Posted on November 1, 2012
My Top 100: #56 – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
1995 – Nintendo (Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console)
I mentioned this in the Stunt Race FX and Donkey Kong Country posts, but Nintendo was pretty stoked about the Super FX chip and Advanced Computer Modelling. Not surprisingly, the Super FX2 chip was in the works not long afterwards, and we’d get to see it in full force with a sequel to Super Mario World… or, at least it would be called Super Mario World 2.
I wasn’t quite sure what was so superior about the FX2 chip, though. The graphics for Yoshi’s Island looked like they had been drawn and colored in by a child. How was this evolutionary? The game had an interesting concept and all, but I really wasn’t sold on it. I wanted something like Doom, something that would push the limits of my Super NES to the max. Thankfully, that game was actually on its way. Sign me up!
In the end, Super NES Doom turned out to be somewhat terrible.
I’m not sure if this is an urban legend of sorts, but Nintendo had apparently tasked Shigeru Miyamoto with creating a graphically amazing Mario title. I can’t recall if the article I read stated that they wanted a free-roaming 3D title like what we ended up getting with Super Mario 64, or if they wanted a great-looking platformer that would really test their new hardware. Convinced that gameplay was paramount and that graphics weren’t that important, Miyamoto-san went the opposite direction, and gave Nintendo his thoughts on what a new game in the beloved franchise should look like.
They liked it. They’d find other ways to push the hardware within the game, but thankfully, they took a chance.
*Hey look, it’s the Klobb!!*
Just as I went to start this paragraph, I realized… right now, at this very moment, 17 years ago, on Halloween, was the day I got to see this video (I write a post a day before actually posting it, by the way). Huh. Amazing. I remember it well, because my mom and I were expecting to be able to rent the game itself, but it wasn’t available – the cashier was nice enough to let us bring this preview video home for free, so long as we brought it back.
I don’t know what the heck my deal was that night, or who had pissed in my Corn Flakes that morning, but I was in no mood whatsoever to watch this video with my mom. She was probably interested in seeing what the game was all about, but I knew they it’d be all in your face with the “RADICALS AND TUBULARS AND GNARLY, DUDES!!” I didn’t want to watch that with my mom. I was a teenager now, dammit. I was too cool for that.
I eventually came off my high horse and relented, and watched the video in the link above, then went trick or treating. What the hell was my problem, anyway? Geez.
Moving on.
The game! Yeah, well, it’s awesome. The video explains everything I would say about the gameplay. You carry (the real) baby Mario around, avoid getting hit so he doesn’t cry and annoy you to death, collect power ups and stars and flowers and coins to gain access to bonus levels, and throw Yoshi eggs like you just don’t care. It’s awesome, and there are so many surprises and kinks thrown into the gameplay that it’s definitely worth playing through more than once.
When I think of the Yoshi character, my mind always flashes back to this… man, Mario Paint was cool.
Posted on October 31, 2012
My Top 100: #57 – Little Nemo: The Dream Master
1990 – Capcom (NES)
“NES hard” is a term that I’ve heard thrown around a bit over the last few years. It’s definitely applicable to some of the games we played as little ones, and we were somewhat oblivious to the difficulty of some of what that era had to offer. Games were hard, and this was the way they were meant to be played. There was no alternative, so we didn’t question it – we just soldiered on, and beat some incredibly challenging games at a young age.
One winter night in the early 90’s, I got to rent a new Capcom game that had great box art. At the time, I didn’t know that it was based on an animated movie from Japan, but if the box art was good, then surely the game must have been good too! I headed home with the game, only to realize that my sister, my sitter for the evening, was bringing me to Oromocto for a hockey game of some sort. Maybe it was an RCMP game with a bunch of her co-workers, I don’t quite know… all I can visualize is coming out of the rink, seeing the yellow-lit sign of the rink through a light snowfall, and getting into my sister’s red Pontiac Sunbird.
