January 14, 2004
This is the time when a lot of publications are putting out their favorites in entertainment for the year previous. Coming out and saying that it's the 'years best' is kind of irritating, since entertainment is based so much on opinion. Still, we wanted to do some kind of list of our favorite stuff of the year. Thusly, we decided to call it "Might Have Missed 2003." More like a list of recommendations of things that you might have not played, seen, or heard, that we think you should check out, instead of coming out and saying "this stuff is the best."
Anyways, enjoy the list. It's the best.
VIDEO GAMES
Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga - Game Boy Advance
Adam: This would probably be my favorite game of the year. Let me get something strait. I hate RPGs. I think they're repetitive, boring, clich?, and grueling. I didn't even really like Mario RPG much for some reason. Somehow, though, this title intrigued me. Still, the idea of playing an RPG made me sick to my stomach. I guess, though, that I still excreted some kind of positive public outlook on the game, because I received it for Christmas from someone that knows me even better than I do. I love this game. The battle system refuses to get old, due to hit timing, attack dodging, and goofy Bros. attacks (Attacks that both Mario and Luigi have to cooperate to complete). The best part, is even with all this the battle system retains its simplicity. Another great thing is how critical the game would be of itself. Every once in a while, when the game was forced to do something overly rpg-cliche, it would make fun of itself. One of the few games that can make me laugh out loud.
Derrick: This is the most fun you'll ever have playing an RPG, period.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ? Gamecube
Derrick: To be honest, I was never a huge fan of the Zelda game series. I'd enjoy it until I got stuck or confused for the first time, then I'd give up and not be interested enough in the game to try again. The Wind Waker isn't really much different in this respect. There is one key difference though. The visual style. It looks and feels like a cartoon. Even if the gameplay absolutely sucked, I'd still want to play it for a few hours just to look at it. But the gameplay is somewhat fun, and it's a little easier than past Zelda games, which I think is a good thing in this case. This game wouldn't be better if it was harder.
Gotcha Force ? Gamecube
Cody: Wow. This one kinda flew in under the radar. Gotcha Force is a mixture of Pokemon, Power Stone and Virtual On. You command an army of toy-like "borgs" and do battle with other commanders. And with over 200 unique borgs, there is plenty of battling to do! Its discount priced at $40, definitely check it out.
F-Zero GX - Gamecube
Derrick: This is the best straight-up fast-paced racing game ever created. You play this game for the challenge, and it has difficulty to offer in heaps.
Cody: Heres the game for the spastic 6 year old in us all. Tons of crazy "microgames", each lasting around three seconds or less, thrown at you one right after another. Plus you can unlock Dr. Wario (a Dr. Mario clone), thats reason enough to own it right there.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - GameCube
Cody: There's been a ton of negativity thrown around this title. Its a way cool game, and TONS of fun (especially on LAN). So what if its kinda like Mario Kart 64? Its still the most fun you can have on your GameCube. Anyone who hasn't picked this up, shame on you. Do yourself a favor, pick this up (with a broadband adaptor if you can find one) and some friends and have some fun. Please.
Viewtiful Joe - Gamecube
Adam: It's about time someone gets the balls to make a 2D action game on a next-gen console. It's fast, fun, challenging, and just all around great.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - Gamecube
Adam: I know I'll get beat up for this one, but I don't care. Now this isn't the type of game that you'll play nonstop until every tiny thing is unlocked, but it will keep you casually hooked for months and months. It's always great for a lazy afternoon, but it's not statically boring. There's lots of stuff to learn and unlock. The best part is, the game can be as hard as you want it to be. The possibilities are eeenndlesss!
FILM
The Last Samurai
Adam: Much better than I thought it would be. Tom Cruise in a respectable role? It happened. I swear. The end was kind of goofy, but all in all, pretty dang awesome movie. Give it a chance.
