Of Course Not Everybody Was Happy With The Ending To Mad Dogs...

From what I have read on Twitter lately there are a lot of people who aren't happy with how Mad Dogs ended. The majority of viewers seem to believe that the series was great up until the last two episodes leaving many people disappointed.

The Ending To Mad Dogs

If you haven't seen the finale to Mad Dogs yet please don't read on as I am about to discuss the ending.

Let me start by saying what a great series Mad Dogs has been! When I first started watching it I thought it would only be a short series about 4 friends who wind up in a whole lot of trouble when they get involved with drugs abroad, all thanks to their mate who invited them in the first place!

Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?

Greetings! I hope you all had a great Christmas and that Sandy Claws was kind to you! I also wish you a Happy New Year!

So, Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? Well to find out you'd have to go and watch this cartoon series that aired back in 1994. I'd never heard of this until a friend of mine brought it up in conversation and was quite surprised I'd never seen it. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I unwrapped the DVD containing the entire series from under my tree.

It feels like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! That song has been in my head for weeks now and I can't stop singing it! I am well and truly in the Christmas spirit and have already been spoilt by close friends for Christmas and my birthday which happens to fall on Boxing Day. 

Final Fantasy 7: Aerith's Death

Final Fantasy 7...

The end of disc 1...

The saddest scene in gaming history?

The Muppet Christmas Carol

At this time of year there was really only one choice for a Christmas themed post and watching this film has been a festive tradition of mine for many years. 

The Muppet Christmas Carol is amazing and great fun. If any of you reading this haven't seen this film then you certainly have been missing out. This is probably my most watched film of all time and I have always been a huge Muppets fan! I originally had this film on VHS as a Christmas present back in the 90's and at first put it on for about 10 seconds and then turned it off! As I was so young I only liked watching cartoons at the time and threw a tantrum when I realised it was live action! Haha! Then it turned out to be one of my favourite ever films.

Why I stopped playing Mortal Kombat!

Most gamers have either heard of or played Mortal Kombat at least once in their lives which is known for it's unique characters and battles but most of all for its famous fatalities which you can perform once you defeat your opponent. It's a bit violent but all good fun right? Until someone takes it too far...

The Power Of Five

I first discovered Anthony Horowitz when I started reading his Alex Rider series a few years back and I quite enjoyed his style of writing and story telling. However I have only ever read four of the books in the series because it takes me a long time to finish a book no matter the length. Honestly, some times I am lucky to get through two a year! I blame my PS3 and DVDs. I have been reading the first Game of Thrones book since early Summer! My friend lent me the next three and I did warn him it would be a long time before he saw them again!

Stand By Me

It's December 1st already! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, especially since I arrived back from my Orlando holiday during August. I'm actually a little behind this year on my Christmas shopping but haven't got much left to do. My Grandad is proving especially difficult to buy for! 
I hope all your plans are going accordingly and you've opened your first advent calendar window. You're never too old for one ;)

So seeing as this is the festive month I have decided that my next topic should be one of my top films and it's probably a favourite of yours too as it has quite the following- Stand By Me.

Paranoia Agent's Creepy Opening

I really have no desire to see this intro again but thought I'd share it with you all. It is very odd indeed...

Who Would Win? Earthworm Jim VS Naruto!

Greetings Matropolites! Hope you don't mind if I call you readers that???

As I was staring at my shelf lost in my own personal Neverland I suddenly noticed my Earthworm Jim and Naruto figures were seemingly facing off against each other. I couldn't remember putting them in that position, maybe there's a Toy Story thing happening when I leave my room. That would be totally awesome! Just as long as they don't break anything...

Paranoia Agent

Allow me to begin by saying what a weird opening this anime has and it's kind of creepy too. Basically it features all the characters standing on the spot laughing. It's not my favourite opening to say the least.

Speaking of weird, Paranoia Agent is definitely that. I'd seen the box set on shelves and always wondered what it was about and then a friend of mine told me he had it so I borrowed it off him.

