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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Operation Rainfall (And Happy Independence Day!)

I made a video earlier today pertaining to the whole thing about Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower called Operation Rainfall. I may have called it a couple of months ago, but I'm still upset about Nintendo of America's decision not to localize these games and giving us no explanation for it.

So... here's the video:



And here are the links I mentioned in the video:

Operation Rainfall
Negative World

Negative World Podcast #12
An Open Letter to Nintendo
_______________

Also, to my fellow Americans:

Happy Independence Day!

It's raining here, so no fireworks for me. :c

Roo & Pat The NES Punk: E3 Video Game History Museum Exhibit Tour

The Video Game History Museum is a physical place in San Jose, CA, or at least they hope to be one, that intends to be like any museum: A place to go to learn about the history of something and provide research opportunities. They also have a traveling exhibit and obviously at E3 this year. So Roo and Pat the NES Punk show us around and discuss some of the more interesting exhibits.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Seriously if I ever went to an E3 and this exhibit was there, I'd probably never leave.

Zelda-Nation: Ocarina of Time's Importance to Me

Today, Ocarina of Time 3D was released for the 3DS some 12 and a half years after the original (Ocarina of Time was released Nov. 23rd here in North America) and hopefully is introducing those who never played to the classic while giving those of us who played, and loved it, another excuse to play through it. I know I'll look for any excuse to play Ocarina of Time.

I think Ocarina of Time's importance to gaming is one that is but shouldn't be excused. Nowadays a lot of people comment on the aged graphics (well I'd sure hope so) and some of the clunkier aspects of the game but forget at the time Ocarina of Time was one of the better looking and playing games of the time. Not only did Ocarina of Time bring the Zelda feeling to a 3D game exceptionally well it also provided the industry with a seemingly obvious way to avoid camera problems prevalent (and still an issue today) back then, Z-targeting. This made it much more possible to properly battle enemies in a 3D space and also made for more cinematic battles. But these things should be obvious to anyone and even if Ocarina of Time isn't your favorite Zelda (actually it battles A Link to the Past for that place for me), I'd say denying OoT's role in influencing game design shouldn't be downplayed.

But this isn't about Ocarina of Time's impact to gaming but its impact on me. The lead up to Ocarina of Time's creation in the mid-90s marked the period in time when I went from being a casual-ish gamer to a more hardcore gamer to the gamer I am today. Mind you most of what I saw back in the lead up with pictures in Nintendo Power or EGM but screenshots take up space and these videos pretty much show what I saw anyways.



This is the earliest known footage of what would eventually become Ocarina of Time. While obviously more a demo for the Nintendo 64's graphics than anything resembling the final product, this demo sparked my, and other's, imagination in 1995 about a 3D Zelda title. At the time I had little real experience with 3D games so this was really exciting. Seeing a familiar character as Link in a 3D environment fighting a generic knight was something else. As an aside, before I knew about the N64, I remember writing a letter to Nintendo Power asking about a possible 3D Zelda on the Virtual Boy and if I remember right I got something alluding to a future 3D Zelda but since I was dumb at the time I thought for sure Zelda would show up on the Virtual Boy. Consider that a bullet dodged. Anyways, while that footage wasn't a lot to go to the future of Zelda 64 it did make the wait for more concrete stuff to show up even more painful.



Now this was more like it. The game was truly starting to form into what would become Ocarina of Time. While obviously a bit early things like the triforce, stalfos and Link were all incredibly enticing and familiar. This was right about the time the N64 came out and after salivating over how amazing Mario 64 was, the two years between then and 1998 seemed to just that much longer.



This trailer showed more environments. What I remember most about these '97 videos and screenshots was that the environment was much more open. With hindsight it is obviously because of Ocarina of Time's time as a 64DD game. I'd imagine that when Ocarina of Time was converted to cartridge a lot of stuff changed so while these shots look familiar they are still were short of what the final product would be.

Now from that time on (and because I can't find more videos) I basically spent the next two years playing whatever came up on the N64 (Star Fox 64 and Goldeneye in particular) and devouring any and all information that came forward about Ocarina of Time. And then this commercial popped up:



Now by that time my anticipation had reached a near boiling point and seeing the completed game's commercials pretty much put me over the edge. Of course I had been pretty much telling my parents that this game, above all else, was what I wanted for Christmas. So I'd have to wait a month after the game's release to finally get my hands on the game.

