PK Gaming is Dead + Skyward Sword Review

So unfortunately, this blog hasn't been kept up. I really thought this would be something that would go on for a while. We almost had it going for a year, but then... well, I don't know what happened. Whether we were all too busy with school/work or if we just lost interest.

Anyway, most of what I and the others post about games will be on the Negative World forum from now on.

So, here's one last thing for those of you who follow us, if there are any of you left.

This is my review of Skyward Sword, which is my first ever video review:

You can visit the topic about it at Negative World here.

Batman: Arkham City Trailer w/ Joker & Harley

I am so excited for this game. October 18th can't come soon enough.



Though there is sadness here as this will be Mark Hamill's last go around as The Joker. A legendary voice that will be missed.

Ni No Kuni Looks Stunning. And it is coming to North America.

I'm sold on this game just on the basis of the cel-shading used to make it look exactly like a Studio Ghibli feature, which is good as Studio Ghibli has a hand in it. One of my biggest disappointments with the PS3 has been the relative lack of truly gorgeous games with non-realistic art-styles and this is a breath of fresh air for me. Using the power of these systems to make just realistic looking games is a waste.

Super Smash Land is now complete!

Yeah, remember that demake of Super Smash Bros. that I mentioned way back in December?

Well, it's finally complete! You can check out the website here and download it, as well as send them a donation for doing such awesome work!

Check out this trailer as well:

Skyward Sword is going to be awesome

Check out this 11 minute clip from the conference that happened in Japan yesterday:



For those of you who have been saying Skyward Sword will be another Twilight Princess, you are either really jaded, or you just won't give Nintendo the chance to redeem themselves. (Though I enjoyed Twilight Princess greatly.) Zelda's not even my favorite franchise and I'm really excited from what I've seen of Skyward Sword. If nothing else comes out this holiday season for the Wii, I'm just glad to have this game.

Wednesday WTF: Full House Tournament Fighter

Seriously, WTF?

Bad Game Movie Reviews: Bad Movie Beatdown: Gamer

When something is supposed to satirize the excesses of gaming culture is it really right to come from an industry that has the exact same excesses? I was glad I skipped this when I heard about it. Mathew compares this movie to the '80s Arnie classic the The Running Man. At least The Running Man does better satire.

Also I think this is going to be something I do from time to time. There are a lot of bad game movies out there and watching them get torn asunder is always fun.

And I figured out the embed problem. Much celebrating was had by all.

Action 52 Commercial: This Was Actually Made!

Yeah I couldn't believe it either but Guru Larry seems to have found it:


As excited the Cheetahmen are for it, the Angry Video Game Nerd (part 1, part 2) and Pat the NES Punk would say different.

Active Enterprises must have really thought they had something going on here with Action 52 and the Cheetahmen.

Super Nintendo @ 20: My Top 20 SNES Games Part 4

Mr. Saturn's Top 20 Super Nintendo Games Part 4

5. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: It is up to the Yoshis to carry Baby Mario through Yoshi's Island in an attempt to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek and Baby Bowser.

My Take: In my very humble opinion Yoshi's Island is the most beautiful game to grace the SNES. With it's fantastic combination of hand-drawn looking sprites and a great use of the SFX2 chip to run effects to alter the sprites in various ways as well as to bring some polygonal objects into the world. It makes Miyamoto's rumored refusal to bow to pressure to make Yoshi's Island a SGI-based (like DKC) game a very good thing. Not only that the game is a pleasure to play even if Baby Mario's cries can get annoying, just another good reason to get him back and keep him. Yoshi's Island I think came at an interesting time for me. I was 12 (going on 13) when this game came out and while a lot of other kids my age probably crapped on this game because it was as we came to call it "teh kiddie". While I don't have anything but the smallest bit of proof of this, I can say it probably wasn't too be far off. And what I mean is that I remember letter to the editor in a Nintendo Power sometime after Yoshi's Island was released complained about Nintendo making such a "kiddy" game. I kind of wanted to throttle this person and still want to.

4. Super Mario World - 1991 - Nintendo

The Game: Princess Toadstool as been captured! Again! I know I'm shocked to. And guess what? It is up to Mario and Luigi to brave Dinosaur Land with their new friend Yoshi and rescue the Princess from Bowser and his nefarious children.

My Take: Back when Mario was Nintendo's console seller and showcase game (still is to an extent) Super Mario World really showed us what the Super Nintendo could accomplish. The world was bigger, brighter and while not really surpassing SMB3, in my opinion, it really made for a great showcase game. The game did bring some great things to the franchise, like Yoshi and the Cape Feather, the latter of which is my favorite item in any Mario game I've played and of course as we all know Yoshi has become a character into his own right. Moments like the first Banzai Bill you run across or the mode 7 heavy battle with Bowser there is still so much to love and like its console showcase brethren, Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario 64 it is still a joy to play and is a game I keep coming back to on a regular basis.

3. Super Metroid - 1994 - Nintendo

The Game: The Metroid hatchling Samus let survive at the end of Metroid II has been recaptured by Ridley and the Space Pirates. It is up to Samus to head back to Zebes and put end to the Space Pirate and Metroid menace once and for all.


My Take: For a game I really didn't play until I started my second SNES collection back in 2006 it is quite surprising to me to see it all the way up to number 3 on this list. Back in 1994 for whatever reason I just wasn't sure how to go about playing a Metroid title but by 2006 that wasn't a problem anymore having become a fan of Metroid with Prime in 2002. What I saw, even without the lens of nostalgia, was the reasons why this often many other people's favorite SNES game if not their favorite game of all. With a fantastic atmosphere and great gameplay I really can't say enough for the game that far more gushing descriptions would provide. Since 2006 Super Metroid has become one of my regular games to play through and will continue to do so for as long as I have my copies.

