Introduction
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (KAATKOJ) is an old 90's cartoon show whose premise is a unique one. It takes place in a sci-fi/fantasy feudal England in the time of King Arthur, and where the castle of Camelot, Merlin and his magic, Arthur and the Knights- are all real. King Arthur and his knights are encased in a glass cave by the evil sorceress Queen Morgana. Merlin is left to defend Camelot all by himself. He is perfectly capable of doing that, but he cannot keep it up for all hours of the day. He needs to free King Arthur and his knights, but how?
In comes the VERY science fiction part of it. Merlin searches all through eternity for a suitable "temporary replacement" for King Arthur and his knights, and conveniently finds a team of football players from the future (presumably college football players, based on context clues given throughout the series) who seem to "fit the bill" for playing heroes in feudal times- I don't know what Merlin was thinking! Let me warn you, this is a cheesy children's television show from the 90's.
The name of the football team: Knights
The name of the team captain: Arthur King
Yeah- I know how cheesy it is. I warned you.
They are tasked with collecting the Keys of Truth (12, one for each Knight of Justice). After they successfully collect them, they would be able to use them to free the real King Arthur and go home to their own time.
Amazin' Adventures
When I was little, I was introduced to this show while channel surfing for Saturday morning cartoons. Nowadays the only channel surfing you do is on youtube. There was this program called "Amazin' Adventures" which didn't have its own programming, but introduced various shows (all within the realm of action/sci-fi/fantasy). These shows included, but were not limited to "Mighty Max", "Street Sharks", "Around the World in Eighty Dreams", and Saban's "Gulliver's Travel."
I liked KAATKOJ. There was a lot of action, different knights with powers, and the show made me think (aspects of time traveling and logistics of magic). So, for a young child with an imagination, it was quite fun. I find that the Knights having different powers provide something similar to what I call the "Power Ranger Effect." This is the effect of popularity of a children's television show based on similar attributes or characteristics across characters or creatures of a show, but they behave in a consistent way within the universe it is set up in. Examples: Ronin Warriors with their elemental attributes and virtue associations. Pokémon with their type classifications and attacks. Power Rangers with their colors and their large mechs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with their colors and weapons. For some reason, kids REALLY love this sort of thing.
Recent Acquisition
I recently obtained the entire series of this show, KAATKOJ, from Amazon. I wouldn't have even known it existed if I didn't exchange Child's Play Charity donations with my friend Duy (we do it as Christmas gifts, because gift exchanges aren't very easy across three time zones).
So, I buy it because it's the entire series and I have always wondered if the knights ever make it home... and I watch it all. There were 2 seasons of 13 episodes each were broken down into 3 DVDs, and even at the end of all those episodes, the series is unfortunately incomplete. Despite the terrible cheesiness and possibly low production values, I was genuinely sad about this discovery.
Drinking Game
Despite the conclusion of the series, I can't end on a depressing note. There are quite a bit of terrible and cheesy things about this show... and that is why it would make an awesome drinking game!
Basic Rules (simple to catch)
- Every time Arthur says "Excalibur, be my strength!"
- Every time the knights suit up from the round table
- Every time they find a Key of Truth
- Every time Arthur goes to do something bold and/or stupid by himself
- Every time Merlin mentions turning something into a toad
- Every time a character's voice doesn't sound like it did in the previous episode
- Every time someone makes a football reference on the field of battle
- BONUS: Chug when all the characters are chanting "Knights, knights, knights..."
Expert Rules (requires more brainpower while drinking)
- Every time you see text in a different font
- Every time there is a visual plot discontinuity (but Arthur's cape is currently ON him)
- Every time there is an editing mishap (no music during the transformation scene)
- Every time there is an illogical personality quirk (why does Arthur call his friend "Sir"?)
- Every time Arthur yells something illogical during the heat of battle
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Barrels of Banana: Review of Donkey Kong Country Returns
Past Experience
I had never played the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES much before. The extent of my play experience was limited to playing either DKC 1 or 2 on a SNES on display at Sears when my mom would take me to the mall. It wasn't until I made it to college and discovered emulators before I really played more of the first DKC.
Obtaining the Game
When I first heard about the release of this game, I was at PAX Prime (2010) and I didn't think much of it. I wasn't sure that I would get it. It seemed fun, but I wasn't going to spend $50 on it. I didn't feel that much loyalty.
