Music Review: Les Colocs

Quebec has an interesting music industry. For starters, it's divided into four main styles: "Rock" , "Modern Pop", "Old Pop"(pre 80's) and "Rigodons"(usually played around new years). Artists today usually dabble in either rock or modern pop, with the occasional "Rigodons" for the holidays. However, the Market is small and harsh due to language barrier, and it used to be even worse than it currently is. In the 80's, bands had a harder time getting attention with their videos and music due to the lack of any type of funding. This problem lasted up until around the start of the 90's, where artists helped popularize the use of music videos and created a market which was much stronger in that aspect. One of these bands was "Les Colocs", which has reached a legendary level and has  left a permanent mark in music history.

"Les Colocs" is a french band from Montreal,Quebec that was created by Dédé Fortin by literally looking around and recruiting various potential band members, regardless of their background and ethnicity. They where well known for their cultural diversity, their use of funny, yet often meaningful, lyrics and their "party music" style, which would cover various musical influences ranging from rock to blues and even to some country and jazz. Thanks to their various backgrounds, a massive amount of instruments where used to create their various songs, something not so common in most bands at the time. The intruments would range from the standard guitar and saxophone all the way to the harmonica and even Dédé's own two feet

Tap Dancin', yo.

The band has two official studio albums and one live album. The first album, entitled "Les Colocs", was released in 1993 and contains most of the band's big hits. The lyrics display a cynical view on society as seen from someone who grew up around the "lower class". Various subjects that are covered involve troubled kids, broken homes, towns being taken over by corporations, AIDS, low self esteem and many other political and social issues, all which are brought up using humor and clever writing. The songs on the album are immensely diverse, with each one sounding completely different from the previous and yet, managing to fit together quite nicely. Upbeat and joyful, the music will make you want to get up and move, faithful to the band's status as a "Party Band". My personal favorite is the song "Passe moé la puck", which has a heavy rock influence to it, as well as some very entertaining beat box segments. The lyrics reference TV reports on the homeless, listing the act as annoying, manipulative and just a waste of time. It's also famous for it's line "Passe moé la puck pis j'va en compter des buts!", which translates to "Give me the puck and I'll score some goals!", a metaphor illustrating the lack of options some people have in life due to their circumstances. The success of the first album put the band on the map and they became more and more popular, going from a simple pub band to a mainstream rock band.

Les Colocs completely changed the band for their second album

However, half way through the 90's, things started to go sour for the band after losing one of the leads, Patrick Esposito Di Napoli, to AIDS in 1994. This event started Dédé's downward spiral into depression, especially with most of the original band members leaving soon after Napoli's death, only making things worst for the artist. The second and last official studio album from the band, "Dehors Novembre", came out in 1998 and reflected Dédé's current state. Although it keeps it's diverse style, the album is allot darker and more serious than it's predecessor. The subjects it covers relate more to escapism, or more precisely, coming back to reality after trying to escape it. Due to the band being completely re-created for the album, it covers even more different styles than the first one, using elements of country, reggae and even storytelling, not to mention one of the songs is completely written in English. The instruments used are as diverse as in the first album, with the exception that Dédé didn't do any tap dancing this time around. The lyrics for the songs talk about escaping from reality, being helpless at the worst times, regretting your past, being left alone and without any way of being able to escape the life you now hate and other subjects. The cynical views present in the first album are now even more present, only with a view from the inside instead of the outside, with fake happiness, conformity, as well as being told what to do over choosing what you want are other subjects that the album also covers. My personal favorite song from the album is "Tellement longtemps", a song about someone who is having fun for the first time in a long time, most likely while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Overall, the album is by far better than the first, at least quality wise, though due to it's darker themes and tones,  it's not as fun as the band's earlier work and I can't say I would recommend it to just anyone, least not before recommending their earlier work.

On the 8th of May 2000, two years after the second album was released, Dédé Fortin finally caved in to depression and committed suicide, thus ending the band. There have been tributes to Dédé following his death, including complete albums and shows dedicated to him from friends, old band members and artists that where also huge fans of his music. A movie, entitled "Dédé, à travers les brumes", was released in 2009 and was generally well received. The movie focuses on Dédé and serves as both a Biography and a tribute to his memory.

After listening to the band's albums, I can easily say that they are well entitled to the place they hold in music history, if not more. They promoted cultural diversity and experimental music, inspiring future generations to do the same. I highly recommend checking the band out, especially their music videos, which are quite impressive, in and of themselves.

