#4: StarCraft
Platform: PC
Release Date: 1998
Genre: Real Time Strategy

While WarCraft might be the game that started the RTS genre, StarCraft was the game that really redefined it.

StarCraft was the first video game franchise that I totally went ballistic over. Talking to myself while playing the game, looking up cheat codes in newspapers and via friends (I never got Internet till 2000), writing my own sequels and expansions, thinking up new and more powerful units (BattleCruisers outfitted with Nukes, resultant Archon when a High and Dark Templar merged), hating Mengsk to the extreme… All while I was at the age of 9.

12 years later, the game is still awesome, albeit in a different way. When I was 9, I was awed by the campaign, the characters, and that awesome briefing sequence. Combat and gameplay was a non-issue to me, as I had the IMBA power overwhelming (which I might add, took me a month to figure out. I kept typing “power over whelming” and wondering why it didn’t work) which allowed me to solo the entire mission with Kerrigan/Zeratul/Raynor alone. I would form this one team consisting of Heroes only (how I love that white border!) and proceed to wipe out all opposition. My favorite maps were the stealth maps, like the one requiring you to steal discs or locate a certain traitor, all contained within a very dungeon-like map. I actually managed to complete some of those maps without the godmode cheat, which I thought was quite an accomplishment back then.

I only started playing StarCraft “properly” when I entered Form 1 and saw my cousin playing a match online. Thanks to him, the first strategy I learned was the Zerg Rush, which I’ve since grown attached to. I did play it occasionally (usually pwning friends in random CyberCafe sessions, Zerg Rush kekekeke) but it wasn’t until I entered University did I rediscover my passion for the game. To this I have Edo to thank and Faz to blame. A couple of weeks prior to GACC 2009, instead of designing Booklets we were busy saving Aiur. Good times indeed.

Despite this, I only discovered how awesome StarCraft really was a couple of months ago, thanks to Kai Wen, who successfully brainwashed everyone in HiVE to playing StarCraft and converting us from Hardcore Dotafags to StarCraft fans. I never knew a 10 minute Destination game could be so nerve-wrecking, or that a full Big Game Hunters game could take more than 2 hours to complete. I never knew that siege tank cliffing, Science Vessel eraser tricks, Scourge micro or Lurker hold could be so fun – and frustrating when used against you.

Favorite race? Zerg for sure. Favorite unit? The Science Vessel, though Defilers and the Queen do come close, followed by the Lurker probably. Backdoor Nydus Canals, though easily noticed and countered, can be extremely fun and rewarding when pulled off properly. There’s nothing more satisfying than sending colonies of Lurkers through a backdoor, followed by a wave of Infested Terrans for the lulz. Most hated unit? Corsairs (stop sniping my scourge goddamnit) and Dark Templars (Huh? Where did my Economy go?) definitely.

Words fail to describe how awesome StarCraft really is. In my opinion, you’ve never played a proper RTS till you play a proper game of StarCraft with 8 people, be it seriously or just for fucks. Here are but a few memorable StarCraft moments in the past few months:

• Wan’s epic Nuclear Missles
• My wide-spanning Taliban networks (Canals + Infested terrans lol)
• Edo’s H4X turtling + teching
• Faz’s CARRIER HAS ARRIVED
• Kai Wen’s Double Gateway rushes
• FUCKING SPIDERMINES ASDF
• Kai Wen stealing Vespene Gas
• eXo trying to Zealot rush me and ended up being pwned by Mutalisks XD
• Coordinated Plague + EMP Shockwave + Scourge attacks versus Edo’s Carrier Army
• Adil’s epic GEROMBOLAN GAJAH PERANG (No defense, no tech whatsoever, save these: Anabolic Synthesis, Chitinous Plating, Zerg Carapace Lvl 3, Zerg Melee Attacks Lvl 3, followed by 24 Ultralisks)
• Chai’s epic Flyer Army (Mutalisks + Devourers), which when combo-ed with Adil pretty much fucked everyone up.
• Kai Wen’s FUCKING DT DROPS, followed by REAVER DROPS
• Luwis’ wall of china (sealing off a cliff entirely with supply depots + Missile turrents, making surprise drops impossible)
• Edo’s H4X Arbiter + Siege Tank recall (WTF SINCE WHEN DID YOU MIND CONTROL AN SCV)
• MAHES GETTING DRUNK OVER STARCRAFT. LIEK SRSLY. HAMTARO IS A NICE ANIME.
• Playing StarCraft till 8 am and subsequently having responses so bad we got RAEPED by the AI