And what a Christmas it was. Knowing that the game was under our tree, just sitting there was murder. When I finally got to unwrap it, the first thing I wanted to do was go to my room, stick it in my N64 and play until I was blue in the face. When I finally got my chance to play, I was hooked. From Navi's initial flight to find Link and to Link first stepping foot on the overworld I was 3+ years of anticipation was rewarded with a game that I would come to play and beat at least 30 times including a time where I beat it 3 times in a month (N64 version, GCN disc version, MQ version). Yeah I'm obsessed.

Nowadays it is a lot easier to follow anticipated games, what with the internet being pretty much a part of everyone's life now. In the '90s it was harder and I basically had to absorb all information I could as my internet access was limited at the time and magazines were my number one source. But that was a great 3 year period for me and changed how I look at gaming in general. With all the information available to us today, it is easy for us to be cynical as finding info on upcoming games is pretty much always available to us.

Retro Reviews: Conker's Bad Fur Day

Conker's Bad Fur Day was released in 2001 developed and published by Rare.

In the history of gaming there are many games that started out one way and come out much differently. Conker's Bad Fur Day is probably the most extreme example of that. In 1997 the first incarnation of Conker, Conker's Quest (and later Twelve Tales: Conker 64) was to be a cute, family friendly affair staring Conker and his chipmunk girlfriend Berri. It was to be much in the mold of Banjo-Kazooie and other 3D platform games of the era. Conker was even in Rare's Diddy Kong Racing in all his high-pitched squeaky voiced glory. There was even a Game Boy version released in 1999 that starred Conker in his cute mode. But in 2000, Conker was revamped into the form that we all know and love. While the game had the cute appearance of the early versions, the game featured swearing, gore, a ton of feces, numerous references to genitalia and more movie parodies than you could shake a stick at. This all came together to create unforgettable and hilarious experience at the end of the N64's lifespan.

Conker is in many ways a standard issue platform game from the 64/32-bit era of games. You lead Conker through the incredibly strange world he inhabits just so he can get home back to every furry's dream girl, Berri and sleep off the massive hangover he got at the bar the night before. Along the way he'll run into gangster wasps, a rather annoyed Death, a King and Queen bee in peril, a buxom & ticklish sunflower and even a giant singing blob of living poo. That is just a sample of all the character he runs into as Conker is unknowingly also trying to avoid being captured by the Panther King to be made into the fourth leg of a broken table.

Conker plays much like Banjo-Kazooie in that if you know how to play that you'll pretty much know how to play it. Conker's big differences in how you progress through levels. Unlike B&K nonlinear hub style, Conker's world is connected and linear. You rarely hang out in one area for very long, usually just long enough to complete a few tasks and collect money (kind of similar to jiggies or stars but less the main point of the game). So relatively speaking Conker is much a stripped down version of a classic 3D platform game, a step back on a ton of collectables per stage that Rare was known for. Another big game play feature is the "context sensitive" buttons that give Conker the ability he needs at that time, such as alka seltzer, throwing knives, a sling shot or beer just to name a few. The great thing about the game is the variety, you'll never do the same exact thing twice and by time you get tired of that particular stage's theme you'll be on to the next one and getting used to a new game play mode. There is even a fun multi-player mode that covers a whole bunch of different game styles, from king of the hill style to fortress defense. And they also have their own sense of humor so they are worth checking out for that.

The only flaw in the game play I'd say is the camera. It really likes to work against you especially when you trying to make a big jump as it'll sometimes go out of position sending you in the wrong direction or unable to see where you trying to reach. You can get around it most of the time but some areas may have you pulling hair out trying to figure out which way to go because the camera disoriented you.

The graphics in Conker's BFD are some of the best on the N64. Even before it's new tone, Conker impressed people especially with the facial animation of Conker. Conker displays a wide range of emotion in the game and it is all expressed very nicely on the N64. The rest of the game is also very colorful for the most part showing the game's roots as a cutesy platformer. The textures are a bit muddy but aren't bad for the N64. I'd say this is all because the N64 expansion pak let Rare do a whole lot of really cool stuff. Only problem is that the frame-rate can get a bit jittery, especially in the most hectic parts.

The audio in the game is also great, some of the best on the N64 at that. While the music is appropriately inappropriate (cute music over the depravity) the voice acting is some of the best I've ever heard. While a tad muted, the various characters and especially Conker all come across as very memorable and if you can't read them they provided us with speech bubbles for some of the harder to understand characters. Also the game features a giant singing pile of poo. Which may be humanities greatest musical achievement. Seriously, if you haven't heard this song, go here now. Your ears will thank you.

