And then there was Rygar....
Pseudo-Hermit: 1. An outgoing individual whom enjoys a broad array of social activities, yet feels alienated due to difference of logic, belief, perception, or moral compass. 2. A reclusive, domestically-beholden person that ventures out once a fortnight to Jack in the Box. 3. A modern Viking in the ways of charisma, sharpening the proverbial "Nordic Axe" against the grindstone of any common or entry-level job they can find. 4. Anyone who speaks to friends bi-monthly, and promotes obscure conversation because they have nothing better to do.Yeah, I don't get out much you know....
Now we're starting this project to embrace an abstract concept. Many people are "normal" in the eyes of society right? I could only assume that ranting about the very things we experience on a regular basis would be entertaining. Whatever. Adversity builds character as they say, and I understand that happiness comes from the fact it is not a constant. Bills, bureaucratic hypocrisy, and creature logic on the whole all exist because they bring purpose to whatever vantage we decide to observe life from, so I would rather exercise our right of personal volition and make this blog light-hearted in it's content. At any rate, our main view we hope to present is that philosophy is not merely a thought process, but the gateway fringe into geek culture. A lifestyle which encompasses everything from computers to spending an evening generating kill-tallies of your favorite horror characters. It serves to challenge the absurd nature of mankinds dispostion to embrace a uniform thought process, and provide simplistic definition whilst promoting unique ideals. What is the meaning of life? Choice my friends. It dictates reality as we know it, and to taint that aspect of who we are is to be subject to the whims of stereo-typical boundaries.
Meh, I should probably stop yammerin' and get on with this whole self-introduction thing, a subject mind you that is of little interest to me.
Being born in the South and raised admist the rolling plains of Waverly, I started my seclusion at an early age. Truth be stated, our only "mainstream" forms of commerce were a dust-ridden Winn-Dixie and a local Piggly Wiggly, both of which served as clique locations for the community elders. A place where bibles were shaken not read, Satan was in everything, and kitchens provided a scrumptious coronary. Ah yes, I was proud to call the "yonder-hills" my home.
and then there was Rygar.....
"Rise from your grave!!".... oh wait.
This picture says many things to me... As you can see, the title is etched in stone and is symbolic of power and authority, but what use is being renown if you're scribed as Rygar?.... The point I feel Tecmo was trying to convey, is that power isn't everything.... and it certainly wasn't a wise investment pursuing it at the time.
Rygar was amongst my first "truly-owned" NES titles. Until then our chief form of entertainment, aside from books and horror movies, was a hand-me-down Atari purchased and provided by my older sister. This particular title involved the exploits of a resurrected barbarian by the name of Rygar, destined to defeat the nefarious coincidentally-named Ligar. (See dramatic visual below)
I still remember it like it was yestermoon. Christmas of '88, a thick blanket of snow covered the hallowed ground about our house, as I obtained the very catalyst of spiritual fufillment... The Nintendo Entertainment System. Technologically unsurpassed at the time, I beheld it's splendor with a childish optimisim so potent, it prompted me to spend the vast majority of my youth playing video games. Starting with the stand-alone Super Mario Bros. cartridge I began to complete titles in gradual succession, but when family access became less of an issue (sister got married etc.) I'd decided to pursue the acquisition of my own library. Now for all you who don't remember, games back in the days of olde were an expensive commodity, nay luxury, ranging anywhere from 60-80 dollars. This meant as a 9 year old kid on a tight allowance, I would gnash my teeth whilst browsing K-mart's display window.
Unlike today the console market was not saturated, refunds were only given on a same-title exchange, and purchasing a game was a "decision" not a whim. This being the case, it was only after an hour or so of slathering the glass cabinet with finger prints, did I come to a conclusion as to what would be my first self-bought title.
