E3 Bingo 2015!

It's that time again, folks! E3 is here, which means I this wonderful excuse opportunity to make a ridiculous cool game so you I can win prizes from me you!

Nintendo to Purchase Sega

In a plot twist that may finally put an end to the 90's battle of home console supremacy, Nintendo has offered to purchase Sega Sammy, Ltd. for an undisclosed sum.

Retro Sunday - June 22, 2014 - Metroid: Zero Mission

Sunday is fun day! So what game gets to be in today's Retro Sunday spotlight? Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance!

E3 2014: Metroid, Fire Emblem, and Advance Wars in the Works

During some of the round table events at E3, Nintendo has revealed that new games for some of their most beloved franchises are in the works.

E3 Bingo 2014: Day 4 Wrap-up

The final day of E3 has completed. So where are we on the Bingo card?

E3 Bingo 2014

This week is E3, the biggest week in gaming! As is tradition, I have created a Bingo card to use during the various presentations. So what's on the board this year?

New Line of Nintendo Toys on the Way

Nintendo has recently revealed that they will be releasing a new line of toys based on the World of Nintendo. And it’s not just Mario this time.

Meatwad Plame!

So, if there's one series that is known for being super cool, but also super hard, it's Metroid.

Since the NES days, there have been several Metroid games.  The first one was probably the hardest, since there was no map, no hints, and no way to finish it without being verifiably patient.  And of course by that, I mean insane.

Thankfully, Nintendo eased up a little for future titles.  Metroid 2 for Game Boy was a similar type of sci-fi action adventure, with the benefit of a little less pain-in-the-butt.

But the series really hit its stride on Metroid 3, also known as Super Metroid.  It's a beautiful, exciting, and just plain fun game.  There are plenty of great weapons, scary enemies, and gigantic bosses.  To this day, I believe it stands out as one of the best of the series.

In any case, the reason I'm writing this post is to remind you all about the newest Metroid, Other M, due August 31st.  It takes place between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion (GBA).  From what little we know so far, it fleshes out the story of Samus and her origins.  Plus, it looks amazing.  The game is played by holding the Wii remote sideways, but if you want to look around, you simply point the remote at the screen and the game switches to first-person view.  Looks cool to me!

Ok, so I'm bored now, so I'ma go play a game or something.  Buh-bye!

Btw, Amazon (and to a lesser extent, Walmart) is offering a $20 gift card if you preorder the game.  There's no way to know how long this deal will last, so I would suggest buying it right now!  Plus, then you don't have to leave your house to buy the game!  The darn thing comes to you!  Holy crap, that awesome!

Review: Metroid Prime 3

As you all know, I have a habit of getting around to some games long after they are released (sometimes 10 years or more), so this one should seem new in comparison.  So there!

So, back in the early days of the Gamecube, Nintendo released a somewhat controversial game called Metroid Prime.  It wasn’t full of porn or anything like that, but it was a first-person shooter of sorts, which threw a bunch of Nintendo fans into a hissy fit.  You see, up until that point, Metroid was all about side-scrolling platformers, and good ones at that.  But then those fans played the game.  And then they changed their diapers.

Several years later, the Metroid Prime trilogy comes to a close with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.  As you know (if you played the first two), Samus has spent the last several fighting a band of Space Pirates who use a mysterious and volatile element called Phazon to mutate into super soldiers.  At some point, a certain Phazon being takes on the appearance of Samus and begins to wreak havoc on the universe.  That’s where we come in!

In Metroid Prime 3, you get the same Metroid-style platforming mixed with an immersive first-person view.  In the story, Samus teams up with some of the Federation’s other bounty hunters to defeat the Space Pirates and determine what Dark Samus has to do with the whole thing.  But, the good thing about this game is you can use the Wii remote to point and aim at the screen, and once you’ve spent a couple of minutes with it, it works like a charm.  After I finished the game, I tried to play a FPS with a regular controller, and it seemed so primitive and unintuitive that I may or may not have thrown up.

One thing about the Metroid Prime games is their difficulty.  The first one was very, very difficult.  There were very few save points, a ton of enemies, and huge, obnoxious bosses.  The second game was even harder.  In fact, it seemed like they ramped up the difficulty just because.  Metroid Prime 3 is hard, but for the most point, it’s a fair hard.  By that I mean that the difficulty increases steadily and if you take the time to look around and find all of the hidden items, it’s a highly enjoyable game.

That’s the fun part of the Metroid games, after all.  Look around and try and find all of the hidden items and rooms.  In fact, there is a special room in the game that lets you download maps for the different planets so you know exactly what room all of the goodies are in.  It was exceptionally helpful, and because of it, I was able to finish a Metroid game at 100% for the first time ever.  Awesome!

