort of "expansion pack" for the wealth of ideas left out of Galaxy. It turned out that the gigantic amount of brainstorming had lead to a completely new game altogether, and it eventually became the game you're reading about right now. This didn't come without criticism. Many hardened skeptics took this as Nintendo once again taking the lazy route and was essentially rehashing the same game.
I'll give them this: despite all the stupendous new features I've gone in length about, it does feel the same. As I said earlier, this game employs the same engine as thefirst Galaxy, so while they can easily reuse past resources and hasten the game development, it can still send out a vibe of "been there, done that".
Did I get that? Yes, but I believe only in terms of impact. Some reviewers have made the point that while the game is tremendously fun, it doesn't leave the gigantic impression Galaxy had left imprinted on them. And they're kind of right. Super Mario Galaxy was an instant classic, and my memories of the game can recall my dazzled expressions at exploring the abyss of the universe.
No doubt about it, there have been many moments in Galaxy 2 that impressed me as well, but I didn't quite get that special ingredient that made Galaxy so memorable. Updated levels? Those are awesome, but it's still stuff we've seen before. The soundtrack is as outstanding as ever, but most of it doesn't quite reach the classic status of what the original had accomplished. Even the threadbare plot is a retread upon the previous one. Am I taking back everything I had said before? Not really. What I'm saying is that while this game improves on virtually everything, it's just that it's significance pales in comparison to what we've already seen essentially perfected.
But you know something? There's one thing that this game did that the original didn't do for me.
I already want to play through this again.
I believe that while most of the 3D Mario games require a long recharge period before starting another playthrough, I can go back and replay the levels I've completed and still enjoy them. To tell the truth, unlike in Mario 64 and Sunshine, I didn't really have much fun going back to my Galaxy file. I take the time to listen to the soundtrack often, but I can't find myself doing that with the game. I wonder if it's because the excitement and wonder wore off, and thus required a year or two to be fully playable again.
Maybe Galaxy 2 is not as classic, but it doesn't matter. Here, I can play to my heart's content without getting bored, and it is because these levels are more whimsical, erratic, and consistently enforce the arbitrary and the unexpected. It is, without question, the better game when it comes to absolute fun.
And you know what? When it comes to video games, or just life in general, that's really what it all comes down to.
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This game is magic.
I wasn't sure if they could ever create a Galaxy sequel and make it work, but they have. Maybe it's not as new, or as exhilarating as it was three years ago, but those second-tier elements all surrender to the most important factor: Fun. I can say without a doubt that this is one of the funnest games I've ever played in my life, and it's so obvious while playing the game that Nintendo focused the entire development around this single concept. Once again, this just proves that these are the best guys in the business.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is more then worthy of the Mario name, and I believe that it has not only has joined the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as the very best games that the Wii console has to offer, but taken the place of Super Mario World as the quintessential Mario title. It is that brilliant. This is already Game of the Year 2010.
Games like this don't come around very often, if at all, anymore. In an age where games have to feature complicated setups, online play, achievement bonuses, and downloadable content, I can't tell you how happy I am to witness a game that completely ignores all of that and charges ahead to further its own virtue.
Then again, it's not like it was a surprise. The plumber has a habit of doing this.
Just look at how happy he is.
Highly, highly recommended.
-Despite the awesomeness of the Cloud Suit, they still haven't figured out how to balance the suits.
-Green Star hunt gets tiresome.
-Might not be fresh enough for everyone...
+....but WHO CARES?!?!
+ You thought fun was fun? Take a look at this.
+ Hijacks the platforming genre and turns it inside out.
+ The best use of a hub EVER.
+ Great difficulty curve.
+ Yoshi is more fun then he has been in years.
+ Hands down the funnest, most grandiose soundtrack ever composed for a video game.
+ Fantastic sense of replayability.
+ Has the unique ability to make you smile and laugh (AND SCREAM) every time you play it.
+ It features floating pancakes.
+ With butter on top.
+ Really.
+ Go play this now.
*credit to IGN/ Super Mario Wiki/Various sites on Google for the pictures. If you come across the blog and have a problem with my use of 'em, please contact me and I will remove them as soon as possible.