Inspired by its quarter-gorging Arcade counterpart, Rygar was actually emulated quite well on the NES. Tecmo, the game's publisher, had apparently opted to veto the idea of a direct port with hideous graphics, instead going with an action/adventure format. This was more suitable for an 8-bit system with slow down issues, as it couldn't accurately handle the fast-paced action of it's larger cousin. Regardless of the care taken in development however, Rygar still had moments of graphical stuttering that in optimistic hindsight allowed for some nifty salvation bullet-time during boss fights. Both versions of this game pimped Rygar as "Legendary Hero" status, although looking at the cover art it's quite apparent that people probably didn't take this boast very seriously. Then again, 80's culture did have a fixation on the whole "barbarians sporting pilgrim hairstyles" phenomena, so I suppose it was the standard at the time. (See He-Man & The Masters of The Universe)
"Aside from it's apparent flaws, Rygar possessed many unique innovations. For instance, it was the first console game to sport multi-scrolling backgrounds like the one featured below. The sun remains stationary whilst the backdrop in front of it scrolls in proportion to the foreground. This remained a noteworthy feature, until the later emergence of Mode 7. Oh, and don't play near construction sites, or high-traffc zones." ~ He-Man
The premise here was rather basic. To seek out Ligar, the player had to acquire a magic flute which would then allow them transport to his impregnable floating fortress. Along the way our hero used an abstract weapon called a "Diskarmor" to fend off countless
legions of mollusks and shelled abominations, all with the single-minded goal of Rygar's disembowelment. It seemed to be an perpetuant rule-of-thumb that most foes had some form of natural encasement or were simply giant snails, with rare exceptions such as the obligatory platform-rapist flying creatures. Oddly enough however, Rygar was not alone in his quest, and there was always a local Indora disciple around to help. This mysterious sect of balding old men made their homes in obscure, identically-fashioned stone chambers found throughout the realm, dispensing nuggets of wisdom to wandering barbarians. The one pictured gave me directions to assist in my quest...
The rest of the game in general, consisted of collecting unique items used in accessing new areas. These artifacts
were each carefully guarded by one of Ligar's most fearsome examples of "peasant's folly" he could muster. Eruga, two-headed turtle cat of the woodlands, Sagilla, a giant spider'ala Krull which lived deep within an ancient cave, Belzar the optical fiend of Lapis, Dorago, a demonic overlord which presided over his own castle, and lastly Deathpigor, an indomitable wyrm that inhabited the Tower of Garba.
Of all these, Deathpigor thwarted my every attempt to obtain the Pegasus Flute, and thusly remained a barrier between the completion of what would be the only game I could never finish. 17 years later, despite being subject to the jeering mockery by two of my greater-friends, I had still failed in my attempts. To make matters worse they had effortlessly dethroned Ligar in the past, making schoolyard social circles unbearable.
The Perpetual Taunt....
David: "Hey Kevin, what's going on man?"
Kevin: "Nothing at all really, just smote Ligar yesterday."
David: "Huh? How!?"
Jimmy: "Dude, that game's easy..."
Kevin: "Ssshyeah, DeLong just can't grasp the finer aspects of being a barbarian."
David: "What's that supposed to mean!?"
Jimmy: "It means, you don't have the power bitch."
Kevin & Jimmy: (Laughter)
Out of these two peers of mine, Kevin would oftentimes exercise his depthless wit to remind me of this grievous shortcoming. Unable to formulate an adequate rapport, I embraced the next logical step and super-imposed his head on an Indora Disciple. 
All Hail "Mighty" Bob, The Gaming Industry's Favorite Barbarian!!
In reference to his casual demeanor, and signature Nordic beard, my aforementioned friend earned the nickname "Bob" amongst his associates. In addition, he was the one that talked me into attempting this whole "internet banter" thing, so I deem it fitting that a character inspired by his visage would only be appropriate as The Random Encounters mascot. Well that, and he called me a "Rump Ranger" a few weeks ago...
Rygar~ Is it worth scouring yardsales?
Visage: High Average (7) - For it's time, Rygar had innovative graphics, which despite significant slowdown, provided a truly barbaric experience.
Ambiance: Average (6) - Although there were creative compositions in various places, Rygar imbibes luke warm mead in the sound department. 6 points were awarded for featuring the first, if only, 8-bit music rendition of a Jewish bar mitzvah. Further scoring was prohibited due to the inclusion of distracting growl effects for the bosses
Design: Average (5) - Leaping, changing direction, and single-button smiting were Rygar's tools. Thing is, so were everyone else's at the time.
Control: High (8) - Tight & Responsive. Jumping, climbing, and smashing should come easily to the aspiring barbarian. Tecmo understood this concept.
Immersion: Average (5) - Although it wasn't thrilling, Rygar certainly pissed me off.
Perpetuation: Average (5) - Being an hybrid action game, Rygar is capable of a quick bout of hitting things before a day at the office, or other such pre-routine filler. It is also not long enough to require a series of involved gaming sessions, thusly appealing to the casual gamer.
"Mighty" Bob says: Ultimately I'd say yeah, Rygar's worth checking out. Especially to those who grew up following the Playstation era. I understand that to many, the days of grime-slathered di, frayed D&D supplements, and well... the cartridge medium in general are reluctantly embraced, but barbarian culture yields a broad spectrum of possible innovations that still deserve a place in our consoles and illegal download folders. Elaboration~ 2 pts.
Verdict: 
Average 
How our "Indora rating system" works...
