Colorwind Reviews Metroid – Pre-Metroidvania

As I trekked back across Brinstar and Norfair to make my way from Ridley’s hideout to Kraid’s, it dawned on me how much backtracking I was doing. I had spent so much time getting the energy tank placed in front of a fake floor and the missile tank in a room after an impossible jump, and now I was walking all the way to the other side of the map, just to get to the next area. Yet at the same time, I enjoyed jumping over all the same pits, and shooting all the same enemies. Why? Because I wanted to see what the area I was headed to would have and traversing the area before it would prep me with energy and missile tanks. It’s that feeling of exploration and preparation that keeps the feeling of tedium away, something the series has done very well even in its inaugural entry. Despite feeling a bit passé in retrospect, the original Metroid is still a classic that holds up well to this day.

Colorwind Reviews Comes a Time by Neil Young

Comes a Time is a Neil Young album that rarely comes up in conversation when the artist is discussed. Recorded roughly over the course of two years, during which an album comprised of songs from two cancelled albums was released, this was Young’s first solo album of new songs in two years. It was delayed from it’s initial release date twice, first due to the addition of rhythm sections to the songs and second due to Young’s concerns with the audio quality, resulting in Young buying the first 200,000 LPs of the initial pressing. The album marks Young’s return to the country rock sound that made his album Harvest a big hit. However, Comes a Time does not share the success that Harvest had, as there aren’t any radio hits and only the title track is a fan favorite. Does the album manage to recreate the magic of Young’s biggest album or does it deserve its rather unknown status?

Colorwind Reviews Aja by Steely Dan–Dime Dancin’

Steely Dan’s Aja doesn’t sound like any of the band’s previous work. It’s true that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have always worn their Jazz influence on their sleeve but they were also very mindful of what was charting on the Top 40. Songs like Reelin’ in the Years, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, and even non-singles like Bad Sneakers could easily rub elbows with popular pop songs at the time. However, it was very apparent by this album that Steely Dan were ready to go beyond the popular crowd to fully embrace their love for Jazz, resulting in Aja, a landmark in the Jazz Rock genre.

Colorwind Reviews Earthbound – A Friend Who We’ve Never Met

When you talk about underappreciated video games, Earthbound is sure to be in the conversation. Earthbound is actually called Mother 2 in Japan, as it’s the second game in the Mother series, and is the only title from the series to see an official releases in the US. Initially, Earthbound was a commercial and critical failure in America, but over time has gained a loyal following. This fan base has created art, music, translations of Mother 1 and 3, petitions to get the games official re-releases in America, and more. They have lifted the game from failure to one of the biggest cult classics in video game history. It’s an infamous game, one that even today feels a little off-kilter when compared to other titles in its genre. However, Earthbound is not an game that should be missed, especially if you’re looking for something different and ahead of its time.

Colorwind Reviews Golden Axe III–The Missing Link

• Beat-‘em-up, Hack and slash
• Developed by Sega AM7
• Published by Sega
• Available on Sega Genesis (via Sega Channel), Wii Virtual Console, iOS, Windows, PlayStation 2 (via Sega Genesis Collection), PlayStation Portable (via Sega Genesis Collection), PlayStation 3 (via Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection), Xbox 360 (also via Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection) [played]
• Released on 1995 (Genesis), 2007-10-22 (Wii), 2012-11-29 (iOS), 2012-05-02 (Windows) 2006-11-07 (PS2) 2006-11-16 (PSP), 2009-02-10 (PS3, 360), 2012-05-30 (360)

Golden Axe III was once one of the most elusive games because although it was released in the Eastern territories, it was only available in the US and Canada on the Sega Channel service, where games were available to play through a TV cable connection. Nowadays, it’s really easy to find it as it has been rereleased numerous times on collections and digital stores. However, was the original scarcity of this game justified by its quality?