2. EarthBound - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: The Apple of Enlightenment has foretold that a boy and his friendswill defeat Giygas and prevent a horrible future. That boy is Ness and with his friends; Paula, Jeff and Poo will travel the world fighting those corrupted by Giygas' influence and collect the songs necessary to gain the power to defeat Giygas.


My Take: Back in '95 I read an EGM review for a very curious little game. It had a simple graphical style, a quirky sense of humor and was an RPG. And while RPGs weren't a huge genre for me at the time, I knew I had to play this game. Of course if you haven't figured it out yet, that game was EarthBound. The game really charmed with its quirky sense of humor and, while simple, storyline that was different from your average RPG storyline. Not only that it came with the most amazing player's guide ever which read like a travelers guide to Eagleland and the surrounding areas. It was a great overall package and it saddens me so much that Nintendo of America just won't work with us and let get our hands on more. I dunno if any game franchise has such a single-minded obsession with and NoA just choosing to ignore it is frustrating. But you've heard all this anyways, no use in me going on about it. Still to this day EarthBound is a game that I play on a greatly regular basis and am occasionally finding new things that make me go "Hey will you look at that?"

1. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 1992 - Nintendo

The Game: The wizard Aghanim has taken over Hyrule and imprisoned the Princess Zelda. It is up to Link to attempt to foil his evil plans.


My Take: Not only is this my favorite SNES game it is tied with Ocarina of Time has my favorite game ever. I really can't decide on which one. Believe it or not though, I wasn't always an obsessive Zelda fan, I didn't really get into Zelda games until Link's Awakening opened the series up to me but A Link to the Past really made me a fan. And since then pretty much everything about ALttP keeps me coming back to play it at least once a year (and I'm pretty sure I've beaten it 30 odd times) and it is never boring to me even if I've played so much I've got it down to formula. Scenarios like Link's first steps into rainy Hyrule are just full of atmosphere and even a certain dread or when Link gets the Master Sword and how it clears the fog in the lost woods are times are those situations where the wave of love for the game really shines. While most of the other games in this list move me in similar waves few games do it like A Link to the Past, well except for Ocarina of Time.

The Way Things Work: NES Zapper

As I work on the final part of my epic 4 part series of My Top 20 SNES Games I thought I'd post this video from Roo of Clan of the Gray Wolf about everyone's favorite NES peripheral, The Zapper, as he explains how it works and "bursts" some of the myths surrounding it.



More of these videos can be found here.

Super Nintendo @ 20: My Top 20 SNES Games Part 3

Mr. Saturn's Top 20 Super Nintendo Games Part 3



10. Chrono Trigger - 1995 - Square

The Game: Follow Chrono and his band of time traveling adventurers as they attempt to defeat Lavos and prevent him from destroying the world.

My Take: You know it is too bad I wasn't more into RPGs in the mid-90s. The SNES was such a great system for them, it is too bad my general preference for platformers pretty much meant that was what I wanted to play. Because of that I missed a lot of these classics and then Final Fantasy 7 came along and instead of getting me more into the genre it almost killed my interest. A game like this to get more into the genre probably would have been better for than that....."game". Anyways, while the story is relatively a simple one the characters and battle system are great and make for a great RPG.

9. Final Fantasy II - 1991 - Square

The Game: Guide Cecil in his quest to defeat the sorcerer Golbez and save the world all the while redeeming himself as a Paladin.

My Take: Funny story, as of this date FF2 remains the only Final Fantasy that I have ever beaten. Though it took me until my second go around of collecting SNES games to finally play and beat it (after losing my copy of the GBA version) it confirmed the claims of my friend that Square was really on their game with the SNES. While not exactly a complex story either, the tale of Cecil and his quest to save the world and redeem himself is I think quite a good bit of characterization especially for an early SNES. And this is in spite of some of the dodgier translation and edits. I mean really, did they have to remove all the cool dark knight powers that Cecil had?

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time - 1992 - Konami

The Game: Krang and Shredder and have stolen the Statue of Liberty and only the Ninja Turtles have the Turtle Power to get it back.

My Take: As any good child growing up in the '80s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a cartoon favorite of mine. A few of my favorite games are the arcade and NES version of the first Turtles game. I actually didn't know about the arcade version of Turtles in Time for quite awhile. And after playing both, I find that outside of the lack of 4 player and some lacking animation and music the SNES version is overall the best version and maybe the best 2D beat-um up on any system. While covering some of the usual territory for a Turtles beat-um the time travel conceit makes for some fantastic stages and the bosses are just plain fun. Some of my best memories as a kid were playing through this game with my brothers (and recently with my 5 year old nephew though I did most of the work) as it a good game for teamwork as well as upping your own score. Unfortunately the side-scrolling brawler is all but a dead genre and these kind of experiences are becoming less and less common.

7. Mega Man X2 - 1995 - Capcom

The Game: Mavericks led by the X-Hunters are after Mega Man X and claim to have Zero's parts. It is up to X to stop them from fulfilling their plans.

My Take: Strange thing about me, in each series of Mega Man that I have played my favorite has so far been the 2nd one in the franchise. Probably just because this is the one I got first as opposed to Mega Man X which is popularly considered to be the better of the series. While not as big step up from X as the Mega Man 2 was to the first X2 still provided that very solid game set-up that we've were familiar with additions of new upgrades and the side quest to reconstruct Zero. Plus I loved the effects that Capcom put in with the wireframe 3D graphics that they made using their special chip the CX4. While not as good as the SFX it made for a few cool scenes.

6. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: Kaptain K. Rool and his Kremlings have kidnapped Donkey Kong and it is up to Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie to rescue him.

