Hey MyIGNers! I hope you're doing okay and that no Aliens have taken over the site or anything. Ugh! Disqus! Christmas is fast approaching and with time deciding to speed up all of a sudden, I think it's time to write up yet another blog. Yep! I finally have free time and the Christmas holidays are only about a week away for me which can only mean one thing... blogs dedicated towards the festivities. 
So what am I going to talk about today? Well I've been meaning to write up blogs about countries for a while and some I wanted to mix up with video gaming (being a gamer myself) so now I believe it's time that I get started with this blog series... well one of them anyway. Basically, I'll talk about a country, region or city and how I've experienced the areas... within video games and also TV series, movies and books. Hmm... Perhaps I will talk about the video game developers of that area and even my experiences if I've been to that country or area but for this blog, I will talk about one that I have never been to... but hopefully that won't be for long. Enjoy!
For this first blog of the series, I have decided to pick Hawaii. The home of lush greenery, clear waters and lovely effusive volcanoes.
As well as a nice history of tribal groups... and then the empires came along. This isn't an archipelago that I have even set foot on. It's almost on the exact other side of the world where I live. However thanks to the entertainment industry, I have been able to experience the area within video games and TV series. Many fictional and some non-fictional... some even historical fiction but sadly I haven't really watched many movies or read many books that I can recall about the islands. That's where you come in and feel free to talk about you own experiences of the islands from movies, books or even by visiting the islands. Lucky you! 
So the first series I can remember where I first understood about the islands would probably be a series which has both a mixture of movies, a TV series and a video game. It is...
Lilo and Stitch
Okay, many people laugh at me when I talk about this franchise. I don't know why. Although then again, I suppose at the time, Shrek was all the craze. Who wants to see a Hawaiian attempting to be friends with a cuddly mutant Alien defeating other superpowered aliens and how he fits in with his Ohana (family) when they can see an Ogre and his Donkey...? Not that I hate Shrek of course. I probably just have some issues from previous arguments about which series was better... even though I've always been the Dreamworks kind of person.
Anyways like I said, this series is about Stitch (Experiment 626) who crash lands on a strange looking planet called Earth (I've heard there's a lot of crazy people who live on that planet) and disguises himself as a pet but ultimately meets Lilo and that's where the film takes off. I won't say anymore because there will probably be spoilers as a result.
When watching the series for the first time however, I was in the frame of mind in which I didn't really understand the world around me. I didn't known much about how the planet was developed in terms of continental plates or the oceans or even whether any of the things within movies were actually fictional. Similar to TV series like Pokemon which was also has a few islands here and there, I kind of assumed it was something similar. By similar I mean, I didn't quite understand the location of all these areas but I sure had fun watching the series anyway! The setting just seemed to match the series perfectly. With it's diversity and vibrant community yet isolated region which could be harboured by aliens. Maybe it's because of the fact that the mixture of futuristic alien species which are way ahead of us and the Hawaiian population which has still maintained it's traditions just made me think that the island was full of mystery. So many wonders about it.
This is reinforced by when I started watching the TV series. Essentially, it was based on many different experiment pods (cuddly yet deadly and not so silent aliens) which were being activated and with so many different varieties of both the superpowered beings, their purposes and also the island' terrain, it's no wonder why I thought this series was so cool! At the time, I loved characters with superpowers but the only other series I knew about was the Teen Titans which was cool too... but I wasn't really aware what a DC or Marvel was at the time so no comic books for me. 
As well as the fact that I enjoyed watching Pokemon but was unable to find out what channel they were on or what happened to their existence! So Lilo and Stitch kinda acted as the substitute series and there were even fights in the series which looked like they were trying to compete with the Japanese series or something. To be honest, the TV series is what engaged me much more in the franchise because of how the experiments link in with with the terrain such as an Experiment based on Ice would create his own palace... but then decide to take on an easy life by making additional Ice Creams! There were even episodes similar to specials like Simpsons Treehouse of Horror in which the experiment aliens had certain powers like scaring people away or just being a Christmas star... quite literally. However in that sense, it was like Lilo and Stitch were making Hawaii a better place. They were forming their own family and friends.
Although it did make me think of a darker side of the story when dividing the movies from the TV series. The TV series were great for action and variety but the movies were much more storyline focused. Particularly with LoS but it's sequel, LoS2 seemed much more darker in the sense that things were just getting worse for the characters despite all the good things in their lives. So when looking at Stitch! The Movie, the TV series and Leroy and Stitch, it was something that people would enjoy and laugh and it kind of reminded me of series like Star Wars in which there's just so many possibilities. LoS2 on the other hand I believe was more focused on the friendship between the 2 main characters however it made me think about death and the concept of the unknown as well. It's a similar feeling that I get with stories about uninhibited islands or islands that we don't know much about such as in Crysis. Whilst it might not be something that's terrifying in which a ghost will simply pop out of nowhere, it makes me think that something bad will happen or at least something of an unease. Sometimes it makes me think of life in general with all the uncertainties we may face. Although it helps value the people in my life that mean the most to me. It's not like I'm ever going to let them go. Spoilers ahead in the video if you wish to avoid them!
