Halloween '17: A Trio of Halloween Links

Been awhile since I last shared some links I found interesting via this blog. As Halloween rapidly approaches, here is trio of links that I felt had a Halloween flavor.


Death and the dead are huge theme of Halloween. You can't swing a stick among Halloween decorations without hitting depictions of graveyards, headstones, and skeletons. One can say Halloween is a holiday during which we grapple with a destination that awaits us all: the grave. However, not all cultures practice the same funeral rites and interact with the dead in the same manner. Here's a National Geographic ARTICLE in which a mortician is interviewed to discuss various funeral rites such as a mummified family member residing in one's home to composting the dead. Very fascinating. Could probably spice up one's tabletop role-playing game too!


Last couple Halloweens, I've mentioned folklore such as the draugr among others. I found this list of creatures from POLISH folklore interesting. The Północnica gives off a Freddy Krueger-like vibe. Nothing more terrifying than a monster that kills us in our dreams. That's just one among a handful. As someone who has game mastered, there's quite a bit here!


Seeing how this is a comics and games blog, I would be remiss not to include something that actually has bearing on an actual game. Polish, and Slavic, folklore permeates the Witcher videogame series. HERE'S how a ghost story from a Polish poem influenced a scene from the Witcher 3. Video games are truly an excellent means to spread stories and cultural elements among other cultures.


Hope you found these three Halloween-related links as interesting as I did. Only six more days until Halloween!


Next time.

Geek Culture Sure Relies on the Net Quite a Bit

A blog entry or two I mentioned that I was finally able to watch wrestling again. Why? I didn't have cable; and the internet was subject to data caps. Sure, I could watch a wrestling match now and then. However, my available data would be significantly less. Rationing internet use isn't fun at all. Curiously, the amount of data consumed for what would be considered the simplest things, not talking watching wrestling matches here, would become more and more over the years...


Ah, what does this have to do with geek culture as I ascribe within the title, you may ask? Wrestling fans are geeks of sort as one does not just simply watch one or two hours of wrestling a week. Following geek culture requires quite a bit of data. Just think of how much one streams a week! From trailers to television shows to movies, not to mention video games, the internet is the realm of the geek. Thus to follow geek culture one must use the internet quite a bit. Besides, I frequently said I would explain my absence from wrestling one day. Here it is.


Instead of following wrestling bit by bit on social media, I can watch shows on Hulu, Netflix, or the WWE Network (or insert wrestling promotion). Also don't need to stock up on wrestling DVDs although there are some I'll still pick up.


Speaking of DVDs, remember when one can walk into a brick and mortar store and see aisles brimming with quite a variety? Yeah, not so much now. Nowadays, one is lucky if one can find a show past a certain season! Has Marvel's Agents of SHIELD had more than one season available on DVD? If it has I must have missed it.


You know where I can find seasons of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD? Netflix. While I waited what seems like years, cause it has, for Daredevil Season One to come out on DVD, I can watch both seasons plus all the other Netflix Marvel shows as well. Without hoping for a long, long time that it will soon arrive on DVD. Can also watch the new Voltron, Inspector Gadget, and Danger Mouse as well. So without the internet, reliable, non-rationed high speed internet, one simply does not have access to segments of geek culture.


Sometimes I wait quite a long time before watching a show. Too long. Plus, it's nice if my viewing of show attracts attention similar to a Nielsen family. That's what Hulu is for. Legion is great adaptation inspired by the X-men character Legion. The show does a terrific job reflection the unstable nature of the main character's mental state as each episode shifts in tone from one episode to the next. Although I think there's one character that's more Morrison than Claremont. Furthermore, Legion is very dark compared to all the other comic book based shows on the air in a very sophisticated fashion. Don't have cable so I couldn't have watched it. Plus thanks to Hulu the powers-that-be have another measurement of support. Same goes true for the NBC show Timeless. While I DVR'd Timeless, I fell behind that I eventually gave up and deleted my recordings. However, I was able to watch the show about a time travel show that illustrates how much one act can have profound effect on the timeline. All under the backdrop where the black hats aren't necessarily black hats. Really enjoy. While I may not like how Hulu goes about expiring shows, it does motivate me to watch it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have marathoned Timeless and discovered how much I greatly enjoyed it.