Next Up: The only Online Game in my Top 10 list

#5: Wild Arms
Platform: Sony PlayStation
Release Date: 1997
Genre: Role Playing Game (RPG)

The first game for my Top 5 list, and the 2nd RPG so far, Wild Arms was a gem released during the late years of the PS1 that was unfortunately overshadowed by the immensely more popular Final Fantasy VII. I remember watching my elder cousin play this on his PS1, before getting the game and playing it on an emulator, which sadly died halfway through the game. 6 years later, I got my PS2 and stumbled upon the enhanced remake, Altercode F. Unfortunately, pirated versions of the remake were plagued with a glitch (remnants of the anti-piracy system) which made the game unplayable past the 70% mark. It wasn’t until I got my PSP and the EBOOT version of the original was I able to finish this game completely.

As one of the first JRPGs I played as a kid (barely the age of 8), this game totally sold me out. How simple the commands were, how engaging the story was, how interactive the characters were – all of them appealed to me and I soon found myself immersed in the game. The end of the first “chapter”, the Invasion of Aldehyde, and the subsequent music piece that played, “Funeral March”, remains deeply etched in my memory till this day. It was the first time a video game had ever evoked such powerful emotions from me, and I believe I cried during that scene.

After more than a decade since I last played it, I finally got my chance to complete the game on my PSP, and the story is still as solid as ever. Wild Arms gives you a real feeling of travelling to save the world, but unlike Tales of Eternia, not everything goes smoothly for you. Your enemies are IMBA, and they’re not afraid to shove that into your face. This game doesn’t reward you for reaching a Guardian Statue and trying to defend it from an enemy, it laughs at you sadistically as the enemy in question proceeds to PWN you and cut the said statue up into ribbons despite your best efforts. The game feels utterly one-sided; your enemies are IMBA, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Except for sticking through it and persevering till the end. After each battle, your characters constantly get stronger, and I don’t mean in terms of levels alone. For example, after realizing one of the major enemies was previously his lost love, one character gains a newfound sense of determination to save her. Most of the characters initially appear to be stereotypes – the silent protagonist, the rough ex-knight, and the female mage-healer – but as the story progresses, you learn to discover different shades of their character, be it good or bad.

That brings me to the best thing about Wild Arms, the chemistry between characters. Each of the main 3 characters play a part in the story, and are equally important to the overall plot, be it the wandering drifter who seeks acceptance, the cold-hearted swordsman who hides a shady past, or the young princess who yearns to be loved for who she is, and not what she represents. There is no main character, and each of their stories are so intertwined that separating them would probably mean playing a whole new game. In the end, they all come to terms with their inner demons, and learn to really trust and rely on each other.

While I was able to somewhat enjoy the story as a kid, it wasn’t till I replayed it a year ago did I fully appreciate the story. Compared to the RPGs of recent years (which unfortunately include this game’s many spin-offs), the character development in Wild Arms truly shines, even though the gameplay might be rather simplistic by current standards and the graphics rather hideous-looking (especially the 3D battles – I swear they should have stuck to 2D).

If you can overlook the terrible CG, I wholeheartedly recommend this game to you. It’s quite possibly the best RPG I’ve ever played, and I’m not saying that based on nostalgia alone. It’s a fantastic game that boasts an incredible story and even more incredible character development.

Next up: Easily one of the most fast-paced and adrenaline pumping games of all time!

You saw this coming.

#6: Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil
Platform: PC
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Vertical Side Shooter, Bullet Hell

It’s hard to say what’s awesome about Touhou, really. It’s another one of those things that you either get it or you don’t, a hit or miss. Many appreciate Touhou because of the characters. Some are in for the music, while others just want to be part of the fandom. I personally like Touhou because of what it is – an awesome game.

Contrary to popular belief, Touhou isn’t the hardest Vertical Side Shooter (VSS) out there, although the recent few games have been upping the difficulty level like crazy. I’ve played many side scrollers before, ranging from Star Force when I was a kid to the near impossible Mushihime Futari. While Touhou is pretty darned impossible on Lunatic, it is pretty forgiving on Normal mode, which is what most casual gamers attempt anyway.

