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!

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Coming to 3DS

As many of you know, there is a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie coming to theaters this August. Activision has announced that a 3DS game based on said movie will be available around the same time.

What in the shredded wheat?

What's this? A new post? Yeah, right!

So, here's the poop: There are some cool new games coming out.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: This one is actually already out. And it looks amazing! I cannot wait for to play it! It's like the DS one, but you can play with four-players simultaneously. Plus, the best part is, you can play as Toad! Woo-hoo! Sounds great and I can't wait. Thanksgiving break is the perfect time play the heck out of this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: This one looks fun, too. It's like Phantom Hourglass, but instead of a ship, you control a train. Sounds amazing! It'll be all-stylus controlled like last time, but I think it will be ok. Besides, you can shoot animals with a train cannon. All aboard for me!

Super Monkey Ball Step and Roll: A new Monkey Ball for Wii! And you can use the Balance Board! Granted, it's probably really hard to control and monkey in a ball by tilting the world via a weight-sensor based peripheral, but I still can't wait. It comes out early next year.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Finally, a new Ace Attorney game! This time, you control Miles Edgeworth, the Prosecutor with an attitude. The game is focused more on the investigation than the trials, but it still looks like good fun. Can't wait!

Ok, so that's all I can think of right now. Plus, I have to go eat lunch. It's cold out, so soup I shall eat. Away!

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Scribblenauts (NDS), TMNT Smash-Up (Wii), Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (NDS)

Awesome Games A-Z, pt. 4

Ok, well, I was just gonna shirk my responsabilities and not post anything, but then I decided that I better. Cause you’re lucky!!

P! Alright, so moving right along… Some might predict a Pokemon game here. And while Pokemon is a cool idea, it’s not my favorite thing in the world. But Mario games are one of my favorite things in the world. And one of the best ideas in the history of Mario games was Paper Mario. It sounds weird, and it kind of is. You play as Mario, but he’s made of paper. So, when you want to turn around, he literally flips over. But all the backgrounds and worlds are in 3-D. So basically, it all adds up to a really cool art style. And it’s not your standard Mario game. It’s an RPG. So, you get experience points, add members to your party, and go on a huge and grand adventure to once again save the princess from Bowser. It’s a brilliant game, and easily one of the best games available for the N64, or for any Nintendo system for that matter. It’s funny, it’s imaginative, it’s exciting, and most importantly, it’s fun! If you don’t own this game, then you’re in luck! You can download it right now for Virtual Console. And for $10, it’s truly an amazing deal. Go buy it! Now!

Runner-Up: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS)

Q! This one is easy. I only have 1 game that starts with Q. Its name is Quantum of Solace, based on the 007 movie. But I haven’t played it yet. I should play it sometime.

Runner-Up: Quincy Douglas’ Underground Railroad Adventure (Commodore 64)

R! Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some racing games. Especially ones that are unrealistic, and where you can explode. F-Zero is a good example of this. But there are other great racing games, like the one here where they actually made a stunt track with the express purpose of letting you wreck your car for points. Naturally, I’m talking about Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA. It’s simply a fantastic game. You pick one of many cars, color it how you want, and then go out for a race. And, if you’re like me, you’ll really enjoy the stunt track. It’s filled with ramps and bumps and giant butts (once you play it , you’ll understand). Plus, you can play tag! Seriously! One person starts as it, and you have to ram the other car to tag them. If someone wrecks, they become it. It’s pretty hard, but it’s super-fun. Unfortunately, this game is not yet available for the Virtual Console. Maybe it will be someday. If not, come to my house and we’ll play it.

Runner-Up: Rhythm Heaven (NDS)

S! This was a hard one. After all, most major Mario games start with Super. Plus, many SNES games also begin with Super. Plus, don’t get forget Sonic, Starfox, San Francisco Rush… but in the end, the winner is Super Mario Bros. It is probably the most important video game of all time. After all, it basically saved the ailing video game industry of the early 80s. Plus, it spawned countless other games and series that we all know and love. Mario is the most recognizable and influential video game character of time, and will more than likely continue to be so for a very long time. Super Mario Bros. is an amazing game, even now. The controls are tight, the difficulty is perfect, the enemies and many and varied, the level design is inspired… I could go on forever. We’ve all played this game and know how freaking amazing it is. If you don’t currently own a copy, shell out the $5 for a Virtual Console copy and enjoy it forever. I know I will.

