Dragon Of The Black Pool - Nathan Stout - Fort Worth, Texas

Anime, PC, and Video Games

(anime is at the bottom of the page!)

PC and Video Games:



     I'm an RPG/Strategy fan when it comes to console games. I do enjoy the occasional fighter and shooter, but the RPG/Strategy genre is my favorite. Often some of the best games are Japanese ones that aren't available here. Time to bring out the wallet and shell out for those games, but its worth it! Here are some opinions on some games.....

Chrono Trigger

     One of the most hyped RPGs for the Super Nintendo, it lacked a little something... But let me explain first... NEVER, NEVER USE A GAME MANUAL (WALKTHROUGH) TO PLAY THROUGH A GAME!! It absolutely ruins the story line. That's what I did here and it ruined the experience for me. This game is a great RPG, but I ruined it by knowing what was gonna happen next.

Final Fantasy 3

     I played Final Fantasy 3 on the Super NES and enjoyed every second of it! This is one of the best RPGs ever! The story line is very engrossing. Twists and turns around every corner. Despite the older 16 bit graphics, this game is one of the best!

Final Fantasy 5

     I recently played Final Fantasy 5 on the Playstation's Final Fantasy Anthology. This games is just as good as Final Fantasy 3 with added bonuses. This game has all sorts of character classes like Final Fantasy Tactics as well as Summon spell like Final Fantasy 7 and 8. This game was truly ahead of its time!

Final Fantasy 7

     I bought the Playstation almost solely for the fact that Square Soft was doing their games on the PS. And was I satisfied....YES! Final Fantasy 7 ROCKS!!!! I Just remember, Square Loves You! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll BE AMAZED!!!!!!! This game was very good, but it seem to be missing something that FF3 had, I just can't figure out what. The graphics were awesome!

Final Fantasy Tactics

     Final Fantasy Tactics has no equal!!!!!! This game is heaven!!!! I didn't notice any kind of glitches, the music is heavenly, even better than FF7, the battle fields are beautifully rendered (i.e. the waterfalls), and the story is superb! A tad complicated, but jeez, just about everyone in this game is betrayed and stabbed! The only games that come close are the Front Mission ones.

Suikoden

     Suikoden is a great Playstation RPG. It's long and has a good story. The quick load time for battles was appreciated! I flipped when I had top kill my own father! Friends dying left and right. What a game! The soundtrack on the game was excellent too.

Suikoden 2

     Suikoden 2 is great! It's just like the original so it felt like visiting an old friend! Another tale of friendship, betrayal, and all around good fun. I highly recommend either of these games!

Beyond the Beyond

     Beyond the Beyond was the first PSX RPG I got. Don't even waste your time. Too many battles! Way too many! It still sold well, and that's good for RPG fans. But don't bother unless you like having to battle every 2 seconds.

Carnage Heart

     Carnage Heart is a COMPLEX game! You have to be a deep RPG/Tactics fan to like this game. I have played for a couple of hours...And I was still designing mech! Not even battling yet! You REALLY have to think in a logical manner to get this game to work, the programming of the robots is tough!

Valkyrie Profile

     This is a different kind of game! It's pretty refreshing. It plays along the lines of a an RPG, but with elements of a side scroller. When you go into battle you use different combinations on the controller to execute different attacks with your party members. Some of the enemies are way too hard, while others are too easy. Still this was a fun game to play it's just that the makers should have spent some more time ironing out the bad bits.

Front Mission

     Played Front Mission for the Super Famicom? That is a great game! I'm sure you know by now that I am nuts about this game. Even though its that old 16 bit graphics, it still kicks ass! Go to my Front Mission Web Page.

Front Mission 2/3

     Front Mission 2 is turned based like it's Super Famicom predecessor. They both look-a-like (same menus and such). The load time for the battles is annoying long, but there is a map that shows you an overhead view of the terrain, that helps pass the time. My Front Mission Web Page.

Front Mission 4

     Front Mission 4 is pretty much and updated version of 2 and 3. The graphics are better and there are a couple of extras like 'repair ray' backpacks and the notion of linking your units in their attacks and defense.

Ogre Battle

     Ogre Battle is now on the U.S. Playstation. It is exactly the same as the Super Nintendo version except it will have enhanced music and enhanced spell effects. I wasn't too interested in it when I borrowed a copy from a friend long ago, but I will get it and give it a try again. So many people rave about this game, I'll gotta give it another try sometime.