My Sega Mega Drive Collection

My 2nd YouTube gaming related video is now up. I'm not very good at them but I'm trying. Previously I shared my NES collection so now here is my Mega Drive collection.

Bucky O'Hare NES (1992)

I arrived home from Primary School one day to find this game resting against my TV and being a fan of the cartoon I was very excited to say the least and it turned out to be a great game!

Bucky's crew are kidnapped by the toads in this game and taken to different planets. Needless to say Bucky then has to go and rescue them. The characters kidnapped are Willy, Deadeye, Jenny and Blinky. Bruiser is unfortunately not in the game and I was so looking forward to croaking some toads with him!

I Would Love To Connect With You All...

Ok so it's great writing these posts and publishing them and seeing how many readers each one attracts but I'd like to get in touch with fellow fans of any of the topics I've written about. Whether that being video games, anime, cartoons etc.

So if you'd like to contact me here are a few ways:

Final Fantasy 7 Overview

No doubt about it. This is the King of RPG's for me! Even though this was probably not the first RPG I played it is definitely the one I recognise officially as my first. Also it was my first ever taste of Final Fantasy and it absolutely rocked!

After Ever After- Disney Parody

If you're a fan of Disney then you just might like this video. 
Jon Cozart is quite talented, go ahead and check out more of his stuff. Wish I could do stuff like this!

My Favourite Ending To A Game Is...

Batman: Arkham City

Warning: Contains Spoilers!!

Lately I have been playing Arkham Origins so feel this is an apt time to talk about why I love the ending to Arkham City. The main reason I love the ending? Well...

3 Ninjas

'Last summer, me and my brothers...'

'My brothers and I!'

'Whatever. We spent the summer the way we always do, at our Grandpa's cabin'

'Yeah when most kids are at some stupid camp me and my brothers...'

'My brothers and I'

'Whatever!'

'We spent the summer learning old fashioned, really cool ninja stuff from our Japanese Grandfather'

These are some of the words that open the film 3 Ninjas
about 3 young brothers who become ninjas after being trained by their Grandpa, Mori Tanaka, played by the late, great Victor Wong.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

It's morphin time!

On the way to watch Thor 2 the other night, which by the way is very good, I was pondering what to write about next for Matropolis. Then my best friend mentioned Power Rangers and seeing as a group of us were all singing the 'Go, Go, Power Rangers' theme a few nights earlier it was sealed. 

Yes I'm a geek. Live with it :)

White Knight Chronicles 2

Today in work we encountered problem after problem after problem after...you get the picture right? It has been a very frustrating day to say the least which is why the idea popped into my head to write about something that has frustrated me in the past. So as the cogs turned the first game I thought of was this- White Knight Chronicles 2, the sequel to one of my favourite RPG's.

Batman 66 Issue 17- The Inevitable Jail-Term

Contains spoilers!

Here we go! The concluding part to Bookworm's story. Will Batman's identity be revealed?

The issue starts with Batman and Robin trying to decipher Bookworm's next move with the word 'Strike' and Robin figures it out as a matchbook, you strike a match against a matchbook. Bit of a Riddler moment going on here. Anyway this leads them to the 'Dicken's Match Boutique' which Bookworm plans on striking.

Beyond: Two Souls

Good but not great. That's how I sum this game up.

I had a high expectation for this game due to it's predecessor, the amazing Heavy Rain. However things are often over-hyped and this is probably one of them. 

Saying that, it is worth your time. Just don't expect the greatness of the Origami killer.

Batman 66 Issue 16- The Conqueror Bookworm

Ok so no prizes for guessing who the villain is in this weeks issue- The Bookworm! A villain who is obsessed with books and reading. He reminds me of a friend of mine who reads quite a lot of books and can get through several a week where as it usually takes me a year to finish one!
I better keep a close eye on him actually...

Grave Of The Fireflies

Warning: contains spoilers!

How sad was this film? This was one that definitely tugs at the heartstrings and if it doesn't make you shed a tear or at least move you in anyway then you're really missing the point.