Aw, man, that car’s tape deck was awesome. You hit the fast-forward button once, and it would stop fast-forwarding at the end of the song, just like a CD player’s Skip button. Amazing technology!!!
Anyway, the snow wasn’t that bad that night, but I was quick to run to the living room TV so I could play the game when I got home.
Little Nemo: The Dream Master wasn’t a game I ever considered that difficult. It was a definite challenge, no doubt, but every time I rented it, I’d get at least to the final level. I think I’ve only ever beat it once or twice, but for a game I never owned, that’s not bad.
I played it recently, and I’m fairly certain that the numerous checkpoints, saving where you want, and general simplicity of recent games has made me a terrible retro gamer. I recently purchased Nemo, played it and subsequently got my keister handed to me! I couldn’t even beat the second level! It was pitiful. Still, a great game is a great game. With that trademark Capcom music and unique gameplay, there wasn’t much like it.
Nemo is a typical little kid who just won’t stay in bed at night. Each level is a unique dream world where Nemo seeks out keys in order to open the door, and gain access to the next level. Some of these keys are extremely well-hidden, but funky new abilities come your way.
Think of it this way… you know in Mega Man games where you can switch weapons on the fly, just by pausing the game and choosing what you need from the menu? Think of a similar ability-swapping mechanic, but instead of defeating a Robot Master to gain that power, you have to lull him (or her!) to sleep with candy. Once they’re sufficiently stuffed, you can take control of their abilities.
Turning into a frog will let you jump to new heights. A gorilla will prop you up on his shoulders, letting you climb walls and attack enemies with a vicious punch. A bee helps you fly around and shoot a stinger for attack, while a mole will allow you to dig to new depths and run quickly. The list goes on!
There are tons of secrets to discover, and every level is different than the last – they’re all separate dreams, so that makes sense. It will challenge the heck out of you, but you won’t be able to resist its charm. I guarantee it!
Centre console from a 1991 Pontiac Sunbird… woooah nostalgia.
Posted on October 30, 2012
My Top 100: #58 – Mario Kart 64
1997 – Nintendo (Nintendo 64)
When I started putting my list together, I knew that there should be a Mario Kart game on it. After all, the original was an unexpected surprise, and my whole family had a good laugh whenever we played it. Its sequel on the Nintendo 64 was great as well, but aside from Mario Kart DS, it seemed like the series leveled off; “here’s more of the same, with different tracks, similar-looking graphics and more racers – have fun!” The New Super Mario Bros. series has fallen into this same predicament, and although the games are still fun, the initial charm has worn off.
So that left three honestly awesome Mario Kart games to choose from; the original, the first 3D entry into the series, or the first with online play… hmm. In terms of overall favourites, there could be only one.
With Mario Kart 64, I find that the “wow” factor is still there for me. That first time I played the Royal Raceway track, went over that massive, stomach-lurching jump at the end of a ramp, and – “POOMP!” – landed with a satisfying thud on the other side. Not only that, but you zoomed by Princess Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64 right afterwards!!! I found that that was a cool Easter Egg… um, wait, you can EXPLORE the area around it???
Amazing!! That just made the game pure win, right then and there. If this track yielded secrets to those who didn’t care about losing time doing some actual racing, then the rest of them could, too!
Whenever I’d get the chance to rent a Nintendo 64, I’d rent this along with it. Yeah, the racing was fun, and the new drifting\boost mechanics were pretty cool, but the fact that the tracks had so much character was what did it for me. This was still pretty early on in the N64’s lifecycle, and getting a new perspective on various landscapes (such as the chocolate track, the haunted one and the DK Jungle) was a whole lot of fun.
If I had a nickel for every time this happened…
Posted on October 29, 2012
My Top 100: #59 – The Simpsons: Hit and Run
2003 – Vivendi Universal (PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube)
When looking at video games based on The Simpsons, one can’t help but look at the ones that started it all; Bart vs. the Space Mutants and Bart vs. the World.