In the end if you like N64-era platformers and appreciate a surreal and funny gaming experience chock full of memorable scenarios and references, you cannot go wrong with this classic game. If you want a pleasant reminder of what Rare once was, it is even better.

Pros/Cons

+ Extremely funny with plenty of movie parodies
+ Classic but streamlined 3D platforming gameplay
+ Great N64 graphics
+ The GREAT MIGHTY POO
+ Very good voice acting
- Twitchy camera
- Sometimes suspect framerate

Vlogging & Thoughts on E3 2011

So... I started posting videos on youtube again. This time with a new account and making videos talking to the camera. There's only two videos on there right now, but there will be more coming up very soon.

One of the videos is an introduction and the other is about my thoughts on E3 this year. Since it's related to gaming, I thought, why not put it on PK Gaming! So here it is:

If you have a youtube account, please subscribe, rate and comment! Remember, I'll have a lot of content coming up pretty soon.

What Other Games Could Get the 3D Classics Treatment?

With Nintendo releasing remakes of classic games on the 3DS that utilize a 3D effect into them to give them a feeling of depth, aka Excitebike, I've got to thinking what kind of games would also be neat to have this effect. A general conclusion I've come up with is that games with isometric 3D perspectives (think Super Mario RPG) could use this to great effect but what other games could really make a fun use of the 3D Classics treatment. Mind you this is just speculation on how the 3D treatment would actually affect a game and may have no basis in reality.


- 3D World Runner and Rad Racer - NES

I'm putting these two games together for two reasons: they are both Square made games and also had 3D modes with the classic stereoscopic (blue and red glasses style) 3D. They are also fun games in their own right that have gone forgotten in the 20+ years that each were released. 3D World Runner could make some of the trickier jumping sections easier with 3D and Rad Racer could make it easier to judge distances between you and the cars.

- R.C. Pro-Am - NES

This is one of the first games I thought of when I thought of the isometric perspective thing. 3D could make the cars seem to pop out like you are actually controlling little RC cars.

- Star Fox

This one should seem obvious to anyone. Of course this presumes that Nintendo is going to try this for Super NES games and we haven't even seen Star Fox on the Wii VC yet. But with Star Fox 64 3D coming out Nintendo may give Star Fox the treatment and give a classic game the respect it deserves. That would be a great thing to do to coincide with the release of Star Fox 64 3D.

- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - SNES

Another Super FX game that would use it in a different way than Star Fox. While Yoshi's Island does have many polygonal objects the use of the SFX chip on the sprites would be even cooler. You know those chomps that jump from the background to the foreground at you? Think how cool that could be in 3D? The last fight with Bowser? Awesome. There are many possibilities for this criminally not already on the VC game.

- Super Metroid - SNES

This isn't as obvious as Star Fox or Yoshi's Island but a game as atmospheric and moody as Super Metroid could really increased with some subtle implementation of the 3D effect. Since the 3D Classic treatment seems to include adding new sprites to help, maybe adding more background and foreground sprites as well as putting 3D on Samus' weapons and abilities. Who knows?

These are only a few ideas I've come up with and I'm sure there are even more, better, ideas than mine. So if you got any, say what. Could be cool.

E3 2011 Recap - Conference Thoughts + Who Won

As of Tuesday, June 7th at 10:30 AM Pacific, all Press Conferences of 2011's Electronic Entertainment Expo are over. Of course, we'll be seeing tons of game demos and interviews starting there, and continuing all through Wednesday and Thursday, but we already know all the major announcements, reveals and games we can look forward to. So, with that information in mind, join me in my E3 2011 Recap, in which I'll be giving my personal thoughts of the show, entailing my in-depth analysis of all three major Press Conferences (sorry for discriminating, Ubisoft and EA, it's just that... well, yes, you are less important), and ending off with a conclusion saying who won and why. I hope you enjoy!

Microsoft's Conference

E3 kicked off with Microsoft's press conference at 9:30 AM Pacific on Monday. Overall, not only was I not impressed, but I was also disappointed and worried with what Microsoft continues to choose to focus on, a trend that started at last year's E3 and seems to continue. In fact, my impression of this year's show is pretty much the same as last year's. There were some cool games I already knew are coming out, and I already know are cool; like Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Halo: Combat Evolved HD, Tomb Raider, and Forza 4. During the last 10 seconds of the show, the spotlight was taken by a Halo 4 Teaser, which, like all teasers, revealed absolutely nothing except the announcement of the game. Which was smoothly ruined earlier in the morning. All that took up 15, maybe 20 minutes of the show. Everything else was Kinect and software which supports it.