Final Verdict: 9/10
What I like:
+Amazing musical variety, both with their instrument and styles
+Great humor and clever lyrics (First album)
+Great lyrics that might make you reflect on life(Second album)
What I disliked:
-I have no negative comments towards the band, other than the fact that I will never be able to see them live.
-Some songs tend to drag once you heard them a few times. Luckily, this doesn't make the album suffer to much.

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Video Game Review: Paper Mario (N64)

Paper thin plot with a colorful world

Mario is the mascot of one of the biggest, if not the biggest video game companies in the world: Nintendo. As such, Mario is not limited to simply appearing in games which involve platforming and has been used in many other genres. One of these games is Paper Mario, a role playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It uses a unique paper like art style, making everything look like a pop-out book.

The game revolves around Mario, who must once again save Princess Peach from King Bowser. However, Bowser has stolen the star rod, an item that grants him any wish he desires, which now makes him invincible (though not smarter). After receiving a can of good old whooping from Bowser, Mario sets out to retrieve all of the kidnapped star spirits so that they can help him defeat Bowser and restore peace to the kingdom. Along the way, he will gather many many sidekicks, all of which help in their own special way. These teammates include a goomba with a baseball cap, a tomboyish pink bomb-omb, a clumsy Para-trooper, a tsundere rich girl Boo, a baby electric spark(who also happens to be the strongest ally), a overly protective mother fish called Sushi and even a 90′s kid Lakkitu.

lolclumsy…okay, moving on!

The story isn’t anything new as it’s, quite literally, a “gather the items of magic whatever and save the princess” type deal. However, the characters more than make up for it by being colorful and full of life, which is what I have come to expect from most Mario games. May it be the hilariously incompetent enemies or simply the funny comments that some characters tend to have, you will definitely not find yourself hating any of them, even the ones you tend to ignore(I’m looking at you, Para-Clumsy).

The graphics, as stated above, are based around that of a pop-up book backed with backgrounds that look like paintings. The world you walk around in is made to react like paper and the idea is played with almost constantly. Bridges will be hidden in near impossible places and literally unfold before your eyes, objects will tilt over when pushed out of the way and items(as well as enemies) will be lying flat on some blocks until you break it.

It’s your fault for making a paper gate!

The combination of style and clever use of the rules the world provides makes for a unique style never before seen and adds to game’s charm. If anything, my only issue with the graphics is that it did seem to cause some slowdowns, though they only happened outside of battle and could be considered barely even noticeable at times. As far as the music for the game is concerned, it’s great as well, giving a new life to many Mario songs we’ve grown to love and easily recognize. I especially like the level up song, which is cheerful and up beat, as well as a good send back to Super Mario Bros 3.

Game play wise, I find myself undecided as to what I think of the game. Paper Mario implements an anti-grinding mechanic that involves reducing the amount of experience you gain instead of increasing the amount of experience needed to level up. While I honestly don’t mind this, it ended up getting on my nerves as it never gave me a feeling that I was progressing through levels and getting stronger. When you gain a level, you are allowed to increase one stat out of three( Health, Flower Power or Badge Points) but are never given any type of attack or defense increase. While badges that do increase your strength and defense are available, the lack of said stat increase makes you feel as though you aren’t getting any stronger.

At this point, mario does 2-4 damage with his hammer if his enemy has a defense of 0 while his enemies can do 2-3 damage each even if you block them. This is halfway through the game!

Yes, with more HP, you can take more damage, but it does little to the fact that you can only deal a max of 2 damage to most enemies for a good chunk of the game, not to mention that you will be most likely be taking damage no matter what, sometimes even when you block the attack. I will say that the game play made for more satisfying boss battles, though getting through the dungeon was a chore considering the fact that Mario is weaker than at least half of the enemies in the game, if not more. On a side note, the affectionately nicknamed ”Peach gear solid” parts where surprisingly fun. Maybe it was because I had recently played all of the main MGS games, but I found it fun to play as peach and try to avoid detection.

Overall, the game is great and a definite must play for anyone who has a N64 or a Wii. It’s charming and fun, even with it’s slightly frustrating mechanics. It’s also a good game for younger kids, as it’s relatively easy and the world is fun, colorful and full of life.