The Legends Of Treasure Island

This cartoon was my absolute favourite at the time it was being broadcast back in the early 90's on the same day as 'The Animals Of farthing Wood' and speaking of animals; that's exactly what the characters of this cartoon were. Jim Hawkins wasn't a human boy, he was a dog. In fact most of the heroes were dogs whereas Squire Trelawney was a pigeon and Jane a vixen. Long John Silver was a fox and Pew was a rat...naturally.

Batman 66 Comic Series

Holy retro comic book fan Batman! 

Since July a digital comic book series called Batman 66 has been released every Wednesday on Comixology.com which I've been reading. It's based on the camp 60 series starring Adam West and Burt Ward and so far has been entertaining and quite enjoyable. The comic has villains that appeared in the show and some comical storylines.

Old Cartoons Creep Me Out!

Honestly, they do! Especially the cartoons from the 30's-50's! I don't know if was the music or the animations but together there were some things that I was terrified to watch as a kid. I can watch them now but some still freak me out! In fact I really don't want to research them for this post but feel oddly inclined to do so...urgh.

Donkey Kong Country - Someone Get My Teeth Back, I Gotta Eat!

I completely forgot about this song until discovering it on Youtube! Cracks me up!

New Facebook Page For Matropolis!

To everyone who has read my blog so far I thank you! I'm really enjoying doing this so will definitely keep it up! Enjoying it so much in fact that I now have created my own page for the blog on Facebook! If you want to keep up- to-date with my posts then please like my page :)

https://www.facebook.com/thematropolis

 If you do then you just might be seeing this guy at some point...

Donkey Kong Country (TV Series)

Most of you will be familiar with the popular gaming series about an ape and his love for bananas but how many of you would have seen the TV show?

Airing sometime between 1997-2000 the series was set on Kongo Bongo island and followed the adventures of Donkey and Diddy Kong while they attempted to keep the Crystal Coconut safe from King K. Rool and his pirate minions.

Bubble Bobble Commodore 64 1986

I have so many things I could write about that lately I don't actually know what to write about! Kind of having a block! Also it has been noted that I have yet to write a 'Final Fantasy' post. Don't worry, they will come.

So as I pondered on what to write about I tried thinking what was the first game I ever played? Well I can't remember exactly as I was very young but my first console was the Commodore 64 and I had a fair number of games for it. One of those was Bubble Bobble.

Fox's Peter Pan & The Pirates Intro

Lately I've been catching up with old school friends and been having a great time but it got me to thinking how we haven't changed much. Well, a lot of things have changed such as careers, relationships and our whereabouts but our personalities are still pretty much the same. Whether they be random, funny, crazy, or just awesomely awetastic like myself, it's nice to see that we are still who we were back in school. Almost like we don't want to grow up in a certain respect. A group of lost boys in Neverland! Which brings me to my next subject- Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up.

The Cake Is A Lie!!!!

"This was a Triumph,

I'm making a note here,

Huge success,

It's hard to overstate my satisfaction"

Well this game truly was a triumph and I am making a note here- Portal was a huge success! My satisfaction of this game cannot be overstated enough! This is one of my top games and it's sequel is one of my favourite games of all time, just falling beneath 'Final Fantasy 7' and the 'Monkey Island' series. Honestly I love this game and would play it again and again and again! 

Why I fell out of love with Assassin's Creed

Woah, don't give me that look! I said I fell out of love with the series not that I don't like it. But honestly it's lost its charm with me. Basically, it's like this...

The Animals of Farthing Wood

I used to absolutely love this cartoon back in the day! I remember watching it on a Tuesday (at least I think it was a Tuesday) because two of my favourite cartoon shows were on one after the other. Firstly this and then 'The Legends of Treasure Island' although I can't remember if they were on two separate channels, BBC and ITV.

Mario Golf (NES 1992)

I have a confession to make. The name of this game is not Mario Golf. In fact it's called NES Open Tournament Golf. However to me and my friends it will always be Mario Golf as it starred Mario and Luigi. In fact I never took note of the real name at all to be honest.