My Take: While Donkey Kong Country to me was like Super Mario Bros. in its scope, Donkey Kong Country 2 was like Super Mario Bros. 3 in relation. It took everything that the first had done and made it bigger and better. Stages became less straightforward, with stages going more vertical and secrets being more than just 1UP farms. While Diddy and Dixie were more similar than DK and Diddy, they were both just as important to clearing the stages with their own strengths and weaknesses (Dixie's hover or Diddy's faster climbing speed) and some things couldn't be reached without one or the other. To this day DKC2 is one of my more commonly played through games as it just a ton of fun to play.

Super Nintendo @ 20: My Top 20 SNES Games Part 2

Mr. Saturn's Top 20 Super Nintendo Games Part 2

15. Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball - 1994 - Nintendo

The Game: It is baseball. Featuring future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.


My Take: The SNES really wasn't the console of choice if you liked sports games but occasionally a few would provide a great experience. While maybe not the most realistic or technical baseball title out there, Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball provided me and my little brother with hours of baseball action with tons of seasons played through even though there wasn't a franchise mode. It is hard to quantify why I loved this game so much in ways that non-sports fans would appreciate but a game that you put so much time in with a family member is something very good. And I gushed about it in a retro review anyways so read that.

14. SimCity - 1991 - Nintendo

The Game: The Nintendo-fied version of Will Wright's classic city building simulator.

My Take: Anyone who has gotten into any kind of simulation game can attest to the fact that sim games can be insanely addicting. SimCity for the SNES was my first experience with these games and the amount of time I spent crafting cities of various types was always fun. Even if I used the cheat to amass large amounts of money early on. The Nintendo touch added to the game also gave a charm to the SimCity experience that is tough to reproduce. Having Bowser replace the godzilla like character or even the inclusion of Mr. Wright (Nintendo's creative nod to franchise creator Will Wright) gives this iteration added charm that really holds up well.

13. Mortal Kombat II - 1994 - Acclaim

The Game: After losing Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung returns to Outworld and schemes with the Emperor Shao Khan to lure Kombatants from Earthrealm to fight for another chance to conquer it.

My Take: Nintendo learned their lesson from the first Mortal Kombat. Blood sells and thusly SNES fans got a Mortal Kombat chock full of blood and all the fatalities a person could want. To this day, and despite having a copy of the arcade version on the PSN, this version of MKII still holds up as my favorite of the console ports. Sure it may not be the prettiest but I spent many hours playing this game and while my interest in the franchise has since cooled it still a fun game to play and see one of those so-called ultraviolent games that would have apparently turned me and others like me into sadistic murderers.

12. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting - 1993 - Capcom

The Game: The early '90s arcade fighting king's second go around on the SNES features faster gameplay and the ability to play as the boss characters.

My Take: My favorite of the SNES Street Fighter II variations even over Super SFII's larger cast almost entirely for I feel this got closest to matching the arcade's sense of speed. There isn't a whole lot further to say about Street Fighter II that most people don't already know. While I'm a rather casual fighting fan, games like this and Mortal Kombat II helped define an era. One that sadly we may not really see again.

11. Donkey Kong Country - 1994 - Nintendo

The Game: King K. Rool has stolen Donkey Kong's precious banana horde and it is up to DK and his protege Diddy to storm the Kremlings hide outs and get them back.

My Take: Strangely enough the first straight-up platform game on my list so far. Which is odd since my love of video games really was developed quite a bit around them. DKC coming out at the 2nd half of the SNES's lifespan was in all honesty a pretty straightforward platformer more reminiscent of early days of the genre despite the advanced graphical capabilities the game showed off. It was actually a bit refreshing to see a platformer like it but it did bring some good stuff to the table. The buddy system of using DK or Diddy made for some interesting strategy even if they weren't extremely different. The game's use of secrets while kinda pointless outside of 1-up hoarding nicely broke up any monotony. Overall it would be an above average platformer, but where this game really shone was the graphics. the SGI graphics used to bring this game to life was very eye popping at the time brought that next generation graphics feel without needing to buy an add-on. Along with the great soundtrack this all came together to create a truly memorable game. And hey I chose this over games like Final Fantasy 3 and Super Metroid and I really don't regret it.

Super Nintendo @ 20: My Top 20 SNES Games Part 1

Did you know that the Super Nintendo turned 20 years old on the 23rd? Actually it kinda snuck up on me as well. But I thought to celebrate this momentous anniversary I'd make a list of My Top 20 Super Nintendo games. But first a little reminiscing on my part.

I love the Super Nintendo. It ranks as my favorite system for just the sheer high amount of great games on it as well giving us some of the best looking games of all time that still stand up well even today. I do believe that there is so much quality on this system that 10 people making 10 top 10 lists could produce a list that is very different from the other. That is how good the system is.

When my family got our SNES for Christmas years back (I can't remember exactly when we got ours, judging that our first games were all released in 1991 it is conceivable that we got it in '91 though I'm thinking '92) my dad being the joker he is, decided to give us our games first. So being stupid me and my brothers gave him the long, sullen looks as we couldn't play those on our NES. And at that moment my dad says something along the lines of: "Well then you are going to need this!" and pulls the SNES from behind his lazy boy. What made the SNES special for me and my brothers was that this was the last system we'd agree on as well. As we got older, I remained a Nintendo fan and my brother's gaming interests changed from liking RPGs for one and sports for the other. Unfortunately that SNES we got back in the early '90s would be lost as one of my brothers, under the guise of charity, gave away our SNES to some friends of his behind me and the other brothers back. I know he was trying to be nice but without consulting any of us, he just gave away something I still played a ton of.

