Super Mario Galaxy 2

I'm a little bit of a Mario fan, ever since Super Mario 64. Playing such an iconic character who hardly has any storyline or little character background may be a little unsettling to some, but somehow Mario fills in those gaps by just being who he is. That could very well describe him as an enigma of sorts. For a fictional charter to be able to defy gravity, flip off of a few walls, surf on a manta ray, or have the guts to wear some of the craziest power-up suits should get some credit.

Don't get me wrong... Mario is a fantastic character, so don't go thinking I all out hate him when I start going into the sequel which a majority have played, or tested out: Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The Game World

This game gave me mixed feelings when I first started playing. Within the first few moments after the introduction sequence, I felt like I was going back to the very first level in Super Mario Galaxy. The sirens were going off now... not another crappy sequel where the levels look different, but carry the same principals of the predecessor to maintain some sort of consistency. Of course, the very first level is purely an introduction to the control scheme, so regarding the repetitive nature of the level becomes understandable. It is always nice to have a refresher on how everything works in the game before you really need to know what control scheme you should be using in certain situations. Thankfully, the controls are easy to learn, versatile, and responsive.

For the rest of the 'Universe' in SMG2, I felt the game was rushed, smaller in scope, and felt like a teaser extension of the original game. It always seems that in a game galaxy, there are limits. Seeing these limits feels as if any creative licence was choked completely out of the whole world design to create a greater, fuller set of landscapes to explore. With only a couple stars to collect per world, there is more filler background than actual platforming room to walk upon. This is my biggest letdown for the entire game. There could have been a lot more substance in these worlds, because I love exploration so much in Mario games.

Graphics

There is not too much to say or gripe about regarding the graphics. After all, we are talking about the Nintendo Wii here. For this game and console, the graphics are superb! The world doesn't look jagged, the texturing is smooth, and the water is as beautiful as it was before. I did however notice slowdown in one of the worlds where you had to jump across a series of platforms. Other than that one gripe, there isn't that less detailed look that usually carries with a sequel game. Very well done!

Gameplay

As I mentioned before, the overall game control was easy to use, and responsive. Both of those factors are a huge influence in the playability of the game, or any video game for any console for that matter.

World exploration is fluent, easily to manoeuvre, and sometimes laid out in the laziest of ways. Hand in hand with the shortness of the levels, there are a few 'Sling Stars' which you have to collect five pieces in order to advance. Sure, that is great... but where the heck is the challenge when all 5 of those pieces are practically right beside each other begin to be picked up!? I look forward to a least getting a little pissed off when I need to search out the pieces of that star. Where the heck did the challenge of searching for items go? Yet again I feel like SMG2 is an extension of the first game, not a separate entity.

There are a lot more power-ups in this game than that of the original, that is a plus. I won't fill you in on them if you do want to still rent this game or something. Most of them are short-lived, and you end up having to go back to get another power up in order to keep going. Good thing there are literally twenty or so in the level, so you really don;t have to backtrack to get another one.

Overall

Yes, I have mixed feelings about this game. It has its good points with the consistency of the graphics, ease of controls, and manoeuvrable worlds. What disappoints me the most, is the emptiness which cries out in this universe when there is only a couple of stars per level, the non-existent exploration of the galaxies in general, and how short the game feels by the time you get to the final battle with Bowser. To think with a sequel, it would be bigger, and even surpass the scope of the original. This whole game fell flat on its face in terms of the length, and lack of creative genius that radiated from the core of its ancestor. So much for a dramatic, epic exploration of a 'vast' galaxy. What a letdown...Nintendo could have pumped glory into this game, just enough to appreciate/celebrate the fact that this is the first sequel for a Nintendo Console game in the Mario department that is.

Try the game out if you do like Mario, but don't go thinking that this is going to break your vision of the original SMG game. After all, it is up to you what you enjoy the most. This is just my viewpoint, even if it is a little on negative side.

Mortal VS Machine

Seemingly, everyday around the house it is work as usual for my family and I. There is always something to accomplish, but never enough time to complete anything to some sort of admirable complacency. The world never stops sleeping because there is always something going on, and at all times something is changing on the face of this planet. Mortality may not be eternal, but it seems like the ignited fire of technology has taken our minds on a entrapping venture into the unknown.

At my place of employment, there are a few fellow employees who have cell phones in their pockets. You may believe that I'm in an office or something. However in fact, I'm working in a factory, cleaning food processing equipment 36 hours a week. Having any form of hard plastic and glass in a factory setting is unfortunately, a Good Manufacturing Practice Hazard. All that GMPs signify is a set of rules which promote not only the safety of individuals, but ensure that the food manufacturing process doesn't become something of a product recall nightmare due to something like a strand of hair in the finished product. Basically, if the rules are followed, there is less of a chance of product contamination, product recalls, and a cleaner, more efficiently running production plant overall.

