Flashback Friday & A Belated Birthday Wish

Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie & the Banshees fame turned 53 years young yesterday. We couldn't think of a better way to wish her a happy belated birthday than to showcase one of her hits as our Flashback Friday pick. Enjoy!

Makeover Monday Medley - Everybody Knows

"Everybody Knows",written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and collaborator Sharon Robinson, is one of the most oft-covered songs I can think of on short notice.



Concrete Blonde gave it a dusky, sultry sound in the 1990, gaining wide appeal when the cover was used in the film, "Pump Up the Volume".



Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright covers the song along with an interview. CLICK HERE>>

More recently, indie rock phenonemon Elizabeth & The Catapult gave the song a low-fi, minimalist rendering.

Gamer Discussion on Top 10 Selection

According to this blog post on USA Today, the Guinness World Records 2010 Gamer's Edition has a list of the top video game franchises of all time. At the top of that list is Halo, a series that I wouldn't have guessed would be number 1. The book says because the game stars "an iconic character, excellent level design, perfect controls and unparalleled multiplayer options, the series sets the bar at near-unattainable heights." Being that I've only played the first game and just recently started playing Halo 3, I can't truly attest to its greatness (although I'm enjoying 3).

"I LOVE HALO!"

However, I am surprised that Super Mario Bros. isn't in the top spot. The book apparently places Mario at 6th place, behind Call of Duty (#2), The Legend of Zelda(#3), Guitar Hero (#4), and Metal Gear (#5). Odd choices to me, but these are the titles that gamers voted for in a poll. This makes me think about how much games and gamers have changed over the years. If this poll had been given, say, 10 years ago, I'm pretty sure Mario would be #1. There probably would have been some other franchises, such as Mortal Kombat and Doom (perhaps), that don't appear on this list. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Bioshock make sense this day and age because these are the popular titles now, and they fit in with the rest of this poll's choices. Shooters and other "mature" titles dominate the list, which I believe is a change from the big games back in the day. Perhaps these types of games were in the majority and I just didn't realize it, but I believe that people's tastes have changed a lot since video games came into the mainstream. It's certainly interesting. I think I'm going to look for this Guinness Gamer's Guide because it looks like a good read. Check out the official website for more.

I do find it odd that some of titles here aren't even franchises, just single games. Chrono Trigger is one of my all-time favorite games, but it's not a franchise. It had a sequel, but it wasn't Chrono Trigger 2... LittleBigPlanet? One game. Weird. Pong? What?

Well, I always like to put my two cents in, so here's my top 10 list. It's not too impressive because it's obvious that action-adventure, fighting, and RPGs are my style, but still...

1. Super Mario Bros.
2. Mega Man
3. Final Fantasy
4. The Legend of Zelda
5. Ninja Gaiden
6. Castlevania
7. Street Fighter
8. Shin Megami Tensei
9. Soul Calibur
10. Guilty Gear

So, what are your top franchises?

Makeover Monday...Fanfarlo Covers Neutral Milk Hotel

Let me know what you think!