Runner-Up: Super Smash Bros. (N64)

T! Thankfully, I don’t have to try so hard to decide on this one. As we all know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles starts with T. And if you don’t know how awesome TMNT: The Arcade Game is, this it’s time for you to find out. It’s a fantastic side-scrolling beat-em-up featuring everyone’s favorite amphibians. It’s a simple, but extremely effective formula, and one that is difficult to copy. You pick your favorite turtle (Mikey, of course) and you run around beating the crap out of foot soldiers and other enemies (but mostly foot soldiers). Once you clear the enemies in an area, you can move on. At the end of most of the levels is a boss, such as Baxter Stockman (as the fly), or General Kragg (the rock guy). Plus, it has coop multiplayer, which works really well, and is the main reason the game is so fun. The game is not yet available for Virtual Console, but when it comes, get it and play it. So, go grab a Raphael and beat some foot ninjas up!

Runner-Up: Tetris DS (NDS)

U! So since there was no Q game, I’ll fit U in right here. And since U is an uncommon letter (especially for Video Game titles), this choice is easy. I have 2 U games. One gets the top spot. The other gets runner-up. So yeah. The better one is Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the DS. It’s like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but ported to the DS, with added WiFi functionality. I like UMK3 because you can play as Raiden (who was strangely missing from the original MK3). Also, the game comes with Puzzle Kombat, which is a Kirby’s Avalanche-type match-2-colors-to-break-them puzzle game. And in the background, the players beat each other up based on who gets better combos. Kinda cool. This was one of those games that I always wanted, but waited until it went on sale. I think it was $10. Well worth it. I’m not gonna say go buy it, because not everyone is a Mortal Kombat fan. So, go play Mortal Kombat until you like it. Ready? Ok, now go buy it.

Runner-Up: Urban Champion (NES)

So, there you are. Awesome games. And, if you’re really lucky (and you just might be this time), then I’ll post the last entry sometime in the next century. Honest.

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (NDS), Soul Bubbles (NDS), Excitebots: Trick Racing

E3 starts today!

Greetings, all! Today is the big day! Even though Microsoft had their press conference last night, the show we've all been waiting for officially starts today. Nintendo's press conference starts about 2 and a half hours from right now. So stay tuned and I'll try and update every now and again with news. Hoo-hah!

As for my bingo card, I have 1 mark so far. They officially announced the TMNT IV remake yesterday. The only problem is that they haven't said if it's for Wii or not. It was announced at the Microsoft press conference, so we know it's for Xbox 360. But then again, they didn't say it was exclusive, and I think it would be stupid of Konami to not make for the Wii (and I suppose, that other system out there). In any case, the TMNT remake falls in line with the free space on my bingo card, so I need there to be Professor Layton, a new Wii Fit, and more New Play Control games, and I get at least 1 BINGO. And that means 1,000 Nintendo Points from all of you! Man, life is good.

-benjamines

TMNT Fiesta!!

Hello Readers (both of you)! I know I haven't blogged much lately, but there's a reason for that.

Anyways, today I just wanted to inform you of some really cool and exciting news in the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This year marks the 25th Anniversary since the original comic book was published, and to celebrate, there are a bunch of new and awesome items releasing this year. First off, as I've talked about previously, is the new TMNT Smash-Up game, coming this fall to Wii. It's like Smash Bros, but with TMNT. Awesome! Plus, they're remaking the TMNT: Turtles in Time (SNES) game, with 3-D graphics, kinda like how New Super Mario Bros. has 3-D characters, but it plays like a 2-D game (shown at left). Amazing! Plus, that's not all! They are re-releasing the 4 full-length movies on DVD with (supposedly) new bonus content! Still not done! There is a new, live-action TMNT movie being made which will release in two years. INCREDIBLE!!

So yeah, I get a little excited about these things. TMNT is like, one of the coolest things ever, so yeah. Not as cool as Nintendo, but dang close. What would be REALLY awesome is if they re-released TMNT 2 as a 3-D/2-D game. I don't think it will happen, but it would be awesome and amazing. Awesomazing.

Alrighty then. So, I'm gonna try and start putting up more posts in the next little while. School is already getting insane, but I'll see what I can do to keep my fans' palettes whetted.

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Animal Crossing City Folk (Wii), Okami (Wii), Soul Bubbles (NDS)

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

Six Slices of Amazing

I love pie. Not just 'cause it tastes good. 'Cause it feels good. You wanna know the only thing that would be more awesome than pie? A pie that had a different flavor for each slice. Wow. I should start on that right away. But I digress.

