Wednesday, September 30, 2009

9/30/09

Wake me up, when September ends. Seriously, wake me up because I'm tired as hell this week, and no, I'm not a Green Day fan, but my parents love them so I hear that song constantly. :P

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #30


All right! Episode 30! What does this mean? Well, nothing really, but I do start Level 6 in this video, and I am nearing the end ever so quickly.

First, I'll close out Apu's level. Level 5 was kind of interesting in this playthrough. On the surface, I made a lot of progress really quickly. Then it got to Episode 29 and Mission 5 and 6, and things started to crumble. I had two attempts for Mission 5, and nearly 10 minutes of messing with that armored truck. Anyways, at least the last mission went very well for one very quick and flawless run.

Ok, on to Bart's 2nd level! This level will be.....interesting, for me. Not that the level is necessarily that much harder, but from my recollection, the street races are a pain, and there is one mission that took me so many tries in my first project of the game (it's harshly timed to the extreme). However, I'm definitely looking forward to it because it'll feel like a new experience since I haven't played this game in so very long. Anyways, not much is covered in this video (besides wasps and cards, and gags), so we'll start getting into that madness in tomorrow's video! =) See you guys then.

Video Quote of the Day:

"Tell you what, you are a bad little boy."
~Apu

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SlimKirby's Top 5:


Whenever I do commentary for my videos, I always make sure I have something to wet my whistle while I am going on about whatever I'm going on about. Here are my top 5 beverages that I have (or in some cases, would like to have) while doing video recordings, or just to have in general.

5. Root Beer - Boy do I love a good root beer! I especially love to pour a can of it into a nice, frosty cold mug (my parents keep mugs in their freezer to make them extra cold and frosty). Although I love this beverage, I'm finding myself enjoying them a lot less. As I have grown older, my taste and tolerance for caffeine has decreased and I'm finding myself drinking a lot less things with it. I even find myself getting sick or bloated due to caffeinated drinks (if you can remember correctly, the hiccup attack in Mario Party 2 Western Land actually was attributed by root beer).

4. Bottled (Tap) Water - A lot of people say tap water isn't very good for you, but that is actually a bit of a myth since the pipes are supposed to filter out all of the bad stuff and give you only the good stuff. My kitchen sink at home though has the best tap water I've ever tasted. Fill a bottle with it, stick it in the fridge for an hour and a half, and then you'll have a nice bottle of water to periodically drink. When you are finished, repeat the process. Sometimes when I'm out of Drink #1 and #2, I go for a nice bottle of water, especially for some of those long Mario Party recordings.

3. Milk - I love milk...I really do. I could drink an entire gallon of it at once if I really wanted to. Although it's not what I would drink during a recording or over a long period of time, I definitely make sure I have a big glass of it whenever I go to bed, whenever I wake up, and when I don't want to go out to the garage refrigerator to get another drink. :P

2. Green Tea - I've never been a tea drinker....until I discovered this stuff. I don't know how or why, but this stuff is so very good. Plus, it ain't bad for you either. Definitely a drink I want have a bottle or tall glass of every day.

1. Variations of Sprite and Sierra Mist (Regular, Diet, Zero, Remix, etc.) - There is just something about lemon-line colas that I can't get enough of, and sprite is definitely the figure-head. When I was growing up, there were always 3 kinds of soda in our cupboard. There was Mountain Dew case for my dad, Coca-Cola for my Mom, and Diet Sprite for me. I can't go a day without having a can of it, I can't go a single recording without it (if I don't, I'll go for one of the other listed drinks), and yes, I just love it. I also love Sierra Mist and 7-Up which are kind of similar to these drinks, and I love any variations of Sprite as well. I never really figured out why they discontinued Sprite Remix though, I thought that stuff was pretty good.

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And that's all folks!

-SlimKirby

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

9/29/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #29
Part 1


Part 2


Wait, two videos? That's right folks! Due to the fact that I really hate armored trucks, and that I wanted more progress than I made in the first video, I split #29 into two parts. Since Part 2 is just an extension of Part #29, I figured that I wouldn't name it 30, since I would only be doing the same thing throughout the 2nd part (trying to blow up that stupid truck).

Anyways, first we have Mission 5, a mission that seems more simple than it actually is. The major flaw of this mission is the computer AI during the "follow and collect" part of the mission. The truck will randomly hit walls and other cars, which will more than likely get it stuck, and if that happens, you are probably going to fail. I don't see why they don't give you more time after you collect all the garbage though. I mean, on a first-time run, you aren't going to know where all of that garbage is, so why give a bullcrap time limit? Hell, why give a time limit during the truck chasing part? Seriously, I think the developers overlooked a few key things when making this mission.

If Mission 5 wasn't controversial enough, next we have Mission 6. Although it can be arguably easier than Mission 5, that armored truck is a pain in the ass. Let's see...ramming into it does nothing...pushing it against a wall is the best way to destroy it, yet guiding it will still do quite a bit of damage to you....and it drives pretty flawlessly for such a heavy vehicle like that. Such a pain to destroy on every playthrough of this game I do. Another thing that kind of pisses me off is the inclusion of a "Avoid the Cops" task after the destruction of the truck. Maybe it's not too hard to too, but after taking down that giant truck, why even give the player another chance to fail?

Anyways, with this out of the way, only one mission stands between the finish of Level 5, so expect a start to Level 6 tomorrow!

Video Quote of the Day:
"I should know better than to trust a demented jackal.....BUT OK!"
~Apu

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A SlimKirby Shout-Out

I'm not sure if I should even make this shoutout. I was actually going to make this shout-out before, but now I'm glad I didn't because this LPer hasn't made a single update since I was planning to shout him out. Heck, he hasn't made an update in 3 weeks either, so it's even longer than I'm making it look....

Let's Play Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen by ThePastaKing


Ok, let me say something really quick, and PK, I hope you are reading this as well....

You are a good LPer...well, actually, you "could" be a good LPer, but your updates take WAY TOO LONG bro. TMNT: Tournament Fighters took you about 14 videos and that took several months to finish. This game looks to be a lot longer, and I really don't think your subscribers, or any video viewers you happen to get, will want to wait so long for these updates. Straight and simple, there is your warning, and I really recommend you either reprioritize your schedule, or just take a step down from LPing, because this is kind of ridiculous.

With that being said though, ThePastaKing is still a good man and he still makes some enjoyable videos, and I do recommend that you check him out, but don't expect updates too oftenly (unless he takes my warning to heart...)

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This update is over, stay tuned for tomorrow's update...which just happens to be the last day of September.

-SlimKirby

Monday, September 28, 2009

9/28/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #28


I love the sound of extras being completed. Well, I guess "sound" doesn't make much sense in this case, but the "sight" of extras being completed, now that is something =D. So the wasps, cards, level gags, and street races all get taken out in this video, which allows for the next 2 videos to be just storyline missions.

I've noticed that Apu's street races are relatively simple when compared with the ones done in Lisa and Marge's story, but I guess I'm at the point where I have fast enough vehicles to get the job done. If I remember correctly though, the circuit in Level 6 is no picnic, so I'll have to have a good mindset for that one. Anyways, basic strategy for Apu's checkpoint....get a ahead as soon as possible and keep that lead. Also, take any available shortcut, because they will definitely help. A good lead will pretty much guarantee a first no matter what, as we have driven on this path numerous times now.

Mission 4 can be tricky if you let the time get the best of you. You are given a pretty big distance to cover in a short period of time, so I reccommend you are familiar with the donut locations. Also, just start over if you crash or miss any. It will save you a lot of time (and possible car damage). Don't freak out on the 2nd part because if you let the police car get away, you have to do the whole thing over, and who wants that?

