Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado (PS1) - i don't have a nose Video Review!
Look out, new world. Here we come!
Oh. Here we are. Who’d have thought the city of gold could
be so boring? Yes, Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado for the PS1 has a
knack for making the most exciting events boring beyond belief. But its
slowness could be attributed to the fact that it’s not really an action game,
but a puzzle game.
Click below to watch episode 6 of my review series!
This game is highly recommended for people who like pointless chitchat,
slow-to-respond controls, and watching paint dry.
Remember to subscribe for more like this,
and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Twitter - @felixidhan
Facebook – http://facebook.com/idonthaveanose
Thanks guys!
Michael (and Felix)
Friday, 10 February 2017
Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge (PS1) - i don't have a nose Video Review!
Yes, today I’m reviewing an Aladdin movie tie-in… released
nearly a decade after the film. Yeah. Ah Disney. Staying current as always.
Anyway, even though it’s not based on a specific film, it stays pretty true to
the franchise, even if Nasira is a lazily constructed cookie-cutter villain…
That laugh, though…
Click below to watch the latest episode!
In 2000, Disney Interactive and Argonaut Games revealed
‘Aladdin and the Enchanted Portable Refrigerator’. I mean, ‘Aladdin in Nasira’s
Revenge’ – a peculiar game inspired by the original theatrical classic from
1992. Despite all its flaws, could it prove to be a diamond in the rough? Find
out as Aladdin battles giant spiders, confronts an Egyptian god, and… buys an
ice-cream from my neighbour Gary.
Remember to subscribe for more like this,
and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Twitter - @felixidhan
Facebook – http://facebook.com/idonthaveanose
Thanks guys!
Michael (and Felix)
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer (PS2) - i don't have a nose Video Review!
What’s this? Another Incredibles game? Hmm, this could actually be quite good. It always seemed a good idea to turn The Incredibles (2004) into a franchise. So is this as ‘super’ as the game it follows?
Click to watch!
Well, not quite. Yes, in this game, you take control of Mr Incredible and – for the first time ever – Frozone! But the main problems lie in the multiplayer function, which sadly seems to underplay the ‘multi’ aspect of this format, with Mr Incredible greedily stealing the show. It’s not exactly ‘incredible’. Nor is it, as Frozone puts it with a smug smirk, ‘ICE-tacular’…
Remember to subscribe for more like this, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Twitter - @felixidhan
Facebook – http://facebook.com/idonthaveanose
Thanks guys!
Michael (and Felix)
Friday, 27 January 2017
The Lion King: Simba's Mighty Adventure (PS1) - i don't have a nose Video Review!
Ah, yes, The Lion King! One of the greatest animated movies of all time – and one of many to spawn a horrifically bland and boring game. It might not be the worst game ever made but its slow, lagging controls and underwhelming soundtrack make this game more of a timid kitty cat than a lion. Amongst the many enemies you encounter on this ‘mighty’ adventure are hyenas, skunks and – my personal favourite – ladybirds. Yes. There’s nothing more belittling than when a ladybird manages to kill you. Needless to say, this game is not the mightiest lion, but you could still do far worse.
Click below to see the latest episode!
Remember to subscribe for more like this, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Twitter - @felixidhan
Facebook - http://facebook.com/idonthaveanose
Thanks guys!
Michael (and Felix)
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Felix’s Fact File: Animation Pioneers (8) - Alex Anderson and Television Animation
Born in 1920 in California, Alex Anderson is credited with
having created the very first animated production produced solely for
transmission on television – Crusader Rabbit.
From 1938 onwards, Anderson served as an apprentice every summer at Paul Terry’s
studio, responsible for the Terrytoons
theatrical shorts, including Mighty Mouse. Anderson’s interest in the field of
animation is unsurprising as he was in fact Terry’s nephew.
The pursuance of his interest was stunted, however, by his
being drafted in the navy. Shortly after his discharge, he wanted to present
the concept of a moving comic strip to TV companies, but understood he needed
to collaborate with somebody, and wound up teaming up with his childhood friend
Jay Ward. Together they established TAP (Television Arts Productions), and they
began working on an idea titled “The Comic Strips of Television”.
 |
| Television Arts Productions |
The idea was presented to Russ Johnston, programming
executive of NBC. The programme contained the cartoons “Dudley Doright”, “Hamhock
Jones” and “Crusader Rabbit”, utilising very basic, limited animation – similar
to a moving storyboard or animatic. In this respect, Anderson could be
perceived as a pioneer of limited animation, later popularised by the likes of
Hanna Barbera. Johnston expressed interest in the “Crusader Rabbit” segment,
and once this cartoon was given the greenlight, TAP staff set to work on the
animation in a makeshift studio above Anderson’s aunt’s garage – which itself
became the editing room.
 |
| Television Arts Productions |
The series itself was visually appealing, with the line
segments drawn in bold in order to make them stand out on small TV sets of
the era. The series focussed on Crusader Rabbit (voiced by Lucille Bliss), who
bore an ironically courageous and aggressive persona despite being a bunny
rabbit, and his friends, who included Seymour the dinosaur and Rags, a tiger.