Video games - in the age of DRM do people actually truly own their video game? And it's a complete game? Nope. Heck, PC games are rarer in stores than DVDs! After years, Steam finally stopped working for me. Steam works again now.


The role-playing game industry is almost as bad. As much as I championed 4th edition D&D, WOTC's ill-advised 4th ed version of the OGL, the GSL (?), practically killed any variety of the RPG market in stores. As such, many RPG product are generally available primarily in ebook form. Plus there's software support and gaming via online.


Went from being avid anime watcher to barely watching any anime. Anime is too expensive for me to buy it completely unseen. So once I could watch anime on Hulu once more, I watched the anime Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation. Yeah, that was another reason I had hankering to play some Phantasy Star when I downloaded Phantasy Star 2 for my phone... Great series. Not my Phantasy Star but it had enough Phantasy Star elements. Kind of wish the game would become available to play here in the States after watching it... Heck, I've even started watching a couple 'new' series that are airing on Hulu, Chronos Ruler and In Another World with My Smartphone. Been a very long time since I last watched an anime series on a weekly basis and not had the option to binge it. Heck, it's nice to watch anime regularly again!


So there you go. My rather long-winded account on how I can now fully experience geek culture (while arguing why the internet is necessary) as my internet experience is no longer constrained.


Next time

First Impressions on Sega Frontier ala Phantasy Star II

The 8-bit and 16-bit video game consoles where a huge part of my childhood and adolescence. While I played quite a bit of NES and SNES, it was the Sega Genesis that I could play on a regular basis. I have many fond memories of playing Sonic the Hedgehog along with JRPGs such as the Shining Force and Phantasy Star series. While I do have a retro Genesis player, I don't use it as often as I would like; and I don't have immediate access to the aforementioned JRPGs. The urge to play them has become strong with this one.


Needless to say, Sega unveiling its Sega Frontier has me quite excited!


A quick primer is Sega will be releasing its library of games as apps for both iOS and Android under the umbrella of Sega Frontier over, hopefully, the next couple years. They are free although I guess they're will be in-game app purchases and one can pay in order to due a local save instead of saving via the cloud. More on that in a bit.


Remember how I stated the Phantasy Star series I had hankering to play? Well, Phantasy Star II was among the initial releases. To cut the suspense, I downloaded the game, like, yesterday.


Without further ado, here are my first impressions:


While I played Phantasy Stars 3, 4, and 1, I never really played 2. So there's that. I can now cross Phantasy Star 2 off my to-play list. There is/was a bit of a learning/remembering curve as I try remember some elements of the series as well become familiar with an older set up. Haven't gotten to far into the game, although I did add the third member to my party. But I suppose that's a subject for a later blog post.


Anyway, the console emulator is adequate enough. I can play the game just fine on my smartphone. More than occasionally I will accidentally press a button on my phone, which causes the screen to minimize and the game pauses. Probably because my hands are too big for the console emulator on my smartphone. A tablet may have sufficient size that such errors don't occur. One day I may investigate the possibility of a Bluetooth controller further down the road as pressing buttons does get distracting and the "control pad" isn't quite a precise. Yes, it works enough for PS2. However, controlling the characters is jerky enough that one can trigger more fight encounters than otherwise. Granted, that could just be me.


Phantasy Star 2 is also the first game I've played on my smartphone so it requires some getting used to. I find I don't have a desire to play for long periods of time. That can make grinding (ie seeking random combats for more xp and currency) difficult. Fortunately, Sega Forever allows Cloud Saves that unlike the original game can occur at any time.


The catch with the cloud saves is that one needs to watch ads and there's a bit of lag. So you're going to want to a good Wi-Fi connection. As I wasn't using data, I have no idea how data saving on the cloud consumes.


Overall, as a nostalgic gamer who isn't going to game for hours at a time, my first impressions on playing Phantasy Star II via Sega Frontier app umbrella on my phone has been quite positive. There's quite a bit of Phantasy Star II in my future; and I look forward to future Sega Frontier releases.


Happy Gaming!

Interesting News: March 2017

Back during January, I did an installment of 'interesting news', which was a collection of links I found of interest. Never did do a part two although my Rebirth entry included some of what I would have included. As March comes to close, I figured I'd do a March installment. While much of it will be from March, I may include links to comics, role-playing, games, and wrestling news stories as far back as January. Or until I get tired as I am blogging stream-of-conscious and all...