This was the first golf game I ever played and in my opinion still the best. It was easy to play. The controls were quite simple as was the aiming etc. You could choose whether to strike the ball at the top, middle or bottom for extra spin. The wind direction played a big part in the courses so you often had to change your angle and stroke accordingly. 

The Last Of Us...I would never survive

Let me start by saying that if there ever was a virus outbreak that turned people into ferocious brain-eating monsters of any kind I wouldn't survive long at all. Playing this game has made me realise that. Luckily that is never going to happen! Right? Uhhh....

Mr. Drippy - Flippin' Tidy Mun!

One of the kids in a youth club I work at once asked me what Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch is about when he saw me playing it online. My reply was along these lines:

"Basically a boy gets transported to another world to fight against an evil witch with the help of his sidekick Mr. Drippy who happens to be a fairy and has a Welsh accent"

His response was quite understandable... "Is that a joke???"

My Top 5 Anime

Here we go! My top 5 anime series. Although this is subject to change due to all the awesome anime I've yet to see.

5. 

Bleach. My best friend first got me into this after she recorded an episode off TV about a group of soul reapers who fight against these monsters called hollows. I quite enjoy this show and some of the story arcs are great like the 'saving Rukia' arc but since then it seems to have become weaker. I am only in 100 episodes or so though.

Tiger and Bunny Vol 1

I have recently started watching this anime about these two animals that live in peace together. Nah I'm just kidding. Tiger and Bunny are the names of our two main protagonists who happen to be superheroes. In fact the majority of the characters are superheroes.

Goosebumps

Reader beware, you're in for a scare!

No my writing isn't that frightening and it's not a warning. At least I hope you don't find my style scary!

It's the tag line to the series of books known as Goosebumps. The author of which is one R.L Stine. They are light horror books aimed at kids which turned out to be very popular back in the day, resulting in a TV series, video games and other merchandise.

Wondering about Wonder Boy

One console I missed out on as a kid was the Master System. My friends had it and I enjoyed playing Alex Kidd on it. The NES and Mega Drive were the consoles I had as well as a Commodore 64! So for this post I have decided to interview my friend Steve who is a huge fan of the series known as Wonder Boy and knows a great deal about it. Most of our conversations involve gaming or some kind of retro cartoon. Myself, i've played it briefly after downloading two of the titles from the PS store but among the other hundreds of games I have I find little time to commit to them.

Kingdom Hearts

'The heart may be weak. And Sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned...that deep down there's a light that never goes out! I now know, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts, is light!'- Sora

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is out this week so this is the perfect opportunity for me to write about this awesomely awetastic game! How to sell it? 

Well, Disney + Final Fantasy = SOLD!!!

Which Fairytale Character Would You Be?

I recently watched the finale of Once Upon A Time season 2 and it has me thinking...what fairytale character would I be?
For those of you who aren't familiar with the series it's about a group of fairytale characters living in our world with new idenities due to a curse cast by the Evil Witch, who now goes by the name of Regina, who is the mayor of Storybrooke, the town where they all reside.

Ducktales 2 NES

Ducktales! Two-ooo! See what I did there? You're impressed right? Well anyway like I mentioned in an earlier blog I picked this game up at the Cardiff Film and Comic Con as it is rare to find, being released towards the end of the NES' lifespan. The guy promised me it was in full working order and gave me his card. Turns out he was right! I set up my old NES which worked perfectly and slid the game into the slot. Power on and away we go!

Ducktales Remastered

Well I said I'd try this game out and I did! Was planning to let the price drop a bit first but my recent obtaining of Ducktales 2 on the NES drew me into the Ducktales fever. So here it is in glorious HD!

My NES Collection

I recently dug out my old NES games. So here I present to you my collection:

Thank you!

Just a quick post to say thank you to everyone who has read my blog so far! I am enjoying writing it as I hope you are reading it!
My most popular post so far has been Bucky O'Hare so I might break down each episode for you all in the future :)

To avoid confusion if you want to follow my blog click the 'join this site' button on the top right of the blog.