I loved renting those games, but I think I only ever beat the first level of both games once. I don’t know if it was the colourful graphics, the music, or what… but from time to time, I had hankerin’ for some Simpsons gaming. I’m not sure why I was willing to put myself through such punishment, but I digress.
Looking back on both of them now, I realize that they were just poorly designed games. I never played Bartman Meets Radioactive Man on the NES, maybe because I was a little bit older when it came out, and less willing to put myself through that kind of torture again. Many Simpsons games came and went on various platforms, with Bart’s Nightmare on Super NES actually being the closest they came to a genuinely good game. I rented it a few times, enjoyed a few of the levels quite a bit, but quickly realized that the bad parts of the game outweighed the good ones.
The Simpsons Wrestling was a critical bomb that I thought for sure would temporarily halt the production of games based on the cartoon juggernaut, but I was wrong; Road Rage came out at around the same time the Xbox and GameCube were released, and its Crazy Taxi-inspired gameplay won over a bunch of gamers and critics alike.
Imitation is indeed the most sincere form of flattery!
GTAIII and Vice City were massive hits, so it was just a matter of time before everyone got in on the free-roaming, open world bandwagon. Hit and Run did just that, and brought a fully explorable (and secret-filled) Springfield to the masses.
The plot involves the Simpson family (and Apu) investigating a series of strange events caused by a doctored version of Buzz Cola being introduced to the story’s water supply. Get in a car, travel, get out, do some exploring for bonus items, do missions at your own pace, or just take a minute to see the sights in a fully realized 3D version of Springfield. As the game progresses, various landmarks from the show will make appearances; from the obvious locales like the giant pile of burning tires and Springfield Elementary, to the more obscure references like the staircase to nowhere and the world’s largest toilet (from the episode with Abe’s exploded kidneys), there are tons of easter eggs for the longtime fan to discover.
I enjoyed the heck out of this, enough to crack my top 60.
Jasper makes an appearance both in AND out of the Quik E-Mart freezer. Classic!
Posted on October 26, 2012
My Top 100: #60 – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
2005 – Midway (Xbox, PlayStation 2)
I make no effort to hide the fact that I love the Mortal Kombat universe. I find absolutely everything about it riveting, but I consider it a bit of a guilty pleasure.
To begin with, the characters’ storylines all seem plucked from thin air. “Blank was a member of Blank, before Blank murdered someone close to them\defected to the other side; now they fight for justice\revenge\no reason but for personal gratification.”
In any game that delves deeper into these intertwined storylines, the writing and voice acting are pretty damn horrible. The first one to do this was Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero, which went all out with live action cutscenes, silly costumes and hilarious acting. 2004’s Deception continued the tradition de fromage with a Conquest adventure mode to help explain Shujinko’s storyline, complete with groan-inducing dialogue and voice acting. Though it was a pretty simplistic take on the MK universe, it obviously won over many of us fans.
The house of Boon had dollar signs in their eyes, and took a God of War approach for their next game… and it worked.
I had a general idea of what God of War was; lots of weapons, lots of acrobatic moves that were simple to pull off, lots of violence. It definitely looked like a step in the right direction for video games, taking on darker and more adult themes for us longtime gamers. Still, I never actually bothered trying the game until after Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks came out.
This game is sure to bring back memories to anyone who has ever played an MK game. The intro brings us back to the end of the first tournament, just as Liu Kang is about to put the smackdown on Shang Tsung. Before he bites the bullet, he opens a portal through which he and all the game’s “evil” characters jump through. Like R’as al Ghul setting Arkham Asylum’s freaks loose to wreak havoc on Gotham in Batman Begins, this opens the door for a boatload of random encounters throughout the game.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao are the playable characters from the get-go, with Scorpion and Sub Zero acting as the unlockables. Aside from plain old kicking and punching, using their signature special attacks can add a bit of strategy to each battle. 3D re-recreations of familiar Mortal Kombat II locales such as the Portal, Dead Pool and Armory, help take you on a trip down memory lane. You can even interact with some of the environments, since there always happen to be conveniently placed spike beds to throw your opponent into; or, in the Living Forest’s case, hungry trees that need to be fed!