Classic D&D modules return! - Tales of the Yawning Portal whetting your appetite for classic Dungeons & Dragons modules? The classic modules not enough but want 5E stats as well? Well, if you checked out the link, Goodman and WotC are collaborating to do exactly that in glorious hardcover editions. Really hope these are available at FLGCS everywhere because I want 'em!


Marvel's Generations - Okay, the concept of Marvel's Generations has me intrigued - 10 rookie heroes partnered (somehow) with the hero that inspired them has the potential to be a groundbreaking work. Would be cool if Alex Ross provided the art but don't think that will happen. Don't think any resurrections (Logan, Bruce, Mar-Vell) will occur or last but I may be wrong. As Secret Empire will be raging, I may wait for the trade instead. Although, my attitude toward the series may change by then...


Shutter lens Spidey-eyes! - There will be limited number of emotive shutter lenses for a Spider-Man mask for any cosplay based on the CA: Civil War movie costume! Pretty cool to see them work. Would be cool if more were made in the future.


On the chances of MCU crossovers - Alas, it took the actor of the Falcon to point out explicitly why we haven't seen crossovers between the Marvel television series and films: they are different divisions. Rather sad that none of the heads of both departments could not be a frank with fans. Maybe we'll get an Agents of SHIELD/Inhumans/Defenders crossover someday?


Deadpool 2 Teaser - Did you see the movie Logan? Remember the Deadpool 2 teaser? Thought that it was just for fun and whet one's appetite? Well, you're correct.


100 episodes of The Walking Dead! - When The Walking Dead premiered, I didn't think the show would reach 100 episodes. As I am a couple seasons behind, I didn't know the series will soon reach such a milestone! Like the article writer suggests I bet the next arc is "All Out War!" Would be cool if the show ran another 100 episodes though.


Disney Afternoon 8-bit games return! - I grew up watching the Disney Afternoon block. The NES game DuckTales is one of those games I always wanted to play but never played enough of. As such I eagerly anticipate having the chance to play the DuckTales, Chip 'N' Dale's Rescue Rangers, and Talespin 8-bit games on my PC!


Christian-Angle-Dory Funk Jr-Jeff Hardy - Here's a nice little picture of wrestling history showing Kurt Angle, Christian, and Jeff Hardy being trained by the legendary Dory Funk Jr.


Frank Oz on ABC Muppets Failure - I stopped watching the latest iteration of The Muppets because it felt... off.  The mockumentary format just didn't click for me. In that, I agree with Frank Oz. As for "purity", I had no problem with the adult tones. The muppets weren't very likeable though.


Warpath or Thunderbird on X-men the show? - Well, it seems either John or James Proudstar (aka Thunderbird and Warpath) may be in the upcoming X-men television show. That would be cool although I am concerned about the use of the name 'Sam'. I suppose I would also prefer James (aka Thunderbird II/Warpath) to be the Proudstar in question as I can more easily see him leading such an underground group. Plus think of the eventual comic book tie-ins...


Jean Grey Deleted Scene - There will apparently be a deleted scene in the Logan blu-ray referencing Jean Grey.


Hugh Jackman and Wolverine Mask - Haha! Here's a humorous picture of Hugh Jackman holding a Wolverine mask.


Christopher Daniels Interview - a nice brief interview with the new Ring of Honor World Champion Christopher Daniels. Forgot about his comics collaboration!


Bully Ray on his RoH appearance - I was pleasantly surprised to find out that wrestler Bully Ray appeared in Ring of Honor. Here's the man's words on what he thinks of the RoH product and what he hopes to bring to it. Think he'll bring much to the RoH product


Logan movie influences? - Here's a list of 15 movies that may very well have served as influences for the movie Logan.


Till next time.

My Thoughts on Comic Book and Misc News of January 2017 Part One

My look at how quickly time flies. Was the beginning of the month since I last blogged. Plus I never did write my final installment of my 12ish Days of Blogging! As usual, life and burnout happens. After a couple days past the sixth, I decided my official final chapter just wasn't to be. Fret not the promised review is still forthcoming. In the meantime, I decided to get back in the swing of things with commentary on various news tidbits in the world of comic books and maybe some genre and RPG stuff too.