The game suffers from very few flaws.  Some of the objectives are extremely obscure, and one of the bosses halfway through the game was harder than most of the others.  The game does include a new hint system, but it rarely gives you a hint more helpful than, “Check your map for objectives.”
In short, the game is a fantastic finish to the Prime series.  It’s at least as good as the first one, maybe better.  I love all Metroid games, and to be honest, I’m a little sad to see this series end.  Hopefully they’ll make more somewhere down the line.

Pros:

• Excellent Wii-remote controls
• Extremely fun gameplay
• Several large and beautiful worlds to explore

Cons:

• Somewhat confusing at times
• Slightly unbalanced difficulty

This game has earned a Blatantly Biased:




Btw, you can get the entire series on one disc in Metroid Prime Trilogy, where all three games feature Wii-remote controls for the price of one game!  Totally worth it!  But hurry, it’s already becoming hard to find!

Nintendo News: May 06, 2010

Later this year, Disney will be releasing a Wii game called Epic Mickey.  It’s an action-platformer starring the quintessential mouse, but with a darker edge.  Not only that, the game will be transformed into an actual book.  Few details have been revealed on either title, but we’ll likely get more info at E3. [via NeoGAF]

In Nintendo’s fiscal report, they announced that Wii sales are down 21% from last year.  This is probably due to fewer high-profile titles in 2009.  This year will see a new Zelda, Mario, Metroid and several other big name titles, so I really don’t think this is a big issue.  Besides, even with the downward slide, this was Nintendo’s third-best year ever.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power talks about the next De Blob game, among other things.  One little sidenote mentions the announcement a new major game right around E3.  Whether or not it will be anounced in the magazine or at E3 is not clear.  Here’s hoping it’s a new F-Zero.  PLEEEEEAAAAAAASE!!!

-benjamines

Nintendo News: May 05, 2010

So apparently, everyone’s favorite oddball little brother Luigi will be playable in Super Mario Galaxy 2.  You could play as Luigi in the first one, but not until you beat the game as Mario.  This time, you can switch between Mario and Luigi on certain levels, and he can use all of the same powers that Mario can.  It’s not quite co-op, but still pretty cool.  That guy’s got mad hops. [via Kotaku]

The newest entry in the Metroid series, Other M, has been delayed and will hit stores on about August 31st.  The game is closer to the original 2D-style Metroid games, and is played primarily by holding the Wii remote sideways.  There are also some first-person sections thrown in.  The game has been promised to delve deeper in Samus’ largely unknown story.  And for all you timeline buffs, the game takes place between Super Metroid (SNES) and Metroid Fusion (GBA).

Namco has announced that the next big Pac-Man evolution will be unveiled at E3 in June.  This will coincide with the pellet-eating orb’s 30th anniversary.  Expect announcements for games on every console and game-esque device on the planet. [via Joystiq]

-benjamines

Nintendo's E3 Press Conference!

Well, it got over just a few minutes ago, but there plenty of new games to announce. Talk about loads of Mario!

First, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It's like New Super Mario Bros. DS, but you can play with four people at the same time! It comes out around Christmas!

Next, we have Mario vs. Donkey: Minis March Again. It's a DSi-ware downloadable title available THIS MONDAY!! You can create levels and upload them for others to play. I actually mentioned this in an older post, but didn't expect it to show up today.

Third, we have Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for the DS. It's the 3rd in the series and it comes out this fall! Wahoo!!

Fourth, and most importantly, is Super Mario Galaxy 2. You heard me right. Another Mario Galaxy! That's freaking amazing! There was no release date, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't come out until next year.

Oh, and that's not all. The new Zelda (Spirit Tracks) comes out this year, there is a new Wii Fit coming out this fall, and there is a new Metroid Wii game in the works. Wow!

Oh, we're not done yet. Moving memo is on its way (it's an animation tool for the DSi), plus a new WarioWare that lets you make your own levels! How awesome is that?!

Lemme see if I missed anything... Oh! Wii Sports Resort, which has 10 games (including basketball, archery, and frisbee) comes out in July. There's a new Final Fantasy (Wii), a new Kingdom Hearts (DS), and a new Golden Sun (DS), all exclusives.

Also, they're making something called the "Wii Vitality Sensor." It's one of those things you put your fingers in and it tells you your blood pressure and what not. Should be interesting to see how that can be put to use. Trauma Center, anyone?

Also, I forgot to mention that the new TMNT: Smash-Up is scheduled for September 22nd. Hooray! Let's hope the TMNT IV remake makes it to Wii as well.