If there was a pie with six flavors and each flavor represented something awesome, then consider this post that pie. Behold! Six awesome things!

The DS and Wii. Yes, they share a slice. But it is one cool, sweet, minty slice. Like toothpaste, I guess.

Contra 4: You can unlock NES Contra. Ho. Lee. Crap. Awesome.

This guy. He puts cool drawings (some of which are Nintendo-related) on his kids' lunch bags. Schweet.

Homestar Runner. And those Strong Bad games he (co-) stars in. Hopefully Season 2 will be Homestar Runner's Sweet Egg for Bread and Witch's Brew.

The new TMNT fighting game. It's coming out around this time next year. And some of the people that worked on Smash Bros. are working on it. Kewl.

And the most awesome slice of this pie? There's only TWO WEEKS until Christmas. That means two weeks until an all-night party of grape soda, Ritz crackers, and an all-night party of pure Nintendo. It doesn't get much better.

So there ya go. Now I have to go and study. Just 2 days left, just 2 days left, just 2 days left...

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Contra 4, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Polarium Advance

First First Impressions

Well, it was confirmed to me yet again yesterday that I have the best wife ever, 'cause she let me buy the new and awesome Kirby Super Star Ultra for the DS! That means I now own 450 games! In addition, there are a bunch of games that I started recently, so I thought I'd share some first impressions.

Kirby Super Star Ultra, as I explained recently, is a remake of an old SNES classic, with some new content. And boy, is it fun! The graphics are classic Kirby. Everything is brightly colored and all the characters are smoothly and neatly animated. Plus, the game actually comes with fully animated 3-D CGI cutscenes. Now that's awesome.

So far, I've only played 2 modes: Spring Breeze, and Gourmet Race. Spring Breeze is a short, but sweet standard Kirby mode. There are only about 4 levels, but the music, level designs, and characters are reminiscient of good old Kirby memories. Great fun! Plus, in this mode, instead of simply copying powers, you can also gain allies. If you copy a power and then press the Y button, the power turns into a helper. Then you can gain another power and have double attack ability! Additionally, you can play this mode 2-player, with one player being the helper. You can even do it if only player has the game. Awesome!

Gourmet Race is a footrace against King Dedede. But while you're running, you have to grab as many food items as you can. There are 3 races in total. Every time you win a race, you get 30 extra points, so it's important to not only grab food, but to be quick about it. This can also be played 2-player, even if only one person has the game. Double awesome!

So the game has been good so far. My only complaint is that you can't hold the up button to inflate anymore. This has proved to be a minor annoyance, since I'm used to using that move. But I'm guessing it has something to do with that interfering with other moves. So, no biggie.

Another game I started recently is TMNT 2: Battle Nexus for the GBA. It's a lot like the original GBA TMNT game, as far as graphics and gameplay go. The story is quite a bit different, though, even though it doesn't quite follow exactly the same storyline as the cartoon (nerd alert!)

There are two types of levels in this game: there are fighting levels, and there are shooting levels. Since the Battle Nexus takes place in out space, about a third of the levels involve flying some sort of alien craft and shooting stuff. The fighting levels are quite a bit different from the original, mainly because at the start of each level, you have to fight without your weapon, until you can locate it. This can be frustrating at times, but so far, it's nothing I couldn't figure out without too much trouble.

Also included is a cool new race mode. It plays a lot like the Rainbow Ride minigame from Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. Plus there are 18 levels instead of 3. They are quite a bit harder and more complex, but I say it's an excellent addition.

Well, we have time for one more. And by time, I mean patience. A while back, I started Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii. It has Metal Slug 1-6 and Metal Slug X, all on once disc. Plus, it was only like $17 at CD World. Man, I love that place.

Anyways, I've been through most of the games, and they have been a serious blast (no pun intended). They are all virtually the same game with new levels and enemies, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

One thing I do like about the Metal Slug games and that they all kind of tie together. The bosses from the first games apeear in cameos in the later ones. And the further you go, the bigger the plot and bosses seem to get. Great fun. In short, I almost have it done.

So, once I can get a little more free time, I can work on my 108 in 2008 goal. Hoo-rah!

-benjamines

Can't Wait To: Go home, take a nap, play Kirby Super Star Ultra for the Nintendo DS Portable Video Game System