Sworn into office holding Captain America's shield - An elected official sworn into office holding Captain America's shield! Very, very cool. Politics can be quite heavy so some levity is always nice one in awhile.


Actual X-Men in upcoming X-Men Show - If there was one disappointing strike against Marvel's Agents of SHIELD show was that appearances from the characters that appeared in the movies turned out be much, much rarer than many expected. So kudos to those behind the upcoming X-men television series from FOX announcing actual X-Men will appear in the show. They're just coy about whom. Okay, fine. As long as the show doesn't wait until Episode 6 for Maggot to appear...


Avengers Project - Upcoming Marvel games courtesy of Square Ennix? Cool. I'd comment more but I, er, couldn't get the video to load...


Did Princess Leia's mission change? - Must confess I was too busy fan-boying at Leia's appearance in Rogue One to be bothered by the inconsistency in her mission. Here's the reason for the change or if you want to take the long path the novelization explains as well.


Uh, oh Game of Thrones cast getting into trouble - While filming for seventh season of Game of Thrones, the cast and crew got into trouble for not having any off-road permits for filming in Iceland. Who says there isn't bureaucracy north of the Wall?


MET: Werewolf Errata - By Night Studios released a shiny version of Werewolf for Live-Action Role-play. As is the case in the gaming industry nowadays, here's the errata. Did pick up a copy of the ebook recently so I'll comment more on that and the recent errata once I get around to writing a review...


Starlin has earned more in royalties for KGBeast?! - Recently, comics creator Jim Starlin, creator of Thanos, Drax, and Gamora, announced he's earned more on royalties from KGBeast than his Marvel creations. Say what?! KGBeast was in Batman vs Superman?! Guess, it was a minor appearance in his civilian identity. Don't recall it being a big part so that says much about how much in royalties Marvel pays creators from its films. Maybe they'll cut Starlin a bigger check seeing how several upcoming movies (GotG 2 and the two Avengers Infinity War films) owe a huge debt to him...


More GoT cast pics - More Game of Thrones cast pics along with cast sightings while filming in Iceland. Awesome.




Well, eight links/news stories is enough for one installment. Since January isn't over yet, there'll be a Part Two. January 2017 Part Two will include my commentary on DC's pricing changes for Rebirth. That may or may not be lengthy and veer and the ranting side. Time and my mood will tell.


Till next time.

A Classic NES That Fits Within One's Palm!

News broke out over the interwebs about a spectacular gaming announcement today. Nintendo is bring back the classic NES! Granted, it's not an exact replica of the 8-bit system; but the dubbed NES Classic System incorporates the latest technology. For those that have not read the details, a link that describes it can be found HERE.


As someone who grew up with the old 8-bit system (okay, more like played on other's consoles), I consider this fantastic news! Sure, devices have come out upon which one can play those old school NES games. I own a Retro Duo, of which I have remarked about here previously, that plays both 8-bit NES and 16-Bit SNES games. One could track down working vintage consoles even. However, this new rendition is a replica, contains 30 games, has "save points", and fits within the palm of one's hand. Sure my Retro Duo is small but it does not fit inside my hand! Not too mention all the space that the thirty cartridges for all thirty games would take up. Discounting licensed games, those 30 games are a who's who of classic 8-bit NES games. If one had to summarize the old Nintendo experience, it's pretty representative list.


I just that the games come already installed such as Sega Genesis Classic Game Console. Would absolutely hate to open up the package and discover that I have to download those games. The one disadvantage with the NES Classic System comes from its size. Unlike the Sega Genesis Classic Game Console, I doubt one will be able to plug cartridges from the rest of the 8-bit NES library into it. For me that's not a big deal as I own a Retro Duo, which serves that function nicely.


Regardless, I am quite excited for the NES Classic System. With a November release, I can see it as the perfect holiday gift for the video gamer. The holiday gift of Nintendo. My inner 80's child is excited.

At Last, the High Hrothgar Frost Troll Has Been Defeated!

Any gamer would tell you that nothing is more fearsome than when you first encounter the Frost Troll en route to High Hrothgar in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you're like me, your character is way to weak to even put up a fight against the beast. Must've died several times before I managed to run past it. Even when I created a second character to spice things up, I relied on guile to sneak/run past it. One feature of sandbox games is that not everything a PC encounters matches that character's level. Some are too weak. Others like the Frost Troll serve as reminders that the PC is not too big for its britches. A quirk of Skyrim is that dragons become manageable foes far sooner than the Frost Troll. I remember my excitement when I finally downed it. My PC was at range while summoned creatures and follower fought it up close. Very satisfying indeed!