What drives me nuts at work is the fact that the cell phones are left on, in those individual's pockets, and some are even having a conversation with the individuals on the receiving end of the messages. Most of the time what is taking place is texting small messages or remarks during a production run at both of the plants which I work within. To think that having to pay for that phone, car payments, groceries, or having the privilege of a roof over your head is less important or valuable than replying to an E-Mail on a texting device.

Have we come to expect so much from technology that it is becoming a part of ourselves, an extension of our bodies to which we are continuously plugged into the world ? Is this purely the beginning of a new evolution in which we become Bio-mechanic beings which can never tire or have to sleep anymore?

Okay, that is a little bit of an overreaction with a dash of melodramatic. Didn't mean to scare people there. Whatever connection we have to technology has us all convinced that without such resources, we would become disconnected from any form or knowledge, or feel as if we are alone in the world with no concrete guidance or proof that such events are transpiring before our eyes. So, if technology would happen to have a massive accident, say due to a cyber worm/virus, could that very well mark society's last days of order and sanity?

You could almost get away with saying that the world runs on a wide network of computer programs, data, statistics, and informational network data flow. All this data, compiled into certain clusters of databanks, reformatted, encrypted, accessed by billions of users daily, updated, e-mailed, received, copied, and redistributed throughout the globe a numerous multitude of times to the general public/businesses/organizations/etc. Information of any delight changes milliseconds after it has been sent out, merely adding to the single ocean of which can be called the Internet. Versions of this differential information piles up on the web's search pages, all there to be accessed 24/7/365. That in itself is spectacular, even mind-blowing.

Processing even a second of time would produce 1 million events which transpired in that one timeframe. History forever changed, the decisions made now irreversible, and the impacts to be attended to either in a negative or positive tone of mind. One blink of the eye can be the beginning of one life, and the finality of someone's last breath of life leaving their lips. We are so much connected to everything and anything which resides within our minds, bodies, souls, and any interactive or relative object or substance in the existence of the entire globe and universe. Given these simplest of rights further amplifies our connection to machines or technology, and the constant craving to be within its grasp.

To say the least, we have been given the choice as to which direction the human race has decided to go, where it wants to end up, and how we are going to end up in that pre-destined, yet undetermined factor. Life is a choice which we all have the power to utilize, explore, experience, destroy, or discover. Even the simple things are complex in their own right, and having that knowledge will only further guide us all to what we are all searching for, with or without technology to lead the way.

Music's Connection & Importance

It is compelling to see how much variety of music is out there. Just when you think that you have explored every corner of the musical universe, something pops out from the cracks of obscurity and enlightens the listener once more.

Recently, I purchased the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the music which is played in the game on a set of eight separate radio stations you can switch in a car while you are driving around the city.

This whole soundtrack jumpstarted my mind into the overall importance, and texture which any track of music builds into the listener's mind. From modern rock, swing, reggae, dance, groove, country, and classic hip-hop, this is one soundtrack that reaches out across the genres in order to open the mind to new avenues once unexplored. Of course, the main aspect of music in San Andreas is to create, or promote the gaming world in order to make you feel as if you are the character in the city, and give the player a realistic getaway from the pulls of reality.

Why I mentioned music as 'textured' can be deciphered in many different ways: each track individually tells a story, the lyrics are a portrait and thought of the artist who wrote the songs, the atmosphere of the entire game world shapes the character of the city itself based upon what is being heard on the in-game radio, the overall diversity of the tracks gives the player the overall freedom to choose the music which responds to their personality, and finally having the choice of selecting the music which the player wants to hear only intensifies not only their personal experience of the game, but expands on the whole sandbox gameplay style.

Telling a story in music has been a staple for years, and in a sense creates a connection between the artist and the listener. Usually music is easier to accept, or retain, allowing a message to be promoted easier than normal words, or other media. Having the magnetism of a message within song may very well help the listener to understand what they are going through in their lives themselves in relation to what is being explained in the music. Although the problem may be different than what is being explained in song, there is still that emotional relationship, no matter how brief the music is. To have the understanding that someone is not alone with conflicts is an idea or comfort for a certain amount of people. Therefore, music amplifies character, and most of all creates an escape even just for a few minutes.