Next video I'll be tackling one of my least favorite missions in the entire game, so stay tuned for that. Then, on Wednesday, be prepared to see Level 5 end, and Level 6 begin!

Quote of the Day:

Milhouse: Your nachos have hair in them
Apu: The hair is protein!

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Game Chat

I've been doing The Simpsons: Hit and Run for almost a month now (it will be a month in a few days), so I figured I would talk about another Simpsons game that is quite similar to the game I am currently LPing (although, only in the sense that vehicles are in involved

The Simpsons: Road Rage


In late 2001, Radical Entertainment (same people who were behind Hit and Run, which came later) developed The Simpsons: Road Rage, a Simpsons video game, like Hit and Run that focused on vehicular gameplay. However, while Hit and Run used the Grand Theft Auto engine, Road Rage used an engine from the Dreamcast's hit series, Crazy Taxi.

The story for this game is very short and simple. Mr. Burns develops nuclear-powered buses to use for transportation across the town of Springfield. However, these buses are very dangerous and are a big threat to public health. As a result, the Simpsons family, along with other Springfield inhabitants, take the streets and start their own carpooling/taxi service to raise enough money to shut down the Burns Transportation empire. Not a very intricate and detailed plot, but it's obvious that the developers didn't really care about the plot (although I can see this being a Simpsons episode).

Here is how the gameplay generally works. You take your character and vehicle and drive around a specific area of Springfield and pick up passengers. When you get a passenger they will tell you where they want to go, and you must drive them to that location before they get angry and leave. While the passenger is in your car, your cash will steadily rise, and if you get the passengers to their location, you will get a bonus based on how fast you got them there (the faster you are, the better your money bonus is). You keep doing this until your main timer runs out (you also get time bonuses based on how fast you transport). You can also get a "safe driving" and "road rage" bonus after every 3 passengers. The safe driving bonus depends on how well you can avoid other traffic in one trip, while the road rage bonus depends on how much destruction you can cause in one trip (knocking over street signs, trees, etc.).

As your session plays out, passengers will generally be more strict with their time frames and it will be harder to reach specific locations in the amount of time you are given. You have no specific money goal in this game (it's more of a "See how high of a score you can get in one session," type of thing), but as you raise money, you will be able to unlock new areas and other characters. The game is fairly generous with the amount of characters you can get, and there are 6 areas to play on, but once you unlock a certain amount of stuff, you are generally not going to want to play much of it anymore as the gameplay is fairly repetitive.

There are a few other modes of play as well. There is a 2-Player versus mode where you battle over passenger faires as you try to raise more money over your opponent. If you don't want to worry about time limits or opponents, you can go to "Sunday Drive" and just have a relaxing drive without worrying about failing. There is also a Mission Mode (which can be considered the inspiration for Hit and Run), but there are only 10 missions, and the majority of them are "Hit this many objects in the time limit" or "get to this location in the time limit," and while the reward for completing these missions are cool, I don't think it's really worth it.

This game is a fairly fun title to play, and since the Simpsons are involved, you can definitely expect to have a good time playing it with the classic Simpsons humor. In the big picture though, repetitive gameplay can totally botch the enjoyment of this game, and it has a very limited value of replayability as it is. If you have a chance to play this game, I would definitely give it a shot, and if it's in the bargain bin for a very low price, a purchase may be an ok decision, but for the most part, don't expect to be playing the game for very long.

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Ok guys, that's about it for today's entry. See you folks tomorrow!

- SlimKirby

Sunday, September 27, 2009

9/27/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #27


Another very productive video. Expect me to finish up the extras tomorrow and then I'll only be doing the story missions for the rest of Level 5 (which I predict will end Wednesday).

Ok, first off, I need to talk about that audio glitch. I had to mention it through subtitles because I didn't address it through my commentary. The reason why? To be honest, I figured it was a small recording bug that wouldn't appear when I put the recording into WMM, but it turns out it was still there. Anyways, it resulted in Dr. Hibbert saying "You have to go to the bathroom all over my waiting room." The actual quote is "Your babies are about to go the bathroom all over my waiting room." Now, it's weird, because the word "have" is not anywhere in the original quote, yet the audio glitch somehow perfectly constructs the word "have," which I thought was very ironic. Anyways, I'll leave it at that.

Apu has two really short missions in a row, and neither of them are very hard at all. I'd still say Marge's 4th is the shortest just because of the distance, but Wiggum is pretty fast in that one, so it's definitely not the easiest. Anyways, this mission less than a minute if you aren't stupid about it. The Shelbyville 9 car is like asking you to crash into it, and of course, how could you refuse? :P

The bonus mission is pretty easy too. The only hard part could be letting the Hovercar get too far away from Frink that when you drive back you might not have enough time, but if done right, you can destroy the Hovercar before it even gets to Moe's Tavern. I also find it kind of ironic that in order to obtain this vehicle, you have to destroy it beforehand.

That's pretty much it for this episode though because the rest of the video is just me getting extras. Noting incredibly difficult or worth mentioning.

Video Quote(s) of the Day:

With numerous quotes by Frink, an ironic audio glitch, and Apu just saying something clever in his "Mission Complete" phrases.....it's really difficult to pick out something good in this video. However, there is one quote that really sticks out in my head.

Frink: Have you seen a hovering death machine?
Apu: No, nothing of the hovering variety....

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A SlimKirby Update:

Well guys, the ending of this game is coming really fast. By the next update I'll almost be done with Level 6 and will only have Level 7 to worry about (and the extras of course). I predict about 2 1/2 weeks of the project left (maybe 3 weeks with the extras) and then I'll be ready to start something new. Next week I'll start talking about Mario Party 5 and give a starting date on October 10th (this is when I will announce the date, not when I will start the project).

I'll also start giving some information on my next LP next week as well. I haven't quite decided when I'll start that LP. I'd like to start it after the first MP5 board and update it during the weekdays and update the MP5 every Saturday, but I'll need to be careful with updating and I'll also have to make sure I give my educational duties a fair share of attention as well.

Anyways, the Virtual Console has brought some good news that relates to my channel in some way. Kirby Superstar finally has been announced for the VC in Japan, which is usually a good indication that it will be out in the US as well (I realize there are some games that contradict this belief, but there really is no reason why Superstar wouldn't be here eventually anyways). I feared this game would never come to the VC due to the DS remake being available (which is an amazing game, don't get me wrong). Anyways, I need to redo my KS project eventually, and at the rate it was going before, I wouldn't get to that until Christmas break because I can't take my SNES to college with me, nor am I even considering playing the game on an emulator with a laptop keyboard. X_X This classic gem deserves better than that. :P

This will eliminate one of my final two replays I need to do. This makes Yoshi's Island the only one not accounted for. I could do Yoshi's Island during Christmas break and KS after or before (depending on when it comes out), but keep in mind that a 100% run of that will take time and I only have 23 days of break. So while the KS announcement does give me some options, it's not enough to solve anything. If only they would just release Yoshi's Island on VC, this would solve everything (because then I could complete Superstar during Christmas Break because that is actually going to be a very short project).

Oh well, I'll keep thinking about my options. If you guys have any other input, I would love to hear it. Stay tuned for the next SlimKirby Update, which will be discussing quite a bit of Mario Party 5, and then I'll also drop some hints about my next Let's Play after Hit and Run ;)

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"Thank You, Come Again!"

- Apu and SlimKirby

Saturday, September 26, 2009

9/26/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons Hit and Run #26


I love videos where I make quite a bit of progress, and I'm thankful that this is one of those said videos. First off, I complete the two missions as I promised. Second, I get quite a bit of the extras I needed for this level, and thirdly....well, I can't think of a 3rd so early in the morning, but I'll leave it at that.

