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I Can’t Believe This is a Thing.
I made this
just for this song that I discovered by accident
which is amazing.
Last Bosses: A Retrospective
As anyone who plays video games will tell you, the last boss battle is intended to be one of those climactic, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat affairs that is the capstone to the entire video game experience. That, coupled with a memorable ending, is just as important (if not more) than the actual gameplay itself. But the last boss battle, moreso than the ending, is the real treat for me, as I consider it to be the game’s final test–the final challenge to prove that you’ve mastered the mechanics of the game, understand its nuances, and know what it takes to succeed at the most critical part of the game.
During my childhood and teenage years, I had the good fortune (and skill) to experience some truly memorable last boss battles for some truly memorable games. Some of them would go on to leave a lasting impression on me–Final Fantasy 6, in particular, has the distinction of being my favorite game, and is the entire reason this post came to be, as February 5th marks the 15th anniversary of my finishing that game for the first time. (More about that game later.) To mark the occasion, I decided to reminisce on some of favorite final fights over the years, and why they are my favorite. I am only going to cover a few here; if this is popular I might do a few more.
First off, Super Metroid had an amazing last boss battle, due to a surprising twist about 2/3 of the way through. For a game that is actually devoid of dialog, the story was quite well-done. All of the boss battles in Super Metroid were impressive, but this one had all the hallmarks of the greats:
- Challenging
- The “oh shit” moment; i.e. a sense of impending doom
- Epic music
Of course, as is standard with the Metroid games, this one featured the infamous “escape sequence” following the final fight. The escape sequence itself is often as difficult as the final fight. All in all, a very satisfying finish to one of the best SNES games ever.
Next up is the first Square game on this update, Chrono Trigger, and the videos for this are split into two parts. As a whole, Square games are known for their memorable story lines and challenges, and the last boss from Chrono Trigger is no exception. The game is unique in that, once you’ve made it up to a certain critical part of the story about a quarter of the way through, you have the option of tackling the last boss at any time you want, without finishing the other story lines–I don’t know of any other games that give you the option.
The thing that made this battle memorable for me is story bombshell, when you realize that this huge planetary parasite had basically wired itself into the planet and directed the entire course of events for the last 65,000,000 years to meet its own needs. It raised some interesting philosophical questions in my young mind, and made me think that perhaps this is not unlike how our planet works, with all life forms collectively existing as some large-scale “being” that we are too small to fully consider.
Finally (for now), Final Fantasy 6 remains my all-time favorite game, and has a last boss (and ending) that is nothing short of epic. In my mind, this game is Square’s crème de la crème, and even though the later games would have better graphics and higher-quality sound recording, the overall experience of this game has yet to be equalled, much less surpassed. It is difficult to convey what an impact this game had on my young, eighth-grade mind. It made me question my notions of good and evil, how religion works, and all kinds of other philosophical quandaries. When I started teaching myself how to play keyboard, the first thing I taught myself was how to play the music from this game–in particular the music during the final battle. Hell, at one point, I had the entire, 17-minute song played during the final confrontation memorized and could (and did) play it easily and regularly. And for years to come, Kefka became a guiding force for me of sorts (as bad as that sounds), because he was such a fun villain, and did evil things with such panache that you had to give him props for style. In general, I resolved, it’s not as important what you do in life, so long as you do it with flair.
I could not embed the video for FF6 into this post, as it is over 45 minutes in length (it includes the ending, too), so if you want to see the video, click the awesome face above to watch it on YouTube. But watching that video (and indeed, the other videos I posted) was a pleasant stroll down memory lane, and reminded me anew why it is that I like video games.
Your Drug-Free Trip of the Weekend
In some way or another, I think this encapsulates the totality of what it means to be alive. I just can’t quite put my finger on it.
Oh yeah…
Did I mention I’m single again?
I totally am.
R.I.P. Dannie Flesher
I know most of you will read that title and say, “who?”