It would take 4 years until I finally could get my hands on another SNES through an eBay auction which netted me the SNES, Mario World, ALttP, Super Metroid and a few other games and since then I've been steadily building up collection. The used game store in my state has seen quite a bit of business from me that is fore sure. Also the Virtual Console has proven a bit of a boon as well (though limited) as it not only allowed me to pick up some harder to find or more pricey games but also allowed me to have favorites all in one place.

So now I present the first part of My Top 20 SNES games. I may do a few things more as well as a retro review for what I consider to be the worst SNES game I ever played but that will be for a later time.

Mr. Saturn's Top 20 Super Nintendo Games Part 1

20. Final Fantasy III - 1994 - Square

The Game: Considered by many to be Square's greatest RPG and arguably the best RPG ever, FF3 (or 6 if you are so inclined) has you control members of resistance group, the Returners, against the machinations of Emperor Gestahl and Kefka, the evil clown. Well eviler than your usual clown.

My Take: I'm sure there are a lot of FF3 fans wondering why I have this game so low on my list. Because well to be honest, I have yet to ever beat the game. Yet to have it on my top 20 and the first of five RPGs is pretty good, I'd say. And to be perfectly honest I didn't really play FF3 all that much until the GBA version was released. Despite this, I can honestly see why FF3 is regarded so highly amongst fans and gaming in general. A simple, yet involving storyline with a large cast of very likeable characters. Which one of my biggest problems with more recent Final Fantasy titles is that the characters are just plain unlikable. But with 3, you actually get a better feel for the characters (despite not really having a definite main character) as they actually have emotional up and downs instead of always being down. And because of that the game's big twist about 3/4 of the way through actually makes you want to see these characters succeed. With a strong battle system with each character having his or her own abilities it makes for about as strong an RPG as one can get.

19. Lufia II: Rise of Sinistrals - 1996 - Natsume

The Game: A very late RPG (a month before the N64 came out in NA) has you playing as Maxim a young monster hunter out for adventure. A strange event has caused monsters to become more active and a group of super beings known as the Sinistrals has started to make their presence known and it is up to Maxim and the warriors he meets on his journey to stop them from taking over the world.

My Take: Lufia II is much more traditional RPG than games like FF3. Its battle system is more straight forward as well as the plot, though something that about the plot really kept me playing. The characters are likable and even the romance between Maxim and Selan, while rushed, actually occurs in the story instead in a vague point after the game. It is a fairly unique thing for an RPG to have. Add into the mix a fairly fun dungeon crawling experience with Zelda-ish puzzle solving and a rudimentary Pokemon-ish monster helper system there is a lot to do even if the overall game is more traditional than what was expected by this time.

18. Killer Instinct - 1995 - Nintendo

The Game: The Ultratech corporation is holding a fighting tournament called Killer Instinct. Fighters from around the world as well as beings from Ultratech compete in this tournament for various reasons and rewards.

My Take: Killer Instinct is one of those fighters that you had to be there to get why it is fun. Nowadays it looks to be rather run of the mill but back in the day the graphics and the fighting system were very enjoyable as it was an early game in the wave of combo-heavy fighting games. The SNES version while not nearly as pretty as the arcade version (obviously) did a great job of recreating the fighting system. I spent many hours playing it, I had the thumb blisters to prove it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for something different as far as 2D fighters are concerned.

17. ActRaiser - 1991 - Enix

The Game: The world is in peril. In the Master's absence, the world has been thrown into chaos by Tanzra and his minions. It is up to you as the Master to restore peace to the world by fighting Tanzra's forces as well as leading the people back to peace and prosperity.

My Take: While I didn't play ActRaiser back in the day, bought it on the Virtual Console, I could easily see why this was yet another cult favorite of the early SNES. Mixing a strong platforming element with a simple yet engaging "god-mode" it offers a strong bit of variety and keeping things interesting. As you tame and resettle areas as you gain new followers who will offer you gifts to use in the platforming sections and increase your experience levels. It is a pity that Quintet removed the god-mode sections of the game for the sequel as you don't often see unique mixes of two gameplay styles mixed together so well.

16. Super Castlevania IV - 1991 - Konami

The Game: A remake of the original Castlevania that greatly expands on the original and makes several improvements to the classic Castlevania gameplay.

My Take: Why is it called Super Castlevania (add emphasis)IV? Anywho, Super Castlevania IV does one really great thing for the Castlevania games, added play control. No longer is Simon Belmont's movements stiff he moves with a relative grace compared to past versions. As well as having a flexible whip makes battling the denizens of Castlevania a far more enjoyable task. Being able to attack in 8 directions is a fantastic ability that hasn't been seen in a Castlevania since which is weird. Of course Castlevania has taken a far different path in the last 14 years or so. As well as being a gameplay advancement a lot of the cool Mode 7 effects used in the game brought a great bit of character to the world. Another early SNES game (though I didn't really play it till the VC) that showed off a lot of what the SNES could do as well as provide a great experience.

Part 2 will be tomorrow.

Ashens Reviews: Game.com

Depending on how old you are, you may remember Tiger Electronic's line of licensed LCD ports of popular arcade and console games. As a kid I spent quite a bit of time with many of them and they hold a small but dear part of my gaming heart. Tiger would try to cash in on the bigger handheld market in the mid-90s and it didn't really work out.

Retro Reviews: Ico

Ico was released in 2001 developed by Team Ico and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Ico is a fairly unique game all things considered. In an era of a game presentation becoming more and more complicated, Ico was presented as something relatively minimalist and spartan while giving those who played it a wholly immersive experience that attains an experience that many story-driven games wish they could reach.

Ico is about a boy born with horns, which is considered a bad omen by the people of his village. As a means of removing the omen from the village he is taken by his people to an ancient castle where he is placed in a sarcophagus as a sacrifice of some sort to the ruler of the castle, The Queen. After a quake causes Ico's tomb to crash to the floor, he manages to escape from it and starts looking for an escape from the castle. Soon after he runs across a mysterious girl locked in a cage and frees her. Unfortunately they do not speak the same language but Ico is determined to help the girl, Yorda, also escape from whatever fate she is to face in the castle.

