Top 10 Urban Legends in Gaming

Urban legends are something most everyone is familiar with. Some of them are plausible, and some of them are laughable. Some of them are local, and some of them are wold wide phenomena. In pop culture, there are many of these urban legends as well, and the gaming community is not exempt from this. Here are what I think are the top 10 urban legends in gaming.

10. Haunted Majora's Mask Copy

This one is actually pretty recent, and I hadn't even heard about it until fellow NFF member Rin mentioned it to me. After I found out about, I did a little research. The story is that a college student went out looking for old games at garage sales when a creepy old man gave him a gray N64 cartridge with "Majora" sharpied on it. He broke rule number one of not failing at life. you don't accept things for free from the creepy old guy. Anyway, after a long string of events, he comes to the conclusion the the cartridge is haunted by an entity named "Ben", who eventually infected his computer as well. Of course, most people probably knew it was all fake, but we all love a good ghost story. That being said, a lot of people found a way to believe in it. Although Jadusable, the legends creator, has admitted that it was all just part of an experiment, in which he tried to write a psychological horror story that would involve the readers in the plot, many are still trying to figure it all out and claiming that it is in fact true. The reason this is so far down on the list is that for starters, it is just so fresh, and it hasn't had time to really settle itself into gaming culture yet. you can read all about this haunted game on Jadusables site, www.youshouldnthavedonethat.com

9. Brutus

Animal Crossing was finally released to America via the Gamecube in 2001. Animal Crossing runs in real time, and has hundreds upon hundreds of items to collects, and around 300+ villagers that can move in or out of your town. With this much content, it is quite easy for someone to make up something while the game is still young. Someone decided to do just that in the form of Brutus. Brutus was said to be a male villager or the grumpy variety. He was a dog, but instead of using the model the other dogs in the game used, he used a model similar to that of Booker, a bulldog police officer. Not only is this impossible, his short, which is said to have a large "B" on it is not even in the games coding. Furthermore, it was said that Brutus was "evil" and would cut down your trees, leave trash in your town, and other such hateful deeds. This too is impossible, as NPCs can do none of these things. again, the game was young, and loaded with content. as such, it was quite believable. Brutus is one of several Animal Crossing rumors, but he is one of my favorites. I also found this on TV Tropes:

Quote:

Urban Legend Of Zelda: There was a rumor for the Gamecube Animal Crossing on some forums that a purple dog named Brutus, or Burtis, would move to your town and do weird things like talk and send letters in binary, have a house that freezes your Gamecube when you enter it, and would move out of town after staying for 1 day. There was also a (poorly) edited picture of him talking in binary, with the animal edited to be Octavian.

I was unable to find this image. Sorry, you guys.

8. Michael Jackson Composed Sonic 3's Soundtrack

Now, this one isn't completely unreasonable. SEGA did produce the Michael Jackson's Moonwalk game, and Sonic 3 does have some pretty awesome beats. This one could be true, or it could be false. We may never know for sure.

7. Marilyn Manson voiced Voldo in Soul Calibur II

It isn't all too unbelievable. Voldo is basically a zombie, whose voice consists or grunts, moans, and snarls. The voice actor is uncredited, so for all we know, it could truly have been Manson, but I somehow doubt it. In fact, I don't think any human being, even one as inhuman as Marilyn Manson could come close.

6. The Truck

Quote:

Once you defeat Misty, trade with someone a Pokémon that already knows cut from another game. Then continue the game without going on the SS Anne and get HM02 (fly) and HM03 (surf) as you go. Once gotten both fly and surf, go back to where the SS Anne is. Go right to where the screen switches and you see the ship itself. You will be on the boardwalk that leads to the ship. Surf off to the right until you see a strip of land with a truck on it. People have said that if you move the truck with strength, you will find Mew.

Oh, how we wished it were true. Even though the only ways to obtain Mew were to hack your game via cheat device, cause a glitch, or go to an officially sanctioned event, a lot of us still tried aimlessly to find Mew this way. But ya know what has always bugged me? Why is the truck even there?! It is just alone an an island with no roads or anything! Was is placed a as test for something, and simply forgotten? Perhaps it was simply a remnant of what would be some sort of side quest that got trashed. We'll never know, but it is fun to ponder.