Derrick: Whether you like Tom Cruise or not, you've gotta admit he chooses some good movies to be in sometimes. This is one of 'em. This movie feels like it comes from an older era of movies. It seems out of place among things like Lord of the Rings or Finding Nemo. Not just because of the different subject matters, but the way the story is told. I think that's a good thing (not to diss those other movies).
Cody: What can I say? Samurai's friggin rule.
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Derrick: A very fun and intense movie on the surface. Beautiful filmmaking to back it up.
Cody: Wow.
Intolerable Cruelty
Adam: The Coen Brother's (Fargo, O Brother Where Art Thou?, the Big Lebowski) latest. From the looks of it, Intolerable Cruelty is an irritating romantic comedy. If you just shut up and watch it, however, it becomes apparent that this is anything but. If you have a sick sense of humor, this 'ell make you laugh pretty dang hard.
Adam: The comic book movie that didn't feel like a comic book movie. Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) succeeded in what I thought was impossible. Make me care about what happens to a big, green, goofy guy. Of course, the studio managed to pump in some crappy end credit music, which sucks, but as far as the movie itself goes, I highly enjoyed it.
The Medallion
Cody: Ok ok. Now don't dismiss this as some crappy new Jackie Chan movie. Don't take this one too seriously, and you'll have an awesome time.
Derrick: Kid's movie? Pfft! This is a beautiful film. There are some absolutely stunning images contained within. There's also humor that's funny for anyone that doesn't take themself too seriously. And thankfully, not too much subversive adult humor that seems to populate a lot of movies that should be celebrating pure child-like energy. I don't understand people that want that in movies like this. When I watch a movie like Finding Nemo, I want to feel like a kid again, not be laughing at adult in-jokes.
MUSIC
The Shins: Chutes to Narrow
Adam: I can'teven honestly remember of how I first discovered the Shins, but I'm glad I did. Their first CD 'Oh, Inverted World,' was released very quietly. However, by the end of the year it came out, it ended up on many critics? top ten lists of the year. This, their second CD, introduces a bit more of a determined sound from the group. Each song feels like its own separate adventure; each creating a distinct landscape of feel and sound. Great, great CD.
Cody: Adam introduced me to The Shins this year and I thought they were great, so when this new CD showed up, I had to check it out. Its beautiful. Its crazy. Its great.
Derrick: I (re)discovered The Flaming Lips this year. I had randomly bought Clouds Taste Metallic 5 or 6 years ago, liked it a lot, then mostly forgot about it. Then I think Adam was talking about them to me, so I remembered I had an old CD, listened to it, still liked it. Eventually I got around to getting a couple more albums: "The Soft Bulletin" and "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots." Really great music. So now technically I can say I've been a fan for a long time and pretend I'm cool.
The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Adam: There best CD yet, in my opinion. It takes quite a few listens, but after it has you, it'll never let you go. Very atmospheric, brilliant, and interesting. Not only some of my favorite music of the year, but some of my favorite music of all time. Seriously.
Adam: After their two last equally strange efforts 'Amnesiac' and 'Kid A,' not many people knew what to expect next from Radiohead. 'Hail to the Thief' ends up being a mixture of some of their earlier works like 'the Bends' in a strange mixture with 'Amnesiac' and 'Kid A.' Wonderful.
Andrew WK - The Wolf
Cody: AWK's music is really best used for getting real pumped up about anything. Don't try to get real deep, and just have some fun.
Derrick: You probably haven't heard of this little band. No wait, I mean.. You couldn't have escaped hearing about this band in 2003. Every music critic and magazine praised them constantly. And I can't say they were wrong. I first gave them a serious listen a few days before Elephant came out, and I was instantly convinced. I bought Elephant and White Blood Cells on the day Elephant was released; and De Stijl and the self-titled album a couple weeks later. Despite their simplistic nature, they manage to pump out quite a lot of sound. Each album has a relatively distinct theme/sound. It's really quite amazing how much they can do with so little, but even without any of that in mind, just listening to the music tells you all you need to know. They've got something that works here.
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