Still whenever my main character would return to High Hrothgar, such as to learn a location of another Shout, I'd just take advantage of Fast Travel to travel there. Much, much to perilous to face the dreaded Frost Troll. After a six month sabbatical from playing Skyrim and an even longer sabbatical from playing the main quest, I decided it was time for the Nord Thorson to pursue the quest to defeat Alduin once more. Upon learning that High Hrothgar was the destination, I decided that I wouldn't use Fast Travel at all. Thorson travelled from Sky Haven Temple all the way to High Hrothgar on foot. A big change as its been years since a character of mine travelled such a long distance on foot. My second character a Nord name Hragi frequently uses Fast Travel to get places; and Thorson hadn't travelled that path since first reaching High Hrothgar the first time.  So I decided it was time that the Nord Thorson walk that path from long ago and finally face that Frost Troll.


Up the slope of High Hrothgar, Thorson traversed until he encountered a Frost Troll. The quick work that his follower and summoned Flame Atronach made of the Frost Troll felt... anticlimactic. Barely got a hit in! Plus it didn't seem right. I admit its been a year or three since I last made the trek so I couldn't rule anything out with any confidence. Onwards I went. Finally, I reached the familiar (and dreaded!) encounter. Sure, the follower and Conjured Flame Atronach fought it. However, I wasted no time having my character engage it. Nothing more satisfying than the cinematic display of the very character that had been savagely trounced repeatedly by that very Frost Troll dispatching said beast. The troll being absorbed into a Soul Gem was icing on the cake. Then the mighty hero Thorson continued his merry way up to High Hrothgar.

Thanksgiving 2015

Since I did a series of Halloween posts, its only fitting that I blog about Thanksgiving. Unlike my ode to Halloween, this will be only commentary on several Thanksgiving-related shows. Helps that there were no Thanksgiving comics that I was aware of. Fret not, I did have some RPG-related ideas!


Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Ever since I was a child, I'd watch the Macy's parade keeping an eye out for the Spider-Man balloon or any other comics-related float. Didn't see Spidey in this year's parade. Did see a Pikachu balloon though. That was rather neat. There was the obligatory Snoopy balloon although this particular balloon depicted Snoopy flying through the air Superman style. Absolutely loved the 50 year anniversary homage float to A Charlie Brown Christmas!


SNL Thanksgiving - a collection of Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving skits. While I found many of skits to be a chuckle at best there were a few gems. Loved Eddie Murphy in Mister Robinson's Neighborhood. Don Cheadle's (War Machine in the MCU) Ladies Man was a hoot. Akroyd-Belushi-Murray were amusing in an absurd manner. While I was familiar with Martin Short's character solely from a Saturday Morning cartoon from years ago, that was hilarious. In contrast, The Bears fans and crystal clear gravy invoked nostalgia chuckles - as did the Jordon Gordon-Levitt (third installment of the Nolan Batman trilogy and hopefully producer of the Sandman film) skit.


In contrast I found the Scream Queens Thanksgiving episode an absolute laugh riot. Watched a recording on Thanksgiving Day; and I was thankful for the smile it brought to my face. Scream Queens was a casualty of comic book show Tuesday; however, I found this episode to be fairly accessible despite not having watched in quite some time. An excellent Thanksgiving-oriented episode. A shame that shows rarely do Thanksgiving episode much nowadays - that I am aware of.  Hope they do release Screams Queens on DVD some day. Not everyone has Netflix.


Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - don't recall why I didn't watch Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown but I took advantage of the lax television schedule to watch this gem. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving still has its magical charm after all these years. Finally occurred to me how disturbing it is seeing Woodstock eating turkey. Woodstock must be a big fan of bush meat... The subsequent telling of the pilgrim story albeit Peanuts-style is a nice attempt. Probably the major achievement is that it includes Lucy in a Thanksgiving special and uses her fairly well. Gets the Miles Standish bit wrong which anyone who has seen the following show will know...