What sets Touhou apart from other VSS then? In my opinion, while Touhou might not be the hardest, it’s the most beautifully designed. The music for each stage manages to somehow capture the emotion perfectly, whereas each character’s unique theme song gives them some life and personality. The various spellcards used by the end-stage bosses fit in well with the stage’s theme, and adds color to their character.

For example, Flandre’s theme song (U.N.Owen was her) gives one an impish and playful feel, and her movement, spellcards and bullet patterns are largely random, giving you the impression that she’s merely playing with you. As you evade more and more of her spellcards, her patterns become more focused (8th nonspell, Counter Clock, And Then There Will Be None?) and deadly, ultimately culminating in an adrenaline-packed spellcard that gets more complicated the more health you take off her.

Out of all the Touhou games, the one I really like the most is Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (EoSD). It’s challenging at the start (especially if you’ve been pampered with the visible hitbox in later games) but quickly gets fun and rewarding when you learn the position of your character’s hitbox, the time allocated for a death bomb, and the various tricks to beating certain spellcards. EoSD was the first Touhou game I managed to clear without continues, and the second Extra Stage I was able to clear. I still go back and revisit the game whenever I’m free though – there’s just something it has that the other games lack.

Despite only playing Touhou for 3 years+, it’s already grown to become one of the most influential games in my life. If anything, the looks people give you when you manage to clear Extra or capture a particularly difficult spellcard is simply priceless :3

Next up: Starting off my Top 5 list, the JRPG that started it all for me.

#7: Tales of Eternia
Platform: Sony PlayStation
Release Date: 2001 (North American release)
Genre: Role-Playing Game (RPG)

If you asked me which video game had the worst dubbing, I’d definitely answer Tales of Eternia.

Eternia is, without doubt, one of the hardest RPGs I’ve ever played. When I played it back in 2004, it was the most difficult RPG I ever played. The real-time battle system took a while to get used to, and at some point (I think it was after getting lost some forest) I gave up and consulted a walkthrough lol. Even so, the game was still brutally hard, and the only thing that kept me going was the incredible storyline.

Yes, even though the storyline is your average save-the-world story, it still has charms of its own. First, the feeling that you’re the only one who can prevent the great disaster up ahead. The Church thinks you’re spreading lies, the Academy thinks you’re crazy, and the King even thinks its a conspiracy by a race of people known as the Celestians (who live on another world across the sky) and promptly declares war on them. You know that only you can make a difference when the whole world is quite literally against you.

Second, the feeling of adventure. Eternia features a VAST map. As if one world wasn’t enough, you’re given TWO worlds to explore, each having its own culture, climate and setting. While Inferia resembles your typical medieval world, Celestia is dark, gloomy and highly advanced. This is apparently due to the different Craymels (elemental summons) that inhabit each world. There are TONNES of hidden dungeons and quests to explore, and some quests even require transcending worlds to complete.

Third, the characters. Although somewhat ruined by the bad dubbing, it doesn’t take long for one to grow attached to them. This is due to a very well-conceived script, which manages to keep most of the jokes and references intact. The character development in this game is AMAZING. Each of the four main characters end up maturing and changing by the end of the game. I used to hate Keele when I first got him, but I soon grew to like him as the story progressed. I thought Farah was annoying at the start – until I discovered her circumstances and began to sympathize her. No one beats Reid, though, he’s my favorite character by a mile. This is probably the only game where I prefer a guy character over a girl lol

Fourth, the addictive and challenging battle system. It takes time to get used to it, but once you do it plays out like a cross between an RPG and a fighting game. When you reach the end of the game, expect to see awesome spells flying around every few seconds, both by your allies and your enemies. The spells are eye-catching and the Hi-ougis (hidden ultimate skills) are INCREDIBLE. Aside from having very strict requirements (like using a certain skill >250 times etc) some of them are also ridiculously hard to perform, so when you finally pull one off and amazing animation flares across the screen, you feel an odd sense of satisfaction that’s hard to describe.

Finally, the extra content and replayability. I’ve played this game 3 times now from start to finish. There’s just so much to do, so much to unlock; hidden items, towns, characters, bosses, ultimates, summons, spells, titles – you name it. When you finish the game on normal mode, you gain the option to play on Hardcore mode. As the name suggests, this is NOT for the faint-hearted. The first boss you face in the game will throw mid-tier spells (which you don’t normally see till level 30+) at you as soon as the battle begins. The hidden boss, Sekundes, is notorious for being near invincible in Hardcore, unless you spam auto-resurrection items.