It won't be an easy task as the castle Ico and Yorda are in is ancient, decrepit and filled with puzzles. Not only that, the Queen's minions, shadows, will try to steal Yorda away from Ico to take her back to the Queen. It will be up to Ico to not only fight off the shadows but to lead Yorda through the hazards of castle as well.

The best way I can describe the gameplay would be a somewhat simplified take on 3D Zelda. While not based around collecting keys or items and generally being more linear the use of block puzzles and pulling switches to alter the environment always give me that Zelda feel. Your basic goal is to guide Yorda from one location as another. Sometimes she can be used as a temporary weight but most of the time you just have to make sure not to get too far way from her for if you do, shadows will come. The biggest problem with Yorda is that Ico has to lead her by the hand up and over obstacles though occasionally her limited path finding abilities will have her climb up things and save you the hassle of leading her. She has a tendency to stray but she won't ever go to far and will usually come back if Ico gives her a call.

The battle system in Ico is also very simple. Since Ico obviously isn't a trained fighter what he has for a fighting style is more or less flailing around with whatever weapon he has at the time. It works for the most part but until you get access to swords later in the game, it takes a long time to kill the shadows with the 2x4 you find all over the place and the enemies can swarm you making it difficult to get to Yorda if she is taken to a location far from you. Though to be fair the fighting is not really a focus of Ico, even it is a common occurrence.

Simplicity is also a fixture of Ico's graphics. While beautiful to look at the surroundings are stark, perfectly fitting a long abandoned castle. This makes for a very atmospheric game that doesn't overload the senses with a ton of graphical effects, outside of generous bit of bloom lighting.

There are some signs of the game's origins as a Playstation title especially in Ico and Yorda's movements. There is something about how their models are built and animated that sometimes feel like they just upgrades from how it was on Playstation. There is a ragdoll style effect that is especially noticeable on Ico. Just makes him weirdly gangly despite not being particularly tall for a kid his age.

The music in the game is also appropriately spartan. The songs that are there are memorable especially the credits theme and the weird music that plays when the shadows attack adds tension to the scene. The rest of the background music is environmental sounds that further add to the atmosphere of the world. The voice acting for the game, the small amount there is, does the job well but since the game isn't in English and features I think two made up languages it is hard to judge.

In the end, Ico is a over-looked but classic early PS2 game. And the reason why I review it now is that the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus Collection comes out for the PS3 next month. It'll not only be in HD but us in North America will get the better version that was released in Europe and Japan with extras. Frankly I can't wait. And this will hopefully lead up to Team Ico's next game, The Last Guardian finally getting its release next year. And hopefully like its predecessors will provide an engrossing story through its gameplay rather than overabundance of cut scenes.

Pros/Cons
+ Very immersive atmosphere
+ Great puzzle design
+ Sparse and gorgeous environments
+ Lack of interrupting cut scenes keep things immersive
+ Beautiful credit theme
- Very short
- Some remnants of Playstation origins evident.

Paleo's Game Collection

So... sort of continuing with my gaming history video that I posted earlier in the week, I uploaded the videos for my game collection. It's not much at the moment, and definitely doesn't compare to what my fellow editors here probably have, but I like to think of it as a start of a journey to replenish my collection with familiar games as well as new ones, so if you like collection videos with commentary, enjoy!

Songs that should be in Rock Band: Bang on the Drum All Day

That's right, the Carnival Cruise Line theme... I mean, of course I knew of this song before they started using it... of course. I just think it would be a really fun song to play on the keyboard, although it does sound a bit repetitive. It could be a simpler song to get used to playing with the keyboard.

Fremont Street Experience - 80's Video Game Tribute

Wow this is incredibly cool.

My Gaming History

I posted this video yesterday morning on youtube. It's an overview of my gaming history and discusses a few of the games I played when I was young as well as where I am now as a gamer.

I also started a discussion about it on Negative World asking other people what their gaming history was like. Go check it out!

Wednesday WTF: The Silly Adventures of Mr. Mochi

Now I don't care for the Elder Scrolls games at all but this...



What in the hell was that?

Thank you, Takeshi Miyaji

I was very sad to find out Takeshi Miyaji, co-founder of Game Arts and daddy to the Grandia series, passed away a few days ago to unknown causes.

To me, Grandia is one of those games that just oozes with charm. It quickly grew a spot in my heart with its light-natured story of romance and adventure that you don’t find in many games these days. It features a great cast with one of the most lovable protagonists of all time, and his bright spirit and unrivaled moxie will have you constantly rooting for him to succeed in his struggle. I can’t think of many 14-year-olds that crash weddings, travel to the ends of the world, solve mysteries of an ancient civilization, rescue his dream girl, and save the world, all in one adventure! The plot may be simple, but its execution is—dare I say it?—grand!

Grandia—the ultimate feel-good RPG.

And if the story didn't reel you in, the gameplay surely did. Grandia delivered a battle formula that would become a staple for its sequels, combining real-time and turn-based combat that was quite revolutionary for its time. It's simple to pick up, and incredibly rewarding to master--using the right attacks at the right time can cancel enemy attacks, for example. Play your cards right, and you can even defeat some bosses without letting them ever get a turn!

One of the game's many crowning moments of awesome. I remember it well.

It may not be perfect, but I love it for its quirks. The dialogue can get a little cheesy, and the voice acting falls into the so bad it's good category (another staple of the Grandia series) on many occasions. I will be following the footsteps of our Dr. Fink and do a Playing the Classics piece on this wonderful game in remembrance. Thank you very much, Takeshi Miyaji, for what you have given the gaming community. You will be missed.

