V8 Ninja's Blog

The Prologue

While I haven't played Metroid Other M, I have heard so much about it. I've been there since the announcement of the game at Nintendo's 2009 E3 press conference and I've felt all of the bumps of the ride, from the jarring release backlash to the ever-present scalding hate that some still have of the game. I've even seen a few deconstructions of how the game just doesn't work. However, in general I'm seeing two different concerns being brought up:

CONCERN #1: Samus Talks Too Much

Ignoring my urge to post the parody videos from Youtube, it appears that Samus talks too much in this game. From pointless philosophy to "The Baby", Samus never seems to take a breather outside of gameplay. Considering that this will be the easiest aspect to notice, I'll only mention it if I find it interesting/meaningful to the game in any way.

CONCERN #2: The Story Just Doesn't Work

From abandoning previously established characters and to never confronting stupid lapses of logic, it seems that the story of Other M seems to fail as a sequel, prequel, and stand-alone narrative. The one that everybody picks on is that even though Samus has all of here powers from the get-go, she isn't allowed to traverse a lava-infested area with her heat-protection enhancement activated until Adam gives here the go-ahead. However, there have been other problems that (supposedly) negate those other small points. I'll be sure to comment on these when I see them.

The Epilogue

And so my map of this adventure has been planned along with the tour spots. Now all that's left is to push on the accelerator...

PROLOGUE

If you're reading this blog, you're probably seen the Kinect Star Wars "I'm Han Solo" video. Below is a copy of said video, only better quality with actual screen-capture software being used;

As you saw, the video is basically Han Solo dancing to a reworked version of that one pop song by that Derulo fellow (which can be found right here). The internet has gone ablaze with hate (unsurprising by this point in it's life), basically stating that the video has ruined the entire Star Wars franchise so much that all dignity has finally been lost. Now, Star Wars has not had any dignity for years but the video still stands as insulting on every personable level of being a Star Wars fan. However, There's also another video from the same game floating around involving Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine dancing. Below is the video;

Now, following the previous logic, fans (including myself) should be outraged by this as well. However, I'm not. I actually find the video to be hilarious and awesome at the same time. Why is that? Why am I not throwing an internet hissy-fit over more Star Wars characters doing little dance routines? From these thoughts I compiled a list of points that would justify me liking the second video while also hating the first one.

Point #1: Dub-Techno Dance >>> Pop R&B

The first thing a blind person would notice about the two videos is that the music is completely different. In the first you have a reworking of Jason Derulo's "Ridin Solo" song, which is, at best, a generic pop song. It's certainly not made by no Cee Lo Green. The song also sets up a "Hey, this is ridiculous and we want you to notice!" vibe, which doesn't help when straight from the get-go people already realize it's ridiculous and they're not laughing.

Now in the second video we have this sweet electronic song. Not only is it a song that you want to dance to, but it's expertly crafted so that ANYONE won't challenge you on wanting to dance. It also sets the tone a bit more seriously, making the fact that it's supposed to be a silly dance number all the more apparent. And after doing a bit more research, guess what the song is? It's non other than Deadmau5's "Ghosts 'n' Stuff". Yes, THAT Deadmau5, the electronic wizard who has sold out stadiums around the globe. While I'm not a fan of all of his work (especially his completely overrated "Raise Your Weapon"), he does good stuff and he clearly has an audience.

Point #2: Polar Opposites And Their Collision

In the "I'm Han Solo" video, the main attraction is Han Solo dancing. Now let's ask for a minute; would Han Solo ever dance? While he was (mostly) a badass in the films, it's not too outlandish to think that Han Solo would like to (occasionally) break a sweat on the dance floor. Yes, maybe he wouldn't be dancing like a hooligan to 2010 pop song, but imagining him performing the activity wouldn't be completely out-of-reach. Right off of the bat the entertainment value of the video is deplenished as the main attraction is partly gone.

Now look at Darth Vader dance video; would Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine EVER face each-other in a dance-off? Hell no! They're too busy crushing the Jedi scum! Why in the name of the Deathstar would they ever face each-other in a duel of the moves? And yet here they are, taking the matter 100% seriously. The main attraction is instantly more appealing and none of it is taken away.

Point #3: The Seriousness Is Strong With This One

As hinted in the previous sections, both of these videos take themselves very differently; the first video shows that it knows it's supposed to be a funny little scene while the second one doesn't let itself fall into that trap. The slow animations, reworked lyrics, and constant smiling faces of the "I'm Han Solo" parody make it appear obvious that no one could take it all at face value and believe it's anything more than childish fun.

However, the Darth Vader dance-off video does almost the exact opposite; it has fast-paced animations, has no lyrics at all (even while the original song had lyrics), and the only face we see is Emperor Plapatine's face, which doesn't look happy at all. In a way we can take this video more seriously and a ton of good comedy comes from people stating ridiculous comments with complete seriousness. Have you ever had a friend (or yourself) say something absolutely ridiculous, only moments later realizing that they said it with a completely straight face? I can't imagine anyone not having that experience in their lifetime. This video comes that same root of comedy and it shows.

EPILOGUE

And so I have effectively proven why I like one video of Star Wars characters dancing over another. I need to get a life...