5. Curse of the Tails Doll

Yet another ghost story. In the game Sonic R, a Sonic racing game for the Saturn, you could unlock a character named "Tails Doll". This creepy little bugger was to tails was Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles are to Sonic and Knuckles. Not only was he somewhat disturbing in appearance, his stats are abysmal. In the game was a mode called Tag, in which the goal was to tag all of the other players. I'm not sure how it all got started, but someone started spreading a rumor around that the game was cursed. Allegedly, if you chose Tails doll, played Tag and won(a whole lot harder than it sounds, trust me) the "real" Tails doll would kill or otherwise harm you that night. I've tested the "curse" personally, and I'm still here writing this article. But hey, who knows. Maybe the Tails doll is just biding his time...the official site can be found at the following link. http://www.quackerandbowen.com/sonicr.html

4. Aeris/Aerith can be revived.

Final Fantasy VII was an extremely popular game, and also a very good one. Now, we all hated Sephiroth anyway because he's just so easy to hate, but when he killed Aeris/Aerith it somehow made the grudge personal. Many gamers got wind of this rumor and began trying every little thing they were told to revive their fallen ally, but i was all for naught. The only way to get her back is the hack your game.

3. Mario is a Communist

Let's take a moment to analyze Mario, and see just where theorists got this one. Mario's signature color is red. You can't deny he kinda looks like Stalin. Furthermore, his enemy is a King whom he will do anything to overthrow. I somehow doubt there is any connection, but you can't help but grin thinking about it.

2. Sonic and Tails unlockable in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Everyone loves a good April fools joke, and the one pulled by Electronic Gaming Monthly has always been one of my favorites. Supposedly, this duo would be unlocked after defeating 20 of more opponents in cruel melee. Now THAT, my friends, is a challenge. a couple of players managed to go above and beyond this requirement, all for nothing. Ironically, Sonic is now a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and there is always a chance that this rumor is what sparked the idea.

1. Polybius

Polybius was an alleged arcade game said to be found in a few arcades in Portland, Oregan around 1981. The game was said to feature insanely trippy graphics, and induced black outs, memory loss, nausea and other more serious effects like seizures, insomnia and horrible nightmares. Supposed players also said that occasionally men in black suits would come and collect data from the game. Polybius may have been a government experiment of some sort. some even say it could have been a form of mind control. To this day, there are no know Polybius cabinets in existence.

There are a lot of gaming related urban legends out there. These are only a few. even though a lot of them are probably not true, I still appreciate urban legends. If there is no mystery to anything, it just isn't any fun.

Nintendo's First Party Price Points

When games first launch, they are always $50-$60. Most games, however, go down in price and value over time. Not Nintendo first party releases!

I was just in Wal Mart the other day, and I saw Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii at $50, as it just came out. Next to it on the shelf was Super Mario Galaxy. Now, I owned Galaxy at once point, but I got rid of it, though I wish I hadn't. So I'm thinking "Cool, it's been out a couple of years, and now that the sequels out, surely the price has dropped. Maybe I can pick it up again at a fraction of the cost."

That was what I THOUGHT until I looked at the price tag. It is still $50. This game was released November 12, 2007. it has almost been 3 years and it still costs the exact same amount as it did on launch day. I think it's kind of ridiculous.

Super Paper Mario, released April 9, 2007 costs $40 used at GameStop. I haven't seen it new anywhere recently, but my guess based upon that is that it is also still $50 despite it's age.

I am fully aware that Nintendo is not the only company guilty of this. For example, Halo 3 still cost's about $50, but at least that has come down $10 from $60 at launch.

Worse even than this is that Mario kart: Double Dash!! for the Gamecube is still $30 used. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent game well worth $30 as far as fun and greatness go, but it is still an old game for a system whose life span is now over.

As a hardcore gamer, I am always going to wind up buying that "next big release". If I don't get it when it launches, I'll get it later. In most cases, that saves me a bit of money, but it seems that with certain titles, I may as well just go ahead and empty my wallet, because they aren't coming down any time soon.

Link of the Week (heads up)

Starting sunday I will begin a link of the week.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask review (N64)

I woke up this morning, tired, sluggish, worn out from last night's work. I stretched my sore, stiffened limbs and sat up in my bed, placing my feet on the cold floor. There was a strange air about today, but I couldn't quite place what it was. Until I stepped outside, of course. The moon was hovering just above me, and to top it all off, it had a face. An angry, menacing, villainous face. I overheard some people talking around town here and there. Word is, the moon is going to crash into us in three days. Termina will be destroyed. My home, my family, my friends...me....it will all be nothing in just 72 hours.