Both of the missions are pretty straight-forward. The first is "follow this and collect whatever it drops over the course of the whole level, and the second is "avoid 2 easily-to-avoid cars." Yeah, Apu's missions really aren't that terribly difficult for now. They will really become a pain later on when I get to the 5th and 6th mission, but for now they are pretty simple.

I really wish I had more to say about this video, but it's hard to when you are doing fairly easy stuff with no problem. I guess I'll just leave it at that then

Video Quotes of the Day:

Me: I'm back in this area because...
Apu: HEY! Move it Whitey!

"We don't know nothin....except that the vans are controlled by mysterious strangers..."
~Louie

"Thank You for Coming! I'll see you in Hell!"
~Apu

So many great quotes, despite this uneventful episode of progress.

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SlimKirby's Top 5

With Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story being released recently, I thought I would also talk about how I would rank the other games of the Mario RPG collection. This means the Paper Mario series, the other games of the M&L series, and pretty much any game with the word "RPG" or game that has "RPG" elements. There is one game you guys will not accept as an RPG, but it should technically be counted despite it's obscurity.

SlimKirby's Top 5 Mario RPGs

5. Mario Golf: Advance Tour - Some of you are probably scratching your head in confusion, but MG:AT is technically a golf game with RPG elements. As you complete rounds, win and place in tournaments, and get better scores, you will receive EXP that can be used to level up your character and increase his/her stats accordingly. Although I am a huge fan of Mario Golf, this game is this far down on the list due to the fact that there is only so much you can do in this game. There are only 5 courses, and 4 of them are rather bland (the final course is one where Mario gimmicks start coming into play). While there is a lack of courses, they somewhat make up for it in side games and a few other unlockables. Also, for a golf game, the controls are pretty solid and you can generally get a feel to how terrain and other hazards come into play. However, the best feature of this game is that you can take your really buff character, and your performance enhancing items into Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (via: the Gamecube-GBA Link Cable) and crush the competition.

4. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - I won't go into much detail about this game here since I went into that detail when I gave my first impressions on Bowser's Inside Story, but for the most part, this game is a very solid title. Great gameplay, good length, and a lot of fun. Key aspects of a great RPG title.

3. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - A power-packed sequel of epically thinned proportions. This outing expanded on Paper Mario in a variety of ways; with a tweaked combat system to get the viewers more involved in the battles (literally), a much darker plot, numerous side quests and secrets to find, and everything else you gotta love about Paper Mario. For the most part, this game will want you craving more and more as you go through it, which is a good thing because this is a pretty long game.

2. Paper Mario - You are probably wondering why I have this game above its successor when I had nothing but good things to say about it? Well, here's the thing.....while I do think TTYD enhanced a lot of the features from its predecessor, I don't think it was anything that really needed enhancing. Sure, it was nice for the game itself, but Paper Mario was a classic, and in my opinion, had very little flaws to begin with. Paper Mario came out when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I'll give TTYD the edge in storyline and implementing unique gameplay and puzzles, but for everything else, I'm staying true to the original.

1. Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars - Of course you had to see this game on my list eventually....it was one of my Youtube projects after all. :P Anyways, this game gets a lot of praise and positive reviews from, well, a lot of people. However, an old-timer like me can see why. This game holds up very well, even after 13 years or so of the game's release, and will always be a childhood favorite of mine. From Bandit's Way, to Forest Maze, to Booster's Tower, to Land's End, to Barrel Volcano, to Bowser's Keep, this a journey that very few ever forget.

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That's about it for today's update. Hope you guys are having a good weekend thus far!

- SlimKirby

Friday, September 25, 2009

9/25/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #25


Although I'm not really that disappointed in myself, I do feel kinda bad about having a video with such little progress and no mission completion. Heck, I don't even get any of the missions started in this video. However, I suppose that is just way the cookie crumbles sometimes. I can look at the positives in that I completed a very long street race (perhaps the longest in this level), which means that I won't have to worry about sticking it at the beginning or end of a video (the other two races are actually pretty short if I remember correctly).

Anyways, for the most part, there really weren't that many struggles in this video. That stupid wasp camera near the monorail was a pain in the ass, but I should have just gotten the level collector card and came back so it could respawn back on the platform.

And boy did I get lucky in that street race. Bart kind of just crashed into anything and everything he could after I screwed up so badly in the beginning. I also should have considered a different car, because while the police car is fast, in an area with so little boundaries it won't turn that well, which kind of led me to my problem in that race. I think the Longhorn probably would have been better.

This also happens to be an episode where I nearly botch everything I say. During the street race I said something about "you can drive in the right lane, but watch out for the other racers because they will usually be driving on that side in the other direction" or something like that. When in actuality, I was actually talking about the left lane/side. Before you say anything, YES, I know the difference between right and left, but during commentary, sometimes you just lose track of what you say, especially when part of you is focused on the race. I'm doing my best though to avoid that, but it's hard for me.

Anyways, that's all the info you'll be getting from this summary. :P

Video Quotes of the Day:

"3, 2, FLOOR IT LOSER!"
~ Nelson

"Vote Quimby"

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One-Year Time Machine:

I've been doing Youtube projects for over 2 years now, and one of my favorite things to do is to look back at some of those old projects and how they've progressed over time, and then just to remember some classic moments and memories.

Let's Play Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars


About this time exactly one year ago, I decided to do something very stupid. I was smack dab in the middle of my Pikmin project when I was like, "Hey! I'll start a new project! And here is an even better idea, let's make it an overdone RPG!" Yeah, let's just say that clearly wasn't the best idea on my part, but do I regret doing this game? Quite the opposite.

Super Mario RPG remains to this day, my longest LP that isn't a Fire Emblem game. I started the game during the final weeks of September and finished it during the last weeks of January. The game shouldn't have taken me 4 months to complete, but keep in mind that I also balanced and finished 3 projects during the time it took me to do this game. Also, due to my laptop's hard-drive crashing, I was literally forced to not update for 2 weeks. However, after getting my laptop fixed, I resumed recording immediately and updated like mad.

There were numerous highs and lows to this project. First off, I already started off on the wrong foot by using Camtasia to capture the footage from my capture device. Here is a warning for you guys.....only use Camtasia for screen recordings....AND ONLY SCREEN RECORDINGS. Camtasia terribly botches the video quality from the capture card, and not only that, but it doesn't even pick up the game audio...I mean WTF? Basically, this made the first seven episodes look blotchy and some didn't even have audio. For others I just added game music, but of course the game music is going to seem strange when you can't hear any of the sound effects. So yeah, I wasn't entirely proud about those first few episodes. Also, back then I was still relatively new at doing commentary, so there were some videos were my very low comfort level was quite noticeable. However, what's done is done, and there is not much I can do about it now.

When it was all said and done though, I had my biggest gain of subscribers during this project. I easily went from 300 to 700 in a matter of months, a jump I was quite proud of back in the day. Of course it's not impressive by today's standards when I gain that many in less than a month, but keep in mind, I wasn't very big back then. For that, I consider this project a success.

It still seems weird that around this time one year ago I had just started this project.

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Anyways, that's about it for this update!

Thank you, come again! =P
~Apu

-SlimKirby

Thursday, September 24, 2009

9/24/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #24



Well, I feel glad to say that Marge's story is finally completed in this video, which means we are more than halfway through the game. Tomorrow will begin the first leg of Apu's story (although we will get a sneak peak into his story at the end of this video).