Songs that should be in Rock Band: Can't Stop

Huh, it seems as though I have broken my tradition of alternating between older song and newer song. This is "Cant' Stop" by Red Hot Chili Peppers and it's one of my favorite songs by them. I find it strange that they haven't been on Rock Band in quite a long time. I remember some rumors flying around that they had some kind of deal with Guitar Hero, but that's dead now. Perhaps they might be able to get some more of their songs on the music store soon since they have a new album releasing soon, and they can promote it with Rock Band sort of like other bands like Foo Fighters has been doing.

Review: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

Ah, Xseed Games, what would us Wii gamers do without you publishing these lesser known games? Fragile Dreams was released here last year in Spring and I had been wanting to play it, but didn't order the game until a couple weeks ago. The game is an action rpg, though it seems to play more like an action adventure. You are able to equip items and weapons and level up throughout the game. None of it is very crucial to the main point of the game though, since the story and atmosphere are the things driving it.

You're given a short back story by the main character before you head off on your journey, and you're not quite sure what happened to the world, you just know that there aren't many humans left. The game revolves around finding this silver-haired girl that you meet early in the game. (Pictured in the reflection on the cover art to the left.) You do meet other characters in the game, but some of them aren't really living.

For example, the first companion you meet is an artificial intelligence contained within a box of some kind. She is basically the tutorial level of the game, since she helps you along with all of the game mechanics you come across. Though the world seems to be rid of humans, you are never truly alone throughout the game, most of the time, you'll have a companion with you. The companions usually just help with hints but never help in combat. The world is full of wandering spirits, so you need to fight them off when you encounter them. The combat is a bit clunky, perhaps because there is no lock-on targeting, but I have gotten used to that mode of play thanks to Monster Hunter. The difficulty of the enemies never really exceeds a certain point, but some of them can get annoying. There is a bit of exploration, but most of the time, you are on a linear path and there are a few times where you need to backtrack, but thankfully it doesn't really slow down the pace of the game too much. You also find these items scattered across the game that give you the memories of people that once lived. Some of them are entertaining, and some of them give a bit of insight into the game's deeper story.

The game's art style really shows in the outdoor areas.

One of the main draws of this game is the atmosphere. It's unlike a lot of the post-apocalyptic settings in that it doesn't go for the nuclear fallout. I can't tell you the full details since that's part of the mystery of the game and I wouldn't want to spoil it. I think the main draw of the game is that sense of being alone and trying to find another person in the world. Though I did mention that you do come across companions in the game, they never seem to last that long, and there is quite a bit of heartbreak throughout the game's story, so prepare to shed some manly tears.

The game's music helps quite a bit in that brooding feeling of isolation and despair. Above is just the title screen's theme, and I think it's pretty moving emotionally. The game's music may be moving but the voice acting... well... isn't so great. Take my advice, if you want, change the dubbing to Japanese so you won't have to hear the English voice actors. All of it is subtitled anyway. The English voice acting just feels so drawn out. It seems like a sentence that should take five seconds to say will take twenty. I realize that some dialogue needs to be like that, but not all the time.

The Verdict:

Fragile Dreams is a pretty unique experience that I haven't encountered often. The only game I can think of that even comes close to something like this would be Ico. (Though Ico probably being the better game.) Fragile Dreams really felt like it had something going for it, the story, the music, the characters... but at the end of the whole thing I wanted more. Perhaps I just expected more out of an action rpg, but I can't blame the game for that. The game is still one of the better lesser known experiences on the Wii, and I would recommend it if you are looking for something different.

What I liked:

-The story
-Great atmosphere

What I didn't like:

-The English voice acting
-Ended a bit sooner than expected

Songs that should be in Rock Band: Again

Yes, again, I am late for this article and I probably will be again and again and again and again. Get it? This is one of my favorite songs by Alice in Chains, and it wasn't included in one of the two packs that have been released so far. I'd really love to see this song become available so I can can sing it at my nonexistent rock band parties.

By the way... doesn't Layne Staley look like Albert Wesker from Resident Evil in this music video?

Nintendo slashing 3DS price $80 plus 20 free games for early adopters?

Wow....

Press Release Source: Nintendo On Thursday July 28, 2011, 3:30 am EDT

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo of America today announced plans to drop the suggested retail price of its portable Nintendo 3DS^™ system to $169.99 in the United States, as new games based on some of the world’s most beloved video game franchises head to the system. The new price, down from the suggested launch price of $249.99 and effective Aug. 12, makes an outstanding value even better and sets up a strong holiday season for the system.

“For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games.”

Nintendo 3DS has the strongest software lineup of any video game system this holiday season and the new price now opens up the glasses-free 3D experience to many more consumers. Building on the popularity of The Legend of Zelda^™: Ocarina of Time^™ 3D, which launched June 19, the upcoming game calendar is a Who’s Who of iconic video game franchises. Star Fox 64^™ 3D arrives on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario^™ 3D Land in November, Mario Kart^™ 7 in December and Kid Icarus^™: Uprising during the holiday season.

In addition to great games, Nintendo 3DS has a host of attractive features* that make it the must-have video game system this season:

• The new Nintendo Video^™ service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood.
• A free application allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streaming from Netflix.
• The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy^™ and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare^™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Since Nintendo 3DS launched in the United States on March 27, more than 830,000 people in the U.S. alone have purchased one to enjoy 3D visuals without the need for special glasses. These Nintendo 3DS owners represent some of Nintendo’s most loyal customers, and Nintendo is rewarding them for getting in on the action early with 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop.