The Pilgrims: American Experience - Miles Standish was the hired muscle. The requisite fighter-type in almost any RPG. Miles Standish aside, The Pilgrims: American Experience is an outstanding documentary! I learned more about the Pilgrims than I ever did in any history class. Some interesting tidbits were the pilgrims digging through Indian graves, propping the dying up on trees with musket in hand to fool the nearby Indians, and planting corn atop the recent dead - although the latter two are more historical conjecture. I heartily recommend this documentary for any GM that runs either a historical campaign or campaign influenced heavily by history. Vampire, Wraith, Werewolf, and Call of the Cthulhu gamers may find this of particular interest. Heck, I can imagine players of the Solomon Kane setting for Savage Worlds could get some mileage out of the history of the pilgrims. On a more somber note: this was among Roger Rees's last roles. He played the Sheriff in Mel Brook's Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Rees does an excellent job portraying William Bradford's various soliloquy - based on Bradford's writings.


Secrets of the Dead: Jamestown's Dark Winter - Another excellent documentary. Whereas the Pilgrims were a success story, Jamestown was a place where one hoped they survived the experience. It became more of a charnel house during its dark winter when the surrounding Indians laid siege to the colonialist trapping them inside the walls of the fort as disease and famine runs rampant. That's just the background to the documentary! What it the documentary examines is the fate of a young girl and why her remains were found in the state they were. Quite simply, it was like a reverse zombie-ism! Instead of the dead rising to eat the living, the living grave dug to feast. Yep, a confirmed case, albeit one or three, of a cannibalism at Jamestown. I can imagine quite the RPG scenarios that a GM can devise from this! Certainly, New World of Darkness Gamers could use this an example of Morality rules. Various games such as Call of the Cthulhu could use this an example of insanity caused by more mortal hands. The old World of Darkness fan in me envisions hordes of wraiths and banes swirling around the area where the fort once stood.

The Final Halloween 2015 Post - Television Edition

If you've been following my blog for last month or so, then you know that instead of writing one gigantic blog post concerning Halloween and the week leading up to it, I decided to break it down into several smaller entries. Finally, almost a month after of the fact here's my final Halloween 2015 post. The television shows that I watched either on Halloween or that I felt were Halloween-related during the week prior.


iZombie - On Halloween, I managed to catch up on two episodes that had been pending, ie the first two episodes of the second season. The second season gathers the strands left over from the ending of the first and hits the ground running. Its rather surreal seeing Blaine as a mortal.


Grimm - Halloween eve marked the season premiere of the fourth season of Grimm. Very good. Nick gets pushed through the mental rollercoaster in this episode as not only does he have to deal with the loss of two important women in his life but he has to contend with the fact that those losses have been covered up. We're also introduced to the season's big bad. I expect another major status quo change by season's end.


Sleepy Hollow - If not for the crossover with Bones, I would not consider this a Halloween episode as the supernatural is a regular occurrence. Loved the interplay between the respective leads. The draugr were a nice touch. Coincidentally, I read an article on the draugr on Halloween itself. Thus raising the importance of this episode in my mind and amazed by how much Sleepy Hollow got right about the draugr. Plus being an avid Skyrim fan and player contributed to my enjoyment immensely.


The Player - The Player doesn't deal with the macabre all that much so a serial killer that made sacrifices to Odin on Halloween is a more than a tad out of the ordinary. The coincidence that two Norse-related episodes from to two different television series would air concurrently tickles my fancy. Not sure how accurate to the myths or historical accuracy the sacrifices were... Watching Wesley Snipes's character defeat the killer at episode's end was a hoot.

Enjoying my Retro Duo Part 2

I hit a milestone for my Retro Duo as I purchased a game. Granted, I have four games already but I figured why not buy a fifth. Afterall, NES and SNES are no longer expensive as they once were. So I went to one of the secondhand video games stores. There, I saw a copy of Captain America and the Avengers for the 8-bit NES. As a long time comics fan, and with fond memories of the arcade game, I purchased it.

Once I got home I decided to play it. Only to discover that so far it doesn't resemble the arcade game. At all. Now, I could be confusing this with the SNES version. Will have to check with game faqs at a later time.

Confusion aside, the game plays alright although I've discovered that I am no longer used to the stiff controls of older games. That it'll come in time. What's frustrating is like my other four games I've also reached a point where I'm stuck. Oh well. Practice and Game Faqs makes perfect. Hopefully...