Both Mission 6 and Mission 7 are pretty easy. You can really only fail Mission 6 if you act stupid and actually walk out of your way into not getting the cans. For Mission 7, time might be your only obstacle, but it's very avoidable one. Just make sure you push/guide those trucks into walls/buildings as much as possible and you should be fine.

The thing I mentioned in the video, about people generally commenting about the video quality when it's first uploaded, has been driving me crazy. I just want to say for the record that I'm not mad at anyone who brought that up or made those comments, and I completely understand they were just harmlessly asking and wondering, but if you look at all of my other videos for the project, and see that they are in great quality, can't you come to the conclusion that maybe there is a reason this video is in bad quality? I mean, I'm not sure if this happens for everyone else or just me, but isn't there a giant green box that appears above the video that says "This Video is Still Being Processed" during that time before the good quality sets it? I know it appears for me, but I guess it doesn't for others...

Anyways, join us tomorrow for the first full video of Apu's level!

Video Quote of the Day:
"There is little here not tainted in some way. Even the astrology scrolls give poor advice."
- Apu

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SlimKirby Shout-out:

I've been meaning to give this guy a shout-out for awhile, but so many things happened with the new projects starting last week and the whole VA-ing thing with Gaia's videos that I had to put it on hold. The following shout-out is for another great friend of mine who puts a lot of great effort into his videos, and is perhaps the biggest Nintendo guru I know.

Let's Play Wario Land II by MegaFreak400


Of my friend circle, Mega is probably the person with the most experience as far as LPs and playthroughs are concerned, yet it is hard to see him with so little subscribers. So if you haven't yet, definitely consider subscribing to him because he is a great guy with a lot of knowledge on the games he is playing.

He is currently working on a Let's Play of Wario Land II, and he started it around the same time I started Hit and Run. Unlike me though, Mega uploads stuff on a weekday basis, so don't expect any videos from him during the weekend. That's his time to sleep, eat pizza, and join me in making fun of ShadowMarioXLI. Anyways, back to the LP; This will be a 100% run of the game, where he will personally show you how to acquire all of the treasures and get all the puzzle pieces. Also, just watch this guy when he does the "Flip over the right card" mini-game. He gets it right on the first try every single time when I can barely see the contents of any of the cards. He has the eyes of a hungry hawk looking for its prey. Anyways, he still has awhile to go for the project (well, it seems that way since he doesn't even have half of the puzzle pieces (you get one at the end of every level)), so expect to see him doing this game for awhile. Just be warned that his audio is kind of low during the first 5 videos, but it improves greatly for Video #6 and on, so don't judge the project on those first five.

Seriously though, check this guy out. He is a great man!

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Update over!

- SlimKirby

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

9/23/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #23


It is the mission that never ends.....it goes on and on my friends!

Ok, maybe the mission wasn't that long, but we've reached the point in the game where you randomly have to do more in these missions than you would normally have to. I'm talking more about the random "Avoid the Black Sedan" part of the mission than the Kwik-E-Mart errand, because you can't fail that. Seriously though, for the rest of the game, expect to see "Avoid this vehicle" parts that randomly get added in into missions, because that is something the game will do in order to spice up the difficulty just a notch. Given, the avoid segments are actually pretty easy for the most part, but the AI will generally get smarter over time (it actually does in this mission, if you could notice).

Also, not that thrilled about getting a Hit & Run bust in this mission. I actually made a good decision by going around the fire truck because the police car would normally get stuck there, but they actually managed to get me despite there being a tight fit. If only my meter hadn't reset, I probably would have been able to avoid that bust.

So yeah, unlike my earlier claim, I was only able to fit this one mission in the video, but it was a pretty long mission. Thankfully Mission 6 is actually pretty damn short, so I should be able to finish that first thing next video and then get Mission 7 done (which is also pretty long) as well. Then I can start fresh on Apu's level Friday (or maybe at the end of tomorrow's video, if lucky enough)

Video Quote of the Day:

Anything Grandpa said

Ok, Grandpa is hilarious and this mission is proof. Everything he says is pure comedic gold. He goes on a rant about nazi raccoons, and I almost lose my cool during one of his old man hissy fit rants.

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Let's Comment on the News

Ok, so yesterday, I was eagerly awaiting for small microwavable pizza to cook when I came across the following article, and I felt like I wanted to give my opinion on it. This seemed like a good idea for the blog, so I felt I would mention it here.



So in this story, a task force of undercover drug investigators raid the house of a known drug trafficker to confiscate evidence. In order to get the warrant to search and raid this house, a total of around $4000 were collected in taxes. So when it comes time to actually confiscate stuff, what are half the of cops doing?

They are playing Wii Bowling of course. Now, when I first saw this article, I laughed my ass off, just because of how stupid these cops are. They are in the middle of something very important and instead of actually working, they are playing video games. How stupid do you have to be to do that? Even if that video camera didn't catch them in the act, wouldn't their superiors find out through another source...like, the people who are actually working? Which also brings up another point.....why did the other officers just let them do that while they were working? I dunno, this whole thing just looked pathetic and ridiculous, and the residents of Polk County have every reason to be annoyed and embarrassed by this ineptitude.

I mean, this was an actual drug lord. The guy had weapons and very expensive merchandise in his house, the guy was in prison before, and he was just a big threat to this community. The people of this county pay taxes for their own safety and to see that money used so some undercover officers could play video games during a raid......it's just beyond me. I feel sorry for the residents of Polk County who now have to live with the knowledge of this pathetic display....I really do.

This is just my input and what I believe. If you have a problem with anything I said, or if your opinion is different, that is fine, but please do not make a scene. I'm not here to argue, I'm just here to tell what I think. This goes for this article/story and any other ones I examine and talk about in the future.

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That's about it for this entry. See you guys tomorrow!

- SlimKirby
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

9/22/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #22


If you asked me what mission was the shortest in the game, I would definitely point to Mission 4. To be honest though, I nearly forgot how short this mission actually was. I guess I was under the idea that part of Mission 5 was part of Mission 4, which I guess is not the case, because Mission 5 is long as heck (and you will see why tomorrow). Thankfully though, this short mission length allowed me to complete a lot of stuff in this video, including 2 street races. I will get on to those next....

Rarely do I get impressed with my own abilities, but boy was I stoked when I completed the Ralph race in only one try. That race is honestly a lot more difficult than it was presented to you guys. It's not even the track, but Frink's car drives nearly flawlessly throughout the whole thing. You honestly can't hit two or more things and actually expect to win, because the opponent car wouldn't give you any window. And you always have to be ahead of the car coming out of that jump shortcut before the mansion because Frink only screws up on that point of the race and on, 3% of the time. It just so happened that my video attempt was part of that %3.

Not much to say about the 2nd street race. Don't make any stupid mistakes and you should beat the clock with no problem. I actually messed up pretty bad on that last lap during the footage cut, but that cut was completely necessary, so thankfully for me you don't get to see me fail =). Anyways, what happened was this.... right after I made the small jump onto the chessboard, Marge's car did that stupid little, "LETS DRIVE SIDEWAYS!" thing again and it took a few seconds for me to recover because those chess pieces got in the way. Fortunately though, I was able to recover and finish in just enough time (2 seconds to spare), so I'll never have to worry about that time trial again.

That's about it for this street-race heavy episode. Tomorrow should make up for that though, because the mission is LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. Definitely the longest thus far, so I'll see you guys then so I can tackle it.

Video Quote of the Day:
"Candy makes me happy, and tired."
-Ralph

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SlimKirby Shout-out:


I said I had a few shout-outs to make this week, so I figured I would get them done as soon as possible.