In any case, that's what we have so far. So far, I haven't quite gotten any bingos, but I'm really close. I'll update it with a picture shortly.

So yeah... GREAT NEWS!!!

-benjamines

Top Ten Games That Would Be Really Fun If They Weren’t Ridiculously Difficult, pt. 2

And now, dear friends, I reveal to you the final half of a list of games that are tragically too hard, and therefore, not as fun as they could have been.

5. Contra (NES) - This is one of those must-haves for NES owners (and Wii owners, now). It's the quintessential run-n-gun game. You run around, shoot stuff, the stuff shoots you, you fight giant bosses and insane enemies, and you win. Or at least, you tried to. I'd say 98% of Contra players have never seen the ending, not counting YouTube watchers. You see, Contra did what most games don't: added a touch of realism. And by that, I mean if you get shot, even once, you die. Doesn't matter if you get hit in the face, or the heart, or the toe, or the toupee, you die. Wow.

Let me say that Contra is fun, regardless of the difficulty. It's just so insanely hard. It definitely requires lots of time and patience, just like many games of its era. Since there isn't much randomness of enemy placement, you basically have to memorize the levels and bullets paths. Fortunately, if you do that, you can beat it, since there aren't really any difficult platforms to jump to or things like that. Unlike some other game...

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) - The original TMNT game is hard. That's all there is too it. Full of barely-reachable platforms, difficult enemies, insane levels, and all-around ridiculousness. It's easy enough at first, but only the first few levels. Then comes the dam. Let me tell you about the dam.

Apparently, the Shredder (or one of his minions) rigged up the dam with a ton of explosives. Your job is to swim around and deactivate every bomb. And you're timed. Oh, and there is electrified seaweed everywhere. I think if you knew where every bomb was and went as fast as possible and didn't get hit by the seaweed, you'd have like 10 seconds left over. So imagine how fun it was the first time through. Or the twenty subsequent tries. I hate that dam level. And that's just the beginning. Later on, you're expected to jump over gaps where you literally have to jump at exactly the right time. I think you have about 1 pixel of leeway. Ouch.

Now don't get me wrong. I like this game. I really do. I love TMNT. Just ask anyone. I just think this game suffers from NES-era way-too-hard-itis. Thankfully, it got over that in the extremely entertaining TMNT 2, which by the way, is one of the best games ever.

3. Mortal Kombat (SNES, N64, etc) - This one is for all Mortal Kombat games. Which I love. But, as we saw in yesterday's post, the story mode is just stupid hard.

Honestly, I enjoy a good MK match. Give me Raiden or Sub-Zero and I'll go to town. But don't make me play the single player mode. It's not worth it. Even on easy, it's insanely hard. Like, unfairly and cheatingly hard. Seriously. I've always been baffled as to why the designers made the computer players' reflexes so fast. If you try to uppercut them, they will duck before you can land the punch and then uppercut you themselves. That's dumb.

And I'm just talking about the easy mode. On the second or third match. Forget about trying on medium, hard, or master (or whatever they're called). I honestly think I would rather have someone run over my face with a car than try and beat it on Master mode. Come on, Midway! Tone it down a bit, huh?!

2. Mega Man X6 (GCN) - You are probably familiar with Megaman games. The original games were hard, but they weren't impossible (for the record, I have beaten all 9 Megaman games without cheating). I guess Capcom decided its fans needed something even harder. So they made Mega Man X. It was Megaman on steroids, and it caused a nasty mutation in the difficulty department. The levels were harder, the bosses were way harder, and then end boss is not even worth trying. So, naturally, they decided to make another Mega Man X. And another, and so on.

Enter Mega Man X6. It looks cool, I won't lie. The graphics are very well done. The music is also nicely arranged and fits the mood. But, in the words of Garfield, whoever designed the levels needs to be drug out into the street and shot. I was using cheats for invincibility, unlimited lives, and infinite jumping ability, and I still died close to 100 times. On one level. I kid you not. There are killer spikes, holes, and flatteners at every turn. And don't forget the unreal number of enemies that will annoy you incessantly. By the way, this is just on the first 8 levels. Don't even get me started on the boss levels.