These free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. The program contains two elements:

1. Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES^™ Virtual Console^™ games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.^™, Donkey Kong Jr.^™, Balloon Fight^™, Ice Climber^™ and The Legend of Zelda^™, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.
2. By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island^™: Super Mario^™ Advance 3, Mario Kart^™: Super Circuit, Metroid^™ Fusion, WarioWare^™, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong^™. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.

More details about this program will be announced in the future.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

*Some features require a broadband Internet connection.

Either Nintendo is desperate or this was a cynical plan on their part. Why not both?

Roo from CoTGW and His Earthbound 0 Cartridge

That lucky bastard Roo from Clan of the Gray Wolf got his hands on one of the prototype cartridges for the long lost NES game EarthBound (or Mother if you are so inclined). To be frank, I am insanely jealous and am considering a trip to North Carolina (what I believe is his state of residence) to brutally murder him and take his cart.* But in the meanwhile he shows us what is to be seen from a prototype cartridge.



*Note: I'm only considering, not actually doing.

Songs that should be on Rock Band - Lonely is the Night

Wow, I'm super-late for this article for this week. Better late than never though. I just put on my grooveshark and this song came on and reminded me that I should post this article. I think since no one around me, even online, doesn't talk about Rock Band anymore and I haven't been playing it as much lately, so I just haven't given thought to this article series. I still love the idea of having a music collection that you can "play" though, that's my main draw to Rock Band.

Anyway, enough of my whining. This is "Lonely is the Night" by Billy Squier. He only has one song on Rock Band, and it was a Christmas song. Christmas songs are nice to have during the holidays, but c'mon, no one would play them year-round, it would get annoying. "Lonely is the Night" however has been a favorite song of mine ever since I was a kid. Yep, it's another one of those songs, where I would hear it on the radio during family trips to the beach. If Harmonix does put anymore Billy Squier on Rock Band, I'd love to have at least this song.

Oh, speaking of those songs. A pack of songs from Yes is going to release next week with one of those songs. Yep, I'm talking about "Owner of a Lonely Heart", it was another one of those songs that came from the 80's that I kept hearing as a child. Most Yes fans tend to hate that song because it's so unlike what Yes does, but I love it. I also love the other Yes tracks as well, so I'll be picking up the whole pack once I get some MS points.

Thursday's Video Game Tunes #7 [Pokemon Edition]

Sorry for missing a week on this feature, last Thursday was incredibly busy for me. It's not that I didn't have a few minutes to type this on my computer but I was swamped and couldn't even think of cool music to post. But fear not, we're back this time. With Pokemon music. Oh yes.

Pokemon Black/White - Vs. Pokemon Trainer N (Final Battle)


Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver - Azalea Town/Blackthorn City


Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen - S.S. Anne

Brawl in the Family: 350 - It Takes A Lifetime

From the Brawl in the Family web-comic. I thought I'd give it a post since it was such a well done piece.



If you don't read the web-comic, you really should since it is a fantastic Nintendo based web-comic and run by one of the Negative World's users, TriforceBun.

Playing The Classics: Little Nemo The Dream Master: Vol 1

So I've wanted to write this and play this game again for a long long time. Life got crazy, hence my absence from the site, and while I'm not necessarily back in some full force, it's damn time in my life to get some rest and visit Nemo in his dreamland. So here that goes. I remember playing this a ton as a child. I've had the NES game since I can remember though I have no recollection of how I came to have it in the first place. Still, it's always had a special place in my heart despite me never really getting that far. I've heard this game is very hard, so lets see if that's the case. Lets play a classic! Little Nemo Dream Master!

From the moment I booted it up, that wonderful music graced my ears. I am such a fan of the music from this game. In fact, you should be checking out the Mega Ran & K Murdoch song, Dream Master as well as the The Adventures of Duane and BrandO song Little Nemo. They are both awesome songs that sample this classic tune. The title screen is classic and colorful and well designed. This game already is starting off right. Time to dive in.

Dream 1: Mushroom Forest
A weird looking frog man greets me in his purple suit and shoes. They call him Flip and he feels like he should help me figure this world out. Yep, this is an NES game alright, as if the purple hair sprite didn't help give it away. The art of the game looks pretty great. Just detailed enough. Though, it's not overbearing.

I avoid an easy snail and then find the frog. The infamous frog. The character I remember most about this game. I throw him some candy which makes him nap, and thus I jump into his body! His sleepy mouth is open as my head sticks out and I control his muscles and nerves. Who the hell thought of this game concept? Then again, it is the dream land after all... I now remember what made this game so challenging, initially anyway... the respawning enemies. Wow that's frustrating already. Still, I found a mole and in a weird moment of instinct, I went way left and found a secret area... with a purple lizard... just dying for me to throw candy at.

Like any good salamander, it climbs walls. Too bad the damn thing doesn't stop on enemies though. I died trying to kill the respawned version. How frustrating. Then again, when I restarted I died again when I jumped on a tiny frog. I think perhaps I can't kill these baddies unless I'm in that frog skin. By the end of a challenging level, dodging tiny frogs and pissy flying ants and such, I finally made it to a door with six key holes. Thank God! I had six keys. I was worried for a second there.

Then that amazing little tune plays, the same one Mega Ran initially samples in their song. A cutscene plays. A nice touch.

Dream 2: Flower Garden
The sound of running footsteps... a leap... and SLAM into the bed! Nemo is ready for action again. Time for another weird purple character. This is the extent of my memory of the game I think. I remember this world but not very well. The music is less familiar also. One thing I gotta give to this game is the nice water mechanics. It's like using the Frog Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3 except you have a natural buoyancy. That's surprising. Oooh! I remember the Gorilla. I'm so gonna pwn this world. He is like a mix of the salamander with his climbing but also he punches like Donkey Kong. This dude is the honey badger of the Dream Land and he don't care! However one thing he does care about are these ridiculous spores that hone in on you and your awkwardly moving monkey ass. With the respawning feature, you have to essentially take the hit to get to the salamander again. Damn. Plus they KEEP COMING which makes it nearly impossible to avoid taking tons of hits while nabbing that salamander. Damn. There's a reason as a child I didn't make it that far.