The only qualm I have about this game (besides the dubbing) is how they removed the skits from the original. Any Tales of fan worth his or her salt should know how important skits are to the series, as they provide interesting insights into some characters. Removing them was a very bad call and I was especially annoyed when they didn’t restore them for the PSP port.

The PSP port is essentially what it is – a port. No extras, no option to change between vocal chats, no skits, same bad dubbing – the only reason you’d want to get it is for the nostalgia factor if you enjoyed this game as much as I do.

A great game that built on the foundation laid by Tales of Destiny, this game is still one of the best RPGs out there despite being released for almost a decade now. If you haven’t played this game yet, do yourself a favor and please do. You won’t regret it, trust me.

Next up: A cliched game that most people will never understand!

#8: Warcraft III
Platform: PC
Release Date: 2002
Genre: Real Time Strategy

Many people hate it. Even more love it. Some even swear by it. But no matter what, most people are guaranteed to have played it. Yes, I’m talking about WarCraft III (and no, not specifically DotA).

I remember anticipating this game like no tomorrow, back when I was in Form 1. Not only was I a fan of RTS games, WarCraft III also happened to be the sequel to my first ever RTS, WarCraft II (which my older cousin introduced me to and subsequently annihilated me with his army of Dragons OTL).

When I first played WarCraft III, the story-line and hero orientated gameplay totally blew me away. I was so engrossed with the story I practically whosyourdaddy-ed my way through it just to know what happened next. The way I played was akin to an RPG – turn on God Mode, ditch all non-hero units, pump my heroes up with any loot they could find, and Rambo through the whole mission. Yes, pathetic I know but hey, I was 13 back then! XD

That said, I never really enjoyed the RTS-aspects of WarCraft III. The whole RPG-slash-RTS system was too complicated for me, and I found myself either being severely under-leveled, under-teched or under-resourced. I could never find that perfect balance between them, and sucking at micromanagement doesn’t help either.

Due to this, I ended up enjoying WarCraft III for its RPG elements more, which inadvertently leads us to DotA. I first played DotA at random Cyber Cafe sessions with my friends (version 5.XX era), but it wasn’t until after my SPM did I start playing it religiously. The simplicity of the game map made it easily accessible, but the learning curve was a pretty steep one, as I soon learned.

I don’t want to bore anyone with DotA talk, but sufficient to say, I found it very enjoyable. Random DotA matches with my Secondary schoolmates, random DotA sessions with my PE12 classmates, random DotA games in SPR, random DotA games in HiVE versus SPR… Really, what’s not to like? :3

DotA aside, there are countless customs maps in WarCraft III which serve to add even more to the experience. There’s X-Hero siege for the hero-inclined, Tower Defense for the tactical nuts, X-rated maps for the lulz and other maps like Treetag, Hungry Felhounds and Warlock for pure, mind-numbing fun.

To me, WarCraft III will always remain as the top LAN party game. It’s Action 52 done proper. It may not be as exhilarating as StarCraft, as satisfying as Left4Dead or as classic as Counter Strike, but it sure offers something for everyone.

Next: A classical JRPG, complete with bad dubbing and inability to switch between voices!

#9: Diablo
Platform: PC
Release Date: 1997
Genre: Hack and Slash RPG

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I can still remember that creepy laughter that plays the moment you insert the CD into the CD Drive.

Diablo was one of the very first games I played on the PC and subsequently owned (pirated of course lol). A cousin of mine introduced me to the game when I was the wee age of 8, a few months after getting my first computer.

if Yggdra Union was my intro to the SRPG genre, Diablo would be my introduction to the Fantasy genre. And I don’t mean Fantasy games, I mean the Fantasy genre as a whole. I remember going crazy about spells, swords, monsters and all when I got hooked to Diablo – pondering for ages how to read “Ressurection”, wondering why were scimitars, rapiers and claymores called such instead of “sword”, trying to pronounce “Gargoyle” (Garrr-goy-lee?) and “Scavenger” (Scare-weng-gerr?) properly etc. There was even once during English class, we were required to write an essay about a Nightmare. I vaguely remember mine being something about an oversized cow wielding a bloody cleaver named The Butcher.