In the end, Shaolin Monks is a solid game that most people might overlook, but any fans of the Mortal Kombat franchise would do well to try out.
This should say “Romney”, but I guess this is from the G-Dub years.
Posted on October 25, 2012
My Top 100: #61 – Felix the Cat
1992 – Hudson Soft (NES)
From one Hudson Soft game to another… I didn’t do that on purpose, but they were definitely one of the great game developers back in the day, so long as you’re willing to forget Milon’s Secret Castle.
I didn’t know much about Felix the Cat before this game came out. From looking at him in previews in Nintendo Power, I recognized him from really old black and white cartoons I’d see from time to time. There was really no other reason to rent the game that first time, other than my mom saying she also recognized him from when she was younger.
We brought it home, and I was pretty damn impressed with what I played.
This is your typical platformer from those days. Some might be tempted to call it a Mario-clone, what with the collecting of “Felix coins” and power ups. Felix even reaches special areas by jumping into giant coin purses (giggity), remeniscent of Mario jumping into pipes to reach loads of coins. Beyond that, however, Felix the Cat has a few nice changes to the formula.
As you gain new abilities and your powers increase, you have to stay vigilant and collect all the coins you can. As time progresses with a certain ability, a heart meter in the top-left corner will slowly decrease. Let it go empty, and you’ll get knocked down a peg on the power up ladder – a power-down, essentially. Collect coins, get the Milk bottles that come every 10 coins, repeat. Coins get a bit more sparse in later levels, so it makes you up your game a bit.
Seems like a bit of an ode to the Adventure Island hunger meter, to me!
There were also a few flying and underwater stages that came along, helping to break up the platforming monotony a bit. They had different upgrades as well, and that was fun.
So yeah, if you ever get a chance to play this game, please do so. Even though it isn’t the most challenging game in the world, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how fun it is.
A-ha. I get it. Clever!
Posted on October 24, 2012
My Top 100: #62 – Super Adventure Island II
1995 – Hudson Soft (Super NES)
Of all the folks I know that grew up with 8-bit games, very few of them were as enamored with the Adventure Island series as I was. I guess it all comes down to those moments we spent in video game rental shops, staring at box art to see which one might tickle our fancy the most. I tended to stick to the cutesy platformers, not for any other reason than they just cheered me up. Yeah, I loved me some good Contra-style shootin’, but I would always gravitate right back to those colourful graphics and happy-sounding chiptunes offered by any company trying to duplicate the success of Super Mario Bros.
The series really hit its peak with Adventure Island II on the NES, a game that cast away the shackles of being a Wonder Boy clone and took on an identity of its own. It added a bunch of gameplay elements like the dinosaur pals, varying level layouts, an area map, different bosses to fight, an all-around greater challenge… it truly was an incredible game to play as a kid, and nobody seemed to care that much for it. I was appalled!
Adventure Island III was almost identical to the second one, but Super Adventure Island was a major step backwards for the series. They slapped a new coat of paint on it, took away what made II and III so much fun, and called it a day.
The glory days of Adventure Island were evidently behind us, and I wasn’t too happy about it.
It was ’95, a time where my interest in video games not called Mortal Kombat or Doom was dwindling, and NASCAR was taking over as my obsession of choice. There were the Mega Man X sequels that I was somewhat interested in, but I had my eye on future consoles. The PlayStation, the 3DO, the Ultra 64… I had no real reason to care about the current generation.
Well, Super Adventure Island II made me rethink that. I wasn’t the only one who wrote the series off when the first foray onto the Super NES bombed – apparently, Hudson Soft did as well!
The gameplay underwent a complete overhaul, and it was barely recognizable from its predecessors. Gone was the hectic fruit and veggie collecting to keep from going hungry. Dinosaur buddies were gone, which was fine, as was Master Higgins’ trusty throwing axe. He could actually take more than one hit without dying now, which made some levels in the earlier games a bit frustrating.