Let's Play Fable: The Lost Chapters by GaiaCrusher9


I think I have mentioned this guy and his project before, but since he is still kind of new at this, I figured I would give him another boost (also, I personally contributed to this project as well, which I will explain in the next paragraph). In my small group of friends, Gaia is definitely the most unique as far as game choice is concerned (me and my friends mostly do Nintendo games and games that are on Nintendo systems). He started with his LP of LEGO: Indiana Jones and then moved on to Fable a few months ago, and is doing a good job of balancing this project along with college duties and commitments. Rarely will you see a LPer of his popularity put such hard work into his videos, especially when you consider what he has to work with.

About a week and a half ago, Gaia unfortunately hit a snag in his LP, when his recording didn't pick up any game audio. Fable is a game where you do not want that happen, considering all the cutscenes and dialogue segments. Gaia had to make the difficult decision on whether to wing it without the audio or replay the game to that point. Gaia decided that he didn't want to do either of those options, so he came up with a creative idea instead. He came to me, and a few other of his LPing friends and had open casting for us to do some voice acting for two of his Fable videos (the ones that were audioless). While me and my friends are no experts in the field of VAing, we had a fun time with it and we believe the final result was very well done. While it was fun and a nice change of pace from the norm, Gaia prefers that this incident never happens again, so I'm sure he will always make sure that the audio is on. :P

Anyways, if you want to see these videos, here they are. I do the voice of Twinblade in Video #14, and only Video #14 (the 2nd video), so I am not in #13, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it. :P

#13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc-xyfugPsE&feature=PlayList&p=5F4872D49E711958&index=12

#14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whGuotldxtY&feature=PlayList&p=5F4872D49E711958&index=13

Anyways, Gaia is a great man, so definitely consider subscribing to him. You won't regret it!

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That's about it for this update. See you guys tomorrow!

-SlimKirby

Monday, September 21, 2009

9/21/09

I have a Statistics test today, so let's make this quick!

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #21


This was a bit of an editing nightmare, mostly because I just couldn't remember how long the 3rd mission was. I had a feeling it was actually pretty long, but I forgot all about that "Avoid" segment. Also, with the way I do my recordings, I pretty much had to finish the mission in that video, because I wouldn't be doing my next batch of recordings until today (and I recorded this video on Friday). So yeah, I probably should have used my brain a little bit and done something else. I also should have considered cutting out some of those level card fails for the card on top of the wide house, but I just had to show you how strangely the Canyonero acts in situations like that (one of the reasons I really don't like using it very much, despite it being a very solid vehicle).

Ironically, the only part of this video to actually move pretty smoothly for me was the street race, despite it being the easiest in this level (yes, I consider the time trial to be slightly more difficult than this, but the time trial is more fun =)).

Oh well, it seems natural to have at least one video in each level that seems like a pain, and it usually occurs around the 3rd or 4th video, so in theory the rest of the level should progress nicely (I hope).

Bizarre Video Happening:
At the very end of mission 3, I somehow manage to activate the last dialogue cutscene trigger while my car is tipped over sideways, yet somehow moving towards the shack. The vehicles in this game have some crazy physics :P

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SlimKirby's Top 5

I think a top 5 list would be an interesting addition to this blog. These lists
can be about anything and everything, but I'll choose the subjects. As usual, if you have any ideas for lists, feel free to let me know.


Top 5 Most Hated Youtube Comments:
Don't you just love Youtube audiences sometimes? Now, I don't mean to be mean or disrespectful to my fans and subscribers, if this list applies to you at all, but sometimes it just blows my mind to see people fall into certain trends, or do/say something that makes my head spin with confusion. Here is a small list of comments (or types of comments) that I get on Youtube that make me want to bang my head against a desk.

5. The "You Missed Something" Comment - Now, let me go into more detail about this before I actually explain the reason for having this here. While I do appreciate when users give me hints and tips about certain games, sometimes they take it a bit too far and tell me over and over again about stuff I already know. One example of this is getting a comment like "You missed the secret exit" on one of my Super Mario World videos, when I've said over and over again that I plan to get all the exits and that I know where they all are. It's even more annoying to get that kind of comment when the project is already finished.

4. The "First" Comment - Many people despise this comment. While it's not #1 on my list, I still find it annoying. I know it might make a difference to some users, but otherwise, WHO CARES? I upload my videos at random dates and times and I'm personally more concerned with just getting my video uploaded, not with the people making the first comment. Also, I'm at the point where I get over 100 views within minutes, so honestly I'd be more impressed with the first "detailed and constructive" comment than the actual first one.

3. The "Lack of Following Directions" Comment - In some of my projects, I try to get my viewers more involved with the games I am playing by having contests or polls. While this can be fun for both me and the users involved, I really wish they would look at the conditions, directions, choices, and the end date for the poll. It just annoys me to see people vote for a Mario Party board that isn't in the choices.....or vote for a board multiple times....or vote for a board in a Private Message and not the video comments like I asked......or, in the one that annoys me the most, vote in a poll that's been over for weeks and months. >_>

2. The "Look at Me!" Comment - I know it's hard getting noticed on Youtube and getting people to watch, rate, comment, and subscribe to your videos, but continually asking people to subscribe to you is only going to get you on my block list, not my subscription list. I know there are some people out there who are generally nice and will take the time to do that for you, but that says nothing good about your own work or work ethic. It just proves you want to take the easy way out and gain more subscribers. I've never gone that low to get subscribers and viewers. Why work that hard on gaining subscribers the easy way, when you could easily put that work towards your own videos? That's just as, if not more effective.

1. The "Negative, but with Lack of Explanation" Comment - Now, if you know anything about me, I actually don't mind negative comments about my videos, as long as the commentee is constructive with their reasoning of why they dislike my video or channel. Saying "You Suck, Stop Making Vids" isn't helpful for anyone and only makes you look like an asshole. Seriously, why can't people just give reasons? They don't even have to be big reasons. The comment can be "I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time enjoying your videos because I can't get into your style of commentary." Is it really that hard?

So now you know some of the comments I don't like getting on Youtube. If you want me to have a good (or at least neutral) opinion of you, try to avoid these 5 things when making comments on my videos or sending me a PM. I think my comment standards are pretty fair and easy to meet, personally.

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That's about it for this entry! See you guys tomorrow!

-SlimKirby

Sunday, September 20, 2009

9/20/09

Video Summary
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run - #20.


Another video where not much notable progress is made. My main concern about Level 4 is covering the extras at the Power Plant and Burnzy's Mansion, because there isn't really a good leeway back into that area. Nearly all of the Level 4 missions take place on one side of the map, and in the case of Cletus's mission, you go through that area, but since you are following, you can't really do that much. I'm also not looking forward to the Ralph race in this area either, because this one definitely has given me a lot of trouble in the past (even more than Lisa's Checkpoint Race), so expect a lot of editing there.

Mission 2 is pretty simple. The only problem is traffic during the country roads and trying not to hit the pedestrian power plant workers for Hit and Run. As you can see, the H&R meter went into the red twice, but due to some careful driving, I was able to avoid it.

Also, I realize that I forgot to show the Level 4 specific hidden/special vehicle, which is a shame because I did mention it, and it did get shown on camera, but I was so focused on getting everything and getting to Cletus for Mission 2. I'll try to fit that in somehow, don't worry.

Also, is it just me, or is the music that goes on during Mission #2 really catchy? :P

Video Quotes of the Day:
"(After being ran over) I REGRET NOTHING!"
- Power Plant Worker

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A SlimKirby Update:

Every Sunday, instead of a special section, I will be doing "A SlimKirby Update," where I will address the current progress of my project(s), and if possible, will start addressing my plans for future projects and events.