You can't floor an audience with this.

At last year's conference, I was excited to learn about Kinect's awesome-sounding technology, only to be later disappointed by the games available for it, such as Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports and Kinectimals. Therefore this year, going in, I expected Microsoft to show off more interesting software, which caters to the core gamer a bit more, especially considering the feedback they got last year. What I ultimately got was, the reveal of awesome features like the ability to scan-in any object and have the peripheral recognize it flawlessly, and the ability to draw in 3D. Awesome! And then... on-rails Fable, on-rails Star Wars, Sesame Street and Disney (also on-rails, by the way). Does that make me want to buy Kinect, which I still haven't? No. Is that enough to satisfy a hardcore audience at E3? Definitely not. Perhaps Microsoft was blinded by the numbers moved by their casual software last year, but even then, Kinect's potential is going to waste.

Sony's Conference

Also on monday, at 5 PM Pacific, after EA's and Ubisoft's Conferences, came Sony's showing. I already knew before going in that Sony's Next-Generation Portable was going to be talked about in detail, so coming off of Microsoft's Conference, I was willing to bet my house Sony's would be better. As expected, it was. After a brief apology about the PSN fiasco (which was handled well, I thought), Sony showed some PS3 games. Resistance 3, Starhawk, Uncharted 3, among others. What initially struck me as odd is that almost the entirety of their lineup supported 3D gameplay; not only that, but they made a big deal out of it. I was thinking, "How can you make such a big emphasis on 3D when only a small portion of the market owns a 3D-capable TV as of today?". Apparently they thought about that too (which is not surprising, it doesn't take a genius), because they announced a 24" 3D-Capable Monitor from the Playstation brand, which comes bundled with a pair of 3D glasses and Resistance 3 for $499. It's a good deal.

They also showed a few Move games. They announced Bioshock: Infinite (which looks awesome) will be supporting it. NBA 2K12 was there, which looked alright, but the real surprise for me was Medieval Moves. This is a game developed from the ground-up to take advantage of Move, and it actually looked fun. There's a variety of weapons you can use in the game, and they change in the fly depending on the gesture you make. No weapon select screen is needed. There's also puzzle-solving, and of course, combat with enough variety for a demo. It looked all-around good, and aside from that, I liked that a lot of more hardcore-oriented games are supporting Move as an option. Emphasis on option. That's how you do it. Not with Disneyland Adventures: On-Rails Flying Edition.

And also, of course, we were treated to Sony's new portable system, now officially called the Playstation Vita. As we already knew, the system features a touch screen and a rear touch pannel, not to mention Wi-Fi and 3G. They announced a lot of Playstation 3 favorites are coming to Vita, like LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted, and they looked like fun. They also announced the system will retail for $249, and $299 for the 3G-enabled model, which is a great price point and actually raises a threat for Nintendo's 3DS. Unfortunately, it won't be out this year. My only gripe with the system (and it may prove to not be one as the future draws nearer) is most of the games they showed looked like console games on a handheld. I think handheld gaming is different from home gaming, therefore requires different types of software. But they still looked fun.

Sony's new handheld: The Playstation Vita.

Overall, Sony delivered. There weren't major "wow" moments, but it was more than enough to satisfy fans, and get new people to jump in on the Playstation brand. Can't wait to hear about more Vita games (Where's LocoRocco Vita where you tilt the screen? Seriously).

Nintendo's Conference

Finally, on Tuesday at 9 AM Pacific, Nintendo took the stage. As was the case with Sony, we knew beforehand Nintendo had the showing of a new system under its belt: the successor to the Wii, which was known as "Project Cafe" until today, when it became known by its official name: Wii U. Doesn't sound much dumber than Wii, if you ask me. The controller was confirmed to have a 6.2" screen, which will be able to play Wii U games, via a wireless signal received from the system itself. This wireless signal allows for games to be played without using a TV (assuming you are near the system for the wireless to work, of course. This is not a handheld system), or to play games that utilize both the TV screen and the controller screen together in unique ways. The system is also fully backwards compatible with Wii software and controllers. We saw some concepts of these games, and they looked interesting to say the least. It's also possible to browse the web on the touch screen, and share whatever you desire with the big screen. It's a neat idea, and I'm sure there are tons of things it can do we don't know about, and more even Nintendo doesn't know about. The controller also has a camera, a gyroscope, two sliders, etc. It basically looks like a 3DS sans a top screen, 3D and with one extra slider. No real games were shown, aside from a Lego game (what?), a new Super Smash Bros was announced, which will also come out on 3DS (YES), and a New New Super Mario Bros. Nothing too concrete, though.