As of late, Toys R Us has become somewhat of a surprise game retailer. I always thought I would purchased from game stores- but as it turns out, Toys R Us usually has some ridiculous deals on video games. Probably in an attempt to get its video game sales up in order to compete with other retailers. Well, I was looking through the newspaper ads with my girlfriend the weekend before Black Friday and I discovered this deal. At Toys R Us, they were selling the DKC Returns game for retail ($50), but it would also include a free t-shirt AND strategy guide. That's probably a $90+ value for the price of the game. AWESOME. So I bought it.
Playing the Game
I began playing the game a few days later. It is your typical platformer and what I would expect from a DKC game. I never played DKC 3 so I can't really compare against that, but this game really felt nostalgic. I was playing the game on the Wii but it felt like the same old formula (with some minor differences). The gameplay was definitely an authentic throwback experience.
Review of the Game
Cut to 6 weeks later- I've probably logged somewhere around 25-30 hours into the game and I have beaten it. I haven't opened my strategy guide yet, so I did everything I did up until this point with just my sheer gaming ability.
You get much replayability from the game because of the mechanic of collecting the letters in KONG, as well as puzzle pieces. Each stage has about anywhere between 5-10 "hidden" puzzle pieces (some more hidden than others). There are the nostalgic minecart levels which prove just as challenging, if not moreso than the original DKC levels (time these jumps perfectly- or else start the level all over again). There are also rocket barrel levels (I think those are new, unless they were in DKC 3). Which are also pretty challenging and will provide control frustration. The one thing that I know is lacking were the water stages (which a friend of mine pointed out, and a different friend of my indicated that they were awkward anyway; I mean, c'mon, a monkey swimming in the water?).
Anywho, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the gaming experience. It's a good game that isn't too difficult, but isn't too easy either. It's definitely worth investing some time to playing. It's also a must buy if you loved the original DKC games or are a perfectionist as there will be much replayability. I give this game a thumbs up- I feel like it's a high price point for a nostalgic game, but aren't you really playing for the hours of fun?
I had never played the Donkey Kong Country games on SNES much before. The extent of my play experience was limited to playing either DKC 1 or 2 on a SNES on display at Sears when my mom would take me to the mall. It wasn't until I made it to college and discovered emulators before I really played more of the first DKC.
Obtaining the Game
When I first heard about the release of this game, I was at PAX Prime (2010) and I didn't think much of it. I wasn't sure that I would get it. It seemed fun, but I wasn't going to spend $50 on it. I didn't feel that much loyalty.
As of late, Toys R Us has become somewhat of a surprise game retailer. I always thought I would purchased from game stores- but as it turns out, Toys R Us usually has some ridiculous deals on video games. Probably in an attempt to get its video game sales up in order to compete with other retailers. Well, I was looking through the newspaper ads with my girlfriend the weekend before Black Friday and I discovered this deal. At Toys R Us, they were selling the DKC Returns game for retail ($50), but it would also include a free t-shirt AND strategy guide. That's probably a $90+ value for the price of the game. AWESOME. So I bought it.
Playing the Game
I began playing the game a few days later. It is your typical platformer and what I would expect from a DKC game. I never played DKC 3 so I can't really compare against that, but this game really felt nostalgic. I was playing the game on the Wii but it felt like the same old formula (with some minor differences). The gameplay was definitely an authentic throwback experience.
Review of the Game
Cut to 6 weeks later- I've probably logged somewhere around 25-30 hours into the game and I have beaten it. I haven't opened my strategy guide yet, so I did everything I did up until this point with just my sheer gaming ability.
You get much replayability from the game because of the mechanic of collecting the letters in KONG, as well as puzzle pieces. Each stage has about anywhere between 5-10 "hidden" puzzle pieces (some more hidden than others). There are the nostalgic minecart levels which prove just as challenging, if not moreso than the original DKC levels (time these jumps perfectly- or else start the level all over again). There are also rocket barrel levels (I think those are new, unless they were in DKC 3). Which are also pretty challenging and will provide control frustration. The one thing that I know is lacking were the water stages (which a friend of mine pointed out, and a different friend of my indicated that they were awkward anyway; I mean, c'mon, a monkey swimming in the water?).
Anywho, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the gaming experience. It's a good game that isn't too difficult, but isn't too easy either. It's definitely worth investing some time to playing. It's also a must buy if you loved the original DKC games or are a perfectionist as there will be much replayability. I give this game a thumbs up- I feel like it's a high price point for a nostalgic game, but aren't you really playing for the hours of fun?
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