Eventually, Anderson was assisted in the writing of the cartoons by Lloyd
Turner, who had previously worked on Warner Bros cartoons. Once completed, the
cartoons were sent to Los Angeles, where sounds effects were added prior to
their distribution.
The show began airing in the summer of 1950, and appealed
mostly to a juvenile audience. Crusader
Rabbit eventually wound up on over 200 TV stations, although neither Anderson
nor Ward make much of a profit. A five year legal case later saw the rights to
the characters change hands, during which time Anderson turned his attention to
advertising. There was an attempt to revive the rabbit in 1956, in conjunction
with William Hanna, but this was abandoned due to the court case. While
Anderson regarded Crusader Rabbit as ‘primitive’,
he is nonetheless influential in the establishment of limited television
animation whose popularity was realised by the early 1960s. He was also,
perhaps most famously, responsible for establishing the characters of Rocky and
Bullwinkle, although he is often erroneously reported to have worked directly
on the show. Anderson passed away in 2010, aged 90.
 |
| Television Arts Productions |
Sources:
Beck, J. (ed) (2004) Animation
Art – From Pencil to Pixel, the Illustrated History of Cartoon, Anime and Cel.
London: Flame Tree Publishing.
Hevesi, D. (2010) Alex
Anderson, Creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dies at 90. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/arts/television/26anderson.html) Date accessed: 25/01/2017 New York: The
New York Times Company.
Images:
“Crusader Rabbit Crusade 1 Episode 08” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCyNmM8oGXY)
Date Accessed: 25/01/2017.
“crusader rabbit” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brIA3Va-x-o)
Date Accessed: 25/01/2017.
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
The Mystery of the Missing Melodies: Looney Tunes Bumper Collection (UK VHS)
Volume One (1994): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Salmon/Red colour)
Episodes featured:
A Lad-in-his-Lamp,
Beep Beep, Honey’s Money, Weasel Stop, Don’t Axe Me, Muzzle Tough, The
Egg-Cited Rooster, Captain Hareblower, Bird in a Guilty Cage, Cat-Tails for
Two, Doggone South, Fiesta Fiasco, Goo Goo Goliath, Wild Over You, Knights Must
Fall, Mouse and Garden, Rabbit of Seville. The Grey-Hounded Hare, Home Tweet
Home, Ali Baba Bunny, Birds Anonymous, Catty Cornered, Mississippi Hare, The
Foghorn Leghorn, Knighty Knight Bugs, A Mouse Divided, Really Scent.
Notes: This video features a mirror image of the package
design on the reverse of the box.
The first seven episodes were original released on the ‘Looney
Tunes Video Show (volume 7) VHS.
Volume Two (1995?): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Unknown colour)
The episodes for this volume are unknown, but since the UK volumes were re-released as other volumes in Australia, it can be assumed that the contents (and package design) of volume 2 are almost identical to Australia’s volume 7, in which case it contains the following:
A Scent of the
Matterhorn, Odor of the Day, Thumb Fun, Rabbit of Seville, Quackodile Tears, The
Astroduck, The Egg-Cited Rooster, A Fractured Leghorn, An Egg Scramble, Fiesta
Fiasco, Daffy Rents, What’s Up, Doc?, The Fair-Haired Hare, A Lad-in-his-Lamp,
Knight-Mare Hare, Awful Orphan, China Jones.
Volume Three (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Blue colour)
Episodes featured:
One Froggy Evening,
The French Rarebit, Tabasco Road, Hyde and Go Tweet, Little Beau Pepe, Much Ado
About Nutting, What’s Opera, Doc?, Bear Feat, Daffy Duck Hunt, Each Dawn I
Crow, Frigid Hare, Hen-House Henery, Hyde and Hare, Little Boy Boo, Mutiny on
the Bunny, Zoom and Bored, Beep Prepared, Bugsy and Mugsy, Daffy’s Inn Trouble,
Baton Bunny, The Long-Haired Hare, My Little Duckaroo, Bewitched Bunny, Bunny
Hugged, Devil’s Feud Cake, Fast and Furry-ous, Gift Wrapped, Hip-Hip-Hurry, A
Kiddie’s Kitty, Lovelorn Leghorn.
Notes: This volume bizarrely featured a mirror image of the
package design on the front cover – the only known volume to do so.
At over 3 hours, this is known to be the longest bumper
collection VHS.