Although the sequel Diablo II had much more to offer in terms of gameplay and strategy, I’m still more fond of the original. The mechanics weren’t too hard to grasp for me as a kid (I remember picking Warrior every time and thinking that the Sorcerer sucked because his melee damage was crap), the atmosphere was creepy (The Butcher’s Lair, Leoric’s Tomb, The Catacombs, Halls of the Blind – I’ll never forget them), the spell effects were amazing (My favorite spell was the Firewall, followed by Guardian) and most importantly, everything felt fresh back then.

One major gripe I have with Diablo II is how the unique item system was changed. In Diablo, there were a few unique items that were specialized quest rewards or boss drops. The Butcher’s Cleaver, Arcaine’s Valor, Optical Amulet, Harlequin Crest and the Undead Crown almost immediately come to mind. The feeling you get when you finally slay Leoric and claim his crown as yours is indescribable.

Even though it’s been years since I last played Diablo, several terms, phrases and quotes still come ready to mind, such as:

“I sense a soul in search of answers!”
“What ails you my friend?”
“Psst! Over here!”
“Can’t a man drink in peace?” <– I swear it took me forever to catch that.
“What can I do for ya?”
“Hello friend, stay a while and listen!”

Just goes on to show how much the game influenced me as a kid

Diablo might not be one of the most perfect game out there, but it was certainly one of the most enjoyable and influential game to me. It also signaled the beginning of my Blizzard fanboyism, though that’s a different story altogether

In my eyes, a timeless classic.

Next up: A game many people love and hate, but have probably played it once in their lifetime

#10: Yggdra Union
Platform: GBA, PSP
Release Date: 2006 (GBA), 2008 (PSP)
Genre: Strategic Role Playing Game (SRPG)

I’m personally surprised that such a recent game made it into my Top 10 most influential games list. I was actually debating whether or not to start with this title, as it’s a fairly obscure game and highly unlikely to be in anyone’s Top 10 list. So why Yggdra Union?

Before that, let me first clarify that I did not play the GBA version of this game. I didn’t even know this game existed until I got my PSP. Hence I will be talking about the PSP enhanced remake rather than the original.

As a whole, I’d say Yggdra Union is a fairly average game – it’s not OMGAWSM, but it’s not terribad either. The engine is decent (strict 2D), the artwork average, the music so-so, and the story pretty predictable. What sets it out from other SRPGs like Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics then?

One simple reason: Yggdra Union was the reason I got hooked to SRPGs in the first place.

Prior to Yggdra, the only SRPG I ever played was Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, way back in 2004, on a GBA Emulator. I don’t know why but somehow I never enjoyed that game, and it kinda bored me to be honest. I strayed away from SRPGs starting from then, refusing to even give them a try, until Yggdra Union came along. I was captivated by the beautiful artwork, and the simple, 2D graphics appealed to me. Since it was the middle of Semester Break, I decided to give it a go.

A few minutes into the game and I was hooked. Yggdra Union tells the story of a cute loli Princess struggling to retake her nation, which was conquered by the neighboring Empire. It’s somewhat linear and predictable, but the game won’t hesitate to remind you that you’re in the middle of a war, as I’ll explain below.

The battle system was pretty basic at first, but it soon grew to become more complicated, when things like Card Aces, Time of Day, Unions, Spells etc came into play. The Union system in particular made unit positioning extremely crucial – one small mistake was all it took to cripple a character. Also, any decisions made, like moving a unit X steps or choosing card Y, were irreversible – adding further strategic elements into the game. Morale, the game’s term for HP, was also ridiculously hard to replenish – there were no inns, no healing springs, no Pokemon Centers; if you wanted to recover Morale, you had to consume provisions (dubbed medallions in the game). And what if you ran out of medallions? You could either consume different pieces of equipment and remove them permanently from the game, enter a battlefield and wait till you leveled up (only applicable in Normal mode) or cast a healing spell in the middle of battle – the latter two being risky but rewarding choices.

Also, there is no grinding involved. You only get to play a scenario once, and if you’re not careful, some of your characters might end up underlevelled. Once a character begins to lag behind, it becomes almost impossible to catch up – he or she is probably as good as useless, unless you really chose to pump him or her up with Stat food and imba weaponry. Bonuses are awarded if you complete a stage early, but in order to do that you sacrifice exploring the map, which might yield extra rewards like equipment and stat food. All these mechanics served to further reinforce the fact that you’re in the middle of war. Each decision you make has far-reaching effects not noticeable in the short term, but can be soon felt in the long term.