That was my first reaction also. Had never heard of the man. But boy howdy, had I heard his influence throughout my life. As one of the co-founders of Wax Trax Records, Flesher was instrumental in introducing industrial music to an unsuspecting public and popularizing it amongst angst-filled and/or alternative-minded people all over. There’s a nice tribute to the man at the Chicago Tribute here. Flesher and his partner Jim Nash launched the careers of Ministry, Underworld, PIG, Laibach, KMFDM, Front 242, and a host of other industrial bands. I have those two to thank for enabling the soundtrack to my youth (and my current-day angsty moments, sometimes). Really interesting to me too that industrial music, that hard-edged and antisocial thing that it is, owes its existence to a gay couple.
Justin had long told me that industrial music was founded by gay men, but I never believed him. Who knew?
Yoav
I recently discovered Yoav, and I’m quite enamored. He’s an Israeli-South African musician who uses an acoustic guitar with a whole array of computer equipment to create an unusual, catchy sort of music. All the percussion and sounds originate from his guitar; they are just looped masterfully. Here is a video of him performing “Club Thing”, the single from his first album, live on QTV.
And if you must know, here is where I first discovered this artist (and this song). Don’t you judge me.
Already Looking Forward to 2011…
Current release date for Part 1 is set at November 2011. (They’re splitting it up into two parts, with the second to be released in 2012.)
Prop 8 Trial Tracker
In case you hadn’t heard, they are currently challenging the validity of the Proposition 8 ballot initiative in California. The judge presiding over the case, and indeed the plaintiffs (i.e. the good guys), had sought to have the trial videoed and then later uploaded to YouTube so that people could watch the proceedings after the fact. However, the defendants requested a stay to prevent this from happening, and the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, agreed with the stay.
It’s rather telling that social conservatives scream about there not being enough transparency in the Democrat-controlled Congress, but when it comes to transparency around the motivations behind Prop 8… they adamantly refuse. They are taking their historical stance on discussing anything gay-related, which basically amounts to “SHHHHH! Don’t say anything! We can’t discuss these things!” No, we can’t discuss the irrational and bigoted reasons you sought to block people you don’t even know, and whose lives have absolutely no bearing on your own, from getting married.
Despite the fact that conservatives are pushing a low-visibility campaign around this trial, there are several people who are liveblogging the trial to keep the world up-to-date on testimony as it occurs. This week, I have been following this live blog:
It’s a great resource for those of us who are interested to see what both sides say, and the testimony is absolutely riveting. Yes, riveting! I am normally no fan of legalese or court proceedings, but it has been fascinating reading what approaches both the plaintiffs and the defendants are taking with this trial. The plaintiffs are, in my opinion, doing an outstanding, slam-dunk job of representing our case, and of proving that gays have always been a discriminated-against minority, and that there are no legitimate reasons to block same-sex marriage. To this end, a string of historians, psychologists, economists, and others have testified, and their testimony paints the sad (and often tragic) picture of homosexuals being treated like shit over the years. Their reason for taking this approach is to portray gays as a “suspect class”, meaning that they are particularly vulnerable in society and cannot legally be singled out for discrimination.
On the other side, the defense is trying to establish that the state of California had legitimate reasons to pass Prop 8 that were not rooted in antigay bigotry, and that gays are no longer discriminated against in the state. That’s a pretty tall order if you ask me, especially when the Prop 8 supporters themselves distributed pamphlets to neighborhoods proclaiming that if Prop 8 fails, the gays were going to attempt to legalize pedophilia next, presumably to aid in recruitment. And I may be a little biased on the matter, but the defense’s case is exceptionally weak compared to the plaintiff’s case. The defense at one point actually tried to say that Brokeback Mountain and “Will and Grace” were proof that gays were no longer discriminated against!
Tell that to the family of Lawrence King, why don’t you, and see what happens.
The case has grown to become more of a trial on homosexuality itself than on mere same-sex marriage. It is absolutely amazing, alternately heartwrenching, nail-biting, and infuriating to read. Regardless of the outcome, it would definitely lend itself well to dramatic reenactment down the road… especially since the powers-that-be don’t want it to be seen.
Here’s hoping for enlightenment of the populace…
Who Needs a Singer When There’s Death Metal Rooster
I promise I have some things of more substance in the works… but for now, this.
The Old Popularity Index