Colorwind Reviews Golden Axe II–Even Better Than The First Thing

• Beat-‘em-up, Hack and slash
• Developed by Sega AM7
• Published by Sega
• Available on Sega Genesis, Wii Virtual Console, iOS, Windows, PlayStation 2 (via Sega Genesis Collection), PlayStation Portable (via Sega Genesis Collection), PlayStation 3 (via Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection), Xbox 360 (via Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection) [played]
• Released on 1991-12-26 (Genesis), 2007-06-11 (Wii), 2011-04-21 (iOS), 2010-10-26 (Windows) 2006-11-07 (PS2) 2006-11-16 (PSP), 2009-02-10 (PS3, 360)

Sequels are supposed to improve on what has already been established in the first installment. This is true among books, movies, games, whatever. It sure is nice when that’s actually true. Golden Axe 2 is better than the original in almost every way. The controls are improved, the combat is fun, the graphics are better and there’s even more modes to play. However, none of the improvements go far enough to do more than fixing the issues with the first game. This makes Golden Axe II a better game than the first but not much else.

Colorwind Reviews Achtung Baby by U2

What do you think of when you think of Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam, the group collectively known as U2? Most people probably think of anthemic songs, promoting peace, love, social change, justice, and a variety of political issues. U2 is all these things and it’s because of songs like “Where The Streets Have No Name”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Beautiful Day” that cement that perception. However, the 90s were home to a different kind of U2. Tired of the heavy handedness of their image and wanting to grow as a band, earnest and awareness gave into satire and self deprecation. Instead of proclaiming to the world their message, they attempted to become that which they rallied against to shine light on the depravity and shallowness of the other side. Of that which is unfulfilling and unproductive. Achtung Baby was the beginning of this transformation and would result in the creation of a new kind of Rock, namely one influenced by the decadent and senses-muffled world of European dancehall music.

Colorwind Reviews Golden Axe

The late 80s and early 90s was the Golden Age for side scrolling beat-em-up titles. With games like Double Dragon and Final Fight, the genre thrived in a way that hasn’t been seen since. Sega had thrown its hat into the ring with Altered Beast before but Golden Axe was the game that became its mainstay beat-em-up title. Well, at least until Streets of Rage appeared. But with the original game now 25 years old, does it hold up today?

Colorwind Reviews Primal Rage

In the early 90s, the fighting game genre was fully introduced and became all the rage in arcades across the country. The Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat franchises were the most successful and there were many companies that wanted to dethrone the kings of the hill. One such company was Atari Games, who threw their hat into the ring with Primal Rage. Taking a page from Mortal Kombat, Primal Rage is a violent fighting game that has you control giant beasts, including raptors, gorillas, and tyrannosaurus rexes. Perhaps the most infamous title to try to take a bite out of the fighting game pie, it’s a shame that Primal Rage ultimately falls in line with other failed attempts at the time.

Colorwind Reviews The Goo Goo Dolls: Dizzy Up The Girl

When I was young, I did what most kids did and liked whatever my parents liked, especially when it came to music. Until I was about 12 years old, I didn’t listen to new music aside from what my parents liked. So aside from Aerosmith and Gloria Estefan, I listened to old school Rock n’ Roll such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Rod Stewart as well as some soft rock and pop acts like Cat Stevens, Carly Simon, and Elton John. This type of music remains my favorite kind of music but I did eventually start listening to more modern music (thanks to VH1) and have grown an affinity for Adult Alternative music, specifically from the 90s.

One of the first CDs I ever bought was The Goo Goo Dolls’ Dizzy Up The Girl. I specifically remember wanting this album so much I decided to get it for my birthday instead of a trip to Disneyland. Side note: I know now that one CD isn’t the same price as a trip to Disneyland and that was kind of a dick move on my mom’s part. Anyways, at the time, I remember not really listening to most of the album and focusing only on the singles, which does consist of a little more than a third of the album, but I remember listening to it more as I got older and liking it more. Now I’m older and have more experience with various genres of music and I thought I would revisit it and see how it holds up today.