Volume Four (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Purple colour)
Episodes featured:
The Grey-Hounded Hare,
Room and Bird, All Fowled Up, Two Scents Worth, Don’t Axe Me, Cats and Bruises,
The Scarlet Pumpernickel, Heir Conditioned, Lickety Splat, Mutiny on the Bunny,
Feather Bluster, Louvre Come Back to Me, Drip Along Daffy, Mexicali Schmoes,
Scaredy Cat, Kit for Kat, Zipping Along, Devil May Hare, Catty Cornered, Weasel
Stop, Heaven Scent, The Ducksters, Assault and Peppered, Ant Pasted.
Notes: The final volume to be titled ‘Bumper Collection’, as
opposed to the later title ‘Bumper Edition’.
The first volume to feature a Tasmanian Devil cartoon,
despite the fact that he appears on the cover of every video.
Volume Five (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition’ (Green
colour)
Episodes featured:
Gee Whiz-z-z-z, Zoom
and Bored, Fast and Furry-ous, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th
Century, Jumpin’ Jupiter, Rocket-Bye Baby, Fool Coverage, The High and the
Flighty, Person to Bunny, Devil May Hare, Bedevilled Rabbit, Ducking the Devil,
Hot Cross Bunny, Barbary Coast Bunny, Homeless Hare, Canary Row, Putty Tat
Trouble, Snow Business.
Notes: The first set to be titled ‘Bumper Edition’ instead of ‘Bumper
Collection’.
The first set to contain the standard 18 episodes that was kept for
all subsequent releases except volume 9, the Mil-Looney-Um set, which contains
19 episodes.
This is the only set to contain 18 episodes, in which the episodes
are not evenly spread across the two videos – instead there are 10 cartoons on
tape one, and 8 on tape two.
The package design image has changed slightly – the background is
no longer blue but yellow.
Volume Six (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition’ (Pink colour)
Episodes featured:
Zip ‘N’
Snort, Hook, Line and Stinker, Hot-Rod and Reel, Hare-Way to the Stars, Rocket
Squad, The Hasty Hare, Holiday for Drumsticks, Stupor Duck, Boston Quackie,
Bill of Hare, Dr Devil and Mr Hare, The Fright Before Christmas, Apes of Wrath,
Forward March Hare, Hare Splitter, Sandy Claws, Tree Cornered Tweety, Tweet
Zoo.
Volume Seven (1998): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition, Volume 7’ (Red
colour)
Episodes featured:
Rabbit
Rampage, The Million Hare, Mad as a Mars Hare, Big Top Bunny, Shishka-Bugs,
Foxy by Proxy, Suppressed Duck, Bonanza Bunny, Run Run Sweet Roadrunner, False
Hare, The Jet Cage, Bugs and Thugs, Napoleon Bunny-Part, Lighter Than Hare,
Rabbit’s Kin, The Unmentionables, Dog Pounded, Highway Runnery.
Notes: The first volume to have the number of the volume on the
package – although some early releases lack this feature.
The only volume to contain any cartoons from the oft-derided
Larriva Eleven.
Volume Eight (1998): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition, Volume 8’
(Turquoise colour)
Episodes featured:
People Are
Bunny, The Iceman Ducketh, Beep Prepared, Carrotblanca, Catty Cornered, Hyde
and Hare, Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century, Hare Do, Chili
Weather, The Abominable Snow-Rabbit, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, The Wild Chase,
Box Office Bunny, Daffy's Inn Trouble, From Hare to Heir, Drip-Along Daffy. You
Ought to be in Pictures, Assault and Peppered.
Notes: This is the first volume to contain episodes released
post-1980 (although volume 6 does contain one episode that originally aired as
part of a 1979 TV special).
This is the only volume to contain an episode released prior to
1948 – 1940’s ‘You Ought to be in Pictures’ – although it should be noted that
this is the colourised (dubbed) version from 1995.
This volume contains the remastered version of ‘Assault and
peppered’ (1965), initially seen unrestored in volume 4.
Volume Nine (1999): ‘Mil-Looney-Um 2000 Bumper Collection’ (White
colour/package redesign)
Episodes featured:
Rabbit
Seasoning, Hare Trimmed, Bad Ol’ Putty Tat, Wideo Wabbit, A Street Cat Named
Sylvester, Water, Water Every Hare, Dime to Retire, Bunker Hill Bunny, From
Hare to Eternity, Greedy for Tweety, Bully for Bugs, Big House Bunny, Of Rice
and Hen, A Star is Bored, The Prize Pest, Canned Feud, Rabbit Fire, Tweety’s
Circus, Robot Rabbit.
Notes: This final video had its own package design.
 |
| UK Collection |
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Twitter - @felixidhan
Facebook – http://facebook.com/idonthaveanose
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)