Final Verdict: 9/10

Pros:
+Great graphics and music add to the game’s charm
+Great characters that are full of life
+Fun for players of all ages
+”Peach Gear Solid” is quite fun.
Cons:
-Leveling up lacks a sense of growth due to the lack of Offense/Defense stats.
-Occasionally slows down in some areas(barely noticeable)

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Video Game Review: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Anyone else notice that Kellam is behind Chrom's knee?

War. War never changes. People change but war will always be the same...or something like that. Anyways, everyone agrees that war isn't a game nor a joke. It's a painful part of society, one which has inspired various forms of art. This goes as far as video games, with a few portraying war as it is: ugly, but sometimes needed as well. Fire Emblem: Awakening, the most recent title in the series, is one of those games. Just like previous installment  it uses war as both a story and game play mechanic.

Fire Emblem Awakening is a Tactical JRPG. It's story revolves around the Shepards, a group of “elite soldiers” lead by the prince of Ylisse, Chrom, and their new tactician, the avatar (hint hint: guess who this person is). Together, they travel the land helping their people defend themselves from attacks, as well as recruiting new members they meet along the way. 

Admit it, you can't say no to him.

The story isn't that amazing, though it does its job well. The narrative is divided into two parts: Chapters and support conversations. Chapters can either be story related missions or side missions, usually consisting of cut scenes and dialogue. Support conversations, on the other hand, are optional and unlockable conversations that you gain by having two characters support each other during battle and usually involves sillier situations and dialogue compared to the chapters. 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

Overall, the narrative is quite enjoyable and you will find yourself liking most of the characters and wishing to learn more about them.

The gameplay is, by far, the best part of the game. It's hard to exactly explain why the gameplay, which isn't that different from other Fire Emblem games (it's still a matter of rock paper scissors), is so much fun. The best explanation I have is that it's simply fun to play, as well as well planned out. The game plays very smoothly and fast, making for quick battles that are quite enjoyable to play and replay as much as needed and does not exasperate you. The new pairing system offers stat bonuses that make many characters almost unbeatable. 

Just try to touch this kid's waifu, I dare you to!

The game's just well thought out so that it's a blast to play and doesn't cause too much frustration. The creators even thought about smaller details: Class changing items are now abundant and so are transformation stones, you can save before the battle so that you can restart it faster if need be and the supports conversations have been moved outside the battle to a sub menu you can access while on the main map. It's well worth your time and money and the game play itself will make come back for more.

Now, graphically speaking, the game is great. The main units all have their unique traits and designs which make for a very interesting cast at times. A good example is Anna, a character which lives, breathes and probably even poops money. 

And you all thought I was kidding...

All of her dialogue in battle revolves around various “business” quotes (ie: saying, “Please come again” after killing an enemy). Also, since the game is on the 3DS, that means the creators implemented 3D as well. Now, many still think that 3D means something is going to pop out and hit them in the face when, it reality, 3D is used to create a nicer picture with more depth. It gives the impression that an object isn't flat and will often even produce a better image than a regular 2D image. Fire Emblem Awakening doesn't feature any “pop out” effects, but the 3D effects are very well done as far as depth goes. As well, using the 3D while in the first person view during a battle is quite interesting during scenes, especially when done with a mounted unit.

Finally, the music in the game is very enjoyable, though the chimes that play when one levels up or finds an item will sometimes break the mood of said music. You will be having this moment where you are questioning the motives for the story, if the war you are waging is worth the actions you are doing. The music is emphasizing this feeling of guilt....then, you hear the “ice cream truck” chime and it just breaks the mood of the whole chapter. It's a small little thing that still irks me, seeing as how it happens in chapters I happen to have really liked. Even so, the music is still fantastic, especially the music for the “Summer Bonds” DLC.

To wrap things up, the game is a must ownfor anyone who owns a 3DS. It's fun, charming, well executed, and will offer you a good 30-40 hours of playtime at a minimum. It's by far one of the best games for the console, as well as a great introduction to the Fire Emblem franchise.

Final Verdict: 9/10

Pros:

+Great Characters and good story

+Extremely fun

+Great Graphics and music

+Online matches let you face off against others and you can transfer characters and teams VIA spot pass

+Voice acting is great, some of the best in the industry

Cons:

-Most of the characters only speak with small quotes (ie: Henry's “SPECIAL DELIVERY!”)

-Music will sometimes be interrupted by out of place chimes, ruining the atmosphere of certain levels

-Not all characters have supports and some of the supports are generic cookie cutter ones.

-The DLC isn't that interesting overall