 

                                          "I will consume...consume everything..." - THE MOON

The above paragraph is about what I think I would feel if I had been living in the world of Termina during the events of Majora's Mask. It has been called the darkest game in the series. It is strange, and very obscure compared to the rest of the series. I even know people who describe it as creepy. This may not sound like such a positive thing, but it's just one of the reasons why I love it.

I've already described one key element of the story in my opening, the moon. Link was traveling through the woods on his way to visit an old friend, when he is suddenly jumped by a skull kid wearing a strange mask.The skull kid is accompanied by two fairies named Tatl and Tael, as well. after finding Link's ocarina in his pocket, and playing around with it, Link comes to his senses. Upon realizing this, the skull kid makes a quick escape by hopping onto Epona, escaping Link on his own steed. After chasing him down, Link is cursed, and turned into a Deku shrub. Tatl, abandoned by her friends, decides to accompany him. After travesing an underground labyrinth Link finds himself in a strange room full of gears, and meets the Happy Mask Salesman, who informs him that the skull kid is wearing a cursed mask that was stolen from him. If it cannot be returned within 72 hours, the world of Termina will be destroyed. Finally finding the skull kid, Link manages to retrieve his ocarina, but not the mask. He remembers learning The Song of Time from Zelda in Hyrule. By playing this, Link returns to day 1, and goes to the salesman. The salesman teaches Link The Song of Healing, returning him to his normal form. However, he becomes angered that Link has not retrieved the mask(how come the time change didn't affect his memory?). Link is sent out again to return the cursed mask to it's rightful owner.

                  You've met with a sad fate, haven't you?" - THE HAPPY MASK SALESMAN
uite a dark tale for a Zelda game. This time, it isn't a princess that is in danger, and the land isn't going to be receiving an evil new ruler. This time, the danger is much more lethal. The world will end, and everyone withing it will surely die. that is unless Link, a small boy, can save it.

This game makes great use of the N64 expansion pack. The draw distance in greatly improved from the last entry, and character models are more detailed. You'll also notice a few small differences in lighting effects, texture quality, and even more fluid character movements. Sound quality is also improved, albeit a minor difference.

The game takes place in the land of Termina, a parallel universe of Hyrule. in fact, many characters return. Koume and Kotake were bosses in the last entry, and surrogate mother's to Gannon. In Majora's Mask they return as peaceful old witches that help Link on his journey.
The quest is standard Zelda fare. You complete dungeons, ebat bosses, and then move on. however, MM is chock full of all sorts of side quests. As Link progresses in his quest, he gains more masks. In the world of Termina, masks are very special. They can hold magic power, people's essences and even a part of their souls.

There are many masks to acquire throughout the game, and most are gotten through side quests. Some are necessary, and some are only necessary for other side quests. So, if you've already trumped the final boss, what would possibly make you want to keep playing the file? Getting all the masks, of course! MM is one of the only games that I have ever actually been compelled to complete 100%, as I almost felt it was an obligation. In getting a mask, you usually perform a deed that helps someone else in some way or another. I felt that if I did not have all the masks, all was not well in Termina.

Majora's Mask is a very emotional game. You began to care for the world of Termina and it's inhabitants. To think that if Link were to fail his quest, everything would be annihilated is tragic.

Majora's Mask has many themes. Throughout the game, Link helps numerous people in various ways. A promise is fulfilled. A man is saved by a curse brought upon him by his own foolishness. These are only two examples of the outcome of some of the events in MM. Selflessness. Sacrifice. Love. Hope. Honesty. Salvation. These are the themes of Majora's Mask. Link, a small boy from a totally different world, risked his very life to save a land he did not know. He got his ocarina back, and was made human again. at this point, he could have stabbed the salesman, went back to Hyrule and just forgot about the whole thing. Instead, he went out of his way to help the people of Termina.

The quote I used in my byline is from a character named Igos Du Ikana, the former king of the Ikana kingdom. It's rare that you see such true words in a game. There is much debate over rather games should be considered art. The simple answer is that some are and some are not. In order for something to be art, it must move you, or stir your emotions in some way. Majora's Mask moved me in a way no game has since.

                                                    +Great use of the expansion pack
                                                    +Awesome story
                                                    +Lots of philosophical undertones
                                                    +Same excellent controls as Ocarina of Time
                                                    +Amazing sound track
                                                    +Tons of side quests to keep you busy

                                                    -Not enough people truly appreciate it