Ok, you got me started. The very first boss level could take a person years to beat. You have to use an ice block to get you just high enough to where you can jump to the next level. If you don't do it just right, you die. Also, you have to do it about 6 times in a row to get to the top. And that's just the beginning. Then you have to side-slide on moving floating platforms, all while dodging tons of spikes. Man, that sucks. And that's just the first of four boss levels. The bosses in these levels are just stupidly hard. They can shoot laser beams, giant fireballs, and of course, they have nearly impenetrable shields. I had invincibility turned on and it was still ridiculously hard. In fact, one of the boss levels has holes in the floor, so if you get hit in the wrong place, say good bye. And then comes the end boss. As usual, after you beat the end boss, he morphs into something bigger and you have to beat him again. Since I know none of you are insane enough to play this one to the end, I'll spoil it for you. The guy has laser beams that literally take up 80% of the screen. What?! Don't forget the giant floating green skulls, too. So, after all that, I must say that when Capcom adds to the difficulty of Megaman games, it takes away from the fun. That's all there is to it.

And that brings us to the final game...

What could it be?

Perhaps... something hard?

I'd bet on it...

SPOILER ALERT

I like pudding...

1. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN) - Ah, Metroid. You are so fickle. The original was so, so, so insanely hard. Likewise for most of the others. The easiest was probably Zero Mission, which is my personal favorite. But despite how hard they were, the games were pretty fun. They have a lot of similarities to Zelda games. You fight a boss, get a new weapon, fight a boss, etc. And when the Gamecube came out, the series evolved dramatically.

Metroid Prime took the classic 2D series and thrust it into 3D. People were a little unsure of the first person shooter style, but they knew how great it was once they played it. It took everything that was great about the series and added to it. Yeah, it was hard. But it was doable. It was frustrating, sure. But it was still rewarding in the end. Then, inexplicably, Retro Studios decided to make it even more difficult.

Why, I wonder? Did they not think it was hard enough? Was there really that much demand for higher difficulty? Who knows. All we know is that game is hard. It's about twice as hard as MP1, which was insanely hard in its own right. And not only that, it has something that many of my most hated games have: confusion.

One of my biggest annoyances is getting stuck in a game. Metroid is notorious for not giving hints, but this game gives about 2 the whole game, and even then, that's only when you've been stuck for an hour. And we haven't even talked about the bosses yet.

Bosses are meant to be hard. This is an eternal video game truth. It can sometimes be less than fulfilling when the boss is too easy. But these bosses are overkill. They are invincible for 2/3rds of the time, and when they are hittable, they always throw something at you or throw you at something or someone else.

I'm not gonna ramble forever about this, because it's all the same shtick. I will say that if this game was as hard as MP1, it would have been amazing. As it is, it's way too hard, and therefore, not very fun. Sorry, Samus. Your problem, not mine.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Earthworm Jim (SNES, N64): All these games are too hard. They are insanely funny, and the music is great (especially in Earthworm Jim 3D). Just too dang hard.

Kirby Dream Course (SNES): Probably the only hard Kirby game ever. Still fun, though.

Mario Golf (N64): The key to this game is that even though it's hard, it's extremely fun.

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Super Monkey Ball Adventure, DDR Hottest Party 2, My Japanese Coach

Have You Met My Friend Troid?

And here we are again, you and I. One of us, enjoying the fun and excitement of beating a new game every two days. The other, writing this blog. I kid, I kid!

This time, it was Metroid. For the NES. Yeah, it's an oldie. That much is for sure. And, like many games of the mid 80s, it was ridiculously difficult (I'm lookin' at you, TMNT 1!). But, as we know, these early and sometimes less-attractive titles has since blossomed into indispensable franchises.

In any case, this is the first time Samus was called on to save the galaxy. At least, the first time that was documented in video game form. We see many of the same enemies we see in current-generation Metroid games, only slightly less 3-D.

To be honest, Metroid starts out as a really fun game. The physics are nicely done, the graphics are good for their time, and the sound and music fit perfectly with the ambience. That luster tends to wear off, however, when you discover just how stinking easy it is to get lost.

Ok, I'm going to be frank here. I'm not the most patient person in the world. And when you've played games like Metroid Zero Mission, it's easy to say that this version is total crap. You have no map, no indication of where to go, no hints... you're in the dark, buddy. Yeah. It's a dang hard game. We established that. But even so, it's a fun play. Even for NES days, it has it's enjoyable moments.

Now, let me be honest again. I never actually finished the game. At least, not without cheating. A lot. I made a nice map to begin with, but the game got so hard that I couldn't get far enough to explore new areas. So... I used a small, but effective cheat code. It only gives you 30 health. But as soon as you drop below 30, it gives you 30 again. So... yeah. Minor cheat code.

The bosses are not what you might expect from current Metroid games, except that they are very difficult. I have decided that they are actually just baby versions of the monstrosities that Ridley and Kraid have since become. Very, very mean babies.

In any case, the game really is well done, even through 1987 eyes. I actually wish more games like this existed, because that would mean we'd have more matured franchises to play today. But I digress. The game is good. I won't lie. It's hard. Harder than Contra (seriously!). But it's good.