I could go on and on about the unique battle system, but that’s not the main reason it’s included in my Top 10 list. Granted, it’s an excellent game and the best SRPG out there in my opinion, but I’m mainly grateful towards Yggdra Union for introducing me to the wonderful world of SRPGs.

Graphics: 8/10 (Simple, yet remains a certain charm)
Gameplay: 10/10 (Best mechanics I’ve seen in an SRPG)
Story: 7/10 (Predictable and linear, though still fairly enjoyable)
Music: 9/10 (Decent music, though I might be biased coz Nakahara Mai voices the main character lol)
Overall: 8.5/10

Next up: A Blizzard game!

So anyway, it suddenly crossed my mind while I was in the shower to compile a list of the top 10 video games of my life. At first it seemed like an easy task – I could immediately name 8 or 9. After typing it down on notepad, though, I noticed the list was more than 20 games long OTL

After spending 15 long hard minutes cutting the list down, I finally came to the Top 10 most influential video games of my life. But that wasn’t the end, now came the hard part – ordering them.

After spending another 20 or so minutes, I think I’ve finally reached a definitive list. I can’t exactly be sure, though, so I’m going to start listing them out one per day. Yeah this seems like a publicity gimmick, until you consider the fact that almost nobody reads this blog anyway xD

So yeah, expect an entry a day, starting from today lol XD

P/S: I’ve put the EMiNA Sentiments on hold for a moment, having exams now and I need something light to blog about >.>

Even in the midst of flowing time, I feel languid, look, spinning around and around.
I can’t even see the heart that’s leaving me, didn’t you know?

I can’t even get myself to move, I continue to be washed down the cracks of time.
I don’t know anything about what’s around me, I’m just me and no more.

Am I dreaming? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak.
I’m just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything.

Even if you give me the words I’m at a loss for, my heart just won’t pay attention.
If I move myself away, if I change everything, I’ll turn it all black.

Is there a future for someone like me? Will I still exist in a world like this?
Is this painful? Is it sad? Not even knowing myself.

I’m just tired even of walking, I don’t even understand people.
If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white?

Is there a future to come out of this useless time? Will I exist in a place like this?
If I wanted to tell you what kind of person I am, the words I’d use would be “good for nothing.”

Will I exist in a place like this? Will I exist in a time like this?
If someone like me can change, if I can change, will I turn white?

Am I dreaming now? Or seeing nothing? My words are useless even if I speak.
I’m just tired of being sad, I should go on without feeling anything.

Even if you give me the words I’m at a loss for, my heart just won’t pay attention.
If I can move, if I change everything, I’ll turn it all black.

If I move, if I move, I’ll destroy everything, I’ll destroy everything.
If I grieve, if I grieve, can my heart turn white?

I still don’t know about you, about myself, about everything.
If I can open my heavy eyelids, if I break everything, then turn black!!!

P/S: This is not an emo post. It’s merely the lyrics to a song called “Bad Apple” =P

P/P/S: Can’t stop looping this song. Blame exam stress. iPod play-count = 9001.

Words fail to describe just how epic VGL was. If God killed a kitten for every time my heart skipped a beat, cats would have been extinct by now (biggest population drop 2 hours into the event but more to that later). I won’t do a blow-by-blow recount of the event, but here are the highlights for me (chronological-wise):

- The opening medley was EPIC. While I can’t say that I recognized all the music played, I did identify quite a handful of them, mainly Contra, Duck Hunt and Frogger.
- The Sonic medley struck a chord deep within me. As one of the first games I ever played on the PC (and subsequently the Sega Saturn whenever I went over to my cousin’s place), it brought back sweet memories of me trying to beat the then insanely challenging game. Ironically, the very first Sonic game I played, Sonic CD, was no where to be seen in the video montage. ‘Tis a shame though – I still think it’s one of the best (and notoriously difficult) Sonic game ever.
- Laura “Flute-Link” and her Zelda flute medley was refreshing, captivating and nothing short of simply awe-inspiring. In fact, I would rate it as the highlight of the first half – it was THAT epic.
- After the incredible Sonic and Zelda medleys, I didn’t think they could outdo themselves in the second half. I was so wrong. SO FUCKING WRONG.
- The World of Warcraft theme made me think that the second half would be focusing on more recent game music. The video montage featuring in-game cinematic was awesome and very well-suited for the whole piece.
- As a side note, Amber grabbed my arms so tight during the WoW performance her fingernails dug into my flesh :3
- Just when I thought they couldn’t do any better, they did.