Not only is a story important, how the artist uses the lyrics to explain their story is just as vital. Lyrics define personality, and yes it is quite possible that some songs have fictional tendencies...sometimes, but the fact still lingers that the artist chose to address the issue(s) firsthand. Words intertwine with mood/attitude/the style of the music, creating a psychological depth which scopes out the artist's mindset and reasoning begins the subject matter. They could be slurring profanities, screaming out resentful, shameful feelings, yet the whole premise of the lyrics are to shed some life into the words and phrases which make the entire song flow into the listener's ears. Everyone has something to say, and how anything can be said should be defined in the way which the communicator wants to profess such ideas. Freedom of speech is a privilege, and a gift for anyone who respects their rights and freedoms. Music is only one of the avenues in which self expression can be used.

Characters in general do not necessarily have to be animals or people, though recently society has bent towards such ideas. The whole vampire universe of media, books, and movies has advanced the whole mythology of that genre tenfold. I'm not assigning favouritism to vampires, it is purely an example. Whether people like/hate them is totally personal taste :) . I respect individual views either way. Besides such an idea, the city of San Andreas in the Grand Theft Auto Franchise, is a character itself.

To support this idea, I return to the portrait of the music which was produced for this game. The in-game radio while you are driving in a car, boat, or on the seat of a motorcycle, opens the portal to a deeper interaction between the player, takes the edge off of the typical game soundtrack -which sometimes can be a couple of tracks and that is it- , and electrically juices the city into a relatable entity, to make an atmosphere which feels as if it were to be realistic. Having this 'oxygen' in the game separates the fine line between noise, and complete silence.

GTA would most likely suffer without the city having music to add a boost to its character. Who in their right mind would want to listen to a twangy annoying track for hours on end? Not me. No way. This is partially why I love the definition of music overall. This also includes the music in the real world, not just this huge game world.

Overall, no matter what music anyone in the world listens to, continue exploring the music which you can connect with. However, it doesn't hurt to explore other genres as well every once in awhile. It is your choice though. I'm not going to change anyone's mindset. Life isn't lived through one person's view. Enjoy what you have experienced, what you will hear in the future, and support what you believe in. Having a definition of your own individuality in your heart is important, because each and every individual has the right to have their own viewpoint and personal identity in this ever changing world.

Time Changes Everything

Well, the frenzy which I elect to call working in a factory cleaning things is over for a few days. The unfortunate part of the few days off is that they really aren't days off at all, just time away from cleaning food processing equipment in a tortilla bakery.

For me, and most likely everyone else who is employed in some fashion feels like there is no such thing as a break in time in order to be able to chill out and relax. Everything in life feels as though any task cannot be fully completed. You have to cut grass, and a few days days later it has grown two inches because of the heat, and a spit of rainfall. We are always hungry, thirsty, tired, thinking, reacting to our environment/others, and are always curious as to how our lives can improve from day to day. We spend so many years to stay healthy, active, and to survive as a human race.

Yet, no matter the benefits of what life is capable of giving and living for, eventually the body has to give away and stop functioning altogether. Sometimes I wonder why we are even living on this planet, just to see us all eventually fading away. There may be thousands of answers, but that also depends on who you ask and the overall viewpoint you are looking for. It meagrely feels like living is blur of certain events, smeared into a vast majority of memories, feelings, emotions, and sensory experiences. One set of eyes is capable of seeing the world in one way, while the billions of other eyes regard the world in a totally different way altogether.

Could living as a human being be purely defined by the character of the soul which occupies the body, and the actions or intentions of that single entity to create/generate change or advancement within the spectrums of human knowledge?

Life is constantly evolving, never truly stopping even for a millisecond in order for the entire world to function as a whole. Everything is connected to time: the natural laws of nature determine how a stalk of corn grows, how the sun sets and rises, when the seasons change, how the weather reacts in various regions of the world, and even how the human mind functions and can process thousands of thoughts a day from the social environment, while all along maintaining the various functions of the vital organs of our flesh and bone. So much happens within a second, and the events which shape those fragments of time influence all other actions afterwards. To have everything just flat out stop would be a shock to the system.

It would be an impossibility for time to stop because so much rides on the minutes, seconds, hours, and years that have been around since the genesis of all life. Even if the entire solar system suddenly decided to get sucked into a a black hole, there would still be time irregardless if there was nobody to experience such an event. Yet again, the Earth runs within a certain structure of natural laws, even if everything that is happening all at once on the planet is chaotic as a single flame of fire consuming a pile of crumpled papers.

What can be accomplished in a lifetime may very well be a speck on the radar, and even with all the generations of life on the planet the progression of accomplishing the tasks which drive all of us on a daily basis will still be at the same rate of speed as they are today.