Wipeout XL

     If you remotely enjoy any kind of racing, you WILL love Wipeout XL. This game is the best racing game of all time!!!! The only thing that would make this better is of you could upgrade your racers. The futuristic settings and the kick ass music make this one of the best of all time!!! Trust me! Wipeout, Wipeout 3, and (PS2) Wipeout Fusion still don't come close to XL!

Macross

     This side scroller for the Japanese Saturn is fun. If you are Macross/Robotech fan, you will enjoy this great game. The sound effects and music are right from Macross. The CGG are great and the new animation is cool too!

Dragon Ball Z Legends

     This Japanese fighting game for the Playstation is pure mayhem! With up to six characters fighting on the screen at the same time, it utter chaos! A neat feature is to press start and let the battle go on auto! You don't have to lift a finger!

Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight

     I wasn't really interested in this computer game UNTIL... a friend got it and I took a look. WOW! The environments are HUGE, I don't mean big, I mean BIG!!!! This game gave me vertigo on many levels! This is worth the money! The areas....the way it...oh JUST GET IT!!!!!

Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

     Wowee! This game is fantastic. Once again the super large environment give this game it's appeal (oh yhea and it is set in the SW universe)! I did have a tough time with the Reborn and those black stormtrooper Jedi guys, but it was well worth it! Look on the web for the cheats. There are some real cool ones out there!

Secret of Monkey Island

     This game is one of my all time favorite computer games. I especially enjoy the version that has a real soundtrack. I love the pirates theme and all that stuff. This is one of the best games I ever got. True, its' old and not super high tech but oh well. It's got such a good story that it doesn't need all that high-tech stuff! I got SoMI (Secret of Monkey Island) with a CD-ROM kit. It is the version with the real soundtrack. I love it! Not only can you play this great game but you can stick it in your CD player and listen to the music too!!! The same it true for Sony Playstation's Wipeout XL.

Curse of Monkey Island

     This computer game is nicely done. It has beautiful animation and good funny voice acting. It also has that nutty pirate humor that made the first 2 monkey islands popular.

Diablo 2

     This computer game is one of the most deep and yet shallow games I have ever played. The inventory is sooooo massive! This one I got my money worth. I played this like crazy. I finally quit after I got to level 67 in Hell (Mt. Arieat).

TIE Fighter

     This computer flight sim is the best! Get this puppy on a Pentium 133 or faster and you are ready to rock! The graphics are smooth and ultra fast! The mission are intense! I fully recommend this game!!!!!

High Seas Trader

     I played High Seas Trader quite awhile back. I really enjoyed it. Sailing around the world trading goods and having sea battles with enemy nations or pirates. I had fun. Then I saw a review in a PC game magazine. They couldn't have rated it worse. They hated it. True sometimes it got a little monotonous but hey, it was neat. Oh well.

Tropico 2

     Tropico is the ultimate Pirate sim. You manage several islands and try to keep your slaves fearful and your pirates VERY happy. What other game allows you to build whore houses?!

Lords of the Realm 1/2

     Lords of the Realm was made by the same company as Highseas Trader. It is a great strategy game! It puts you up against other people trying to manage lands and take over rule of England (or Germany). You control food production, weapons production, castle building, and running battles. I highly recommend it. Lords of the Realm 2 is very similar but has a prettier look. The music is really good too.

Heroes of Might and Magic 2

     You want to get your moneys worth on a computer game, get HOMM2! Heroes of Might and Magic 2 is really infectious. I just can't stop playing! I find myself playing for hours on end and I can't stop! I got the expansion pack and it is just as good with new locations and scenarios! Totally worth the money!

Heroes of Might and Magic 3

     Like the Cool-Aid man says: "Oh Yhea!" This game combines the great game play of HOMM2 with new graphics and TON of new creatures, artifacts, towns, and more! Much MORE! Although, I do have a couple of complaints. The music is not as good as HOMM2 and the mouse pointer moves jerkily on the screen. I could be that my P200 isn't fast enough. Note: After I upgraded to a 1600+ XP the game works fine!

Chaos Island: The Lost World: Jurassic Park

     This PC game is intended for kids, but I enjoyed. It is like a simple version of starcraft or warcraft set in the JP2 atmosphere. One thing that makes this better than the other tons o ctrap out there is that ALL the actors in the movies did the voices for this game which I found very cool. Way to short and a little too easy, but fun (if you like JP).