Thanks and if there is anything in particular you want me to write about or take a look at then comment below or message me at:

Streets of Rage

Back in the day this was the one game that myself and all my friends could agree on that was awesomely awetastic!
It's a side-scrolling beat 'em up and the first game of that genre that I remember playing. I had this game on a collection that was released with the Mega Drive along with such games as Columns and Shinobi.

Blaster Master

Today a wasp stung me on my little finger and it hurt like crazy! Grrrrr! The wasp didn't survive for long but the pain in my finger did. Now why am I telling you this? Well the first time I was stung by a wasp I was a young boy innocently playing a game on the NES called Blaster Master. Hence todays wasp encounter reminded me of this old game.

Are Playstation Trophies Pointless?

Congratulations! By opening this blog you have received a bronze trophy! No really! There it is on the right! So you feel happy now yes? Or do you?

Marine Boy

Here's some Matropolis trivia for you- Marine Boy is the first ever purchase I made on Ebay. Yeah it's true. I came across the show when I was browsing the Internet and even though it was first broadcast in the 60's I recognised one of the screenshots from the show. Perhaps I saw a clip or an episode when I was really young? Who knows? Anyway it looked different and impressive for an older anime so I tried it out and I'm glad I did.

Cardiff Comic Con 2013

It's over...Freddy's got me...and...wait! I'm not dreaming this is real life! 
I met Robert Englund today whom I have to say is great fun!

Calling all game collectors!

To all those who collect video games a friend of mine, Steve Evans, has his own youtube channel where he uploads videos of his own collection and footage of his own gameplay.
He deals in Master System, Mega Drive, Mame, Xbox, Playstation and more!
Go check him out and subscribe! He might be willing to trade with you!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2xhg5IC1q9lI4QuSfhgi9Q

Why do the villains always have to (mostly) lose?

I watched Wreck-it Ralph last night which was a pretty good film for a gamer geek like myself...cool gamer geek of course. Ralph is fed up of being a villain and wants to be recognised as the heroes are. However he always has to lose.
Which got me to thinking...how often do they actually win?

Ducktales NES (1990)

Ducktales Woo-ooo! You knew that was coming right?
I absolutely loved this cartoon but for today I want to talk about the NES game released in late 1990. 
The NES was the 2nd console I ever owned, the first being the Commodore 64 although I was too young to really be any good at using the old tape cassette machine. 
So I consider the NES to be the first console where I understood what was going on. Most of my NES collection consists of cartoons I watched at the time and Super Mario.

Catherine PS3

Every night you fall asleep to enter another dimension where the only way to escape is to climb up and up and up.

Let me start by saying that this game was challenging and required a lot of patience to play. Even on normal this could be a nightmare (pun not intended) at times.

This game is different to say the least. It's cutscenes are like just watching any japanese anime and the only gameplay you experience is in the local bar or in the nightmare dimension.

Naruto

Yeah I know there are a lot of Naruto fan sites and blogs out there so why did I choose to write about this one? Well simply put this is the show that got me into the whole anime genre.

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars

In anothe dimension,

another time and space,

a parallel universe is falling on it's face!

When out of the chaos,

who else could it be?

But the animal adventures from S.P.A.C.E!

Bucky! Captain Bucky O'Hare!

So who remembers this cartoon? The theme song is very catchy! I have it on my Ipod...yes I have a list dedicated to cartoon themes...don't judge! This was one of my absolute favourites as a kid! My friends and I would argue over who got to be Bucky every time we played it! I must have spent endless hours in front of the TV just watching this over and over about a group of mammals battling the evil Toad Empire who were under the control of an evil A.I called Komplex. So you had a hare, a cat, and a duck among others fighting toads in space! Awesome! Also their costumes were pretty cool too.

Heart of Darkness PS1

Welcome to my first ever blog. I plan to write about retro video games, anime, classic cartoons and other random topics that pop into my head and pop out onto the keyboard.

To start with I’ve chosen an old Playstation game called ‘The Heart of Darkness.’ Now oddly enough I’d never even heard of this game until a friend of mine in work mentioned it and showed me the gameplay footage on Youtube and I have to say it looked pretty cool.