And even if the game wasn't that good, I'd much rather battle Metroids than battle hemorrhoids.

Pros:

• The dawn of Samus!
• Great controls and presentation
• Classic music

Cons:

• Hard
• Very Hard
• Too Hard

This game has recieved a Blatantly Biased:

Dessert Island

No, I'm not talking about the tropical baked equivalent of Candyland (did you read the title right?) I'm talking about the classic question posed to fanatics of anything. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 (whatever the crap) would you want to have with you? Today, I shall share with you you my top 5 games I would have if I was stranded on a desert island.

But this is no ordinary desert island list. I shall share with you my top 5 games with female main characters. Games with a female character as a choice don't count, such as Smash Bros and Mario Bros 2. So let's have a look. Should be interesting...

5 - Trace Memory(DS): This classic DS game stars Ashley Robbins, a thirteen year old girl who recieves a package from her thought-to-be-dead father on her birthday. She is instructed to go to Blood Edward Island off the coast of Washington. Her father is not there to greet her, so she goes lookoing for him.

The game is similar to your standard point-and-click adventure. You explore various rooms and areas and pick up items and hit switches, etc. The story is extremely compelling and the gameplay is very fun. As with many point-and-click adventures, sometimes you can get stuck looking for a hidden item or switch, but aside from that, the game is highly entertaining. After I complete my 108 in 2008 goal, perhaps I shall play through it again. It's that good.

4 - Drill Dozer (GBA): Another Nintendo portable sleeper hit. You play as Jill, a member of a crew of drillers. She controls a walking drilling machine as you try and find all the treasures you can. When you start a level, you can only drill through a certain thickness of walls. As you go, you can find second and third gears, the latter of which allows you to drill through most anything.

Sounds like an 'interesting' title, to be sure. But it's way more fun than it sounds. The levels are nicely designed, and the boss battles are hard, but beatable. Plus, the cartridge has a built-in rumble pak, so when you drill, the thing shakes. That rules. Plus, it's one of those great games where after you beat the main adventure, you just HAVE to go and find all the extra treasures. Definitely worth a second play-through.

3 - Metroid Zero Mission (GBA): Many people are not aware that Samus, the star of Metroid games, is a woman. This is a little more commonly known now that Smash Bros. has Zero Suit Samus, but many are still unaware. In any case, Zero Mission takes place before all the other Metroid games. It's very interesting in that you find out a lot about Samus' past, much of which was previously unknown.

Zero Mission is my personal favorite of all Metroid titles. Mostly because it's fun and exciting, but not thumb-chaffingly hard. Plus the storyline is amazing. The design is simply flawless. All the characters and backgrounds are well-drawn and pleasant to look at. The sound and music fit the mood perfectly. And of course, the controls are perfect. In short, it's an awesome game. Out of all the Metroids, this one deserves the most play-throughs.

2 - Super Princess Peach (DS): What? A game starring the often annoying and far-too-girly Princess Peach? How could that possibly be any good? If you agree with the previous statements, you have obviously never played the game. In my opinion, it's nearly as good as any Mario game. Yeah, it's easy. But who cares? Kirby games are easy, and they're amazing. Easy doesn't mean lame.

Super Princess Peach is similar to many Mario games. You run around, stomp goombas, and collect power-ups. Peach has her umbrella which lets her float, attack enemies, and pick up items. Using the touch-screen, you can control her emotions to help you along your way. For example, you can make her angry, which lets her catch things on fire. It really is an awesome game. Plus, there are some mini-games where you control Toad. Can't get any better than that.

1 - Perfect Dark (N64): One of the few FPS games I own is also one of the best games I own. Perfect Dark is the spiritual sequel to Goldeneye. It controls the same way, but with awesome new weapons and characters. The game is really, really hard at times, but it's also really, really fun. There's a co-op mode, extemely large multiplayer mode, and tons of unlockables. It is easily one of the greatest N64 games, and that's saying something.

In the story mode, you control Joanna Dark, a super-skilled secret agent. You try to foil the DataDyne Corporation and their plans for world domination. Like Goldeneye, you can unlock awesome cheats and options, such as DK mode, which makes everyone's heads and arms huge. Plus, the incredible invincibility mode is fun to use. Just kill people with no chance of dying. In short, the game has nearly unlimited replay value. Awesome.

So, there you go. If any of you get stuck on this island with me, be prepared to play some serious Perfect Dark. Until that time, I shall enjoy the other near billions of games I own.

Honorable Mentions:
Metroid Prime (fun, but too dang hard)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (haven't played it yet. Looks fun, tho)

-benjamines

Getting Ready to Start: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney