Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

Omikron: The Nomad Soul I remember trying Shenmue over a decade ago. I believe I was in grad school or just before entering. I can't quite remember. Now, Shenmue is often touted as one of the Dreamcast greats and incredibly ahead of its time. Perhaps I played it too late because after playing through only the first disc, I failed to appreciate it and stopped playing it. I still have a copy and perhaps I will make another attempt in the future. It's really just a murder mystery with barely any action in it. The setting is generic. The plot is generic. None of it captured my attention for very long. Again, I'll give it another go in the future. After all, Dreamcast is my second favorite console. Comparison I mentioned Shenmue because it is the first thing that popped into my mind while playing Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Just like Shenmue, Omikron is also a murder mystery with some action in it. What sets it apart, howeve...

Early Y2K Music Lenny Kravitz in 1995. He could pass for an agent in the Matrix The first half of the 1990s, and then some, was dominated by two major musical movements: grunge and gangsta rap. Both genres stayed popular and relevant well into the early Y2K era and even beyond. Gangsta rap carried its influence deep into the 2000s with artists like 50 Cent, while grunge eventually evolved into post-grunge. Both were immensely popular, but each scene faced major setbacks through a series of tragic events. As their initial waves began to fade, new musical movements started to emerge: dance music, boy bands, R 'n' B, girl pop, pop punk, and, my personal favorite, nu metal. Tragedy in Grunge First, Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. This alone dealt a huge blow to the grunge scene, but there were other troubles as well. Layne Staley of Alice in Chains strug...

Super Nintendo Masterpiece I played this game after I played Terranigma; by several years, in fact. I first played Terranigma in the early 2010s and was instantly enamored by it. After many years, I played Chrono Trigger and was also instantly enamored. The reason why I hesitated for so long to play Chrono Trigger is because it's turn-based. I never liked turn-based combat and still don't. I will discuss this game's combat later. The Highest Praise Throughout high school and throughout college, everyone on the internet and in real-life heaped the absolute highest possible praise upon Chrono Trigger. It almost always appeared at the top of best-of lists. Some of my acquantances even opined that it was the greatest game of all time. I still didn't budge. It wasn't until I encountered a loose cartridge at a local retro game store for ninety dollars that I bought it and played it. I guess all the hype throughou...

Another Average RPG I reviewed Evolution: The World Sacred Device is a charming but average RPG. The sequel, Evolution 2: Far Off Promise, can described in exacty the same light. It's got pretty much the same set of characters with only a few additions. The story is different and, frankly, less interesting. The combat is almost identical. The only difference is that the enemy grid now has a fourth column. So, it's 4x3 instead of 3x3. The biggest change is that the dungeons themselves are no longer randomly generated. All except the practice tower contain fixed floor plans. That's it. Less Personality There is really not much to talk about. Only the story and setting is different. It takes place after the events of the first. Mag is traveling with the same friends from before. The addition of the pirate adds a little bit of extra charm as he turns over a new leaf once you face and defeat him in his hide out and becomes a...

Video Game Perfection I make it no secret that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is my favorite video game console ever. I really only enjoyed four consoles growing up: the SNES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Dreamcast, and the original Xbox. I was going to get an Xbox 360, but I became a guitar player just before it was released and blew whatever money I saved on super sweet Jackson Warrior along with a 100 watt amp. The SNES is easily my favorite console and Terranigma is my favorite game on that console. So, Terranigma is my favorite game of all time. Yes, I'm putting it ahead of Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid. I'm even putting it ahead of my child and teenagehood favorites such as Contra III, Donkey Kong Country, Perfect Dark, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 3, Morrowind, Half-Life 2, and Jet Set Radio. It's even better than latter day exploits such as Fallout: New Vegas and Witcher III. Every game I mentioned previous...

Elemental Gimmick Gear This game was released right in the middle of peak Y2K: 1999. However, upon first look, you could have mistaken the release year to be 1995 or 1996; at most 1997. You probably wouldn't guess that it was released on the Sega Dreamcast. It definitely has that Moebius inspired visuals akin to Panzer Dragoon. So, you could make another easy mistake and conjecture that Elemental Gimmick Gear was released on the Sega Saturn. It wasn't. It was released on the Dreamcast anno 1999. This game is incidentally a demonstration of how fast technology was evolving at the time. In just a few short years E.G.G. felt outdated. In fact, it began as a Saturn project that ended up being completed for the Dreamcast. Aside from being a solid game in it's own right, E.G.G. functions as a unique time capsule that bridges the fifth to the sixth generation of console gaming. Moebius Art E.G.G. is a top-down, 2D action...