In fact, the only thing in common with prior Adventure Island games is the inclusion of Master Higgins and his imprisoned girlfriend Tina. Other than that, it’s more similar to a Zelda title than anything else. You have a top-down map to go from island to island with, and can run into random trouble spots that will bring you to a brief side-scrolling action level. It’s pretty Adventure of Link-ey!
You can also find new kinds of armor along the way, upgraded shields and weapons, as well as a few other items to equip. It’s a linear quest, in that you can only make it to certain parts of the map by completing certain goals. There are a few switches scattered around the islands, as well as other items, that will allow you to get to certain areas that weren’t accessible the first time through prior levels.
It wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but Super Adventure Island II is definitely one of those titles that is underappreciated and overlooked by many.
I didn’t even know this existed until it came out on the Wii’s Virtual Console… I was equally disappointed by it.
Posted on October 23, 2012
My Top 100: #63 – WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
2003 – Nintendo (Game Boy Advance)
As illegal as it might have been, my first experience with this game was on an emulator. I ended up buying it because I loved it so much, so… I guess that’s a good thing?
My niece was born in early ’04 on a day with a snow storm of epic proportions. Though my memory of that event will be recalled in a post much later in my countdown, I only actually got to meet her about two months later. On that April day in Moncton, it seemed a bit surreal that I was holding a new member of the Suley family in my arms. After putting her to sleep for the night, we started the trip back to Fredericton.
We stopped at Costco that evening, and I made an impulse buy – a brand new PC. I’d finally be able to download what I wanted, when I wanted, and could customize it to fit my needs! All those games I had purchased without having a PC to run them… I could run them now! I’d download a few emulators and roms, too!
I had more money at the time, but bought fewer games. Figure that one out.
Anyhow, one of the first roms I had to download was this WarioWare game that EGM had given a rave review of. The screenshots looked incredibly strange, and I didn’t understand how such a concept could possibly work.
At first, I really wasn’t sure what the heck I was supposed to do. It was all happening so fast! First it was telling me to catch a stick, then it had me playing pinball with one of Wario’s boogers, then I had to raise this weird eel flag thing… what was going on? It was so random and weird, and I had to figure it all out so quick. Not that the controls were difficult, since it was usually just a question of pressing a single button or arrows on the control pad.
I sat there in my room on my brand new PC, which was capable of playing the latest 3D games of the era without a problem. Yet here I was, addicted to a game built for a system made to fit in the palm of my hand. Forget Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and its expansions – I wanted to play this game forever!
WarioWare is random, weird, funny, crazy. The sequels are pretty much the exact same, and though they switch it up with motion controls (as in Twisted! and Smooth Moves!), I never really got into them quite as much as the original.
Found this on deviantArt… there’s some cool gaming stuff on there!
Posted on October 22, 2012
My Top 100: #64 – The Death and Return of Superman
1994 – Sunsoft\Blizzard (Super NES, Genesis)
It pretty much says it all in the title, doesn’t it?
I spent a very small portion of my early double-digit years honestly believing I could be Superman if I tried hard enough. I watched Lois and Clark on Sunday nights, had a massive crush on Teri Hatcher, and was convinced that with a cape, an imagination and a running start, I could fly.
Those plans never really panned out, for some reason.
I never had an interest in comic books, but the Superman character had always fascinated me. Yeah, he’s all-powerful and isn’t actually all that interesting as a superhero because of it. I just thought his superpowers would be awesome to have!
It was a pretty big deal in pop culture and comic books when, in 1992, he was actually killed off by the all powerful Doomsday character. Though the idea of such a powerful symbol of hope being murdered was somewhat depressing, I thought it was pretty cool. I’m not sure why I found depressing things so interesting back then (yay, shipwrecks and people dying!), but I suppose it’s similar to my little niece’s current curiosity about death, about how and why it happens and such.