Blade Runner

     This game is awesome. It is a adventure game where you play Ray McCoy, and rookie Blade Runner. The game takes place the same time as the movie, but it is a different story line. Almost all the places featured in the movie are in the game. If you ever wanted to be a blade runner, this is your chance. It also has 13 different endings and all the computer characters have AI. Every time you play stuff turns out different!

Dragon's Lair 2

     One arcade game that caught my eye way back when was Dragon's Lair. I still think it's one of the coolest concepts ever. There is now a Dragon's Lair 2 for Win95, that uses really compressed video. Its not perfect, but is an exact translation.

     O.K.! I got Dragon's Lair on DVD! WOW! It rocks! Its hard to control with the DVD remote though. You can even watch it without playing it! Now I want Dragon's Lair 2 and Space Ace!

Anime

     I have tried all kinds of anime but usually the stories are too incoherent or the subject uninteresting. I also prefer dubbed anime as opposed to subtitled. I used to think otherwise but then I realized that I was missing a whole lot staring at the bottom of the screen trying to read the subtitles. Some dubbing is done badly, but I prefer that to missing some great animation. Here are some different anime titles I have opinions on....

Robotech

SO MUCH, IT NEEDS IT'S OWN PAGE.....

Macross Plus

     This is my second favorite anime (first being Robotech, duh!). This is the best drawn cartoon ever, ever! You can tell they spent alot of time on this. The mech battles are the coolest! It sounds so good on a home theater system. My favorite episode is #4, the last and best! The second episode at the concert is stunning! I was stunned! Neat soundtracks too.

Dragon Ball Z

     This show Rocks! So glad they kept it intact (mostly) when they brought it to the US. Vegeta is a badass mother#$%!!*&

Evangelion

     I finished Evangelion. This is a great series. A perfect mix of comedy, relationships, and mech combat! I just wanna kick Auska in the head! Well it was great until the end! WHAT WAS THAT? ARGGGGGGGG! _ O.K. It's been years since I typed that up and I finally 'almost' fully understand what happened in the series. Geez, talk about complex! If you don't know just check the net, there are many pages explaining what happened.

The End Of Evangelion

     O.K..... this is supposed the replace the final 2 episodes of the series to help tie up all the loose ends and explain things better..... uh.... NOT! Yes it is wonderful to see more Eva action, but it didn't do all that much to help me understand what happened. To cap it all off it ends on an even more STRANGE note than the series!

Ninja Scroll

     This was one of the first modern day anime shows I saw. Modern day I mean after 1990. I was really impressed with it. The animation is crisp and well drawn. There is a little too much ultra violence and sexual content but oh well. Other than that it's great. Hey, don't bother with that rip-off "sequel" Ninja Resurrection. Its not the same company.

Patlabor The Movie

     The first time I watched it I got bored. I really wasn't paying attention and the great story passed me up. After watching again I caught on. I really enjoy it. I saw Patlabor 2 and the same thing has happened again. I didn't find it that interesting. I'll have to give it another chance.

Ghost in the Shell

     I've seen this enough times now to give an opinion on it. It is O.K. That's all..... Excellent animation, but the story line just didn't stick with me. Neat and high-tech, just not as interesting as I was expecting.

The Hakkeden

     This is pretty interesting series. I haven't seen it all yet but I look forward to it. The animation changes at certain times during the episodes. I becomes very crude animation from time to time, mostly during the action scenes. I think that it's just some stylistic thing goin' on there as opposed to the animators getting sloppy. Other than those times, the animation is beautiful! _ _ Wahooo! Its 2001 and Hakkeden is out on DVD! COOL!

Ki Ki's delivery Service

     O.K. so I'm a little old to be watching this move, but it's wonderful. The animation and look of the movie are great. This is a very nice family move and an anime masterpiece.

Princess Mononoke

     This is another movie by Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service). This is another beautifully animated feature for a little bit older crowd than he is used to making movies for. It's steeped in Japanese legend and has some truly strange things in it. It's got a first class voice cast and some super high quality animation. Check it out!

Wings of Honnieomise

     I enjoyed this movie right away. It had a very different premise than most anime. It kept my attention the whole time. The movie was perfect all the way up until Ladot tries to attack the girl. What was that all about??!! Did I miss something?

dragon of black pool - fort worth texas nathan stout