Small Aggravations Build Character

Recently, work has been a little tedious, making my life all the more interesting. Now with working 4 days out of the seven day week 40+ hours as of late (3-12 hour shifts as the norm), learning how to relax and unwind after a busy day isn't as easy as it was during my high school years. There are a couple of issues at work that bother me the most: doing my own job and having someone asking me what I'm doing, and people messing with my routine when I'm trying to organize my workday. To lay it straight down, I mind my own business, punch in to work, and go home at the end of the day.

Having any complications in-between those two points certainly tests my patience level. Some days go smooth at work, while others just are a pain in the neck. Period. Most of the time, having those little fragments of distraction, having to talk to a nosy co-worker, and forgetting what I'm supposed to do next is a subtle reminder that some events in life are meant to be explored in this fashion. This is not to say that I'm a purely optimistic individual, because there are always more sides to a story than you could ever first perceive.

Work ethic in my family is some sort of tradition to simplify explanation. My parents have always said, "If you want to have a music CD collection, or want to buy certain things for yourself, you are going to have to earn your own money in order to do so." That is one of the best and most highly regarded my parents have ever given to me. And for that I am grateful to have learned that at such a young age. This idea/principal applies for education and owning my own house. To me, it makes sense, so going along with the plan is clear sailing.

Overall, having small annoyances in life is way of opening your eyes to see who you really are. Showing a bit of your character doesn't hurt too much either, but that in itself depends on the situation at hand.

Life in General

I created this Blog not only out of curiosity, but also as a place to write out my thoughts. I'm no professional writer, but somehow writing in any form is somewhat a way to unwind from the world even for just a few moments.

The topics of the posts may vary, and may spread out into various areas. That is what I love about general writing, the freedom to express what I am interested in. This may very well be an echo of every other Blog in cyberspace, but we as individuals are all different and diverse in what we all believe in. That in itself is interesting as well.

These days, watching the news, listening to the radio, and reading assorted media broadcasting outlets, makes the world seem like a chaotic disaster field. Blink for a second, and the world still continues following its heartbeat, pulsing on no matter what is going on. Oil leaking in the oceans, wars, car accidents, murders, religious issues, and other various events define the state of the planet in such epic detail. Being surrounded with the influence of the media everywhere doesn't make understanding the chaos any easier. All I seem to hear out of any news report is only a minimal procession of progress to solve any of the problems listed. There are so many voices out there speaking at once, all without the necessary set of ears to hear what needs to be received and understood.

All this kind of puts me in a different state of mind, almost displaced, and wondering why everything struggles to achieve some sort of order. What in the world difference could I possibly make in such a distorted world ? Asking this question lands me back to square one in the first place, but somehow we all end up asking a question like this on a daily basis.

Irregardless, what I have learned over the years is that the world has a way of balancing everything out, what ever happens in life happens for a reason, and learning about why that reasoning came into play in the first place develops a further understanding of the situations which pop up on a daily basis.

Exploration of GTA 4

I'm sure by now a few thousand people have experienced Grand Theft Auto 4, either with the PS3 or the XBox 360. I have played quite a few missions now, and have managed to advance the story a bit. Usually if I'm playing GTA, I would rather explore the area and see what is happening in-game. Overall, I am impressed with this game!

The controls are easy to figure out, the mini-map is so useful, and the help windows which explain various concepts in the game tell you exactly how to operate the vehicle/weapon you are currently using. The controls for more complicated moves, such as going into the stealth cover position behind a car, object, or wall are explained simply when you are in the middle of a mission. As Rockstar North probably has learned over the years, the gameplay controls are the best asset to create the most successful franchise in recent history. For me, the controls are the most important part of a video game. In my opinion, how you can control your character makes or breaks the game being a hit among thousands.

Now as far as the gameplay mechanic goes, this is one huge game where you can do whatever you want even without playing through the story. However, if you want to explore certain areas it may help to complete some of the storyline. This all depends on how you play GTA in general. I'm just one of those people who grab the controller and see what transpires within the world.

Just by looking at the game in action, even with the character walking into a restaurant, the sense of realism and dimensionality of the characters makes the atmosphere so realistic. I have played quite a few GTA games over the years and never have I felt so much depth of gameplay and scope of activities that the player can complete.

GTA offers quite the universe on one small disc, and an excellent storyline which for once I can manage to work through with little to no frustration. Half the time, the controls or poor AI in the older versions of Liberty City have generated most of the aggravation. GTA4 just lets you interact with the world efficiently & seamlessly. This is one addictive 24/7 city that literally never stops working, wether you are playing or not.

I highly recommend this game (which does carry an ESRB rating of Mature) to veterans of the GTA franchise, and newcomers to the series alike. The controls are easy to pick up, you'll be playing for many hours, and the overall atmosphere of the game is fantastic. Pick up a copy on your favourite console today, or for the computer.