Wow, September just flew by, didn't it? We've gone through 20 videos thus far for this game, so it's safe to say we are about at the halfway point for this project. At the beginning of the project I predicted around 45 videos, so mid-October should be about the end. Then I can start some other projects that I have planned. Right now, I have two projects planned for after Hit and Run, and I can tell you that one of them (the one that will definitely begin first) will be Mario Party 5. As I near the end of H&R, I will have an update on here that will cover my thoughts, predictions, concerns, and worries for this playthrough, but now I'll just leave it at that. As for my other project, I am once again going to keep quiet about it. I can say that the game itself is going to be pretty obscure and it's a game that isn't very well-known.

Anyways, for the following week, expect me to finish up Marge's story around Thursday or Friday, and then I'll jump into Level 5. Who will be the ringleader for Level 5? Well, let's just say that it will be revealed tomorrow's video. :P

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Well, that's about it. I hope you guys had a great weekend (mine was personally a little slow and boring, and being a little sick didn't help). I will warn you guys that this coming week is going to be a busy week for me. My first round of course exams are starting to emerge and I'll have to get prepared. Shouldn't be too much of a problem as far as my videos are concerned, but if it gets to the point where I will have to postpone an update or blog entry for studying, I will not hesitate to postpone.

See you guys later!

-SlimKirby

Saturday, September 19, 2009

9/19/09

Video Summary:
Let' Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run - #19. Donut Ask, Just Do It!


Mmmmm, Donuts!

I find it kind of disappointing that Marge has the mission about donuts, yet Homer doesn't. Oh well...that's this game for ya.

Like Thursday, I don't really have that much to say about today's video. Everything moved pretty smoothly. I wish i could have finished the 1st mission before the time limit....not going to lie there, but I warned you guys I would be getting a bit more risky with what I try to put into a video, and probably as a result, more sloppy with video structures. Fortunately, I don't think it will effect tomorrow's video that much.

If you haven't noticed, it's a lot easier to get Hit and Run in these levels, mainly because the meter goes up in bigger increments when you actually do something that's considered bad. I still can't believe I activated it by hitting a small fire hydrant that I could barely see. XD

Video Quote of the Day:
"By the moons of Xanthor, it is a pact. The bond is made! Agreement is sacred under the vow of the Knights who say......"
- Comic Book Guy

"The Donut Store is closed and I have a monkey on my back screaming for Crullers! OHHH! He's screaming!"
- Chief Wiggum

Both quotes really weren't that spectacular in this video, so instead of having a really good one, I just put two average ones.

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A SlimKirby Shout-Out:

Normally I wouldn't have two shout-outs this close to each other, but it just so happened that two friends of mine started a new project this past week. Not only that, but there are two other people that I really want to give shout-outs to as well, so expect to see this mini-section in a few updates this coming week.

"Mario Power Tennis Playthrough" by PowerToMario


PowerToMario, after telling his 250+ subscribers that he was considering to take a break from LPing (which many interpreted as "a complete halt"), has decided to re-enter the ring, or in this case, the tennis court, for a thorough coverage of Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo Gamecube. PTM plans to cover a variety of features and modes in this game, including the tournament modes (both normal and gimmick), how to unlock the secret characters and new courts, and the side/special games you can play as well. This looks to be an interesting choice of game for him, and so far his videos seem to be entertaining, so don't be afraid to check this project out.

PowerToMario is also in the middle of an LP of Geometry Wars: Galaxies for the Wii, which seems to be on hold for a bit in order to introduce this project. Along with this, PTM also hosts weekly live stream events on Ustream every Friday and Saturday at 10:00 PM (EST), unless scheduled otherwise.

Keep up the good work, buddy! ;)

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That's about all I wanted to talk about for this update. Again, sorry for the reintroduction of the shoutout section so soon, but I really didn't have that much to talk about or mention. Things have been going pretty slowly for me.

See you guys later!

- SlimKirby

Friday, September 18, 2009

9/18/09

Video Summary:
Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run - #18. All Aboard! Brother on Deck!


Although it was a level I started out a bit roughly on, Level 3 has come to a definite close. This video brought us the final 2 missions of Lisa's story, and with the time left remaining, I was able to start on Level 4 as well. It wasn't a big start by any means, but at least I got a few things done.

Mission 6 was a breeze, or in the case of this video, a laggy breeze. I'm not sure how much will show up on the live video, but you really get to see the downside of the way I record for Youtube. It's not so much the hardware as it is the software I use to record. I use Pinnacle Studio for my capture device recordings, and although it is a good program, it definitely is far from the most stable....especially on a laptop with very little hard-drive space to begin with. So while I am recording straight from my TV screen where everything moves smoothly, during the actual capturing it may slow down the video and then randomly speed up to get back on track. Sometimes it does the opposite by speeding up the footage and slowing down. If I recall correctly, in this video it's the latter, and it happens after Lisa shouts "FREEDOM!" So in other words.....Braveheart quotes lag LP recordings. I'm actually kind of disappointed I didn't note that reference, but this is why I'm glad to have the blog. Plus, I'm sure someone will note that as well in the comments section.

Mission 7, not much to really say about it. Of course I note the Hemmingway reference in the mission title after forgetting the Mel Gibson one....my apologies Mel Gibson! One thing I want to point out, which is similar to Lisa saying "Nothing personal" after kicking Smithers in the last video, but when I kicked Bart after finding him, Lisa said "Pissed off Eight-Year Old Coming Through." Now, this actually surprised me. Not because of the timing, but due to the fact of Lisa saying that quote. That's something I would never expect her to say. Hell, I wouldn't expect Bart to say it either, and he is a hell raiser. I mean, I know the show has used "damn" "hell" "ass" and "bastard" before, but that was back in the old days, and the use of this word just doesn't seem natural. I'm actually surprised I didn't note this in the video, but it's one of those things were Im more concentrated on what I'm doing that I just lose track of everything else (I was probably under the impression that she used "ticked off" anyways).

The only thing I'll say about the brief Marge segment is her wanting to put the Budoir Album (collector card) on the mantle piece.......no, just no.....especially if you know the context behind it X_X.

Anyways, stay tuned for more Marge action as Level 4 continues. I actually don't mind Marge's level because she has some of the best missions in the game, if I can remember correctly. And then Level 5 is quite fun too, so we have a lot to look forward to in this game. =)

Video Quote of the Day:
Sea Captain: He got out and he boarded that ship.
Lisa: Can you take me there?
Sea Captain: Narr! I hate the sea!

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Anyways, instead of bringing up a special section of sorts for this entry, there is something I want to talk about instead. It actually involves my Youtube channel in a very big way, but so many conflictions arise out of this one decision I can make. I decided that I would share it with you guys and see what you think of this craziness.

As you know, Youtube has a partnership program. For this program, you can apply and become a direct Youtube partner. This basically means that there will be ads placed in your videos and video pages, and you, being the video creator, can make ad revenue from the ads. Sounds cool eh? Well, many Youtube users know how unfair this process actually is. Youtube doesn't just accept any user to be a part of the program. First of all, you have to look at a set of guidelines, and if you breach any of them, or have breached them in the past, you can pretty much just give up there. Also, this program tends to only apply to "popular" Youtube users, so if you want a general idea of who would be in the program, think Fred (I don't know the minimal amount of popularity you actually need to be a partner or not, but I figure it would have to be more than 3000 anyways)

Now, you actually won't see very many video game videographers in this partnership pool. Me and MegaFreak400 have determined that (and I'm sure many have also reached this conclusion) video game LPers, walkthroughers, playthroughers, etc. can't be a Youtube partner without breach of one key guideline for partnership application:

"Content must be 100% original and your own."