Our games are carefully reviewed by Bob, and his Indora brethren to meet certain spiritual criteria. Titles which are found to be wanton must assuredly be shunned. They are electronic blasphemy, not to be tolerated by gamers or their ilk, for as an Indora it is fundamental to grasp the concept of entertainment as being a pleasing consummation of the soul. With scrumptious fervor we must press food to our lips, bellow with the fury of the Norse, and embrace technology as a boon of creature logic, as it is the perfect barbarisim. Bob discovered this fact during his days of past reflection. Yes, he'd pillaged, battled, and ate several hundred livestock worth of mutton in his day, but did he do it to survive? In hindsight he could've been a peasant, but that life just didn't hold enough entertainment value to sate his needs. Tending crops, and milking cattle were methods of survival, though wielding a battleax was an enjoyable as well as expedient way in getting what you wanted at the time. Evenstill, Bob was curious regarding the myriad paths of existence, and sought council from the legendary Indora monks high atop the mountains of Garloz. They provided the barbarian a retreat to one of their timeless Chambers of Recollection, wherein he pondered for hundreds of years, using the anti-aging enchantment of it's walls to gain a profound understanding regarding the nature of one's jollies. Bob determined that the advancement of mankind was driven by it's desire for perpetual good-times, a theory maintained by the later emergence of video games. Much like the barbarians of olde, players would once again wield imposing weaponry, perform epic deeds, and feast upon that which was tasty, not because they needed to, but because it was fun. Were gamers simply the result of barbaric advancement? "Mighty" Bob seems to think so.
As you've probably noted, any title in question is subject to a total of seven aspects. Each of these observations are carefully considered via a universal point scale of 1-10, which subsequently translates as inferior to superior in level. Each Bob is worth 10 pts, with the "Elaboration" aspect being worth up to 10 pts. Any title which scores 50+ pts. (5 "Bobs") will be dubbed as a "Sanctimonious Artifact" amongst the entertainment industry. As for individual scores other than "Elaboration", 1-9 ranks as "inferior" to "very high" whereas 10 equals a "superior" score for that specific aspect.
Universal Point Scale
(1~ Inferior) (2~ Very Low) (3~ Low) (4~ Low Average) (5-6~ Average) (7~ High Average) (8~ High) (9~ Very High) (10+ Superior)
~ 10 pts.
The Seven Aspects
Visage~ The amount of emphasis, and degree of talent focused on the visual representation of the title in question. This of course factors in the various stages of industry development. 80's games are judged by 80's standards, etc.
Ambiance~ The collective amalgam of sound effects and music that a title boasts, in proportion to the atmosphere intended. Again, this is subject to the current standards surrounding the time of development.
Design~ This score is determined by the efficiency of the title's interface, with a heavy emphasis on screen clutter. No one likes a viewing area obstructed from the girth of exaggerated life bars, maps, and other various features. In addition, this score takes into account the amount of innovations, shortcomings, and bugs found in the final product.
Control~ The efficiency and response time of all interactive elements found in the title, whether it be menu navigation, button layout, movement, or configuration options regarding said elements.
Immersion~ A total factoring of all aspects as applied to overall contribution in motivating the player to explore their options. This includes sound, music, graphics, storyline, characters, pace, scope, etc.
Perpetuation~ The addictivness, and long-term value that a title bestows upon the consumer. In theory, the better this score, the longer one can go without feeling the need to seek something anew.
Elaboration~ No review would be complete without a self-righteous opinion. Contrary to what is stated in future posts, there will always be a conflict of intrests amongst the gaming populace. This score is a point modifier based on a the views of any willing participant other than the initial reviewer, which can bestow or deprive the title of a perfect score. "When Vikings agree, it makes for a faster boatride" ~ "Mighty" Bob
Closing Note~ Should you happen to be under a like-minded persuasion as Bob, and feel the need to express yourself, become a venerable member in The Order of Indora today! Embrace the concept of good food, great friends, and earth-shaking lan parties. Bicker amongst yourselves when deciding who gets that last piece of dust-ridden dungeon food during late-night Gauntlet sessions. Do all the things you'd otherwise engage in normally, only now, obtain a shiney button that decrees your status in life! You're a gamer, the ultimate result of barbaric advancement!!
.....and while you're at it, check out all the other great 100% light-hearted items at Sevoki, my friend's web store. She's not here to make a profit or anything, it's just that cat food is expensive nowadays.
Well I'm spent. Thanks for visiting us, and as I'm to slothful to end this with a adequate statment, I'll let you finish it instead..... 
Warmest Regards, Pseudo-Hermit.
Hope to see you next post!!
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posted by The Random Encounter at 1:12 AM
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