So where does this also link in with video gaming? Since I loved the TV series so much and since it was something most recent, I thought that most likely, the Playstation 1 video game would be similar especially considering that Experiment 626 was also based on other Experiments aside from Stitch. However... it become something that I didn't really want but also what I was expecting to an extent. It was more like Crash Bandicoot where you had to run to or away from a direction as well as featuring sub levels which wasn't a bad thing... but I was kind of looking for something open world.
Looking back and re-watching the movies, it does make me think more about the traditions of the Hawaiian people and sometimes when I'm watching these movies, it's kind of difficult to comprehend that it's owned by the USA. In a way, I've always seen it closer to Japan or Asia but I can't really explain why. It's just something about the forests and the fact that there's so much mystery about it. Maybe it was just that it was a good competitor against Pokemon... to me at least. It also makes me think about the languages since all the phrases seem to be kinda catchy. Oloha!
Although when considering the fact that Stitch had a new series... set in Japan... without finding all these superaliens, it just seems so odd and to me, it feels like the series has lost it's sense. Then again, I did enjoy the series more for the Experiments so maybe there were fans of the movies who didn't really like the first TV series to begin with.
Test Drive Unlimited 2
I love all kinds of driving games but I just never really played many of them. So in 2011, I decided to buy this game mostly at the fact that it was a sandbox game. I won't go in to great detail because then I think I will probably write up a review but what I can say was that you could journey to much of Ibiza... and Hawaii. Of course though, they wanted to save the best until last. I remember that it was a game that I really enjoyed but there were just so many problems with the camera and the movements of the car just felt off. The layout and characters of the game were a little annoying too but it didn't really bother me especially when I completed enough driving challenges (which was sometimes frustrating with the movements) and earned the money to get to Hawaii, I could easily ignore whatever people were saying to me.
It was really fun driving around the paradise and I recall going to somewhere in central Oahu where I kind of slipped over the road and ended up in the jungles. I don't know why but that's what reminded me about Japan more and also about my first racing experiences with demos and soon to be broken PS1 games... No! I didn't break them! If you would like a tour of the island in a video game version, here you go.
Going to the east was nice because it looked like the houses were placed in the wake of the sea and the jungles just for the use of quick exploration for the residents. It even rained (which is one of my favourite types of weather) and seeing all the players online driving around aimlessly because no one really wanted to race any of the players with Ferraris, was fun! Although I wonder how much of it was actually related to the actual island. I assume that there would be more buildings, wildlife and well... people on the streets but in that sense, it brings forward other games based on existing areas including The Crew. I highlight The Crew in particular because Test Drive Unlimited 2 did have the ability to join different groups of racers, meet up at your fellow racer villas and well, race! So basically, The Crew is Test Drive Unlimited 3 in a sense. I mean, it still hasn't dealt with the problem of the car's movements! Sorry, I just couldn't help my Anti-Ubisoft attitude but for the time, it was a game that predecessor to Ubisoft's most recent driving game.
In a way, it did remind me of Lilo and Stitch quite a bit because that's how I first understood the Archipelago but it's not like I was expecting superpowered aliens to be flying around at any moment. Although I didn't really like the whole frame rate and from my previous knowledge, I didn't know trees would appear and vanish within seconds!
Tony Hawk's Underground
Ah, the memories when you could finally get off of your skateboard and run around until you wanted to skate again... or drive. Yes! It is Tony Hawk's Underground which did feature Hawaii as one of it's locations. Although there were really a whole bunch of locations I could name which I enjoyed travelling to but just the whole concept about paradise and a skateboard? Now that was cool. Okay at the time it was pretty neat and no! They weren't any surfers since the characters can't really swim.
I can't quite explain why it was enjoyable aside from that. It was probably my second... no third favourite location but I still had a blast playing through it. Maybe it was because it was a change of the settings in Eastern USA. Perhaps it was the strange portal you could go threw past that totem? I can't really explain more than that. It was pretty confusing to me. Although when considering the story, it was a pretty key moment. I will try not spoil for anyone that wants to play the decade old game but I will say that it's where things change for the main characters and basically where the story progresses forwards.
To be honest though, aside from these things, it wasn't a setting I played 24/7 since there wasn't a great deal to offer for it. By the time I got to areas like Vancouver, I was swept away with skateboarding in the hotel and trying to get the biggest combo ever whilst in the skating arena. Plus it was sunny so it's not like the weather was excluded to Hawaii... in the video game of course. Then again, there was still a bit of mystery about the Hawaiian setting because of the Totem for one but also all the skateboarding areas within the gutters. Then again, not many people would go down that way.