Now, some of you are probably thinking, "but it's your own LP/walkthrough/playthrough, so surely you can still apply, right?" Well, keep in mind that I don't actually have ownership rights to the games Im playing. So while the commentary is my own, and the playing style is mine as well, the video content is not. I did not design the graphics, game music, or contribute to any of the voice acting, so by the laws of partnership, I cannot be a Youtube partner.

However, lately I've been getting a lot of e-mails from Youtube (which is strange, because I turned e-mails off for Youtube since it was hard to read 200 e-mails per day about people making video comments). The content of these messages, while not exact, pretty much state the following;

"We've noticed that 'this video' of yours has been getting a lot of views. Perhaps you should start making money with it by becoming a Youtube partner and enabling ads/spam so you could earn revenue for your hard work."

Now, to me, that is just a kick in the face. I appreciate being noted for my hard work, but please don't flatter me with what "could" crap.

Before anyone tells me that I should at least send an application in to see what happens, I will mention that I have tried to apply for partnership before. I would tell you the results, but I'm sure they're obvious. Yeah......I really don't see any possibility of any Youtube LPer being a partner, just ain't ever going to happen.

What's my response to this? Personally, I just don't care. Being an ex-advertising major, I can appreciate the idea behind the partnership program, but Youtube just executes it horribly with strict guidelines and the necessity to pick people who are willing to sell themselves over hard working individuals.

I'm personally waiting for a much bigger and better opportunity for myself. Yeah, ad revenue is nice, but I'd rather be making money through the hard work I put forward on Youtube and not THROUGH YOUTUBE, if you catch my drift.

Anyways, feel free to give your thoughts. I'm personally going to go take a nap because it's been a long week. This is SlimKirby, reminding you guys to have a great weekend and...for no reason at all.... eat more grilled cheese. =)

-SlimKirby

Thursday, September 17, 2009

9/17/09

Video Summary
"Let's Play The Simpsons: Hit and Run #17 - Three Strikes, and You're in Jail!"


Not much really happened in this video... nothing worth really ranting about anyways. It was a nice change of pace to see things going my way for once because the game hadn't been this kind to me in awhile. Not only that, but boy do I have perfect timing. It was satisfying to see that I used my Youtube time limit wisely and fully, which means there is a good possibility of seeing Level 4 in tomorrow's video. ;)
(Again, assuming that I don't screw up majorly).

One thing that has kind of been bothering me about this Let's Play is me talking during dialogue. I don't talk during the mission dialogue because I know when that is coming and I can plan to stop talking. For some places though, usually after completing a task, or in the case of Mission 5 in this video, after collecting an item, the characters say something, and I just so happen to be talking about something else when this happens. I try to do my best when instances like these happen, but in some cases, you really can't do anything about it. I'm willing to live with the talking that occurs when you 1) get into a car, 2) crash into something, 3) hit a pedestrian or 4) take a shortcut or ramp, because sometimes you just don't know when or even if they will say something when doing those things.

The only reason I bring this up is that this did kind of happen during my video today. Not in any extreme instances, but still, when watching these videos back, especially when trying to look at it from the eyes of a viewer, it's hard not to look at this as a concern. In the end though, a lot of people seem to be enjoying this project, so I'll try to keep that in mind as well. Which reminds me, I really do appreciate all the good ratings and comments guys. =)

Video Quote of the Day:
Wiggum: First of all, if you plan to go undercover, you will need a disguise.
Lisa: You mean like an eyepatch?
Wiggum: Hey, good one! Heh, if we could afford a disguise like that, I wouldn't be getting paid in potato chip coupons.

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Game Chat:

As you can probably tell, I am a big video game player, and sometimes there will be a video game or game series I will want to talk about. Whether it is a new game I got, a new game coming out (or just came out in the case of today's update), a game that I wish would come out or be announced, or sometimes, just a game I have been playing to death. This is "Game Chat" a section where I will address such topics. =)

Anyways, if you are a Nintendo follower, you probably have an idea of what game I will be talking about. I will be talking about the 3rd installment of the Mario & Luigi series, and the 7th overall installment of the Mario RPG genre (that is, if you count Super Paper Mario, which I do).



Mario & Luigi 3: Bowser's Inside Story was announced quite awhile ago, but the game itself hasn't been covered extensively until about E3 2009 and the months leading up to its release, when the Bowser mechanics started to come into play. They are definitely trying to take this game in a completely new direction from its two predecessors, while still trying to keep the core Mario & Luigi gameplay alive as well.

Now, I was a big fan of Superstar Saga (the first Mario and Luigi game). When I first got that game, I had a hard time putting it down. It was so hard to stop playing, that numerous times during the game, I got scared that it was going to end soon. Thankfully though, the game was good at adding more to the actual story when it was convenient, so I didn't complete the game too quickly, and seemed to last for just enough time. It also had just the right amount of puzzles and It was a perfect beginning for this individual series.

Partners in Time......I had a completely different experience with that game. While I don't think it was terrible (which seems to be the majority opinion), for me, it just wasn't as appealing as Superstar Saga. I didn't get the same drive to finish this game, I couldn't get into the story, and the baby Bros. just seemed to be so out of place. It's obvious they were trying to take the gameplay of Superstar Saga and expand it by adding the babies, but my question is...did they really have to? I don't know...this title just seemed like a lame excuse to make a sequel when they could have held out for a game like Bowser's Inside Story instead. Or perhaps I'm just being a little harsh on Partners in Time?

PiT just so happens to be one of the DS games I brought up with me to college, so I am admitting that I would like to give it a proper 2nd chance (also I figured it would be a good way to get back into the M&L gameplay before getting the 3rd installment). Whether or not it will succeed in giving me a better opinion of the game, I am unsure, but it would be interesting to play a game that I haven't played in a long while (the last time I played and beat this game was around when it first came out, so it's been awhile.)

Will Bowser's Inside Story be a recipe for disaster or success? I personally can't say for sure as I have not gotten the game yet, but I do plan to get it in the coming weeks, when I actually have a chance to go to a gaming store. I'll definitely keep you guys updated with my opinion of this game (once I get it of course).

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That's about it for this update. If you (the readers) are looking forward to getting this game (or not), or if you already have the game and want to give your first impressions, feel free to give your side of this inside story. Just do me a favor and try to avoid spoilers, for not just other people, but for me as well. :P

See you later folks!

-SlimKirby

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Ode to a Street Race....

Video Summary
"Let's Play The Simpsons Hit and Run #16: The Magic School Bus OF DESTRUCTION"


"Surely that street race wasn't as bad as SlimKirby made it out be, right?"

I've given my fair share of excuses in the past, and whether or not my viewers want to believe them or not is completely up to them, not me. But what exactly about that street race today made it so hard?

Ralph's races are perhaps the most straight-forward street races in the game, in that they usually involve a simple drive to the finish line. The only things that get closed off are usually ridiculous shortcuts that make the race very one-sided (they just so happened to close off the biggest one in this race (you'll see what I mean when I get to tomorrow's video)). However, they are made extremely difficult by the computer players. The CPUs usually consist of two dumb-dumbs (the random cars that start out in 3rd and 2nd, and one really intelligent CPU who starts out in front (who, if you haven't seen the trend by now, is usually the character you play as in the next level). One of the main things you want to look out for are the stupid computers. Although they are quite easy to pass, one of their ways of countering this is ramming into you or driving against you, and with a car like the Malibu Stacey Car, that's easily a recipe for forcing you to spin out or turn straight into a wall. That happened numerous times in.......easily 15 minutes of taken out footage.

When the computer players weren't screwing me over, the biggest challenge of this race reared its ugly head.....that freaking boardwalk/pier. The smart computer, Marge in this case, always raced on the boardwalk perfectly, and it is hard to race perfectly when you have 90 degree turns that turn into more 90 degree turns. Also, the boardwalk is so narrow that your turns have to be exactly right, because if you hit the sides, you are pretty much screwed.