Luckily the continue takes you to the last level you were at. Phew. Finally I nabbed that lizard! After some careful platforming I made it to the bee. Now I went left because the cave goes left... I traversed some tricky spike pathway... and in a dick move... nothing was there. Nice. Nemo you dope. Oh also, as to be expected, the bee will drown. Son of a! I kept drudging through and eventually I made it to another door, with six keys in tow. Yeah... this game is a challenge indeed. But I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth further into it.

Why won't Nintendo let us give them our money?!

This video has been quite popular and gaining attention by the people who want Operation Rainfall to succeed. This guy makes some very excellent points and I love the way he just lays out the money to show how much Nintendo could be making with each person if they localized some of the games we've been wanting.

Zelda-Nation: Gamesradar: A Link to the Past reimagined as a 242-card Magic: The Gathering expansion

I personally know next to nothing about Magic: The Gathering but this quite amused me.

Songs that should be in Rock Band: Bound to the Floor

Now here's a song that sort of fell under my radar as I got older and it's still under the radar of a lot of people. Not just the song, but the whole band... all two of the members. Bands consisting of just two members aren't seen very often in rock, let alone grunge-type sounding music. Also, this is probably the only song that I've ever heard the slang term 'copacetic' used in the lyrics. I listened to the album this song is on by Local H and I've heard a few of their other songs on some custom internet radio sites, but for now I'd just like to have this one major hit of theirs on Rock Band.

Thursday's Video Game Tunes #6 [Boss Battles Edition]

Sorry for not posting this early in the morning like I actually do, I'm not feeling too well, so I think I unconsciously hit the snooze button on my alarm and almost got in late to work. So I was in a total rush, all with my flu-ish state. Wasn't pretty. Thank you Ibuprophen.

What do you guys think of me doing categories more often now? Please leave a comment about that if you care.

Mega Man 10 - Boss


Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Bowser, the Almighty Koopa King


Pokemon Black/White - Vs. Kanto Champion [a.k.a Gary Motherfucking Oak's Theme]

Wednesday WTF: Mario on Paper

Well if you look at if that way, Mario is a bit of a jerk.

Top 5 of the 1st Half and Top 5 Most Wanted For the Second Half of 2011

Can you believe that we are already more than half-way through the year? Though with the Wii sucking wind (thanks to Nintendo apparently not interested in delivering games the core would like) it was relatively boring one for me. Mostly marked with buying used games and some previous year releases. I did manage to sneak in some 2011 releases though and here is how I'd rank them:

Top 5 of the First Half of 2011

1. Portal 2 - PS3

This game is incredible. If you've played it, you'd know that. Taking the simple, yet refined mechanics of the first and expanding it greatly, not only in terms of gameplay but also in story. Not only do you get an incredible single player but also an amazing co-op mode that does more than just be an add-on but its own story in its own right. Remember if you don't play this, Cave Johnson is going to burn your house down, with the lemon!

2. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 3DS

A remake of my favorite game of all time? That is a no brainer for me. This remake improves quite a bit, mostly graphically. Link has more animation, the world is more detailed, etc. Also moving the menus to the touch screen makes the thing that so many players hated, doing the iron boots in the water temple. Plus the ability to take OoT on the road with me is awesome.

3. de Blob 2 - Wii

And here what I believe to be the best game on the Wii this year. Sigh. Don't get me wrong, de Blob 2 is a great game. The review I posted said as much. It expands on a lot of what made de Blob great and improves on what was wrong.

4. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition - 3DS

The 3rd of now 4 versions of Street Fighter IV is a great port from the PS3/360 versions. It is in the vein of the ports to the SNES for Street Fighter II. Gives you everything you love about the console version without having to pay for the DLC. Can't go wrong with that.

5. Radiant Historia - DS

While I am not very far into this game I am loving the use of the time travel aspects of using the Historia and opening up many different plot lines and scenarios. And with a pretty fun battle system I'll certainly enjoy this even more as I go.


Top 5 Most Wanted for the Second Half of 2011

1. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Wii

The wait for this has been a long one, 5 years since the last console version actually. With a great mix of TWW and Twilight Princess' art-style and hopefully some fun new gameplay aspects with Wii Motion+ this could very well be the game that beats out Portal 2 for my favorite of the year.

2. Batman: Arkham City - PS3

Arkham Asylum was a fantastic take on Batman and is arguably the greatest super-hero video game of all. It just nailed how Batman truly operates in the shadows to take out thugs and the relative brutal efficiency of his fighting technique. Arkham City promises to expand on it with a larger environment and more villains showing up.

3. Team Ico Collection - PS3

If you hadn't noticed, I just posted a pair of trailers for this game. Improves to HD will hopefully just make these fantastic games even better and make the wait for The Last Guardian a little easier, or harder. Hard to say.

4. Kirby - Wii

A Kirby platformer with some of the ideas of New Super Mario Bros. Wii of 4 player co-op? Count me in. Kirby games are always a ton of fun and will help ease some of the pain this year.

5. Star Fox 64 3D - 3DS

Another remake of a classic but much like OoT3D getting to take this on the road will be a huge plus especially that the game feels suited to handheld experiences. Plus we get to be annoyed by Slippy all over again. Yay?

There are other games that I wanted but these are the ones with the definite release dates. Mario Kart, Super Mario, Paper Mario, MGS3, etc all look great but I'm not sure if they'll all make it out this year. If they do, wow that will be a lot of stuff.