“In the Year 20XX, a super robot named Megaman was created”

- OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. I don’t think I breathed properly throughout the entire Megaman medley.
- It was the Megaman 2 TITLE SCREEN. HOLYFUCKNOWAYNOWAYNOWAYNOFUCKINGWAYMEGAMAN2TITLESCREENHOLYFUCKNOWAY.
- They didn’t stop there. They proceeded to play ALL OF THEM TITLE SCREENS, while skimming through them simultaneously on the video montage. Memories which were long forgotten suddenly resurfaced – Trying out and subsequently getting hooked on my very first Megaman game, Megaman 5, spending days trying out all of the bosses and finally beating my first boss (Gravity Man), marveling at the awesomeness of ‘stealing’ the boss’ weapon and gasping at the awesomeness of Gravity Hold, kept getting owned by Waveman’s hazard-infested stage, writing down those stupid Blue-Red-dot passwords and finally reaching Protoman’s castle after MONTHs of playing, and getting frustrated at the seemingly unbeatable Protoman’s castle (no in-between stage passwords – you input a password, you start from Castle Stage One, no exceptions); the list goes on.
- Watching the Megaman medley was like watching my childhood flash before my eyes. Dodging the lasers in Megaman 2 (I figured to use Flashman’s Flash Stopper againt them! This was pre-Internet era mind you, no cheat codes or walkthroughs were available back then), Conserving ammo for the options in Megaman 2 (dying didn’t replentish ammo lololololol), conserving even more ammo for the all-important Bubble Lead and Pharaoh Shot in Megaman 2 and 4 respectively (Final boss invulnerable to EVERYTHING else, even the Mega Buster), wondering what the hell Charge Kick was for in Megaman 5, and why did it consume ammo anyway, trying out the new ‘armor’ system for Megaman 6 and getting confused (you can PUNCH someone as Megaman? SRSLY??), going “WHOA!!” over the improved graphics in Megaman 7, searching for Megaman FAQs for the first time in my life (Super Adapter for Megaman 7), not knowing the X series existed until I made the switch (or more precisely, my cousin) to the PlayStation and trying out Megaman X4, subsequently getting owned by the FIRST FUCKING BOSS in the game because I picked Zero (Yes, that ugly green dragon mecha. All because my neighbor was being stupid and telling me the weakness was his fucking mouth and he was only vulnerable when he opened it. Unfortunately that also meant he was about to shoot, and I was jumping stupidly into him…), realizing there was a Megaman 8 later on after I played X4, beating X4 and moving on to X5 and x6 before finally coming to the realization that X1 till X3 must have existed somewhere; I could go on further into the Z series and the Battle Network but I think I better stop before this wall of text kills anyone.
- And then, just when I thought they couldn’t go any further, they fucking played that song. Yes, THAT SONG.
- My heart stopped beating when they played Wily’s Castle Theme 1 (or Wily’s Courtyard) for Megaman 2. I was trying REALLY hard not to scream OKKUSENMAN!!! coz it wasn’t part of the original theme, but when everyone (Amber included) started screaming, I lost all sense of control and started screaming like a rabid fanboy too lol.
- I swear I blacked out sometime after the song ended. Must have been due to insufficient oxygen to the brain or something.
- One Winged Angel was fucking AWESOME, so was the first encore Castlevania (something I was DYING to listen to). Too bad they both got eclipsed (imo) by the awesomeness that was the Megaman medley. Same goes for Chrono Trigger – all three were equally awesome in their own right, but nothing could beat Megaman for me

All in all, VGL was a VERY incredible experience for me, and it was fun remembering all the games I played as a kid. I never regretted spending those eighty-eight bucks one bit, and given the chance I would definitely attend again. I loved my seating up above – it was kinda isolated and allowed me to really enjoy the concert with Amber :3

P/S: If they played Into the Wilderness or Funeral March (Wild Arms OST, Michiko Naruke), I probably wouldn’t be here writing this entry right now.

P/P/S: Thanks dear for willing to attend VGL with me