In one of my cut-outs, I actually did manage to get ahead of everybody coming out of the pier, but then I decided to do something incredibly stupid, and I tried taking that shortcut behind the cones again. Yeah....that is a big mistake...never try taking that shortcut, especially if you are in the lead. The rest of the race is really simple, after all, and even if you are behind by a little bit, you should have the advantage over with acceleration, and acceleration is key on those hills.

Ironically in the successful attempt, Marge actually crashed really early on, so I was ahead for the majority of the race. It's all about finding that groove on those boardwalk turns, which I agree I hard. If you struggle with that race, just keep at it. You should get a lucky break eventually.

The rest of the video went pretty smoothly....almost too smoothly with the way I kicked those sedan's asses. That 2nd sedan is never even given a chance given it's position at the bottom of a hill next to a deadly shortcut obstacle. I wish I would have used the 90 seconds I had left to get one of the level cards though, because I probably could have accomplished that, but what done is done.

Video Quotes of the Day:

"Daddy says I should stay here until I learn to control myself at the Hardware Store! VROOOM VROOOOOOOOOM!"
- Ralph

"I think my baby teeth are growing back! That's why I had to punch that nurse!"
- Grandpa

Bizarre Video Happening:
- What exactly did I hit after making the jump over the dam?

(I'll have a "Video Quote of the Day" and/or a "Bizarre Video Happening" in each entry. I'll try to have one of each for each video, but if I don't have something of one, I'll rely on the other. Since this is the first installment, and since there were some funny moments in this video, I gave a bonus! =D)


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SlimKirby Shoutout!

Every now and then, in one of these blog entries, I'll give a shout out to a friend of mine or an acquaintance of mine, or if you are lucky, maybe someone new and random! :O However, please do not ask me for shout-outs....please. I get enough of that at Youtube as it is. Also, this segment will not be in every entry. I'll try to make one random, short ending special for every blog, but it can range from shout-outs, future plans, confessions of mine, interesting facts or tidbits, opinions, etc., so expect some extra content in addition to these daily summaries.

I haven't been making a lot of shout-outs in my most recent videos...mainly because there always seems to be something happening in Hit and Run, that I just lose track. This is a shame because so many of my subscriptions and friends have finished projects, started new projects (some of which have been short projects that are already finished by this point), and of course reached some landmark numbers in subcribers, video #s, and view counts.

Today I am going to be acknowledging a very familiar name. If you are an avid watcher of my videos, you should be quite familiar with this name, or at least the number associated with him. Well, yesterday he started a brand new LP project and it looks like it is going to be a very exciting one.

"Let's Play Soul Caliber II" by ShadowMarioXLI


The dorky, shadowed plumber with a paintbrush, and the mark of evil ("41") has started yet another project, and this one looks to be a bit more long term. After finishing his Mario vs. Donkey Kong LP back in the starting days of August 2009, SMXLI managed to start and complete a Let's Play of The Lion King (SNES), a playthrough of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour's Ring Attack (with Shadow Mario (Star Character)), and two Let's Tries. Now he is attacking Soul Caliber II (GameCube version) and will be joined by the hero of Hyrule, Link (a character exclusive to the GCN version of the game). He will be attempting to go through Weapon Master and the normal Arcade mode. Any other features of the game will be covered by him to an extent of his choosing.

Keep up the great work buddy! =)

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So that is my first, official entry for the blog. As you can see, the way I plan to set each entry up is to have a main section for the video summary where I talk about the video, and then follow it with a small section. The small section will not always be shout-outs, and will alternate between different features of my choosing.

Now my viewers.....I have a small job for you now, if you wish to embark on it. When you are leaving a comment (if you choose to leave a comment), I would like your opinion on the format of my this blog entry. Tell me whether you like it or not, and if you are one who chose "not," please tell me something I could do to make it better. Keep in mind, these will be "DAILY" updates, so i don't what too much content. I have other duties as well. I don't want to spend all day writing one blog entry! :P Also, if you have some other ideas for the small section (besides shout-outs and other things I listed), feel free to give me some ideas as well. I have quite a few ideas myself already, but I'd like to see if I can find some new ones (or if you give me one I already have or thought about, I can spend more time developing it).

That's about it folks, hope you enjoyed the entry for today, and the video itself! See you guys tomorrow!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Hello Everybody, SlimKirby Here: An Introduction Post

Hello fans, loyal video viewers, fellow video gamers, and other individuals who may happen to stumble across this page. I am SlimKirby! I am known mostly for my work at Youtube as an "LPer" (one who does "Let's Play" videos, which are videos dedicated to the sole purpose of playing video games with the intention of entertainment, information, or even just for the hell of it), but I have also been known to be active on a variety of different video game message boards and forums (most known for being a big name on the Nintendo NSider Forums for having over 75,000 messages posted, hosting a variety of different contests, and writing various game reviews). My passion for video games goes back to when I was only two or three years old. My family introduced me to a game called "Super Mario World," and after playing it, I was introduced into a whole new world of fun and excitement. When I am writing this post, I am 20 years of age now, and my love for video games still has not ceased. Although I put more emphasis on important, life-enriching things, such as my family, my future career, my friends, and my health, video games have still had a very important impact on my life, and I have a feeling they will continue to do so.

Cheesy introduction aside, let’s get to the point of this blog. I have been making videos for over 2 years now, and I’d like to think I have a rather large following now, and I’m not just being full of myself. 3100+ Subscribers is a lot of people. At my college, that would be about 12 or 13 fully packed lecture halls (although that varies from lecture hall to lecture hall. I’m referring more to the class rooms that are about 250-300 seats). Now, in my videos, I roughly have only 10 or 11 minutes that I can talk, and if you haven’t been keeping up with my videos, I have a lot to say or talk about. It may be a fun fact about the game or the recording that wasn’t addressed properly or at all, or it may be a reference or an allusion to another game, project, person, etc. Not only that, but I can also show or tell you more about me, the man behind the shades. Also if you subscribe to this blog (or if you follow it enough and check on a regular basis), you are guaranteed to get some inside information about videos and/or future projects before they are even uploaded or started. This is my gift to you guys, those who have stayed with me and subscribed to me for so long.

As far as when this blog will be updated, that will be entirely up to me. I’d like to go for a daily updated blog, but with my class schedule and other important commitments of mine, that may be more stress than I can handle or deal with right now. In the big picture, there are 2 possible scenarios that could work well;

1) I update daily, but they will be mini-updates. These updates will usually talk about the video (or videos) uploaded for that day, and maybe a few other tidbits of information as well. I’m going to try to make it so these updates don’t take me longer than 10, 15, or 20 minutes, for obvious reasons. I’d maybe go into more detail on the weekend updates about the following week’s videos.

2) I make a very long and detailed update every Sunday or Saturday night, in which I will discuss the past week’s videos and then take a brief look into the next week’s batch of videos and what to expect. I’d also discuss some other things as well.

As you can see, there are advantages to both styles of updating. The first style would be more efficient in the long run, but the second style would be a lot nicer to me. For the first few updates, I will be using the first style, and after a few days of doing it that way, I’ll make a decision about where I will go from there.

Finally, I just want to mention that this may only be a temporary location of the blog. I’d explain why, but it is a bit of a secret at this point. I’ll give you more information on this as it develops.

Anyways, that is about all I need to talk about. I’m not sure when I am going to make my first official update because I still need to announce this on Youtube. In the meantime, just keep watching my videos and keep on gaming! Later folks!

- SlimKirby