Lists

Ten Favourite Characters in Project X Zone

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

(originally posted October 10th 2014)

(WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Project X Zone)

Project X Zone has probably got one of the biggest casts in any videogame, featuring a ton of heroes, villains and mooks from across the libraries of Capcom’s, Sega’s and Bandia Namco’s franchises, as well as some original ones. However, since most of these characters have little to no recognition or recognisability in the West, the writers/translators had to do an especially good job in making them likable and interesting, without incorporating any character development or deviating from the character’s original personality. In my opinion, they must have done a good job, because I fell in love with many of the cast despite my lack of knowledge, so here is a list of my personal favourites. Continue reading →

Ten Pokémon That Should Be in Pokkén Tournament

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

(originally posted September 12th 2014)

Pokken_Tournament_logo

With the announcement of a ‘Pokémon’ fighting game being developed by Namco Bandai, there is much excitement to see which mons will make the cut, for good reason. Even as someone who sucks at most fighting games, being able to control some of my favourite Pokémon in a ‘Tekken’ style fighter is something I can totally get behind. So, here are my personal picks of potential playable Pokémon. Continue reading →

Ten of My Favourite Beast Wars Episodes

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

(originally posted July 25th 2014)

(WARNING: The following post contains spoilers for ‘Beast Wars’)

If you didn’t read last week’s post on ‘Beast Wars,’ why not? That hurts my feelings. You should read it. But if you really don’t want to, then the short version is that I love the show. So, to follow up on it, I bring you ten of my favourite episodes across the series. Continue reading →

Five Great Racing Games That Aren’t Mario Kart

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

(originally posted June 20th 2014)

So, how about that ‘Mario Kart 8,’ eh? One of the most hyped games of 2014; one that increased Wii U sales by 666% (truly work of Satan himself). I can safely say it is one of the best ‘MK’ games I’ve played – maybe even the best. But you know where you are with ‘Mario Kart.’ Every game has been at least of decent quality (except for the GBA one) – with ‘Mario Kart,’ fans of the mascot racing genre can sleep easily.

But imagine, if you will, that ‘Mario Kart’ never existed. Maybe somewhere, in a parallel universe or alternate history, Nintendo never considered sticking their mascot in a go-kart. It’s a grim and terrifying image, I know, but do not worry, because even without it, there are plenty of great cartoony racing games that can fill up an evening with friends, and here are five of them. Continue reading →

Five Favourite Rik Mayall Performances

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

(originally posted June 13th 2014)

uktv-rik-mayall

Earlier this week, English comedian Rik Mayall sadly passed away at the age of 56. The man pioneered alternative comedy in the 1980’s, particularly with his role in British sitcom ‘The Young Ones’ (which I really need to watch); he was described as being to comedy what punk was to music. He was an inspiration to me and many of my friends and his passing has deeply affected a lot of people.

If you’re unfamiliar with him, you are sorely missing out. He brought so much energy to every role he was in, creating insane, uncontrollable characters. So, in honour of this utter legend, here’s a list of my favourite performances for you to check out and enjoy. Continue reading →

Eight Characters That Should Be in Mario Kart

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

(originally posted May 16th 2014)

mario-kart-8-16098-16588-hd-wallpapers

We’re less than a month away from ‘Mario Kart 8’ hitting the shelves and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much hype for a new ‘Mario Kart’ before. Since its announcement at E3 last year, we’ve slowly but surely seen more of it and I have certainly become more and more excited. But if there’s one thing I have to take issue with, it’s Nintendo’s choice of characters.

Now, ‘Mario Kart’ isn’t exactly something you play for its playable characters, unlike a fighting game like ‘Super Smash Bros’ but as the cast has grown, certain characters have unexpectedly cropped up… and not in the good way. ‘MK8’ will star many fan favourites but the rest are a bit of a head scratcher. All seven of the Koopalings? Are they really that popular? Baby Rosalina? Do we really need another baby version of an existing character? Even Baby Daisy was pushing it. And Pink Gold Peach? You’re not even trying with that one.

It wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t a far richer selection of Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants to choose from. So, here’s my personal pick of new and old racers that should be allowed onto the racecourse.

Continue reading →

My Five Favourite Pixar Movies… That Aren’t Toy Story

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

(originally posted April 4th 2014)

With ‘Finding Dory,’ ‘The Incredibles 2,’ ‘Cars 3’ and a couple of original films in the works, Pixar has got their work cut out for them for the next several years. Pixar is, in my opinion, one of the best animated film studios out there and though every film hasn’t been a complete hit, they’ve always had consistent quality; you know what you can expect from a Pixar film – it’ll be funny, touching and have superb animation. So, I feel it’s appropriate to list my five favourite Pixar films… with a slight handicap.

TStory Continue reading →