Nintendo's Wii U. Above: System. Below: Controller.

Half the show was given to the Wii U. The 3DS stole the spotlight for the remainder of it. Tons of games were shown, some previously unknown, and all complete with new trailers (though some of those absent from the conference itself) - Paper Mario 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Ocarina of Time 3D, Mario Kart 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D, and, the big surprise - Luigi's Mansion 2. It was good, and most of them will release this year, which is definitely nice.

The beginning of the show addressed Zelda's 25th Anniversary. Basically, to celebrate, neat Zelda items will come out throughout the year. Ocarina of Time 3D in September, Zelda Four Swords for free on 3DS, Zelda: Link's Awakening on the eShop today, two music CD's (Ocarina of Time 3D's Soundtrack, and an orchestral CD with music from the entire series, based on live performances that will be happening in all major regions throughout the year), and finally, Skyward Sword on Wii this holiday season. Much better than the mediocre celebration Mario got for his 25th Anniversary.

Overall, Nintendo delivered and then some. The only problem (though it's a significant one) I had was that Wii U doesn't come out until around November of 2012. And they showed one (I repeat, ONE) Wii game at the conference, and that's The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which thankfully comes out this holiday season. We know about a couple others (Kirby Wii being the most interesting), but they didn't mention them at the show. The 3DS is nice, but a handheld system and Zelda can't sustain Nintendo for two entire years (you have to remember nothing very interesting has released on Wii since November of last year). I sure hope there's more announcements coming for Wii. Even so, it was a nice showing.

So...

Who Won?

This is no real surprise, but it's a big toss-up between Sony and Nintendo for me. Sony showed some awesome stuff, with no huge setbacks, but nothing insanely impressive. Nintendo actually wowed me a bit with the Wii U and what they're thinking about doing with the controller, and the 3DS line-up for this year alone looks very nice. But there's far too little for console gamers until fall of next year. But, after much consideration, I have to give it to...

NINTENDO

Even though I'm a huge fan of the company, I was as objective as possible (I do realize I can't be entirely so) when deciding this. The fact of the matter is, Nintendo's killer software wins once again for me. Don't get me wrong, Sony's games look nice, even Microsoft had some potential killer apps in there, but Nintendo really came through showing an impressive line-up for 3DS in 2011, and laying the groundwork for amazing Wii U titles (the huge third party support shown for that definitely helps). So, just like last year, The Big N does it again for me in 2011.

I know it's common place for writers to say this at the end of articles, but I mean it: I'd love to see your comments regarding the winner for you, and whether you agree or disagree with my comments. Thanks!

Bonus: Zelda for Wii U.

Jamie Pogue's Pokemon Mural

Recently a buddy of mine named Jamie wanted to do a special project. He posted it over at Negative World and I put in a request to be chose. The requirements were to post your top-six favorite Pokemon as well as suggest a theme for the photo and he would do a cartoon-ish digital painting about it. I came at him quick, with one of the first, if not the first, requests and it turns out he ended up choosing me! I was elated! Psyched! Eager to see what was going to come of this.

So I told him my favorite Pokemon were Dragonite, Mew, Bulbasaur, Politoed, Haunter, and Magmortar. Ever since the first Pokemon game, I've always had this weird fondness of Cinnabar Island. In fact, my current Simisear in Pokemon White is nicknamed Cinnabar. So I told Jamie to paint me and those Pokemon with Cinnabar Island in the background, at that point in the old games where you've just finished that part and you end up returning to your hometown for the final gym. It was always a favorite of mine. The sample is below but you can download the full resolution version here.

After weeks of working... Jamie finished his work and it is wonderful. I had to post it to the PK Gaming community and give this man props. You can hire him to do all sorts of projects if you like, but no matter what, you owe it to yourself to check out this great Philadelphia artist.


The Website of Jamie Pogue

Jamie also was a key artist in IGN's Week of Zelda Art special. He did three of them, which thumbs are posted below. For full versions visit Jamie's page or IGN.com.

Evil Eagle

Blind

Cucco


Pretty damn great eh?