Naturally, they eventually made a game about the whole saga. From his death to the reign of imitators, The Death and Return of Superman covered it all.
You get to play as The Cyborg, Eradicator, Superboy and Steel, but there really is no difference in terms of their abilities. They can all fly, shoot laser beams somehow, and pull off a screen-clearing super move. They all punch and kick (obviously) except for Steel, who whacks everyone with his massive hammer. You can pick up the bad guys just by walking up to them without attacking, then slam them into the ground or into the scenery behind them. Kinda cool, I guess.
Action levels are randomly interspersed with a flying shooter remeniscent of the R-Type games. They’re not bad at all, but it does make you wonder why ol’ Soup doesn’t just fly like that to the end of each level.
As far as beat ’em ups go, this one isn’t really all that different. It’s pretty repetitive, and none of the enemies are all that unique from one another. You’d probably be better off playing a Final Fight or Streets of Rage game, since there’s really nothing new to offer…
Unless, of course, you’re like me and enjoy a good Superman storyline. Great story, good graphics, surprisingly good music and passable gameplay. It’s nothing special, but this is the first game I stayed up way past my bedtime to play, just to see what would happen next.
This is the first game on my countdown that I’d suggest that you not play, because you probably wouldn’t like it if you did!
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was pretty damn cheesy, but still had some ridiculous action and drama to keep me watching every week.
Posted on October 19, 2012
My Top TEN Favourite NES Music Tracks!
Alright, so to try and avoid making the blog too monotonous, I think I’m gonna make some mini top 10 posts, just S’s and G’s.
Top 10 NES tracks! Only one rule – one song per franchise… aaaaand go!
10. Wrecking Crew – Main Theme
I always thought that this was the perfect music for strategizing. I never found it repetitive at all, which is surprising, considering it pretty much plays throughout the entire game.
9. Little Nemo: The Dream Master – Intro
Admittedly, you’ll eventually be seeing this game on my other countdown. Though there were other memorable tracks in the game (it’s by Capcom, so, duh), the intro music just seemed to set the tone nicely with this memorable little ditty. Very old-time-circus-ey.
8. Adventure Island II – Cave Theme (apparently called “Lake Island 2”??)
The Adventure Island games were always a bit hectic because of Master Higgins’ health meter. When you’re running through caves filled with monsters, rolling boulders and lava, it just fits the mood perfectly. Catchy, too!
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Stage Theme 2
This game was tough, but man, did the music ever kick ass! This was the music for the stage before the underwater bomb diffusing, and it was pretty fun to hum along to. The way the beat changes up every few seconds… great stuff.
6. Metroid – Kraid’s Lair
Though the original Metroid didn’t make it on my list of favourite games, I consider the game’s music among the best the NES had to offer. The Kraid’s Lair theme was the most haunting of the bunch, and it’s by far my favourite from the game.
5. DuckTales – Moon
There were a lot of things that were awesome about this game, and the music just sent it over the top.
4. Super Mario Bros. 3 – Overworld 2
Of all the Mario themes that I’ve heard over the years, none of them sounded as FUN as this one. I was quite thrilled to hear a remix of it in the Super Mario Galaxy titles, as well!
3. Mega Man 3 – Snake Man Theme
This was a tough choice, just because there’s so much great Mega Man music to choose from. Guts Man, Skull Man, Mega Man 2‘s Dr. Wily Stage 1… all great tunes that bow to the greatness of Snake Man’s theme!
2. The Legend of Zelda – Ending
Even after looking at all the epic music from Zelda II, I decided that this was my favourite 8-bit Zelda tune. It just seemed like such a happy-go-lucky melody to end a challenging game with.
1. Contra – Base Theme
This one is just so damn catchy, it makes me wanna boogie. And then I start boogie-ing, and quickly realize I have rolling tubes and jumpin’ and shootin’ fellas to avoid. Video game music at its best!
HONORABLE MENTION!!!