Finally as far as I can remember, there was a TV series which is pretty recent and I've kinda got round to in moderation.
Hawaii Five-0
Slightly more further away from any of the franchises and games that I've referred to since this series puts much more emphasis on the American side of the archipelago. I mean, many of the characters are American and there is a story about marines and all but there's still plenty of locals around. Well from the episodes that I have seen.
I remember watching the series when it first aired and I guess at the time since 24 was one of my favourite TV programmes to watch, this looked like it could very well be next. Especially since I was pretty crazy about thrillers at the time... not so much now but Hawaii Five-0 just stood out for me because of many things. Not just about Jack Bauer flipping over a table for trying to uncover the name of someone but instead about the style. The setting, the characters, the whole origin story, it all seemed perfect to me... well at the time but I really can't blame myself because it was new to me. I suppose there are many shows about detectives... wait I'll say that again. There are many shows about detectives. Perhaps maybe too many but this series stands out more, perhaps for some it could be the setting but like I said, it's the combination of many things and how the characters connect with the setting as well as the story. I mean surfers, storylines involving rituals, government cover ups, mafias relocating to the country... Shrimp! It's a mixture of many things. It has a lot of Western influence of course but it still draws my interest.
Perhaps because it has some diversity or it's at least more varied than other shows since series like CSI just seem too humerous to me. The humour just doesn't fit and the chase scenes are just silly when they are chasing random people in the open road overlooking the coastline with absolutely no barriers to stop them. Whereas with Hawaii Five-0, it's funny to an extent I guess but it feels much more compelling and it doesn't have silly music in the backround. I have a feeling some people might be hating me for that but then again, I haven't watched a whole lot of the CSI series. It's still funny I guess seeing the guy from Vertical Limit and the actress from Kindergarten Cop. Looking back at Hawaii-0, it does remind of Uncharted. Whilst I don't quite enjoy the Uncharted franchise completely, it does remind me of the time when we first saw Drake and Sully or when they were travelling the world with a few treasure hunter fanatics. What am I saying? I'm saying that they were interesting characters to me and the same goes for Hawaii Five-0 although you can tell how the characters have evolved further overtime to trusting each other much more.
Although I haven't exactly been an avid fan all the way through. It's not that I don't enjoy it but I wanted to buy the season boxsets so I could watch them from the start. Streaming isn't for me so since I didn't buy any DVD collections of the particular series, I kinda lost track. I watch it now and again but usually they're really key points of the season... like the ending. So perhaps I need to watch through them a bit more. Buy a few DVDs if I must! 
What I would like to see next
If I was to see a new video game taking on the setting of Hawaii, I wouldn't really mind what it would be. Another driving game, perhaps a Just Cause game taking on the role of some new terrain but renaming it or something. Maybe a game similar to Never Alone in which Hawaiian traditions could be uncovered and explored with their mythologies and deities or maybe the developers of that specific game could hire people who are from Hawaii themselves! A game of Hawaii Five-0 with either open world or smaller material but continuing like we see with the Walking Dead or Tales of the Borderlands I don't really know whether I would enjoy a shooter because Crysis and Far Cry 3 seem very similar to that kind of setting but if a developer made it unique, then I think it would be fine. Although a brand new series featuring Hawaii or even an entire franchise focused on Hawaii completely would be fun!
A few years ago, I probably would have said something like, anything with Ubisoft's franchise would be great. Then again, looking at the state of Ubisoft now, I'm not quite sure whether it would do the setting justice. I mean would love to see a Watch Dogs game focusing on ctOS with a different style and using local informants or artificial trees which act as surveillance until they're discovered by the main characters and they need to uncover the extent of it's influence. Maybe a character originating from that region and being able to migrate to other areas of the Pacific as well as Asia and the Americas. I would even love an Assassin's Creed game set during the tribal kingdoms and then the arrival of the European Empires but I don't know whether there would be much relevance about the setting. Areas such as Constantinople and New York seem great but there's not a huge connection between the characters and the city and neither is there much within the cities compared to other previous games. Plus without a modern day character, it doesn't feel like the series is going anywhere and the more standalone yet similar games they develop with a very small modern day section, the further it pushes it me away. So I really wouldn't it to be set in an area just to get a lot of money... but that's what a lot of companies do nowadays.
Overall, Hawaii has been a pretty common setting that I have known about and it was because of the TV series and video games that I knew about this area in the first place. However, it is mostly because of Lilo and Stitch that I knew about Hawaii...and remembered it. So in a way, this is probably a Lilo and Stitch blog. 
Although I'm sure I would have come across Hawaii somewhere. I'm not sure about the what if possibilities but if I never played these games or watched these series, then I'm sure I would have discovered the archipelago at sometime like a "best places to visit" documentary.
Enough about me! What games, movies, TV series and books have you experienced about Hawaii and yes, you can mention your experiences if you've actually been there.
Also would you like to see more blogs like these in the future? I appreciate your feedback.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.